Chapter 2
Legacy of Weapon X
Laura and Gabby unceremoniously hurled the body bag and its occupant into the Hudson River before hurrying back to their apartment. Along the way, Gabby gave the former predator a brief eulogy, saying that his victims and their families would all sleep better knowing that he was dead and burning in hell, but when asked to give her own indictment, Laura remained silent. She'd been to hell, twice, or at least a dimension that strongly resembled it, and it wasn't a place that she'd wish upon even her worst enemy.
Did a lifetime of committing evil merit an eternity of experiencing it oneself? What if a person later regretted their actions, or weren't entirely in control of them? Or spent the rest of their life trying to make up for them? Or would have if given the opportunity? Was she really so different from the man she buried at sea?
'We'll see each other again, Laura,' the demon whispered. 'And next time, there will be no escaping your sins...'
She instinctively clutched the cross necklace Kurt- better known as Nightcrawler- had given her shortly after discovering her cutting herself at The Institute. He'd been a good friend to her back then, far better than she deserved, and if there was a Heaven, which she now strongly suspected there was, she hoped she earned the right to end up there someday.
Laura cast the thoughts of an afterlife out of her mind, as well as any doubts of what she was. She was a soldier now, and the people that tried turning her into a stone cold killer were going to live to regret it.
"You okay, Sis?" Gabby asked, having noticed this otherwise uncharacteristic habit of her sister's whenever she was lost in thought and deeply troubled about something.
She nodded and hid the necklace back underneath her shirt. "Just wishing that I'd taken Remy's coat, and hoping he doesn't screw up my order again."
Since they couldn't just leave the body bag in the middle of the street, and because Gambit's motorcycle couldn't fit all three plus a body bag, they'd sent him back to their apartment with a very specific order that if he got wrong or didn't double check, chances were he'd never make it back to The Institute alive.
Luck as usual in the gambler's favor however, and half an hour later the three sat on the living room floor of Laura's apartment, gorging themselves on the best Chinese food in all of Manhattan, discussing just how exactly top secret information fell into the X-Men's lap, and why they'd be willing to share it with Laura of all people.
"The X-Men are superheroes," he explained mid-chew. "We can't just break into a perfectly legal laboratory in another country and raze it to the ground. Not without severe legal consequences at least."
"But we can!" Gabby cheered, offering a dumpling to Jonathan, their surprisingly housebroken pet wolverine.
"It's too small to be a cloning facility," Laura said, ignoring them and her meal for the moment to study schematics of the compound. "It's also too small to be a training facility like the one you were raised in."
"You mean none of our sisters will be there?"
Laura shook her head. While she didn't hesitate thinking of Gabby as her little sister, she still struggled to think of her other clones as anything more than their own individuals and victims like herself. Gabby meanwhile had lost nine 'sisters' in total, four in the past year, and the one she had gained simply wasn't enough to fill the gaping hole left by the others.
"They can't still be stuck on the X-23 program, can they?" Laura asked nobody in particular.
"The program seems effective to me," Gambit said, smiling at Gabby. "Why not continue it?"
"Because all of my clones have had major genetic defects," Laura said. "In case you haven't noticed, the scars on Gabby's face have never healed, and she only has one claw per hand and none in her feet. She also can't beat Johnathan at a simple game of checkers."
"Only because he cheats!"
"Bellona was an albino, and had problems with her skin and vision. Zelda and Paris didn't have claws, and all of their healing factors were even more inconsistent than Gabby's. Weapon X for whatever reason has never been able to make a perfect clone of me. Not even close."
"That you know of," Gambit said helpfully.
Laura nodded, but didn't like the implication. "I'm not the only mutant with a healing factor," she continued. "Most do in fact, but now that Logan's dead, I have the strongest. I hate to say it, but I think the X-Men might've come across this information a little too easily. We could be walking into a trap. In fact, I think we probably are."
"So we're not going?" Gabby asked.
"We're going, but we're going in smart," Laura said, not taking her eyes off the list of names. "Even if all my clones have been imperfect, they've all been... effective for lack of a better word."
Gabby cheered but Laura was still less than enthused. "What's on your mind, Chère?" Gambit asked. "Not that you're exactly a ray of sunshine when discussing Weapon X, but something's got you looking even gloomier than usual."
She sighed and laid the papers down. "Biologically speaking, I'm Logan's daughter, not his clone. I'm nowhere near as strong as he was, just faster thanks to having less adamantium in my body, and without the berserker rage at the drop of a hat."
"You're also much better looking if I may say so."
Laura almost smiled, either that or she was contemplating how to kill him without getting blood on her carpet. "I've been thinking about this for a while now, but if their plan is to continue the X-23 program without me, they might shift from trying to clone Logan's daughter to creating his biological grandchild instead."
Gambit's eyes narrowed. "Now there's a troubling thought."
"Take a clone with as few defects as possible, breed her with either the physically ideal male human or mutant without genetic defects, and see what happens. It might already have..."
The three sat in silent contemplation at the horror Laura had just suggested. She lied awake at night thinking such thoughts, what horrors her remaining clones must be enduring right now, their only crime being that Laura had been the first and thus far only Weapon X program after Logan to be successful. There'd been twenty-one attempts before her, and if they'd been anything like the X-23 program, then there were potentially tens of thousands of failed experiments, tens of thousands dead children, all because a few dozen powerful men and women viewed Logan's healing factor as the next generation of weapons technology and medical advancement, as well as the answer to their own mortality.
"Almost all of the original X-23 project leads are dead," Laura said absently. "I only recognize two of the aliases on this list. That's why they've had such trouble replicating my exact mutations."
"That and unless they've somehow gotten a recent DNA sample, their latest sample is about six years old," Gabby said. "Since puberty is usually when mutants unlock their powers, maybe forcing your mutation when you were only seven screwed up your genes or something."
Laura smiled grimly. "Dr. Rice was the project lead, and in doing everything in his power to sabotage the project and kill me, he only made me stronger, and might've screwed over his predecessors in the process."
"Which lends some credence to your theory of this being a trap," Gambit said. "If they've realized that cloning you is too expensive for the results they've gotten, and if your clones end up being infertile due to too many genetic defects, then they might decide it's cheaper to just return the original back to them."
"Doesn't matter," Laura said. "Gabby and I need to get in there, find out exactly what they're doing, get all the information that we can, and burn the place to the ground."
"And kill anybody that gets in our way!" Laura turned to Gabby who shrank back. "Or you know, use the evidence we get to send them to prison for the rest of their lives. Unless they have really good lawyers or use their connections to go underground like most evil scientists seem to do."
"You two really think you can do this on your own?"
Laura nodded, again knowing what he was insinuating. "Security will be armed to the teeth, Remy. Gabby and I don't have to worry about dying, and we also don't have to worry about each other dying either. Weapon X may have given us life, but it took everything else away from us. Gabby and I go in alone. Understand?"
Gambit leaned back with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face. "Understood, Chère. While you two are busy getting shot, stabbed, poisoned, and possibly blown to pieces or burned alive, Uncle Gambit will be waiting back in the Blackbird in the company of a beautiful woman. Sounds like a plan to me, no?"
It only took Laura staying up until dawn to come up with an infiltration plan. By lunch she'd almost convinced herself that it just might work even if it was a trap. She'd had a lot of experiences with Weapon X facilities over the years, as well as the people they were run by. More importantly however, her enemies were rarely given the opportunity to learn of Laura's methods and just how exactly she exploited their weaknesses so easily.
Although their goal had been to create the perfect weapon in terms of ability, skill, and intelligence, it never actually occurred to them that they might've been successful. Time and again their arrogance had been their undoing, but then again, it'd been Logan's as well.
She spent the rest of the day going over equipment, memorizing schematics, talking Gabby through the plan, re-talking Gabby through the plan, and going over contingency plans for when everything inevitably went to hell. Thankfully being semi-immortal and living weapons meant having a pretty decent fallback plan when all else failed.
They went to bed early to catch what little sleep they could, and against Gambit's better judgment, convinced him to create a volunteer group of X-Men that they joined later that night on a Blackbird en route to Ecuador. As much as she would've preferred doing the mission solo, Laura couldn't exactly walk through a metal detector at the airport, and her sister's obsession with guns and explosives also complicated matters.
The last minute volunteers were Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee. It was a lot of firepower for a single mission, especially to be relegated as backup, and Laura could only hope that it wouldn't be necessary.
She was something of a daughter to both Gambit and Rogue, and Nightcrawler seemed to think of himself as her spiritual guide. Laura's relationship with the vampiric Jubilee was a little more complicated however. Both had once agreed to kill the other should they ever lose control over their primal urges, which naturally made them close allies if not actual friends.
If everything went according to plan, backup wouldn't be necessary, but even if it was, neither Laura nor Gabby had any intention of calling in the cavalry unless absolutely necessary. This was their war against Weapon X, and there was enough blood on their hands already. If anyone else got hurt on her account, or killed, Laura wouldn't have been able to live with herself, any more than she already could.
"Are you really a vampire?" Gabby asked Jubilee, sitting across from one another in the back of the Blackbird.
The young woman appearing to be roughly Laura's age smiled wide so that she got a good look at her fangs. "Cross my heart and hope to live again."
"And you really drink blood?"
"Pigs blood mostly, but I've been known to suck on the neck of a football player or two when I'm feeling frisky."
"Do you sleep in a coffin?"
"I used to, but that was during my goth phase. Garlic by the way is delicious on pizza, I have yet to burst into flames walking into a church, and a stake to the heart just makes me mad."
"THAT IS SO COOL!"
Jubilee laughed and called up to the front of the plane. "Laura, I love your sister. Can I keep her?"
"Only if you promise no take backs," she said, studying various topography maps. Beside her, Rogue sat in the pilot's seat while Gambit sat behind them, playing with a deck of cards while splitting his attention between the two women.
"You sure you wanna go through with this, Sugar?" Rogue asked. "A little extra planning never hurt no one."
"Nothing good ever comes from Weapon X," Gambit agreed, shaking his head.
"I came from Weapon X."
"That's not what I-"
"I know what you meant, and the answer's still no. There's nothing more for me and Gabby to go over. Every day spent planning is another day where scientists get to play God and innocent people get experimented on and die."
"Well, a little extra help never hurt nobody either."
Laura shook her head. "If it wasn't for my healing factor, I would've died a dozen or more times on the last mission, and that was with everything going according to plan. The best thing you can do is get evidence of what's going on down there and the people involved, and rescue Gabby she needs it." She finally looked up from the papers. "I don't care what happens to me. Gabby means more to me than stopping Weapon X. Understand?"
Rogue's eyes softened. "Sugar, I-"
Gambit laid a hand on Laura's shoulder. "You have our word, Chère, but it won't ever come to that. You're both coming back with us to the mansion tonight, and then Uncle Gambit will cook us all a hearty Cajun breakfast in the morning just like Momma used to fix."
She shrugged the hand off and walked to the back of the plane, passing Gabby and Jubilee making silly faces at one another, and everyone but her sister watched out of the corner of their eye as she entered the bathroom and bolted the door behind her.
"Think she's alright?" Rogue asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Gambit nodded but didn't sound entirely convinced himself. A year ago he would've worried that she'd gone into the bathroom to cut her wrists in order to relieve stress before the mission, but now he thought that might've been the furthest thing from her mind, or so he hoped. Although she was still somber and uncomfortable around people, she had changed much since Gabby came into her life. Practically an entirely different person in some respects.
If she were still cutting herself however, Jubilee would be able to smell the spilled blood from a mile away, and would let them know.
He was just about to tell Rogue when a popping sound in the aisle alerted the team of Nightcrawler's return, who bowed before his captive audience and took a seat in front of Gabby and Jubilee, facing them both.
"Set us down behind the upcoming ridge," he called to the front. "There is a small clearing, and whether we need to assist Gabby and Laura on the ground or by air, it won't take us long to be at the facility either way."
"Are you a demon?" Gabby asked bluntly.
Nightcrawler grinned almost as wide as Jubilee, showing off a pair of fangs himself. "I am not a demon, but rather a mutant not unlike yourself. I am rather devilishly handsome though, if I do say so myself."
"You look more like a snow elf to me," Jubilee said.
Gabby giggled, and threw her head back in laughter as the longtime friends traded good natured insults with each other, seeing who could make her laugh the hardest.
Laura exited the bathroom shortly thereafter and immediately went to work checking over her and Gabby's gear one final time. Unlike everyone else on the jet, she didn't have a codename or even a costume. Form fitting black and gray clothing was her uniform even at home, preferring freedom of movement and blending in with shadows over bullet proof vests and masks. Her only accessory was a utility belt equipped with a few items that she might need immediate access to, but otherwise looked as though she was on her way to the gym.
In contrast, Gabby wore a bullet proof vest and other protective gear despite her semi-consistent healing factor and inability to feel pain. She also carried a backpack, a utility belt loaded for bear, and protective goggles as well as a mask that covered the bottom half of her face. The yellow and black ensemble wasn't unlike what Logan had worn, and was utterly ridiculous as far as Laura was concerned, but she couldn't help smiling at the Honey Badger when she thought no one was looking.
The jet shifted beneath them, signaling its landing. "Time to suit up, Gabby."
Her sister nodded and joined her in the back of the plane, grateful for her help putting the cumbersome gear on. "Is that all you're wearing?" she asked, staring at her sister's midriff. "You know that getting shot still hurts and slows you down, right? What about grenades? Rocket launchers? Evil bad guys with lightsabers?"
"Gabby, you were trained to be a super soldier. Someone who faces the enemy head on and keeps fighting long after everybody else is dead. I'm an assassin. I need to be as quick on my feet as possible, which means using you as my meat shield."
"She also looks damn good," Jubilee added. "Makes me wish I'd done a few more sit-ups before dying."
"But what if you get shot a bunch? Remember last time? Your clothes had so many bullet holes you were practically naked!"
Jubilee and Kurt chuckled, and quickly looked away when Laura scowled at them.
"Then I'll gouge out Remy and Kurt's eyes before they see me, or kill them if they do. The bloodsucker included. Can we go now?"
"Have fun, you two," Jubilee cooed. "Try to leave some for the rest of us. The flight's made me a little thirsty."
Gabby tugged on her sister's arm. "Can I be a vampire when I grow up? PLEASE!"
"Only after you're eighteen and so long as it means that I don't have to see you during the day."
"Stay safe, kids," Rogue called. "Don't do anything I would do."
Gambit took a seat beside his wife and leaned back, putting his feet on the dashboard. "Do try to have some fun now. Wouldn't want you getting bored without us."
"Laura, before you go, would you like me to say a prayer?" Nightcrawler asked.
She paused at the door and sighed. "Only if you do it quickly and quietly."
He nodded and bowed his head, understanding her discomfort when it came to religion perhaps a little too well. They'd had countless conversations over the existence of Heaven and hell, God and the devil, which didn't seem to bother her anymore, but it seemed to him that she had a knowledge that still came from the mind, not the heart. Laura could quote scripture even weeks after him reading it to her, and make connections even he missed, but although the belief was there, faith and love were still a long ways away.
"What did you pray for?" Gabby asked.
"He can't tell us or else it won't come true."
"It's not like a birthday wish, Laura," he said, smiling. "I prayed above all else for your safe return."
"Better hope it's not like a birthday wish then." She pressed the button on the door and stepped into the awaiting darkness without another word. Gabby looked to the others who all gave encouraging nods and thumbs up, before leaping out after her sister into the hell that surely awaited them.
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. When coming up with Laura and Gabby's backup, Gambit and Jubilee were natural choices since they already have a relationship with Laura in canon, Rogue being Gambit's wife/fiancé/girlfriend also seemed pretty natural, and Nightcrawler seemed like someone that'd have a lot of intellectual and spiritual talks with Laura, who even more than Logan would struggle when it comes to faith. Storm and/or Jean Gray would've also made sense, but they didn't really fit the narrative I wanted to tell. We may be seeing them in the future, as well as a handful of other mutants, so be on the lookout for that.
All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and all of you. God bless)