X23's bike came to a sudden, almost jarring halt as she finally reached her destination. Under her breath, she cursed up a storm. Things could not have possibly been worse for her.
She'd half-expected her opponent to lure her to an abandoned or isolated place. Somewhere they could fight or talk without being observed by the rest of the population. It had been ingrained into every servant of Hydra, her more than most, that stealthy and secrecy were of the utmost importance.
But now she stood before the great Bayville Aquarium, and it was full of people. Crowded, almost. Despite the threat of rain from the overhead storm clouds. It was a busy work day, and the entire place was filled with adults, families and kids all swarming around wanting to see the strange and exotic sea life that existed throughout the world. X23's more military mind told her not to go in. Too many civilians around, they could get in her way or spot her when she found her foe and attacked. And the part of her mind filled with the training of the X-Men also told her this was dangerous. If a fight broke out, someone could get hurt.
But the part of X23 that was Sarah Howlett couldn't let her back down and go away. She had to confront her enemy.
Her objective made clear, X23 analyzed her options. Simply walking up and in wasn't an option, since the security force was present, watching those who went in at the ticket booth. Simply going up to the counter to buy a daily pass wasn't an option either, she was in full uniform and would've attracted attention immediately. Her eyes roamed over the building, searching for an answer. An opening, a weakness in their grid, an air vent she could've slipped in, anything.
The answer finally presented itself to her in the form of a young mother and her teenaged son, heavily covered up by a rain coat. A mother and son she recognized well, from their infrequent visits to the Institute. The Leeches. Not for the first time, X23 idly wondered what kind of family name was Leech. Kitty suggested maybe that Dorian's father had been a lawyer, and after a few more jokes at the expense of law attorneys in general, X23 had finally understood the joke.
Pushing aside pleasant matters, she parked her bike in the parking lot and made her way over towards the family of two, being careful to avoid conspicuous glances from some of the others in the parking lot.
"Mrs. Leech," she said politely, getting the Leech matron's attention. Her head snapped up. She hadn't changed much in the past few years, but all the stress that came from raising a mutant child had evidently been hard on her. Still fairly young, there were locks of silver in her red hair now, and a few wrinkles around her eyes. Still, upon recognizing Sarah, she relaxed instantly and smiled. Beneath his hood, Leech offered a similar smile.
"Sarah, isn't it?" asked Dorian, his voice muffled by the thick coat covering his features.
"I need your help," stated X23, getting to the point quickly. "I need to get into the Aquarium... can I borrow one of Dorian's coats? I promise I'll return it by tomorrow."
Had it been anyone else that had asked, Mrs. Leech might've refused. But the Xavier Institute and those who lived there had been nothing but kind and helpful to her and her son, from the time he'd gotten sick with the Legacy virus, to the times his powers surged out of control and he accidentally caused a black-out. She'd refused to let her son board at the Institute, but someday... someday soon perhaps... she was going to see she had little choice but to accept her son's condition and have him admitted to the Xavier manor. But until that time, they could at least stay on the best of terms.
Dorian slid back into the open van that was their transportation, hiding himself from prying eyes as he slipped off the coat and handed it to X23, who slipped it on to cover her uniform. Beneath the coat, in the shadows of the van, Dorian looked as normal as any other kid his age (fourteen) save the unnatural pallor of his skin and the scaly texture to it. Like the Morlocks, Dorian could not live on the surface without attracting attention to his freakish appearance and thus could not live a normal life. Even the old 'he's just sick' excuse his mother had used throughout so much of his early life was useless now. Thus, he was home schooled and isolated.
"Please, Mrs. Leech, take your son and head home. I'm afraid something bad might happen here," she stated, indicating the aquarium. Mrs. Leech, well accustomed to the X-Men and their dealings with trouble, took her advice to heart and slid into the driver's side of the vehicle. Dorian climbed into the passenger's side, giving Sarah a wave and a heartfelt smile. He had so few friends he loved any chance to interact with others, especially those at the Institute.
He really was such a sweet kid.
Pulling the raincoat closed to conceal her uniform, X23 grabbed some money and paid the man at the window, grabbing a ticket for the daily tour and doing her best not to grit her teeth when he asked if she wanted a season pass. Now was definitely not the time to lose her temper.
"Hey sis," came a low, sibilant hiss. The tone and volume, so different from the countless screaming kids and parents throughout the aquarium, instantly caught X23's attention, and she could hear it as if her opponent stood right next to her. X23 instantly paused, right next to a display case of some tropical fish. She stretched out with her senses, but could not find her. The voice (coupled with the masking scent of blossoms earlier) identified her opponent as female, but that didn't narrow down opponents much in this vast crowd.
"Hey yourself," she replied carefully, her voice equally low. If she could hear her foe, maybe she could hear X23. "Nice day for a fight, isn't it?"
"Not really," came the hissing voice. It shifted position, and X23 cursed silently. She was moving, using the crowd to stay hidden. "But it's an excellent day for an execution."
"Hydra wants me dead, doesn't it?" replied X23, turning around and placing her back to a nearby support beam in the center of the hallway. Less chance of being snuck up on.
"Hydra has nothing to do with this. The Circle might've encouraged me to come here, but the only person who really wants you dead is me, dear sister," that voice took on a new tone now. Darker, more menacing. X23 suppressed a shiver, idly rubbing her knuckles. Not here. Not now... but soon.
"Why?"
"You took my life!" that voice hissed angrily. It raised in volume, but it was still too difficult for X23 to locate the source, so she stayed exactly where she was. She stretched her senses as far as they would in this environment filled with distractions. "Do not deny it. You left me for dead."
"Who are you?" X23 asked hesitantly. She suspected, but she had to know for sure. Win or lose, she needed to know the identity of her opponent. If she won, she could finally put her nightmares to rest. If she lost, she could put her spirit to rest. Maybe meet Kurt's God and have a nice long chat with him. She certainly had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.
"X25."
"So you survived," replied X23, glancing about. She had a rough idea of what to look for now. She'd studied Hydra's files when she'd learned about X24, and found out about the other clones. X25 was a clone of Yuriko, an old... well... "friend" of Logan's. Close friend, or so he'd said. He never elaborated, but it was clear he'd cared for her. He'd shown Sarah a picture once, during her inquiries. A dark-haired Japanese lady. Now as an imperfect clone, like Sarah, she wouldn't look 100% like the DNA donor, but there would be some similarities. Dark-hair, asian features. Plus, if she was here to kill X23, she'd likely be armed and armored in some fashion. Not wearing a T-shirt that said 'I'm only wearing Black until they invent something darker.'
"Yes I survived. I was rescued, I was given new life by the Circle," came X25's voice. It sounded dangerously close to X23, and she tensed, her eyes still glancing around, searching for those features, her nose alert for the scent of sakura blossoms. "He gave me new life. At the cost of pain every day I wake up, a pain that came from the growth serum."
"To make you my age," said X23 with a nod. She suspected something like that was the case. X24 had been, physically, almost three years her senior when they'd fought, yet he'd been almost half her age mentally. X25 had evidently been given the same treatment.
"You did this to me," hissed X25. "You destroyed me. And now I'll destroy you."
X23 knew that tone of voice. No compromise, no mercy, no apologies. X25 meant for a fight to the death, and nothing X23 could say would convince her otherwise. "I don't suppose a simple 'I'm sorry' will suffice?" asked X23 lightly, hoping to goad X25 into attacking.
It worked.
A Japanese girl with bright, unnaturally red hair trimmed short suddenly launched herself from the crowd with a wild yell, slamming fully into X23 and knocking her back against the support pillar with only slightly less support than a battering ram. All the air knocked out of her lungs, X23 couldn't react as X25 grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her to one side, slamming right into a display case and sending water and broken glass splashing all over the floor. Screams broke out from among the patrons, and the more intelligent ones decided it was in their best interests to run. The stupider ones decided to linger to see what was going on.
"I'm going to enjoy this," said X25, idly cricking her neck to one side, then the other, idly clicking her perfectly manicured nails together. She was wearing a dark green coat that buckled tightly across her slender frame and some skintight green pants, complemented by some boots, made of some thick material suited for combat. X23 growled, slipping back to her feet. No chance in avoiding a conflict now. Growling, she grabbed her now soaked coat and flung it aside, crossing both arms across her chest and flinging them out, unsheathing her four adamantium claws in the process. At the sight of such, a good number more of the patrons fled, recognizing a mutant fight when they saw one.
X25 didn't seem concerned though. With almost agonizingly slow patience she lifted up her hand, examining her fingers. "Oh dear," she whispered, her voice soft, her eyes always on her pseudo-sibling. "I chipped a nail..." she said, and that was when she revealed her own weapons. From her fingertips slid adamantium nails, easily as long and deadly as X23's own. One tipped each finger, on both hands, totaling ten to Sarah's four. Hers were thicker too, X25's were more slender, and as she moved her fingers they made a wicked sound as they slid through the air. Grinning, the red-head took an offensive stance, claws extended. Her dark-haired counterpart took a similar one. Neither could say who moved first. To the bystanders, they had both been standing, and then in the blink of an eye...
They were engaged in combat.
X23 launched herself at her red-headed sibling, aiming for her torso. Like X24, their bones were never covered with adamantium, since when they grew and developed their bones would have to grow to accommodate them. Thus, she was betting X25 only had those adamantium claws. If X23 could get in a good blow, her darker sibling would go down, and then she'd no longer be a threat.
X25 saw her coming, of course. She'd anticipated the move, prepared for it, grabbing X23's arm and yanking her forward, twirling herself around like an acrobat as X23 lunged off-balance and slammed her elbow into her back, sending X23 reeling. X23 rolled with the blow, coming up in a crouch and lashing out with her claws at X25, who leapt up and backwards, nimbly dodging out of the way. X23's claws slashed clear through another exhibit, once more drenching the dark-haired girl in slimy cold water and glass, and this time nearly getting smacked full in the face by a rare fish from the Hawaiian Islands. Growling, she turned to face X25. She was running... no... she was leading X23 somewhere.
X23 growled and shook herself off like a dog, giving chase. Her uniform was water-resistant but not water-proof, and she was going to need a hot shower after all this was over, but for now she had only one objective. X25.
X23 followed her into the petting tank room, watching as X25 flipped up and over gracefully, landing in a crouch on one of the rocks in the tanks, her boots just barely above the water. With a grin, she beckoned X23 on with a single sharp claw. Taunting her. X23 growled, but remained calm. Grunting, she leapt up onto another such rock before X25. She would come alright, but on her own terms.
"You're slow," whispered X25, brushing her sharp nails against the surface of the water, teasingly brushing against the back of a passing ray.
Battle again resumed in an instant, as X23 and X25 leapt for one another simultaneously. X23 barreled right into her pseudo sibling, slamming her hard onto the ground beside the tank. X25 kicked her off and she landed hard in a crouch, facing away from her sibling. Without even looking X23 lashed out with her foot, sliding out her claw at the last second to tear clean across X25's jacket. Using her momentum from the kick she spun around, retracting the claw, still crouched on the ground.
X25 barely gave a grimace, watching the skin beneath her buckles heal over and smooth out almost instantly. She was more irritated that X23 had drawn first blood than anything else. X23 decided to add insult to injury, and said.
"Not as slow as you are."
X25's face turned livid with rage, and with a howl she hurled herself at X23, who met her attack, and for a moment the air was a flurry of slashing adamantium claws. Strike, block, retreat, dodge, duck, strike, kick, elbow and a number of other moves both combatants used, pulling on their years of knowledge and training to try and defeat the other. Like it or not, however, they were at a dead stand-off, completely equal.
Suddenly X25 stumbled, and X23 gave her a vicious kick across the face that sent her careening across the ground to slam against the far wall. She looked pained but... oddly enough... not from X23's kick. Curious, X23 peered at her more closely.
X25 growled, clutching her stomach as her skin seemed to... to almost ripple. Like something crawled under the surface of it, and it even made X23, who'd seen and done far worse things in her time as a Hydra assassin, feel queasy in her stomach.
"No... no... not now!" hissed X25. "I'm so close...!"
And then X23 abruptly realized what was wrong. "It's the growth serum, isn't it?" she asked, sheathing her claws and folding her arms across her chest. "It keeps you alive, but you need it just to stay as you are."
"I don't need to stay alive much longer," said X25, her voice hissed through clenched teeth as she drew herself back up to her full height. The pain had passed. "Just long enough to know I sent you to Hell before me. You can tell them I'm coming."
"I don't want to kill you," replied X23, taking a defensive stance. Her claws remained sheathed. She was honest in this, she didn't want to kill someone who was already halfway there.
"Tough, 'cause I want to kill you!" roared X25, taking another leap at X23. X23 grunted and reached into a nearby tank to grab something, tossing it at X25 to ward her off. Adamantium nails lashed through the air, then caught on their tips two of the tentacles from the octopus X25 had just skewered. Her sense of humor restored, the red-headed girl took a bite of the tentacle, chewing on it thoughtfully.
"Hmmm... never did care much for sushi," she remarked, flicking her nails to toss off the clinging organic material. Then she lunged at X23 again, and their fight resumed. Now totally on the defensive, X23 blocked and parried, allowing herself to be pushed back as the two made their way deeper into the facility, towards the shark tanks. Thankfully, security had cleared out the other patrons, and had yet to interfere in their fight. It wouldn't be long now though. And then there'd be another complication for X23 to worry about.
"Just... DIE!" shouted X25, making an awkward slash, then slamming her elbow into X23's gut, sending her flying back to hit the shark exhibit's glass, just hard enough to crack it. X23 grunted, keeping her eyes on her opponent.
"You first," grunted X23, stepping to her left and lashing out with her right fist, cracking the glass completely. A torrent of water rushed out and slammed fully into X25, even as the sharks followed afterwards. Flopping about helplessly on the ground. One of them had the very poor fortune to slam right into X25, pinning her against the wall, even as she slammed her head against it. The very audible crack that X23 heard told her all too well she'd just shattered her skull. She was down.
X23 made her way through the ankle-deep water, stepping down hard on the shark's overturned body to pin down her pseudo-sibling. Her green uniform was torn with slashes, her hair was soaked, her eyes dark. She clung to life only feebly. And again, her skin rolled as if something moved beneath it. The serum... it was killing her.
"Go on... finish me," she whispered.
"I can help you," said X23 after a moment's hesitation.
"Help me end this... if I cannot kill you, let me die by your hand," whisper X25, doing her best to grab X23's arms. X23, numb and sickened by her request, did not deny her, letting her arms be guided, the knuckles pressed to the Japanese girl's throat. A swift pop of the claws, and it would all be over. Even for a regenerator, the loss of a head was instantly fatal.
"One more death for X23," murmured her pseudo-sibling, closing her eyes and tilting her head back in a submissive gesture.
X23 glared darkly, pressing her knuckles more firmly against her sister's throat. She would end it, but not for X25's honor, she deserved none. To relieve her pain. Before she passed on to the afterlife, however, whatever it was, X23 had one final message to deliver.
"My name..." she whispered triumphantly. "... is Sarah Howlett."
A swift pop of her claws, and it was all over. X25's head rolled off her body and came to a stop at the base of the shark's neck, giving Sarah an odd comparison between the two dead predators. Sighing, Sarah slid her claws back between her knuckles. Already she could hear security and police coming to try and apprehend her, but she'd be gone long before they arrived. She could move as easily as smoke if she wanted to. Still, she had one last thing she wanted to get first.
Dorian's coat.
Author's Notes:
And so ends the life of Hydra's monstrous child, X25. Her back story of course contains elements from 'Weapon X24' and I recommend that to any who want more reading about her, her siblings, X24, or Sarah. A picture of the infamous children of Hydra can be found created by the very talented artist Comet-hime, though my story calls for a slightly different coloration of X25. Dorian's introduction was a last minute idea on my part on how to have Sarah slip into the aquarium, but I wanted to give his character a little growth as well, since he'd be a teenager by now. Growth serum and adamantium were of course provided by Colonel Wraith, whom we saw a few chapters back, ordered by the Circle. Just to clear up any plot holes that were there. Oh, and a T-shirt with that slogan? Best thing I've ever worn. Best saying too.
Star-of-chaos: Very true, very true. Poor Morlocks, they never catch a break, do they? Poor mistreated, misunderstood Morlocks.
Nessie6: Twelve or thirteen, you sure? I would've thought fourteen, just short of being a freshmen. But ah well, whatever, its not like they ever tell us or have birthday parties in the episodes. And yeah I know Crystal was some super-powered being or something, but I wanted to switch it around for my Evo characters. Plus, I wanted to make little Luna as fast as daddy Pietro. As for the old uniforms... the Professor's got a dirty mind. Just ask Lesli. She knows.
X0001: Well it's a little something like that. You like?
Hana the Wreck: Nope, just what my profile says. A guy with an overactive imagination and too much time on his hands. And a none-too-healthy obsession with Evo. Oh no, another Gambit fan. Ah well don't fret I ain't gonna kill the bastard... not yet... at least.
Oceanbang: One on one always are my best fights. More details. Hope you enjoyed. And yeah, they're full fledged X-Men now. With their new uniforms and everything! Hooray!
ViciousAssassin: Based on what we've seen of the Morlock in glimpses from 'X-Treme Measures' and 'Uprising' there are more Morlocks than just those we've seen given names and airtime. Thus, assume that about six or seven of them were cut down. Nobody significant. Big death later. And not X25's either, that also does not count. One of the X-Men. As for timing, yes it was perfect, but what do you expect from a story based on a cartoon show? You would prefer I have them late, see all the Morlocks slaughtered? I thought not. Comet got your message, and she loved 'em as well, so expect piccies. I'll include a link in my profile when it arrives. Enjoyed the fight, did we?
Risty: I know exactly what you mean. He's Wolverine to the Morlocks. And yeah, I don't care much for his new look either, but I do like the armor. If he could control it, then it'd be cooler. Ah well, I want everyone to have their chance to shine in this story. This being the end for them, after all.
Ray1: Little bit of both, but walking into a trap you know about is better than one you don't. Hope you enjoyed watching her fight.
Comet-hime: I purposefully left them only half-explained so as not to be overly boring. I agree, Jubes was the most un-comic like of all the Evo cast. But then again she never did get much chance to shine. Glad you're enjoying what's to come, keep the piccies coming. Oh, and for the beta-readerness? I know that! It was a frickin' joke! Laugh, damn you, laugh!!
Lyranfan: Sentinel-soldier, also known as Sentinel Mark II. They were designed by Trask and Wraith in 'Nullification.' The Circle using them is a sign that they've either made contracts or stolen the blueprints from them.
Evan fan: Bobby'll get his time to shine, but he was part of the core team in the Ascension shots, so I had to put him with the core team on the Luna station. Glad you like the uniforms, I had to draw from the comics and my own imagination to make a lot of those, and let me tell you right now they weren't easy. As you can see, X23 left to deal with a 'family matter.'
Princess Myra: Most of my big stories have at least mention of the Morlocks and the Brotherhood, I try not to ignore little groups in favor of focusing exclusively on the X-Men. Even though my stories do focus on them. Glad you liked the adult New Recruits and their new uniforms now that their full X-Men. And actually, the intent of the attack? You got it on the nose.
CrypticIdentity: Not quite, since her comic counterpart wore shorts and a red t-shirt under her coat, and this one wears a skin-tight black uniform like Rogue's. I try not to make them completely comic or Evo, but draw from both to make them best possible. Glad you like 'em. In TAS, Shadowcat and Lockheed never showed up, although they did appear in a very, very, very (you get the point) old animated pilot for an X-Man series that was ultimately never used (later replaced by TAS). It was called 'Pryde of the X-Men.' It has both of them, if you wanna see what Kitty used to look like (prepare to shudder at Wolverine's accent though).
Sandoz: Partially diversion, partially to eliminate the Morlocks as a threat (the Circle views all mutant groups that aren't under their control a threat, like the Brotherhood). All of them were comic inspired, but yeah Jubes got the most influence from TAS, though she got the pink sunglasses a few stories back for Christmas. Hope you enjoyed the battle of the femme fatales.