Changes Chapter 22
Logan ran upstairs towards his room, following the scent. He only hoped that he would find her… He opened the door just in time to see himself popping claws. With a primal cry he grabbed his doppelganger and smashed him into the wall, while he himself took position in front of Jean, extracting his claws to protect her. "You alright?", Logan asked her while keeping his eyes fixed on his opposite, who slowly got up to his feet again.
Jean breathed irregularly, looking at the scenery in shock, as her world fell apart for the second time today… Confused, her eyes went to and fro between the two of them.
"Jeannie, are you alright?", he asked again, but turned his head this time to look at her. She slowly nodded and sobbed, feeling relieved but deeply shocked at once. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Look out!"
Quickly, Logan turned, but still he wasn't fast enough. The claws of his doppelganger plunged deep into his abdomen, causing him to groan and grimace in pain. Mystique was about to use the other faked claw, too, when he growled and grabbed her throat. Immediately, the doppelganger retracted the claws and took hold of Logan's hands, trying to get rid off him. With an easy movement of her right leg, she kicked him hard into the balls and he let go. He took a deep breath to ease the pain and narrowed his eyes. "'Kay…", he grunted and gritted his teeth furiously. "Now, I'm really pissed…"
Jean watched everything with widened eyes. She watched Logan jumping at his opposite, his claws pointing at his opposite and while he beat at her angrily. Quick as Mystique was, even if she copied Logan's body right now, she easily got out of the way and evaded his attacks with a wide grin on her faces. Jean couldn't believe it… She couldn't believe that she had fallen for her trick so easily… That she had truly believed it was Logan who had hurt her so much… Her hand covered her mouth as she saw him fighting for her and she grimaced in pain, while tears covered her cheeks. She wouldn't even imagine how much she had hurt him with her lack of trust… Suddenly, Mystique changed her appearance again.
"Shit…", Logan cursed and stepped back to put himself between Jean and Deathstrike again. Desperately he searched for a solution and asked himself where Scott and Ororo were… As Deathstrike, Mystique was even more difficult to handle and also far more dangerous… He had to get Jean out of here… He knew she was still scared to use her powers in a battle…but right now she also was too shocked to be of help… Retracting his claws on his left hand, Logan blindly searched for her hand behind his back, his eyes fixed on his enemy who only smiley at him devilishly. If he only was quick enough…he could get Jean to the door if he… He watched her nails growing. She knew what he was up to…
"Damn it!", Logan cursed and popped his claws again.
Jean's heart was racing. Heavily breathing and unable to think properly, she shrieked as Deathstrike jumped at her. Logan reacted immediately and grabbed her in the air. While she buried her claws into his back, he groaned shortly, before he smashed her with all his might into the wardrobe, destroying it with this action completely. Quickly, he pinned her to the ground and turned his head towards Jean, while Deathstrike rammed her nails into his shoulder. He breathed in sharply, easing the pain and looked up at her again. "Go!", he yelled at Jean who still stood in the corner and watched him with shocked eyes. "Damn it, go!" She nodded and ran down the corridor where she nearly bumped into Scott and Ororo, who were accompanied by all X-Men.
"There you are!", Scott said breathlessly and took her arm. "Where is…" He was cut off by a loud smash and turned around, just to see Logan crash into the wall opposite of his room door. Plaster crumbling from it… For a second he just laid there, holding his wounded ad dislocated left shoulder while breathing heavily. Heavy footsteps echoed next to him, causing the ground to shake. Slowly, Logan raised his head, his eyes narrowing, while his wound on the head disappeared, leaving only a small trace of blood, which dropped to the floor.
"What's that for a thing?", Scott asked and looked at the giant mutant with the strange helmet, who came out of the large hole in wall, which belonged to Logan's room. He had never seen such a strange mutant…
"Juggernaut…", Storm said and watched Logan closely, knowing what he would do next by the look of his eyes. "Guys, step back! Even if he's faked, he can still injure us seriously!" The younger X-Man obeyed and backed off, taking position behind the grown-ups.
Slowly, Logan got up his eyes fixed on his opposite, holding his left shoulder a bit lower than the right. "That's it…", he grunted and got into position to attack him. His claws were stretched out before his body, protecting himself, while threatening his enemy on the same time. He breathed heavily and let his fury overwhelm him…
Jean watched him closely, saw his eyes changing into something she'd never seen before… They changed from angry into cold and merciless, she watched him gritting his teeth and growling like a wolf, while his eyes narrowed and darkened… She'd never seen him like this…but she knew instantly that it was no longer Logan down the corridor… She gasped when she recognized the expression in his eyes…it were the eyes of a cold blood killer…
"He's going berserk…", Ororo said and pushed the younger mutants even more behind her, while she backed off anxiously. "Watch out! Don't make a move or he attacks us!"
Scott turned towards Jean, taking her arm to pull her behind him. He saw the frightened expression in her face. "Now you finally see what he is…", he said completely seriously. She turned her head to face him. "Now you meet HIS animal…" He looked at the fight again…
Iceman began to breathe heavily. "What's wrong?", Shadowcat asked him and looked at him worriedly.
"You've never seen him doing this?", he asked.
"Doing what?"
"Wolverine,…you've never seen him going berserk?"
"No…"
"You'll understand afterwards…", he said and looked at Wolverine. He was scared… The memories of the attack on the mansion returned to him immediately. He saw all the dead soldiers and the blood again, which had covered the floor and walls nearly everywhere… Iceman closed his eyes when he remembered the primal scream of Wolverine again, as he'd jumped down and killed those soldiers right in front of him in cold blood. He'd wished he would never see it again… Suddenly, Iceman realized that he did not only recalled the primal scream within his head, which had been more animal than human,…he actually heard it just now…
Wolverine led out a scream, which went right through everyone, and jumped, claws first at the faked Sabertooth. This one on the contrary, hissed and attacked his opposite, too. Fists and claws crashed against both bodies, while growls and groans could be heard in between. Both mutants used all tricks they had in there furious and blinding rage… They were punching each other, biting, hissing while they kept on ramming their claws in the body of the current enemy… Wolverine drowned more and more into his berserk form, forgetting his environment completely, he pushed memories in the furthest corner of his head,…all he wanted was to kill the mutant in front of him… He tried to bury his claws into his opposite again, but reacted to slow, when Sabertooth tore open the skin in his face. Still, furious as he was, Wolverine didn't react to the blood, which dropped to the floor immediately or the pain it caused…he didn't even feel it…
"No!", Jean gasped and stepped forward, wanting to help him, but Scott held her back. "Don't intervene or he attacks us, too. He can handle himself…" She stopped a few meters away from the others and kept on watching…
Screaming in rage, Wolverine carried out a triple punch, with his claws, while the sweat ran down his body and mixed with the blood. He left a deep wound on the right leg, which made Mystique yell in pain and change into her normal form again. She back off, limping and bit her lip, while her wound started to bleed heavily. Immediately, she was attacked by him again and this time she was too slow. He grabbed her and threw her against the wall, leaving a large crack in it, while she fell unconscious to the ground right in the middle between Jean and him…
Wolverine breathed heavily and scanned the area for more enemies. His eyes were still cold and merciless, right now he was completely consumed by his alter ego and this one was out for blood. Even if Mystique was eliminated for the moment, the others didn't dare to move. They watched his him frightened as his eyes stopped on them. Scared, they stepped back,…everyone, except Jean. Slowly, but still concentrating on the surrounding, Wolverine came closer. Immediately, the X-Men backed off even more, being scared to death by the look of his eyes. Scot instinctively tried to grab Jean's hand, wanted to pull her away from the berserker, but she just stood there, heavily breathing and her eyes fixed on the growling Wolverine…
"Jean…", Scott said anxiously. "Get away from him! He doesn't know who you are…" He watched her stepping forward. "No! Don't do this! He's unpredictable in that state!"
Rogue remembered the look of Wolverine's eyes. She still saw him landing in front of her after he'd jumped off the balcony, killing those soldiers in hi merciless rage. She remembered how he'd looked at her…remembered that the animal in him hadn't recognized them at first. Bobby had been so scared of him that he'd thought Wolverine would kill them, too… Rogue had to admit that she'd thought the same…until she'd seen how Logan had fought his way back to the surface… Still, she wondered if he recognized Jean…
"Jean!", Storm said as she watched her stepping closer and closer. She, too, was scared to death right now…she heard him growling threatening… "Jean, stop!"
Jean curiously looked at him. For her, it was completely new to see him like that. She watched Wolverine taking position and gritting his teeth, while he uttered another growl. His cold eyes scanned her, when she walked past the still unconscious Mystique. Jean wondered what he was thinking jus now, if he was only running on primal instincts…what he saw in her… His eyes moved and she stopped when he tensed his muscles… Suddenly he started to run at her growling and jumped at her with clenched fists. Her eyes widened…
"No!", Scott and Ororo yelled at the same time and stepped forwards when they saw it.
Jean shrieked as someone wrapped her arms around her neck and pushed her aside, while Wolverine's claws hammered into the ground where Mystique had laid before and he growled in anger again. He turned his head towards his blue enemy and narrowed his eyes…
Jean felt how she was pushed against a hard body, immediately recognizing it as Logan's. Barely breathing in shock, she clung to the strong arm, which pulled her head back, while she heard the familiar sound of extracting claws…
"No!", Cyclops and Storm yelled at once and jumped forward to intervene.
"If anyone moves, she's dead!" With the claws on her throat, Jean was pulled backwards. She heard the real Wolverine's angry growl and looked at him with scared eyes. He was watching his doppelganger closely, ready to strike and rip him apart…
"Let her go!", he grunted threatening and stepped forward.
"I'll kill her!"
"You won't make it!"
"Really?", Logan hissed and pushed the claws closer to Jean's throat. She winced as it cut into her flesh.
While Wolverine watched the small trace of blood running down her throat, his rage became even stronger. All he wanted was to kill his doppelganger, nothing and no one else mattered to him right now… His eyes met Jean's who looked at him in despair. He only returned her look with cold eyes, before he lowered his glance to her abdomen…
"Damn it, Wolverine, do as she says!", Scott yelled at him, since he'd noticed that the man in front of him only cared for his revenge right now. He on the contrary couldn't let it happen…
It hit Wolverine… He felt his heart rate kicking into high gear even more than before. Felt it beating in every inch of his body, when he finally looked up into her face again, suddenly recognizing it completely. His heart rate began to slow down a bit, when fear took over and he blinked. Jean had watched him closely. She noticed the change in him immediately and saw the cold within his eyes being replaced by fear. Logan retracted his claws and stepped back. "I swear to God, if you hurt them…", he hissed, his eyes fixed on his doppelganger who only smirked at him arrogantly.
"What then? The last time we met you're pretty dead afterwards, remember?"
"I'll show you dead if you're not letting her go now!", he growled back and clenched his fists again.
"Try it!", his opposite hissed in return and pulled her closer.
Jean groaned and closed her eyes as the claws cut deeper.
"Let her go, damn it!", Logan yelled and stepped forward again.
His doppelganger just smiled, completely aware of the other X-Men who had already taken position. "Save your energies for later! You'll need them soon!" He pulled Jean with him, feeling her breathing irregularly in fear.
The real Logan saw her tears and felt completely lost. He didn't know what to do… Everything his mind came up with ended with her death…
"You! Stay where you are!", his doppelganger said to Scott who wanted to attack, but froze immediately.
"Damn it!", he cursed and took his hand from his visor again.
Logan finally stepped forward and raised a hand to get Mystique's attention again. "Take me!" Jean's eyes shot open and the orange shimmer within them disappeared, as she heard him saying it.
"What!", Mystique asked in confusion.
"Take me and let her go!", he said again.
"I don't want you!", his doppelganger shot back. "It's her I want!"
"But he wants me, doesn't he?", Logan said. "He wants his revenge… So take me!"
"Logan…", Ororo said, her eyes wide in shock. Even Scott looked at him frowning
"Why? You liked what we did to you the last time?"
"No!", Jean suddenly cried and struggled as the pictures of his dead body reappeared in front of her eyes.
"I won't attack you", Logan said calmly again, stepping closer. "I'll come with you and he can do whatever he wants with me… But, please, let her go…!"
"No!", Jean said again and shook her head in despair. She looked at him with wide and pleading eyes, while tears were running down her face. Her heart raced in her chest, she couldn't bear to lose him again. "Please,…no!"
"Why should I trust you?", Mystique asked suspiciously, still holding the Jean tight.
"You know why!", he shot back.
His doppelganger eyes him suspiciously and thought about her order she'd been given…
Logan exchanged glances with Jean. Both looked at each other until she blinked. "So, what now?", he asked and his doppelganger looked at him distrustful. Logan returned the look she gave him.
"I want them to step aside, she finally hissed.
"Do it!", Logan said towards the others.
"What!", Scott asked and also Storm looked at him in confusion. "Are you nuts? You can't let her…"
"Step aside!", Logan growled and pointed his claws at them. "Or I'll make you!"
"Scott…", Jean barely audible said. "…just do it…"
"But, Jean…"
"Please…", she begged. "I don't want you to get hurt…"
For a brief moment, he froze and just stared into her pleading eyes. "Okay…" He stretched out his arms and ordered the others to step back to the wall.
After the path was cleared, Mystique nodded towards Logan. "You arms…I want to see them!"
Grunting he raised his arms above his head and shot deadly looked at his doppelganger. Jean had watched him. She had to breathe hard in order to control her inner turmoil… She was scared to death and her heart kicked into high gear, when she was pushed aside. Mystique quickly grabbed Logan and pointed her faked claws to his throat. "Move and even you can't fix it…", she hissed. Logan only looked annoyed and raised an eyebrow. His eyes met Jean's. She stood stock still on the same spot, breathing irregularly. He noticed that she was scared to death. Saw the fear in her eyes. He nodded when Mystique pushed him forward, watching the others closely. She dragged him down the corridor, the claws cutting into his throat, while he felt her other fist at his back, pointing to his heart.
"You just signed your death sentence, you know that?", he asked her and immediately felt her deepen the cut.
"Wrong,…you just signed yours… You'll die an even more miserable death than the last time…"
He snorted. "I doubt that…", he shot back, his heart racing while he waited,…He heard her and began to smirk…
"Do something!", Rogue yelled. "He's gonna kill him…" She looked at the grown-ups pleadingly. "Please!"
Suddenly, they heard a painful yell and looked down the corridor in shock…
Thanks for all your nice reviews! You're really supporting me a lot: ) I can't believe that it is already Chapter 22 and over 100 pages. I never intended to write so much. LOL I changed this chapter a bit. Originally, Wolverine cut into Mystique's leg and pinned her to the ground. Just as he wanted to finish her, she changed into Nightcrawler and disappeared. I forgot that she can't do that. So, instead of making her reappear behind Jean, I rewrote that part. I wrote chapters 23 and 24 yesterday. I only have to type them up. : ) So, thanks for all your support! Hope you enjoyed this one here, too.
