An hour later, Ororo stood with Logan in the equipment room in the hangar bay watching as he selected and loaded his equipment. She watched his hands, the sure deft movements making short work of the somewhat tedious process reminding her once again just how capable he really was.
This was his calling, fighting the good fight, protecting the weak from the strong to ensure they had a future. But it made her wonder, who protected them? Who would stand up and tell them they no longer needed to fight? Who would be willing to take over for them and make the hard decisions needed to protect the weak?
She knew in her heart that someone needed to do what they did. Someone needed to step into the void and stand in the way of hatred or evil. But sometimes, it was such a tiring prospect because it never seemed to end. For every one they knocked down, two more stepped up to take its place.
She sighed hating herself for even feeling the slightest hint of doubt. This was what they did, this was who they were. They could no more stop doing it than they could stop breathing. But sometimes, when those you loved more than life itself were facing the void, it was so hard to keep that in mind.
She walked up to him as he finished working, tying the bag shut. Her arms snaked around him, pulling him close against her as he leaned against the worktable in front of him.
“I wish you did not have to go.” Her voice was quiet and muffled as she pressed her face into his back, forcing the sudden wave of tears down.
He sighed. “Ororo,” he turned around in her arms, pulling her tightly against him, feeling her tremble.
She nodded. “I know, I know this is what we do, this is who we are. But I simply cannot shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.” She trembled slightly as she spoke unable to shake the dark cloud that had suddenly descended over them all with the professor’s words. She burrowed deeper into his arms, wanting nothing more then to stay there forever, never moving, ignoring the outside world for the rest of their lives.
“Darlin’, I can handle him; there’s nothin’ he can throw at me that I can’t throw back at him.” He kissed the top of her head, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply. He too had his own misgivings about the mission, but he wasn’t about to share them with her and worsen her own anxiety.
She pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. “I know, but please, I beg you, be careful.”
He gave her a soft smile before kissing her on the lips. “I will, I promise.” He let go of her, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out the ring. He looked at her as he held it out. “Before I go, I want ta give ya somethin’ to hang onto.” He put the box into her hand, folding her fingers over it.
She looked at him in surprise, clutching the box tightly. “Logan, I…” She trailed off, unable to find the words. She threw her arms around him once more, embracing him firmly, her heart so filled with love for him that it ached.
He held on for several moments before trying to pull away. She refused to let go. He sighed. “I’ve got ta go darlin’.”
“I know, I know.” She let her arms drop reluctantly.
He shouldered his pack of gear and headed towards the door and the hangar bay just beyond where the black bird rested quietly. He could smell the myriad of odors that permeated the place, the oily pungent jet fuel, the brittleness of plastics and the sharp bite of metal.
As they reached the door, Ororo reached out and grasped his hand firmly in her own, walking with him to the open doors of the jet. Forge stood just inside the shadows of those doors, moving slowly about the plane as he stowed more gear.
Ororo stopped Logan just outside of the jet, hugging him hard once more, whispering in his ear. “Promise me that you will come back, safe and sound.”
He kissed her head gently, even as he pulled back. “I promise darlin’.” He released her, walking backwards up the ramp into the jet as he called out to her. “And when I get back, I expect an answer.”
She nodded, calling out to him, “be safe my love.” He nodded once, and then he was gone, the ramp raising behind him, stealing him from view. She stepped back as the hangar bay doors opened and the black birds engines came online. She left the hangar as the roar of the jet filled the cavernous room with earsplitting noise.
The jet lifted and she watched from the window as it left the bay and the doors closed behind it. She sighed loudly as she heard it streak into the sky above her. “Dear Goddess, please keep him safe.” She whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes.
Logan sat at the controls of the blackbird, not really doing much since setting their heading for Virginia. But he had no desire to put the jet on autopilot and interact with his passenger. Truth be told, the mission was probably going to be a great deal more difficult than he had let on to either the professor or Ororo, for one specific reason: he hated Forge.
There was simply no way to sugar coat the gut reaction he had whenever the inventor was around him. The man made his skin crawl, if for no other reason than Logan was sure he was up to something. He felt it from the moment he learned the mutant was in the mansion. His hunch was only reinforced by Xavier’s mistrust of the man’s information and Ororo’s annoyance and subsequent attack on him in the danger room, however accidental.
Not to mention that every time he was around Forge, his hackles rose and the beast came fully awake; not pressing or trying to take control, but watchful. Almost as if it too sensed something not quite right about the man. Logan had to resist the urge to bare his teeth and stake a claim to everything and everyone around him several times. It wasn’t something he normally had a great deal of trouble with and he was very interested just what about Forge would cause his possessive streak to rear its ugly head so blatantly.
Forge’s voice broke him from his thoughts. “We should be there in about an hour or so.”
Logan nodded, checking their heading one more time against the coordinates Forge had provided. “Might take us a bit longer ta find a place ta set down.” He paused, studying another image of the topography of the area; hoping they could find a decent clearing close enough to the facility.
“I’ve got a place with a jeep waiting. Its about five miles from the compound; far enough away that the blackbird won’t be picked up but close enough for us to get out fast if something goes wrong.” He punched in a set of coordinates and Logan adjusted their flight plan slightly.
“So what can we expect?” He purposely pushed aside his concerns about the man sitting next to him and forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. The sooner he was heading back to the mansion and Ororo’s answer, the better.
Forge shrugged slightly. “It shouldn’t be too hard getting you in; we’ll pretend you’re a newly acquired specimen.” He gave Logan a wry smile.
Logan ignored the smile and the urge to wipe the smirk off Forge’s face, choosing instead to snort slightly. He was not at all pleased with the idea of letting himself be captured and put into another government lab.
But they had little choice and fewer options; it wasn’t as if Logan could walk in alongside the man. There was no one in the world who would buy that Logan was a visiting scientist or even a government official sent to inspect the site. Some things you just could not hide and Logan’s attitude and gruff appearance were right on the top of that list.
“No cuffs.” His gruff, clipped words broke the silence in the cabin like a hammer shattering glass.
“What?” Forge looked at him in surprise.
“No cuffs.” Logan repeated.
“How in the hell am I going to convince them you’re a prisoner?” Forge’s annoyed voice rang out through the small cabin of the plane.
Logan pointed a finger in Forge’s direction, his voice gruff. “Ya can take me in a on a fuckin’ gurney, claimin’ I’m doped ta the gills if ya want, I don’t care how ya do it. No cuffs!” He turned his attention back to flying the plane, the matter settled in his mind and with no more room for argument.
For several long moments there was silence in the cabin as Logan kept his attention on simply flying the plane. But he couldn’t help but notice the glances Forge kept shooting his way when he thought Logan wasn’t paying attention.
After several moments, Logan’s already raw and frayed nerves began to unravel and he barked harshly at Forge. “Ya got a problem bub?”
Stunned, Forge could only shake his head. “No, just trying to answer a question.”
Logan resisted the urge to snort again. “And what might that be?”
“Do you love her?” Forge’s words landed like a lead mine in the quiet cabin of the stealth plane.
“What?” Logan tore his eyes from the control panel unsure of what he’d just heard.
“Do you love her?” His voice was quiet but hard, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he stared at Logan; almost as if he didn’t trust the answer Logan would give him.
The question startled him, not that it should have given the suspicions Logan had over Forge’s return. Still, it surprised him, setting him off balance as he considered just how to answer it. His first impulse was to just brush him off, tell the taller man to mind his own damned business. But something made him hesitate and he found himself contemplating the man’s words.
He sighed slightly as his jaw clenched, his eyes leaving Forge’s to contemplate the darkness outside the plane. “Not that it’s any of yer damn business, but yeah, I do.” His voice was just as quiet but sharp as he turned his attention back to the genius sitting next to him. “Does that answer yer question?”
Forge nodded. “Yes it does.”
Steel grey eyes hardened, boring into the other man as Logan’s tolerance simply disappeared. “Good then stop starin’ at me ‘fore I rip out yer eyes and hand ‘em to ya.” Logan turned back to the controls. Next to him, he could see Forge shift in his seat
“No need to get violent.”
This time Logan snorted loudly. “Not from where I’m sittin’.” He decided that enough was enough and pulled out a cigar, popping it into his mouth before lighting it. He ignored Forge’s annoyed look as the smoke slowly spread throughout the cabin.
“Do you have a problem Logan?” The snide tone in Forge’s voice pricked Logan’s ears.
Logan chuckled slightly even as he chewed on his cigar. “Yeah I do.”
“Sorry I can’t help you with it.” Forge turned his attention to the instruments on his side of the plane.
Logan pulled the cigar from his mouth to be sure that Forge heard every word he said. “Actually ya can, make sure ya drop dead after this mission.”
“A bit testy are we?”
Again Logan snorted. “No just optimistic fer a change.” There was a heavy silence for several moments after those strange words and Logan felt himself begin to relax. But then just as he was ready to forget the matter and let the final bit of tension leave him, he felt Forge’s eyes resting on him again.
Logan turned to the Cheyenne, feeling the feral side in him waking up at the perceived threat. He snarled slightly as he spoke. “Most men don’t get a warnin’ from me, let alone the chance to walk away. Don’t make me regret givin’ ya either.”
They stared at each in silence for several moments, each weighing their wills against the other. Logan, tired of holding back let the animal free, feeling it rise up inside him as he felt it changing him. He felt the strength and anger of it settling in his body. It did not like this man, this stranger who sought to take its mate. And it was pissed.
Logan took a deep breath feeling the beast pressing on him but not taking control and wondered at the wisdom of letting go so easily to it. Even as another part of him relished in the fear rolling off the other man at his sudden change. Forge broke first, his gaze breaking away from the darker, wilder gaze of the Wolverine. Logan turned his attention back to flying the plane, feeling the beast within him drift back down and go dormant once more. Neither one spoke for the rest of the flight.
Nearly forty-five minutes later, with the blackbird settled down in the clearing Forge had indicated, their equipment stowed away and Logan lightly secured to a gurney on the back of the jeep, Forge was driving slowly down an old logging road to the government compound.
Logan was satisfied that the cloaking device and relative isolation of the clearing would keep anyone from stumbling onto the plane but still had misgivings about how well Forge’s plan to get them inside would work out. After all the point was to get into the lab without setting off any alarms, either with the guards or otherwise. But there was something about the idea of willingly walking into U.S. government hands, or any government for that matter that set Logan’s nerves on edge.
He allowed Forge to secure him to the gurney without any protest; he even let him hook up an IV of saline to make it appear that Logan was being heavily sedated. But he was still not happy with the situation and every bump and jolt of the old dirt road only increased his apprehension.
If it hadn’t been for the promise he’d made to the professor, he would likely have told Forge to take a flying leap off the nearest cliff and left the man to his own devices. But he had given his word and he was determined to honor that; no matter how much the mission was troubling him.
Several moments went by in relative silence as Forge navigated the bumpy, rut-filled road, the engine of the jeep the only sound to be heard for miles. Logan lay still letting his senses extend as far as they would reach, letting them tell him about the world around him that he couldn’t see.
He could smell the fluids and exhaust of the jeep just under him, but beyond that lay the crisp fresh smell of the green forest, the spicy soothing scent of the rich soil and somewhere, far in the distance the cool scent of flowing water teased his nose. He took a deep breath, releasing it just as the jeep hit a deep rut and he felt a jolt, similar to when he struck his funny bone, run through him.
He opened his eyes, every sense on high alert at the strange sensation. He looked around the area carefully, sniffing and straining hyper-sensitive eyes and ears to find a cause for the sudden jolt that had nothing to do with the rut in the road. Something pricked his senses but it faded quickly. Shaking his head, he lay back down on the gurney, mulling it over in his head.
Several moments later, he felt the jeep slow down and come to a stop. He forced himself to remain completely still as he listened to Forge talking to the guard at the post.
“Welcome back Forge. What’d you bring back this time?”
A creak as Forge shifted in his seat slightly. “Another guinea pig; something special for the big brass. I’ve got him sedated but I need to get him down to the lab asap.”
“No restraints?” A shift of gravel as the guard stepped around to the back of the jeep.
“Nope, got him drugged out of his mind but it won’t last more than an hour. And believe me I had a hard enough time getting him down the first time, so if you don’t mind.” His voice drifted off and then sound of the gate being raised.
“Go right on in; the boys are expecting you.” The guard shouted over the noise of the gate.
“Thanks Jack.” He put the jeep back in gear and took off, heading deeper into the compound.
Logan let himself stay loose and slack as they drove deeper into the base even as he let his senses take account of things around him for later use. It only took a few moments before the jeep slowed again and the stopped as Forge cut the engine. Logan heard the gifted mutant get out and come around to the back of the jeep. He felt Forge adjusting the IV, making a show of upping the meds while talking to him softly.
“There’re two guards coming to help me take you inside; once I get you into the lab, I’ll let you off the gurney and we’ll decide on the next course of action.” Forge stepped away as the other two guards stepped forward.
Logan felt himself being lifted, the floating sensation continuing as they carried him into the compound. Logan heard the doors open as they walked through and then close behind them. He kept track of the turns they took, starting to build a map of the compound to go over the one he had studied before leaving the mansion. As far as he could tell, they were in the west end of the building, the area that Forge said was for R & D.
Several moments later, they entered a final room and Logan felt himself deposited onto a hard metal table with a hard jolt. Logan resisted the urge to leap up and throttle the jerks as his skull bounced off the table. He heard them quietly talking to Forge for a moment and then, they left.
He opened his eyes slightly, taking in the empty room before he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the table. He watched as Forge came up to him, watching as Logan began pulling out the IV.
“Where are we?” He asked Forge as he jumped from the table. He felt a slight twinge as his feet touched the floor and he paused a moment, puzzled by the sensation. But it was gone before he could figure out what it was or what caused it.
“We’re in a medical processing room, about two doors down from the holding cells.” Forge walked over to the other side of the room and pulled a set of coveralls off the wall. “Here, put these on.”
Logan took the clothes from the other man. “We just gonna walk over there?”
Forge nodded. “Yeah; I’ve got a bolt hole out of this place; I should be able to sneak us all out that way.” He watched as Logan donned the coveralls. “Ready?”
Logan nodded. “Yeah.”
Forge turned and went out the door, letting Logan follow him as he simply walked down the hall and headed straight for a doorway at the end of it.
Logan looked around slightly, not surprised to see that the compound looked like nearly every one he’d ever been in before. He snorted softly wondering why something labeled “Government Intelligence” never managed to show a single bit of originality. He stopped behind Forge as the other mutant reached the door and punched in a complex key code.
The door slid open and every instinct Logan possessed lit up like a Christmas tree. He snarled, reacting without thought as the beast flew up from the depths to slam into his body. For a moment he warred with it as he tried to figure out just what it was that set his senses off. Then it backed off a bit and he tensed, his claws shooting free from his forearms, the familiar tingle of their passage turning into a ripping burning pain.
He looked down in amazement to see rivulets of fresh blood running down his hands to drip onto the floor. He lifted his hands, staring at them in shock. He turned his attention to Forge, who stood there looking at him with a set, uncaring expression on his face.
Logan lifted his hands, staring at Forge, blood still running down his arms. “Ya stupid sonnava bitch, what’d ya do ta me?”
Forge smiled evilly, stepping forward, the hall behind him filling with the guards that Logan had sensed in the room beyond. “Nothing much, I just repressed your healing abilities enough to give you some problems. Right about now you’re starting to feel the effects of heavy metal poisoning as your own body rebels against the adamantium lining your bones.”
The guards surrounded Logan, multiple guns pointed at him and there was no doubt in his mind that if he took a bullet from them, he’d never leave the hall. “What the fuck are ya doin’ this for?” He could feel his chest tightening a bit as his breathing began growing difficult.
Forge sneered at him, circling the smaller man. “When I first took this assignment, I told myself I was just doing what I was ordered to. But now, knowing what I know about you and Ororo, I was only too happy to drag your ass here.” He reached out, giving the smaller mutant a slight shove, looking pleased when Logan stumbled.
“Yer doin’ this cause yer pissed ‘bout ‘Ro?” Logan felt his vision darkening a bit, his breathing growing more labored. He knew he only had a few moments before he passed out and then he would be at their mercy. But no matter how his mind raced, he couldn’t think of a way out of the situation.
“No that’s not the only reason.” He studied Logan closely, seeing the other mutant’s growing difficulties. “You’ve got everyone snowed don’t you?” He chuckled darkly at the confused look on Logan’s face.
“Snowed?” Logan blinked, feeling a sense of detachment come over him as he slowly lost contact with the beast inside him.
Forge nudged him again. “They think you’re an asset, that you’ve been tamed. But we both know the truth don’t we? You’ll never really be tamed or civilized; I think we’re damned lucky you’re even house broken.” He looked down at his hands, wiping them on his clothes as if they were covered in something dirty, disgusting.
Logan shook his head, trying to clear it slightly, feeling the blackness lift slightly as he tried to stay standing. “Listen bub, I know about the history ya have with ‘Ro and I don’t give a damn. She chose ta stay with me when ya came back. I bet that just eats at ya, don’t it? That someone like her could possibly love someone like me.” He sneered at Forge, hoping to goad the gifted mutant into attacking him. If only so he could take the bastard down before they killed him.
Forge sneered right back. “Yes it does Logan. But in a few moments, that won’t matter much any more. Cause you’ll be here in a cell and I’ll be on my way back to the mansion to inform them all that you’ve died.” He watched as Logan tensed, his claws still extended. The man was barely able to stand but he still seemed willing to fight. “Go ahead, fight us Logan, you’ll still be locked up.”
Logan smiled, the gesture looking like a snarl in his suddenly pale, pale face. “Ya won’t kill me; otherwise why go ta the trouble ta get me here?”
Forge chuckled. “We won’t have to kill you; we just have to wait for you to pass out; which should be any minute now.”
Logan swayed again, knowing he was right but unable to give up. His voice slurred slightly as the symptoms grew worse. “Yer insane. She won’t believe ya.”
Again Forge chuckled. “Oh I think she will. I’m going to take your body back.”
Logan couldn’t hide his surprise. “What?”
“Oh don’t worry, I really do want to keep you alive. So I’ll be taking back a clone, complete with adamantium skeleton.”
Logan felt everything click into place. “Yer the one who started up the damned Weapon X project again.”
“Yes I am; and you were so kind enough to destroy all my research in Canada. But thankfully, with you here, I won’t be starting completely from scratch.”
Logan swayed again, losing his fight to stay upright and fell to his knees. Above him, Forge continued to explain.
“So when they ask me what happened, I’ll tell them the mission went sour, you went berserk, got hit with the cure and you were killed before I could stop it from happening. I’m sure that they’ll all be grief-stricken, but given time they’ll get over it. I know I’ll have no trouble forgetting about you.”
Logan panted a bit, forcing his voice to be steady as he looked up at the genius. “Glad you have it planned out so well; ya just forgot one minor detail in all of this.” He felt the muscles in his abdomen cramp strongly, his claws sheathing themselves once more, the cramping driving him to the floor as he grunted loudly at the pain.
“And what’s that?”
Logan smiled, looking up at him, panting heavily. “That ‘Ro don’t trust ya no more. And she knows me; she won’t believe ya and neither will Rogue.” Again he grunted as his muscles seized violently.
“We’ll see Logan; but in the meantime, you’re mine and I am going to spend a great deal of enjoyable time plumbing the reason you survived the process that’s killing you without your healing factor.” He motioned to the guards. “Take him away.”
Logan felt the guards grab hold of him firmly and he sagged against them, unable to do anything to stop them. His vision blackened considerably and unable to do anything, he lost consciousness, a final desperate mental plea sent out to anyone near enough to hear him calling out to the emptiness around him.
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