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English
Series:
Part 3 of The Mutant Wars
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
Completed:
2011-07-26
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4,894
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2/2
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27
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1,270

Tunnels of the Damned

Summary:

Logan’s thoughts as he and Gambit bring Storm to safety.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Notes:

SERIES: The Mutant Wars 3
FANDOM: X-Men
CHARACTERS: Wolverine (POV), Gambit, (sorta)Storm
DISCLAIMER: The X-Men belong to Stan Lee & Marvel Entertainment Group.
SUMMARY: Logan’s thoughts as he and Gambit bring Storm to safety.

Chapter Text

Tunnels of the Damned
by Scorpio
  
The only reason any of them had survived the battle was because Cable had shown up to save the day. But in the end, even the combined might of the X-Men and X-Force hadn’t been enough.
 
It had been all they could do just to collect their injured and flee before they were overrun. Logan wasn’t even sure if Betsy was still alive.
 
“Eh,” Gambit’s whispered voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
 
He looked up at the Cajun thief and grimaced. The other man’s face was drawn with pain and rage, his jaw set with lines of grim determination and bullheaded stubborn pride. It wasn’t often anyone got to see the killer lurking deep inside Remy LeBeau, but Logan was seeing that part of his teammate now.
 
“’dis way, Gambit t’inks…”
 
He looked around and flared his nostrils as he breathed in the scent of ‘Ro, Remy, sweat, blood, pain, and the overwhelming stench of the sewers they traveled through. He agreed with a grunt and a nod.
 
Gambit’s eerie glowing red eyes lingered on the delicate burden Logan was carrying before the thief turned to lead the way deeper into the tunnels under the mansion. He carefully shifted Storm in his arms to get a better hold on her and followed.
 
The Wind-Rider was injured. Badly. They needed to get her to medical treatment as soon as possible.
 
Unfortunately, the three of them missed the chance to get onto the Blackbird, nor were they able to hook up with X-Force and hitch a ride with them. The grounds of the mansion had been swarming with government goons, so they couldn’t go into the garage and ride out in one of the vehicles.
 
That left the tunnels.
 
Eventually, they’d merge into the tunnels and sewers that the Morlock’s had used. Hopefully they’d be able to make it all the way to Four Freedom Plaza. The Fantastic Four would help Storm even if any of the flatscan hospitals would just leave her to die.
 
It was a bitch that this was what they had to do. Out of all the X-Men, they were the three least likely to be able to travel through here comfortably. Well, maybe Wings would be worse.
 
For himself it was just a simple matter of comfort. The tunnels and sewers stunk to high heaven and his abused nose was already complaining. Easy enough to ignore for short spells, but this was going to be a long trek.
 
For Storm…well, she never did do well in enclosed spaces. They limited her powers and triggered her claustrophobia all at once. The memories of the Morlocks would only make that worse.
 
Gambit…well, the kid was probably trying hard not to go nuts down here. If it were any other tunnels in any other part of the world, it’d be different. But the tunnels between the mansion and the Morlock’s lair was pretty much the landscape of his nightmares.
 
It was the place of his biggest mistake…his greatest regret.
 
And they were planning on hiking through it lengthwise.
 
Logan studied his companion for a long moment and realized the kid was hurting. He wasn’t one to complain, Logan knew that, but he could see that Gambit was favoring his right leg slightly. Probably hurt his knee when that Psi-blocking machine turned on.
 
And wasn’t that a nasty surprise.
 
They had been winning…or at least holding their own. Then, one of the army boys turned on some sort of anti-cerebro machine and it blocked all the telepaths inside their heads. It must have been painful too, because all of them just dropped to the ground.
 
Phoenix had been in the air fighting a sentinel. Logan remembered hearing her voice cry out in agony and then she’d just gone limp and fell from the sky, her red hair streaming behind her like a banner. Beast had leapt into the air and caught her, but only just barely.
 
Psylocke had been fighting several armed soldiers when she stiffened up for a moment and then collapsed.
 
Cable had slumped down onto his knees, his fingers still tight on the trigger of his guns as he sprayed the area with bullets. Then he dropped to his face and it was a full minute after he’d been unconscious that his magazines finally ran dry.
 
Logan’s sure that Charles had sat alone inside of Cerebro, in pain and unconscious. He could only imagine how badly he’d hurt with Cerebro enhancing his telepathy when that damned machine turned on.
 
The big surprise had been Gambit’s reaction to that techno Psi-killer.
 
The Cajun had sworn up and down on several occasions that he wasn’t a telepath. He wasn’t a ‘spook’. He insisted it was just his ‘Charm Power’, whatever the hell that was.
 
Yet, that machine had dropped the thief to his knees in the middle of a fight. Oh, it hadn’t knocked him out like the others, but the kid had been in a hell of a lot of pain from it. The way Logan figured it, Gambit had been telling the truth; he wasn’t a telepath. But the kid had some sort of psi-ability.
 
Of course, that’s when things really went down hill. Taking out Phoenix, Psylocke, the Professor, and Cable all at once had hurt them badly. Crippling Gambit had been a bonus.
 
Thankfully, Domino had a good head on her shoulders and didn’t panic when shit hit the fan. She’d grabbed Rictor and Shatterstar and headed right for the Psi-killer. She’d shot up anyone that Shatterstar didn’t slice to ribbons just to get Rictor close enough to rattle that machine to bits. Then, he’d dumped it into a fissure he opened up in the earth just to be sure.
 
Cable and Phoenix woke up again and headed right back into battle. Psylocke…Betsy, her luck just wasn’t as good. Logan had watched, helpless, as she’s pushed herself back to her feet just in time to get hit with a swarm of bullets.
 
That’s when the retreat had been called. X-Force was gonna pull back to their ship and cover the X-Men’s retreat into the mansion so that they could get to the Blackbird. Everything was going smoothly until he saw Storm fly over to give Gambit some backup. The kid had gotten cut off and had been surrounded.
 
He’d fought like a madman, bo in one hand and cards flying out the other while never staying in one place long enough for the enemy to target him. Graceful and deadly, the Cajun was a creature of terrifying beauty when he let himself go like that.
 
Then Storm had thrown a lightening bolt that scattered the soldiers long enough for a sentinel to blast her out of the sky with its energy beams. Not even thinking about it, Logan had run for her and leapt into the air to grab her and send them tumbling.
 
He’d run for the mansion with Storm in his arms while Gambit covered their retreat, but they hadn’t been fast enough. The Blackbird had left without them.
 
That was when his mind had been touched briefly by Charles.
 
[Take them to Four Freedom Plaza, Logan. Reed will care for them. We’re heading to Alpha Flight. Meet us there if you can.]
 
Just that quickly, the mental touch was gone, but he understood. He’d felt the man’s incredible mental pain that was still lingering from that Psi-killer machine.
 
So, here they were, traveling through the underground tunnels. He had one teammate cradled in his arms in desperate need of medical help and the other was injured and on edge.
 
Gambit looked back at them, his eyes burning in the darkness as they lingered over Storm’s still body.
 
“Be faster if’n we head aboveground an’ steal a car, mon ami.”
 
Logan grunted. That was true. It was a long long walk from Westchester to New York. And Storm might not have that kind of time.
 
He sighed and frowned thoughtfully.
 
“Fine. Next manhole access we come across, you check it out. I’ll watch Storm.”
 
Gambit nodded and started walking again.
 
“Just don’t be leading us out into the arms of the goddamned army, ya hear.”
 
Gambit snorted, but it was more bitter than amused.
 
“Didn’ earn de’ rank of Master T’ief bein’ dat stupid, M. Logan.”
 
A smirk drifted across his face briefly, but he didn’t argue. He knew the kid was good at what he did. Damn good.
 
They mucked through the sewers for nearly another hour before they found an access hatch to the surface that wasn’t surrounded by soldiers or traffic. Gambit went up the slick ladder, lifted the cast iron cover out of the way and scurried out. Then after looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he’d bent back down and pulled Storm out when Logan had hefted her up. Then Logan followed and enjoyed the first breath of clean clear air in far too long.
 
Even though his arms and his back were aching from carrying her, he picked Storm up again and followed Gambit over to the nearest car with a big back seat. It only took a few seconds for the kid to pick open the lock to the doors and then he was sliding Storm into the backseat. He carefully hooked the seatbelts around her to keep her from rolling onto the floor and then climbed up front next to Gambit.
 
He watched as the kid popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a flick of one fingertip. Gambit smirked at Logan, then reached up and ripped the casing off the steering column with one hand. He was hotwiring it three seconds later. Then he blew out a pungent curl of smoke and chuckled.
 
“Merde. Remy hasn’t stolt a car in years, mon ami. Nice t’ keep m’ hand in it, oui?” Gambit shifted the car into drive and pulled out onto the road, turning towards the city. “Don’ want m’ skills t’ get all rusty.”
 
Logan grunted and rolled his eyes. He patted down his uniform until he found his cigar. He pulled it out and slid it out of the plastic holder and bit off the end.
 
“Light me up, Gumbo.” He growled just as the kid flicked a fingertip over the end of it. Logan puffed a bit and soon the scent of a Cuban cigar mingled with the kid’s Marlboro’s.
 
He was tired, achy, and hungry enough to eat a deer raw. He was worried about the team and terrified that Betsy was dead. And they still weren’t safe. ‘Ro was still unconscious and that wasn’t a good sign. The Cajun was hurting, even if he’d never admit it. Logan was just impressed that he was holding it together this well. Gambit tended to panic when Storm got hurt.
 
Hell…he didn’t want to think about it. It just made his head hurt and his chest feel tight. He needed to distract himself.
 
“So…” he slanted a look at the grim expression on Gambit’s face as he drove them at just a hair under the speed limit. “When’d ya learn ta boost cars, kid?”
 
Gambit barked out a bitter laugh and Logan watched as a bit of ash tumbled down his kevlar armored chest plate.
 
“Remy just a pup when he started boostin’ cars, homme. Eh…’bout seven…maybe eight de’ firs’ time he stolt one. Could barely reach de’ petals, me.”
 
Gambit turned to flash a brief smug look at him. “Was t’irteen de’ firs’ time he stolt a jet.”
 
Logan snorted. Not in disbelief, but in amusement.
 
“That musta been one hellava ride.”
 
Gambit nodded in agreement before a sheepish grin washed over his face, making him instantly look younger.
 
“Was a tres bon time…right up until Gambit crashed it.” He huffed a laugh. “Flyin’ it were easy, homme. Landin’ it? Dat’ a whole nudder story.”
 
“I bet.” Logan chuckled.
 
Then they both settled into silence. The sounds of the engine, the wheels on the pavement, and three sets of lungs breathing wanted to sooth Logan and relax him. The night looked peaceful with the stars starting to come out and the air beginning to chill slightly.
 
It was all an illusion though and Logan fought the pull of sleep. There was no way to tell if the army was looking for them. It’s possible they thought everyone got away on the Blackbird, but that wasn’t a guarantee. They had no idea if there were road blocks set up ahead in an effort to capture them before they reached safety.
 
Part of him wanted him to encourage Gambit to speed it up and get them to Four Freedom Plaza as fast as possible, but he knew that wasn’t a good idea. As much as Storm needed to get to their medlab so that Reed could look her over, it wouldn’t do any good for them to catch the attention of the police by speeding. They needed to stay under the radar.

 

end part 1