Of God and Man
Disclaimers: Usual crap. Not mine but I love Stan for bringing them to us. Hugs and kisses Mr. Lee.
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Chapter 2
"What's is going on around here," Logan demanded as he took a seat in front of Xavier's desk. "Everyone's acting like they're in a badly written soap opera."
"Ten days ago, we brought a new mutant to the school," Xavier sighed, rubbing his temples. "She's an empath with the ability to project emotion but not feel them from others. She would be a valuable asset to the teams but she has little to no control."
"She's causing all this?" he asked in horror. "She's tearing the team apart!"
"I know that," snapped Charles.
"Send her back," Logan demanded.
"I can't. She's caused two riots and an orgy in Bakersfield. If I send her back, the city will be in flames in under a week. She can't go back anyway. The convent threw her out. She has nowhere else to go."
"Convent?"
"She's a nun. A Sister of Mercy," Xavier told him. Pain was clear on his face. The effort of controlling Logan's rage as well as reinforcing his own shields was telling.
"How old is she?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Twenty three," Xavier said. "She was able to hide this long by staying in seclusion. Five months ago, she was transferred to Bakersfield to teach at Holy Angels school. The problems started when she was assigned the special education class. The first riot started after a student assaulted her. The second was after she spoke to the child's parents."
"And the orgy?"
Xavier cleared his throat with embarrassment. "She took a nap and had an erotic dream. The sensations she experienced were projected in a half mile radius around the convent."
"You were there, weren't you?"
"Yes," he admitted, his cheeks pink. "That's how I found her. I knew I was being manipulated so I searched. She an alpha class empath Logan. She can project any emotion, not just strong ones. She can also dampen even the strongest hate. She could be the edge we need to make people listen to us but if she can't control her own emotions, she's a liability we can't risk. If she can't learn control..."
"I'll hafta kill her," Logan finished for him.
"I don't want to order her death," he told Logan.
"What do you want me ta do?"
"You have the most experience in controlling your emotions," Xavier said as he pulled a file from his desk. "Teach her how to cage the beast."
"Me?" he asked incredulously. "I have enough trouble keeping my head as it is and ya want me ta train an empath? Are ya crazy?"
"But you can cage your animal side. You let it loose when you need to but you keep it under control most of the time." Logan got up and began to pace. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you could do it."
Logan continued to pace. Could he do this? Xavier seemed to this so. What if her emotions overpowered his control before he could teach her to contain them? Would he end up killing her?
"I'll support you as best I can until she learns control," Xavier assured him. "I have to leave the others alone in order to keep your rage in check."
"Oh shit," Logan whispered.
"What?"
"Kitty'll kill Jubilee unless ya shut her down," Logan said, his face pale. "She got the anger and most of it's pointed at Jubes."
"I can't," he explained, distressed. "It's taking everything I have to control you and hold my shields. Can you get her into a cell?"
"She'll just phase out of it," Logan told him. "Can Hank sedate her?"
"Henry is in the middle of a crying episode and is unable to function as a doctor at this time."
"Who is functioning here?" he threw his hands up, angry.
"You, me and possibly Storm."
Logan thought for a moment. The plan he had in mind wasn't perfect but it'll have to do.
"I'll put myself in a cell," he explained to Xavier. "Have Ororo get Kitty to the lab. Take the controls off me and give 'em ta Blue. Get him ta sedate her then 'Ro can watch her. Once she's under, switch off Beast and give me back the brain clamp."
"What if Ororo can't control her?"
"Dart her if ya hafta but get her down. Right now, she's the most dangerous. If the anger spreads ta 'Ro, we're in big trouble."
"I agree," Xavier told him. "Storm has had years of practice controlling herself but she doesn't have your shields. She's not used to protecting herself from psychic attacks. If she gets angry, she'll kill everyone."
"I'll be in cell eight," Logan said as he left.
The door clanged shut and with a click, the auto lock engaged, The cell was specifically designed to hold him. It was built shortly after he came to the school. So far, the only occupants have been Sabretooth and himself. The bars were electrified adamantium and the walls were thin sheets of the same metal. Even in a berserker rage, there was no way for him to get out without help.
He felt Chuck withdraw from his mind and the rage returned. He immediately lowered himself to the floor and flipped his legs into a lotus position. Closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, he began to meditate.
Concentrate on your breathing, he told himself.
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
A Japanese garden appeared in his mind, the same one he had met Mariko in. A gentle breeze played over his skin. He opened his eyes to find himself naked.
In...
Out...
His eyes drifted closed again.
In...
Out...
In...
The sweet perfume of night blooming jasmine swirled in the breeze; Mariko's scent.
Out...
In...
Out...
In...
"Logan-san?" her voice soft, sweet and longing.
"Mariko," he moaned.
"You call, my love," she whispered. "I come."
"I need you," he murmured.
"I know," she said. He felt her fingers brush through his hair. He reached up to grab her hand but his fingers passed through hers. It was always like this. She came when he meditated but he couldn't touch her. She could touch him but only his hair.
"Won't you open your eyes and look at me?" she asked.
"It hurts," he whispered painfully. "If I look, I want to touch you and I can't."
"Why do you call me if it is so painful?" she asked.
"Because you calm me," he told her, his eyes closed. "You give my soul peace."
Her fingers continued to stroke his hair, his frazzled nerves healing.
"This woman you must see," she said, her tone soft and comforting. "She bothers you."
"I may have to kill her," he told Mariko. "If she isn't able to control herself, it may be necessary to kill her to prevent her anger from spreading."
"You are unsure of your ability to help her," Mariko stated.
"How can I help her control her emotions if I can barely control my own?"
"You give yourself too little credit Logan-san," she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "You are much stronger than you believe yourself to be. You can control a very powerful and dangerous animal. You do not allow the beast inside you to range free."
"But I do," he objected. "I feel it trying to break free every time I fight. Sometime it takes everything I have to keep from killing."
"But you don't," she said firmly. "You keep the beast on a short rope and don't let it have it's way. The only time you let it free is when you are pushed beyond your limits."
She continued to calm him as he thought about what she said.
"Be grateful you aren't a woman," she told him.
"Why?" he asked.
"Everyone has a beast beneath the surface. When a man lets his animal out, it is possible to frighten it into fleeing. When a woman lets her beast out, it is not possible to frighten the animal. She will not retreat. A woman will die before allowing anyone she loved to be hurt."
"My beast won't run."
"That is because your beast knows you will recover from injury," she explained. "A woman will not even give a thought that she might die. If she is protecting her family, she will do what ever she must to save them. You know this Logan-san."
He knew she was right. You could always frighten an angry man but you could never frighten an angry woman. He would need to keep his head.
"You will do fine," she whispered. "Now go. Jubilee is calling for you."
He opened his eyes to see her fading face, love sparkling in her eyes.
"I love you," she said as she disappeared.
"I love you too," he found himself crying as he returned to the cell.
"Wolvie?" Jubilee asked. "Are ya okay?"
"I'm fine," he told her gruffly.
"Why are ya in there?" she asked. Her eyes were red from crying but he could see the sadness was leaving and anger was taking it's place. He was going to have to do something. If she gave in to the anger, everyone would definitely die. He knew what she was capable of.
"Never mind," he told her. "Let me out."
"Are ya sure?"
"C'mon Jubes, stop dicking around. I gotta see the new recruit."
"All right," she said sourly. "Keep yer shorts on." She went to the keypad and punched in her code, unlocking the door.
He exited the cell and pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight hug. He could feel her struggle against him, her temper rising.
"Sorry 'bout this darlin'," he murmured and flung her into the cell. He quickly slammed the door and locked it adding his own over-ride code to the sequence to keep anyone but himself or Xavier from opening the door.
"I'll let ya out when things calm down," he yelled as he ran down the hall, dodging paffs as he went. Her screams of rage followed him.
He stopped in the Med Lab long enough to check on Kitty and get a dart gun. Ororo looked as if she had lost something and couldn't find it. She reaked of frustration with a small amount of sadness. She assured him she would be okay for a while but she admitted that is was hard not to give into the emotions.
"Keep Kitty sedated," he instructed. "If she gets out, she'll start killin'. Same with Jubes."
"Where is Jubilation?" Storm asked.
"Cell eight," Logan told her. "I got over-ride codes in place so no one will let her out but be careful going down that hall. She's shooting high powered paffs. Keep a dart gun handy and a box of darts. Shoot anyone who looks angry. Try and keep 'em outta Chuck's office. If ya can't, bring him down here. He needs ta stay conscious and in control of his emotions. Don't let Synch anywhere near this new mutant. Ya might hafta dart him sooner."
"Logan, what are you going to do?"
"What I need ta do, 'Ro," he told her.
"You aren't going to kill her are you?"
"Only if I need ta. I want ta help her control her emotions so Chuck can help her build shields but if she won't let me help, then yeah, I'll kill her."
He left the Med Lab with a dart gun, two boxes of darts and a heavy heart.
