Chapter 164: Wanted

"Logan, where the hell were you all day?" Ororo asked.

"I was with Jason."

"Jason?"

Logan turned at the sound of the voice and saw the red-haired telepath.

For a brief moment, his body tensed, but he relaxed when he saw it was the young woman who had helped save him.

For a split second, the older Jean appeared behind her in his memory before vanishing as he remembered that everything had changed because of his trip.

"Yes. He helped me recover all my memories."

That revelation astonished the women.

It also surprised someone listening from another room by using their powers without permission, someone who was equally shocked that they still could not enter the his mind.

"Are you alright? Did he ask about me? Will you bring him here soon? Is he still single?"

Just as Logan was about to make a snide remark, he remembered his idea.

A slow smile spread across his face.

It was not a smile that meant well for the blonde girl standing nearby.

"If you really want to see him, I will call him and ask him to come over. What do you think?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously?" Rogue asked as she walked in after overhearing the conversation.

"Yes. By the way, here."

He opened the box and handed her a bracelet along with a folded sheet of paper.

Rogue unfolded the paper and read it carefully.

By the time she reached the end, her eyes had widened.

Her hands trembled slightly as she stared at the bracelet as though it were a miracle... or perhaps a gift from the universe itself.

Everyone present wondered what could possibly have been written on the paper to make Rogue shake like a leaf.

With trembling hands, she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

It automatically adjusted to fit.

When she placed her index finger against it, the display began scanning and storing her heat signature.

For a few seconds, the screen displayed nothing but rows of zeros and ones.

With all her heart, she wished she would not hurt anyone she touched.

The display flashed red...

...before finally turning green.

The moment she saw it, she took a deep breath and, without warning, reached out and touched the nearest person.

Jean.

Jean’s face immediately filled with fear, as did everyone else’s.

They all expected something to happen.

Nothing did.

Jean felt nothing.

Everyone else saw nothing.

Tears streamed down Rogue’s face as she realized she could touch Jean without hurting her.

"What the hell?" Logan muttered.

"What the hell?" Ororo echoed.

"What the hell?!" Jean exclaimed.

"It is a..." sniff "...mutagen inhibitor that activates at will. Just by thinking..." sniff "...and wishing I do not want to hurt anyone..." sniff "...that part of my gene is suppressed."

To everyone’s astonishment, Rogue could practically live like a normal person now.

She could finally touch other people, something she had wished for her entire life.

And it had all come from a single man who changed the lives of everyone around him through seemingly small acts.

"I think I am in love," she joked.

But the joke was not amusing to a certain redhead at all

"Save the jokes for another time. Here is one for Kurt."

Logan handed her the remaining box.

"Go."

The moment Rogue heard that, she sprinted down the corridor in search of Nightcrawler.

After she disappeared around the corner, Jean grabbed Logan by the collar and pulled him close.

"Where does Jason live?" she asked in a low voice.

She fully intended to find him before anyone else did.

"Far away."

"Where, Logan?"

"In a house far away from here," he replied mockingly.

Jean’s patience finally snapped.

Using her telepathy, she attempted to enter the his mind.

She failed.

"What is wrong?" Logan smirked.

"Cannot get into my mind?"

"What?"

"Jason implanted something in my brain that acts as a security system against telepaths. You are not getting into my mind unless I want you to."

Jean let out a distinctly unladylike noise before storming off, already planning her own investigation into where the man lived.

"You disappear for almost an entire day, come back with mental shields, bracelets that help the saddest and most dangerous person in the mansion, and recover all your memories," Ororo said.

"This man is full of surprises."

"He is. If you saw where he lives and what he has, you would be surprised too, Ro."

Logan pulled out a cigar.

-------

Location: Chikara Dojo.

Inside one of the rooms, a beautiful Asian woman lay on the floor wearing nothing but an oversized pair of shorts and a tank top.

She stared at the ceiling, uncertainty written across her face.

"How desperate are you, Colleen, to break the only rule he left you?"

She spoke to herself before looking down at the intercom in her hand.

Her gaze shifted toward a mannequin standing in the corner of the room.

It wore a strange outfit...

...along with a mask.

"I miss you, Jason."

She let out a long, weary sigh.

-------

Location: 485 W 46th St.

A semi-deplorable room was littered with fast-food wrappers and empty bottles of alcohol.

Yet what stood out the most were the countless drawings covering the room.

Some were rough sketches.

Others were remarkably detailed.

Every single one depicted the same man.

Black hair.

White streaks.

Blue eyes.

A few even showed him wearing a red helmet.

Lying on the bed, a woman hugged a jacket as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

Resting on the bedside table beside her was an elegantly crafted weapon.

"You broke your promise, Jessica."

"You drank."

"He will not be happy when he comes back."

"Come back to me..."

"Please."

"Come back."

She buried her face in the jacket.

--------------

Location: Hell’s Kitchen — Murdock Apartment.

"No. I am not calling him," Matt said while trying to repair something resting across his lap.

"You have to call him. I highly doubt you can fix either the suit or the batons."

"I will not. I can handle this. With you here, it will not be a problem. And if it gets too bad, I can always take it to Melvin¹."

Karen grimaced.

"I highly doubt he would appreciate anyone other than himself touching that suit."

She watched with amusement as her boyfriend struggled to repair the equipment Jason had given him.

"None of this would have happened if a certain gentleman had not tried to fight a small army trained in martial arts while they were armed with both melee and ranged weapons."

"You had the option of drawing them into an open area, but instead you chose to fight in a place with almost no room to move."

"It was not my finest tactical decision, okay?"

"You know..." Karen smiled.

"I have been thinking."

"What if I help you?"

"No."

"That is sure a resounding no."

"Oh, come on."

"I could be your sidekick."

"What?"

"There is always someone wearing headphones who guides the hero and tells them where to go during emergencies."

"For example, if you get injured and need directions, you can ask me for help, and I can tell you what to do."

Matt opened his mouth to answer.

Instead, while attempting to repair the mask, he accidentally short-circuited something.

The apartment instantly went dark.

Karen folded her arms.

"Will you call him now?"

"...Yes."