Operation: Rebirth
Season 2, Episode 14
It's a very Logan episode... also shows some different sides of Kurt.

Logan is riding his motorcycle. Someone with jeeps and helicopters, who knows who he is, chases him. He leads them through a
forest, but has to stop at the edge of a cliff. Nick Fury jumps out of a helicopter.

Fury: Hold it right there, Logan. Or should I say, Weapon X.

Roll credits!

Fury: Actually, aren't you going by Wolverine these days?
Logan: I don't work with Shield anymore. I got one word for you: good-bye.
Fury: Gunner, target that bike.
Logan: What's this about?
Fury: Rebirth's been stolen.
Logan: Impossible! Rebirth was destroyed. Rogers and I made sure of it.
Fury: There was a back-up. We found it seventeen years ago, and mothballed it under Level 5 security.
Logan: And still it got stolen.
Fury: Whoever did it also managed to do *this* to titanium doors. *shows picture* And knock out our security with a magnetic
pulse. We're talking mutant.
Logan: Magneto.

Scene: Bayville High.

Rogue: Oh man, I totally tanked that History test. Why do we have to study World War II anyway?
Bully (pushing past): Clear the road, losers.
Rogue: I think the phrase you're looking for is 'pardon me'.
Bully: You asking for something, skunk-head?
Rogue: You trying to push me around? Please! Lay a finger on me! We'll see what happens.
Bully: *reaches for Rogue*
Kurt (stopping him): Trust me, not a good idea.

Bully turns around and grabs Kurt's wrist, crushing his watch.

Bully: You think you're tough? ... Aah! What are you? Some kinda rat?
Rogue: Hey, look who's talking!
Bully: No way. I'm gonna -
Jean (telepathically): You're going to forget. None of this happened. You're going to leave.
Bully: Oh yeah... I'm going...
Jean: You okay?
Kurt: Yeah. Growing up looking like this... I've heard it all before.

He teleports away.

Scene: The Institute.

Jamie and wolf-Rahne are sitting under a tree.

Jamie: You're so cool to help me with my homework, Wolfsbane. The ancient Greeks invented the sports of javelin-throwing
and...
Rahne: *picks up a frisbee*
Jamie: The discus! Right!

Logan is explaining the Rebirth project to the Professor.

Xavier: Was it ever used on anyone?
Logan: Yeah. Steve Rogers.

Flashback!

A monochrome lab. Some guy in the Rebirth chamber.

Xavier: It sounds like you knew him.
Logan: I did.

Flashback!

World War II. A plane shoots at a guy in a jeep, and comes back to finish the job. Another guy on a motorcycle comes around,
and takes off his trenchcoat and wow, it's Captain America!

He uses his shield to reflect sunlight at the pilot, blinding him and causing him to abandon the mission. Then he throws the
shield and cuts off the wing of the plane.

He helps the injured man to an army truck. Logan is inside and shakes Captain America's hand.

Xavier: I know you're older than you appear, but... World War II. Your regenerative capabilities are amazing. So is your
memory. But I thought parts of your past were lost to you?
Logan: Well, after that it gets fuzzy.

Logan then says that Rebirth wasn't as successful as it appeared.

Scene: Inside the Institute.

Kurt and Rogue are in a hallway. The lights are flickering.

Rogue: Power surge? Or -
Kurt: Cerebro at full power! Cool! Let's scope it out!

Logan: Sure are a lot of mutants around.
Xavier: Yes. The portion of the population with the X-gene is increasing exponentially. It's getting difficult to keep track
of them all, even with Cerebro's recent enhancements.
Logan: They're not going to be under wraps much longer.
Xavier: I believe Magneto feels the same way. Hence, his recent activities.
Logan: So where is he?
Xavier: I don't know. His cloaking technology is keeping pace with Cerebro's enhancements. I have no idea where he is.
Rogue (lurking outside): I -
Logan: The Rogue has something to say.
Xavier: Come in, Rogue, Kurt.
Rogue (entering): You could wait for a girl to volunteer.
Logan: No time. Spill it.
Rogue: When I touched old Buckethead in New York, I got a dose of his memories. They're kinda confused, but there's a metal
dome half-buried in rock.
Logan: Where?
Rogue: The Sahara desert.
Logan: That narrows it down to about three-and-a-half million square miles. Could you be a little more specific?
Rogue: I'm sure I could recognize some landmarks.
Logan: Oh no. You are *not* coming.
Rogue: You want to find it or not? Anyway, the only way inside the dome is with the power of magnetism.
Xavier: Or -
Kurt: Teleportation! Yes! The fuzzy man is on the mission!

Scene: Inside the Blackbird.

Kurt: This is so cool! We're on a mission! Hey, let's have on official briefing.
Rogue: Why?
Kurt: Hey, we're a team!
Rogue: Big whoop. A team of two.

Flashback!

Commander: A team of two. That's you two.
Logan: What are the mission parameters?
Commander: Liberate a POW camp in Poland. Real fast.
Logan: How fast is real fast?
Commander: Let's just say, you don't get parachutes.

Okay, here go Logan and Captain America. Destruction, explosions, etc.

Captain America goes into a bunker. He picks up a small boy who comes forward, and the rest of the prisoners follow him. Some
guards throw explosives at him as he's running. The boy lifts his hand, and the bombs reverse slightly before exploding. They
get back to the truck.

Logan: What's your name, son?
Boy: Erik Lehnsherr. Thank you for saving us.

Kurt: Clarify the official particulars while we mentally prep.
Logan: What?
Rogue: He wants to know why Magneto wants the Rebirth machine.
Logan: He must have seen it in action with Captain America and researched it after.
Rogue: There! Go east at that ridge of rock.
Kurt: So if Rebirth made such great superheroes, why was it only used once?
Logan: Because greatness ain't supposed to come that easy, Elf. It had a side effect for humans: cellular breakdown. Captain
America was dying.
Rogue: There! That's it!
Logan: Far as we go by air. I'll take her down. You two prep the XTVs.

Rogue puts a detonator device on her belt.

Rogue: Can I ask what happened to the Rebirth project? Why didn't they use it again?
Logan: Rogers wouldn't let 'em. He didn't want anyone else to go through what he had.

Flashback!

Logan helps Captain America blow up the machine.

Logan: Another guy terminated the project. Turned out there was a back-up. Now Magneto has it.
Kurt: Not for long!
Logan: Good attitude, bub. Just don't drop that bomb.
Rogue: And with that inspiring motivational speech -
Kurt: Let's rock and ride!

Note: The animators couldn't decide here whether Rogue's visor was up or down.

Rogue: How long until we're spotted?

Missiles begin to land around them.

Logan: I'd say about now!

So they're riding around, evading the attacks.

Kurt: We have to get closer!

They pull this really stupid move involving jumping their bikes off a dune, then leaping from the vehicles. Kurt has Rogue,
because they were riding together, but can't quite reach Logan. Finally he catches his arm with his tail.

They teleport, and reappear high in the dome. Logan and Kurt manage to land on their feet, but Rogue is less graceful and
falls all over Kurt.

Rogue: Yeah, that was smooth.
Kurt: Better than getting squeegeed off the dome outside.

Logan: Someone's already inside [the chamber].
Sabertooth (attacks from behind a pillar): Nice of you to join us, Wolverine.
Logan: So this is your new litterbox, eh Sabertooth? (to Kurt and Rogue) Go pull that pin! I'll handle this.

Cue fighting!

Sabertooth: You're no match for me! You never were.
Logan: I've been working out. Let me know if you can tell.

Metal beams fly at Kurt and Rogue. Kurt jumps the first, but is caught by the second. They're both pinned against pillars.

Rogue: Kurt, port!

She tosses the detonator. Kurt teleports, grabs it in mid-air, and teleports again to the Rebirth machine. He begins to set
the bomb.

Kurt: Hey mister, I'm doing you a favor. This chamber is not good for your health.
Magneto: On the contrary.
Kurt: Magneto?!
Magneto: This chamber is going to save my life.
Kurt: What happened to you?
Magneto: I'm an old man. My genetic enhancements have kept me alive this long. Without this chamber, I will die.
Kurt: But it's dangerous!
Magneto: Only to humans. To us, it grants long life. If you destroy those controls, you take away my only chance. Are you
that much like your mother?
Rogue: Forget him! Just do it!
Logan: What are you waiting for, kid?

But Kurt can't pull the pin. The chamber turns on, and Magneto gets young again. Rogue is released. Logan runs to the
chamber, drags out Magneto, and pulls the pin.

Logan: Everybody bail!

The chamber explodes.

Magneto: Wolverine!

He lifts the metal debris to create some kind of creature, which attacks the three X-Men. Long, somewhat-boring story short,
they all wind up pinned under a leg, with pointy things at their throats.

Magneto: It seems I have you at my mercy. But since you spared my life, I will spare yours.

The creature falls apart.

Magneto: A small boy in Poland owes you that much.

He opens the door for them.

Rogue: What small boy in Poland?
Logan: It's a long story, and I ain't got time to tell it.
Kurt: Why? Isn't this mission officially over?
Logan: Not yet.

Scene: A lab.

Captain America is cryogenically frozen in a glass box.

Logan: It's been a long time, Cap. I'm still fighting the good fight. Today we had a victory. You gotta know, someday we'll
find that cure. We'll find it. We were a good team. I'll be here when you get out.
Fury: Time to go, Logan. Remember, you were never here.
Logan: Yeah, I know the routine.

The End

Back