Hi. First time writer here. This is something I wrote for a friend; they told me to post it on this site. Reviews appreciated.
Being a superhero isn't easy. Juggling two separate lives may sound like a piece of cake; but it's as tiring as fuck. Fortunately, that's one problem Logan didn't have to deal with. Being a mutant; he was cut off from the public eye in Charles Xavier's house. Palace. Mansion. Whatever.
But, like all superheroes, Logan had to deal with and "rise above" personal loss. Jean. The only woman he'd ever loved. She was, in a word – stunning. And when she died; Logan had been heartbroken. He'd lost everything. The forest was his home. He was happy there. But, like always, his past caught up with him.
After the debacle with his Japanese "friend", Logan had thought he was free. It was finally over. There was no Charles to nag him to "do the right thing"; and he didn't have adamantium running through his system anymore. Win-Win. That's what he thought.
Without any purpose in life; Logan went back to his original roots – cage fighting. It was fun. He beat every obstacle that was in his way. He never stayed in a town for more than a couple of days at a stretch; thus making sure no one gave him a second thought.
Then again, he knew there was something wrong with him. He just couldn't place it. He was sensing his cells disintegrating. After every fight; he took longer to heal. Slowly but surely; he realized what was happening. Logan was dying. Wolverine was dying.
He wasn't surprised when Magneto came to him; nor did the fact that Wheels was alive come as a shock. He readily agreed to go back to the past to stop the war; mainly because he had nothing to lose. He knew he wasn't going to come back; and part him was glad. But the other, more human part of him knew that he needed to pass on the torch; that the world needed people like him. Logan could die; but Wolverine HAD to live on.
Enter Steve . 18, strong-headed, super intelligent; and a mutant at heart. He was the only few who had actually seen Logan; who knew the man behind the mask. The only thing that didn't match was their nature. Logan was fierce and brutal; while Steve had never picked a fight in his life.
Over the next couple of weeks; while Logan trained for the journey into the past; he was training Steve to be his successor. Nobody, not even Steve knew what Logan was up to.
One night, Steve woke up with a start. He was sweating and trembling all over. He'd had a nightmare. In his dream, he was Wolverine. And he'd killed someone. Multiple someones. He shuddered as he remembered the way his claws had pushed through his skin; how much it had hurt; and how it hurt even more when they went back in. the worst part; the part that scared him the most; was the fact that he actually liked it.
Steve got up and went to wash his face. He flicked on the light and turned the knob. The sight that met his eyes was horrifying. His hands were covered in a red substance he was pretty sure was blood. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping it was a figment of his imagination. He opened his eyes; hoping, even praying that it wasn't real. The sight of blood shocked him unconscious.
When he came to, Steve was in what looked like a large glass tank. He was submerged underwater. Hundreds of tubes were connected to him; helping him breathe. He couldn't move. This was bad. VERY bad.
Logan had been working day and night to find a way to reverse the effects of the absorption mechanism the Japanese had used on him. he could regenerate; and he was pretty sure the adamantium in him would regenerate as well. For the transfer to work, he had to be at full power. That was the only way Steve would survive. The only way Wolverine would survive.
He decided to start from scratch; to pretend that he never had adamantium in him. His efforts didn't go unnoticed by Charles; who agreed to help him. Together they recreated the "process" Logan underwent way back when he was a mercenary. They both knew it wasn't easy; but they had no choice. Charles wasn't sure about Logan's choice; but Logan was adamant. Charles agreed grudgingly, but he was secretly working on a way to save Logan; to bring him back from the past.
When their experiment succeeded (Logan tested it on a rabbit. The results were disastrous. I mean, who wants a giant metal bunny running around?), Logan jumped in without any hesitation. Then again, he had nothing to lose.
When he got out of the tub; Logan knew it had worked. He got down on one knee and pulled out his metal claws; a grin on his face. Even Eric came to watch the celebration. None of the mutants had ever seen Wolverine so – not grim. Not since Jean had died.
Steve struggled against his bonds; to no avail. He didn't know what was going on. He could hear voice; but couldn't hear understand what was being said. A pair of hands reached in and disconnected the pipes. Steve's heart began pumping blood at an elevated rate; so much so that he was afraid it would give out under the pressure. He felt pain, excruciating pain in his hands and legs and – well, everywhere. A couple of hours (it felt like days to him) he began feeling a tingling at base of his heart. The tingling extended to the tips of his fingers. He opened his eyes and yelled. Well, he did the closest thing to a yell underwater.
Steve felt his hands begin to tremble; and he let out another yell as he felt immense pain, pain that made the previous ordeal seem like a walk in the park. When it finally stopped, he lifted his hands to his face. Claws. His eyes widened; and he felt the pain receding.
When he didn't feel pain anymore; he decided to get out. That's when he realized he couldn't. He was trapped inside. He got down on one knee and clenched his fists. His claws sprung out; and he placed his hands above his head. With a grunt, he jumped; or whatever you want to call it; and aimed at the glass above him.
CRASH! The glass shattered; and Steve clawed his way out. He was breathing heavily; and his head hurt like hell. He looked around; and was surprised to see Logan there. Steve fell to the ground; his head in his hands. He could see flashes; bits and pieces; like a memory. But he couldn't place them. They looked like his memories; but they didn't feel like his.
24 hours ago
Steve woke up in his bathroom; with his hands covered in blood. It took him a minute to remember what had happened. Without a second thought; he got dressed and rushed off to talk to Logan.
Logan was still at his lab; working on the final stages of the experiment. When Steve confronted him; he decided to tell him everything he knew. He told Steve about the adamantium; the time paradox concept; and how he couldn't return to the world. He also confessed that he had been secretly transferring his essence on to the new Wolverine. Steve's eyes widened when he heard what Logan had in mind. Without thinking about it; he agreed.
Eric and Storm prepped Steve for the procedure; and Logan explained the procedure to him. The glass tank was filled with water; and a high concentration of adamantium. The electric current would cause the metal to bond with the closest source of organic material. Charles warned him that the anesthesia could cause a temporary memory loss; but Steve shrugged it off and took it anyway. Then he climbed into the glass tank
One Month Later
It was finally time. Time for Wolverine to leave; and for the new Wolverine to ascend. They said their goodbyes; and Steve shook hands with Logan. They nodded at each other; and Steve could swear he saw a tear in Logan's eye.
And then; just like that, they were gone.
Steve turned and looked at The Professor; who smiled sadly at him. Steve had proved himself in the past month; and Charles had finally accepted him as the new Wolverine a few days ago. With a nod, Steve walked past Charles and out into the world; a world that needed saving. As he got on Logan's; no, his; bike, he remembered the last words Logan had said to him.
"I'm proud of you, kid."
Steve kick-started the bike and rode off into the sunset. Logan had succeeded. Even though he'd died, his legacy lived on. Wolverine lived on.