It's Not Me (26/?) Scott/Logan
Title: It's Not Me
Fandom: X-Men
Pairing: Scott/Logan
Rating: M
Word Count: 6002
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 |
"I don't feel comfortable with any of this Logan," Hank divulged when Logan pulled the car into park. They sat outside of the abandoned barn Logan had pulled Scott out of earlier in the midst of his madness. "This isn't what I'd agreed to when you called me out here. I should be checking in on Scott and trying to decipher the root of his torment."
"He'll be alright in Ororo's watch," Logan decided pulling the keys out of the ignition and turning to his friend, "but this can't wait. I knew that you were the only person who could help me with this one."
"You have no idea how many of my moral codes this goes against especially in what you told me about how this played out," Hank sighed, reluctantly getting out of the car to look at the darkened, depleted structure before him.
"I realize that and I wouldn't have asked unless there weren't any alternatives," Logan paused taking in a breath, "I know I could've done this differently, but…"
"But what?" Hank tipped his head to the side when Logan spoke up again.
"Killing him right then wouldn't make Scott hurt any less," Logan replied with a tiny shiver, "In the past I would've done it without hesitation. Hell, I'd wanted to. I wanted to tear him to pieces for what he's done to Scott-for the things that I'll never be able to erase for Scott from that time in his life. I was ready to react, to push forward and unleash my fury, but…"
"But what?" Hank questioned.
"I knew if I did, then we'd never get the answers we needed out of him as much as I hated to admit that," Logan released a small breath, "Even if he's no longer tied to Victor, this man holds the key to Scott's past…to mine even. He knows things and keeping him alive for now seemed like the only logical thing to do. The only thing is that I couldn't pump him for information with Scott around. Scott's reaction to him was too intense, too powerful for him and I to do this together…"
"That's because if this man played a hand in the trauma Scott endured before Xavier found him, then I wouldn't anticipate anything other than chaos to follow," Hank revealed with a hesitation in his voice.
"What was he like?" Logan couldn't help, but ask worriedly, "With Scott…when he first arrived at the school, what happened to him?"
"He was in bad shape Logan," Hank divulged as they stood outside of the barn with one another, "Physically a lot of the wounds had healed from his time in captivity, but he was consumed by night terrors. They were so prevalent that Xavier feared Scott was killing himself with the fear that surrounded him. They didn't ease up over time, but rather intensified, getting worse until Scott couldn't escape them in the waking hours…"
"Like what's happening now?" Logan questioned thinking about Scott's torment. "Are you saying that you believe he's simply regressed to what he was before when they abducted him?"
"No," Hank shook his head firmly, "Scott was fighting to keep it together back then, lost inside of himself, but the only one he was hurting was himself. He didn't lash out at others. He was afraid of his powers, refusing to use them for any reason. He kept it all inside, buried deep and under tight reigns unlike any of what's going on here. He was simply surrounded by fear. He didn't sleep, wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk much to anyone around him. He closed himself down completely, which is why Xavier decided to try to help him."
"Chuck put the wall in his mind to protect him, but now that it's gone…," Logan hesitated feeling an uneasiness in the pit of his abdomen, "do you think it's going to happen all over again? Am I losing Scott to his fears?"
"I don't know," Hank reply sympathetically, "I'd like to say that what happened back then isn't at all tied into what's happening now, but something's changed. From what you said Scott's grip on reality seems to be slipping away each day…"
"He wasn't afraid until after we returned to the school," Logan deduced with an uneasy breath, "Not until after Victor abducted him again. When Victor almost took him from me…"
"It obviously triggered something else inside of him," Hank agreed with Logan's assessment. "It may very well have been the beginning of the wall crumbling and the first step on this downward spiral he's on…"
"Do you…do you know what happened with him and Victor the first time around? Did Scott ever say what Victor had done to him? If he had…" Logan bit back on his words knowing the depths of destruction Victor had been capable of.
Hank shook his head, "Scott never spoke to any of us about what happened. He simply surrounded himself with the memories, buried in the nightmares for the first few months he was with us. He stayed to himself, kept away from everyone, trying to place a distance between himself and the rest of us. If it hadn't been for Xavier fighting to help him reclaim his life, then there's no telling where he could've wound up. He just pulled back for so long until Xavier and Jean…"
"Jean?" Logan repeated looking to Hank again, "What about Jean?"
"She took to him almost immediately," Hank divulged rubbing his hands together, "They were inseparable after a while. Once Xavier started working with Scott, he and Jean were drawn to one another. Maybe it's because they both had their own demons to face, but whatever it was, they were always together."
"Until I stepped in and destroyed that for them," Logan felt a wave of guilt carry over him.
"It was a long time ago Logan," Hank paused contemplating his words before speaking up again, "but that's not really what I wanted to discuss with you. Look, I know we have to get in there and check things out, but since you mentioned Scott's past, there was something I thought you should know about-something that I only recently discovered…"
"What is it?" Logan turned to look at him.
"I didn't want to discuss this in front of Ororo, but because I've been reviewing Scott's medical records lately, doing blood work and the such on him, I've noticed an anomaly with him," he lowered his voice, "one that I haven't seen in a very long time."
"What kind of anomaly? Hank, if you've discovered something that's wrong with Scott medically, then you need to tell me. You need to say what you…" Logan snarled with worry, his body tensing up with his friend's admission.
"Genetically he's changing," Hank blurted out with an uneasiness in his voice, "Something is very different, but looking back further at his medical records I'm thinking that it was there for a while laying dormant. Perhaps he'd always carried it with him or maybe it was a direct result of the experimentation that Stryker did upon him during his time in captivity. Still back then it wasn't of any significance when he arrived at the school, but now…"
"What was there?" Logan gulped down hard. "Do you think it has to do with his new powers?"
"Some of them," Hank nodded in confession, "Over the last couple of months it's spiked in him. At first I didn't think anything of it, but with the last results of his blood work, I really saw the change…"
"What kind of change? What are we looking at?" Logan prompted Hank for answers. "What's happening to Scott? If you think you've got an answer that goes beyond this thing with Jean and his past…?"
"I think it's incorporated into his past," Hank finally admitted facing Logan fully, "There's something that was in him when he was brought to the school to begin with. From what I read in the charts, it was there for a while, but then it simply stopped showing up on his blood panel over time. It worked it's way out of his system and seemed to be gone completely, but in the recent months it's returned. It's intensified and…"
"Lay it on me Hank. Forget the technical jargon and just tell me what's going on with Scott so we can fix this," Logan insisted with a heavy scowl, "What's changed in him Hank?"
"You," Hank's words fell from his lips tightly, "You've changed him Logan."
"Me?" Logan blinked back at him with a moment of offense in his tone. "Look just because Scott and I are together now, it doesn't mean that's behind the madness that's consumed him. I know a lot of people have made assumptions about who I am and what being in relationship with me could entail for someone like Scott, but…"
"Logan, that's not what I'm trying to…" Hank opened his mouth to explain himself.
"I'm not doing this to Scott by being in love with him. What's happening in his head is clearly the result of something darker than falling in love with me. And in regards to his wanting to be with me, well, I'm sure deep down a part of him was always curious about…"
"Not like that," Hank couldn't help, but roll his eyes, "I'm speaking from a medical stand point, not about sexual orientation."
"Fine, then I don't understand. What are you saying?" Logan folded his arms in front of his chest.
"I started looking into Scott's new adaptive abilities, specifically the healing factor that's become a part of who he is now," Hank cleared his throat again, his eyes shifting to the ground in front of him, "and there's something very common between the both of you it would seem."
"Such as?" Logan raised a curious brow.
"Given that the two of you are connected on an intimate level, if I were to take a bit of an educated guess I would imagine Scott's healing capabilities might've been brought on by your…" Hank hesitated before selecting his words, "relationship with one another."
"Our relationship," Logan repeated hearing Hank clear his throat once again, "you mean because he and I are…Does it even work that way? It sounds like a bit of a stretch that because we…well considering that…"
"Let's just say that whatever happened to Scott in the time he was away is something that's made him more susceptible to picking up on some of your powers. He's getting stronger than he was before and it would lead one to assume that in an intimate exchange of DNA, then it's possible with his newfound adaptive tendencies that he could benefit from, well, from what you're offering him," Hank resumed his neutral tone before continuing, "Granted it seems he's also absorbed some of Jean's powers as well somewhere down the line, which puts my hypothesis of what's happening with the two of you to the test to some degree given that I'm certain Scott and Jean haven't been intimate in quite some time. With you, on the other hand, the level of power he's experienced in healing rapidly seems to be intensifying as time goes on indicating that the more frequent the contact, the stronger the adaptation appears to be. Given the results of Scott's latest blood work, I would just assume that the two of you are still strong and solid in that aspect, so…"
"There isn't any kind of questioning that department. Things are good," Logan finished for him, giving his friend an easy out to their awkward conversation, "but you also mentioned that it was present before-that you saw something in his charts that was there in his blood when he first arrived at the school."
Hank nodded, "The tests back then weren't as accurate as they can be now, but at the time there was something in Scott that seemed foreign to his genetic makeup. Granted given how little everyone knew little about him, I suppose it never came into question, but when I started looking into the initial testing Jean did with you, well you and Scott seemed to both have strong similarities that I'd attributed to Stryker's influence when I recently reviewed Scott's records. I'd just assumed that Stryker played a hand in whatever it was and…"
"So you think Stryker did something to Scott to what? To heal him during his time in captivity?" Logan couldn't help, but ask taking in Hank's words.
"Scott had obviously endured a great deal of torture in his time in captivity. I wouldn't put it past someone like Stryker to find a way to simply rejuvenate Scott only to work on breaking him all over again. If it was a gradual, repeated process for Scott…" Hank words tapered off.
"Then it could've been something Stryker threw out to add to Scott's torment," Logan felt a shudder carry over him in thinking what a monster like Stryker could've done to Scott.
"That was the general assumption," Hank nodded again, "I'd just deduced it was something that Stryker infused him with to help build Scott up again over and over to test his limitations for whatever dark purpose he had in mind."
"Using me to make it happen," Logan paused allowing the words to sink in, "as I'm assuming that with what you've just said you're certain that it was from me and not..."
"Not what?" Hank questioned catching an uneasiness that hung over in Logan's voice.
"Victor," Logan replied quietly his mind drifting to the worst possible scenario he could imagine with Scott given his history with Victor, "what you found from back then in Scott's blood work, you're certain it was identical to mine and not Victor's? With him and I being related there's a possibility that the healing factor could've been…"
"It's a match to you Logan according to the work up that Jean did on you when you first arrived. There's no mistake about it. Back then there were traces of it in Scott's system when he arrived at the school, much like there is now only this time," Hank paused clearing his throat again, "it's a much stronger situation. Before it was a weaker strain with DNA, diluted in a lot of ways when he was in for his initial work up. However, on the most basic level the results are the same. I would imagine the technique in which what's been administered is quite different from what happened during his time in captivity and…"
"I don't believe this," Logan threw his hands up in the air, "so you're saying that not only did Stryker torture him, but he used something that he obviously took from me when I submitted to his madness and now I'm…"
"Giving Scott something that he didn't have before. Stryker conducted a series of sadistic experiments on the both of you from what I've gathered and given his relationship with world renowned geneticists in his quest to bring about mutant extinction, anything is a possibility. Using one mutant's powers to exploit another isn't something that I would put past him," Hank sighed with a solemn expression on his face.
"So you think that when Stryker had me under his control that I did something to hurt Scott back then?" Logan questioned horrified by the notion that carried over him. "That I played a hand in his torment somehow?"
"Considering all that you endured at Stryker's hand Logan I could see how one would believe that anything is possible," Hank divulged quietly, his uneasiness carrying over him. "You lost so much during that time in your life that whatever happened back then was something that you weren't in control of. Stryker was very cold and calculating with his methods and…"
"You think I attacked Scott, don't you?" Logan questioned bluntly. "That's what you're trying to ask, aren't you? If I hurt him back then?"
"No," Hank shook his head firmly, "there's no evidence to support that kind of accusation, nor would I buy into that considering the way you both feel about one another now. Yes the DNA is a link, but the way in which it was administered into Scott's system is unclear. As I said Stryker has been known for having ties to strong geneticists who performed shady acts…that have been criminal in their experimentation against humanity and mutant kind…"
"Even so you're still thinking that maybe there was something more primitive to it, yes? That perhaps when I was Stryker's Weapon X that I gave into rage, destruction and anger and…" Logan curled his lower lip in protest, feeling an objection upon his lips to the notion that he could've caused Scott any pain back then.
"No Logan, that's not at all what I'm trying to imply. Scott has a clear cut reaction to danger from what you've told me. If he'd perceived you to be a threat-felt that you'd hurt him, then he wouldn't have hesitated to react. As evidenced by what you saw with him and this man in the barn, Scott's subconscious is opening up to the truth. He's seeing what he experienced during that time and responding to it," Hank explained with a slight hesitation, "Had you been a part of what had tortured him, then I'm certain he would've turned on you without hesitation."
"So what you're saying is that you're trying to placate me in the moment, but you aren't sure?" Logan couldn't help, but frown. "You're still wondering if the extent of my darkness poured out over into Scott with…"
"As your friend I don't believe even with Stryker controlling you that you're capable of what you believe I'm trying to imply with Scott right now Logan. I'm merely explaining to you that somewhere along the line before Scott made his way to the academy he'd been subjected to testing-some of which included the introduction of foreign DNA. It just so happens that the markers indicated it was yours. As for the methods of it being administered, well that's up for speculation, but I'd say given what I know to be true about the both of you, it's outrageous to be making assumptions about what you could've done to him. I truly believe there was a third party involved in the introduction of the strain in Scott's system back then."
"But you're not sure?" Logan asked uneasily.
"Logan, for argument's sake, let's go with the theory that experimentation brought about the change in Scott," Hank issued him an unspoken warning, "Given that possibility what we can see is that since Stryker had implemented it into his system in the past, there's always the possibility that Scott is more susceptible to it and…"
"It's part of what's evolving inside of him now," Logan finished with an uneasiness behind his breath.
Hank nodded and continued as a breeze carried over the night surrounding them, "Exactly. It's becoming a part of his new genetic make up, expanding and shifting his basic foundation."
"Because now he's absorbing it into his system in ways no one thought possible in our being together," Logan paused considering the weight of the situation, "though for what it's worth, if Scott is picking up on my healing abilities now because he and I are…together, well that can't be a bad thing for him, right? Given what he endured at Victor's hand in their last encounter, well, it's clearly a good thing that he's able to heal now. Otherwise…"
"The healing factor is undoubtedly beneficial to Scott," Hank agreed hoping to alleviate Logan's concerns, "but with everything else that's happening, tying back to Jean's powers or more specifically the rage that Phoenix carried with her, I can't help, but wonder if what's happening now in Scott is somehow a direct result of him managing to absorb some of her powers in the transfer between them when she stripped him of his. If this were laying dormant inside of him until a catalyst ignited them somehow…"
"What kind of catalyst?" Logan questioned.
"I'm not sure, which is why I'm hoping to get him to return to the school for further testing so we'll understand it. Honestly," Hank met Logan's eyes again, "if you wouldn't object, I'd like to run a few tests on you as well just to see if…"
"If what?" Logan asked.
"Given that you two were seeing one another right before he disappeared, I'd just thought that maybe you might have…" Hank's eyes shifted around to the barn again, avoiding any kind of visual contact with Logan.
"Have what?" Logan questioned with a frown.
"Played a hand in the outcome for Scott," Hank cleared his throat again, "If somehow…"
"Are you trying to imply now that him sleeping with me has turned him into this? That I started this before Jean stepped in and stole him from us? That he's picked up on all of these new powers because I've turned something on inside of him from the start?" Logan questioned gruffly, uneasy at Hank's implication.
"Not necessarily, I was more so hinting at your strengthening his survival instincts. Ororo thinks that Scott was saved because of Jean's inability to do him in given their history, but after reviewing the tests, I couldn't help, but wonder if the only reason Scott survived the ordeal at all was because of your relationship with him. Given what we've seen so far about him getting stronger-about his healing capabilities, it lends to reason that back then with you two together, well it could've helped spike his survival instincts and provided him means of fighting back in the absorption of power," Hank explained drawing in a breath.
"You said that the adaptive tendencies only recently started," Logan pondered his friend's words, "That they didn't emerge until after the attack from Victor…"
"As far as we know Logan there's a possibility that could be true, but then again no one even thought about testing anything that was happening with Scott back then once he'd settled into the academy. No one really thought to look into any kind of changes in Scott other than him being depressed over experiencing a great loss. There wasn't a need to do blood work on him to see if there was something deeper guiding the intensity of his pain and sorrow. Each person handles grieving differently, so to think that you being with Scott was strengthening him or that he was being guided to madness because of Jean's hold on him wasn't even an after thought. To think that his survival was based on something deeper wasn't in question until we all learned he was still alive."
"Now we're surrounded by questions without any real sense of understanding or answers," Logan let out an ironic laugh, "and given what you're saying to me, I'm starting to feel like there won't be any real comfort or solace in the truth when it emerges."
"I truly believe that the only way we're going to get the truth in any of all of this is to go back to the school. Once we exhume Jean we'll know if she was the one that was there the night of the break in and the night that Scott returned to us. If she's not in that coffin, then we're going to have to seek her out as well in our quest for answers," Hank added with an uneasy breath.
"Ororo said as much, but I still don't like it especially after what happened between them before at the lake. I don't care if Ororo thinks Jean might've held back on killing Scott because to me she's still a threat. She's dangerous to him and his stability. I've seen that first hand," Logan protested with an uneasiness overtaking him.
"We can't be certain Jean's the one who has been behind Scott's madness. Even if Jean or Phoenix transferred some of her darkness onto Scott, there isn't any concrete proof that she's…" Hank attempted to be objective in the moment.
"I don't care what she did, if she hurts Scott again, there won't be any room for debate on the subject. She'll be put to rest for real this time," Logan warned sourly, his body tensing up with tension, "because Scott is and always will be my top priority in all of this. I don't want to lose him again."
"We're going to work like hell to make sure that doesn't happen," Hank promised before letting out a slow breath, "Even if it means our bringing Jean back to us once again to figure this out."
"I don't like it at all if she's out there," Logan paused taking in the weight of the situation, "but if it'll help Scott, then I suppose it doesn't matter what I think about…"
"At this point I feel like we're running out of options," Hank added quietly.
"I realize that," Logan hesitated, "which is why I wanted to talk to you about something else as well. It's about Victor and the fact that he's still out there hoping to get his hands on adamantium. I know we've got plenty on our plate right now to deal with, but this is something that I can't ignore either."
"I was wondering when the discussion would come up again," Hank nodded to the building before him, "though considering that we're here right now preparing to do this interrogation of sorts, I suppose I should've anticipated the inevitable conversation."
"Victor was here in Ohio two days ago," Logan blurted out worriedly, "He was at the pub where Scott had his melt down."
"Wait a second," Hank paused tipping his head to the side to look at Logan, "are you saying he was where you were when…?"
"Two days ago. He was there before we were," Logan repeated with a nod, "I think he was meeting someone out here who could help him obtain what he wanted. Whether he got it or not, I'm not sure, but at the same time I don't think we can afford to let this go. He attacked a waitress and a bartender before going on his way."
"So Victor's in Ohio," Hank frowned, "Logan, if that's really true, then we need to get back to Scott and Ororo and get them out of here. If Victor even thinks about going back to reclaim Scott again…"
"Considering what I saw Scott do earlier today, I think he could hold his own tonight if need be," Logan divulged as he turned to the barn before him. "I wouldn't want to have him face that, but at the same time he was practically untouchable in his rage."
"Until you head butted him," Hank mouthed sourly, "which proved to be a vulnerability for him."
"Yeah, I get it. It wasn't the smartest of decisions, but it got the job done," Logan slurred, turning to face his friend again, "which is what I want us to do with Victor as well. Should he be preparing to make his next move and attack, I want us to be one step ahead of the game. We're going to need to launch an investigation to see what happened to him after he left the pub."
"Given Victor's thirst for carnage I'm certain we'll hear more things in the wake of his path," Hank noted with a shake of his head, "He's too aggressive to be quiet in all of this."
"All the more reason for us to find him before he can take any of us by surprise," Logan added somberly. "Right now I still think he can be neutralized, but if he is able to follow through on the plans I fear he may have, we might be looking at a situation that we can't reverse."
"I promise I'll look into it after we get back to Scott's place. Perhaps I can call around and see if there's been any other news. Maybe if someone else saw something the night at the pub it could help in the search. However, this was a good start though because we have some idea on how to track his pattern closer to home. Although again it suggests all the more reason for you and Scott to return to the school," Hank continued weighing out their options, "that way if Victor is bold enough to try to launch an attack we'll be on home ground so to speak."
"I'm not going to argue that point," Logan nodded, "even if Scott and I were hoping for time away all this has proven is that it's not going to happen right now."
"I wish things were different for you my friend. Perhaps after we figure everything out you and Scott can get that break together," Hank suggested when a chill carried over the night surrounding them.
"I hope so, but for now let's see what we can find out in here before we go back to everything else. Maybe this idiot can prove more useful then we thought given he likes to hang out at the same pub Victor was spotted in. Perhaps his association with Victor isn't as long ago as he claimed it to be," Logan stepped forward preparing to deal with the problem he'd left behind in the barn when he was hit by a foul, unwelcome odor.
"Logan, what is it?" Hank questioned stepping up beside Logan.
"Blood," Logan snarled, feeling the familiar scent carrying over his senses causing his claws to reveal themselves, "and death."
"Death," Hank repeated watching Logan tear open the door to the barn and rush inside, "Logan."
"Son of a bitch!" Logan snarled, his darkened eyes tilting upwards to discover the carcass of the man before him now hanging from the hook at the top of the barn, impaled through the center of his forehead. The rounded tip of the bloodied hook surrounded the man's features, splitting through the man's left eye socket in a sickening, dehumanizing fashion. There was a pool of blood on the ground beneath where the man hang on display, insides torn out and ripped of opportunity to tell them anything about what he knew.
"Logan, I thought you said that he was alive when you left…" Hank began horrified by the sight before him.
"He was," Logan crouched down on the ground, inspecting the blood pouring out over the straw before him. "I tied him up over in the back after knocking him out. I figured he'd be safe there for a while until I could return with you and…"
"It looks like someone else found him first," Hank shuddered as a chill carried in through the now opened entry way, "From the looks of things he didn't have a fighting chance in all of this."
"I have to admit it couldn't have happened to a nicer person," Logan mouthed sourly, knowing full well that he'd contemplated doing the same in finishing the job that Scott had started hours ago, still in seeing the man's lifeless remains overhead, serving as a reminder of how far someone had gone to silence him, Logan couldn't help, but feel an uneasiness overtake him.
"Someone wanted to make sure you didn't get the opportunity to question him," Hank stepped forward only to feel something squish beneath his foot. Pulling back, Hank groaned when he realized it was the remains of the man's tongue. Bending down to carefully extract it from his shoe with one of the discarded, rusty farmer's tools beside him, Hank turned to Logan again, "They went to extremes to ensure he couldn't provide us with answers."
"Someone had to have been watching," Logan deduced thinking about the scene that had taken place with him and Scott earlier, "Someone had to be taking all of this in when we left. They must've seen what was happening with Scott and…"
"Who?" Hank couldn't help, but ask, "Please don't tell me that you're thinking Jean? You don't really think she's capable if she's out there, do you?"
"You were there when she was caught up in a whirlwind of destruction. Besides you didn't see what was happening to Scott earlier. He was beyond reasoning, pushed past the point of no return and that wasn't at all who he is. He's been being coaxed over the edge for a while now not of his own accord. I'm certain of that even if everything is questionable right now," Logan felt an uneasiness bristling over his senses, the air of death surrounding him, immersing himself in a place where he'd found himself uncomfortable. There had been a time in his life when death was all he'd known, but now with thoughts of Scott on the front burner of his mind, he stood up taller and faced his friend, "This could've been the outcome for him if I hadn't intervened when I did."
"And you think someone saw that and finished the job?" Hank questioned with wide eyes. "It seems like a stretch for Jean. Even when she was out of control, I don't think she was capable of this."
"She's capable of a lot more than we gave her credit for. However, if it's not Jean, then someone who wanted to make for damn certain that Scott went down for this," Logan raised his chin up again, watching another thick droplet of blood drop as a result of the strain gravity was taking upon the body. "They must've seen his anger-known his rage…"
"Which means we can't leave this here, can we?" Hank deduced with an uneasiness in his voice. "Clearly with Scott's earlier attack on the man, it wouldn't be a stretch for someone to believe that Scott was the one that did this. They'll have plenty of evidence in this barn to support that theory given that you said Scott was out of his mind. I'm sure he wasn't cautious or careful with is actions."
"Not in the least," Logan agreed feeling his chest tighten, "it was as if it he was outside of himself, somewhere else in the height of madness…"
"No one's going to believe he didn't do this if the physical evidence supports him attacking this man," Hank shuddered at the thought.
"Scott didn't do this Hank. I promise you that man was very much alive when I left here. I carried Scott home on my back unconscious, so there's no way that he could've done this. He was with me all day and…" Logan attempted to reason with his friend.
"I believe you, but the rest of the world won't," Hank frowned with a shake of his head, "We're going to have to do something about this."
"If we take the body back to the lab, then maybe you'll be able to find the answers we're seeking out," Logan took in another whiff of the air that surrounded him, "Whomever was behind this was careful to cover their tracks. They knew what they were doing-were certain to make sure that their scent didn't linger."
"I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining this one to Ororo. I hope you realize that," Hank warned drawing in an uneasy breath, "For us to take this back with us…"
"It's our only lead at this point," Logan took a step back and began contemplating the ways to remove the man from the hook overhead, "unless you've got a better option."
"None that sound any less unappealing at the moment," Hank decided with a frown, "but just know when we get to the bottom of this someone's going to have to be held accountable for everything that's happening."
"Believe me when we find out who it is, I'll be the first to make sure it happens," Logan promised knowing only too well that the dead man hanging overhead was only yet another sign that things were about to take a dark turn into dangerous territory.
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