Message-ID: <44791asstr$1066273808@assm.asstr-mirror.org> From: Gambit367@aol.com X-Original-Message-ID: <29.49d88be1.2cbf50c4@aol.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 21:39:16 EDT Subject: {ASSM} Weapon-X: Cougar 2/? (teen mf rom slow) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 23:10:08 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/44791> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, hecate <1st attachment, "Weapon-X-2.doc" begin> Weapon-X: Cougar By Gambit Chapter Two I'm losin' my damn fool mind, that's what I'm doin', Mason thought as he walked beside, and slightly behind, the man known as Logan. He thought the guy was nice enough, but he still didn't trust him completely. He wasn't the type that people trusted quickly. In his views, trust was something to be earned, not given. Jean had given him a navy blue sweatshirt, which he accepted because he had no clue where his shirt went. She had also given him a new pair of sweatpants, and he had to where the damn things because his pants were packed with blood. Jean seemed like a nice lady, but that still didn't explain why he didn't ask where the front door was as soon he was out of the lab. The lab . . . God, was he glad to be out of that place. He was getting more confused by the minute. When he walked out of the lab, it looked like he was in a military bunker. But when they stepped out of the elevator that Logan had led him to . . . "What the hell is this place?" he asked without thinking. Logan smirked at the boy, remembering the first time he had been here. "It's a school, kid. Fer mutants," The boy just arched an eyebrow at him. "Relax, kid. Yer safe here." At least Chuck's not in his head like he was mine, Logan thought with amusement. "Name's Mason. Use it." Mason was suddenly very aware of how much he hated being called kid. Logan grunted and grinned inwardly as they walked. If truths were told, he was beginning to like the kid even if he did try to stab Jean. The kid had guts. Not many people stood up to him like that. Logan liked that. He knew that Mason wasn't the type to take shit off anyone, and he definitely liked that. Too many people at the mansion walked on eggshells around him, not that he hated that. In fact, it amused him a lot. However, it was nice to have someone talk to him without them being nervous that he was about to rip off their head and piss and their throat. He watched Mason move out of the corner of his eyes. The kid moved with very light and quiet steps. His head was held high and there was no fear in his eyes. Logan could tell that he was more confused and curious than scared at the moment, anyway. The kid's tags were an anomaly to Logan. Where his said Wolverine, the kid's said Cougar. And had a serial number under the name, just like his. The tags were piquing his curiosity something fearsome, but he held his questions. He would get the answers he wanted when the kid was more relaxed. <'Logan?> The Professor's voice echoed in his head, making him stop in his tracks and growl. He hated people in his head. Mason stopped as well. <'Yeah?> he sent back in an impatient tone. <'Are you on your way to my office with our visitor? Jean told me what happened,'> Xavier replied with a calm voice. He was quite used to Logan's temperament. <'We're ten feet from your damn door, so get outta my head.'> <'Then I will expect you soon,'> he replied once more, sounding amused, and finally leaving Logan's mind. The amusement that he heard in Xavier's voice led him to believe that the man sometimes just used telepathy to annoy him. Mason watched all this with stoic features. Then watched as Logan motioned him to walk again. "What was that about?" he asked in a gravelly voice. It sounded quite odd coming from someone so young. His sensitive hearing picked up Logan's mutter. "Damn telepaths." Mason just nodded, not replying. They better stay the hell out of my head, he thought with a scowl of his own. Mason kept walking several feet until Logan stopped in front of a large brown door. A wave of nervousness swept over Mason and he didn't know why. Then Logan looked at him, giving a twitch of a smile. Feeling the nervousness in his stomach subside a little, he felt better. Strange. "Chuck ain't gonna bite ya, k Mason." Logan just barely caught himself from calling the boy "kid". And the little son of a bitch is smirking at me, he then thought, a growl resonating from his chest. "Please come in." They both heard the voice from the other side of the door. Mason looked at Logan with a small glint in his eye. "First day here and it feels like I'm bein' sent to the principal's office." "Ya'are . . . In a way," Logan commented, amused. He had to let a full-fledged grin spread across his face when he opened the door because of the mutter Mason gave. "Let him try and pull out a paddle." Mason walked into the office and his first thought was simple. For a principal, the fucker sure seems rich. The office was very plush with a large leather couch and a very big oak desk, at which the man known as Chuck sat behind. There was also a table with a chessboard set up on it near the corner. Mason looked at the bald man that was sitting behind the desk. Once again, he wondered why he was bothering to see this man. Why doesn't he just leave? Then a thought came unbidden. And go where? Truth was that he couldn't remember anything but the fight in the forest. Well, he could remember his name. That was all. Nothing else. I don't even remember where the hell I came from. "Hello, young man. My name is Charles Xavier and I'm very sure that you have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer what I can. Please, have a seat," Charles Xavior said, waving to the two chairs in front of the rather large desk. Xavier was a little perplexed. Normally, he could sense another person with his mind, easily in fact. However, as far as his telepathic abilities were concerned, this young man didn't even exist. There wasn't a trace of anything. The only reason he knew the young man was there was for the fact that he saw him with his own two eyes. Mason took a seat, as did Logan, but he sat off to the far corner. Xavier began to speak again. "Would you mind telling me your name?" He stared at the man for a hard second before he spoke. He was trying to get a read on the man. This 'Charles Xavior' was obviously the one in charge. All of his senses told him the man held no ill intent towards him, but he had question he wanted an answer to before the Professor gave him a *quiz*. "Where am I?" His voice was gruff. Mason really intended to sound more polite, but, because of his confusion, the Animal Within was starting to stir. Not enough to get out of hand, but just enough to put him on edge, not to mention on guard. Xavier looked over at Logan, who was obviously smirking and remembering his first visit with him. "You are at my School. It is called Charles Xavior's School for the Gifted. However, the children affectionately call it Mutant High." Charles gave off an affectionate look at the mention of the children. Mason didn't miss it. His senses already told him that this man was good in his heart and cared about his students. He gave a little, short nod at the answer. Then arched an eyebrow, as if telling him to go on. Xavior gave a sigh. And I thought Logan had the tough act down, he thought humorously. "It is also a place that takes in children that have no where to go because of their mutant abilities." He paused, clearing his throat. "Now, if you do not mind, would you please tell me your name?" The green-eyed boy thought it over for less than two seconds before he came to a decision. "Mason Creed." After he got out his name, Mason watched with a very high level of apprehension and curiosity as Xavior's brow creased and his lips formed a frown, but it was gone within a second. Out of the corner of his eye, he also saw Logan go deathly still. His face masked in not one emotion, but his eyes were hard. As if he were thinking about something (or someone) that he didn't like very much or down right hated. Mason was at a loss. Had he done something to them and not remembered it? He knew that it was entirely possible. Hell, for all he knew, he could have killed one of Chuck's students and not even remember it. Now that got to him. Both of the men in the room could be potential enemies wanting revenge. Chuck's silence and Logan's sudden stillness made the Animal Within want to stretch its claws. Mason's knuckles started to itch, his claws wanting to pop out by instinct alone. The muscles in his body were tensing because of the tension in the room. "Problem, Chuck?" he asked with a carefully controlled voice and a level stare. "Nothing, it could just be a coincidence," he stated, looking at the tense boy in front of him. He looked, for the entire world, like he was ready to spring into a fight at any moment. "At any rate, I know you do not know us very well, but I would like to ask you a rather large favor." Coincidence? What the hell is he talking about? Mason thought as he gave Xavier a blank look. Xavier took the silence as permission to ask. He didn't even know if it would work since he could not even sense him when he entered the compound, let alone his office. "I would like to enter your mind to make sure of something," Charles saw the glint of violence form in Mason's green eyes and rushed ahead. "I assure you, I mean you no harm whatsoever. I think you know that." Mason's nose twitched slightly. He couldn't smell or hear any ill intent, and his instincts didn't prickle at the question. Even though he couldn't remember anything about himself, he somehow knew that he could trust those instincts. He glanced at Logan, but there was no help there. It was as if Logan was awaiting Chuck's findings. Mason would never know why he did what he did next, but he did it. The boy gave his nod of consent. Losin' my damn fool mind, his thoughts repeated for the second time that day. Xavier gave a sigh of relief as he wheeled his electric wheelchair around his desk and towards Mason. Mason flinched back instinctively when Xavier tried to reach out and touch his head. However, he also conceded quickly and let the bald man do as he pleased. The Professor was more than pleased that he could delve into the boy's memories, what there was of them. All the boy could remember was the forest outside the school. He was running from a mutant. One that looked a lot like Victor Creed, but his fur was a deep shade of black. There was a fight, the boy got in an amazing amount of hits, but in the end, he lost. The rest was his memory the blackness of sleep (or near death) cascading over him from loss of blood. That and the nightmares; nightmares that were very similar to Logan's. He also found the boy was terribly afraid of what he called "The Animal Within". Like Logan, he almost considered it a sentient being that dwelled within him. Mason also thought on a subconscious level that he shouldn't be around people because of his mutation. Hmm. The Professor sat back with a half relieved and half-sad sigh. Relieved because Mason, as far as the boy knew, had nothing to do with Victor Creed. Sad, because of the way the boy thought of himself. Logan's body relaxed as he saw the relieved look in Chuck's eyes. He was pretty sure the boy didn't have any agenda against the X-Men. His instincts would have told him otherwise. However, it was nice to get confirmation from a telepath. Logan really did like the kid. Although, he couldn't even tell you why. Maybe it was just because Mason reminded him of himself, a little. That was a scary thought. Mason could feel the tension in the room go down to almost nonexistent, but his didn't. This is the part where he kicks me out. You don't put a wolf in a flock of sheep, he thought bitterly. The thought confused him. Why the hell should I care? I don't even know these people. "So?" he asked with impassive facial features, like whatever the Professor said next wouldn't bother him one bit. Xavier stared at Logan for a moment. Logan's eyes lost focus as if he were having a conversation with someone telepathic, then he nodded. The professor gave Logan a brief smile then turned his attention towards the boy again. Professor Xavier was not a stupid man. He knew that Mason had the potential to be a very dangerous individual. However, he also knew the boy needed help. Mason awaited the worst. "I have a proposition for you, Mason," the Professor stated, wheeling back to the other side of his desk. Mason gave him a look that told him to go on. "I want you to stay at the school. We could help you in many ways." Mason looked shocked for all but a second. "I'm not a charity case," he growled out, preparing to stand and leave. "Mason," the Professor started, before the boy could turn to leave. "It would not be charity. If you would like, I'm sure there are many things we could come up with for a young man such as yourself to do to help out." Pausing, Mason looked at the Professor, seeming almost interested. The fact was that it was all an act. He really wanted to stay, but his pride would not let him be a charity case. "Like what?" This was asked neutrally. "Anything from helping Logan with his self-defense class," Logan just grunted his assent to this. "Or helping out in the kitchen. The choice is yours. However, you will be required to attend at least four classes a day." The professor cut his class schedule in half because he knew that the boy very much disliked being around people, and until he got the animal under control . . . "Why are you doing this?" Mason asked, curiosity marring his gruff voice. "It is what we do, and we will also try to help you control what you call 'The Animal Within,'" the Professor responded in a kind voice. He did not miss the flash of hope that was in the boy's eyes, but it died quickly. He hides his emotions far too much for one so young. Mason stood stalk still for close to a thirty seconds, thinking. Could they help? Maybe. Maybe not. But I guess I ain't gonna find out unless I give'em a shot. With those thoughts, he made up his mind. "Alright, I'll stay. But if I don't like it, I'm gone." The words were tough, but his voice was a tad softer than usual. That was the only way the young man really knew how to show he was grateful. The Professor nodded and looked at Logan. Logan nodded back with a scowl. He really did hate people in his head. "C'mon, Cougar. Let's get ya to yer room." "Why'd ya call me that?" "'Cause I hate the name Mason, and I sure as hell ain't gonna call ya Creed," Logan growled out the name 'Creed' with an edge that could cut like a razor. Then his eyes twinkled a bit. "Would you rather I call you 'Kid'?" Mason blatantly flipped him off, which caused a wicked grin to appear on Logan's face. What Professor Xavier did not tell the young man was that he was putting him in the teachers' wing of the school. He was fully intending to have Logan spend as much time with the boy as possible. If anyone understood the Animal Within, it was Wolverine. What had surprised the Professor, though, was how quickly Logan had agreed to work with him. Generally, Wolverine hated working with anyone that age; save Rogue. He also knew that if the boy were anything like Logan, he would be up all hours through the night especially with those nightmares. The Professor really did hope that everything would work out for Mason. He also had a secret hope that the boy would be a calming influence on Logan. The man just had bad manners. *************************** "This is it, Cougar. Yer room as long as ya kin put up with the rest of the lot," Logan said with a dry chuckle, thinking about what 'the rest of the lot' would think about the young Cougar here. Truthfully, Logan could fully understand why Chuck put him in the Teachers' Wing. He knew for a fact that the boy didn't have the temperament to put up with most teenage mentality. "The Professor told me to tell ya that he's sorry that it's a bit bare. But Marie and Jubes will be here to fix that real quick like, as soon as they finish their classes," Logan added as he walked further into the room. "But that won't be fer a few hours." A bit bare?! Mason thought wildly as he walked around the room. He checked out everything in the room. It had a queen-sized bed, its own bathroom and a nightstand beside the bed. Not to mention the bookshelf on the far wall. Although, it had no books in it. He didn't care what Chuck said; it was still far more than adequate for him. Hell on a crutch, that guy must be loaded. He watched as Logan walked over to the bed and sat down on it; absentmindedly rubbing a space between his first and second knuckle. Mason knew the feeling; he felt like doing it in Chuck's office. Just then, what Logan said hit him. Someone was coming to fix the problem of this place being bare. However, before he could say anything, Logan opened his mouth and spoke again and what he said made Mason's blood run cold. "Ya know, I cain't remember a damn thing about my past either," he started, still rubbing his knuckles. Damn it! I ain't used to this talkin' shit. At least not with anybody but Marie. "I've been searchin' fer my past fer fifteen long damn years." He looked Mason directly in the eyes. "Anythin' ya could tell me about what ya remember might help a lot, Cougar." Mason didn't object to the name Cougar. In fact, it was starting to grow on him. There was a desk against the wall that had a chair under it. Mason pulled out the chair and turned it around so the back of it was in front of him and his arms were resting on top of it. He hated talking about his dreams, but in truth, that was all he remembered, save the forest and his name. "The only things I remember are my nightmares and . . . Well, it'd be safe to say that I don't like talkin' about'em." He replied in a very quiet voice. It was almost subdued, all gruffness gone. Logan looked at him with a sad smile and got up to leave. Mason spoke before he could, though. "But you gave me a chance in that lab, so I owe ya. I pay my debts. Siddown." Mason's head was bowed when he spoke, as if in deep thought. No one would believe a fifteen-year-old looking kid would order the Wolverine like that, but neither of them even noticed. Logan did as he said and waited. He could tell it was painful for the kid to talk about it. Hell, he knew that it was always painful for him to talk about, or even think about, his nightmares. He could imagine what it would be like for a teenager. Even one as steely as the one in front of him. Mason began to speak in such a quiet voice, that if Logan didn't have sensitive hearing, he wouldn't have caught it all. "The pain always starts out simple, nothing but a prick of a needle in yer arm. But when whatever was in the needle hits you're blood stream, you'd swear by God that it was nothing but liquid fire." "The pain is so bad that you hardly feel the scalpels slicing through your skin. But, oh, you do recognize it when they start fuckin' with your bones. Grafting the metal with bone. That's an odd feeling. Hot and cold at the same time . . . But always painful. You go through this for months. Then you hear the laughter. The congratulations. The scientists tappin' the glass and sayin' you are the perfect weapon." As Logan was listening, his hands were squeezed into fists, knuckles stark white. He could feel the animal scream in blind fury of what those bastards did to this kid. And he knew everything the kid said was true. It was the same thing that happened to him. Logan finally held up his hand to stop the kid from telling any more details of the pain. He had to, or else he would have lost it. He watched as Mason stopped and then he spoke. "Do you remember a specific detail? One that could help me *track* the fuckers." Mason looked off into space for a full thirty seconds before he spoke. "Most of them were just wearing lab coats. Some had on guard uniforms. Hardly any of them had any identifying marks. But one did. He was wearing a blue jacket; I could see it from the water tank I was floating in. It had the letters H.O.H. stenciled on the back of the jacket. Whatever that means." He watched as Logan's eyes grew as hard as granite and a very loud growl escaped him. "Oh yeah. I know what that means. Helpers of Humanity. It's an off-shoot of another mutant hatin' group." He got up and started pacing. Mason watched as Logan visibly tried to control the rage within. It took him five minutes to succeed, but he did it. "Listen, Cougar. Rogue, that's Marie, and Jubes will be by pretty soon. I gotta go talk to Chuck." With that, Logan walked out of the room before Mason could say anything. Not that he was going to. He wasn't exactly the talkative type. Or at least he was pretty sure that he wasn't. "That went over like tree sap in winter," He muttered to himself. Then remembered what Logan said. He was going to have company. "Shit." ********************************* Mason lay on his bed and just stared at his ceiling for almost two hours. Trying not to think of anything. His thoughts always seemed to come, though, and with them, there were worries. He was actually worried that whoever was coming wasn't going to like him. For some reason, even though he didn't know his past, that just didn't seem right. He seemed more like the type not give a damn. Mason looked down at the blue sweatshirt he was given and automatically decided that he hated the damn thing. He got curious and walked to the dresser that was in the room. He opened up a drawer and discovered he was in luck. There were t-shirts. He stripped the sweater off and grabbed a t-shirt, finding out quickly that it was a medium. When he put it on, the damn thing was skintight. Damn. Well, at least it's better than that damn sweater, he thought, glancing at the mirror. The blasted shirt showed off every curve of muscle he had and he didn't feel like showing off, especially at a school. ::: Knock. Knock.::: Mason growled and said a few more curse words while he glanced at the mirror for barely a second. His light blond hair was wild and unkempt, and for the first time he really noticed how wild his eyes looked. I really don't need some fuck nut visitors, he thought with a scowl, jerking the door open only to have his whole demeanor change. He was one to appreciate beauty after all. ******************** Oh mah god. He's more cut than mah Logan, Rogue thought as she looked at the boy she found in the forest earlier that day. He was half-dead then, but he looked very, very much alive now. She was a little glad that she didn't bring Jubilee along with her. Well, it really wasn't her choice; Jubilee said that she had to be on fashion detail. Meaning one of her friends had a hot date and she was giving advice on fashion. Rogue noticed the tags that the boy was wearing over his very tight t-shirt. They were almost like the ones that she was still wearing around her neck. Then she noticed that she was looking at more than the tags like the chest behind them. She blushed, deep crimson, and in an attempt to regain some composer, she stuck out her hand. "Mah name is Rogue. Pleased to meet ya, sugah." Mason looked at the girl who was blushing very prettily he thought with an amused smile. He sniffed discreetly and smiled. She used vanilla shampoo. He thought that the white streak through her hair made her look all that more alluring. "Name's Cougar." Was all he said though, opening the door wider, so as Rogue could come in. If this girl wants to use code names, I can go for that. Rogue walked into the room, regaining some of her confidence. His eyes are just as wild as Logan's, she thought with a smile as she looked around the room. "Tha Prafessa was right. This room here is bare. Ya should be glad he sent me." She gave him the cutest grin. Mason would have rolled his eyes at someone else calling the room bare, because he thought the room was perfect, but he didn't. That was for one reason that cute smile the girl gave him. He wanted to see her smile like that again. "Look at what ah got," she explained, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a Master Card. "A charge card. Me'n you are goin' shoppin'," she stated, waving the card before his eyes. Mason took a step back. A low growl escaped his lips just at the thought of going to a public place. "I don't shop, Darlin'." He stopped and blinked at the endearment he used. What the fuck am I thinking? He even thinks like Logan! She didn't know whether or not to be scared or thrilled, but it was something to think about. "Well, ya do now, sugah." That's when the girl did something that Mason would never forget. She grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door. He knew for a fact that if anyone else had tried that, he would have likely ripped their arm out of its socket. Mason was so shocked he let the girl with the white streak of hair drag him out of his room. Aw hell. Maybe I can learn a little more about this brown-eyed beauty if I go, he rationalized. Mason didn't know why, but something just drew him to this girl. ********************* "That's an ugly frown for someone so pretty." The sound of Logan's voice made Jean almost jump out of her skin. She was so engrossed with what the computer was reading out, her telepathic abilities never picked up Logan walking into the room. Jean looked at Logan, then back at the screen of the computer. "You're never going to believe this . . ." Logan's brow furrowed. He didn't know if he wanted to hear anymore bad news today. The professor basically explained to him that there was no telling how long Mason had been in captivity. (Fancy word for lab rat, if you asked Logan.) However, he did promise that he would have his contacts look into it. Logan guessed that was all he could ask of the man. He still wanted to go hunt the bastards, though. He also knew that he had to hear it. Just before he could say anything, he heard Chuck's chair just outside the door. A moment later, he saw the man come through the door. "You called me, Jean?" the Professor asked in a pleasant voice. "Yes Professor, I thought that you would like to take a look at this yourself. They're the DNA statistics of Mason's blood," she replied, still frowning. "And beside them are Victor Creed's." "Oh my . . .," the Professor let out with a soft sigh. "Yes. Mason Creed is indeed Victor Creed's son." Logan just growled. It wasn't from dislike of the boy, no, he still liked the boy. It was for Sabertooth. It ain't right for a boy to have a father like that. "That's not all. Take a look at this, Professor." With a few key strokes, Jean brought up a new screen. This is one of various DNA sequences and there meanings. She looked at Logan and spoke in Laymen terms. "He can charge inanimate objects and make them explode on impact. I need more time to figure out the rest of the sequences. I've never seen them before." The Professor just shook his head, a little amazed. There were not many mutants that were gifted with more than one ability. It seemed that the boy had the ability to shield himself from being discovered and a couple of others. "Ya mean like the Cajun." Logan scowled, thinking of the boy everyone called Remy. The boy charged playing cards and made them explode. All the girls swooned over the boy, but he just flat out got on Logan's nerves, kid or not. "Yes, like Remy." She turned to look at the Professor then. "He wasn't born with the ability to hide from Telepaths and be able to charge inanimate objects, Professor. His only natural mutations are his Healing Factor and Heightened Senses." "It seems as if someone had plans for our young Mason Creed," the Professor murmured softly. Logan merely grunted. "I'll be the one to tell the boy. He might not take it well." <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. The post was sent as an email attachment and has been converted by ASSTR ASSM moderation software. ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+