Joss didn't show for dinner that evening and Logan, who rarely ate with the others was uneasy. He had been determined not to let her out of his sight and didn't like not knowing where she was. Professor Xavier did a quick psychic sweep of the mansion and assured him that she was in the library, perfectly safe. He stayed where he was but ate his spaghetti as quickly as humanly possible and, dumping his bowl in the sink, went off to find her.
The Professor was right; Joss was in the library, sitting at one of the large wooden tables in front of a laptop typing furiously. She heard him come in but didn't look up.
"Hey," she greeted, distractedly.
"You've missed dinner." Logan informed her, dropping into the chair opposite hers. "There was spaghetti." She crinkled her nose and waved a cartoon of Chinese noodles in his direction. "Where d'you get that?" he asked, seeing the New York City address on the cartoon.
"Delivery." She answered, not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her. "Hand me that screwdriver would you?" she gestured in his direction and he handed her the tiny tool, frowning as she used it to removed the back of the laptop.
"Does the Professor know what you're doing to his computer?" he hesitated, "Do you know what you're doing to his computer?" she laughed and looked up for the first time.
"It's my computer and yes, I know exactly what I'm doing." she pointed at a small chip next to his elbow and he handed it over. "The lab computers are far to primitive for my needs, I'm just helping this one on it's way to becoming a computer superior." she grinned at him and, finishing up, replaced the back. Looking satisfied as the screen lit up at greeted her in a male, computerized voice.
"HELLO JOSS" She tapped on the drag-pad a few times and it repeated itself, this time in a female voice. Interested now, Logan moved round the table and sat next to her watching as her fingers moved expertly over the key board bringing up dozens of windows and sending dozens more away.
"When did you get this?" he asked, not remembering her having had one before.
"Delivery," she replied again, "friend of mine in the city sent it."
"And what exactly are you doing with it?" he asked again, picking through the assortment of discs next to her.
"Hacking into the police records," she replied casually, around a mouthful of noodles. Logan inhaled a little too much cigar smoke and started coughing, his eyes watering.
"What?" he asked, thinking he had heard wrong. "You know that's very illegal!"
"Uhuh." she nodded and continued typing. A new window appeared bearing the NYPD seal and demanding a password. Joss brought up another window and after typing a few short commands was granted access easily. She made a small grunt of satisfaction and Logan held his hands over the keyboard.
"I shouldn't be letting you do this." He warned, "What if it gets traced back to Charles?"
"It won't" she replied simply.
"How can you be sure?" Logan demanded
"Because I have the signal bounced off of fourteen different addresses in Europe and base landed in New Guinea." He didn't understand this but she seemed convinced, and Logan could think of a few reasons for wanting to see the PD database, so he let her continue.
Twenty-five minutes later Logan and Joss were cowering shame faced in front of Hank. It turned out that he had installed an alert system on to the schools computer network to inform him if anyone in the school was using the computers for anything illegal. He had caught them red handed, having finished what they went in for, checking out the police records of members of senate. It had proved quite interesting reading, until they were caught.
"Well, just what exactly do you think you were doing?" Hank demanded angrily, they opened their mouths to answer but he interrupted. "No, don't start. Have you any idea the trouble you could get in for violating the State Privacy Laws?" Hank, when angry could be quite an intimidating figure what with his blue fur standing up and his seven-foot figure looming overhead.
"We wouldn't have gotten caught." Joss tried, but he wasn't impressed.
"Really?
"Really." she confirmed
"The signal was bounced off fourteen different addresses in Europe and base landed in New Guinea." Logan added, Joss smirked, knowing he had no idea what that meant.
"Do you know what could happen to you if you were caught." Hank asked again
"First offence; a warning and ban from use of all computing equipment for six months." Joss answered promptly.
"And was this your first offence?"
"Maybe." Hank sighed and turned on Logan.
"I suppose you think she's in the right?" Logan shrugged
"We weren't doing any harm."
"That is not the point. You were breaking the law! Violating the right to privacy of some very important people!"
"Every time I have a joint I'm breaking the law," Joss interrupted, "you don't throw a hissy fit about that." Logan smiled at the mental image conjured up but stopped when he noticed Hanks nostrils flaring.
"Were you searching for anything in particular before you got side tracked by Senator Dowry's fascinating past?" Hank asked, visibly trying to calm himself. Logan looked sideways at Joss as she answered, hoping that she'd decided, as he had, that maybe it would be best to stop pushing Hanks boundaries soon.
"You told me that I should try to think of someway in which to achieve 'closure'" she said, catching Logan's meaningful glance and agreeing. "So I was looking for any records that might show me who he was." Her voice lowered near the end and she dropped his gaze, knowing that wasn't what he had had in mind. Hank frowned and leant back against his desk.
"You mean the man who…"
"…Yeah" she interrupted, not wanting to go into it for the third time that day.
"Why? Why do you want to know more about him?" Hank asked, praying she wasn't planning what he thought she was.
"So I can find him and kill him." She replied, bluntly, confirming his fears.
Hank sighed and massaged the bridge of his blue nose, between his thumb and forefinger, closing his eyes.
"Joscelyn, would you excuse us for a moment, please?" he asked tiredly. She glanced at Logan uncertainly, but he nodded so she went outside into the corridor closing the door and sat cross-legged on the red carpet running down towards the main entrance hall.
Professor Xavier came upon Joss sitting on the floor on his way into the kitchen for a pot of tea. He had been grading a stack of English essays and was feeling quite pleased with the overall high grades he'd been able to give out, noticing Joss looking very small on the carpeted floor he wheeled over to her and stopped, smiling down.
She looked up, expectant, unblinking eyes waiting for him to say something and he found that she thought he was there to tell her off again. Not liking this schema he was fitted into he resolved to be extra friendly.
"I'm glad to see you Joscelyn." He smiled again, "I was very pleased with your essay on 'The Millers Tale' you got the highest grade in the class, I found it nearly impossible to find fault with it. Well done." She smiled, a little.
"Thanks."
"I did rather get the impression though," he countered, "that your heart wasn't really in it. In fact I'm very surprised you had any notion of what the tale was about considering the scrutiny the middle distance has been getting in my classes of late." She smiled a little more, shaking her head.
"Well, I've read it before, but I found it rather boring. Chaucer seems pretty overrated to me." She paused suddenly, cocking her head to one side, concern showing on her face as raised voices penetrated through the door.
The Professor looked at her questioningly, preferring to hear from her what had happened rather than take it from her thoughts. She flinched guiltily as the voices rose still higher.
"In trouble again." She muttered. The old man smiled and leaned towards her conspiratorially.
"Would you like to join me for some tea?" Joss pulled a face; he tried again. "Hot chocolate?" she inclined her head in acceptance but paused, looking back at the door and the noise behind it.
"Leave them to it," the Professor advised "they'll burn themselves out eventually." Casting one last look at the door she sighed and followed him in to the kitchen.
Returning from the kitchen Professor Xavier opened the door to his study and Joss carried the tray bearing their drinks in and placed it on the large wooden desk. She sat uneasily in the chair opposite his desk and Charles noticing her disquiet reached out to her mind to see what was troubling her as he poured himself some tea, earl grey, hot.
"I didn't ask you here to tell you off on Hanks behalf, Joscelyn." She looked mildly surprised and he continued. "Although if you wish to talk about it…" she shook her head.
"You already know what he's pissed about." His face hardened and she checked herself, "sorry, what he's angry about…and you know why I did it?" she watched him anxiously. He nodded.
"Yes, and I'm afraid Joscelyn that whilst I can understand your reasoning I cannot condone it. Murder is always murder and I honestly don't know that you will ever be able to find him. Can you even be sure he's alive." Joss nodded.
"I'm sure." She took a sip of her drink, pursing her lips as she paused. "And as for finding him, I've certain friends that can find anyone…given the right incentive."
They both sat in silence for a while, Charles, noticing her furrowed brow, tried reaching into her mind but she had put up a mental wall to shield her mind, he could easily have broken it if he wished but it would have gone against his greatest principles.
Joss opened her mouth to speak but, frowning and shaking her head slightly, closed it again. Charles looked at her enquiringly.
"It's Logan." she sighed eventually
"Yes?" Joss paused for a while longer, trying to put her feelings into words.
"It's just that, it seems to me…all he's done since I got here, is worry about me." Charles shook his head.
"I know that is not the case." He told her, knowing it wasn't. She continued, heedless.
"And now, he's in trouble with Hank again, because I was breaking the law."
"It wasn't the first time he's allowed you to do so though, was it?" he asked, thinking of the smoking and underage drinking.
"That's not the point." Joss argued
"I rather think it is" the Professor countered
"It shouldn't be," She responded angrily, "Logan should not be held accountable for my actions. Its not fair."
"Who do you believe should be?" he asked, she hesitated as if this hadn't occurred to her before.
"Uh…well me I guess…if anyone."
"If anyone?"
"Well," she answered "If I were to be held accountable for everything I've done…I'd never she the light of day again. But I would rather that than someone else taking it for me."
"Why?"
"Where's the honour in that?" Charles was surprised at the vehemence with which she spoke of such and antiquated virtue.
"Honour is very important to you?" Joss was surprised that he needed to ask.
"Isn't it you?"
"Of course, but it's unusual for someone of your age to hold honour in such importance." She nodded in understanding.
"Most people my age have little use for it. But it's important in my world. Loyalty and honour are the most important things we've got. Not only are we thieves, juveniles and stoners. We're also mutants. It's important that we all stick together, it's what makes us family."
"Family?" Xavier questioned, confused. She smiled self-depreciatingly.
"We're not a proper family. More a mob, a gang if you will but we'd always go to the mattresses for one another, no questions asked." He smiled at the film reference before continuing.
"I trust you mean your friends in the city?" she nodded in confirmation "I like to believe we have that here." She nodded in assent.
"I'm sure you do. I was actually hoping I could introduce you to a few of them, especially the younger ones."
"Certainly!" he replied eagerly. "How young are the younger ones?" she frowned for a moment thinking.
"We think they're about eight, but they're not sure. Twins, psychics actually, I think they'd like you."
Before Charles could ask any more questions, the door was thrown open by a very angry looking Wolverine.
"Charlie, can I take Joss?" Charles nodded and Logan jerked his head at Joss. She drained her cup and giving the Professor a silent wave followed him obediently out of the room. Trotting to keep up with him as he strode down the hall grumbling angrily about Hank and his "sanctimonious bullshit."
Hey y'all. Thanks for reading and as usual please review! For asnyone still waiting for the next chapter of 'Gravities Weaknesses' watch this space. I'm working on it!