Restive Nature
Disclaimer- I in no way, shape or form own the characters of Dark Angel or X-Men or anything related to them. I simply like to play with them for a short while.
A/N- This is a slightly AU story. It takes place more in Max’s timeline, with the pulse occurring. It begins after the episode ‘Blah Blah, Woof Woof" It doesn’t affect the X-men much, as Professor Xavier is affluent enough to afford the best in life. It also takes place after the first X-men movie, but as I haven’t seen the second one, I’ll leave that stuff alone.
Pairing M/L
Summary: Once again Max is on the run. But this time she is led to a safe haven.
Chapter One
Charles rolled himself into the dining room. The teachers of his school for gifted youngsters talked quietly among themselves. He moved his wheelchair to the head of the table. As he positioned himself, the housekeeper moved forward to place his breakfast in front of him. The teachers grew silent, as his plate remained untouched. With quiet presence, he made his announcement.
"We are going to have a new arrival soon," he said to the room in general. The adults waited expectantly. "She is not going to be a student. An acquaintance of mine in Seattle has asked if we could provide shelter for her until the situation she is in cools done somewhat."
"What kind of situation are we talking about here, Professor?" Scott Summers asked, his mirrored glasses revealing nothing. But the professor was adept at reading more than posture and facial movements. He sensed Scott’s unspoken concerns immediately.
"She is not a mutant in the sense of our populace," he replied. "Max Gueverra is her name. She was part of a covert operation with the government about ten years ago. She is considered AWOL and the people in charge of the operation want her back because of the information she carries with her. At least, that is my understanding of the situation." Charles knew that Logan Cale hadn’t exactly told him the entire truth, but it was close enough for now. Charles could only respect Max’s need for privacy. At least Logan had given him the bare bones so that Charles knew what he was getting himself into before agreeing.
"But Jean was not to be deterred. "So, you mean to say that we could be going up against the government for this girl?"
"Not a girl," Charles corrected her, neatly sidestepping the concern. "She’s an adult. And she won’t be interfering in the running of the school. All we are doing is providing a room to sleep in for a few weeks to months."
"But Jean has a valid point," Scott leaned forward to drive his point home. His smooth voice lowered somewhat. "Given our propensity for championing the underdog, aren’t we placing ourselves in a precarious position?"
"From my understanding, Max is very adept at avoiding situations which would lead to the problems of which you are referring." Charles cocked his head minutely as he sensed a familiar presence outside the room. He’d been expecting this for a little while now.
"Then why does she need to come here?" Storm asked finally. She had set her napkin down beside her plate. Charles sighed; it looked as if his team was going to be belligerent about this.
"Mr. Cale also mentioned that she is looking for her family," Charles commented. To the average onlooker, he appeared calm, dignified, unruffled, but he was aware of every nuance in the room.
"Oh," was all Scoot could say. They all knew that Scott had been searching for his younger sibling for years. Being split up in foster homes after the death of their parents had been difficult. His brother had been adopted almost immediately, but Scott, recuperating from brain damage from the accident, had been made to wait. And before a match could be made, his power had come to light, so to speak. No one wanted a freak for a son. Charles had taken him from that damned world and had given him a purpose in life. Now Scott was his staunchest supporter, if Charles’ ideas meshed with Scott’s team playing rules.
"Maybe you should give the kid a break," an old, familiar voice came from the doorway. The companion’s jumped up to greet the long missing Wolverine. He even grudgingly accepted quick hugs from Jean and Storm. Scott hung back, anger stiffening his posture. Seven months prior, Logan had gone to revisit his murky past, taking Scott’s motorcycle in the process
"Well, well," he forced a chuckle. "The prodigal son returns unscathed."
"Did you really expect anything less?" Logan growled softly, his eyebrow raised menacingly.
Charles moved his wheelchair towards them. "Boys," he breathed the word softly. To his relief, both men backed off. Scott turned his attention towards his girlfriend, Jean. After glaring daggers at Scott’s back, Logan watched Jean wistfully. Storm tactfully removed herself from the room. Charles cleared his throat. "Logan, we’re glad to have you back. Perhaps after classes are done, you could drop by my study and regale me with your adventures."
"Not much to tell," he muttered, still mesmerized by the redhead. "I just came back to see how Rogue is doing."
"She was worried about you too." The professor’s clarity of thought and mind-reading ability always hit Logan upside the head, even though he was intellectually aware of Xavier’s powers. His thoughts drifted over the last few months, wondering how much he could edit out of his journey without the professor knowing. ‘Probably none,’ he decided grimly, grinning ruefully. It was then that he realized Jean was speaking.
"…can we expect this new arrival?"
"Probably in the next week or so," Charles replied. "Logan…Cale informed me that she would be driving. So, if she left today, yes, I’d say about a week." He turned to their Logan. "Had you heard out entire conversation this morning?"
"Just that we’re getting a kid who’s not a mutant, but needs some sort of safe house," he snorted, his opinion on the matter blatantly obvious.
"Her name is Max and if you stick around, keep an eye out for her," Charles instructed, With a quick nod to the group in general, he wheeled himself off to his first class of the day. He could just imagine the fireworks about to occur between Scott and Logan.
Had he stayed in the dining room, he would have been pleasantly surprised. Jean managed to keep the hostility level at a minimum. After a few stinging barbs were exchanged, Jean simply placed herself between the two men and demanded that Logan apologize to Scott for taking the motorcycle again. Eyeing the telekinetic, he shrugged and murmured a half-hearted apology. In the nature it was given, Scott returned the shrug with one of his own and a telling snort. His thought was so loud that Jean had to cover a smile. ‘Nothing ever changes. He’s still a jerk.’ The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed and it reminded Jean and Scott of their teaching responsibilities. They left quietly as Logan allowed the housekeeper to fuss minimally over him. Already he was making plans to leave again.
The day passed slowly, as Logan waited impatiently to talk to Rogue. He had accepted the responsibility of watching out for her. He was sure that she understood the necessity of his searching out his past. He wanted to check in on her and let her know that he hadn’t forgotten her. Finally hearing the last bell ring, he made his way to the lounging area, sure that she would end up there. Before he made it that far though, he felt a familiar presence raised the hairs on the back of his neck. ‘Good ol’ professor,’ he thought wryly. He veered towards Charles’ study, remembering the first time he had burst in on the man.
"Ah, Logan," Charles smiled as Logan moved into the room stealthily. "So good of you to come. Would you like some tea?"
"Nah, never drink the stuff," he joked, prowling around the room, barely glancing at the numerous volumes lying around. Logan got the impression that this was deliberate, for the professors mental prowess came with an obsession for order.
"Something else then?"
"No, thank you," Logan finally caught the professors nod towards the chairs. Sighing, he collapsed into the chair nearest to him, which was also the furthest from Charles.
"I take it you did not find the information you were looking for?" Charles asked gently, leaning forward, his hands clasped. ‘He’s really got the body language down pat,’ Logan thought. He decided to make it easy on himself, realizing that the professor was being polite. It was terribly rude to go traipsing through someone else’s thoughts and memories without their permission.
"No," Logan’s answer was short and gruff. Looking to the window, he searched for quick words that would mask his disappointment and frustration. "As we discussed, the military compound was burnt almost entirely to the ground. When I got there, it was buried in about three feet of snow. I went over it with a fine tooth comb, but there was nothing there. And I couldn’t get a sense of the place at first. It was almost as if someone had already been there and took everything they could. I mean, you would expect that if you were cleaning up after a fire, you would tear everything down and clear away the debris. But the building was gutted and then left.
"Did you have any problem getting to the building?" Charles wondered.
"There was a perimeter fence, but it wasn’t guarded and it wasn’t wired, either."
"So it was definitely a government building then?"
"I’d say so," Logan began to muse aloud, all the things he had surmised in his time in Canada. "If the place belonged to a civilian, it would make sense that they would rebuild, or at least tear down the place. But, the government has a lot of privately funded outfits. If they were doing what I think they were, after the fire, they may have lost any research gathered and then lost their funding. Or they could have found another place and moved their base away from the area. A fire that size would garner a fair amount of attention."
"You said that you think someone else had already been over the grounds?" Charles weighed what Logan theorized and added his own opinion. "If that were the case, then your second theory may have merit. Indeed, if the government scientists were experimenting on mutants it would necessitate secrecy. I would be inclined to think that the government swooped in, took any and all evidence and relocated it. Perhaps they set the fire, to discourage investigation of their activity. Unfortunately, we don’t know at this point if they continued experimenting or not"
"That’s probably the case," Logan realized as the thoughts flowed between them. It was reassuring to have someone who understood his frustration and was willing to believe Logan’s theories, rather than scoffing outright. As Logan could imagine some of the members of this group doing. The two men talked over the news and ideas. Charles offered his continuing help and support. Finally, there came a timid knock at the door. Logan’s young friend Rogue poked her head through the opening. Charles beckoned her in.
Chapter Two
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