Killer's Gambit: Chapter 3

by Seraph


Disclaimer: All characters within this story, unless otherwise specified are the property of Marvel. I am not making any money from this.

Hank McCoy watched his patient with an expression of detached interest. The man had healed a lot faster then expected. The scientist in Hank catalogued this unusual phenomenon along with data from various other tests. The human in him pondered upon why this man had been allowed to live. Mr Onaka was not known for letting those that threatened his interests live. The group that had hired this man were already being 'taken care of.'

'So why, my unconscious friend, has he allowed you to go on breathing?' Hank wondered.

Logan stirred; the various machines attached to him noting the change. Hank watched him, stepping away from him slightly. While Hank didn't believe the man could hurt him in his currant state, it didn't hurt to be cautious. Hank found himself staring into eyes filled with a feral intelligence. They catalogued him, just as he would catalogue a new species. Hank found it disconcerting, to say the least.

"Why ain't I dead?" growled Logan.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "Well, if nothing else, I would say that that is the most original question a patient has ever asked me."

"The reason you are still alive, Mr Logan, is Mr Onaka. For reasons of his own he has decided to let you live. You have set quite a precedent, Mr Logan."

"Name's just Logan," the other said, watching the doctor as he checked the reading on the machines aligned around the room.

"As you wish."

Logan grunted and tried to sit up. A stabbing pain bit into him from his side and he lay back again; beads of sweat forming on his brow. Hank watched Logan struggle to remain upward for a few seconds, his expression professionally cool. "Logan, if you do not wish to spend a considerable longer period of time in my presence, I would suggest you lie down and let your body heal."

Logan closed his eyes briefly, and let his breath out with a consigned sigh. If Logan was anything, he was honest. At the moment, he couldn't fight off an attack from a used dishrag, let alone the well-trained guards that would be guarding this medical facility. Jubilee would just have to go it alone for a little bit longer. He just hoped she didn't try anything stupid, like attempting to rescue him.

Logan turned his attention to the man that had obviously been working to heal him. His attention was no longer on Logan. Obviously, after he had made sure Logan wasn't going to up and die, he had allowed himself to return to more arresting work. Logan wondered what it was the doctor was working on. Whatever it was seemed to be significantly important to him, if you judged by the intense look of concentration.

"You got a name?" Logan asked, cataloguing the information away.

Hank sighed and turned around. "Yes, Logan, I have a name, just as everyone does. It is Hank."

Logan nodded. "Well, Hank, you got any idea why Onaka would want me alive?"

"Logan, I can honestly say that I have no idea. Mr Onaka does not share his every thought with his employees. I was simply told to make sure you lived, nothing more, nothing less. Now, fun though this conversation may be, I have other, more important work to accomplish."

Guthrie Restaurant...

Angelo sat back with a contented sigh and Jubilee rolled her eyes.

"Sheesh, least I know how to shut you up now. Just stuff you full of food and you'll be like a sleepy cat for the rest of the night," Jubilee said.

Angelo winked at Jubilee and chuckled, "Nothing wrong in enjoying food, Jubie."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"About as many as I keep callin' you it."

Jubilee laughed in exasperation, "You, my friend, are a pain in the ass, y'know that?"

Angelo laughed. "Of course, it's part of my natural charm."

Jubilee made a sound of disgust. "Yeah, natural charm...right," she said.

Angelo pantomimed a gesture of intense hurt. "You have wounded me, I don't know if I shall ever recover." She laughed, and he continued "So, you gonna tell me what this deal was about now?"

Jubilee sighed. "Not gonna leave it alone, are you."

"Not on your life," Angelo replied.

"Remy's going to get me the schematics for the inside of the Onaka building. I know if I can see the layout of the place, I'll be able to tell where they might be holding Logan," she said.

"How?"

"There's only a few places Logan would be if he was captured. Two of those I can get him out of," Jubilee replied.

"What if it's the third place?" Angelo said, softly.

Jubilee shook her head. "He's not dead, I know he's not."

Jubilee looked up as their waitress approached them. She appeared to be a little older than Jubilee, maybe twenty-eight to her own twenty-four. Her blond hair was up in a braid, and her blue eyes sparkled with good humor. The kind of person that irritated the hell out of Jubilee, she couldn't stand happy people; they made her want to retch.

'Bet she's never missed a church service in her life, probably says about ten rosaries just for saying a bad word,' Jubilee thought.

"Are y'all 'bout done?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, tell the cook he did a fabulous job," Angelo replied.

Paige smiled. "I'm sure Jonothon will be very happy to hear that," she said.

"How much do we owe you?" Jubilee asked.

Paige gave Jubilee the bill and made off with the empty plates. Jubilee studied the bill for a second before shrugging and taking out her wallet. Angelo stopped her.

"My turn. You paid last time," he said.

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "It's not like it's a problem," she said.

Angelo smiled. "Just shut up and let me do something for once, hmm?" he said.

Jubilee chuckled and moved her hands into an appeasing gesture. "All right, you pay for it. No skin off my nose."

Onaka building...

Mr Onaka looked down on the city as he listened to the voice coming from the speaker on his phone.

"I hope we can work out something to our mutual benefit Mr Onaka."

"I'm sure we will be able to Ms Frost, I will be in touch."