Guard duty. One of the oldest occupations since the birth of civilization. When things were needed to be guarded, there were guards. And also the single most boring occupation since the birth of civilization.
So contemplated this particular guard as he went about his duty, patrolling in front of the iron door that was the secondary entrance in and out of the Hydra fortress. Located as it was in a mountain, the entrance was too small and too far up to be noticed. The main gate was much more heavily guarded. He was unaware of what was going on inside, but his lowly status as a guard forbade him from learning. Not that he gave half a damn. He followed orders because the pay was good. Much better than that involved in the United States marines.
The guard in question lifted his head from his monotonous duty as a noise caught his attention. From the entrance of the cave. Curious, he lifted his Ak-47, clicked off the safety, and moved forward to investigate. Glancing left and right, he saw no sign of anyone. Not even the birds that sometime flew up this high.
Pity he hadn't bothered to look up, otherwise he might've seen her.
As it was, X23 swung forward, slamming both fists into the unfortunate guards face and knocked him flat onto the ground and unconscious. Retracting her foot claws, which had been imbedded into the ceiling of the cave, she gracefully landed onto her feet in a crouch. Her face was expressionless as she popped a single claw and sliced the door along its edge, letting it swing open without the lock attached. Her claw slid back into its respective sheath, as she pushed the door open slowly, not wishing to make too much noise.
X23 sniffed the air softly, once. The scent was thick here. X24's lair, she realized on an instinctive level. He was definitely here. Following where the scent lay strongest, X23 made her way down the corridors, keeping out of sight of the few guards she encountered. The one sentry would probably not be missed, but she did not wish to attract further attention. She also bypassed the few security camera on the walls, though thankfully had no need to destroy them. That would've drawn attention to herself.
Her best bet was to catch X24 off guard and kill him quickly. Yet she didn't like that plan. It was dishonorable, somehow, to kill an opponent by stabbing them in the back, so to speak. But it was still her best option. And, she reminded herself, she might not even get the chance to get that far.
"God," she whispered softly. "If you're anything like Kurt says you are... lend me a hand here."
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Graceful fingers slipped forward, tapping the keys in the console to bring up the desire images. Slender and elegant fingers, tipped with green manicured nails. The screen lit up, showing quite clearly X23 as she knocked out the guard and broke into the facility. She'd searched for visible cameras, but the one artfully hidden into the rock of the cave she'd missed. She's grown careless, thought Viper.
No matter. She wasn't important any longer.
"X24," came a cool, cultured voice. A voice with a hint of an Eastern European accent.
"I am at your command, Madame Hydra," came the voice of her weapon. Viper smirked as she turned around in her chair, facing him, taking yet another good look at her warrior.
It was surprising such a young and innocent face belonged to that of a born and bred killer. He stood tall, proud, but his eyes stared forward obediently, not meeting Viper's own emerald gaze. He, unlike her, had been properly conditioned. His rage only served their purposes, not his own.
Physically he resembled a young boy close to sixteen or so, though chronologically this was not true. His growth had been accelerated in the past few years to make it easier for him to overpower his older sibling. His blonde hair was lighter than the original owner of his DNA, and cut far shorter, in military fashion. A few stray clumps stuck up at odd angles along his head, though Viper paid them no heed, and neither did X24. He was powerful... very powerful. Had he been a high school student, the football teams coach would've sold his soul to the devil to get X24 as his star quarterback. His mouth was closed now, and there was no notice of his elongated canines or claws. They were partially retractable, though not as much as X23's. Still, he could pass for normal easily enough. His uniform, unlike his siblings, was black, skintight armor, the very latest available, covering him from neck to toe, leaving only his hands and head free. His trench coat and gear had been put away, he had no need of them for this particular mission.
In short, he was the perfect weapon of Hydra, and Viper could not be more proud that he was hers.
"Go and find your sister, X24," order Viper in clear, precise tones. "Find her, defeat her. Kill her if you can, and then bring her to the scientists... they'll handle it from there."
"Understood," he replied, as always snapping immediately into action. But as he departed, Viper glimpsed a grin on his now decidedly feral features. He was enjoying this. Fighting his sibling. Perhaps a bit more treatment was involved, to wipe out those rebellious emotions.
Still, for now it would do. He would defeat X23, and then Viper would have what she wanted. She always got what she wanted, in the end.
"Madame Hydra?"
"Yes, what is it?" she asked with something close to a sigh. Stupid underlings, they were always bothering her. She honestly believed that if she wasn't around the dundering idiots would run the place into ruin. Gauntlet was her most capable of warriors, and also the most loyal. Next to X24, of course.
"Ma'am, you definitely want to take a look at this..."
Viper grumbled and slid out of her chair, marching over towards the unfortunate soldier who'd drawn her attention. Seeing her ire, he wasted no time, pointing to the screen in front of him. Viper's eyes widened, and she shivered fearfully, though she tried not to let it show overly.
"Not him... not now..."
"The intruder is making his way towards the barracks," stated the soldier, obviously not having her heard her. "I can send some troops to cut him off..."
"Don't bother... they'll be slaughtered. Evacuate those areas."
"Yes, sir," he replied, issuing the orders as Viper continued to watch the figure on the monitor. This was the worst possible time, but she was prepared for trouble this time 'round.
"Send Gauntlet to deal with him," ordered Viper.
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In the forest near the mountain fortress of Hydra, the trees and leaves rustled as the XM Velocity dropped down into a clearing. The door slid open, and out stumbled the weary defenders. Some had managed to catch a few winks in the flight to Russia, but with the XM Velocity capable of Mach 3... it hadn't taken much time to get there, and most were still dead on their feet.
They'd recovered his bike (leading some of the X-Men to suspect that was the object of affection Logan had been so worried about). X23 had abandoned it at the local airport, hijacking a small one-person plane to make the flight across the ocean to their current location. It lay abandoned in the woods, and Logan dispatched Rahne to keep an eye on it until one of them could return it to its owners. She hadn't objected, probably intending to curl up in the pilots seat and sleep.
Logan wasn't, however, as he dropped down again, sniffing the air. She'd been here, alright, on her way up to the mountain. A facility if ever he'd seen one, and he'd seen plenty in his day.
"You sure this is ze place, Herr Logan?" asked Kurt, his eyelids drooping. He could barely make out the mountain, let alone the facility itself.
"I'm sure. Plus, its her scent... and hers..." he added darkly. He should've known she'd would still be alive. SHIELD had a tougher time trying to kill the Madame Hydra than Hercules had killing the Hydra. Wolverine didn't like the way things were going one bit.
"Alright... our best bet is to get in unseen... Nightcrawler, think you can 'port us in past the gate?" asked Cyclops.
"It'll take a couple of trips," surmised Nightcrawler. "And ve'll have to get much closer... like down by the cluster of pine trees," he said, pointing them out.
"Alright, move out!" ordered Cyclops, as he and Logan took point, the others following behind. Though still tired they were now awake enough to know that this was a serious mission. And that their friends safety was at stake.
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X23 opened the next sliding doors, claws out and ready to deal with anyone she spotted. To her relief, her keen senses confirmed what she'd already sensed on the other side of the door. This room was empty of people. People yes, but it was full none-the-less. The entire room was filled with row upon row of jars. It stretched the length of an entire football field. Thick, green fluid filled tubes, each twice her height. But it was not the containment tubes or the fluids that sickened her.
It was what was inside.
Inside each tube was a baby, a fetus, or a growing cluster of cells in some stage of growth. They were incubation chambers, she realized with a sense of number horror. The first row was empty, and she abruptly realized why upon seeing the identifying tags at the bottom. X1, X2, X3... all the way through X22. Her siblings, the ones who'd come before her. Siblings by circumstances of birth if not DNA. Her tube was also empty, as well X24's. But the one after that...
X25 was still in her tube, only six months old were Sarah to guess by her physical appearance. Her head was covered with a very thing, dark black hair, and her features were that of classic Asian: high cheek bones and almond-shaped (if closed) eyes. Next to her tube was X26. A less developed child, still with indistinct fingers and toes. And more, on. Each with a number. No name, just a label. No name.
X23's fist clenched as she struggled to hold back her dark emotions, on the verge of surging forth in a berserker rage. She had nothing but hatred for the people who'd done this. Raw, naked hatred for each and every one of them, save Deborah. She'd done this, but her own guilt was punishing her enough. Killing her would end that punishment. And, X23 realized, she did try and help.
"Admiring the collection?"
X23's head snapped up, but she did not turn around. Instead she stretched out her senses, cursing herself for not noticing him earlier. Where was he... ah, there! Oh no, that scent!
X24 stepped out of the shadows where he'd been hiding, standing in front of one of the green glass tubes, arms hanging at his sides limply. He was smiling, but it was a cruel, cold smile. He carried no weapons, but of course X23 knew he likely didn't need them. He was a living weapon, just like she'd been.
"It is good to finally meet you, sister," he stated, taking a few, very short, calculated steps towards her. X23 instinctively backed away, crouching down low. Her claws remained sheathed for the moment as she sized up her enemy.
"You are no brother of mine," she reply darkly, eyes narrowed in concentration. Two sharp claws shot from her left fist, but to her surprise X24 didn't even bat an eye. But X23 did more than that as he reached to his belt and drew out a dagger, throwing it with deadly accuracy right at her head. X23 gracefully dodged to one side behind one of the green tubes, keeping her back to it, ready to dodge either way the instant it was hit.
Thankfully, it wasn't. As she surmised, Hydra probably wanted the other clones alive. Though something wasn't quite right.
"Good shot," she called out, making conversation despite being in the middle of a fight. She could tell where he was, but she needed to understand his motivation before going into combat. "But you may want to aim lower next time if you want to disable me."
"Hydra does not want you disabled," he replied. "Hydra wants you dead."
"I thought I was to be their weapon?" replied X23, as she glanced around the side of the tube, looking into the eyes of X24. He was still where he'd been before, calm, hands resting at his sides. But he moved with lightning speed, and his calm stance did not fool her.
His response didn't terribly surprise her. A weapon that can't be controlled is best destroyed, so it does not fall into the wrong hands or destroy its owner. Hydra must've felt she was no longer worth the effort. Though if that was the case, why had they been so careful not to destroy her before? They didn't want her alive... but they wanted her intact.
"You were, but I am more than sufficient to replace you," he replied with a smug grin. X23 was suddenly reminded of Multiple. He'd worn a similar grin whenever he'd won a game of cards (a game he was surprisingly good at.) Was that all this was to X24? A game? "We don't need you, X23," he stated, as he finally dropped down into a combatic stance. "But you have something Hydra still wants, besides your death..."
"What's that?" X23 asked, dropping into her own combatic stance. She wouldn't go easy on him, and wouldn't go down easily either.
"The adamantium."
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Victor Creed was not a hero.
Not by any stretch of the imagination would anyone call him that. Especially not the people he knew him. He was a killer, a mercenary, and a henchmen who hired out to whomever could pay him. And those people that could meet his price, more often than not, were the sorts that had tainted souls far darker than his. He'd killed, he'd destroyed, he's 'caused chaos wherever he went, simply because it was in his nature to do so.
So, he thought to himself. What the heck was he doing here?
The door slid open, and he stepped forward, his thick, iron-nailed boots making a very loud clanging sound on the ground as he stepped forward with relentless purpose. No one was stupid enough to try and get in his way. Hydra knew his capabilities, they'd avoid him so as to avoid the unpleasant deaths of their loyal troopers. People like him, hired out to kill. He had no moral qualms with ripping them apart like tissue paper if they got in his way.
But just because he didn't feel bad about killing people didn't mean he had no morals what so ever. Sabertooth had his own code of honor. And what Hydra was doing here was wrong. He would've thought that even before he found out he was involved. Now, it was personal. And he was going to tear this entire place apart.
The next door refused to open, so, with a growl, he ripped it clean off its hinges...
... to come face to face with Wolverine.
With a growl, the two longtime rivals clashed, Wolverine's initial attack knocking them back down the corridor. Beyond them, Sabertooth spied more of his X-Men. Growling, he grabbed his opponent by the shoulders and tossed him clear down the opposite corridor, where he rolled to his feet and his claws flew from their sheaths.
"Go on!" he shouted to the other X-Men. "Take the other corridor, find Sarah!"
Cyclops nodded and they broke off, leaving Wolverine and Sabertooth to clash. Wolverine's claws were out as he swung them with wild abandon, trying to rip Sabertooth to pieces, but the bigger man was fast despite his size, and neatly dodged or blocked every such attack.
"What the hell are you doin' here, runt?!" he roared, backhanding Wolverine and sending him crashing into a wall. Unsurprisingly, he grimaced in pain but did little else, as the two now started to circle one another. Their initial reaction, pure rage, was being replaced by the cooler, more calculating parts of their minds.
"Me?! What're you doin' here?! This isn't any of your business! Unless you're workin' for Hydra, maybe," Wolverine added dangerously.
Sabertooth growled, low and menacing. "I got my principles...!" he replied. "I don't work for people who do experiments on people like us!"
"Yeah right! What about your ghoul buddy in the black coat?" retorted Wolverine. His barb sunk deep, and Sabertooth had to restrain himself from throwing himself forward. Wolverine was baiting him. Besides, he had more important things to do than tussle with his mortal enemy. Instead, he released a full-throated, deep roar that made the walls vibrate. The sort of roar that sent African lions scurrying for cover.
"I don't have time for this! I wanna end this as much as you guys do! This is personal now... those guys took some of my DNA!" shouted Sabertooth. Wolverine growled, sizing up his opponent, wondering if Sabertooth was being truthful. And even if so, could he be trusted.
Reluctantly, Wolverine sheathed his claws and relaxed his stance. Relaxed being relative.
"Alright... those kids have a head start... let's go!" he said, making his way down the corridor to catch up to the other X-Men. Sabertooth followed after him, keeping up with the shorter, dark-haired man in front of him. He supposed things would go easier with the runt to help him, though he'd rip out his own eyes before he admitted it. Literally. They'd heal. His pride was not so easily restored.
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X23 and X24 stood at the far ends of the room, watching each other between rows of the green glass columns housing their yet unborn siblings. Neither took their eyes of the other.
X23's face was a grim mask of determination as she took a fighting stance and unsheathed the claws of her left hand, as well as her left foot. She kept both her right foot and fist free, that being the side of her body where she'd kept the throwing disks, now located against her belt. As well as the lighter. The explosives lay in the satchel, which she'd discarded onto the floor by the door. If she survived she could blow the whole place to hell. If not, then it wouldn't matter.
X24's face was a feral grin. Growling, he stretched out his hands in a similar fighting stance, as the unusually sharp nails at the tips of his fingers elongated, becoming short, lethal claws. They glinted as hers did. Adamantium. Shorter, they were no less deadly. Growling softly in anticipation, X24 lip curled back, exposing his teeth, four of them elongating in a similar manner, sliding forward from his gums. All of his teeth, razor-sharp, glinted in the same manner. Great, she thought. More to worry about.
"Let us begin this, sister," he stated, clicking his adamantium claws against one another, flexing his fingers in eager anticipation.
The two assassin siblings watched one another, each waiting for an unseen signal to begin the fight. A fight that was long in the making, and would only end with one of their deaths.
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Author's Notes:
For clarification, the team Logan assembled include: Cyclops, Rogue, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and himself. X24's physical appearance? Think Ian Haller (part of Legion) with Sabertooth-style fangs and claws. And now everything is falling into place, explanations have been made, and its all set for a big action-packed Mini-Logan (F) vs. Mini-Sabertooth (M) fight to the death. In case anyone was wondering, X25Õs appearance is a yet another subtle nod to Yuriko Oyama, who in some incarnations also had an advanced healing factor and was involved in the Weapon X project. I know some versions have her as a cyborg, but she hasnÕt shown up in Evolution, so I am exercising creative license! Deal with it! Next chapter, the big dramatic fight scene you've all been waiting for. Enjoy.
Kinomi: I hope not speeding too fast, but yeah, it is. I like dramatic confrontations.
Zoken: You think most teenagers aren't like that? They're the most unpredictable age group known, and Sarah is even more likely to be unpredictable because of that horrible upbringing of hers. Don't worry, she'll find her niche soon enough.
DoWriter12: Just said to myself one day, what would happen if a clone of Wolverine met a clone of Sabertooth? It grew from there.
Ultimate R-Man: Hehehe, oh don't worry. I wouldn't want to make you angry. He's coming, he's coming.
Elrohirthewriter: You can -now-... and yes, you and I know that. It was a joke, darnit! Laugh...! LAUGH....!!
Optic Red: Indeed I am. Profiles and Romance sections, with the link in my profile. Glad to know my work is appreciated.
A.M.bookworm247: So it wasn't just me. It does fit her though, doesn't it? Glad you like the story, and hope you like the upcoming ending.
The Rogue Witch: Oh you have no idea. Wait until the next chapter and you'll get a taste of X24. He makes TAS Sabertooth look tame.