Phoenix Rising: Chapter 2
He was right about the nightmares. Over the years, he had come to terms with his past and the nightmares had all but disappeared. They only returned when he had been on a particularly rough mission or when he thought too long about Jubilee. The content of the dreams hadn't changed much. They were still mostly about what was done to him by the Weapon X project but after thinking about Jubilee, they changed. It was no longer him in the tank, it was Jubilee. She would be the one undergoing the adamantium bonding procedure, the surgeries, the brainwashing, and he could only watch and scream.
Several times, after having the nightmares, he had woken up to find he had ruptured his vocal cords during the night. The first time he had a nightmare while on board a star ship, he set off the intruder alarms. He had taken the precaution of instructing the computer to ignore any noise coming from his cabin since then. He had no further problems after that. He still had the nightmares but he didn't wake up the entire ship with them.
He woke feeling tired but his vocal cords were intact. He stretched and did his morning exercises, beginning to feel more normal. After a shower and a high protein breakfast, he left the cabin and headed for the briefing.
He arrived in the conference room shortly before 0900. There were several models of previous Enterprises on display in the room that drew his interest. He remembered a number of them. One, a late 20th century sub orbital shuttle, was the only one never to be used. The others saw long service for their owners. He stopped before the model of NCC 1701, the original Star Ship Enterprise, and glared at it.
The door swished open and he caught the distinctive scent of Riker.
"One of the more important pieces in the collection," Riker said as he came up behind him. "Her Captain was one of my idols when I was growing up."
"Kirk was a cowboy," Logan snorted. "I spent most of my time on the ship keeping him from getting his ass kicked."
"You were on the ship?" Riker asked doubtfully.
"I was a time displaced passenger," Logan told him without elaborating. The doors swished open again and the remaining senior staff entered en mass. Everyone quickly found seats and the briefing began. Logan found a seat next to Troy and immediately caught an unfamiliar scent. He quickly zeroed in on it. Jumping up, he grabbed the stranger by the hair and, placing his fist under the chin, popped his outsider claws, bracketing the face.
"Who are ya?" he growled dangerously.
"Logan," Picard cried. "Release Counselor Troy this instant." Worf leapt from his seat and dashed around the table, intent on stopping Logan. Wolverine released her head and brought his other fist to bear on Worf, popping all three claws. Worf stopped moving, eyes intent on the deadly claws.
"Tell me who ya are or yer going ta see the third claw, up close and personal."
The being masquerading as Troy gave an evil smile and began to morph. To the surprise of everyone but Wolverine, she transformed into a nude woman with green scales all over her body.
"Viper," he growled and brought his claws around and drove them into her side, piercing her heart. "Not this time." She exhaled in surprise as he dropped her body to the floor. He retracted his claws and stepped back, careful not to touch her blood.
He looked around the stunned room, his eyes landing on the doctor who was looking faintly green.
"Get a DNA sample but don't touch her blood," he instructed gruffly. "Her body fluids are poisonous ta humans. Do it quick like. They'll retrieve her body as soon as they know she's dead."
Beverly was too shocked to move. She had never seen anyone killed in such a manner before. Her entire body was trembling. She was even more surprised when the body vanished before her eyes; no transporter effect, just gone. Logan swore colorfully. The room exploded with noise.
"What were you thinking?" Riker demanded loudly. Logan winced from the noise, his ears ringing.
"Logan, we could have arrested her and kept her in the brig," Picard said angrily.
"No ya couldn't," Logan told him. "They coulda got her out of any cell ya put her in. They have a strong teleporter with 'em." He returned to his seat. "Ya better send someone ta check on the Counselor." Worf nodded and dispatched a team to find the missing Betazoid.
"Did you have to kill her?" Beverly demanded, still sick.
"She was sent ta kill all o' ya," he said as he popped a toothpick in his mouth. "That's her only function. She kills. I've been chasing her across the galaxy for five years. I have orders ta kill her on sight. Same with Argon."
"She could not have kill us," Worf announced, confident in his ability to protect his captain.
"You woulda died first," Logan told him. "I know how she worked. The strongest go first. Picard would have been last unless he gave her trouble. Don't think she wouldn't have been able ta get ya 'cause you're Klingon. She's killed more Klingons than humans. She was a good assassin but not good enough."
Deanna burst through the doors in a panic. "I couldn't wake up," she said breathlessly. "I was trapped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up."
"A telepath. They don't want ya dead yet," Logan said as he lead her to a chair. "Don't worry. Ya ain't missed nothin'. Don't touch the blood stains." She looked up at him startled.
"A meta morph assassin took yer place," he said as he sat down. "She's dead."
"Who and what are you?" Picard demanded roughly.
"My name is Logan," he began his story. "I'm a special agent for Star Fleet intelligence. I'm also a mutant."
"I thought mutants died out," Beverly said.
"Oh, we're still around," he said sourly. "Earth ain't the most welcomin' planet fer us. Most mutants left Earth soon as they could. Very few still live there. Most of us prefer ta stick to our own kind. Normals are still afraid of us."
"What does this mutation do?" she asked, fascinated.
"Different things fer different people. My mutation is sight, hearin' and smell well beyond the human norm as well as rapid healin'. I also have three bone claws in each forearm that I can control with my muscles." He popped the claws on his right hand with a soft 'snickt'.
Beverly got up and came around the table to take a closer look at the claws. "But they're not bone."
"I told ya humans and mutants don't get along. In the 20th and 21st century, we were used as lab rats by many a scientist. Sometime in the 20th century, I was kidnapped, drugged and used fer an experiment by the Canadian government. They bonded adamantium to my bones, erased my memories and programed me ta be a livin' weapon." He retracted his claws and the wounds healed instantly.
"Oh, my God!" LaForge whispered, appalled. The dark skinned engineer was actually gray. Geordie thought he would loose his breakfast right there on the table. He swallowed repeatedly, trying to control the nausea. Picard and Riker looked at him in confusion.
"Adamantium is the strongest metal in the known universe," Data stated in a matter of fact voice. "Once it hardens, it is indestructible and unworkable. It is very difficult to manufacture and even more difficult to work with. There is an eight minute window of opportunity after smelting to form it. The only way it could have been used to coat your bones was to inject it into your body in its molten state, at a temperature of 1500 degrees, Fahrenheit." Logan nodded in conformation.
"How could you survive such a barbaric procedure?" Beverly gasped. "You should have been burned to death during installation. If not then, the adamantium should have poisoned you in the first year."
"I heal," Logan told her. "My body fights the poison every day. My healing factor is so active that I replace every cell in my body every five days. The adamantium is the reason I've lived so long."
"If your healing factor is that active, how did they keep you anesthetized for the procedure?" Deanna asked.
"They didn't," he growled. A confused stream of memories flashed through his mind of the torture they put him through. Deanna had, unfortunately, tuned her mind into his as soon as he began to describe his past. She saw the memories along with him. She gasped in horror and ran for the briefing room head, her hand clamped over her mouth.
They heard her retching as she emptied her stomach. Riker leapt up from his chair and rushed to the door of the head. "Deanna, are you alright?" he called through the door.
"Musta saw my memories," Logan said, worried. "They ain't pretty. She's gonna have nightmares fer a while." He glanced back at the faces surrounding him. The looks ranged from nausea, to horror. Data was the only one not affected by his words. He only looked curious. "Don't feel bad fer me. I've had centuries ta work it out in my mind. The counselor isn't gonna sleep well fer quite a while, though."
"Your memories are that bad?" LaForge asked weakly.
"I've lived nearly five hundred years," Logan informed them. "Most of 'em spent fightin' fer my life or the lives of others. Of course I have some ugly memories."
"Don't you have any good memories?" Riker asked.
"Yeah, sure I do," he said. "Five of my seven wives, the births of my daughters and grandchildren, my friends. But ya have ta realize, I've outlived everyone I ever got close ta. I've watched them grow up, make something of themselves, grow old and die while I stayed young and healthy. The good memories are overlaid by sadness."
"What about Jubilee," Deanna asked as she came out of the head, nodding to Riker. "She seems to be a something of a good memory."
"Jubilee ain't a subject fer discussion," Logan growled, eyes narrow with warning. Deanna stopped and looked at him, questions forming in her mind. She saw the angry glare and decided not to ask them. His old partner was still a sore subject for him.
"Is Argon a mutant?" Picard asked as Riker escorted Troy to her seat.
"I don't think so," Logan said, welcoming the change of subject. "I think he's human but has a ship full of mutants that took ta him."
"What mutations are we dealing with?" Riker asked as he returned to his seat.
"We know he had a shape shifter. We also know he has a telepath and a teleporter but Argon and his crew ain't the problem."
"He's responsible for the deaths of over 1000 beings," Riker protested. "How can he not be the problem?"
"He has a passenger," Logan told them. "Her name is Dimetria Grey. She's the present host for the Phoenix Force."
"What is the Phoenix Force?" Data asked.
"It's a cosmic entity of unlimited power and potential," he told him. "I first encountered it when it possessed a good friend of mine in the late 20th century. It's impossible ta control and has a cravin' fer suns. Not long after it arrived on Earth, it took off and ate a sun sixty light years from Sol. The sun went supernova and killed five billion inhabitants of a planet in orbit around it. Phoenix doesn't care if the system has life or not. It only craves the power."
"Is there any way to contain it?" Beverly asked.
"No, and I've asked some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy."
"What about the Q," Picard asked. "They claim to be all powerful."
"They came ta me for help," Logan told him. "They don't know what ta do with her."
"I said you could inform them of our involvement, not insult us," Q pouted as he appeared in a flash of light.
"But you're such an easy target," Riker sneered. Worf began to growl menacingly. The scent of anger rose in the room. Logan was surprised that no one feared Q. They hated him. He started to feel much better about the mission. If these people weren't afraid of Q, they would keep their heads around mutants.
Q scowled at Logan as he snickered. "I have a message from the Continuium," he said. "We have a way of containing Phoenix."
"What's the catch?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"The host must be dead before the Phoenix will leave," said Q. "There can't be any remaining force echo left behind for her to use as a beacon to pull her back."
"I figured I'd hafta kill the host," Logan said.
"It's not that easy, Wolverine," Q warned. "The host is pregnant. The infant must also die."
"Shit!" Logan swore. "I won't kill a kid."
"The baby is the last of the Grey line. If she dies, you won't have to deal with Phoenix again."
"I don't care if she's the daughter of Apocalypse, I don't kill children!" Logan growled. "Find another way."
"There is no other way," Q insisted.
"Picard, you've dealt with these yahoos before." Picard nodded. "They don't have any imagination, right?" Picard once again nodded, his eyes widening in comprehension.
"No, they don't."
"Who's the most imaginative crewman ya have?"
"Barclay," Deanna supplied.
"Send him with this dick ta work up another plan." Picard nodded to Riker, smiling.
"Mr. Barclay, report to the briefing room," Riker ordered with a tap to his comm badge.
"You aren't going to insist I take that nervous dweeb back with me are you?" Q whined.
"Yer gonna do it or I'll order this ship back ta Earth," Logan growled.
"Jean Luc won't let you," sneered Q. "He's very territorial."
"Actually, I would have no choice." Picard informed him.
"Logan became the ranking officer the moment he stepped on board," Data supplied. "As an intelligence officer, he holds the field rank of Admiral of the Fleet. His orders can only be countermanded by the Federation Council."
Q rocked back on his heals and stared down at Logan, a sneer on his face. "You've come a long way from those flunkies, the X-Men, Wolverine." The name was said as an insult.
Logan jumped from his chair, claws extended, his entire body radiating threat. "Say what ya want about me but never dis the X-Men," he growled. "We did a lot of good."
"You got a lot of people killed," Q countered. "Did you ever think that mutants weren't supposed to survive? That maybe, they were supposed to be exterminated during the genetic purges of the 20th and 21st centuries? You and your friends didn't change anything. The only reason you aren't hunted to this day is that most mutants chose to leave Earth in the late 21st century and most humans aren't aware that there are still mutants living there. If they were, you and your family would be hunted again. Maybe that pretty great-granddaughter of yours would be used as a lab rat as you were."
The words dug deep into Logan's heart. He had a tenuous hold on his temper and was struggling to keep the beast from exploding.
"Keep Jeannie out of it," Logan growled.
Barclay chose that moment to enter the briefing room and was confronted by a very angry Wolverine and a nearly as hostile Q. He gulped in fear.
"You Barclay?" Logan barked. Barclay nodded nervously. "Go with this dick head and find a way ta contain the Phoenix Force without killin the baby. Ya got five days."
"Take him and go, Q," Picard told him. "We will do our part." Q bowed to the room at large and he and Barclay vanished.
The room was silent for several minutes except for the sound of Logan's ragged breathing. Worf knew that to touch him now was to invite death.
"Logan?" Deanna finally broke the silence. She could feel the rage pouring off of him in waves. She took a step toward the angry man. Logan growled in warning.
"Do not touch him," Worf warned. "Allow him to regain control."
Suddenly, Wolverine was thrown against the wall and held there by an unseen force.
"Is everyone all right?" a womans' voice asked from the door. Everyone spun around to look. She was a girl of maybe twenty years old. She was dressed in science department blue and was holding her arm straight out toward Logan, who was still hanging on the wall.
"Who are you?" Riker demanded.
"Lt. Regina Williams, sir," she replied.
"What are you doing to Logan?" Picard asked.
"Um..." she flushed.
"She's telekinetic," Logan growled from his position on the wall. "Let me down girl. I'm back in control."
"Yes sir." Logan dropped to the floor with a thump.
"Yer probably a telepath as well," he speculated as he got up.
"Yes sir," she replied, looking at her feet.
"Don't worry girl. I'm a mutant too. I ain't gonna turn ya in and I'll order the rest ta keep their mouths shut."
"Lt. Williams, is that how you prevented the hull breach in sick bay?" Picard asked. She nodded miserably. "Excellent work Lieutenant. I have put in for a commendation for you. The record states that you have no idea how it happened and I see no reason to alter that, so long as you never submit to tests to determine what you did."
She smiled in relief. "Thank you sir."
"Dismissed, and thank you for your help." he told her. She slipped out of the room.
"Worf," Logan called. "Ya got a holo deck on this tub. I need a workout."