(1st story)
In Hell… there’s no sun. No sky at all. Nothing to orient yourself by. Nothing to mark the passage of time. Logan has no idea how long he’s been there. Hours. Days. Years. He’s not sure those words even have meaning for him anymore. He still has what looks like flesh, but there’s no heart beating in his chest. No air in his lungs. The blood in his veins is cold and dead. Yet, he still feels hunger. Still thirst. Still longs for a sleep he knows will never come. He still hurts. That’s all you ever really do in this place. You hurt.
At that moment, Logan engages in battle with a number of ninjas. As he does, he mentions that they keep coming. Wave after wave of them. He also notices that his wounds aren’t healing as fast as usual. His claws are bone. No adamantium. No powers. No way out. He focuses on the pain and tries to block out everything else. The chorus of screams from all around. The cries of the damned. After defeating the final ninja, Logan hears the laughter.
Looking behind him, Logan sees the Devil, who asks him how fares his newest plaything. Does he grow weary? Has the soul-crushing gravity of his predicament sunk in yet? Is he ready to beg to be defiled in the basest manner imaginable, if it will only but ease his suffering? If so, his master will heal him now. He would also accept a heartfelt scream of agony. Either that or they may continue. He has no shortage of eager combatants for him to face. He was a busy one in life after all, wasn’t he, hairy lump of mucus. He always did his part to keep them well-stocked with souls down there, and for that he assures him he is eternally grateful. Those poor, murdered wretches he sent there though, they remain something less than grateful. Many have been waiting a very long time to demonstrate their ungratefulness to him in rather drawn-out excruciating detail.
The Devil then asks Logan what he says. Is he ready to meet more of these admirers of his, or shall they find some other use for him. Popping his bone claws, Logan tells him what does he think – keep ‘em comin’ bub. The Devil tells him he was sincerely hoping he would say that. He does so like to savor the plucky ones.
As the Devil laughs, Logan states that he’s in hell. He is in hell and the Devil is laughing at him. And everyone he ever killed is there waiting for him. Waiting to tear him apart. He doesn’t know how to process that information. He doesn’t know how to react. All he can do is what he did in life.
With that, Logan leaps towards the nearby Hydra agents and proceeds to slice their heads off. Continuing his attack against soldiers and Hellfire Club guards, Logan notices that they keep coming – the faces from his past. Some he doesn’t even remember. Others are all too familiar. Just then, Omega Red wraps one of his coils around Logan’s neck. Red proceeds to tell him that now he will suffer as he has suffered. He will strip the flesh from his bones, every morning, from now until forever. He will make him eat his own entrails and beg him for more. He will bathe in a fountain of his blood.
Struggling against Red’s grip, Logan thinks to himself that he shouldn’t even be there. He’s not even dead. Flipping Red over and jamming his claws into his chest, Logan remarks then again, he’s always known it would come to this. At first, he tries to shout above the din as they fight. He screams something about how they’ll never break him. No matter who they trot out. No matter how many. But his words fall flat. His sins, at long last, have all caught up with him.
As his foes – McLeish, various Adamantium Men, Cyber, Xorn, Shingen, and Ogun, amongst others – swarm Logan, they eventually take him down. As they drag him to the Devil’s feet, the Devil says to him that he thought he knew pain before he came there, little dog-man. He assures him, he did not. Nor did he know the depravity or debasement. These are all things he will teach him. If he insists on being a stubborn student, that is fine. He has dealt with many such souls in his time. Men who swore themselves they could hold out. Who vowed to break free or even rule this place themselves. They came from all different eras. Kings and warlords and would-be world conquerors. Does he know what he does to men like that? The same thing he does to all who come there. He breaks them. Pulling on a chain, the Devil shows Logan a very obedient Sabretooth attached to it sitting at his feet.
Out on the open road, Melita Garner rides on the back of Mystique’s motorcycle. When they stop outside a diner, Melita asks Mystique that she’s telling her Logan’s in hell. Does she mean like hell, hell? Like a devil with a pitchfork hell? Mystique asks her if there is some other sort of hell she’s not aware of. She adds that it’s Logan’s soul that’s trapped in hell. His body is still on Earth, though it’s under the control of others.
Enraged, Melita angrily asks Mystique how she knows this. Whatever’s going on there, she’s somehow a part of it, isn’t she. Mystique tells her they don’t have time for this right now. If she wants to save her precious little boyfriend, she needs to shut up and do what she says. When Melita pulls her cell phone out of her pocket, Mystique asks her what she is doing. Melita informs her that she doesn’t believe a word that comes out of her stupid blue mouth. She’s calling the X-Men. Grabbing hold of the phone, Mystique tells her no X-Men. She doesn’t mix well with X-Men. And they can’t help them now anyway. Not with this.
Melita calls Mystique a lying, murdering sack of #$@* who admits to wanting her boyfriend dead. Pardon her if she doesn’t take her word at face value. Looking through her phone, Melita states that Logan gave her numbers to call in case of an emergency, and she’s calling one. Mystique warns her that if she calls the X-Men, she can count her out. Melita tells her to shut up. They aren’t all X-Men.
In Japan, Yukio’s phone rings. Answering it, Yukio tells the person on the other end to speak. Melita says um… yes. Would this be Yukio? Yukio asks her who she is and how she got this number. Melita tells her they have a mutual friend. One who needs their help. Yukio states Logan. She’s his new woman, isn’t she? She’s the reason he won’t sleep with her anymore. Melita adds that he told her she could be trusted. Will she help her? Yukio remarks that Logan always made a habit of falling for helpless females. She attempted repeatedly to cure him of that. Melita replies please…
Yukio tells her fine. Tell her what has happened, helpless American female. As Melita tells Yukio this is gonna sound crazy…, Yukio hears a floorboard creak behind her and narrowly misses being slashed with a set of claws. Hearing the commotion, Melita asks Yukio what that was. Defending herself, Yukio delivers a swift kick to her unknown cloaked assailant. Upon seeing her assailant’s face – Hellverine – a shocked Yukio asks “Logan?” Listening to the phone, Melita recognizes that Logan is there.
Mystique says to tell Yukio to run. Unable to hear the voice on the phone, Yukio rushes over to grab her katana from the nearby wall. As she does, she tells “Logan” that she doesn’t know what’s come over him. Perhaps the sight of his own blood will snap him out of…
Just then, Hellverine waves his hand and levitates Yukio into the air, slamming her head against the ceiling and then bringing her down to his level, choking the life out of her as she does so. Holding her neck, Yukio weakly asks him what he is doing. Upon seeing his claws, Yukio says no… With that, Hellverine jams his claws directly into Yukio’s chest. Holding them there, Hellverine tells Yukio that she is a murderer and a harlot and she will now spend every moment of eternity being defiled by the muck-beasts ever spewed from the deepest, steaming bowels of the abyss. Yukio responds by spitting blood in his face and telling him he can kiss her entire ass… Tossing her away, Hellverine tells her not to lose that feistiness, harlot. His brothers in the pit will enjoy stabbing it out of her.
Hearing Melita calling out Yukio’s name over the phone, Hellverine picks it up and informs her she’s dead. When Melita asks the person on the other end if it’s Logan, Hellverine tells her not anymore. After hanging up the phone, Melita says oh my god… Mystique tells her she told her. Melita proceeds to ask her what the hell was that thing. What do they do? Mystique says to her that they wait. Melita asks wait? Wait for who? What the hell are they… Hearing motorcycle engines, Melita turns around. Mystique tells her “them.” At that moment, Melita and Mystique see Daimon Hellstrom and two Ghost Riders (Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch). Daimon then asks Mystique what seems to be the trouble.
In Hell, Logan falls to his knees in front of the Devil. When he does, the Devil asks him if he’s ready to scream for him now, bub. Logan weakly tells him to keep ‘em comin’… The Devil tells him that he is a stubborn little tumor of a man. Pain means nothing to him, does it. Something tells him they could keep this up indefinitely. But thought he is renowned for many thing, patience has never been one of them. He’ll be taking that scream from him now. Bring her out.
Just then, Logan looks up to see Mariko Yashida being flown in by the Devil’s minions. Upon seeing Logan, Mariko says not him too. Running his finger across Mariko’s face, the Devil says he does so enjoy reuniting lost loves. They always longed to be together forever, didn’t they? Well now here they are. Logan angrily asks what she is doing there. The Devil informs him that Mariko Yashida was the head of yakuza crime family. Where else would he expect her to be? He then thanks Logan for helping send her his way. She has proven to be a most delectable little treat.
Logan tells the Devil he’ll do whatever he wants, just don’t hurt her. The Devil asks hurt her? Is he some base villain who would drag out his former fiancée just to maim and torture her in front of him? He insults him. He’s not going to harm a hair on the woman’s precious little head. He merely wants dear sweet Mariko to show him what she’s learned in her time there with them. The Devil tells Mariko, if she pleases.
As Mariko makes her way towards Logan who is being held by two of the Devil’s minions, another minion gives her a stick with a barbed wire chain attached to the end of it. Logan implores her not to, but Mariko tells him she’s sorry, she has to. With that, Mariko begins to whip Logan repeatedly. As she does, she cries and begs Logan to give in. Eventually, Logan screams out in pain. Once he does, the Devil begins to laugh.
As the sound of Logan’s screams permeate the underworld, a shadowy man tells Puck that it’s a damn shame. He was hopin’ he’d hold out longer than that. Puck tells him that it’s just one scream. Doesn’t mean they’ve broken him. The man says he better hope not. If he breaks, that’s it, the whole damn plan is finished. The longer he can hold out, the better chance they got. Puck asks of getting out? The man tells Puck that’s what he wants, not him. After Puck asks him what he wants, the man smiles and says just a moment of the boy’s time, that’s all. The man then asks Puck that he doesn’t trust him much, does he? Puck tells him no, he doesn’t. And once Logan finds out who he is, he won’t trust him either. The man states that he don’t reckon he’s got much choice. Boy ain’t got too many friends down there. Making his way towards Logan, Puck says he’s got him. That’ll have to be enough. Now let’s get to work.
(2nd story)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. When I was little, my mom got killed by a dragon. I got adopted by a mutant super-hero named Wolverine. You know, the guy with the claws who does the stabbing. Since then, I’ve been raised by samurai and ninjas and all sorts of other totally normal people. And from what they tell me, I’m supposedly destined to someday become the mystical protector of all of Japan. Sounds like a pretty crazy life, right? So tell me one thing then… Why am I always so #@%* bored? Why does it always feel like the world has forgotten me. Like it’s never going to be my time. Like my story, my real story is waiting to get started.
Coming home from school, Amiko enters Yukio’s home and tells her that she’ll be in her room. She is greeted by Hellverine, standing over Yukio’s bleeding body. He tells her Amiko Kobayashi – just the girl he wanted to see. With a shocked look on her face, Amiko asks Logan what the hell. Yukio tries to tell her to run but Hellverine says to her that the girl just got here. No reason for her to run off yet. He then tells Amiko that her father has returned and to come and give them a kiss.
Grabbing a sword off the wall, Amiko asks that he’s being mind-controlled. Really? Again? Facing off against him, Hellverine laughs and tells her not exactly. Slashing him across the chest with the sword, Amiko tells him that’s for all the birthdays he’s missed. Kicking him in the face, that’s for all the promises he’s broken. Slashing him again, is just for the hell of it. Laughing, Hellverine destroys Amiko’s sword with a slash of his claws and proceeds to tell her it’s funny she should mention hell. Her daddy’s been busy, as she’ll soon see for herself when she joins him there.
Jamming a sword through Hellverine’s back, Yukio tells him to get away from her daughter you son of a bitch. Turning around unfazed, Hellverine says how touching. He thinks he’s going to cry, right after he butchers and eats them. Yukio tells Amiko to come over to her. When she does, Hellverine tells them there is nowhere they can run that they can’t find them. They are hellbound, both of them. Bought and paid for. They will join their friends in the bowels of the abyss. Mariko Yashida, Kenuichio Harada, and Logan. They have Logan to thank.
With that, Amiko and Yukio leap out of window and land with a thud onto the train car below. As they do, Amiko says that all her life she’s been waiting, feeling like the days and years going by were nothing but prologue, waiting for the real story to start. Tonight it did. But it’s not at all what she expected. Comforting Yukio, begging her to wake up, she states that her name is Amiko Kobayashi and this is the beginning of her story.
