In Japan, Logan sits on a mat in front of the Silver Samurai. Between them are bokutos – wooden practice swords. Samurai gets two, Logan gets one half. He had asked Samurai to train him in the use of the Muramasa blade, a mystical sword forged, literally, in the fires of his own rage. It can kill anything, includin’ him. That’s why they’re usin’ the bokuto – same weight, same aerodynamics, but a strike from one o’ these swords won’t put his lights out permanently.
When Samurai cracks Logan on the side of his head and he falls to the ground, Logan notes to himself that it would only be momentarily his lights would be out. He’s no slouch with a blade, but he’s rusty, outta practice. The last opponent he faced with a sword in his hand showed him that all too clearly. Their training session goes on for four days an’ nights. On day five, Logan finally gets a clean shot in on Samurai and he knows that it’s all comin’ back to him now.
Stepping backwards and holding his throat, Samurai tells Logan again. Logan peers at him and thinks to himself that he doesn’t wanna take away from his pride by tellin’ ‘im that he’d chosen the least painful of the six possible strikes he’d left himself open to so instead… Bowing to Samurai, he gives him his apologies but he can’t, he doesn’t have the time. Thanking Samurai for teaching him, Logan tells him that he is in his debt. Samurai tells him that it is a debt he will one day collect, to be sure. Logan knows that’s true, but he’ll deal with that when it comes – if he’s still around.
With that, Logan calls up Cloak and tells him that he’s ready to get outta there. He then asks Cloak what does he mean, he’s busy. Enraged, Cloak tells him that Dagger has been taken. After asking Cloak if he’s told the X-Men yet, Cloak replies no. He’s handling this alone. Logan tells Cloak to slow down and tell him what happened.
Cloak replies that he only knows what witnesses have told him. She was in the city when she encountered a blind man needing help. Dagger was once blind herself. She has a soft sport for others in the same… Logan cuts him off and asks him what the man looked like. Cloak tells him big, possibly deformed, possibly mute. Immediately, Logan knew that it was Victor Hudson, Romulus’s right-hand man. This is his fault. Victor was able to take Dagger down by giving her a shot to her neck. On-lookers attempted to intervene, but backed out when they saw Victor.
Logan then tells Cloak to listen to him. If he goes after her, she’s dead. He guarantees it. What he needs to do is wait. When Cloak exclaims wait, wait for what; Logan tells him the phone call.
In a warehouse, Dagger is inside a room, bound to a chair. A man proceeds to ask her if she can hear him. When she tells him yes and asks where she is, the man tells her he honestly doesn’t know. He was drugged and brought there, just like her. After Dagger asks him why he isn’t tied up, the man replies if he was, he wouldn’t be able to do this. With that, he smacks Dagger across the face. He then tells her that he’s gonna ask the questions from here on out. Staring at him coldly, Dagger tells him that he’s gonna be so sorry he did that.
The man informs her that he’s already sorry. Does she think he enjoys hurting her? ‘Cause he doesn’t, he has a daughter about her age. And the only way he’s gonna get to see her again is if she answers this question – what is Wolverine’s plan? Dagger responds that she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The man asks so Cloak hasn’t told her? That seems kind odd, them being so close an’ all. Is she lying to him? Dagger tells him no but tells him why doesn’t she just hit her again, just to make sure. Once Victor opens the door and enters the room, the man tells her that he’s ‘fraid they’re past that.
On a rooftop, Cloak asks Logan why he is so sure Dagger’s being kept there in San Francisco. Logan replies ‘cause that’s what he’d do. Looking over at him, Cloak asks if he knows who took her. Logan admits that he does. He doesn’t tell Cloak, but he also knows why. Romulus wants to know what the hell he’s up to. He’s been watchin’ him, tryin’ to make some sense of it all, but it doesn’t make sense. It ain’t supposed to – that’s the point.
Grabbing hold of Logan, Cloak orders him to tell him who took her. Logan tells him that he’s already put him in enough danger. Cloak again tells him that he will tell him who took her or he will take him so far into the darkness, he’ll never see the light. Logan thinks to himself that he’s already there an’ he’ll be damned if he takes anybody else down with him. He then tells Cloak that he’s gonna tell him somethin’ else instead. Somethin’ they’re gonna wanna know. Cloak asks if he tells them if they’ll let Dagger go. Logan tells him no but it’ll buy them some time. Prodigy is set to trace the call to him as soon as it comes in. An’ trust him, it’s comin’.
Inside the warehouse, the man tells Dagger that he believes her. He doesn’t think she has any idea what Wolverine’s plan is. So here’s what they’re gonna do. They’re gonna call her friend Cloak and she’s gonna ask him. Once he tells them, they’re all done. They can go home, him and her. Looking up at him, Dagger tells him that she doesn’t believe him. Leaning down next to her, the man tells Dagger that he’s in the same boat she is. He told her about his daughter. She has a brother and a mother. If he can’t get this guy what he wants, they’re all dead – her, him and them. Handing her the phone, he asks her to please do it. Hanging her head, Dagger says okay.
Calling Cloak, Dagger tells him that she needs him to listen. She’s been taken by someone who wants to know what Wolverine’s plans are. Does he know what they’re talking about? Cloak admits that he does and apologizes. Dagger says she knows he is but… Cloak cuts her off and says that he’ll tell them whatever they want to know. Dagger replies that she knows he will and that’s exactly what they want but that’s not what she wants. What she wants is for him to trace this call.
At that moment, Prodigy informs Wolverine that he has the location. Grabbing Dagger by the air, the man calls her a stupid little… Dagger asks if that’s the way he talks to his daughter. Oh, wait, he doesn’t have a daughter, does he? Looking up at Victor, the man begs for him to wait. Just then, Victor picks the man up and hurls him against the wall, killing him instantly.
As Victor begins to make his way towards Dagger, Logan tells Cloak to get Dagger outta there. She’s seen enough killin’ for today. Cloak grits his teeth and tells Logan no. Victor is his. Dagger yells out at him no; he’s better than that. Leaping towards Victor with the Muramasa blade and killing him, Logan states that he ain’t. Standing there, Logan informs Dagger that it had to be done; there wasn’t nothin’ inside o’ him worth savin’. Angrily, Dagger asks him how would he know and calls Logan a monster.
Just then, she shoots him full of light. Once inside Cloak, Logan sees a death train hurtling towards him. When he does, he begs Cloak to let him go. Cloak informs him that there is nowhere to go. This is where the darkness ends. At the moment when Cloak frees Logan from his grasp, Dagger asks him if he sees now. Walking away, Logan tells her that it ain’t nothin’ he hasn’t seen before.
Once Logan leaves, Dagger tells Cloak that she shouldn’t have done that. Cloak tells her no, it’s he that shouldn’t have done what he did. He shouldn’t have kept this a secret from her. He shouldn’t have agreed to help him in the first place. And he shouldn’t have held him back. When Dagger asks him what he means, Cloak replies that he stopped him, Logan, from seeing the truth. He wasn’t ready. It isn’t Wolverine’s past that haunts him; it’s Romulus’ future. That’s what waits for him in the darkness and he’s terrified of it.
In the alleyway, Cloak asks Logan where they are going to next. Logan tells him that he doesn’t hafta… Cloak replies that he does. (Dagger told him to be there when Logan is ready.) He adds that he knows what it’s like to retreat into the past, to repeat a cycle of violence because it’s familiar, known. But he can’t live in the past and he can’t ignore the future in the hope that it won’t happen. He has to move forward. So again, he asks where to next.
At the Raft, Ruby Thursday asks the female guard why she keeps bringing her food when she knows she doesn’t eat. It’s not because she likes talking to him, because she never says anything. So is it because she likes looking at her? When the guard replies that she’s a woman, Ruby states that this is a prison. Just then, Wolverine remarks ‘an’ this is a prison break.’
