Logan and Wolverine

Whiteman Air Force Base, airfield.

The heavy transport plane landed smoothly amid the shriek of deceleration. The enormous hatch at the rear of the cabin slowly opened, flooding it with the cold evening air of the base.

General Lake was the first to descend the ramp. His gaze passed over the medical team that had come to receive them and settled directly on the massive metal container secured tightly to a trailer. The dim blue glow of energy-suppression devices flickered across its surface, while a low hum faintly sounded from within.

"All wounded personnel, including X-0, are to be sent to the Gamma Zone Medical Department immediately." General Lake's voice was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly. "Effective immediately, base security is raised to maximum level. Dr. Aris is authorized to take full control of the test subject. Maintain twenty-four-hour surveillance. No information is to be leaked..."

"Yes, General!!"

Everyone saluted in unison.

General Lake nodded. Then, without sparing it another glance, he turned and walked alone across the long, empty concrete road toward his office.

Once back in his office, General Lake did not waste a second. He went straight to the encrypted communications panel on the wall. After fingerprint, iris, and voiceprint verification, the conference screen flickered several times before displaying a broad face belonging to a man in his fifties or sixties, his temples gray.

Harrison Kane, Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Defense.

"Looks like you're ready to bring me some good news, General." Minister Harrison looked General Lake over before speaking.

"Good evening, sir." General Lake gave a respectful salute, then reported, "The mission is complete. Target X-0 has been successfully contained."

"Well done, John." Minister Harrison smiled with satisfaction from the screen. "Your operational efficiency is as impressive as ever."

"To be frank, the target's resistance exceeded my expectations." General Lake said, "Two members of my Purifiers squad were seriously injured. Even so, the target forced me to make certain concessions at one point... It's truly hard to believe he's only a twelve-year-old child."

"That is precisely why we must control him at any cost," Minister Harrison said slowly. "You should understand better than I do that the existence of test subject X-0 is an enormous threat to human civilization across the world!"

"Electronic information is the foundation of order in modern human society. If he can manipulate electronic information, he can easily overturn social order! He can hack into banking systems at will and use bank deposits as though they were his personal wallet. He can also control an entire city's power grid and surveillance network, creating large-scale chaos whenever he pleases. This is no longer a tactical threat... It is a strategic-level disaster capable of shaking a nation's financial and social order at its roots!"

"If his ability is applied to military use, he could cause our most advanced weapons to lose control in an instant and cripple our communications networks! He could even seize control of our firepower systems... Do you understand what that means? Every one of our modern military systems could be utterly helpless before him!"

"Most importantly, he is still a mentally unstable child. He possesses such immense power, yet still has severe emotional volatility and self-destructive tendencies... He is practically a 'human nuclear bomb' waiting to be detonated at any moment! Compared to him, Charles Xavier, old and half-dead as he is, hardly amounts to anything anymore."

Minister Harrison took a sip of water and continued, "Of course, compared to the threat posed by X-0, he is also the most important strategic asset of the United States!"

"He can help us achieve absolute information supremacy on a global scale. Any nation's firewalls and encryption systems would be meaningless before him! He can also instantly cripple an enemy army's combat system and send it back to the age of cold weapons..."

"Therefore, an existence like X-0 must be controlled by us, no matter what, and by us alone!"

Minister Harrison spoke slowly.

"I completely agree with you, sir," General Lake said. "However, at present, the little fellow seems rather hostile toward us."

"There's nothing we can do about that." Minister Harrison sighed. "Time is tight... If not for the need to guard against interference from other factions, we could have tried gentler methods."

"I don't think that's necessary, sir." General Lake shook his head. "According to the data, X-0's mental state is extremely unstable. When dealing with a madman, more direct methods are more effective."

"Perhaps you're right." Minister Harrison nodded and continued, "Then from now on, your task is to study X-0's genes and abilities while eliminating his hostility as much as possible. Combine chemical drugs with psychological intervention and conduct long-term 'ideological reshaping.' In the end, turn him into our most loyal hunting dog. Understood?"

"Understood." General Lake nodded.

"Very good." Minister Harrison spoke approvingly. "Do you have anything else?"

"Yes." General Lake continued, "It concerns Zander Rice's Transigen company. They have another mess to clean up."

"What is it?"

"They let a group of troublesome artificial Mutant children escape..."

General Lake analyzed slowly, "If there were only one or two of them, we truly wouldn't need to care. But there may be around ten of them, and every one of those children was trained by Transigen as a weapon and assassin. They all possess troublesome abilities and a sense of resistance."

"A group of children like that, all gathered together and all harboring deep hatred toward human society... If we leave them alone, it won't take them more than a few years to 'make something of themselves.'"

"So what do you intend to do?" Minister Harrison asked.

"I have already sent a reconnaissance team to locate them. They are somewhere in North Dakota, near the Canadian border, where they have established a temporary gathering point. Considering that they may flee across the border, I need to apply in advance for authorization to conduct cross-border operations." General Lake said calmly.

"Very good, John... You have indeed considered this thoroughly." Minister Harrison praised him. "Prepare to act. Leave these matters to me. The formal order will be issued within twenty-four hours. I hope you'll bring me more good news then."

"I will not fail the mission." General Lake nodded and saluted.

The sky gradually darkened as night fell.

Inside the pickup near South Dakota, the atmosphere was utterly quiet.

Logan drove in silence, as still as a statue. Laura leaned against the passenger seat. Though drowsiness had come over her, she could not fall asleep no matter what. In the back seat, old Charles, hooked up to a full set of life-support equipment, gradually settled into steady breathing, seemingly sleeping soundly.

"Ring, ring..."

Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing shattered the dead silence.

Laura picked up the old phone Gabriela had left behind and answered it.

"Hello, is this the owner of number 52 55 555-0182?"

"Huh?" Laura was completely confused by the voice.

"This is Rosa from the patient appointment center at Sanford Health Medical Center... This afternoon, we received a participant referral submitted under a research program in partnership with the College of Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University. It has now been approved..."

"You and another applicant may come in at any time before five tomorrow afternoon. This screening will include a brief consultation and a standard blood sample collection for analysis. All related costs have been covered by an anonymous sponsor of the research fund..."

After the strange notification, the other party hung up.

Logan and Laura looked at each other, both utterly baffled.

When had they ever applied for some research program at a college of biological sciences?

Before they could figure it out, the phone screen, which had just gone dark, suddenly lit up on its own. There was no image, only a clear, steady audio waveform pulsing across it.

Then a gentle female voice came from the phone.

"Mr. Logan, Miss Laura... hello. I am Aurora."

"Aurora?!" Laura cried out in surprise. "Weren't you with Miles? Is Miles okay?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Laura. Mr. Miles is being held under close guard by Northern Command. I am currently unable to contact him."

The light that had just returned to Laura's face dimmed again.

"Aurora, have you already left Kansas Medical School?" Logan asked.

"Yes, Mr. Logan. After Mr. Miles was taken away, I remained at the Walter West Building Laboratory. Not long ago, I finally completed the final data calculations for the Mutant Enhancement Serum and uploaded them. Now, only the final step remains—producing the finished serum."

"Producing the serum..." Logan murmured. He immediately thought of the phone call from earlier. "Did that medical examination call have something to do with you?"

"Yes," Aurora replied. "The core principle behind the Mutant Enhancement Serum theory left behind by Mr. Miles is to use the genes of a new generation of artificial Mutants as a blueprint, reverse-engineer them, selectively extract genetic information, and then improve and enhance the genes of natural Mutants."

"So now, I need blood samples from you and Miss Laura to create the first dose of Wolverine Enhancement Serum."

"I anonymously applied for and received approval for the project through the College of Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University. I also rented a laboratory. Their staff will help me with the later production process. The only thing still missing is blood samples from you and Miss Laura."

"Wolverine Enhancement Serum..." Logan murmured, then asked in a low voice, "Why me?"

"At present, only you and Mr. Charles are suitable candidates for the Mutant Enhancement Serum. However, creating the Professor X Enhancement Serum would likewise require a genetic sample from a new Mutant whose genetic source is Professor Charles Xavier... In other words, it requires a blood sample from Mr. Miles."

"But the problem is that Mr. Miles is not here now. At present, only you and Miss Laura meet the requirements for creating the Wolverine Enhancement Serum."

Logan fell silent.

Several hours later, the pickup stopped outside Sanford Health Medical Center in South Dakota.

This was the very place the notification had told them to visit for a medical examination.

Laura opened the door and jumped out impatiently. But when she turned back, she found Logan still sitting in the driver's seat, motionless and lost in thought.

"Logan, what are you thinking about?" Laura asked.

"I don't know..." Logan said quietly. "I don't know whether doing this... is the right thing."

He raised his head and looked into Laura's clear eyes, so much like his own from long ago. His voice was hoarse.

"You know, Laura, I used to... kill people. I killed a lot of people..."

"But they were all bad people." Laura answered in confusion.

"So are we..." Logan said softly.

The man understood that he had reached a crossroads of fate. One road led to the past, while the other led to decline and death.

The first terrified him. It meant endless fighting, killing, and madness. The second was something he had dreamed of for many years.

He had long since grown tired. He could no longer fight. He only wanted to find somewhere quiet and die of old age.

Yet as he thought that, the resolute look in that boy's eyes in the laboratory cold room surfaced in his mind again.

"..."

Logan's hand trembled slightly before relaxing again.

Seeing that Logan still refused to get out, Laura silently took out the worn, curled copy of Extraordinary X-Men from the back seat. She turned to the page belonging to "Wolverine," stretched out her hand, and held it firmly before Logan.

Logan looked up. The Wolverine in the comic... wore a wild smile, full of vigor, swinging his claws without restraint and tearing through enemy after enemy. No one could stop him.

"Laura," Logan opened his mouth, his voice carrying a hint of pleading. "I once swore... I would never do this again..."

"Are you afraid, Logan?" Laura stared into his eyes and asked softly.

Under the dim yellow light inside the truck, Logan opened his mouth, but for a moment, he did not know what to say.

"I..."

Before he could finish, Laura suddenly snapped the comic shut and threw it hard into his face.

Smack! The comic hit old Logan in the face. It did not hurt much, but Logan felt as though it did.

"Coward!!"

Laura shouted, biting down as tears began to stream uncontrollably down her face.

"I understand... Logan, I'll go myself!"

"I'll save Miles myself!!"

With that, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran down the road into the night without looking back.

Logan watched Laura leave, his expression blank. He sat quietly in the truck like a dead tree on the verge of crumbling away.

Just then, Charles, who had been unconscious in the back seat, made a faint sound.

"Logan... Logan?"

The old man's voice was low and indistinct, like sleep-talking.

Hearing Charles speak, Logan abruptly turned around and hurriedly leaned over. "Charles? Are you awake?"

But Charles's eyes remained shut. He did not hear Logan's call and simply remained trapped in his own dream.

"Logan... you know... these past few days, I've been very happy..."

A childlike peace appeared on the old man's face. "I saw two adorable little ones... They were like you... and like me... and like... that bastard Erik..."

Logan froze, then gave a soft laugh and forced out an ugly smile.

"I couldn't help wanting to be close to them... to be their teacher... I felt as though I had returned to those days..."

"The sunlight was beautiful, and the lawn was filled with children's laughter..."

As he spoke, a bitter smile slowly appeared at the corner of Charles's mouth through his hazy consciousness.

"But I know I don't deserve it..."

"I remember everything now... I did some things... things beyond words... What happened in Westchester, I remember it all... This wasn't the first time I hurt others. I just didn't know it before..."

"Logan... you never told me either... We... we were only running away..."

"Always running... never stopping..."

Logan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and slowly covered his face with his scarred hand, hiding his expression... even though there was no one else there to see it.

After a long silence, old Charles spoke again, his voice almost inaudible.

"Logan... where are you?"

"Miles... Laura... where did you go? Why... why can't I hear your voices anymore?"

His voice was filled with confusion and fear, like a child lost in endless darkness.

"Logan... I... I want to go home..."

"...Home..."

Charles's voice grew quieter and quieter until he finally fell back into a deep sleep.

Logan raised his head blankly and looked out at the night sky beyond the window.

There were no stars and no moon tonight, only endless darkness.

"Phew..."

After a long while, Logan let out a deep breath and slowly pushed open the truck door.

In the darkness, Laura was running wildly down the road. Her vision blurred by tears, she accidentally tripped over a stone and fell hard onto the ground.

"Ugh..."

Laura gave a muffled groan. It hurt.

She thought of everything that had happened before: Caliban's disappearance, Charles's severe injuries, Miles's final farewell...

The girl could no longer hold it in. She lay facedown on the cold asphalt, crying in a low, aggrieved voice.

But before long, a rough, large hand gently grasped her shoulder from behind and lifted her from the ground.

Realizing it was Logan, Laura tried hard to stop crying and asked hoarsely, "Logan... where are we going?"

Logan held her in his arms, turned around, and slowly walked back along the road they had come from, one step at a time, toward the medical center.

As the old man walked toward the brightly lit hospital, he spoke quietly to the little girl in his arms.

"We're going home."