2014-01-20 - Talking with Logan

Fairly deep in the woods a good distance away from Salem, John Coltan is more or less just blowing off steam. He's angry, frustrated. and of course fairly worried. With Adam, America, and Jeanne going off on some ill conceived rescue mission, all hot to trot, John was the only one who wanted to leave it to the professionals, added to the fact he did not want to foul up an international diplomatic issue and cause issues for the UN to attempt to deal with Magneto diplomatically.

The Result, he resigned from the Academy. If He turned them in he would have been a bootlicker and kept out of the loop on everything, sided with them and joined them, he'd have gotten flak from the avengers for doing so, added to the fact he would have put a Dangerous weapon in Magneto's reach, he stayed behind, a coward you couldn't count on even if they failed their mission. And on the remote chance they succeeded, chances are Adam would have used it to pressure and push John out of the Academy.

For him Resignation was the only option he could see that would not make his life at the Academy a living hell. Being a Hero was hard enough, but to stick around while the pressure is from your fellow team mates to kick you out? Not worth it.

So right now, John is more or less just lashing out, Striking trees, using Sticks and hitting things as hard as he could. He had more than his fair share of cuts from the ordeal, his knuckles are busted, cuts and Scraps. Finally a one of the sticks in his hand breaks and shatters it also implants a number of wood shards in his skin making him Recoil. The pain is enough to make him scream with utter frustration. Wearing a jean outfit minus a jacket in the cold winter air.

Cyber his Bio-suit simply rests on a large granite boulder deposited here from the ice age glaciers. The Bio-mechanical Dragon just lays there shaking his head in sympathy for his host's pain. But supports his resignation without question. //~Feel any better?~// Cyber asks. Only to get a head shake from John.

Things were going good for Logan which could only mean trouble was coming. But that was the future. What was the rhyme Ogun taught him when he was training with him 'Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a dream, only the present matters.' It was good advice from his old mentor turned enemy. So, Logan took it, heading back to the Institute to check in before he headed off into the bush to get a little solitude and a chance to just enjoy things being good for a change.

So, he was camping when he caught the scent of something /wrong/ on the cold winter breeze. It wasn't living but it wasn't a machine either. Like those new sentinels, he got up tossing out his coffee and slips into the bushes "I hate bein' right," he murmurs.

He ghosts through the trees as quiet as a shadow. He's good at stalking prey, he keeps up wind and he circles the spot, hearing the sound of breaking branches and smelling blood. Human blood. The voices carry in the quiet snowy woods and hearing the words Logan snorts.

Standing up from behind a downed log he vaults over it and lands heavily in a crouch "I hope you guys ain't trying to sneak up on the Institute or cause gotta say you're doin' a crappy job." His claws aren't out yet, but he eyes both John and Cyber warily.

Cyber is not exactly blind, so it takes someone of considerable skill to sneak up on him. So when Logan seems to appear out of nowhere, Cyber is the one who acts. Like a big cat the dragon leaps landing between John and Logan. His stance is very predator baring his teeth and flaring those wings. As if to protect the human.

Looking at the display John just exhales and face palms. "Cyber.... Calm down"

The Dragon regards Logan as he replies to John, //~Look who's talking John?~// as John asks, "Institute?" Then it dawns on him. "Oh the Xavier's institute for Mu..." John catches himself "Gifted youngsters." He says and pulling out a few splinters. "Attacking that school would most likely be as intelligent as three young hotshots going to assault Geonosha. No I came out here to blow off some steam and frustration. Cyber.... Please." He says And finally the dragon folds his wings and moves around to climb back upon that boulder. "John Coltan, My companion is Cyber."

Logan's claws snickt out when Cyber moves and he snarls in return until John calls him off. Logan stays tensed until the metal dragon has fully backed off. Then he stands and retracts his claws slowly, just as slowly as his lips uncurl from his snarl. "Cyber?" he asks looking at John. "Gotta get a better name for your pet, there's a guy called that already and he's not someone you want to piss off," he says with dark humour glinting in his eyes as he takes in the boy and his dragon. "Anyhow, what's this about Genosha?"

Looking at the Claws when they pop out Cyber doesn't seem phased. It's John who Identifies him, "Wolverine?" John says almost amazed at the claws, and shakes his head. "I didn't choose the name. He did. He's sentient by the way." John says.

"Joined our name is Cyberdragon." Cyber nods as he relaxes as John looks to Cyber and with the Dragon not giving him any help.

"Long story short. Taking down those NEWT Facilities, One of the Avengers Hawkeye got captured my magneto. Four or five days ago, well a couple days ago, some members of the Avengers Academy decided to mount a Rescue. I was willing to trust the Avengers, and Shield to resolve the situation. My fellow Academy members decided to head out and stage an impromptu rescue. That was oh.... two days ago. They wanted me to join in an ill-conceived rescue mission which involved... more or less punching their way in and out, I refused. Basically resigned from the Academy. I'll get flak for not turning them in despite resigning I know. I wasn't going to give Magneto a chance to get his hands on an Adaptive Universal Environmental Survival Suit." And John makes a motion to his companion.

"That's me kid, but just call me Logan," Logan says as he moves closer to John and Cyber sitting down a stump. He reaches into his coat and pulls out a micky of scotch and has a swallow before he offers it to John. "Yeah, got a friend with a sentient dragon too, well sort of sentient. Anyhow," he looks over at Cyber. "Gonna call you Scales, cause' I ain't calling you Cyber." Sure he doesn't have scales really but it's Logan his nicknames don't need to make sense.

There's a hmph from Logan when John lays things out. "Barton?" he asks when Hawkeye is brought up. "Well if he ain't dead, then half of Genosha is on fire and a bunch Widow's probably aced a bunch of Acolytes by now," He seems thoroughly unconcerned. "Anyhow, trust me kid, Magneto is the most powerful on the mutant on the planet, he needs your dragon about as much as I need a band aid. So, why'd you really not go with em?"

Closing his eyes. "I'm a rookie. Pure and simple, I was in college training to be a professional chef. I was joined with Cyber Mid-October last year. I Tangled with Ultron on christmas day, nearly got killed. I have no self delusions that going to Geonosha was beyond my skills, I suffer a case of common sense."

John Takes the drink and will inhale before drinking it down, well a couple swallows, and then coughing his lungs out, "Oh damn.... that's good. Scotch?"

//~Indeed, while I am not... forced to serve a host. Magneto could kill John, claim me, but by no means can he force me to actually join. I and my host must co-operate for the merging to work. And I would not willingly help someone who murdered my previous host. I am just Glad John does have some common sense. That's more than I can say for some of my previous hosts.~//

"Yeah," Logan says about the drink. "The good stuff."

The rest though gets a frown then a bit of a bitter laugh. "Common sense? No, that's not what that is kid, it's fear, plain and simple. You're new, sure, but I've seen kids with a couple weeks of boot camp jump head first into the meat grinder, yeah, some of them don't come back but the thing is they all sacked up and went together," he puts away the scotch and takes out a cigar and strikes a match on the stump to light it. "Got things to do on your own, fine that's the time to walk away, but if you're part of somethin' you stick with it. Maybe you bite it, maybe you don't but if you want to be worth something you stand with the people yer with."

He glances over at Cyber. "See, Scales says Magneto can't use him without his okay anyhow, and trust me kid, Mags has had worse toys in the past and the world's still spinnin'."

Thinking over what Logan says, "Fear, Common Sense. Either way." John comes over to Sit down as Cyber pulls John's Jean Jacket from a branch tossing it to him. "Maybe fear, but Cyber said he would have stayed behind if I had gone to Geonosha. Without him...." John says and Cyber turns his head...

//~When did I say that, John?~// Scales looks at John almost totally confused.

"When Adam Said in or out." John.

Cyber looks almost confused, and surprised.

Logan watches the exchange between the two chomping on his cigar. "Then get over that fear, kid, if you're going to run with the Avengers." He slaps his hands down on his knees and pushes himself up to his feet. "Even if you don't run with em, afraid is a shitty way to live life."

Cyber simply says nothing as he seems to be more thoughtful.

"No being afraid is not a fun away to live. Took me almost a month to recover from that back hand he gave me. Maybe I was scared. But you have a hot head kid who's modeling himself after hawkeye, looks up to him as a father. Hates Authority. You have Miss America from what I learned of her, her idea of a good plan is to punch her way in, and then out of trouble. And Finesse, A girl who is scary smart, but doesn't have common sense enough to not tell people she lost her virginity. She was the type of person to be lead to a malfunctioning Guillotine that wouldn't kill her, look up, and then blurt out what is wrong with it, and how to fix it. Not my idea of the ideal team when attacking one of the most powerful mutants on the planet." John says. Dusting his pants off.

Logan sucks in some smoke and lets it out in a rush of breath and eyeing John with a wry expression on his face "You ever meet the X-Men?" he asks in reply to John's complaints about his own team. "None of em are smart kid, or they'd be doing something else. Point is, you got to figure out what you want, then do that, because hanging around in the bush bitching about your old team ain't helping shit," he says. "For you or them."

He cracks his neck and then turns and starts back to the tree line. "Good luck with whatever you decide."

"No I haven't had the honor to meet the X-men, Other than you Logan. Grew up hearing of their exploits, as a little kid kid always dreamed of being a Hero. Mutant, tech, magic. Didn't matter. I idolized them." With a Nod he thinks. "Thanks for the talk. Might help, I have an Idea what I want... issue is... can I find what I want." Looking out John contemplates the future.

Logan glances back. "Don't be a hero kid, just do what you need to do and let that sort it out." Then he's gone into the woods just as silently as he came.