Unchained Instinct ( Complete)

Chapter 47

When Kurt caught view of the factory gate, he teleported, landing lightly on the ground on all fours. Even in the darkness, his keen sight followed the cycle tracks, Rogue’s and Gambit’s footprints obvious on either side.

“Kurt, we must wait for the others,” Storm said, hovering above him.

“There’s no time for waiting,” he replied, his desire to find Logan an overwhelming impulse. “I’ll check ahead for Rogue and Gambit.” He bounded off, not waiting for a reply.

In his headset, Scott’s voice sounded stern. “Kurt, you’re suppose to wait for us.”

“I’m just scouting ahead for Rogue. We’re in contact, so chill, dude.”

The others weren’t far behind, Storm flying over the buildings, searching for activity. Jean crisscrossed Storm’s pattern, their thoroughness admirable, but Kurt needed action now. He needed to find Logan. He needed to get his hands around his mother’s throat and choke her into unconsciousness.

“Rogue and Gambit are no where in sight,” Jean stated, her voice crackling over the headset. “She didn’t wait, Scott.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Scott shot back, his voice sounding flat in the darkness.

“There is an entrance on the south side of the first building,” Storm stated. “There’s a north entrance to the second building. The loading dock bays are to the east.”

Kurt followed Rogue’s and Gambit’s steps to the loading dock door. “They went in this way,” Kurt said into his headset. “A door next to the loading docks. I’m going in.”

“Wait Kurt!” Scott demanded.

Kurt heard Scott issuing directions, splitting up the team at the different entrances. Jean settled down beside him and offered his arm a gentle squeeze.

Kurt took a shaky breath and let it out in a rush. “Sorry. I’m not being very cooperative, am I?”

“It’s understandable. But Scott knows what he’s doing. We need to do this as a team.”

“I know.” Kurt let out a sigh and ran his fingers back through his hair, trying to restrain the desire to push on through the door, to hell with the consequences. “But I feel like I’m going to explode.”

Kitty appeared at the bottom of the steps. “Scott sent me to team up with you two. He’s going in the north entrance with Bobby and Storm.”

Kurt turned at her words and pulled on the door, not surprised that it opened. Others had been this way...maybe even Mystique with Logan. He heard Kitty running to catch up, Jean right behind him. Jean and Kitty flicked on flashlights and the trio moved forward. Kurt bounded ahead on all fours, footprints in the dust and debris leading him on.

He tuned his hearing, trying to detect voices or footsteps, but the long corridors heading off in different directions echoed their own steps back on them.

Long minutes later they came to a section of the corridor with a hole blown in the wall, debris scattered for several feet in either direction.

Jean’s flashlight beam landed on something bright and wet and Kurt looked closely. “Blood,” he said, looking up at the two girls.

“But whose?” Kitty asked, her tone suggesting the unspoken fear that the blood might be Rogue’s.

Kurt just shook his head, a sense of urgency pushing him ahead down the hall and he went, oblivious to Kitty and Jean following close on his heels.

*******************

Gambit’s arm came out, stopping Rogue in her tracks. “Here’s somethin’ we haven’t seen before, chere,” he said, head cocked sideways. “A door actually shut and bolted.”

“Yeah, none of the others had been locked like that,” Rogue replied, her hopes of finding Logan rising. “Hell, half the doorways didn’t have doors anymore.”

She started to reach for the bolt, but Gambit grabbed her hand. “What?” Rogue’s patience had reached it’s breaking point, the urge to just kick something in getting the best of her.

Gambit rolled his eyes. “Chere. Just give Gambit a minute to check and make sure Mystique didn’t leave a nice little booby trap.”

Rogue stepped back. “Well hurry up.”

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Gambit let his finger tips run along the doorframe and along the heavy iron bolt. He drew the rod back, but still the door wouldn’t open. With the flick of a wrist, a thin wire tool appeared in his hand and Gambit knelt before the lock, working it like the professional thief he was.

Rogue heard a click and Gambit smiled up at her with a flash of perfect white teeth. She suppressed a grin and slapped him lightly upside the head. “Get over yerself, gumbo.”

Reaching for the doorhandle, again, Gambit stopped her. “Careful, chere. We don’t know what we’ll find inside. Ya’d better be prepared cause it might not be pretty.”

Rogue swallowed down a sudden lump in her throat, a shiver cascading down her spine. Stifling her fear, Rogue gave Gambit a shove away and pushed inside.

An eerie glow filled the room, the pulsing of energy surrounding the interior, the source, the technology Mystique had used to block Logan’s location from them. Rogue tried to take in all she saw, but the figure hanging in the center of the room stole her attention and drove a spike of terror through the pit of her stomach.

“Oh my gawd! Logan!” Rogue ran forward, hand reaching out to her mentor, yet at the same time she recoiled.

He hung limp and unconscious, naked body drenched in blood. Some had already dried there on his skin, but much of his body was still slick with wet blood. She looked for wounds, but nothing seemed apparent. Logan’s healing ability was still working to Rogue’s relief. Any other man would have been long dead from this much blood loss.

“Get ‘im down, Gambit!! Get ‘im down!!”

Gambit was already on his knees at Logan’s feet, kneeling on the blood stained floor. He worked, picking the manacle lock wrapped around one ankle. “Gambit tryin’, chere. Give ‘im a minute.”

Rogue stood before Logan and saw the first stirring of consciousness. She forced herself to reach out to his blood covered side, trying to offer comfort as he woke. “It’s okay, Logan we’re gonna get ya down from there.”

Logan’s head shot up, hair flying back from his face. A snarl of animal rage bellowed out of him, his body thrashing in his chains. He jerked forward, teeth snapping at Rogue’s face. She stumbled back and Logan’s momentum bowled Gambit over when Logan’s knee connected with his chin.

Gambit choked and spat blood. “Damn, Wolverine, settle yaself down, will ya? We’re tryin’ ta help ya here.”

Logan’s feral gaze flicked from Rogue to Gambit then back to Rogue. “So the Cajun was workin’ for ya all along, bitch. I shoulda known ya couldn’t pull this off by yerself.”

“Logan,” Rogue said, her voice shaking with emotion. She moved slowly forward. “It’s me, Rogue. We’re here ta help you.”

Baring his teeth, Logan snarled at her. “Yer not foolin’ me. Ya keep tryin’ but ya don’t fool me anymore than the last time with yer Rogue routine.”

A wave of nausea rolled through Rogue’s stomach. She pushed away the meaning of his words, her mind trying to find a way to convince Logan she wasn’t Mystique pretending to be her.

“Logan, listen ta me. Ah’m not Mystique. Ah’m Rogue. Please believe me. Let us help you. We’re gonna getcha down from there. Would Mystique do that?”

“Tricks. It’s all tricks and games with you,” Logan growled, his breath heaving. He shook his head, dark eyes closing. A wave of pain like Rogue had never seen before crossed Logan’s face, twisting his features and he let out a strangled roar, choked and spat blood on the floor. “Stay... away from me.”

“Oh Logan.” A sob caught in Rogue’s throat. “Please believe me.” She swallowed hard and stepped closer. “Remember how ya helped me get control when all those powers overwhelmed me. You were there for me. You helped me like nobody ever had.”

Logan shook his head, a sneer screwing up his mouth. “Mystique would know about that. She could find that out.” He shook his head again, his frustration and confusion evident. “You would know that!! Yer Mystique!” He jerked forward once more and snapped at Rogue’s face.

Rogue gave a shriek and Gambit pulled her back out of Logan’s reach.

“Come on, mon ami,” Gambit said to Logan, his arms around Rogue, comforting in the middle of all this insanity. “Rogue here is Rogue and Gambit not workin’ for that witch, Mystique. That’s all we can say. What’dya want us ta do? Leave ya here hangin’ like a side a beef? We’re tryin’ ta help ya, Wolverine. So calm down and let us.”

“There’s only one way you can prove yer Rogue ta me, girlie,” Logan said, breath thick in his throat. “And you know what it is.”

Rogue stared for a moment and the answer came to her. She step forward again, cautious, pulling off a glove as she did so. “Ya won’t bite ma hand off, will ya?”

A sneer of a smile pulled at Logan’s mouth. “Try me.”

“That’s not very reassurin’.” But Rogue reached out anyway, bare fingertips brushing along Logan’s bloody side.

A jolt hit her, of power and adrenalin, of her body’s injuries healing instantly. She stumbled back, holding her hand to her chest as if she’d been stung.

“Logan?”

His head drooped as if unconscious, then slowly tilted up, gleaming eyes catching her gaze through strands of dark hair. The ferocity and primal rage in those eyes struck a chord of terror, sending fear racing down Rogue’s spine.

She knew this man...knew him to be good and decent and always protective. Yet the man before her seemed beyond feral now, the view into Logan’s soul showing her dark places perhaps even Logan hadn’t known he had anymore.

And she saw pain...deep abiding pain, physical yes, but something more also, emotional agony that not even Bolivar Trask had managed to conjure.

His gaze dropped away from Rogue’s as if Logan could no longer tolerate the frankness of her gaze. “Okay,” he finally said. “You’re Rogue. You can kick me later. Now get these goddamned manacles offa me.”

Rogue let out a sigh of relief. “You heard the man, Cajun. Get pickin’.”

Gambit said nothing and with a bemused shake of the head, knelt again, working at the locks.

Rogue touched her headset, realizing she hadn’t alerted the others. “We got ‘im!” she said into her microphone. “We’ve found Logan.”