Sarah slammed her hands on the table, "What the hell happened?!"
"There wasn't anything we could do except retreat with the rest of our forces. She's dead, I saw her."
She desperately tried not to let her anger consume her, "Martin, we need to go back and recover her—"
"We can't do anything to further expose our operations."
Sarah didn't say a word, storming off as heels clicked loudly in the hallway. Without a doubt, this was Martin's fault, him and his damn side business. After Weapon X caused yet another massacre, their entire operation had to be relocated to California, and consequently it became a joint venture with the United States. Since the operation continued with minimal interference, she knew Martin must've cut a rather large deal with some group of officials. He was crafty when it came to running a business, but the lack of oversight made him send X-23 out too frequently.
It was in her office that she let tears stream down her face. She waited to hear news on the recovery of X-23's body, but nothing came after several hours or even an entire day later. Flicking off the lights of her office, Sarah made her way back home.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she whispered on her front steps, "You were supposed to outlive me."
The mission shouldn't have been that deadly; she always looked at the details before X-23 went out onto the field. Even so, that squad should've laid down their lives for her daughter; her life was far more valuable than any of theirs.
It wouldn't do her good to stay outside so late. There would be a strategy meeting the next day involving the entire head staff of The Facility. She was fairly certain of their plans moving forward, but she needed confirmation of her daughter's death before proceeding with the rest of her original plan.
She blinked when she turned on her bedroom light.
"Laura," she breathed.
Standing in the darkness was her daughter. It didn't matter that her suit had a few tears and was bloody because she was alive. With tears in her eyes, she pulled her daughter into a tight hug before separating herself.
"What happened to you? Zander said you were dead."
The girl opened her mouth to speak but looked conflicted.
Sarah's eyes narrowed, "Laura, do you remember what you promised me? If you tell me everything, I can protect you and take care of things for you."
"I arrived at the extraction point with four minutes and thirty-eight seconds to spare," her downcast eyes stared at her watch, "Dr. Rice saw me, but he took the helicopter away. I entered through your window because I thought I may have been discarded."
"Dr. Rice tried to kill you?"
"Yes."
She sighed, "I'm glad I had you memorize my contact information. Since you're here, I'm guessing you've seen all the rooms?"
The girl nodded as Sarah smiled, "The one on the right would be yours, and the one further down would be your father's. Do you remember him, Laura?"
"Weapon X," Laura's brows furrowed, "I thought he escaped?"
"I'm sure he'll find his way back one day. It would be perfect if James could live with us, and we could be a family again. Anyways, you can take a warm shower while I find you something to wear."
Laura adjusted the shower knobs like her mother showed her to. She smiled as she felt the water hit her and the dirt wash away. It was warm and inviting, unlike The Facility's cold water. She rubbed her cheek against the pink towel laid out for her; it was soft. Dr. Kinney brushed her hair while she sat on the rug in pink pajamas that were exactly her size.
She wondered if this was what it was like to be a family. Her brows furrowed; she didn't know what families did within their homes. If Weapon X stopped being broken, maybe he'd join them on the couch and watch the program with them. She wondered what he'd say; she was only allowed to respond to questions the scientists gave her, but Weapon X never talked at all.
The television had switched over to a commercial break when her mother started speaking.
"Laura," she murmured as she stroked the girl's hair, "I should have enough leverage on Zander. He'll stay away from you, but you have to go back. You won't be there for much longer; it'll likely be for another year or two. I'll continue protecting you."
Laura looked at her with unspoken sadness in her eyes. Resting her cheek on her mother's lap, she fiddled with the rug fibers.
Laura thought back to when she first started fighting bears. It was difficult to kill the imposing creatures without her getting injured in some way. If she wasn't careful, she'd find herself thrown into a wall by their powerful paws. Her healing factor would activate, but there was always a new injury to replace a previous one. She managed to kill the beast, but it was never to the standard Weapon X set. Dr. Kinney would watch silently from the observation window, but it was only when she improved that Laura saw her nodding, looking pleased.
It didn't matter how many times she'd feel a bone break or her flesh sliced; she had to make her proud. Laura's efficiency was always rewarded with kindness from her. Her mother was the only one who cared for her. Even if she ventured off on her own, nowhere would be a home. As long as she had her, she would never be alone.
"You'll be alright, Laura. I'll make sure of it."
Early that next morning, Sarah made a call to Martin, requesting that she talk to him alone before the strategy meeting. Walking down the hallway with X-23 in tow, she entered his office.
"Now, what was so urgent that—?" Martin's eyes widened, "X-23 is alive? How? Sarah, what's the meaning of this?"
"Zander's been interfering."
"You're letting your emotions get the best of you. Although, I admit X-23's displacement was… regrettable."
"Martin, this wasn't an accident. X-23 told me she made it to the rendezvous point with time to spare."
His jaw clenched, "And you believe her?"
"I see no reason not to believe her when she obeys the orders of everyone in this facility," she sighed, "All I've ever wanted since the day I was hired was to help create the perfect weapon. For thirteen years we've worked on this, and he was so blinded by rage that he was willing to destroy over a decade's worth of work."
His expression hardened, "If what you say is true—"
"Look at the evidence, Zander said he watched her die. The meeting would've been about cloning X-23 if I'm not mistaken, and Zander would've had a never-ending supply to repeatedly lose in the field. Martin, this has to be the last straw."
In hindsight, his emotional involvement never allowed Zander to think clearly about the Weapon X project. She blamed Martin as well: the man had only gone along with him out of some pathetic, misplaced camaraderie.
"I'm requesting he doesn't interact with her outside of the Adamantium procedure where he's monitored and she receives complete sedation," Sarah stared at him intently, "We can't consider cloning until she receives the Adamantium and we confirm she won't become like Weapon X."
She's almost tempted to say, "If anyone else had done this, you'd have killed them by now."
"Call him in."