New York State Penitentiary: Plastic Ward...
Alan Price, the guard on duty, was walking through the plastic conjecture towards the special cell. He never thought about the pen in his pocket as he went to feed the mutant murderer, Erik Lensherr a.k.a. Magneto. He had forgotten he had put it there when he came in on his shift and wasn't really worried about it when he walked through the door into Magneto's cell.
"Supper, freak," Alan said.
The pen, which was brand new from a set his 6-year-old daughter got him for Christmas, began jerking in his pocket. It flew out and pierced his forehead with supernatural grace. It exited the other side with a bit of blood and the last thing he saw was Magneto laughing at his stupidity, and his last thoughts were of his daughter.
Xavier's Mansion...
The snow continued to fall steadily as the new year approached. Logan sat outside, smoking. He hadn't had the nerve to go inside since the boy blew up the lab around him.
"Little bastard," he muttered to himself. He heard the gates open, but wasn't worried until he saw them fly through the air like a couple of Frisbees. He slowly made his way to the driveway and was shocked to see Magneto floating through the air towards the front door. He lowered himself and shouted, at the top of his lungs,
"Charles! Come out and show yourself! You have a lot of explaining to do!"
Logan heard Professor Xavier's chair before the front door opened and he glided out. Magneto smiled at him, frostily.
"I told you, old friend. That plastic prison of theirs didn't hold me forever. Now, I have come here to destroy your dream as well."
Xavier shook his head.
"Erik, do not do this...," he began, but, couldn't say anything else because he felt his chair flip out from under him, spilling him onto the ground. The wheelchair floated into the air, and was suddenly crushed like an aluminum can. Magneto gestured and the destroyed wheelchair flew across the yard. The steel supports of the school began to shake and Logan's first thoughts were to stop this man. He sprinted across the yard, leapt and tackled Magneto. The two men flew through the air and Logan popped his claws into Magneto's midsection. Magneto yelled in pain and Logan flew through the air like an unseen hand had slapped him across the yard. Magneto stood, holding his stomach and he held a hand out in Logan's direction. Logan suddenly was floating in the air, about two feet off the ground. Magneto clenched his teeth as he walked towards him.
"Ah, Logan, Logan, Logan. We might have been comrades had the conditions been different."
Logan twisted in the air and he spat at him,
"Yeah, maybe, but, we ain't."
Magneto tightened his fist and Logan felt a tugging deep within his bones.
"Now, you will pay for Charles's sins against mutant kind," Magneto said, and he splayed his fingers.
The adamantium that had been bonded to Logan's entire skeletal system for thirteen years or more suddenly was destabilized and was ripped from his body through his pores. Logan screamed in pain as the metal he became dependent on was ripped from its moors and out through his skin. The entire school, including Marie, watched in horror as Magneto dropped Logan and he fell to the ground and didn't move again. Xavier suddenly roared and Magneto looked at him.
"No more, Erik! I have stood by idly and watched as you massacred innocent humans and mutants alike. Logan shall be the last!"
Xavier stood erect for the first time in years and grabbed Magneto. Magneto was shocked and suddenly, a yellow light surrounded the two men. Magneto stared at Xavier and Xavier put his hand to Magneto's head. Magneto screamed and both men fell over. Scott and Jean, broken from their revere, ran over. Scott went to Xavier and said,
"What did you do? What happened?"
Xavier stared at Scott and said,
"I took away his hatred. His mind. Everything. Magneto no longer exists."
Jean, on the other hand, went to Logan. He was a mess. The adamantium that had been previously in his body lay in a liquid around him. Marie came running from the mansion and over to the two.
"Logan! Logan!"
Scott caught her again, and shook his head. Marie stared at him, tears streaming down her face.
"Ah just got him back. Ah cain't lose him again. Jean, please help him!"
Jean nodded at the girl, concentrated on the broken body of her best friend, telekinetically lifted him into the air and carried him to the mansion, with Marie and Scott close behind, carrying Xavier.
The Lab...
The silence was deafening as Jean examined the broken body that was Logan. Hours passed when she finally came out, taking off her bloody examination gloves.
"As far as I can tell, Logan will live. However, he will be on life support for a long time and...I'm not sure if he will walk again."
Marie stood up and stared at her, in shock.
"But, his healing factor..."
Jean cut her off.
"It's been taxed. Any wound that heals breaks open again. His body can't keep up with the damage. He...uh...wants to see you, Marie." she said.
Marie brushed past her and into the darkened room. She flipped on a nearby light and saw Logan on a table, surrounded by beeping machines, tubes and hoses running to and from his body. She stifled a sob and walked over to him. His skin was livid and he was barely breathing. He looked like death warmed over. She dragged a chair over to him and sat down. He turned his head and looked at her.
"Hi Logan." she said, her voice thick.
"Hey there, darlin'."
Marie held back another sob and swallowed hard.
"They...they're sayin' you may not walk again."
Logan closed his eyes and coughed harshly. He opened them and looked at her, his eyes almost black.
"Marie, if I get out of this bed again, it'll be a miracle."
She looked shocked.
"Don't say thaht! You know it's not true!"
Logan shook his head.
"Listen, darlin', I gotta tell you some things. I gotta get this off my mind."
Marie nodded and settled back.
"Turn off the light, wouldja, darlin'?"
Marie nodded again and got up. She turned off the lights, and sat back down. Logan reached over and took her hand.
"I managed to salvage a computer from the boy's lab. I was born in what is now Cairo, Egypt in 240 B.C. I had a half brother by the name of En Sabba Nur and I was driven out by him to become the next ruler. I somehow managed to find my way to Japan, where my mutations manifested. I killed an entire village to keep it from escaping. I would have been hunted down. Slaughtered. I was only 13. What was I to do?"
Marie only nodded; everything that he was saying was hitting pretty hard. She squeezed his hand and urged him to continue.
"I fell under the wing of a mutant samurai by the name of Boshido. He took care of me and even gave me my first sword. He...was killed when I was 16, by a rival of his by the name of Ogen. I killed him, and buried my friend. After that, I became a ronin. A samurai for hire."
Logan coughed again and a dark liquid came to his lips. He quickly brushed it away with the sheet around him but, Marie had seen enough to know that it was blood. He grimaced and said, "Darlin', those drugs she gave me are kickin' in. I'll continue tomorrow. Good-night, Darlin'."
Marie smiled at him, and said,
"Good-night, Logan."
Logan's Room...
Snow smashed against the window as Marie stood next to Logan's bed. The sword he had received, what started all of this, lay on his pillow. A squeaking filled her ears and she turned to see Professor Xavier wheeling himself into the room.
"Rogue," he said, his voice soft, "I'm sorry, but Logan went into cardiac arrest a few minutes ago. Jean attempted to bring him out of it, but..."
Marie's eyes widened and she screamed, "No!"
Marie sat up, startled out of her dream. She looked around the room and saw that it was 7:00 in the morning. She got out of bed and went to change clothes. Jubilee and Kitty hugged her when she came in. "We're sorry, Rogue. We heard about Logan." Jubilee said
Marie stared at her like she was crazy.
"What are ya talkin' about? Logan's fahn," she said
Kitty shook her head.
"You mean, you didn't hear?"
Marie shook her head slowly.
"Logan had a heart attack late last night, right after you left. His body rejected the medication that Jean had given him, but, Jean got him stabilized. She said that she misread the labels and gave him the wrong medicine."
Marie's breath caught in her chest and she turned and stalked out of the room. She swiftly approached the Lab and found Jean staring at a computer screen. She looked up at the opening doors and opened her mouth to say something to Marie when Marie's arm shot back and came across her cheek. Jean spilled over onto the floor and Marie climbed up onto the desk so that she could look down at her.
"Are ya sure ya're his friend, or even a doctor?! That's three times! Three tahmes that ya have done something wrong ta Logan! So help me God, if'n ya screw up agahn...," she left the threat at that and spun, walking into where Logan was. His breathing was erratic and his skin was even more pallid than it was the other day. She sat down and took his hand. He didn't move. Not even a twitch.
"Logan, Ah hope ya can hear me. Ah...Ah love ya, Logan. If ya leave me, I don't know what Ah would do with mahself...," she trailed off, her accent becoming thicker with each passing moment. Finally, the dam burst and she put her head against his and cried. She laid there until a hand began shaking her.
"What?! Jean, if thaht's you..."
She looked up to see Logan staring back at her.
"Logan..," she whispered. He nodded.
"Yeah, darlin', it's me. Jeannie sure did a number on me, but, I'm alright. I still have more ta tell ya, Marie. Sit down."
Marie pulled up the same chair again and had a seat, still holding Logan's hand.
"I already tol' you about when I met the daimyo and his daughter, and when I left Japan. I traveled across Asia and Europe and settled down for a little while. Until, that is, the villagers came after me. See, many of the wise men said that I looked like a wolf in a man's body, and about the same time I arrived, children started to go missing, turning up looking like they had been mauled by a bear or a..."
"Wolf," Marie finished.
Logan weakly nodded.
"Yeah. They came after me and...," Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, "There was a girl there that looked like you. She tried to protect me and they...God help me...they tore her apart. She reached for me when they killed her and I snapped. The next thing I apparently remembered was that I was found outside another village, approximately a hundred miles from the one that I slaughtered."
Logan looked up at her again, his eyes haunting,
"I am a killer. A murderer. That's....that's why I wasn't sure if I wanted to be with you. But, now I am sure. Marie, I..."
He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. His heart monitor began beeping faster and Jean ran in, a bruise in the form of a hand on her cheek.
"Out! Now!" Jean yelled. Marie panicked and ran out of the room, right into Ororo, who was on her way to assist Jean.
"Stay here, child!" she said as she ran into the Lab.
Marie walked over to the opposite wall and slid down, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sat there until Jean and Ororo emerged from the Lab, emotionally and physically tired.
"He's okay. We got him stabilized again. His heart is trying to quit on him, but his will isn't ready." Jean said, sitting down heavily.
Marie stood up, nodded, and ran from the room as fast as she could.
Professor Xavier's office...
Sun shined and the snow began melting around the compound. Marie walked in and Xavier looked up at her.
"Ah, Rogue, how have you been?" he asked, a warm smile on his face
Marie's eyes were blazing with anger, sadness, and fear, among others.
"Ah need you to find a new doctor for Logan. Please, Professor, Ah beg of ya. Jean's nice an' everythin', but..." she was going to finish when Xavier spoke up.
"I have already taken the liberty of calling an old student of mine, by the name of Dr. Henry McCoy. He shall be here within the hour."
Marie looked at him with a confused look on her face
"Student? What are his powers?" she asked
Xavier smiled his all-knowing smile, and said, "You shall see, Rogue. You shall see."
The Foyer...
Mud and melting snow mixed on the front lawn to make for good puddles that the younger students were having fun leaping into. The doorbell rang and Marie answered it. A huge hulking creature with blue fur stood in the entranceway. She screamed loudly and threw the door closed. A deep chuckle came from the other side of the door, and a voice said, "I am sure Charles is greatly appreciative of your attempt to keep the school protected, as well as yourself. However, do you believe that an antagonist would come up the driveway and ring the doorbell?"
Marie thought about this for a moment before throwing open the front door again.
"Dr. McCoy, Ah presume?" she said, with a small smile on her face.
Henry McCoy nodded and stepped in the doorway. Marie made a mental note to kill the Professor, then, taking Dr. McCoy's coat and hat.
"Thank you, child. It is greatly appreciated." he said, smiling.
Marie held out her hand.
"Mah name's Rogue." she said.
"Dr. Hank McCoy." he said, accepting the outstretched hand.
The Lab...
Instruments buzzed and hummed all over the place as Hank walked into the room. Jean looked up from her computer screen to see who had come in, only to find a slightly angry Hank McCoy.
"Hi Hank, what are you doing here? Things at the Trask Company not keeping you so...busy?"
Hank's frown only got deeper.
"Jean, I left because I felt it was time for a mutant to be out there who could make a difference using medicine and gene therapy, not pleas to the government and stealth jets. I still feel that way. However, I am relieving you of your patient. Professor Xavier and I both agree that you have too much of an emotional attachment to him, and that is making you very dangerous to him and your other patients. Now, if you will excuse me, I must tend to my new patient. You may leave." he said, turning on his heel. Jean stared at his retreating back in surprise.
"Wha...what? What are you talking about?"
She received no answer. Hank walked through the double doors into where Logan lay, comatose. His heart monitor beeped away, and a machine helped him breathe. Hank sighed and pulled out a small cassette recorder. He turned it on and spoke into it.
"Case number 001287. Patient Name: Logan. Age: Unknown. Condition: From what I understand, he was attacked by Magneto, and the metal, known as adamantium, that was bonded to his bones, was destabilized and forced out through his pores, creating grave wounds that his mutant healing factor could not withstand. I shall now make my diagnosis." he said, as he set down the recorder. He sighed, pulled on a pair of gloves, and started working.
The Stockades...
Darkness enveloped the man sitting on a bunk. An open faced helmet lay in a nearby corner on top of a cape. The man put his head in his hands and silently cried. He couldn't remember anything of who he was, what he was, anything. All he knew was that his name apparently was Erik, and he obviously did something very bad to get into a jail.
"I do not like the name 'Erik'," He said to himself, "It is much too overbearing. Too formal. I believe I shall change it. But to what? Hmm..."
Erik settled down and began to think.
Professor Xavier's Office...
The cheers of the younger students did nothing for the somber atmosphere of the office. Xavier sat behind his desk calmly, his hands folded in front of him. Hank was sitting on the arms of a chair in front of him.
"Are you sure, Hank?" Xavier asked, his voice calm and collected
Hank nodded and said, "Yeah, Charles, I'm sure. He might be ok after the surgery, but, there's no way to determine the side effects."
Xavier looked into Hank's eyes, his never wavering.
"What might happen?" he asked.
Hank broke contact and looked at the ground. Then, he looked at him again.
"I don't know. He could have a relapse, he could come out just fine, but, if we do not get that adamantium back into him, he will die. I must duplicate the procedure perfectly, or Logan will eventually..." Hank swallowed, "He'll eventually suffer hemorrhages and his healing factor will not be able to handle it. What's left of it, that is."
Xavier looked up at Hank.
"What are the possibilities of recreating the process to the letter?" he asked, his voice wavering.
Hank's face was stony, and his fur appeared darker, almost black.
"Almost a million to one," he said, quietly
The Lab...
The nose jabbing smell of disinfectant hung heavily in the air as Hank walked into Logan's room. He looked up from his file, only to be surprised at seeing Logan sitting up in his bed.
"Oh, my...hello Logan." He said, his voice soft.
Logan turned and looked at him.
"What the hell are you?"
Hank smiled slightly.
"My name is Henry McCoy. I'm an old friend of Professor Xavier's."
Logan nodded.
"You're one of Charlie Brown's buddies, huh?"
The corners of Hank's mouth turned up and he broke out in uproarious laughter.
"Yes, indeed, I am. I must remember that one. Pleasantries notwithstanding, I must tell you some very grave news."
Logan turned and spoke up.
"Break it to me soft. I'm still kinda breakable."
Hank sighed deeply, and looked him straight in the eye.
"I'm afraid that you are going to begin bleeding internally in a few days, unless we can..."
Logan stared back, and said, "Spit it out, Hank. Unless you can what?"
Hank swallowed deeply, and said, "Unless we can completely reperform...the experiments on you. The ones that gave you the adamantium."
Logan looked at Hank like he just shot him in the foot. He began shaking his head slowly, but, started to speed up.
"What the hell are you talkin' about? No. I refuse."
Hank reached out for him and Logan swatted his hands away.
"Logan, if you do not do this, you will die."
Logan's eyes narrowed and he growled at him deep in the back of his throat.
"I'd rather die than be poked and prodded like some sort of goddamned lab rat!"
Hank's eyes blazed as he began speaking again.
"Do you have any idea how selfish you are being? Any clue?"
Logan's eyes toughened
"What are you babbling about?"
Hank pointed outside, in the waiting room, where Marie was.
"That child...that girl out there is in love with you. Anyone with two eyes and half an ear can figure that out. Not only are you killing yourself, you're killing her. What right do you have to do that to anyone? Especially someone like her. Stop thinking about yourself, Logan. Start thinking about everybody else. Stop living in the past. It's not worth endangering the future for."
Logan rolled onto his side and stared out the window at Marie as she studied something in her hands.
"It's a picture of you, Logan."
Logan looked over his shoulder at Hank.
"Huh?"
Hank leapt up onto a nearby cart and nodded towards Marie.
"That's what she's looking at. A picture of you. She's in love with you, Logan. Can't you see that? Can't you see you're hurting her the same way you're hurting yourself?"
Logan stared out the window for a moment longer, then, looked at Hank.
"Alright, Hank. Let's do this."
The Lab; Surgery Ward...
The gleam from the sterilized instruments was almost blinding under the surgery lights. Logan lay in a shallow bed of saline solution, an oxygen mask placed over his mouth and nose. Hank was dressed almost comically in scrubs and he was slowly washing his hands. He turned to Logan, and said, "When you wake up, hopefully, you'll be back to your normal self.
Logan nodded, unable to talk and he felt the anesthetic kick in as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Recovery Ward...
Sunlight streamed in through the windows as Hank came barging in, obviously angry. Xavier wheeled over to him, and placed a hand on top of his big blue ones, which were shaking.
"Wasn't the surgery successful?" Xavier asked.
Hank sighed deeply, and said,
"Yes and no, Charles. His body rejected the implants, as I expected. However, I was able to repair what damage was done, and after a few days, he should make a full recovery. Healing factor and all. I hope.
Xavier wheeled away from him, and to the window. He stared out at Marie as she sat in a tree, waiting for Logan to wake up.
"We all hope, Hank. We all hope."
The Lab...
The sunlight dulled as Logan awoke from the anesthetic. He slowly sat up and rolled to his feet. Unsteadily, he made his way over to the door and opened it. Marie was lying on some chairs, asleep. He walked over to her, and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. She mumbled sleepily, and he gently laid a kiss on the top of her head, in her hair. He made his way slowly out of the Lab area and into the hallway. Suddenly, he was surrounded by drones that looked like the flying monkeys from 'The Wizard of Oz'. He fought them off as best as he could but he was soon overwhelmed. Then, a bright red beam came almost out of nowhere and decapitated one of the drones. Cyclops took a look at the middle of the fray, and said,
"Hank! Storm! Logan's in the middle of that!"
Storm walked up next to him, and looked in. Hank's voice came over the intercom.
"Well, big guy, you have to stop the main drone for the rest of them to stop. I can't help you."
Suddenly, as Cyclops and Storm looked on, Logan stood up in the middle of the fight and looked at a nearby robot that had a big red mark on its shiny dome. He growled and leveled his hands at it. With an enormous spray of blood, six claws made of bone popped out of his hands and tore into the metal innards of the main drone. He screamed in pain as he dropped to his knees. Blood began pouring from his hands. Marie came charging out of the room, but was restrained by Storm.
"LOGAN!!!" She screamed
Cyclops looked up at the intercom
"Hank, deactivate those damn droids!"
Marie reached out for her protector as he cradled his hands.
"LOGAN!!!"
Logan's Room, three days later...
The sun seemingly disappeared behind an incoming cloud as Logan slowly packed. Making sure that he didn't bump his hands, which were wrapped in medical tape and gauze. He finished up packing and turned to see Marie in the doorway.
"So, you runnin' again?"
Logan sighed and set the duffel bag down again.
"Darlin', I'm no good to anyone here. Without my healin' factor what it was, my senses dulled...my claws...my bones...I can't go rushing into battle anymore, and I'm not able...I always depended on my super healin' and my senses too much, but, losing them all in one felled stroke...I'm no good to anyone here. I'm not the best at it anymore," he said, staring at his hands.
Marie walked over to him and made him look at her.
"Logan, Ah don't care if ya can't heal as fast as ya used ta. I care about ya. Ah can't let ya jus' waltz outta mah life again," she said
Logan sighed and said, "Darlin', you may not have a choice."
Marie stared at him and took a step backwards, and Logan's bandaged hands reached out and grabbed her arms.
"Don't git me wrong, Marie. I love you. I haven't said that to a person as long as I can remember...but, I do. "
Marie stared at him with pleading eyes
"Then, let me come with ya."
Logan let her go and took a step backwards.
"Darlin', only you can decide that. What would you rather have? A man who doesn't have a past and not much of a future, or a school where you can at least learn to be..."
"Like a human? Is that what ya were gonna say? Like a human? Ah don't wanna be somethin' Ah'm not. I wanna be with ya. Plain and simple."
Logan nodded and looked at his watch.
"Alright, darlin'. We'll leave tomorrow."
Marie's Room...
Not a soul stirred as a dark figure crept down the hallway. It slowly opened Marie's door and snuck inside. A letter sealed in a pink envelope was clutched in one of the figure's hands. Logan flicked on a flashlight and set the letter next to Marie's bed. Then, he turned to leave when he stiffened again as Marie muttered. He turned around and stared at her for a few minutes.
Outside...
Moonlight shone down onto Logan as he rolled his motorcycle down the driveway. He got halfway down and turned to look at Marie's darkened window.
"I can't take this away from you, darlin'. I would never forgive myself." he muttered to himself. He got to the bottom and pulled the gates open. He kick started the bike and roared away from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Snow began to fall again as he sped off away from the girl he had come to love, from his life.
Marie's Room...
Snow continued to drift down as Marie slowly woke up. She reached over and felt the envelope under her lamp. She flicked on the lamp and read the note. This time, he promised he would come back for her after the school year was over. She began to cry, but, this time, tears of joy. When she sat up and looked down, she began to cry harder. Logan had left her a gift. It was his jacket. She pulled it on and reveled in his scent. Then, she looked out the window as she saw Logan drive off down the road. She raised her hand to wave, but he was to far gone to see it. So, she lay back down in bed, and cried herself to sleep, Logan's jacket still wrapped around her.
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Story Notes:
This is for Errie who threatened my head (Not sure which) but, it got me writing, just the same, and it's for Darkstar and KK, who helped me with the last two and because they put up with me. New addition: Thanks to Mel who gave me some new ideas.