Ultimate Genesis X-Men Chapter Seven: From The Heart Of Fire

Written By Mick Edwards

RECAP: Professor Charles Xavier, General Nicholas Fury, and Special Agent Logan of SHIELD heralded the drafting of several of Xavier's students into a project called X-MEN. Its mission is to protect the American front from global terrorist factions including mutant supremacist based terrorism. In their first mission, they stopped a ship full of terrorists from depositing their contents, but what was inside is unknown. Rogue had touched the Captain, and gained a glimpse of the man who was behind the whole scheme...the Red Skull. A rescue attempt led to the recovery of Agent Logan, but his mind was found to be lost due to the Red Skull's psychic powers. Upon reconnecting with his body, Logan helped Anna, Tessa, Kurt and the others defeat Crossbones and his goons. Currently, they charge the Red Skulls cloaked castle, hoping to learn answers about who the Red Skull really is while not knowing about Logan's past...

After narrowly defeating the seemingly unstoppable Destroyer robot, the X-Men were caught in a explosion, there fate unknown.

-X-

Professor Xavier shed tears, he could no longer sense his X-Men. He got out of the high chair that allowed him to use the Cerebro unit. Shaking, he nearly collapsed to the floor, sorrow on his face. A black military boot set down right next to him, Professor Xavier looked up seeing General Fury, smoking his trade mark cigar. He pulled the cigar out of his mouth, bent down beside Professor Xavier to talk.

"We need to talk, it's about Logan."

-X-

Logan put his hands onto the soft ground, he pushed himself up, hacking blood from his mouth. He could feel his healing factor mending his damaged organs and regrowing the tissue around his adamantium skeleton. It was so painful, he could barely keep conscious. Several hours seemed to pass by, he woke up again laying in his own blood. He sat up, his body fully healed. Using his superhuman senses, he searched for the others. His nose picked out a scent, it was Anna. Logan climbed to his feet, a bit wobbly, then steadied himself. He broke into a run using the scent to track her down. Snow was all around him, the scenery seemed familiar.

Logan stopped when he realized he was in Canada, his home. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of a feminine groan. He ran down a hill and found Anna on her face, she slowly stirred.

"You okay," he said with his gruff voice.

"Yeah," she said leaning up. "I don't think anythin' is broken."

Logan looked around after he made sure Anna was okay. "Do you know where the others are?"

"No." Anna grabbed her head. "It's all a blur."

Logan helped Anna to her feet, once she was steady, he let her stand on her on.

"I think we are in Canada."

"Bu-but how did we get here?"

Logan lowered his head: "I don't know."

-X-

Kurt lay on his back, he rose up with a head ache. The last thing he remembered was Sage screaming some kind of warning, her hands touched his face when she fell forward due to the explosions going off. Then...then he felt a surge of energy he had never known, he felt his power explode outwards, out of his control. He could see that they were no longer in Germany. It was only him, and Tessa that stood five feet from him. Her eyes darting back and forth taking in all that she could process.

"Where are we?" asked Kurt.

"Russia," said Tessa. "Moscow to be exact."

Kurt saw no buildings, no people. At first, he thought that Tessa had gone insane. The Russian sign near where they had been deposited proved otherwise.

"What does it say?" asked Kurt.

"Moscow, thirty kilometers."

"How did we get here?"

Tessa turned to Kurt, her hands on her hips. "I boosted your powers temporarily, it seems however that I gave them too much of a boost."

"Where are the others?" asked Kurt.

"That, I do not know."

-X-

Scott, Jean, and Robert walked the desert, unsure of how they got there. Robert complained constantly about how hot it was. Jean continued to try and make psychic contact with the other X-Men and Xavier. She was having no luck.

"Anything?" asked Scott.

"No, I can't reach anyone, in fact I can't locate their presence or ours."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Bobby – it feels like some kind of psychic static."

Scott wiped the sweat from his brow, it would be a long, potentially fatal journey.

-X-

The mysterious figure watched the X-Men dazzled and confused by their situation. The figure wore a black and blue uniform with a high neck black color, matching black gloves and boots. On his chest were four triangles going up, left and right, and down. The mysterious figure sat on a chair, his hand elasticized and pressed a switch. Lights came on in another room, through a one way mirror he could see the twin brothers Bedlam attached to his machine amplifying their powers.

A heavy muscled, hard skinned figure came up behind the mysterious figure. His uniform much the same except for the lack of sleeves and black gloves. His movements sounded like a mountain being shook by an earthquake. The four triangles on his chest were going toward each other.

"Ya think they realize what's up?"

The mysterious figure drew back his elasticized hand. "No, not with the Bedlams blocking telepathic contact."

A slender female figure stood in the darkness behind the other two, her hands on her hips. "When do we get to have some fun?"

Her uniform matched the mysterious figure, the four triangles were all pointed up.

"Nah, let them soften up first, reach a panic." The final member of the four stood beside the female. His costume the same as the mysterious figure and the slender woman. The four triangles on his uniform all faced to the right.

"When we are ready, the X-Men will meet the Fear Foundation."

-X-

Logan and Anna walked in the cold, she shivered since she didn't have a healing factor like his which gave him adaptive environmental insulation. She at first thought that he had forget, but he motioned her to stop. Using his adamantium claws, he cut down a tree that only stood four feet high. He sliced it up to make fire wood. He chopped several trees of similar size, and using his claws against a rock he started a fire. Logan took hold of Anna, and placed her close to it once it was large enough.

She started to say something, but he left. She didn't know why until he came back a half an hour later with more wood and some fresh kills.

"W-we're going to eat that?" Anna asked.

"Only thing out here to eat," said Logan. He started to construct a temporary shelter until they could find a better means of shelter.

"Ugh..."

"Don't worry, I'm a good cook, lots of years of practice."

"Logan?"

He looked at her while constructing the shelter to help keep the cold wind off of her.

"How old are you exactly?"

"I was born in the late thirteenth century," Logan said after some silence. When I turned twenty-five, I seemed to stop showing much age."

"You look no older than mid to late thirties."

Logan smiled, "Thanks for that."

Silence passed between them for a long while until the shelter was complete, tied together by strips of nylon from Logan's uniform and animal hide on top of it to keep Anna warm. Logan was left with his torn pants and boots. He cooked the food, offered a bite to Anna, she was reluctant.

"I-I don't know..."

"You need to keep your strength up, darlin'."

She took a bite, it was not what she was used to, but given how hungry she was. Anna took all she could hold in her stomach. Logan ate as well. He killed plenty of animals to keep them fed. Among the hides, he seemed to have a bear hide. He fashioned it into a cloak using the remaining nylon strings from his uniform. Logan gave it to Anna, though she wanted to refuse, he insisted by giving her his usual grimace.

"Thanks, Logan."

Logan didn't reply, his eyes were closed, his middle and ring fingers pressed against his thumbs, his legs crossed while he meditated.

-X-

Kurt and Tessa fared better, she managed to get them a ride convincing the driver they were from a costume, fetish party, and their car broke down some miles back. He drove them into the city, using her analytical mind, she found them lodgings in a quaint hotel. Room service, a fresh shower, and some clothes, Tessa and Kurt lay on their beds. With nothing to do except rest until they could contact Professor Xavier and work a way to get home.

-X-

Scott, Jean, and Robert fared worse. They walked for some time in the heat, they could walk no further. Using his powers over moisture, Robert manipulated the sweat from their bodies to create a drizzle to cool them off. Scott opened his mouth, taking in the water, a smile formed on Robert's face.

"You do know that is our sweat, right?"

Scott didn't respond, he drank what he could get out of the drizzle. Jean had shielded them from too much sun exposure, but she started to weaken. She knew she could not go for much longer without real water, or food.

A sand runner came over two dunes in front of them. It was a highly adapted jeep capable of traveling deserts. On board was a blonde haired, blue eyed man. He got out of his sand runner, and brought them some canteens of water.

"What are you three doing out here?" he asked.

"Plane crashed a ways back," Scott lied with a straight face.

"That's a shame," said the blonde. "My name is Jonathan Storm, you can all call me Johnny."

Jean drank her canteen dry, so did Robert. Scott rationed his, unsure of what could happen next. He felt something was wrong about this Jonathan Storm person.

"Is there any shelter nearby?" asked Jean.

"Yeah," said Johnny. "Get aboard my sand runner, I have some food you guys can eat on the way."

Robert had already ran and climbed aboard the sand runner. Jean walked slowly with Johnny watching her hips sway. Scott stood up, he screwed the top back on his canteen.

"What's your game," said Scott quietly.

Johnny turned to him, a devious smile on his face. "Whatever do you mean?"

-X-

Tessa and Kurt awoke to a blonde haired, blue-eyed woman greeting them, she was all smiles. Kurt was strongly attracted to her.

"My name is Susan Storm," she said. "I was sent by associates of yours to pick you up."

Tessa narrowed her eyes, "What's the safe word?"

Susan rolled her eyes, and said with a grin. "Muhammad Ali."

Tessa relaxed, some what. She and Kurt followed her to the transport waiting. When they got inside, something hit them both hard from behind and they dropped on the floor of the transport unconscious.

-X-

Logan's eyes popped open, a familiar scent in the air. He growled at Anna.

"Get out of her, NOW!"

"Whu-why?"

Coming storming through the trees was an orange bricked, heavily muscled thing. Logan stood ready to halt its oncoming charge. Anna watched with pure fear.

End of Chapter Seven

Next Chapter 8 "The Fear Foundation"