"Charles, about Peter..." Hank muttered, looking at the professor.
Being challenged by his own students wasn't new to Charles. Before this, Jean had already argued with him several tis due to their differing views.
That was exactly why Hank was worried. He hoped the man wouldn't lose confidence again just because another student chose to defy him.
But Charles simply shook his head. "No, I'm fine, Hank. I was just thinking... if I had let go earlier, if I hadn't forced my own ideas onto these kids, would things have turned out better than they are now?"
Hank stayed quiet for a few seconds, then responded.
"I don't know. Without your influence, the difference would've been too huge. Maybe... it would've been a completely different world."
"Yeah," Charles sighed, his gaze softening as he looked at Hank.
"Go, Hank. Finish our plan. And... trust one more ti."
...
anwhile, inside the underground lab, in X-Mansion.
"Rogue, how are you feeling?"
Logan walked into her room with a plate of bread in hand.
Though they hadn't gone through life-and-death battles together like in the original movie, at this academy, they shared similar views. And having spent so ti living together in the research lab, it was only natural that a connection had ford between them.
Logan truly cared about this fragile girl.
Of course, the main reason was that he didn't fully trust the head of the Xavier School, Charles. Anyone who could teach a student like Ororo, soone who took lives so casually, couldn't be soone Logan would trust.
"I'm okay, Logan. At least now I finally understand my ability." Rogue gave a faint smile, though there was a hint of bitterness in it.
At first, she'd thought she was just sick. Then, she discovered she was a mutant. And now, after realizing her ability was to absorb the life force of others, she could only see it as a curse placed upon her.
A curse that would forever prevent her from touching the one she loves. If she had the choice, she wouldn't want this mutant identity at all.
Logan understood how she felt. That's why he had pretended to accept Charles's invitation. In truth, he stayed at the school to protect Rogue.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "One day, you'll return to your normal life."
"Tell , Logan," she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Do you know how to make a mutant ability disappear?"
"....."
Logan had only ant to comfort her. But her question completely caught him off guard.
"Sorry, I don't," he admitted after a pause. "But I do know the future's never fixed. And as long as you're willing to believe, there's always hope."
Rogue's hopeful expression dimd, though she still managed a brave smile.
She wasn't soone with complicated thoughts. She didn't have Charles's psychic abilities or Logan's years of experience.
She couldn't really see how complicated things were right now. But she knew one thing: Logan was the only one here who truly cared about her.
"I'll hold on, Logan." As Rogue spoke, she took the bread from his hand and started eating with big bites.
Holding on to hope required a strong, healthy body.
Logan smiled faintly at that and took a bite of his own piece of bread. But that warmth between them didn't last long.
The door to the lab slid open. Beast appeared in the doorway.
"Logan."
He didn't say anything else. Just called a na.
Logan froze for a mont, then gently reassured Rogue before leaving the lab and walking into the hallway with Beast.
He didn't know what the man wanted from him, but he was sure of one thing—this wasn't sothing Rogue should hear.
In the hallway, Beast spoke first.
"Logan, get ready. You, Alex, and I are heading out for the final mission. And bring prosperity to mutantkind."
Logan scoffed internally. He didn't buy into the talk of mutant prosperity.
He'd been recovering these past few days, and while doing so, he'd been observing the academy's combat strength. From what he'd seen, there was no way this group of mutants had what it took to challenge the current human-run society.
And the thought of leaving Rogue alone in the lab while he went on a mission with Beast made him even more unwilling. He couldn't bring himself to separate her.
"If this is really your final mission," Logan said, "then maybe you should tell why you ca all the way from Westchester to Canada to find Rogue. What are you really trying to do?"
It wasn't the first ti he had asked this, and it wasn't the first ti Beast had given him the sa answer.
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that."
"Then I'm sorry too," Logan said flatly. "I'm not going."
Beast's firm words were t with an even firr response from him.
A few days ago, Beast might've had no way to deal with Logan. He was a lone wolf. With more than a century and a half years of life behind him, he had long forgotten what it ant to fear death.
No one could force him to do sothing he didn't want to.
But now, he had a bond.
"Trust ," Beast said calmly. "Refusing this mission won't do you any good. And you really won't like the consequences of that choice."
He raised a finger slightly, pointing subtly in Rogue's direction.
Logan's face turned red with anger the mont he realized what the man was implying.
"You bastards really are all the sa!"
...
The shouting changed nothing.
In the end, Logan still joined the mission. After putting on the X-n's specialized gear, he left the lab and prepared to carry out what they were calling the final operation.
But along the way, he ran into soone he hadn't expected to see.
"Jean Grey. That's your na, right? I didn't expect you'd show up in front of on your own."
In the hallway leading to the garage, Jean stood in Logan's way.
Truth was, he had tried to talk to her before. He saw it clearly—Jean, like him and Rogue, didn't quite fit in at this school. They were outsiders.
But this woman turned out to be even more distant than he was. When he tried reaching out, she ignored him completely. And now, she was the one approaching him?
"So," Logan said, folding his arms, "what are you planning to say?"
After spending these past days here, he had figured it out. Every adult in this place, without exception, was playing their own ga. The chance that Jean was just bored and looking for a friendly chat was lower than the chance of a teor dropping on his head right now.
Jean, true to her nature, kept her ssage just as blunt and straightforward as her actions.
"Here's so advice. If you get the chance, co back here imdiately. I won't guarantee anyone's safety."
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