Rogue encountered Mike sitting in the kitchen. He greeted her with enthusiasm before noting her lagging energy and desolate expression, “What gives, Rogue? You look like you’ve had a rough night. I heard they took Logan into the doc’s - what’s going on?”
“He got hurt, and I donated a lot of blood. I need to eat. Hank said red meat, so it’s a cheeseburger for me, if I can find the energy to fix it.”
Mike leaped to his feet and chivalrously pulled out a chair for her, “I’m the Burger Meister of my old neighborhood! Allow me, ma’am,” and he rummaged through the refrigerator, sniffing everything, throwing condiments and cheddar and ground beef on the counter top, slapping a skillet on a burner, and making quick work of the favor, even grilling the buns to a golden brown while he made patties for both of them. Rogue nearly chuckled at his sniffing the food. He might have heightened feral senses, just like Logan. Like Logan ‘had,’ she corrected herself. How alike Mike and Logan were: both charming misfits, both feral, and both persistent flirts!
Mike chewed his burger and chattered over daily trivia while Rogue ate, keeping her distracted from brooding. As everyone kept filing up from the shelter they’d taken during the now-waning storm, the twin sisters Ciji and Niji gathered at the table with Rogue and Mike, everyone relieved that the funnel clouds had safely passed out of the county. Peering out the windows, Ciji noted the clutter of broken branches, trash cans and patio chairs strewn over the lawn, illuminated by the glow of the exterior lights. Niji waited until Rogue had finished her food before asking, “We heard Logan was sick - what’s going on?”
“I don’t really know. Hank says he’s stable, but he’s gotta stay in Med Lab for a while. I’m gonna grab some fresh clothes, then go back down there for the night, to stay close to him.”
“Are you two officially a couple, then?” Mike asked bashfully.
“Yeah, we’re official.”
“We like Logan,” both twins said in perfect unison, making Rogue grin as they started their trademark alternating conversation. “He’s cool.” “He’s so laid back.” “He helped me out a lot in self-defense class when I was making a fool of myself.” “You excel at making a fool of yourself.” “But, he is a gorgeous hunk of man.” “He sure is.” “He’s got legs clear up to his arm pits!” “Don’t make tacky, lewd comments in front of his girlfriend.” “I’m sure she’s already noticed his physical assets, so chill out, fishwife.” “Act like you weren’t raised in a cave, bait-breath.” “Make me, carp girl.” Both sisters stuck their tongues out at each other and rippled their blue, spiny gills in irritation. Mike just shook his head as he rose from the table.
“Rogue, can I walk you back to your room, then down to Med Lab? I’ve got nothing else to do right now.”
“We’ll come along, too.” “We want to say hey to Logan.” Both twins leaped up as Rogue dragged herself to her feet.
“He’s probably still asleep, but okay; I guess company won’t hurt, in case I fall asleep in the hallway before I get to my door.” The foursome wandered out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Rogue taking the steps slowly.
After Rogue showered, the twins shoved Mike in the bathroom and shut the door while Rogue changed into her flannel pajama pants and an old t-shirt, threw a hoodie over it, and pulled on dorm socks. She had to smile as the twins set about putting her room in order: straightening her sheets, pairing up discarded shoes under the bed, laying her discarded clothing neatly on a chair, and shouting instructions to Mike not to mess up the bathroom too much, since men couldn’t be trusted in a woman’s bathroom.
Fastening the magnolia necklace on, Rogue pronounced herself finished. Niji immediately retrieved Mike from the bathroom, made one sweeping inspection in his wake, and patted the boy’s spiky gray-haired head for good behavior. “You did good, dude.”
“I’m glad my healthy male ego can handle your feminine condescension,” he sniped as they all filed out the door. Entering the outer room of the Med Lab, the group stopped as they overheard Hank speaking to Storm in his office. Rogue heard Logan’s name spoken, but strained to hear anything else. Turning to Mike, she asked, “Do you have super-sharp hearing, like Logan?”
“Not ‘that’ sharp, from what I’ve heard about him. But I can hear them, if that’s what you’re asking.”
All the girls hushed as Mike listened, then repeated back to them chunks of what he heard, “They’re talking about Logan being poisoned... heavy metal something... Adam and Auntie Em? Hank thinks if he had a sample of metal it might give him something to work with.... but it might not do any good.” Mike listened intently again as Rogue felt herself grow cold inside. Heavy metal poisoning was life-threateningly serious!
Mike continued, “They’re talking about where to find Adam and Auntie Em.”
“Adamantium,” Rogue whispered. “It’s the metal inside of Logan, what his claws are made from. It’s all over his bones. I’m going in there,” Rogue strode forward with the twins and Mike close at her heels, and pushed Hank’s door open. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Rogue gripped her chair arms with both hands as Hank explained the situation: the metal inside Logan was steadily poisoning him, and they couldn’t get it out without killing him in the process.
“Who could get it out?” Rogue’s voice was barely audible, before she cleared her throat and sat up straighter. “Stryker’s dead. Magneto was the one who set Logan up for the attack, so he’s probably not going to help, right?”
“That’s correct,” Hank confirmed, adding, “ and to further complicate the issue, even if he were willing or could be forcibly coerced, Logan and I together administered the cure to Magneto as well. He is powerless.”
“Who else?” Rogue persisted.
“No one else, to our knowledge,” Storm added. “If there’s another mutant or human capable of manipulating adamantium, we have no knowledge of it, and no telepath powerful enough to operate Cerebro to hunt for one.”
“And no access to the military records,” Hank inserted, “ assuming Stryker didn’t destroy them at some point. For all intents and purposes, the secret of working adamantium is lost.”
“Find it again,” snapped Rogue. “We have to do something. We can’t just let him die!” Her voice was starting to break and tears rolled down both cheeks. The twins and Mike exchanged painful glances and listened quietly.
Hank looked straight into her eyes as he spoke, “Rogue, if there were some way to help Logan, I would. If there were samples of adamantium available, I could begin testing a few different things while we treat him for the heavy metal poisoning, but it would be the search for the needle in the haystack. The possibilities for learning to work adamantium could take months, perhaps years, if ever. Even with chelation therapy to combat the poisoning, there simply isn’t enough time without some kind of miracle happening.”
“Make a miracle happen, then! What do we need? Stryker’s research? His assistants? Metal scraps to test? What??!?” Storm noted Rogue’s transition from shock to grief to near-hysteria to cold, calm focus. It was frightening.
Hank continued, “Any of it, all of it, but we can’t get it. Stryker is dead; we don’t know who his assistants were; we have no adamantium except what’s inside Logan. If the metal truly is indestructible once it’s solidified, we couldn’t remove it from his bones, or break his claws for a sample to test.”
“There’s a lab full of it at Alkali Lake. Logan told me about it after we came back. It’s where Stryker put it on his bones, and there was more metal there, boiling in a crucible. He told me he saw it there, used it to kill Deathstryke. It’ll still be there, under the lake. We’ll go there and bring some of it back from the lab.”
“Rogue,” Storm broke in, “it’s underwater, and below ground, remember?”
“Water’s not a problem,” Ciji spoke up as Niji chimed in, “We can find anything you want underwater.” “We breathe water.” “Got a map?” “Let’s do this!” “Get a waterproof flashlight.” “We’ll need an intercom or walkies.” “Come on!” Both sisters were bouncing with enthusiasm, and Mike nodded his approval.
“I’m in, too, in any way I can help. I’m good at finding things. Well, maybe not underwater, but I can read a map with the best of ‘em, and I can handle small electronics, communications gear, whatever you need. I got good senses for stuff underground and all that; it’s a rat thing, I guess.”
“Just stop this, all of you,” Storm spoke decisively. “You’re talking about a mission here, with untrained teenagers. There’s too much risk.”
“Fuck the risk when there’s a life on the line,” snapped Rogue. “There’s no denying Logan’s gonna die if we don’t do this, right?” Her eyes gleamed with an emotion too intense for Hank to deny.
“Right,” he affirmed. “It’s our only immediate hope. We need a sample of adamantium; or even better, any records remaining on the processing of it. Stryker’s laboratory is our best, fastest hope. The more we have to work with, the less time it will take,” Hank took a shallow breath before completing his thoughts, “to determine if we have a chance at saving Logan’s life.”
Storm still resisted, “I understand that everyone in this room has an emotional investment in Logan’s well-being, including me; but this ‘mission’ idea is getting out of hand. None of you are prepared for a recovery mission, let alone something that’s going to take us into underwater search and salvage, possibly demolition, heavy equipment...”
Rogue cut into Storm’s list of reasons not to go, “The only thing that you can do to stop us is to refuse to fly us there; and if you do refuse, we’ll drive there and it’ll just take that much more time, when time is precious. You decide, Storm: help us, or get out of our way?”
Taken aback, Storm looked at the group of teenagers gathered around Rogue: hands linked, palms on her arms, presenting a unified front. The twins had their lips tightened and their spiny gills fanned wide and bristling in determination, and Mike’s black-orb eyes seemed to focus everywhere in the room at once, but his arm around Rogue’s shoulders spoke volumes.
Hank folded his glasses and added, “If it helps your decision-making process, Ororo, I would be the first one aboard the Blackbird if I didn’t need to remain here and monitor Logan’s condition. Chelation therapy isn’t something I’d trust to just anyone, under these extreme circumstances.”
“We’re going, and we’re not waiting around for you to ponder and waste time,“ Rogue demanded of Storm. “Are you in or out?” She stood and reached for the doorknob to make her point.
“I’m in, but we’re not going off half-cocked,” Storm affirmed as she rose to her feet. “Give me one hour to put together what we have on the Alkali Lake compound, what we found there, the schematics, everything. We’ll need everyone on board with this, so there’s less risk for the untrained people.”
Rogue suddenly felt her head swim and her knees start to buckle as Mike caught her before she could crumple to the floor in a faint. Hank deftly scooped the young woman into his arms and put her in a chair. Quickly checking her vitals and gazing into her eyes, he asked her a few questions about how she felt physically, then made his diagnosis.
“You are suffering from the effects of donating so much blood. You will remain here while the team goes to Alkali Lake, since you’re too weak to be of any help.”
“Hank, you know I can’t si...” Rogue began, before he interrupted her.
“If you persist, I’ll have to restrain you for your own good,” Hank noted her jaw dropping open with surprise. “I am deadly serious, Rogue. You and I are staying here with Logan. You’re on ‘moral support’ detail while you recuperate.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Mike and the twins help out, Rogue hears bad things, and a plan is formed, much to Storm’s chagrin.