[Reviews - 109]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story |
Printer Chapter or Story |
ePub eBook Chapter or Story |

Has been viewed 2347 times

- Text Size +




Ororo rubbed her temples and closed her eyes; even that small gesture hurt. Stress migraines, she decided, were the ninth ring of hell.

The past forty-eight hours found the faculty consulting a disaster plan Henry had written when Charles was still alive. It was in the best interest of the students’ families not to attempt to send them home when the Danger Room was nearly impervious to an attack, the next best thing to a bomb shelter if Prime struck again.

Two of the wings were closed off; students were bundled three and four to a room, escape routes carefully outlined and safety officers designated for each group. Class schedules were scaled back to allow the students time to cope and the senior team members to plan and recoup.

Henry had disconnected the school’s entire network except for Cerebro; he and Forge were still wrapping up work on the homing device, now that they’d successfully traced the signal. They seldom emerged from the suite for more than food, coffee or bathroom breaks. Ororo kept herself occupied abovestairs, teaching and putting her affairs in order.

She had no family, but she’d drawn up a will at Charles’ insistence three years ago, both a practical and necessary measure due to the life that she lived. Her savings and personal effects would never leave the school; she chose to channel them back into her home, and she planned to be buried on Charles’ land, in the plot beside Jean’s. Indulging in such morbid thoughts wouldn’t help her mission; she planned to focus on Gyrich and Gyrich alone once she donned her uniform and boarded the jet.

Her loft was spotless, her belongings painstakingly sorted and organized; she packed them away and left little sign of herself. The room felt sterile and empty, but, she reminded herself, it didn’t house her soul. It no longer felt sacred, nor like shelter in the wake of Prime invading their home.

She was just packing the last Rubbermaid sweater box under her bed when Logan entered her loft, nearly silent. She’d been so deep in thought that she never heard his heavy footfalls on the stairs.

He hovered in the doorway. She leaned back on her haunches and gave him a soft look.

“Hi,” she murmured, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She knew she looked mussed. Her jeans bore creases from bending and squatting so frequently over the past two hours.

To Logan, she was vulnerable, beautiful. He read unease in her posture, and her eyes were strained and tired.

“Somehow, I ain’t surprised,” he muttered wryly, shaking his head. “Right about now, most folks’d be doin’ something they didn’t have time for, or whatever they enjoyed most. One last hurrah.”

“Did you?”

“Took a ride on Scooter’s bike. Swatted some flies with my face.”

“Did it help?” He sighed heavily, and her mattress groaned as he sat on the corner to watch her.

“Nope. Not one damned bit.”

“Then your way might not be any better than mine.”

“Looks bare in here.”

“It gives me something to do to take my mind off…” Her words halted, and she bowed her head to stare at her hands as she twisted them in her lap. She searched for something to say. Her lips struggled to find words as her eyes once again met his, and bit by bit, he watched her collapse.

Her nostrils flared, she drew in thirsty gulps of air and shook her snowy head in defiance. “Tell me,” she pleaded with him. “Tell me we’ll get through this.” Her lips quivered as she hugged herself. He could see her trembling and caught the scent of her fear.

“Aw, baby, c’mere! C’mere, ‘Ro,” he crooned right before she curled herself into a ball and sobbed. She felt the air shift as he swooped down and knelt before her, tenderly gathering her into his arms. She wrapped herself in his strength and warmth; he prized her hands away from her face and tugged her arms up around his neck. He rocked her against him, soothing her with murmured words, stroking her back firmly enough to mold her body to hers, feeling her heart beat beneath his palm. Logan’s own eyes stung, but his voice remained steady. “I’m here. And I ain’t budgin’ an inch, darlin’. I know yer afraid.”

“Scared shitless,” she admitted into his shirt; he suppressed a bark of laughter at her profanity.

“No one’s gonna hold it against ya, darlin’. Not for one goddamned second.”

“I need to be there. It’s so important for me to be there for them, a-and to take c-care of them, Logan, they rely on me for so much!”

“Ya don’t hafta do it all by yerself, ‘Ro. Believe me when I say that. I’m in yer corner. We’re gonna track down Gyrich, turn off every one of those fuckin’ robots, and then we’re gonna kick his ass.”

“I’m a mess. I’m falling apart,” she cried, tugging herself back long enough to wipe away the tears that had poured down her cheeks. Her hand shook with the chore, and watery blue eyes traced the firm bluntness of his face, now so dear to her.

“Ya’ve been grace under pressure.” He cupped her cheek in his meaty palm and flicked away the last of the moisture with the pad of his thumb.

“Tell me they won’t take you from me,” she insisted. Her voice was husky and solemn as her fingers curled in the folds of his chambray shirt.

“Don’t matter what kinda hell they throw at me. No one’s gonna take YOU from ME.” She nodded, biting her lip against a low whimper, and she was already leaning into him as he inclined his head for her kiss, engulfing her. Ragged sounds of need clawed their way up from her throat, hot breath from her nostrils steaming his upper lip. His fingers lightly dug into her back and scored her through the thin pink cotton of her tee shirt.

It was never this way with Jean. Never this fierce, undeniable need sizzling through his veins, to possess her and never let her go. Jean had never given this much of herself and laid herself completely bare when he’d kissed her before, never took from him as desperately nor made him feel cherished and real. He devoured her lips and all of the sweet moans and cries, and every inch of her lithe, supple body cleaved to him. He felt her long fingers plowing through his hair, her nails lightly scraping his scalp. Her teeth tugged his lower lip, urging him to open more deeply for her. He growled his approval. He didn’t stop his hands from roaming over her ripe curves, nor from jerking her to her feet; he nearly staggered from the ache of unlocking his knees and from hauling her over to the bed. She barreled into him as he fell backward onto the mattress and took her with him. Her kiss left him breathless until he let her up; his hands smoothed her silky hair back from her cheeks as she stared down at him in anticipation.

“This is what I wanna do today, ‘Ro.”

“One last hurrah?”

“Fuck, no. The first time outta many. We’re comin’ back here ta do this properly, ‘Ro. Better get used ta seein’ these four walls, then.” He kissed her soundly; she sighed against his lips. “And right now.” Her body moved over him as she made herself comfortable against the solid planes of his chest. His thighs opened a bit to accommodate her as he worked himself beneath her, needing to get closer. His fingers tangled in the hem of her top, only breaking their kiss to pull it over her head. Her hair cascaded back down like a waterfall, a hint of static making it cling to her cheeks. She was tousled and wanton, just the way he loved seeing her.

“I need you.” Her kisses were a benediction as she cradled his face. Her lips trailed liquid fire over his forehead, eyes, nose and lips before she moved onto his neck. He choked back a cry as she roughly nipped his chin and searched for his pulse. He knew he’d have a mark in the morning but didn’t care. She was driving him crazy with her tender assault, lapping his throat in greedy spirals while her fingers pried open the buttons of his shirt.

“God help me, baby, I need you too!” The endearment made her melt. He couldn’t afford to be patient anymore, and she was flipped onto her back so fast and so hard that she almost bit her tongue. Her fly was jerked open and unzipped; he slid down her body back onto his knees, yanking the hems of her jeans and sliding them off in a rush of denim. He peeled off her socks, revealing slender feet with toenails painted a pearly white. He smiled before bending over to nibble the ball of her foot. It made her shiver and moan. She wanted, no, craved his touch everywhere. She fiddled with the front clasp of her bra until he covered her hands, stilling them. “Uh-uh. Been waitin’ too damned long for this, ‘Ro. I’m sure as hell gonna enjoy it.” He eased her hands away, letting them slide over her satin-wrapped breasts before he popped open the tiny fastening. His fingertips trailed down the valley of her cleavage, down over her ribs and smooth belly, tracing the tiny indent of her navel. She trembled. His smile was lazy and knowing, and it seemed to eat her up. She gasped as he stroked her through her thin panties, feeling the slickness pooling there. “Yer so hot.”

“You make me feel that way.” He bent to nip her, unerringly finding the hood shielding her pearl through the royal blue satin and making it grow damp and dark. “Logan!” she breathed. “Don’t stop!”

And he didn’t. He knelt before her, on the floor, hooking her legs over his shoulders as he bent to his task. He sighed in contentment as she opened for him, her muscles deliciously lax as he loved her with nipping kisses, hot breath, and a tongue as raspy as a cat’s. “Keep yer arms up there, baby.” And she obeyed, allowing her hands to stray to her bare breasts, kneading their fullness in time with the bob of his head. Her hips arched off the bed to better off herself to his mouth. Sensations rippled through her womb, her clitoris already feeling the sweet fullness and sting of arousal. Tension and heat built up and robbed her of coherent speech. All except for his name.

“Nnnngh! Please, Logan! Oh, Goddess, please!” His fingers feathered over her stomach and crept beneath the edge of her panties, tugging the fabric aside to dip within her soft folds and stroke her. His hand twisted and probed her, sliding in and out in an easy rhythm, allowing her to adjust to the feel of him. The rasp of her underpants rubbing against her swollen lips and the twisting plunge of his digits enflamed her. Her muscles clenched around him; he grunted at her tightness, coveting it for himself when he finally took her. His tongue spiraled over her until she came, crying and shuddering. He loved the sight of her, hair fanned wildly across the pillows, her head flung back in rapture, mocha nipples turgid and easily revealed by the limp, open cups of her bra.

She felt her body shifting, hips being lifted up as he released her legs and worked her panties down them. She heard the rustle of his clothes as his shirt hit the floor and his shoes were kicked into the corner with a thud.

“Come here,” she whispered. “I need to see you, Logan.” He nodded, crawling up her body and kissing her. She was Amphitrite beneath the waves, features relaxed and beckoning to him, her hair begging to slip between his fingers. His jeans were prized open and he jerked as her fingers tugged him free, ringing his erection in her grip. She edged her way further up the mattress and took him with her; her feet edged between him and the waistband and shoved them down his legs. His hips bucked, edging himself more deeply into her fist. She began to work him smoothly, slowly, watching his face contort with passion and need.

“Baby,” he rasped. “Shit!” Her lips latched onto his throat during her ministrations. He tasted salty and male. His skin and hair smelled faintly spicy and held the scents of the outdoors. He didn’t remember how she’d divested him of his boxers and wifebeater tank. All he could do was groan in relief at the feel of her bare skin against his, her knowing touch and the addictive squeeze of her hand milking his cock. He throbbed and pulsed, heat building in his loins as she increased the pressure and friction. “Yer killin’ me.” He took control, reaching for her hand again, this time thrusting himself against her and plowing the swollen tip through her downy, wiry curls. Her mouth dropped open into an ‘O’ of pleasure, her blue eyes wide and beseeching him before he kissed her again. He couldn’t get enough of kissing her. He rubbed himself against her, building more moisture between them and making his own flesh slick with her juices before he drew up her knees and sheathed himself within her in one neat, hard stroke.

“Ahhhhhhh…Logan,” she hissed, feeling herself stretched, welcoming the press of his body and his thickness. He nearly came undone. She felt like hot, wet silk as she arched herself into him, her hips willing him to move. He answered her call, scissoring her legs open wide and grasping her ankles as he knelt and slammed himself to the hilt.

He was so beautiful, the muscles in his jaw standing out as he clenched his teeth. Perspiration coated his tanned flesh and plastered the dark layer of hair to his massive chest. Every muscle in his body was streamlined and powerful, rippling with his body’s rhythms and movement, from his bulging pectorals to his washboard abdomen. He thrilled her. His hazel eyes shone with hunger for her. Her fingernails dug into his thighs as she anchored herself, meeting his thrusts with tiny, desperate cries. It was an erotic sight watching his shaft slide in and out of her nest, the platinum curls growing dewy glossy. Pleasure bloomed in her belly and made the tips of her breasts tingle. The headboard banged back against the wall with each thrust.

The wind picked up outside, stirring the autumn leaves into a spiraling dance. Overhead, the faintly overcast sky gave way to billowing black clouds before they opened up to admit the arcs of blinding, white lightning. Thunder rolled through the air like a timpani drum and shook the ground. Every hair on Logan’s body stood on end.

“C’mon, darlin’, open those eyes! I want ya ta feel me! Show me what ya want from me!” Her eyes snapped open, and he watched her cerulean eyes grow milky, gradually shifting to a swirling white. Sparks of lightning danced from her irises, and he held his breath. “Damn, darlin’!” She stared up at him in wonder.

“Oh, Logan, I feel you!” She reached up to press her hands against the headboard, bracing herself as she lifted her hips in time to his thrusts, willing him deeper. Harder. Faster.

“ORORO!” he roared, pistoning and slamming into her for all he was worth. She tightened around him, muscles coddling him and pushing him over that edge. When his release came, his entire body bucked and shuddered, his hips reflexively spasming and jerking as he emptied himself within her, draining away every last drop.

He let her legs drop before he collapsed into her arms. Their legs were tangled together; she tasted his sweat as her lips traveled over his hair and cheekbone. “Goddess,” she panted on a whisper. “Logan. Oh, my Logan!” My Logan. His voice was choked when he could finally speak.

“Say it again, darlin’.”

“You’re mine,” she declared, allowing him to prop himself on his elbows and stare down into her eyes. “I’m not letting them have you. They won’t take you away from me.” Her face was cradled in his palms as he nuzzled the tip of her nose with his. “I love you so much. Believe that.”

“I know. I do.” He traced her features with his lips, tasting her with feather-light kisses as her limbs twined around him. Her breasts were mashed beneath his chest, and he couldn’t help rubbing his body over hers, just to enjoy the feel of her soft skin and pebbled nipples. “Darlin’ ya make me crazy!”

“Don’t blame all of that on me,” she chuckled. Her eyes reverted to a placid, crystal blue. He rolled onto his back and coaxed her to cuddle against him, looping his arms over her back. They lay snuggled together like that for a long time, merely drinking in each other’s presence in the solitude of the loft.


Dawn:

The air in the hangar was crisp and cool, mirroring the icy dew on the grass outside. The wind still carried a hint of rain with it from yesterday’s storm. Piotr was buckling himself into the co-pilot’s seat as Ororo and Logan boarded the jet behind him. Ororo checked the overhead compartments to make sure they had the necessities. Once again, Logan smelled tension and anxiety so strongly from her that his own stomach tightened into a knot. She smiled at him. He caught her hand before she could move to the cockpit.

“One for the road, sweetheart.” He pulled her to him for a sweet, brief kiss. As he let her go, he adjusted her cloak. She only released his hand when she was too far away to hold on. Piotr’s face was sober but knowing as she took her seat and buckled in.

“Sean will manage just fine,” Piotr assured her.

“So will we,” Kitty chirped from behind him. Piotr sighed heavily at her chipper demeanor, even though he wanted nothing more to march her back inside and handcuff her to the bedposts if it would keep her out of harm’s way. She took that as a double entendre, disregarding his protective instincts and whispering to him “After we get back, I’ll dig out those cuffs, handsome. Suit up.” He blushed red as a beet, standing there open-mouthed in the locker room as she swept out. Her lean dancer’s body was shrink-wrapped in the gleaming black leather. She’d be the death of him…

Henry was unusually quiet, mumbling a greeting to them as he boarded. He set a travel carafe of steaming coffee in the console next to Ororo’s seat. She nodded gratefully to him and helped herself to a cup. She nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of a voice she didn’t expect.

“Sorry there wasn’t time to make anything else,” Forge offered. “Morning.”

“Surely you don’t plan…” Her words evaporated on her lips as she gazed at him, dressed in the X-Men’s standard issue battle suit. It was missing the glove over his artificial hand, she guessed, because he needed its tools and other implements to remain unhindered. He looked tall, lean and imposing, his face an intimidating mask.

“The Blackbird’s got a good GPS system,” he reasoned, “but who else did you expect to use the homing chip?”

“I couldn’t stop him,” Henry conceded. “So he’s along for the ride.”

“And looking sharp,” Forge quipped. Kitty shot him a grin as she buckled herself in. She tossed him a slightly dog-eared sudoku book as she plugged the headphones to her iPod into her ears.

“You follow my lead,” Ororo informed him curtly. “No questions asked. We’re putting ourselves on the line for the students, but also for you, if you prove to be a liability.”

“I know how to handle myself out in the field. And I know how to survive, Ororo, but I’ll make myself plain: I don’t need you to scrape me up off the ground if anything happens to me. I can take care of myself, and I can do what needs to be done.” Her lips tightened for a moment, and he thought he saw a glimmer of apology in her eyes before she turned back to the controls. Logan grunted under his breath at the exchange. Forge was in a mood to kick asses and take names. He had no problem with that.

Their takeoff was smooth and effortless, something he’d come to expect from the weather witch. He wanted to doze and rest for what he knew would be a grueling fight. He remained awake instead, hypervigilant and edgy, like his skin was too tight. They wouldn’t catch Gyrich napping. A guy with as much tech has had at his fingertips knew they were on their way, and pissed off.


~0~

Sean was sipping a cup of the coffee that Forge had brewed before they departed, scorching his tongue before he rummaged through the refrigerator for the creamer. He carried his cup to Ororo’s study and decided to scan the school’s security cameras before he headed to his first class of the day.

The leather of her chair felt cool at his back. The window had already been repaired, the broken glass swept away, but he still felt a shiver whenever he entered the room. He flicked the different switches to toggle from one floor to the next, panning in on each room. The students were on edge, that much he knew, but they were coping. Heads were bowed over their desks as they worked on the pre-test he assigned them in biology.

The Danger Room was empty. There were no workouts scheduled there until noon.

He scanned the containment lab briefly, almost missing the sight of the empty cell when he was stirring his coffee. He choked on the hot liquid and let the cup thud down against the blotter.

“Mary, Mother of God,” he moaned. “We’re in it deep, now!” He booked out of the room, nearly knocking Bobby and Marie out of his way. They followed him at a quick trot, not asking him what the problem was.

“Where’s Lorna?” he grated out as he punched the keys for the elevator to take him to the sub-level.

“Ah ain’t seen her this mornin’ yet,” Marie replied uneasily, twisting her gloved hands.

“Find her!” he barked. “Erik’s gone missing!”

“Shit,” Bobby muttered. “That’s all we need.”

“He may still be on the grounds. We can only hope.”


~0~

No matter how many times Erik assured her they were doing the only thing they could, Lorna couldn’t shake the guilt. She felt the roar of the turbines during takeoff, the rumbling making her slightly nauseous and deafening her from their hiding place in the compartment’s confines. She’d never stowed away before, and it was a heady rush, unlike the terror of being snatched up by the convenience store robbers mere weeks ago. This time she was with her father, and she was more in control.

She still felt claustrophobic. As though he’d read her mind, Eric reached for her, encouraging her to huddle close and share the warmth of his cloak.

“They won’t be happy with us,” she whispered.

“We’re not here to satisfy them, merely to help them, whether they want it or not, Lorna.” His silver eyes studied her thoughtfully. “Do you remember the things I showed you before? Do you know how to recognize the adamantium?” She nodded.

“Wolvie’s still awake,” she replied. Erik’s eyebrows shot up at the lack of formality and he stifled a smile. He failed; a chuckle escaped his lips.

“He won’t let down his guard. It’s not in his nature, much like an alpha wolf guarding its pack.”

“I figured he’d know we were in here.”

“The hull’s well insulated. For the moment, we’ve escaped that infallible nose of his.”

“It’s still weird,” she grimaced. “What are we gonna do when we get there.”

“Fight until we no longer draw breath.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “We can’t afford to lose. And we won’t. We didn’t know the full capabilities of our attackers before. It will be easier this time, at first.”

“You think we can beat them?”

“Not just beat them, dear. Control them.” He was silent and calculating. Lorna chewed her nails until he made her stop.


~0~

“Sir, our intel says we’ve got an unidentified aircraft in our air space. Just popped up on the grid.”

“We have a visual?”

“Negative, sir. We suspect it’s cloaked.”

“Track it,” he sighed. Gyrich leaned back in his seat and stretched until his joints popped. His fingers scrabbled over his scalp through his startling red hair, buzzed mercilessly short before he adjusted his glasses and stood. “Any idea how many on board?”

“Negative.”

“We can assume the Wolverine’s involved in this. So prepare for him. That metal in his body’s unbreakable, but the same can’t be said for him.” Gyrich didn’t know how false that statement was.

He knew he was in it up to his elbows when he scanned the emails that his intel harvested from Forge’s network. That blue gorilla that had the President’s ear was involved; even though he was a freak, Gyrich reasoned, he was a brilliant freak. The Council didn’t have McCoy under their thumb the way they had Forge before they made full disclosure that his tenure was at an end, that he’d outlived his usefulness.

The Prime units were secure and ready to dispatch once the time was right. They’d received their upgrades in the wake of the operative being downed and compromised when it fell off-grid. Gyrich knew the Prime unit left behind his calling card. They were using it to track him down. They were flying straight into a trap.

He strolled down the long, gleaming corridor. The walls of the safehouse and base were solid, reinforced steel. His footsteps echoed back at him as he made his way to the loading docks. He keyed his way in with his palmprint and voice ident.

“Gyrich, Henry Peter, alpha seven.” The doors slid open, the locks disengaging with a sharp click.

Beautiful. The Prime units were lined up in their cells neatly like toy soldiers. Blank eyes stared at him as he strode past, stopping halfway down the line and letting his eyes linger on one.

The operative was male and deceptively short in stature. He’d been young when they’d recruited him for the trial, barely out of his teens, and exactly the kind of stray that those muties at that school took in and called their own. Gyrich looked down at him expectantly.

“Good morning,” he murmured kindly. The unit’s eyes snapped open. Black. Doll-like, with that strange, signature red light beeping within it’s pupils. He heard its systems go online, thrumming within the nearly silent chamber.

“Identity: Gyrich, alpha. Acknowledge?”

“Acknowledged. As you were.” The being’s posture relaxed, but it was still alert. The technician manning the control booth stepped out and greeted him warily.

“Sir, this operative’s ready to go. I think you’ll be pleased.”

“You’ve installed the nullifier?”

“Runs like a dream, sir. We tested it on one of the fugitives we rounded up from District X.” The government was still keeping close tabs on the neighborhoods surrounding the ruins of the Cure clinic.

“And?”

“Depowered. No signs of mutantcy, latent or active. It’s like he was never born to be anything but human.”

“That’s how it should be,” Gyrich agreed.

“It disrupts the nervous system as it works. They have no opportunity to attack us while the nullifier is activated.”

“Can it take down the Wolverine?” Gyrich wanted to know.

“We’ve had positive results when we tested it, sir, there’s no reason to-“

“Can it take down the WOLVERINE?”

“Sir…yes, sir. It will.”

Gyrich turned his attention back to the operative. His steely gaze was mirrored in the puckish, young face, its eyes following his movements. “Follow your orders, soldier. And make me proud.”

The being’s breathing quickened indiscernibly; a voice buried deep within its consciousness rose above the oppressive clamor of his directive programming: You won’t break me. I’ll be free. We’ll all be free.


~0~

They landed the jet on a dime behind, roughly a mile from an unmarked building that resembled a large bunker. The area surrounding it was thickly wooded and dense. The air felt almost too still, and Ororo shivered as she took the engines offline.

“Look alive,” Logan muttered to the cabin at large. He tugged his leather glove more snugly around his knuckles, and in customary fashion, extended his claws to line up the housings so they fit comfortably. Kitty exhaled sharply; he faced her and tensed at the anxious look in her brown eyes.

“We’ll be fine,” she announced, but her tone was pleading.

“Damn right we will, Kitten,” he replied, giving her a hearty nudge toward the door. Piotr took her hand and led her down the ramp. Henry made a thoughtful noise, stopping Ororo and Forge before they could disembark.

“Why’s the cargo compartment light on? We didn’t bring any supplies…” His lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. “It’s occupied.”

“What?” Ororo was incredulous and scowling, hands on her hips.

“Stowaways,” he growled. “We can’t have this.”

“One more ass ta kick before we go home. What else is new?” Logan muttered snidely as he plowed down the ramp, waiting for Ororo to open the cargo hatch.

Lorna Dane peered sheepishly back at him. “Uh…hi.” She waved in earnest. Erik looked amused but said nothing.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t fillet ya right now, Mags.”

“One. I could yank those claws of yours out of their sockets before you could even try. Two. You need me, you need my daughter, here, and we can home in on the merest trace of adamantium more ably than any device you’ve devised for that purpose. There’s two reasons, Wolverine,” he shrugged. He stood and stretched; his helmet was tucked beneath his arm. He was immaculately groomed without a hair out of place. Kitty opened her mouth to protest Lorna’s outfit, which looked suspiciously like her spare uniform, except that Lorna had topped it with a long, dark green trenchcoat that Erik had provided for her during their time in their camp.

“You could’ve asked before raiding my closet,” Kitty complained.

“You would’ve said no,” she pointed out. “I’ll give it back…”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Ororo reminded Lorna. “Erik, how could you drag a child into this?”

“Child, my ass! I’m the same age as her!” She pointed to Kitty indignantly. “I can help. And he needs me.” Erik wrapped his arm protectively around her.

“She’s right. You weren’t just planning to stand here all day discussing the weather, were you, Storm?” She muttered something unintelligible and impolite under her breath. Logan smirked as she lead them toward the compound. Henry activated the Blackbird’s cloaking device just as Forge leapt off the ramp.

Dessicated grass and thistle crunched beneath their feeet, not sharp enough to prick them through their thick boots.

“Doesn’t make a helluva lotta sense ta just knock on the front door,” Logan huffed.

“We left a key under the mat,” Forge retorted. He approached Kitty and dug a small device from his pocket. Logan threw up his hands in disgust.

“Great. More tech. Ya haven’t learned a fuckin’ thing.”

“It’s a schematic. I never had any contracts at this facility. It’s a safehouse,” he explained, “much like the one where Winsor sequestered himself.” Erik raised his eyebrows and halted his steps.

“You knew where Robert Winsor was placed after the Weapon X project was shut down?”

“Gyrich knew. It was his job to know,” Forge clarified. “That facility was destroyed, according to local fire reports in the vicinity. Explosives were the suspected cause. Even the sub-basement was rubble.” Muscles worked convulsively in Logan’s jaw. “The safehouses are normally identical to ensure they had the same amenities in the even that the Council’s specialists and ops need to relocate. That way, there’s no interruptions in carrying out or completing the project. Ideally.”

“Winsor ain’t turned up yet since he relocated? Asshole was interrupted from his work.”

“I’m afraid you’re correct, Wolverine,” Erik murmured. “He was long dead when Lorna and I found him.”

“Sonofabitch…” SNIKT. “Ya took a kid into that death trap?”

“It was his tomb.” Erik looked as cavalier as ever.Lorna’s lips quivered as she hugged herself against the grisly memory.

“Didja know about this safehouse, ya sanctimonious prick!”

“This isn’t the time,” Henry growled. “Logan…calm down, now!”

“Not this one. I fell off the grid before I could be relocated. My agenda didn’t coincide with their need for my special skills.” He peered down at the gleaming helmet in his hands, watching the sunlight glance off of its slick surface.

“We could’ve come straight here!”

“But why? Why would we have come here, my friend? Why here? None of the safehouses had the capacity or were equipped enough to process the recruits and outfit them with the implants. Heaven only knows how difficult it was to complete the work done on you. And you’d do well to remember Alkali Lake.” The wounds were still fresh. “If it hadn’t been for your other furry blue acquaintance,” and he smirked at Henry, “you wouldn’t have known Stryker’s complex was underground.”

“Erik, shut up,” Henry warned right before one furry blue hand shot out to push Logan back. His nostrils flared like a lathered horse’s, his eyes smoldering coals. “Or I won’t be so compelled to stop him.”

“So where do we go in?” Kitty interjected, getting back to the matter at hand as she leaned over Forge’s device. She studied it intently with Piotr at her back.

“Here. This is the epicenter.” He pointed to the building’s lower level. “It’s a sub-basement.”

“It’s always in the sub-basement,” she muttered. “How many floors down?”

“Two meters below where we’re standing.”

“Shit.”

“You don’t have to go alone.” Piotr was already reaching for her hand.

“I’m gone,” she promised. “Petey?”

“Da?”

“Hold your breath and suit up.” She squeezed Forge’s arm warmly and smiled. “Wish me luck.” She disappeared with Piotr just as he shifted to his organic steel form. They slipped into the ground as though jumping into a pool, disappearing from sight.

“That never fails to unnerve me when she does that,” Forge remarked. “Bless her little heart.”

“What about us?” Ororo inquired. He met her gaze solemnly and held out the map key.

“Rooftop. Air ducts. You’re a flyer, so you’re the logical choice to get inside that way ““

“Lorna and I can take the high road,” Erik decided. “The rest of you can take the low road.” He stared pointedly at Logan. Henry sighed.

“I don’t mind taking a more direct approach. And Logan’s coming with me.” Just like that, Logan sheathed his claws. Relief smoothed down his hackles at her calm words. “Henry, you stay with Forge as backup and to help him disable any alarms once we get inside.” Erik’s smile was serpentine as he donned his helmet, casting a shadow over her his silver eyes. He looked formidable and imposing, all traces of the doting father gone from his face.

“Come along now,” he beckoned to Lorna. She took his hand, quickly closing the gap between them. She was huddled close as she thrust them aloft. Ororo watched them quickly disappear over the edge of the rooftop and sighed.

“Goddess…I hope they don’t prove a liability.”

“Ain’t like Mags is a weak link,” Logan grudgingly admitted.

“He’s unpredictable. That makes him dangerous.”

“That’s the only thing we have in common, darlin’.” She offered him a smile before her eyes shifted to the glowing white that meant her mutation was active. Logan felt the wind whipping against him, nearly frigid enough to chill him through his thick leathers. Henry’s fur bristled and stood on end.

“Goodness, Storm, what on earth are you doing?”

“Creating a static barrier,” she explained simply. “It will help us conceal ourselves from their scanners.” A damp fog rolled in quickly, thick and dark as pea soup. “Forge briefed me.” Logan grumbled unintelligibly as he took the lead.


~0~

“We had ‘em. Then they disappeared.”

“Is it a glitch?” Gyrich glanced impatiently at their radar display. The feed from the security cams was blocked, they had no visual. A sheen of cold sweat broke out over his flesh.

“We don’t know.” The young tech turned in his chair and dangled his arm over the side as he faced his superior. Anxiety was written in his features at the prospect of disappointing him. “We could do a recon?”

“Get to it. Release the flank to search the perimeter.”

“Sir? There’s no sign of that cloaked aircraft, either. We’ve got no aerial feed.”

“They’ve landed, genius,” Gyrich nagged. “Since you’re feeling so helpful, assemble Security and have them do a sweep of the complex. Flush out every crevice, cranny and mousehole in this damned building and shoot anyone or anything that doesn’t have a badge or looks like they’ll shoot back.”

“Weather’s suddenly shitty. Look at the thermostat,” his tech commented. It read 20 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. Gyrich nodded and chuckled.

“Send out the welcome wagon. Full array. The whole flank. Get that nullifier unit ready.”


~0~

Piotr abhorred confined spaces nearly as much as Ororo, his favorite colleague, but for entirely different reasons. He was huge, and he increased his size and mass when he activated his powers by six inches and several dozen pounds, making him weigh nearly as much as a Hummer. Kitty was unphased, as she phased them through layers of porous soil, taxing even his capacious lungs as he held his breath. He nearly cheered as they finally submerged through reinforced steel. They stared incredulously around themselves, realizing that they’d landed in a storage room of sorts, filled with various cabinets and red-bagged biohazard containers.

“Great. I feel like Han and Luke must’ve in the first movie when they ended up in the trash compactor.”

“Where do we go from here, Katya?”

“Nowhere. We’re asking to get our asses kicked looking like this,” she pointed out, nodding at his uniform. “Check the cabinets.” He rummaged through the first one and made a thoughtful sound as he pulled out two sets of blue coveralls and white labcoats.

“We don’t have any ID.”

“Then we’re the cleaning crew,” she decided as she hopped into the coveralls, nearly stumbling over the baggy legs. “Wish I wasn’t so short.”

“Wish I wasn’t so big,” he complained bitterly as he shifted back to his human form. “Didn’t help much,” he added. He finally ended up tucking the too-short legs of his pants into his boots. Kitty donned the lab coat and rummaged further until she found a dark blue cap. She pulled the bill well over her eyes before she phased herself partly through the heavy door.

“See anyone?”

“Nah. C’mon.” She phased him through to avoid the sound of the hinges squealing in the empty corridor. No sense in bringing anyone running.

In the next wing, one of the day shift operatives glanced up from a crossword puzzle when he saw the flashing red light on the wall. “Got a bogey inside,” he remarked to his partner, who was already keying open a display pad, similar to Forge’s, that offered them a schematic of the building. There were two blinking dots in the south wing, exiting the storage room.

“Two of ‘em. Didn’t make a sound coming in.”

“Bet they won’t go all that quietly, though. Let’s get ‘em.”

Erik and Lorna eased their way inside through the surprisingly wide air duct, almost able to stand erect as they traversed its length. Lorna peered down through the steel mesh bottom, surveying each room that they passed and feeling slightly dizzy.

“What are we looking for?”

“Our friend Forge nicknamed it the epicenter,” Erik mused. “There has to be one central room that houses the network for everything from security to the building’s power supply. This safehouse has a different layout than the one in Alberta.”

“No stinky bodies, though, right?” she jibed, until she met his gaze. He wasn’t laughing.

“Not yet, child.”

“Erik…”

“Keep your mind on the problem at hand, Lorna.”

“How do we know which room is the right one?”

“The one with the most guards trying to keep us out.” They rounded another corner and crossed five more blocks of duct before he stopped them.

“Down there.” He indicated several men moving about, looking like ants in a maze. “Let’s tell them hello.” He grasped her hand and gestured, and the metal duct’s floor warped and bubbled until a wide hole opened up with a deep rattle, not unlike the sound of crumpling a tin can. They descended smoothly from the ceiling. Several operatives were already riveted by the sight of the damaged duct overhead, but they stood agape at the sight of the intruders.

“It’s Magneto! Take him out NOW!” Lorna held her breath and increased the density of the magnetic bubble surrounding them and closed her eyes. A magazine of bullets flared as they fired, ricocheting off the magnetic field harmlessly, their slaps staccato and sharp. Lorna was nearly startled into losing her control over their shield, but Erik’s painful grip on her shoulder kept her focused.

“I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am,” Erik tsked. “Doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past…” As if to illustrate his point, two of Gyrich’s operatives were struck down by stray shells.

“Don’t let them out of here!”

“Try and keep us. Lorna,” he beckoned. Lorna made no bones about expanding their field to repel their attackers and buffet them back, knocking them into furniture and consoles. The two of them merely strolled toward the exit. Erik looked back over his shoulder, tutting under his breath.

“Hold on one moment,” he murmured. He felt power surging through him in a heady rush. Lorna sustained him, boosting his energy ten-fold as he reached out, weakening the steel floor and the beams supporting it below. Screams followed them out as the entire suite collapsed and dropped out from beneath Gyrich’s men.

~0~

“Place is huge,” Kitty mused as they rounded another corridor. Six rooms so far had yielded no success. “How hard could it be to find a lab? Shit, how about a bathroom?”

“Would’ve helped if Forge were down here.”

“We’re the better bet not to let ‘em get the drop on us. You and me, Colossus. Team supreme.”

“Don’t move!” Piotr spun around and stared down several barrels of mean-looking guns. The corridor was suddenly full of Gyrich’s soldiers, sizing them up and surrounding them. Piotr reflexively reached for Kitty to shield her.

“Cleaning crew?” Kitty offered hopefully.

“Not likely, mutie!”

“Oh, well. Here, you can have this back.” She flung her cap at the imposing officer who was closest, nailing him in the eye with the bill.

“Sonofabitch!” In a twinkling, Piotr was back in his armored form, seeing no further reason to remain disguised.

“Clear us a path outta here, big guy!”

“My pleasure.” His gleaming limbs flashed and flung men aside like dolls. Kitty was already phasing to avoid gunfire, praying that no one was packing anything made from adamantium. The Prime units were bad enough, but these assholes were starting to piss her off. Colossus’ body was organic steel; it took a pretty big blow to take him out of the action. But adamantium, like Logan’s claws, could punch through anything. Piotr’s fist found another jaw with a sickening crack.

“They’re coming from that hall over there,” she cried, pointing to the joint of the hallway, toward the right.

“And they’re trying to keep us away from it,” he agreed sagely. The sound of two heads ramming together was satisfying. They continued to make short work of the security team and their weapons, which bent like butter in Piotr’s hands.

Security claxons blared in their ears and several red lights embedded in the walls flashed at them as they ran down the corridor, following a sign that read “Employees with security clearance only.”

“That’s keeping the important stuff a secret,” Kitty snorted. They encountered another steel door with a security identification plate. She cheerfully phased her hand through it at the prompt for a print.





You must login () to review.