Redemption

Chapter Nine

I stopped running about two and a half miles from the dock. I don't need to catch my breath, I just need to pull myself together. They — the X-men — could be on me at any moment. I need a game plan. Just run, my gut tells me, you can get farther away if you run. I take a deep breath. Something powerful hits me in the side of the head. I stumbled, regaining my balance only to get hit again. I dodge the third blast of red and look around. I'm surrounded. Storm. Cyclops. Beast. Wolverine. 

"Oh hey guys," I said.

Cyclops yelled and ran at me. I dodged and tripped him. Then my father was running at me too. I ducked his first attack, sinking my claws into his chest. Cyclops is on me next, I just barely run him through. I'm slammed to the ground by Beast.

"Little rascal," he hissed.

I feel my claws pop out and I stab the nearest part of Beast I can reach, his leg.

"Your little claws can't stop you," he hissed.

I met his eyes, "Get off."

He did.

"Beast?" Scott asked, choking on blood. "What just happened?"

"Daken!" Wolverine scolded. "Put him right!"

"What?" I shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

The sky darkened.

"Oh," I said with obviously fake fear. "I'm so scared of some rain."

The hail came first. Then the rain. A voice boomed.

"STOP!"

The storm stopped, Beast came out of the grasp of my powers, Scott stopped bleeding, and Wolverine stopped seething. I turned to see a guy in a wheelchair.

"You again?" I asked.

A woman was standing behind him. I recognized her too from when they had shown up in my dream. The man raised his hand and I was shot up into the air. Something was squeezing my neck. The woman.

"Jean stop!" Wolverine yelled. "Don't kill him!" 

I met Jean's eyes. The anger in her face calmed. The grip on my neck was gone. The man in the wheelchair looked at me curiously.

"Let me go," I hissed, struggling in the air.

"What did you do Laura, Daken?" Logan demanded.

"You tell me," I said, still looking at the man in the wheelchair.

"If you're trying to get back at me for Romulus," hissed Logan. "It won't work."

"Romulus?" I said. "Who's Romulus?"

"Tell the truth!" Cyclops bellowed. "You know exactly who Romulus is! You worked for him!"

I met my dad's eyes, "I'm telling the truth. Who's Romulus?"

"Drop him, Professor X," Logan ordered, his eyes still fixed on mine.

I was dropped to the ground without hesitation, sending a stabbing pain through my knees. Wolverine was at my side within seconds. 

"You really don't remember?" Logan asked. "Romulus was a big part of your life, of our lives." 

"Giving hints won't help," Logan's son said, pushing himself up. "Either tell me who he is or let me get out of this city."

Something hit Logan like a truck. Daken was suffering from the healing factor. Logan had suffered from this also, the healing factor made him forget tragic moments in his life. This was obviously happening to Daken. Romulus had been a big part of his life — the only part of his life, besides the Dark Avengers and X-men — and Logan knew Daken had taken his death hard. 

Another thing hit Logan. He could finally start over with his son. He could finally have a life with another one of his children.

"Romulus killed your mother," Logan said. "I wasn't there to stop him. He took you away from me and I couldn't get you back. You didn't want me to get you back."

Logan met his son's eyes, and smiled, hoping their relationship could restart. Two metal claws were jammed through Daken's heart. Wolverine screamed. Daken sank to his knees, blood spilling from the wound in his chest.

"Dad..." he said. "How could you..."

"This wasn't me!"

Logan looked up. His breaths stopped coming. Standing in front of him, right hand covered in her older brother's blood stood Honey Badger.

"That's for Laura," said Gabby.

"NO!" Wolverine shrieked.