"That's the other thing about comin' home...it usually reminds you why you wanted to leave in the first place."
- Wolverine (Earth-616)
January 1962, Ontario, Canada
James slept soundly in bed with his love and wife wrapped in his arms. After fleeing from Japan and the wrath of the Yashida, James and Mariko had married and settled down in a large house, a little closer to society than James had initially wanted, but he could never refuse his love. Mariko was fearful that assassins would be sent to find and kill her and kill James if they could. James shared in her fears, especially now since the two of them were no longer alone. A loud wail erupted from the corner of the Howlett's room and James' ears immediately picked up on it. Mariko shifted but James patted her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
"I got it, sweetheart. Little tyke's probably just hungry." James said as he rolled out of bed and stretched his tight muscles. He walked over to the wooden crib and scooped the wailing baby, a boy, out and into his arms. The child was loud and thrashing his arms and legs in anger. James smirked. "Alright, alright. Jeez, I'm getting your bottle." James said. His son continued to cry until the nipple touched his lips and he ravenously devoured his bottle.
James looked down with a faint smile as his child finally finished and settled down. James propped the baby up in his arms and patted his back until he heard the small burp that notified him that his feeding duties were done. When John Howlett III shat in his cloth diaper, it would be his mother's turn to change him. The smell had been nauseating the first time James had dared to take a figurative stab at changing diapers.
Little John breathed softly as he dug his fingers into James' skin and laid his head on his father's chest. James smiled with indescribable pride at the small bundle of flesh he held in his arms. Something about holding his own offspring in his arms made him feel complete, even human. It was a feeling he had never felt before. James walked around the beauty of a house that his wife had bought, admiring the slight touches of Japanese architecture around it. He gently rocked his son in his arms and grinned as the baby yawned and snuggled into his hairy pectorals further. James walked into the living room and sat on his favorite couch and smiled. He was married to his Japanese love, Mariko and had been for five years and together, they had bore a child. For James, this felt like some sort of dream. A dream that had eluded him for the entirety of his life. And now, he was alive within it. He felt good.
James walked back to his bedroom and laid his son back into his crib. After stretching, he walked over to his wife as she stirred and looked over at him. James' wolfish grin spread across his face as he kissed Mariko.
"Well, hello beautiful." he said in a gravelly tone that made his wife's scent change. Mariko licked her lips and leaned forward to kiss James again, running her hands down his mutton chop sideburns. From there, her hands went down to his chest before slinking to James' waste. By then, James was already on top of her, kissing on her, every moan and shudder driving him further forward.
The next hour until the sun began to climb over the trees were filled with soft moans and pleasure. James' healing factor kept fatigue away from him, a perk he knew that Mariko had enjoyed the last five years. Now, she laid curled back up in the sheets of their bed and James made his way to the shower. If he wanted to make a good profit, he would have to start his day and soon.
James was a hunter and made his profit handling man-eaters and hunting sizable specimens for cash. He didn't particularly enjoy this line of work, but it made him the most money and it allowed him to release his animalistic instincts away from his wife and child. Mariko was as understanding as she could be, but she was more fiercely protective of their than James was, which was definitely saying something.
The forest was heavy with the scents of animals. In the distance, James could smell buried deer carcasses and territory markers from various species, often overlapping with each other. He could hear the calls of eagles overhead and elk down below in the valley. James wasn't concerned about eagles in the sky or elk grazing near the stream. He was tracking something much more dangerous.
James had heard the reports passing through the bars about some rogue bear in the forests just north of his house. In the last week, eight men, three women and a child had been killed. When they're bodies had been recovered, it was almost a no-brainer that a bear had done it. The price for the bear's head and pelt had been set for 3,000 loonies. When James had received word, he already started making plans for what he was going to do with the money. In James' mind, the bear was as good as skinned.
The hirsute man had tracked the bear's scent from the corpses and up into the trees, finding markers on the trunks and shit in the bushes. From their stench, they were all fresh. James continued padding through the woods and finally found something that surprised him. It was a puddle of blood and it wasn't human. It belonged to the bear he was tracking. What had happened to it? Could it have been shot? While James pondered on these questions, he heard the rustling of leaves followed by a grunt and growl.
The bear burst from the thicket with his mouth open, his canines shining in the dappled light. Before James could unsheathe his claws, the bear had struck him three times. His forepaws slashed open James' stomach while his jaws grabbed around James' throat. The bear shook his head violently and James dangled from his mouth like a rag doll. James could hear his neck bones starting to crack and could taste blood rushing into his mouth. He felt like death would be closing in on him shortly.
But he had no intention to die today.
The motions were quick and easy. James unsheathed his claws and dug them into the closest body part he could find on the bear. He stabbed one of its front legs and the animal yelped and loosened his grip on James' neck. James then planted his feet and raised his head, roaring as his claws criss-crossed through the bear's neck.
The animal's head tumbled over James' shoulders, landing against a rock a little further down the incline. James glanced down at it. He would collect it later. The wounds he had received healed before he could even remember he had been struck. James circled the bear's decapitated carcass in front of him, searching for only one thing. Whatever wound the bear had received.
It didn't take him long. The scar was very distinctive, four long claw marks down the bear's flanks and belly. The same as the markers on the tree. James frowned. He had thought they had belonged to this bear he was tracking. It's scent was all over the place. James had never missed or mixed a scent he was tracking. There was no way he could've confused this bear for something else? Was it?
James shook his head clear and grabbed the bear's head as he descended down the hill. Whoever wanted this bear dead would have to settle for the head. If they wanted the skin, they could climb their asses up the hill to get it. James found it much easier to find his way into the small town near his house than he did to track the bear. He arrived and made his way to the sheriff's office. The older man looked up at him and gawked at the giant bear's head. James gave him a wolfish grin and the sheriff gave him his full 3000 loonie reward.
After that little piece of business had been settled, James stretched and headed to the local bar for some cool down before he headed home. James sat at the stool and waved for the bartender.
"Your finest whiskey." he said with a smile. The smell of the drink entered his nose and James watched it thirstily as the bartender prepared his drink. As the cool liquid slid down his throat, James heard the doors to the bar swing open and pair of shoes clicking as they entered. James sat the glass down and could feel the present of someone near him.
"Are you James Howlett?" a man asked from behind him. James didn't turned his head. With a quick sniff, he could tell that the man was alone.
"Who the hell are you?" James growled. The man chuckled.
"No need to be rude, Mr. Howlett. I've just come to talk to you." the man approached and pulled up a chair next to James. James quickly sized the man up. He was young with shaggy black hair and faint hint of peach fuzz just beginning to form. James didn't like his smell or his snobbish grin.
"What is there to talk about? Do I know you?" James asked.
"No, Mr. Howlett, but we know a lot about you." the man responded. James dropped money on the counter, another drink was prepared and when it was put in front of him, James downed the glass. He then sniffed.
"We?"
"My organization. Department K."
"Never heard of it." James replied curtly. The man simply smiled.
"Naturally. You see, we're doing examinations of sorts for a project that we're putting together and I think you would make a wonderful addition." James shook his head.
"Not interested." he replied. To his chagrin, the man continued to press his point and James' patience.
"You have to understand something, Mr. Howeltt. We are in the midst of a cold war. Every effort made by the citizens of our country would help ensure the safety of our people." the man said. James sighed and licked his lips.
"Look, bub, I understand you may have good intentions, but right now, you're pissing me off. Don't do that. Just walk away. I'm not interested." James said, calmly but sternly before waving the bartender over again for another glass. The man next to him nodded his head and chuckled softly.
"I was trying to do this as peacefully as possible, Mr. Howlett. But, you're forcing my hand." the man said. James whirled around in his seat and grabbed the man by his collar and hoisted him into the air and stared him down. Slowly, his claws popped from between his knuckles. James' nostrils flared.
"I'm going to tell you this only once...fuck off. If I see you or smell you around here again, I will snatch your heart through your fuckin' nose. Am I crystal clear to you?" James growled. The other man barely even gulped. He just smiled. An eerie face that James had seen on killers before.
"Are you sure this is the course of action you're willing to take, Mr. Howlett?" the man said. James shoved the man backwards, sending him collapsing amongst the tables. Drinks spilled on top of him and James stifled a snicker. The man from Department K rose from the floor and glanced down at his ruined, liquor-soaked clothes and then looked back up at James. The smile was still there.
"I'll be seeing you later, Mr. Howlett." the man said with a slight dip of his head. After that gesture, the man was gone. James scanned the area for the man with all of his senses, but every trace of the man was gone. James scowled and downed his glass. He wished that the alcohol would circulate through his blood and at least get him in a good mood before he went home. But something felt off to him. Something about the man's words and his smile was setting off all of James' internal alarms. He needed to get back home to Mariko and Little John.
James felt his body push him towards his house. Adrenaline gave him extra strength as he raced through the woods, pushing through the snow up the hill. James felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and the way that he smelled was causing him to become nauseous. It was fear.
James burst through his front door and looked around quickly for his family.
"Mariko!" he called, his voice echoing through the house. James didn't hear a reply. James started panting wildly has mind raced. "Mariko!" James roared again, much more urgently. James' teeth ground together and he opened his mouth to yell again. "MARIKO!" This time, he received an answer...but not the one he wanted.
"Your pretty little Japanese princess isn't here, Jimmy." a voice growled. James froze in place, his eyes widening as he stared into the large glass window at the back of his house near the kitchen. In the reflection, James saw himself and a phantom from his past. When James finally had the stomach to turn around, he nearly threw up when he did. The man stood in the doorway with snow still stuck to his black leather jacket, pants and combat boots. He flexed his fingers, talons pointed at the end of the tips. His dirty blonde hair was shaggy and unkempt but there was no denying who he was.
Dog Logan.
James could only stare with his mouth open and his fists balled. A cocktail of anger and confusion mixed inside of him. There were no words to express what he felt. As if reading this, his long lost brother grinned and spoke.
"Surprised to see me? Surprised that you didn't smell me coming?" Dog asked. He walked forward and shook his hair of snow like his namesake. "It's actually pretty funny, ya know? I didn't come here unannounced. I, uh, heralded my arrival. The marks on the trees. The injured bear. The twelve poor fuckers in the forests, mauled but not eaten..." James' brain finally started to turn back on.
"B-but...I didn't sm..."
"Of course you didn't smell me. We share abilities, Jimmy. I know how to navigate my way around your senses. I've spent the last few decades honing my power, learning things about myself." Dog growled with a smirk. His talons lengthened at the tips, becoming hooked claws the length of a bear. James seethed. His fear gave way to an icy hot rage. His time in Japan had allowed him to learn to adopt a savage serenity, but he felt those lessons slipping away. Only one question registered in his mind.
"Where the hell is Mariko and my son?" James growled. Dog smiled.
"Now, now, little brother...first things first. We have an unsettled score. Last time I saw you, I decimated a backwater injun tribe out in the middle of fuck knows where and you managed to gut me and decapitate me, save a few strands of skin. That means we're tied, Jimmy." Dog said as he began to stalk towards James.
James knew that talking to Dog was beyond his ability. Despite his shock at seeing him at his front door after decades of being free from his presence, James had no choice but to fight and hurt Dog until he figured out where his family was. There was no other option. At least Dog would refuse to present him with one.
James wasted absolutely no time. With his claws drawn, he glided across the floor. Dog roared as he approached but James remained silent. His claws slashed through Dog's chest and his thigh. Blood spurted to the ground, but the wounds healed immediately. Dog lunged forward with an open palm and gripped James' face and dug his claws into his skull. With his grip secured, Dog lifted James over his head and slammed him down onto the floor. After five collisions with the ground, James grew angry. He forced the fire of his bestial rage to cool. He refused to lose his composure. That didn't mean he wouldn't fight.
James stabbed his claws into Dog's thigh and slid them upward towards his brother's groin. Dog howled and let James go. When James' feet hit the ground, he went on the offensive. Dog was delirious and a sitting duck now. The groin laceration would take a little longer to heal and it left James just enough time to open Dog up from his navel to his chin.
Dog's intestines spilled to the ground and the dirty blonde savage fell next to them, grabbing them up in a panic to push them back inside of his body. James stared down at Dog and growled. If the two kept going like this, there'd be no winner. James didn't have time to play with his brother. He needed to end him...and he knew exactly what he needed to do.
While Dog healed from his wounds, James ran upstairs into his room. Under his bed, his secret weapon was sheathed. James grabbed it and the blade sang with joy as it left it's scabbard. James whirled around and Dog limped in front of the door. He stared at James and then the sword in his hand. "And what do you plan on doing with that?" Dog laughed.
"First..." James said as he lunged forward, the Muramasa Blade slashing Dog's cheek. Dog smiled as he waited to heal, but the gash continued to bleed as the blood traveled down to his mouth. Dog stared forward and James saw the boy Dog had once been, afraid to stay out too long at his estate and scared of his drunkard father. James grinned. He saw the fear.
"I'll give you one warning. Tell me where my family is or I will keep cutting you until there isn't a damn thing for you to regenerate from. You won't heal anyway...but I'll make sure just in case. Talk, or I'll finish where I started." James said, pointing the Blade at Dog's groin. Dog gave James a defiant and knowing look.
"Fuck you." Dog spat blood into James' face.
Whatever held his anger back now was gone. The fire burned and James reacted. The Blade slashed Dog's chest open and James' kick sent him flying into the kitchen. Pots flew into the air and the table split in two. James leapt down to meet him. Dog swung his talons wildly, more out of desperation than a desire to fight now. He was losing blood and James was losing patience. James' blade stroke took the shape of a half-moon and Dog's left hand flew into the air. Dog spat and James grabbed him by his ripped jacket and shoved him onto the window.
"Where. Are. They?!' he shouted. Dog didn't answer fast enough. James lost whatever was holding his rage in and with a powerful front kick, he sent Dog crashing through the glass window in his kitchen and leapt after him. The dirty blonde man tumbled down into the snow, his blood painting the cold, pure white a hot, steamy crimson. James treaded through the snow towards Dog and pressed the Blade to his throat. The carbonadium acid tip had already begun to eat away at his flesh.
Dog glared up at James, his fear now replaced with the purest hatred. Throughout their lives together, Dog had always plagued James either in his life or in his dreams. Now, James had the opportunity to end the nightmare. And he would, but not before he found out what had happened to his family. The swirl of the wind whistled in James' ears and brought new scents to him...as well as several familiar ones.
"Whoa, whoa, Mr. Howlett." the man from Department K yelled over the rushing wind. James' eyes turned to him and he stared. James heard the wailing of his son and his wife screaming in Japanese at the men that held her. James pushed the tip of the Blade further into Dog's throat and the man from Department K spoke up again. "Mr. Howlett! Don't push any further." he waved to his men.
Little John was thrown crying into his mother's arms and she was in turn pushed to the snowy ground. Mariko cradled the boy and James stepped forward. All of the men's rifles pointed to his wife and son. James froze.
"Look, James...this is how things are going to go. You and your family will come with us. So long as you cooperate, they'll stay alive." the man from Department K said. In this moment, everything temporarily slowed for James. There were ten armed men holding his family at gunpoint. Judging from the distance between them, there was no way James could even attempt to save them without both he and his family being gunned down. Dog's hand gripped at James shin and James looked down at him. The man that had preyed on him for most of his adult life. James held the power to take his head off and be done with him...but at what cost? His family would most definitely be killed and he'd be left with nothing.
There was no choice.
James moved the Blade from Dog's neck and threw it to the ground. He looked to his wife, who laid in the snow with tears pouring from her face.
"James, no!" she cried. James averted his eyes and shook his head. The soldiers surrounding him and his family, grabbing his wife and child up. Dog rose to his feet beside James and grinned in his face. He spat blood contemptuously in James' face and before James could react, Dog drove his fist in James' face and the world for him went black.
Somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic United States, 1962
James heard noises around him. He tried to move his body, but he felt restrained. James felt covered in liquid and he breathed, he felt something squeeze his mouth and chin. James thrashed around and his eyes burst open. There was glass in front of his face. James tried to scream, only for his cries to go unheard and bubbles to rise into his face, blocking his vision. After the bubbles had cleared, James grit his teeth at the sight of the Department K man standing in a room with a group of men in white lab coats. The men typed away furiously at the keyboards, checking the monitors occasionally. James' stomach flipped and his mind stopped as he realized where he was.
A fucking test tube.
Whatever the liquid was that James was dunked in, it dulled his senses. He could barely hear anything but muffled sounds outside of the glass and he definitely couldn't smell anything. But he could see. Another figure entered the room with the man from Department K. James couldn't fully make out the man's appearance but noted one thing. Even in the darkness of the room, James could tell that he was pale.
The pale man exchanged words with some of the scientists. The pale man's voice sounded like gravel mixed with the pounding of a bass drum. After he spoke, James heard sounds in the liquid that sounding like drills starting up. Moments later, James realized that they were exactly what they sounded like. The drills buried into James' skin and contacted the bone. Another drill lowered in front of James' face and dug itself between his eyes. James could only feel slight pain sensations when they entered and detached from his body. Blood began to fill the tank James was in. He wasn't healing.
Tubes followed the drills and entered the holes they had left behind, catching hold onto James' bones. James attempted to move, but the small tubes and his restraints held him tightly. The next thing James felt completely bypassed whatever sense dulling properties the liquid possessed.
The searing heat that hit James' bones caused him to scream but once again, no one seemed to hear his screams. The intensity of the pain increased exponentially after the first wave. The heated substance passed through James' skin and laid on top of his bones. To James' relief, they hadn't touched his skull...but they would now. The heated substance pumped through the tubes and when it touched James' forehead, he screamed until the sound he made turned into a howl. As it continued to cover his skull, James felt his body give out and the world turn to black.
-/-
Holding Cell
James' fingernails dug into the ground as pain slapped him awake. His entire body felt weak, enormously heavy and stiff. He must've pissed himself the way the room stank of urine. It hurt him even to blink. To think. He didn't even know where the hell he was anymore. His mind was in itself, broken. The only thing he remembered was the pain of whatever he had just gone through. That and his family. Where were Mariko and Little John? James tried to pick himself up and met more restraints. James looked down and saw his wrists chained to the floor. Growling, James pulled as hard as he could, but the chains wouldn't budge. Maybe if unsheathed his claws and cut himself loose...
James' claws popped through his knuckles and at first sight, James was stunned. The claws jutting out of his hands were a shiny metal, razor sharp and shaped like smooth knives. The pain from unsheathing his claws was foreign. James' bone claws ripped through his flesh. These new metal-coated claws sliced. Before James could attempt to try out his new claws on his shackles, the door to his cell opened and the man from Department K entered.
"Ah, you're awake, pissed all over the place...very good." he said softly. The man glanced down at James' claws. "And you discovered your new toys." James snarled.
"Where is my family!?" The man from Department K folded his arms.
"They're safe and unharmed. Our very own Dog is looking after them." he said. James frowned.
"Dog..." he growled softly.
"Yes." the man from Department K said. "And so long as you cooperate, he'll remain on guard orders...and not attack. Believe me, he's been wanting to split the skull of that baby boy of yours since we got back to facility. You two don't like each other much, huh?" the man said. James glowered.
"If that motherfucker breathes on my family, I will break out of here and kill every living thing in this compound."
"And if you don't cooperate, you'll lose the last two things on this Earth that you care about besides yourself. Don't be a fool." the man said. "I have one very important task for you. After that's finished, I'll let your family go. Do we have a deal?" the man said.
James spat into a corner. He hated this man. While he sat here joking, Mariko and Little John were under the murderous gaze of Dog. If he did decide that he wanted to murder this man and his entire staff, then Dog would rush to meet him, but only after killing his killing his family in the most brutal fashion he could fathom. He had no choice...
"We do." James nodded begrudgingly. The man from Department K smiled, that sly, snake-like grin.
"Good."
