Series Title: X-23: No Way Back
Series Title: X-23: No Way Back
. Story & Chapter Title: Ties That Bind – Chapter Three: Safe-House
. Author: ChickRockGuitar
. Date Written: September 2008 - (words written: 2935)
. Fiction Group: X-Men Comics
. Story Rating: T (some mild language)
. Summary Of Story: Part Three of "Ties That Bind". Logan returns to the school to find himself face to face with Laura's new enemies. And Laura herself begins to realise just how sick she really is.
. Auther's Notes: This is the thrid chapter to the first story arc of a fanfictional serial of stories written by chickrockguitar. These stories are set in a slightly alternate Marvel universe - set with a new spin on the character of X-23.
. Disclaimer: Marvel/X-Men characters, established concepts and previous storylines full credit goes to Marvel, Stan Lee, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, and Co. Original storylines credit goes to me.
Chapter Three: Safe-House
Logan took a drag from his cigar whilst watching Laura's sleeping frame. Her breathing, he noticed, had slightly improved in the last ten minutes, but she still remained in an unconscious state. He was starting to get a little worried. Because her creators had yet to lace her bones with Adamantium, before she escaped the Facility, it meant she healed faster then he did, who's bones had been laced with the unbreakable metal. Logan knew he'd have healed long before now, which meant Laura should have done too. With a worried sigh, he leant back in his chair, knowing all he could do right now was wait. Although, once she did wake, he had no idea where he'd go from there.
Two and a half hours ago, Laura, beaten and bloody, had collapsed into his arms in some filthily alley. That wasn't Logan's idea of a family reunion. Of course, after what had happened at the school, Logan knew when he did eventually catch up with her, it wasn't going to be a picnic, but he sure as hell had not expected to find his kid 'sister' in the state that the teen was in right now.
He knew he had to get her someplace safe, someplace no one would think to look for her, or track her down. So, sticking to the shadows, he had carried her deep into what was known as the "bad" or "rough" parts of the city, to an old rundown apartment block - Mostly occupied by people who couldn't afford any better kind of living. It was a place he used when he had things to do in the city.
Logan's small apartment was on the highest level of the building, the eighth floor. It consisted of a extra small bathroom, two extremely small bedrooms and a lounge with a small kitchen. The kitchen simply being a sink, a cooker and a refrigerator surrounded by a few sideboards and cabinets at one end of the lounge. The whole place was in a dire need of a house doctor, but it had running water and electricity, wasn't too cold, and surprisingly didn't smell. So it wasn't the Ritz, but the building was still standing and was out of the way of the busy streets, that suited Logan.
Logan had laid the unconscious Laura onto the old Sofa, hoping she'd wake soon - and not freak out. Then he'd sat himself down in the adjacent old chair, waiting - and wondering what the hell had happened to her. His mind travelled back to the confrontation he'd had earlier that day:
Eight hours ago - 2:30pm:
"For god sake, Summers!" growled Logan, "She's just a kid!". Scott Summers eyed Logan for a moment before he spoke, "Logan, yesterday she murdered thirteen of us. That's thirteen families Emma and I have to contact to inform them that their child is dead!". Logan turned away from the his team-mate. He knew what a grim task that was, and he had in fact, in the past, been in similar situations himself. Moments ticked on by, neither Logan or Scott spoke.
Logan broke the silence. He spoke in a self-controlled soft, but determined tone, "I'm not excusing what she did, Scott. But it's not as if the kid had a choice. It was Trigger Scent". "I'm well aware of what happened, Logan. What set her off," shot back Scott angrily, "but weather she had control of what she did or not, is irrelevant. It happened. And I have to protect the rest of the students", he paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I'm sorry, but there's no place for her here anymore". Logan felt a surge of anger go though him. He couldn't believe Scott was just giving up on one of their own. "What happened to second chances, huh, Summers?! What happened to the X-Men protecting their own?!" he argued. "No one here at the school will be going after her, Logan. She won't be the X-Men's enemy, if that's what you're worried about. But the X-Men won't be friend to her either. I'm sure you can understand why". Logan eyed Scott, anger slowly rising inside.
"Yer've changed, yer know that?" growled Logan. "I've done what I've had to do, Logan. What others wouldn't. To keep Mutants safe" answered Scott. "Yeah. Yer've finally grown a pair" spat Logan. "Fantastic", he added sarcastically. "Logan, I really think-" started Scott, but he stopped when the sound of helicopters could be heard overhead. Logan moved to the nearest window and looked out. A S.H.I.E.L.D helicopter had just landed a few feet beyond the basketball court, with another landing a little way behind it. "Fury..." growled Logan. "I'm assuming you know why they're here?" asked Scott, in an almost sarcastic tone. Logan turned back to him, he didn't speak, just eyed him angrily. Yes, he knew why S.H.I.E.L.D had landed on their front porch. He had expected Colonel Nick Fury, head of the Army-like organization and his "goons" to show up sooner or later.
At a quick pace, Logan headed across the grounds towards Fury, who was briefing his soldiers - eight of them, all packing large guns. Nick Fury was a tall, well-built man in his late forties, with short black hair - slightly greying at the sides. He wore his trade mark black left eye patch, used to cover an injury he had sustained in a long ago battle. And was dressed smartly in his Amy uniform.
With his enhanced hearing abilities, Logan could clearly hear the briefing being held fifty foot in front of him. "Careful, boys," began Fury, who spoke in a deep, gruff-like tone, "Looks like we're the first on the scene. This is going to be extremely delicate, especially as Logan's involved". It was then that Fury noticed his men were all looking at something behind him, he turned to see what that something was: Logan, heading towards them. "Ah. Speaking of..." he muttered to himself.
Seconds later Logan reached them. "Logan" greeted Fury in a friendly tone. The Colonel saw Logan's pissed off expression and braced himself. "What the hell are you doin' here, Fury?!" barked Logan. "You already know the answer to that, my friend" replied Fury, "Where is she?" he asked. Logan didn't answer, just glared at him. Fury sighed, "Logan, you know what she's done, and consequentially, you know what that means. I have no choice but to bring her in". "No, yer don't", said Logan, crossing his arms, "Walk away". Fury shook his head, "I can't do that. She's a danger to the American people - Both Human and Mutant". "No she ain't" argued Logan in Laura's defence. "It weren't her doin'. She was targeted by the bastards who created her", he insisted.
Fury was now beginning to get a little frustrated, "I'm not discussing it here. S.H.I.L.D may be the first on the scene right now. But others will arrive soon. Now, I'll ask again, Where is she?". Again, Logan didn't answer, he just looked at the Colonel, this time with a hint of a sarcastic smirk. "I don't want any trouble here, Logan", Fury insisted. "Funny. 'Cause yer always seem to bring it", replied Logan. Fury gave him an annoyed look. "Fine" he told him, "If that's the way you want to play this", he turned to his soldiers, "Spread out. I want the subject found. You get a shot, take it. But I want her alive, understand?" he told them. They nodded and set off in search of their target, "And boys..." he called after them, "before you go trigger happy? Please remember, this is a school".
Fury tuned back to Logan. "Funny," he began, in an almost sneering tone, "it only being you out here, in her defence. No Miss Frost? Or Mister Summers? Or any of the X-Men for that matter". "They're busy" muttered Logan uncomfortably. Fury gave a short laugh, "At what," he looked at his watch, "Two thirty in the afternoon?". At this point, Logan could feel himself holding back a great deal. "No, I can guess the scenario here. They're also concerned, right?" carried on Fury. "Yer start goin' in that school guns blazin', they'll have somethin' to be concerned about", bit back Logan.
Fury sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He tried a different approach, "In about ten minutes, it won't just be S.H.I.E.L.D on your front lawn, Logan. It'll be A.I.M, the F.B.I, maybe even those idiots at Hydra. And anyone else who thinks they cam handle her. You know that". he paused, "Isn't it better I take her in? At last she'll be treated fairly". "Fairly? Is that what yer call it?" snapped Logan. "She's not a criminal, Fury. She's a Kid!". "She's a weapon, Logan. The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier it'll be on you - and on her. Your protecting her will only go so far, last so long" stated Fury. Not that he wanted to admit to it, but Logan knew there was some truth to that.
There was silence between the two men for a few moments. Fury watched Logan, he seemed to be lost in thought. "Logan," said Fury, this time in a soft friendly tone, "If you know where she is...". By the sound of the Colonel's voice, Logan realised he was trying to read him. He turn back, pulling a hard expression, "Give it up, Fury", he growled, "Yer'll never find her". Fury's expression changed to that of an angry man. He had finally had enough of this. Logan could sense his anger, and inside he was laughing like hell. "Oh, she'll be found, Logan. Maybe not today, but I assure you, she will be found". And with that he walked away towards the school, leaving Logan standing alone.
Logan let out a worried sigh. Ten hours ago he was in Japan, shaking down a contact regarding an old friend. Scott had called to tell him what had happened, and he'd came straight home. What a mess... thought Logan. He wondered if he'd been here, would he'd have been able to stop Laura. Would he have been able to help her? He hated himself for not being here when he was needed. Now, all he could do was find her before anyone else did. "I'm sorry I weren't there for yer, kid..." he muttered sadly to himself, before walking back across the grass, towards the school's building.
Now - 10:30pm:
Logan stubbed out the remaining half of his cigar on the arm of his chair. The fabric hissed a little from being burnt. He then shoved the cigar into his jacket pocket. He looked over at Laura's unconscious form. He wondered if he was doing the right thing in bringing her here. He was, as far as the law was concerned, aiding and abetting a wanted felon. Well, he thought, not like I ain't done that before. Besides, in his mind, sure, she'd done things, bad things - she'd killed people, just like he had, but she wasn't a criminal. She was a kid. A kid who needed help.
Just then, Laura began to stir. "Finally..." Logan muttered to himself. He lent forwards towards the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees. "Hey, kid" he said, quietly, "How yer feelin'?". For a few moments she didn't react at all, then she suddenly bottled up right, and began to quickly survey the room. Logan immediately recognized what she was doing, looking for escape routes. "Take it easy, kid. It's okay, yer safe here" he assured her. She turned to face him, and after a moment asked, "where are we?". "Look, Laura-" began Logan, but was interrupted, "Were are we?!" Laura repeated, this time in a more forceful tone. "Still in New York, alright? Just... Kid, just take it easy".
"You brought me here?" Laura asked Logan. "Yeah. Listen-" he began, but she interrupted again, "Were you followed?". This threw Logan off for a second, "What? No. I weren't followed" he told her. "Are you sure?!" she asked urgently. "I'm sure". he confirmed, in a definite tone. "Been doin' this a while, yer know" he added, attempting a light hearted moment. She missed the joke. Laura looked at him for a few moments. Logan tried to work out what she was thinking, with zero luck.
Then, without warning, Laura stood up, steadying herself as she did so, she was extremely uneasy on feet. Logan stood up also, and reached out to help her stand. "Easy, easy..." he muttered. Laura shut her eyes tight for a few moments, trying to adjust her focus, which was still very blurry. Her head was spinning, and she felt sick. The pain from A.I.M's bullet's hadn't lessened any, in fact it seemed to be getting worse. She noticed Logan watching her and turned her head away from him.
The pain she was in hadn't escaped Logan. He could also detect a scent coming from her which, as hard as he tried, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Laura began to sway a little. "Kid, maybe yer should sit down, huh?" he advised. "No" said Laura firmly, as she pulled out of his grasp. Using all of her energy concentrating on staying up right, she very slowly made her way across the room to the door. Logan followed, "Kid, what're yer doin'?" he asked, fully knowing the answer. "Leaving" answered Laura, not looking back. "Laura, yer're in pain. You can barely stand. How far do yer think yer gonna get, huh?" he said in a caring tone. Laura stopped, but didn't turn back to face him.
Laura swallowed. She knew he was right, she wouldn't get very far like this. She was in pain, she could barely stand, moving was becoming harder and harder with every step, and her senses had almost completely faded. But she also knew she had to keep moving. She had to put as much distance between her and those who where coming for her as she could. "Laura," Logan tried again, "Kid, please..." he said pleadingly. Using as much energy as she could muster, Laura spun round to face him, "Did the X-Men send you to bring me in?" she asked angrily. "Is that what this is? Do they want to kill me?". For a moment Logan was speechless. "No, kid" he said with a hint of shock in his voice, "The X-Men don't wanna kill you, and they didn't send me to...", he paused, "bring yer in, either". "Then, what do you want with me?!" Laura shouted, "Why are you here?!". Logan was taken aback by her outburst, he inched closer to her. "I'm here 'cause I care about yer". Laura swallowed. "Kid, c'mon... lemme help yer". Laura backed up, "Help me? Like the help you've given over the last few months?" she said bitterly. Ah crap. thought Logan. He'd been afraid of this.
"You left me, Logan!" shouted Laura angrily. "You said if I came to the school, you would help me! You said you would protect me! That I would be safe, that they couldn't get to me. But you want away, and they did get to me - and things went bad!". With a sigh Logan momentarily closed his eyes, guilt washed over him. The next words Laura spoke weren't in anger, they were in a very different tone, a tone Logan had never herd her use, they were almost distant and choked out, that of a broken girl, "I needed you... and you left...". Logan swallowed. He felt awful. Not many people could make him feel this bad, mostly because he didn't care. He wasn't humanity's biggest fan. Until now he hadn't realised how much Laura did need him - or though she needed him.
"I know. I know what I said, kid" he said in a gentle, but guilty tone, "And, I'm sorry I had to take off, but, there were things I had to take care of". He hoped she could understand that. "I thought yer'd be alright" he finished. "Well, I wasn't!" Laura shot back. She shook her head, "You didn't even say anything. You just left..." she said in a hollow tone. He did leave without telling her he was going, and he felt guilty about that. The truth was, he wasn't good at goodbyes, even temporary goodbyes, and he honestly thought she'd be okay with Scott and the others. He was wrong. "Laura, I'm sorry" he repeated. "Too late..." said Laura. Her tone wasn't bitter it was almost heavyhearted.
Logan didn't know what to say to that. He didn't know what to do or where to look. The broken teen turned to leave. Pushing past his guilt, Logan moved towards her, "Kid, I'm not lettin' yer leave like this!". "There is nothing more to say" she told him as she reached for the door. Logan took her by the arm, forcing her to face him. "That's not what I meant" he growled, "Yer're in no fit state to walk outta here, and yer know it". He sounded serious. "Yer need help" he finished. Laura knew he was right. She could never remember feeling like this, not even on the few missions where she had been badly wounded. She could feel her body slowing down, whatever was happening, she wasn't heeling - and that worried her. "Fine" she muttered, shaking off his grip, "I'll stay". Logan watched her painfully move back towards the sofa, wondering how the hell he was going to help her.
Currently working on "Chapter Four" – please stay tuned