Sunny California

By the 11th, Both Logan and Ororo had packed and were ready to head to California.  To make things more realistic, they opted to get new vehicles in California.  Storm did the sensible thing and purchased a Mitsubishi 3000GT – something befitting an associate professor that would give her just enough attention to make a presence at UC Davis.  Logan did the practical thing and headed straight for the nearest government auction to pick up the only vehicle he saw fit for his stature – a HMMWV – though this time he settled for one without the hardened gunpoint and armor plating. 

"What?  It fits into my cover perfectly!" he said to Storm as he drove it up to the hotel and parked it next to her Mitsubishi.  "Ya ever see a Colonel drivin' around one o' them things?" he said sarcastically as he pointed at her car.

For the first couple weeks they lived out of a hotel; after that, they found a really nice house to rent in Northstar – the northern most part of Davis.  It was an uppercrust part of town that befitted the stature of the two well-to-do undercover X-Men – though the HMMWV looked a little out of place along side the beamers, Mercedes, and land cruisers in the neighborhood. 

The only thing missing in their lives was their family - Tasha, the newest member of adoptees to join the ranks of Kitty and Jubilee.  Storm was upfront with missing Tasha - she wished she could have brought her along, but the potential danger of the mission told her it wasn't prudent.  Logan put up a good front, and to the normal eye he didn't seem to miss her at all; but Storm knew otherwise…he missed her tremendously.

By the time they settled into their habitat they had collected a good amount of information on the city of Davis, the university, its surrounding areas, and much of what Northern California was known for.  The city of Davis was a very quaint little town.  It had about 45,000 people in it and because of it's educational base, was known to be one of the nicer cities in the area.  Crime was low and spirits were high.  The city was very clean, had lots of greenbelts and parks, and fostered a very friendly atmosphere - which made the duo miss Tasha even more.  Every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, Farmer's Market met in Central Park which brought out lots of blankets an BBQ's as people sat and listened to local bands and watched street performers.  Bicycles were everywhere - Davis was known as the bicycle capitol of the world; with a whopping 1.5 bikes per person.  The streets were all geared for the bike population, yielding a very friendly environment.  The people seemed very kind and open-minded – much like a small town was expected to be.

The campus was very similar to the city.  It fostered a very large arboretum bordered by a nicely sized creek, lots of greenery, and a sense of traditional educational values fostered by 21st century innovations.  The students that attended UC Davis did so not just because of the quality of education but also because of the beauty of its surroundings.  They could be caught cracking their books everywhere – the arboretum, creek, greenbelts and parks; every bit of greenery they could find…which was very much in abundance.

The more Storm investigated the place, the more puzzled she became.  She couldn't figure out how such a beautiful university and town could be the source of some sort of vicious crime or cover-up.  But it was out there somewhere – a person or a group of people responsible for the disappearance of 8 students.  No matter what, she'd find out what happened to them.

September came along and both Storm and Wolverine had settled into their covers.  They compared notes on a regular basis and filled Hank and Jubilee in as they went along.  CSU Sacramento had already started and Logan had already made several trips out to the ROTC program.  One particular afternoon, he returned to Northstar for lunch with Storm; the look on his face told her that he had some bad news.

"Logan, what is it?" she inquired.

"Davis ain't the only problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Eleven students have disappeared from CSU Sac. over the past 3 years.  Another 5 from CSU Stanislaus."

"What?  Where is Stanislaus?"

"'Bout 75 miles from here.  Same MO – all lived in the dorms, roommates came back and found them and their stuff gone."

"Were they all mutants?"

"I talked to 4 parents from Sac – 3 said their children had started acting strange lately…as if they were hiding something. I think it was their mutant powers surfacing.  The fourth came straight out and said it.  Of the 3 I got in touch with from Stanislaus, 2 admitted their children were mutants and one was pretty tight-lipped about it but was obviously hiding somethin'."

"Goddess, this is bigger than we thought.  What lead you to investigate the other campuses?"

"Overheard a student talkin' about one of their friends that dropped out.  It was enough ta get me lookin'.  The parents filed missing persons reports on all of 'em – made it easy to get the information.  But that may not be all of it.  What if somebody disappeared and nobody reported it?  People livin' in one-bedroom apartments, not gettin' along with their roommates, havin' tough times at school…who knows how many  are really gone." 

"I see your point Logan.  What else did you uncover when you talked to the parents?"

"None of the kids were flight risks…mostly well-grounded eggheads.  They kept their noses buried in the books, didn't even party much."

"Anti-social?"

"Yeah – kept their noses clean too, didn't draw too much attention to themselves at all."

"Boyfriends or girlfriends?"

"None of 'em."

"This is definitely specific targeting – choosing people that wouldn't be noticed or missed much."

"Yah – except by the parents…"

"Keep talking to the parents – see if you can get more information out of them."

"No prob – most of 'em have been pretty helpful.  Since the local police haven't done a damn thing, the parents take to any help they can get."

"Are you at risk of blowing your cover?"

"Don't see how – so far the only contact was by phone…"

"Good."

"I was gonna go visit a few of 'em…see if there were any clues the parents mighta missed.  I'll rent a car fer that though - and use my holo-emitter."

"Very well."

"What have you come up with Ro?"

"I've come up with some interesting facts about our missing 13 students.  Three were Political Science majors, 2 were International Relations majors, 3 were undeclared, 3 were in Biological Sciences, 1 - Animal Science and the last, Nutrition."

"Broad range huh?"

"Not as broad as you might think.  Political Science and International Relations are very similar – the students take many of the same courses.  That got me thinking.    The undeclared student took a lot of science courses, and the other 3 majors all have cross-related courses.  If you look at it, there are 2 distinct tracks here:  Social Sciences and Life Sciences.  I think the answers we seek lie in those 2 areas."

"Great – so you hobnob with the Politicos while Beast talks with the labrats."

"Yes, Beast arrives in a few days – he's been fully briefed on my discovery."

"And Jubes?"

"Her courses have already been chosen.  Political Science 1, Sociology 2, Chemistry 2A, and Animal Science 49A."

"Dang – ain't that a bit much for a freshman?"

"Not really – they're all introductory classes – I think she'll be fine."

"What about that Animal Sci. class – ain't that a lot ta tack onto Chemistry?"

"Animal Science 49A is an animal husbandry class…2 units of getting to know animals."

"Which animals?"

"This particular one involves horses."

"Getting' ta know them?  You mean…"

"That's right Logan, she gets to clean stables and feed horses for 10 weeks."

"Hah!  What a hoot!  I can't wait ta see her Beverly Hills ass cleanin' stables!"  He got a good kick out of Jubilee's class schedule – it would give him teasing material for at least 6 months.  He couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when she found out what her classes would be.

After changing from his dress-greens into a civilian suit, he rented a car and went to talk to some of the parents.  Most of them lived in the bay area – making it easier for him to talk to several in a short period of time.  The first set of parents lived in Oakland.  He arrived a little after 3pm and met up with Janice Johnston.

"Hello Ms. Johnston, how are you?" he said in a very polite and out-of-character voice as she opened the door and peered out at him from behind a chain lock.

"I'm fine – may I help you?"

"My name is Lawrence Jacobs, I'm a federal investigator." he said as he showed her his badge and ID.

"Oh my God – is this about Lisa?"

"Yes ma'am it is."

"Have you found her?" she said with a bit of hope and a heavy dose of fear.  "Do you have any news?"

"Not yet man – I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"It's been a year and a half…and now you come to ask questions?  Why now?"

"May I come in?"

"Yes." she said as she unchained the door.

She invited him in and asked if he wanted anything to drink.  He thankfully declined her offer and sat down in the chair she led him to.  As she went to get a drink for herself, he looked around the living room.  He saw pictures of the family:   Richard, Lisa's father; and lots of pictures of Lisa when she was younger.  He could tell by the many pictures of Lisa and her mother together that they were very close.  She returned and Logan started talking to her.

"I'm sorry ma'am – I'm a federal investigator assigned to missing persons; your daughter's file just came across my desk.  I understand the local police listed your daughter as 'Dropped on Request' from UC Davis?"

"That's what they said, but I know my Lisa – she wouldn't have dropped out of school and run off…even if she wasn't doing well or had a boyfriend.  She just wouldn't do it."

"She disappeared last March right?"

"Yes."

"That would make her just over 21 right now."

"Yes."

"Ma'am, I need to ask you some questions that may sound a little…hurtful.  Please keep in mind that I'm just trying to be thorough and explore all the possibilities – it's nothing against your daughter, I just need to know."

"Okay."

"Did your daughter ever get into any trouble?"

"No."

"Ever take drugs?"

"NO!"

"Hang out with the wrong crowd?"

"No"

"Have any enemies that you knew of…someone that just didn't like her?"

"She mostly kept to herself – didn't have many friends.  She was shy – she studied a lot and worked on her computer a lot."

"Hobbies?"

"Not many…"

"Was she sexually active?"

"No!"

"Are you sure ma'am?"

"Positive – I would have known.  She may have been shy, but I always knew when she was hiding something."

"Was she a mutant?"

The pause Ms. Johnston gave him prompted curiosity – actually, it answered his question for him.

"Ma'am, was she a mutant?"  She was very hesitant to answer the question and Logan knew precisely why.  "Ma'am, I'm a federal investigator – I'll investigate your daughter's disappearance no matter what; but in order for me to do that, I have to know more about her."

"Yes, she is a mutant."

"Did other people know?"

"Very few – I don't think anybody at school knew."

"Can you tell me about her.  Do you know what her abilities are?"

"Once when she was young, she was playing tag with some kids.  We lived in Palo Alto at the time  - across from a greenbelt and I could see her from the upstairs bedroom window.  She was "it" and was chasing after the other kids.  I remember laughing a little as she tried to catch one kid after another but was too slow to do it.  Then all of a sudden as she was chasing a kid, she just sped up – like a flash of light or something."

"Sped up?"

"Yes, like she could run as fast as light.  She seemed to disappear for a second and I ran outside looking for her.  I found her at the other end of the greenbelt in some bushes.  She ran so fast that she couldn't stop and crashed into them.  That's when I realized she was a mutant."

"What did you do next?"

"Word got out that there was something wrong with her so we moved here.  We made her promise never to do it again.  I think that's why she didn't make many friends after that – she was too afraid they'd find out what she was."

"You mean WHO she was" Logan grumbled.  "She ain't less than human…she ain't a 'what'!" he said in his normal voice.

"You're right Mr. Jacobs – I'm sorry.  I just want my daughter back.  Do you think she's still out there?"

"I don't know lady – but I aim ta find out."

His demeanor and tone had changed so much that Janice picked up on it immediately.  She knew he wasn't just feeding her a line about her possibly running away.  He genuinely wanted to find Lisa…dead or alive, and the look in his eyes told her that he would. 

"Would you like to see her room Mr. Jacobs?" she asked.

"Sure – that would help out a lot actually."

She led him to Lisa's old bedroom – which hadn't changed since she disappeared.  Being the only child in a financially successful household, there were plenty of other rooms to fiddle with so the family just left her's alone.  Even after a year and a half, Logan picked up on her scent.  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  No narcotics, no traces of colognes, nothing unusual.  The only thing he picked up was her scent – which told him more than enough.  She really was as clean-cut as her mother portrayed her to be.  She obviously wasn't a flight risk.  Logan walked around and got a feel for the kind of person Lisa was.  He then stopped and looked at an 8x10 picture of her on her dresser.  With longer hair, she could have been Jubilee's twin sister.

"She was born in Beijing." Janice said.

"What?" Logan said as he snapped out of his trance and looked up from Lisa's picture.

"You were wondering why she doesn't look at all like her father right?  He's her stepfather.  Her real father died in Beijing.  He was part of an underground paper.  They caught him and…"

"I get the picture."

"Some of his friends helped us escape.  We came here when Lisa was just 2 and started a new life.  I met Richard a year later and we married.  After that, we officially changed our names.  Does that answer your question Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yeah."

Janice talked for about an hour about Lisa and the kind of child she was.  Logan patiently sat and listened.  He then told Janice that he'd get back to her as soon as he found anything and that one way or another, he would bring closure to the situation.  She thanked him for listening and for working on the case, then she hugged him.  The hug she gave him told him exactly how much pain and frustration she had gone through since her daughter's disappearance.  It was something he had seen before and didn't wish upon anyone.  He reaffirmed his promise to her then left and went to the next residence.

*****

And who might you be?

Storm went too a faculty mixer that the College of Letters and Science hosted for all of its professors, associate professors, and teaching assistants.  Even without her white hair, she immediately drew attention as she walked in.  She dyed her hair black, kept it long, and put it into a single ponytail.  With her perfect skin and nearly 6-foot tall stature, all eyes quickly became fixated on the gorgeous weather goddess.  The number of male faculty members that nearly tripped over themselves trying to get an introduction to her was amazingly high. 

"Hello, my name is Jonathon – Jonathon Grappert." a tall late-forties man who was kind (and fast) enough to bring her a drink said as he approached her.

"Thank you. My name is Arowlyn Montgomery.  How do you do?"  She said as she extended her hand to shake.  He noticed the band on her finger and his face immediately dropped.  As soon as he realized his face portrayed his true motivations, he perked up and started talking again.

"So, what do you teach?" he asked.

"Political Science." she said in kind. "And you?"

"The same – Fall quarter I'm teaching POL 10 and 121.  What about you?"

"I have POL 1 and 113."

"You're new around here aren't you?" Jonathon asked.

"Yes, I just moved here from New York."

"Oh?"

"Yes, from Sarah Lawrence – that's where I last taught."

"So what brings you out to the West Coast?"

"I needed a change, and my husband was offered a very nice position in the area so the timing was perfect."

"Is your husband here today?"

"'Negative' – as he would say…he's at work…he couldn't make it." 

"Military man eh?"

"Yes – he's a liaison between military bases and local governments, but he's in the Marines."

"Really?" Jonathon said with a little surprise.  "Somehow I can't picture a woman such as yourself involved with a…marine.  You seem to have so much…um"

"Class?" she said – choosing to finish his sentence for him.  "Well thank you for the compliment – but he's no ordinary marine."

"Somehow I can't imagine him being ordinary – I mean to attract a woman like you, he'd have to be quite extraordinary." Jonathon said.  Ororo smiled as Jonathon continued the conversation.  "Since you're new here, I'll introduce you to some of the other faculty members."  He took her by the hand and escorted her around the room.

"This is Professor Ronald Whittier – world renown economist – (in his own mind)" he whispered in Storm's ear.  "He's actually one of the best the university has to offer."

"You flatter me Jonathon, and who might this be?"

"My name is Arowlyn Montgomery.  I'm one of the new Political Science professors."

"Charmed to meet you" Ronald said.  "Let me introduce you to my wife Sara."

"What a coincidence" Jonathon said.  "Arowlyn here is from Sarah Lawrence."

"Really?" Ronald said.  "Did you study there?"

"No, actually I earned my doctorates at Yale.  I taught at Sarah Lawrence because I liked the area."

"Excuse me?!  Did you say Doctorates?" both men said.

"Yes – I have a JD in Civil Rights law and a Ph.D. in genetics."

"And you're teaching political science?"

"I earned my Ph.D. in genetics first, and worked in the industry for awhile but realized I liked working with people more.  That's when I went back and earned my JD.  It was the right choice."

"Genetics?" said Ronald.  "Then you absolutely must meet Hartford Ballister – he's one of the leaders in genetic research here at UC Davis.  There he is - talking with the Chancellor."

Ronald whisked Storm to where the Chancellor and Hartford were talking.  The abruptness of their arrival prompted the two conversing men to end their conversation and address the new arrivals.

"Greetings Ronald – and who do we have here?" Chancellor Vanderhoef said.

"Chancellor Vanderhoef, Hartford – this is Arowlyn Montgomery – one of the new Political Science professors."

"Welcome to UC Davis" both men said. 

"Thank you" she replied in kind – I absolutely love this campus – it's so beautiful.

"I can't quite place your accent" Hartford said to the beautiful woman now standing in front of him.  "it sounds like…um…"

"It's an African accent – I was born in the United States but raised in Africa for quite some time.  However, since I've been back for so many years, it has slowly faded."

"Arowlyn here has a JD and a Ph.D. in genetics – both from Yale." Ronald interjected – looking directly at Hartford.

"Really? Hartford said.  "I'm a genetics professor."

"So I've heard" Storm replied.

"We should get together and talk – I'd love to hear about your studies."

"I'd like that – I really want to get to know the faculty here.  Being so new to the West Coast, my social circle isn't very large right now."

"Let's have lunch soon.  I don't have my schedule with me, but I'll call you when I get back to the office."

"Yes – here's my phone number." She said as she wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him.  They then continued to socialize.  The mixer was a huge success and Storm met many of the faculty members there.  Because of her beauty, nearly every male at the event made some sort of contact with her.  Between advances, she made it a point to get to know the other faculty members and as many teaching assistants as possible.  Before the afternoon was over, she had made several breakfast and lunch dates and had collected a lot of information.  That evening, she met with Logan as he returned from the bay area.

"What have you learned Logan?" she asked as she opened the freezer and pulled out a pint of Häagen Dazs Rum Raisin ice cream.

"Not much else – just confirmation of what I told you before – these kids ain't flight risks…I don't think any of 'em ran off."

"Anymore missing students?" she asked between bites of Rum Raisin.

"Haven't had the chance ta check yet.  Been too busy."

"Perhaps we should call Bishop in – he can investigate some of the other schools."

"That ain't a bad idea Darlin' – he can check out some o' the schools outside the area – California's got a bunch of 'em.  Did you find anything?"

"I met with many of the faculty members today – made breakfast and lunch dates with several of them in sciences and social sciences." she said while spooning out a healthy dose of ice cream and feeding it to Logan.

"Any suspects?"

"At this point they are all suspects – by the way, several men made me very aware of their dissatisfaction at seeing my wedding ring."

"Izzatso?"

"Yes – I think you'll have to attend the next function with me…I doubt I'll get as many 'inquiries' with you around."

"Ya think?" he said with a grin as he popped out a claw, capped a cigar and lit it.

While Logan puffed on his cigar, Storm finished off the rum raisin and happily picked up the phone and started dialing.  A few seconds later, a huge smile stretched across her face.

"Tasha!" she yelled with delight.

"Mama!" a youthful voice yelled back.

"How are you doing Sweetie?"

"I'm fine – Uncle Gumbo and I are having so much fun together!  He's the greatest babysitter!"

"It's GAMBIT Chere, GAMBIT!" Remy yelled from the background.

"Now Tasha, you know I don't like it when you call him that…" she said as she slapped Logan on the arm.

"What?!" he said in response…knowing full well what Tasha said.

"I really miss you and PapaLo.  When are you coming home?" Tasha asked.

"I miss you too Sweetie.  I don't know when we'll be coming home, but I promise we'll see each other soon.  Guess what I have for you?"

"What?" she squealed with curiosity.

"Airplane tickets for you and Uncle Gum…GAMbit to come out and spend Thanksgiving with us."

"Really???"

"Yes, and you know what else I have?"

"What???"

"Weekend passes to see Mickey Mouse at Disneyland!"  Tasha squealed with delight.

"Can Auntie Betsy come too?" she asked.

"Yes, Auntie Betsy can come too.  Would you like to talk to Logan?"

"Yes!!!"

"Hey Darlin', howya doin?" Logan said as Storm handed him the phone.

"PapaLo!!!!!  I miss you so much."

"I miss you too Darlin'.  You and Gumbo havin' fun?" **thwap** "Ow Storm!"

"He's the greatest babysitter PapaLo, today he started teaching me how to swing a staff and tonight he's going to teach me something he calls 'fi car stud.' Does that mean I'm going to learn to drive?"

"It means I'm gonna have ta tighten Gumbo up when I get back there!"

"huh?"

"Never you mind.  You and Betts been practicin' yer martial arts?"

"Yes  - every day."

"Good – keep practicin' and the next time we see each other, we'll spar."

"Really?" She loved it when they sparred.  He always let her win, and usually her reward for winning was a tickle session followed by ice cream.

Logan put Tasha on the speakerphone and laid his head down on Storm's lap.  The three of them talked for an hour and a half before she fell asleep on the phone.  Storm and Logan listened quietly as Uncle Gumbo picked her up and put her in bed.  Storm wished she was back at the mansion to tuck her in, and although Logan never went for stuff like that; he loved watching Storm do it. 

The phone call pacified them both.  As Storm ran her hands through Logan's hair, the distinct sound of purring could be heard rumbling from his chest.  It didn't last long though…as soon as the lights went out, the purring stopped and the growling started - but she went easy on him.

*****

"They're not happy with the results we've been giving them." said the mid-forties man in the sunglasses.  "They expected to see more for the amount they've invested."

"What?  We're not baking cakes here!  There is NO recipe for success – these things take time!  We've given them promising results – eventually our research will give them what they want."

"Do you have anything else to give them?"

"Last night we made a small breakthrough.  We successfully activated a mutant power from a cultured sample.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to duplicate it with any other samples; but that puts us one step closer.

"Great – put together a report on last night's tests, but leave out the part about not being able to duplicate it with other samples.  They don't need to know that."

"I'll be taking some time off next week."

"What???  I've got bigwigs breathing down my neck and my lead scientist is taking time off?"

"I can't help it – school starts next week.  The first week is always the hardest, and I'm responsible for 2 classes.  I can't keep driving 2 hours back and forth to do this research.  I'll have to conduct more of it from my school lab."

"Well that's just grand!  Now I have to explain this as well!" the guy in the sunglasses yelled.

"Would you rather my wife and employer find out about this?  Either way, it could lead to some sort of investigation."

"Fine – just keep up with the results.  How is UCD-4 doing?"

"Not good – her vitals are still degrading."

"Well, if you have to get rid of her – make sure she can't be traced back here!"

"You do your job and I'll do mine!" the scientist said.

This obviously angered the man in the sunglasses.  He lowered them and gave the scientist a very disturbing look.  "What did you say Doctor?" he said in a very serious tone.

"Nothing!" said the scientist – trying hard to take back his last sentence.  "Nothing at all – I…I know my job – okay?  I'll take care of it."

"Good.  I'll check back with you after you return from your break."