Promise
Wolverine followed the scent. He had a single purpose and that was to find the man that the scent belonged to. He had Vargas's stench all over him and that meant that he had met Vargas. That also meant that he would know where to find Vargas. That was something that Wolverine wanted to know quite badly.
He tracked the man all over town and not once did he let himself waver from his task except when he saw Storm fly over and then he pulled himself back into the shadows of a nearby alleyway so that she couldn't see him. He wasn't quite ready to face her yet. He needed to think about some things before talking to her.
As Logan trailed the man he felt the animal in him start to rise. Instead of fighting to control the animal and keep it down though he let it come and he fed off the anger that it brought him. He didn't care at the moment what happened as long as he got the information that he wanted.
"I will avenge you my friend," Logan said to the night as he followed the scent. "I will soon have the info that I need and from there it is a simple matter of killing Vargas," Logan growled the name out.
Logan missed Psylocke already because she had always had a cool head and that was usually what prevailed in a fight. Of course there was a problem with that though. Psylocke was dead now and there was nothing that her cool head helped her with when it came to knocking at death's door.
"One day I will hope that you come calling for me darlin'," Logan whispered to the night hoping that maybe Psylocke and Illyana were listening. He hoped that they would come and get him shortly. He was fast losing his desire to live. He had lost too many friends and see too much death in his life. He was no longer the best and he knew it. It was something that came hard but the older he got the more he learned about himself.
"I may be old and I may not be the best but that is because other's accpet things to enhance themselves. Nothing though will keep Vargas safe, this I promise to you Psylocke. I promise his death and vengeance for you," Wolverine said as a man appeared in his vision. Logan fought the animal inside him as he remembered that Psylocke wouldn't have wanted him to succomb to the animal within. She had always wanted him to be just Logan. That was one of the reasons that she had been such a good friend. She had accepted him for what he was including his faults which some of the X-Men could never get past.
* * * * *
Jubilee needed time away from Gen X because they were just too, she didn't know what they were. What she did know though was that they weren't the X-Men. They weren't her first family and none of them could replace Wolvie. He was one of kind in her opinion. Sure he was gruff but hey that just hid the soft side of him which he rarely let anyone see. Jubilee though had seen it many a time and she wished that some of the other X-Men could have seen it as well.
She was taking her vacation as she put it and she wanted to see her old teammates as well as her best friend in the world possibly. That would be Wolvie, she missed him the most of all.
She walked into the mansion without knocking because she didn't need to. It was her second home now when at one time it had been her first. She missed the place with the big furry Beast always reading or in his lab. Jean and Scott usually together and the others doing their thing.
She tossed down her bag inside the door which contained her uniform and started through the house. She was hoping to find someone in the family room but she didn't find anyone there. All she found was a coffin which had her puzzled. She didn't know what a coffin would be doing in the house. Why would it be here in this room of all places as well.
"Because Jubilee it was supposed to hold the body of one of our fallen friends," she heard the professor say from behind her.
Jubilee turned around slowly and looked at her friends. Standing there was Scott and Jean along with the White Queen Emma Frost. The professor was in his wheelchair next to them. "Who was it that fell," she asked sad for whoever had fallen.
"Psylocke fell Jubilee. She died fighting someone named Vargas," Jean said as tears glistened in her eyes. Scott put his arm around her in an effort to comfort her.
"Where's Wolvie," she asked now a bit nervous.
"He is gone. I scanned the world and have found him in the city of Valencia Spain. We know why he went there and truthfully I can't blame him," The professor said.
"He went there to kill this Vargas didn't he," Jubilee stated.
"Yes. The problem is that he isn't fighting the animal inside him anymore. He is letting it consume him without even realizing it. Jubilee we need you to go to him. Out of all of us you are the one that is most qualified to help him. We need you to make him stay Wolverine. We need you to help him stay human, and perhaps talk him out of his course of action. He is going to do anything in order to get Vargas," Jean said as she hugged Scott.
"I'll go and I promise that I will bring Wolvie back the way that he should be. I won't let him ruin his life because he wouldn't let me," Jubilee said and started for the door. Before she got there though she turned around and asked sheepishly, "How am I supposed to get there?"
"Take a commercial airliner Jubilee. It will not attract attention and that way you won't have to worry about hiding a plane. It will be easier for you and also easier to explain to authorites if they stop you why you are there. You can always tell them that you are there on vacation," Scott said all business like usual Jubilee thought. He was never any fun.
"Ok I get it. Easier for everyone all the way around. Well I guess I am already packed so who gets to give me a ride to the airport," Jubilee said more happy than she felt.
"I shall take you there," Jean said as she unhinged herself from Cyclops.
"Let's go then," Jubilee said briskly as she turned and gathered up her bags which were by the door. As she did she though to herself. I won't let you lose Wolvie. You mean too much to me and I won't lose the only family that I have. I need you and you need me it is just the way it has always been. That is why I am on my way to help you my friend.
* * * * *
"Where could he be," Rogue demanded angry at Wolverine for making her come out and look for him when she had better things to be doing.
"I do not know Rogue. All that I know is that we should find him first. I don't know what Destiny saw about him but I am sure that even he was in her books. We must find him," Sage said in a measured tone of voice.
"Well we had better find him soon or a'hm gonna hit him real hard when we do find him," Rogue growled which made her wince. That was the tone of voice Logan used when he got angry. She hated when that happened but at the moment it fit her mood. She really was going to hit him she thought when she found him.
* * * * *
Logan watched the man from the shadows of a building. Logan was crouched down like a panther waiting it's prey which is what he was doing. He watched the man walk across the street and talk to some friends of his. Logan didn't care about them though they all looked like pieces of trash.
The man he was trailing he finally got to see as the man turned and looked over to Logan's hiding place. The man couldn't see Logan but nontheless Wolverine felt his hackles rise at the sight of the man. A low growl started in the back of his throat. The man was tall standing over six foot. He had black eyes and long greasy black hair that was tied back in a ponytail which given the chance Logan would gladly tear our for him. The man looked like a rat to Logan. He had the same smell as a lot of men that Logan wished he would have killed when he met them so that some innocent people wouldn't have gotten hurt.
Logan looked around and noticed that the men were standing outside of a bar. The bars over here or at least this one stayed open all night and served anyone from the look of some of the people that he had seen go in over the last few minutes. He had seen girls no older than fifteen go into that bar and it made him angry but he couldn't tell why. He guessed that it was due to the smell of the place. It just had that kind of smell that usually meant trouble.
Logan knew that he shouldn't attack the men out in the open like he was about to but he just didn't care any longer. He was tired of his friends dying and he was tired of men like these getting off because he was a good guy. Just as he was about to stand up and walk over there he saw the door to the bar open. Four women came out or to put it more accurately four girl came out.
None of them could have been over seventeen which put them at about Jubilee's age and he only let her drink occasionally when he supervised her. He would never have let her go to a bar by herself like that.
Logan didn't like the way the man he was trailing and his friends looked at the girls as they stumbled down the street. Wolverine watched which was something that he was good at. The men said something to a couple of the girls who slid over into the arms of the men. That left just one girl by herself. As he watched he guessed that the men and the girls were couples all except for the one.
Logan didn't think that Vargas would associate with people like these. Vargas had left that note which in it's own way was honorable and he seemed to value his own disgusting sense of honor. That would make it nearly impossible to associate with men like these.
"Well Vargas he still has your stench on him so he is going to talk," Logan whispered no louder than the wind which was noexistant.
The girl started down the street stumbling all the while. Wolverine watched her go and was once again ready to stand up when the man he was trailing and his friends, all six of them, started to trail the girl. There were three men besides his prey and three women besides the one that was their prey.
"Damn girl. You shouldn't have come to this place. It would have been better if you had different friends," Logan said as he started to follow. The shadow to those men and they didn't even see it detach itself from across the street and follow them.
* * * * *
Logan followed the group which in turn followed the girl until she started to run from them which was the wrong thing to do. Logan knew about animals which is about all these men were. Once the prey started to run then the chase was just getting started and the fun was beginning.
The men chased the drunk girl all over and no one even paid any mind to it. If it didn't involve them in this part of town then it wasn't worthwhile to get involved. The girl ran on and did something stupid. She ran into a alley. For Logan though nothing better could have happened.
The men chased the girl to the back of the alley which ended in a brick wall. There was trash strung along the sides of the alley and the girl was panting heavy from her running. She turned and looked at the four men who approached her. The girls who had been her drinking companions stood at the mouth of the alley and watched for anyone who looked suspicious.
"Don't hurt me please," She said quite clearly. The adrenaline had been pumping through her body and had burned away some of the drunkenness. She could at least talk now.
"We aren't going to hurt you girl. We just want you to give us some fun," Greasy hair said.
"Please don't. I haven't done anything," she whimpered in terror. She should have listened to her mother and not went to that bar.
"Too bad girl we are going to enjoy ourselves," the man said as he started forward with his friends close behind.
"NOOOO," the girl screamed as they tore at her blouse. She had never thought that she would be raped and it was almost unreal.
* * * * *
"NOOOO," Logan heard the girl scream as he stepped out onto the street and ran across to where the three women were standing blocking the alley.
"Out of the way girls or someone is going to get hurt," Logan growled.
"That's right old man. If you come any closer you will be the one to get hurt," one of the girls said as she pulled a gun and held it on him.
"Oh come on Jess, let me shoot him. I haven't killed me an American yet," one of the women purred.
"I am getting tired of being called an American. Nothing against them but I am Canadian not American. In truth I may be considered American since I have lived there so long but that doesn't matter. Now get out of the way," Logan said as he started forward.
The girl held the gun at Logan's chest and she fired. The bullet tore into his chest and out his back but the wound healed right before their eyes. "W. . . What are you," the girl stammered as she dropped the gun in her stunned state.
"I am a mutant and you had best leave before I do something that I will regret," Logan growled and the girls fled without a second's hesitation.
Logan ran into the alley Skint! He popped his claws as he ran. The men didn't have time to react before he was on them. They were too engrossed in tearing the girls cloths off. The first man fell with Wolverine's claws in his back. The second turned just in time to get his throat slashed. The man's blood covered Wolverine who didn't even notice it.
The third man fell back away from the demon before him crying. Logan smelled the fear and the urine on the man and he stalked forward. "No please don't hurt me," the man stammered in utter terror.
"Isn't that what the girl said," Logan growled as he drove his claws into the man's chest killing him.
Logan turned and looked at the man he had stabbed in the back. He knew that the man would live if he let him but Logan wasn't feeling very generous today. He walked up to him and looked him in the eye. "You die for trying to rape the girl," Logan growled as he slashed the defenseless man across the throat with his claws.
That left only one man. Logan turned just in time to take a knife in the chest.
Logan pushed the man back and pinned him against the brick wall. "Well now my little piss ant I have a question for you."
The man was quivering in fear of Logan and he had wet himself as well. He was willing to tell this man who was a demon anything that he asked. "What do y . . . you want to know," he stammered out.
"I want you to tell me where Vargas is. His stench is all over you. You see normally I don't kill people but I don't have time to wait for the police. That is why your friends are dead. They tried to rape a girl and so I did to them what should have been done to them for all of their crimes. You have a chance to live if you tell me where Vargas is," Logan said quite conversationally.
"I . . . I don't know wh . . . what you are talking about. I don't know any Vargas. I just do this once in awhile when we see a girl we think is hot," the man nearly cried as the tears started to flow down his cheeks. He was terrified that he was about to die and he couldn't tell this man what he wanted to know.
"That is the wrong answer bub. I know that you have at least met Vargas. He killed a friend of mine and now it's his turn. My friend didn't deserve to die but Vargas does. Do the world a favor and tell me where he is," Logan said as he moved his hand up to the kids chin with his fingers pointed towards himself. Logan had done this many times after he had retracted his claws.
"I don't know," the kid yelled. "Now let me go will you please," he cried.
"No you haven't answered me yet. I will give you until the count of three. At each number one of my claws comes out. First one will come out on one side of your head. Next another one will come out on the opposite side of your head. Third and final I think that you can guess where that claw will come out at," Logan growled.
"I don't know anything," he yelled again.
"One," Wolverine said slowly as his first claw slid out Skint!
"I'm telling you I know nothing," he said now fully terrified.
"Two," Logan counted as his other claw came out.
"You are one of the X-Men aren't you. The X on your uniform gives you away. I have heard all about you guys. You are supposed to be heroes. Heroes and good guys don't kill," the man cried trying to convice Logan not to kill him.
"You are right I am a X-Man. The thing is though I am not today. I have lost my faith." Logan took a breath and said simply, "Three."
* * * * *
"Rogue look down there I think that I see him," Sage said as she pointed.
Rogue looked where she was pointing and saw that indeed Logan was down there and in a fight as usual. He had one man dead and then a second. She watched as she descended as Logan walked up to a helpless man and cut his throat without showing any remorse.
"Ah Logan what have you done. We never do that. We never kill unless it is necessary. Ah can't believe that you would do that," Rogue nearly yelled in fury at Logan.
She watched as he shoved a man up against a wall and start to talk to him. They landed at that time at the alley entrance across the street from where Logan was. She noticed that Logan was using his old questioning technique which didn't make her nervous. She had seen him use it many times and he had never hurt anyone and she knew that he wouldn't hurt the man know.
She watched and heard Logan say, "Three."