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He made a grumbling sound of acknowledgement. She probably already guessed part of it. But it only got worse.

"He didn't much care for what Xavier had to say. He did the same stunt he pulled on Magneto. You didn't take too well to it, so... you tried to take him on. It didn't work." He looked away. "An' that's how we lost you."

He wasn't sure what to say now. How to make it seem like there was hope when there wasn't any. "... I'm sorry. It should've been me that went out with the Professor."

... So that was it, then.

Ororo looked away, up into the trees and at what little sky she could see. She'd known for some time now, that the kind of lifestyle she led was not exactly the safest. That didn't make it any easier to hear.

She was quiet for several moments, thinking - that at least it would be her, that she would not have wanted it to be anyone else, that she would not have done it any differently if it had meant not fighting for Charles - but Logan's words have her looking back at him sharply.

"Don't. Do not apologize. It was not your fault, Logan. And you are no more expendable than I." She paused for a beat, and softened her tone. "In fact, shouldn't I be the one apologizing? For failing you, and the students, in that regard."

Edited 2013-03-22 04:35 (UTC)

He closed his eyes, wishing he could take away this knowledge from her. Hell, from him. It would make things easier to have that hope that things would turn out alright afterward. If Xavier was here, he could manage it.

But he wasn't. It was just the two of them.

"... there's more to it. Not long after, FURY and his SHIELD goons showed up. They tried a counter attack of their own. Managed to do some damage, even. But then Apocalypse rolled out his own flunkies. You, Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique. Super charged on power. It was like he zombified you all up to bring back."

She'd been surprised a second ago, too surprised to properly feel anything else. But as Logan further explained the situation in curt and even tones, she could feel something rising in her. Was it anger? Without the skies responding to her emotions, she wasn't particularly sure.

"He intends to use us? To hurt you, and the others." At her sides, her hands clenched into fists. She shook her head. "No. I cannot allow that. You cannot allow that." She turned to face him, face hard. As difficult as it was to grasp the thought she might be gone, her next request was easy: "You will do whatever it takes to take me down."

"We won't. We've got a plan. A crazy as hell one, but it's got a shot of working." Saving them wasn't part of it. That was the downside. "We're gonna do right by you. Both of you."

Even if that means killing them again. For good.

She already knew of their plan - it involved Dorian Leech, and Rogue from what she remembered of his telling her. The odds were against them, but that had never stopped them before. And where would the X-Men be if they let that get in the way? So she nodded once, relaxing just a fraction before she spoke up next.

"... Good. That, that's good to hear." She paused, and tried for a faint smile. "I'm sure Charles would have approved."

He nodded. His claws were still buried in the dirt, but he wanted to offer something. A hand on the shoulder, or something. But it was too dangerous to do anything of that sort. So he remained still, watching the trees ahead.

"It don't have to go down like that, 'Ro. That's only if we let the Mallies put us back their way. We get something to work, something like what Stark and the others were doing..." He growled, regretting how that had ended. "We find our own way out of here, we ain't gotta play with the same cards that's been dealt."

Beside Logan, Ororo tucked her legs close to her body and rested her head on her knees. It was a vulnerable position not characteristic of her, but with what she'd just learned, she couldn't help it. She kept her eyes trained on the trees, trying to stay alert to movement around them.

"Perhaps. That's a good sentiment to have, Logan. But I don't think it should be our priority." Not after seeing how it had ended for Tony and the others, or with how there were so many other things they had to concern themselves with.

It was very unusual to see her like that. In truth, he hadn't seen her this shaken up since those men from Africa came to try and steal her back. Mortality was not a nice thing to face. Especially when it seemed like it had an expiration date in clear writing.

"It's been my priority from day one."

She gave him a small, grateful smile.

"Fighting against something that has already happened for you? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Logan was nothing if not stubborn, after all.

He wouldn't have, but it hadn't happened to Rogue yet. Better, it hadn't happened to her. If he could give them the means to change it, he'd hardly begrudge part of his past being altered for the better.

"Benefit of not being a scientist. I ain't got no regard for how time's supposed to work."

Edited 2013-03-23 16:38 (UTC)

"Well. I can hardly fault your logic, when you put it that way." Not when his logic was more hopeful for her than that of a scientist's. She sat a little straighter. It wasn't much, but his words did help a little.

"We'll have to see how things play out and hope for the best, then."

He nodded. Truthfully, he carried little hope, but it was just enough to keep him going. Fighting. Working towards something. If it gave her hope, more than him, then that was something.

"Nobody else knows. I ain't told anyone." He paused, considering. "... could be Rogue knows. She's zapped me more'n once since I showed up."

"If she does, she has not told me. Of course, she is particularly good at keeping things to herself." Ororo frowned, worried. "But I hope she doesn't, and that Kurt does not find out. I... would like to keep this between us, if we could." She wasn't sure they were ready to hear that kind of news. They were so young.

"No argument here. There ain't no reason to-"

Snikt. His claws retracted into his hands. He pulled them up and felt the familiar sensation of his senses sharpening, his body quieting the aches.

"They've moved on."

Sure enough, Ororo felt the familiar sensation of the wind answering to her calls. Above them, the clouds rolled and darkened in response to her own swirling emotions, but the sound of Logan's claws retracting reminded her of the situation they were in. She stood and, with some effort, quieted the sky above.

"Then we had best get moving. We cannot be caught unaware, again."

He watched the skies grow thunderous, before calming once again. Suspicious, but hard to pinpoint to any location. He began checking the scent of the air, determining the paths of their pursuers.

"The Shifter headed east. The rest are north of us. We'll go after them first." Once they picked them all off, taking on the Shifter without powers would be manageable.

Ororo nodded, subtly shifting the direction of the winds so that they carried their enemies' scents to Logan more effectively.

"Lead the way, Logan." She would let him take point in this, since she knew she needed to follow on foot, rather than through the air as she preferred. She would be too conspicuous, and this called for a measure of stealth.

He noted the change of wind. He turned to her, eyebrow raised.

"You doubting my sense of smell?"

She raised her own brows high right back at him at his question.

"Of course not; I wouldn't have done it if I knew it wouldn't help you better."

He grumbled, but continued to trek forward. He was never one to gratefully accept help, beneficial or otherwise. But for now, it was important to remain quiet. When their trail got warmer, he quietly slid his claws out, until they were nearly on top of them. There were six of them. One of them was well armored, which probably meant an Elite. Logan pressed his back against a tree and signaled his plan to Ororo. She'd fly above them while he went for the direct approach. That way she could take care of any that tried to flee or take him from behind.

They'd been working together long enough that Ororo could pick up his nonverbal cues with relative ease. So at his signal, she simply nodded and took to the air when she deemed it prudent to do so, the breeze only making only the barest of whisper-soft noises while their enemies were barely paying attention. She was careful to keep out of sight and downwind, yet just close enough to keep them, and Logan, within her sight as she waited for him to charge them.

He waited a moment, to see which direction they'd choose. They picked his. He swore under his breath. So much for the element of surprise.

He charged anyway, slashing at the first one, tearing him in two. The others used their wings to take flight, backing off, and preparing to counter. This is where Ororo was invaluable. Logan was a damn good fighter, but those cultists would take to the sky and confound him if he went solo. The ones that stayed on the ground he could deal with.

Ororo knew she had to be careful to keep the skies as clear as possible to avoid attracting attention. So even before the cultists take flight, she was readying a charge of electricity in her hands - and when they rose, she was ready to advance on them quickly. Ball lightning crackled and flew from her fingertips and to their wings, gathering momentum as it jumped from one feathery appendage to the next. It wouldn't be enough to kill them - they were stronger than that - but hopefully it would keep them on the ground.

The cultists weren't expecting that. It provided an ample distraction for those still on the ground. One - two, he took down the remaining soldiers on the ground. That just left the Elite, who looked royally pissed by losing his squad. He was faster than Logan anticipated and though a pair of claws were stuck into the Elite, it didn't slow him down. Logan was sent flying into and through a nearby tree with a painful crack. In the meantime, the Elite turned his attention to the sky.

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