Charles Xavier sat in the large, round room buried below the main levels of the school, his mind casting out and searching methodically as he had done for the past two weeks, nineteen days in total after Logan's sudden vanishing act. As far as he could tell, their feral friend must have remembered something and set off in search of his past. However, there were so many leads and areas that he had uncovered for Wolverine to search, both in the States and out of the country, that the telepath was beginning to get frustrated. And if Logan had ventured into new territory, it would be exponentially harder to find him. Additionally, the time Charles could spend searching had been unavoidably restricted by school duties and various legal matters, leaving the normally serene schoolmaster chafing under the weight of it, feeling as if he were letting their absent friend down. He struggled to maintain his composure, swinging focus up north, into the feral's home country. Xavier had been focusing on the more recent information he'd collected for Wolverine, and was working his way backward toward the older leads. After that, it would be anybody's guess.
"Logan… where have you gone, my friend?" the telepath murmured, turning Cerebro toward an abandoned military base that had been a very cold lead indeed. Quiet filled the room around him as he concentrated, seeking the feel of a familiar and wild presence. Suddenly his eyes flew open as he gasped. There! An urgent mental call reached out to his team, directing them to the War Room, although not revealing anything further. He'd found Logan, but all was definitely not well.
x_X_x
Scott, Ororo, and Jean watched the professor closely, anxious to find out what he had to say. Scott had let go of most of his irritation at their absent teammate, after a talk with Storm had him looking at the situation from a different perspective. Sometimes he wondered if their weather goddess had picked up some of Charles' abilities through constant nearness, as she had an uncanny ability to empathize with people and help others see another viewpoint. He mentally shook his head, refocusing attention as the professor spoke.
"The reason I've called you here is because I've found Logan. He's currently at a military base that he investigated once before. In fact, that was the first lead I ever found for him." Charles paused, taking in their looks of surprise.
"Well, that's good, right?" Jean asked into the brief silence. "Now that we know where he is, we can go bring him home." Scott shot her a side glance of hidden sympathy at the optimistic innocence in that question. The professor wouldn't have called them to the War Room just to let them know Logan's whereabouts. There had to be more, something far more, that needed to be discussed and planned. His worry was confirmed as their mentor spoke again.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Jean. Logan is being held there, and probably has been almost as long as he's been gone, if what I could feel from his mind is accurate." Storm gasped softly, and Jean's hopefulness visibly faded into concern.
"So we set up a rescue, Professor?" Charles looked over at Scott as he spoke, nodding.
"Yes, but I think it's safe to say these people are accustomed to dealing with mutants. I believe this will be better as a subtle mission of stealth rather than an overt show of powers. To that end, I'm going to request that you enlist Kitty to help." Scott opened his mouth to protest, but the telepath held up a hand. "I know she's young and fairly inexperienced, but her skill is extremely valuable at keeping herself and others safe. She has also done well in her training, and is very sensible. I'm quite sure she'll be an asset." Scott breathed out slowly through his nose, knowing that the girl would be valuable in the kind of mission they wanted, but still anxious about bringing an untested rookie into the field with them. Still, Charles usually had a sense for this kind of thing.
"Of course, Professor. We'll get her up to speed. How should we go about this?" They spent the next hour going over plans and contingencies, well aware that the fate of their friend was on the line.
x_X_x
"I wish I could be going too…" Rogue couldn't keep from sulking just a little as she watched Kitty suiting up to go on her first mission, a mission to rescue Logan, no less. Rogue couldn't help thinking she had a right to help save the feral man, as much as she owed him for all the times he'd saved her. Kitty flashed her an apologetic look, looking both determined and jittery.
"I know. I really wish you could too. I'm honestly so nervous right now," she confided, not minding revealing weakness to the other girl if it helped her feel better. Kitty did want to help, but she'd never been in an actual combat situation before. "I guess they think I can help in some way." She gulped in a breath, trying to steady her nerves, and Marie seemed to relent, catching the smaller girl in a one-armed hug.
"You'll be fine," she said with a little smile. "Keep yourself and everyone else safe, okay?" Kitty nodded, suddenly all seriousness.
"We're gonna bring him back. I just know it, so don't worry. He'll be grumpily stalking the halls again before you can say 'cantankerous cigar-chewing Canuck'. Marie's eyes widened, and then she broke into giggles, cheered by the spontaneous humor.
"Where did that come from?" she gasped, catching a breath. Kitty grinned, glad to be able to get both their minds off of the situation.
"Jubilee. I think she's making a list of nicknames to call him, just to annoy him when he gets back." Rogue wouldn't put it past the girl Logan sometimes called Firecracker, who was very creative and precocious when it came to randomness.
"Oh my God, he may regret coming back." They shared a smile and then a hug, and Kitty ran off with a wave, hoping her first mission would be a resounding success, especially with what was at stake.