[Author's note: Thanks to everyone who has read this story, especially those who have reviewed it. I appreciate it. Debique, I promise you some action--literary, naturally. Debique sounds like a girl's name, though, so don't get all Mr. Macho on me, aight? Rowena, I am taking some advice you gave me awhile back about writing action scenes--it's been a real help. Thanks again!
Business was brisk at Harry's. Logan led Keye toward the bar, his hand lightly resting on the small of her back. Keye looked around, and Logan felt her back muscles tense. Her familiar scent became slightly anxious, although when Logan looked into her face, she showed no outward sign of worry. He raised in eyebrow in query without saying anything. She gave him an almost imperceptible signal, inclining her head toward the bar. Almost like we've worked together before, Logan thought as he continued to guide her to the bar. He knew she'd clue him in when she was ready.
They ordered their beers and Keye gave Logan a brilliant smile. "On the stools behind the pool table--the blonde and brunette. Blonde's a shape-shifter. "
Logan took a long swig of his beer and asked, "How do you know that?"
Keye leaned in and made a show of looking into his eyes. "Never mind, I just know. And they are paying a little too much attention to us." She fiddled with his shirt collar just for show.
"Well, darlin', the ladies love me, what can I say?" He made a show of putting his lips to her ear. "What's worryin' ya, exactly?"
Keye laughed and took a drink of her beer. "I'm not sure, something's not right about them. There's no guarantee they're both ladies, by the way." Logan scowled at that--he'd noticed the well-endowed blonde as soon as they'd entered Harry's--old habits die hard. That irritated him; his garden gate just didn't swing both ways. Keye continued, "Maybe we ought to go play some pool? Strike up a conversation?"
"Then what? You gonna shake hands with 'em or somethin'?" Despite his flippancy, the truth was he'd come to respect Keye's abilities, so he wasn't taking her concerns lightly. Damn, he'd felt pretty mellow not five minutes ago--should've known it wouldn't last.
"Ha-ha." She slipped her fingertips inside the opening of his shirt collar and on to his bare skin, just to be mean. "I thought you might pick up something if we got close enough. Or I can get one into the ladies' room maybe do a quick contact."
He put his arm around her and pulled her close, giving the impression of being relaxed and slightly drunk. He was enjoying the playacting. "No way--if they're up to somethin' yer not to let 'em get ya alone. Ya don't leave my sight." His growled warning was a mismatch to his laid-back appearance.
Keye patted him on the cheek, picked up her beer, and beckoned him to follow her. Logan stayed close behind her as she casually wandered to the pool tables and watched a game. As table became free, Logan snagged it, racking while Keye took her time choosing a cue from the racks on the wall. She picked the one, rolled it across the table, and pronounced it "not too wobbly." Logan had to settle for a wobblier cue--but he'd won a lot of money with a lot worse. He moved around the table, telling Keye to go ahead and break.
The blonde on the stool was trying to catch Logan's eye, crossing her legs to make her skirt ride up, playing with her necklace to draw attention to her ample breasts. Confirming Keye's earlier suspicion, Logan picked up a definite male scent from her. The brunette, who was watching with a disinterested expression, was definitely female. He flashed the blonde a half-smile, feigning a little interest. Hardest job of actin' I've ever done. Keye better not expect me to take one for the team, he thought wryly. "Pardon me, darlin'," he said as he dodged the blonde's crossed legs, which came complete with stiletto-clad feet.
She actually fluttered her eyelashes at him as she murmured, "No problem, sweetie."
Keye tried for a subtly jealous look. The shoes are good, she thought, but the eyelash fluttering is overkill. Well, maybe when it comes to men in bars, there's no such thing as overkill. She arched her back a bit too much and wiggled her butt as she settled in to make her break. Despite her theatrics, it was a good break, and it looked like she might run the table until she happened to look up and see Logan's gaze on her chest. He grinned and winked at her, not minding that he'd been caught staring. Dipstick, she thought, you're supposed to be scoping out the shape-shifters, and now you made me miss my shot.
Logan's grin just widened at Keye's frown. He could almost hear her thoughts. She thinks I'm lookin' at the wrong rack. "Tough break, darlin'," he said as he moved around the table again to take his turn. He threw the blonde a look just as he made his shot. He finished the table.
Keye gave a pretty pout, finished her beer, and announced, "I'm off to powder my nose--don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, now."
Logan almost stopper her going off alone, after he'd told her to stay in sight, but kept his cool. After she left, he asked with just the right hint of suggestiveness, "One of you ladies like to take me on?" The bogus blonde immediately slid off "her" stool and took Keye's cue. The brunette merely murmured something about a fresh drink and moved toward the bar. As he played and flirted, Logan simultaneously tracked the brunette. Sure enough, halfway to the bar, she changed course toward the restroom. Logan's protective nature urged him to follow. He continued playing, however, wondering when he'd turned into freakin' James Bond. He deliberately missed a shot by a hair, just so the suddenly chatty he-she would have to shut up and take her turn. To make matters worse, Logan had scented a fair amount of genuine attraction on the part of the blonde. Maybe I'm the one needs rescuin', he thought. He'd give Keye a few more minutes, then he was going after her.
In the ladies' room, Keye was touching up her makeup when the brunette entered and joined her at the mirror. "Nice tattoo," Keye said with a smile. "You get that in the city?"
The woman nodded as she checked her mascara. "The Rose Tattoo in Brooklyn. Your boyfriend's cute," she said without smiling. "Did you know that he's a mutant?" Her accent proclaimed her to be Puerto Rican.
"I haven't known him very long. What makes you think so? I mean, he hasn't done anything weird, has he?" Keye acted a little nervous, figuring the woman was fishing.
"I just have a feeling about him, that's all. I'm usually right." She turned to face Keye. "Kinda like some people can always tell when a guy is gay, you know? I heard mutant guys are good in bed, though."
I'll just be you did, Keye thought. Time to make contact. "You've got a speck of mascara there--hang on, I'll get it." Keye brushed her fingers against the woman's forehead, instantaneously putting the brunette into a sort of trance and entering her mind. She hit pay dirt almost immediately. Well, well, a mutant tracker. Scouting for Magneto. Not privy to his plans, though. And it's not Logan you're interested in, it's me. Magneto wants to know what a "nonmutant" like me is doing at Xavier's school. She searched a bit further and nearly laughed as she confirmed that the blonde was indeed a man, and gay to boot. Keye brought the tracker out of her trance. "There, I got it."
"Thanks," the woman answered, as she took one last look in the mirror, unaware of her seconds of lost consciousness. Keye prided herself on leaving no psychic footprints.
"Well, I'd better get back before your friend steals my date," Keye said lightly. The other woman smiled slightly at that. I wonder if her buddy knows any more than she does. Wish I could get a bead on him. She left the restroom and returned to the table, followed closely by the mutant tracker. Her cellphone went off. It was Vinnie. "Hi, Valerie," she said.
Vinnie, recognizing their code for possible trouble, replied, "Keek, tell me what you can."
"Oh, nothing much, just playing pool at Harry's with Logan and a couple of gals we just met." Vinnie knew that meant she was suspicious of the two, or she wouldn't have mentioned them after she went into code mode.
"Keek, I'm in the neighborhood. Davey and Lodge are still with the target. Want back-up?"
"Sure, Val. I could use it. Swing by anytime and drop it off."
"On my way, Keek."
"See you then, Valerie. Say hello to Misty for me." Keye closed her phone. "Sorry about that. Wow, I could use another beer." She shot Logan a simpering smile. "I don't suppose you'd run and get me one? All that exertion made me thirsty."
A couple of miles away, Vinnie closed his phone. "Misty" was Mystique--Keye was warning him that there was a shape-shifter nearby. Part of their code was developed as they worked together on the watch, but a lot of it was derived from childhood. The two of them had practically grown up together and could pretty much read between the lines of each other's conversations. Mystique had been a schoolmate, until her mutation had manifested itself and she'd fled after the hue and cry at school. Raven, as she was known then, hadn't been able to control her shifting ability at that age and couldn't stay in one form long enough to make it through a school day. Keye and Vinnie had only seen her a couple of times over the years, and not in her Raven form. Keye was careful to hide her ability to detect shape-shifters, and hadn't approached her. Vinnie and Keye had tried to befriend her after the school fiasco, but she was already too bitter and angry to accept their "human" friendship. They'd lost track of her until she surfaced in the Brotherhood. Vinnie, a typical male, thought it was a pity that a girl that hot--in either Raven or Mystique form--turned out to be such a bad egg. He put his phone away and headed toward Harry's.
The whole evening was starting to get on Logan's nerves. Rather than get another round of beers, Logan tried to convince Keye that it was time they were leaving. Keye laughed it off with a joke about men always being in too much of a hurry. Consequently, Logan found himself headed for the bar to collect the drinks. The hair on the back of his neck was practically standing on end. He smelled some evil intent on the part of the two strangers--and he'd seen them exchange looks that immediately put him on his guard. He figured he'd let Keye go awhile longer and then find a way to hustle her out of the bar. She'd try to rip him a new one for not trusting her, but enough was enough. Somethin's not right here, and she knows it, but damned if she ain't gonna push until she gets somethin' out of that blonde.
Checking over his shoulder, he saw Keye acting slightly drunk, which she did pretty well, he noticed. She was laughing and flipping her hair around like a pro. He leaned on the bar while he waited for his drinks. She's convincin' 'em to make their move, he thought. He shoved some bills at the bartender, grabbed the beers, and headed back across the crowded room toward the pool tables. Just then, he saw Keye say something to the blonde and gesture to the door. Oh, no you don't, darlin'. Yer not going out for a breath of fresh air without me. Blondie got up to follow Keye, and the brunette stayed put, probably to detain Logan. He reached the table, put the beers down, and said, "I'll be right back--watch my beer for me, will ya?" Before the brunette could answer, Logan sauntered after Keye and the blonde. He saw them slip out the front door and quickened his pace. As he came through the door, he saw the blonde pull a cigarette case out of her purse, but instead of a cigarette, she got out a small syringe. Keye stepped back and raised a hand in warning, looking for all the world like a confused, helpless, and somewhat drunk female. Logan broke into a run. Damned woman, he thought. At that moment, someone came out of the shadows behind the blonde, almost too quickly to see, grabbed the hand with the syringe, turned it back on the blonde, and stuck it into her thigh. She slowly crumpled to the ground as Keye quickly moved in and knelt at the her side, placing her hand on the woman's forehead. Just as quickly, the shadowy figure removed the syringe and disappeared back into the shadows. Recognizing the mystery figure's scent, Logan thought, Well, well, I guess I owe ya one, Alo. Voices drifted up from the parking lot, signaling the arrival of more of Harry's customers. Logan approached Keye just as the newcomers saw what was happening. They began to gather around.
With her hand still gently on the unconscious woman's forehead, Keye looked up. "We came out to get some fresh air--and she just passed out." Her hand remained where it was as she surreptitiously read as much information as she could from the shapeshifter, while managing to look concerned.
"Musta had a few too many," Logan observed helpfully. "Didn't hit her head, did she?"
"No, she went down nice and slow," Keye answered.
One of the bystanders spoke up, "Should we call an ambulance or something?"
The brunette tracker from the bar approached and spoke up. "She's my roommate. I told her to slow down, but she never listens. She does this all the time. She's going to have a real hangover tomorrow. If somebody could just help me get her into my car, I'll take her home." She knew the game was up, obviously didn't want a scene and was gambling that Logan and Keye didn't, either. She hadn't seen what happened, and how the bitch had managed to get the drop on her friend, but she'd figure that out later. Right now, she had to get them both out with a minimum of fuss, in case her friend shifted back into his male form. Magneto wasn't going to be too happy.
Keye stood up and stepped back as a couple of do-gooders stooped to pick up the drunken woman and carry her to the her friend's car. The rest of the crowd drifted on into the bar, and Keye and Logan stood looking at each other. Logan sighed and cracked his neck. "Darlin' you took ten years off my life, goin' off alone like that. You can bet we'll be havin' a little tête-à-tête about that later."
"I got a lot of information, though. Do you want to go back inside?"
"You need to get yer purse or anything?"
"Nope, it's right over there." Keye walked over and picked up her purse, checking the contents as she walked back.
"Anything missin'?"
"A couple of lipsticks. I keep my money and keys in my pockets."
"Cripes, what idiot steals lipstick? Gotta be hard up." Logan shook his head.
Keye looked thoughtful. "Somebody who wants a DNA sample," she replied. "I was able to get a little bit from her before her buddy showed up with the rest of the crowd."
"You can explain on the way home. I'll drive." At Keye's prissy look, he growled, "C'mon, darlin', after what you put me through, I think you owe me that, at least. Besides, you said if I was sober . . . ."
"I know what I said." Keye sighed and dug out her keys. "Here."
They walked toward to the car in silence and got in. Logan started the engine as Keye's cell phone rang. "Hey, Vinnie."
"Hey, Keek. Those two gals didn't go home--they're pulled off and waiting for you." Logan's sensitive ears easily picked up Vinnie's voice.
"Thanks, Vin. Nice work with the syringe. The blonde was a guy, by the way."
"No shit? So I practically gave him a reach-around. Now I feel kinda dirty." Logan snorted at that, but grinned in spite of himself. Nice to know he wasn't the only one who was fooled. "Anyhow, I'm in range," Vinnie continued, "so what can I do for you?"
"Let us try to lose them first. Logan's driving, so I'll use the tricks. No use exposing you unless we absolutely have to. Just keep an eye on things for now."
"I'm on it." They ended the call, and Keye
Logan pulled out of the parking lot and on to the highway. Keye opened the glove box and pulled out what looked like a red handheld video game, like Logan had seen the kids at Xavier's use. She powered it up. The screen glowed in sickly shades of green and gray.
Logan glanced sideways. "Don't tell me, let me guess. Not a friggin' video game. What the hell?"
"Night vision," she said absently as she fiddled with the controls. "Sweeps front and rear, and even gets feed from Vinnie if he's in range."
Logan growled in frustration. "I've been tryin' to be patient, darlin', I really have. But whaddya say ya just let me handle it the old-fashioned way?"
Keye continued to dial in the video. "What do you have in mind?" she asked interestedly.
"The direct approach. Find 'em, gut 'em, maybe get yer lipstick back."
"Bloodthirsty."
"Ya say that like it's a bad thing."
"Well, I'm not interested in starting a war with Magneto at this point, so no bodies, please, unless absolutely necessary."
"Doubt if they'd be as nice to you, Keye." Logan sighed, wondering when he'd gotten so whipped.
"Here we go, I'm getting two cars. The furthest is Vinnie's; he passed them, parked, and probably doubled back on foot. Oh, yeah, here's Vinnie's feed. Looks like the blonde is still out cold--wonder what was in that syringe."
"How far?" Logan asked, as he slowed the car a bit. He refrained from mentioning that the syringe had been meant for Keye.
"A mile and a half. Dang, the brunette's getting something out of the trunk--what's that, a bazooka or something? She's more pissed than I thought."
"Shit. That's it. To hell with this techno-goddam-freakin'-spy-bullshit." Logan pulled the car off the road and slammed to a stop. He gave Keye a hard look. "Stay here." He was gonna protect this woman whether she wanted it or not, but she wasn't making it easy.
"Logan, she's a mutant tracker--she'll sense you when you get within about five hundred feet. Be careful."
"How precise is she? She may not know whether I'm on foot or not. Might be able to surprise her."
"If I read her right, she's not that good at distance or direction. You're either in her range, or out of it. She won't know which direction. She knows your abilities and the strength of your mutation, though. Vinnie will know where you are before she does. And Logan? No carnage, please. I don't want the cops involved in this. They won't get anything from my DNA anyway."
"Good. Stay put." He opened the door and gave her another look. "I mean it, Keye. If yer ass moves an inch out of this car . . ." He didn't finish the threat, but got out of the car and crossed the road to the opposite side and started forward.
As she watched him lope off into the darkness, Keye's heard her text alert sound softly. She looked at her cell. Vinnie was advising them not to drive any further. She thumbed a reply, letting him know that Logan headed his way on foot. After silencing her phone, she got out of the car and locked it down. She wouldn't have minded letting Vinnie handle the situation, but Logan was unpredictable. And if she were totally honest, she didn't like the way he ordered her to stay in the car. Who was encanu, anyway? She crossed the road, got off the noisy gravel shoulder, and silently made her way forward, keeping to the shadows. Figuring she'd given Logan enough of a head start, she hung back just far enough to stay out of his hearing range and set out after him. Yup, we'll be having a little tête-à-tête, all right. Right after the fight.