Logan jogged quickly between trees and brush, clad in worn sweatpants and a sweatshirt while working on keeping up his stamina and agility. The thin material was soaked through in places with hard-earned sweat, but the exertion was welcome. He needed to be out in the fresh air, having been cooped up in the mansion for the past few weeks while helping Storm with Danger Room sessions and various odd jobs around the school. Granted, spending time with his favorite 'weather-witch' was never a burden, but too many hours on-end inside the school always left him feeling a little claustrophobic. Logan's musings were interrupted by a sudden chill going up his spine, making him come to an abrupt halt. What was it people said? Like someone had walked over your grave. The feral mutant snorted to himself at the thought, taking the opportunity to stretch a little. He should be so lucky. The mansion grounds were as beautiful as ever, the slight coolness in the morning air feeling good to his heated skin, and Wolverine took a rare moment to just enjoy being where he was with no one to fight and nothing to worry about. There was peace, birdsong, and animal sounds in the distance, while just out of sight he could hear voices and laughter from the school, the backdrop one of complete rightness. The gentle breeze shifted, blowing refreshingly into his face as his eyes closed, but they snapped open quickly. The hell…? The smell of guns and persons unknown filled his nostrils, making him shake his head and growl softly. Now what? And more importantly, why always him? Logan cast the entirety of his senses out then, eyes sharp, ears straining. His claws slid out readily as he began to take a step, only to stop as a group of soldiers advanced on him from behind a thick grove of trees. The ever-present anger bubbling below the surface came to him, filling up his mind and making everything seem sharper, clearer. He grinned, teeth bared in a wolfish snarl, welcoming the sight of automatic rifles being aimed his way. Pain would only feed his strength, and the Wolverine took several threatening steps toward the intruders.
"What are you waiting for? Go ahead and shoot!" he growled, brandishing deadly claws threateningly.
"Don't shoot! Not yet…" A smooth voice derailed his rage, something eerily familiar about it. He felt a sense of longing and discomfort all at once and stopped still, barely noticing as the group of soldiers began to cluster in a semicircle around him. All of his senses were focused on the uniformed man who came to stand in front of him. "Wolverine…. My, my. It's been years, about fifteen or sixteen, right?" Adamantium blades slowly withdrew, hazel eyes locked on the other's gaze with confusion creasing his brow. "You haven't aged a bit, son. I'll wager you can't say the same for me." A chuckle, the stranger's countenance only revealing an ease and familiarity that Logan wished he could reciprocate. Did this man know him…?
"Who are you?" The words were spoken with less heat than intended, Logan's voice hoarse as he tried to place the face. Short-cropped graying hair, glasses, a well-groomed goatee; not a face that would blend into a crowd. That chuckle came again, as if they were two old friends sharing an inside joke.
"Don't you remember? Don't wound an old compatriot by saying you've forgotten all the time we served together." The solicitous look he was given made Logan's mind reel. Wait, what?
"I don't understand. You… know me?" The other man nodded, hands spreading out in a soothing gesture.
"I know the procedure wasn't easy, but you must remember something. It was your choice, after all." Logan felt as if his world had tilted, like he could fall over at any second from sheer vertigo. Not only for the fact that this stranger knew what had happened to him, but also the statement that the entire affair was of his own free will. What could he have been thinking? What could have been so important that he would let scientists use his mutation for such a dangerous and painful experiment? Logan was caught between the instinct of attacking the group of uninvited soldiers and the need to find out more. His mind refused to believe it, but some deeply buried part of him felt that this was not so surprising. "Do we need to go back to the lab? Do you need to see the place it happened?" Wolverine's eyes snapped up to meet the other man's, not noticing that several of the soldiers flanking him held tranq guns in their hands, likely holding very strong doses of something not readily available to the public.
x_X_x
Charles Xavier had a moment of peace to himself during the beautiful day, and was enjoying it immensely with a fine cup of tea. Being the weekend, the students were engaged in pursuits both studious and carefree. He could hear some of the younger ones laughing outside, and knew several of the older gifted children were busy plowing through essays or watching a movie together in the rec room. The pleasant atmosphere gave his voice an audible tinge of contentment as he responded to the sudden knock on his office door.
"Come in." Jean Grey's hair seemed to catch fire in the light coming from the windows, her face carrying a slight smile at seeing her mentor so at ease.
"Professor, Scott just finished the diagnostics on the jet and all adjustments have been made. Are you catching a rare break from grading papers?" she teased. He laughed, eyes twinkling. They both loved being educators, seeing young minds blossoming under instruction and encouragement. The fact that their students were often misunderstood and in great need of their aid only added to the satisfaction.
"All work and no play…" he quipped, taking another sip of the gently steaming brew cradled by the teacup he held. Before he could prepare himself, a sudden sense of urgency flashed into his consciousness, causing his hand to tremble and sending a splash of tea onto the desk. The telepath's eyes closed, casting out for the source of his mind's worry and encountering a tide of Logan's thoughts. Jean watched with concern as Charles withdrew into himself without warning, knowing his powerful mind must have come into contact with something troubling. When the professor's blue eyes opened again, they were anxious, startlingly so. "Jean, Logan is in danger. I'll send a call to Scott and Ororo as well, but you must hurry." The redheaded doctor was so used to responding quickly when needed that it didn't even occur to her to pause or ask questions as to how Wolverine could possibly be in danger on school grounds. She just raced out of the room toward the location revealed in her mind, knowing the other members of the X-men were doing the same. The professor wheeled his chair to the window and stared out as if he could see their wildest team member across the distance. Whatever Logan had encountered had just started, leaving the feral mutant's thoughts jumbled and confused; Charles only hoped his X-men could get there in time.
x_X_x
Stryker smiled gloatingly to himself as he watched the Wolverine try to gather his thoughts, no longer a threat to his unit while attempting to process a sudden trip into memories he couldn't access anymore. The mission was going to be a resounding success, no doubt about that. In mere moments his men would subdue the Wolverine and he would be taken back to where he belonged, where he never should have left in the first place. For his part, Logan was more off balance than ever. His usually keen sense of self-preservation was failing him when confronted with the absolute want, the longtime desire to know where he had come from, who he was, and what exactly had happened to him. He felt a trickle of sweat move down his spine, hazel eyes staring with confusion at the stranger-yet-not-stranger, knowing that face, but unable to fill the blank.
"The lab…? Where is it?" he asked, unable to keep a hint of pleading from his voice. All of his senses were closed now in shock, the instinctive sixth sense that helped guide him shut down by fear and need. He didn't see the solder to his right raising a tranq gun, readying to aim and fire at the helpless mutant they were surrounding. The action was never fulfilled as a beam of red energy slammed into the soldier and knocked him down, sending the rest scattering in retreat, the commanding stranger along with them. "No!" Logan shouted helplessly, senses flooding back to him as time seemed to move once more, ears filled with shouts and gunfire, the smell of heated metal as bullets kept the X-men from advancing further. He could only watch in stunned disbelief as his friends came to give aid, aid he hadn't asked for, and his only glimpse into the past was disappearing back into the trees, multiple motors starting and indicating a full retreat. Scott didn't engage the enemy further, their only mission having been to protect Logan, but he glared at the tree line from inside his visor, wishing they could follow the soldiers and dissuade them more effectively. Still, the objective had been achieved, no thanks to Wolverine, who had amazingly stood there like a statue with no attempt to protect either the school or himself. Seeing soldiers on the school grounds had shaken Cyclops, bringing memories of the last attack on the school. It could be understood if Scott was feeling a little more emotional and a little less understanding than usual when he rounded on Logan.
"What were you thinking? Never mind, you weren't thinking." He scoffed slightly. "How could you just stand there, Logan? Don't the children matter to you?! What if those soldiers had decided to take you out and stroll on down to the school?" Scott was glad Logan was okay, but damn it, the feral mutant was considered a mansion 'guard dog' of sorts, and he'd done the equivalent of rolling over and showing his belly. Wolverine shook his head slowly, finally hearing Scott's words through the fog that clouded his thoughts.
"He knew me…" Logan's voice was soft, not the usual brash bravado to be expected after a scolding from the X-men's leader. Scott was startled into brief silence, but only for a second. He and Jean shared a glance, Ororo behind them and silently watching the exchange with a touch of sympathy on her face.
"Who?" Jean's voice was far gentler than Scott's had been, but she also felt shaken by the older mutant's lack of action. What had happened out here?
"Stryker," came Logan's response, still in that quiet manner that felt so foreign in the confident Canadian. The name had come without thinking, a flash of some fragment of memory that he couldn't fully catch hold of.
"Who is this Stryker?" Scott asked, thinking perhaps they could get some information about this new group who seemed interested in their school. Logan couldn't seem to make himself look any of them directly in the eye.
"I wish I knew…"