Mutant Experiments

Remy was up bright and early Thursday morning. He didn't want to miss his one shot of getting a glimpse of Logan on Live camera. Though he was unsure it would actually happen, he was positive that the doctor would never let them be together.

The door opened and Dr. James walked in with his clipboard. "Good morning, Remy! How do you feel?"

"Fine," Remy smiled. "I can see Logan now?" He waited with baited breath that the answer would be negative.

Dr. Bradley James smiled at Remy's impatience. Over the small time that he had been watching the young man, he had come to admire him. "Not yet, Remy. The promise was based on how you interact with Dr. Sterlong, today. He hasn't been impressed with how you haven't snuggled up to him. I think he feels left out. What do you think?"

Remy's smile faded as he swallowed. "I just don't like him. He took Remy from de street, an' subject him to all dese tests, an' a baby! Not de most polite way to make a friend, no?" He could see the shock and confusion play against each other on the doctor's face. "You didn't know dat much about Remy, oui?"

For once the question that Bradley James had asked himself everytime he visited Remy, was answered. He shook his head in silent disbelief. "I thought- he said you signed up. You were so willing with Logan, I thought you were just not liking being away from him."

Remy laughed dryly. "You wonder why Remy don't snuggle up to de chief, hehn? He ain't my best friend. Never was, never will be. Could care less if he go jump off a cliff. Remy snuggled up to Logan 'cause he's big an' mean, maybe put Remy out of his misery." That was the final sentence that Remy knew would get him no points to ever see Logan, or hear his voice agian. His heart sank with the coldness of the fact.

Dr. James nodded deftly and could understand about how Remy felt. "I see. That would certainly explain why the temperature boils when the doctor is in the room."

Remy nodded. Even with the bracelet on, his kinetics bled through and caused a heatwave from his temper.

"You don't think it will possibly get better, do you?"

"Non."

"Might I attempt to inquire about how you feel about me?"

A smile quirked on thin lips. "Won't kill you now. Mebbe later, non?" With a wink, he casually charmed the doctor into the fact that he was playing with him. He liked the young assistant but, the man had been around Sterlong too long, and certain quirks were starting to irritate Remy's tolerance for him.

Bradley sighed in thought. He reached into his pocket of the white jacket, and removed a small polished square of paper and handed it to Remy. "I can't give you anything better, just yet but, here is something that will have to suffice. You are most handsome when you smile, Remy." A sly wink that could have been regarded as a twitch of his left eye, and a pat on the right arm as Dr. James slipped out of the room to let Dr. Sterlong have his patient. "I am off for the next few days, Remy. I will see you Monday. Behave." The door closed behind him and he pictured Remy turning over the item in his hand, and smiling at the small snapshot of Logan looking into the camera and smiling at him.

*********

Dr. James raced down the hall, with his clipboard in hand, to tell Dr. Sterlong that the time was near for Remy to deliver. He had been watching the Acadian closely over he past few weeks, and could tell that Remy was trying very hard to stop having labour pains. The acknowledgement sank in when he noticed Remy wincing and pausing to hold his breath, and James had jumped at the chance to tell Sterlong the good news. He stopped just outside of the door to catch his breath and decide how he should approach the chief scientist. Taking one more deep breath, he cracked the door open and was about to speak when he heard Dr. Sterlong's voice come from inside.

".......the facts don't lie, William. Logan is coming along with progressing anger and determination to free himself and the boy." Sterlong faced the window, the opposite direction of the door, so he didn't notice that he was being listened to by another party. "LeBeau and child are doing as well as expected. I have my second in command looking after him, with enough repression to keep the boy at bay until the specimen is born. After that, the chances are slim that LeBeau will live through the birth, and we can dispose of the host then. Logan will have his qualms about LeBeau's death but, nothing we can't reroute with the child." He paused again to listen to what the other man had to say, and then read a page of notes he had scribbled, in front of him. "I have it all ready. We induce labour tomorrow, incubate the specimen for a few weeks, and then move it to the underground location. Meanwhile, we move Logan after the birth, and secure him in the dedicated facility."

The look on the young doctor's face went from excited to anger as the last sentence registered in his mind what was being planned. He swallowed and turned away from the door to think of what to do. He had to find a way to get both Logan and Remy away safely, before the delivery. An idea surfaced and Dr. James raced down the corridor to the lift button and pressed the down arrow. If something was going to happen for the worse, he wanted to make sure he was on the winning side.

The doors opened and he stepped inside and pressed Level 2, all the while he was thinking of what to say and how to say it. The first thought that came to mind was that it wasn't his business to get in between his boss and the experiments but, he felt sickened when he thought of how both Logan and Remy were about to be used in the wrongest way possible. Level after level had him wondering what to say to the man that could rip him apart and not twitch in remorse. "Direct. Best way possible." When the doors opened, James stepped out and headed down towards the cell where the man-beast sat day after day, growling his threats openly.

"Dr. James......" A male attendant called to him from down the corridor, in the other direction.

Bradley James stopped and turned around. "Yes?" Cursing the young attendant who beckoned him the other way from his task, he only smiled and stepped closer to the other man's direction.

The young attendant waved him over and opened the door wider to allow the doctor's admittance. "We need your help a moment, sir. Complications in the restraints are getting the better of us, and we can't control the subject." He was a young man in his early 20s, with short, curly red hair and a baby face. He was thin but well muscled, although he knew he was no match for some of the subjects he was trained to restrain.

Dr. James entered the room and to his surprise, the man underneath the five large military dressed men was none other than who he was looking for, "Logan."

Logan stopped thrashing immediately and turned to see who said his name. He had been bound in a flexible alloy that, when switched on from a lever that controlled the wiring inside, magnetised and drew the bands to each other. Their only problem with the bands working was that the adamantium skeleton of the subject sent a tiny shockwave that bounced the signal off of every bone in Logan's body. He became a ragdoll that fought off the surges with other surges, and therefore, reacted like an out-of-control maniac when the guards were forced to restrain him.

Dr. James took a deep breath and walked over to the machine that controlled the bands on Logan's ankles and wrists, and switched it off. "That will be all, gentlemen. I will handle him from here."

The same young man who came to fetch him was now looking at Bradley in shock. "Sir, he might try to kill you."

"That will be all, Sargent. I have something he wants." The young doctor kept his eyes on Logan, as the brawny man that was still bound and held by all five officers, but was now staring at him. "Dismissed." James waited until the men left the room, and closed the door, locking it behind them, and slipping the key into a pocket. "I was just coming to see you, Logan." Placing his hands behind his back, and rocking back and forth on his heels, James waited for Logan to show any sign of emotion.

Tilting his head and narrowing his eyes, Logan didn't twitch at what the doctor was trying to accomplish.

"I know we haven't started on the best foot but, I want to try and make it up to you." The doctor paused to take a few steps to his left and then pause again and turn back to face Logan. Before he continued his thought, Bradley spotted the red light of the camera that watched them from a dark corner, in the back of the room. Making his way slowly across the room, to the wall where the camera couldn't follow, and slid aginst the wall to stop underneath and pull the power cord in back of the box. A chair that had been placed there at random helped in the discommunication, and therefore, made it easy to reach the 8' height. "There. That's better. Now, we can get down to business." Stepping down, James brushed his hands of the dust, and looked back at Logan who had turned to watch him.

Logan growled low in his throat and narrowed his eyes even more at what he thought the young doctor was slipping his hand into his pocket for a weapon, but stopped when he saw it was a photograph-- a negative? "What do you want?" Logan's growl roared as if it were the faintest sound of thunder.

"This," James held his hand out to the man and waited for him to take it before finishing. A reluctant smile as Logan snatched it from him and looked at it. "is your son. Remy hasn't picked a name yet but I am hoping that can be resolved. I have learned certain secretive information that might somehow be of use to you." He came to stand a few feet away from Logan, once again blocking the door.

"Like what? Yer gonna tell me that yer tryin to get me inta see the kid but things just didn't work out so, maybe next week? Or the week after? If yer playin a game, an' I lose,.... I'll split you open from the inside." To prove his point, Logan released his shiny new claws and smiled eerily as the young doctor gulped in nervousness. "I want to see the boy, now."

James held his hands up and took a step back. "Wait a minute, Logan. I'm on your side, here. Remy has asked the same thing, and then I find out that this was all just a rous to get Stryker his two best 'fighting machines'. There is only one problem. The third--" A knock at the door interrupted him and both he and Logan turned to stare at the door. "Speak!"

The muffled voice from behind the door called in to him and told him that Sterlong requested his immediate assistance in Remy's room.

The conversation he had heard in the doorway of Sterlong's office was starting to ring bells in his mind of why he was wanted in Remy's room. "Tell him I will be there momentarily," he yelled back before turning back to Logan. "Wait three minutes, and then come to the third floor." James held his breath as he shoved a duplicate keycard into Logan's hands, and turned to exit the room.

~~~~~~~

Remy kicked and fought the orderlies as they practically carried him back from the far side of the room, to try and strap him down onto the gurney. "Stop! Let go! No!" He kicked in efforts but it was no use. They carried him by the arms and legs as not to hurt the child. The feeling of helplessness knocked at his door and he was doing everything in his power to make sure that door did not open. "Logan! Please! Logan!" His arms had been pinned away from him so he had to resort to biting at the one that came closest. He landed a good chomp on a soldier's bicep, and as the man screamed and shoved him down onto the gurney, Remy was backhanded and knocked unconscious by the blow.

"That wasn't what I had in mind, Mr. Kaplan." William Stryker stepped out of the shadows and shook his head at the scene. His voice was calm and erie but nothing could compare to how his eyes washed over Remy with such lust at what was to happen on that table, that it drowned out everything else.

The orderly looked from the unconscious Cajun to the superior officer. "I'm sorry, sir. He had quite a bite on my arm." Sneering back at Remy, the orderly was excused to finish strapping Remy down to the table and then to ready the surgical equipment.

Dr. Sterlong entered the room with his out-of-breath assistant, and greeted the guest who had come to see his experiment in it's final stages. "Ah, William. Glad you could make it. Would you like a drink, before we begin?" Sterlong paused a moment as he glanced over at Remy. He noted the bruise that was forming on the Acadian's jawline, and tempered himself to deal with the striker.

Stryker smiled and answered, "yes, I would. How nice Remy has grown."

Stirring the drink and smiling at his accomplishments, Sterlong turned and one drink to Stryker while he sipped at his. "My assistant, Dr. Bradley James is the one you should pat on the back. Thanks to him, Remy would not have been so easy to pursuade. And, a round of applause for your contribution as well. Logan helped a great deal." After another sip of his drink, he waved the team of doctors in and then motioned for Stryker to make himself comfortable in the observation room, behind them. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes. I think we shall." Stryker followed Sterlong out of the room but gave one last look at Remy lying on the table, still unconscious.

Dr. James took a breath and then stepped forward to look Remy over. He noted the bruise with sincerity and whispered an apology, and then for Logan to hurry up and interrupt the delivery before it was too late.

~~~~~~~

Logan tore through the legions of soldiers that scurried about in their orders to pack the equipment and get ready for transporting. Hurrying down the corridor, not caring who saw him or who was left alive in his wake. His feral rage went from all-out bloodshed to grabbing ahold of an unsuspecting soldier by the neck, and flexing his arm muscles so that the flex and a sudden twitch snapped the young man's neck.

The growl in his throat was a permanent fixture in him as he turned into rooms and corners with dark crevices, and released his claws in their bloody rage that sliced everything in his path into pieces. His nose picked up scents and his ears picked up the sounds of distant voices that he knew he was close to Remy, he had to be.

Sirens, whistles, gunfire, boots stamping across the floors and then a growl that echoed from everywhere. It was the growl that silenced everything. Hunching down, into a dark corner, and waiting, Logan paced himself and then sprung when enough had come to find him. Tearing limbs and bodies in two, and reveling in the blood they shed, it had been almost gratifying to hear the screaming grow louder in an effort for salvation, and then cease instantly.

One last soldier who stood trembling with a rifle pointed at Logan had made a fatal mistake at stepping toward the growling man.

A wicked grin crept onto Logan's mouth, and he also stepped forward. One hand moved up to slice the gun away, while the other planted the three remaining claws into the soldier's chest and ripped him in half. A taxing sigh as Logan reminded himself to find Remy and the baby, and get the Hell out of there.

As Logan finally made it to the third floor, he heard footsteps and sniffed a familiar odor, and then another that had a lingering smell that escaped him. He knew the scent but couldn't place it. He growled at the two men as they came into view, crouching low in a dark spot at the other end of the hall. He would have struck but another scent caught his nose. Remy. Blood. Growl. With pantherlike precision Logan skulked down the hall, listening to every sound that came to his ears.

Remy moaned from inside the room.

Eyes narrowed as Logan neared the room, ready to strike. A long, low growl emanated from his throat as he found his mark to pounce. The attending surgeon stood over Remy and had picked up the scalpel when Logan jumped and sunk his right fist of claws into the man's back, making him drop the instrument to the floor and fall backwards.

As the other two doctors did what they thought was scare tactics, and then trying to flee the room, only resulted in their gruesome deaths quicker. One had been flung to land face first against the far wall, behind Remy, while the other met his death through the observation window, missing his head. The last doctor to be left standing, unharmed had been Dr. James, who huddled over Remy's still unconscious form, shielding him from debris and blood.

"Wait, Logan! Wait!" He's alive, and near birthing. Kill me, and I can't save him." James turned and threw his arm up to shield him from the razor sharp claws that hovered above, wanting to slice through bone and skin in order to protect his love. "There is a laundry truck, in the tunnel. It takes all the laundry out every day at 5. Help me take him down there, and I can get you far away from here. The child might have a chance."

Logan stopped and lowered his claws, drawing them back in. "Get him to the truck. I have things to finish." He turned and took two steps before stopping and calling over his shoulder, "if I ain't there in 10 minutes, get him the hell outta here."

"How will you find us?" James breathed heavily from the fright.

"I know his scent. Kept it with me for months. I'd never forget it." Logan hurried out of the room and disappeared from the hall. He had to find the good Dr. Sterlong, and his familiar smelling friend who ran for safety when Logan threw the assisting physician through the glass.

James turned around and gathered a sheet and a linen cart to transport Remy in. "Don't worry, Remy. We will get you out of here, and into safety. You won't have to see him again," he whispered as he lowered Remy into the cart and pushed it out of the room, heading for the lift.

~~~~~~

Locking the cart in to the floor spots, James turned and wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. "Come on, Logan. Where are you?" Narrowing his eyes at the movement that came towards them, he grabbed for a gun that a fallen soldier held. His heart started beating faster as he raised the gun to aim at the figure. Focusing on the person, he realised that it was Logan who staggered toward them. Tossing the gun aside, James ran forward and helped Logan to the truck. Making it to the passenger door, a shot rang out and both of their eyes opened wide at the sound.

Logan had been too exhusted to have heard it coming, and James- James fell against the older man's side, letting Logan support him. "Hey, hey, you okay?" Logan turned to hold the assistant up and felt the warmth wetness of the young doctor's back. "Hang on, kid."

"No, leave me." James tilted his head back to look up at the man who towered over him. He had felt himself ease back to the floor, and then groaned as he was hoisted up, into the passenger seat of the truck.

Logan huffed and slammed the door, hurrying around to the driver's side. As he climbed in and slammed the door, starting the engine, he snorted over his shoulder that he didn't leave friends behind. "Now, where are we gonna get the kid some help?" He tossed another look into the back to the drowsy Cajun that groaned in pain of the pain he felt in his stomach.

"Heather. Dr. Heather. Next town over." Bradley James' breaths and voice were laboured but he held on and forced himself to stay awake and guided Logan to Heather's cabin.

As they neared the cabin, James became quiet, and seemed to be sleeping. Logan knew he wasn't. A sigh of sorrow as they pulled up in front of the house, and he hopped out to pound his fist against her door.

Heather ran out to see what was going on and saw the doctor in the front seat, apparently dead. She paused and then glanced over at Logan. "I'm Heather. Bradley rang me a while ago and told me you were coming. Where is the boy?"

"In back. He's-- pregnant." He was unsure about devulging the information to a total stranger but if the doctor trusted her, she might be able to help. "He ain't got much time."

Heather nodded and hurried around to the back of the truck, throwing open the doors and pulling herself inside. "Help me get him inside. I'll boil the equipment."

It had taken some bribing before Logan let her near Remy with any sharp utensil, without flinching his claws out. But, when it was all said and done, and he sat back, the tiny child in his arms was priceless. He smiled at the full head of black with a twist of auburn hair, and the blue eyes that blinked open and then closed in sleep. Holding the child close and breathing in the baby scent, he longed for Remy to wake and meet their son. "Bradley Aeryk Howlett. Not a permanent fixture but somethin' to call you until Remy wakes up." Kissing the tiny, warm forehead, he eased down beside Remy who slept from exhaustion of birth, and held the small child between then, closing his own eyes for a nap.


Complete.