Issue #1: The Longest Night CHARACTERS: Wolverine and company. TOPIC: Gone rogue. DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 19th, 2015 - 2:15am. LOCATION: The Jean Grey school, New York City.
Sometimes Logan wondered if not for his enhanced skeleton and healing factor, if the weight of his responsibilities would have simply crushed him into nothing. The school was only a month old and Wolverine had felt the pressure since the very first day. He grumbled under his breath constantly, drank more, slept less - and routinely wondered why he'd decided to put himself through this.
He trudged back to his office, tie loose and top buttons undone - not by his own hand but by the extra-strength pull of gravity that seemed to be on him at all times. He'd started the day with a jacket and God knew where that had ended up. All he wanted to do was make it to his office and that bottle of whiskey he kept in the bottom drawer.
Halfway down the hall to his destination, his ears detected a loud thud and Logan turned back the way he’d come. He rushed back toward one of the student common areas, where it sounded like the bang had emanated from. When he reached the doorway, the laughter finally hit him and he felt sheepish when he saw the scene unfold before him. Sam was stretched out across the floor, hands wrapped around the TV remote - a prize well won. The group of young mutants around him half cheering and half laughing at the sight of their big bother figure on the rec room carpet. Only Wolfsbane and her enhanced senses noticed the headmaster, and her smile caused Logan to relax enough to shoot the Scottish lass a smirk.
With that behind him, Logan finally reached his office, and took a gratuitous slow-motion-sit-down behind his desk. It felt good. He opened the bottom drawer and remembered what would feel better. He grabbed the long neck of the brown bottle and smiled when he unscrewed the lid. "Hey, darling."
Thud
"Christ." Logan stood again, took a drink anyway and marched back toward his door. He knew it was a weekend, hell, he knew the students needed to have some fun considering the shitshow the world outside these walls was turning into. But he also didn't need them waking up the rest of the school in the process. Logan swung open his door and started to yell tell the kids. "Hey!" Then Rogue blindsided him. Her shoulder into his equaled Logan against the wall, considering she was nigh invulnerable. He bounced off the wainscoting, because nearly every wall in the school was reinforced with metal, thanks Hank. "Rogue!" He half barked while he found his footing again and looked to her. But one glance and he realized she wasn't in good shape. "Rogue?" He said with more grace, hand reached out toward her.
"They have him!" She cried, with a manic expression that gave Logan pause. "We have to get him back!" She urged, seemingly near tears.
"Who? Who Rogue?" Logan pleaded for answers, and then tried to move his hand close to her.
"Get away from me! I have to get Mike!" She grabbed Wolverine by the forearm and easily tossed him across the hall and into another wall - which he now wished had a little give.
"Rogue..." He managed to mutter during a moment of haziness - while his brain repaired the newest concussion he already knew he'd suffered. Logan slid down the wall a bit, but regained his strength just in time to watch Rogue lift off from the hallway runner and fly directly out the closest window.
He followed, but could only watch while she disappeared into the night sky. "Shit." He jogged back to his office, he needed to warn Steve - but first he needed to call Brian. If Rogue was going to be tracked down and brought back, it was going to be by one of their own. "Mike?" He wondered out loud, and then realized what else had been strange about his run in with the southern belle. Her accent was nowhere.