Disclaimer: Please revisit the first chapter [Status], thanks.
Chapter Two: Awakening
He arrived to find the Drs. Moira MacTaggart and Hank McCoy debating the purpose of running further tests and scans; however, noticing his presence they directed their attention towards him.
"You called for me, and here I am." He said as he walked over to sit casually in a chair near one of the desks, "what can I do for ya?"
Xavier wheeled into the room, stopping next to where Hank stood, and looked at the scruffy Canadian. "Logan, I would like you to come and see if you recognize the person in the next room." The man looked at him for a moment before rising to his feet and heading through another doorway into an adjoining room. If they wanted him to come look at someone they found, sure no problem, but he didn't see how he'd be any help if they didn't know either. The three followed directly behind him, pausing just inside the doorway while he stood near the bedrails.
The room itself was a smaller area that budded off the main section of the medi-lab, part of the mansion's subterranean levels. Against the right wall was a typical hospital bed, situated between some not-so-typical equipment, some of which extended to the surrounding area or connected to cables along the ceiling. At the moment only a few of these machines were in use, the others remaining silent, while a long figure lay connected via various wires and sensors. Noticing that the person laying there was female he thought to himself 'great, at least I can tell 'em something'. He also noticed the faint smell of pine, fresh water, and rich earth underneath the harsh disinfectant used in the medi-lab. For a few long moments, he stood silently watching her, trying to place her in his memories. She was familiar yet foreign to him.
"Do ye recognize her?" Dr. MacTaggart asked, interrupting his thoughts as she studied his features. He quickly spun around to face her standing in the doorway.
"Nope, don't know anything 'bout her." He replied abruptly. "Sorry, I'm heading up." He turned to head out the door—
"Yuir certain ye don't remember her?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously. The man was known for keeping his secrets, but she had hoped Logan would be able to identify her if she had been in the same program. Trying to keep him from leaving the medi-lab just yet, Dr. MacTaggart quickly thought of any way to capture his interest. 'Aye, 'I'll show him the x-rays.'
"Wait a moment; ye might be interested in seeing what we found on her x-rays." She called out to him. She watched as he walked out into the hallway without any sign that he had heard her. Quickly glancing down on the girl to check that her stats were stable, she rushed after him. Catching up to him, she grabbed his arm to stop him, standing in front of him she continued. "Listen to me fur just a second, the x-rays showed that her skeleton was bonded with metal in a similar fashion tae yuirs. Further scans indicate that it's nae as dense as the adamantium in ye, but―
"What?" He interrupted, almost in disbelief of what she just told him. He could be a little touchy on the subject at times.
"Hank and I were hoping ye might be willing tae help anyway." She finished, looking at him briefly before checking the handheld monitor she'd brought in her pocket. Next to her, she heard a distinct snikt and looked up to find Logan examining the claws in his right hand. Sheathing them, he turned and headed back to the medi-lab, leaving a pleasantly surprised Moira standing in the hallway. With a small smile that her plan worked, she followed him in.
‹◊›
A few levels above, Scott was sitting in the kitchen again. After his brief encounter with Logan, he had retreated to his room, remaining there for a good two or three hours before reappearing. He had isolated himself from the rest of the gang for the better part of the morning, albeit unintentionally, until they came in for lunch and Jean found him staring at the floor.
"You appear to be very interested in those flecks on the tile, going to count them?" she teased good-naturedly as she grabbed a chair and seated herself next to him.
"You know me better than that Jean." He replied, still staring at the floor.
"It doesn't take a telepath to see there's something on your mind, so are you going to share it or will I have to go in there and knock it out of you?" She rejoined with a soft but concerned smile. She knew what was going on in his head, or at least a general idea, but she felt that it would be better if he told her what it was rather than her pulling it out. In this mood, however, she wasn't too sure she would get anything.
"It's our guest that has me worried. There's something familiar about her even though we've never encountered her before. For all we know she could the kindest person in the world, but I'd still feel disturbed by her presence. Does that make any sense?" He asked her, looking up at the women he loved as she sat next to him.
"Well…" she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before beginning again, "well I suppose that it does. I mean, as you said earlier we know almost nothing about her, but the reports from the medi-lab show a resemblance in her healing factor to Wolverine's." She replied, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And so now you're worried she may share other similarities with him?" She asked gently.
"Yes, I have enough difficulties dealing with Logan at times, but now that there is the possibility that she'll be like him, or even worse she'll be like Sabretooth…" He broke off in an aggravated voice as he lowered his head.
Jean sighed, causing Scott to look at her again. She thought for a moment what the outcome would be if the unidentified patient were just like the sociopathic man. She responded with a tentative question, "She couldn't be that bad... could she?"
"I hope not," He said. The two of them just sat there for a little while, both looking at the floor, Jean's attempt to cheer Scott up had only made her moody too.
‹◊›
Down below in the medi-lab, Moira sat and thought about the current situation. Not only did the girl possess a healing factor that allowed for rapid recovery, but also her bones had some sort of metal on them that was just as indeterminable as her age. 'Probably due tae her healing factor.' She thought.
Logan stood there, looking down at her for a second time. He couldn't remember how he recognized her but he was becoming increasingly convinced that he did, and it was really starting to bug him now. Over time the combination of memory wipes, imprints, and his healing factor's attempts at mental preservation had left him with barely anything but unanswered questions. Fate's cruel idea of a joke had succeeded so far, he had no idea who was before he was entered into the Weapon X program. All he could do now was try to make sense of broken memories, and find the memory of her he knew he must've had.
She began to move, slightly, her eyes moving around under her eyelids as if she were dreaming. In her mind, she felt trapped within a dense fog of confusion that began to flash into a series of the latest events. As she came closer towards consciousness, her brain immediately recognized the familiar sensation of pain. Her body ached, but there was another feeling her body was far less familiar with but more terrified of, starched sheets, coupled with the stench of disinfectants. She was aware of a presence nearby, but was unable to identify neither origin nor intention. Whether or not it was threatening she couldn't to tell, but she reacted anyway.
Logan had been turning around to leave the medi-lab, since after all he wasn't too fond of it, and was about to exit the door when he heard a familiar shink from behind. Pausing, he looked over his shoulder before slowly turning completely to looking into an angry pair of orange eyes. What really captured his interest were her hands, balled into fists with four, short, copper-coated claws. He looked at her with a perplexed expression, "copper?" He said aloud, and then he whispered "Coppernite?"
Hmm… yes, it would appear that I not only added a nonexistent character but I kept the previous cheesiness of the name as well… eh, whatever. If people could review and let me know how the 'revised editions' are faring [especially if you can compare them to the unrevised originals] that would be awesome. Ta!
