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: I just want to thank everyone who has given me great feedback, and I hope I don't disappoint any of you in the coming chapters.
~Thoughts~
Telepathic Speech
{{Marie's Mind}}
Chapter 6"Well Johnson, any progress?" Stryker asked.
Johnson, the lab's main doctor and Stryker's most trusted associate, shuffled papers on his clipboard and coughed nervously. Even though Stryker treated Johnson better than anyone else, he was still terrified of him. Especially when he had 'unfortunate' things to report. "Well sir, there has been very little progress with Weapon X."
Stryker looked annoyed. "Little progress with what? His memory wipe, or his cooperation?"
"Both."
Stryker slammed his fist into the near wall, cursing under his breath. Wolverine was beginning to be a problem. "What the hell is taking so long!? It's been ten weeks! It only took three weeks to wipe his memory the last time, and that was longer than it took the others."
Johnson swallowed loudly, and played with his necktie, something he always did when he was nervous. And he sure as hell was nervous now. "I don't know sir. It might be that because his memory was wiped already, he is naturally more resistant. Especially if he is holding on to his memories. That, and we seem to have yet to find his breaking point. He has yet to give up. If he gives up hope, his mental shields should cave, and wiping his memory should be easy."
"We have done about everything to that animal that we can!" Stryker was fuming now. What the hell could Johnson be talking about? Haven't found his breaking point yet? Stryker has done horrible things to him. Removing his organs, skinning him, burning him, beating him senseless. Hell, he even had some of the guards sexually assault him. And Wolverine was awake and conscious for all of it. He even drowned Wolverine, repeatedly, which is what broke him in the first time, and made his mind easy to wipe clean.
"Maybe we are going about this in the wrong manner." Johnson said, looking over his notes again.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well it seems physical pain does nothing…"
"What are you talking about? You have heard his screams of pain. It's definitely hurts him."
"Yes, physically, it hurts him. But not mentally or emotionally. Tell me sir, have you ever heard him beg or yell for you to stop?"
Stryker thought for a moment. "No."
"Well there you go. It may hurt him, but not on an emotional level. Which, as anyone can tell you, emotional pain is much harder to deal with and recover from than physical. It seems that he is, well, somewhat used to the physical pain, that it doesn't really effect him emotionally anymore."
"Ok, we can't mentally break him with physical pain. So then what?"
"Psychological. I suggest we bring in one of the telepaths, and probe his mind. Find out what he cares about the most, his strongest emotional attachment. And use that against him."
Stryker felt stupid. Why the hell didn't he think of that? "Good idea Johnson. Go get a telepath. Make it…" He flipped through the numbers of the mutants he had. "…Mutant 1-7-B. He is our strongest telepath.
"Yes sir."
Stryker sat in the control room of the lab, and peered out through the glass at an unconscious Wolverine. Stryker smiled. Wolverine, used to pain? Stryker knew he was the one to make him that way. Wolverine turned out better than he originally thought. A natural-born killer who could heal from anything, and ignore pain. The perfect weapon.
Johnson walked back into the room, pushing mutant 1-7-B in front of him in a wheelchair. Johnson looked around for Stryker
"Johnson." Stryker said over the intercom, startling him.
Johnson looked into the control room. "Yes sir?"
"Get on with it."
Johnson let out an exasperated sigh. Damn, but Stryker was impatient. He just walked into the room! And Stryker was already ordering him to…
"Johnson!"
"Yes, sir. Sorry sir." Johnson fiddled with his papers again, and continued to speak. "I'm going to have mutant 1-7-B link my mind to Weapon X's, so I can see into his thoughts and dreams and determine…"
"I know what the fuck mutant 1-7-B can do! I created it. Just get started."
"Right, sorry."
Stryker watched as mutant 1-7-B eyes became focused, yet distant, as it linked Johnson's mind to Wolverine's. Johnson was concentrating fiercely, occasionally writing something down on his ever-present clipboard. Stryker laughed. If Johnson ever lost that damn clipboard, he would probably lose his mind.
About fifteen minutes passed, and the link was suddenly broken, Johnson swayed a little, apparently quite dizzy. "Finished?" Stryker asked.
Johnson, trying to regain some composure, shook his head. "Yes."
"Then get you dumb ass in here!" Stryker yelled, as he looked for his radio. Finding it, he flipped it on. "Roberts!" he barked. "Get your ass to the main lab area and take mutant 1-7-B back to it's holding cell."
"Yes sir." Came the muffled reply.
Johnson entered the control room just as Stryker finished his conversation with Roberts. Johnson sat in the closest chair, he mind still exhausted.
"Well?" Stryker asked impatiently.
"Weapon X's mind is so full of anger and rage, it's truly staggering." Johnson said mutely, as images from Wolverine's mind assaulted him. Pain, death, anger, rage, all towards Stryker and the others at the facility. And the mutant's Magneto and Sabertooth. As well as many other brutal images and thoughts. Wolverine hated everybody. Including himself, which he seemed to hate more than anything.
Stryker snorted. "What the hell do I care for? Did you find something that we could use? Or does he not care about anything."
"I did find something," Johnson began, shaking Wolverine's thoughts from his head. "It seems that Weapon X's mind, his existence is blackness. The blackness is anger, pain, rage, sorrow… about every negative emotion a person can feel."
"Then why is it so hard to erase his mind? It seems like he has nothing."
"No, he does have something. In the 'blackness', there are spots of brightness. It's what keeps him sane, makes him want to live. It's probably the only thing we could possibly use."
"Well what the hell is it?"
"His love for a mutant woman named 'Marie'."
________________________________________________________________________
The mission hadn't gone well, and now Marie was in the infirmary, fighting for her life.
It was supposed to be a simple mission, really. Stop some reengage mutants from causing a riot. Simple. But when the X-Men arrived, things went from simple to dangerous very quickly.
Scott, and the other X-Men, tried to talk the group of mutants out of doing anything rash. Quite simply, Scott told them if they attacked humans, they would prove them right, that mutants are dangerous and need to be dealt with. Many of the mutants, most of them no more than twenty years old, listened to Scott, and backed down. Most of them.
A mutant woman by the name of Carol Danvers, refused to listen, and ran towards a small group of humans, coming out of a nearby movie theater.
As a gut reaction, Marie tackled Carol, and hung on to her waist, when Carol rose into the air, and began flying.
Marie was shocked, and was hanging on to her for dear life. She had no idea this 'Carol' could fly. As they rose higher into the air, Carol began to frantically kick her legs to get Marie odd of her. Apparently, her super strength wasn't much use when you were flying quickly through the sky.
Carol was so engrossed in the task of getting the pesky little bitch off her, she never saw the police, who had come to the scene, anticipating a riot. Seeing Carol in the air, an officer shot a beanbag from the riot gun at her. It hit her in the face, knocking her out. Carol and Marie went hurtling toward the ground.
The impact knocked both Marie and Carol unconscious, and as Scott and the other X-Men ran over towards them, they saw Marie laying on top of Carol, draining her of life. Marie had to be conscious to control her 'gift'. Panicking, Kurt teleported over to Marie, and yanked her off Carol. It was too late. Carol was dead, and Marie was going into seizures. Jean managed to sedate her, and the X-Men flew back to the mansion.
________________________________________________________________________
"Professor, what's wrong?" Jubilee bit her nails, pacing nervously. Her best friend was lying on a bed in the med-lab, thrashing around and yelling out things that made no sense.
"Rogue is fighting Carol for control over her mind." The Professor answered, his words full off worry. "It would seem that since Rogue touched Carol for so long, Rogue absorbed her entire mind, not just a part of it."
"Can't you do anything?" Jubilee continued to watch her friend, and she saw the internal war she was waging. It did not look good.
"I have tried my dear, but I cannot reach her. She essentially has two complete minds occupying one space, not to mention the other personalities she has absorbed. Her mind is too chaotic."
"So what can we do?"
"Let her know that we are here, and hope for the best."
________________________________________________________________________
{{Marie stood in the blackness. The endless blackness. She couldn't see anything. "Hello?" She called out, not expecting a response.
She heard a cynical laugh, how close it was, she couldn't tell, but she knew the general direction. She strained her eyes, in a vain attempt to see anything. It didn't work. "Hello?" She repeated.
"Hello Rogue." A woman stepped out of the blackness, and stood face to face with Marie.
"Carol?"
"Yes."
"Where are we?" Marie looked around, still nothing. "Why are you here?"
"We are in your mind Rogue. You killed me."
"What?"
"You killed me, you little bitch! You drained the life out of me!"
Marie was shocked. She didn't remeber that. She knew they fell. But after that, nothing. "I…I didn't… I didn't kill you."
Carol Laughed. "Yes you did. That poison skin of yours killed me."
"No. I can control it."
"Apparently, not when you are unconscious. But that doesn't matter. It's my body now." Carol lunged at Marie, and began to strangle her. Marie tried to fight back, but she just wasn't strong enough.
"Help!" Marie chocked out. "Somebody help me!" She didn't know whom she was yelling to.
Carol laughed. "Who's going to help you bitch? This is your mind."
Marie wrapped her hands around Carol's wrists, and yanked. They didn't budge. Carol was still choking her. "Please…stop…"
"You're dead Rogue. It's only fair, after all. You killed me. Now I kill you, and take over your mind and body."
Marie felt like she was fading, fading into nothingness. She figured that's what it feels like when your mind dies. "Help…"
"Get the fuck offa her!" Logan lunged out of the blackness, and tackled Carol off of Marie.
Marie gasped for air, and sat up. "Logan?" She whispered.
Logan turned his head, and looked at Marie. "Marie, you gotta fight her!"
Marie looked over at Carol, who was hunched over and clutching her stomach. "I can't…"
"Marie, I can't do it. I ain't strong enough. It's only a fragment of me in here, remember? You gotta do it."
"You bastard!" Carol punched Logan in the jaw, and sent him flying. "You can't help her! This body belongs to me! ME!"
"Marie!" Logan yelled, "Fight her!"
Marie looking to Logan for strength lunged at Carol. They traded blows, and Marie grabbed Carol from behind. Carol slammed the back of her head into Marie's face, causing her to stumble backward. Carol took the opportunity to grab Marie's throat again.
"Logan…" Marie gasped.
"Marie fight her! You're stronger than this!"
Marie looked at Logan, seeing the pain and worry written all over his face. Summoning strength she didn't know she possessed, she kicked Carol off of her, and wrapped her hands around her throat, choking her.
Carol frantically pulled at Marie's hands and wrists, but they didn't budge. "You can't do this!" She half gasped, half yelled. "You can't kill me a second time."
"I didn't mean to kill you the first time." Marie said calmly. "But you're trying to kill me. And I won't have it. I'm sorry that you died, but this is my body, and my mind. Not yours."
Marie continued to choke Carol, until she faded away to nothingness. She was gone. Marie stared at her hands, not believing what she just did. "Logan…I killed her."
Logan embraced her, offering words of comfort. "You had to darlin'. I'm sorry that it's true, but you had to."
"I know. But I… I never killed anyone before. Let alone twice." She began to cry.
"It's ok." Logan picked her up in his arms, and Marie snaked her arms around his neck, clutching to him. Logan began rocking her, still offing words of comfort.
Marie sniffled. "Thanks for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah you coulda. Your strong Marie, never forget that, You don't need me."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Hurting you like I did. I…" Marie paused contemplating. She knew this wasn't the 'real' Logan; this was the Logan in her head. But she needed to tell him anyway. "I love you."
Logan smiled. "I love you too. Be sure to tell myself that when you see me huh?" Even though the words really didn't make sense, she knew what he meant. Tell the real Logan how you feel when you see him.
"I will."}}
________________________________________________________________________
Marie's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around at her surroundings. She was in the med-lab at the mansion.
"Rogue?"
Marie turned her head towards the voice, and was staring at Jubilee. "Hey Jubes."
"That really you? It's not Carol?"
"Yeah. I won." She coughed.
"Rogue are you ok?" The Professor wheeled beside her bed.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Thank goodness. We were worried about you. I wish I could have done more to help, but your mind…"
"That's ok Professor, I had help." Professor X gave her a confused look. "Logan, well, the Logan in my head, helped me defeat her."
"I thought he disappeared from your mind?"
"So did I, but he showed up when I needed him." ~Four times, ~ She thought ~that's for times he's saved my life. ~
"Anything we can do for you chica?" Jubilee asked in a chipper voice.
"Yeah, you can get Logan. I want to see him." The Professor and Jubilee looked at her.
"Rogue," Professor X began, "You know we cannot find Lo…"
"Oh right," She cut him off, "I forgot."
"Rogue, maybe…"
"Can you guys leave for a little? I'm awfully tired."
"But of course. We will inform the team of the wonderful news. Get some rest."
"Yeah chica, get some shut-eye." Jubilee said, as her and the Professor left the med-lab.
Marie shut her eyes, and silent tears began to spill down her cheeks. "I love you Logan. And I will tell you." She then fell to sleep, dreaming of him.
(To be continued…)