Delicate, wispy tendrils of steam floated into the air from Logan's untouched coffee mug as it sat on the table in front of him. He stared intently into it's dark, ebony colored depths as if there were an answer to the mysteries of life floating just below the surface. Kitty sat across the table and scrutinized him silently. She was used to him being somber and silent but this went beyond his normal surliness.
*He may as well be camped out on Mars!*
"Trust me, my coffee is quite safe. If it were Moira's then you should hesitate about drinking it!" Kitty finally quipped, breaking Wolverine from his listlessness. "You want to talk about it or are you going to continue to brood into your coffee mug?"
Logan glanced at Kitty before taking a long gulp from the mug and asking, "Satisfied?!"
"Not really, I was planning on interrogating you for information. You better start talking buster or I'll have to torture you. Remember `I have ways of making you talk.'" Kitty smiled impishly while he gave her a hard look.
"What do you want to know?"
"How about we start at the beginning of yesterday's events and continue on from there?"
"Pumkin, I'm not in the mood for this cute stuff..." he started to growl when she cut him off.
"Listen." she said gently, "Something is bothering you and I just want to know that you're alright. You just seem very far away right now."
He sighed, "Look hon, this old man is fine and dandy. I'm just feeling tired right now. That's all." Logan reached one of his calloused hands across the table and fatherly cupped it under chin before saying firmly, "There's nothing to worry about."
She managed to smile slightly at that. It was more than obvious that he was not going to let her into the deepest thoughts of his mind. He'd always been like that. Always trying to do everything on his own. His pride was a weakness as well as a strength and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
"Alright, I won't push the envelope. Just don't forget that I'm willing to listen."
He nodded and removed his hand, taking another sip of his coffee, "You know somethin' Kitty. This coffee isn't half bad."
Suddenly Scott rushed by the kitchen door, taking no notice of the occupants within. Wolverine perked up and furrowed his brow. "Smells like something is going on."
Kitty nodded, knowing that a sudden exit was soon to follow. Logan got up from his chair and headed towards the door while calling over his shoulder, "Thanks for the coffee. It hit the spot."
"Guess I'll go find Dana and find out what's going on from her."
Beast rubbed his weary brow before entering the room to examine Orion. His mind temporarily turned to Cecelia. She was away on a conference on mutant DNA that he had been hoping would help them in their studies on the Legacy virus. They had agreed that Cecelia should attend the conference and report back on any new findings while Henry cared for the medical needs at the mansion. It seemed quite a logical arrangement at the time.
Right now he was wishing she were there with him. In the last 24 hours Henry had gotten little to no sleep and he could have used an extra set of experienced hands that would have helped him with the sudden demands he was facing. Aside from that, he missed her understanding and camaraderie that made the work go much more smoothly. Maybe he just missed her.
He shook his head to clear his mind as he entered the room and introduced himself to Orion. "Hello, my name is Dr. McCoy but you can call me Henry if you wish. I am here to examine your physical condition to make sure you are well considering last night's excitement."
Orion made no protest and Henry began his examination. Orion watched him in wonder at the care and interest Henry took in his well being.
The only doctors he had made contact with in Mojoworld were mostly scientists. For a short amount of time Orion was in the services of one in a lab. The scientist was a higher slave for one of the "slug-like" aristocracy. This scientist merely worked to provide the master with more slaves and things that made the master's life easier.
It was not a scientist's place to heal. Slaves were merely organic beings that could be replaced by creating another one. They were always trying to find ways to improve the slave labor by making stronger slaves or experimenting on already existing specimens. Orion had tried to block out some of the memories and succeeded in eliminating most of the horrors he had experienced in his work. The only way he could avoid being disposed of was by closing his eyes and ears and doing what he was told when he was told.
The scientist had considered him indispensable. Unfortunately the master didn't view the scientist the same way. One day the scientist disappeared and Orion never saw him again. He wasn't sorry he was gone either, though he couldn't say that he was relieved either. Orion knew that there would soon be another one to take his place to carry on the same inhuman work with the same cruelty.
Soon afterwards Orion was sold to Mojo who didn't want a lab servant but a pleasure slave to entertain and delight an audience. Orion had avoided most beatings so his physical appearance was not marred. Aside from that, Orion had been created to look more human with no animal heads or multiple appendages that he had seen on other slaves. He was quite pleasing to the eye. He had met Ursa during his service to Mojo.
He could not explain why he fit with her so well. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had seen but she was the one he fell in love with. Her quiet nature soothed him and in her arms he could forget the horrors that flitted through his mind from time to time. The horrors that were better forgotten and surrendered to the past because there was no way to change them.
Henry finally removed his stethoscope from his ears and announced, "You are in peak physical condition and you do not appear to be suffering any side effects from last night's incident." He started to walk towards the door.
As Henry grasped the door nob a soft rasp stopped him, "Is she okay?"
Orion was sitting on the edge of his bed somberly. His hands were clasped together and his head lowered. Lifting his eyes he met Henry's. Within it's depths Henry could read shame and regret that he himself could not relate to. In an attempt to reassure him, Henry nodded his head slowly. Orion's eyes shut once again and he sighed as the relief washed over him.
*How different he is from Andromeda.* Henry thought as he slowly sat in a chair by the door. *He does not stifle himself emotionally to the extent that she does.*
Henry asked Orion, "If you don't mind confiding in me, what transpired last night?" to which Orion shrugged.
"Andromeda came here late at night. I was alone and upset. When she tried to speak to me I snapped. It was as if I had no conscious control over my body. Suddenly I was watching myself hit her. When I finally regained control I had her up against the wall. At that moment..." he stopped, "She wasn't afraid. She let me hit her."
Henry had been listening grimly to Orion's testimony until he had stopped and didn't continue. The last statement puzzled him. "What do you mean, she let you hit her?"
Orion didn't answer. The man sitting across the room from Henry was grieving and emotionally exhausted. It was obvious that the incident had resulted from a heavy amount of emotional duress and the physical attack upon Andromeda was unintentional and without malice or desire to do harm.
Henry probed further, "My colleagues and I have deduced what followed your attack. Wolverine and Gambit entered the room and found you with Andromeda. You were then forced to the floor by Wolverine. What happened next baffled up because both you and Wolverine lost consciousness and then Andromeda passed out. Do you know what caused your loss of consciousness?"
Orion continued to make no response and kept his eyes on the floor. Henry pressed on, "Did Andromeda cause your unconsciousness? Does she have the telepathic capabilities to do that?"
"I'm sorry." Orion answered quietly. "It isn't my place to answer those questions."
Henry got up with that saying, "I think you had better changer your garments and wash up. I am meeting with my colleagues to discuss some issues with them. I will be back later to converse with you further. In the meantime, take it easy."
Henry reached out his hand to Orion who took it with some trepidation but shook it firmly. With that Henry left and Orion was alone once again with his thoughts. Following orders he got up and changed into the clothing that had been left for him the evening before. Gently removing his shirt he paused momentarily and cradled it in his hands. The front was stained with Ursa's blood. He buried his face in the folds and wept bitterly.
*Why?*
Henry made his way to the study to confer with the Professor and Jean. Just outside the door Logan waited silently. He considered questioning Logan's presence but decided against it and opened the door.
Upon the entrance Professor Xavier's voice called out, "Come right in Henry and tell Logan that he can come in as well. We have no need for secrecy here."
They entered to find Jean and Scott sitting side by side on the couch and Professor Xavier was sitting in his hover chair beside the desk. He motioned to the various chairs in the expanse of the room, "Please take a seat." to which Beast complied. Wolverine, on the other hand, just shut the door and leaned his back against it with his arms crossed.
"I'll stand." he stated in a low tone.
Professor Xavier merely shrugged and floated across the room to the window. Looking out he could see most of the grounds which was alive and green in the June sunshine. The humidity unusually comfortable for this time of the year and an occasional summer breeze stirred the trees surrounding the mansion which swayed lazily.
"What are your impressions of our guests?" Xavier asked without turning around.
"Considering the uproar they caused, I think we should keep a close eye on them." Scott answered plainly.
Jean looked thoughtful for a moment before carefully voicing her opinion, "I spoke with Andromeda for a little while today. I couldn't get any more than a `yes' or a `no' out of her when I asked her a question. She denied that she was a telepath, although all observations would point to the contrary."
Scott snorted, "Then she is a liar."
"Then she has a reason." Logan growled through gritted teeth while casting a menacing glance toward Cyclops.
Jean nodded, "I agree with Logan. I think she may be afraid and is therefore lying as a defense mechanism. She doesn't betray any emotion towards anything."
"Not true," Beast cut in, "Shortly before you came into the medical lab Andromeda had something bordering on a mild panic attack. She recalled last night and thought that Wolverine was going to harm Orion. I was worried for a moment that she might become hysterical and I sent for you Jean. Then when I turned my attention back to her she was completely composed."
"Then she might not be emotionally stable?" the Professor asked turning towards Hank.
He shook his head, "I'm not saying that exactly. I'm slightly limited in the psychological field. More than likely she is dealing with a great number of emotions in a concentrated period of time. There is nothing to say that in time she will be able to deal with them and adjust."
"If she doesn't?"
Beast shrugged, "We could end up having an episode with her like we had last night with Orion."
Professor Xavier raised a brow, "You discussed the incident with Orion then?"
"Yes, from what I could deduce he was under emotional duress at the time. Some of what he said puzzled me though."
"What exactly confused you, Henry?"
"He made mention of something that would imply that Andromeda made no attempt to stop him. I believe he felt she could have stopped him."
"Telepathically?" Professor Xavier offered and Henry nodded his head.
Wolverine stepped forward demanding, "If she could have stopped him then why didn't she? And why did she mess with my mind when I was only tryin' to help? I don't kill without reason."
"Logan," Jean started calmly, "From what Henry said she probably acted in panic thinking you were going to hurt Orion. The team knows you and knows that you wouldn't hurt anyone without reason but she does not."
"As for why she didn't stop Orion, if she is a telepath or an empath she may have known from the beginning that Orion was not acting rationally. If she is a high class telepath she may have worried about harming him with her powers as well." the Professor offered.
Cyclops who had kept silence for most of the exchange said his peace, "In short, we could have two emotionally unstable people, one of them who is `possibly' a telepath running loose in this house. I say we should monitor them closely."
Logan was about to growl at Cyclops when he heard the Professor's voice, "Scott, this must be handled delicately. We are dealing with two individuals who have been slaves for their entire lives. If we make them feel trapped we could make things worse. Aside from that we have no reason not to trust them after they saved Logan, Bishop and Gambit. Not to mention that it was at great cost to themselves. I am giving them complete run of the house and I am asking you four for your cooperation in making them feel welcome. We are going to earn their trust if we can."
Scott was seeing the wisdom in Professor Xavier words and did not protest further. Jean, Henry and Logan nodded as well. Xavier turned back to the window that he had wandered away from during the discussion saying, "Another thing I wanted to bring up with you is the fact that Jubilee and Gina are coming here for the summer. Emma and Sean need a vacation and so do the students."
"Good. That would be very convenient considering that Jubilee needs her yearly physical soon." Henry stated.
Professor Xavier also added, "While they are here they will still need to work on their skills. Wolverine, I'd appreciate it if you would work with Jubilee in the Danger Room once a week. Also, I would appreciate it Jean if you would work one on one with Gina on her telepathic abilities. I will do some work with her as well but I think the experience would do you both some good."
Wolverine noticed the uneasiness in Jean's face at the mention of working with Gina. It was common knowledge that Gina was Rachel's clone* and that was what made it the most difficult for everyone.
*She's a good kid who needs some guidance for Pete's sake. Why don't they just give her a chance.* Logan groaned within himself.
"Under the circumstances Professor, how wise is that?" Scott asked. During all the comotion he had completely forgotten that the two girls were coming home for the summer break. He wasn't worried about Jubilee so much as he was Gina. Gina, being a young telepath, could be easily influenced by Andromeda's unstable emotional state.
"Why should we change our plans? We've already decided that we should treat Andromeda and Orion as our guests. Aside from that, we have already made the arrangements with Emma and Sean." Professor Xavier reasoned.
Henry offered, "We should have Bobby go and pick them up today before it gets much later. Would you rather that we wait until tomorrow Professor?"
"No Henry," the Professor agreed, "that sounds like a good idea."
Professor Xavier went over to his desk and pressed the intercom, "Mr. Drake, would you please report to the study."
End of Chapter 8
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reference to "Dream Weaver" by Alicia McKenzie. If you haven't read that or "A Laying on of Hands" by Sarah Crauder you might want to read them for the background information. (Aside from that, they are excellently written.)