These wore what seemed to be head to toe uniforms,as black and metallic as the carapaces of beetles or scorpions,the opaque helmets (?) they wore making their heads look uniformly bulbous.With their bulky outfits,they all looked like walking refrigerators with black painted volleyballs balanced precariously on top.It would have been really funny if this whole situation didn't strike her as monstrously bad.

"What do you think are the odds they got lost on their way to a sci-fi convention?"Logan wondered idly.

"Not very good,"she guessed,as she saw one of the carapaced commandos pull an adamantium net gun from a holster on his back.

Already upset and charged,she held out her hand and hit him with a bolt of electricity that should have floored him and the guy right beside him.

But the blue white electricity seemed to snake around him before mysteriously dissipating-and he remained unharmed,and aimed the gun at them.

"What the fuck-"she blurted out,as Logan gunned the engine and ran the bike straight into the commando as he fired.

He missed,but they both had to duck the net,and Logan quickly slewed the bike around as his ten or so friends in the line tried to use their paralyzers on them.Logan lashed out with his left claw and slashed another net gun in half,his claws grazing the helmet of the commando wielding the weapon.It should have sliced it-and possibly his head-in half,but the tips of his claws shot sparks off the black visor,with a screeching noise like someone scraping a dull knife down a steel door."Shit!Adamantium!"Logan said,as they sped towards the rear guard.

"Adamantium conducts electricity!"She shouted into the wind,as he was forced to do another u-turn.The commandos were closing ranks.Having cut off escape routes,they were determined to bottle them up completely.

"They must have something else too,that absorbs electricity,"Logan shouted back,with a grim certainty in his voice."That's fucking high tech body armor,made just for us.Can you fight?"

"Physically?I know a little karate,"she admitted hesitantly.Never having had a reason to physically mix it up with anyone,she knew she could not be that good.Certainly nowhere near Logan's league/Hell,he fought for fun.He could fight in his sleep,and in a strange way,he did.

"When I slow down,jump off,and get to the sidewalk,"he said in a low voice."Keep your back to the wall.Don't let them get behind you."

"What are you going to do?"She asked.

"Take out as many as I can,"he replied cryptically."If you think you have a clear shot,make a break for it."

"Logan-"

"Don't argue with me.If we both get taken,we're screwed."He sounded certain,a general on a familiar battlefield,and if he was afraid it didn't show at all.She took some comfort in that,even as her stomach did queasy somersaults.

The bike slowed,and she hopped off,darting for the nearest sidewalk as he revved the engine and jumped off himself,landing on his feet as he continued to hold onto the handlebars,letting the momentum of the bike's rear wheel carry it forward as he raised the front end.The bike hit several front line commandos and sent them crashing down to the pavement as he spun the bike around and almost literally threw it;it skidded across the rain slicked street and slammed into several of the rear guard,sending them falling as the others rushed Logan.

Logan ran across the street,drawing most of the commandos away from her,and using his claws cut down a street light post like a sapling.

The soldiers scrambled to get out of the path of the heavy,twenty foot falling pole,but some didn't make it.The light shattered explosively on impact,making glass fly like deadly shrapnel as Logan got on top of the downed pole,kicking a commando in the face and sending him falling back into a comrade.He sliced a section out of the post and shouted,"Naomi!"

She stared at him,looking away from the three men surrounding her (but she had her back to the wall,like he said),and he used the two foot section of pole to smash a paralyzer wielding commando in the face before throwing it across the street to her.She caught it-it was heavier than it looked-and instantly smashed the nearest commando across the face with her impromptu weapon.

Well,if she had to be in a life or death fight,who better to be with than Logan?

She hit a second one across the head,hearing glass break across the street as Logan was either thrown through or threw someone through a store window,but the glass wouldn't hurt him either way.

Someone grabbed her and jabbed a paralyzer in her side,but as the electricity stabbed through her,she smashed the pipe into his helmet and sent him stumbling back.Being an electric shock,there was no way in hell a paralyzer would work on her.They should have thought of that.

But someone tackled her,shoving her so hard into the brick wall she saw stars explode before her eyes,and felt blood dribbling from a fresh cut on her forehead.

As he twisted an arm behind her back roughly,to the point that she thought her arm might snap like a twig,she heard Logan again.

"Naomi,"he shouted,standing in the shattered front window of the hardware store across the street.He was holding a round metal can of some sort,and he seemed to punch it before tossing it high into the air above the street."Light it up!"

Although she had no idea what it was,she shot out a bolt of electricity with her free hand,and as soon as it hit the can,leaking a substance where Logan had punctured it with his claws,it exploded into a brilliant fireball that lit up the street like a false sun,and rained fire down on them all.

Most of the commandos scrambled for cover or dropped to their knees shrieking,holding their arms over their helmets,and it took her a second to figure out why.

Infrared scopes-they had infrared scopes in those black helmets,so they could see their targets when the power was cut,and the fireball created when she exploded the can of...kerosene (? She couldn't tell),it blinded them,at least temporarily.

The commando who had a hold of her had shrunk back at the flames,and she slid out of his grasp and ran for it,dodging flaming shrapnel quickly being extinguished by the rain and shoving over soldiers who were slowly recovering their vision.One almost grabbed her,but she managed to pull away,and jumped through the shattered,empty eye of the hardware store window,where Logan instantly grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the back.

The darkened store was a mess of toppled shelves,scattered goods and fallen commandos,their shadows misshapen figures in the dimness,and Logan was holding an axe in his other hand.Not the first,judging from all the shattered axe handles she almost tripped over,and what looked like broken blades embedded in the walls.

"As much as I hate to say it,we gotta make a run for it,"he said,as a commando shadow reared up from beside them.

Logan let go of her long enough to swing the axe like a bat,and he smashed the soldier so hard in the head the crack that sounded was as explosive as a peal of thunder.The axe shattered on impact,the blade flying away,as the commando staggered,falling to his knees,grabbing his helmet.If there wasn't adamantium in it,his head probably would have been on the next block, and rolling for the airport.

Logan tossed the broken handle aside as he ran down an aisle filled with paint cans,and she quickly followed,tossing a wary glance over her shoulder.The soldiers had recovered,and were closing in on the store en masse;they looked like an unearthly death squad.

"They'll follow us,"she pointed out,hating to put a crimp in his plans,but there they were.

"Not for long,"he replied,slashing several cans on both sides of the aisle with his claws.The smell of paint and paint thinner suddenly filled the ozone charged air,and she knew what he had planned:a wall of fire to block their escape.

"It'll take us up with it,"she told him.

He simply grabbed her arm and pulled her into the store's back room.She couldn't see anything, the darkness here was as thick as ink,but Logan went forward unerringly,never slowing or stopping.Animal sense?Or simply lucky guess?

She heard him hit a metal door,its lock snapping like an icicle,and a cold gust of rain scented wind hit them,scrubbing away the sharp scent of paint thinner and chemicals."Light it up now," he said,looking back at her with slightly wild eyes.He was so furious he was trying very hard not to explode himself.

The door leading to the front of the store was still ajar,so,mustering her own anger,she shot out a ball of electricity from her fingertips,which shot through the open door like a lightning bolt.

The sudden gout of flame was extremely impressive.

The huge,pungent  orange-red fireball blew the interior door off its hinges as Logan pulled her down the narrow alleyway behind the store,separated from the alleys of the next block by a chain link fence with wooden slats through the links.But one slash and they were through,and running into the light of the next,normal street.She though she heard screams,or maybe just loud curses,but they soon faded to nothing as flames began reaching for the sky far behind them,and she wondered if this was what it was like to live in a war zone.

What was she thinking?Of course it was.Their lives were war zones;stability and quiet were the exception,not the rule.

Oh god,this sucked.

It was too bad no one wrote a book about what you did when you were doomed,because she thought she could really use it by now.

Hopefully they had retreated to lick their wounds and revamp their strategy,but he knew better than to count on that for long.

Speaking of wounds,Naomi had one.Nothing major,just a gash on her forehead over her right eye,pretty shallow,but like most  facial/scalp wounds on a normal person (or mutant),it was an impressive bleeder.

Once back in her hotel room,he asked,"You don't happen to have a first aid kit,do you?"

"No,"she replied,leaning with her back against the door,as if trying to hold back a rampaging horde.She was shivering,probably because she was soaked;he was too,and being constantly cold was starting to annoying him.He had bad memories associated with the cold,and it was the one thing he really hated about Canada in any time of year,save for summer."They were ready for us,Logan.What does that mean?"

"It means we're expected,"he told her,retreating to her bathroom.He didn't bother to turn on a light;the sliver of low amber light bleeding in from the bedroom was enough for him to see the white towels hanging on the rack.He grabbed one,and turned on the hot water tap in the small porcelain sink,soaking a single corner of the rough towel in warm water.

"What are we going to do?"She asked.She kept her voice level,but he caught the edge of despair, and sympathized.

"I don't know,"he admitted,angry frustration making his face flush with heat.

Adrenaline roared through his veins,louder than the thundering beat of his heart,and the fact that he had to run from a fight ate at him like acid.He did not run,damn it-there was not a goddamn ass on this Earth he couldn't kick.He wanted to go back and gut those dickheads like fucking carp...but with that goddamn adamantium body armor,how the hell was he going to do that?Maybe the scariest thing of all was they were immune to Naomi's power:that should have been impossible.But it wasn't anymore.

They were so fucking screwed.

Obviously the fucks at Big Empty were expecting them,so how could they go now?But how could they abandon her sister to those people,the same people who had kidnapped and tortured him? If anyone had ever known he was at Alkali Lake,he'd have wanted them to rescue him,come hell or high water,fuck the odds.So they were just going to have to think of some other way to do it. But how?They would have to out-think people who were obviously one step ahead of them.

Shit!

He really didn't want to call Xavier's and ask for help,but maybe,for Naomi's and Maddy's sake,he'd have to swallow his pride.He may have no other choice.Shit.

And he'd lost the bike.They'd probably take it,though,so maybe he'd have a chance to recover it someday.

Swallowing back his boiling rage as best he could (he really wanted to punch the wall,but he knew he'd put his fist and most of his upper arm through it-and hadn't he broken enough mirrors to guarantee a lifetime and a half of bad luck?Not that any more could possibly hurt at this point...),he went back to Naomi with the towel.

She had not moved;she seemed to be staring ahead at nothing in particular,either thinking or in shock.

There was a huge gust of wind outside that screamed like a child and threw rain against the windows like hail,and the bulb in the lone lamp on the nightstand flickered and died.The hotel fell strangely silently as the normal,easily ignored hum of electricity in the background of everything disappeared.

Instantly he suspected the worst,that they had somehow tracked them here,even though he knew for damn sure they were not followed.After pressing the wet corner of the towel to the bleeding cut on Naomi's head,she opened her mouth to say something,but he put a finger to her lips with his free hand as he strained to listen to everything beyond them.

He heard the window outside,the branches of the ornamental trees placed haphazardly around the hotel slapping against the outer walls as if beating out a tribal rhythm,the rain drumming out a counter rhythm,a couple of disgruntled guests...but no invading army;no heavy bootsteps of armor clad commandos,no rumble of engines,either waiting or approaching.

An actual power outage,unrelated to the soldiers.He hung his head and let out a relieved sigh that instantly angered him.Since when did he not look forward to a good fight?

Since winning became damn nigh impossible,he supposed.

"I was going to tell you the interruption felt natural,"she said,as soon as he removed his finger from her lips."There was a surge,and I don't think the transformers could handle it."

"You feel electricity?"He asked,dabbing at the cut.It wasn't so dark that he couldn't see-his eyes had grown accustomed to the dimness-and he could tell the bleeding was starting to slow.

"Believe it or not,yes.I'm a big dynamo,after all."Her eyes seemed almost unnaturally bright;he could smell the adrenaline exuding from her pores.They both had energy to burn,although in her case it was probably literal.

"Are you all right?"

"No.I'm freaked the hell out,"she admitted,grabbing the front of his sopping shirt and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

He felt a spark erupt as her tongue touched his,flash burning the inside of his mouth,but he didn't mind at all.It was familiar,strange yet arousing.

He tossed the towel aside as he pressed his body against hers,craving the warmth of the electricity that crawled along her skin like invisible insects.He could feel the charge,the static as he slid his hands up her back,underneath her damp sweater,could feel it stinging his lips.

Her hands slid beneath his jacket and pushed it off,and he let it fall to the floor,kicking it aside as he pulled her away from the door.As her hands slid beneath his damp shirt,he felt sparks skitter across his skin,stinging but not painful.

They broke their kiss long enough for him to pull his shirt off,and then they were back together once more,him helping her unzip her sweater,her skin warm and damp against his,nipples hard as pebbles pressing against his chest.

"We really shouldn't do this,"he said breathlessly,struggling to regain some common sense as they fell back onto the bed.It felt as comfortable as a pallet of lumber,but at this rate he couldn't see either of them noticing,much less complaining about it.

He heard electricity crackle in his wet hair as she ran her hands through it,her teeth lightly scraping his skin as she nuzzled his neck."I know,"she agreed,gently nipping at the skin beneath his chin.Logan was pretty sure neither of them were getting much blood to their brains at the moment.

He held her tight and rolled over,careful not to crush her beneath him.She wrapped her fairly muscular legs tightly around him as he kissed and nuzzled her neck,which he knew from past experience she really liked.He could taste the rain on her strangely salty,electrically charged skin,could feel the static and the sparks just waiting to happen.

This was so wrong-they should be packing up and heading out now,going...where,exactly?He knew he might be able to think better if she wasn't trying to get his jeans off.Not that he was inclined to stop her.

"Naomi,"he began,giving it one last shot,but then she moved her hands up to his back and dug in her fingernails;a small,sharp pain that made him groan,once again erotic and familiar.

Oh,the hell with it-if he was going to die,he was going to die happy.

He kissed her,and forgot whatever the hell else he had been thinking about.

He entered Sander's white on beige Base office to find Sanders sitting at his desk,feet up,arms folded behind his head,looking so casual you'd think nothing had been shot to shit.But his unruffled image was ruined somewhat by the tiny yellow mustard stains down the front of his white shirt.

"You heard the report from Warner?"He wondered,not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.Warner was the senior officer in charge of the situation on site.

Sanders dipped his head,his placidity infuriating."They screwed the pooch down there."

Kruger shook his head and shoved Sander's feet off his cluttered desk so he could sit on the edge. "No,they did not just 'screw the pooch'-they fucked up royal.They should have been an easy get."

"Well,you can't blame the kid.He played it by the book.It's just Wolverine's a natural made killer,ain't he?It's what he does."

"That doesn't excuse incompetence.Someone even tried to use a paralyzer on Electra.It says right in the mission briefing paralyzers are for use on Wolverine only.And drug cartridges have to be rotated so he never gets a dose of the same thing twice since he adapts so readily to most controlled substances.Her it doesn't matter-as far as we know-but god damn it!If those morons weren't ready,why did they go in?"

Sanders sat up straighter in his chair,the expression on his face suggesting Kruger was the unreasonable one."It looked like a go.So,they underestimated Wolverine.They won't do it again."

"You're assuming there is an again,"he countered darkly.

Now Sanders looked worried.He folded his hands nervously on his lap,a frown creasing his pale brows."You really think they'll make a run for the border?We have agents in place."

As much as he liked getting under Sanders thick hide,he saw no point in continuing a charade either."Don't bother,Sanders.We need to keep lockdown status active here."

"So you think the recovery team will have a second chance?"

"I don't really know.But I do know Wolverine.Fighting is hardwired into him-it feeds straight into his ego.He got his butt kicked,and he can't live with that.He'll want revenge,and I assume Electra still wants her sister.The stupid bastards will keep coming for us,Sanders."Kruger knew that with an unwavering certainty.Logan wouldn't give up;the poor bastard didn't really know how.He had the soul of a contrarian:he would fight everything,even if it was obviously pointless and hopeless.He would continue onward,simply because he didn't know what else to do.

Even if it led to his doom.Which it would,of course-but he had a self-destructive streak as well.

Sanders shook his head in disgusted amusement."Then why do they want the idiot back so bad?"

"Haven't you been paying attention?He and electric girl thwarted an entire collection team that should have had them subdued and off the streets within three minutes.Wolverine is the best at what he does,Sanders."

"Fucking up?"

"Killing."And Kruger couldn't help but hope Sanders would get a personal taste of that,as soon as the old Wolverine was back in the saddle again.

He was especially glad about that since Naomi was fast asleep beside him.God,he could have killed her.

He quickly got out of bed,careful not to wake her,and noticed the power was back.The lamp was on,and the tiny alarm clock beneath it on the nightstand was moronically flashing twelve,the red numerals blinking like an eye.He turned off the lamp,letting the clock flash itself into oblivion as he went off to the bathroom to have a shower.

He'd been hoping it would help clear the cobwebs from his mind,but as the hot water attempted to pummel his muscles into submission,it became clear that wasn't going to happen.

What were they going to do?

They were obviously expected at Big Empty.There would be a trap waiting for them,a trap of adamantium and electrical absorbers,a trap that would catch them like flies in amber.If they went forward,it would be a suicide mission.

If it was just himself,he'd hardly give it a second thought.But Naomi was in on this too,and he did not want to see her hurt.Last night was too fucking close.

Yet he knew she would not stay behind;it was her sister being held,and frankly he couldn't blame her.But if something happened to her he would never forgive himself.It would tear him to pieces.

The sudden realization of that scared him.Surely she was right-emotions just complicated things.Yet walking away was out of the question;he'd be damned if he was leaving anyone to the tender mercies of those torturing bastards.So what did that leave?Where did they go from here?

He turned off the water and got out,drying himself off with a rough towel as he made a decision that left an unpleasant taste in his mouth:he would call for help.

Even Upstate New York was far from Alberta,but with that bloody jet of theirs they could get here pretty fast,so he should call as soon as possible.And tell them what?He was assuming they'd want to help rescue a captured mutant-what if they'd rather not?

No,that was bullshit.Xavier would help other mutants being experimented on.He just didn't want to do it because it felt like giving up.

The bathroom door opened,and Naomi walked in,yawning and wearing his t-shirt."Morning  tiger,"she said sleepily."Want to stay and do my back?"

He smiled,well aware it wasn't going to stop with the back.Their showers together had a tendency to turn into marathons where no one actually got clean.

And it was a really tempting thought.It was easy to get lost in the flesh,to think of nothing but each other at that moment in time...but they had an escape to plan."I'll have to take a rain check.I'll go get  us some breakfast,huh?I'm starving."

"Me too.A little caffeine would be nice,"she said,turning the shower on again.

He decided to leave the bathroom before he changed his mind,but half way out the door,he realized,"Hey,you've got my shirt."

She took it off and threw it at him before getting into the shower;it hit him right in the face."Nice shot,"he said,pulling it off his head.

"I do make them sometimes,"she noted humorously,drawing the shower curtain closed.

As dry as he was probably going to get considering the monsoon still raging outside,he left his towel on the sink,and pulled his shirt on over his head as he gathered up the rest of his clothes and got dressed.Naomi had left his t-shirt nice and warm,the static electricity making the hair on his arms stand on end.

So much for sticking to just being friends.But he had to admit,this was a hell of a lot nicer.

Once he pulled on his boxer shorts (how they got thrown in the closet he couldn't remember) and his jeans,he picked up the telephone on the nightstand.He had to call Xavier's before he lost his nerve.

But there was no dial tone.

He pointlessly pressed the receiver down a few times,but there wasn't even a static hiss on the line.It was deader than a deer at an NRA convention.

The power was on,but the phone was dead?

It was possible-especially in this part of Canada;a small town with an equally small phone service-but it was suspicious enough he decided he was not about to leave Naomi all by herself. They could get breakfast on their way out of town.

He thought about going back to his room to get his things,but then he remembered he didn't have any things to get.There were certain advantages to traveling with nothing but the clothes on your back.

As soon as he got his socks (those took some finding too) and boots on,he trudged down the hall and bought each of them a couple of overpriced sodas from the vending machine.They were too sweet for this early in the morning,but they were a solid caffeine hit,and frankly he never liked coffee that much.

So,until they could find a phone that worked,they were on their own,but maybe that was a good thing.He'd be forced to think of something else.

He went to the window and stared out of it.Naomi had a magnificent view of the parking lot and the convenience store beyond it,advertising 'cheap smokes' on their ratty sign (and the 'cheap' prices were twice what smokes would cost over the border in the States).The rain had finally ceased,as the gusting wind had blown some of the clouds away,making an odd partition in the sky:half of it was clear and blue,the type of hard grey-blue that always promised bitter cold;and the other half was filled with clouds as thick and black as death,angry thunderheads just waiting to unleash its wrath on the unwary.