Trump Card
A/N: This is set some time before the flashbacks of Wolverine in the episode 'Breakdown'. This is at a time when Logan was in the Canadian Secret Service, after escaping from Weapon X
It was close to midnight, and the cafe was deserted, when Charles Xavier wheeled himself in. Ordinarily, in the absence of any patrons, the owner would have closed for the night long ago...but on this particular day, for reasons unknown to him, the cafe stayed open, despite the fact that he would much rather prefer to be in bed after this gruelling evening shift. But he would never know why he stayed, just as he wouldn't even remember that he stayed, or indeed anything that would happen during the night at the cafe, when he woke up next morning. Such were the skills of the bald man in the wheelchair who made his way towards a private booth reserved for him and one other man, who was already seated there.
Xavier was visibly pleased to see the other man, albeit mildly surprised. This particular mutant, unlike any other he had dealt with, had to be approached extremely cautiously. This was not some frightened teenager who was begging to be taught to control his power...this was a grown man, a dangerous man whose berserker rages were fuelled by inner demons the likes of which would shake any normal man to the core. Then again, this man was far from 'normal' in any sense of the word...
"Ah, Logan! A pleasure to meet you in person at last", Xavier beamed and offered his hand to the other man. Logan stared at Xavier for a full minute, as though sizing him up and evaluating his potential to be a threat, before taking the offered hand. Xavier winced under the other man's strong grip, though he wasn't in the least surprised by how strong it was, given what he had managed to learn about this mutant.
"My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I am glad that you agreed to respond to my message. I am well aware that you are...a busy man and..." Xavier began but Logan cut him off, "Forget the niceties. Just get to the point will you. You said something about an offer in that phone call", he said. "I'm kinda curious to know what sort of offer...cuz you see; you're not the sort of guy one normally associates with... 'wet work'", Logan said.
Logan's use of the trade term for 'assassination' caused Xavier to think back to his intelligence record. The Canadian Secret Service and SHIELD files he was able to access gave a reasonably comprehensive account of both the capabilities and the exploits of the renowned clandestine operative known within the darkest of intelligence circles by the codename 'Wolverine'-a so-called specialist in 'deniable operations' that, from what Xavier was able to gather, both from his reading, and the swift mind-scan of Logan that was now in progress, ranged from kidnapping to murder and everything in between. It was a grisly tale of violence and death and moreover it was a very brief history, one that traced back to only several years ago. Before that, there was not a single trace of the Wolverine's past, neither on paper, nor in his own mind. Logan's memory had been wiped clean, by the same people who bonded his skeleton to the virtually indestructible metal called adamantium, a process he would have scarcely survived but for his mutant healing factor. Try as he must, Xavier couldn't retrieve Logan's older memories...but given time, perhaps he could. Given time...which of course was Wolverine's decision alone.
"You are mistaken, Logan", Xavier said. "My offer has nothing to do with violence. At least not of the sort you are accustomed to. My offer is to do with your future...and possibly, your past".
"My past", Logan said suddenly. "You know something about my past?" He suddenly stood up, as though in a sudden state of agitation and leaned across the table towards Xavier. "If you know something, stop playing around, and tell me right now!"
Relax Logan, Charles said telepathically. I can sense your desperation and I'm willing to help you...but I need you to listen to me first.
"Wait! How'd you do that?" Logan asked. Then he stared accusingly at the Professor. "You're a mutant", he said.
"Yes, I'm sorry I neglected to mention that earlier. Yes indeed, I am a mutant, much like you, except that my power lies in my mind, and not in my body", Xavier said.
"So you can read minds?" Logan asked.
"That's a simplistic way of looking at it...but effectively, yes", Xavier explained with a smile.
"So what is your offer?" Logan asked, now clearly fascinated by the Professor, even if he wouldn't admit it.
"As you are well aware, humanity hasn't taken the existence of mutants as well as some may have hoped. Tensions are rising on both sides; some believe that there is a war on the horizon. I have long been of the opinion that a war between humans and mutants would result only in destruction on both sides. So years ago, I founded a school to teach young mutants to use their powers responsibly, to protect humans and mutants alike from the forces of destruction among both of them. I trained my students to become mediators between the two sides...and fighters for peace. I called them the 'X-men'."
"That's a pretty nice story...but where do I come in?" Logan asked.
Xavier sighed. "I have been observing you, behind the scenes as it were, for some time now. And I know that though you are known to be the 'best there is' and what you do, I am well aware that deep down inside, you are discontent. Deny it all you must..." he said suddenly when Logan was about to interrupt. "The fact is that you feel trapped in this life that seems to have engulfed your mind and soul. You were broken down, stripped off your past, your identity, and turned into a weapon...you escaped somehow, but now you feel that you never escaped after all, you've ended up becoming a weapon again, though this time of your own will".
"Tell me, Wolverine", Xavier continued, "Why do you do it? Moving from one dangerous mission to the other, killing, spying, destroying...waiting for the death on the battlefield that will never come because of your 'gift'. Why do you continue to work for people who think of you as little more than a weapon, an instrument of policy, a tool of destruction?"
"Because there ain't anything else left for me, Xavier", Logan said. "I'm a killer...always have been, always will be. It's plain and simple", Wolverine said bitterly.
"Ah, but you have a choice you know. You can continue to kill in one futile mission after the other, without end, and watch your actions eat away at your soul night and day...or you can join me..."
"You mean...join this little team of yours?" Wolverine asked.
"Yes. Join the X-men", Xavier said.
There was a pause for a few minutes. Then Logan abruptly replied, "No".
"But-", Xavier began but Logan cut him off, "Save it, Professor. If you know anything about me you'll know that I don't work well with a team. I'm not an easy person to have around, and that's putting it mildly..."
"We have a mutant who looks more demon than man, another who can destroy an entire buildings if his glasses were to slip off, a girl who can walk through walls...psychics like me whom one can never be sure aren't prying into people's minds...no Logan, none of us are easy people to have around..." Xavier explained.
"But I'm...I'm a monster. A killer only about a hundred times over. God alone knows how many more times I've forgotten...you're fighting for 'peace'. Why would you want me within an inch of your people?"
"We don't need killer, Logan...but as you so rightly pointed out, we need fighters. And you are a fighter, Wolverine...always have been. You are the best there is at what you do, no doubt...I'm given you a chance to do something...nice...for once. For once you can fight for something...productive."
Logan remained silent for a few more minutes. Then, for the first time, he spoke hesitatingly, "If I come with you...will you...I mean...can you find out about my past?"
"I cannot make promises Logan. I can only promise to try. But for that I need time", Xavier replied slowly.
Another pause and then, "I'll have to think about it".
"By all means...when you do make a decision, you can call me. You do have my number, don't you?" Xavier said. "Once again, a pleasure to meet you, Wolverine", he said, shaking hands with the feral mutant again before he wheeled himself out.
Xavier knew what was going through Logan's mind. He knew he had intrigued him, but that it would take time for him to make a decision. It was not easy, for a man who was used to being treated as a weapon, to become something else. And yet, Xavier also knew that deep down inside, however much he would not admit it to himself, he viewed Logan as a potential 'weapon' as well. A weapon for peace...but a weapon nonetheless. For he had no illusions...his fight for peace was slowly but surely becoming a war...and in the near future, a time would no doubt come when a killing machine like Wolverine was all that stood between mutantkind and extinction. From that viewpoint, Logan was indeed an ideal investment for the future...a trump card, one might say. If only one would make sure he didn't run wild...