Title: Spirit of Solitude
Chapter 2
Author: P.Bear
Summary: Those with courage enough to wage war and
stand in the front line against evil have always
sacrificed themselves to a cause higher than any and
all of their beliefs.
When the lines of sacrifice and survival blur, who is
left to save those that save us?
Blurb: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, The
Lone Gunmen, and The X-Files belong to Chris Carter
and all the amazing actors as well as 1013
Productions. Wolverine, Sabretooth, and the X-Men
belong to Marvel Comics. I am just attempting to do
these characters justice and am using them without
permission.
It's been nearly 3 or 4 years since I last updated this story and about a year since I last worked on it. I intend to continue but have not found the time to. I've gotten a few emails from those who have read the first chapter and I must say thanks to those of you out there who have gotten in contact with me. I'm posting what I have of the second chapter, as it is the least I can do at the moment. I'm hoping to finish this second chapter this summer since I'm not taking any summer classes for grad school.
--
(8:00 PM - In the woods of Virginia)
The woods are a cold and dangerous place at night. Predators on the hunt, using the mask of darkness as the perfect camouflage from their prey. as they wait for the perfect second to strike. Temperatures dropping to near freezing coupled with the torrential down pour of rain only proves the inherent trap that mother nature sets for the weak and wounded.
Sometimes though, the weak and wounded are the ones that thrive off it.
Rain poured at an angry pace, followed with the fierce cry of thunder, and the intense blaze of lightening, only served to aid the blistering wind in its travels through the mountains. Winds that turned the cover of leaves and the follicles of grass as it pummeled into all that stood in its way. Everything except for the creature that it found huddled in a cave.
Even the wind knew to quickly pass it by.
The creature was hunched over, his massive hand holding in the much-needed organs so that his body could stitch itself back together. Painful growls echoed through the cave as the bite of cold wind danced upon exposed flesh and meat. His healing factor was in over drive; trying to seal the deadly wound as well as keep the hypothermia at bay.
As his body shivered, a section of intestine ground against his arm causing a raging roar to pierce through the night, only to be drowned out by the clapping of thunder.
Sabretooth was not a happy camper.
--
(A few hours earlier 6:25 PM - Northern Virginian Woods)
The once storm of dark clad SWAT operatives now seemed more like a milling shower. They were starring at the lifeless and slumped form of the man that they just gunned down, only to find out that he was a hero. They starred in horrific shock at the blood that was draining out of the bullet wounds and even the hint of stomach content that was still being held in by the left hand.
Special Agent Dana Scully, MD, slowly walked up to the slumped body and hesitantly put her hand on his neck. She noticed how thick and muscular it was, as well as how still. She slowly turned her head back towards Mulder and shook her head twice before looking down at the dead man's hands.
She looked for evidence of the blades that she had seen spring out, but she found none. She quickly got up and went over to the little girl.
"Ann?" Scully ventured as she knelt in front of her. The little girl nodded, still starring at the man that now laid dead before her, the man that had saved her.
"Ann, are you hurt anywhere?" Scully asked, but got no response from the girl. Softly but firmly steering her away from the body she checked out the little girl. She found the long cut along her forearm, which would need stitches. Besides that, she had a few bruises and minor cuts. She'd only need to stay at the hospital for a little bit, but then where else would she go? Her family was already dead. They needed to figure something out later.
"Paramedics are on the way Agent Scully." One of the other agents said as he held a walkie-talkie to his ear. "ETA, 10 minutes. We'll be choppering them out."
Scully nodded as she handed the little girl to one of the female Agents. She headed towards the sleeping form of the woman and began to check her vitals. She noted the woman was extremely hot, her cuts and abrasions were red and swollen from infection. She looked around and saw that her partner was kneeling in front of the little girl, his eyes caressing her face as he talked to her in the softest of voices. Scully found a thermos of water and wet a handkerchief. She placed the handkerchief on the woman's forehead, attempting to cool it down with the water.
Scully signaled another Agent over, "Keep applying water if it goes a little dry. We need to keep her cool, her temp's too high."
Special Agent Fox Mulder talked softly to Ann, his mind only recording what she was saying but not really paying any attention to it. The uncanny resemblance that she had to his sister was too much to handle. He wanted to hold her in his arms and hug her like his own little sister. He yearned to, but he couldn't. This wasn't Samantha, no matter how much she looked the part. He smiled for her though, as if she was his Samantha and he gave her little shoulder a soft reaffirming squeeze.
Mulder walked over to the lifeless body, which was surrounded by Skinner, Agent Wong, and a few others. Most of the SWAT had gone to check the surrounding area out.
"I'll take full responsibilities sir." Agent Wong stated as he looked down on the dead body, his fist unconsciously flexing.
"No need agent. I gave the command. I'm taking full responsibilities." AD Skinner stated as he looked dejectedly at the body. This was a major foul up on his part, even though he had what seemed like all provocation to open fire.
Skinner and the rest of the team looked up as the wind began to pick up. The medivac was lowering the platform to accommodate the first patient. Skinner looked at Scully and saw that she was already having the other agents bring the unconscious woman to the lift.
"We've bought in a second chopper for the body sir!" One of the Agents yelled over the blades whirling noise after the unconscious woman and the little girl were loaded up.
Skinner nodded his head as he watched the medivac fly off in the night with it's two patients and the second chopper appearing in the sky not too far away. He looked at Mulder and Scully and saw them conversing, no doubt they were setting up a time to do an autopsy on the body. This was an autopsy that he wanted to witness as well.
--
(8:00PM Georgetown Memorial Hospital)
AD Skinner walked down the length of the hall with Mulder as they headed down to the morgue, where Scully had gone down a few minutes ago to prep for the autopsy of the man that had been mistakenly killed. They we're all tired but they felt that this autopsy was urgent, their curiosity weighing heavily in their decision. Nor did Mulder want to give any chance for the body to disappear for some odd reason or another as all his past evidence had.
"The doctor said that the Jane Doe was going to be fine as long as she got rest. She's got a high fever which they were able to alleviate as they're treating her infected wounds with antibiotics." Skinner said conversationally.
Mulder nodded, as his mind was still glued to the little girl, "They were able to give Ann a sedative to help her rest. She doesn't know about her parents or her brother. From what little we were able to learn from her she was sleeping before she was forcibly jarred awake and taken. She heard screaming and things getting smashed but she didn't know what happened."
Mulder shook his head slightly as he quietly added, "We're going to have to tell her tomorrow what happened to her family."
Skinner looked at Mulder and knew that Mulder had already chosen himself to tell the girl. He let out a quiet and quick sigh, to let the man know that he was as frustrated as he was.
They entered the morgue to find Scully in scrubs as she and another assistant were wiping the body down.
"Scully?" Mulder asked as he and Skinner walked up next to her.
"The body suffered some moisture as it was transferred from the helicopter. It seems they didn't zip the bag all the way." Scully answered as she handed the towels over to the assistant.
"Sir, Mulder this is Eric McCarther, he runs the morgue and has agreed to be acting diener for the autopsy. Eric, this is AD Skinner and Agent Mulder." Scully introduced as she stepped the right of the body.
Skinner and Eric nodded their heads in greeting but Mulder was busy chewing on his lower lip. There was something that was nagging him, something that seemed odd and wrong. He stared at the body and looked it over, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The feeling kept pulling at him, but he couldn't see it and he knew it was important.
"October 15, 2000. Time is 8:15 p.m. This is Agent Dana Scully with diener Eric McCarther beginning autopsy of an unknown John Doe. AD Skinner and Agent Mulder are observing." Scully spoke after she had turned the recorder on.
"The body is short in stature, measuring approximately one hundred sixty centimeters, about five feet three. The weight of the body is one hundred and ninety five pounds, extremely disproportionate to what his body mass dictates. The body is very muscular, looking approximately in his late thirties early forties. The body is quite hairy, as it covers the whole body." Scully said out loud as she began to look over the body. Her gloved fingers began to touch the body as she kept speaking. Eric was walking around and photographing the body, his flash going off and giving the macabre body an eerie look to it.
"The body is surprisingly warmer than expected. Multiple gunshot wounds throughout the body. Multiple tear wounds that appear to be from animal claws can be found all over the body as well. One massive tear wound in the abdomen, exposing internal organs."
Mulder right hand had found its way up the valley just below his lower lip. He still hadn't figured out what was bothering him, but he did remember a fact that was peculiar about this body.
"Scully, check his hands. Check for marks from those blades." Mulder said as he walked closer to the body.
"I had checked earlier as well, but didn't find anything." Scully said as she moved to the body's hand right hand and lifted it up. Her eyebrows knitted together as she examined it. She quickly moved to the left hand and she looked up at Mulder, "Nothing, there's no scar marks or incision wounds."
Mulder's eyebrows scrunched up as he focused on the body's face. He stared there as he tried to figure out what it was that was nagging at him.
"What is it Mulder?" Scully asked, as she knew that something was churning in his mind. She was only given a slight shake of his head as an answer.
Scully moved back to the torso of the body and picked up a large scalpel. "Beginning Y-incision."
She made a deep incision and blood poured out from her cut. She had expected blood, but not this much. Eric was quick to wipe off the blood as she kept cutting, her mind asking why the blood was so warm.
Mulder didn't watch the incision that Scully was making; he was still staring at the body's face. He replayed the man being gunned down, he watched the claws shoot out of his hand, and he watched as Agent Wong pulled the trigger and sent a bullet straight at the man's head. And suddenly it hit Mulder. The nagging came to a screeching halt, as he knew precisely what it was. The first gunshot wound to the head, wasn't there. There was no wound there, none at all. He remembered Scully saying that the body was, "surprisingly warm." Then he looked back at the hands where he had seen the claws spring out and a theory began to drop like a Tetris game in his mind. He was about to warn Scully, but he couldn't get a word out because all hell broke loose.
A deafening roar broke through the deathly quiet of the morgue. A roar of extreme pain and total anger was heard by all in the room as everyone stumbled back, watching the right hand of the body quickly grab the arm that Scully was making the incision with. She dropped the scalpel from the fierce and painful grip, but she wasn't paying her wrist any attention. Her eyes were bulging as she watched the face of the supposed dead man contort into fury personified, just before she found her self being thrown over him and slamming straight into Mulder.
Mulder and Scully fell to the floor with a painful impact as they slid a little on the slick tiled floor. Eric stumbled into the instrument tray and sent it flying as he went sprawling onto the floor. His breathing almost stopping as he felt his heart seemingly lodged itself against his throat.
The once dead man flipped off the table and slammed his shoulders against the table legs, sending it slamming into Skinner as he was reaching across his waist to grab his weapon. Skinner flew back and smashed into a bookcase that was close behind him.
The naked man stumbled back into a corner of the room; sweat beading his body as he emitted painful grunts as his left hand held tightly against his abdomen. His pupils dilated and narrowed as he surveyed the room. Three sharp blades sprang from the back of his right hand with an echoing SNIKT.
"Oh shit." Mulder's voice floated up as he peered over Scully's shoulder.
The Wolverine was awake.
--
(10 minutes before - first floor of the same hospital)
"I can't see a stupid thing!" A high-pitched female voice squeaked out in the dark room.
"Find the lights child." Another rich and beautifully accented voice calmly responded.
PAFF!
A sharp explosion of light illuminated the room to show nothing but a small room full of shelves and a light switch on the wall. The light died out as a yellow-gloved hand reached out and switched it on, bathing the room in a bright white light.
"We're in a hospital." The tall, beautiful African American woman said as she eyed the items on the shelves.
"Great, what was the lady thinking of sending us here?" The teenage Chinese girl said as she opened the door and peeked out. Then she got an idea, "Unless Wolvie's in trouble!"
"Calm Jubilation, we shall figure it out soon enough."
"Easy for you to say Storm, I don't normally go dimension hopping if ya'll can tell." Jubilee said as she opened the door fully. "Coast is clear."
They both walked out of the storage room, heading in the direction that the signs pointed to for the information desk. They passed people by as they were starred at, mostly because of Storm's almost regal appearance and posture.
"You do know we can't just go around asking people, 'Hi, have you seen a short hairy man. He has a really bad temper, claws that spring from his hand, and heals real quick.'" Jubilee said sarcastically as she looked at the hospital directory.
Storm was about to respond when they both heard a roar that they had heard one too many times.
"Downstairs!" Storm said as they both took off toward the stairs, followed by some others who had heard the scream as well.
As they careened down the stairs and barged through the doors that lead to the basement Storm could hear the crashing of metal in the distance as well as the many footsteps behind them.
"Jubilee, the doors!" Storm almost shouted as she pointed toward the handles.
"No prob!" Jubilee shouted back as she slammed the door close and aimed her hand towards the handle. With a mental tug, colorful sparks flew from her hands and exploded on the metal handle, melting it as well as the latch.
She ran up behind Storm as she heard the bodies slam against the now soldered closed doors. Jubilee's worry began to escalate as the metal clashing noises increased from the room ahead. Anytime she heard Wolverine's screams it meant that he was in a lot of pain, and she didn't like seeing him hurt.
They both barreled through the morgue doors and seeing the trashed surroundings. More importantly they saw the naked man huddled in the corner, growling with his claws out ready to defend him.
"By the Goddess!" Storm whispered as she saw her old friend, specifically his stomach wound. Storm noticed Jubilee quickly going towards Wolverine and followed.
"Don't! He's dangerous!" Skinner yelled out at the two strangers who were rushing towards the madman.
Storm looked at the bald man on the ground and somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if this could possibly have been what the Professor would have looked like younger and more built. "We'll be fine."
Mulder and Scully watched as the two strangers approached the man in the corner. They were about to run to their rescue when the young Chinese girl started talking.
"Wolvie? Hey what'd you get yourself into this time, huh?" Jubilee said as she cringed when she saw his stomach wound. "It's Jubes and Ororo. You remember us don'tcha?"
Jubilee kept talking, hoping that it was her voice that he could hear and not exactly what she was saying. Wolverine had become his namesake, the beast that he fought so hard to not become and she needed to bring back her friend Logan.
The beast known as Wolverine couldn't bring himself to raise his blades at the young girl in front of him. There was something about her as well as the tall woman that tugged at his memory. He knew them, somehow he knew them but he wasn't sure. He felt the stinging pain as his flesh began to mend in his stomach and he gritted his teeth. Droplets of drool fell from his mouth as he tried to endure the pain. His breathing was heavy and with each intake of breath he smelled the young girl in front of him. A soft scent of strawberries, fresh soap, and exuberance filled his nostrils. Her scent was familiar as well and it was friendly.
Skinner pulled his weapon from its holster and took aim at the man's head. He quickly swung around the two strangers and made sure they weren't in between his shot. "Get back! That man is extremely dangerous!"
Storm turned around and began to slowly walk towards the bald man, putting her in his line of site. "Put the weapon down, he poses no threat to us." Storm said as she raised her hands up in a placating gesture.
"Lady, you don't understand.." Skinner began, moving away from the tall woman.
"Actually, sir it is you who doesn't." Storm responded quietly.
Skinner quickly looked her way and saw her eyes turn milky white. Immediately he felt his hand smacked by a cold and bitter force; making him release his hold of the gun. He walked back just as he saw his gun float in mid air and sail to the woman.
Mulder and Scully had gotten up and almost collapsed again when they saw what happened between Skinner and the woman. They had seen her eyes turn white and turn back when the gun landed in her hand. It was then that they both looked closer at her eyes, and they weren't normal either. Her eyes appeared feline.
"Please stand back and let us help with our friend." Storm said as she ejected the clip from the gun and unchambered the remaining round.
"Wolvie?" Jubilee repeated his name, not knowing how many times she had done so already.
Wolverine's left hand moved away from his stomach as his healing factor sealed up the skin, encasing all his vital organs within him. His body was flushed with fever, sweat poured from all his pores, as his body had been working hard to heal the most detrimental injury to him. His healing factor began coping with the various cuts, gunshot wounds, and began healing his mind.
Images of the same young girl helping him escape from his crucifixion by a gang of cyborgs, helping him from the clutches of a Russian man with tentacles from his wrist, and whom he had shared many laughs with.
"Jubes?" Wolverine said as he sheathed his claws with another echoing SNIKT.
"Yeah Wolvie, it's Jubes. Care to explain what this mess is all about?" Jubilee said with a smile that lit up her face.
"Soon darlin'... just let the ol'canuckle head... breath a bit." Logan whispered as he placed his trembling hands on the floor, trying to keep his upper body from collapsing on the ground.
Jubilee wrapped her arms around her wounded friend in delight, only to find his body consumed in a temperature rivaling a furnace. "Storm! He's burning up!"
Storm quickly knelt by Logan's side and placed a tender hand on his skin, surprising herself by his fever. She moved slightly back as her pupils once again disappeared. "Stand back child."
"No." Jubilee said firmly as she held onto her dear friend, giving him as much support as she could muster to keep his heavy frame from falling to the floor.
Mulder and Scully, along with everyone else in the room, watched as a soft white cloud swirled slowly above Logan and Jubilee before a downpour of rain began to fall and cool the fevered man.
"Roro, you know how to make a man feel better." Logan said softly as he felt his body slowly gain strength with each bullet dispelled. He looked up at the strangers in the room, vaguely remembering who they were.
"Scully?" Mulder asked as he stared at the scene before him.
"Yeah Mulder?" Scully responded, starring in the same fashion.
"You see what I see? The rain cloud and the dead man not dead?"
"Yeah Mulder."
"Ahh..." Mulder responded, as he reached over to his partner and gave her a pinch.
"Mulder!" Scully shouted as she looked at him in shock.
"Just wanted to make sure you weren't hallucinating Scully."
**
(Two hours later)
AD Skinner was driving the group of them to FBI headquarters while the three federal agents in the car tried to coerce the information from the three amazing strangers in the car with them. The agents were finding out that any answer they received was too terrific to believe.
"Geez Louise people, this isn't that hard! We're mutants. We have cool powers that normal humans do not. We can do things that normal humans do not. Get it? Gawd!" A disgruntled Jubilee replied to the unbelieving faces before them.
"Listen, we don't have time for this right now." Wolverine blurted out. He had stayed quiet the whole car ride as Storm and Jubilee were explaining what mutants were. He had caught quick flashes from the man that had introduced himself as Agent Mulder as well as the lady, Agent Scully. The larger man behind the wheel, AD Skinner, had been too busy driving and questioning his friends to look at him much. "We need to get out there and track down Sabretooth before he starts his hunt for another victim. And it seems like his time table has accelerated."
"Sabretooth?" Mulder questioned as he looked at the previously quiet man.
"The man behind all these murders. He's out there, all fixed up by now, and he's going to be looking for his next victim. If we intend to catch him, we're going to have to find him first." Wolverine responded, as he looked the man in the eyes.
"We thought a creature, maybe a bear had caused this. Or some cult..." Scully began.
"A bear? How many bears do you see traversing around DC mauling people? How many bears do you know can jump through a second story window and barrel through a house? This ain't no bear lady. A bear would be easier to catch." Wolverine irritably replied.
"Where are we going AD Skinner?" Storm asked quietly, seeing where Wolverine's mood was quickly swinging.
"FBI headquarters. We'll figure this whole thing out there." Skinner responded.
"Stop this flaming vehicle then!" Wolverine growled, reaching for the door. "Either take me back to that last girl's house or let me out and I'll get there myself."
"Wait a second. We've already searched the house and there's no clues." Skinner responded, looking into the rear view mirror.
"For you maybe, but not for me." Wolverine responded with equal authority, looking the driver straight in the mirror.
"Sir, I think this might be a good idea. I don't think we have anything to lose." Mulder said, as his thoughts danced inside his head.
When they arrived at Ann's house Wolverine threw the door open, almost ripping it off the hinges. Frost could be seen pouring angrily from his flared nostrils as he looked at the dark house. The other people stepped out of the car, trying to follow the short man as he stalked towards the police officers standing outside of the house. Skinner showed them his badge and gestured to let them through, keeping his eye on the three new strangers before him.
Mulder watched with almost delighted interest as he watched this man called Wolverine almost seemingly gather his thoughts before he proceeded into the house. Wolverine had begun to stoop into a deeper crouching stance with each step he took, his arms loosely hanging by his side. What shocked him the most was the feeling like this man was like a ghost. There was no sound to his movements; there was no disturbance where he went.
"What do we hope to gain from this Mulder?" Scully whispered to him as she lightly tilted her head towards him.
"I don't know, but I have a hunch that we may be way out of our league this time Scully."
Chapter 2
Author: P.Bear
Summary: Those with courage enough to wage war and
stand in the front line against evil have always
sacrificed themselves to a cause higher than any and
all of their beliefs.
When the lines of sacrifice and survival blur, who is
left to save those that save us?
Blurb: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, The
Lone Gunmen, and The X-Files belong to Chris Carter
and all the amazing actors as well as 1013
Productions. Wolverine, Sabretooth, and the X-Men
belong to Marvel Comics. I am just attempting to do
these characters justice and am using them without
permission.
It's been nearly 3 or 4 years since I last updated this story and about a year since I last worked on it. I intend to continue but have not found the time to. I've gotten a few emails from those who have read the first chapter and I must say thanks to those of you out there who have gotten in contact with me. I'm posting what I have of the second chapter, as it is the least I can do at the moment. I'm hoping to finish this second chapter this summer since I'm not taking any summer classes for grad school.
--
(8:00 PM - In the woods of Virginia)
The woods are a cold and dangerous place at night. Predators on the hunt, using the mask of darkness as the perfect camouflage from their prey. as they wait for the perfect second to strike. Temperatures dropping to near freezing coupled with the torrential down pour of rain only proves the inherent trap that mother nature sets for the weak and wounded.
Sometimes though, the weak and wounded are the ones that thrive off it.
Rain poured at an angry pace, followed with the fierce cry of thunder, and the intense blaze of lightening, only served to aid the blistering wind in its travels through the mountains. Winds that turned the cover of leaves and the follicles of grass as it pummeled into all that stood in its way. Everything except for the creature that it found huddled in a cave.
Even the wind knew to quickly pass it by.
The creature was hunched over, his massive hand holding in the much-needed organs so that his body could stitch itself back together. Painful growls echoed through the cave as the bite of cold wind danced upon exposed flesh and meat. His healing factor was in over drive; trying to seal the deadly wound as well as keep the hypothermia at bay.
As his body shivered, a section of intestine ground against his arm causing a raging roar to pierce through the night, only to be drowned out by the clapping of thunder.
Sabretooth was not a happy camper.
--
(A few hours earlier 6:25 PM - Northern Virginian Woods)
The once storm of dark clad SWAT operatives now seemed more like a milling shower. They were starring at the lifeless and slumped form of the man that they just gunned down, only to find out that he was a hero. They starred in horrific shock at the blood that was draining out of the bullet wounds and even the hint of stomach content that was still being held in by the left hand.
Special Agent Dana Scully, MD, slowly walked up to the slumped body and hesitantly put her hand on his neck. She noticed how thick and muscular it was, as well as how still. She slowly turned her head back towards Mulder and shook her head twice before looking down at the dead man's hands.
She looked for evidence of the blades that she had seen spring out, but she found none. She quickly got up and went over to the little girl.
"Ann?" Scully ventured as she knelt in front of her. The little girl nodded, still starring at the man that now laid dead before her, the man that had saved her.
"Ann, are you hurt anywhere?" Scully asked, but got no response from the girl. Softly but firmly steering her away from the body she checked out the little girl. She found the long cut along her forearm, which would need stitches. Besides that, she had a few bruises and minor cuts. She'd only need to stay at the hospital for a little bit, but then where else would she go? Her family was already dead. They needed to figure something out later.
"Paramedics are on the way Agent Scully." One of the other agents said as he held a walkie-talkie to his ear. "ETA, 10 minutes. We'll be choppering them out."
Scully nodded as she handed the little girl to one of the female Agents. She headed towards the sleeping form of the woman and began to check her vitals. She noted the woman was extremely hot, her cuts and abrasions were red and swollen from infection. She looked around and saw that her partner was kneeling in front of the little girl, his eyes caressing her face as he talked to her in the softest of voices. Scully found a thermos of water and wet a handkerchief. She placed the handkerchief on the woman's forehead, attempting to cool it down with the water.
Scully signaled another Agent over, "Keep applying water if it goes a little dry. We need to keep her cool, her temp's too high."
Special Agent Fox Mulder talked softly to Ann, his mind only recording what she was saying but not really paying any attention to it. The uncanny resemblance that she had to his sister was too much to handle. He wanted to hold her in his arms and hug her like his own little sister. He yearned to, but he couldn't. This wasn't Samantha, no matter how much she looked the part. He smiled for her though, as if she was his Samantha and he gave her little shoulder a soft reaffirming squeeze.
Mulder walked over to the lifeless body, which was surrounded by Skinner, Agent Wong, and a few others. Most of the SWAT had gone to check the surrounding area out.
"I'll take full responsibilities sir." Agent Wong stated as he looked down on the dead body, his fist unconsciously flexing.
"No need agent. I gave the command. I'm taking full responsibilities." AD Skinner stated as he looked dejectedly at the body. This was a major foul up on his part, even though he had what seemed like all provocation to open fire.
Skinner and the rest of the team looked up as the wind began to pick up. The medivac was lowering the platform to accommodate the first patient. Skinner looked at Scully and saw that she was already having the other agents bring the unconscious woman to the lift.
"We've bought in a second chopper for the body sir!" One of the Agents yelled over the blades whirling noise after the unconscious woman and the little girl were loaded up.
Skinner nodded his head as he watched the medivac fly off in the night with it's two patients and the second chopper appearing in the sky not too far away. He looked at Mulder and Scully and saw them conversing, no doubt they were setting up a time to do an autopsy on the body. This was an autopsy that he wanted to witness as well.
--
(8:00PM Georgetown Memorial Hospital)
AD Skinner walked down the length of the hall with Mulder as they headed down to the morgue, where Scully had gone down a few minutes ago to prep for the autopsy of the man that had been mistakenly killed. They we're all tired but they felt that this autopsy was urgent, their curiosity weighing heavily in their decision. Nor did Mulder want to give any chance for the body to disappear for some odd reason or another as all his past evidence had.
"The doctor said that the Jane Doe was going to be fine as long as she got rest. She's got a high fever which they were able to alleviate as they're treating her infected wounds with antibiotics." Skinner said conversationally.
Mulder nodded, as his mind was still glued to the little girl, "They were able to give Ann a sedative to help her rest. She doesn't know about her parents or her brother. From what little we were able to learn from her she was sleeping before she was forcibly jarred awake and taken. She heard screaming and things getting smashed but she didn't know what happened."
Mulder shook his head slightly as he quietly added, "We're going to have to tell her tomorrow what happened to her family."
Skinner looked at Mulder and knew that Mulder had already chosen himself to tell the girl. He let out a quiet and quick sigh, to let the man know that he was as frustrated as he was.
They entered the morgue to find Scully in scrubs as she and another assistant were wiping the body down.
"Scully?" Mulder asked as he and Skinner walked up next to her.
"The body suffered some moisture as it was transferred from the helicopter. It seems they didn't zip the bag all the way." Scully answered as she handed the towels over to the assistant.
"Sir, Mulder this is Eric McCarther, he runs the morgue and has agreed to be acting diener for the autopsy. Eric, this is AD Skinner and Agent Mulder." Scully introduced as she stepped the right of the body.
Skinner and Eric nodded their heads in greeting but Mulder was busy chewing on his lower lip. There was something that was nagging him, something that seemed odd and wrong. He stared at the body and looked it over, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The feeling kept pulling at him, but he couldn't see it and he knew it was important.
"October 15, 2000. Time is 8:15 p.m. This is Agent Dana Scully with diener Eric McCarther beginning autopsy of an unknown John Doe. AD Skinner and Agent Mulder are observing." Scully spoke after she had turned the recorder on.
"The body is short in stature, measuring approximately one hundred sixty centimeters, about five feet three. The weight of the body is one hundred and ninety five pounds, extremely disproportionate to what his body mass dictates. The body is very muscular, looking approximately in his late thirties early forties. The body is quite hairy, as it covers the whole body." Scully said out loud as she began to look over the body. Her gloved fingers began to touch the body as she kept speaking. Eric was walking around and photographing the body, his flash going off and giving the macabre body an eerie look to it.
"The body is surprisingly warmer than expected. Multiple gunshot wounds throughout the body. Multiple tear wounds that appear to be from animal claws can be found all over the body as well. One massive tear wound in the abdomen, exposing internal organs."
Mulder right hand had found its way up the valley just below his lower lip. He still hadn't figured out what was bothering him, but he did remember a fact that was peculiar about this body.
"Scully, check his hands. Check for marks from those blades." Mulder said as he walked closer to the body.
"I had checked earlier as well, but didn't find anything." Scully said as she moved to the body's hand right hand and lifted it up. Her eyebrows knitted together as she examined it. She quickly moved to the left hand and she looked up at Mulder, "Nothing, there's no scar marks or incision wounds."
Mulder's eyebrows scrunched up as he focused on the body's face. He stared there as he tried to figure out what it was that was nagging at him.
"What is it Mulder?" Scully asked, as she knew that something was churning in his mind. She was only given a slight shake of his head as an answer.
Scully moved back to the torso of the body and picked up a large scalpel. "Beginning Y-incision."
She made a deep incision and blood poured out from her cut. She had expected blood, but not this much. Eric was quick to wipe off the blood as she kept cutting, her mind asking why the blood was so warm.
Mulder didn't watch the incision that Scully was making; he was still staring at the body's face. He replayed the man being gunned down, he watched the claws shoot out of his hand, and he watched as Agent Wong pulled the trigger and sent a bullet straight at the man's head. And suddenly it hit Mulder. The nagging came to a screeching halt, as he knew precisely what it was. The first gunshot wound to the head, wasn't there. There was no wound there, none at all. He remembered Scully saying that the body was, "surprisingly warm." Then he looked back at the hands where he had seen the claws spring out and a theory began to drop like a Tetris game in his mind. He was about to warn Scully, but he couldn't get a word out because all hell broke loose.
A deafening roar broke through the deathly quiet of the morgue. A roar of extreme pain and total anger was heard by all in the room as everyone stumbled back, watching the right hand of the body quickly grab the arm that Scully was making the incision with. She dropped the scalpel from the fierce and painful grip, but she wasn't paying her wrist any attention. Her eyes were bulging as she watched the face of the supposed dead man contort into fury personified, just before she found her self being thrown over him and slamming straight into Mulder.
Mulder and Scully fell to the floor with a painful impact as they slid a little on the slick tiled floor. Eric stumbled into the instrument tray and sent it flying as he went sprawling onto the floor. His breathing almost stopping as he felt his heart seemingly lodged itself against his throat.
The once dead man flipped off the table and slammed his shoulders against the table legs, sending it slamming into Skinner as he was reaching across his waist to grab his weapon. Skinner flew back and smashed into a bookcase that was close behind him.
The naked man stumbled back into a corner of the room; sweat beading his body as he emitted painful grunts as his left hand held tightly against his abdomen. His pupils dilated and narrowed as he surveyed the room. Three sharp blades sprang from the back of his right hand with an echoing SNIKT.
"Oh shit." Mulder's voice floated up as he peered over Scully's shoulder.
The Wolverine was awake.
--
(10 minutes before - first floor of the same hospital)
"I can't see a stupid thing!" A high-pitched female voice squeaked out in the dark room.
"Find the lights child." Another rich and beautifully accented voice calmly responded.
PAFF!
A sharp explosion of light illuminated the room to show nothing but a small room full of shelves and a light switch on the wall. The light died out as a yellow-gloved hand reached out and switched it on, bathing the room in a bright white light.
"We're in a hospital." The tall, beautiful African American woman said as she eyed the items on the shelves.
"Great, what was the lady thinking of sending us here?" The teenage Chinese girl said as she opened the door and peeked out. Then she got an idea, "Unless Wolvie's in trouble!"
"Calm Jubilation, we shall figure it out soon enough."
"Easy for you to say Storm, I don't normally go dimension hopping if ya'll can tell." Jubilee said as she opened the door fully. "Coast is clear."
They both walked out of the storage room, heading in the direction that the signs pointed to for the information desk. They passed people by as they were starred at, mostly because of Storm's almost regal appearance and posture.
"You do know we can't just go around asking people, 'Hi, have you seen a short hairy man. He has a really bad temper, claws that spring from his hand, and heals real quick.'" Jubilee said sarcastically as she looked at the hospital directory.
Storm was about to respond when they both heard a roar that they had heard one too many times.
"Downstairs!" Storm said as they both took off toward the stairs, followed by some others who had heard the scream as well.
As they careened down the stairs and barged through the doors that lead to the basement Storm could hear the crashing of metal in the distance as well as the many footsteps behind them.
"Jubilee, the doors!" Storm almost shouted as she pointed toward the handles.
"No prob!" Jubilee shouted back as she slammed the door close and aimed her hand towards the handle. With a mental tug, colorful sparks flew from her hands and exploded on the metal handle, melting it as well as the latch.
She ran up behind Storm as she heard the bodies slam against the now soldered closed doors. Jubilee's worry began to escalate as the metal clashing noises increased from the room ahead. Anytime she heard Wolverine's screams it meant that he was in a lot of pain, and she didn't like seeing him hurt.
They both barreled through the morgue doors and seeing the trashed surroundings. More importantly they saw the naked man huddled in the corner, growling with his claws out ready to defend him.
"By the Goddess!" Storm whispered as she saw her old friend, specifically his stomach wound. Storm noticed Jubilee quickly going towards Wolverine and followed.
"Don't! He's dangerous!" Skinner yelled out at the two strangers who were rushing towards the madman.
Storm looked at the bald man on the ground and somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if this could possibly have been what the Professor would have looked like younger and more built. "We'll be fine."
Mulder and Scully watched as the two strangers approached the man in the corner. They were about to run to their rescue when the young Chinese girl started talking.
"Wolvie? Hey what'd you get yourself into this time, huh?" Jubilee said as she cringed when she saw his stomach wound. "It's Jubes and Ororo. You remember us don'tcha?"
Jubilee kept talking, hoping that it was her voice that he could hear and not exactly what she was saying. Wolverine had become his namesake, the beast that he fought so hard to not become and she needed to bring back her friend Logan.
The beast known as Wolverine couldn't bring himself to raise his blades at the young girl in front of him. There was something about her as well as the tall woman that tugged at his memory. He knew them, somehow he knew them but he wasn't sure. He felt the stinging pain as his flesh began to mend in his stomach and he gritted his teeth. Droplets of drool fell from his mouth as he tried to endure the pain. His breathing was heavy and with each intake of breath he smelled the young girl in front of him. A soft scent of strawberries, fresh soap, and exuberance filled his nostrils. Her scent was familiar as well and it was friendly.
Skinner pulled his weapon from its holster and took aim at the man's head. He quickly swung around the two strangers and made sure they weren't in between his shot. "Get back! That man is extremely dangerous!"
Storm turned around and began to slowly walk towards the bald man, putting her in his line of site. "Put the weapon down, he poses no threat to us." Storm said as she raised her hands up in a placating gesture.
"Lady, you don't understand.." Skinner began, moving away from the tall woman.
"Actually, sir it is you who doesn't." Storm responded quietly.
Skinner quickly looked her way and saw her eyes turn milky white. Immediately he felt his hand smacked by a cold and bitter force; making him release his hold of the gun. He walked back just as he saw his gun float in mid air and sail to the woman.
Mulder and Scully had gotten up and almost collapsed again when they saw what happened between Skinner and the woman. They had seen her eyes turn white and turn back when the gun landed in her hand. It was then that they both looked closer at her eyes, and they weren't normal either. Her eyes appeared feline.
"Please stand back and let us help with our friend." Storm said as she ejected the clip from the gun and unchambered the remaining round.
"Wolvie?" Jubilee repeated his name, not knowing how many times she had done so already.
Wolverine's left hand moved away from his stomach as his healing factor sealed up the skin, encasing all his vital organs within him. His body was flushed with fever, sweat poured from all his pores, as his body had been working hard to heal the most detrimental injury to him. His healing factor began coping with the various cuts, gunshot wounds, and began healing his mind.
Images of the same young girl helping him escape from his crucifixion by a gang of cyborgs, helping him from the clutches of a Russian man with tentacles from his wrist, and whom he had shared many laughs with.
"Jubes?" Wolverine said as he sheathed his claws with another echoing SNIKT.
"Yeah Wolvie, it's Jubes. Care to explain what this mess is all about?" Jubilee said with a smile that lit up her face.
"Soon darlin'... just let the ol'canuckle head... breath a bit." Logan whispered as he placed his trembling hands on the floor, trying to keep his upper body from collapsing on the ground.
Jubilee wrapped her arms around her wounded friend in delight, only to find his body consumed in a temperature rivaling a furnace. "Storm! He's burning up!"
Storm quickly knelt by Logan's side and placed a tender hand on his skin, surprising herself by his fever. She moved slightly back as her pupils once again disappeared. "Stand back child."
"No." Jubilee said firmly as she held onto her dear friend, giving him as much support as she could muster to keep his heavy frame from falling to the floor.
Mulder and Scully, along with everyone else in the room, watched as a soft white cloud swirled slowly above Logan and Jubilee before a downpour of rain began to fall and cool the fevered man.
"Roro, you know how to make a man feel better." Logan said softly as he felt his body slowly gain strength with each bullet dispelled. He looked up at the strangers in the room, vaguely remembering who they were.
"Scully?" Mulder asked as he stared at the scene before him.
"Yeah Mulder?" Scully responded, starring in the same fashion.
"You see what I see? The rain cloud and the dead man not dead?"
"Yeah Mulder."
"Ahh..." Mulder responded, as he reached over to his partner and gave her a pinch.
"Mulder!" Scully shouted as she looked at him in shock.
"Just wanted to make sure you weren't hallucinating Scully."
**
(Two hours later)
AD Skinner was driving the group of them to FBI headquarters while the three federal agents in the car tried to coerce the information from the three amazing strangers in the car with them. The agents were finding out that any answer they received was too terrific to believe.
"Geez Louise people, this isn't that hard! We're mutants. We have cool powers that normal humans do not. We can do things that normal humans do not. Get it? Gawd!" A disgruntled Jubilee replied to the unbelieving faces before them.
"Listen, we don't have time for this right now." Wolverine blurted out. He had stayed quiet the whole car ride as Storm and Jubilee were explaining what mutants were. He had caught quick flashes from the man that had introduced himself as Agent Mulder as well as the lady, Agent Scully. The larger man behind the wheel, AD Skinner, had been too busy driving and questioning his friends to look at him much. "We need to get out there and track down Sabretooth before he starts his hunt for another victim. And it seems like his time table has accelerated."
"Sabretooth?" Mulder questioned as he looked at the previously quiet man.
"The man behind all these murders. He's out there, all fixed up by now, and he's going to be looking for his next victim. If we intend to catch him, we're going to have to find him first." Wolverine responded, as he looked the man in the eyes.
"We thought a creature, maybe a bear had caused this. Or some cult..." Scully began.
"A bear? How many bears do you see traversing around DC mauling people? How many bears do you know can jump through a second story window and barrel through a house? This ain't no bear lady. A bear would be easier to catch." Wolverine irritably replied.
"Where are we going AD Skinner?" Storm asked quietly, seeing where Wolverine's mood was quickly swinging.
"FBI headquarters. We'll figure this whole thing out there." Skinner responded.
"Stop this flaming vehicle then!" Wolverine growled, reaching for the door. "Either take me back to that last girl's house or let me out and I'll get there myself."
"Wait a second. We've already searched the house and there's no clues." Skinner responded, looking into the rear view mirror.
"For you maybe, but not for me." Wolverine responded with equal authority, looking the driver straight in the mirror.
"Sir, I think this might be a good idea. I don't think we have anything to lose." Mulder said, as his thoughts danced inside his head.
When they arrived at Ann's house Wolverine threw the door open, almost ripping it off the hinges. Frost could be seen pouring angrily from his flared nostrils as he looked at the dark house. The other people stepped out of the car, trying to follow the short man as he stalked towards the police officers standing outside of the house. Skinner showed them his badge and gestured to let them through, keeping his eye on the three new strangers before him.
Mulder watched with almost delighted interest as he watched this man called Wolverine almost seemingly gather his thoughts before he proceeded into the house. Wolverine had begun to stoop into a deeper crouching stance with each step he took, his arms loosely hanging by his side. What shocked him the most was the feeling like this man was like a ghost. There was no sound to his movements; there was no disturbance where he went.
"What do we hope to gain from this Mulder?" Scully whispered to him as she lightly tilted her head towards him.
"I don't know, but I have a hunch that we may be way out of our league this time Scully."