Marie sat enfolded in the darkness which no longer frightened her. For the moment it was her haven, the place where she could plan her next moves in taking back what she hoped she deserved.
His voice, coming to her from the real world, had revitalized her. He was back. He knew what had happened, and he wasn't leaving. It was enough to make her pick up the hope she'd thrown to the side two years before. It was enough to make her want to live again.
So she plotted to break the bonds Carol's mind had placed on her. One link at a time. That's all it would take. Soon, her chains might even shatter. She could only pray to whatever power was out there that her mind would be strong enough to take back control of her body.
"Logan, we need your help," Storm said from the doorway to his room.
He looked up from where he was smoking a cigar and reading a book on his bed. He smirked like he knew she expected him to and asked, "You sure you want an old guy like me to help out the team?"
"You've done it before. You can do it again. And we need your abilities specifically," Storm told him, still not attempting to cross the threshold into his room. Maybe she remembered the last, and only, time she had, five years ago when Marie had woken him up from a nightmare...
He'd let his mind wander in her direction again. He couldn't keep doing that if he was going to keep everyone's suspicions at bay.
"What, you need me to heal up super fast?" Logan asked sarcastically.
"No. We need your tracking abilities. You're the one who is always bragging about them," Storm said with her unique touch of sarcasm and irony.
"Yeah, well...what's the 'mission' this time?" he asked, knowing she was right and this was the perfect chance to show the X-Men how valuable he could be.
All to keep him near her. Damn, he hoped that Marie would appreciate this. Whenever she came back from wherever she had to be, that is.
"Come to the conference room," Storm instructed, already turning to leave.
He followed her out and down the hall.
Carol fidgeted with her leather gloves, wondering what was keeping Storm, the only member of the X-Men who wasn't at the table, ready and waiting in their black leather. She sighed and brushed a piece of her hair off her forehead, concentrating on the blond color. Blond, she was blond. Carol was blond. She was Carol.
It was like a mantra that she had begun to say to herself whenever she felt the control slip just that little bit that meant Marie was resisting her. It wouldn't do to yell in her mind again, what with Jean and the Professor only a few feet away. Later, she and Marie would have to have it out again. Carol hated the necessity of it. Why couldn't Marie just have died two years ago and let Carol reign over the body in peace? Why couldn't she have faded more in the intervening time?
The door to the conference room opened and not one, but two people walked in. Logan followed Storm in and shut the door quietly. He never even looked in her direction, but he did seem surprised to see the four extra faces which had joined the group since he left. He took it all in stride though, Carol had to give him some grudging respect for that. He just sat down in the chair the Professor indicated and nodded to the murmured greetings.
"Logan is going to be accompanying you on this mission," the Professor said calmly. "Your success may depend on his tracking skills. Remember that, and pay attention to him. Now, Scott, would you like to outline what has occurred for Logan's benefit, please?"
"Of course. There is a group of mutant haters known around here as Humanity First. They've recently begun to become pretty violent in their attempts to 'rid the world of the mutant scum' as they so beautifully put it. They captured two mutants who are important members of the Professor's information chain in Pennsylvania and disappeared with them. That was two nights ago. We only just heard about it because these mutants were two of only five in their area and were very reclusive. Now we've got to find them," Scott stated.
Logan was nodding, and Carol could feel the panic begin to rise up in her. He wasn't supposed to come along on missions like this! He wasn't even an X-Man! He did seem to be able to get into the groove of things pretty quickly, though. He was already asking Scott about strategy and such as the entire group stood up and started to head down to the lower levels.
It just wasn't right, Carol thought bitterly. Couldn't he leave, leave the mansion and leave her alone?
No, said a voice deep inside her.
And Carol began to quake inside.
The voice had been Marie's.
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