Part Three
"There's nothing there!" Scott exclaimed bewildered, annoying and half-suspecting Logan was playing a return practical joke on him. "Logan, what -"
"There *is* something there," Logan hissed. "We just can't see 'em - keep your eye open, remember?"
Scott turned back to the bushes, struggling for a suitable retort, just in time to see them snap back together as though bound by an elastic band. Logan strode forward, claws at the ready -
"Ouch!" he yelled suddenly, and to his utter amazement Scott saw him go flying through the air to land *hard* and ungracefully on the concrete of the car park, narrowly missing their parked car. But Scott barely had time to register what was happening to his comrade when what felt like a fist connected with his jaw. For a moment all was numb, but then the pain kicked in and he saw stars behind his visor as he reeled back, struggling to remain on his feet. Dimly, he realised that Logan was back on his feet and sniffing the air again.
"One-eye, you okay?" he growled. Scott probed his jaw gingerly.
"I'll be all right. What *was* that?"
"Whatever it is, it's - there!" Logan took off and leapt at nothing in a flying tackle Red Grange would have been proud of.
"Oomph!" went something that definitely wasn't Logan as the other man grabbed the unseen something in a death grip. Then Logan began jerking around, as though being pummelled by an invisible assailant. "Ouch, hold still, goddamn it!" Wolverine yelled claws out but not making contact with anything.
[Invisible? Oh, I get it!] Scott thought in a flash of inspiration as Logan hung on grimly. He took a moment to steady himself and ran forward.
"Let GO of me, you - you -"whatever Logan was wrestling with began yelling. Cyclops noted something familiar about the voice, but didn't have time to analyse it as he put his hand to his visor.
"Logan - hold still!" he cried. Logan twisted to face him and did as Scott said, for once. A second later, Scott let an optic beam loose. It struck what Logan was holding cleanly and fiercely.
"Ah!" came the unseen voice again. Then a moment later, the air in front of Logan *rippled*, like water on the surface of a pond in the breeze. Then, as though a veil had been pulled away, suddenly they could see what Logan was hanging on to.
A man, in a long black coat, and with a black Stetson pulled down low on his head. He glanced up at Logan briefly before his knees buckled and his eyes closed as he fell unconscious. Logan lowered him gently to the asphalt, before stepping back and sheathing his claws again.
"Holy Mother of -"Cyclops muttered, gazing at the still figure lying on the ground. "You were right!"
"'Course I was!" Logan replied indignantly. "God, for a skinny guy like him he sure put up a hell of a fight."
Cyclops looked round to make sure that no-one had witnessed the fight, before crouching down beside the unconscious man and gently removing the black cowboy hat he was wearing. He saw to his surprise that their attacker could barely be considered a man - he didn't look much older than Bobby Drake! Unruly chestnut brown hair covered his head and his features were gentle so long as he was still. Logan was right, though - he was tallish, but definitely on the thin side, and his jeans and coat had seen better days. He was very pale, as well, though with exhaustion or illness Scott couldn't tell.
"Definitely a mutant, then," Scott remarked. "Hmm, I've never seen anything like this before. We'd better get him back to the school and let the Professor have a look at him."
"And get him some medical attention," Logan replied. "That was a hell of a jolt you gave him."
"Strong enough to take down a grizzly," Cyclops commented. "But it still took time to drop him. This guy must be as strong as Colossus, nearly." He glanced over at the car. "We can take him back so long as - hey, Logan, I thought you said there were two of them?"
"There are," Logan said, looking round cautiously. "I can't tell where the other is - scent's too weak. I'll have to go and look. You get the Invisible Man here back to the school pronto."
"Last I heard, *I* was the leader of this outfit," Scott answered indignantly. "Anyway, what if you need back-up? And I'm probably over the drink-drive limit as it is. If I crash, the Professor -"
"Do you *always* play by the goddamn rules?" Logan sighed, rolling his eyes. "One, if there's another mutant out there; I'm the one who has the best chance of finding it. Two, if it's vicious, I'm the one who has the best chance of carving it up into tiny little cutlets, three, that guy's hurt and needs a doctor, and four, you don't need to worry about driving while friggin' intoxicated so long as you don't get pulled over, and what are the odds of that happening this time of night if you drive slow? And lastly, you're only leader on X-Men missions or when it suits me. This is a boy's night out, remember?"
"It *was* a boy's night out," Scott said in his most authoritative tone. "Now it's officially an incident to be dealt with by Professor Xavier in whatever way he sees fit. Now, as leader, I order you to grab a cell phone and look for that other mutant while I get this one back to the mansion. Call if you need back-up."
"That's what I just said."
"Yeah, but I just made it official."
"Jerk."
"Ignoramus."
"One-eye."
"Claws."
"See you in a while. I'll keep you posted."
"Take care now."
"How'd you know that blast would take down a grizzly?" Logan asked suddenly. Scott smiled wryly.
"Very long story."
"So long, visor-boy," Logan grinned in response, running off into the woods before Scott could think of another insult. Shaking his head and grinning, he gently loaded the unconscious mutant into the back of the car, wondering what the Professor would have to say about all this.
"There's nothing there!" Scott exclaimed bewildered, annoying and half-suspecting Logan was playing a return practical joke on him. "Logan, what -"
"There *is* something there," Logan hissed. "We just can't see 'em - keep your eye open, remember?"
Scott turned back to the bushes, struggling for a suitable retort, just in time to see them snap back together as though bound by an elastic band. Logan strode forward, claws at the ready -
"Ouch!" he yelled suddenly, and to his utter amazement Scott saw him go flying through the air to land *hard* and ungracefully on the concrete of the car park, narrowly missing their parked car. But Scott barely had time to register what was happening to his comrade when what felt like a fist connected with his jaw. For a moment all was numb, but then the pain kicked in and he saw stars behind his visor as he reeled back, struggling to remain on his feet. Dimly, he realised that Logan was back on his feet and sniffing the air again.
"One-eye, you okay?" he growled. Scott probed his jaw gingerly.
"I'll be all right. What *was* that?"
"Whatever it is, it's - there!" Logan took off and leapt at nothing in a flying tackle Red Grange would have been proud of.
"Oomph!" went something that definitely wasn't Logan as the other man grabbed the unseen something in a death grip. Then Logan began jerking around, as though being pummelled by an invisible assailant. "Ouch, hold still, goddamn it!" Wolverine yelled claws out but not making contact with anything.
[Invisible? Oh, I get it!] Scott thought in a flash of inspiration as Logan hung on grimly. He took a moment to steady himself and ran forward.
"Let GO of me, you - you -"whatever Logan was wrestling with began yelling. Cyclops noted something familiar about the voice, but didn't have time to analyse it as he put his hand to his visor.
"Logan - hold still!" he cried. Logan twisted to face him and did as Scott said, for once. A second later, Scott let an optic beam loose. It struck what Logan was holding cleanly and fiercely.
"Ah!" came the unseen voice again. Then a moment later, the air in front of Logan *rippled*, like water on the surface of a pond in the breeze. Then, as though a veil had been pulled away, suddenly they could see what Logan was hanging on to.
A man, in a long black coat, and with a black Stetson pulled down low on his head. He glanced up at Logan briefly before his knees buckled and his eyes closed as he fell unconscious. Logan lowered him gently to the asphalt, before stepping back and sheathing his claws again.
"Holy Mother of -"Cyclops muttered, gazing at the still figure lying on the ground. "You were right!"
"'Course I was!" Logan replied indignantly. "God, for a skinny guy like him he sure put up a hell of a fight."
Cyclops looked round to make sure that no-one had witnessed the fight, before crouching down beside the unconscious man and gently removing the black cowboy hat he was wearing. He saw to his surprise that their attacker could barely be considered a man - he didn't look much older than Bobby Drake! Unruly chestnut brown hair covered his head and his features were gentle so long as he was still. Logan was right, though - he was tallish, but definitely on the thin side, and his jeans and coat had seen better days. He was very pale, as well, though with exhaustion or illness Scott couldn't tell.
"Definitely a mutant, then," Scott remarked. "Hmm, I've never seen anything like this before. We'd better get him back to the school and let the Professor have a look at him."
"And get him some medical attention," Logan replied. "That was a hell of a jolt you gave him."
"Strong enough to take down a grizzly," Cyclops commented. "But it still took time to drop him. This guy must be as strong as Colossus, nearly." He glanced over at the car. "We can take him back so long as - hey, Logan, I thought you said there were two of them?"
"There are," Logan said, looking round cautiously. "I can't tell where the other is - scent's too weak. I'll have to go and look. You get the Invisible Man here back to the school pronto."
"Last I heard, *I* was the leader of this outfit," Scott answered indignantly. "Anyway, what if you need back-up? And I'm probably over the drink-drive limit as it is. If I crash, the Professor -"
"Do you *always* play by the goddamn rules?" Logan sighed, rolling his eyes. "One, if there's another mutant out there; I'm the one who has the best chance of finding it. Two, if it's vicious, I'm the one who has the best chance of carving it up into tiny little cutlets, three, that guy's hurt and needs a doctor, and four, you don't need to worry about driving while friggin' intoxicated so long as you don't get pulled over, and what are the odds of that happening this time of night if you drive slow? And lastly, you're only leader on X-Men missions or when it suits me. This is a boy's night out, remember?"
"It *was* a boy's night out," Scott said in his most authoritative tone. "Now it's officially an incident to be dealt with by Professor Xavier in whatever way he sees fit. Now, as leader, I order you to grab a cell phone and look for that other mutant while I get this one back to the mansion. Call if you need back-up."
"That's what I just said."
"Yeah, but I just made it official."
"Jerk."
"Ignoramus."
"One-eye."
"Claws."
"See you in a while. I'll keep you posted."
"Take care now."
"How'd you know that blast would take down a grizzly?" Logan asked suddenly. Scott smiled wryly.
"Very long story."
"So long, visor-boy," Logan grinned in response, running off into the woods before Scott could think of another insult. Shaking his head and grinning, he gently loaded the unconscious mutant into the back of the car, wondering what the Professor would have to say about all this.