4.

Kurt’s mind started working again, but the rest of him felt weak and drowsy. He could feel a tight and cold collar around his neck that dangled a chain in front of him—like a dog collar. Although he sat on the floor, in a rather uncomfortable position, his arms were hanging in the air, being held by what he figured to be shackles.

His tongue licked his lips and a singe of pain shot through his mouth and he tasted blood. His lip was bleeding. His rib cage felt extremely bruised as he shifted his weight. Then his ears picked up the sound of someone moving nearby.

“Kurt?”

It was Amanda’s voice. His eyes opened and his head looked up slowly. She sat on a small cot in the corner of the same room. She was curled up, her knees at her chest and her arms hugging her legs. “Amanda,” he said. His throat felt very dry.

“Oh God, Kurt…” She got to her feet and went over to him. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a massive truck.” He tried to smile, but it hurt his lip. “Where are we?

“I don’t know,” she said as she looked at the steel door. “They had my hands tied and my head in a bag on the way here.”

They heard talking on the opposite side of the door. Then the door’s handle turned slowly as the voices continued talking; the door opened and three men walked in. The two on the sides were dressed in the black body suits Kurt remembered seeing on their kidnappers. Each held a rifle in their hands and looked down at him like he was some poor, helpless animal. The middleman, however, was dressed in slacks, a shirt and a tie, a white lab coat finishing the look. He was in his late forties, but he looked about sixty. His hair was messy and the color of salt and pepper, a thin mustache and goatee surrounding his thin lips.

“Giving your friend a word of hope, girl?” He spoke with a slight Russian accent. Brown eyes looked over the rim of oval glasses to the frightened girl who was still dressed in her nightclothes.

“Who are you?” Kurt demanded as Amanda stepped aside and stood next to Kurt as if he was in a state to protect her.

“We’ve never met, but I know who you are, Mr. Wagner; German acrobat that came to the United States almost a year ago for a circus tour. But you never went home, did you? Instead you stayed here and tried to assassinate the president. When you were unsuccessful you disappeared.” He smiled, seeming to be proud of himself.

“As for me,” he continued seeing Kurt and Amanda’s look of disgust, “I am Dr. Stefan Shorski. I am the brilliant man that designed the collar you wear around your little blue neck. You might remember my work when you were under the care of William Stryker.”

His words let Kurt understand that this collar was the same one used when Stryker was holding him captive before he went after the U.S. President. Kurt had to admit it was brilliant to say the least because it kept him from teleporting, which meant there was no mean of using his mutant power to escape.

“What do you want with us?” Amanda asked. Her hands held onto one of Kurt’s extended arms as she crouched down next to him.

“I can care less about you, Miss Circus-Girl. You’re only here because I didn’t want you going around shouting her mouth about Wagner’s capture.” Shorski put his hands behind his back and walked up to Kurt’s bound body. “You, on the other hand, are going to make me a fortune.”

Kurt tried not to laugh. “I won’t work for you.”

“You’ll have no choice.” He motioned with one hand for his two riflemen to come forward. They pushed Amanda aside, which made Kurt try to jump at them and receive a kick to his side. Holding their rifles under their arms, both men unhooked the chains that bound his arms, leaving only the metal band around his wrists.

“Leave him alone!” Amanda shouted as she got to her feet. Seeing Kurt struggle was more than she could bear.

“Don’t worry,” Shorski said with a smile. “He’ll be back in an hour or so.”

As if Kurt was no more than an animal, one of the men held the chain attached to the collar, only leaving about a foot of slack between his hand and Kurt’s neck. The man kept his arm hanging at his side, so Kurt was forced to crawl after him.

“Just sit tight,” Shorski told Amanda as the four disappeared around the corner and the door slammed shut behind them. Amanda returned to hugging her knees and burying her head in them. “God help us….” she said as tears trickled down her face.

Rain had started to come down in bucketfuls early that day. It was Sunday, and of course none of the classes were held at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Everyone was sitting around, most of the kids moping that they couldn’t go outside. Storm, Rogue, Bobby, and Scott sat around a game table playing Monopoly, while Logan trained in a weight room in the basement, and Professor Xavier read a book in his office.

Scott leaned over the table and picked up an orange card from the pile. “Aw, c’mon!” He said throwing the card down.

“Back to jail?” Storm laughed as she picked up the dice.

Scott sulked as he dropped his game piece in the shape of an iron onto the jail square. “I hate this game. Whose idea was this anyway?”

“Probably yours,” Logan said coming from the way of the kitchen with a soda in his hand. His face looked hot and sweaty, but he didn’t seem the least bit tired.

“Actually it wasn’t,” Scott said.

Logan was about to counter back when the doorbell rang. Everyone looked at the other as Logan went over to the door and opened it. “Margali?” He said as Margali stepped inside, completely soaked.

“Here, let me get you a blanket,” Storm said running down the hall and soon returning with a heavy green blanket to drape around the soaked woman’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” she said as she pulled it snug around her.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.

By then Professor Xavier had emerged from his office and wheeled down the oak floor to the entryway. “When did it happen?”

Margali stared at him and then remembered that he was able to read minds. “Around three o’clock this morning. Dr. Xavier, I don’t know what to do.”

Logan held a hand up. “Someone mind explaining? Not all of us are mind readers at work.”

Margali turned to him, a few droplets of water streaking down her face. “Kurt and Amanda are gone. Someone took them last night.”

“Gone?” Rogue asked in complete shock.

“Chester heard Amanda scream…and there was blood on her sheets. Oh God, I’m so worried,” the circus woman said starting to cry.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them,” Storm said leading Margali upstairs to find her dry clothes.

The others were silent for a moment. All were thinking about the fact that Kurt had been kidnapped and wondered what sort of danger threatened him. Xavier, though, concentrated on the matter at hand: finding them.

“I’m going to use Cerebro,” he said as he wheeled towards the elevator. “Be ready to leave once I’ve found them.”

Kurt was practically dragged into a large white room. There, Shorski stood in front of him, his eyes looking over his glasses again. “Welcome to my lab, Mr. Wagner.” Kurt didn’t say anything. He just sat on his knees where he fell only seconds before.

“We’re going to relieve you of the power of that collar,” Shorski said holding up a small remote controller. “But I wouldn’t try to teleport out of here. These walls are five-feet thick and made of solid steel, a design I came up with myself to keep you here during the tests.”

“What tests?” Kurt asked. A lab assistant came over to him and started attaching little plastic half balls, smaller than ping-pong balls, on his major muscles.

The chain on the collar was removed and the two riflemen left to stand guard by the door. Shorski waved for another man dressed in combat boots, camouflage pants, and a gray t-shirt to come out of a darker corner of the room.

“José here will be your test partner. I want to see exactly what you can do and make a computerized record of it.”

José cracked his neck and stood only a few yards from Kurt. The military-like man was very intimidating. His arms, neck, and chest were thick with nothing else but muscle. His hair was cut short, and his face looked mean. Kurt had already begun to ask the Lord for forgiveness for his life’s sins, figuring he was about to meet his final fate in this room.

Shorski went off to a small, shielded room off to the side. The glass was the type one would see in a prison. Only one side could see through to the other. In this case, Shorski would be able to watch all of Kurt’s teleporting and agility special effects he carried in that demon body of his.

“You will fight and attack each other on my call…” There was a moment of silence as Shorski waited for Kurt to get to his feet. Instead, the Nightcrawler remained on his knees in the center of the room, his head bowed, and his hands on his lap. “Mr. Wagner, I suggest you get up.”

Kurt’s head glanced up towards the room. “I won’t fight.”

Shorski only smiled to his lab assistant who sat in the room with him. “Have it your way.”

José didn’t wait another second for any cue from Shorski. He lunged forward and kicked Kurt in the shoulder, causing the blue, tailed mutant to be thrown to his back several feet across the room. Yet he still didn’t get up.

José walked up with a vicious and hungry face. He bent down to pick Kurt up by the collar of his shirt. As if tossing a large inflated ball, José tossed Kurt a few inches into the air and punched the side of his face. Kurt felt as if a ton of steel had cracked his jaw, but when he finally hit the floor and moved his mouth, he was relieved to find it was still in tack.

“Mr. Wagner, you will die before I stop him from this assault,” Shorski said through the microphone.

“Then so be it,” Kurt said getting to his feet. His legs wobbled slightly, but he was able to stand nonetheless. José came running towards him, his hand over his shoulder preparing for what Kurt anticipated would be a very hurtful slap.

Shorski watched from his seat and shook his head. “Get the girl,” he told one of the guards. Then he leaned over the table and put his mouth to the microphone. “Mr. Wagner,” he said just as Kurt was knocked to the ground. “I think it a wise decision on your part if you start cooperating with me.”

Kurt was on all fours, his head bowed to look at the ground. He noticed the beads of blood falling from his nose and mouth. His tail felt like it was sprained, which sent a terrible throbbing pain up his back.

“Let me go!”

The doors had closed and Amanda was shoved out into the room. “Kurt!” She yelled as she got started for him.

“José,” Shorski said in a very bored tone, “you have a new target.”

Kurt looked up quickly to see the huge brute running to the woman he loved. “Nein! Aufenthalt weg von ihr!” In a flash Kurt had disappeared, leaving behind a dark smoke that began to vaporize.

Nightcrawler reappeared in front of the very frightened Amanda and jumped forward into the air to give José a back kick in the side of his head. The large man went flying back, but did a back flip and landed on his feet. He cracked his neck again and started forward in a quick walk.

“Kurt, please…. You’re already hurt,” Amanda pleaded.

“He’ll kill you,” Kurt replied as he teleported again this time appearing behind José and kicking him down. Kurt teleported in a heartbeat again, appearing in a crabwalk-type stance, his foot coming in contact with José’s nose.

José jumped up as his hands folded around his face. It was clear that Kurt had broken this bully’s nose.

Kurt had thought he was finished, but when he turned around he saw the two riflemen holding Amanda’s arms and throwing her into the air. Once again Kurt teleported to catch Amanda in midair, then teleported down to the ground safely.

He held her possessively, his eyes glaring at his opponents, daring them to try another attack. He didn’t have to worry about it, though. Shorski came out of his room clapping his hands. “Beautiful,” he said with a large smile.

Kurt still held Amanda, her arms wound tightly around his neck. They looked at the Russian man who still walked towards them. He held up the remote just as Kurt tried to teleport out of the room. Nightcrawler had done it before—teleporting when he had no idea where he was going, but he waited a second too late. The collar had been turned back on, causing an electric shock to bite back at him, causing his arms to drop Amanda.

“Nice try,” Shorski said with a small laugh. He turned to his guards. “Take them both back to the cell.”

Kurt didn’t try to struggle. Amanda saw this and it broke her heart. Not only that, but she started to lose all hope of rescue.

Back in the X Mansion, the X-Men and Margali sat in the living room waiting for Xavier to return. It had been at least two hours. Margali sat on the edge of her cushioned chair, holding her hands in prayer with her head looking towards the carpeted floor.

Everyone jumped as they heard the elevator nearby cling with the arrival of the professor on the main floor.

Xavier wheeled himself into the room and looked worried. “It took me much longer than I thought. Whoever has Kurt and Amanda was making Kurt demonstrate his teleportation powers and I couldn’t concentrate with him jumping back and forth between dimensions.”

“Did you find them?” Margali said getting to her feet, looking hopeful.

“Yes, after a good hour or more of waiting. As far as I know Amanda is fine, just scared. Kurt though…” He paused and looked at Scott. “You must hurry. There’s not much time.”

The X-Men started heading towards the elevator that would take them downstairs to the hanger where the X Jet waited for them. They belted themselves into the seats of the jet, and Scott started up the engines as Storm opened the hanger door. “Xavier put the coordinates into the jet right after he left Cerebro. We should get there in fifteen minutes.”

“Let’s just hope the elf and the girl are still alive in fifteen minutes,” Logan replied.

Kurt and Amanda were practically tossed back into the holding cell. Amanda helped Kurt to lie on the bed and then held his head in her arms. “I love you…” was all she could find herself saying.

Kurt sat up and looked at her. His nose and lips still bled, but his eyes still hadn’t lost their hopeful shimmer. “They’ll come…the X-men will help us. You’ll be safe.”

“I want you safe too,” Amanda said softly.

Kurt put a bruised hand to her face and cradled it gently. “The Father will be with me, and He will be with you, holding your hand and guiding you.”

The door to the cell opened moments later, the guards following Shorski into the room. “Are you ready, Mr. Wagner?”

Kurt didn’t look at him. He had no idea what this evil man had planned for him, but he was not going to surrender himself.

“What are you going to do with him?” Amanda asked as she held onto him tightly.

Shorski smiled as he held up a syringe and let a few squirts emit from the tip. “We’re going to put a small microchip into his neck to replace that collar he’s wearing. It’ll look better that way,” he added with a wink that only made Kurt give a silent growl. “During that time we will have a device on the demon’s head that will wipe away any memory of Kurt Wagner’s life.”

Shorski sneered. “All the memory. Even about your pretty little girlfriend.”

Kurt didn’t give him the pleasure of seeing his scared, upset, and worried face. He figured that as long as Amanda survived and escaped in one piece, he’d be happy. But forgetting the memory of her was what concerned him the most.

“You can’t!” Amanda yelled as Shorski dug the needle into Kurt’s upper arm. “Kurt!”

The antibiotic worked very quickly; soon Kurt had slumped down, although he was still able to see what was going on around him. He just couldn’t feel anything, and he couldn’t hear a sound that was made. His eyes saw Amanda screaming as one of the guards held her while the other one dragged him out of the room. As the door shut him from Amanda’s sight, he closed his eyes, trying hard to keep the memory of her alive in his heart.

Shorski had Kurt flopped onto the table without any restraints to hold him. The drug he had given young Wagner would keep him out for at least twelve hours. The surgery would be long over by then. Even so, when Wagner did wake up he would be unaware of everything and everyone around him.

Shorski’s assistant had done some quick work to program the movements of Wagner’s teleportation and acrobatics into the memory machine that would clear his mind of everything he ever knew. This would allow him to still remember how to do the stunts he had been able to do his whole life without having to relearn them.

An IV was placed in the mutant’s blue arm, which was mainly to give him another dosage of the drug—just in case. Shorski wasn’t too worried about much else. The chip just had to be placed under the skin and out of sight.

The assistant put the memory device on the mutant’s head. It looked as if a metal spider was clinging to Kurt’s head. With the press of two buttons, the small computer would be put to life.

“We’ll wait until I’ve got this done. He might squirm a bit during that process,” Shorski told the assistant and she backed away. “Now…this won’t take too long.” He reached for his scalpel and held it only inches from Kurt’s exposed neck.

Before the blade had a chance to cut into the soft blue skin, the emergency light overhead started to flash and a siren went off.

“See what that is,” Shorski said as he was about to return to his work. But the quick rumble of something being blown apart not to far from where he stood, ready to cut Kurt’s neck, made him look up and wait to see what happened.

“Sir,” the assistant said, “someone’s blown the main entrance apart.”

“Damn it to hell!” Shorski yelled as he ran to lock the doors. “This will not be ruined on me! I shall not fail like Stryker did.” He turned around to continue once again when the sound of a gasp and a tumble made him jump. As he turned around quickly, realizing someone was there, the scalpel traced across Kurt’s shoulder, cutting the flesh and blood leaking out immediately.

“I suggest you step away from the elf,” a low voice said.

Wolverine stepped away from the now unconscious assistant. His claws shined in the bright lights of the lamps that hung over the table Kurt lay on, unaware that the rescue had finally come.

“How’d you get in here? The doors were locked!”

“Were,” Wolverine smiled as he held up one claw. “Found out these things are good for picking locks besides cutting insufficient scientists’ heads off.”

“You’re making a big mistake,” Shorski said as he put a syringe into Kurt’s arm. “If I push down, a second dosage of this drug will kill him. Besides,” he smiled, “you’re too late. The memory eraser has started its work. Wagner belongs to me.”

Wolverine laughed. “S’far as I see it no one owns Wagner. Get away. I’m not afraid to kill you.”

“Then kill me! See where it gets you!” His thumb began to push down on the needle and the liquid started to empty into Kurt’s arm.

Wolverine was about to make his move when the door suddenly burst open and a red energy beam shot across the room. Wolverine leaned back as the beam almost hit him. Shorski, on the other hand, had jumped away before receiving the full brunt of it. He tumbled backwards, the syringe forgotten in Kurt’s arm.

“What the hell was that?” Wolverine inquired as he shot a harsh look at Cyclops.

“Its called taking action,” Cyclops responded hurrying over to Kurt. He pulled the contraption on his head off, tossed it in the air, and let his red energy beam blow it to pieces.

“Then thanks for the help,” Wolverine said as he pulled the needled out of Wagner’s arm and let it shatter on the floor. “But don’t do it again.”

Cyclops gave a quick smile before turning his head as he received a message through the earpiece he wore that was connected to the other X-Men. “You guys alright?”

“We’re fine,” Storm said on the other end. “Amanda’s not hurt, just shaken a bit from everything. You got Kurt?”

“He’s a little out of it at the moment,” Cyclops reported. “But we’ll be there to join you in a minute.”

“Cyclops, damn it!” Wolverine yelled. “That son of a bitch got away!”

Cyclops looked to where Shorski had been. “He must have made a run for it when we turned our backs.”

“I’m going after him.”

“Forget it, Logan. We have Kurt and Amanda to worry about right now. They need to go home.”

Wolverine mumbled to himself for listening to this kid’s orders once again, but he picked up Kurt just the same and followed the X-Men field leader to where they parked the jet.

Translations: (Note, the translator I used was not entirely accurate with these—it kept changing its mind!)

“Aufenthalt weg von ihr”-Stay away from her