Anna and Laura sat in the large training room deep below the ground floor of the academy, both dressed in simple gym pants and t-shirts. The students and faculty were away on a day trip to Biloxi and Anna took advantage of the opportunity by having Laura remain with her instead of visiting the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art with her class-mates. Scott volunteered to stay behind to assist but Laura insisted on Logan, and only Logan, so reluctantly, Scott boarded the chartered bus, clearly unhappy. Before he did, Anna kissed him, deliberately in front of everyone, determined to reassure Scott every chance she got that she loved him. Logan was keeping his distance from her ever since that evening in the meadow and was focused entirely on Laura and yet Scott’s jealousy continued to make him hostile and wary towards his fellow X-Man.
“Everything alright down there?”
She was startled out of her thoughts by Logan’s terse voice booming from the speakers around them. Laura was looking at her impatiently.
“Sorry.” Anna rolled her head, snapping it side to side sharply to release the tension she felt. She looked to the young girl sitting cross legged on the floor in front of her. “Are you ready?” Anna asked her softly, aware of Laura’s growing anxiety.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Laura’s legs were shaking, and her hands pulled at her hair.
Anna held out her hand, smiling encouragingly. “It’s okay Laura. We’ll stop anytime you want to. I promise.”
Laura’s eyes lifted up to Logan, who was standing by the large window in the observation room above them, grim-faced. At his nod, she closed her eyes and placed her hand into Anna’s. Anna closed her eyes as well and switched on her skin mutation. Gentle, with a faint buzz, both females felt the connection and Laura’s memories began to flood into Anna’s mind. Anna deftly pushed the images to the side and began to isolate each memory according to its age, pulling up the first images and its corresponding emotions to the forefront for closer inspection.
A sterile environment – a laboratory, so like the memories, nightmares, that belonged to the Wolverine - isolated – training, tests, training– a child - a weapon – X-23 - made to kill – made to kill
Anna reached for Laura’s other hand and gripped the young girl’s hands, a slow anger building inside her.
Seven years old - exposed to radiation - kick starting her mutation – arms and feet sliced open without anesthesia - exposing two claws from each hand, one claw from one foot - coated in adamantium – screaming, crying, healing – Dr. Sarah Kinney, looking so much like a grown up Laura - sneaking into the white walled cell - holding her, reading books to her, brushing her hair
Anna felt tears prick her eyelids. Laura’s favorite story was Pinocchio; she wanted to be a real girl.
Laying her head down on a soft lap - pushed away because eyes were watching, watching – waiting, waiting – do better, be stronger, be faster
Anna winced, the memory of Laura’s first kill flashing through her mind, abrupt and harsh, chilled by the lack of emotion expressed by the young child. She felt Laura try to pull her hands away, sensing Anna’s shock, but Anna held on tighter, rubbing the young girl’s knuckles reassuringly with her thumbs. Logan continued to watch the two below him unblinkingly, on edge.
Dr. Martin Sutter, Dr. Zander Rice - killing them both - destroying the pods that held the embryos for more Weapon X clones, numbers X-24 through to X-50 - walking away from the young son of Dr. Rice, little boy hiding in a closet - won’t kill, won’t kill – escape, escape
Anna smiled. Laura was no monster, the memory revealing that she could disobey orders and make a conscientious choice. Then there was nothing, pure nothingness, and Anna eyebrows knitted together in concentration, forcing her way through. Laura whimpered, and a blur of shrieking images blew past Anna consciousness, directly into the box she made for Laura’s psyche in her mind, burying deep inside it. Anna went after it, startled by its viciousness, but another memory broke through, grabbing her attention.
Aunt Debbie and cousin Megan – in danger - kill him – running away - living in New York – oh god, those men, those BASTARDS, how could they, she was just a CHILD - slicing, hurting, watching, waiting - finding the Wolverine
It was here that Anna faltered.
Brutal, bloody - tearing into his body, ripping away flesh, exposing his adamantium skeleton, bleeding him out - his heartbeat slowing, slower, stopping – no mercy – anger, disgust, he won’t fight back – the Wolverine must die, DIE
Gasping, Anna let go of Laura’s hands and covered her mouth, fighting back the bile that had risen up in her throat from the grotesque scene in her mind. The room began to spin, and she fell forward on all fours, closing her eyes, her heart beating too, too fast. Anna couldn’t get any air into her lungs, the horror of witnessing Logan dying taking hold of her, and she screamed soundlessly, powerless to help him, devastated.
Suddenly, she felt strong, large hands grab hold of her, pulling her up off the floor, and she heard a masculine voice call out her name. Squeezing her eyes tightly, she tried to calm down, tried to shut away the images of Logan being ripped apart, disemboweled and sprawled across a forest floor just outside the X-Mansion, because he was here, alive, and he was safe. With her.
“Marie, look at me!”
She blinked rapidly, still unable to breathe, her throat straining into itself, refusing to allow air in. She tried to focus on Logan who was looking at her with fear in his eyes, holding her face between his hands, and the border around her vision began to darken from lack of oxygen.
“My memories must not be very pretty,” Laura told Logan, dispassionately watching Anna’s reaction.
Logan pulled Marie into his arms, the stench of her terror pulling out his Wolverine, clawing forward to protect her. He growled, telling her harshly, “You need to pull back, darlin'. Shut Laura’s memories away, right now!”
She was struggling with the poisoned black of Laura’s hate that the young girl experienced when she had tracked the Wolverine, and a low growl began at the back of Anna’s throat, succumbing to the ferocious murderous rage. She had to kill the Wolverine. He was why she had been created, the reason why she was a monster, and he needed to die, had to die.
Logan watched in fascination as her green irises split into feline ovals, her lip curling back into a snarl, her scent replaced by malice.
His distraction cost him - six claws burst from Anna’s hands and they swung towards him, catching him across his throat and slashing it open. Blood spurted forth in a broad arc, spraying them and floor all around them and Logan dropped to the ground, clutching at his neck to stem the flow, choking on the blood that poured freely over his hands from the deep wounds.
Anna drove her fists downwards, aiming for his back, and although weakening from his rapid blood loss, Logan rolled away, trapping her left leg between the two of his. He forced her down, pinning her underneath him and holding on tight, trapping her arms between them. She struggled violently and singular bone claws jutted out from the front of her feet, barely missing his legs as his blood continued to pour over her, joining the growing crimson pool beneath them on the concrete floor.
“Damn it Marie, stop it!” He was straining with the effort to hold her down, his healing factor barely keeping up, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to restrain her much longer. Laura didn’t move, confused and fascinated by the scene in front of her.
A powerful fragrance, strong and intense, began to cloud over Anna. It was overwhelming, irresistible, and she inhaled it, tasted it, her body instantly responsive. Her irises returned to their natural shape, refocusing on the aroused feral male on top of her, and her senses sharpened with awareness. With a purr, her claws sheathed themselves, and she lifted her body upwards, grabbing his hips and thrusting hers forward, spreading her legs apart so he settled in between them, growling as she slid herself against the hardness she found there. Logan grabbed the long twisted braid of her hair and met her eyes fiercely, his other arm wrapping around her small waist, keeping his body pressed against her intimately, grinding downwards, feeling her heat, smelling her reaction to him. The Wolverine growled in response.
“Well, that was effective.”
Laura’s voice was like a blast of cold water. Anna gasped and pushed against Logan’s chest, his blood coating her palms, making them slip. Thick and red, it was all over her, and her eyes shot to his throat where the three gashes she had caused were stitching into themselves. Logan stared at her, breathing hard and fast, and let her go, the Wolverine roaring in protest. She rolled away from him and jumped off the floor, her eyes darting between him and Laura, horror at what she had done dawning in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, trembling visibly, wiping her hands on her clothes, but his blood was there too, slick and viscous. Logan moved towards her, but she held out her hand in warning. She stared at it, specifically the spaces between her knuckles, and lowered her eyes to her feet, her skin itching where it repaired itself over the puncture holes the bones claws had created. Her inner Laura was shrieking, furious she had let the Wolverine go and she fisted her hands into her hair, conflicted because her body was on fire for a man she had wanted to kill only seconds earlier.
“You got my foot claws too,” she heard Laura remark, curiosity making the young girl slide her own out, after seeing it replicated in the older woman. “But without the adamantium. Lucky for you, huh Wolverine?”
Anna turned her back to them and crossed her arms to hold her shoulders together in an attempt to stop shaking; trying to sort through the memories she got from Laura, and the disturbing emotions that came with them. It hadn’t been her intention to absorb Laura’s mutation, she had lost control when she saw Logan being attacked so ruthlessly by the young girl, and the mindless loathing Laura felt at that time was staggering. That Logan survived Laura’s attack was incredible, the younger feral was identical to him, a true killer, determined to end the life of the mutant that she considered responsible for making her a freak of science, an abomination. X-23 had set out to destroy the Wolverine and she had almost succeeded because of his refusal to fight back, having received the letter from her mother asking he take care of Laura should she not make it out of the Facility alive.
But there was something else, something that terrified Anna, and it had to do with Dr. Sarah Kinney. She slammed the rest of Laura’s psyche into her box, wincing from the sharp pain that sliced through her head from the effort.
“Marie?” Logan was standing behind her, but she flinched, spinning around to face him. He wiped away the blood on his hands on the front of his jeans, clearly agitated by the accusing look in her eyes. “I had to do something to stop you. I didn’t mean for us to...”
Anna forced herself remain there standing, although her flight instinct was screaming. “It’s fine, Logan. I understand.” She sounded calm, but the other two ferals knew she was anything but. Face tight, aware of this, she said stiffly, “I have to go.” She walked away, resisting the urge to break into a run, counting each foot forward. I can do this, I can do this.
Laura looked to Logan as Marie left the room, but he ignored her, fighting against his own instincts that demanded he give chase.
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