Disclaimer: Several new characters are mine, including the plot. X-Men belongs to Marvel and Fox.

Araceil: Yay, welcome back! I'm glad you're liking, no, loving it! Hehe! I hope your confusing will end after this chapter.. for everything is revealed..

Blix: It was just the kind of motivation he needed, hehe.

Angelica: Unharmed? Unharmed you say? After the troubles here, I'm afraid they have a dilemma on their hands. Precisely, they don't have a chance, which causes Stryker to do what he does in this chapter. I hope you like this chapter!

I have begun a new and separate story from this saga called 'Poison to the Eye,' it's about Mystique and how she turns from a normal and happy child in a vicious yet sultry blue skinned human hater! Please check it out!

Chapter 32

No matter how many corners they turned, or how fast they pushed themselves, Logan and Roxanne couldn't shake off the running soldiers. Logan was trying to desperately to keep himself going, and trying so hard to make sure Roxanne could keep up with him at the same time. Logan's eyes quickly scanned ahead of him, taking in the vaguely new appearance of the next corridor. His eyes happened upon a light switch and with a determined grunt his fist slammed down upon it, the lights of the corridors switched off and darkness was bestowed upon them. Logan heard the soldiers behind stop and gasp at the darkness; also Roxanne gave a frightened yell. For now she couldn't see. She couldn't see Logan, nor the soldiers! She felt pretty much trapped in this heavy blackness. But Logan reached out for her, taking her wrist and zooming on ahead, hurtling them around a few corners to shake off the trail before he stopped. Just stopped. His back dropped against the wall, his chest heaving madly for air, his breath pained.

Roxanne looked up to him, shuffling further down the corridor to try and put more distance between her and the soldiers. She remained silent, watching the man beside her recover. Whilst she too was gasping for every bit of air, she was not injured and she was not exhausted like he was, "Do you know the way out?" she gasped, voice high through each wheezed breath. Logan just shook his head, not bothering to speak. He slid down the wall, dropping to sit on the floor. He just needed a rest. His hands went to his face, covering it as he made a quiet groan. Roxanne lowered gently beside him in the darkness, "Are you alright?"

This time he nodded, "Fine.."

"Because we really ought to get moving.."

"I -.. I know. Just gimme a second.."

Roxanne bowed her head gently, "Sorry."

Silence settled upon the pair for a few seconds. Roxanne rested herself against the wall also, her head lifting to watch the roof of the building. There were no distant footsteps. They were safe for now. Her eyes shifted upon Logan, he looked so weary. And he'd still come for her, and saved her. Even after everything she had done. Roxanne frowned, they should have met months ago, but under different circumstances. Why did she let Graham Stryker trick her? The Stryker's were supposed to be close with James.. How was she to know that James had lost contact with the Stryker family. Perhaps they had had an argument? He was so solid with William before..

Roxanne raised her eyes back to Logan, "James?" she asked.

Logan opened his eyes slowly, giving the woman a tired glance. He would have made it angry if he could, but he didn't have the strength, "Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked her quietly, voice only just uttering his words roughly, unsteadily, "I'm not James.. I'm Logan."

Roxanne turned her body fully to him, "I call you that because that is your name." Her brow burrowed with a heavy frown, "Why do you deny it?"

Logan shook his head, "Rox.. I'm not James."

"You are! Don't you remember? That's your name. I don't know why you call yourself Logan.. why can't you remember your real name?"

Logan's eyes watched her steadily. So he couldn't remember? Well, that stood for a lot of things. Perhaps his real name was eradicated from his memory also? He sighed quietly as he looked from her, "I can't remember a lot of things.."

"You can't?" asked Roxanne, suddenly curious.

"No.. I didn't remember you. But when I first saw you," he eyes fell upon her, "I saw you on the news, you were getting arrested apparently."

Roxanne sighed, "No, I wasn't getting arrested. It was these people; they had tricked me because I was looking for you. They said they would show me where you where if I met them in London - where I was at the time.. I went, but it was an ambush. And I found myself here but I couldn't escape.." Her head lowered, eyes closing, "Only now I have.. almost."

Logan frowned, instinctively resting a hand nears hers, "You were looking for me?"

Roxanne nodded gently, "Yes. But you said you can't remember a lot of things.. so.."She shrugged, "You left all of a sudden years and years ago. I assumed you had gone to do some emergency work for William.. but when I called him he said he didn't know where you were."

Instantly a frowned crept over his features, "For William? William Stryker? I worked for him? And you knew?"

A nod came Roxanne, "Yes, you knew him, don't you remember?"

Logan's eyes widened, "Stryker, he was the one that stole Cerebro and tried to kill off all mutants! He was the one that made me into who I am and erased my memory!" Logan could feel his anger growing at the very thought of Stryker.

Roxanne snorted a little, "Don't be silly.. he was your friend."

"WHAT?!"

Roxanne's eyes widened at the response, "Wow, you really don't remember anything.."

"No, I don't!" Logan growled, facing her, "Obviously something went wrong with our friendship," he muttered bitterly. After a small pause he spoke again, softer "So.. you know everything about me?"

"Well.." began Roxanne, "Everything until you disappeared one night.."

"That must have been when Stryker got me.. "

Roxanne smiled weakly at him, shifting on her knees and facing him, "Well now, I can tell you everything you forgot." Her hands lifted and took his, "All the things.. and you can tell me what you remember." Her eyes sparkled with growing tears, "Because I've finally found you.. after fifteen years." Logan's eyes visibly softened at her state and he shifted forward to hold her close. Her arms embraced her and he held her closer and more desperately than he had ever done to anyone. Even Aurora. This was a missing piece to his past. She was the key to who he really was and what kind of man he should be. They had been torn apart by a bitter friend, both of them destroyed by losses.

Roxanne of her James, and Logan of his memory and life.

And now.. he had her back, reunited by the Stryker generation. And he was never going to let her go.

The X-Men saw the light vanish in a corridor further ahead and all ran instinctively towards the corridor. Aurora heard the soldiers coming and yelled out a warning to the others. They all span, facing the group of soldiers, "Now remember.." began Scott quietly. But Gambit cut in throwing a card over to the soldiers, he grabbed Scott's shoulder, pushing him forth,

"Go! Run!"

Scott staggered over himself, doing as Gambit said, the other mutants following apprehensively. The soldiers stared down at the card on the floor in front of them. One frowned and raised his head looking to the retreating mutants. He gestured a hand to order the force forward. The first step ignited the card and hurtling fireballs cascaded around the group swiftly, killing them off in sudden explosions. Scott spun his head round with a cry, "Remember, no killing!" he roared to Gambit.

"Oh, I'm sure dey were gonna stick by dat plan too," muttered Gambit sarcastically in reply.

"Oh, come on. Just keep going," muttered Siren, pulling Scott forth, "We need to find Logan."

In a room far away from the exploding activities sat a few white-coated people, and one smartly dressed man. Monitors lined the wall in front of them, each of them black and white screens picturing different areas of the base. A few bore nothing but empty corridors, one a pitch black one, another few showing dead soldiers.. and one showing the running mutants. A woman controlling the cameras turned in her seat, looking over her glasses to the man behind her who watched over her head with a intense glare.

"Mr. Stryker," began the woman, in a Russian accent, "These mutants have entered and are so far eliminating all forces thrown at them."

Graham Stryker's eyes watched with a blazing anger at the mutants. His eyes snapped onto the next monitor watching them take a different corridor, "I know.." he said quietly.

"There really is nothing we can do, sir." Said a man sat beside her, nodding his head sombrely.

"It's alright," said Graham, smiling a little, "Because our original plan failed and the X-Men are alive.. we need another. However, Roxanne's disappearance has lured them all here. And now, they are trapped." His eyes fell upon the few of his workers, "Sound the countdown to detonate. Time it at ten minutes from now. Evacuate yourselves instantly. You know the procedure." He turned sharply from them, picking up a gun from the table.

"But Mr.Stryker, our work will be lost.. everything that – "cried the woman.

"Rosa.. "began Graham gently, turning his head to smirk at her, "Roxanne is our work. We don't need her anymore. The X-Men are as good as dead now." He clicked the gun into place, "Ready?"

Rosa turned, offering a wary glanced to her co-worker before she turned, typed into the keyboard and pressed a button on the desk, "Go!" she gasped. All three of they span from the room, hurtling themselves out of the door.

"Remember!" bellowed Graham, "All doors are now bolted shut, escape through Door E and then lock it. We need to keep them trapped!" Graham turned the opposite way to his workers.

"Mr. Stryker? Where are you going?!" Rosa cried at his retreating figure.

"I have somebody I need to deal with! I'll be out shortly!"

All of a sudden a robotic female voice blasted through the speakers around the building, "Evacuate. Warning. Countdown. Self-destruct in nine minutes and fifty nine seconds.. Nine minutes and fifty eight seconds.. Nine.." All the doors around the base leading to the outside world bolted shut, metal running from the doorframe and locking into the slots all the way around the door. The only door free was Door E, securely hidden for the workers specifically. But the dented door at the other side of the base whirred pathetically. The metal clips jerked out, trying to launch themselves into the many slots. But the dent and proved difficult for the machinery to work, the door continued to whine and buzz, the metal banged against dented holes, unable to lock fully.

Every mutant had whipped their head skyward at the voice, eyes widening in fear and surprise at this. Scott turned to the others, his breath quickened, "We need to get out of here."

"But Logan – "began Siren, panicked.

"Adrienne!" cried Scott, grabbing her by the shoulders; "We'll never find him under such a time limit! We'll all die! We need to get out and hope to God that Logan's got the sense to get himself out of here!"

"But – "

"We can't! Come on!" Scott turned, urging them forth, "Get back to the door! Come on!"

Oopsies, cliffhanger. Review? Pwetty pwease?

Don't forget to check out 'Poison to the Eye'!! P

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