Had she not been holding onto Logan, Marie knew that she would have been trembling. Now that the moment of truth was at hand, Marie’s fear was increasing by the second. Especially now that she was able to see the machine that would turn her into a mutant.
There was a small compartment at the bottom with a shaft over top that would transport Erik to the main part of his machine. There was a platform which he would stand on with two waist high columns in the centre. At the back was a large, curved bar and two other ones on either side. The shining metal it was constructed of made it appear even more impressive. The cavernous room that held the machine was located in further added to Marie’s fears, making her feel tiny and insignificant.
“You having second thoughts?” Logan breathed quietly in her ear.
Marie shook her head immediately. “`Course not, sugah. Ah’m just a little cold.”
“Then why can I smell the fear on you?” Logan inquired, squeezing her tightly around the waist.
“Ah’m nervous, Ah’m not scared,” Marie admitted, rubbing her hands over Logan’s arms. “This room isn’t the most comfort inducin’ place there is.”
“Well I’m not going anywhere. I’ll keep you safe,” Logan promised, squeezing her again.
“This is certainly a change of events,” Marie giggled, her fears fading momentarily. “Here Ah was thinkin’ Ah was yer protector.”
Pressing his face into the side of her throat, Logan placed a soft kiss there. “You are my protector. But I’m yours, too. I won’t let anything bad ever happen to you.”
Marie leaned back against him, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. “Ya shouldn’t be makin’ promises ya don’t know ya’ll be able t’ keep. Ah’ll be happy just knowin’ that yer there.”
“Marie, I--”
“Are we ready to begin?” Erik asked, interrupting Logan. He strode in from behind them and went straight to his invention. “I trust that the two of you have worked out your problems. Everything is agreeable between you both?”
“We worked it out,” Logan confirmed, releasing Marie’s waist to go stand beside her. Reaching out blindly, he grabbed hold of her hand, clutching it tightly. “I support Marie in this, but I want your word that this won’t hurt her. I want Marie safe.”
For a moment, Marie thought that Erik would tell them that he didn’t know what would happen to her. She didn’t even want to think of what Logan would do if the older man said that. She could just envision Logan’s claws coming out and stabbing Erik through the heart. Thankfully, that wasn’t the answer Erik gave.
“Fear not, my clawed comrade, Marie will come out of this just as she went in except that she will have been made one of us,” Erik assured them, a very sincere look on his face.
While Marie was confident about the procedure that was to take place, she could sense Logan’s hesitation. He was still unsure of what the outcome would be. Truth was, Marie was unsure as well. She was determined, however, not to let that bother her. If Marie didn’t do things because she was nervous, she never would have ended up in the Rockies and she never would have met Logan.
“All right then,” Marie declared, “Let’s get this show in the road. For Ah lose mah nerves an’ run outta here screamin’ like a banshee.”
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Logan was quick to say, reaching out to cup her cheek. I don’t want you to do this if you’re having second thoughts.”
Marie couldn’t help but smile at that. She placed her hand over Logan’s and slipped her other hand behind his head, pulling his face down so she could kiss him. It was a soft kiss. Very light and sweet. Logan moaned when she pulled away, his thumb rubbing over her cheekbone.
“Ah’m not havin’ second thoughts, Logan. Ah want t’ do this,” she told him for what felt like the thousandth time.
“Whatever you say,” Logan murmured, kissing her once again.
Knowing that Logan was now calm, Marie turned her attention back to Erik. “So, what do Ah hafta do?”
“You need do nothing,” Erik told her, surprising Marie. “All you have to do is stand there. I will do the rest. Is everything as it should be?”
The last question was directed at a blue skinned female with flaming red hair. From what Marie could remember, her name was Mystique. She could change shape at a whim, becoming anyone and anything. Marie didn’t trust her very much. There was something in her brilliant yellow eyes that worried Marie.
“Everything is set, Erik,” Mystique confirmed, striding out of the shadows to stand beside him at the machine’s base.
“Very good, Mystique,” Erik said to the mutant. He then looked back over at Marie and Logan. “I suggest that you retake your position behind your lover, Logan.”
“Why?” Logan demanded, suddenly on edge.
Erik completely ignored Logan’s sudden anger. “It is nothing, really. After her body is mutated, she will be slightly weakened. It is nothing to worry about. She will simply be slightly worn out. It will all pass in a couple of hours.”
Marie knew that Logan didn’t like that idea one bit, but he still did what Erik said. His arms came around her and he pulled her back against his chest. Marie leaned back against Logan, her fingers lacing through his which were resting on her stomach. Marie knew that she would never get enough of Logan holding her. After they had made love that first time they had simply laid entwined in each other’s arms. They hadn’t been kissing or fondling each other, they had merely laid there, Logan’s head pillowed on her breasts. His arms had been comforting around her waist. It was almost as though they belonged there.
It was the same as she watched Erik step into his machine. Were it not for Logan’s presence behind her, she would have been shaking so hard that she wouldn’t have been able to stand. Logan held her up, his fingers trailing lightly over her stomach.
“This is your final chance, Marie. Are you sure that you want to go through with this?” Erik asked again once he reached the main platform of his invention. “Once I begin the procedure, there is no stopping it.”
“Ah want t’ do this,” Marie told him, her voice shaking slightly. Logan held her tighter, his lips pressed into her hair.
Erik merely nodded his head and clasped the two hand grips at the top of the columns on either side of his hips. Activated by his mutant powers, the machine surged to life instantly. The curved column at the back of the platform extended so that it ended directly above Erik’s head. The other two curved parts began to move as well. Instead of extending, they began rotating around the outer edge of the platform. Faster and faster they moved under Marie was unable to tell one from the other.
From the top of the machine, a light surged to life. It was a brilliant white, unlike anything Marie had ever seen before. To her astonishment, it began to grow. Slowly, the light formed a circle around the platform that Erik was standing on.
“It’s beautiful,” Marie murmured, staring at it in awe. “Ah’ve never seen anythin’ like it before.”
Still, the light continued to expand. It spread down the walkway that Marie and Logan were standing on, inching towards them, closer by the second. A part of Marie wanted to back up, but she held her ground, reminding herself that this was to help Logan.
When it was only a few inches away from her, Marie reached a hand out towards it. Her fingers slipped through the radiating light and seemed to glow. As it expanded down the length of her arm, Marie felt a tingling sensation unlike anything she had ever felt before. Every place that the unearthly light touched her, the tingling followed. Returning her hand to Logan’s clasped ones, Marie squeezed gently, silently assuring him that she was all right. Which she was. It didn’t hurt in the least. That was something Marie was very grateful for because she had never been very fond of pain.
“You okay, Marie?” Logan asked as she began to shake slightly.
Marie nodded her head, her breath beginning to come out in short, ragged gasps. “F-fine, sugah.... Ah’m fine.”
She wasn’t, though. Marie could feel something inside her beginning to change and had to force herself to keep from crying out. That would only worry Logan and she didn’t want him to worry. It wasn’t really that bad, anyway. It was almost like a sunburn. Only on the inside of her body.
“Marie....” Logan growled, clutching at her tighter.
Marie squeezed his hand, not trusting her voice anymore.
“I don’t like this, Marie,” Logan declared.
The light flung itself back towards Erik and his machine and Marie did cry out then. She collapsed against Logan, unable to support herself any longer. Her mind felt fuzzy and she was only dimly aware of Logan hoisting her up in his arms. At that moment, Marie felt completely safe and that was all that mattered. She didn’t care about anything else except the fact that Logan was holding her.
Marie began to fade in and out then, hearing only bits and pieces of a conversation going on between Logan and Erik.
“... better be all right....”
“... my word.... It is only natural....”
“I swear to God....”
“... to overreact so much. Marie will be fine....”
“You sure of that?”
Marie didn’t hear the answer to Logan’s question. All that she felt was Logan’s lips pressing against her forehead. Then there was nothing.