Quebec, Canada. The headquarters of Department H. Few people know of this secret military installation, fewer still of its purpose. Not only is it the headquarters of the mysterious Department H, but it is also the home of their best and most secret agent. A man only known as Weapon X, or the Wolverine.

Scott Summers sat in what he figured amounted to a waiting room, although it was also an office for a General by the name of Chasen. Chasen had been trying to delay meeting with the Wolverine, demanding to know why some civilian from America had been granted permission to speak with the secret agent; much less how anyone outside of Department H knew about Wolverine. Scott has decided to play things lower key than the intervention in Germany, having come in a forest green suit and his ruby quartz sunglasses. In fact, he'd come as a teacher with the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, which was entirely the Professor's idea. How the man had kept his identity as a mutant hidden for so long was a completely mystery to Scott in retrospect.

Scott also wasn't stupid, though. While nothing should happen, Scott still had his visor tucked into an inner pocket, just in case.

"I'm not convinced this isn't some private's idea of a prank," General Chasen glowered at Scott, having given up the shouting and screaming a few minutes ago, "You show up at the front gate, on foot. At a location on no maps, and you're from a damned school? On a recruitment drive?"

Scott merely shrugged, putting on an innocent a face as one could with sunglasses, "I did get lost a few times, sir, if it helps."

"And your security clearance," the general continued, "I've only met four people with Black clearance for Department H. And none of them fund any 'fancy' schools, certainly none in another country."

Scott resisted the urge to simply take off his glasses and send the General flying across the base. It should only be a few more minutes, according to his experience with the man and the Professor's later journals. Which would no longer contain this event. Huh. His first paradox, Scott mused.

Cyclops opened his mouth again to reply, but was cut off by a second door to the office opening. The smell of cheap cigars filled the air as a shorter man walked in. He wore a garrish costume in blue and yellow, with bare arms between the yellow torso and blue gloves. Light glinted off three metal ridges on the back of the gloves' hands, which Scott knew from experience to help guide the man's retractable claws through his gloves. A bright red belt around his torso helped split the costume into a top and bottom, and his face was covered by a black and yellow mask that helped shape the man's hair into a most bizarre shape.

"All right," Wolverine growled, trying to sound like he hadn't just been roused from bed after a rough mission, "I'm here. Now, who's the fancy bigwig you want me to see, Chas-" the Canuck stopped as he spotted Scott sitting plainly in his chair, "...a bookworm?"

Scott tried his best to suppress a grin. Sure, Logan had always been a complete ass, and their relationship had started as incredibly rough and argumentative, but recent events (future events?) had shown Scott that Logan was one of the few people he considered friends. Seeing him so young, so free of a past, was actually refreshing. He could do without the cigars, though.

"I am," Scott spoke, tilting his head to Wolverine in respect, "Scott Summers."

Wolverine leaned back, looking him up and down, "Gotta say, Slim," he groused as he took a pull off his stoogie, "I ain't impressed."

"The top brass is," General Chasen grumbled in correction as he looked out the large window of his office, "And this gentleman is here to make some sort of offer to you."

"Not interested." Wolverine waved a hand in front of him as he turned to leave.

"Logan." Scott simply said, and waited.

Wolverine stopped in his tracks, and a set of claws popped out of his right gauntlet with a snikt, "How do you know that name?"

Scott smiled enigmatically, leaning back in his seat, "I have a mission I need you for, Logan. A mercy mission, and one that will let you be a free man should you join." Scott paused, adjusting his glasses, "My benefactors know of your recent fight with the Hulk, and I'm well aware of what you can do. You're a mutant, Logan. One of only a few who can pull this mission off with me."

Wolverine retracted his claws with a snukt. He took another long draw off the cigar before putting it out on the nameplate engraved on the door. Ignoring the general's vocal protest, Wolverine turned to scott with a grin, "Well, you've got my attention now, Slim."

"Not so fast!" General Chasen began shouting again, incensed at the lack of respect to his hard-earned door moniker, "The Government has put way too much money and time into you just to have you leave now. If you try walking out on us, I'll have you put in irons!"

Grinning ferally, Logan began to advance on the general. Before he could do anything, Scott Summers was standing between him and Chasen.

"Logan is coming with me." Scott said plainly, his hand up at the frames of his glasses, "While he may not need my protection, he is one of my people." He began to lower the glasses, letting some pink optic energy crackle through, "And if someone messes with my people, they'll see what a single angry mutant can do."

The General backed up, gasping in surprise as he bumped against the wall. An ornate frame shattered as it and the painting inside fell to the floor.

Wolverine let out a low chuckle as he let out a single middle claw. He began dragging it along the wall of General Chasen's office as he walked out the front door. Extending a middle finger rather than a claw toward the General, he spoke up, "Guy's got guts. I like it. I resign my commission, effective immediately." As Scott followed Wolverine out of the office, Wolverine turned around to glare at the General, "And I'd better be getting my last paycheck."

"You haven't heard the last of this," General Chasen tried to sound threatening, but his voice cracking undermined his attempt at menace, "We will track you down, Wolverine, and we will bring you home."

The only response as the door to the office slammed was Logan's derisive laughter.

The MacDonald-Cartier International Airport, located in Ottawa, Canada. After 'borrowing' a jeep from the MPs at Department H, Logan and Scott had driven to the airport mostly in silence. Scott was doing his best trying not to freeze in the uncovered vehicle, while Logan was simply spending his time trying to figure the new guy out.

Having ditched the vehicle and found Logan some fresh clothes from some luggage in the lost and found, they now found themselves waiting in line to enter the airport terminal proper. Security was far more lax than Scott ever remembered, but metal detectors were still active and ready to catch someone smuggling any weapons aboard. Or a metal skeleton.

Craaaaap. And Logan was up next for the brief screening, too.

"Logan," Scott spoke up, sounding nervous for once, "...your claws. Aren't they going to…?"

The man known as Wolverine pulled out his wallet and showed a special ID to the gentlemen standing guard at the metal detector, "Sorry about the noise in advance, fellas." There was a pause as one of them shrugged and simply gestured for Logan to walk around. Logan grinned genuinely, patting the man on the shoulder, "Much obliged, sir."

Scott himself made it through the check without fault, but did have to provide his laminated doctor's note proving his 'light sensitivity' meant he couldn't remove his glasses. Meeting Logan on the other side, Scott tilted his head questioningly at his old, new friend.

Logan held up the ID to Scott, "Veteran ID. Says I got a knee replaced with a metal rod,"

Well. That was new. Logan almost never flew commercial, and never with company. Usually, he'd just borrowed the backup Blackbird for a jaunt out to Madripoor, or called for the Inhumans' pet Lockjaw.

Logan put his wallet back in his jeans back pocket, raising an eyebrow, "For someone who knows my name, you sure have some odd gaps in your research."

Sighing, Scott ran a hand through his hair, "It's not research, Logan." he took a breath as the two entered a mostly-abandoned corridor of the terminal, heading towards their gate, "I… currently know things. Things that won't happen for days, others that won't happen for years to come."

It was about as much truth as Scott was willing to give to his friend right now. Frankly, it was also an infinitely better explanation than 'my ex-villain lover sent my mind hurtling back in time as I lay dying from exposure to alien chemicals in a cloud of green death that killed mutants but gave Inhumans their powers.'

Logan's other eyebrow raised and he eyed Scott suspiciously, "Things?"

"I've seen the future, at least one form of it, for years to come. Bad things happen to mutants, and to the people I care for." Again, part of a truth, part of a lie, "I'd like to make sure none of that happens."

"And how do I factor in? Why me?"

Scott couldn't help but laugh as he told the complete truth, "I didn't want to do this without a friend at my side."

"You're crazy," Wolverine decided, but didn't move from Scott's side as the two found an automated walkway to glide along.

"I don't smell crazy, though." Scott smirked at his friend.

There was a long pause, and Logan eventually admitted, "No. You don't." They walked in silence some more, "So. This future. Lots of adventure?"

"More than I care to stomach sometimes."

"Do we make good?"

Scott shrugged, "I got to tell Dracula to follow his heart."

"Ok, now you're pulling my leg." Wolverine laughed as he lit up a cigar despite the 'no smoking' sign. He took a long draw before expelling the smoke away from Scott, "All right, I'm in. But you tell me about my past, seeing how you know so much about it."

At least it would be a long flight to Arizona. They were going to need it.

Author's Note:

And so, it begins.

Thanks for the kind review, A Bad Person. What happened to Cyclops was a bitter pill to swallow, but I have kept reading perhaps out of a strange curiosity. I mean, with Logan and Scott both dead, I had to see what they pulled out next. Now that Logan is back, and Scott is coming back in February (in theory), I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

Not sure what to think about your massive text burst, guest. Still, I appreciate it!