"Damn!" Logan finally had to come to a stop. Sweat was dripping down his face and back, his legs burning as his weak muscles struggled to carry his and Cyclops' weight. He crashed into walls right and left, the burdenous weight across his shoulders too much for his exhausted body to bear.
He dropped Scott as gently as he could, but the unconscious X-Man was unceremoniously propped against another aluminum wall. He had felt like he circled the facility hundreds of times, managing to dodge and duck past search teams relentlessly tearing up the joint in search of both missing mutants.
It was a miracle they weren't caught already.
A miracle that didn't last for long.
It was one worker. He wasn't even a soldier. One worker carting a shipment to Stryker's offices had caught them. Logan should've heard him from far off, but he didn't realize he was drifting to sleep from over exhaustion. His eyes shot open as he heard a gasp.
In front of him, a boy, barely 18 or 19, was looking at the two mutants in horror and shock. Alarms and bells were ringing throughout the facility like it was Defcon 1, and he had found them. They were the ones described, one of them tall, buff, dark hair, hard features, the other, shorter, thinner, leaner, and with glasses, and both highly dangerous.
"Please, no," his eyes widnened, "No, no, shh, no, don't scream, please, no-"
"Help!" the boy raised his head to the sky and shouted with all his might, "The mutants! Help, over here! The ones you're looking for!"
Already, he could hear the pounding of heavy boots sprinting down the corridor in their direction. Logan growled and jumped to his feet, disregarding the protests of his pain-filled body. He grabbed the boy's hair with one fist, and banged his head against the wall. He cried out, but his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled to the floor.
It was time to move again. Wolverine grunted as he hoisted Cyclops on his back once again, his quivering knee giving out as he tried to get to his feet.
Logan continued his chase, desperately looking for a way out. It wouldn't be long before he wasn't able to continue, before he dropped because he couldn't carry on any more.
No, that's not an option.
"Colonel Stryker, sir, please, w-we're trying-"
"Trying?!" Stryker slammed his hands down on the table, "More like failing! Both my mutants are running around this facility loose! And not just any mutants, one of them is Weapon X! Do you understand what that means, officer?"
"Y-yes, sir, but-"
"Obviously not! Weapon X is a lethal, relentless, vicious, deadly machine that I created to withstand anything. He is indestructible," his anger broiled in his veins, "He will rip this place apart, brick by brick, until he's free. He's wild, he's out of control!"
"Sir, the delta team got a shout from one of the workers on his location, they should be closing in on them soon-"
"What happened to that worker now?"
"Sir?"
"You heard me!"
"U-um, broken nose, sir, dislocated jaw, chipped teeth, swollen eye, deep cuts, and a concussion, Colonel Stryker."
"And that was just a small hit to a wall," Stryker's grip on the desk tightened until his knuckles turned white, "imagine what he has in store for us. Weapon X cannot succeed, cannot be set free. Capture him, but don't kill him. I will have him begging at my shoes before I grant him such a mercy."
"If it's any consolation, the mutant is injured. The suppressant you administered is still in effect, he's not at full power."
"Did you see the other? He melted through the examination room like it was butter, he's equally a threat."
"There's been no reports on Cyclops, sir."
"Do not call them by their names," he snapped at his officer, "they are mutants, they are abominations, they are things, they are experiments. They have no title, their only purpose is research. Remember that."
"B-but, your son, sir-"
Stryker shot up in his face like a ghost, his features quivering with fury, "If you ever bring up my son again, I will hang you by the throat with the tie around your neck myself, do you understand?"
"Y-yes, sir."
"What's the status?" he said in a low, edgy tone.
"From our last witness, Weapon X seems to be injured. The suppressant is inhibiting his healing power, and he's having trouble regaining strength from his efforts. If we can close in on him, we can take him down."
"Then find him, find him now. If I don't see Wolverine's battered, beaten body in front of my eyes in the next half hour, I'm strapping you onto the experimentation table."
The officer gulped in fear, "Yes, sir," he turned on his heel and shuffled out the door.
"Why are you so goddamn heavy!" Logan groaned as he deposited Scott's limp body on the floor again.
No response.
"Aw, come on, Scott," he growled, "man up! You can't be sleeping forever!"
He didn't mean the sting in his words. Scott saved his life. Every time he blinked, he could see the callous examination table, those sharp tools, that cold laugh….If it weren't for Cyclops, he'd still be down there. Logan shuddered at the thought, his hair prickling.
If only his claws could unsheathe! That would be a miracle, they'd be out of this joint by now.
He heard a moan from beneath him. Logan winced as he stood up straight, holding his side. He looked down and saw Scott move his head.
"Scott?" Logan bent to his knees in front of him and slapped his cheek, "Hey, buddy, get up. Come on."
"Wha-? Logan?" Scott's eyes were scrunched, but he detected the gruff tone and sharp edge to Wolverine's voice.
"Thatta boy, Scott," he clapped his shoulder, laughing, "welcome back."
"What?" he shook his head, "W-where did I go?"
He rolled his eyes, "Not our biggest problem right now. I've been hauling your ass all over this damn facility, but I can't get us out."
"Where are we?"
"Stryker's facility, come on, Scott, wake up," he clapped his hands and Cyclops flinched at the sound.
Despite his disorientation, he still had the sense to keep his eyes tightly shut. That meant his other senses were heightened, including his confusion. He was sure this was a side effect of his power. Logan, although barely conscious at the time, could feel the immensity Cyclops' enhanced power delivered. The heat, the pain, the power-it was overwhelming. He couldn't blame Scott for being a little out of it, hell, he would need to sleep for the next few days and rest, but they didn't have that kind of time. Stryker's cronies were crawling through the facility looking for the two, and both weren't at their top game. The Colonel would throw everything he could at them, and they looked like a bunch of ragtag hobos off the streets.
"Okay, okay," he rubbed his temples, trying to block out Logan's grating voice, "just…not so loud."
"Here," Logan dug into his pockets and revealed a cracked, bent pair of ruby quartz lens. He pressed it into Scott's hand, who greedily held it close to him and nestled them on the bridge of his nose. It was his special pair to contain his mutation, and immediately he felt relief at the prospect of some control and stability in their outlandish situation.
"Logan?" he asked, a little tired and confused.
"Yeah?"
"Run it by me," he sighed, his voice full of exhaustion, "what's our situation?"
"Not good."
"Well, thanks," he snapped, his irritation a result of his weak condition, "B-but, I'm still a little woozy, so you've got to work with me here."
"Scott, I can't give you the play by play right now!" Logan's voice rose, "I've been here before, these people don't give up! We've got Stryker's men on our tails, our mutations are faulty, and if we don't get out of here within the next few hours, then Stryker will eat us for lunch on that table," Logan took a deep breath, easing back his temper, "I get it, you're a little out of action, so am I," he glanced down at the slow healing slices on his upper body, "but we got to get outta here, Scott, or we'll die in here."
"Alright j-just help me up, please," he shakily slid up the wall, trying to gain his balance. Behind his glasses, Logan couldn't tell what Scott was feeling, but he didn't have time to play therapist. He was a freaking X-Man. He would get out of here.
"How's your mutation doing?" Scott panted as he rested his hands on his knees. Logan didn't realize how spent his partner was.
He held up a closed fist and willed for his claws to unsheathe, they poked out a little, the tips ripping through his skin. He hissed as blood started to pour from between his fingers, his will strong as he was determined to unleash his power.
"Not far along," Logan finally shook his head and dropped his hand to his side, "but we have to make do."
"And your healing?"
"Slow," he gently scanned the long, deep slices scarring his arms and chest, the whir of metal tools still ringing in his ears, "but getting there."
"So, what's our way out?"
"Last time I escaped," Logan nodded in the direction of North, "waterfall."
"Okay," Scott furrowed his brows, "let's go."
"Don't be stupid, Scott, that's the first place Stryker will cover. Come on, you're our leader, get your head back in the game! What did you do to get us out of the experimentation room?" he shuddered just thinking about it.
"Umm," he gripped his temples, "my eyes. Stryker kept egging me on, and I just-just…snapped. I don't know what happened, but Logan I can tell you that I melted those walls like candle wax."
"Good," he nodded, "is your strength back up?"
"Kind of, why?"
"Cause you're going to do it again."
"What-? No!"
"Scott," Logan growled through his teeth.
"Logan, please," he entreated, "I can't do it, I-I can't."
"Get it together, Scott, when have I ever asked you to do something for me? This is to save our lives-"
"At the expense of hundreds of others?" Scott argued, "You might be able to stomach that, Logan, but I can't."
"I've seen countless of men fall, Scott," Logan edged closer to Cyclops, "war, famine, disease, natural disaster, suicide, murder, and a seemingly infinite amount of others."
"Look, Logan, I'm not doubting your resolve, I know you've been carrying most of the weight, and I'm sorry. But, I can't. I'm putting my foot down on this one, alright?" his tone hardened, "And there's no changing that."
Both of them perked up at the sound of an approaching convoy of men. Their boots busted against the ground vehemently, and their voices grew louder.
Logan knew this was their only chance to get out. He couldn't carry Scott anymore, he needed a miracle. Scott wasn't going to like it, but it had to be done.
Cyclops' back still pressed up against the wall, and his breaths were coming in huffs and puffs from his exhaustion. Damn, that power took a lot out of him…but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Logan surged forward, and placed an iron grip around Scott's chest, pinning him to his sternum.
"Logan? Logan! What are you doing?! Let go!"
"Sorry, Scott," Wolverine continued mercilessly, "I've gotta do what I gotta do."
"No!"
Logan reached his hand around and subdued his efforts to push him off. Maybe with full strength he would have a slim chance, but drained like this, there was no possibility. Logan pulled off Scott's glasses, and shifted his body so Scott was facing the doorway.
Cyclops was growling, hissing, and cussing beneath him. Logan used his legs and restrained him even further and eventually Scott succumbed as the heavy boot pounding sounded right outside their little haven of a room. Logan felt his friend's body tense up beneath him, his muscles stiffen, and his breathing become laborious as his tightly screwed eyes slowly relaxed.
"In here! I see them, they're in here!"
"Do it, Scott!"
Cyclops opened his eyes and shouted as a cyclone of power unleashed before him and decimated everything in its path.
Chapter 4 coming soon!