“Who the hell are you?” I’m gettin’ royally pissed off with all this ‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ shit an’ my voice comes out as a rough snarl. Jubilee flinches at my side, but draws back slightly, as if sensin’ that I may have to act quickly.
The stranger at the cell door chuckles, throatily. “Oh come on, Jimmy! I’m hurt! You’re actually tellin’ me you don’t remember your own brother?”
“Bullshit!” I’m on my feet in an instant, although the sudden movement makes my head swim slightly. I shake my head agitatedly, tryin’ to clear the effects o’ the suppressant as I raise my hands to unsheathe my claws, rememberin’ the cuffs just in time to save myself from a world o’ hurt. Stalkin’ forward, I swipe a cuff across the bars o’ the door, sendin’ sparks flyin’. “I ain’t got a brother!”
“Are you sure o’ that, Jimmy?” If the stranger is intimidated by my pathetic show o’ defiance, he doesn’t betray it. His lips draw back in a grin that reveals canines slightly longer than my own. “They really did a number on your head, didn’t they?”
“That’s none o’ your god-damn business!” His words cut deep an’ he knows it. If there’s one thing I truly know about myself, it’s that I suffered more pain at the hands o’ the original Weapon X project than I could ever imagine. They ran barbaric experiments on me – sent me out to kill time after time. Constant mind-wipes kept me compliant. I can’t even trust the memories I do have o’ that time – false implants were often uploaded to see how I’d react to the stimuli. My mind is a turbulent fucked up mess.
An’ Jeannie wonders why I don’t like telepaths pokin’ around in there.
A soft hand suddenly slides around my waist an’ I realise I am standin’ with my head bowed as I let the fractured images o’ my past wash over me. Jubilee, obviously sensin’ my discomfort, has moved to my side an’ now it’s her turn to lend me support as she fixes the stranger with a curious stare.
“Why do you keep calling him Jimmy? His name’s Logan.”
The stranger’s dark eyes slide to her arm restin’ comfortably around my waist an’ I am seized with an inexplicable desire to protect. The guy is dangerous – I don’t need my senses to know that – an’ somethin’ about Jubilee has obviously sparked his interest. The growl that starts way down in my chest an’ rapidly gains volume to set my whole body vibratin’ with the power of it prompts the stranger to smile coldly an’ Jubilee to step away from me with a startled gasp. I regret scarin’ the kid, but somethin’ about the stranger’s calculatin’ attitude sets me on edge an’ has my hackles risin’.
Without showin’ the slightest bit o’ interest in my obvious efforts to provoke, his focus switches to Jubilee. “Are you his mate?” he asks, casually, pointin’ first to her an’ then to me.
The unexpected question cuts me off mid-growl an’ Jubilee’s brow furrows in confusion. “What? No! I …….. eww!”
“I didn’t think so. I can’t smell him on you – not in that sense, anyway.” He takes a long slow sniff of the air. “Still a virgin too. No wonder you had Bonebreaker so turned on.”
Jubilee makes a choked sound an’ I reach out to pull her to my side as the glaringly obvious suddenly hits me between the eyes. “You’re feral,” I accuse.
The stranger laughs, clickin’ his fingers in the air. “Bingo! Did you work that out all by yourself, Jimmy?” He holds up his hand for me to see an’ his finger nails suddenly lengthen into wicked lookin’ talons. They’re formidable weapons. A sudden flash o’ those talons whippin’ across my face – buryin’ themselves into my shoulder – forces a gasp o’ surprise from my lips, but the image is gone before I can focus on it. If he notices, the stranger gives no sign, merely lowerin’ his hand an’ lettin’ the talons retract. I follow the movement with my eyes until he snorts an’ draws my gaze back up to his face. “Y’know, Wade told me you were a shadow of the man you once were, but I didn’t believe him. I thought there’d be something left of you in there, but it’s gone, hasn’t it, Jimmy? Really gone. Such a shame. We made a helluva team, you an’ me.”
“Wolvie, what’s going on?” Jubilee shifts uneasily against me an’ the feral once again transfers his attention back to her.
“Your team-mate can’t remember jackshit about his life, girlie,” he spits, ruthlessly. “That’s what’s going on. An’ the irony of all is that I hold all of it, right here.” He lifts up his hand, palm uppermost. “I could tell him everything he’s ever wanted to know – his name, where he comes from – everything! An’ all he’s gotta do is ask.”
He looks back to me, one eyebrow raisin’, but I shake my head. Somethin’s tellin’ me I can’t trust this guy. “I won’t ask,” I growl in return.
The stranger smiles. “Didn’t think you would. You always were a stubborn bastard, Jimmy. So what about you, missy?” Jubilee squeaks as once again she becomes the center o’ attention. “Wanna know the truth? Tell you what, you tell me your name an’ I’ll tell you mine.”
“Don’t,” I whisper, but I can see she is intrigued by what the stranger is offerin’ her. I wince as she gives her name willingly an’ the feral smiles. “Well, hello there, Jubilee. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Victor Creed.”
…….. A gunshot …….. a body lyin’ in a pool o’ blood …….. a flash o’ bone-white claw ……..
The images are quick an’ fleetin’ but they leave me reelin’ in their wake. Victor tosses me a knowin’ glance, speakin’ to Jubilee but keepin’ his attention focused on me. “I was born in the late 1800’s, in Alberta, Canada. My father, a feral, had an affair with the wife of his soon to be late employer, one John Howlett. You….,” he pokes a finger at me through the bars “ …. are supposedly his youngest son. Your name is James Howlett an’ you’re my little brother. My half brother actually, but I figure that’s just being picky.”
“Jesus ……..” I stagger back in shock, my mind unable to cope with the life-changin’ information that’s just been revealed so casually. After all these years o’ tryin’ to piece my life together – all the searchin’, the agony an’ the heartache – an’ all it took was one guy from my past to unlock it all.
Victor leans casually against the cell door, watchin’ me struggle with the realisation that he holds the key to restorin’ my memories in the palm o’ his hands. “I gotta go now. Duty calls an’ all that. But that’s just a taster o’ what I could tell you, Jimmy. If you wanna know more, you know what you have to do.” He pushes away from the door, blowin’ a kiss to Jubilee. “Bye, sweetie.”
“Wait.” I thrust out a hand, pleadingly, drawin’ him back to the door, where he eyes me, cautiously. “Just one thing, Victor. Were we …….. were we close?”
Victor draws his lips back in a snarl. “Hardly.” He turns to walk away. “I was your worst enemy.”
After Victor leaves, I become withdrawn, hunchin’ into a corner to mull over the information he has given me. My mind refuses to assimilate the fact that I am over one hundred years old – all I can think about is the possibility that I could live for at least another five hundred years before I even start to show any signs o’ aging. An’ then I wonder about Marie an’ what this could mean for our relationship an’ once I start down that road I realise there is no guarantee I’ll ever even see her again. The original Weapon X project held me for months the last time they got their hooks into me – as near as I’ve been able to ascertain, I only managed to escape because someone got careless. I don’t think they’ll be so accomodatin’ a second time. So, unless a miracle happens an’ the X-Men find us, me an’ Jubilee are pretty much screwed. I don’t know what evidence they planted in the truck to make ‘em think we’re dead, but out only hope is for ‘em to see through it an’ come after us – an’ quick before whatever they’re gonna do to re-condition me becomes irreversible. O’ course, no amount o’ re-conditionin’ will ever be able to bury my desire to be free. It was this desire that saved me the last time an’ I know that whatever they do to me, I’ll never stop lookin’ for the way out – for a way to escape my oppressors.
Frost makes an appearance with some food on a tray a couple o’ hours later – nothin’ fancy, jus’ some potatoes an’ some stringy meat – but it’s hours since I ate an’ I attack the food with a gusto that surprises me. Jubilee picks at her potatoes for a while an’ then shoves her plate towards me to finish off. I leave the potatoes but take the meat.
Frost also leaves my jacket an’ shirt, which were presumably removed when they inserted this metal doo-hickey into my neck. I still don’t know what it’s for – Roberts called it a ‘port’ – but whatever it is I figure it’s nothin’ good. Jubilee says it looks as though somethin’ plugs into it an’ if that ain’t the stuff o’ nightmares, I don’t know what is. It suggests that my head is about to be messed with again, an’ that sets the beast howlin’ in its cage. I’m tempted to let it free the next time Roberts an’ his cronies come waltzin’ into the cell an’ see how they like that – claws or no claws, the beast is a dirty fighter when he’s pissed an’ he’ll give ‘em a run for their money before they can take him down. Unfortunately, the one thing stoppin’ me from actually doin’ this is the beast’s total inability to tell friend from foe. When I go feral, everyone is a target – Jubilee wouldn’t stand a chance against me without her powers. So if I let the beast free, I gotta make sure she’s not in the firin’ line first. Either that, or let him free only when it’s a no-win situation. If Jubilee’s gonna die, I’d rather it be at my hands, not theirs.
At least, my way will be quick.
My jacket has been divested of everything that could be remotely useful – my cell phone, my bike keys, even my cigars an’ matches have gone. But deep in one o’ the outer pockets, I find a screwed up slip o’ paper with Sheryl’s phone number written on it in neat figuring. I stare at it for a moment, then return it to the pocket, treasurin’ the little piece o’ freedom.
I shrug into my shirt after eating an’ return to my corner. Jubilee makes a half-hearted attempt to draw me into conversation, but my mind is occupied elsewhere an’ after receivin’ only grunts for her efforts, she gets the hint an’ lays down on the cot, where she falls into a fitful doze. I feel bad for cold-shoulderin’ the kid, but I got a lot to think about – not the least of which is whether to ask Victor for more information about my past or not. He says he’s my enemy – was this always the case or did somethin’ happen in our past to set brother against brother? Do I even wanna know? I’m not entirely sure I trust him – he’s a mutant an’ a feral, yet he walks around the place freely. Is he in league with our captors? Is he the reason I’m here?
So many fuckin’ questions. Not enough answers.
I’m not surprised when I begin to feel a headache buildin’ at the back o’ my skull, but whether this is because o’ all the soul searchin’ or the effects o’ the suppressant, I ain’t sure. I suspect the latter though, on account o’ me not bein’ prone to headaches. Healin’ factor an’ all that, y’know.
When the lights go out in our cell, I figure it’s our captors’ not so subtle way o’ tellin’ us to get some sleep. Jubilee rouses as I roll up my jacket an’ place it on the floor next to the cot, askin’ me if I want the bed. Such a lady. An’ ever the gentleman, I refuse. I can protect her better if I sleep on the floor anyway. They’ll have to step on me to get to her – providin’ I don’t hear ‘em comin’ into the cell in the first place, o’ course – an’ then they’ll have three hundred pounds o’ angry Wolverine to deal with.
The light is still on in the hallway, providin’ just enough illumination to cast the cell in a soft glow. I lay on my back for a time, starin’ at the red light on the camera, wonderin’ if they’re watchin’ us right now. They’d be lousy guards if they weren’t. Bad things always happen at night.
I actually figure on stayin’ awake all night an’ watchin’ over Jubilee, but the suppressant I’ve been breathin’ for hours has a calmin’ effect an’ I finally fall into a light doze ……..
…….. Paving the way for the serum I was injected with earlier to make its presence known ………
I awake with a jolt, feelin’ disoriented an’ dizzy an’ knowin’ instantly that somethin’ is wrong. As I roll onto my side, my stomach cramps painfully an’ I groan at the unfamiliar feelin’, cuttin’ it off quickly with a bite to my lower lip, afraid to wake Jubilee. I can feel a cold sweat breakin’ out all over my body, the pricklin’ sensation puttin’ me in mind of ants crawlin’ all over me. I lay still for a moment, willin’ the feelin’ to pass an’ idly wonderin’ if the meat I was given was bad or poisoned in any way. Bad meat, maybe, but they’d hardly go to all the trouble o’ gettin’ their hands on me only to put poison in my food. I’d be a fool to suspect that – an’ I ain’t no fool. It’s gotta be the serum.
An’ then I feel an unpleasant burnin’ sensation in my throat an’ I bolt for the toilet ……..
Jubilee wakes up just as the remains o’ my last meal makes a sudden an’ rather unexpected reappearance. Rubbin’ the sleep from her eyes, she staggers to my side, attracted by my feeble retchin’, an’ recoilin’ in shock at the sight o’ me kneelin’ in front o’ the toilet.
“Geez, Wolvie, are you ……..? Christ, you’re sick! I didn’t think you got sick.”
“I don’t,” I croak back, shakily. Even with most o’ my life a mystery to me, I don’t ever remember bein’ sick before an’ the sensation is not a pleasant one. I groan as another spasm cramps my stomach an’ hurl up some half digested meat. “Oh god ……”
Jubilee crouches at my side, placin’ her hand on my forehead. Her fingers are cool to my heated skin. “Christ, Wolvie, you’re burning up! What’s wrong with you?”
“Serum,” I reply. My voice is weak an’ I am shakin’ like a leaf in the wind. As I heave again, Jubilee rubs my back, offerin’ comfort in the only way she knows how. I’m actually surprised she’s still with me – the firecracker has never struck me as the most sensitive member o’ the team – the night she an’ Kitty snuck into my room to leave a sandwich lends testament to that.
Maybe our current situation an’ her recent brush with rape has forced her to grow up quickly.
Jubilee looks around anxiously as I heave again. “I don’t know what to do, Wolvie. Tell me how to help you.”
“Jus’ leave me here.” She’s removed her hand from my head an’ I slump down until my forehead is restin’ against the cold porcelain of the toilet seat. “I’ll be okay.”
“Like hell I will! I’m not leavin’ you curled up on the floor in front of the toilet! What kind of a heartless idiot do you take me for?” She stands an’ hooks her hands around my arm, forcin’ a groan past my lips. “Get up!”
I try to resist, but somehow she forces me to my feet, pausin’ only for me to heave into the hand basin on the way up. Jubilee runs the tap, lettin’ the water clean out the basin, an’ then leaves me to rinse out my mouth while she flushes the toilet. I am left with a strangely metallic taste in my mouth, but I don’t know if it’s caused by the water or my condition.
“Come on.” She drapes my arm across her shoulders an’ slips her own arm around my waist, staggerin’ a little under my weight as she leads me to the cot. “You do realise that Rogue would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you, don’t you? She loves your sorry ass, although how she puts up with all your grumping an’ growling is beyond me. You must be something else in the sack, that’s all I can say. Now, you just lie there an’ I’ll see if I can find something to cool your head with.”
She eases me down to the cot, but when she tries to cover me with the blanket I push it off. “Hot,” I complain.
“But you’re shivering,” she insists. “Oh god, Wolvie, I don’t know how to deal with this. Your skin is burning up, yet you’ve got the shakes.” She’s right – I’m shiverin’ so hard my teeth are chatterin’. She suddenly jumps up, wavin’ her arms in front o’ the camera. “Hey! Hey, I need help here! Wolvie’s sick!”
“Leave it, Jubilee,” I gasp, my voice barely audible.
“But that stuff’s killing you!” she protests, droppin’ back down to her knees beside the cot. “They have to know.”
“They know,” I argue, feebly. “They have somethin’ planned for me, Fizzbit. I’m no use to ‘em dead.”
“I’m sure that’s a whole heap o’ comfort right now.” Jubilee looks around frantically, then grabs my jacket, huntin’ through the pockets for anythin’ useful an’ finally tossin’ it aside in frustration when she comes up empty. With a grunt she gets to her feet an’ stalks into our ‘bathroom’. I hear a tap runnin’ an’ she returns with a wad o’ wet folded up toilet paper, which she places on my forehead. It feels blessedly cool to my heated skin.
Jubilee frets a moment with my blanket – she keeps tuckin’ it around me an’ I keep pushin’ it away. “There’s nothing in this blasted cell to help us, Wolvie. It’s almost as though they want you to suffer, dammit.”
I turn my head slowly to fix her with an intense if slightly shaky stare. “That’s the whole point, Jubilee. I think that’s part o’ their plan ……..”
It’s at least another four hours before Roberts an’ his men make another house call. In the intervening time, I have got progressively worse, to the point where I am now driftin’ in an’ out o’ consciousness. Jubilee has had to help me to our bathroom on three more occasions – the last time I didn’t make it an’ threw up all over the floor at the foot o’ the cot. I felt bad for the kid as she eased me back down to rest, but she cleaned up the mess without complaint, using most o’ the toilet paper. She’s rapidly changin’ my opinion o’ her – I used to think she was an annoying nuisance, good for nothin’ except bein’ a good friend to Marie, but a joker who wouldn’t amount to much. Seems I was wrong. I’m not sayin’ she’s conquered her fears an’ come out punchin’ – she’s still scared an’ frankly, so am I – but she’s holdin’ her own an’ I’m proud o’ the kid for that.
Frost is the first into the cell. Seems he’s their appointed medic – or my medic, at least. Jubilee is sittin’ on the edge o’ the cot beside me an’ she refuses to move as he crouches by her side an’ places a hand on my forehead. I’m barely conscious at this point an’ I groan weakly as he thumbs back an eyelid to check my responses.
“Are you gonna help him?” Jubilee demands, as Frost rocks back on his haunches an’ looks towards the doorway, obviously awaitin’ his commandin’ officer. “He’s never been sick like this before. You’ve gotta do something.”
Frost turns to study her anxious face, his own expression strangely showin’ his sadness at havin’ to be the bearer o’ bad news. “I’m not going to make him better, honey. I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Jubilee begins to splutter in confusion an’ indignation as Roberts an’ two guards march into the cell. Frost gets to his feet an’ pulls the kid up with him, draggin’ her away from the cot an’ me. She protests an’ tries to fight him, but he’s a big guy an’ Jubilee barely makes five foot four in her sneakers. He’s firm, but surprisingly gentle as he backs against the wall, holdin’ Jubilee in place with an arm about her waist as she struggles to get back to me.
The commotion rouses me slightly an’ I blink muzzily as Roberts steps up to the cot an’ stares down at me. “Status report, Frost.”
“Everything progressing according to schedule, Sir. Wolverine’s healing factor has shut down and he’s in the first stages of adamantium poisoning.”
Jubilee gasps at this an’ stills, twistin’ slightly to stare at Frost in horror. The soldier shrugs in return.
My eyes track Roberts as he leans down to study me closely. “Excellent. Weapon X, do you know what is about to happen to you now?”
I have a pretty good idea, but whatever it is I ain’t gonna meet it lyin’ on this cot like an invalid. I groan an’ roll to my side, intendin’ to get to my feet an’ face my fate like a man, but the action brings on another stomach cramp an’ Roberts is too slow to react as I hurl all over his highly polished combat boots.
“Animal!” As I flop back, weakly, Roberts grabs the pulse rifle from one of his guards an’ levels it at me, aiming right between the eyes. Bracin’ myself for the pain that I know is about to be unleashed on my vulnerable body, I hear Jubilee scream in horror as I stare right back into Roberts steely eyes, an’ I know I ain’t gonna give him the satisfaction o’ dying.
I’ll survive this if it kills me ……..
An’ then Frost is suddenly between me an’ the rifle, fingers tentatively nudgin’ the business end in another direction. “No, Sir, you can’t. With his healing factor down, he’ll never survive the shock. Please, Sir. He’s not in control of his actions right now.”
A silent battle o’ wills ensues as Jubilee takes advantage o’ the distraction to return to my side once more. She silently takes my cuffed an’ clammy hand in hers an’ grips my fingers tightly, her eyes leavin’ mine only to glance anxiously up at the tableau takin’ place before us. Roberts obviously aches to punish me for the affront, but common sense finally prevails – like I said before, I’m no good to him dead – an’ he thrusts the rifle roughly back into the hands of its owner.
“Fine. I will refrain from punishing the beast this time, Frost, but only because he is too valuable to risk killing him at this stage. But if you ever confront me in front of my men again, or if your pet ever humiliates me, I promise you I will personally have you whipped and give you to Victor for his sport. Do you understand me?”
“Copy that, Sir.”
So, ‘pet’, huh? Guess that makes Frost my handler.
Roberts elbows the man aside an’ steps closer, his face red with barely restrained anger. I figure it’s crunch time an’ I feel Jubilee’s hand tighten on mine.
“You have been injected with a carbonadium serum, Weapon X. Liquid metal.” Oh Christ, no wonder I feel so sick. “By now, it will have spread throughout your system, completely shutting down your healing factor. The effects you are feeling now are due to adamantium poisoning. Your own skeleton is killing you.”
“I know ……” I manage to grunt out. Yeah, I’ve felt this before. On occasion, some nut or other has managed to negate the healin’ factor an’ I’ve experienced some discomfort until said nut has been dealt with, but it’s never got this far before. The metal coverin’ my bones constantly leaks poisons into my system which my healin’ factor normally deals with on a daily basis. With it shut down, I know the effects are only gonna get worse.
Until I die.
An’ with the healin’ factor down, there’ll be no comin’ back this time.
“Without an antidote, Weapon X, you will die.” Roberts confirms my fears with a sneer.
“Yeah, an’ I suppose you just happen to have the antidote handy, don’t ya?” Jubilee tosses Roberts a hate-filled glare. “You people disgust me.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what we do have.” Roberts chooses to ignore the kid’s insult an’ snaps his fingers. Another guard enters, carryin’ a metal case, which he hands to Frost. He opens it an’ removes another hypospray.
“This is amalgium-H, Weapon X.” Roberts indicates the hypo with a mirthless smile. “It functions by fusing with the c-serum and thereby rendering it inert, thus allowing your healing factor to function. It also inhibits your free will, thus making you compliant and easier to control. However, its effects only last for eight hours, after which time the c-serum will once again take over your system and shut down your healing factor. If you have not received a further dose of the aH-serum before twelve hours have elapsed, you will have reached early stages of adamantium poisoning, as you are now. Twenty four hours later, you will be comatose. After forty-eight hours have elapsed, you will be dead.”
Jubilee is aghast. “You can’t inject him with that! It’s …….. it’s inhuman!”
Roberts cocks his head. “Your point being?” He rocks back slightly, foldin’ his arms. “Mutants are not human, my dear. Weapon X even less so. He’s an animal, nothing more and, as such, ours to use the same way I would harness a horse or train a dog to sniff out explosives. So, let me ask you this. Would you rather we leave him to die?”
“No, but ……..”
“Weapon X still has a choice, my dear. Once the aH-serum has been administered and he has been sent out on his first mission, he can chose not to come back to us and die, presumably under a hedge somewhere, like the animal he is. However, fortune has smiled on us and sent us you – an unexpected bonus. So I think he will come back to us, time after time. He will allow us to use him again and again, because he knows I will give you to Bonebreaker if he does not.”
Jubilee gasps and from somewhere deep inside I manage to summon the strength to raise myself up to one elbow. “Go ahead,” I growl. “Use your god-damn serum. Send me out on yer missions. But I promise ya this, Roberts. One day, ya’ll drop yer guard or the serum will fail. An’ I’ll be waitin’. Either way, I’ll be free. An’ I’ll hunt ya down like the bastard ya are an’ I’ll take yer god-damn head off. You an’ anyone else who stands in my way.”
“Fair enough.” Roberts gestures an’ Frost steps forward, pressin’ the hypo to my neck. His eyes are almost apologetic as he sends the contents coursin’ into my veins an’ I file this information away for future reference. Of all the guards, he seems the most sympathetic an’ any ally in this place, even one o’ the enemy, is better than no ally at all.
He steps back as I sink back down to the cot with a weary sigh. Jubilee reaches out to touch my face gently, an’ I smile back at her in encouragement. I will live, because I’m gonna find a way to get us both outta here. Whatever it takes – whatever I have to do – I’ll do it. We’re gonna survive.
An’ for that to happen, Logan will have to die. I need to be stronger now, for both of us. I need to call on those reserves hidden deep within me – I need to release the beast.
Logan is dead.
Weapon X lives again ……..