Logan had no trouble finding the Morlocks, and they didn't even realize he was coming till he barreled into them from around the corner. Knocking two of them aside before they even realized who it was.

"Wolverine?!" Callisto said, before he shoved her into the wall.

"Listen lady!" he said. "You got some nerve turning down a couple of saints like that who wanted to help you out, and they ain't getting nothing out of it. You could have at least heard 'em out! But if you won't, I'll just have to explain it to ya the hard way!"

"Get off me!" Callisto said, in alarm.

The others grabbed Logan and pried him off.

"You go now or we'll get rough," Callisto warned.

"Oh make my day!" Logan's claws were out.

"Oh crud..." Morph panted, catching up. "We're too late."

"That is is," Callisto said. "If you won't go nicely, we'll take you down first."

The Morlocks began to use their mutations, which were ones like sludge or strength to restrict Wolverine.

Morph turned into a monkey and jumped up to get out of their reach, but there were way too many for him.

"A shapeshifter!" they cried.

One was about to crush Logan into the ground--which would have killed him, but would have still been pretty rough, when Lightning struck them and they fell on their rear end.

"That will be quite enough," Storm said. Mist forming around her feet. "Unless you all want to take me on also."

The Morlocks backed up a little.

"Callisto," Storm said. "That was unjust treatment back there and you know it. Either state your case, or allow us to state ours. You have crushed our friend's feelings with your carelessness."

"Oh their feelings," Callisto said sarcastically.

"Come off it," Logan sat up. "They had real good reasons for not showing up."

"I heard none," Callisto said.

"You didn't give them a chance," Storm said. "And...also, they would not have said it, I think, because they did not wish to embarrass us, but it is the X-men's fault, not theirs. We have kept them busy with our personal affairs."

"Yes, as we thought," Callisto said.

"Not those kind," Morph jumped down from the ceiling. "It's all right, Storm...it was partly because of me," he gestured widely. "I ran off, I was having a crisis. And there was another kid who was too, wrecking a whole island. And another girl ran off, and someone else did too, and then there was this boat thing, and basically, they didn't get a chance to breathe."

"Convenient," Callisto said.

"It's the truth!" Morph said.

"How do we know?" The Morlocks said.

"What do you need a photo?" Morph said angrily.

Some of his rage as Dark Morph was coming to the surface. It was so out of character to see him angry that Logan and Storm did a double take.

"Calm down," Storm tried to reach for him.

"No!" Morph said, without thinking. Shoving her away.

Storm was surprised.

"Careful, Morph," Logan stepped forward. "Easy there, buddy."

Morph realized everyone was now looking at him with fear...had he turned back into Dark Morph?

He hadn't in fact, but the feeling was so strong that he turned and ran.

He collided with the DJs and Mystique who were coming this way again, getting worried about the others.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Wally said.

"I..." Morph faltered. "Do I look...different?"

"You look terrified," Shine said. Holding out her hand. "What is going on? Was it the hypnotist?"

"No..." Morph slowed, his pulse was pounding. "I...got...a little...carried away...err..." he rubbed his head.

"Hey, man, it's gonna take a while for it to die down," Wally said. "It's no big deal. It's only been a couple days."

"Is Logan okay?" Shine asked.

"I...don't know," Morph said. "I was trying to tell them what actually happened...hey you guys can tell 'em, don't worry about making us look bad."

Shine pursed her lips. "I don't want to defame any of you just to look better, Kevin."

"You can't just leave them," Morph said. "That's making them right."

"He's right," Wally said. "Let's go try again, we gotta bail the other two out anyway, maybe now that they got that first bit out of their system, they'll hear us out."

Shine looked very hesitant...clearly rejection didn't sit well with her.

"Come on Shine," Wally held out his hand.

Shine took it slowly. "All right..." she said. "Mystique would you stay with Morph, I don't like to leave anyone alone here."

"You think I'm anxious to go back in there?" Mystique snorted. "Just signal us what to do. I think I could find my way back to the surface."

"Thanks," Shine said, just as if she was doing it to be nice and not to self preserve.

They walked onward.

"This is so frustrating," Morph sat on the floor.

Mystique shrugged. And eyed the walls. 

"You can drop that form now," Morph said. "It's kind of weird."

Mystique raised an eyebrow, then reverted to her usual blue form. "I take it the Dark one was being a problem again."

"Not exactly...but I think I scared them," Morph said. "They're being unfair though." he frowned.

"People are not fair," Mystique sniffed. "I think I saw some of those fools at Genosha Island. I can see why they'd be suspicion of any humans offering to help mutants after that."

[On this show, Mystique does make a cameo at that island, with no real explanation as to why she even would have been there, she has no speaking lines. She escapes later is all we know. I believe some future or former Morlocks were there, or a least could have been.]

"Genosha Island?" Morph didn't get it.

"The slave island," Mystique said. "The X-men were there too...ah, but you weren't with them then, I take it."

"Not since the Sentinals..." Morph sighed.

"Funny, that was with the Sentinals," Mystique said.

"But what could you have been doing there?" Morph said.

"Curiosity," Mystique said. "I suspected it was some kind of ruse...unfortunately, that came a little too late. I think they still had files on mutants...I hear they ended up disgraced and alone however. Karma comes full circle."

"I guess that's always been a problem," Morph said. "If people knew about our talents, they'd either hate us, or want to use them. That's why we hide at the mansion even though we're supposed to be heroes. It's kind of sad. I guess we're not that different from the Morlocks."

"Nope," Mystique couldn't argue. "Better looking prison, but it's still just a hideout. One place it the same as another, but mutants don't really have freedom anyway."

"I guess the Morlocks don't like a couple of humans trying to help them," Morph said. "I heard how they earned their entrance in here...but it looks like Callisto still doesn't like them."

"If I had heard their pitch I'd not believe it either," Mystique said coolly. "It is unfortunately only having been dragged along with them and their wild schemes that I have to admit it's legitimate. But still crazy."

"I don't know," Morph said. "People listen to them. I wish I knew that their secret was. Xavier's been trying to get people to listen for years, and people just fight him on it."

"Xavier?" Mystique was amused. "He won't even admit to the world that he is a mutant...I didn't even know he was a mutant until Rogue left and I had to find out where she'd gone. It came out then. And it was difficult enough to find out. His old friend Magneto is not so easy to get information out of."

"Then how did you?" Morph said.

Mystique shrugged. "Posed as someone else. Took me long enough. [This is my own invention] I find it ironic that the man who insists we can coexist peacefully hides his own heritage from the world."

"Well, so do you," Morph said.

"I have no illusions about coexisting," Mystique said flatly. "Magneto's ideas make more sense. Mutant supremacy...but I find that a pipe dream. Mutants are outnumbered a thousand to one on this planet, against such odds, I doubt a take over is possible. Apocalypse could perhaps manage it. But it's all the same, really. People fight each other. And no one ever really wins."

"That's depressing," Morph said. "What side you're on doesn't even matter with that logic."

"Exactly," Mystique said.

"Huh," Morph said. "Shine said you'd think that."

Mystique frowned, then shrugged again. "Shine knows my perspective well, I suppose, she knows everyone's."

"I think she just puts it together," Morph said. "Actions speak and all that. Only she said she'd understand it, if there was no God."

"I have no notion that there is a God," Mystique said. "Or that there is a good one, and I see no way it makes it better for me if there is. This way is the only way."

"I really hope you're wrong," Morph said. "Because this way isn't the way I want things to be. There has to be a reason to have hope and ideals, I mean, most people have them."

"Most people don't live up to them, Mystique sniffed. "We like the idea of it, but not the enforcing. Most people are selfish."

https://youtu.be/4qCXl5VQbdA

Morph thought she was being a real downer about this...but by now he was starting to see there was a reason for that.

He wasn't slow. He was catching onto how Shine figured people out. So far, he thought it was mostly just that she understood what certain words, actions, and ideas really denoted. He would have liked to be able to do this himself, really understand his friends and others.

[A note on this: Therapists also use this to understand people. That's why we have words for it, like all those complexes and syndromes.

But they are overused, and some therapists jump to conclusions very quickly about things just because of those key words.

Shine's methodology is different because she takes time to understand the history of the person she is talking to, and their decisions, patterns, and expressed reasons, versus what their actions suggest. Some therapists do this, and those are the best ones, but some just rely on books and theory that's taught which is constantly being adjusted.

Basically there is no one size fits all diagnosis. Different people use words like 'love' 'hate' 'want' 'should' 'can' and 'believe' in very different ways. It's good to get multiple perspectives if you think you have a mental problem. And I don't want people to read this story and think that it's that easy to do what Shine does. She's put a lot of research into what she does, and just making snap conclusions about people is not her game. We do this to each other a lot in pop culture and it can be very damaging to be written off as one thing without someone taking the time to really understand.

I thought it would be good to clarify this. Morph does not have the whole picture either, so his observations shouldn't be taken as all that's required to counsel people.]

***

Shine and Wally were able to intervene before the Morlocks really got into it with Storm and Logan again. At least, at first.

Storm had told Callisto roundly that Morph was right and that they had had one emergency after another, ones they could not have put off.

"Our lives are not so carefree up on the surface that we never have a crisis," she said severely. "Don't think we can just do as we please. Our friends' live and health were in danger. It has been a difficult month for us all."

"For you?" Callisto snorted. 

"What had made you so angry, huh?" Logan said.

Shine and Wally came in right then, Wally leading. "Hey...well you guys aren't killing each other, so far so good. Can we try this again?"

Callisto sighed. "I suppose since you've all come back in here we will hear you out." she seemed dejected now.

"There's not much else to say," Storm said. "Please believe that it was not our fault, and especially not theirs. We asked them to help us. Now tell us what has made you so hostile?"

"If it helps," Shine said. "We brought more supplies..."

A portal suddenly dropped a huge pile of it into the tunnel.

The Morlocks gazed at it, then some of them started crying.

Callisto seemed upset also.

"You're too late," she said.

"What's going on?" Wally said.

"Well come see for yourself if you want," Callisto gestured.

The other Morlocks still grabbed the stuff and carried it in, they weren't fools.

Callisto led them in.

Storm let Morph know they could come now, and he and Mystique made their way in.

It was darker in here, but the Morlocks had some lights wired on, or battery operated.

There had been around a hundred or so before, give or take. But the other were stunned to see there was far less of them now.

Those that were there, most of the kids, looked thinner than ever, and some looked ill.

"Did you guys get hit by a bus?" Wally said, not very much like it was funny.

"Mock us all you want," Callisto said. "I'm sure it was your fault."

"In what way?" Shine said. "And...why are so many of you missing? Jen and Dan..."

[Making these names up, there's not really a definitive number of Morlocks, obviously.]

"They're gone," Callisto said. "As in dead."

"Dead?" Wally said.

"Was it hunger?" Storm said.

"Not naturally," Callisto said. "Perhaps you remember two of our members, who were here once. One who could cause illness, Plague, she called it, and one who withered plants."

"I remember," Storm said. "Gambit was afflicted by the first one."

"Did they go haywire?" Logan said.

Morph saw Mystique's expression suddenly change.

"You could say that," Callisto said. "They disappeared several months ago, about the time that Apocalypse monster showed up. There were two mutants working with him with those same powers, only much stronger than they ever were here. We didn't know if it was the same, but we assumed. Only they looked different."

Shine suddenly gasped. "They didn't come back here did they?"

"But they did," Callisto said. "I do not know where they have been, I had thought he was defeated."

"He was," Logan said. "I was there. And they weren't there...ain't seen them since we took him the first time. Always thought they were like that Warren guy...went back to regular living."

"But Rogue purged his evil," Shine spoke. "That's why he did that, she didn't do that to them, I always wondered if they were arrested."

"They might have been," Callisto said. "Could be why we had not heard anything more from them. But I take it they got out. Why they came back here I do no know. Perhaps they had nothing else to do, but they didn't seem to know us, they just destroyed our food and made many of us sick, and then our hypnotist was able to trick them into leaving."

The old lady nodded. "Just barely," she said.

"As you can see, many of us did not recover," Callisto said. "Those who have are still weak."

"Oh...wow..." Wally said. "That's...horrible...gosh, I'm sorry."

"It was your doing," Callisto said. "I am sure they followed you here somehow. We have moved since they were with us, how else would they have found us?"

"That's a stretch," Storm said. "Given that the only showed up afterwards. Do you think they would have planned it out so carefully?"

"I don't know what they would do anymore," Callisto said. "They no longer care about us, it was like seeing strangers."

Shine covered her mouth. Then she said. "I think, deep down, they came here because they knew it was where they belonged...but they couldn't overcome the brainwashing enough. Or perhaps it makes them seek out anyone they used to love, I have seen the type before. I am deeply sorry Callisto, we had no idea they were even out there."

"What difference does you being sorry make now?" Callisto was bitter. "It's too late. And your God didn't do a thing to stop it. To think these people believed it would. Well, what do you say to them now?"

Indeed, the Morlocks seemed ready to attack them out of sheer desperation and spite.

Mystique, typically, turned and tried to bolt out of the room while no one was looking.

But one of the Morlocks grabbed her.

"Let me go!" She yelped. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

As usual, her panic made things worse. There was a chance the Morlocks would have been talked off the ledge had everyone stayed calm, but as soon as someone started freaking out, it was like a match to gunpowder.

"What is she talking about?" Callisto said warily. "Who is that?"

Mystique had put on her disguise again, of course.

"I'll find out," the hypnotist said. [I'm pretty sure we never get her name...]

"Wait," Shine said. "Leave her alone."

"Why are you protecting her?" Logan grabbed Shine's arm because she could run to help. "If anyone should be blamed for this, it's her."

"Why?" Callisto said warily.

"She used to work for Apocalypse," Logan said

"Logan!" Morph covered his mouth too late. "Shut up!"

"She did?!" Callisto said.

Like a pack of wolves, the Morlocks now had a target.

Mystique knew she was dead just by the looks they were giving her...why did she even agree to come down here?!

Also why did she always meet people who wanted to kill her when she followed Shine and Wally around?

"It had nothing to do with you," she protested vainly. 'They weren't supposed to come back here!"

"What are you?" They said. "Show us your mutation!"

"Leave her alone!" Shine said, trying to break out of Logan's grasp.

Wally dashed over and pulled some of the Morlocks back. "Hey, guys, revenge is not going to solve anything. Let her go. Apocalypse is gone, it's already over."

"Is it?" They raged. "We want our friends back! Lives for lives."

Mystique managed to slip out of their grasp and duck so that they collided with each other when they tried to grab her.

Then she ran towards Logan, Shine, and Morph attempting to get behind them.

Logan stepped back and blocked her so that she tripped trying to avoid it and fell on her hands.

"Logan!" Shine said.

"I don't think we should," Logan said. "We can't win this fight, Likstar, there's too many of 'em. Unless you want to get us out of here, better her than us."

"Logan!" Shine said. "I know you are better than this."

"Even if I helped, they'd have us, then," Logan said. "I ain't trading all of you for one ungrateful wench who's responsible for this mess to begin with, you see how many innocent people are gone now? Why are you even still trying, Shine?"

"The living weapon shouldn't be talking!" Shine said easily the most hurtful thing she'd ever said to him, because she was furious and afraid also. "I can't watch this again, Logan, please!"

Her absolute terror shocked him.

"Of course we will not watch," Storm was warning the Morlocks to step back. "No one is being killed."

Mystique reverted to her regular form, eyeing the scrapes on her hands now. Morph took her arm. "Might want to stick close this could be a tight escape..." he hissed.

Mystique wasn't sure what to do or say at this moment.

A part of her reflected she was despicable for even hiding behind the X-men...didn't she bring this situation on herself?

But she was in mortal dread of the Morlocks wrath also...all kinds of memories were coming to her mind right now. She realized she was shaking.

"If you are going to defend vermin like that," Callisto said. "You might as well throw your lot in with her. And be no friends to us."

There were murmurs of agreement.

The air in the room was thick with danger, malice...outrage. Hatred even.

"Hey," Shine said, slowly. "This is not the way. There may be a chance for those two people who have been brainwashed. If we were to find them, and heal them, they would stop."

"It's too late," Callisto said.

"You are willing to abandon them just over something they did not do on purpose?" Shine said. "Is that it? It does not matter why they did it, you just care that they hurt you?"

Some Morlocks murmured that maybe that did not seem fair, but they looked to Callisto for direction.

Callisto glanced at them, and then she looked down. "If they were restored to their real selves, of course, we would not hold them accountable for something they had no control over. Is such a thing even possible?"

"Of course it is," Shine said. "If you kill us, however, we cannot do this. Ask yourself? Will this bring your other friends back? Or do you wish to receive back the ones who are not yet beyond reach? Choose between life or death, hate or love. I think love is greater than hatred."

"Where was your love when this happened?" Callisto said. "Where was your God""

"He was the same place He has been when every tragedy has ever happened in this world," Shine said, causing them to stare. "People have believed in God through every evil event, and this one also. Anyone who stops believing because of tragedy did not have a very strong belief at all."

"I didn't," Callisto said.

"God doesn't stop tragedy always," Shine said. "I am sorry, but He never promises to do so, not for all time. Until the end of time...I did not ever claim this. I told you 'blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted' not that you would never mourn."

They stared at her, and you could see they were again wavering between what to do.

"We all should mourn," Shine said, her voice almost mesmerizing in how serious but calm it was. She sounded sad, but not crushed.

Logan couldn't help but marvel at the strength of this woman to face these people and say such a thing and sounded like she meant it.

"I am sad also," Shine said. "And, trust me, so is God. He keeps all our tears in a bottle, and is near to the broken hearted. He has watched his loved ones die before...He loved them, also...but death is still real...we have to turn to him, knowing this, and He will give us strength."

Perhaps it was more that her faith was unwavering, then anything else, that took all the fight out of those angry, miserable people. They could have faced up to anger, confusion, or fear, but her immovable stance was too much. One got the idea that Shine could have been stabbed and still would have gone on talking like this until her last breath.

Wally for his part, while not a talker, was looking just as determined as her, and had his hands on her shoulder now. Ready to move if anyone tried something.

Storm waited.

Callisto then slumped, and everyone knew it was over.

Then a lot of the Morlocks started crying again, some of them loudly.

And some of the kids started bawling, and some saying that they were still sick and hungry...

What impressed Morph more than anything was how fast Shine and Wally switched over from being dead serious to being helpful.

Wally started bringing the food so the kids could eat finally, and everyone else. And some blankets, and other stuff people had donated...there was more than enough.

Shine began to go and pray for the ones who felt ill, and it actually seemed like they felt better...perhaps because it was not a naturally caused disease and her ability to undo mutation's effects came into play.

Storm began to follow suit and get right to helping.

Logan was way too tense to do this, and Morph would have, but Mystique wouldn't let him. She was still stiff as a board and looked half wild.

Logan felt bad for almost ditching her...maybe he wouldn't really have, but boy had it been tempting there to just call it quits.

But perhaps because Logan was the sort of person who lived in extremes...this finally made him think that maybe his anger had gone on too long.

What was he doing? Even if someone was guilty, was he really just going to hand them over? Was he that spiteful and vindictive? No better than the Morlocks, who lived with so little hope that any loss made them wild.

He felt ashamed and went out into the tunnel outside and sat against the wall.

Morph wanted to sneak Mystique out there before anyone got a chance to remember she was there.

"West..." he hissed, "can you maybe run us out of here?"

"Huh?" Wally said. "Oh...oh, right." He winked.

He dashed them out there.

Mystique was still not in a good frame of mind.

Morph wasn't sure what she'd have done if left to herself.

As it was, Logan was sitting there, and she jumped, then backed up.

Logan looked up.

"I didn't have any intention of harming those people," Mystique said. "It's not my fault what those creations did after... I didn't know what would happen."

Logan was silent.

He wondered if this was what his creators would have said of him.

"It's not like she made them come here." Morph took his silence as dissent. "It's not fair to just put all the blame... I mean, it's weird that they came here at all."

"Oh, don't you help me!" Mystique said, suddenly enraged. "I know what both of you think! I don't care!"

She turned into a cheetah and ran down the tunnel like a bat out of hell.

"Uh oh..." Morph said.

"Better go after 'er," Logan said flatly.

Morph glanced at him warily.

"Who knows? She might run onto tracks that are still in use," Logan said dully. "Doesn't seem like she was really thinkin' that clear."

Morph nodded and turned into a cheetah also and ran for it.

Storm came out a moment later.

"Mr. West told me that Morph and Mystique are going to get away," she said. "That was a close call. I really thought they were going to kill us...but I think now they were simply so grieved and desperate they were taking it out on the nearest target. It is very tragic... Logan...are you all right?"

As the fact that he did not look all right dawned on her.

"I'm no better than them," Logan said. "We're supposed to be heroes...but I was just as willin' to let it happen, even to think it was deserved... Maybe it was, but where's my mercy? Likstar has been right all along about it--I have been hanging onto hatred so long, I didn't even see what it was turnin' me into..."

"And now you have?" Storm was never one to sugarcoat it. She didn't disagree with his statement.

Logan would have hated it if she had. [I guarantee Jean would have, just saying.]

"About a minute after that blew over," Logan said. "I figured it was her or us, but that was just because I couldn't think of it with any mercy. Likstar knew there was another way."

"I do believe God uses her at times," Storm said, "to make people see the light, pardon the clear pun... I know she was not sure either."

"But she was sure what she wanted," Logan said. "Determined to protect that woman. It wouldn't matter how much evil she'd done or caused..."

Storm pursed her lips, then she sat down next to him, cold as it was.

"Perhaps I can shed some light on this," she said. "Shine confided to me a while back that Mystique reminds her of a different student she had, one who tragically perished at the hands of some enemies of theirs, or so I gathered. Shine watched her die, Wally also. They were both there... In fact, it's partly how they became so close, I think."

"No," Logan said, in the way that that means, No, that shouldn't have happened.

"Yes." Storm nodded. "I believe her desperation is fueled by a wish never to see this again. She has never forgotten it. It must have been years ago now. She told me she can control her fear of this most of the time, but a situation where it seems like it could have been prevented, and it wasn't, is what will make her feel it. That is why she yelled at you. But you know, Shine cares about you just as much, Logan, and all of us, and is not going to hold this falling against you. I'm sure she'd just be happy to know you finally understand why she feels so strongly about it. Wally is not going to be upset either."

"That's worse," Logan said. "I wish they would be. Anythin' but that understandin' thing."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so easy to understand."

Logan looked up, trying to discern whether Storm meant that to be as savage as it sounded, but she just went on.

"It seems odd that you'd prefer people to be harsher than kind," Storm said. "I'm sure I'd prefer to be shown kindness."

"You would never take revenge." Logan couldn't picture Storm doing this...well, with the exception of one time.

"I would," Storm said. "I rarely let myself get angry... I can't afford to." She glanced at her hands. "Perhaps if I could, I would hold a grudge also. It's not that I like Mystique or her actions, yet it's clear enough she could never have predicted this, and I don't get the sense that she is a cruel enough person to enjoy the idea of people destroying their own friends. We must remember our actions have often led to problems we did not expect either and later had to correct."

"She ain't gonna correct it," Logan said. "But it would still be wrong to kill 'er over this."

"She cannot correct it," Storm said. "They wouldn't have let her... The thing about mistakes, I've begun to notice, is that other people have to have even enough mercy to let you fix them. Even redemption through actions is brought about by mercy. I never thought of it before now. But no one will ever be right with you, Logan, if you do not give them at least a chance to redeem themselves. As we all gave Morph. I noticed he is trying to give it out also."

"Morph never could hold a grudge," Logan said.

"We all can," Storm said. "But we don't all want to... I'm sure it's possible for you to let this go. You must not lose heart over it."

She put a hand on his. "We have to keep trying."

Logan looked up.

Storm seemed very sincere...

Not that it made it all better...but it was impossible to not feel slightly encouraged...

"Hey, guys--" Wally came out and then stopped. "Nevermind, I'll come back. Carry on."

"What?" Storm looked up, straightening. "It's all right."

"I was just gonna ask if you could help us. Shine wants to move all this stuff to a different part of the sewer now that they're feeling better," Wally said. "Get away from the germs or something. I don't know, I think a plague caused by someone's power probably doesn't have real germs, but you know women--they gotta be precise."

"Is that a female thing? Or just a personal preference?" Storm said.

"There it is right there," Wally said. "So if you're not busy...but we can wait few minutes."

"We can help now," Storm said. "Unless..." She glanced at Logan like, Are you okay?

Logan would have felt more guilty for refusing to help. "Yeah, let's just get it over with."

"Super," Wally said, giving them a thumbs up. "Where's the other two?"

"Went for a run," Logan said.

"Huh..." Wally looked puzzled.