Logan balanced on one leg and concentrated. Leaning to the side he shifted his weight, bringing himself into the air, the leg he was standing on rotating quickly to slice towards its target. It hit the punching bag with deadly force, breaking open the leather skin, revealing the sand beneath.
He heard clapping and turned, smiling sheepishly as Ororo stepped out of the shadows. "Amazing my darling." She grinned as she looked at the injured bag. "I would love to see that done on Xavier."
"I try not to do that. It's a fatal blow."
"I know, that's why I want it done." Logan drank some water out of a bottle and toweled his upper body off.
"Ororo, why are you coming?" She looked confused.
"Coming where?"
"With us to the Society's compound." The day before a favor had been called in and Victor Creed, nick named Sabertooth, brought them the exact floor plans and location of the building the Society used to hold their meetings. As mysteriously as he appeared he disappeared, leaving them a wealth of information.
"I think you should know." She crossed her arms, resisting anger. He looked at her and shook his head.
"I don't know if you'd be safe. I've seen Betsy at work, she could defend a small country, but darlin', you can't just sit there and look pretty." Ororo blinked and walked over to the hanging bag.
"I know that Logan."
"If something happened to you I'd go crazy. That is the total honest truth. I would go insane without you. So why don't you stay home?"
"You know I can't do that. They've killed two of my dear friends. They will see my face before they all die." Logan looked on in surprise as she went into an offensive stance, her long leg snaking out lightning quick to slam into the leather side of the bag so hard and fast that the sound made his ears hurt. Sand flew at him, and when he got it out of his eyes half of the bag was still hanging, the other on the ground in a pile of sand.
Ororo turned to him and smiled. Logan walked over to her and touched her shoulder, and in a second he was in the air, thrown. He landed on the other side of the room, and looked up in time to see her foot coming for his face. He grabbed it and windmilled his legs, catching her other ankle with his foot, causing her to crash to the ground.
Ororo grunted and braced herself, rolling out of the way of Logan's jabs as he delivered them with cold precision. Raising herself up on her hands she executed a front flip, giving her momentum as she turned around to face Logan, a stinging roundhouse to the side of his neck.
He stumbled and growled, throwing a fake punch. She defended, leaving herself open for his real attack. Placing his foot behind hers he shoved her shoulders, and she went flying. Amazingly she twisted her body in the air, landing on her hands and springing to her feet. Logan was on her in a second, and caught her leg as she tried to kick his side. "No…that won't work."
Ororo smiled and almost took to the air. She let him hold her leg as she let the other leave the ground. It hit him in the chin hard and he let her go, stumbling to the mat. He looked up as she gained height from momentum she stored, her body rotating as she landed nimbly on her feet. Rushing to him she leaned down to punch him when he grabbed both of her ankles and yanked upwards, taking her off of her feet. Ororo landed on her hands, looking livid.
It was an odd scene, Logan still on the mats holding Ororo's feet, causing her body to arch in almost a circle, her feet would soon touch the back of her head while she was beside him with her hair hanging in her face covering it, on her hands, holding herself up in a handstand. He pushed her back and her arms wobbled, but she held. Logan smiled a little and pushed her back again, but this time she didn't wobble. Pushing herself up onto one hand she came around and punched him, causing him to let her legs go. She was able to jump away and land on her feet, and she walked over to where Logan was now standing.
"Don't ever call me a tactical disadvantage. Ever." Ororo's voice shook slightly, but it disappeared in an instant. Logan nodded his head once.
"I had no idea…where did you learn that?"
"Betsy."
"I've seen her fight. She doesn't fight in anyway like you. How could she have taught you?"
"I didn't like the idea of fighting, but I was already a gymnast. She incorporated heavy gymnastics into the teaching, and it came very easy for me. I'm not a helpless nerd Logan."
"I know." He grasped her around the waist and pulled her closer. "I know you really want this, but I had to make sure you weren't doing this for revenge." She pulled back slightly.
"Oh no. Do hear me, this is revenge. Pure revenge, and I have the right to it." Ororo sighed. "We aren't fighting are we?" He laughed.
"What do you call what we just did?" Logan asked, smiling as he smelled her hair.
"I mean a verbal fight."
"No. You deserve revenge."
"Thank you." She looked up and he kissed her, a gentle, loving kiss that made her weak in the knees. His arm was at the small of her back, pressing her body against his. The passion flared and Logan pulled back slightly. "What is it?" Ororo asked, breathless from his kisses and the desire for him.
"I have a question for you." He got down on one knee and looked up at her, serious. "Ororo Munroe?"
"Yes?" She could only whisper as her hand shook in his.
"Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?"
"Logan, are you serious?" Ororo looked into his eyes, almost scared.
"Yes. I know we've only known each other for almost two weeks, but I already know I've met my soul mate. When I'm around you I don't have to pretend I don't need anyone. You made me aware that I wanted a wife, and I wanted you." Logan sighed. "I understand if you-"
"Yes." He looked up quickly.
"What?"
"Yes. I will be your wife." Logan jumped up and gathered her into his arms, swinging Ororo around. She laughed joyfully, and as soon as her sneakers hit the mat he kissed her. He could not believe he could be this happy with someone, be this happy with the prospect of his life.
The kiss turned more passionate as Logan started to undo the buttons of Ororo's shirt, the sensitive pads of his fingers sliding across the emerging flesh. He felt her tremble, her hips moving restlessly against him, and he almost wrestled her to the mats. But he knew he had to take it slow.
He kissed the swell of her breast that was revealed in the blue cotton bra she wore underneath her shirt, which was on the floor. Her skin was heated and soft, smelling of sandalwood and mystery, of joy and love. It excited him like no smell ever had, stoking his need.
Logan's arms went around to the clasp of her bra and started to undo it when the gym door opened. It was Warren's blond head, looking around for them. He spotted them and smiled. "Sorry to interrupt, but you guys leave in forty five minutes. Be in the den in about ten minutes." He laughed slightly and closed the door.
"I hate him." Ororo hit Logan on the head playfully.
"Don't be like that. Although I am disappointed, we have the rest of our lives for sex."
"Woman, do you know how hard it is to be near you without touching you? Do you know how hard I am right now?" He pressed himself against her and she shivered. "How much I want you? To be inside of you?" Ororo's eyes were closed and her mouth was open slightly, quick, shallow breaths were all she could manage. He kissed her again, couldn't stand not to. She was just so beautiful. Wrapped into each other tightly, they slowly sank to the mat.
*
"Took you two long enough. I thought Warren told you ten minutes?" Forge smiled as Ororo and Logan came in disheveled, fifteen minutes late.
"We got held up. So, what's the plan?" Ororo smiled, half of it a self satisfied smirk as they sat down.
"We've been going over the floor plan, and the best way in would be over the east wall. It's going to be tricky, lots of video cameras, a large, manned security system and many guards. They're evil, not stupid." Betsy said, rotating her shoulder. "We will arrive at ten at night, and it will be perfectly dark for what we have to do. We get in and plant the bomb. We had Cannonball make one for us."
"How is Sam?" Bishop asked, wiring a headset.
"Wonderful. About to enter his sophomore year in college. Anyway, it's in the woods, and help won't be able to get to us easily if we need it. But I'm sure everything will be fine. Any questions?" No one said anything. "Great. It's nine thirty now. We should leave. Everything set up on your end Bishop?"
"I called everyone. Shard, Bobby and Lorna are coming over, and they'll be in touch with you as well on the headsets. Don't drop them or take them off, because I'm tracking you."
"Won't they be able to pick up the signal and track us as well?" Logan asked, thinking.
"Not my signal. If any other computer receives the frequency besides mine, it blows up. Pretty cool huh?"
"Oh yeah." Ororo laughed. "Let's do this."
*
Ororo looked at the building that loomed ahead of them in the woods. It was dark and foreboding, but even more so with the almost palpable sense of evil about the place. Even shadows had shadows which moved independently of themselves. It was as if they had stepped out of reality.
Logan was beside her, dressed in black, big thick boots masking the noise of his step, and even without them he wouldn't have made a sound. All senses were tuned to bring him full information of his surroundings, his body tense and ready as he shouldered the bomb, which was safe in a backpack. He was assured the bomb wasn't pressure sensitive, and would only detonate by pushing the button on the switch, which Ororo had.
Betsy moved as if she were a shadow, her long black hair up in a bun, her outfit a form fitting black leather. Her heels, which would seem impractical, were weapons, her daggers beside her, and her fan, at her hip.
Ororo was dressed similarly as well, a leather outfit hugging her curves, her long white hair in a French braid that hung down her back. She looked up at the wall they had come to and sighed. Now was the time. Simultaneously they turned on their headsets, and in a den ten miles away, a light blinked.
*
"They're there people. We're in effect." Forge crowed as he sat down at his terminal. Shard came out of the kitchen and sat at her laptop, sitting next to her brother.
"I'm glad you let me come." She whispered as she booted up.
"No prob. It's about time we worked together. I mean, even if I am embarrassed of you." She pushed him slightly, laughing. In all honestly Bishop was quite proud of his younger sister, a hacker who specialized in the shutdown of electrical and computerized weapons.
"Are we ready people?" Betsy's voice came over loud and clear on the line.
"Very. Don't get dead." Warren said, his voice serious.
"I wont."
"Promise?"
"I do."
"Good. We're going online. We've got people everywhere who are going to help. Don't worry, this should be a piece of cake."
"Who are you trying to convince, you or me?"
"I'll get back to you on that. I love you."
"I love you too." He laughed at the gagging noises behind him. "Alright people. Let's go."
"Terminal Shard, active." She smiled as her screen came up, rubbing her hands in glee.
"Terminal Bishop, active."
"Terminal Forge, active." Lorna tapped some keys and sighed.
"Damn! Oh, okay. I thought I was going to have to kill my computer. Terminal Polaris active."
"So melodramatic. Terminal Iceman, active. That's why I love you." He kissed her.
"Terminal Angel, active."
*
Halfway around the world, a Japanese man bowed at his computer and sat down. Smiling gently he looked at the time and booted up. "Terminal Silver Samurai, active."
In Kentucky a young man closed and locked his dorm room door and sat down at his computer. Turning up his headphones he cracked his knuckles and shook his shoulders. Glancing at the time he typed some commands, and started to nod with the music. "Terminal Cannonball, active."
In Australia an aging aborigine with the uncanny knack for anything computerized blinked out of his meditation and started tapping on his computer. He knew it was time. "Terminal Gateway, active."
In Chicago a large man sat down at his state of the art work of art, he liked to call it. The computer welcomed him as he sat down, and he quickly brought up the screen he wanted. His light in the corner blinked and he smiled. "Terminal Cable, active."
Angel looked down as the promised roster was filled. His friends were all with him. "We're in business."
*
The light on Psylocke's wrist blinked green and then glowed strong. She smiled and nodded her head. "They're all there."
"Good." Wolverine looked at the wall as he took out his grappling hook. They decided not to call each other by their real names inside, so Logan used his nickname when he was a rookie in the narcotics department.
Storm raised the gun and shot it at the top, securing her route almost twenty five feet up. "Get ready asshole, I'm coming for your head."