X-men: Bast Ch. 06

Legal issues: Kia Jaeger(codename Bast) is an original character and belongs to me. All other characters and core X-men concepts are copyright Marvel, Stan Lee, and other creators. I do not own any of them, nor do I profit from them in any way.

Author Note: This story is based upon the story and setup in the comics and takes place at no particular point in them, but is instead treated as it's own events separate from many of the large happenings in the comics. Also, I am not fully aware of every significant event that has happened in the X-men's long history, so the information presented in this story and the information in the comics may not always 100% add up. Some characters who might even be dead as of the current X-men issues may be alive in this story.

***

Chapter Six

Scott, Jean, Hank, and Ororo sat in a semi-circle around Charles' desk early Wednesday, the next morning. Scott sat upright in his chair, doing his best to look attentive and authoritive despite the fact that he had gotten just as little sleep as everyone else. Jean sat next to him, relaxed and calm, though the drowsiness was apparent on her features as well. She and Ororo were chatting quietly before Logan stepped into the room, scowling darkly. Logan was never one for waking up early. Well, not when he was forced to do so, at least. For all the trouble Storm had been through in the last two days, quiet contentment shone from her as it always did. Logan slouched in his chair, tilting it back and glancing at his teammates with an unhappy look.

Charles smiled at the gathering before him. "I trust the morning finds everyone well."

"It's frickin' six in the morning'," Logan pointed out. "What's ever been good 'bout six in the morning'?"

"We have most of the lab in order," Ororo replied, ignoring her grumpy friend. "All that is left falls to Hank to take care of."

Hank nodded and smiled fondly at Storm for a moment. Though both had been up well into the night, engaging in various activities in the lab, both seemed to be alert and in relatively positive moods. "Indeed, Ororo is right, as ever. Some of the more extensive damages will take quite some time to deal with, but we've gotten a respectable bit of work done, if I do say so myself."

"Very good," Charles smiled.

"Any idea what Sinister sent his goons for yet?" Scott asked.

"Hank?" Charles suggested.

"Not as of yet," Hank sighed. "My research material on mutation patterns is suspect, as well as some of the tissue samples and DNA samples stored away in the vault in my lab."

"The usual," Jean nodded.

"So ya dragged us in here just to tell us that?" Logan asked. "At this ungodly hour?"

"No, not exactly," Charles smiled. "Hank has done some scavenging into his computer, or what's left of it, and believes he has found something."

"It is possible this is an error," Hank clarified, "But when I transferred the files from my old computer to a new one, several were missing. Normally I would just place the blame on a technical issue or possible damage from what happened to my computer, but I've taken measures to protect these files and make sure they can be preserved and transferred no matter what. But beyond that, the nature of the files lead me to consider foul play as a definite possibility."

"Beast?" Jean smiled teasingly.

"Sorry," Hank grinned. "I'm missing a number of computer files on all the faculty and students who have come to the school in the past year and a half. Considering the Marauders were tampering with my computer when I entered yesterday, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they somehow got into that data and then deleted it."

The group of Mutants were silent for several long moments.

"Shit," Logan said at last.

"My thoughts exactly," Hank nodded.

"So you mean to say Sinister may have access to all the new students?" Jean asked.

"I can't be sure...but it's a possibility."

"That's enough for me to feel uneasy about this whole thing," Charles said gravely.

"Can you try tracking him? Or some of the Marauders?" Scott suggested.

"I've tried, but it seems he's found some way to shield himself from my probing, and has done so for all his minions as well. They're off the radar, as far as my powers are concerned."

"What are we to do at this point?" Ororo asked.

"There isn't much wecando at this point," Charles sighed. "I shall continue to search for Sinister with Cerebro, as well as other clues or indicators of his presence. In the meantime, we will increase our security measures. The compound defenses will be set high, and we all will be keeping a close eye on things on both the sublevels and the upper floors. Until we find some other lead, this is all we can do."

"I'm worried about how they got in here at the first place," Scott spoke. "Our defenses were a little relaxed, but it's not like this is some suburb hole in the wall that just anyone could walk into."

"I've been thinking about that as well," Charles nodded. "If not for Hank having the sense to set off the alarm when he stumbled upon them in his lab, we probably wouldn't have even known they were here at all. We must take extra precaution. Until we find out more about how they were able to infiltrate us and what they want, we must assume we aren't entirely safe at this point. Be vigilant, my X-men. Protect one another and stay on your toes. We will ride this out and discover what this whole thing is about soon enough, I'm sure."

"Why isn't everyone else included in this meeting?" Hank asked.

Charles smiled. "Because, I need to gather the faculty and student body today to explain what has happened and what has to be done, and I chose you all to assist in this."

"Yer jokin'," Logan said flatly.

"I'm afraid not," Charles said, his smile growing wider.

Logan scowled and crossed his arms.

"Sounds good," Scott nodded crisply. "Let's get all this taken care of."

Scott stood up and walked out the room, looking like a man on a mission. The rest of the team got up more slowly, and Hank, Jean, and Ororo filed lazily out the room.

Logan rose, shut the door, then plopped back into his chair. "Ya wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes," Charles nodded. He glanced out the window for a moment, watching as a sliver of sunlight crept over the rim of the world, sending bursts of orange and red and pink light dancing across the bottom of the sky. The estate sprawled on outside the window, a neat and beautiful garden set in front of a trimmed and orderly lawn that raced toward the treeline.

"I heard that Kia was involved in the battle the other night," Xavier stated at last.

Logan shrugged and crossed his arms over his well-muscled chest. "So?"

"Did she do okay?"

"Sure," Logan shrugged again. " I wasn't really payin' attention. Kinda had my hands full."

The Professor nodded and folded his hands in his lap. "What do you think of her?"

Logan studied the Professor for several moments. "Uh...she's a good kid, I guess. She did a good job last night, though she wasn't really in the fight all that much. Why're ya askin' me this, Chuck?"

"I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, Logan," Charles sighed. "But I feel that she may be in danger. I feel she is entering into situations that are above her head. She's a very brave girl, and she wants to help, and I find that a wonderful quality of hers. But I'm not sure she's ready for the kind of things we so often face."

"Yer talkin' in circles, Chuck," Logan pointed out.

"Yes, well," Xavier smirked. "I have come to realize that Kia is going to become involved in matters over her head, no matter how we try to keep her out of harms way. I simply think that, until we can be sure that she is properly prepared and trained, she may need someone to...well, watch out for her best interest."

Logan gave his mentor a long, hard look. "Why me?"

"Because I feel that you have the most to teach her. And I know I can trust you. And besides, you've got the least to do with your time out of all of us."

"So much for not babysittin'," Logan growled.

"Thank you, Logan. I knew I could count of you," Charles smiled.

***

"If those pansy ninnies stole a single shred of my research..." Hank ranted under his breath.

"You're still not done sorting?" Bobby asked, smirking at his long-time friend.

Hank sighed and did his best to let his irritation pass. "Not yet. I'm still double and triple checking my computer files. And I haven't even gotten some of the replacement parts for some of the more sophisticated stuff that was destroyed. Ergo, no replacement parts, no repairs. And no repairs means my life is still in shambles."

"Poor Hank," Jean giggled.

It was about two hours after the meeting with Charles, and Scott had called the rest of the team to be sure the added security measures were understood. The team would be extra alert for some time to come, watching for any additional signs of trouble around the estate. The automated defenses were set on high, and the Students had been instructed to be alert and aware to anything suspicious going on around the Manor or the gardens. They had been advised not to wander outside the Manor without a friend or two accompanying them, just to be safe. The team had discussed even stricter precautions, but it was decided in the end that any additional efforts would likely put the students into something of a panic. It was agreed that any kind of panic would cause confusion that would if anything be counter productive to noticing something out of the ordinary.

"Where were you durin' the attack, anyway?" Rogue asked Bobby.

"I got stuck rounding kids up into the shelters and making sure they were all right," Bobby grumbled.

"Me too," Betsy nodded.

"Charles asked me to do this as well," Peter added.

"Someone had to do it, right?" Kia said. "Personally I think I would've been more suited to that. The kids are scared enough of me to listen."

"That's 'cause they know you'll fail them if they argue," Rogue smirked.

"So?" Kia laughed.

"People," Scott said sharply, returning their attention to him. "Do we understand where we stand now?"

"Yeah," Logan nodded. "We're stuck with a thumb up our collective ass."

"Logan," Cyclops glared at his teammate.

"Ah kinda agree," Rogue put in.

"Logan has a point," Ororo spoke. "For now, we've no idea what Sinister and his Marauders wanted. And we have no idea where they're operating out of. So until Hank is able to discover what they were focusing on in his lab, or the Professor is able to find some clues to where we can find them, we'll have to idle."

"Yeah, well," Scott muttered, then turned his attention to Jean and Betsy. "You two are working with the Professor to try and find some sign of our housebreakers, right?"

"Yes," Jean nodded, glancing at Betsy. "None of us have managed to find anything. They're completely absent from our mind's eye. Even with Cerebro, it's like they're completely gone."

"We know Sinister has stationed himself in the Savage Land before," Hank pointed out. "Have we investigated such possibilities?"

"The Professor is working on it," Scott answered. "But so far no luck."

"Are we gonna have to go trompin' in the jungle again?" Rogue groaned.

"Hopefully we'll know soon," Ororo said. "But for now, we're going to have to play the waiting game."

"Joy," Kia sighed. "I bet this part of the job is a lot of fun."

"Be happy you're even here," Scott said icily. "If it was up to me, you wouldn't be. You're not on the team yet, but the Professor has decided you need to know about all this anyway."

"I'll be sure to thank him," Kia said sarcastically.

"What else do we need to figure out?" Bobby asked.

Cyclops shrugged. "That's it for the moment. Keep your eyes open, and we'll be paying attention to see if anything important changes. For now Storm is right; we're going to have to bide for awhile. You're dismissed."

The team rose from their seats, mostly talking and mumbling together about the attack and the changes in general. Things would definitely be tense for awhile, but what could they do? And they had to display an outward facade of calm; the last thing they needed was to panic the students.

"Hey," Logan spoke up as the team began to disperse.

Kia started walking past him, then startled slightly as she realized his eyes were on her. "Me?"

"Yeah," Logan nodded. He crossed his arms across his barrel chest and gave her a bare hint of a smile. "Ya did good the other night. Vertigo is always givin' us a problem. Ya kept a good head and took care o' her. Thought ya should know yer okay, with Cyke givin' ya a hard time an' all."

"Thanks," Kia replied, feeling a swell of uncharacteristic shyness. She fought it down and smiled nervously. "You did a lot better. That woman looked like she hit pretty hard."

"The broad was crazy, that's all," Logan smirked.

They both fell silent for several uncomfortable moments, neither knowing exactly what to say.

"Um," Kia finally spoke, "Are you going to the training session this afternoon?"

"Dunno. I was think' about it," Logan replied.

"You probably don't need to train too much, huh?" Kia said. A thick lock of brown silk fell across her eyes, and she reached up to push it the wavy strands away.

"Everyone's gotta train," Logan replied. "If ya don't train, ya get rusty. If ya get rusty, ya'll probably get dead."

"You're a really good fighter," Kia commented, glancing at the floor and then back up at him. "Do you think maybe you could teach me some stuff?"

The distinct image of Charles grinning like a smug jackass formed in the back of Logan's mind.

"Sure, why not?" he replied. "Ya sure as hell ain't gonna learn much from Cyke anyway."

"Scott gave up on teaching me directly, actually," Kia pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "I've mostly been learning from Betsy and a few others."

Logan nodded and rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Bets' is the one to learn from. But I can still teach ya a few things. C'mon, then, let's head over there and start early."

***

Thursday, after her last class, Kia turned to leave the classroom and found Logan propped up against the wall outside her classroom door.

"Ya give them brats too much homework. It ain't good fer kids to have their heads stuffed in a bunch o' books all the time."

"You don't think so?" Kia smiled. "I figured now is as good a time as any to load them up with assignments, since we're being so paranoid about who does what. It'll keep them out of trouble until we all relax a bit. Besides, thisisadvanced English."

Logan shrugged, smirking slightly. "Whatever ya say, Teach. Anyway. Ya still plannin' on trainin' today?"

"Yep," Kia answered.

"Ya don't want a day off?" he asked.

Kia shrugged and stepped back into her classroom, motioning for Logan to step inside. Logan glanced around at the room; organized, neat, clean...her desk in the front was as cheap and efficient as Charles was likely to own. Kia wiped the dry erase board clean as he watched.

"I don't want to start bad habits," she said, then giggled softly. "Scott lets me skip training sessions. I think it's because he doesn't want to have to deal with me."

"Heh. What's the deal with you and him?" Logan asked.

Kia paused for a moment, considering. She placed a hand on her hip and glanced over her shoulder at him. "What's the deal with you two?"

Logan chuckled softly. "Point taken."

"He just rubs me the wrong way. I guess I'm not fond of..." Kia faltered.

"Boyscouts?" Logan suggested.

"Pretty much," she laughed.

"Don't worry 'bout Cyke too much. If ya stay out of his way, he'll leave ya be. He's usually decent enough 'bout leavin' people alone as long as they ain't in his hair."

"Well I wouldn't want to ruin his hair," Kia rolled her eyes.

"Just follow Storm. She'll take care of ya," Logan suggested.

"I know. I make it a habit of listening to her."

The board clean, Kia grabbed up her bag full of papers and books for her classes, and a folder full of recently turned in papers. The two Mutants left the room and she locked it behind her. "I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes?"

"Yep," Logan nodded, and they parted ways.

***

Kia entered the Danger Room about fifteen minutes later. Logan had said they would be working out casually, so instead of her hand-me-down uniform she was wearing a tank top and a pair of tight sweat pants. She had her long hair hastily piled up into a messy but functional bun and she was wearing a comfortable pair of tennis shoes. She carried a small bottle of water and a hand towel in with her.

"I'm gonna set the mood, if ya don't mind," Logan suggested.

"Sure," Kia shrugged.

"Activate Logan simulation three," Logan said, and the Danger Room shifted.

They stood in a garden below a tall cherry blossom tree. The petals clung to the gnarled, reaching branches and sporadically floated down like pink snowflakes lifting on the odd gust of wind. The ground at the foot of the tree was covered in bright emerald grass that extended several feet before them. Beyond the grass stood a neatly arrayed rock garden, the multi-colored rocks and stones forming intricate and perfect patterns. To the left of the rock garden, a small pond splayed the ground, rippling softly as the breeze brushed across its surface. A slender stream stretched along from the pond, circling around the rock garden with a finely carved, short bridge spanning it. The wide garden was enclosed on all sides by tall, thick walls. The sky was clear and dotted with cotton-ball clouds, and several birds chirped cheerily as they chased each other through the branches of the cherry tree.

"What is it with you guys and Japanese places?" Kia asked with a smile.

"Huh?" Logan asked with an arched brow.

"The day we met. We did a training simulation in the courtyard of a Japanese temple."

"Oh yeah," Logan smirked. "The showdown at wing-po. I had Hank program this simulation, and that one too."

"Ah," Kia nodded. "Got a thing for asian culture?"

"Been out east a few times, ya could say," Logan replied. He stepped away from the tree and turned back to face her.

"Anyway. Let's get warmed up."

The two Mutants stretched out, bending and twisting their bodies to loosen and warm their muscles. Kia was surprised by Logan's flexibility; for how thick with muscle his body was, he was impressively limber. For her part, Kia was quite flexable, able to bend and maneuver her body into some of the more complex stretches.

"I ain't really sure what to teach ya yet," Logan said, " 'Cause I don't really know what ya can do. So, let's find out."

"Uh, okay?" Kia replied as they stood up.

Logan popped his neck and then dropped his body into a relaxed but ready stance, his hands extended slightly before him. "Let's spar. I'll see what we need to do from there."

Kia swallowed nervously but nodded, dropping into a stance of her own.

"Ya can use yer powers to make ya stronger and faster, right?" Logan said.

"Yes," Kia nodded.

"Can ya use it to deaden pain?"

Kia considered for a moment and then nodded hesitantly. "To an extent, yes...I can manipulate my pain receptors and tune them down enough so that I don't really notice anymore. Uh, why?"

Logan smirked and patted his arm. "My bones are made o' the hardest metal known t'man. I ain't tryin' to hurt you or anythin', but if I block, yer gonna feel it."

"Okay," Kia murmured. Her eyes shut for a moment, then she nodded again. "Done."

"Good. Come at me."

Kia exploded forward, leaping at him with superhuman speed. Logan's eyes widened and he ducked as she launched a spinning kick at his head, easily leaping high enough to strike at his face with flying feet. He cursed under his breath as he felt the wind coming off the devastating kick rustle his hair. She landed and without hesitating a moment lunged forward again. She struck at him hard and fast, her fists jabbing at him repeatedly. Logan was nearly stumbling with the effort to dodge and sidestep her attacks.