Disclaimer: I finally decided to break tradition and indent on every new paragraph, thanks to Roarke & Tanarus for beta reading, and I got this idea from playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and I wanted to get this down before I forgot it, so I'll finish my X-Ev/Spidey Unlimited crossover some other time.
Our story opens at Mt. McKenna, on a dark day. It threatened to rain cats and dogs, much like the last time this quiet landscape saw any kind of excitement. Months ago, the summit of this mountain was blown sky-high as the secret laboratory carved deep into the mountainside met its end. Wolverine had put at least one of the mysteries of his past to rest that day, declaring that Project Weapon X had been terminated. Little did he know that some mysteries are harder to kill than he is.
As a weak drizzling of rain fell over the rocky ground, a man standing in the middle of nowhere looked up to the sky and exhaled heavily as he enjoyed the cool sensation on his bare skin. Some distance behind him and uphill is his mysterious point of entry into the world. Half buried by rocks are the remains of a large stasis tube.
This marvel of technology is the only surviving piece of equipment from the aforementioned explosion, not by accident, but because it was built to last. While it may look like a space-aged casket, this alloy and plastic vessel is actually a womb. The man that emerged from it mere minutes ago is the product of careful consideration for any disaster that might befall the laboratory.
The stasis solution that continues to leak out and mix with the light rain is not truly for stasis. In addition to the perfect blend of nutrients to feed a rapidly growing cloned embryo, it contained revolutionary agents that increased the body's genetic aging process at a staggering rate. Capable of killing an organism by old age in just a few exposures, the solution was rigorously tested on various fauna until the concentration was perfect to mature the subject to its prime age, regardless of the age-retarding healing factor it possessed.
A computerized clock was at the heart of the tube, a clock whose alarm had gone off very recently and severed the countless tubes connected to the now full-grown man suspended inside the tube. A relatively small package for all the groundbreaking technology it contained, the pod was heavily armored and, in short, was designed to survive anything without jostling a hair on the head of the mutant clone within.
This clone had, just a short while ago, taken its first breath as its life-giving fluid slowly drained out of the tube. Heightened senses soaking in his new surroundings, his brain quickly gave way to instinct. He was a caged animal, and now was the time to escape. The tube gave way with very little movement from within to allow him a painless exit. For a while now, he had been wandering aimlessly around his new environment.
Possibly the only flaw in the seemingly flawless creation of this clone was one that could not have possibly been foreseen. Memories popped up in his head every now and then, some so vague he took them for granted as part of the scenery, others shockingly vivid to the point where he almost felt them. He distinctly saw faces to go with the actions being played out in his head. He was half way down the mountain, however, before he recognized emotions that corresponded with the images.
Indeed, this man, standing in the middle of nowhere, was the answer to a hotly debated question among geneticists. Did memories exist on a genetic level as well as in the human brain? Could other cells in the body actually remember things? An affirmative answer was set in stone as the man spun around at the sound a pebble skipping downhill behind him. In the blink of an eye, six bone claws shot out of his fists with a goosebump-inducing shrakt.
Wolverine's claws popped out with a smooth snikt, just before they tore into a Danger Room robot. "Thanks," Cyclops barely had time to say before blasting another of the many automated defenses to bits. As Wolverine leaped over a buzzsaw that shot randomy out of the wall, a lazer blast tagged him in the calf and threw his landing off. Coming down awkwardly and painfully, he looked up to see Havok's back as the boy was taking aim at the gun that had surprised him.
He took a long breath in through his nostrils as the wound on his leg healed over, and narrowed his eyes behind the mask when he caught a whiff of his immediate surroundings. Springing off with his other leg, Wolverine came across with both hands, ripping Havok's torso open from behind. The robot, using the same technology in Kurt's image inducer, hit the floor in pieces and faded back to its true form.
Cyclops turned to the scene before him, jaw just short of hitting the floor. He was so distracted that he left himself wide open for a blind-side shot. Feeling the sting in his shoulder and upper arm, his good hand went to his visor and he gracefully took out the last gun before he hit the ground like a fish out of water. As the real Havok sprinted across the room to check on his brother, the simulation ended and Wolverine pulled off his mask and examined his damaged boot.
"Shouldn't hesitate like that," Logan said as Scott tended to his injury.
"I thought you killed my brother," he replied, just a little ticked off.
From one of the chairs across the room, Rogue was in disbelief as well. For that brief moment, it did look like Wolverine attacked Havok without reason. That can't be normal, she thought, killing your teammates so easily. Even though it was a robot, and Wolverine could smell it right away, there was no time for a second thought when he ripped into someone. As Rogue entered the Danger Room for her, Kurt and Kitty's round, she figured that killer instinct came with the package when you had foot-long metal claws in between your knuckles.
As he walked through the forest, the smells almost overwhelmed him. Every tiny thing his superhuman senses picked up trigger a chain reaction of deja vu feelings. It felt like home, but the more he thought about it, it couldn't be. He was more than an animal, he knew that from the moment he had come to life. But if he was a man...he extended his claws once again and lashed into a low-hanging tree limb. These didn't belong to a man.
He was startled by a small gasp which blew up into a scream as he turned around and roared, bearing his claws. The fearsome mutant himself shrank back a little when he saw that he had scared the daylights out of a little girl. Was he so deep in thought that he didn't recognize the smell of a human among all these trees? But it was impossible to miss the sound of heavy footsteps running towards him and the girl.
"What the hell?"
The first words his ears had ever heard had the sting of anger in them. Turning to the direction of the voice, despite the echo off the trees, he only heard the click and saw down the barrel of the shotgun before it fired. Another scream from the little girl remained after the resounding gunshot. She fell dead silent when she saw the bloody crater in the man's chest close up good as new in a heartbeat.
His eyes fluttering, the naked man's expression changed in an instant. With an animal scream, he was on the girl's father in the blink of an eye. Three claws were already deep inside his chest as the other three slashed the gun from his hands, taking a finger or two with it. He tore his enemy apart as the little girl watched, this time unable to scream.
Turning towards the girl, he swung wildly for her throat. But deep down in his feral rage, something stopped him in a hurry when his eyes met hers. Claws vanishing, his fist passed six inches in front of her face, doing no damage but splattering some of her father's blood on her. Following through his swipe, he turned quickly and ran deeper into the woods like the animal he thought he was.
"....man was brutally murdered in the forest at the foot of Mt. McKenna today, Canadian police have no leads currently, with the exception of an eyewitness account from the man's four-year-old daughter. Working with police profilers, the suspect has been described as between five foot and five foot three, shoulder-length blue hair, and claws that popped out of his hands, the young lady claims. This murder sent tremors down the east coast, as it is being compared to several other brutal slayings around the Bayville area."
Kurt, Kitty and Evan blinked at the late-night news.
"Five three..."
"Shoulder lengz blue hair..."
"And like, claws that popped out of his hands?" All three teens mentally called for the Professor.
Minutes later, the X-Men were assembled, albeit in their pajamas. "You're sure about this?" Professor Xavier asked, having missed the news broadcast himself. The three nodded, which prompted Logan to ask the next obvious question: "You're sure you're sure?" After some prodding, the three were just about able to recite the whole segment between the three of their memories.
"Looks like I'm headin' up North," Logan finally concluded, "Better find out what the heck is goin' on up there and why the heck it sounds like I'm the one doin' it."
"You're not going alone," Scott asked, the last word turning to Jell-O as Logan shot him a look that indicated that the leader act should be cut immediately.
"But, like, last time you would have gotten killed if me and Kurt weren't there!" Kitty protested. She, too, felt like phasing through the floor when he glared at her. "Fine," he said at last, not taking his eyes off her, "'Ro, Porcupine, Scott, and Elf, pack your gear." When she realized that he was done saying names, a look of genuine sadness washed over her face.
He silently stalked back to his room to get his own things together, and the remaining X-Men slowly broke up and went back to their quarters. Kitty walked past Logan's door, purposely looking toward the other side of the hallway. "You got about half a minute," he growled, "And if you bring more than one suitcase I swear I'll dump 'em at four thousand feet." Kitty barely held back a squeal of excitement.
Our story opens at Mt. McKenna, on a dark day. It threatened to rain cats and dogs, much like the last time this quiet landscape saw any kind of excitement. Months ago, the summit of this mountain was blown sky-high as the secret laboratory carved deep into the mountainside met its end. Wolverine had put at least one of the mysteries of his past to rest that day, declaring that Project Weapon X had been terminated. Little did he know that some mysteries are harder to kill than he is.
As a weak drizzling of rain fell over the rocky ground, a man standing in the middle of nowhere looked up to the sky and exhaled heavily as he enjoyed the cool sensation on his bare skin. Some distance behind him and uphill is his mysterious point of entry into the world. Half buried by rocks are the remains of a large stasis tube.
This marvel of technology is the only surviving piece of equipment from the aforementioned explosion, not by accident, but because it was built to last. While it may look like a space-aged casket, this alloy and plastic vessel is actually a womb. The man that emerged from it mere minutes ago is the product of careful consideration for any disaster that might befall the laboratory.
The stasis solution that continues to leak out and mix with the light rain is not truly for stasis. In addition to the perfect blend of nutrients to feed a rapidly growing cloned embryo, it contained revolutionary agents that increased the body's genetic aging process at a staggering rate. Capable of killing an organism by old age in just a few exposures, the solution was rigorously tested on various fauna until the concentration was perfect to mature the subject to its prime age, regardless of the age-retarding healing factor it possessed.
A computerized clock was at the heart of the tube, a clock whose alarm had gone off very recently and severed the countless tubes connected to the now full-grown man suspended inside the tube. A relatively small package for all the groundbreaking technology it contained, the pod was heavily armored and, in short, was designed to survive anything without jostling a hair on the head of the mutant clone within.
This clone had, just a short while ago, taken its first breath as its life-giving fluid slowly drained out of the tube. Heightened senses soaking in his new surroundings, his brain quickly gave way to instinct. He was a caged animal, and now was the time to escape. The tube gave way with very little movement from within to allow him a painless exit. For a while now, he had been wandering aimlessly around his new environment.
Possibly the only flaw in the seemingly flawless creation of this clone was one that could not have possibly been foreseen. Memories popped up in his head every now and then, some so vague he took them for granted as part of the scenery, others shockingly vivid to the point where he almost felt them. He distinctly saw faces to go with the actions being played out in his head. He was half way down the mountain, however, before he recognized emotions that corresponded with the images.
Indeed, this man, standing in the middle of nowhere, was the answer to a hotly debated question among geneticists. Did memories exist on a genetic level as well as in the human brain? Could other cells in the body actually remember things? An affirmative answer was set in stone as the man spun around at the sound a pebble skipping downhill behind him. In the blink of an eye, six bone claws shot out of his fists with a goosebump-inducing shrakt.
Wolverine's claws popped out with a smooth snikt, just before they tore into a Danger Room robot. "Thanks," Cyclops barely had time to say before blasting another of the many automated defenses to bits. As Wolverine leaped over a buzzsaw that shot randomy out of the wall, a lazer blast tagged him in the calf and threw his landing off. Coming down awkwardly and painfully, he looked up to see Havok's back as the boy was taking aim at the gun that had surprised him.
He took a long breath in through his nostrils as the wound on his leg healed over, and narrowed his eyes behind the mask when he caught a whiff of his immediate surroundings. Springing off with his other leg, Wolverine came across with both hands, ripping Havok's torso open from behind. The robot, using the same technology in Kurt's image inducer, hit the floor in pieces and faded back to its true form.
Cyclops turned to the scene before him, jaw just short of hitting the floor. He was so distracted that he left himself wide open for a blind-side shot. Feeling the sting in his shoulder and upper arm, his good hand went to his visor and he gracefully took out the last gun before he hit the ground like a fish out of water. As the real Havok sprinted across the room to check on his brother, the simulation ended and Wolverine pulled off his mask and examined his damaged boot.
"Shouldn't hesitate like that," Logan said as Scott tended to his injury.
"I thought you killed my brother," he replied, just a little ticked off.
From one of the chairs across the room, Rogue was in disbelief as well. For that brief moment, it did look like Wolverine attacked Havok without reason. That can't be normal, she thought, killing your teammates so easily. Even though it was a robot, and Wolverine could smell it right away, there was no time for a second thought when he ripped into someone. As Rogue entered the Danger Room for her, Kurt and Kitty's round, she figured that killer instinct came with the package when you had foot-long metal claws in between your knuckles.
As he walked through the forest, the smells almost overwhelmed him. Every tiny thing his superhuman senses picked up trigger a chain reaction of deja vu feelings. It felt like home, but the more he thought about it, it couldn't be. He was more than an animal, he knew that from the moment he had come to life. But if he was a man...he extended his claws once again and lashed into a low-hanging tree limb. These didn't belong to a man.
He was startled by a small gasp which blew up into a scream as he turned around and roared, bearing his claws. The fearsome mutant himself shrank back a little when he saw that he had scared the daylights out of a little girl. Was he so deep in thought that he didn't recognize the smell of a human among all these trees? But it was impossible to miss the sound of heavy footsteps running towards him and the girl.
"What the hell?"
The first words his ears had ever heard had the sting of anger in them. Turning to the direction of the voice, despite the echo off the trees, he only heard the click and saw down the barrel of the shotgun before it fired. Another scream from the little girl remained after the resounding gunshot. She fell dead silent when she saw the bloody crater in the man's chest close up good as new in a heartbeat.
His eyes fluttering, the naked man's expression changed in an instant. With an animal scream, he was on the girl's father in the blink of an eye. Three claws were already deep inside his chest as the other three slashed the gun from his hands, taking a finger or two with it. He tore his enemy apart as the little girl watched, this time unable to scream.
Turning towards the girl, he swung wildly for her throat. But deep down in his feral rage, something stopped him in a hurry when his eyes met hers. Claws vanishing, his fist passed six inches in front of her face, doing no damage but splattering some of her father's blood on her. Following through his swipe, he turned quickly and ran deeper into the woods like the animal he thought he was.
"....man was brutally murdered in the forest at the foot of Mt. McKenna today, Canadian police have no leads currently, with the exception of an eyewitness account from the man's four-year-old daughter. Working with police profilers, the suspect has been described as between five foot and five foot three, shoulder-length blue hair, and claws that popped out of his hands, the young lady claims. This murder sent tremors down the east coast, as it is being compared to several other brutal slayings around the Bayville area."
Kurt, Kitty and Evan blinked at the late-night news.
"Five three..."
"Shoulder lengz blue hair..."
"And like, claws that popped out of his hands?" All three teens mentally called for the Professor.
Minutes later, the X-Men were assembled, albeit in their pajamas. "You're sure about this?" Professor Xavier asked, having missed the news broadcast himself. The three nodded, which prompted Logan to ask the next obvious question: "You're sure you're sure?" After some prodding, the three were just about able to recite the whole segment between the three of their memories.
"Looks like I'm headin' up North," Logan finally concluded, "Better find out what the heck is goin' on up there and why the heck it sounds like I'm the one doin' it."
"You're not going alone," Scott asked, the last word turning to Jell-O as Logan shot him a look that indicated that the leader act should be cut immediately.
"But, like, last time you would have gotten killed if me and Kurt weren't there!" Kitty protested. She, too, felt like phasing through the floor when he glared at her. "Fine," he said at last, not taking his eyes off her, "'Ro, Porcupine, Scott, and Elf, pack your gear." When she realized that he was done saying names, a look of genuine sadness washed over her face.
He silently stalked back to his room to get his own things together, and the remaining X-Men slowly broke up and went back to their quarters. Kitty walked past Logan's door, purposely looking toward the other side of the hallway. "You got about half a minute," he growled, "And if you bring more than one suitcase I swear I'll dump 'em at four thousand feet." Kitty barely held back a squeal of excitement.