Yes, here it is, the chapter many of you have been asking for! I hope it meets with your approval.

Chapter 34: Recon!

There were at least a hundred people here, most dressed in business casual attire. They milled around, sipping cocktails from plastic cups with embossed white napkins wrapped around the bottom. Scott followed closely in Hunter's wake as they made their way from group to group. So far he had not overheard anything confirming the Professor's suspicion.

Hunter seemed to have a specific destination in mind. They made their way to the largest group in the center of the room. Hunter pressed his way through the crowd, moving with a grace and stealth Scott would not have suspected. He appeared to be more of the bull-in-the-china-shop type of guy, but clearly that was an act.

So far no one had given Scott's sunglasses a second look and that was a first. It was odd to feel like he fit in outside of the Institute. He wasn't certain how Hunter managed it, but he was certain that he would prefer the guy came along on future recon missions. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hunter flash a broad smile, so Scott copied the action.

A man stood in the center of this group, poised and confident. He wore an expensive suit that made Scott feel horribly underdressed. His salt and pepper hair, heavy on the salt, was combed back in a grand wave over the top of his head and his smile was cold and practiced. He seemed familiar somehow to Scott, even though he couldn't place the face.

"We must beware the unnatural," the man said, gesturing briefly with the drink in one hand. "The devil may appear in many forms."

"Amen," Hunter added.

The man cast a smile on them. "Thank you, brother." He eyed them carefully. "You must be new, I don't recognize you. Welcome."

Hunter nodded then looked expectantly at the man. The man, whose voice was clearly exercised and trained for addressing large groups, turned in a half-circle to include everyone in this group. "The devil appears in many forms," he repeated, the depth and timbre of his voice deepening as he warmed to his subject. "Just because the form may be one of a child, it is not to be ignored. No! When we see the unnatural, we must cast it out!"

Bingo. This was it. Professor Xavier was right. If this wasn't the beginnings of an anti-mutant movement, Scott would eat his visor.

Several members of the crowd shouted out an accompanying "Amen!"

"The unnatural ones among us, they are demons, sent by the devil. They are tests. We must find them and cast them out, by any means, or risk losing God's love."

Scott scanned the faces of the people in this group. Most of the background conversations in the large room had ceased, all attention directed here. Wonderful. All they needed was to be found out. These people might rip his team apart with their bare hands. Scott attempted to attract Hunter's attention, but his new team member wore a pleasant smiling face and looked on at the speaker. As more rhetoric flowed forth like some damn massive waterfall of hate, Scott realized who he was listening to. This was William Stryker, the televangelist.

He tried to bite back the groan of sheer hopelessness he felt. If Stryker started preaching like this on his show... Who's to say he had not already started? It wasn't like Scott watched the televangelist, so he wouldn't know. Now he knew he would need to look up the television listings after they returned to the Institute. Stryker could not be allowed to go on unchecked like this.

"Excuse me?" A large man pushed his way to the inner circle. "Excuse me, Reverend Stryker? May I ask a question?"

"Certainly, brother," Stryker replied with the same cold smile.

"How do we cast out the demons?" the man asked. He looked weary, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"By any means," Stryker said authoritatively.

For the first time Hunter frowned. Scott found his elbow tugged and the three of them moved to the edge of the crowd. Everyone in the room surrounded the televangelist now, all spurious conversation dead. Hunter waved him and Logan toward the exit.

"What's he going to do?" Scott demanded in a whisper.

Logan shrugged. "But I'm sure I don't wanna be in here for it. Come on."

Scott followed his teammate into the outer hall. Logan stopped at the doors leading to the outside, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall to wait.

"Now what?" Scott demanded.

Logan stared at the door and a thin smile played on his lips. "Just wait a couple of minutes. You'll see. But, uh, you might want to be ready to run."

"Run?" Scott glanced between Logan and the door leading to the hate-monger. Then he snorted a laugh as he leaned on the section of wall next to Logan. "I never can tell when you're joking."

One of Logan's eyebrows rose. "Who's kiddin'?"

Scott shook his head. Canadian humor. He never would understand it.

"What'd ya think of the new Danger Room program?" Logan asked. "Tha Professor's been workin' hard on it."

Now how could he phrase this without sounding like a jackass? "The program is fine, I'm just not too sure about the subject matter."

Logan snorted at him. "I reckon you're gonna need to see a ghost for yourself. I'll talk ta Hunter about it, I'm sure it c'n be arranged."

Scott drummed his fingers against his bicep before replying calmly, "Yeah. I'd appreciate that."

"Tha Professor don't want him huntin' alone anyhow. I don't think it'll be a problem except..." Logan's eyes darted between Scott and the door to the so-called meeting.

"Except what?" Scott demanded.

One side of Logan's face twisted, like he bit into a lemon. "Well...see...Hunter, he...uh...don't really like you."

"He doesn't like me?" Scott asked. "What'd I do? I mean, I've barely spoken to the guy."

Logan shrugged. "Maybe that's parta the problem."

Yeah. Maybe. Scott would have to think it over. Well, he could have been a little more talkative during the poker game. Granted. He was going on the field trip Friday, surely that would count? And why the hell was he so worried about a guy who basically worked for him? Damn it. Scott rubbed a hand across his face as he pushed the disturbing thoughts away. This was probably Hunter's doing anyway.

Speaking of Hunter...

"Shouldn't he be out here by now?" Scott voiced worriedly.

Logan grunted, but his face creased with worry. "I think he's comin'." He nodded at the far door. "They don't sound real happy in there right now. Get ready."

"Ready for what?" Scott had another question, but the door they had been watching burst open. Hunter, wearing a wide beaming grin, ran out waving his arms at them to move. Scott and Logan rushed out the front doors and needed to wait only a moment for Hunter to pass them. They had to run flat-out to catch up with him. He didn't slow down until the old black car was in sight.

"In! In!" Hunter shouted at them, still beaming. He fell into the driver's seat with a loud laugh.

Logan scrambled into the back seat while Scott rushed to pull the passenger door closed because the car was already moving. Scott slammed the door closed as the wheels squealed against the pavement and they pulled out of their parking place.

"What did you do?" Logan demanded the instant the car was on the open road.

Hunter laughed loudly again. "Dude, it was freaking awesome!" One hand pounded on the steering wheel a couple of times. "I had no freaking idea I could do that!"

At the sight of Hunter's beaming face, Scott felt excited and anticipated some massive revelation.

"Do what?" Scott demanded, sounding excited too as the car raced around a street corner. "Would you pull over and talk to us?"

"Hang on, don't get your panties in a twist," Hunter teased. "Give me a couple miles." He cackled and thumped his steering wheel again.

Logan waited a few minutes before smacking Hunter in the shoulder. "Pull over already. Tha suspense is killin' me."

Hunter chuckled again, pulling off on on to the shoulder. When the car was still, he turned in the seat to face both of them.

"I could tell who in there was scared, right?" Hunter explained. "Scared tastes bitter. Angry tastes sour. Well, you get the idea. Anyway, I got some of the scared ones together. I figured they were parents, right? Scared of what could be wrong with their kids." His eyes shone with delight. "So I kind of led them to think that the nutcase running this so-called meeting was out to hurt their kids, not help them. Which, you know, he is. Cast out my ass."

"And?" Scott prodded. "What happened? Why did we have to run out of there?"

The broad grin returned. "The parents went ballistic. They went after the nutbar." He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Dude, it was total mayhem. Drinks were flyin', coats and shirts ripped, hair pulled, people yelling and screaming at each other. I don't know when I've had more fun."

"Switch drivers," Logan and Scott said at the same time.

"What?" Hunter asked, his face contorting with confusion.

"Move it, kid," Logan insisted with another shove to Hunter's shoulder. "Hank gave us real specific instructions."

"You can consider it an order," Scott added. He had been given a few additional instructions by Hunter's father.

"Gonna tell his daddy if he don't mind?" Logan asked with a sneer.

"Yes," Scott admitted without shame. "I will."

Hunter rolled his eyes before allowing Logan behind the wheel. Then he stood outside the passenger door glaring until Scot climbed into the back.

"Now we got to find some food," Logan announced, much to Scott's relief. He did not want to be responsible for Hunter passing out on his first mission.

"The televangelist?" Professor Xavier demanded.

"And he's a real piece of work," Dean added sourly. "I got the impression he thinks the only good mutant is a dead mutant."

"He kept talking about demons," Summers added, "and casting them out by any means necessary."

"This is worse than I feared," the Professor said with a sad shake of his head. "I believe you may be right, Hunter. There is no talking to fanatics, is there?"

Dean's only answer was to shoot him a sour look that clearly said 'duh'. "And you were right about parents being involved. I have no idea if they were the parents of any of our kids, but they sure thought their kids were mutants."

"Scott," Xavier lifted his head to stare at the headmaster, "we must have a parents' day. Soon. Arrange it for after we expect construction to be complete. Hunter?"

Dean ran some estimates through his head. "I figure by the end of next week at the latest, and that includes cleaning up the exterior of the school."

He received several questioning looks.

"We don't want the place to look like we're brain washing devil worshipers," he explained. "With the big symbol in place, we won't need all the stuff painted on the outside."

"Can we put some of them back up if they look more natural?" Summers asked him. "Camouflaged?"

"Sure," Dean replied, a little shocked the request came from the guy who had been so dismissive of him and his subjects since he arrived. "I've been thinking about creating some wreaths and maybe carving the kind of stones people put in their flower garden."

"Excellent," Xavier said with a smile. "And we can give these innocuous looking objects to the parents as gifts from the school in the hopes they will use them. At the very least, it will place a usable protection symbol within the household for the children who do leave to visit their families."

Actually, that was a good idea. Dean nodded. He needed to come up with ways of the kids taking portable wards with them, too. Maybe he would have more ideas after talking to Bobby tonight.

"Hunter, I will need sketches of the parent gifts as soon as possible. Scott, set up parent weekend to take place in two weeks. Friends and family of the staff will be welcome as well."

Dean shot the big boss a glare over that. Xavier pretended not to notice, but Dean was certain that flurry of emotion had to be related. The man had more plans than just the parents' weekend. Once their report had been delivered and plans made, Dean lingered behind the others.

"Don't," he warned.

Xavier gave him an innocent look. "Don't what, Hunter?"

"Don't invite my brother," Dean told him. "I..." His mind whirled for a good reason, and no one was more surprised than he when it chose to use the truth. "I'm not ready to see him."

Xavier's smooth brow wrinkled. "Really?"

"Well...I...uh..." Dean stumbled for a suitable explanation before he realized that he didn't need one. "Yes, really."

"Very well," Xavier replied with a nod. "May I at least send him notification of parents' weekend? Without the offer of plane fare, I am certain he will not attend. Besides, he does not know he has family here, does he?"

"No," Dean admitted. "I'm not ready to tell him that part yet either."

"All right. Is there anything else, Hunter? I know you have quite a bit of work to do," Xavier said.

It was the most polite way anyone had thrown him out. Dean smiled a little at it. "Yeah, I do. Thanks."

Xavier gave him a polite nod before he left. Logan waited for him outside the big office and Summers was thankfully gone.

"Good mission," Logan said as they walked in step towards the instructor's wing.

Dean laughed at him. "Dude, I totally started a fight. That counts as a good mission?"

One side of Logan's mouth twisted up in a grin. "Yep."

Dean shook his head. "You are seriously weird, you know that?" He paused outside of the rec room. The voices of young teens inside pulled at him. "Hey, feel like playing some pool or air hockey?" he asked with a tilt of his head towards the room.

Logan grinned. "Bet I c'n whip your ass. I'm Canadian, we invented hockey."

"Dude, you are so on."