The next day, lunch.

I didn't want to spend my lunch break answering questions from Mark so I went straight to the field outside. I heard a group of people follow me. They recruited Laura. There goes my chance it escaping. Sure enough, as I was walking to the bleachers near the football field I looked over my shoulder and saw Scott, Kurt, Laura, Rogue, and Mark following. Resisting the urge to begin sprinting from the school, I walked to the bleachers, sat down, and watched the human students play football. I didn't respond as they sat near me. "Mark says you have something to tell us." Scott prompted. I remained silent. Scott sighed. "I'm not mad at you for fighting them. It was self-defense. I'm just disappointed that you didn't trust us enough to talk about it." I continued to remain silent. "Look, ve have come out here to tell you zhat ve vant to get to know you." Kurt said impatiently. "We're a team. If you can't walk, we'll carry you." Scott added. Idealistic fools. "Sounds nice. But that isn't for me. The day I can't walk on my own is the day I die." They didn't look surprised by my statement. "I didn't think I could stay either." Rogue. Of course. "I was wrong. They can help you if you give them the chance." That's the problem though. I don't trust anyone. Relying on others only results in betrayal. "I've always been alone. I always will be. What about your katana?" My mind went blank. What about my katana? "I thought it belonged to someone who you cared about. That's why you keep it right?" I just stared at Scott for a second and then started laughing. Slowly at first but soon I couldn't breathe. They were staring at me as if worried about my sanity. I spoke between laughs. "You think the person who I took that from was kind to me?" The thought... of him being kind. That's hilarious. My laughter grew louder. I had to take a few deep breaths before I could speak. "The mutant I took that from was my handler. His favorite tool to punish me was that katana. So I took it from him and used it to kill him. Slowly." Everyone but Laura looked horrified. "Zen vhy in Gott's name do you keep it?" Kurt demanded after the initial shock was over. "As a reminder. A reminder of what?" Mark had turned slightly green after my explanation and now looked disgusted. "That's sick Victor. Maybe. I keep it as a reminder that I can't trust anyone." The one time I did he turned around and stabbed me in the back. Figuratively and literally. Scott looked like he had no idea how to handle the situation. No one else spoke. After a minute of silence I stood up and walked away.

So repetitive. How do they live like this? I was quickly becoming tired of this lifestyle. School was mind-numbingly easy and the DR sessions were a breeze. The only interesting facets were facing Laura in hand-to-hand combat and the fight with the Brotherhood. So much time is wasted. I was forbidden from leaving my room from 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. Seeing as I only slept two hours I usually spent the other six staring at the wall. My not being able to sleep had begun to catch up to me. Even with my healing factor requiring much less sleep than the average human my current amount was insufficient. I could feel my senses dulling and my reflexes slowing every day. But there was nothing I could do about it. Of course even the time I was allowed out of my room wasn't particularly exciting. I spent the majority of it in the Danger Room making custom training sessions. To my surprise I had found Logan's own training programs as very challenging. Unfortunately my time in the Danger Room had been limited after I had depleted its supply of drones. Logan had come down to the training session the next day and had not been happy to discover the session he had planned could not be done because of the lack of resources. Xavier had been informed and so I was limited to two hours in the DR per day. Since I had nothing left to do with most of my time I had taken to wandering the city or the mansion grounds. I was currently on my twenty-second lap of the grounds. It was quite funny how the younger students immediately turned and began walking away when they noticed me. I was currently running through the trees on the grounds and I heard the leaves rustling. It was a testament to how tired I was that I hadn't noticed whatever it was until now. I turned suddenly and saw Laura sitting on one of the trees and watching me. Her stealth training is very good. Possibly a match for mine. She jumped down and walked up to me. "I was curious. Why do you speak differently than me?" I had been expecting the question for a long time and was surprised that none of them had asked until now. "Xavier's false memories. They gave me a large amount of experience in how to speak and act." She nodded. She didn't say anything else so I turned and continued walking. She followed. We walked for a good twenty minutes before she spoke again. "How did you escape from HYDRA?" They finally asked. Well, I knew they wouldn't keep silent forever. "By killing them all." She grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. "You could not have escaped without a significant advantage. I had an ally. What advantage did you have? None." Her eyes flashed at my lie. They can never know how I escaped. It would only make things more difficult. For me and them. "I cannot permit you to keep a secret that may threaten the lives of the people here. You will tell me or I will be forced to inform Xavier. Go ahead." With that blunt statement I brushed her arm off and kept walking. This will only make them more curious. If they get too curious I may have to leave. Then I heard them. Moving through the forest. I climbed the nearest tree and and listened. "No contact. Mansion perimeter secured. Begin operation." I waited and two soldiers crept along below me. SHIELD. Sorry Xavier. I dropped down and decapitated each soldier before they even knew what was happening. I picked up one of their rifles. I clicked the safety off and made sure a round was chambered. Then I turned and sprinted for the Institute. First I need to retrieve my katana. Then I need to leave.

"Logan, Colonel Fury is coming. Please meet him outside." This can't be good. They're probably after the kid. I stood up from my seat in the rec room and downed the rest of the beer. I dropped it in the trash and made my way outside. The sight that greeted me was shocking to say the least. He got half the damn army to come for him. Four Apache helicopters were hovering over the Institute with two Abrams tanks rolling onto the grounds. Six APC's were unloading squads of troops. Fury got out of one of the APC's and began walking towards me immediately. "Get the hell out of here Fury." I growled as soon as he was in earshot. "We've come for the boy, Logan. We know he's here. You can't have him. He's under our protection." Fury was shaking his head. "That won't cut it this time. We let you keep the girl but this one is too dangerous. If you don't cooperate we'll take all of you in too." I chuckled. Fury looked at me like I was insane. "I'm not trying to protect him from you Fury, I'm trying to protect you from him."

Good. It's here. They hadn't taken my katana yet. I grabbed it and crept back into the hallway. Despite it being 11 at night the entire Institute was awake. Maybe because of the tanks outside. I began walking slowly towards the professor office, listening for the sounds of specialized equipment rattling or a helmet radio in use. I got through two hallways without incident before hearing the first pair of troops. "FREEZE!" Who...? I looked around the corner to see two troopers holding a group of Institute students at gunpoint with a third watching their backs. "Follow us outside. If you cooperate you will not be harmed." And now I have to rescue them. I brought up the assault rifle and moved around the corner in one fluid motion. The trooper on watch didn't even have time to pull the trigger as a bullet punched through his helmet. His allies met the same fate as they turned around. I continued walking and stopped when one of the students spoke. "Where do you want us?" Brave but foolish. "I don't want you anywhere." Another student spoke and I recognized Jamie's voice. "You need our help. No, I don't. The last thing I need is one of you idiots getting in my way." That stopped their protests. I glanced at the shoulder of one of the bodies. Delta Force. Shit. They're going all out. I took the least damaged helmet from one of the soldiers and ripped the radio out. I place the radio in the pocket of my jeans. With my enhanced hearing I would hear everything that was said. The radio crackled. "Charlie team, report." I didn't say anything. A second later a different voice came on. "X-29. You're a clever boy. But we will catch you." Their commander is smart. I removed the radio from my pocket and dropped it on the floor. I heard movement in the distance. I entered the front room of the mansion to see three troopers escorting a group of mutants outside. I dropped the rifle, stepped back and took a running jump off the balcony. I extended my claws and rammed them into two of the soldiers' necks. The third brought his rifle up and was about to fire when I spun and kicked it out of his hands. He drew his sidearm in one smooth motion and he fired twice. The first bullet grazed my neck. The second blew a hole the size of a golf ball in my left shoulder. I couldn't move it. Adamantium bullets? I ducked the third bullet and swept his feet. He landed and attempted to roll away. My claws in his frontal lobe stopped him. Fuck, that hurts. I could feel my healing factor dragging the adamantium on my skeleton back into place. It felt like someone had poured acid into the socket. As soon as I could move my left arm again I picked up his sidearm and checked the bullets. Eight left. Then I turned to the mutants. Alyssa and Amy were staring at me in shock. Kitty and Rogue looked sick. What did they expect? Did they not believe the professor when he told them I was a killer? I began walking towards the exit. "What are you gonna do?" I stopped in confusion. Am I hallucinating? I thought she hated me. "I'm going to get out of here." Amy didn't look happy with my answer. "Yer our friend. We'll help you." I looked sharply at Rogue. "No." Alyssa looked serious. "Don't let em get you. If you do I'll never forgive you." I nodded and began walking towards the side of the mansion I hadn't cleared.

I didn't encounter any more mutants. I found four more soldiers that I made quick work of. When I got to the end of the wing I unsheathed a claw and began cutting a hole in the window silently. I slipped through the hole and was nearly blinded by the search light that landed on me. An Apache. Damn. I began running for the trees. "Wait." Xavier. The helicopter pilot suddenly blinked and shook his head. Then he continued searching. The search light passed over me but he didn't seem to see me. Clever trick, Xavier. I couldn't hear over the choppers blades so I focused on finding his scent. Waiting in the forest? Seems pointless if he can make them forget they ever saw him. I was creeping through the bushes now. Xavier may have helped me but I don't trust him. I checked to make certain Xavier and... Scott were the only two in clearing. As soon as I was certain it wasn't a trap I emerged. "You don't need to leave." Scott said without hesitation. "We can make them think you were never here." Why would they go to such lengths for me? There is no advantage or gain. It's completely illogical. "No. I can't trust you with my life. I'm leaving." Then a thought struck me. I can't trust them with my life... but I do trust them. At least a little. I don't know if that's a mistake... but I have the feeling I'll find out. One way or another. I unhooked the katana from my back. "All of you were right. I don't need this. Keep it. I'll get it when I come back." Scott took it from me with a knowing smirk. I turned away from them and began running. After I couldn't hear the Apaches anymore I slowed and began walking. I need to get stronger. Strong enough that SHIELD won't dare try to capture me. I need to find out how I accessed that ability. How to use it at will. If I can do that, SHIELD won't stand a chance. And the probable way to find out... is to revisit HYDRA. If this pays off, I won't need to rely on anyone ever again. If it does not... then I don't know what I'll do.

A/N: And so it comes to an end. I'm going to begin uploading the second story soon, but I didn't prewrite most of it like this one so the updates will probably be slower. If you liked this story then review and let me know what you enjoyed. Personally, I thought some of my writing was lackluster and some of the action felt as if I was telling you what happened instead of showing you. But it's always hard to criticize your own work so I'm not sure. Oh, and I realized that the entire neurotoxin blood seemed to be completely out of left field and kind of felt like I was just giving him extra powers. Let me reassure those who care that I had intended him to have that ability from the start and it will play a much more important role in the sequel. I try not to give my characters powers whenever I feel like it because I think that makes for bad writing. But I'm not sure how well my story was received or how you all felt because I haven't had any reviews since the... sixth chapter I believe. So please, review. You'll be helping me improve my writing and if you don't review this sad face will make you feel guilty :(