Series
Title:
X-23: No Way Back
.
Story & Chapter Title: Playing
Hero – Chapter Three: S.H.E.I.L.D
.
Author:
Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)
.
Date Written:
April 2009 - (words written: 2228)
.
Fiction Group:
X-Men Comics
.
Story Rating:
T (some mild language)
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Summary Of Story:
Part
Three of "Playing Hero". Logan meets up with Laura in
Central Park, and makes plans to keep Laura from Fury's grasp. But
it's not long before they pair of them are forced to run.
.
Auther's Notes:
This is the third chapter to the second story arc of a fanfictional
serial of stories written by chickrockguitar.
These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set
with a new spin on the character of X-23.
.
Disclaimer:
Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines
full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co.
Original storylines credit goes to me.
.
More Info: The
Official Website: www (dot) x23 (dot) flyingmutt (dot) com
Please take a look at the website to understand the stories better.
Chapter
Three: S.H.I.E.L.D
Forty
minutes after Logan had called Laura, he'd stashed his bike in an old
lockup, then carefully making sure he wasn't being followed still, he
made his way to though the busy city to Central Park. Making his way
though the park's thick foliage, he'd found Laura where he'd asked
her to wait.
The two of them had taken refuge in the park's dense trees and bushes whilst Logan explained to Laura what was going on. He had decided to wait until it was dark before moving. Although, he had yet to figure out where he was going to move to. "It'll be dark soon. We'll move out then", he told Laura. "And go where?" she asked. "Don't know. Haven't figured that out yet" he answered truthfully. "We need a plan" Laura told him, "A well thought out plan is the first step to the success of the mission" she carried on. Logan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Uh huh..." he muttered. When Laura spoke about "plans" and "missions", Logan was reminded of just what her creators had put her though. It made him feel sick, she was just a child, and at sixteen, she'd seen and done more things than the average war veteran. But Logan knew she wasn't wrong, they did need a plan.
Dusk began to draw in as Logan and Laura sat waiting for darkness. "Is S.H.I.E.L.D likely to give up hunting me, if I put enough distance between us?" Laura asked Logan. Logan sighed, "Fury ain't the 'givin' up' kinda guy, Kid". Laura gave a nod to show she understood. "But, we'll figure this out, a'right?" Logan added. "I have hurt people, Logan. People I cared about. People I had promised to protect. That is why he is hunting me. That is why we are sitting here" said Laura in a quiet tone. Logan wasn't quite sure what the teen was getting at. "Perhaps being caught by S.H.I.E.L.D is what I deserve" finished Laura. Now Logan understood. "Hey... What yer deserve, is a shot at a normal life" he told her, "Not this. Not any of this..." he muttered. "I do not think S.H.I.E.L.D or the X-Men would agree you" Laura told him. Logan glanced at the teen - unfortunately, he knew she was right.
As darkness fell on the city, Logan and Laura began to head out across the parkland. They kept to the foliage and shadows, the less they were seen by passers-by the better. They'd been walking ten minutes when Logan came to a sudden stop. Laura saw this and stopped also. She watched Logan as he listened into the darkness. "What is it?" she asked him. He turned to face her, "Yer don't hear them?" he asked. Laura listened, after a moment she said, "Dogs. Five of them". Laura and Logan's heightened senses had picked up the sound of their barks, the beat of their footsteps, as well as their scent. A normal human being would be totally unaware of the dogs at that range.
They both continued to listen into the Darkness. "Looks like we got at least fifteen men coming at us" Logan told Laura. "There are twenty one men on foot with the dogs" she corrected him, "And By the pacing of their footsteps, it seems most of them are carrying weaponry". Logan couldn't help but smile slightly, he was impressed with the accuracy of Laura's tracking skills. Laura turned to Logan, "They must have tracked you from the school". "I was careful" growled Logan, a little annoyed at the accusation. "Perhaps not careful enough" said Laura. Logan thought about arguing back, but in the end he let it go. "A'right, here's what we're gonna do--" he began, but was he interrupted by the sound of a helicopter overhead. Laura and Logan instinctively glanced up towards the darkened sky. Fury's search for Laura was now in full force, "Crap" growled Logan angrily.
He turned back to Laura, "If the dogs are trackin' me, they're gonna find me alone. Go west, get out of the park, head for the city border. I'll head 'em off east". Laura nodded, "Where is the rendezvous point?" she asked. "There ain't one" said Logan as he walked away, "I'll find yer" he added. Laura didn't move, Logan noticed this and stopped. From her expression, Logan could see Laura wasn't comfortable with this. He looked her straight in the eye, "I'll find yer, kid" he promised, "Now, go!" he ordered, pointing to the path he wanted her to take. Laura gave Logan an unsure look, then sprinted off in an westerly direction. Logan let out a breath, before heading east.
Logan moved at a steady pace though the trees. He didn't want put himself too far from the dogs, as leaving a close trail would keep their mind on him, rather than picking up Laura's scent. Logan glanced up overhead as the search lights from the hovering Helicopter passed him by. Logan knew that the Helicopter belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D, and that Fury was inside - he'd caught his scent on the wind. Moments passed as Logan carried on his way though the park, the dogs getting closer and closer. His thoughts turned to Laura. It was obvious that Fury wasn't going to back down, and without an outright confrontation, Logan had no idea how he was going to keep Laura from falling into S.H.I.E.L.D's hands. So be it. If a fight's what Fury wants, that's what he'll get, thought Logan.
Logan slowed his pace a little, the sound of the dogs now seemed to be fading. Surely they weren't having trouble tracking him, he'd laid easy and obvious tracks. He came to a stop and sniffed the air. Using his enhanced senses, Logan formed a picture in his mind: The dogs were no longer heading east, towards him, they'd stopped and were doubling back. In that moment, realisation hit, Laura had been wrong: the dogs had never been tracking him, they had been tracking her.
As he sprinted back the way he'd come, Logan cursed himself for not thinking things though. Yes, Laura had great tracking knowledge, but she'd just assumed they'd tracked him from the school, she couldn't have known for sure. And, yes, it was the mostly likely scenario, but this was Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D that they were dealing with. Logan knew he should have known better. He was pissed with himself for not having the foresight to know that if Fury wanted Laura, he'd be tracking Laura. It dawned on him that the person Fury had following him from the school was just a distraction. Logan headed back towards Laura, taking every short cut he could find. He had to reach her before the dogs did. He knew by now that she would have realised what was going on, just had he had. He also knew, that if the worst came to the worst, Laura would not hesitate in taking out both the dogs and the soldiers. But, this was S.H.I.E.L.D - Logan knew they were well equipped with all kinds of Gadgets - Gadgets that may just be enough to incapacitate and take Laura down.
As he sped though the parkland, Logan could small Laura's scent getting stronger, he was catching up to her, but that meant he was also catching up to the dogs and S.H.I.E.L.D's men, who were now closer to Laura then he would have liked. He pushed on though the trees and soon the dogs and soldiers were just about in sight. Logan took a path leading to his right - the plan was to overtake them, and catch up to Laura - without being scented by the dogs or seen by the soldiers.
Avoiding fallen logs, brambles and other foliage, Laura quickly made her way west. She instinctively glanced backwards as she moved though the parkland. The dogs catching up with her at a rapid pace. Laura thought about Logan, she wondered where he was right now, and wondered if he was angry with her for miscalculating the situation. One small mistake can lead to the failure of the entire mission. And the mistake that she had made was not a small one. Logan should be angry, thought Laura. If she had messed up like this on a Facility-mission, she would have been punished.
Laura came to a stop for a few moments. She thought about waiting for the dogs and soldiers to catch up to her and take them all out. But that would draw attention to her location, and it was most likely that S.H.I.E.L.D had back up teams on the way. Also, she didn't quite understand why, but she could sense that Logan wanted to avoid a confrontation. Taking note of her surroundings, she was just about to set off again when she heard a twig snap. Laura spun round, claws popped, ready to fight. She came to a stop when she realised who was standing in front on her: Logan.
"Logan" breathed Laura, as she retracted her claws. "Lost yer senses, Kid?" Logan asked her, "Yer shoulda caught my scent long before I broke that twig". Yes, I should have done, thought Laura, Another mistake. "I am sorry. I seem to be--", began Laura, but Logan shook his head, "Forget about it" he told her, "Lets move" he added. Laura followed his lead as the two of them set off once again. They hadn't gone far when Laura said, "I am sorry". "I said forget about it" Logan replied. "No, I... I meant, I should not have assumed the dogs were tracking you. I should not have questioned your Escape and Evade abilities. I am sorry" apologised Laura. Logan glanced at the teen, "We all make mistakes, kid" he told her. "But we shouldn't. I shouldn't! Mistakes can lead to the failure of the entire mission" she replied, sadly. "Yer're not a machine, Laura. Makin' mistakes - it's called bein' human" said Logan firmly, "So, forget about it, a'right?" he added. Laura nodded.
The pair of them travelled onwards, trying to put as much distance between them and the dogs and soldiers as they could. The helicopter continued to fly overhead. Every now and then, Laura caught Logan glance up at the nights sky, keeping an eye on the helicopter. She noted that he seemed uneasy. "Once we get to the other side of the park, and back into the city, it'll be harder for them to track us. Even at night, a group of soldiers is gonna be seen" Logan told Laura. "So, that is the plan? To reach the opposite side of the park?" she asked, "Then where do we go?". Logan sighed. He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Just follow my lead, okay, kid?" he growled. Registering the tone in his voice, Laura decided to reframe from asking him anymore questions.
Ten minutes later, they reached a clearing. Logan stopped and turned to Laura. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't think it was a good idea. "You want to cross the open ground" she stated, "It is a bad idea. We should stick to the trees" she finished. "Kid, the only way we can do that is head back the way we came". He glanced over his shoulder, "And that ain't an option. They'll be on us in minutes. No cover is risky, I know, but we gotta move forward". Laura swallowed. She didn't like this plan. Logan caught her expression. "Look, we make it fast, we'll be fine" he said. After a few moments, Laura nodded. "Okay" said Logan, "Ready?". Laura Nodded. "Go!" he told her.
Both Logan and Laura sprinted form the trees, heading across the open parkland. The helicopter suddenly flew into view overhead. Laura glanced up at it, "Keep movin', kid!" said Logan as he ran beside her. Laura stared ahead as she ran, the trees in the distance seemed too far away to reach, and with every step, they didn't seem to get any closer. At any moment, Laura was expecting to hear shots fired at her from above, however, none came, the helicopter simply flew above them.
Like Laura, Logan was also expecting fired shots from above. Somthin's not right, he thought. From above, the helicopter had a perfect opportunity to fire at them both, it didn't. Suddenly, Logan picked up the sound of vehicles, racing over grassland, snapping branches as they ploughed though the trees. A quick sniff told him they were heading in his direction. It had to be S.H.I.E.L.D.
Moments later, two of S.H.I.E.L.D's vans bust from the trees to their right, then another two from the left, and finally three from the trees in the distance, where they had hoped to find cover. Logan came to a stop, as did Laura. "Ah, crap!" spat Logan, "Looks like we got company, kid" he said. He sighed angrily, he didn't want this. He didn't want a fight. But if a fight was what Fury pushed him to, then he was ready. The vehicles came to a stop a little way off from the pair, and countless soldiers jumped out, armed with guns. From the tress behind them, the soldiers and dogs who had been tracking the pair, had finally caught up. Laura and Logan were now surrounded on all sides.
I am currently working on the fourth Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned.
