For the next two weeks, anticipation had been building up and the advertising paid off tenfold. While Teller decided that a closed bar was best for business, cleaning continued and the natives in the town were so curious that they had to board up the windows and lock the doors to keep everything a secret. In the meantime, girls (mostly the runaways that Teller liked and sent messages for through his old system) signed up, music media was gathered and electricity installed to illuminate the stage and other corners and rooms.
Each person had their job. Between Devon, Rogue, Bobby, Colossus and Kitty, everyone in Salem Center had knowledge that the bar was reopening and with the same fanfare as it had before. Other than most of them making eyes at each other and sneaking off, Teller had a time with the older ones and keeping them on track (Devon was interested in a girl who walked by on purpose everyday). Cable and Rachel (with Jean and/or Scott with them) pasted posters all over the remaining telephone poles and even answered questions from weary people who thoughts it an extravagant expense. They became a curious pair though, especially when it was learned that they were mutants, causing more than a few curious whispers to break out.
Inside, everyone else cleaned, repaired, repainted and rebuilt everything else. While they were absent, the place had been trashed from vandals and negatives wishers, so much so that the bar owner was destitute when he learned that it might not happen. Finally, when the dream seemed to be more of a reality, Teller ordered supplies (a huge gamble since not too many companies existed for stock) and ordered the grand opening for a mid-May night.
All and all, it was starting to feel like home again, although so much had happened and nothing was going to be the same once the curtains flew open in their usual whip of excitement. However, it was a mutual feeling that everyone shared and one that even chased away the old wounds. By the time the place was back to its original standing (and that had taken more than just daytime hours to make it complete), everyone did not want their close comradery to end. The show must go on, as Teller reminded them, and everyone had to play their parts well.
The anxious hours ticked down and everyone took their places. When Jay allowed people inside at nine o'clock sharp, it was a small trickle that entered. That soon transformed into a standing-only space. Tables were quickly taken and the lights dimmed to a mysterious pallor. Talk increased and was friendly and social. The only emotion that was plain to see was Teller's, a smile on his face signaling that this was a success.
And all he had to do was watch the action from behind the counter. As Rogue, Jean and Kitty served as waitresses and Colossus and Bobby served drinks from the countertop, Teller felt the magic unfold before him. Granted, Matthew and Ororo could have done better with the lights (it was the best they could do under the circumstances), but for the first night, it seemed so surreal. He thanked Xavier time and again in his head, sure that it was heard from far away, that there was enough to make this happen and that it gave them a chance to be useful and not sitting in that cold hellhole in Canada.
By the appointed hour of eleven, the showgirls ended their song and dance routine. The men in the crowds (well, boys, if Teller had to be honest) hooted their pleasure and asked for their encore. While that had been denied, the substitute was soon to be in place. Danielle was putting on her makeup in the back room and would be up shortly.
Jay was inside before his sister's act though, torn away from his post outside. He sought Teller out, excited and out of breath, but the bar owner also noted that Jay was even a little shell-shocked about something that happened. He hoped that it was something good, but he never knew with Jay. That Mitchell always had more cards up his sleeve than his own sister.
"What?" Teller was annoyed that his bouncer took a flying leap from his door position, especially when he took a seat next to Logan.
"I think you'll be glad to hear that we have another bouncer," Jay announced. He reached for a spare glass nearby, blowing out imaginary dust. "JD available?"
"Get back out there! We've got people coming in!" Teller ordered, denying the alcohol by shoving the bottle of Jack Daniels away from Jay's reach. "I don't need you in here to get drunk. I need you checking IDs and allowing the privileged in."
"Well, if you want Snake Eyes to go away and –"
"Wait, Snake Eyes is back?!"
"The one and only. Now, JD please?"
Teller could not, would not, believe it. He ran outside, pushing aside everyone, even customers who came in and had to squeeze between bodies. When he came back and walked in a daze on the dance floor, the smile on his face was broader. Jay could not help but return it when he met Teller's gaze, deciding then to serve himself to make the feeling remain. He was about to reach over, but Logan put a hand on his elbow to stop him.
"You serious?" The words were quiet and Jay had to strain his ears to understand what Logan was saying. "Snake Eyes returned?"
Jay nodded his head, uncomfortable that Logan kept his hand on him. "He just came up to me and told me that he'd take over. I didn't want to say no."
"How'd he look?"
"The same as always. It was like he took fifteen minutes for a break and waltzed right back into his job."
Logan retracted his hand slowly and returned to his drink, pretending not to care. This revelation came as no surprise or it shouldn't have been to anyone. Snake Eyes was a mysterious sort of guy, someone that even Roger had no dirt on (if he did, he was keeping it to himself). For him to reappear after so long meant that he had been watching the political and social climate very carefully after his escape…and he was taking his chances now.
Half an hour later, when the boyish demands became overwhelmingly in favor of mutiny because there was no skin showing, the main performance came on. Logan did not want to watch, preferring to keep to his only free beer pitcher. The voice was familiar and brought him back to a more innocent and dangerous time, but he had to push those aside. Behind him, the floor riled up and was cheering, Jay included, and being the loner gave him the opportunity to snoop around. The Mitchell sibling clapped along with the crowds as the opening lines echoed.
Simona, you're getting older.
Your journey's been etched
On your skin…
Simona, wish I had known that.
What seemed so strong,
Has been and gone…
I would call you up
Every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out
Until the morning light.
And we sang, "Here We Go Again".
And though time goes by,
I will always be
In a club with you in 1973,
Singing, "Here We Go Again".
The mention of 1973 jarred something in Logan's mind. He dismissed it, chalking it up to his lack of memories in the initial days he had been exiled in Canada, and put his head low enough so that nobody could recognize him. His ears tuned into the noise, attempting to differentiate between the voices and what needed to be heard. He could not hear specifics above the acclaim, but that was fine because Teller already had the assigned room of their target in question.
Logan finished his drink, shoving the empty pitcher to the other end of the counter where Bobby was taking empty glasses and such, and got up, heading towards the entranceway to the back rooms. Teller had opened them up again and allowed the showgirls to make their professional home there after their show. Men and women lined up to see them and only so few went through with the proper price.
Jay had moved from his previous spot to the doorway, where he stood guard and took money. He noticed Logan and allowed him through, barring the rest of the line from entry until he was finished investigating. While it merited some cursing behind him, Logan shrugged it off, his footsteps taking him down the worn carpets and dark corners. He spotted Scott cleaning in a corner, his own ears perked without making it obvious, a change that Logan had not noticed. He was listening to a private conversation in a closed room, the words masked by a woman chatting. Scott then moved aside, allowing Logan the space to hear.
It was too easy to put two and two together. The group had used Teller's bar (amongst other places that Logan made out) as a base to hide their actions. They were a jealous lot, ambitious and anxious to take over the government and make those responsible pay, even children of the youth groups Ellis had created. They weren't exactly made in Ellis' mold, but they were close enough and much too dangerous.
As they talked, Logan made the agreed hand signals at Scott to record their words, mostly about the current administration and who's fault things were. The latter wrote everything down on a notepad he kept in his pocket. Once they both knew they had enough information without making their position known, they nodded cordially at each other and split up. Scott continued his inane dusting tasks and Logan found another room to hide out in, right next door.
Simona, wish I was sober,
So I could see clearly now.
The rain has gone…
Simona, I guess it's over.
My memory plays our tune,
The same old song…
I would call you up
Every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out
Until the morning light.
And we'd sing, "Here We Go Again".
And though time goes by,
I will always be
In a club with you in 1973,
Singing, "Here We Go Again".
Unbothered by the woman who entered and was paying attention to him (Jean), Logan lit up a cigar and sat still. She attempted to draw his attention towards the other side of the wall with her pretty ways that aroused his interest, but he was not having any part in it this time. He allowed Jean to do what she needed to do (and that was something he enjoyed, refraining from any comments, more for Scott's sake), played his part by giving her some newly-minted money and shooed her away. When Jean left, he finished his cigar and leaned against the wall again, memorizing what was being said.
"We cannot allow this to go on," one said in protest, banging his fist against his other hand. The woman hummed in agreement, but was immediately ordered to shut up.
"You've only said this a million times before." The second sounded a little more than bored.
"Why can't we act now?!" the first whined. "I am sure nobody will notice us."
"I believe that we agreed on discretion and stealth," a third stated coolly, the leader and the one who had been relaying the plans it the first place. He also kept nonchalant, Logan noted, and liked to keep everything simple. "We do not have much time though. We can do away with the obstacles and move on, but our goals have to remain the same."
"What is the point?" Now, the first was exasperated. "We can't sit here and be patient. We need to find them now!"
This was the one point that Logan was missing. Throughout the conversation, nobody had referred to who this group needed, but that the current government was a joke and desperately needed to go. They talked of kidnapping some people and holding them accountable for their actions. They often referred to ignorance of the common man, riches hidden in vaults and swimming in people's blood. They then decide that the children had to be found and that they had to suffer the consequences of their father, Leon Ellis.
With a cold shudder, Logan realized who the assembled was referring to. They wanted Danielle and her children, Michael and Riley.
"She disappeared when the man was assassinated and disappeared," the second mused. "A lot of them had been picked up on that day, if you recall. Strange, I'd say. But no matter. I believe that she had some help and that she's hiding those kids of her."
"She's responsible for letting this destroy us," the first declared. "Without her, we all would not be here and some military would not control the reins!"
"And the dictator would still be in place if he had calculated better," the second added. "Now, we just need to go over the clues and locate them."
I would call you up
Every Saturday night
And we'd both stay out
Until the morning light.
And we sang, "Here We Go Again".
And though time goes by,
I will always be
In a club with you in 1973,
Singing, "Here We Go Again".
And though time goes by,
I will always be
In a club with you in 1973…
Logan had heard enough. He waited for the song to finish and for the applause to drown out his footsteps leading out of the room and eventually the hallway. By the time he reached Jay, he had to drag him away from his station and slam him into a corner where nobody could hear them. Jay cursed and complained about being pulled away, but when he read Logan's immediate thoughts, he gulped. This wasn't Logan being a jackass. This was serious.
"We need to get your sister out of here," Logan said urgently. "They're after her and your nephews."
"Why?" Jay could not see the reason. "She's been dead meat to her husband since she spat out mutant babies. Now, he's just a corpse somewhere in bum fuck nowhere. Nobody should be interested in her."
"Except if they feel her the direct cause of his fall from grace," Logan reminded Jay. "The children would be reminders of it."
"But Magneto is finding them and he's having a hell of a time of it."
"And that means nothing to them. If they find Magneto, they get the boys and they might even get Devon too. Where is the damned kid anyway?"
"Who, Devon?" Jay scratched his head, where the brownish hairline was receded. "Last I saw, he was upstairs in the apartment. He's supposed to be sleeping."
"Send someone up there to watch him," Logan ordered sharply, in a tone Jay had never heard before. "Find your sister. We need to reevaluate and see if we can go on without her."
"Nobody knows who she is, Logan. Even the locals don't recognize her anymore. I've been checking."
"It might save her then. Move!"
Jay listened without further delay. Logan saw him beeline to the stage, waiting like the rest of the crowds to see Danielle (still dubbed Regina Raine) walk off, bowing to their clapping when she showed herself on the pathway made for her on the floor. When Jay took a hold of her arm, whispering frantically in her ear, she nodded like it was nothing and continued to take in the praise. It was the mask of an assassin and a spy that refused to show the world that something was wrong.
Danielle coolly met with Logan, allowing her brother to keep to her side and hold onto her. "Want to tell me the meaning of this?" she demanded. "Roger tells me we need to find the reason why this group has been a thorn in the military's side and you're telling Jay that it's all about –"
"Yes, her," Logan interrupted urgently. "Whatever the cost, this needs to be dealt with."
"There's always going to be opposition to whatever government is in charge," Danielle protested vigorously. "You cannot stop all of it."
"No, but I can stop you from sticking around." Logan wasn't tolerating a brick wall and he was breaking through it. "It is obviously too dangerous for you. Pack your bags. We're heading out as soon as possible."
Danielle could not argue the fact. Thanking Teller that he managed to make her a one-nighter so far (and she was hoping for another before traveling back to Canada, a prospect she dreaded), she thought that the words rang truthfully. Logan, even though his aloofness and gruff manner, would not lie to her and Jay. It would be easy to find it out for sure, but she declined the notion. She only nodded once more, agreeing to it.
"Sunday morning then?" she asked, hoping to stall and drink in her freedom. "I was thinking one more night anyway, with everyone so excited about the performance. I wasn't planning on leaving so early and I am sure that another day isn't going to reveal anything."
The last time Logan indulged Danielle cost them a lot. It went against his judgment that he take her back to Canada on Sunday. He wanted her ready with Devon within the hour and even that was pushing it. However, the three men he listened to did not have an idea that Regina Raine was really Danielle Mitchell Ellis. He preferred to keep it that way. The less they knew and the farther away they were, the better.
"Be packed in half an hour," Logan decided quickly, something Jay conceded with wholeheartedly. "I'll figure it out later."
And that was final.
Lyrics are from the Jame Blunt song, "1973" from the All the Lost Souls album.
