The first fight went off without a hitch, another typical Friday night. But he couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Between the second and third fight Logan apologized to Rex and left early.
Racing his dirt bike back, he passed the ruins of the mansion and steered down the path to the garages that linked to the underground facilities. Skidding to a stop, he sniffed the air.
What the hell was Marie doing out here? Iceprick? The scents were just old enough he couldn’t read much else. However, the huge ass trail leading into the woods wasn’t hard to follow.
Turning his bike he tracked their progress along the trail. It was obvious that Marie hadn’t wanted to go and Bobby dragging her behind him was almost walking in circles. There were other human scents mingling in around the edges. Damn it, Logan knew he should have put an end to that boy, no matter what Cyke would have said.
Slowing he entered a clearing with all the signs pointing to a final scenario. The boy was dead on the ground, back of his head blown off and Marie was nowhere in sight. Her scent carried on with at least five other men toward a larger clearing further away. Logan didn’t need to go further, he could smell the special mix of jet fuel the helicopter that had been there used.
She wouldn’t be in the second clearing, they were already gone. He leaned down and touched the cooling body, maybe thirty minutes ago, possibly less.
Logan felt the rage trying to swell up, his feral side wanting to take over. Turning his bike back towards the garage, he reined in his wrath. It would do Marie no good for him to go off half-cocked. There was more information he needed, and a plan set in place.
~~~~~~
Ever since the arrival of that girl, Scott felt like his life had been reduced to one what-the-hell moment after another. Not that it was Rogue’s fault, she just happened to be the focal point of something larger. Something that could affect them all.
So far they were no closer to finding out what, even though he’d spent endless hours researching Trask Industries and their free clinics. In the meantime, he seemed to be losing control of the situation. There was so much going on right under his nose that he didn’t see and that irritated him the most.
Just like this deal with Rogue right now. It had been another typical Friday night. Everything was quiet, then not fifteen minutes ago one of the kids alerted him to a problem. And by problem, he meant a f’ing disaster. Hank’s lab was wrecked, Hank injured and unconscious, and Rogue missing. Hank was moved to the infirmary and a quick head count conducted. It was determined that one of the newer people… Bobby was gone also.
Scott suggested that maybe they had left together. He knew how fickle some of the teenagers could be and he’d also seen a good share of the girls wooing and ahhhing over that Bobby. At least Emma had been polite enough to not laugh in his face but the look she gave him made him drop that theory.
It had made no sense anyway, why trash Hank’s lab when they could have simply snuck out? He rubbed his temples. Emma was busy in Cerebro looking for Rogue and he needed to find some answers for when Wolverine returned.
He’d gone back to the lab to see if he could deduce anything from there. At first, he had wanted to presume the pair had attacked Hank but remembering Emma’s glare he needed to look at this with fresh eyes. Hank didn’t get a hit in that he could tell and from what he knew Rogue and Hank got along well. That left Bobby as the aggressor.
Another one of those things going on under his nose that he hadn’t seen coming. Hank was still here, so Bobby had wanted Rogue. For what? Was this the starting point that might lead to Trask Industries and the other mutants that had disappeared?
Looking around at all the melting ice, Scott knew he needed a clearer picture of what happened. He checked the lab’s camera. Hank used it mainly when running experiments but had recently modified it and was still working out some bugs. It was the best shot he had at sorting this out, short of waiting for Hank to come to.
He was in luck as the camera had been on and was just about to the relative data when Wolverine entered the lab. “Bobby-,” Scott began.
“Dead,” Wolverine finished for him.
Scott merely nodded, they’d take that up later if need be. However, he doubted Wolverine had killed the boy or he wouldn’t be here without Rogue. If he’d found Bobby alive, he’d already be on his way to her. Scott could almost feel the tight self control Wolverine was exerting; he, like Scott, was here looking for answers, something his senses couldn’t tell him.
They watched the playback from the camera. It was at an odd angle as it was originally pointed at the blast door area of the lab, but there was enough to make out what happened. Scott caught the look of satisfaction on Wolverine’s face at several moves Rogue executed well. Wolverine’s training was what had given Rogue the confidence to take on the Cuckoos. There was no doubt in Scott’s mind after watching her in action that she would not make it easy for the people who took her.
Emma entered the lab, nodding to Scott she addressed Logan. “Their still an hour out of Montreal.”
“Trask?” Scott asked, it was a stupid question as there was only one company headquartered in Montreal that had the capability to do this.
Confirming it, she added, “They’re not hurt.”
“They?” Scott inquired as he led the way to the planning room. Bobby was dead so who was with Rogue?
~Baby~ Emma informed him.
Scott stole a glance at Wolverine. He could see it now, the contained anger, the tension in his shoulders and that thing he did with his hands when he wanted to pop the claws. He’d hate to be any of these people when Wolverine got a hold of them. Scott would also have to do his best to convince him to let them take part in this mission. Rogue’s rescue would be left strictly to Wolverine, but he and Emma could use this opportunity to infiltrate Trask’s headquarters.
It didn’t surprise Logan when the 3-D display map brought up Trask Industries seventy acre complex on the west side of Montreal. Cyke had always been thorough if nothing else. When the building blueprints came up on the computer’s display screen, he knew the other man had really spent time on this. After all this work he would request a joint mission, Logan would allow it as long as they stayed out of his way.
It was decided they would land in the wooded area close to the lake. From there they’d separate, Logan would go to the data and laboratory bunker and Emma and Cyke taking the headquarters building adjacent. Emma would provide telepathic camouflage for admittance to the corporate servers and Trask’s plans.
Logan would wait for Emma’s signal to begin his assault. The blueprints led him to believe Marie would be on the third floor near the laboratory spaces. He could either enter on the ground level and work his way up or after studying the display start at the top and work his way down.
“We’ll wait at the Blackbird for you,” Cyke concluded.
“Won’t be returning with you,” Logan stated firmly.
“What?” Emma asked, actually taken by surprise.
“Safer for everyone,” Cyke commented, nodding. “Harder to connect the dots.” He peered over, “Need anything?”
Logan shook his head as he turned to leave. “Still have connections in the area.” He could see Cyke studying him from behind his glasses. Probably wondering where they would go, he knew better than to ask. It was best that Logan and Marie drop out of sight for a while.
“Jet will be ready in thirty,” Cyke called after him. That would be more than enough time to gather the items Logan needed.
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