MAL86 - Rose and X-Women are indeed ready, and are joined by re-enforcements below :) . And as they plan to get Logan back, we get to learn more about just who the figure with the white hair is :) . Thank you again for your reading and reviewing MAL86, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

(The details involving the mysterious white haired man below come from Wolverine: The End, not really sure how long he was stuck in the asylum, but I plunged for thirty years, and in it he says his evolved, I assume their experiments had something to do with it and went with it. Rose's recollection of seeing Elizabeth Howlett - Logan's mother - is from Origin itself so that canonical while Wolverine: The End is from an alternative time line. So we don't know if that figure exists still in 616, but at some of it was true in 616, so I've brought in a version of him here. I know this probably isn't making much sense to those who haven't read Wolverine: The End, but it will once you read this chapter, just don't want to spoil to much :) .

Edit: Also why Kitty Pryde's new outfit looks like it does, that's due to the change the Black Blade caused to Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) in the Wolverine story involving the Black Blade. It changed Logan into wearing black pants, with red slash while being shirtless, so the Blade has strange clothing choices.

Anyway, on with the story :) ).

Chapter 16

'Who are you, and what have you do James' kidnapping?' Rose yelled, breaking free of Jean's arms and stalking towards the silver haired man, her green eyes flashing dangerously, a golden blade forming in her hand. 'Speak, or I'll tear the secrets from you mind,' she finished, face to face with him, her fierceness surprising the women who had only known her to be compassionate, polite, even shy at times, but a lioness was always fiercest when family and mate were threatened Kitty thought.

'Peace Rose O'Hara,' the man said, 'I'm not your enemy here, and I came to protect James, we don't have time to fight amongst ourselves if you would save him.'

Eyes narrowing, Rose responded, 'how do you know… '

Then flashing in from the portal Scott, Kurt, Neena, and Peter appeared, Scott calling out, 'what happened here, where's Logan?'

'Look's like one hell of party Logan decided to have,' Neena added, her Forge-created telefloronic bio-arm already flaming and active, 'shame he didn't invite us along.'

'Where's Logan?' Kurt asked urgently, as the new arrivals rushed towards the women gathered around the silver haired figure. 'I was just with Piotr when we heard your call Jean.'

'That's a question we were just asking,' Jean replied to them, her eyes on the mysterious man, before putting her hand on Rose's arm, 'Rose, I know how urgently you want to find Logan, and we're all right with you on this. But this man, whoever he is, was clearly burnt, I don't think he's part of what took Logan. And if he knows where he is, then we need to least hear him out.'

Scott looked at Jean and Kitty knew Jean was communicating to him, and then to all the new arrivals what they already knew, and saw the worry on their faces matching that constricting her own heart. She didn't feel she had the strength to go to Logan's funeral a second time, it had been one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do.

'Why don't we gone inside,' Scott said indicating Logan's cabin, 'and you can tell us who are, and what you know about Logan's attackers and where they've taken him.'

Jean and Ororo moved to comfort Rose, their arms around her, calming her down as the silver haired man nodded, briefly pressing something on a device on his hand and speaking to someone on the other end. At the suspicious looks, he said, 'making sure of the arrival of something I will need, when we go after James. Particularly after having faced some of the demonic leaders already, they needed… retrieving, and hadn't arrived yet when I was informed of the attack of James. Very well, time is short, but lets go in and have our talk.'

As they began to move in, Kitty looked down and saw the smoking remains of samurai armour on the floor, and a midnight black katana lying next to it, and curious Kitty reached out for it, 'no!' the silver-haired man cried, as her hand closed around the hilt, and Kitty felt a surge of power go through her, seeing dark energy flaring from within her. Her vision began to darkened as Kitty felt felt the presence of demonic madness as a dark warrior spirit invaded here mind, attempting to take possession of her. She felt as if dark claws were trying to tearing her mind and spirit, feeling herself beginning to recede and fade, merging with the onrushing darkness pouring into her.

'Be not afraid, warrior,' the blade spoke, 'your spirit is strong, you body and power will serve us, we shall become one!'

From deep within her spirit, Kitty drew on an iron will and deep spiritual strength, forged and tempered by her many experiences, and from the man their were trying to find, and pushed back, 'others have tried, more than once to make me their vessel, you won't be the one to do it,' Kitty gasped back, and for a moment her spirit and mind was locked with that of the dark presence as she strove with it for control of her body and mind.

And then light entered her mind, and she felt the combined presence of Jean, Rachel and Rose coming to her aid, their light filling and strengthening her, and driving the dark presence back. It struggled against the their combined will and power, it's darkness attempting to surge forth once more into her mind, until a blast of golden light pasted into Kitty and to strike the darkness, forcing it back. Kitty's vision returned, feeling tired and seeing the three red-headed women gathered around her, holding her, her fellow X-Men looking on worriedly.

'You're back,' Rachel exclaimed, hugging Kitty tightly, 'I thought we were about to loss you as well,' Jean smiled in relief, while Rose just gave her a tired nod, worry and anxiety for Logan still carved on her face.

'What was that,' Kitty said, feeling as though she'd just been in a terrible battle for hours, and struggled back to her feet, and then saw she was now dressed in a skin-tight dark body suit, cut quite low at the front, arms exposed with long black gloves on and heels. 'And what's with the stripper outfit?'

'That was the Black Blade of Muramasa,' the silver haired figure replied. 'James dealt with it and it's cult once before, and it had been locked away safely within the vaults of the Yashida complex. It seems that is yet something else, much like Shingen's spirit,' he gestured to the armour, 'our demonic adversary brought back. He has been raising some James' more personal enemies, such as Shingen as well as Thomas and Dog Logan, though it appears Shingen's spirit is back to the Pit it was called from, looks like James once again defeated him. However the Blade came with him, and it's is possessed by the demonic madness of Muramusa, and possesses almost all who wield it, while granting them great strength, speed and durability, as well as Muramusa skill with the blade.'

Looking Kitty in the eyes, the man continued, 'you should put aside soon, for now, your will strengthened by the power of your psionic friends is keeping the spirit contained, but it won't last forever. Use the sword's power of the upcoming battle, it will be useful against our supernatural adversaries, but then cast it aside, no matter how tempting it's power. It will consume your soul, your very person otherwise.'

'Shouldn't I get rid of it now?' Kitty replied, worried, wanting to throw the Blade away as though it was burning her, feeling the evil within it.

'Yes,' Rachel demanded angry, 'Kitty should, she shouldn't put herself at risk. I'm not sure we could so easily hold that thing from taking her over again next time.'

The silver-haired man looked at them coolly, 'it depends how much you all wish to save James, right now, seeing it doesn't possess her currently, the strength, power and skill it augment in her, not to mention the Blade itself, will be useful in the coming battle. The risk of it's spirit breaking free immediately to take her is low, but I leave to choice to you Ms. Pryde, but either way decide quickly' and walked towards the cabin.

Kitty looked hard at the sword for the moment, then nodded, 'until we get Logan back then', picking the sword's sheath from the fallen armour, putting the blade around her waist got up.

'Are you sure, Kitty,' Rachel asked her concerned.

'Yes,' she replied, 'one way or another I'm not going to have it for very long. Then it can be tossed down a dark pit somewhere, maybe get Illyana to send it to Limbo.'

Following the mysterious man into Logan and Rose's cabin, Kitty saw Rose following him closely, tension, anxiety and anger written all over her face, and it was clear she barely holding herself back from following through with her threat to take what this man knew directly from his mind.

If she didn't feel the same anger herself, Kitty might feel a little sympathy for those things that had kidnapped Logan, she had a feeling hurting him was the one thing that crossed the line in the otherwise level-headed and kind woman, sending her into a fury that in it's own way rivalled that of Logan himself. And Kitty knew as a fierce smile crossed her face, taking Logan would be a decision these demonic creatures would soon regret.

Soon seated in Logan's cabin, Jean said while holding Rose as she comforted her, 'all right we're all here, so just who are you, what are you Logan, because there's clearly something similar between you. Like Rose, you call Logan James, that implies you knew him from his early years, just like she did, yet you aren't present in Logan early memories. And if Rose is right, and the spirits of Thomas and Dog Logan are back in some demonic form of great power, so you can imagine why trusting you might be difficult.'

The man turned to them, his long silver hair swept back behind him, 'very well,' turning to look at Rose, he continued, 'Ms. O'Hara, you were a servant at the mansion here, when the Howlett family, James' parents, were in residence. As a servant did you ever serve the lady of the house, say helping her get dressed?'

Confused a little with his line of question, Rose replied, 'no, that was Mrs, Hopkins job, though,' Rose's face concentrated, and suddenly looked back at him with astonishment written on her face, 'I remember now. I wasn't needed with James one day and went upstairs to see if I could be of assistance with to Mrs. Hopkins with the lady Elizabeth, James' mother. I knocked and opened the door and I saw Mrs. Hopkins was putting a corset on the lady Elizabeth, and I saw James' mother side and back, and they, they had three parallel scars on them. Scars like the mark of James' claws but there's no way he could give them,' she finished softly looking at the man with new but uncertain eyes.

'No,' the man said, 'he didn't give them to her, another did,' and as he turned to look out the door Jean remembered something they had seen when they had viewed Logan's early memories, just after his mutation had awoken and he'd killed Thomas Dog. His mother Elizabeth had said, 'Oh James… oh please… not you…' followed by '… not again. Not you James… ', and Jean could sense the same memories rushing through Rose's mind.

'Oh my God… ' Rose said softly.

As if he hadn't heard them, the man continued, 'out there alongside the graves of the two John Howletts and Elizabeth Howlett is an earlier grave, a grave that has no-one in it, the grave of John and Elizabeth Howlett's first son, yet another John Howlett.' Turning back to the assembled X-Men, he continued, 'except he never died, and is standing before you. I'm John Howlett, once junior, James' older brother, exiled from this home for being what I and James are, I got no more kind a reception from my family than did my little brother,' he finished with angry bitterness.

'To give you the short version, as time is pressing,' John said, 'we seemed a happy family back then, my parents appeared to be happily married, and when James had been born, all seemed well. The only cloud seemed to be a melancholy my mother had been struck with, she took to wandering the grounds with James on her own, though my father paid her little mind. James I liked from the start, he seemed like me somehow, I could smell it on him, not realising at the time it was my mutation activating. One day I followed my mother and after finding James alone in his pram I went to look for her, and found her in the arms of the groundskeeper Thomas. It's ironic he is back as well, perhaps I will get an opportunity to take care of him myself just like I'm lead to believe my brother did,' and smiled savagely. 'But afterwards I confronted my mother, and began to feel such rage, I was hot all over, and my senses seemed to be going wild, in my rage I swung my hand as pain ripped through my arm, my claws tearing forth for the first time. I slashed her by accident, but soon estate workers were there restraining me, and dear old grandfather said he would take care of me. That care was throwing me chained into the darkest and most forsaken asylum he could find, which in those days were far from pleasant places. There I stayed for close to thirty years, losing all sense of who I was, my sanity far from me in that time, that was when I came to the notice of certain scientists and government officials. They 'liberated' me to one of their faculties, an early version of what would become the Weapon X and Weapon Plus programmes. They began testing me, asking me questions about my abilities to learn more about me, they ran and conducted experiments on me, eventually causing my abilities to evolve, and my bodies ability to maintain and restore itself gained a new quirk, my ability to change it's state from corporeal to incorporeal.'

Standing before them, John's eyes glowed red, and he became luminous, pale and translucent, his hair flying behind him as he walked through a chair before solidifying once more. 'Essentially I gained an ability not dissimilar to Ms. Pryde over there, though I lack the ability to 'phase' anything else besides the clothes I'm wearing. Anyway, after they asked one to many questions I left, they being unable to do anything to stop me. My sanity returned and I first headed home to settle things with the family that abandoned me, but found them dead, and learnt more of James. Over the years since I have built my power and learnt everything there was to know about my little brother, watching over him when I could, knowing he wasn't ready to meet me, having forgotten all about those early days. Then he had his encounter with Weapon X, then Department H and finally X-Men, not organisations aligning with my own objectives. I had established my stronghold in Japan, another preference both my brother and I have in common, where I became know as Kitsunebi, the White Ghost, due to my 'phased' appearance. I would have attempted to intervene to save James when his healing factor was deactivated, but I was otherwise engaged in struggles of my own. When I returned from those he was dead, and I arranged for him to come to the attention of Persephone and her Soteria group, rather then other factions after his body, knowing if he were raised by her he could potentially come back for real, beyond her power, and take out her group in the process, all in all a win-win for me.'

'So you just brought him back for yourself,' Rose cried, jumping up out of Jean's hands, 'you only used him like so many others.'

'Not exactly, O'Hara my dear,' John replied, 'despite what you think, I love my brother and would have taken that path to see him returned not matter what. That it also happened to align with other interests I had was a bonus. The whole endeavour was a gamble, but it worked out. Still wasn't expecting the whole Krokoa thing you X-Men have brought upon the world, but that's your madness, and I'll survive either way, like my brother I'm a survivor. What was truly unexpected was your return Rose O'Hara, though given your identical likeness to Jean Grey here, perhaps that is less a surprise. But I became aware alongside your return of the arrival of demonic forces that seemed to have a focus on my brother, raising the spirits of Thomas and Dog Logan combined into some monstrosity of a demonic werewolf, and given their abilities they were ones probably responsible for sending that creature that attacked Krokoa recently. He also raised Shingen and equipped him with the Black Blade, and is accompanied by demonic spirits that are inhabiting vampiric bodies. Whoever this being is, he has Persephone's mutant ability to raise the dead, only in this demonic being's case it creates bodies as vessels for demons to inhabit here in our world. And all the dead raised have the same vampiric nature as the original ones raised, they coming from a site not to far from where you grave was Ms. O'Hara, a town decimated by a recent vampire assault James was dealing with not long ago, now all the bodies raised have those abilities.'

'Who is this being?' Kitty asked.

John smiled coldly, 'I wasn't sure until my recent battle with him. However, after facing him and seeing his red-horned face I believe it's someone you know Ms. Pryde almost as well as my brother, very personally indeed. I believe our adversary is or was, the sorcerer-ninja Ogun, Logan's old master.'

'Ogun!' Kitty exclaimed, and Jean sensed deep feelings running through Kitty as well as a new fear for Logan.

'Yes,' John continued, 'and given his past obsession with possessing my brother and making him his new vessel, even more so than you Ms. Pryde, I suspect that is part of his objective. But it seems larger than that, the other demonic forces also seem to be involved and have been involved in preparing at their base, sacrificing many people in the service of this objective. This isn't the first time infernal forces have tried to possess Logan, perhaps this is part of the same objective, with an interest in him similar to that of Dracula's vampire nation.'

After taking a moment to absorb these revelations, Scott interjected, 'it seems we have no choice but to trust that at least as far as Logan is concerned you wish him freed as much as we do. You also said you know where they are based, and have taken Logan?'

'Yes,' John said, coming closer, and again activated a control on the device on his arm, and a hologram light the cabin, resolving into an image of a town built on the cliff beside the sea, ' this newly created town, full of modern, rather vulgar modern buildings. But that was Persephone, woman had no sense of style. One of her many failing.'

'That's the same city we tried to get ahold of Logan when you got that read on him Jean, after we suspecting he'd returned to life. He didn't know us back then, involving us in a battle we had to withdraw from if we didn't want anymore of the civilians hurt. Had no idea at the time that they were already dead, being held up by Persephone's power.'

'It looks different though, darker, more ruined and aged,' Kitty replied, 'almost as though those buildings have aged allot more than they should have. And what are those dark tendrils covering the buildings?'

'Something to do with the demonic hold on the city,' John replied, 'my satellites have been trained on the city for a while, seeing this degradation affect it, an affect of their corruption I suppose. But here,' John motioned to an auditorium in the city, 'is where they have been focusing their activities. Many people have been shipped into this former abandoned city and killed there. From what seers and mystic experts I have, it seems there are preparing for a big ritual or spell, and my brother seems to be the centre of it. The positive side is that we have a little time, for a spell like this to take effect, particularly as he'll be resisting, but not much, we need to get ready quickly and go.'

'Yes,' Rose jumped up, 'we need to go now!' looking as though she were ready to fly there now.

'Wait,' Scott replied, 'we need a plan before we just go waltzing in there, particularly if we want to come out of there with Logan alive and himself.'

'There is also something extra to be concerned over,' John said, 'there seem to be larger misshapen creatures wondering around, some of the vampiric creatures have been uniting into larger, twisted forms, presumably more dangerous.'

'So what is the plan?' Kurt asked.

'However we go in,' Ororo said, 'just as with Persephone they'll be ready, they must at least expect a possible attack and will react as soon as we're there.'

'We could mount a main attack as an a distraction,' Scott mused, 'while a smaller force to attempt to stealth through the city while it's main force is distracted on us, get to Logan and free him.'

'That seems a good plan,' John said, you just need to decide who will go the second team, I would suggest at least myself and Ms. Pryde at least, and I don't think,' here John looked at Rose, 'your likely to have Ms. O'Hara be on any other team. The only other concern is getting there, no Krokoan portals nearby, air assault is probably a bad idea given Ogun was able to take my jet out of the air today. Perhaps your Gateway could help.'

Kitty smiled, 'I have a better idea, a friend who's pretty good when it comes demons. I'll give your sister a call Peter.'

After what seemed like an eternity the oblivion of nothingness receded as Logan's consciousness began to swim back into focus. When he attempted to move he hissed in pain, his whole body felt sore, like someone had decided he was dinner and had sliced, diced and filleted him, and remembering his battle he realised that wasn't to far from the truth. Logan could feel his body knitting itself back together, renewing, closing, repairing and regrowing the damaged parts of him. That at least ruled out he was dead, even if Ogun might have dragged him back to hell. Well, Logan thought, tore my way out the first time, can always do it again.

Slowly and painfully opening his eyes, Logan realised he was suspended by his arms by chains, which pulled at them painfully, though thanks to his adamantium skeleton, only to an extent as hung from them. More chains were wrapped around him, and they glowed with a dark light, and Logan realised he felt weaker than he should do, and could feel the chain sapping his strength, keeping him weak.

The overwhelming stench of blood and dead bodies filled his nose, and Logan looked down to see he was suspended over a round pool filled with blood, which swirled with some unnatural power, a smoke beginning to rise from it, that seemed to reach for him.

'Ah,' Logan heard the voice of Ogun say, and turned his attention towards the voice, seeing his master standing there, now in the form of a decaying pale white vampire, 'your back with us, my old pupil, good. That means we're ready to begin.'

'You're not lookin' so hot, Ogun,' Logan rasped, 'burnin' through your current body looks like, might fall apart on you if you're not careful.'

'No need to worry about that,' Ogun replied, and he was joined around the pool by other vampiric figures, who began to chant in a guttural language that seemed more snarls and unnatural growls than words, and Ogun began joining them. Their hell-fire eyes flared forth, answered by flames appearing on the swirling pool, which began to move faster and faster, the smoke rising to move and wrap around him, for a moment it seemed to wait, the air pregnant with tension, and then it rushed at him, seeping into him, and Logan felt indescribable and incredible pain tearing into his body. Opening his mouth to howl he felt darkness overcome him and felt himself drifting down, and feels himself immersed, rushing through his most painful memories and experiences. Magneto tearing the adamantium from his body, shattering his skeleton, tearing the metal out through is flesh, the bonding process at the hands of Weapon X, burning pain as hot metal torn into body, pain beyond comprehension going on and on, his mind ripped and stripped bare, twisted in nothing more than a living weapon. The time it was tried again, after Magneto, and Logan cast it out, along with his humanity becoming a feral beast. Then to Apocalypse capturing him, and to prevent Creed becoming his new Death who wouldn't even try to fight programming Logan had defeated him, adamantium enhanced and all, and the same pain returned as it was stripped from Creed back into him, along with his mind for a time, as once again he was turned into someone's weapon. Then the deaths of countless friends, Kurt, Masterdon, Seraph, Janice, to those he loved, Mariko, begging him to take her life and save her from lingering death by blowfist toxin, Silver Fox, Creed looking at him and smirking, 'she was a squaw boy, she'd said no,' as he licked her blood off his fingers, to her second and final death, once more at Creed's hands in Weapon X base. Then Itsu, Jean and of course Rose, dying on his claws. All these seem to hammer Logan for his failures and weaknesses, driving home guilt and blame.

Some part of him understands this is part of a psychic assault on him, and Logan's will surges to fight back, to resist the assaults attempting to lock him into his greatest pain, hurt and failures. He falls further and further into darkness, until he crashes into onto a floor, and looks around, confused for a moment. Looking around the place seemed familiar, then he recognised it, he was in the Howlett mansion, as had been when was a boy. Looking down at himself, Logan saw young hands, looking up saw himself in the mirror, seeing the young boy he had been.

'Oh, it's my useless son,' a voice called, and Logan spun around, to see his father, John Howlett alive again, but looking at him with a look of disgust and hatred. 'I can't imagine why I thought you worth anything James, you've done nothing but kill everything around you, your nothing but a plague my son, including your mother and me. My father was right I did coddle you to much, too late to do anything about that though.'

His mother joined him, and Logan felt himself returning back into the boy he'd been so long again, 'no, Pa, please don't say things like that.'

'We should have aborted him, John,' she said, 'that's all he is, maybe we should let Thomas deal with him,' and looked down at him, their expressions growing vicious.

'No, please, I'll be good,' James began to cry, somewhere something struggling within him against this, but he seemed so buffed and confused by everything, pain, vision and guilt he didn't understand rushed at him all the time, and he found it difficult to think, to bring himself out of this reality seeming to suck him in.

His grandfather walked in, with Thomas and his son, his old friend Dog beside him. 'I've brought them in to help us deal with the little monster, well get to it Thomas.'

Thomas the groundskeeper stepped forward, his eyes lighting with vicious and cruel pleasure, Dog following behind with a twisted smirk on his face, and Thomas pulled off his belt and stepped towards the boy, 'oh, I intend to sir. I've been looking forward to this,' and struck James across the face, sending him fly back towards the fireplace. Then both Thomas and Dog were upon him, raining blows down upon his small and weak body, crying out at the pain as blows crushed into his body, pain radiating through his body, bones breaking, his parents laughing in the background, as they two Logans pulled him up to continue to torturous assault, Dog flicking out a knife.

James felt despair and self-hatred gripping him, but a warmth deep within seemed to glow, warming his spirit, and fighting back at those feelings and the darkness threatening to swallow him, just as the pain and blows were.

He just didn't know how long he could hold out.