Logan sat impatiently in the seat of the Blackbird, fidgeting and drumming his fingers as his thoughts whirled in confused circles. The Professor was alive – how? Logan had watched Jean kill him. Xavier had smiled at him before disintegrating into thousands of tiny pieces. Jean! Could she still be…? No, he had stabbed her, ending her life, her torment, saving the others. He hadn’t felt like a hero; he’d felt exactly the opposite. He should have found another way, should have done something, anything...
Logan cursed as the ‘should haves’ swirled in his mind. He peered over Storm’s shoulder again to read the dials. The flight to Scotland would have taken a normal plane many hours, but the Blackbird could make it in under two. Still two hours too long in his opinion.
‘Logan will you please sit still! And stop scowling like that!’ Storm snapped, her nerves fraying as they got closer and closer. Logan just grunted and dropped his head back. He shouldn’t really be surprised. He’d known Chuck was powerful, more powerful than almost any other mutant he knew, but rising from the dead? It was like something from one of those stupid horror movies Marie had made him watch last Halloween.
‘We’re almost there,’ Storm’s voice broke into Logan’s thoughts. She was barely holding it together, Logan noticed. Hank unfolded himself from where he’d been sat in silence at the back of the jet and came forward. They both watched tensely as Storm landed, unable to voice their fear – what if it wasn’t Xavier?
A woman in a white lab coat moved forward to meet them as they disembarked, a hand extended in welcome. Hank shook it briefly, moving out of the way for Storm to embrace the woman.
‘Logan, this is Moira MacTaggart,’ ‘Ro said, her smile strained.
‘It’s nice to finally meet you, Logan,’ Moira smiled. ‘I’ll take you straight to him. Follow me.’ She led the way into the squat building, swiping her identity card at the checkpoints.
Logan clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He hated the smell; the disinfectant, the sharp metal tang of surgical instruments. His eyes constantly roved the surroundings for threats he knew wouldn’t be there, but he couldn’t stop himself. He took another deep breath and concentrated on what Moira was saying.
‘It was about a week ago. I have a patient who’s in a vegetative state, and I sent a case study video to Charles about him some weeks back. I went in as normal and he spoke to me! This patient had no higher brain function whatsoever, so you can imagine my surprise!’ Hank nodded in agreement with her words whilst Logan ground his teeth with impatience. How many corridors did they need in one building for Chrissakes!
‘Over the last week he’s grown in strength and is now able to sit in a chair for large amounts of the day. He has explained to me what happened, and is very much looking forward to seeing you.’ Moira paused at another set of doors. ‘He’s waiting for you in here.’
‘Logan heard Storm’s sharp indrawn breath and watched her square her shoulders before pushing the door open, closely followed by Hank. He shook his head then followed.
The man seated in the wheelchair by the large windows turned as the door opened, his face breaking into a bright smile. Although clean-shaven, he had a full head of thick, brown hair. Logan judged him to be in his late forties.
‘Welcome to Scotland, my friends,’ the man announced, sweeping his arms wide. He looked wrong, sounded wrong and smelled wrong. Logan began to growl softly.
*It is me, I assure you,* came the Professor’s voice in their heads. *I’ve missed you all, even you Logan,* the man in the chair smiled at him. Storm’s face crumpled and she rushed to embrace the man. Hank also approached and patted his shoulder, but Logan hung back.
‘Logan?’ the man asked.
‘You smell wrong,’ Logan ground out, glaring at Ororo when she chuckled, his eyes whipping back to the man as he laughed.
‘I’m in a different body now, Logan. I’ll smell like this man and sound like him too. I may be able to avoid death but I’m not a miracle worker,’ he smiled.
‘Rising from the dead sounds like a miracle to me,’ Ororo said, hugging the Professor again.
* * * *
‘Hello?’
‘Marie? It’s Logan.’
‘Oh, hey Logan.’ Marie tucked her hair behind her ears and sat back in the chair. ‘Is the mission going well? Is everything okay?’ Logan never usually phoned while he was away with the team. Marie caught a hint of unease in his voice.
‘Yeah, the mission’s fine, darlin’. We’ll be coming home soon, and we’re bringing someone with us.’ Logan hesitated. ‘It’s the Professor.’ Marie froze, sure that she’d heard wrong.
‘What do you mean? Ah don’t understand,’ she faltered.
‘Neither do I,’ Logan confessed, sounding miserable. ‘He said something about switching bodies, or moving into a vacant mind, I don’t know, I didn’t really get it. Something to do with a guy in a video you all watched.’
‘It’s really him? He’s alive?’ Marie’s breath caught in her throat. ‘You don’t sound too happy…’
‘I can’t get used to the fact he smells wrong. It’s Chuck’s thoughts all right, he sounds right in your head, but the man he’s in is all wrong. All my senses are telling me it’s not him.’
‘You think it might not be the Professor?’ Marie asked sharply.
‘No, I think its him, I’m just having a hard time accepting it. Anyway, I’d better go, we’re leaving in a minute; I just thought I’d warn you. We’ll be back in about two hours.’
‘Okay, see you soon.’ Marie put the phone down and stared blankly at it. Did she just imagine that conversation?
* * * *
‘Who buzzed?’ Bobby asked, sauntering through the door with his arm around Kitty. When they saw Marie leaning against the table, the awkwardly shuffled apart. Marie ground her teeth at them. When were they going to get a grip?
‘Wasn’t me,’ Jubilee said, lounging in a chair.
‘It was me,’ Marie interjected. ‘I just got a phone call from Logan. Where are Remy, Kurt and Pete?’ she asked, just as Kurt popped up behind Jubilee, making her jump.
‘You asshole!’ she shrieked, leaping over the back of her chair and chasing him around the table, Kurt poofing out of reach every few feet. Remy and Pete walked in, completely ignoring Jubilee’s antics.
‘What’s the problem, chére?’ Remy asked Marie. ‘Remy was beating dis metal man at poker.’
‘Will you two stop that!’ Marie yelled at Jubes and Kurt, surprising everyone. She swallowed in the sudden silence. ‘The Professor’s alive,’ she said quietly. ‘’Ro, Logan and Hank have just picked him up. They’re on their way back now.’
‘Have you been hit on the head?’ Pete asked, squinting at her forehead.
‘Ah’m being serious. Logan says he looks different, but it’s definitely the Professor.’ Marie could see they didn’t believe her.
‘You know, this really isn’t funny,’ Bobby said angrily, putting his arm around Kitty again.
‘Ah’m telling the truth!’
‘Rogue, he died! You just have to get over it!’ He started to walk towards the door.
‘Wait a minute Bobby,’ Kitty said. ‘Hear her out.’ Bobby stopped but didn’t turn around.
‘Logan said something about the guy in the case study video that the Professor showed us a while back. That the Professor had moved his consciousness into the man’s mind.’
‘He really did it?’ Jubilee gasped, dropping back into her chair with a thud. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Yeah.’ Marie watched as Jubes jumped up and started hopping around the room, whooping, hugging anyone she bounced into. The others soon joined in, forming a mini-mosh pit in the middle of the room. Marie tried to squash the loneliness she felt at still being left out, telling herself it was the Professor’s moment and not to be selfish. She sat down at the table and waited until they calmed down.
‘Hey, hang on, that means he’s in a whole new body,’ Jubilee said, stopping suddenly. ‘Wow. The Professor with legs; that’ll take some getting used to!’
* * * *
They were all gathered around the map table, watching the blinking dot that represented the Blackbird getting closer to the mansion. There wasn’t much talk, everyone too nervous and excited. After Pete threatened to sit on Jubilee for the third time if she didn’t stop fidgeting, they all groaned.
‘For crying out loud, will you two go somewhere and work it out!’ Kitty yelled at them. As if on cue, the alarms started shrieking piercingly. Kitty ran to the keyboard and rapidly tapped the keys. ‘It’s coming from the hangar! Something’s broken through!’
They all piled out of the room towards the hangar. Marie could feel her skin stretching over her bones, her fingers buzzing. She fell to the back of the group, slowing as she tried to figure out what it meant. The tearing of metal echoed up the corridor and they all skidded to a halt.
‘Oh no,’ Marie muttered, her eyes widening in fear. ‘It can’t be!’ She stared at her hands in horror as they itched to touch the metal surrounding them, longing to feel it bend and tear. She’d only felt like this once before: on the Statue of Liberty, in that machine.
‘What is it?’ Kurt asked urgently.
‘Magneto!’ Marie whispered, taking a step back, her eyes still glued to her hands.
‘Chica, get a grip! He’s taken the cure, it can’t be him!’ Jubilee yelled.
‘The cure doesn’t work! My mutation’s coming back, and Ah bet his is too!’ Marie swallowed the tears that the others could hear in her voice, forcing herself to concentrate. More sounds of metal grinding together came from ahead of them, and they stared fearfully at the door as it started to bend away from them. With a huge cracking and screeching, the door broke away entirely, revealing what was left of the hangar. The roof was torn to pieces, metal fragments swirling around inside, gravitating towards the figure hovering in the darkness. He slowly floated forwards, revealing a face twisted by hatred.
‘You tried to take my mutation from me!’ he hissed venomously. ‘You failed. And now you must pay the price!’ Magneto flicked his fingers, sending shards of glistening metal speeding towards them. Marie acted purely on instinct, throwing up her arm to shield her face as she stopped the fragments dead in the air. They hung motionless, in front of the junior X-Men. Magneto looked stunned, his eyes sharpening on Marie.
‘Well, well, well,’ he muttered, advancing towards them, a bitter smile twisting his lips. ‘Little miss Rogue. What interesting talents you have, my dear. Let’s see how far you can stretch them.’ He gestured, ripping up a huge section of the floor and flinging it at them. Marie just managed to shove it aside, flinching as it smashed through the wall. Magneto ripped up another section, halting as a voice boomed around the destroyed hangar.
*Let them go, Eric! You don’t want to hurt them*
The huge lump of metal spun slowly in the air as Magneto’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Charles?’ he mumbled.
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