X-men ReNewed: A Need for Learning

Chapter 3: Codename-Wolverine

A/N: Sorry for the delay. This was a very long chapter. Finally, I introduce my version of Wolverine

As they made their way towards the cell where the mysterious mutant, known only by the codename 'Wolverine', was being held captive, Professor Xavier asked Colonel Fury another question he's been meaning to ask since the end of their meeting in the latter's office.

"You said something about claws, Colonel", he said.

Fury sighed. "Yeah I forgot to tell you more about that. You see, this mutant has got these razor-sharp claws coming out of his fore-arms. They're retractable-he basically gets them in and out at well. God knows, they probably do a lot of damage to his skin when they come out but I guess that 'healing factor' of his takes care of things. However, based on an analysis of sort we ran on the claws a while back, I feel we may have a direct link to his origins. At any rate, a general idea at least".

"Indeed", commented Xavier. "And what have you found out, Colonel?"

"The claws are not organic. They're made of a metal. A rare alloy. Nearly indestructible. That's when I started my research. I looked through some old files, trying to see if there was any kind of alloy of that sort developed by any laboratory or military facility in the world. And I believe I found a match", Fury said. "Adamantium", he explained. "Near indestructible alloy developed sometime during the Cold War. In a heated state, it's a liquid, easily malleable and reshaped. But when it cools, it becomes completely indestructible. And you'll be interested to know", Fury added, "That we ran an X-ray on the mutant and found that his entire skeleton is coated by that structure. He's pretty much indestructible. And his entire skeleton was grafted with the adamantium at some point. The only way he could have survived a procedure like that was with his mutant ability. Which brings me to my theory".

"Go ahead", Xavier said.

"During the late 1980's and early 1990's there were rumors in the military of an exclusive black ops unit composed of mutants. This was, of course, at a time when the existence of mutants was not as widely known publicly as it is now. Nobody knows or claims to know anything about this group or its activities. There was no photographic or documentary evidence. But personally, I was once on a mission somewhere in Kuwait and I saw this…huge monstrous looking man…and…" Xavier noticed a certain degree of hesitation on the part of the Colonel. "…its something that quite unsettled me, I can tell you that. To date, I've been convinced that the guy I saw was a mutant, and not just any ordinary mutant, but a mutant soldier, an operative of some sort."

"And how does that relate to this 'Wolverine'?" Xavier asked. "Do you think he was one of these 'mutant operatives'?"

"Possibly", replied Fury. "He certainly has had some military training, possibly even training in guerilla warfare. His movements on the field were consistent with those of a black ops agent. It just might be possible that our man was affiliated with that unit at some point. However, that is just the beginning".

"What does it lead to?" asked Xavier, his curiosity now at its peak.

"Weapon X", Fury said softly, as though the word held some hidden meaning.

Xavier paused for a moment before he said, "That sounds quite ominous, Colonel. Care to explain?"

Fury sighed. "Sometimes, I'd just wish you'd abandon you're scruples and just read my mind. It'll save me a whole lot of trouble".

Xavier smiled. "Oh I think you will find that it will cause you a lot of trouble Nicholas", he said, addressing the military veteran by his first name.

"Oh well, I daresay you're right", admitted Fury. "Anyway, Weapon X, you must understand is little more than a rumor…"

"So many things in your world are 'little more than rumors I'm afraid", commented Xavier, but Fury ignored his interruption, "…but we have learnt that it was allegedly a Canadian military program with alleged funding from the US Government. Its purpose, as far as we can tell, was to create a living weapon".

Xavier raised his eyebrows. "Like your 'Wolverine'".

"Yes, precisely", said Fury. "And apparently the best way for them to create such a weapon would be to use a mutant, especially one whose mutation would allow him to survive the…enhancements they would give him".

"The adamantium skeleton and claws", said Xavier softly, understanding dawning on his face.

"Yes. And apparently, a Weapon X facility somewhere in the Canadian wilderness had the machinery necessary for the adamantium grafting procedure. Of course, we haven't really found such a facility ever, all we've seen are old unconfirmed reports that could be misinformation, but still, I'd say this Wolverine is living proof of the program. And I believe I have the evidence".

"That this 'Wolverine' is connected to Weapon X?" asked Xavier.

"Yes", said Fury triumphantly. "Of course, I might be wrong, but it'll be far too much of a coincidence". He paused before adding, "Once, during a routine interrogation I asked our man if the phrase 'Weapon X' meant anything to him. And that was that. He went into one of his berserker rages. Nearly would have killed me, if my aide didn't gas him then and there. Told me never to mention the words again in front of him some time later, when he'd calmed down somewhat. It meant something to him, Charles. You can see that, can't you?"

"Yes", said Xavier slowly. "I see what you mean. I must say, Colonel, that in the half-hour since I have learnt of the existence of this mutant, he has intrigued me greatly. He is truly a puzzle, from what I've pieced together so far from your comments".

"Well this is one puzzle I sure hope you will solve, Professor", said Fury as he indicated towards a cell. "Here he is".

The cell was small grey-tiled room, with a bunk on the left wall. The entrance to the cell itself was covered with 'bars' of green energy; lasers which Fury had explained, would send a 20-volt shock to anyone who came into physical contact with them. "Of course, in his case, we've upped the voltage to around 300. And even that doesn't hurt him as much as a 20 hurts a normal person".

The prisoner himself, the ferocious mutant known only as 'Wolverine' sat on the bunk with an almost pensive expression on his unkempt and haggard face. The moment he heard the sound of footsteps however, his head turned towards the entrance of the cell. At the sight of people, Xavier fancied he saw an expression of savage fury spread across the mutant's face; a ferocity which lasted momentarily and was swiftly replaced by an expression of hostility, wariness and suspicion.

Wolverine was nearly six feet tall, five-ten at the very least. He was muscular, but not prominently so. He had cold grey-blue eyes and a matt of unkempt and greased black hair that gave him an almost wolfish appearance. He was wearing only a pair of light blue slacks, which had been provided to him by his captors.

Wolverine shot a glance towards Xavier and almost at once, Xavier felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as though he were prey, being sized up by a predator. As though he was a sheep being intimidated by a wolf. There was a savage, an almost animalistic presence about Wolverine that unnerved the Professor almost as much as it fascinated him, in some perverse way.

Wolverine was an animal. There was no mistake about that. He had the barely, just barely, the outward appearance of a human being, but deep inside he was an animal. And his eyes were like the bars of a cage, through which the caged animal glared out, with hostility towards those who had trapped him and frustration at his own helplessness.

Fury barked out an order at a technician stationed at a nearby console and a few seconds later, the bars of green energy vanished. Two of the guards who were stationed outside the cell flinched, as though they expected Wolverine to attack them as soon as his cell was open. However, Wolverine remained strangely, unnaturally tranquil. Xavier suspected it was due to the powerful tranquilizers and the other drugs that he had been treated with in order to ensure his captivity.

Fury wheeled the Professor into the cell and then addressed Wolverine with a tone of civility Xavier was certain the SHIELD director did not feel. "Wolverine, this is Professor Charles Xavier, a well-known scientist and a ....an old friend of mine."

Wolverine simply glared at Xavier for a few moments before replying in a cold and rough voice, "So, cuz your two-bit 'doctors' couldn't get anything outta me, you think this baldie in a wheelchair can do better…hit dirt, scum-bag!"

"Wolverine!" Fury admonished. "Mind your language, please! Charles here is a Professor of Genetics, with a specialty in mutations. He can help you, in ways we can't". Fury paused before adding, "At any rate, I think you will find it more…pleasant…dealing with him".

"I ain't got any time for 'pleasantries' or whatever ya call em," Wolverine replied. "So you can take your fancy words and shove it up you're…"

"That's enough", Fury said. He turned towards Xavier. "I think you'd better do whatever you have to fast enough Professor".

"Certainly, Colonel", agreed Xavier. "But may I suggest that I speak to Wolverine in private". And then, in a private message telepathically beamed straight into Fury's mind, Xavier added, I suspect that your absence might prove to be a benign influence on your 'guest's' behavior.

You sure about that Charles, Fury directed his thoughts towards Xavier.

I can sense a great deal of hostility towards him, and much of it is directed towards you and your personnel. I would much prepare to be left alone for sometime in his cell, with him. It will definitely make my task…easier, replied Xavier.

I still don't like it Charles. This guy's an animal. It certainly wouldn't do much for SHIELD's reputation if a prominent genetist is carved up by one of our violent prisoners, reasoned Fury.

Colonel, Xavier said firmly. You asked me to come here to help you and in order to do that, I must insist that you comply with my request.

Fury sighed. Oh all right Professor. But we'll increase the tranquilizer dosage and two guards will be posted outside the cell. In case there's any trouble, give a shout and we'll bail you out.

Thank you, Colonel, replied Xavier.

Wolverine had scrutinizing the two men during this silent interchange, as though trying in some way, to perceive the hidden conservation. Frustration was clearly welling up in the mind of the savage mutant. Xavier sensed that that Wolverine was a being who relied on his senses and his instincts, both of which were redundant compared to the psychic might of the mind.

Fury gestured towards one of the guards standing nearby. "Give him another shot, Jim".

"Yes sir", replied the guard, as he took a dart-gun from his belt, loaded a small needle-shaped dart into it and fired it straight into Wolverine's neck. Wolverine gave a savage grunt, like that of an animal in pain and then relaxed after a few moments.

"Come along", Fury gestured towards the guards. The trio walked outside the cell, and almost immediately, the laser 'bars' materialized into place. Xavier could hear Fury giving instructions to the guards stationed outside.

He turned towards the savage mutant who was staring at him. However, Xavier sensed a distinct change in the mutant's behavior. Where there had, bare moments ago, been hostility and wariness, now there was a strange sense of curiosity. This sudden transition could subtly be observed from the captive mutant's facial expressions and body language; but Charles Xavier had the added luxury of an insight into the mutant's mind. He sensed the transition through the uncanny psychic intuition he had perfected in a lifetime of self-learning and training. In the presence of Nick Fury and his guards, Wolverine had been a tensed predator, prepared to strike at any moment, barely held by his restraints. Now, he had relaxed and was casually observing the newcomer in his 'enclosure'.

"Who are you?" Wolverine asked, his voice as cold and raspy as before, but not as hostile.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier and, as my friend Colonel Fury has already told you, a specialist in mutations", Xavier said calmly, softly. He decided it was best to proceed slowly, cautiously, giving the mutant information one step at a time; extracting information even more carefully, so that there was no possibility of sudden provocation or misunderstanding which could compromise the objective of the meeting. Over the course of his career, Xavier had had a great deal of interaction with the military and various intelligence agencies and had therefore come into contact with many of the world's most proficient 'interrogation experts'. He had acquired many of the 'tricks of their trade' directly from their minds using his telepathy, feeling it was a skill which could come in useful someday. After all, interrogation was a psychological exercise of sorts which could strengthen the interrogators mind and mental resolve, as well as his confidence; all of them benefits which any telepath seeking to unlock his maximum potential would wish to receive. Of course, the extraction of information was not something which Xavier now had any particular difficulty with, after a lifetime of honing and using his mutant abilities. He sincerely hoped it would not prove to be a difficulty in this case as well.

"What'dya want with me?" Wolverine demanded, a tenseness entering his voice.

"I want to help you, Wolverine", Xavier said. "I take it that is your name?"

"It's the one I was given by those bastards", Wolverine said softly, but with the tension still present in his voice.

"Who Wolverine? Who gave you that name?" Xavier asked, feeling that they were getting somewhere.

"What do you care? You're one of them", said Wolverine.

"No I am not, Wolverine", Xavier said firmly.

"Sure you are. You, your pal Fury, those third-rate amateurish guards of his…you're all part of it".

"Part of what?" Xavier insisted.

"I don't know. You people took it from me. Just like you took so many other things. Just like you took my goddamn life", Wolverine half shouted.

Xavier heard the cocking of gun's outside the cell. Nicholas, please tell your men to be calm. The situation is under control, he telepathically told Fury. He turned towards Wolverine, "Are you implying you've been harmed in some way?"

"Oh I've bin harmed all right", Wolverine said softly. "I've bin harmed so I can do the harming. For them."

"For whom Wolverine? I'm afraid you're not making much sense. Who are you talking about?" Xavier asked, wondering if he was indeed dealing with a madman.

This time Wolverine maintained an indifferent silence. Xavier decided to try another tactic.

"Just relax", he said calmly. He then closed his eyes and concentrated on the thoughts of the animalistic mutant seated before him.

Violence, death, killing…it was a minefield of treachery, of danger…forests, deserts…tanks, troops, guns, above all GUNS…he had to kill them all…kill the enemy…its was his objective…what he had to do…what he was told to do…Oh God!...the landmine nearly blew off his leg…it didn't matter, the wounds would heal…what mattered was the target…the target had to be…eliminated…it was war…all was fair in war…and he was the Army, the ultimate weapon…

"Ugh", Xavier groaned as he rapidly withdrew out of Wolverine's mind. The short-lived experienced had proved to be strangely claustrophobic.

"Hey, you did something, right?" Wolverine asked, suddenly suspicious, his hands raised almost as a reflex.

"I…" Xavier began, but the savage mutant cut him off, "You did something…something weird, dammit, I knew it…something in my head".

"Its called telepathy, Wolverine", Xavier said calmly, rubbing his forehead.

"Godamn it, I've had enough of people messing around with my head", Wolverine cried out loud, standing up. There was a sound of a snickt and simultaneously, three long glistening metallic claws emerged in a second from the back of both of Wolverine's arms.

"My God", Xavier exclaimed.

"Almost immediately, the laser bars of the cell disappeared and the two SHIELD guards appeared, both of them simultaneously firing tranquilizer darts into the savage mutants neck. Wolverine gave a savage roar of fury and lunged forward towards the guards, about to lash out at them with his claws, before he gave a groan and slumped down on the floor, unmoving.

"Sir, are you all right?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Yes, I…" Xavier continued to rub his forehead. "I'm fine. I'd just like a glass of water please." One of the guards instantly rushed out of the cell to fetch the water. The other guard asked him, "Professor, did that bloody animal try to kill you?"

Xavier winced a little on hearing the guard's description for Wolverine. He then sighed and replied slowly, softly, "I do not think so. I believe it was a reflex of sorts. There was a small…provocation…on my part, unfortunately. A slight misunderstanding, I fear." He then muttered under his breath, "Violence…so much violence".

"I beg your pardon, sir", said the confused guard.

"I meant", Xavier said with an added tone of confidence, "that your prisoner is a man of violence. A man who have lived and…operated…in circumstances of violence. Therefore, violent actions, violent reflex actions rather, have become second nature to him".

Colonel Fury had entered the cell by then He shook his head. "I knew something like this would happen Charles", he said softly, regretfully.

"Nicholas, I honestly believed that I was starting to get somewhere with him. Perhaps, I should have confined myself to…conventional interrogation…rather than moving in with my telepathy immediately", he said. "Patience I'm afraid, is something even I have yet to fully master".

"Did you learn anything, Charles?" Nick Fury asked hopefully. "Anything at all?"

"It seems your theories about his military association…especially the Weapon X program you spoke about seems to be more or less vindicated. It is evident that Wolverine has been involved in hostile combat situations in the past and that he clearly received order…directives from someone. He also told me something rather curious. Something about…him being harmed to harm others and people 'messing around with his head'. Tell me", Xavier paused and added slowly and carefully, "Did this Weapon X program involve psychological manipulation of any sort? Brainwashing, behavior modification or something along those lines?"

"Well", Fury said hesitantly, "I'm not sure. I'll check the files. Although presumably I guess they would have to have been some kind of conditioning, or counseling…most of the 'ordinary' Special Forces and black ops units I've ever observed provided a bit of 'help' to their boys. I guess they would doubly have to have made sure in his case. After all, that adamantium grafting process couldn't have been all that pleasant, even with his healing factor. And the guy is an animal, must have been quite difficult to control"

"I suspect his animalistic behavior must have made him an asset to…whoever controlled him", said Xavier.

"Anything else you learnt from your probe?" asked Fury.

"Yes", Xavier said. "Your prisoner is a man instinctively accustomed to violence. This is clearly reflected in his propensity for it. He is an animal; a predator with a predator's instinct to hunt and to kill. And yet", he paused. "And yet, behind the rough exterior, there are traces of…of…something else. A lost man, a misunderstood man, a…victim. A victim of unacknowledged tormentors. A victim of what he has become."

"My, that's pretty deep, Professor", said Fury. "But I see what you're leading towards. You're implying that this man, Wolverine owes his 'charming personality' to brainwashing and manipulation. Sorry, but I don't think that's really gonna fly. A man like that simply had to be born like that. Born savage. Or at least, lived life like a savage. No amount of 'men in white coats' can ever make a man like that if he wasn't on his way to being like that from the start. You can plant a seed only on fertile ground, can't you?"

"I agree with you, Colonel. And yet, there are certain incidents, circumstances, events…that bring about unimaginable mental agony and trauma to the extent of literally transforming an individual; supplanting his real identity with a new one, so to speak."

"Yes, I…" Fury paused, "I suppose it is plausible".

"At any rate, this mysterious 'Wolverine' has certainly piqued my interest", Xavier said as he turned towards one of the guards hovering outside. "How much longer will he remain unconscious?"

"About an hour, perhaps. Two, if we're lucky", shrugged the guard.

Xavier turned towards Fury. "With your permission, Colonel, I would like to spend fifteen minutes with Wolverine alone in his cell. I believe I may enjoy greater success with my probe when he is unconscious. I did sense a subconscious resistance towards my telepathy on his part when he was conscious".

"You sure about this, Professor?" asked Fury.

"Yes", said Charles Xavier slowly.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, a visibly exhausted and shaken Charles Xavier was seated once more opposite Colonel Nick Fury in his office. Fury had offered Xavier a second glass of brandy, which the mutant telepath gladly accepted.

"Whoa, you look pretty tired Professor. I never knew this psychic stunt could take so much out of you", commented Fury.

"It usually doesn't", Xavier replied. "But then, this is an unusual circumstance isn't it. A mutant who may or may not be, or have been, the savage he appears to be. A man who was predator and has now become prey. A man accustomed to both offence and defense, though I suspect the former is now heavily tied in with the latter. A man who isn't quite sure who he is or where he came from, save for the fact that he knows he was used and abused in some way. A man whose only name is a code-word found on a dog-tag which describes him all too well. A man ashamed of his berserker rages but who depends on them for his survival. Yes, your Wolverine is truly a paradox, and yet beneath it all, I feel that the explanations would be simple, if only we knew his story."

"Well I'm working on that", said Fury. "I'll call up some old sources, pull out some old files. See if I can find something". He sighed. "Well anyway Charles, I'm much obliged to you for all your help. I won't bother you for much longer. You'll be taken to your hotel right away. You don't need to worry. I've made the arrangements, and the payment. Tomorrow, I'll send the car around to pick you up and take you to the airport. I'll let you know if we've found something".

"Thank you, Nicholas. But if I may make a suggestion", Xavier said. "I'll be returning to Washington in a week's time as I will be attending a genetics conference. I've already made arrangements to rent an apartment in the city. So, if you have no objections, I would very much like to meet Wolverine again and, if possible, carry on with my…with our 'research' on him".

"Hmm", Fury said. "I guess that could be arranged. But you're quite a busy man Professor. So I suppose this means you've really taken an interest in this mutant."

"Yes Nicholas, I have", Xavier sighed. "It is very very rarelythat I get the opportunity to meet a fellow mutant, let alone help one. And here you have a mutant who I feel is in desperate need of help. He may appear to be dangerous on the surface but somehow, behind that image of brutality and coarseness, there is insecurity, even fear. For, you see, he is a man who was turned into a predator...and later became the prey".