True Believers: Part Six
"Anything yet?" Bishop asked, not for the first time, as he and Logan moved carefully through the woods. Logan merely shook his head, obviously too focused on finding the trail to waste time in conversation. Bishop shook his head ruefully. This is like Alberta all over again.
"What're you muttering to yourself for, kid?" Logan suddenly growled. Bishop was surprised--he hadn't realized he'd said anything aloud. Or maybe he hadn't, it was uncanny what Logan could pick up when he was so focused. Logan grumbled something under his breath and then continued. "I'm starting to think that everyone around here needs a long vacation. People are starting to act a little loony."
Bishop shrugged, and attempted to lighten the atmosphere. "Not everyone. Just Cable." Logan gave him a reproving look, and Bishop sighed, slightly frustrated. Why is it that no one ever laughs at my jokes?
"Ha, ha," Logan said dryly. "Still working on developing that sense of humor, I see. Look, just because Nate's acting like his old secretive self all of a sudden doesn't mean he's crazy. He just needs a good kick in the ass, that's all." He snorted. "Then again, who am I to be complaining about someone else being secretive?"
Bishop shook his head as they continued on through the woods. He didn't think he was ever going to understand Cable and Logan's relationship. Respect, mingled with the occasional desire to rip each other's throats out? No--it was more complex than that. Analyze later, he told himself sternly. Focus on the task at hand.
"I don't know why Cyke thinks they're going to let us find them. Even if they are still here," Logan suddenly said after a few more minutes in silence. "Not hard for telepaths to hide themselves from us head-blind types--" He stopped abruptly, throwing out a hand to prevent Bishop from going any farther. "What the hell--" he murmured, his expression curiously distracted.
"What?" Bishop asked urgently, automatically thumbing the safety off his gun. He'd never heard that tone in Logan's voice before, and he didn't like it.
"The air's strange. Something's--"
Logan never got to finish his sentence. What looked like nothing more than a bolt of green lightning suddenly smashed down out of the clear sky, knocking them both off their feet. Bishop still had his gun, but blinded by the flash, he didn't dare use it. Besides the fact that he didn't want to hit Logan, it was entirely possible that this wasn't an attack, considering all the teleporting that had been going on lately.
"Now, there's a lovely way to wake up in the morning," said a clear, friendly female voice. Blinking furiously to clear his vision, Bishop stared up at a tall, very attractive woman, honey-skinned and dark-haired. She was, quite clearly, another Askani. Though her uniform was different than the one the blond girl wore, more colorful and revealing, she had the same prosthetic eye, the same small Phoenix-tattoo. She smiled down at them benignly. "Sorry to drop in like this--I didn't mean to startle you." She offered Bishop a hand up, but he shook his head and got to his feet without assistance. Logan did the same, looking like he wanted to take her hand off at the wrist.
"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Logan asked sarcastically. "You Askani get your signals crossed or something?" Despite his own instinctive suspicion, Bishop was still taken aback by Logan's vehemence. He sounds like he's right on the verge of a full-out rage--why? He didn't react this way with the other one.
She raised an eyebrow, but her smile remained. "No," she said simply, and then turned her back on them, heading off in the direction of the mansion.
"What do you mean, no?" Logan snarled, starting after her.
"Just what I said," she called back over her shoulder. "And don't think of trying to stop me, either. I would have no trouble at all making both of you forget you'd seen me. So don't try my patience."
Bishop raised an eyebrow. "Direct, isn't she?" he asked Logan as the two followed her, keeping their distance. After what Blaquesmith had done to bring about Cable's first meeting with Nate Grey, most notably the fact that he had actually managed to alter the Professor and Jean's memories, caution was definitely warranted around any Askani. Besides, picking a fight would be pointless when they didn't know why she was here. "I think she means it, too."
Logan's only response was a growl. Bishop raised an eyebrow. "Are you picking up something I'm not?" he asked pointedly. "You weren't acting like you wanted to gut the other Askani--what's different about this one?"
Logan gave him a foul look, but already he seemed oddly distracted again. Scowling, Bishop kept silent as they continued to trail the Askani back towards the mansion. Finally, when Logan actually tripped over a tree root, he couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.
"What are you doing?" he hissed, reaching out to steady him. Logan looked disoriented for a moment, but then shook his head, his expression clearing.
"Talking to Jean," he growled. Bishop raised an eyebrow, and got an irritated glare in return. "Are you trying to make me think you're slow, Bishop? Use your brain. What do you think TWO Askani sisters here means?"
Bishop considered it for a moment, but the answer was obvious enough. "Conflicting agendas?" he finally said, a chill going through him.
"My thought exactly. And given what Askani--the blond one--told Wisdom, I don't like what that implies about this one's mission."
***
"Jean," Scott said, trying to keep his voice level. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"
Laying aside the Cerebro helmet, his wife gave him a guilty look. "I don't know what you mean," she said. She was so obviously lying that if the situation hadn't been so serious, he'd had laughed. As it was, her transparency only made him angrier. It was as if she didn't consider him worth the effort of trying to cover whatever it was up any better than this.
"Jean, I know you're hiding something from me," he persisted. "I can feel it, through the psi-link, and I know it's got something to do with Nathan. Otherwise you never would have scanned him like that--"
"I made a mistake, all right?" she snapped, her green eyes blazing. "Is there a law somewhere saying I have to be the X-Men's equivalent of Counselor Troi? Am I not allowed to screw up once in a while?"
He scowled. Her anger was real enough, but it was a surface layer only, covering an uneasiness so strong he could almost taste it. Both emotions were contagious, but he fought for control, telling himself that it wouldn't do any good for them to get into an argument now. "Jean, please tell me what's wrong," he said quietly, beseechingly. She looked away, flushing. "If it's about Nathan, I need to know. Whatever it is, we can deal with it together."
She winced, guilt replacing the anger on her face. "Scott, I--I don't--"
The door slid open. Scott cursed the timing as Domino, Kitty, and Pete Wisdom entered. Realizing they'd walked into something, Kitty looked faintly embarassed. Domino was clearly distracted, while Wisdom was apparently oblivious.
Jean looked relieved they'd been interrupted. "Any luck?" she asked quickly.
"Luck?" Domino asked with a frown, glancing at a few of the active screens. "With what?"
"Looking for Nathan," Jean said, starting to look perplexed. Scott raised an eyebrow, surprised by Domino's lack of concern. That's a switch. What does she--oh, don't tell me--
"Oh, no--no luck." Domino gave them an odd smile. "We're not going to find him until he wants to be found. Trust me, I speak from years of experience."
Pete Wisdom snorted, and Domino quite obviously avoided looking in his direction. That, more than anything, confirmed to Scott that there was something strange going on here. He was about to ask for an explanation when Jean suddenly stiffened, the look in her eyes going distant. He held his breath; she'd been monitoring the other searchers at the same time she was looking for Nathan. Please, let this be good news--
"What?" she exclaimed, after perhaps two full minutes of silence that no one in the room dared break. "Another one?" Her eyes actually crossed before she refocused on her surroundings. "We have a problem," she said, her voice sounding strained. "According to Logan, another Askani just teleported in."
"Another one?" Wisdom demanded, looking a little wild-eyed himself. "That doesn't make any--oh, to hell with it!" He whirled and headed out the door. Before it slid shut, Scott saw that he went the wrong way. If he was planning to go outside, he should have turned left, not right. Kitty started to follow him, but then glanced back at Domino and lingered, looking decidedly unpleased with something. Scott looked back at Domino with his best forbidding scowl. She shrugged, unfazed.
"He got lost?" she ventured. When she saw Scott was unconvinced, she sighed. "I should know better than to even try and fool you--you're as hard-headed as Nate, you know. Look, Scott, the explanation would take too long at the moment. Shouldn't we go find out why we've been--ah, blessed with another visitation?"
Scott nodded brusquely. She was right. The four of them made their way out of the underground complex and to the front porch, where they stood and watched Logan and Bishop follow a tall, dark-haired woman in an Askani uniform towards the mansion.
Scott glanced sideways at Jean, who was visibly bristling, looking even more mistrustful than she had back in the Z'nox chamber. And he was sensing something else from her, as well--protectiveness? What is the matter with you? he sent sharply.
Her head whipped around, and she seemed hesitant for a moment. # Later, Scott,# she finally sent back. # I'll tell you everything, I promise. But we have to deal with her first.#
Mollified, Scott turned his attention back to their guest. Definitely another Askani, he saw as she came closer, but she was at least ten years older than the blond girl. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, a strange smile playing on her face as she stared up at them.
"I am overwhelmed," she said almost mockingly, her accent faintly musical, just like the other Askani. "To be standing in the presence of the First Ones--definitely one of the finest moments of my life."
That last comment sounded definitely sarcastic, Scott thought. Jean made an odd sound, almost a hiss, from beside him. Scott looked at her sharply, and then back at the Askani, who looked like she was enjoying herself immensely.
"Who are you?" Jean asked harshly. "What do you want?"
The Askani actually laughed. "Now that would be telling." Jean took a step forward, the air around her starting to glow. Alarmed, Scott reached out and held her back.
"Jean, I don't think this is the time--"
The door opened behind them, and Pete Wisdom appeared. Behind him were Nathan and the first Askani. Scott scowled at Wisdom. Why am I not surprised? Wisdom glared right back at him, as if daring him to say something. With a muttered curse, Scott let go of Jean, who winced as Nathan gave her a brief, unreadable look.
"Where have you been?" Scott asked through gritted teeth as his son came up beside him.
"Talking," Nathan said coldly, and stared down at the second Askani, his expression curiously blank.
The first Askani looked absolutely stunned. Her face drained of color as she walked down the steps to stand in front of her sister.
"Hana?" she asked in a whisper, and the older Askani nodded, her smile turning almost sly.
"It's good to see you again, Shavrin. I'm glad you remembered me--I wasn't sure you would."
"Shavrin?" Pete Wisdom broke in. The blonde girl gave him a disgusted look, and he suddenly grinned. "It's a lovely name, you know." Kitty elbowed him, and he glared at her indignantly. "Ouch!"
"It's not my name," Askani growled. As she turned back to Hana, her expression seemed to harden. "This is hard to accept."
"What's hard to accept?" Nathan asked, joining the two of them. He gave Hana a penetrating look. "Don't tell me we're dealing with another paradox here?"
Another paradox? Scott thought, disturbed. Maybe he didn't want to know what they'd been talking about, after all. But Askani was shaking her head.
"No, no paradox. Just before I left, a young girl named Hana was accepted as a novice. She--this is Hana, but years older." Askani--Shavrin, Scott reminded himself--abruptly scowled, the sudden mistrust in her eyes almost as strong as Jean's. "Obviously you're from farther down the timeline, but why are you still using your own name? At your age, you must be a full sister--"
"Customs have changed," Hana said mildly. "It's not important, in any case." She glanced back archly at Logan and Bishop, who had finally caught up. "There you are. I was afraid you'd gotten lost."
Logan growled, and Hana's smile grew wider. She's trying to goad us, Scott suddenly realized. The way she greeted us, the way's she acting now--for some reason, she wants us off balance. From the look on his face, Nathan was thinking the same thing.
"Pete," Nathan said quietly, not looking away from Hana. "Go signal the plane that was waiting for you. I want it here at the mansion ASAP."
Wisdom looked like he wanted to say something, but Nathan glanced at him briefly. Something passed between the two of them, presumably a telepathic reinforcement of Nathan's request, and Wisdom nodded, although he still looked reluctant.
"Could you show me the commsuite, Kitty?" he asked. She looked unwilling to leave, but finally led him into the mansion, casting a troubled look back over her shoulder.
"Now," Nathan said, turning back to Hana. His voice was suddenly harsh, uncompromising. "What is your mission?"
Hana chuckled. "Oh, I can't tell you that, Dayspring." Looking irritated, he continued to glower at her, and she laughed again. "And you're not going to bully me into it, either, so don't even try. I'm not about to endanger the timeline by giving you information that could affect your decisions."
"So why are you here?" he snapped.
"To accompany you to London," she said blithely. "Nothing more--for now."
"We're going to London?" Domino suddenly asked. She had been standing quite quietly on the other side of the porch, just watching Nathan. Scott was a little surprised she hadn't tried to approach him, but then again, she and Nathan had an uncanny ability to tell when the other needed space.
Nathan smiled tightly. "If you want."
*Scott, we have to do something!* Jean said in his mind. He almost swayed on his feet at the force of the panic pouring through their psi-link. *He won't listen to me, he's still too angry--*
"Nathan, you're not going anywhere until you explain what's going on," he said, instinctively responding to Jean's emotions. A moment later, he realized his mistake as Nathan turned towards him, his left eye suddenly spitting fire. Oh, very subtle, Scott. Telling him what to do, in full 'command voice' no less?
"Excuse me?" Nathan snarled. "I hope I just misheard you!" Beside him, Hana was grinning, obviously delighted. It was that, more than anything, that kindled Scott's own anger.
"You heard me correctly," he grated. Goddamn it, he can be so unreasonable at times! But yelling wasn't going to get them anywhere. Scott took a deep breath, telling himself to calm down, and then continued. "Whatever these temporal waves are, they concern all of us, not just you and the Askani."
His argument, logical as it was, made no impact on Nathan. If anything, he only seemed to grow angrier.
"Oh, so the X-Men have appointed themselves guardians of the timestream, now?" Nathan demanded, his expression so livid that Scott almost took a step backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Domino stiffen, a thunderous look on her face as she glared down at Hana.
"Rather foolish of them, don't you think?" Hana murmured almost demurely. "Arrogant, even, that time-locked beings should attempt to interfere in matters of which they have no knowledge." She laid a hand on Nathan's arm, and a growl suddenly emanated from Domino's direction.
Scott himself wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk right of fher face. His rage was so powerful, he actually started towards her--only to hit an invisible barrier that prevented him from going any farther. A telekinetic shield, he realized swiftly.
Then he felt Jean's presence in his mind, and the rage vanished instantly, leaving behind only bewilderment. His vision blurred for a moment, and he felt briefly dizzy. The sensation vanished almost instantly, and he looked down at Jean, unable even to form the question.
*It's her,* Jean said, her mind-voice quivering with anger. *I don't know how she's doing it--I'll try and shield Nathan, but I don't know how he's going to react, so be--*
Before she could finish, Shavrin said something in the battle language, glaring at Hana. Hana backed off, looking astonished, and Nathan suddenly winced, shaking his head as if to clear it. The two Askani stared at each other for a moment. Shavrin was the first to look away. Scott could only imagine what the two of them were saying to each other telepathically.
"Scott," Nathan said in a very different voice. He sounded puzzled, unsure of himself, and Scott realized with a flash of insight that whatever Hana had been doing, Nathan was totally unaware of it. "I--I didn't mean--I just don't know whether the problem in London is connected yet." He looked over at Domino, whose expression had softened with concern. "Wouldn't--wouldn't it be better to keep the X-Men in reserve, until we're sure where the waves are coming from? We don't want--to keep all our chickens in one basket." Domino's eyebrows suddenly ascended to her hairline, and Nathan shook his head, flushing. "Eggs. I meant eggs." The atmosphere seemed to lighten a little, and he grumbled something under his breath. "It's not easy to switch back and forth between the battle language and English," he said almost plainitively. "Especially since I learned English telepathically to begin with--" Domino actually chuckled, and he shot her a wounded look. "Don't laugh at me."
She raised a defensive hand. "I wasn't laughing at you." His eyes narrowed skeptically, and she grinned. "Okay, I was laughing at you. So shoot me."
"Don't tempt me."
Scott cleared his throat. "Yes--well." Nathan looked back at him, and he managed an awkward smile. "I wasn't being particularly diplomatic, Nate, and I'm sorry. But I wasn't proposing to send the whole team along with you. I just meant--something this serious, we all have a stake in it. You can't make it into another one of your personal missions." Nathan visibly bristled at his last comment.
"I'll come along, then," Logan suddenly offered, surprising them all. Scott gave him a penetrating look, and he shrugged. "Only makes sense, Cyke, if you're dead-set on sending someone. Jean needs to stay here so Nate can contact you if we run into trouble. And you can't leave, not when Ororo's--off somewhere."
Scott scowled at him. Jean? he asked.
#He's not lying, but that's not the real reason he's volunteering. He doesn't think Nate will let either of us come--and I get the impression he's feeling guilty about Alberta. I told you, he's convinced he's partially responsible for what happened--#
Scott sighed. "Nathan, do you mind if Logan joins you?"
Nathan paid no attention to him. He was staring intently at Logan, his eyes narrowed. "Why?" he asked.
Logan shrugged again, his expression peculiarly diffident. "Because." Nathan glowered at him, and Logan looked almost amused. "And that's all the answer you're going to get, bub. Fact is, you're not walking out of here under these circumstances, in this kind of company." Hana and Shavrin both glared at him. "Not without an X-Men representative."
"Oh, so you don't count Kitty as an X-Man anymore? I don't think she's going to let Wisdom run off with me without coming along for the ride." Nathan suddenly swore, shaking his head. His expression was a curious mixture of puzzlement and anger. "What the hell am I even doing discussing this with you? It's none of your business!"
Logan gave a contemplative grunt. "Yeah, well. Think about the way you've been acting today, Nate. Deliberately drawing on the Phoenix-force, tampering with Bishop's mind, carrying on conversations that the rest of us can't understand--what you said down there in the Z'nox chamber wasn't too far off base, bub. I don't think you've given us any reason TO trust you today."
Going white, Nathan jerked as if Logan had hit him. Scott winced at the imploring look he gave him and Jean. But he didn't want to take anything away from what Logan had said. It was harsh, maybe, but it had needed saying.
Nathan's expression hardened, as if he'd heard Scott's thoughts, and he turned and stalked away, hurt evident in the stiff way he held himself. Domino gave Logan a single, reproachful look, and then followed Nathan. Scott bit his lip. He hadn't expected a reaction like that from Nathan. But then again, trust has always been a touchy subject with him. He wants it--but he doesn't think he deserves it. And like Logan said, sometimes he doesn't. It was a hard thing to admit about your own son, but it was true nonetheless.
Looking unhappy, Logan glanced up at Scott and Jean. "I didn't want to do that," he grumbled almost defensively. "But it had to be said."
Jean nodded, ever so slightly, and then turned her attention to the two Askani. "I don't suppose you two would care to fill me in on at least some of the details?" she asked in an ironic voice. From her tone, Scott realized she already knew what the answer would be.
Hana raised her chin haughtily. "I see no reason to explain myself to you," she snapped. "I doubt you could understand my motivations in the first place, Jean Grey."
Jean smiled almost sweetly. "Considering how self-serving they probably are, I would imagine you're right." She gave Shavrin a penetrating look. "What about you? Care to be any more forthcoming?"
Shavrin looked almost embarassed. "I'm sorry. I would if I could," she said softly. Hana gave her a dark look, and Shavrin glowered at her. "Well, I would!"
With an exasperated noise, Hana threw up her hands and flounced off in a slightly different direction than the one Nathan and Domino had taken. Shavrin, a set look on her face, followed. Scott scowled. As much as I'd like to know what the two of them are up to, I think we'd better keep clear.
The immediate problem out of sight, if not solved, Scott turned back to Logan, who looked almost ashamed of himself. "I know someone had to call him on the way he's been acting," Scott muttered. "But couldn't you have found a more diplomatic way to do it?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could call them back. But criticizing Logan was so much of a habit with him, it was hard to fight the impulse when it came.
Logan sighed, and glanced over at Bishop. Taking the hint, Bishop nodded politely to Jean and then set off, casually enough, in the direction Hana and Shavrin had gone. Only then did Logan turn back to him, the look on his face somehow awkward.
"Scott, 'diplomatic' doesn't work with Cable. I don't know why you haven't realized that yet." Logan fell silent for a moment, as if considering his next words. "Look, even considering your 'extended honeymoon', I've still known him longer than either of you. Despite our history, I'm willing to admit that he's got his virtues. But he's as single-minded as they come, and he attracts trouble like he was some kind of damned magnet. That is not a good combination."
"So you're going to keep him out of trouble?" Jean asked, a sarcastic edge to her voice. Logan shrugged.
"Not likely--be like telling the wind not to blow. But what I can do is try and help Dom keep him from slipping over the edge into 'crusader mode'." Scott raised an eyebrow, and Logan sighed. "Why is everyone around so slow today? What do you think all her little sarcastic comments are for, Scott? She's not trying to amuse herself--she's keeping him grounded. You've got to give her credit. She does it so subtly I don't think he even realizes."
Scott felt something odd from Jean. Frowning, he looked down at her, and grew alarmed as he saw how pale she'd gone. "Jean--what is it?"
"He doesn't even realize--" she softly echoed Logan's words, and closed her eyes for a moment. "I think--" Her voice broke, but she continued, almost as if she knew she had to get the words out before she lost her nerve. "I think I'd better tell--no, show you two what I--what I saw in his mind when I scanned him in Alaska."
Scott glanced at Logan, who looked puzzled and strangely guilty. Jean saw it, and shook her head.
"No, Logan, this isn't what I told you about before--"
Scott scowled. She told LOGAN something about Nathan, and didn't tell me? Jean looked up at him, a suspicious brightness in her eyes. He sighed and forced himself to put aside his anger. It wasn't as if this was ordinary behaviour for her, to hide things from him. Whatever it was, it had to be very serious--and it was killing her, he could see it in her eyes. Both very good reasons why he shouldn't indulge his own hurt feelings at the moment.
He felt her presence in his mind, the rosy glow darkened with worry. *Honey, I'm sorry--*
And she showed them what she'd seen in Nathan's mind. Sanctity's legacy, the truth behind what at least some of the Askani had done--and were still doing--to keep control of their Chosen One. An eternity later, Scott realized his eyes were closed tightly, and Jean was softly calling his name. He opened his eyes, vividly reminded of when she'd shown him the images she'd got from Logan in Alberta, when Nathan had been shot. Somehow, though, this was worse. At least then, he'd known that he really couldn't have done anything to prevent what happened. That knowledge hadn't made the trip to Alberta in the Blackbird any easier, but this--the blame for this led right back to him, and the decision he'd made that day on the moon.
"Scott," Jean said. "Scott, you couldn't have known. This isn't your fault!"
"I gave him to them," he said in a voice he hardly recognized as his own. He felt numb. The shame, the rage--that would come later. "I handed my son to them, and they--"
"Jeanie's right, Scott," Logan said, his voice sounding strained and more rough than usual. Scott looked over at him, seeing something strange in his eyes, something he didn't understand until the part of his mind that was still working properly reminded him that Logan probably understood better than any of them. He knew what it was like to have his mind invaded and manipulated, his life warped to serve another's desires. "Blaming yourself's not going to change anything."
"I have to bury that knowledge in your mind. Both of you," Jean said. Logan started to protest, and she gave him an almost tremulous smile that silenced him instantly. "I know it's asking a lot, Logan, even for me, but we can't--we can't risk him finding out." She bit her lip, and then told them what she suspected about how Sanctity had done all this.
Scott felt like he was going to be sick. Nathan had only ever spoken about Aliya a handful of times, but the love he still felt for his wife, even years after her death, had been as clear as day. During those conversations, Scott had seen and recognized the same aching emptiness in his son's eyes that he himself had experienced when he'd thought he'd lost Jean. But this--this was just too horrible. Jean was right, they had to keep it from him. All Nathan had left of Aliya were his memories, and something like this would taint them forever. It would be too cruel to tell him, but they had to do something, anything--
"Jean, we can't let him go off with those two Askani," Scott said hoarsely. "We don't know what they want, or if Sanctity sent either of them--"
"Being sent by Sanctity might explain Hana's attitude," Logan suddenly growled.
But Jean was shaking her head. "We can't stop him from going." Scott started to protest, but she went on determinedly. "And Logan, you were right. Nathan's not going to want either me or Scott along. Neither of us have handled things particularly well today."
"So what are you saying?" Scott snapped, suddenly infuriated. "We just hope nothing happens?"
"No," Jean said levelly. "We trust Logan to get word to us if anything does happen. And Domino--whom I'm going to tell as soon as she comes back."
"Ah, Jeanie--"
"No, I'm not forgetting their psi-link, Logan," Jean said impatiently. "But the two of them are a little more private with their thoughts than Scott and I, and I'll bury the knowledge behind ten layers of shields, if I have to. She has to be told. She's the only one who knows him well enough to spot the first signs if more subtle conditioning goes active." Logan still looked unsure, but nodded in reluctant agreement.
But the idea of letting Nathan leave with this unresolved still gnawed at Scott. He started to say something, but Jean stepped in front of him, her green eyes intent. "Listen to me," she said firmly. "Do you remember what you said to him that day in the Danger Room, just before he teleported himself to Alaska? About treating him as an adult, capable of making his own decisions--and mistakes?"
"This isn't--"
"The same thing, I know. But forcing him to stay would be wasted effort, and just as bad as what Sanctity's trying to do to him." She managed a tight smile. "Scott, you know Nathan. If anyone's stubborn enough to beat that kind of conditioning--" Her smile grew more genuine. "Besides, I know we can trust Logan to be his usual paranoid self--"
"Hey, I resemble that remark," Logan said wryly. Scott looked over at him, surprised to see that he was suddenly looking more relaxed. "Besides, you two are forgetting something. Do you seriously think that Dom's going to let either of those two Askani put Nate on a leash? They'd have to go through her first. And I sure as hell know who I'd put my money on."
to be continued...
[FOOTER]