The Blackbird had become home for the past 2 days for the remaining X-Men and Logan's patience was beginning to wear thin. Confined spaces didn't bother him, but he had been in close proximity to the kids for 2 days straight now! He loved those kids and would do anything to protect them, but if Kitty said "totally" one more time, he just might run a claw through her throat!
They had landed just outside Bayville after taking care of Evan and they hadn't moved since. Logan couldn't take it anymore. He stepped into the cockpit, lowered the stairs, jumped out of the Blackbird, and made a dash for the woods. He was no longer wearing his Wolverine suit. Just in case of an emergency, the X-Men kept food and extra changes of clothes in the Blackbird's storage room so he was now wearing jeans and a flannel shirt.
As he walked through the woods he couldn't help but notice how fresh the air was. A heightened sense of smell wasn't a desirable trait in a situation involving six people and no showers.
He kept walking until he made it to town. He had roamed Bayville's streets many times and had memorized the city long ago. Maneuvering it was now second nature to him.
He always enjoyed walking these streets. It was calming for some reason. It gave him a chance to get away and think. Today, his brain was spinning with thoughts.
He was worried about Jean and Ororo. Ororo had been a great friend to him for years. Being the only two adults in the mansion that didn't have the most amazing mind in the world had brought them together in a way that nothing else could have. They were very different people and they both knew it. Storm was always calm and collected. She was organized and was quicker to consider her actions before taking them. Logan, on the other hand, was hot-tempered and always looking for a fight. Simply put, he was a weapon. He had been designed to be a weapon and he was learning that fighting that impulse was useless. He had a bloodthirsty side to his personality that was almost like an addiction. If he went too long without a fight, he would actually begin to feel withdrawal! There had been plenty of times that he had felt this. He needed to fight. It was a part of him and there was nothing he could do about it. Fortunately, he had Storm there to talk things over with when he felt antsy. If not for this, he figured he'd probably go crazy.
He lit up a cigar as another thought occurred to him. This had popped into his mind off and on a lot lately. When it had first crossed his mind months before, it had startled and scared him. Now, however, he was beginning to grow more accustomed to it, though wasn't ready to completely accept it. As much as he missed Storm, his friend and confidant, he missed Jean even more! Over the last 4 months, he had begun to notice her more and more. She was very attractive, but that wasn't what got his attention. Everyone knew she was beautiful! But Logan was drawn to her because he saw inside her a more wild spirit than she was willing to let on. She acted tame and settled, yet he could see her for what she really was, an only somewhat tamer version of himself. No, she wasn't a bloodthirsty warrior like he was, but she had the same urges to let go of the rules and do things the way she wanted to do them. Logan smiled as he let his mind dwell on the topic. He hated to admit it, but he was falling in love with her!
Of course, it didn't matter because there was a huge age difference between them that nobody could overcome! Even Logan wasn't sure of his age but he knew he had been in his 40s when he worked with Cap in World War II. This would make him at least 99 years old now. But then again, it wouldn't matter who he dated. He would always have to deal with an age difference. He knew he only looked about 27 or 28 and she was only three days from turning twenty, so maybe it could work out.
He smiled as he let his mind dwell on the "what ifs" of the situation. Soon though, he shook the thoughts out of his mind. It could never happen. She was already dating Cyke and besides, he was the teacher. She was the student. But then again, he reminded himself that she was now one of the teachers too. No. It just couldn't work. He shook his head and walked on.
He was now walking past an electronics store. He decided to step in. It was pretty hot outside and he could use a few minutes of air conditioning. He dropped his now nearly burnt out cigar on the sidewalk and stepped through the sliding doors. Once inside, he headed to the TV section. As he had expected, they were playing the news. He stood in front of the wall of TVs and listened to the news of the day. So far, the big news was a bombing in Jerusalem. He hated to see stuff like that, but hearing about it didn't phase him as he was so used to hearing it. They had at least one bombing a day over there!
"Can I help you sir?" asked a clerk.
Wolverine looked at the man standing beside him. He was big. Probably a former marine. Young too. Knew how to handle himself. Wolverine smiled. He could take him.
"No, thanks."
Logan turned his attention back to the TV. It had been 4 days since the last fight. He could normally go much longer between fights without having these thoughts. Of course, this new law had his blood boiling.
"The White House has just released a list of all mutants that have been detained so far," said the TV anchor. Logan's ears perked up as he listened intently. "It is an extensive list with over 500 names on it. These names are now being scrolled across the bottom of your screen. The White House Press Secretary also announced today that all mutant detainees are currently being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
Logan stopped listening as he scanned the names scrolling slowly along the screen. They were in alphabetical order. He watched the names go by, scanning them for familiar ones. He recognized the name Carol Danvers when it went by, but couldn't quite remember where he had heard it.The list seemed endless as it kept dragging across the screen. Finally, the name he had been waiting for showed up. Jean Grey. It was official. Jean had been captured. After a long wait, "Ororo Monroe" went across the screen and Logan quickly turned to leave the store.
He walked briskly back in the direction he came from. He wanted to run back to the Blackbird as fast as he could, but that would attract attention, something he didn't want to do. As he walked, he tried not to imagine Jean being beaten by guards. He tried not to imagine her handcuffed and being thrown into the dirt, then picked up and pushed back into line with the other mutants. He tried not to imagine her hands tightly chained behind her back with another chain extending down to her ankles. He tried not to imagine her face bloodied and bruised nearly beyond recognition. But it was no use. These images were all he could think about as he rushed back to the Blackbird.
Once he got to the woods, he took off as fast as he could. After dodging trees and rocks for 2 miles, he arrived in the clearing where the Blackbird was sitting and ran up the stairs into the craft. He made his way into the room that had been used as a living area for the last 2 days and found the rest of the X-Men sitting around talking.
"Logan. Good to see you made it back. Maybe next time you could tell somebody that you're leaving," said the professor harshly.
"Sure thing, Chuck," said Logan dismissively. "Jean and Storm have been captured. Saw it on the TV. They're in Guantanamo Bay with the other 500 mutants that got caught!"
The room stared at him for a minute or two before it sank in. Finally, Scott jumped up. "Then let's go get 'em!"
"Hold on, Scott," said the professor. "Logan, you're sure about this?"
"Positive Chuck. CNN don't lie about stuff like this!"
"Well then," said the professor, "I suppose we're going to Cuba."
