Chapter 8
"Logan, where are you going?" Jean asked as she spotted the burly man walking towards his bike.
"I got some things to catch up on Jeannie," he replied smoothly, "gonna take a few days."
Jean smirked, eyebrow quirked. If she didn't know Logan like she did, she might've actually fallen for his lie. She pinned him with one of her 'looks.'
"Come on, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone, I promise." Still, Logan was unmoving.
Jean and Logan had a father-daughter, or Uncle-niece relationship going. When she first enrolled into the Institute, Logan had promised to look out for her. But as close as they were, there was no way the older man can tell her where he was headin'.
"Pleeeeaaase?" Jean tried one final time.
"Sorry Red, but I can't tell ya. I just gotta take care o' some business."
"Fine, be that way. Just bring yourself back in one piece, okay? And stay out of trouble; you won't be much good to us if Sabertooth makes mincemeat out of you."
Never one to show much emotion, Wolverine just smiled and gave her a nod before disappearing into the garage.
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Parking his bike behind some bushes, Logan stepped into the forest. A figure was already waiting for him. "Ya ready to go kid?"
"Ready when you are, Mr. Logan."
"Just call me Logan kid."
"Okay - Logan." Suddenly, a golden portal appeared before disappearing just as quickly when the two walked through it.
Another disc appeared, this time in California. Wolverine stepped out and was met with the morning sun, before Blink made her way out and closed the portal behind her.
"Welcome to X-Factor, Wolverine," said a familiar voice. He turned around to see the tall figure of Scott Summers, ruby glasses gleaming in the sunlight.
"Long-time no see kid." The two exchanged a brief handshake before turning to the rest of the team.
"As you already know, this is Jubilee and my brother Alex." The two waved. "And that is Betsy and Clarice," Scott finished, pointing to a 17 yr. old Asian girl and Blink. After the introductions were complete, Alex spoke up. "Hey, its almost lunchtime, and I'm starving. How bout we go to town and grab a bite to eat?"
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"Nice place you've got running here," Logan commented as he sat across from Scott, "I'm impressed."
"Yeah, well, its mostly my team. They're a good bunch of kids, and they're quickly mastering their powers." Alex almost choked on his food. The others beamed at Scott's response.
"My brother is actually giving us a compliment? Bro, that's something I could get used to." The others laughed.
They sat there, joking around (except for Scott and Logan), until their food arrived. Working on his sandwich, Scott's sermon about teamwork was interrupted by Jubilee, who looked over at him and giggled excitedly.
"Scott, those girls over there are totally checking you out," referring to a
group of women (who wouldn't look out of place on the front-cover of a cosmetic
magazine) that was sitting not far from their table. Sure enough, they seem to
be studying Scott with great interest, giggling to each other.
Giving a fake chuckle, Scott replied, "Jubes, I don't know what you're talking about."
At this point, Alex stepped in. "No way bro, they are! And they're kinda cute! Look at that blond!....I really could get used to California," he added as an afterthought. "What are you waiting for? Go over there and make a move!"
Logan found himself observing the developing situation with great interest. Most importantly, he wanted to know what Scott would do. He was almost enjoying himself watching him squirm as the other students continued to push him on. Scott, on the other hand, began to look extremely uncomfortable.
"Come on! It's obvious that they like you. Knock'em dead with that Summers charm!"
"Guys, just drop it already!" His tone left no room for protest. Everyone stared at him in shock. They were only trying to help. Jubilee and Alex exchanged knowing glances before everyone returned to their food.
Wolverine smiled to himself, although he didn't let his contentment show.
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Blink landed on her rump as Logan knocked her down for the third time. "Geez, do you have to hit so hard?" she complained.
"Sorry kid, but yere enemies won't be goin' easy on ya." For the whole weekend, X-Factor has been training with Logan in hand-to-hand combat. It was now time for the test. Each member had to fight Wolverine in a one-on-one battle. So far, the only person to last more than thirty seconds was Betsy, who actually got in a few hits before she was knocked out.
As Logan helped Blink to her feet, Alex complained, "How come Scott doesn't have to fight you? Isn't he part of the team?" A chorus of agreements ran through the thoroughly bruised and beaten crowd. A wicked smirk was plastered on Wolverine's face.
Cyclops knew that he had been had. ~I'm going to kill you Alex~ he thought, beaming a look a pure hate at his younger brother. He decided to make things more interesting. "Hey Logan, if you're game, how 'bout we turn things up a notch? First one to land three hits wins. Full powers." He stated the last part very clearly.
"Doesn't matter kid. Either way, ye're gonna get yer ass handed to ya."
So it was set. Logan was provided with two pairs of plastic blades that would substitute for his adamentium claws, while Scott's visor was reduced to minimum power. The tension was high as the two combatants moved to opposite sides of the Danger Room.
"Control, activate training sequence 56, Mediterranean Sun." Instantly, the whole room warped and the participants found themselves in the ruins of some kind of temple, with large columns protruding from the marble floor.
"Gotta give you somewhere to run, old-timer, or else this'll be over in two seconds flat."
Logan smirked at the smart-ass comment. ~This kid needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Or fifty~
The buzzer sounded, signalling the start of the duel. One hand to his visor, Scott immediately sent an optic blast in Logan's direction, which he dodged. He kept firing every time Logan appeared, and every time he missed. Suddenly, he decided to try a new strategy. When his counterpart next reared his head behind a pillar, he obliterated the structure with a single blast, causing it to topple and knock over several other columns in a domino effect. This created a smoke screen, something that Cyclops had definitely not intended. With his heightened senses and stealth, Logan can easily ambush him from any position now. He decided to stand still and use his own sense of enhanced hearing, acquired during the time he spent being blind, to try to get a bearing on his opponent.
The soft sound of pebbles falling to the floor alerted him to danger. Spinning quickly around, he saw Wolverine in the air, soaring towards him, plastic claws bared. Diving to the ground, Scott blasted his attacker in the chest before he managed to land a blow.
Getting up, Wolverine lunged at Scott, who found himself barely dodging his claws as he swiped at him in a frenzy. He was so preoccupied that Scott didn't see a foot come up and kick him hard in the chest, sending him soaring backwards.
Dodging another optic blast, Wolverine dove at the younger mutant, who was clutching his sides on the floor. Fully intending to let him get a taste of his training blades, a hand grabbed his wrist and held it fast, before he felt himself being pulled forward and catapulted into a wall.
Staggering to his feet, Cyclops suddenly found himself envying Wolverine's healing powers. A fist came out of nowhere and narrowly missed his face before another found his gut. Clutching his sides once again, he doubled over, gasping for breath.
"You've gotten better, kid. I must admit, I didn't think you'd last this long." Because he knew Logan for such a long time, he knew that the statement was just one of his distractions. At the sound of footsteps, he turned his head, only to see his adversary running at him – fast. Aiming, he fired an optic blast, which the shorter mutant easily sidestepped. "Game over kid," Wolverine crowed, as a set of claws cut through the air towards Cyclops' chest.
"Not quite." A streak of crimson erupted from Scott's eyes and slammed into Wolverine's shoulder just as his claws impacted his. The simulation ended immediately.
"Simulation terminated. Results of sequence 56 - Match between Cyclops and Wolverine ended in a stalemate," the speakers announced.
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Before Clarice was going to take him home, Wolverine found himself alone with Cyclops on one of the mansion balconies. "That was some pretty sharp shooting kid. You've grown up a lot since I last saw you."
"Thanks - you weren't so bad yourself." Pause. "Guess I'm not the defenceless blind kid that you first met, huh?"
"You never were," came the response. An uncomfortable silence settled between them as both stared off into the darkness.
"So, you taking care of my car? She needs a waxing once in a while...."
"As good as the day you bought her," the stout Canadian finished. After a long pause, he continued, "She misses you."
"Sure."
"Yer impossible, kid." Grunting, Logan turned and left.. When he was almost out of earshot, he heard someone shout, "Take care of her too."
