Kudos to all who read the last 12 chapters. This is my first fanfic and I'm having a ball. This story is the kind that won't let me sleep. Ideas keep popping up at odd times like driving my kid to school or in the shower. My muse is kinda sadistic.
Disclaimers: Not mine. Never were mine. Never will be mine. (damn) Not making any money from them.
Chapter 13
The blue glow from the med lab office drew Logans' attention away from Kate. He heard the rumble of voices from across the room. With the door closed, he could only hear the odd word, even though they were talking in whispers. He got out of his bed painfully and crossed the room to the office, dragging the IV pole along behind him like a reluctant puppy. He opened the door and poked his head in.
"If yer discussin' Kate, I want a say," he told the three men in the room.
"Logan," Beast protested. "You shouldn't be out of bed. Your epidermis has just healed. I am sure your musculature and nerve tissues have not had enough time to regenerate."
"I'm fine," he told him. "I brought along this stupid IV for ya so don't bitch. Like I said, if yer discussin' Kate, I want a say."
"Wolverine is our resident patient from hell," Beast remarked to Magneto.
"Obviously," replied Magneto
Logan just growled.
"We were discussing withdrawal routes for the wires, Logan," Xavier to him. "We need to minimize the damage their removal will cause to Kates' brain."
"What do you mean 'minimize'?" Wolverine growled. "Can't you take them out without causing more damage?"
"Unfortunately, no," Magneto sighed. "Even small wires such as these will cause damage as I remove them and if I disconnect them and leave them, they could migrate and cause even more problems down the road. They will have to go. The trick will be reducing the damage to an acceptable level. It would be much better if we had a micro-teleporter. I'm sure that's the way it was placed initially."
"It appears that the best routes are the ones indicated here," Beast told them, pointing to the three dimensional scan of Kates' brain. "This way, we can expect some behavioral problems and memory access difficulties but no blindness, hearing problems or seizures. I believe this is the safest way to proceed."
Logan was no longer paying attention. He was staring at the scan of Kates' head with the bio chip deep in her brain, like a manmade cancer. His rage at the person responsible was growing stronger every minute.
"Logan," Xavier called for the third time.
"What?" Logan growled.
"Go back to bed," Xavier ordered. "We will find the ones responsible later. We need to take care of Kate first."
Logan stared at the scan, a low rumble coming from his throat. Suddenly, he turned and left the room, taking his IV pole with him.
The room was quiet for a moment before Magneto remarked "Passionate, isn't he?"
"Logan is passionate in all his emotions," Beast replied. "Love and hate included."
A monitor alarm sounded as soon as Logan reached Kates' bed, drawing the three from the office. Beast immediately checked the monitors and silenced the alarm.
"We have to do it now," Beast told them. "Her heart isn't going to last the night."
"Logan," Xavier said. "You will have to leave. Your metal skeleton will interfere."
Logan nodded. Kissing Kates' forehead, he brushed the hair off her face. Saying a quick prayer, he turned and left the med lab.
Somehow, he found himself at the door to the Danger Room. The lights were off indicating that no one was using it. Slamming his hand on the panel, the door swooshed open and he went in, the IV pole trailing behind.
"Computer," he said to the air. "Load 'Wolverine scenario 227, level 10, safeties off."
"Unable to comply," was the reply.
"What? Why can't ya load my program?"
"Code name Wolverine is presently listed as injured. Access will be returned when certified for combat by Dr. Henry McCoy."
"Listen ya bucket of bolts," he began.
"No use arguing with the computer, Wolvie," Jubilee said behind him.
"Hi, darlin'. Load the program for me, will ya.?"
"Sorry, no. I promised Beast I would keep an eye on ya, that includes not letting ya use the Danger Room before you're ready."
Everyone was conspiring against him, he thought.
"Come on, Jubes. I know you can do it. You've been using my scenarios for years. Just load one so I can get some of this anger outta me."
"Not on your like, bub. You were an over cooked pork roast less that twelve hours ago. I'm not about to screw up your recovery by letting you over do it. I know you. You'll be in here for hours with the safeties off, getting cut up. Your healing factor has enough to deal with as it is."
"I gotta get this outta me or I'll explode."
Jubilee smiled, cheekily. She went over to the control panel and keyed in a few numbers. Suddenly, the walls of the Danger Room faded and he found himself on a beach at twilight. Palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze. The surf lapped at the shore with a soothing rhythm. Two Beach chairs appeared in the sand.
"This is familiar, Jubes," he remarked. "Where is this?"
"Trunk Bay, US Virgin Islands," She told him, picking up the present she brought him. She opened it and pulled out two bottles of beer. Handing him one, she opened the other and took a long pull. "Well, aren't you going to open yours?"
"Jubilation Lee, yer a gal after my own heart," he said smiling.
"Don't you forget it," she replied as she sat down.
He opened his beer and sat down in the beach chair. It had been a long time since he had just sat and had a beer with his best gal. They sat for hours, talking. He learned what she had been doing for the past two years at school and about her dreams of college. She learned about the battles she had missed while at school, and his fear that Kate might die.
When Xavier found them, Jubilee was asleep and Logan was feeling much calmer.
"We were successful," Xavier told him. "She's breathing on her own and in a normal sleep. She should awake tomorrow. Why don't you go in and see her?"
He shook Jubilee awake. "Jubes, I'm going to the med lab. You should go to bed."
Jubilee stretched and got up. "Did it work?"
"Looks good so far," Logan told her. "We'll see when she wakes up tomorrow." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. "Thanks, kid. I needed you here tonight."
He kissed the top of her head and left the Danger Room.
"Thank you for helping, Jubilee," Xavier said, softly.
"Glad to be of service," she quipped. "I don't get the chance anymore to just talk to him."
"I think you needed this as much as he did. He missed you, terribly."
"I know," she said, quietly. " I missed him too."
"Hank is not going to be too happy about the beer, however."
"It was either beer or let him tear up the Danger Room again. I took the lesser of two evils."
"Computer, end program." Xavier said in a louder voice. The Beach faded and the metal walls reappeared. Beer bottles were scattered across the room, a testament to the night.
"Clean up the bottles and go to bed," Xavier told her. "Scott has an early session scheduled."
"He won't make it," she snickered, picking up bottles from the floor. "He and Jean are taking a night off at a local motel. I'm willing to bet that they won't be back before eight."
"I'll see you in the morning," Xavier beat a hasty retreat before she could offer more information.
"And they'll be walking kinda funny," she said in a low, happy voice. She loved it when her family was happy.