PART 5
EXT. HELIPAD - NIGHT
Senator Kelly¨ªs helicopter, which has obviously been
pilfered for Magneto¨ªs use, lands.
Magneto, Sabretooth, Pyro, Mystique (no Toad) all climb out, having
returned from their ill-fated attempt to get Logan.
INT. HALLWAY - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT
Kelly peers down the hall where we first went on our way to meet
Magneto.
Kelly, with only that way to go, does so, passing once again the
odd assortment of machines, very reminiscent of the one he was exposed
to.
He hears voices coming toward him and he looks around wildly,
wondering what to do. Shadows foretell the arrival of the brotherhood
headed this way.
Kelly turns to run back from where he cam from.
INT. HALLWAY - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT
Magneto and Sabretooth come walking from the other end of
the hall and pass the very spot where we just saw Kelly. No sign
of him.
INT. CELL - NIGHT
From which Kelly has escaped. The bars bend to make room
for Magneto as he walks into the room.
MAGNETO
How are we feeling today, Senator?
Advanced, I hope...
But he freezes when he actually enters the room.
First, he sees that Blob is laying on the floor with a purple,
welt-like hand print across his face. It is blistered and hideous.
Blob is gasping for air.
Magneto looks and sees the cell is empty. He looks at
Sabretooth.
MAGNETO (cont¨ªd)
I want him alive.
SABRETOOTH
I¨ªll find him.
MAGNETO
ALIVE.
And Sabretooth bolts back from where they came.
EXT. MAGNETO¨ªS LAIR - NIGHT
Kelly hits the fresh air, looking around wildly. He runs for the
edge of a cliff high over the ocean.
He raises his hands, we see his palms are covered with those wicked
spines and they are dripping a venomous fluid not too different
in color from the wound on Blob¨ªs face.
But then suddenly, something is wrong. Kelly buckles, clutching
his stomach again. He squelches what would have been a scream of
agony.
He looks at his palms and the spikes are gone.
Kelly hears footsteps. Suddenly out of the darkness Sabretooth
barrels toward him.
Kelly turns and LEAPS. Sabretooth comes to the edge of the cliff.
When he looks over, Kelly¨ªs body has vanished. Swallowed
by the sea.
Only his clothes remain on the rocks below.
INT. LOGAN¨ªS ROOM - NIGHT
Jean shows Logan the simple dorm cube with a bed and a small desk.
Jean opens the door for Logan and he inspects the sparse surroundings
grimly. Cyclops stands just outside the door - eavesdropping.
JEAN
Anything else I can get you?
LOGAN
Some cigars. Case of beer.
JEAN
There¨ªs no smoking or drinking on the school grounds.
LOGAN
I won¨ªt light the cigars - how about
that?
JEAN
I¨ªll see what I can do -- You should get some sleep. Even
with your healing ability, you¨ªre going to be hurting
for a while.
LOGAN
What if I like the pain?
Jean doesn¨ªt know what to make of that. She is about
to leave, then pauses.
JEAN
The Professor said you were a solider. Actually, I believe he used
the word mercenary.
LOGAN
Yeah? Well I don¨ªt like to talk about my past.
JEAN
Maybe, the Professor could help you with that.
LOGAN
By reading my thoughts?
JEAN
If necessary.
LOGAN
(smirks)
What if they¨ªre naughty?
Jean smiles politely at his knowing glance.
JEAN
Get some shut-eye, slick.
She shuts the door.
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT
Jean hesitates at the door, thinking. Smiling. She turns and only
then does she realize Cyclops is standing there.
She is startled.
JEAN
Scott.. I -
CYCLOPS
I don¨ªt like him being here.
JEAN
What are you talking about?
CYCLOPS
You saw what happened tonight. You think Magneto won¨ªt
come after him again. You think he won¨ªt come here if
necessary. This is a school, for God¨ªs sake.
JEAN
If Magneto is planning to use Logan for some terrible purpose it¨ªs
our responsibility to do something.
Cyclops shakes his head.
JEAN (cont¨ªd)
What¨ªs wrong? There¨ªs something else bothering
you.
Cyclops gets closer to Jean. She puts her hand on his chest.
CYCLOPS
I have a bad feeling about this.
Jean leans in slowly and kisses Cyclops just beside his mouth
JEAN
You know I love you, Scott.
Cyclops pulls her close. The hold each other.
INT. LOGAN¨ªS ROOM - NIGHT
E.C.U. Logan¨ªs ear. His super-sensitive hearing has
picked up the whole conversation.
Logan looks over on the bed and sees a new sketchbook and
several pencils.
A small note is attached.
I hope you don¨ªt mind. I understand this helps you relax.
- X
Logan shakes his head.
INT. XAVIER¨ªS OFFICE - LATER - NIGHT
A white light board. Beast¨ªs blue furry hand slides
a long, full-body x-ray in place.
Beast is showing Logan¨ªs x-rays to Cyclops, Storm, Jean
and Xavier.
BEAST
Adamantium. Until today I thought it to be a myth. mpenetrable,
unbendable, resistant to the most extreme heat, cold, indestructible.
Beast points to the x-ray.
BEAST (CONT'D)
It¨ªs been grafted to his entire
skeleton.
XAVIER
He also has accelerated healing abilities - uncharted regenerative
capability, making his age impossible to determine. He could very
well be older than I am.
STORM
Is the Adamantium part of his mutation?
XAVIER
No. Someone put it there, relying on his healing abilities to keep
him alive.
CYCLOPS
What do you think Magneto wants with him?
Xavier wheels himself to the window, starring out, deep in thought.
XAVIER
I¨ªm not entirely sure it¨ªs ¨¬him? that
Magneto wants.
ANGLE ON: X-ray of Logan¨ªs Adamantium skeleton.
INT. MANSION - NIGHT
Rogue. The waifish young thing who hides so well in the
shadows seems more comfortable to be moving through the
mansion at night.
She passes through the halls and rooms not making a sound
in her strangely-swathed body suit.
INT. LOGAN¨ªS ROOM - NIGHT
She creaks a door open slowly, letting a shaft of dim light slice
the darkness.
The light shines across a nightstand. Rogue stares down at the
notepad, a sketch it. It is of an animal, small but fierce - a wolverine.
She walks in to a figure laying in the bed and stands over him.
Over Logan.
He lays under a single sheet, sweating, his eyes moving quickly
this way and that in R.E.M. His hands twitch.
Rogue leans closer.
PUSH IN ON LOGAN¨ªS EYES AS THEY MOVE UNDER THE LIDS.
FLASH - DREAM SEQUENCE
INT. MILITARY LAB - THE PAST - NIGHT
Like none we have ever seen thus far. In fact, judging by most
of the instruments here, we are looking at a laboratory some fifty
years old.
Logan looks down and we can see his body, naked, strapped
to a table.
A hand puts a mask over his mouth and -
BLACK
He awakens -
STILL LOGAN¨ªS P.O.V.
He struggles weakly with restraints as doctors in lab coats and
thick, red rubber gloves stand over him taking notes, paying very
little attention to him at all.
On the other side of the room is a huge vat filled with some kind
of molten metal. At the base of the vat is a giant electromagnet
generating a huge gyroscope which created enormous friction energy
- the apparent source of the intense heat for melting the metal
in the vat.
AGAIN THE MASK PUTS HIM UNDER AND:
BLACK
Awake again, but this time sinking into water - restrained completely
now.
Logan looks down and gets only a glance of his body, seeing that
he is a series of incisions from head to toe - literally split open
- the flesh held back with hundreds of clamps.
HE SINKS INTO THE STRANGE LIQUID - LIKE WATER BUT THICK
AND VISCOUS.
And the sound of a DROWNING SCREAM.
AND THE METAL IS POURED IN AFTER HIM.
THE SOUND OF MOLTEN METAL HITTING LIQUID IS UNNERVING.
Mixed with screams, it is unbearable.
INT. LOGAN¨ªS ROOM - NIGHT
SCREAMING
Logan¨ªs screaming as he comes to.
Logan¨ªs eyes FLASH OPEN. He looks up and sees a figure
looming over him. In a flash he reacts.
THUD. Nothing more. Then silence.
The door bursts open and Cyclops stands in the doorway
shocked. Frozen. Jean is next and finally Storm. They can only stare.
Logan sits upright in bed, CLAWS EXTENDED, INTO ROGUE¨ªS
CHEST. She is literally frozen at the end of his arm.
Finally, Cyclops breaks the silence and moves to grab her.
STORM
DON¨ªT TOUCH HER.
Cyclops freezes.
Logan finally pulls his claws free and retracts them. Rogue staggers,
she pitches forward and touches his face gently with her hands,
as though she would like him to be the last thing she sees on this
Earth.
Logan and Rogue, locked in a fatal moment of tenderness
snaring a look of loneliness that only they can understand.
But suddenly, Logan seems to change.
And before he can say another word, he begins to tremble, then
he starts to howl in pain.
Rogue SNAPS BACK, mouth open in a gaping, silent scream.
What sound comes out does not match the expression at all. Merely
a gasp, like steam escaping. Through the huge slash in her clothes,
we see the wound on her chest slowly vanish.
Before long, she transforms back into a healthy young girl with
no sign of injury.
Then, her escaping breath begins to accelerate, much in the way
Logan¨ªs did - too much like Logan¨ªs did. It
is as if she has taken in his trait of berserker rage. Soon she
is smashing things all around her. One hand rakes the wallpaper
like claws.
Finally, she gets a hold of herself, becoming the introverted
Rogue we all know so well.
Then she stands slowly, looks at the others.
And she runs from the room. Storm runs after her.
The rest turn to Logan, who lays on the floor, convulsing.
Jean goes to help him. She looks back at Cyclops. His expression
makes it clear that his worst fears about Logan have come to pass.
EXT. PUBLIC BEACH - DAY
A familiar scene of suburban escapism. Crowded enough that most
people can move about unnoticed.
In fact, most people do not notice the very large jellyfish shooting
through the water at remarkable speed.
And only a few notice the COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT MAN emerging from
the water.
It is Senator Kelly, and he resembles in many ways a jellyfish.
His skin and innards are clear and gooey. It is only when he comes
completely and naked out of the water that he returns to somewhat
normal.
He walks up to the beach and people recoil from the very sight
of him. Pointing, whispering. Then just laughing at the naked man.
Kelly grabs a towel off an empty chair, a Hawaiian shirt off another.
Suddenly, he buckles, grabbing his stomach and lurching away in
terrible pain.
He barely pauses when he hears a child¨ªs voice in semiwhisper:
CHILD¨ªS VOICE
Mom, is that a mutant?
INT. HALLWAY - DUSK
Storm and Logan walk down the hall. Logan is wearing sweats. He
has obviously just woken up. The sun is low in the horizon and the
hall is suffused with an orange glow.
Students pass by them. By now, the students have heard rumors
about what happened the night before. They watch Logan fearfully
as they pass by him.
LOGAN
Why is everybody up at sunrise?
STORM
The sun is setting, Logan. You¨ªve been asleep for nineteen
hours.
LOGAN
What did she do to me?
STORM
She borrowed your power to save her life. When she touches someone,
she absorbs their strengths -- their gifts. In your case -- your
ability to heal. That¨ªs why she keeps her body covered.
LOGAN
I felt like she almost killed me.
STORM
If she held on any longer she could have.
LOGAN
And you think it helps calling her Rogue?
Storm shakes her head, but remains patient.
STORM
We¨ªve learned to embrace what we are rather than hide
it like an
affliction. For some, it has become their identity. You mock the
names these people choose but they wear them as badges of pride.
They arrive at the door to the gym.
LOGAN
Inspiring -- Now what am I doing here?
CYCLOPS (O.S.)
I wanted to talk to you.
Logan turns and sees Cyclops.
CYCLOPS (cont¨ªd)
Storm, would you excuse us please?
STORM
Of course.
She exits.
CYCLOPS
Let¨ªs take a walk.
Cyclops begins to walk away in the other direction.
Logan just watches him go. After a moment, he decides it might
be more interesting to see where this is going. He follows. They
walk across the hall to:
INT. GYMNASIUM - NIGHT
On first glance, the gym looks really average. A fairly standard
boxing ring in the middle. A fairly standard weight set nearby.
Then you notice the weights themselves are abnormally large.
100. 200. 300. 400 pounds. All the way up to 2000. And that is
just one stack.
Cyclops enters first with Logan coming in behind him.
CYCLOPS
How long have you been in Alaska?
LOGAN
I don¨ªt remember. Is that what you wanted to ask me?
Logan is barely through the door when Cyclops whips around on
Logan and thumps his finger into his chest.
CYCLOPS
I just wanted to make you clear on something. Personally, I don¨ªt
care what Magneto wants with you. He can take those claws of yours
and use them for Barbecue skewers. What I do care about is the safety
of this group. The Professor is in harge, and after the Professor,
there¨ªs me. So, for the remainder of your time here, you¨ªre
going to keep that killer instinct of yours locked down so no one
else gets hurt.
Beat.
LOGAN
(smirks)
I¨ªve served with men like you before. Methodical. Systematic
-- Naive. You know what happens to those men in a real fight?
CYCLOPS
You know, you --
LOGAN
Shut up. I got no interest in you, Xavier, (he points mockingly
at the X¨ªs on Cyclops¨ª uniform) or your... X-Men.
Logan takes him in for a moment.
LOGAN (cont¨ªd)
And I don¨ªt think this has anything to do with my ¨¬killer
instinct.? You just don¨ªt like the way I¨ªm looking
at your girl -- Or maybe you don¨ªt like the way she¨ªs
looking back. And maybe you think you¨ªre man enough to
do something about it.
Cyclops is enraged. A red light begins to glow around the edge
of his visor and the ruby-quartz lens brightens. We can faintly
hear the low hum of immense power that is now barely ontained. Before
Cyclops can even react, Logan puts his fist against Cyclops¨ª
throat. SHOOK! Logan extends one claw up one side of Cyclops¨ª
neck. He smiles.
LOGAN (cont¨ªd)
C¨ªmon sport. You think you can blow the meat off my bones
before I gut you? Let¨ªs find out.
The air is now charged with tension. The two men are about to
attack when-
XAVIER (O.S.)
Cyclops!
Logan whirls and sees Xavier regarding them sternly.
Logan turns his building anger on Xavier.
LOGAN
I have a question for you, Chuck.
What¨ªs the point?
Xavier sits calmly as Logan, claws still extended, marches over
to him.
XAVIER
The point of what?
LOGAN
This. This whole God damn thing.
(derisively, at Cyclops)
Making yourselves into some sort of ¨¬team? of super-powered
freaks. Teaching wayward mutants about classical literature. For
what?
Logan continues to advance on Xavier. Cyclops moves to stop Logan,
but Xavier waves him off.
XAVIER
The point is to step into a more evolved position of social
responsibility. To recognize that there is a world out there and
that we mutants are as much a part of it as normal human beings.
LOGAN
What if it never happens? What if they¨ªre so afraid of
us that we become the enemy? -- This place is gonna be one giant
cemetery.
Xavier has heard this argument before.
XAVIER
Now that¨ªs Magneto talking.
LOGAN
No. That¨ªs me talking. And you know what? It¨ªs
only been thirty-two hours and you still have no idea what this
guy wants with me.
XAVIER
I believe he wants you for your Adamantium.
Logan raises his hand to his chest grasping for something that
no longer hangs from his neck.
XAVIER (cont¨ªd)
You¨ªre thinking of your dog tag. It was made of Adamantium
wasn¨ªt it?
JEAN (O.S.)
Professor.
Logan turns and sees Jean walking towards them.
XAVIER
What is it?
JEAN
Rogue¨ªs missing.
Logan looks at Jean with concern.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
A long, dark subterranean corridor with gleaming walls and floor.
Well lit and strangely echoless.
Logan follows Xavier, who are in turn followed by Storm,
Cyclops and Jean to a thick steel door at the end of the
hall.
LOGAN
Where are we going?
XAVIER
To find Rogue.
LOGAN
How?
XAVIER
The brainwaves of mutants are quite different than those of the
average human being.
At Xavier¨ªs eye level is a black screen with a chin-rest
like you see at the eye doctor. Xavier rests his head in it and
the screen lights up.
XAVIER (cont¨ªd)
Cerebro amplifies my power. It allows me to browse the world¨ªs
consciousness and find the genetically enhanced.
A vertical beam scans across his eye and a picture of Xavier¨ªs
retina appears on the screen next to a computerized image of the
same. The two images overlap and match perfectly.
XAVIER (cont¨ªd)
This is how I found you.
A small beep and a loud KNOCK of tumblers rolling and the
vault door opens.
They walk inside.
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