A scream burned Rogue’s throat as she was horrifically awoken out of her unsettled sleep. She flew upright, her eyes wide and her breath coming out in heavy uneven pants. She kicked away the bed covers, which had become tightly wrapped about her during her struggles. The constriction was uncomfortably tight, and Rogue fought to be free of it. She stumbled out of the bed once she became disentangled from the duvet, standing splay-legged as she gasped for breath. Wolverine’s nightmares had taken centre stage once again, only this time she became aware of the location. She had heard it spoken in her dream, repeated numerous times from conversation Wolverine picked up upon and she was now delving into.
Alkali Lake.
Scenes of agony, blood and torture had confronted her. She had heard his screams and felt his pain. Even now, through the silence, she felt as though the echoes were still ringing in her ears. She had seen how his eyes burned black with a wild side she hadn’t experienced, not to the extreme presented in her dreams. During his time at Alkali Lake, he was an animal. No vocabulary, no culture, just pure instinct and a blood lust that would never be sated. Rogue wiped the beading sweat from her brow with the back of a shaky hand. She felt tense, on edge and extremely worried. Logan was now heading to Alkali Lake and could be walking straight into danger. And she had encouraged him! Biting her lower lip nervously, Rogue turned to her bedside table, turning on the lamp. She picked up the mobile phone Professor Xavier had given her. She flipped it open, bringing the silver device to her ear.
“Wolverine,” she said clearly, hearing the beep of confirmation from Cerebro and the followed ringing tone. “C’mon.. c’mon..” she whispered under her breath as she anxiously waited for him to pick up. If he picked up..
“Hello?”
“Logan!” Rogue exclaimed in such a rush of delight. “You’re all right!”
She heard his familiar rough chuckle sound through. “Why shouldn’t I be, kid? It’s you I’m worried about – are you o.k? It’s nearly 3 o’clock in the mornin’.”
“I’m fine,” she replied, taking a step backwards and sinking down upon the edge of the bed. “It’s just that.. I had another nightmare – “ she heard his soft groan “ – No, Logan, listen. It was about Alkali Lake.” A silence followed. “Everythin’ you’ve seen in your dreams, the experiments, the labs.. I think it happened at Alkali Lake.”
“So this place is the real deal, huh?”
Rogue sighed quietly, “It seems so. But I’m worried.. it seems dangerous.”
“Anythin’ to do with my past is probably dangerous, Marie.”
“I know,” admitted Rogue. “But I don’t want you to get hurt..”
“I need to check this place out, kid. I - I need to know..”
Rogue closed her eyes, a frown pressing her brow. “I know,” she said softly, her eyes then fluttering open as she glanced over to the window. “I’m just scared for you..”
She heard him exhale a rough sigh. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back soon. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can.”
“And I need to do this..”
“I know..” she repeated.
“Stay safe. Keep the doors and windows locked. Keep the curtains closed too.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Hope you’re back soon though!” she then added with a weak chuckle. “I’m missin’ y’already.”
His deep-throated laughter made her smile. “Missin’ you too.”
“Anyway,” Rogue sighed as she idly played with the hem of her nightdress, “I better let you get back to sleep..”
“All right. Try and stay nightmare-free.”
“I’ll try. G’night.”
“Night, kid.”
The signal shut off with a finalising beep but Rogue kept the phone against her ear, listening in to its silence. “Love yo’..” she murmured softly into it, then frowning and lowering it. She shut the top, depositing the phone back on the bedside table. But her anxiety was too much, and she quickly leant over to grab the phone again. Hurriedly opening it and returning to her ear she spoke clearly once more. “Charles Xavier.”
The beep sounded before the ring tone sounded. It was answered rather quickly. “Good morning, Rogue,” Charles greeted her pleasantly. “It’s quite early. Is everything all right?”
Rogue felt herself cringe a little at her hastiness to contact the Professor at such an hour. “Hey. Everythin’s o.k.. but, well.. Logan’s gone to Alkali Lake, and I had one of his dreams about the place. Alkali Lake is where he was experimented upon, and I don’t want him walking into danger.” She paused, frowning down at her lap. “I rang him and he said he still had to go.”
“Indeed, he has been searching fifteen years. He’s unlikely to let it all go in the face of danger.”
“Well, I wondered if you’d keep watch on him over the next few days.. just in case something bad does happen.”
There was a pause before Charles spoke, “I gather he isn’t aware you are requesting this.”
“No,” replied Rogue uncomfortably. “But.. I’m scared, Professor.”
“I promise you I will watch over tomorrow’s events, my dear. And if the need calls for it, my X-Men can be there within the hour.”
Feeling her chest relax some from its anxious constriction, Rogue smiled. “Thanks.”
“Not at all. Is there anything else you wished to ask me?”
“No, that’s it.”
“Very well. Good luck with the rest of your trip, Rogue. Good night.”
“G’night,” Rogue replied, before she closed the phone.
Having contacted the Professor, Rogue felt her worries be alleviated somewhat. At least someone was watching over Logan even if she couldn’t. She dropped back into bed with a quiet sigh, settling herself deep into the covers once more. Her eyes roamed over the empty spot besides her, this sight causing her to frown and she rolled over to turn her back on it. She reached out to turn off the light, the room being plunged into darkness.
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The next few days had gone relatively slow for Rogue’s liking. It was lonely without Logan by her side and his lacking presence was sharply noticeable. She had spent the day in their hotel room, flicking through the digital channels on the television and helping herself to food they had packaged for their journey. She found herself a film to get drawn into for a few hours, but the ending only depressed her and resulted in her turning off the TV as soon as the credits appeared.
Becoming increasingly fidgety in the lonely room, Rogue shoved her boots onto her feet and let herself out of the room, travelling downstairs to head to the hotel bar. Deciding this would be another useful way to pass time, Rogue meandered inside. Though she was well wrapped up because of her skin, it wasn’t necessary, for the bar was quiet. She moved over to the bar, eyes roaming the available drinks. She had to hold back her Wolverine urge to purchase a strong beer, and forced herself to settle with an ice-cold glass of fizzy apple juice instead. She picked herself a table by the window; sitting herself down with her drink and lazily watching the world pass by.
Time passed surprisingly quickly, though Rogue was sure she had gone into many daydreams. The bar was becoming busier, and Rogue decided to would be safer to retreat to her room for the sake of her skin. The crowds simply made her uncomfortable. She downed the remains of her fourth apple juice, and stood to her feet. Passing an idle glance to the now dark outdoors, Rogue set about leaving her table. However, she paused as she spied a figure across the road. Snow was falling rather thickly, and the person was difficult to make out. A frown consorted her features as she hurried out of the bar and back into the hotel foyer. Turning to the double doors, she pushed herself outside, pulling her coat tighter around her form as she braced the howling blizzard.
She came to the roadside, staring at the form, which had remained unmoving. The figure was crouched in the snow, sat in a hunched posture. The cold wind blew through dark brown hair, which hung wildly over black eyes. Snow speckled his bloodstained form, which was brazenly naked to the chilling surroundings, but he didn’t appear to notice the temperature.
Rogue felt her insides freeze, and it had nothing to do with the weather. Her eyes were transfixed on him. Cautiously, Rogue stepped into the road, advancing closer as she stared at the figure. His gaze was locked on hers, unblinking. “Logan?” Rogue called gently as she came to a halt in the empty road. She kept a sizeable distance between them. He didn’t make any reaction to her words, merely watching her. “Logan, what’s happened to you?”
She knew it.. she knew something bad would happen if he went to Alkali Lake. Whoever was there had caught him again. Her eyes stared at his face, which held no recognition and kept eerily still. His eyes had lost their warm brown shade and were piercingly black with no warmth visible. Rogue frowned gently as she studied him, her eyes trailing over his naked form, which showed signs of blood. His muscular chest slowly raised and dropped with every breath he took, the only movement he gave.
“Logan?” she said again in a whisper, feeling herself overcome with hopelessness and desperation for him to snap out of this state. “Logan, it’s me. It’s Marie.. yeah?” She edged closer, crouching down in front of him so she was a little lower than him. His eyes followed her down smoothly. “What have they done to you? Where are your clothes?”
She hardly expected an answer this time round, and she was surprised when he tilted his head a little to the side. The first movement he had shown. His nostrils lightly quivered as he sniffed the air.
“You recognise me, don’t you?” she asked as she stared at him. “Logan, everythin’s gonna be all right.” She outstretched a gloved hand towards him, her fingers lightly trembling in fear. She fought to keep herself composed as she brought her hand closer to his face for him to get her scent. He leant his head a little closer before everything snapped into sudden motion. His bare hand shot up from the snow, his thick fingers abruptly snatching her about the wrist. Rogue gave a sharp cry in shock for he swiftly turned, running away from the hotel. He dragged her roughly through the snow, not even giving her chance to stand up. Rogue struggled as she was pulled through the snow, her feet desperately searching for something to latch onto. But nothing came, and he continued to take her away from safety.
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