AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews! Glad people are enjoying the split away from canon. Hope you continue to enjoy! :)


CHAPTER 8

Just a Machine


"HEY!" Julian shouted, as Laura flew past him, meeting the charging lizard monster head on before he could even throw up a shield. She flipped over its side, her foot claws drawing a neat line around the circumference of its throat and neck. A moment later its head fell off, and the body crumpled to the ground. At his feet.

She rose from her crouch. "I guess it is now your turn to save me."

He glared at her. "Stop doing that. I had it."

Laura paused. "No."

They were interrupted by the Danger Room doors opening, and Frost entering. "Well done. That was the last of them." She glanced at Laura. "However, you were instructed not to kill. Minus twenty-five points."

"Twenty-five?!" Nori glared at Laura. "She shouldn't be here."

"A lot of us shouldn't be." Julian glanced pointedly at David.

"Children, please." Frost arched her eyebrows. "Points can be redeemed. My patience, however, cannot. Are you ready to proceed?"

Nods, all around.


Laura looked at the ground.

She and the other students were lined up, watching as Frost paced back and forth, lecturing them on combat techniques for the next exercise. Occasionally, she waved her finger in the air. It was difficult to listen, since most of what Frost was telling them was very basic, and at times, inefficient, if not entirely wrong. She found herself tempted to correct her, but was reluctant to provoke the telepath. She knew from her past experiences at her cousin's school that teachers did not appreciate being corrected. She suspected Frost would be very, very unappreciative

Then Frost began describing the last scenario they would encounter today: Weapon X.

"Your final challenge will be a familiar face." She paused, her voice deepening slightly. "Wolverine. But not as you know him today. No…you will face him in the days before he had gained consciousness. When he was nothing more than a feral animal. Invincible. Your one, and only—way to defeat him is to—"

Laura closed her eyes. She just could not stay silent. If the challenge had been anything else, she could have held her tongue. But she had executed this scenario thousands of times. Nineteen hundred and eighty-two times as a combatant, and thirteen hundred and two times shadowing, to be precise. "You are incorrect."

She heard eight heads turning to look in her direction.

"Excuse me?" Frost asked, staring at her.

Laura opened her eyes. "There are twenty-five ways to kill Weapon X." She paused. "Possibly twenty-six, however I never completed the last attempt successfully."

Frost folded her arms. "Do enlighten us."

Nori also folded her arms. "Yeah." The other girl did not seem to like Laura. She had not addressed her directly since witnessing her plunging a claw into the back of a Purifier's head.

Laura cleared her throat. "Drowning, in the tank on the west wall. Electrocution, with the ceiling wires and the same tank. Gas explosion, by severing the pipe on the east wall and using the taser to ignite it. Decapitation—"

"His spine is adamantium though, right?" David interrupted her. He looked interested in what she was saying, his forehead wrinkled. Although they had not interacted much, he had always been neutral toward her, seeming to appreciate her tactical skills as an asset to the group.

"There is a little known defect between his cervical vertebrae, levels C2 and C3." Laura closed her eyes. "It took much practice, but an adamantium blade can be wedged in between the discs. With the right combination of forces, the head and body can be separated, and Weapon X will be paralyzed in the process." She paused, and looked at the other students again. "However, all this is unnecessary. You each have the ability to kill him, in ways other than I have described."

"Damn." Santo elbowed Julian. "Your girlfriend is like Solid Snake."

"Shut up." Julian glared at the other boy, then looked over at Frost. "Uh, Ms. Frost, you were saying?"

Frost arched her eyebrows. "Are you sure you want me to continue, Mr. Keller? It sounds like X-23 has it all figured out."

He frowned and shook his head. "No. Please continue. We're listening."

As Frost resumed lecturing, Laura looked at the ground again, biting her lip. She wished she had never spoken at all. When would she learn that no one wanted to hear what she had to say? Especially Frost.

"Well." Frost folded her arms. "Let us proceed, then. Computer, load file twenty-seven point eleven. Good luck, children." She walked away, and the Danger Room doors slid shut in her wake. Then the seam disappeared as the simulation started. They were now in a series of metallic, steel lined hallways. Laura knew this place well. She knew that Weapon X was waiting for them, two corridors down and one to the left. He would wait there precisely five minutes, then if no one engaged him, he would come looking. Rice had allowed for several untimed exercises, to study her variance pattern.

The others began to move ahead, murmuring to each other. Laura smelled adrenaline. They were anxious, nervous about the approaching fight.

Julian swallowed. "Uh, Laura…"

He was still standing beside her. She had not forgotten that he was there, but for a moment, she had not been focused on his presence. She looked at him expectantly.

He rubbed his neck. "I wasn't trying to piss you off, just now, when I asked Frost to keep going. I just…I thought you might get in trouble…so…"

"Yes." She started to turn away to follow the others, but then he brushed his gloved fingertips against hers. She froze, and looked at him again in surprise.

Julian took a deeper breath, held her gaze. "You want to…do something?" His eyes were very blue.

Laura's eyebrows drew together. "Yes, but I will wait for Surge's orders."

"No" He paused. "After, I mean."

She hesitated. "I…do what?"

He shrugged. "Like…go see a movie?"

Laura frowned. "I have seen a movie before. I do not need to see it again."

"Wha?" Julian stared at her, his forehead wrinkled. "Uh…okay…dinner?"

She shook her head. "I ate before this exercise. I am not hungry."

He bit his lip. "Club?"

Now her forehead wrinkled.

"Like…dancing. There's one around here that doesn't card." Julian paused. "Sofia liked that place."

Laura's mouth pressed into a line.

He scowled, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. "Fine, just—whatever. I'm busy anyway, so—so never mind."

Laura raised her eyebrows. "Then why did you ask?"

For a moment it looked like Julian wanted to shout at her, but instead he gritted his teeth "You're not worth it…clone." Then he turned and headed after the others, his shoulders held very stiffly.


The group arrived at a section of hallway where the lights were flickering. Laura knew that several wires in the ceiling of the next room had been slashed and were hanging, exposed, to be used for electrocution if needed. The walls of the hallway around them were marked with deep gashes and spattered with blood, although there were no bodies. Laura suspected that they had been disabled for this simulation. Her peers were not comfortable with corpses yet.

There was a doorway to the left. Ahead, in the darkness, Laura could hear heavy breathing. She recognized it as Weapon X's. In real life, Logan's respirations were not that pronounced. She supposed it had been exaggerated for the purpose of the simulation, to enhance the fight-or-flight response.

The group stopped by the doorway.

"You can see in the dark, right, X?" Nori's voice was sharp, as if she resented having to address her at all.

Laura nodded slightly.

"Okay." The other girl paused. "You lead. We'll provide back up."

"You can't send the clone in by herself." Julian folded his arms. "That's a dumb move, Ashida. Never send anyone in alone."

Nori glared at him. "Hey! This is my team! Shut up and…"

Laura was not listening anymore. She had begun to creep into the darkness. It was already lessening. A shape was coming toward her. For a moment, she could tell it was Weapon X, wearing a metal helmet on his head, covered in wires and electrodes, his claws at the ready.

Then the image began to change. His form fell slightly, slenderizing. The claws disappeared. Now, Kimura was walking toward her, smacking her fist into her palm. "X!" she said, her voice bright. "Ready for some fun?"

Laura's eyes widened. She closed them. Please, do not do this. She hoped Ms. Frost would hear.

Kimura reached forward and grabbed a handful of her hair, then slammed her into the floor. "You'll need to do better than that, clone. I want to hear you beg for real." She backed this up with several hard kicks to her stomach. It felt very real. Her claws had come out at some point. The woman was now standing on her arm, grinding her boot heel into her wrist.

"How are you doing this?" Laura whispered, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Easy." Kimura leaned down. "You're just a machine. A machine has no willpower. A machine does whatever I tell it to. Or whatever anyone else tells it to." She reached down into her belt. "Guess what I have for you, clone."

She pulled out a vial, filled with green fluid.

Laura's eyes widened. "No!" She knew that if the vial shattered, she would lose control entirely. She would go to sleep, and when she woke up, everything and everyone around her would be dead.

She shook her head and charged at Kimura, as hard as she could. "NO!" she shouted again, as they tumbled to the ground. She hacked at her handler's wrist, but her claws wouldn't penetrate her invulnerable skin. She grabbed for the vial, but Kimura swept her away, into the back corner of the room. She caught herself just in time, running up the wall and launching herself at the vial. Kimura punched her in the side of the head, hard, several times, and it twisted to the side with each strike, blood and hair flying.

There was a loud crack! with the last punch. Spots swam before her eyes. She was failing. Kimura shoved her off, and holding the vial high, reached up to unscrew the cap, looking into her eyes. "Goodbye, X."

Laura gazed up in horror as the green droplet began to fall. It seemed to hang in the air forever. She felt something wet land on her nose. And then…Kimura faded away.

But not to darkness. The ceiling of the Danger Room reappeared, above her, twenty feet away. And there were people gathered around her. Concerned faces lined her vision. Cessily was holding a bottle of water, which she had just splashed on her face.

"Laura?" The metal girl's voice was tentative.

"What—" Laura's eyes flickered back and forth rapidly, searching the room. She realized two people were missing: Julian and Nori. She sat up quickly, wiping blood from her nose. "What did I do? Where—did I hurt anyone?"

"No, no." Cessily patted her shoulder. "We're all fine. You're good. You just—"

"That was insane!" Santo grinned. "I thought you taken' on Stryker's guys alone was something, but you just beat up Wolverine. It was like watchin' Street Fighter!"

"Oh, god, Santo—just shut up, forever." Cessily rolled her eyes. "We thought…Julian and Nori went to get Frost." She paused. "I think you were having a flashback or something."

"Yes." Sooraya's warm brown eyes were full of worry. "I have seen…people…have these before. A memory is triggered, and the person believes they are back in the moment the trauma occurred. Laura, are you alright?"

Laura closed her eyes. "Yes." She sat up, retracted her claws, and began to rub her elbows. It had felt far too real. Only her nose told her that Kimura had never been here.

How had Frost made it so real this time? Even her reproduction of Sarah had not been as convincing as this.

Cessily rubbed her shoulder. "Do you need some water?"

"No." Laura shook her head, then got to her feet and headed toward the door, which had reappeared. It opened to reveal Julian and Nori, as well as a concerned looking Logan. And behind them stood Frost, her expression cool and impassive.

"Hey!" Julian spoke first, his forehead wrinkled as he reached for her shoulder. "Are you okay? That—"

She shrugged his hand away. "Excuse me." She started to brush past them, but Logan grabbed her wrist.

"Need to talk, kid." He looked at Frost. "You too."


They were sitting in Frost's office now, the latter behind the table, watching them casually, her eyebrows raised. Yet Laura suspected that she was a bit startled. She had probably not expected Logan to get involved.

"Well." Frost spoke first. "Didn't I tell you."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what?"

She pursed her lips. "That your little pet is dangerous." Her voice was clipped.

"No more dangerous than you or me." He paused. "What? You gonna tell me that I'm not welcome here, next?"

"That's not the question here, and you know it." Frost looked at Laura. "Look at her, Logan. She doesn't even know right from wrong. She could have killed the other children, and wondered why we were displeased."

"An' yet she hasn't." Logan leaned forward, his nostrils flaring. "Until you went and messed with her head. Kind of thinkin' you're the one who shouldn't be around kids."

Laura closed her eyes. What would have happened, if Frost had made her think she was smelling trigger scent, instead of just seeing it? Would she have reacted as she would to the real thing?

"Nonsense. I was not about to let her harm anyone." Frost leaned forward as well. "This was merely a controlled demonstration of how truly dangerous she is. We have enough problems already—"

"So, what? We should let her go out there and get captured, so she can be used against us?" Logan shook his head. "That's some real impressive stupidity right there."

Frost paused. "That is not what I am saying. But she cannot be stationed with the other students, either. It is inappropriate and—"

"You seemed happy enough to have her around when she saved you an' the kids from the Purifiers." Logan gritted his teeth. "The kids you failed to protect."

Frost eyed him, her lips pressing into a line.

Logan put his arm around Laura's shoulder. "They like her now. Those kids, they're not as stupid as you are. Even that little shit Keller." He paused. "Yeah, your pet came and got me so I could deal with you, 'coz he figured out what was goin' on, an' he knew it wasn't right."

Frost tried not to react, but Laura caught the slight tensing of her fingers.

"She's fittin' in, and god help you if I hear you tryin' to stop that again." Logan let go of her shoulder and leaned forward again. "Stay the hell out of her head, and I'll keep my claws out of yours, how 'bout that?"

Frost's eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"

"I'm not the one here who did somethin' already. Come on, Laura." Logan was getting to his feet and tugging on her arm.

Laura followed him out of Frost's office. "I should not be here. I am…a liability."

Logan shook his head.

Her eyebrows drew together. "If someone brings trigger scent—"

"Then it'll be the safest place, 'coz there's a lot of people here who can stop you." Logan patted her shoulder. "Kid, I hate to cut this short…but I got to run. Summers and I got to check out some reports about a lab makin' Legacy virus. Promise…we'll talk sometime. When things calm down a bit around here."

Laura looked down. "Okay."

She expected for him to say something more, but he quickly turned a corner and disappeared, making it clear that the entire conversation was over. She stood in place for a while, rubbing her elbows again. Finally, she moved, toward the bathroom. The school make finding privacy difficult, but she'd found place to cut where she could lock the doors and be alone for a while.