Only the Strong Survive

Chapter Four

Nina pov.

Breakfast, training, and sitting around were boring without Victor. No one to tease me or smack me around. All the xmen were in the Professor's office, discussing something. When I went to follow, Dad had caught me by the shoulder and told me to go outside and train. So here I was at my punching bag, half heartedly swinging at it, Jack sitting a few feet away. "What do you think their talking about?" I asked him. "I don't know? New math books?"
"Ha ha, very funny." I said dryly. My temper rose. "I'm an xmen, how could they just kick me out? I deserve to know what their talking about!" I snap kicked the punching bag, which accidentally broke the rusty chain that held it up. It hit the ground a few feet away. "Whoa! Calm down. Maybe they have a reason?" Jack said trying to diffuse my anger. "That's what they always say! It's not fair!"
A small voice echoed in my head. Life isn't fair. Jack sighed and stood up, went to the storage shed, and came out holding a new chain. He fixed the bag and I continued punching. "But what could be so important that they leave me out of it?"

Logan pov.

When we were all crammed into Charles's office, jam packed like a bunch of tourists, he began. He started with a bunch of elaborate fluff. "Get on with it! No one cares." I said pushing my way to the front. I earned smacks from Jean and Storm, but the Professor did continue.
"There have been advances from a rising mutant group, who call themselves the Evolutionary Group. They are threatening war with half of Russia, and most of Europe. This is causing humans to think that all mutants are evil and that they need to eliminate the problem. Which causes more mutants to think that we do need to fight the humans."
I said plainly. "So there's going to be another war?" Charles nodded. "It looks like it."
Storm spoke up next to us. "Your asking us to fight them?"
He shook his head. "I'm not asking that of any of you. I am basically informing you of the situation, and alerting of possible... Problems."
Jean caught on. "The humans might attack us? Why would they do that?"
"Fear does twisted things to the mind. My main priority is keeping the students safe. Be on your guard." He dismissed us. "Logan, can I speak with you?" I stayed back as the others left, closing the doors behind them. "Yes, Professor?"
"Are you planning to fight in this war?" That was the last thing on my to do list. Less war, better for me. "Only if it gets bad." He looked at me, straight in the eye. "Which side would you be on?"
"Humans can be evil, but not all of them deserve to die." Before he could ask me another question I was out in the hallway, up to my room. I was going for the whisky, but then remembered it wasn't there. Vodka it was. What would I tell Nina? No matter what, she'll want to fight. I laughed at the idea as I took a drink, siting on my couch.
Put a headstrong girl with a healing factor, claws, and metal bones, in the middle of a war zone? Massacre. No doubt about it.

Nina pov.

I finally got the answer out of Storm. It took a bit of begging and persuading, but I got it. A war was coming. A global one at that. These things don't happen every day!
I bolted up to the Professors office, knocked twice and went in. He looked like he was expecting me. "Nina, I thought you would be here sooner or later. What can I help you wi-" Before he could finish his sentence I interrupted. "A war is starting and no one told me? This is the most exciting thing since Jack proposed!" He looked at me. "Not really, but it comes close."
"Nina this is not a game, this is real with thousands of lives at risk." I put my hands on his desk. "Which is why I am going." He sighed and but a hand to his face. "Nina, you can't just go into a war as automatically save everyone. You have to stop it with a plan, a strategy. And this is not working alone, you have hundreds of people with you, that you need to cooperate with."
I will openly admit, that my people skills are about as good as a porcupine. Not my strongest skill. "So? I can handle it. I can make a difference."
He rolled around his desk. "Nina, the world needs more confident people like you, but your needed here, you can be a teacher, defend the students. You don't have to be over there to fight in a war."
He had a point. "I'm going. It could be an opportunity to travel. See the world, save people, meet some new faces. I'm going to be fine." I walked out.
Jack was in the hallway, leaning against the wall, waiting for me. "Your going?" I nod. "And there is nothing you could possibly do to stop me." He grabbed my wrist. "I'm not letting you go." I kept walking. "I'm not letting you come." He still held into my wrist, even as I went outside to think.
"You could let go now." His grip remained. "I'm not letting you go. If you go I'm coming too."
"No, you'll be torn to pieces. You can't come."
"Are you just using this as an excuse not to get married?" Oh he did not just say that.

"Of course I want to marry you, but people need me, think about how many people will be murdered because normal soldiers couldn't get to them." I frowned and attempted to cross my arms, but that's kinda hard with a death grip on your wrist. "I need you! Don't you understand that? I can't loose you!" I touched his shoulder, and the was all it took. Instant headache. The world went black, my head was spinning.

I saw what looked like a fast foreword of all the people Jack has lost. His parents, friends, Annie, Matt, his sister once. At one point, I think he even lost himself.

When my eyes opened I was slumped forward a bit. No claws, no passing out. I think it was only a few seconds, maybe thirty, but it couldn't have been that long. Jack looked at me, and I could tell that he saw exactly what I did.
"You ok?" I asked him, sitting up and using his shoulder for balance. It took a few seconds but he said yes. When he looked slightly less pale he said, "Are you ok? You didn't even pass out."
"I guess I'm getting better at whatever this is." We didn't speak for a long time, until I had enough courage to ask, "Why did you come here? To the school? Honest answer."
He countered. "Why did you come to the school?"
I sighed, and said lacking most enthusiasm. "I live here. Left on the doorstep. Why did you come? Come on, please?"
He sighed and laid back in the grass. I snuggled up next to him. Story time.

"When I came here, I guess it was two weeks after Joy was taken. Johnny was doing a pretty good job of taking care of me, but nothing was the same with only the two of us. A few of my friends from school got me drinking. When Johnny found out he was furious. I got a three hour lecture. The next morning I apologized. A few days after he shipped me off here. He said it was for my own good, that I should be good, and if there were any signs of trouble he would send me to one of those army training camps next. And then I met you."
He looked at me. I asked. "And why was that significant?"
He gripped my hand. "Because you showed me that if you work hard, you accomplish things. And you were like an army training camp. You turned my whole life around." I laughed. It was kinda true. I broke the happy moment. Smashed it to pieces. "I'm still going," He tried to say something but I stopped him. "I won't be going anywhere until it starts. Until someone declares war. Deal?"
"It's good enough for now." He agreed. I had a feeling that this agreement wouldn't last for very long.

"If I'm going to marry you, what would our last name be? Cause I dont really... have one." I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He laughed to himself a bit. "Your going to think this is hilarious. My dad, was the one who passed on the ears, right? So, before he met my mom, when he was in his twenties, he had his last name legally changed." He laughed a bit more. "What?" He pulled me closer, and whispered it in my ear. I pulled back. "Are you serious?" When he nodded, we both broke out in an untamed laughter that shook the ground. "That is sooo funny. It hurts." I said between laughs. "Now you understand why I don't use it." When we finally calmed down, I leaned on his shoulder. "I'd be happy to use it. It sounds fitting, doesn't it?" He nods. "It does sound nice. A nice name for my fiancé." He kissed my head. I laughed.
"Do you have any idea why he changed it?"
He shook his head. "No clue at all. He just thought it was cool." We laughed a bit more.

Wolfe. That was Jack's last name. Just thinking about it sends another round of laughter. My name, sooner or later, will be Nina Wolfe, and I'm proud to have it. Way better than no last name at all. Wait until Dad finds out. But I don't plan on telling him any time soon.