True Believers: Part Eleven
#Nathan?# The barest mental whisper brushed against Cable's thoughts, so delicate that, under normal circumstances, he would have had to concentrate even to hear it.
At the moment, though, it hurt. Losing his balance, he stumbled, going to his knees. Pete, who had been a few steps in front of him, turned with a curse and came back to his side.
"I thought we agreed you weren't going to pass out, Nate," Pete said, but his flippant tone sounded forced. Cable let Pete help him up. Otherwise, he wasn't sure if he could have gotten to his feet, Nathan admitted to himself shakily. His legs felt like rubber, his shields were almost gone, and he was having so much trouble concentrating that he could feel the T-O virus advancing. Only a little, but it was just another problem to add to the list.
"We're almost to the hangar," Pete said encouragingly, supporting him. "You sensing anyone around?"
"I--can't tell," Cable said raggedly, knowing that he couldn't put all of the blame for his inability to focus on his 'condition'. The image of how they'd all--surrounded him in the medlab was still too sharp in his mind's eye. They'd been so convinced they were right, that he should stay. He'd seen in on their faces, sensed it in their thoughts. Some of them hadn't been as willing as others to take decisive steps to keep him there, he'd sensed that, but with his shields in such a mess he hadn't been able to tell who was thinking what, who to turn to--except for Pete. "Stop--looking at me like that," he said as Pete's expression tightened with worry. "I'm fine."
Pete gave him a grim smile. "Sure you are, old man. I'll just ignore the fact that you're projecting so bloody loudly that I'M starting to feel like I want to run around in circles, shrieking."
Cable winced. "Pete, I'm not meaning to--"
"I know," Pete said quickly, and his expression took on a resolute edge that filled Cable with relief. "I also know that you'll settle down as soon as we're out of this bloody place, so let's get moving. Bloody hell, I really wish you'd waited a few minutes to send Shavrin off. I guess we'll just have to hope that we don't run into any--"
#Nathan, please listen to me,# Jean said softly, and pulled him into a psi-link. Without shields, he couldn't keep her out, and, when he started to fight her, she tightened her grip on his mind, exuding a sort of regretful determination.
#Let--go of me--# he sent back, hating her quite thoroughly at that moment. He stopped any overt attempt to fight her, and searched desperately for any weakness in the link, anything he could use to break it. Trying to concentrate on that level was almost more than he could manage, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her do this--
#Not until you listen.# She didn't seem to notice what he was doing, and for some reason, that just made him angrier. She was utterly absorbed in doing what she thought was best for him, as if he was incapable of making such decisions for himself. As if he were still a child, still needing her protection!
#Nothing--more to be--SAID!# he sent back with as much force as he could manage. Which wasn't much.
#I don't agree,# she sent bluntly. # Nathan, would you look at the situation rationally for a minute? You can NOT do this.#
#Not--your ch-choice to make,# he managed, and heard an aggravated, worried sigh.
#Damn it, Nathan, this isn't about choice! In this condition, you are not fit to be going into a combat situation! You're just flirting with disaster, pretending otherwise!#
He realized dimly that he had fallen to his knees again, that Pete was crouched beside him, saying something in a low, urgent voice, but he couldn't focus on any of it. # Doesn't--matter. Have--to do this--# he sent back, ignoring the part of him that admitted she had a point. But he didn't care about logic at the moment. He wanted out of here, NOW--
He felt sudden anger from her direction. # You are being so unreasonable!# she snarled.
#I'm--not the only one--#
#Unreasonable and petulant! If I can force you into a link like this, how are you going to defend yourself against another telepath? Against Hana, if she ends up causing the type of trouble you're anticipating--#
#If--you think mutant powers are the--be all and--end all, you're wrong,# he sent bitterly. # My--abilities don't define who I am. I don't--need them to fight!#
#That's not the issue!#
#That's the only--issue!# he sent back furiously, hoping his anger was hiding his fear. If she felt that, if she looked past the fear--as she very well could, with his shields gone--and saw where it was coming from, he--he couldn't handle that. Not now. Maybe not ever.
#Nathan--# She cut herself off, and when she continued, her 'voice' was calmer. # Nathan, please. We care too much about you to let you do this to yourself--#
He would have laughed, under different circumstances. #Oath, you have--a flonqing peculiar way of showing it, Jean--# he sent savagely.
#Please, Nathan,# she said pleadingly. #Stop this. Trust us--#
Trust them? When they'd been a heartbeat away from forcing him to stay, from taking his freedom away from him--trapping me, caging me-- He reached out in blind panic, and, with every bit of strength he could muster, smashed the link between them. He felt her withdraw in shock, but, before her presence faded entirely from his mind, there was a flash of horrified awareness from her direction.
Oath, she felt it-- he thought despairingly.
"Nathan!"
His head was still spinning from the backlash of the broken link, but his reflexes were still in working order. He reached out and grabbed Pete's wrist before he could slap him.
"Don't do that," he growled. "You're as--bad as Logan. S-stupid idea. Hitting someone doesn't usually make them more alert."
"Well, pardon me," Pete grumbled, but his facetious tone was a poor disguise for his obvious worry. "You were, after all, staring off into space with this charmingly vacant look on your face. What just happened?"
"Jean--was trying to talk to me," Cable rasped, releasing Pete's wrist. "Wanted to convince me--I was being stubborn. I think--I think she suspects," he concluded painfully.
Pete's expression stiffened for a moment. "Ah," he said helplessly. "Well, it wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?"
"Speak for yourself." Cable flinched at the thought of anyone else knowing. Of having to explain, to expose his shame, his nightmares--"No," he muttered almost frantically. "Not again, I can't--" He closed his eyes, trying to banish the images that flooded up out of the depths of his mind, but it only made things worse. He was alone again, in the dark, waiting to be dragged out of his cell, praying that it would be to the interrogation chamber and not out of the citadel, not to Stryfe's airship to witness another 'purification'--anything but that, please, all my fault, I failed them, please just let me die--
This time Pete did slap him. The blow jarred him from the grip of the memories, and, as his eyes flew open, the world took shape around him again with a clarity that was almost painful. Pete stared at him, his face almost grey with shock.
"You didn't tell me the whole truth, all those years ago," Pete finally said in a strained voice. "I never really understood--bloody hell, Nathan, I'm sorry." Cable stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Images, Nathan. You were projecting images, not just emotions." Pete shook his head slowly. "That sick bastard--" he said unevenly. "I felt--what you felt. What you sensed from him--how he loved making you watch--"
Cable swallowed, trying to push the horror and the pity he felt from Pete to arm's length. "I can't--not now, Pete," he said roughly, hearing the edge of hysteria in his voice but unable to do anything about it. "We have to get out of here." He tasted blood on his lips and frowned, wiping it away. "Did you have to hit me quite that hard?" he asked, trying desperately to change the subject, to focus on anything else but the shadows from his past that had just reached up to taunt him again.
Pete fought visibly for composure, and managed a sardonic look. "I didn't hit you that hard. I believe the term for it's a nosebleed, Nathan." He suddenly scowled. "Just like that damned kid. You used your powers, didn't you?" Cable half-shrugged, and Pete's expression darkened even further. "You lunatic, are you trying to bloody kill yourself? That was why I came along, so you wouldn't have to use your powers to fight your way out of here, Nate--"
Cable winced. "Don't call me that," he protested.
"I agree," Nate Grey said. "Having two of us is confusing enough as it is."
Pete cursed, springing to his feet and into a defensive position. Nate, who had just come around the corner from the direction of the hangar, gave him a measuring look, and then glanced down at Cable.
"What do you want, kid?" Cable asked slowly. Oddly enough, Nate's appearance helped him focus on the here-and-now. A real, tangible threat he could face, rather than ghosts that had haunted him for years without respite--
Nate shrugged. "It's not what I want, Cable. It's what Jean wants." He visibly steeled himself, as if anticipating a violent reaction to his next words. "And looking at you now, I happen to think she's right."
"Oh, this is a switch!" Cable snarled, adrenalin suddenly surging through him as he was swept by a tidal wave of anger. Using the wall as support, he pulled himself back to his feet. "What is this, invasion of the flonqing body-snatchers or something? What happened to the Nate Grey I knew, the one who was so big on independence and freedom? The kid who wouldn't be caught dead siding with 'Xavier's sheep'?" I risk my life for the punk--twice!--and when push comes to shove, he sides with Jean? Why did I even bother? The rage flowed through him, as powerful as it had been sudden, and he didn't bother to try and control it. If the Phoenix-energy had made a sudden reappearance right that moment, he would have used it without a moment's hesitation. This was it, the last flonqing straw--
Nate went pale, taking a step backwards. "Do you have any idea how much you're projecting?" he breathed, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Your shields are totally gone, aren't they? Damn it, Cable, if you walk out of here like this you might as well paint a big fat target on your back--"
"That is NO concern of yours!" Cable all but roared, ignoring the 'calm-down' look a worried Pete gave him. "Now get the hell out of my way!" He started forward, but Nate stepped directly into his path, a determined look on his face. "Last chance, kid!"
"Give me a break, old man," Nate scoffed. "You can barely stand up. How do you think you're going to get past me?"
***
Pete had seen that particular look on Cable's face before, usually just before some poor bastard got unceremoniously drop-kicked into his next life.
"You arrogant little bastard!" Cable snarled.
"Right," Nate said almost briskly. "I'm arrogant, you're irrational. Let's make a deal. I'll stop being so arrogant if you'll settle down and start thinking clearly--"
Pete's head spun as the rage Cable was projecting jumped a few notches upwards in intensity. Bloody hell, is this kid ever good at getting under his skin-- But something told Pete that it was more serious than that, that Cable's anger came from someplace deeper. Pete wondered for a moment, remembering how quickly Cable had bounced from the burning anguish of his flashback to this incandescent fury, if Nathan had really 'come back' all the way. If he knew, deep down, where he was and who he was talking to, or whether this was delayed reaction, repressed emotion that had taken this opportunity to escape.
What he did know was that he had to step in, before Cable lost it and tried to turn the kid into a little pile of cinders. "Grey, you are one ungrateful son of a bitch," Pete growled at the kid, who gave him a blank, startled look, as if he'd forgotten that Pete was standing there. "After all he's bloody well done for you, you're going to help the X-Men do this to him?" He saw Grey's resolve waver for a moment, and pressed his advantage ruthlessly. "You owe him, boy."
Nate rallied quickly enough, anger making his left eye glow a brilliant gold. "You think I don't know that, Wisdom? Why else would I be here? And I never thought you were stupid. But you have to be, not to see what's in front of your face. He's not only sick, he's out of control--"
With a growl, Cable stepped forward and decked him. Taken entirely by surprise, Nate didn't even have a moment to throw up any kind of defense. Pete winced as the kid hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, and then cursed as Cable suddenly sagged back against the wall. The rage Pete was picking up on abruptly faded.
"That felt--surprisingly good," Cable said, breathing heavily. Pete scowled at the half-ashamed sense of satisfaction Cable was currently projecting.
Bloody hell, I do NOT like these mood swings, Pete thought bleakly. Should've tried to shanghai Hawkes, maybe she could figure out what the hell's going on in his head-- "Care to explain how you caught him off guard like that?" he asked mildly. "Though he said you were projecting--why didn't he 'hear' you make the decision to hit him?"
Cable muttered something under his breath, and then forced himself to stand upright. "Overconfidence," he muttered as he stepped over Nate and continued on towards the hangar. "Wasn't expecting a physical attack from either of us. Flonqing kid's going to get himself killed one of these days if he doesn't start learning from his mistakes--"
Pete raised an eyebrow, crouching beside the boy for a moment to make sure he was all right. Cable could do more damage out of simple irritation than most people could do in a psychotic rage. But Nate seemed all right. Out cold, certainly, but that was probably for the best. And Cable hadn't had to use his powers, which was the important thing.
"You enjoyed that too bloody much, I think," he remarked, trying to lighten the atmosphere as he rose and caught up with Cable.
"True," Cable said bluntly, as if daring him to question it. He winced, rubbing at his temples. "Damn--headache." Pete reached out to support him, but Cable pulled away, and continued under his own power.
They turned the corner Nate had come around, and came face to face with Marrow. She regarded them thoughtfully, tapping two of her bone knives together. Pete bit back another curse.
"Speaking of people not 'hearing' things," he growled. Cable gave him a harassed look, and Pete sighed. "Tell me, love," he said, turning back to Marrow, "you going to make things difficult?" Keeping it in mind that I'm going to bloody well go right through you without a second thought, if you force me to--
The ex-Morlock paid no attention to him. She was staring at Cable, frowning. "Phoenix was right," she said in her harsh voice. "You are sick. Sure you should be doing this, Cable?"
Cable gave a harsh bark of laughter that had an alarmingly wild edge to it. "Sure of myself--every time I'm sure of myself, people die. Maybe it's time I just threw caution to the winds and went off like the loose cannon they're all convinced I am--"
"Nathan, calm down," Pete murmured worriedly. Marrow tilted her head, regarding Cable with an odd sort of admiration.
"Would like to see that," she said, and grinned suddenly. "Make the windrider angry, this will."
"Most likely," Cable said, that same unbalanced gleam in his eyes. "Actually, it would probably make them all angry, Marrow. Wouldn't that be fun to watch?"
"Nathan," Pete said through gritted teeth. Cable started, as if he'd forgotten that Pete was standing beside him. "Would you please pull yourself together? You're sounding like a bloody lunatic." Cable blinked at him for a moment, looking puzzled. Pete heard Marrow chuckle.
"Leave him alone," she said. "I like him this way."
"That doesn't surprise me," Pete snapped, glaring at her. She smiled at him almost offhandedly, and he stiffened as she took a step towards Cable. But she merely gave Cable a thoroughly measuring look, and then backed off.
"Worth it, to piss off the windrider," she said, as if she'd just come to a decision. "But try not to get yourself killed, timewalker. You're not bad, for an upworlder. Not a waste of flesh, like most." With that, she turned and walked away.
Cable gave an eerie chuckle that had nothing of humor about it. "I think I have a friend." But there was something in his eyes that made Pete think that somehow, in some way, Marrow's gesture had meant a great deal to him.
"You're sure she's not just taking any chance she gets to annoy the resident weather goddess?" Pete said dryly. Cable raised an eyebrow.
"A trait I'm sure you're already halfway to acquiring."
"Look who's talking," Pete grumbled. "I'm not the one who imprinted her with someone else's memories and just about got himself into a bloody replay of 'Fatal Attraction', X-Men style." He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Cable's expression grew remote, almost chilly.
"Point taken," he said in a neutral voice. "Let's get out of here. Nate's not going to be in a good mood when he wakes up, and I'd prefer to be at safe distance by then."
***
#Rogue, he's coming right at you,# Jean cautioned. #He got the jump on Nate, somehow, and Marrow just walked away without trying to stop him.#
Rogue sighed. Why am ah not surprised? she sent back dryly. Marrow wouldn't have had much sympathy for Scott and Jean's point of view. Hell, Rogue didn't like the plan particularly, either. She understood their concern for Cable's well-being, but she was far from convinced that this was the best way to deal with the situation. You still shieldin' us, sugar?
#Yes, but I don't know if he could hear you even if I wasn't. His shields are gone--he's got to be dealing with a terrible amount of background noise.# Rogue's vision blurred at the force of the unmistakably maternal concern that suddenly hit her.
You guys managed t'find a way out o'there yet? she sent, trying to buy herself a minute to separate her emotions from Jean's. She'd have thought that it would be easier, Rogue thought as she struggled. After all, she hadn't absorbed Jean's mind. She was just linked to it. Then again, Jean was one of the world's most powerful telepaths, in a maternal snit the likes of which Rogue had never seen.
#Domino's got an idea. She and Sam are working on it right now. Just--try to stall him, Rogue,# Jean said pleadingly. #When I linked with him--he's in a panic about being trapped, I'm not sure why. It feels a little like Storm's claustrophobia, but different, somehow--#
Claustrophobia? Rogue thought sharply. That didn't seem very likely. But something else, similar in effect--yeah, that made sense. Something had to have made Cable fly off the handle like this. We'll give it our best shot, Jean, she promised. Jean started to say something more, but Rogue was suddenly distracted by an odd, hissing noise. From across the hangar, Bobby gave a startled curse.
"Rogue! Gas!"
And so there was, a slightly greenish vapor of some sort creeping out of the ventilation system. Ignoring Jean's frantic inquiries, Rogue cursed and flew over to the environmental controls, but they wouldn't respond.
"Rogue--" Bobby coughed, staggering out from the alcove he'd concealed himself in. "He--must know we're in here!"
"Well, d'oh, sugar!" Rogue snapped. "Go t'ice form, maybe that'll help--"
But Bobby couldn't seem to comply, as if he'd already been affected too much by the gas to manage the transformation. The gas wasn't bothering her as much. She felt a little dizzy, but that was all. Bobby looked like he was about to pass out, and Joseph was on his hands and knees, the magnetic shield around him flickering erratically.
Of all the under-handed, sneaky tricks-- Rogue thought malevolently, before her conscience reminded her that Cable wasn't the only one being 'sneaky' here. She told it to shut up and flew at top speed right through the hangar doors. Her speed took her out and over the lake, but she turned quickly and flew back in, relieved to see that the gas was escaping through the hole she'd made.
Bobby and Joseph were recovering, although they were clearly still woozy. Rogue landed on the flight deck, glaring at the doors that led out into the hall.
"Somehow ah don't think talkin's gonna do much good," she said through gritted teeth, fighting to keep her temper in check. "Doesn't look like he's in the mood t'be reasonable." And do you blame him? her conscience asked acidly. Not like the rest o'you are actin' any better.
"How could we have known we were in here?" Joseph demanded, his voice hoarse. "I thought Jean was shielding us--"
The doors parted. "She was," Cable said coldly, stepping through. Wisdom was right behind him, watching Rogue and her companions warily. "But a psi-shield creates a blank spot. With my own shields gone, it makes it even easier to tell when a room is too quiet." His explanation was matter-of-fact, but there was an accusing edge to his voice that made Rogue flush.
"Well, that sounded typically paranoid," Bobby said with a snort.
"We know you're a smart-ass, Drake, you don't have to keep proving it," Cable said, sparing Bobby a single contemptuous glance.
"Yeah, well, we all thought you'd gotten over these bouts of temporary insanity, too," Bobby retorted. "Guess we were overly optimistic, huh?"
"Bobby, knock it off," Rogue ordered. Miracles of miracles, he actually shut up. Rogue sized up Cable, frowning. He looked like shit, there was no other way to put it, but there was enough determination in his eyes for ten people. Wisdom was hovering protectively, but he looked just as ready to fight. Rogue knew this wasn't going to be easy, no matter what way it fell out.
"Thought we might talk, sugar," she suggested, keeping her voice calm. There was a flicker of amusement in Nathan's eyes.
"Talk," Cable said skeptically. "Right. You were hiding in here, psi-shielded to avoid being detected, and you want to talk. Nice try." His gaze shifted from her to Joseph, and Rogue frowned again, seeing a strange unease enter his expression.
"Cable, there's no need t'make this difficult. You and Wisdom can stand down, we can talk this out like civilized people. The easy way."
Cable gave a weary sigh. "Rogue, we've known each other for a while. Since when have you know me to ever do anything the easy way?"
"There's the understatement of the year," Bobby grumbled from beside her. Cable gave him a sardonic look, and Bobby sighed, icing up. "All right, let's get to it. No sense putting it off--"
"Hold your horses, Drake!" Rogue snapped, glaring at him for a moment. He grumbled something under his breath, but subsided. Cable and Wisdom had instinctively fallen into defensive positions, and Wisdom's hands were glowing with the beginning of hotknives. Rogue gave him a measuring look, and tried another approach. "Wisdom, ah don't think Kitty'd be with you if y'were a moron--"
"If this is an attempt to appeal to my better nature, love, save it," Wisdom advised ironically. "I don't bloody well have one."
Rogue scowled at him. "Use your head, sugar!" she snapped, gesturing at Cable. "Does he look like he's in any shape t'be running off fighting Apocalypse?"
Wisdom gave Cable a quick look, and for one, marvelous moment, Rogue thought he was going to listen to her. His next words disabused her of that notion.
"Not really," he said offhandedly. Cable raised an eyebrow, and Wisdom smirked at him. "Then again, Rogue, I don't go around making decisions like that for my friends. He thinks he can do it, and who the bloody hell am I to be giving him reasons why he can't? Especially when it's so much more productive to give him a hand, rather than a lecture?" He gave her a cheerful grin. "From the looks of it, you X-folks have a bloody peculiar definition of friendship."
"Oh, that's cute," Bobby snapped. "Very noble of you, Wisdom. At least Cable's got the excuse of being a little on the loony side lately--"
"Go flonq yourself, Drake!" Cable snarled, his left eye suddenly spitting fire as he took a step towards Bobby. Rogue moved between them, raising a warning hand.
"Cable, settle down," she said worriedly. Wisdom laid a hand on Cable's arm and muttered something under his breath. Cable backed off a step, but Rogue didn't like how angry he still looked. Bobby keeps pissin' him off, he's liable to forget himself and TK whack Drake into tommorow afternoon. Not that she hadn't occasionally had the urge to knock Drake into another time zone, but they were trying to keep this from turning into a fight--and keep Cable from using his powers. "Listen t'me, Nathan," she said gently, trying to get through the defensiveness she saw in his eyes. Jean was right, there was fear there, too. She could see it. "You're sick, sugar, not thinkin' clearly. We're worried about you--"
"Worried about me?" he growled. "That's a laugh. Since when have any of you ever cared--" He stopped in mid-setence, his expression going blank for a moment. "You're stalling," he whispered. "You--" The color drained from his face. "Oath! Dom, Sam--the back door!" He spat a few words in a language Rogue didn't know, and the hangar's defensive systems suddenly went active.
Technically, the hangar was part of the perimeter. However well-disguised, it still offered access from outside into the heart of the complex, and it was entirely possible that an intruder could pick this particular spot to try and get in. As a result, it was equipped with a number of non-lethal but quite efficient ways to contain uninvited guests. Rogue, Bobby and Joseph were suddenly surrounded by a forcefield, one of a type of energy none of them had ever seen before.
Rogue cursed. Their bio-signatures should have excluded them from the countermeasures, but overriding that was apparently well within Cable's repertoire of tricks. She flew at the force field, and was flung backwards as soon as she hit it. "Shit!"
Joseph gave a disapproving sigh, and reached out, parted the forcefield with a hand, as if it were a curtain. "Apparently his sleeper program was not modified to take into account my powers," he said almost contentedly, and gestured his companions through the opening. Rogue flew right at Cable as he and Wisdom headed for the mini-jet closest to the hangar doors.
She slammed into him at only about half speed, but it was enough to knock the wind right out of him. Taking a firm grasp on his shoulders, she glared down at him. Sprawled on the floor, he glared right back up at her, absolutely unrepentant. Part of Rogue cursed herself for effectively 'throwing the first punch', but it had come down to either acting, or watching him fly off into the sunset.
"Nate, you are startin' to be a major pain in the ass, here."
"Story of my life, 'sugar'," he snarled, and Rogue was suddenly hurled away by a telekinetic blast.
Oh, shit, she thought sickly, righting herself in mid-air. Cable was struggling stubbornly back to his feet, but that look of flinty determination was gone, and he was swaying, breathing raggedly.
"Cable!" Wisdom snarled, but Rogue heard a crackling noise, and glanced down to her left, to see that Bobby had flash-frozen Wisdom up to the neck. "Leave him alone!" Wisdom shouted at her, burning rapidly through the ice with his hotknives. Bobby kept replacing it, but Rogue wasn't sure who would be able to keep it up the longest. Bobby was still dazed from the gas, and Wisdom was looking mighty pissed. "You're going to have to call yourself 'Puddle-man' in a minute, Drake!"
"Oh, that was original," Bobby quipped.
"I'll give you 'original', you bloody Yank--"
Joseph gave Bobby and Wisdom a thoughtful look, clearly dismissing that part of the situation under control, and levitated into the air to join Rogue. "This is pointless, Cable," he said carefully. "There is no need for conflict between us."
"Where have I heard that before?" Cable snarled with such savage sarcasm that Rogue flinched. "Sounds awfully familiar--oh, wait. I remember. Those are just about the same words you used about five seconds before you ripped me in half!"
Joseph looked distressed. "Ripped you in half? I--I have done no such thing--"
"No? Oh, pardon me, you're right. That was Magneto, not you. Terribly sorry, Joseph--I can't imagine how that distinction slipped my mind!"
Rogue reached out and laid a comforting hand on Joseph's arm. A part of her rather loathed Cable for a moment. He'd known what Joseph's weak spot was, his unresolved feelings about his past, yet he hadn't held anything back. He'd gone right for the jugular. Even so, she couldn't help but understand. Nathan wanted out of here, and he was going to pull out all the stops.
"If ah remember correctly, Nate," Rogue said in a level voice, "you were tryin' to blow up his space station at the time."
Cable looked furious and resentful. "I was not trying to blow it up," he said through gritted teeth. "And even if I had been, it was MY flonqing space station, Rogue! Greymalkin! Not Haven, not Avalon, and not his to turn into some--obscene temple to himself!" Rogue was taken aback by his vehemence.
"Maybe so, sugar," she said. "But if you're gonna choose something to throw in his face, Nathan, you'd be better advised not to pick something you yourself were at least half t'blame for--"
She was interrupted by a growl from Joseph's direction. The magnetic halo around him grew abruptly brighter, and he extended a hand towards Cable, locking onto the T-O virus to restrain him.
"This is ridiculous!" Joseph snapped. "Do you truly believe that I am so weak, Cable, that I would fold at a mention of my past?"
Cable cursed as Joseph's power lifted him off the ground, and Rogue was hit by a sudden wave of panic. The emotion wasn't her own, she realized dimly, and it just kept getting stronger--
It was coming from Cable, she realized. "Easy, sugar," she murmured worriedly, not understanding what was going on.
"I'm not going to hurt him, Rogue," Joseph said, the anger on his face fading slightly. He had to be feeling it too, Rogue decided. "But clearly, arguing with him is futile--"
"Wasn't talkin' to you, Joseph," she muttered, approaching Cable carefully. It felt like she was trying to fly into a strong wind. Lord, he's gotta be awfully scared if he's projectin' it like this, she thought anxiously. What the hell's happenin' here?
"Nathan, it's all right," she said, trying to reassure him. But as she met his eyes, the order she'd been about to give to Joseph, to release him, died unspoken on her lips. Every trace of the confidence and self-control she usually associated with Cable was gone. The stranger staring back at her was trapped, terrified, and about a heartbeat away from losing it entirely. "Damn it, Joseph," she breathed. "Put him out before he--"
The mini-jet beside them exploded. Rogue was hurled to the ground by the force of the blast. She struggled back to her feet, looking around wildly, but there was no sign of Cable. Dammit, where'd he go? She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Joseph had been knocked from the air as well. She went to his side quickly, but he didn't look to be hurt. Must've shielded himself.
"Y'alright, sugar?" she asked.
"Just--fine," he grated, letting her help him rise. Anger smouldered in his eyes, and Rogue winced, part of her glad that Cable had pulled his little disappearing act. "That was--excessive," Joseph stated bleakly, seeing the burning mini-jet.
"Yeah, well, we're all goin' a little overboard today, y'ask me," Rogue snapped irritably and took to the air to get a better view. "Bobby?" she called, trying to see through the smoke.
A figure emerged, but it wore a long coat and a furious expression. "Hotknives and fuel-tanks don't mix," Pete Wisdom snarled. His hands were still glowing. "Care for another demonstration?"
Rogue growled and launched herself at him. He dodged, more quickly than she'd anticipated, and tossed off a few hotknives at her. They hit her, burning through her uniform but not doing any other damage. He had t'have known they wouldn't have any effect on me, Rogue thought. He's the one who's stallin' now.
"Not nice at all, sugar," she said, and dove at him again. This time, she bounced off a telekinetic shield and went spinning off into the air, momentarily out of control.
Wisdom swore. "Bloody hell, Nate!" he spat, and dove beneath the next mini-jet before she could recover.
Damn, damn, damn! Rogue thought furiously. There was still a terrible amount of smoke from the burning remains of the plane, but even from the height she was at, she could see only Joseph. Wait--there was Bobby, sitting on the floor, no longer in ice-form. Rogue landed beside him.
"You all right, sugar?" she asked worriedly. Bobby looked up at her, his expression baffled.
"My powers--just died. Like when I was facing the Prime Sentinels, back during Zero Tolerance. I think it was Cable, Rogue--I felt someone in my mind--"
Of course, Rogue thought darkly. Cable probably didn't have enough to shut down both mine and Joseph's powers, and he knew that if he only took out one of us, the other'd still be there to deal with. So he reached out, shut off Bobby's powers, so that Wisdom'd be free to help him. Clever--guess he wasn't as out of it as ah thought.
Bobby groaned, a chagrined look on his face as he obviously reached the same conclusion. "Shit. It was Cable, wasn't it? Remind me to stop underestimating him--" He got to his feet swiftly, and with a hesitant look on his face, tried icing up again. He gave a small sigh of relief as he was successful. "Either he stopped blocking my powers, or--"
"They left," Joseph said bluntly, coming to join them. "The metal of Cable's T-O virus is odd enough that I should've been able to find it, if they were still here. They must have gone back out under cover of the smoke--"
The three X-Men stared at each other bleakly for a moment, recognizing that they'd failed. Rogue sighed, finally, not liking the idea of chasing Cable and Wisdom through the halls. God knows what other tricks he's got up his sleeve.
"Let's get a move on, boys--" she started, but then felt Jean's presence in her mind.
#No, I think it would be best if you all stayed where you were,# she said, and Rogue frowned at the mixture of worry, understanding and chagrin that colored Jean's mental 'voice'.
Jean, ah don't think--
#None of us thought, Rogue,# Jean said awkwardly. #That's the problem. I'm beginning to think we're going to have to decide what the lesser of the two evils is--#
Sugar, what ARE you talkin' about?
#It's--this isn't the time to explain. Just stay there--let us handle it.#
Us? Rogue sent back. Y'all found a way out? But Jean didn't answer, and Rogue exchanged a frown with her two companions.
Bobby sighed. "Well, I'm sitting down," he announced, going over and half-collapsing on a nearby crate. "I know it's the female prerogative to change one's mind, but couldn't Jean had done it BEFORE we got our heads handed to us?" Rogue scowled at him for the sexist comment.
"We hardly had our heads handed to us," Joseph protested.
"Oh, really? Seems to me Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid got away, Joe."
"Shut your mouth, Drake," Rogue growled. "Obviously there's somethin' goin' on here we don't know."
Joseph raised an eyebrow. "Something to do with how he reacted to me restraining him, perhaps?" he offered.
Rogue nodded slowly, remembering Jean's warning just before Cable had gassed the hangar. "Ah guess we'll find out," she said.
***
Cable could barely see for the pain in his head. Pete was half-carrying, half-dragging him down the hallway, cursing steadily. Tossing Rogue away, blocking Drake's powers, then shielding Pete--it had been too much. Mind over matter, he repeated, reaching down into himself to try and find a source of strength he hadn't tapped yet. But even the Phoenix-energy had vanished, just as it had during his fight with Taylor. The adrenalin rush that had saved him during his confrontation with Joseph had already faded, leaving behind the remains of the fear that had caused it.
He knew, dimly, that their time was running out. You are such a flonqing idiot, a voice in the back of his mind said angrily. Rogue was right, you're not thinking clearly. Why else would you have forgotten that you left Sam and Dom down there TOGETHER?
Neither of them, by themselves, had the ability to open the 'back door' that would let them override his sleeper program. But, with his usual paranoia, he'd been able to think of any number of situations, especially after X-Force had moved into the mansion, where an escape route might be neccessary. So he'd given them joint access to it, much as he had once put Sam and Roberto in joint control of Greymalkin's override system.
Pete was still swearing. "We'll have to bloody well hope Gwen lands before the three Musketeers catch up with us," he snarled between profanities. "Oh, this is going SO well, Nathan--"
Cable didn't have the heart to tell him they were going to have a lot more than three X-Men to worry about, shortly. He mustered as much strength as he could and pulled away from Pete, telling his legs savagely that yes, they were going to hold him. Together they ran down the hall--well, Pete ran and he staggered, Cable admitted to himself grimly.
They were almost to the elevator, only a few steps away, when Pete suddenly cursed and fell on his face. Cable halted, nearly falling over, and saw with a sinking heart what had stopped Pete.
Still cursing, Pete turned over and sat up. Kitty, emerging from the floor, kept her hold on him as she continued to drift upwards until all of her was visible. "Bloody hell, Pryde," Pete said, looking distressed. "Don't do this--"
"Pete, you don't even know what I'm doing, unless you've suddenly turned into a telepath," she said sharply. "And blowing up the mini-jet was a little much, by the way--" Pete gave her an angry look, and she sighed. "Would the two of you just settle down and listen for a second?"
"People keep--telling me that today," Cable said distrustfully, backing away involuntarily without noticing how close he was coming to the elevator. Kitty winced.
"Yeah, I guess they have," she said awkwardly, and let go of Pete. He rose to his feet, offering her a hand up with a hopeful look on his face. Kitty smiled faintly at Cable's baffled expression. "Well, I sure didn't want to try and 'grab' you, Nathan. Not after how you reacted back in the hangar--"
Cable stared at her for a moment, wishing that she'd start making sense. "You're not going to--"
"Try and stop you? No." Kitty raised an eyebrow as Pete gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "I think we've all taken THAT particular bad idea as far as it can go today."
"Then you're coming along?" Pete asked hopefully. Kitty gave him a faint smile, reaching out to take his hand. Pete's eyes widened, and as Cable's telepathic awareness of him winked out, Nathan realized that she'd phased him again. "Eventually," she said in a firm voice. It had the sound of a promise. "And probably sooner, rather than later. But right now, I'm just here to run interference."
Cable blinked at her. Interference--? He heard the elevator doors slid open, and before he could react, someone reached out and yanked him through. He lost his balance and stumbled back against the wall of the elevator as the doors closed.
"Hold and lock, elevator," a gravelly voice said, and Logan released his iron grip on Cable's wrist, watching him consideringly. Cable straightened, looking around instinctively to assess their surroundings. Close quarters, which had always favored Logan. Not to mention the fact that he was unarmed, his head was still pounding, and he didn't think he could have mustered enough of his powers to squash a bug. If this had happened before the mess in the hangar--but at the moment, Logan had him dead to rights. With a groan, he let himself slide down the wall into a sitting position.
"I hate you," he said dispiritedly.
Logan chuckled, sitting down on the other side of the elevator, deliberately allowing him as much space as possible. Cable couldn't help but appreciate the gesture, so very different from the way Rogue and Joseph had loomed over him like judgemental gods back in the hangar. "Take it easy, bub. Didn't you hear what Kitty said?"
Kitty had--contradicted herself, hadn't she? Cable thought confusedly. One moment she'd said she wasn't there to stop them, and then she'd claimed to be 'running interference', obviously for Logan. "I don't know," Cable said despondently. "What do you want, Logan? To hear me say it? Fine. I give up. You used to beat me half the time anyways, and I don't have the energy to go through a cardboard cut-out of you at the moment."
"Half? Try two-thirds, bub--" Logan said with a grin.
"I HARDLY think so!" Cable said, and abruptly lost the inclination to keep arguing. "So where's Dom?" he asked wearily. "Besides gloating--"
"You know, for a reasonably intelligent man, you can act like such a flippin' jackass at times, Nate," Logan said, his expression darkening. "Wonder what side of the family you get that from?"
Cable snorted. "This, from the man who holds grudges until they die of old age? And then comes back every year to dance on their graves?" He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. I am so flonqing tired, he thought, fighting back a wave of fear at the thought of what was going to happen next. It would have been bad enough originally but, after he'd sabotaged the mansion's systems and assaulted members of the team, he'd be lucky if Scott didn't chuck him into a cell and throw away the key--
"Nathan," Logan said in a very serious voice. Cable's eyes flew open and he stared across at Logan, startled. Nathan? Not 'Nate'? he thought, perplexed. "You really didn't hear what Kitty said, did you?" Logan said with a faint smile. "Okay, then I'll say it again. I'm not here to stop you. None of us are gonna do that, not anymore. It was a stupid idea to begin with, but Scott and Jean were so far gone into 'parental mode' that they weren't listenin' to the rest of us particularly well."
"So--what changed?" Cable asked, not sure that he believed Logan. He sounded sincere enough, but Cable couldn't focus on his thoughts closely enough, with all the background noise, to be sure.
"Jeanie monitored what happened in the hangar, that was what." Logan hesitated. "She saw how you reacted when Joseph had you."
"Did she," Cable said in an emotionless voice, looking away.
"Accordin' to her, it was confirmation of something she saw when she psi-linked with you. She's pretty convinced that there's something else beside your usual stubbornness behind you choosin' to run like that," Logan said. "That you're scared t'death of being trapped, for some reason. Something like Storm's claustrophobia, maybe?"
Cable stiffened, but, for some reason, he couldn't be as bothered as he wanted to be. Still, it just seemed so odd, to be talking to Logan, of all people, about this.
"Not claustrophobia," he said softly.
"I didn't think so," Logan said quietly. "I kept in pretty close touch with Neena while she was with the Six-Pack. You couldn't have carried out many of those ops with something like 'Ro's problem hanging around your neck. And Dom told Jean she was off-base. She'd know, one way or the other. But you are afraid of somethin', aren't you?" He paused for a moment. "Brings something back to mind, actually. From Genosha, when Hodge had us."
"Do tell," Cable said dryly, fighting to keep his expression neutral.
"I was pretty messed up at the time, I admit that, but I remember shakin' my head when you went after Hodge twice. Once was understandable. But when you tried it again while he had us all in his little 'arena', I was wonderin' what the hell was wrong with you. It was a stupid risk, and that's not like you."
"This is all very interesting, Logan," Cable said harshly, "but what's your point?" He didn't want to think about that time in Genosha. Logan was right, he had been a moron to attack Hodge a second time. And he'd dragged Gambit into it, too--
"My point? Just speculating," Logan said idly. "We were all speculating for a few minutes down there, after Jean told us what happened in the hangar. Dom and Sam came up with something that was kind of interesting, too. They mentioned how angry you were at Bridge when he was hunting you down for SHIELD."
Cable froze. The corner of Logan's mouth quirked upwards in what might have been a smile.
"Yeah, that hit a nerve, didn't it? I couldn't understand it at first. I mean, you must've known you were due a little payback after what you did down in the Yucatan. A man doesn't generally make that kind of decision without taking the consequences into account."
"Again, is there a point to this?" Cable said harshly, liking this subject even less. But Logan was right. He had known, and expected, that the Six-Pack would hate him for what he'd done. By a mercenary's code of honor, he'd committed the one unpardonable sin. That all of them but Hammer had eventually forgiven him was a blessing he hadn't deserved.
"Nope. Still speculating," Logan continued quietly. "It wasn't that he was coming after you that bothered you, was it? It was what he was going to do if he did catch you. The idea of being locked up. Caged--"
There was a roaring in his ears that had nothing to do with the background noise invading his unshielded mind. Memories raced through his mind's eye relentlessly. He clung to the more recent ones desperately; they didn't hurt as much. Genosha. Holding on to his concern for his students in a desperate attempt to keep himself focused. Being captured by Freedom Force, just before meeting the then-New Mutants. Then, it had been his knowledge of Stryfe and the MLF's plans that had kept him going, that had let him think past the shackles and the barred windows and doors--
The other times, he hadn't had something to cling to, an immediate mission that could sustain him. That night he'd spent in a SHIELD cell after he and Bridge had first fallen out with Fury had been the worst. Then, he'd lost it entirely and turned a bad situation into a near-catastrophe. A couple of times with the Six-Pack--never with Dom, though, which was why she didn't know. A couple of times afterwards, including the time one of Dunworthy's brilliant plans had gone wrong and landed Cable in another cell, this time with Pete Wisdom. Unable to bodyslide them out, that had been when he'd told Pete everything. He still didn't know why. It had been a strange reversal of the aftermath of their first encounter. Instead of him trying to repair Pete's mind, Pete had been trying to keep him from coming apart at the seams.
He was the only one in this era who knew. Other than Blaquesmith--not that he was ever much help, Cable thought miserably. It was always 'what is, is'--as if it would be that easy to put that last year behind me. As if I could ever forget-- As they had once already today, the memories reached up and swallowed him whole--
***
Logan's eyes widened as Cable suddenly went rigid, the color draining from his face. He was staring into empty air, his eyes full of undisguised terror. Logan reached towards him, but grunted in shock as he was buffeted by wave after wave of sheer emotion. Hatred, fear, pain, guilt, grief, suicidal despair--
#Logan!# he heard Jean cry, but the waves grew stronger, bringing images with them, and Logan was suddenly swept up in memories that weren't his. A wounded, exhausted messenger, gasping out news in the battle language. Logan didn't understand, but he shared Cable's emotions, knew that the message meant death and defeat. A hopeless, desperate battle, a last sacrifice to buy time--for what? Logan wondered desperately. Being swarmed by figures in green armor, hearing a familiar, hated voice snarl that he was to be taken alive or the soldiers would face the consequences. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers, beaten into unconsciousness--the last, blurred vision of the figure in silver armor that he had been struggling to reach throughout the battle--
Waking up in a cell. Hours and hours of interrogation, carried out in a fashion that made even Logan, hardened by experience, want to find a corner to be sick in. But worse, far worse, were the mornings that Stryfe appeared. The days he spent chained to the foot of Stryfe's chair on his airship, watching as his enemy systematically eliminated every village, every town that had sworn to the Clan Chosen--my fault, I failed them, please just let me die--NO! GET OUT!
Logan gasped as he was thrown out of the strange link, reeling from the bitter shame that had fueled that last despairing cry. He blinked furiously to clear his vision, seeing that Cable was still caught up in the flashback, his eyes blind with horror. Ignoring Jean's frantic presence in his mind, Logan flung himself across the space that separated him from Cable, grabbing the other man's shoulders and shaking him.
"Nathan!" he said roughly. "Listen to me, focus on my voice. You're in the past, in the mansion--damn it, Nathan, you lived through this once, don't let it beat you now!"
But Cable wasn't hearing him, wasn't seeing him. Logan cursed despairingly. "Elevator, War Room!" he roared. I should've let Neena do this, she would've been able to reach him--hell, she probably wouldn't have pushed him into a state like this to begin with--
The elevator didn't move. "I said War Room!" Logan nearly screamed, feeling close to breaking under the torrent of emotions still pouring off Cable. A red haze descended over his vision as the elevator still didn't comply. Jean! he shouted silently.
#Hank accidentally triggered part of the sleeper program again,# she said rapidly, and Logan nearly groaned as her panic was added to the storm of emotions invading his mind. He could feel her trying to reach Cable, and failing--#Domino and Sam are trying to turn it back off--#
To hell with the computer! Link Neena in here, NOW!
#Logan, I can't force their psi-link open--#
DO IT! he snarled, barely able to manage to form the words. He felt Jean withdraw, and then return. Domino was with her. Even in the middle of this horrible, awful, senseless mess they'd created, part of Logan, seeing through Jean's perceptions, was struck with awe at how beautiful her mind was, a core of warm, amethyst light--
That suddenly seemed to shudder, its brilliance dimming with horror. Nate? Oh God, Nathan-- Domino's mental 'voice' was full of anguish. Logan hung back, seeing Jean do the same, as Domino reached out to Cable's mind.
For a moment, there was no response, and all three of them continued to be buffeted by that devastating mixture of emotions. Then, the waves faltered, faded--
And vanished in a flood of golden light so brilliant that Logan thought, for a moment, that he was looking directly into the sun. He felt boundless relief, still tinged with guilt, from Jean. And beyond that, on Domino's end of their three-sided link, a love so profound, so accepting, that even catching the edge of it filled Logan with warmth.
I'm here, he heard her say to Nathan. The golden light seemed to quiver for a moment, almost hesitantly, but then it reached out to the violet light. The two joined, growing stronger, more brilliant--
Logan opened his eyes, blinking furiously, and found that he was half-sprawled on the floor of the elevator. He felt an entirely selfish ache in his chest, wondering if what he'd seen, that joining of souls, was what Jean shared with Scott. Part of him scoffed, telling himself that he could never have that, not even with Jean. That he could never share himself on that level, open all of his darkest memories and secret pain to another's touch--
You idiot, his own voice said to him with a sort of half-amused tolerance. What the hell do you think Nathan just did? If he can do it, after what you saw-- Logan let the comparison give him hope. That had always been the root of the problem he and Nathan'd had with each other, he admitted to himself in a moment of deep insight. The existence of that basic similarity, beneath all the petty surface differences.
He sat up, seeing that Cable was still sitting right where he had been a few minutes before. But that terrible rigidness was gone from his posture, and the horror in his eyes had been replaced by a strange, wistful weariness. And tears.
"Nate?" Logan said hesitantly.
"Stop calling me that, would you?" Cable said with a sigh. "Always hated that--"
"Scott and Jean call you that--"
"Slym and Redd called me that. And then they left me. Oh, I know they didn't have any choice. But did you think that mattered to a thirteen year-old?" Logan frowned slightly, not understanding why Cable was being so--open, all of a sudden. Nathan shrugged, wiping his eyes. "Why not?" he asked tiredly. "You've seen the big, dark secret that I've managed to keep for all these years--not much point in hiding anything else."
That had sounded almost mocking, Logan thought. "Neena--saw it too?" he asked.
"No. I--pulled myself out of it, when I heard her, and reopened the link. But I suppose I have to tell her, to explain why--" Cable's voice broke, and he looked away.
Scott and Jean are going to be kicking themselves from here to kingdom come over this, Logan thought sadly. "I always wondered why you never wanted to call yourself an X-Man," Logan said awkwardly. "I never even thought--" Never thought that you'd had your own dream, and seen it destroyed-- He remembered being on Greymalkin with Cable and Bishop before the last battle with Stryfe, Cable telling them about 'being part' of the Clan Chosen rebellion, and what he'd done after it had failed. Never how it had failed. Never, in the years since, the slightest whisper of this secret holocaust. He'd gone on, kept fighting, carried the burden by himself. Denying it, maybe, with all that 'what is, is' nonsense--
"You were right," Cable said in a numb voice.
"About what?" Logan said incredulously. That was the absolute last thing he had expected Cable to say to him at the moment.
"Me--acting like a jackass." Logan started to protest, but Cable shook his head with a strange smile. "No, you were. The mansion isn't a Canaanite prison. Everyone was acting out of what they thought was my best interest--"
"That's not an excuse!" Logan said vehemently.
"No. But I shouldn't have--I just couldn't stand the thought of being here, helpless. Not when Apocalypse is out there, doing who knows what to the timestream, threatening everyone and everything I--" Cable closed his eyes for a moment, tears spilling down his cheeks. But his voice was absolutely clear when he continued. "You think I don't know that Scott and Jean and Hank are right? I've been a soldier for long enough to know when I'm just about reached my limits. But I haven't, Logan. Not yet. And as long as I have anything left, anything to give--" He gave a harsh laugh. "Hell, deep down I don't think I care. Even if I end up burning myself out, I couldn't stop, Logan. I will never stand by and watch again. Never."
The silence dragged on awkwardly for a long moment as Logan tried desperately to find something to say. The corner of Cable's mouth quirked upwards in what might almost have been a smile. "So," he said in a casual voice that sounded only a little forced. "Who elected you for the 'try and reason with the raving lunatic' role?"
Logan let him have the change of subject gladly. There was no way he was going to push, not after what had just happened, and he didn't think that this was the time to tell Nate that he was still going to have one short, clawed X-Man along on this mission whether he liked it or not. All of this had just sealed that certainty, in Logan's mind.
"Elected? I volunteered, bub. Neena wanted to be the one, but no way was I letting her near you until we talked." He smiled tentatively. "I guess that's not a problem anymore."
Cable gave a ghost of a laugh that actually had a trace of humor in it. "Did I not just admit that I acted like an ass?" He winced. "The very definition of an ass, actually. I wonder if I would help if I slammed my head into the wall a few times." It was a feeble attempt at a joke, but Logan felt infinitely better, hearing it.
"Yeah, well," he continued in that same bantering tone. "Don't do it again or I'll gut you, bub."
Cable sighed. "If I did it again, I'd want you to." Logan realized he was entirely serious, and grumbled a curse under his breath. "What?" Cable asked curiously.
"You do have your decent moments occasionally," he admitted grudgingly. "Too bad they're so outnumbered by the times you're a stubborn, arrogant, single-minded son of a bitch." He couldn't quite manage the usual biting edge to his voice, not sure whether Cable was up to the continuing banter. He needn't have worried.
"I could say the same thing about you."
"Hummph," Logan said, seeing the faint twinkle of amusement in Cable's eyes and realizing, for the first time in all the years he'd known the man sitting across from him, just how strong a person Nathan Summers was. Not many people could have survived what Logan had seen in his memories. Fewer could have lived with it for all these years. And Logan didn't know anyone else who could have actually pulled himself back together to the point where he could make wisecracks, only a couple of minutes after being caught in the most powerful flashback Logan had ever witnessed. "Just do me a favor, Cable? Keep it in mind that if you ever break her heart, I'm going to have yours for breakfast."
"Speaks the surrogate father-in-law," Cable said dryly. Logan grimaced.
"Now ain't that a repugnant thought." He got to his feet, offering Cable a hand up. Cable regarded it almost suspiciously for a moment, and then accepted his help. "Elevator, War Room," Logan tried again. It didn't move, and he sighed. "Shit. That reminds me, bub, I've got a bone to pick with you--"
Looking ashamed of himself, Cable said something in the battle language and the elevator began to move upwards. "I should have realized you'd remember that night in the computer room. Blaquesmith--always warned me never to try and alter your memories. Your healing factor eventually negates the technique the Askani use. It took Uatu's help to make it permanent, back on the moon--"
Logan shook his head. "Never mind," he said gruffly, his earlier anger mollified by the real guilt he saw in Cable's eyes. And, after everything that had just happened, he didn't see the need to start arguing over something comparatively minor. "Course, if I catch you doing it again--" he said in a tone of honest warning.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Cable said dryly. "I seem to be rapidly running out of secrets that need protecting--" He eyed the indicator panel as the elevator approached the War Room. "I'm still not entirely convinced that there isn't a catch to this," he grumbled. "I can't believe that Scott and Jean would go to such extents and then just change their minds."
Logan winced. "Well--"
Cable suddenly gave him a baleful look. "I can't believe you lied to me and I didn't sense it. Oath, I really am out of it."
"I didn't--precisely lie," Logan said. "Some of us thought this was a shitty idea from the get-go. Me, Neena, Dana, Sam--Wisdom, obviously, and like Kitty said, you can count her in." He wondered for a moment what Kitty and Wisdom were doing right now. The kid better have let her explain, or--
"Your point?" Cable said acidly.
Logan growled at him, growing a little irritated. "My point is, bub, you're going to London to visit the Queen. May take a little talking on our parts, some negotiating--"
Cable drew himself up to his full height, his left eye glowing fiercely. "I am NOT wasting time trying to soothe Scott's pride."
Logan couldn't repress a grin. "Y'know, Nate, most people, if they knew the basic details of your tangled excuse for a past, would guess it was the MATERNAL relationship that would be the stumblin' block for you. Of course, most people don't know Scott." Cable continued to glare at him, and Logan sighed. "Fine," he said mildly. "You don't want to talk this out and make sure everything's right with everyone before headin' off on a mission that's probably going to be even more dangerous that usual. Totally understandable. I'll just tell Neena that--"
"No!" Cable said hastily. "No need for that--talking is good."
Logan all but roared with laughter. "Coward," he accused.
"Wouldn't you be?" Cable asked plainitively.
to be continued...
[FOOTER]