Next chapter as promised.
Retro - yea...Apex doesnt exactly have much expeirence sparring with the opposite sex. Not that most of us have much luck anyways...
Canuckle - thanks for the "review" and the inspiration to go back and fill these gaps. Glad you're getting know Apex a little better...he's not the easiest to read.
Apex sat across from Xavier with a very focused look on his face. He considered his options carefully before making his move. Xavier would never see it coming...
"Checkmate." Apex looked like he'd been slapped in the face as his eyes went wide and he surveyed the board. True, Xavier had only taught him the rules thirty minutes ago but that didn't explain how he had beat him without him even seeing it.
"Care to play again?" Charles leaned back and attempted to hide his attempts at not smiling as Colton continued to process his defeat.
Sending Ororo had obviously worked when Colton had arrived at his door at the appointed time. Instead of attempting to question or push Colton, as he had been expecting, Xavier had instead suggested they play chess instead. At first suspicious, Apex had quickly became engrossed in the game and its endless permutations and strategy. Honestly Charles was a bit surprised at his taking to the game so quickly, but had been able to distract him with some sacrificial bishops to secure a final move.
"No. I need to meet Storm -"
"You mean Ororo." Charles corrected.
" - in the mess." Apex finished, choosing to ignore Xavier's interruption and continue replaying where he had met his demise. He never should have taken that first bishop...
"Of course, Ororo mentioned you two were meeting for lunch in the kitchen. Why don't I accompany you?" Apex stood quickly before Xavier could even get his chair moving.
"I know the way." Xavier sat back slowly and let Apex step away and walk towards the door before asking something that had been weighing on Xavier for the last four days.
"Colton...does the name Erik Lehnsherr mean anything to you?" Apex stopped mid step and looked back at Xavier. Xavier matched him with a neutral expression.
"Erik Lehnsherr..also known as Magneto. Current ruler of the mutant island nation of Genosha. Mutant supremascist. Control of magnetism. Wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D as well a number of countries and organizations." Apex said it like he was reading out of a book.
"But he means nothing to you?" Xavier asked again.
"No...just a name." Xavier nodded his head and leaned back in his chair.
"Can I expect to see you for another game?" Apex seemed to consider the offer, Xavier suddenly worried his question had had a negative effect. "Perhaps...same time next week?" It was another long moment before Apex silently nodded his head and stepped out. Xavier sighed, relieved to have not ruined the small progress he had made today.
Xavier had reached out to some allies that lived on Genosha and had been assured that Magneto had been occupied at the time of the security failure. This left Charles at a bit of a loss.
Until new evidence presented himself, he intended to focus on Apex and leave the mystery of his escape to Scott to decipher.
'It's a valuable mental and tactical exercise. And it'll get them off of my back. There are worse alternatives. I can play his game if that's what he wants.' Apex was reasoning his own response to himself as he made his way through the daylight lit halls of the Mansion. While he seemed distracted, he noted the way the hall split to either side as he approached. Most of them merely children. He had never had much experience interacting with children and chose to keep ignoring them as they scuttled out of his way.
'Except in Croatia. You had no problem with children in Croatia.' The Admiral's voice sounded in his head and Apex just frowned and shook his head from the memory. He didn't have to do that anymore...
Ororo sat at one of the smaller tables reserved for staff when Apex made his way into the kitchen. There was a notable drop in noise as he slowly surveyed the room before settling on her. She could see him give the rest of the room one more glance before making his way over and silently taking a seat with his back to the wall. Ororo could swear he almost looked uncomfortable sitting at all.
She had already gotten them some food and they began eating. This normal behavior from Apex seemed to calm most of the students in the kitchen and eventually the noise in the room returned to it's normal cacophony.
Ororo tried to keep her questions light and didn't push Apex past his mostly single word responses except when constantly correcting him to call her Ororo. While he seemed to be keeping his eyes on his plate, she had spent enough time with Logan when they were on a mission to be aware when someone was marking their surroundings.
"Do you ever turn it off?" Ororo asked as she pushed back her finished salad.
"Turn what off?" Apex had cleaned the last off of the steaks Ororo had taken from Logan's stash in the freezer. He'd never had such a consistent source of prepared food before. It was a drastic change from life at the Facility and not one he minded.
"Looking at the world like that."
"Like what?"
"Like everyone is a either a danger or a target?"
"I don't -"
"That! Right there." Ororo pointed as Apex took note of Kitty and Rogue coming in for a quick lunch before heading back to class. "I don't think anyone here is about to attack us. Do you?" Apex just sat back in his chair and again took in the kitchen. He saw what he always saw. Strengths and weaknesses. Tendencies. Exits and lines of sight. He saw what the Facility had trained him to see. That danger can come at any time...in any form.
"Anything can be a threat."
"Apex, they're children. Students. Teachers. You need to relax." Ororo released a deep sigh as she watched Apex sit in silence. She recalled his behavior when he had been in the containment cells and it made her frustrated at his lack of progress. But Ororo's mood changed when she caught sight of someone that had just entered the kitchen.
"Perfect. Apex, I've arranged for someone to show you around the Mansion."
"I already know -"
"Yes, I got it. But honestly, stalking around the Mansion in the dead of night doesn't mean you know this place. Now are you coming or not?" Apex considered his options, finally settling on the truth that if he ever wanted his nights to himself he had to appease Stor - Ororo.
"Fine."
"Excellent. I have just the tour guide for you." As Apex looked at who Ororo was motioning over, his hands clenched under the table, as Greer cautiously made her way over.
Greer didn't know why she felt so nervous.
Or at least her tail was making it obvious to her that she was, as it twitched behind her, even though no one else could see it. Greer hated when it did that. Acted like it had a mind of it's own and showed her emotions for all the world to see.
'Stop being so dramatic.' Greer rolled her eyes at her own self-criticizing. 'I'm just nervous for no good reason because I'm overtired.' Greer wasn't sure why she felt so tired lately. She just had woken up these last couple of mornings feeling like she really hadn't slept at all. 'Probably just not used to sleeping on something besides a hard dirt floor. Poor me.'
Greer pushed her sleeping troubles aside as she walked silently next to Apex.
When Ororo had finally left them alone with instructions to give Colton a proper tour of the Mansion, Greer had at first felt relieved. She had been in a near panic when she couldn't find Colton these last few days. It wasn't until Kitty had shown her video footage of him in the Mansion that she had finally calmed down a little. But that excitement fell when Colton had barely acknowledged her and had thus far refused to even look at her, never-mind speak with her.
Greer tried thinking back to what might have changed when they passed a mirror and a thought occurred to her.
"Colton... You know this... this isn't real right? Its just a hologram." Greer tried to explain while gesturing to herself. She had noticed the few cold looks he had been giving her seemed to always flicker to the pendant she wore.
"Colton, is there something wr-"
"Why?" Greer blinked at the question.
"Why what?" she asked gently, not enjoying the tension she could hear in Colton's voice.
"Why do you still wear that hologram if you yourself know that it isn't real?" Colton asked bluntly, his golden eyes narrowing as they locked with her emerald ones. Greer bit her lip. No one had ever asked her this kind of stuff before... Not so directly anyway. She had arrived at the Mansion...changed and they had given her a way to look like herself. There had never really been much of a conversation about it.
"I..." Greer paused trying to come up with an answer, "It's a habit." she tried, hoping Colton would let it slide. Unfortunately it only made him even more on edge.
"But why do you pretend you are something you're not? Is it so no one will be afraid of you? Do they make you wear it?"
Greer winced. That sentence stung her and she felt her hand fly up to her image inducer. The look on Colton's face indicated to her he wanted to tear the whole thing off if he had the chance. Not wanting to give him that chance, she quickly deactivated the inducer, hoping that seeing her without the hologram would pacify Colton but...the look on his face didn't change at Greer's feral reappearance.
"I'm not... pretending. And no, no one makes me wear it. It's... It's very complicated Colton." She said softly only to look up when he took a step back...increasing the distance between them.
"Explain it to me then."
Curling her fists and feeling her ears press against her head. Greer tried to keep her voice steady.
"Because I wasn't always like...this." she mumbled now being the one to not meet Apex's eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Those golden eyes continued to stare holes into her.
"I was human four years ago. Until...they found me and...did this to me..." Greer said softly gesturing to her furred body and tail that had wrapped itself around her feet.
There was a pause as a few students walked by. Apex noted Greer slightly shift her body away from them.
"You make it sound like a bad thing." he rumbled.
Greer sighed in frustration. It was a bad thing. In fact she wanted to yell out to the world how truly, awfully BAD what had happened to her was.
She was experimented on, turned into something inhuman, shot, hunted, abandoned and god knows what else. But the worse thing had to be that Minos had stolen everything from her... It was by all accounts a bad thing. In fact it was beyond bad but... Greer didn't know what Colton's reaction would be if she told him that. He was after all...like her.
"Its complicated Colton. Just leave it alone. But please...stop avoiding me." Greer concluded, not really wanting to give this anymore thought and for things to just get back to normal.
"I thought that's what you wanted." Apex said coldly as Greer jerked her head back in response to his accusation.
"Colton, wha - why would you ever even think that? I've been the one trying to talk to you for the last three days!"
"From what I see, you've been doing your best to distance yourself from me the moment we arrived here. Isn't that what this is about?" Apex pointed at the pendant around Greer's neck. "So that no one will know?"
"Colton...none of that is true. I wouldn't abandon you like that." Greer was at a loss. She had always used her image inducer. Life without it seemed...wrong somehow. Greer was still Greer and she wanted everyone to know that. But it was obvious that Colton was disappointed with her answer. Slowly, she brought her hand up to her pendant before quickly yanking it off and shoving it into her pant's pocket. Earning a raised eyebrow on Colton.
"Look, if it bothers you that much...I won't wear it anymore. Just promise you'll stop avoiding me." Apex kept staring at Greer as if her human appearance might reappear any moment before sighing in acceptance of Greer's gesture.
"I'll stop avoiding you." Apex finally let his arms down and Greer took a small step closer into his personal space. Greer knew better than to make Colton nervous with getting too close from their time at the Facility.
"Along with everyone else." Greer said with a firmer voice.
Apex narrowed his eyes for a moment before letting out a rumble of defeat and nodding his head in agreement. He wondered how he kept losing these verbal exchanges, but Greer finally broke into a smile and enthusiastically started the tour.
Greer showed him where the majority of the classrooms were held, all of them filled with students trying to keep up with the teachers' lessons. Apex asked what they were learning and Greer was happy to answer. She showed him the game rooms and the library. Basically, Greer tried to get Apex into all of the places she loved about the Mansion as they were bustling with all of the students and X-Men. He stayed quite most of the time but Greer was happy to just walk the halls with him.
The only incident occurred when a few older students slowed down as they passed the pair of ferals. The three girls whispered, their attention obviously on Greer, and while Greer tried to ignore it, Apex saw the slight wince. Turning his head to rumble at the threesome, they quickly sped away as Apex continued to glare at them until they passed the corner.
"You can't do that." Greer lightly slapped Apex's arm, even though she smiled while she did it. "No threatening anyone. Got it?" Apex refused to be committal.
They made their way finally down into the lower levels, ending just outside the Danger Room.
"So that's about it. Now will you stop spending all your time down here alone and just...I dunno - live here? It's not so bad if you let it." Greer gave her best smile to push her point, the captain of the cheer team still plying her tricks.
"If it will -" Apex stopped and looked past Greer down the hall.
"What is it? Apex, what's wrong?" Greer turned her head trying to see what Colton was so focused on but Apex just reached over and silently punched in the code for the Danger Room. Greer tried to follow but Apex blocked her path.
"Colton will you just tell me - !"
'Greer! Greer are you with Apex?' Xavier sounded like he was trying to not sound alarmed.
'Yea, what is it? What's wrong?' Apex was still blocking her path and taking quick glances down the hall.
'Greer...Logan is awake.' Greer's eyed flashed wide as she finally heard what was running down the hall over the deep rumble now coming from Colton.
***SHINK***
...
"Hurry up!"
Greer screamed as the elevator took her to the observation deck above the Danger Room. Once the doors opened Greer ran to the console in an attempt to open the doors below but Logan's settings prevented it. She tried banging on the glass and even threw a chair at it but nothing happened. The glass was meant to withstand a blast from Cyclops or a stray rocket.
Greer wasn't even sure what had happened before she was too late to stop it...
'Greer! Greer are you with Apex?' Xavier sounded like he was trying to not sound alarmed.
'Yea, what is it? What's wrong?' Apex was still blocking her path and focused on something down the hall.
'Greer...Logan is awake.' Greer's eyed flashed wide as she finally heard what was running down the hall over the deep rumble now coming from Colton.
***SHINK***
"No Logan! Wait!" Greer had turned to try and stop the charging Logan, but once her back was turned, Apex threw her further down the hall by the back of her shirt. Greer came out of roll and was able to just catch Logan tackling Apex into the Danger Room as the doors slammed shut behind them.
Greer had hammered on the door screaming their names after she realized that Apex had somehow plugged in Logan's override code; effectively locking them inside until Logan himself said otherwise.
"Greer what's going on? Where's Logan and Colton?" The Professor, Scott, and Jean had just come out of the elevator into the observation deck.
"You need to get us in there! They're going to kill each other!" Greer pointed to the mayhem going on down below.
Apex had sensed Logan the moment he had stepped out of the infirmary.
He had assumed something like this would be coming and when Logan had rounded the corner claws out, he had not been disappointed. Tossing Greer out of danger, Apex made sure to lock them inside the one place he knew he wouldn't have to be concerned about her getting in the way.
From their last confrontation, he knew that Greer would likely try to insert herself and that was not going to happen this time.
"You missed yer chance, kid - you shoulda run cuz now I'm gonna gut ya." Logan and Apex paced around each other, Apex waiting patiently for Logan to make a move and considering how angry Greer would likely be if he killed her mentor.
"GRAAAAAH!" Logan attacked claw first, expecting the other feral to fight him much like Creed would, but Apex blocked most of Logan's attempts at disemboweling him instead of attempting to trade slashes. Logan lunged low, trying to close the distance, but Apex was able to stay out of range of Logan's extended claws and get a grip on Logan's wrists before making sure to rip his own claws through until he felt bone scrape on steel.
Logan twisted his hips to get in close and shuffle-kicked Apex hard in the stomach causing him to lose his grip and the two separated.
"Why did Weapon X send you here? What do they want!?"
"No one controls me anymore." Apex was keeping a close eye on Logan's wrists, silently counting.
"Bullshit. You put all of us in danger just by breathin'. I'm not sure what you said to convince Chuck to keep you around, but I can still smell Creed all over you." That got a roar out of Apex and Logan smirked at getting under his skin. This guy was too hard to take on when he was focused. He needed to get him on edge. Bringing up Creed seemed to do the trick. "Don't worry. If it's Creed that's been training ya, I should be able to make this quick."
Logan threw down his fists to extend his claws...only to blink in surprise when nothing happened.
"Wha?" Logan tried again but realized he couldn't make a fist...the son of a bitch had ripped out the tendons in his wrists. Logan couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh that's clever." Apex just growled back. He estimated he had another three minutes before Logan healed enough to regain the use of his claws.
Logan however, was unfazed. "But your mistake was thinkin' I needed my claws to kill ya'."
Logan stepped out his crouch and into an upright stance. Apex didn't like the change he saw in Wolverine. It was well documented that after decades of training, Wolverine possessed several forms of martial arts, some of which had died out, leaving him as the only known practitioner and making countering extremely difficult. Apex considered if denying him the use of his feral tools and forcing him to rely on a more focused technique was a miscalculation.
'It doesn't matter. You're the Weapon. He's the target. Kill 'em.' Apex could almost hear the crackle of the Admiral's voice on a com link that wasn't there. He ignored it.
This time Logan approached Apex without a bestial roar, instead with a highly focused look on his face that hid his intent to beat Apex to death with his feet if necessary. Logan rolled under a swipe from Apex and landed a hard kick to the back of his knee, dropping the larger feral. Logan followed with an elbow to the temple before scrambling onto his back. He tried to apply a choke, but unable to clasp his hands, Apex eventually flung him off and Logan rolled as Apex's fist slammed onto the metal floor where his head had just been.
'I'm running out of time.' Apex knew Wolverine would have use of his claws soon. He needed to end this while he still had the advantage. Dropping his hands, Apex invited Logan to try and engage in close.
Logan took the bait.
But without his claws, Apex wasn't as concerned about Logan closing the distance. This time when Logan attacked, Apex stepped outside Logan's lunge and reached around his extended arm while placing his leg behind Logan's knees. Catching him by surprise, Apex palmed Logan's face and drove him over his leg, and backwards into the ground. A dull metallic thud echoing around the room as the back of Logan's head slammed against steel.
'Wolverine might have an indestructible skull, but a brain can only take so much punishment.' Apex knew that a concussion, even temporary, would slow Wolverine down.
But Logan didn't need to think when decades of fighting and training ingrained instinct. While Logan knew he couldn't technically grab Apex with his hands - he did use his legs to serpentine up Apex's into an armbar. Realizing the dangerous position he was in, Apex grabbed his trapped arm with his free hand and used it as leverage to pick Logan up and slam him back to the ground. When that didn't work, he did it again, this time dropping all the way to his knees and the force of the slam making Logan release his hold as all the air was rocked out of his lungs.
Seeing Logan struggling to breath and still groggy, Apex grabbed him by the head, claws digging into his scalp, and held him up so he could meet his unfocused eyes.
"I'm na'...finish' you yet...bub." Logan grumbled as his eyes tried to focus.
"I'm not leaving."
"Sure ya' are." Logan finally felt his hand close into a fist and with a quick jerk sliced upwards into the giant feral's arm, forcing him to drop Logan and roar in pain. Logan saw Apex's eyes slowly begin to glow as the pain of the attack kicked in.
"C'mon. Lemme see it!" The ferals leaped at each other, claws extended and ended up in a scramble for leverage. Apex ended up on top, claws wrapped around Logan's throat. But Logan had managed to get one arm free and had his fist resting underneath Apex's chest, claws angled for his heart.
The two just stared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do.
"What does Weapon X want?" Logan spoke through gritted teeth as Apex sank his claws a little deeper into his neck, drawing blood.
"They don't control me. No one does."
"Then why are you here?" Logan demanded.
"I don't know..." Apex just kept staring at Logan as the doors to the Danger Room finally opened and Apex and Logan found themselves tossed to opposite sides of the chamber.
"That is enough!" Scott had finally overrode Logan's programing to get regain control. Xavier had been the one to yell, as Scott and Greer rushed into the room behind him, while Jean did her best to keep a struggling Logan and glaring Apex apart.
"Logan will you get a handle on yourself are you going to continue trying to kill Colton?" Xavier asked testily.
"Who?"
"His name is Colton." Xavier gestured towards Apex, "And he has agreed to stay here with us in exchange for our help." Logan looked back at Apex with a raised eyebrow but Apex just continued to glare.
"And you trust him Chuck?"
"Yes Logan, I do. And that's just something you're going to have to live with. Do you think you can do that Logan?"
Logan looked at Scott who gave a shrug of his shoulders as if to say, 'Hey, I'm with you.'
"Logan..."
"Yea...I think I can do that for ya'." Logan grumbled. Xavier turned his attention to Apex.
"And can I have your word as well Colton?" Apex let a few seconds pass as he considered making such a guarantee.
"I won't kill him." Greer looked nervously between the two and Xavier sighed but assumed that was the best he could hope for at the moment from either of them. He gave Jean a nod and she let Apex and Logan down.
"Colton, are you alright?" Xavier asked as the slash in his arm bled freely onto the floor.
"Yea..." Apex didn't look at Xavier, his gaze still locked on Logan, as Greer slowly came over to stand beside him in an attempt to apply a bandage from the first-aid kit from the observation deck.
"Come along then Logan. We still need to debrief you. Colton, please let Hank get a look at that." Xavier waited next to Logan until he started for the door along with Jean and Scott. Xavier didn't think it wise to leave the two ferals alone. But as the group turned to leave Greer ran over to Logan and pulled him aside.
"Logan, please." Greer knew trying to reason with Logan at the best of times was difficult but she knew that Logan's support was vital in getting the rest of the Mansion to trust Colton. "I never would have survived if it hadn't been for Colton. Promise me you'll at least give him a chance." Greer hated to sound like a child but she really didn't know what else to do.
"Tigger. I can't just ignore -"
"Promise me Logan. It's what any of us would do for you." Logan looked hard at Greer before turning his attention back to Apex over her shoulder. The larger feral still hadn't stopped looking at Logan...except to glance quickly at Greer.
"Promise me Logan." Greer needed Logan to say it. Logan looked back at Greer. When he had found out that she had been taken to Weapon X after his abduction...He had never wanted any of that to happen.
"Alright, Greer. I promise."
"Thank you Logan." Greer let out a silent sigh of relief. Logan turned to go but Greer stopped him.
"Logan..."
"Yea, Tigger?"
Logan stumbled backwards as Greer wrapped him in a tight embrace. He was stunned for a moment before smiling and returning the hug. Greer was one of the few people that actually did that outside of Jubes.
"I missed you Logan." Greer whispered into his shoulder.
"It's alright girl. You got me back. I'm not goin' anywhere."
"Good...and don't you ever do that to me again." Greer punched his shoulder to cover her relief. Logan was back. Everything was going to fine.
"I'll try kid." Logan made to leave but turned to watch as Greer walked back over to Apex, finally drawing his attention away from Logan. They stood close together as Greer talked quietly, making sure the much larger feral was OK.
Logan tried to keep his growl low as he made his way to his debriefing with Summers.
'That girl has no idea what's she's getting in to.'