Wolverine: Origins #7

Issue Date: 
November 2006
Story Title: 
Savior - Part Two
Staff: 

Daniel Way (writer), Steve Dillon (artist), VC’s Randy Gentile (letterer), Michael O’Connor (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor), Joe Quesada (chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

Inside the mutant safe house, Wolverine stands between Omega Red and Jubilee. Omega Red is surprised to see Wolverine in a place for mutants that have lost their powers and asks him if he kills Wolverine… will he stay dead? With that thought, Wolverine thinks back to forty years ago in Dallas, Texas, back to when the carbonadium was removed from his system. Back when he learned what they did to him. Back when he first learned of his memory implants. Back to when he rediscovered his claws for the first time. When he learned about Berlin and the carbonadium synthesizer. He remembers that he stole it and later on, gave it to Maverick, one of his old teammates from his days in the CIA. Wolverine came here to get it back, but the only problem is - so did Omega Red - the guy he stole it from. At that moment, the battle begins. Wolverine is able to take out Omega Red’s henchmen but is ambushed by Omega Red, who repeatedly bashes him up against the wall. Eventually, the wall breaks and Wolverine and Omega Red fall to an adjacent rooftop. When Wolverine awakens, he figures out where Omega Red went. Even though Red could have killed him, he is there to retrieve the carbonadium synthesizer. As Wolverine starts to make it back over to the safe house, he hears Jubilee calling out his name!!

Full Summary: 

“Scared. Confused. Powerless. All of the ex-mutants at this halfway house are. All of them except for him and me!”

Wolverine stands between Omega Red and Jubilee, protecting her. When Omega Red says he is surprised to see Logan there, Wolverine replies that he’s surprised to see Omega Red there as well. He figured that he’d be dead by now. Omega Red informs him that is not the case and that he lives. Perhaps death doesn’t want him - perhaps death is afraid that he will kill him. Wolverine sarcastically responds that, yeah, he’s sure that’s what it is. Omega Red laughs and indicates that this place is for mutants who have lost their powers. He then asks Logan if he has lost his powers. If he kills him, will he stay dead?

(flashback)

Approximately forty years ago in Dallas, Texas. Two scientists, one of them bald, are looking over the body of Logan laying on a gurney. He is riddled with bullet-holes! The bald scientist informs the other that they have a heartbeat, albeit an irregular one. The other scientist adds that it has been twenty-one hours, thirty-eight minutes - more than three times slower than his normal rate of regeneration. He adds that he believes that they may have found their silver bullet - carbonadium! He will now remove it from their subject’s abdomen.

The bald scientist asks him if he needs to anesthetize the subject? The performing scientist informs him that that won’t be necessary. As the scientist starts to cut into Logan’s body, his body jolts with adrenaline and then collapses again. The bald scientist then points out that Logan pulled out his monitors, but that he’s relatively certain that he’s... He is cut off by the other scientist that agrees but adds that they need to move quickly. With the carbonadium removed from his body, Logan’s regenerative factor will revert back to normal. He and the bald scientist then grab Logan by the arms and drag him down the hallway.

As they go down the hallway, the scientist informs the bald one that once he has assisted in securing the subject in the chair he is free to go. He reminds him to place his lab-coat in the incinerator on his way out. He then asks the bald scientist if the rest of the team has evacuated from the site. He is informed that they have, they are the only two left.

After some time, the two scientists reach a room that houses a device similar in appearance to an electric chair. The bald scientist admits that he’s never actually seen it before and asks if that is what is used to replace Logan’s memories. The other scientist indicates that is not what is used to replace his memories – that is what is used to destroy his memories! He goes on to add that, once the subject is placed in the chair and restrained, the headset is placed on top of the subject’s cranium and secured with metal spikes that shoot into his skull. Once that is done, electrical current is passed into the subject’s brain via the penetrating diodes to specified areas of the cerebral cortex known to store short-term memories, destroying the brain cells, and therefore, the memories themselves. As the affected portions of the brain regenerate, he or another with his qualifications, steadily and repeatedly dictate an alternate version of recent events to the subject. “Memory implants,” so to speak!!

Once the subject is conscious and near full recovery, he as the attending physician, “reluctantly” clears him for active duty and then provides him with a sealed dossier containing details for his next mission. The bald scientist, leaning down to check on Logan, adds that off the subject goes, none the wiser! The other scientist starts to chuckle to which the bald scientist asks him what is so funny. The scientist quips that nothing is funny, he was just remembering the last time he did this, Logan actually thanked him for helping him. The bald scientist joins in on the joke and admits that is funny...

At that very moment, Logan wakes up and chops him in the neck with his hand, killing him instantly, much to the horror and shock of the other scientist!! Logan angrily says to him that it’s not so funny now, is it?? He then grabs the scientist by the neck and pins him up against the wall. The scientist pleads with Logan for him to listen to him. Logan tells him to shut up! The scientist adds that he’s on his side; he’s on his team. Logan raises his fist to him and tells him again to SHUT UP!!!! The scientist is then hit in the face with three streams of blood, equidistant apart from each other!! Logan looks down at his hands and sees that he has bone claws coming out of both hands!!

Logan is in complete and utter shock!! He releases the scientist as he looks in amazement at the claws coming out of his hands. The scientist informs him that it wasn’t him. Logan looks down at his claws and indicates that he... remembers it all!! He asks the scientist who gives the orders. His orders; the scientist’s orders. He wants to know who’s behind all of this. Who he’s been killing for all this time - and why!!! He informs the scientist that he’s going to tell him and he’s going to tell him the truth. If he lies, he’ll smell it on him. He has a nose for that thing. He orders the scientist to tell him. The scientist, scared to death, tells him that he doesn’t know. Logan sniffs him and orders him to tell him what he does know. The scientist indicates that he can’t, or they will kill him. Logan retorts that “they” might, but he will kill him right now!!

The scientist rattles off what he knows. It’s a mercenary operation. He’s contacted via telephone, told when and where to rendezvous with a team - never the same people twice. No one knows where the orders come from. No one cares. They just take the money and what they’re told. He adds that Logan is delivered to them, usually unconscious and having suffered severe trauma. His orders are to alter Logan’s memories - to “brainwash” him. It’s the same script every time. Once Logan has been...prepared, he simply tells him that he was injured during his last mission but that, despite the odds, he made it out! He succeeded! Because he’s the best there is at what he does!!!

This time though, was different. In addition to the normal routine, he was instructed to document the effects of carbonadium on his regenerative... Logan orders him to give him the dossier. The scientist offers to cover for Logan. He can report that the procedure was successfully completed, with only a slight complication. That complication being that the other scientist died. As Logan starts to walk away, he indicates to the scientist that it may be in his best interest to do that and that next time, not to answer the phone.

Logan is able to find the escape hatch and makes his way out into an alley between the buildings. He uses his claws to open up the dossier just as a young boy walking by with his parents sees him. Logan sees him and is able to retract his claws, with some pain. He then takes a look at the dossier. He wonders what the hell is in Berlin...

(present)

Back in the half way house, Omega Red is demanding to know where the carbonadium synthesizer is!! Wolverine remembers that he stole it a long time ago - in Berlin. Then about thirty years later, after his memories had been wiped and he had forgotten why he stole it in the first place, he gave it to Maverick – his old teammate from his days in the CIA. That’s why Wolverine came back there. He’s here to get it back. The only problem is - so did Omega Red. The guy he stole it from. Omega Red adds that maybe he needs to ask Maverick’s friend where it is - Jubilee!

At that moment, everything happens fast. Wolverine calls out orders to Maverick and Jubilee and they’re already moving. Both of them have the training and experience - they don’t hesitate. Luckily, neither do the civilians that Maverick is ushering out of the room. Red puts his players on the field too. He speaks in Russian, but Wolverine can understand him. That is, until the bullets start popping from Red’s henchmen and he can’t hear anything. Wolverine manages to draw their fire towards him and away from the civilians. He is able to take a couple of them out with claw swipes but them and their guns are the last thing Wolverine is worried about. Omega Red is the real problem!

At that moment, Omega Red wraps one of his coils around Wolverine’s neck. Omega Red is a psychopath, and his coils are made of carbonadium, which gives off deadly radiation. Wolverine realizes that in an enclosed place full of innocent people, he has to get Red out of there, no matter what it takes. No matter how bad it hurts when Red slams him up against the wall repeatedly. He has to get him out of there whatever it takes, so long as it doesn’t hurt her - Jubilee. All of a sudden, Omega Red and Wolverine fall through the wall that just broke and down onto an adjacent rooftop below.

As Wolverine lays on the rooftop, he hears Omega Red laughing at him. He thinks to himself that he needs to get up. Get up and fight! When he awakens, he realizes that he must have landed on his head and blacked out. He looks over to a hole where Omega Red must have landed. He looks down into the hole where an office worker informs him that it. He went that way, running.

Wolverine wonders why, he was down and helpless, whey didn’t he... He then realizes that it’s because Omega Red isn’t after him. He’s gotten either smarter or more desperate since the last time they tangled. As he leaps onto the other building, using his claws to climb up the building’s side he figures that Red is after the carbonadium synthesizer and the only targets he’s going to waste his time on are the ones standing between him and what he wants. Just then, Wolverine hears Jubilee calling out to him!!!

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine

Christopher Nord – Maverick

Jubilation Lee – Jubilee

Arkady Rossovich - Omega Red

Omega Red’s henchmen (unnamed)

Various ex-mutants (unnamed)

Female office worker (unnamed)

In flashbacks:

A young agent Logan (circa 1963)

Lead scientist (unnamed)

Bald-headed scientist (unnamed)

Passer-bys in Dallas (unnamed)

Story Notes: 

Wolverine was a part of Team X in his early days. This group also included Silver Fox, Mastodon, John Wraith, Sabretooth and Maverick.

Many mutants lost their powers after the events of M-Day. Some of those mutants were Maverick, Jubilee, the Blob and Chamber.

The last time the world saw Maverick, he went by the name Agent Zero and was working for the revamped Weapon X program.

When Omega Red last appeared, he was a Red Mafia kingpin (Weapon X #3)

Omega Red was born Arkady Gregorivich. Arkady Rossovich is one of his aliases. He was transformed into Omega Red by the KGB, so he could be a Russian super-soldier. Years ago, Team X stole a device called the carbonadium synthesizer, which was a device that was used to stabilize Omega Red’s mutant power. Omega Red’s powers are as follows: he is a mutant with the ability to secrete bodily pheromones deadly to everyone in his immediate vicinity. This power greatly drains his energy, requiring him to absorb the life force of others. He also has superhuman strength gained from the KGB’s enhancement. Omega Red’s arms were implanted with long carbonadium coils that he can extend and retract through openings in his wrists. The coils serve as both a conduit and a stabilizing factor for his mutant pheromones.

This issue explains how Wolverine received one of his traditional catchphrases. “He is the best there is at what he does.”

Wolverine’s claws were not an upgrade by the Weapon X program. He was initially born with bone claws. [Origin #2]. The first modern appearance of his bone claws was in Wolverine (2nd Series) #75. The Weapon X program laced his skeleton and, inadvertently, his claws with adamantium.

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