Chapter Five: New Enemies and Allies
Logan slowly opened his eyes, only to close again when his head started to pound. He groaned in protest of his pains, and he attempted once more to open his eyes. The pain left him as soon as he did so and he looked around to see where he was, the medical facility at the mansion. He got out of the bed and looked for his shoes and shirt, (he despised walking around half-naked when it was cold), which then proceeded to frustrate him because he couldn't find them. Dammit. He walked over to the intercom and tapped it on.
"Is someone out there?" He spoke into it. "I'm freezing in here!"
"Someone will be down in a minute." Came an unfamiliar male voice. Logan started to panic. He thought he was at the mansion, but how did he know for sure? Crazy thoughts flashed through his mind of Lumina actually being a spy for Magneto and he'd been conned. The door swished open, and Logan whipped around to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Jean and a man he didn't recognize, a man with dark, ebony eyes. Logan had relaxed a little when he saw Jean give him a small grin, but he his instincts told him to keep his guard up. Something about this man was rubbing Logan the wrong way. The man tried to give him a friendly smile, but Logan just nodded.
"The name's Torrent," he extended a hand to Logan. "But everybody just calls me Tory." Logan looked at his hand for a second, then decided to shake the man's hand. (Actually, Jean had a little something to do with it, but we'll let Logan have his pride).
"Logan." He said curtly. "Nice to meet you." The words felt sour in his mouth. Logan didn't like the way the man was looking at him. Every part about him just seemed off. His first idea was that it was Mystique in disguise, but he decided that it couldn't be because Jean or the Prof would've detected it with their new security measures. The man started to walk towards Jean, and looked back at Logan. FLASH! Logan took a step backward. Something had invaded his thoughts, and sure as hell Logan knew that it wasn't Jean. I need to talk to Chuck…
Lumina walked through the hallways of the gigantic mansion, admiring the artwork on the walls, and enjoying the musky smell that filled the air. She liked old buildings, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't really have a problem settling in here. She had told the professor that she wanted to find the room on her own, that it was part of the adventure of moving into a new place. He had smiled at her so kindly, she could hardly believe what he was capable of. She remembered the Cube that he had given her, and she wondered why he would entrust something that could reveal all of the secrets of the mutants to anyone who had it in their possession. She absent-mindedly turned down a darker hallway and ran into a solid something.
"Oof!" Lumina exclaimed as she landed on the floor. A hand was suddenly thrust into her face, and she looked up at its owner.
"You look a little lost, " the young man stated. "Can I help you?" His southern accent was strong, and Lumina recognized him from breakfast. He had been introduced to her as Gambit.
"Yeah, sorry, I…" She grabbed his hand and stood up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"No hard feelings, as long as you let me walk to your room, my lady." His half-smile was as sweet as could be. Lumina almost declined, but she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. FLASH! She whirled around, looking to see if their was anyone behind her, but there was no one. She decided she wanted some company.
"I'd like that." She said quickly. "Let's go."
"You all right?" Gambit looked at her with his head cocked to one side. "Er…What was your name again?"
"Lumina, but just call me Lu…" She couldn't stop herself. She forgot that she didn't like to have people call her Lu anymore. That was Blaine's name for me… Too late.
"Okay, Lu, what's your room number?" He held out his arm. Maybe I'd be safer walking alone… She thought as she looked at his smile.
"Okay, Wheels, who is this guy?" Logan demanded just after he'd stormed into the Professor's private chambers.
"His name is Torrent…" Xavier replied.
"I know that already…That's not what I meant," Logan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Where's he from, Chuck, what's he doing here? There's something about him that just doesn't seem right."
"I know what you mean, Logan, but we have to give him a chance, just as we gave you a chance. Just as we're giving Lumina." Xavier folded his hands on the desk and looked at Logan with calm countenance. "I've seen into his mind, Logan, and he's dangerous."
"But?"
"But, he would be only dangerous to us if we let him fall under the influence of Magneto."
