First Story:
The next morning, Horror-Show sits at a table surrounded by members of his biker gang, the Burnin’ Sons, specifically Ram and Warhorse. Ram informs him that Level’s ol’ lady is dead, her brains were blown out all over the front porch. Horror asks if she did it ‘erself. Ram tells Warhorse to tell Horror what he saw. Warhorse states that Level’s trailer ain’t but a quarter-mile up the road from his, was about one-thirty or so when he heard the shot. Ram tells him to tell Horror what he seen, now what he heard. Warhorse says that, after he heard the shot, he went out to the porch to see what was goin’ on. He heard a bike comin’ down the road and the rider was wearin’ New Sons colors. Horror asks if he got a look at the rider. Warhorse replies that he couldn’t see his face, just… Ram cuts him off and exclaims to Horror that it was Junior, his boy, finishin’ what he started against them. Horror looks at him and tells him that he don’t know that for sure. Ram admits that he’s right, he don’t. Maybe it was some other member o’ the Sons. Don’t matter, amounts to the same thing. They’re at war an’ he’s the only one ain’t got the guts to fight it.
Just then, Logan walks in, sits down at the bar and says there ain’t a need for no war. Ram gets up from his seat and asks the stranger why that is. Logan finishes his drink and tells him ‘cause Junior’s dead. He then looks over at Horror and thinks to himself sorry, some folks just can’t be saved. When Ram asks how, Logan asks ‘does it matter?’ Leaping from his seat, Horror punches him across the face and tells him that it does to him. Continuing to pound on him, he tells him that he trusted him and when he asked him where to find ‘im, he told him. An’ then he killed ‘im. With that, Horror shoots Logan four times with his hand-gun from close range.
As he does so, Logan thinks to himself that he didn’t; even though he deserved it. Earlier that night, Logan had Junior tied up while he was interrogating him. Junior angrily said to him so the stupid bitch is dead? Boo hoo, wasn’t him. Logan says he knows but somebody sure wanted it to look like it. Junior says yeah, just like it looked like he was the one who wasted Level. Thinking to himself that’s what he thought, he asks Junior what’s goin’ on between him an’ Ram. Junior smiles and tells him ‘business, man.’ Logan recalls that the Burnin’ Sons don’t deal – Horror-Show’s rules. Obviously Ram had other ideas. But to stay in business, he had to go outside the club – to Junior.
Junior states that they had a good thing goin’. He dealt Ram under the table with pops none the wiser. Then he stepped on it an’ passed it on. But he got greedy an’ stupid. He was limitin’ his supply; he didn’t want pops to know what was up. If he found out, there goes his best customer. Logan asks where the girl fits in. Junior tells him that Ram was sellin’ it, she was doin’ it. She was doin’ him too. When Logan asks if Level knew, Junior tells him nah but he was strung out too so who knows. An who cares, damn tweakers.
Looking at Junior, Logan pieces it together. Ram wasn’t bein’ stupid, he was bein’ smart. Only way the Burnin’ Sons would ever get back into the drug game was if Horror-Show was outta the way. Ram made it look like Junior killed Level, hopin’ it would trigger a call to war, which he knew Horror-Show wouldn’t back, ‘cause that meant killin’ his own son. Takin’ the girl out killed two birds with one stone, it got rid of a liability, an’ it forced the issue even harder. With the whole club against him, Horror-Show would have to either step down or be forced out; or he’d be killed. Either way, ram would take over an’ it’d be back to business as usual.
Junior pleads with him to let him go. He’ll make the same deal with him. Hell, he helps him take out Ram an’ he’ll better it. Logan tells him that he ain’t interested. Junior asks him what the hell he means he ain’t… He’ll warn him if he thinks he’s gonna get away with killin’ him, he don’t know nothin’ ‘bout his dad. Grabbing him by the throat, Logan tells him that he knows his dad a helluva lot better’n he thinks. Letting go of Junior’s neck, he tells him that he was the one who asked him to help him. Junior shoots back that he doesn’t want no #%$@in’ help.
Looking into Junior’s eyes, Logan has seen that look before – in his own son’s eyes. And that’s when it hit him, the plain simple brutal truth, some folks just can’t be saved. Walking away from him, Logan tells Junior that come mornin’ he’ll be dead an’ livin’ somewhere far away from there – understand? Junior tells him yeah, he understands. Logan then tells him that, if he ever comes back, it better be ‘cause he’s ready to change. Like Horror-Show, Logan thinks, like him. Otherwise, he’ll come back too.
Waking up in the woods, Logan hears the sounds of dogs and the police. Making his way out, Logan thinks to himself that, if he didn’t know any better, he’d think that Horror-Show’d forgotten how to hide a body so it’d never be found. But it’s obvious that he wasn’t hidden at all, somebody wanted him to bed found – dead. With a traceable bullet lodged right in his heart. An’ he knows just who that somebody is.
At a local gas station, Ram enters a men’s room. After a few moments, he doesn’t exit, but Logan does with blood on his shirt and claws. Hopping on a motorcycle, Logan makes his way out of town.
Second Story:
On Monday, Wolverine joins Spider-Man and the new Captain America in taking on the Wrecking Crew – Wrecker, Thunderball, and Piledriver. On Tuesday, Peter Parker is eating some snacks and lying on his couch while he watches on T.V. footage from San Francisco that shows Wolverine and Cyclops in action against the… On Wednesday, Parker is taking photographs at the scene of a slaughter where police have no leads in the massacre of an anti-mutant gang reportedly responsible for several recent hate crimes in the area. Looking around, Parker sees Wolverine’s claw-marks on a nearby wall.
On Friday, Spider-Man makes his way to a local bar. As he does so, he thinks to himself that he’s dead and that he is so totally going to kill him for this. Opening the door, he thinks Oh God, oh God, oh God. He then tells himself to get a grip; he can do this. He fought Firelord before, gone toe-to-toe with the Juggernaut and punched the Hulk into orbit. He’s just a grumpy little Canadian, he fought Firelord! Turning around, Logan stares at him and then turns his attention back to his beer.
Sitting down next to him, Spidey tells Logan to stop him if he’s heard this one before. Spider-Man and Wolverine walk into a bar and… Logan cuts him off and tells him to stop. Looking at the menu, Parker asks Logan if he wants to split some chili cheese fries, he’s hungry enough to eat the south end of a northbound rhino. Logan snarls at him and proceeds to ask him what the hell he is doing there. When the bartender comes up, Parker asks him for a Shirley Temple with extra cherries. The bartender tells him that no freaks are allowed in there and tells him to hit the bricks. Pointing to Logan, Parker replies that he’s with him. Downing his beer, Logan says no, he’s not. Parker informs him he’s just there to talk. When Logan asks what the hell they have to talk about, Parker says about how he’s trying to kill himself. Logan snarls at him and then tells the bartender, Earl, to give them a minute.
Once alone, Parker tells Logan that he’s just going to come right out and say it. He sees what he’s doing to himself and it’s not healthy. He’s in like eight different teams right now. He’s changing costumes like a Britney Spears’ backup dancer. He’s running himself ragged. He looks at all that and he sees a man who’s not comfortable in his own skin. A man who has to keep moving, has to stay busy, because he’s terrified of stopping and having to be alone with his own thoughts for even a minute. Logan tells him that he was doing fine being alone five minutes ago. Parker tells him that he knows he probably thinks he’s just the coolest, funniest, most together super hero he’s ever met but he’s had more than his share of tragedy to deal with, believe him. He knows what that’s like, he’s been there and he can tell him from experience, this isn’t the way to handle it. This kinda pace will only get him killed.
Finishing off his next beer, Logan asks him if he’s finished. Parker starts to tell him no but Logan grabs him by the back of the costume and drags him to the front door. As he is being drug, Parker mentions that he hasn’t gotten his chili cheese fries yet. When Logan tells him he can get them to go, Parker asks him if he’s ever tried eating while web-slinging. It’s not a pretty sight. Once they reach the front door, Parker frees himself from Logan’s grip and tells him to hold on, he hasn’t said his piece. Popping the claws on his left hand, Logan tells him yes he has. Parker replies great, here comes the snikety-snikt and the stabbin’ now, right? Very mature, he came there to help and this is how he…
Logan cuts him off and tells him that he didn’t ask for his damn help! Just then, three men wearing ski-masks enter the bar in an attempt to rob it. When they see Spider-Man and Wolverine standing there, one of the men tells his friends that next time, he picks the bar.
Thirty seconds later, the three men are beaten and wrapped up in webbing. Logan turns to the patrons of the bar and tells them that anybody who doesn’t wanna talk to the cops better call it a night. With that, the bar clears out. Making his way to the door, Parker states that this has certainly been as fun as a barrel of chimps on Xanax. He guesses he should be leaving too. Before he does, Logan tells him that he was right.
Turning around, Parker asks what and Logan tells him that he was right about everything. He is afraid to be alone with his own thoughts and of his memories. Used to be, he couldn’t remember anything about his past. Then one day a few months ago, it all came back to him. All the lives he’s ruined, the lives he’s taken. All the horrible things he’s done, all the things he wish had stayed forgotten. As his eye tears up a bit, Logan adds that he found out he had a son too. And he’s so much like him, it hurts just to look at him. He knows nothing he can do can change the past and no matter how many different super teams he joins, it can never make up for all those old sins. But he’s gotta try. Even if it kills him, he’s gotta try.
Parker is silent for a bit and then asks Logan if he’d like to go get some sushi and reminisce about the good old days for a while. He then asks him if he remembers that time the Beyonder came to Earth with the jheri curl and the white leather… At that moment, the phone rings and Earl tells Logan that Cyclops is on the phone for him. Logan says to him to let him know that he’s on his way. Parker tries to stop him but Logan tells him that he’s gotta go. Before he does, he thanks him. As he leaves, Parker replies yeah, he’ll see him around. With that, Logan leaves the bar and walks down the street alone.
