CH. 2
'Steel horse'
"Are we really going down there?!" The girl exclaimed, seeing the tunnel they were about to slink into.
"We can't cross the border, not legally, Ya don't have any papers," Logan explained, nodding for his contact to go down first.
"If we die, you're responsible," she quipped, she was clearly nervous, he figured he should go next.
Turning around, Logan got his boot in one of the rungs and lowered himself down into the dark, dank tunnel.
As soon as his boots hit the concrete, an explosion deafened his ears and the screams of Japanese soldiers running for their lives, tore through his head as Wolverine screamed from the horrendous pain of the nuclear burns.
"Are you ok?" came a voice, Logan snapped to see that it had come from the girl, then he looked around, and saw no one and no explosions, just himself, the girl, and his contact.
"Use this thing often, Jin?" Logan asked, stepping around the girl and her question.
"You'd be surprised actually, lots of people trying to come and go from either way!" Jin replied, a dry chuckle chasing after his words.
The trio walked in silence for about three minutes, listening to the sound of their footfalls, eventually, Logan broke the quiet.
"You still have my vehicle on the other side?" he asked, as he saw the end of the tunnel again.
"Yes, all fueled up, even got the seat you asked for put on already," Jin answered as he looked up the ladder then gestured up it for the girl.
"You first," she retorted, crossing her arms after taking a step back.
"Untrusting type, eh?" the smuggler exclaimed with a giggle. "You haven't told me your name yet!" Jin said just realizing that.
"I haven't," the girl quipped back, not moving from her spot, she didn't know him or what all he smuggled, Logan thought to himself, never was one for being smuggled himself.
"Maiden of mystery!" Jin laughed before leaning close to Logan. "What's her name?" the smuggler asked, trying to be secretive.
"What's it to ya?" Logan replied nonchalantly and bereft of subtlety as he motioned Jin up the ladder.
After a chuckle the smuggle hurried up to the surface, followed by Logan then the girl.
The trio found themselves in an old auto shop filled with what Logan assumed was smuggled stock items from Canada, or American stuff heading to Canada.
Logan followed Jin to a familiar Indian motorcycle, albeit with a new seat, built to accommodate the kid as well, with a backrest and some handles for her to hold onto.
"Good, we'll get out of your hair, now," Logan said, swinging his leg over the cycle, instantly preferring his usual seat.
Logan waited for the girl to get on, she hesitated for a moment before crawling on, the way she flinched when she put her hands on his shoulders, he assumed she could tell his bones weren't normal.
When she had settled onto the seat, Logan kicked-started the engine, the motorcycle coming to life.
"Always a pleasure, we're even now, though, no more freebies!" Jin said as Logan revved out of the shop, and into the streets of Buffalo, New York.
At a stop light, Logan took the moment to straighten up on the bike and take a breath, he felt the girl squirming around.
"You alright, kid?" He said, turning his head to try and spy the girl.
"This seat sucks!" she hissed as she tried to find a good spot, though he figured with little success.
Shooting an eyebrow up and dropping it thusly, Logan agreed, it was not comfortable in the slightest, he groaned mentally at the thought that he'd have to ride this hunk of junk seat, all the way to Washington. "You're not wrong," he concurred as the light turned green, he felt the girl's arms wrap around his torso as the motorcycle shot off.
Weaving between cars and maneuvering the many signs and lights of Buffalo, after a while, they got to the outskirts of town, he had not eaten a full meal since Devon, he assumed that's when she last ate as well.
Pulling into a truck stop with a diner attached, Logan stuck out the kickstand, when he first got off, his legs were a bit numb, but he quickly recovered and offered a hand to the girl.
She took it and hopped off the bike before he pulled the keys from it, they'd eat and be back on the road within the hour.
Logan entered the diner's interior the faint smell of breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, and pancakes clung to the air, but by his nose alone, he could tell they were switching over to lunch and dinner items, the song "Lost highway" was playing over the speakers.
Logan lingered at the door a bit, waiting for the girl to pick a table for them to sit at, he didn't care, and figured she might.
She picked a booth where they could both see the motorcycle out the window, good choice, Logan thought to himself.
A waitress appeared seemingly in an instant with a notebook and pencil in hand. "Hi, what can I get you guys to drink?" she asked with a bright smile to compliment her cheery voice.
"Water for me," Logan replied before his eyes, and the waitress' fell on the girl.
"Alright, and what about you?" the waitress asked in the same sunny manner as before.
"Water is good," Logan heard the girl say as he pulled one of the menus from the window sill.
"Ok, I'll be right back with those in a sec!" the waitress said, beaming another smile at the duo before strutting off toward the kitchen.
Logan spied the girl's phone on the table, he could see the battery symbol was low, nearly dead.
Straightening up in his seat, Logan pulled out his phone and flipped it open with no intention of using it.
"I've never seen a rugby phone in person," Logan heard the girl say, just as he had surmised.
"Yeah?" Logan grunted as he put the phone away, eyeing hers then the outlet placed conveniently where one could plug something in, and set it on the table. "What kind of phone is that?" he asked, shifting to get out of his seat.
"Just a generic Apple," she answered as her brow furrowed. "Where're you going?" she questioned.
"I'm heading to the bathroom, I suggest you do the same when I get back," Logan replied as he got out of his seat and walked through the diner into the fuel station portion of the truck stop.
Scanning the aisles, Logan eventually found what he had been looking for, grabbing it and a backpack before taking it up to the counter, he set it down for the clerk to check out.
"That'll be forty-three, sixty-one," the cashier said after ringing up the items.
Logan pulled out his wallet and produced the money needed before putting his wallet back in his coat pocket.
Taking his newfound property, Logan lumbered back to where he had left the young mutant.
"What's the backpack for?" the girl asked as Logan sat back down.
Lifting the new bag up, he nodded toward her before speaking. "You," Logan answered before he handed her the new pack.
"I don't have anything to put in this, though," the girl said, giving the berserker a confused look as she patted down the backpack until she found the zipper.
Opening it, Logan watched as she found what else he bought, an Apple phone charger with an outlet block.
She looked at him, then back to the charger, then shook her head back to Logan. "Thank you," she said, blown away by this act of kindness.
"Don't lose it," Logan replied gruffly as the waitress set a cheeseburger that had been dragged through the garden in front of him and saw a plate of chicken fingers was placed in front of her.
"I hope you like burgers," the girl said as she dipped her chicken before taking a bite.
"Yeah," Logan said, picking it up, it smelled good, and looked juicy, the lettuce looked fresh.
They finished their meals and Logan paid before they left, and she had got to have her phone on the charger for the entire duration.
Stepping out of the diner and making their way toward the motorcycle, Logan could tell she was staring at him. "What, kid?" he asked without sparing her a glance.
The girl spoke while he swung his leg over the bike. "What's your name?" she said right as he sat down.
Logan shot her a questioning look. "Why?" the lone wolf said as he stretched his arms and legs, preparing for the long trip ahead.
"Because you don't want to be called sir," the girl quipped as he cracked his neck.
After he finished loosening up, the man pursed his lips before deciding. "Logan," the berserker said, watching the girl to gauge her reaction.
With a satisfied nod, she jumped on the motorcycle and put her hands on the handlebars he got put on for her. "Thank you for buying the charger, Logan!" the girl exclaimed in a playful way, as if she had just won some sort of game.
Turning his head, the young mutant met his inquisitive look with a rather silly yet fragile smile, he assumed she was beginning to feel more comfortable with him. "What's your name?" Logan asked in his normal flat tone.
"Why?" The girl asked, squirming on the seat like she had before, trying in vain to find a comfortable spot.
"Because you know my name," Logan replied, holding her gaze expectantly, he could see she contemplated for a moment before she nodded.
"Sophia."