Disclaimer: I do not own any of Anne McCaffrey's characters or concepts, I am not making any money from this, and I do not own any Marvel characters either…with that said on with the show, Some passages my be parallel from the book if completely necessary, I do not own these passages .
Author's Notes: If you haven't read Dragonsdawn I'd suggest that you do because, I am not going to paraphrase every detail I'm more going to be focused on the mutant involvement with Pern.
Summary:
"Probes are coming through, sir." Sallah Telgar announced without taking her eyes from the flickering lights on her terminal.
Dr. Hank McCoy was barely aware that the Admiral Paul Benden had responded. His eyes resting squarely on the new planet he was to call home. He was reluctant at first mainly because the concept of equality for all humans and mutants alike was something he had started to think would never happen; But after a fifteen year voyage through space they were finally approaching the sun-drenched planet. There were three Colony ships., the Yokohama, the Bahrain and the Buenos Aires.
The good doctor had qualified for the Pern Expedition based on his expertise in several fields, The chemistry field, the medical field, and astronomy were just a few. He had more doctorates than they had on file, and a person of his 'genius' as he was told would make a perfect addition to the colony. He had had only two conditions that they include in the charter equality for humans and mutants and that he remain awake through the entire journey…he hated the deep sleep that the majority of the passengers were in, it always made him so cranky when he awakened. Hank had fully understood this was a one way trip, at frist that bothered him but ever since the disappearance of one of the X-men…Wolverine…after a battle with some upgraded sentinels he had been somewhat depressed. He'd been fighting along side wolverine, and despite their opposing demeanors in a fight the two made a wonderful team. Until he disappeared, he replayed that fight night after night in his head and he still couldn't figure out what had happened to his comrade. He was there then he wasn't. He'd figured that the impulsive wolverine was just following another impulse, that's how he fought, most of his skills were completely instinctual, and that's why they fought so well together, he mused. When Hank fully let go, completely let instinct take over him, his similarities to the smaller man was uncanny. He sighed, but the fight had been won and Wolverine had not returned to his side or anyone else's for that matter. While they hadn't found a body, Xavier had gotten nothing with Cerebro.
"Everything alright Dr. McCoy?" Sallah asked him breaking him out of his bleak thoughts.
"Hmm?" He raised furry eyebrows for a second, Sallah thought resembling a deer in headlights, but he quickly rearranged him face into a reassuring smile, "My apologies Ms. Telgar…just lost in thought…"
A lot of people were coming to Pern for a fresh start, to escape the confounds of the past. Though the Doctor had been more than congenial he always managed to talk around the one thing that Sallah could tell was constantly on his mind. Sallah had stopped trying to pry it out of him after the first couple of times, now she just took to offering reassuring smiles. She often would tell him that all would be different on Pern. He'd reply with a nod or a distant smile. This time Sallah reached out and squeezed his soft hand.
"Soon you won't have time for that, doctor," she told him lowering her voice.
Hank replied with a polite smile, not mentioning how well he could multitask He liked Sallah, she was a genuinely sweet woman. He'd given her quite the scare when she'd first awaken, Hank had taken it upon himself to monitor the freshly awaken. The first thing Sallah's blurry eyes fell on was him, and the scream she'd let out had brought anyone near by running. Including Avril Bitra, he had a definite distaste for that woman, but he supposed her being an astrogator made her more than useful. Rumor had it that Admiral Benden had found her useful in more personal ways. Hank couldn't blame him she was strikingly beautiful but her nasty attitude turned him completely off. He knew her and Betsy would have had some serious problems had she been awake but out of all fifteen years he'd only spent five years with woman being that her presence was non essential, but he had gotten her excepted by telling them they were engaged. They had been skeptical at first until Betsy backed up his claim. He couldn't believe he had lied, but he wasn't about to go to another planet without her, and she was very much willing to start a new life with him completely separated from all the hatred Earth harbored.
"Well Doctor, how do you feel? You may very well be the first Marriage on Pern?" Emily Boll smiled evenly.
Hank swallowed hard addressing the governor with a warm smile to cover his nervousness, "Utterly terrified…"
Everyone within earshot laughed at that. All within the room had gotten used to his presence where as at first his mutation had been looked on with curiosity. Granted he had noticed a small handful of people had a distaste for mutants but it was a far cry better than Earth. Plus none of those people were in charge.
"Oh doctor…" Emily started.
"Please call me Hank," he smiled, he'd just recently met the woman, but he'd decided he'd like her immediately.
"Hank…I here she is a beautiful woman what do you have to be nervous about?" Governor Boll asked.
He smiled in response, "That she is…" he said before excusing himself, to assist the medics in awaking the colonists who were being awakened in the order of their usefulness. The glimpse on the bridge had only been a short break for the doctor, who'd insisted that all of the medics get some sort of break, there was no room for error because of fatigue. They'd put him in charge of the entire medical staff, and he had taken on plenty of other duties as well.
Suddenly a Medic rushed from the deep sleep decks, with a bold spraying of red across his white coat. Hank's nose immediately told him it was blood.
"Dr. McCoy…" he panted gripping Hank's lab coat tightly in fear, "We…we…I…he's dying…"
"What on earth? Slow down…start again tell me what happened…Hari" Hank told him calmly placing his hands on the young man's shoulders.
The young medic, was obviously of Native American decent, his olive skin had a light spraying of blood droplets that he wiped at earnestly his efforts only smearing them. His thick dark hair fell into his eyes, he hurriedly pushed it from his face taking some of the blood with it.
"We opened the wrong chamber, woke up the wrong one…." He panted trying to gather his wits, "We didn't see the Do not Wake note…we missed it…we woke him up…he Killed Dr. Redden…"
Dr. Redden was a Biologist from Earth who'd made some astounding breakthroughs but treatment of some lab animals was always questionable.
Hank left the boy there bursting through the doors, smartly the deck was empty save for the medics luckily they must have been the only ones they were waking at the time.
"He just jumped out and stabbed him, we couldn't stop him, he shouldn't have been able to move like that so early…muscles should have…" the Medic started as Hank swooped down and check the Dr. Redden's pulse. He was dead already, Hank examined the wound closer then stumbled back in surprise.
"Oh my stars and Fucking garters…it can't be…" Hank muttered standing up and looking around.
"Yeah he's gone Doc…" Hari told him.
"Hank ignored him and addressed the group, "Did anyone follow the man?"
"Riley insisted on it…she was gone before we could stop her…" one of the girls told him.
"Which way did he go?" Hank asked grimly.
They all pointed toward the door. Hank though idly that the woman would stand a better chance than any of the men in the room, as he darted out of the room trying to pick up a scent. He got nothing at first. Frustrated he slammed a furry large fist into the wall. Then an idea hit him, they were alike on a primal level. Hank closed his eyes and imagined what he would do as a panicked animal. He ran wildly around a minute causing curious looks. If he had gone this way he'd been more discreet. He sighed a moment thinking he had been wistfully mistaken. As he stopped suddenly, he caught the familiar scent he'd been looking for, he took off with renewed enthusiasm. His nose was up in the air like a hound, so much caught up in tracking he nearly tripped over young Riley. Her unconscious body lie sprawl in the hallway toward the back of the ship. Hank looked the small blonde over…she was unharmed. Which suggest he had some of his wits about him, but the fact that she lay in the hallway with no attempt to hide the body said otherwise. He propped her up against the wall but left her there. As Hank kept going he suddenly knew were the man was headed. He was headed to Hank's own room. Hank sped up stopping abruptly outside his door. He cautiously opened the door, finding the small hairy and quite naked man crouched in the corner growling menacingly at him.
"Easy Wolverine, I am a friend…remember?" he said keeping his distant.
He nodded but didn't respond verbally.
"Are you hurt?' he asked taking a step closer.
The blunt reply that came next was unexpected, but nonetheless made Hank laugh, "I need some fucking pants…I'm freezing my balls off."
"Wolverine…" Hank smiled digging through clothes to find something for the man, but paused realizing all of his close would be to big, "Just a moment please don't go anywhere…"
"Don't think that'll be a problem…" he muttered as Hank disappeared out the door again.
A bit later after finding Logan some clothes, he found himself standing in front of Admiral Paul Benden and Governor Emily Boll. Another man stood quietly behind them with a deeply sad frown. Logan could tell he'd been through a lot and lost something important to him. At his age you learned these things, he'd been alive since before America's revolutionary war.
"Mr…." Emily started and Logan filled it in.
"Logan…just Logan…" he sighed.
"Okay Logan," she said a little more gently reacting to the exhausted tone in the man's voice, "You murdered a man…we really have nothing in the charter…"
"Governor Boll, If I may?" Hank interrupted.
"Of course Doctor…Hank…" she smiled thinly.
"Logan is not one who should have been put in deep sleep to begin with, just rousing him from a normal sleep you have a chance of getting stabbed, due to some unfortunate events in his past…but my friend here has told me that for the past 17yrs., 15 of which spent in deep sleep of course, making that the two years prior he was used as that man's personal lab rat…" Hank informed them, "putting those two known facts together …his reaction was completely understandable."
Admiral Benden didn't look convinced and frankly he didn't seem to understand, Logan sighed heavily, "Admiral I've been a 'lab rat' one too many time by one too many people…" Logan unsheathed his long metal claws that extended a foot from his hand, "This was the result from the first time…I still dream about the first time…completely under water…breathing mask over my face…"
Hank noticed his eyes loose focus and he took a casual step in his direction.
"I was hooked up to so many different things, the metal they used is unbreakable…the temperature the metal had to be at to keep it hot was almost equivalent to the sun's heat…almost…and they injected it into my bones, they automatically rejected it forcing it out…but the water cooled it down so it hardened around my bones…that's the logics behind it…I didn't care about the logic…all of my nerves were on fire the pain was so excruciating I snapped and killed everyone in there and trashed the lab…it took months before some people found me living in the woods like an animal…."
"How could you have possibly survived that?" Emily asked sympathy filling her voice.
"Accelerated cellular regenerated…" Hank started.
Logan unsheathed his claws then re-sheathed them showing them the wounds in the back of his hand and in that instant they were gone, "I heal fast…keeps me from aging too…" he shrugged, "Mutation comes with heightened senses, agility, strength…instincts…animal instincts…"
"That would explain the irrational reaction to waking up from deep sleep…" came the deep voice of the man that stood behind them.
"Yes Ongola so it would seem…" The Admiral replied nodding.
"I know you had no choice in this trip but understand, this is a one way trip, there is no going back…so you may as well make the best of it…Pern is a beautiful planet…I will not have a crime like that committed on that planet…it won't be marred like all the others…so how about we put you on probation… try and make yourself useful we have a lot of hard work ahead of us…" Emily smiled/
Logan recognized that for what it was, 'don't fuck up…we have no idea what to do if you do…'
"We'll just tell everyone he had an accident waking up…" Admiral told him, "Luckily the Doctor can pick up any slack for him…"
"I would be delighted…" Hank smiled at the challenge.
Logan nodded in agreement with it all, he reached up absent to scratch a rather persistent itch on his shoulder. His fingers were met with a small bit of plastic, he grasped it, realizing it was an IV tube he braced himself. He pulled hard on the tube and he felt it pulling along the bones in his arm all the way to his wrist. It had apparently been wrapped around his arm bone down to his wrist where it was inserted into a vein and the other end stuck out of the top of his shoulder, and because of how tight it was wrapped it didn't heal out like it should have.
Logan growled in pain as he slowly pulled the plastic tube out. Emily's thin hand flew to her mouth her eyes widening. The Admiral looked away in disgust, Ongola twitch hissing in pain for him. As Logan went to toss it in the trash can Hank stopped him.
"Medical waste Logan…red trash can on the medical deck…" he chided him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" he replied rubbing the wound that had already healed up.
Bright blue eyes focused on the planet that was now on every screen on the ship, everyone was being awakened now. The Admiral insisted that everyone be awake by the time they were in the planets orbit. Bridget Connell hadn't been thrilled about accompanying her Uncle Porrig but he'd insisted that she go partly due to her affinity for horses that their people relied on so heavily.
Bridget shifted unsteadily, her eyes going out of focus again. She had just recently been awakened but she couldn't stand spending even a moment with her uncle. They hadn't ever gotten along but he'd felt it a necessity to take care of her after her father was shot by a farmer for being in his field. Her mother had died in child birth, so Uncle Porrig's family was all she had. She didn't mind her uncle's son Sean so much but he was much younger than she was. At sixteen the concept of hanging around her younger cousin, bored her to tears. So instead of heading to her families room she stumbled unstably down the hallway. She had one hand on the wall in hopes to balance herself but with the more agile walkers rushing about her she stumbled until one woman walked right into her.
"Watch it Gypsy…" Sneered a strikingly beautiful brunette woman, her beauty marred by the smug mask she wore. She walked with a certain arrogance about her that if Bridget had been fully awake she would have knocked right out of her.
"Avril…" Chided the man next to her as they moved away, "How do you no she was even a gypsy?"
"They smell funny…" she laughed haughtily, "And I felt the distinct urge to check my wallet…"
"Did you bring that with you?" he asked incredulously.
"Well no but the instinct is still there…" she replied shrugging.
It was true , her people did things that were considered unsavory to the great majority of the population in Ireland, but they did what they had to, to survive. She knew that woman couldn't survive a moment in her traveling lifestyle.
Her reaction time was severely impeded, she tried in vain to catch herself but nonetheless the floor rushed at her. She felt a strong arm wrap around her slender waist stopping her just short of the floor.
"Fucking city bred cow…" she grumbled and glared in the direction Avril switched off in, as she was being pulled back to her unsteady feet. "Much appreciated…" she muttered trying to turn to see who kept her from the floor but she wobbled forward and once again a strong hand steadied her.
"You alright darlin'?" came a gruff masculine voice.
"Can't tell up from down, left from right and my ass from my bosom, but I think I'll live, it'll just be rather uncomfortable for a bit…" she smiled trying to make her eyes focus on the man in front of her.
"I wonder which medic allowed this obviously off keeled young woman out on her own…" came a rather articulately civil sounding voice.
"Allowed?" she raised a single eyebrow, trying to focus on the new voice but her eyes insisted on crossing so all saw was a blur of blue, "I go where I want…"
Both men unsuccessfully tried to bite back laughter at what Bridget was sure had to be a comical expression. But she lacked the full concentration to be too angry. She shook her head back and forth, long dark curly tendrils bouncing violently. It helped her focus a bit, but what she saw behind the man that held her up couldn't be right…this beast had to be a side effect of deep sleep and in a moment would clear and he'd be normal. After a short moment of shock logic took over her mind and she thought he must be a mutant.
"Either you a mutant or I…" her voice trailed off lacking the faculties to completely finish the witty line she had intended to use to cover her surprise…." Or I need to go back to sleep…"
"Dr. Hank McCoy," he said grasping her hand and shaking knowing she lacked the depth perception grab his hand herself.
"Bridget Connell," she replied attempting to pull back but she soon remember she wasn't holding herself up, and she looked questioningly at the man who was merely and inch taller than herself.
"Logan…" he said answering her unspoken question, "Don't let Hank scare ya darlin' he's the nice one…"
"Just glad to see I'm not the only one…" she smiled attempting to shake off Logan's grip. But he knew she wasn't steady enough to move about on her own.
"You're a mutant?" Logan raised a mildly shocked eyebrow being that as far as he knew he and Hank were the only ones.
"Much to M'Uncle's displeasure Aye," she smiled.
"Is there somewhere we can take you Ms. Connell?" The Blue Doctor asked.
"My Quarters…C-2343.…" she stated like a question, "As far away from them as I can get…"
Logan had to laugh at that.
"Ms. Connell…" Hank started.
"Bridget…just Bridget…" she told him firmly.
"Bridget…you really shouldn't be alone at the moment, you really should be in your quarters, doing your exercises."
"There's definitely not enough space for me to be in there alone much less with M'Family, a fifteen year sleep definitely did nothing to make m'heart grow any fonder of them," she replied stubbornly.
"Tell ya what Darlin', How about I steer toward something to eat?" Logan suggested, slightly worried about just how much her Uncle disliked her being a mutant.
Hank shifted uncomfortably, "She should really…"
"Relax fur ball…go rip one of your boys a new asshole, I got her…" Logan told him smirking at the indignant look the good doctor was giving him, "Besides aren't they wakin' Betsy in a bit…you might want to be there to make sure she ain't wandering off like this one…"
Hank nodded resigned and took off down the hallway gracefully sidestepping the other passengers rushing about many surprised to see him but he didn't feel the need to stop and offer an explanation.
Bridget shifted uncomfortably, she was always leery about strangers being that her past encounters with them had been less than pleasant. But she'd rather go with the stranger than be in that tiny room, that easily provoked her claustrophobia, with her Uncle Porrig.
"Here you try and walk on your own…I'll keep ya upright 'kay?" he told her.
She nodded slightly reluctant to walk ahead of him but that seemed to be what he was waiting for. She unsteadily put one foot forward and then another, when she pitched to one side his hands flew to her waist holding her up, and that was how they made their way to the Lounge Area.
Logan glanced easily around noticing the lack of chairs. He quickly set Bridget down in one of the few seats left, there was one beside her but he would stand if it wasn't there when he got back. Logan made his way through the food line only grabbing the basics nothing fancy since he didn't no what the girl ate. He figured as a gypsy she wouldn't be too picky. With a tray in each hand he was surprise to find the only person in the chair was Drake Bonneau, Hank's friend Sallah had introduced him, he'd mainly found the man to be annoying. He leaned casually back in his chair his arm draped around the back of the girl's chair. He was chatting idly to the girl but he didn't seem to notice the blank stare she gave him. Logan wasn't sure if that was disinterest or if she still hadn't quite joined him in the conversation on account of her just recently waking up. It didn't matter to Logan, he clearly had no idea that the girl he chatted up was only sixteen.
Logan reminded himself to keep his cool being that it may be a genuine mistake on the part of Drake being that he had seemed to be harmless.
"Bonneau Why don't you go and join the rest of the pilots?" Logan asked calmly.
Sallah's eyes darted from the screen where Pern floated gracefully to the empty chair that Drake had left. Her eyes slowly trailed over to where Drake had gone. She laughed softly seeing that he'd gone after a woman, her eyes narrowed slightly seeing that woman was in the company of Dr. McCoy's friend Logan. Logan, she'd noticed didn't seem particularly enamored with Drake. At the time though Logan looked even more perturbed than before. Sallah rose slowly, glancing at her friend and Co-pilot Barr, "Save my seat I'll be back."
"Oookaayy…" Barr wrinkled her face in confusion, "Is everything ok?"
"Not sure…" Sallah replied moving away.
As Sallah approached she could hear the smaller man gritting his teeth, telling Drake he really needed to leave. Drake misconstrued his warning as jealously. A smug smiled was firmly planted on his face. Sallah looked idly at the woman who seemed to be lost, she was attempting to respond to the situation at hand but was having trouble. She'd recently woke up, Sallah recognized, but something else caught her eye. Sallah suddenly realized why Logan was so upset.
Sallah lightly placed a hand on Logan's arm. She expected him to jump but he didn't even flinch, "I'll get him…" she told him quietly. He stepped back slightly letting her take over.
"Kenjo told Barr something important and she'd really like you to be over there when she tells me so she doesn't have to repeat herself Drake…" Sallah said carefully and pointedly.
"Can it wait Sallah?" Drake sighed still smirking casting a side long glance at Logan.
"No," she snapped firmly, "It can't…"
Drake allowed Sallah to pull him up, as she did Drake waved to the woman, "See you around?"
She nodded ever so slowly, her face still full of confusion. Sallah pulled Drake away. She wasn't sure, but Sallah was almost positive she'd heard a low growl coming from Logan.
Sallah leaned over and whispered to Drake, "You do realize that she was just a girl don't you?"
"huh?" Drake stopped abruptly looking at Sallah in surprise.
"She was a teenager…probably not over eighteen yet…" Sallah told him lowering herself back into her seat.
"No…" Drake looked back and squinted his eyes, "Sallah she's got to at least be twenty-two…"
Sallah could see why he'd say that, her womanly figure aside her eyes seemed to suggest knowledge, or maybe she'd seen too much at her age, she couldn't tell which on at the moment. But her face was round and childish…
"Drake I'm telling you she's probably only about fifteen or sixteen…why do you thick he was so upset?" Sallah asked him.
"Jealously?" Drake shrugged.
"I really don't think so…" Sallah shook her smiling halfway.
"Sallah I'm telling you …" Drake started squinting at the girl.
He watched her carefully as her posture seemed to relax around the small man. She slouched casually in the chair while slowly eating with one hand. Her other hand was under her head, her elbow propping it up on the table. He recognized the posture immediately, that of an indifferent teenager.
"Shit…you're right…" Drake scrubbed his face with his hands, and stood up again heading back in the direction of the odd duo.
Sallah drew in a breath, but Barr put a hand on her arm to stop her from going after him.
Drake cautiously approached the small man. Well, he actually wasn't small at all, short yes, but he was much wider than most normal guys of a taller height, and he wasn't fat by any means. Suddenly he felt like he was being watched hair prickled on the back of his neck, he realized the man was watching his reflection in the glass that covered the screens that showed Pern. Despite that Drake put a hand lightly and cautiously on his shoulder. He suddenly got the feeling that this man could be very dangerous., maybe it was the savage almost animalistic glare he wore when he stood and faced him. It was just for a second he saw it, then his face was rearranged into to something a little more human but still decidedly angry. Drake nonetheless kept a neutral look about his face, while gesturing with his head for the man to follow him. Logan grudgingly did just that, but not without looking back to make sure the girl was okay and eating.
Logan looked up at the man crossing his arms waiting for a smart ass comment, surprisingly none came.
"I'm sorry…" he sighed, "I didn't realize how young she was…if I did I wouldn't have even tried…"
When Logan only nodded, Drake held out his hand, earning him a half smile from the other man. He took his hand shaking it firmly. He had a hell of a grip that was for sure, but Drake made sure to wait until the man returned to his seat before rubbing his hand.
Logan joined the girl back at the table, she'd finished her food while he'd been gone. She looked at him oddly, he could tell some of the coherency was returning.
"Ya think we could find a pint around here?" she asked she sounded very much like a stereotypical Irish person asking for a beer so much so that Logan had to chuckle.
"What's so funny?' she demanded crossing her arms.
"Nothing Darlin'," he insisted, "I was just thinkin' the same damned thing…"