Sabretooth – chained to the wall of John Wraith’s basement in South Central L.A. That’s enough to give a normal dude a bad ‘tude, thinks Wolverine.
Standing mere inches away, Sabretooth snarling and growling at him, Wolverine asks Wraith if he has any bricks and recommends that they wall this joker up with a Cask o’ Amontillado. Sabretooth answers that he’s gonna bite his head clean off and calls Wolverine a sawed-off little r… Wolverine tells him that he needs to bite a tic-tac. Sabretooth goes to lunge but doesn’t go far as he is chained to the wall, hands bound. To this, Wolverine quips to him that Wraith is keeping him on a short chain.
Nearby, Wraith holds a remote up and informs Sabretooth that he best chill out or one lil’ beep can set off that shaped charge and excavate sixteen pounds of meat from the center of his mass.
At that moment, Sabretooth breaks the shackles around his hands and tells Wraith that he ain’t got the guts. Any explosive pack strong enough to put him down for the count’s gonna take out the whole stinkin’ basement. He tells him to take a walk; him and Wolverine got some serious rippin’ and clawin’ to catch up on. He then challenges Logan to go to throw-down city. Wraith points the remote at Sabretooth again and tells him that he’s got limited resources for this operation and that he just crossed the line from “loose cannon” to “liability.” He adds that he’s turning him off; it’s time to drop dead and commence rotting.
Before he can push the button, Jubilee unleashes her fireworks power that blinds Wraith. She tells him that he’s not setting off explosives that close to her Wolvie. Blinded, Wraith tells her that she messed up. That charge wouldn’t have hurt anyone other than Sabretooth. Jubilee asks how was she supposed to know that?
As Wolverine and Sabretooth begin to tussle, Wolverine thinks to himself that at least Jubilee meant well, even if a few powder burns and a little ringin’ in his ears might be goin’ down better than this slash and bash brouhaha he’s up to his eyebrows in.
During their battle, a voice asks if they are still at it. They both stop in their tracks and turn around in shock. To their complete surprise, at the top of the stairs stands a woman, clad in a modified Hydra uniform and wielding an immense rifle. She tells them that they had better set their little mutant brains on overdrive and start thinking about their mutual problem. Mastodon behind her is one of them, one of the original Weapon X project team. The age-suppression factor dried up and so did he. They’ve got to call a truce, work together as a team again and recover all the memories that were stolen from them and find out what went wrong or they’re going to end up just like Mastodon.
Wraith tells her, Silver Fox, that he was hoping she got his message. Wolverine says Silver Fox’s name; it can’t be... When Sabretooth adds that he thought he killed her a long time ago, Fox replies that he certainly tried and calls him a low-down puddle of human garbage. She then promptly blasts him with her gun, knocking him backwards.
As Wolverine starts up the stairs, Fox mentions that she’s been waiting a long time to do that. Wolverine asks her if it could really be true, after all these years, she’s still alive? Fox tells him that she’s alive and kicking. Pointing her gun at his face, she informs him to stay right where he is or she’ll have to give him a dose of what Sabretooth got. At that moment, Jubilee unleashes her fireworks power, temporarily blinding Silver Fox. When she does, she asks Wolverine if she did good this time. Silver Fox promptly slaps her and calls her a foolish child and asks her if she thought that he was going to appreciate that pathetic gesture. She then says to her, don’t you know what she is to him?
Lost in emotions, Wolverine looks down at his hands and laments that it was his birthday, they were goin’ to celebrate it together, it was gonna be so sweet. Wolverine remembers back to when he was carrying a dead Silver Fox up to his cabin. He was only gone for a little while. How? Why? Who? He also remembers accusing Sabretooth of killing her. Sabretooth replies that she was an uppity squaw that said no. He tells Wolverine that he saved him a slice o’ birthday cake and it’s mighty sweet and tasty, just like…
Back in the here and now, Silver Fox tells Logan not to wander too far off into memory lane. There are still too many questions. She points her gun at John Wraith’s head and tells him not to go wandering off either. She informs him that he shouldn’t try his disappearing act either, for she’s got an energy field disruptor covering the whole house. Wraith answers that he figured as much.
As Silver Fox starts up the stairs she tells them all to follow her. There’s somebody upstairs that she wants them all to meet. She adds for them to drag that lummox along now that he’s regained consciousness. As Sabretooth comes to, he asks if they are havin’ a party and who brought the cake. Wolverine replies that he did: it’s a pound cake. With that, he punches Sabretooth out. Wolverine then grabs Silver Fox’s arm and tells her to wait up. He wants an explanation, right now! Silver Fox asks that he wants an explanation? As she hands him a set of keys with an Indian medicine pouch as the key-chain she asks him if he remembers it… she bets he does!
Wolverine remembers back to when he and Silver Fox were kids and they were standing in a field. Logan said to Silver Fox that he does but asks if she is sure she wants to give him her medicine pouch. He knows how special they are to her people. Silver Fox replies that she had a dream, the Wolverine spirit was whispering in her ear. She asks if he wants to know what he said…
Before Silver Fox can finish, Logan tells her that it’s him and tells her to run. Just then, Sabretooth walks up and says to Logan that he don’t hear him choppin’ no firewood. He asks him that he knows all about idle hands, don’t he. He sure hope he don’t have to tire himself out beatin’ the laziness outta him. He then asks Logan what he’s been doin’ back here all this time. Logan tells him nothin’ pa. As Silver Fox runs through the forest, Sabretooth shouts at Logan “in a pig’s eye!” He sure hope he wasn’t lollygaggin’ around with that squaw brat from off the reservation. He asks what he’s hidin’ behind his back.
In reality, Wolverine kicks Sabretooth in the gut and tells him to get up. They don’t want to keep Silver Fox waitin’, do they?
Outside the house, Silver Fox begins to exit a Hydra ship. She tells the gathered crowd of Wolverine, Sabretooth, Wraith and Jubilee that she used the extensive resources of Hydra to track this one down. She had gone to ground in Minneapolis of all places. Wraith points out that is some RV. Wolverine answers that it is a Hydra VTOL in silent hovering mode. Silver Fox emerges from the ship with two Hydra agents and a lady. She tells them that now the Professor and Cornelius are dead; Hines there is the only one left from the Weapon X program with an un-tampered memory. Hines begs that there are some things about themselves that they are better off not knowing. Fox replies that they shall be the judge of that. Hines tells her that she doesn’t understand. She signed security documents, she can be prosecuted if she divulges… Fox says that she will divulge all right, they have ways and puts her gun at the ready. Wolverine says that won’t happen while he’s around. Wraith adds those are his sentiments exactly.
As Wolverine and Wraith punch out the Hydra agents, Wolverine says that, as much as he’d like to know the whole story, he’s not about to go in for the kidnap an’ torture o’ innocent civilians. Wraith tells him to read ‘em the riot act. Sabretooth laughs and tells Wraith that he sure had no compunctions ‘bout hauling him away and chainin’ him up in his cellar. Wraith tells him that he’s not a civilian and he hasn’t been innocent of anything in his whole life.
Just then, they are interrupted by Jubilee screaming. She calls out that it’s Mastodon. As she holds him up, she tells them that he’s going all mushy. Just then, Mastodon disintegrates into a pool of nothing leaving only a skull behind. Jubilee is in absolute shock. After witnessing Mastodon disintegrate before her eyes, Hines tells them that she changed her mind. She’ll help them but it won’t be easy. It was all because of the problems with molecular instability. Cornelius thought it was linked to memory implantation process, but the Professor had another theory.
As Hines continues, Wolverine grabs Silver Fox to the side and tells her that they need to talk. Silver Fox tells him to take his filthy claws off of her, but Wolverine tells her that he has a right to know. Silver Fox replies that she doesn’t have a right to anything after what he did to her. Besides, she’s a bit more interested in what Hines has to say, since it impacts on her continued existence. Hines adds that the Professor made some deals with some ultra-covert agencies back during the peak of cold war hysteria. These agencies had been cozy with certain crime families since World War II and had renewed the relationship in Cuba…
Before she can continue, Jubilee screams in horror. Hines attempts to comfort her and takes her over to the Higgenbotham’s next door and see about getting her cleaned off.
Later, in the Higgenbotham’s bathroom, Mrs. Higgenbotham is looking after Jubilee. She asks her if she is feeling a bit better now that they showered all that awful muck off of her. When she offers to help Jubilee dry her hair, Jubilee snaps at her and tells her that she can do it herself. Mrs. Higgenbotham tells her that there’s a few things she can’t do for herself, especially after she’s been through a severe trauma. With that, she gives Jubilee a hug. Jubilee replies that she hasn’t been hugged like that in a long time. Mrs. Higgenbotham asks her if it’s been that long since she’s been home to see her mom. Jubilee answers that she could say that.
At that moment, Wolverine walks in and tells Jubilee that all of the others are up in Ornette’s room, breaking into the NSA computer banks. He asks her if she feels up to aidin’ an’ abettin’. Jubilee agrees and starts to follow Wolverine up the stairs. As she does, she asks if this guy Ornette has a national security agency computer in his house. Wolverine answers no, he’s Mrs. Higgenbotham’s kid and he’s a hacker. He then mentions that he guesses he wasn’t bein’ very sensitive back there when Mastodon went all ectoplasmic on her. Jubilee gives him a hug and tells him that it’s all right. She knows he’s been going through a real bad thing over Mariko getting killed and now Silver Fox turning out to be a major league pill. Wolverine answers yeah, how about that.
Up in Ornette’s room, Hines, John Wraith, Silver Fox and Sabretooth are joined by Wolverine and Jubilee. Ornette mentions that this was light. Getting into their system was a snap with all the entry codes she gave him. He points out that it’s some menu they have and asks if he’s scrolling too fast for her. Just then he tells “Snaggletooth,” who’s smoking, that he hopes that disgusting thing isn’t lit when their pizza shows up. Sabretooth asks if smoke bothers him and tells him tough. Wolverine responds by pulling the cigar out of Sabretooth’s mouth and putting it out. He tells him that he wouldn’t mind gettin’ a lip-grip on one o’ those himself but they are intrudin’ on somebody else’s space there.
Just then, Wraith calls out “That’s it!” He found the filing system. Ornette, looking at the screen, mentions to Wraith that it looks like a list of code-names. Wraith says that he was Kestrel. Wolverine, Sabretooth, Fox and Mastodon are self-explanatory but asks who Vole and Wildcat are. Sabretooth says that he’s had enough of this and asks for someone to give him one good reason why he shouldn’t just rip Logan’s face off his skull just for grins. Wolverine challenges him to “try it old man.” Silver Fox pulls her gun on both of them and tells them to cool it. She adds that she’d just as soon shoot the pair of them then…
She is cut off by Ornette, who yells at her that he doesn’t want any cranks in there. He tells her to get that hardware out of there. Silver Fox asks if he has a thing about guns. Ornette, in a wheelchair, replies that he’s no hoplophobe. He knows that weapons don’t get up by themselves and shoot people. He’s got a serious problem with people who rave them around indiscriminately. Wraith mentions that Ornette caught the collateral damage from a drive-by shooting in the ‘hood. A stray 9mm came through the window back there. Wolverine asks if it had his name on it. Ornette tells him that worse; it was marked “to whom it may concern.”
At that moment, the computer beeps. Ornette announces that it’s the search program, it found something. He points to the screen and mentions that the list of animal code-names was cross-indexed with another list. This list has the names Professor, Cornelius, Hines, and Ferro. Wraith replies that they know who the first three are, but who is Ferro?
After the pizza guy arrives and they all eat, they take off in an aircraft. In the cockpit, Silver Fox asks Hines if she has coordinates for their destination to feed into the navigational computer. Hines tells her to just get them to Seattle and she’ll find it when they get to Seattle. It shouldn’t be too hard, it’s the only island with its own radar installation. Back in the holding area, Sabretooth mentions that this is rich. Not only does Wolverine get his little fiancée killed, his poor old martyred squaw girlfriend turns out to be a nasty ol’ Hydra hot-shot. Who said life ain’t fair? Wolverine pops his claws and angrily stares at Sabretooth. Rather than doing anything he gets up from his seat and heads towards the cockpit. Once he is gone, Wraith “accidentally” cracks Sabretooth with the butt of his rifle when he was looking for the magazine full of steel-jacketed armor-piercing ammo.
In time, the aircraft makes its way towards their destination. Hines points out that the island in the distance is Aldo Ferro’s castle keep. They’re homing in on the radar emissions. Wolverine mentions that Aldo Ferro, Il Topo Siciliano, the Sicilian Mouse. He thought he died years ago. Silver Fox tells him that his kind doesn’t fade away that easily. He owned half of Cuba during the Batista years and all the crime families paid him tribute. He was always in the background, manipulating, making deals, never in the headlines. He hasn’t been seen outside his fortress in years.
Just then, the aircraft is hit with a surface-to-air missile. Hines mentions that is what all the radar was for. Wolverine quips that should’ve occurred to all o’ them a lot sooner and maybe this Mouse is also Vole, the field mouse on the list. As they start to crash Silver Fox tells them to hold on, they’re going to auger in. Wolverine mentions that he just got it. Fox asks him what he’s babbling about to which Wolverine replies that there is this bar back in Salem Center…
Once they land, Silver Fox tells all aboard to evacuate the aircraft. The fuel cells have burst and the electrical system is shorting out. Wraith points out that the frame twisted on impact and the hatches are jammed. It looks like they’re goin’ to crispy-critter-ville. Wolverine tells him not hardly and uses his claws to slice a door through the hull of the aircraft. When he steps out onto the island, he is met by troops. He mentions that they’re outta the fire, and into the fryin’ pan. One of the troops declares that there is at least one verified mutant in the intruder team. Another orders them to pop smoke on them and lock on passive targeting and zap them back to the Neolithic.
Upon hearing that, Jubilee hops into action unleashes her fireworks power. She informs the troops that they can’t if she flares out their vision receptors. She then tells Wolverine that Ornette felt sorry for her because she’s discalculic. Wolverine asks dis-what? Jubilee tells him that it’s like dyslexic only with numbers instead of letters. She was so embarrassed when he asked her to add up the pizza bill… Wolverine asks her if they can talk about this later.
One of the troops mentions that their image-intensifier tubes just got fried along with the infra-red sensors. Another troop tells them to ditch the goggles and switch to analogue sights. The boss is gonna wanna see dead mutants out there. At that moment, John Wraith takes control. He starts tossing smoke grenades at the oncoming troops and tells Logan and Creed to take them out while they’re confused. He then orders Silver Fox to breach the wall with her blaster. Wolverine and Sabretooth hop into action and take out the troops together while Silver Fox blasts a hole through the wall.
Once inside the compound, Hines asks what this place is; it looks like a gym. Silver Fox tells her that it is and asks Logan if he is secure. Wolverine and Sabretooth enter the compound and say that Topo’s hired goons took a powder as soon as they rushed ‘em. He should get a refund. John Wraith informs them that he checked the rest of the house and it’s empty. Silver Fox points out that it’s empty except for “Arnold” over there. She asks the man who is lifting weights where he is, where is the old man?
Continuing to exercise, the man inquires “what old man?” Sabretooth tells him that she wants to know where the old coot is that he’s hired to protect – where’s Il Topo? The man rises and tells them that’s him. It’s a joke, like the fat guy they call slim. Wolverine asks him that he’s Aldo Ferro, he’s supposed to be old. Aldo replies that it’s like some others he knows about. Wolverine adds that they thought he was the bodyguard. Just then Maverick comes out of the shadows and tells him he’s wrong. He tells them that he’s the bodyguard!
