A Future Unkown: An X-Men Fanfiction.

Chapter 16

Logan was surprised that Kaya had opened up to him all of a sudden, and he was also shocked by her story. He should have known though that other mutants had been tested on as well, that the torment didn’t stop with him.  Though, he was, not so much glad or relieved….there really wasn’t a word to describe how he was feeling. For so long he thought that he had been in some kind of dream, that the pain, the torment, that would flash in his mind were just dreams, not reality, but after hearing Kaya tell her tale, he knew for certain that what had happened to him was real, and not an illusion.

He supposed that what Stryker wanted though, was for him to think this was all some big mind trick, so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences. Oh, but he would, Logan would make sure of that. It was one thing to test on an adult who, in his ignorance and rage, agreed to it, but it was a whole other thing to bring a kid into it. Okay, maybe Kaya wasn’t a kid, but she was still young, still fragile. It made him wonder if Stryker was, in fact, testing on children. The thought made him clench his knuckles so tight, they began to turn red.

“Logan…you alright?” Kaya asked, and he looked over at her, caught off guard. He had forgotten she was there, too consumed in his thoughts. Taking in a deep breath, he relaxed some, though a war was still raging inside his head.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He shrugged it off, pulling the ‘tough-guy’ card again. “I just don’t have many memories of the bastard, and the memories I do have aren’t good ones.”

“Who can blame you?” she scoffed. “He was the monster, not us.” She looked away, her hair brushing along her cheek, creating a barrier between them. A part of him wondered if she was trying to convince herself that was the truth, that they weren’t the monsters. Logan didn’t know the answer to that, because there were days he felt like a monster himself, doomed to be looked at differently by the rest of the world. He was sure; if possible, scientists would lock mutants up in cages and show them like they were attractions at a zoo. But really, who was the monsters? The homosapiens that judged them over something they couldn’t control, or the mutants that killed others because they felt like they had no other choice? Or were they all just monsters, but no one wanted to look in the mirror and find out the truth?

Logan walked over and leaned against a tree, peering out on the rest of the grounds, where other students were making their way to class, oblivious to what was taking place around them. He let out a sigh. “You know, nobody really knows how horrible human kind can be until they’ve experienced it head on.” He stated, still looking outside, as though some answer lay beyond the window frame. It was the truth though. The mutants that were tested on, even Magneto, would be the only ones who knew the pain people could bring. The others talked about it, following what others had said, but they didn’t know. They saw it, yes, but seeing is much different than experiencing. Than feeling when a hand grabs you and holds you down as they strap you onto a table, against your God given free will, and then puts you through the worst pain.

He could see Kaya nod from the corner of his eye, and heard her let out a soft breath. “Yes, that is true.” She stood up, and he could see her walking towards him, her gaze matching his. “But then, it’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” she mused. Logan looked over, trying to study her face, see what she was thinking, because he sure as hell didn’t know where she was going with this. “How any one of us has to experience something like what we did to suddenly deem humans as monsters.” Kaya’s eyes met his. “How torment from them doesn’t just come from testing. It comes every time they look at us like we’re some freak, when they steal our lunch money at school, or call us names. The torment comes when a kid is thrown out of their home because they aren’t what society likes to call ‘normal’. You know, if my mom had found out what I was before you came into the picture, I would be out on the streets, or perhaps even dead.” Logan could see that she was fighting back tears. He was caught off guard though, forgetting that the mutants being tested on weren’t the only ones hurting, he had let his anger get in the way of that, and it took Kaya to remind him. “People don’t like different Logan, because it scares them.”

She went and sat back down on the bench, tying her hair back with a hair band, looking out at the rest of the area, which was now silent after all the kids had made their way to class. Kaya looked out of place here, like she was just trapped in another cage. Logan knew though that it was all for the best, that the outside world held nothing but danger for her at the moment, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel sorry for her.

“You’re not happy here, are you?” he asked suddenly, taking a seat next to her.

She scoffed. “How could you tell?”

“The way you look at everything, like you would rather be anywhere but here.” He replied, leaning back. A wave of guilt passed her face, and Logan couldn’t help but think he said something wrong. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Kaya waved him off. “No, it’s not you.” She shook her head. “It’s this whole place, all the memories…sometimes it’s just too much to take in. I can’t help but think the professor hates me too. I mean, I did run away all those years and then was taken by Stryker. A part of me thinks he holds himself accountable for that.” Logan sighed, knowing how the professor felt about his students, Kaya was probably right. Though, he wasn’t going to say that, it would only make her feel worse, which he didn’t want. She looked like she was about to explain, but Logan cut her off.

“No, you don’t have to explain unless you want to.” He stated, looking at her to make sure she understood. “If you’re not ready, that’s okay.”

She smiled. “Thanks Logan.”

“Don’t mention it.” He replied, finding a smile was on his face as well.

Perhaps Logan was beginning to see her in a different light.