Search and Discovery
It had been two days since Scott and the remainder of the team limped back into Westchester. Hank's injuries, while nasty looking, hadn't been life- threatening. He was on the mend and already frustrated at being held back from the search for Rogue. Jean was another story. She was already recovered physically, but her mind had been seriously scorched by the intensity of both her telepathic and telekinetic outputs. The professor had spent the better part of the two days coaxing Jean's mind back into a state of true consciousness, but even so, the road to recovery would not be a short or easy one.
Logan, Scott and Bobby, on the other hand, had spent the past forty-eight hours with little to no sleep and only the food forcefully pushed on them by those at the school. Their every moment had been consumed with searching for Rogue, but to everyone's horror, there was no trace of her. Even the mental sense of her Xavier had been able to locate had faded to the barest wisp. Although he had not voiced the thought, he was no longer sure Rogue was even alive.
Scott and Bobby, as intense as could be in their search, were taken aback by Logan's simmering rage. Or make that Wolverine. They were both intensely aware of the differences between the man and the animal. And the animal had taken over. More than once, Scott had had to step in to keep Wolverine from killing someone who had nothing to tell. It was only the situation at hand that kept Scott from booting Logan's ass from the team and talking to Charles about having him barred from the school. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it were Jean that were missing-taken by his worst enemy-he would go to any length to get her back, even if that included cold blooded murder. While Scott had never mentioned it to Logan, he was still aware of that 'something' between him and Rogue and realized that it was more than 'big brother' protectiveness that drove the man. He wondered-assuming they found Rogue alive-how Logan would react to the changes in her. As far as Scott knew, Charles hadn't filled him in on the 'additions' to her mutation over the last few years. Rogue as a mature young woman was very, very different from the girl Logan had left behind four years ago.
It was early morning of the third day Rogue was missing when a commotion was stirred within the school. As if he owned the place, Magneto-helmet under his arm--strolled in and headed for Xavier's office.
{Good morning, Erik}, came the cultured tones of Charles' voice moments before Magneto could open the door.
Erik smiled a bit and waited to reply until he was standing face to face with the man who had been his best friend and his arch enemy.
"Charles," he drawled, sinking elegantly into a nearby wingchair. "I decided it would be prudent to come now and avow my innocence in the loss of your team member." He studied neatly clipped nails for a moment before glancing up with a sardonic smile. "I assumed I would be your first suspect, given our prior history. Yours and mine as well as mine and the girl's."
Professor Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair and steepled his fingers together, his own expression wry. "True, but I quickly discounted the idea. From the way Scott described the attack, I knew it wasn't your style."
Magneto arched a brow and nodded indolently in acknowledgement. "You know me well, Charles."
Silence reigned for several long moments before Xavier let his hands drop and rest on the desk. "My people are fairly certain it was one of your team, though," he said with a certain lightness, despite his fears.
"Mmmm," Magneto replied, standing and turning towards a window overlooking the early morning sunlight streaming across the lawn. "So I had heard." He sighed and turned after a moment. "I have considered having him put down like the rabid animal he is, but then again, he can be an effective tool. Effective enough to keep him alive." There was no sense of apology in his voice, only a statement of fact. "You know how that is, Charles, don't you?" he drawled with a hint of derision. "You have an animal of your own on the leash."
Xavier remained silent. Waiting. The differences between Logan and Sabertooth were too numerous to name and he wasn't going to waste time with a useless argument about the humanity of the Wolverine. His patience was rewarded after another few moments of quiet. "I was away on a bit of business," Magneto murmured, a slight smirk to his expression, knowing his 'business' was always of interest to Charles Xavier. "When I returned yesterday, I was informed of the incident. And of the disappearance of several items." He slipped a piece of paper from behind his cape and onto the desk between the two men. "If you find her alive, these are the drugs missing from my lab and likely in her system. Crude, but that's not surprising given Sabertooth's mentality." He hesitated, as if struggling with saying something more before finally giving in.
"There was another item though, that makes me think it is not his intention to kill her. At least not right away." Another pause, then, "My team liberated a military installation several months ago. Experimentation, among other things," he said curtly, not needing to paint a picture. Both men were well aware of what lengths some humans would go to to end the 'mutant threat'. "We found a prototype for a solid metal band to be worn around the neck that would inhibit the mutation. It wasn't perfected, though. According to the notes we found, it was more often than not lethal when worn for more than a short time." He sighed again, shaking his head. "My people were still working on the makeup of the collar when it was taken. I doubt Sabertooth was aware of the implications. I also can't imagine him being able to keep the girl down without it."
The implied result hung in the air between the two men. A heavy silence reigned as both contemplated how they'd ended up on opposite sides, both totally convinced of the rightness of their missions.
Magneto replaced the helmet back on his head. "If I hear of anything useful, I will let you know."
"Thank you, Erik," Charles intoned softly, nodding his head. He knew there was honor yet left in his old friend to bring him under these circumstances.
And so the brief truce between the two leaders of the mutant world was over as quickly as it began.
"Professor! Professor!" came the urgent call as Xavier sat with Logan, Scott, Hank and Ororo in the war room later that afternoon, going over what they knew and where to search next.
Xavier blinked, sensing a feeling of unease from the several people even as the actual voice reached his ears. A second later, Bobby burst into the room, earning glares from Scott and Logan as he skidded to a stop. Both men were looking worn to the point of exhaustion, but nothing less than a complete collapse would stop their earch. Days of no sleep, little food and intense searching had left their mark: overgrown beards, gaunt faces and pale skin marked both of them.
"What is it, Robert?" Charles asked tiredly, aware that the young X-Man wouldn't have interrupted them without a good cause. Aside from now being a full-fledged member of the team and aware of the protocols, he was extremely close to Rogue and would never hinder the search for her. 'Iceman', as he was called by the team, was out of breath, but more alarming, completely drained of color. He looked as if he'd been frozen from the inside out by the ice he created.
Bobby took a shuddering breath, his eyes slipping away from Scott and Logan. "Professor," he began, then hesitated, not wanting to deliver the news he had. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, and then barged on. "Professor, there was a box delivered just now-"he started, getting no further before a crash startled them all. The remains of a heavy chair slid down the wall in splinters as the Wolverine stood.
"Listen you little puke," he growled, his hands flexing as if he were about to free the adamantium claws held within, "in case you haven't noticed, we've got a few more important things going on other than deliveries." He took a menacing step towards the younger man before an intense look from Xavier stopped him in his tracks.
Charles gave Logan a long, lingering look before turning his attention back to Bobby. He nodded, and Bobby-still looking at Logan warily-continued. "Um, the box. We, ah, um," he stammered, flustered by the Wolverine unlike he'd ever been before. It was the news he had to tell that was making him as awkward as a schoolboy again. "God, there's no good way to say this." He took a deep breath and simply stated it. "We scanned it like we do everything that comes in. It's a coffin, Professor. And there's someone inside."
It had been two days since Scott and the remainder of the team limped back into Westchester. Hank's injuries, while nasty looking, hadn't been life- threatening. He was on the mend and already frustrated at being held back from the search for Rogue. Jean was another story. She was already recovered physically, but her mind had been seriously scorched by the intensity of both her telepathic and telekinetic outputs. The professor had spent the better part of the two days coaxing Jean's mind back into a state of true consciousness, but even so, the road to recovery would not be a short or easy one.
Logan, Scott and Bobby, on the other hand, had spent the past forty-eight hours with little to no sleep and only the food forcefully pushed on them by those at the school. Their every moment had been consumed with searching for Rogue, but to everyone's horror, there was no trace of her. Even the mental sense of her Xavier had been able to locate had faded to the barest wisp. Although he had not voiced the thought, he was no longer sure Rogue was even alive.
Scott and Bobby, as intense as could be in their search, were taken aback by Logan's simmering rage. Or make that Wolverine. They were both intensely aware of the differences between the man and the animal. And the animal had taken over. More than once, Scott had had to step in to keep Wolverine from killing someone who had nothing to tell. It was only the situation at hand that kept Scott from booting Logan's ass from the team and talking to Charles about having him barred from the school. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it were Jean that were missing-taken by his worst enemy-he would go to any length to get her back, even if that included cold blooded murder. While Scott had never mentioned it to Logan, he was still aware of that 'something' between him and Rogue and realized that it was more than 'big brother' protectiveness that drove the man. He wondered-assuming they found Rogue alive-how Logan would react to the changes in her. As far as Scott knew, Charles hadn't filled him in on the 'additions' to her mutation over the last few years. Rogue as a mature young woman was very, very different from the girl Logan had left behind four years ago.
It was early morning of the third day Rogue was missing when a commotion was stirred within the school. As if he owned the place, Magneto-helmet under his arm--strolled in and headed for Xavier's office.
{Good morning, Erik}, came the cultured tones of Charles' voice moments before Magneto could open the door.
Erik smiled a bit and waited to reply until he was standing face to face with the man who had been his best friend and his arch enemy.
"Charles," he drawled, sinking elegantly into a nearby wingchair. "I decided it would be prudent to come now and avow my innocence in the loss of your team member." He studied neatly clipped nails for a moment before glancing up with a sardonic smile. "I assumed I would be your first suspect, given our prior history. Yours and mine as well as mine and the girl's."
Professor Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair and steepled his fingers together, his own expression wry. "True, but I quickly discounted the idea. From the way Scott described the attack, I knew it wasn't your style."
Magneto arched a brow and nodded indolently in acknowledgement. "You know me well, Charles."
Silence reigned for several long moments before Xavier let his hands drop and rest on the desk. "My people are fairly certain it was one of your team, though," he said with a certain lightness, despite his fears.
"Mmmm," Magneto replied, standing and turning towards a window overlooking the early morning sunlight streaming across the lawn. "So I had heard." He sighed and turned after a moment. "I have considered having him put down like the rabid animal he is, but then again, he can be an effective tool. Effective enough to keep him alive." There was no sense of apology in his voice, only a statement of fact. "You know how that is, Charles, don't you?" he drawled with a hint of derision. "You have an animal of your own on the leash."
Xavier remained silent. Waiting. The differences between Logan and Sabertooth were too numerous to name and he wasn't going to waste time with a useless argument about the humanity of the Wolverine. His patience was rewarded after another few moments of quiet. "I was away on a bit of business," Magneto murmured, a slight smirk to his expression, knowing his 'business' was always of interest to Charles Xavier. "When I returned yesterday, I was informed of the incident. And of the disappearance of several items." He slipped a piece of paper from behind his cape and onto the desk between the two men. "If you find her alive, these are the drugs missing from my lab and likely in her system. Crude, but that's not surprising given Sabertooth's mentality." He hesitated, as if struggling with saying something more before finally giving in.
"There was another item though, that makes me think it is not his intention to kill her. At least not right away." Another pause, then, "My team liberated a military installation several months ago. Experimentation, among other things," he said curtly, not needing to paint a picture. Both men were well aware of what lengths some humans would go to to end the 'mutant threat'. "We found a prototype for a solid metal band to be worn around the neck that would inhibit the mutation. It wasn't perfected, though. According to the notes we found, it was more often than not lethal when worn for more than a short time." He sighed again, shaking his head. "My people were still working on the makeup of the collar when it was taken. I doubt Sabertooth was aware of the implications. I also can't imagine him being able to keep the girl down without it."
The implied result hung in the air between the two men. A heavy silence reigned as both contemplated how they'd ended up on opposite sides, both totally convinced of the rightness of their missions.
Magneto replaced the helmet back on his head. "If I hear of anything useful, I will let you know."
"Thank you, Erik," Charles intoned softly, nodding his head. He knew there was honor yet left in his old friend to bring him under these circumstances.
And so the brief truce between the two leaders of the mutant world was over as quickly as it began.
"Professor! Professor!" came the urgent call as Xavier sat with Logan, Scott, Hank and Ororo in the war room later that afternoon, going over what they knew and where to search next.
Xavier blinked, sensing a feeling of unease from the several people even as the actual voice reached his ears. A second later, Bobby burst into the room, earning glares from Scott and Logan as he skidded to a stop. Both men were looking worn to the point of exhaustion, but nothing less than a complete collapse would stop their earch. Days of no sleep, little food and intense searching had left their mark: overgrown beards, gaunt faces and pale skin marked both of them.
"What is it, Robert?" Charles asked tiredly, aware that the young X-Man wouldn't have interrupted them without a good cause. Aside from now being a full-fledged member of the team and aware of the protocols, he was extremely close to Rogue and would never hinder the search for her. 'Iceman', as he was called by the team, was out of breath, but more alarming, completely drained of color. He looked as if he'd been frozen from the inside out by the ice he created.
Bobby took a shuddering breath, his eyes slipping away from Scott and Logan. "Professor," he began, then hesitated, not wanting to deliver the news he had. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, and then barged on. "Professor, there was a box delivered just now-"he started, getting no further before a crash startled them all. The remains of a heavy chair slid down the wall in splinters as the Wolverine stood.
"Listen you little puke," he growled, his hands flexing as if he were about to free the adamantium claws held within, "in case you haven't noticed, we've got a few more important things going on other than deliveries." He took a menacing step towards the younger man before an intense look from Xavier stopped him in his tracks.
Charles gave Logan a long, lingering look before turning his attention back to Bobby. He nodded, and Bobby-still looking at Logan warily-continued. "Um, the box. We, ah, um," he stammered, flustered by the Wolverine unlike he'd ever been before. It was the news he had to tell that was making him as awkward as a schoolboy again. "God, there's no good way to say this." He took a deep breath and simply stated it. "We scanned it like we do everything that comes in. It's a coffin, Professor. And there's someone inside."