In a place under the big apple where few know and many have forgotten, where tunnels wind and twist, walks a man whose hair is worn like a dark mane. His wild eyes and animalistic persona make him out to be savage and that would not be far from the truth. Over the last hundred or so years he has seen war, death, famine and pestilence literally as an X-Man and figuratively as a man with a healing factor and long life. His name is Logan but the world knows him as WOLVERINE. Today though he is just a man entering into tunnels long forgotten that is home for the down trodden and forsaken. In his hand he carries two grocery bags of food and simple pharmaceutical drugs like aspirin and cold medicine. Logan walks toward a man named John who had been only one thing in his life, a soldier. He wasn’t just a soldier, he was special forces; a Green Beret assigned to the 7th SFG out of Fort Bragg. John saw a lot of action, killed many people including women and children. After he did his time in the service, he left, though could not adapt to the outside life and lost his way. This former soldier lives here under the ground away from the light of civilization as penance for his sins.
It is here he acts as mediator and leader of the other people who are the forgotten and forsaken of society. Logan knows how John feels, it was here not to long ago that this man named John helped Logan by just being a friend. Logan now comes here once a week or when he can to give John food and supplies, in return John gives the medicine and most of the food to the other fringe dwellers.
“Hello Logan how are you?” Asks John, his gruff voice low and slightly graveled.
“Can’t complain John. And you?” Logan returns the feeling of friendship with a warm hand shake.
“You mean you could complain but no one would listen right,” smiles John happy to see his friend from the outside.
“Sorry I haven’t been here in a few weeks, I’ve been with a few of my associates saving the world from ourselves and other things.”
“I figured. I heard about the Hulk taking revenge on the other so called heroes.” John turned and motions Logan to follow him back to his place, a meager shack only a few feet from them. “Let’s go inside for a spell, and you talk a little while if you’d like.”
“Why is it you always ask me to talk if I want John?” Logan smirks “You writing my memoirs or something?”
“Yeah that’s the plan, so I can get rich and leave this place.” John replies with a sarcastically playful laugh.
“Maybe another time. I’ve got a friend of mine who wants to check out those tunnels outside of the zone, but I don’t want him to get lost. You think you can help him out alittle?”
“As long as its not that bald guy, Xavier. I’m not to fond of him.”
“Neither is our fearless leader Cyke right now. Can’t say I am either.”
“You mean Cyke grew a pair.”
“Yeah a pair of solid steel ones. Guess he got tired of the ribbing I gave him.”
“That’s funny old friend.” Replies John as he picks up a magazine with a picture of CAPTAIN AMERICA on the cover. “Going to miss him. He was a good man.”
“That he was.”
“Tell you friend he can come down. I’ll show him. What’s his name anyway?”
“His name is Jack. He was a solider like you and me, even served with the 101st.”
“Well I doubt we were anything like you Logan.”
“John you were a good solider and are a good man. Don’t ever forget that.”
Above in the daylight of the concrete jungle that is New York two men stand just outside the opening of the tunnel leading into the under city. Logan left thirty minutes ago leaving Jack Michaels the man known as REFLEX and Chance Howlett in this spot. Jack has been working on a case of a dead body found in a maintenance tunnel; the rats mostly destroyed the body. He was called in because the skeleton had a faint glow to it and the DNA registered as having the mutant gene, making it an XSE matter. Jack had scanned the remains post mortem using his post-cognitive abilities and found out that who ever it was had died in a chamber, not where they were found. He needed a guide through those endless tunnels and Logan had told him of a man who could possibly help.
His name is John and he has lived down below away from society for over ten years. What Jack had gleamed from Logan was that John was making up for those he killed by living down there. In that place John was the leader of the homeless, settling disputes and acting like a mayor so to speak. Chance had decided to come along to look at the sights so to speak.
“You know Logan told me about that little incident in the danger room a couple of days back.” Jack candidly says looking into the shadows of the tunnel, “You think it was wise to tell him you are his son from a parallel reality?”
“Did he tell you that he also kissed Mo…Ororo as well?”
“Actually Ororo told me that, before she left to meet her husband T’Challa at the air field.”
“I didn’t think the old man had it in him.”
“Ororo thought it was just to shut her up. I have a feeling that was all it may have been. That and to get her goat alittle. Seriously though I think it was the wrong move to tell Logan you are his kid.”
“Technically I’m not his kid. I’m from another reality.”
“Which leads to my next question kiddo.” Jack pauses for a moment, “ Why are you here?”
“To stop someone.”
“Who?”
“Remy LeBeau and his team of Marauders.”
“Again why?”
“I can’t say right now Jack. I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“Does it have to do with your mom or pop?”
“Yes and no. That’s all I can say Jack. Please drop it.”
“You know Cyke is placing a wet works team together under Logan’s command. Calling them X-Force.”
“Really. Whose going to be on it?”
“Logan is going to have Warpath, Hepzibah, Wolvesbane, X23, and Myself. He asked me about it this morning during our sparing match.”
“Dad talks to you a lot doesn’t he?”
“Not as much as you think kiddo.”
“Well I’m getting tired standing around here, I’m going to look around awhile. Catch the sights if you get my drift.”
“Stay safe kid.”
Ororo stands near the lake in the shadow of the big house, watching the wind dance with the falling leaves when she feels the touch of her husband’s hand on her shoulder.
“Are you all right Ororo?”
“Just did not realize how much I missed this place my love.” Her heart is saddened at what she has missed by her absence. She knows why she left the mansion and the X-Men all those months ago and why she accepted T’Challa’s marriage proposal. She does love him, but she normally would never have rushed into anything such as this. She needed stability and Panther gives her that. He is a safe bet, which is what Gambit would have said. She can grow old with him. That is where she stops her train of thought. She knows Logan ages so much slower that normal and he would still have probably looked as he does now while she would be old and shriveled. No matter what the heart may wish the mind will always want to be safe.
T’Challa knows what the X-Men have meant to his beloved wife and after their short stint with the Fantastic Four, planet hopping, and running into the Psycho-Man he realized she needed to come home for a visit. He understood the under tones of her ties and those she deemed important with what they said. Logan for one, he has always been close with Ororo, even going as far as to throw a bachelor party for T’Challa when both Wolverine and the Black Panther don’t really get along. Was there something between his STORM and the X-Men’s Wolverine? He may never truly know but that does not concern him right now, Charles Xavier does. With his dealings with Charles Xavier in the Illuminati T’Challa learned what the X-Men meant to the aged telepath. They were in the beginning a way to an end, to show the world mutants could exist along side normal humans. Through the years though they became more than just that means, they became his family. Charles saw the potential for soldiers in many, killers in a few. He trained each member and tried to help a few with their control issues when it benefited him. Xavier sees himself as a savior and that can blind a man to the truth of the matter. Cyclops sees that now and has effectively stood his ground, becoming the leader he should have been years ago but never did out of fear. Charles Xavier allowed the romance between Jean Grey and Scott Summers to control Scott, making him more passive aggressive. He also knew of Sinister’s genetic experiment and was curious as well. Everything in Xavier’s life had a plan much like the would be saviors like Magneto, Doom, Tony Stark, and even Reed Richards.
“If I remember right this is a new mansion. The old one was destroyed and this one was built closer to the lake.” T’Challa answers, He had a subtle way about how he asked or implied things.
“You know what I meant love. I missed my family, though Rogue, before she was hurt did not seem to enjoy that sentiment.”
“Harmoney is not always present in all families Ororo.”
“So says the King of Wakanda to his Queen. Have you ever wondered about children My Love?”
“I have. Who else would carry on the Panther mantle and my name?”
“Yet you never discussed it with me. Why?”
“I wanted to know your feelings on that particular subject before I suggested it. That and with all of our recent activities it did not seem appropriate. We have only been married for six months and wanted to give us time.”
“An answer for every thing my love.”
“Why do you ask about children, do you want them sooner than later?”
“No not right now. I just wanted to know your thoughts on the subject. Though it does not mean we should not try more often.”
T’Challa smirks slightly and is about to say something when they are both interrupted by the self styled White Queen.
“Did I interrupt anything?”
“No Ms. Frost we were just talking.” T’Challa answers, watching his wife’s body language for the slight changes of stress.
“Scott and I were about to have breakfast, would you care to join us. Logan, Jack and Chance left early this morning, Henry and Robert are in the danger room. And I do so miss having a woman around that I enjoy speaking with.”
“We will be in shortly Emma.” Ororo replies, one could not see the cold demeanor through Ororo’s trained facade if one did not know what to look for.
“I’ll tell Scott to set two more places then.” Emma turns then looks over her shoulder slightly “Subtle Storm, like a hurricane. A man should know the cravings of his lover or wife. I have missed you.”
T’Challa looks down trying to hid his smile at Emma Frost’s last comment as his wife’s eyes flash with lightning.
“Its good to be home.” Ororo replies.
The tunnels under New York are in a sense another city. With all of the electrical, maintenance, sewers ad old water tunnels that stretch for hundreds of miles one could become lost never find their way out. That is why Jack needed a guide. At times like this Jack missed New Orleans and its back water ways. He hated coming down into these tunnels, void of feeling though rich in history. John, his guide on this trek, lived here with the forgotten and the forsaken. John lead Jack to where the body was found and from there Jack described the area where the actual death occurred. From his description, John had an idea of the general area. It only took them thirty minutes to find the old chamber and another few minutes to discover a hidden chamber filled with laboratory equipment.
“Oh look we found a mad scientist’s lair.” Says Jack toward John, “Lets see who it belonged too.”
Jack touches the equipment and allows his post-cognitive abilities to do the rest. For moments in time he sees shadows and figures, not able to make them out until he gets two reflections. One is a pale, ghostly face with a sinister grin and red eyes. “SINISTER”
The scene transforms into a confrontation and the other person killing Sinister. Jack tries to focus more on this ghost and as he finally sees the figures face he cuts the image…
“Oh God it can’t be.”
“Who?” asks his guide as they both hear a voice from behind them.
“Yes it can.”
“You!”
Then the world becomes a searing light of energy and flame. Jack’s eyes feel as though they are burned from with in. It is quick and painless, over in seconds. The laboratory is incinerated as is Jack Michaels and John the Homeless guide.
“I no longer feel Refle-X’s mind.” Her mind touches Cerebra once more as it touches the astral realm. She whispers through the Ether, calling to the mind she no longer sees. There is only three reasons how a mind becomes lost to her in this place. The first is that someone or something is shielding said mind. The second is that the mind left this dimension entirely, or the third reason is that the person is now dead. Cerebra did not detect a power flux or influx of energy.
“Can it be interference?” Scott asks already knowing the answer.
“He’s dead Scott.”
Cyclops walks out of the secured vault that is Cerebra into the cold sterile steel halls that make up the lower sublevels of the Xavier institute. Right now outside the O.N.E. monitor the grounds, keeping an eye on the last few mutants on Earth. The world is becoming the dark place of fear that the X-Men have fought to try and over come. The dream is over that the Professor had envisioned now is the time to take fight back. Years ago the children of the atom fought against the mutant registration act, yet that was nothing compared to Tony Stark’s Superhuman registration act. The Civil War made many choose sides from his own family. He has lost to much and Reflex, Jack Michaels, was the last. He enters the elevator only to run into Storm and her husband T’Challa; the Black Panther. Storm joined the X-Men to help Xavier’s original Team with Piotr, Kurt, John Proudstar, Sean, Sunfire, and Logan. She was the one who could control Logan’s feral instincts, his driven animalistic fury. Logan chased Jean and that brought Scott into the line of fire, yet it was Ororo that calmed the Wolverine.
Without her Wolverine has become more feral, he has reverted back into the killing machine that he was before the X-Men. Ororo is like the feral Wolverine; both forces of nature, uncontrolled, unleashed, raw power. So why did she run away and become the wife of a man who she had not seen in ten years?
“Storm, T’Challa.”
“Scott. Is everything alright?” Storm asks her friend as she notices the body language of the man called Cyclops.
“Jack is dead.”
“Are you sure?”
“I was going to send some of X-Force to make sure.”
“T’Challa and I will go Scott.”
“I need Wolverine to go as well Storm. No offense T’Challa but Logan is the leader of X_Force and Reflex was one of his.” Cyclops remarks.
“None taken Scott. He has abilities that can be essential.” Offers T’Challa as he holds Ororo’s hand.
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