NOTE: As of October, 27th, 2005, I have restructured this piece of fiction to make more sense. Part I will deal with the past and Part II will deal with everything that is currently happening in their timeline at the time of the Prologue.
Disclaimer: As I'm all sure you all know by now, I don't own X-Men Evolution, or ever will, unless I get a kazillion dollars.
Author's Notes: Yes, this chapter's part is a little late coming out. Blame Harry Potter. I'm a fast reader, though, it took me only two days to read…Then there was Summer School, but I'm done the last week of July, so as of now, so I can update like insane for the next while. Also, this got somewhat long, again, and I didn't want to break it up anymore, because otherwise it'd be a four part chapter one…and like damn…that'd suck.
As I said before, this will be part two of chapter one, and depending on how far I get and how ridiculously long it gets, there will be a part three of Chapter One, I would bet on Part 3. In this, Remy will make his appearance, and you see the Rogue link…is it fate or coincidence? You'll get to see the Resistance get some victories as well as the fate of Logan, Kurt, and Rogue. Plus, you'll get to see some of the characters deal with the loss of loved ones and moving on. And if I can fit it in without it being an overload, you'll see Kitty, John, Piotr and Wanda's pasts. If not they'll be featured in Part 3, along with the first Romy meeting, so stay tuned for that. Chapter Two will show the forming of Ferocity, how they work as a team and such, the missions they've had etc…and why Remy and Rogue aren't together will be revealed, along with some of their interactions…also the fateful mission where Logan is taken…I may also split Chapter Two into parts or make the mission Chapter Three.
I really believe that this is the fic with the most ambitiousness and scope in terms of the other things I'm writing as of now, mainly because it's AU and I can do anything I want without having to worry about continuity and such. I have a tone of ideas for this, and it really will be shaping up as the Resistance fighting the MSF for their right to live. That and the Romyness that gets placed in that sort of environment. One of the reasons I had Raven and Alfred married so young is because of the war going on and the fact that at any moment they could lose everything, and you really have to cherish the ones you love. So they really grew up fast in the Rebellion and they really came together fast because of it, because of the fear, just like Hank and Ororo will. I think Remy and Rogue realize this, but things got in the way of it, and despite it all, I will try my best to show that they do in fact have some sort of strange relationship and do love each other, but without the actual acknowledgment of a relationship, although, that's gonna change…you'll see.
Don't fret guys, the Romy will come, if not in this part, I promise for sure in part three. Trust me when I say, it'll be sexual tension, wit, innuendos, angst and violence all the way. Some classic Romy stuff, I guess. You will find out why they backed off from a feasible relationship. I think they do love each other, they just don't admit that to themselves, let alone each other. Plus, that one event that gave them their current state of mind really puts everything into perspective for them. I feel like I'm dangling meat at you guys, and you're hungry dogs...I'm sorry for that, but I really wanna build a strong back story, and show why everyone will be how they are, and just what happened to them to make them join the Resistance and show how bad it is for them. Romy in next part for sure, they will first meet, next update.
And thanks to all those that reviewed my fic. I get such a thrill from reading your responses. It makes me feel proud that something I wrote is being liked and someone has taken the time to type down what they thought. They definitely make fanfiction worth it, because you're really not doing it for money, just a bit of fun, and some reader feedback. So once again, I extend my thanks to you guys for reviewing, and hope you continue to review. They really inspire me to write, and write faster as well.
On a side note, summer school is practically half done, so I'll have some more time to write, on the weekends and stuff, if I'm not busy or going anywhere. I'll see how quickly I can update this stuff...and my other fics. I need to work on them too! It's crazy; I have three fics going on at once…but it really helps to eliminate lethargy towards typing this stuff out.
Shout Outs:
Numbah 333 half way 2 hell: Your fic sounds interesting, I'll try to take a look if I have some time on my hands, which won't be anytime soon, due to the fact that I have freaking summer school…Oh and go crazy with the Mutant Strike Force. I'm sure it's been used before and it's not really my idea, I probably heard it somewhere and subconsciously created it into use for this fic. I'm not sure they're really gonna be the baddies though, I feel like doing a Hitler parallel to the SS with them a bit.
Thanagarian Angel: Thanks for reviewing this, and my other fics. I'm glad that I made you anticipate this part.
Bored247: Thanks for the compliment. I was totally going for the sadness in this part and each character will have his or her own tearjerker of a past. I can't believe that I was actually able to make you guys so sad and cry. WOW. I just had to make Logan do that, because he's gruff and rough around the edges, and can appear to be mean, but underneath, he's got this quirky sense of honor, where you just don't hurt little kids, and he's a big softie underneath.
GothikStrawberrry: I honestly felt a little awkward putting in their ages, so I completely understand why that sounds awkward, but the more I thought about actually putting their ages in, the more in seemed to fit. Just because they're fighting a rebellion, they're mutants, they're surrounded by death and know at any moment they can be found out, captured and killed, so they got married young because they realized that their time together was precious and they may never get a chance to fulfill their dreams if they wait. I think that really became reality with Alfred dying just like that, all of a sudden they were packing and on the move, an MSF operative shows up and guns him down. It ends. It's callous, yes, but that's the reality of the lives they lead to survive, to persevere, and to eek a better life for themselves and their children. They knew that their relationship could end at a drop of a hat, and they had to hold that precious and treasure their time together.
Thanks for the ego boost, and you're totally right, I am worried as to how people will perceive these changes, because it is an AU and because there's all this dark moody stuff happening. I just have this wide scope with this fic, and in a few ways, it's a little more ambitious than my other fics. I'm really glad you liked how Kurt and Rogue met. I think you'll really enjoy Remy's past. It's a new twist on an old story. And yes, the glorious Romy is still to come…
Ishy: 'HELP!...SOMEBODY…anybody….HELP!...help…(the canyons echo with the cries of a frantic young lion cub)' What can I say? It's one of my favorite movies ever. I like know all the lines, especially that part. I always cry too, no matter how many times I see it, when Mufasa dies. OMG, it's the saddest thing ever, what, with Simba crying out for help in the canyon…I'm a good little crack bunny…I have to say, that it's sorta fun to hold the Romyness over your heads, the evil part of me is loving it, I just get such a kick out of the people going, how did this happen? Tell me NOW! But you will find out come chapter 2 or 3, depends on how long these things get…but it will be totally angst ridden, and just make you wanna shove them into a room until they admit it and have it out in the air. I was only thinking about it and I wanted to do that, but it's really sad and emotional and telling of their personalities and their pasts.
I just had to do that to Logan, I honestly don't think he has it in him to tell that amount of violence to little kids, he's just too much of a softie to do so. I really think that he would have changed his story a bit to make it more kid friendly. I think the back stories will really show exactly why they do what they do, because each of them really does have a tearjerker. Oh, and you are so right about that Romy thing, it is bad. It really did a lot to push each other away. Although, it doesn't mean that they aren't attracted to each other, they just repressed their emotions in order to appease everything that they did. The Romy will come, when they reach their breaking point and can no longer keep that bit of emotion within without exploding.
Realtfarraige: Thanks again for the review. I really enjoyed it. I love hearing that what I really tried to message out with my fic is being heard. You're right, the events in which Rogue and Kurt lost their parents is totally sad and scarring, and I really wanted to show how bad it is for mutants, and what better way than to use such classic characters that you've grown so attached to, it really brings it home. Logan really is the only piece of normalcy for the two of them; he's like their rock in all the chaos. You're so right about Logan too, he's the reluctant father figure, but once he's in deep, he really takes that role to the extreme and really goes to enjoy it, like he's protecting his pups. You're right, humanity is so messed up, we've done bad shit to so many people, our same race, dammit, it's really despicable, and the thing about the X-Men is that it's just that taken to the extreme a bit. I was totally looking for that reaction of disgust that I wanted to have come off with that guard beating them up and I didn't give him a name for a purpose, and I guess it's to show that bigotry really is faceless. It's in everyone, and it's how you react to it, that shows your character. I really wanted to use the examples of genocide to show how we humans really haven't changed much from all the lessons we were supposed to learn from the past. It's like they say, 'we're doomed to repeat the past.' It seems that everyone cries when Mufasa dies…and it really has been 11 years, hasn't it, God, we're such saps, oh well, I used to have to walk out of the room at that part…Weird thing is that I actually have a Simba plush from 1994 that I still have to this day, from Christmas. He's my baby.
I now happily present to you, with no more interruptions, Underground Resistance X…
PART ONE: CHAPTER ONE: DREAMS OF ESCAPISM
Ororo Munroe, resident weather goddess, strolled down the bright metallic halls of the underground base of the Resistance, and entire city in underneath the earth, hidden from view and detection. It was the single most technologically advanced complex in the world. This being the headquarters, it was the best of all ten that lay scattered around the planet. It was buried under rugged mountains, sentient trees and illusionary water in the forest depths of northern Canada. This hub housed hundreds of mutants in private living quarters that looked nothing like the metallic halls that Ororo walked currently, state of the art computer technology for communication, detection and hacking amongst other things, training facilities and a spy network bigger, stronger, faster, and more secret than the CIA, FBI, and NSA combined. With the spy network also came the training to all mutants in the facility, spy or not, in defense, to protect themselves from attack successfully, not to mention the army that they had, that could be deployed to help out in any sticky situation immediately, although they were incredibly stealthy despite it's size. Of course, the fact that it was masked not only by technology, but mutant power, was a whole other matter.
Ororo Munroe rounded the corner and approached their appointed meeting room, for they had just found some information that would be of interest to the agents that were waiting for her in the meeting room, being the liaison between all bases around the world. She was about 24 years old, well she would be in four months, and she had already been given the important role of liaison to all the bases in the resistance, but not only that, the safe houses and smaller complexes as well.
She had been recruited by Charles Xavier when she was 8 years old and running from a mob of mutant riots. She had been running for blocks, trying to escape the mob. They were throwing sharp items at her, and she was dirty, bloody and bruised, but she knew that she couldn't stop running, or she'd be caught and it'd all end for her. It was all started when a man she had tried to steal from found her out and was about to hurt her with a butcher knife and she had freaked. Her emotions of fear had caused her eyes to glow white and lightning to spark from the sky, and thus the man had figured it out, and she was ousted as a mutant.
She remembered being so frightened and sure that her life would end then in the claustrophobic alleys of Cairo, when suddenly, a door opened, just as her sister's had, not a week before due to another anti-mutant mob.
"Come here, child, I'll help you," said a kind male voice. Ororo looked at the man, he was sitting in a wheelchair with a kind trusting look in his eyes, a welcoming smile and a bald head, and hesitated. She was so unsure of what to do, if she trusted this man, then she had to have faith that he was trustworthy and wouldn't hurt her, if she didn't she'd have to face the anger of the mob. She decided to follow her gut feeling. She quickly climbed into the door with the man in the wheelchair.
"W-W-Who are you?" she had asked in a frightened whisper.
"My name is Charles Xavier, child, and you needn't be afraid of me, or them for that matter, you are safe here," he said soothingly.
"How do you know that?" she had asked.
"Well, child, like you, I am a mutant, except that my powers allow myself to communicate telepathically to others, read minds and bend their will to my doing, but don't worry I'll never do that without your permission or unless there's a necessary circumstance like right now," said Xavier, Ororo nodded in understanding, she somehow trusted this man, he just felt like you could trust him, "so what's your name child?"
"Ororo Munroe," she said.
"That's a lovely name," said Xavier with a smile, "I know you're scared and frightened with all the anti-mutant hysteria, but I live somewhere where you'll be safe, and where you'll be with others with gifts just like you, who are trying to live peacefully with humans too, and who are working to end the war against mutants. Would you like to come with me?"
Ororo smiled the first she had in a long time. For now, this sounded right, better than living on the streets and stealing, only to be hurt by the people who hated her kind, she could no longer hide herself and she knew this was the right path to take, "I'd like that," she said. Charles Xavier gave her his outstretched hand, and she took it. It was probably one of the best decisions in her life. It had turned out that Xavier was looking around the streets of Cairo; having just finished a base buried under the sand nearby, and had heard her pleas for help with his telepathy and had been in the shop with the door at the time, looking at rugs. When he realized her fears and problem, he snuck to the back of the shop to the door that opened to the alley, and helped her, by giving her a hiding spot, and making the mob believe that she had kept on running down the street.
She had spent the rest of her life with Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr and the Resistance, doing some of the most worthwhile work she could imagine. She had been one of their first pupils that they had taught themselves and trained as well. The two men had taught her how to control her powers as well as given her a great education, self defense among other things. They had taught her not to hate people for fearing her and hunting her, because they were ignorant and afraid and they had helped her become one of the best agents in the Resistance.
She entered the meeting room. It was rich and ornately furnished and you'd never guess that outside the doors which were metal on the outside and wooden on the inside, that there would be an underground base upon exited, instead, you'd probably anticipate a Victorian mansion. It had rich wingback chairs made of ornate thick fabric surrounding a large long carved wooden table. The carpets on the floor were priceless Orientals and the lighting fixtures were crystal chandeliers. On the floor next to the heavy door was a pair of Ming Dynasty vases that went passed her waist. The only things that looked a little out of place was the large screen on the wall that could be used to project images and was really a supercomputer with controls at the head of the table with a small laptop.
As she entered, she took in the faces of the room, the kind elderly faces of Professor Xavier and Doctor Lehnsherr (Let's just say he's got a doctorate in teaching…), the jovial blue furred features of young prodigal, Dr. Hank McCoy, and the grim and still saddened face of one of their best agents, Raven Darkholme. She sighed upon seeing that her friend was still so broken by what had happened five months ago, but she didn't have the heart, or the justification to tell the mourning woman to move on, because she would have been the same way in her situation. Her friend had already had such a harsh life and now this, she certainly didn't deserve it, not after all she'd been through…
Raven Darkholme was born in Germany, where her best and closest friend, Alfred Wagner had lived in their childhood. When she was ten years old, her family moved away to the States, where she lost her German accent, however, she stayed in constant contact with her dear friend over letters and pictures sent back and forth as well as yearly trips they made back to their mother country. The German expatriate lived a rather nice life in America, that is, until her mutation surfaced at age 15. She remembered waking up one morning noticing that her skin looked a little blue and didn't really think much of it, just figured she had the flu, just as her mother did, and she stayed home that day. However, her skin began to darken into a true blue as the days increased and she was taken to the doctor.
When she had arrived at the doctor's office, a blue that made her look like a combination of a drowning and hypothermia victim, she had received strange looks from the other patients, looks of disgust, anger and violence, frightening her immensely. When the doctor finally saw her, he was positively baffled; he had simply never seen anything like it for she was perfectly healthy in everyway, except in her skin colour. The befuddled man ordered blood tests to be done and after a vial was drawn; only time would tell. Unfortunately, she would never get those results back.
The MSF had done a mandatory search of the doctor's office and found her blood work, upon analyzing it; they found the active X-gene present and took off after her. About a week after her trip to the doctor's office, her skin had gone nearly completely blue, her dark brown eyes had faded to a honey brown, and her once auburn hair, was reddening. She looked frightening, in her opinion, and she refused to leave her room, even to the insistence of her family. Suddenly, the door was blown open with an explosive, blowing those in the living room, watching television back several feet. They pointed their guns at the Darkholmes and lined them up in a line, on their knees with their hands on their heads at gunpoint. The fear in that room was suffocating.
She remembered that moments before her family was taken captive, men had taken her and cuffed her arms and feet as well as gagging her. 15 year old Raven, had tried to put up a fight, but it was useless due to the sheer numbers of the soldiers and their strength over her. She had been dragged down to the living room once the MSF had her family at gunpoint, her mother, father, two older brothers, two younger brother and two younger sisters, all shuddering in fear.
"Today is a glorious day, my friends. The Earth will be cleansed of more mutie scum and a family carrying the tainted X-gene will be eliminated as well," boomed the bigoted voice of the commander of the troops to the hoots and cheers of his men. Raven was then pushed roughly to her knees, burning painfully on the threads of the carpet.
The man who had pushed her to the carpet whispered menacingly into her ear, "So mutie, how does it feel to see your contaminated family die."
Her eyes had widened in fear and she had screamed, begged them to not do it, but it fell on death ears as the commander ordered his men to prepare to fire.
She had remembered her parent's last words to her, "Raven, we love you, you are not scum, you are our daughter, always our daughter," said her father.
"We love you Raven, always remember that, no matter what, we love you," whispered her mother staring straight into her pained and tortured eyes. She looked around and saw the loving looks of her siblings.
"It's not your fault, schwester, I love you," said her eldest brother, Jens, just as the commander ordered them to silence. She would forever remember Jens' eyes, determined, proud and always loving, even to the end. He would die with honor, honor of never judging his sister, of loving her, despite it all. He only wished that he had to chance to tell her that he was a mutant too, one that could manipulate his skin tone, eye and hair color.
Eight guns were cocked and at the commander's order, eight gun shots rang into the air, and a round impact crater was embedded in the middle of the forehead of each of her family members, they had been killed instantly. Her cry of anguish and her agonized sobs had echoed through the house. Blood was splattered on the walls.
"Don't worry, sweet heart, you're next, you'll be joining them," told the cruel voice of a female member of the squad, her dark eyes cold as she dragged her to the spot where her family had just been murdered before her young eyes. In that moment, something snapped in Raven Darkholme. No, she thought, she would not die, she could not die, and she would not let these evil people get away with what they had done to her, to the ones she loved. Her captors pressed her down to the floor by her arms. She began to fight back and hard, kicking and thrashing as much as she could with her bonds, but they were just too many.
Just as the command was given and the gun cocked, she let out a bloodcurdling beleaguered scream and something miraculous happened. The final manifestation of her powers was initiated. The bonds that held her limbs into immobility disappeared. She felt her bones shrinking, her blue skin changed and she felt them change into something completely different. She appeared reborn, as a glorious raven soaring above her captors. The speed at this transformation shocked and amazed her subjugators. She let out an angered screech and flew out the ashes of the blown open front door, upon flying above her once happy home, she let out a final cry of goodbye to her family, one of sorrow and pain, one showing all the love and gratitude to them, and one promising that there would be retribution to those who did this to them. She decided then that she would not let another mutant like herself suffer like this.
She remembered flying deep into the forest near her home and hiding there in her new found form. It was there that she began to practice her transformations and found that she could look like anyone and anything she pleased. It was how she had been able to escape the MSF when they found her location, by transforming into a fox and throwing them off, just as one of the sly creatures would. She then remembered changing her appearance and going into town to remove cash from her family's savings account. When that was done, she remembered taking a bus to the airport and buying a ticket back to her home in Germany to the only place where she knew she could feel safe, with her best friend Alfred, who had told her in her letters of the fearful manifestation of his power, the teleportation. Upon reaching the large city of Frankfurt which was near the small town she lived, she remembered taking a bus to the town and then walking for hours to get to his house. She had nearly collapsed from it all on his doorstep and was lucky her friend had recognized her through the blue skin, red hair and golden eyes.
It had been Alfred who had taken her in with his family, and with him, who had comforted her; she had learned to get over that traumatic event of seeing her loved ones die. She soon found herself getting to know her friend again, after all those years of not seeing him and reconnecting. Somehow those feelings of friendship had wildly sifted at some point, and they had fallen in love. They were so close and things were so great for them, Alfred had gotten a full academic scholarship at 16 to a top university, and luckily her grades were good enough to land her in a good one as well later. When she was 18 and she 19, things got worse, while coming home one night from a long day at the university in Frankfurt, they arrived to his house to see it completely demolished and blown up, only left with a few charred remains. Upon entering, they found the bodies of his family and a note scrawled in their blood: "Freeing the gene pool of you mutant scum."
It was this that was the last straw that drew them to the secret movement at the local university, the secret Rebellion that had found its way into the hidden alcoves of the university. It was a rumor that the MSF had tried to find the root of, but to no avail. Using some hidden clues, they had found one of the safe houses and joined the Rebellion and sought its asylum in Canada. It was there that they met young Hank McCoy and with him were given the chance to make a difference, to work as agents posing as workers at one of the Three's labs in Germany and pass information back to the Rebellion. They braved their fears and moved back to complete the mission. In the chaos, Alfred and Raven had realized the preciousness of time and after losing their families, they realized that they may not have the time they needed to spend time waiting for until they were older to start one for themselves. They had eloped soon after joining the MSF, having Kurt soon after, knowing that they could only treasure their time together due to the circumstances.
Ororo knew that Hank was still heavily affected by what happened to the group that night in January, but was just dealing with the loss of one of his best friends a little better than Raven, who also had the worry of wondering if her son was still alive, as he had not been found in the woods, and secret security tapes had revealed him to be captured by the MSF.
She had first met Raven and Alfred when Hank introduced them to her when it was revealed that he would be infiltrating one of the Three's Laboratories with Raven and Alfred. She had become instant friends with both, and she too had been mourning for the loss of her good friend and she hoped and prayed that Kurt was alright for he had come to be like a nephew to him, and she remembered him calling her Auntie 'Roro. She first met Hank McCoy when she was 16 and he was 17, and had started having the beast urges and problems hiding his mutation in the university he was going to. When the blue fur and part cat, part ape like appearance had showed up, it had done so with him, going into an animal like rampage, trying to control his change and the fear from the experience. It had been terrifying to say the least. He had gone wild on campus, destroying property and terrifying the other students. Soon, it was realized to be a mutant on campus and the students and faculty started to retaliate by hunting him down, trying to hurt him.
Luckily, Erik Lehnsherr had been on campus at the prestigious New York located university and saw the carnage, due the fact he was visiting some mutant students secretly attending the university and finding out information on what the MSF was doing to recruit young people to their cause. He had called his colleague and longtime friend, Charles Xavier to come onsite and help him deal with the Beast. With Storm coming also and creating a flash rain storm, and Magneto creating a makeshift cage with his powers, they had taken the immediate threat of Beast and the mob away, while Professor X used his telepathy to quell the man residing in the Beast to calm.
It was without a choice that Henry McCoy joined the fight for the Resistance, but as soon as he came out of his funk, worrying about his appearance, and other problems, due to the beast within, he had found his calling in helping the Rebellion, with his skill in science. Thankfully, his genius had already allowed him to graduate with at least two degrees, so leaving the university was not all too disruptive to his career and learning. However, one of the main reasons for coming out from his rut, of self loathing had been Ororo and her teaching him that appearances really didn't matter and that he was still Hank McCoy underneath the fur and animalistic appearance. She had been warm caring and kind, possessing wisdom beyond her years, and really seemed to be able to match his intelligence as well as be witty and endearing. They became the closest of friends. He would later gain a position at the Resistance as one of the head scientists.
Later, he would realize that somewhere between the conversations on absolutely everything, laughing together, and spending time with the wonderful girl, he had found himself getting feelings for her, and little did he know that she felt the same way. For years they had hid that attraction behind close friendship, not wanting to lose that close bond, and also due to other issues and insecurities due to Hank and his appearance, for who could love a beast like he, not realizing Ororo liked his furry form just fine, and Ororo believing that she was inferior for Hank due to the fact that he seemed so much more intelligent than she, not realizing that he saw her as an equal, with greater intelligence, where it really counted.
It had been the harrowing event of their close friend, Alfred dying as well as himself almost dying that caused the two to finally admit their long held feelings, for they realized that life was short, and they had to live each day to the fullest, and that they had nearly lost something great before it began, to which Raven remarked, "Finally!" before giving the two her congratulations and a smile through all her pain. She and Hank, as well as Alfred's body, had been found several hours after their plight and getting shot, when the security footage scanning the area, found them. Unfortunately, it also found that Kurt had been abducted by the MSF. The two of them had been rushed to base for treatment, when it became clear that they needed better treatment to save their lives, they were stabilized and airlifted to the headquarters where they had much more advanced medical facilities. After hours of operation and Ororo completely in a frantic state over all that happened, both had awaken in the uttermost somber of moods. Raven had started crying and Hank and Ororo had tried desperately to comfort her.
She remembered that night, going back to the room where Hank and Raven slept to monitor their conditions, finally getting the nerve to admit her feelings for him. When she and Hank had finally revealed what they felt for each other, Raven had let out the loud and telling words, "FINALLY!" stunning them both, for she hadn't been able to sleep. She had then congratulated them and given them the smile, behind her grief.
"Morning all," greeted Ororo with a smile as she sat at one of the seats in the meeting room to meet with the most important members of the base at the moment. They exchanged greeting before Ororo got down to business.
"Recently, when we were able to crack into the surveillance feed of one of Essex's labs, located in the Mojave Desert, we found this," she started, putting a disk into the laptop that controlled the projection screen and bringing up the interesting footage that they had found.
It was a crisp black and white video of a man being dragged into a cell, a feral, angry, violent man who was fighting the guards the whole way, to make sure that it wasn't easy for them for all that they had done to him and his kind and a pair of small children as well. It was about three weeks old, but it was a strong lead.
"Oh, my stars and garters, it's Logan! It's Logan!" said Hank, saying exactly what they were all feeling watching the footage.
"The old boy survived after all," remarked Charles with a smile.
"Well, Charles, the man is a cockroach, after all," replied Erik.
"I thought—I thought that h-he was dead for sure after he was captured and from that intel we found on that experiment done on him," said Raven.
"Yes," said Ororo, happy to have found the old friend that they had thought long lost, finally, "it turns out that he escaped from the prison and lab after the adamantium skeleton was implanted, from our intel we found, they found him at a bar in northern Alberta, and brought him back to the labs."
"Remarkable," commented Xavier.
A year after Hank had arrived with them, before Raven had Kurt; they had found Logan when Charles sensed the completely animalistic man roaming outside their headquarters. Charles had sensed his confusion, his ballistic rages, the complete brainwash suffered from the animal side of his mutation taking over and had took it upon himself to help the untamed animal. He remembered roaming outside with Erik, Hank, Raven and Alfred to quell the man, which had been quite a feat in itself.
The group had gone above ground from the secret passage and entered the milky white expanse of the Canadian winter. The snow swirled all about and the land was blanketed thickly in snow, giving the trees that ethereal look. It had been grey due to the snow clouds out, with the sun a bright white splinter in the sky. They had trekked out to a flat expanse lined by trees on one side and hugged by a frozen river to the other. They had hid, watching as the man dressed in worn clothing, but mostly fur pelts leapt from a tree and began to hunt down an elk that had been in the clearing. He leapt into the elk so fast with his claws unsheathed, that the elk had no time to respond. The elk was dead instantly upon impact with the man's long silver claws glinting in the sunlight. They had watched fascinated as he preyed on the animal and eat it, as well as skinning it with his long claws. When the strange man had finished burying the elk much like a wolf would do to eat it later, they began to approach him.
Slowly and silently, the mutants approached he feral man and watched as his advanced senses caught them long before they were in his view. They heard him let out a angered growl before using great speed and agility to run up to them, to attack, for they were trespassers in his territory. He took a long running leap, about to kill them in the same way that he killed the elk. Beast pushed Magneto and Storm aside while Alfred, also known as Magician, (for his abilities to appear and disappear due to teleportation and the purple sulfur and brimstone scented smoke that emanated from it with a bampf sound) teleported his wife and Professor X out of the man's range. Soon a full scale battle erupted between the Wildman and the group trying to quell him. He was so full of rage and anger that the professor couldn't get a clear read on him to bring his human side to the forefront. The professor could see flashes and images of the man who was within the beast, but the beast was strong, stronger than Beast's, too strong for him to break it his current state of mind. It was a stalemate, they were getting nowhere with this.
It was Raven who came up with a risky idea. She told Alfred to take all of those back to the base except for herself and the professor. Raven had decided to transform into an animal state and appeal to the animal nature of the man to communicate, since human communication was lacking, calming him enough for the professor to quell. Everyone reluctantly agreed and soon Raven shrunk and what was left was a silver white wolf female. She approached the man unthreateningly, simply asking for his audience, appealing to the animal instincts she gained in the animal forms she took. She began to feel the feral man calm and soon the professor was able to delve into the male's mind and bring back the man he was to the forefront, alleviating the beast. The professor had then gained a piece of Logan's past and what had caused him to go wild.
Apparently, his love, Rose had been killed in an anti-mutant rally in which she was trying to help and save several mutants who were being beaten to death. Upon seeing her dead mangled body, he had shattered, his animalistic nature taking over. He had gone into a berserker rage, killing the MSF soldiers with such violence and fury. It had scared and shocked the human within, causing it to withdraw. The animal took over and fled to the wilds, traveling long and hard before it found suitable territory, just outside the base of the Rebellion.
"So we now have the location of one of their prison labs, this is a chance for us to liberate our fellow mutants and take out one of their facilities," said Erik.
"It's in the Mojave…" said Raven from viewing the itinerary Ororo had handed out.
"Yes, indeed," said Hank, "as well as find out how our old friend is doing, and what happened to him."
Suddenly, a knock and the sound of the meeting room opening interrupted their talks.
"Professor Xavier, Docter Lehnsherr, uh…me and Jean were wondering when the your next classes are scheduled, because the other kids are kinda getting antsy," replied 14 year old Scott Summers behind his ruby quartz glasses, standing next to his best friend Jean Grey.
"Yeah, they're starting to get a tad unruly," said Jean as well of the young mutants that were waiting for classes to begin. They were the only ones brave enough to approach the two 'dinosaurs', as they were called, even though Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr were definitely not that old. They were just over 50, yes, but could hardly be considered a dinosaur…
"Well, Scott, Jean," started Charles, "my next class is scheduled for 2pm in the afternoon, yourself, Erik?"
"I believe mine is at 11am, so don't worry, they'll be busy enough soon," said Erik with a warm smile.
"Alright, I guess we'll see you later, then," said Jean as she and Scott prepared to leave with their information.
"Goodbye," said Scott as he and Jean went out the door.
She and Scott had been best friends since they were 9 years old and had been found by Xavier. Jean's powers had been out of control, and her parents were completely frightened, knowing that their daughter was a mutant and not knowing what to do, but knowing that they'd have to run, due to the mobs and the MSF. Luckily, Xavier had found them before they took off, and offered them assistance, to which they gladly took. They soon found themselves living with the extended family of mutants, and non mutants in the Resistance. The non mutants were family members of mutants, or just people sick of the atrocities going on and wanting to do something against it. Scott however, had been an orphan and saved by Xavier when he was forced into blindness because of his mutation and wandering the streets. He had been terrified of his mutation and Xavier had offered him comfort and relief and given him the gift of sight again. Scott had ended up an orphan when he and his family were running from an anti mutant mob by escaping in an airplane that was owned by his father. Not five miles from their destination, the plane had mysteriously exploded in the engines, causing the family to evacuate, however, there was only one parachute left in the carnage, and only Scott and his younger brother Alex would make it on one because of their weight. Saying goodbye to their parents, they jumped, but would somehow be separated and it was only upon joining Xavier and the Resistance that he found Alex again. They were two such stories of how the two men who started the resistance had given hope and light to people suffering in the darkness.
"So, I believe we can deploy a group to infiltrate and destroy the facility, as well as free our captured friends as soon as possible," planned Xavier, "of course, we'll have to do so with secrecy, and above all, we must not allow any operatives of the MSF to be injured for it would only add fuel to the fire."
"Yes," agreed Erik, "it must be done cleanly and without bloodshed."
"We have tacticians already on it," said Storm, "and Hank, Raven and I will be part of the rescue." Hank, Raven, and Ororo had always done missions together when possible, so she knew that she wouldn't have to ask either to come on, although she was saddened that Alfred would never come with them again, just like she had been saddened when Logan had been captured. They had mourned the loss of a friend that wasn't really dead, it was ironic.
"Good," said Charles, "Raven, do you think you would be up to this? We could use your expertise and power, but I would understand if you still need more time."
"No, Charles," said Raven, intensity burning in her eyes, "I have to do this, if not for me, than for Kurt and Alfred. I need to get out and live again. I can't spend my life mourning. I've already done too much of it."
"Alright, if you're sure then, Raven," sighed Charles.
"I am, Charles," she replied with resolve in her voice.
-3 weeks prior-
"Welcome home, mutie," sneered a guard as he and others threw the electrocuted Wolverine into a cell identical to the one in Siberia. It was late at night, the moon was cold and waned in a small sliver.
"Uh," he groaned as he hit the floor painfully. It seemed as if the guards never tired of doing that to him. He took a good look around the cell after checking his body and noticed a small form huddled in tight ball in the corner of the cold cell.
Logan slowly crawled over to the form, after smelling the human scent from off the small body. Upon close inspection, he saw that it was a small, undernourished boy with coppery auburn hair, put into a drug induced sleep. Logan could sense the small boy begin to stir from his slumber. Upon the slow opening of his eyes, Logan noticed that they looked as if there was a grayish substance covering them, causing the boy's eyes to appear muted in color, but the grey substance was not the thing that shocked him. It was the color of the boy's eyes, red on black. He had gotten used to seeing strange eyes, but those ones had to take the cake. Suddenly, the boy became frantic, clasping his small hands on his eyes before freaking out.
"M' eyes, m' eyes, I can't SEE!" he screamed panicked, his breath hitching and his heart rate increasing. He began rubbing his eyes hard and compulsively as if it would bring back his lost sight.
"Whoa, whoa, kid, calm down," stated Logan, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, which only caused the panicked boy to frighten even more. The boy pushed away from Logan and began to cower in the corner, his body language conveying complete and total fear.
"Listen, listen, kid," started Logan soothingly, edging softly over to the boy, "I mean no harm. I'm a mutant, just like you. I was just thrown in as your cell mate, bub."
"Okay," whispered the boy, still scared for he couldn't see anything. Logan moved forward and tapped the boy gently.
"That's just me, I'm Logan by the way, you?" he asked, as he let the boy get used to his presence.
"Remy," he said slowly.
"Okay, Remy," started Logan, "I'm gonna take a look at your eyes, alright?"
"Okay," said Remy. Upon that, Logan placed Remy gently in his lap and gently pulled back an eyelid, seeing the grey substance over his eyes, very carefully, he took his thumb and index finger and began to pull the grey substance from Remy's eyes. It was strange and sticky. After working it a bit, he was able to pull it completely off the boy's eyes, seeing his strange eyes in all it's almost freakish glory for the first time. Finishing with one eye, he moved to the other, and soon, it was clean as well.
"You, okay, Remy?" asked Logan.
"Yeah," said Remy quietly, "I can see 'gain, t'ough it's still kinda blurry…you're really hairy, by the way." This caused Logan to chuckle heartily. God, were all kids like this?
"So how long you been here?" questioned Logan.
"A few months, I t'ink. Dey took m' from de orphanage in N'Awlins, one night," he whispered, "What about y'?"
"I was taken and placed in another prison before taken here," said Logan.
"Really, dat's good, y' didn't have t' spend as much time here," whispered Remy softly.
Logan sighed audibly, he was beginning to have weak spot for little captured defenseless kids, damn, and "It's bad here." It was a statement, not a question.
The young boy seemed to understand as he nodded slowly, pain and sadness of what he had endured in his young eyes, literally.
"So how'd ya end up at an orphanage?" asked Logan softly, trying to make conversation, but already having an inkling of what happened, just as with Marie and Kurt's parents.
"I'd rat'er not talk 'bout it," said Remy, turning away from his face slightly, still in Logan's lap.
"Well," said Logan, knowing that getting Remy to talk about it was probably best for him, "It's probably better than waking up in a forest with no memories except this half lucid one of waking up after having some shit done in a lab and destroying it during escape."
"Sure," offered Remy, now turning back to Logan and looking at him curiously, "Dey told m' dat m' parents didn't want m', because o' m' eyes and left m' at de hospital, after I was born. I lived at de orphanage as long as I can 'member."
"Yeah, so what'd they do to ya here?" asked Logan, not one to beat around the bush.
"Don't know, really, dey take y' and knock y' out, do some stuff, and y' back in de cell. It's de fir's time dat I wasn't able t' see t'ough," responded Remy.
"Great, it's even worse than the one in Siberia, by the looks of it," said Logan.
"De doctor running de whole t'ing does all of his more intensive experiments here from what I've heard de guards talking about," said Remy.
"How old are you anyway?" asked Logan, it was a bit hard to ascertain the boy's age, considering his malnourishment.
"Seven," said Remy with pride. Damn. They really do take the young ones and do shit to them, thought Logan, deciding to protect Remy then in the same way as he did Kurt and Marie.
"So it looks like we'll be stuck in hell together," said Logan.
Surprised, but amusedly so, he saw Remy let out a laugh and smile, "Don't y' know it."
Well, this kid certainly has moxie, he thought to himself with a smile. It was rare to see a kid like this who had obviously been horrifically abused, but still have the personality and liveliness that Remy had. He made an oath then, to protect him, and get the boy out, so that he should never lose that in him.
"I'll get ya out, kid, a personality like yours should never be destroyed by them," said Logan with determination and he had given Remy a piece of hope that he'd never had in his life.
Logan once again felt like a piece of minced meat. After being awaken in the middle of one of the doctor's experiments, he had been proded and electrocuted into submission for the doctor by the assistants. Blood oozed from many cuts and lacerations. He was heavily cut and bruised and wore the singed areas on his skin of one who'd been electrocuted and was still steaming as he was dragged back to his cell with Remy, still trying to put up a fight. His sensitive ears suddenly caught sound of screams, a fight, a beating of….Remy…Logan let out a great roar. The guards were once again harming his pups, and they should know by now that you never harmed a wolf's pups, unless they want to face the wrath of the entire pack.
His energy was suddenly rejuvenated. He kicked and slashed at the guards, his arms still cuffed behind his back, but not making much of a difference as he still was bringing it to the men and women trying to restrain him.
A loud bam resonated through the long corridor of cells, a sound erupting from a gun the sent out a mechanism that would electrocute anything in it's path upon impact, that object being Logan then. He writhed and howled in pain, falling to the cold metal floor. The staff took no time in hefting up the stocky man and throwing him into the cell where a man was already brutalizing Remy. The cell doors slid shut mechanically, and all that was left in the room was Logan, the guard and Remy who had bit the man's leg just as he was about to kick him. For a little guy, he was a sneaky fighter. He fought through the beatings, always, just like Logan did. He liked that about the boy. Even though they were reduced to meaningless beings, the kid still had pride, like him.
"Why, you little brat," shouted the man, wincing as the teeth sank into his calf. He pulled Remy off his leg, blood was soaked through the pant leg slightly as Remy's teeth were pried from the man's leg, and slung him to the far wall, with a resounding thwacking noise.
The man then approached Remy menacingly, as the boy struggled to get up. He grabbed the front of Remy's shirt and hoisted the boy up to eyelevel.
"You think you can beat me, you little piece of shit," said the guard.
"O' course," said Remy, holding his head high, demon eyes burning in the dark.
This caused the guard to laugh, "Disillusioned, all of you, your precious Rebellion won't save you." He raised his hand into a fist, prepared to pound Remy's face to a pulp, the kid didn't even flinch.
Before the man could make a move, someone grabbed hold of hand, and wrestled him from gripping Remy and threw him to the far wall. This guard was careless, thought Logan, far more so than the other at the prison with Marie and Kurt. That guard had told his buddies to watch nearby, but let him handle things. Also he had given his key card and other weapons to his buddies, so that they couldn't use it against them. He only ever brought the electric prod with him all the times he hurt Kurt and Marie, unlike the idiot before him.
"It's time for shit like you to get what's coming to them," said Logan with menace as he stalked in front of his prey.
"I don't think so," said the guard smugly as he moved to get back up with his walkie talkie. Only, he couldn't for it was missing. He reached for his electric prod to find that it too, along with his firearms and ids were gone.
"Lookin' fer dese," said a smug Remy, smirk on his face as he displayed the utility belt holding all the aforementioned items in his small hand.
A look of fear crossed guard's face as Logan let out a feral grin, letting his canine teeth show prominently. He picked up the shocked guard by the front of his fatigues and slung him across the cell, hitting the wall hard and sliding to the floor. The guard moved up and got in a fighting stance, which only caused Logan to scoff. He began to pummel the guard with lightening fast punches, hooks and kicks. Within minutes, the man was a bloody mess. Just before he was about to pass out, Remy strolled up to the man and poked him long and hard with his electric prod. Blue streaks of electricity shot forward into the guard, he screamed and convulsed, steaming and scorched, before he passed out from pain.
"Serves de batard, right," he said, angry after being treated so badly for so long, forced to live in fear and cowardice.
"Amen to that," said Logan. Again, the boy's personality was simply amazing, given the circumstances, and he liked that. He'd rather burn out than fade away. It was obvious that he was from the streets, an orphan that stayed on the streets as much as in the orphanage and learned to eek an existence anyway. Logan could tell from the way the kid reacted to these situations and the way that he fought that he was no stranger to brutality, which was a shame. However, he was glad that he still seemed to have a fight in him, a sense or pride and honor and some hope, behind the cynicism. It didn't suit a boy so young to be so cynical. He really needed someone to care about him for once. Logan hoped he had steered him in the right path these few weeks they were together. He had to admit that Remy was pleasant company. He promised himself then, to take the boy drinking with him when he was older.
"Well, kid, let's get outta here," said Logan. He'd been here three weeks, and he was honestly ready to leave this forsaken place.
"Now we're talkin'," responded Remy, smile dancing on his features.
Using the electric prod and turning it on, Logan shorted out the electric field over the bars of their cell. Remy using his dexterity and flexibility to his advantage, maneuvered his arm to go through the bars and slid the keycard on the guard's belongings held in the utility belt through the pad. It beeped, then an automated voice asked for fingerprint identification, Logan, promptly slid the guard's hand through the bars and pressed it over the keypad, which beeped again, and asked for the final stage, the code to enter the cell.
"You're so lucky that I was half conscious enough to know the combination," said Logan gruffly.
"Whatever," said Remy with an excited smile. He was going to taste freedom again. The keypad beeped again, and the gate to the cell slid open with an automatic hiss. It was eerie, looking out at the other cells and knowing that they couldn't free the others there with them. They simply didn't know the codes, however, both males looked grim as they left the cell slowly and dragged the guard with them, unconscious. The other inmates understood though, they were a brotherhood, the abused. They each wanted freedom, but knew that they would have to get it without bringing others with them, due to the way the cells were built to foil that, however, they whispered encouraging words to the pair as they stalked to the transport bay in silence. Even if only two escaped it was a victory for all of them, they'd have foiled their captor's plans, and had gained a shred of hope. For Logan, he hoped that in saving Remy, it would prove to be the first step in keeping his promise to Marie and Kurt.
They made it past the long corridors without trouble due to Logan's senses, avoiding any contact with the guards and other security features such as cameras and such. Reaching the transport bay, they opened the entrance in the way that they had the cell and then stuffed the guard in a nearby storage closet, giving him a final shock with the prod for good measure. Logan had grabbed some extra fatigues stored in the closet and put them on, also grabbing a large camping backpack and put Remy inside, then hefting the object on his back. (A/N: Originally, Logan was supposed to slash open a vent to help Remy escape in their cell, but after some rethinking and such, it changed to what you see here. It just seemed to get unbelievable to have a seven year old all of a sudden be able to escape to New Orleans on his own, as would have happened if the vent was cut open and Remy crawled out of the base. I was gonna have him stowaway on a plane to New Orleans with the MSF, but became too bothersome…)
Remy and Logan hurried into the large room stalked with many different cars and automobiles. At one end of the bunker like area were many sheets and notices that the workers would use to keep track of the vehicles and who drove what car. Flicking though the cards, Logan found the guard's number and vehicle number as well as a spare key to the car, which was a rather inconspicuous mid size black sedan. Avoiding the cameras once again, the two hurried into the car. Both belted up, in case trouble arose and Logan started the sedan, pressing the gas and heading for the garage door. Logan tossed some jackets and other objects in the car at Remy to cover his appearance as the garage door opened with the key card. All they had to do now was pass through a gate large gate with a guard post and they'd be home free.
Logan pressed on the accelerator and then stopped in front of the guard post for the man to open the gate.
"Holy, smokes, what happened to you?" asked the gatekeeper.
"Some mutie attacked me, I gave him a beating though," said Logan in a low growl. He showed the dim guard his stolen ID and drove off into the night.
"Wow, dey're dense," said Remy as he pushed the items away from him.
"No kidding," said Logan as he turned on the GPS to get some bearings on where the hell they were, "usually happens, when they get cushy and think that they're superior.
After driving for about an hour, they came on to the main highway, leading to Las Vegas. A few minutes after, they pulled to a stop at a gas station. The two basically bought some food, using some cash in the car, and then hot wired a different car to confuse the MSF, as well as switching the license plate with another car. Noticing a van filled with a group of family vacationers due to a civic holiday, going into the gas station, they took that as an opportunity to pilfer some inconspicuous clothes, as theirs were ratty and worn from captivity. (The continuity is messed, I know) The drive to the bus station near Las Vegas took about two and a half hours, but it was done in style in a blue truck. They entered the bus station without much trouble, early in the morning and entered the ticket sales area.
"So where ya wanna go, kid?" asked Logan as the two looked at the places on boards.
"How 'bout N'Awlins?" replied Remy.
"Why? Isn't that where ya got caught?" asked Logan, not seeing his logic.
"Yeah, but it's Ash Wednesday t'morrow, well, t'day," he said. Logan gave him a blank look.
"Mardi Gras," he said simply.
"Ah…rowdy crowds, street parties, costumes and voodoo; the perfect hiding place," said Logan.
"But o' course, not t' mention open money," said Remy. He had learned that the best time of year to steal was in the heat of Mardi Gras, due to the mass crowds which made it easy to blend and the people being accustomed to the bumping of the crowds. Therefore, it'd be the best place to hide from the MSF.
Logan walked up to the ticket counter, while Remy waited on a nearby chair, watching some cards he shuffled intently, beneath a pair of dark sunglasses, all bought at the gift store.
"How may I help you, sir?" asked a young woman behind the ticket counter.
"When's the earliest bus to New Orleans?" asked Logan.
"That'd be the 5:32am on Station number 8, Bus 582," said the clerk.
"Then two tickets for New Orleans at 5:32am, please," requested Logan.
"Sure, that comes to…a hundred and twenty six dollars and forty-eight cents," she replied. Logan paid for the tickets and was about to leave, when his keen ears caught on to something.
"Are you sure they're here?" asked a masculine voice.
"Yes," replied a female one, "The surveillance and communications people found images matching their descriptions at a gas station a few hours away, where they found the car. So they've got to be here, to take a bus some place."
"Then how come we can't find them with the locator?" asked the man.
"That's because their X-gene and that allows their powers has become too advanced to locate, since the more advanced the X-gene, the more it blends with your regular genes.
Shit. They'd found them. Scanning the area, he saw two the two agents dressed as civilians that were talking softly. The woman was of average hair with brown hair and eyes and the man was tall with light brown hair and blue eyes.
Trying to look inconspicuous, Logan put his head down and pulled down his trucker hat slightly, obscuring his features. Reaching Remy's side, he hastily told him, "Listen, Gumbo, there's a pair of MSF agents over there in civvies, maybe more, who're already here, so we've got to be careful and I need you to follow my instructions exactly. Got that?"
"Yeah," said Remy, through his peripheral vision, he saw the two agents, talking amongst themselves near the wall.
"If I tell you to leave and get on the bus, do it, even if I'm not following, alright?"
Remy looked up at him seriously, he knew Logan was asking him to leave him behind if things got bad, "But…"
"No buts, Gumbo, you got that?" repeated Logan.
"Yeah," said Remy with a sigh.
"Good," responded Logan, "When you get out of this, no matter what happens, live a good life for all of us."
It was a simple request, but one which Remy understood. Live your life to the fullest because the ones like us don't get long to live it. "Always," he responded.
"If I die, do me a favor, kid?" requested Logan.
"Sure," said Remy, sadness pulling at his heart at what he had been asked to do, to leave the one person who had given him hope in that horrid place.
"Find a pair of kids fer me. They were in the prison in Siberia with me before I was transferred to Nevada. Names of Kurt Wagner and Marie," said Logan.
"And here I t'ought I was special. Okay, what'd they look like?" asked Remy with a smirk.
"Kurt has short blue fur everywhere with golden eyes, dark blue hair, two fingered hands and two toed feet, a tail and fangs," said Logan.
"Distinct," commented Remy.
"You have no idea, Gumbo," started Logan, "Marie has deep green eyes and white bangs with auburn hair."
"Cool," said Remy, "So when's our bus?"
"5:32am, in twenty minutes at station 8," said Logan.
He took most of the left over money out from his pocket, a ticket and food from his backpack and handed it to Remy, "Here, take this, just in case. The station is to your right, just outside."
Remy simply nodded in reverie and packed away the items.
"Let's walk over now, the bus should be in the station," said Logan.
"Okay," said Remy. Logan noticed that he had stuck to giving one word responses; it was obvious the kid was upset. He gave the kid a hug, one for reassurance, one for a possible good bye and for comfort too, and hope as well.
Logan gave Remy his hand, like any father would to their young son and for the first time in his life, he had a parental figure to lead him somewhere.
All of a sudden, Logan's ears caught on to words that sent a chill down his back.
"Over there, that's them! I know it is, look at the picture," cried the voice of the male MSF operative.
"Oh my God, it is," replied the female one. She reached for her hidden com device disguised as a cell phone, "Mutants found and on the move towards the exit to the buses, I repeat, mutants, found and moving towards buses. Request backup to apprehend."
"It's time to move kid," Logan said in a stage whisper as he and Remy lost themselves in the crowds to thwart the MSF operatives. They moved fluidly around the bodies swarming at the bus station. However, suddenly, an army of MSF agents swarmed in full gear and uniform and the two knew that they were surrounded. Logan pushed Remy and himself into a deserted corridor that leads to the bathrooms. It was rather drab, painted taupe, with benches and a few plants scattered about with linoleum floors. (If you've seen Ocean's 11, you know that 'they always paint hallways that color.')
"Well, Gumbo, it looks like we'll be parting ways," said Logan sadly.
"Can't we both jus' go together?" asked Remy, hope in his voice.
"'Fraid we can't do that, kid, they're onto us, and you have a better chance to escape them if I distract them," said Logan, "Besides, you've got your whole life ahead of you, a childhood ter live out. You deserve a chance to live a good life, kid, and this is it. I can't let you not get that, not after all the shit you've already been through."
"But-" started Remy.
"No buts, Remy," said Logan, "I'm old, older than even I think, I've lived my life the best that I could and can from what I remember about it. You're deserving of a life out of all this and I'm making sure that you gets that, and that at least one of you kids gets that chance to live properly. So do me a favor, Gumbo, get on that bus to New Orleans and find somebody to really care about ya, then take that chance for life and run with it, because some of us will never get it again. Live it to the fullest for all of us."
"Okay," said Remy, tears starting to water his eyes. It saddened him immensely that the first person to actually give a damn about him had to leave, so that he could live better. Well, he decided then, he was just going to have to fulfill his promises to this man.
Logan bent down and gave Remy a hug and told him, "Go into the bathroom and change clothes, alright, and then when the coast is clear, make a break for the bus, it leaves in twelve minutes. Good bye, Remy, and take care." He then got up and walked down the corridor, about to meet his fate, but a voice stopped him.
"Good luck, Logan," said Remy.
Logan gave him a smile and unsheathed his claws, "Good luck, Kid. I make it out of this, I'll look you up." With that, Logan turned his back and walked out, giving Remy a short wave before storming down the path busy with people.
In the bathroom, Remy could hear the short screams of fear as a man with metal claws in his hands went on rampage attacking the MSF. Remy hastily threw on a new black T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He shoved his discarded clothes back in the back pack and pulled on a baseball cap and a red hooded zip hoodie and made sure his sunglasses were on tight. Pulling out his ticket, he heaved on the backpack once again and hurried down to station 8 for his bus to New Orleans.
He pushed open a glass door to the curiosity of several people and ran over to the sign marked station 8. On the way, he saw many black uniformed men and women of the MSF running in the opposite direction to apprehend Logan. Most of the people swarming at the station remained unaffected as mutant captures in public places was commonplace in the world they lived in and business went as usual as violence and bloodshed was used to enslave a mutant.
He pushed himself faster as an intercom message sailed into his ears, "Bus 582, leaving for New Orleans will be departing in five minutes at station 8, At this time, please be on the bus for departure."
Finally reaching the correct bus, Remy asked the driver to make sure, "Excuse me, is this de 582 leaving for N'Awlins, sir?" The man seated at the wheel was quite elderly with a shock of white in his grey hair, but he was very strong and not frail in any way. His build could be considered slightly intimidating, but the kind look in his eyes wiped the intimidation away.
"Why, yes, sonny, you got on right in time. Take a seat and we'll be down in the Big Easy before you know it," said the man excitedly. Remy nodded and showed the man his ticket.
"So why are you traveling all alone?" the man asked the boy amicably.
Remy thought quickly and answered, "Well I was supposed to be going wit' m' dad t' N'Awlins to see m' mom, but he got really sick and it's really contagious, so he had t' stay b'hind. M' grandma had t' bring m' here, but she don' like crowds much."
"Ah, well, I hope yer dad feels better soon," said the driver. He had been duped to believe the classic ill will between divorced parents deal, thinking that his father was feigning illness to avoid seeing his ex-wife with his son.
"Thank y'," called out Remy as he took a seat near the back of the bus, moments before the bus began to pull out of the station. He let out a deep sigh for he was all alone again, with nothing but his wits to keep him alive and a few hundreds in his bag. Looking out the window, he saw many MSF agents and a gathered crowd watching in morbid fascination as Logan was electrocuted, cut, shot, bloodied, bruised and tranquilized with no mercy. The severely injured man was then cuffed and carted toward an armored van waiting in the wings. He looked away as the agents began to look for him, but not knowing that he would be long gone by the time they figured he was on a bus and not hiding in the nooks and crannies of the station.
As the bus took the final turn to pull out and start the first chapter in Remy's new life, he let himself look back to see the man who had given him a chance at life and smiled at him. Even in capture, Logan had his honor and pride; he fought, never making it easy, even in defeat. Little did he know that the scientists would soon change Logan into something of an atrocity, his former self.
Soon, the highway stretched on and Remy drifted off to sleep lulled by the humming of the bus rolling to New Orleans and a new start.
It was many hours later of the lengthy bus ride when Remy finally came home to his native New Orleans in full swing of Mardi Gras. The streets were packed with people of all looks imaginable in both costumes and normal dress. They were rowdy and wild and more than a little bit tipsy. As soon as Remy got off the bus, he trekked to the French quarter to do some…relocating of wealth…
Walking down the crowded streets, the first thing that caught his eye was a beat up and worn chocolate brown trench coat hanging on a rack in a thrift store. He fell in love with it. Remy entered the small, but trendy shop and looked at the coat, it was perfect for stealing, with plenty of pockets and gave an aura of ambiance and mystery, not to mention a sense of inconspicuousness. Grabbing it, he tried it on, to find it was big for his small seven year old frame, but nonetheless perfect. Since buying it would raise too many questions, Remy simply slugged on his backpack and lost himself in the crowd of Mardi Gras long before the angry and gypped store owner ran out to look for him, earning a chuckle from the young thief as the man looked around swiftly for him.
He had not gone far, raiding pockets and getting a few treats, when he saw a rather rich looking man walking down the street with a strut and an open pocket displaying a thick wallet. Smiling at the easy lift, he cautiously and sneakily made his way over to liberate the wallet from its fabric prison. Nearing the man, he didn't make eye contact. Quickly, he stuck his had inside the pocket housing the wallet and clasped it tightly, but before he could remove his hand, a sharp grip clasped his wandering hand. Looking up in reverence, he saw the face of a middle-aged man, with graying dark brown hair and deep blue eyes that held a mischievous, youthful glint to them. He became frozen in reverie with the task ahead of him, but a shrill voice that sent chills up his spine, interrupted his train of thought.
"Mutie! It's the MUTIE! Grab it, hurry," cried the voice of a MSF operative. Remy looked around frightfully, fear clutching his heart, NO, NO, NO, he couldn't go back there…Suddenly, he was scooped into the arms of the man he had just tried to steal his wallet from. The man gently clasped his head and moved it into his shoulder, hiding his face and eyes, as the three operatives from the Mutant Strike Force approached the pair.
"WHAT DE HELL ARE Y' TALKING 'BOUT? M' SON IS NOT A MUTANT! HOW DARE Y' INSINUATE DAT!" bellowed Jean-Luc at the operatives.
The three operatives immediately recognized the man as Jean-Luc LeBeau, you did NOT mess with Jean-Luc LeBeau. They backed off and realized that the boy they had been after had not been wearing a trench coat, anyway.
"Our humblest apologies, Monsieur LeBeau, we simply spotted the wrong thing. Think nothing of our mistake," said the leader, bowing his had in respect of the man.
"Don' y' ever let m' hear y' insult m' son, again, y' hear?" breathed Jean-Luc venomously.
"O' course, sir," said the head operative as he and his men scurried off.
When they finally left, Remy breathed a sigh of relief and looked into the eyes of his savior, "T'ank y', monsieur," he whispered, amazed.
Jean-Luc smiled at him, a wide welcoming smile, "T'ink nothin' o' it. Jus' doin' what's right, besides, y' are a talent to which I have not seen in years." Jean-Luc had been watching the shadowy youth for some time as he performed perfect lifts on the unsuspecting celebrators of Mardi Gras. It simply amazed him that children as young as he had that caliber of pick pocketing. As a test, he had planted a trap to catch the boy. Somehow, he could sense the pain of loss from the boy, his liveliness, the need for guidance, and a family. And something was calling out to him to help the boy, especially after he saw a glint of those amazing eyes of his hidden beneath dark sunglasses. His wife was a mutant and the two of them abhorred what was going on in the world, so they had started a string of Guild run safe houses in New Orleans as a secret faction of the Resistance.
"From now on, mon fils, y' with m'. Henri always wanted a petite frere, now he'll have one," said Jean-Luc, knowing then that it just felt right to adopt the boy. Marianne would adore him, he thought and Henri will enjoy his company.
"Really?" asked Remy unsure if the man was lying to him or telling the truth, with wide puppy dog demon eyes.
"Really," replied Jean-Luc with a kind smile as he readjusted Remy's small weight and carried him to his car, several blocks away to welcome his new found son home to his wife, son, and Tante Mattie, as well as a plethora of Guild members and cousins. It was on this day, that he adopted Remy who would become Remy LeBeau, master thief extraordinaire.
He felt the hit of the injection almost instantly from the various tubes connected to needles stabbed into his beat up body still trying to heal from the beating he had received in the bus station. Well, at least Remy's alright, he thought as he quickly began to lose consciousness. He knew the boy had escaped due to the anger in the guard's attitude as they regarded him with distaste and the fact that he wasn't in any of the cells he saw from his. A table beside him was loaded with sharp medical implements as well as drugs to keep him docile.
Currently, he was strapped to an operating table, sedated and half lucid to the doctors and scientists crowding around him, all getting instructions from a man in the center of it all, Dr. Nathaniel Essex. The room was cold, walled in white sterile tiles with metallic lab tables. There sat an operating table in the center. Many things were stored in the shelves and in tubes and chambers around the room. Drugs, operating instruments and other medical supplies were among the normal paraphernalia. The abnormal included the body parts stored in various tubes and containers in the room. Bright industrial lights were strewn up above in the room teeming with nurses, doctors as well as the head, Dr. Essex. They all wore pristine mocking white robes. This was one of the many research areas in the facility where some of the most gruesome and revolutionary experimentation and research was done on mutants.
Wandering off to slumber, he would not know what he would become from this current experiment until some time later. All he knew at the moment was that it was about a month since he first saw Remy huddled in the confines of their shared cell.
"The preparations are set," said Ororo as she, once again was in the luxurious meeting room with Professor X, Magneto, Beast, and Mystique. However, today they were also joined by those who would be partaking in the mission to rescue Wolverine, liberate prisoners, garner information, as well as destroy one of the many prisons and labs in the possession of the Three. The ones who would also be coming on the main strike included Angel, Psylocke, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Sage and Bishop, plus many others. The meeting room was packed, all seats were taken and the majority of the participants were standing. Some had come from the various bases set up by the Resistance around the globe, imported especially for this mission, for example, the influx of those with teleporting abilities and various other attacking abilities. They would do so with stealth and two strenuous weeks of planning. Tonight they would strike.
Finally, they had found enough information for them to infiltrate and destroy the base, through countless hours of careful hacking and research. A foolproof plan was concocted with many human resources and hours of head banging. Supplies were stored and the machinery and jets were all prepped. Operatives for the Resistance were brought in from many other bases. They were many, well trained and the best of their fields.
Cyclops and Jean Grey were coming along as they were two of the best new recruits they had for the resistance and had earned their place on the roster for tonight's mission; as well it would be great experience for them. Scott was quickly becoming one of the best trainees and had a skill in leadership as well. He had the power to shoot optic blasts from his eyes. Jean Grey was a telepath as well as a strong telekinetic. She was also one of the most skilled trainees and had leadership qualities as well.
Angel and Psylocke were both around 19 years old, and by now were veterans within the Resistance. Both were children from rich, wealthy families, with unlimited power and influence. However, both their families were appalled by the mutant situation, so when they realized that their children were mutants; they found their ways into the Resistance to help further the noble cause. They helped by providing some financial help, as well as being able to gain information on some of the most influential members of the world who had ties to the MSF.
Both Betsy and Warren lived double lives of danger and intrigue, but they wouldn't have it any other way, for both had witnessed the deaths of good friends prior to joining the Resistance who'd been dear friends. Betsy was adopted by the Braddocks when her mutant parents had died in a plane crash and had been trained as a ninja in a way to be close to her heritage and her parents. She was a telepath and had the ability to use psionic blades. Warren was very much the Angel of his codename because of his wings. They enabled him not only to fly, but shoot sharp feathers that could cut through practically anything.
Sage and Bishop were both 16, however, they were both powerful and highly skilled and had earned ranks in some of the top teams in the Resistance. They were best friends although, now, it seemed something more, as both were orphans and had wandered the streets of New York together for years as mutant street children in hiding before they were found by the Resistance and given the opportunity to chance the course of their lives and others as well. Tessa had brilliant powers of probability, which made her an amazing tactician, and many facets of the strike had been planned by her. She was also a strong telepath and could create strong illusions. Lucas was a powerhouse and amazing leader. He could rechannel energy to give strength and endurance to his body as well as shoot plasma blasts, whether through his hands or amplified in his plasma guns.
"Tonight, we infiltrate the Mojave prison lab," started Professor Xavier, "We will take the stealth jets and land them several miles from the facility, then get there via teleportation. The first task is to disarm all telepathic shields, then create an illusion, making all workers go to the auditorium, where they will be drugged. Workers will then be cuffed and then moved to remote locales as we will have many drivers in unmarked vans of various teleportation powers. The workers will be stripped of all weapons and com devices. We will then cut off all power and communications in the base. It is then that other MSF bases will be alerted and come to investigate and attack, however, we will try to delay this as long as possible. Power negators will not be an issue as everyone will be equipped with a negator scrambler. We want to draw them into battle to analyze any new techniques they may have developed in capture and battle," He looked to Erik to continue.
"When all the workers are gone, it is then we will start an evacuation of all prisoners in the base and move them to transport vehicles to take them to HQ," started Erik, "Evacuation will be coordinated by Jean and Cyclops who will show the prisoners to the returning teleporters who will teleport them to the X-Jet, Blackbird and Velocity jets. At this time, myself, Storm, Psylocke, Angel, Bishop, and the rest of the Strike teams, dubbed the Brotherhood, Acolytes and X-Men will be defending the area from the attacks of the MSF all around the perimeter of the base in the agreed battle formations, moving all attackers away from the base. At this time, Charles will be inside the Blackbird monitoring the positions and stages of the various teleporters transporting people as well as our positions and keeping us in telepathic communication throughout the mission."
"While all this is going on," started Hank, "Young Sage, Mystique and I will be divulging the base of all its information in computers, files and other items. When that is complete, we will set the explosives in the base. Scott, Jean and any other remaining prisoners will be taken to one of the jets via teleportation. At this point, when all explosives are set and ready, we will give a telepathic message, and all of the Strike Force will be withdrawn through teleportation. It is then, we will set the bombs to explode and a teleporter will come in to take us back to the jets. The explosives will detonate two minutes after our departure and the base will be destroyed. The mission will then be completed and we will fly back to HQ, where medical facilities and such will be all prepared."
"You all know the schematics of the base as well as the details of the mission. The jets will all be nearby, but heavily cloaked by telepathy and stealth devices. However, if inside the base, be aware of this prisoner," Ororo spoke then, turned the audiences' attention to the monitor in the meeting room. It showed a various pictures of Logan at different angles.
"This is Logan, or James Howlett. I'm sure many of you will remember him and thought him dead. Well, we found him," she smiled; she could feel the hope swell in the room at seeing one of their comrades thought dead alive. It was times like these that made fighting in the Rebellion worth it, to see them take a small victory and turn the tides a little. Many cheered and clapped. Ororo held up her hand to quiet the crowd.
"We have received word that the Three, namely Dr. Nathaniel Essex have brainwashed Logan back into his primal animal like state to follow commands and be a violent, berserker style operative for their side. It is due to this, that many mutants have been taken in the past week in the Nevada area," started Ororo, "When evacuating the captives, beware of his rage, and stay away from him. Make sure he stays in the isolation chamber and drugged. He is a special case in which Beast, Mystique and Sage will rescue."
"Alright, if there are any questions, now is the time to ask, and remember we will be departing at 2200 hours, or 10pm tonight from the jet hanger. There we will take attendance and such, we ask all to be there at least 15 minutes prior to departure," finished Ororo.
The meeting was then wrapped up and the majority of the mutants left to prepare themselves for the mission that would take place in 12 hours time. Only Hank, Ororo, Raven, Erik and Charles stayed behind.
Hank sighed, "I really hope this works. We could really use that information and it would lift everyone's spirits to have so many prisoners freed and a base destroyed."
"Indeed," said Xavier, steeping his fingers and getting pensive. Recent events had not been good, the MSF had opened many new prisons, laboratories and work camps to imprison mutants, more and more soldiers had been recruited and trained, hundreds of mutants had been taken and the world wide impression on mutants was bad. If they were to get this small victory, the information taken would lead to many more victories, in which they would be able to save even more mutants and hopefully put a dent in the resources of the MSF and the Three. So much was riding on this.
"Hey now, we can't get negative," said Ororo, "We need to think positive so we'll be able to do this and we will succeed. We will save our brothers and sisters."
Raven and Erik nodded in agreement. "We have to have hope, that this will work and that things will go our way," agreed Raven.
"Yes," agreed Erik, "Come now, we must prepare, so let us take leave, and we'll see each other soon."
The remainder of the group left and went their separate ways to prepare for the mission. In Raven's mind, she secretly hoped and prayed that Kurt would be there, that something there would lead her to him. Little did she know, she'd get her wish.
&
Scott and Jean sat side by side each other in the scarcely populated Blackbird. However, they knew that would change once they had liberated the prisoners. Inside the Blackbird were seated members of one of the many Strike Forces in the Resistance that regularly performed similar missions of obtaining information and freeing prisoners as well as helping other mutants to survive, by breaking up riots and the like. The Strike Force faction in the Blackbird was the X-Men in which Scott and Jean were junior members. All the members of the X-Men were well trained, powerful and a cohesive team, just as the Acolytes and Brotherhood were. Betsy and Warren were also seated in the jet. They, along with Bishop and Sage had been taken from their regular posts to assist on the mission, to which they were more than happy to do so. Currently the Blackbird was being helmed by Xavier. (Just to let you know, the X-Men, Brotherhood and Acolytes will have none of the members that are currently in the teams on Evo. All of them are too young. I envision Scott and Jean to be the oldest of the group in the Resistance and the rest of them are now about Kurt, Rogue and Remy's ages.)
They watched in anticipation the scenery whisk by at high speeds outside through the windows in the Blackbird. They would land within the hour to rescue the captives. Riding in the Blackbird had been smooth and the stealthy jet would take less than an hour to get to the Mojave Desert locale where the base was located. However, this did nothing to quell the nerves and excitement of the two friends at the opportunity to help on the mission and actually do an important job, they were to be coordinating the evacuation and leading the prisoners to their teleporters to go to one of the jets. They understood the scale of this mission and only hoped to succeed, for if they did, it would show their potential greatness as well as help win a battle for the Resistance to which they so adamantly believed in.
They had been given high ranks for this mission and neither could feel more proud than at this very moment. They wore the black leather uniforms of the Rebellion which featured a red X outlined on the front with piping as well as red accenting and silver zippers and buckles in a jacket and pants outfit with leather gloves and boots to go with. Jean's long red hair was tied back in a ponytail and Scott's face was adorned with a futuristic looking visor to control his optic blasts. (Think uniforms similar to those in the movies.)
Their hearts pounded with anticipation to do something good to help others and give them the hope that the Resistance had given them in their darkest hour. And so they waited in anxiousness for the jet to land and the mission to start.
Three jets had landed simultaneously and invisibly in the dessert sands of the Mojave, where short shrubs and Joshua trees covered the landscape. One by one, vans were unloaded and teleported to locations near the facility. When they were in position, the first wave was teleported in around the perimeter, including Sage, Mystique and Beast, who all hacked into their systems to take down the security measures and disarmed all gun turrets and other weaponry on the perimeter of the base as well as disarming all telepathic shields. Those in place, the group of telepaths were brought in, including Xavier, Psylocke and Jean Grey. Linking their minds, they created a strong illusion in which all members of the base were lulled to the auditorium. Finishing that, Xavier was teleported back to the Blackbird to telepathically monitor their progress.
They made all members sit and wait. A group armed with gas masks and sleeping gas was brought into the auditorium, when all members of the MSF in the base were brought in. They set up the chemicals and within seconds, all members of the MSF were gassed to sleep as telepathically making all of them sleep would cause too much work on the part of the telepaths and mass telepathically induced sleep could cause unwarranted side effects and brain trauma. The gassing group then bound all members of the MSF and stripped them of all weapons. Soon, all members had been teleported to vans around the perimeter and driven to various areas in the desert. That complete, the teleporters disabled the cars from being driven and ported back to the base to complete further duties.
Once this was complete, Sage, Beast and Mystique, who were currently raiding all databanks and files, as well as keeping other bases under the illusion that the base was still operational, cut all power to the base. This was done so that only the computers in the data area worked so that they could continue to raid data. At this point, all mutants of the Resistance strapped on night vision goggles that would enter and the rest of the group was transported to defend the others while the others freed their fellow mutants. Teleporters returning from driving off the MSF agents returned and helped Scott and Jean open cells and free the prisoners. This saddened many of them to see the sorry state of many of the mutants. They were all beaten and weak with little life left and hope. Scott and Jean made sure all the liberated mutants knew where to go to await transport to escape the base. Every now and then teleporters would disappear and reappear to take the many mutants to various jets to which the professor was diligently keeping numbers. They knew this would take a long time as there were just too many cells. Before moving onto the next prison block, the teleporters along with Scott and Jean made a detour to free any prisoners still in the lab areas which further sickened them to the conditions that these people were taken in.
Outside, an intense battle was waging between the MSF and the Resistance. The MSF soldiers had been drawn back due to Magneto's destructive powers of magnetism. Bishop was blasting through their ranks with his plasma guns, taking down any machinery and weaponry, not already compromised by Magneto's powers. Angel covered their backs from the sky, shooting down feathers whenever necessary. Storm made sure that aerial attacks would be made useless with her powerful tornados. Psylocke cut down any person that made it past their appointed line to avoid damage from explosion in the next while. The sounds were deafening, lasers and other weapons were fired, once bullets proved useless. Explosions sounded from grenades and rocket launchers, but still the Resistance was able to push them back as a unit with the help of the Brotherhood, X-Men and Acolytes. They were a cohesive team and with their powers, they were able to defeat whatever the MSF threw at them. However, they knew they were outnumbered, and when push comes to shove, they would lose, if the mission took too long to complete. For the opposition had far more numbers to replenish their ranks, while they had to make do with what they had. Their only choice was to wear them down enough and keep the numbers low.
They were doing well, though, and they all knew that this battle would be a way to learn from their enemy, just as everything inside the lab would be used for. It was an impressive display of power. Fire melted the metal, set the MSF on fire, and burned their supplies. Ice froze them in place. Water rushed at them and captured them in a watery prison. Roots grew from the ground and held tight to their limbs. Shots of lasers and other pyrotechnic abilities were used to strike down the opposition. The men and women were levitated and thrown. Land was ripped open and the enemy was tumbled inside, trapped. Their powers were truly monolithic. Even without powers, they were tremendously skilled for they were all very skilled and able fighters in more than one form of fighting. Plus, they could utilize all the weapons that the opposition used. And so, the battle waged on like this for the rest of the mission with our heroes succeeding their goals, minimizing all injury as well as analyzing the skill and technique of the enemy.
Back inside, two more cell blocks had been evacuated and Jean would scan the area for any left over with her telepathy to make sure that each block was empty before moving on. They still had seven more blocks to go. It was indeed a significant role that had been placed on the young shoulders of Cyclops and Jean Grey, but one they were most proud to do. The teleportation evacuation was in full swing and teleporters would alternate teleporting to the various jets with large groups of prisoners and helping Jean and Cyclops open cells with the other liberated prisoners. Luckily, the jets were large and had various levels of seating available for transporting all the freed prisoners.
"Is Block Four clear, Jean?" asked Cyclops as the red haired telepath scanned the area with her telepathy to make sure everyone was out.
"Yes," replied Jean, "Let's move to Block Five." The two then jogged to the next block with a handful of teleporters and junior members of the Resistance in tow. The professor had received word of another group being cleared and sent telepathic messages to all involved to let them know the progress of the group. Jean sent a telepathic message to those in the Cell Block updating the professor's stating that they were coming and that they'd be out of their prisons and freed soon. She didn't use her telekinesis to open the cells as that would use too much energy and there were just so many cells to open.
Reaching Cell Block Five Jean took a clamp and physically pried open a cell's gate containing a week teenaged mutant girl with many bruises and cuts on her body, a young boy with burn marks on his arms and legs and a young man in his twenties with large scars shown on his torso. Scott and the teleporters with them did the same. All were saddened to see the state in which these mutants had been degraded to. Jean bent down to help the weakened mutants up.
"Thank you," whispered the occupants of the cell.
Jean sent them a bright smile, and said, "No problem, just head to the end of the corridor, there. We have teleporters waiting for enough people to transport over to the jets. If you miss the trip, don't worry, we've got lots more coming." The imprisoned mutants then went over to the end of the corridor and Jean moved on to the next cell. Each block was three floors high with two sides and twenty cells housing numerous mutants in section; forty cells in each level. Scott worked the side opposite hers, and teleporters and junior members got to the ones above. A constant influx of appearing and disappearing teleporters with passengers were on the main floor's end corridor. They worked at a quickened pace, fueled by their desire to get to all of the prisoners. The few prisoners who weren't too weakened helped out in the gargantuan task.
Several long minutes later, Cell Block Five was evacuated and after making sure that this block was clear with Jean's telepathy, Scott called out, "Alright, team, let's move to Cell Block Six. Cell Block Five is evacuated," with a wave forward before leading the team in a short jog to Cell Block Six, with the cheers of the team in the freeing of yet another block, increasing the number of those they'd helped. The rescue in the cell blocks went on like this and after another two hours, they would finally move on to the last block, Cell Block Ten, in the massive prison lab that Essex had built in the Mojave. A battle was still waging on the exterior of the base, but they were not daunted, nor were they tiring for they were united in a goal to help their fellow mutants and because this was their hope, their future, and all they had to was win it. The facility once teeming with staff, doctors, nurses, lab technicians, researchers and more would soon come to a glorious end.
Meanwhile, in one of the inner rooms of the facility, Sage, Mystique and Beast were raiding the computers, filing cabinets and various other items of interest. Knapsacks were being filled to the brim, occasionally traded for an empty one from a teleporter. Discs were being collected and files were being downloaded, sent and relayed to HQ. They stole blueprints, hacked into encrypted files and websites as well as the secret network of the MSF through the computers. After a long, exhaustive search of the facilities and every information center it harbored, they were finally complete in their part of the mission.
This being done, they alerted the others and started to set a huge network of explosives wired from the inner brothels to the upper floors of the facility with explosives so powerful, it would obliterate the base completely once detonated. Just as they had completely wired about three quarters of the facility with explosives, they received a panicked telepathic message from Jean Grey.
'The professor said you'd be the best to handle this,' started Jean in a fearful tone.
'What's wrong Jean?' asked Beast.
'Wolverine somehow broke out of his containment unit near Cell Block Eight. We're trying to hold him back, but he's too good and I can't get a good enough read on him with my telepathy to make him go unconscious,' relayed the young telepath.
'We'll be there momentarily,' stated Raven, 'just contain him and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. Don't try to attack him. Just stop him from doing damage to others.'
'Alright,' said Jean, 'I'll try to keep him immobile with my telekinesis until you get here.'
'Good idea,' started Sage, already analyzing the situation, 'but before you telekinetically hold him, make sure, you're out of sight, so he can't attack you when you break the hold.'
'Thanks, Sage,' returned Jean gratefully, 'just to let you know, we've also split our group into two to hold Wolverine and continue the rescue.'
'Good job,' praised Beast before signing off.
"Well, let's hurry to Cell Block Eight," said Beast, dropping all of the explosives and wiring to the ground, Sage and Mystique following suit. They then sprinted to Cell Block Eight.
Minutes later, the three reached the evacuated Cell Block Eight where Wolverine was currently hovering two feet off the ground limbs pressed close together to immobility and growling angrily and loudly, just as Jean was finally wearing thin on her hold on Wolverine. Seeing the new presence in the room, Wolverine started to snarl at them with rage and anger in their eyes, but despite this, Mystique and Beast were happy to have found their long lost friend.
"Let go of your hold on Logan, when I say Jean, then you and Scott go help the others free the rest," instructed Hank to Jean who was hiding on the second floor with Scott at her side, giving her encouragement. Scott relayed Jean's understanding to them and Hank prepared to give them the signal.
In the meantime, Mystique transformed herself into the silver white female wolf that had once calmed Logan in his animal state. Approaching him with reverence and respect, she slowly made her way right in front of the man whose snarls had faded noticeably to be replaced with intrigue and curiosity.
"Now!" communicated Beast with telepathy from Sage to Jean. Jean dropped her hold on Logan who immediately fell to the floor in a heap and retreated silently to the next block to help the others free the remainder of the prisoners.
Wolverine slowly got up and advanced over to Raven's non threatening form in inquisitiveness. Her form quieted him and calmed him. His mind began to click and the animal side of him began to reduce a bit, trying to figure out why this creature fascinated him with its strange familiarity. Raven too advanced closer to the Wolverine who now gave her a slightly confused expression. He knelt down to her current height and observed her with great interest. He seemed charmed by her presence. Logan revered her ethereal aura with strange calmness and appreciation, keeping a small space between them, not touching her, caught in a spell of her mystique, staring into her jewel blue wolf eyes which seemed to hold all the solutions to the mysteries that surrounded him.
Seeing that his mind was finally cleared enough and that he was also tranquil enough, Sage subtlety entered his mind and broke through the fog of amnesia that had clouded his mind, inserted the first time he'd been taken by the MSF and the adamantium skeleton was inserted. She also reverted the animal that lingered to the forefront of his mind and pushed it back to its rightful spot in the recesses of his brain, bringing forth the man who was once Logan as well as James Howlett before being brainwashed by the MSF to be a weapon. The dark haired telepath also made sure his memories after the brainwash was intact and after several long moments in which Hank and Raven held their collective breaths, Logan opened his eyes and looked directly into Raven's eyes with recognition and happiness, to which Beast let out a happy laugh and congratulated Sage on a job well done.
Logan looked in Hank's direction and gave him a toothy grin, uttering a customary greeting, "McCoy, Misty."
Raven reverted to her human form at the same time Hank went over to the now dazed and tired man standing in profound silence next to Raven. Hank gave him a pat on the back; followed by a manly hug, once they gave each other a 'what the hell?' shrug. Raven followed with a strong hug and introduced Sage. At last, the reunion was cut short, when the effects of Sage's mind cleansing took it's toll on the man, and caused him to collapse.
"Well, my friend, looks like you could use a lift to the jets," said Hank just as a teleporter appeared to take Logan to the jet. His healing factor usually made it so that he was never this weakened and his friends took advantage of that.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up while you can, bub," said Logan. Mystique only laughed.
Logan groaned, "I'm never gonna live this down."
"Damn straight," said Mystique with a rare smile.
"Not a word the both of you," he threatened just as he was about to be teleported away.
"What's in it for us?" asked Hank amicably.
"Your heads," finished Logan, just as he was about to disappear, "not a word, you hear? I've got a reputation to keep."
"What reputation?" asked Raven, a spark of the old age banter reigniting within them.
"The one that's gonna come and rip ya ter shreds one day, darlin'," he said as he disappeared from view.
Hank let out a hearty chuckle, and Raven sported an exceptional smile.
"Good to see you smiling again, Raven," said Hank, "I've forgotten how entertaining the two of you can be."
"We try, we try," said Raven, "We once contemplated a comedy troupe."
Sage and Hank let out a chuckle. "So they're always like that?" asked Sage.
"Yup," said Hank, "C'mon, we've got a base to wire to explode."
"That sounds fun," said Mystique as the three of them trouped back to their supplies to prepare to finish wiring the base to explode.
About forty five minutes later, they were finally complete with wiring all the areas of the base for the maximum impact of explosion. Looking in pride of their job well done, they put in place the detonator of the explosives.
Sage sent out a telepathic message to Charles Xavier, 'Professor X, all the explosives are in place. Tell everyone to clear out. We await the teleporter to take us out and the command to set the detonation.'
'Good, thank you, Sage, I will send the word to clear out and to get all the combatants out,' relayed Xavier.
"Well, it looks like we sit tight, until everyone's on board the jets," said Sage.
The three sat on the floor and awaited the message that they were to set the explosives to detonate and escape via teleportation from one of the many teleporters they had utilized this night.
In Cell Block Ten, Scott and Jean were the last to be teleported out of the facility after doing a sweep to make sure everyone who was once a prisoner had been freed. Outside, groups of mutants began to disappear within seconds of each other, thoroughly confusing those MSF operatives still trying to fight the superior force of mutants. When only Bishop, Magneto, Storm, Psylocke and Angel remained, Xavier gave Sage, Beast and Mystique the order to set the detonators for a two minute berth before explosion. Prior to doing so, a teleporter appeared at their side, and after hearing the faint beeps of the timer counting down to zero to detonate all the charges, they held onto the teleporter and disappeared, only to appear seconds later inside the control cabin of the X-Jet, getting ready to fly to headquarters with the hundreds of newly freed mutants. When everyone was safely onboard, two teleporters went out to the battlefield and retrieved the remaining fighters, further bewildering the MSF.
Once the final groups of mutants were safely seated in their respective jets, all aircraft began the launch sequences and a faint hum resonated through each of the jets. Just before lift off, a nearly deafening explosion was heard. The source was several miles away to the once gargantuan and technologically advanced prison. The occupants of the jets starred in awe, victory and pride as a large plume of smoke and flame encircled the spot which once tortured them so. The operatives of the MSF stared in shock as they finally realized the plan the Rebellion had so brilliantly executed. They had taken out the largest and most influential laboratory in their possession and with it, liberated hundreds of prisoners, stole countless banks of information and took a victory from under their nose for the Rebellion was good, very good at what they did. It was to be the first victory in a string of many that the Rebellion would win and for all those involved, it signaled a new age, one where it showed they were a force to be reckoned with and not to be underestimated.
Soon, the three jets took off into the star streaked night, never once showing its presence to the radar of any machine outside the ones in the possession of the Resistance. Quiet and stealthy with cloaking devices and telepathic hiding, the jets flew undisturbed for an hour before reaching their base, where crowds had gathered in the hangar to welcome back the heroes and the liberated mutants.
The three loaded jets had flown into the hangar and the Resistance Headquarters in Canada smoothly and after the cloaked doors had come to a close, and the jets hummed to stillness, a loud roar could be heard, which only crescendoed as the occupants exited, for the mission had been a high success and fellow mutants had been liberated. This would be the first in many to be known as the Summer Liberation. An excited crowd awaited the mutants on the outside once they stepped off the jets and into various medical areas for checkups that had been set up. Those who'd been on the rescue mission received thunderous applause, frenzied cheers and heart felt congratulations. For today they celebrated, for today, they had heroes in a bleak and dark time where all lived in the moment.
Scott and Jean shyly accepted thanks and congratulations with pride and wide grins. Raven had a smile on her face. Ororo answered hundreds of questions with infinite patience, while Hank made his intellectual wise cracks. Tessa and Lucas were quiet, demure and stoic, but even they couldn't hide their happiness in the smiles on their faces. Warren and Betsy simply reveled in the moment in each other's arms, blissfully oblivious to everything else. Charles and Erik simply watched at the Resistance they founded together shared in victory and the collective happiness of it all, conversing of things to come and the future it held.
The white horribly blinding light assaulted his sensitive eyes, causing him to squint and moan. A few moments later, he began to distinguish several blurry shapes with his vision still swimming from the lights.
A heavenly voice sounded in his ears, "Logan, Logan, you awake?" It was female, cultured and deep, with a hint of sadness clouding it.
Opening his intense blue grey eyes, he finally laid his keen eyes on the cobalt blue face of Raven Darkholme offset by her intense long red hair and amber gold eyes. She was smiling, what seemed to him one wrought of pain and sorrow. It was an attempt to forget something, some hurt. Her eyes told it all. She was sitting next to him beside the bed he was laying in, in the Med Lab. He also noticed some old friends in the form of Charles, Xavier, Hank, and Ororo.
"It's good to see you in the land of the living, my friend," spoke the seven foot tall furry lion like man who'd once looked more ape like. At the same time, Raven helped to prop him up on the bed and rearranged his pillows for him so that he could sit up comfortably.
"Hank, what happened to you? You look like someone pranked the Lion King," said Logan bluntly, raising a bushy eyebrow to the man's appearance, for the Beast looked more lion than ape now.
"This would be my mutation evolving. I fairly like this look. My arms don't drag on the floor anymore and my hair is way more manageable," said Hank, unfazed, with a wide toothy grin displaying his sharp teeth. He was accustomed to Logan's forms of greetings and bluntness. He wasn't insulting you; in fact, it just showed that he liked you enough to crack jokes with you. Those in the room shared a resounding laugh at their interaction.
"So what have you been up to, my feral friend?" asked Hank.
"Indeed, the last we heard from you we found out that you had been in an accident in one of the labs out there when they were doing that experiment on you, and by the Goddess, we thought you had died in the explosion that followed," said Ororo, "We tried looking, but we had old intel and by all accounts all evidence showed you were dead."
"I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I just know that I escaped the lab somehow after they bonded the adamantium to my skeleton, because the next thing I know, I'm in some forest miles from civilization not knowing who the hell I am," explained Logan, "It was the weirdest thing, I couldn't remember shit, it was like freaking amnesia. I got these brief flashes of memories. Speaking of flashes, one of them was your cue ball head, Chuck."
A bemused expression crossed Charles Xavier's face. He let out a small chuckle of amusement. Logan always managed to amuse him with his blunt comments.
"Well, you're going to have to thank Sage or Tessa as we call her normally, for bringing back your memories. She's shaping up to be quite the young telepath. She has some rather remarkable abilities as well," commented Charles.
"I'll remember that," said Logan sincerely.
"I took the liberty to scan your mind and reinforce everything in it as well, when you were slumbering," said Charles.
"Thanks, it's good to be back," said Logan.
"Well, now that we've all acknowledged that, could we please move on? I for one, would like to know what the heck you were doing all these years," said Raven, moving the conversation forward, showing her normal no fuss, sassy personality that had been lacking as of late. She seemed to be doing better now that Logan was back.
"Blunt, as always, huh Rave?" commented Logan.
"Well," she pretended to think, "Of course." This caused an amused scoff from Logan. It was good to see that Raven was still as sassy as always. She was kind of like him in that respect. It was one of the reasons that they got along so famously.
"As Raven said, we would all like to know what has been going on in your life after your capture, three and a half years ago," said Erik.
"Well, I woke up in the woods a few miles from the lab with only vague recollections of being in the lab and the experiment where they bonded adamantium to my skeleton. It was all in flashes and I really couldn't make sense of it. I was really confused. All I knew was that it was long and painful and looked to be like stuff out of a science fiction movie. Then some metal claws shot out of my hand and that just freaked me out. I had no sense of who I was, I didn't even know my name or any of that, it was like my brain was wiped clean. I think I nearly went insane right there and then. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't remember anything," explained Logan, sitting up on his bed to an attentive audience.
"I know now that it was the adamantium bonding process and that they had been planning to use me as a weapon through intensive brainwashing, torture, experimentation and training. They had been able to ingrain hundreds of different training exercises into my head through the brainwashing period. Only, I escaped once the final process had been complete, the adamantium bonding. The pain and trauma during the process caused my mind to relapse and basically protect itself by wiping it blank. Once the process was complete and I was put into artificial rest, my body kicked in as a defense mechanism and got me the hell out of there. Anyway, back to the story," he mentioned.
"Eventually, I had enough of wallowing in confusion and began to forage for food, and to my surprise, I was actually good at it. I was damn good, it was as if I had an instinct for it like an animal. It really confused we, it was like I had an animal within me. After a few weeks of living in the forest, I decided that I needed human contact to figure this out. I picked a direction where I could smell exhaust and ran with it. I came to a highway, after a day or so and following it, I found a sign that read, Banff town site, 2 km. (Banff, Alberta, Canada. It's totally beautiful; it's a national park with a small, and I mean small town. It's super tourist land, but there's just some really great wilderness and what not. The town is surrounded by forest, and is inhabited by tons of animals. So I guess it'd be the perfect place to hide a base. It's really rocky, and near the border of Alberta and British Columbia where the Rockies are, and the windiest twistiest part of the Trans-Canada, so it has limited access. So basically, it's in the middle of no where, but still close enough to the necessities, even with tons of tourists. The base is a couple miles away from Banff though and is heavily cloaked, so wildlife people can't find it.) I landed myself in tourist ville," said Logan.
"To say that it probably wasn't a good place to start looking for an answer is an understatement," he started, "I think I interrupted quite a lot of people's vacations. People thought I was a Wildman or something, that or just some poor street bum mooching off rich tourists, either way, I was given quite a nice amount of cash and after getting some clothes to blend. I was eventually told to go to the Parks Canada Office (It's sort of a historic building that is an information center that gives you criteria and information for hikes, attractions and what not, as well as some necessities) on Main Street. After being thought an idiot and insulted and what not, a passing doctor passed me, and started to examine me, telling the people in the office, that he was quite sure that I had amnesia."
"A park ranger questioned me, and eventually they figured that I had been one of the hundreds of unchecked hikers that pass through each year, seeking adventure and don't sign in to let them know where they'll be going, so they can sneak off trails and do hazardous stuff in the dangerous areas. They figured, I must have fallen somehow and gotten amnesia after wandering off the areas and camping illegally in the park (They have tons of guidelines for hiking and what not at Banff because it's also a wildlife reserve as well, it's like Yellowstone National Park, for you Americans) as I was way off any trails from what I had told them. They told me I was lucky to be alive and taken to a doctor's place to be checked up. I found out that the amnesia I had was most likely permanent," explained Logan.
"I stayed in Banff for awhile, working odd jobs and such to pay the rent and what not and eventually, I got back on my feet and moved on from it and started riding around after getting my bike and trying to get some answers," said Logan, "In time, I came to remember brief flashes of my previous life, those being your bald head, some World War II stuff, running rampant in an old forest, a Japanese woman's face from around the 1900s, some really old Victorian style mansion in the middle of nowhere and a woman with red hair and blue eyes and just some other things that I couldn't make sense of. Those were the memories I could make most sense of. Everything else that I saw was so strange. The only reason I was able to know that my name was Logan was due to a pair of dog tags I had on. One with the name Logan, the other with the word Wolverine," he told.
"Rose and Yuriko, your time in your animalistic state, the war, your original home in BC, and Charles?" stated Raven.
"Yeah," agreed Logan, "I just basically hazarded a guess and took Logan as my name," he recalled, "After that, I just went where the wind took me, for about three years, just going around the States and Canada, seeing where it all took me. I never really stayed in one place too long since the trails got cold, and no matter where I searched, I couldn't find anything. It was frustrating to say the least. And that's what I have basically been doing for the past two years, checking up leads. That, and helping out whenever I could with the stuff goin' on."
"I came upon a veteran's place a few months ago, looking to catch a drink and this guy wound up showing me his dog tags and I his. He was in the Vietnam War, and knowing what he did, he figured, I got the tags from my dad or something like that and that they were from World War II. I later found out, after some digging, that they belonged to a man named James Howlett, my real name, but I didn't know that at the time. So basically, after that, I began wandering around the US, getting info on the man, and then that lead me to Canada. So for the past while I've been traipsing through Northern Canada and the cage bar matches for cash, heading to BC to find a lead on the man. I was in Fort McMurray, when I was taken by the MSF at a bar, making my way to BC," he retold.
"I would wind up in the prison labs, for, I guess, three four months. I was first in one in Siberia, and then I was transferred to the one in Nevada. Helped a kid escaped in Nevada. Fun times," he finished with, "and that, I guess would be the short version of what the hell's been going on in my life for the past three and a half years." (I realized I didn't put in any Wolvie accents…but I'm not changing it…too hard)
"Interesting," commented Xavier, "A lab in Siberia, you say?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Logan.
"From most of the research that we found from the stolen intel during the mission, we found that the majority of test subjects that they took were mutant children. We're planning to hit that one next as it enlists our highest concerns, but I can't understand why they would want you there," puzzle Xavier.
"Well, bub, I don't remember much due to the drugs they pumped in during the experiments which got me doped up higher than the sky and even less lucid, but I think they were trying to use my DNA to combine it with the kids' to try to give them a healing factor and what not, to see if they could insert DNA from one mutant to another. I guess they figure with my healing factor, my blood would be accepted and not rejected in a transfusion or what not," said Logan.
"Still, it's puzzling to me. It doesn't make sense as to why they would put you there," said Xavier running the plot through his head.
"Wait, Charles," said Erik, "We received intel that Essex had been in a European or Asian lab spearheading some newfangled experiment a few months back, but we were never able to find out more. That base was just too well hidden. But what if the Siberian base was the one where Essex was located. It would make sense then, since Essex had also been the head scientist in the experiment to make Logan into a weapon those years back, with the adamantium skeleton being one of the factors of it. He was after all, the only survivor of the accident where Logan escaped. What if he moved Logan to Siberia, where he was located so he could work on two projects at one time? The children mutants and rebuilding a weapon that he never got to complete in the Weapon X Project. I mean we all know how obsessive he is about finishing projects…"
"Old friend, you're always able to see what I miss," said Charles with a smile.
"Only because you look in the complexities and forget the simplicities," rebutted Erik with an equal smile, "Of course, once he finished with the main phases of that project, he moved on to a larger one at the facility we destroyed in Nevada, based on the intel we collected, and moved Logan there too, to continue his old Project, Weapon X, where he brought you into the animalistic state for better control over you."
"Of course," started Storm, "It all makes perfect sense. He must've been thrilled once he realized he had found you again and could restart his Weapon X Project to help Stryker's efforts with the Mutant Hunting Division of the MSF." The Three worked in interrelated projects. Essex handled the scientific research, development and experimentation on mutants in the labs. Stryker handled the Mutant Hunt by developing, training and overseeing all MSF operatives, specializing in torturing mutants in labor camps. Trask handled all technological advancement to further the obliteration of mutants.
The room was sterile white and metallic. It had white tile on the floors and walls, with steel frames shown every now and then. Medical equipment was organized neatly in the room and a small bathroom could be seen in the corner. The relatively small room housed a small bedside table and several seats and benches for visitors, and there were plenty of those in his room, currently. The bed he lay on was definitely more comfortable than the usual hospital issue ones, even though, it looked exactly like one.
(ARGH…I'm so pissed. My computer decided to get a virus or something or rather and crash tons, so now, I'm working on my fics on my mom's laptop. We're probably gonna have to take in to shop. But no worries, I just uploaded all my story files into my mom's laptop and away we go. The continuity might be messed here a bit, because at the time, I didn't have the stuff I typed previously to work with as the computer is pissy. So this part, is relying on my memory…Sorry if it sucks, I'll try my best…)
"You seem to be one hot commodity," said Hank.
"Thanks for making me sound like an inanimate object," deadpanned Logan. (This would have to be inspired by the 'Sidney Crosby' lottery. He's a hockey player who's the number one draft in the NHL, so the Canadian media was all over it…'The Sidney Crosby' lottery, that just makes the kid sound like an inanimate object and it totally bugged me and made me LMAO.)
"I try," said Hank. Everyone laughed.
"Well, my patient here needs rest after the influx of memory. As the Professor told me prior, his mind needs to heal and process it all, so out all you visitors, it's passed visiting hours," shooed Hank, the doctor taking over. He waved a large blue, furry paw. As everyone began to leave, saying their goodbyes, one last thing, bothered Logan.
"Hey, Rae, is Alfred in Germany? I haven't seen him around," Raven was the last to head out of the room and immediately tensed, to the confusion of Logan.
"Are you gonna be alright, Raven?" questioned Ororo.
"Yeah, I'll be fine, he was gonna find out one way or another, and this way, I'll be the one to tell him. Go on, I'll see you later," answered Raven with a sigh and a saddened voice, "Hey, Hank, can you leave us for a few minutes?" wanting to tell Logan in private.
"Sure Raven, if you need anything, holler, I'll be just outside in the main lab, kay?" said Hank, putting a large comforting paw like hand on her shoulder before heading out.
"Thanks Hank," said Raven, shooting him a look of gratitude as he and Ororo stepped out to meet Erik and Charles.
She sighed and took a seat beside Logan on his bed, trying to put into words all her pain, suffering and torment, but couldn't, the grief and sorrow suffocated her, and all she could do, was show Logan that in the look of anguish in her saddened eyes. Ororo and Hank knew she had to let it all out and tell somebody, they just hoped that Logan would be that person and succeed where they had failed.
"So what happened?" asked Logan, already inexplicably knowing the answer.
Raven's eyes began to water and tear up, but she wouldn't cry, she'd already done enough of that for a lifetime.
"Hey, Rave, it's okay," he said, taking her hand in his, and squeezing it lightly, giving her a small measure of comfort. Raven gave him a small smile and nodded.
She took a few calming breaths and knew she had to tell Logan, as much for herself as for him. Raven needed to tell someone of her heartache because it was eating her inside for she hadn't been able to confide fully in anyone else and those closest to her knew it too, but they didn't know how to press the issue, without hurting her further for she was in a delicate state. Her strength was hanging by a fragile thread and it was nearly completely worn, preparing to break at any given moment.
"Almost six months ago, in January, we had been living under cover in Germany, passing on intel to the Resistance as we always had with Hank too, working at the somewhat normal research lab the Three ran there. One night, Hank comes and bangs on our door, telling us that he thought that the MSF were onto us and to back our bags. We left a few minutes later. For what seemed like days, we wandered our way into the forests, finding our way through to get to the base," started Raven.
"It was night and it was so dark. The snow had been falling hard…." It seemed that she was reliving the horrible moment as her eyes glazed over and her voice became monotonous, "We had reached the part near the base where it was a clear meadow, with no protection where you were sandwiched by the mountain face and a river. The four of us had stuck close to the mountain and tried to inconspicuously walk past it, only we knew we were being tailed, when we heard the compression of snow by boots and the sound of twigs snapping. They were playing with us, taunting us, before we were to be hunted like animals. So we ran, we knew we wouldn't get a chance if we didn't."
Tears began to stream down her face as she reached the hardest part of her story. Logan wrapped his arms around her, trying to give her the strength to carry on and get it all out.
"There was a…a gunshot that rang through the air, and I turned around, Kurt in my arms…and…and Alfred had been hit, straight through the throat. A bullet was lodged there. He couldn't breathe….he was dead instantly…He was…dead…Oh God, he was dead. I never got to say goodbye….and…and Kurt…he just kept on asking him to just wake up…but he wouldn't…he never would…" her voice had gotten high pitched and hysterical and tears were now pouring down her face rapidly, sobs wracked her body and she spoke between them in uneven breaths, crying against Logan's chest as he enveloped her in a strong embrace, trying to lend her some semblance of reassurance, as disturbed look on his face, as well as anger and fury to the MSF for yet another crime.
She continued her story in sobs, "H-H-Hank had to…he had to help us away from Al-Alfred's body and k-k-keep us moving….'cause we were out in the open. W-W-We started running, so fast…bu…but Hank got shot, carrying Kurt. He handed Kurt to me…and told me to go, to run…H-Hank was shot three times…I thought he was dead too…I ran so hard, for so long…I-I tried SO hard…but they shot me…and I went down. I-I told…I told Kurt…t-to run and he did. T-Th-That was the last time I saw him…I don't even know if he's okay anymore…W-We never found him, Logan, Oh God, we never…never found h-him…Th-they took him…and I can't find him…I can't find Kurt, Logan…I-I don't even know if he's alive…and it's hurts…it hurts so much…Alfred's gone…and I'm so afraid that Kurt is…that Kurt's gone t-t-too. I just…just can't handle it if he was…"
He looked at Raven's prone form and began to see something familiar…Something began to click in Logan's memory as he held Raven as she sobbed and let out all her pent up emotions finally…He remembered a baby boy, with short blue fur, and downy indigo hair, and sweet golden eyes, with a fanged smile, which only widened when he wrapped his small three fingered hands around your finger or caught his tail in something he wasn't supposed to and his tiny two toed feet would always be in motion…Kurt…Kurt Wagner…He remembered. Oh God, he remembered.
"Rae," he started, but Raven didn't answer, her pain taking over. And Logan knew that he had to give her this hope. She had lost so much and he knew he had to tell her.
"Rave, Raven, listen to me," he shook her gently, but Raven was lost in her anguish that she had to let out.
"Misty," he said finally. As if they were magic words, Raven's sobs faded and she moved her face from his shoulder, looking down, her eyes still spilling out tears. He lifted her head, by putting a finger underneath her chin and tilting it upwards.
"Listen Misty, Kurt's still alive," he said finally.
"WHAT? How?" questioned Raven, nearly jumping at the Wolverine, not wanting to give herself false hope.
"Up to about a month ago, I was still in the Siberia lab, where all the kids were. Raven, he's there," he told her gently.
"How do you know?" she asked, hoping against hope that this was true.
"I shared a cell with him, and a little girl named Marie for five months. They're holding on, that's for sure," said Logan.
"How is he?" she asked, hope now bright in her once dead eyes.
"Holding on, not much else you can do in there, Misty. Not too much I could do when the guards came around," said Logan, angrily.
"B-But's he's alive," she said.
"Yes, if he's still holding on, after a month," answered Logan carefully.
"Thank you, Logan, for everything," said Raven.
"No problem, Rae," he said.
"Tell me about him, Logan…you said he was with a little girl?" requested Raven, wanting to know about her missing son, trying to fill a little of that void before she could find him.
"Yeah, her name's Marie and she's from Mississippi…" started Logan recounting his time spent in the prison with the two of them.
In the weeks that followed, Raven and Logan rekindled the bond and close friendship that they had once shared before he had disappeared, spawned over the grief of a close loved one. They got close, and Hank and Ororo noticed especially, and knew that albeit reluctantly, Raven was finally moving on, thanks to Logan. He had given her hope and taken her from her despair.
The Resistance had taken a few more victories by using the intel raided from the lab in Nevada to get information on other prisons around the globe. They had planned some more successful strikes, often striking bases at the same time to throw off the MSF who were now scurrying around in high alert, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but to no avail, as the Resistance had the jump on them, and they would not let up or give them time to plan and strengthen themselves.
Resistance bases all over the globe began to fill up as more mutants were liberated each day, joining the fight. Some decided to stay in the bases and live in the housing units inside, while others chose to live top side and form safe houses and such, creating a bigger network for the Resistance to work with to reach their goals. In this way, the Resistance began to blossom and become even more secretive. Bases were in the beginnings of expansion and new minds increased the ingenuity and technological advancement of the Underground Resistance X.
Tonight, they would finally make a strike on one of the larger prison lab facilities. One of Essex's known stomping grounds, the one in Siberia would be freed tonight and so would Kurt and Marie, at last. Raven was anxious. The flight to Siberia couldn't be fast enough. She was finally going to rescue her son and be reunited with him and meet the little girl he had bonded with, Marie. It was now late June and she was closing on six months away from her son. She had died a little in that time, and she would only be able to move on with her life when she finally had him home with her. Currently, they were in a small hidden base in Siberia, refueling and running over the plan for that night, which would be similar to the one they had used to take the first base. They only bought one jet with them, as this base was significantly smaller. The Blackbird would do the trick. (I know I made the Velocity a jet when it's in actuality a helicopter…)
The cell, as usual, was cold, dark, damp and cramped. Kurt and Marie were huddled in a corner, similar to what they've always done, before Logan. They missed him terribly. He kept the cold away at night, as well as the guards from hurting them too much, talked to them, gave them hope and supported them. The black metal walls were bare and lifeless, telling the story of pain and torment. The small bathroom was dirty. Ragged clothes hung off their small emancipated bodies, trying to cover the bruises, cuts, abrasions and other injuries. Marie's wrist was swollen, bruised, turning purple black as definitely sprained. Kurt's foot hurt badly, and a large cut was still healing on it. It was possibly infected for it swelled. And no matter what they did, it didn't seem to get better. They had cleaned it the best they could from the water that ran in the sink, but it was dirty and wrapped it in a rag. Currently, they were trying to sleep, warding off the cold with their worn red blanket, but it wasn't really working for it was like the MSF poured out ice cold air conditioning on purpose.
They were talking quietly; trying to ward off the loneliness, pain and suffering, and holding each other close for warmth. Suddenly, they heard a kind grandfatherly voice inside their heads telling them, 'Hello, children, my name is Charles Xavier, do not be alarmed, for you will all be out of here soon. My people are coming to help you. Please stay quiet for us. You are all very brave.'
"W-What was that?" asked Marie, frightened.
Kurt gave her a wide grin, "It's Professor Xavier, he's gonna get us out. He found us, Marie, he found us, Ve're getting out."
Marie simply gave him a smile in return, remembering all that Kurt had told her about his life with his mom, dad, Dr. McCoy, Auntie 'Roro and Dr. Lehnsherr and Professor Xavier. She knew then that it would all be okay.
All of a sudden, the power went out in the entire facility, causing Marie and Kurt to jump in fright, they clung to each other for comfort. The only thing that could be seen was the yellow glow from Kurt's eyes. Soon they heard the noises of running sounding down the metallic corridors. It was the noise of several heavy boots clanging down the halls towards them, except they were heavier than the boots that the guards wore. What was going on?
The noises grew closer and closer and then several mutants could be spotted running into view. They told them not to worry and that they would be breaking them out soon enough. The gates to the cells were forced open and the children were picked up and herded to the end of the corridor where waiting teleporters would take them to the jet. Marie and Kurt grabbed onto the bars of their cell and looked out to see all that was going on, since the electricity was out, no electric shock would be given by holding onto the bars, a look of hopeful awe was on their faces. Flashlights threw beams of moving lights everywhere. The sounds of clamps forcing open gates could be heard and the encouragement and kindness of their liberators.
After waiting for a few minutes, they were greeted with a familiar sight, only this time, he wasn't dirty, bloody, sizzling or embroiled in a fight, he was walking confidently with pride down the hall towards them, a smile on his features. He wore a leather jacket with red detailing and a sewn in X as well as special gloves, black cargo pants, a thick utility belt and thick clunky, biker like boots. Foot long claws erupted from his hands as he approached the cell which held the two children he had bonded with so much in their captivity. It was Logan. Wide smiles now passed across the faces of Kurt and Marie.
"I told you I'd get you out," said Logan with a grin, "Move away from the gate." And with that he ripped the cell gate off the wall, now that it didn't have an electric current running through, he didn't have to worry about getting sizzled. Finishing that, he tossed the deformed gate to the floor where it landed with a loud clang.
Marie and Kurt then ran to him and gave him a big hug, whispering their thanks. Logan returned their embrace. Then, he turned to Kurt.
"Hey, Kurt, I brought someone with me for you," he stated with a mysterious smirk.
To this, Kurt gave a look of confusion, only to be replaced by one of utter joy as he noticed a figure round the corner and step into his cell. It was his mother.
"Mozher," he shouted extreme jovialness in his voice. Ignoring the pain in his injured foot, he released himself from Logan's embraced, causing a chuckle from the stocky man, and ran as fast as he could into the waiting arms of his mother. They held on tightly to each other, letting out all their emotions in a few well deserved tears.
"I missed you so much, Kurt. I love you," whispered Raven softly.
"I love you too, Mozher," returned Kurt.
All the while Logan held onto a confused Marie.
"So that's his mom, huh?" she said.
"Yeah Stripes, that's his mom," concurred Logan, picking her up.
After a tearful reunion, Raven made her way to Logan and Marie, Kurt in her arms, wanting to meet the little girl her son had bonded with.
"Hey there, sweetie, you must be Marie," said Raven with a smile.
"Yeah," said Marie shyly.
"You're a sweetheart, you know that?" said Raven. The girl shook her head, causing the soft curls in her hair to bounce.
"Well you are," said Raven, giving her a kiss on the forehead. And Raven Darkholme knew then, that she had a daughter. After all, she knew from what Logan had told her, and what she had seen so far, that Marie was indeed Kurt's sister. Raven also knew that she loved her, her heart which had been broken so by Alfred's death, was finally starting to love again for it had warmed to the little girl in Logan's arms.
"Let's get outta here now. This is the last cell block and it looks like we're the last ones out. Chuck gave the signal," said Logan.
"Right," said Raven, making her way down the corridor with Logan, Kurt and Marie snuggling into their arms. When they made it down there, they were indeed the last ones in the block to exit. A waiting teleporter soon took them onto the jet. Soon, the detonator was set, and when Sage and Hank made it into the jet, they knew it was mission complete for they had set the bombs and other explosives. Ororo, Erik, and Lucas had returned earlier with a group of attackers after distracting the MSF agents, while the others freed the children.
Logan and Raven found two empty seats side by side and belted themselves in with Kurt and Marie sleeping in their arms. The other mutants in the jet did so as well and just before takeoff and resounding explosion could be heard, signaling the end to the captivity of Kurt and Marie. And then, the engines powered up and with a powerful thrust, the jet took to the air, shooting at hundreds of miles per hour to the larger German base to replenish supplies, take care of the children's injuries and refuel, before heading back to the headquarters in Canada.
"She's a sweet one," said Raven, brushing a snow white lock of hair behind the girl's ear. She and Logan were watching as Marie and Kurt slept in their arms as they streaked across the sky in the Blackbird. They were seated in the isle and could see the dark night sky dotted with white stars outside the window.
"Yeah, she is," said Logan, shifting the small girl's weight in his arms.
"It suits you to be a parent," said Raven with a smile, earning a shocked and semi-fearful expression on Logan's face.
"Don't be so shocked. You'd be a great parent," said Raven with a light laugh.
"You suggesting something, Misty?" asked Logan with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe," replied Raven a knowing smile on her face.
"I wouldn't be good for the kid, that's your suit. You already have Kurt," said Logan swiftly, slight panic in his voice.
"Well," said Raven slowly, "I was planning to adopt her anyway, I mean she and Kurt are already brother and sister, and the poor girl's lost all her family. Marie Aimee Darkholme sounds nice, don't you think?" (Aimee, pronounced Amy, it's the French version, I think) She and Logan had did some research on Marie and the other mutants captured prior to rescue to know how many would need loving families and how many had loved ones to return to. It was grim work as the ones needing families highly outnumbered the ones that didn't.
Logan balked, before raising his voice and saying, "NO WAY IN HELL, BUB! There is absolutely NO WAY you are adopting Stripes all for yourself. I don't really care what you say about Kurt and her…"
"But Logan," she said condescendingly, seeing that he was falling right into her trap, "You drink, smoke, fight, swear and travel a lot. Are you sure you'd be good for her, I mean after all, you're no model parent."
"Maybe not," said Logan, "but I know what Stripes needs, and I'll give that to her. I'd change for her…" Raven gave him a blank stare with a raised eyebrow, "Okay, so somewhat…"
Raven smiled at that, "So basically, you see yourself being a good parent because you can change 'somewhat' for her and give her what she needs…Hmm…kinda like what I did for Kurt."
Logan gave her a deadpan look, "Clever, Misty, clever, should've caught on to that…"
"Yeah, maybe, Logan, but admit it, you'd be a good father, and you know that you'd want her to be your kid," said Raven, "It's not like I didn't have any doubts about having Kurt. I was 18, after all."
"Well, you did pretty well," said Logan, stroking Marie's face, not looking at Raven.
"Thanks," she said.
"Marie Aimee Darkholme Howlett," said Logan so softly Raven nearly didn't catch it.
"What's that?" asked Raven needing confirmation to what she just heard.
"Marie Aimee Darkholme Howlett," repeated Logan.
"Are you sure?" said Raven, "Do you really want to scar her with such a mouthful of a name?"
"Yeah, I do, and it's not like she can do anything about it, yet," said Logan.
"Well, you have to admit it does roll off the tongue, and it will be memorable," said Raven.
"Oh, yeah, Misty, very memorable," finished Logan, and with that he wrapped his arm around Raven's shoulder, the other arm around Marie. Raven snuggled up against his shoulder, holding Kurt and they soon fell asleep with the kids.
Behind them, Ororo and Hank looked at each other and smiled.
"They make a good family," said Hank.
"Yes, they do," said Ororo with a smile, stroking the cheek of a boy sleeping in her lap. Hank was holding on to a set of twins, one boy and one girl, "I pray to the Goddess that Raven will be able to finally move on after Alfred."
"Well, she's always known that Alfred would want her to move on if anything like this happened and I know that there's no better man that he could see than Logan for that," said Hank.
"That's true, I think in her heart she knows that too," said Ororo as they watched the pair with Kurt and Marie. It was adorable to say the least.
Okay, and I'm done. Logan and Raven are building a relationship and they're both adopting Rogue…I think they've just crossed over to the border from friends to something more…
I'll try to update the next part of this chapter real soon. I've got a ton of free time now, so never fear. I'm sorry I didn't get to stick in more character pasts, but it's getting long, and I never meant for this part to be this long, but hey, Remy's here now and the next chapter will show the other pasts of the characters and how they joined the Resistance. Plus, some more Logan and Mystique.
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