Dilated eyes peered open slowly, flinching and quickly closing to the thunderous drum that rocked inside the skull in which they sat in. Rogue couldn’t feel any movement about her. All was still. She tried to move out a hand to support her seated position, but it was then she discovered they were bound, firmly, behind her back. Her eyes flew open again, fully, taking in several horrific things at once.
She may have never been here before, but she recognised the location from her dreams. From her nightmares. Logan’s nightmares. Her eyes travelled across the lab, quickly sickened to see the murky experimentation tank sat under the low lights at the back of the room. She backed away on her knees slowly, but found herself already pressed up against the tiled wall. Her eyes darted around anxiously, soon enough happening on William Stryker, who stood watching her like she was vaguely interesting. She shuffled away slowly, but realised that not only had she been handcuffed, but the metal fixtures had also been attached to the wall.
At her motions, the guards surrounding the lab all tensed loaded guns upon her, causing her to shrink back. She found her voice, but spoke quietly. “Where’s Logan?”
There was a fleeting smile across Stryker’s face, but it held no humour. “Oh, he’ll be along shortly.”
“What are you goin’ to do to him?” demanded Rogue, fixating a fierce glare up at the man who had made Logan’s life such hell. She knew, she had witnessed it every night as she slept. “Haven’t you messed around with his head enough?” She had only just finished speaking when she heard footsteps and quickly looked round to see several armed soldiers carrying a badly beaten Logan inside. There was more than bullet wounds on him. “Logan!” she cried, the manacles at her wrists rattling behind her.
Her cry summoned his attention slowly. His head lifted gradually, weakly. Eyes were slowly brought upon her face, but appeared to hold no emotion. They were lifeless and empty. He seemed so weak, so defeated. What had they done to him? Just like her, he was shackled, only with such a contraception that meant if he ejected his claws, he’d stab himself.
Rogue’s eyes whirled round upon the soldiers as they gathered about him. She caught a miniscule nod from Stryker, and her head couldn’t turn fast enough as she looked back towards Logan. One of the nearby soldiers advanced upon Logan, grabbing him by his hair and wrenching his head backward. Neck exposed, the sleek barrel of a pistol was driven upward below his chin.
Rogue’s scream was drowned out by the gunfire. She threw herself forward in desperation, fighting against the chains that bound her, but was grabbed by soldiers and held back. She could only stare with ragged breathing as Logan sunk onto his knees, torso then collapsing forward to hit the cold ground where he lay silent. The bullet, at such a close range would have surely hit his brain.. and without any adamantium to stop it’s path.. Could he survive that? She didn’t know. But they seemed to have known what they were doing. Surely, only Stryker, if anyone, knew how to kill the enduring man?
It was if a switch had flicked inside her head and completely removed her of any logical sanity. With a frantic scream she elbowed the soldier nearest her, then trying to kick the other to the floor. Hysterical tears flooded down her pale, stricken face, her legs suddenly turning weak and useless. She stumbled and collapsed back upon the floor, where she was surrounded by rifles all aimed and ready. “No..” she moaned pitifully into the floor, closing her eyes tightly as she felt her head whirling with different feelings. Wolverine was striding through the myriad of emotions, taking advantage of her sudden mental weakness. Her fists clenched tightly, a single thought being slowly driven around her mind. Kill them..
“I didn’t need Wolverine any longer,” said Stryker softly, watching the girl as she remained in a heap on the floor at his feet. “Not when I discovered the possibility of something much stronger. You see, Wolverine was simply bait. Now I’ve got the real source of power here, the one who will eventually become so powerful with others’ mutations, that under my control will be the very thing sent out to destroy. It’s rather ironic isn’t it? Using mutants to kill mutants. It’s also rather genius.” He crouched down in front of her, watching her writhe and sob. “I know that Wolverine resides in your head. I know how much it’s trying to take over you. But it’ll all be over soon. You won’t remember anything.” He took a pause in order to savour his words with a twisted smile. “You’ll have no memories.”
Rogue slowly picked her face up off the floor, tearful eyes staring up at him. She shook her head slowly; soft gasps sounding from her lips. “Don’t,” she said weakly. “Please, don’t do this.”
A grim smile spread over his lips, leaving a sickening sensation in Rogue’s gut. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” He looked up, nodding to the soldiers. They immediately advanced at his subtle command, grabbing Rogue forcibly by her shoulders and pressing her back against the wall she was chained to. Rogue’s aching eyes noticed the small collection of apparatus Stryker pulled out of his coat. Out came a row of needles filled with a silvery substance she had never seen before, not even in Logan’s dreams. Despite how she tried to shrink backwards, pressing herself against the wall in fear, Stryker stepped forward, looming over her crying form like a bully in a playground. She was held down, forced against the wall. She quickly closed her eyes, sick and terrified.
The slim point of one of the needles breached the bare skin of her wrist, the momentary stab of pain sending a chill through her as she fully realised that when Stryker had finished, she would remember nothing. She wouldn’t recall her childhood in Mississippi, nor the day Logan found her in Laughlin City. She wouldn’t remember the first time she stepped into Xavier’s mansion, nor the night in which she spent with Logan, lost in throes of passion. Her voice had rendered itself silent, and she could only shake her head mutely, chest racking for ragged pants of breath. She could feel the fluid being injected into her veins, and vaguely wondered how much he would need to administer before she know longer knew who she was anymore. It seemed all those needles were for her.
Just as the first had been emptied into her bloodstream, there was a disturbance of hurried footsteps as a soldier ran into the lab. “Stryker, sir!” he called urgently, being earned a dark glare for his interruption.
“What is it, Lyman?” he barked.
“There’s a security breach, sir! The spillway is open and we are under attack!”
Stryker quickly glanced around at the soldiers present. “At arms! Secure the base immediately. Leave no one alive.” As one, the soldiers turned and sprinted up the slim steps, their heavy footsteps echoing off into the bowels of the dam. Stryker turned upon Lyman, nodding his head. “Stay here, Sergeant. If she tries to escape, withstrain her. She’s had one dosage and I don’t expect her to be moving anytime soon.” Stryker glanced down at Rogue for a moment before back to his Sergeant. “If any outsiders come down here, shoot them on sight.”
“Yes, sir,” said Lyman immediately, and Stryker turned, belatedly following his soldiers to investigate the apparent attack.
Remaining bound in her heavy shackles, Rogue continued to lean against the wall. Her head felt strangely heavy, consciousness disorientated. She was barely aware that Stryker had left. Logic felt strangely fuzzy. She couldn’t access any clear emotions or thoughts. Her head sank against her chest some more, eyes remaining closed. It hurt too much to move. She felt too empty inside. Think.. she told herself desperately. I can’t let him take my memories. Logan managed to fight Stryker’s interference, so why can’t I? She made a soft groan, this earning her a loaded rifle being pointed at her warily. Lyman remained by the exit however, eyes locked upon her. Just think of him. Think of Logan.. oh, but I can’t. How can I do this when he’s dead? He’s dead.. she opened her eyes into small slits, noticing Logan’s unmoving body sprawled on his front several feet away. There was a sizeable puddle of blood below where his head had smacked against hard flooring.
They murdered him..
Eyes were quickly closed. That image was imprinted in her mind for only seconds before she felt it trickling away into the whirlpool that had opened in the pit of her mind. Memories, knowledge, emotions, logic. They were all slowly falling into the swirling chasm. One by one they teetered off the edge, each time bringing Wolverine one step closer to domination. Not now.. she thought desperately, feeling her brow beginning to bead with sweat as she fought to concentrate. She swallowed firmly, feeling the urge to be sick come over her. Her eyes squeezed shut tightly, panting softly. The scent of Logan’s blood was filling her nostrils. Her head already felt heavily disorientated. She was ready to throw up. Feeling weak, shivery and full of despair, another tear crept from her eyelids to wend its way down the soaked path across her pale, clammy cheeks.
She felt her fists clench tighter as she wobbled, though her knees remained on firm ground. Nails pricked into the soft flesh of her palms, sending a spasm of pain throughout her nervous system and triggering an almighty lurch inside her head. Her eyes flew open, void and empty of any natural emotion, running deep into an unending black abyss of rage.
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