DADDY
Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. Vast garden around mansion was ruined. Earth was scorched; smoking craters marred once beautiful green grasslands. Mansion itself had collapsed, sturdy brick walls blown to pieces. Attack had been ruthless. Bodies of students and teachers lay scattered on ruins. After the new law government’s only goal was total extinction of mutants.
Heavy concrete slab fell off from a pile of stone rubble. First one hand, then other after that shot to surface. Battered man, dressed in black leather dug himself from underneath the pile. He lay for a moment under the night sky, breathing deeply and collecting his strength. He could detect only faint trace of life nearby. He could see her body. Marie. She lay under her husband’s body. Bobby had made a final, futile effort to protect her. He took in their scent. Blood and death. And underneath it something else. He crawled closer and could hear a heart beat. He pushed Bobby aside. It wasn’t his heart. It wasn’t her heart, either. It was much smaller. Quickly he scanned his surroundings. Only death was there. That left only one grim task for him. He pushed her clothes away from her swollen belly. Sprung one claw. He cut her open carefully, hoping that the baby was strong enough to survive from his crude surgery.
Logan watched sleeping child. What he didn’t know about childcare could easily fill up a library, but he had to try. He had made a promise to her, few months ago.
“If something happens, you take her and run”, Marie had told him. They had been sitting at the garden, contemplating the new law. And suddenly he had the feeling she had known what would happen. Why she chose him was at first mystery to him. Then he had talked with Bobby.
“She knows you. If there’s one thing you’re good at, it’s running and hiding”, Iceman had said. At first he had thought the snot tried to insult him, but there had been no malice in his voice. He had just stated the obvious. Wolverine fought fiercely, but he had enough sense to flee if going got too rough. And he knew how to disappear.
Baby crinkled her face in her dreams and reached a small hand to air. He smiled and brushed the small fist with his fingers. Small jolt, like electricity coursed through him. He hoped it would be enough. He had tried to feed her with baby formula, but it had made her sick. She had cried until he got enough. He had been too tired to care. He had touched her briefly, and she had stopped crying immediately. She had her mother’s mutation, with a small twist. She could turn it off, and it seemed that she used it for feeding. Many nights he let her sleep on his bare chest. That way she stayed warm, and could draw energy from him whenever she felt like it. He could only hope she didn’t get his nightmares from those touches like her mother had had.
She sits perched on a windowsill and stares out. Snowflakes are dancing in darkness, gathering slowly to ground covering it to a thin, white sheen. She’s waiting for him. He left two days ago to hunt. He should be back soon. She hears footsteps from the tiny cabin’s front porch. She tilts her head and draws in scent. Smile lights her face and she bounces to the door to greet him.
He’s tired. Two hole days, and all he has caught is two skinny rabbits. Maybe it’s time to start moving again. He opens the door and small slip of a girl jumps on his arms wounding her hands around him, and suddenly he’s not so tired anymore.
“Daddy! I missed you!” Aislin squeals and squeezes him tightly. He returns her embrace smiling.
“I missed you too, kid.” Daddy. It still amazes him. How he managed to raise this spitfire on his lap without fucking the whole thing up. For a moment he wonders what Summers would say if he saw them now. One-eyed wonder would probably just nod and lean back waiting some little thing to show his inadequate parenting skills. Or not. Scott Summers had been a tight-ass, but he had been straight to the bone.
“What did you get?” Aislin asks snapping him out from his memories. He lowers her to floor and starts shrugging off his jacket and boots.
“Not much. I’m beginning to think maybe we should start get going. We may have been here too long, and game was spare before we even settled here”, he says. Her face brightens even more.
“Are we moving? Could we go to some town or city or…” He hates it when she gets all exited and all he can do is crush her dreams to spot.
“There’s another cabin like this further north. Better equipped, though and easier to defend.” Light from her eyes disappears. He crouches in front of her and caresses her cheek with his hand, feeling a short stab of pain before she gets her skin back in control.
“I’m sorry. But this is for the best”, he says. Words are hollow, meaningless. She knows what they are, and why they must hide from the world, but that doesn’t make isolation any easier for her to bear. It was easier when she was just a child, but she’s nearly sixteen now, restless wolfling wanting to prowl around. He takes her hand to his own, and suddenly she opens up. His breath caught in his throat, heart on override, muscles convulsing. She lets him fall to floor.
“I’m sorry, daddy…” He hears her whisper before his mind spirals to darkness and there’s nothing.
Next time he sees her five years has passed. He’s fighting again. Dimly lit bar, metal cage surrounded with lit oil barrels. His opponents are gruff, drunk truckers. He knows it’s dangerous. More dangerous than it was before. If they found out he’s a mutant, they will call sentinels to finish him off. But there’s nothing else to do. There’s no reason to stay alive and safe anymore. For all he knows he could be all alone in this world, only mutant left for them to hunt. First year he tried to find her, find his daughter, but he trained her too well. She had his skills and knowledge, and her mother’s will to run. Slowly his futile search turned to something else, and he reverted back to his old habits, fighting, drinking and fucking. And now he’s in the cage, pummeling away fat, smelly bald man, when suddenly he senses her presence. He turns to gaze towards bar, and trucker uses his distraction to his advantage, dropping him with a jarring kick to gut. He stands up and finishes him quick. Before he manages to make his way to bar, she’s gone. But he has her scent now. One small glove lay on the floor, next to stool she sat on. He picks it up and stuffs it to his pocket. He pulls on his numerous shirts and jackets and collects his winnings. Exits through the back door. That’s were she left. Her footprints on the snow in front of him. He stops for a moment to light a cigar. He’s not sure should he follow. She made it pretty clear she had had enough. He decides not to, and shuffles through the snow towards motel.
He opens door to his room and flicks the light on and there she is. Sitting on a bed. Green hooded cloak covering her whole body. Brown long locks with two streaks of white and piercing blue eyes fixed to his. Looking the entire world like her mother.
“Hi, ‘dad’.” Her voice ice cold. She knows.
“Hi, kid. How’s it been?” He asks, closing the door.
“Found out some interesting things, ‘dad’.” Shit. She’s pissed. He shrugs off his jackets, sits next to her and starts to pull off his boots.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks.
“Figured it didn’t matter.”
“Didn’t matter? You knew you weren’t my father, and it didn’t matter? I had a right to know!” Aislin shouts. Voice rankles his ears and he cringes a bit.
“Were you going to tell me? Or keep on pretending?” She asks. He doesn’t answer, walks to bathroom instead and closes the door. Takes the toothbrush. Then it suddenly strikes him. Toothbrush flies away from his hand, claws shoot out and he sinks them to wall. Rage is boiling inside of him. He pulls them back in, collects his wits and kicks the door open. Walks to her and yanks her up from the lapels of her cloak, pulling her face to same level as his.
“Don’t you ever tell me I’m not your father!" He growls through clenched teeth. He pushes her to wall, capturing her there with his body and presses his hand, palm open to her forehead and feels the pull. He concentrates to memories of her. As a tiny baby, sleeping on him. A toddler, taking her first steps, and how it made him proud. Little older. Her smiles and laughter, and how it made his heart warmer. How he wanted to protect and care for her. How he felt after she left. Darkness is approaching rapidly, his hold on her weakening, but he has to tell her, even if it kills him. He remembers her mother, so worried. Remembers Bobby, her father. Remembers their request. Gives it all to her. Opens his memory and pours it all to her. Everything. Lets go when she screams and closes the connection.
“I may not have bedded your mother, but I am your father”, he whispers and stumbles to bed with numb legs.
“Wolverine.” He glances girl beside him with questioning eyes. It has been a week and she hasn’t uttered a word. He has been driving and fighting, she has been tagging along.
“That’s what I will call you. Wolverine”, she says.
“What’s wrong with ‘daddy’?” He asks. He had grown rather fond of that particular calling.
“That doesn’t sound appropriate. You don’t look like one”, Aislin states peeking through side window. Snow and more snow.
“I have a name, if you don’t want to call me dad”, he reminds her. She smiles little sadly.
“Mom used to call you Logan. That belongs to you and her.” And he starts to wonder if he was a little too honest to his best.
“You loved her.” That wasn’t a question. He nods and fumbles a cigar. Lights it and takes a long drag.
“What happened?” Aislin asks.
“She was too young. Then she grew up and met your father. Iceman. They were good together.”
“What about you? What did you do? Did you ever tell her?” Girl is asking too many questions, but she deserves to know.
“I didn’t tell her. At first I was going to, but then she got pregnant. Who was I to ruin it for them? Then she… Then she died, and all I could do was to pick up pieces and run. They both wanted you to live, no matter what happened. And that I could give her.” He has a lump in his throat and tears sting in his eyes, but he refuses to cry.
“Why didn’t you tell me before that you weren’t my real dad?” Aislin asks, and now they are in territory he fears. He runs his fingers nervously through his hair and grabs the steering wheel tighter.
“Don’t know.” A lie. And even he can smell it. She doesn’t let it slip.
“Don’t lie to me. It’s rude.”
“I know it. But it isn’t a pretty story. I don’t want to tell it. I don’t want to remember it.” Now he is telling the truth. Telling her would mean that he should tell her about her parents and what happened to them and what he had to do. He had even now nightmares where his claws are piercing Marie’s flesh. Only in his dreams they pierce Aislin, too. And in his dreams he likes it. She is the last reminder of Bobby, and in his dreams Wolverine howls in triumph when his claws shred her small, fragile form to pieces. And that isn’t something a person wants to share with anybody. He wakes up from those dreams ashamed and nauseated. Thankfully Aislin gives up.
“For now. But some day you’re going to tell me.” And hell freezes over, he adds in his mind.
“What have you been up to?” He asks.
“I have been here and there. I saw Eric.” He has to pull over and turn the engine off. His hands are shaking too badly to drive. He is itching to pop the claws. Magneto.
“Eric, huh?” He grounds out, snuffing his cigar to his palm. Aislin grimaces.
“Must you do that? Yeah. I met him. He runs a bar nowadays.”
“How about his companions? Was Victor there?” He asks. Aislin shakes her head.
“He told me all his friends were killed. He looked tired.” Tired? Man should have been dead already. He doesn’t have any healing abilities. Old age should kill him. Should have done it already.
“What else?” He almost doesn’t dare to ask.
“He let me live with him for a while when I told him you were my dad. But then he got busted and I had to flee.” Right. Old geezer trying to make amends? Right. He jumps off from the car. Now he really needs to put his claws through something. There is forest. Trees. He releases his claws.
“Wolverine!” Aislin shouts after him, but right now he needs this. Needs the darkness. Snow and smell of pinewood. Small animals scurrying around. He howls and sinks his claws to thick tree trunk time after time, until his knuckles bleed and tree has folded to half. He sits on the ground, pulls his knees to his chest and cries. He is so fucking tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of this fucked up image of life he has tried to live because he once promised to keep her safe. Maybe he is finally loosing his marbles for good.
It looks like he has decided to stay here for the rest of night. She goes rummaging to his camper. There has to be food. She is starving. She finds a small packet of cereals, her favorite brand when she was a kid. Eating them she starts to go through drawers and closets. Clothes, old postcards, pencils, books, few pairs of worn out biker boots. Blankets and pillows. Something shining and black hanging on a coat rack. A black leather suit. Silvery X insignias on collar. Same insignia on belt. Black, sturdy boots and black leather gloves beside it. She pulls the suit out from the closet to get a closer look. Leather is torn from many places, and brownish speckles and blotches matt its surface. She takes a careful sniff. Blood. And there has been a lot of it. Sleeves have dried rigid with it. She takes out gloves. Leather has dried hard as steel. They have literally been soaked with blood. She notices three small holes on both gloves, between knuckles. Claws. His claws.
“Want to put those away?” Wolverine growls from behind her.
“No. Not yet. Why did you keep these?” She asks, pulling other glove on her hand. He yanks them away from her and shows them back to closet.
“Had my reasons.” He opens the fridge and takes a bottle of Molson’s from there. Opens it and takes a sip before sitting on the couch.
“What reasons?” She asks, taking the bottle for herself.
“You’re not supposed to drink.”
“Right, daddy. I’m twenty-one.”
“Still you shouldn’t.”
“Stop stalling.” Wolverine sighs and stands up, rummaging through top shelves. He pulls out a bottle of tequila.
“You take my beer. You’re going to need it.” She sits on the other side of the table, he sits on the other. At first he just stares his hands. Then he lifts the bottle and takes a big gulp from it. Then he starts to talk.
“All started in a secret compound at Alkali Lake. Government took away my memory and life and gave me these so I could do their bidding. So I could kill.” Claws tear their way out from between his knuckles and he raises his hand, examining them briefly before sheathing them.
“I escaped. Lived years in woods like an animal. Slept naked on the ground, killed animals and ate them raw. Finally some basics came back tome. I remembered vaguely I was a human being.” Small sip of liquor.
“I started to roam around, fighting in cages for money, sleeping in cheap motels, drinking and fucking around. At the same time I tried to find out about my past. Instead of it life found me. I was in Laughlin City, fighting, when your mother came there. She was a runaway. She was younger than you are now, sixteen. She decided to hide in my trailer. Nearly left her to the side of the road. Should have left. She might be alive now…” He lights a cigar and takes a sip from his bottle.
“Things happened. Charles Xavier took us in his school. Eric… Magneto was going to change some big shots to mutants. For that he needed your mother. He had this machine. She was already dead when we got to her. Luckily her mutation worked. Sucked socks off from my feet. I was in a coma for a week after I touched her. Marie…” Wolverine smiles for the memory.
“I fell in love with her long before that. In the minute I found her from my trailer…” He takes a long pull from his bottle, stands up and fishes another bottle from the cupboard.
“After the Liberty Island I knew I couldn’t keep my paws off from her if I stayed. Professor had found a promising lead to my past, so I took off. Stayed away nearly five years. Until she was legal. Imagine my surprise when she’s married and pregnant to another man when I returned. At first I couldn’t even be in the same room with your father. But in the end, Bobby was a good kid. Good man to her…” His voice trails off and he just stares the bottle in front of him.
“Shit. I’m not drunk enough. But might as well tell you the rest. Nearest town is few kilometers that way. There’s a bus station”, he tells her.
“What?” She is confused. He lifts his hands.
“After this story turns pretty ugly. If you want to take off, at least I know you won’t freeze to death.” He finishes his bottle and grimaces.
“They declared a new law. Anti-mutant. They had sentinels. They send them to Xavier’s. They attacked at night. We weren’t ready. They killed everybody. I got shoot first. I fell through the floor to basement and nearly whole building collapsed on me. It took time to dig my way out from there. When I finally got to surface, it was all over. They were all dead. I found your parents… Marie had been shoot to head. Bobby lay on top of her. At first I thought she was still alive…” Wolverine stands up, goes to closet and takes out the suit and gloves.
“This is my blood”, he says, indicating part of the suit that had covered his torso.
“This is Marie’s.” Blood encrusted sleeves and gloves.
“She was dead. But I could still hear a heartbeat. It wasn’t Iceman’s heart. I pushed his body of from Marie’s. Sound came inside of her.” His face is pale and his eyes look somewhere far away.
“I cut her open and took the baby with me. After that everything’s a blur. I was on autopilot for about a week. One night I just woke up and there you were, sleeping on my chest. Scared the living hell out of me. I knew how to keep you alive, but I wasn’t so sure I wanted to”, he confesses to her.
“I wanted to eviscerate you. You were not mine. But you were last part of her, and she made me promise so I couldn’t. And after a while I got used to you. It took a little longer, but when you first called me daddy you become mine.” Aislin smiles and moves towards him trying to throw her arms around him but he stops her.
“I still have dreams. The ones were I get rid of you. And I kind of like them.” His voice is harsh and he avoids her gaze. Ignoring his protests she hugs him tightly.
“I know you wouldn’t hurt me. Not on purpose. I love you, dad”, Aislin tells him and all he can do is to hold her and hope her trust isn’t vain.
“Where are we going?” Aislin asks. They have been driving nearly twenty-four hours straight. Wolverine glances her and clears his throat.
“Not sure. Where you would like to go?” He asks. To be truthful he has no idea where to go. He has kept driving in hopes that she would offer a destination.
“Are you going to fight?” Aislin asks.
“No. Too dangerous now.”
“Maybe we should look for other mutants. I have heard they have formed resistance cells and are fighting for our rights”, Aislin proposes.
“No. Had enough of that shit before.”
“What do you mean? They are fighting for you, too”, Aislin remarks.
“They can stop doing it. Haven’t asked anybody to fight my fights.”
“Fuck you!” Aislin spats. Wolverine snorts.
“It has been a while, but I still consider you as my daughter. Other ideas?” Aislin growls nearly as talented as him and he smiles.
“How can you claim that it’s not your war? You’re a mutant too. And look what they did to you. What they did to your friends”, she tries to wake up his conscience.
“I got my vengeance at Alkali Lake. And I have no friends.”
“What about what they did to mom?” Aislin pulls her last card.
“Leave Marie out of this. She’s dead. Even if I personally slaughtered every sentinel, she would still be dead. But I have to give you credit. You’re good. Few years earlier that little speech of yours would have worked.” Aislin slumps on her seat.
“What gave me up?” She asks.
“You. Just now. How long have you been tagging with the geek squad?”
“Nearly four years. When they heard about you, they wanted me to convince you to join. Real live X-Man. Guess I’ll just have to tell you’re too old and scared…” For that Wolverine starts to laugh.
They drive few more hours. Lights of a shaggy motel make him pull over and kill the engine. Aislin peeks through window.
“You really know how to impress a girl!”
“Cough up the money and I take you to Hilton”, Wolverine mutters.
“Hey! I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… How can you live like this? Crappy motels, crappy bars and crappy food.”
“At least I have a roof over my head and something to eat. Everything else is luxury. I have some money stashed away, but it won’t last long if we stay on the road.” Aislin stares at his hands.
“From the fighting?” She asks. Wolverine grimaces.
“No. Stay put, I’ll go get us a room.” Stepping out from the truck he lights a cigar and shuffles through a snow bank towards motel’s office. Growling under his breath when he sees small piece of cardboard taped on the window. “No mutants.” Old man behind the counter smiles when he enters.
“Good evening.” Wolverine just grunts in response.
“Need a room?” Man asks craning his neck, trying to see his car on a parking lot behind him.
“One room. Two beds. One night. We’ll be leaving early.”
“Sure, sure”, oldie smiles and turns, takes a key from a hook on the wall and then stops.
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you some papers.” Wolverine fishes his passport from his breast pocket and throws it on the counter. It is old, but still valid. Xavier’s last gift for him. Clean, respectable identity. Old man doesn’t even bother to open it. Muties don’t have passports.
“What about your companion?” He asks instead.
“My daughter. Papers are in the car.” Old man just stands there, holding the key.
“Maybe I’ll go and get them”, Wolverine huffs, takes his passport and tucks it back to his pocket. Something flickers on old man’s face. Smile fades.
“You do that, mister. You do that" he croaks. Wolverine turns and walks to the door. Before he closes it, he can hear old man picking up a telephone and dial. It takes all his strength not to run, but to walk slowly to his truck. He throws away his cigar and pulls himself on the driver’s seat.
“Were busted. Guy in there is calling sentinels.” Aislin’s eyes widen.
“What do we do now?” She asks, lips trembling. They both have witnessed destruction those giant machines left behind.
“He didn’t see my truck. But I bet they’re pulling in the roadblocks as we speak. We have to ditch this heap of junk and walk.” Wolverine opens the glove compartment, pulls out some papers and jumps off.
“Come on. We’ll take what we can carry from the trailer. Hurry!” He cocks his head.
“Fuck! No time for that! Run!” He grabs Aislin’s hand and pulls her after him, sprinting to dark forest in front of them. From behind he can hear sound of jet engines, approaching rapidly. Sentinels.
They have been running for hours. She can’t breathe, her heart feels like it could give up at any minute now and she can’t feel her legs anymore. Just when she thinks she can’t take another step even if the sentinels were right behind her, Wolverine stops. He listens and takes in scent from air, then lets out a relieved sigh and falls on his knees.
“We got away”, he is panting time after time, pulling Aislin to his embrace. Tremors wrack his body, and he runs his hands over her frantically, searching assurance from her.
“We’re fine. We got away in time. We’re both alive”, Aislin confirms.
“I won’t let them get you. They can’t take you from me. Not this time.”
“They won’t. You keep me safe”, Aislin whispers her reassurances to him and slips her hand to her jacket pocket. Bug is still there. She activates it. Small clearing where they are looks ideal landing site for chopper. After a while breathing is easier, and Wolverine has calmed a bit. He lets go of her and stands up.
“Decided to call the cavalry?” He asks with venomous voice. Now Aislin too can hear distant sound of the chopper.
“We have no choice. Sentinels won’t stop. They are tracking us right now”, she tries to reason. Wolverine looks exhausted. His shoulders sag and dark scowl twists his face.
“I could have…” He starts, but she hushes him.
“You can’t do a thing as long as I’m with you. You can’t put up a reasonable fight and protect me at the same time. We’ll go with my friends. You can rest, and after that decide what you want to do!” She shouts over chopper’s noise. It starts to land.
“This is Peter, and pilot is Amelia”, Aislin introduces strangers when they climb on the chopper. Wolverine doesn’t pay any attention to his surroundings. He slumps on his seat and closes his eyes. In a minute sleep claims him.
When he comes to his senses, he is alone in the chopper. He can smell oil, fire and unwashed bodies around him, and stench nearly makes him gag. He stumbles awkwardly out from the chopper and takes in his surroundings. It is a large hall. Floor is solid concrete. It is nearly pitch dark; only two burning oil barrels in one corner offer some light. Dozens of miserably looking mutants are gathered around burning barrels, huddled together, wearing rags and blankets. When he walks to them he can hear hushed tones whispering his name. Curious eyes inspect him, and hands reach to brush his legs when he passes by. He spots Aislin, talking with some guy. Peter. Wolverine walks to them. Peter turns to him smiling.
“Finally you woke up. It’s an honor to meet you”, he tells him. Wolverine just grunts in response and glues his gaze to Aislin.
“What is this place?” He asks.
“This, my friend, is all that’s left of resistance. Were expecting attack at any minute, now. I suggest you get ready”, Peter says.
“What do you mean?”
“Few minutes after we arrived, our radar spotted a sentinel. Our troops have been deployed outside of this building. We would appreciate it if you would accompany us”; Peter says and starts to collect weapons from the shelf on the wall. Wolverine stalks to Aislin, eyes blazing.
“I already told you this is not my war”, he growls with low voice, face only inches from her. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and spins around with vicious snarl, unsheathing his claws. Peter.
“You have impressive weaponry. I really wish you would change your mind. We need every help we can get.”
“Last time I sparred with those tin buckets, all my friends died. I would have died too, if it weren’t my healing abilities. My friends were trained fighters. Best possibilities of survival this group has if you escape. You have no way to bring down a sentinel”, Wolverine tells him. Peter smiles sadly.
“We have no way and no time to escape. And everybody in here is tired of running. At least with sentinels death is certain. No fear of imprisonment and labs.”
“Oh, shit! What kind of a nut job you are? Leave now, to different directions, and few of you might actually survive!”
“Survive for what? Until they come for us again? Nobody here wants to spend rest of our lives running. I know that’s what you have been doing and that you’re good at it, but what you do best is fight. And I think it’s time for you to fight again. They’re here”, Peter shouts last words over whining noise of jet engines. Sounds of battle echoes from the outside. Aislin and Peter are leaving with other mutants, leaving Wolverine standing next to a group of shivering children and women. He scans their surroundings. Building is old and rickety. One good shot from sentinels, and it will collapse crushing everybody still inside. He spots a sewer lid few meters away and rushes to it. It is old and rusted, but he manages to yank it open. He can smell only fresh water. Apparently this is rain sewage.
“Everybody, in here!” He shouts and points towards narrow opening on the floor.
He can hear explosions from distance. They have been running in sewer for a while, but now they just sit there. Children are too tired to run, and one of the women is pregnant. He cocks his head and listens. After explosions quiets down, he can hear nothing. No sound. It is too quiet.
“Wait here. I’ll go and see what’s going on”, he tells to his little group and starts to direction from which they came. He can smell smoke and blood. Faint traces of electricity. Nausea grips him when he reaches ladder out from the sewer and he has to swallow acidic bile that threatens to rise to his mouth. Instead of barfing he takes a firm hold of the ladder and starts to climb up. There can be survivors. He knows it’s a false hope. Sentinels never, ever leave survivors. But there could be. Should be. Aislin is up there. Shiver runs through his frame when he reaches the lid. He suppresses it and tries to lift heavy iron lid. It won’t budge. Something is blocking it from the other side. Concentrating and calling forth all his strength he finally manages to push the lid away. Site of clear sky greets him, and he knows he has been right. Building has collapsed. He climbs up, and sees what had blocked his pathway. Peter’s mangled body lies next to sewer entrance. He is still clutching his rifle. Eyes stare at Wolverine, not seeing, but seemingly accusing. Wolverine kicks the body so it turns over.
“I told you!” He grits through clenched teeth. He starts to rummage through piles of debris and scattered body parts. Task too familiar to him. When he finds her, he falls on his knees next to her. Half of Aislin’s head is missing. Iron fist clenches around his lungs and heart. So much like her mother had been. He chokes back tears that threaten to escape and takes her lifeless hand to his.
“Hi, kid.” Somewhere a bird starts to sing.
“I told you what would happen. Did you listen? Maybe. But sure as hell you didn’t get it.” Small cloud of smoke wafts past him.
“I don’t run because I’m scared. I was running because I promised that to your mother.” Wolverine wipes a bloodied strand of hair from her forehead.
“Guess I can stop running now.”
“It’s safe to go back. Collect all you need and go”, Wolverine tells them. They just stare at him with blank expressions on their face. Finally, after a long moment of silence, oldest of the women speaks.
“Where would we go? We have no other place. This was our home.” Wolverine shrugs his shoulders.
“I don’t know. Do what you like. There’s nobody left alive. Building is in ruins. Leave or stay, it doesn’t matter to me”, he says and starts deeper in the sewer.
“You really don’t care?” Woman asks from him. He doesn’t turn, but stops.
“I don’t. All I cared is gone now.” He disappears to darkness.
He sleeps in woods, hunts for food and eats it raw. All time he is moving slowly closer and closer to location of the lab where he was created. He knows it is again operational. After a long period of silence rumors about project X are spreading. Every mutant he encounters is telling the same story. They have found new subject to their experiments. New and improved model of weapon X is being created. After it is finished there would be no need for sentinels. Weapon X will take their place and wipe remaining mutant problem from the face of the earth. He tries to think who it could be. He has never heard another mutant with his powers, aside Sabretooth, and he is dead. A shape shifter? No. They can’t use other mutant’s powers; they just take their outer appearances. Energy drainer? Marie and Aislin are both dead, and he doesn’t think there are more mutants like them. Their mutation had been weird quirk of nature. He can’t believe a mutation so hard to control is common. Hank McCoy was dead, so it can’t be the Beast. It looks like everybody he once used to know is dead.
From a town near Alkali Lake he buys a pair of binoculars and camping equipment. Weapons he won’t need.
He lies on a snow bank, just few kilometers from the base. Place looks quiet, buildings are a big pile of rubble, but road there is kept clean from the snow and twice a day convoy of vehicles goes in and out. Apparently they have moved their operation underground. While watching the place and counting employees and guards he starts to remember bits and pieces of the time he has spent in here before. Memories of overheard conversations and piles of documents. After two days he has nearly complete map of complex’s lower levels in his head. After four days he knows he has no way to get in and out undetected. If he takes out guards on surface, personnel in lower levels will be alerted. If he snakes in past guards on surface, they will take him down on his way out.
“But do I really want to get out?” He contemplates, wrapped in his sleeping bag and staring the stars above. Maybe he should just blow up the whole place. Get it over with, once and for all. He doesn’t have any reason to stay alive anymore. No obligations, no family ties. But still it doesn’t feel right. Years ago Marie had kicked him back to the land of the living. Life is something he has learned to like and appreciate. Running away starts to sound more and more alluring. Just leave everything and hide.
“Shit.” He is scared. Mighty Wolverine. Maybe he will be wiser in the morning.
Morning comes accompanied with a shock of his lifetime. When he opens his eyes, Marie sits beside him, smiling.
“You came,” she whispers. Logan can only stare at her. His brain is creaming warnings. She is dead. He had cut her dead body open. His senses try to tell him otherwise. She sounds, looks and smells like Marie.
“I waited so long. They made horrible things. They made me do horrible things. But I waited. And now you’re here. I missed you!” Marie tells him, throws her arms around him and hugs. He can’t make his body move. He is frozen.
“Talk to me. Say something. Where were you all these years?” Marie shots him with questions.
“You are dead,” he manages to tell her and starts to pack his equipment. Finally he has lost it. He has been waiting for this day. Day when nothing matters anymore. Somehow it is a relief, to know you weren’t exactly sane anymore. He can just walk in there, kill as many as he can before they take him down. He knows killing him is virtually impossible, so chances are he could get all the way to lower levels before they manage to stop him. There is a remote possibility that he can take down whole base. Maybe, if there are no sentinels…
“There was a baby.” That stops him. Is it really Marie?
“I had a baby. I gave her to you.” It is Marie. He falls on his knees. Suddenly there is no air. His lungs refuse to co-operate. Dark spots start to spread to his field of vision. With mighty effort he shakes looming darkness away and breaths. Steady breaths. Cold air clears his head and he can see again. Marie is kneeling in front of him, question in her eyes.
“Her name was Aislin. She looked just like you. She died few weeks ago. I’m sorry.”
“How?” Marie asks. There is no accusation on her face, only curiosity.
“A sentinel,” he tells her and she nods.
“It would have been nice to know her.” Suddenly he wants to scream to her. How can she be so insensitive, so callous? It is her daughter they were talking about. But anger dissipates quickly. Aislin hadn’t been Marie’s daughter. She had been his.
“Come on. Collect your stuff. We’re leaving,” Marie pats him on the shoulder and stands up. She starts walking away, towards the forest behind them. He stares after her, thoughts racing. She is life. In other direction death waits.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000