You've all read the disclaimers from the other parts, same deal here. This is a short file, sorry. It is may be a couple of weeks before I get a new part online because I'm going away on vacation. But I will put up a big new chunks as soon as I possibly can. Thanks for holding out.

Chapter 9

Richard found a little restaurant half an hour away from the school and ate a greasy breakfast of bacon and eggs. After he was done his stomach was ready to lead an armed revolt at the garbage Richard gorged on. He managed to suppress it with a few cups of coffee and mess load of promises never to do that again. He left the Village cafe and walked to a used book store to pass some more time. Richard didn't want to be sitting at the front gates waiting for them to open, if he waited a bit the chances of running into Charles would greatly deminish. As he walked across the street Richard caught the headline on the day's paper, 'Senator Kelley to run for Presidency'. Richard fed fifty cents into the vender and grabbed a paper. Ever since Kelley was kidnapped by 'The Brotherhood' and taken to the hideout, Richard had taken a real interest in Kelley's new political views and decided he would make a passive attempt to read between the lines to see his new political goals. The Presidency was a good goal alright, but with this apparent sympathy for mutants, Kelley will have a tough time against the tougher political candidates.

The book store held few interests for Richard that day, he was too distracted on what he would scope out on his initial visit to the school. First thing he'd have to find was a computer terminal. When logged on the first thing he'd want to hack into would be the profile for Eric Lensherr. See if they had his hideout's location for him to steal. Then he'd want to find their jet. Richard knew that would be extremely difficult so he would be content just to get on one of their computers. He looked down at his watch and decided it would be safe to go pay a visit to the school now.

Richard was surprised to see how busy the school looked after being open for an hour. People were walking all over the gardens and parks that made up the front lawn of the building. Richard parked his car and climbed out, smoothing a wrinkle in his suit jacket as he did so. He glanced at himself briefly at his door mirror and decided he looked like a very professional businessman. Although it seemed there was a pretty good stream of traffic in and out of the school as well, Richard's fears of sticking out like a sore thumb began to dissipate. He patted the pistol in it's shoulder harness underneath his jacket just to be sure. Never leave home without it.

Richard grabbed a suitcase from his car and closed his door. He began walking towards the school and glanced at a few students who were sitting in the shade of a tree on the lawn. One of them was lying on her stomach, but she wasn't quite lying on it, Richard smiled to himself when he realized she was hovering about a foot off the lawn, just chatting away to the other two sitting with her. A boy was standing on the surface of the water in the fountain running alongside the sidewalk Richard was walking down. The boy looked at Richard then turned towards a young girl and continued talking with her. Richard walked past a familiar looking face, a young man, well in his thirties but younger than Richard, nodded at Richard. He was wearing a pair of red sunglasses, but it struck Richard that the glasses weren't just red tinted, the lenses seemed to be made of solid gemstone, ruby. Richard realized he just walked past one of the X Men from the statue, the guy who was wearing the goggles. Richard was just nodded at by one of the mutants Richard was spying on just a few weeks ago. He couldn't help but shudder a bit.

The school itself was impressive. Ivy clung to the sides and reached up the cement walls giving the building a distinct British university feel. The main doors were well polished oak with an X in a circle carved into each. Richard fell in love with the main lobby as soon as he stepped in. The walls were obviously real wood and the red carpeting gave a distinctly royal feel to the entire place. Tapestries and paintings (probably originals too) hung from the walls, and thick wooden pillars lined the hallways. Students and adults walked every which way, class probably hadn't started yet. Richard noticed young kids for the first time, they were just as plentiful as any of the older students in this school, what type of university is this? Surely not all mutants were geniuses of university level, or maybe only the geniuses got into Xavier's school. It didn't matter. What did matter was that no one seemed to notice Richard, and he liked that. As he stood in the middle of the lobby looking at the people swarm around him, Richard didn't notice a man standing in a corner watching him, in fact the man was sent to watch him by Xavier.

Richard turned down a hallway and came across an expansive library. It was open and people, children and adults, streamed in and out. Richard noticed computer terminals and walked in. Richard didn't bother approaching the front counter but just stood near the computers waiting for one to open up. Almost immediately, a young man with a pimple studded nose got up from his terminal and Richard sat down before the kid was out of site. Pimpleboy, as Richard thought of him, didn't bother to log off, granting Richard an unknown blessing, since you couldn't log onto a library computer without an assigned username and password. Richard immediately logged onto Xavier's school's website and pulled a disk out of his jacket. He put the disk in and ran the program it contained. He waited patiently while the status bar of his 'log on' program continued it's slow crawl of progression, and this time he did notice a man watching him from between a pair of bookshelves. The man was a big and Richard didn't doubt that he was school security or something along those lines. It was odd that the man's hair was so unkempt and he seemed to have three day old stubble on his face, if he was in an official staff position Richard assumed he would've had to keep tidy. Maybe it was a mutation that his hair was as tough as steel. Richard giggled at that thought and decided he wouldn't bother looking for the jet. Besides, it seemed his log on program worked this time. Immediately, Richard began a search on Eric Lensherr, and in no time he had a file open displaying the biography, stats, known powers, everything there was to know about Eric. Well almost everything. The file made a specific point of telling the reader that Eric Lensherr's current whereabouts after his great escape is currently unknown. There was also nothing on his hideout. But, Richard decided the file had some great technical spec's on Eric's powers and other useful information so he decided to save the file onto his disk.

As soon as the transfer was done Richard popped the disk out of the computer and put it in his jacket. He looked back up and didn't see the watching man anywhere around, then a hand came down on his shoulder and gripped him tight. Richard knew it was man from the bookshelves. He spoke quietly in Richard's ear, his voice intense and not quite a whisper. The stench of cigar was very clear to Richard.

"Hey bub, mind telling me what your doin' here?"

Richard stood up and turned around. The man was a few inches shorter than him, but looked like he could bench press trucks. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and blue jeans. Richard decided he was a plain clothes school cop.

"I was just taking a look at the school. I have a gifted friend but she was too scared to come herself so I came in her stead. So far as I can tell, it's a remarkable place you got here."

"Sure, why don't you come with me. We have something to discuss."

Richard knew his story wouldn't hold up. He considered shooting the man, but knew he couldn't do it now. Richard was standing too close to him to even attempt to draw his gun, and the man looked like he wouldn't wait for a better excuse to rip off Richard's head and shit down his neck. But he had to know who this was for future reference.

"Would you mind telling me who you are to accost me like this?"

"My name's Logan, and you can consider me campus security. Now you can come along easy, or I can take you. Kickin' or not it won't matter to me."

Richard raised his hands defensively, "Hold on, I'm not trying to be smart, I'll come with you Mr. Logan."

"Mind handing over that disk you put in your pocket?"

Richard's stomach lurched, he couldn't afford to lose this information, and now he decided that he wouldn't be coming back here as long as he could help it. The security here was much tighter than he first imagined.

"Hold on, that's just stuff I got off the net and some personal files."

"Yeah sure bub, hand over the disk and I'll decide to let you leave breathin'."

Richard got the disk out of his pocket and looked at it for a second, then handed it over to Logan. He noticed Logan's hands were very coarse, it almost looked like the bones were extra thick for extra ass kicking. These guys definately picked the right man to deter crime. Logan slipped the disk into his jacket pocket and walked Richard back towards the main lobby. Richard noticed the hallway cleared out amazingly quickly and realized that first class must be starting. The two men walked into the main lobby and Logan turned Richard away from the main door. The main lobby was completely empty and Richard decided he couldn't afford to be brought in front of Xavier, to whom Logan was undoubtedly taking him.

Richard's foot caught a snag in the carpet and he intentionally fell over. Logan looked more annoyed and just looked around. While Richard was still on his hands he pulled the gun out from inside his jacket.

"Hey, get the hell up." Anger was seething in Logan's voice.

"Sorry, twisted my ankle. I'm alright though, don't concern yourself."

Richard quickly rolled onto his back and fired twice into Logan's stomach. Blood streamed from Logan as he fell backwards.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" Logan screamed out. Richard shot up to his feet and Logan rolled over on his stomach. The exit wounds were both large enough to fit baseballs into, and Richard fired twice more into Logan's back, and Logan laid still on the rug moaning and cursing quietly. Richard turned tail and began running straight for the main door, he reached the large oak door and Logan's voice stopped him just as he opened it. It was loud and strong, and most importantly, Richard could hear Logan standing up again.

"Hey you son of a bitch, where the fuck do you think your goin'?"

Richard turned around and Logan was walking back towards him and Richard stared wide eyed as the holes in Logan's stomach dissapeared, leaving unscarred flesh. Richard didn't waste any moments this time, he brough his gun up again and fired. At firing ranges Richard was never exceptional when crack firing a handgun, in fact he wasn't nearly as good as most assasins were. Richard had managed to successfully avoid firefights completely, and he even considered himself lucky that he managed to land every bullet into Frank and his hired fluff. When posed in a stressful situation where every second counted, Richard usually went wide, and this time was no exception. Richard fired three shots in rapid succession as he held the gun in both hands. The first two shots went wide and struck a wooden pillar and a window at the end of the lobby. The third shot struck Logan right in the forehead with a loud pang of metal, and Logan fell back to the ground clutching his forehead.

"You son of a BITCH! THAT FUCKING HURT!"

Richard was speachless, he looked down at Logan's feet and saw the bullet sitting on the carpet and watched Logan get back up to his feet and stare at Richard with burning eyes. A large patch of flesh was stripped from Logan's forehead revealing gleaming metal, but not for long as the flesh rapidly grew back covering up the steel plate in his skull. Richard didn't wait a moment longer, he was out of the school before Logan began moving again.

Outside some of the braver students were slowly approaching the school to investigate the gun shots, but they scattered when Richard burst out. Richard ran back to the parking lot and looked over at a trio of girls standing by a tree watching him run by. Richard lost his breath when he noticed one of the girls, a young pretty face in a blue sweater that was completely familiar to him. A reaccuring thought came back to Richard just then, No men allowed and he realized he saw the girl in his dream.

Richard dared a glance back and wasn't surprised to see Logan running after him, and gaining. He sprinted to his car and fumbled the keys out of his pocket at the same time. Richard slammed the door shut and started the engine at the same time. In his panic he slammed the stick into reverse and stalled the car trying to pull out of it's spot. He could see Logan's fury as the mutant ran at the car. Richard started the car again and his transmission gave a loud reproachful grind as Richard slammed it back into reverse and zipped out of the spot. He sideswiped a cadillac on his right and Logan leapt at the hood of Richard's Chevette. Richard heard the sound of a sword being drawn and realized that Logan now had large metal claws sticking out of the tops of each hand. Logan sank a claw into the grill of Richard's car, then Richard spun the wheel and Logan was dragged sideways as the car turned itself around. Richard backed into the same cadillac and slammed the stick into first gear and floored the gas pedal. He felt the front wheel bump over something and Richard let out a breath as he realized he just ran over Logan. He watched the rearview mirror in anticipation of the mangled body, but when no body appeared did he look forward again. The white chevette made a little squeal as it took to the main road outside Xavier's school property line. Richard's heart leapt into his throat when he saw one of Logan's clawed hands punch into the top of his hood. It was followed by another, and then both claws pulled Logan's snarling face into view. Logan mouthed some words at Richard, but he couldn't tell what they were, but he was sure he knew the general meaning.

Richard swerved down the road trying to shake Logan off, but the claws jutting from his forearms wouldn't loose themselves from the white hood. Logan climbed up and brought a set of claws into the windshield. He then twisted his hand and pulled a large chunk of glass towards him causing it to shatter leaving a large hole big enough to fit a watermelon in front of Richard's face. Logan raised his claw again and grinned as he prepared to thrust it into Richard's face. Richard slammed on the brakes and Logan lost his grip. Logan's left claw kept it's hold in Richard's hood, but the force of the stop caused the claw to carve deeper into the hood as Logan fell back off the hood. Logan immediately began pulling himself back up again and Richard hit the gas causing another stumble, this time towards the windshield. When Logan got himself squatting on Richard's hood again, he glared through the hole in the glass and spoke in his raspy, intense voice.

"Alright bub, I ain't playing anymore games with you."

"That's alright, neither am I." Richard replied and raised his handgun and pointed it right at Logan's face. He pulled the trigger over and over again, the sound of the gun hurting Richard's ears as the bang echoed through the car. Logan's head whipsawed back as the bullets pummeled into his head with repeated, metallic clangs. Richard stopped firing and his jaw dropped when he saw Logan's face. Most of the flesh had been stripped off his forehead and Logan's right eye was a bloody hole. Logan's left cheek was mostly torn off and Richard could see that Logan's entire skull was gleaming metal. Richard thought Logan looked too much like the Terminator at that particular moment for his own comfort. The flesh began repairing itself and Richard stared slack jawed watching Logan's eye begin pulling itself back together. Richard was lucky that the particular stretch of road he was on ran straight for over six miles, or else he would have driven headlong into a tree probably killing himself. Logan would have survived of course, but as it was the road didn't turn so Richard lapse of attention wasn't punished.

A leaf flew through the windshield and covered one of Richard's eyes, that snapped his attention back to the present. He tore the leaf off his face and brought his gun back up again and stuck it through the hole in the window. Logan's face began to resemble something living again, the sinews in his cheek stretching across the jaw and pulling flesh together. Logan's eye glossed over and Richard could see the iris growing behind the glassy lense. Richard fired his gun again, but only one shell came out before the chamber latched open and clicked telling Richard the gun was empty. Fortunately that one shell was all he needed. The bullet struck Logan right in his throat and Richard thought of the woman in Frank's bed. Richard's hood was sprayed with blood and Logan fell on top of the hood, his claws pulling themselves into his hand. Richard slammed on the brakes again and this time Logan fell off the hood completely. Richard hit the gas right away and felt a satisfying thump under the car as he rolled right over Logan. This time he saw the body in his rearview mirror, and for a fleeting moment Richard wondered if he actually killed him. Thick tendrils of smoke bellowed out behind the car and the noise became almost deafening. It was as if there was no muffler on Richard's car. He then saw the distant shape of Logan stand up slowly, the tattered remains of his coat draped around his shoulders, and hold something in his hand to display to Richard. He realized that it was his muffler. The fucker tore off his muffler at the same time as he was being run over!

Richard looked ahead of himself and set his jaw. After all was said and done, Richard didn't manage to accomplish anything except ruin his car, he didn't even have the disk. So he just went home.

To be continued...

Don't worry, I'm not done this yet. I am just going to try to deal with real life a bit (vacation to family, but I will write while I'm out there) then post up to date when I return. Please keep reviewing because I love seeing new reviews, even if their bad. Email me if you really liked the story and I'll be glad to write back to you.