After the rumbling of the ‘Bird’s lift-off had faded away, Rogue searched for Logan. Checking the upper floors, she noted his bedroom was empty. Checking the school level, he was nowhere to be found. She went to the garage. His truck was gone. He’d ran. Typical. He’d get over it eventually. There was no telling where he had gone to lick his ego’s wounds and deal with being rejected from the mission.
With a bone-deep sigh, Rogue returned to her class work to prepare for another day.
*
“How is our girl doing?” Eric leaned back in his chair and regarded Toad’s face. The mutant leader had apparently changed his mind about Shelly Hanson’s worth to the Brotherhood.
“She’s supplying us with bits and pieces; clues, hints, but nothing decisive. She ‘thinks’ Wolverine has been writing new software in their fancy training room, probably downgrading programs to re-train himself, but she’s not sure. I’ll admit she’s not as dumb as she seems. She’s been dropping hairs on his clothing surreptitiously so she can keep track of him, but it doesn’t always work.”
“My main concerns are her safety among them, and as a result, our own security, since I’m quite sure she’ll fold like a house of cards if they confront her with any suspicions. She’ll give them everything if they intimidate or frighten her. I guess you would call that a ‘vote of no confidence’ in her abilities to cope under pressure.”
“Yeah, you may be right. She’s fickle, but who knows? She might be tougher than you think. It might depends on how badly she wants to support the mutant cause.”
“You’ve been her advocate from the beginning, and now you’re starting to criticize her occasionally. What has changed, my brother?”
“Nothing, just getting better acquainted with her and starting to see little details, like that she’s shallow, and likes to use her looks to her advantage; likes to manipulate. Nothing wrong with that, I guess; it just makes me suspicious. But it makes her a better covert, too. It’s all a trade-off.”
“You realize she’s probably given us as much information as she’s good for, so it might be time to either remove her from Charles’ mansion, or cut her loose, so to speak.”
“I’m not sure. She might yet stumble across another little tidbit, like hearing Logan working on the computer late at night, something like that... but it’s a pot shot, regardless.”
Eric leaned forward, fixing his intense gaze on Toad, and said softly, “Now is the time to strike. With the information she’s given us, we can be reasonably certain that the Wolverine is laid low and not in his usual fighting trim at this point in time. We also know the size and strengths of the X-Men team with young John’s input. We have enough intelligence on their status, and they are weak enough at the moment, to be able to strike them and hurt them, if not devastate them beyond recovery. This is our chance to take down the X-Men permanently.” Magneto drummed his fingers on the desktop briefly while pondering the timing, then continued, “Arrange a meeting with Miss Hanson and myself. I’ll give you the details tonight, and you relay them to her at her next contact.”
Toad sat in silence and watched the tall elder stroll nonchalantly from the room. Even with his powerful mutation taken from him, Magneto was an impressive, charismatic leader; a man born to inspire people to follow him. Things just weren’t the same as the old days, when it was just him, Magneto, Sabertooth, and Mystique. Toad smiled to himself as Mystique’s memory walked like a cat through his mind, her lithe blue limbs, her confident air and cunning mind, her devotion to the man who ultimately abandoned her. That abandonment didn’t set well with Toad, and he’d seen the look in John’s eyes when Toad occasionally mentioned Mystique and their former closeness, their sense of loyalty to each other. John wanted to trust Eric, but couldn’t totally give himself into that trust. Toad knew better. When the old man had a plan, a team, maybe even an army, he was nearly unbeatable. But Eric knew what pawns were for, and he didn’t hesitate in sending them to their deaths, or leaving them to die if they were compromised.
That realization made Toad a very suspicious man.
*
Mystique stretched her legs and rolled to her side, luxuriating in the softness of the bed and the warmth of the room. She’d spent too many days and nights on the streets since being put out of police custody. Apparently turning evidence against Magneto bought you a pardon, but not protection, and she’s been homeless for weeks. Xavier’s mansion offered everything she’d missed, everything she’d been denied for so long.
With Storm’s assurance that she could move freely about the school levels on the following day, Mystique indulged in a bubble bath and then collapsed naked on the bed. Wiggling her toes against the soft duvet, she practiced again, riffling her human skin until it turned blue in patches, then riffling it back, working the shapeshift up her leg, over one hip, and almost to her ribs. Each day it got easier and easier. The cure was slowly wearing off. She giggled quietly and then focused, bringing the blue skin up to her throat with barely more effort than the day before. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she sent the blue skin riffling back to it’s human ivory tones; then suddenly slammed her entire skin to her blue scales. The shock of returning to her normal mutation nearly induced an orgasm, and she stretched again, rolling with sensual grace onto her stomach and laughing delightedly into the pillow. She estimated that within another day, maybe two at most, she would have her metamorphing skills back to normal. It would take work that she was willing to put into it, but each day, each hour it seemed, made it easier. Let Eric turn her out! She would work against him and make him pay for abandoning her!
Shaking out the shock of red hair, she vowed to herself to keep her returning powers a secret. Every girl needed an ace in the hole, right? Every girl needed to cover her own blue ass.
*
“She still fuckin’ loves that punk,” Logan muttered drunkenly into his third beer and fourth shot as he slammed back the glass of bourbon. The Wolverine muttered ‘asshole’ from the back of his mind, but Logan fought the persona down, still unsure exactly who the asshole was, but not caring. At least he’d had sense enough to park his truck in the rear slots off the alley so he didn’t need to plug a meter or worry about it getting towed. He couldn’t face going back to the school tonight, so he’d just crash in the truck until he sobered up and went back to check on how many bodies there were to bury. At least Marie wouldn’t be one of them.
“Ya got no business fuckin’ with a sweet little thing like her, messin’ her life up with your own crap. Just leave it alone, fer chrissakes’...” He looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear him muttering to himself like a lunatic, then motioned to the bartender for another shot, but the waitress intervened before the guy could cut him off for the night. Logan knew he was drunk, but he didn’t care. It wouldn’t wear off in a few minutes this time, so he might as well indulge in a real first-time bender. “Hehehe, I’m a virgin drunk,” he snorted to himself as closing time ticked nearer.
“You gotta be kiddin’ me, right?” The waitress leaned herself across the bar straight in front of him, showing a healthy amount of round, soft cleavage. “You’re a virgin? Did I hear that right?”
“Yeah, I’m fresh meat, darlin’, never been touched by human hands. You wanna alleviate my predicament?” He gave her the sly smile that usually worked with women.
“Well, I admit it’s tempting. You’re a looker,” she moved his shot glass and bottle away and leaned in closer. “I got a room upstairs. You wanna come up and see it? Maybe spend some time? We’re past last call, so I can cut out of here right now. Joey’ll close up. You game?”
“I’m game. You got rubbers?”
“Thought you were innocent and all that?”
“About as innocent as they come,” he chuckled and leaned in, kissing her quickly. She didn’t back away. All signs were go!
“Yeah, I got what we need. Come on,” she waved at Joey and tossed her apron under the bar, then led Logan out the back door and up a staircase to a tiny second floor apartment.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Magneto makes a command decision, Mystique has a revelation, and Logan finds a friendly face in the wrong place.