August 8, 1998
517 W 135th St,
Harlem, New York City
11:38 AM
Heru
"Here," Heru handed Wade his belt and looked up at him from the bed. They would be leaving for the docks soon and the other man was talking wildly, walking around the apartment half dressed as he attempted to calm his nerves for the past half hour. "It's going to be ok," he reminded him when he'd paused to take a breath.
"Of course it is," he clipped the belt on and started looking around for his holsters, "I'm not worried."
"Gun cabinet," he gestured at the large dark green cabinets on the opposite wall and watched him with a mixture of amusement and apprehension. He'd never seen him so nervous. They'd gone over the plan a hundred times, reviewed it just minutes ago and it was a good plan, a solid plan. However, he wasn't entirely sure which reality they were in and wasn't able to provide him with a definite answer as to whether it would work or not. Over the last three weeks, they had worked on it almost obsessively. They spent several nights watching the docks, learning the routines of the dock workers and what would happen when the mutants arrived in the shipping container. They would be lifted off the boat and placed in the shipping yard among hundreds of other crates. They would be left there for several hours while Orion's security cleared out the yard of all the dock workers and brought in their transport after sundown. Deadpool would have to intervene at that point. The biggest problem that they would face would be the collars around the mutants necks that served a dual purpose. Their primary function was to inhibit the mutant's powers but they were also used as a means of control, allowing the handlers to shock anyone who got too rowdy. Heru explained to Wade that there was the possibility that they could increase the voltage and use it to kill all the mutants remotely which meant they needed a way to disable them right away. Einstein was able to pull up the schematics for the collars and while they wouldn't be able to remove them as any physical tampering would trigger the failsafe that would cause the ring to blow up, they had discovered that an EM pulse would disable it long enough for them to get them out of range of being used to hurt them.
Heru and Wade had argued about whether or not they should involve anyone else. Heru had argued that Spider-Man would be willing to help and could get his hands on an EMP device if not make one himself but Wade had flat out refused. He claimed it was too dangerous and not in Spidey's wheelhouse of baddies but he didn't think that was the full truth. After a lot of pressing, he finally admitted it was because the hero wouldn't want Deadpool to kill anyone and Wade wanted them all dead. Heru hadn't been able to come up with a counterpoint and that had put an end to the conversation. Weasel had supplied them with the EMP device and Wade packed into his Hello Kitty backpack along with rope, several grapplings, amo and a handful of knives. He finished putting on all his holsters and the weapons that went with them, Bae and Arthur creating that iconic X behind his head.
"Ready snookums?" he asked, pulling the bag over his shoulders before grabbing his mask.
"Yep," he followed him out onto the fire escape and jumped down, waiting. The shipment was scheduled to arrive in the late afternoon and Wade wanted to make sure they were there long beforehand. It would give them the time to identify the Ponoa security and their various hiding spots, they were bound to surround the area to ensure the transport went smoothly. They made their way to the subway and headed for the shipyard.
August 8, 1998
Columbia Street Waterfront District
Brooklyn, NY
1:01 PM
Wade
Wade sat tucked behind the ledge of the Pok Pok restaurant building across the shipyard, his binoculars held up as he stared out at the port. He had identified ten Ponoa guards already as they moved around the perimeter, M4 carbines held in their hands as they stalked around. Orion had paid for the private security, had ensured everything was legal and the port authority paid them no mind. He could see the ship carrying the mutants as it made its way through the upper bay, slowly coming up to the docks.
"Ok, tell me the plan again," Heru said from beside him, his back against the ledge and Wade glanced at him.
"We wait until they've unloaded the container and it's dark. Then we take out the security and disable the collars. We wait for the transport truck, take out the drivers, disable the GPS and get the fuck out," he summarized and Heru let out a heavy sigh. The reaper seemed nervous which was making him nervous.
"Right ok," he nodded and Wade narrowed his lenses at him.
"What? You foresee a problem?" he asked. He tried not to get irritated by his cryptic and often too vague warnings, but sometimes he almost wished Heru wasn't able to see the outcome. It added a pressure that had him second guessing everything he was doing, worrying more about how he could be messing it up instead of focusing on the present. He was afraid he'd end up making a mistake as a result and he understood why people weren't supposed to know the future.
"No," he shook his head quickly, "it's just been awhile since I did anything like this and I forgot how nerve wracking it all can be when you don't know the outcome," he explained and Wade smiled.
"Don't worry brown eyes, it'll be a walk in the park… a very quiet, deadly walk," he winked and went back to looking out at the docks. The ship was pulling up alongside the pier and little ant sized people were gathering around.
"Do you have any gum?" He felt Heru's hands on his waist and glanced down to see him trying to open a pouch.
"To the left," he told him, shifting to give him better access, "I'll take one too," he said as Heru opened a pouch to find it stuffed with a dozen gumballs, mentos, a Chinese finger trap and chapstick.
"I love your idea of essentials," he said happily and held up a blue gumball. Wade lifted his mask and Heru popped it into his mouth.
"Gotta be prepared for every occasion," he answered as he chewed. They waited for an hour as the ship was unloaded. He tried to identify the shipping container as they were lifted off but he couldn't get a good enough view. However, the group of armed men that ended up surrounding a particular crate as it was taken to the yard was a pretty good give away. The transportation wasn't scheduled until after dark, Kenal wouldn't dare try to move two dozen people in broad daylight so they settled in for the day. They passed the time playing cards and having thumb wars, periodically checking on everything to make sure no new security had shown up and that everything was the same. When the sun set, they put away their games and Wade rolled his mask back down.
"Time to get crackalackin'," he said and they climbed down the building. It was going to be a challenge to go unseen, the area totally open and there weren't exactly a lot of places to take cover. Heru had said something about extending his presence and that it would add a little cover but he hadn't really understood what he'd meant. They headed across the street and down the open field towards the cluster of shipping containers. There were two sentries that were walking the outer perimeter, separated by a few dozen meters, their backs turned towards each other. Wade snuck up behind the first guard and covered his mouth with one leather clad hand while using the other to slit his throat with his bowie knife. Heru appeared in front of them, his eyes black as he reaped the man's soul and Wade gently laid the body down, not wanting to make any noise. Sticking to the shadows, he quietly ran up behind the other guard and slit his throat. He dragged him deeper into the shadows. He pulled a set of wire cutters from his pack and cut through the wire fence that boarded the property and climbed through as quietly as he could. Heru followed as he led the way through the maze of shipping crates. He paused to peer around a corner and spotted two more guards. He pulled out two of his throwing knives and, using both hands, he carefully threw them. They sailed through the air and logged themselves into their throats, cutting their trachea and preventing them from being able to call for backup. Heru was already kneeling beside them when Wade ran over and took one of the radios and earpieces. He tucked the earpiece in under his mask and hooked the radio to his belt.
"Can you tell me where the rest are currently?" he whispered to Heru. He knew where they had been before but they were continuously moving around and after a moment of chewing his lip and glaring over his shoulder he nodded.
"Up there for the next one," he said and pointed to a large stack of containers. He pulled the knives out, wiped the blades against his pant leg and dragged the bodies into the shadow of a container. Reminding himself of Spider-Man, he climbed the tower of crates like a spider, using the bars on the sides to pull himself up. He peered over the edge and spotted the guard. He stood with his back to him, hands readily on his gun. Silently, he lifted himself up and readied his knife. In two strides he had the guard laying down. He slit his throat in one swift motion. Shaking the blood from his knife and hands, he climbed back down. Heru was at the bottom waiting for him.
They continued around the perimeter, taking out every security guard they came across. There were a few close calls. Speed was of the essence as they needed to neutralize everyone before they were to check in, giving Wade a mere fifteen minutes to secure the yard.
"I have a bad feeling," Heru whispered as they approached the shipping container. Wade held Bae in one hand and Larry in the other.
"What's up boo?" he asked, looking at his worried face, his heart pounding in his chest.
{This was too easy}
"I don't know, but you better use that emp device quickly," he uttered, leaning against the metal frame.
"Keep a lookout," he instructed and pulled his bag off once more to pull out the metal device. It was small and cylindrical and he twisted the end Weasel had shown him. A green light started to flash in the center, flashing faster and faster. There was a sharp ringing and the device hummed in his hand. Heru pulled out his cell phone and tried to turn it on.
"Looks like it worked," he mused, showing him the black screen.
"Thanks Weas," he muttered and put the device back in his back, "come on, let's get out of sight," he quietly suggested and they hid between two containers, tucked in the shadows.
"What time is it?" he asked and Wade glanced at his dead watch.
"No idea," he whispered back and Heru fell silent, listening to something behind him.
"The truck will be here in five minutes," he whispered and Wade assumed Future or Present had provided the answer. "Wade this isn't right, this was too easy," he whispered and he scowled, his gut agreeing.
"So tell me what's wrong," he said, rolling his eyes but Heru shook his head.
"I don't know," his eyes went black as he stared at the container. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "too many realities, it's in too much of a state of flux for me to figure out where we are," he tilted his head, "hold on, I'll go look," he said and vanished.
"Heru!" he hissed, looking around, "fuck," he sighed and anxiously shifted his weight before deciding to not wait for him. He quietly slipped out from his hiding spot and went to the container. He picked the lock and opened it slowly.
{Well shit}
It was empty and the still air was immediately filled with the sound of well over a dozen safeties being clicked off. Several little red dots fell on his chest as he turned around to see himself completely surrounded and all weapons focused on him.
"Shit sticks."
August 8, 1998
Columbia Street Waterfront District
Brooklyn, NY
9:08 PM
Heru
Heru left Wade at the container and reappeared in the next shipping yard over where several of the other containers from the ship had been taken.
{How did you not see this?}
He was too busy ignoring you
He walked through the rows of containers, the distant sound of voices bouncing off the metal walls and he headed towards them. He rounded the corner to see half a dozen armed men opening a container. He realized what was happening when he saw the scared faces of the mutants inside.
Fuck. I have to warn Wade.
[You are not meant to interfere]
The fuck I can't. This isn't fixed. I spent my entire human life taking down human traffickers and fighting against the discrimination of those deemed other. I will not stand by and just allow this to happen!
[Why? Why bother doing this? It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, these lives are insignificant]
Exactly! It isn't fixed. It doesn't matter and therefore it's all that matters! It matters now, these lives matter right now in this time. It's short, insignificant and not even a breath in the grand scheme of time, but it is life and that's all that matters right now.
As he finally got off the fence and made the decision to interfere, the timestream settled and he could see the events settling into place, new names appearing on his list. He turned, focused on Wade and reappeared in front of him.
"Wade it's a trap!" he said quickly, "they've already…."
"Hey snookums, you're a bit late to the party," Wade answered, his hands in the air and Heru looked around to see him surrounded by more than twenty men, all their weapons fixed on him.
"I see you started without me," he turned back to him.
"The mutants aren't here," he whispered and several of the men looked at each other confusedly, Heru remained out of their sight.
"I know, they're transporting them now. They'll have to come through this lot in order to get out. You've got three minutes at best," he explained and Deadpool's eyes narrowed, his muscles coiling as he understood what he was saying.
"Roger that," he said with a curt nod and Heru stood on his toes to plant a kiss on his jaw.
"Play me a song Piano Man," he whispered in his ear and pulled away, blackness rolling across his eyes as he stepped back.
"Put on your dancing shoes," he replied as chaos erupted. It was glorious and Heru vanished as Wade dove behind the open door of the crate while pulling Larry and Moe out, firing the first shots. Gun fire exploded and Heru reappeared beside the first two casualties, their souls sliding into him before he weaved through the air, following Wade's trail of bullets. He grinned as Wade shouted curses and yo mama jokes, bullets ripping through him but he shrugged them off. He kept moving, never presenting them with a still target as he sang his way around them. Heru danced alongside him, reaping as the bodies fell and before he could really enjoy the steps, it was over. He dropped the last body, the woman's soul sliding up his arm as her corpse fell from the tower of crates. Wade stood in the center, chest heaving in pain, his suit shredded in several spots where a number of bullets had ripped through the leather. Heru appeared in front of him and he grinned down at him.
"That was fun," he chimed and Heru pressed a hand to his chest.
"The night's just getting started," he said as he pushed life energy into him, speeding up his heal factor exponentially and his wounds healed faster. Wade gave a quick shake.
"Thanks sweetums, now let's go," he turned and sprinted towards the highest tower of containers and climbed them in a matter of seconds. Once on top, they could see the truck weaving its way through the maze of crates, nearing the gate.
"Go!" Heru urged and he watched as Wade jumped from tower to tower, reaching the last and jumping to the ground. He landed in a roll and was up and chasing after the truck in a single breath, his enhanced strength giving him inhuman speed. Heru watched him as he launched himself in the air and managed to grab hold of the back of the truck. He scrambled onto it, using Arthur to anchor himself and climb his way across the top of the speeding vehicle. Heru stepped out into the air as Wade reached the driver's side. He appeared between the two men in the truck as Wade grabbed the driver by his collar.
"Be quick," Heru warned, "there's men in the back and those collars haven't been deactivated," he said, vanishing to follow the driver as he was thrown. His head collided with the guard rail and left a streak of gore behind, Heru grabbed his soul quickly. He made it back to the truck, the other guard dead against the door, a bullet through his head. Wade was bleeding from multiple gunshots and Heru reaped the passenger before opening the door and tossing his body out.
"Get the thingamajiggy," he ordered, prying off his Hello Kitty bag and tossing it at him. Heru hastily opened it up and began digging around for it.
"Will it work again?" he asked.
"Weasel knows I'm a fuck up, he made sure the device had at least three charges," he replied and Heru's fingers wrapped around the cool metal. He pulled it out but hesitated.
"We can't use this or the truck will die. Find us another means of transportation, I'll take care of the guys in the back," he said before vanishing and reappearing in the cargo hold of the U-Haul. There were three men with guns, two by the door and one in the back. The mutants were huddled on the floor, practically on top of each other. They were packed in so tightly that the fact that Wade was driving like an absolute maniac didn't even matter, there was no room for anyone to roll around. The guards were holding onto straps hanging from the roof with one hand, their other hands on their guns pointed at the prisoners. He looked at them, their names only recently added to his list and for the first time in centuries, he would take their lives with his own hands. He hadn't used his power to kill in years, he always drove his deathday presents to suicide, convincing himself that he wasn't actually killing. It was an addiction for him, something he found harder and harder to resist the more he did it and he had tried to stop. Heru sighed, it didn't matter, these people needed to die and he'd finally gotten off his high horse and had decided to interfere. He reached out and touched both of the guards at the door. They collapsed to the floor, dead the second he had touched them with his death energy. He stepped in front of the third and brushed his hand against his cheek. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to be seen. There was a loud gasp from the frightened passengers and he held up his hands.
"It's ok, we're here to help."
Wade took the next exit and the truck came to a slow stop. Heru popped back into the front, the black fading from his eyes.
"Keep an eye on them, use the thingy. I'm going to go look for another truck," he told him and hopped out. He found an unmarked ten foot moving truck parked in the parking lot of Pointe Plaza hotel. After making sure no one was around, he broke into it, hotwired it and drove it back to where the others were waiting. Putting it in park, he jumped out as Wade was letting the frightened mutants out. He talked to them quietly, his tone calm and reassuring even though Heru guessed most of them didn't speak English fluently but they seemed to have enough of a grasp to understand some of his words. He recognized the look on Wade's face, a deep feeling of desperate relief to finally be helping someone instead of hurting them, the same relief flooding through him.
"Collars disabled?" he asked as he walked up to them and Wade looked up.
"Yea, there's probably a GPS on that truck," he said nodding at the more recently stolen of the two.
"I'll disable it if you want to help them get situated inside," he suggested and Wade nodded.
"Sure thing snookums," he turned to the small crowd, "alright we're transfering into this truck, sorry about the accommodations, but it's only for a little over an hour," he shouted. Ten minutes later, they were back on I-278 E and heading towards North Salem.
"We should get them some water," Heru said a few minutes later.
"We can't stop again," he answered, looking in the side mirror at the black SUV that was following a few cars behind, "I'm pretty sure we have a tail." Heru looked in the mirror and frowned.
"I'll take care of it and then I'll get them some water, don't worry, we don't need to stop," he said and vanished. He appeared in the SUV, unseen to make sure it was Ponoa men. It was full of half a dozen armed mercenaries. He placed his hand on the door, the cold black running down his arm and spreading out in webs across the metal. As it touched the seats, the men slumped, their hearts stopping instantly. Heru grabbed the steering wheel and managed to keep it on the road as he climbed into the dead driver's lap and kicked his feet out of the way. He pulled the car onto the shoulder and put it in park, hitting the hazards. A voice crackled over the radio, asking for an update. Heru grabbed the speaker and attempted to distort his voice, he told them the truck had taken another exit and was heading towards Huntington.
Satisfied, he popped over to a WalMart and grabbed three flats of water bottles before stepping back into the cargo hold.
"Hi," he greeted the startled group and set the water on the floor. There was more room in the new truck and with the collars temporarily disabled, one of them had conjured an artificial light source, "that's helpful," he pointed out, "thanks. Here's some water, I'll be right back with something to eat." He stepped into a different WalMart and grabbed several loaves of bread, a few blocks of cheese and two bags of apples. When he got back to the truck, they had opened the cases of water and were handing them out.
"Where are you taking us?" a young woman bravely asked, her chin held high and she had clearly been appointed leader of their group. He studied her face, recognizing her from the many files Kenal had on their 'assets'.
"Somewhere safe," he answered, "it's a safe place for mutants, they'll protect you from the people who did this and get you home safely," he promised, trusting in Wade's plan, "we'll be there in about an hour, so hang tight, it's almost over," he tried to smile reassuringly before he reappeared in the passenger's seat.
"Ok, I got them some food and water. I don't know when they were given any last," he said with a sigh, handing a water bottle to Deadpool. Wade twisted the lid off before pulling his mask up and downing the bottle.
"Thanks," he said with a gasp, handing the empty bottle back.
"Let's just hope the Professor is in," he said hopefully. After their argument about whether or not to involve Spider-Man they'd had to figure out what they were going to do with the mutants once they'd rescued them. They were not, in any way, equipped to house twenty three terrified and traumatized mutants. They couldn't go to the Avengers again, not with so many people to house, Wade was certain they would ask too many questions. He wanted them kept out of the business with Kenal Industries for as long as possible. He wanted to burn the organization to the ground and every last person who worked for them. Heru knew Wade fully intended to continue going after Orion when they finished with Zion. He was going to bring them to their knees and Heru had no desire to get in his way. So they had agreed that the best thing to do would bring them to Professor Xavier's school for gifted youngsters. The X-Men were capable of making sure they all got home safely and if any chose to stay, they would be able to help set them up with new lives, safe from Orion. He just hoped Professor X wasn't going to mind them showing up unannounced in the middle of the night with a truck load of mutants.