The Game Cafe in Marvel and DC

86 – The Wolverine

Startled awake, Wolverine jumped up from the couch he was placed on as he looked around in a panic. Surrounding him was the bustling cafe filled to the brim with people playing games, talking, eating, and so much more. 

Suddenly grasping his head, his mind flooded with memories forgotten, blocked. Scenes flashed before his eyes: nights when Charles used Logan as an assassin to eliminate politicians hostile to mutant kind. Multiple times, when Charles forced Logan to kill a mutant child, it was too dangerous to those around them. Every thought that Charles found to be too troublesome was ripped away, blocked, or replaced with something else so that Charles could keep his loyal immortal soldier.

A searing anger took hold of Wolverine's mind as he thought of everything Charles had made him do or forget over the years! Before he could rush out of the store and chase down Charles to get some answers, a clawed hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Good evening, Logan. How are you feeling?" Zeref asked.

"Furious," Wolverine seethed, making Zeref laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you know why I told you I'd kill Charles on sight if I ever saw him," Zeref waved his hand as it took on a dark purple hue.

"How long?" Logan questioned.

"How long?" Zeref parroted, "How long what?" 

"How long has Charles done this?" He gestured to himself and around.

"Use his powers on others? I assume ever since he's gotten them. He's a master manipulator who invades the privacy of every mind he meets. How do you think Mutants have lasted as long as they have without entire governments chasing after them instead of the small agencies they use now?" Zeref asked before continuing, "Charles is controlling; he controls politicians, military leaders, and everyone who proves a threat to his school, though he never seems to cross the line unless they go past his."

Wolverine grit his teeth, "What do I do?! He's the one currently keeping the government off our backs!" 

"Do whatever you feel is right. Eventually, Charles will die regardless of your or my input; that's just the way of the world, and Charles has quite a few enemies," Zerref suggested with a hand motion.

"Just keep in mind, if he notices your unshackled mind, he'll likely try to mind rape you again," Zerref spoke again before leaving, slowly walking away.

Luckily for Logan, Charles was currently in a coma.

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As Logan left the cafe, dozens of eyes watched him leave; all said eyes belonged to one Zerref, who was feeling gleeful.

...

When Logan reached the mansion, his eyes looked hollow as he stared at the mansion. He shed so much innocent and guilty blood to protect those within the mansion's walls. While he would have willingly done it to protect those under his charge, he was far from willing, as Charles used him as a puppet to take out well over a dozen men and women, some of which did not deserve to die.

Logan's dilemma concerns what he should do. On one hand, he wants payback against Charles and everything he's done. On the other, he realizes that if something happens to Charles and he does not wake up, the school and everyone inside it will be chased down to the ends of the Earth by those wanting to turn their gifts into weapons or experiment on them to see if their powers can be replicated.

Taking a deep breath and clenching his fists, Logan stepped into the Mansion, a place he considered home...but was that even his real belief? Or was it another manipulation done by Charles? The more he thought about Charles, the more furious Wolverine became.

As he walked through the halls and was greeted by his students and the younger children who treated the mansion as a safe haven, Logan sported a stiff and fake smile as he waved and greeted each one. He was a soldier. He had a duty to protect the children and his students, regardless of Charles's machinations.

Reaching the elevator, he traveled to the mansion's sublevels, soon reaching Hank's lab, his face stern and grim as he entered.

Hearing the door of his lab open, Hank turned to see Logan, only to freeze, "Logan?" Hank asked, worried.

Logan did his best to contain his anger, but even then, it was clear that Logan was furious. His hands were clenched, ready to release his claws; his posture was tense, as if ready for a fight, and his eyes were cold, unnerving to everything that looked upon them.

"Did you know?" Logan asked, trying to contain his anger and betrayal.

"Know? Know what? Wait, what about Charles?! Did you go to that Cafe and see if that...that thing was responsible?!" Hank tried changing the topic.

Growling, Logan answered, "It was because Charles was playing with something he shouldn't have. Now answer the damn question. Did you know?!"

"Know what?!" Hank tried again, exasperated. 

"That Charles was manipulating us, ALL of us!" Logan yelled.

"Manipu...What?" Hank asked, confused.

"He was messing with my mind! He made me do so many horrible things, and he made me into his puppet! He is actively using his damn powers to make us all pawns to use against Magneto and his mutants!" Logan shouted, walking back and forth in place.

"What? What are you talking about, Logan?" Hank asked, baffled by Logan's outburst.

"Logan, what are you talking about?" Hank asked, raising his hands, trying to calm Logan down.

"Charles! He used his damn powers to control me!" Logan explained, aggravated.

"Why? For what purpose?"

"He messed with my mind! He made me forget things I did not want to forget. He made me forget about my brother and my wife! He forced me to kill innocent men, women, and children!" Logan continued to explain.

"What?" Hank asked, aghast by Logan's accusation; with his hands raised and his eyes glancing around the room, Logan knew what would happen next.

Hank leaped forward towards a nearby desk but was tackled by Logan onto the ground, where the two began to wrestle for control, unluckily for Logan, Hank's gift, while leaving him with an unusual appearance that got him the nickname 'The Beast,' it also gifted him with inhuman strength, agility, and reflexes.

In moments, Logan was pushed off, and Hank managed to grab something from the drawer he reached for, pulling out a syringe filled with something. Still on the ground, Logan grabbed onto Hank's legs and pulled with all of his strength, sending Hank to the ground and knocking the syringe out of his hand.

Getting Hank into a choke hold, Logan tried to snap Hank out of his senses, "Get a hold of yourself, Hank! I know this is not you. Resist Charles!"

Hank struggled fiercely, slowly but surely peeling Logan off of him, forcing Logan to reach for the syringe and inject Hank with it, hoping it would stop him.

For a second, Hank was stronger but quickly started becoming weaker the longer Logan choked the air out of him until Hank fell unconscious, and Logan let him go. Grimacing, Logan realized that Charles must also have controlled Hank, and if Hank had been controlled, everyone else would likely have been as well.

Tying Hank to his chair with a copious amount of duct tape, Logan contemplated what he should do. If everyone had been mind-controlled by Charles, then...the best thing to do would be to remove Charles. Shaking his head, Logan realized there had to be something else he could do. If Charles died, then everyone in the mansion would be doomed. Who else could he go to? Magneto? Surely, Magneto knew of Charles's habits, and that's why he always wore that helmet.

Or...what if he brought Charles to Zerref? While he would likely kill Charles on sight, if there were a chance he could erase and prevent everyone in the Mansion from being influenced by Charles, then it would surely be a risk Logan was willing to take. Charles was a danger to the students; if Logan couldn't find a way to stop Charles, then it was better to make sure Charles never harmed the kids or any of Logan's friends again. If Charles used him to kill his political rivals and dangerous mutant children and adults, then who knows what he did to the kids of the Mansion as well as Logan's own friends.