(Logan’s memories, 1942)
In a windswept, snow-covered region of the Italian Alps, Captain America stormed into a hail of gunfire coming from the Nazi enemy. Holding his shield high, he warned them that they were wasting their bullets, and that it wasn’t that easy to kill freedom. It seemed that Logan has been holding them off by himself for a while, and he was pleased for the belated backup; though he’d never say it. Logan used his sword to slash his way through the opposition, making his way to their commanding officer.
Logan and Cap knocked around more than a few times during World War II. In the Italian Alps, the Nazis and Italian Fascists were in bed together. All Logan knew was that he and Cap were close to the border, but for the life of him he doesn’t remember this particular battle. Why is that? Why is it currently playing in the drive-in theater of his head?
Logan ordered Cap to get the accompanying tank off the road while he went after the main man. He loved ordering Captain America around. That was a special kind of fun. He found the C.O. and smashed him in the face. When down, he reached for the man’s scarf and yanked it off. He hoped the man spoke English, because he wasn’t going to repeat himself. “Tell your men to stand down, or I cut your @#%% off,” he demanded. “You’ll do no such thing,” came the reply, as Wild Child’s face appeared from beneath the scarf. “In fact, you won’t even remember today until he wants you to.” Seeing Wild Child’s fangs, Logan asked what kind of freak he was. Wild Child replied that he was the same kind of freak as him, and called him by his name. This surprised Logan. This was years before he actually met Kyle Gibney.
A grenade explosion brought their conversation to a sudden halt, and Logan was thrown backwards. Even over the sound of that, Logan could hear Cap. It was important to Cap that his men could catch his voice in battle. That’s just the way he was. How come he can remember that part, but not Wild Child? And, what did he mean that he wouldn’t remember until ‘he’ wanted him to? Again, Logan heard the ‘Quod sum eris,” being repeated as he blacked out, only to wake up to Sasquatch’s voice.
(present)
Sasquatch tells him to wake up, as they’re landing. Wolverine sits up quickly and asks where the hell they are. He’s annoyed that he’s woken up before seeing the face of the guy behind all this. Langowski asks him to relax. He’s with friends. They’ve just entered Canadian airspace on board T’Challa’s private jet. He’s going home. Logan replies that it ain’t his home anymore. He tells Sasquatch to drag his stinking carcass out of his face, but Sasquatch grins and says, “Ooo… tough guy. We’re very intimidated, aren’t we girls?” Feral, Thornn and Wolfsbane raise their glasses and happily agree that they are.
It doesn’t take a guy with Logan’s abilities to smell the schnapps. He should have known right then, this was going to get messy. This had all come about after he was a guest of the Black Panther and Storm in Wakanda. They wanted him and Sabretooth to hear their theories about how they all came from dogs, or something. Sabretooth got loose, killed a few folks and escaped like he has a million other times. Only this time he had help.
Wild Child had also shown up, only faster and smarter than Logan remembered. That includes 1942. The next thing he knew he encountered Sasquatch, Thornn, Feral and Wolfsbane. They told him it was all about the Weapon X Project, so off to Canada they went.
Their craft lands at the Weapon X facility. Logan knows that every time he goes there, he leaves with more questions than answers. He tells Langowski that he must have pulled some strings high up to have cleared airspace and unescorted access. He hopes it’s worth it. Sasquatch replies that the place should be in lockdown. And, they aren’t supposed to be unescorted. Something is very wrong.
Wolverine tells the group to return to the jet. He’ll handle things inside. Feral rhetorically asks her sister who died and made Logan boss, but Sasquatch agrees that they should stay put. Wolfsbane asks him when they are going to tell him. He replies that they’ll do that when the time is right. Wolfsbane doesn’t feel right sending him inside without a warning. The headstrong Feral decides to head to where the action is, and Sasquatch reminds her to be careful.
As they disappear, Sasquatch senses something nearby, but he is still caught unawares when Wild Child leaps at him, slashing him across the throat. He then grabs him by the hair on his head and delivers further punishment. “No more warnings,” says Wild Child, as the white snow becomes blood red.
Inside the facility, Wolverine makes his way further in and notes that there’s been some new tech since last time he crashed the place. He smells the chemicals that he can never forget. On a long list of things he hates, this place is right near the top. He then receives a brief flashback to the time he spent at the facility, many years ago. He sees the Professor, as if looking at him from within a tank. Feral is now behind him and asks if there’s anything wrong. Wolverine orders her back to the jet, but Feral isn’t to be told what to do.
Another flashback, and the Professor appears again, only this time Logan can make out a much larger shape behind him. He again orders Feral to leave, but she reminds him that she was a member of X-Force. She didn’t like taking orders from Cable and… Wolverine cuts her off and tells Feral that it’s her funeral. He is looking at Sabretooth, only he’s inside a tank filled with green fluid. Cables are attached to several parts of his body and he appears to be unconscious. Feral asks who would do this to him.
Wolverine is about to reply, but is then reminded about something that’s been niggling him. He asks if she and her sister aren’t supposed to be depowered mutants. Feral isn’t really sure. She and her sister were living in New York, trying to get by, and then a few weeks of their lives went missing. Logan knows how that feels. Somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to truss up Creed like a Christmas goose. He wants to carve him up while he has the chance.
Logan snikts his claws and prepares to strike but, before he does so, Sabretooth wakes up and crashes out of the tank with a fearsome roar. “Oh @#%$!” remarks Logan as Creed slashes his throat. Logan just has time to order Feral to run before he falls, but Feral has other ideas. She leaps onto Sabretooth and digs her claws in. Wolverine recognizes that Creed’s humanity has been stripped away. He’s now fighting the beast. Several plug-ins in Creed’s skin remain.
He plunges his claws through Creed’s chest, and they emerge out of his back with a splash of blood. He warns Creed that he’s killing him, but he’ll consider making it quick if Creed tells him how he made it out of Wakanda. Logan knows first hand what Weapon X can do to you, but this is extreme, even for them. There is no verbal response from Sabretooth and, instead, he grabs Wolverine’s and head butts him painfully. He then plunges his fingers into Wolverine’s eyes, causing him to drop to his knees in agony. Creed then lashes out and smashes him down. Creed is lost in his madness, and Logan knows that he must remain conscious or he’ll kill Feral and the others.
(flashback)
Logan then disappears into his memories once again. He is in the tank at Weapon X, and being watched by the Professor. He sees Logan becoming agitated and tells his companion that he warned him that bringing him there would have an adverse effect. His companion moves to the glass and knocks on it. Logan sees that it’s Creed. What the @#$%, thinks Logan. Creed was never there. His head is so mixed. He then sees someone larger standing behind Creed - the freak from his dreams. The man tells Creed to stop, and warns him that if he misbehaves, he won’t allow him to visit anymore. He’ll make him look foolish in front of the Professor, and he is a man who cannot afford to look foolish.
Creed acknowledges this respectfully, and the man hopes he understands why he can’t allow them to kill each other. Both Creed and the Professor know how important Logan is to this project and to him personally! “Of course,” replies the Professor. “There wouldn’t be a Weapon X without you.” The man runs his own clawed fingers along the glass tank. He explains that it’s taken years and years of evolution to get to this place, while fools like Essex and Xavier stumble around in the dark, trying to understand genetics. What they are trying to accomplish together will be truly revolutionary. He tells the Professor that Logan is to remember none of this. “Go deep. Quod Sum Eris. You should be so lucky, Logan.” The Professor taps on a computer and replies, “You have my word… Romulus.”
(present)
Wolverine’s eyes heal enough for him to be able to see enough to get by. He has a splitting headache and his eyes are blurred and he doesn’t know why Sabretooth left him alive. He then sees that Creed is gone, and his concern turns to Feral. He makes his way to the exit and heads out into the snow. He finds Sasquatch lying in a pool of blood and leans down to help him. When he asks who did this to him, Sasquatch weakly replies that it was Wild Child. Wolverine has no choice but to leave Langowski lying there, but figures that it they wanted him dead, he’d be dead.
He looks over and sees Wolfsbane sitting by a tree, her knees pulled up to her chest. He asks where the others are. Thornn appears and informs Logan that she’s in shock. She can’t tell him. After Logan asks where her sister is, Thornn points over a nearby ridge and asks him to make it stop. Logan heads up the ridge and, on the other side, he finds Sabretooth standing over Feral’s mutilated, blood-splattered body. Logan doesn’t know what door to hell he’s opened, but he doesn’t have a choice. This ends tonight!
