Project: Weapon 2X
Experiment ID: #X016
Date: 06/06/2000
Overseer: Dr Anna White (ID:443935)
Project Objectives: Two mutant subjects codenamed Rogue (Female, approx age 18, 5'4, brown hair) and Wolverine (Male, approx age 35, 6'1, brown hair). No personal background provided for either subject. This project has been established to provide a viable and deployable pair of weapons with enhanced senses, durability and teamwork for use as a military asset.
Subject Rogues mutation so far has not been completely identified, but appears through skin-to-skin contact is able to absorb a person's persona and their memory in a temporary 'imprint'. Beyond this she also drains the person's energy (either causing death or a long-term comatose state). So far second-hand data shows that Rogues absorption of the personalities and memories of her victims is short term (established as a maximum of six days). Rogue also is capable of absorbing the mutation of any given mutant for a similar time frame to varying effect. Second-hand data also establishes that the strength of Rogues absorption is based upon the time she is in skin-to-skin contact with a person. Due to her mutation Rogue will be issued a coverall jumpsuit to keep her covered from the neck down.
Subject Wolverines mutation is far easier to identify. This subject has enhanced healing to the point of near instant healing of any wound. Along with this, Wolverine also appears to have heightened smell, hearing and vision in low light (Note: Subject appears to suffer disorientation in bright light). As a finishing touch this subject also has two sets of three claws made out of a bone-like substance that protrudes from between each knuckle on his hands, retracting and extending seemingly at will from his forearm. Security will be notified of this and issued less-than-lethal weapons to keep Wolverine at an arm's length.
All relevant containment procedures have been forwarded from both subjects' previous holding facilities.
Project Stages:
· Stage 1: Identification and Processing
· Stage 2: Emotional Attachment and Bonding
· Stage 3: Mutation Transfer
· Stage 4: Processing and Testing
· Stage 5: Memory (still in R&D)
· Stage 6: Metallurgy
· Stage 7: Control and Containment
· Stage 8: Deployment
Personal Project Log:
This is the personal log of Dr Anna White (ID:443935). All log notes listed here are the informal goings of Project Weapon 2X.
June 6th: Having been given nothing particularly stimulating to do for some time the teams here have been rather excited about the upcoming project. The Colonels plan for a duo of near unkillable weapons to be deployed as a military asset is intriguing and has caused all sorts of ideas to be thrown around. Despite other candidates being examined the Colonel is very insistent about this duo being made our subjects for this project.
While the team and I think there could be better candidates we all agree the idea of duplicating Wolverines mutation onto Rogue and then proceeding with the 'Metallurgy Stage' would be an astounding accomplishment, but the more realistic (or pessimistic) of us see it as very challenging and fraught with pitfalls.
June 8th: Today we have begun our first stage. We have drawn up the schedule which should be being put into effect as I type this. The team talked it over and Dr Li's primary concern was measuring effective dosages of barbiturates, tranquilizers and sedatives on Wolverine. On the Rogue front we are merely testing the time frame and effectiveness of medical inhibitors (simple tranquilisers and sedatives so far) on the speed of the subject's absorption. Meanwhile Dr McManus's lab is working full speed ahead running genetic profiles of both subjects.
June 11th: So far the boring stage is well underway and I can practically feel the mutiny in the lab and I continue catching the lab techs doing tasks other than assigned work. But it can't be helped, the identification and processing stage is always the worst on morale. Regardless, reports from Sgt Stevens have come in giving us a baseline for Wolverines healing and we believe that with some modification from R&D we will have an effective sedative to use for long term procedures.
Dr Li believes that the absorption rate of Rogues skin is slower when she is sedated. This was based upon the comparative time taken to fully absorb shaved lab mice when drugged and when conscious. If this is the case this will provide us a much safer way to transfer Wolverines healing into Rogue beyond simply tying them together and hoping for the best.
June 20th: Dr McManus has provided a genetic profile of both subjects. Using blood extracted by the previous facility when Rogue absorbed a mutant's power, our resident geneticist believes Rogue is capable of a 'natural' permanent absorption of another mutation. Thankfully this will allow us to sidestep a solution to forcing long term absorption of Wolverines mutation. McManus thinks that despite lack of understanding of much of the mutant genome, there is some sort of 'power requirement' to permanently embed a mutation into Rogue's genetic makeup. On discussing this with Dr Li we both agree that if any subject is capable of providing that needed power, it is most likely Wolverine.
June 21st: Today we begin stage two. FINALY. Having competed a basic workup and baseline for both subjects mutations, the team is confident we can move forward. To that end both subjects have been moved into joint cell with covert audio/visual surveillance. Despite our belief that our duo will eventually cooperate we have told security to stand by to prevent harm coming to either subject in the event that either of them attempt to harm the other.
June 23rd: Dr Li and I examined the footage from the pair's joint cell today. What we saw was quite reassuring. After a period of almost skittishness from both subjects they began a dialog and introduced themselves to each other. Both subjects initially introduced themselves as Rogue and Wolverine but after a tense moment they each gave their legal names as Marie and Logan respectively (I have updated the file on both subjects).
Our psychoanalyst Dr Sinclair also examined the footage and emailed me alerting us that what we are seeing is very reassuring. Sinclair pointed out: Wolverines choice of bunk was the one closer to the door, he also place's himself in front of Rogue when security comes to provide meals. Dr Sinclair also notes that their conversation and 'banter' both point towards a forming bond of trust, albeit tentative at present. In our meeting Dr Li and I discussed a few methods to reinforce this trust.
June 27th: Dr Li and I both agreed to give the team a week off, while security caries out their instructions. So far it has worked quite well. Last night one member of security (ex-convict, hired for purpose) was instructed to go into the cell and sexually assault subject Rogue. He was given a tranquilizer gun with insufficient dosage to render Wolverine unconscious. True to plan, Wolverine killed the security guard defending Rogue. I am told what remained of him had to be hosed out of the cell. Meanwhile the pair has been relocated.
June 28th: In their new cell both subjects have become closer. From the footage I reviewed, the pair now shares the same bunk, although in a non-sexual manner. Wolverine sleeps with his back to Rogue whilst he himself faces the door. Dr Sinclair's latest notes suggest a deeper trust being formed as hinted to by the whispered conversation and the closer physical proximity. Dr Sinclair also noted that subject Wolverine expected Rogues first look at his claws would cause her fear. Instead Rogue shared details of her own mutation and explained the reason for her coverall jumpsuit and her fear of skin-to-skin contact. Sinclair believes that this 'acceptance of the others mutation' will be the main foundation for the duos trust to form.
June 29th: Last night we gave the security team instructions to load up on the grade two tranquilizers and enter the cell. Once inside the team tranquilized Wolverine rendering him temporarily unable to stand and began to beat him with their batons. They were instructed to apply minimal forced to Rogue if she intervened. To Dr Li's and my own joy, we watched last night's footage and were pleased to see Rogue attempt to defend Wolverine. In the end our production netted only a few bruises on the part of security (who I am sure will be glad for the time off they will receive). Dr Sinclair's post action review that despite Wolverines initial anger at Rogue for risking harm upon herself, Rogues own returned anger at his demands to just 'sit and watch him get beaten black and blue' impressed him on some level. Sinclair believes this is a good sign in establishing Rogue and Wolverine as equals. The pairs sleeping behaviour has not changed.
July 2nd: SUCESS. OK, so I am getting ahead of myself. On last night's footage, it showed Wolverine touching Rogue's cheek and inadvertently learning of her ability to absorb mutations. Wolverine then proceeded to offer to touch her whenever she is injured. Dr Li and I have already sent a request to security for them to go into the cell later under the guise of a random search with the goal of one security team to lightly injure Rogue. The team will come back to work tomorrow.
July 3rd: Despite the severe injury to one security guard, yesterdays little test was a resounding success. Dr Li's and my own excitement at seeing Wolverine touch Rogue to heal her split lip and bruised cheek was palpable. Unlike the records we watched of other persons being absorbed by Rogue, Wolverine shook off the absorption fatigue in a matter of minutes. Dr McManus assures us that Rogues healing will not be permanent, but agrees it is a step in the right direction. Spoilsport. We have arranged for Rogues blood to be drawn today.
July 6th: Dr McManus's examination of Rogues blood revealed that it is more than likely we can only permanently implement a single mutation into her genetic makeup. But if McManus's excited scribbling is anything to go by, he thinks Wolverine has sufficient power to transfer to Rogue. On a side note Sgt Stevens, (who provided a base line for Wolverines healing) brought up an anomaly in Wolverines healing when re-examining his procedures. When one of his staff applied a cigarette to Wolverines skin the burn naturally healed, but without the tan, leading us to speculate that burns may have an anomalous effect on his healing. We have arranged for Sgt Stevens to continue using heat and incendiary tools to test the subjects healing under the changed conditions.
July 12th: Sgt Stevens report suggests that while it doesn't affect his healing, burns still prevent some form of memory 'return to previous state' type effect. As Dr Li and try to put this into words we realised that we are still dealing with a very complex genetic mutation that has many facets. I passed this new information about Wolverines healing to the R&D team, who are apparently still struggling to come up with a way to wipe the long term memories of both subjects in stage five.
July 13th: R&D replied back, rather thankful (Dr Li thinks they were struggling to find a solution to the memory stage) and believe that with targeted immolation of a specific area of the brain, they can destroy both subjects long term memory, but without rendering them brain dead. Apparently R&D is backing this idea so much that they are currently working on an apparatus to complete this task. Dr Li and I are sceptical.
Dr Sinclair's latest report is promising. In it he suggests that the bonding of our subjects is deepening and has little doubt a sexual bond will form in time. Don't we just feel like matchmakers. Our office intranet now has a fake matchmaking website, much to the amusement of us all.
July 14th: With approval from Dr Sinclair, Dr Li and I are planning to move the project to the next stage. With a little tinkering from R&D we think we have a medication that suppresses Rogues mutation to 10% of normal absorption rate. R&D assures me they cannot make it any better without literally killing her. So today we have arranged the setup for the next few days, beginning with sleep deprivation for our subjects.
July 17th: Today with both subjects sleep deprived (mainly Rogue, but it still affected Wolverine), we tranquilized our pair. With a combined sleep deprivation/medicated fugue state, both subjects were stripped and placed semi-conscious together on the lab table. We allowed the absorption between Rogue and Wolverine to last fourteen hours before Wolverines vital signs began to waver. The pair is currently back in their cell. Hopefully when we undertake our testing in six days time Rogue will still have Wolverines mutation.
July 20th: Monitoring of our pair in their cell has revealed the two understand what happened when they were drugged. Rogue revealed to Wolverine that she has an 'imprint' of him in her head. Dr Li and I initially were worried as we had no idea of Wolverines background and were concerned Rogues reaction to his memories of this could cause all our efforts in stage two to be worthless. Our concern was needless, as Rogue told Wolverine that she found comfort in his 'imprints' presence in her mind.
Dr Sinclair believes that Wolverines initial profuse apologies for 'giving her his god awful memories' most likely only endeared himself more to Rogue. Sinclair also believes that their communication about Wolverines memories has brought them more trust. All information about Wolverine gained from the footage has been added to his file.
July 21st: Last night Rogue suffered a nightmare, one of Wolverines nightmares specifically. The footage Dr Li reviewed shows that after comforting her, Wolverine revealed that the nightmare of World War One was indeed his own. I was shocked to learn that Li's review of the footage suggests that Wolverine is at least old enough to have taken part in WW1 and that Rogues nightmare was an accurate depiction from Wolverines memories.
Dr Sinclair's take on the matter is that despite Wolverines nightmares afflicting Rogue the two appear closer for it. Sinclair notes that last night was the first night Rogue and Wolverine slept face to face 'snuggling'. God, we really have become a matchmaking service. To our surprise we have found that Rogues skin no longer attempts to absorb Wolverine. Dr McManus suggests Rogues skin may not recognise Wolverine's as a foreign body due to the shared genetic makeup. Either way this is one less issue to deal with in the deployment stage.
July 25th: Well outside the threshold for holding onto Wolverines mutation (six days), both subjects were today taken to Sgt Stevens. Stevens indicates that the absorption procedure has not slowed Wolverines healing. He also indicates that despite Dr Li's concern that Rogues different body type may cause a difference in healing; Stevens has shown that Rogues healing is on par with Wolverines initial baseline. The blood drawn today will be examined by Dr McManus's team; hopefully it will confirm what we are all hoping.
July 28th: After some initial technical mishaps (faulty lab equipment) Dr McManus has confirmed the permanent integration of Wolverines mutation into Rogues genetic makeup. The whole project team is ecstatic and Dr Li even brought in some champagne to have after hours.
Dr Li and I have agreed to a sixteen day hold period, to allow both subjects to normalize and after which we can retest the mutation for 110% confirmation. Neither of us trusts the blood work.
August 13th: Coming back from a break refreshed and the team is rearing to go. Sgt Stevens today reported that the healing of both subjects is still on par with the initial baseline. Dr McManus's reports rather snidely that the blood work has not changed. Dr Li and I remain un-humbled.
Dr Li and I spent most of the day reviewing memos and footage. One result that is entirely unexpected but nevertheless has left us pleased is security monitoring reported that on the 5th of August Rogue reported to Wolverine pain in her forearms. The next day (with several more exclamation points than necessary in their memo) the security monitoring team report that Rogue now has claws. Having reviewed this footage, Dr Li and I concluded... she has claws. Smaller slightly than Wolverines and made of the same bone-like material; Rogue now possess a female version of Wolverines claws. When I reported this to the Colonel he was very excitable and told me to inform the team that so far we have surpassed the projects expectations. The team was very happy to hear this in a sarcastic lab tech way.
Another unexpected note from the time we have been away is that Rogue and Wolverine have now begun a sexual relationship. I am not certain if relationship is the correct word for mutants, but it for all intents and purposes that is what it is. My inbox was filled with notes by different monitoring staff that they are required to mute the audio systems and focus on a book or some other distraction during the pairs 'extensive fucking'. Lovely language, but what do you expect from college drop-outs. I myself have watched the footage of their first sexual interaction, and the feminist in me is pleased to see Rogue taking charge during their first encounter.
Dr Sinclair's reports on the footage and the development on our couple have been rather tedious and read like an evil David Attenborough documentary. But the overall is Sinclair is pleased at the pace the two have bonded and believes that their trust and teamwork has made their personal relationships foundation 'rock-solid'. He also notes that with her claws and healing Wolverine no longer protects Rogue like she is weak, and the pair stand shoulder to shoulder when guards come to provide food or to take them for examinations or testing.
Addendum: Yes Dr Li, I have noticed that my recent report is rather informal. It's a personal log and I just got off vacation. Lay off.
August 14th: Dr Li and I today had a meeting with R&D who rather grandly unveiled their apparatus for the memory wipe. I must say it looks like it would be right at home in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Despite this Dr Li and I have given the go-ahead for stage five to begin tomorrow. Hopefully the procedure won't turn them into dribbling vegetables. Dr Sinclair has frequently and vocally expressed his excitement of observing the nature of both subjects without their long term memory in the hopes of seeing animalistic regression. Also someone has replaced Sinclair's email and database photograph with one of David Attenborough with a Dastardly Whiplash moustache. At the team meeting we voted to keep it.
August 16th: Both subjects went under the memory wipe apparatus today while heavily sedated. If it has done its job it will have immolated a very specific section of the brain which houses long term memory. And upon its healing it should become a blank slate. So far there is little to report except both Rogue and Wolverine are sleeping peacefully in their cell.
August 17th: Well Sinclair asked for animalistic. Upon reviewing the last day's footage, Dr Li and I conclude that both subjects have reverted to primitive mindsets. Their verbal communication appears limited and reminiscent of 'caveman speak'. The only thing I am certain that our couple remembers is their name, the others name and that they are in a sexually active relationship. Reports from security, in both guards and monitoring has asked for change of shift repeatedly since both subjects woke up and identified their partner and proceeded to have very loud and frequent intercourse. My own watching of the tapes caused a smirk in the feminist side of me when I saw the trading of dominance between the two.
Dr Sinclair is predictably happy. He informs me that the pair see each other as 'mates' both verbally and non-verbally. That they appear as perfect equals despite their physical size difference. He also noted that Wolverine is now happier to have Rogue jump first into a fight, citing the example of this afternoon's food delivery when Rogue attacked the security guard while Wolverine watched. Sinclair has amended his original expectations of the bonding of the two subjects to reflect that he now believes upon the projects completion the two will be an effective team.
Dr Li and I both agree to give the pair three days to make certain that their memory won't return.
August 21st: No new news from the footage, just an inbox full of complaints of traumatized security personnel. Perhaps we should hire more voyeuristic security. I would love to meet the HR person who has to put out that memo. Aside from that, Rogue and Wolverine have become more coherent verbally and are speaking in full sentences (admittedly Wolverines vocabulary was weak to begin with). But both still retain no memory beyond their cell, their names and their relationship.
August 22nd: Today Dr Li has a mild freak out when the consideration of birth control was brought up. R&D, Dr Li and I had a meeting to discuss contraception for our duo. Immediately condoms were ruled out. And Dr McManus has confirmed that in the latest blood work Rogue has out-healed her birth-control injections, but has reassured us that so far she is not pregnant. Thank god for small miracles. This is a good lesson in procedure for us here; we got too caught up in the project moving forward we forgot to see any pitfalls. The takeaway from that meeting is we all agree upon a surgical solution. I have contacted the Colonel and he has agreed to spare a small portion of the metal from the metallurgy stage (Adamantium) for surgical birth control purposes, although he was displeased that the two were engaged in a sexual relationship which he called 'unnatural'. In my opinion as long as they are not having sex with humans, it is not an issue.
August 23rd: R&D has worked all night to come up with a plan for the surgical solution for our duo. And although crude it is rather effective. The plan is simply to perform an approximation of a vasectomy (for Wolverine) and a tubal (for Rogue) on our subject's respective reproductive organs and seal them with adamantium to prevent healing. The adamantium will then be grafted to the pelvis to prevent their bodies from forcing the metal out (as it does with most foreign metals). R&D assures us that this is reversible in the event that Dr Li and Dr Sinclair's breeding control program idea is accepted. Although R&D admits the reversal procedure will be a messy affair.
August 24th: Both subjects are recovering after a successful surgery. Dr Li's review of the footage reveals that there has been no change in the sexual activity of our pair. It would seem Dr Sinclair's 'potency' theory is false.
Both Dr Li and I agree that moving onto the metallurgy stage should be put into the works. R&D is finishing up on their apparatus for deploying the adamantium and grafting it to the skeleton of both subjects. Dr Li and I will spend the next few days working up a schematic for the grafts. But before we begin the next stage I contacted the Colonel to confirm his plans for the control stage. He hinted to some form of mind-control serum but did not specify. I told him that giving our nearly feral subjects indestructible metal claws and bones is not wise if we aren't certain that the control-stage will work. I pitched Dr Li and Dr Sinclair's breeding control program to him, in which a child would be allowed to be produced between the couple and it would be held as leverage. The Colonel rejected the idea initially but thought it may have promise in the future, so much for distaste for their sexual activity. Regardless I was reassured that a control method will be here and working by time we complete the metallurgy stage. Dr Li and I are both hesitant to move forward, but we have decided to move forward as of tomorrow.
August 25th: Day one of metallurgy. Dr Li is getting the X-Rays done today to begin the schematics for the adamantium grafts. Dr McManus had it out with the R&D guys; apparently they weren't aware that Wolverines initial blood work showed slowing of healing when under sedation. The R&D team planned to have both subjects sedated when the adamantium was poured and grafted to their skeletons. Evidentially a miscommunication has occurred and R&D is modifying their apparatus to include restraints to hold both subjects still. Having two conscious near-feral healing mutants, submerged in heavy water, and having tandem surgery performed to pour and graft molten unbreakable metal to their bones; it's starting to sound like a joke.
To round out the day an email from Dr Sinclair stated he believes Rogues apparent spontaneous martial skills may be a holdover from Wolverines 'imprint'. But due to the memory wipe she merely attributes the muscle memory and reflexes as her own. Sinclair states that currently when she tries to fend off security guards she fights like someone the size and strength of Wolverine. I had a word with Sgt Stevens (formerly of Fort Benning) and he agreed. Steven's told me with Rogue under control she could with a short amount of time adapt Wolverines muscle memory to fit her size and increased agility. Dr Li has noted this down to be readdressed in the final deployment stages.
August 29th: Dr Li and I have completed our schematic for the grafts, with the added metal cap above the cranium requested by the Colonel (apparently it interferes with telepathic mutations). R&D has completed their modifications of the apparatus and they are starting teaching the lab techs how to use it. In their last memo they state that they do not know if the adamantium will change the performance of the restraints and have added a small tolerance just in case. The Colonel will arrive on the 2nd with the full adamantium shipment.
The monitoring of our intrepid couple has moved solely to the job of Dr Sinclair whose final assessment is that the duo has a strong bond that would be both beneficial and helpful when deployed in the field. He suggests the trust between the two would make them a formidable team, as opposed to two persons forced to work together. He does point out the downside that if forced to work alone, it could quite possibly interfere with the subject's efficiency. Regardless this project called for a team of two unkillable indestructible weapons. A footnote in Sinclair's report states that 'the close bond of these two will mean that a significant form of control will be required to make these two deployable'. Significant indeed.
September 2nd: The Colonel has arrived with the adamantium today. The lab techs are confident in their ability to use the apparatus. The bone graft schematic has been double and triple checked. The Colonel has reassured both Dr Li and I that his control method will work but has yet to divulge how or what his method is beyond hinting at a 'mind-control serum'. We have final approval from all departments on the procedure and we will begin tomorrow at 10am. The Colonel has invited some Pentagon brass to see the completion of the metallurgy stage. The man is like a giddy child playing with new toys. He even brought champagne for the brass and a set of matching adamantium dog tags for our lovely couple.
With all luck, tomorrow should be a great success...
AN (edited): This story has been swirling around for a while so I wrote this then convinced myself to expand it. The story has reached a conclusion for now but if there is enough people who enjoy the story I will continue onto another story arc. For now this is a complete story. I will change the summary and unmark the story as complete accordingly if I begin updating again.
I should also point out to new readers, the format changes and the whole story isn't just this report style chapter. Don't get scared off.
Disclaimer: This belongs to FOX. I know, I too sometimes get confused for a large multinational corporation with the rights to huge comic book franchises.