“A claim on her? Don’t be crass,” Ororo said. “Logan’s not an animal. I’m sure he doesn’t think in those terms.”
“Really?" Scott asked. "Because I’m not sure about anything when it comes to Logan. I’ve worked with the guy for years, yet hardly know him. None of us do,” he said uncomfortably. “And there’s no denying he was more animal than man when the Professor picked him up in Canada. He was—well, he was like this girl is now.”
Jean placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “So, um . . . Logan got upset when you interrupted him with her?”
“Yeah. Very upset.”
“Not—not homicidally upset,” Ororo said weakly, as all of their gazes turned towards the dead man.
Scott’s jaw dropped. “God. You don’t think—?”
“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Jean said quickly, and Ororo nodded.
Scott took a deep breath, the full weight of the situation finally hitting him. “We have to get them out of here,” he said. “Both of them. Back to the school. We can figure out this mess once we get there. I’ll fetch the jet. Storm, keep this place hidden. Jean, you’ll need to, uh, encourage any passersby to head another way. If Logan isn’t awake by the time I get back, you can move him telekinetically into the cargo hold. It’s a safe bet the girl will follow him.”
“And what?” Jean asked. “We lock them in like a pair of wild animals and haul them home to Westchester?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
She stuffed the tranq darts back into her tactical bag. “Well, no. But—but you’re suggesting we abandon the scene of a potential murder, Scott. This is serious!”
“Yeah,” he replied, “I’m well aware of that. Christ, if the police show up now, the entire Xavier School could come under fire. Which is why we’ve got to get out of here. Even if Logan did—“
“He would never,” Ororo hissed, a storm brewing in the depths of her eyes. But despite her defense of her friend, she didn't sound too certain.
Scott looked at her steadily. “Even if Logan did kill that man, he deserves a chance to tell his side. He won’t get that here. A crime like this, during the Mutant Affairs Convention—don’t you see? This could have political ramifications for all of us. And if the girl is the murderer, well, she’s clearly a mutant too. It’s just not right to leave her. We’ll see justice done, but it isn’t going to happen through our country’s legal system, not in a case like this. Fe—people like her and Logan, they’d be put down like animals. We have to get them out of here. Now.”
“You make a good point,” Ororo said, turning her gaze to the wild-eyed, snarling girl.
Jean threw up her hands, at a loss for a better option. “Agreed.”
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