The rest of the day went by with similar results. Violence or silence met all of their diplomatic entreaties. By the time they reached the last address on their list for the day, the X-Men were tired and disheartened. Emmaline's shield had been in constant motion during the day, since none of her companions took kindly to being shielded when not in immediate danger.

The hallways of the apartment were narrow and decrepit, with water stains on the ceiling and an oppressive scent of mildew permeating the entire building. Logan in particular seemed thrown off by the smell. The apartment they were looking for was on the third floor, but the group took the stairs instead of the rundown elevator.

It was close to seven at night, and there were sounds of conversation, television, and cutlery clinking on plates around the building. Despite its clear poverty, Emmaline felt calmer there than any of the other buildings they had entered over the course of the day. This place had normal human problems, rather than seeming the home of dangerous mutants.

There were muffled female voices inside the target apartment. Storm pressed the button to ring the doorbell and stepped back from the door in case someone attacked.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door. There was a shadow as someone looked through the peephole, and then the sounds of locks being undone. The door opened, but a thin chain remained between the occupant and the X-Men. It was a girl in her late teens with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled at the mutants. "Can I help you?" she asked easily.

Storm returned the smile. "We're with the X-Men. Do you know why we're here?" she asked.

The girl frowned. "Um, no? Are you with the government?" She eyed their matching uniforms. "We're eighteen—it's completely legal for us to be living here."

Behind her, another girl said, "Did they say the X-Men?" The first girl turned back to the other and nodded. Emmaline could now see the other girl. She was sitting at a worn table, shuffling a deck of Uno cards. She had stylishly cut dark brown hair that didn't quite touch her shoulders and matching dark eyes. Her pale skin stood out in the poorly illuminated apartment, but her dark clothes blended eerily with her surroundings. She rolled her eyes. "That's that mutant organization, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" The first girl turned back to the door. "Would you like to come in?" she offered.

"Alli…" the seated girl said warningly.

"If they're really mutants, it's not like this little chain would stop them from coming in anyways," the other girl pointed out.

"We would love to come in," Storm said. Emmaline understood why they brought Storm out on diplomatic missions. Despite her strong powers, she was extremely disarming. "We have things to talk with you about."

The girl closed the door, removed the lock, and then opened the door all the way to let them in. "I'm Allison McGuire," the first girl said. She gestured for them to sit at the plastic chairs circling around the table. Scott, Emmaline, and Storm sat down gingerly. Logan stayed standing, arms folded as he watched the two girls warily.

The apartment was small. The kitchen led to two small bedrooms, but Emmaline could see no other rooms. Though it was in ill-repair, the apartment was personalized with movie posters and expansive bookshelves. The colors were muted because of the poor lighting, but it was clearly a home, not just a hangout like some of the mutant groups they had approached had been in.

"That's Heather," Allison said, gesturing to the other girl. Heather gave them a small nod, still shuffling the Uno cards. She still looked wary of the group. Allison laughed. "Say 'hello,' Heather."

"Hello, Heather," the girl said sarcastically.

"I'm Storm," Storm greeted.

"Cyclops," Scott said. Emmaline looked over at Scott, frowning. She had never heard his mutant name before.

"Wolverine," Logan growled. "And this is Aegis," he said, gesturing to Emmaline. She raised an eyebrow at him, but did not argue. She was sure they had a reason to introduce themselves without using their real names.

"Oh, our mutant names are Fille de L'eau and Lethi," Allison said, "but we only go by those with humans."

"Isn't it normally opposite?" Emmaline asked, unable to hold her tongue.

Heather shrugged. "We trust mutants a whole lot more than humans."

Allison went to the fridge and tossed Heather a water bottle and grabbed herself a vanilla Coke. "Can I offer you all any drinks?"

Scott shook his head. "Thank you though. Do you have access to a television here?" he asked them.

They exchanged a look and nodded. "How else could we play Guitar Hero?" Allison grinned. "Why?"

"There's been a very important memo sent out to mutants," Storm told them. "Magneto has been confronting small groups of mutants and forcing them to join the Brotherhood."

"And if we refused?" Allison asked, leaning against the refrigerator.

"He'd kill you," Scott said grimly. "We have reason to believe that Magneto is somewhere in this city. A shelter has been set up nearby where you can stay safe until the threat in this area passes."

Storm nodded. "We can escort you there now, if you are interested."

Heather and Allison looked at each other. They either knew each other very well or one was a telepath, because they nodded together. Allison looked at the other mutants. "Not really in the mood to die," she said. "Just give us a minute to pack some stuff."

Emmaline had been watching the two closely, and suddenly said, "You two aren't really eighteen yet, are you?"

Heather froze and turned to Emmaline with narrowed eyes. If looks could kill, Emmaline would have burst into flame right there. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be Heather's power. Allison just shrugged. "Yeah, we're seventeen. Once our powers manifested, we didn't think it'd be a good idea to stick around our houses. Traditional Southern families are nice for hearty food, but are close-minded about change."

Scott seemed to understand Emmaline's train of thought. "Then you're qualified to be students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," he said. "There you can learn to control your powers and can get your high school degree along the way."

"We looked into it a while back," Allison admitted. "It seemed awesome, but the tuition was a bit out of our range."

"Try way out of our range," Heather corrected.

Storm shook her head. "Money doesn't matter. We would never stop a prospective student from coming to our school because of something like that. Our alum are very generous."

"Storm, Wolverine, and I are all teachers there," Scott told them. "We can speak for the whole institution when we say you'd be welcome there. If you agree we can collect all of your things and take you there. We still have to check in on this city's security, but we could get you there in the next few days."

Again, Allison and Heather exchanged a brief glance. "Definitely," Allison said.

While the girls packed, Scott asked, "How did you know how old they were?"

Emmaline shrugged. "Before I was legal, I used to tell everyone I was the second I thought they might ask. Once I really was eighteen, I didn't feel the need to tell everyone. If anyone asked, I could prove it then. I'm glad I was right."

Storm nodded, leaned back in her chair. "They seem like nice girls… and this doesn't seem like a nice place."

"Before Drew, this was how Jamie and I lived," Emmaline admitted, looking around the small apartment.

"Then you got to 'housesit' nice houses, like mine," Scott said, grinning.

Logan frowned, still standing imposingly behind Emmaline's chair. "We don't even know what their powers are," he reminded them. "Youth doesn't mean innocence. They could be shape-shifters for all we know."

"I can turn invisible," Heather said, appearing from a shadow at the edge of the kitchen. Startled, Logan turned on her with his claws out, but Storm waved a hand at him to back down. "Allison controls water. We're not 'shape-shifters' and we have more reason not to trust you than you have not to trust us."

"Oh, so Fille de L'eau is French for water girl? I knew I knew that word, but I haven't taken French in years," Emmaline said, suddenly understanding Allison's mutant name.

Heather nodded. "And I'm Lethi, like a lethifold from Harry Potter." She shrugged at Emmaline's smile. "We came up with them one night a few years ago and they just stuck."

Emmaline shrugged. "They're interesting," she said honestly. Once Heather had gone back into her room to grab her suitcase, Emmaline leaned over to Logan. "So now I'm Aegis? What even is that?"

Scott looked over at Logan, brows raised and a smirk on his face. "You've read Greek mythology?" he asked him. He was relaxed in the old apartment in stark contrast to Logan, who had not uncrossed his arms since he had entered the room.

Logan scowled. "I just heard somewhere that it meant 'shield'. You're just lucky I didn't just call you 'Bubble' or something," he told Emmaline, meeting her eyes as if challenging her to argue.

"Aegis is better than Bubble," Emmaline admitted.

Allison entered the room, struggling under the weight of a cardboard box in her arms and an overstuffed duffel bag on her shoulder. "Here," Scott said, stepping forward. "Let me carry some of that."

Heather came out directly after Scott took the box from Allison, two boxes set on top of her rolling suitcase. "We're ready," she told the mutant team.

Storm stood up. "Is there anything else you need to wrap up here before we leave?" she asked them.

Heather looked around the dingy apartment, a frown tugging at her lips. "No. We're done here."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Emmaline was impressed by the sharp request for identification when the X-Men approached the door to the YMCA that had been designated as the local mutant safe house. "We're the X-Men," Scott said, gesturing to their uniforms.

The unseen guardian was not sold. "We get people in here all the time claiming to be with the X-Men," the guard told them. "People are desperate to seem like they are heroes. For all we know, you could be with the Brotherhood."

Scott sighed in frustration. "If we were with the enemy, would we be asking politely for permission?" he asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Actually," the guard said, "you might. If you knew what my power was, you wouldn't try getting in by force."

Storm spoke up, taking her familiar role of diplomat. "What is your power?" she asked politely.

The guard emerged from the shadows beside the door. He was tall and in his forties, with silver streaks in his black hair. His skin was worn and tan, as though he had spent many years of his life outdoors. "Ah ah ah," he said, shaking his head. "Now if you were the enemy that's exactly the question you'd ask. You'd want to know how to use it against me."

This time it was Storm who was frustrated. "How exactly do you want us to prove this to you?" she asked.

"Well, where do you live?" the guard asked.

"At the school," Scott said. "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where we're based."

The guard looked over him with a frown. "Do you have any identification?" he asked.

Scott snorted. "We're not the government—we don't carry identification."

Logan stalked forward, tearing a chain off his neck. He thrust a pair of dog tags at the guard. "Wolverine. Is that identification enough for you?"

The guard did not seem intimidated by Logan's show of anger. He inspected the tags slowly, then nodded. "These seem legit," he said. "All right, let them in."

The doors behind him slung open to reveal the brightly lit interior of the YMCA.

The guard gave them brief directions and sent them inside, resuming his post outside the doors. They entered a large gymnasium which was covered in sleeping bags. Some of the sleeping bags were already occupied by small children. However, the majority of the mutants were standing on the edges of the room, talking quietly.

There was a wide variety of people present. Some were young and rebellious at the protection. Some were old and disgruntled at the change of routine. Families clustered together, looking worried despite the obvious security measures. None looked happy to be there.

When the X-Men approached, silence fell on the surrounding groups. They clearly knew who they were. A woman approached with dark skin and professionally tailored clothes. "Hello," she said. "My name is Silverwing. I was in charge of the coordination for this location. I can show you what defenses we have here."

As they walked, she continued, "I appreciate you sending out that warning. This city has many mutants, but few that would be willing to sacrifice their time for a few days for protection. Luckily, your message was enough to convince many of the them to come here. I understand you met with some other ones today."

Storm nodded. "Yes, we were, but we only got these two girls to accompany us." She gestured to heather and Allison, who was standing close together talking. "The rest of the mutants we spoke to were… less cooperative than expected."

Bethany nodded. "Yes, we're in a city, you know. Most people who are different, mutant or otherwise, find it easier to be tough than to cooperate with anyone."

Logan nodded at her words, looking around the area. "You've got some variety here," he noted.

"Yes, we do, and not all of them get along," she replied, "but we're trying to get along. You'll be sure to alert us once Magneto's force is gone from this area, won't you?"

Storm nodded, taking charge of the conversation for the X-Men. "Yes, we will," she said.

Scott, the nominal leader, stood farther back, looking around. Emmaline could not see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but she was sure they were analyzing the fortifications of the gymnasium. They were subtle, but there. Every corner and doorway was equipped with a camera. The traditional high ceilings were enforced with temporary metal bars against the top, presumably to block against aerial attacks. They had already seen the suspicious guard out front and Silverwing had assured them that there were similar people at each entrance. She told them that they were all former or current police or military. "I think the guard we met was military," Logan growled to Emmaline, talking softly so no one could hear him.

Emmaline nodded. "I can imagine that," she said.

Scott looked around. "We'll stay here for the night," Scott told Silverwing. It was the first Emmaline had heard that and she furrowed her eyebrows. "That way if anything happens we can help control the situation."

Silverwing nodded, relieved. "Do you have sleeping bags?" she asked them.

"Yes," Storm replied, taking back over the conversation. "Back in the jet. We'll return here soon." She paused, a smile softening her lips. "Please tell the guards to let us in next time."

"No promises," Silverwing returned, grinning.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The gymnasium was full of quiet shuffling and mutterings. It was past midnight and quiet time had started at eleven, though some of the older mutants had objected to a curfew. Emmaline was lying in a standard issue navy sleeping bag between Storm and Logan. The gymnasium was full, with over one hundred mutants gathered, but floor space was not hard to find. Families were gathered together but most were isolated alone. The X-Men were clustered by the largest door because, as Scott said, that would be the first place attacked.

Before they had all gone to beg, Scott had spoken to the general assembly, thanking them for taking the initiative to be safe rather than sorry and to remind to not leave the building at night and to travel around with a minimal of two other people. One teenage mutant nearby muttered, "Who does he think he is, my dad?" There were muttered agreements.

Scott ignored the unrest and smiled at the mutants. "Goodnight everyone," he had said before gesturing to a mutant who shut off all the lights with a snap of his fingers.

Emmaline curled uncomfortably on her side. Had it only been last night that she had been trudging to Logan's room, asking him to guard her in her sleep? It seemed like forever ago because so much had happened in the last day.

It constantly amazed her how much her feelings towards Logan had changed since she had met him. No longer was he the loud brute who had attempted to slice through her shield on her first night in the mansion. He was tough but not callous, strong but unwilling to use his force against those he deemed did not warrant it.

He was lying on his back beside her with his eyes closed so she could look at him without fear of being caught staring. It was too dark to see him clearly, but his close presence gave her a sense of security she had not felt in a long time. Having him, Scott, and Storm close by set her nerves closer to ease at the prospect of sleeping in a gymnasium full of potentially dangerous mutants.

Before she had left for the mission, Dr. Reyes had reminded that if she didn't sleep full nights, she would be removed from active duty and sent back to the mansion until they could decide how to insure her well-being. Emmaline had taken the responsibility for this mission, and needed to follow through. She sighed and clenched her eyes closed futilely.

Emmaline shuffled in her sleeping bag, uncomfortable in the heat. Her shield was close around her so it did not brush against anyone nearby. Her thoughts drifted slowly, but she could not let herself fall asleep in the crowded gym. She groaned, frustrated at her own lingering fear of the mutants around her. She was sure she'd be able to wake up in time to shield her and her partners from an attack.

Beside her, Logan stirred and she opened her eyes to find him on his side looking at her. "Can't sleep?" he said quietly.

She sighed. "How'd you guess?"

He laughed softly, a quiet chuckle that was more a reverberation than a vocalization. "Your tossing, turning, and heavy sighs might have given it away," he said.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked softly.

"I was already awake too," he admitted. "A lot of people in here."

Emmaline nodded, understanding him completely. "Too many," she said. Storm moved in her sleep, making Emmaline drop her voice even more. "It doesn't help that they're all mutants."

Logan heard her despite her lowered volume. "Walk with me," he suggested, propping himself up on one elbow to see her better. From anyone else it would have been a question.

"Didn't Scott say we needed a group of three?" she asked, smiling because she knew she was going to go with him anyways.

"Your shield is our third," he said. He stood up, moving with surprising silence considering his size. He had changed from his uniform to his traditional wife beater and sweatpants.

Emmaline nodded and extracted herself from her sleeping bag, trying to emulate Logan's silence. She looked over the expanse of resting mutants, not put at ease by their seeming calm. Logan tilted his head to one of the side doors. It was dark but Logan's steps led them neatly around all of the people between them and the door. He waved vaguely at the camera over the door before opening it and allowing Emmaline to go first.

When they cleared the doorway, she extended her shield over Logan. "I don't need you to guard me," he said softly when he felt the shield pass over him.

Emmaline met his eyes. "If you get to guard me when I'm asleep, I get to guard you when you're awake. It's not likely you're going to need to jump into a fight now anyways. I feel better knowing you're safe. It's just a thing I have," she said with a shrug, expecting for him to tell her to take back her shield.

He simply nodded and gestured for her to choose a direction to walk.

They walked in silence through the dark, quiet hallways of the YMCA. Even when they were out of earshot the gym, they did not speak. Emmaline found that walking helped her sort through all of her thoughts and fears. Logan's steady presence encouraged her calm contemplation.

His dark eyes were inscrutable when she caught them flicking towards her. He stopped walking when she met his gaze and she stopped with him. They were next to a window on the first floor of the YMCA looking out over the parking lot out front. Moonlight bathed them both in a pale silvery light that enhanced the contours of Logan's face and body.

"That's what it will be like if you keep with this stupid mission," Logan said finally, surprising her. It sounded like that while her thoughts calmed as she walked, his became stronger. "You'll be surrounded by mutants you don't know, don't trust, except they'll be in here." He tapped the edge of her shield.

"I know," she said softly.

"Don't lie to me and say it doesn't bother you," Logan said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "Why are you always trying to start an argument with me? You know that would bother me, but I'm willing to try it. I owe the Professor at least this much for letting Jamie and Drew stay at the school."

"Damn it, you don't owe him anything!" Logan argued, slamming an angry fist in the impenetrable shield.

Emmaline frowned, disconcerted by his anger on her behalf and annoyed by his confidence in the words she couldn't believe. "I can make my own decisions, you know. Why does it even matter to you?" she snapped.

He took a step closer to her. This close she could feel the brush of his clothes on her crossed arms. Her heartbeat picked up as she looked into his dark eyes. The security she had begun feeling in his presence was gone, replaced with a thrilling sense of danger. "You really don't know?" he breathed.

"Help!" The scream came from outside. They both whirled to look out the window. The parking lot lights illuminated an unsteadily running figure. Emmaline knew the dark blotches on her pale shirt were not from the designer.

"Let me out," Logan said, standing at the edge of her shield. Emmaline complied and he immediately crashed into the window, rolling out into the parking lot and racing towards the woman.

Emmaline climbed out the window, using her shield to stop any glass shards for touching her and ran after Logan. When he reached the woman she stumbled and fell. He caught her just in time. "What happened?" he demanded loudly enough for Emmaline to hear.

As she got closer, she recognized the woman as Victoria White, the librarian they had talked to earlier in the day. There were blood stains on her left shoulder, lower stomach, and a jagged scratch had sliced open her pants by her thigh. "Magneto... I guess he did want my power," she managed before losing consciousness.

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