InsaneJournal

Dealing with Detours- 2/2
full header & part 1



~*~Charge and Charm~*~



Logan was less than happy at being on a military base. Every nightmare he’d ever had seemed to be forcing itself to the fore every time he shut his eyes. Thankfully between Chamber and Gambit they’d yanked him out of the dreams before they took him over, before he shredded the mattresses in his sleep, or before he went feral.

Chamber…the kid needed to sleep soon. Technically, he didn’t physically require sleep, but still the kid did better when he had someone that would let him ‘tag along to sleep’.
His biology was so greatly changed that while there was no physical need for sleep, the release of it did him good. A stress reliever of sorts. A touchstone of normalcy. Best they could do right now though was let him ‘taste’ what they ate. Considering they were eating out of the military commissary, that wasn’t exactly a treat. They’d all tasted worse. Especially the time that Jean insisted Scott and Alex would prepare supper. That had been scary, nearly resulted in a call to the fire department and had resulted in Jean and Jubes both in Hank’s medlab because they’d been trying to be polite and actually swallowed a couple bites.

Jono was their ace in the hole at the moment, or at least one of two. Cajun was at least half admitting some empath ability, which Chuck suspected was tied to his “Charm” power and had been hounding the boy about.
Between Gumbo and the Squirt they’d managed to keep tabs on their keepers. Most of them seemed remarkably okay. A little nervous, some a lot nervous, a couple outright terrified but no malice from the majority. There were a handful of “slimy minds” but the slimy ones hadn’t been close enough yet to pinpoint in the cacophony of the base. Evidently telepaths weren’t even remotely thought of and next to none had any shielding. Squirt described it as about seven hundred radios on seven hundred different stations and playing full blast. He’d gotten used to being around the Xmen or keeping his shields up. He’d also never trained much in using his telepathy, reaching out with it in a crowd--or a fully staffed military base. Not all the thoughts were in English either so that made it even more difficult.

Gumbo said the same, he kept his shields up tighter than a drum, terrified of the “Charm” getting loose, he’d tried to stretch a bit, but Gumbo had never used the empath ability. Kept it so far under lock and key and attempted to deny it existed that it was there.

Logan couldn’t fault either of the young men. His nose had caught a whiff of just plain evil and hatred but only a whiff. Nothing that he could catch a solid grip on in the unending assault of scents of the base.

Colonel Carter, who was the purtiest Colonel Logan had ever laid eyes on, was on the level. She’d been there for their tests along with that Doc Warner fella. Both of them were on the level. Carter had asked not ordered, and they’d gotten full explanations when they asked what this or that was.

‘Roro was improving. She’d even woken up for a few minutes a handful of times today. Their surgery had saved her life.

Icecube and Jono were with her now. Roro had volunteered to let Jono have a nap with her.

Logan was supposed to be sleeping. Needed to sleep some, but he couldn’t. The caged feeling was getting stronger. If it was just him, he would have bolted. Gone to ground in the mountains, he doubted these kids runnin round here would find him. They were good. He didn’t doubt they were among the best anywhere. But he had time on his side, lots of time. Lots of practice. More than this base full of whelps could ever hope to have. It wouldn’t be easy but he was pretty sure he could do it. Not with the rest of them, though, and especially not with ‘Roro in the shape she was in now. Maybe him and the Cajun--Cajun was crafty and tricky, even if he wasn’t much of an outdoorsman the boy could learn quick and knew how not to leave a trail due to his upbringing with the Thieves Guild. Roro in good shape, no doubt she’d keep up with him. Icecube and the Squirt were another story. Hell, Jono thought Central Park was the goddamn wilderness. Soft modern city kids. Jono and Bobby both. Oh, they’d survive and learn, but not quick enough to evade the military’s finest, at least not off the bat and they’d need to.

Couldn’t leave em behind, any of them. So he was stuck. Caged.

Nightmares from Weapon X being shoved to the fore just by being on the military base even if the folks in charge had kept their word thus far and were taking good care of Roro.

Logan was absolutely terrified of going feral. If he did, hell the body count left behind in an enclosed space like this would be astronomical and what scared him more was what would be done to the others if he lost it.

~*~*~

Remy laid on his bed struggling with his own fears and memories. Jono, Bobby and Logan had all been taking their turns with Stormy. Logan hadn’t sent him down to take a turn yet, that was a relief. One he felt bad about but he just couldn’t deal with the sterile smells and the bright lights and beeping machines. Too much, too many reminders of time spent in Sinister’s lab.

He hoped Stormy would forgive him for being such a damn coward.

“Entrez,” Remy called out in answer to the knock on the door.

The light switched on. Remy winced and quickly put on his sunglasses.

“Oh sorry,”

“Is fine.” Remy said dismissively.

“I’m Daniel Jackson.”

“You what de base head shrinker?”

“God no! I’m an archaeologist.”

“Dey send an archeologist?”

“Well, I’m also a linguist and. I have a PhD in archeology, with a focus on the middle east. I have a PhD in Linguistics with a focus on archeo-linguistics and a masters in anthropology. I’ve also gotten quite good at cryptology. I’m on the first contact team here, have been for almost nine years.”

“Ah, de meet and greet guy who keeps de soldier’s from getting der asses shot off by bein’ blockheads.”

Daniel laughed. “That’s about right.”

Remy gave the archeologist a crooked smile. “So you come to talk to dis t’ief for what?”

“Well, the X-gene..”

Remy shook his head. “I’se a t’ief. You wanna know what carat a gem is or if a paintin’ is a fake, dis t’ief could tell y’. Wanna know bout genes and science gobbledygook, you askin’ de wrong man homme. Stormy knows de weather and de plants some she teaches at de school. She a damn good t’ief too. Bobby’s an accountant. Jono played in a band before his mutation hit him. Logan--is de Wolverine.”
“An accountant, a musician, a teacher a thief and a wolverine?” Daniel shook his head. “What kind of thief?”

Remy rubbed his temples. The last few days “Mon pere, my poppa, he de patriarch of the Thieves Guild of N’awlins”

Remy tried to remember if he had ever gone so long without using his power someway or another. The Charm he had in such a strangle hold it was giving him a migraine. Stress had him ever cautious not to charge something. Even the leaking emotions roiling around struggling so hard to keep them out, even when he needed to try to sense what was going on with the mindsets of those around them.

~*~

Daniel felt momentarily light headed…and horny. God! He was as hard as a rock and….

~*~

“Mon Dieu, non, non, Remy sorry, Gambit din’ mean to.” Remy whispered brokenly cringing away.

~*~*~

Terror.

It hit Logan’s nostril’s with acrid sharpness. Gumbo was terrified.

With a roar he was off his bed and across the hall to Gumbo’s room.

~*~

Daniel shook the strange dizziness off. So horny, so hard damn he needed to get out of here and…well, he wasn’t going to be able to get out of here with out humiliating himself but that was beside the point at the moment.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!”

Daniel found himself slammed against the wall.

“Non, Wolvie, cher, non! Sil vous plait! Is Gambit’s fault de charm got away from me”

~*~

Terror and pheromones rioted against Logan’s nostrils. “If you touched him I’ll gut you.”

“Non, he didn’t. Non. Wolvie non!”

“Easy, Gumbo,” Logan dropped the man.
“Hurts, keeping it all closed in. Tired. IT hurts. De charges, dey building up, hurts can‘t hold on to de charm.”

~*~

Daniel stared in confusion. “Charges? Charm?”

“His charging power, it’s building up in him, he ain’t charged anything for a couple days. Kid’s gonna blow himself sky high if he can’t get rid of it. Cause of the chargin’ being so hard to hold onto he’s losin’ hold of his Charm power.”

“Charm?”

“That wood you’re sportin is the direct result. Kid didn’t do it on purpose. Damn it quit squirmin’ yer gonna make me come in my pants and I ain’t gonna be happy if I have to sit here and keep hold of you in sticky pants.”

“Sorry, non, sil vous plait”

“I ain’t gonna hurt ya none, kid. Ya know I can control it. Now settle down.”

Terrified red on black eyes looked at Daniel, the fear and pain in them slammed into him like a physical blow. “I din’ mean t’ don’ take it out on de ot’ers. I’se sorry.”

“I don’t understand,”

“Can the kid have a deck of cards and somewhere he can go that if he puts a few potholes in the ground it ain’t gonna matter? If the charge builds up in him enough he’s gonna blow himself and the base sky high.”

“Don’ let dem make me an experiment Wolvie. Can’ do dat again”

“Settle it down, gumbo, ya ain’t gonna be anyone’s lab rat, I’ll shred every asshole in this base to bits before that happens.”

“Aw hell kid,” Logan sighed and set the kid on his feet then stood himself.

“Wolvie.”

“Sorry, kid, you need this,” Logan hauled off and knocked Remy out with one blow. “Shit. That didn’t stop the Charm from leaking but anyone tries to touch him and I’ll tear them apart.”

“Charm? He can? I mean uhm…” Daniel blushed and waved helplessly in front of his crotch, noticing the prominent bulge in the other man’s tight BDU’s.

“Kid can’t control the charm. He’s terrified of the Charm. It kicked in before the Charges. Figures he was somewhere around four or five when the Charm Power started up. Maybe ten or eleven, just after he landed with Jean-Luc that the Charging Power emerged. He keeps the charm bottled up as much as he can, but he’s too stressed and the build up of the Charging power…can’t keep it all bottled at once. He was a street kid, couldn’t protect himself, just a goddamn baby when that started. Think a minute. Charm power’s brought him nothing but hell, he didn’t do it on purpose and I ain’t a letting anyone touch him.”

Slowly fighting through the unnatural lust that still had a grip on him, and affecting his rationing slightly. “Four?” Daniel swallowed looking a bit green.

“Somethin like that.”

“Charge power?”

“Kinetic energy, he can charge things and make em blow up. Didn’t realize that the Charge built up in him. He likely didn’t either. He’s always charging those damn cards of his.”

“How big of boom?” Jack said as he stepped into the room. Neither Daniel or Logan had noticed his arrival just in time to catch the explanation of Charm Power. “And four?”

“Something like that. He can’t remember much, didn’t know how to tell time let alone days or months or years. Course he really don’ wanna remember much of that time either.”

Jack swallowed and nodded. “How big a boom?”

“He could probably blow the base sky high if he really tried, might anyway if he can’t get some of it out. Stick or two of dynamite at the moment cause it’s built up so much I’m guessing. He can make just little pops with his cards, does that all the time, drives everyone nuts at one point or another with it…but,” Logan shook his head.

“He can put some holes in the obstacle course. Needs redesigning anyway. You wanna carry him up?”

“Now?” Logan blinked.

“Better than having half the base burst into a spontaneous orgy before the place blows up.”

~CHAMBER!~

~*~

In the hospital room Jonathan Starsmore startled awake, and fell out of the chair he was dozing in. ~Wolverine?~

~Gumbo’s losin grip on the Charm cause his Charge is built up. They’re taking the two of us up top so Gumbo can blow something up. You and Icecube stay with Roro til we’re back inside.~

~*~

Logan pointed the hose at the kid.

Remy woke up splutterin’ “Homme, I’m gointer charge yer shorts!”

“Not wearin’ any. Here. They got you three decks. Put some holes in the ground, kid.”

“Merci,” Remy grinned and broke open the deck’s package.

~*~

Jack’s eyes widened as the red glow overwhelmed the joker the kid held. “Oh shit, DOWN!” Jack bellowed shoving Daniel to the ground and half dropping on top of his archeologist. Covering his head with his hands. A hail of dirt clods came raining down on them all a moment later.

“Merde!”

“FOR CHRISTS SAKE THAT IS THE LAST DAMN TIME YOU EVER GO MORE THAN TWELVE HOURS WIHTOUT CHARGIN SOMETHIN, GUMBO!” Wolverine bellowed.

The crater made by one single playing card could hold a tank in it.

“Merde!” the kid repeated shaken. “Din’t know. Din’t.”

“Calm your ass down and don’t blow us to kingdom come. Get it outter yer system.”

~*~

Three decks of cards and a couple dozen huge freaking craters later the kid gave a huge sigh. “Feel better.”

Jack looked at the craters and the smaller holes that were made toward the end. The last dozen no more than a displaced clump of sod that looked like someone was practicing golf swings. “I’m with him. You’re coming up top twice a day to do something”

“If dis ol’ t’ief has cards and a steel trash can don’ need ter, can just pop the cards.”

“Uh…huh,” Jack nodded slowly. “Let’s just go outside, until you’re a bit more sure on that one.”

~*~

“My watch for Roro. You gonna be okay, kid?”

Remy nodded.

“I’ll stay with him until Mr. Starsmore and Mr. Drake get back here.”

Logan looked at Daniel assessing then nodded. ~schnict~ “Lay one finger on Gumbo he don’t want I’ll gut you.”

“I won’t,” Daniel said evenly. “I didn’t before, I wasn’t even making a move toward him,”

The adamantium blade retracted. “Just reminding ya. Pup is rattled enough.”

Pup? Daniel’s eyebrow rose at that, but all he said was “You and Jack should really compare notes sometime. He was the same way about his team when he was in the field.”

Logan nodded. “You smell good. So does he. The guards out there don’t bother me none. Every once in a while I catch a whiff of one hell of a stink on someone around here. Too much around to sniff out which one it is from a distance but you got somethin’ rotten round here.”

Daniel blinked dazedly as the man left. “Sniff?” He looked at Remy.

“Wolvie got a sensitive nose. Can smell better’n a blood hound and can scent emotions at times. Wolvie goes feral, let Gambit and Chamber deal with him, neh?”

“Feral?”

“Like an animal? He--de base it be bringin’ up de nightmares for him. Can sense it on him. De cage feelin’ here. Non. Not your fault. We understand, mais…we both done time as lab experiments, held again’ our will. De military dey did it to him. So dat much worse.”

“You--were held in a medical facility?” Daniel guessed.

“Dere a mutant called Sinister. He like to experiment, tampering with powers, clones.” Remy said softly. “He was a doctor. Mad scientist, a mutant himself. Flatscans--dey don’ know what to make of mutants. Dey scared. Dere’s groups, like de Friends of Humanity--dey go mutant hunting. Mutant might fight back if dey can just to get away. Den outcries go up about mutant violence and mutant evil. Den dere’s dose like Sinister and Magneto an’ Apocalypse. Dey what everyone fears. Powerful mutant, evil mutant. We just like anyone else. Dere’s good bad indifferent. Mos’ mutants just want to live in peace. Dose dat can pass, an control der powers mos’ often blend in, never know dey were mutants. Dose dat can got few places dey can go.

“One place is de Xavier School. Run by a telepat’ dat helps de kids control der powers, use ‘em fer good, protect de flatscans from dose like de Brotherhood, or Sinister or Magneto.”

Daniel stared a moment, “Can I sit?”

Remy nodded. “I got de charm under control.”

Daniel blinked. “I wouldn’t. I--”

“You didn’t.” Remy nodded again. “Won’ blame you if it get away though.”

“I’ll blame me.”

“You ain’t scairt?”
Daniel shook his head. “Nope.” He understood what the younger man meant, the holes he’d blown into the training ground topside had been impressive to say the least. Mr. Logan’s claims that Remy could blow the mountain up didn’t seem to be much of an exaggeration, if any exaggeration at all.

“Stormy could make a hurricane in a bat’ tub dat could take out a city.”

Daniel blinked.

“Iceman--he could put a glacier over a whole continent. Wolvie can’t die, an’ he’s gone feral more’n once. Like a rabid Wolverine. Not’in stop him. Don’ think Jono an’ Bobby goin’ ter age an’more neither. Don’ know if I will. Don’ seem like I have for--not since. Jus’ somet’in feels differen’. Since de last time Sinny got me in his lab. De Empat’y started den too.”

“Empathy?”

“You got Star Trek here?”

“Yes?”

“De second show? Wit’ the bald captain and Data de android?”

Daniel nodded.

“Like de one wit’ the tits and the bodysuit. What her name? She an empat’ like dat.”

Daniel frowned. “You know, I can’t remember, but I know who you mean. Star Trek the Next Generation. The ship’s counselor.”

“Oui.”

Daniel hesitantly ventured to ask. “Do you have much control over the empathy?”

“Non. It bottled up tight. Like de charm. It get loose it run wild.”

Daniel frowned at the sudden far away look in the strange red on black eyes. “Remy? Are you alright?”

“Oui, Jono jus’ wonderin de same t’ing.”

Daniel blinked. “What distance is his telepathy go to?”

Remy shrugged. “Don’ know. Don’ think dey ever had time to test dat much. He’s least an Alpha level telepat’ most dem can manage mebbe hundred miles if dey know who dey want to reach. Jeannie, de Professor, Psylocke, dey Omega level. Mebbe thousand miles or more. Don’ know.”

“Levels?”

“Dere’s Gamma Level mutants. Mos’ dem just little different. Heard of one that could turn blue but that’s it, that was their mutation--turned blue when they were happy. Maybe have strange eyes, somethin. Beta level mutants have some active power but just a touch. Alpha level are stronger. Omega level are dangerous if dey don’t have control. Or if they just plain bad.”

“You’re Omega level?

Remy just shrugged. “Never let em do much fer tests. Don’ like dat none.”

“You--all of you are Omega level.”

“Bobby’s ice is. Stormy is. Maybe Jono’s psy power. Logan’s healing power hard to say. Omega level strength but not a dangerous or truly active Omega level, it’s what the military did to him that made him so dangerous.” Remy shrugged. It didn’t seem prudent to point out that most of Xavier’s students were at least High Alpha if not Omega level. Except perhaps Monsieur Bete but Henri was de doctor. Even Kurt was High Alpha when it came to his teleportation ability.

~*~*~


~*~Jack and Logan~*~


“I can smell you,” Logan called out.

“Smell me?” Jack said stepping into the room where Ororo Munro lay sleeping.

“Enhanced senses, part of my mutation.”

“Right so you’ve got a mind reader and two lie detectors in your bunch,” Jack shook his head.

“Your people seem to be fairly accepting of that.”

“They’ve seen weirder.” Jack shrugged. Thor was definitely weirder than-- well, at least about as weird in a different way. The Ascended were weirder. The Goa’uld were scarier. Jack would much rather be blown up than snaked. The five of them could have taken out his base completely, he was pretty well convinced of that by now. They probably could have forced hostages to take care of their friend. None of them seemed threatening, not even Logan who had made threats, more protective though capable of meteing out what he said he would.

He wasn’t making threats just to make threats, but to protect his kids. Jack respected that.

“She gets better you ain’t gonna blow us up or something?”

Logan shook his head. “Just want to go home. That’s all.”

“Carter’s tryin to figure that one out.”
“The blonde?”

“Yeah, her.”

“She a scientist?”

“PhD in Astrophysics and damn scary when she gets generators and reactors to play with. She likes blowin things up. She blew up a sun once. Think she counts it as one of her most thrilling days even if the circumstances royally sucked that she had to figure out a way to blow up a sun.” Jack shrugged then scrunched his eyebrows together. “Hundred and sixty huh?”

Logan nodded.

“That’s gotta suck.”

Logan nodded again.

“Want to tell me about your buddy?”

“Which one?”

“The one blowin craters up top today.”

“What about him?”

“He got a hold on things?”

“Gumbo’d kill himself before he hurt anyone in anything other than self defense. Now his wife’s another story. She’s Heir of the Assassin’s Guild.”

“Assassin’s Guild. And he’s from the Thieves guild.” Jack shook his head. “Your world is a little nuts ya know that?”

Logan shrugged.

“The kid isn’t gonna blow up or something?”

“Nah, Rem’s got it burnt off now. He just needs to have a steady supply of cards to charge.”

“That…charm stuff.”

Logan shook his head. “He keeps it tamped down. He’d never use it on purpose. Charm’s brought him nothin’ but hell.”

Jack stared at the man. He’d been watching security feeds and tapes. Not one threatening move had been made by the three young men. The only one that had really made any moves, noises or even remotely could be considered hostile was this man. Logan. Who with being the next best thing to indestructible and had built in claws he was the least of a threat when it came down to it. The others had scarier powers.

“You followed your boy down to see Remy.”

“Daniel can make friends with anyone and anything. Daniel also doesn’t have a lick of sense when he’s gotten in over his head.” Jack offered. “Carter, Danny and Teal’c were on my team for nine years. They’re my kids.”

Logan didn’t say anything his attention went instead to the woman who stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

“What was the explosion that followed you through?”

“Not exactly sure. Sinister made it. It would had a fallout like a nuke. Icecube buried it under a buncha ice hopefully contained the worst of the fallout with that, and hell, not like Sinny has his labs anywhere near populations, no one should’ve gotten hurt.”

“Sinister.”

“Sinister is a prime example why a lotta flat scans would be all for rounding up every mutant and executing them along with everyone that had a latent x-gene. Which is one helluva chunk of the population. For every mutant there’s pro’lly a dozen or more that have a latent x-gene. Sinister had the Cajun and Roro. We went in to get them. We got trapped in this room….he had a ring in it. The Professor had seen a ring like that on Shi’ar…you ain’t the only ones with aliens. The Shi’ar called it the Forbidden Ring. Didn’t use it by the sounds of that. Stormy called up the lightning to charge the damn thing. Chamber moved it till we had all the little v’s a glowing and we went through.”

“Sinister?”

“The name suits, bub. Dr. Nathaniel Essex. He’s about 180. A shape shifter and a genius who’s had his mutant abilities augmented. A portion of it self inflicted. He likes experimenting. His favorite targets are usually named Summers, but he makes an exception for Gumbo.”

“Summers?”

“Major Christopher Summers is a mutant. His older son--Scott is as well. Scott’s code name is Cyclops. His power is Optical blasts. Cyke is the leader of the X-men.”

“X-men?”

“Yeah,”

“So what mutant black ops that fight the bad mutants.”

Logan nodded.

Jack got the feeling the explanation wasn’t quite right or complete but his guess was good enough and the other man didn’t seem to be in the mood to elaborate.

“Well then there’s Havok. Alex Summer’s Scott’s little brother. Cable is Scott’s son--from a far distant future. Alternate realities and timelines are responsible for Nate Grey and Nathan Summers both--they’re actually technically the same person maybe, sorta. The son of Scott and Jean both named Nathaniel…”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“We hear the name Summers and there’s the slightest resemblance to Scott, Alex, or Jeannie we just give up asking. Sinister’s screwed with the time lines, he’s screwed with cloning, he’s--you name it he’s done it. Gumbo and his charm is another fascination for ol’ Sinny too. Ororo just got caught in the crossfire and taken along for the ride the last time Sinny grabbed Gumbo. Cajun adores her. Considers her like a sister. He just can’t stand to be in anything remotely resembling a laboratory after spending so much time in Sinister’s. You try and make an experiment of that kid and he might blow half the planet sky high.”

“Why hasn’t he done it with Sinister?”

Logan shook his head. “Sinister found away to block the Cajun’s Charge. Hell, he never had the problem of the Charge building up before. Don’t know if it was because he was always charging stuff--and he did a few things by accident, more’n once even at the mansion. Sinister could have screwed with the kids powers again. He had the Cajun and Storm over a week. More than enough time. Sinister doesn’t count on having the Cajun all that long so whatever he was going to do would have been set to go when he grabbed the kid. Don’t have a clue if he did anything to Stormy or not.”

“She was raped.” Jack said quietly.

Logan nodded. He’d smelt the marauders all over Stormy, smelt Sabertooth and Sinister all over the kid. The list of Storm’s injuries hadn’t been given to the kids. Logan had managed first watch and to be the one to talk to the doc. Leaving it to Storm to tell the boys if she wanted to or not.

“That just proves he had no use for her. Turned her over to his thugs to mess with. She was just caught along for the nightmare is all.”

“You didn’t allow them to--”

“Dunno bout this morning after med. Never heard of it. Just cause there isn’t much med wise that Stormy reacts to strangely doesn’t mean there isn’t anything. Aw hell…I don’t know. I’m thinking I shoulda let em give her it after all.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Can smell the hormone shift. Then again Storm been seein this fellow. I was away from the mansion for a couple weeks before the kid and Storm were grabbed. Scent had changed when we found them. It’s her decision and that’s one I just couldn’t. Mighta been better. Hell I don’t know. Either way ain’t too late when she wakes up to do something.”

“Why you’ve been so picky on the pain med doses.”

Logan nodded.

“We’ve got a cut off base. Think your boys could help us generate enough power that the Gate could make the connection.”

Logan nodded again. “What’s in it for us? We’re not your personal power supply.”

“I want to make contact, make sure they’re still okay. When she’s better, let you all go through, stay there while we’re sorting things. You can call back like once a week through the gate. We’d gather supplies for them. You could have more freedom there. The NID are making noise. I don’t see any reason to turn you over to them. Wouldn’t turn my worst enemy over to them let alone someone I actually think I could like that just is trying to get home.”

Logan shivered. “NID ran Weapon X program.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Sounds something like our NID would do. I’ll even let Danny, Carter and T go with ya to Atlantis. Danny wanted to go so bad when they went originally but there wasn’t a sure way back. Won’t be again when you get home but…I’ve got people out there, completely cut off from Earth, in another freaking galaxy. The NID can’t reach you there. We’d have regular contact for a short while, can get them supplies at least.”

Logan nodded. “Fair enough.”

“So anything we can get you to make you more comfortable?”

“Wouldn’t mind a beer and some decent cigars. Pizza and Twinkies for the boys. Gumbo likes Marlboros”

Jack grinned. Then chuckled.

~*~*~


~*~Dog and Pony Show~*~

Jack studied the various reports as the base kicked into gear for the first resupply of Atlantis. Carter was working round the clock on her calculations and attempts to sort out where the realities diverged. And how to begin to sort out where to send them when they left.

Storm, or Ororo, she seemed to answer to both just as easily, recovered surprisingly swiftly according to Dr. Warner.

None of them were too interested in having their abilities tested. Jack didn’t blame them.
Though not pressing that issue meant that he spent a good amount of time on the phone with Disaster Davis, with Hammond, and even the President a few times.

Kinsey wanted them dead.

Threat to national security, breaking into a secure base.

Jack argued. They were more or less American citizens. Ms. Munro had lived in America long enough to gain citizen ship. Starsmore was a freaking kid just out of school. Besides that, Jack didn’t really know if it was possible to kill Logan, Starsmore or Drake. Didn’t really care to try. He liked all of them.

The craters had been brought up.

The kid had controlled himself. He didn’t hurt anyone. NONE of them had made a threatening move and they damn well could have.

“We got a bit of a situation. We’ve got everything set to contact Atlantis, but the President is on his way, along with the Joint Chiefs and the--”

Logan shook his head. “We ain’t circus freaks.”

Jack gave the other man a tired smile. “Hell you want circus freaks? My team was an alien, an off the charts Einstein genius of an astrophysicist and Daniel, who has to be the freakiest of the three. We’ve been killed, cloned, snaked, had another alien with us for a fourth when Daniel was dead and Ascended for a year.”

Logan chuckled. “Sounds like things go for you like they do for us.”

“Let’s just get through the dog and pony show so the brass can feel all useful and in charge then get back to business.”

“How the hell did you get to be a general, bub?”

“No one else was crazy enough to take this job after Hammond went on to be in charge of Homeworld Security--take that back, there was one but she’s running a base in another galaxy at the moment.”

~*~*~

Remy recoiled as he walked into the room.

“You okay?”

Remy didn’t answer.

Logan sniffed and curled his nose.

Jono stiffened and sent the impressions he got from the one man to Storm and Ice Man, both tensed as well.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “So? What’s the problem?”

“That one stinks.” Logan pointed.

Jack smirked. Daniel struggled with a smile.

“Now, I’m sure Senator Kinsey showered today.”

Remy dropped to his knees, swallowing.

“Gambit!” Logan said sharply.

“Slimy. So slimy. Worse den Sinister. Hatred, evil, vicious, psychotic.” Remy managed. It was true. The Marauders, they barely registered as human, they were vile, little more than animals having so much lost of their humanity through repeated cloning. Sinister was simply cold. Apocalypse had taken Essex’s emotions years ago.

“Daniel, take LeBeau on to the other room. If Kinsey’s presence is getting to him that badly he doesn’t need to be made ill.”

“Mais non, I stay.” Remy shook his head as Logan yanked him up and shoved him into a chair.

Kinsey was purple with rage.

“General O’Neill?”

“Well, one of Mr. LeBeau’s talents is empathy and negativity effects him badly as you can see.”

Kinsey choked and spluttered. Though any real noise he might have made was cut off by the President’s request for an introduction.

Jack introduced the President, Joint Chiefs and half dozen senators to the five visitors from another dimension.

“This is ridiculous. There’s no way they can dial the Atlantis Colony.”

“We can do it right now, bub,” Logan said with a glare.

“We got some supplies ready. We can send an early shipment through and give them advanced warning, so they can tell us what they need in specific.”

~*~*~

“Dr. Weir! It’s the SGC’s Code.”

Elizabeth Weir swallowed. “Be ready, lower the shield.”

A bottle of champagne rolled through. Followed by a walkie talkie. “You there, Atlantis? This is General O’Neill”

A round of cheers went up from those in the Atlantis Gate room.

~*~*~

“Sweet Jesus,” was whispered by the President and the Naval member of the Joint Chiefs as Storm floated in the air with a steady stream of electricity aimed at the gate which had been telekinetically dialed by Jono Starsmore.

“Dey dere and dey thrilled!” Remy grinned. “Can feel dem t’rough the wormhole.”

“Gen0eral O’Neill,this is Atlantis, have you located a ZPM?”

“No, Doc, we haven’t but we have some company that can manage to keep the gate open a bit. We’re sending some supplies, SG1 and our guests through right now. You dial us back in a week. So you folks get letters and supply requisition lists ready. Mr. Starsmore, can you move the supply pallets through?”

Jono concentrated on the crates.

“Tell em to clear back and to give him some directions”

~*~*~

The pallet floated through the gate on its own.

“Doc, where do you want it?”

“About ten yards to the left.”

“Can we have that in metric, Mr. Starsmore is British.”

Elizabeth blinked and gave the directions in meters. Seven more pallets followed through. Then SG1 and Elizabeth blinked at the five unusual people with them.

~*~*~

Kinsey’s fury was palpable.

“You have no qualms about sending them to Atlantis, Jack?”

“They got here by accident. They could have leveled the base a thousand times over each and everyone of them. They just want to go home. They agreed to facilitate contact with Atlantis while we’re figuring out a way to get them home, General Hammond. I sent my team with them. Logan won’t let anything happen to Danny, Carter and Teal’c than he will his team. Yeah, Mr. Logan’s made a few threats but purely protective in nature of his kids, just the same as I would have made in their situation on behalf of my team.”

Hammond nodded with a smile.

“They--”

“Kinsey, the NID in their world conducted illegal and inhumane experiments on Mutants. One happened to be Mr. Logan who was tortured to see just how well he healed and then had his skeleton fused with a poisonous metal that his immune system and healing abilities constantly battle and constantly causes him pain. That they’re rather defensive and standoffish is wholly understandable. For Christ’s sake, we’re the good guys in their world too--the US that is. And the US government’s out of control nut jobs did that. Mr. LeBeau and Ms. Munro had both been kidnapped and experimented on recently too by a different group of mad scientists. The group was private, couple-a sick bastards with genetics degrees and another sick bastard with bottomless pockets but since Ms. Munro and Mr. LeBeau were mutants the only hope of getting out was to fight their way out, or their friends rescue them because the government doesn’t bother much with mutants unless the case makes headlines, which Mr. LeBeau and Ms. Munro’s kidnapping didn’t.”

The President blinked, then nodded. “They show admirable courage and restraint. I have no doubt of the damage they could cause if they felt threatened. Why Atlantis though?”

“They can do something there, move about, not sit and stare at four walls. They can’t be allowed out in the general population of this planet. Honestly I would have sent them to Alpha site, or perhaps to Bra’tac with the Jaffa. They aren’t used to sitting idly by and doing nothing. They belong to a group that teaches mutants to control their powers as well as helps contain threats by mutants that strike back or are just plain bad. They human, they just have a genetic mutation and as Mr. Logan himself said, the genetic mutation doesn’t change them coming in every stripe--good, bad indifferent--just like any other human on the planet. They’re good people, a good team. Their world has encountered aliens as well, though not through the stargate--they showed up in ships and a couple of them with about as good of intent as the Goa’uld. They’ve fought the same fight we are here. Different enemy but same concept. They’ll help us in return for helping them.”

That seemed accepted by all but Kinsey, and Jack really didn’t give a damn what Kinsey thought as long as he was the only one thinking it. Logan better damn well watch out for Jack’s ‘kids’ as well as his own in the Pegasus Galaxy though.




~*~Atlantis~*~


~That was almost as bad as the first time~

“True but no nuke on our tail this time,” Bobby answered Jono.

“Nuke…” Elizabeth Weir shook her head. “Dr. Jackson, Colonel Carter, Master Teal’c, welcome to Atlantis.”

“Good to see you again, Dr. Weir. May I introduce Ororo Munro, Bobby Drake, Jonathan Starsmore, Remy LeBeau and Logan…this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir, head of the Atlantis Colony…”

Elizabeth kept her composure out of sheer will, not quite sure how the young man with the black bandages on his face could even breathe but..sure enough there they came Rodney and Radek in the lead. “How on earth did you manage to get the gate…if you..”


“You have a ZedPM?”

“Rodney.” Elizabeth said sharply as Rodney and Radek came skidding up with John, Teyla and Ford quick on their heels.

“Colonel Carter…”

“Dr. McKay.” Sam said with a forced smile.

Logan snorted almost feeling sorry for the poor bastard, though his nose could have done without the rush of pheromones.

“What’s your specialties..” McKay demanded.

“Specialties?” Ororo frowned.

“That one’s obviously a soldier even if he’s short for one. What about the rest of you?”

“I’m an accountant,” Bobby grinned.

“I’se a t’ief, homme, mon pere is de Patriarch o’ de N’awlins T’ieves Guild.”

“I teach high school Life and Earth science.”

“Ain’t a soldier, bub, don’t do orders well,” Logan snorted.

“And you? What is with those wrappings some sort of S & M thing?”

“RODNEY!” Elizabeth said sharply.

“How did you get the gate to work without a ZedPM and did you bring coffee?”

“Homme, min’ if we get a bit o’ fresh air?” Remy asked. “Need t’ charge a few cards anyway. Dat trip has me twichin’.”

~Ain’t been outside for a month. Wouldn’t mind goin’ for a bit of a fly~


Daniel blinked. “You can speak to anyone?”

~Yeah, ducks, jus’ tends t’ make th’ flatscans upset though if I do~

“Who can speak?” Elizabeth frowned.

“Chamber.”

“WHO?” Rodney demanded.

“Storm. Ice Man. Chamber. Gambit.” Logan said pointing. “I’m Wolverine.”

“Code names for a school teacher, an accountant, a self-proclaimed thief and bondage boy there?”

“RODNEY!”

“Uhm, that balcony over there? Fresh air and can continue this?” Daniel suggested.

“Very well…” Elizabeth nodded.

“Fly? You can fly?” Daniel frowned looking back at Jono

The corners of the boy’s eyes crinkled up in what was obviously a smile.

“Fly? Really?” Sam’s eyes lit up.

“I should like to see this.” Teal’c said.

“’Roro?”

“It would feel good to be in the air a bit after being cooped up in concrete and metal for the past month.”

~*~

Major John Sheppard stared as the white haired woman’s eyes turned white and she lifted off the ground and…flew. The kid with the latex bandages under the SGC issued fatigues launched into the air and the blonde who barely looked out of his teens jumped off the balcony railing….and…was sliding on…ice through the air, and looked to be made of ice himself.

Teyla gasped and Elizabeth nearly jumped a foot in the air at the first explosion. John’s eyes and attention caught from the sight of the flying and…ice-sliding..people? Aliens?--to the one wearing dark sunglasses a playing card in his hands glowed faintly red before he flung it…and it exploded in the air.
“Wolvie, homme?”

“Smells…alien…but at least it isn’t a mile underground military base.”

“You..don’t like the military?” Elizabeth frowned.

“Got a military experiment to thank for these” ~schnict~ Logan slid his claws out.

“Oww.”

“Eww.”

“Rodney!” Elizabeth snapped.

“Ford!” John said warningly.


~*~*~

“That’s…quite a story.” John Sheppard shook his head slightly at Daniel’s rundown of the arrival of the other five and the last month. “At least they decided to play nicely…So how long are they here for?”

“That’s uncertain. Until they find a way back to their own dimension,” Carter shook her head. “At least on Atlantis they can move about freely and manage dialing the gate to allow supply shipments.”

There was that. Regular contact was going to be nothing but a plus with the Wraith awakened. He really wasn’t surprised when the group all shrugged and said they’d take their chances with the Wraith rather than stay safely, or perhaps not so safely with NID interest, cooped up in Cheyenne Mountain.

“Gentlemen,” Elizabeth said sternly as a snowball flew across the room and caught Remy in the shoulder.

That was going to take some getting used to.