Chapter 195: Dr. Essex

Before approaching the institute, Jason had Karen prepare everything.

He activated the patch and the voice modulator, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the entrance.

The doors opened to reveal Rogue, who was dressed with unmistakable intent.

He paused for several long seconds.

"Wow, Sugah, that is quite a car!" she said expectantly as she descended the steps with a subtle sway in her walk.

"That?" He pointed toward the vehicle.

"No, darling. That is not a car."

"That is a beast."

Rogue smiled and stepped forward, giving him a passionate kiss.

"Why?" he asked.

"My way of saying thank you, darling."

She leaned in to kiss him again but was interrupted.

"Cough, cough."

Jean cleared her throat rather dramatically, trying to disguise her jealousy behind polite manners.

"Little Red!" he greeted affectionately, making her blush faintly.

"Jason. It is a pleasure to see you."

"The pleasure is mine. It is good to be back after a while."

"Hello, Jason!" Kitty greeted cheerfully.

"Kitty! My adorable and funny Pinkie Pie!"

She laughed.

"Come in. We were just about to have breakfast."

"I would never turn down a good cup of coffee. I love coffee."

Jean quietly stored that piece of information away for future reference.

Rogue did exactly the same.

Once Jason disappeared inside with Kitty, Jean and Rogue found themselves standing face-to-face.

"He is mine, emo."

"In your dreams, menstrual hair."

"You little gothic vixen."

"Do not call me that, you redheaded hypocrite."

She stepped directly in front of Jean.

"Do not call me that either, you walking contradiction."

"Grr."

"Grr."

"Are you guys coming?"

Jason reappeared.

The two girls instantly replaced their hostile expressions with friendly smiles.

"Of course!"

Nodding, he walked away again, completely oblivious to the death glares the two women resumed exchanging behind his back.

"I already kissed him twice," Rogue whispered. "You never did, and the first one does not count."

After delivering that final jab, she hurried after her future objective.

"You...."

Jean immediately followed close behind.

------

While Jason calmly sipped his coffee, he watched the tension between Jean and Rogue grow with each passing second. Both Kitty and he observed attentively, silently betting on who would make the first move.

"And... why have you come?"

Kitty asked curiously as she cut herself a slice of chocolate cake and took a bite. She then held out another piece and fed it to him.

The moment Jean and Rogue noticed, both stopped arguing and stared with barely concealed fury.

Kitty merely winked at them.

"Grr," they muttered simultaneously.

"Mainly, I came for the Logan," Jason said, making the girls sigh because they are slightly disappointed that they were not the primary reason for his visit.

"Secondly, I came to see all of you. I missed this atmosphere."

The girls smiled brightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Kitty boldly kissed his cheek.

Her rivals looked at her in disbelief, while Jason merely smiled in amusement.

"You love chaos," he whispered near her ear.

"I am an agent of chaos," Kitty replied playfully.

The other two girls frowned, realizing they had now fallen behind a third rival.

"And what is so important that you came to see Logan?"

Jean asked, disguising her curiosity with a cough.

"Yeah. What do you need from James?" Rogue added.

"Let us just say what I have could either stop his heart... or give him a mild cardiac event."

Before the girls could ask what he meant, another voice interrupted them.

"Why do you say that?" Ororo asked as she entered wearing casual clothes.

Jason raised an eyebrow but said nothing about her attire.

"I have valuable information that someone close to me has been gathering, and that information concerns him directly."

"Who is this person?"

"I am sorry, but that is confidential. What I can tell you is that she knows me better than almost anyone else and has my complete trust. She is not anti-Meta, so you have nothing to worry about."

Ororo nodded, choosing to trust him.

The three girls, however, immediately straightened when they heard him refer to another woman with complete trust.

Rogue and Kitty both looked toward Jean.

Jean quickly looked away.

For once, she resisted the temptation to use her telepathy, knowing that doing so would ruin all the progress she had made. Besides, the small voice that had been accompanying her for some time urged her not to do anything foolish.

"I will bring James," Ororo said before leaving.

Once she was gone, Kitty shifted the conversation toward her training and studies, with Rogue and Jean joining in to keep things light.

"And you?" Jean eventually asked.

"I do not study."

"Why not?" Rogue asked.

"I already graduated. I called in a few favors from some contacts and took the final examinations for every subject I wanted. The best evaluators available administered the exams. I passed all of them, earning my degrees and doctorates."

"Doctorates in what?" Kitty asked.

"I have doctorates in Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Genetics, Biogenetics, Psychology, Biology, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, and Forensic Medicine."

The girls stared at him with wide eyes.

Even Ororo, who had just returned with Logan, paused.

Logan himself raised an eyebrow.

Not to mention Economics, Business Administration, and Management, Jason thought.

"You have more doctorates than Bruce Banner." Rogue said.

That was true.

He had already surpassed Banner’s seven doctorates.

He could have earned even more, but to him they were merely pieces of paper proving competence.

"Bub... why do I like you so much?" Logan muttered.

"Could we talk somewhere more private?"

"Bub, I do not have time. I have people to train. If you have something to say, say it here."

He already sounded irritated.

Remembering Logan’s personality, Jason sighed.

He reached into his black jacket, removed a folder, and handed it over.

Logan looked at the cover.

Howlett X.

His expression shifted from curiosity... to disbelief... to pure fury.

Jason subtly inhaled and easily picked up the scent of Logan’s rising bloodlust.

He simply sighed.

"Where did you get this?"

"I was investigating several corporations, including company like Roxxon Energy Corporation.¹"

"I eventually discovered that Nathaniel Essex¹ held military contracts with General Thaddeus ’Thunderbolt’ Ross, the same man responsible for attempting to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum, an effort that resulted in the creation of the Abomination."

Everyone’s eyes widened.

"Knowing that, I continued investigating Ross and discovered he maintains a close relationship with Dr. Zander Rice¹—the owner of a pharmaceutical company that publicly claims to research cures for various diseases."

"That image is nothing more than a facade."

"His true work is documented inside that folder."

Jason pointed toward the file.

The folder contained extensive information regarding Alkali-Transigen¹, many of its founders, research facilities, financial records, and internal operations.

The only individual Jason had intentionally left out was Donald Pierce¹, because he was far more useful alive than dead.

Logan read through the contents once.

Then again.

Then a third time.

Each pass only fueled his rage further.