IN THE BLOOD

Scott Summers smelled the booze before he even made it halfway to the door of the gym. The vapors invaded his nostrils, and he wrinkled his nose at it.

Loud music echoed along with his footsteps in the otherwise quiet halls. Some kind of metal band wailed and screeched and then was accompanied by a long and guttural scream.

Scott shook his head and increased his pace. He reached the door and swung it open hard, letting the knob hit the wall with force.

Logan had smelled him coming before the little prick had even rounded the corner. He pressed the four hundred-pound weight several times more before setting it back to rest. He sat up and wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a long pull from the bottle of whiskey closest to the bench.

It was his fourth one in under an hour, and he barely had even a buzz.

Still, he thought, if the first ones don’t succeed, try, try again.

The liquid flowed down his throat and he felt that wonderful burn go all the way down into his stomach.

“Ahem.”

Logan didn’t even turn to look at the little punk who was supposed to be some kind of leader.

“No wine coolers here, bub; I suggest you take your little candy ass on out.” He spoke while picking up a pair of fifty-pound dumbbells. He flexed the large muscles in his arms and began his first set.

Scott walked forward and turned off the noise coming from the stereo.


“Where the hell were you? You missed the session today.”

Logan smiled. “Fuck your session, One Eye.”

A dangerous glint shone from beneath the ruby quartz glasses. “You have training to see to…”

Logan dropped the weights to the floor with a loud crash. “Training? From who, you?”

“You’re a member of this team, Wolverine, and I don’t give a shit if you think that you are better than all the rest of us. The professor says you stay, then you stay, but don’t think that you don’t have the duties that the rest of us do.”

Logan took a slow step forward. “Boy, far as I know, I have been slitting throats for a long time and making one fine fucking living at it; this little dog and pony Boy Scout shit you try to shove down the rest of these fucks’ throats don’t hold any bearing for me.”

Scott smirked at him. “I’ll bet you did, Magneto has a lot of people he wanted taken out; I’ll bet you enjoyed every one of them.”

Logan picked up his whiskey and sauntered over to him. “God damn right I did, and since the Prof is off that list, you might just take his spot.”

Scott could hear the threat of truth in that statement, but backing down from this animal was something that didn’t even cross his mind.

“Just remember, Wolverine, I run this outfit. This isn’t Weapon X, or some black ops syndicate. We’re here to make the world safer, and unless you want your hairy ass laid out on an autopsy bed with Hank seeing what makes that sick mind of yours tick, I would suggest you remember that.”

Scott held his gaze firm with the cold blue eyes of a certifiable killer.

Logan smiled at him and shouldered past to the door.

“Danger Room session tomorrow at noon, Wolverine.” Scott called out to him, “Show us what you got.”

Logan stopped and turned slightly. “Yea, and then maybe I’ll show that little red-haired bitch what I really got.”

The smirk on Scott Summers face fell like wax from a melting candle.

Logan flashed him his teeth in amusement and was gone, leaving a barely contained Scott fuming.

The next morning went as it always did. The stampede of feet and the unmistakable chatter of teenagers filled the large kitchen area. The smell of cooking bacon and pancakes made for a wonderful aroma. The cereal and milk were bounced around and fought over just before Kitty Pryde phased through the bottom of the table and snatched both away, leaving a tidal wave of curses in her wake.

The young girl plopped down in her seat with her stolen prize. “There’s no way I’m missing my Cocoa Puffs today.”

Bobby quickly reached into the box and took a large handful into his mouth before Kitty could stop him.

“Eww, Bobby, that’s gross; God knows where you hands have been.” She pulled the box out of his reach.

Angel snickered across the table. “I am pretty sure I know, and trust me Kit, you don’t want to.”

“TMI, guys, TMI.” She poured her cereal and desperately tried to not to think of what Bobby “Iceman” Drake does in his alone time.

Hank and Ororo sat close together snuggling in the chill of the morning. He teased her with a piece of fruit, pulling it back away from her just as she was about to take a bite and laughing when she slapped him on the arm.

Emma Frost rolled her eyes at the two lovebirds and let out a disgusted sigh. “Could you two please either eat the fruit, or just go ahead and use it for foreplay, already.”

“Don’t be jealous, Emma,” Alex said from his spot at the table, with Lorna Dane sitting close to his side. “When’s the last time you got teased with fruit?”

Emma glared at him with sharp and cool eyes. “I do the teasing, baby Summers, and I don’t need fruit to do it with.”

Warren, and Kurt held their laughter in at Alex’s blushing.

“Slut,” Cecilia Reyes whispered to herself, while still casting short glances in Hank’s direction.


”Speaking of fruit, I had this….” Bobby started but cut off when he saw Logan enter the kitchen.

The air of tension was so thick that only the blades housed in his forearms could cut it. Logan stopped at the door and surveyed his surroundings. The few brave enough to look in his direction quickly bowed their heads when his eyes met theirs.

He took a slow, deep breath and found that delicious scent he had smelled so many times.

He didn’t know when he got so used to it, but the smell of fear had grown on him.

Logan walked over to one of the coffee pots where one of the younger students was standing.

The boy was no more than sixteen at most, and as thin as a dying tree branch. Logan walked up to him and waited for him to move out of his way.

“Fuck off,” he whispered silently, and the kid’s legs finally obeyed his mind’s screaming commands to move.

Logan poured a large amount of the brew into a silver thermos he had and left without a further word or glance to anyone.

“Jesus.” Bobby let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “Fucking Charles Manson or what, huh?”

Angel shook his head. “I don’t know, I think Manson would have the shits scared out of him by that guy.”

“I bet he fucks like a pile driver,” Emma said calmly.

Hank shook his head. “Is it always about sex with you?”

She shrugged. “Is there anything else worth mentioning?”

Hank shook his head again and noticed Ororo was fidgeting. “What’s the matter?”

“I really don’t like that guy, Hank,” she said. “We might as well broadcast to the world that the foremost representatives of mutant kind have a psychopathic madman as one of the reps.”

“Don’t worry hon.” He reached over and put a hand under her chin. “I’ll give him the Beast bitch slap if he gets out of line.”

She laughed and slapped his arm again, and the morning went on as it always did.

Logan walked down the hall to the garage, swallowing the scalding coffee in large gulps.

This is such bullshit, he thought.

Fucking hanging around a bunch of kids with delusions of turning the shit hole that was the world into a shit hole where everyone held hands and sung “We are the World.”

Xavier.

That manipulative son of a bitch.

“Stay with us Logan, help us make the difference, and I promise to use every resource in my power to find what you are looking for.”

That’s what he had said almost a year ago.

“If we do not try and change the world for the better Logan, then no one will, the indifference of good men is a far greater danger than any other.”

When the fuck did I ever say I was a good man?

Magneto was a piece of shit, that much was true, and all of those brown-nosing suck-ups he called the Brotherhood were just run-off from a cesspool, as far as he was concerned. But at least with that group, he was allowed to act as an independent and not put up with pricks like this Scott Summers guy.

He had been almost a fraction of a second from giving Xavier a Comanche special; to this day, he still didn’t know what stayed his hand.

Despite it all, maybe even if he didn’t believe in this entire world in harmony crap and every man is equal,

Maybe he respected Xavier a lot to even try for it.

“I can help you, Logan, but you must let me . Your past is still yours, no matter what part of it you don’t remember, but perhaps I can help you reclaim what was taken from you.”

Fucking guy would have been a hell of a car salesman.

He opened the garage door and standing right in front of him was something that made the beast in him roar.

Wearing a light green sports top and similarly colored running shorts stood Jean Grey in all of her “come and fuck me” glory.

She was standing facing away from him, doing stretches and Logan took in the sights without a hint of modesty.

She bent over and stretched forward, and a small growl escaped his throat.

She jumped and turned around. “Oh, umm, hi.”

He smirked at her and made his way over to his Harley softtail.

She was nervous, like a fawn that smells trouble.

If she only knew.

“I, uh, didn’t hear you come in.”

He took a long sip from the thermos. “I get that a lot.”

She smiled weakly. “You gave me a bit of a scare.”

“That too.”

She was putting on a mask in front of him, hiding the fluttering deep down in her belly. “How has your morning been?”

He shrugged. “Same shit, different day, until I saw you in those running shorts, that is.”

Her face turned almost as red as her hair.

Logan was loving every second of this; he was sure he could have had her on her back and screaming for more in five minutes if Scott hadn’t walked in.

He was wearing navy blue running pants and shirt with a different set of shades over his eyes, ones that tied behind head so they did not fall off by accident.

He smiled at Jean and Logan could see the sparks fly between the two; they looked like a couple off of some sitcom.

It almost made him want to puke.

“Hey, Jean” he said with a smile but then narrowed his sight over to Logan. “Wolverine,” he spoke curtly.

“Asshole,” he responded and raised his thermos in greeting.

Scott ignored the remark. “Are you ready to go?”

Jean nodded. “Yea sure, I guess I’ll see you later Logan. Got to keep in shape, you know.”

Logan smiled. “Lookin’ forward to it, Red.”

Logan cranked his cycle and hit the garage door control lying on the workbench next to him.

“Remember, Wolverine, Danger room at noon,” Scott shouted over the roar of the engine.

Logan revved the gas in the middle of what Scott was saying. “What?”

“I said, don’t forget to be back for the noon Danger room session.” He shouted louder, but it was drowned out by the motorcycle’s roar.

Logan hit the throttle and thundered past him, narrowly missing his feet. He stopped at the garage door and turned his head back to look at his “leader.”

“Don’t forget your sports bra, Slim, don’t want them pretty little tits of yours to go all saggy, now do we?”


And with that he rocketed off down the drive of the Xavier school.

“What a dick,” Scott said and didn’t notice Jean giggling slightly at his side.

After a few hours of tearing up the roadways and catching more than a few bugs in his teeth, Logan figured it was time to head back.

Didn’t want to make teacher mad, now did we?

He parked his bike and saw the time on the clock hanging on the far wall.

11:47.

He was pondering just saying to hell with it and One Eye could go fuck himself for all he cared, but if for no other reason, curiosity changed his mind.

The Danger room was one hell of a toy, that was for sure. Might be a nice change from just his regular workout session.

He went to the locker room and put on that damned leather monkey suit they called a uniform, damn thing was tight as hell in the crotch, and lazily made his way to the X-Men’s main training facility.

He input the code given to him by Xavier to enter and stepped into the large metallic room.

The entire group was standing in the center, all in their uniforms and all seemingly waiting on him.

Sauntering in, Logan stood away from the group with his arms folded across his broad chest.

Cyclops gazed down at the watch on his wrist. “You’re ten minutes late.”

Logan shrugged. “I’m here, ain’t I?”

Cyclops sighed but had to admit that this was better than nothing. “Okay, first thing today is sparring; no powers. I want to see what each of you have learned in the Jing Qwan Do.”


”Jean, you and Emma.”

Emma rolled her eyes and stepped forward along with Jean.

Logan eyed them both and had a hell of a fantasy playing out in his head.

“Beast, you and Colossus.”

The big Russian stepped forward along with the equally wide Hank.

“Iceman and Angel; Nightcrawler, you and Havok; Polaris and Shadowcat; Cecilia and Rogue; Storm and Wolverine.”

Logan snorted and breathed out a laugh.

“Problem, Wolverine?” Scott asked.

“You just gonna stand on the side, is that it?”

“This is to see how everyone else has advanced in their self defense, a teacher should watch his students,” he answered.

Logan unfolded his arms. “Wax on, Wax off, huh, One Eye?”

Scott said nothing further to him. “Ok, people, get to it.”

Each pair went off to their own part of the gym and proceeded in their exercise.

Storm stretched out her arms and legs and prepared herself.

Logan looked her up and down and realized that she was a hot thing herself. That shoulder-length white hair and that dark skin was a hell of a sexy contrast. She had full pouting lips, and a body that was well shaped in all the right places. That little fantasy of himself Emma and Jean just got a new member.

Logan popped his neck and placed his feet for a good vertical stance and waited.

Ororo was looking her opponent up and down. She had never seen a man of his height with such muscle mass. The black leather really left little to the imagination, and much as she disliked this guy, she was ashamed to admit that she was taking in all she saw.

Logan noticed it and he laughed on the inside.

She took her stance and waited as he did.

For a good minute, they just stood there waiting for the other to make the first move.

“C’mon, people, nothing gets done like this,” Scott shouted over to them.

Logan sighed and looked at her. “C’mon, Beautiful, gonna die of old age here, and that might take me a long time.”

Storm moved forward and launched a kick aimed for the temple on the side of his head.

She was much quicker than he expected, but as one swats a mosquito, he still slapped the boot away with little effort.

Again she launched a kick to his midsection. He caught it and flipped her over to the ground.

He stood over her smiling and saw the fire build in those strange blue eyes of hers, and for a moment they went white and her body crackled with power.

Logan raised a finger and wagged it in her face. “No, no Darlin, don’t want to hurt me now with those bad ass powers of yours now, do ya?”

She smiled at him. “Who said I need powers for that?”

She swung her right leg out which he caught, but then her left leg shot up right into his crotch.

Logan felt the pain billow in his groin and he grabbed her by the ankle, hurling her over his shoulder.

He was grunting with pain. “Fucking bitch.”

“Don’t ever underestimate me again, Wolverine,” She grinned as she stood back up and got back into a fighting stance.

Despite the pain he mirrored the smile. He liked this. “C’mon, baby girl.” He motioned her forward with his hands. “Hurt me some more.”

She came again this time with her hands driving palm first aimed at his face and throat. Logan ducked underneath and drove a forearm into her stomach.

Before she could even breathe out the wind that had been knocked from her, a massive arm went underneath her left arm and then around the back of her neck, another arm came around front and under her chin and latched onto the arm behind her head.

And she started to choke.

“Lesson 101, girly,” he whispered in her ear as he tightened the hold.

“This little move right here is called the Kata-Ha Jime. Hurts, don’t it?”

The only response was her struggling and a few winded gasps.

“I have no clue where I even learned this shit, but one thing I do know, honey, yer not even fucking close to my caliber.” He eased the hold out of the choke and just held her firm. He smelled her along her neck and it was blissful.

Strange, though.

There was not a whiff of fear coming from her.

That surprised Logan and excited him all the same.

“ya do have some potential, though, I’ll say that.”

She turned her head to look him in the eye as best she could. “That means a lot coming from the world’s most notorious killer.”

He laughed and flashed his teeth. “If ya ever want to really learn this shit, forget about tight ass Summers over there. I can teach ya something real.”

He smelled at her neck again. “There are a lot of things I could teach you.”

Shivers ran down her body at his voice, from both shock and, dammit all, if it wasn’t excitement.

“HEY!”

Hank’s voice broke her out of the freefall of emotions she was caught up in.

“That’s enough; let her go,” Beast yelled, walking over to them.

Logan reluctantly turned away from her and gazed at Beast.

He decided to get back to basics.

“Oh, this is yours, isn’t it, monkey boy?” Logan brought Ororo to face her boyfriend. “Hell of a sweet little thing you got here.”

“Let her go right NOW.”

“Careful, blue boy,“ Logan replied, running a hand down Ororo’s cheek. “Any redder and you’ll turn purple.”

“What the hell is going on over here.”? Cyclops came over to stand by Hank. “Wolverine, exercise over; let her go now.”

Logan was having a ball, and Ororo was not even squirming anymore. She seemed to fall into his arms like rain on grass.

Logan laughed and said to hell with it.

He turned her around and kissed her hard on the lips.

He pulled back and saw the bewilderment in her eyes.

Right before her right fist came and split his lip down the side.

“Son of a bitch,” she hissed and walked over to an outraged Hank.

“You’re dead.” Hank ran at Logan.

Snikt…

Three flashes of brilliant metal shimmered in front of Hank’s eyes.

Logan smiled even as his busted lip closed. He ran his tongue out and licked up the trickle of blood running down his chin and held Beast at a distance with the length of his claws.

“Your woman has already given me a taste for blood, Ape boy; don’t make me find a main course.”

Beast was holding his breath as he felt the blades press a bit into his throat.

“Drop it, Wolverine.” Scott had his hand to his visor, ready to blast Logan through the nearest wall if need be.

Logan flashed his teeth at him.

The entire team had come over to see the disturbance and all were fixing him with harsh eyes.

He smirked at them and leaned forward so Beast could hear. “Fuck with me ever again, bub, and I’ll personally skin and tan your big blue ass.”

He dropped his arms and retracted his claws.

Scott lowered his hand from his visor. “Don’t ever pull a stunt like that again, or you will answer to me, got it?”

Logan rubbed the already closing openings on his hands. “Ohhh, I can’t tell ya how much I look forward to that, Scooter.”

Logan spared one more look at Ororo and made a kissing gesture at her before walking out the Danger Room door.

Beast looked at Ororo. “Are you ok?”

Ororo rubbed her throbbing hand and nodded her head.

“C’mon, lets get a look at that.” They both walked out and headed to the infirmary.

Scott and Jean both left, Jean was quiet, She had heard all the stories about Wolverine, about how wild and unpredictable he was, but she was steadfast on giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The stories though, every bloodstained one of them, began echoing in her mind once again.

The others still stood talking in the Danger Room center.

“I am definitely getting the next sparring session with him,” Emma said with an evil, seductive smile playing on her lips.


“For God’s sake, go sit on a spin cycle, you nympho. He almost cut Hank’s throat with those things,” Cecilia shouted.

Emma only gave her the middle finger and walked out.

Havok and Polaris put an arm around each other. “Later, guys; too much drama for us. Gonna kick back with a flick.”

“Same,” Kurt replied, and in a cloud of smoke he, too, was gone.

Peter, Cecilia, Bobby, Warren and Kitty stood there in a long moment of silence.

“So,” Bobby said. “Who’s hungry?”

There was pain
There were screams

People laying in pieces all about his feet

His hands

Oh God, his Hands!!

They were slick and coated with dark blood

He could feel the entrails hanging from his arms and up his shoulders

The girl

She had called him here

She had called him to this

She laughed as he screamed into the starless sky

The world was going so cold

And colder it grew when she touched him

Her red hair went down his shoulders and scratched at his already bleeding flesh

She moved close down his back and whispered into his ear

“More, my love; I want to taste more.”

And then all the pain of Hell fell upon him

Logan shot up from his bed, sweating and coughing up saliva and blood.

He had nearly bitten his tongue in half from that one.

His healing abilities were already going to work to repair the damage.

Ripping open the nightstand by the bed, Logan dug inside and pulled out a large bottle of whiskey and a bottle of pills.

He raised the bottle to his mouth and downed almost half the bottle along with a large gulp of whiskey.

A normal person would have been dead with such ingestion.

But Dammit if Logan was not a normal person.

It wouldn’t even upset his stomach.

He also knew it would bring him nothing more than a moment’s comfort before the powers of his body and metabolism burned it all away.

Fucking Mutant healing shit.

Doesn’t do a fucking thing for the pain.

Or the dreams.

Or the anger.

He always tried to remember the dreams, even though he doubted he really wanted to know what they were about.

All he could ever remember was the pain and the blood.

And that damn voice that he both loved and hated.

Who was she?

That girl with the hair the color of fire.

The one that whispered those dark secrets in his ear.

The one that urged him to kill.

Kill.

Kill.

KILL.


Logan hurled the bottle of whiskey against the far wall, shattering it and spraying liquor over the whole of the room.

He slumped down beside his bed slowly and placed his head in his Hell be damned hands.

And he wept.

“Who are you?”

Charles Xavier turned to the sound of the small voice that had just spoken to him. A small boy stood before him, frail and thin, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest.

“Who are you?” he asked again, his voice breaking with the fear that was choking his throat.

Charles took a slow and cautious step forward. He didn’t need to be psychic to read the fear the boy was feeling, the bright blue eyes that started back at him were on the verge of flowing with a river of tears.

“My name is Charles, I am a friend.”

The boy quickly backed away. “I don’t have any friends.”

Xavier was shaken by the waves of contempt that suddenly hit him. He brushed it away and attempted his best smile.

“Well, everyone needs a friend, perhaps you and I could be.” He offered his hand outward in a slow and unthreatening manner.

For a brief moment, Charles felt that the boy was reaching out to him.

“What is your name?” the professor asked.

The boy squeezed himself tighter around the chest. “I….I…don’t know.”

A howl split the silence of the darkness they stood in like the axe of an executioner through a withered branch.

Charles was assaulted with thoughts of fear that were being screamed out within the young boy’s mind.

“He’s here,” The boy said, and he turned and ran off into the darkness.

“Wait, please,” Charles cried out, but before the last word left his lips, the boy had vanished as if he was never there.

Silence now.

The darkness was all there was.

And the cold of solitude.

Then there were footsteps.

A slow gait with the subtle scrape of something on the floor.

Something sharp.

Charles stood very still.

He sensed what was coming.

Something Dark.

Something……not human.

He suddenly felt hot breath against the base of his neck, and the foul putrid stench of rotted and consumed flesh that came with it.

“Hi Charley.” A voice like a rusted razor running down a sharpening stone whispered in his ear. “Welcome to the Jungle.”

Charles turned slow and steady to face a true horror.

What stood before him was only vaguely humanoid. It was large and wide, it walked hunched over, using both hands and feet to walk on. It legs were bifurcated into hooves with long, sharp talons extending from the sides. Its hands were large and thick with clawed fingers, arms of bulging muscle and pulsing veins, long matted and thick hair hung down to the very base of its back.

Eyes of the deepest red started into Charles own. A mouth full of long and pointed fangs curled back into a horrific grin.

Charles steeled himself. “Leave this place.”

It laughed at him, the kind of sound that could drain the light from the sun itself.

“You kicking me out of my own place, Chuck.” It raised one large hand and held it before Charles face.

Snickt.

Jagged and misshaped blades shot from the back of the Thing’s hand.

“Oh, I want to see you try.” It hissed out at him.

Charles felt the strange sensations from the claws before him. They were hot as the deepest pits of Hades, and cold as a long forgotten grave in the depths of winter all at the same time.

“I am warning you’ He pushed out with his mind, and the creature barely flinched.

“This is my fucking world, old man.,”’ it growled. “Here you aren’t even a fly on my shit piles.”

Charles pushed harder, trying to burrow his way into the fathoms of the creatures mind.

It shot out and gripped him around the throat, Charles gasped at the grip that tightened around his airway.
He could feel that with the barest of motions his neck could be broken as one would snap a toothpick.

“Oh, you wanna get inside here, don’t ya Charley?” It said, tapping a clawed finger to its temple. “All ya had to do was ask. Here let me give ya the grand tour.”

Rivers of blood began pouring form the thing’s mouth and before Charles knew it; he was up to his neck in the foul liquid

It reached his nostrils and he could no longer breathe.

He could hear the thing laugh at him though, and even as more blood poured form his mouth, he spoke clearly.

“Taste my pain, Xavier, drink your fill of it, DROWN IN IT, MOTHERFUCKER!”

The world spun and Charles was thrown into a vortex of pain.

Images flooded his mind.

A long ago battlefield

Bodies piled up to his knees

Charles could see what appeared to be German soldiers fighting a short distance away.

“They were being slaughtered by a lone figure wielding a pair of bayonets’ and wearing a blood and gore spattered uniform of a Canadian Special Forces operative
The last German fell and the figure was on it tearing away at it like a starved animal. The bayonets rose and fell, rose and fell, again and again, even after the screams had died away into nothing.

Another figure appeared out of the dust and ran towards them shouting. “Corporal, that’s enough they’re dead, Corporal!!”

The maniacal figure turned on the approaching soldier and dove towards him, blades outstretched.

Before he could scream, the point of each blade pierced his gut.

A quick motion and he was disemboweled.

He fell to the ground with his spilling entrails. He clutched at his opened belly with a look of shock on his face.

The figure stood over him blades, dripping with life blood.

“Jim…..please…..” The soldier managed to gasp out right before his head was struck from his body.

Charles felt his stomach turn as the figure turned to face him. A face that was concealed by shadows but a pair of crimson colored eyes stared toward the endless carnage around him.

And then it howled.

More blinding lights and twisting nether and Charles found himself in a poorly lit cave.

There were people here. Men who spoke in some Arabic language that Charles could not place rushed here and there with rifles held at the ready in their hands. Woman and children sat close together, holding each other in fearful embraces.

Screams and the unmistakable flash and rumble of gunfire sounded at what must have been the mouth of the cave.

And then silence.

Four men stood close together in front of the woman and children. Their weapons raised and ready.

One brought a hand radio to his mouth and said something.

Only static came back over it.

He tried again and still with the same result.

He tried once more.

A strange noise came this time.

It almost sounded like growling.

Something moved in the corner of his eye and he shouted.

They turned their weapons and fired. The flashes were blinding and the roar was defining

They stopped, and for a moment, the world stood still.

Until an unseen force snatched one of them and pulled him screaming into the darkness.

The remaining three turned and fired.

They hit nothing.

It was quiet for a moment, and then came the screaming.

there was a wet splash, and all was silence.

The three men huddled closer together.

Footsteps.

Out of the darkness, something emerged.

A man.

Or what could have been a man.

Tubes encircled the length of his body down to a battery pack around his waist. A strange helmet obstructed the view of much of his face. In his hands he carried the severed head of the man he had just taken.

The remaining men shouted and opened fire.

All three were dead before their first rounds left the chamber.

Charles looked on in horror as the man moved toward the terrified woman and children.

Static came from the helmet and then a voice. “Make an example X,
No survivors.”

Charles screamed as he was jerked away from the setting, just as the man raised his clawed hand to a pair of small children, girls, ; he could see the claws reflected in their eyes right before his vision went black.

He awoke to the Thing standing over him, chuckling.

“How did ya like the taste of that, Charley,” It said, wiping the leftover blood from its mouth. “Maybe you should know that what you’re trying to save ain’t even worth it to begin with.”

Charles rose from the ground weakly. His head still whirled and rang and his eyes burned with the images he had seen. He stood tall and began concentrating.

“That shit don’t work, Chuck,” the beast snarled. “Best to not piss me off any further.”

Charles ignored him and concentrated. The beast was laughing and did not notice the ground beneath his feet moving. A cage sprung up around it just as the laughter died in its throat.

It roared and began slashing away at the bars, making sparks fly in all directions.

Charles stepped closer to the cage. “You are done here, monster, this is no longer your place.”

It sneered at him. “Sorry, Chuck, I’m here to stay.”

Before Charles could react, the thing buried its claws into the “floor” and with impossible speed, tunneled its way out.

It took off on all fours at full speed, and Charles pushed himself hard to follow it.

They ran for what seemed like forever until what appeared to be a cliff came into view, and a large and gray colored obelisk rose into sight. The beast turned and smiled.

“Sorry, Chuck got to be going.” It raised one clawed hand in warning. “But I’ll be seeing you again.”

It leaped from the cliff and into the obelisk and disappeared.

Charles stopped at the edge and studied the structure. It was huge, there was no beginning or end to it, grey and rectangular shaped. It stretched into the “sky” beyond the limits of sight.

Charles reached out with his mind and found harsh resistance. He pushed harder and felt blood drip from his nose; He gave a final push and was knocked back to the ground.

He shook his head clear and looked up to see a woman hovering over him with the small boy from earlier clutched in her arms.

The boy looked at Xavier once and then pressed his face into the woman’s chest.

She was tall and pale, her hair hung down her shoulders like a waterfall of blood.

She fixed Charles with an empty gaze.

“You don’t belong here.” Her voice was more of an echo. “Leave.”

Charles tried to say something but found himself thrown from that realm of existence.

He awoke in his office. There was sweat beading on his forehead and his nose ran with blood.

He moved his wheelchair to his desk and fetched a Kleenex to wipe it away.

Logan lay on the couch in front of him, unconscious. He was jerking and growling in his sleep.

Charles cautiously wheeled over and slowly issued the mental command to break the trance he had put on him.

Logan shot up with his claws extended, and for a moment Charles saw a frightened, familiar look in his eyes. It only lasted a moment, and then some sense of clarity returned.

Logan retracted his claws and rubbed at his head/. “Fuck me.” His voice was rough and haggard, “Hell of a damn dream.”

Charles poured a cup of water and handed it to him. “Tell me of it.”

Logan drained the water quickly and then snorted. “Hell Chuck you know I don’t remember any of that stuff.”

Charles nodded and said nothing further.

Logan turned to look at him. “Well,” he said impatiently, “what did ya find out?”

Charles sighed. “Logan, you know very well that it takes time….”

He was interrupted by the shatter of glass as Logan hurled it against the wall.

“Oh, bullshit, Chuck!” He shouted. “What’s the point of this crap if I ain’t getting no results?”

“Calm down, Logan,” Xavier said, raising his hand.

Logan fumed/. “How do I know you’re not just fucking with my mind, just like those other bastards did.”?”

“Logan, I assure you that….’

Logan stormed out the office and slammed the doors behind him.

Charles sighed loudly and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

The doors swung back open.

“Results, Xavier.” Logan growled. “I need some results You promised me.”

Charles turned to him. “I am doing all I can Logan. Please. I just need more time.”

Logan’s breath made his large shoulders heave up and down. He was gritting his teeth and tried desperately to slow his breathing and quell the rage that suddenly rose inside of him.

He nodded at the Professor and left.

He thundered his way down the halls to his room and got the bottle of whisky from his dresser drawer. He drained the entire bottle in one large swallow.

Logan threw the bottle on the bed and went into the bathroom to wash his face. The cold water helped sooth the burning anger and frustration. He wiped his hands clean and stared at himself in the mirror.

The face on the other end seemed to be smirking at him.

“What a piece of shit you are,.” his own reflection said. “If they only knew, huh, Logan, if they only knew what kind of cold blooded psychopath you really are, . They already think you’re the nut job of the millennia, but if they knew the truth, even Xavier would be wanting you put down just like the rabid dog you are.”

“Shut up,” Logan said to himself.

“You’re a liar Logan, and a monster.” His reflection spoke on, grinding at the sore nerves in Logan’s head.

“Shut Up,” Logan replied. He was shaking, and his voice was strained.

The reflection in the mirror seemed to bend down to whisper in his ear. “Murderer.”

“SHUT UP!!!” Logan punched the mirror and it shattered all along the floor.

Logan breathed hard and fast, his hand still embedded in the broken mirror. He had cut his hand badly, but already he could feel his healing factor kick in and start closing the wounds.

He rubbed his fist deeper into the glass, letting new cuts open and the old ones reopen.

The sink below was full to the brim with blood by the time he stopped. He pulled his mangled hand free and saw the glass slowly pop out of the wounds and the cuts close as if they were never there.

Logan turned away and left his room.

He needed to burn some energy. Needed to forget.

He needed to break something.

He needed something more to drink.

He needed to get laid.

Ororo was in the Danger Room, working on a punching bag.

Her hand was still sore, she wanted to work the stiffness out. Hank had told her she was lucky she didn’t break it. That bastard’s jaw was like hitting a brick wall.

She stopped punching and laughed to herself.

Well, she thought, he does have metal bones, dummy.

And a body that might as well be made of chiseled concrete as well.

She had to stop doing that.

She wanted to kick her own ass for letting those thoughts in her mind.

“Cut it out, Munroe,” she whispered and went back to punching.

The doors to the Danger Room opened and Logan strolled in, dressed in a white tee shirt and a pair of torn jeans.

He saw her soon as he entered and he felt his blood pump that much faster.

She was so caught up in her workout , she didn’t notice him enter.

All need to break something faded away when he saw her legs and ass move in those kicks she was performing. He was more concerned with one of those other needs now.

He silently walked toward her, moving as a ghost would in a graveyard, until he stood right behind her. He quietly sniffed the air and found the smell of her sweat and what was that, a hint of arousal, maybe?

It made his mouth water at the thought of her sweet flesh.

She threw a wild punch back and he caught her elbow in one hand.

She spun around and fixed him with a hard glance. “What the hell are you doing here.”

He snickered. “Thought this was the “team” training room, open to all and any who want to use it.”
Ororo said nothing, only kept giving him with a cold stare.

Logan smiled and took a long step toward her. “You know my offer still stands, I would really like to show you a few things.”

“You have absolutely nothing that I want to know OR see,” she almost spat out.

“Now don’t be cruel, Darlin, doesn’t fit in with the Prof’s idea of mutant brotherhood.”

She laughed in spite of herself. “Knowing your reputation, Wolverine, a brother sister relationship is not your top priority with a woman.”

He shrugged. “Just saying I see a lot of potential in you Storm, I could make you somebody to be afraid of.”

Ororo’s eyes flashed white and lightning crackled along the length of her body. “I have that already taken care of, thank you.”

Logan could feel the hair on his arms stand up. He did not know if it was from the electricity she was generating or just seeing her like that.

It turned him on.

He walked closer and got face to face with her.

Her mouth opened in shock as the flesh on his body began to blacken and peel away and then immediately heal.

“Ohhh, that’s good, darling, real good.” It hurt like hell but at the same time it was just making his blood pound that much harder. “You’re a bad ass in the powers department, no doubt, but I can make you Dangerous.”

Ororo stopped generating the electricity with a thought. The skin on his face and arms had already healed and she could see the deep breaths make his massive chest rise and fall.

So caught up in the ways his muscles move, she heard herself whisper “Yes.”

Logan leaned forward and kissed her along her neck.

Ororo’s mind screamed for him to stop, but every other part urged her on for more.

Logan felt the beast in him break free. He grabbed her and slammed her against the wall of the Danger Room. He licked along her chin and breathed hot air into her mouth. They kissed.

It was hard and fierce.

So unlike Hank, she thought for one moment.

But the force and exhilaration, made Hank flee from her mind.

Her arms went around his neck and pressed him harder.

Logan grabbed the fabric of her shirt and ripped at it, tearing it slightly.

He sucked on her neck and felt her fully give in.

A flash of light hit Logan’s eyes and he saw himself clutching at Ororo’s ragged and bleeding body.
He was ripping the flesh from her body, chewing and swallowing in large gulps. He lapped up the blood in with his tongue and howled.

The woman with the hair of fire, stood beside him smiling, urging him on.

“Take her, my love, finish her; I want to watch.”

Logan gazed down at Ororo’s face, a small shimmer of light still in those gorgeous blue eyes of hers, . She was trying to say something but the wound in her throat prevented anymore than a few bubbling gasps

Logan roared and then bit down hard.

He threw himself away from her as the dream let go of him.

Ororo was speechless as she stared at him.

He breathed hard; he could feel the temptation well up within him again, to take her. Fuck her, kill her.

He turned and almost ran out of the danger room, leaving an open-eyed and hardly breathing Ororo against a cold and empty wall.



Elsewhere:

“That was close don’t you think.” ,” spoke a man, dressed in a lab coat.

“Too close,” spoke a blond woman who was pulling a circular head piece off.

“What does it really matter if he does, shouldn’t affect the plans.” spoke another lab coat- wearing man.

“It will.” came a new voice. A large man wearing a military officer uniform. ‘”For this plan to work, we need him broken, nothing to hold on to, beaten down to the lowest possible brink.”

They all nodded and went back to their duty as the large officer sat down and rubbed at the scars on his face. Three long jagged marks ran from the curve of his jaw up over the bridge of his nose and to the ruined socket of his left eye.

Not much longer now,. he thought, smiling at the thoughts of all the fun he was going to have with this.

A Road Paved with Bones

It was always something.

No matter who, what, or where.

That Tsunami of shit seemed to follow him everywhere.

Logan struck a match and lit the cigarette hanging form his mouth. He inhaled deeply, and blew out a plume of smoke . He leaned back against the old oak tree and shut his eyes. The sun was hidden behind a large and dark cloud, and the scent of a late fall rain tickled the insides of Logan’s nose,.

It would be winter soon.

Cold and dark .

Just the way he liked it.

A moment’s peace had been getting harder and harder to come by lately. It seemed way out here on the very edges of the school’s grounds, away from all the babble and bullshit, was the only place his mind found that one subtle moment of peace.

Ever since that vision he had in the Danger Room a few weeks back, he mostly kept to himself That was nothing new except this time he was doing it not just because he wanted to, but because he felt he had to.

With One Eye grinding down his last nerve, the proff not getting any where with their sessions, and the constant showcase of some of the finest ass in the States,.

he was getting a little hot under the collar.

Above and below.

The dreams had not gotten any better either.

They were always new, but always the same, too.

Blood and pain.

Screams and cries.

Hunger, agony, pleasure and joy.

It was all a big cluster fuck.

He leaned back and took another long drag. The drinking and smoking didn’t take that taste out of his mouth, though. Even after all this time, he could still taste Storm on his tongue.

And damn if it wasn’t still just as sweet.

That girl had something in her.

Something primal.

Something dark.

And that turned him on like a nuclear reactor powering a jackhammer.

As much as he wanted to just take her that time in the danger room, that…..hallucination?……kept him at bay

And now not only could he remember the way she felt and the taste of her sweat.

He also remembered the taste of her blood.

And how good it felt swallowing the last sounds of her screams as he ripped her throat out.

As messed up as Logan knew he was, the idea of cannibalism was still a very fucked up idea.

So he had stayed away .

From all of them.

He liked it out here, anyway.

Away from the looks and the whispers and the smells.

Away from civilization.

Away from his humanity.

He stood up and threw his smoke to the ground and grinded it out beneath his boot heel,.

He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it over his bike His boots came off next, and he set them inside one of the saddlebags.

He stretched out his frame, letting the bones pop and the muscles strain. He took a sniff of the air and found something he liked.

No more than a few yards away was dinner.

From the musk, Logan knew it was a male, ; big one, too, by the strength of the smell.

He ducked low to the ground and slowly crawled into the bush,

Sure enough at the very stream a short distance away that he himself had been using over time stood a honey of a twelve point buck

It would make a hell of a trophy on a wall if he cared about that kind of shit.

All Logan knew was how good it was gonna taste,

He sneaked closer, making no sound and staying in the downwind, until he stood but a few feet to the side of the animal.

Slowly the claws in his right arm extended.

The deer never heard anything, only kept sipping at the water.

Logan crouched his legs and prepared to leap.

“Logan.”

The sound of the voice in his head distracted him for only a moment, but long enough for the deer to catch the wind right.

With a great leap, it stormed off into the forest

Logan kicked the ground. “Fucking A Charley of all the times.”

‘Did I interrupt something?” the disembodied voice asked.

“Only my damn dinner;, you’re worse than a fucking telemarketer.”

‘You are needed in the War Room, we have a mission.”

Logan scoffed as he walked back to his bike and began slipping his shirt and boots back on. “Not the national guard Chuck, I don’t come running when I am called .’”

“I think this will have interest for you.”

“If it ain’t got nothing to do with booze, beaches and bitches, Chuck, I ain’t interested.”

“Its Weapon X, Logan, . we have a lead.”

Logan froze for a moment. “On my way.”

And as just as quick as the words left his mouth. Logan was gone.

The War Room

Charles sat on the end of the table with the majority of his team only waiting for their as of late rarely seen comrade.

Scott sat close to Jean, a scowl evident on his face. He had been none to happy with the decision to wait for Wolverine.

The rest of the team sat in quiet wait.

The doors to the room opened and in walked a determined man.

“About time.” ,” Scott said.

Logan didn’t even turn to look at him. “Fuck you, Scooter/”.”

He put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned down to get right in Xavier’s face.

“Where?”

Charles went on to explain the situation.

“I have an informant high up in the Canadian government feeding me intelligence on some of their special projects, I have been hoping to find out more about the Weapon X division , but until now it has been completely impossible to detect/”.”

“Skip the ‘“How I done it” ‘ shit, Chuck. just throw me a bone here.”

“Guess he doesn’t like the squeaky toys anymore, ” Beast whispered to a suddenly very quiet Ororo, hoping to get a giggle out of her.

She said nothing, only kept her eyes on anything in the room other than Logan.

Logan’s enhanced hearing picked up that little joke of blue boy’s and filed it away in a very large drawer in his mind to shove up Hank’s ass later, . In the meantime, he had business to attend to.

“Just say where, Chuck.”

Charles clicked on a small device on his chair and a holographic image appeared in front of them.

“Northern Alberta, a small facility not on any manifest transfers that my source could find, but with a high level of both cargo and personal traffic, a lot of activity goes on there and they try to keep it quiet as possible.”

Logan sighed and shook his head. “That’s it? Hell, Chuck, it could be a fucking nudist colony for all you know.”

Cyclops spoke up. “Watch it, Wolverine.”

Logan turned to face him. “I’ll watch it as I shove it straight down your fucking throat, One Eye/”.”

Scott stood and raised his hand to his visor. “Give me a reason..”

“Here’s six.”

Snikt.

The other X-men rose as well, not knowing what to expect from either man.

A mental shout inside their minds made them all stop.

“Enough!”

Scott, reluctantly, lowered his hand from his visor.

Wolverine kept his arms raised, and a dangerous growl issued from his throat.

“Logan,” the voice of the professor warned, “I said, enough.”

Logan looked over at Charles and then back to Cyclops. “Soon, One Eye. Real soon.”

He lowered his arms and retracted his claws.

“As I was sayingm” the professor continued. “until recently I have not been able to pick up on any Psi waves coming from the facility, some sort of shielding similar to the one Erik uses, but this morning I received what only could be described as a distress call in the form of a telepathic cry.”

Charles pressed a different button and a small holographic image of a young girl replaced that of the facility.

“Rahne Sinclair, the ward of a colleague of mine, went missing several days ago, no one has seen or heard form from her since.”

“Do you think she was taken?” Jean asked.

“It would definitely fit the MO of Weapon X,” Hank answered.

“Is the girl a telepath?” Emma asked.

Charles shook his head. “Transmorph, actually.”

“So if she isn’t a telepath, how do you know it was her and how did she…..contact you?” Kitty asked,

“I saw her clearly, in a laboratory, suspended in a holding tank, screaming, . There were other mutants there as well many of them all of them in pain.”

“Maybe one of the others did it?” Alex said,

“The only explanation I can come to, yes.” ,” Charles responded,

“Perhaps it’s a trap.” A very silent Nightcrawler spoke, ; the talk about Weapon X had rattled him a bit.

“That has also been taken into consideration, Kurt.:” Charles assured him. “That is why a reconnaissance mission is in order.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Logan huffed out. “Don’t know if this is Weapon X at all, and if it is, I sure as hell ain’t just going back to check under a few rugs, . There is about five hundred potential organ donors up there and I aim to do the surgery myself.”

Bobby leaned over to Angel. “Rambo?”

Angel shook his head. “Hannibal Lector, more like it.”

“Logan, there are people in trouble there, fellow mutants who are going through some of the same tortures that you, Kurt and Rogue all went through.” The professor wheeled over to him. “‘I understand your thirst for retribution, but we must see that no more crimes are done to others as they were done to you.”

“Fuck everybody else, Chuck, it ain’t about retribution, it’s about a reckoning,” Logan growled out. “And I am the fucking Pale Horse,”

“If you will not follow the orders Logan than I am afraid that you must remain here,” Charles stated firmly.

Logan scoffed. “You don’t even know if it’s the right place or not yet..”

Charles nodded. “I saw this place in your mind, Logan, this is where your bones were made.”



Two hours later:

After a Niagara Falls size pissing match, Logan found himself in the Blackbird with the rest of the team on their way up north to Alberta.

He had relented.

Xavier had convinced him. The fucking guy could convince the Devil to buy central heating.

It was more than that, though. The first clue he had found in years. the first link to his past, to what happened all those long years ago, before he was made into this.

He would play along for now. He would be the good little soldier boy for Xavier and find out what was going on there first.

But afterwards…

Oh, the fucking Maelstrom he would bring down upon the place.

He stood up from his chair and walked to the back. The whole crew was here.

The other Summers and that green-haired chick,

He wondered if the carpet matched the drapes.

Ice Cube and Bird Boy sat together snickering and giggling like a couple of high school kids.

The dark-skinned girl that could make force shields or some such shit sat with Shadowcat.

Logan laughed as he passed them because Kitty tried lowering herself as much as possible into her chair, . Girl was cute, even when she was terrified.

The big Russian sat close to that girl Rogue, who was once a member of the Weapon outfit. They were talking quietly. He picked up the smell of fear coming from her and the soft words of encouragement the big mutant was telling her.

She remembered Weapon X all too well.

Other than him, who couldn’t?

He sat down in the back across from that Kurt kid.

He had his head bowed low, a rosary clutched in his hand, and he was whispering in German.

Logan didn’t know where he picked it up but he knew a little of what the kid was saying.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures and leads me by the still waters. He restoreth my soul He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and staff they comfort me…”..?

“Might as well save it bub” Logan interrupted. “He doesn’t listen.”

Kurt turned his eyes over to his teammate. “What makes you so sure?”

Logan shrugged. “Seen a lot of pain and suffering in my days boy, and never no God that answered any of the cries that any of those people no doubt cried.”

“And I have seen a great deal of The Lord’s work, even by those who would say they oppose him.” Kurt raised his rosary and smiled. “And he has helped those who do not even believe in Him or ask for His help.”

Logan shook his head with a snort.

“I have been to Hell, Wolverine,” Kurt continued. “And it is at this place where we are going, why I was released I do not know, but I will go back to help others to free them of perdition, even if it means walking right back through those gates, . Surely, you would spare others of such a fate. That is why you go too, yes?”

Logan leaned over and popped his claws. “I am going ‘cause of this Elf, because those bastards and Your God did this to me, made me something that was only meant to take people out, . I don’t give a shit about the others; I just want those no good sons of bitches to get what they got coming.”

Kurt nodded. “You have much anger in your heart Logan, but the Lord touches all in different ways and in those different ways he will bring us to Him.”

Logan scoffed and began to walk off.

“We are going into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Logan,” Kurt called out to him. “I will pray for us all.”

Logan turned around and smiled. “Keep your prayers bub, I’m the meanest mother fucker in this valley.”

Logan walked away without another word. He saw Storm’s eyes meet with his as he rounded the next corner, into the holding bay of the jet. She was standing over by Hank as he worked on something on the bench. That blond was in here too, Emma was it? She was looking bored as she watched Hank continue to work on whatever it was he was doing.

The only thing in the room for a moment, though, was the look in Ororo’s eyes.

Eyes the color of the sea after a hurricane.

They were beautiful.

If only there was not so much contempt in them at the moment.

She turned away from his gaze and went back to watching Hank.

Logan felt a small twinge somewhere deep down in his gut, and for just a fraction of a moment he felt the need to say something to her.

To try to explain about what happened a few weeks ago.

Shit, did he want to…..a…apo…apologize???

He shook that off in a heartbeat, he didn’t apologize. He was pretty sure that was a rule.

Even if he did want to, what the fuck would he say?

Sorry, darlin’, couldn’t fuck ya cause I had this weird dream about me chewing on your throat while a floating red red-headed chick watched.

Yeah, that would go over real well.

Emma had been so bored for the past hour or so. She couldn’t stand sitting in that seat any longer, so she hopped up and came to the back, so lucky for her that now she could watch the disgusting flirting of Beast and Storm.

She was ready to hurl herself out the hangar bay door until she saw Logan enter.

She watched him in great fascination as he strolled in.

The way he moved and the shift of his muscles had her absently licking her lips.

Oh, the man was just dying to be conquered by.

She slid off the table top and swayed over to him.

Logan and walked to the bulkhead and lit a smoke just as Emma approached.

He blew out a burst of smoke in her direction. “Evening.”

She smiled like a tigress. “Mind if I have one of those?”

Logan looked her over a minute. She was a real piece of work. She had a body that most men would trade vital parts of their own to be able to touch. The outfit she called a uniform sure didn’t leave much to the imagination, either.

He pulled another cigarette out and placed it beside the other in his mouth and lit it with a match. He slowly pulled it free and handed it to her. She took it and slowly pulled a drag out between pink and full lips.

“:Finally,” she said, blowing the smoke out.” Someone who knows the value of what a smoke can do for a person.”

Logan could not help but smile. This one was eager. He could smell it. She was a telepath from what he had heard, and if it wasn’t for all the psionic shields in his dome, she would be seeing herself slammed against the nearest wall and hammered like a railroad spike.

“I can appreciate a lot of things, darlin’,” he breathed out slow, taking a few sniffs of her body in and relishing each one. “The body needs a lot of different things that’s for sure, but sometimes it’s those things that we think we only just want are the things we really need.”

She leaned in a bit closer. “Oh, yes, I can agree with that way of thinking.”

Logan leaned down and sniffed along her neck taking in deep, hard breaths of her scent.

His eyes met Ororo’ s and he smiled.

He knew she had been watching .

And she was on the verge of causing a category 5 tornado in the bay.

Ororo couldn’t believe that bastard. She cold feel the power surges flowing through her body wanting to just lash out and cut that creep’s groin off where he stood.

A small arc of energy hit Hank on his shoulder and he yelped out in surprise.

“Ow, what the hell.” ?” he said, rubbing his arm.

Ororo looked over at Hank and felt the power cease flowing through her. “Oh, sorry, Hank.”

Hank rubbed his shoulder. “That hurt like hell.”

Ororo paused a moment, looked over at Logan and Emma and back to Hank. “Maybe I can distract you a moment from the pain.” She leaned in and kissed him.

She maneuvered Hank around so her eyes could be directly on Logan. She moaned just loud enough for him to hear as she wrapped her arms around Hank’s neck.

Their eyes locked and each could see the inferno of emotions boiling to the top in the other’s eyes.

Logan eased back from an almost pleasure drunk Emma.

And walked away.

She stood there as if the wind had blown a winning lottery ticket over a cliff.

“Where the hell are you going/” ?” she almost shrieked.

“Later” was all the answer he gave.

She stood there glowering for a moment before she calmed herself down. Oh, payback was a bitch, and just as fate would have it, so was she.

She was going to have him, one way or another, and he would be begging for her by the time it was through.

Ororo still watched him as she still kissed Hank.

Her eyes never lleft his retreating form.



Weapon X complex 449,
Alberta:


“Sir,” a young man called out in the direction of the large officer near one of the holloscreens “We have an inbound.” The officer turned around and came over. “Designation?”

The lab tech shook his head. “Unknown, sir, but it’s small and moving fast.”

He punched a few buttons. “It’s stealthed too, sir, ; if we hadn’t known what to look for ,we never would have picked it up.”

The officer smiled. “The prodigal son returns.”

He stepped away and pulled out his radio “This is General Colcord, code Alpha, we have inbound; everything at the ready.”

He pulled out a smaller communicator. “Cornelius , get the Trigger ready, He is coming”

If he had both of his eyes, the general’s would be shining.

Bryan Alveraz had a good life.

He was young and strong, had those rough good looks that he had gotten from his father

He had a gorgeous girlfriend who he was going to propose to eventually, once his transfer was final.

In a week, He wouldn’t be guarding a holding pen for freaks anymore, and he would have everything he wanted

Shame

Three long silver claws pierced through the Kevlar vest of his uniform and into the vital tissues beneath, and all thoughts of having any life beyond this moment went with the last quivering beats of his heart

Logan pulled his claws free and quietly dragged the body out of sight.

He dropped low and sniffed the air

Two more guards were a few meters away.

As silent as the shadows, he moved toward them.

They were making a straight line toward him

Logan observed his surroundings, picking the best course of action.

The blowing wind and falling snow covered his presence well, a real hunter knew when to take advantage of such things. Logan climbed quickly up a nearby tree and perched upon a branch and waited.

He could smell their aftershave, their gun oil, the pungent aroma of a lit cigarette; they were close now, almost right underneath him.

Snikt

Landing behind them, the first guard only saw a faint shimmer, before his throat sprayed forth life blood.
He fell gasping, trying to scream, the air from his lacerated esophagus caused the blood to bubble.

The other guard struggled and cursed, trying to break free of the arm around his neck and the hand over his mouth.

“Shhh” he heard, before his neck was broken

Logan eased the body to the ground. He reached over and plucked the still smoldering cigarette from the ground and took one long drag.

“Thanks” he said before extinguishing it in the snow

Hiding the bodies was no problem in weather like this, with snowfall like this they would be covered in moments

“All Weapon X got ya was a shallow grave bud”

Logan stood and was on the move again, slipping out of sight and back to doing what he did best

He made it to the rear entrance of the facility. The area was under light guard, no more than half a dozen men,

Strange there were no dogs.

That actually made Logan feel better, People were fine to gut, always felt a shame for dogs to catch it over their masters dumb fuck reasons though.

But something felt wrong about the situation. This place should be sealed up tighter than a dolphin’s ass.

The patrols were light, and the tower guards didn’t even have the search lights on.

Logan was honestly hoping for a knock down drag out.

Every Weapon X piece of garbage in this place he wanted lying in a pool of their own spilled innards, and despite what Xavier and Summers said, that was going to be the outcome if he had anything to say about it.

He reached up and pressed the speak button on his communicator

“In place Cyke“

A moment of static.

“How does it look“ came Summer‘s response

“Six or Seven guards, their all carrying Five-Five-Sixes, few pineapple boomers, night vision goggles, no dogs.” He paused a moment and took another look up to the unmanned towers. “And no eyes up high either, something doesn’t feel right about this.”


“Taken into advisement Wolverine” Cyclops replied. “Just be ready to move when I say so, Nightcrawler will meet you on the inside, you guys get in cut the power and wait for my orders, diversion in five>’

“Wanna fill me in on the fucking diversion there Patton?” Logan roughly asked

He could almost see Summers smug expression. “You will know when you see it, Cyclops out”

Logan scoffed and hunkered down closer to the ground.

The winds began to pick up speed, and the snow began harder and faster.

Thunder boomed and flashes of lightning illuminated Logan’s entire field of vision.

He smiled slightly

He could almost see Ororo hovering over the ground letting all of the power of the elements flow into that perfect body of hers.

He would have thought her stripping down to her bare nothings and strutting to the front gate would have been just as effective.

A large crash and one of the supply trucks to the east of the compound erupted into flames as a bolt of lighting came and struck it dead center.

The guards at the gate, save but two, hurried away in the direction of the explosion.

“Your up Wolverine” Summers voice piped in

He didn’t bother to respond on the comm. “No shit”

Moving quietly he hurried along the ground to the gate.

The guard’s backs were turned, still looking in the direction where their comrades had gone,

Slowly, Logan’s claws slid out.

He would have to cut the gate silently and quickly and then do the same to the guards.

A bright flash and a puff of smoke blossomed behind both guards. In surprise they both turned and came face to face with what appeared to be a demon straight form the blackest depths of Hades itself.

“"Guten Abend!"

Before their rifles were even brought to their shoulder, a pair of swift kicks caught them both to the side of their heads.

Kurt smiled and turned around to face Logan. “You see that’s the not so permanent way to deal with red shirts”

Logan scoffed and cut the chain link away.

“Are those better than a Ginsu?”

Logan brought the claws to bear. “Yep cuts through Smart asses like tin cans and can still hack up a mean tomato”

They quickly pulled the bodies out of sight and made it around the front door.

“Cant you just Houdini us in?” Logan asked

“If you want to possibly be a part of the wallpaper and décor then sure we can try it.”

Logan winced a bit at that, the thought of a desk lamp or chair permanently stuck up his ass didn’t bring any chuckles

He tired the door, locked, no surprise, and brought a hard downward slash that separated the handle and lock from the rest.

“Did you know there was no alarm?” Kurt asked sincerely

Logan forced the door open with a hard push. “Yep the very second no siren started blaring after I made the cut.”

Kurt shook his head and sighed and followed his teammate in.
The hallway was empty and only partially lit. There were no guards or base personal to be seen. Logan sniffed the air and found only time worn scents, nothing recent, his enhanced hearing picked up no sounds as well.

Kurt stayed a few steps behind, his body melding with the shadows that danced against the walls.

“Its clear, where’s the switch box?” Logan asked silently

“Hank was only able to dig up a bit on the layout, but the far end of C sector he guessed the most likely place.” Kurt answered

‘Great fucking guessing games now right” Logan sighed and moved further into the hallway. “I hope you finished electrician courses Elf, cause short of cutting the damn thing to scrap I have no clue how we shut it down.”

Kurt smiled and pulled out a small device. “No need to worry my friend, Hank gave us all we need.” He pressed a small button and red light flashed. “We just place it on the central junction box and our task is complete.”

“Humph, rather just break the damn thing.” Logan said shaking his head

It didn’t take long to get to the main generator room, there was no one along the entire route to deter them, nothing.

The inside of the compound was as empty and quiet as a tomb.

And so quiet

No distant footsteps

No far off whispers

Just……nothing

Logan sat in the eerie silence at the door to the generator room as Kurt began his search for the junction..

Logan could hear the pounding of his own heart in the stillness.

It thundered in his ears like the approaching sound of a stampede

He could feel the blood rush through his temples.

Something was wrong
It was too quiet

It was too fucking quiet

Gritting his teeth. Logan tired to force the deafening silence away from himself, trying to make it leave him, trying to drive it back.

It was maddening

Logan

It all broke like the stillness of water as a drop hit’s the surface

Logan

That voice

He knew that voice

Come to me, Come to me

He found fighting the urge to follow those sweet sounds agonizing

Logan my love…..please, I need you, don’t leave me alone here, please Come.

Logan felt as the coyote when caught in a trap. It was like gnawing a limb off to break free, but despite the pain, the first step set him free.

“Think I got it.” Kurt said, placing the device over the box. “Ok Hank said we should get clear of the room before we…Logan?” Kurt turned and saw hi teammate gone

The shadows in the halls danced and parted as Logan walked slowly toward the calling voice.

His footsteps echoed as cannon fire from a distant battlefield, his breath hot torrents of air pumping ever faster from his lungs. A familiar copper taste settled in the back of his throat.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his hands balled so tightly into fists they turned white.

Just a bit further My Love, you are almost there, we shall be together again

With every bit of strength in his body, Logan ran toward the calling.

His legs pumped in furious strides, his muscles straining to their fullest, he had no thought of anything else, the world had melted away and all that remained was that voice and the tremors of his heart.

He rounded a corner and a sealed door stood before him.

Logan hit the control panel but the door stayed sealed, pushing at it and shoving with all his might and it stayed closed.

Roaring, without any regard for danger or peril of his teammates, Logan unsheathed his claws and began ripping the door apart, splinter my metal splinter.

The door mocked him with every swing, with only a few pieces of metal falling away with every swipe.

Give in Love, it iis the only way

The voice in his head goading him forward, Logan let the beast arise. The adrenaline flowed throughout him and bolstered his strength and resolve.

The claws dug deeper, the swings grew harder, and the door fell as a brush would from the winds of a hurricane.

Logan stepped through.

Soft light, warm breeze, birds singing in tall trees, a sharp and pleasant scent of pine.

The beast that Logan had released calmed and crawled back into the dark corners of his mind and waited for its next opportunity to be released.

Old oak wood furniture, finely made, a fireplace burning bright in the far end of the room,

A cabin

Logan couldn’t remember but…….he knew this place.

From some long buried memory or even a dream that always slid from thought on a waking moment

He knew this place.

He walked over to the table and studied every line and corner.

Had he made this?

An old carving knife sat upon the end.

He picked it up and unsheathed it, the fine edge shimmered in the morning sun.

Morning?

It was night only a few moments ago,

Where the hell was he

“What the fuck is going on.” He ground out softly

“You are home.”

Logan turned quickly the knife gripped at a ready in his hand.

The grip on the blade melted away as wax from a waning candle.

A woman, tall and lithe, with skin the color of snow at fading day, eyes like drops of jade, and hair a color of red that hung past her shoulder like liquid fire.

She was beautiful

“I have missed you so much’ she said walking, without fear, toward the feral mutant.

Logan actually felt himself take a step back as if his very body were afraid.

“W..Who are you?” he summoned the ability to ask

She smiled at him. “Dear James, don’t you remember me?”

“James?” Logan croaked out, his voice dying away again as her eyes burned so deeply into the very core of his being.

“I know what they did to you my darling, I cant possibly even begin to imagine the pain you go through not even knowing your true name” she stood before him and softly placed a hand on his wrist and lowered the knife he still limply held down. “For your sake I think for the time being we should just stick to Logan>“

She smiled and Logan felt so strange. The beast inside didn’t even roar as he swept his eyes over her wondrous body.

He stood in awe of this being before him.

“Your Rose shall never be apart from you again.” she whispered so gently into his ear
“Rose?’ Logan was barely able to speak the name, it sounded so foreign, yet at the same time so very familiar

He pulled back and gazed into those deep green eyes. “I….know you….I think”

Those full lips pulled back into a wide grin again as she spoke. “In time my love you shall remember…….everything.” She brushed away a strand of hair from his face. “Everything that you have forgotten, everything that was taken away I will help give back to you.”

She kissed him and Logan felt his world explode

When she pulled away, Logan felt his soul become a void, things were rushing in his mind, flashes of people and places that he did not know.

It brought him to his knees

She wrapped her arms around him as he processed so many things at once.

“What is this?”

She kissed his cheek. “Your life Logan, every second of it.”

Logan’s head swam with vague memories.

A beach.

Explosions

Cries

Blood

Men moved past him franticly, some shouting orders to take cover.

Logan could feel a rifle in his hand, he gazed down and saw he was wearing a uniform.

“Corporal!”

Logan turned at the sound and faced an older and scarred man

A Captain

“Wake up Soldier, your on the bandoleer , get your ass out there fore the Krauts shoot it off.”

Logan responded as only a soldier does

Climbing over a trench he made his way towards a forest of barb wire.

Others were loading long tubes of dynamite through the underneath.

Bullets flew over his head, the sounds of the dying assaulted his ears.

He hit the ground by the others and out of training began feeding the bandoleers through.

“Hell of a day huh Jimmy?” a man, barely out of his teens, shouted to him

Logan didn’t respond he didn’t know this man’s name.

“So much for fucking Intel, said there was just going to be scraps defending this damn beach, instead we get a full garrison of fucking infantry.”

Logan said nothing only pushed the tubing further in

“That’s it Move move move”

As they cleared the radius the wire went up in a great eruption of fire.

“Take that fucking hill” someone, the captain, called. “We get through this the fucking booze is on me.”

Logan was the first to break free from the group.

He could hear people yelling in German.

He made it past what was left of the wire and saw two German infantry men setting up an emplaced weapon.

Without a thought Logan fired, both died within a fraction of a second of each other.

He didn’t stop he moved on further in, shooting anybody that wore the uniform of German army.

When his Garand was dry he used it as a club, when it broke over the skull of what appeared to be a German Lieutenant, he used his bayonet.

A bunker came into his view,

Heavy round of fire billowed out, bullets piercing German and Allied alike .
Logan ran straight on. He felt the tearing white hot burn of a bullet pierce his flesh, but he moved on never slowing

He rolled to the ground for cover, he could feel the strange sensation of his body pushing the bullet out and closing as it did.

He paid it no heed, his mind was playing tricks on him was all.

Grabbing a grenade from a nearby body, Logan rushed toward the bunkers opening.

He took several more bullets to the gut before he made it, but when he did he reached in and grabbed the infantryman manning the gun by the face

Pulling him forward Logan pulled the pin of the grenade with his teeth, and with raw strength shoved it into the officer’s mouth.

Teeth shattered flesh ripped as the German soldier tried to scream as the explosive was forced into his mouth.

Logan stood and ran. “Fire in the hole”

The explosion rocked him to off his feet

Cheers went up as the last of the reaming Germans fled

“Need a Medic over here.” came a cry as the soldier that had spoken to him before fell to his knees by Logan’s side.

Logan shook off the effects of the grenades force and stood straight up.

“Son of a bitch” the soldier said. “You took almost a dozen rounds, and your still on your fucking feet?”

Logan said nothing

He couldn’t explain it either but he felt fine, he didn’t even hurt

“You didn’t get the name “Lucky” Jim for nothing man>“

Jim?…..James?

“Ill trade ya names if ya want” The soldier said patting Logan on the shoulder, “Course who wants to be called Bucky “Bad News” Barnes”

Bucky?
The world around him shifted and he was back again in the cabin with the woman named Rose holding him close.

“What the hell was that?” he graveled out.

“Just one part of the long years of your life restored” she whispered. “But there is so much more my love”

“You can give me these back?” he asked turning to her. “ My memories, who I was

She frowned slightly. “No Darling I am afraid I cant.”

Logan almost felt the world fall from his feet.

“But this can.” She pulled out a small vial of red liquid. “I had a bit of this dabbed upon my lips when I kissed you, this love is the key to everything you want.”

Logan eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

“Hope my love, Hope for your life to be yours again.”

She pulled the top off and held it to him. “Drink, and start your new life from the foundations of the old.”

As much as he wanted to believe it, believe her, something just didn’t sit well with Logan.

“I don’t believe in magic potions darlin.” he said

She laughed. “This is almost as good but not quite magic, it’s a neural peptide, developed just for you.”

“Sounds like something Weapon X would make.” Logan growled, feeling that familiar twinge of rage boil back to the surface.

She gazed at him sternly. “This is your only chance Logan there is no other way, Xavier has promised you help and delivered nothing.”

The harshness of her voice took Logan aback a moment.

She immediately softens her voice and caressed his cheek. “We can be together again Logan, Us, and the whole world just waiting on our doorstep.” she ran her hand down the side of his face again.” We can live a life together.”

A life

A word as strange and as alien as no other could be to him.
“Drink” she urged him

Logan found his hand bringing the vial closer to his lips.

The sound of her breathing, the touch of her skin, her breath against his ear.

It forced his hand further to his mouth

He tasted it and then he drank.

“Wolverine!!”

A shout brought Logan out of the trance he had been under.

The vial was still half full.

The woman, Rose< looked annoyed and almost frightful for a moment before she urged him on a bit further. “Almost darling almost just a bit more.”

Logan looked at the bottle. “Why am I not remembering anything?”

“The first time comes fast, it was a concentrated dose darling, this is a bit more diluted but will have the same effect…..but you must finish it” She said the last bit with force

Logan raised the vial back to his lips

“WOLVERINE!!”

Logan turned and saw Nightcrawler staring at him

“Wolverine what are you doing.”

The world was different now, no cabin, no warm light or roaring fire.

And she was gone too

Logan couldn’t even pick up a scent.

For one horrifying moment, Logan thought it had all been a horrible wonderful dream.

But the vial was still in his hand, half full, waiting for him to finish.

He thought for a moment he could hear a faint voice in the back of his head, her voice, urging him to finish it off.

“The others have already gotten in to the base, its getting ugly out there we have to go now.” Kurt said, still out of breath form his frantic search.

Logan ignored him, still fixed upon the vial in his hands

He didn’t feel anything, he didn’t remember anything from his past.

The rage boiled up inside of him

Such a small taste from her lips had ;lunged him into the inner recess of his mind to long forgotten times, and now

Nothing

Not a fucking thing

She had been here and then she was gone

“AREYOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???” Logan screamed and smashed the vial against the far wall, making Kurt jump a bit in fright .

Logan breathed hard and fast

The rage was coming so easily now it seemed

The veins in his arms pulsed, his heart beat like never before struggling to keep up

“I HAD IT” he screamed once again into the dark hallways. “JUST GIVE IT TO ME DAMMIT” he collapsed to the floor quivering with anger

“Give me my life back” he whispered on the verge of tears of outrage and sorrow

Kurt was not sure of what to do . He had never seen Logan so angry, he didn’t know the man well, but he was certain this was not the norm

Cautiously Kurt approached “Logan?”…..Please the others need us”

Logan quickly turned his head and gazed Kurt dead in the eyes

Kurt Wagner was a believer already, but if he had not have been the look in his teammates eyes would have convinced him that there was indeed a devil

Kurt was no coward, by any means, even for a man as young as he was, but that look caused the very warmth of his blood to run cold with fear.

The red rimmed eyes of Logan saw nothing threw the haze of madness for a moment

The beast inside was stalking the cage of his mind, on the very brink of tearing free.

Kurt, Wolverine where the hell are you guys

A voice sounded out from Kurt’s com

Kurt was petrified by fear, afraid to even use his mutant talents to get away.

Kurt…..Wolverine…. do you copy?

Logan stood and slowly walked toward Kurt, as a monster from a fairy tale might stalk a child in the woods.

Kurt’s entire body screamed for him to move but he couldn’t

He could only stare into the eyes of the demon before him

If you guys are done with hide and go seek we could really use the damn help out here

A new voice came over the com, female, and Logan stopped at the sound

Ororo

Sometime soon too please

He felt all the bad things polluting his mind drain away.

He breathed steadier, and unclenched his fists.

The beast roared inside him, as the cage door to its prison slammed shut

Logan reached up and pressed the com on Kurt’s uniform

“Copy on our way.”

He took once last look behind him.

And smelled the air

Nothing

He looked down at the broke vial one, its contents sprayed across the wall and floor

“Lets go” he said and walked past his still afraid comrade

Kurt breathed out a slow and hoarse breath and crossed himself before following after.

As they left two figures appeared out of the darkness.

The light around them shimmered and adjusted

One of them clicked a button on a control panel that hung from her arm. “Glad to know the Stealth camo and the scent dampeners’ work.” She said pulling her helmet off, letting long blond hair tumble out.

The other one sighed and pulled her own helmet off. “Glad to know that tow of the most valuable members of this operation are the guinea pigs.”

The blond shrugged and leaned against the wall

The other clicked on her communicator. ”General?’

“Copy” the voice replied “were you successful”

She winced as she answered “Partly, he only took about half the dose.”

“Dammit Marsay this is a delicate fucking situation I don’t need you and Wyngarde fucking it up..”

“I was only able to go so far in sir, Regan’s illusions only do so much, if I go in to far I will be the one who is mind wiped.”

Regan Wyngarde snickered a bit at the exasperated look on her colleagues face.

“Will what dosage he took be enough.?” the general asked after a moment

“With what the good doctor told me, it will be as quick to act with only half but the desired effect should take place within a few hours, but the longevity is in question, it could last only for a few hours.”

“Good enough” the general said. “Get to the evac point on the double.”

“We are leaving the base sir>? She asked surprised

“We have already evacuated the important specimens, the others are just fodder, besides we have done what we set out to do, if only in a limited and half way competent fashion, let the freaks have their day, soon they will have more than they will have more then they could possibly swallow.”




























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