Series
Title:
X-23: No Way Back
.
Story & Chapter Title: Playing
Hero – Chapter Four: From
Bad To Worse
.
Author:
Alex Gregg (aka: ChickRockGuitar)
.
Date Written:
June 2009 - (words written: 2835)
.
Fiction Group:
X-Men Comics
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Story Rating:
T (some mild language)
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Summary Of Story:
Part
Four of "Playing Hero". S.H.I.E.L.D catches up to Laura and
Logan, and the pair are forced to fight. But Fury's men are more than
ready for them, and things take a turn for the worst.
.
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
Logan
eyed the gun wielding S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers as they jumped from their
vans and scattered like ants, surrounding himself and Laura. He moved
into position so that he was standing back to back with her, they
both took in the scene before them. "We are surrounded"
Laura stated. "I know..." answered Logan. "There are
at least... thirty soldiers" she told him. "I know"
repeated Logan, who had also done a rough body count. "We will
have to fight" Laura continued. "I know!" snapped
Logan. He wished she'd stop stating the obvious, he was trying to
think of a way out of this, but nothing except an all out bloody
confrontation was coming to mind. Which wasn't what he wanted.
As the solders inched closer, Laura popped her hand claws, ready for a fight. Logan held his hand out to her "No!" he told her, "Put 'em away". That confused Laura, but she did as Logan asked. "We will have to fight. It is the only way out" she said. "No. I fight. Yer don't" replied Logan. "Why?" she asked. "Fury's got enough on yer. This is just an excuse for him to pin somthin' else" he growled. Just then, what appeared to be the lead solider, took a step forwards, "Stand down, Wolverine!". The solider trained his gun on the center of Logan's chest, "We're here for X-23. Orders of Colonel Fury". Logan ignored him, he turned to Laura, "Get outta here". Laura didn't move, "I will not leave you to fight them alone" she told him. "What? Yer think I can't handle it?" Logan answered. Laura said nothing, she knew better. "Go. I'll handle this" he insisted. "They will not just let me run". Logan knew she had a point. "Then we need a distraction" he replied. He popped his own claws. "What are you going to do?" Laura asked. "Distract 'em" replied Logan with a slight grin.
Without warning, Logan raised his claws, and with a violent roar he charged at the nearest group of soldiers, cutting down those he came into contact with. For a few moments the entire squad's eyes were on him, and Laura knew this was her cue to escape. She darted from where she stood, and sprinted across the wide open parkland, heading for the trees in the distance. She hadn't made it very far when she heard of one the soldiers shout, "Target is on the move! Pursue! And the take hell down!". With those orders given, the soldiers split into two groups: one group continued to fight back from Logan's attacks, using their guns where possible, while the other made after Laura.
Laura saw them coming, but before she had time to react fully, the group surrounded her. Eyeing the circle of soldiers, Laura popped her hand claws, ready to fight back. The lead soldier spoke, "Stand down, X-23! Or we'll put you down!". Ignoring him Laura raised her claws, ready to strike.
Logan was pleased to see Laura had taken the opportunity to run whilst he was carrying out his "distraction". As long as she got out of the park, he didn't care how many of Fury's men had to take out. Cutting down those who came close to him, he moved though the soldiers one after the other, gritting his teeth, biting back the pain each time a bullet hit him. As the second wave of Fury's men came towards him, Logan wondered where Fury himself was. He wasn't the kind of guy to let his men take the fall. Logan was concerned that there was more to this assault than met the eye.
"Stand down, X-23! Now!" shouted the lead solider, his gun trained on her chest. From Laura's expression, he knew she wasn't going to. Not waiting for her attack, he barked orders to his men, "Wave one!". Once again, before Laura had the chance to react fully, the entire group seemed to simultaneously remove a hand-gun from their belts, and fire. Laura cried out as she was knocked backwards from jolts of electricity. These were not regular hand-guns, they were teasers. Extreme pain surged though her as tried to right herself back into a standing position. "Wave two!" came the lead soldiers voice. And once again, the guns fired. This time, Laura went down. She dropped to all fours, trying to fight the pain from the electricity, willing her healing factor to kick in faster. Normally, a single blow from a one of S.H.I.E.L.D's specially designed extra strength teasers would be enough to render a normal person unconscious. Laura, however, had received more than fifteen blows - twice, and was still holing on, thanks to her enhanced healing abilities.
From a few meters away, Logan heard Laura's cries. Looking past those he was fighting, he saw the teen on all fours struggling to move. "Kid! No!" he shouted, trying not to panic, "Get up!" he yelled, as he continued to cut though the soldiers closest to him. Laura heard Logan's calls as she tried to get to her feet. But it was no good, the hits from the teasers had rendered her muscles useless. "Wave three!" came another shout from the lead soldier. This time, as the electricity from the teaser-guns hit her, Laura could do nothing except fall flat to the ground. As she hit the grass, her claws retracted, she was now barely coconscious. With their target now on the ground, the group of soldiers moved in closer. "Wave four" barked the lead soldier, his men pointed their guns, and fired. This was the final blow they had needed - Laura lay unmoving, now fully unconscious.
The lead solider carefully took a few steps closer to the unconscious teen, then looked around at his men, "Where's the tranq?" he asked. From the back of the group one of his men stepped forwards and held out a small dart gun. The lead soldier took it, aimed it at Laura's neck a fired. "That should do it" he informed his men. "Sanders, Beckman, you know what to do with her. The rest of you, we've still got work to do", he pointed towards Logan, who was now taking out the last two remaining soldiers. The rest of the group, who he had been fighting now lay lifeless at his feet.
As S.H.I.E.L.D's men continued to come at him from all directions, Logan's movements began to get a little sloppy. He could see Laura was now on the ground, unmoving, and his attempts to get to her were in vain. As soon as he had dealt with one soldier, the next came at him. He had to give credit where credit was due: Fury had put together a good plan of attack. Logan violently shoved his claws though the last soldiers chest, and the young twenty-something guy fell to the ground. Now he had taken out the first group of soldiers, he turned to those who where surrounding Laura. His plan was to keep them busy so that she had time to recover from the teaser blasts. But before he knew it, the group was upon him. Once again Logan was forced to fight - and he didn't hold back. Once again, delivering violent blows to each and every S.H.I.E.L.D soldier who came at him.
While the other members of their group were keeping Logan busy, S.H.I.E.L.D soldiers Richard Sanders and Jason Beckman quickly grabbed Laura, and as fast as they could, they both carried her over to the nearest van. Sanders jumped into the back, and Beckman handed him their unconscious Target. Then after slamming the backdoors shut, he made for the drivers side of the vehicle.
Logan heard an engine start as he fatally wounded yet another of Fury's men. Glancing though the few remaining soldiers, he searched for Laura. He couldn't see her. He sniffed the air, tracking her scent - it lead to the now moving van. "Noooo!" shouted Logan, realising she was inside. With a swipe of his claws, Logan cut down another soldier, then set off at top speed across the darkened parkland. But after having ran just a few meters, bullet after bullet struck him in the back. Logan ignored the pain and carried on running. He had to catch the van, he had to get Laura out. As he ran, he glanced behind him, the last three soldiers were giving chase, guns in hand, firing at will.
As more bullets hit, and the pain became more intense, Logan began to feel himself slowing. The van was gaining speed, and the soldiers behind him were catching up. "Come on, kid! Wake up!" muttered Logan to himself, as he ran. Logan wasn't sure what was going on. He'd seen her hit with S.H.I.E.L.D's tasers, and knew from experience that they hurt like hell, but surely, he thought, her healing factor should have kicked in by now. He was hoping that any second, the van doors would burst open, and she'd jump out. They didn't. Suddenly Logan heard a loud 'woosh'. Then something hit the ground a few feet in front of him. He came to a stop as a cloud of green gas exploded from the ground, inches from where he stood. Seconds later he was completely engulfed in it.
Logan coughed and sputtered. He eyes stung and he felt dizzy. He squinted, trying to make out his surroundings. But it was no good, the only thing he could see was green gas. Moments ticked by, Logan fought to remain in an upright position, trying to regain his sight and sense of smell. Thoughts of Laura trapped in the van ran though his mind. She was in S.H.I.E.L.D hands, and although Fury was generally one of the good guys, this was not a good thing for Laura. Finally the gas seemed to clear, Logan frantically searched his surroundings. Nothing. The van had long gone.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Logan turned to face the three remaining soldiers. The lead soldier and his men stood their ground, roughly three meters away, their guns trained on him. Logan eyed them with pure rage. They had done this. They had made him loose track of the van, of Laura. With a roar of anger, Logan popped his claws and charged. The three men didn't stand a chance.
Laura woke to the sound of an motor engine. As she began to fully come-to, she realised she was moving along in a vehicle. Just then a voice spoke to her through the darkness, "Hello, X-23". Laura froze, her blood ran could. She swallowed. It couldn't be him, could it? An overhead light flicked on from the ceiling of the van, lighting up the entire four by six space, allowing Laura to fully see her surroundings. She silently breathed a sight of relief, it wasn't him. Three men sat opposite her, two soldiers with guns, sat either side of an older looking man. From his uniform, Laura could tell he ranked higher then the other two. It was clear that he was in charge. He spoke slowly and calmly to her, "My name is Colonel Nick Fury" he said, "You are now in S.H.I.E.L.D custody" he informed her.
As he spoke, Laura realised her wrists and forearms had been chained to the metal bench on which sat, and her legs had been chained to the vans floor. "I apologize for the extreme force", carried on Fury, "But, I could see no other way in handling this". Instinctively Laura began to pull at her chains. "I assure you, you will not be able to break though those chains", he remained calm as he spoke to her, "And, I assume, you realise that your claws can not help you either". Laura had already figured that out. The way she had been chained meant that even if she did pop her claws, they be no use to her, as she could not move her hands or feet. These people were smart, thought Laura.
Laura looked directly at Fury, "Where is Logan?" she asked. Fury didn't answer her right away, but after few moments, replied with, "S.H.I.E.L.D is dealing with him". "What does that mean?" demanded Laura. "It means, X-23, that he will not be mounting a rescue". This man did not know Logan, thought Laura. Fury changed the subject, "Do you understand why you are in S.H.I.E.L.D custody?" he asked her. "Yes" she replied. "And why is that?", "Because you wish to use me as your weapon" answered Laura. "No, X-23" said Fury, "You are in S.H.I.E.L.D custody because you are a danger to the American people. You kill without reason. And this can not be allowed". "I don not" said Laura. This shocked Fury. He wasn't expecting that. "Oh? Then tell me why you murdered three young men twenty four hours ago?". "Because it was my mission" Laura answered, calmly.
"Your mission?" spat Fury. Laura sensed that she had angered him. Although she didn't know why. He had asked her a question and she had told him the truth. "It was your mission to murder these men?" asked Fury. "Yes" she answered. "Why? Who gave the orders?" he asked her. "Nobody gave me orders. The mission was my own. I watched them. Those men liked to hurt woman for their own pleasure. It was not right" Laura told him. "So, you took it upon yourself to... stop it" said Fury, who was beginning to understand the way this teen thought. "Yes" answered Laura, "They needed to be punished" she told him. For a few moments, Fury didn't speak. He was lost in thought. He watched Laura, he was surprised by the way she spoke, it was calm, truthful, and almost innocent. He was beginning to realise that this case perhaps wasn't so black and white as he'd first thought.
"Okay, so lets go back a few weeks. Xavier's School. Are you telling me those kids 'needed to be punished' also?" asked Fury. Laura didn't answer straight away. "No... They were my friends. I did not mean to harm them...". As she spoke, Fury heard the choke in her voice, and saw the sorrow in her eyes. This shocked him. So, she does know remorse, he thought. "What happened?" he asked her. Once again, Laura choked out the words, "Somebody came into the school and planted Trigger Scent. When I smell that scent, everything goes black, and when I wake up, those who have been infected by it, are dead. I did not mean to hurt anybody" she told him, "They were my friends" she repeated sadly. Fury nodded. Laura's account tied into what Scott Summers had told him.
Fury hated this. He hated being into two minds about a suspect. He liked a clean cut case. Locate the Target, arrest them, find out what happened, and put them away. This case wasn't going to be as simple as that. Yes, the girl was guilty, but could you really call that guilt her own? Fury had read Steve Rogers' files on X-23, at the time, he had not understood why Steve, a man who fought for truth and justice would just let this girl, this murderer, walk away - now he was beginning to. From birth she had been moulded into a killer. Her perception of right and wrong had been wrongfully warped by her creators, Fury could see that, but at the end of the day, did that really make her any less guilty? He sighed quietly. No, he thought, Three years on, she's still taking lives. No matter the reason why, it's still happening. There may be shades of grey in her guilt, but it has to end. Now.
Fury let go of his thoughts and looked back towards his teenage captive. She was watching him. He wondered what she was thinking. He made up his mind, he was going to end this, it was the right thing to do, he was sure of it. "X-23" he began, "You are currently on route to S.H.I.E.L.D facilities, once there you will be assed and tried for the murders of--" he was suddenly cut short. A loud thud came from above them. Something or someone had landed on top of the fast moving vehicle.
Simultaneously, Laura, Fury and his two men gazed up at the roof. "What the hell was that?!" said the solider sitting to Fury's left. Fury glanced at Laura, she said nothing, they both knew what - or who this was. "That would be Wolverine" said the colonel, in a somewhat angry tone. "I thought you said he was being kept busy?!" said the solider to Fury's right. The man seemed panic-stricken. "Sir" he added, out of respect. "It appears your colleagues have failed in their attempt, solider" muttered Fury. He was desperately trying to think of what course of action to take next. Any moment now, he knew Wolverine would be inside the vehicle. And then, all hell would brake lose.
I am currently working on the fith Chapter to this arc, please stay tuned.
