Saints and Sinners – By Darlin
AN – Thanks all for the reviews. Gia, I'm really, really trying to update quickly, glad it's appreciated; Isis Aurora Tomoe, I'll definitely be looking forward to your next chapter; LilWolvie; thank you, orlimoon, wow, thank you so much; Shadowface, this chapter might answer your question; xmenloganfan, thank you for your compliment and my how perceptive you are! But of course I couldn't take out anyone else! Hope you all enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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Chapter Nine – The
Danger Room
It
wasn't hard for Logan to find the danger room with the explicit
directions Hank had written down on his schedule. He was curious to see what a
danger room was and how they'd managed to get it into the basement with the
limited amount of space down there so he eagerly keyed in the code to enter.
Once he stepped inside the heavy door automatically slid shut behind him. He
barely noticed as he looked around curiously.
Northing but metal walls surrounded him except for high above where
there were two windows. Sniffing he
could tell who was up there but he gave it no thought. Shortly metal blinds rolled down covering the
windows and in a matter of seconds the room changed around him. Large robots
appeared from out of the floor as several panels slid open to give them
access. Guns appeared from compartments
in the walls. Flame throwers and lasers began shooting at him even as the
robots made their way towards him.
With a grin Logan ducked, rolled, popped his claws, and
began doing what he did better than anyone – slicing and dicing. Soon the
robots were fizzing and malfunctioning.
None of them were unscathed. He had a harder time getting to the guns
but when Hank, and yes it was Hank at the controls – when Hank saw what Logan
was trying to do – dodging the guns by running a crisscross pattern so that
they started firing at each other – he immediately shut them down.
Logan stood by a wall breathing hard as he
realized the session was over. He was still grinning. Hank ground his teeth at
the sight of that grin and with a grim look of determination he upped the ante.
A new session started fast and hard. The
floor fell out from under Logan and mechanical arms
snatched him as he fell. He was dragged down into another level while the
tentacles attempted to squeeze the life out of him. Unperturbed, he slashed the
metal arm in half effectively freeing himself. There was no respite. It seemed as if hundreds of arms were snaking
towards him. Logan laughed. This was more
fun than he'd anticipated!
It was easy for him to outmaneuver the mechanical arms due to their speed and
limited programming, and in fact, he used them to get back to the first level jumping
from one arm to another putting the tentacles out of commission as he went
until he was high enough to pull himself back up. Unfortunately as he was
trying to get back into the danger room the floor started to close just as fast
as it had opened. This knocked his
balance off a bit and he would've been caught between the floors a little ala
Star Wars if he'd been any slower. Once back where he'd started from he wiped
his brow free of sweat paying no attention to the many cuts and scratches that covered
him then wiping his hand on the side of his now ragged jeans he crouched low
ready for the next onslaught.
It came full strength – guns basting, fire blazing, lasers searching ready to
cut him in half and this time they had been programmed not to fire on anything
but a human target so when Logan tried to run the gauntlet they would automatically
shoot at him then immediately shut down for a few seconds. They were automatically reprogramming
themselves whenever the target was in front of another gun or blaster. To add
to the fun, for both men actually, sharp ten inch spikes shot out from the
walls now and the tentacles new programming had them rising up from the sub
level seeking to destroy whatever they could find.
Hank had the danger room settings as high as they could go but he kept improvising
as Logan proved far more skillful than he had
anticipated. Even so he was confident
that the Wolverine couldn't last much longer and that thought made him smile.
Maybe a month ago Hank would never have found any enjoyment in such a thing but
now with thoughts of the woman that he wanted and seeing the man that was
keeping him from her being beaten up made him smile with cold satisfaction. It
would be easy to tell the others that it was a normal danger room setting that Logan had failed to maneuver
when he showed them the mangled and headless body. No one would doubt him and
at the funeral he would comfort Ororo which would eventually lead to winning
her back. It was a simple but effective plan, pretty failsafe overall. He didn't see how it could go wrong.
Nevertheless things have a way of going wrong when you least expect it. One
thing Hank hadn't considered when he'd made up a fake schedule for Logan was
that Scott who was in charge of coordinating the danger room sessions and who
was always one to do things thoroughly, had initiated several trail sessions several days earlier
after being assured by both Hank and Forge that the danger room was ready. He had no way of knowing that Scott was
planning on testing the room with Ororo and Forge in thirty more minutes. Neither could he know that Ororo had forgone
her shopping spree in hopes that a workout would stem her growing anger and she
would arrive twenty minutes earlier that Scott had asked for. So when Ororo stepped into the danger room
for her 11:30 workout Hank didn't even notice her.
It was a rare occurrence for Ororo to pass up a day of shopping but she was
hoping that Hank's cherished danger room would be able to alleviate the growing
hurt and confusion that she felt. Seeing no problem in being early she had gone
down into the basement, still dressed in her jeans, ready to test Hank's latest
invention. Now as she saw the chaos that was taking place in the room she
turned back to the door in a rush to leave only to find that the adamantium
door had closed behind her. There was no keypad inside the room and no
doorknob, no handle, no nothing. She was trapped.
"Ro, duck!" Logan shouted through the din.
Only
Logan with his exceptional hearing could have
heard the door slide open, which was a blessing for Ororo who immediately did
as she was told and just missed being shot by a laser. She forced a scream back
and immediately lashed out with a bolt of lightning effectively putting the
laser out of commission. For a moment it seemed as if that had put an end to
the madness but then as the smoke cleared they could both see that the armory
had more than doubled, and regrouped, the pace now twice as fast. She barely
missed being shot by a missile of some type when she stood up tentatively. Logan desperately rushed to
her.
"Get out of here!" he yelled.
"I can't!" she yelled back. "There's no handle on the door! We're trapped!"
"What the …? Who's running this thing?"
Indeed, that was a good question. Hank was no longer in control as Ororo's bolt
had short circuited the entire system from the one lone control panel in the
danger room below. Try as he might nothing he did allowed him to bypass the
damaged system thus he was unable to regain control.
"Stay
down!" Logan bellowed.
That was the last thing she needed just then, him telling her how to fight she
thought angrily. With expert aim she
shot lightning as fast as she could and used a fierce wind to veer many of the
armaments away from her. Logan continued fighting his way to her as the floor
slid open then closed repeatedly as if impatiently waiting for it's prey. There
was no fun in this now. Not with
Ororo's life in danger.
Ororo was breathing too fast almost hyperventilating. She was scared – more scared
than she'd ever been before. It was as if her worse nightmare was coming to
life as the underground basement sublevel and all threatened to swallow her
alive. Despite her severe claustrophobia
she went on the defensive running, ducking, then lifting herself into the air
all while trying to fend off the onslaught and keep an eye out for Logan.
"Calm down, Ororo. Calm down and concentrate, girl!" she told herself.
"You talkin' to yerself?" Logan asked when he finally made his way
to her.
"Stay calm," she told her self quietly, ignoring him. "You can do this. You can do this!"
"Damn straight we can do this," Logan yelled. "Cover me an' I'll cut us a
doorway outta here!"
"Okay! I'm on it!" Ororo immediately
began to strike with everything she had.
After one attempt
with both sets of claws Logan realized the walls
weren't going to give in. They were made out of the same material as his claws
and adamantium couldn't cut through adamantium. With that realization Logan saw the seriousness of
their situation and he knew true fear for the first time. They were trapped in
some crazy contraption that only Hank had the know how to shut down and if he
didn't think of something Ororo would die there. He refused to let that happen and he leapt in
front of her.
"Stay behind me – back to back!" he ordered.
Obediently she pressed her back to his.
When their bodies made contact, his large sturdy back against her
slender one, she suddenly felt calmer, safer, even more confident and as one
they fought in this life or death struggle.
"Logan, I've got a wicked wild idea – can you
cover me?" Ororo asked after some minutes, with her usual spark.
"Whatever it is do it quick!"
Ororo crouched low to the ground, her hands touching the adamantium floor on
either side of her. She ignored the cut's she'd suffered and the building fatigue
and summoned every last resource she could think of. Gradually the floor grew
ice cold to the touch. Logan tried his best to slash and cut the tentacles and
keep an eye on the sliding floor panels underfoot while protecting her but in
the process he took several shots that would have killed a lesser man.
"I'm gonna need some help here, darlin'," he howled when a tentacle pierced
straight through his abdomen.
He easily cut the tentacle in two and pulled what was left out of his gut
ignoring the pain and blood that splashed everywhere. He chanced a glance in Ororo's direction. She
was down on one knee now, her hands spread out parallel to the floor, her eyes
solid white, her brow wrinkled with the strain she was under.
"Behind you!" he yelled when he noticed another tentacle wiggling along the
floor behind her.
Twisting aside she felt Logan leap behind her, heard
the sound of metal cutting metal but none of it broke her concentration.
"Darlin' whatever it is yer doin' can ya hurry it up?"
"Patience."
Logan shot a quick glance at her then did a
double take. She looked radiant. A smile lit up her entire face. It was a smile full of mischief and
satisfaction and pride. Looking at her
smile unexpectedly heartened him though he wouldn't have been able to say
why. She looked both beautiful and
deadly – his type of woman, he thought.
Then for the first time he shivered as he felt the immense cold that had
filled the room. Pounding sheets of ice began to fall slowly then rapidly and
with it the entire system froze completely and finally shut down. The tentacles actually began to break off
into pieces. The floor panels once yawning open and shut below them froze,
gaping harmlessly.
"You did it!" Logan shouted, his voice echoing in the room
now eerily quiet.
"Yes I did," Ororo smiled, now on both knees.
Logan laughed and picked her up hugging her
close.
"That was great. You were great!"
"Aren't I always?"
"You look beat."
"I am. You look cold."
"That I am, darlin'."
Ororo reached up and knocked ice out of Logan's thick sideburns then brushed frost off his face. His smile faded as he looked into her eyes. Her hand stopped in mid air. Suddenly the air was thick with tension but not the tight scared tension that they had both experienced last night. And then the moment was ruined as a loud roar startled them from below. It filled the room, the sound vibrating off the metal walls, and both Logan and Ororo looked up in alarm.
"Get your hands off my girlfriend!" Hank yelled as he broke through the window.
Logan, seeing Hank, crashing
through the observation window, pushed Ororo aside. She fell to the floor, the
wind knocked out of her. She wanted to warn Hank and wanted to ward Logan off but could barely
catch her breath. Hank landed on the
pads of his feet and bounded towards Logan nearly foaming at the
mouth in his rage.
Logan's face was cold and emotionless but there
was none of the bloodlust he'd felt last night. He moved away from Ororo and
let Hank come. Then just when Hank was ready to pounce like a lion ready for
the kill Logan lunged forward and socked him hard in the
jaw. Hank staggered and tried to recover but Logan followed the first hit
with a left that sent him further back. There was no pleasure in this assault
for Logan but he was determined to end it then and
there. Not letting up he treated Hank to a solid uppercut that sent blood
flying.
Hank roared again, shook his head to clear it, and began to rethink his strategy.
They circled each other warily for a full minute then Hank yelled and went in
swinging. Logan ducked but Hank was
quick. He knew the Beast was more agile
than his appearance let on but he wasn't prepared for the swift deadly blows
Hank hammered him with. A huge paw swiped
the side of his head then another caught Logan hard in the stomach and Logan
crumbled. Had his healing system been
working as it usually did he would have been able to shake the blows off but the
killing wound that Logan had received from the tentacle hadn't
healed completely yet. That combined
with the various wounds he'd received throughout the long battle topped off
with the frostbite that had started to set in with the severe temperature drop
had greatly tasked his system.
Hank stood over Logan triumphantly and
reached down to finish him off. Unfortunately
for Hank Logan's endurance far surpassed his healing abilities and he rolled
over with surprising speed, leapt up then threw himself at the Beast who was hurrying
towards him. Thrusting his adamantium
laced shoulder into Hank's midsection Logan was able to catch Hank
off guard. The Beast tumbled backwards. Logan pressed his advantage
and leapt on top of the bigger man then raised a clawed fist to Hank's face.
"You wanna keep playin' games or start actin' like you got some
sense?" Logan asked as calmly as he could.
There was no give in Logan. Hank
knew he was staring death in the eye. There was no other choice but to cease
and desist.
"I-I believe there's been a misunderstanding. Surely we're all civilized
here." Hank sputtered.
"Just say 'uncle' an' get your sorry ass outta here," Logan sneered.
"I-I beg your pardon?"
"Uncle's all I wanna hear from ya."
By now Ororo was standing over them and she couldn't stop herself from
laughing.
"As in I hate living with my lousy uncle?" she asked merrily
obviously having watched her West Side Story DVD too often.
"Whatever," Logan said without looking
at her.
"I'm sure Hank's right and this was all a horrible misunderstanding,"
Ororo said with a grin which baffled Hank.
He couldn't help himself from glaring at Ororo then at Logan. He was dripping with sweat but he started to
shiver now despite his fur but it wasn't just because of the freezing
temperature that was bothering him. Knowing that Logan had won had Hank
shaking with rage. His plan had failed miserably. Worse, he'd almost caused
Ororo to be killed and he wasn't too upset about it just then the way she was
laughing at him. There was no way that
Ororo would want anything to do with him again but that was also something he
didn't care about much anymore. Nothing
mattered now. He'd lost. His girlfriend, his beautiful danger room,
and mostly his pride. There was no way
around it.
"Just friggin say it!" Logan growled.
"Un . . . un . . ." Hank tried to say it but he couldn't get the word to
come out.
Three sharp claws dug into his face slowly but surely cutting through Hank's blue fur. Hank closed his eyes trying not to whimper. As the claws dug deeper he gave up.
"Unc . . . uncle!" he stammered miserably, his humiliation complete.
Logan climbed off the Beast, his bloody claws
sliding out of sight.
"Can you let us out of here now?" Ororo asked as she looked down at
the Beast's bloodied face.
"Just fly us up there," Logan said without another
look at Hank.
It was poetic justice as Hank was forced to watch Logan put his arms around
Ororo and lean his face close to hers, which Logan did more out of spite
than anything else. For a minute Hank thought Logan was going to kiss her
but then Ororo, stifling a groan, summoned the last of her strength and lifted
them upwards. Once inside the observation room Logan didn't even bother
trying to find the controls, he simply slashed at the door until he'd cut an
opening for them to step through.
"You weren't going to kill him," Ororo said when he stepped aside to
let her exit first.
It was a statement more than a question. She knew in her heart that the Logan of a few months ago would have done so without a moment's hesitation but something had changed in him. For the first time she knew in her heart that he was different - better. He was no longer the sullen killer acting on instinct and greed or lust. She was glad now that she'd given him the benefit of the doubt.
Logan stared at her. He didn't feel like
talking. He didn't feel like explaining
anything. He wanted to kiss her. Well,
he wanted to do more than that but he fought down those urges just as he'd
fought down the urge to kill Hank.
"Guess that's a good thing," he said with a shrug.
"Very good."
A shout or rather a scream of shock echoed through the room and they glanced at
each other then went back to the broken window to see what the ruckus was.
"What the . . . What happened here?" Scott was yelling with fury, his
face almost as red as his ruby quartz glasses.
"All our hard work destroyed!" a somber but unfamiliar voice moaned.
"That must be the Forge guy," Logan said. "From what
I hear he can fix anything."
"Guess this should be a piece of cake then," Ororo murmured as she studied
the Native American teenager.
"Storm! Get down here! Is this your doing? Look what you've done! You've ruined the danger room! You've iced over every single thing in here! It's useless!" Scott shouted, all but shaking his fist at her.
Ororo ducked back out of sight. Logan stood his ground staring daggers at their leader.
"And Wolverine – I should have known you would've done something like this but Storm? I just can't believe it! You two get down here now!"
"It ain't Ro's fault," Logan yelled back.
"No? Are you trying to tell me you have Bobby up there with you too? Didn't anyone read their schedules? Ororo was supposed to be the first person to test this danger room out! Now it's ruined!"
"I was followin' my schedule," Logan snapped.
"I couldn't even find you to give you your copy!" Scott replied.
"Then . . ." Logan stopped as he realized what had happened. "So I don't have a schedule yet?"
"Did I stutter?" Scott shot back.
"No, ya didn't but maybe yer buddy did," Logan growled and pointed stiffly to where Hank was sprawled out on the floor.
Scott and Forge stared at the bloodied blue heap lying on top of the mangled metal floor and realized that it was indeed Hank.
"Hank? Hank, are you okay?" Scott called as he rushed over to his friend.
"I'm fine," Hank groaned, his large hands covering his face.
"What the hell happened here?" Scott demanded.
"Um, excuse me, Scott but I must admit that the room . . . malfunctioned and had it not been for Ororo, she and Wolverine would probably be dead," Hank said quietly as he stood up.
Logan picked up every word that was said and laughed. "Not me, bub. I don't die so easy."
"The system crashed or something? And what happened to your face?" Scott demanded looking from Hank to Logan.
"Apparently, however, Forge, if you will, and I will start the repairs immediately," Hank said, ignoring the second question as he turned away from his friend.
Forge nodded; his eyes on Ororo who was now standing on the edge of the window. He watched in awe as she soared up into the air and then turned back and caught Logan by the arm. The two of them landed in front of Scott who was looking at everyone and everything in complete bewilderment.
"Let me sit down for a minute I'm worn out," Ororo whispered as she sunk down to the floor and leaned her head against a wall.
"You're saying everything just malfunctioned after all the checks you and Forge did?" Scott demanded.
"Malfunctioned," Logan said with smirk as he looked at Hank's retreating back.
"Malfunctioned," Ororo agreed before her eyes closed.
"How? I thought you said this place was failsafe?" Scott asked Forge.
"It was supposed to be. I . . ."
"Lightning," Hank said before he went through the door which Forge had been able to open from outside.
"Lightning?" Scott asked, turning to look at Ororo.
Her eyes were still closed and her lips were parted slightly and Scott realized she was sound asleep.
"Man, I think your girlfriend might need some help," Forge said.
Scott and Logan looked at Forge wondering who he was talking to.
"She looks like she might be hurt," Forge said staring back at them.
"Ro!" Logan knelt down beside her his eyes scanning over her looking for any injuries.
"Is she okay?" Scott asked.
"I don't know," Logan mumbled and he didn't. He shook her gently. "Ro, darlin' wake up."
Her eyes opened and she smiled at him. "We did it just like you said we would," she said.
"Yeah we did. You okay?"
"Tired. I'm so tired. Want to sleep," she murmured and tried to lie down on the floor.
"No, sweetheart you can't sleep here," Logan said and put an arm around her.
"Stop bothering me," Ororo groaned.
"We gotta get you checked out. You gotta get up," Logan insisted. "Want me ta carry you?"
Her eyes shot open and she shook her head. "I'm fine," she said and proved it by standing up though he had to help her when she almost fell against the wall.
She started walking then turned around.
"How're we getting out of here again?" she asked, confused.
"Here, I'll help ya," Logan said and put a comforting arm around her then turned her in the right direction.
Scott stared with his mouth wide open as Logan helped Ororo out of the danger room. If he hadn't seen Logan just then he never would've believed it – Logan was in love – in love with Ororo! Shaking his head, he didn't think he'd ever see anything stranger in all his life. Logan in love – who would've thought it?