Redemption

Chapter Twenty-three

"This is Rogue," I said, turning Rogue around to face Bullseye. "Rogue, this is my dear old friend Bullseye."

"Why am I target practice?" Rogue demanded. "Are you going to kill me like you did Laura?"

"Who's Laura?" Bullseye asked. "A love interest?"

"Laura was my half-sister," I said. "One more little sister to go and then I'll have Wolverine all alone."

"What about the X-men?" asked Bullseye.

"That's what you and Osborn are for,"

"Osborn? Is he here?"

"I'll only convince him if you come with me," I said. "I have a strong feeling that he hates me with a burning passion."

"I agree," said Bullseye. "As long as I get to kill Cyclops."

"He's all yours,"

An evil grin spread across Bullseye's face, "This is going to be fun," he said.

The toddler is tied up to my target. Daken doesn't want me to hit her directly, just get her cuts and stuff. He said it was to leave the X-men a message. I don't think the toddler knews about this since she started crying the minute Daken began to tie her up.

"What's her mutant ability again?" I asked.

"She can kill people with a touch," said Daken.

"Then why aren't you dead?" I asked.

"Healing powers, remember?" said Daken, pulling out some jazz hands.

"Please don't ever do jazz hands again," I groaned. "Seeing you do them makes me sick."

"You just gave me a reason to do it again," grinned Daken.

I snarled at him and raised my bow and put an arrow in. I aimed carefully and fired. The mutant toddler whimpered as the arrow grazed her arm. I fired again and again and after a while I got bored of looking. I wouldn't hit her. I promise.

Instead of looking at my target, I looked at my old college. He watched the mutant hostage with a sort of calmness as she began to cry. He is exactly how I remembered him to be, but at the same time, so different. It's like when I knew him, he was a child, and now, he is an adult.

I lowered my bow, all out of arrows.

"I did what you asked," I said. "What now?"

Daken didn't say a word, it was obvious he was lost in thought. Finally, he walked up to the toddler, pulled an arrow out of the target and stabbed her arm with it. She screamed in pain. Good thing my walls are pretty thick. Daken turned to me.

"We're going to let her go to the X-men," he said.

"What?" I yelled. "After all that? They'll know it was me! Even if they think it was another archer, both our fingerprints are on it!"

"Oh, you misunderstand me, Bullseye," said Daken. "I want them to know it was us. I want them to know who they're fighting. I want them to come after us." 

"Are you insane?" I bellowed. "How can two people defeat the X-men?"

Daken grinned, "You'll see,"

It hurts, everything hurts. Daken's new friend is just as insane as he is. Maybe that's part of Daken's plan. Two psychopaths up against a group of sane people. Daken and Bullseye will fight 'till they die. I don't know who this Osborn is, but I'm assuming he's just like Daken and his friend. 

Daken stopped the car near the docks and pushed me out, Bullseye's arrow still impaired in my arm. Once I had closed the door — I know I'm mad but I'm not a bad person, I wouldn't leave the door open, no matter how much I hate him — Daken drove off, leaving me near the sight of Laura's decapitation.

I ran down toward the docks, hoping the X-men had arrived. But there was no one. Even Laura's body and head were gone. Her blood was gone as well. I was alone. I collapsed to my knees, the events of the past four to five days dragging tears out of my eyes. Where was Wolverine? Where was Storm and Cyclops and Beast and Nightcrawler and Professor X? Where were the X-men when I needed them most?

I had been kidnapped by a psychopath!

"I still don't trust you," stated Bullseye. It had been the fifth time he had said it in the past thirty minutes.

"I know you don't," I said, trying valiantly not to yell at him. "You never did."

I could feel Bullseye's glare. Soon, thankfully, I pulled to a stop.

"Here we are," I said. "Too bad the rest of the Dark Avengers can't be here."

"That would be a terrible reunion," said Bullseye.

"That's why it would be fun," I said, getting out of the car. Bullseye followed my motion and walked with me inside the building. We were instantly stopped by Osborn's secretary.

"Excuse me," she said. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Not exactly," said Daken. "We're just here to see Norman Osborn."

"You can't just be here to see Norman Osborn," scoffed the secretary. "You need an appointment."  

"Do you value your life, madam secretary?" Bullseye asked.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked.

"It's a question that you are going to answer," I said, catching on to Bullseye's plan. "Now."