Title: An Ending And A Beginning
Author: Phatz
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don't own them. So get the hell off my back.
Summary: Logan and Marie's friendship takes a nosedive, but will it lead to something better? Or is it too late?
Authors Notes: Next chapter. Joy.
~Thoughts~
Telepathic Speech
Chapter 5Roberts walked quickly down the dark hallway, his boots thudding heavily against the cool cement. The Sentinels had returned from the mission, and Roberts had to make his report. The General was not a patient man.
The door to the control room of the facility swooshes open, and he stepped into the room, and coughed. A burly man with glasses and a neatly trimmed goatee turned on his heal, and gave Roberts and icy stare. "What is it?" He bit out.
Roberts shifted his weight nervously. "The Sentinels have returned Sir."
The Generals eyes seemed to come to life, while the rest of his body remained motionless. "And?"
Roberts cleared his throat. He was scared to death of the General. He has seen how maliciously he has treated mutants at this facility, and he would not put it past the man to do that to a human, if he was angry enough. "Sir, we were unable to acquire any of the mutant children from the safe house. The X-men got involved, and the FOH's distraction was, unfortunately, not enough. They got away before the Sentinels could acquire any."
"What!?" The General pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Roberts, pressing the nuzzle of it firmly against his forehead. "Give me one reason not to fucking kill you," He said coldly, "I needed those mutants for my experiments."
Roberts was sweating profusely. "Sir, we didn't get any of the children, but we did manage to retrieve a mutant."
"One mutant? What the hell do I need one mutant for? I need many mutants, mutant children to be exact. I don't see how this alleviates your fuck-up."
"I think you will be pleased with this one."
The General lower his gun, and glared at Roberts. "Oh really?" He said unbelievingly.
"Yes. I'll take you to him now. He is still unconscious, but we have him bound and locked up."
"I don't see how this is supposed to please me."
"Well, he is an X-man Sir. A rather powerful one."
"It. It is an X-man. Mutants are not human." The General followed Roberts, still somewhat angry. Finding out that the Sentinels did catch one mutant, an X-man no less, was good news. But he really needed a range of young mutants and their different powers for his experiments. He should have known Roberts would fuck up. He should have never left him in charge of this mission. And him using the FOH? The General hated those bastards. They just blindly killed mutants, mutants that he could have tortured and experimented on. Those FOH had no vision.
Roberts led the General into the room with the mutant, holding his breath. "Here he is."
The General thought about reminding Roberts the mutant was an it, not a him, when the figure in the cage caught his gaze. The mutant's flesh was badly burned and scarred, but it was healing. Right before his eyes. Its hair was a very dark brown, almost black in color, and it came it what seemed like two points. It also seemed to be growing long sideburns on its burned face. The mutant seemed very familiar. The General took of his glasses, and rubbed his eyes, in an attempt to see more clearly. It was not possible. This mutant couldn't be him. When he placed his glasses back on, he noticed a shiny metal dog tag hanging around the mutant's neck. "Wolverine." The general whispered, a wicked smile spreading across his features. It was him.
________________________________________________________________________
"Well? Did you find him professor?" Marie nervously asked, as professor Xavier wheeled out of Cerebro.
Xavier looked around at his X-men. All of them were there, waiting for any information regarding Logan. He returned his gaze to Marie, a sad expression on his face. "I was unable to locate Logan anywhere."
"Are you sure professor?" Scott asked, glancing at Marie. He knew Logan and Marie weren't exactly on good terms, but their bond was unbreakable. And her reaction to leaving Logan indicated that she wasn't taking his absence, and possibility of him being hurt, very well.
"Yes."
"Like, how is that possible professor. I thought you could find any mutant on the planet with that thing." Jubilee said, jerking her thumb in the direction of Cerebro.
"Not entirely true jubilation. I cannot locate Magneto when he wears his helmet. It is designed to block my brainwave patterns."
"Isn't he the only one who knows how to block Cerebro? And he's in jail." Jean replied.
"Yes, he is the only one who knows, unless he has shared that information with someone else, which I believe is untrue." Xavier answered.
"Then why can't you find him?" Marie asked, her nerves on a razor-thin edge.
Xavier looked at Marie, remorse written all over his face. The rest of the team looked at her as well, the same expression on their faces. Marie glanced at all of them, and knew what they were thinking. "No…" Marie whispered. "Logan's not…"
"Rogue, there is a chance that he might be alive, but it grieves me to inform you that it is a very slim chance…"
"No!" Marie yelled at Xavier. "He is not dead! You can't give up on him!"
"I did not say he was gone Rogue, and we are certainly not giving up on him. I will continue my search, as well as the rest of the team. Bu you must understand Rogue, the chance of him indeed being alive is small. You must understand…"
"No! I will not understand!" Hot tears began streaking down her face. "I will not accept that answer! He has saved my live so many times…"
"He's saved all of our lives Rogue. I know how hard this is for you… it's hard on all of us." Scott said in his most comforting voice.
Marie glared at Scott angrily. "This is your fault! You left him! I could have helped him!"
"Child…" Ororo put an arm around Marie's shoulders, desperate to calm her friend. "We all care for Logan. Blaming Scott won't bring him back."
"He is not dead" Marie turned on her heel, and ran out of the room, unable to stop crying. ~He's not dead. ~ She thought. ~He's not. ~
"Chere, wait!" Remy yelled, quickly following Marie. He just got back from the city a few hours ago, to the team and mansion in general in a somber mood. Because of Logan. Remy didn't like Logan, not just for breaking his jaw a few months ago, but because he loved Marie. And Remy didn't like that one bit. But Marie was friends with Logan, even if they weren't exactly on speaking terms right now. They had a very strong bond.
Kurt, waiting until Marie and Remy were out of the room and out of earshot, looked at Xavier. Logan couldn't really be dead. Logan was his friend, and he could survive anything. "Professor? Do you think he is really dead?"
Xavier let out a sigh, suddenly looking much older than he was. "Sadly, yes."
________________________________________________________________________
Marie sat in the garden, staring at the flowers. She could only think of Logan, and how happy he made her, and how safe she felt around him. Until she screwed it up. He wasn't dead though. She would not accept that. She would find him and bring him home. And tell him how sorry she was for everything, and tell him she loved him.
She knew that she loved him now, without question. Just the thought of him being dead, a thought she didn't even believe, tore her up inside. She needed to be around him, see him, and hear him. She needed him period. She didn't really know how to describe love, but she'd be damned if what she felt for him wasn't it.
"Petite?" Remy stood behind her, a worried expression on his face.
"What do you want Remy?"
"Remy worried about you Rogue."
"Leave me alone."
Remy ignored her, and walked from behind and sat next to her on the wooden bench. He gently touched her face, and turned her head to meet his gaze. He stared into her bloodshot eyes. "Remy sorry about de Wolverine."
"His name is Logan, and he is alive." She bit out, getting angry.
"Petite… you have to accept that he is…"
"He is not dead Gambit, and you better leave right now. You are the absolute last person I want to see."
"But chere, Remy is your boyfriend. It is his job to make sure your ok."
"Is it your job to fuck other women too?" Marie said harshly.
"Remy don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit!" She screamed. "I know you cheated on me! I can smell sex and women on you when you come back from these trips. I can smell it on you now." Marie laughed bitterly. "You ever hear of taking a shower after sex?"
Remy looked at Marie stunned. She knew? Because she could smell it on him? How was that possible?
Marie, sensing his question, answered it. "I still have some of his senses. Logan, who is not dead."
"Petite, Remy sorry. Those women mean nothing. Remy's heart belongs to you."
"Leave Remy. It's over. I don't want to see you."
"But Petite…"
"I am not your 'petite', so never call me that again. Now leave me alone."
Remy hung his head in defeat. He loved her. And he knew she loved him. How could she not? She was just upset about Wolverine. He would give her time to grieve, and then he would get her back. After all, he always gets what he wants.
________________________________________________________________________
The General stood in the dank cell, smiling wickedly from ear to ear. After eighteen years, he finally had the Wolverine back. His greatest work. He never thought he would see him again.
"What did you tie him down with?" The general asked Roberts, knowing it would be something wholly inadequate.
"Nylon straps."
The General snorted. He was right. "Get the adamantium shackles. Use those."
"The adamantium shackles? Don't you think that is a little excessive?"
The General almost laughed. He once tied Wolverine down with something less than adamantium shackles. Wolverine broke free, and killed everyone who worked at the facility, except for him, in an unholy rage. The blood and gore was everywhere, mostly on Wolverine himself, and those claws of his. That's how Wolverine escaped the Generals grasp. "No."
Roberts grabbed the shackles, and began placing them on Wolverine. When he was finished, Wolverine began to wake up, almost completely healed. "What the fuck!" Roberts said startled. How could this guy be moving?
The General ordered them all to get out; he needed some time alone with this subject. All of the men agreed, none more so than Roberts. Seeing the General's reaction to that mutant and how it could possibly move after those injuries, even if he could heal, freaked him out.
After the men had left, the General turned his gaze back to Logan. "Hello Wolverine."
Logan, his mind sill foggy, tried to focus his bleary eyes but couldn't. Agitated at that, he tried to sit up, when he realized he was held down. "What the fuck?" He snarled, yanking at the bonds he couldn't see.
The General laughed. "Good luck with those shackles Wolverine. They are made of adamantium, you know how strong that is."
"Who the fuck are you!? Where the fuck am I!?" Logan roared.
"Now, now, Wolverine. Your back home. You're back where you belong. In project Weapon X."
"What the fuck is Weapon X?"
"Don't tell me you don't remember?" The General laughed wickedly. "You are."
It hit Logan like a ton of bricks. The mutant halfway house. The Sentinels. Marie. He was back in the lab. ~Oh God, Marie.~ Logan thought. ~She can't be here, she can't.~
"So I guess you sent those Sentinels huh. To get me?" God, Marie had to be ok. He would gladly die if it meant she was ok. He couldn't let her go through what he did.
"No you my dear boy. Actually, I was after the children. But we only got you. Which, is very good news. I never knew you became an X-men. I have been looking for you for eighteen years."
Logan relaxed, a little. Marie wasn't there. He was the only one who got captured. Thank God. "So, what the hell do you want from me?"
"I want you to become the killing machine I designed you to become."
"Fuck you. I won't do shit."
"I have ways of making you follow orders."
"Don't matter."
"Everyone has a breaking point Wolverine. And I will find yours." The General laughed again, and headed toward the door.
"Who the hell are you?"
"What, you don't recognize me? I'm hurt."
"I can't see you."
The General walked right in front on Logan, and leaned he head as closely as the cage would allow.
Logan knew him. He knew he knew him. He searched his jumbled mass of memories, when a name popped into his head. "Stryker."
(To be continued…)