AN: This story would never have been thought up without the subtle push from Drakedruid, a faithful reader of my stories apparently. Thanks Drake, this wouldn't have been possible without ya, bro.
This story takes place at the end of the X-Men: Evolution series.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or X-Men. I would hope that you know who owns what.
Maelstrom XS
1
It's been two months since the end of the threat of Apocalypse, and the Xavier students are now being recognized as the heroes they train to be. Unknown to the recovering mutants and humans, a new threat is stirring hidden in the forests of Canada. It's an old foe to some, and new to most, but it was deadly all the same.
A man standing a few inches shy of six feet strolled into an observation room of a hidden bunker, the room being observed having dimmed lights making it difficult to observe anything. The man was dressed as one would usually expect a mad scientist to be, white lab coat and everything. His scalp was bald, his eyes hidden by mirrored glasses, and there was a scowl on his face. His right arm was mechanical, a monstrosity of a limb, but the left was normal. Looking to the other man in the room, an aid, he asked, "Is he awake?"
"Of course, Professor." The aid replied with a nod, "He's been fed his morning vitamins and he's aged impressively. No sign of imperfection...aside from the markings on his cheeks that he had from before."
"Interesting..." hummed The Professor as he put his left hand on his chin and tapped it with his index finger, "Are they ready to begin testing?"
"Yes, Sir."
A moment of silence passed before The Professor uttered, "Do it."
The aid pressed a button and the lights within the dim room burst into life, electing a muffled cry of shock from somewhere within. The room itself was the equivalent of a zoo habitat, looking as though it's an actual portion of the Canadian woodland. It was, but that's beside the point. A buzzer went off and the door closest to the window slid open, releasing a group of mercenaries.
The Professor smirked before pressing down on a button with XS imprinted on it. Speaking into a microphone, The Professor said, "Slaughter them all."
There was no immediate response.
The mercenaries broke from their group to take up defensive positions. The aid turned the nearby receiver on to listen to the mercenaries' communication. He then looked at the digital chart in his hand.
"Heart rates are calm...they're not afraid," the aid said with a frown. A chuckle escaped The Professor's lips.
"Oh, they will be."
The clear sky suddenly darkened as storm clouds filled the air. A well-hidden mercenary spoke: "What the Hell? Was it supposed to rain?"
Chaos erupted.
Winds picked up, thunder boomed, and a lightning bolt struck a large evergreen. A distant roar similar to the mutant known as Sabertooth echoed through the air. The aid blinked.
"Heart rates are increasing. Sir, this is..."
"Shh, shh, shh...It's just about to begin," The Professor whispered with pride after he hushed his aid. The Professor pressed a button on the console in front of him and a new medical chart appeared, this one titled Weapon XS. The screen showed what one would expect from a wild predator, making The Professor smile even wider.
"Oi, Freddy, what'd you say we were in for again?"
"It was a million. Each. Now stuff it, Buck. I want-GAH!"
"Freddy? FREDDY!"
"What the Hell? Jones! You got a lock on-EAYGH!"
"Where is it? Anyone see it?"
"I see it! Holy...This is impossible-ACK!"
"John? Jones? Buck? Freddy? Guys? ...Hello?"
The Professor smirked as the last remaining mercenary backed into the open field that was before the observation room. He had a standard AK-47 in his hands, the barrel shaking lightly as he backed up. A lightning bolt struck down in front of him and the Merc jumped, his rifle barrel lighting up as he fired randomly into the wood.
"W-Where are you? Huh? Show yourself!" the Merc ordered as he backed into the window. He turned around, spotting the supposed anonymous payer and his face paled.
"No...No, no, no, no!" He cried out, quickly turning around again, "Weapon X. Weapon fucking X! I should've stayed in Reno...I knew this was too good to be true."
A sudden jostling branch to the right caught his eye and he fired at it. There was a weak thump and the Merc went to investigate when something blindsided him from the left. There was a brief glint of metal before the Merc screamed in anguish. He turned and started to crawl towards the window, three slashes across his face. The attacker slowly stalked after him, visible electricity arcing over three claw-like appendages that came from its hands.
"Please...Please call it off!" The Merc pleaded, "I got a wife! Two kids!"
The Professor pressed down on the button that activated the loudspeaker, "You should've thought about that when you agreed to take the job. Finish it, XS."
The attacker, the mysterious Weapon XS, stiffly nodded at the order and jumped at its prey with the intent to kill leaking from its body. An electrified claw pierced through the Merc's back, and twisted, making the scream of pain turn into a death rattle. The electricity arced from the blades to the body, scorching the skin and leaving third degree burns in its wake.
Weapon XS pulled its claw from the back of the now deceased mercenary. It then glared at The Professor, brows narrowed, and two clouded over eyes that would stop Apocalypse in his tracks.
"That's all for today, XS," The Professor said with a smirk, "Your next assignment will begin tomorrow. Sleep."
A button on his mechanical arm was pressed and Weapon XS reached for its neck frantically as a modified collar suddenly injected it with enough tranquilizer to bring down an elephant. The door that opened earlier opened once again and two more aids walked out, intent on dragging the unconscious mutant back to its cell.
The Professor hummed and looked at the aid standing with him in the observation room, "Well?"
"One hit kills, each death taking no more than three seconds as the organs were electrocuted, sir. If I may, do you really think this one will succeed where X-23 failed?"
"Yes. In fact, I'm sure of it."
He hated them.
Especially the bald one.
The Professor.
The title alone drove him into a fury. Each time he would be forced to 'train' or be 'tested', The Professor would always be the one that would order it. It was in preparation to destroy the two whose DNA created him. Little did they know, he wasn't going to kill the infamous Weapon X and whoever this Mutant S was.
It was obvious that they were going to send him after them, after all, he was bestowed the title of Weapon XS, was he not?
But XS had other plans, oh yes. He would hunt Weapon X and Mutant S down...and beg them to kill him.
Why?
He was a monster. A living creature dedicated to slaughter. A boogeyman in the night...
And if The Professor saw to it, XS would remain that way forever.
Unless he died, which wouldn't be anytime soon unfortunately.
Brushing back the thoughts of suicide and escape that often filled his head, XS closed his eyes and looked back on his relatively short life. He was found on the streets of Toronto at the ripe age of three nine years ago. Technically, he was still only twelve, but physically and mentally he was seventeen. Forcibly aged five years, a Hell he would wish on no one (Save for The Professor), and then injected with the DNA of Weapon X and Mutant S. He already had a healing factor, but now it was on par with that masked man. Wilson was his name.
Wade Wilson.
The one that taught him how to read, write, and play dumb.
He owed his life to Wade Fucking Wilson, who swore up and down that his middle name was in fact 'Fucking'. Then again, Wilson was certain that they lived in one of many universes that were created to entertain some sort of higher force.
As he thought about it, XS realized he owed his life to a certified psychopath and that in itself was another reason to die.
Dammit, XS thought as he shook his head, trying to avoid that thought process. His plan would work! It had to. It had to!
XS thought back to his abilities, lifting his right arm up and making a small ball of lightning appear in his hand. His fist crushed around it and his metallic bones/claws started to glow a light blue, the outline being visible through his skin. The glowing bones illuminated the shadowed form of Weapon XS, revealing a slightly rugged teen with light blue eyes, messy platinum blonde hair, and three whisker-like markings on either lightly tanned cheek. He wore tattered and torn pants and a cloth binding around his waist that acted as a belt. Not to mention the collar around his neck that he despised with all of his hate.
Canines were bared at nothing as he tried to glare at the object around his neck. The damnable machine acted as a tracking device as well as a restraining one. As soon as he implemented his plan and became free, it would be the first to go.
Soon...Weapon XS thought with a scowl as he wrapped his arms around his legs and curled up in the corner of his 'room'. I will escape soon...For now, I will rest.
The next day came far too quickly in XS' opinion, but at the same time it hadn't come soon enough. XS took a deep breath and focused his senses, listening as a distant church bell chimed. Blue eyes snapped open and a feral grin appeared on his face.
It's time! He thought in glee before pushing himself to his feet. He waited for the inevitable; when The Professor would 'request' that he show up for a check-up. First his collar would administer the sleep agent, and then he would be carefully restrained by adamantium-crafted shackles, before whatever lucky bastards would drag him to the office. What they didn't know, was that XS had started to develop a resistance to the toxin altogether. Five minutes after the needles would break skin, his escape would be assured.
Sure there would be a bit of a mess, but what's the harm in that?
Unknown to Weapon XS, a certain man was leading a troop of trained SHIELD agents to the facility. This man was near five and a half feet tall, rather short, but made up for it with ferocity comparable to a wild animal. He had oddly shaped dark hair and wore a dark blue uniform with three yellow stripes on his shoulders, a belt with a red X on it, gloves the same color as the uniform and a pair of combat boots. This was Logan, aka Wolverine.
Wolverine suddenly stopped and raised a fist before turning to a slightly taller man accompanying him. The man was dressed in a uniform of his own, dark blue, but with the SHIELD insignia at the shoulders in white and a brown bowlers' cap on his head. Wolverine spoke quietly, "Five meters is the entrance, and I smell gunpowder. Fresh. We're not alone here, Dugan."
"Good, I'd hate to have brought guests to an empty party house," the man, Dugan, replied with a smirk. Wolverine chuckled. He wasn't sure where Fury picked up the man named Dum-Dum Dugan, but he was all right in the mutant's book. Dugan turned back to his squad and whistled once, before making several hand gestures that would dumbfound any other soldier.
The men accompanying Dugan and Wolverine were not any other soldiers, however. They were SHIELD agents: The best of the best.
The men and their commanders moved silently through the Canadian brush, each a shadow to a falling leaf, before taking breaching positions around a metal door. Wolverine stepped forward and clenched his fists, allowing three claws to slide out between his knuckles. The short yet buff man growled before slicing through the door like it was butter. When the pieces fell, he stood his ground before calling back, "What're you girls waitin' for? An invitation?"
"You heard the man, move in!" Dugan ordered as he followed behind Wolverine. They systematically breached each lab, killing the scientists and stealing the data. Wolverine begrudgingly let it happen, his opinion on the matter wasn't wanted, and frankly, he didn't really care as long as it didn't affect him.
This came to a halt when a scientist ran out of a room screaming before being zapped by a large bolt of electricity. The SHIELD Agents all took positions in the hallway, their weapons aimed at the door the now dead man came from. Wolverine growled lowly, and surprisingly, his growl was returned.
XS stepped out of the room, walking towards the deceased man with his claws extended and electricity arcing around his body. Ignoring the SHIELD Agents' weapons following him with fingers at the ready to pull, the blonde grabbed the man's coat before tearing a sleeve off and holding it to his nose. A large inhale followed and XS let a small grin cross his face.
"Professor..." he hissed before turning the opposite way and sheathed his claws. The blonde dropped to all fours as he ran, running similar to a quadriplegic animal.
"Hey, uh, Logan?" Dugan asked softly, "You...Sure you've never had a kid?"
"Only one..." Wolverine muttered before snarling and ran after him, "And I want answers!"
"Wait, Wolverine! Dammit! C'mon!" Dugan ordered his men as they chased after the rapidly moving mutant.
"PROFESSOR!" XS roared as he barged through a door, crushing the armed guard beneath it. The guard groaned in agony before he was silenced as XS unsheathed his claws and impaled him. In the room, an irritated bald man held up a remote.
"Bad boy," he sneered as he pressed the button, "Down!"
The collar around his neck pierced his skin once again and XS felt a larger dose of the drug than he could take pour into his system. Anger clouded his vision and XS roared in what was a mix of rebellion and dismay. With what little amount of coherency he had left, XS rushed the man and drove his right claw into his gut, driving them both to the ground. The man's eyes widened behind his glasses and he instinctively dropped the remote.
"Y-You..." The Professor gasped, "J-just like... your father..."
XS couldn't hear him as he had already passed out, his heavy mass due to the adamantium lining his bones keeping the mastermind behind Weapon X pinned in place while he bled out. This was the sight Wolverine stumbled upon.
"Goddamn..." he murmured before approaching the teen's form. Due to his enhanced strength, Wolverine lifted the boy easily and glared at the dying man that lay before him.
"E-Eck-X..." gurgled out The Professor before he died. Wolverine stared at the man before looking at the face of the teen in his arms. It was similar to Ororo Monroe's facial structure, but still had the male hardness that kept him from looking too feminine. The boy's nose was built much like his own, and his brow was too similar to be a coincidence.
"Wolverine, what the Hell happened back...Hey, you got him," Dugan noticed as he entered the room. Peering over the shorter man's shoulder, the bowler cap wearing man chuckled, "Wow, when they make clones, they sure do a good job...you ever had blonde hair, Logan?"
Wolverine remained silent before readjusting his grip on the teen and turning around. With a growl, he said, "Get every bit of data that you can. I'm heading back to the Mansion. I need Charles' advice."
"Go ahead, this place is clear," the senior Agent waved him off as his men started to recover what they could in the room, "Thanks again."
"Hn..." Logan grunted as he walked out of the facility with the lightly tanned clone in his arms. Looking at the bare left arm, Logan took note of the tattooed XS and sighed. The Canadian mutant looked up and thought to himself, You're never going to grant me a dull moment in my life, are ya?
AN: And there's the first chapter! Thanks again to Drakedruid for the inspiration and idea!
REVIEW!
(Maybe I'll update Taichou if you do.)