CHAPTER 434 GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
“Fucking do it,” I said, staring Emma in the eyes. Struggling not to look at her cleavage. We were in their sister location a few miles away. The sewer mostly brought us to it. The majority of people were split up between safe houses, but I wanted everyone ready to go as soon as possible.
“I’m telling you, he left,” Emma said.
“You are telling me, that Magneto, who built an entire fucking island, also had the secret to interplanetary travel, and no one, I don’t know, thought to chase after him? No one else had this secret? Why the hell haven’t we all left this planet if space travel is so easy?”
“Budget cuts?” Kitty offered.
“He’s fucking lying,” I said to everyone in the room. All around us were the main fighters left over after the fight with the Sentinels. “The greatest trick the devil ever played was proving to the world he didn’t exist.”
“Magneto really left though,” someone said. “We all saw it on the news.”
“The self-proclaimed messiah of mutants left the planet?” I asked. “Then show me where he went.”
“Weston, they did get teleported away by aliens and came back on a spaceship,” Kitty said.
“I don’t fucking care if they bought a junker from some space Jawas. He didn’t fucking leave. Use this dollar store Cerebro and look for him, Emma. Look for all of them. I’m going to personally drag every single one of them back here.”
“Why?” Emma asked. Fear in her voice, but a lot of excitement.
“Cus we are going to kill every last one of these fuckers,” I said. “I don’t care what it takes. I’m getting Anne back. Each of the mutants they took and enslaved, we are getting them all and escaping this hell hole. That’s why I need Magneto. Wherever he holed up, he will take you all. He is the key.”
“And if he isn’t here?” Kitty asked.
“Then I’ll plan from there,” I said.
“Uh, who put this guy in charge?” Someone asked. He was one of the fighters close to Hancock. The dark haired beauty eyed me from the edge of the room, silent as I took charge.
“I fucking did. You want the job, talk to my manager,” I pointed at Tabi who meowed. “Now, Emma, get it done. Find them all.”
“Fine, but I want something out of this,” she said.
“Whatever you want,” I promised and she smiled wide. Winking at me she put on the Cerebro helmet and it thrummed with power. Energy pouring out of it she sat quietly.
“Oh,” she said in surprise after a minute.
“Is he there?” I asked. She didn’t answer, but her pause told me all I needed to know.
—
I walked up to the snow covered hut. Having gone my maximum speed I made the trip in three hours. Far faster than I had ever traveled before, I was determined to finish this as soon as possible. I wasn’t surprised that they lived here. It was the sort of place I would expect for the brother and sister.
“Who goes there?” A booming voice asked from the hut.
“An old friend,” I said, stopping in the six inch deep snow. It took them time but they slowly walked out of the hut, peering out at me. I dropped my hood to reveal my face.
“Weston?” The blonde asked in surprise. She looked the same as the last time I had seen her. Long blonde hair, smooth skin, but there were more scars on her than before.
“Hey, Illyana, Piotr,” I said with a wave.
“I thought you died,” Illyana said laughing as she ran up to me. I hugged her and returned with the same enthusiasm.
“Not yet,” I said, frowning as she pulled away. I studied Piotr. He was bigger than the last time I saw him. Muscles layered on muscles he had a huge beard that suited him.
“No,” he said, reading my mind.
“It’s bad out there. We are planning an attack,” I said. “One to end all attacks.”
“We did that once,” Piotr said. “It did not end well for our side.”
“Well this time you have me,” I said. “I don’t care what it takes. We need to get our people out of the camps.”
“We are not even your people,” Piotr spat. “You are yours hurt-”
“Piotr!” Illyana spat. “Weston is different, you know that. I know the last fight was bad, but sitting here, waiting to be caught or die? This is no life.” She eyed me, giving me a smile. “If my brother is too chicken, then I will help you.” Piotr opened his mouth, but then closed it. With his sister in danger, I doubted he would stay behind. “What do you need?”
“You still have access to Limbo?” I asked. “I think we could use some demons if the drama died on their end.”
“Ah yes,” Illyana said. “They had asked about you the last time I went. I believe they would be willing to help.”
“Good, I need everyone I can get,” I said. “Let’s go inside, I’ll walk you through the plan.”
—
It took another three hours to get to London. The place was as rainy as I remembered, but at least there was no snow. Finding the specific house took time. Far bigger than I expected it was like a mansion. Just outside the massive city I wondered what kind of old money they had. Surprised that an ancient ninja organization resided there, I dropped in and was immediately attacked by three men.
“Cut the shit,” I said, but they were relentless with the attacks as I knocked them out one by one. I got inside the home and ninja stars were thrown at me. I used Nen and they bounced off but then to my surprise a nen coated kunai was thrown. Catching this one I identified the person that threw it and tossed it back. It stabbed through them and I made my way to the line of them.
It took time but a line of knocked out ninja followed in my path as I got to the boss room. The higher ups were waiting for me as I got there.
“Honey, I’m home!” I yelled as I opened the doors. Revealing myself to the three leaders, Elektra, Psylocke, and Matilda Murdock stared at me with open mouths as they slowly dropped their guards.
“We thought you were dead!” Maddy said. Running past the other two she smiled wide as she jumped up and I caught her. As hot as ever the buxom redhead laughed as I held her easily.
“You thought I could die?” I asked, surprised as I stared into non-milky pupils. “New eyes?”
“They’re robotic,” she said. “I can turn them off when I really want to.”
“Nice,” I said, smiling up at her. “What do you think? Am I as handsome as you imagined?”
“No,” she said. “I thought a few years would add age to you. You feel as young as the last time I saw you.”
“Ah,” I said. “About that...I need your help.” I decided telling her the truth wasn’t in my best interest since I had a schedule to keep.
“What do you need?” Elektra asked boredly. Maddy and I turned to face her. Psylocke standing next to her, both felt far stronger than the last time I saw them.
“Hmm?” She asked.
“I said you’re still a fucking nerd,” I said.
“Oh and you are-” She stopped as she stared at me. Slowly her eyes widened. “Weston?!” Gwen Stacy jumped up and actually ran to me. Older, her blonde hair was longer. Wearing a white lab coat she resembled the Spiderverse Gwen more than the Amazing Spiderman one. Skinny as a bone she was light in my arms as I caught her.
“Jeez, miss me that much?” I asked.
“Hell no,” she said, pulling back, but there were legitimate tears in your eyes. “I just heard you were probably dead. It’s been six years. Where were you? And you haven’t aged a day? How did you-”
“One question at a time,” I said. “I’m actually from the past. I’ll be slingshotting back to the present six years ago in a day or so. Either way I need your help.”
“I...don’t know what to say to that,” she said, frowning at me. “Are you serious?” She asked.
“I am,” I said. “My mutant friends are being persecuted in America, I need as many of our Gantz suits as you can part with.”
“Shit,” she said with a frown. “Right now? I have like three orders I need to fill.”
“Right now now. You’re not selling them to America right?”
“With what they’re doing to mutants, hell no, but they probably buy them through intermediaries. The rich and famous anyway.” She sighed and turned around. Pulling up a tablet she said, “I can part with 20,000.”
“Holy shit,” I said. “I only need like 1,000.”
“Oh,” she said. “Yeah, that’s no problem. You had me worried.”
“Good. Also a company by the name of Natchios has been trying to get a contract through to you guys. I need you to approve them,” I said.
“That shady company? I try not to sell to that type,” she said with a frown.
“I understand. Limit them to like 100 or so,” I said. “How’s the company doing?”
“Awesome,” she said. “We went public last year and I have to say we are pretty well off. I bought some other armor companies and...” She stopped turning to stare at me. “Wait, are you attacking the Sentinels?”
“Uh yeah, isn’t that obvious?” I asked.
“Shit, Peter,” she said. “He joined up with them a few years ago. He’s in some weird offshoot of the Avengers or whatever.”
“Peter joined them?” I asked, sickened. “Why?”
“This weird black parasite attached to him. It made him really erratic and bloodthirsty. Things were turning bad in America so I fired him and moved shop here,” she said.
“Oh shit, Venom?” I asked.
“How’d you know?” She asked.
“Lucky guess. Listen, I’ll try to help Peter. Get me those suits. I have one more stop to take. I attack in the morning.”
“I can maybe get it overnight-”
“Don’t bother, I have a subspace, I can take them with me,” I said.
“A...what?” She asked.
“A...subspace,” I said. I opened a Rift, into my pocket dimension.
“Oh my god, Weston, let me study this real quick,” she said. “Just let me get some...”
—
I walked up to yet another cabin in the woods. Unlike the others, this one was more rustic. Made from actual logs, mud caked onto the sidewalls, branches for a roof, it was about as barebones as you could get.
“Turn your ass around,” the deep voice boomed from the cabin.
“I need you,” I said. “In a sexual way. I’ve fought it for too long, Logan. Please. You’re mutton chops, your small but stocky stature. I couldn’t get it out of my mind after all these years.”
There was a long pause. Eventually he barked, “I fucking hate you.”
“Come on, Logan. You gave me cancer, remember? You owe me,” I said.
I heard him stand up in a huff and stomp toward the door. “I didn’t fucking give you cancer,” he said. He looked exactly the same. Which wasn’t a disappointment, but I had hoped for a big beard too. Instead he had his regular mutton chops, red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and cigar in his mouth. “You did that! Jumping into a fucking burning weird glowing building.”
“Oh right,” I said, smiling at him. “Who remembers that sort of stuff? Come on, Logan, I need your help.”
“I’m not going, kid,” he said.
“Come on. I’m getting the band back together,” I said. “I got most everyone...what’s left anyway. Which is surprisingly a lot for how much everyone was saying they were all dead.”
“Kid, I can’t go out there,” Wolverine said. “I tried to help, but I fucked it all up. I deserve this.”
“You deserve to live a sweet life in the middle of nowhere living like a mountain man? All while people are struggling to survive out there. Not just any people either, but your people?!” I asked. I was so sick of the back and forth with these people, and at least I didn’t have to put on the kid’s gloves for him. “Logan, I don’t know what you did, but they have Anne. They have a lot more than that too. They’re fucking planting bombs in people. Killing puppies. Clubbing seals. Come on! I thought you of all would be up for-”
“I was a fucking Nazi!” He growled. I held back my next words. Caught off guard more than a little by the statement.
“Well heil fucking my balls,” I said. “I don’t-No, that’s a lie. You were a Nazi? Like killing Jews kind?”
He let out a tired sigh. Crossing his arms he munched on his cigar. “The worst kind.”
“There’s worse than killing Jews?” I asked.
“Not that...well maybe,” he growled. “We went through some shit while you were apparently on vacation. I got my memories back, and turns out I blocked it out for a reason. I was a fucking Nazi. Fighting for the enemy back in WWII.”
“Shit,” I said. “I’m sorry, I can’t really see you... in the uniform.” I squinted my eyes at him. “Did they make a custom flannel SS uniform for you?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then scoffed. "Goddamn, I hate you,” he said. “Ha!” He laughed as I did the same. Both of us picturing a flannel Nazi uniform. “Fuck! Why is that funny?”
“I don’t know,” I said, barely holding back my laughter. “Can you imagine? Like a red one, full on Nazi SS shit, shaking Hitler’s hand?” The both of us only laughed harder. The woods around us filled with laughter, it was a long time until we recovered. When we did, Wolverine wiped some tears from his eyes.
“Fuck, I haven’t laughed like that in a long time,” Wolverine said.
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” I said. “Logan, I don’t know your sins, or past, but we have an opportunity to save a lot of people. And to get them all to a safe place. Not Deliverance safe like this place, but about as safe as it comes.”
“Kid, I really want to. I do, I just...I killed a lot of people,” he said. “A lot. Watched a lot of shit in my time. I shouldn’t even be alive let alone-”
“Stop, I don’t give a shit,” I said. “I want a killer right now. I’m not Xavier. These people hurt those I care about. Their fucking heads will roll. If you lost your claws I understand. But I don’t have time for your sob story. We attack in three hours, and it takes me an hour to get back carrying your heavy ass. So you’re going to fucking give me the Wolverine. A rage filled five foot nothing of pure murderous fury. All that shit you went through doesn’t fucking matter. So if I have to kick your ass to remind you why you never won our fights, then I will.” I took off my hoodie.
“Never won our-You lost every time,” he said.
“That’s not how I remember it,” I said. “Each time we fought I was winning. Becoming stronger than you. I already won on height. If I need to remind you why I won in strength, so be it.” I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but men fought to get over shit. He stared at me, getting angry. I pulled my Soulsword out and he released his claws. We stared at one another for a moment and ran at the other at the same time.