I do not own X-men or Young Justice

*Jump City: September 25, 22:58*

It was X-23 not Laura that stood on an empty rooftop overlooking a Lex Corp facility. Though dressed for the part, this was no mission for the Team. After all that part of her life was over now. As she waited for a sign of her target, she couldn't help but once again go over the events that brought her to this point.

*Mount Justice: September 22, 19:15*

The Cave had been infiltrated by who could only be described as Red Tornado's siblings. Two androids: Red Torpedo, a hydrokinetic and their 'sister' Red Inferno, an aptly named pyrokinetic. Too her personal shame, Laura, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy had been caught completely by surprise ending in their capture.

If it weren't for the combined efforts of Artemis and Robin, hadn't managed to trigger an EMP, she had no doubt the two Reds would've killed the rest of the Team.

"Would you quit messing around and cut us free already" KF complained, as he and Superboy were still bound in twisted metal, while Artemis struggled with a laser drill.

"It's not working genius" Artemis snapped. "EMP shuts down all machines, remember?"

"All machines present at the time." The Team looked to see Red Tornado arrive. "What has occurred?"

"Had a little visit from your family" said Robin.

"Your extremely nasty family" Artemis added.

"I was not aware I had relations" said Red Tornado, as he walked over to examine his 'siblings'.

"Where have you been?" Superboy demanded.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower. When it became clear Cave, communications were down, I attempted to investigate, but your zeta tubes were also nonfunctional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here."

Just as Tornado finished speaking, Sphere – an alien construct the Team recovered from Bialya – came back on line, as did Artemis' laser drill.

"The pulse has warned off!" Robin and KF exclaimed.

The words had just barely left their mouths before in an unexpected betrayal, Red Tornado turned on the Team, sucking the oxygen out of their lungs, knocking them out.

When Laura came too, she found herself under the care of Black Canary.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, while Superman, Batman, Flash, and Aquaman went about checking on the other members of the Team.

"Where are they?" Laura asked immediately.

"Gone" said Robin, from his place at Batman's side. "They're all gone."

Soon enough Kid Flash and Superboy were free, and other League members were called in to help with the Cave's repairs. Kid, M'gann, Robin, and Kaldur spent the time gathered around a table in the monitor room, waiting for someone to bring them answers. Instead what they got was a bowl of pretzels from Green Arrow.

"Thanks, but no thanks" said Kid.

"Yeah" Robin agreed. "What we want is answers about Red Tornado and his siblings."

"Exactly!" Green Arrow took the bowl back, only for Wally to grab it out of his hands "leave the bowl" and start munching on his snack.

Superboy chose to stand off to the side, watching as Laura spoke with Batman, his super hearing picking up on the conversation.

"You reported during your mission in Taipei, that Sports Master alluded to having information on the Team's mission to Bialya" said Batman. "As well as your encounter in San Francisco."

"Yes, he hinted at the possibility of a mole" Laura confirmed. "Red Tornado's actions do suggest that he was a traitor. Though his robotic nature does leave the possibility of his actions not being entirely of his own..."

"You knew!" Superboy roared, charging at Laura, who expertly countered, throwing the angry Kryptonian over her soldier.

"Conner, what are you doing?" M'gann gasped.

"She knew! She knew there was a traitor and said nothing!"

All but Kaldur showed their outrage that Laura hid the possibility of there being a mole from them, demanding to know why she would've kept quiet.

"There was no reason to inform you" said Laura.

"That M'gann almost died!" Superboy raged, walking threateningly towards Laura.

"We all almost died!" Artemis argued. "We had the right to know!"

"Enough" said Batman, bringing an end to the argument. "With Red Tornado missing, the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys" Marvel smiled.

While the rest of the Team traded looks at the League member's odd behavior, Connor turned to Laura.

"After I've dismantled Red Tornado, you and I are…"

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League" Batman interjected. "That makes him a League responsibility. You will leave him to us. I have another assignment for this team." the Dark Knight then pulled a display of a news article."

"'Gotham Mayor attacked by Guerilla Gorilla'?" Kid Flash read, in disbelief.

"Batman, please!" Robin scoffed. "Tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a wild ape chase."

"I never joke about the mission" Batman glared, silencing his protégé. "I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's is only the latest in a series of incidents. Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India and check this out."

Kid Flash turned and glared at Laura "I don't know if I'm ok working with someone that doesn't trust us."

"Kid" Aqualad tried to intervene but the speedster ignored him.

"We don't know the first thing about you. You no actual ties to the League, so we don't even know why you even agreed to join this team. And where are you going?!" he demanded, as Laura started to walk towards the zeta tubes.

Laura didn't bother explaining herself, she didn't need to. She didn't miss the way that the rest of the Team apart from Kaldur, agreed with Kid Flash. She had no interest in staying where she wasn't wanted. Ignoring the Batman's order to stop, she activated the zeta tub, vanishing in a burst of light.

*Jump City: September 25, 23:00*

Once on the other side, she destroyed the zeta tub leaving no way to follow her. And just like that X-23 was in the wind, this time doing a much better job of keeping away from the Justice League. Her time with the Team was over, she had been taking nothing but hits as of late, and it was finally time to hit back. This is what brought her to Jump City, to this rooftop and at this precise time, she needed to find someone and this was her best chance to catch him.

Her chance arrived with the sound of alarms blaring, as a certain other 'X' came running out on to the roof top, with a security team hot on his heels.

X-23 watched as Red-X jumped over the side of the building, leaving the security guards baffled as he vanished from sight. But while they wouldn't be able to track the thief, she didn't have the same problem, sniffing at the air she managed to pick up on her quarry's scent.

She followed the trail across the city, eventually leading her to an old warehouse on the docks. Sneaking in through the ceiling, X-23 moved quickly and quietly to the back of the building, hiding among old crates, as she narrowed in on Red-X, who sat at his work bench, looking over his belt. Sitting on the counter next to him was a pressure canister; no doubt what he had stolen from Lex Corp.

Unaware of his 'guest', Red-X continued to work on his equipment. Opening a panel on the buckle of his belt, removed a small vial containing a dull orange slug. Tossing it aside he reached for the container he had stolen, only to find it missing.

"Looking for something?"

A smirk formed under his mask, as Red-X turned to see X-23 standing there with the container in her hand. "Well, if it isn't the cutie from Taipei?" he said flirtatiously. "Don't suppose you'll give that back?"

"Xenothium ore. Given its rarity, it makes sense that you went after Luthor" said X-23, ignoring the question.

"I might've cloned his phone, when I saved his hide" Red-X confessed, holding his hand out towards her. "About that xenothium?"

"I have a job for you first."

"A job?"

*Washington D.C.: September 26, 00:00*

The job was simple. X-23 explained to Red-X she wanted him to break into the Hall of Justice and hack into the Justice League files, retrieving anything to do with Weapon X.

Red-X wasn't exactly thrilled by the job, as he didn't want to risk getting on the League's radar. But X-23 was very persuasive as she threatened to detonate the unstable xenothium, knowing full well she'd more than likely survive. He on the other hand wouldn't be so lucky.

"Don't bother running" X-23 warned. "If you try or steal anything beyond what I requested, I will find you" she finished, extending her claws for emphasis.

"Damn, me and crazy chicks" Red-X muttered, using the little xenothium, she allowed him to teleport directly into the Hall.

As she waited, X-23 had to admit to herself that her plan was rushed. She was only fortunate that the natural degradation of xenothium left a trail she could follow. And she had no guarantee that Red-X would have the skills needed to break into the database. Still what's done is done; should Red-X fail, it would just mean the thief's inevitable capture. He would have nothing useful he could tell the League, should they make a connection to her.

Rushed or not, Red-X did return, flash drive in hand, containing the files she wanted. With no further used for the thief, X-23 honored her agreement and handed over the canister.

"Got to say, I'm surprised" said Red-X, accepting his prize. "After the peace summit, I assumed you were running with the League."

"Not anymore." And with that X-23 took her leave.

*Xavier Institute for Higher Learning: September 29, 14:00*

The file revealed that Weapon X had made a home for himself at the Xavier Institute. The school was founded and run by Prof. Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful human telepath. Housed on his own private mansion estate; the school was founded to provide a safe place for mutants or metahumans to learn to control their abilities, while also providing a quality education.

But while Xavier's powers were impressive, the man's restraint and refusal to use them invasively gave X-23 a window to infiltrate the grounds. Hiding herself in the trees littering the grounds, she watched as the students – all wearing uniform dark blue shirts and pants, marked with a 'x' on their belts and shoulders – ran through an obstacle course, led by a large blue furred cat man.

"Can't outswing the Beast" the blue furred man laughed, as he and his students swung over a small ditch. "I am all over this."

"Now, we're going to be all over you, Hank" said one of the students.

X-23, watched as the students all decided to dogpile on the Beast, forming a laughing pile of bodies. Such a carefree attitude to training was a foreign concept to the girl. For a moment, her mind flashed back to her own training with the Facility, the number of times she was sure she'd be killed as they worked to mold her into their weapon.

Banishing the memory away, X-23 moved on, being careful not to move to closely to the school building, unless she was certain the school's telepaths' minds were preoccupied. This limited the amount of time she could risk being on the grounds. For days, she staked out the school, even when she finally spotted Weapon X, it wasn't until the twenty fourth day of surveillance, that she saw him leave the Institute, riding away on his motorcycle.

*New York, US/Canadian Border: October 21, 23:48*

Hotwiring a car, X-23 trailed Weapon X to the border, staying hidden as she followed him out into the forest. Taking care to maintain shadow distance, she watched as Weapon X sat down in a clearing, using nothing but his dark leather jacket, and his campfire to keep warm.

"Quit messing around, kid" he suddenly called out. "I caught your scent, an hour ago."

With her cover blown, X-23 released her claws, and leapt out into the open, prompting Weapon X, to immediately jump to his feet.

"Easy now" he said calmly. "We don't have to do this the hard way."

Ignoring his words, X-23 slashed her claws at Weapon X, who sidestepped the attack. "It doesn't have to be this way." But X-23 wouldn't listen, continuing her assault, as he worked to evade her attacks, until she caught him by surprise, grazing his cheek with the blades in her feet.

Hoping to press her advantage, X-23 pivoted on her heel, coming around for a spin kick, only for Weapon X to bring his arm up and block.

"Will you knock it off?!" he growled, as he started to get frustrated. "You know, I'm just going to heal, just like …"

Weapon X, didn't get to finish as X-23, quickly slashed his throat, followed by a quick cut into his leg. His temper now flaring, Weapon X back handed X-23 away.

"Fine, you don't want to listen" Weapon X growled, throwing off his coat. "Then, I'll make you listen!" he roared, popping his claws – three on each hand.

The two then lunged at each other, but in a moment of clarity Weapon X shifted his attack, allowing his claws to miss X-23, while she nailed him with a clothesline, digging her claws into his chest. Landing opposite of each other, X-23 grabbed a handful of dirt and charged forward, confusing Weapon X, when instead of using her claws, she chose to rub dirt into the wound.

"The dirt stings, kid but I ain't gonna die from infection." Praying on his confusion, X-23 dug her claws once more into Weapon X's chest, rubbing dirt into the wound as she moved behind him. "Are you trying to annoy me, to death?"

23's response to that was to hit Weapon X with a flip kick, using the blades in her feet to slice into the side of his neck. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he cursed, as she rubbed more dirt into his wounds. As he felt the blood running down from his neck, Weapon X noticed his cuts weren't closing. "Clever girl, you're bleeding me out."

It was a simple yet effective plan. Keeping his healing factor busy removing the dirt and possible infection, before it could close his wounds.

He just barely got the words out before, X-23 kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground, pinning him down, with her fist placed under his chin, angled to pierce his brainstem.

"Kid, I'm starting to think you've got beef with me" said Weapon X.

"Shut up!" X-23 cried, placing her other fist under her own chin, "It's over, for both of us!"

"Why?"

"We are Weapons! It has to end! We have to be destroyed!"

"You want to kill me, fine. Do it."X-23 flinched, shocked by his words. Using the distraction, Weapon X grabbed X-23's hands placing them both under his chin, giving her the opportunity to end him. "But I'm not going to let you kill yourself."

"No! We both have to die!"

"Maybe I do…but not you. You didn't choose this life and there was nothing you could've done to stop what happened."

"No, I have to die! It has to stop." Tears started to fall down X-23's face, tearing away the image of the lethal assassin, revealing Laura – a sad and hurting young woman, crying out for help.

"Look at me kid. Your mother sent me a letter, so I know what happened to you and that it wasn't your fault. None of it."

Laura finally hit breaking point as the walls around her emotions came falling down. The loss of Megan and Deborah, the distrust and rejection from the Team, and worst of all, the death of her mother. Laura cried for the loss of what felt like the only chances she had to be something more than a weapon.

As the girl's tears continued to fall, Weapon X wrapped an arm around Laura and said "I'm sorry, Laura."

Once Laura calmed down, Weapon X handed her his jacket, and invited her to sit around his campfire.

"Sarah, sent me a copy of a letter she had written for you. Just in case, she didn't make it" said Weapon X. "By the time I got it, the place was in ruins and you were already gone."

Laura checked the inside pocket of the jacket, finding the letter in question.

"No one should have to go through what you did, especially a child" he continued. "But now you've got a choice. You know what the Facility wanted for you. Now find out what your mother wanted."

Opening the letter, Laura finally got to hear her mother's final words.

Please forgive me. Even as I write the words, they ring so hollow. My mistakes… No, my choices… They cannot be undone, much less forgiven. How all this came to pass… and the truth about Weapon X or rather, Logan. Like you, he was used as an experiment. Bonding adamantium to his entire skeleton, he was used as a weapon…until his escape. During which, he slaughtered all but a few scientists.

Had it ended there, would I be less a monster? Or more? Would I even know the difference? Of course, I don't have to tell you about monsters. Your life is defined by monsters.

Though I was young, I was already making a name for myself in the science community. 'The Einstein of Genetics', they called me. So, when they came to me about the project, to my shame I happily accepted.

Replicating the mutant genome proved difficult but rebuilding Weapon X seemed all but impossible. For every enzyme, for every codon, for every sequence we repaired, or even built back from near nothingness, we seemed to be missing a million more. But I felt alive, the work, the failure, the challenge. It was like a brilliant light, shining inside of me. I felt like my life had a purpose. What a fool I was.

I eventually came to accept that the Weapon X, Y-chromosome was simply too damaged for viable use. When I approached the project head, Dr. Martin Sutter, with my solution to replicate the intact X-chromosome, he was not pleased. Neither was the project's surgical head, Dr. Zander Rice, whose father I learned was a member of the original Weapon program that created Weapon X.

But, I was defiant in the face of my failures. I was determined to succeed out of spite. I secretly went through with the experiment. Weeks passed. I was working on two projects, living two lives. I was used to that. I had kept secrets before. It seems so incredible to me now, that in all that time, given everything that I knew what I was doing and what the result would bear I didn't give it a second thought. I told myself that you weren't real. I told myself that this was science not life. I was creating a weapon, not a child. I was wrong.

My experiment was a success and despite his displeasure at my insubordination, Martin gave me the greenlight to proceed, despite Rice's protests.

When I was little I always believed that everything that happened to me – I deserved it. That we all get what we deserve. Maybe I was right. When Martin gave him the order to locate a surrogate to bring you to term, Rice made it very clear that if it wasn't me, he would destroy you.

No longer the experimenter, I was now part of the experiment. A vessel to be poked and prodded. To be violated. They certainly didn't care about me...not with a weapon to train. A team of physicians, psychologists, nutritionists, and military strategists now ran my life. They watched my every move, but they didn't see everything…I'm sure you remember Pinocchio.

The memory of the times her mother would secretly read the story to her flashed in Laura's mind. Only know does she understand, why her mother read her a story about a puppet that cut its strings.

I asked for forgiveness before. Now I'm telling you don't forgive me. Don't forgive any of us for what we did. Ever. I remember everything...everything we did to you, and you deserve to know why we did these things. Your training was designed to strip you of your humanity. After all, in the eyes of the program, you weren't human, you were a weapon. A weapon I willingly conceived for them. Our orders were to keep you from gaining any sense of self, something they said would compromise our ability to control you. We were never to treat you as a child, only as a weapon, but not everyone followed those orders, for that I'm grateful.

A sad smile made its way to Laura's face as she remembered her sensei….

Sutter wanted to complete your construction, but that wasn't possible while your healing factor was dormant. You would never survive the surgery so Rice was given permission to take whatever steps were necessary to activate your x-gene. He chose radiation poisoning. You nearly died that day. Unfortunately, Rice was right. The radiation worked. Now nothing stood in their way, especially me. I only found out later what happened, that your claws were extracted one by one, that he sharpened and coated them with the indestructible metal, adamantium, outside of our body, it was never supposed to be like that. So much wasn't. I should have known what was coming, not that I could have prevented it, but I would have tried. I'm sorry, so sorry.

…and the cruel fate that befell him, as punishment for his kindness.

When it was time for your first field test, the target was chosen with the flip of a coin. Who it was didn't matter. As long as the target was high profile and couldn't be gotten to. Sutter needed to make a statement and you delivered it to the world. I wanted to understand why we were doing this. I told Martin I needed to understand why you had to publicly kill an innocent man, his family and so many others. So, he told me. He said: "It's simple. You can't sell anything without advertising." That's what this was all about. The buying and selling of lives for profit. Not saving the world, or taking it over. No, this was about money. A lot of it. Martin sold you for a million dollars a pound and as you know by now, there were no shortage of buyers. All I could do is watch. While you were forced to kill, and kill, and kill, and kill. You killed royalty. Godfathers. Drug lords. Dictators. Assassins...anyone...everyone...for a price.

For three years, you murdered without failure. Every target they marked, you killed. Every time limit they set, you beat. Every rendezvous point they plotted, you reached except one. The one where Rice was waiting for you. When Rice came back from the mission, he told us what happened. He said you didn't make the rendezvous in time. That he had to abort the mission when the team started taking fire. And that he saw you die. I didn't want to believe him. You never told me what happened. How you survived or how you made your way back. Why didn't you tell me? For so long, I held myself above Sutter and Rice. They made you a killer. They were the ones using you. But all it took was one phone call to open my eyes and see I was just like them.

"No" Laura said quietly to herself, having figured out Sarah was referring to when she snuck her away from the Facility to rescue Megan. Perhaps her mother had at the time used her as a tool to rescue her cousin, but Laura wouldn't, couldn't see Sarah in the same light as Sutter and Rice.

They say in life that we are judged by the choices we make, they are what define us, and I chose to bring you in to this world. I chose to stay in the program even after they stripped you of your humanity and molded you in to a weapon. I'm responsible for everything that has happened, for all the pain all the death for everything you have suffered, because I had a choice when you had none. And I chose to do nothing. I always assumed it was Rice that cut you. He hurt you so many times in the past...he almost killed you twice. I never wanted to believe it was you. The damage I've done...can I ever forgive myself? You couldn't stop what Rice made you do...but somehow you managed to save Henry and tell me the truth which means there is hope...you showed me we've failed...you are not a weapon; you are a child.

Always remember you are not to blame. You did not pick this life. We...I forced it upon you. The blood you have spilled is on my hand not yours and please understand why I must ask you to kill one last time. Because tonight what you do is right. Tonight, what you serve is justice. Tonight, you take back the life we stole from you.

I never wanted a family. My father stripped me of that desire. He took my childhood, my innocence, my life. And then I took yours. I became what I hated and feared most and you became my victim. But then you showed me hope. Not when you saved Megan, but when you saved Henry.

Rice sent you to kill Sutter and his entire family. Yet you couldn't bring yourself to kill that scared little boy. You showed me that we can chose to be something other than what we are forced to be that we can be something better than we believe we are. And, in that moment, you saved my life, all that matters to me now is that I save yours.

I wish we could just run away without any more bloodshed. But if you don't stop them they will never stop. They will do it again. They've already started. After tonight, we'll just keep moving and never look back. We'll start a new life, have a future, be a family. I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you these things. There is so much more I want to tell you, and I will but one thing that you must always remember no matter what has happened and no matter what may come you are a child, not a weapon. You are my child. You are my daughter, and I love you. I will always love you, Laura.

Your Mother,

Sarah

Fresh tears ran down Laura's cheeks, holding the letter to her chest. In that moment despite what she told her, Laura had forgiven Sarah, the woman that brought her freedom, that loved her, her mother. Wiping the tears away, she turned her attention to Weapon X…no Logan, who had the decency to calmly watch the fire, granting her both limited privacy and quiet support.

"Thank you" she said quietly.

"It won't be easy" said Logan. "It'll take some time to figure things out. But there's a guy at the Institute that helped me put the pieces together. A bald guy that can read your mind."

"The Facility is still out there" said Laura. "And I'm sure Batman and the Justice League will be after me, now that I've broken our deal."

"Darling, they try to take you from there, then they're asking for a world of hurt."

With a watery smile on her face, Laura accepted Logan's offer to return to the Xavier Institute. As they started for the Logan's bike, Laura couldn't help but think that maybe this is where she can finally start to leave X-23 behind.