The Alkali Lake...

Darkness surrounded the compound as the roar of the engine got louder. Suddenly, the darkness was cut with a swath of light from the headlamp of the motorcycle. The bike slowed to a stop, and the light dimmed and was cut with the engine. The man riding the bike dismounted and was about to move when something hit the ground behind him. He turned, and was surprised with a blinding light and an explosion that sent him and the bike into a nearby wall. The bike exploded on impact and the man slumped to the ground. Another man walked onto the road and snapped a thick collar around neck of the slumped figure. The man stood straight up and smiled,

"Ah, Logan, I knew you'd return."

---

Complete silence. Logan had no idea what time it was, or where he was. All he knew was that he was in excruciating pain and his healing factor was not helping or not working. He didn't know which. Currently, he was on a wall, with spikes through his wrists and feet. The sick bastard had crucified him, among other things. Whoever he was, he was gone, so Logan now had a chance to escape. With an inhuman cry of pain, Logan wrenched himself off the wall and tumbled to the ground, where he laid for a few moments to catch his breath. He knew he had been here longer than three weeks, although he had attempted to call for help after the first week. But that was ended when the man slit his throat and severed his vocal cords. His hands and feet screamed in agony, but he made it outside and was almost ten miles away by daybreak.

---

Salem Center, Westchester County...

It had been almost five months since Logan had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Rogue hadn't been one to wait for anybody, but she always caught herself staring out the window at the only road leading into the school. Waiting for him to return. Her protector. The owner of her heart. Logan.

Damn him, ' she thought, 'Why does he have to be so...so...argh!'

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and wheeled to find Bobby looking at her.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" he asked, innocently.

She sighed, and said, "What do Ah always look at? Or, rather, for?"

Bobby shook his head. "Oh. Ok. I see. Well, what are you doing tonight?"

Rogue shrugged, and sighed again.

"I don't know. Ah might go fo' a walk, or go an' help Storm in her greenhouse."

Bobby nodded.

"Kay. I'll see you later."

Rogue smiled sadly, and watched as Bobby left. Then, she looked once more out the window and turned to go out the side door. As she turned, a dark, hunched-over man came from the forests and staggered forward.

---

"Hiya, Storm. Ya need any help?" Rogue asked from the doorway. The platinum-haired African goddess turned and smiled.

"No, child. Thank you for asking however." she answered.

Rogue nodded and suddenly, went white.

"Mah God!"

Storm turned and saw a figure on the other side of the glass wall behind her.

"Goddess!!"

The figure stumbled forward and went headfirst through the glass. It hit the dirt floor with a hard thump, and the sound of ripping clothes and flesh. Rogue put her gloved hand to her mouth and her eyes went wide.

"Oh mah god, it's Logan!"

---

The Lab...

The sterile smell of the lab seemed to awaken the five people in the room. Dr. Jean Grey hated to give bad news, but it would have to be.

Logan is...dying." she said in a small voice.

The room went from total silence to complete mayhem, when Rogue began to scream.

"No! No! He can't die! He can't! No!!" she screamed, seeming to lunge at the unmoving body of her protector.

Jean nodded.

"I'm sorry, Rogue, but, the collar around his neck seems to be suppressing his mutation. He has all the classic signs of heavy metal poisoning, not to mention blood poisoning, extreme fatigue and mild frostbite. He's dying." she stated, her face stoic as she mentally added 'slowly and painfully'. Her eyes that gave away her feelings. Scott walked over to her and placed his arms around her. After a moment, the stone face cracked and tears began to roll down her face in a flood. Storm placed a hand on Rogue's shoulder.

"I am sorry, child. He was a good man," she said, her voice cracking.

Rogue wheeled to face her.

"Y'all are talkin' like he's already dead! All we gotta do is take off the collar and he'll be fine!" she said, almost hysterically.

Jean shook her head, and said, through the tears, "If it's removed, it will explode. Either way... Logan," she trailed off, not wanting to repeat that dreadful statement

Rogue's upper lip trembled.

"They knew. They knew who he was, an' how to get 'im. You sent him to his death! Y'all sent him to his death!" she began screaming at them. Storm reached over to comfort her, and she slapped away her hand.

"Don't you touch me," she said, with venom in her voice. "Don't any o' y'all touch me."

Storm took a step forward and said,

"But, child..."

Rogue warded her off again by removing her gloves.

"Don't ya touch me! Jus' leave me an' Logan alone. Ah...Ah need ta say goodbye...", she said, looking at the ground. The other three people left, leaving the two alone. Rogue crossed the room with giant strides and stood over Logan. He looked horrible. His breathing was erratic, he was bleeding from his nose, his chest, and his hands, where his claws were. He opened his eyes slightly and stared up at the crying girl staring back at him. He smiled slightly and tried to speak, but all that came out was a choked whimper. Upon hearing it, Rogue burst into fresh tears. Logan rolled slightly and grabbed a clipboard that Jean had been using and the pen attached to it. He flipped the page over and wrote in a style similar to a four-year-old.

'Y u cry' he wrote.

Rogue smiled sadly and said,

"'Cause yur dyin', Logan, and they can't help ya."

'no cry 4 me - i no worth it - just a man,' he scribbled.

Rogue shook her head.

"You are worth it. Yer mah protector. Mah best friend," she said. Logan kept writing.

'couldn't protect myself - almost lost u'

"Ya didn't lose me. Ahm right here."

Suddenly, his body was wracked with pain. He doubled over as spasms coursed through his body. Rogue backed away, but, he seized her bare hand. She gasped, but, nothing happened. Logan leapt off the table and picked her up. He turned and half threw, half slid her out of the room and closed the transparent blast door. Moments later, an explosion rocked the school and the lab was filled with bright white smoke. Rogue ran up to the door and began pounding on it, crying as the rest of the X-Men came up behind her. Scott was the first to speak.

"What happened here? What's going on?", he asked the hysterical Rogue. She turned around and started to scream. Scott ran forward and tried to peer in through the smoke. Suddenly, a clawed arm broke through the door, grabbed Scott and bashed his head off the transparent door. He went down in a heap and didn't move again. Logan broke through the door and kneeled, staring at the three women. He growled at them, and Rogue took a step forward. He sniffed the air and Storm yelled,

"Move, Rogue!"

Logan roared, pushed Rogue out of the way and charged. Storm didn't have a chance to react. She rolled with him and he kicked off her chest, knocking the wind out of her. He wheeled on Jean, and growled. He leapt at her, but, she warded him off with a sweep of her arm. He went flying to the ground, and when he started to stand, Rogue put her bare hands on his neck. After a few moments, he pushed her off of him, and staggered around drunkenly. Storm, finally with her breath back, stood, her eyes pure white. Rogue put up her hand, and said,

"No! Don't hurt him!"

Storm looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Child, he's trying to hurt us! We have to immobilize him!" she said

Rogue stepped in front of the kneeling Logan.

"He's hurt, and he can't help it. He's actin' like..."

"...a wounded animal.", Jean finished.

---

The Alkali Lake...

A fist slammed into an instrument panel as a red light turned black.

"Damn it all," The dark man said, from his perch on a chair. He swung the chair around to face the motley crew of men and women behind him. "Wolverine is still alive. He got the suppressing collar off...and why am I telling you people? You're lucky you understand 'Din-Din time'," he said, putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he sat up and looked at the men and women again. "You three," he said, pointing at the three on the end, "go to Westchester and find Wolverine. Bring him back here by any means necessary."

---

The Gym...

For the third time in an hour, Jean was shocked into silence. First, Logan seemed to return to near normal after a few minutes, rather than hours, after encountering Rogue's touch. Second, he left the secondary lab within ten minutes of recovery from the heavy metal poisoning. Third, he was now in the gym, doing push-ups. Handstand push-ups. Which he had not been able to do before. Scott, still nursing a bruised forehead and ego, walked through the doors and stopped in his tracks. Logan grunted once and rolled to his feet. He strode over to a nearby heavy bag and began beating on it. Scott stepped forward and whispered to Jean, "I didn't know he could do that."

Jean shook her head, and returned the whisper, "He can't, or, at least, he shouldn't be able to."

Suddenly, the doors opened again, and Rogue walked in. She gasped loudly and Logan turned to look at her. He brought his finger to his lips, in a hushing motion. Then, he lashed out suddenly, and hit the block of concrete above the heavy bag with a triple spinning backfist. It shattered under the force of the blows and the bag tumbled. Logan breezed past the three shocked mutants and out the door. Rogue followed quickly after.

"What did they do ta ya?" she said, with sorrow in her voice.

Logan wheeled on her, hatred blazing in his eyes.

"Maybe I should ask you the same," he said, vehemously.

Rogue backed up a step, her voice giving away the hurt inside her.

"What are ya talkin' about?"

Logan growled at her.

"I'm talkin' about how no one bothered to come after me or even attempt to look fer me. You people left me to die up there. Even when I was here, I had ta save myself!"

Rogue could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

"We tried to save ya...."

Logan's eyes narrowed.

"Must not've tried hard enough. Stay away from me. I thought that I had someone in this world I could trust. I guess I was wrong," he said, before turning away, and stalking off.

---

The Forrest...

Logan sat, perched in a tree, smoking a cigar.

'They betrayed me. I know they betrayed me. Or did they? I should know that my memories aren't the best judge. But, which are real? Which aren't? Dammit, why can't I remember?!' he thought to himself. He swore under his breath and puffed heavily on the cigar in his mouth. 'I do know one thing. They left me there. Xavier and his big round room should have been able to find me. They left me there to die. They all did. Even...her.'

Logan sat there for a moment, thinking about the girl that had plagued his dreams since he had left and had kept him going during those times when he was being tortured.

'But, she left you there too. She could have told Xavier to look for me. She could have tried...'

Abruptly, Logan leapt out of the tree and began tearing into the surrounding trees. His claws flashing brightly in the moonlight. Soon, the forest around him was laying in shambles. Logan knocked the cigar away from his mouth and stalked farther into the foliage.

---

The Mansion...

No one said anything when Rogue suddenly excused herself from the table and ran from the dining room. She ran up the stairs into the dorms, but, ran past her room, and right into Logan's. Tears streamed from her face as she threw herself into his bed. Logan's words still rang in her ears, but she managed not to crack when she went to dinner. However, when she looked at the table that the adults sat at, and saw a place for Logan, she couldn't take it anymore. She felt the dam break and she ran from the room crying. Now, as she lay in Logan's room, crying her heart out, she thought back to what he said to her. Some of his words hit home. She hadn't tried to look for him, short of staring out the window and waiting. Was this her fault? Should she have tried to look for him harder?

Nonsense, child. You could have done nothing for him.

Rogue gasped and sat straight up in Logan's bed.

I apologize for intruding, but you seem quite disturbed.

Rogue's eyes began watering again.

Professor, why does he blame us? She asked, mentally.

Because, Rogue, he...is confused. I think he understands that we are not to blame here, but, he is confused on why we did not look for him., Xavier answered, almost slipping and telling something that should not be brought to light. Not yet, at least.

Professor?

Yes, Rogue?

Does he hate me?

Xavier paused, allowing her sadness to wash through him

No, Rogue. He doesn't hate you. I assure you, he just needs some time, Xavier said. He broke the connection after telling her that maybe she would be better off going to bed and silently prayed that he hadn't made a promise he couldn't keep.

---

Outside the Mansion...

Quietly, a car slowed to a stop outside the gates. Three figures slipped out and scaled the perimeter fence. Just as they were about to enter the front door, the unmistakable sound of a match being lit snapped behind them. They turned and gasped as they saw the match being applied to the end of a cigar.

"It's him," One whispered to the rest.

Logan shook out the match and inhaled deeply.

"I can smell that rotten bastard on all three of ya, so, ya better git talkin' b'fore I gut all o' ya, on principles alone." He said, bitterness tainting his voice.

The tallest one stepped forward, and took in a shuddering breath.

"We are under orders to bring you back to the Installation, dead or alive."

Logan chuckled in his throat and took a step forward. All three took several backwards.

"Lookee here, junior. The only way I'm goin' back to that hellhole is in a pine box. And the only way the three of you are leavin' here is in a pine box, so, either way, we're all screwed, aren't we?" he growled at them.

The smallest of the three, most likely a girl, began shivering. Then, she let loose with a volley of what looked like lightning. It struck Logan in the chest and he was thrown backwards almost twenty feet. He was back on his feet in a matter of seconds, his claws were out and he stepped back in a fighting stance.

"That was your lucky shot. You won't get anymore."

The tallest one took a step and suddenly, Logan felt a fist hit his chops hard and he went backwards again. He was up before he hit the ground.

"I'm tired of these kiddie games. Let's go," he snarled. The tallest one stepped forward again and Logan sidestepped the speeding youngster and planted a belly full of adamantium into him. The boy went down hard and Logan was on him like a rabid dog. Logan stood up and took a step away from the boy's bloody carcass. He started to turn, when he was frozen in place. He couldn't budge an inch. The second tallest stepped forward, shaking like a leaf. Logan growled at him, and said,

"You'd better hope you can outmaneuver me, 'cause, if I catch ya, I ain't gonna play 'Freeze Tag' wit'cha."

The younger man turned and ran just as Logan's 'time out' wore off. Logan leapt and took the man down with a flying clothesline. After breaking the younger man's neck, he stood, and faced the girl. She was shivering again. He reared back to impale her with his claws, when he felt hands on his neck, and Rogue screaming,

"Logan, no!"

Logan growled in pain and spun quickly. Rogue flew off his back and rolled to a stop on the ground. Logan, who was momentarily stunned, fell over. The girl stopped shivering and ran away, quickly scaling the fence again and disappearing into the night. Logan stood, dazed and uncoordinated for a moment, before shaking it off. He wheeled on the hapless girl, and growled again.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! I told you I never wanted to see you again...," he said, between clenched teeth, before being interrupted. Rogue stood up, brushed herself off and returned Logan's look and growl.

"Who d'ya think ya are?! Y' killed two innocent people!" she screamed at him

"I think they were tryin' to take me back to Alkali Lake, 's what I think," he said, an angry glint in his eyes. He started to say something else but, a well placed fist to the temple quickly shut him up. Rogue's eyes glared at him from under her ruffled hair. Logan stared at the little Southern gal in disbelief. He took a step backward and smiled. She glared at him with angry tears streaming down her face. She threw another punch and connected with his stomach, which was still a bit raw from the electric attack he received earlier and all semblance of humor disappeared from his face. He snarled at her and leapt, not expecting to be thrown like a rag doll into the mansion wall. He rebounded off the wall, and hit her with everything he had, full body weight behind it. She rolled with his momentum and jerked her arms backwards, sending him sprawling. Logan stood and snorted in anger, then, took a running leap and tackled Rogue again. She hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her and Logan straddled her waist. He held his arm up by his head and popped his claws. Rogue felt the ground beside her and grabbed the nearest thing, which was a block of firewood. She swung and connected with his ear, sending him flying again. He laid there, face buried in the dirt, unmoving. Rogue stood, brandishing the firewood like a club. Logan groaned and rolled over. He opened one eye and looked at Marie.

"Marie, what did you hit me with, a truck?"

Marie shrugged.

"Ah guess Ah don' know mah own strength," she said, still weary of the berserk Logan.

Logan looked at her, and from deep inside, came a bubble of laughter. He began laughing hard. Marie stared at him like he was crazy and Logan stood up. Marie brought the firewood back again to strike him, but he held his hands up in surrender.

"I give. Don't hit me," he said, walking past her to sit on the steps. Marie slowly made her way over to him, and sat down next to him. He sat there staring at the ground.

"Do you know what happened up there?" he said, without turning to look at her.

Marie swallowed loudly.

"Ah have a pretty good idea." She said, her voice small

Logan shook his head violently.

"You can't understand what they did. They experimented on me! Again! And I walked right into it! I walked right back where they wanted me. Like a good little puppy dog," he said, anger edging his voice again.

Marie stared at him. She had never thought it was that bad. Her arm slowly wrapped around his shoulders.

"It'll be okay. You'll see. Xavier..." she started to say.

"Xavier can't do jack for me! The things up here," he tapped his temple, "are so messed up, I can't tell what's real and what's fake! It's like a big game to him! I don't understand anything! My whole life is gone! Everything I had before he found me is gone! I will never find it again, because he'll always be there. Waiting for me to stumble right back into his traps, like a good little dog!" he said, standing up quickly. Marie also stood.

"Well, then, let me help ya! At least I cain help ya with...somethin'. Anythin'! Logan, I l...," she stopped herself, and licked her lips, "I wanna help ya. Please, let me help ya."

Logan sighed heavily.

"Give me a few days. I need to think. To sort some things out by myself. Come back to me in a few days, if you still want to help me. I will see you in a few days." He said, before stalking back off into the woods.

---

The Installation...

The man's face was a mask as he listened to Jan, the girl, tell of what happened to her other comrades. As she finished, he stood out of his chair, pulled a pistol out of a side-mounted holster and shot her, point blank. She tumbled over a railing and into the water below, which seemed to open up and drag her down. He walked over to the steps and bellowed,

"I want Logan brought back here. Now! I want him found or I will throw you all into the Lazarus Machine!"

The 'water' bubbled in agreement. The remaining mutants all backed away quickly.

"I will come with you this time, since you people have the collective I.Q of a heard of caribou." he muttered, his face darkening.

"Logan, I will find you. I will succeed."

---

The Forest...

Snow began to fall as Logan waited for Marie to come. He began meditating, reflecting on the piece of his life that he knew. Marie was the only bright part. The one star in a sky of black, swirling emotions. He was about to go deeper when a voice broke in.

"Logan, come outta that tree raht now, 'fore you catch cold or fall, or sumptin'," Marie shouted up at him.

A smile cracked his stony face and he opened his eyes.

"Wouldn't do nothin' t' me. The worst thing that would happen is me cursin' up a blue streak," He said as he swung down.

"Ah know, it's tha principle, though."

Logan stared at her darkly.

"So, do you still wanna help me?" he asked

Marie nodded.

"Fine. Have a seat. We got a lot to talk about.

---

Outside the mansion...

A few vans pulled up outside. The man stepped out of the lead vehicle and looked around at the falling snow. He nodded at the van behind his and the car roared forward and broke through the gates. The Professor smiled evilly as his mutants stormed the compound, looking for his lost experiment.

---

Xavier's office...

An alarm began shrieking and Xavier wheeled over to the control panel. He flipped a switch, and several monitors came to life. Xavier watched in horror as what looked like hundreds of people stormed his school. One man stood out from the rest. He tried to reach out to his man, but, he couldn't break through his mental shielding. Xavier sighed in frustration and began speaking to all of his students.

This is Professor Xavier. All students, report to your bunks for immediate lock down. All teachers report to my office.

Within moments, Scott, Ororo, and Jean burst through the door. Scott was the first to speak.

"Not everyone is accounted for, sir!", he shouted, over the klaxon.

"Who is not here?"

"Logan and Rogue. Rogue went outside a few minutes ago to find him. We can't find them!"

Xavier stared at the monitors again as the man stared back at him through the camera. A feeling of dread washed over him as he stared into that man's eyes. He didn't have to be psychic to figure out that this man was evil. Pure and simple. Evil.

---

The Forest...

Logan smelled the panic before the alarms began going off. He stood up and smelled the incoming wind. His eyes narrowed as Marie stood up as well.

"Who is it?" She asked, quietly

"It's him, and his whole army. We gotta get back to the mansion. You gotta get back...," he said, as a second explosion almost rocked them off of their feet. He started to turn when he heard the hammer being pulled back on a gun. He wheeled around and saw the Professor standing behind Marie, a pistol pressed against her temple. Logan growled and unsheathed his claws.

"Ah, ah, Logan. Put those nasty little things away before I give your little friend here an impromptu lobotomy," the Professor said, pressing the gun harder against Marie's temple. She whimpered and Logan retracted his claws. The Professor smiled and said, "There now, that's better," He turned to the two mutants behind him, "put him in a retraining collar, as well as the girl. She's good collateral for what I have planned."

Logan clenched his teeth as the suppressing collar was slipped around his neck, popping into place with a metallic click. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been shut off from all of his senses. He swallowed loudly and looked as they snapped one onto Marie as well. The last thing he saw before the mutant hit him with the stock of a gun was of the Professor jamming a hypodermic needle into Marie's arm and injecting the contents into her.

---

The Instillation...

A metallic grinding sound grew louder as Logan swam up from unconsciousness. He wearily opened his eyes and tried in vain to lift his head. A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head up to eye-level. The Professor grinned thinly at Logan, and said, "Ah, good, you're awake. Now, we can continue where we left off, with your conditioning."

Logan was about to say something when the metal grating behind him sparked to life and hundreds of volts of electricity coursed through his body. He grunted and thrust forward away from the grate. The Professor stopped the feed and smiled at Logan again.

"I've been looking forward to this one, Logan, my friend," he said, his smile reaching from ear to ear. Logan cursed and said, "I ain't your friend, bub."

The Professor's smile grew a notch as he threw the circuit breaker.

Logan's screams of pain were almost drowned out by the Professor's maniacal laughter.

---

The Holding Cells...

Marie gasped as the three mutants unceremoniously dumped Logan onto the floor of their cell. She ran over to Logan and helped him to a sitting position. The mediocre light from the hallway cast a dim light across his back, and that's when she saw the wounds. She swallowed and gently ran her hand down his back. Logan hissed in pain and Marie shot up. She apologized and sat down beside him, being sure not to touch his back again. She brought up the canteen she had and gently poured water down his back. He hissed again, but relaxed as the cool water soothed the burns. Marie opened her mouth to speak when the door opened again and the same three mutants entered again.

"Get up. Let's go. We're taking you to the Genesis Tanks," the leader said to Logan. Logan's face paled considerably and Marie stared at him.

"What are tha Genesis Tanks?" she asked

Logan swallowed heavily

"They're tha' experimentation tanks. That's where I got m' bones," he said, lowly

The three walked forward and grabbed Logan. He growled at them and started to pull away when the Professor appeared in the doorway.

"Now, now, Logan, don't dawdle. We have a lot to do today. And tomorrow...," he said, looking at Marie, "Tomorrow, it's your turn."

This time, it was Marie who paled. Logan growled again, this time, with more force.

"You touch her and I'll rip your arms off," he said, his teeth showing.

The Professor turned and looked at Logan with a glint in his eye.

"So, it does talk. And a weak spot. Wonderful. Just magnificent!" he said, looking at the three mutants holding Logan back, "Take him to the Reconditioning Room, and bring the girl. I want her to watch."

A fourth mutant walked through the door and dragged Marie out. Only the Professor was left. He smiled at the empty room and said to himself, "Well, now, I guess we have the Wolverine's next target, don't we, my young girl."

---

The Mansion...

Scott paced past Xavier's door for the umpteenth time and finally knocked on it. Xavier promptly opened the door and admitted Scott. Xavier looked at the younger man, and said, his voice gravely, "Scott, what is it?"

Scott looked at the floor and then, at his teacher.

"Any word yet?"

Xavier shook his head.

"I'm sure they are at the Alkali Lake, but, I'm having a difficult time persuading the Canadian government to help us in our endeavor. It seems that, from what I understand, a top secret military experiment was performed there and they do not want to jeopardize national security," he said, staring at the computer screen next to his desk.

"And Cerebro?"

Xavier shook his head.

"Shielding for about a mile around the whole base. Not even I could get through."

Scott looked at him.

"Are we going in?"

Xavier looked up from the screen.

"Indeed, we are. But, we don't want to walk into any traps. This Professor, whoever he is, is very thorough. He took some very drastic and necessary precautions. No student is allowed leave the premises under any circumstance. I don't want to give that man any more lab rats," He turned and looked at Scott, "let's go find Logan and Rogue and get them out of there." Scott nodded, turned and walked out of the room.

---

The Installation...

The smell of ozone hung heavily in the air. Logan dropped back to the grate after the electricity was turned off, and hung there. The Professor was still laughing.

"Give in to it, Logan. Give yourself to me. End your suffering!" he said, into the microphone. Logan didn't reply and he signaled the mutants below to start the generator again. Logan screamed again and Marie looked away from the window. Strong hands grabbed her head and made her watch what was happening. The Professor knelt beside the chair she was chained to and said, "Isn't it wonderful? Does it make you sick, watching him up there, dying?"

Marie didn't answer, not wanting to dignify him with one. His smile widened and he said,

"Ah, the silent type. That's OK. I'll get your throat open. I want to hear your screams. And I will, soon enough."

Suddenly, an alarm warbled from the panel and the Professor stood up. He looked down at the platform as Logan wrenched his left arm free of the bindings. He grinned and watched as Logan pulled himself free and grabbed the nearest mutant, which happened to be the one controlling the electricity. He turned and threw him into the grate and held him there as the electricity surged through his body. Logan never blinked as he held the mutant there. He turned and left the mutant there, his skin fused to the metal, and he went after the two remaining mutants. One of them took a step forward and Logan dispatched him with a palm thrust to the nose, sending the cartilage into his brain and killing him. The second was trying desperately to open the door, which was not complying. Logan reached him and punched him in the throat. The mutant grabbed his throat and began hacking and coughing. Logan brought his elbow down across his spine and pushed. The mutant's spine snapped with a loud crack and he fell like a puppet with its strings cut. The Professor clapped his hands together and nodded at the two mutants at the door. They walked forward and picked Marie up by her arms. She looked around with wide eyes and then, stared at the Professor. He smiled at her, and said,

"I told you, I would hear you scream. Throw her in."

Marie began shaking her head and gasped as a section of the wall slid away and they threw her down a shoot into the Reprogramming Area. She hit the ground with a muffled thump and rolled to her feet. Logan turned and looked at her, his eyes blazing in anger. She backed up a step and encountered the wall. Logan walked forward and grabbed her around her neck. He hoisted her up and held her against the wall. She grabbed his arm and tried to breath, but, it was getting difficult. He growled and said,

"You! You did this to me! Now, it's your turn to suffer!"

---

Marie began gasping for breath and she stared straight into Logan's eyes and said,

"Lo-gan...I love you..."

Upon hearing that, Logan's eyes became soft again. He loosened his grip and she slid to the floor, coughing. Logan's head snapped around and he spotted the Professor looking down at them. His anger that had been flowing through his veins suddenly jumped back to life. He unsheathed his claws, which sent a spray of blood across the floor. He threw himself at the wall and began climbing. The Professor looked at the mutant beside him and said,

"Where is Logan?"

As if to answer him, a clawed hand burst out of the floor and grabbed the Professor's leg. He let out a choked scream as the hand dragged him down the chute he threw Marie down. Logan and the Professor both hit the ground at the same time. Logan stood first and grabbed the Professor. He threw him across the room and was on him in moments. The Professor, for the most part, put up a valiant fight, but, Logan's fighting experience won in the end. Suddenly, the Professor found himself on the business end of Logan's claws. The Professor's eyes widened as the sharp steel pierced his stomach and sank deep into his belly. As he gasped for breath, Logan pulled his claws from the Professor and grabbed the collar keys from his belt loop. Within moments, the collar was off, crushed and the blood streaming down his hands stopped. The Professor looked up at Logan and swallowed loudly. Logan stabbed him again, and lifted him up. The Professor's body shuddered in pain. Logan turned to the liquid coursing under the platform, and looked up at the Professor.

"Professor, did you ever imagine what would happen if you threw a live human into the Lazarus Machine?", he said, growling. The Professor looked at Logan, and his blood turned to ice in his veins. He began to scream and Logan heaved him over the edge. At the last second, the Professor grabbed the railing and clung on for dear life, but, the machine had already started and it surrounded his legs, and started to drag him down. Logan looked over the railing at the Professor and growled. The Professor stared at Logan and screamed,

"I am your father! I am the man who created you! Who gave you life!"

Logan grabbed the Professor's hands, and growled at him,

"You're no more my father than anyone in this world. As for creation, the heart creates a man, his heart and soul, and only one person in this world owns both of them. And you ain't that person, bub."

The Professor looked over at Marie, who was clutching her throat and staring at Logan. He turned his head back to Logan and began screaming again. Logan snarled and pushed down quick and hard, and the Professor heard the sounds of bones cracking before he felt the intense, burning pain shoot up his arms. He let go before he realized and fell backwards into the Lazarus Machine. The liquid came up and swallowed him. His scream followed him down as Logan turned away. Marie finally found her legs as she ran over to him. As she reached him, the door was blown away and Cyclops came charging in, his hand ready on his visor. Logan looked at him and said,

"Nice entrance, One-Eye. Not necessary, but, I'm always up for unneeded destruction."

Scott glared at him and walked back out of the destroyed door. Logan and Marie started out, and Logan stopped. He looked at Marie and said,

"I'll be there in a minute. You go ahead."

Marie looked at him for a moment and he nodded. She walked out and Logan turned back to the Lazarus Machine. He lit a cigar and stared at the horrific machine, whose origin was shrouded in mystery. Much like his own. He growled and tossed the cigar into the liquid, which promptly swallowed it. With that, he turned on his heel and stalked out the door.

---

The Mansion...

Winter wind blew past the frosted window as Logan sat at his desk, writing. Dropping the pen, he folded the letter and picked up his duffel bag. He quickly scribbled Marie's name on the front and walked over to her room. He taped it carefully to the door and placed his head on the hard wood.

"Sorry, Kid. I'm too messed up to be having anything with you, let alone a relationship...," he whispered to the wood. Suddenly, he stood straight and walked towards the front door. When he reached the front gates, he looked back. Marie's light was still out. He swallowed loudly, and grimaced at the lump in it. He pulled the gate open and slipped out. A few miles up, he managed to catch a ride with a kindly man. As he got into the car, snow began to fall.

"Where you goin', stranger?" He asked, staring at him.

Logan shrugged and said, "As far as you're goin'."

The man nodded and said, while flipping on the radio,

"I hope you don't mind..."

Logan shook his head and listened to the song that came on.

Memories are just where you leave them
Dragin' waters till the depths give up their dead
What did you expect to find
Was it something you left behind
Don't you remember what I said when I said

Don't fall away
And leave me to myself
Don't fall away
Leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands again
Leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands
Love lies bleeding

---

The Mansion...

A car backfired loudly, shocking Marie out of her sleep. She sat up out of bed and opened the door to get a drink of water when a piece of paper came with the door, flapping. She pulled it down and read it. As she read, tears began to stream down her face.

Ah, hold me now,
I feel contiguous
Am I left the only place
That you've got left to go
She cries, what life is like
Some movie black and white
Dead actors, faking lines
Over and over
and over again she cries

Don't fall away
And leave me to myself
Don't fall away
And leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands again
Leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands
Love lies bleeding

Marie choked on a sob and ran for the front door.

And I wanted
You turned away
You don't remember
But I do
You never even tried...

She got there and threw open the door. Logan was standing there, covered in white snow. She gasped as he stared at the ground. His duffel fell to the ground and she threw herself at him. He caught her and she hugged him as tightly as she could. He gently set her down and took the note from her.

Don't fall away
And leave me to myself
Don't fall away
And leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands again
Leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands again
Leave love bleeding
In my hands
In my hands again

Logan started down the walk again, and crumpled up the note. He growled at the offending piece of paper and hurled it as hard as he could.

Ohh...

The paper flew end over end into the cold night.

Ohh...

The paper disappeared into a snow drift and Logan walked back to the Mansion and back to Marie. His home. His life. His heart and soul.