Humanitarian Causes
by
Hunter
DISCLAIMER: Mikael's mine (and I think he is quite a nifty original bad guy to own.) all the rest don't. I make no money, so what's the point of suing me?
DEDICATION: To LeyLue. For you, 'cause you helped and encouraged.
Twenty minutes earlier, the Captain had announced that all personnel in this bunker were to undress and prepare for a medical examination by the bases medical officers. It was a compulsory exam; routine after the number of problems this particular army regiment had been suffering through. Among the ranks, some men whispered of chemical warfare exposure.
One man had refused to undress citing his religious beliefs. The Captain declared that religion had no place in the army. He ordered the men under his command to pin the solider and forcefully strip him down. Moments later, thirty soldiers, the medical officers, and the Captain himself stared in undisguised horror and disgust at the stripped solider. He stared back at them from the corner as the tail, which until now he had managed to hide, thrashed against the walls.
***
EIGHT YEARS LATER
Somewhere in the Midwestern United States.
Logan warily watched the crowd from the corner of his eye. Keeping his rifle in plain view, he slowly patrolled the fringes of the throng. A thin trickle of sweat rolled lazily down his spine. The heat of the night swirled lazily in the over crowded barn. The few women present were rapidly waving fans. It wasn't doing much good, other than adding their body heat to the furnace.
On a hastily erected stage, a well built blond man paced up and down speaking to the gathered men and women. As the crowd grew more excited with every hard comment or question he directed down to them, they punctured the air with their upraised fists.
"Sheep," Logan muttered under his breath. He nodded cordially to a guard he had just walked past. A reassuring mental touch calmed him slightly.
"Hey, Jeannie! What's taking so long? You wouldn't believe what these guys smell like!"
As if fate intervened to prove Logan's point, a large overweight man suddenly threw up both his arms and sprinkled Logan with small droplets of sweat from his shaggy hair.
"Goddamn! Sonofa. . . !"
Jean laughed lightly inside Logan's mind. "Almost ready. Just waiting for Storm to confirm position."
Logan smelled the air; anger, rage, excitement, a tinge of fear. And lots of failed deodorant.
"Getta move on it, will ya', Red! I don't know how much longer I can take this shit," he added in disgust.
***
Cyclops edged closer to Jean. "How's he doing?"
Jean broke her mental contact with Logan. "Tense. Annoyed. We're taking too long."
She shifted closer to Scott. They were standing behind the Blackbird. They had landed the jet behind a small hillock, concealing it from anyone in the barn who might wander outside before the time was ready.
Scott snorted in disgust. "You'd think that with all the time and effort he has taken so far, he could wait ten more minutes."
"You know Logan."
"Unfortunately," Scott added under his breath.
"It's hard enough," Jean continued, ignoring Scott's snide comment, "for him on an everyday basis not to maim you, never mind being surrounded by hate mongering, mutant bashing humans. It's taking an immense amount of control on his part," she finished.
Scott cleared his throat and gave Jean a weird look. Changing the subject, he asked, "Are Rogue and Storm in position?"
Jean concentrated briefly. "Rogue's ready. So is Storm."
Scott checked his watch to mark the time. "Tell Logan to move into position and strike on my count."
***
Rogue hovered over a small crack in the barn's roof. The leather of her uniform was creating an unbearable stickiness on her skin.
"Lord, Storm. Can't you do something about this awful heat?" Rogue whispered.
She picked at the seams of her uniform as her teammate flew up to the roof to join her. The crack in the roof added a steady stream of heated air into the humid warmth of the night.
"Logan must be melting in there," observed Storm.
Rogue watched Logan walk past one of the guards. He finally leaned back against a stack of bundled hay and rested the rifle he had been holding against his shoulder. Rogue had never seen Logan work undercover like this before. Apparently, he was very good at it, but quite frankly it was unnerving. Seeing him act so cordially toward these obvious bigots, knowing that under that blasé exterior he was dying to cause some damage appeared odd to her.
She remembered the lecture Logan received from Scott and Jean five months ago before he had left for this mission.
"Please, Logan. Don't use your claws."
"What? Not even to open a can or something?"
"Logan!"
"No more joking. This is important."
"Yeah, yeah."
"And no growling."
"Grrrrrrrrr. . . "
"Stop acting like a moron and listen, dammit!"
Logan had looked at both of them in hard silence.
"Look, it's not like I haven't done this before, you know." Was this another hint at his untold past?
"Okay," Jean continued down the list. "Don't bare your teeth. Keep body and facial hair down to a minimum."
Scott had burst out laughing at that followed by Rogue and Storm. Logan had glared while Jean carried on nonplussed.
"And try not to snarl. Got it?"
"Got it," Logan nodded and then almost fell out of his chair when he Jean produced a pair of barber scissors.
"Shit, Jean, no! No fucking way! JEAN!"
Scott and Storm got the hell out of there pretty quick when Jean forced Logan to sit still. Rogue stayed to help her give him a trim. Logan had actually ended up looking very good. It was not his normal rough, rugged and side burned look, but all in all, it was not bad.
***
Rogue was broken out of her thoughts by Storm.
"As soon as Logan has Dawson, I'll send both of you some nice soothing mist."
Storm pushed her head over the crack edging Rogue aside so she could peer inside.
Rogue pushed closer against the roof and listened to the litany coming from inside the barn.
"Why are our children afraid to go to school? Why are we scared to send them?" Dawson questioned his audience.
"MUTANTS!!" the crowd screamed eagerly jabbing the air with clenched fists.
"And why are we afraid to walk the streets?" Dawson questioned the crowd again.
"MUTANTS!!"
"Crime is on the increase. . . "
"MUTANTS!!"
"The Dollars falling. . . "
"MUTANTS!!"
The call and response continued.
Rogue sighed. Never mind him melting. Wolverine must be going crazy in there. The two female mutants on the roof felt Jean's mental call.
"They're ready," Storm confirmed.
***
The crowd screamed a final "Mutants!" and waited expectantly as Dawson finally stopped his pacing and faced them. He was in total control. He had the right mixture of personality and propaganda to go with the added stupidity of the masses. He could get them to jump off a cliff right now if he so wished.
"The time has come for people, HUMAN PEOPLE, Our Lord's first creation, to take back what is rightfully ours. Our lives and our Land!"
Two huge men in execution-style hoods stepped up to the stage. Between them, they were dragging a man who had a hemp sack over his head. The man struggled in vain and tripped as the two brutes continued do pull him forward to the front of the stage.
Dawson stepped aside as a chair was placed directly in front of the struggling man. As if sensing what was about to happen, the hooded man's struggles increased earning him a well placed punch in the ribs. Dawson felt the crowd falter in their enthusiasm at this bit of violence. He reworked them into frenzy as one of the guards tossed a thick rope over a roof beam and started to tie a hangman's knot.
"God created us. We are his creation. The creation of holiness - not the forsaken filth spewed out by man's corruption, man's mistakes, man's sins. . . "
The hooded man was dragged up onto the chair and the noose put around his neck. Dawson felt the energy beating out of the frenzied masses below him.
"WE must reclaim humanity! WE must purge out the ranks of decay! It is up to US to stop our fall into Satan's gutter!"
***
Logan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when he saw the hooded man's tail.
"Logan! What's going on down there?" Jean called frantically.
"Looks like we're about to witness a good old fashioned hanging, Darlin'."
Wolverine felt his muscles knot with rage and suppressed hate.
***
"Shit!"
"What's going on Rogue?" Storm's worried face moved into Rogue's peripheral vision as she tried to see more of the barn through the crack.
"Change of plans," Rogue said, answering Storm's worried expression.
***
"X-Men! Abort mission!" Logan almost flinched when Jean called. He knew what Scott would demand.
"No way, Darlin'-too much at stake here!"
"Logan! Repeat, abort mission and return to sleeper status."
Logan ignored Jean as she knew he would. He carried on with the plan.
***
"Rogue, we must leave at once and return to the Blackbird." Storm hissed behind her hovering just off the roof's gutter.
"We can't go now." Rogue turned to look down at Storm. "He's up to something."
***
As fierce as his namesake, Wolverine moved from the hay bales and jumped on to the stage. Grabbing Dawson, Logan leveled his rifle to the hate-monger's head. Logan fervently hoped that Rogue had enough of him still rattling around in her head to not to leave her position and to keep Storm with her.
Dawson's followers rushed the stage knocking down the chair on which the noose-hung mutant still stood.
"Move one more inch and Dawson here gets an extra hole in his head!" Logan yelled, pushing the rifle harder onto Dawson's temple.
"STOP!" Dawson was rigid and slightly pale, but his voice betrayed no emotion. "Listen to him. . . move back," he added calmly.
"Good advice," Logan's head was right next to Dawson's. Logan had the mutant-hater's arm twisted behind his back as he held the rifle against Dawson's right temple.
"Now get him down!"
Logan indicated the gasping, hanging mutant with his head. Harsh coughing sounds filled the now silent barn. The guards hesitated. Logan's hands itched to let loose his claws
"I said, GET HIM DOWN. . . NOW!" Logan snarled almost fully baring his teeth, but at the last moment remembering not to reveal his sharp canines.
A brief flash of a knife and the gasping mutant collapsed to the floor. His frantic hands were immediately around his throat, tearing the noose loose and throwing the hood off. A badly pockmarked face stared wide-eyed back at Logan. The mutant's fingers rubbed his bruised trachea as he got up and stumbled over to where Logan was standing. The nearly hung mutant saw that the man who has saved him was practically ramming a rifle into Dawson's head.
Dawson tried to talk Logan down. He was thinking desperately of what could have turned this man so quickly against him. All of his personal guards were hand picked. Had the hanging been too much for him? Shit, he knew he should have waited. The people where still not ready for his kind of leadership, but he had never expected one of his own to balk first.
Dawson garbled on trying to break through this obviously upset guard's mentality and to get him to think about his actions.
"Want do you want? We can get you anything. Money, is that it? Not enough pay? Has something upset you? Talk to me, I can help you, brother!"
Logan suppressed a growl. "I'm not your fucking brother!"
Logan could tell this was not going to hold back the lynching mob for much longer. He took the rifle and quickly swung it hitting Dawson's head and knocking him unconscious. Logan this time swung the rifle back to face the mob who were now moving as one towards the stage. It would be hard to carry an unconscious man, but it was worth the silence.
Dragging Dawson and aiming the rifle at the crowd, Logan started moving backwards with the mutant tag-along walking behind him to the wall of the barn and escape.
***
Rogue watched Logan grab Dawson and set the hung man free. She swore again when she realized the man was in fact a tailed mutant.
So far, the mission was still going according to plan except for an extra mutant which no one, not even Logan it seemed, had known about.
Rogue spun around to face the still protesting Storm. "Logan's pulled it through. We're going to need that fog now."
Listening with one ear as Storm summoned her goddess for mist, Rogue watched for Logan to near the wall before swooping down and waiting for the next move.
***
Cyclops watched the tendrils of Storm's fog wrap around his wrist
"I don't believe it! They disobeyed a direct order!" he hissed to Jean.
They lay just on the hillock's crest watching Rogue hover just off the barn's side waiting for Logan. Slowly, she and Storm were hidden from view by a thick cover of fog. Jean was concentrating hard to keep tabs on all the team members. Logan, as usual, was not being very cooperative. She sent him some extra telekinetic help.
"Everything is still going as planned," she whispered to Cyclops. "They are all aware of the situation." She frowned deeper and going pale, her eyes flew open. She gasped as if hit. "Logan-he's been hurt!"
As if on cue, the distorted air of the night carried the sound of rapid gun shots.
***
The barn door threw itself open. "Thanks, Jeannie," Logan sent to the telekinetic. Warm air met fog cooled air and Logan felt his shirt tug slightly at the vacuum it caused.
Logan heard the mutant stumbling behind him. Still in shock no doubt. Focusing on the progressing mob in front of him, the X-Man moved backwards toward the door. Catching movement from the side, Logan turned his head slightly to bring a small group of children, sitting behind a previously concealing pile of hay bundles, into focus. Their parents had dumped them here before the meeting so that they wouldn't get in the way.
A boy who couldn't be older than twelve, got up and looked at them. One small hand was holding something behind his leg. Logan reached the door and shoving the mutant out upon hearing Rogue signal him. The fog was almost totally concealing him. Logan turned to push the doors closed and barricade them when the boy held a huge scythe up and aimed it toward the tailed mutant.
Screaming, "MUTANT!!!!" the boy threw the scythe into a widely flying arc.
Logan jumped right into the scythe's path. He bowled the mutant over and dropped Dawson and the rifle. Rogue swooped down closely followed by Storm
"Stay back!" Logan shouted as the gunshots started.
The angry mob had stormed out of the building shooting everywhere apparently confused by the weather. Logan felt a bullet rip through his chest passing the scythe blade that t had embedded itself just under his shoulder.
"This is fucking ridiculous!" he thought getting up. Blood shot into his mouth from his damaged lungs. "Shit! That hurts bad."
Rogue grabbed the unconscious Dawson and the mutant who wrapped his tail around her waist in panic.
"Logan, you alright?" she called, tossing the unconscious man and the mutant over each shoulder and already starting back for the Blackbird. Super human strength was such an added bonus these days.
"No time for stupid questions," Logan grunted back.
As he started to run back to the blackbird, Logan's lungs were already repairing themselves around the scythe. No time yet to remove it from his body. Jean will have to do that. Storm started a heavy wind to cause more confusion. The gunshots subsided as Logan made the hillocks crest. Rogue was already inside the jet with Storm. Dawson lay slumped next to the wide-eyed mutant. Logan stumbled in slamming the controls to close the door. He caught himself on a chair as the Blackbird roared to life and took off.
***
WESTCHESTER
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Logan woke up in the med-lab opposite Dawson, who was still out from the rifle jab to his head.
On the Blackbird Jean had helped him pull the scythe out. It ripped his lungs coming out as it did going in. It had caused enough pain for Logan to black out again until now. At least Jean had cleaned the blood up. Logan really hated the taste of his own blood.
He was in for one hell of a lecture from Scooter. Logan grinned. "Good, there's something to look forward to." He started to get up.
"You should have seen Mikael's face when we pulled that scythe out of you."
Logan almost fell out of the bed.
"Shit, Jean! Ya' could warn a fella when you're gonna to hide in corners like that," groaned Logan.
Jean Grey was one of the few persons who knew that when Logan woke up from a serious wound, nine times out of ten, his senses were terribly groggy.
"Sorry." Jean didn't look very sorry. "You know, that blade was less than a inch from your heart."
"Yeah, whatever," Logan cracked his neck. It was still a bit stiff from lying on the anything-but-soft med-lab beds. "Who's Mikael?"
Getting up from her chair, Jean put down the clipboard she had been working on. "The man you rescued from certain death. He's a doctor, too. From Syria or something. Couldn't believe that you weren't dead."
"Oh," Logan watched Jean pick up some medical paraphernalia and walk over to him. He started to get up again.
"Oh, no, you don't. You stay right where you are, Wolverine." Jean used her powers and Logan couldn't move.
"DAMMIT, Jean!" She had gotten very blasé about her abilities of late. "I'm not some fucking invalid for Christ's sake!"
Jean walked over and started doing whatever it is that doctors think is necessary when you've been impaled by a farming implement and blasted with a shotgun.
"Open wide," she said pushing a bad tasting thing into his mouth.
"Waaraaanph," Logan grumbled.
Jean took it out and made funny thoughtful noises over it. As she started prodding him and removing gauze bandages, Jean continued the conversation.
"Scott is not happy with what happened last night."
"Do tell," Logan grinned. "Owww!" Jean had pulled out some hair along with the tape.
"He thinks you endangered the team."
"What do you think?" Logan asked sincerely.
Jean stopped her ripping and prodding to look Logan in the eyes.
"I think you did, what at the time, you thought was the best course of action. At the time, it was reckless, against orders and totally unnecessary, but it got the desired results. The mission succeeded and everyone is happy."
"Except for Cyke," he added for her.
"Hmmm, yes. Except for Scott."
She finished what she was doing and stepped back.
"You know, Logan, one of these days someone's going to hurt you or something is going to get stuck in you and your body is not going to be able to cope. Please be careful. I'm not always going to be here to patch you up."
Her sudden turn in the conversation startled him. He was about to say something sarcastic when she spoke again.
"You should have seen Marie when you passed out in the Blackbird coughing up blood. If you're not going to look after yourself for you, Logan, then please just do it for her."
The room was silent as Jean picked up the equipment and left the med-lab.
***
THAT AFTERNOON. . .
"She said it was unnecessary," Logan said recalling the med-lab conversation.
"They had already contacted the authorities, you know. They arrived just as we left," Marie feinted to the left and tried to get behind him as she bounced the basketball faster.
"Oh. . . the authorities. By that time, the guy would've had a nice long neck. You know that. I know that. Why can't the rest of the X-Geeks figure it out?"
Logan cut her off and grabbing the ball, he turned to shoot it through the hoop. . . again.
"FUCK, Logan! Give me a brake, will ya'."
"No swearing on court. Penalty five points."
Marie watched despondently as the ball bounced back to her. "Once more."
Logan looked at her from behind his water bottle and grinned. "You said that 23 'once mores' ago."
"Aahhh, Wolvie. Just once more. . . "
"Aahhhhh. . . no."
"Last time, please?"
Logan walked over to the ball and extended one claw. He ended the ball's life with a sighing poofing noise as his claw picked it up. "Oops!"
Marie stalked over and pulled the ball off his claw.
"No use of mutant powers or any advantageous materials on court. Penalty of 125 points. That makes me the winner." Marie laughed.
Keeping the smile frozen on her face, she rolled her eyes to the right. "You've got an audience, O' Great slaughterer of basketballs."
Logan didn't look up to the mansion's balcony that overlooked the basketball court as he retracted his claw and squirted the remains of his water onto Marie's hair.
"I know. He's been there for the last twenty minutes."
They walked back to the edge of the court and gathered up their stuff.
"Kinda creepy, don't ya think?" Marie asked, her voice muffled by her towel
"I try not to. . . "
"He was watching you at breakfast and at lunch," Marie added
"Oh, no. Do you think he saw my table manners?"
"And. . . " she continued, "I saw him follow you into the changing rooms this afternoon."
Marie saw Logan falter at that one and she cracked up laughing. He turned around to look at her with his patented eyebrow lift.
She hooted with laughter. "Ah'm just kidding!"
Logan coughed and mumbled something probably very non-G rated under his breath.
"But seriously, he really is watching you," Marie concluded.
"I know," Logan turned towards the mansion and started to walk away.
Mikael watched them leave the court. He then made his way down the corridor.
***
WESTCHESTER
Two days later. . .
The monitor glowed alive in the med-lab's sterile environment. Mikael read the various entries filed under Logan's name. Mikael's mind almost overwhelmed in its assimilation of the extent of information listed in front of him.
Mission after mission filed past him. Impalements, gunshot wounds, poisonings, stabbing, limbs pulled from joints, concussions, various mutant attacks of diverse natures. . . and the list continued.
A personal footnote caught Mikael's eye: "The entire school, excluding Gambit and Scott who are currently on a mission, has been brought down by a particularly nasty strain of the flu. Logan's incredible healing prowess has once again saved him the hell of congested sinuses and he is the only one not to suffer from this winter's effects."
Approaching footsteps sounded from the next room. Reaching over and switching off the computer, Mikael leaned back on the counter, feigning interest in the test tubes.
Jean walked around the corner and saw Mikael studying the equipment.
"How is he doing?" he asked, looking up. He smiled at her, tail swishing.
Jean returned his smile. Putting down the clipboard, she said, "As fine as can be expected."
Mikael stood up. "Regained consciousness yet?"
"Briefly," Jean sighed. " He should be up and about by the end of the week."
Walking over to where Mikael was standing, she looked at the tubes he was staring at so intently. They contained blood samples. Picking up the tray, she placed it into the medical fridge next to her.
Mikael watched her. "Those are samples from your X-Men team, yes?"
"Yes," Jean closed the fridge door. "I take samples every month to keep records on health levels."
She smiled at him again and started to busy herself around the lab. She had no problem letting Mikael hang around the Med-lab. He was a fellow doctor, but. . . Jean looked at him closely. There was something about him she just did not like. No particular reason. Maybe it was some unconscious broadcasting her abilities were picking up. She would have to speak to the Professor about that.
Although, thinking about it, they had not actually bothered to do a background check on Mikael to see if his story corresponded with what he had told them. Another thing to talk to the Professor about. Jean filed it away mentally for later and almost dropped her box of gauze when Mikael's voice broke the silence of the room.
"I noticed one was missing."
"Excuse me?" Jean turned to face him.
"One blood sample. One of the team's samples is missing. I counted one short."
"Oh," Jean laughed nervously and started to pack away some beakers.
"Actually, three are missing," she started to count them off using her fingers.
"Hank. He's also a doctor by the way. He helps out the team every now and then. He took Marie's sample to try to work on a block for her 'gift'. Gambit has not yet returned from his latest mission for me to take an updated sample. And Wolverine doesn't need to leave a sample because he is the personification of perfect health," Jean concluded.
"Except when he has a large curved farming tool in his chest," Mikael grinned.
Jean laughed. "Yes, except for then."
"Quite frankly, I find your Logan's abilities quite amazing."
"I can assure you, we all have had a moment when we've stepped back in amazement," Jean ran out of things to put away. "His ability has saved many lives already, including his own."
"I have been wanting to ask you something."
"Sure, go ahead," Jean leaned back against the counter.
"Why were you there? And please do not misunderstand me. I'm immensely glad that you were." Mikael held his throat and rubbed it.
"I'm sure you were," Jean laughed, thinking quickly about how best to give the details without giving too much away.
"About three months ago, Wolverine volunteered to infiltrate one of the core cells of the 'Friends of Humanity,' an anti-mutant group. His main objective being information gathering. Logan is one of the easiest members of our team to infiltrate with humans. That is if we can get him to behave and make some minor adjustments."
Jean laughed inwardly at her reference to Logan's 'hair cut.'
"He was very good. He actually managed to rise to one of Dawson's personal guards in only two months. He contacted the team last week. Dawson had mentioned being involved in the Chicago mutant riots ten days ago and had suggested using more violent force in the future. Twelve mutants where killed and anyone with any connections to the event was wanted by the government."
Jean continued her story. "Logan suggested that his assignment should culminate in Dawson being taken by us and handed over to the authorities. Dawson is notoriously hard to find; almost mythical in his appearances and always well guarded. Fortunately, Logan knew about Tuesday's barn meeting. We where there to get Dawson. It was just fortunate that we got you, too."
They where silent for awhile, each pondering their own thoughts and the events that lead up to the currant situation. Mikael was the first to speak, his soft accent breaking the quiet in the lab.
"May I ask you another question, Dr. Grey?" Mikael asked.
"Please, Mikael, just call me Jean. . . and yes, go ahead."
"Would you think it would be possible for me to get a blood sample from him? Logan, that is."
Jean stood still for a moment, "No. I'm afraid not."
Mikael opened his eyes wide and shook his head. "I'm sorry if I have offended your practice, uh. . . Jean. I am just so intrigued by his mutation that I would love to have a sample to work on."
Jean laughed good-naturally. "No, Mikael, I'm not offended. It's just that you won't be able to get a needle within 100 feet of Wolverine. There is no way he would ever let you or any other doctor near him. Quite frankly, I'm surprised he allows me."
I'm not really that surprised, Jean added in her head.
"Oh," Mikael looked disappointed, but then brightened considerably. "Maybe I could convince him."
"Not likely. And I strongly suggest you do not try." Jean looked sternly at Mikael who stood by the counter looking dejected.
"I'm finished here for the morning," Jean said. "I'm going up for some lunch in a bit. How about I meet you back here later?"
Mikael nodded in agreement and left. Jean went to the computer to fetch a note and noticed the machine was still warm. The monitor gave off static when she touched it. She hadn't used it all morning. Glancing at the door Mikael had just gone through, Jean switched off the lights and went up to talk with the Professor.
***
LUNCH TIME. . .
Logan, Ororo, and Marie sat in companionable silence eating lunch in the kitchen when Mikael walked in.
"May I join you?" he asked.
"It's a free country, bub." Logan answered from behind his beer before anyone else could. He took another gulp.
Mikael laughed politely. "That it is." Pulling up a chair next to Logan, Mikael sat down and beamed at him. Logan, ignoring Mikael, put his beer down and dug deeper into his food.
"There is some pasta in the fridge, if you're hungry," Storm smiled at him and pointed to the fridge in the corner. Mikael's tail swayed rapidly back and forth.
He looks like an over-eager puppy, Storm thought. The tail looked rather revolting, like a plucked prehensile monkey's tail, but she wasn't going to say anything.
Mikael's head snapped up to look at were her finger pointed. "Ah, no. Thank you very much. I'm quite fine at this moment."
"Probably doesn't like pasta, either," Marie grumbled over her plate. "Logan took all the good stuff-again." A noodle slipped off her fork and she made a face at it.
"It's disgusting," Marie wailed.
Storm laughed lightly.
"It's good for you, child. While you're eating wholesome, nourishing food, Logan over there is eating congealing animal flesh. Which, if it wasn't for his healing abilities, would be at this moment, clogging up his arteries."
"And you're just jealous," Logan said around a mouthful of rare beef.
Marie grumbled some more and flung a limp noodle onto Logan's plate. He picked it up and flung it back. . . into her hair. He started snickering while Marie glowered at him and reached for another noodle.
Ororo jumped in before a full-out noodle war could begin "So, Mikael. How are you finding it here?"
"Most wonderful, I assure you. I am overwhelmed by your Professor's generosity." Mikael bowed slightly.
"And may I take this opportunity to thank Logan for saving my life? Something which I've been unable to do since I arrived." Mikael turned to face Logan and offered his hand.
Logan shifted slightly in his seat and nodded his head sharply. Quickly shaking the offered hand, he muttered, "No thanks necessary."
"Jean tells me you are a doctor," Storm continued, trying to break the now stiff silence coming from the table.
"Yes. . . I am," Mikael stopped smiling and turned his head to once again face the man next to him.
"I have been pondering over your abilities, Logan, and quite frankly, I find them quite astounding. I wish to ask something of you, which, considering that I owe you, is not polite, but the doctor in me screams at the possibilities."
Marie stopped playing with her food and watched Logan cautiously as he continued to eat on as if Mikael wasn't even speaking to him.
"I was wondering, Logan, if I may get a blood sample from you," Mikael concluded.
Oh, no! Storm thought moving her head to look at Logan. His eyes didn't look away from his plate as he continued chewing.
"No," Logan replied bluntly.
Mikael didn't look the least bit fazed and carried on.
"Jean told me you would not approve of a sample, but think of the possibilities. With just one test tube of your blood, the cures your healing abilities could provide are. . . " He fumbled for a word. "Immense. Think of the. . . " Mikael continued to prattle on.
Rogue and Storm could both see the warning signs. They could almost feel Logan's hackles rise, but obviously Mikael couldn't because he just went on and on. Logan stopped eating and seemed to have froze in place. Storm looked frantically at Mikael trying to get him to look at her. And to be quiet.
A low growl issued from Wolverine as he snarled and spun off his chair. "SNIKT" Chairs went crashing down as he dragged Mikael from his seat and pinned him to the fridge. Storm gasped at the abruptness and violence of Logan's movement. He had a claw on each side of Mikael's face and the third middle one was grazing his throat.
"LOGAN!!" Storm shouted.
Barely breathing, Mikael looked at Logan calmly, staring him in the eyes. Logan held him there for another heartbeat before dropping the tailed mutant to the floor. He made a disgusted sound and slammed his fist in the fridge leaving a large dent.
"I said NO!" Logan spat out between another growl.
Marie followed Wolverine as he stormed out of the kitchen. Stopping briefly to speak to the bruised Mikael, she said, "He doesn't like doctors, especially ones who want something from him." She ran off in search of her friend to try to calm him down before he caused anymore damage.
***
THAT EVENING. . .
The dining hall buzzed with mutant activity.
The kid who could stretch was once again getting a lecture from Scott after once again reaching and grabbing food from the end of the queue denying the kid who could create illusions the last portion of the chocolate mousse.
Rogue sat with her best friends, Jubilation Lee and Kitty Pride.
They watched Scott give his lecture. Marie watched the latest mutant to be saved by Wolverine, Mikael, who was watching Logan.
"I don't like him."
"Wha?" Jubilee turned to face Marie and nearly sent her green Jell-O into flight from her spoon.
"Him. . . Mikael," Rogue broke her watch to start eating her now not so warm meal.
"Oh. . . him," Jubilee peeked over Marie's shoulder. "You know, he's always watching Wolvie."
Nothing gets past Jubes.
Chewing her Jell-O thoughtfully Jubilee said, "Could be some sort of crush, you know. Post rescue infatuation."
She swallowed. Looking over to Marie, Jubilee's eyes lit up like she had just hit upon some priceless bit of knowledge.
"I warned you about giving him that haircut. Before he was, like, all hairy. Major hairy. Now, he could give Ricky Martin a run for his money. Well, at least before it all started to grow back in."
Kitty nodded in agreement. "His hair grows really fast."
Marie gave them both a filthy look.
Jubes ignored her and peeked over Kitty's shoulder to look at the main table where the X-Men adults sat.
Logan sat at the end, back against the wall, feet on a spare chair, listening to Storm talk about something. If Marie had decided to sit at the adult table, Logan would have spoken to her almost exclusively. Tonight Marie decided to sit with her old friends.
"All the better to keep an eye on Mikael," Jubes surmised. Logan had already finished his supper and was probably getting ready to growl the kids out of line and fetch seconds for himself.
Jubilee turned back to Marie who was back to staring at Mikael. He was now busy leaving the dining hall. Pushing her chair away from the table, Marie got up. "Ah'm gonna go finish up some stuff. Ah'll see y'all later."
Her friends watched her walk out. "What she really means is, she's gonna go keep an eye on that creepo," Jubilee said.
Kitty nodded her head in agreement as Jubes chewed her green Jell-O thoughtfully.
***
Logan listened halfheartedly to Storm. He was concentrating on the window beside his head. He was watching Mikael, in the window's reflection, watch him. The guy had been staring at him throughout the entire meal. Finally, he turned from Logan and got up to leave the room.
"Logan. . . earth to Logan."
Storm's voice cracked through Logan's mind. "Huh, what?"
"What on earth is so interesting out there?" Storm looked at Logan as if he had gone mad. "It's pitch dark."
Gathering his plate, Logan pushed his feet off the spare chair and stood up. "Good eyesight, darlin'. It's amazing what those squirrels get up to after dark." He winked at her. "I'm going for seconds."
Storm sighed. "I'm still busy with firsts."
"Sure. . . " He left the table making sure the kids knew he was coming. They all quickly pretended to have gotten what they wanted and made off for their tables.
Logan glanced at Marie's table and saw her friends looking at the door. Turning his head to follow their eyes, he caught sight of Rogue leaving the room.
Forgetting all about seconds, Logan put his plate down on top of some kid's who was standing nearby. Stalking off after Marie, he mumbled distractedly, "Thanks."
"No problem, sir. Uhh. . . Mr. Logan, sir," the kid called after his retreating back.
***
He was gone! "Shit!"
Marie looked down the corridor. Nothing.
She peered into the lounge. Nothing.
It felt like the air hadn't even been disturbed. Nothing moved. The corridor was empty The muted sounds of the dining hall came from behind her.
And a hand touched her shoulder. Marie yelped and spun around.
Heart in throat, Marie glared death threats at the grinning man. "LOGAN! Don't do that!"
He loved to pad around softly, surprising her and the other school residents like that. Someday, someone was going to have a heart attack.
"Noticed ya left early," he grinned.
"Did ya' also notice that your friend Mikael left early too?" She retorted
"Yep," he stopped grinning. "And I noticed ya' following him."
"I was. Lost him already," Marie stared at her feet feeling stupid.
"The front door just closed." Logan extended one claw and scratched absent mindedly at one of his sideburns.
"What?" Marie looked up.
"The door. . . someone just went out. . . " His sentence trailed off as he spoke to Marie's back. Sheathing the claw, he ran after her as she tore down the corridor.
***
Standing outside Logan and Marie pressed themselves up against the bushes and trees. They watched a taxi cab pull up and then slow down outside the mansion's main gate.
"What are you doing, Marie?" Logan whispered next to her head, which was barely visible in the darkness.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Weren't you in the kitchen too this afternoon?" She hissed sarcastically. Logan gave her an unreadable expression and Marie sighed.
"I don't know. I just know that I don't trust him," she whispered back.
She hushed Logan as he opened his mouth again. They watched Mikael step out of the shadows and into the idling taxi. As the car pulled off down the road, Marie ran back to the mansion.
"Now where the hell are you going?" Logan called after her.
"Following him," Marie called back.
Marie could hear Logan swearing as he moved out their hiding place and loped off after her. When he caught up to her, she was in the garage putting on a helmet and straddling his Harley.
"And just when did you become me?" he asked in an exasperated voice.
"Ha! When Ah got fifteen years of you stuck in my head, shugah," Rogue answered, tapping the helmet with her index finger.
Logan sent her a huge grin. Swinging his leg over the bike, he gunned it alive as Rogue scooted up to his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
***
DOWN TOWN
Across from the County Hospital.
Mikael pulled the pipe under the sink apart to remove various papers and a passport taped inside. Uncurling them, he stuffed the documents into a small bag beside his feet. Pushing aside the bed, Mikael lifted the thin floorboards to revealed a small cooler under them. Mikael studied the cooler's contents. Agents without cures - his work of the last fifteen years. He had been slowly poisoning the American public. Starting with army units, he was now working on the hospital's occupants across the road.
He quietly studied the comments he had written on his papers and made some additional notes. Through destiny and the grace of Allah, he found the apex of his work in one man. Mikael laughed out loud.
The vials clicked softly as he checked each one and then placed them into the bag. He gave a quick glance at the equipment he would have to leave behind: decoders, encoders, satellite phones. Thousands of dollars of scientific machinery and he would have to destroy it all.
Before leaving the room, he activated a small incendiary device. The CIA would have loved his toys. . .
***
OUTSIDE JENNY'S DOUGHNUT BAR AND LAUNDROMAT SERVICE.
This guy, thought Marie, is as good as Logan for choosing the seediest parts of town. It had starting pouring while Marie and Logan were following Mikael. It was a fine rain that seemed to soak your skin faster than the larger drops.
They had had spent the last hour watching a small run down hotel opposite the city hospital. Old blue fluorescent tubing named it the 'Kings Keep' or rather the 'ings eep'. Both K's, having blown out, were now sputtering in the rain.
Both X-Men watched the taxi as it sat waiting for its fare to come out of the hotel.
Marie shifted against the wet leather making it squeak. Logan twisted around to stare at her.
"Cold?" he asked, as an ambulance screamed past them.
"No, duh!" Marie muttered through chattering teeth. Her clothing was soaked through. Logan's leather jacket partially protected him and he had offered it to her, but she had stubbornly refused it.
"You're probably going to smell like wet dog when we get back."
"Hey! This was your idea, darlin'" He grinned and his hair, sleeked back by the rain, dripped water down his back.
"To follow him. Not to sit around outside for an hour in the rain and catch pneumonia," Marie snapped back.
Logan opened his mouth to reply, but instead he cocked his head and turned around to look back at the hotel.
Mikael ran out of the building with a hand over his head in a vain attempt to stay dry. In his other hand was a small blue kit bag. The taxi's backlights came on as he jumped in. Then it slowly pulled away, disappearing around a corner.
Marie was thankful she had another opportunity to press herself closer to Logan's body. His body heat pulsated into her frozen self as they once again pulled off to follow.
***
Logan skidded the bike to a halt outside the hotel's entrance.
"What are you doing!" Marie shouted at Logan as he hopped off the bike and marched to the doorway.
That ride had been entirely too short, she thought.
"We followed him here. Let's see what he's been up to, darlin'" Logan stopping momentarily to point to the hotel before walking off again. "Coming. . . ?"
Marie sat on the bike with the rain falling softly around her. She wondered why she ever thought she could have the upper hand on Wolverine's tracking instincts. She sighed and then getting up off the bike, she ran after him.
***
THE KING'S KEEP HOTEL
Marie stood in the entranceway and wondered where Logan had gotten to. Walking to the front desk, she rang the bell to see if she could get any info on Mikael.
A shrill scream from the office behind the desk answered the bell. Marie's hand froze poised above the bell when she heard another thin wail and then crying. At that moment, Logan came walking out of the office with room keys in hand and his claws disappearing into his fist. Marie stared at him with a rebuke on unnecessary torture on her tongue.
"What. . . ???" Logan asked, eyebrow raised. "He can still have children."
Marie stared at him. Swallowing her words, she said, "Never mind," and followed him to the stairs.
***
ROOM 113
They walked down the grimy hallway searching for the room Mikael had rented for the last two years. Most of the rooms had missing or partial numbers on the doors. Under a flickering light bulb they found room 113. The door was adorned with cracks running across its surface. The sounds of domestic violence were coming from the apartment next door. A small rat crossed their path as they faced the door.
"Charming," Logan muttered putting the key into the lock. The door wouldn't open so he extended one claw and sliced through the door hinges.
"What's the matter? Is this below even your low standards?" Marie was thawing out and feeling up to the task again. "Now that's saying something!"
A growl was all the answer she got as Logan slowly pushed the door aside, and looked into the room. It looked like something out of a medical journal crossed with an espionage magazine. Marie could feel her mouth falling open.
"My, my. What has Mikael been up to?" She stepped past Logan into the room and glanced around.
Kneeling down beside the displaced bed, she looked into the torn floorboards and found the small cooler. She heard Logan moving behind her looking around. He pushed aside a piece of equipment and stared at what he had found. His mind raced to dig up information from somewhere in his forgotten past that would tell him exactly what he was looking at. Marie turned from the cooler.
"What do you suppose he had in here?" She asked.
Logan's back was to her. "Logan?"
Logan screamed at her from the other side of the room. "GET OUT!"
Marie didn't ask why. She moved out of the room as fast as she could with Logan behind her. She was just outside the door when the device triggered and the small bomb blew up. Logan landed a few feet out of the now ruptured doorway. He was sprawled against the wall in a heap.
Marie ran to him as perturbed neighbors poked their heads out of doorways and people ran screaming down the hallways.
"LOGAN!!!" She reached his side as he begun to get up, his hand rubbing his head.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said.
Marie choked back a sob and hugged him tight. Logan sat there for a second and then he slowly put an arm around her waist.
"I said I'm fine darlin'," he said softly.
"I know. . . " Marie released him and wiped a tear from her face.
They walked down stairs to the motorcycle. Marie wrapped her arms tightly around Logan's waist as he pulled away and sped down the road back to the mansion.
***
THE X-MANSION
"His real name is Siraaj Kassiem. He is also known as "the Shark" by various intelligence agencies around the world. He is wanted by MOSSAD, MI5 and the CIA for suspected connections in HAMAS, the Muslim fundamentalist group."
The Professor looked into his X-Men's shocked faces as he put the folder down on his table and continued.
"His mental health is unstable at the best of times. He is a certified genius with psychopathic tendencies. He has worked in chemicals for HAMAS for the last fifteen years. He was implicated in the terrorist attacks against Israel and moved to the States about ten years ago to concentrate on Western forces. He was discovered eight years ago as a private with one of the military units stationed in the Gulf. The soldiers had all been experiencing strange illnesses which were suspected to have been caused by Kassiem. Chemicals and agents were found in his personal belongings.
Kassiem disappeared before they could put him in custody. The CIA had just exposed him working at the general hospital here in the city. The hospital's staff and patients have recently been suffering from strange symptoms. CIA agents were about to confront Kassiem when he again disappeared. Now he's turned up in our hands."
The professor had spoken to some 'friends' immediately after he discussed the lunchtime incident with Jean. She had come up to him after Storm had told her about the altercation in the kitchen.
Scott was fuming. "And we let him in without even checking. . . "
"Jean, did you pick up any other mutations other than his physical one?" the professor asked.
"No. But I haven't really had the chance to fully examine him." Truthfully, she had just been distracted every time she thought about it.
The professor turned to Scott who was pacing the office's limited space. "Have you managed to contact Logan or Marie yet?"
"No." Scott had been mentally beating himself up for letting a psycho into the school. "And we still don't know where Mika. . . ah, Kassiem is either."
"Hmmm. Scott, I want to see Logan and Marie immediately when they come in. Jean, I want you to keep a close eye on all the students and staff for any strange behavior. I will place the rest of the X-Men on full alert."
Scott and Jean left the office with the Professor in deep thought.
***
OUTSIDE THE PROFESSOR'S OFFICE DOOR.
Scott and Jean walked out of the room and walked straight into Logan and Marie.
"Oomph!"
"Oh, sorry Logan, didn't know you were here."
"Whatever. Is Charley inside?" Logan started for the office again.
Yes, but we must talk to you first." Scott answered, staring at the dripping man in front of him and the soggy girl who was trying unsuccessfully to hide behind him.
"Another time, Cyke. I gotta talk to the Professor," Logan moved to go around Scott.
"Is it about Mikael or should I say Siraaj Kassiem?" Jean said as Logan started to stare Scott down.
"What?" Marie put her arm on Logan to stop him.
They exchanged stories, explaining to each other what they knew.
"Oh my God. . . " Jean finally said after hearing about what Logan and Marie had found.
"Where is Mikael now?" Scott asked
"Inside the school grounds," Marie answered.
Logan cut Scott off before he could ask how Marie knew that. "We saw the taxi coming back down the road so he must be inside."
"Jean, contact Storm and tell her to start searching the main grounds for Mikael. Wolverine, Rogue, check the med-lab and his room. Jean and I will search the rest of the mansion."
Code names made the mission official. They split up, each determined to find out exactly what Mikael was up to and stop him.
***
THE MED-LAB
Mikael stood silently by Dawson bedside watching him sleep. Mikael's tail moved softly and his head was just above the sleeping man's face.
Bad looking acne scars where in fact part of Mikael's mutation. It was something that evolved during his teenage years after his tail grew in. Senses in the pours on his face detected the energy created by living beings. It was not unlike the senses of a shark called 'ampullae of lorenzini'.
The harmless looking scars where in fact the ultimate in predator detection devices.
Mikael raised his tail above Dawson's throat. A long, thin, black needle-like claw drew out of the tip.
"Dawson. . . wake up, Dawson," Mikael gently shook him awake.
"Hmmmm. . . " Dawson responded groggily.
"Look at me, Dawson," Mikael purred softly.
Sleepy eyes opened slowly and turned to look at Mikael. They widened when they saw the tail's deadly claw just above his throat.
"Good bye," Mikael said sweetly, as he deftly slit Dawson's throat.
Mikael watched quietly as the man on the bed died. Dawson flailed and he grasped at his throat in a vain attempt to stop the blood. His movements slowed and then eventually stopped. His life drained away with his blood as it dripped onto the sterile floor. Mikael smiled softly at the still body and enjoyed the feeling of Dawson's life energy draining away.
"May Allah grant mercy upon your soul," he said in Arabic.
As Mikael left the med-lab he stopped at the door. "No, not really," he said in English. He skipped out, laughing hysterically.
***
THE SECOND FLOOR
Mikael wasn't in his room. Wolverine swore violently and trotted off to the hidden elevators. Marie was still looking around.
"He's not in there, Rogue," he shouted back.
"I know that, but he might have left something," she called back.
Wolverine slowed at that and turned around. Grabbing Rogue, he pushed her out the room and did a quick scan with his enhanced senses.
"Nothing. Now let's go," He started off again.
Rogue didn't move. "And how do you know from one sniff that there is nothing there?" she said sarcastically.
"There's nothing in there like at the hotel," He reached for the elevator controls. It pinged to announce its arrival. "What the hell? I thought Scooter said they would search upstairs?"
"Huh?" Rogue ran towards Wolverine so they could go down to the med-lab together. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Wolverine's voice trailed off as the doors opened and Mikael stood in front of him.
"Shit, ROGUE!" He yelled to her as Mikael's tail shot forward and jabbed him in the chest before his claws could even reflexively extend.
Rogue watched Wolverine collapse and Mikael drag him into the elevator. The doors closed as she reached them. The light above the doors indicated the elevator's decent to the med-lab.
***
VIA MIND LINK. . .
"JEAN!!!!"
"Calm down, Rogue. I can hear you. What's wrong"
"He's got Wolverine!"
"Mikael?"
"Yes, Mikael! He has a spike in his tail. He jabbed Logan in the chest with it and then dragged him into the med-lab elevator!"
Marie sent mental images of what she had seen as she communicated mentally with the telepath.
"Oh, Jean! It was so fast. I didn't even see it until he had that tail out. Wolverine didn't even have time to pop his claws!"
"Good Lord! I thought that tail was just cosmetic."
Jean summoned Cyclops, who was just down a corridor which ran off from the one she was in.
"We're coming, Rogue. Just keep calm. We'll meet you at the med elevator. Don't move."
"Copy."
Like hell she was going to stay there. Rogue had been busy communicating with Jean as the elevator made its way down to the med-lab. She sent her last thought to Jean as the doors opened to face the open entrance of the medical laboratory.
***
THE MED-LAB
Logan woke up with a glass tube to his lips and a bitter substance being forced into his mouth. "What the fuck?!"
His eyes flew open as he leapt back to slip in a small pool of blood under his feet. The tube dropped from his mouth as the hand holding it withdrew quickly.
Logan fell to lay sprawled on his back under one of the med-lab's main examining tables. A limp arm dangled just off his right. Blood dripped slowly off the fingertips in a steady tempo. Logan tried to get up again. He felt terrible.
"I shouldn't. . . that stab shoulda healed by now. . . " Logan felt as if his brain wasn't firing all cylinders.
He managed to push himself upright into a sitting position. Leaning against the bed, he saw Mikael sitting on his haunches a few feet away in a corner.
"How are you feeling, Logan?" Mikael laughed. "Terrible? Like your tongue is swollen and you are choking on it, hmmm?"
"Fuck you, you bastard!" Logan didn't want to admit Mikael was right. His hand gave way under him and he collapsed on the floor again. "Cripes, that hurt!" Logan curled into a fetal position trying to stop the pain. He growled at Mikael.
"I'm sure you can handle it. It's just a mild dosage of anthrax." Mikael got up and walked over to where Logan lay.
"Well, not too mild. Enough to kill a small town, in fact, but as I said, I'm sure you can handle it." He leaned over and watched as Logan screamed and writhed on the floor when his body spasmed.
"LOGAN!" Marie had just arrived and stood horrified at the doorway.
"Marie. . . don't," Logan groaned.
"Hello, Marie," Mikael laughed even louder now if that was possible. "This just keeps getting better and better!" He threw a vial at her. A cool liquid splashed on her face.
"Ebola, Marie. Nature's nightmare. Hopefully, Logan gets over his Anthrax soon so he can get a cure going for you." Mikael clapped his hands in a delighted fashion as he knelt back over Logan and jabbed another needle into him. "HIV infected needle, my dear Logan. You will soon be the savior of the third world."
Marie stood shaking in anger with the small drops of liquid glistening on her face. She screamed and flew straight at Mikael's chest hurling him across the room.
Logan thought he was feeling a little bit better already. No, scratch that. He still felt terrible, just slightly less so than a moment ago. He propped himself up to watch Marie throw Mikael into a cabinet holding the glass beakers.
Just then Scott and Jean arrived.
"Rogue, stop!" Scott shouted. He watched his team fall apart as Storm flew in the med-lab to help Rogue, and Jean ran to Wolverine's side. Snarling, he pushed her away. Scott watched as Jean checked the obviously dead Dawson, whose throat had been cut. . . by Mikael he assumed.
What was wrong with Logan anyway? His skin had a blackish tinge to it and he looked terrible.
Rogue stopped bashing Mikael and held him like a drowned cat. Shaking him, she demanded, "What did you do to Logan, you bastard?!"
"Nothing as bad as what I did to you!!" Mikael started laughing again and then began coughing on his broken teeth and blood.
Marie threw him onto the floor and kicked him once for good measure before she ran to Logan's side to help him up.
***
FIVE HOURS LATER
Logan had locked himself in one of the adjoining rooms of the med-lab. When Jean had gone to try to help him, Storm held her back telling her to keep an eye on Marie instead. Marie was secluded in the glass paneled security lab. She was almost guaranteed to have been affected by the contents of the vial Mikael had thrown at her which supposedly contained the Ebola virus.
Jean contacted Beast who had gotten there in record time. He assisted her with basically incinerating everything in the lab that had come into contact with Marie and the vial. He then helped her secure Marie in an uncontaminated room for observation.
During that time, Logan had gone into a berserker rage. He had beaten up Mikael to a point near death. While Scott had gone to call the authorities, Logan had managed to beat information out of Mikael that the team had not known about. Yeah, he would catch serious hell when Jean could finally get him out of that room and when Scott got a hold of him, but Logan didn't care.
Logan had found out what Mikael did to Marie. It was partly the reason why he had broken Mikael's legs in four places. He had also discovered the rest of Mikael's objectives. Jean wouldn't let Logan touch the remainder of the vial Mikael had thrown at Marie until the Anthrax and HIV had worked itself out his system.
That had been a half hour ago. Jean had drawn blood from Logan, tested it and declared a fit bill of health for him. Before Jean could say any more, Logan had grabbed the vial and locked himself in the room.
Jean could hear Logan groaning, swearing violently, and getting sick.
"Storm, I must help him," Jean looked very upset. "I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into."
Storm returned Jean's look with serious eyes.
"He knew exactly what he was doing. He has watched the news and read the papers. He's seen magazine articles. Just last week Time had an article on the Ebola virus in the Congo."
Storm gently put an arm around Jean's neck and led her to the viewing seat of Marie's room.
"Logan knew precisely what it does. That's why he is in there. And why he locked himself in. He knows what it looks like and he knows you can catch it from fluids."
"Always thoughtful is Logan," Jean sighed.
Marie was still sleeping from the sedative they had given her when Beast walked in.
"I've just confirmed what Logan said Mikael had in those other vials. There were enough viruses, toxins, and bacteria in that bag to cause genocide on a massive scale. Which, after checking Mikael's background, was exactly what he was planning." Beast pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Why did he contaminate Logan?" Storm wondered.
"That apparently, is what he spoke to Scott about before his jaw was broken," Beast looked quite comfortable with the fact that Logan had broken Mikael's jaw.
"As Jean could tell you, there is nothing more frustrating to a doctor than a disease without a cure. Mikael, for all his psycho tendencies, knew that Logan's body would be able to create a cure for anything put into it. Therefore, he theorized that by using a sample of Logan's blood, you would be able to basically cure every dreaded disease known to man. I'm sure that some of those cures would have ended up being used in chemical warfare. Nothing better than having your army immune to something that you can use to kill your enemy. That's what the Anthrax was. Common anthrax has a cure, but it was a modified Anthrax which was poured into that vial."
The door behind Beast opened and Logan came out. He looked like a freight train had run him over and then reversed to run him over again.
"Hey, Jeanie," he croaked, "I'm feeling better now. Wanna work on that cure for Marie?" He smiled lamely and stumbled over to the exam bed.
***
TWO HOURS LATER
Marie opened her eyes slowly as she felt the prick of a needle in her arm.
Jean smiled down at her. A medical mask covered her lower face. "You'll soon be fine, Rogue."
She released a thin looking liquid into Marie's arm and withdrew the needle.
As Jean walked away, Marie lifted her head, "Thanks."
Jean stopped to look over at the viewing window where Logan and Beast had gathered. She hadn't let them in because of Marie's condition and the uncertainty of the virus' retreat, despite a loud protest from Logan.
"Don't thank me," Jean said to Marie. "Thank that big hairy lug who's busy steaming up the window. And I'm not talking about Beast."
Logan pressed himself closer against the glass as Jean left the room. Marie smiled thinly at him. He reached out a hand and pressed it to the glass. Marie did the same.
Together, they mouthed the words, "I love you," at the same time.
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