Emergency
The fire chief noticed Logan pacing back and forth with his cell phone stuck to his ear so he spoke to him.
"Hey, cowboy! Get back," he said.
Logan glared at him, "Just put out the damned fire!"
The chief was about to make an angry retort and have him removed when one of his crew shouted to him.
"Chief, we found someone trapped inside!" the call came.
Suddenly the crew went to work on an all out rescue campaign. Logan waited impatiently until a fireman emerged from the torched Bistro with a woman in his arms. It was Dani. Logan ran to meet them and tried to reach for her but several firemen stopped him.
"That's my fiancé!" Logan shouted at them.
"She needs medical help, just let us help her…" someone said.
Dani suddenly stirred, "I'm fine," she croaked, "Just a little too much smoke." She coughed a few times as they laid her on the gurney and then tried to sit up.
"Oh, no miss. You were in there for a long time. You'll be going to the hospital. Your fiancé here can go with you if you like," the medic said.
Dani looked panicked. The last thing she needed was a hospital. "But… but…"
"No baby, it's okay," Logan said quickly. "I'll go with you, and call the professor."
Dani reluctantly nodded as they loaded her and Logan into the ambulance. The medic tried to look her over, but she squirmed a little. While he was working, Logan noticed something peculiar. She didn't smell quite right. Maybe it was the smoke…
Dani coughed again, and then sneezed right at Logan, surrounding him in a very fine grey dust. He immediately broke into a sneezing fit. The medic figured he now had two patients so he stuck an oxygen mask on both of them. Shortly thereafter, Logan passed out.
Scott pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant just as the fire crews were cleaning up. Remy hopped out and looked around. Most of the spectators had dispersed, and there was no sign of Logan. Scott stepped out of his car and scowled.
"He should have waited for us. Call him," Scott said in annoyance. He was worried. There never seemed to be any peace for them.
Remy dialed Logan's number and let it ring… and ring… and… "Hello? Logan? Where the hell are you? Did you find her?"
"Damn it, Swamp Rat, shut the hell up and listen!" Logan growled on the other end. "We're on the way to the hospital. They found her inside; I think she's okay, but just meet us there."
Remy bit his lip. He knew how badly an exam on a mutant could go if the doctors found out. "We're on the way." He hung up and looked at Scott with a sober expression. "They found her inside, but they're both on the way to the hospital in an ambulance."
Scott's expression was unreadable but he immediately acted. He grabbed the first fireman and demanded to know where they took the injured from the fire. The surprised fireman just stuttered out the name of the nearest hospital with a trauma center and Scott ran back to the car where Remy was waiting.
"Don't drive like a granny, Cyclops," Remy said seriously.
Scott frowned at the very thought, "I'll show you driving, Gambit." They sped out of the parking lot and down the street. Scott's car had all the extra goodies designed for speed. He turned on his emitter that reset the lights to green for him and then hit the boost button. He just smirked at Gambit whose knuckles were turning white as he gripped the dash.
"Call the professor," Scott said.
"Dat's a good idea," Remy said shakily. "Don't kill anybody."
Scott didn't make a comment on that little dig. He was too worried about Dani and Logan. The hospital they were going to had a reputation for reporting mutants… after they practically dissected them. This could be bad, very bad.
Dani was covered in soot, passed out cold and Logan wouldn't leave her side.
"Dani, wake up darlin," he was soothing.
The doctors in the emergency room were having a hard time getting Logan to give them any room. When a nurse tried to get him to let go of her hand and step back, he growled at her and shoved her aside. Dr. Morton, the head surgeon, had had enough of his near violent protests and finally intervened. He grabbed a syringe and loaded it with a fast acting sedative. He looked at two of his larger residents and motioned for them to hold him. Then he just slammed the needle in Logan's arm and injected it.
"Damn, Bub! You made a… huge… mista… damn," Logan's words tapered off sluggishly and he fell to the floor.
"Get him on a stretcher and strap him down, just in case. Get to work on the woman, cut the charred clothes off carefully, watch the burns," Dr. Morton said.
"There are no burns," a nurse gasped. "Look!"
Morton frowned at her and stepped closer for a look, "That's impossible. The report said she was in the building for nearly a half hour. They found her under a pile of burning debris…" He stared at her perfectly unmarred skin and his expression darkened. "Get her strapped down and take her down to CAT scan! I want a full workup!" He looked over at Logan and frowned. "That one, too."
"But he's fine," another doctor said.
"No he's not, he's a goddamn mutant, and so is she," the Morton said coldly. "I'm in charge, do as I say, and give the woman a sedative. I don't want her waking up."
One of the nurses fainted in shock and several of the staff went pale.
"But… if they are, then... I don't want to touch them," a nurse stuttered.
"Oh, dammit, Marcy, it's not contagious!" another nurse said as she prepared the drug.
Morton looked at Dani with unmasked disgust. He absolutely hated mutants. But despite his dislike, he was fascinated. This was the first time he had a chance to look at one up close, inside and out. First he would need samples, blood, tissue…
Remy put the phone back in his pocket and looked at Scott as they pulled into the parking lot outside emergency. His expression was grim but his words were measured carefully.
"We are to be as discreet as possible, but he said to do whatever is necessary to get them out of there. The professor doesn't want a scene… but there is a possibility…"
Scott raised a hand to stop the sentence as he got out of the car. He had his sunglasses on, a little more discreet than his visor. He hoped they wouldn't draw too much attention. Gambit wore dark shades also, just to mask his blood red eyes. Neither of them wanted to start a scene in a hospital.
"Let's just play this casually," Scott said. "Dani is my… sister and Logan is your brother, got it? We're here to find out how they are doing."
"Oh, sure, you get the cute one in your family," Remy said with annoyance.
"No one would believe Logan and I were related," Scott said dryly as he pushed the glass door open.
The scene before them was chaotic to say the least. There was security swarming around and several police officers in the hallway outside a busy curtained off exam room. Scott had a bad feeling. He caught the nearest nurse by the crook of the arm.
"Excuse me, miss. What's going on?" he asked her.
She seemed unusually nervous as she answered in a near whisper, "We've got a couple of…mutants."
Remy didn't wait for Scott to give him the okay, he just lowered his shades to the end of his nose so she could see his eyes and said, "Is dat so?"
Her eyes doubled in size and her mouth fell open, "My god!"
Scott's jaw was set tight but he made his decision in an instant, "Answer me calmly and quietly. What are they planning to do?"
"Full exams…" she said. "The man is in CAT scan now."
Almost as if on cue, they heard a roar from somewhere down the hall. The distinctive sound of metal on metal echoed and all the security men ran out of the lobby area.
Scott released the nurse and ran to the curtained exam room. Dani was wrapped in a sheet almost like a mummy and strapped down. An older man had cut the sheet to get to her arm. He had a scalpel in his hands about ready to cut her skin.
"Drop the blade and step away from her," Scott said.
"Security!" Morton shouted as he backed away nervously.
There was still a lot of noise down the hall and Scott smiled almost maniacally. "They're busy. I'm taking her out of here, and I suggest you stand back and let me."
"You're one too, aren't you? You're like her," he accused as if it were some disease.
"Damned right, and I'm proud of it," Scott said through clenched teeth as he unstrapped her and carefully lifted her into his arms.
Logan and Remy ran up to him and Logan took one look at Dani and gave Scott a grateful nod. "Let's get the hell outta here," he said and sneezed again.
Remy and Scott both looked at him curiously but said nothing as they took off out of the lobby and piled into the car. Scott laid Dani in the back seat with her head resting in Logan's lap. Then he jumped in the driver's seat and took off. There was silence in the car for some time. Scott managed to evade the police and took the long way home through a heavily wooded area, just in case they were followed. After he was sure they were safely away he spoke.
"I hope you didn't kill any doctors," Scott said.
Logan ignored the comment. "They got a good look at some of my… less normal qualities. I had to 'reprogram' some of their equipment."
"How is she?" Scott asked.
"I think they must've drugged her. She should come to pretty soon, I did," Logan said.
"What happened?" Scott asked.
"There was nothing at all normal about that fire, Scott. We were set up. I think someone was after Dani. I can't for the life of me figure out why she didn't just transport back out of there. She was in that fire for… an eternity," Logan said with a trembling voice as he gently pulled her hair back from her face. "Just hurry up and get us home."
"She'll be fine, Logan," Scott said, trying to reassure him.
"Yeah, she's a tough one, she is," Remy said.
Logan broke into a sneezing fit again, trying not to move too much and disturb Dani. He regained his composure and rubbed his nose. He sniffed. Nothing. No scent. Not Dani, not Scott, not Remy, nothing. No cologne, no leather, no soot, no deodorant, nothing. He closed his eyes and sniffed again. He shook his head in confusion and sniffed and then started sneezing.
"You okay? A little too much smoke?" Scott asked.
Logan struggled to regain his composure and glared at Scott in annoyance. "No. No, I'm not okay, and no, it's not the smoke. Something's not right. I can't smell."
Remy chuckled, but Scott was concerned. "Explain."
"Nothing to explain, I Can't Smell Anything."
Scott pulled up to the gate and it opened. He glanced back at the two passengers in the back seat. Dani was starting to stir as he entered the garage. Beast, Jean and the Professor were waiting for them.
Dani moaned.
"Dani? Baby? How do you feel?" Logan asked softly.
She jerked suddenly and her eyes flew open, "No, the fire!"
"Shhh, it's over. We're home," Logan said as he helped her to sit up.
She looked at him in confusion. "The little boy, did he get out alright?"
Logan's expression went flat, "There was no little boy, Dani. What happened in there?"
Beast opened the door. "Let's get her downstairs, Logan."
"In a minute," Logan said.
Do it now Logan, you and I need to talk, Xavier said in his head.
Logan glanced at the professor with a frown but complied. He helped Dani out of the car and she wrapped the sheet around herself. Her legs were a little shaky but Jean helped her to the elevator. When the doors closed, Logan looked at Xavier with unmasked fear in his eyes. The room had quickly cleared and they were alone.
"Chuck, something happened to us tonight," he said quietly.
"No, Logan, something happened to you. That woman is not Danielle," Xavier said.
Logan looked at him in shock, "What? How do you know? It's her, it has to be her. I would know if it wasn't…" his words trailed off.
"By her scent?" Xavier asked knowingly. "Tell me, what cologne am I wearing?"
"Oh, God, Chuck. How?" Logan asked. "Where's my Dani?"
"I believe we have a shape shifter in her place, but it is not Mystique. I'll have Jean look into your… olfactory difficulties, but I believe that the affect is temporary," Xavier said. "As for Danielle, I haven't been able to locate her. I'll keep working on it."
"What about our little spy?" Logan asked, his voice suddenly cold.
"Let's see what happens. For the moment, I want to keep this between us. She cannot long endure her masquerade. Danielle's abilities are not easily simulated."
"So you want me to pretend I don't know?" Logan exclaimed. "I wanna go down there and rip her phony little head off!"
Xavier understood completely, but he needed a little cooperation. "If you want to find Danielle, you will have to be as cunning as those who took her. They obviously didn't want us to know that she was gone, at least not right away. Let this imposter think she has succeeded, let her get comfortable in the role. I guarantee she will make a mistake."
"What if she causes trouble?" Logan asked seriously. "The kids…"
"You'll be watching her," Xavier said.
"Why not just read her mind and take the information you need?" Logan asked in exasperation.
Xavier was losing his patience, "You know I don't work that way. It may come to that later, but for now, I want to see what we can learn from watching her. It takes a great deal of planning to pull a kidnapping like this. I want to know what we're up against."
Logan grudgingly nodded.
"You'll have to be convincing," Xavier said.
Logan's eyes narrowed on the professor, "I ain't sleeping with a damned imposter…"
"I am not suggesting anything of the sort," he paused and suddenly got a mischievous look on his face. "But perhaps if she thought you would, she might confess to stop it."
Logan smirked at the thought, "And you think I'm the wild one around here."
"You're very good at reading people, Logan. I am going to trust you on this one. Keep me informed. Now, go be the dutiful… fiancé," Xavier said.
Jynx hated this job. She wanted to change herself into a bird and fly away, but she couldn't. They gave her no choice but to play their game. Blackmail is a very powerful thing. They didn't want money from her, they wanted complete obedience. They say that everyone has their price, and hers was very high. Even being aware of the consequences, she had a hard time with this. The woman she was supposed to be seemed important to everyone here. Jynx thought of what might be happening to her now and felt a tinge of guilt. But the guilt was quickly replaced by fear. There are some people in the world you simply do not defy. God help her, they had her by the throat, and they were squeezing.
"All right Dani," Beast said. "How are your energy levels? Need a little juice?"
Jynx offered him a warm smile and a quick lie, "No, I'm fine. I had some at the hospital." Juice? Like orange or cranberry? What the hell has juice got to do with anything? She glanced at The other doctor and racked her brain for the appropriate name. Jynx hated this, well, gotta play along. Jane, or Jen or…
"Jean, will you get her something to wear?" Beast asked.
Bingo, Jean… Jynx thought.
Jean gave her a dazzling smile and left. Professor… this woman is an imposter.
I am aware of that. Allow the charade to continue. I am working out a plan. Xavier answered.
Logan passed her in the hall on his way to the infirmary and Jean went pale. Logan…
Already knows.
Jean closed her eyes and cringed. It was unfair all the things that have gone wrong for him in his life. Just when things seemed to work out for him, this happens. Dani?
I don't know, Jean. I don't know.
