X's and O's - The Nina and Logan Years

2000, Pt. 1

His name was Logan, apparently. He and the girl, Rogue, had been attacked by Erik's group while on the road, Ororo and Scott coming to their rescue. Now he was in the lab where Nina was about to help Jean run some tests.

While Jean attached the sensors to his chest and arms and tapped at the screen on the monitor, Nina sat at his side, peering down at him from her perch on a stool. He appeared very peaceful. 

She reached out and took his hand, gently rubbing her thumb over his knuckles - apparently, he had metal claws, though you couldn't tell from his smooth hands. 

Jean was just readying a needle against a  vein in his arm to take a blood test when the man shot up and off of the table. 

Nina gave a startled cry and flew off her stool as he suddenly stood behind Jean, hand around her throat. It had all happened so fast, with lightning speed. 

"It's okay," she said, trying to calm him despite her own moment of shock. She held up her hands in a non-threatening gesture. "It's okay, you're safe, we're not going to hurt you. Please let my friend go."

Without a word he did let Jean go,  but fled, and with dizzying speed. Nina immediately dropped to Jean's side. "Jean! Are you all right?"

"J-Just need a moment," Jean spluttered amongst a fit of coughs. 

With Jean okay, Nina hurried after the man. How had he gone so quickly? Claws? Speed? It seemed he was bursting with abilities. 

The ding of the elevator signaled that he was heading to the only place he was able to go: up. She grabbed one of the extra hoodies sitting around the suit room before phasing through the ceiling and up after him.

She found him lurking around the lobby, avoiding the students running around between class. 

"Excuse me-" He jumped and whirled around. Then she found herself in his grasp, her back pressed against his bare chest, one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders and the other her middle. The hoodie fell from her hands. 

She squirmed but he had an iron grip. "It's not very nice to attack someone in their own home-" And with that she plunged a handful of purple energy through her own chest and into his own, sending him stumbling back. He recovered quickly though, and fled once again.

She sighed, blowing her hair out of her eyes. 

Don't worry Nina, I'll handle this, came Charles's voice in her head, and she was more than happy to hand the situation over to him.

Thank you, Charles!

Minutes later when she, along with Ororo, Scott, and Jean entered Charles's office and personal classroom they found him making the necessary introductions. "This is Ororo Monroe, also called Storm. And this is Scott Summers, also called Cyclopes. They saved your life. And I believe you've already met Dr. Jean Grey and Ms. Nina Nova, sometimes called Night Witch." 

She took the hoodie she had dropped in the chase and presented him with it.  "I thought you might be cold." He took it and slipped it on. 

"You're in my school for the gifted, for mutants," Charles continued to explain in his usual clam manner. "You'll be safe here from Magneto."

"What's a Magneto?"

"Not 'what', but  'who'. A very powerful mutant who believes a war is brewing between mutants and the rest of humanity. I've been following his activities for some time. The man who attacked you is an associate of his called Sabretooth."

"'Sabretooth'," scoffed Logan. He turned to the others and started listing them off. "'Storm', 'Cyclopes', 'Night Witch'." Then he turned back to Charles. "What do they call you? 'Wheels?' This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."