Deception

Title: Deception

Rated: NC-17

Summary: Alternate X-Men Universe: Ororo Munroe, assassin, is hired

to kill Logan, (a.k.a. Wolverine) a former assassin and current

member of the mutant team X-Men.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Marvel does. :(

Though, I do like to have my fun with them. But it's just fun, so

don't sue...please.

Feedback: Yes, that would be lovely.









"They have both Storm and Wolverine now, Professor," Beast says

quietly from across the room. Xavier nods gravely and looks around

the room at the X-Men standing there. Scott is sitting in front of

the desk, a large bandage on his forehead where there had been a

sharp cut. Jean sits in the other chair looking a bit tired, she had

woken up from unconsciousness only an hour before now. Bobby is

nursing a bruised midsection from a Sabertooth punch. The rest were

in good shape, but tired and worried.



"Logan had been right...about Storm," Jean says with a frown.

Jubilee shakes her head, "I can't believe it. We all thought she was

alright too!" She slaps a fist into her hand and glares at nothing.



"Calm down," Xavier says. "We were all taken in. I had thought I

could help her. That she would see the flaws in Magneto, but I see I

was mistaken."



"What we need to do is figure out how to get Wolverine back," Scott

points out.



"Yes, yes," Xavier glances down at the desk in front of him, frowning

in concentration.



"We need a plan...a good plan," Rogue says, crossing her arms under

her breasts and chewing her bottom lip.



Beast scratches his chin and releases a deep sound as if realizing

something, "I think we should find out what Magneto wants with

Wolverine. I do not think he would go to all this trouble just to

impose some petty revenge."



"I agree, Beast," Xavier nods looking around the room again. "But

the exact reasons, we need to find out."



Scott frowns deeply and shifts irritably on his feet, "So, what can

we do?"





**********





Eyelids slowly open to reveal sharp, gray eyes with a look of calm un-

alertness. Logan groans tiredly as he blinks his eyes that seem too

dry. He realizes he's on his stomach, laying on a hard, cold surface.

He blinks a few times then lifts his head. He sees a gray wall that

matches the floor's color.



"Where the hell..." he mutters and pushes his body up. His back

cracks as he sits up and he sighs. Laying on a cement floor for God

knows how long will leave anybody's back hurting.



"Logan," a woman's voice says behind him. Logan's eyes widen and he

jumps to his feet, turning to stand ready to defend himself. Why

didn't I check this place out first? he asks himself.



He stares at the large door, shining brightly. He growls softly. He

knows this room and that door. It's made out of admantium. Magneto

had this room built a short time after he had joined. Magneto had

wanted a room that nobody could escape from. It's a large square

room, with nothing in it. It's walls bare and the floor coldly blank.

Approaching the door he sets his eyes on the pair of blue ones

watching him through the thin open slit. He knows those eyes too. He

can't smell her through the thick walls, and if she had just opened

that slit her scent wouldn't have had time to reach him.



"You deceivin' little bitch! I'm gonna--" Logan growls. His claws

slide smoothly out of his hands.



"You can't do anything on that side of the door Logan, so calm down,"

Storm says, cutting him off. Logan glares hard and steps closer to

the door.



"Need to hide behind walls, Stormy? Never thought of you as a

coward," he says in a rough voice. His knuckles itching and teeth

clenched. He knows that comment will get to her. She's a strong woman

that doesn't like anyone thinking of her as weak.



"Coward?" her voice asks in an amused tone. "I am no coward,

Wolverine, trust me on that."



"Then open the door and prove it," he answers.



"Please, you know I am not stupid. Besides, I am only here to watch

you. About time I go and inform Magneto that you are awake now," she

says, but her eyes don't move from the doorway's slit.



"Still runnin' around on Magneto's leash?" Logan growls, his lips

turning back in snarl he can't hold back. His anger boiling at the

surface.



"I am on no leash," she says. "And it looks like you are the one that

is held down at the moment."



"Wha--?" Logan begins to ask before his body is pushed back away from

the doorway. He tries to fight the invisible force but can't. It

feels as if his entire body is under the control of someone else. His

eyes meet Storm's and he can see the amusement in them, a sharp

twinkle that tells him she's smiling on the other side of the

door. "Let go of me!" he roars, fighting for control of his body with

all his might.



His body stops moving backward as the door opens. Logan growls low in

his throat as Magneto quickly steps in, followed by Gambit. Storm

steps in behind him but Logan pays her little mind. He'll get her

back soon, but first he had to take care of Magneto.



"Hello again, Wolverine. It's been a while," Magneto says in his

deep, strong, yet calming and proper voice. Logan's eyes dart very

quickly around him, picking up the smallest of details about Magneto.

How he's standing, the way his fingers lightly scratch against each

other. The self-assured smile on his lips. The proud, confident look

in his eyes.



"What do you want?" Logan asks in a hard voice, jaw feeling like it's

going to snap from the pressure he's grinding his teeth together.

Magneto smiles even wider and steps closer, placing his hand on

Logan's shoulder. Logan's eyes fall to his hand and he bares his

teeth angrily, knowing that it's the only thing he can accomplish at

the moment.



"To catch up on old times, my friend," Magneto says.



"Fuck off," Logan mutters and can feel Magneto's fingers tighten on

his shoulder.



"Is that anyway to treat the one who saved you from your Weapon X

torturers over 10 years ago?"



"You didn't save me!" Logan growls, eyes blazing as he glares at

Magneto.



Magneto smiles and nods shortly, "Well, you did escape on your

own...but who took you in? You were wild, Wolverine. Not human...who

made you a man again?"



Logan blinks quickly, memories flooding at him of the few months

after escaping from the Weapon X complex and roaming the Canadian

country, looking for something, humanity, but not finding it. Looking

for what the scientists had violently taken away from him. He had

been something else, not quite human, not quite animal. Something of

a horrible mix, the intellect and sharpness of a human, but instincts

and strength of an animal. He had waded through the woods, taking up

home there, living the life of an animal. Until Magneto had found him.



Eyes quickly glancing at Gambit and Storm he growls. "You never made

me man again, you turned me into your own killin' machine. The same

thing they did!" Logan says, eyes turning back to Magneto.



Magneto shakes his head and steps around Logan, stopping as he moves

in front of him. "My dear boy, I never once forced you to do

anything. It was all of your own free will. Do not blame me for the

killings that went to your hands, they were your own."



Logan growls, shaking his head. "You're just a psychopath bent on

some fucked up dream of world domination!"



Again, Magneto shakes his head. "You have spent much too long with

Xavier. I am not on a search for world domination, Wolverine. What

this fight is for is to eliminate discrimination against mutants. But

unlike the fool ideas of Xavier, I see that there is no way that can

be accomplished peacefully. Any movement such as this cannot be done

easily."



"I don't give a shit," Logan says. "I'm through with you...with the

Brotherhood. I have been for long time!"



"You think so?" Magneto smiles again. "I think you are wrong there."



"What?"



"You will fight for the Brotherhood once again, Wolverine. I need

your skills more then ever now. Especially now that you have intimate

knowledge of the X-Men."



Logan snorts, "What the hell makes you think I'll join you again, you

lunatic." He rolls his eyes away from Magneto and glares at Storm,

some reason wanting to direct his anger at her. She notices his eyes

and shifts her body, meeting his gaze head on. Gambit coughs into a

closed fist beside him, his red eyes watching Magneto for some sort

of signal.



"You will, Wolverine, because even you have weaknesses, urges, and

regrets. And you know as well as I that I have the capabilities to

break you, if I must," Magneto says with a cold smile on his face.

Suddenly, a horrendous jolt of pain slides down Logan's

back. "Literally," Magneto adds as he crooks a finger and Logan's

back bends and bends.



Logan grits his teeth and fights to stand straight. He looks up at

the ceiling, trying to ignore the pain as his bones begin to crack,

each more painful then the last. Soon, those cracks will be bones

snapping. He can feel his backbone grinding and protesting, but can

do nothing to help it.



"You see my boy," Magneto says, the bending of his back ceasing.

Logan is held in this position though, staring up at the ceiling as

sweat leaks down the sides of his face. "I have a power over you that

you cannot fight. I don't want to have to use it, but I do know how

stubborn you can be. I'll give you time to think about my offer.

Think hard."



With that Magneto releases his hold and Logan slumps to the ground

with a grunt. He can only gasp for breath as he hears footsteps

quickly exit the room. Then the door slams shut with a depressive,

echoing bang. Logan breathes quickly through his teeth, glaring up at

the ceiling, his fingers clenched tightly in fists.



***********



Xavier sits silently in his motorized wheelchair. His eyes are closed

and an odd looking helmet is covering the top and sides of his head

with two thick wires exiting the sides and leading to a panel that is

built into the floor. His hands are rested softly on top of the panel

and a bead of sweat slowly moves down the side of his face.



Images fly quickly through his mind in his search. But nothing solid

and true, only blurs of objects that lead to more questions. Xavier

sighs and opens his eyes, staring straight ahead in thought.



"Where are you hiding, Eric?" he asks himself softly. Xavier rubs his

forehead in thought. He doesn't like that he can't find Logan's

location. Even with Cerebro wasn't any help because it seemed Logan

wasn't fully aware of his surroundings either. Then suddenly he

realizes, there is another person he can use to find the location,

Storm.





***********





Strong fingers grip her shoulder and she whirls around to face

Victor, who is glaring down at her threateningly.



"You dig the pipsqueak?" he asks in an unkind voice, eyes boring into

hers. She immediately knows who he is talking about by the angry

frown on his face.



"I don't dig anybody," Storm replies and shakes her shoulder out of

his grasp.



Victor shakes his head, long locks of blond hair falling in front of

his eyes, "Don't lie to me, `Ro, we all know you can't lie to me."



"It was a job, Victor, and what do you care?" Storm asks, crossing

her arms under her breasts angrily. They are standing down the hall

from the room Logan is being held in, she had been caught by Victor

on her way back to watch. The hallway is clear except for the both of

them. "And don't call me `Ro."



Victor gives a huff and holds up his hands, "Wow...you sure are

snappy today."



"I just don't want to talk to the likes of you, is all," she says

giving him a quick glare.



Victor's eyebrows fall low over his eyes, "What did I do that's got

you so godamn angry?" he asks angrily in his low, graspy voice.



"I don't know...maybe 5 months of my life wasted with you, is all!"

Storm growls.



Victor grabs her wrist and pulls her against the wall, forcing her to

make eye contact with him. "You're the one that made that decision,

not me, `Ro."



"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she says, shaking her head.



"You wanna tell me what you got going on with this fucking traitor?"

Victor asks, his hand moving from her shoulder to rest against the

wall beside her head.



"No, I don't," Storm says.



Victor growls low in his throat and she can see his fingers flex

against the wall, long black nails scratching against the

concrete. "What did you do with him, Ororo?" he asks in a deathly

serious voice. She had pushed his small amount of patience to the

limit.



"That's none of your business," she says, hoping Victor doesn't lose

his temper.



"Yes, it is my fucking business!!" he roars. "What the fuck did you

do with Wolverine!?"



Storm shakes her head and rolls her eyes in an attempt to look

calm, "It was just a job, Victor. Calm down. No reason for you go

getting jealous or anything."



"Jealous?" Victor asks angrily. "Trust me, I am not jealous of that

small fry!"



"It was just a job," Storm says again, sighing irritably.



"Just a job? But you didn't do your job. You were supposed to kill

him!" Victor growls, leaning in close. "So, if he's not dead...what

else did you do with him other then your job?"



"I was caught by the X-Men, that's what I did! Like I had time to run

around with Logan! Will you give it a rest, Victor! Please!" Storm

pushes against his chest, making him step back.



"I'll give it a rest when you tell me why you and Wolverine were in

bed together last night!" Victor growls.



"I was doing my job, Sabertooth!" Storm snaps, his codename making

him frown. "I was instructed to stay close to Wolverine, so I

did...end of story. Now, will you leave me alone, please?!"



Storm doesn't give Sabertooth another chance to comment before she

stalks off down the hallway looking as if he tried to stop her she'd

rip his throat out. Sabertooth growls and turns violently, walking

in the other direction.





***********





"What are you talking about, Scott?" a fiery red-headed woman asks

sharply. She turns her eyes on the man sitting next to her. Her

friend, her partner, her fiance. He shakes his head slowly and

roughly runs a finger against his forehead above his red tinted

sunglasses.



"I don't know. This whole thing just gives me an uneasy feeling. I

mean, just think about it," Scott says, hands falling to his thighs

as he leans forward a bit. Jean nods and sits quietly to

listen. "Why would all of a sudden Magneto go to so much trouble to

get Logan? After a years time, he suddenly decides that he wants

Logan killed? Why not before? Why now?"



Jean's eyebrows fall in slight confusion. She can sense tension and

a hint of anger in Scott, but he's built his walls, making it

impossible for her to tell his thoughts. "What are you getting at,

Scott?"



"What if Logan never was part of the group?" he asks quickly, his

face moving up so his eyes are level with hers.



Jean gives a short laugh of disbelief, "You can't possibly think that-

-"



"That is exactly what I'm thinking," he interrupts. "What if this

entire time, Logan has been working for Magneto? What if he's been

slipping information through? What if this sudden attempt to kill

Logan, and get him back is all planned out between them? We could be

stepping into a very serious trap if we try and rescue Logan, Jean."



Jean stares at Scott for a long moment. Her eyes slightly wide in

shock. What would make him believe so little in Logan? "Scott, I

know you and Logan have had your differences, but--"



Scott shakes his head almost violently. "No, no...this has nothing

at all to do with any of that! I'm serious. You saw how Logan was

acting the last couple days. He wasn't part of the group, Jean. And

he and Storm had a relationship, which only helps strengthen my

belief that he and Magneto are still working together."



"What?" Jean asks. "They had no relationship. They despised each

other. Well, he despised her." She ignores the evidence that Logan

had been acting strangely the last couple days. But he does have his

bad days, and with that Storm around they hadn't been his best.



Scott sighs loudly then says, "I talked to Jubilee earlier, she told

me she saw Logan and Storm going into his room together last night,

looking more then friendly. And I doubt she of all people would make

up a story that would hurt Logan."



Jean looks down at her hands, unable to believe this news. She just

couldn't see Logan betraying them like that. He had been a member

for about a year. A man she loved, a friend that she had counted on

numerous times. Logan was a part of the group! He wouldn't do that

to them. He wouldn't betray her...he had once told her that he loved

her, sitting outside on the porch during a beautiful sunset. A

moment in time that she would always remember and that haunted her

dreams from time to time. Those couldn't have been empty words. He

couldn't have been one large lie to them.



"No, Scott, it just isn't possible," she says, shaking her

head. "Logan wouldn't do that to us. He is an X-Man."



"Jean," he says softly, placing a light touch on her cheek. "It is

possible. I know you always find the good in people and don't want

to see the bad, but it is possible. You can't lie to yourself. I

think we need to run this by the Professor, see what he thinks about

it."



Jean takes a deep breath, trying to settler her thoughts. She still

could not see any possibility that Logan could have done such a

thing. But she nods slowly, "Yes, I think we need to speak with

Xavier."





***********





"Logan," comes a small voice. He twists quickly, looking around,

eyes darting to one dark corner to the next. There is nothing but

black though. Nothing.



"Logan," the voice calls again, it sounds as if it's directly beside

him. He turns but is faced with black nothingness. Quickly, he

pants, his feet moving to keep him going in circles so he can watch

all the darkness around him should something suddenly come at him.



"Wolverine!" a new voice suddenly booms behind him, he turns to it.

Magneto is standing before him, dressed in his usual battle uniform.

Helmet adorning his skull and deep eyes looking like black pools

beneath his shaggy brows. "I made you what you are, Wolverine. I

made you human again, Wolverine."



"No!" Logan growls at the figure. But as he roars Magneto disappears

and leaves him alone in darkness again. Logan blinks quickly, and

when his eyes open he's in a cage, bars all around him. The darkness

outside it slowly begins to meld and change into a new environment.

Men in military uniforms are standing and sitting around, all

chatting together.



He stares silently at the men. Then one by one they all turn their

eyes to him. Each face contorting to a mask of disgust.

"Oh my fucking God!!" one man exclaims.



"Look at that thing!" another shouts, pointing directly at Logan.

"It's an animal! It's horrible!!"



"Someone kill it!"



"Put it out of it's misery!"



"That thing shouldn't exist!"



Logan stands straight and can only stare as all the men move close to

the cage. He notices the guns and can still only stare as they all

point theirs at him. Then shock and fear grip him.



He raises his hand in a halting motion, "NO!!!!" he screams. All the

guns fire, light and pain consume him and he screams in agonizing

pain. He falls to his knees, bullets still pounding into his body

unmercifully. His claws rip the skin of his knuckles as they slide

out in a uncontrolled motion and he stares down at them. The pain

seeming to fade but flashes and bullets still hitting him. Blood

pouring out of his body, too much blood for his body to handle

losing. But the only thing he can see are his hands and the claws

protruding from them.



Then the bullets stop coming, and silence falls. Logan takes a deep

breath, finding that he can breathe still. He brings his eyes up and

now there are children standing before him, the soldiers' guns

clasped in their small hands. One by one they each smile then begin

laughing.



"Mutie!!" one small boy with light brown hair falling to cover his

eyes suddenly yells out.



"It's a mutie!!" another screams.



"HAHA!! Look at him!!!" yet another yells out.



"MUTIE!! MUTIE!! ANIMAL!!! MUTIE!!! ANIMAL!!!" like a chant, they

all pick it up and repeat it over and over. Logan crawls back,

covering his ears with his hands. Something horrible coming over him

at hearing those words. Something he doesn't know, but it makes him

feel like a small child unable to protect himself.



"Stop it!" he says roughly. "Stop it!"



"You can make them stop, Logan," comes Magneto's voice again. "Only

join me, and you can make them all stop."



Logan rocks forward until his forehead touches the cold floor and he

clenches his fists tightly. The laughing and chanting booms loudly

and he can't make it go away.



"I'm here for you, my boy," Magneto says. "We are Homo Superior."



The voices slowly drown away at those last words. Logan brings his

face up, eyes dark and angry. He can feel anger and some belief in

the words, that he was superior. He was better! The children have

formed back into the soldiers and they are all standing staring at

him in a look of complete shock. Then Logan growls, pouncing from

his hunched position, claws once again protruding from his hands.



He slices through the metal bars of his cage and continues. The

first soldiers don't even had time to lift their weapons before they

are lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood, guns rattling

to the floor.



"NO!!!!" Something roars in his brain and Logan suddenly falls to the

ground, his breath coming to him in short pants.



Loud laughter seems to be oozing in the air, like something sneaking

across the floor. It's deep and full of mirth and victory.



"Well done, my boy," Magneto says, appearing once more in front of

Logan. "Well done."



Suddenly, Xavier is next to Magneto, calmly watching Logan with a

disappointed look in his eyes. He shakes his head then looks down at

his lap, looking like the saddest being Logan had ever seen.



"How could you be so cruel, Logan?" Jean's voice shocks him. He

looks around trying to find her but can't. "You are an animal,

Logan. Or should I say, Wolverine. You're not a man. You're not

human."



"Jean?" Logan says softly, his voice harsh and barely there. Magneto

continues smiling at him.



"Logan, you're letting this get to you," someone else says and steps

into his vision. Storm sways her hips seductively as she steps past

Magneto as if not even seeing him. Her eyes are only focused on

Logan. She moves to him, leaning down to grab his chin, forcing him

to look her in the eyes. "You are as much a man as you believe

yourself to be."



"What?" Logan says, "Storm..."



"Don't let what Magneto get to you. You were a man long before he

found you."



"ENOUGH!" Magneto suddenly roars.



Storm leans down and kisses Logan on the lips softly. "Logan, wake

up," she whispers against his lips. Logan stares at her in confusion

just as a force pulls his body back. A force beyond his control.



Magneto steps forward and glares down at Logan, "It's time to finally

end your life," he says.



Logan grits his teeth as his body is lifted into the air. Below him

are all the X-Men staring up at him. Magneto standing directly under

him and controlling his body. He can't grasp why none of them are

helping him. Why?



"Help!" he yells at them, but each of them only shake their heads and

watch. "HELP!!" he yells again.



His body is flung upward and Logan closes his eyes, "HELP!!!"



"Logan, wake up."



Logan jerks awake with a violent twist, his eyes ripping open and he

gasps breath. Then hands on his shoulders bring him back to reality

and he looks up to see Storm leaning over him. She smiles slightly

and pushes his upper body back down.



"Calm down," she says softly. Logan stares at her, his eyebrows

lowering in confusion. What the...?



"Get off of me," he grounds out, his voice raspy and rough. Storm

doesn't move away so Logan harshly pushes her hands away and glares

up at her.



Storm raises her hands and shakes her head, "Fine."



"What are you doin`?" he asks quickly, pushing his body up off of the

hard floor.



"Just waking you...seemed to be having a nightmare or something," she

answers, perfectly calm. Why was she calm? She shouldn't be calm.



Logan looks around the room, nobody else was there but the door was

closed. Quickly he grabs her by the collar and pulls her to him

until their faces are only an inch apart, he places his other fist

under her chin. Storm gives a quick squeak of surprise then looks up

into his eyes.



"What's goin' on?" Logan asks, his teeth grinding and anger bubbling

up in him.



"What do you mean?" she asks.



Logan jerks her collar and growls, "You know what the fuck I mean!"

"I'm only waking you up," she answers, her eyes never leaving his and

never faltering from their calm appearance.



"I should kill you," he says bluntly.



"Maybe...but what would that accomplish?" she says, still calm. "You

kill me then Magneto won't hesitate killing you."



"I'm willin' to try my luck," Logan says and pushes his fist up into

the bottom of her jaw. Storm gives a sharp hiss and glares at him.



"Try your luck against Sabertooth, Logan," she says. "I don't think

you're that dumb. You don't want to die. Don't you want to wait for

your X-Men to come and get you?"



"I'll get out right now, with your help," Logan says and begins to

stand up, still holding Storm.



"You know that won't work either. Magneto can stop you even if you

hold me as a hostage, Logan," Storm says as if just pointing out the

obvious. Look, if you want to get out of here then you might not

want to kill me."



"What?" Logan asks, gripping the collar of her shirt tightly.



"What Magneto told me about you wasn't correct. You aren't what he

said you were. I don't work against other mutants like that. He

just wants you to be a part of the Brotherhood, but he is forcing

you."



Logan sneers and shakes his head at her, "Finally seeing the truth?"

Storm frowns deeply at him, "I will help you, Logan, but only because

I believe he is wrong in this."



Logan huffs and smiles angrily, "And why should I trust you?"



"You shouldn't, but you have no choice if you want out of here," she

says quickly. Storm takes a step back and Logan lets his hold on her

go. Without another word she turns and walks to the door. She bangs

her fist against the metal and waits. Logan stands watching her in

an unsure way. What was she working for this time?



The door opens loudly and Psylocke is standing on the other end of

it. She looks past Storm at Logan and smiles slightly. She winks

and waits for Storm to step through before closing the door again.



Logan frowns and runs a hand through his hair. What the hell was

going on? Psylocke...Storm....he shakes his head and tries to clear

his thoughts. He needed to think clearly if he wanted to get himself

out of here.