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#4
OCT 09 |
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“Coming Home”
“Your incompetence astounds me, Victor.”
Victor Creed towered over Cassandra Nova in every way. He had nearly eighteen inches in height and one hundred fifty pounds in weight on the petite woman standing before him…and yet he still cowered in front of her. Three others stood around the room, trying to remain as apathetic as possible, but it pleased each of them to see the mighty Sabretooth knocked down a peg, each for their own reasons. Omega Red detested Creed as the continuation of a years-long grudge over the loss of the Carbonadium Synthesizer. Lady Deathstrike detested being considered equal to a creature like Creed. Domino knew the less power Creed had the better for her. All of that made this meeting particularly enjoyable for all of them.
“I sent you and your team for a simple mission, Victor,” Nova continued. “Two children, that’s all you needed to retrieve. TWO. CHILDREN. You get there, you retrieve them, and then you lose the daughter to WOLVERINE and two soft X-women. Your team is in shambles and you return to me empty-handed.”
“I didn’t know the kids were Logan’s,” he growled.
“That shouldn’t matter, you swine,” Nova growled, her tone remaining even. “It shouldn’t matter a WHIT. You had a simple mission and a team that was more powerful than ninety-nine percent of all possible three man X-Men teams, and yet you get beaten by the Weather Witch and Logan. What explanation do you have, Victor?”
“I have none, Madame Director.”
“Well, your honesty and your formality astonish me. You’ll get another chance to retrieve the girl very soon.” She turned to Omega Red. “Arkady, I want him bleeding profusely. Beatrice, we have an important matter to attend to. Come with me.”
The Mansion
Logan stood on the edge of the Mansion grounds with a silver can in his hand, leaning against the property’s fence. He raised the can to his lips and swallowed the last of his beer, crushing the can and setting it on the nearest fencepost. He took several deep breaths before he couldn’t stand the sound of his own thoughts any more.
“Son of a bitch!” He popped his claws and swung at the can, shredding it. He swung again at the fence post, taking a chunk with his claws.
“I see now where we get that from,” said a soft female voice behind him. Logan turned to see Laura, the young woman that was supposedly his daughter, standing behind him.
“How long you been there kid?”
“You know how long,” she said. She walked up to him and leaned against the fence. “We didn’t know about you either, you know. Mom always told us you were killed in some senseless military conflict. She had pictures though. You used to be handsome.”
“Used to be?” he asked. “Thanks.”
“Any time, old man,” she said with a chuckle. She tossed another can at him. He caught it and grinned.
“Fake ID?”
“Gave the Cuckoos twenty bucks,” she said. “I think I looked like a forty year-old trucker with a pot belly to the clerk. Or like you.”
“Your mother raise you to be a smart-ass?” Logan asked.
“It’s genetic,” she said. She took a sip of her beer. “Hunh, I forgot the American stuff is weak.”
“You should try a good Canadian brew,” he replied. He took a sip. “What do you think of this?”
“Thrilled,” she said weakly.
“You’re skeptical,” he concluded. She nodded. “Well, I know I’ve been a pretty bad father so far, but I can try to do my best from here on out. It’s all I got.”
Laura was silent for a few moments before she responded, “Works for me.”
Domino leaned back in her seat as their helicopter rushed over the African desert. She watched Nova very carefully. The woman appeared to be incredibly frail and usually kept a bodyguard with her at all times. It was entirely to keep up appearances. The body betrayed a powerful being, one that could have torn Creed limb from limb if she so desired it.
“You sure not bringing more than just me was a good idea?” she finally asked.
Nova looked at Domino and smiled. “Of course, Beatrice,” she said. “This is simply a fact finding mission and he always did have an interest in you.”
The comment made Domino shiver. “And what if he tries to attack us?”
“He’s a man of science first,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “He has creations to do his dirty work for him if it comes to that, but we are not weak women.”
“No, we’re not,” Domino replied.
Nova picked up on the woman’s skepticism. “You overestimate him. It’s a situation that we will have easily in hand.”
“If you insist, Madame Director,” she said.
“We’re approaching the terrasect zone,” the pilot said, cutting through their conversation.
Cassandra stood and walked to the window. “I was correct,” she said. She glanced back at Domino. “This is the convergence point.” She looked toward the pilot. “Set us down ahead.”
Domino slid over to the window. All she saw was sand but it was still hard work pushing down the fear growing in her gut. Mr. Sinister wasn’t the kind of man you simply came to see for a friendly conversation, no matter how much Cassandra Nova was fooling herself into thinking the contrary. And what facts could the woman want from him anyway?
“How are we going to access the terrasect?” Domino asked above the roar of the helicopter. “Sinister isn’t going to like us just waltzing into one of his labs.”
Nova smiled. She looked like an old lady selling baked goods at a church. “No, he won’t…but he’ll be fine, Beatrice. He’s a Victorian and they were all about manners.”
Logan knocked on the door of Ororo’s office, then opened the door before she responded and walked in. Cable sat with his back to the door and he glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Logan.
Storm stood and waved him inside. “Logan, please, come in,” she said. “Have a seat.” As he entered the room, he noticed Betsy standing against the wall behind the door.
“Thought I smelled you, Betts,” he said. “Nice new perfume you’ve got there.”
“You almost insulted me there, Logan,” she replied with a small laugh.
“Logan always has a way with words,” Ororo said. She sat down and waved at the chair opposite her again. “Logan, sit. I insist.”
He sat down next to Cable. “So what kinda trouble am I in?” he said. “Getting called to the principal’s office isn’t a good thing.”
Ororo laughed gently. “Logan, really? You are not a child and we trust you here. You’re not an outcast anymore.”
“Good to know,” he said. “Now how can I help you three?”
“How is Laura adjusting?” Storm asked.
“Could be better.”
“Naturally,” Betsy said. “The girl did just have her family snatched from only a short while ago.”
“Was her mother a mutant?” Cable asked.
“Her mother isn–wasn’t–a mutant,” he said. “At least not that I knew of. Is this all you want to ask me about?”
“There’s a problem, Logan,” Betsy said. “It’s a problem that the XSE has gotten involved in.”
Storm nodded and glanced at her computer, turned the screen and clicked her mouse. The face of Trish Tilby appeared on screen. As much as Trish Tilby was their friend, she was always the one to break the worse news concerning mutants. It had been her who first revealed the Legacy Virus to the world and caused a worldwide panic as result. She was just doing her job but Logan had never quite trusted her since.
“It’s a disturbing scene here in Charlotte,” she said, “marked by the stunning brutality of the crime. Retired Army Colonel Carter O’Neill was found badly beaten and mauled mere yards from where I stand. This is the third such attack on retired Army personnel in as many weeks, and the only clue is in the gouges left in the bricks–”
Storm paused on the image of the brick wall.
“What the hell…” Logan growled. Three distinct claw marks were gouged into the wall. “That’s not–”
“We know,” Betsy said. “Cable’s already said the same and confirmed it. There’s two things that are obvious though, Logan: someone’s trying to frame you and they want you away from the X-Men.”
“How’s the second obvious?” Logan said. “Sounds like a guess.”
“It’s simple logic,” she said. “The mutant race is at its peak when it comes to PR and X-Corps is at the front of that wave. If a suspected criminal is a member of the school…”
“Son of a bitch,” he growled. “Bet Warren is already ready to bust my balls about it. What about Fury?”
“We haven’t heard from either one yet,” Ororo said, “but we will. We need you to lie low until this is resolved though. Go on a vacation.”
“You say vacation,” he said, “but I say find the son of a bitch and find out what he wants with me.” He stood and started towards the door.
“Logan,” Cable said. “One more thing.”
He stopped without turning. “Yeah?”
“How old are your kids again?”
“Sixteen,” he said. “Give or take a few months.”
“How long ago was Weapon X?” he asked. Logan didn’t respond. He looked at Betsy, then turned and glanced at Ororo. “How long, Logan?”
“Twelve years.”
Cable turned and stood. “How long have you remembered?”
“It hasn’t all come back,” he said. “There’s a lot I’m still missing.”
“How long?”
“Xavier’s been working with me ever since I gutted Mags on Genosha. I didn’t want to say anything until all of my memories were back. So don’t say–”
“We won’t,” Betsy said. “But why didn’t you say anything?”
“It wasn’t important,” he said.
“Does anyone else know?” Storm asked.
“Chuck and Emma.”
Cable nodded. “Okay.”
The two men shared a look for several seconds before Logan turned back to the door. “I’ll hit the road in the morning,” he said. He left, leaving the three in the room alone.
“Okay?” Betsy asked. “That’s it?”
“Yeah,” Cable said. “That’s it.” With that, he followed Logan out of the office.
Later that Night
Maria Callasantos sniffed the air as she crawled through the girl’s dormitory. Feral had spent the last three days on the grounds of the Xavier Academy, familiarizing herself with the scents of each advisor on the staff. None of them were close, which meant her job was easier. She found the room she was searching for and slowly turned the door knob.
Laura Logan was breathing deeply in her bed, her heart rate slow as she was fully asleep. Maria reached to her belt and removed a syringe. She smiled as she stalked towards the bed as quietly as she could. Laura rolled over and sighed. Maria stopped, then took two more steps, coming right to the edge of the bed. She leaned over Laura and stopped. It wasn’t Laura.
“Hey sugah,” Rogue said.
The X-Woman grabbed Feral and flew through the room’s exterior wall. She threw Maria into a tree and grabbed her communicator as Feral tumbled to the ground.
“This is Rogue!” she cried. “Logan guessed right. Intruder alert!”
Feral slowly picked herself up and hissed at Rogue. Rogue grinned and rocketed towards her. She tackled Feral and they slammed into the tree again with a loud crack.
“Bitch,” Feral spat through a broken jaw. “You think I’m alone?” Rogue spun to see Sabretooth standing behind her. Creed started to swing at her but a black-garbed figure flew down from the tree feet first, sending him stumbling backwards.
Betsy Braddock rolled onto her feet and held her arm out as her psychic katana congealed in her hand. “Hey there, Vic,” she said. “Been a while.”
“No kidding,” he said. “Heard you had a few new tricks and lost some of the old.”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” Betsy said. “The blade is still the same though, and I’m going to shove it up your arse.”
“Bring it, limey,” he taunted. She narrowed her eyes and attacked. She slashed at his gut, glancing across his abs. He screamed and jumped at her. Betsy dodged but he clawed her shoulder. She spun, stabbed his chest and both combatants jumped away. Creed was breathing heavily, trying to ignore the extreme pain caused by the psychic blade. “Not bad,” he grunted, finally able to catch his breath. “That all you got?”
“No,” said another voice. Creed turned but Storm blasted him with lightning before he could turn fully. The electrical blast slammed into him and threw him several hundred feet. Wolverine stood waiting.
“Hey there, Vic,” he said. “Been a while.”
“Funny,” Creed said. “Just heard that.”
“I know.” Logan slashed his foe across the chest and kicked him in gut. Creed grabbed Logan’s leg and pulled him off his feet.
“Not smart, runt,” he said.
Logan twisted and slashed Sabretooth’s arm, severing several muscles. Creed cried out and dropped him. “Neither are you,” he said. “Attacking the X-Men in our home, and only two of you on top of that.”
“Three,” Creed laughed. There was an explosion and the school shook. Dominic Petros dropped a pillar of earth on Rogue and Psylocke as he came through the side of the building. There was a look of determined rage on the Greek mutant’s face; he had no intention of failing again to retrieve their target.
Avalanche threw his arm out and buried Wolverine in another wave of earth. The three Weapon X operatives began to jump into action when a sudden thunderstrike deafened them. A strong wind rose from the ground and static electricity surrounded them as rain began to pour down.
An angry Storm hovered in their path.
“You have attacked me and my pupils,” she said. “I will not stand for this.”
“You don’t have a choice darlin’,” Sabretooth said. “Seems like even odds to me.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Warren Worthington appeared out of the sky carrying a plasma rifle in his arms. He took aim at Sabretooth and shot him square in the chest. The blast sent the feral mutant flying into the sky and crashing into a tree.
Psylocke jumped into the air and kicked a rising Feral in the jaw that she had just recently broken. The Morlock let out a cry of anguish and was knocked unconscious from the pain. To make sure the deed was done, she drove a psychic dagger into the woman’s forehead.
Sabretooth was nearly on top of her, attempting to slash her back. “Avalanche, end this!” he screamed.
Avalanche raised his arms and twin columns of rock and dirt rose from the ground on either side of Storm. There was a hint of regret in his eyes as he brought his hands together. “You should have stayed out of our way.” He clapped and the columns collapsed onto Storm and rolled together before crashing to the ground.
Creed grabbed his radio as he watched the earth writhe around Ororo. “HQ, we’re pulling out without the target,” he growled. “Get us out!” There was a wash of light around the three Weapon X operatives and they were gone.
“Oh my God in Heaven,” Rogue muttered. She flew to where Storm would have been buried and began digging.
“Logan, Nathan, someone!” she screamed. “Help me, quick!” She kept digging as she screamed again. “HELP ME!”
“That was too much of a risk,” Logan growled at the thought of putting his daughter in danger. It was his plan and he bore the responsibility for it. “I’m not leaving until we find the sons of bitches and kill them.”
Several of the most senior X-Men gathered around the hospital bed – Cable, Rogue, Psylocke, Archangel and Emma Frost – where Storm lay. A steady beeping confirmed her heart still beat and a hiss came from the tube running to her nose. It was the kind of scene that no X-Man wanted to be witness too, but this was the risk of their job. Logan was taking it harder than all of the others. This had been his plan and now Storm was paying the price for it.
“Final solutions are not the topic at the moment, Logan,” Cable said. He looked down at Storm, remembering some of the romantic moments that the two had shared. “Will Ororo live?”
“She will,” Emma said. “Like with Blink, I’ve placed her in a temporary coma. I’ve wiped the memory of what Avalanche did to her from her mind, but she needs time to heal.”
Wolverine went to Storm’s bed and took her hand. “I swear on everything in me that I’m gonna get those Weapon X bastards, ‘Ro.”
Domino and Cassandra Nova stood in the midst of the desert. It was hot in the kind of way that made you feel like you were sitting in an oven and no amount of sweat was going to bring your body any comfort. Nova didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it as she happily typed away on a keypad in her hands. It was small, sleek and had white buttons. Breaking the silence, Nova said, “I’m using this device to access the terrasect point at this location. Sinister has a variety of them spread across the globe.”
The device started to buzz and hum in Nova’s hands, creating a purple rip in the air that steadily grew until it was an uneven diamond shaped portal. Director Nova looked at Domino with a pleasant, Sunday School smile and said, “It seems my terrasect mapping isn’t as rusty as I had believed. After you, Beatrice dear.”
Domino didn’t want to be the first one to walk in but she wasn’t about to defy Director Nova. Having to see Sinister again was nerve wracking, but Nova was no pushover. She just had to trust that the woman would protect her if Sinister made a move for her. A cold feeling rushed over her body as she stepped into the portal, but the feeling quickly vanished as she came out on the other side. She was in the midst of a large laboratory full of test tubes, vats and large pulsating vines.
“Sinister really could use a new decorator,” Cassandra mused as she stepped through the portal and looked quizzically around the room. She took a few steps forward and stood next to Domino. “You can go ahead and come out, Sinister. You already know that I’m here.”
“Of course I know that you are here, Cassandra,” Sinister said as he walked out from one of the many laboratory doors. He had his hands behind his back and he walked with all the air of an aristocrat. Domino wanted to be far away from this man but she refused to show fear. Moving close to her, he touched her chin. “It is so nice to see you again, Domino. I would still love for us to work together one day.”
“Not gonna happen,” Domino said. She looked at Nova. “I’m under new employment now.”
Sinister stepped back from her and turned to Nova as well. “So why have you decided to pay me such an untimely visit today?”
“I want to know about an entity I believe you may have information on,” Nova said. “I know you felt her psychic presence the same as I have.”
Sinister smiled, knowing exactly what the elderly woman was talking about. “Sekhmet worries you, doesn’t she? I would not be overly concerned with her just yet. She is wandering about, tying to rediscover the world around her. She’s not a threat to either of us…yet.”
“Then perhaps whenever she is we will handle the problem together,” Nova said.
Sinister’s eyes narrowed. “I know exactly what you are, Cassandra Nova, and let me make this abundantly clear: I would rather be forced to listen to Wyndham drawl on all day about his precious New Men before helping you with anything. You are just as dangerous to my work as Sekhmet and I will never put myself into any semblance of an alliance with you. Stay out of my way or I assure you that you will wish you had.”
Nova smiled. “Oh dearie, I believed you to be a smart man. But I suppose even us old ladies can be wrong.”
“Get out,” Sinister said as the purple terrasect portal opened up behind the two mutants. “And whenever you change your mind, Domino, you’ll always have a place here.”
Domino didn’t respond because her mind was racing a thousand miles a second. Who was Sekhmet and why was Director Nova so worried about her that she risked an impromptu meeting with Sinister? Beatrice suddenly felt like she had a lead and she was going to run with it.
The End...
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Victor Creed towered over Cassandra Nova in every way. He had nearly eighteen inches in height and one hundred fifty pounds in weight on the petite woman standing before him…and yet he still cowered in front of her. Three others stood around the room, trying to remain as apathetic as possible, but it pleased each of them to see the mighty Sabretooth knocked down a peg, each for their own reasons. Omega Red detested Creed as the continuation of a years-long grudge over the loss of the Carbonadium Synthesizer. Lady Deathstrike detested being considered equal to a creature like Creed. Domino knew the less power Creed had the better for her. All of that made this meeting particularly enjoyable for all of them.
“I sent you and your team for a simple mission, Victor,” Nova continued. “Two children, that’s all you needed to retrieve. TWO. CHILDREN. You get there, you retrieve them, and then you lose the daughter to WOLVERINE and two soft X-women. Your team is in shambles and you return to me empty-handed.”
“I didn’t know the kids were Logan’s,” he growled.
“That shouldn’t matter, you swine,” Nova growled, her tone remaining even. “It shouldn’t matter a WHIT. You had a simple mission and a team that was more powerful than ninety-nine percent of all possible three man X-Men teams, and yet you get beaten by the Weather Witch and Logan. What explanation do you have, Victor?”
“I have none, Madame Director.”
“Well, your honesty and your formality astonish me. You’ll get another chance to retrieve the girl very soon.” She turned to Omega Red. “Arkady, I want him bleeding profusely. Beatrice, we have an important matter to attend to. Come with me.”
The Mansion
Logan stood on the edge of the Mansion grounds with a silver can in his hand, leaning against the property’s fence. He raised the can to his lips and swallowed the last of his beer, crushing the can and setting it on the nearest fencepost. He took several deep breaths before he couldn’t stand the sound of his own thoughts any more.
“Son of a bitch!” He popped his claws and swung at the can, shredding it. He swung again at the fence post, taking a chunk with his claws.
“I see now where we get that from,” said a soft female voice behind him. Logan turned to see Laura, the young woman that was supposedly his daughter, standing behind him.
“How long you been there kid?”
“You know how long,” she said. She walked up to him and leaned against the fence. “We didn’t know about you either, you know. Mom always told us you were killed in some senseless military conflict. She had pictures though. You used to be handsome.”
“Used to be?” he asked. “Thanks.”
“Any time, old man,” she said with a chuckle. She tossed another can at him. He caught it and grinned.
“Fake ID?”
“Gave the Cuckoos twenty bucks,” she said. “I think I looked like a forty year-old trucker with a pot belly to the clerk. Or like you.”
“Your mother raise you to be a smart-ass?” Logan asked.
“It’s genetic,” she said. She took a sip of her beer. “Hunh, I forgot the American stuff is weak.”
“You should try a good Canadian brew,” he replied. He took a sip. “What do you think of this?”
“Thrilled,” she said weakly.
“You’re skeptical,” he concluded. She nodded. “Well, I know I’ve been a pretty bad father so far, but I can try to do my best from here on out. It’s all I got.”
Laura was silent for a few moments before she responded, “Works for me.”
Domino leaned back in her seat as their helicopter rushed over the African desert. She watched Nova very carefully. The woman appeared to be incredibly frail and usually kept a bodyguard with her at all times. It was entirely to keep up appearances. The body betrayed a powerful being, one that could have torn Creed limb from limb if she so desired it.
“You sure not bringing more than just me was a good idea?” she finally asked.
Nova looked at Domino and smiled. “Of course, Beatrice,” she said. “This is simply a fact finding mission and he always did have an interest in you.”
The comment made Domino shiver. “And what if he tries to attack us?”
“He’s a man of science first,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “He has creations to do his dirty work for him if it comes to that, but we are not weak women.”
“No, we’re not,” Domino replied.
Nova picked up on the woman’s skepticism. “You overestimate him. It’s a situation that we will have easily in hand.”
“If you insist, Madame Director,” she said.
“We’re approaching the terrasect zone,” the pilot said, cutting through their conversation.
Cassandra stood and walked to the window. “I was correct,” she said. She glanced back at Domino. “This is the convergence point.” She looked toward the pilot. “Set us down ahead.”
Domino slid over to the window. All she saw was sand but it was still hard work pushing down the fear growing in her gut. Mr. Sinister wasn’t the kind of man you simply came to see for a friendly conversation, no matter how much Cassandra Nova was fooling herself into thinking the contrary. And what facts could the woman want from him anyway?
“How are we going to access the terrasect?” Domino asked above the roar of the helicopter. “Sinister isn’t going to like us just waltzing into one of his labs.”
Nova smiled. She looked like an old lady selling baked goods at a church. “No, he won’t…but he’ll be fine, Beatrice. He’s a Victorian and they were all about manners.”
Logan knocked on the door of Ororo’s office, then opened the door before she responded and walked in. Cable sat with his back to the door and he glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Logan.
Storm stood and waved him inside. “Logan, please, come in,” she said. “Have a seat.” As he entered the room, he noticed Betsy standing against the wall behind the door.
“Thought I smelled you, Betts,” he said. “Nice new perfume you’ve got there.”
“You almost insulted me there, Logan,” she replied with a small laugh.
“Logan always has a way with words,” Ororo said. She sat down and waved at the chair opposite her again. “Logan, sit. I insist.”
He sat down next to Cable. “So what kinda trouble am I in?” he said. “Getting called to the principal’s office isn’t a good thing.”
Ororo laughed gently. “Logan, really? You are not a child and we trust you here. You’re not an outcast anymore.”
“Good to know,” he said. “Now how can I help you three?”
“How is Laura adjusting?” Storm asked.
“Could be better.”
“Naturally,” Betsy said. “The girl did just have her family snatched from only a short while ago.”
“Was her mother a mutant?” Cable asked.
“Her mother isn–wasn’t–a mutant,” he said. “At least not that I knew of. Is this all you want to ask me about?”
“There’s a problem, Logan,” Betsy said. “It’s a problem that the XSE has gotten involved in.”
Storm nodded and glanced at her computer, turned the screen and clicked her mouse. The face of Trish Tilby appeared on screen. As much as Trish Tilby was their friend, she was always the one to break the worse news concerning mutants. It had been her who first revealed the Legacy Virus to the world and caused a worldwide panic as result. She was just doing her job but Logan had never quite trusted her since.
“It’s a disturbing scene here in Charlotte,” she said, “marked by the stunning brutality of the crime. Retired Army Colonel Carter O’Neill was found badly beaten and mauled mere yards from where I stand. This is the third such attack on retired Army personnel in as many weeks, and the only clue is in the gouges left in the bricks–”
Storm paused on the image of the brick wall.
“What the hell…” Logan growled. Three distinct claw marks were gouged into the wall. “That’s not–”
“We know,” Betsy said. “Cable’s already said the same and confirmed it. There’s two things that are obvious though, Logan: someone’s trying to frame you and they want you away from the X-Men.”
“How’s the second obvious?” Logan said. “Sounds like a guess.”
“It’s simple logic,” she said. “The mutant race is at its peak when it comes to PR and X-Corps is at the front of that wave. If a suspected criminal is a member of the school…”
“Son of a bitch,” he growled. “Bet Warren is already ready to bust my balls about it. What about Fury?”
“We haven’t heard from either one yet,” Ororo said, “but we will. We need you to lie low until this is resolved though. Go on a vacation.”
“You say vacation,” he said, “but I say find the son of a bitch and find out what he wants with me.” He stood and started towards the door.
“Logan,” Cable said. “One more thing.”
He stopped without turning. “Yeah?”
“How old are your kids again?”
“Sixteen,” he said. “Give or take a few months.”
“How long ago was Weapon X?” he asked. Logan didn’t respond. He looked at Betsy, then turned and glanced at Ororo. “How long, Logan?”
“Twelve years.”
Cable turned and stood. “How long have you remembered?”
“It hasn’t all come back,” he said. “There’s a lot I’m still missing.”
“How long?”
“Xavier’s been working with me ever since I gutted Mags on Genosha. I didn’t want to say anything until all of my memories were back. So don’t say–”
“We won’t,” Betsy said. “But why didn’t you say anything?”
“It wasn’t important,” he said.
“Does anyone else know?” Storm asked.
“Chuck and Emma.”
Cable nodded. “Okay.”
The two men shared a look for several seconds before Logan turned back to the door. “I’ll hit the road in the morning,” he said. He left, leaving the three in the room alone.
“Okay?” Betsy asked. “That’s it?”
“Yeah,” Cable said. “That’s it.” With that, he followed Logan out of the office.
Later that Night
Maria Callasantos sniffed the air as she crawled through the girl’s dormitory. Feral had spent the last three days on the grounds of the Xavier Academy, familiarizing herself with the scents of each advisor on the staff. None of them were close, which meant her job was easier. She found the room she was searching for and slowly turned the door knob.
Laura Logan was breathing deeply in her bed, her heart rate slow as she was fully asleep. Maria reached to her belt and removed a syringe. She smiled as she stalked towards the bed as quietly as she could. Laura rolled over and sighed. Maria stopped, then took two more steps, coming right to the edge of the bed. She leaned over Laura and stopped. It wasn’t Laura.
“Hey sugah,” Rogue said.
The X-Woman grabbed Feral and flew through the room’s exterior wall. She threw Maria into a tree and grabbed her communicator as Feral tumbled to the ground.
“This is Rogue!” she cried. “Logan guessed right. Intruder alert!”
Feral slowly picked herself up and hissed at Rogue. Rogue grinned and rocketed towards her. She tackled Feral and they slammed into the tree again with a loud crack.
“Bitch,” Feral spat through a broken jaw. “You think I’m alone?” Rogue spun to see Sabretooth standing behind her. Creed started to swing at her but a black-garbed figure flew down from the tree feet first, sending him stumbling backwards.
Betsy Braddock rolled onto her feet and held her arm out as her psychic katana congealed in her hand. “Hey there, Vic,” she said. “Been a while.”
“No kidding,” he said. “Heard you had a few new tricks and lost some of the old.”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” Betsy said. “The blade is still the same though, and I’m going to shove it up your arse.”
“Bring it, limey,” he taunted. She narrowed her eyes and attacked. She slashed at his gut, glancing across his abs. He screamed and jumped at her. Betsy dodged but he clawed her shoulder. She spun, stabbed his chest and both combatants jumped away. Creed was breathing heavily, trying to ignore the extreme pain caused by the psychic blade. “Not bad,” he grunted, finally able to catch his breath. “That all you got?”
“No,” said another voice. Creed turned but Storm blasted him with lightning before he could turn fully. The electrical blast slammed into him and threw him several hundred feet. Wolverine stood waiting.
“Hey there, Vic,” he said. “Been a while.”
“Funny,” Creed said. “Just heard that.”
“I know.” Logan slashed his foe across the chest and kicked him in gut. Creed grabbed Logan’s leg and pulled him off his feet.
“Not smart, runt,” he said.
Logan twisted and slashed Sabretooth’s arm, severing several muscles. Creed cried out and dropped him. “Neither are you,” he said. “Attacking the X-Men in our home, and only two of you on top of that.”
“Three,” Creed laughed. There was an explosion and the school shook. Dominic Petros dropped a pillar of earth on Rogue and Psylocke as he came through the side of the building. There was a look of determined rage on the Greek mutant’s face; he had no intention of failing again to retrieve their target.
Avalanche threw his arm out and buried Wolverine in another wave of earth. The three Weapon X operatives began to jump into action when a sudden thunderstrike deafened them. A strong wind rose from the ground and static electricity surrounded them as rain began to pour down.
An angry Storm hovered in their path.
“You have attacked me and my pupils,” she said. “I will not stand for this.”
“You don’t have a choice darlin’,” Sabretooth said. “Seems like even odds to me.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Warren Worthington appeared out of the sky carrying a plasma rifle in his arms. He took aim at Sabretooth and shot him square in the chest. The blast sent the feral mutant flying into the sky and crashing into a tree.
Psylocke jumped into the air and kicked a rising Feral in the jaw that she had just recently broken. The Morlock let out a cry of anguish and was knocked unconscious from the pain. To make sure the deed was done, she drove a psychic dagger into the woman’s forehead.
Sabretooth was nearly on top of her, attempting to slash her back. “Avalanche, end this!” he screamed.
Avalanche raised his arms and twin columns of rock and dirt rose from the ground on either side of Storm. There was a hint of regret in his eyes as he brought his hands together. “You should have stayed out of our way.” He clapped and the columns collapsed onto Storm and rolled together before crashing to the ground.
Creed grabbed his radio as he watched the earth writhe around Ororo. “HQ, we’re pulling out without the target,” he growled. “Get us out!” There was a wash of light around the three Weapon X operatives and they were gone.
“Oh my God in Heaven,” Rogue muttered. She flew to where Storm would have been buried and began digging.
“Logan, Nathan, someone!” she screamed. “Help me, quick!” She kept digging as she screamed again. “HELP ME!”
“That was too much of a risk,” Logan growled at the thought of putting his daughter in danger. It was his plan and he bore the responsibility for it. “I’m not leaving until we find the sons of bitches and kill them.”
Several of the most senior X-Men gathered around the hospital bed – Cable, Rogue, Psylocke, Archangel and Emma Frost – where Storm lay. A steady beeping confirmed her heart still beat and a hiss came from the tube running to her nose. It was the kind of scene that no X-Man wanted to be witness too, but this was the risk of their job. Logan was taking it harder than all of the others. This had been his plan and now Storm was paying the price for it.
“Final solutions are not the topic at the moment, Logan,” Cable said. He looked down at Storm, remembering some of the romantic moments that the two had shared. “Will Ororo live?”
“She will,” Emma said. “Like with Blink, I’ve placed her in a temporary coma. I’ve wiped the memory of what Avalanche did to her from her mind, but she needs time to heal.”
Wolverine went to Storm’s bed and took her hand. “I swear on everything in me that I’m gonna get those Weapon X bastards, ‘Ro.”
Domino and Cassandra Nova stood in the midst of the desert. It was hot in the kind of way that made you feel like you were sitting in an oven and no amount of sweat was going to bring your body any comfort. Nova didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it as she happily typed away on a keypad in her hands. It was small, sleek and had white buttons. Breaking the silence, Nova said, “I’m using this device to access the terrasect point at this location. Sinister has a variety of them spread across the globe.”
The device started to buzz and hum in Nova’s hands, creating a purple rip in the air that steadily grew until it was an uneven diamond shaped portal. Director Nova looked at Domino with a pleasant, Sunday School smile and said, “It seems my terrasect mapping isn’t as rusty as I had believed. After you, Beatrice dear.”
Domino didn’t want to be the first one to walk in but she wasn’t about to defy Director Nova. Having to see Sinister again was nerve wracking, but Nova was no pushover. She just had to trust that the woman would protect her if Sinister made a move for her. A cold feeling rushed over her body as she stepped into the portal, but the feeling quickly vanished as she came out on the other side. She was in the midst of a large laboratory full of test tubes, vats and large pulsating vines.
“Sinister really could use a new decorator,” Cassandra mused as she stepped through the portal and looked quizzically around the room. She took a few steps forward and stood next to Domino. “You can go ahead and come out, Sinister. You already know that I’m here.”
“Of course I know that you are here, Cassandra,” Sinister said as he walked out from one of the many laboratory doors. He had his hands behind his back and he walked with all the air of an aristocrat. Domino wanted to be far away from this man but she refused to show fear. Moving close to her, he touched her chin. “It is so nice to see you again, Domino. I would still love for us to work together one day.”
“Not gonna happen,” Domino said. She looked at Nova. “I’m under new employment now.”
Sinister stepped back from her and turned to Nova as well. “So why have you decided to pay me such an untimely visit today?”
“I want to know about an entity I believe you may have information on,” Nova said. “I know you felt her psychic presence the same as I have.”
Sinister smiled, knowing exactly what the elderly woman was talking about. “Sekhmet worries you, doesn’t she? I would not be overly concerned with her just yet. She is wandering about, tying to rediscover the world around her. She’s not a threat to either of us…yet.”
“Then perhaps whenever she is we will handle the problem together,” Nova said.
Sinister’s eyes narrowed. “I know exactly what you are, Cassandra Nova, and let me make this abundantly clear: I would rather be forced to listen to Wyndham drawl on all day about his precious New Men before helping you with anything. You are just as dangerous to my work as Sekhmet and I will never put myself into any semblance of an alliance with you. Stay out of my way or I assure you that you will wish you had.”
Nova smiled. “Oh dearie, I believed you to be a smart man. But I suppose even us old ladies can be wrong.”
“Get out,” Sinister said as the purple terrasect portal opened up behind the two mutants. “And whenever you change your mind, Domino, you’ll always have a place here.”
Domino didn’t respond because her mind was racing a thousand miles a second. Who was Sekhmet and why was Director Nova so worried about her that she risked an impromptu meeting with Sinister? Beatrice suddenly felt like she had a lead and she was going to run with it.
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The End...
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