Claws of Fate

Weapon X-2

We were now on a chopper, heading toward what seemed like Stryker's lab. It was remote, hidden away from prying eyes. Stryker had been vague about the procedure, but I paid him no mind. My sole focus was on revenge. If this meant I'd be able to take out Victor head-on, I didn't care.

I was placed on a cold, metal table suspended above a pool of water. As I stared off, a nurse prepped me for the procedure, drawing lines on my body. She took a deep breath, almost looking sorry for me. "When it starts, whatever the reason you're doing this for, focus on that. Maybe it'll help."

I shrugged her off, I've been through hell and back this was going to be nothing. "I've been through worse."

The nurse gave me one final look and shook her head. "No, you haven't." She walked over to Stryker, informing him they were ready. Her words left an unsettling feeling in me as I lay on the table, waiting for it to start.

Stryker's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "We're going to make you indestructible, but first, we're going to have to destroy you." I took a deep breath, remembering the nurse's words and focusing on why I was doing this.

Stryker got closer to me and asked, "Do you remember what we were looking for in Africa?" Of course, I did, the memory was raw—that was the night Victor had attacked me and James, the night I lost my older brother for good.

Stryker stepped closer, saying, "I found it. It helped us create a metal compound so strong you'll be able to withstand virtually anything. It's called adamantium."

I looked at the man in front of me as he stood beside me. "I can't put Victor down myself. To kill him, you need to embrace the other side. Become the animal. I always knew you were special, Morgan." He spoke in a chilled voice as he caressed my face.

Feeling put off by his words, I turned my head away, uncomfortable from his touch. "Let's do this."

Before the procedure started, Stryker stopped and turned back around, "Almost forgot," he said as he raised my old dog tags from Vietnam. "I want new ones." Without even looking, I said.

Stryker asked, "What do you want them to say?"

"I can't lose you too, Wolvie."

I took a deep breath, James's last words to me replaying in my head. "Wolverine," I replied.

The dog tags were made almost immediately and given to me. I placed them around my neck and pulled the mask over my face, ready to be submerged. As I waited, Stryker welcomed a group of uniformed men. "Generals, welcome. Today you will witness medical history. We're going to create Weapon X-2."

One of the generals, confused, asked, "Why X?"

"Roman numeral," Stryker replied, inferring this wasn't the first experiment he'd done. "Today we are going to be bonding adamantium to Weapon X-2's skeleton." He informed the generals. "Let's begin."

The longer I lay on the table, the more I started to regret my choices, but there was no going back now. They placed me in the body of water, fully submerging me. I could hear the sound of the drilling needles coming closer and watched them intently as they approached.

Stryker gave a nod to the nurse, and she pressed a button, injecting the needles into me. Pain seared through my body as the needles pierced my bones. Every bad memory flooding back into my mind—the wars, arguments, Victor attacking me. It felt like boiling lava coursed through my veins, and I thrashed around, unable to escape.

"You're freaks of nature! Both of you!"

"I am your father. John never was."

"We stick together, remember?"

"We're more than just the animals people make us out to be."

"If there's a chance I can save even one life, it's worth it."

"You're not him, you know?"

"Wake me up when it's over, Wolvie."

"Show me you're no better than I am."

"You deserve happiness too, Morgan."

"You're not animals, what you have is a gift."

"We'll figure it out, Wolvie. Just like we always do."

"You know you're just like me. You're an animal."

"You're not my brother, James is. I'm nothing like you."

Every living memory I had resurfaced, intensifying the pain. I thrashed more violently, my restraints holding me in place.

"I can't lose you too, Wolvie."

James's voice was the last thing I heard before the pain became too much, and I lost consciousness, unable to bear it any longer.

The sound of my heart flat-lining echoed viciously throughout the facility. Zero spoke up, scoffing, "I guess she can die."

Stryker, angry, looked away from the screen, the echo of the flat line a haunting reminder of his failure. Everyone held their heads low until they heard the sound of a singular heartbeat. The nurse made eye contact with Stryker as my heart slowly regained a steady rhythm. Stryker moved closer to the rail, intently looking at the chamber for any sign of life. "Come back," he whispered.

"No rejection from the adamantium. The procedure is complete." A doctor spoke up.

Stryker smiled, "We did it." He shouted in excitement as Zero approached him, "Are we taking her to the island?"

Stryker took a second before shaking his head. "No. The bonding works. We'll use her DNA for him and the others. Erase her memory." He repeated the command to the doctor.

My eyes shot open as I heard Stryker saying to wipe my memory. Thrashing around in the chamber, I broke the needles that were in my body. Something surged through me, and I extracted my claws, now a slick, sharp metal. "I think she heard you," Zero said.

I broke my restraints with newfound strength and emerged from the water, yelling with my claws out. "Stryker!" I shouted.

Zero shot at me, a bullet hitting my skull. It barely made a scratch due to the adamantium skeleton. Zero looked at me in fear, seeing the bullet had done no damage. Stryker yelled for a lockdown.

I jumped out of the water and attacked the surrounding soldiers as Zero continued to shoot at me. I killed one last soldier, digging my claws into his face, and slipped through the door. Met by a dead end, I stared at my claws, raising them to slash at the metal door. My new claws easily ripped through the metal.

I made my escape, jumping down a waterfall. The rush of water washed over me as I fell, my mind focused on one thing: revenge. I was going to make Victor pay for taking away my brother.