The SuperStarr Chronicles

Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Sorry I took so long to update this story! I had to get a new computer as my old one had decided to go and die on me. Luckily, I had this backed up so I didn't lose any progress, thank goodness. Hope you enjoy this chapter and find it worth the wait!

Disclaimer: "I've lost the will to shop."

Review Response Time!

LycoX – Well, I figured it like this. At this point, Xavier's priority is keeping the X-Men on the down low, as it were. As he figured, this is likely the best scenario possible. Kelly is the only one that knows the X-Men exist, and Xavier believes he can believe his kids can stay out of trouble. And Clara may be able to do the same with the Brotherhood.

Red Witch – Stay tuned, Red! There's more fun Pietro torture in the future! (Pietro: OH GOD WHY?!)

Chapter 7: Phantazia of the Rock Opera, Part 1!

Cleveland, Ohio. Nighttime.

The blonde girl panted as she ran down the street, lit by the streetlights. She ducked into an alley and tried to catch her breath.

"Can't...can't let that thing get me..." She panted. The blonde girl leaned back against the wall, putting her hand to her chest as if it would calm her rapidly-beating heart. Eileen Harsaw had seen better days. It had all started a couple of weeks ago. Devices had started randomly malfunctioning around her. Tablets, phones, computers, all would go...wonky. She didn't understand why. Did she touch some cursed circuit board or something?

She always walked home on this route after taking the bus. It was quiet, and it was a rather safe one. Nothing ever had happened to her or anyone on this street before. But that had changed a few minutes ago.

The blonde girl couldn't describe what had came at her. It had seemed to be some sort of...monster. A monster that looked like a floating ball of dough, for lack of a better word. It was only by sheer luck that she had seemingly managed to evade it. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Come on...come on..." She pleaded quietly and desperately, trying to get the small device to work. It would only display bizarre images and wacky symbols, like it had some kind of nervous breakdown. "Oh, why do you have to do this now, you stupid phone?" She growled. "Work!" The blonde angrily smacked the phone. "Work, blast it! Oh-!" She shoved her phone back in her pocket. The blonde then hid in a cluster of trash cans.

What do I do? Eileen thought, her eyes and ears alert. Wait...maybe he can help me...yeah! He could handle that thing, no problem! She then noticed that things were quiet... Huh? She slowly poked her head upwards...and then her body. "It's...quiet." She sighed in relief and fixed her cat-eye glasses, a smile on her face. "I'd better go home." Good idea, Eileen. She complimented herself. I'll run home, tell my parents, and call the cops. And hopefully, somehow he'll find out about it and take care of it.

Clank!

The sound of what sounded like somebody kicking a can could be heard.

"Huh?" Eileen muttered. She turned around...and she screamed in horror.

Bayville Park

Clara Creed walked through the park, looking around. To the casual observer, it seemed that the blonde Canadian was taking in the sights. But in actuality, she was doing a bit of hunting. She sniffed the air, and sighed.

"You can come out, Logan. That is, if you're still going by that name." Clara said. Logan emerged from behind a tree. The feral woman turned around and gasped slightly at the sight. "My God." She whispered. "You..you've barely aged at all since I last saw you."

"I know we've met." The feral man grunted. He unsheathed his claws. "I want answers."

Clara rolled her eyes. "You don't need to whip out those things. I'm not here to..." She blinked at his claws. "Huh."

"What?"

Clara walked up to Logan and held up his hand. "They're metal now?"

"...the hell you mean, 'metal now'?"

"They're metal now." Clara repeated. "How did that happen?"

"…I got these from…an experiment." Logan explained.

"What kind of experiment gave you these?" Clara asked. "How could you not remember having these before?"

"I don't remember a lot of things." Logan snarled, yanking his hand away from her.

"...you really don't remember me? I get it was a long time ago, but..."

"But nothin'!" Logan snapped. "Ever since I first saw you, somethin's been telling me I know ya."

"...you really don't remember me." Clara sighed. "Okay. You don't need to threaten me. Come on, I'll help fill you in on a couple of blanks."

The Xavier Institute

"Ohhhh, the night calls to be wild! No time to be mild! It's time for something you like! It's time for a sonic strike!" Jubilation Lee sang along to the music blasting into her ears as she danced down the hall. She started making guitar noises and playing air guitar along to the guitar solo. Sam Guthrie smiled in amusement as he watched his fellow New Mutant rock out to the beat.

"Whatcha listenin' to, Jubes?" The blond Kentuckian asked.

"Huh?" The Chinese-American firework factory blinked. She pulled down her headphones. "What was that?"

"Whatcha listenin' to, Jubes?" Sam repeated, a little louder.

"Kid Razor's album!" Jubilee grinned. "Guy's got the voice of an angel. Got the looks of one, too." She smiled dreamily.

"That superhero singer from Cleveland?" Sam blinked. It then made him remember something. "Wasn't he on TV fighting that elephant man last week?"

"Yup!" Jubilee grinned. "Same guy!"

"He seems like a bit of a jerk to me." Sam frowned. "I saw him do an interview on TV. He was running his mouth about other superheroes, and he sounded so mean."

"Aww, that's just a gimmick." Jubilee snorted, waving at Sam. "He does that for attention." The Chinese-American then smirked at Sam. "Say Sammy, I've been hearing rumors that you've found yourself a little ladyfriend."

"Uhhhh..." The blond Kentuckian blinked.

"You know, that British chick."

"The girl Rogue hangs out with? She kinds creeps me out..."

"No, the Cockney girl!" Jubilee clarified.

"Oh, Lila!" Sam rubbed his arm and blushed a bit. "Yeah, she's...she's nice."

"You don't think she's cute?" Jubilee teased.

"Well..." Sam's blush deepened. "I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't..."

"So, you going to ask her out, Sammy?"

"Ah...well...I'm not sure…"

"…what?! Why not?!" Jubilee exclaimed.

"Well, it's just…I don't know…somethin' about her…"

"I get it." Jubilee rolled her eyes. "It's because she hangs out with those Brotherhood guys."

"Well, I have heard the X-Men don't really like them very much…"

Jubilee scoffed. "Who cares?! She's totally into you, man. You should totally ask her out! I'm sure she'd love to go out with…" The two noticed Scott walk by, fully kitted in his X-Men uniform. "What's up, One-Eye?"

"You got a mission?" Sam noted.

"Yup, they found a new mutant." Scott confirmed. "Gonna go check it out. Who knows?" The optic blaster smiled. "You may get a new friend here."

"Well, that's nice." Sam remarked as he and Jubilee watched Scott walk away. The two look at each other.

"Oh, we have got to find out about this new mutant!" Jubilee grinned.

"Ah dunno..." Sam shook his head. "We're not exactly full-fledged X-Men."

"Aw come on, Sam!" Jubilee exclaimed. "I just want to know more about this new mutant!" She grabbed Sam's hand. "Come on!"

"Wait-!" Sam yelped before Jubilee dragged him away.

The Cerebro Room

"Ah, good. You are all here." Xavier nodded as Scott walked into the room. "Cerebro has picked up a new mutant emerging in Cleveland, Ohio."

"Cleveland, huh?" Scott said. "Isn't that where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is? I always wanted to see it."

"Ah admit, Ah'd love to visit the Cleveland Public Library." Rogue confessed.

"It also has a big Fashion Week." Kitty added in excitement.

"I've also heard that the city has recently got its own superhero." Evan pointed out. "What was his name, Kid Blade?"

"Kid Razor." Kitty said. "Jubilee listens to his music all the time. She thinks he's the greatest rock star ever."

"A superhero who is also a rock musician." Storm noted. "Interesting."

"It makes sense, actually." Rogue looked up from her phone. "According to this, Cleveland is an important city for rock history. A radio DJ there named Alan Freed popularized the term 'rock and roll' in the 1950s and was the first disc jockey to heavily play and promote it. He also helped organize what is the first major rock concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball, in 1952."

"Wow, that's awesome." Kurt grinned.

"That's great and all, but I'm more interested in this new mutant at the moment." Scott pointed out.

"Her name is Eileen Harsaw." Xavier showed the face of Eileen on the screen.

"Like, look at those glasses!" Kitty giggled. "They're totally retro."

"I've seen grannies wear glasses like those back home." Rogue noted.

"I think they look neat." Jean shrugged.

"Of course you would." Rogue rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jean blinked.

"Anyway..." Xavier interjected. "Cerebro has indicated that Miss Harsaw has some sort of electromagnetism-based powers."

"What does that mean?" A confused Evan asked.

"What it means is that she can cause and disrupt electromagnetic phenomenon." Xavier explained.

"You know how Kitty can cause electronics to mess up when she passes through them?" Scott clarified. "Kind of like that." Evan nodded in understanding.

"I believe that Miss Harsaw has the potential to be quite powerful." Xavier said. "She likely will need help handling her newfound gifts."

"At least we don't have to worry about Mystique and the Brotherhood trying to get their claws on her." Scott remarked with a smirk.

"True. But remember this, Scott. We are entering a new age of superheroes and supervillains. There may be no shortage of parties who wish to exploit the girl."

"Is Mr. Logan going to join us?" Kitty asked.

"Not for this mission, I'm afraid." Xavier told the brunette. "Someone has to stay behind and help me watch over our new crop of students."

"So, where is Logan, by the way?" Ororo asked.

"Logan is on a...personal errand, let's just say." Xavier told the windrider, his hands steepled.

A cafe in Bayville

"There you go." The server smiled as she handed out the drinks to the people at the table. "One black coffee, and one tea with cream and sugar."

"Thank you." Clara smiled, taking her tea.

"Yeah, thanks." Logan muttered, taking his coffee. Clara sipped her tea.

"Here's our story, Logan. I do want to warn you, it might be a lot for you to take in. The year was 1907. I was a young thing then. Only 22."

1907?! Logan mentally repeated in disbelief. How?! He briefly looked at his hands. I knew I could heal from anything, but Clara's implying that I might be immortal, like that Scottish guy in that movie...

"I was working at a circus at the time. My boss was a man named Hugo Haversham." Clara continued. "I was working as an animal trainer alongside my brother Saul. He was a hunter/tracker." A slight smile. "He and I were a darn good team…despite Saul's issues." Damn you, Victor…The feral woman took Logan's silence as an urge to continue on. "One day, we had stopped into a pub. We had heard rumors of a strange beast up north. It had killed a polar bear. The witnesses described it as a wildcat as big as a man. However, it turns out weren't the only ones interested in said creature."

"Who else was?" Logan asked.

"…a man named Essex." Clara recalled. "A Dr. Nathaniel Essex. He claimed to be a scientist." She shuddered. "Something about that man just creeped me out."

"How so?"

"He looked very pale, for one. And his scent seemed…off. At the time, I thought he was wearing some odd foreign cologne. Looking back, I think that his scent indicated that he was...not human." Clara explained. She smiled and tapped her nose. "Victor ain't the only Creed with super-senses. Anyway, Essex had a bunch of men at his command he called the Marauders. Saul and them tracked you. That's how I first met you."

"I see..."

"You nearly killed three of those Marauders of his with those claws of yours." Clara continued, pointing at Logan's hands. "And they were not metal, then. They were bone."

Bone... Logan thought, looking at his hands.

"Anyway, Hugo saw dollar signs when he saw you." Clara continued. "He wanted to make you into his new exhibit." She rolled her eye and waved her hand. "'The Clawed Man of the Woods'." Clara shook her head. "I wasn't happy about it. Hugo and Saul...they loved to torment you. But I believed there was still a man inside you somewhere. I tried to bring it out, but all I could ever get was your name: Logan."

"That's the only name I remember having."

"Well, now you know that I didn't give it to you at least." Clara said. "But then...Essex came back." She sighed. "Evidently, you had piqued his scientific curiosity, and he wasn't happy that Hugo got his hands on you. He...he killed Hugo and made off with you. I begged Saul to help me rescue you. He was reluctant, but he agreed to help."

"What happened next?"

"We had discovered that Essex wanted to erase your mind. Make you into a weapon." Clara said. "I couldn't let that happen. So we got you out and ran like hell." She sipped her tea. "The three of us settled in New York. I continued to work with you and...we got close."

"Had a little romance going, huh?"

"Something like that. You have a way with women."

"Heh." Logan smirked.

"Anyway, Saul was jealous. So he ratted us out to Essex. God knows how he found the guy." Clara sighed. "Essex attacked us. He made off with you, and I got busted up. But the thing is...I have a healing factor, too. It's not quite as potent as my...dear brother Victor's..." Clara spat out the last two words with a sneer. "But considering the crap he's survived, not quite as potent..." She smirked wickedly. "Is still pretty darn potent. After all..." Still smirking, she spread out her arms. "I'm still here. Over 120, and I barely look a day over 35."

"I see."

"Anyway, I had recovered from the injuries, and hunted you two down." Her head went down. "I saw you...attacking Saul. I...I tried to stop you, but you ended up drowning him. Drowning him in the same stuff that Essex wanted to wipe your mind with." Her voice started to crack a bit. "I...I was so horrified. I had thought I could find the man in you, but I ended up believing that you were no different from my brothers. Just another monster." Clara wiped a tear from her eye. "I told you to get away from me, and I never wanted to see you again. And I never did. Until now." She looked up, her face showing regret. "I've lived quite a few lives, Logan. And I've had many a lover over the years. But I always had a little soft spot for you. Never understood why. Maybe it was regret." She noted that Logan was looking at his coffee in silence. "...Logan?"

"I was just...thinkin'." Logan said. "You've dropped quite a bit on me here."

"I'm so sorry. I just...I know it was a lot, but..."

"I understand." Logan nodded. "It is a lot. But it's better than nothing."

"I wish I could give you more." Clara said. "But that was the last time I saw you. In the decades since, I've done...a lot." She smiled fondly. "Fought in wars, worked many a job, had lots of adventures...traveled the world many times over...broke Scott Steiner's nose once in 1991..."

"And now you're the Brotherhood's new den mother." Logan smirked.

"Not intentionally." Clara nodded. "But yeah, I went to space for a while and crashed on their doorstep. I think those kids need some guidance."

"You think you can handle them?"

Clara smirked cockily. "I've fought Nazis alongside the Canadian Home Guard, the Liberty Legion, and the Avengers Initative. I've fought aliens and the Golden Claw with the original Agents of Atlas. I fought monsters with the Monster Hunters. I've fought supervillains with the First Line. I can handle a bunch of superpowered teenagers."

"Heh." Logan chuckled. "Good luck to ya, Blondie. I get the feeling you're gonna need it." He got up to leave. "...By the way..."

"Yes?"

Logan put some money on the table. "Thank you."

"It was my treat, Logan. You don't..."

"I...I don't remember a lot about my past. Thanks to you, I...now know some of it."

"I'm so sorry, Logan." Clara said sadly. "I wish I never had told you to go away. I have always regretted that."

"Nothing we can do about that, darlin'." Logan said. "It's in the past. And I'm with some good people now."

"I hope so." Clara said. "I hope you found somewhere to be happy."

"I had heard about you makin' the Brotherhood fix up their house." Logan smirked. Even the grizzled Canucklehead had to admit, the idea of the Brotherhood playing This Old House was rather amusing. "I think you'll be good for them. And for what it's worth...I'm sorry about your brother Saul."

"Thank you." A smile from the blonde feral. "Looking back, I think you were trying to protect me. I think at heart, that's what you are, Logan. A protector. Someone who watches over others."

"I've been kind of doing a bit of that myself, lately. See ya around, Blondie."

The Brotherhood House

"Okay..." Lila said as she finished screwing in the outlet cover next to the door. She turned to Todd and Pietro. "I think I managed to fix that faulty wire."

"Neat!" Todd grinned. "Let's test it out!" He flicked the switch, and the light over the front lobby of the house turned on. "Nice!" He switched it off, then on, then off again.

"So far, so good." Lila nodded in approval.

"Hey, let me try!" Pietro started flicking the switch. "Hey, I gotta admit! Ya didn't do half bad!" He flicked the switch faster and faster.

BZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"WAHHHHHHHBLAHBLAHBRRRGJLAJDOIFEIENSDFIROLRJISNFSDKCMWGREATGOOGLYMOOGLY!" Pietro babbled as he got shocked, electricity running up and down his body. He staggered away from the outlet.

"Whoa!" Todd yelped.

"How did that happen?!" A confused Lila scratched her head.

Fwoof!

Pietro's head caught fire. The silver-haired speedster looked up.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in a high-pitched voice. "MY HAIR! MY BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL HAIR! SAVE MY BEAUTIFUL PERFECT HAIR!" He started thrashing around.

"Stop, drop, and roll! Stop, drop, and roll!" Todd yelled as he grabbed a blanket and tried to cover Pietro with it.

"Stop thrashing around, you idiot!" Lila exclaimed as she grabbed a fire extinguisher. "You're going to make it worse!" While this was going down, Clara had entered the house. The blonde Canadian leaned back against the door and sighed. She noticed Lila and Todd trying to save Pietro from getting his head burned off. The woman smiled a little bit.

Nice to see that things have settled in a bit...God, I'd never thought I'd see Logan again after all these decades...

"Uh, Clara?" The feral was shook out of her reverie by Fred Dukes.

"Oh, Fred. What's up?"

"This came for you." Fred held out an envelope.

Huh. Clara thought as she took the letter. "Thanks, big guy." Who knows I'm here now? She read the return address. Of course. She rolled her eyes. She would. Clara opened the envelope and read the letter. She blinked as she processed what she just read.

"What is it?" Fred asked.

"Fred..." Clara looked at the Texan mutant powerhouse. "How'd you and the boys like to take a little field trip to Scotland? Want to introduce you to an old friend..."

Clara's story to Logan is basically a bit of a retelling of Origin II.

The Avengers Initiative Clara mentioned first appeared in New Avengers #10 (March 2011), and got their own miniseries: Avengers 1959. In the original comics, Sabertooth was a part of the Initiative. Here, Clara is a member in his place.

The original Agents of Atlas first appeared in What If? #9 (June 1978), set in an alternate reality. The later Agents of Atlas series would establish that they also operated as a team in the 1950s in mainstream Marvel continuity.

Plan Chu, the Golden Claw, first appeared in Yellow Claw #1 (October 1956).

The Monster Hunters first appeared in Marvel Universe #4 (September 1998). Among their notable members was Ulysses Bloodstone, who is more known to modern Marvel fans as the father of Elsa Bloodstone.

The scene with Pietro getting shocked was meant to originally be in the last chapter, but I forgot to put it in. So, I decided to put it in this one.