(no subject)
See previous chapters here
Title: The New Mutants, Volume VIII: Everything Zen
Author:
kanedax
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse
Spoilers: X3; The New Mutants Volumes I-VII
Rating: PG for mild language
Summary: A mutant joins the faculty to teach two very special classes.
Notes: Part 8 of a continuing series following the exploits of Xavier Academy post-X3. As usual, I don't own the X-Men, Marvel comics, 20th Century Fox blah di blah di blah.
Also, a quick note for my readers: I have signed up for this years NaNoWriMo, so there's a potential for update slackage in November if I don't wrap things up by then and/or chicken out about writing about characters I made up with my own brain. But if anyone's involved and wants to add me to their list, I'm signed up under my livejournal name, KanedaX. Go ahead and toss a comment so I can add you, as well.
Previous Chapter (A Day In The Life, 2/2) / Next Chapter (Double Trouble)
Ororo Munroe quickly paced down the hallway, her shoes clicking in the silence.
As she approached the classrooms, the sound of voices slowly crept in to pervade the silence. She stopped just short of one doorway, and let out a mouth-stretching yawn.
This is definitely one thing the Professor never had to deal with, she thought as she shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Having to run around the world playing detective.
She had barely gotten any sleep since she left for her first journey, the one that eventually resulted in finding Alex Blanding. That solo trip across the pacific to Tibet didn't give her much free time, either. She had run into some rough patches during her flight, so wasn't able to keep it on auto pilot for very long.
Sure, she could have just cleared the storms out, she thought as she leaned in the doorway, watching the class. But if there was one thing she had learned from Charles, it was to never use her powers lightly. She had recognized that clearing out a storm just so she could get forty winks might seem like a good idea, but in doing so she might cause a ripple effect that could mean disaster halfway around the world.
Best to let Mother Nature be, she thought.
"Thank you, Miss Lee," Professor Frost said to Jubilee, who smiled back with a look of triumph. "So that's her interpretation of Fagin's role in the story. How about Nancy? What role does she play?"
Ororo looked around the room. Peter, Jubilee, and Lucas were giving Emma their undivided attention, while Jones stared into his notebook, his pencil absently scrawling what Ororo could only guess would be random doodles.
Arthur Centino, on the other hand, appeared to be doing his best impersonation of a basketball hoop in the back row. Ororo gathered she could toss an M&M into his gaping mouth from 20 feet out. His "subconscious lucky charm," as Moira put it, was probably picking up enough to at least garner him a passing grade on the test, however.
Either way, Emma pointedly ignored his ignorance.
She's all about the delayed punishment, I guess, Ororo thought.
Peter raised his hand, but before he could answer, Ororo knocked quietly on the doorway.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Emma and the class all turned their heads. "Yes, Professor Munroe?"
"He's here."
"Oh," Emma replied. "Yes, of course."
"Could I steal Mr. Bishop from you for a bit?"
"You're not planning on this being a regular interruption, are you, Professor?"
Ororo shook her head. "Just for today," she replied.
Lucas looked around uncertainly. "I'm not getting stuck in another bomb blast, am I?"
A small laugh passed through the class.
Ororo smiled. "I certainly hope not."
Lucas stood up and joined Ororo in the hallway, closing the door behind him.
"Where are we going, Professor?"
"Let's make one more stop first, so I don't have to explain it twice."
The two walked down the hall to Dr. McTaggert's classroom.
Lucas slowed down. "No, seriously, I'm not getting stuck in another bomb blast, right?"
"Dr. McTaggert, he's here."
Moira looked up from her textbook.
"Oh, that was fast," she replied, turning to her class. "Jimmy, the Professor wants to speak with you."
Jimmy nodded, closed his biology book, and, giving Moira a smile, left the classroom.
The three walked down the hall a short distance, then Ororo opened one of the elevators and escorted the two boys inside.
"We've hired on another teacher," she said as the doors closed and they slowly sank to the basement. Jimmy and Lucas exchanged a confused glance.
"I'm leaving for Moscow after classes are done for the day, and I'm taking a few of the X-Men with me. I wanted to make sure I introduced you to him before I left. And before things get crazy, which they tend to do with him around."
"Why us?" Lucas asked.
"There will be two new classes here at the Academy starting tomorrow," Ororo said. "One will be mandatory, with a class size of two to begin with.
"You two."
The elevator door opened.
"The other will be purely voluntary. Extracurricular, I guess. While anyone can choose to or to not participate, I would strongly suggest that you two both sign up."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Lucas mumbled to Jimmy as they walked down the hall. They turned down a hallway unfamiliar to Lucas, who had previously only seen the Danger Room and the Med Lap. Professor Munroe opened a door at the end of the hallway, and the three stepped through.
"And here we are."
"Whoa," Lucas breathed. Coming from the sterile metal walls of the Academy's basement, this new room made him feel like he was in a different century. The walls were covered with cloth, on which Asian characters were printed in black paint. Dozens of candles were scattered around the room, and Lucas could smell some kind of incense burning.
Ororo smirked. "Well, you certainly go all-out, don't you, Professor?"
"Hey, I told you, I hate being called 'Professor.' You agreed to that so I would come, remember?"
Lucas was so enthralled with the new environment that he had failed to see the man kneeling in the back of the room. Even with his back turned, Lucas could tell the man had an intimidating presence about him that was a stark contrast to the surroundings he seemed to have created.
The fact that the man was wearing an odd combination of kimono and blue jeans didn't hurt his image, either.
He turned to Jimmy, his nerves clearly showing on his face.
Jimmy, however, was smiling broadly.
"Hi, Mr. Logan."
Logan stood up and turned to face the three. For a teacher, he looked fairly rough, Lucas thought. Like he hadn't shaved in a week.
And his hair was all spikey on the sides.
Weird.
"Hey, kid," Logan replied. "Long time, no see."
He walked up to Jimmy and ruffled his non-existant hair. Then he turned to face Lucas.
"You're new, right?"
"Yes, sir," Lucas said quietly.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Lucas. Lucas Bishop, sir."
"Jesus, enough with the 'sir' already," Logan groaned. "Makes me feel professional."
"Yes, sir."
Logan gave Ororo a pained look. Ororo just shrugged, a small smile crossing her face, then pushed her hands out. Proceed, they said.
"Alright," Logan said, taking a deep breath in and out. "Ororo asked me to come back because she said we have a few students who need to learn a little discipline. Mental and physical discipline, that is. I spent some time in Japan back in the day, and learned a thing or two about the whole Zen, Buddha, whatever.
"I forgot most of it, but that's not important..."
Ororo rolled her eyes.
Logan pulled a cigar out of his kimono, and lit it. He continued. "Now Ororo here thinks that you could use whatever knowledge I happen to have retained. And if there's one thing I've never done, it's turn down a pretty lady's cry for help."
He cracked a grin that Lucas found a little bit wolf-like. "Also, she's letting me teach the other class, the one I always tried to convince Chuck to let me take a swing at."
He clapped his hands once, making the Lucas and Jimmy jump.
"So," he continued, "Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you two will meet me down here after class. For that hour, two hours, ten minutes, whatever we feel like, I'm going to try to teach you guys how to better control your bodies. Because when it comes to you two, you won't be able to fully control your powers unless you have total control of your body and mind.
"Once you know yourself, you two can do anything."
He snorted. "At least, that's what Ororo tells me.
"Any questions?"
Lucas raised his hand.
"Oh, for God's sake, there's two of you," Logan said. "You don't need to raise your hand."
"Why not Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?"
"Friday's Beer Day. Next question."
"What's your other class?"
Logan grinned, his teeth clamping down on the cigar.
"Ass-kicking class, four nights a week."
"Well, that was classy."
Logan opened his duffel bag and started pulling his crumpled clothes out. Ororo sat on the edge of his bed.
"What?"
"You nearly scared Lucas to death."
Logan absently tossed his wrinkled clothes into the dresser. "Did you expect me to Hank up?" he asked. "I'm a little rough around the edges, you knew it before you tracked me down."
"Ass kicking class?"
"You said it yourself," he replied. "The best defense is a good offense."
"No, you said that," Ororo rebutted. "I was just being ironic in the heat of battle."
Logan paused in mid-toss. "Is that ironic?"
Ororo breathed out in frustration, then looked down at the pile of books lying next to Logan's duffel. She picked one up.
"The Pacific Theater. Since when have you been such a reader?"
Logan turned around. "Since they started putting in pretty pictures. Page 34."
Giving Logan a questioning look, Ororo opened the book and flipped to the requested page. She gasped.
"Oh, my God..."
"Life In The Trenches," Logan continued. "Page 46."
Ororo picked up the second book and opened it.
"Logan..."
"Boxer Rebellion, Page 19. North And South, Page 236, third row, second from the left."
"Logan," Ororo breathed. "This is incredible..."
"Chuck always told me that I had to find the answers for myself," Logan said. "When I went to Alkali Lake I got an idea of how I got here. I figured should probably start figuring out how I got there."
"You don't look a day younger than you do now," she breathed, staring at the yellowed photograph of the man standing in front of her, in Union blues and carrying a single-shot rifle and bayonet.
"Healing factor's a hell of a thing, ain't it?" he chuckled.
Before Ororo could respond further, the hallway began filling with voices. Logan turned to the door.
"Not quite as loud as they used to be, huh?"
"Arthur and Alison make up for lack of numbers," Ororo mumbled, pulling another book (Sketches of the French Revolution) into her lap.
Logan shook his head. "More names I don't know."
"There still are people around from before you left," Ororo replied. "Bobby's still here. Kitty and Peter, too. Theresa, Jubilee, Jones, Artie."
"What about Marie?"
Ororo paused. "Long story," she finally replied.
"Gone legit, huh?"
"I suppose you could say that," Ororo replied. "Anyway, Dr. McTaggert's full-time faculty now, you met her at Charles' funeral. And then there's Alex..."
"That's Slim's brother?"
Ororo nodded.
"I am going to meet him before I have to teach him, right?"
"Lucas will have to introduce you," she replied, standing. "Right now he's the only one we're allowing near Alex."
"Because he can go boom," Logan muttered.
"And because Lucas was the one who rescued him," Ororo said, "But, yes, 'boom' as well. That's why your classes with him will be one on one, in his room."
"His cell, you mean?"
"Logan, I don't have time to argue ethics," she said shortly.
Logan raised his hands in surrender. "Hey," he replied, "you know me, I'm not one for philosophy. I know that he has to stay in that room until the suit's built. But what's going to happen when it's done?"
Ororo sighed. "In all honesty, that's something that will have to be decided when we get back."
"Decided by who?"
"You're going to be in on the discussion, don't worry," Ororo replied. "You're a relative outsider to the situation. Plus you'll have plenty of opportunities to judge his physical and mental stability in the next week. You'll probably be spending more time with him than any of us have, aside from Lucas."
Logan nodded. "Suppose I can't ask for much more in the situation."
Ororo walked to the door, and put a hand on her arm.
"I trust your judgment, Logan," she said softly, "or else I wouldn't have asked you to come."
"Aw, you're makin' me all misty," he said flatly, closing the dresser.
Ororo snorted, and Logan followed her across the hall to her room. She walked to the far wall, and, pulling a book from a nearby shelf, opened a hidden door.
"Wow," Logan said, "didn't know you had one of these."
"One of the perks of being a headmistress," she replied, grabbing a leather jumpsuit from the closet and stepping into the small room.
"Care to join me?"
Logan's eyebrow lifted.
"It's an elevator," she replied dully. "Want to say 'hi' to some of the kids before we head out?"
"So i don't get to watch you change?" Logan leered.
"In your dreams, maple leaf."
Logan shrugged and joined her in the elevator.
"Besides," she said as the elevator descended, "this thing's fairly uncomfortable to sleep in. Emma's definitely taking one leg of this flight for me."
"Wearing out a bit?"
Ororo sighed. "Playing 'Flying Detective' can take a toll on a girl. There's a report of a boy in a hospital in England because his chest was blown out by a plasma blast from his mouth. But he's still alive. There have been two murders in the past few weeks that appear to have possible psychic origins. And then there's this situation in Moscow..."
"Yeah, I can see how that could tire anyone out."
"Moira's putting herself on call about the English boy," she continued, "just in case the other doctors from Muir Island need help. We don't have any leads in the murders, but if you want to do some research it would be appreciated."
"I'll put on my Sherlock cap," Logan replied as the elevator opened and they walked down the hall to the hangar.
"At least this trip should be fairly open and shut," she said. "Reports of two mutants robbing banks and stores in the area. Neither of them too dangerous. Should be good training for the recruits."
"Logan!"
Before he had time to react, Logan was knocked backwards by Kitty giving him a tackling hug.
"Hey, Sprite," he said, which earned him a cross look.
"I thought we decided that wasn't my codename," she said.
"Right," he replied. "It lasted one training mission before people started making jokes about opening a can of whupass, or something. It's Lockheed now, isn't it?"
"Shadowcat."
"Oh, right," he said. "Bit of a mouthful."
She shrugged. "Makes a little more sense if someone accidentally calls me 'Kitty.'"
"Iceman," Logan said after Kitty uncoupled.
"Welcome back, Logan," Bobby said, shaking his hand.
"Tinman."
Peter smiled. "Hey, Mr. Logan."
Logan turned to the final member of the team.
"And you are?"
"Emma Frost," Emma replied, holding out her hand coldly, "and you're this 'Wolverine' fellow I've heard so much about."
Logan looked her up and down. "Not much for stealth, are you?"
Emma glanced down at her white leather jumpsuit, complete with cape, heels, and exposed cleavage. "I rarely have to get in the trenches."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't," he said slyly.
"The jet's ready to go, Professor," Emma said shortly to Ororo.
Ororo turned to Logan. "Good luck," she said.
"You, too," he replied as the group walked up the ramp. As the jet lifted off the ground and disappeared through the open ceiling, Logan turned around and walked back to the school he barely knew anymore.
He muttered, "Welcome back."
Previous Chapter (A Day In The Life, 2/2) / Next Chapter (Double Trouble)
Title: The New Mutants, Volume VIII: Everything Zen
Author:
kanedax
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse
Spoilers: X3; The New Mutants Volumes I-VII
Rating: PG for mild language
Summary: A mutant joins the faculty to teach two very special classes.
Notes: Part 8 of a continuing series following the exploits of Xavier Academy post-X3. As usual, I don't own the X-Men, Marvel comics, 20th Century Fox blah di blah di blah.
Also, a quick note for my readers: I have signed up for this years NaNoWriMo, so there's a potential for update slackage in November if I don't wrap things up by then and/or chicken out about writing about characters I made up with my own brain. But if anyone's involved and wants to add me to their list, I'm signed up under my livejournal name, KanedaX. Go ahead and toss a comment so I can add you, as well.
Previous Chapter (A Day In The Life, 2/2) / Next Chapter (Double Trouble)
Ororo Munroe quickly paced down the hallway, her shoes clicking in the silence.
As she approached the classrooms, the sound of voices slowly crept in to pervade the silence. She stopped just short of one doorway, and let out a mouth-stretching yawn.
This is definitely one thing the Professor never had to deal with, she thought as she shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Having to run around the world playing detective.
She had barely gotten any sleep since she left for her first journey, the one that eventually resulted in finding Alex Blanding. That solo trip across the pacific to Tibet didn't give her much free time, either. She had run into some rough patches during her flight, so wasn't able to keep it on auto pilot for very long.
Sure, she could have just cleared the storms out, she thought as she leaned in the doorway, watching the class. But if there was one thing she had learned from Charles, it was to never use her powers lightly. She had recognized that clearing out a storm just so she could get forty winks might seem like a good idea, but in doing so she might cause a ripple effect that could mean disaster halfway around the world.
Best to let Mother Nature be, she thought.
"Thank you, Miss Lee," Professor Frost said to Jubilee, who smiled back with a look of triumph. "So that's her interpretation of Fagin's role in the story. How about Nancy? What role does she play?"
Ororo looked around the room. Peter, Jubilee, and Lucas were giving Emma their undivided attention, while Jones stared into his notebook, his pencil absently scrawling what Ororo could only guess would be random doodles.
Arthur Centino, on the other hand, appeared to be doing his best impersonation of a basketball hoop in the back row. Ororo gathered she could toss an M&M into his gaping mouth from 20 feet out. His "subconscious lucky charm," as Moira put it, was probably picking up enough to at least garner him a passing grade on the test, however.
Either way, Emma pointedly ignored his ignorance.
She's all about the delayed punishment, I guess, Ororo thought.
Peter raised his hand, but before he could answer, Ororo knocked quietly on the doorway.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Emma and the class all turned their heads. "Yes, Professor Munroe?"
"He's here."
"Oh," Emma replied. "Yes, of course."
"Could I steal Mr. Bishop from you for a bit?"
"You're not planning on this being a regular interruption, are you, Professor?"
Ororo shook her head. "Just for today," she replied.
Lucas looked around uncertainly. "I'm not getting stuck in another bomb blast, am I?"
A small laugh passed through the class.
Ororo smiled. "I certainly hope not."
Lucas stood up and joined Ororo in the hallway, closing the door behind him.
"Where are we going, Professor?"
"Let's make one more stop first, so I don't have to explain it twice."
The two walked down the hall to Dr. McTaggert's classroom.
Lucas slowed down. "No, seriously, I'm not getting stuck in another bomb blast, right?"
"Dr. McTaggert, he's here."
Moira looked up from her textbook.
"Oh, that was fast," she replied, turning to her class. "Jimmy, the Professor wants to speak with you."
Jimmy nodded, closed his biology book, and, giving Moira a smile, left the classroom.
The three walked down the hall a short distance, then Ororo opened one of the elevators and escorted the two boys inside.
"We've hired on another teacher," she said as the doors closed and they slowly sank to the basement. Jimmy and Lucas exchanged a confused glance.
"I'm leaving for Moscow after classes are done for the day, and I'm taking a few of the X-Men with me. I wanted to make sure I introduced you to him before I left. And before things get crazy, which they tend to do with him around."
"Why us?" Lucas asked.
"There will be two new classes here at the Academy starting tomorrow," Ororo said. "One will be mandatory, with a class size of two to begin with.
"You two."
The elevator door opened.
"The other will be purely voluntary. Extracurricular, I guess. While anyone can choose to or to not participate, I would strongly suggest that you two both sign up."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Lucas mumbled to Jimmy as they walked down the hall. They turned down a hallway unfamiliar to Lucas, who had previously only seen the Danger Room and the Med Lap. Professor Munroe opened a door at the end of the hallway, and the three stepped through.
"And here we are."
"Whoa," Lucas breathed. Coming from the sterile metal walls of the Academy's basement, this new room made him feel like he was in a different century. The walls were covered with cloth, on which Asian characters were printed in black paint. Dozens of candles were scattered around the room, and Lucas could smell some kind of incense burning.
Ororo smirked. "Well, you certainly go all-out, don't you, Professor?"
"Hey, I told you, I hate being called 'Professor.' You agreed to that so I would come, remember?"
Lucas was so enthralled with the new environment that he had failed to see the man kneeling in the back of the room. Even with his back turned, Lucas could tell the man had an intimidating presence about him that was a stark contrast to the surroundings he seemed to have created.
The fact that the man was wearing an odd combination of kimono and blue jeans didn't hurt his image, either.
He turned to Jimmy, his nerves clearly showing on his face.
Jimmy, however, was smiling broadly.
"Hi, Mr. Logan."
Logan stood up and turned to face the three. For a teacher, he looked fairly rough, Lucas thought. Like he hadn't shaved in a week.
And his hair was all spikey on the sides.
Weird.
"Hey, kid," Logan replied. "Long time, no see."
He walked up to Jimmy and ruffled his non-existant hair. Then he turned to face Lucas.
"You're new, right?"
"Yes, sir," Lucas said quietly.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Lucas. Lucas Bishop, sir."
"Jesus, enough with the 'sir' already," Logan groaned. "Makes me feel professional."
"Yes, sir."
Logan gave Ororo a pained look. Ororo just shrugged, a small smile crossing her face, then pushed her hands out. Proceed, they said.
"Alright," Logan said, taking a deep breath in and out. "Ororo asked me to come back because she said we have a few students who need to learn a little discipline. Mental and physical discipline, that is. I spent some time in Japan back in the day, and learned a thing or two about the whole Zen, Buddha, whatever.
"I forgot most of it, but that's not important..."
Ororo rolled her eyes.
Logan pulled a cigar out of his kimono, and lit it. He continued. "Now Ororo here thinks that you could use whatever knowledge I happen to have retained. And if there's one thing I've never done, it's turn down a pretty lady's cry for help."
He cracked a grin that Lucas found a little bit wolf-like. "Also, she's letting me teach the other class, the one I always tried to convince Chuck to let me take a swing at."
He clapped his hands once, making the Lucas and Jimmy jump.
"So," he continued, "Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you two will meet me down here after class. For that hour, two hours, ten minutes, whatever we feel like, I'm going to try to teach you guys how to better control your bodies. Because when it comes to you two, you won't be able to fully control your powers unless you have total control of your body and mind.
"Once you know yourself, you two can do anything."
He snorted. "At least, that's what Ororo tells me.
"Any questions?"
Lucas raised his hand.
"Oh, for God's sake, there's two of you," Logan said. "You don't need to raise your hand."
"Why not Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?"
"Friday's Beer Day. Next question."
"What's your other class?"
Logan grinned, his teeth clamping down on the cigar.
"Ass-kicking class, four nights a week."
"Well, that was classy."
Logan opened his duffel bag and started pulling his crumpled clothes out. Ororo sat on the edge of his bed.
"What?"
"You nearly scared Lucas to death."
Logan absently tossed his wrinkled clothes into the dresser. "Did you expect me to Hank up?" he asked. "I'm a little rough around the edges, you knew it before you tracked me down."
"Ass kicking class?"
"You said it yourself," he replied. "The best defense is a good offense."
"No, you said that," Ororo rebutted. "I was just being ironic in the heat of battle."
Logan paused in mid-toss. "Is that ironic?"
Ororo breathed out in frustration, then looked down at the pile of books lying next to Logan's duffel. She picked one up.
"The Pacific Theater. Since when have you been such a reader?"
Logan turned around. "Since they started putting in pretty pictures. Page 34."
Giving Logan a questioning look, Ororo opened the book and flipped to the requested page. She gasped.
"Oh, my God..."
"Life In The Trenches," Logan continued. "Page 46."
Ororo picked up the second book and opened it.
"Logan..."
"Boxer Rebellion, Page 19. North And South, Page 236, third row, second from the left."
"Logan," Ororo breathed. "This is incredible..."
"Chuck always told me that I had to find the answers for myself," Logan said. "When I went to Alkali Lake I got an idea of how I got here. I figured should probably start figuring out how I got there."
"You don't look a day younger than you do now," she breathed, staring at the yellowed photograph of the man standing in front of her, in Union blues and carrying a single-shot rifle and bayonet.
"Healing factor's a hell of a thing, ain't it?" he chuckled.
Before Ororo could respond further, the hallway began filling with voices. Logan turned to the door.
"Not quite as loud as they used to be, huh?"
"Arthur and Alison make up for lack of numbers," Ororo mumbled, pulling another book (Sketches of the French Revolution) into her lap.
Logan shook his head. "More names I don't know."
"There still are people around from before you left," Ororo replied. "Bobby's still here. Kitty and Peter, too. Theresa, Jubilee, Jones, Artie."
"What about Marie?"
Ororo paused. "Long story," she finally replied.
"Gone legit, huh?"
"I suppose you could say that," Ororo replied. "Anyway, Dr. McTaggert's full-time faculty now, you met her at Charles' funeral. And then there's Alex..."
"That's Slim's brother?"
Ororo nodded.
"I am going to meet him before I have to teach him, right?"
"Lucas will have to introduce you," she replied, standing. "Right now he's the only one we're allowing near Alex."
"Because he can go boom," Logan muttered.
"And because Lucas was the one who rescued him," Ororo said, "But, yes, 'boom' as well. That's why your classes with him will be one on one, in his room."
"His cell, you mean?"
"Logan, I don't have time to argue ethics," she said shortly.
Logan raised his hands in surrender. "Hey," he replied, "you know me, I'm not one for philosophy. I know that he has to stay in that room until the suit's built. But what's going to happen when it's done?"
Ororo sighed. "In all honesty, that's something that will have to be decided when we get back."
"Decided by who?"
"You're going to be in on the discussion, don't worry," Ororo replied. "You're a relative outsider to the situation. Plus you'll have plenty of opportunities to judge his physical and mental stability in the next week. You'll probably be spending more time with him than any of us have, aside from Lucas."
Logan nodded. "Suppose I can't ask for much more in the situation."
Ororo walked to the door, and put a hand on her arm.
"I trust your judgment, Logan," she said softly, "or else I wouldn't have asked you to come."
"Aw, you're makin' me all misty," he said flatly, closing the dresser.
Ororo snorted, and Logan followed her across the hall to her room. She walked to the far wall, and, pulling a book from a nearby shelf, opened a hidden door.
"Wow," Logan said, "didn't know you had one of these."
"One of the perks of being a headmistress," she replied, grabbing a leather jumpsuit from the closet and stepping into the small room.
"Care to join me?"
Logan's eyebrow lifted.
"It's an elevator," she replied dully. "Want to say 'hi' to some of the kids before we head out?"
"So i don't get to watch you change?" Logan leered.
"In your dreams, maple leaf."
Logan shrugged and joined her in the elevator.
"Besides," she said as the elevator descended, "this thing's fairly uncomfortable to sleep in. Emma's definitely taking one leg of this flight for me."
"Wearing out a bit?"
Ororo sighed. "Playing 'Flying Detective' can take a toll on a girl. There's a report of a boy in a hospital in England because his chest was blown out by a plasma blast from his mouth. But he's still alive. There have been two murders in the past few weeks that appear to have possible psychic origins. And then there's this situation in Moscow..."
"Yeah, I can see how that could tire anyone out."
"Moira's putting herself on call about the English boy," she continued, "just in case the other doctors from Muir Island need help. We don't have any leads in the murders, but if you want to do some research it would be appreciated."
"I'll put on my Sherlock cap," Logan replied as the elevator opened and they walked down the hall to the hangar.
"At least this trip should be fairly open and shut," she said. "Reports of two mutants robbing banks and stores in the area. Neither of them too dangerous. Should be good training for the recruits."
"Logan!"
Before he had time to react, Logan was knocked backwards by Kitty giving him a tackling hug.
"Hey, Sprite," he said, which earned him a cross look.
"I thought we decided that wasn't my codename," she said.
"Right," he replied. "It lasted one training mission before people started making jokes about opening a can of whupass, or something. It's Lockheed now, isn't it?"
"Shadowcat."
"Oh, right," he said. "Bit of a mouthful."
She shrugged. "Makes a little more sense if someone accidentally calls me 'Kitty.'"
"Iceman," Logan said after Kitty uncoupled.
"Welcome back, Logan," Bobby said, shaking his hand.
"Tinman."
Peter smiled. "Hey, Mr. Logan."
Logan turned to the final member of the team.
"And you are?"
"Emma Frost," Emma replied, holding out her hand coldly, "and you're this 'Wolverine' fellow I've heard so much about."
Logan looked her up and down. "Not much for stealth, are you?"
Emma glanced down at her white leather jumpsuit, complete with cape, heels, and exposed cleavage. "I rarely have to get in the trenches."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't," he said slyly.
"The jet's ready to go, Professor," Emma said shortly to Ororo.
Ororo turned to Logan. "Good luck," she said.
"You, too," he replied as the group walked up the ramp. As the jet lifted off the ground and disappeared through the open ceiling, Logan turned around and walked back to the school he barely knew anymore.
He muttered, "Welcome back."
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