Changes Sequel – I. Darkness Part 11
Neither able to move, nor being able to believe what their eyes actually saw, the X-Men still stared shocked at the intruder. After what seemed to be an eternity, Storm finally shook her head. "It can't be…," she gasped and met the eyes of their adversary, who stood in their centre and glared at them hatred.
Switching her eyes to Wolverine's body on the ground before she looked up again, Phoenix felt like paralyzed and dropped to the ground; still staring in shock at her opposite while tears ran down her cheeks. "Logan…"
"Don't let him fool you!" the Professor suddenly warned them aloud and made them look at him. "He's not what you think he is!"
"What?" Cyclops asked him confused and had to watch how his mentor was thrown back by a mighty force. Landing on the ground, Charles was knocked out. Quickly Storm ran over to help and protect him, while Cyclops was about to turn his head to their adversary. Before he could react, he was thrown to the ground hard. Seeing it, Beast threw himself at Logan and grabbed his arm; trying to get the large sword into his hands, while also Colossus and Iceman attacked him, since they knew how dangerous he could become. Nevertheless, Logan possessed an unusual strength and easily got rid off them by slashing the sword into their direction. Crashing into the walls, they laid on the ground dazed before they slowly tried to get up again.
"Jean, now! Do something!" Storm yelled frightened, since Logan leapt at the wounded Cyclops, who desperately tried to get out of the way.
"Damn it, help me!" this one screamed and managed to knock the sword out of his adversary's hand, which Beast quickly kicked away so that it was out of reach for that moment. Jumping with his full agility, he threw himself at Logan again, who fought with every trick and technique he possessed. Extracting his claws on both gloved hands growling, he leapt at his enemy with bared teeth and buried them into Beast's shoulder. Landing on the ground howling, this one barely managed to evade the next attack. Still Logan was faster and slashed out at him; cutting his adversary's back open in one swift mood. Bleeding heavily, while Storm shrieked in shock, Beast dropped to the ground in a corner.
Not passing up his chance that Colossus still had his normal form after he'd crashed into the wall, Logan ran over and jumped at him; knocking him out with a spin kick before he took care of Iceman, who had tried to freeze him with his beams. With his hands on his visor, Cyclops pointed at their adversary and shot a beam at him. Cursing since Logan was faster, he was about to try it again, when the claws of one hand stabbed through his right leg. Dropping to the ground yelling, he was grabbed and thrown into the wall with an incredible force.
"Jean!" Storm shrieked and shook her friend, who was still in a state of shock. "Listen, you have to do something. Stop him!" Looking up, she noticed that she obviously was the next one on the list. "No, Logan stop!" she screamed and attacked him with lightning bolts quickly just to see that he'd already jumped and grabbed her in the next second. Kicking out in mid air, she tried to get a hold on his collar when he threw her through a window.
Turning around growling, his eyes briefly looked at the redhead who still stared on Wolverine's bloody body on the ground. Realizing that she was too shocked to react, he quickly ran down the corridor on his way out. Panting while her heartbeat roared in her ears, Jean suddenly switched her eyes to the ring finger of the left hand of the body in front of her. Turning her head, she looked down the corridor briefly. All of a sudden, she got up and headed after the doppelganger, while she heard another explosion in the kitchen. Reaching it panting, she caught him at the backdoor when he was about to run into the garden. "Stop!"
Turning around growling, Logan's pitch-black eyes met hers. With one swift move of her hand, she sent the glove of his left hand flying against the wall and looked at it closely; ignoring for the moment that he got even more furious about the sudden attack. Covering her mouth with her had in shock when her eyes caught the sight of the two rings on his left ring finger, she switched her gaze to his face again. "Logan…, please stop it!" she begged and only saw a shadow moving when he leapt at her, just to throw her down in the next second. Gasping, she was paralyzed for a moment when he grabbed her collar and forced her head to come closer.
"Name ain't Logan," he hissed in a menacing low growl and for the first time she realized that not only his pupils were black, as they usually were when Wolverine took over, but his complete eyes. "It's Death!"
"What?" she asked him in confusion and shrieked when he grabbed her roughly to throw her against the counter. Extracting his claws on both hands he jumped at her when she raised her head. "No!" Phoenix yelled and sent him backwards against the wall, which breached. Shocked about what she'd done, she got up and fixed her eyes on him. "You're Logan!" she said despaired and watched him getting up even more furious. "Someone messed with your head!" Attacking her again, she barely managed to evade his claws. "I don't want to hurt you, Logan!" Ignoring her, Logan leaped at her again, but she sent him into the cupboards this time; causing them to fall down and destroying the contents. "You have to wake up! Fight against it!" Phoenix tried and sent him into the fridge where she left a bulge. Unable to see that he'd grabbed something, she gasped when it hit her head and sent her to the ground groaning. Shaking her head, she looked up and shrieked when he jumped at her once more and pinned her to the ground firmly.
"You think you can beat Death, you stupid girl?" Logan growled darkly and raised one fist with his still extracted claws above his head. "I teach ya a lesson, bitch!"
"Please, Logan! It's me!" Phoenix begged and began to cry in despair. "It's me, honey, it's me!" Ignoring her first, he was about to slash at her when he suddenly paused. Noticing it, she loosened her clenched fist a bit and met his gaze directly. "It's me! Please, Logan try to remember me!" Phoenix tried again and shook her head. "You wouldn't forget your mate, you said it yourself, so please…"
Snorting, he narrowed his eyes and raised his claw again, when her eyes widened. "No!" Freezing him with her power, she desperately tried to stop his attack, but realized that behind him was a great power. Far greater than by any other mutant she'd ever met. Fighting with gritted teeth, Phoenix saw how he slowly broke through her shield and began to shake in exertion. Growling, he finally destroyed it with one blow and took a swing to finish her. Watching it with widened eyes, Phoenix shrieked when he suddenly collapsed on top of her. Heavily breathing, she stared at the ceiling in shock; feeling his dead, unconscious weight in her.
"Jean, get away from him!" the Professor demanded mentally.
"But…," she began and still tried to control her emotions and system again.
"No! I'll explain later, but you have to get away from him quickly!"
Trying to move underneath Logan, she gave up after a moment. "I can't move…"
"You have to use your powers!"
"I can't focus, I really can't!" Phoenix apologized and began to sob when she finally realized everything.
"Peter is on his way. He'll help you," Charles tried to soothe her. "We need you in the infirmary to treat the wounds. He injured Hank badly."
Panting to get her breath under control again, she ran a hand through her hair. "What's wrong with him?" she asked and the Professor knew that she wasn't talking about Beast.
"I'll explain later, Jean. I promise… You need to calm down again. I can understand how hard it is for you."
Phoenix opened her eyes and looked down on Logan's unconscious form. Moving a bit underneath him again, she touched his face gently when Colossus arrived. "Are you alright?" he asked her concerned and she noticed that he was limping.
Nodding, she gasped when he lifted Logan off her and shouldered him. "Where are you taking him to?"
"To the cells," he replied and disappeared.
After Jean had treated the wounds of the others, the Professor had ordered them to meet him in his office. Occupying all seats, the X-Men sat there for a while in silence, when Scott finally began. "What's wrong with Logan? He's far more than feral," he asked Charles, who had his hands folded in front of his face and was deeply lost in thoughts. "We already had to tranquilize him twice after he destroyed the chains and bars of one cell…"
"I thought it was a myth…," his opposite replied and shook his head sighing.
"What? What myth?" Ororo asked him in confusion and still held ice pack to her head on which she had a small wound. "And why are there two of them? How should we know who the real one is?" Looking into the round, she noticed that Jean was staring at the ground.
"The real one is in the cell," the redhead replied calmly without moving an inch. She still had trouble realizing what had happened today.
"But how can you be so sure of it? Maybe that thing has really killed Logan," the weather witch gave back, but saw how Jean shook her head and met her gaze.
"You really have to ask?" she asked her opposite bitterly. "You said it yourself, 'Ro! Logan would never treat me like this doppelganger did. And the Logan in the cells has two rings on his left ring finger, which surprisingly look exactly like mine," she said rather cynically and ran a hand through her face sighing in frustration.
"Ororo, it's really, Logan. As difficult as it might is to understand," the Professor added and saw how the white haired woman got even more confused.
"But… I don't understand this…," she said and shook her head, just to hiss as a pain jolted through it.
Laying a hand on her shoulder, Scott nodded towards the Professor while he tried not to move his injured leg, since it finally had stopped bleeding. "Let him explain!" Just as Charles was about to start, the door opened and Hank limped into the room, while Peter followed him; both having new wounds on their arms and waist. "What happened?" Scott asked them shocked and watched how Hank, covered in bandages, sat down very slowly.
"What happened?!" this one roared and glared at him angrily. "He nearly broke out! That happened!"
"That's impossible! Scott just told us that he was tranquilized again," Ororo replied and heard Hank giving a derisive laugh after he'd exchanged a look with Peter.
"Was! Precisely!" he replied and breathed in through clenched teeth when Jean examined his wound. "I knew his healing factor is quick, but I never expected him to get rid of drugs that quickly."
Giving the red head a look when she looked at his wounds, Peter looked at the others first before he turned to the Professor. "He tore the chains out of the wall and nearly sliced the bars open." Shaking her head bitterly, Jean sat down in her chair again.
"What did you do?" Scott asked and bent forward a bit, but not too much.
"Tranquilize him again with enough sedatives to knock out an elephant for at least a week. Now he's tied against the wall, hold by six chains and he's in the cell with bars AND energy field. But e already made clear that both won't stop him." Sighing, Hank ran a hand through his face and looked at Xavier. "Is that the feral Wolverine we're dealing with? Because if then I won't sleep and if only with a large knife under my pillow. I finally understand why you call him most dangerous mutant. I never believed he was that quick…"
Shaking his head, Charles let his hand sink on the armrests while his eyes were fixed in the table. "No, it's far worse!" he replied bitterly and made his team frown again. By the looks they gave him, he knew they paid full attention. "Just let me think where to start…" The others kept her eyes on him while Hank looked on a small monitor in his hands, which showed Logan in the cell.
"I don't believe it!" the blue mutant gasped aloud. "He's waking up…"
Bending over to him, Jean looked at the screen closely. "No, he's dreaming…," she corrected him. "But it's possible that he awakes within the next hour."
Clearing his throat briefly, Xavier asked for their attention again. "There's a myth about a mutant that is regarded as the very first one and is already 5000 years old."
Scott shook his head and crossed his arms. "That's impossible!"
"That's why it is called a myth," the Professor replied seriously. "This mutant is called Apocalypse and is said to be the most powerful mutant on this planet due to his age."
"I thought Jean was the most powerful one?" Ororo asked and gave the redhead a brief look while the ice slowly melted in the pack; causing cold water to run down her arm.
"She is as far as I know… Since no one knew about whether or not Apocalypse really existed… No one can tell who of them is stronger."
"So if it's not proven that this guy exists…how do you want to be so sure of it?" Bobby asked him with a cocked eyebrow.
Folding his hands again in front of his face, Charles's look became deadly serious. "Because Logan is the living proof…" Everyone looked at him in confusion except Jean. "It is said that Apocalypse gathers four very powerful mutants around him. He calls them War, Pestilence, Famine and Death." All of a sudden, the redhead's head shot up; giving the man behind the desk an indefinable look.
Smirking, Scott couldn't help but shaking his head again. "That's ridiculous…," he said and the others looked at him. "Those are the four Horseman of the Apocalypse from the New Testament."
Charles nodded. "I know. And as I said it is a myth. Death is supposed to be the most powerful Horseman and their leader if you can call it like that. The deadliest of the four…"
"Logan isn't one of them," Ororo disagreed and crossed her arms after she was sick of the ice pack to wet her clothes.
"He is…," Jean suddenly said barely audible and bit her lip while she held her gaze lowered. "He said it…"
"Jean?" Scott asked her frowning. "What do you mean?"
"He said…," she replied and tried to remember the exact words. "Name ain't Logan, it's Death."
"What?" Ororo asked shocked and exchanged looks with her teammates.
"What did he do to him?" the redhead asked the Professor despaired. "I thought he remembered me briefly because he stopped his attack, but then… He was so powerful. He even managed to destroy my force field…"
"I don't know, Jean," the Professor replied sadly and shook his head. "It's nearly nothing known about it. But we can be sure that he might have brainwashed him."
Nodding, Scott leant forward again. "So we finally now why there was a teleporter on board. But why exactly Logan? He could have gotten three mutants at once. Why only him?"
Leaning forward, too, Hank gave him a cynical look and pointed to his back. "You really have to ask? You've seen how dangerous Logan can become, how experienced he is in fighting. And then you ask why someone might be interested in making him the leader of a group?"
"I only meant that he could have gotten three mutants at once," Scott said again, but saw how Charles shook his head.
"I think Sunfire and Thunderbird were just…useless for Apocalypse. Too weak in his eyes. I'm only asking myself if he had planned to lure us into this trap. It can't be coincidence that he caught Logan on that day. It must have been part of a plan," Xavier said darkly and narrowed his eyes a bit.
"Can you help him?" Ororo asked carefully; scared of the answer.
"I don't know, Storm. Logan's mind was fragile before. I could cause more damage than good to him."
"Let me try it!" Jean suddenly said and made everyone look at her in shock.
"No!" Scott intervened and shook his head. "You've seen what this doppelganger did to you. So what do you think can Logan do in his current state?"
"Jean, this is crazy!" Hank agreed and also Bobby and Peter nodded, while Ororo could understand her.
"He remembered me briefly! He recognized me, so maybe I'm able to reach him," the redhead protested and looked at her mentor pleadingly. "I'm not going into the cell with him."
"Jean, I'm not worried about that…," Charles replied and met he gaze worriedly. "But you have to keep in mind that Logan is far away from his old self. Right now he's even more dangerous that Wolverine in his berserk rage, since he regards us as his enemies. He might be in the same state as he was when he broke out of Weapon X which means that he will attack anything that comes into his way… He will do anything to hurt you or even worse!"
Smiling wryly, she shook her head. "He can't hurt me more than this doppelganger did. Let me try it! At least once!" Holding her opposite's gaze for some time she could tell that the Professor was thinking about it carefully. But finally he nodded and she immediately got up to make her way down to the basement.
Very nervous, but also afraid, she opened the door to the cells. As soon as the thick door moved aside, she heard a threatening low growl from within. With her heart in her mouth, she slowly entered the room; noticing that she quivered slightly. Hearing how the door went shut behind her again, Jean felt tears coming up when she saw him tied up firmly against the wall. With his pitch-black eyes fixed on her, Logan still kept on growling at the redhead; watching her closely like prey he wanted to catch. Jean couldn't help but look at him sadly; being completely confused what to feel or think right now. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed hard and noticed that he began to tear on his chains with all his might. "Logan…," she began carefully, but stepped back instantly, when he began to bare his teeth growling and tensed his muscles even more. "Please, you have to remember me…," she begged and couldn't stop her sobs anymore. Everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours was just to much for her to cope with. "What happened to you, Logan? What did he do to you?"
"Name ain't Logan," he growled and tore on the chains again, which sound echoed through the room.
Stepping closer again, Jean looked at him despaired. "Your name is Logan!" she said aloud. "You recognized me up there. You can't deny that!" As an answer he only glared at her hatred, while she ran a hand through her face and heaved a deep breath that was supposed to calm her. "You can't just have forgotten about everything… About me, about what we have," she went on barely audible and gave him a pleading look. "Logan, please…"
With a loud roar, Logan freed himself and jumped at her. Before she was able to react, he had broken through the force field and pulled her against the bars. "Logan doesn't exist anymore! He's gone"
Despite that she's quaking in fear, Jean held his gaze and shook her head still crying; her fist clenched to counter if she had to. "No, he's not! He's still here, I know that."
Her opposite gave a menacing low laugh. "Come in and prove it," he challenged and extracted his claws on his free hand, while he still held her immobile against the steel. "You gonna die like everyone else. Someone as weak as you ain't worth living…"
Looking at him in shock, Jean can only shake her head. "This isn't you…," she whispered. "They messed with your head…"
"The master opened my eyes as he'll open yours!" Logan hissed and narrowed his eyes when Jean grabbed the arm he held her throat with.
"Master? What master?!" she asked him more confident when she felt a strong anger rising within her. Glaring at him, she ignored his growl. "Logan, don't you realize that you've become what you never wanted to be? A pawn of someone else? A lapdog?"
Throwing her against the opposite wall, he popped the second pair of claws. "I'm Death, you stupid worthless thing!" he yelled at her.
Hiding her pain, Jean got up to face him again. "Fight against it, Logan! You're not someone who just gives in like that!" Roaring, Logan slashed his claws against the bars violently, sending sparks into the air, but she held them together with her power. "You taught us to never give up!" she went on talking to the person she hoped to find behind the dead eyes. "Was it a lie? Each time you told us that it's always worth fighting?"
"Shut up!" he growled and began to pace furiously.
"No, I won't!" the redhead hissed and made him laugh.
"So you think you can beat Death?" Coming slowly closer, Logan held his arms ready to strike while his eyes sparkled with the lust to spill her blood.
"You recognized me! You memorize every scent you pick up, Logan! And this can't be erased from your memory, because it's pure instinct."
"Recognized you, huh?" he asked smirking and stopped right in front of her.
"You did!" Jean replied inflexible and nodded. "Otherwise you'd have killed me when you had the chance…"
Chuckling low, he smirked even darker at her. "Believe me, I can't wait to spill your blood, you worthless bitch…"
Jean shrieked in surprise when he broke through the bars and force field with a roar all of a sudden. Instinctively, she sent him backwards against the wall and knocked him out with another blow. Panting in shock, she stared at his body when the door next to her opened suddenly and Peter, Bobby and Hank entered; the last one in heavy pain, while Ororo followed behind them. Kneeling down next to the still shocked Jean, she watched how the others took care of the unconscious Logan and dragged him away.
I know this one was rather short compared to the others. I was thinking about adding some more scenes to it, since again this one here consist of scenes I had pre-written before starting the sequel, but I think I will write the scenes I wanted to add in the next chapter. Okay, the explaination I promised. Well I changed the costume of the Horseman Death, since I think it wouldn't fit to the X-Men in the movie. So I practically dressed him up a bit like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7. Since I had to add the cloak Death wears in the comics, I changed this one a bit, too, so that it would fit. But I am glad that the real Logan is back (at least half of him). I actually wanted to bring him back earlier, but it just didn't fit inbetween. Hope you can forgive me. ; ) And I already wrote to one of you via PM that I'll explain why Jean wasn't able to defend herself, but that comes in the next chapter, too. Well, hope you liked that one here, too and thanks a lot for all the nice reviews again: ) See ya next time I hope!