SGi- chapter 5
Logan had enjoyed the palpable unease that rippled through the room, a mischievous glint in his eye as he'd casually dismissed the need for an additional room, declaring his intent to share quarters with Mia. The General's cheeks had tinged with color, his efforts to conceal the reaction falling short.
Beside him, the bespectacled Dr. Jackson and Colenel Carter had been similarly afflicted and hadn't able to hide it nearly well as General Hamond. Colonel O'Neill had glared something fierce at Logan while Dr. Frasier's eyes had darted between Mia and Logan, her own composure betraying a hint of surprise. The only one Logan couldn't get much of a read on was the stoic Teal'c.
Logan could form their brief meeting that the man was hardened through hardships and had hands bloody as his own. As everyone had reacted to his words, the man had simply raised a brow and continued to sit as he was.
Once everyone had calmed down, the general had accepted they would spend their time together in the one room, respecting their wishes, but stated his offer for a separate room stood.
Finally alone with her, Logan turned to take a good look at Mia. She squirmed under his gaze and his eyes narrowed to show his displeasure at her diminished frame.
"They feeding ya alright here?"
Mia nodded vigorously, but Logan didn't seem happy with her reply and grunted.
*0*0*0*
He looked around at the plain interior of the VIP room he found himself in. Shook his head to himself to clear painful memories. He had a strong hate for government agencies and especially secret bases of all sorts. They always had something to hide and he did his best to stuff down the rage that was starting to build inside him when he thought about past experiences in secret bases.
After their debriefing had concluded, two Airman had guided him and Mia back to the VIP room Mia had been assigned. The one next to it was also pointed out as Logan could choose to use it, but he'd opted instead to share the space with Mia.
Upon entering the small room, Logan sneered at the bland interior that was reminiscent of all government facilities predictable and uninspiring. The air is heavy with a scent that's trying too hard to be clean and he crinkles his nose as he inhales the antiseptic air. Mia led him to the room's closet which was full of some generic clothing like sweats and shirts and they'd managed to find a size that fit him. He thanked her and took the clothes into the bathroom to clean up and change.
In the bathroom, he peeled off his suit, torn up and riddled with bullet holes, stained with his blood. He showered quickly, feeling uneasy as he pulled on the clean, generic clothing form the closet before stepping back out into the main room.
Since they had some hours before they'd they could return home, it had been decided they could remain in VIP rooms. Logan was not granted the same access to the base that Mia had been, but Logan didn't stop to ponder that. It was obvious that the general was no fool and he no doubt would be keeping a close eye on him for the duration of his stay at the base.
He saw Mia sitting on the bed, sketching something on some paper with a pencil form the desk. Looking over her shoulder, he smirked as his own image stared back at him from the pad of paper.
The pencil stilled as Mia stopped her sketching and turned to face Logan, her legs folded underneath her on the bed.
"I hope you don't mind. There wasn't much else to do in here while I waited. I made some others too, so don't let yourself get too cocky." Mia smirked and Logan's eyes widened as she showed him the detailed images she'd conjured up of friends from home. He rolled his eyes as he noticed Stark was sketched more than any of her other subjects, but didn't let himself get riled up over it. He didn't have the right to be jealous or upset about who her heart had chosen.
"Let's get some food and then we can talk about what you missed during your time here."
*0*0*0*
Mia got off the bed she'd been sitting on and opened the door to step out, but Logan placed a protective hand on her shoulder to stop her and went first instead. He looked to either side and noted the airmen stationed at the door. He gave them a nod which they returned in a serious manner. Then, with a smooth gesture, he offered his arm. Mia, cheeks warming with a touch of pink, took it, stepping out into the open with a mix of gratitude and a shy twist over his protectiveness.
A teasing comment was on the tip of her tongue in response to Logan's over protectiveness. She wanted to call him out on it, but she held back, reminding herself that Logan had every right to behave in such a manner considering his past experiences. She also felt it would be rude in front of the Airmen who weren't far behind them now as they walked the corridor, so she followed quietly for the time being.
The cafeteria was well stocked catering to the erratic schedules of the various teams which were always coming and going at all times of the day. Mia and Logan had no trouble finding things to eat and Mia rolled her eyes as Logan kept adding to her plate.
By the time they'd found a table to sit at, Mia's tray was piled high with enough food to feed at least two people. They had barely settled into the rhythm of their meal when SG-1 and Dr. Frasier arrived, seamlessly integrating into the camaraderie at the elongated table they had chosen as their own.
Dr. Frasier and Major Carter sat on either side of Mia, while Col. O'Neill and Teal'c sat on either side of Logan, with Dr. Jackson furthest away on O'Neill's side. Logan knew they all had questions and smirked at how obvious they were being. He wondered if they'd kept tabs on them and chosen this time to ambush him and Mia.
Mia picked at her food, uneasy with so many new faces, but none seemed deterred as they all made like they were getting into their meals.
To Mia's surprise, it was Logan who started the conversation.
"So, you guys travel through wormholes to other planets, huh? Sounds like a wild ride"
He was keeping the conversation casual, continuing to eat like he didn't care.
Colonel O'Neill was the one who replied, interrupting Dr. Jackson who was about to say something that he was clearly passionate about.
"We can't deny or confirm what happens at this base since you aren't authorized. You're just hanging out here until whatever brought you here takes you back."
Mia looked hurt at the reply given to Logan. O'Neill was no slouch and winced a bit at his rudeness. "Sorry. Don't mean to be rude, it is what it is."
Logan shrugged and continued to eat.
"So, you have claws in your hands huh?" The Colonel asked the question lightly, but it was obvious that he and his collogues were curious about the deadly weapons.
Mia was surprised when Logan didn't say something snarky, but instead held out and hand and allowed the claws to slowly creep up a few inches before retracting them quickly. Even though it wasn't her first time, she still winced seeing the wounds on his knuckles open and then heal up.
"Looks painful." The colonel winced as the claws retracted ad Logan just shrugged.
"Indeed."
*0*0*0*0*
An uncomfortable hour later the pair again opened the door to their assigned room where they would remain until it was time for them to go home. The mealtime conversation had brought up a lot of questions on both sides. Everyone was amicable, but the topics they'd taken on were heavy.
There were questions about Logan's abilities, Mia's abilities, mutants in their world and their treatment in general. When Daniel had played devil's advocate and sided with some of the mutant control measures, Logan had growled at the man and he'd quickly apologized. It didn't seem Logan cared for, liked or disliked the team and he simply kept eating and answering questions.
Mia herself had been a little surprised by some of what she'd heard, but after the events of the day didn't feel very chatty herself. She'd been unable to fully relax since waking up in the cave on P3X-666 and then finding herself injured and in a top secret government base wasn't much better. Then she'd found out that not only had she ended up on another planet, it was actually in another reality.
She'd tried to keep everything in stride, go with the flow of events and keep breathing. Mia had done her best to move forward in the situation she'd found herself in, but never was she able to really accept it or relax. There was a constant tension in her shoulders and an ache in her chest where her anxiety gathered.
When Logan had walked out of the shimmering pool of light earlier, it was like all the tension she'd been carrying came up to the surface, ready to blow. The world around her had melted away as she'd clamoured to the familiar figure in the embarkation room. She'd not felt the pop of her shoulder as it was dislocated and she'd not heard General Hammond telling the soldiers not to fire. Despite the smell of sweat and exertion, the sticky feeling of blood on his clothing, she'd been immensely relieved when she finally pressed herself to him and he'd wrapped his arms around her, growling at the soldiers pointing guns their way.
The briefing afterwards had been exhausting for her, the release of emotion in his arms had been intense and the relief she'd felt with him seated next to her had been almost palatable.
It was only her concern for him that had kept her from collapsing into a deep sleep once they'd entered the VIP room and although she didn't argue, eating wasn't something that had bene at the forefront of her mind.
Once her meal was done, Logan finished his up too and the pair excused themselves from the table, but not before they were invited to the base gym for a friendly sparring session.
Now, both laying back on the bed, Logan holding Mia they were catching up on missed events.
*0*0*0*
"So Tony is working with SHEILD as part of a superhero team?"
Logan could tell how tired she was and what an effort it took for her to take in all she'd missed, all the information he was giving her as they lay on the bed, his arm holding her close to his heart.
Logan grunted, not caring for Tony Stark, but he knew the man was important to Mia.
"He came around the mansion lookin' for you. Things didn't go well when he learned what you'd been up to. Healing Xavier, helping us find the missing kids and healing them as much as you did. Man looked like he was going to tear the whole place apart to find you.
Luckily he had the red head with him. She calmed him right down before things got too out of hand. Eventually, we took him to the lower levels and he met with Jubes and the other kids you'd saved and something changed in him and he looked proud of what you'd accomplished."
"Pepper, she goes by Pepper." Mia had placed a hand on his arm as she spoke and he nodded as he took her hand off his arm and held it with his own.
"Right, Pepper. Well, she had some words with him and whatever he'd been feeling changed fast enough that Jean and Chuck got wide eyed with the swing of emotion he experienced.
He walked out of the mansion and got into his fancy car with Pepper saying he'd be back.
A few days later he came back and told the team what was what and now here I am."
"So after he found out I'd gone missing and about Gateway, he went off, joined a superhero team with SHEILD, and got a hold of Richard Reed. Somehow, all those things came down to him gaining access to a machine that opens portals to different Earths in the Multiverse?"
Logan hadn't cared much for the science or what had gone into getting him to Mia. When Stark had told him he could find her he'd just nodded and done as told for once. Seeing that Stark was the only one who seemed to know where she was.
Logan shrugged "Sounds about right. That's not all though."
"What more could there be? Do I want to know?"
"The reason SHEILD made the superhero team. Aliens are coming to Earth and they're hostile. Since time moves different there and here, I'm not sure what things will look like when we get back. Stark had said they only had days left before the attack. I've been here a few hours now, things might be getting' hairy back home."
"Aliens? Where are aliens coming from, how are they getting to Earth and where on Earth are they expected to show up?"
Logan shrugged. "Not my problem. I wanted to find Jubes, that's done. I wanted to find you, and here we are. I'm not getting mixed up in whatever's going when it has nothing to do with me."
*0*0*0*
Mia nodded at Logan's indifference and selfishness in that moment, knowing he'd been around long enough to become jaded and untrusting of the world. She could see it in the lines around his eyes when he narrowed them to study a person. She could feel it in his heart beat when he held her close to provide comfort. She could see it in the way he carried himself around the other X-Men. Not to say she wasn't a little disappointed that he didn't want to help when he was capable. She didn't think she could ever walk away from a situation where she could help someone. She prayed that she'd never find herself in a situation to find out again after her escape from the caves. Even to the day, her mind would turn back to the caves, to the time before the caves and she wonders if she could have done something different. Something that would have involved less death and chaos.
Logan was not one who was blind to the horrors of the world, he'd probably had moments when he'd tried to be the hero. As all heroes, he likely suffered great losses along with victories. She didn't know the full tale of his life, but knew he'd lost a lot in his lifetime. Now, he was a man who was fine keeping to himself, so long as those he cared for were fine, the world could be left to burn.
She sighed, wishing he had more information for her, but didn't question him further.
"Alright Logan. Can't say I'm not curious to learn more and a little more than worried about Tony, but right now I'm just so relieved not to be stuck here forever. Thank you for coming to get me."
She looked down at her new watch and noted they only had four hours left until the portal would open up to take them home.
"Well, I know you won't be able to rest here. Secret government facility and all that. Did you want to take Colonel O'Neill up on his offer to spar with Teal'c at the base gym?" Logan cracked his knuckles and smiled in a way that made Mia glad she wasn't going to be on the mat.
*0*0*0*
The two opponents circled each other within the borders marking the boundaries of the spar.
Teal'c and Logan were sizing each other up, feigning in one direction and then the other, trying to catch the other off guard to no avail. At each feint they'd both back up again to their respective sides, studying one another, thinking up another way to try attacking.
After a few minutes, Logan smiled and lunged at the taller man with a snarl.
Colenel O'Neill looked at the small group standing on the sideline with him incredulous. "Did he just snarl at Teal'c?"
Mia shrugged, while Daniel, Major Carter and Dr. Frasier focused more on the match and studied how Logan was carrying himself in the spar. Daniel started in on a scientific breakdown of ancient civilizations and animal worship and it sounded like he had a lot to say. O'Neill rolled his eyes and lightly told him to stop distracting them from the show. Daniel stopped immediately as Teal'c had taken the opportunity to strike.
Logan dodged easily and returned the attack without hesitation. Teal'c also dodged and the two circled once more, assessing the other more closely.
This time, it was Logan who attacked and managed to graze an arm on his opponent. At the same time, Teal'c tried to pull Logan to him to gain some control but the move was ineffective as Logan stood his ground solidly.
Eyes widened on the sidelines as they saw Teal'c struggle to budge the shorter man while he stood his ground, feet planted solidly on the mat.
Teal'c's eyes widened, and he backed off quickly, knowing that Logan could have easily taken the momentary slip to attack.
Logan seemed to be waiting, almost goading Teal'c to attack again. Mia knew that Teal'c wouldn't be able to hurt Logan, not in a way with lasting consequences, but she worried about how the General would react if Logan seriously hurt someone under his command.
Teal'c struck again, this time his fist was a blur as he moved to Logan. He was smiling, letting out all he had it seemed as his arms and legs landed blow after blow.
Each blow was easily blocked and as they separated once more, Teal'c was flexing his hands, eyes narrowed on Logan.
The two kept at it longer with Teal'c attacking and Logan on the defensive until Logan called it.
The group, except for Mia didn't understand what had happened. Teal'c and Logan separated and each bowed low to the other, acknowledging the other as a worthy opponent.
"What are you bowing for big guy? You guys hardly even started?" The Colonel thought the two might be a good match and wondered why the spar was being ended so soon.
Teal'c stepped out of the ring while Mia went to Logan on the far side of the ring.
"The match is not equal O'Neill. We may both be of equal fighting ability, but his physical status makes it extremely difficult to compete and he halted the session before I caused damage to myself.."
Samantha Carter's eye lit up as she recalled what had happened with the chair during the debriefing. "His skeleton is covered with an extremely heavy and dense metal. Hitting him, must have been like hitting a steel beam." She looked amazed as she glanced at the other man across the ring. Blushed when his gaze caught hers with a smirk and looked away quickly.
*0*0*0*
It wasn't long after the match in the base gym that Mia and Logan found themselves in front of a swirling vortex in the embarkation room.
Farewell's were made as Logan stood by the gate, once more in his fighting gear which looked a bit worse for wear. He'd opted to leave the casual clothing from the VIP room behind. He looked impatient to go home and Mia didn't blame him one bit. She knew he'd keep her safe, but was nervous about what was on the other side of that shining portal.
With a final farewell to the people who'd watched over her in this reality, Mia turned to Logan and they both stepped into the portal which would take them home.