CHAPTER 102

The Great Escape

"Okay, Cat, RUN!"

The very instant Logan and Hank barged into the med-bay, Cassie felt her arm nearly being dislocated as her onee-san pulled her along down the hallway.

"We don't have long," Bunny commented as they careened around a corner and started down the stairs. "Like I explained earlier, there should be a car waiting for us downstairs."

Cassie could only breathe realizing, not for the first time, that she was definitely NOT in shape for a marathon, let alone a desperate race for freedom.

`Freedom…..` she managed to think beyond 'breathe-in, breathe-out' '…..yes, that's why I'm running. For freedom; my apartment, my job, my, my LIFE` …..a life without Roddy or that classroom of kids…..a life without…..Victor.

`It's not permanent,` she reminded herself as they turned another corner—why did this school have to be so gosh-darned HUGE! But, finally, they were at the front doors and confronted, wide-eyed, with a group of trucks bearing the words 'Astor Enterprises'.

Bunnys sharp eyes quickly scanned the parking-lot then she pointed to a waiting black sedan. "THERE! GO!"

They ran across the parking lot, dodging baffled movers and technicians till they almost literally flung themselves into the waiting car.

"GO GO GO GO GO!" Bunny yelled and the driver took off with a squeal of tires and the scent of burning rubber.

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LOGAN/WOLVERINE/THE AVENGERS/BEAST/JONESY

THE MED BAY

Calling on his training from his time in Japan, Logan Howlett took a deep breath and let it out slowly when all he wanted to do was roar and rage. But right now—the Wolverine glanced sideways to 'the Beast'—he had a feeling he was going to have to be the calm one.

Logan understood that, with the coming of his older brother 'The Sabretooth', all of Hanks previously repressed feral instincts had been brought to the fore, and the fact that Hanks pregnant mate was 'running around' outside the mansion unprotected was pushing all of those feral buttons.

The fact that Ororo was a mutant with the powers to literally blow away any attackers as easy as pie did not factor into the feral mindset Hank now found himself in.

His PREGNANT mate was UPROTECTED and OUTSIDE OF THEIR TERRITORY, not to mention all of the enemies the X-men had made over the years.

Logan growled low and put a hand on Beasts shoulder, feeling tense muscles under blue fur. "Go get Ororo, Hank, and TRY not to scare anyone while you do it."

As if that was all he was waiting for, the blue-furred scientist turned and bounded out, literally on all fours which increased his speed.

Logan then turned back to the Avengers. "All of ya were told to go after my brother, right?"

"Yes." Captain America answered for the Avengers. "According to Fury, he's causing a lot of panic and destruction."

"Yeah, he's good at that." The Wolverine mumbled lowly to himself, then spoke louder. "Well, save yerselves the trouble, he'll be back here soon enough."

"You can't know that for certain." Steve Rogers commented. "And what is the REAL concern is what damage he'll do in the meantime."

Logan clenched his fists tight, fighting back the urge to unsheathe his claws. "I don't have the time ta convince ya to stay, but if ya leave, yer just gonna end up right back here." With that, he turned and left the med-bay just as his brother stormed in through the front doors and bellowed out;

"JIMMY!"

"Speak of the devil….."

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VICTOR CREED/SABRETOOTH

Victor Creed immediately knew that something had gone wrong at his school. His first clue? Well, Beast bounding out of the schools front door reeking mostly of fear but with a good dose of anger and frustration was a pretty good hint, but the blue-furred feral was out of sight before Victor could even demand an explanation.

For a moment, the alpha feral was torn between chasing after the scientist and demanding an explanation or getting to work on the problem of tracking down the ice-brat and, therefore, the serum.

The serum and his mates immortality won out…..but that didn't mean he wasn't going to demand an explanation.

Noting with a degree of satisfaction (small, considering the circumstances) that Astor Enterprises had arrived, he bypassed them quickly and stormed into the mansion.

"JIMMY!"

His little brother came down the stars. "Right here, Vic."

"What the *&^%'s wrong with Blue!?" Victor demanded, jerking his thumb towards the front doors that Hank had practically leapt through.

"He's gone ta get Storm." Logan answered as the two brothers met at the bottom of the stairs.

Victor arched a sandy eyebrow, his voice lowering to a growl. "Why? Where's she gone?"

"Apparently, she went to a drug-store."

"Alone!?" No, Sabretooth was definitely NOT a happy pre-historic kitty-cat.

"Which is why Hank went after her." Logan said, eyeing his brother, his alpha cautiously. "So I take it you didn't get the ice-prick?"

"He had a teleporter with him." Victor growled low. "They could be in Timbucktu now fer all I know, which is why I need that list."

Logan just arched an eyebrow at him. "List?"

He was already having a bad day. Really. So, in his own mind, Victor was perfectly within reason to backhand his little brother so hard he flew into the opposite wall and made a little Logan-like crater.

"The LIST, James! The one of all our cubs and their mutations! Have you done ANYTHING from that list I gave you aside from getting Astor Enterprises here!?"

Logan pushed himself up and out from teh dented wall, rubbing his jaw and snarling. "You've got more to deal with, bub."

Victors voice grew dangerous quiet. "And why's that, James?"

Some memory struggling to surface told Logan that when his brother said 'James' he meant business.

Claws at the ready, Logan gave him the bad news; "Cassie's gone."

The roar almost shook the entire mansion.

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AN: I was going to continue on to what happens with Bunny and Cassie but decided to save that for the next chapter, as well as what happens with Beast and Storm….Oughta be interesting….I hope..