Life on a boat can be anything you want it to be. I was not going to let these days, while my body recovered, be anything less than fantastic!
I take the opportunity to help clean, cook, hunt and, I confess, that was the part I liked the most! Everything related to hunting, death fascinates me. I go down in deep apnea and, with the help of my natural weight and the claws of adamantium, I manage to make the sailors taste fish that they had never tried before. The twins teach me various tricks, including in the kitchen - laughs - they, in that sense, reminded Gambit a lot; his kitchen was spiced and sophisticated at the same time.
- I don't have to risk losing two of my best snipers when you're gone, right, Logan?
- What is it, Kitty! They love the sea more than me! Make no mistake, we are each other's pastime, that's all ... - I scratched the back of my neck with one hand, while the other held one of the ropes on one of the ship's sails - You know I'm not a one-woman man, or in the case of two! - and we laughed out loud.
- In that case, when you do accept Ada's invitation, it will always be on. And understand me: this invitation does not include me, you are a father figure to me and then it gets too complicated, you know? But I always have some other cabin to spend the night, when needed.
I thank her for the explanations. I am sincere enough to say that my rational part thinks the same, but that I could not say the same about my instinctual side:
- When you greeted each other two days ago ... Well, you know, right? I couldn't hide ...
She smiled sideways, turning the wheel safely as she shouted to the sailors:
- I just received orders from the White Queen in Krakoa! We will need to intercept a boat a few miles from here, drop the sails, prepare the cannons and weapons, we don't know what we are going to find, fellas!
I didn't hear anything, no device making a noise to warn about these new orders and, therefore, I understood how she received this news ... The White Queen telepathically sends what she wants fromher. I don't hide my agitation and throw:
- Am I in an ambush?
- Emma said no, Logan ... - the old Shadowcat informs - She says it's fascinating that you don't appear on telepathic radars and, even knowing your plans and your distrust, she will leave everything as it is, because none of your actions would be able to achieve her... - and looks at me as if saying "I'm just relaying orders, sorry ..."
It was great to know that my adamantium skull and the training that Charles himself gave me were keeping me out of the radar. I had already strengthened myself enough in those days and I took advantage of the fact that they were going to distance themselves from the coast to say goodbye.
- I know you did more than you could, Kitty! And I thank you for that, but I'll just really need a boat and claws to continue our plan.
Extending a flare gun to me, she adds:
- If you need anything, you can try that flare gun and I decide if it's time to risk everything or let you go. - I accept the gift, check if it is complete and adjust between the belt and the pants - You know where the boats are, you can take anyone, Logan and I wish you a lot of success in your endeavor.
I swear I saw a tear in one of her eyes, but she hugs me before she falls and gets my plaid shirt wet. I also saw that as an almost eternal farewell ...
- I am very proud of who you have become and, even more, of the paths you have chosen to follow. Take care, K! And make sure you can always count on me! - I do not wait for any answer, I wink and go in the direction of one of the boats, going down to the water and jumping into the sea afterwards.
As I suck at goodbyes, I decided not to say anything to the twins, I send a thought of gratitude to them and I know that the Universe will find a way for them to receive this message. As I had already put a couple of oars, water, fuel, binoculars and a compass in that boat, as soon as I sit on it, I start the engine and disappear into the water.
Thanks to my photographic memory and the water temperature trick I learned from Kitty I kept myself as far away from Krakoa's limits as possible. Instead of exploring the land closer to the Black King's palace, I chose to go as far as I could, including using the oars.
The view of the place was exactly as described by the dragon: inhospitable. As if there had to be the opposite of Krakoa for the whole life she was able to create, you know? Ying and Yang? Light and darkness? All this talk that is so old, it has to have a background of truth, right? I think of the kind of life that could thrive there and, unfortunately, what comes to my mind is just hard bone: zombies from all the dead and resurrected mutants in Krakoa or another type of dark beings: vampires! Which, by the way, makes a lot of sense, since Dracula's minions had reappeared on the map, but nothing was known about him and here, literally, was the missing point on the map...
I stop thinking about hypotheses when a breath of air comes, curiously, from the island to the sea. A smell of rot and death that could only come from these undead!
"That sucks, Logan! Did you throw yourself into Draculino's arms again?!... "
I prepare to spend the night at sea, safe in the boat. Rowing further away from the beach and diving to harvest various types of algae; I lie on a bed made of them, hoping it would be enough to cover up my odor. I take the opportunity to make stakes with all the wood I had in excess and I am dazzled by the starry sky. Looking inside myself, I have no more doubts in my mind. I'm back! I can face a horde of vampires because I am Wolverine! The best in what I do and, what I do, is not always released to all audiences!
I wake up a few minutes before dawn and use the binoculars to see if I detect any movement. During the night I didn't catch any sound and, looking more closely now, I notice a couple of luminous points moving on high rocks, but nothing on the beach. The dots disappear when the sun rises over the horizon.
I dive in to eat something and make a sashimi "sandwich" with seaweed, drink some water and wait for the sun to settle down before rowing to the beach. Interestingly, water does not change the temperature as I approach that arid environment. Krakoa has no idea of that space, or she doesn't want to know ... I was never very close to this island! Since she appeared, wanting to end the X-Men, wait ... How do I have that memory? Did this really happen?
I shake my head, I start to think that the memories are coming back too much! Apparently, this memory is from a time before Moira's last life, how could I? ... Am I the only one who remembers? Remember before and all the temporal mixtures that existed?
Because if Moira is reborn each time, in the same family, with all the memories and she manages to make new beginnings for her life, influencing the lives of others, that means that I shouldn't remember anything before the "new world order" , I shouldn't remember anything before Charlie with that "big head" helmet ... But no. I even remember his death, that he was in a wheelchair, that I was a teacher at the Jean Gray School for Gifted Youngsters, that I fought the Cyclops when he killed the teacher ... Stop! Damn! Stop struggling to receive all this information! You have to focus, you Canadian! Focus on what you came to do: find Moira MacTaggert! Chat with her about this madness and, if possible, get things back on track! Focus!
I grit my teeth and walk the final meters along the waves of the beach. I had nowhere to tie the boat, so I make as many stakes as I can, attach the fresh water to the belt and line the jacket with some stakes. I also take half a gallon of gas that is left and head towards the direction where I saw the lights go out at sunrise.
The place had some small reptiles, like geckos, or something, there must have been some insects around here too, but there was no apparent vegetation. Everything looked like dark rock, the color of coal, with a porous surface like his as well. I run a little, walk a little and in less than an hour I reach the foot that I must climb. I drink my last sip of water, tie the can of gasoline using a string from the boat and, after clapping my hands together, I start the climb without having to draw my claws.
The morning exercise is invigorating, I feel the gratitude of my muscles and tendons, I feel the wind helping me up and, unfortunately, as I get close to the entrance, I smell that foul odor. Inside, I would rely less on my vision and more on my other senses. I walk in and after crouching for a few minutes, I see a cave that opens into a gigantic hall, an almost perfect copy of the dungeon where those cool French vampires from that '90s movie lived. I couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence. Their fate would be the same: most would be burned to death after I spilled gasoline through the coffins and lit my Zippo ©.
The good thing about vampires is that I don't need to hold back, they don't deserve mercy, since they're no longer living beings and they just want, in the end, to turn everyone into what they are, by establishing a reign of terror and death . I know that not all the transformed ones accept to live this way, some, like the Jubilee, even managed to get rid of the bloodlust, but that was rare and, usually, always with the help of some genius to replace the blood with some other compound , or invent some nanotechnological contraption ... In the case of Jubbs, she had Hank; in the case of others I met, they killed animals in the forest, which I also think is a slutty bitch!
I think of all that while spreading gasoline. Her scent ends up getting stronger than any other scent, so I don't notice when the Omega Red tentacles hug me! Of course they wouldn't go to sleep without leaving a watchdog!
- It is always great to prove your almost infinite energy, Wolverine! - I hear his voice too late, in a mixture of shout and laughter.
The tentacles burn like never before, mark my skin faster than it can regenerate and it doesn't take long for me to smell my own blood. I hate when it happens! If I kept my distance, the Russian would be at an advantage. I strive to get the right provocation:
- Hey, buddy! How can you handle screwing with these people? They have no reputation for being faithful to those who are not vampires! It was because of the smell that you came, right? Does it match your colony?
He grunts and squirms as I notice a different piece in his armor, something rounded, on the back of his head, something like a carbon dioxide synthesizer. "Interesting..."
- You went down so low and sold your soul to these undead, did you? They must be paying very well, Reddie ... - I try to provoke a little more.
I think the nickname reminds him of how annoying I can be for a long time. I only know that he relaxes his tentacles while I fall to my knees.
- Always a loudmouth, isn't it? How dare you think I would make any deal with this gang for money ?! They always manage to give you what you want and do something so that you owe them! Damn you! - and he spits to the side, clearly upset.
My healing factor is doing his part while the Omega speaks. I feel in every part that before it was without skin a delicious itch while the cells grow around the bark that was formed. I don't wait and I run up to the Russian. I use my leg muscles to shorten the distance that separates us with a jump and * SNIKT * I dig into one of his forearms so that he can't eject the tentacle, while with the other hand, I start hitting him in the same way I get my share too. But I like it like this, hand to hand fighting, no frills.
He manages to throw me close to the opening that leads to the exit, in a clear invitation for us to beat ourselves up outside, but I couldn't! Not before I make sure my gas burns! As a football player, I dodge the tentacles as I approach and throw us, with my claws tucked into his chest, farther into the room, we roll and, as in most of our confrontations, none of us wins ... We just get a lot from each other. I manage to dig my claws and rotate on his right thigh, he sticks one of the tentacles on my right arm and I feel my tendons lose strength and the weight of my arm starts to get in my way. At these times it is very good to be ambidextrous! I take the flare in my left pocket, aim behind the Omega, where the gas canister was, and give it an "Terminator" speaks:
- Hasta la vista, Red!
I hear him shouting some curse in Russian, "der'mo!", If I'm not mistaken it's "you shit!" but I'm not so sure, my Russian is rusty.
As the fire spreads, I run out and wait for the vampires. Some manage to wake up from torpor and come towards me, almost releasing sulfur through the winds. But they are slow during the day and, I dare say, more stupid. I am killing several with stakes in the heart or with beheading, while the Russian remains unconscious due to the force of the explosion that threw him against one of the walls. The smell of burnt meat is nauseating! Even with the greatness of the room, the smoke starts to bother and in a pause of attackers, I sneak out, I take advantage that there is no vampire wanting and when I am already glimpsing the light outside, I feel something curl around my ankle ... "Shit!"
The tug is so fast and intense that I feel my face crash against the floor of the tunnel and I am surprised when I fall into the hall, since besides the Red Omega, I see an old acquaintance. I keep talking, as I get up:
- What's up, Drac? Taking a vacation on a paradise island, is it?
He doesn't verbalize anything, but he gives a signal to the Russian to curl up with his tentacles and, again, I feel my strength decrease, be sucked, while Dracula says:
- Thanks to us, Mr. Rossovich no longer needs to drain people's energy to live, mr. Logan. But in your case, he does it for pure pleasure ... I am also very happy to have you here with us. I will be able to reinforce our legion with its endless supply of mutant regenerating blood! But first, I want to make you pay for the hundreds you killed!
And that is where he really shows himself. As he spoke, on the Omega side, he looked like a man, paler than normal, but still a man. Long black hair, black clothes, with a cape, by the way, I always wondered why this cape! Was it just for style? But when it comes to the end of the sentence, its size starts to increase and the cover, now I understand, bat wings appear, the teeth inside your mouth increase in size and stay out while your muscles rip the blouse and your legs hooves appear, as if he were a satyr raised to the tenth power, with wings.
I didn't have the strength to speak, but I kept smiling.
- Stop, Mr. Rossovich. I want him to be aware of what I'm going to do with him. I will take that smile off your face, even if it is at the cost of your life!
And as soon as the tentacles loosen, a gigantic shadow comes towards me and hugs me, rising rapidly through the air, while I feel fangs tearing at my neck, without any subtlety. I also feel my body struggling with all these injuries, trying to heal me, but I hadn't made it easy to eat and the lack of protein must have been making the process slower. After drinking a lot of my blood, he releases me from a considerable height. As I fall, I think about how to reduce the damage, but my body does not obey my reasoning, and I fall on my face!
- Come, my children! Drink from the almost eternal source! Drink my blood and recover with the blood of the one who tried to kill us!
And when I look up, at some cost, I see several crippled, dying, burned to the bone vampires, come out of their graves, and walk past me, with a hateful look, to the King of Vampires who had come down and now donated blood modified by my mutation and Dracula's ability! Now, it was an elixir of eternal life! Or almost, as he had said.
My mind can only think of healing soon and what to do next when I feel the same shadow on me, on that same flight and with the same lack of subtlety on the other side of the neck it almost ends with me, releasing me from the top I feel the tentacles of Omega Red amortize my fall, while the vampire says:
- Take him from here, to one of the cages in the basement! And keep an eye on him, when the night comes, we will bask in his blood as we increase our Kingdom! And so it will be, how long this mutant blood bag can take!
I think I have seldom felt so helpless. I was totally dependent on the Russian's tentacles to be able to move. The legs did not obey, nor the arms. I wanted to talk, but only grunts came out ... And I think I blacked out, because my mind took me to a moment where I was inside a tank, but I didn't feel my skeleton as heavy as I do now; I was immersed in that tank of viscous substance and with a respirator, as helpless as now, while listening to the voices of men and women: Carol Hines. I understood what my brain was saying to me: if I went through something as grotesque as the Weapon X Project, I will certainly go through it too! I was powerless at the time, as much as I am now, but the Canadians wanted something from me, just as these vampires want it too, so I still have a chance to execute my plan and, still flirty, destroy some of Drac's minions! It was just giving my body time...
- Try to be quiet, you manure heap! - I return to reality with the shout of the Omega Red, while throwing me somewhere cold and damp. - The more you try to move or talk the longer it will take to heal and I need you strong and alive to end these bloodsuckers...
"Huh?" - I think, as I hear the cell door being closed. But biology does not work miracles... Without a serving of protein, I had little chance of a quick recovery. My body had nowhere to draw energy and, if I'm not mistaken, I could even start destroying my own muscles to heal those wounds and that wouldn't be cool, see?...
I have no idea how much time has passed, but I hear some footsteps in the hall and I hear the door open, I had already managed to sit on the floor of the cell, but I still couldn't raise my head! It was extremely heavy with adamantium! The smell was of blood and vodka:
- Bol'shoy! You still look like death! ... I hope you have no qualms at a time like this, Logan! I think I know why it's taking so long to recover ... You haven't eaten so well these days, have you? Here is a corpse, the kind you fried. If you want to live, I think it's prudent to feed on it ... If there were animals on the island, I would even bring some for you, but this place is more sterile than the hearts of these vampires...
And I feel something being thrown on my legs. Well, I'm not going to narrate what happened next, but I started to agree with the vegetarians who say that "meat is all the same" ... I felt my body respond much better a half hour later, I already had the strength to get up and lie in bed. I ran my hand over my neck and still had a hole in one side, my whole body tingled and the urge to itch was huge, but I kept going, letting him do what he does best: recover from almost every injury , redo broken vessels, torn muscles, broken bones, torn organs, in addition to all the cells that made up my precious blood! The bone marrow even burned so fast that it was producing red blood cells and the other cells. It started to give me a huge thirst and, looking to the side, I saw a latrine with water in the bottom. It wasn't clean, but who cared about it at a time like this, right? I managed to get a little by hand, but I thought it best to destroy the equipment to see if there was more water in the pipe. The noise made Omega appear and, with a sarcastic laugh, it's his turn to tease me:
- I heard from others that you were just an animal, but I had never had the chance to witness something like this. There is not much difference between all of us. Between you, me, and the vampires. We are survivors ... And we go to great lengths to do so.
I growl at him; I didn't like the direction of the conversation and I didn't care what he had to say to me. He was never someone very philosopher and I was not going to put up with that now:
- Stop the shit and spill it out! Why did you help me? Or do you just want to show the boss that you can keep me alive for as long as he needs?
- As much as I like your version of the story, Wolverine, I think my enemy's enemy is my friend. So, I propose a truce between us. I really liked what I saw in Krakoa, being together with the mutants, being part of something bigger than myself and now, with the carbonadium synthesizer, I have no reason not to accept being part of it. I don't need to kill anymore to survive ... That's what I did: survive! This was not life! Now*
- Now what, Red ?! Will marry? Have children? If you're thinking about it, you're crazy! I know what you are, I know your insides and I don't give you a few months to tire of the good life and indiscriminately kill again! ... You weren't a good thing before the super soldier project, and you used carbonadium as an excuse for yours excesses! We don't change what it is ... Go for me, I know...
Instead of glaring at me, he simply turns and leaves, while I hear him whisper: "You may be right, but I need to try..."
I drink so much water that it doesn't take long to urinate, the happiness of the little things can be surreal! I think to myself how good it is to have the kidneys working! I put my hand on my neck and nothing is missing, I do some fighting movements and I don't feel any pain. Excellent! I can get out of there now, but I want to wait for the Russian. His proposal would come, sometime. I lie down and give my body more time to recover.
I hear light footsteps in the hall, it is not the smell of Omega Red. It is something sweeter, more inviting, more dangerous. A teenage vampire appears at the cell door, looking at me curiously. When I move, she takes a quick step back, sniffing the air and getting closer. I moved just to sit on the bed. I keep staring at the girl, waiting to know which side she is on. The clothes did not follow what is normally expected of a vampire. She wore white pants with small flowers and a pink dress shirt, with a gold pendant, very old, of those who put photos inside, her long blond hair was tied in a bun and she let some locks fall down the side of her ears. We were both studying each other, until she broke the silence, with an accent that seemed to be from Eastern Europe.
- My name is Ravena ... You are a legend among us ... But until today, I had only heard about the myth of Wolverine.
- Did I kill any close to you? Have you come to avenge yourself? If so, kitten, you'll need to get in line, you know?
Smiling sideways, her prey appears:
- I have no friends here, Mr. Logan. And do not be fooled by my teenage appearance, I am almost as old as the King...
- If you say so, to me, you all smell the same... - I lied shamelessly since she had no smell of death and rot. Why was she so different?
- We do not have time for provocations, especially when they are nothing but empty words! I am, in a few hundred years, managing to envision an end to this miserable life and I will not let this opportunity pass, sir...
- 'Okay, madam... What is the plan?