Chapter 11- Frozen

When Thor and Logan touched down near where the pilot had said their target area was, there was literally nothing to see. Vast rolling hills covered in white, treetops poking out here and there in the arctic blast, snow blowing, catching on any small bump in the terrain, but worst of all, Logan couldn't smell anything but snow. The two of them began to search, the snow thigh deep on Logan as they trekked across the uneven terrain.

"This is not my favorite terrain," Thor shouted as they turned into the wind to start their search.

"It's not bad if you're prepared for it," Logan argued mildly, though he was already frowning to himself. It had been hours, and God only knew what Daken had done.

When the X-Men had interrogated the pilot, he could only narrow it down to a twenty mile square area, and that simply wasn't good enough. As Logan turned in place, he bit back a growl that would have helped no one. He couldn't even find his own tracks in the squall, let alone those of his wife. The gravity of the situation seemed to increase exponentially as the facts were laid out in front of him. Looking at the wide terrain ahead, he turned to Thor. "Can you find this spot again?" he shouted to the tall blonde just to make sure he was heard over the screaming winds. Thor nodded, though one eye was closed as he tried to block the wind to see Logan more clearly. "Get Storm. If K's out here she could freeze to death before this blow lets up."

"And what of you, my friend?" Thor asked, not exactly wanting to leave him alone in such a mess.

"I'll be alright. I've got to start lookin' for her," Logan said as he leaned into the wind, and began the trek into the wilderness to start his search.

"What the hell were you thinking, taking him out there? He'll freeze to death too!" Steve shouted at Thor once he'd returned to the others.

"I have faith that nothing will stop Logan from finding his wife," Thor replied, which was a fine sentiment, but not one entirely held up by the rest of the group as they read the weather conditions. Logan was used to cold weather, and they were reasonably sure K was too, but this … this was a bit colder than the weather that even they would willingly traverse into. A Siberian blizzard fueled by arctic winds when they were only armed with simple jackets … that was pressing their luck.

The team packed up quickly and headed out and as they did, Storm was sure to part the clouds and give them a clear, quiet space not only to fly into the winds, but to look for her once they hit the ground. When they found him, Logan simply picked up pace as the wind cleared the way for him, searching for a sign in the snow.

The group at large had been working for nearly an hour when Jean shared a grim, worried look with her husband. She could find no sign of K in the barren landscape, and even though the ferals were hard to track or to reach out to, she could usually get a glimpse if she was close enough and trying hard. And Jean really was trying hard, yet … there was no indication of K's mental signature. Stark was having trouble with his sensors too. For some reason or another, there was some kind of interference that was keeping his scanners from functioning properly and reaching far enough out to do any good. Kurt had wandered nearly to the edge of Storm's still spot, searching hard and looking out through the wall of snow Storm was holding back. He wasn't expecting to find anything and even without all the wind. Tony made a point to join him, the two of them looking grim and serious as they looked around them. Considering all of their gear, and Kurt's fur, the two of them were the warmest, though Kurt was shivering and Tony's suit was working overtime to keep him warm.

Kurt let out a nearly inaudible sigh before he teleported to the other side of the bubble Storm was holding back the snow and wind with and Tony couldn't help but begin to come to the same conclusion. Tony was just turning where he stood so he could see where the others were looking when he nearly tripped on something in a larger pile of snow. He frowned and used the toe of his boot to try and kick some of the snow away, but when it only revealed what looked like fabric… "Scan that," Tony said to his onboard AI, frowning as the faceplate snapped down.

Scott had turned just as Tony's armor got to work, frowning to himself as he watched Tony scan that one pile of snow. He took a few steps toward him as Jean's eyebrows went up. He found something, she said, then floated toward where Tony was starting to pull out a very frozen jacket.

He held it in his hands for a moment, openly shocked at what it was. This … did not look good. Even as Tony brushed off the snow and ice frozen into the folds of the jacket, it was painfully clear they were on the right track when he spotted the X-Men insignia shining up from the stiff mass.

"Logan …." Tony called out, almost holding the jacket at arm's length. "Got something."

Logan's head whipped up, and it was obvious even from where Tony stood that Logan was holding his breath on seeing the jacket. He made his way over quickly and snatched it from Tony before he did his best to try and get a scent.

"She can't be too damn far," Logan nearly whispered as he looked up to meet Stark's gaze. "This shouldn't be this frozen, unless …" he let the sentiment fall as he scrunched up his brow considering the possibilities then began circling out from that point, unable to find any sign of tracks indicating which way she may have gone. "Storm! Center yourself right here," Logan called out.

Ororo barely did more than look to where Logan stood before she rushed to him, the center of the stillness following her closely enough that the rest of them made sure to stay near her until they saw what was happening. Stark began to scan what he thought the most likely direction – looking for vital signs only to frown when Logan corrected him on what to look for.

"Don't look for vital signs. Look for the metal," Logan said, his jaw set.

Which wasn't what Jean or Scott wanted to hear - that Logan was already trying to prepare himself for the worst possible outcome. For a moment, the two of them watched him work, coldly watching the wind patterns as they swirled around the little bubble the group was in before he tipped his head and chose a direction from where the jacket had been found. Scott, Jean projected out, even her mental voice sounded entirely distraught.

There's still hope, Scott replied. She's tough. Just as tough as he is.

I know. But …

No buts. We'll find her.

It was clear that Logan wasn't of the same mindset though. He was looking incredibly grim, no emotion visible as he tried to track.

As Logan worked, Storm had kept back the wall of snow and wind. When no path was openly clear, Logan put his back to where the wind blew and began to walk from where the jacket had been found.

The others quickly caught on and did the same - fanning out and covering ground alongside him - no telling if K had walked in a straight line or not, after all.

A few hundred yards from the jacket and veering slightly to the east, Kurt was the one to find K frozen to the ground, partially buried in a snow drift and half naked, curled up on herself, ice embedded in her eyelashes and hair, and her overall hue was nearly white. Kurt called out for Logan and started digging to clear the snow, swearing to himself in every language he knew.

Logan led the charge to where Kurt and K were, quick to fall next to Kurt and dive right in trying to get her up out of the snow and ice. As the two of them got her uncovered from the snow, it was clear exactly how dire things were. K's eyes were closed and her arms were crossed over her chest, her hands under her arms. She was curled up on her side, the wound clearly visible and crystalline where the edges of the flesh had frozen. Her ankles were crossed and her knees were as close to her chest as her breasts would allow.

Kurt was praying rapidly - all the way up until Scott snapped him out of it with an order to go grab blankets out of the quinjet. Logan's hands were shaking as he brushed what little snow was left still from her waxy skin. It was pretty clear he was on the edge of a panic attack, whispering out 'no' over and over.

As Logan began to come undone, Kurt reappeared with the blankets and Scott prompted them on what exactly needed to be done. "Check for a pulse," Scott said, earning a frown from Kurt as he was trying to simply wrap her up.

Several things happened at once. Tony raised an arm, already starting a scan, not willing to wait as Hank pushed past the shell shocked group to crouch low, resting his ear on the icy cold skin of K's back, his eyes closed as he tried to concentrate and Scott quickly pulled Logan back to give Hank some room.

"I can't get the damn thing to work," Tony was saying, clearly frustrated, but as he started to get wound up, Hank had enough.

"HUSH," Hank snarled, before he closed his eyes again and held his breath. The group as a whole simply stared at each other as the seconds ticked on. Logan was almost beyond reach, as he stared at the frozen scene in front of him, unable to ignore the missing boot, her foot blue and bare against the snow, the fact that her hair was frozen to her body. And as he started to get more twisted up, Scott only squeezed his shoulder tighter.

"Get a stretcher. Now," Hank said quietly, as he made up his mind.

"Hank - "

"She's not dead until she's warm and dead. There's still a heartbeat," Hank said as he removed his thick coat, and began to wrap it around her. Hank couldn't help but glance up at Logan with light dancing in his gaze "I'll do all I can. You know I will."

Logan nodded and moved forward, almost shrugging Scott's hand off his shoulder as he started helping Hank more. "Don't die on me, sweetheart," Logan whispered low as they arranged her amid the blanket and coat so that Kurt could move her.

"Be sure not to try and move her limbs," Hank warned. Which only made it more eerie when she was rolled onto her back and her arms and legs stayed frozen into position as they were moments before.

With a shared look, Kurt teleported first K and Hank - and then Logan into the quinjet. Once she was on board, the team made their way back quickly as Hank cut away the remainder of her clothes, being very careful to not rip off skin that was frozen to the fabric. When she was prepped at least that far, and they were airborne, Hank called for Tony to scan the wound.

"Without proper medical equipment, I can't begin to assess that wound, but you can. There must be something inside it or she would have healed before she froze," Hank told him low as Tony agreed speaking only to direct his AI on what to do.

The computerized voice broke the silence. "There is an eight inch long carbonadium blade, surrounded by substantial damage that has affected kidney, liver, diaphragm, and appears to have nicked her heart as well."

Hank looked grim at the news, but nodded all the same. "I was hoping it wasn't that bad," he said quietly as he began to look for anything that may help her on board. "What's the nearest secure medical facility?"

Tony didn't hesitate before prompting the computer system to answer. "There is a helicarrier halfway over the pacific. It happens to be the one that Fury is aboard," Tony said as he looked to Logan, who simply couldn't think clearly enough to make any kind of decision, though he really didn't have to with his team around him.

"What are you waiting for?" Kurt asked. "Take her there. Now."

As Tony changed course, Hank turned back to Logan. "We don't have the things we need to warm her here. But, she needs to be warmed up immediately. Are you up for it?"

"Is that really the only option right now?" Scott asked, even as Logan simply pulled his uniform top off and made his way over to curl around her as much as he could.

"If I had a better option, I'd employ it," Hank insisted, covering both of them with blankets. "Be careful of the wound, Logan. I can't do a thing about the blade until she's thawed enough to get it out. We'll know we can move forward when the blood starts to flow."

Logan had positioned himself behind her, spooning her tightly. It didn't take time before he shivered involuntarily as the cold radiated from her. By the time the group reached the helicarrier, Logan was shivering violently, clutching to her, praying that what little he had left in the realm of body heat would do anything for her. The medical team was waiting for them with a gurney and supplies, though they nearly had to pull Logan away, his hands clenched into fists as he shook, his teeth chattering despite his best efforts to have a little composure.

Fury himself draped a blanket over his shoulders as the medical team placed monitors on K. "You know if she can be revived, we'll do it," Fury said as evenly as he could.

Logan's jaw was already locked tight as he nodded, ignoring Fury largely as he stuck to her side. "No of-fense, Nick. B-but did you ever clean h-house?" Logan stuttered as they walked to the medical bay.

"As a matter of fact, old man, I did. This particular boat is full of nothing but hand picked agents and operatives."

"Medical?"

"All are clear. Used Stark and your friend, Braddock to check them all out. I can't say the same for the other outfits, but this one is clean," Fury assured him.

All motion in the medical bay ceased as the readings came up. The doctors stared for a moment, stunned at the results.

"What's the problem, doctors – you never see a frozen person before?" Fury barked, which of course got them moving a bit quicker.

"Yes, we have sir...but … not quite like this. At least Captain Rogers wasn't injured - and he had the protection of the ice," The blonde doc replied as she worked feverishly to clean K's wound, scanning to see the depth of her injuries.

"Then I guess you need to be better than you were with him. Do your best work," Fury directed. "Logan, why don't you come with me. You need to warm up."

But Logan shook his head. "No. I have to be here, with her. If she dies, I don't want her alone."

"That is the wrong attitude, soldier. From what I understand, she's every bit as tough as you, and in my experience dealin' with you? You'd be smart to warm up and be ready to take care of her."

"Thought you two didn't like each other," Logan said as he pulled on a sweatshirt that was clearly a size or two too big.

Fury chuckled at that. "She doesn't like me. That doesn't mean I don't like her."

"I need to be with her. I should have seen this comin'. I screwed up," Logan said as he tried to take responsibility for all of it.

"Well damn, Logan. I didn't know you were psychic too. You knew that Daken was going to chuck her into a snowstorm and you didn't warn her?" Fury said, looking incredulous.

"No -"

"And you knew he was going to kidnap your kids and you didn't tell anyone?"

"Damnit, you know that's not what I flamin' well mean -"

"No, you mean to blame yourself. Knock it off. I have a feelin' she'd slap the hell outta you if she heard you trying to take responsibility for Daken's twisted plots and orchestrations."

"But-"

"Don't even start on how he's your responsibility. He was stolen, twisted and turned into a sociopath without your knowledge or consent. Had you been there, I got a feelin' you'd have kicked the boy's ass when he needed it," Fury said firmly. "Now I'm tired of you beatin' yourself up over things you had no control over." Just then, an alarm went off on one of the devices on K, and a doctor hastily rushed to turn it off as the non-medical people in the room stared at them.

"Sorry, director. It was just telling us her temp is still dropping. The alarm is off now," the shaky nurse said as Logan leveled his glare at her.

"You're warming her up – why the hell is she getting colder?" Logan demanded, though Fury stepped forward and rested his hand on Logan's chest.

"It seems backwards, but it's all part of the rewarming process. It's complicated, but normal," the nurse replied.

"Let them do their job. You scarin' the hell out of them isn't going to heat her up any faster," Fury said, trying to direct Logan elsewhere.

The frightened nurse watched him for a moment as he continued to shiver. She bit her lip, and stepped away from K to pull out some monitors and cautiously made her way over to Logan. "I think I need to get your vitals, too," she said, though there was an audible shake to her voice.

"Like hell. Take care of my wife," Logan snarled.

"No, sir, you don't understand. We're going to have to clear the room, you'll have to leave – unless, that is, you're a patient," she finished, as she held up the leads and looked nervously between Logan and Fury.

It was clear that Logan thought it over for a moment before he finally nodded once.

"Nice job, Lieutenant. Found a way around protocol. Though truth be told, I wasn't going to kick him out, but this is probably better anyhow," Fury said, turning to Logan. "Let me show you to your bed, old man."

Logan let out a little soundless laugh to himself as he watched Fury pull a gurney up very near to K, so he could stay close without being in the way.

"I'm sorry, but it will be a while before we know if she'd had any progress," that same nurse said as she put the leads on Logan's chest.

He leaned back as he watched them arrange heated warming blankets around K's still curled up form. Several nurses were working to get heated saline IV's and set up the very aggressive looking bypass machine meant to heat her blood up slowly while her pulse showed almost non-existent on the monitors. Already a team was working to pull themselves together to remove the blade in K's side. No one knew if she'd make it, even with her healing factor in fine working order, this nonsense with the carbonadium was not something anyone with any sense was optimistic about.