Author Notes:
Hello! As per usual here's the next chapter whenever it got finished, but I also need to make an announcement.
The next thing that will be uploaded are rewrites of the starting chapters. I chose to make this decision because ultimately a lot of my story was written just in short burst with very little planning in mind, and I feel like chapters 1-8 have been the biggest victims of this thought process.
So, Chapter 16 will not really be worked on til I've completed the reworking of my story. On the bright side though, once I'm done chapters 1-6 will be like reading new chapters since they'll be so heavily changed (But the general plot threads will remain the same)
Now onto the replies!
Rezonan: indeed indeed, yet us writers push on!
(Sometimes… lol)
Ayerdehoy: Glad to be back, here's another :0
CRUDEN: And the next chapter says hello too!
Mallent: Thank you for the kind words, slowly but surely we're getting it done!
Arexxu: Yeah, I learned script format first. Wo sometimes I forget and gotta change it in proof reads
Westbury New York (Night)
CRASH
Spider-Man came flying through the window of a closed shop and into a clothes rack where a dress fell onto his head. The frilly ends of a said dress from covering his eyes as he groaned. But our hero wouldn't get much time to relax, for moments later he was greeted by the sight of a green and yellow blur, Electro, crashing through an adjacent window.
The man in a green jumpsuit with yellow stripes awkwardly landed a couple feet from Spidey.
Hitting a neighboring clothes rack and raining formal wear upon himself as well. A groan escaped his mouth as he lifted a tuxedo jacket from his eyes, the man cursed under his breath. Glancing over to his left, he spotted Spider-Man in a very similar predicament.
Even Spidey could see the humour in this situation, but that wouldn't last long for the fact that his Spider-sense went off from an incoming Electro bolt. The violet dress with frills burned on contact with the yellow lightning as Spidey abandoned it to seek refuge on the ceiling.
Max raised his hand again and blasted at our hero once more, only for Spidey to dodge this one too as he dropped to the ground and sprung back out the window.
Once outside, he could see Laura was locked in a bout with Scorpion, where the two actively attempted to gain the upper hand over one another. Laura's lack of height, strength, and overall speed against her combatant was evident in this brawl. However, she had a plethora of her own advantages over the Scorpion as well. Namely, the precision of her strikes, the way she caught an attack in her eye and weaved the perfect retaliation. Seemingly choosing the best moments to dodge or counterstrike at all times. Her attacks in motion were a near work of art, and yet, Spider-Man couldn't shake the feeling that a teenager had no right to this level of perfection.
Every punch Scorpion threw just barely missed; however, her inferior height ensured a standing counterstrike would be a cakewalk for him to dodge.
With a dangerous level of confidence, Scorpion planned a final blow and hurled his tail down with a crack that struck the pavement like thunder. A blow that would've certainly killed any human being on contact. And yet, he was shockeed to find what waited for him mokents after, she side-stepped the strike and retaliated with a quick lunge that just barely missed his head.
"Listen here, I have a bone to pick with the bug! And no half-pint is getting in my way!" Scorpion exclaimed as he swung every appendage around violently.
But to his annoyance our black-haired heroine narrowly dodged his frantic barrage with various clean and calculated movements. But as mentioned before Scoprion had her beaten in most categories. So he upped the anti and wildly swung with all the speed he could muster.
He swung left and she dodged right, he came back right and she dodged left. Their dance continued until his tail had finally managed to clip her while she was preoccupied with his fist. Launching the girl down the street.
Spider-Man's eyes widened as her body gained dangerous speeds before hitting the edge of a building, and skidding across a couple of parked cars and sliding on the empty pavement of Bayville's quiet nighttime streets.
"Laura!" Spider-Man shouted as he shot a web line and pulled himself across the battlefield.
"Come 'mere ya webbed freak!" Scorpion growled as he swung an open palm but caught only air.
Spidey let go of the web and contorted his body around the appendage, landing at the feet of his foe. Scorpion lifted both fists and slammed them into the ground, Spidey retaliating as he spun around the hammer fist and leapt into the air next shooting web lines towards the large man's shoulders. Pulling himself in, Spider-Man planted both feet into Scorpion's face and with this same kick launched himself over to Laura's position.
He hit the road with a roll and stopped right next to the clawed girl. Laura began to lift herself up, one arm doing the bulk of the work as it became apparent the other was beyond dysfunctional. Its bone structure visibly misaligned and her skin covered in purple bruising caked in blood.
"Crap, crap, crap!"
"It's fine" she simply stated as she got back to her feet, a slight stumble as she made it to her full stature. Grabbing the wounded arm, Laura effortlessly snapped the bone back in place with a loud crack. And, under all of the blood Spidey could see the arm had already fully healed. A sigh of relief overcame our hero. Rising guilt subsided, but only to be replaced with the ringing of his spider-sense.
He wrapped an arm around Laura, and jumped to the top of the nearest building in a single bound. Then after landing he jumped once more into an alleyway where the two hid behind a trash can.
"You need to leave, hide, I don't know. Just stay out of this." Spider-Man stated, looking over the trash can and above them for any signs of Electro or Scorpion.
"He attacked me" she fired back before attempting to return to her feat. But came to a sudden stop when a red spandex glove had grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
"Yeah, and I'll handle it. Go home." he demanded, returning to high alert as he scoped the area for any signs of the two. He got to his feet and began his search for a way out for the girl.
Laura sighed as she scrunched her eyebrows in aggravation. This was getting her nowhere, and this little dance the two were doing only wasted her time.
"Cut the crap Parker. I don't need your-"
"Wait wait, what did you just say?" Spider-Man interjected, his search had stopped. Instead, all of his attention was on the girl beside him when she revealed that she had discovered his alter ego.
"Is this really a surprise to you?"
"FOUND YOU!!" Electro shouted from above, raining down bolts of electricity with a maniacle laughter. And, Laura readied herself for the barrage yet found herself leaving her feet when our red and blue claded hero once again swept her off them. Leaping throughout the alleyway with super human acrobatics in an effort to escape Electro's wrath.
However, once out of those cramped spaces his spider-sense came blaring once more. The Scorpion was in a mad dash to intercept their path, and in an effort to be the only one caught he tossed the girl out of his arms.
Scorpion tackled him to the ground and sprung up to his feet, he had Spidey by the leg before decimating the nearest brick wall with his body. An action which left Spidey dazed enough for him to do it again. Slamming him into the pavement below, cracking it with his might.
"You've been laughing at my expense long enough" he slammed spidey against another wall. "I'll show you," spidey hit the pavement again "You should've stayed in whatever hole you hid in!!" he shouted with the boy's leg in hand and his face on the road.
"Max, c'mere and fry the bug!"
Laura looked towards Parker's direction, his leg in Scorpion's hand and a cackling Max Dillion flying over. She needed to do something, and so she did, lunging towards the nearest building. She used it's surface as a platform and soon enough was on Electro's back, filling him with stab wounds.
"Aaaaaagghhhhhh, shit shit!" Max cried out as his body expelled excess energy through the new found holes, blinding the girl. He dematerialized and then rematerialized in front of the girl, firing her away. Angering him just enough to make the man chase her instead.
"Max??" Gargan swung around in search of his ally, but this one moment of lost focus was just enough for Spidey to take advantage of. Blinding the man with a face full of webbing, Yet Gargan still wouldn't let go even in this predicament.
"Rrrrrrrgh, to hell with the plan! I'm killing both of you here and now!!" suddenly Spider-Man was lifted above Gargan's head, then in that same second he was plummeting towards the ground.
Yet, to Scorpion's surprise a grunt of pain didn't accompany the slam, and the annoyance of his wouldn't come back up no matter how hard he pulled.
Unbeknownst to him Spidey had caught himself on the landing, and began sticking to the pavement.
"God damn bug, trying to run away huh?!" Gargan laughed while he yanked on the boy's leg.
"No, just revelling in this amazing reversal I'm about to pull." he let go of the ground, and the sudden shift in momentum had disrupted Scorpion's balance. An opening Spider-Man took advantage of as he kicked the large man in the jaw before freeing himself of Gargan's grasp. Making his way over to Laura who had entered another altercation with Electro.
He shot a line to her back and yanked the girl away while simultaneously dodging a strike from her target, Electro.
"Thanks, now go home!" he ordered his raven haired classmate who snarled in response.
The boy lunged up and over another bolt. The boy landed on both hands then launched himself at a surprised Electro who couldn't react fast enough as two feet planted themselves firmly into his gut. The glowing man withheld a squeal but not for long. Spidey continued his assault with a punch square in the jaw which sent the man pummeling towards the ground.
"Spider-sense" our red and blue hero spoke as he spun around and dodged an airborne car sent over by Gargan. But, couldn't allow the vehicle to just needlessly crash in the distance.
So he attached a line to its rear and as its force carried him along Spidey tugged on the line and made his way to the trunk. He placed one end of the line on there, and then shooting off behind it he attached the other. With a jolt the web stopped the car's flight, but now he needed to safely land the vehicle.
Up and over he rolled off the top of the car while firing several webs around him. With a freed hand he grabbed the hood and pulled himself under the vehicle where one shot attached the makeshift net preventing the car's reckless landing.
Upon descent, spidey caught a nearby street lamp and slingshotted his way over to the man in green who caused him this hassle. Yet once again he caught sight of Laura participating in this dangerous dance with the madman Mac Gargan.
Gargan swung his tail with a thunderous crack, causing Laura to jump back in order to avoid the tail that whipped the spot she occupied in prior.
"Get back-!" Spidey shouted as he began to swing over to her. However Laura would have to fend for herself as Spidey managed to dodge an incoming bolt, but failed to avoid Electro's vicious tackle that followed.
"You're gonna regret ever screwing around with us!!" Max declared while flaring up his electricity and crashing through a nearby shop.
Laura ducked under another tail swipe and then slashed at Gargan's chest, causing the man to stumble back as he brought his right hand to inspect the wound. The cuts weren't deep, but that didn't soothe the building rage he felt before finding himself needing to dodge another thrust to the neck.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" he spat with another swipe of his tail.
But no matter the vulgar or crude wording, Laura paid the man's words no mind. His words would just distract her from making an analysis, as this whole time she'd been studying him and his movements.
The favoritism for his right side made him swing harder from said direction, his temper made him sloppier, his combat prowess was dwarfed by her own, and his tail was always his safe option he retreated to when pressured. Within a five minute timespan she knew any and everything she needed to win any encounter with a man she just met.
And so, she created an opening by removing his option of safety as he swung his tail in the middle of a barrage. His tail came down just as it did many times before, and Laura sidestepped its as she did before. She severed it from the host and sliced him along the face. Blood ran over the large man's eyes from the new wound that sat above the brow. He tried to wipe his face clean, but in the effort his gut was left open and so she stabbed him.
"ARRRRRGHH!!"
Scorpion winced in pain and wildly swung his right with a backhand that housed all his might. Laura leaned back to avoid the attack and made the most of her situation as she sliced another cut along his thigh with a foot claw. Sending the large man to his knees. Scorpion needed to rid himself of this nuisance fast, so he retaliated with a straight from his left fist which only struck air.
He had completely lost track of the girl til a sharp pain exposed her position, her claws now deep in his back.
He swung his right arm this time as he desperately clung to life, and Laura while perched on his back swung herself with a fearsome strength. The combination of both attacks creating the necessary momentum to force him to the ground writhing in pain, the fight was hers.
All that was left was to ensure he didn't cause any future trouble. She raised her left hand, aiming to behead the madman in one strike. But once her arm reached the peak of its height, a web line held it there.
Laura snapped her head towards the source, and there stood Spider-Man. Electro, tied up in webbing and unconscious at his feet while he stared her down.
The girl didn't even attempt to break free, it would waste time and she knew outgunning him wasn't an option. So she attempted to strike with a far less telegraphed stabbing motion of her free hand instead. But Spidey shot another line and caught her just in time, both hands now restrained.
Spider-Man needed to take control of the situation, and so he yanked her away from Scorpion's wounded body. She jerked with the sudden motion, but soon enough found footing before she even hit the ground. Readjusting herself in midair and landing as if leaving the ground was her intention.
Spider-Man stared at her, and Laura stared at him.
He noted her tense glare.
Green eyes that shone with intense emotion at this moment. But even they couldn't grab his attention more than the blood coated hands and claws she possessed.
For a moment Spider-Man feared the worst, that perhaps he was already too late. Looking past her, he took in Scorpion's current condition. While alive, he would need medical attention soon or bleeding out was a real possibility. His grip on the web lines tightened, and she noticed. Tensions rose as the two continued to stare back at each other, inspecting the other's movements and body language.
"What are you doing Laura?"
X-Mansion Halls (Several Hours Ago)
Evan Daniels, Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, Rayne Sinclair, Anne "Rogue" Marie, Bobby Drake, Kurt Wagner, Jean Grey, Scott Summers.
These were the people she lived with, the classmates she had come to "know", a few of the victims of an attack on a diner in Central Bayvile's mall.
The girl could hear all of the commotion from down the hall, the shouting and discussions about that Parker boy. She held her own suspicions of course, but none of them resonated with the information he had fled after the attack.
She joined the remaining kids in the livingroom, and as per usual, everyone pretended to not notice her appearance. It was annoying yes, but the reliability of patterns provided comfort in knowing certain things would happen.
What wasn't the usual was the somber atmosphere. No banter or bickering, just a cold silence that even sent a shiver down her spine.
She wasn't exactly surprised however, while her classmates aren't new to hassle and the close call here or there. You could hardly compare their usual to a glorified bombing with them at the epicenter. The atmosphere and their conditions made it clear to Laura most of them didn't take this well.
Laura's eyes landed on Katherine and Sinclair who clearly had the fewest injuries amongst the group. Nothing a small bandage and sleep wouldn't overcome. No doubt she was probably one of the first to react and had phased Rayne along with her.
Then there was Marie on the other end of the couch who wasn't as lucky. But, with the fact the worst of her troubles was holding an icepack to her leg for swelling and soreness she got off easy compared to Summers. She was probably phased shortly after Sinclair when Katherine caught sight of her.
Finally there was Drake and Wagner who sat unusually quite at the table. The smell of brimstome was a clear sign that Wagner's teleportation was used instead. But even that was most likely done after the initial explosion. Wagner had wraps around his arms in various places with blood stains. Drake on the other hand was in about the same condition as him, bandages along the arms and one along the head. It made sense why neither of the two dared to be the first to break up the tense silence.
"Oh, uhm. Hey Laura."
The girl in question turned around to face the one that called to her. And, another pattern exposed itself, Katherine's small gestures and attempts to socialize.
At times it was annoying, after all she knows Xavier was the one that put her up to this, but it was her persistence that truly caught her eye. When everyone else took to just pretending like she wasn't here or greeting her by obligation, Katherine remained with a rather cheerful hello on occasion. And while Laura wouldn't admit it, deep down there was comfort she felt knowing she'd always recieve a greeting from her. At least the feeling felt like comfort.
"Like, how was your day?" Kitty continued.
Laura didn't really know how to respond; she hadn't done much that Katherine didn't already know. There were training sessions in the danger room every couple of hours, and if she wasn't doing that, then patrolling the school grounds was her alternative.
"Save yourself Kurt, if that crazy guy didn't kill us, dark and brooding here sure will..." Bobby joked.
The room went silent at this.
Kurt tried shushing his friend, but the damage was already done. Rogue facepalmed herself as she groaned in annoyance. Kitty and Rayne looked over to their raven haired classmate in response.
"What?... Why's everyone staring at me?"
Laura didn't take too fondly to his idiocy as always. But the implication she was a needless killer, even in the form of a joke, surely did rub her the wrong way. The fact he had the audacity alone made her want to relieve the room of his incessant blabbering. "Removing his tongue would surely do the trick" she comtemplated, but she let the thoughts remain as such, no matter how hard it was.
And on instinct, her fingertips had begun to scratch the skin of her inner forearm in frustration.
She hated being frustrated. And, the best therapy for that was distracting her mind, find something to channel her emotions into or push them deeper down. So out the door she went, in search of someone who understood.
The people here surely didn't.
And so everyone else just watched their raven haired "friend" leave just as she always did.
"You surely a grade A genius huh Bobby?" Rogue remarked, to which the kid just slammed his head on the table he sat at.
Westbury New York (Night)
"What are you doing Laura?" Spider-Man asked sternly.
She looked back up at him, staring into the white lenses which housed those hazel eyes of his. Yet even with them hidden, she could tell he was judging her. Following the positioning of his head, her eyes too landed on the claws.
On the hands that connected to those weapons.
They were stained in blood. And he was judging her for this wasn't he, she could tell from the way she felt.
A weight on her shoulders, the growing heaviness in her arms, the sinking feeling in her stomach. She just knew he was thinking about all the ways she was too dangerous wasn't he. He looked past her at Scorpion's mangled body, examining her work. But she didn't follow his eyes then.
Instead she looked back down at her claws, at the hands connected to them, her hands. She withdrew the blades and their signature "snikt" caught his attention.
"You looked like you needed help" she stated. Spider-Man didn't respond, the only company to her words being the ambiance of a now quite battle field. As she figured, he wouldn't understand just like everyone else.
Yet midway through her internal monologue she was surprised when she felt the grip on the restraints weaken. And, upon further inspection it was because he had let go of them and began making his way to the Scorpion. She released her claws and sliced off the hanging strands of webs before following.
"While I'm flattered you care, you really shouldn't be leaving the mansion to help me"
"Wasn't my original intentions to" she replied.
"Oh, so you've just been taking interest in me and my hobbies for the fun of it?" Spidey said as he squated down beside Gargan, noting his breathing and taking mental notes of the cuts and slashes all over his body.
"You took every chance to pull my suspicions." she replied as he began applying makeshift gauges and bandages made of his webbing. She became hesitant with her next question, yet asked it anyway.
"What are you doing?"
"Tending to his wounds. Because I'm not sure if you know this, but stab wounds tend to kill people." Spider-Man snapped in his anger. a response that made her go silent and the vigilante noticed. He didn't say anything though, he just became silent too as he finished up and carried the unconscious man to lay with his partner, a sigh left his mouth.
"I'm not exactly the 'poster boy' of heroism either" he thought to himself, a familiar laughter filled his head as he tightened Gargan's restraints with more layers of webbing.
"Look Laura..."
The girl paused her thoughts and gave him attention.
"Sorry... If I seem a little on edge, it's just-" he rubbed his hands along his head, from his forehead to the back of his neck. Spidey thought over his next few words carefully.
"It's just, I don't kill people Laura. I never had..." He stared down at his hands before clenching them into fist "... And I never will. But, I can't thank you enough. You really did save me from a lot of extra pain in the morning. And, for what ever reasons he had his twisted mind Electro decided to involve you of all people?"
Laura couldn't fathom it either, she held no ties to the man known as Max Dillion. Both him and Gargan had Spider-Man in their grasp and in front of their eyes, why split up to involve her...
Laura connected the dots, and not another word was said as she began moving.
Before Peter could even blink, Laura had ran for her bike, revved up, and took off.
"Wait, what's up?!" Peter shouted, but the only response he received was the motorcycle's engine and the sounds of nearing police sirens.
So he shot a web line to the buildings above and swung after the girl. Her bike playing its tune as the engine roared throughout the now night time streets of Westbury New York.
Left
Right
Left
Right
Laura's bike zoomed past late night traffic as she sped through Westbury, Spider-Man hot on her trail. Trying his best to keep up in the forever changing terrain, he slingshotted himself onto a nearby bus and attempted to catch her attention.
"Laura!! what's going on??" He shouted while waving his arms, but the girl's eyes never once moved towards him. To her the man calling her name didn't exist, just the path ahead.
She ignored the hero and squeezed more speed out of the vehicle all while passing between and outside of traffic. And while Spidey didn't recieve one word from the gal, not even a passing glance, he understood everything that was at hand.
The rush
The anxiety
The fear
She was headed somewhere close, a safe haven that had recently been invaded as far as she knew.
She was looking for something to protect.
And so Spider-Man didn't bother with any more questions, he just tried his best to follow behind her. Try to be wherever trouble was brewing.
Several minutes later
Laura's bike was doing 60 in a 35, she tore up the streets of Mineola New York while speeding past every parked car. Overturning the fallen leaves and roadside debris while reading the numbers on the buildings.
"35... 37... 39..."
SCREEEEEEEEECH
She came to a astounding halt, she was here.
Laura tenderly stared upon the red walls that encased the building, the wooden steps that led inward to some of the only other people she's known. It was like an old friend to her, providing an almost forgotten warmth. A friendliness she she refused to form back at the mansion, a family.
She took a deep breathe, there were left over scents outside of this house.
The first one she picked up had left the property around thirteen and a half hours ago, then went back inside around six.
Mascera, lip stick, nail polish, hair gel, mid range perfume, silver, and ruby hit her like a sucker punch.
They belonged to a girl named Megan, she was around Laura's age with short and spiked up blonde hair. Green eyes complimented by her blood red lips and heavy makeup around those same eyes.
Laura's expression softened, a faint smile crept onto her face as she reminisced on repressed memories. On the smile she brought to one of the only friends she had made throughout her life. It was enough to soothe her growing worries, but nothing good ever last for too long.
sniff, sniff
Laura picked up new band of scents. They had appeared onto the property a couple of minutes ago, people unknown to her and armed with the stench of gunpowder. She jumped off of her bike, and within the next second she was peaking in through the porch window.
"Got the girl" reported one man wrapped from the neck down in a tough yet sleek material. Heavy amounts of armor incasing his chest and limbs shifted with every movement as he made his way down the stairs and into the living room with Megan in hand. He met up with the four in the main floor's hallway, they wore identical armor and all armed with weaponry. From automatic guns to explosives even.
"Excellent, this is team six reporting. Both targets have been captured, preparing for evac." stated a deep and commanding voice. Then as of that moment a big light shone from the sky, a helicopter dropping down several cords all with latches at the end to lift up the men inside.
"You know the drill boys, both those freaks went silent over an hour ago and cops found them shortly after. Which means the animal wasn't captured nor Spider-Man, so we hightail out of here before it connects the dots." Everyone modsed in agreement, and began making their way to the backdoor.
The lights went out.
"Shit" they dropped the hostages in the circle of their forming circle "everyone keep together! She'll try to split us up, take us out when we're weak-"
"HnNnnng!" shouted a soldier to his right, the first victim of her rampage.
The kitchen knife currently in his throat made any intelligible words or loud noises near impossible. The others looked on as this unfortunate soul struggled to breathe with blood quickly forcing its way down and out of every hole in the wound's vicinity.
Before long, the soldier had begun to drown in his own crimson fluids, and before long he was the least of their worries.
"There!" exclaimed the commander, everyone lifted their rifle and opened fire on Laura as she leapt at them.
Within the second she was made out, Laura slit the neck of the second soldier with a foot claw and stabbed the third in his throat and pelvis. She swung his body in front of her to block incoming gunfire. Then kicked him off into the soldier on her left. Now without protection, the remaining armed combatant to her right aimed for her head and pulled the trigger.
But she rolled over to the carcass of the first victim with her thrown knife and yanked it out of his throat. Proceeding to throw said knife at the fourth currently firing, and it breached his esophagus in record time. He dropped his weapon and clasped his throat while falling to the ground also drowning in his own blood.
Soldier number five trapped under the bleeding carcass finally freed himself, but by the time he was on his feet Laura was already in his face. He attempted to pull out his combat knife, but the moment he went for a swing she relieved him of his hand. The man screamed in agony until she then relinquished him of his head and the remaining blood fell to the floor.
Laura stood there and looked around, to her left and her right. There was nobody standing, no one but her remained armed or dangerous in that blood stained hallway. The girl rushed over to her family, and Grabbed Megan's shoulder before shaking the unconscious girl.
Megan groaned, and brought a hand to her head as she rubbed the soar spot from when they dropped her.
"Wha-... what happened?" she managed, she brought her hand before her eyes and spotted blood.
"It's not yours" Stated Laura.
Megan looked over to her left, and when she recognized who it was she wasted no time pulling the girl into a loving embrace.
"Oh my god, Laura?!" she placed her hands on Laura's shoulders, examining her friend over "W-where have you been?? Where did you go?". Laura didn't answer the question, but Megan still pulled her in for another hug.
"I just woke up one morning and there was a note, you were gone! I-I thought I'd never see you again!"
Laura looked off to the side, it was hard facing Megan as of this moment. But, she also knew they didn't have the time for a reunion.
"We need to leave right now. There will be more soon" Laura got to her feet and woke up the other unconscious hostage. An older woman named Debbie who was slightly taller than Megan and wore her black hair in a pixie cut.
"Whaaa... What happened, why am I on the floor?" asked Debbie who started to panic as she caught sight of the blood everywhere.
"Mom! We have to go now!" responded Megan.
"Come on!" Laura shouted as she reached down for Debbie, but froze in her tracks. A scent had hit her nose, one so familiar yet provided no good thoughts or fond memories like her found family.
Just nightmares that l haunted her to this day.
Megan jumped when she heard the backdoor get ripped off its hinges, and screamed as she held Debbie when that same door came flying at the two. The raven haired girl pulled Debbie down and ducked under the incoming projectile then rushed to grab Debbie. But the knightmare was already leaving the shadows of the kitchen and stepping into the light of the hallway. Laura only had enough time to shove Debbie out of the incoming attack from the intruder.
A tall woman swung at Laura with a vicious hook, the girl ducked under this attack, but rolled back to a safe distance instead of retaliating.
"Someone hasn't been slacking in her training..." said the intruder in a complacent voice. Laura felt a shakiness in her knees upon hearing this. But she still rose from her crouched position snarling at the woman stepping over the dead soldiers without paying a single one of them attention.
Her mud dipped combat boots made the abused wooden floors creak as she made her way through the narrow hallways. A devilish grin occupied half of this woman's face, she was full of glee seeing Laura before her.
"So fast, so agile..." The woman moved her long curly brunette hair away from her face. "Oh so clever... You thought you were clever weren't you? Thought you had 'escaped' the facility?"
Laura clenched her fist, for the woman that stood in her way was one of the last people she EVER wanted to run into. And, that woman's name was "Kimura", a phantom from her past who's come to haunt her in the present. Specially trained and designed with the sole purpose to keep all other weapons made by them in line, especially their prize possession, "X-23". It was foolish of Laura to think dropping a small avalanche on her and disappearing would be enough to escape her and the facility.
Kimura brought her hands up to her face and let out a loud and cheerful whistle. A bad omen that brought forth two more soldiers through the front door who grabbed Megan and Debbie.
"Laura!" screamed Megan as her fear began to take center stage.
Laura ignored Kimura, and dashed straight for the girls. She hoped that maybe she could free them of the soldiers holding them and hold off Kimura long enough for them to go. But that would be wishful thinking.
Kimura had closed the distance, and grabbed her long black hair. It felt like Laura's scalp would come clean off the way her knightmare yanked with such force and threw her into the kitchen behind the two of them.
" 'Laura'?" Kimura asked with a sadistic laugh while the girl got up, switching on the stove next to her and arming herself with two knives.
"That's cute... Really thought you'd get yourself a name and walk away? Just forget about the bad memories? You don't get to make that choice animal!" Laura leapt from the kitchen and attempted to land a superman punch, but missed.
Kimura was on the girl as soon as she made it to the ground, Laura side stepped the punch and returned with one of her own to the gut. She then brought forth the hardest right hook she could muster that came into contact with Kimura's jaw. Breaking several fingers on that fist in the process, but she just resorted to her other and swung with another fearsome hook.
Kimura caught the blow and held onto Laura's wrist with a grip Laura couldn't shake. So, in response the girl brought up a knee to Kimura's stomach.
Then another hook with her right,
Then a left knee to her kidney,
Then another punch with her right,
Laura wouldn't let up in the shred of hope she could at least wind the woman. But Kimura only grabbed her right arm when she went for that punch. And, just as Laura feared, there wasn't a single sign of fatigue or pain in the woman's face. Just the same devilish smile that had been carved into the deepest parts of her mind.
She struck Laura's nose with a head butt that would've surely sent the girl flying if it wasn't for the superhumanly strong grip she had on Laura's arms. The same couldn't be said for the blood that splattered on the floor below.
"Silly girl, I was sure you would've known to never touch your handler!" Kimura kneed Laura right in the kidney, a blow that made the girl's whole lower hody go numb and limp for a couple seconds. But a couple of seconds was all Kimura needed to make her regret every strike she had thrown.
When Kimura started Laura's punishment, the girls began fighting against the soldiers holding them as they were forced to watch her take blow after blow. But couldn't shake the grasp of the much stronger men as they tightened their grip to a painful degree.
Laura received a knee to the jaw that splashed more of her blood, a hit that brought flashbacks to her days in the facility. To Kimura gleefully beating her senseless both in and out of the "privacy" of her cell. No matter where she went, Kimura could follow and break any part of her body for the littlest reason.
Kimura released Laura's right hand, but only to beat the girl with the now free left appendage. It made Laura painfully remember the first time Kimura and her ever met.
"Get up." commanded Doctor Rice, and Laura followed the command with closed eyes. "This is Kimura."
"I want you to kill Kimura." Laura's eyes shot open at the sound of the word kill, and so she followed the command like any other. But, no matter how hard or fast she swung her newly laced adamantium claws they wouldn't cut through Kimura's skin.
"What's the matter with you? I said kill her." Doctor Rice ordered.
Laura took her free hand and punched Kimura in the face again, she then did it again, and again, and again. Every punch followed by an emotional and violent roar of her shaky voice.
Kimura caught that free hand again, and pulled Laura in for another knee that knocked the wind out of her.
"Pathetic, you've disobeyed my order and failed your mission, X-23. Now, you must be punished."
The doctor glanced over to the dark skinned woman, "Kimura..."
Kimura held Laura in place, and gave her a genuine smile followed by a wink. But, the genuine part wasn't the kindness usually at the center of this gesture, but the cruelty she was going to cause while doing it.
She head butted the girl, causing blood to escape her nostrils. Then as Laura sat on the ground confused and hurt, Kimura proceeded to beat a good lesson into Laura. One that bullets, knives, or other weapons couldn't teach her.
But one of unfiltered, unwavering, terror...
She taught Laura how to fear for her Life...
Kimura lifted up Laura by her left arm, taking in her work. The girl had healed the wounds that were inflicted already of course, but the mental scarring was what she truly cared about.
"You know, I thank you for running away X-23." She shook the half conscious girl in a taunting manner, looking over to both Megan and Debbie as if she was offering either one of them a chance to help. But it wasn't like they could break free to do so, and even if they could what would they do to stop her?? Debbie looked away, and Megan began to drop tears in frustration as she called for her best friend.
The gestures made Kimura laugh.
" Now? I get to savor this. Reeeeally take my time in beating your ass both before and after I take you back where you be... long?..."
Kimura's words trailed off as she caught glimpses of something approaching the glass in front of her.
Before she could drop the girl or duck to safety, a red and blue blur that followed the helicopter's light came crashing through the hallway's window. And it was none other than Spider-Man coming straight at her.
Spider-Man drop kicked the woman so hard she had let go of the girl and flew backwards into the Kitchen. He then caught Laura in one hand and swung around to survey the area, He caught a glimpse of the soldiers holding the now shocked Megan and Debbie.
"Listen boys, I really don't wanna have to break more noses than necessary-" he began to quip, but to everyone's surprise, Laura threw two kitchen knives directly at their throats. Causing the two men to drop onto their backs as they drowned in blood.
Spidey was at a loss of words.
But no words were needed to block an incoming punch from Kimura "Why the hell are you here??" shouted the now pissed woman. He would quip, but he had been caught off guard by Laura. He didn't know what to say or do about it, all he could do was retaliate with a punch of his own.
"Out now!" Laura commanded as she jumped to the ceiling and sliced open a light above them. The girls followed this order and left the house immediately, Spider-Man on the other hand jumped out of the hallway and picked up Laura on his way out. But not before the girl flicked a light switch, and caused a chain reaction from the leaking gas and broken light fixture.
A fiery explosion traveled through every crevice of the house and sent the two teens flying from its force. They landed in the Yard, everyone just looking at what once was a beautiful house in a quiet neighborhood turned into a tomb.
Spider-Man instinctively looked at Laura to check her for any bruises or injuries. And while the killing shook him and the explosion caught him off guard, what really bothered him at this moment was Laura herself.
Underneath all of that blood and sweat, behind the loose strands of hair and cast shadows of the light provided from the flames. He couldn't find a single shred of remorse or regret at what she had done.
All that he could find was Laura's usual stoic manner and emotionless face.
Authors Notes
Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's probably one of my favorites so far.
I just wanted to let you all know that the flash back sequences Laura had were pretty much right out of a comic based on her origins. All writing credits go to the original writers for "X-23: Target X Written by Craig Kyle Christopher Yost.