Planning.

In the air…

Sage hated flying with a passion, something that she kept a very closely guarded secret and so was glad that she wasn't the sole occupant of the small private jet that she had chartered to take them to Afghanistan. If it had been just her she would have had trouble coping with the long flight, but she found the other occupants of the cabin fascinating and so dedicated her time to studying them and filling in any gaps in her data.

She hated having incomplete data, so watching Remy fidgeting with his gloves and now knowing the reason for the change of attire was like hearing nails being dragged across a chalkboard or Emma Frost orgasming. Both of those sounds were akin to physical pain and she knew that she would have to ask him why as soon as possible, before she started to get twitchy.

She also needed to know why he had decided to join them, not that the decision had taken her entirely by surprise, especially when he had drawn the ace of spades. Typically, she knew, the card was seen as the death card, an interesting draw considering Remy's recent past, but it was also, although less commonly, seen as the change card and she needed to know what he had seen when he 'd looked at it.

A low muttering drew some of her attention across the cabin towards where Laura was sat next to Logan. It had been hell trying to get her to behave while they were in New Orleans, and Sage could easily predict that things were coming to the point where she would have to prove to the young feral that A: she was the one in charge and B: it wasn't worth Laura's time to challenge her.

She focused in on the conversation, picking up a slightly wounded "where have you been?" from Laura, and noted the faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. For all that that young woman presented a gruff, feral exterior, it appeared that she had been severely hurt by Logan's prolonged absences and abrupt disappearances. She watched as Logan wrapped an arm around Laura, hugging her close and murmuring something to her. It was too low for Sage to pick up, even after she filtered out all the background noise but she was sure that it was supposed to be comforting.

Her primary attention swapped back to Remy as he shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the affection Logan was showing Laura. A few seconds later she realised that hidden behind the slightly bored expression he was currently wearing was an almost wistful one, almost as if he wished to be comforting Laura. She could empathise with him on that. She wished it were her arms wrapped around the young woman, her shoulder graced by that beautiful head.

Sage knew she should be surprised by her interest in Laura, as sudden as it seemed. However, thanks to her ability to background process several sets of thoughts and feelings nothing much came as a surprise to her when it concerned her own thoughts. She had found Laura fascinating from the first encounter, and seeing the reality behind the files, videos and photographs had done something to enhance that. Besides, she realised, she had always wanted someone she could take care of, and Laura certainly fit that bill.

Something about the way Remy was watching Laura nagged at Sage, and she carefully mapped the path of his eyes, finally realising that he was watching Logan and not Laura. She had heard rumours before about the Cajun's sexuality and preferences, but she had never been able to find any evidence. Now, with him sat in front of her staring wistfully at Logan, she was beginning to think there was some element of truth to the rumours. She made a mental note to keep a watchful eye on Remy to see what other information she could gather.

He was still fidgeting with his gloves and Sage sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to settle until she had found out why. Moving quietly so as not to disturb Laura, who had fallen asleep on Logan's shoulder, she addressed him directly. "Why did you switch to the full gloves?" she asked, knowing there was no point in beating about the bush with this. Remy looked up at her, mid-fidget, with something akin to surprise on his face before smiling slightly and shaking his head.

"Should've known you'd be de one t' notice, chere," he said quietly, a rueful grin on his lips. "should've known that I couldn' keep it hidden from y'." He tugged at the skin-tight gloves, peeling them off one by one. At first, Sage thought he was wearing a second pair of gloves underneath them, since his palms and the undersides of his fingers were as black as the leather he has just removed. Upon closer inspection, and made clear by the start contrast that the back of his hands presented when he turned them over, she realised that it was his skin that held the discolouration.

"I take it that this is another one of those 'little souvenirs' that Apocalypse left you with?" She asked, already knowing that answer. His skin, as Death, had all been that unnatural shade and she had been surprised to see it all fully restored back in New Orleans.

"Seems I haven' been entirely f'given chere, since not'ing Tante did could get rid o' dis. Seems I still got some sins t' atone for." It wasn't said with bitterness or anger, just a quiet resignation, and Sage knew now why he had agreed to join the team. It didn't matter what happened to him, be it death or change, because it gave him the chance to do something right, to possibly find forgiveness.

She laid a hand on his, tightening her grip slightly when he tried to pull the blackened palm away from her. "All of us have blood on our hands, and sins that they never be forgiven. Here, it doesn't matter what you've done, just what you do."

With that she pulled away and sat back in her seat properly, closing her eyes to begin processing everything she'd learnt. She heard Remy shift quietly , and the faint "Merci Chere," that he whispered.

She knew it had been a trite thing to say to him, but it had been what he needed to hear to function properly as a member of her team. She had no regrets about the manipulation, especially since the more she thought on it, the more ­she found herself wanting to believe it. It was an interesting sensation, to have hope after so long. She examined the feeling carefully, hoping to keep hold of it but knowing exactly how dangerous it could be.

Afghanistan…

As she stepped through the door of the townhouse Sage was glad of the functional design and large open windows that allowed any hint of breeze through. She had not forgotten how hot her home country was, that wasn't possible, but she had misjudged slightly how well she would be able to cope with the dry heat after being acclimatised to the English weather. She was glad to be in the crisp, tailored, dark grey linen suit and white cotton shirt that she had changed into before the plane landed rather than her normal leather, since that would have made the heat truly unbearable.

She knew that the townhouse, situated conveniently on the edge of the city, would have seemed like a low rent place to most people, but this was the lap of luxury unless they wanted to bribe their way into the UN building. It was by American standards small, with a master bedroom and bathroom on one floor, and the other bedroom, kitchen and bathroom below, but it was enough for them to be comfortable for now. Since the cover she had constructed for them here involved her being a respected business associate of the more established and elite criminal elements here, it was only right that she 'own' a townhouse. 'The joys of going undercover' she thought to herself wryly as she unwrapped the headscarf from her head.

A clattering broke the silence and she watched as Laura erupted into the room, trying to keep hold of the many bags she was carrying, and failing miserably. In the end, once she was fully in the room Sage was pleased to note, Laura just let the bags fall, shooting a murderous glare at her. Sage knew she shouldn't be amused the situation appeared to be rapidly coming to a head, but she couldn't help the slight twitch of her lips that sent the young woman storming out of the room, her hastily grabbed bag in one hand, Sage's abandoned on the floor still.

The suit Laura was wearing wasn't helping the feral woman's mood. Sage knew the navy blue linen had rumpled the moment Laura had touched it, and it was clearly inferior quality despite its obvious expense. It had been reluctantly pulled on as they were coming in to land, and Sage had had to almost forcibly dress her in the headscarf. Laura had not been happy.

Sage knew that Laura wasn't the only one who was unhappy with the cover she had provided for all of them, and it was all the more clear when Logan stumped into the room, his combat fatigues clearly worn in and comfortable, despite the storm clouds gathering on his face. Remy followed after him, dressed in identical fatigues , his hands once again covered by gloves, but she paid him little attention. Of all of her team he had been the one to offer the least resistance to her plan.

It was a simple plan, really. She would masquerade as a buyer interested in the new drug, which she knew was coming up to auction soon, and the others would be her entourage, with Logan and Remy acting as her bodyguards and Laura her personal assistant. With her credentials assured by some careful bribes and blackmail she would be welcomed into the compound of Richard Abrahms without question, and it would give the two ferals and the thief a chance to gather reconnaissance so that come auction night Remy could slip in, acquire the drug and everything associated with it. It was a very simple plan, and she should have known that there would be complications.

She watched, resigned, as Logan came towards her, noting with interest the way Remy's hand brushed momentarily across his, and was almost gripped rather than pushed away, as he moved and filing it away for later thought. "What can I do for you Logan?" she asked, pre-empting his angry tirade.

"Do ya' know what the hell you're doin' here, darlin'?" he questioned, invading her personal space, "They're goin' ta eat ya fer breakfast, an' yer feedin' Laura to 'em as an appetiser." He huffed, clearly not at all happy about the plan. "An' I ain't too happy to be dressed like GI-Joe either." He finished, looking at her expectantly.

She looked back at him for a moment, knowing full well that what he had the biggest problem with was Laura's role as her PA, before answering him calmly. "First of all Logan, I have been planning this for the past month and I have taken all of the variables into account concerning my homeland's view of women. Secondly, if you had bothered to listen to me past me handing over your cover, you would know that the man we are going to see is an American, and will have much less of a problem with a strong woman, and finally, this is only temporary. I'm sure that both you and Laura can adapt to your roles.

"Damn it Sage, you know what the term 'personal assistant' means ta these people. How could you put Laura through that?" he protested vehemently.

Sage shook her head, astounded at the gall of her team member. "Yes, Logan, I do know what it means, and I know exactly what the real job entails. However, it is just a cover, and believe it or not, I have enough self respect not to allow it to be anything else." Dimly she heard the floorboards above creak, and knew that Laura had just put her things on the master bed, but she could deal with that later. "Any other complaints, or are you willing to follow my orders without question for the duration of this mission?"

Sage didn't want to be so harsh with him, and if she could have avoided it she would have, but if this cover was blown it would not only mean that they would loose the chance to stop this drug from reaching the general populace but also that she and Remy at least would suffer a slow, painful death. Laura would most likely end up a sex slave and Logan would end up back with weapon X if he was lucky. She had to be harsh. She couldn't risk this mission for anything.

He looked at her hard for a few moments, his blue eyes piercing through her, and then nodded slowly. "All right. I'll play by your rules, this time. Don't mean I'm entirely happy with this, but you've always known what yer doin' in the past, so I'm gonna trust you on this." He gave her a grim smile, and moved towards where he had left his bags.

Sage would have watched him go, but it was that moment that Laura decided to storm back down the stairs, clearly still aggravated. She was still in her suit, although it was rumpled beyond belief, but Sage appreciated the way it fitted to her figure, even as she prepared herself for the showdown. Laura stopped in front of her, invading her personal space in much the same way Logan had. "This suit…" she began, obviously about to tell Sage where to stick it. Sage snapped.

"That's enough!" she barked, unsurprised when the young woman tensed, ready to fight. Sage knew that this confrontation was inevitable.

The sound of Logan clearing his throat cut through the tension, and she watched amazed as Laura forced herself to relax in the face of his obvious disapproval. Sage didn't look away from Laura however, until Logan began to speak. "Sage, darlin', why don't ya…"

She cut him off mid flow as well, asserting her dominant position over both of them. She was team leader, and by god but they were going to understand and respect that. "That's enough from you too." She said, leaving the unspoken 'don't undermine my leadership' hanging between them. "Help Remy pack the kit. Were leaving in 30 minutes." She said to him, turning back to Laura. "And you can follow me."

She could have given the girl a dressing down in front of Logan and Remy, and part of her wanted to, but she knew that was the way that Frost worked, and that it wouldn't work with Laura. This needed privacy, even if Logan would hear it, and so she headed to the master bedroom, smiling slightly when she heard Laura follow her. Once she was in the room she moved to stand by the bed and turned just in time to see Laura enter.

Sage spoke before Laura had the chance to. "First of all, get your things off my bed and on to yours." She pointed to the small camp bed set up in the corner of the room. "Secondly, you will respect the fact that I am team leader and follow my orders to the letter, or I will make the time you spent with Emma Frost seem like a pleasant dream compared to this."

She'd barely finished speaking when Laura lunged for her, a feral snarl on her lips, and it was only instinct and her analytical brain that stopped Sage from ending up bleeding on the floor. She reflected that she should have expected this sort of response. Instead, with a speed born of total muscle control and an edge born of Laura underestimating her, she dodged back, unbalancing the angry feral when she failed to connect. Quick as thought she moved to the side of the young woman, grabbed her leading arm and used the nerve point in the elbow to deaden it before flipping her face first onto the bed.

Automatically, Laura rolled onto her back, but by then it was too late, and Sage had her pinned, arms above her head and her stiletto to the throat. Still acting on instinct Sage leant in and bit down hard on Laura's windpipe, marking the other woman briefly and further exerting her dominance in a way the other woman couldn't misunderstand or misinterpret.

Laura whimpered beneath her and stretched her throat back, exposing it better, showing submission, so Sage released her hold on her. She stayed above her though, until she was sure that this little battle of wills was resolved. Laura shifted slightly, then arched up to kiss tentatively at Sage's lips, clearly asking for permission, and forgiveness, and Sage found herself deepening the kiss almost without thinking. When she did think about it, she found herself shocked at the level of instinct and emotion contained in the last few minutes. It was something growing inside of herself that she was going to have to keep an eye on.

Pulling back she gracefully climbed off the bed and smoothed her suit back into shape, before offering a hand to Laura, who accepted it only slightly grudgingly. The feral took a deep breath as she stood and then looked sharply at Sage, who looked straight back at her, knowing with certainty what she was going to say.

"I arouse you." Laura stated, her tone a mixture of fear, surprise, and deeply buried beneath those hope.

Sage nodded once. "Yes, you do. However, we can talk about that more after we've completed the mission." She smiled at the shocked expression on Laura's face. "And don't worry. I fully intend to ensure that you get to that talk, alive and unharmed. Now, we've got a meeting to go to." With that, she walked out of the bedroom, and back into her role.

Richard Abrahams' compound…

Sage was impressed by the size of their target's compound, and by association the size of his wallet. It wasn't cheap to put together an encampment like his, with its obvious security, luxury and state of the art technology. He had done it in under six months, according to her files on him. In the front seat of the jeep she could see Remy starting to scope the layout, putting his thieving skills to good use, despite his discomfort at the roughness of the ride, and she knew she had done the right thing in deciding to bring him along.

"We're here to see Mr. Abrahams." Logan announced gruffly to the obviously armed guard at the gate, acting his part of both bodyguard and driver. When questioned as to who 'we' were, he replied "Marion Tyler", using Sage's cover name, and they were given almost instant access. Sage smiled quietly to herself in the back, knowing that her 'reputation' had preceded them.

She allowed Remy to help her out of the Jeep, leaving Laura to deal with her briefcase and Logan very clearly appraising the place. Remy's hand twitched slightly under her arm, and she noted he was looking at the other side of the area they were in, although couldn't tell exactly where he was looking thanks to the shades they were all wearing. He didn't show any sign of what he had noticed other than a quietly murmured "t'ought I saw someone I recognised." She just nodded and took the lead, following their escort down a maze of corridors to the meeting room.

At one point they passed through a sheltered courtyard, and Sage heard a familiar male voice calling, "Amniat!" a name she had long ago left behind. She turned subtly and found the source of the call, a man she had also thought left long behind, and prayed she hadn't been recognised. However, the sound of footsteps from the corridor in front of her set her mind at ease, until she was able to watch, with some surprise as a teenaged girl came hurrying down it, hair a rough black and eyes the colour of sapphires. That was definitely information to be processed later she thought, once again following the guide and praying that none of her team had noticed her slight lapse, although the slight tension in both Logan and Laura suggested that they had.

Richard Abrahms was not a physically imposing man, Sage thought to herself as he shook hands and offered her a seat, completely ignoring the others. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more she thought he looked like a caricature accountant, with large glasses and a haphazard tie, nothing like the smooth businessman anyone would expect. However, she knew that this man was the most dangerous threat to mutants currently, and the worst thing was that he was doing it purely for greed.

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Tyler." He said, his voice neutral and professional. "I am assuming that one of out mutual acquaintances informed you of my latest product." With that, Sage knew that he had checked her reputation and credential with his contacts and found them acceptable, which was going to make this all the more simple.

"Yes, they did, and I am very, very interested in the profit your little enterprise could net me." Sage's accent was a flawless upper-class British, designed to intimidate and throw him off balance, and by his slightly tight smile she could tell that it was having a modicum of success.

She sat there patiently and listened to him prattle on about the various pros and cons of his new drug, making the appropriate noises in the right places, fighting a growing sense of horror as he described the extreme power boost, the short duration of the effect, the high addictiveness and instability it brought, and the uncomfortable mortality rate of his little injection. Everything she was hearing made her more and more determined to stop this getting into anybody's hands, and from the slight changes in demeanour she could pick up from her team, she knew they felt the same way.

It took him an hour to finish his explanation, and when it was over she wanted nothing more than to get out of there and get the mission done and over with. She forced herself to stay in role despite this, shaking his hand warmly as she stood up.

"Your product sounds like just the thing I am looking for, and highly marketable." She smiled at him, knowing he would appreciate the fact that she was in it for the money. "When will I be able to purchase some from you?"

"Well, Miss Tyler, there is going to be an auction held soon, giving all interested parties a chance to see a live demonstration of the product and then to bid on varying quantities." He smiled sharkishly at Laura's tiny twitch at the phrase 'live demonstration'. "After all, they're only mutants." He finished, testing them for a reaction which luckily none of them showed. He opened the door for them, revealing the guard stood outside waiting to escort them back to their Jeep. "It'll be a pleasure doing business with you. I'll be in contact." With that, he closed the door.

PREQUEL – LOGAN

It's midnight, and he welcomes the darkness and the solitude like old friends as he speeds down the country roads, the wind in his hair and the bike warm beneath him.
He knows he should stop for some rest soon, but the darkness disguises what he is carrying slung over his back and he can't afford to be stopped by a nosy cop investigating the red gleam of the sword.

He wishes he could investigate the mystery of his regained memories more, and the mystery of the sword is like a thorn in his side, but the phone call he received earlier in the night has taken precedence. So he is going back to the mansion, and he is none to happy about what he might find there, given the nature of the phone call.

Thinking back on the call it makes him angry and concerned all over again, but then Emma Frost has always been able to make him angry, it seems to be something that she is highly skilled at, a gift almost. She had rung him while he was trying to find someplace to spend the night, since after travelling non-stop for two days he was finally getting tired. He hadn't wanted to answer, but he knew that Emma wouldn't call him without a good reason, not while he was taking care of his personal business, so he answered.

"Its about Laura, I need you back at the mansion." Those ten words were all she'd said when he answered, and then she'd hung up on him, leaving him with that static crackle and hiss that set his teeth on edge and made him want to hurt things.

He'd had no choice when she'd said that, no choice but to put his mission, his vendetta, on hold and return to a place that he was considering less and less his home. He had taken Laura under his protection, and if his 'sister' was in trouble then he was honour-bound to help her however he could, no matter what else he was doing.

That was three hours ago and he is now speeding his way back to the mansion, the bike underneath him eating away the miles. As he rides he begins to worry about the sort of trouble that Laura could be in, after all Emma didn't say anything to indicate what it could be, and he hopes that it's something that can wait the four days its going to take him to get back.

One of his first thoughts is that it could be boy trouble, after all whenever Jubilee or Kitty came to him it was normally because of that, but he doesn't know if Laura has a boyfriend. Hell, he doesn't even know if she's interested in boys, or if there is anyone in the mansion that would be her type.

His thoughts then move on to worrying if she's gone feral, lost herself in the animal rage and hurt someone, and somewhere in the back of his mind he realises that this is his main worry and, if he admits it, the first thought he had before he lumped her in with the other girls that he had mentored. For all she is his clone, he doesn't know what her limits and boundaries are when it comes to her feral side, and that leads him to the realisation that he actually doesn't know that much about her at all.

Running through a mental checklist he crosses off the things that he does know about her, and he comes up with four things. One, she is his clone, that one would be difficult to forget. Two, she has his claws, again difficult to forget considering the number of times she's used them on him. Three, she can fight almost as well as him, which is impressive considering his amount of experience. Finally, four, she lost a lot of friends after M-Day.

With a start he realises that those four things are it, are the sum knowledge that he has of her, and that distracts him enough that he almost loses the bike on the next corner. Mentally chiding himself, and endeavouring to pay more attention to the road, he finds his thoughts slipping back to how much of a bastard he's been to Laura.

He reassesses the introduction that he made when he forced her to go to the mansion, and he finally understands her expression when he left her in the room. Being introduced as someone's clone, not as an individual or a real person in your own right is enough to hurt anybody, and he wasn't surprised it hurt her. His excuse for doing it; he had other things on his mind, and he knows that will be his excuse for all the other times that he has hurt, shamed or neglected her.

His thoughts take a darker turn, and he fights to shake himself free of them. Beating himself up isn't going to do either of them any good, all he can do now is start to act like a brother should. He will protect her, stand by her and do whatever it takes to make sure she stays as young as she can, no matter what Frost has in store for him when he gets back.