Chapter 13

"Cyclops!" James Proudstar calls out as he bursts into the room where Scott was reading, carrying an unconscious Magma. "I believe we're under attack."

Scott jumps to his feet and examines Magma...especially the device on her head. "What is that?" he asks, pointing at the metallic circular...whatever it is.

"I do not know. I found her like this in the hall," James relays. He was just having a quiet night mostly. Missing the fact Terry wasn't here. James will admit he likes her but is too shy to tell her that. Anyway since she left on that mission with the rest of Generation X he'd been having that quiet night when he heard a noise. As a trained Kawatche warrior it instantly caught his attentions as suspicious. When he went to investigate that is when he found Amara.

"We need to find the Professor...now!" Cyclops decides because if there was an intruder the Professor would know...unless they're already too late.

James places Magma down on the couch and reluctantly leaves her for the moment with Cyclops to find the Professor. Running through the halls they pass other unconscious people. Mr and Mrs Kent with the same device on their heads. Even Shelby next to them, no doubt trying to defend them. Who was doing this? And how did they get in the mansion?

Scott's mind is racing. He can only think of a very few people this well trained to find a way through the defences and not be seen. He hadn't found Jean yet...though he could still sense her in the back of his head. They had a sort of psychic link now but it was only a sense that her mind was there so she was still alive. At least that's something.

They find the Professor in his study in the same state as the others they ran across. They're too late.

Scott rubs his face. What do they do now?

Suddenly the door handles for the other entrance to the room start jiggling. Scott uses hand gestures to signal to James they stand either side of it.

Once there he makes a signal he will open it on 3. James nods and prepares himself. Whoever is doing this to his new home, his new friends...he's going to make them sorry they were ever born.

1...2...

Scott yanks the door open, his hand going for his glasses ready to blast while James has his fist pulled back and ready to strike...

"Cypher?" Scott queries at the unusual sight of the blond haired boy. He was getting out a little more from his room but still kept himself to himself most of time.

Scott grabs the boy and yanks him in the room, slamming the door shut.

"W-what is going on?" Cypher asks.

"The mansion has been infiltrated," Scott reports in his stern, leader mode. "They got the Professor already."

Doug looks and sees the unconscious bald man with the device. "I've seen that," he points at it.

"Where?" Scott asks deadly seriously.

Doug swallows. "When I was with Lionel," he admits quietly.

"What is it?" James asks, his voice softer because he can sense this is difficult for the boy. He places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. You can tell us. We're not judging you."

Scott cottons on quickly. "No. We're not. None of it was your fault, Cypher but we need your help. Not just us but the Kents too."

Doug's head snaps up. "T-They've been gotten too?" he asks in shock. Mr and Mrs Kent had been so nice to him.

Scott nods.

Cypher bows his head and summons up his courage and knowledge. "It's called a neural neutraliser. It suppresses electrical activity in certain areas of the brain."

"Rendering them unconscious," Scott can follow.

Cypher nods. He saw Lionel messing with them for the Genoshan government after his initial failure to get the power inhibition technology.

"Do you know how to remove it?" James asks.

Cypher shakes his head. "I...no. Sorry."

"It's ok," Cyclops assures him as he moves over and bends down close to the Professor and studies this neural neutraliser. If they just yank it off...maybe. He assumes it has to be in constant contact with the skin to work. "I think we have to risk trying to remove it," he says and waits for any objections. "We need answers."

James doesn't object but he has misgivings. They know nothing about these devices. They don't know the effect of just pulling it off to the Professor but what choice do they have?

Scott's hand reaches for the device and he wills it not to shake. He is millimetres from touching when the doors burst open.

"Don't!" Logan roars the instant he sees what they were attempting.

"They're wired to explode if you tamper with them," Domino adds as she jogs over to the Professor to check on him while Scott falls on his ass in surprise at that. He could have just killed the Professor as well as himself.

"You have to disable them first," Domino relays as she examines it. She purses her lips. Sophisticated. Take too long to disable and it's very delicate work. She saw devices like this when working for Stryker. Trained in using them. In fact these look very much like the ones Stryker had. Now she knows there was a link between him and HYDRA chances are they are the same things.

"Logan. Domino," Scott says in half-relief at seeing them as he picks himself up and dusts himself down. "What is going on? Who's doing this?"

"We need to get you 3 out of here," Logan decides.

"No," Scott refuses. "I'm not leaving without the others."

"Neither will I," James also refuses.

Cypher remains silent.

"No," Domino refuses the refusal. "You need to leave. You're no match for her," she says sternly.

"Match for who?!" Scott practically yells.

Just then there is a loud crashing sound from nearby and all 5 end up running to it. Inside the room they find an unconscious Storm and Forge.

Logan rushes over to Storm's side. "Ro?" he says in a soft concerned tone. He checks her over. He knows she is only unconscious but he also knows those devices hurt...a lot.

"This is impossible," Scott says in denial of what his eyes behold. "The Professor, Storm, Amara...not even you could take us all out," he says to Logan.

Logan growls angrily.

"Scott if you think that you really don't know him at all," Dom says in grave tones, missing entirely her normal humour. "Nor me," she has to add.

Scott looks at them puzzled. They clearly know more than they're saying.

Logan and Dom make another attempt to get them out only to see, as they pass by the library, several unconscious Jamies along with Paige and Beast.

"You have to tell us what is going on?" James demands. They need to know who is attacking them. Secrets aren't protecting them here.

"We don't have time," Dom grinds out...and tenses. It's an instinct kicking in. "She's close," she reports.

Logan can feel it too but where is she?

"Can you smell her?"

"She smells like me," Logan reports.

"Logan?!" Scott demands loudly, having had enough of all this evasiveness crap.

"It's...complicated," he grinds out.

Suddenly two pairs of metal claws cut through the floor and slice out a square directly below Logan's feet. He drops into what is the space between the floor of the mansion and where the metal reinforcements of the sub-levels kick in.

Leaping out of the hole comes a slim girl with brown hair. Cypher backs up against the wall in fear.

Domino reaches for her guns and sets them as high as the stun level goes. They're designed to work on Logan so they should work on the girl...assuming she can hit her.

The girl lands near James who tries to deliver a punch but she agilely leaps out of the way, flips over a blast from Scott, flipping over his head in the process and delivers a kick to his gut. She runs at James and leaps up, wrapping her legs around his neck where she slaps one of those devices on his forehead. He collapses down as the girl lands in front of Cyclops, popping her claws on her right hand.

A blast singes her hair courtesy of Domino making the girl pause.

"Don't," Domino warns. "Don't make me do this. We don't have to do this. Just listen to me. I know who you are. I understand what you're going through. I can help you," she tries to reach her.

The girl glares, tenses her foot and makes a run right for Domino, dodging the shots, changing direction so rapidly and randomly, even Dom's luck can't hit her...and even when she comes close to doing so the girl uses her claws to deflect the blasts.

'Damn Adamantium,' Domino grumbles in her mind at the fact almost no other metal could allow the girl to do that.

The girl circles round the room, leaps over one shot and then slides under Cyclops' legs. She gets up and shoves him in the way of the next shot...and down he goes.

Domino swears. Jesus the girl's good.

The girl proceeds to run across the room, leaping and flipping off the walls until she gets within striking range of Domino who ducks under the first swipe and manages to fend off the second as the girl pushes and pushes her attacks unrelentingly.

Domino would try and talk her down but she she doesn't have a healing factor and it is taking all her concentration and luck not be sliced into ribbons. Her guns get sliced though. "Hey! Those were my favourites!" she complains.

Which is a mistake because it lets her guard down slightly and the claws cut her right arm.

Domino hisses in pain as she flips out of the way of a sweeping kick, turns...only to find a lamp being smashed over her head. Domino falls down with a groan.

X-23's gaze snaps to the blond boy in the corner. Last one standing.

"Game's over," a gruff sounding voice announces from the doorway as Logan reappears after climbing himself out of the space. Luckily he knows the quick way because he's been down there often when he's fixing the plumbing. "If you want me. Here I am," he offers himself.

"Huh," X-23 says in surprise at seeing him...before her anger rises up at seeing him. Now's her chance to make him pay. She roars in rage and leaps at him, swiping at him with her claws.

Logan dodges but with a cry of rage X-23 delivers a kick to his mid-section knocking him flat on his back.

"Oof," Logan says as the wind is momentarily knocked out of him.

The girl makes a run for it and Logan gets to his feet and chases after her. He has to get her to listen to him, no matter what.

He chases her into the large hallway...but no sign. "Come on! Talk to me!" he shouts. From the shadows a large bust comes flying smacking him hard in the face and knocking him over again.

She comes flipping head over over heels into view, slices a faux column into a slice and kicks it into a barely back to his feet Logan.

Logan is slammed against the opposite wall, crying out in pain, trying to keep his temper in check. He won't fight her. He won't. He failed with Rogue. He's not failing here.

He gets back to his feet as the girl comes at him again with her claws. He dodges the attacks...it's not impossible to anticipate half of them since they're his moves. They end up in another one of the sitting rooms.

When he ducks under one swipe she leaps over his head, uses her hand claws to dig into the ceiling and topples over a bookcase they had backed up near with her feet.

Logan is forced to dive out of the way and he smashes into the tv.

He is just shaking the cobwebs loose when he sees her strike at him. He shifts his head out of the way just in time as she finishes the job on the tv with her right hand claws.

She leaps backwards away.

'Boy is she sprightly,' Logan can mentally remark. He has never been that agile.

At the far end of this room is a piano that she kicks right at him.

Logan pops his claws for the first time and slices the piano apart.

The girl uses the distraction to deliver a flying kick to him, sending him hard against the wall. She comes at him again with her claws as he again dodges, again remembering his vow not to fight her. He has to let her burn her anger out. Only then can he get her to listen.

They end up in the lobby as the girl manages to sweep his legs out from under him before leaping her way up the stairs, off the banister and onto the chandelier...that Logan happens to be directly under.

She slices the cable holding it and Logan finds himself once more diving for cover. He sees her out of the corner of his eye, standing not attacking. "I know what happened to you," he says in a half-pained groan, hoping her delay is a sign she's reaching the point she might listen. "No-one should have to go through that," he tries to reach her. "Especially a child."

That remark makes her explode with anger. "I am not a child! I have never been a child! And it's all because of you!" she screams at him. She attacks him sloppily in her rage and Logan grabs both of her arms by her slim wrists.

It was just like he thought. She's blaming him. "You are a child," he insists. "Even though they tried to take that away from you."

This is not going like she imagined at all. In her mind he was a monster. The cause of her pain. So why won't he fight her? She shakes it off and uses her leverage to lift her legs up and kick him with both feet in the mid-stomach and break free of his hold.

She uses the space she has created to run at him, leap and prepare to deliver a flying kick...unleashing her secret weapon she has been hiding so far in the fight...a claw pops out of her foot.

Logan is stunned by that. He never knew about that.

She kicks him out the door and he topples down the steps to the tarmac in front of the mansion.

She leaps after him. "Fight me!" she demands as she swipes at him with her claws. Why won't he fight her? Let them finish it as they should.

Logan dodges again. He's not fighting her. No matter what she does to try and provoke him...and he's figured out that is what she is trying to do. He's deliberately been holding himself back to the point she could have struck a much more severe blow if she had wanted to. No. She's trying to get him to fight her and he won't play that game. Why she is playing it this way he doesn't know.

"Everything I am is because of you! Everything I have suffered comes from you!" she roars and leaps at him with her foot claw. Logan ducks, she soars over his head and her claw embeds into the fountain instead.

"You're mixed up," he tries to tell her. "I didn't know anything about this," he tries to make her understand. Trying...hoping he can make her see blaming him is a mistake.

"You're...you're lying!" she says in denial of his words. She attacks again. One swipe, two...both miss. She pops her foot claw and spins round, slicing into his chest.

Logan grimaces at the pain as the wound reseals itself. Ok. That's it. She needs to see. She needs to understand and if words alone can't do it he will provide a more visual demonstration. He pops the claws on his right hand. She charges at him and he blocks, his claws locking with hers. She may be quicker and more agile but he's stronger and can simply hold her there. "Look at us kid. I'm a victim just like you."

"No. You...can't be," she refuses to listen to his lies because they have to be lies.

"No-one can have claws like this naturally, kid. You know that. They took away my memories, made me a weapon, destroyed my life. What they did to you they did to me."

"And to me," Domino adds as she walks out, left hand over, putting pressure on the cut on her right arm. "You didn't give me a chance to explain. I'm just like you. They made me just like they made you. Stitched me together out of lots of other mutants like a genetic ragdoll. Him included but it wasn't his fault. I don't blame him...and neither should you."

Logan pushes the girl away and she falls to her knees...and you can hear barely repressed sobs emanating from her. "We're the two people on Earth who can understand you. We're the closest thing you have to family."

At that the girl leaps up...makes a weak attack that Logan easily avoids and grabs her arm. She doesn't want to listen. She doesn't...but her mind can't help it. He's right. You can't have claws like that naturally. "No...I...can't have a family. I'm not a person. I'm a weapon...I...can't..." she verbalises the struggle within her. The war between her feelings and her HYDRA conditioning. She is now openly crying, tears rolling down her cheeks. She's been holding it back. The feelings...ever since her mother revealed the truth but now...

"Your feelings...they're natural," Domino tells her. "I know because I've felt them. The anger, the hate, the pain, the suffering...and if you don't believe me then I'll prove it." Domino steps up and turns round, kneeling down, lifting her hair at the back up, pointing at a place on her neck. "Tell me what that is? I think you know."

X-23 blinks through her tears and sees the scar. "Control chip?" she asks, having seen that sort of thing before.

Domino turns round, smiling softly. "That's right. Look at me. I'm just like you. We're sisters. I know you want someone to blame for your lousy life, so do I for mine but it's not Logan you need to blame. He didn't know anything about you and he certainly wasn't responsible for your creation. It's HYDRA and HYDRA alone that are responsible...and even if you don't believe that believe this. I can promise you killing him won't take away one jot of your pain but it will take away one of the few people who has suffered like you. Stop fighting your feelings. That's why you've focussed all your anger on Logan isn't it because it seems easier than facing the tidal wave inside you. Stop fighting. Let it go," she says softly.

Laura looks into the blue eyes gazing with soft affection at her. A gaze that seems to understand exactly what she is going through, what she is suffering and feeling. "Sister?" she queries in a tiny voice...with perhaps just a hint of hopefulness in it that it's all true.

Domino nods, smiling warmly, hope written clearly on her face that she can get through to the girl.

She has a sister? She has someone who's the same? She was...wrong about Logan. She was wrong. She was...

She falls forward into Logan's chest and he awkwardly hugs her as she cries her eyes out, unable to hold it back any longer.

Domino leans in and hugs the girl too. "It's ok sweetie. Everything will be ok," she coos lovingly.

"Why?" she sobs. "Why does it hurt so much?"

Domino's heart breaks. "That lets you know you're alive. Weapons don't feel. You're not a weapon. You're a girl. You're my little sister. You're a human being and don't let anyone ever tell you different."

She's a human being. Not a weapon. She's a human being. Not a weapon.

Domino brushes her hand through the girl's brown hair as she presses her face into Logan's chest and cries more, finally letting it all out of herself. It was unfair. She was really incredibly pretty. Hard to believe what they have done to her...what they turned her into...and what was she? 13? 14? Dom forgot to ask Risman. It's a crime...an evil, hideous crime that they turned a teenage girl into a weapon. HYDRA has now made Domino's list, number 2, just after Stryker.

This little moment is ruined when the sounds of helicopters approaching can be heard. Fury.

"Son of a..." Domino swears as she feels the girl tense under her grip.

"You need to go," Logan says.

Domino's head shoots up to glare at him. They can't just let her leave.

"He's going to come storming in and we're not going to be able to stop him," Logan lays the truth down.

Domino swallows. Sadly she has to agree. She cups the girl's cheek. "You need to go, honey. We'll take care of this. Be safe."

Laura is torn. The woman is showing her...care, concern. No-one apart from her mother and Dr Risman ever did that.

"Get out of here. Now!" Logan barks out the order, needing to get her gone before Fury and his stormtroopers come in and start a bloodbath because the girl will fight and she will slaughter them all.

Laura hesitates for a moment before she runs into the night.

Domino watches her go sadly and sighs. She was really hoping the girl would stay with them. That it wouldn't be like the way Rogue left but Fury just had to go and ruin it didn't he. He's on her list too.

"You alright?" Logan asks her, glancing at her cut arm.

"Yeah. It's not that deep," Domino has assessed the wound.

One of the helicopters lands and out steps Fury. "Logan!"

"Forget about her!" Logan warns the man off.

"She's been through enough," Domino adds, equally defiant.

"I can't just let this go. She's a HYDRA weapon," Fury argues.

"Yeah you can," Domino tells him.

"And you will," Logan says it as a threat, implying they'll have to go through him to get to the girl.

Logan and Domino turn and leave for the mansion, not waiting to see or hear Fury's reaction and response to that. They have all their friends to help. They hear the helicopters take off behind them.

"He's away to look for her isn't he," Domino assumes about Fury.

"He'll never find her," Logan is certain. "We'll help the others first and then go look for her once Fury's given up," he makes the plan.

Domino nods in agreement. She winces at the throbbing pain in her arm. What a night!

Author's Note: Considering how Domino herself was created by the Weapon X program I felt she needed to be in this story and particularly there at the end when they finally get through to X-23. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; X-23 part 6, the last part as I tie it up.