Notes:

Rating: PG13+

Disclaimer: The setting is not mine, the characters aren't mine, they belong to Marvel et al, I'm just borrowing them for fun.

Other: This story is AU, and there are Reviewer Replies at the end.

Chapter 3: The Sewers

            But one of these questions needed answering as, at that moment; Kurt's voice rang out in the echoing tunnels.

            'Chill dudes! We're all friends here!'

            'Kurt!' cried the… boy. 'Man, yo' sure know how to make an entrance. Take it this is your latest stray, come with puppy dog eyes an' wagging its tail behind him right? Oh no, sorry, that's your job.'

            'Ha ha,' said Kurt sarcastically, picking himself up out of the muck once again and shaking his body, attempting to get the filth off this clothes.

            'His name's Logan,' he continued, 'Logan, meet Todd, AKA Toad, AKA, the slimy annoying scab.'

            'Oh, I wouldn't be dissin' me now, yo'. Yo' should be grateful I was roun' here, got that message yo' sent the boss man. Boy, is he mad, yo' gonna have your hide nailed to the wall when yo' get back. Please tell me yo' knocked off a few flatscans this time? Please tell me yo' brought somethin' back other than 'nother mouth to feed?'

            'Sorry,' apologized Kurt, 'but I could hardly leave him there, and you know how I feel about killing! Anyway, he looks like a fighter, if that's any help.'

            Todd rolled his eyes, or rather one eye; it was hard to tell what the other one was doing under its swollen lid.

            'Kid's got a gun,' remarked Logan, not sure what else to say at this junction, 'why ain't you got a gun, Kurt.'

            'Cos Kurt,' said Todd, before the kid could answer for himself, 'is what we technically call a soft hearted wimp. He won't kill, cries at the sight o' blood an' that shit, won't even nail a flatscan in defense!'

            'Shuddup!' growled Kurt, a tinge of anger in his voice, 'just because I've got some morels. Anyway, where's the next pad?'

            'Mile an' a half away, reckon yo' can make it that far?'

            'Not sure,' sighed Kurt, 'I Jaunted a lot back there, and twice with that big lump, I'm feeling pretty wrecked. Logan isn't much better either, his injuries are bad, not life threatening, but he may be too weak to make it that far, and I don't want stay down here too long, if only because of infection.'

            'Good thing I brought this then,' said Todd, bringing out a large chocolate bar from somewhere in his filthy clothing.

            Kurt grabbed the bar so fast that Logan hardly saw him move. The wrapper was off in a trice and the elf was cramming sticky chocolate into his eager mouth, heedless of where it had been. It was a wonder he didn't make himself sick.

            'Todd,' he said between mouthfuls, 'you are a lifesaver. Wonderful. I love you for ever. Wanna marry me?'

            'Nah,' laughed the ugly boy, 'I have some standards, yo. 'Sides, you'd only be marrying me for my calories!'

            'Darn!' said Kurt, humor glinting in his eyes 'ah well, I'll live, though my heart may not! You cruel, cruel man!'

            'Can we hurry up!' snapped Logan, finally losing patience, 'I need to get this collar off me!'

            'Don't sweat it!' said Todd, hopping over and putting an arm round Logan's waist, 'Boss-man got a top guy ready for us, he'll be waitin' back at base. If he can't get that thin' off, no one can!'

            They started down the tunnel again, and the rest of the journey was a blur or pain and darkness to Logan. He was conscious of the two boys swapping him between them, each carrying him for a time before switching him over to their companion when they became weary. They talked too, quiet, cryptic, but friendly talk, banter mostly. From what Logan heard, he had to give them credit, they knew how to keep secrets, and they talked much of various things and events without mentioning names or details.

            The one moment of clarity in that subterranean journey occurred near the end, when Kurt was once again swapping him over to Todd. The mutilated boy was having a little trouble in getting a firm grip on the semiconscious Logan, and Logan tried to help by putting one arm round Todd's neck. However, in doing so he accidentally brushed the festering skin on the side of Todd's face.

            The boy gave a savage hiss of pain, let go of Logan and instinctively rocketed away, back against one of the walls.

            Diving forward, Kurt caught Logan before he fell fully into the sewer muck.

            'You OK Todd?' he asked.

            'Yeah,' replied the boy in question, 'he just caught a bit of skin, is all. Just got a bit shocked.'

            'Sorry,' grunted Logan 'didn't mean to.'

            'S'OK, now come on and let me carry you, an' mind the face this time!'

            True to his word, Todd's arms were soon round Logan again, propping him up and aiding him to walk down the passage.

            Eventually Logan's curiosity got the better of him.

            'Uh… kid… Todd… um… what happened to your face?'

            Todd was silent for a bit, as if considering how to answer, Kurt shot him a concerned look, but said nothing.

            'My skin,' Toad began, 'the part that isn't covered in crap, it's soft, sensitive. Ain't that pretty to look at, but it feels nice. Lotta women would kill for skin soft as mine. When I was captured, the flatscans, the humans, decided to put it to use. Yo' heard of cosmetic animal testin'? Well, I went through cosmetic mutant testin' Dolled me up real nice in makeup, took chunks outta me, to see how my skin got so good. Some of the makeup, though, it don' go so well with my skin, came out like this. Luckily I got broken out 'fore they burned it all off.'

            Logan remained silent after that, not sure what he could say that would mean even the slightest thing to the scarred boy.

            'Sorry,' he said at last, wishing he was more eloquent.

            'S'OK,' replied Todd lightly, 'I wasn't that pretty even before the experiments, so looks don' bother me. The pain's… well… a pain, but I can live with it. Mind you, if I ever meet the guy's who did this too me, I'll burn their faces off, see how much they like it.'

            Eventually they seemed to reach the destination. Underneath one of the sewage pipes, continually gushing dirty water, there was a small side passage, which led to a dead end. Or so it appeared.

            Handing Logan back over to Kurt, Todd felt one of the slimy walls with his sensitive fingers. He soon found what he was looking for, a small, brown button, hidden expertly against the aged wall and dark muck.

            When he pressed it the wall blocking the passage shimmered and faded away, revealing yet another chamber.

            Strange machine took up the entirety of the room beyond; it consisted on one large console, and an odd, squat cylinder with numerous wires and pipes sticking out of its rusty bulk. Finally, taking up the majority of that small area was a platform, also rusted, and covered in algae and slime. However, it looked like someone had made and effort to clean it, wiping away the worst of the muck off from the tubes, wiring, LED's and other delicate parts.

            'Oh man!' cried Kurt, 'don't tell me this is the 'pad we're going to use! It's ancient, ready to fall apart!'

            'No it ain't,' snapped Todd, 'it was only built a year ago, jus' the atmosphere of this place isn't no good for it. Still works an' all, I used it to get over here.'

            Kurt's doubtful expression did not relent, and Logan himself found he had more than a few reservations about using the rusting mess of electronics. He'd never been fond of machinery, much less derelict hunks like this.

            'Listen,' sighed Todd, 'you ain't got no choice, yo. The next 'pad is over a hundred miles away, an' most of that journey's over-ground, unless yo' thinking yo' can just 'port back to base. It's this or nothing.'

            'Ja,' sighed Kurt, 'I know, sorry. I just hate 'pad's, they don't feel natural.'

            His tail once again wrapping itself round Logan, Kurt hauled the short man over to the 'pad, and placed him upon it.

             'You OK?' he asked, taking time to check him over again.

            'Yeah,' gasped Logan, his breathing ragged with pain, 'I'll live… but what is this… pad?'

            'A teleportation pad, verdammt thing. We use them to get back to base, and they work just fine, but you're in for a rough ride, or I am anyway. Teleporting using anything but my powers generally isn't that much fun. To be honest, I'd rather Jaunt anywhere, nausea or no. Ah, Todd's finished working on the console, hold on tight!'

            Through pain dimmed sight Logan saw Todd jump onto the pad just as the hum of machinery and crackling energy filled his ears and light blinded his eyes.

            Then the world dissolved, or perhaps he did.

            It was as if he was a pill in a glass of water, being slowly eaten away, turning into bubbles, and being carried up, up to the top of the glass, where he reformed. Having said this, it was not an entirely unpleasant experience, strange, yes, but not unpleasant. The only pain came from his wounds, where the bubbling sensation seeming to tickle and stimulate the pain, causing Logan to hiss in agony, doing his utmost to stop himself letting out a full fledged bellow.

            Eventually the world re-materialized about him, the humming and crackling sound died down, and he became conscious of a change in the air. The stink of the sewers had lessened somewhat, though the slime still sticking to his and his rescuers bodies ensured that it did not completely dissipate. The air was warm, too, if somewhat stale, the scent of metal and human sweat reached his nose.

            His sense of sight was longer in coming, it took a while for the white fizzle of pain in front of his eyes to disappear, by the time it did he was once again being propped up by Kurt.

            His blurry eyes examined this new location. He was in a large room, behind him was a hunk of machinery and 'pad quite similar to the one he had just left, though this was a little larger. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of metal, dark, a little corroded, but still strong. It was lit by several, yellow, flickering lights which filled the room with shadows. There was only one, sturdily build and large door leading out of the chamber. Sitting on a wooden packing case near the door was a man.

            He looked to be about forty, lines of care wrinkling his dark skin, his raven hair shot through with streaks of grey. He wore a similar costume to Kurt and Todd, but his was somewhat better kept. What was more interesting about him was the machinery strapped and molded to various parts of his body. One leg and arm looked completely mechanized, and around his face, chest, and groin other metallic implants gleamed sickly in the dull light. Various intravenous tubes were attached to his skin, though nothing seemed to be being pumped into him at the moment.

            He stumbled forward, his cybernetic leg stiff and clunky.

            'This him?' he rasped, 'this the job?'

            'Ja, the collar, it isn't like anything I've seen before, gives out shocks, seems to be remote controlled, can you get it off?'

            The cyborg shuffled still closer, right up to Logan's face, though his eyes were scanning the collar around his neck.

            As he did so, more details became noticeable to Logan. The cyborg's skin looked unhealthy, too yellow, and clammy, his eyes were somewhat bloodshot, their pupils dilated. His hands twitched at his side, his every movement was jerky. He did not seem to be a healthy man.

            Murmuring to himself in a none-stop litany, the man studied the collar.

            'This better not take too long, getting twitchy, need Rave soon, need medicine. So, what we got here then? What pretty trinket? Hummm… hummm… nice work, not seen before… or maybe… yes, have seen, is mine, yes, looks like my work! Wonder where? When? No, don't remember, don't need to. Better not to. So so so the right tools, the right tools, need them. Haven't got them, better get them. Wait, wait here, be back soon.'

            With this he scuttled away, moving surprisingly quickly despite his stiff leg.

            'Who was that?' asked Logan when he was gone.

            'That was Forge,' explained Kurt, 'he helped build this place, and the pads. He was one of the first mutants to be caught, too, was used by the government to make things. That's his talent, see, making things, figuring out how machinery works, very useful. He was rescued from American CIA many years back, they wanted to control him, to create weapons for them, so they put him on Rave. That's why he's so twitchy.'

            'Rave?'

            'A drug, performance enhancing and highly addictive. Forge has been on it for years, still needs to take it now, it's rotted away a lot of his body, hence the cybernetic implants. It's killing him slowly, both mind, body, and soul, but he can't get off it now, his system has become totally dependent.'

            'So,' sighed Logan, 'what you're saying is that I'm trusting my life to a hopeless drug addict.'

            'He may be that, yo,' put in Todd, 'but he's a genius too. That stuff ain't rotted his brain totally yet, if anyone can get yo' outta that collar, he can.'

            As if hearing their words, Forge shuffled back in, a huge steel box swinging easily in one mechanical hand.

            He gestured Kurt to sit Logan down on one of the backing crates, and, setting the thing down with a large 'clunk' he proceeded to root through the steel box, bringing out numerous strange implements.

            'Defiantly my work,' mumbled Forge, 'yes, yes, know this, know this one, can't remember, but know. It'll be fine. Fine. What I can make I can unmake. I can create, I can break. I can, I can, I can. Make, break, unmake, break, make, create, unmake, break, create, make.'

            This strange chant continued as Forge's hands, now steady as a rock, flitted across the collar, touching, caressing, undoing screws, pressing small buttons, using strange and exotic tools. Several times he got a shock which caused him to hiss in pain, but always he returned to the collar, his hands working like spiders across it, fast, dexterous, sure. Still the mumbled chant continued, words whispered over and over again, exotic titles of various electronic components murmured like the names of lovers, self assurances, soft scolding when he did something wrong, and always the sigh that this was familiar, so, so familiar.

            Eventually, with a gasp of exultation, and a soft click, Forge brought his hands away, the collar slipped off and fell onto the floor with a clatter.

            Logan blinked. That was it, done. For so many years, decades, he had worn that impeding necklace, that tortuous device. For most of his memory it had been gasped like a vice round his neck, making him a toy for various owners, for so long it had been his bane, his tormentor, his collar and chain, the thing he loathed the most.

            Now… now it was off.

            He was free, truly, fully, free.

            His first thought was that this was not dramatic enough, there should have been fighting, and explosions, something impressive, not just a mad drug addict and a soft click.

            His second was how cold his neck was, how light his shoulders felt without the familiar weight. Funny, he almost missed it. The thing that had kept him prisoner for so many years, he missed.

            Any further thoughts were drowned out when his powers, released of the collar, slipped back into working order.

            The sent of the room, no longer dulled, hit him full in the nose, almost overpowering him. His sight cleared, piercing the darkness of the room, allowing him to see every rivet in the mettle plating that made up the walls. His hearing did likewise; he became aware of Kurt's every breath, of the popping of one of Todd's pustules, of the creaking of Forge's implants.

            It was all a little too much for him, and he found himself swooning again as he fought to bring his senses back under his control.

            Once again Kurt was by his side, holding him up with his soft, three fingered hand.

            'Take it easy,' he murmured, 'we'll just get you to the med-lab and get you checked up, then you can rest.'

            'Don't need to elf,' grunted Logan, feeling the familiar buzz of healing factor rush through his body.

            Pulling himself from Kurt's grasp, forgetting his broken arm, he stretched himself out, moving every muscle, baring his chest.

            There was a snapping, twisting sound as his broken limb moved back into place, as the bones snapped together and were mended. The cuts, bruises and slashes on his skin disappeared in the winking of an eye, leaving nothing but a little faded scarring. The pain, at last, was gone.

            Logan gave a roar of triumph, screaming out his joy, and as he did so there was a 'shinkt' and a familiar, welcome sting in his knuckles as his adamantium claws shot out, deadly, shining brightly even in the dull yellow light.

            Both Kurt and Todd were stuck for words, but not so Forge.

            The cyborg pointed a trembling, metallic finger at Logan, his Native American features twisted in shock, his yellow-brown skin turning pale.

            'I remember you now!' he screeched, 'I remember you! You're him! You're one of the Three! The first of the Three! You're the Wolverine!' 

Reviewer Replies:

Ok, thanks to you all for reading this, it's much appreciated. This story might start off a bit slow, but trust me the end will be a roller coaster ride (hopefully, anyway.)

Eileen: Thanks for mentioning this in Nightscrawlers, fingers crossed Internutter's site gets back up soon, eh?

Gyuumajo: Glad you liking this, and yes that was Todd, (as you'll have read now,) and yes, there's *Plenty* more from where that came from.

Eaglerider: I've got reviews now! Thank you! If your finding this confusing please remember that a) that first posting was by two different authors b) the 2nd and 3rd chapter are actually one big paragraph, cut in half so that I could have chapters of more or less equal word length (though there will be exceptions) and c) this is very AU, and I don't want to be so contrived as to immediately state how everything's different, I'll let the plot do that for me… hehehe. But I'm glad you're interested. I look forward for more reviews by you (:

Telle: Will do!

ManniElf18: I like the German accent, glad you find this interesting, hope there's something else that's caught your attention here.

Kiki5: So glad to see you! You might have already read up to the end of this chapter, but probably not much further… I'm very glad you liked the detail, details can add a lot to a story. Please don't stop the reviews! I LOVE them!

Fantasy Cat: Usually, I'd be only too happy but the site itself is down at the moment. If you type in 'internutter' in Google then you should get some sort of link… When it comes up again, if I work out how to, I'll try to post some sort of link or something. Glad you're enjoying the story.

Impulsive Thoughts: Sorry for not bothering with the mix of capital letters, but I get confused easerly. Yep, Spyke will be in this, and he'll have a largish part. So don't worry. I'm not a big Spyke fan, though I'd like to be, I find his character hard to understand, but hopefully I've done him some justice in this fic. Let me know what you think when he pops up.

DrasticSpaz: Glad you like it, and thanks for the complement. Don't you hang about on Nightscrawlers? I look forward to hearing more from you.

Hnh: Again, I'm glad you like. You make me happy with your happiness. YAY

Wow, that was long. Please note that, if you want to see the source of this work (I.e. the collection of Alternate Universes, one of which was this) go to Scribbler's work, you can find a link to her under my favorite author page. She's fantastic, well worth a look

Because that was so long, I can't promise that all my following Review Replies will be as good, I don't really want to detract from the story too much. Anyway, see you next time and PLEASE REVIEW!