Chapter 31 - Retrieval Part 2

Logan's smile got wider as he raised his hand and made a 'come here' gesture with his finger. Taking that as a sign to begin Laura rushed forwards, lowering herself to the ground. Her eyes switched from Logan to Scott for a second as he twisted his hand.

*Boom* The red beam flew past her and hit the ground as she dodged to the side and got in close to Logan. *Clang* There blades met and Laura was pushed back slightly. Logan had more power than her. "Adamantium?" Logan was not too surprised that her claws were made from adamantium; he just felt a pang of sorrow as he knows the pain of having it grafted to your bones. She might have gone through the same process he had.

Not to be deterred Laura used the momentum of her falling backwards to flip backwards. The claw on her foot taking Logan by surprise as it slashed cross his chest. His gear was easily torn through but the bleeding stopped fast.

Logan smirked. "That the best you got, darling?" Saying that he sprung forwards to chase the flipping girl. Using her flexibility to level the playing field, the two began to fight. *Clang* *Clang* *Clang* Their blades clashed over and over, as the others watched, they didn't have any room to join the fight.

Laura was proving her worth as she continued to get hits in when Logan dropped his guard, usually with her foot claws. But it wasn't making an impact as all the injuries were healing at a rate visible to the eye.

Logan also got in a hit or two, but it was hard for him as she was so slippery and versatile. He was also facing the same problem. The clothes she was wearing were starting to get ripped as the claws found their marks and dug out her skin, but in seconds the bleeding would stop and the skin would repair.

Her healing factor was at the same level as Logan's!!! Both of them realized the problem as they continued to fight. Sending a glance towards the other people that were watching on the side lines, Laura knew she couldn't run as long as they were still standing. And she couldn't defeat Logan without fighting for hours it seemed.

She made a quick decision, when Logan went in for the next hit Laura bounded towards him, jumped in the air and wrapped around his body. Locking his arm with her legs she flipped his surprisingly heavy body to the ground before rolling off and rushing toward the trio of watchers.

Watching what was happening, Scott went for another blow, but it was dodged expertly by Laura once again. Finally making it closer to them she dashed at the red head. "Rargh!!" Screaming out loud Jean quickly retreated while holding out her hand.

Laura felt her body begin to slow down and be caught midair. She struggled with her all, and could see the strain that was coming from the red head in front of her. Just a little bit longer and she would break free and take her down, before dealing with the visor boy.

She had to be fast as she knew Logan would be on her tail soon. Before she could struggle out of the binding though a cold hand grabbed onto the back of her neck. It was the girl that she had ignored mostly from the beginning.

"URgh!" Laura groaned in pain as she felt the cold hand wrap around her. Energy started to be sapped from her body as she gasped for air. Her struggling started to die down, and Jean recovered fast, holding her in place.

After a few more seconds Laura finally couldn't keep her consciousness and fell into darkness. As she started to fade, her fears of 'that place' started to creep into her mind. She didn't want to go back! She wanted to stay here! She wanted to continue talking to him! She was finally starting to enjoy life!

Those were the last thoughts in her mind as she slumped completely out cold. Logan appeared behind her in the next second and held her body when Jean let go. Rouge who just took the powers of Laura gasped for air for a second as she let the memories and power flow through her.

Of course the memories were jumbled and she couldn't make sense of most of them right now, if she was given more time and they did it again, maybe she would glean more. But Rouge didn't like using her power much. Especially repeatedly on one person.

Jean frowned as she shook her head, Logan walking closer. "Job well done kids. Won't be needing to stay in that hotel for long. We can have a quick sleep and then get back to the mansion as soon as possible. We don't want her waking up."

Nudging the person he was carrying, he decided their plans quickly. Scott sported a smile at a job well done as he moved closer to Jean, who was still frowning and rubbing her temples. "Everything ok?" Jean shook her head slowly for a while, before replying.

"Just her thoughts before she was knocked out. It looked like she didn't want to go back somewhere she hated. And…" Scott frowned at the words, while Logan filed away the mention of a place she was scared of. Probably the place that gave her the claws. "And?" Scott asked.

"…And, she was waiting for someone here, a friend." Scot was intrigued. "A friend? Were they a mutant?" Jean thought for a few second before shaking her head. "No, the professor would have told us if there was another mutant around here. He was likely just normal. I would have to delve into her mind deeper, to find out. I don't want to invade her privacy."

Hearing the words, Logan shook his head. "Don't worry about it, we'll ask her about them when she wakes up. If it was a normal person, better for him. Something might have happened if they stayed so close to her. She'll get over them quickly." Rogue gave him a look. "And if she doesn't?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'll explain why it's better, and if not me, she'll probably listen to the professor, once he does his fatherly mentor thing." Rogue just shook her head as she moved to leave. Logan trailed behind her, with Jean and Scott coming out last.

In a certain spot of the warehouse, rubble littered the ground from where a blast had hit. The cracks on the new cement let a little light shine on the small jar underneath and the black substance sitting within.

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

In the morning, Jean stared out the window of the car and watched the City fade into the distance as they moved further away. Her mind continued to think about a boy who she grew up with, one she couldn't forget. On her right was Laura, who was still out cold.

The car sped along towards its destination, away from the Big Apple.