Logan and Wolverine

Whiteman Air Force Base, airfield.

The heavy transport plane landed smoothly amid the shriek of deceleration. The enormous rear hatch slowly opened, flooding the cabin with the base's chilly dusk air.

General Lake was the first to descend the ramp. His gaze passed over the medical team there to receive them and landed directly on the massive metal crate secured tightly to a trailer. A faint blue glow from energy suppression devices flickered across its surface, while a low hum could vaguely be heard 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. Doctor Aris is authorized to take full control of the test subject. Twenty-four-hour monitoring. No information is to be leaked..."

"Yes, General!!"

Everyone saluted in unison.

General Lake nodded, then did not spare it another glance. He turned and crossed the long, empty concrete road alone, returning to his office.

Once back in his office, General Lake wasted no time and went straight to the encrypted communications panel by the wall. After fingerprint, iris, and voiceprint verification, the conference screen flickered several times before revealing a broad face in his fifties or sixties, gray at the temples.

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

"It seems you're ready to bring me some good news, General." Minister Harrison looked General Lake over and spoke.

"Good evening, sir." General Lake saluted respectfully, then reported, "The mission is complete. Target X-0 has been successfully contained."

"Very well done, John." Minister Harrison smiled with satisfaction from the other side of the screen. "Your operational efficiency truly is as reliable as ever."

"Frankly, the target's resistance exceeded my expectations somewhat," General Lake said. "Two members of my Purifiers squad were seriously wounded. 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 all costs," 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 entire world!"

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

"Once his ability is used militarily, he can make our most advanced weapons lose control in an instant and paralyze our communications networks! He could even seize control of our own weapons systems... Do you know what that means? Our entire modern military structure could be helpless before him!"

"Most importantly, he is still a mentally unstable child. He possesses such immense power, yet remains severely emotional and self-destructive... He is practically a human nuclear bomb that could be detonated at any moment! Compared to him, Charles Xavier, old and nearly dead, is truly nothing anymore."

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

"He can help us achieve absolute information supremacy across the globe. Any country's firewall or encryption system would be meaningless before him! He can also help us instantly paralyze an enemy nation's military operations and send them back to the age of cold weapons..."

"So an existence like X-0 must be controlled by us, no matter what—and only by us!"

Minister Harrison spoke slowly.

"I completely agree with you, sir," General Lake said. "However, for the moment, the little fellow seems quite hostile toward us."

"It can't be helped." Minister Harrison sighed. "Time is of the essence... If we weren't worried about people from other factions interfering, we could have tried more gentle methods."

"I don't think that's necessary, sir." General Lake shook his head. "According to the records, 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 your next task is to study X-0's genes and abilities while eliminating his hostility as much as possible. Use chemical drugs and psychological intervention to conduct long-term 'thought remodeling.' 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 still have a 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 the problem is that there may be around ten of them, and all of them were trained by Transigen as weapons and killers. They possess troublesome abilities and a will to resist."

"A group of children like that gathering together, all harboring immense hatred toward human society... If we leave them alone, in just a few years, they may well make something of themselves."

"So what are you going to do?" Minister Harrison asked.

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

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

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

The sky gradually darkened, and night fell.

Inside the pickup truck near South Dakota, the atmosphere was utterly silent.

Logan drove without a word, calm all over like a statue. Laura leaned against the passenger seat. Though sleepiness washed over her, she could not fall asleep no matter what. In the back seat, old Charles, wearing a full set of life-support equipment, gradually settled into steady breathing and seemed to be sleeping soundly.

"Ring, ring..."

Suddenly, a phone began to ring, shattering 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 Sanford Health Medical Center Patient Appointment Center... This afternoon, we received a participant referral submitted through a research program in cooperation with the South Dakota State University School of Biological Sciences. It has now been approved..."

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

After that strange notification, the caller hung up.

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

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

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

Then a gentle female voice came through.

"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 strict guard by Northern Command. I am currently unable to contact him."

The brightness 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—turning it into a finished product."

"Making the serum..." Logan muttered. He immediately connected it to the phone call from before. "Was that medical examination call connected to you?"

"Yes," Aurora answered. "The Mutant Enhancement Serum theory left behind by Mr. Miles is based primarily on using the genes of the new generation of artificial mutants as a blueprint for reverse engineering, selectively extracting genetic information, and then refining and enhancing the genes of natural mutants."

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

"I anonymously applied for and received approval for the project through the South Dakota State University School of Biological Sciences, and rented a laboratory. Their staff will help me complete the subsequent production. Now, the only things missing are blood samples from you and Miss Laura."

"Wolverine Enhancement Serum..." Logan muttered, then asked quietly, "Why me?"

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

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

So Logan fell silent.

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

This was precisely the place they had been told to visit for the 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?" Laura asked.

"I don't know..." Logan said softly. "I don't know whether doing this... is right."

He raised his head and looked into Laura's clear eyes, eyes that resembled 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 replied in confusion.

"We were the same..." Logan said quietly.

The man understood that he had arrived at a crossroads of fate. One path led to the past, and the other led to decline.

The first terrified him, for it represented endless fighting, killing, and madness. The latter was something he had long dreamed of for many years.

He was already tired. He could no longer fight. He only wanted to find somewhere quiet and grow old until he died.

Yet as he thought that, the determined gaze of that boy in the laboratory cold storage room appeared in his mind again.

"..."

Logan's hand trembled slightly, then relaxed once more.

On the other side, seeing that Logan was still unwilling to get out of the truck, Laura silently took the slightly dog-eared copy of Extraordinary X-Men from the back seat. She flipped to the page belonging to "Wolverine," stretched out her arm, and held it forcefully before Logan.

Logan looked up. The Wolverine in the comic... wore a wild, arrogant smile, full of youthful spirit, freely swinging his claws and tearing apart enemy after enemy. No one could stop him.

"Laura," Logan opened his mouth, a note of pleading in his voice. "I once swore... I'd never do this again..."

"Are you afraid, Logan?" Laura looked 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 slammed the comic shut and hurled it at his face.

Smack! The comic struck old Logan's face. It was not hard at all, but Logan felt as if it hurt terribly.

"Coward!!"

Laura shouted, gritting her teeth as tears streamed down uncontrollably.

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

"I'll save Miles myself!!"

With that, she put on her backpack and ran toward the road in the darkness without looking back.

Watching Laura leave, Logan's expression was blank. He sat quietly in the truck like a dead tree on the verge of weathering 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 turned around sharply and hurried over. "Charles? Are you awake?"

But Charles's eyes remained shut. He did not hear Logan calling him and merely remained immersed in his dream.

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

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

Logan froze, then chuckled softly and forced an ugly smile.

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

"The sunshine was beautiful, and the lawn was full of children's laughter..."

As he spoke, Charles's lips slowly formed another bitter smile through his hazy consciousness.

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

"I remember everything now... I did things... unspeakable things... The things in Westchester, I remember them all... This wasn't the first time I hurt others. I just never knew before..."

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

"Always running... endlessly running..."

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

After a long silence, old Charles spoke again in a nearly inaudible voice.

"Logan... where are you?"

"Miles... Laura... where did you go? 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 softer and softer. At last, he sank back into deep sleep.

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

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

"Hah..."

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

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

"Ugh..."

Laura grunted, feeling the pain.

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

The girl could no longer hold it in. She lay there on the cold asphalt road, 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?"

Holding her, Logan turned and slowly walked back along the road they had come from, step by step 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."