Chapter 3: Father and Daughter…

"QUICK! We got to get him to the infirmary!" yelled Hank as he, Ororo and Kitty all ran inside the Xavier Institute after they flew the Blackbird back to the Institute to attend to Logan, who was still lying very still. Once the X-Men got into the infirmary, they laid Logan on the table and Hank immediately started to examine him.

"What is happening to Logan, Hank?" asked Ororo.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Kitty.

Hank was silent for a few minutes, still testing for signs of pulses in Logan's body. When it looked like he was finished checking over Logan's body, Hank said, "Judging by his current state, Logan seems to have fallen into a sort of coma. It seems that Mr. Sinister was right; the green orb he threw at Logan has indeed taken away not only his mutant abilities, but it is slowly taking away his life."

"So that means that Logan can't use his healing abilities to fight off this thing," said Kitty quietly.

"Exactly," said Hank.

"Is there a way that we can find a cure for this?" asked Ororo.

"A cure? Hmmm…let me check the computers for any kind of data," said Hank.

Hank immediately went to the big computer screen and started to type down some information regarding the green orbs that Mr. Sinister had used on Logan and said, "Aha! I have found something about how we might be able to cure Logan! Mr. Sinister said that he used genetic ooze that can take away a mutant's abilities from them while rendering them into a coma state. According to the data I have gathered on the computer, that genetic ooze is known as "Azura Ooze" which is a type of ooze that is found in alien technology, just like the Sh'iar technology in the Danger Room. Whenever intergalactic wars get started up, the alien soldiers would use this ooze to render their opponents helpless by sucking out their powers. But, after the alien soldiers saw the side effects of this ooze, which resulted in not only their opponents losing their lives to the ooze but also other aliens losing their lives once their powers are drained from them, they saw that the ooze was a massive threat towards anyone in contact with it and it could have destroyed their own kind in battle if the ooze fell in the wrong hands. So, they decided to contain this ooze in a prison box made out of titanium and throw the ooze out into the nether regions of space. Not a very bright idea, the way I look at it," muttered Hank, then continued: "However, that was over a hundred years ago and the "Azura Ooze" hasn't been seen ever since, until apparently now."

"So, this ooze has been around for a hundred years and it just pops out of nowhere all of a sudden?" asked Kitty.

"Afraid so," said Hank. "Apparently, this ooze not only affects the alien race, but it also affects any super human being and mutant for that matter, who comes into contact with it. This is truly a terrible power indeed. However, after the alien soldiers found out about the ooze's abilities to suck out anyone's powers away and kill them, their doctors soon came up with a way to counter the ooze's effects on the aliens before it kills them. The alien doctors started to do some researching on Earth and they found a flower that could wear off the effects of the ooze off the opponents and that flower is known as the "Luna Flower," a flower whose nectar cures any kind of life threatening disease known to man and alien alike."

"That's it! So all we have to do is find this flower and Logan is cured, right?" said Kitty hopefully.

"Well, yes and no. Yes, the flower can help cure Logan and no, it's not going to be easy to get because the flower is located on the highest mountains in Mount Everest," said Hank.

"Mount Everest, who would have thought," Kitty muttered.

"Then we must set off immediately, for Logan's sake," declared Ororo.

"I'll stay with Logan to see if his condition improves. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep the effects of the ooze from over taking Logan as much as I can," said Hank.

Ororo and Kitty then quickly left the infirmary to get ready for the trip for Mount Everest, while Hank looked over Logan and said, "Hope you get well soon Logan."

One hour later…

Kitty was in her room, packing up some souvenirs to take on the trip to Mount Everest to get the Luna Flower to cure Logan, but her thoughts were troubled. When Kitty saw Logan lying down so lifeless during their fight with Mr. Sinister, memories of what happened to Piotr during the Legacy virus outbreak flooded through her like a wave of emotion. The two situations were a bit different (Piotr killed himself to save the lives of many mutants while Logan was affected by a life sucking ooze) but it all came down to the same unyielding pain that Kitty felt from both situations-that she was losing the people she cared about to death. And now, the same is starting to happen to Logan as his life is slowly being taken away from him before her very eyes. Even if she and Ororo were able to regain the flower from Mount Everest, what happens if she and Ororo don't make it in time to save Logan? What if…

"Kitty? Are you preparing for the trip?"

Ororo slowly came into Kitty's bedroom and started walking towards Kitty.

"Oh, hi Ororo. I'm just thinking about Logan and all that's happened lately. It's just so much to handle all at once," said Kitty sadly.

"Tell me about it, Kitten," said Ororo softly.

Kitty took a deep breath and said, "It's funny that everywhere I look, people I care about are either about to die or are already dead and it's been bugging me ever since Piotr died when the Legacy Virus broke out. And now, Logan is close to dying and I'm sorry to say that I'm worry about all this. I mean, Logan's been like a dad to me and I don't want anything to happen to him. But, what happens if we don't make it to help Logan and how many more people will have to die every time a bad guy comes on our doorsteps, threatening to kill us all the time?"

Ororo looked at Kitty thoughtfully and then said, "Kitty, you remembered earlier today when I was about to tell you about how there are some things that are uncomfortable to talk about?"

Kitty nodded her head quietly.

Ororo went on, "Well, this is definitely one of those things that is difficult to talk about, especially when you do not know the outcome of all this. You and I have both known Logan for a long time and I also feel your pain about whether or not he will make it out of this."

Ororo paused for a moment, looking for the right words to say and then started, "When I first met Logan, I did not like him for he was so rude, arrogant and prone to extreme violence and he is still that way to this very day."

"Yep, that's our Logan," laughed Kitty.

Ororo laughed too and continued, "However, the more I spend time with Logan, the more I started to realize his soft side. Yes, Logan can be a bit rough, but he truly does care about his friends and would do anything to protect them. Logan has also been in some really dangerous situations where we all thought that he was going to die, but he would always pull through in the end. So you see Kitten, even though Logan is in a terrible state right now, I believe that his will to stay alive will keep him from falling into the clutches of death and as his friends, we must do everything we can to make sure that he will live to see another day."

Kitty was quiet for a moment and then she said, "You know, you're right Ororo! I just got to keep hoping and praying that Logan will come out of this alive and I'm not going to give up trying to help him through this!"

"My thoughts exactly, Kitten. Hope is a very valuable thing to hold on to. Do not ever lose sight of that Kitty," said Ororo wisely.

Kitty smiled, hugged Ororo and said, "Thanks Ororo! You always know what to say when I'm down!"

"So, are you prepared for our journey?" asked Ororo.

"Ready and willing!" said Kitty brightly.