Chapter 9
ACCESSING...ACCESSING...
Images pop up on the screen of the entire mutant database this facility contains. That was why the figure, hidden completely behind black clothing and a mask with infra-red/night-vision goggles built in, infiltrated this place.
The figure was searching for a particular mutant...a particular target.
The figure flicks through the database quickly until they reach the files on the X-Men...till they reach the file on him.
Wolverine. Logan. Weapon X.
It has all the information the figure was looking for. His current location being the primary one. Committing it to memory the figure can't help but reach out and touch the image, their fingers gliding over the face.
They jerk their right hand back, clenching it into an angry fist. Two metal claws pop out from between the two outer most knuckles and they jab them into the screen, destroying it. There are images on other smaller screens around of Logan and the figure slices them to pieces in what can only be interpreted as an act of raw rage and pure hate.
Suddenly the intruder alarms blare and red lights flash. The figure knows their time is up. They turn and run past a SHIELD agent they incapacitated earlier on their way in. He is lying on the ground with a small circular device stuck on his forehead that is responsible for keeping him unconscious.
This is a SHIELD facility, suppose to be impossible to break in to. Supposedly.
Two heavily armed guards make their way to the location and find triangular holes cut right through the walls. It's not hard to figure out where their intruder is going. "The Intruder is heading for the roof!" they report to all other personnel now on alert to catch this person.
A helicopter starts circling round the building using a searchlight attached underneath in a standard search pattern to look for the intruder.
A door to a walkway around the building is kicked open and the intruder bursts through and runs along it...dogs in pursuit with their handlers.
"Freeze!" one of them orders but the intruder ignores them and keeps running up a set of metal stairs and onto the roof.
The guards release the dogs to chase and hunt down the intruder.
The figure that is the intruder slides to a halt as they suddenly reach the edge of the roof with their choices being a several storey drop or facing the dogs.
They turn to face the dogs and two sets of two claws pop out from their hands, one pair on each.
Behind the figure the helicopter rises up and focusses in its light upon the figure, a short, slim person at that. The helicopter circles with the light aimed dead-on at its target who is looking at them back, assessing them.
The figure then makes a sudden dash across the rooftop, looking for an escape. They come to a stop at a large round pipe. Part of the air-conditioning. They feel it is piping hot.
Using their claws they slice it open and steam pours out, the superheated water that is part of the cooling system. It provides the equivalent of a smoke screen. They make a dash for it, between the snapping, snarling, barking dogs and leap over the edge flipping round as they do so, using their hand claws...and two extra claws that pop out, one on each foot, from their boots to dig into the building and they slide down the side.
"Aerial One! Do you have a visual on the intruder?" one of the guards on the roof asks.
The helicopter swings round and traces the claw marks on the side of the building all the way to the ground...but there's no sign of who made them.
"Negative. The intruder is gone!" the helicopter has to report.
The guard on the roof groans. "Colonel Fury is going to have our heads," he grimaces at the thought of reporting this.
What none of them see is that underneath a camper van a hole has be cut through the tarmac into the sewers below and there is the intruder. The intruder who has what they want. They stride off determined with a single purpose in mind.
They're going to kill Wolverine and anyone else who gets in their way.
At the Institute...
Another beautiful Saturday morning. It was the weekend after Evan left and for the X-Men, as much as they missed their friend, life had to go on. They have simply too much to do and can't just sulk around.
For the New Mutants that meant a training session in the Institute's grounds courtesy of Wolverine.
The goal was simple. Get from where the start was to the finish...assuming you could avoid the many, many traps Logan had laid out in the woods and grounds along the different trails the New Mutants could choose as the way back.
Bart and Jubilee are in one pair making their way along. Bart had been strictly forbidden to use his superspeed just to cheat to the end in a few moments so they were moving at a walking pace. The rule was they start as a pair, they finish as a pair so essentially Bart was limited to however fast his girlfriend could move.
"This is so lame," Bart complains about having to walk. "I hate the slow lane...and why aren't we doing this in the Danger Room?"
Jubilee grins at Bart's complaining. "There's no off switch in the real world, bub," Jubilee gives the explanation in her best Wolverine impression.
"That's spooky how like him you sound," Bart says.
The two giggle at themselves before a rustling sound nearby makes them stop.
"I hate these outside training sessions," Jubilee confesses as she and Bart warily look around them for who knows what.
The ground under Jubilee's right foot gives way and she topples over into a pit. A grating slides over locking her in. "Get me out of here!" Jubilee demands.
"Hang on. I can vibrate the bars apart," Bart says as he grips them to do just that.
Four turrets pop out of the ground around him and start pelting him with small rubber balls. "On 2nd thoughts I'll go get some help!" he decides and zips off.
"Bart!" Jubilee yells after him. "You can't leave me here! Bart!"
Bart zips along the path, finding Forge and Husk strung up, upside down by a rope round their feet, showing they got caught in another trap. Below them 3 copies of Multiple, trying to aid his girlfriend.
Bart zips past them.
"Hey where do ya think y'all are goin?!" Husk yells after him, blood rushing to her head, so she can't concentrate enough to husk a new form for herself that can get her out of this.
Bart slows down a little to shout back, "Don't worry! Got a plan! Be right back!"
Nearer the flag that is the finish Bart finds Betsy and Wolfsbane trapped in a net...a strong one because even Rahne's werewolf form can't seem to break it. She's currently trying to chew her way out but man is this tough material.
Bart keeps zipping along and screeches to a halt at the flag. No traps? He looks around. No traps! Alright! See his plan is simple, grab the flag and the session is over and Logan has to let them out of the traps. Brilliant right?
Bart grabs the flag...and a huge electric shock surges up his arm making him jitter on the spot for several seconds before he topples over, his uniform actually smoking. A shadow stands over him.
Logan...and he isn't looking happy.
"D-did I win?" Bart asks, slurring his words.
"Oh yeah you won alright fast-streak. You won another go through the course from the start! I said no powers!" he barks out the reminder in his usual grumpy, gruff tones.
Joining them comes Beast along with Havok and Magma, who Beast helped out a trap they got caught in and soon following them come the rest of the New Mutants who Beast had also freed. Wanda wasn't doing this because she had a lesson at Dr Strange's but Logan had her down for extras when she got back.
Logan looks at them. "That goes for all of ya!" he decides about them all rerunning the course.
They all groan.
"Man are you tetchy," Jubilee grumbles. "You have been all week. What's up with that?"
Betsy leans in. "It's because Evan left," she whispers into Jubilee's ear. Being psychic can help big time here.
"I didn't know he cared," Jubilee whispers back.
"It's a sorta roundabout thing. Storm's upset so she hasn't been in the, uh, mood, this last week."
"Oh," understanding dawns in Jubilee's eyes. "'Mood'," she repeats making air-quotes. "Gotcha," she says with a wink.
Havok helps Bart back to his feet.
"Kid, ya have to stop being so impulsive!" Logan lectures the speedy young teen because that's what he had learned about the kid since he started training with the others. He just impulsively zipped off into anything with barely a thought it seemed to Logan.
"Impulsive?" Jubilee repeats as if it is sparking something in her mind. "That's it!" she proclaims as she snaps her fingers for good measure, producing a few small fireworks.
"What's it?" Wolfsbane asks.
"Bart's codename!" Jubilee declares excitedly. "He's impulsive so how about Impulse?!"
Beast strokes his chin as he ponders that. It fits. "What does Bart think?"
Bart isn't sure...though he supposes it's not bad. "I'll think on it," he decides.
"I think it's pretty good," one voice shows its approval. That voice belonging to Clark who floats down to join this gathering. He had been up having a fly. He finds it relaxing. Though it does mean having to change into his Superman costume in case he's spotted. Clark lands, his landing still a little heavy.
"You're getting good at that Clark," Beast comments.
"Well you know. Natural talent," Clark shrugs, modestly.
"I bet you have a lot of that," Betsy says in her saucy humour. Ok, sure she and Clark weren't great at the moment but hey she can still make a saucy joke.
Logan face-palms. "I thought I said another run through the course. Now!" he barks at his charges for today.
Clark's head snaps to his right. "SHIELD helicopters...on approach," he reports as he picks them up.
Logan growls. Fury. Hasn't spoken to the guy since Smallville. He thinks he still owes Fury a few words over that. However he thinks this must have something to do with that SHIELD break-in the other night. "Hank take over for me, would ya," he requests.
"You got it," Beast agrees.
The New Mutants, cheer, jump and give each other high 5s at the fact Beast is taking the class instead of Logan. There aren't the words to describe the elation they feel at that.
"I'll still be watching ya," Logan cuts them off mid-cheer before heading off for where he believes the helicopters will land.
Clark follows at a brisk walk. Just in case.
They both find the Professor, who no doubt picked up the helicopters approach on the mansion radar system, waiting.
Charles picks up Logan's thoughts. "Why would Fury believe you have something to do with the SHIELD break-in?" he wonders. Logan was here that night. It wouldn't be hard to prove.
"I'm not sure...yet," Logan answers as the two helicopters land.
The door of one opens, several SHIELD agents exit and take defensive positions as Director Fury himself strides down.
"But if he thought I really did it this sure wouldn't be the way he'd be picking me up."
"How would he pick you up?" Clark asks.
"He'd shoot first," Logan gives the difference as he walks, willingly, toward the man.
"L-Logan if you need anything..." Charles requests/promises.
Logan nods in acknowledgement. "Just make sure Jinx doesn't steal my beer while I'm out," he requests.
"I'll see what I can do," Charles promises vaguely because Domino...is Domino. There is a lot that can't be done to stop her.
"I'm hurt!" a pouting voice protests. Domino. "I never steal your beer. I just...find it lying around," she smirks as she saddles up next to Logan.
"Ya coming?" Logan queries...and then sees she is dressed to 'dance'. Uniform, weapons strapped to her thighs.
"I think you'll need me," she says seriously, giving Fury the eye. There is also something bothering her about this break-in. Hard to get details considering this is SHIELD but from what she does know it seems...familiar. The way it was done. It was almost exactly like the way Stryker trained her to infiltrate a facility and retrieve data. Could be one of those other Weapon X children he made, one of her and Logan's family. After Rogue...departed...she needs to know for certain so hence why she's here right now.
Logan decides not to refuse. He can tell when she's serious. Something has intrigued her, something he might not have seen so why not? "She's coming too," Logan lays it down to Fury.
"And him," Fury points at another person.
Superman points at himself. "Me?" he inquires. Why would Fury want him along as well? He was nowhere near that facility, never has been.
"One way or the other," Fury warns.
Domino snorts. "Yeah. Right. I'd pay good money to see that," she remarks in amusement at the idea of SHIELD taking Clark by force.
"Superman you don't have to," Charles insists.
Actually now Clark's curious. It's the journalist in him. He has to know what Fury wants. If it involves a breach in his secret identity then...his family could be at risk. He has to know. "It's alright Professor. Flying in a machine's a novelty for me now," he jests lightly as he strides, projecting his most regal, powerful aura, into the helicopter.
Logan, Dom and their 'escort' guard follow.
Fury gives the Professor an acknowledging nod as he turns and enters the helicopter too.
Charles watches them fly off, a slightly uneasy feeling in his stomach about all of this.
The helicopters land at the breached SHIELD base. Fury still isn't saying what this is about. As the door opens meeting them is Commander Hill...and Captain America who has his cowl down and his shield on his back.
Logan blinks. "Cap?" he queries.
"Hello Logan," the world war 2 veteran greets his old war buddy warmly.
Domino steps forward and offers her hand. "We never got a chance to meet before in Smallville. I'm Domino," she virtually purrs, oozing sultry sexiness.
Logan rolls his eyes. "Knock it off Jinx! Flirt on your own time." he berates her for her flirting.
Cap actually blushes lightly. He clears his throat and takes the offered hand. "Pleasure to meet you Miss."
Domino frowns. "Why did you call me Miss? Do I look single to you?" she asks sharply, sounding offended at the very idea.
"Dom, really?" Superman queries at her antics.
"Alright, alright," she accepts. She then leans forward to whisper to Captain America. "I am by the way so call me," she says, making a phone gesture with her hand.
Logan grabs her arm and yanks her back. Honestly she'll be the death of him.
Captain America turns his focus on to the 3rd person. "Hello again Superman. I never got a proper chance to thank you for what you did in Smallville."
On the inside Clark is once more so geeking out. "It was nothing, sir. Just following your fine example."
Domino coughs out, "Ass-kisser!"
"That's a nasty cough there Dom. You should do something about it," Superman says, giving her the evil eye.
Domino pats her chest and coughs a few more times for show. "Yeah," she pretend croaks. "I'll see Beast when we get back."
"Are we finished?" Fury asks. "Or do you want to sit around, chat and start braiding each other's hair?"
Dom brushes her hand through her dark locks. "Well, now that you mention it..." she says with a cheeky grin.
Fury pinches the bridge of his nose. "Not gonna kill them," he mutters. "Not yet anyway." He snaps his fingers and points at Superman. "You, go with them," he instructs, pointing at Captain America and Commander Hill. "Logan, Domino, you're with me."
Logan thinks about objecting but if Space Boy is safe with anyone it'd be Cap. He looks to Clark who taps on the side of his face just below his ear. An indication that he'll be listening.
"Alright, Fury, what is this about?" Logan wants to know, his patience, which he is not know for to start with, almost at its end.
"I'll show you," Fury tells them.
That being the case the group split up and head in different directions. Logan and Domino with Fury. Superman with Captain America and Commander Hill.
Fury gives them a summary of the break-in as he leads Logan and Domino to a door that has been sliced open. They both bend down and examine the cuts. Completely smooth, no traces of metal. Only a very strong metal can do that. Like adamantium.
"The intruder had metal claws," Fury informs them.
Domino and Logan pause and share a look with each other.
Fury continues. "And your DNA, Logan."
Logan jerks upright. "What?!" he exclaims.
"What he said," Domino says, equally disbelieving. "He was at home, drinking." She eyes Fury. "You don't think it was him. Otherwise we wouldn't be here talking about it," she figures. They'd have just arrested Logan already...or tried to.
"No," Logan says. "Not doesn't think. He knows it wasn't me don't ya?" he eyes Fury sceptically. One thing he remembers from his time at SHIELD, Fury always knows more than he lets on. "So what is it? Someone trying to set me up?" Logan asks, unable to see any other reason his DNA would be here except that someone is trying to frame him...and when Logan finds out who they are going to be on the receiving of the business end of his claws.
"I don't have all the answers. That's why you're here. To help me figure out what is going on," Fury relays. "Follow me," he instructs them.
Fury leads them past some guards and to a well guarded room, with large thick doors.
"How do they have your DNA?" Domino asks Logan. They must do to compare it.
"I use to work for this jackass," Logan has to grimly confess.
"Not your best decision," Domino gives her view.
"Tell me about it," Logan says gruffly, agreeing wholeheartedly that it was not his best decision.
"If you're done?" Fury snaps, irritated.
The door slides open to reveal another door which slides open to open into a room with a conference like table. There are two guards inside and sitting at the table a blond woman.
At seeing her guests she rises to her feet and gasps in surprise. "Weapon X!"
Logan snarls aggressively and stomps up to the woman. "What did you just call me?!" he demands, his fingers twitching as he barely represses popping his claws. To call him that...people who call him that are usually the ones who were responsible for what was done to him, who were there and people like that make him so fucking angry he can barely control himself.
Domino grabs his arm hurriedly. "Easy hairy," she asks him to calm down. "Lets not eviscerate her until you've introduced her to your favourite cousin."
The blond woman looks at Domino wide-eyed at that remark. "You're...you're one of the Weapon X progenation experiment," she says in a whispered awe.
Domino blinks...twice. "Ok what I said about calming down...screw that!" she spits as she pulls out her gun and aims it point blank at this woman's head. "You have 10 seconds to explain how the hell you know what I am before I blow your head off!" she shouts because in this one area she's like Logan. Stryker and those that helped make her piss her off beyond measure.
The SHIELD guards cock their weapons and aim them at the armed and dangerous monochrome mutant.
Fury grabs one and pulls it down. "Lets all calm down. The good doctor here risked a lot by coming to us. You'll get your explanations," he tells them.
Domino and Logan look at Fury, then at the female and then at each other before withdrawing their aggressive stance. Dom re-holsters her gun...for now.
"Please," the woman pleads. "We're running out of time. We have to move fast," she says.
"Right now I want you to relax and start at the beginning. Tell these fine folks what you told me," Fury tells the lady, who is clearly agitated, nervous and on edge.
"Ok," she agrees, trying to calm down. She sits back down. "Um, my name is Dr Deborah Risman. I am...was a scientist for HYDRA. An organ..."
Logan stops her. "I know all about HYDRA, lady. I was fighting it before your parents were a twinkle in their parents' eyes."
"Right, right, of course," Dr Risman realises.
Domino too had some information on HYDRA, some from her time with Stryker, considering what he was training her to be and some from what Logan mentions now and again.
"Pain in my ass. They've tried to kill me at least 5 times," Fury complains. "They're a plague on this world but like the name you can't get rid of them. Kill one head, two more rises in its place. That's HYDRA." He looks at Risman. "Go on," he tells her to continue.
"An operative, X-23, she went AWOL after a mission a couple of weeks ago."
"She was the one who broke in here?" Domino asks, having an inkling that it must be related.
"Y-yes," Dr Risman confirms. "She's gone rogue on HYDRA."
"So?" Logan asks, not seeing how this matters to him.
"Trust me this is cause for concern," Dr Risman wants them to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Show them," Fury orders her.
With that the group depart for another part of the facility.
Back with Clark he's really trying very hard not to go all fanboy on Captain America. The presence of Commander Hill is keeping him in check.
All the while he's listening in on Logan and Domino as they walk somewhere. Clark's been debating with himself whether to x-ray ahead or leave it as a surprise. He does like surprises...except the ones where this an attempt to trap him or something so x-ray ahead it is.
Hmm...interesting. Clark's not sure whether this is good or bad yet. He's reserving judgement.
"I've been following your work," Captain America remarks.
"Y-you have?" Superman queries, grinning at the idea Captain America, the Captain America, has been interested in what he does.
"You've been doing a fine job," Cap compliments the kid.
On the outside Clark is remaining remarkably stoic. On the inside he is squeeing like a 3 year old at Christmas at receiving a compliment from Captain America, his childhood hero.
"Although some advice, hang around Spider-Man less," Hill cuts in, her teeth grinding at some memory of meeting Spider-Man.
"Why would I do that?" Superman asks, as if completely baffled by that suggestion. "Spidey's great fun. Plus I've been working on a little theme tune for him for his birthday." Superman clears his throat in an exaggerated manner before singing a few lines. "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Spins a web any size, catches thieves just likes flies, look out here comes the Spider-Maaannn."
Captain America and Hill look at him in truly stupefied silence.
"What do you think?"
"I think you should never sing in front of a woman with a loaded gun," Hill answers, deadly serious.
"If I had a dime for every time I've heard that one. I'd have a quarter!" Superman cheerily reports.
"That..makes no sense. You can't make a quarter out of dimes!"
"Really?" Superman says with a puzzled look. "You sure about that?"
"Yes. I...god why am I arguing with you?"
"I have one of those faces?"
"The totally handsome, want to snog silly kind of face?" someone ahead suggests. That someone being Janet Van Dyne...and she's not alone.
This is what Clark saw. "The Avengers," he airs in his deep baritone voice and there they are. The aforementioned Wasp, Ant-Man, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Black Widow and someone who makes Clark's jaw tighten in tension. "Agent Carter," he says coldly, eyeing the blond woman harshly.
"Still haven't gotten over it, have you," Sharon Carter can tell.
"Lets see now, you lied about who you were, used and abused my friends' feelings with little regard or care for what happened to them, all to find out about me, which was none of your business in the first place so no, I haven't gotten over it," Superman informs her in regards to her whole Cat Grant deception angle she pulled. He's more pissed off because he genuinely liked her as a friend so the betrayal cuts deep.
Cap thought this might be awkward at first because of what happened previously. He's not glad he was right. "Agent Carter was simply doing her job."
"There are other ways to go about it that don't involve manipulating the emotions of teenagers."
"I'll concede that," Cap says. "Wasn't my policy, wasn't even here."
"How are you here?" Superman asks. "I mean not that I'm not amazed to see you Captain but Logan told me the story, about the effects of Rebirth. You were dying."
"Yes. I was dying. They wouldn't let me die though. Froze me until they could find a way to reverse the damage."
Ok, now this is starting to make a little more sense. Clark can see what happened "And they did," he realises.
Cap nods.
"How?"
"Classified," Hill snaps.
Superman gives her a look. "Then why am I here?" he asks the pertinent question that no-one has yet answered.
Hawkeye chuckles.
"Something funny, Barton?" Hill wants to know, hands on her hips, looking stern.
"Oh no. It's just a good question. You drag him all the way here to meet lil 'ol us and don't even give him a single reason and you expect him not to wonder why?"
"Fine," Hill concedes. She turns to the tall, young, well-built man in red and blue. "Like the Captain said, we've been following you, watching you, judging you. The world is full of superpowered nut cases now posing a grave threat. Some pose a threat so powerful they can't be defeated alone. That's the principal behind the Avengers. To bring together people to fight the battle that can't be fought alone."
"Still not seeing why I need to be here."
Cap steps forward and explains. "We want you to join the Avengers, son."
Clark stands there speechless. Wow, ok, he did not see that coming.
Author's Note: So gave Bart his Impulse name. Thought might as well. Considering how I created Domino in this story it made sense to me she should be given a part in this story too alongside Logan. Oh look, Superman is being asked to join the Avengers. Wonder what his answer will be. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; X-23 part 2.