The time was 7:50 A.M. - the X-Men, aboard their Blackbird were just 20 miles out from Las Vegas. With little time to spare, Scott activates the ship's stealth mode as they discreetly hover over the commandeered Air Force One.
"Alright, gang, I did some research on our "Mutant Liberation" friends on the way here. Apparently they're some sort of mutant supremacist group intent on inciting a human-mutant race war. I guess this little incident must be their "shot heard 'round the world" moment. Kurt, you're first up. Pop in there, grab President Kelly and the first lady, and pop out."
"Vith pleazure, mein Kapitän", replied Kurt. He was eager to have an active role in a mission as an X-Man. At a certain point, defending the Papacy against Protestant mutants on the debate floor was getting, for lack of a better word, boring. Within a second, he disappeared in a puff of black-purple smoke.
"Logan, you're up next", said Dr. Grey. "Soon as Kurt comes back with our hostages, you make your way onto the roof of the plane and cut your way in. Take out as many of them as you can, rescue the pilots, and have them land the plane somewhere safe, we'll meet you guys on the ground."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ah'm sorry, d'yu really intend on droppin' him inta that plane fulla killer mutants with no backup whatsoever? An' how the hell d'yu expect him to reach the plane in the first fuckin' place? Jump? Y'all do realize that's a several mile drop if he misses? At least spare 'em a fuckin' rope", asked a worried Rogue. She didn't want to spend her afternoon scraping her flesh pancake of a boyfriend off the shoulder of a blisteringly hot Nevada road. She knew he had a healing factor, she just had no intention of seeing how far it could be pushed. Can't'ya at least have Kurt blip him in there?"
"Kurt's done his part already. Besides, he's survived worse", said Scott. Rogue could detect a pinch of resentment in his voice, probably over Logan almost stealing his girl right from under him, before Rogue and he realized their feelings towards each other. Pursuing Jean was, in Logan's own words, purely a puerile attempt at pissing off the "hotshot pretty boy teacher's pet" Summers. Often Rogue wondered how far Logan would have taken that "attempt", had she not been so brave. Ah, but such thoughts had become mere folly, as she gazed again into his marbly blues. Frank Sinatra, eat your heart out.
"Tha's not the point, dammit! At least send me in with him, Ah can hold mah own in a fight, Ah'v been trainin' in the Danger Room for weeks now!"
"No, Rogue, can't risk any unnecessary fatalities."
An impassioned Logan stood up. "For the love o' God, Marie, I'll be fine. Like one-eyed jackass over there said, I've survived bullets, bombs, swords, acids, poisons- All've tried, 'n' all've failed. If anything happens that I don't come back, I'll let you hold it over Scott's head until the end o' time."
"But ah don' want'yu to not come back. Ah love you, an' ah wanna keep ya 'round fer a real long time. If ah dun lost'yu, ah dunno whut Ah'd do, an' Ah'll be damned if yur dyin' without me bah yur side." It always tugged at Logan on the inside to have people worry about him dying, when everyone he's ever let get close to him, as close as Rogue, met their end at a time entirely too soon. The thought of him living to see her on her deathbed, whether it was her time or not, haunted him in his worst nightmares.
"I love you too, darlin'", said Logan, "but as much as it worries ya, I'm gonna need you to trust me. A hundred 'n' sixty-two years I've gone without dyin', and here you are, thinkin' that either gravity or some mutant dorks are gonna put me down for the count." He placed both his hands on her shoulders, brushing her hair off her face. "I promise, soon as this mission's over, we'll take a nice vacation, just you 'n' I. A little break from all the world-savin'. Sound good?"
"Well, when you put it like that..." she began, right before she smacked Logan right on the mouth with a big *SMOOCH*! They shared this tender moment until Rogue felt her drawing in a little too much of Logan's life force. His healing factor had learned to adapt to it, working double-time to replace damaged cells whenever her energy-absorbent skin touched his, but it too had its limits. If only she could control these suck-ass powers of hers, she'd hold onto him as tight as she could and never let go.
"Give 'em hell, sugah."
"Will do, darlin'.
"Are we gonna wrap up this episode of "Days of Our Lives" any time soon, or are we just gonna let these terrorist guys fly Air Force One into the Las Vegas Strip?" asked an impatient Jubilee.
Rogue stifled a girlish giggle as she returned to her seat.
"Kid, y'wanna know why I always come back? Cuz I'm the best there is at what I do," said Logan.
"And just what is it you do?" asked Rogue, knowing damn well what the answer was.
"I kick ass", he said, when as if right on cue, Kurt returned, with the leader of the free world and his wife in tow. Logan lit his cigar, and lept claws first out of the ship's cargo door.
Bobby scoffed to himself, "Show-off."
"W-what? Where the hell am I?" said President Kelly, in a daze of confusion, rattled after nearly having his life taken from him.
"Robert... why is that man blue?" inquired Mrs. Kelly.
"My God, MUTANTS!! I- ... I, uh..." President Kelly, an avid critic of mutants and their advocates, stood dumbfounded at the sight before him. The X-Men, a group he'd condemned for years, all for a bit of donor pocket change, had just saved his and his wife's life, and possibly the lives of hundreds of thousands of human Americans just like him. "I... I'm sorry, but who are you people?"
"You're among friends, Mr. President", Scott said, standing above. "There's no need to be afraid. We're the X-Men. We're American patriots, just like you." The team had varying opinions on the President, Bobby's being the most obvious (having Kelly's headshot taped to a dartboard in his room), but if there was one thing Scott Summers excelled at, it was diplomacy, even with someone who his friends couldn't stand the sight of.
The commander-in-chief took a good look at his surroundings, and said, "I gotta lay off the scotch."
Minutes before...
The head terrorist checked his watch. 7:51, and his bank account was not yet loaded. Needless to say, he was pissed.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock, Mr. President. 9 minutes to fill my coffers, or the ENTIRE city of Las Vegas will be WIPED off the map, the first casualty in the grand finale of the eternal war between man and mutant."
"Son, I don't know who you think you are, but the United States of America does not negotiate with terrorists", insisted President Kelly. He consoled his weeping wife in his arms, as she said a prayer in the midst of their coming judgement.
"Acting like a hero? This early in the morning? Fine then. In fact, you have my permission to die like a hero as well. It's a damned shame you won't be around to see the fireworks." He lifted his hand and pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun at the President's head, his fingertips lit like matches. "At least you'll go up in flames like one, you and your bitch wife!"
"OH, GOD, ROBERT NO!", the first lady screamed, when suddenly, POOF!
"The hell?" The terrorist stood astounded as he witnessed what appeared to be a blue demonlike creature appear out of a black cloud, standing right in front of his hostages whom he planned to flambé not 5 seconds previous.
"Hallo! Ich believe zeese two have boarded ze wrong aeroplane, zo if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking zem home now."
"Like hell you are, GET HIM!", he barked at his men, as they rushed towards him. Unfortunately, before they could lay hands on him, he disappeared yet again, in the same blackish-purple smoke in which he arrived. On top of that, the hostages were nowhere to be found.
"WHAT!? HOW!?!? HOW DID WE LOSE THEM?!?"
"Sir, I think we just got boarded by the X-Men."
"Whatever, it appears the humans have made their choice. War, it is, then. Time to put Phase 2 of our plan into effect."
"And that is?"
"Crashing this plane", he said, while making his way to the cockpit with a loaded gun in hand, "WITH NO SURVIVORS!"
The two henchmen could heard two pops coming from the cockpit, and with that they knew their fates were sealed. The ringleader took control of the plane, planning to crash it into the most populated area in Las Vegas, the Strip. He believed that this act of mass murder would trigger a worldwide manhunt for every mutant known, or unknown, to man, forcing their people into an international revolution they likely wanted no part in. A war for ultimate world dominance, in which either man or mutant would arise victorious. They said their final prayers, as they knew they would be giving their lives in the name of the glorious future of worldwide mutant supremacy. In the name of the genetic jihad. In the name of-
THUD*
"The hell was that?" remarked one of the henchmen, as what sounded like a giant anvil fell directly on top of the plane, making a visible dent in the roof.
Wolverine landed atop the plane, just a foot away from the tail wing. He dug into the ship with his claws to secure himself.
"Sonofabitch Summers", Logan growled to himself, climbing to his feet after landing, "didn't even have the common courtesy to lend me a fuckin' rope, makin' ME jump out of a fuckin' plane, makin' MY woman worried to all hell, makin' ME hav'ta kill these jihadi bastards MYSELF, WHY DON'T I THROW YOU OUT OF A PLANE, SCOTT, SEE HOW YOU FUCKIN' LIKE IT?!?"
Just then, a stream of bullets burst through the plane's hull, piercing his torso multiple times. He groaned in pain, but thanks to his healing factor, the pain just made him angrier. He tore into the ship with a blinding fury, slashing his way into the cabin.
"WHICH ONE O' YOU MOTHERLESS FUCKS WANTS IT FIRST?"
Facing Logan were 3 henchmen, each with unique mutant abilities; one who could generate lightning from his fingertips, another whose skin was as tough as stone, and yet another who was able to multiply himself. Logan made the thinking man's choice of diving claws-first into the multiplier's face, preventing him from spawning in any additional forces.
Next up was the Stoneskin, who picked Logan up by the scruff of his X-Man custom made uniform, and threw him as hard as he could at the back end of the plane. Stoneskin swung his fist into the emergency door, blowing it right off its lock, and off the plane entirely. Stone wrapped his hand around Wolverine's neck, preparing to throw him out of the plane.
"Have a nice flight, traitor", said Stone.
"Thanks, you too", said Wolverine, shoving his claws right into his eyes, which were unfortunately *not* made of stone. Howling in pain, Stone mistakenly let Logan out of his grip, allowing him to escape.
Zappo charged at Wolverine, fists full of fury. Well, fury and electricity. Logan easily sidestepped him, knabbed him by his clothes, and threw him right into his blinded friend, sending them both tumbling out of the jet... and into the jet engine.
The ship immediately began to lean, and alarms filled the air. The ringleader stepped out of the cockpit to see what all the ruckus was about, and nearly crapped himself at the sight of the Wolverine, a man bloodied, and very, very angry.
"Alright, bub, show me whatcha got."
"YOU FOOL! YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE WITH BLOOD!", he yelled, before engulfing Wolverine in blazing hot flames. His face charred, but still very angry, he simply said, "Been a damn minute since I've had some good barbecue", before lunging at the ringleader with the ferocity of... well, a wolverine.
The X-Men had touched down at a deserted landing strip just outside of town. Scott was searching the skies for the plane using the new upgrades on his visor (thank you, Jubilee).
"Where the hell's this damned plane? I coulda swore I told him where we were gonna be."
"Naw, all Ah remember iz'yu basically pushin' him out the back of the fuckin' plane without so much as a parachute! He could be roadkill right now fer all we know!"
"I wouldn't've "pushed him out the back of the fuckin' plane without so much as a parachute" if I didn't think he could handle himself, Rogue. Believe it or not, but I don't totally hate the guy, at least when he leaves my damn bike alone."
"Well, ah gotta say, it's a damn fine ride." Rogue fondly remembered her journeys on that hog, the sound of the engine purring the engine purring, holding tightly to Logan's back, arms wrapped around his torso with gloved hands, head lying on his back, taking in all the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of nature. Like something out of a romance novel, only less corny and better-written.
"Excuse me, but, uh, I'd like to extend my thanks to you all", said President Kelly, still trying to make sense of what transpired in the previous 4 and a half hours, "but I'm running late for a PAC in Idaho, I don't suppose my wife and I could bum a ride off of your, erm..."
"PLANE!", shouted Bobby, pointing up at the sky.
"Yes, your plane, uh... What the hell?" Said the commander in chief, looking up to the sky, along with the rest of them. Scott was relieved that his faith in Logan's violent talents had paid off, and that the plane was descending towards them as planned. Then relief turned to worry, then to cold-blooded fear. The plane's engine was on fire. And it wasn't descending.
It was falling.
Logan, after having made chopped liver of the ringleader for roasting his sideburns, made his way towards the cockpit. He knew this plane was going down fast, and that if he didn't act quick, countless lives would be lost. With no time to spare, he took the seat of the dead pilot, pulling as hard as he could away from the populated city. In his peripheral vision, he spotted the Blackbird, along with his team, and the first family. He steered his chariot of fire like hell, trying to crash-land as close to them as possible without harming them.
Air Force One collided with the sands of the Nevada desert with a thunderous BOOM!, which could be heard for miles. The flames flew, her wings broke off upon impact, and the husk of what was once a mighty airship came to a halt, at least 400 yards from the X-Men's current position. The team, Rogue in particular, raced over to the half sunk wreckage.
"LOGAN!", screamed Rogue at the wreckage, hoping for any sign of life. Suddenly, SHING! SHING! 2 sets of 3 volent slashes criss-crossed each other, carving the shape of an X into metal hull. With a swift kick, Logan had broken his way out of the fallen ship, meeting the shimmering morning sun.
"I told ya, I'm the best there is at what I do. And what I do", he said, lighting a new cigar, "is kick ass."
"THAT'S MAH MAN!!!!!", Rogue hollered, as she lept right into her lover's arms, showering him with kisses, whilst thankful to almighty God that he was still alive. Wolverine, caught off guard by her sudden embrace, fell backwards, ass-first into the desert sand. The team shared a hearty chuckle at the sight of them, while President Kelly simply threw up his arms and said:
"God Bless America!"
"I don't wanna rude, Marie'", said Wolverine, "but I'm drenched in another man's blood. Ya might wanna let me shower first before ya get all puppy-doggy on me?"
"A shower?", inquired Marie, a devious smile spreading across her face. "Mind if ah join?"
"Darlin', you just read my mind."