Notes: The last chapter!

Disclaimer: This is not mine. See first chapters for details.

Rating: PG13+

Other: This story is AU. Readers Replies at the top this time. Don't want to disrupt the flow of the story...

Readers Replies

Scrawler: See, Kurt still has the baby! Yay! I'm also happy you liked Tabby, she just kinda fitted with that role…

Kiki5: Thanks for all your long reviews, I've really appreciated them. Yeah, die guards, die! Yep, that was Jamie… poor little guy, I had to include him *somewhere.* The cameo's were fun, some just popped out at the last moment, like those written on their children's maturation chambers… I kinda liked having everyone in there, and I would have liked to tell each of their stories but, alas, there just isn't enough room. And yes, it has to end. I think, as with many things, it is better that it ends sooner with a real bang than drags on and on and on and on…

Ricter: Yep, I got your review, all four of them (: Yep, the title will be explained in this chapter… I think it's a fairly fitting title too… it's what started this idea off. I just pictured the last scene and… yeah. PLEASE tell me what you think!

Darkarc: Like most people, if I don't immediately know the person's gender, I presume they are a 'he.' It's either that or refer to you as 'it,' which is hardly polite. Thanks for being understanding, anyway. Sorry this update was a little late, I had major internet problems. The entire of my area had major internet problems. Major bummer. Glad to see you're still doing the demon thing!

Trunksblue: Thanks, again I liked putting in small cameos. I do tend to be killing off  a lot of people in this story, don't I? I wonder if the trend will continue…

Krazy Xandu: I'm sorry Kitty wasn't in it more, I do quite like her and all, she just ended up with a very small part in this story. Maybe my next one will feature her more. I'm happy your toe got better, and that you're still reading this, I love every reviewer!

Gyuumajo: Yep, and now you can finish reading this fic as you started it, on you own computer. Go you!

Sailor X1: Thanks for reading Shattered Mirror, and thanks for the complement. I do my best :blush:. Oh, I'm sorry to you, (and everyone else) about the late update, see above for my reasons. After I've posted this, I'm gonna check on Turning Point! Hey, we're probably finishing at just the same time! Scary, huh?

And Now…

Chapter 13: The Decision

            When he returned to Kurt, he found him taking quietly with the X-man. The two seemed to be in some deep conversation, or rather interrogation, as Kurt kept muttering questions at the boy, who seemed to be co-operating fully.

            'What's up elf?' called Logan, as both query and greeting.

            'I've been talking to our friend here,' Kurt replied, gesturing to the X-man with one, three fingered hand, 'he's been most helpful.'

            'How so?'

            'He's told me much about Creed's plans. What did Creed say he wanted to do, mein Freund?'

            'He wanted to put me in the special chair,' replied X-man, 'the one which makes me feel people's thoughts a lot better, he said he had to even though I wasn't trained fully, that it was our last chance. He said if that failed then he would… would… X… er… X-term-nate me and the chair. What does X-term-nate mean?' he turned back to Kurt, 'you said you'd explain.'

            'Exterminate means get rid of,' replied Kurt, 'something we cannot allow to happen.'

            'Why would they get rid of me?' asked X-man innocently, 'I've always worked well, just as they asked, there's no reason to X-term-nate me, I haven't done anything wrong. Have I?'

            Logan snorted, 'don't worry kid,' he said, 'nothing's gonna happen to you now, not if we can help it. The question is what are we going to do with Cerebro? Presuming that's what the 'chair' is. Is our mission over now we've got the kid?'

            Kurt frowned thoughtfully, shifting Pryde in his arms, who grizzled slightly and continued to suck on a lock of his indigo hair.

            'I'm not sure,' said the elf at last, 'I think we should follow Creed, it sounds like he's going to destroy Cerebro, probably though some sort of self-destruct program. If that's true then we don't know how severe it might be, it could destroy the entire base, us and the prisoners included. We can contact Psy telepathically as we run, perhaps get some clearer orders.'

            Logan couldn't hide his grimace, he still didn't like the idea of telepathic communication, but needs must as needs must. He stretched out his body, seeing how injured he was. The laser shots from earlier had healed somewhat, though they still smarted, he doubted they would slow him down.

            'Well,' he sighed, 'which way is it, Elf?'

            Kurt shrugged, 'how should I know?' he asked, 'Cerebro wasn't here when I escaped, it's X-man who's our guide now.'

            Logan turned to the boy, still staring at them with wide, anxious eyes.

            'After you,' said Logan, gesturing to him to lead.

            'Why should I help you?' asked X-man, a gleam of doubt appearing in his eyes for the first time, 'how do I know that's not a wrong thing?'

            'The other guys were going to get rid of you,' explained Logan, 'we're not. It's a simple case of self preservation.'

            X-man nodded at this, his mind made up, and he started to lead the way.

            'I've done this many times,' he said, conversationally, 'they often took me to the chair, so I could practice my powers. I have a lot of powers, you know, when the collar isn't on.'

            'Yeah,' grunted Logan, padding along easily behind the boy, 'well, get a move on, we can't dawdle. Here, we'll stop for a few seconds, I'll take that darn thing off.'

            With a few twists and turns of the lock-pick gadget the collar fell to the floor with a 'clunk.' Logan felt a tingling sensation for a moment, as if some mighty power had been set free.

            'Cool,' said X-man happily, 'now I can sense where Mr. Creed is, too. That'll make things easier. Now we can run!'

            With this, and a boyish laugh, X-man increased his speed, following the twisting, mazelike passages as if he knew them off by heart. Despite his reasonable speed Logan had little trouble keeping up with him, he turned to Kurt to make sure the same was true for him, loaded down with a baby as he was.

            Kurt, despite the child, was having no problem keeping up, though there was a look of concentration pasted across his face.

            For a second Logan wondered what was up until-

            _Yes Kurt? What is your mission report?_

            Ah. Psy. Telepathic communication, what fun.

            _We have liberated the X-man and some other prisoners,_ said Kurt's telepathic voice, and Logan came to realize that he was in a three way mind link, _Spyke is… out of action. Graydon Creed is also here, but escaped. We believe that he is headed towards Cerebro and it intending to destroy it. How goes things with you? What are our next orders?_

            _We are holding our own_ came Xavier's reply, _for now at least, but that is unimportant. It is imperative, utterly imperative that Greydon Creed does not destroy or harm Cerebro._

            _Why?_ asked Logan, trying to think as loudly as he could, _as long as we have you and the X-man, no harm can come of it. Better to have the thing out of action._

            _No_ came Xavier's response, and through the link Logan got the impression he was most concerned, _trust me, I have… plans for it. Once again I urge you to ensure that it is kept intact, no matter what the consequences. Contact me again when Cerebro is yours._

            With this the feeling in Logan's head disappeared and he knew that Psy was no longer there.

            He exchanged a brief glance with Kurt, both of them wondering what that was about.

            'Never mind,' said Kurt at last, 'we'll do as he asked. There must be a good reason, after all.'

            Logan shrugged, and continued following X-man.

            After a few seconds the boy cried out, 'here we are!' jubilantly, careening round the final bend.

            Logan pulled him back just in time to miss being shot by the guard, who was standing by the huge mettle door at the end of the corridor, the door to Cerebro.

            Once X-man was safe, Logan dashed round the corner, firing his own gun, catching the guard on his shoulder. The man slowly slumped to the floor, leaving a long crimson stain on the wall behind him.

            They rushed to the adamantium doors, Kurt took out the unlocking device, putting it against the control pad by the door. He turned the dial a few times on it, then jumped back in shock, a brief cry escaping his lips. Logan's keen nostrils detected the scent of burnt fur and melted plastic.

            'Verdammt!' swore Kurt, 'the control's lock-pick proof and it's got another electrical field to prevent tampering! We'll need the security code!'

            Logan rounded on the X-man, 'you have it?' he growled, he was unsure of how much time they had.

            'No,' replied the boy, 'but he does.'

            He gestured to the guard whom, Logan only just now noticed, was still breathing.

            'I could get it out of him, if you wanted,' suggested the boy casually, and Logan nodded. Time was of the essence, they could not afford to ask questions or be softhearted about anything.

            The X-man bent over the injured guard and put his hands on the man's temples. After a few seconds the guard's eyes popped open and he began to scream, a dreadful, tortured wail that could probably be heard all round the base. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The guard's eyes rolled upwards until only the whites showed, a last, rattling gasp escaped from his chest, and he died.

            'I've got it,' said X-man, 'but I think I pushed too hard and broke him. Sorry.'

            'Don't worry about it, kid, just tap the code in and get us in there.' balked Logan, though Kurt's eyes remained fixed on the guard and the expression of horror which still lingered on his dead face.

            The X-man nodded and did as he was told. A few seconds later the door to the Cerebro Chamber smoothly opened.

            It revealed the sight of Creed, poring over the controls of Cerebro, and his final guard. That last guard swung his gun desperately towards Logan, but Wolverine, his reflexes honed beyond military training, was by far the faster. Before the guard's finger could even tighten on the trigger of his gun, Wolverine had brought his claws up and sliced them neatly across his neck. For a second the guard stood there, ultimate surprise on his features, and then his body fell to the floor, as did his head, separately rolling away from it for a few meters.

            The X-man started to enter the room as well, but was pushed rudely back by Logan.

            'Stay out of here!' he ordered, for he was unsure of where exactly the boy's alliances would linger, once he was reunited with his old master.

            Kurt, still holding his daughter in one arm, went straight for Creed. What exactly went though his fuzzy blue head Logan could only guess at. All he knew was that, for the first time, Kurt reached for his gun with his free hand and drew it. He pointed it squarely at Creed, and in a voice that shook almost as much as the hand which held the gun, he balked, 'stop! Or I'll fire!'

            Creed did as he was told, his own eyes filled with fear as he regarded Kurt, his hands still hovering over Cerebro's controls.

            'So,' the politician muttered, licking his thin lips, 'you've come, you think you've won. But no, no, I know you'll fire that thing anyway. I won't let you win.'

            His hands, shaking as much as Kurt's, began to shift towards the computer controls once again.

            'I will shoot!' repeated Kurt, his own voice desperate. As he spoke Logan began to slowly move himself to get a better view of Creed and the controls with his sharp eyes.

            'I know,' replied Creed, 'but that doesn't matter.'

            'You'll never do it, bub,' spoke up Logan, having gotten a better view, 'I can see the machine from over here. You've got another eight code numbers to put in, you won't finish them before my friend finishes you. Or before I finish you.' 

            With this statement Logan brought up his own gun and, unlike Kurt, he wore an expression which clearly told Creed that he was more than willing to use it.

            Creed only snorted though, a look of bitter humor on his lean face, for all the sweat that dribbled down it.

            'It doesn't matter,' he repeated, 'it's the only choice I've got. The only chance we've got. I've have to try.'

            Kurt and Logan both shared puzzled looks, what was the mad man babbling on about? 

            'Don't tell me you don't know!' laughed Creed, almost hysterical now, 'don't think I haven't worked it out.'

            'Well,' sighed Logan, brining his free arm up to rub his head thoughtfully, 'I hate to reveal a weakness, but we actually don't actually have a clue what you're going on about. Care to let us in on the joke?'

            'Come on!' ranted Creed, 'you can figure it out! You've got what we had, the most powerful telepaths on the planet and this machine. I know what Psy is planning; he's going to use it the same way we were going to!'

            'He's going to use it to kill all mutant kind?' asked Kurt unbelievingly; perhaps this man really was insane.

            'Fool!' screamed Creed, 'he's not going to use it to destroy mutant minds! He's going to use it to find and destroy human minds! He's going to wipe us out! You're going to wipe humanity out! Filthy freaks!'

            'No,' muttered Kurt, 'no… he wouldn't do that, he would…'

            'But he did seem very keen that Cerebro wasn't damaged,' muttered Logan, and they exchanged brief glances.

            At that moment they both knew that Creed was right, that he spoke the truth.

            'Oh mein Gott,' gasped Kurt, 'I… I never thought… would he really do it?'

            Logan found himself able to only nod, one look in those Xavier's strange, mad, pain filled eyes was all the proof and confirmation needed.

            'What should we do?' asked Kurt, 'how do we stop them?'

            'Should we stop them?' added Logan, 'kid,' he continued, 'Psy has a good reason for doing this. This could end the war, end the suffering.' 

            'Ja,' said Kurt, 'but all those people Logan! How… I don't know… Logan, what should we do?'

            For a moment Logan was stuck for words, and then something hit him. Perhaps it was an epiphany, perhaps it was fear, perhaps it was something else. Hell, for all he knew it might have been some mental prodding from the distant Psy. Yet he knew what to say, knew with a strange, sad certainty that this was not his decision to make.

            'Kurt,' he said, 'I don't know, I can't make that decision, only you can.'

            Kurt briefly turned towards him, his golden eyes wide in shock, 'vas?' he asked.

            'Elf,' Logan continued, 'you're the one with the gun, with the child. You're the one who's never killed, you're the one who's been through hell, and you're younger than me. You're the one who can shape the world, not me. My time, Psy's time, Magneto's time, that's past, over. It's your turn now, your world to shape. You've got to make this decision.'

            'But…' stuttered Kurt, 'but how can I make it… it's too hard, I-'

            'No son,' soothed Logan, 'it's simple. You've got two basic choices. You can shoot Creed, stop him from destroying Cerebro, and then Xavier or X-man, can use the machine to wipe out humanity. I'm not going to pretend that's a good thing, it'll be a genetic holocaust, but it will mean freedom for mutants every where, for many years to come, it'll bring about a new age. Or we can let Creed live, or let him destroy Cerebro at any rate. If that happens then human kind will be spared, but the fight will continue, and it may never end. Human and mutant killings, the torture, the slavery, they'll continue for a long, long time, because hatred is a strong force. Perhaps more will die this way, perhaps less, I don't know. What I do know is that we'll probably never get a chance like this again, and whatever choice you make you're child, and your children's children will grow up with. You're call elf, your time, not mine.'

            Kurt was silent, he just stared at Cerebro, stared at the cowering Greydon Creed.

            'Kid,' begged the human, 'kid, please, I know we've done wrong, I know you're kind hate us, but we can do better. We don't deserve extinction, you can't just-'

            'Shut up!' roared Logan, 'this ain't your choice, and it ain't mine. This ain't our world any more, it's his. Let him do right by it.'

            Kurt stood there silently, and the time that passed seemed a thousand life times. No, a billion lifetimes, one for each mutant and human on the planate. All were in his keeping, all would depend on this one, eternal moment.

            Behind him he felt the eyes of those no longer here, staring at him from the afterlife. Pietro, Wanda, Spyke, and the brown haired girl, the mother of his child, whose full name he would never even know, who would never see her daughter grow up.

            Yet in front of him was the human, suddenly small, fearfully, weeping pitifully. It was like watching a small, spoilt child who has been caught doing mischief and now knew that strong punishment is on the way from the parents he had ignored.

            This was not just about the dead, or the living, it was about him, about Kurt Wagner, and what he had, here and now.

            In one arm was his daughter, warm, soft, loving, her eyes wide, staring at the world and at Creed in particular. She would see all, and be shaped by it.

            In the other was his gun, hard, cold, but real, oh so real.

            Kurt Wagner made his choice.

            'Watch and learn, mein lieb,' he whispered to his baby daughter as his finger tightened on the trigger, 'watch and learn.'

            The End.

e'sY

OK. That's it. The end of the longest Fanfic I've ever written. Well, what did you think? If you liked this even the smallest bit, if it gave you even the merest smidgeon of pleasure, please, please, reward my hard work by posting one, small review, especially if you comment about what you thought of the ending. Please. I'll love them and treasure them always.

To conclude, I'd just like to thank…

My reviewers, for obvious reasons. You renew my faith in myself as a writer every day!

InterNutter: For hosting this challenge and seducing me into the world of fanfiction. Visit her site now if you like Kurt!

And finally Scribbler, author, beta reader, reviewer, and all round great girl! Not to mention the person who started this all off… whether this is a good or bad thing I'll let you, gentle reader, decide…

Bye! - Yma