Chapter 4 – Berserker Storm

"Storm, got something!" Bishop yelled, pounding on her bedroom door. She opened it immediately as if she were standing there waiting for his report.

"What have you found?"

"It was a shot in the dark, but I entered all the search parameters and concentrated on areas in CA – thinking that if one person were to travel frequently between labs, he wouldn't set them up in different states…logistically it would be too complicated. Anyway – the 9/15 scan came up with something. I got hits off two sites – one an industrial complex in Sacramento, and the other a prison in Vacaville. Five'll get ya ten that's where Wolverine is - Vacaville!"

"Show me the file on this prison. Why do you think he is there?"

"It's surrounded by guards – it makes sense that the most dangerous people would be there. I've already gotten satellite surveillance on both. The industrial site has minimal security - not enough to hold someone like Logan – or any other large group of adult mutants. It's also surrounded by other businesses. They can't draw too much attention to themselves."

"Which one is the industrial site?" Storm asked – looking at a satellite photo of several similar looking buildings."

"That's the catch. Because of the satellite uplink, I couldn't get the exact building but I narrowed it down to 6 possible buildings near the river. They all seem to have legitimate business charters. The way the buildings are constructed, they could have an entire lab of infants and nobody would be the wiser. But for Wolverine, I'd put my money on Vacaville – it's the only logical choice."

"But a state prison is too risky – it could EASILY be discovered by one of the inmates or even a visiting family member."

"That's just it Storm…if you look at the satellite photos, there is a prison there – and if you drive by, you will see it…"

"But…?"

"But there is NO prison in Vacaville. It's not in ANY of the state or federal records, it's not listed on any California map, it's not on any web site…hell, it just doesn't exist. I haven't even found any references to it in newspapers or magazines. The only reference to it is on a freeway sign in Vacaville! It's gotta be the place!"

"Give me the address, then call Gambit, Betsy, Rogue and Scott and tell them to meet us here ASAP. Then go to the industrial site and recon the area. See if you can find the specific building. Three of the buildings in the surveillance photos have helipads, as did the prison – I would start there."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to recon the prison."

"Alone?"

"I'll take Jean with me."

"Storm, do you think that's a good idea? If you see something that indicates he IS there – will you be level-headed enough to step back and wait for back-up?"

"Do NOT question my abilities or my leadership!" she snapped; the whites of her eyes showing her anger and the distant sound of thunder rolling across the clear Davis sky giving an ominous warning to the danger ahead.

"Okay – I won't…I just wanted to make sure."

No sooner than Bishop finished his conversation with Scott, had Storm and Jean changed into their BDU's, grabbed their gear, and left for Vacaville. Jean assumed they would drive, but as soon as they walked out of the door, Storm took to the sky. The prison being only 18 miles away, it seemed logical to drive, but logic was far from the weather goddess' mind. Jean levitated up and joined Storm; and with some weatherly assistance, kept up with her during the flight. She normally wouldn't do that but thought it was important enough to stay close in case Storm changed her mind about strictly reconnoitering. With each passing minute Jean grew more concerned. Storm was so focused on finding Logan that she never considered how easy it was for her mind to be read. Jean usually kept her psychic distance, but this was no normal situation. Though Storm's serene face never betrayed her thoughts, her mind fluctuated between extreme fear and dread for Logan and blind rage against those who took him and threatened Tasha. Images from the Castle lab also saturated her mind. Jean saw a myriad of images: Logan being experimented on, Jubilee's nude and nearly lifeless body trapped in a tank, Tasha, the kidnapped students, and thoughts of mutant babies born into captivity for experimentation. It all took a very heavy toll on Storm's mind. Jean knew an explosive situation was inevitable. She just hoped Storm would be able to recover from it.

Darkness made it easy for Storm to get a bird's eye view of the prison without being spotted. Providing a little cloud cover to hide the moonlight made her virtually invisible. Just as Bishop stated, it looked like a prison and there were plenty of guards. Reconnoitering, she counted at least 48 walking the perimeter in groups of 4 – with an additional 24 in 6 elevated guard posts. She knew there were more inside. She also saw the helipad on the roof with several helicopters. She saw 2 reconditioned Hueys, 2 smaller choppers armed with guns, and a fifth helicopter which looked to be a Sikorsky S76 personal transport. She surmised that the Hueys were used to transport mutants, the armed choppers were for defense, and the last was a personal helicopter. She then rejoined Jean in a ditch just outside visual range of the prison.

"Are you okay Storm?" Jean empathetically asked.

"I am fine." She replied in a very monotone voice, never once looking at Jean, opting to continue analyzing the defensive systems of the prison instead.

"I'm just a little concerned about…"

"Stay out of my head and focus on the mission."

"I know you're concerned about Logan, but I sense some very disturb…"

"I SAID stay out of my head Jean!" Storm snapped, taking only a brief moment to make eye contact. "Do you see those guard posts? They each contain 2 50-caliber machine guns. Look on top of the posts. Each one contains a FLIR (forward looking infrared) system that can cut us in half if it detects us." she continued in a sharp voice. "Do you see what the guards are carrying? They have Carbine automatic M4A1 assault rifles with 80 count drums and Dessert Special 9 MM sidearms. Those are NOT normal security guards. They are mercenaries – heavily trained and probably deadly accurate. FOCUS ON THE MISSION…" she grimaced. "and STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Inside the prison, the lead scientist steadily focused on his job – which consisted of examining and dissecting the body of a 2-year old infant mutant in order to unlock her secrets. Unlike Old Man, his heart wasn't filled with anger and resentment toward the mutant race. Though bigoted, he still wondered about the tiny body that lay on the table in front of him. He remembered with fondness the time when his own daughter was that young. He thought about what might have become of this little girl had she not had the misfortune of being born into captivity. He almost shed a tear looking at the tiny body. "It's a mutant." he said to himself…giving him the confidence to continue with his job. He was just about to make the first incision when he stopped. He just couldn't do it. She reminded him too much of his own daughter. He could deal with full grown mutants but when he saw that child, all he saw was her innocence. "Get her out of here." He passionately said to one of the guards.

"What?"

"I SAID get her OUT of here. Take her back to the other lab – just get her out of here. I can't work on her."

"Got a heart eh Doc?" the guard replied.

"Don't you?" he responded.

"I'm a mercenary. This line of work is no place for someone with a heart."

"Just get her out of here – willya please?! I'll deal with Old Man."

The guard started to move the body when an alarm went off. "The Beast!" he said, quickly identifying the source of the alarm. "Guards, meet at L-3 – the BEAST'S tank! He's at it again." He grabbed a tube containing a powerful anesthetic and headed to Wolverine's tank. The guards and scientist arrived at the same time and saw Wolverine's body viciously jerking like he was fighting a fierce enemy in his dream. He tossed and turned inside the fluid-filled container, trying to hit or stab the imaginary foe in front of him.

"I don't know why Old Man doesn't get this mutant out of here!" the scientist said to the guards. He pulled an injection tube from the side of Wolverine's tank and slowly started filling it with the anesthetic solution while the guards attentively watched. One guard made a comment about how many mercs died bringing him in and another agreed with the scientist that they should have left him alone because he was too damned dangerous. Just as the scientist finished filling the injection tube, Wolverine yelled and lunged forward stabbing the inside of the container – instantly penetrating it and taking a nick out of the scientists arm. He was still unconscious when he withdrew his claws and continued to fight his imaginary foe.

"Shit!" the scientist yelled as he pulled back from the container and held his arm. The cuts drew blood but luckily for him, he was just out of reach of any real danger. "Push the injection button!" he yelled, pointing to a small grey button below the injection tube. "Push it quickly before he does any more damage or the container drains!" One guard quickly pushed the button which started injecting the anesthesia into Wolverine's IV. Within seconds Wolverine's actions slowed to a few slight movements then into complete inactivity. "We'll have to get another friggin' tank!" he yelled, looking at the fluid draining from the 3 puncture marks Wolverine made. "I've never seen anything like this! Those razor sharp claws can penetrate anything! Prep one of the oversized cages. If we keep him in the middle, he may not be able to damage the structure. Be quick about it – I want to put him in while he's still under the full effects of this injection."

Outside the prison lay 2 X-Women in hiding – closely analyzing the place. Storm knew that if Logan was inside it would be very tough to get to him. She wasn't concerned with that though – all she wanted to know was his location and the quickest way to get to him. Nothing else mattered. This greatly distressed Jean because not even Professor X had seen Storm use the full grunt of her powers. Seeing it was something they both feared.

"What do you sense inside the building Jean?"

"Let me see." Focusing on the entire facility, images soon came to her. "I see guards – lots of them. I see…it's not a prison at all. There are very few cells inside, but there are 2 large rooms…the building is shaped like a figure 8 with guards at every entry. Both rooms have many mutants – probably 40 – 50 each. I also see guards walking past lab rooms – many of them. She continued to tell Storm what she saw on the inside of the prison.

"Do you see Logan?"

"I'm trying to find him – hold on. The mutants are unconscious so things are a little vague."

Inside the prison, the guards had already pulled Logan from his tank and strapped him to a gurney. With the lead scientist monitoring his vital signs, they started moving him to the other tank, which was located on the other side of the lab. Being extra cautious, they brought in extra guards – a total of 6; all armed with lethal and non-lethal weapons. If Logan were conscious, he might feel a little special receiving all that attention for little old him. Half way to the new tank, the small computer the scientist held started chirping.

"Shit – he's coming out of it. Wait – his vitals are stabilizing again. Hurry up and get him to the new tank!" He bellowed. "If this beast wakes…"

Just as he was finishing his command, the computer chirped again and he heard the unmistakable sound of restraints ripping. Wolverine reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat.

"I told ya you'd pay for zappin' me didn't I Bub?!" He yelled – trying to regain his composure and shake off the rest of the anesthesia. Had it not been for his groggy state, the scientist and half the guards would have already been dead, but fortune was on their side that night. The scientist reared back in pure fear of the now awake mutant. All he could do was cover his face and yell.

"Zap him!" one of the guards yelled as he hit Logan with a stun stick. Logan let out a blood curdling angry yell and refocused on the guard. Just as he did, the other 5 guards simultaneously hit him with stun sticks. Logan yelled so loud and jerked so hard that his entire gurney fell over with him still strapped to it. The guards stunned him again to make sure he was unconscious – which he definitely was.

"Logan!" Jean yelled!

"What is it?!" Storm inquired – fear written all over her usually calm face.

"Pain! Intense pain! They're hurting him!"

That was all Storm needed to hear. As if a light switch had suddenly been turned on, her eyes turned ghostly white and energy started emanating from her hands. She flew to a height of about 30 feet – in plain sight of 2 of the guard posts. The glow emanating from her hands quickly grew then lightening seemed to come from several different directions and converge on her body. It came through her hands and spiraled around her entire body.

"Dear God!" Jean yelled to herself. "Storm! Come back! You'll get killed!" She knew it was too late though. To Storm, the rest of the world no longer existed. War had just begun; and its name was Storm. Jean had never seen lightening encircle Storm's entire body. She also sensed something different in her mind – intense anger, nay rage - pure unadulterated rage. The ticking bomb was just about to go off.

The FLIRs on the 50-calliber guns immediately detected her and started aligning the weapons to attack. Before they could reposition themselves, she let loose 2 enormous blasts of energy that completely decimated the posts. The energy blasts were so large that the only things left were 2 large craters. Not a single trace of the posts or the 8 guards in them remained.

All hell broke loose after that. Every guard in the yard fired at Storm. With the electromagnetic field around her growing brighter and brighter, she made a very easy target; but nothing got to her. Jean heard hundreds of rounds of bullets firing at her, but they all completely incinerated once they reached the field. It was as if Storm was completely surrounded by lightening – a living breathing shield whose sole purpose was to protect her. As she rose higher, she fired blast after blast each one bigger than the previous. She took out the 4 remaining guard posts with 4 very accurate blasts. The last blast created a crater so large and deep that Jean felt the shock nearly an eighth of a mile away.

This was new territory for Storm – she had completely obliterated 24 men without giving it a second thought – or even a first. She had reached the level of one of Logan's berserker rages. Rage had so completely consumed her that all that was left were her will to fight and her combat training – both of which she had plenty of. The light emanating from her body was so bright that Jean didn't know how she could even see – let alone provide countless accurate shots against the large number of guards. Yet there she was – making every shot count. After taking out the 6 posts, she focused on the guards around the perimeter…taking them out one by one. The blasts were smaller, but still significantly more than any of the X-Men had ever seen her use. Every shot found its mark and every mark was completely destroyed. The more guards that attacked her, the larger her blasts became. The last 2 groups fired from behind cement barriers they thought would protect them. As soon as Storm turned her focus on them, she let loose 2 mighty blasts that completely destroyed them and their cement barriers - and about 4 feet of topsoil. It wasn't until then that Storm started calming down and the lightening around her started to dissipate.

"What the hell's goin' on with Storm!" Bishop yelled to Jean, completely surprising her.

"Bishop!" She yelled. "She's enraged. She's out of control!"

"Found out Logan was inside?"

"Yes"

"I knew she couldn't restrain herself enough to wait for back-up. That's why I followed. Had she not flown outta here so damn fast, I woulda been here sooner."

"As soon as I told her Logan was in pain, she went crazy."

"Doesn't look like it to me." Bishop responded. "She may have used a bit too much power, but she completely destroyed the guards AND the posts."

"Yes, but she killed them without giving it a second thought. She just…killed them; and I can't read her mind. The energy around her seems to protect her from my psychic abilities."

Just as Jean started filling Bishop in on what had happened, Storm blasted a huge hole in the side of the prison. The blast exposed one of the corridors that lead to the 2 main chambers. It also alerted all the guards inside to the situation outside – which they already knew. Guards started pouring out of every exit from the prison; but none of them fired. Central command told them what happened outside and they all started taking up position without firing – hoping to delay or not provoke Storm until they were ready. As soon as she saw them, her glow started brightening again. They could see that she was getting ready to do something and moved into place quickly. All in all, there were about 30 of them.

Bishop stood up to take aim at the mercs before they started shooting at Storm.

"Bishop, NO!" Jean yelled!

"What? They'll tear her to shreds!"

He looked to Jean for an answer but was interrupted by the mercs opening fire on Storm.

"STORM!" he yelled in a feeble attempt to save her. He tried to take aim but Jean pulled him down into the ditch.

Amid all the bullets being fired, Storm let out a blood-curdling yell – which Bishop took as a sign she had been hit. Little did he know how wrong he was. Again, the bullets never penetrated the energy surrounding her; incinerating as soon as they hit the field. Also, as her rage increased; so did the energy field. All at once she yelled and released a mighty energy blast that seemed to flow in every direction at once. It seemed like she sucked all the energy out of the atmosphere and released it at one time. It looked like an explosion of light.

Bishop tried to tried to get back up to see what was going on but Jean pulled him back down, jumping on top of his to ensure he wouldn't get up. "You don't want to do that!" she said – a look of understanding now written across her face. "Not yet!" With those words, Bishop heard the mighty crack of lightening, saw the flash of light explode overhead, and heard the rumbling of energy across the ground. He then felt the intense heat of the lightening blast flow across the ditch.

"What the hell was that!" he said, pushing Jean off of him and taking a look at what had happened. Storm still floated about 15 feet in the air and was slowly lowering herself to the ground. The glow around her had dissipated to a fraction of what it was before but was still there. What Bishop and Jean saw next amazed and astounded them. Every living thing within a 900 ft. radius of Storm had been completely incinerated. Every guard, every tree, every blade of grass – all gone; not to mention a significant amount of the prison yard. The perimeter fence had been completely destroyed, the closest wall of the prison had been severely damaged, the helipad on the roof sustained a significant amount of damage, and much of the paved ground had been completely burned away.

"How did you know?" Bishop asked.

"She told me. Just before the blast, she sent me 1 brief and very clear message – 'TAKE COVER!' I knew then what was coming."

"She's going inside – she'll need our help." Bishop said, pulling himself out of the ditch and heading toward the hole in the wall.

The one benefit that Jean and Bishop had was that Storm didn't know where Logan was. That allowed them to catch up to her shortly after entering the prison. Storm had already flown down one corridor and was doubling back toward the hole when Bishop and Jean came in.

"Storm" Jean said.

"Where is Logan?" she replied. The look on her face was very straight-forward and somber. She knew what she had done but this wasn't the time to deal with it. She would reconcile her feelings later on.

"This way" Jean said, pointing down a long corridor to the left. "He's unconscious but I can sense his presence."

"What about the guards? Where are they?"

"People are scattered – some have already left the building. There aren't too many left. I sense 11 people in the building: 9 guards and 2 scientists…one of them is Old Man!" she said to Storm and Bishop as if they had hit the jackpot. "Five guards are headed to the roof with Old Man, the other 4 and other scientist are waiting for us inside with Logan. They're setting up a last line of defense.

"Old Man!" Storm yelled – looking to Bishop for assistance. "He's going for one of the choppers on the roof."

"He's not getting away this time!" Bishop yelled. "I'll see to it. You two go get Wolverine!"

With that, Storm and Jean headed for the main lab. Storm knew Bishop wouldn't let her down. She wasn't even surprised to see him there. He had on occasion disobeyed orders when he had a gut feeling about something. Also, he had been a good friend to her and knew when she needed help.

Storm and Jean made their way to the main entrance of the lab holding Logan. The large double doors were locked from the inside – a feeble attempt to keep Storm out. The guards saw what Storm did outside. Before her explosion of energy knocked out all the cameras, they saw the damage she inflicted on the guard posts and knew the doors wouldn't pose much of a challenge. The most they could hope for was to try to get her talking and possibly shoot her with a tranquilizer.

With a single wave of her hand, Storm blew the doors in. She brazenly walked into the lab without fear of consequences. Jean cautiously followed. All the lights were out – even those on the tanks the mutants were in.

"Deliver us from darkness!" Storm proclaimed as she raised one hand and dimly lit the room with energy.

"That's far enough mutant!" a voice boomed over the intercom. Without overhead lighting it was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from.

"Show yourself!" she demanded.

"In due time. I know you came looking for your friend. He's here – and won't be harmed…as long as you do what I say."

"DO NOT TEMPT ME!" she yelled. "You and your 4 guards have TWO choices – surrender, or die! Which do you choose?"

"Personally I'd rather come up with a third, more plausible option…one that involves me leaving and you not following."

"You lost that option the day you held a gun to my daughter's head and kidnapped my husband." Storm and Jean continued to walk through the room. They couldn't see much, but knew they were surrounded by tanks – all with mutants inside.

"I suppose that would put a damper on our friendship…" the voice nervously chuckled. "Would it help if I told you I had nothing to do with the kidnapping or the incident with your daughter and that I wish I had never SEEN that animal you call a husband?"

"Not likely!" the weather goddess boldly replied. "I would have found you…AND these missing mutants." She saw the control panel on an elevated deck and headed toward it.

"Yes, I suppose you would have…NOW!" the voice yelled as the lights suddenly came on. Storm and Jean were in the middle of a clearing when all 4 mean opened fire with tranquilizer guns – 1 for Jean and 3 for Storm. A sudden and immense gust of wind blew all 4 darts off target – leaving the guards and scientist in a very difficult situation. They dared not fire their lethal weapons against Storm. They knew what she was capable of, and also knew when the battle was over. That time had come and she had won. With the lights on, Storm easily spotted the scientist peering out from a computer station in the control center. She quickly took to the air and landed in front of him, grabbing him and pinning him against the wall. Her eyes glowed icy white and her hands burned where she held him.

"But how???" the scientist confusingly asked.

"If you want to surprise someone…" she said with an air of confidence, make sure they don't have a TELEPATH with them! Throw down your weapons!" she commanded of the 4 remaining guards. "Throw down your weapons and LEAVE!" Not needing a second warning, all 4 took the opportunity to flee with their lives. This gave Jean a great deal of comfort. She saw a bit of the old Storm returning…the Storm that would choose diplomacy over battle. She hoped to see more after they found Logan.

"WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?" Storm commanded of the scientist.

"He's there!" he nervously said, pointing a shaky finger in a direction just to the right of the control center. "Please don't kill me!" he begged – now in utter agony from the burning around his neck and chest. "I didn't hurt him – I swear! I didn't hurt ANY of them! I took good care of all of them." The scowl she gave him told him that his proclamation only angered her more and that it was best for him to leave well enough alone – he was alive for the time being.

Jean had already headed toward Logan; Storm was close behind – still dragging the scientist. They walked around the corner to an oversized tank. Logan was submerged in the middle of it. The site of his unconscious body made Storm gasp. She threw the scientist to the ground and ran to his tank.

"Jean, Get him OUT of there!" she commanded.

Using her telepathic powers, she lifted the top off the tank and lifted Logan's body out; laying it gently on the ground. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to escape, the scientist eased away from the 3 X-Men and tried to slip away. An energy blast hitting mere inches from his feet stopped his retreat. Storm may have been focused on Wolverine, but she wasn't about to let this scientist escape.

"Your next step will be your LAST!" she commanded, not even taking the time to look up at him. "How do we revive him?" she asked.

"I don't know." Jean responded.

"How?!" Storm yelled to the scientist.

"We just gave him an extra dose of anesthesia. He'll be out for a couple of hours."

"There's no way to bring him out of it now?"

"Not safely – it's best to let the anesthetic wear off."

Meanwhile on the roof, Old Man and his band of guards ran for the first chopper – the luxurious S76. As they neared it, they realized it had been significantly damaged by Storm's blast.

"This one is no good." One of the guards said. "That mutant did a real number on it."

"That was my personal transport!" Old Man grimaced. "I practically LIVED in that thing!" They could see that the next two also had been damaged, the second unflyable but third not nearly as bad – it looked fly-able. The further away from the damaged side of the building, the better condition the helicopters were in. The fourth chopper looked to be in good shape – or at least good enough to make an escape. All 5 guards and Old Man were inside trying to start the engine when a blast from a gun hit the main rotor, sending it crashing to the ground in several pieces. Another blast sent all 6 men flying out of the chopper in fear that it would be destroyed with them in it. They tried to take up a defensive posture but Bishop already had them pinned down.

"I've got the Old Man in my site!" Bishop yelled, revealing himself and his very large weapon. "However ya wanna play it, you'll lose!"

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" One of the guards said to Old man.

"Take him out!" he replied. "But wait." he said as he activated a device on his arm. "NOW!" he yelled.

The guard dove for his gun just as Bishop opened fire. Every single shot was deflected by a shield surrounding Old Man – giving him ample time to take cover. Three of the guards began firing at Bishop while the other 2 and Old Man made their way to the final helicopter. By the time one guard had the final chopper started, there was only one remaining guard still conscious outside. The second guard inside motioned for him to get in. Cover fire was laid down to shield his retreat but they didn't count on Bishop's accuracy. He was able to peg the final guard before he ever made it inside. The guard inside again laid down fire as the helicopter lifted off the pad. Bishop targeted the choppers fuel cell and prepared to fire on it. No, I have a better idea. he said to himself as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out an electronic device. He loaded his weapon with a tracker and retargeted the retreating helicopter then fired – hitting the underbelly of the Hughes 500 Defender. The chopper quickly made a retreat into the night sky – headed east toward Sacramento. Bishop gave a few missed shots to complete the image of an escape, then quickly took cuffs from the 3 downed guards and tied them together, securing the final one to one of the damaged chopper legs. He then quickly ran to his car and headed east, tracking the Defender.

Inside the prison; Storm, Jean, and the lead scientist all stood around the unconscious Wolverine.

"We HAVE to bring him out of it!" Storm yelled.

"With his unique mutant ability, anything is possible. The anesthesia should normally wear off in a couple hours, but if he gets excited or mad, there's no telling what. When I studied him, the only thing I concluded was that he was too unpredictable to study and a pain in the ass to deal with." he said – rubbing his arm where Wolverine had cut him. It may take 2 hours, it may take 2 minutes. Try talking to him." The Scientist had become a lot more cooperative since he had been captured. He figured 2 things: Storm was dangerous and mad enough to kill him and WOULD if he pissed her off; and when Logan woke up, "good behavior" might convince the 2 X-Women to spare his life. "Try talking to him. Your presence MIGHT stimulate him."

"Logan…" Storm softly whispered into his ear. "Logan…wake up." His body stirred a little but he remained unconscious. Storm shot a glare at the scientist then whispered in Logan's ear again. "Logan, please wake up. It's me – Stor…" Just then he reached up and grabbed her - pulling her on top of him and giving her a huge kiss. "Logan!" she yelled – pulling back and looking at his now open eyes. "You're awake!" she said – her tearful smile showing how ecstatic she was to see him.

"Yeah Darlin' – with a fine-assed woman like you whisperin' in my ear, what'd ya expect!" He was still groggy but sat up on the floor. Being awake made his healing factor work faster. He quickly recovered from the effects of the anesthesia and then realized he was sitting there in the buff in front of Storm and Jean. Not feeling the least bit embarrassed, he turned back to Storm.

"Tasha safe?" he asked.

"Yes she is." Storm replied – the smile still very large on her face.

"Good!" he responded, looking around the room. YOU!" he yelled when he spotted the scientist. "I got a bone ta pick with you!" -SNIKT- He jumped to his feet and pointed 3 claws at the scientist. "In fact, I think I'll pick ALL of 'em!"

"No." Storm said – placing her hand on his chest and softly restraining him. "Don't hurt him. He has been very cooperative."

He unwillingly withdrew his claws – knowing full well that he wouldn't do anything in front of Storm and Jean. "Bub, you don't know how lucky you are!"

"Believe me, I do!" the scientist responded.

"Gimme your clothes!" Logan replied.

"What?"

"Um standin' here in the buff! Gimme your clothes or gimme my old clothes back."

"Your clothes were destroyed."

"So hand over the duds! And you owe me $600 bucks!"

"What?!"

"Those were custom-made cowboy kicks and an Akubra hat you tossed out! Both gifts from her!" he said, pointing to Storm."

"I don't know what to tell you…I don't have $600 on me."

"BY THE GODDESS!" Storm shrieked.

"What?!" everyone yelled – looking over at her. She had just discovered the body of the 2-year old girl on the examination table. She turned to the scientist – her eyes burning white.

"Dear God!" he said; knowing full well he was about to die.

"A BABY! How COULD you?!" She yelled.

"I didn't! PLEASE believe me I DIDN'T!" He dropped to his knees begging her to believe him. "She came in like that! I was supposed to examine her but I couldn't. I just couldn't! She looked just like my daughter. I couldn't do it. PLEASE believe me."

"He's telling the truth Storm." Jean said. "The child came in like that. He didn't kill her. He couldn't examine her – he tried but he couldn't."

"WHO DID THIS!?" Storm commanded. "OLD MAN?"

"Yes…" the scientist replied – still on his knees.

"Where did this child come from? Sacramento?"

"Yes, YES – the Sacramento lab."

"There are others there?"

"Yes – 10 or 15. I don't know exactly how many."

"Where is this lab?"

"I don't know."

"WHERE IS IT?!

"I DON'T know!" he said in tears. "I really don't know! I've never been there. The only reason I know about it is because I was put in charge of backing up all of the data from both labs after you discovered the Castle facility. I've never been there – I just know it's in Sacramento."

Storm looked around the lab then tapped her comm badge.

"Bishop!" There was no answer.

"Bishop!" she yelled again. It was then she realized her comm badge had been completely destroyed – probably when her energy field encompassed her body.

"Jean, my comm badge is out – give me yours." Jean handed her badge to Storm and she immediately called for Bishop again.

"Bishop here."

"Where are you?"

"Eastbound 80 – headed for Sacramento."

"Old Man got away?"

"No – I'm tracking him now. I figure he's headed for the Sacramento facility."

"I need you here! Come back to the Prison and help Jean. Logan and I will follow Old Man."

"Sure thing. You can track Old Man's chopper on your combat PDA. I'll be back in Vacaville in 10 minutes."

"Copy that Bishop – Storm out!"

She reached inside her pocket and pulled out her PDA. Upon opening it, she realized it had been completely destroyed just liked the comm badge. "Goddess!" she proclaimed. "It doesn't work!" Jean pulled hers out and gave it to Storm.

"Try this one – it should work fine." Sure enough it worked and picked up Bishop's bug.

She then turned to Jean. "Jean, Call Scott and have him meet you here. Logan, do you feel strong enough to help me in Sacramento?"

"Try and stop me Darlin'!"

"Do you still remember how to fly a helicopter?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I saw a small fleet on the roof."

They headed for the roof and found the 3 guards tied to the first helicopter. They also saw the completely destroyed fourth helicopter as well as the space for the missing fifth.

"Damn!" Storm proclaimed, looking at the damaged third chopper.

"What the hell happened here?" Logan asked – looking at all of the damage done to the prison.

"I got angry!" Storm replied.

"YOU did all of this???"

"Yes, get over here and assess the damage of this helicopter she ordered."

He quickly evaluated it. "It's all cosmetic…she'll fly."

"Are you sure?"

"If she'll start, she'll fly…these Hueys are built like tanks…they can take a lot more damage than this."

"Good, let's go!"

"One problem though."

"What is it?"

"That chopper" he said – looking at the destroyed helicopter "That's a Defender – maneuverable, quick and quiet. This is a Huey. They'll here us coming from at least 5 miles out. They'll have time ta drink a beer, take a leak, AND get ready for us. Hope you're not plannin' a sneak attack Darlin'." he grimaced. "Next time Bishop blows up some choppers, tell him to start with the noisy ones and leave the quiet ones fer us."

"The element of surprise is not a factor. They'll know we're coming anyway."

"You not worried about that?"

"They are the ones who should be concerned, not I."

"Damn Storm. How long have I been out? What's gotten into you?"

"What has gotten into me? Tasha having a gun pointed at her head, you being taken, dead babies…what more do you need?" Her eyes were still icy white and Logan knew this wasn't good. He'd seen himself when he was that angry, and not many people could calm him down from it. That was bad enough; but he however couldn't control the weather. It didn't take a meteorologist to know that a storm was coming – a mighty big one.

"Calm down Darlin' I don't know what happened at the prison back there, but I sure as hell know what death smells like. You okay?"

"No, I am not…but do not worry about me."

Though Storm had calmed down considerably after she found Logan, the site of the dead infant really disturbed her. She couldn't get that image out of her head. All she could think about was the other 10 – 15 babies. It was bad enough experimenting on adult mutants, but the thought of a 2-year old baby that had never seen the light of day or been held by her mother really hurt the maternal weather goddess.