Suddenly one of the girls turned back around and ran to the desk. “Forgot my book,” she explained.
She grabbed it off the man’s desk, then ran for the door.
“Bye, Professor,” she said. But the oaken door beside Logan already had been pulled closed. The girl didn’t even slow down. Instead she simply ran through the door as if it weren’t there.
Logan stared at the hard wood where she had disappeared, then back at the man she had called “Professor.”
The man held up a textbook as if it explained everything. “Physics,” he said. Then, “Would you like some breakfast?”
Logan just stared at him. He had been prepared to fight his way out, not to be offered something to eat. What the hell was going on here? He needed some answers, and he needed them fast.
“Where am I?” he demanded.
“Westchester, New York,” the man said. “You were attacked. My people brought you here for medical attention.”
“I don’t need medical attention,” Logan said. He was still hurting slightly in a half dozen places, but he certainly wasn’t going to admit it to this guy.
The man smiled. “Yes, of course.”
The man turned and wheeled himself out from behind his desk. For the first time Logan realized the man was confined to a wheelchair.
The bald-headed guy moved toward Logan, extending his hand. “I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. I’m Professor Charles Xavier. You’re at my school for gifted children. Actually, mutants, as the press calls us. You’ll be safe here from Magneto.”
Logan shook the man’s hand, then, puzzled, he asked, “What’s a magneto?”
The professor chuckled. “A very powerful mutant who believes that there is a war brewing between us and the rest of humanity.”
“So?” Logan asked, glaring at the professor. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I don’t know yet,” the professor admitted. “I wish I did. But I believe Magneto is planning some kind of preemptive strike. I’ve been following his actions for some time. The mutant that attacked you is an associate of Magneto’s called Sabretooth.”
“You knew he was going to attack me?”
The professor shook his head. “No, I just tracked Sabretooth, and he led my people to you. We need to keep you out of Magneto’s reach until we know what his interest is.”
At that, Logan decided he had had enough. “Sorry, pal. I’ve got to get back to my—” Suddenly he realized he didn’t have any idea where his camper and belongings were.
“Sorry,” the professor said. “It’s gone.”
Logan stared at him. The guy couldn’t mean his camper. Granted he had smashed it up pretty badly, but it still had to be somewhere.
“Your truck was destroyed,” the professor said. “A fire started in the collision and ignited the propane tank. We barely got you out in time. There was nothing left.”
Logan said nothing.
“Logan, it’s been almost fifteen years, hasn’t it? Since you woke up?”
Logan wanted to turn and run, but he didn’t.
“Woke up?”
“Woke up,” the professor said, “with no knowledge of who you really are. Living day to day, trying to piece together what happened to you. You know how to fight, though. You always have known, haven’t you? And your nightmares are vague clues to a past that isn’t completely erased from your mind. But now that everything has been destroyed, where will you go?”
“How—?” Logan asked. “How did you know all that?”
You’re not the only one with gifts, the professor said. It took Logan a moment to realize that the professor’s lips hadn’t moved at all.
Behind him the door opened, and three others came in, with Rogue, the girl who had been in his truck with him. One was the black woman who had been teaching the kids, the other was a guy with strange-looking sunglasses, and the third was the beautiful woman from the lab.
“Ah, thank you,” the professor said aloud. “Dr. Grey, allow me to introduce Logan.”
The beautiful woman from the lab, the one he had choked in his escape, smiled pleasantly and stepped forward, her hand extended. “Yes, we’ve met. Call me Jean.”
Logan looked into her eyes as he took her hand. In all his life he had never seen a woman so beautiful. Or one to whom he had been so attracted. Her hand was soft, yet strong in his. Her grip was firm. And he didn’t want to let go.
Professor Xavier continued with the introductions. “This is Scott Summers, also called Cyclops. Ororo Munroe, also called Storm. They are the ones who saved your life.”
Logan glanced at them, but he turned his attention to the young Rogue and said nothing.
“Don’t mention it,” Cyclops said.
Logan noticed that Dr. Grey put her hand on the Cyclops guy’s arm. It was clearly the action of a girlfriend. Subtle, but not something Logan would miss. He wasn’t going to like this Cyclops, he knew right away.
“What are you going to do with her?” Logan asked, moving closer to Rogue, but careful not to touch her.
The professor smiled at Rogue with real warmth. And in that smile Logan saw a clear expression of understanding. “Rogue’s been on her own now for some time, searching for a home. A place to belong.”
Rogue nodded, clearly happy to be here. And that was all fine and good, as far as Logan was concerned.
Xavier turned back to face Logan. “We’re going to give her that.”
Rogue nodded, confirming what was clear to Logan.
“So,” Logan said, glancing at the others, “this place is sort of a dog pound for unwanted mutants, is that it?”
“It’s a school,” the professor said calmly.
Logan shrugged. “I don’t really believe what you’re doing here, but, lucky for me, I don’t care.” He started for the door. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Hold on,” the Cyclops guy said, stepping toward him.
That was when the anger Logan felt, toward the guy they called Sabretooth, about losing his camper, all came boiling up at once. He felt as though he just had to take it out on someone, and the guy with the sunglasses seemed like the perfect target.
Without hesitation, Logan slugged the guy, knocking him back into the wall.
Cyclops hit hard, one hand blocking his fall while the other shot up as he checked to make sure his sunglasses were still in place. Vain dude, Logan thought contemptuously.
Cyclops scrambled to his feet, clearly angry.
Logan was impressed. This guy could take a punch.
Cyclops started back toward Logan, but Logan stood his ground, just hoping the guy would charge. He really needed to pound on someone right now.
“Cyclops!” Jean said in a crisp, loud voice.
Logan’s claws came out as the kid kept coming.
“Logan, stop!” Jean said. “Please?”
She stepped between Cyclops and Logan, moving toward Logan, right at his extended claws.
“Jean!” Cyclops said.
Storm stepped forward and stopped the sunglass kid before he could move any farther. Smart of her, as far as Logan was concerned.
Logan kept his claws extended, and Jean, her beautiful eyes staring straight into his, stopped right as their tips nudged her throat. He had to admit, she was brave.
“I know you think none of this is your concern,” Jean said. “But Magneto will find you. And a lot of lives could be in danger, including your own.”
He slowly retracted his claws, but he didn’t turn away from her calm, deep gaze. He could stare into her eyes forever, as far as he was concerned.
Then Xavier stepped in.
“Logan, I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “You give me forty-eight hours to figure out what Magneto wants with you, and I will give you my word that, no matter what happens, I’ll use all my power to help you piece together what you’ve lost. And what you’re looking for.”
Logan, still staring at Jean, nodded. His claws finished retracting, his fists opened,
and his shoulders relaxed. “Forty-eight hours, old man,” he said. “Cross me, and I won’t feel any guilt about what I do.”
Jean smiled. “Thank you, Logan.”
At that he could say nothing.
Chapter Six
Washington, DC
Senator Kelly smiled and clapped his heavy hands together as the limousine pulled onto the tarmac of the airport. “Looks like we have some supporters.”
Henry Guyrich, his aide, nodded, but he wasn’t really looking at the supporters, or at Kelly. Kelly didn’t really care what Guyrich thought. Or, for that matter, what anyone thought—except for the pollsters. And right now, the polls showed that his antimutant stance was getting him a lot of attention, perhaps even votes. And he was going to keep riding the issue until it no longer yielded those benefits.
The limo came to a stop beside a large government helicopter, the pilot already waiting in his seat. The path between the limo and the helicopter was lined by a cheering crowd, barely restrained by a short rope.
Senator Kelly stepped out into the cold and pulled his overcoat tighter around his stomach, then turned toward the crowd, waving and smiling. He could see there were at least two hundred people there, many brandishing antimutant signs. One even had a stuffed mutant hanging from a pole. A few reporters had cameras set up and were doing a live remote.
He moved along the crowd, shaking hands, smiling, giving the thumbs-up signal that was becoming his trademark. Around him the crowd cheered even more enthusiastically, encouraging him to keep going, to stop those mutants. He loved this attention. He could feel it fueling him, giving him the extra strength he needed to keep going.
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs that led up into the helicopter. He climbed three steps, then again paused and waved, making sure the cameras had time to catch him fully. Then, with one last quick thumbs-up, he moved inside.
Behind him his aide, Guyrich, followed carrying the senator’s briefcase. As he climbed aboard, he glanced toward the pilot, who nodded in acknowledgment.
No one noticed anything out of the ordinary. Not even the senator.
X-Men Mansion
The bright winter sun flooded the large solarium, warming the air around the students and Storm. Rogue sat near the back, a pile of books on the floor beside her, watching as Storm lectured.
This was all so new to her. She had never expected to be included in a class again after what had happened in her old school. Yet here she was, with people who knew what she could do and didn’t care. It was going to take her some time to get used to that.
She also had new clothes that fit over a very light body stocking that had been provided to keep anyone from accidentally touching her. It was wonderfully soft and comfortable.
Storm stood in front of them, her skin almost radiant in the sunlight, her white hair flowing like a waterfall around her head. She and Dr. Grey were the most beautiful women Rogue had ever seen. Someday, she wanted to be like them. She had already decided that.
“So, the barometric pressure begins to drop,” Storm was saying. “Precipitation begins, and the air starts to move more rapidly. Now lightning strikes occur when strong thermal updrafts cause water droplets and ice crystals to collide, creating positively and negatively charged particles.”
A student named Frederick, who sat in front, raised his hand.
“Yes?” Storm said.
“Are you sure about this?” Frederick asked, smiling.
“Don’t tempt me to demonstrate,” she said, shaking her head with a hint of amusement. Then she turned back to the board.
Rogue smiled at another boy who sat in front of her. His name was John. He was the cutest boy she had seen in a long, long time.
Kitty, who was sitting beside Rogue, whispered. “So, that guy you came in with? He’s really got steel claws that come out of his hands?”
Jubilee, who was sitting on the other side of Rogue, whispered back. “No way. What kind of mutation is that?”
Rogue just shrugged, watching John as he pulled out a lighter and clicked it. Then he held his hand under the flame and pulled the lighter away, keeping the flame in place, hovering over his hand.
Despite all that she had experienced, Rogue was astonished.
He just smiled, and the flame grew into a ball the size of an orange.
“Showing off again,” Jubilee said, shaking her head, but John ignored her.
Now the fireball over John’s hand was even bigger, almost the size of a grapefruit. Then suddenly the flame was engulfed in a ball of ice. Glancing around, Rogue found another student—Bobby—holding out a crystal rose for her. Though beautiful, it was already beginning to melt.
Then Rogue glanced at Storm. She didn’t look happy.
“John, what did I tell you?” Storm asked, frowning.
“Sorry,” John said.
Storm shook her head, then turned to finish what she was writing on the board.
John glanced back and smiled at Rogue. Right then and there, she knew she was really going to like this place.
Twenty minutes later the class ended. Rogue picked up her books, watching as the other students left, some stopping to talk to Storm about some topic.
Bobby took his time, until Jubilee and Kitty had moved off, then smiled again at Rogue. “You want to meet me for dinner?” he asked. “I’ll show you around.”
Rogue could feel her heart jump. She was flattered and scared at the same time. “Okay, sure.”
“Great!” he said. He headed for the door with a happy, “See ya.”
Rogue finished picking up her books as Storm moved toward her. “So, how are you doing?”
Rogue looked around in wonder, at the glass-walled room and winter gardens beyond. “This place is so beautiful. And everyone is so nice. I just—”
She didn’t know what to say, so she just stopped.
Storm nodded. “How long have you been on your own?”
Rogue stared into the eyes of the beautiful teacher. “Eight months. I’ve just been hitchhiking, trying to get as far away from home as possible. Get away from anyone who would know what I was.”
Storm nodded. “That I understand.”
“I didn’t know there was anyplace for us to go,” Rogue said. “But this is wonderful. I’ve felt kind of alone, you know.”
“Well,” Storm said, “you’re not alone anymore.”
“And the professor?” Rogue said, looking into Storm’s eyes. “He can actually cure me?”
Rogue watched with surprise as the smile suddenly drained from her teacher’s face. After a few seconds, Storm sat down in a chair and motioned for Rogue to sit across from her.
There, over the next hour, Rogue learned things she didn’t want to know. And understood that maybe she would never, ever be able to touch another person again, as long as she lived.
And that no one would ever touch or kiss her in return.
Suddenly she felt even more alone than she had on the road.
Chapter Seven
X-Men Mansion
Logan was getting the official tour from Professor Xavier himself. He wasn’t sure why the old guy was spending the time with him, but whatever the reason, Logan figured to be gone in less than forty-eight hours, so it didn’t matter in the slightest.
Logan walked slowly, pacing the professor’s wheelchair as it moved silently along the floor. They were in a wing of the mansion that Logan hadn’t seen before. The place was massive. He had already been shown a huge solarium and more rooms than he could count. And everything was distinctly first-class. Clearly there was some money behind all this.
Of course, if the professor could read minds—as it seemed he could—there certainly wouldn’t be a problem getting money.
“The dining rooms, kitchen, and parlor are found in the other wing,” the professor said, going on with the tour. “As you can see, everything on this floor and above has been designed to be viewed by the general public. As far as they know, this is merely a school
for ‘gifted’ students.”
The professor led Logan to a panel in the wall and stopped. A hidden elevator door opened with a ping, and they got inside.
“The subbasements however, are an entirely different matter.”
“So how’d I get in here?” Logan asked. “You didn’t bring me in through the front door.”
The door of the elevator opened, revealing the lab corridor that Logan had run down during his attempted escape.
“Come on,” the professor said. “I’ll show you.”
They moved down the corridor, turning twice before reaching wide doors that opened automatically onto a massive hangar. It was bigger than anything Logan would have imagined. More than likely it could hold an airliner or two. But at the moment, it seemed to be primarily dedicated to a modernistic, shiny black jet like none that Logan had ever seen.
“Vertical takeoff and landings,” the professor said, motioning toward the jet. “Instruments that allow it to fly in any weather.”
“Amazing,” Logan said, moving out into the hangar and looking around curiously. He pointed to the large doors at the end. “Hidden entrance?”
The professor nodded. “Perfectly hidden.”
“So why all this?” Logan asked, motioning at the equipment and the jet.
“Everyone here has abilities,” Xavier said. “Powers. Curses, until they can be controlled. All of us have hurt and been hurt. And none of us asked to be the way we are.”
“I hear you there,” Logan said.
“When I was fifteen years old,” the professor said, “I began to hear people’s thoughts. At first I thought I was going mad. One day I read the mind of one of my teachers and saw that he was going to fail me, simply because he didn’t like me.”
“I bet that pissed you off,” Logan said.
“It did at that,” the professor commented. “I was so mad I put a suggestion in his mind that he was having a heart attack. He nearly died.”
Logan looked down at the old man with a little more respect. It hadn’t dawned on him that reading someone’s mind could have other uses. Dangerous uses, it seemed. “So what’d you do?”
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