X-Men Story My Version

Chapter Eleven: Comfort

Both the Jean's car and Scott's motorcycle with Rion driving it arrived back at the mansion. Logan had fallen asleep in the car. He was leaning on her shoulder. She didn't mind it much. She was gently caressed his cheek. His scent felt so masculine to her. She loved it. She found herself thinking about Logan being a potential mate. He's certainly handsome and alluring enough for her. She always fancied herself as a lady of high standards. She didn't want a man who didn't want her. She had experienced this with her ex and ended it when he hadn't shown her that he loved her. It hurt her deeply to know that the man she had given her heart to hadn't done the same. She decided that if she was going to give her heart to another man that he had better be worth it. Though she was attracted to Logan, she didn't know if he was worth giving her heart to him. She was finding herself falling for him. It had been a while since she's been with another man but she didn't just want the physical relationship. She wanted him to love her and only have eyes for her. The question was did Logan have eyes for her? If she only knew.

Rion parked Scott's motorcycle in its normal space. Jean helped Scott out of the car. Alex came to help him. Emma showed up to the garage as well. She was well aware of what took place as she was listening and seeing the scene with Magneto play out in the professor's head. She decided to help Ororo get Logan back to his room. Logan had woken up but was a bit dizzy. Jean and Alex took Scott to their lab to relax.

Logan is washing his face. The professor had come to his room. Emma and Ororo are there to watch him make sure he's ok. Logan washes up, Xavier and Storm behind him.

"You said he was after me." Logan said angrily. Ororo could tell he was angry. He was also concerned about Rogue.

"I made a terrible mistake. His helmet was somehow designed to block my telepathy. I couldn't see what he was after until it was too late." Professor Xavier said to him. Logan makes for the door. Logan grabs his jacket. Ororo sees this.

"Where are you going?" Ororo asks him.

"I'm gonna find her." Logan said to her.

"How?" Emma asked following them. Professor Xavier was right behind them.

"The traditional way: look!" Logan said. He walks out. Storm walks after him.

"Logan, you can't do this on your own." Ororo called to him.

"Who's gonna help me? You? You've all done a bang-up job so far." Logan said frustrated. Ororo frowned at that. She knew he wasn't angry with them…just frustrated with himself and worried for Rogue.

"Then help us. Fight with us." Ororo asked him.

"Fight with you? Join the team? Be an X-Man? Who do you think you are?" Logan asked. Ororo looked away a moment and Logan knew in that instantly that he had angered her. "You're a mutant. The world's full of people who hate and fear you and you're wasting your time trying to protect them? I've got better things to do." He continued. Ororo knew he was right. She also knew that if they didn't stop Magneto then the human race didn't stand a chance. "You know, Magneto's right. A war is coming. You sure you're on the right side?"

"At least I've chosen a side." Ororo told him. Logan nods.

"I have to find her. It's my fault. This happened because of me." Logan told her. Ororo felt for him because he's still blaming himself. Ororo reached out and took his hand. Logan let her take his hand.

"Logan, you have to stop blaming yourself. Rogue doesn't blame you. We don't blame you. Fight by our side. We need you." Ororo said softly to him. Logan smiled at her then kisses her hand.

"I have to do this alone. I don't want you to get hurt." Logan said to her. Ororo smiled at that the sentiment. She's more than capable of handling herself. Logan lets her hand go and turns to through a door other than the one he was originally headed for. On the other side of it is Senator Kelly, looking pretty bad.

"I'm looking for Dr. Jean Grey." Senator Kelly said. Kelly collapses into Logan's arms.

Logan and Ororo had brought Senator Kelly to the lab. Senator Kelly finds himself surrounded by several of the X-Men. Rion, Scott, Alex, and Emma stand in the back ground while Jean stands over him. Ororo and Logan stand to the side of the lab table in which the Senator occupies. Charles Xavier comes closer.

"Senator Kelly? I'm Professor Charles Xavier." Professor Xavier introduced himself.

"I was afraid if I went to... hospital... they'd..." Senator Kelly said to him.

"Treat you like a mutant? We're not what you think. Not all of us." Professor Xavier said.

"Tell that to the ones who did this to me." Senator Kelly said bitterly.

Xavier moves into position behind Kelly's head.

"Senator, I want you to relax. I'm not going to hurt you." Professor Xavier said to him. Professor Xavier puts his hands on Kelly's head... and begins to read his mind.

Images of Kelly's mutation... and finally of the process that caused it. He can see Magneto, after the process, thoroughly drained. Mystique pries him from the machine and helps carry him away.

"Welcome to the Future...brother." Magneto said to him. Professor Xavier could see everything that happened to senator.

The group gathered in the living room with the exception of Ororo. All X-Men and Logan present including Rion, Emma, and Alex. Alex and Emma are sitting next to Jean and Scott on the couch. Logan is pacing. Rion is standing with his arms across his chest. "The machine appears to cause mutation in humans." Xavier explains.

"But the mutation is unnatural. Kelly's body is rejecting it. His cells began to break down almost immediately." Jean continues.

"What effect does it have on mutants?" Scott asked.

"There appears to be none. But I fear it will do serious harm to any normal person." Professor Xavier said.

"What does he want with Rogue?" Logan asked.

"It doesn't make sense." Alex asked. "Why would he need her?"

"I don't know." Professor Xavier said.

Logan paces restlessly.

"Wait. You said this machine draws its power from Magneto, and that it weakened him." Scott said thinking out loud.

"Yes... in fact, it nearly killed him..." Professor Xavier said. Rion looked up reading Scott's mind. He also read Logan's mind as well.

"He's gonna transfer his power to Rogue... and use her to power the machine." Logan said aloud.

"We gotta find her." Rion said.

On the statue of Liberty Island, A guard waves from the shore to a boat passing through.

The guard is then promptly stabbed from behind by Sabretooth. He dies immediately. The helmsman of the boat turns into Mystique. An identical-looking helmsman lies dead on the floor. On the shore, Toad jumps onto a guard's back, knocking him cold. Then he jumps another. From the boat Mystique is piloting, Magneto looks at Liberty. Rogue is with him, handcuffed. She really didn't know if she would be killed but was scared none the less.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Magneto asked.

"I've seen it." Rogue said.

"I first saw her in 1949. America was going to be the land of tolerance. Of peace." Magneto told her. Rogue looks at the dead helmsman.

"Are you going to kill me?" Rogue asked.

"Yes." Magneto responds.

"Why?" Rogue asked.

"Because there is no land of tolerance. There is no peace, not here, nor anywhere else. People around the world, women, children, die simply because they're born different from those in power. Well, after tonight, those in power will be just like us. They will return home as brothers." Magneto told her. "As mutants. Your sacrifice will mean our survival. I'll understand if that comes as little consolation."

Enter Sabretooth.

"Put her in the machine." Magneto informed him.

Ororo is in the lab. She didn't like that the senator was there but he was one of them now and couldn't turn him away. Besides, she wanted to show the senator that they weren't to be feared and that all mutants want is to be accepted, looked upon as an equal. Kelly calls into the darkness.

"Is anybody there?" Senator Kelly asked. Storm emerges from the darkness.

"Yes." Ororo said.

"Please don't leave me." Senator Kelly said.

Kelly grabs her wrist.

"Don't want to be alone." Senator Kelly said smiling.

"All right." Ororo said letting him take her arm. She wasn't a cruel person. Senator could see that in the young woman.

Storm notices that Kelly is leaking water like a sieve.

"Do you hate normal people?" Senator Kelly asked her.

"Sometimes." Ororo said to him.

"Why?" Senator Kelly asked.

"I suppose... I'm afraid of them." Ororo revealed. The truth was she pitied humans because they are afraid of what they don't know. Not all mutants were bad. Some of them could do good in the world. Much like the Professor Xavier and the X-men.

"Well... I think you've got one less person to be afraid of." Senator Kelly told her.

The end is painful, but quick. Kelly's every remaining cell turns into water. Ororo is utterly shocked. She freaks out and runs out of the lab.

In Xavier's Living Room, the group is still there discussing the situation at hand.

"I'm going to find Rogue. Scott, ready the Blackbird. Jean, get him a uniform." Xavier said.

"Wait... he's not coming with us, is he?" Scott asked. It wasn't that he didn't want Logan to go on this mission, he didn't know if Logan's ever done this before. If Logan was going, it would be his first mission.

"Yes." Xavier responds.

"He can go. We'll need him." Rion said. Scott glared at him.

"I agree." Alex said.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but he'll endanger the mission. He'll..." Scott

"Hey, I wasn't the one who tore the train station a new sun roof, pal." Logan retorted angrily.

"No, you were the one who stabbed Rogue through the chest." Scott responds the situation getting a little heated.

"Scott." Jean said scolding him.

"That was out of line." Emma adds.

"Look why don't you take your little mission and…" Logan said angrily putting on his jacket.

Ororo bursting into the living room.

"Senator Kelly is dead." Ororo said.

"I'm going to find her." Professor Xavier said.

Xavier looks from Cyclops to Logan.

"Settle this." Professor Xavier said leaving the living room.

"He's going." Emma said firmly.

"I agree." Alex said again.

"What's going on?" Ororo asked.

"Cyclops here doesn't want me going on the mission to save Rogue." Logan told her.

"You're gonna join us?" Ororo asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. The others noticed it.

"Yes. I'm coming." Logan said smirking. Ororo smirked. She was glad he was going to fight by their side.

"We need him." Rion said.

"For once my brother and I agree on something. Besides there's strength in numbers." Ororo said. Had Rion heard her right? Was she agreeing with him.

"I agree with that." Emma said.

"What about you Jean?" Scott asked.

"We do need him." Jean said. Scott looked at all the faces in the room and realized he was out numbered. He sighed heavily.

"Fine." Scott said as they all made their way out of the living room. Scott led the way to the lower level. Jean took his hand in hers. Emma drapes her around under Alex's. Ororo slid her hand into Logan's. He gladly took it. Rion lagged behind. He watched Logan and Ororo hold hands and smirked. This was likely to be a cool yet dangerous mission. Could Logan hold his own?