In Fear of Three Little Words

Oh Hank McCoy Isahottie! Thanks so much for reviewing again. Your words brings such light to my life...and I'm dead serious! But please don't lose your teeth or your fingernails, on my account. And there are two anons? My oh my, how confusing. Thanks to either or both of you for reviewing. Awww, you don't like the "sweetheart" thing? I just thought that since Logan so pso prone to calling people by nicknames and he already called Kurt elf before they got together, he'd come up with something else. Something sweet and intimate. When the moment came to write something it just came out and I hate second guessing the characters when they're talking to me. Yeah, they talk to me. Don't they talk to you? So it's sweetheart. Sorry.

Posting one more tonight because I won't have time tomorrow morning. Another very long day ahead of me...sig

Chapter 42


Time ticked by...minutes...hours. Kurt couldn’t tell the difference. He strained to hear voices or the sound of booted feet scraping on stone, but no one came. Not even the techs with their injections had come and for the first time in two days perhaps, Kurt’s thoughts were almost coherent, mostly unmuddled by drugs. He wondered if there had been an oversight on someone’s part or if Trask had some other reason to allow him out of his drug induced fog.

Not that being drug free was such a good thing. Pain rode every nerve ending, pounding through his body in wave after wave. He tried to remember Ororo’s meditation lessons, but concentration didn’t come easily nor did it seem to reduce the agony of his body. He was failing that lesson miserably.

Slowly, he stretched his aching limbs and rolled to his right side to stare at the opposite wall, his brain starting to work overtime now that it was functioning again. He strained to hear a noise down the hallway, but the sound receded, leaving him jittery with anticipation of someone finally coming.

And he couldn’t stop thinking of Logan, wondering where he was and if he’d fallen into the trap Sabertooth had alluded to.

Oh Logan, please keep your head...please don’t be out there by yourself with no one to back you up.

Foolish to wish. Foolish to hope. Kurt knew Logan too well. Logan never waited for anyone, his spontaneity turning to recklessness.

And what of the rest of the team? Were they looking for him? Of course, he had no doubts that they were, but how would they find him when he couldn’t use his powers?

A flicker of memory flashed across Kurt’s mind, of Hank telling them what he’d learned about the collars and how they worked.

He remembered his question, his need activating the ghost of memory.

The sound of boots scraping on stone, stirred Kurt from his thoughts. The steps came closer and he listened, judging that there were two people and neither were Sabertooth. He pushed up to sit, wrapping his arms around his knees and waited, his dread born of uncertainty instead of knowledge of what was to come.

The key in the lock sounded and the door swung open. Two of his guards stepped in, but no techs. Kurt worked to keep his breathing calm, but he sucked his swollen lip and stared warily at the two men.

They came forward, one holding a control box, looking almost eager to use it on him. “On your feet, demon,” the man said. “And don’t even think of giving us any trouble.”

The other grabbed Kurt by the hair and dragged him up then bent to unlock the shackles around his ankles. They dragged him out of his cell and down the hall, uncaring of his weakness or his pains, or his swollen ankle, holding him up when he almost fell.

Into a large room they dragged him, tugging him towards the center where a metal pole stombedmbedded in the floor. Shackles were embedded there as well, more dangling from the pole
above him.

Kurt stared up, trying to imagine what was about to happen to him. He closed his eyes when the men shoved him to his knees and a prayer cascaded through his mind. The metal encircled his ankles again, scraping the skin already raw from abuse. They pulled his arms behind him and up, ensnaring his wrists and tail.

His eyes flew open when they dragged him forward by the hair, pain shooting through his shoulders and up his arms, straining the muscles in his back. Another chain was attached to his collar, the opposite end planted in the floor in front of him. The position was uncomfortable, even painful.

“Why are...you dothisthis? What...is going to happen?” Kurt asked, his tone pleading.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” one said with a laugh and the other joined in.

Kurt’s breath was ragged, his mind scattering with conjured scenarios, none of which turned out well for him. He bit down on a sob of pain and terror.

He let his gaze slowly take in the room around him, a cavernous room in comparison to the cell he’d been held in. And there, along one wall, was a large window, so like the one back in Trask’s government facility. Trask and others, guards and techs, stood in the control room and talked among themselves. The sound of their voices didn’t reach Kurt’s ears, the intercom system muted at the moment. But Kurt watched out of the corner of his eye and knew this was one of Trask’s experiments, with Trask safe behind his mutant resistant glass, ready to watch whatever perverted scenario the man conjured this time.

Kurt’s anger boiled to the surface again, breaking through the battering of his mind and body. His hatred for Trask burned him with the fire of outrage. He suppressed the urge to jerk against his restraints, but pulled back a little, trying to ease the rising agony in his back and shoulders. The collar went off anyway, saturating him in that all too familiar torture. He cried out and would have fallen on his face if not for the chains holding him up.

His guards laughed and one kicked him in the thigh, throwing Kurt off balance and setting the collar off again. Kurt sucked in gasping breaths and steadied his stance.

“That’s enough,” Trask’s voice sounded through the intercom system. “We’re about to start.”

The guards exited the room and Kurt’s heart pounded with the terror of the unknown ordeal ahead of him. He waited. Then a door slid open and in strode Sabertooth, fangs showing with a triumphant smile on his face.

Kurt licked his dry lips and tried to swallow down the lump lodged stubbornly in his throat, his breath laboring through his lungs.

“Oh god, oh god, please help me,” he whispered, but he couldn’t seem to close his eyes, couldn’t block out the sight of Sabertooth striding towards him. And then the man was there, hunkering down and winding his clawed fingers in Kurt’s hair. Jerking Kurt’s head up, Sabertooth forced Kurt to meet his gaze.

“I promised you Logan, kid. And I’m delivering on that promise.” Sabertooth leaned in close, his harsh breath in Kurt’s face. “And when I’m done ripping your precious Logan apart, you and me are going to spend some time together, something more than those quick fucks in your cell. If Trask wants you broken, I’m the man for the job.”

Kurt’s mind went numb. He tried to shake his head in denial, but that same door opened again and Logan was shoved in, wrists manacled together. Sabertooth rose and opened his hand, letting loose of Kurt’s hair.

Logan looked stunned, his head drooping as if just coming out of a drugged stupor. But those dark eyes rose, taking in his surroundings in a quick sweep, the drugged appearance disappearing instantly. His gaze latched onto Kurt and a snarl rose in Logan’s throat. He sprang forward, crossing half the distance before the manacles around his wrist went off with the same debilitating agony of the collar, sending Logan to his knees.

He let out a roar of defiance, trying without success to push up to his feet again. Logan sat back on his haunches when the pain stopped, breath coming in hard gasps.

“Elf,” Logan said breathlessly, his gaze rising again to meet Kurt’s. “I’m sorry.”

Kurt said nothing, his heart aching, knowing he’d been right. Logan hadn’t waited for back up and now they were both helpless again against two foes instead of one.

Sabertooth’s hand fell heavily on Kurt’s head, stroking his hair in a rough caress.

“Your boy here has a fine little ass, Logan. I never took you for a boy lover but with this one I can see why you’d swing that way.”

A low growl rose in Logan’s throat. “Get your filthy hand off him.”

“What’dya going to do about it, old timer?” Sabertooth growled back.

“Can’t you see...Trask is using you,” Kurt gasped out. “You’re just another of his experiments and you’ve dragged us all into his perversion.”

Sabertooth’s hand stopped moving for one brief moment then drew back and came down in a backhanded blow across Kurt’s face.

And as if on cue, the manacles around Logan’s wrists fell away, as good an invitation to battle as Kurt had ever seen. Kurt licked blood from his lips and realization dawned.

Twas was Trask’s experiment, pitting Logan and Sabertooth against each other in a controlled environment. Kurt’s real purpose was to fuel Logan’s rage, to keep him off balance and blind with fury.

Logan launched himself at Sabertooth, his claws snicking out and slashing at his opponent. Kurt flinched away as the two men slammed into each other with the force of an earthquake.

His collar went off with a vengeance, dragging something close to a scream out of him. The pain racked his body and Kurt caught a glimpse of Trask leaning eagerly into the window, watching with sadistic glee.

Logan whirled at Kurt’s cry, his attention diverted from Sabertooth’s attack. He took a blow to the face, dodged a second and headed for Kurt.

The pain rose, intensifying till Kurt thought he’d black out.

“Don’t touch him, Logan,” Trask’s voice sounded stern through the intercom. “You try to cut him downtouctouch that collar and I’ll kill him.”

Logan stopped and turned towards the window, Kurt only guessing Logan was gaging the validity of Trask’s threat while the collar continued to pulse agony into Kurt’s body.

“I mean it,” Trask continued. “There’s enough power in that collar to stop his heart if I so desire.”

“Stop hurtin’ him. And let him loose from that torture contraption,” Logan growled. “I’ll fight Sabertooth if that’s what this is all about. You don’t need to hurt the kid to get me to do that.”

“But I did need him to get you here,” Trask replied. “And he’ll stay as he is. That’s part of the experiment.”

“Which part?” Logan asked with dripping sarcasm. “The sadistic, perverted part?”

Trask laughed, unfazed by Logan’s remark. The pain ceased and Kurt let out a sob, his head falling forward, his body wanting to collapse from relief, but unable to do so.

“And, by the way, I need to skew this experiment just a little,” Trask said in a smug tone. “A favor in return for all Victor’s hard work on my behalf.”

Trask’s pause was deliberate, building tension as if they were all actors in a play and he the director.

“Spit it out, Trask,” Logan snapped.

Sabertooth stood waiting, arms crossed against his chest, more patient than Kurt would have expected from the man.

“No use of your claws. You keep them safely tucked away,” Trask stated as if he had the right to make such a demand.

“And if I don’t?” Logan asked, knowing the answer as well as Kurt did.

Trask smiled and displayed the control box. “The demon suffers. So it’s really your choice, isn’t it, Logan? Feel free to use your claws...if you don’t mind the boy suffering for it. And if you don’t use them, well, from what I’ve seen of Sabertooth’s strength, you will be heavily handicapped.”

Logan turned back to Kurt, gaze locking onto his.

“Do what you have...to do Logan,” Kurt said with ragged gasps, trying to hide his pain from Logan’s scrutiny. “Defend yourself.”

Logan let out a sigh. “You know better than that, elf.” Logan turned back to Sabertooth and waved him forward. “Come on, pops. Let’s get this over with.”

“I’m goin’ to enjoy this,” Sabertooth replied with a smile and launched himself at Logan.

Kurt didn’t want to watch, but the snarls and roars of the two men drove his eyes open, forced him to see how uneven the battle really was when Logan was unable to use his best weapon.

He’d seen Sabertopickpick up a car and fling it as if it were made of plastic and although Logan was strong beyond most mortals, he couldn’t match Sabertooth’s brute muscle.

Sabertooth got a hold of Logan, picking him up and slamming him into the nearest wall. Logan fell to the floor, unmoving and Kurt’s heart almost stopped.

“Logan!” he screamed, wanting nothing more than to teleport to his lover’s side and snatch him away from this nightmare.

Logan stirred and rolled just as Sabertooth brought down a foot, trying to crush his chest.

On his feet again, Logan charged, grabbing the off balance Sabertooth around the middle and driving backwards, Sabertooth’s turn to slam into a wall. But Sabertooth recovered instantly, his fist driving into Logan’s stomach, ramming into Logan’s face.

Kurt closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of what was happening before him. He needed out of these chains. He needed out of this collar. He needed to teleport. The memory of that conversation with Hank came back to him again, haunting him with Hank’s doubts.

If only he were strong enough. If only he could short circuit the collar and give Logan back the use of his claws.

Kurt gathered his shredded strength, gathered his tattered confidence. He calmed his breath while beyond his closed eyes he heard the battle raging. If he looked he might lose his courage, he might despair. And if he didn’t succeed, he and Logan were as good as lost.

Focu, Ku, Kurt pictured being five feet away...maybe three...or two even. He shook his head, frustrated by his own doubts. He concentrated again. Just two feet outside the chains...and collar. He reached out to his mutant powers in deliberate concentration, searching to activate that which was normally nothing more than a second thought.

The collar went off, nearly ripping the thought from Kurt’s mind. He clung to his power, focusing all his energy in a narrow beam. The agony saturated his body, filling up every vein and artery, permeating his muscles and organs and even the marrow of his bones. The pain reached every fiber of his being, but he held onto the image.

Just two feet away...outside the chains...outside the collar.

A loud pop and crackle exploded in Kurt’s left ear and a burning sensation scorched his neck. He heard his own scream as if from far away and felt his body trying to collapse. Darkness infiltrated his mind, but Kurt fought towards the light of consciousness, fighting for his life and Logan’s.

For a brief moment, Kurt felt nothing, only an ethereal floating. And the thought crossed his mind that he’d died and he was about to find out if heaven and hell were real.

Then all came rushing back to him, agony...horror...fear, slamming him to the stone floor.

He tried to raise his head, but the effort proved too much. Darkness crept over his vision and sent him spirally into the depths of night.