Chapter 3
"Watch your six, soldier!"
"We're getting overrun, here! We need reinforcements, now!"
"Shit, this operation is fucked! Fall back!"
Nathan stared at the battlefield that spanned for miles before him, standing still in shock and confusion. Hadn't he been rescuing children a minute ago? But this seemed so real... His eyes snapped to the right when he heard the pained cries of a fallen comrade-in-arms. Moving on instinct, Nathan rushed to the fallen man's side, sliding to his knees as he lay suppressing fire at the enemy - mechanized organisms that had at one point been alive; possibly a next-door neighbor or close friend at some point. But this techno-organic virus that had originated in him had been taken and adapted by power-hungry people, idiots who thought that they could control it and weaponize the virus. But now, they were at war with it; it only consumed and ravished everything alive in its path toward what remained of civilization.
His bullets hit their marks with deadly preciseness; Nathan could not afford to miss this close to the enemy. When he had cleared enough room, he turned his attention to the injured soldier gasping below him. Nathan lifted the man with one hand, throwing the man's uninjured shoulder over his own, and he half-carried, half-dragged the man back to the rest of his retreating battalion, turning around to fire at a TO victim that got too close. To his near left, an artillery shell dropped, sending him sprawling to the right and wrenching the man out of his grasp.
Nathan groaned, blinking rapidly to expel the ashes that had risen off of the ground from the blast. His vision was blurry, and there was a persistent ringing in his left ear where the shell had detonated. He turned to the right, scanning the ground to see where the injured soldier had been thrown away, closer to the battleline.
When he found the man, meters away from where Nathan struggled to get on his knees, they both made eye contact for one split second; and while that may not have been very long, it was all the time that both men needed to feel each other's pain and anxiety in the situation. Nathan drunk in the fear and pain that resonated in the depths of the man's dark eyes, the army helmet covering the majority of his face. Nathan's helmet had been displaced a long time ago, but he took no notice of this as he struggled to get up, ready to leap at the man and carry him back to the battalion, back to the base, back to safety.
Back to this man's home, or the place that he called home. Did he live in the same city that Nathan lived in with his family? Did this man have an "Aliya" of his own, or a "Hope"? Did he have people waiting for him to come home, people who depended on him, and loved him? He didn't even know this man's name!
But then again, Nathan did know already, didn't he? Nathan had given this man his name when they first met and received his in return: Alex. He remembered being invited to dinner by Alex and meeting his wife, Rachel, and their children. Their son, Patrick, would have been ten by now; and the daughter, Alice, would have been the same age as Hope was, seven. They went to school together and were in the same class. They had been brothers-in-arms ever since Nathan first joined the army as a teenager; fighting alongside together in a battle much like this. Only, they had both escaped with their lives and laughed to tell the tale.
This time, only one of them left alive.
"No!" Nathan shouted, voice hoarse from the dry air. He raised his hand, still fallen on his knees as he watched helplessly at the scene before him. Alex's cries of terror and pain sounded out as the machines leaped upon him; tearing at his eyes, his throat; until it was eerily quiet. That kind of silence that eats away at your gut, the kind that you feel walking down a dark alley in the city at night and makes you want to turn around and check that nothing is chasing you.
Nathan stared in disbelief at the mangled corpse of his best friend, feeling arms pulling him backward. "No," he muttered slowly, shaking himself from his dazed state. "No, no! Alex!" Nathan cried out. Oh god, what was he going to tell Rachel?
One week later, one week of telling Alex's family about his fate and staying with them to offer his comfort; Nathan found himself back in the barracks, eyes hardened, and resolve firm. He shouldered his gun, leaving to join the others in their daily exercises.
He kept a picture of Alex where he kept the other pictures of former friends fallen in battle. A shrine dedicated to the fallen.
When would his time come?
Nathan gasped, jolting upright in a sitting position as if someone had electrified him. To his right, he could hear the beeping sounds of a heartrate monitor, and he blinked the lingering thoughts of the nightmare away.
When he opened his eyes again and calmed himself down, Nathan found himself in what appeared to be a sterilized hospital room, with medical equipment hooked up to him to read his vitals. Someone had taken off his clothes (which were nowhere to be seen, much to his annoyance) and covered him with a medical gown. Groaning as he swung his legs off the side of the stretcher, Nathan roughly pulled off the pads attached to his arms, pausing when he felt a strong and sharp pain coming from his stomach. The memories of what had transpired before he passed out hit him like a sledgehammer, and he panicked, jumping off the stretcher.
Instead of standing on his feet, his knees crumbled like jelly, and he fell to the ground. Ignoring the handicap, Nathan pushed himself to his knees, and then onto his feet again, leaning on the bed as he stood up again, regaining his stability. Eyeing the door with determination, Nathan shuffled toward the exit, shoving it open and looking outside.
He was in an unfamiliar area, the hallways in the are were unlike the wooden walls that adorned the friendly environment of Xavier's School. This place had walls reinforced with cold steel and a pale floor, reminding Nathan of the facility that he had taken the kids out of. Did I escape or was I left behind?
Nathan hissed, clutching at his stomach as he pulled back the gown to view his injury. The white gauze that was secured over his bullet wound was now sporting a red splotch in the middle that was slowly growing bigger and bigger. If the circumstances were better, Nathan would have taken the time to secure himself and make sure he didn't bleed out, but he was in unfamiliar territory and unsafe. Grinding his teeth together through the pain, Nathan leaned against the wall for support as he continued down the hallway.
He came across a circular door and thinking it was a potential exit, Nathan moved forward to open it. However, when he got close to it, the door opened automatically, startling him. He could hear sounds of fighting coming from within it, and fearing that the kids were at risk, Nathan ran in without a second thought.
When he ran through the door, he blinked. He was standing in a lush forest, ferns growing up and reaching his chest. He squinted, looking ahead and seeing the X-Men themselves: Scott leading the others as they fought two large robots. Nathan's heart stopped when he recognized the machines. Sentinels. These machines had also been procured by the same organization that had tried to weaponize his TO virus, and in the future, these machines had been activated by those taken by the TO virus. Nathan had on many occasions fought against these machines.
"Um, Jean, is he supposed to be in here?" A mutant had teleported beside Nathan in a cloud of dark blue smoke, the smoke smelling lightly of sulfur. Nathan coughed, staring at the mutant. He was dark blue with a sword strapped on his back and a thin tail curling behind him. Nathan turned back to the Sentinels and the X-Men; Jean had been swatted out of the air and to the side, rolling through the forestry and hitting a tree. Storm had unleashed a lightning strike on the other one, but it absorbed the contact and then sent an electric current back at her, also taking her out.
Nathan cursed under his breath; it was obvious that the Sentinels were new to the X-Men, even Magneto was having trouble maneuvering his way through the robots' advanced attacks. With the Sentinels, using your mutant powers was a death wish. Nathan turned back to the teleporting mutant beside him, grabbing his sword when he had turned his back to him. Ignoring the mutant's shouts of protest, Nathan ran forward to join the others in their fight.
"What the hell...?" Logan muttered, pushing himself off the ground from a particularly nasty backhand as he watched Cable run through the battlefield toward the Sentinels.
Nathan slid under the Sentinel's swipe in his direction, impaling the sword in the robot's knee when it knelt down to try and intercept Nathan's slide. The kneeling action created a gap in the back of the robot's knee where a vital gas line was. Knowing that this would not take out the Sentinel, Nathan jumped on the sword, using it to climb up the Sentinel's back as it tried to shake him off. Nathan wrapped his arms around the robot's neck, turning around to anticipate the other Sentinel's attack.
The other robot's arm shifted into a narrow blade, and it swiped horizontally at where Nathan was hanging. Before the hit connected, Nathan pulled himself up, standing on the blade as it drove through the first Sentinel's neck, properly deactivating it. He jumped from the second Sentinel's makeshift arm-blade to the robot's shoulder where he got behind the robot. He dangled from the Sentinel in the same manner as the first, using his right arm to wrap around the Sentinel's neck while using his metal hand to punch a hole through the back of the Sentinel's neck. He ripped off the plastic casing of the Sentinel's neck, revealing the power capsule. Nathan reached for the battery, pulling it out with enough force to tear it away from the wiring.
As soon as the power capsule had been removed, Nathan heard the Sentinel power down, swaying dangerously. He pushed all his weight forward and felt the robot tilt in the same direction, bracing himself for the impact. When the robot fell in the dirt, Nathan jumped off it, rolling across the floor.
Nathan panted from the exertion, kneeling in the dirt as he looked up from where he had fallen at the carnage. Magneto removed his helmet, turning to look at Nathan. Knowing who the mutant was, Nathan grinned ferally, a challenge in his eyes. In return, Magneto raised a brow, an amused and intrigued look on his face before turning away.
Scott stormed over to Nathan, the brush shaking wildly from his disruption. "What the hell was that? How did you know how to stop them?" he demanded, hauling Nathan on his feet none too gently.
"Hey," Jean scolded sharply, "that's my patient. He's still recovering. Be gentle."
"Yes, he's still recovering," the bigger blue-furred mutant spoke up from the back. He stared at Nathan, head tilted curiously. "Take note that he also has increased stamina to compensate for the wound."
Nathan could feel the pain of the earlier bullet wound grow back; the adrenaline had muffled the pain for a little bit, and he had forgotten about it until now. He grimaced, resting a hand over the injury site.
"How did you do that?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed in intrigue. "We've been running this simulation for days with no progress."
"Simulation?" Nathan croaked, throat dry. "That's what this was?"
"Well, we sure as hell don't keep a forest in the house!" Scott snapped, growing irritated. "How did you know to go for the neck?"
Nathan held up the power capsule, looking at the remains of what once had been operating Sentinels. "Power capsule located in the neck at the back. Also, if the joints are bent - at the elbows or knees - it leaves an opening to fuel lines. If you clip one, it gives them another five minutes before it dies out, if you can survive that long. We've been trained to go for the neck to eliminate the threat and focus on other... things."
Ororo stared at the Sentinels. "We've run into one for the first time a month ago. They're in the future?"
Nathan scoffed. "Thousands of them. You wanted humans and mutants to coexist together? Nothing like a common threat to unite them for a single cause. I've fought on the front lines against these bastards."
The teleporting mutant that Nathan had stolen the sword from had retrieved his weapon from the Sentinel's knee, looking at the others. "But Sentinels only target mutants. Why would they be a threat to humans?"
Nathan tensed, his left metal arm flexing uncomfortably as a burning reminder. "In the future, there's this virus. It's referred to as the techno-organic virus or the TO virus. It attaches to any living organism and turns all organic material into metal. In the future, some company sharks tried to weaponize this virus without understanding the repercussions; it spread unconditionally. When the TO virus fully consumes a person or animal, it takes over the brain and serves only one purpose; to continue to spread."
”You’re carrying it, aren't you?” the bigger blue mutant asked, gesturing toward Nathan’s exposed metal arm.
Nathan’s right hand lifted to his left shoulder where the metal met the skin. ”Yeah,” he grunted. ”I'm telepathic and telekinetic, and the only reason it isn't spreading is that I'm using my powers to hold it at bay. When I shift my concentration elsewhere, such as conjuring a simple barrier like the one from before, it spreads further.”
Ororo turned to face the same blue-furred mutant that had spoken not too long ago. ”Beast, do you think that you could do something to prevent the spread?”
Beast reached into the pocket of his uniform, retrieving a pair of glasses and placing them on his face. ”If the virus is unable to spread under the influence of telekinetic properties, I could come up with something. It just might take a while.”
”On the more pressing issue,” Jean said with a pronounced voice, ”I’m going to get Cable back to the medical bay and re-bandage his wound.” She lifted Nathan’s arm and draped it over her shoulder, supporting him with a strength that surprised Nathan as she walked him out of the Danger Room, the simulation fading as the room reverted to a blank and empty space.
Nathan groaned as he was gently placed back on the bed he had been lying on moments ago while Jean went to grab the necessary equipment. When she came back, she gave him a warm and gentle smile. ”You know, we thought that you had kidnapped those kids at first. That’s what Deadpool told us, at least.”
Nathan’s head jerked up to look at her with a stunned look on his face. ”Wait, you said that Wade told you that I kidnapped the kids? I told him that I was going to help them look for their friends, and to tell you that I did not kidnap them!”
Jean winced, a smile nevertheless breaking through. ”I'm honestly not surprised. Wade’s mind is... chaotic, to describe it best. He has trouble focusing on one thing at a time. We've found it effective to tell him something important three or more times, to be accommodating.”
Nathan sighed, shaking his head as Jean prepared the needle and thread. ”Why does everyone dislike Wade? Other than the obvious, of course,” he said, adding the last part hastily as an afterthought.
Jean had a contemplative look on her face as she looked off into the distance as if she herself had thought about this for hours on end. ”I wish I had a definite answer to that question, but I honestly don't know. His morals directly clash against ours. He has a personality that not many people have the patience to deal with. But ultimately, Wade is a very difficult person to understand. And as humans have a fear of mutants, we also either fear or don't trust Wade. Simply for the explanation that we don't understand him. You know,” she said, sneaking a smile toward Nathan from the corner of her mouth. ”They don't trust you for the same reason, too.”
Nathan frowned, hissing as the needle made the first pass through the skin. ”They're afraid of me?” he asked, disbelief laced through his voice.
Jean hummed in agreement. ”You’re a stranger from the future with a strange mindset and view on the world. And despite this, you agreed to help Bobby, Kitty, and Marie on their quest so that they wouldn't get themselves killed and managed to pick up two more strays along the way.” She stopped after the stitching was done, padding the area with fresh gauze. ”That tells me two things: One, that you're good with kids; and two, that you're not the rough and grizzled soldier that you claim to be.”
Nathan thought back to the nightmare that had plagued his mind while he slept and after he had woken up. ”You're wrong,” he said to Jean, who was washing her hands. ”I'm still a war-scarred veteran who is plagued by the memories I have. I just remember that in the end, I'm still a human and so is everyone else.”
Jean smiled, a hint of sadness sparkling in her eyes. ”Yes, of course. Before you go, I just wanted to apologize for Scott’s behavior as of late. He's under a lot of stress with recent events and leading the X-Men. He's normally a very kind man.”
Nathan resisted the urge to agree because then he would have to say something stupid along the lines of, ”Yeah, I know. He's my father!”
Jean tilted her head before she turned around, a pile of new and clean clothes in hand as she offered them to Nathan. ”We got these for you and stocked your wardrobe. Something told me that you'd probably like plain tees. The Professor talked to me just now; he wants to talk to you in his office upstairs. Just take the elevator at the end of the hall, okay?”
Nathan wordlessly took the offered clothing, shocked upon hearing everything that they had done for him. ”Right. I'll go after I change,” he said.
Jean smiled once more before she left, opening her mouth for the final time, ”I know that you said you wouldn't be staying for long, but I think you're a good fit for the School and for the students. Think about it.” She turned and walked out, shutting the door securely behind her.
Nathan knocked on the mahogany wood door leading into Xavier’s office wearing the clothes that had been given to him. It was nothing too extravagant or expensive, but he really couldn't care less; a plain light grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans that weren't too tight.
The door opened, revealing a scowling Logan with a cigar in his mouth. ”Get in,” he grunted, puffing smoke as he spoke. Nathan didn't let the smoke bother him -he had smoked every now and then as well - and followed Wolverine into the study where he was greeted by the sight of Xavier sitting in his wheelchair behind the desk.
The Professor looked up, smiling warmly at Nathan. ”Please, sit. Both of you,” he said, gesturing in front of him opposite the desk where there were two empty seats. Nathan took the one on the left, feeling akin to a student sent to the Principal’s office for doing something bad. Logan took the seat on the right, slumping in it comfortably and taking another drag from the cigar.
Xavier spoke up again. ”Jean quickly informed me of what occurred in the Danger Room and what you told them,” he said, fixating his gaze on Nathan. ”I'll have you know that Thank, you know him as Beast, is working on a more permanent solution to the techno-organic virus. I really want mutants to be comfortable with their powers and access their full potential.”
Nathan nodded slowly, unsure of where this conversation was going. ”Um, thanks.”
”I also wanted to express my gratitude for returning all of my students back home safely,” Xavier continued without missing a beat. ”I know that we are all strangers to you, but you still went out of your way to protect children that you didn't know.”
Nathan was still very confused. ”Um, sure. They were about to do something stupid; someone had to supervise them.”
Xavier nodded, turning once to point out a disinterested Logan who was still nursing his cigar. ”You know, you're not the first time-traveling mutant we’ve had. Logan here had at one point sent his conscience back in time to warn Hank and me about a Sentinel threat. We had thought their programming to be rendered obsolete, but they've come back with a vengeance.”
Logan sighed, looking up for the first time. ”What are you getting at, Chuck?”
”Patience, Logan,” Xavier chided before turning his attention back to Nathan. ”When you first came into my office, something about your mannerisms and behavior reminded me of someone. And then, when you revealed your powers, I knew who you were.” He leaned in closer, eyes sparkling with excitement while Nathan was suffering from a mild panic attack, slinking lower into his seat. All while this was happening, Logan was moving his head to look from one person to the other like he was following the ball in a tennis match.
”I think you knew about this place because it's etched in your bloodline. You are a member of our family; you always have been. You,” Charles stated boldly, ”are the son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey.”
Nathan gritted his teeth. Well, what did you expect? The cat’s out of the bag, now. No sense in continuing to lie. ”You're one-for-two one that,” he said calmly.
There was a short pause.
”HoLY sHit!” Logan exploded, standing up suddenly and making his chair tip over.
Xavier held up a hand in a pathetic attempt to placate a pacing Logan. ”Please, Logan. Sit down and listen.”
Nathan continued as Logan threw the chair back on its legs, sitting down and starting at Nathan like he had frown a second head. ”My name is Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, but in the future, I changed it to Nathan Dayspring Askani’son. It's a death wish to share a surname of a famous X-Man,” he explained. ”You only mentioned one of my parents. My father was Cyclops, but my mother technically doesn't exist yet.”
Logan waved his hands. ”Whoa, slow down, bub. You're sayin’ that Cyke didn't marry his sweetheart?”
Nathan pressed onward, ”My mother is Madelyne Prior, a clone of Jean Grey. Jean will be exposed to the Phoenix Force, a cosmic entity of immense power that particularly likes beings with telepathic powers. Jean goes crazy with power, and the Phoenix Force makes her go dark. You, the rest of the X-Men, are forced to kill her. Mr. Sinister, Nathaniel Essex, makes a clone of Jean Grey, Madelyne Prior. However, she doesn't have any powers at all, so he sends her out to the world. She meets Scott, and they fall in love, and I'm born.”
Nathan took a breath. ”But somehow, Jean comes back from the dead, and Scott abandoned Madelyne and me for Jean. We got captured by Sinister, and Apocalypse got involved when my powers manifested. I think that my powers, uninhibited by the TO virus, were no joke. They were the ones who injected me with the TO virus, and to save my life, Scott sent me to the future, hoping that there would be a cure. But by the time I got there, civilization was fucked. And people were afraid of those with metal appendages; I was taken in by the Askani Clan and they taught me to use my powers to keep the virus at bay.”
Charles nodded slowly. ”I understand clearly, now. Thank you for telling me everything, Nathan.”
Logan continued to stare at Nathan like he was a strange animal being exhibited at a zoo, and he tried to ignore the other mutant.
Xavier settled back in his chair. ”Now that you know, Logan, I want you to stay close with Nathan. Help expose him to the others - except for Jean and Scott - and get them to be more friendly with him. There's nothing more I want to be accomplished than for Nathan to be reunited with his family. This is a great example of an opportunity that doesn't happen often.”
Logan blinked once, still starting at Nathan as he walked all the way to the door, closing it firmly behind him.
Charles chuckled fondly, smiling at Nathan. ”You know, I have a feeling that you two will get along better than you will with your father.”
Nathan quirked an eyebrow. ”Is that supposed to make me feel better?” he asked, getting up and heading to the door.
Before he opened the door, Xavier called out, ”Oh, and Nathan? I think Jean mentioned this earlier, but if you want to stay and even teach here, just let me know. It would be a paying job with full accommodations. You are family, after all.”
Nathan didn't turn but paused for a few seconds before he turned the doorknob and walked outside.
Nathan walked through the door, pausing when he saw Logan leaning against the wall to the right. The other mutant was still staring at Nathan oddly as if he was picking him apart and analyzing him piece by piece.
”What the fuck are you looking at?” Nathan snapped crossly, folding his arms.
Logan shook his head slowly. ”There's no way in hell that you're Slim’s kid. Mine, maybe. But he's just so boring and uptight, and you're... not.”
Nathan sighed, starting to walk away. ”Well, I wasn't exactly raised by him, so how would I know?”
Logan winced sympathetically, walking fast to catch up to Nathan. ”Yeah, sounds like you've had a rough life.” He coughed awkwardly before looking at Nathan again. ”And I also can't believe that Scott would marry or be with anyone for that matter without it being Jean.”
Nathan nodded, understanding of Wolverine’s beliefs. ”Although, Jean was dead at the time, and Scott was grieving. Technically, I was a mistake, you know.” He huffed in amusement.
Logan frowned. ”Don’t say that. I already deal with fifteen kids a day who believe the same thing, and they're always wrong. You are not the exception, trust me. I've got a nose for these things.”
”This way,” Logan said, directing Nathan away from his room and towards an unknown area. He led Nathan past the kitchen and dining hall to an office set aside from the other classrooms, knocking on the wood twice.
The door opened, revealing the scrawny blue mutant with the tail that was the only one Nathan did not know. His yellow lamp-like eyes glanced in his direction before settling on Wolverine. ”He’s expecting you two,” he said, beckoning them inside.
Logan huffed. ”Thaks, Kurt.” He walked inside, calling behind him to Nathan following him in, ”That’s Nightcrawler. You already know Beast, and that's Magneto,” he said with a sneer at the last-mentioned mutant.
Nathan cast a wary eye on Magneto, who threw his arms up in exasperation. ”For the last time, Wolverine, I am a friend. Stop painting me out to be otherwise.” He smirked at Nathan who walked toward Beast; ”Pleasure to meet you, Nathan Summers.”
Before Nathan could react, Kurt spoke up from the corner. ”Could you please not say that?” he asked, shivering slightly. ”It’s very weird, meeting Cyclops’ son who just so happens to be slightly taller and older than him.”
Nathan frowned. ”Okay, first of all, I'm 44. There's a lot of stress and pollution in the future; some people’s hair turns pink. Second, are we telling everyone that isn't Jean and Scott? This doesn't exactly scream subtlety, you know.”
Logan shrugged. ”Hey, don't blame the messenger; Charles wanted everyone to know, except for your parents. Well, one of your parents and the genetic map for the creation of your other parent.”
Magneto walked up behind Nathan, settling his hand on his metal shoulder. ”Relax,” he encouraged. ”We won't say anything.”
Nathan shook off his hand angrily. ”Jean is a telepath; how are you going to hide this from her?”
”Oh, no,” Nightcrawler said, waving his hands rapidly. ”Jean doesn't peek in our heads without consent; besides, we know how to hide information.”
Nathan sighed, wringing a hand through his scalp. ”This is fucked,” he muttered under his breath but moved closer to Beast when he motioned Nathan to come closer. ”I'm designing a small device that emits a telekinetic pulse - modeled after Jean Grey's powers - that is solar-powered and doesn't feed off of your powers.” The blueprints displayed a small circular device only a centimeter in diameter. ”We would surgically place this in your neck to protect your brain and send the pulse down your body to block off the rest.”
"So this is supposed to prevent the TO spread?" Nathan narrowed his eyes at the device, not letting false hope cloud his judgment.
Beast huffed. "Theoretically. I'm still working out the kinks and other small details," he explained.
Nathan nodded slowly, muttering a small "thanks" and turning away to follow Logan out of the room. "Do you trust Magneto?" he asked once he had caught up with Logan.
Logan scoffed in derision. "I'd be insane to. We've worked with that slippery son-of-a-bitch before; he's betrayed us every time." He seemed to conjure another cigar from thin air, taking a lighter from his pocket and lighting it. "Don't worry; I've got my eyes on him," he said, voice muffled slightly around the cigar.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan caught sight of red fabric, and he turned around, letting Logan walk ahead. "I'm going to my room and freshen up," he called out, walking toward the dormitories and leaving Logan to walk ahead unconcerned. Nathan narrowed his eyes as he followed the figure he had seen, turning around a corner and calling out as the person was unlocking their door.
"Hey, dumbass!" Nathan scowled. "What the hell did you tell the X-Men?"
Wade yelped at Nathan's sudden appearance, dropping his key onto the floor. "Hey, Cablebear! What brings you here?"
"You do, asshole," Nathan snapped, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall near Wade's door. "Why did you tell them the exact opposite of what I wanted you to say?!"
"Now, let's calm down," Wade said, raising his arms slowly. "To be honest, my brain is like a radio. Sometimes it tunes in to listen, and other times, it's on a whole other wavelength. My brain was not cooperating that night, and I'm sorry for making the X-Men think that you had kidnapped those kids. Can you not kill me? I'd hate to have to regenerate the lower half of my body, again."
Nathan groaned, Jean's words to him ringing in his head. This day was starting to wear him out, and the prospect of clashing with Wade was far from appealing. Although, while I am here, I could beat the others to the punch and tell him... Nathan pushed himself off the wall, standing close to Wade and settling for giving him a glare. "Whatever. Open the door already, dumbass. I've got to tell you something important, so try and tune in this time."