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Times Past	By : gallygaskins Category: X-Men: (All Movies) > Het - Male/Female Views: 1619 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men and I do not earn money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Chapter 20 - The Weapon

Remy had spoken to Charles as soon as he and Logan had got back to the hotel and it was suggested that what Remy had heard Magneto say about 'seeing you in the senate' gave them the idea that he was going to threaten the most important force within the United States, the government.

So that was why three hours later the X-men were all on their way to the site that seemed to be the most appropriate choice for Magneto's latest hair-brained scheme.

The two Blackbirds swooped low over Washington and with the aid of Storm's weather creation they were able to land near to the Lincoln Memorial undetected. As silently as possible the crew from each jet ran towards the monument, the face of Lincoln bearing down on them as they made their way up the marble steps.

Wolverine and Cyclops edged around Lincoln's 'chair' and found that there was a doorway in the wall behind; Wolverine pushed the handle down and miraculously the door opened. Cyclops took his usual team and went up, if they could find out where the weapon was they could perhaps disable it. Motioning to Wolverine that they were on the com link, he and his team disappeared around the bend of the staircase.

Wolverine and his crew kept against the wall and went down, the spiral staircase making heads spin as they all continued on their downward path. Wolverine had picked himself up in the few hours it had taken them all to reach this point. After hearing Remy explain his idea to Charles, on where Magneto may be and what the weapon he had devised was capable of, Wolverine had managed to calm his jangled nerves, accepting the fact that he would soon be reunited with Beth and Marie. The only thing that no one could work out was what Magneto had meant by 'only what she has agreed to' referring to Beth and his little scheme.

They rounded the corner and saw Sabretooth milling around in the corridors before them. "Gambit?" Wolverine called.

"Oui, Wolvie!" The younger man replied.

Wolverine looked to him his eyebrows raised at the Cajun's unusual shortening of his codename. Deciding against running him through for his insolence he quickly asked, "See Sabretooth, do you think you could blast him with somethin'?"

"Sure!" He smiled. The red of his eyes began to turn darker as he took playing cards from his jacket pocket to use as his charges. Using his gift he put power to his cards and threw them in the direction of where Sabretooth was standing. The impact of the card on his back caught him unawares and sent him tumbling back into the far wall, winding him before he went down. Wolverine quickly rushed over, popped out his claws and sunk them into Sabretooth's chest. "Maybe this time, you'll stay dead!" He said to the now docile form beneath him.

Turning into another corridor they managed to make out a number of doors that lead to god knew where. "We need to check them all," Wolverine shrugged.

Each member took a door and opened it. Remy's door slid open with a loud thud as it hit the rest. Walking into the dark room he noticed a figure hanging from the wall and quickly rushed to their aid. He took the lighter from his pocket and struck the flint lighting up the face of the body that weighed heavy against him. He gasped, it was Rogue.

"Jubilee, Remy need vous." He called fiercely, the girl promptly arriving by his side when she realised who was cuffed. She charged some of the ions around the locks and they snapped open allowing the full force of Rogue's frame to fall into Remy's awaiting arms. Lifting her with ease he trailed back into the hallway. "Wolverine, Rogue hurt bad, need help."

"Get back to the jet, Gambit. I'll call Jeannie to assist you." Fear and panic now crept into his voice, if that was what they had done to his Marie, what on earth had they done to his Beth. "Jeannie, need you back at the jet, Gambit's found Rogue but she's not very good."

"Okay Logan, I'm on my way," Jeannie called over the com link, "Hey, you okay."

The anger was now spilling over as Wolverine answered, "Yeah, I'm just peachy."

"Be careful Wolverine, we don't need to have you as a casualty as well as Rogue. Over and Out."

He looked around wildly trying to ascertain what had been going on around him whilst he had been talking to Jean. Doors were open everywhere and all of the team members were engaged in locking down rooms before moving onto the next. Making his way over to them as they were forcing their way through the last door, he noticed Jubilee going in first to check out the room. She quickly appeared at the door way again, leaning against the frame, her face drained of all colour as she turned her gaze upon him. "Wolverine, you better get in here."

He hadn't liked the sound of that sentence. He walked to where she stood returning her gaze all of the way across the corridor, before making his way into the room. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see.

***

Cyclops and his team carried on the remainder of their journey to the top of the monument, once Jean had left them to attend to Rogue. However, when they reached the summit they found nothing, absolutely nothing, no Mystique, no Sabretooth, no Magneto and no weapon, if they were going to blow up the Senate, they certainly weren't going to do it from here.

"Wolverine?" Cyclops spoke into the link on his wrist.

"Yeah?"

"There's nothing up here, at all! No villains, no gun, no weapon of any kind, nada, nothing. Are you sure Remy got his facts straight."

"The reason nothing is up there, Cyke, is because it's all down here."

"What? What do you mean it's all down there?" A giggle passing his lips. "Listen Cyke, everything that is gonna be needed to get rid of all 'em politicians is right down here in the basement. Now I hope you ain't gonna fight this but you gotta get off the top of this building got it. You and the rest of the crew should get back to the jets and take off. I'm sending up the rest of the team from here. Don't question this, I just need you to do as I say."

"Wolverine, I'm not going to let you kill yourself over this. I'll send everyone else back to the jet and then I'm coming down to help you ."

"NO!" Wolverine hissed, "just do as I say, please. I should imagine Magneto is probably back in his lair by now with Mystique firmly by his side. If you wanna do anything constructive I suggest you get him there. Over and Out."

"Wolverine?" Cyclops demanded, "LOGAN?" There was just the deathly hiss as he let the button free each time he wanted a response from his colleague, but nothing gave. Wolverine obviously didn't want to be helped. "Lets get back to the jet, we have to go get Magneto."

***

Logan just stood there in the open doorway, standing in exactly the same spot and with exactly the same expression as he had for the last five minutes. He had already sent everybody else topside and now he was there, alone intently looking at the figure that was secured to a frame in the middle of the room. Composing himself he walked the short distance to the frame and reached his hand out to touch the fine skin at the base of her neck. She stirred, the dark raven hair swinging slightly as she brought her head around to the side.

"Beth, what the hell happened here?"

"Logan, I'm going . he's using me to be the weapon."

"What?"

"This all powerful weapon that he has created to wipe out this entire city, well I'm the catalyst. The weapon will use my power to generate enough energy to blow this whole city out of the ground."

"Well, how do we get you out of it." Logan determinedly searched for anyway to remove her from her makeshift casket.

"You can't," she cried, tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks. Logan went to her reaching to wipe the droplets away, and then placing his hands onto her scalp her kneaded her head to try to calm her. "You can't," she repeated, "I'm in here for good, even if you try to get me out this thing will detonate and I'll be killed anyway."

"So, either way I'm gonna lose you?" Logan couldn't believe it, he was damned if he was going to let Magneto do this to him. "I have to try to get you out."

"Logan, please, don't," she pleaded.

"Beth?"

"Just hold me for a minute, then you have to go."

"I'm not going anywhere. I would rather stay here and die with you than never be able to hold you, and kiss you again."

"Will, Marie needs her father."

"And I need my wife." Closing the gap he took her trembling lips with his own and it became the sweetest kiss that he could ever remember giving and receiving. Reluctantly pulling away he moved to her side and took her left hand in his, "for better or for worse, right?" He asked, intently watching for her response.

"Till death us do part!" She answered.

"Cyke, you hear me?"

"Yeah, Wolverine, go ahead."

"Listen, I'm in this room which looks like some kind of conductor and Beth appears to be the catalyst for this weapon, oh, and this frame that she is in is rigged with explosives. Any ideas on how to get her out?"

"Mmm. If that room is some kind of conductor then you have to get her and the frame out of the room."

"No can do, this frame is welded to the floor."

"Okay, if we can't get the elephant to the water, then we have to get the water to the elephant."

"I hope you're going somewhere with this, one eye, else I'm gonna come back and haunt you."

"Logan, how is the wall made up."

"Lots of metal," he said letting go of Beth's hand and walking over to the wall, "tiles, it all tiles."

"Can you get any of them off?"

Unleashing his claws he ripped at the first tile, "Yeah, Cyke, the first just came off."

"Great, get as many off as you can so that you have a good three foot gap around the whole room, it won't stop the effect of it working like a conductor but it will slow it down considerably. My team are gonna go after Magneto, your team are coming back to you, if we can't get it turned of remotely then at least you'll have people with you that can help. I'm sending Jean too."

"Thanks, Cyke. Good luck my friend."

"And to you Logan. Over and Out."

Logan ripped at as many tiles as he could reach, his first effort pulling off the three foot continuous gap around the wall, once that task was completed he pulled the door from its hinges, throwing it out into the hall with the discarded tiles and went about pulling off more tiles. The more tiles that were left on the wall, he figured, meant the more harm it would do to Beth if and when this weapon started up and there was no way he was going to let anything make him lose her again.

***

Magneto was very pleased with himself, the unnaturally suspended ball bearings swinging to and fro before him as he sat as his desk and surveyed the familiar landscape of the parliamentary centre of the United States.

He knew that Xavier's X-men had found Beth but knew that nothing could help her now, he would take her life just as he should have done her daughter's three years previously on top of the Statue of Liberty. Liberty, huh, no one would be able to bestow as much liberty on the people as himself, especially after tonight.

Mystique rushed into his office and stood uncomfortably before him.

"What is it, Mystique?"

"I think they are here, some of them anyway."

"Go, find the others and see what you can do with those pesky X-men. I'll start the ball rolling this end."

Mystique turned and rushed back out, in search of those that would help her rue the day when these X-men would try to take over her and her advocates control.

Magneto pushed himself out of his chair and made his way over to the console that jutted out from the wall behind his desk. Switching on the main power, he then executed the remote switch for the conductor to start rolling. He sat himself back at his desk and smiled, a wicked laugh beginning to escape between the thin lines of his lips. "Better luck next time, Wolverine!" He mused.

***

Unexpectedly the room Logan and Beth were in began to light up. Looking around him he noticed that the frame that Beth was in was starting to rotate. "Beth, I'm going to try and stop this thing from moving."

"Will, you can't, this thing will kill you if you stay in it much longer, its too unstable now that you have taken all those tiles off the wall," she shouted over the din of the cogs.

"I can't just leave you."

"You have to, we have to leave this to fate now. Will, I love you."

"I love you too." Logan screamed out as the frame began to turn faster and faster. The lights in the room were becoming unbearable and Logan only just managed to find his way out before the bright white became blinding. Suddenly a scorching purple light shot out from Beth and up through the roof as if someone had put the machine into overdrive. Logan could only look on, his arm shielding his eyes, as the lilac light enveloped his wife. Tears streamed from his eyes, he could no longer conceive his life without her but he was helpless, he couldn't stop himself from watching and he couldn't stop his wife's impending doom. It was all now down to fate and hopefully, Scott.

***

The team overpowered the beasts that had stood before them; after all they weren't very bright. Scott knew that the greatest challenge would lie ahead, in the guise of Mystique. Seeing Storm to his right he motioned for her to go around from the right, he would approach the opening from the left. He watched as she turned the corner and stooped low behind a rock that extended out from the opening. She doubled back, searching him out and he was ready for her. Coming within range he felt for the switch on his visor and pushed, the rose tinted light shot from his visor and thrust into her abdomen. Her body fell limp as she lay across the floor at the entrance to the cave dwelling of Magneto. Mystique had tried that technique before and had ended up with Logan knifing her. Cyclops was now happy that he could chalk that one up to experience.

Gathering with his team they made the short distance through the halls to meet with the man himself. Although managing to put up a fight Magneto found that he was out numbered but all the time he spent fighting meant they couldn't get to the controls to shut them off. Storm tried a hurricane, but he pushed her to the wall with his desk, taking Iceman, and Shadowcat with her. As they struggled to become free of the large metal table, Cyclops was left alone to stand before Magneto.

They hustled one another for what seemed like ages, lunging and dodging, lunging and dodging. Magneto was very close to his ball bearings now and made the move to pick one up and hurtle it across the room at Cyclops. Readying himself for impact, Cyclops felt for the button on his visor in order to disintegrate the ball before it did. Magneto was too quick and the ball crashed into Cyclops leaving him knocked to the ground. However, Shadowcat had broken free of her surroundings and whilst Magneto toyed with Cyclops she made her move.

Silently she made her way across the room and reached for the power switch. Coming to his senses Magneto ran towards her and pushed her out of the way and was surprised when a shot of ice crept up his arm. This was their chance and they took it, finally bringing him down and turning off the machine.

"Logan? Logan you there, man," Cyclops wearily questioned.

"Yeah? What's happening?"

"We pulled the plug this end, even the detonator on that bomb. Everything okay there?"

"I don't know, can't see to well, the light was too bright ."

"Okay, I'll speak to you soon. Over and out."

***

The room before Logan was silent again. Silent and still. He had just about regained his sight now and it was possible to make out the stand in the middle of the room. Making his way over he stopped dead as he saw a limp lifeless body before him.

"Logan, you in there?" A voice broke through from back down the corridor.

"I'm over here Jean." He shouted back. Hearing the team outside he moved closer to Beth. Her head lay over the edge of the frame, as if her neck had been broken. The soft raven hair was matted from the force that had shaken everything when she had been spinning earlier. Pushing the mass back from her face he could see that her eyes were closed and her mouth was open, drooping down. Remy and Jubilee used their powers to free Beth from the frame Logan had found her strapped into. Taking her weight her helped her to the floor and allowed Jean to make a once over. It didn't look good.

"I'm sorry Logan," Jean said, resting a friendly hand on his shoulder, "she didn't make it."

"NO! No. Beth you have to come back to me, please." His anguished cries echoed out around the building they were in. He couldn't believe this, how could this have happened? "Leave me," he growled, "I want five minutes alone with my wife."

No one argued they just left. He knew what he had to do. Carry her out to the jet when he was ready but he wasn't ready just yet. Sitting with his back to the wall he pulled Beth onto his lap, holding her in his arms, cradling her head and kissing her hair, much as he had done with Marie before. Pulling her left hand to his lips he kissed the finger that held his token of undying love. He twisted his fingers through hers as he gently puller her to him again, tears falling from his eyes down her back until they eventually dried up and he could only feel the shake of his body as he mourned his loss.

It felt like he had been there forever, felt like he had slipped away with her to wherever she had gone, when he suddenly felt the slight tug of her hand being pulled from his. Abruptly he woke up nearly losing the protective hold he had around his wife. It happened again, Beth's fingers trying to pull away from the tight grasp the Logan had on them. Then he heard the faint intake of breath, and ragged outward flow. Pushing her slightly away from him he positioned his free hand against her neck, feeling for anything that felt like a pulse.

"Logan? What are you doing?" Jean had wandered back in to see if Logan needed any help.

"She's breathing, Jeannie." He simply stated laying Beth's body back on the concrete so that Jean could examine her again.

"I don't believe it," she exclaimed, "this shouldn't be happening, Logan. When I checked her over before she definitely wasn't with us, but now ."

"She must still have some of my healing ability, eh?"

"Yes, she must. She is very lucky to have you Logan."

"No, Jean. I am very lucky to have her."

Beth's eyes fluttered open momentarily and Logan was by her side again. "Beth, honey? You okay?"

Her eyes opened again to find Logan's staring straight back at her. "Sure, I've got the mother of all headaches but I'm okay." She sat up slightly feeling better with every moment she was conscious. "What happened?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not now. Right now I think I need to get home and have some rest and relaxation."

"Which home?" Logan asked a sly grin appearing, "see, when Magneto took you we had to kind of leave the car up in Canada, we could make the road trip back if you like?"

"I'd love to, Logan."

"Jean is that alright with you?"

"I guess, just make sure she does get plenty of rest, okay!"

"Oh she will," Logan retorted. "How's Marie?"

"She's gonna be fine, and if Remy looks after her the way you've been looking after Beth then there are going to be no problems there."

"Mmm," Beth said, eyeing Logan appreciatively and knowingly, "I hope he doesn't look after her that well, else Logan will be having words with him again. You know doing the whole I'm her father so do as I and her mother say, not do as I and her mother do."

Logan rolled his eyes at her, smiling at her teasing. "You know there's a word for people like you." He teased back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Easy."
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Times Past