X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ Origins ❯ Ch 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

See disclaimers, notes and warnings in first chap

CH 5

“Alright Remy, the first thing we need to do is test the level of your powers.” The Professor floated ahead of the boy with Logan flanking him. “You will accompany Logan while I head to the control booth to monitor your progress.” With that, he rounded a corner and left the two as they continued to the door of the danger room.

“This way kid.” Logan waved. They walked a little further down the corridor until they came to two hulking metal doors with an impressive security lock. Remy watched closely as the feral proceeded to key in some number combination, and then placed his hand on a pad that suddenly appeared out of the wall.

“Welcome Wolverine.” was the computerized voice that emanated from the panel in the wall. The heavy doors hummed and clanked as the massive locking mechanisms released them and they slid slowly open. There was an audible sighing sound as the air flowed out of the room, the pressure equalized. Remy stayed silent, his eyes wide as he followed the older man into the room.

The room didn't seem all that special to warrant such an entry system. To him, it looked like an empty room; about the size of a basket ball court with ceilings that raised approximately two floors. In the far end of the room towards the ceiling was a glass enclosure. He could clearly see the Professor staring down at him and assumed it was the control room the Professor had mentioned. Logan watched as the boy moved ahead of him towards the centre of the room with his eyes roaming to all sides, appraising the emptiness of the space.

Remy was slightly perplexed and turned around raising a questioning brow at the feral. “How dis gonna show y'all my powers? It be not'ing but an empty room.”

Logan merely grinned as he reached behind him with one hand and pressed a button. “Computer, training level 002 authorization Wolverine.” Immediately the room began to shift and morph before Remy's eyes. He stepped back warily, surprised at the sudden change in the environment. From under him, the floor changed to padded mats, causing him to nearly trip and fall backwards. Logan was there in an instant and grabbed him by the elbow to steady the incredibly nervous young man. Outwardly the boy showed no real emotions at the change, but he could smell the boy's reaction and damn near feel the tension in that lithe body. For his part, Remy had no clue the feral was next to him, let alone touching him, too absorbed in what was taking place all around. Before his eyes, the empty room transformed into a lengthy workout area, complete gymnastics equipment of all types along with what looked like some type of obstacle course.

“Mon Dieu” he gasped as the room completed its changeover and everything settled.

Logan grinned. He always loved the reactions of the `newbies' when they first encountered it. “Welcome to the Danger Room kid.” From the astounded look he received from the younger male, he proceeded to explain. “This room is used for all our training. We can set up different scenarios to hone our skills. Pretty handy, huh?”

Remy could only nod as the Professor's voice broke in to explain further. “The Danger Room is quite special in its technology. I won't go into details right now, but suffice it to say that you won't find anything else like it on Earth. Logan, if you would be so kind as to join me in the control room.” The feral took another moment to watch the newcomer before spinning on his heel to depart the room.

As the door panels slid closed with a reverberating thud, Remy whirled around to note that he was now alone in the room, slightly annoyed that he had not paid attention when the older man left. He turned back to the control room and cocked his head at the Professor. “What now?”

“We want you to run through the obstacle course and utilize some of the equipment in whatever way you feel necessary, for as long as possible. We need to test your endurance which will directly reflect how long you maintain control over your powers. How do you normally discharge your energy when you feel it building?” The Professor glanced periodically at him while deftly pushing buttons on the computer console.

Remy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a deck of playing cards, maneuvering a few out of the pack to fan between his fingers. He held them up and showed both men that he now saw in the glass-enclosed booth high above him.

“Ah, interesting choice. Very well, be prepared for a few objects to come your way while you are running the course. Feel free to destroy them as you deem necessary.” A few more moments and the lights dimmed slightly. Gambit looked to the ceiling and crouched automatically in a defensive position. “Relax Remy. We are simply trying to adjust the lighting to a level you may find more comfortable, in case you wish to remove your sunglasses.” He nodded in thanks and did just that, folding them to place in his shirt pocket.

A sharp intake of deep breath was all he needed to jump right into the fray. Twisting and turning his body, flowing like liquid through various holes and over rises, landing sure-footed on narrow edges to handstand off and flip to another surface. A few minutes into the exercise saw objects begin to fly around and over him. As they neared his person, he flipped a charged card to blow the offending things out of the air, maneuvering onto the next obstacle as he did. Before his eyes, the course changed, extended, and grew more complex. He had no clue how long he ran the track as his mind blanked automatically and time lost meaning. The flow of energy through and around him increased, humming hypnotically, capturing his attention; he could see the lines of energy laid out before him. Aware of objects all around him, he continued to leap, twist, and flip cards; his mind delving further into the task at hand.

In the control booth, both the Professor and Logan were entranced by the display. Logan glanced down at his watch and was surprised to note that more than three hours had passed since the test began, but oddly enough, none of them seemed to notice.

“Incredible” the Professor breathed out as he took to monitoring mentally any changes in the boy's shields.

Having all sensors trained on the lad, Logan easily picked up on the increased panting as the minutes ticked by, though he wasn't quite sure if the noise was from the boy or from his own rapid breathing as he took in the sight. So caught in the vision, he almost failed to notice the slip….almost. The boy grunted out loud for a moment as a foot landed in a slightly miscalculated spot, sending him tumbling in a roll to the side of the beam on which he had attempted to land. The recovery was quick as a card flew out from his chest to strike the two objects gaining ground on him. But the damage was enough, and the ankle was weakened. Remy began to stumble more; a limp growing evident in the problem leg. The metal orbs that had been circling him closed in; their programming set to emit a light taser when falling within a few meters of their prey. More and more tasers shot at the boy, causing him to moan and strike out, arms flailing about tossing cards in all directions. All too soon Remy was out of cards and started hurling any loose object he could find.

“That's enough Chuck. Shut it down before the boy gets hurt.” Logan placed both hands on the console as he stared down into the scene below.

“A few more minutes Logan. There are safety measures in place to assure that nothing goes too far. We need to see at what point he will lose control.” As rational as the Professor tried to answer, he received only a low growl in response.

Remy was breathing hard now; pain beginning to factor into the fatigue that already plagued his body. The sweat poured down his face and neck as he continued to fight the metal balls that seemed to only multiply with each destruction. Damn; the things were everywhere. He felt his control slipping and was hard-pressed to rein it in. As two more spheres shot him, he cried out, in an attempt to maintain a grip on his power, but it was the last straw. Everything around him started to hum, the glow of the objects growing as the molecules within started heating up; plasma glowed yellow-white around them as the objects began to melt and distort. Eyes shut tight, he brought both hands to his head in an attempt to physically hold it all in, but it was too much; the energy was on the verge of release.

“CHARLES!” Wolverine shouted but the Professor was already spurred into action by the unfolding scene. He quickly pushed several buttons to end the scenario, allowing all objects to fade from the room. Reaching out with his mind, Charles was able to breach several small holes that had developed in the boy's shields and send the necessary commands to bring his power under control. Despite finding a way in through the armor that shielded Remy's mind, it was still a struggle and after a few tense minutes Charles had it under control. A scream echoed around the room from the figure before them watching, helpless as he fell over unconscious. The Professor slumped in his chair, clearly exhausted from the ordeal; taking several deep breaths to calm himself.

Logan took a moment to assess the Professor, making sure he was unharmed before turning his attention to the boy. In a full run, he opened the doors to the room and was at the boy's side within seconds, feeling first for a pulse and then for any breath. He closed his eyes as his examination showed the boy to be alive and well. “I'm taking him to the medlab” he yelled to Xavier as he lifted the boy up and strode out of the room.

Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose. He had definitely pushed things a little too far; guilt beginning to push at his mind. But, he was beginning to understand the boy, having unintentionally caught a glimpse of unpleasant images while attempting to erect a mental force field around that portion of the boy's mind that controlled his powers. There was definitely a third mutation; an intense yet uncontrolled power, hidden within the boy. And there was subtle evidence of mental tampering. Charles tried to recall the few mutants in the world that could hide manipulations so well; those that could were extremely volatile. He pushed them to the back of his exhausted mind for later contemplation. The Professor's suspicions, however, were confirmed; Remy was definitely an omega class mutant.

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The first thing he became aware of was the sterile smell of a medical facility. Instantly his mind associated the smell and rebelled. In his half-conscious state, his body began to respond on its own, thrashing and whimpering involuntarily at a perceived threat. He was unrestrained he noted with confusion. That just didn't seem right to him. Focus - he needed to focus. Vaguely he could make out someone calling to him, the words coming clearer by the moment.

“…own. No one's gonna hurt ya. Calm down.” Logan was hovering over him, the larger hands holding gently onto Remy's shoulders as he shook the boy.

The voice of the older mutant was strangely soothing and Remy's body relaxed of its own accord while he attempted to open his eyes. The bright light above him was painful, causing him to cry out slightly at the intense burning.

“Aw damn. Sorry `bout that. Chuck, get the lights.” The order from the feral was met almost immediately as the lights dimmed to a tolerable level. Remy ventured opening his eyes again, blinking away the spots from the previous attempt.

“What de hell happened?” Remy groaned as he attempted to prop his body up onto his elbows. But his head protested violently, sending a surge of nausea through him and causing him to fall back instantly onto the bed. A trembling hand rose to run fingers through auburn locks, grasping the side of his head, and pushing his palm into his temple to try and ease the ache.

“Relax, Remy. We pushed a little too hard and you lost control of your powers. The headache you are experiencing is my fault, I'm afraid.” The Professor hovered closer to the side of the bed as a guilty look flashed across his face. “I had to enter your mind briefly to contain your powers. My deepest apologies. You will probably have a headache for a little while as the barricade I placed in your mind slowly dissolves. Your own shields should repair themselves before then.”

Remy cracked his eyes and glared at the telepath, not pleased at all to hear the man had been inside his head. “What else you do when you be in dere, hehn?” The question was uttered in barely concealed anger, and the Professor averted his eyes downward in obvious guilt. “I assure you Remy, I did not wander aimlessly around your mind. I went in, concentrated on building a wall around your power, and then retreated. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And does de assurance of a telepat' supposed to mean somet'ing to me?” Remy was in pain. Remy was nauseous. And, Remy felt mentally violated. Therefore, Remy was indignant.

“Hey kid. That's enough. If Chuck says he didn't poke around inside your head, then he didn't.” Logan leaned forward into Remy's line of sight, blocking the glare the boy was directing at the Professor. Eyes widened slightly at the deep blue orbs glittering with concern and irritation.

“It's perfectly alright Logan. I understand his irritation. I'll leave you now so you may rest. Again, please accept my humble apology.” The Professor backed out of the room, disappearing through automatic doors that swished closed behind him.

With a sigh, ruby pupils rolled up to meet closing lids as Remy's other hand came up to work in tandem with the first, massaging temples to ease the pain in his skull. The sound of glass clattering along with water being poured caught his attention. He turned to watch the older mutant move about this…..lab…..no other word for the horrid place that caused Remy's insides to twist violently. Logan came back and held both hands towards the boy, a glass of water in one and some pills in the other. Remy eyed the little white tablets warily, not sure if he trusted these people enough to take their medicines.

Logan cocked one eyebrow at his hesitation. “Just aspirin. It'll help with the headache.”

“Aspirin? Non, t'anks. Can't take dat.”

“Why the hell not?” The nonplussed look on Logan's face would have been comical to Remy if he wasn't in such agony from the jackhammer ripping merrily away behind his eyeballs.

He pursed his lips for a moment, struggling with the decision to share the answer. Logan could see the war of emotions raging behind those exotic eyes. Finally, he gave in, perplexed and a shade frightened by his urge to trust the feral. “I…I don' react de same way to medicines dat many do. Aspirin, even just one, it….it knocks me out.”

A brow rose, questioning what had been said. “Knocks ya out? Like a tranquilizer?”

Remy nodded, then immediately regretted it as his head shouted in complaint of the movement. “Can I just go to my room? Don' wanna be here no more.”

The boy started to get up, but Logan pushed him back down. “Lay back and relax. Ya took a beating and the medlab is the best place for that. I wrapped your ankle, looks like it's sprained, but not too bad.”

“Wanna go back to my room. I'll rest better dere.” Remy looked at Logan with desperate eyes. Logan didn't say anything, just stared at the boy perplexed, the question hanging in the air between them. Remy sighed again before continuing; knowing Logan needed an explanation to his demand. “Labs and medical places hold……bad memories for me. Don' wanna be here. Please Logan.” The last part came out almost as a whisper.

Blue eyes softened at the plea; Logan knew only too well the painful response this kind of place could spawn. “Alright kid. C'mon, I'll help ya.”

Scooping him easily from the bed and lowering his feet to the floor, Logan slowly helped the Cajun back through the house.

End ch 5

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