Title: The Dopplegang Effect
Author: Becka
Chapter 08: A Matter of Self
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"Come in, Scott." Henry's voice rumbled at the tentative knock on his door.
Scott Summers entered silently, closing the door behind him. "You wanted to see me?" He asked.
The blue man nodded solemnly. "You did inform me you wanted to know about Xander's mutation, did you not?"
"I did," the sandy-haired man replied.
"For lack of a better term, his mutation is... phenomenal." Henry's eyes scanned the computer screens rapidly. "I can't isolate it, but I can tell you that the boy isn't simply picking up mutations haphazardly. His DNA is actually _restructuring_ itself each time it feels a strong genetic pull, so to speak."
Scott stared at his teammate. "You mean... every time he meets a mutant, his DNA changes to incorporate their power?"
Henry nodded. "Not just mutants, Scott, though I believe those are probably the easiest for him to pick up because the genetic variations are so prominent. But his mutation won't recognize the difference between a power like yours and, say for example, a cancer. _Anything_ with a genetic pull is going to register, and his DNA will mutate accordingly. He can't pick and choose as to what is beneficial and what is harmful."
At Scott's dawning horror, Henry continued, "And because Logan's healing ability is one of the first he picked up, his body will most likely tear itself apart in the long run. His DNA could contract a cancer or some such disease, and his healing ability will try to destroy it."
"That's..." The light-haired man couldn't find any words to describe how he felt at that moment. Finally he asked, "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
"I should say so," the doctor answered. "Xander's mutation was meant to adapt to a single ability at a time. Then, once it has fully incorporated one, it can move onto the next with his newly altered DNA. Now that he's been exposed to so many mutations at this institute, his body is under rather severe strain, to put it mildly. He's being pulled in so many different directions that his body can't cope. _That_ is what's causing his blackouts and seizures."
Scott felt helpless. He and his team had been less than welcoming, resenting Xander for what he could do. Now that he'd found the price of the man's powers, he wished he could go back and change how things had developed. Xander needed people to care about him and support him. In theory, everyone at the school should have done so. But after seeing the way Warren, Storm, Jean, and himself had treated Xander, nearly all of the younger students had followed their example. The light-haired man now realized how Xander had become a wraith of the man who had first come to the institute for help. He would only talk to the Professor, Logan, Henry, and Bobby. More than fifty mutants lived at the school, and Xander could talk to four of them. Scott wondered how he'd let things get so out of hand.
"If... if Xander left the school, would that solve the problem?"
Scott's heart sank when Henry shook his head. "Unlikely. He's already been exposed to all of our mutations, so his DNA is going to try and incorporate them no matter where he is. And if we move him, it's possible he might run into other mutants, or even someone with a genetic disease."
The light-haired man swallowed hard. His voice was hoarse. "Nothing we do will help, will it?"
Henry sighed and turned back to the computer screen. "It's possible if we can duplicate the collars that inhibit mutant powers, we might be able to buy ourselves a little more time. But at the same time, it's also possible that if we try to put his mutation on pause, it could kill him. I'm working on a way to screen other mutations, that is, to keep his DNA from registering them, but even if I am able to, the mutations he's picked up here aren't going to stop until he's incorporated them all." The blue man glanced at Scott. "Or died trying."
Slowly, Scott sank into one of the chairs. He felt ill. "Is there _anything_ I can do?"
"Just look out for him, Scott." Henry cleared his throat uneasily. "I don't know how our various mutations are going to mesh. The Professor mentioned that because Xander met Kitty, that is, the little girl who can walk through walls, he's actually able to read the minds of other telepaths even when their shields are up. So it's possible that Logan's unique chemistry might allow him to control your lasers without the use of a visor. Then again, it might not. It's also possible that even though Warren's actual wings were removed, his DNA might still pass them to Xander. Again, it might not. He might grow hair like mine or a tail like our little German teleporter. He might be able to turn into metal or ice, like Piotr or Bobby, or just toss them around _without_ the need for a transformation. Anything is possible, Scott. I can't even begin to predict the changes that young man will go through. It's even possible that because he's a telepath, he might not even have to meet other mutants to learn their powers. Who knows?" The doctor paused, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "All I can say, Scott, is that whatever happens, he's going to need someone to support him. With what his DNA knows already, and what it will learn in the future, that young man could tear this world apart. If he doesn't have someone to guide him, he very well may."
Scott stood. "I think I failed him already, Hank, but I'll do whatever it takes to fix my mistakes. Have you told him this, yet?"
"No. I think it should come from someone he trusts. Logan should be here any minute." Henry didn't even glance up from the screen, and Scott heard the dismissal clearly.
"Goodnight, Henry."
"Goodnight, Scott."
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Xander wasn't really sure how long he'd been out for. He didn't know if anyone had seen him, though he doubted it as he was still in the middle of the woods and not being coddled in Hank's lab. All he knew was that everything hurt.
Instinct took hold of him, and he somehow managed to make his way back to his room. It was the safest place he could think to go, and like an injured animal, all he wanted to do was hide and lick his wounds.
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Logan stalked through the hallways silently. Hank had told him the true nature of Xander's mutation, and it made him sick. All he could think was that _he_ had brought his friend to this place. And with the potential combination of the powers of every X-man, X-woman, and X-child, Xander would probably become the strongest mutant the world had ever seen.
/No one should have that much power. It's more than "mutant." It's... inhuman./
That was, if he survived.
/Hank says this mutation could kill him. Too many mutants, too many powers, too many genetic variations- bein' here could kill him./
But Xander wasn't inhuman. Xander had the purest heart of anyone Logan had ever met before. It was only his powers that made him so... horrifying. Powers that he wouldn't have if Logan had never brought him to Xavier's Institute.
/I brought him here./
He remembered when he'd first met Xander. How their relationship had transformed from traveling companions to the solid friendship that had shocked the older man.
/I can't remember the last time I've been this close to anyone. I can't remember the last person who made me feel like this. He... understands me./
Logan wasn't used to being understood.
/I brought him here./
He didn't think that Xander was, either.
/He's fighting off the demons in his head and everyone else's now that he's picked up the Professor's telepathy. My healing factor. Jason's fire. The ability to walk through walls. He's a fuckin' angel of death./
That much power wasn't meant to be controlled. Xander had once told him he wasn't anything special; now he housed more power in his body than anyone, human or mutant, had the right to.
/I did this ta him./
Logan wasn't used to being afraid, either.
/I brought him here./
He was used to fixing his mistakes, but he didn't know how he could fix this.
/When he an' I were out on the road, he was _fine_. I brought him here ta help him./
He was used to having an enemy that he could fight, and ultimately kill.
/... I brought him here, an' it might kill him./
He couldn't kill Xander.
/An' now.../
He couldn't even think about hurting Xander.
/... I have ta tell him that./
Because all he wanted to do was to protect him.
A hint of blood, freshly spilled, assaulted his nose, and with a start, he realized it was coming from Xander's room. He resisted the urge to panic and instead knocked on the door.
"Xander?"
There was no answer.
Slowly, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Xander was curled into a ball on his bed. Tears streaked his face, and the blood Logan smelled was on the pillow; Xander had bitten through his own lip to keep from screaming. With a soft curse, the older man sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around his friend. He knew there was nothing he could do but be there. Henry had told him things would get bad, and he had been prepared. But he couldn't keep his hands from shaking.
He hugged Xander tightly and closed his eyes. And when the dark-haired man could no longer cry, Logan did it for him. He cried as a pair skeletal wings ripped through Xander's back and began to grow.
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