Chapter 6: Call to Action
Disclaimer: I do not own and Marvel characters of logos.
Professor Xavier sat calmly with his hands folded in his lap as the X-Men traveled by road to New York. The telepath had chosen a less conspicuous method of travel, seeing how using the Blackbird of the Velocity was bound to attract attention. If there was something he wanted to avoid, it was creating a spectacle when mutants were already feared enough by the rest of the world as it was. He sat in the passenger seat of the car with an neutral expression as the X-Men traveled, silently probing the astral plane for any signs of Logan's mind, hoping that he was not unconscious or cloaked by another presence.
Beast was back at the mansion with Rogue and a few of the others to keep an eye on the younger students while everyone else was away. Hank McCoy had always been an excellent teacher, and this aspect of him had carried over to his job, teaching mutants at the institute. They had planned a small survival exercise for that day in the danger room, meaning that they had plenty of work to catch up on and probably wouldn't cause too much trouble. With so many super-powered kids living together in one place, it was often a good idea to keep them busy and out of trouble.
Charles had chosen his team carefully for this particular mission, only bringing along the more experienced or tactful members if the group. Storm sat in the seat directly to his left, and drove the large X-Van without comment as they sped down the highway, getting closer to their destination by the moment. Scott and Jean sat in the backseat and were engaged in an in-depth conversation about their plans for college. Normally they might have been talking about more private matters, but Bobby had also been invited on the mission and was currently sitting in the seat directly behind them.
Although the mission had a very serious objective, the Professor saw it as a testing ground for Iceman to prove himself worthy of promotion into the active roster. He had also invited Gambit and Colossus along to provide backup in case help was needed, but he hoped that this would also be a good way to test the two newest members of the team to determine their role in future missions. Of course, after seeing them fight so fiercely on the opposing side of the battlefield, Xavier knew that they were more than capable of the job.
Interestingly enough, both former Acolytes had taken their own motorcycles instead of joining them in the X-Van, and were currently on the road. Both of them had remained within sight during the road trip to New York, the roar of their bikes present, as the three vehicles traveled together in a pack. Colossus took up the rear, but Gambit was several car lengths ahead of them, unofficially leading the way for them.
Bobby raised a fist in the air with a look of triumph. "Yeah, so I guess this mission makes me an official part of the team." He boasted loudly to the group.
"You do realize that the main focus of this mission is finding out what Magneto and his crew are up to?" Jean Grey replied like a parent reprimanding her child.
Professor Xavier glanced backwards at the mutants seated behind him, his eyes settling on the icy hero for a second. "I will admit that your performance on this little excursion may affect my decision as to whether or not you will officially join the main team, but at the same time Jean is absolutely correct." He took a breath. "Your main focus must be the objective of this mission, which involves an investigation of the area where our quarry was last sighted."
"I get ya, Professor X!" Iceman replied with a pointing gesture and wink. "If anyone causes any trouble, I'll put 'em on the deep freeze in no time."
Cyclops frowned slightly in response to the younger mutant's attitude. "While we might run into trouble with Magneto at some point, our main objective is to search the area for possible leads. Although we ran into some major battles during the Apocalypse incident, not every mission involves fighting."
"Missions like this require a more casual approach, since our adversaries might leave if they know we're onto them." Jean eyed the icy hero with a sense of disdain.
"C'mon guys, I was just saying that the rest of you can rely on me if we run into any trouble. The ice dude's got your back!" Bobby replied with a cocky smirk.
The Professor looked back at his students through the vehicle's mirror. "While the possibility does exist, I do not believe that we will run into any trouble. Since the story of the robbery was in the newspaper, I do not believe that Magneto would return to the scene of the crime unless he had a reason to." He reasoned to them.
Cyclops raised an eyebrow behind his ruby-quartz glasses. "So you're certain that we won't be running into any problems with Magneto quite yet."
"I would be willing to bet that he knows that he has been exposed by the local media and perhaps even expects us to come looking for him at some point. If we do meet him it will likely be on his terms…" Xavier replied cryptically.
"I hope you'll forgive me if that doesn't make me feel any better, Charles." Storm replied from her position behind the steering wheel.
He turned his back to the younger mutants once again and faced forward in his seat. "On that same note I would like to call your attention to something else. Aside from this business with Magneto, there is also the matter of Wolverine."
"With all due respect, I don't think anything bad happened to him" Jean shrugged off any negative annotations. "He's always running off by himself, and sometimes it might be days before we hear from him again."
"Normally I would not be concerned with his well-being, but Logan usually keeps in contact with us while carrying out import missions." The telepath paused with a look of concern. "I am beginning to believe that something may have detained him, seeing how he has yet to issue a status report in twenty-four hours."
Iceman leaned forward anxiously. "The last I heard he was just going to recruit another student for the institute. It's kind of weird that you haven't heard anything since he left, but who on Earth would want to kidnap him?"
Jean and Scott had heard some of the information concerning this topic, but neither seemed keen on blurting it out, as they knew that their mentor had not told the younger students. The driver also said nothing as she occupied herself by paying an unusually close amount of attention to the rather empty highway. The youngest member of the team instantly received the impression that everyone else knew something that he didn't, instantly getting a rise out of him.
"C'mon, you guys can tell me what's going on! I'm practically a full-fledged member of the X-Men as it is!" Bobby declared, batting them a pair of thumbs up.
Charles Xavier eyed their youngest team member through the car mirror, quickly noting the boy's obvious sense of eagerness. "While I did not give the younger students the full details of Logan's mission, your presence on this mission makes me believe that it would be wise for me to fill in the details." He agreed with a small nod. "The mutant that he went to search for was and is actively being targeted by someone else."
Iceman frowned slightly at the thought. "So is it that Magneto creep?"
"To be honest I would not be surprised if he were involved, but in some ways I would prefer it to the alternative." The bald telepath replied ominously. "The girl that Wolverine is searching for is known as X-23, and she is noted to have a number of pursuers, many of which would do almost anything to get their hands on her."
"Wait, isn't that the girl that attacked and disabled everyone at the institute awhile back?" Bobby exclaimed with a look of surprise.
The older man nodded in agreement, eliciting a silly expression from his student. "Not long ago she tried to assassinate the people who funded her creation, a criminal spy network known as HYDRA. She did this hoping that it would hamper their pursuit, but recently Logan heard that the leader survived, and is now placing the full weight of her organization to recapture X-23."
Cyclops folded his hands, resting them in his lap. "So as it stands, we have to worry about the HYDRA organization's involvement as well."
"So I guess that means we have twice as many guys to fight." Bobby replied with a confident expression. Swinging his arm over the back of his seat, the icy mutant kicked back and moved into a relaxed position. "Sounds scary, but I'm sure we can handle it if. We did manage to stop that Apocalypse guy, and he was about as nasty as bad guys come."
"Let's just hope that things don't turn out that way." Jean Grey answered with a small but disapproving frown.
Professor Xavier seemed to nod in agreement. "Confidence and strength are important, but do not allow such an admirable trait to breed arrogance. A wise man knows how to recognize their own shortcomings and limitations at the same time."
"I was just saying that we've managed to do some pretty amazing things in the past." Iceman replied in a noticeably more serious tone. "After all, if we hadn't known how to take advantage of our strengths, that Juggernaut guy would have been destroyed that entire town last year."
"I personally think we were lucky in that particular case." Scott wore a bittersweet expression as he remembered their victory over a mutant said to be unstoppable. "All we really managed to do was distract him long enough t remove his helmet. We basically provided enough of a distraction so Rogue could turn his own abilities against him. If she hadn't been with us as the time, I really not sure if we could have won."
Bobby placed his hands behind his head and leaned backwards in a lax manner. "You don't give us enough credit. I mean, how many other people would have gone up against an invulnerable killer knowing that it was pretty much hopeless?"
Storm gave them a shadow of a smile, although they couldn't see. "In this case I would have to agree with Bobby." She replied. What you did that day made the rest of us proud to be your instructors, while showing the world that we mutants are capable of using our powers for the greater good. That day you proved yourselves as true heroes."
Iceman looked satisfied with her answer, but surprised that she had stated it in such a way that sounded both flattering and stern. The bald telepath wore a similar expression to their driver, although facing towards the front of the car hid his look as well.
"She is absolutely correct…" Professor Xavier verbalized his agreement. "While I was also proud to hear what you had done, I wish that I had been there to see it for myself. Due to Mystique's personal involvement in this incident, we had some very vexing problems on out hands at the time, and I was indisposed."
Jean's face twisted into a worried expression. "Come to think of it, Mystique hasn't been seen since that incident in Egypt. Something tells me that we haven't seen the last of her yet."
The older telepath displayed similar sentiments, his thoughts on the subject manifesting itself in the form of a frown. "She appears to have gone into hiding for now, but from what I heard from Kurt and Rogue, Mystique seems to regret her past actions. I am not certain what she plans to do from this point onward, but unfortunately some people do not change."
They seemed to agree on this much considering that most of them had known Mystique fairly well from their encounters with the shape shifter, and these unpleasant meeting usually ended badly for everyone involved, sometimes even herself. She had done a number of terrible things throughout her career from manipulating others to do her work, kidnapping people, and a number of unsavory things that her own two children would probably never forgiven her for. She had not been seen in a while, but since she had so many enemies it was probably a wise choice to remain hidden from them.
For the rest of the ride they remained relatively silent, all the while waiting for the moment that they would arrive at their destination. Bobby let out an exasperated groan as the silence lingered in the air, but the others paid him no mind. The Professor seemed beside himself with worry as he continued to probe the area with his powers, trying to his best to detect any sign of Wolverine in the vicinity. If the ill-tempered mutant was close enough to their location, there was a chance that they could find him using this method. Of course it was bound to be a more difficult search if he were in trouble and lost consciousness, but they had little other choice considering that he was unfamiliar with X-23's mind.
"Are we…" Bobby began to ask the classic question that impatient travelers tended to ask, only to find a hand cupped around his mouth.
"Let the Professor concentrate." Jean Grey leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, having already known what their mentor was up to at the moment.
Iceman felt like a child whose mother had just silenced, but he silently agreed with her and did not bother to object. The stern look that Cyclops gave him made their position clear, even though his eyes were concealed by his trademark glasses, effectively ensuring that his younger teammate did not interrupt the professor's concentration. Although he did not know exactly what was going on either, Scott had known their teacher long enough to understand what he usually did in times such as these, while Jean merely detected the use of his powers through her own somewhat similar abilities.
Several minutes later Charles Xavier gasped in surprise, his eyes flickering open as he managed to catch hold of Logan's mind nearby. "Storm, park the X-Van as soon as you can." He ordered the woman sitting beside him.
Storm nodded in compliance and stomped her foot onto the brake pedal, slowing the vehicle just enough so that she could maneuver them into a nearby truck stop. The X-van veered into the parking lot, closely followed by Colossus who quickly emulated their course of action with his motorcycle, a confused look appearing on his face as he wondered why they were suddenly stopping. Gambit saw the van behind him move off of the road and changed his course in an illegal manner. The explosive mutant made a roundabout and joined them in the parking lot, earning some angry shouts and beeps from the opposing vehicles as he weaved to avoid an accident.
The couple sitting in the back seemed just as surprised by their leader's order, both of them wearing bemused expressions as Jean caught her breath. Iceman rubbed his midsection as the contents of his stomach returned to their proper place, his face turning pale as he covered his mouth, barely managing to choke down an esophagus full of vomit. Scott had bumped his had on the ceiling during the incident and was currently rubbing the lump he had just received.
Charles Xavier turned to face the others with an apologetic expression. "I am sorry for the discomfort, but mere moments ago I managed to locate Wolverine's mind. I believe that good fortune may be with us, for he may be close enough for me to establish a connection."
"So do you think you can find out exactly where he is?" Cyclops questioned.
"I do not believe that will be possible, but perhaps I can establish a connection with his mind long enough to learn this information for myself." The Professor replied.
Jean leaned forward with a slightly anxious look. "Maybe if I help out we'll have a better chance of success."
"I am grateful for the offer, but I do not believe that it will be necessary." Her mentor replied with a gracious nod.
They fell silent to allow him time to concentrate, but a loud rapping noise disrupted his concentration. Colossus drew back as the vehicle's driver opened the window to greet him, Professor Xavier raising his head to greet the other members of the team who had approached the van. Although the Russian mutant seemed less than keen to interrupt, his former comrade seemed a little less hesitant. Gambit got off of his motorcycle with a look of amusement dancing in his eyes as he approached the rest of the team.
The shifty man raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the open window, prompting the driver to draw back. "Since this mission seemed pretty urgent I didn't expect you guys would be stopping so soon. Care to explain why no one considered sharing with me?"
Storm cast a stern gaze in his direction. "Perhaps you should have taken up the rear, that way you might not have found it necessary to make that illegal turn in the middle of the highway."
"Well excuse me if I don't like being left out of the loop." Gambit stepped away from the car to create some space between them. "When I saw you guys run off the road, the wheels began turning and I figured it must be something important."
"It certainly is." The Professor replied from his place in the passenger's seat, instantly grabbing the group's attention. He folded his hands in a patient manner, his eyes closing for a moment as he focused once more. "I detected that Logan is near, and since he is within range now may be the best time for us to find him. We must pray that he is not in transit right now as I attempt to link with his mind."
"Fine by me." Gambit replied with a look of amusement. The former Acolyte turned with a swish of his coat and headed in the direction of the truck stop diner. "While we're here I'm getting something to eat. Just give me a call this time before you decide to take action and I'll be right there."
Professor Xavier nodded in agreement as he watched their newest member leave. Before addressing the others. "If anyone else wishes to take advantage of this stop, you are all free to do as you wish. I will contact you telepathically if there is something urgent for me to say."
"Come to think of it, I could probably use a small break from this ride." Bobby let out a weary groan as he stretched his legs out. He yawned once before shifting his weight and sliding across the seat and out the door.
Jean leaned towards her boyfriend and placed a hand to her mouth. "Maybe we should give the professor some time to concentrate on finding Wolverine. I mean we have been traveling for awhile, so maybe grabbing a bite to eat wouldn't be such a bad idea."
He complied without objection as they followed Iceman's example and vacated the vehicle, leaving their two former instructors alone together in the van. The female telepath gently grasped Scott's hand as they headed towards the diner, sparing a small glance back at the parked vehicles while praying that their lost teammate was still all right. She hoped that they didn't receive any unexpected psychic messages from their leader while they were away, and would learn that Wolverine was fine when they returned to speak with the professor.
Charles Xavier watched them leave with an unreadable expression before turning to face the dark-skinned woman sitting to his right. "If you wish to join them, I shall not object." He replied with a look of encouragement.
"Something about this situation surrounding Logan doesn't seem right." Storm said with a small grimace. "I shall leave if you want to be alone for this, but with all of these strange occurrences happening around us, I believe it would be safer for me to stay here on the off chance that you may require protection."
"I doubt we are in any direct danger at the moment, but I appreciate your sentiments. Thank you, Ororo." Professor Xavier replied with a shadow of a smile.
The two mutants fell silent once more as he placed his fingers to his head, silently probing the surrounding areas once more with his mind. They were originally planning on starting their search in Manhattan where Angel lived before fanning out to different parts of New York City, but now things were different. Although he was unable to pinpoint their lost comrade's exact location, he could sense that they were within telepathic range, meaning that it might have been possible to establish some kind of telepathic connection.
Several minutes passed without any form of interruption as he continued the task, quietly wondering why it was so difficult to do. He had contacted Wolverine with this method before, but this time it seemed as though his old friend's mind were little more than a single glimmer of light in a dark cave. After several more minutes of straining his own mind, he finally managed to seize hold of Logan's thoughts, but they were faint, almost as if his old friend was barely conscious.
Logan, Where are you? Xavier thought as he managed to create the link.
With Wolverine
Miles away the mutant heard the message, his eyes widening in shock at having heard the Professor's voice in his mind. He felt slightly worn out by his previous experiences but managed to grab hold of the connection. Charles… Is that you?
Yes it is. I have managed to establish a connection, but there appears to be something blocking out my telepathic signal. Xavier replied in his mind.
Wolverine opened his eyes again as his body slowly recovered from the injuries electric shocks. Were he an ordinary human it would not have been so easy, but despite his initial hatred of what he had become, the feral mutant understood that there were several advantages to his enhanced senses and regenerative abilities. He blinked twice to clear his vision, his self-awareness slowly returning as he managed to reestablish a grip on reality. From what he could see the containment field that the enemy had placed around them was still active, and would probably prevent their escape even if he managed to break the shackles holding his limbs.
Not sure where I am, but it looks like some kind of underground laboratory…I was caught by some creep along with X-23 and we've been trapped here ever since. From the looks of this place, the energy field they used to contain us might have something to do with why you're having trouble keeping contact. Wolverine noted the strange force field. After a brief pause in their mental conversation he called out in his mind. You still there?
Your message was received… But my contact is beginning to slip. The Professor replied telepathically. Can you give me any specifics about your location, or perhaps details of what happened before that may provide us with answers?
Wolverine considered this for a moment before answering. If you're close enough to contact me even with interference then it's pretty safe to assume that the freak who captured us didn't go far. Before we got nabbed we were wandering around in the woods beside the highway, several miles from New York City.
What would you be doing there? Xavier thought.
Sabertooth came after me and our bikes got smashed up in an accident. We fell over a guardrail and tumbled into the woods. After that I managed to drive him off when X-23 showed up, but shortly after we ran into some trouble with some kind of mad scientist tasked with hunting down the girl. I was just in the way, but he captured me too. Logan summed up his memories of the previous afternoon.
Xavier sweated slightly as he felt his old friend's mind slipping away. Are you absolutely certain that is all?
Yeah I…Wolverine began, but the Professor lost contact at that moment and heard nothing else. Charles Xavier opened his eyes miles away, allowing his mind to return to its normal state. As the bald telepath prepared to explain what he had learned from the mental conversation, Logan had found himself alone again.
A small groan sounded from beside him, bringing him to the instant realization that X-23 had finally woken up. With a slightly painful motion, he turned his head to see the teenage girl trapped along the wall just a few feet away. The sight of the injured child brought forth a sense of empathy that he rarely felt to a noticeable extent, but after a moment he was relieved to see the life return to her face.
"Hey… Are you okay, kid?" he questioned his female clone.
"Don't call me that!" she hissed venomously. As her sense of awareness returned, the girl's expression hardened into a murderous glare, but she found herself unable to move her limbs.
It only took her a matter of seconds to realize she was trapped, prompting her to struggle against the binds in any way possible. She tried extending the claws from her hands and feet in an attempt to tear her binds off and escape, but the shackles were extremely tight and held her in a position that made her weapons completely useless to free herself. X-23 strained her muscles in an attempt to break the binds with sheer force, but she would soon come to regret her hasty decision.
"Don't do it! You'll only…" Wolverine called out his warning to her, but he was too late.
X-23 screamed in pain as a deadly electrical shock shot through her body, causing her to react in much the same manner that her counterpart had earlier. After a moment the agonizing torture came to an end. She went limp, her arms and legs hanging loosely in their shackles, but despite her demeanor, the female mutant was still perfectly conscious. During her training she had been taught how to resist different forms of torture in the unlikely event that she was captured by an enemy, meaning that she knew how to handle pain. As much hell as it had been to endure, the training had some advantages.
"Like I was trying to say, trying to break out only results in pain." Logan reiterated with an angry snarl. "The idiot that trapped us here even put up a containment field so we can't get out even if we manage to break the shackles."
His female clone looked up to see the reddish glow of the barrier surrounding them, her face instantly reforming into a look of rage. The thought frustrated her, but she had also been trained to be was a master of escape and quickly began formulating ways of which it would be possible to break out. Nothing came to mind immediately as her efforts were discouraged by the containment field, and after a minute or two of venting her frustration through a series of feral growls, the mutant girl turned to face her fellow prisoner.
"This is all your fault!" she screamed, her eyes narrowing in great dislike.
Wolverine scowled angrily as she verbally attacked him. "Yeah, sure it was!" he snarled with a note of sarcasm. "I'm sure that mechanical armed freak who doused us with knockout gas and trapped us in this dump had nothing to do with it."
"Shut up! If I hadn't turned around to save you back there, I wouldn't be here right now! This is one of the reasons why I didn't want you to follow me!" X-23 cried out, her shackled hands shaking slightly with frustration. "I turned back to get your to safety and ended up here all because you were too weak o save yourself."
"I wasn't conscious at the time, so it's pretty safe to assume that I never asked you to save me back there. Whether you want to admit it or not, you made that decision yourself!" Logan replied with an unreadable expression.
X-23 looked positively dumbstruck by his comment and seemed to lose her nerve for the moment. With a look of utter loathing, the girl turned her head in the opposite direction in an attempt to escape his ironclad gaze. It was rare for her to feel this way, but it felt strange to know that what he had told her was actually right. She was determined to blame him for what had happened, but now that she was thinking more rationally it made it difficult for her to argue with his claim. Being completely honest caused her some emotional turmoil, but Logan was absolutely right in saying that she had made her own choice.
Thinking back to what had happened, she had succumbed to a moment of sentimentality back in the woods, which was extremely rare for her and even at the time it had conflicted with her core personality. Then again the question remained of whether of not her solitary nature was really a part of who she was, or if it was only a result of what HYDRA had made her. After a moment of contemplating this she felt a pain in her head unrelated to the current situation, her lips biting back an agonized scream as memories of her past rushed through her mind.
Wolverine looked over at his female clone as he noticed her pronounced discomfort. Although she made no noise, her eyes were closed and her facial expressions revealed a deep sense of pain and suffering that he recognized all too well. "You all right?" he asked carefully.
The girl hanging beside him opened her eyes but did not look him in the eye. "Leave me alone…" she hissed dangerously.
Logan let out a low growl in response to her attitude, his own temper rising to the surface as he sniffed the surrounding air. He could hear footsteps somewhere in the distance coming closer by the moment, and the scent indicated that their captor was coming back, and he was bringing company with him. X-23 seemed to understand what was going on immediately and tensed up, her eyes widening slightly as they waited for the enemy to appear. The older mutant snarled in a feral manner as the mad scientist who had trapped them here entered the room, his mechanical arms flexing menacingly as they had done during the previous encounter.
Doctor Octavius wore a confident smile as he sidled into the room, apparently glad to see that his subjects were still contained. "As originally promised the mutant experiment X-23 has been neutralized." He boasted to an unseen figure beyond the door.
Wolverine strained his eyes as he attempted to get a better look at the second person, but soon found the effort unnecessary. A much larger man stepped into the room, his impressive height exceeding six feet. If this were not intimidating enough, the man was rather wide as well, his frame easily filling the doorway to a noticeable extent. The newcomer was clean-shaven and completely bald, wearing a white suit with a dark undershirt, along with a pair of gray dress pants. Despite his rather formal appearance, he gave off a rather powerful presence befitting of his stature.
"So, I take it this is the creep who hired you?" the older mutant deduced out loud.
"It appears that you have little respect for the man who holds you life in his hands." The Kingpin's expression hardened as he stepped into the dingy light. "You'll find that my interest in your kind is very limited… Consider this carefully, for I may just dispose of you when this situation is over."
The mad scientist seemed to ignore his comment as he looked over at the girl shackled beside him. "Ah, the female has finally regained consciousness." Octavius replied with a small grin. He moved closer to the containment field and leaned forward to take a better look. "It is good to see that you are unharmed, or else we might be responsible for the damages."
X-23 did not bother to struggle as she was aware of the consequences, but at that moment she wanted nothing more than to murder him for referring to her as someone else's property. "What did HYDRA promise you?" she asked the two villains.
Wolverine let out a low feral noise. "That's what I want to know too…"
The Kingpin clenched his fists, but when he spoke his tone displayed little hostility. "It appears that you are acquainted with my benefactors, yet I still see no reason to explain my dealings to a man who may not be alive for very much longer. The child's life has some value to me as long as the leader of HYDRA desires her capture…"
"So you decided to do their dirty work then." Logan replied with a sneer. "I thought for a second you two might have had your own plans, but it looks like all you're doing is carrying out someone else's objective."
The vast crime lord looked positively furious, but rather than attack them he reacted by punching the wall, creating a large crack in the steel paneling with his bare hand. "The only reason I have agreed to capture the girl is because it was a convenient method of furthering my own ambitions." He replied aggressively. "If Madame Hydra does not present me with an offer for you as well, then you will wish that you had not survived the battle with Doctor Octavius."
"What do you plan to do with me now?" Wolverine questioned angrily.
"As mentioned before, I have little interest in mutants." Kingpin stood aside to reveal the presence of another man. "However, I have an associate who would be happy to use you as an experimental subject."
A third figure entered the room as he spoke. Half of the newcomer's face was hideously disfigured, but his features were alive with malice. He sauntered up to the containment field, his eyes settling on the older mutant. "So this is the original Weapon X then? The experiment that HYDRA had worked to emulate through the creation of X-23." Herbert Landon's eyes moved towards the girl next to him.
Logan scowled in anger at being called by that title, and X-23 looked equally as angry. She snarled in a hostile manner, but her counterpart was the one who spoke. "Bastards like you who think of us as nothing more than experiments deserve to die!"
The disfigured man glared at his pretty, his monstrous eye widening slightly in excitement. "On the contrary… I see your kind as filth whose existence is an abomination to the rest of us. It is for that reason that you must all be destroyed."
Wolverine instinctively lunged forward, but the electrical shocks that had singed his insides before began anew, forcing him to stop struggling. Landon looked positively indifferent to the sudden punishment the mutant had just received, but Doctor Octavius looked relatively amused by the effectiveness of his invention. Their employer watched in amusement as the prisoner felt writhed in pain, his facial expression revealing a sense of satisfaction.
"As you can see, the containment units automatically channel powerful jolts of electricity through the subjects' bodies if they try to escape." Doctor Octopus took this opportunity to show off his system. "You can see my incarceration method is perfectly secure… The prisoners are also surrounded by an energy field that will prevent them from getting far even if they manage to break through the first line of defense."
The Kingpin observed the structure with nod of approval before turning to face his hired hand once again. "Although you're system seems secure, I want you to remain here and keep an eye on the mutants while we make preparations for the tradeoff. Per our agreement, you will be held responsible on the off chance that they manage to escape."
Octavius took a pen from his pocket and tossed it at the force field. The defensive shield sent the pen flying in the opposite direction, the charred remains of his writing utensil breaking into pieces as it hit the nearest wall. "As you can see, it is one hundred percent escape proof." He boasted.
The crime boss dismissed Herbert Landon with a wave of his hand and followed him out, leaving the doctor alone with the mutants once again. As the two men proceeded down the darkened hallways towards the monitor room, the disfigured man quickened his pace to catch up with his superior. They continued on in silence for a minute or so until they arrived in the main room of the underground laboratory, the Kingpin settling his large frame into a chair situated in the center of the chamber.
Landon pulled the lever on the wall to activate the room's power before scurrying across the room to activate the communications system. The lights and panels lit up almost immediately, giving the entire room rather futuristic appearance. Once he had reached the nearest computer terminal, the crime lord's assistant punched in a quick series of commands to activate the main monitors and speakers. His employer reached towards the panel in front of his chair and established a connection, causing the screen in front of him to flicker several times.
A man wearing a black lab coat appeared on the screen moments later, his demeanor slipping as he caught sight of the man on the other end of the line. "Mr. Fisk…" the scientist straightened his glasses with his left hand. "While it is always a pleasure, we did not expect to hear from you again so soon!"
"Enough with the pleasantries… Tell Madame Hydra that the experimental subject is currently in my possession." The Kingpin replied curtly.
"Our leader is currently preoccupied with something, but I shall issue this report as soon as possible." The organization's head scientist replied with a small nod. After a brief pause he began typing away on his own computer. "I believe you will need to relay your location and provide the necessary information before a tradeoff can be performed."
The criminal lord eyed him with a suspicious expression. "Very well, but the conditions I set for this transaction between our organizations still apply. As promised during an earlier conversation with your leader, she must arrive in person to claim the mutant or the deal is off."
"Madame Hydra has already agreed to your terms, and will give you the information she promised in due time…" The HYDRA agent explained quickly.
"Very good." the Kingpin commented with a satisfied smirk. "I shall send you the required information within the next hour, make certain that the proper location and set conditions concerning our agreement reach your superior."
"Of course… I shall deliver this information at once." the scientist replied, pressing a button below the monitor's view with his index finger.
A few seconds later, the screen flickered and the connection was cut, revealing a dark monitor screen once again. The Kingpin of Crime sat back in his giant chair, his eyes downcast as he began to contemplate the situation for himself. If things went the way he expected, everyone would be satisfied, but of course he had no interest in helping other criminals. If it weren't for the offer of information concerning the super soldier project, he wouldn't have even considered cooperating with the HYDRA organization.
Landon wore an inquisitive expression as he approached his superior. "I just realized something rather interesting. Wouldn't forcing those people to come to you allow you to dictate the terms of your transaction? Was that your intention?"
"Indeed it was…" Wilson Fisk answered with a look of mild amusement. "If they come to my turf then things are bound to be in my favor. I do not know exactly why, but those fools from the HYDRA organization seem to value this experiment. Whether the mutant carries crucial information or is merely an important development in science is not my concern. The point is that X-23 is in my hands as of now, so Madame Hydra will have no chance to renege on our little deal."
The disfigured man's face seemed to glow with understanding. "Ah, now I see why you ordered me to dispatch those robots into the surrounding woods. I figured as much, but it seems you have certainly played your hand well in all of this. This time, it seems that you hold all of the cards."
"I prefer to think of this as insurance in case we run into any unexpected difficulties. You seem to forget that there is always the possibility that Spider-man will be involved, seeing how he always appears to be in the wrong place at the right time." The Kingpin continued elaborating his plans. "To remedy this factor I personally commissioned the Scorpion to perform some petty crimes. Just enough to keep the web-slinger occupied while I carry out my true objective."
Landon let out a small chortle. "It seem that you've prepared for everything. No matter what happens you seem to have found away to come out on top."
"And that is why I am the Kingpin…" Wilson Fisk finished with an evil leer.
Note to Readers: All right, here's another update. Sorry that nothing particularly exciting happened in this chapter, but I'm still building up for the more interesting stuff which might start up in the next chapter. Not much in terms of action right now, but there should be some happening soon. Once again I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors.