*…….. Beep ……..*
“Okay, people, we’re gonna have just seconds to do this, so I want it by the numbers. If Weapon X’s healing factor is as good as they say it is, he’s gonna be coming outta the tranq any minute now. Crowe?”
“Sir!”
“Any signs yet?”
“Heartbeat’s real slow, but steady, Sir. He’s still under.”
*…….. Beep …….. *
“Good. Frost, you finished with those cuffs yet?”
“Last one going on now, Sir. His claws are locked up tighter than a virgin in a whorehouse.”
“You’d better be sure they are, Frost. Otherwise I’m putting you in the firing line if he breaks free.”
“Copy that, Sir.”
* …….. Bee-bip …….. *
“Sir! I’m getting positive readings! I think he’s coming out of it!”
“Oh god ……..”
“What’s the matter, Gorman? You afraid of one lone mutant?”
“You would be too, Sir, if you’d seen what he can do.”
“I have seen what he can do, Gorman. I was there the night he broke free and decimated half the base in his rampage to get out. Woulda killed me too, but I slipped on some blood in the retreat and the corpse of a soldier he’d just eviscerated and thrown landed on me. I owe that soldier my life. The scent of his dying body covered the scent of my live one.”
“Jesus …….”
* …….. Bee-bip …….. Bee-bip …….. *
“He’s definitely coming around, Sir!”
“Okay, places everybody! Hudson, where’s the god-damn carbonadium serum?”
“Here, Sir!”
* …… Bee-bip …… Bee-bip …… Bee-bip ……*
“I still don’t know why he has to be conscious for this stage of the procedure, Sir. He’s dangerous. We shouldn’t be taking unnecessary risks.”
“You know why he has to be conscious, Gorman. He has to know exactly what we’re doing to him and that we control him now. He has to know his life as an X-Man is over.”
* …. Bee-bip …. Bee-bip …. Bee-bip …. *
“Grrrr …… !”
“Sir! He’s ……..!”
“I have ears, Crowe, I can hear him! This is it! Asses and elbows, people! Asses and elbows!”
Where the hell am I ……..?
The last thing I remember, I …….. so hazy …….. the bike …….. Yeah, that’s it, I was goin’ to pick up the bike. There was an explosion …….. heat …….. pain …….. I was tranqed …….. a voice ……… Who ……..?
Jubilee …….. !
Christ, where is she …….. ?
I fight my way up through the last clingin’ veils o’ darkness, openin’ my eyes to …….. nothin’ ……..? The room around me is in blackout, but I can smell the unmistakable stink o’ chemicals an’ my body stiffens, the hackles on the back o’ my neck risin’. Nightmarish images flood, unbidden, into my mind an’ I bite back the snarl that forms on my lips, forcin’ myself to focus …….. to stay in control.
There are others here ……... I can smell ‘em in the darkness …….. hear ‘em movin’ around me, an’ I growl low in my throat, lettin’ ‘em know I’m awake an’ I’m pretty damn pissed off. If they wanna take me captive, fine, but they’d better be prepared to deal with the consequences.
I try to move, but somethin’ holds me down. What the hell ……..? I’m on my back, fastened to some sort o’ table. It feels smooth, like metal. There are restraints across my ankles an’ wrists – I can feel ‘em pressin’ into my skin when I strain against ‘em. Feels like there’s one across my waist too.
Christ, I can’t move! Panic once again flows over me an’ again I manage to fight it down, though my heart is poundin’ fit to burst. I struggle against the restraints, suddenly noticin’ that I’m bare to the waist. The stink o’ chemicals clings to my skin like a cancer. Jesus, what’s been done to me?
Without warnin’, the room is suddenly flooded with light an’ I twist my head to the side, squeezin’ my eyes shut against the glare that has dazzled them. I count to ten before crackin’ them open, instantly recognisin’ the stark surroundings of a lab an’ once again feelin’ the twinges o’ fear from the beast within. He’s prowlin’ the bars of his cage, snarlin’, lookin’ for a way out. He’s agitated – he don’t like being restrained like this. Can’t say as it appeals to me, either. The images it provokes are disturbin’ an’ I push them firmly from my mind. Gotta stay focused.
Once my eyes have adjusted to the light, I can see men stationed around the room. Some are seated at consoles, others are coverin’ me with weapons. All are grim faced an’ wearin’ camouflage fatigues.
Christ, what the hell have I stumbled into?
A man walks forward. He’s the only man standin’ who isn’t holdin’ some sort o’ weapon an’ I figure him for the guy in charge. He stops at the side o’ my table an’ stares down at me like I’m somethin’ interestin’ under a microscope an’ I stare right back, tryin’ to ignore the strange pricklin’ feelin’ at the back o’ my memory. There’s somethin’ familiar about this guy an’ I can’t quite put my finger on it ……..
An then he speaks, an’ his words send a sharp spike o’ fear straight to my heart ……..
“Hello, Weapon X.”
Years o’ surviving have taught me never to betray my emotions or intentions to the enemy, so my voice is steady as I force a reply. “Do I know you?”
The man inclines his head in thoughtful contemplation. “Possibly. Possibly not. Your mind was wiped so many times at the orders of the programme that I am surprised you can remember your own name.” He laughs suddenly, as though at a private joke. “Ah, but you can’t remember your name, can you, Weapon X? The man you know as ‘Logan’ is a myth – a fabrication – nothing more.”
“Who are you?” I growl between clenched teeth, tryin’ to ignore the icy touch o’ dread which is creepin’ over me.
“Who I am isn’t important right now.” He gestures to a man holdin’ a hypo an’ he walks towards me, the syringe with its unknown contents held before him like a weapon. I eye him warily as he moves around the table to stand on my left, awaitin’ further orders. “Our techs have already completed the first stage of your re-adjustment, Wolverine. This is the second. Your free life is over. You are ours now.”
“Like hell, bub,” I snarl, an’ pop the claws in my left hand.
Jesus Christ ……..! My left forearm spasms in burnin’ pain, the muscles clenchin’ around claws that refuse to move as I howl with the agony of it. I can hear the guy with the hypo yellin’ at me to retract, but like the stubborn bastard that I am I refuse to believe that this will help me an’ I strain ineffectually at the restraint, growlin’ like a madman. My arm feels like it’s being hacked off at the wrist an’ when he puts the hypo down beside me to knead the muscles in my forearm, I foolishly try to pop the claws in my right hand, believin’ myself to be under attack an’ trustin’ in the appearance o’ my blades to get me out o’ the danger. The resultin’ surge o’ pain drives the man under, and the beast seizes the opportunity to emerge ……..
* ... Bee-bip … Bee-bip … Bee-bip … Bee-bip …*
“Sir! We’re losing him! He’s going feral!”
“God-dammit! Jenson, get over here! Sedate him before he damages himself!”
“Sir!”
“Christ Almighty, that howling …….. Why the hell did he try to unsheathe the claws in his other hand when he’d already unsuccessfully tried his left?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Gorman. He’s an animal. They don’t think, they just act on instinct.”
“He couldn’t retract. I tried to help him, tried to massage and loosen the muscles, but he just went crazy.”
“Like I said, Frost, he’s an animal. And if I ever catch you touching him again without orders, I’ll shoot you myself. Got it?”
“Copy that, Sir.”
“Are we going to administer the carbonadium serum while he’s out, Sir? It’ll be a lot safer.”
“No. I still want him to know what we’re putting into him and why. Crowe, is he out yet?”
* …….. Beep …….. *
“Yes, Sir. Sleeping like a baby.”
“Good. Get him unshackled and put him in with the girl until he comes around. Maybe he’ll be a tad more compliant if he thinks her virginity is about to be threatened, if you take my meaning.”
“I do, Sir. Shall I tell Bonebreaker to be prepared? He owes Wolverine some payback and the girl is young – the way he likes them.”
“Yes, please do. Oh, and Gorman?”
“Sir?”
“Remind our mutual friend that the terms of our bargain are, as yet, still unfulfilled. He may have given us Wolverine, but he will not receive the reward until Weapon X has made his first kill for us.”
“Yes, Sir.”
* …….. Beee …….. *
“Wolvie? Hey, Wolvie, c’mon, wake up.”
“Wha ……..?” Oh god, not again. Why do I keep wakin’ up in strange places with the stink o’ chemicals around me? Why do people keep stickin’ needles in me?
“Wolvie? Hey, c’mon big guy, snap out of it, you’re creepin’ me out!”
Voice sounds familiar. Female. Young. Do I know her? Jesus, why do I feel so dizzy? Have I been hit by the Hulk again?
I force my eyes open, blinking through the milky blur to see a face hoverin’ above me. Unmistakably female, with a hint o’ white in the dark hair. She looks worried.
Wait a minute? White ……..?
“Marie? That you ……..?”
“Who the hell’s Marie? You two-timing Rogue, you hairy bastard? I oughta kick your metal ass from here to kingdom come ……..”
Jesus, I know that voice. I blink hard an’ shake my head an’ finally my vision clears to reveal my worst nightmare. “Hey, Jubilee,” I manage, somewhat shakily. God, my throat feels as though it’s been burned raw. “You okay, kid?”
She nods, carefully, an’ I notice she’s wearing a bloodstained dressin’ on her forehead. The flash o’ white made me think o’ Marie. At least our captors were kind enough to treat her wounds.
“How long have I been out?”
“Hours.” Jubilee sits back on her haunches an’ regards me, intently. “Our jailors aren’t too good on hospitality, I must say. They coulda dropped your heavy ass on the bed and saved me a whole heap o’ trouble, but no, they marched in, threw ya on the floor and left. I spent an hour tryin’ to get ya up and onto the bed before giving up and leaving ya there. So if you’ve got cramp, it ain’t my fault.”
“Thanks,” I croak.
“You’re welcome.” She leans over me an’ looks down at my face. “Ya wanna get up now?”
“Yeah.” She helps me up into a sittin’ position, where I sway slightly an’ put a hand to my head. Only I end up bashin’ myself in the face with somethin’ metal. “Ow! What the hell ……..?”
“Oh yeah,” says Jubilee, helpfully. “I forgot to warn you about those. I figure they’re to stop you from doing your thing. You know – grrr, slash!”
She makes a slicin’ motion with her fist an’ I give her a level glare before turnin’ back to study my hands. They’re encased in metal cuffs between wrist an’ first finger joint an’ look like metal mittens. There’s a hole for my thumb an’ a seam that runs down the back edge, so at least they’re meant to come off, although there’s no sign of a lock. The mechanism is probably electronic. They’ve obviously been designed with one purpose in mind an’ it’s equally as obvious that they’re the reason why I suffered so much pain earlier. Tryin’ to unsheathe claws that suddenly have no exit would cause my muscles to go into painful spasm.
Jubilee is eyeing the cuffs with great interest. “It’s going to be real interesting going to the …….. ah ……..” She jerks a thumb behind her to the toilet I can see at the back of our cell. “And don’t even think about ……..” She makes an up an’ down movement with her hand.
“Christ, Jubilee!” I push away from her an’ stagger to my feet, swayin’ a moment as I get my bearings.
“Well, I’m just saying, so don’t even think of asking for my help, that’s all.” Jubilee gets up an’ moves huffily to the single cot bed set against the wall an’ throws herself down onto it.
With only the tips o’ my fingers protrudin’ from the cuffs, I don’t even wanna think about how right she might be. I file the problem for later contemplation.
Now that I’m on my feet, I turn an’ survey our surroundings. Four metal walls with a single barred door – check. One cot against the side wall – check. Toilet an’ small handbasin on rear wall – check. An’ that’s it. Not much in the way o’ luxury, unless you count the scratchy lookin’ blanket on the cot. Oh, an’ the toilet has a partition screenin’ it off from the rest o’ the cell. It looks hastily erected an’ I figure it’s been put there for Jubilee’s benefit. Looks like our captors have at least some sense o’ decency.
A flashin’ light up near the ceiling draws my attention to the camera that’s obviously monitoring our movements. An idea begins to form in my head.
“Jubilee, you used your powers since being put in here?”
The firecracker shakes her head. “No. Dr Grey always warns us not to use our powers when we’ve had a bang on the head in case we do more damage. An’ I was too dizzy to try.”
“That’s good.”
“Good? That I’ve been hit on the head? Gee, Wolvie, you’re so caring. I really see why Rogue digs you so much.”
I stifle an annoyed growl. “No, Fizz-bang, I mean it’s good that you haven’t used your powers. We’re being watched, an’ the less our captors know about you, the better.”
“Oh. Well, why didn’t you say so?” Jubilee folds her arms, defiantly. “An’ if you’re gonna insult my powers with an amusing nickname, you could at least be consistent. I believe the terms you used were ‘Whizz-bang’ and ‘Fizz-bit’. Not Fizz-bang.”
This time I allow the growl to surface an’ she slumps back onto the bed with a snort. Of all the flamin’ people I coulda been captured with, it hadda be Jubilee. Why not Kitty, for Chrissakes? She at least feeds me chicken. I’d even settle for the Iceprick. But Jubilee …….?
Someone up there must really hate me.
Giving her a final glare, I turn back to the camera …….. an’ at this point, with my nose in the air, I suddenly notice somethin’ else.
“Can you smell anythin’?” I ask.
“Is this a trick question?”
“No. Just answer me, god-dammit.”
Jubilee takes an experimental sniff. “No. Should I?”
“I don’t know.” There’s definitely somethin’ in the air, but it’s faint an’ elusive an’ I can’t put my finger on it. Is it somethin’ I should be worried about? Without knowin’ what it is, I dunno.
“Interesting scent, is it not?” The voice at the door startles me an’ I spin around to see the guy from the lab standin’ at the bars. Jesus! I didn’t even hear him approach. I must be more out of it than I thought.
“It’s a neural suppressant,” he continues, conversationally, as the cell door opens an’ he steps inside, flanked by two guards with weapons. I back off, puttin’ myself between Jubilee – who is now standin’ warily against the wall – an’ any potential threat. “It’s designed to suppress any hostile tendencies and keep a subject docile. It is specifically keyed to your unique physiology, Wolverine, although I am told it will also affect other mutants to a lesser degree. So if you are a mutant, my dear ….” this to Jubilee, “I am afraid it’s ……” He draws his finger across his throat.
Jubilee squeaks in alarm. “I’m dead?”
“No, my dear, I mean that your mutant abilities will be severely muted, if not negated completely. But you will be quite safe here until we can figure out what to do with you. Of course, I use the word ‘safe’ in its broadest sense.”
“What the hell do you want, buster?” Jubilee obviously doesn’t take well to bein’ threatened.
“Want? We’ve got what we wanted, young lady, and that was Weapon X. Nothing more, nothing less.” He looks back to me an’ I grunt in reply. “You still don’t remember me, do you? And yet, you should. I played a huge role in helping you become what you are now.”
“I’m an X-Man,” I remind him, forcefully.
“Yet once you were intended to be a weapon for hire, Wolverine. I was your handler then, a man by the name of Steven Roberts, although you probably didn’t know that at the time. I was good at my job. I intend be so again.”
The snarl that distorts my features is brutal and intended to intimidate. My memories o’ my treatment at the hands o’ the Weapon X project are hazy at best, but they surface most often in my nightmares and they always remember my ‘handlers’ – vicious men who took delight in causin’ pain an’ misery just for the sake of it. Apparently, machine gunnin’ me half to death an’ then leavin’ me to heal in a pool o’ my own blood was considered an evening’s entertainment.
“We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to reacquire you, Wolverine. The reasons for this do not concern you at this time. However, before you can be sent into the field, there are still one or two adjustments that have to be made to your attitude.”
My blood runs cold at the words, nightmarish images o’ helmets an’ power packs an’ nameless machines flowin’ like insidious snakes into my mind. I drop into a fightin’ crouch, my hands raisin’ before me. I can’t pop my claws, but I can still use my fists. “Ya can ferget all about the re-adjustin’, bub,” I growl, roughly. “Ya ain’t gettin’ yer hands on me again.”
“Really?” Roberts folds his arms an’ looks back at me, calmly. “Have you forgotten waking up in our lab so soon? Stage one of your re-adjustment has already been made. Maybe you would care to investigate the back of your neck?”
“My neck ……..?” I reluctantly reach back, the tips o’ my fingers encounterin’ a round metal surface just below my hairline. It seems to have been embedded into the skin. “What the hell …….?”
“The port’s function will become clear at a later date.” Roberts smiles, but there is no mirth or warmth in it – just pure malice. “And in case you are wondering why your healing factor hasn’t rejected it, it has been keyed to your own genetic code. Your body thinks it’s simply an extension of itself. As for the whys and wherefores of that, allow me to re-introduce you to an old acquaintance of yours, Wolverine.”
Roberts steps back, as another larger figure enters the cell – one I instantly recognise. “Bonebreaker,” I snarl.
“Glad to see you remember me, Wolverine.” The ‘cage fighter’ grins at me, flexin’ his fingers, a ring on one hand immediately drawin’ my attention. He waggles it at me. “Remember this, too?”
“You cut me ……..” My fingers go unconsciously to my cheek, recalling the cut the ring inflicted there – the words that had provoked me to attack him in defence o’ Marie. “My god ……..” It all comes crashin’ home. The threat to Marie’s safety was a lie – a deliberate ruse to get me to drop my guard an’ lose control so that he could cut me an’ sample my DNA.
“I see it’s finally beginning to register just how much planning has gone into re-acquiring you, Wolverine.” Roberts is now standin’ beside Bonebreaker, flanked by his two guards. “You are ours now, and we don’t intend for you to forget it.”
“If you think the X-Men are going to just stand by and let you kidnap one of the team without them doing something about it, mister, then you’re hugely mistaken.” Jubilee stalks forward, her eyes flashing angrily. I try to push her back behind me, but she’s obviously reached the end of her patience and adrenalin is beginning to kick in, stealin’ away some of her fear. “The X-Men will track us down and rescue us, and then you’ll all be very sorry.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Roberts shakes his head, lookin’ so obviously pleased with himself that my fingers itch to wipe that self-satisfied smirk right off his face, “You see, my dear, we planted evidence in your truck to make your team-mates believe that Wolverine was still in it when it blew. Right now, they think that he and, by extension, yourself, are very much dead. There will be no rescue.”
Jubilee heaves a startled gasp. Welcome to my world, kid. An’ then Roberts gestures one of his men forward. “Enough chit chat. Let’s proceed with the re-adjustment, shall we?”
As one of the guards steps forward, all hell breaks lose. My claws are useless, but the cuffs on my hands make fairly good weapons in themselves an’ I deck the guard with one blow. I am already springin’ for the next before Roberts realises what’s happened. I hear Jubilee shriek as I knock his weapon away an’ tackle him to the ground, but I daren’t look around – I have to stay focused if I’m gonna get us both outta here in one piece.
Two more guards rush in from the hallway an’ I haul the semi-conscious guard to his feet just in time to see Roberts backhand Jubilee across the face, sendin’ her tumblin’ to the cot. Bonebreaker is on her like a rash, pinnin’ the strugglin’ girl down as he laughs an’ paws at her body.
“Let her go!” I yell, wrappin’ my arm around the neck o’ the guard I’m holdin’ an’ backin’ us up against the wall. The two new guys are now coverin’ me with their weapons, creatin’ somethin’ of a Mexican stand off. “I swear I’ll break his neck! Let her go!”
Roberts shrugs, indifferently. “So kill him. My guards will tranq you, Frost will administer the second stage of the procedure and Bonebreaker will still get to have his fun.”
Jubilee screams an’ I glance across, horrified, to see Bonebreaker yankin’ at the girl’s jeans, exposin’ her panties. Panicked, she flings out her hands to release her fireworks, producin’ only a couple of half-hearted sparks an’ fizzles. Laughing, Bonebreaker catches her small hands in his, holdin’ her down as he opens his fly an’ pulls out his engorged shaft.
Jubilee’s terrified whimpers prompt me into action.
Howlin’, I hurl the guard I am holdin’ into one o’ those coverin’ me. They both go down in a tangle o’ limbs. The second actually gets off a shot – I hear somethin’ sizzle past my ear – but then my metal fist lays him out cold next to the flailin’ bodies of his companions an’ I am leapin’ for Bonebreaker before he even hits the floor. But then I hear the sharp retort of a firearm bein’ fired an’ the next thing I know I am writhin’ in agony on the floor as what feels like a million volts o’ electricity courses through my body.
Roberts moves calmly to stand over me, oblivious to the groans of his men who are strugglin’ to their feet, and to the frightened sobbin’ o’ Jubilee. “That was only a taste of what our pulse rifles can do, Wolverine. Your body is rather susceptible to electric shock, thanks to your metal skeleton so, if you’d rather not find out just how much damage your healing factor can withstand, I suggest you stand down.”
I groan an’ roll over onto my back, every movement a battle as my body screams out in agony. I’ve fallen just shy o’ the cot an’ I look up to see Bonebreaker leerin’ down at me. He’s still holdin’ Jubilee down, one foot on the floor, the opposite knee keepin’ her legs spread for him as he strokes his cock in anticipation, oblivious to her frantic whimpers.
“I was hoping we could do this in a far more amicable fashion, Wolverine, but I’m afraid you have left me no choice.” Roberts places a booted foot on my outstretched wrist, grindin’ it into the floor as he speaks. It’s a purely callous gesture – I am in no condition to fight further an’ he knows it – he’s simply provin’ his dominance over me. “You can allow Frost to inject you with our serum and end this in a civilised way. Or you can refuse – we will then tranq you, inject you anyway and Bonebreaker will rape your friend. What is it to be, Wolverine?”
“What’s my guarantee that you won’t let Bonebreaker rape her anyway?” I force out, through clenched teeth.
Roberts considers this a moment. “No guarantee whatsoever, actually. You’ll just have to trust me.”
I don’t like the terms, but what other choice do I have? “Do it,” I growl.
Roberts nods at Frost, who approaches with the hypo an’ kneels down beside me. I flinch as he presses it to my neck, sendin’ the contents coursin’ into my veins. “What’s in it?” I ask, not really expectin’ an answer.
“It’s actually a ……..” Frost begins, but is cut off by Roberts, who nudges him with his foot. Frost gets to his feet an’ backs away.
“The contents of the serum do not concern you at this point in time, Wolverine. However, all will become clear when we administer the third and final stage of your treatment. So, until then ……..” He gestures at Bonebreaker, who slowly, an’ with some reluctance, releases Jubilee. She immediately throws herself off the cot an’ out of his reach, retreatin’ to the rear of the cell as far as she can go, where she adjusts her clothin’ with heavin’ sobs.
Bonebreaker takes his time puttin’ himself away an’ all the while I am vowing to make him pay.
Their mission complete, Roberts and his men file out of the cell, one of his guards hangin’ back to cover me and Jubilee until everyone has exited safely. As the cell door closes, Roberts hesitates in front o’ the bars. “By the way, Wolverine, I will see to it that your dosage of suppressant is increased. The current level obviously isn’t sufficient to keep you docile.”
“Yeah, you do that,” I growl back, as he walks away.
As silence returns to the cell, I remain on my back, breathin’ heavily with my exertions. My neck itches where I was injected. I wish I knew what was in the stuff – it can’t be good – but for now, I got other priorities. Jubilee is still whimperin’ at the back of the cell, but when I begin to struggle to my knees she rushes over an’ all but throws herself into my arms, knockin’ me back slightly.
“Oh god, Wolverine, I thought …….. I thought ……..”
“Shh, darlin’, it’s all over now.” I pull her to me, wrappin’ her in the protection o’ my arms, whisperin’ soothin’ nonsense as she sobs into my chest. Truth is, I don’t think it is all over, but I can hardly tell her that. The lie, however, seems to do her some good an’ eventually she quietens, allowin’ me to hitch back against the cot. When I try to stand up, she stiffens an’ clings to me tightly, so I make myself as comfortable as I can an’ just hold her, lettin’ my presence an’ warmth comfort her. The scent o’ the suppressant shifts as we rest, growin’ stronger, makin’ me sleepy, an’ I’m hardly aware as we fall into a light sleep for a time.
A noise outside the cell jerks me awake, rousin’ Jubilee, who stirs against me sleepily. Seein’ me starin’ at the cell door, her eyes widen in alarm, an’ she tries to pull away, but it’s not Roberts. As messed up as my senses are, I have his scent an’ I know it’s not him out in the hallway. I put a finger to my lips to reassure her, just as a throaty chuckle reaches my ears an’ a shadow falls across the doorway.
An’ then he speaks, an’ it’s the voice I heard out on the roadway, still achingly familiar an’ loaded with malice.
“Hello, Jimmy. Remember me ……?”