Chapter 11

Logan suddenly snapped his eyes open, quickly raising from the water covering the floor as he clasped a hand to his forehead. "Fuck! I hate getting shot!" He took a look around, realizing he was alone. "Where did that bastard go?"

As Logan stumbled into the corridor, he noticed the raising cold water. "This isn't good." He muttered to himself.

As he trudged towards the exit, the water quickly rose to his waist. He was just beginning to worry if he'd make it out before being completely under when a puff of smoke and a person materialized in front of him. He took a fast swing of his claws as the person disappeared again.

He heard a voice calling from somewhere. "Hey! If you don't want my help and want to drown, fine by me. All you have to do is say so."

Logan looked around, then up to see the dark blue man hanging from one of the ceiling lights. "Sorry. I didn't know it was you, thought you were that other guy, Stryker."

"Yeah...Victor said you were jumpy, guess I should have expected that. There's someone else here? We need to find them." Kurt answered back before leaping down from his perch next to Logan.

"Don't bother." He huffed. "He's the asshole running this show and taking the children...let his ass drown."

Kurt shook his head. "That would be unethical of-"

Before he could finish, without warning the wall next to them broke open. The men quickly found themselves submerged under the water as the force pushed them along the corridors, banging them into the walls.

Logan felt a tight grip and a tug on his wrist. He got a glimpse of Kurt's tail wrapping around him before suddenly finding himself outside sprawled in the grass gasping for air.

Just as the pair got to their feet, Logan heard a noise behind them. He turned to see Stryker running from the facility. "Get back to the plane, tell Storm I'll be right there and be ready to get the hell out of here."

"But-" Kurt began to protest.

"GO! I'm right behind you. GO!" Logan bellowed as he pointed in the direction of the plane before turning to chase after the running man.

Logan crashed through the tree branches and brush as he hollered out. "Stryker!"

Bill turned, his eyes widened seeing the wild man still alive and chasing after him. "Guess the adamantium isn't the only thing you got!" He called out. "They give you some of Creed's healing too? Knew I should have never experimented with his blood."

Logan caught up to Bill, just as he stepped onto the platform where a helicopter was waiting for him. "Didn't need his blood...all natural, bub." He said as he spun the man around, without noticing what was in his hand until it was too late.

The collapsible baton extended and smashed into the side of Logan's face as Logan stumbled back, letting out a yelp of surprise. "All natural huh? So...you are related." Stryker smirked at the revelation.

Logan growled at himself for being foolish enough to reveal such information, but had already made up his mind that Stryker wasn't leaving here alive. "Yep...and you fucked with the wrong family this time."

He let out a roar as he jumped high, coming down with a hard blow to Stryker's nose, the blood spraying out.

Stryker stumbled back, placing a hand over his now broken nose. His eyes widened. "Kill me if you think it will make you feel better. It doesn't matter, I have people working on my research all over the world, my death won't stop it."

"Maybe not today, but it will be stopped, and all this research of yours will be for nothing! Mutants will live on, we will coexist with the rest of the world, and people like you, like Scott Summers, and the rest of the FOH will slide back under your rocks where you belong!" Logan huffed as he came in with a hard kick to the knee, hearing the bones crunching.

"So you think, mutie? Your kind will be exterminated like the vermin you are." Bill raised his pistol, pumping three shots into Logan's chest.

Logan growled. "You really should stop shooting me...that just pisses me off!" He suddenly felt strange, sick to his stomach as his vision began to blur.

He shook his head hard trying to get himself straight when he spotted the heavy chain laying on the ground. He quickly reached for it, wrapping one end around Stryker's neck, tossing the other end into the moving blades of the chopper.

Stryker's body suddenly flung back as the chain dragged him towards the craft. The motor whined and began to sputter as the chain tangled into it, before coming to a grinding stop in smoke and sparks.

Bill, completely tangled into the chain, pinned to the chopper, gave Logan a sinister laugh. "You might have killed me, but if the venom doesn't get you...the water will. At least I can say I rid the world of one of your kind."

Logan looked back, trying to keep his balance, but it was no use as he dropped to one knee. He could see the dam burst and the water rushing out.

He heard the whine of an engine above him, the wind blowing fiercely, somehow the wall of water being held back. Victor looked down on him through the opened hatch. "Jump brother, I'll catch you!" Vic yelled down.

Logan staggered to his feet and attempted a jump, but it wasn't enough to reach Vic as his back slammed to the ground, forcing a groan.

"Shit! What's wrong with him? He should have been able to make that jump. Kurt, get down there and grab him!" Vic bellowed out.

"Hurry! I can't keep the water back much longer!" Storm cried out from the pilot's seat.

Kurt disappeared, grabbing Logan then reappearing in the plane. "I will get the other one." He called to Storm.

She let out a gasp. "No time." Her body slumped, exhausted from the strain of holding back so much water with the wind, something she had never attempted before.

Hank quickly pulled back on the controls, gaining altitude as Storm's powers wavered and the wall of water came crashing down, engulfing everything on the ground, including the chopper and Stryker.

Vic looked at Logan, noting the three bullet holes still in his chest, the heavy sweat on his brow, and eyes that didn't seem to be able to focus. "Brother! What's wrong? Why aren't you healing?"

"V-venom. Venom." Was all that Logan could get out before he started coughing blood.

Hank turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Did he say venom? He must have been injected with something that his healing can't fight."

Wade looked at Logan's wounds. "Bet those bullets were coated with something, we need to dig them out of him." He said as he pulled a small knife from his belt.

"Hold on!" Hank barked out. "You can't just go digging around his chest like that, you don't know what kind of damage has been done."

Victor shot him a glare. "You're the only doctor on this bird, Ororo is unconscious, and we need you to pilot. What do you suggest?"

"You can at least fly a straight line can't you, captain?"

Vic rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...I can do that. Just make sure you're done by the time we have to land. Like I said before...this ain't a raptor."

"Understood. I will endeavor to complete my task before then." Hank nodded as the men traded places.

Hank took the knife from Wade and began cutting the leather jacket open to expose Logan's chest as he asked Kurt to find something to pull the bullets out with. When Kurt returned with a few objects, Hank chose the needle nose pliers and instructed the other two men to hold Logan down, as he didn't have any sedatives or pain killers.

The screaming from Logan caused Ororo's eyes to flutter as she slowly looked around trying to get her senses back. Her eyes grew wide when they landed on Victor in the navigation seat next to her, flying the plane. "I'll take over now." She muttered weakly.

Vic gave her a small smile, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "Save your strength, beautiful. As long as we're just cruising, I'm fine. I might need you later if Hank isn't finished by the time we need to land though."

Storm returned the squeeze to Vic's hand and nodded. "Try not to hit any buildings this time."

"Hey...that was one time, and I just clipped it." Victor chuckled.

~ooOoo~

Hank had finished pulling the last bullet from Logan's chest, tossing it into a cup he had nearby. "I'll test these when I get back to my lab. If I can isolate the toxin used, I might be able to create a serum to counter the effects so this doesn't happen to you or Victor in the future."

Logan gave a weak smile. "Trust me, I don't plan on getting shot again anytime soon. Bro?"

Victor chuckled as he got up, allowing Hank to take over the flying. "Can't say the same for myself. Hanging out with these people seems to be a double-edged sword, but I personally wouldn't give it up so easily."

He sat with Logan, who was still flat on his back, watching for a few minutes as he healed. "Looking better, Jimmy, ready to sit up now?"

Logan reached up to take the offered hand. "Ready to see my cub. Where is he?"

"He's in the lower deck with the other children. Emma is taking care of him, I'll go get him for you." Kurt smiled before vanishing.

Logan raised a brow at Vic. "Emma?"

Victor gave a snarky smirk. "His Fräulein."

"Oh...I see. And um...what's the deal between the two of you?" Logan quirked a brow in Storm's direction.

Victor scoffed. "That? Nothing, just harmless flirtation." He gave his brother a sickening look. "Just don't tell Susan."

Logan slowly nodded his head. "And...there's nothing to tell...right?"

"No! Nothing at all! I love Susan and would never hurt her like that! Besides, I think Ororo has eyes for someone else." Victor gave a mischievous glance towards Hank.

Logan started to say something, but when Kurt reappeared with Luke in his arms, whatever it was, didn't seem important anymore.

Logan sat for the rest of the ride to New York, bouncing Luke on his knee, smiling widely, cooing and snuggling happily with his cub, while the others looked on, delighted to see father and son reunited.