Captured X-Men [pt. I]

Logan woke in a vast palatial hall, sitting up quickly with one fist extending claws in reflex. He didn’t know where he was. The last thing he remembered was the attack on the- Damn it...

He felt a nagging... something in the back of his head. As if there were something he was supposed to know but he couldn't remember what it was or why. He put it out of his mind and looked around, focusing on his current situation. Wakandans were damn rich as all get out that was for sure. Their prison was immaculate. Gold was the motif and soft Jasmine was the scent that filled his nostrils. The room was huge and had the look of a gymnasium, single-use beds filling the space. Counting in his head, it looked like the all of the students were here.

They were all over the place. Some sitting or lying on the beds. Others gathered in groups, talking. He could smell their nervousness, their fear. The other X-Men were nearby. He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. He looked around, noting the tall windows lining either wall about thirty feet up. There was a set of ornate doors in the middle of the shorter walls.

He got to his feet and joined the make-shift meeting of the minds. That weird need to know feeling suddenly rushed to the forefront of his brain and he found himself immediately asking, "Hey, who's in charge around here?"

Beast turned to him, rubbing his chin and giving Logan a speculative look as he answered, "Two of Mark's so called Royal Guard are standing just outside. They're in charge."

And just like that the mental pressure was gone and Logan felt relieved. For a moment he had a sensation of bewilderment about this weird feeling but quickly decided it was no matter and pushed it from his mind, "So what the hell is going on here? What's the situation?"

"Don't know, homme. Nobody told us anyting. Wakandans jus' dumped us in this room." said Remy laying out on a bed, sending a deck of cards flying back and forth between his hands.

Beast spoke up, "I think this last data point with Logan is enough for me to conclude that we all have definitely been mentally adjusted by Mr. Williams. Nearly the first thing a person does upon waking is ask who is in charge, an appropriate question given the situation, but hardly the first one everyone would ask. Nor would I think Logan would normally look to any authority but his own..." His tone held more scientific curiosity than alarm.

Rogue looked up from where she was sitting on the floor with her back to a bed, "So what does it mean?"

Beast said, "It means that most likely we have been adjusted to be more compliant and to obey certain restrictions on our behavior."

Maria Hill nodded tautly even as she continually sent an intense gaze across the room, one hand continually hovering near her impressively lush hips for the side-arm that was no longer there, "We've definitely been compromised. I'm trained for these situations. I've been in situations like this six times. I successfully escaped four of those times and vigorously attempted to escape the other two. Right now? I'm not even giving it serious thought. Just content to wait and see what happens. Not normal."

"Speak for yourself, Beast." Logan snarled, ignoring the Shield Agent's contribution, "I'm not adjusted by no two-bit mind-controller...."

"Ah, Logan! Nothing would make me happier than to see that you are unaffected by Mark's subliminal commands.... By all means, attempt to free us from this room. Break yonder windows or push through those doors!"

Logan looked up at the bright sunlight streaming glass before turning his attention to the double-doors. Fitfully, he clenched his fists and released his adamantium claws. He cocked his head to one side and winked at Jubilee and Kitty, "Don't mind if I do." He strode past Colossus on his way towards the doors out of this place.

When he got close to them, they swished open without issue, opening up onto a perpendicular hallway that held two black Wakandan guardsmen. The sight of them was the most absurd and ridiculous thing he'd ever laid eyes on in all his long years. Both were tall and as muscular as humans could get. They might as well have been Chippendales dancers for all Logan could tell, nude save for silvery cod-pieces, matching mask/helmets, boots, and saucy red capes.

Logan stepped right up to the doorway, sliding two claws back into his wrist, he bore the other one pointedly at the guards, "What the fuck is going on around here, bub?"

The one on the right, pointed with his spear, "Nothing you need concern yourself with, X-Man. Return to your bed and take a nap. You'll be notified when the king desires your presence." Logan growled and brandished his claws, "I'm gonna cut your head off one day, see that I don't..." He turned and stalked away, ignoring the chuckling from behind. As frustrated and enraged as he was, all he knew was that he was going to find his bed and get some more shut-eye.

As he passed the group of his comrades, Gambit spoke up, "How'd it go, Wolverine? Did ya succeed where de rest of us don failed, yea?"

"Shut up, Cajun." Was all he managed as he got back in bed.

Right before he passed right the fuck out, he heard Hank saying, "Alas! Another experiment that proves my theory. Why we aren't loyal partisans to Mark is a conundrum. However, it is quite clear that we have subliminal commands embedded in our minds to refrain from escape attempts and obeying our captors' instructions..."

He drifted off to sleep easily and he dreamed of Jean...

At one point she was in a green bikini and they were relaxing together in a warm pool on the side of an enormous cliff, looking out upon a majestic natural landscape at night. She was leaning into his side, his arm a rest for her shoulder blades, beer bottles in their hands as they talked, warm and casual. Then within a blink of an eye she was shaking his shoulders, demanding he wake up as Scott pounded her from behind.

"Wake up, Wolvie!" That was Jubilee's spirited voice and it was her hands shaking his shoulders.

He had the presence of mind not to pierce his foolish waker with three adamantium claws and he grunted, "I'm up, I'm up. Jesus...."

He sat up and turned to the side, swinging his legs to the ground.

Jubilee sat down on the opposite bunk. "Like- Do me a favor and NOT walk right up to those assholes and ask for bedtime. I seriously can't handled this stuff. Seeing you just go back to bed about made me want to give up..."

"Don't get it twisted, darlin." he commented brusquely, getting to his feet, "Sleeping and conserving energy is what you gotta do in a situation like this..."

Jubilee cocked her head to the side and twisted her lips, one eyebrow arching, "Yea, except Beast says we'll probably rationalize any command we're given as normal. You went to sleep as soon as that guard told you to. That's not normal!"

Logan's eyes cast around the large room, seeing the situation was much the same as the last time he sighed and took a seat beside Jubilee, "Yea, you might be right, Jubes. I am taking this a bit more relaxed than usual... How long was I out?"

"About an hour, I guess." She leaned against him, taking comfort from his physical presence. Speaking low enough not to be heard by anyone nearby, she said, "We're screwed, aren't we? This is like major league super-villain stuff, right? Just ignoring us because we aren't a threat at all..."

Logan stifled a sigh, really wishing he had a beer. He had to admit, the situation wasn't looking too good.

But you had keep up appearances, times like these...

He chuckled lowly and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in close, "Nah, we've been hit with mind-control before. Remember that fat sack of shit Mojo? We were all dancing to his stupid tune for a bit. But these assholes always fuck it up in the end. This Mark guy's just a kid, younger than you even. Plus he's a dude, all he does is think with his dick, so..."

"It's a huuuge dick though, right? Like ohmygod!" Jubilee burst out holding her hands out to approximate the size.

Logan snorted, "Y'know I'm sure it's not the only thing about him that's oversized."

She giggled and leaned into him, "That can't be real, right?" He smirked and rubbed a hand up and down her back. His latest protege was easy to distract, mind just a bit like a butterfly. Shifting in his seat, he spread his legs a bit as he replied, "Some of us are pretty big." Dammit Logan... His instinct to flirt and work his way into a willing woman's pants was ever present even now and he forcefully dialed it back.

They were silent for a few moments and Jubilee's smile faltered, "You don't think he'll make me do something really terrible do you? I mean..."

"Nah, he's full of shit. Probably just wants to see you dance naked or something."

Jubilee scrunched up her face giving him a look like he was crazy, "I'm not an idiot, Logan! I saw him having his super-orgy in a stadium, banging like a million mind-controlled girls!"

Dammit, this was why he hated doing this mentor shit. "Hey. I'm looking out for you, kid. I'll keep you safe until this two-bit punk is defeated. You know we're gonna nail his ass! How many world-ending threats have managed a big fat zero against us, X-Men. What is it? 0-57?"

Jubilee laughed softly and laid her cheek atop his right pec, "Yea... Yea! You're right! I'm just being silly. We got this!" She was quiet for a moment before continuing in a slightly quavering voice, "Do... you have like, a plan?"

He slipped out of her grip, getting to his feet and giving her a confident smirk, "You just leave it to the ol'Cannucklehead, Juju."

He jerked his head to the side, pointedly, popping his neck. "I got this."

Fuck, if he didn't need a stogy. He looked out across the big room, his jaw working a ghostly cigar. He saw that Remy and Bobby were speaking to the kids all crowded around on one side. Mostly seemed to be doing their best to re-assure them and distract them from their worries. Looking carefully, he noted that every student who'd been at the Mansion when the Wakandans attacked was here. He saw Hill speechifying to her half-dozen Shield Agents who'd been captured rather than killed in the attack. Most of them were just faceless grunts, but he recognized Quake, an Inhuman. Pretty half-Asian, a tall and slender waifish figure, lithe and taut with sizeable tits for her frame, super vibration powers. Bulky metal bracers on her forearms, Wakandans let her keep those for some reason. Her face was a mask of worry, but she nodded at whatever Hill was saying.

Casting his eyes back to the active team who were all sitting on bunks on the opposite side of the room in deep discussion, he realized that they were short one.

The Professor was AWOL. "Where's Xavier?" he asked when he joined the little pow-wow of Beast, Colossus, and Rogue. Jesus, they were undermanned. Fucking kid had snatched half their heavy-hitters already...

"We don't know, my comrade!" Pete boomed entirely too loudly as he slapped Logan's back, "It is good that your strength is with us once more. Try not to draw the attention of our foes, yes? We need you with us, not whiling away in the arms of slumber."

"The Professor wasn't here when we all woke." said Rogue with a slow shake of her head, "We're thinking Mark 'whammied' him good seeing how he's our best bet for beating him at his own game. Figure he's as brain-washed as poor Jean, Ororo, and Scott by now. Not to mention, Betsy, Kurt, and Emma now, huh? Look at us bunch of saps, feeding him our best and brightest...."

Beast laid a big hairy blue hand on Rogue's clothed shoulder, "Now, now... there's no sense giving into to despair. We've overcome worse situations and we will no doubt do so again. The fact that Mr. Williams has left us our personalities and beliefs untouched is a boon and perhaps the first crack in his control. It seems that hubris is a weakness of his and I'm sure it is one that we can exploit..."

"What's the plan?" asked Rogue.

"Yes!" enthused Colossus with wide waves of his silvery arms and pumps of his fists, "We need to rescue our friends and stop Mark from spreading his enslaving power! It's not just innocent lives that are at stake, it's the future of our world! We are in the belly of the beast, our hopes darkened, but perhaps this is the best place to unite and take this villain down!"

"Uh-huh, look lively." Logan commented as he turned to face the entrance, hearing the footsteps of the guardsmen approaching the doors. They swished open and one of the silly brain-washed bastards stepped into the room, still looking like he was a particularly confident contestant in a Mr. Universe pageant. He took a deep breath and called out, "The following individuals will come now: Rogue, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Magma, Beast, Wolverine, Colossus, Iceman, Gambit, Quake, and Agent Hill."