CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE:
Hunting for Bobby Part 1
Natasha, also known as the Black Widow, sighed ever-so-slightly and crossed her arms, looking at the stunned telepath. "Do you have security cameras set up?"
The Professor frowned. "Well, no, but—"
"With all due respect, that seems rather foolish." Natasha cut in calmly, but Victor called from the hall just as he turned the corner;
"THERE SHOULD BE CAMERAS IF JIMMY DID HIS JOB! CHECK THE CONTROL ROOM!"
They all looked back towards Victors bellow, but the feral was already gone, tracking Bobbys scent.
Natasha turned back to the Professor. "Right then. Where's your control room?"
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THE CONTROL ROOM:
Having been given a map of the school grounds, Natasha smoothly slid into a black-leather seat in the control room, Clint/Hawkeye at her side with Tony and Bruce trailing behind. "Let's see if we can get a picture of what this Bobby kid looks like then check the security cameras."
Clint drew up the chair next to her as he examined the room; the light layer of dust. "Is it just me, or does this room look like it hasn't been occupied in a while?" he asked.
"Yeah, looks like our 'friendly feral' was right about Xavier not doing a very good job here." Natasha said, turning on the computers and begin to hack into the program. Within no time at all, she had the student database pulled up. "Okay, and here's our kid; Bobby Drake, sixteen, ice-mutation, straight-A student—"
"It's always the perfect ones you have to look out for." Tony commented, studying a computer closely. "This stuff is really out-of-date. I thought the professor was a billionaire."
"Now let's see if those few security cameras caught anything…." Natasha ignored him as she typed in a few more commands then frowned.
"What? What is it?" Clint asked.
"Looks like what cameras Xavier DOES have up aren't working." Natasha spun the chair around. "We'll have to look the manual way."
"I have a better idea." Tony said, pulling a small micro-chip out of his pocket. "Out of the way, people, let the genius work."
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VICTOR CREED
Full of rage, the feral Sabretooth tracked the scent of the ice-brat from the Professors office then stopped dead in his tracks….simply because the scent of the ice-brat (charcoal and mint and winter) was gone….COMPLETELY gone.
Growling low, Sabretooth closed his eyes and concentrated. There was NO way the trail should simply END just like that, not unless the kid could teleport or something and, as far as he knew, that wasn't one of the ice-brats mutations.
Letting out a loud roar of anger, Victor aimed a punch at the wall…..his fist went right through the paneled wood…..and revealed a passageway.
Victor arched an eyebrow. Well, well, well….what was this? He stuck his head inside the passageway, looking for all the world like an overgrown curious cat. He sniffed at the air; slightly stale but with a hint of pine…so this little get-away must lead to the woods.
Using his claws and super-strength, Victor simply tore the wood away till he could fit his bulky frame into the passage-way and started down it.
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LOGAN / ROGUE / JONESY/ RODDY / CASSIE/ CLARISSE / JUBILEE
(jumping back in time a little)
The sound of Sabretooth/Victors loud voice echoed through the school and had every occupant in Rogues dorm room sitting up, snapped out of Logans purring 'spell';
"IF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YA AREN'T IN BED BY THE TIME I COUNT TO TWENTY, YOU'LL GET DETENTION AND A LESSON IN THE DANGER ROOM WITH ME!"
Jubilees jaw dropped and Cassie began to laugh, unable to help herself. "Looks like he caught some stragglers." She managed out between giggles.
Even Logan looked bemused.
Then they heard more;
"IF YA HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPIN' I'LL SEND HANK AROUND! GET TA BED. NOW! ONE…..TWO…THREE…"
Logan smirked, thinking; `Serves the kids right. They'll get ta bed if they know what's good for'em.' He then turned to the members of his pack that were sitting up in their beds. `And they're up….again….`
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STEVE ROGERS / PROFESSOR XAVIER
While Victor was going down the passageway he had found and Tony, Clint, Natasha and Bruce were in the control room, Steve Rogers aka Captain America had gotten the Professor to take him to where Bobbys room was. Xavier was rolling along beside him looking as calm as can be, even though he had just moments before been grabbed by a snarling Sabretooth.
"If you don't mind me saying so, you seem awfully calm, Professor." Steve mentioned as he strode next to the telepath.
"Yes, well, in my profession I find it is best if one takes things as they come." Xavier answered calmly, rolling up to a handicap friendly elevator. "Bobbys dorm is on the fifth floor. Please forgive me if I don't use the stairs."
"Of course not." Steve said politely, pushing the button. As they waited for the elevator, the Professor continued to speak.
"You must not take to heart what you heard Ms. Kayla say."
"Oh, and why's that?" Steve asked, studying the telepaths face carefully. He saw nothing in his visage but an earnest and kind Professor caring for many gifted (aka mutant) students. However, something in his gut was twinging…..and Steve Rogers had learned to listen to his gut.
"She is a very flighty individual, very mischievous. She likes to cause trouble."
"So you're saying she made up what she heard you and Bobby talking about." Steve concluded as the elevator door dinged open.
"Exactly." The Professor said as he rolled in.
"Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we Professor. After all, it's been in my experience that the truth always comes out sooner or later." Steve pressed the button for the fifth floor and the elevator began to rise.
"So, what do you think of Sabretooth?" the Professor inquired.
Steve arched a sandy eyebrow at him. "You mean you're not going to just read my mind?"
"I try not to invade into privacy too much."
"Huh." Steve clasped his hands behind his back in an 'at-ease' position. "I think Mr. Creed is very angry…..and very protective. He's done many bad things, yes, but from what I've seen so far all he's tried to do is protect the children you have here and the one he sees as his wife."
"Ah, but do you know his history?" Xavier asked.
Steve locked eyes with the Professor. "I know what I saw back on Furys hellicarrier. I saw a man putting his family to bed."
The Professor looked more than stunned, he looked positively shell-shocked before his face broke out into an uneasy smile. "Well….that is….encouraging."
"You don't sound too happy about it." Steve Rogers commented.
"On the contrary, Mr. Rogers. I am all about second chances. It pleases me that Sabretooth may be turning over a new leaf."
Steve studied his face further. "...but you don't believe he's really changed, do you?"
The Professor laced his fingers together in a scholarly way. "No, no, I do not."
"Why's that?"
The elevator door reached the fifth floor and dinged open.
The Professor rolled out. "Let's go see if Bobbys in his room, shall we?"
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BOBBY AND MIKES DORM ROOM
Bobby, though, WASN'T in his room. Only a very tired Mike Croftsworth who answered the knock.
"Heah, Professor I was wondering when you'd-HOLY CROW!" Mikes mouth fell open at the sight of the uniformed Captain America standing beside his Professor.
Steve gave a reassuring smile to the 'boy'. "Hello, soldier. Is your room-mate Bobby here?"
Mike gaped a few times before he cleared his throat and seemed to find his voice. "Um, no, that's why I thought the Professor would come."
"What do you mean, Mike?" Xavier rolled forward slightly.
"Well, Bobby, he's gone. He seemed really upset about something, packed up and left."
"Do you know where he went?" Steve asked.
Mike shook his head, still looking at Captain America with awe in his eyes. "No, sir. He wouldn't say. He just packed some things and left."
Steve frowned. "Do you mind if we come in and look around?"
"N-no sir." Mike stepped aside to let the two in.
Steve Rogers surveyed the room. It was a typical boys dorm room; some bunk-beds, sports magazines, some dirty clothes. He walked over to the two desks. "Which one of these is Bobbys?" the American hero asked.
Mike pointed to the neater of the two. "That one, sir."
Steve begin shifting through the papers on Bobbys desk; homework assignments, literature and text-books, sports magazines, a few letters from his home in Connecticut, nothing out of the usual.
"Excuse me, Mr. Rogers, but I don't hold for people going through my students things." The Professor began to sternly advise, but the Captain simply arched an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, well, when your student is missing and may have been present at the theft of a very serious object, I believe a little searching becomes completely justifiable." The Captain then looked to Mike again.
"Tell me, soldier. Did Bobby have any problems with anyone here at the school?"
Mike shrugged, looking a little uneasy but still in the throes of hero-worship. "Not many students that I know of, sir."
"Teachers?" the Captain asked.
Mike shifted uneasily on his feet. "Well, he's never really liked Professor Logan, sir, but he was really upset about Sabretooth being here."
"How upset?" Steve Rogers asked, opening a desk drawer and rifling through it.
"Like really REALLYupset." Mike answered, watching him. "He….he doesn't think Sabretooth should be here, sir."
Steve turned and gave the young man his full attention. "And what do YOUthink, soldier?"
Mike couldn't help the blush of pride that came at being addressed so. "I….I think I like him, Cap….I mean, he hasn't hurt any of us, even if he won't let us eat as much cake or stuff as we want….." here Mike clapped a hand over his mouth looking mortified, like he had sounded like a five year old.
Steve smiled reassuringly and patted Mike on the back. "Thank you, soldier. Back to bed now, you'll need your strength if you're going to serve your country. Thanks for your help."
"Right, Cap." Mike hurried to his bed, when Steve stopped him.
"Oh, soldier? One more thing, who's this?" Captain America held up a photo of a brunette with a white stripe in her hair.
"That's Rogue." Mike answered. "Her skin's toxic. She used to be Bobbys girlfriend, but they broke up."
"I see." Steve smiled reassuringly again. "Was the break up mutual?"
Mike looked uneasy once more. "Well…kind of…. Rogue caught him cheating on her with someone else."
"Which is never a good thing to do." Steve impressed upon the 'boy'. "Alright, back to bed with you."