"Why would Wolverine just leave without asking?" Scott asked with a mixture of annoyance and anger. Didn't Wolverine think that the team might need him while he was gone?
Jean tried to defend him. "Well, he must have had a good reason." But Scott wouldn't have it.
"I don't buy that, Jean. You know that temper of his. If he doesn't get his way, he's gone. We can never depend on him." Scott was letting out all his frustrations with putting up with a disobedient member of the team. "With hotheads like Wolverine, maybe we never will." Scott walked out of the room, but not before saying, "Any guy who'd run out on his friends..."
"Cyclops." Jean tried to reprimand him, but he'd already left.
"I..." She knew why Wolverine left, and she felt guilty for being the reason. "He left because of me."
Wolverine skied down the cold snow of the Arctic. He decided he needed to get away. Staying at the institute with Scott and Jean being all lovey-dovey was out of the question. So he chose to come all the way out here. At least he would be alone in peace and quiet. Only downside was that it was cold, but he could deal with it.
"There's no place like home." He said to himself as he heaved down the snowy hill.
But it seemed that Wolverine couldn't catch a break because Sabretooth was standing on a cliff, watching his hated enemy. "I've tracked you far enough, Wolverine." He pressed a button on a remote that detonated some bombs that Logan was passing by, launching him into the air.
Wolverine fell headfirst into the snow, where he heard a voice say, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
"Sabretooth." Wolverine growled at having to deal with him again. "I should've smelled you coming."
"You lost it, pal." Sabretooth told Wolverine in a disappointed voice. He had been hoping that Wolverine would put up more of a fight. "Ten years ago, I never could have got this close."
"I can still handle punks like you." Wolverine reminded him as he leaped towards his foe.
"Enough." Sabretooth roared as the two fought in the snow. Dodging and looking for an opening was both of their strategies. Wolverine managed to get Sabretooth on the ground and was about to stomp him before his foe grabbed his leg and pushed him away. The battle soon became even more deadly when Sabretooth pinned Logan over a cliff. Their combined weight caused the ice under them to crack. Sabretooth managed to grab onto the cliff to keep himself from falling, but Wolverine wasn't so lucky. He plummeted into the ice-cold water.
"You thought you and your pitiful X-Men could stop me?" Sabretooth asked rhetorically. He gave one last farewell to his longtime enemy. "Goodbye, old friend." He then shouted into the sky for all to hear. "Let the ice be your tombstone! Here lies Wolverine, alone and defeated."
The universe seemed to want to prove Sabretooth wrong as Wolverine climbed up onto a passing glacier.
"No!" Sabretooth yelled. Honestly, why couldn't this runt stay dead? "You won't cheat me of my revenge." He lifted a chunk of ice over his head and threw it into the water, splashing Wolverine with the frosty water. "Not even your mutant healing powers can keep you alive on a chunk of ice in the middle of the Arctic."
"At least I won't have to listen to your flapping mouth anymore." Wolverine muttered to himself as he drifted away from Sabretooth.
Sabretooth made one last threat to Wolverine. "You'll die frozen and alone. But I'll track you down, just for the pleasure of burying your bones."
"Truly incredible, I must say." Beast said as he was looking over a set of blueprints. "A portal to the ghost zone. In all my scientific career, I have never been more excited for anything else."
Danny was placing vials filled with ectoplasm on a table. "And I'm hoping that this one doesn't end up electrocuting me."
For some time, Danny and Beast have been working on a ghost portal. Danny had been sent the parts and the blueprints in the mail by Vlad, with a note saying that he might need it sometime in the future.
Danny had told Xavier, who was intrigued by the idea of a portal into the realm of the dead, and he gave the go-ahead for constructing it. Beast was very excited and practically begged Danny to let him help make it.
"Hey boys." Rogue greeted as she walked into the lab. "How's the portal coming along?"
"We should be able to finish work on the particle accelerator by the end of the week if we keep at it at this pace." Beast said.
"Looks really interesting." Rogue peered into the unfinished portal. "What're you gonna do when it's all finished?"
"I'll be able to use it to visit some old friends, and it saves me the trip of going all the way to Wisconsin for when I have to visit Vlad." Danny answered.
"I plan to study the dimension and its properties." Beast replied as he was working at a computer station.
"Just promise me you won't turn it on when you're inside it, sugar." Rogue joked to Danny. "I don't want you to die all the way."
Danny snickered. "Trust me, it won't." This was true as these new, improved blueprints didn't have the stupid design flaw of the on and off switch being located inside the portal.
"What's this?" Rogue picked up one of the vials of ectoplasm.
"Pure ectoplasm." Danny told her.
"Pretty cool." Rogue commented as she examined it. "I'd better let you two work in peace." Rogue went to leave. "See you later, spooky." Rogue placed a kiss on his cheek, leaving a stuttering Danny behind.
"What just happened?" Danny asked.
Beast could only laugh at the dumbfounded look on his friend's face.
Scott's mood was worsening as he was currently arguing with Gambit in the war room. "I won't have you spreading lies and disrupting the team."
"You afraid you'll lose your job?" Gambit pushed. "You won't be leader no more?"
That finally made Scott put his foot down. "You either follow orders like the other members of this team, or you're out of it."
Jean attempted to calm her irritated boyfriend. "Cyclops."
Cyclops ignored her. "No, I've had it with everyone disobeying orders. Wolverine has been doing it constantly and has now left without even giving a word about where he's going, and now Gambit is spreading rumors and causing disorder among us." Why did everyone feel the need to undermine him? He was trying to make sure everyone was safe, but his teammates believed they knew best somehow. "After being here long enough, I expect you to know what's acceptable behavior. For God's sake, Danny doesn't act like you or Wolverine, and he hasn't been here that long compared to you."
"Uh, Danny actually left." Jubilee said timidly, afraid of making Scott even more enraged.
"What!" Scott cried. "How come he didn't tell anyone? Where is he?" Scott shook his head. "I thought he would be more reliable."
Jubilee glared at Cyclops as she tried to defend her foster brother. "Hey, he had a good reason to leave. He told me he saw a report of some ghost causing havoc in the Arctic, and he wanted to check it out."
"Without consulting us." Cyclops snapped back. "I swear when both of them get back..."
Danny had walked into the war room, unaware of the heated discussion going on or that he'd been mentioned in it. "Hey guys." Danny greeted.
Jubilee was confused. "I thought you said you were going to the Arctic?"
"I did, but I left this duplicate here." He gestured to himself. "Just in case you guys needed me."
Cyclops sighed in resignation. "At least you didn't blow us off completely like Wolverine did. Next time, make sure we know where you're going, ok?"
"I will." Danny noticed that Scott was on edge. "Is something going on? You're a little more uptight today. More than usual."
"Wolverine left without telling anyone where he was going, and Gambit is spreading rumors." Cyclops informed the ghost hybrid. He turned to Gambit. "Which he will stop right now if he doesn't want to be suspended from the team."
Gambit didn't back down from Scott's threat. "If you want to settle this, mon ami, then let's do it." Gambit pulled out a card and charged it with his kinetic energy, ready to fight it out with Cyclops.
Professor Xavier entered the room, preventing a fight from breaking out. "Gambit. What started this?"
"Ask Cyclops." Gambit said. "He's the one with all the answers."
"I'm sorry, professor," Cyclops apologized, "but I thought it was dangerous for Gambit to spread unfound rumors."
"It's not a rumor." Gambit retorted. He turned to Xavier and said to him heatedly, "I know someone who was there. The Genoshans, they welcome mutants to their island. I just say check it out, and this one gets mad."
"You're as bad as Wolverine." Cyclops said, not believing in Gambit's story. "You just want to get away to lie around on a beach."
"That's not such a bad idea." Xavier admitted. "You've all been under a lot of stress lately. For the good of the team, maybe we all need a chance to unwind. And if the inhabitants of Genosha are encouraging mutants to live among them, this is an opportunity we can't miss. Genosha could be an example for the world."
"That would be incredible." Scott said imagining if it was real. That one nation had completely embraced mutants. It would mean that they were getting closer to their goal of coexistence between humans and mutants.
"Select four X-Men, Cyclops, and send them to investigate Genosha for us." Xavier ordered as he left the room, but gave one last piece of advice to his student. "And you try to relax a little."
"Okay, Danny," He pointed at the ghost, "you'll head the team, seconded by Gambit and Storm."
"Formidable." Gambit exclaimed as Jubilee went up to Cyclops to request permission to join them.
"Please, Cyclops, can I go? Please?" Jubilee begged the mutant leader.
Cyclops smiled at Jubilee's innocence. "Sure, Jubilee, I guess a beach can't be too dangerous." He then addressed the others. "You'll take a commercial flight to Genosha. Your cover is that you're tourists."
"All right, team." Danny said. "Let's start packing, and Jubilee, don't forget to bring your sunscreen."
Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah." She then thought of what she would wear to Genosha. "Oh, gosh, what'll I wear?" Jubilee left the war room to begin packing.
"Remember, act like tourists, but keep your eyes open. You're on a mission." Cyclops reminded them.
"No problem." Danny said.
"Relax, Cyclops." Gambit reassured Scott as he walked to get his things ready. "All work and no play make Jacques a dull boy."
"Maybe we all could use a vacation." Jean suggested.
"Yeah, from Gambit." Scott said dryly.
Danny had been flying for over two hours and hadn't found anything that triggered his ghost sense. He'd seen a news report about some documentary group that claimed they were attacked by some abominable snowman. Unfortunately, their equipment was destroyed, preventing them from capturing any footage of the beast. When he heard the report, he thought back to the citizens of the Far Frozen. They were a tribe of yetis that lived there in peace.
It was after living with his foster family for a couple of months that Danny started to feel shivering. At first he thought he had a cold, but it soon became obvious that it was something supernatural when his breath ended up freezing one of the plants in Martha's garden.
Realizing that it was related to his ghost powers, Danny called Vlad and explained the situation. Vlad understood and explained that Danny had an ice core and that these cold feelings he was experiencing were symptoms of his new power. The elder hybrid then took Danny to the Far Frozen, where they had helped train him to properly control his cryokinesis.
Frostbite, the leader of the tribe, was very kind to Danny. Turns out his tribe all called him the Great One, as he had ended the return of Pariah Dark. It was nice meeting ghosts that weren't trying to kill him, and he learned a lot about their culture and history. One of those things was that they sometimes traveled to Earth to examine its polar regions. Sometimes they forget to turn invisible and end up creating the legend of the abominable snowman.
So when Danny heard the report of a snow monster, he assumed it was one of the Far Frozen, but why would they be hostile? He decided to investigate and left a duplicate in his place as he made his way to the Arctic.
As he flew above the ocean, he noticed someone stranded on a floating glacier. Recognizing this as someone needing help, Danny went down to rescue them, only to find that it was Wolverine.
"Wolverine?" Danny was surprised. Wasn't he back at the institute? What was he doing out here? His questions could wait as Danny tried to stir Wolverine awake. "Wake up, Wolverine." He got no response. Putting his hand on his forehead, Danny saw that his temperature was very low. He had to do something, or Wolverine could die from hypothermia.
He needed to find some medical attention for his friend. As he was about to lift off, he saw a boat in the distance. Danny felt relief; perhaps they could get Wolverine to a doctor. He waved, trying to get their attention. "Hey! Over here! Help! Please!"
His attempts succeeded as the boat started moving in his direction.
There were four men in the boat. When they got close enough. One of them got out.
He immediately went to his knees, bowing to Danny. "Oh, Agloolik. We are blessed to be in your presence."
"What?" Danny said, lost in what was going on.
"It is an honor to meet you, great spirit. What do you desire?"
Danny's mouth opened a bit before he remembered that Wolverine needed help. "This man here needs medical attention, or he'll freeze to death."
The man took Wolverine's pulse. "He's alive."
One of the men in the boat, who was wearing a cap, spoke up. "If we take him to the government settlement, there should be a reward for our trouble." His voice then took on a hint of greed. "Maybe enough for a new snowmobile."
"Our way is to help a stranger, Kiyoek, not to use him to beg for money." The man said. "Besides, it is the will of Agloolik that we help this man in his time of need. We'll take him to our camp. We can tend to the stranger there."
"You heard Pooyetah." Kiyoek said to the other two men. "The words of the elders are law." The two men got out to assist Wolverine.
Sabretooth was strapping his belongings to his snowmobile when he heard the revving of an engine. "A motor?" He said out loud. "Out here?" He went to the cliff, and in the distance, he could see a boat moving away from where Wolverine was. "You have a coward's luck, Wolverine." Sabretooth said in disgust.
"So you guys know me?" Danny asked, making conversation with the men as they rode the boat.
"Yes." The man identified as Pooyetah said. "We have heard stories of you, Agloolik. How you live under the ocean and protect the seals. There are tales of you aiding fishermen and hunters in their time of need."
"I see." Danny said, taking in this information. He remained quiet for the rest of the ride. Once they reached the village, Wolverine was taken to a tent. Walking through the village. All the people gazed at him in shock, which turned to reverence as they all bowed to him. It was just like the people of the Far Frozen, except with less fur and larger teeth.
This was going to be interesting.
Wolverine woke up and saw that a man was tending to him. "What? Where am I? Who are you?" Last thing he remembered was running into Sabretooth and being left for dead on a glacier in the cold water.
"I am Pooyetah, elder of the camp." Pooyetah introduced himself. "But save your strength. You need rest. You almost died in the cold, stranger. It is fortunate that you were found by Agloolik and brought here."
"Agloolik?" Wolverine said the unfamiliar name. "Who's that?"
"A guardian." Pooyetah answered. "One that is there to aid those in need, such as yourself, stranger. Now you must rest after your ordeal."
"Call me Wolverine." Wolverine replied. And I'm fine now, almost..." He stopped as he quivered from the cold.
"No man recovers from the ice so fast." Pooyetah said in a knowing voice.
"Yeah, well, I'm a..." He was about to say mutant before it hit him. "You don't know, do you?" Wolverine questioned him. "You've never heard of us."
Pooyetah was perplexed. "I don't understand."
"Good." Wolverine put on his costume. "Let's just say I'm a fast healer." He left the tent and looked around the village. "A little work will help get the kinks out of my system." Wolverine told Pooyetah. "Besides, I owe you something for saving my life."
"You also owe me too." Wolverine turned to see Danny approaching him.
"Danny? What are you doing here?"
"I heard reports of some snow monster around here. I figured it was a ghost, so I came here to check it out." Danny enlightened him. "Imagine my surprise when I found you in the middle of the ocean."
Wolverine glared. "That bastard, Sabretooth, followed me here and left me for dead."
"Sabretooth?" At Wolverine's nod, Danny hummed in thought. "I guess he was the one that started the whole abominable snowman thing."
"Probably." Wolverine said before asking Danny another question. "How did you get me here anyway?"
"I came across some of the villagers in a boat, and I convinced them to help you. Apparently they think I'm Agloolik, some guardian spirit."
Wolverine laughed. "They think you're some kind of god? Well, that's just great. Turns out they don't know that I'm a mutant either."
"I think they wouldn't be as welcoming if they knew who we truly are." Danny guessed. "Let's make sure they don't find out."
"Agreed, but they still deserve our help. We'll do some work for them and be on our way." Wolverine declared.
Danny didn't have a problem with this plan. "Sounds good to me."
"First call. All passengers. Pan Air Flight 917, now boarding at Gate 32." The airport PA system announced.
"That's our flight." Danny said as he carried his bag. "Let's hurry before they leave without us."
"All right." Jubilee said excitedly as they made their way to their flight. "Genosha, here we come. I hope I brought the right clothes. I've never been to a resort before."
"Don't worry, little one." Gambit reassured her. "All you need's a swimsuit and some sunscreen."
"You did remember to bring sunscreen, right, Jubilee?" Danny reminded her. "Remember that time we went to the beach and you got a sunburn?"
Jubilee frowned at the unpleasant memory. She got sunburned all over her body, and it was painful. It took days before her skin went back to normal. "Yeah, it sucked. But this time I didn't forget to bring it."
Wolverine, Danny, Kiyoek, and three other men were riding in a boat as they started fishing.
"Just do as you're told and stay out of the way." Kiyoek ordered Wolverine.
"How come he's rude to me but not you?" Wolverine whispered to Danny.
"Guess he doesn't want to piss off a spirit." Danny said. "You, on the other hand, are just some asshole that they were forced to take care of."
Wolverine couldn't argue with Danny's logic. "Makes sense."
The boat stopped, and Kiyoek pulled out a net. "It takes skill to handle the nets." He bragged to Wolverine.
"You mean like this?" Wolverine grabbed one and heaved it far into the ocean. "It's all in the wrist." He said while the other men looked on impressed, Kiyoek merely glared at Wolverine.
"You'll see how well the Inuit fish." Kiyoek was attempting to pull his net filled with fish in, but he accidentally let go, and he fell back into the boat.
Wolverine laughed at Kiyoek's failed attempt at fishing. "Reminds me of the story of the one that got away," He pulled out his net without any problem, "but I never put much stock in fish stories."
The others laughed at Wolverine's joke while Kiyoek sulked.
The group returned to the village to show off what they caught.
"This is the best catch since the big ships came from the south and took all the fish." Pooyetah praised Wolverine.
Wolverine was a bit uncomfortable at how happy everyone was with him, so he simply said, "We were lucky today." He then started to carry the fish. "Where do I put these?"
Pooyetah bowed to Danny. "It seems that bringing him here not only helped him but also us as well. You truly are wise, dear Agloolik."
Danny merely blushed. "Yeah, wise."
"The stranger has the strength of a polar bear." A woman said to Kiyoek as she watched Wolverine carry the heavy load of fish.
"He's not so strong." Kiyoek said jealously. He grabbed the same amount of fish that Wolverine did. "See?" He tripped, spilling all the fish and making the villagers laugh at him.
The villagers were celebrating the huge amount of food that was brought back and being graced by Agloolik. Many villagers came up to thank him for bringing good fortune to their village. Danny was overwhelmed with the amount of positivity he received. Why couldn't Amity Park be this grateful?
Wolverine and Pooyetah were sitting together as they watched the festivities. "The people are happy tonight because of you." Pooyetah said gratefully.
"They've made me happy, too." Wolverine confessed. "I don't know how to handle this. It feels so strange. I feel at peace." Peace was something that felt very alien to Wolverine. All his life, he only knew conflict and chaos. Always another battle to fight, always another enemy to put down. But here, he didn't have to deal with any of those hardships. Here, he could finally live a life without violence. It seemed too good to be true.
"No man seeks peace so hard as one who does not have it in his heart." Pooyetah replied wisely.
"I wish I could tell you." Wolverine said regretfully.
Pooyetah placed his hand on Wolverine's shoulder. "Only you can decide when the time is right; then you will speak."
"Thanks." Wolverine said quietly.
Some of the villagers attempted to get Wolverine to join them.
"Come, Wolverine." One woman said. "It's your turn to celebrate."
Wolverine tried to wave off their invitation. "Oh, no, no, you've got the wrong guy. I get airsick."
Pooyetah giggled. "We all need to forget ourselves and be a child again."
"Come on, Wolverine." Danny pestered. "Join in on the fun."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Wolverine was dragged along by the woman as he joined the party.
Pooyetah smiled proudly at how Wolverine was slowly opening up to them.
Wolverine was thrown onto a blanket as the villagers lifted him in the air.
"Hey. Watch it. Come on, now." Wolverine protested as he was bounced in the air repeatedly.
"Don't be a sourpuss." Danny jeered.
While everyone was enjoying themselves. There was one person whose mood wasn't as jovial as everyone else's. This was Kiyoek, who was climbing on a ledge that was not too far from the village. The man was jealous of Wolverine's popularity. He used to be the talk of the village, but ever since the arrival of the newcomer, everyone hasn't given him a second glance. He glared down at the community. "I was the one they cheered before Wolverine." He said with bitterness. "Now he's their hero. A stranger. Why did the great Agloolik bring him here to humiliate me? Have I done something to warrant this humiliation?"
As he walked alone to cool off, he heard a noise that startled him. It sounded like some ferocious animal. Whatever it was growled again, with the sound being much closer.
"Who's there?" Kiyoek asked. The thing responsible for making the sound stepped forward as it glared down at Kiyoek.
"You have the stink of Wolverine all around you." Sabretooth said.
"I did not believe." Kiyoek was terrified; he'd never thought he would run into a demon. "A snow demon." He started running back to the village to warn the elders. Maybe Agloolik could chase away the malevolent spirit.
In a second, Sabretooth jumped and landed in Kiyoek's path, sending him flying at least ten feet. Sabretooth then lowered his head down to Kiyoek like a lion examining its prey before it would devour it. "The friends of my enemies are my enemies." Sabretooth spoke, raising his hand in the air, about to finish Kiyoek off.
"No!" Kiyoek pleaded. "The stranger is not my friend!" Sabretooth stopped as he listened to Kiyoek rant about Logan. "I was leader of the young men, but now they follow only Wolverine. The women laugh at me. Wolverine has made me a fool to my own people."
Sabretooth grabbed Kiyoek by his shirt and lifted him up. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you, human?"
"Never." Kiyoek responded. "The snow demons can read the truth in your eyes."
Sabretooth threw him back in the snow, annoyed with Kiyoek's ignorance. "I'm no snow demon." Sabretooth revealed. "I'm a mutant, just like Wolverine."
Kiyoek was confused. What is a mutant? "I don't understand."
Sabretooth didn't have the patience to explain it. He only asked Kiyoek this: "You only have to understand one thing. Revenge. You want Wolverine gone?"
"Yes." Kiyoek said without any hesitation.
"Then do what I say." Sabretooth ordered.
"Pan Air Flight 917, now arriving." The airport PA announced, as the group exited the airport as they waited for their taxi to arrive.
"Looks good so far." Danny said as he examined the country's greenery. Soon their driver arrived.
"Welcome to Genosha." He greeted them as he loaded their bags into the taxi.
"Would he say that if he knew we were mutants?" Gambit asked his fellow X-Men.
"That's what we're here to find out." Storm said.
"Or you can ask him yourself." Danny told Gambit.
Gambit made the decision not to. He didn't want to risk getting chewed out by some cab driver on the chance he was prejudiced. "Maybe next time."
"I can't wait to get down to the beach." Jubilee was bouncing in her seat as they sat in the vehicle. "This place is like a dream."
Danny smiled at Jubilee's excitement for the beach. He'd be excited too if Rogue was with them. He rather desired to see her in her sexy swimsuit again.
"Welcome to the Genosha Beach Inn." The receptionist curtsied them at the front desk. "We hope you enjoy your stay with us. I'll just check to make sure your bungalow's ready." He started typing on his computer.
Gambit noticed a sign on the desk that caught his interest. "Hey. Check this out." He read what it said. "Ask about our mutant discount." Gambit asked the others for their opinion. "What do you think? We save maybe ten percent, n'cest-ce pas?"
"Just put it back, Gambit." Storm told him.
Gambit gave a mock pout. "You're no fun to travel with."
"Is there a discount for ghosts?" Danny bantered softly, making sure the receptionist didn't hear him.
Gambit was amused. "Maybe if you haunt them, they might give you everything for free."
Danny made a thinking pose. "I haven't haunted a place in quite some time."
"Danny." Storm sighed.
"I'm just kidding." Danny said good-naturedly.
The receptionist was at his computer, and on it, he was watching news footage of Storm fighting the Sentinel at the mall. He then addressed his guests in a friendly voice, trying not to raise their suspicion. "I've got the perfect rooms for you. Just perfect. I'm sure you'll find your stay interesting." He called over an employee. "Show our guests to Bungalow 12."
"I just want to get into my swimsuit and down to the beach." Jubilee said as they followed the hotel attendant to their bungalow.
Alone at his desk, the receptionist pulled out a phone and picked it up. "New arrivals." The receptionist reported. "I think you'll like them."
Danny, Wolverine, and Pooyetah were sitting on a rock near the ocean when Kiyoek came up to them holding a spear. "Only a coward sits on the shore. Are you brave enough to hunt with me on the open sea?" Kiyoek challenged the new champion of the village.
Pooyetah was not pleased with Kiyoek's envy. "Wolverine has nothing to prove to you, Kiyoek."
"But what about to someone else?" Kiyoek talked back. "An old enemy or an old friend." This made Wolverine look up.
"Your jealousy has made you stupid." Pooyetah admonished.
"It's all right, Pooyetah." Wolverine was calm as he stood up to face Kiyoek. "I accept your challenge, Kiyoek."
Kiyoek wasn't satisfied. "I also desire for Agloolik to witness me defeat you. That way, he will see that this village only needs me."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
The three were rowing a boat through the ocean. Kiyoek was hoping that neither of the two would find out about his plan. He knew that it was foolish to trick a god, but Agloolik needed to see that he was better than Wolverine.
"I think we've come far enough." Wolverine said.
Kiyoek disagreed. "We still have far to go to the hunting ground."
Wolverine was done playing Kiyoek's little game. "The hunt ends here, Kiyoek. You didn't bring me out here to look for seals." He pulled out his claws as he threatened the man. "What's really going on?"
"You are a mutant." Kiyoek confirmed as he saw the proof right in front of him. He pulled out his spear to attack, but Danny swiped it.
"Who told you about mutants?" Danny demanded.
Kiyoek stammered anxiously. "I... I don't..." The sound of an explosion cut off his explanation. The three saw smoke coming from the village.
"The fishing camp." Wolverine cried as they all began rowing back.
The three were horrified at the state of the village. It was all destroyed. The tents were nothing but smoldering ruins. There was no one in sight.
"What happened?" Wolverine uttered to himself.
Danny was looking around. "I don't see any bodies; there might be a chance that they're still alive." The hybrid felt culpable for the state of this village. He was supposed to be some guardian, but what guardian leaves their people alone and unguarded?
Wolverine spotted footprints in the snow and smelled them. "I knew it. Sabretooth." Enraged that no matter where he went, Sabretooth followed, he shouted, "There's no peace for me, even here! This is all my fault."
"No, Wolverine." Kiyoek stepped forward. "I thought you made the people laugh at me. I wanted revenge. The other stranger said lead you away from camp." Kiyoek felt awful for the part he played in this. All because of his ego. "I thought to lead you into a trap, but I didn't know about this." He said with regret.
"You were in league with Sabretooth!" Danny seized the fool. "Do you know what that monster has done?"
"Forgive me, Agloolik." Kiyoek begged. "I didn't know that he would do this."
Wolverine was about to stab Kiyoek for this. "You miserable..." He stopped himself. Getting angry wasn't going to do a damn thing. "No, you didn't do this. I thought I could forget what I've been." He started following the footprints back to Sabretooth and, hopefully, the others. "Some things you just have to face alone." He pulled out his costume.
Wolverine had been trekking through the snow for hours when he heard something behind him. Turning around, he got into a fighting stance. "All right, Sabretooth." He then saw that it was just Danny and Kiyoek. "What are you doing here?"
"We've been following you for the past two hours." Danny deadpanned.
Kiyoek attempted to convince Wolverine to allow him to assist in saving his home. "These are my people. I must find them. Your fight is my fight now."
"The glacier's too dangerous for you," Wolverine affirmed, "and so is Sabretooth."
"No." Kiyoek objected. He wanted to redeem himself and help the people that he'd placed in danger.
"Wolverine." Sabretooth's voice sounded from above. The trio saw the furry giant smirking at his prey. "What's wrong, old man? My fun interrupt your fishing?"
"What have you done with Pooyetah and the others?" Wolverine interrogated.
"I always like to have an edge in a fight." Sabretooth pointed to an ice bridge that the natives were tied to. "Your friends are over there."
"What?" The trio gasped.
If that wasn't bad enough, tied next to them was a bomb that was about to go off. "It's only a coward like you who would care about these people." Sabretooth insulted. "You've got one minute to save them." He held the detonator in his hand. "All you got to do is come through me."
Wolverine tried to reason with the beastly mutant. "Let them go, Sabretooth. I don't want to fight you anymore. I don't care who started it." It was time to put the feud between himself and Sabretooth to rest. "It's time to bury it."
"I'll bury it, alright." Sabretooth kicked down some ice to try and crush Wolverine.
"Look out!" Wolverine pushed Kiyoek out of the way. Danny took hold of Wolverine and turned them intangible, preventing them from being covered in ice.
"You've gone soft, Wolverine." Sabretooth disparaged. "Xavier's got you kissing up to these scum. This is the last battleground for one of us."
Sabretooth dropped down on Wolverine as they tumbled through the snow.
"What, am I chopped liver?" Danny asked, insulted that Sabretooth didn't acknowledge his presence. He then realized that Sabretooth's attention being solely on Wolverine could be an advantage as he looked at the captive people. "Never mind, I'm fine with being ignored."
Wolverine headbutted Sabretooth in the chest, knocking him down. "You always were slower than me." He jabbed. "Give it up, Sabretooth."
Sabretooth refused. "Never." He threw snow into Wolverine's eyes.
"My eyes." Wolverine tried to get rid of the snow, allowing Sabretooth to punch him.
He lifted Wolverine over his head with ease. "You were never a match for me, Wolverine." He threw Wolverine near a cliff. "This time, I'm making sure." With a push, Sabretooth successfully sent him falling. This didn't deter Wolverine, who dug his claws into the side, stopping his descent. Sabretooth grabbed an icy rock. "It's always hard to say goodbye to an old friend."
"No!" Kiyoek tackled Sabretooth from behind, causing him to drop the rock.
Sabretooth swatted Kiyoek away like an annoying fly. "You should have stayed out of my way, insect." He stepped towards the one who interrupted his revenge, planning on finishing him off.
Wolverine climbed back up as he chided his opponent. "Be nice to the guy, Sabretooth. He's our host."
Sabretooth dived at Wolverine, but Logan ducked just in time, letting Sabretooth miss and tumble off the cliff.
Sabretooth screamed in fury as he dropped down below, defeated. For now.
"Lots of luck, pal." Wolverine called out. "Stay gone this time."
Wolverine and Kiyoek raced towards their friends, only to find that they were gone. The charges went off as they exploded without harming anyone.
"There you are." Danny said as the villagers stood behind him. "I thought that since Sabretooth was busy beating the crap out of you, I might get these guys out while he was distracted."
Wolverine patted Danny on the back. "Good job, Casper."
Wolverine and Danny stood in front of the people who were previously in danger. "Because of me, your people have lost your village. I want to help you rebuild it." Wolverine offered.
Danny was of the same mindset. "Same here. I want to help you guys build a new home. I failed in protecting you."
Pooyetah shook his head. "Thank you, my friends. But we are moving on. For years, many have wanted to move to the city. Now they have their wish." He said the last sentence sadly. "The old ways are no more." He smiled with pride at Kiyoek. "The young ones will have to find a new way for the people to live."
Wolverine was amazed that Pooyetah called him a friend. "You called me friend."
"I want to apologize, Pooyetah." Danny said to the old man. "I've lied to you this entire time. I'm not Agloolik." Danny confessed. He felt immense guilt for lying to the people who took them in. "I'm just some regular spirit. I'm sorry for dragging you all into this mess. I just wanted Wolverine to be alright; I didn't mean for Sabretooth to attack and cause all this. I'm no bringer of good fortune. I only brought you destruction and bad luck."
Pooyetah was not angry or hurt by this confession. He only said, "You may not be Agloolik, but you have still saved your friend along with the people of my village. You prevented anyone from falling to the snow demon. Your arrival was a sign that we have to change." Danny was astonished that the village elder was taking this very well. "This may be blasphemous, but I don't think even Agloolik could have helped us as much as you did. Thank you for coming to our village. May we meet again."
Danny was flattered. "I hope so as well." He looked at Wolverine. "Come on, Wolverine. Let's head home. Goodbye Pooyetah and good luck."
The two heroes started their trek back home.
"You think Scott will be mad that we took off without telling him?" Danny asked Wolverine.
Wolverine gave a savage grin. "I hope so."
It was night in Genosha as the X-Men rested from their day at the beach.
"I could live at the beach forever." Jubilee wished. "I don't ever want to go home."
"You said it, Chere." Gambit concurred. "This is my kind of mission."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "I thought your kind of mission was charming your way through as many women as you could?"
"That too." Gambit said.
"The Genoshans acceptance of mutants seems to be genuine." Storm discerned as she was reading a magazine. "But we still have a great deal of checking to do."
Danny agreed with Storm's assessment. "Storm's right. We've only seen a bit of this place so far. I suggest we go to our rooms, finish unpacking, and get some sleep. We'll do some more exploring in the morning."
"I'll unpack, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep." Jubilee went to her room.
Storm watched Jubilee leave. "I've never seen Jubilee so happy."
"I have." Danny grinned. "She once beat my high score in Doomed. Then it faded away the next day, when I beat her score."
Storm laughed and then said, "Maybe Genosha is a paradise."
Neither of the people in the room were aware that outside were several armed guards and three enormous robots that had surrounded the bungalow.
Jubilee was putting a shirt in a drawer when a large metal covering moved down over the window. Jubilee gasped as gas started to leak through the air vent.
"Gas!" Jubilee coughed out. She ran to the others. "Danny, Storm, Gambit, what's happening?"
The gas was spreading everywhere as the X-Men were coughing.
Gambit pulled out a card. "We've got to get out." He blew the door open as they all ran out, only to have lights shine down on them.
The four's eyes widened as they were now confronted with several hostile enemies.
"Surrender, mutants." One armed guard ordered.
Gambit pulled out some cards and charged them, but Storm stopped him. "No, Gambit. We cannot endanger human life."
"Maybe you can't." Gambit threw the cards, but it didn't stop them. One of the robots fired at the house, destroying it.
Storm and Danny were in the air as they engaged soldiers in hovercrafts that were chasing them.
Gambit threw some more cards at a man on a motorcycle, knocking him over. He did the same to one of the robots.
The armed guards started firing at Jubilee and Gambit, only to be knocked unconscious by an ecto-blast sent by Danny. Storm then summoned a strong wind to push everyone back.
As Danny and Storm tried to help Gambit up, the four of them became entangled in large metal tentacles.
"No!" Jubilee shrieked as they were all lifted up, revealing the tentacles to have come from a Sentinel.
Danny gave Gambit a ticked-off look as he sarcastically asked, "Did your friend ever tell you about this part of Genosha?"