“Blaze Forrester here, reporting on the violent Anti-Mutant protests of last night. A group of human supremacists brutally killed two mutant girls as well as injuring a dozen others in the Bronx area of New York. These attacks have shocked and angered the mutant community, disturbing the peace that has previously settled between humans and mutants. The night has been called The Halloween Night Massacre.”
The picture on the plasma screen in the X-Mansion faded as Ororo Munroe turned off the tv.
“What bastards—“
“Logan ” Storm rebuked Wolverine as she ushered the children out of the room. Logan waited as patiently as he could for the students to exit the room. The minute the door shut, he continued.
“What bastards would do a thing like that ”
“Apparently, it was so random that even the professor couldn’t have foreseen it.”
“I bet Magneto already killed all of the people in that group anyway.”Logan said with the ghost of a smile on his face. As much as he wouldn’t want to admit it, he had become a sort of closet activist for his kind.
“If we allow that to happen, it would not only disgrace our values but if Magneto put on enough of a spectacle, the government will probably try to reestablish the Registration Act. That would be a mess.” Storm said as she paced around the couch in which Logan was sitting.
“I still think—“Logan began when all of the sudden the voice of Xavier filled his head.
I need you all in the board room immediately.
Logan and Ororo darted out of the room, fearing an emergency. When they reached the board room, Professor Xavier was waiting patiently for all of them to arrive, along with Jean and Scott.
“What’s the problem?” Logan asked. After he spoke, Rogue, Jubilee, and Peter entered the room looking startled.
“Sit down.” Xavier said and gestured toward the briefing table. He looked tired and vexed. Everyone sat anxiously around the table.
“What I am about to tell you has caused me a great deal of anxiety. I fear that this whole situation will become quite dangerous in the next couple of days. You have all heard of the Anti-Mutant protest last night. Though Magneto has not made a move yet, a group of mutants has. They plan to make a statement by going into New York City and destroying any human in their path. Their leader was affiliated with one of those killed last night.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. We’ll go into the city and stop them.” Logan said.
Jean spoke up saying “We traced the leader and discovered that he was a level five. More powerful than the professor. We have yet to know what his mutation is, but I can assure you it is not good.”
The group was quiet for a moment, almost as if they were determining their own chance of survival.
“He also has a group of about 90 followers.” Scott added.
“Do you know where he intends to strike?” Storm asked.
“Central Park, I believe. At about noon.” Xavier replied and than addressed the other students.
“To my younger students. I picked you out of your class because I believe that you have matured and are ready for open combat. It is still your choice, however. “
Everyone replied that they were ready and wanted to go. Rogue eyed her companions. Bobby was visiting his parents and was absent from the group. Rogue wondered where John Allerdyce was. If anyone was ready for open combat, it was Pyro. Rogue received an answer from the professor.
John is ready yet he lacks emotional control. His aggression fuels him in an unhealthy way.
Rogue responded by thinking But isn’t Logan the same? His aggression fuels him.
Nevertheless, Logan is not a killer. He was trained that way but he is not by nature. He adheres to a moral code that John does not.
Rogue smiled over at the professor in thanks for the explanation and followed the others to change.
XXX
XXX
On the Blackbird, Logan sat in the back by himself and watched Peter and Jubilee. This was one of the few times Logan had seen them together without them making out. She looked a little queasy and Peter was reassuringly rubbing her arm. Logan understood what Rogue missed out on. It was that little bit of physical contact that made the day less painful. Most of the time it wasn’t passionate and fiery. But it was soft and sincere.
“This seat taken?” a voice asked. Logan watched as Marie settled herself into the seat next to him. She always seemed so content and peaceful when he knew how much she longed to be normal.
As the jet’s engine started, Rogue jumped. She tried to conceal the tinge of anxiety she felt about the mission. But he knew better.
“If you’re afraid, what I said a long time ago is still valid. I’ll take care of you.” Logan said. Then she did something unexpected. She put her gloved hand in his. She smiled and Logan’s breath caught. He loved her.
XXX
With the new cloaking device, the Blackbird was easy to conceal. As they exited the jet, they saw that the group of mutants had already begun their protest in the distance. Logan was trying to form a strategy with Scott.
Things were moving at a slow pace when suddenly Jean cried out “They know ” Logan and Cyclopes’ heads spun around and saw them steadily approaching. Logan began to assign positions
“Jubilee, far right Jean, stay back here and try to decipher their plan. Cyclops, try to knock out some of the ones that are flying. Storm, create some cover. Collosus, go to the left end with Rogue. Oh and Rogue?”
The girl’s turned around.
“You might want to take those off.” He said motioning toward her gloves. She flung them off and tossed them aside and went to catch up with Peter. Jean then asked “Where will you be going?”
“Front and center.” He said and shed his claws.
The battle was favoring the X-men. Jean had figured out their battle strategy and de rooted trees to block the path to the more populated side of the park. The younger X-men had been doing extremely when all of the sudden Jubilee screamed “PETER ” Logan’s head spun around and saw Collosus drop to the ground. Jubilee looked on the verge of hysterics. Logan called out to her to keep fighting and to not drop her guard. Logan thought “If the boy is dead, it will break her heart.” This thought made him very angry and he started to fight with more zeal.
Wolverine had lost count of the people he had killed. There was only a hand ful l of the group left and soon they retreated. The group was close to victory. Jean had brought Peter to her and was examining him. Than all of the sudden, on top of the hill stood a cloaked figure. At first, Scott said it was Magneto. Than they realized, he was too large and young to be he.
“Im going to take a closer look.” Logan said and shed his claws once more.
“Be careful.” Storm said and they all watched him ascend the hill. When he reached the figure, some words were exchanged between the two and than Wolverine made a move. As he continued attacking though, he seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. The group watched in awe. What could be too powerful for his healing factor? They all expected him to bounce back.
Then he fell to his knees.
“LOGAN ”Rogue screamed and climbed up the hill faster than she ever thought she could. The others called for her to come back. But she wouldn’t listen. Though she was running at a rapid pace, it seemed to take forever for her to reach them. Logan was struggling to keep on his knees. The man that Rogue saw was young, too young to be defeating Wolverine. He was simply lifting his hand in front of Logan. Rogue did notice that Logan was losing pieces of flesh and that they were joining onto the body of the man. Wolverines’ healing power was not reacting quickly enough. Before she could think twice about it, Rogue lunged forward and grabbed onto the man’s hand. She watched in pleasure as his surprised expression turned into one of pain.
Then she felt her mind being overloaded with people’s voices and thoughts. There were too many of them. Marie winced in pain as she struggled to hold on to the man’s hand. Shortly after he dropped to the ground, she fainted.
XXX
“Nooo ” Logan yelled and scrambled to his feet. He went to the beautiful and unconscious Rogue and called to her. When she did not answer, he lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hill. She was breathing but she wasn’t moving and it scared the shit out of him.
“Jean Help ” Logan screamed to the doctor who was staring in horror at the seemingly lifeless girl in his arms. Storm lowered the door of the Blackbird for everyone and booted up the engine. Scott pulled down the seats in the jet and made two makeshift cots for Rogue and Peter. Jean lifted Peter unto a cot and Logan laid Marie on the other. He took of his glove to touch her, to try to heal her when Jean caught him and said “Don’t do that. It helped last time but this is different.”
“Why? What happened? ” said a very distraught Wolverine.
“She suffered trauma from using her power.”
“Why did that happen? That never happens when she uses her power ”
“I don’t know But you have to calm down, Logan ”
Logan spent the rest of the jet ride pacing anxiously around the Blackbird. He noticed that Jubilee was kneeling down in the corner with her arms around her knees. She looked so forlorn let she wasn’t crying. She steadily watched Peter who was only raspily breathing. She would occasionally walk up to him and stroke his arm. When they reached the mansion, Logan silently carried Marie to the medlab. Jean followed close behind with Peter. Storm and Scott were trying to convince Jubilee to get some sleep. She argued that she was fine and ran up the stairs to her room. Scott than asked Storm “Do you think they were ready for this?”
Ororo said nothing but went to the medlab to check on the others.
XXX
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Okay, action is certainly not my specialty. I can't express to you how bad my action is! Enjoy what you can of this chapter and ignore or skip over the crappy stuff! Review please!