A/N: FINAL CHAPTER IN THE UPDATED VERSION, EVERYTHING FROM HERE ON OUT WILL BE NEWLY ADDED MATERIAL. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ THE UPDATED CHAPTERS 1&2 YOU SHOULD GO BACK AND DO SO.
As always, ain't mine, wish it was, but sadly it's not…
"Take a deep breath River," The Professor told her inside Cerebro, while Jean watched on, River could feel the women seething, she had come to learn that while the Jean Grey did not know of the presence of the Phoenix which burned inside her, the Phoenix saw and heard all, the anger and resentment aimed at her now for being trusted with Cerebro was not helping. "You will need to clear your mind and focus, you saw the image of the girl Magneto was searching for, use that to identify her mind, use what you have learned of her abilities to narrow down the possibilities."
River nodded, forcing herself to push away the barrage of emotion coming from the dual woman, her hands where steady as she placed the amplifier on her head, bracing herself. She was astonished to find it was not that difficult at all. She had assumed she would be overwhelmed, that she would not be able to filter, but she moved through the millions of minds, sorting and discarding with an ease she could have never imagined.
"Canada, hidden away from sight, cold and hungry," River trembled, feeling herself connect too closely she pulled her mind slightly away, "Highway 16."
"Jean."
"Yes Professor?"
"Alert the others to the girl's location, we shall keep them updated."
"Yes, Professor," the hard edge in her voice went unnoticed by both the Professor and River, whose mind was otherwise occupied.
River suddenly let out a cry, her hands gripping the console, she bit hard against her lip, using the pain to ground herself into her own mind.
"What is it child?" The Professor asked his voice laced with anxiety, fearful he had asked too much too soon.
"The Rogue does not travel alone, brothers of blood and war, one is friend and one is foe, this girl knows these whispers, they are marred by The Uncle, distorted perverse memories of what they once were, no longer his hands but his taint infects them, needles that drip with searing metal, rage and confusion, betrayal, their minds reek of it, both committed against them and by them." She took in a deep calming breathe, "The Wolverine needs us, the Sabertooth wishes us dead."
/Storm, Cyclops, Kaylee/ Three mental yeses answered him. /Exercise extreme caution, there is much to this tale we do not yet understand, the girl will be traveling with a man, bring him as well, be wary, Sabertooth is the tracker/
/Don't worry Professor I'll look after them/ Cyclops answered as Kaylee powered up the Blackbird.
/I know you will Scott/ The Professor thought to him.
"You don't have anything to eat do you?" The girl asked hopefully, Wolverine could hear her stomach growling.
"Here," He answered reaching across her lap and into the glove box, tossing her a bag of something which vaguely resembled beef jerky.
"Thanks," she took the offered bag pulling off her gloves, not minding overly its questionable contents, beggars couldn't be choosers, and it had been days since she eaten anything. "I'm Rogue."
He smirked, "What kinda name is Rogue?"
"What kind of name is Wolverine?" She shot back.
"Point taken, Logan."
"Marie. Were you in the army? Isn't that what those mean?" She gestured to the metal tags hanging from his neck.
Wolverine grunted noncommittally, and tucked the tags back beneath his shirt, "What you runnin' from kid?"He asked changing the subject from him to her.
"Who says I'm runnin'?"
"All of us runnin' from somethin'," he half grunted, glancing at her sideways as he puffed on his cigar.
"I don't have anything to run from, not anymore." She answered sadly, rubbing her hands together to get warm.
"Here," Logan offered flipping on the heat and moving to pull her hands in front of the vent.
Rogue recoiled immediately out of reflex.
"Ain't gonna hurt you kid." He half growled.
"Sorry, it's not you, it's me."
"What we breakin' up now?" He smirked.
Rogue half smiled, but there was no real emotion behind it, "Things happen to people when I touch them."
"What kinda things?"
"Bad things."
"Fair enough," he puffed on his cigar.
"Do they hurt?" She asked.
"What?"
"Your claws, do they hurt when they come out?"
"Every time," He answered flatly.
Kaylee sat in the chair, one hand placed flat against the console, touching nothing in particular, the other resting gently against the throttle, her eyes glowing a fierce blue as the Blackbird sliced smoothly through the air, "ETA in five, going stealth," her normal light and chipper tone was gone, replaced by something more powerful and confident than her normal character disposed her too.
"Ground cover Storm," Cyclops ordered.
Storm merely nodded, her head tilting to the side as her eyes rolled to white.
"You know you should wear your seatbelt." Rogue pointed out, noticing the increasingly strong storm which was brewing outside.
"Look kid I don't need advice…" Logan was immediately cut off as the truck slammed into a tree which had fallen across the road in the storm, his body thrown violently through the windshield.
"Logan!" Rogue screamed, reaching for her seatbelt, vainly trying to pull herself free but something had jammed, trapping her in.
Wolverine groaned opening his eyes, realizing a big fat 'I told you so' was coming. He could feel the bones resetting, gashes in his skin sealing, it wasn't painful, more like the pins and needles sensation you get when your leg falls asleep. It occurred to him then that the source of the 'I told you so' did not have regeneration powers and he pushed himself up to his feet, "Hey kid you alright?" He yelled over the wind.
Rogue's mouth dropped open as she watched incredulously as an ugly gash across his forehead sealed itself up before her eyes.
"Rogue?" He yelled out again, breaking her from her trance.
"I'm stuck!" She yelled back.
Logan cracked his neck once and took a step forward, freezing immediately as he caught the scent of something feral and familiar, something he couldn't place but he knew instinctively its source was a threat, a very dangerous threat.
"Logan!" Rogue shrieked again, panicking as she realized a fire had started inside the camper.
His head jerked back to the girl's direction, his distraction providing the perfect opening for the source of the scent, he was tackled and thrown to the ground.
Logan rolled into the fall coming back up spinning, the familiar and comforting *snikt* of his claws extending filling his ears. He growled at the sight of the massive shaggy form of a man, something in his mind itched, something told he should remember this man, who looked more beast than anything else, but the memory was distorted and vague, just beyond his reach. It annoyed him, but he filed it away, there was no time for reflection as the pair lunged for each other, the man extended claws of his own from his fingertips, the shock of which unbalanced Logan, who found himself flying through the air and back into the windshield he had already been pitched out of.
"Logan!" Marie shrieked again, struggling across the seatbelt furiously as the Wildman stalked towards her, Logan did not so much as twitch.
The storm almost instantaneously picked up a notch, the winds howling as if the earth itself was in agony. The creature turned sensing something behind him, snarling at the sight of two of the X-men. The weather witch assaulted him with snow and wind, pushing him back with its force, he managed to look up in time to see the one eyed freak reach for his visor, snarling the wild man leapt back into the trees, a laser blast blackening and melting the snow beneath where he had stood.
Rogue was beyond panic, the only one she knew was her friend, was unconscious again on the hood of the truck, a wild beast man had just nearly killed him and now two leather clad mutants were running towards her, said mutants having dispatched of crazy killer claw man, and to add the proverbial icing to the cake, she was trapped in a burning truck, with no option to run.
She jumped in her seat as the door was ripped open by the leather clad man, who wordlessly released her by shooting what could only be described as a red laser beam at the lock on the belt. A little warning would have been nice. The white hair woman reached out a hand, again wordlessly, jeeze were these people mutes as well as mutants, but she recognized the hand for what it was, a choice, come or stay, and since the prospects of burning alive in the truck or freezing to death in the snow, were less appealing then following the mute mutants, she accepted it and leapt out of the truck, while she noticed the laser beam man pulled Logan from the hood.
She watched in stunned silence as the truck exploded moments later, "Now what?" she asked not sure if she was going to get an answer or if she even wanted one.
"Now," the white haired woman spoke, "now we go home."
"I don't have a home." Rogue answered, her gaze drifting back to the burning truck.
"You do now honey." She smiled warmly at her.
River traced the bones of the unconscious man with her gloved finger tips, usually she avoided the infirmary at all costs, the cold sterile steel reminded her too much of her years of imprisonment, but the whispers had called to her, and she had no choice but to follow. The mission objective had been to get the girl named Rogue, the man had been an unexpected variable and the whispers of his mind seemed so familiar, through his dreams she could sense her own nightmares, the time and faces were different but the intent remained the same. She could never explain fully the concept of silent whispers, not even to the Professor whose true strength lie in mind control, telepathy being a side effect, the silent whispers were layered to deep for him to hear.
She could not even fully hear the silent whispers they were muddled, distorted and chaotic, touch would be the only way to translate, but she was loathed to touch without permission, the deepest parts of one's mind were sacred, to enter unbidden was one of the deepest forms of violation she could think of, and having experienced it herself against her will on several occasions it was a line she did not cross, unless in defense of herself, and being as the man was unconscious and currently a non threat she could not bring herself to do so, though her curiosity was burning.
The Jean Grey drifted a syringe to herself, and came to stand next to her. "It's strange to see you down here River."
The stiffness in her voice was not lost on River, the Jean Grey was still angry over Cerebro, and it was not something she was likely to overcome any time soon. River let out a defeated exhale before speaking, there was nothing she could do to bridge the gap that was slowly forming between them, "The girl hears a familiar whisper, it will give her no peace, she hopes when the man named Logan, the creature named Wolverine awakes, his conscious mind will be more conversational."
Jean was unreasonable pleased by the girl's inability. "It shouldn't be long."
There was a sudden spark of realization in River's mind as she felt the man stir, "Move!" she yelled at the Jean Grey shoving her harshly out of the way as Wolverine reacted.
He was upright and spinning for the attack the moment River pushed Jean, latching on to River's bare neck and spinning them together claws extended at her cheek.
The skin to skin contact ruptured River's mind, the onslaught of repressed emotion and memory moving through him and drowning her, eager to be heard by someone capable of translation, her body convulsed, and for a moment she lost herself, her mind melding with that of the Wolverine's.
"River," Jean yelled for her, but dropped herself as River's mind, fracturing from the invasion of another set off a psychic wave, felt even by the Professor several floors above them.
"What the fuck?" Wolverine snarled, as the girl's scent washed over him, he could smell traces of his own, buried beneath the layers, he didn't have time to contemplate it however, as blinding pain shot through his head, roughly he tossed the girl to the floor and stumbled from the room.
The hallways were silent and still, and he blinked against the harsh fluorescent lighting. He could tell he was underground, by the smell of earth which seeped even through the thick steel and concrete walls, he needed an elevator, and looking down at himself for the first time, he realized a shirt as well.
"Jean Grey?" River asked softly, gently touching the woman's shoulder, "The girl is sorry, she did not mean it, she could not help it, she needed to escape his touch, his mind, forgive her." River took a step back as the Jean Grey looked up at her, her eyes a cloudy red, River recoiled, sensing the woman that lies beneath on the surface of the doctor. It took a moment, but the Jean Grey's eyes cleared and the fiery one receded.
"What happened?" She asked groaning.
"The girl needed to defend herself, she is sorry, she needed to free herself from his mind."
"It's alright," Jean pushed herself to her feet, on hand massaging her temple, and surveying the damaged to the infirmary, "well, that went," she frowned pausing, "terribly."
"The girl is sorry, she should have felt him waking sooner."
"None of us are infallible, perhaps Cerebro took too much out of you." The doctor chided, "The Professor was too hasty I think."
River merely nodded, recognizing the doctor's tone for what it was, condescension.
/he's awake I trust/ the professor pushed into River's mind.
/heading towards the school levels, the girl is sorry/
/don't worry child, I will take it from here/
/the girl absorbed everything, we are of the same, he came before, the girl is a part of him, he is a part of her/
/Styker/ the Professor questioned.
/yes, the man Logan does not remember, the creature Wolverine does, but it is the memory of an animal, there are no whispers, no words, just images and instinct, he cannot translate for the man, but the girl can, the girl can show him his past, their pasts are intertwined/
/it seems we have stumbled across more than we had thought possible child/
/he needs us, we need him, the Magneto must not win him to his side, the Wolverine is angry, his whispers are rage and sorrow, he will turn the man, the Sabertooth will see to it/
/you will speak to him/
/the girl shall/
/give yourself time to recover/ the professor urged, /that was quite a blast/
/the girl is sorry/
/child there is nothing to be sorry for/
/she will seek serenity, he will find her when he is ready/
/very well/
*
Wolverine had no idea what to expect when the elevators doors opened, least of all what he did find. The smells of children were so strong they had settled into every surface, mutant, not a trace of human scent anywhere, and this unnerved him, much more often than not it was the other way around. He ducked behind a column as a handful of stumbling footsteps came towards him, a group of children, with school books and backpacks, laughing. He shook his head in attempted to clear the confusion, polished wood, oriental carpets, fireplaces, he had expected a military compound.
Moving silently through the halls, he made his way toward the sound of voices needing to know more of the place he had been taken too, he paused outside an opened door.
"So as their leaders went, so did follow the hearts and minds of the people of the Roman empire. Which made for some very happy Christians." A voice both light and deep filtered from the room. What the hell? Logan thought to himself and risking a glance he saw its source a large blue ape like creature dressed in a suit wearing a pair of wire framed glasses stood at the front of the room surrounded by a group of teenagers. "May I help you?" The beast asked, an eyebrow raised, as the kids turned to look, a light chorus of giggles emitting from them as they took in his disheveled and confused appearance. Logan turned on his heel and fled further down the hallway. Where the fuck was he, some kind of school? How the fuck did he get here and what the fuck did they want with him? Logan was sure of only one thing, he needed to get the fuck outta dodge.
/This way/ something echoed in his mind, and he swung around in all directions trying to locate its source. Something pulled him in the direction of a large wooden door, ornately carved it beckoned to him.
Against his instincts he opened it, once more taken aback by the sight that greeted him. More children, and an older, not elderly but older man sitting in a wheelchair. The man seemed to smirk ever so slightly. "Good morning Logan, or afternoon rather," he greeted him, and then turned back to his group of children, "We will dismiss for now, but I'd like your papers on my desk by morning," He told the small semi circle who were staring curiously at Logan. The children scrambled for their books ecstatic to be released early and not daring to question why. "And Kitty," he added causing one of them to pause, "for future reference training does not except you from homework."
"Yes Professor," she answered sheepishly, and Wolverine watched in amazement as the girl disappeared through the wall, rather than use the door. "What the hell is going on here?" He demanded.
"Trigonometry, what else?" The man answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Logan raised an eyebrow.
"My apologies, I know your name but you as of yet do not know mine, I am Professor Charles Xavier, and you are at my school."
"School?"
"Yes," the Professor paused as he felt Scott and Ororo approach the door, and as they entered he introduced them, "I would like you to meet Ororo Monroe also known as Storm, and Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, they saved you."
Logan snorted, eyeing the pair skeptically and ignoring the man's offered hand.
"You were attacked by Sabertooth, an associate of a very dangerous man called Magneto."
"Where's the girl?" Logan demanded, ignoring the urge to make a remark on the pair's names, memories of the attack and the hours before now coming back to him.
"Rogue is here, in class I believe, it was her that Magneto was searching for."
"Why?"
"Walk with me Logan, there is much to discuss." The Professor spoke.
Logan wanted to make a smart remark about the professor's inability to walk, but once more refrained. "Storm, Cyclops, Sabertooth, this is the most stupid thing I've ever heard, thanks but no thanks."
"Logan," the professor's voice stopped him, "It's been fifteen years hasn't it, wandering the country, searching for answers you don't have the questions too, we can answer those questions."
"How?" Wolverine snarled, pissed as hell, mentally adding to himself, how the fuck do you know that old man?
/You're not the only one with gifts Logan/ The professor answered through his mind as he tapped his index finger against his temple, Logan took a few steps back. "One of our own has already seen it all, she is quite a spectacular young lady, one you may find you have much in common with."
"Where is she?" He snarled, noticing immediately Cyclops and Storm moved to block the door, resolve hardening their faces as if they were preparing for a fight, they were protective of this girl, interesting, he couldn't help but think.
"Protective does not begin to describe it Logan," The Professor answered his thoughts, to which Logan responded with a snarl. "River requires some time alone to realign herself, your touch had quite the effective on her, first we talk, and then you may seek her out," the Professor's usually gentle face turned stern, "I warn you against threatening or harming her, our protectiveness is merely instinctual, her need for it is another matter entirely, you will find she is much more than she seems."
"Take me to see Rogue first, and then maybe we'll talk." He turned back toward the door, eyes locking on the dark shades of the man called Cyclops. "Move," he growled.
With a smirk, Logan would have loved to wipe clean off his preppy pompous ass face, Scott stepped aside.
"If you will come with me Logan," Xavier said rolling past him.
River walked until she reached the edge of the gardens, her feet were bare, she preferred them that way, many whispers seeped from the earth, and it was easier to hear them that way. It had rained recently, a natural rain, and the earth was muddy and alive, she relished it as she cleared the low stone wall which provided a barrier between the school gardens and the forests beyond, heading for her private sanctuary, her mind searching out well ahead of her, ensuring her path was clear.
Agilely she climbed the first tree she came to, and began moving through the treetops from branch to branch, levitating herself when necessary to reach the next. She had spent many hours racing the Beast through the forest much like this and the sense of freedom which overtook her was all consuming. It was as if she was back in the first moments of her escape from the Alkali Lake Facility, nothing mattered but the feel of the hard tree bark and the smell of the forest, wet and brimming with life all other thoughts were regulated to the dormant parts of her mind as she closed her eyes, letting instinct take over as she reached from the next branch.
River couldn't remember taking this much pleasure in nature before her imprisonment and she wondered often if it was due to the denial of it, or a byproduct of her genetic alterations. Now she knew from whom they had learned healing and regeneration from and she wondered if that particular part of the Wolverine's DNA had also contained some of his baser animal traits, like the exhilaration of running unhindered, her intense dislike of closed spaces and the need for open air, even her heightened senses.
It made logical sense, that they would form her in his image, Weapon X1 had too many physical deformities to be of any public use, stealth was not an option for him, she was sleek, streamlined, and nearly identical to the Wolverine in every way excepting his physical strength and claws. It seemed as if they had taken a similar but different path, rather than make her the strongest, altering her physically; they made her the smartest, enhancing all of her mental capabilities.
River made her way to her clearing, a small space not really so much of a clearing as a thinning of the trees where a small brook ran through and nestled herself on a sturdy branch, closing her eyes. She was tired of thinking, and the Wolverine's memories swirled restless inside her mind, images so familiar and yet foreign to her. The stone walls and cold concrete flooring, incessantly beeping machines and dripping water, needles, doctors, prodding, orders, commands, she shook herself free from the onslaught, breathing in deeply the wet earth and fresh leaves, rooting herself to the moment and escaping a past not entirely her own.
"Publicly this school is a place for gifted children, anonymity is their first and best defense against a world which rejects them." Xavier spoke as he and Logan moved through the school, while Logan observed his surroundings, taking in every detail. He couldn't repress his amazement at the open use of mutant powers, Xavier seeming to pick up on his thoughts continued, "This school is a haven for mutants, some with powers much like Rogue so strong they have become a danger to themselves and those around them." He paused in front of an open classroom, gesturing for Logan to look inside.
Rogue sat behind a desk, whispering behind Storm's turned back to a girl in a yellow trench coat who sat beside her.
"What will happen to her?" Logan asked once he was assured she was okay.
"That is up to her, she may choose to complete her studies and enter the world an educated woman to become a productive member of society or to stay on and become a member of our teaching staff and what the other children have affectionately dubbed the X-men. Either way her mutation may prevent her from ever having human contact again, the important thing is here she is accepted, here she is among others like her, she is safe to grow and learn, to love and be loved."
"What did he want with her?" He asked as they began walking again, this time toward the elevators.
"We are unsure." Xavier answered with a frown, "Erik was once a friend, he helped build this school, over the years he grew angry, and became Magneto, there are many Logan, on both sides that believe a war is coming."
Wolverine snorted as they stepped into the elevator, immediately uncomfortable as the doors sealed shut, small enclosed spaces were never something he had handled well. "Whose side are you on?"
"The children's." Xavier answered plainly, before elaborating at Logan's raised eyebrow, "Should Magneto succeed in his plans to entice war, none of our kind will be safe, he will encourage the already growing belief that we are dangerous, and should he rise humanity will fall if there are none to stand against him."
"Yeah well in my experience humanity doesn't give a damn about us." Logan retorted anxiously stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened once more.
"And that is why we must as you so plainly put it give a damn about them. Co-existence is our goal Logan, violence begets violence." Xavier answered.
"What do you want with me?"
"Nothing you aren't willing to give Logan," Xavier told him as he lead him down the corridor, "but should you choose to remain I would invite you to become a teacher, a mentor, a member of the X-men, a man of your skill and gifts is at home in war, I suppose in truth I am asking you to pick a side."
"And if I choose mine?" Logan asked.
"Then so be it, I doubt River will deny you your answers, it is not her way." Xavier leaned forward, his head level with a retinal scanner.
"Good after Professor," A pleasant voice chimed, as the heavy sound of the door lock tumblers echoed down the corridor and the door hissed open.
"Hey Professor!" A young woman with strawberry blonde hair chirped out, pulling her head out from an access panel on the massive jet, unlike anything he had ever seen. "Oh hey there Logan, finally awake, you was banged up somethin' fierce when we got you, you heal up good."
"Do we know each other?" He asked caught of guard once more.
"We met, but you was unconscious so I won't hold it against you that you don't remember." She giggled, "Kaywinnet Lee Frye, you can call me Kaylee."
"Kaylee is one of our most recent graduates and a technopath of amazing capabilities; she is also the Blackbird's pilot." The Professor smiled affectionately at the girl.
"Professor's just talkin' ain't nothin' special," Kaylee blushed.
Logan merely grunted, digesting everything was proving slightly difficult, "What's a technopath?"
"A technopath is a mutant whose mind can link to machines, Kaylee can repair, build, and operate any machine or computer she has touched, her mind fuses with electrical systems," the professor smiled again as he turned this head to look at Kaylee, "she is also responsible for all of our computer and security systems."
"Speakin' of which Professor, I'm working on a kill switch for our mainframe, it'll wipe out everything should need be."
"Very good, I had been thinking along those lines myself, I cannot imagine the damage that could be done should those records fall into the wrong hands."
"Why are you showing me all of this?" Logan asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of his voice and finding it odd they spoke so plainly in front of him.
"I want you to see what we can offer you here Logan, besides just the knowledge of your past, a home, a team, a place to belong, and a cause worth fighting for."
"Ain't a soldier Professor."
"But once you were." Xavier answered cryptically as he wheeled his chair around, "Kaylee child, do remember to surface for dinner."
Kaylee giggled as her head ducked back into the access panel, while Logan remained where he was for the moment, his mind a tumult and chaos of thoughts, before he turned and jogged to catch up with the Professor.
"How do you know I was a soldier?" He asked.
"Aside from the already stated fact that I am a telepath Logan, your dog tags are quite an obvious sign."
Logan snorted, but continued to follow behind Xavier if for no other reason than utter curiosity.
"Jayne," The Professor paused, as a well built man exited from another set of doors.
"Yeah Professor?" The man asked as he wiped a coating of sweat from his face with a towel.
"Please make sure Kaylee makes it to dinner tonight, she rarely listens to anyone but you."
Jayne chuckled, "Yeah, I'll get her there 'iffin' I have to pry her wrench outta her hands and toss her over my shoulder, promised her I'd come down and help once I was done workin' out anyways."
"How are our Junior members coming along?"
"Jean was right about Kitty girl's a shiesty one in a fight, ain't got no qualms 'bout playin' dirty 'iffin' it wins it for her," he chuckled, "Jubes is a little hesitant, but Scott and me don't think she'll be when it comes down to bein' real, and the boys, their just itchin' for a fight."
"Ain't Jayne a girl's name?" Logan couldn't help the remark that slipped past his lips, but he did take a step back when the man instantly incased himself in metal and took a loud clanking step forward.
"Wanna make somethin' of it?" He snarled.
"Jayne," the Professor chided.
As quickly as he had turned his skin on, he switched it back, "Sorry." Though he didn't truly look it a bit.
"Just kiddin' Tin Man."
Jayne growled slightly, but turned and stomped off, muttering.
"It doesn't help to provoke those your claws cannot pierce." Xavier remarked absently as they began walking again. "Jayne once fully incased is nearly indestructible and his strength increases more than fiftyfold."
Logan merely shrugged, "Where to now?"
"Now I have a final class before dinner," he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and speaking again. "I believe River is waiting for you, she chose a place away from the school, should the truth of what you will learn affect you poorly. You will find her in the woods outside of the gardens, it is a place she goes often to think and be at peace, I doubt you will have trouble tracking her there."
Logan raised an eyebrow, "Away from the school cause she's afraid I'll flip out and hurt someone?"
"You nearly did to her." Xavier pointed out.
"But she's not afraid to be alone with me?"
"You'll find you have more in common then you think, as I mentioned before." He answered cryptically before rolling into the elevator.
"You got issues with straight answers don't you Chuck?"
Xavier visibly cringed at the sound of that nickname, something Logan noted with satisfaction. "Some things we are better off learning then being told."
"And there you go again." Logan rolled his eyes as the door closed behind them.
"I won't press you for a decision today Logan, a room has been prepared for you, you may stay or leave as you so wish, should you go, there will always be a place for you."
"Ain't lookin' for a father figure old man."
"You should really rethink who you consider old Logan, compared to you I am still quite young indeed."
It was Logan's turn to visibly cringe, his age was one of the things that bothered him most and mainly because he could not remember it, he did however know in the last fifteen years he could remember, he hadn't aged a day. "How do you know how old I am?"
"River." He answered matter of factly.
"When did she tell you?"
"Just now."
Logan balked.
Xavier simply smirked as he tapped his index finger against his temple once more, rolling himself out of the elevator and down the mansion hall, he called over his shoulder, "You'll get accustomed to living with telepaths Logan. Do make sure you return with River for dinner at the least."
Logan watched as the Professor rolled away and down the hall, another gaggle of kids nearly mowing him down before he turned to track the girl's scent, recalling the memory of her small form as he had held her. He followed the trail through the garden doors, the lingering traces of flowers guiding him there, beneath them the girl's scent, faded but distinct none the less.
He hadn't had time to think of a valid reason to his own scent being mingled with hers, it seemed foreign like it didn't truly belong but it was there still, laced beneath layers of what reminded him of burning sage and wet earth. The girl smelt wild and yet serene an utter contradiction. It sparked his curiosity as much as Chuck's veiled remarks about them having shit in common. Who could he possibly have anything in common with? Why the hell was he still here? He should have taken off the moment Chuck had wheeled himself away, but he'd spent the last fifteen years searching for answers, and if they were here he wanted them.
Logan followed her scent to a low stone wall, he could smell the exact spot her hand had touched when she vaulted herself over it, warily and not really knowing why he place his hand over the spot. He snorted feeling dumb when nothing happened, what the hell had he expected anyway?
After nearly an hour of walking, pausing to taste the air, and doubling back several times after realizing he had lost the trail, he finally came to a place where the trees thinned, the girl's scent was imbedded in nearly every tree and rock in the semi clearing, and though he couldn't see her, he knew she was there, something baser than his natural instincts told him so.
Logan growled low, his eyes scanning the trees, he had played nice, followed the Professor around for the grand tour, made only a few smart ass remarks, and now he was impatient for the other end of the deal to be fulfilled.
A soft giggle alerted him to another presence; coming from somewhere behind and above him he spun around to its source, only slightly startled as the girl in question floated gracefully to the ground. Her hair, was the color of burnt henna, bits of twigs and dirt clung to its waves which drifted well past her waist, and her eyes a nearly identical shade were alive with amusement. She wore a tank top, slightly torn from her journey through the trees he guessed and a pair of jeans which were also torn though he guessed it was the kinda of jeans that came already torn, the concept of that completely lost on him. It was the long black evening gloves she wore which startled him the most, they seemed an odd accessory to her outfit, especially given she hadn't even worn shoes.
"We exist in a three dimensional world, when one cannot see what he is searching for he should try looking up." She giggled again as her feet touched the earth, "Telekinetic," she answered his unspoken question, "Among other things, but the girl cannot fly, the effort require to propel oneself against the forces of gravity and natural laws requires too much energy and focus, however, levitation is another matter entirely."
"Among other things?" Logan asked, eyeing the girl, unsure of himself and her.
"The girl is also a telepath, and a reader, or empath if you please, like the Wolverine the girl is capable of healing and regenerating herself, and also much like him as well has not truly aged since they did this to her."
"They?" Wolverine raised an eyebrow, sensing this was what he needed to hear.
"The Wolverine is correct to assume this is where their commonality begins, with a man named William Stryker."
Instinctively he growled, though he did not understand why.
"The creature recognizes the threat though the man does not," River observed she had began to slowly circle him, "The creature can also smell himself on the girl, as if he has marked her, but even his memory does not speak of such a girl or such a moment."
"Why?" He pushed, just as eager for the answer to the new question as the hundreds of old questions.
"The girl was after his time, the girl was the evolution, she was the future, he is the past," she reached for his hand and he did not pull away as she traced the invisible lines where his claws would break the skin, "It hurts him every time, and yet he cannot deny it," she said sadly.
"I don't understand." Logan answered through gritted teeth.
River's brow furrowed, "The creature had claws before The Uncle came, he healed before the The Uncle played, his claws were natural, his claws were bone, The Uncle encased them, made them stronger, but it was a ploy, the Wolverine was a toy, he needed, he wanted and he took."
"The Uncle?"
"William Stryker, the girl has blood ties to him, do not take it as a symbol of allegiance, the girl has a new family now and owes nothing to the old, they discarded her."
"Why?" He asked.
"This conversation centers on the Wolverine, and not this girl." River halted the line of questioning, eager to avoid thoughts of the old and thoughts of Simon.
Logan was not fully deterred, and filed that question away for later, "What did he need from me then?"
"The Wolverine's DNA." She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, something he was getting sick of. "That is why the creature can smell himself on the girl, they fused his DNA with hers, made her heal, made her smell and see, and know, know as an animal knows, as the Wolverine knows. She was not the first though, the Wolverine fought the first."
"I don't remember." He said pulling his hand away.
"The girl can show you, but she warns you, some things are best left buried, some things the mind forgets for a reason."
"Better than not knowing, better than," his voice dropped off.
"Better than the nightmares," River finished.
"Just do it."
River sighed, removing her gloves and dropping them carelessly on the ground, "Very well." She replied stepping in closer, this time prepared for the touch she knew she would be able to handle it, this time purpose would help her maintain focus and control as it always did. "Kneel please."
Logan cocked an eyebrow, but did as he was asked, watching River carefully as she raised her hands to either side of his head, gently placing them against his temples. There was a brief moment in which Logan considered everybody in this place to be full of shit, and then it hit him with the force of a thousand nightmares at once.
Stryker's team, Victor, Kayla, the wars, the violence, his consent, he had consented, he had wanted it, after everything he had wanted it. The onslaught was more than he could bare and without conscious realization his claws broke through and he drove them into the damp earth, releasing a feral cry of agony as the images bombarded him.
River lowered her hands and stepped away, cautious and aware of the metal claws which protruded from the Wolverine's hands. Time passed, and all light faded from the forest, neither spoke or moved, the vigil was held in silence as River listened to the whispers, the whispers telling her the man Logan was sorting through his memories, cataloging them, remembering more than she had shown him, dealing with a lifetime of remorse and guilt he had been free of for the last fifteen years.
When she sensed he was ready she spoke, "And what will the man Logan do with this knowledge?"
"I don't know," he answered after a brief hesitation, his voice cracking slightly.
"Atone." She answered for him and he looked up, seeing her nearly clearly in the darkness, as he supposed she could see him.
"What the fuck does that mean?" He snapped, still kneeling.
"A lifetime of sin and blood, of blind orders, there was once a righteous man, and he lies still within, are you a pawn or are you a free man? There is redemption to be found within the walls of The Professor's school, the girl was once a toy, and she will die before she is made to be one again," she quirked an eyebrow on herself, a small smirk twisting at her lips, "though she does not know if it is possible for her to die."
Logan snorted, he tried and failed miserably.
"At least here, he is not alone." River said, turning to walk away, "The Wolverine is cursed to walk this earth until the end of time, this is a burden the girl shares as well."
"Where are you going?" Logan snapped, surprised by the sudden panic which filled him at the thought of the girl leaving.
"The girl is hungry." She answered absently bending down to pick up her discarded gloves, glad she had not chosen to wear the new ones the man named Jayne and his sunshine had given her. "The Wolverine is welcome to return home with her."
Logan snorted at the use of the word home, his mind swirling with a thousand thoughts in a thousand directions, loneliness and longing heavy on each one.
"Is he coming?" River asked quirking an eyebrow.
For some reason unknown to him Logan stood, and silently followed the small women, who dripped of his scent and burnt sage.
Endnote: Wa-LA! Revisions completed, hopefully the elusive chapter four will be publish before the day is through. Much luv.
'Til after now.