Chapter 88: Chapter 88: En Route to Cairo
While speaking, Marcus used his transmission power to help Logan rebuild his fragmented consciousness.
Though Logan was currently beast-like, it was only because his memories were deeply buried. If those memories could be retrieved, Logan would recover his humanity.
The transmission power spread throughout Logan's mind, gradually bringing memory fragments to the surface.
"AAAHH!!!"
The sudden flood of memories caused Logan intense pain. He thrashed wildly, claws extended, destroying the experimental facility around him.
Alarms blared as soldiers rushed in with weapons drawn. They found a feral Logan and the mutilated corpse of Stryker lying on the ground with his head nearly torn off. Without hesitation, they opened fire.
Though Logan didn't have a steel body, Stryker's experiments had replaced his entire skeleton with adamantium. Bullets ricocheted off his skull in showers of sparks.
The gunfire provided Logan a channel to vent his pain. He charged toward the soldiers.
Letting the bullets strike him without effect, Logan retaliated with savage fury. His adamantium claws pierced and tore through the soldiers one by one.
As the killing continued, the facility's personnel dwindled, and Logan's memories became increasingly clear.
Gradually, his attacks became less bestial and more coordinated. His killing efficiency improved as his humanity returned.
After the last soldier fell, Logan stiffened and collapsed to the ground.
He gasped for breath as memories continued to flood back into his consciousness.
Suddenly, a trace of energy emanated from his body, gradually condensing into Marcus's form.
"Well, how does it feel having new hardware?"
Marcus leaned against the wall with a smile. The last time they'd met was in the future of 2023, when Logan hadn't recognized him due to amnesia.
Looking up at Marcus, Logan smiled.
"You're still alive!"
When Marcus had seemingly died in the explosion years ago, Logan had grieved. But one day, he realized that Marcus's death had been as abrupt as his appearance.
Since then, he'd suspected Marcus might still be alive somewhere.
Now Marcus stood before him, confirming his suspicion.
"My situation is... complicated to explain. I'll tell you when we have time."
As he finished speaking, Marcus noticed Logan's expression change, as if he were listening to something.
Logan's face grew solemn. He rose from the ground and turned to Marcus.
"Can you hear it? Charles is broadcasting using his telepathy."
Seeing Marcus's blank expression, Logan remembered that Marcus was essentially a mutant ability insulator—no powers could affect him.
"Charles has been captured. He's warning everyone to protect those who are vulnerable."
"Is that all?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was something important. I already know he was captured, and I even know who's behind it."
Normally, Charles couldn't project his telepathy across such a vast range without Cerebro.
But now he was in Apocalypse's grasp. With Apocalypse acting as a power amplifier, such a feat would be possible.
"Let's go. I doubt Charles can hold out much longer."
Marcus turned toward the hangar. Charles was an old friend—he couldn't let him die. Besides, he was curious to meet the so-called ancestor of mutants.
They found a fighter jet in the hangar and prepared for takeoff. Logan grabbed a flight suit—he was still naked, and charging into battle that way wouldn't be ideal.
Soon they were airborne, leaving the experimental base behind. Marcus recalled that Apocalypse had been a pharaoh, and his resurrection ceremony had taken place near a pyramid.
That meant Egypt, in Africa.
They flew at high speed, occasionally exchanging stories about their experiences over the years.
...
"I received a message from the Professor!" Jean announced urgently.
"We all did," Kurt replied, his blue skin contrasting with his serious expression.
Everyone had heard Charles's telepathic warning. They were about to face a powerful enemy, and the Professor had asked them to protect humanity.
"No, he sent something specifically to me. He's in Cairo!"
Jean could barely contain her excitement. They'd been desperate to save the Professor but hadn't known his location. Now she had precise coordinates.
"Cairo?"
Moira's expression shifted as realization dawned.
"Of course—why didn't I think of it? He was awakened in Cairo."
The group quickly made their decision. The students would remain safely at the academy while Hank and the others took the X-Jet to Cairo.
Moira wanted to join them but was overruled. Magda and Nina, comforted by Raven, would also stay behind at the academy to await their return.
Shortly after, a sleek aircraft took off from the school grounds, accelerating toward Cairo.
Aboard the plane, Pietro glanced at Raven sitting beside him.
"I saw you on TV," he said cautiously. "Are you good friends with... um... him?"
Though he now knew Magneto was his biological father, he still felt awkward calling him "father."
"Once, yes. We formed a team of mutant agents—the X-Men."
Raven smiled as she spoke. Those were her most cherished memories.
"X-Men? I think my brother mentioned that. Who were you all?"
Scott Summers, wearing his ruby quartz glasses, looked at Raven with curiosity. Alex had told him stories when he was younger, but he'd always thought they were just that—stories.
"You've already met those of us who survived. The others... didn't make it. I couldn't save them."
Though her tone remained steady, tears formed whenever she recalled the autopsy reports she'd seen.
Those mutants Angel Salvadore and Armando Muñoz 'Darwin' dismembered by Trask had been her comrades, her friends, her family.
"It's okay, Raven. At least we're still here, aren't we?"
Hank spoke from the pilot's seat. They were the last remaining members of the original X-Men, and he shared her grief for their fallen companions.
Trask had been captured, and relations between humans and mutants had remained relatively stable for a decade. As a mutant hero, Raven had made an indelible contribution.
"Yes, we're still here!"
Alex smiled from his seat. Though they had lost friends, the X-Men endured.
"You're still our hero," Jean added softly. "You changed our destiny."
Mutants worldwide regarded Raven as their champion—she had proven to humanity that not all mutants were villains.
"Yeah," Raven nodded with a faint smile.
Her friends and family remained. She had to preserve this warmth at all costs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more than 60 chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~