Chapter 5
“So want ya got for me?” Wade asked as he entered the bar area of St Margarete’s, casually dropping his swords to the side. Behind him Colossus and Domino followed.
Weasel was standing at the bar, polishing glasses and looked disapprovingly at the old pool table where Russell was hustling Booth out of his latest take.
“You know, it's ages 21 and over in the bar.” Weasel said, ignoring Wade. Russell flipped him off before turning to watch the next shot. Domino walking over and putting her arm around the teenager's shoulder, the book still in her other hand as she studied the game in progress. Colossus, the prude, was pressing himself into a corner, looking uncomfortable as several of the female patrons stared at him. His metal skin shone in the dim and the ladies were totally eyeing him with speculation and more than a little interest.
“Oy! The big boys are talking!” Wade snapped, finally drawing Weasels attention to him.
“Right. So it took a few hours but I managed to track down the name of the guy who hired you for this job.” Weasel said, placing the aforementioned card on the table before picking up the next glass.
Reaching out, Wade snatched it from the bar and looked at it.
“Was the name of this asshole Nathan Milbury, by any chance?” He asked.
“How the fuck did you know that?” Weasel asked.
“It’s on the back of the card, dipshit.” Wade replied, throwing the card back at Weasel.
“Oh.” Weasel said as Wade lowered his forehead and smacked it against the solid wood of the counter.
“Please tell me you have an address or at least a goddamn phone number.” He muttered.
“Well, we operate on a no trace left behind bases…” Weasel said. He jumped when Wade let out a choked scream. “But I did manage to get a phone number.”
“And…?” Wade asked, finally raising from the bar.
“It’s deactivated.”
“Argh!” Wade said, continuing to try to brain himself on the wood.
“What crawled up in your ass and died?” Weasel asked. Wade reached for his knife, about to do something he might regret sometime in the future when he was distracted from his task.
“Did you say Milbury?” Domino asked, walking over from the pool table. Russell was currently shooting and both Wade and Weasel could smell the smoke coming from the table.
“You know the name?” Wade asked, turning to look at her as she approached.
“Yeah. Michael Milbury owned the orphanage we grew up in.” Dom said, sliding into the seat beside Wade. She placed the book down on the table, as if proving her point.
“Well. That’s an interesting plot twist.” Wade replied.
Weasel looked between her and Wade and then snuck a glance at Russell at the pool table and Colossus, caught in the grip of a drunken cougar who was making a lot of comments about his metal skin.
“Maybe we should take this to the back room.” He suggested, more for his own sanity then anything else.
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“And this is the danger room.” Rogue said as she entered the large, metal room in the basement of the mansion. Behind her, Nate walked with Bobby, looking up at the roof with interest. “This is where we do combat training.”
The woman had seemed genuinely surprised when Nate had told her about his life and his training with Redd and Slym and had wanted to show what it was like here.
It was Nate’s turn to be surprised when Rogue had told him that combat training wasn’t mandatory, that most of the kids at the school never trained past basic self-defence and control of their mutations. Nate had never heard of anything like it. In the Askani Camp, all children started their training from the age of 4 at the very latest, to prepare them to defend their clan and their very lives.
Scanning the large room, Nate tried to see where the opponents would come from but it was empty. No enemies in sight.
“You wanna show us what you got kid?” Boddy asked from behind him. There was a teasing tone in his voice, as if he didn’t believe that Nate could defend himself. Rogue quickly tried to shush him but Nate ignored them both.
Tilting his head as he thought quickly, Nate let his fringe fall over his left eye, hiding the glow. Somewhere in the corner, he could feel a switch being thrown.
Suddenly the room shifted into a battlefield.
Rogue and Bobby both started, taken by surprised as out of the gloom, a metal figure charged at Nate.
Nate reacted as he had been taught, ducking the first swing of the metal arm, turning on his heels and delivering a swift punch to the robot's leg as it overshot. The robot stumbled forward before righting itself and turning, reaching out. Nate caught the approaching arm in his own metal arm, using strength even he didn’t know he possessed to push it back, away from his face. The metal arm bent back before snapping off.
Gripping tightly to the torn off arm, Nate swung it at the robot's head, knocking it to the ground.
Quickly, he jumped on the robot and pulled open the chest carvery, grabbing at the wires within. The robot stopped moving, reduced to nothing but a pile of wires and metal. Nate relaxed slightly before he felt it, like something was sneaking up behind him.
Turning, Nate raised his arm as the approaching robot shot a blast at him. A gold light formed in front of Nates arm, shielding him as the blast collided with it and disappeared. Nate reached out with his free arm. Suddenly the robot shot back as if pulled away by an invisible force, its arms and legs tearing off.
The third robot came from Nates left, forcing him to drop his arm and step back to regain ground before he saw his moment. Ducking down again, Nate ducked between the robots legs and ground his fists down on the knee joins. The robot fell forward.
Jumping to his feet, Nate ran a few steps to the robot's head before bringing the heel of his foot down hard on the robot's head.
There was a satisfying snap and the robot was still.
Around him, the battlefield faded back into the bland metal of the Danger Room.
“Holy Shit!” Bobby exclaimed.
“Language Bobby.” A voice said behind him as Nate stepped off the pile of metal. All three turned to see a group had entered the room. The leader was a dark skinned woman with white hair, who was looking pointedly at Bobby and Rogue. “What is going on?”
“Storm!” Rogue exclaimed. “We found Nate running around and were just taking him back to Scott and Jean.”
“Via the Danger Room?” Storm asked, raising an eyebrow as Nate saw Logan stalk into the room before stopping to do a double take at the destroyed robots.
“Uh, yeah.” Bobby replied, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked incredibly guilty.
Storm sighted before turning to another man who had entered the room and was looking around with interest.
“I’m sorry for this Doctor Essex. I wasn’t expecting the room to be occupied.” She apologised to the man who was ghostly pale and thin with dark hair.
“That is perfectly alright Ms Munroe. I admit, I am very impressed with the facility.” He took a few steps forward and Nate suddenly felt those eyes on him, studying him.
“And who might this young man be?” He asked, smiling.
Nate felt dread wash over him as he met the man's eyes. Those eyes were that of a predator and Nate felt like prey.
Involuntarily, he took a step backwards, away from the man, his back colliding with Rogue. The woman, clearly meaning to be kind, grabbed his shoulder to steady him. The feeling of dread intensified, Nate suddenly feeling very trapped.
The sinister man loomed over him, casting a long shadow.
“This is Nathan Summers.” Rogue introduced, trying to be kind but failing to see the danger. Behind her, Bobby laughed, finding humour in Nate’s behaviour, probably mistaking his fear for shyness.
The man smiled, eyes flashing with something Nate thought looked like hunger.
“What a great name. Well hello there Nathan.” He said, holding out his hand to the child as Nate shrank back further, Rogue trying unsuccessfully to push him towards the man. “What are you up to today?”
“He’s missing his nap time, is what he's up to.” Logan suddenly butted in, stepping forward and shouldering the man out of the way. “Come on bub, I will take you back to your dad.”
Nate felt the relief wash over him and didn’t even mind when the adult mutant grabbed him, picking him up in both arms.
“Logan!” Storm shouted but she was ignored as Logan strolled out of the room, carting the de-aged time traveller away.
Once the door shut behind them, Nate allowed himself to relax in Logans grip, resting his head against the Wolverine’s chest as the man strode silently through the halls and towards the lift which would take them to the commercial floors. Once they were inside, Logan finally placed Nate down on the ground.
“Ok bub. What was that?” He questioned, looking down at the 6 year old.
“I don’t like him.” Nate replied.
“Yeah, I guessed that. Why?” Logan stated.
Nate shrugged. He honestly didn’t know why he didn't like the man. It was just a feeling, a sick, scared feeling he had.
“Just did.” Nate finally answered. “He felt bad.”
Logan crossed his arms over his chest, scanning the child before him for a moment before nodding. He knew any child of Jean and Scott would have to be smart and this one was raised in hell. He would be able to sniff out danger almost as well as Logan himself. And Logan had to admit, he didn’t find their guest completely trustworthy. If the kid thought something was wrong, Logan was going to be on guard.
He knew he couldn't just throw the man out. He was a guest of the Professors and therefore, basically untouchable. Still, Logan would not let the guy touch any of the kids. Not on his watch.
“Right.” Logan muttered, relaxing a little and pulling a cigar out of his jacket. “Guess you are sticking with me then. Don’t want you getting your ass kidnapped. Come on.”
The lift door opened and Logan stepped out, Nate following silently, like a little shadow.