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[Assistant]
Alpha & Omega – Part 2
Inside the Construct:
Hisako and Logan are resting in their broken down room. Snow has fallen inside. Hisako awakes shortly and covers Logan with a blanket, telling him to sleep.
Instinctively, she armors up as she walk to the window, then notices what she’s done. This is weird. She armors down, but in the next moment a sniper’s bullet almost hits her and she takes cover.
Reality:
In a classroom, Quentin Quire draws a 7.62-MM svd dragunov sniper rifle, the model that was fired at Hisako. Has to keep her on her toes.
Other students filter into the classroom. Rockslide notices Quentin looks like hell. Did he sleep at all? Nah, but he changed his shirt, Quentin replies, pointing to his I hate People shirt.
After the lesson, Quentin tries to flirt with Roxy Washington aka Bling! who clearly isn’t interested. He’s got a thing going on, she’d be really into it, he tells her. She’s supposed to be into his thing? she scoffs. She thinks he may have missed a memo. Undeterred, he continues, trying to impress Roxy, telling her about the alternate reality, a fully loaded construct running in real time in his head. Disinterested, she tells him he plays too many videogames, but that would suggest he is a normal teenager, which everyone knows he isn’t. She’s a little busy here, so does he have a point?
Can’t she just be impressed? he sulks. Memo thing aside. With him? Hardly. He really did miss the memo. Apart from the fact he is making a world-class idiot of himself right now, for the sake of conversation, he has some kind of telepathic fantasy… A fully loaded construct, he corrects her. Whatever! Running in his head and it kicks all kinds of ass. She should be impressed as a fellow mutant. He’s an omega level telepath. Isn’t that the kind of stuff they do as a matter of course? Roxy points out. What’s really so special?
When was last time she saw their illustrious headmaster Logan walking around? he smirks. Who cares, she shrugs and begins to walk back to the catalogue, looking for a book. He is wasting her time!
He offers to show her the construct. He can bring her into it. It’s a hundred times more powerful and detailed than the best CGI she can imagine, populated with real people or projections of them. He’s running that right now while talking to her. And the best part is he has total control. He’s God in there. He’s better than God, manipulating fine detail. Thousands of character storylines, the weather, the smell of smoke in the air, the crunch of gravel underfoot. Check it out. She’d be guest number three. Now ask him who the first two were!
Roxy brushes him off and suggests he take a shower. She’s sure there is a girl out there who will be as impressed by his video game as he is, but that it is just not her.
Was she actually listening to him? he mutters. Was who listening? Rachel Grey asks sharply and orders him to get to class.
On the school grounds, Toad stands in front of the shed in which Quentin stashed Logan’s body, the door now busted open. Toad swears about another mess he has to clean up.
In the Construct:
Logan and Hisako are hiding in a crowd on the streets when there is a public fugitive alert, describing the two of them. Who sold them out? Hisako mutters. The boss man, Logan explains. They lost the package then disappeared. What should they expect? Calling in central authority like this sends a clear message. To them or others? Hisako asks. Both. He gives them five minutes till they are spotted. He asks her to get them out of open air.
In an alley, they try to take cover. He wants her to watch the sky. How long has he known her? She asks insulted. Has she ever been spotted by a drone? How does he feel? Like hell, he admits, then asks her, has she ever been spotted by a drone. Really, has she? Can’t come up with it, huh? Him neither. What about his claws? Her armor? Or even taking the job?
She admits she doesn’t know. He agrees. He feels like they should know the answers. He sniffs something. A moment later, grenades land next to them. Before they explode, Hisako has covered them both in her armor. Logan orders her to fall back to the building.
Soldiers come rushing downwards and fire at them. Logan orders Hisako to run to the roof. They find this wasn’t a good idea, as air gliders are waiting for them and instantly open fire. They jump over to the next roof with their foes always giving chase. They keep on running and jumping until the chasm between two roofs is too wide. Logan tells Hisako to grab onto him and finds a hold in the next wall with his claws.
When he drags them up the roof an army of identical-looking Japanese young men with swords is waiting for him. Hisako tries to tell him something. He ignores her and begins attacking the men. Hisako begins to cry and one of the men slices Logan’s arm. Logan keeps on battling, enjoying all of it. Manifesting her armor, Hisako shouts at him to stop. That’s her brother! They’re all her brother!
The real world:
Having escaped from the shed, Wolverine’s body – with its rudimentary personality – crouches in the bushes. Telepath… feels him in his brain like worms… Hurts… burns. Find him! Kill him! Kill Quire!
Elsewhere, Quentin Quire is accompanied by fellow student Mercury, who announces she doesn’t want anyone see her going into his room. It’s just some CDs, he sighs exhausted. Is it clean in here? Cessily asks, peeking in.
Quentin takes off his shirt, ignoring her and thinking of his construct. Logan’s degradation is so, so perfect. Does he dare leave it unattended for a few hours? Can’t just program closed loops… he’ll figure it out. Hit pause? Boring!
Is he talking to her? Mercury asks confused. Quentin sinks on his bed, exhausted. The journey is its own reward, he mutters. Corny, but true. He has no endgame. Not in the Construct anyway. He is rather looking forward to waking Logan up, telling him what he’s been up to.
Mercury asks him to put back on his shirt. Plus Hisako, he mutters into his pillow. He has no beef with her. She doesn’t deserve much more of this. He cannot believe no one’s impressed with what he’s built here. Shame to just pull the plug.
Mercury asks what Hisako has to do with anything. One last battle? he wonders.
Mercury decides to borrow the CDs later.
He needs four hours sleep, Quentin decides. A bit of enhanced gameplay should keep them on the run. He orders Mercury to stay. She’s his alarm clock. Wake him at midnight! He switches off the light.
Predictably, Mercury isn’t having an of it, and so Quentin awakes the next morning, sensing something coming fast, namely, the berserker personality of Wolverine…


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[Assistant]
Alpha & Omega – Part 3
The Construct:
A meteor falls towards Earth and detonates within the city. Logan and Hisako have sought shelter behind a burned-out bus. He tries to calm her as they see people die, reminding her those things aren’t real. They can’t be her brother. He’s not saying it doesn’t hurt and doesn’t seriously mess with her head. It flies in the face of all logic and reality. But it’s not real. They’ll sort this all out, he promises. He hugs her as she keeps them both protected with her armor.
Reality:
Wolverine (or to be more precise his berserker personality) keeps on shouting for Quentin Quire. Quentin runs outside into the hallway where other students grin at him, telling him he is in trouble. Logan sounds P.O.ed.
Quentin checks on the Construct to find out that things changed dramatically during his sleep. It’s like Word War 7 in there. One step at a time, he tells himself
Quire! he hears Wolverine shouting. Precisely, Quentin agrees. Whoever or whatever he is, he is going back inside the box. Hiding in the restroom a little later, he wonders who he is kidding. He crossed the Rubicon on this one. Past the point of calling this a prank. And somewhere out there is a walking slab of Logan’s Id, baying for his blood.
Say what? custodian Toad asks nervously as he cleans another stall in the bathroom. Quentin sighs. Toad has got it made. Say what again? Toad asks in even more disbelief. Exactly his point, Quentin sighs. On the one hand, he has achieved so much in the Construct. He has created his Sistine Ceiling! It’s gorgeous! Except it’s out of control and killing Logan and Hisako. And he doesn’t know how to turn it off. He wonders if all omega level telepaths feel so burdened by their excellence.
A little later, Quentin nervously enters Rachel Grey’s office, asking if she has a sec. Perfect, she replies. Sure. All she has going on is a missing headmaster and like five blown meetings. Hisako is skipping class, which is unlike her. And today nothing surprises her, not even the fact that someone ripped up the grass and destroyed one of the sheds in the yard. And here he is, the very student who seems quite unable to get to class. She has all the time in the word for him, she assures him, dripping with sarcasm. How can she be of assistance? When he doesn’t reply, she throws him out.
Quentin decides he can’t tell her, not wishing to show her he is even a worse screw-up than she thinks. He decides he is going to fix this and stop talking to himself.
In her office, Rachel tries to establish telepathic contact with Logan. What she gets is his berserker rage, whose unbridled fury throws her to the ground.
The Construct:
Logan and Hisako are in a car that is beset by hail that manages to even break through the car roof.
Reality:
Quentin stands at the door to his room and sniffs. He should really clean his room, he decides, when he smells something bad. Suddenly, claws rip through the door. Berserker Wolverine is on the other side, he breaks the door, shouting Quire’s name and running into the other direction.
Oh my, Broo mumbles. Quentin calms him. He masked them. Just be glad it is not his name he is calling, he tells Broo. Was that headmaster Logan? Broo asks.
Part of him, Quentin explains. The not nice part, the bit that’s all ugly impulses and unchecked aggression. Is the good guy part of him coming back? Broo asks. He’ll make sure of it, Quentin promises. Now take off, let him be alone for a bit. Quentin hides and concentrates. Time to be better than you are, he tells himself.
The Construct:
Logan and Hisako have hidden again in a burned-out house. Logan feels like hell, getting worse. About what’s happening outside … he doesn’t think that is their world. Hisako doesn’t want it to be. It’s full of ghosts. She can’t stop seeing her brother’s face. When she looks at this world, it’s nothing like what she sees when she thinks of her brother or others of her family. The pieces don’t fit; she doesn’t think she belongs here.
Logan thinks he belonged to a lot of places and a lot of times. He feels old. Not run-down, although right now is an exception, but his memories feel deep. And then there’s this… he looks at his claws. He knows there is a reason they exist. He should be freaked out by them but isn’t at all. So he’s with her. He has a lot of questions about who he is… what he is, but he can say one thing for sure. Nothing about this place has anything to do with it.
And her brother? she asks. He doesn’t know her brother but he can tell he is important to her and the experience cut deep. Don’t let it ruin her memories. She’s got any shreds of who she really is, hold on tightly to them!
What are they? Hisako wonders. Alive for now, he states simply. He tries to get up despite his injuries. He thinks all this isn’t real. They both feel it, and that means someone built it. That means there is a plan. There has to be a narrative. They’ve been running from the boss for two days straight and things have only gotten worse for them. Maybe they’ve been making the wrong decisions. They should go find him. See what happens… get some answers… He reaches out and she takes his hand.
Reality:
Quentin sits in his makeshift tent, concentrating, trying to fix the construct, admitting he is a mess. Influencing the Construct has become harder for him. He sets the alarm for six hours and decides to go in as a player.
The Construct:
So, a little later in the Construct, Quentin Quire is the boss, dressed in a fascist style uniform, standing in a control room. Respectfully, a subordinate addresses him to inform him of the latest security protocols. He reminds Quentin he was to alert him to anything irregular. He points to a screen, showing Hisako and Logan coming their way, strolling in through the front gates. Order to fire? he asks. Please don’t! Quentin tells him smirking. They will find their way to him. This is perfect!
Reality:
A quarantine alert has been sounded. Rachel orders the kids to their panic rooms (again) while trying to telepathically find Logan. She hopes after everybody is gone they can talk and figure this out.


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[Assistant]
Alpha & Omega – Part 4
Reality:
Night at the Jean Grey School. Rachel Grey psychically scans for Logan after having cleared the common area. She pleads with him to come out. They can help him. They can end this peacefully. But his Berserker personality is too far gone…
The Construct:
Logan sniffs. The place smells like war. Oiled metal, cordite, fear, fascism. Nothing out of order. That’s the way it’s always smelled. This place is fake as hell, he concludes. It’s too real. Like a perfectly programmed set of sensor inputs. His brain’s calibrated to recognize it. He doesn’t like being screwed around with.
Hisako agrees. Logan promises that whatever bastard is behind this, for all she’s been put through he will not stop hurting them for a long, long time.
Reality:
The cafeteria. Chamber telepathically contacts Rachel, informing her they completed the head count and Armor is missing. Rachel asks him to check gate security. She prays Logan had nothing to do with this.
Elsewhere, Quentin Quire concentrates on the coming confrontation.
The Construct:
Boss! Logan announces, claws unsheathed.
Reality:
Quire! the Berserker snarls.
The Construct:
Nervously, Quentin turns around, pretending to be cool. Can he help them with something? he mumbles. Unsheathing his claws, Logan replies he can. How about calling off his dogs? Hisako and he spent the last couple of days avoiding getting killed by him, and frankly it’s been a tough time. Threatening Quentin with his claws, he orders him to stop it.
Logan, it’s him, Quentin whispers. Speak up! Logan commands. It’s Quentin Quire ! Why are they whispering? Hisako asks and how does he know Quentin Quire? What’s Quentin Quire? Logan asks. Hisako doesn’t know. A fuzzy name from a different life. No, yes, Quentin tries to explain. It’s a name from their real life.
Logan asks if all this isn’t real. Quentin explains. He is Logan aka Wolverine. She is Hisako Ichiki aka Armor. Two mutants who live with Quentin at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Logan is the headmaster. Quentin admits creating this psychic construct and expanding it to include them. Their thoughts and brain processes are within Quentin’s. It’s a little complicated. He was sorta having a bad day when he did it. He apologizes.
Logan orders him to shut up. Hisako orders him to talk. There’s something he isn’t telling them. Logan threatens Quentin with the claws again. Is he some kind of hologram? What happens when he spikes him? Quentin asks him not to. He doesn’t know. Logan is of a mind to find out. Only way he can prove his story.
Swearing, Quentin claims there is another way to prove it. Isn’t he wounded? Nothing that will slow him down, Logan boasts. Quentin explains he can cure him. It’s all code, really. He concentrates and… nothing happens.
He admits that since he created the Construct it has become a little tricky to control. When Logan threatens him again Quentin concentrates and turns the building into air. They all land hard. Quentin laughs. He told them! Can he turn that into air? Logan asks. Quentin turns around to see what he means. Namely a whole army of tanks and helicopters arrayed against them. This is not his idea, Quentin pleads. He doesn’t know what this is but he can say one thing for sure. His subconscious hates his guts!
Reality:
Rachel walks through the empty school until she comes across Wolverine in the hallways. Hisako… Wasn’t him, he growls. Thank God, Rachel mutters. Quire in his room? he asks. Probably, Rachel replies. Why? But he doesn’t reply and just leaves.
Rachel tries to stop him, pleading she can help. She knows that the berserker personality stores his rage, to keep it in check. It’s not for tearing up the school and going after kids. She pleads he doesn’t want this on his conscience. He finally replies that something was taken from him. By Quire. What was taken? Rachel asks. Logan, is the reply.
Elsewhere, a complaining caretaker Toad walks the cellar to get rid of some things when he comes across the unconscious Hisako. He immediately informs Rachel, who tells him to have Karma help him. She is tied up here.
The Construct:
As the three flee from the army, Wolverine asks if he has any other powers besides the claws. Accelerated healing, Quentin informs him, then admits that he disabled that talent a bit. He hates his guts, Logan states. He knows, Quentin sighs.
They run into the street to find they are surrounded. Can he bring that building back? Logan asks. Quentin brings it down on part of the army.
Logan feels eventually the soldiers will get them. They gotta cut this off at the source. Quentin tries to think them out, to no avail. More soldiers come. Logan and Hisako try to hold them off and Logan suggests he try to work on the healing factor.
Reality:
Rachel joins Karma, Toad and the unconscious Hisako in the girl’s room. Rachel scans her, sensing psychic pain which she can barely tap. Physically, Hisako is fine and it is not really a coma. They wonder what is up. Rachel has an idea. She asks Karma to stay here and try to communicate with Hisako as well as she can. She is trying to find some answers.
The Construct:
Logan fights an endless army while Quentin tries to concentrate. Hisako asks him if, where they come from, they are friends. He doesn’t really have friends, Quentin replies. He figures he’s got Logan’s healing factor switched on. Hisako asks why this is so hard for him to control. If she’d asked him yesterday, he’d say something like it’s so well made, it just took on a life of its own. But more likely it’s because he is a mess and doesn’t have a handle on his telepathy like he thought he did.
Why do all the soldiers have her dead brother’s face? she demands. Quentin doesn’t know. The Construct draws from their memories as much as his. He doesn’t even know what her brother looks like. This is really hard— Hisako tells him to save it. She’s not gonna feel bad for him. Just take them someplace safe.
He tells her to look next to her. There is a big red button. The off button or self destruct, depending on how you want to look at it. But he doesn’t know what else to do and he doesn’t know what’s going to happen when they press this. If they pull through it okay. But he doesn’t know how else to save her and Logan. Okay, she agrees and they press the button together.


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[Assistant]
Alpha & Omega – Part 5
The Construct:
Hisako and Quentin find that pressing the button doesn’t work. They are still trapped in the Construct. Hisako becomes furious, while Quentin apologizes.
Reality:
Hidden, Quentin focuses so much that his nose is bleeding. The Berserker runs through the evacuated school and Rachel is looking for him, while Karma and Toad stand guard at the unconscious Hisako’s bedside.
The Construct:
Battling the enemy troops, Logan shouts how things are going. He’s noticing these nightmares of Quire’s are still trying to kill him and he ain’t exactly feeling one hundred percent!
One gunman man catches him unawares. Before he can be shot, however, Hisako’s armor protects Logan. The fascist? Logan asks. Is an idiot! Hisao replies and swats away the gunman. It’s mostly not working. Fighting back to back, Logan tells her she was a good partner, even if the skinny freak is right and they’ve only been in this reality for a couple of days. He still means it. Does he think they are friends in the real world too? she asks. After all this? They better be! he decides and they continue to battle while Quentin concentrates.
Reality:
Rachel knocks on the door to Quentin’s room and tries to reach him telepathically, to find she is blocked. Angrily, she kicks open the door, threatening to take him apart. She finds Quentin sitting on the floor in concentration, blood running from his nose. Telepathically, she orders him to let her in and help! To no avail. Angrily, she threatens him, shouting what the hell has he done to her friends.
The Construct:
Sitting in the ruins, Quentin berates himself for being a loser and a liability. He sees Logan and Hisako fighting, fearing they are “gonna die.” The whole Construct is out of his control. It feels like trying to grab water when he tries to manipulate it. They are gonna die! And the school, so important to so many people, will probably die too! He will die when Rachel gets ahold of him!
Suddenly, he has an idea. He tries to get the others’ attention and shouts that Logan has to kill him. Maybe this will feed back and force the illusion to quit. He got them into this mess and doesn’t know how to get them out. It’s a risk but surely the greatest risk is to him. This is his last idea. They have to kill him! Works for him, Logan replies and immediately impales him.
Reality:
In the empty cafeteria, the berserker falls down. In her room, Hisako awakes and instinctively armors up. Karma informs Rachel, then asks Hisako what happened. Hisako asks where Quentin Quire is. Disgusted, Karma asks why she cares.
Logan, once more in his body, slowly gets up and orders Rachel out of his head. It hurts enough. Welcome back, Rachel tells him. The place has gone to hell since he’s been away.
Been away? he asks confused, then remembers. Quire! he snarls. Rachel tells him to wait and suggests he clean up, get dressed. They have a school in chaos and a student population in lockdown to deal with. Think like a headmaster! Besides, she’s not sure he can do worse to Quentin than he is already doing to himself.
In his room, Quentin packs his belongings while berating himself for being a total idiot. Broo peeks in. Before he can say anything, Quentin shouts at him to get lost. When he runs away, Quentin admits he will miss Broo most of all.
Already started packing? Wolverine asks him. Oh crap! Quentin utters. “Mr. headmaster,” he then addresses him respectfully for the first time and admits he messed up. He’s just glad he is okay and Hisako. Maybe he can tell her that. She won’t speak to Quentin.
Looking around the mess, Logan asks if he did that to Quentin’s room. It’s all a bit fuzzy. He stabbed Quentin right in the heart. If there’s a bright moment to be found in any of this, that was it. But there’s not really anything good to say about what happened, is there? Quentin could have killed them. What he created was a masterpiece. It was a prison of horror and pain. But as far as those types of things go it was impressive. And where the hell does he think he’s going?
Surprised, Quentin stutters that he figures he’s going to be incarcerated by the Avengers. ‘Cause he blew their deal, right? Who made him boss? Wolverine asks sharply.
He’s going to make a deal with him. He doesn’t like what happened for all the reasons you can think of and one more. He was defenseless against Quentin. He stripped Logan of his consciousness and put him in some reality and he bought it. It’s hard for him to admit this. But Quentin beat him. And he didn’t even know the battle existed. That’s never going to happen again. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Quentin, him and six a.m. He’s going to train Logan in psychic defense. He’s running this school and is responsible for everyone in it. He refuses to be beaten again by anyone! It’s not just about him. The stakes are too high now. Report to him in the morning, bright and early.
Alone, Quentin begins to grin. Talk about Psychwar 101…


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[Assistant]
Guts and Glory
(not long ago - New York City)
New York City is bustling with people. Amongst them is a stranger in this time, a man who has seen it all and who has returned to this era in order to carry out an all-important task. It’s been two days since the tall, silver-haired man stepped off the cargo ship that brought him to America from Scotland. It’s also two days since he slept. He has walked the streets in an effort to try and assimilate and absorb everything. It hasn’t been easy. He looks around at the way things were around the time of his birth, and he wonders if he has done the right thing in coming there. He witnesses the teeming rush of humanity around him, and wonders… can they be saved?
As Nathan Dayspring has come here to fight a war, the first thing he must obtain is information. He knows he has only just begun a long journey to understanding, and where better to begin than at a stall selling the Daily Bugle. He picks up a copy and leafs through the pages. The vendor takes offense at his nonchalance, and aggressively snatches the paper from him. Nathan wanders away, but with effortless ease, he uses a portion of his telekinesis to cause the vendor’s stand to collapse. He offers a wry grin, and senses that he’s beginning to learn a few things about surviving in New York.
(Northern Canada)
In contrast to the hustle of the city, the center of modern civilization, a small shack in the snow-covered hills of Northern Canada offers peace, tranquility and a rare moment of contentment for its occupants. Wolverine relaxes with a cigar as his female companion sleeps. He is a man whose memory has many spaces and incomplete memories; so inaccessible. He relishes rare moments like these, but they never last.
A buzzing sound alerts him to an incoming signal from his employers - Department H. He clicks a switch and James Hudson’s face appears on the screen. He doesn’t ‘bore’ Logan with the details of his mission, but asks him to find the story on his short wave radio. Logan turns it on, and a reporter provides details of a disturbance in the area around Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The RCMP has been called in, but the cause of the disturbance is at present, unknown. Soon, Logan is in costume, still smoking his cigar. The reporter adds that witnesses have seen some kind of creature running amok. Local authorities are reporting heavy casualties, and don’t have the firepower to combat this threat. Logan forgives Mac this time. Something like this needs a specialist; someone like him.
(New York)
Meanwhile, Nathan makes his way to the library, where the information he needs is readily to hand. Two millennia from now, historical records are scarce to say the least. Entire centuries are unaccounted for. The history of this particular century is incredibly vague, which is disturbing considering the importance of the era. He reads newspaper records stored on microfilm, and comes across a story about Professor Charles Xavier, who is described by the paper as a maverick researcher. Nathan recognizes him and knows that it was this man’s dream that started it all; a dream that at this point hasn’t yet taken form. But it will. Nathan learns what he needs to know about him, and will soon seek him out. But, more than this, he learns of the twentieth century.
He reads about the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, two world wars followed by a long cold war. He reads about the space race and nuclear proliferation. It’s astonishing what was achieved in just a hundred years, he thinks; it’s almost too much to take. He thought it would be different here. He has seen his own wars, his own tragedies and rivers of blood. He thinks of his wife dying in his arms, and his resolve returns tenfold. This is why he has come back.
Wishing to take something out, he is prevented by the elderly librarian who informs him he cannot do so without a library card. Before they can discuss this further, they hear sounds emanating from outside the library, police sirens included. Nathan heads outside and sees that police have cordoned off the jewelry shop across the street. He overhears two cops talking about how this started out as a robbery. A guard tripped the alarm, and now they’ve got a hostage situation on their hands. Nathan slips past a police guard with judicious use of his telepathy, and he enters the shop through a strangely open window. It’s quiet, and he wonders if he’s dealing with a single enemy, or several. It makes no difference to him.
He soon comes across the main vault which has an explosive attached to it, with a timer counting down the seconds. He understands that the device is more advanced than most similar types of this era. It’s a hi-tech robbery, but who could be responsible?
He suddenly senses movement behind him, but is too late to prevent himself being slammed to the ground by a wing belonging to the costumed criminal, the Vulture. Nathan goes down hard. The Vulture doesn’t know how he got inside, but he won’t allow him to disrupt him on his first endeavor as a master thief. Nate looks up at his assailant. “Nice outfit, old man,” he remarks. The Vulture replies, “Old!? Allow me to demonstrate how ‘old’ I am!” He slams his foot into Nate’s chest, before taking to the air and swooping gracefully out into the night sky. Officers duck as he warns them to stay down and not to look at him. Nate hopes nobody saw his lack of finesse in dealing with the situation, before realizing there is still a ticking bomb that needs urgent attention. He turns to look at the clock, and sees it has one second remaining. “Oath!”
The blast knocks Nate clear off his feet, and he is saved only by erecting a last-ditch telekinetic shield. The Vulture swings around, enters the shop and grabs the jewels. The heist is a good beginning to his own personal fortune. As the world will soon discover, he gloats to himself, he has only just begun.
An officer uses his torch to search through the debris, and discovers Nathan lying in the rubble, an arm extended showing his whereabouts. “Omigod,” remarks the officer. “What in the world is up with this guy…?”
(Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan)
Wolverine’s been there before but, instead of lifting a few pints, this time he has business to attend to. The cops shoot at their enemy, but their weapons are totally ineffectual against him. He is huge, and carries a really big gun at his waist. One of them wonders ‘what’ it is. It’s a good question, with no easy answer.
(flashback)
Two millennia ago, the Caananite D’Von Kray was a hardened combat warrior. On the battlefields of a hellish future lay the initial seeds of his destiny; his entire squad killed by the one named Dayspring. A few genetic alterations later, and D’Von Kray was ready to follow Dayspring back through time. He had more in mind than a simple bounty. All that mattered to him was the blood rite, in other words, cold revenge.
Unfortunately, temporal displacement is not an exact science, and his journey ended in madness. He has no memory of his identity, or of his mission. He knows only mindless rage, and this is tough luck for the population of Moose Jaw.
As D’Von Kray takes this rage and directs it forcefully against the hopelessly outmatched cops, Wolverine arrives on the scene, and pops his claws. He attacks the stranger with his usual aggressiveness, only to find that, although there may be no memory… there is still instinct. Narrowly avoiding a blast from D’Von’s weapon, Wolverine gets in close, and slashes at him mercilessly. His bravado is met with physical might, and Wolverine is put down hard.
He gets up, dusts himself down, and uses the big guy’s size against him. He launches D’Von straight into some electrical cables, which knock him unconscious. Logan lights another cigar, and figures the boys at Department H are probably on their way to collect the stranger. He’s kinda curious as to where he, or it, came from himself.
(New York)
Outside the jewelry exchange, the recovering Nathan Dayspring is approached by a security guard, who introduces himself as Franklin Rhodes; the man who pulled him outta there. Nathan offers him his name, and Franklin admits he saw Nate’s funky arm and covered him up before the medics arrived. However, he is curious as to how he survived the blast. Nate refuses the offer of medical facilities, and Franklin asks if he lives around there. “No… not really,” replies Nate.
(Queens, later)
The two men arrive at a gun shop that Franklin owns. The security guard gig is just a part time gig. What he really does is handle weapons. There isn’t a firearm in the world that hasn’t passed through his place. Nate asks if he sells them, but Franklin replies that he only buys them, in order to keep them off the street. He notices that Nathan looks pretty handy with a pistol he’s picked up, and asks if he ever fired one. Nate says he has - once or twice.
Franklin takes him upstairs and shows him a spare room. It’s not much, but he figures it’s okay. He suggests Nathan stay there if he wants. The fridge is pretty well-stocked with the necessities. He passes Nate a beer; something Nate’s never seen before. He takes a swig, and seems to enjoy the taste.
He wonders why Franklin’s helping him, as his hospitality makes him suspicious. Franklin explains that he was ex-military too. They smell their own. He never turns his back on a vet in need. He adds that he was also a former S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Again, this is something Nate is unfamiliar with. Franklin informs him it stands for Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division. It’s an organization sanctioned by the U.N., which is dedicated to protecting the world from any and all threats - at least that’s what the recruiting pamphlet says.
Franklin says he was a grunt on quite a few black-ops. Heavy stuff, and nothing he really wants to talk about. Nate tells him he never said he was in the military. “I told you… we smell our own,” Franklin replies.
(Department H)
Wolverine has been spending the past few days there, and likes this less and less with each passing moment. D’Von Kray is now their captive, and is hooked up to hi-tech machinery, with numerous tubes plugged into him. Scientists monitor his condition and carry out routine diagnostic tests on him. Logan tells Mac that this is a bad idea. Mac disagrees. He doubts the creature is American in origin. It possesses weaponry like nothing he has ever seen, and hopes to learn from it. It’s also as artificial as it is organic. This is a chance they cannot afford to pass up. He assures his old friend that they’re taking all the necessary precautions.
Logan remains unconvinced, and informs Mac that the takedown in Moose Jaw was almost too easy. This thing was too out of control. He thinks there’s something unknowable here. He asks if Mac isn’t curious as to where it came from. Mac says they’ll find out everything they need to know. “What then?” Logan asks. Mac has some ideas, and Logan wants to know what they are.
Mac explains that after some retrofitting to replace indigenous weaponry they may never understand, Logan may be looking at the next recruit; the most powerful recruit of the new Alpha Flight program. Logan reiterates that he thinks this is a bad idea, but Mac asks him not to be so quick to judge. Logan thinks nothing good is going to come out of this.
(one week later)
Logan is leafing through a training manual. He can’t believe that Department H is already going to carry out field tests on the creature. Mac isn’t thrilled either, and had tried talking his superiors out of it. Part of the new report, he explains, contains a brief hypothesis on the origins of the construct. Naturally, no one’s paying attention to it, but frankly it makes him nervous; scared even. Mac knows one thing. Whatever it is that’s sitting comatose in the lab, it came from the future.
(Queens)
Franklin has opened his shop for business, and is in the process of purchasing a rifle complete with eyesight. He thinks its owner is a jerk. To him it’s a toy to make him feel more powerful. He hopes the guy never has to see the things a weapon like this can do; things his new friend has seen. Nathan is busying himself watching television; something he has had little chance to do in his life. A game show is on, the prize being a dorky looking car. Nate smiles, and thinks no wonder civilization comes to an end.
Despite his attention on the game show, his mind cannot help but wander to a past that haunts him, and a future that awaits him. The past… the future - he can hardly tell the difference. The problem is that, for all intents and purposes, they are one and the same. The memories, the nightmare visions; they’re all too real. Apocalypse’s evil influence stretches farther than recorded history… in both directions. He recalls his parents who were torn away far too soon. He remembers the death rattle of soldiers on the battlefield; men under his command. He has forgotten more names than he wants to recall; the names of fallen comrades, brothers-in-arms and friends who expired bloody and broken in his arms. He often wishes he could forget, but he never can.
Lost in thought, Franklin breaks his sorrow by offering him another beer. He’s impressed with Nate’s new haircut. His long locks have gone, and have been replaced with a more contemporary style. He asks Nate what he was thinking about, but instead of replying, Nate instead enquires about Franklin’s time in S.H.I.E.L.D.
(flashback)
Trudging through a dank sewerage tunnel, Franklin and his fellow agent edge carefully through the shallow water. The memories come easily to him. He explains that it’s not something he talked about; with each other, or anyone else. Conducting black-ops ain’t exactly like storming the beach at Normandy. Everything they did was the kind of mission that wasn’t officially recorded. Missions were never referred to… ever.
They were the shadow company. Their mission parameters were simple. Ferret out the enemy… win by attrition. He knew the score, and wasn’t under any illusions about what they did. His mind wanders back to a firestorm, and the part they played in the mission. The wars he fought are the ones that don’t get talked about at parties. The term ‘war’ was never even used to describe their involvement in settling ethnic disputes; alternatively training and eliminating rebel forces in hot spots around the globe.
What they did was in the name of promoting and preserving democracy. Some democracy, he adds. No one involved had much of a choice about it. He did his job well, and his moments of hesitation were few and far between. But, when those moments happened, it was like he couldn’t recognize himself. His tour lasted eight years; eight years listening to the kinds of screams Hollywood never seems to get right.  He recalls finding a child’s doll in the ruins of a building he and his men had destroyed. The consequences, the nightmares and the cold sweats? Well, he figured he’d just learn to live with ‘em.
(present)
He looks at Nate, and says he probably knows what he’s talking about. Nate replies that he does. Franklin offers a toast; “To all those that didn’t make it home…”
(Department H)
In the dead of the night, D’Von Kray begins to stir. A small amount of brain activity is detected first, and then his arm moves slightly. His brain activity grows quickly until it’s operating at normal levels. He opens his eyes. “Dayspring.”
Asleep in a nearby room is Logan, who is woken by a security alert. The hull has been breached. D’Von Kray is already on a fresh rampage. The rooftop gave little resistance to his strange weapons. The chill of the night air reminds D’Von that he has traveled far across millennia to achieve his goal; a goal that is once again clear to him thanks to the meddling scientists of this era. Internal tracking devices come online, reaching out in every direction. His memory banks are encoded with Dayspring’s specific energy pattern. If he is anywhere on Earth, D’Von Kray will find him.
Logan has swiftly put on his Wolverine costume and charges into the control center. He finds James Hudson looking at the monitors. He explains that their ‘guest’ has escaped. As Logan can see, he didn’t exactly sneak out. There have been heavy casualties, and several deaths. Mac explains that the lab techs fitted him with a portable transport system; twin VTOL rockets affixed to his back.  He adds that the creature is already in American airspace. Wolverine says they’re not gonna like that. Mac replies that they may never know; unless he goes off the charts again like before. But, for now, they’ve installed an internal jammer so he’s radar invisible. They can track him via a Department H homing tracer they injected into his spinal fluid. Wolverine asks for a fix on his location. He’ll take care of him.
(Queens)
The gun shop is closed, and Franklin has Nathan meet some of his friends at a bar for drinks. The guys tell stories of their time in the service, and for the time being, Nathan almost feels comfortable… almost. He excuses himself from the table, and one of Franklin’s friends asks him what the story is with him. Franklin replies that he’s all right. He’s a vet, and is just having trouble adjusting to civilian life. “You know guys… it takes time.”
Nate makes his way to the restroom. He looks at his reflection in a broken mirror. The splintered shards of glass remind him that he came here for a reason, spurred on by the nightmare of the future. What he has found is an era just as broken - just as shattered as the war torn battlefields he left behind. The war he faces here is against his own demons; much tougher to win. He tells himself he must not lose focus. Finding Charles Xavier is but a small step, the first of many he will have to make. There is a life to be lived here in this century and, in time, he’ll learn to win the wars he must fight. He must strive to find a life worth living.
Franklin enters the restroom, a little the worse for wear. He’s up to his limit, and he asks Nate if he’s ready to leave. They leave the bar behind, and head back to Franklin’s. Nate puts Franklin’s arm around his broad shoulders to help him walk. As they move slowly through the night, Nate’s telepathy picks something up nearby.
(up above)
Wolverine is aboard a government helicopter, and flying at speed through American air space. He expects contact with his target in less than ten seconds, and hopes the guys weren’t expecting to salvage anything.
(Queens)
They’re almost home, but Nate gets a stronger sense of danger, and turns just in time to see incoming fire. He throws himself and Franklin to the ground, as explosive blasts shatter the ground around them. Franklin sobers up incredibly quickly as his instincts begin to take over. He orders Nathan back to the shop, but asks what on Earth that was. D’Von Kray descends from the sky, not unlike the fabled angel of death. A purity has returned to his half-human thoughts. If this city of man must be burned to the ground, the blood rite will be fulfilled.
The two soldiers manage to get to the gun shop, and Franklin asks if Nate cares to explain just what he is hiding from him. Nate is brutally honest. He informs Franklin that he comes from a war-ravaged future that’s worse than anything this world has seen. He doesn’t know exactly attacked them, but he’s pretty sure it has something to do with him. Anything else? he asks. Nate adds that he’s a mutant and, from what he can tell, that’s not a very popular thing to be.
Now that they’re armed, they’re dangerous. Franklin knows they have a fight on their hands, but looks to Nate for leadership. Nate explains that he caught a quick telepathic flash of their attacker. He’s got a lock on him now. Nate is the target. He pauses. “Wait… he’s here.” A massive burst of gunfire shatters the shop’s wall and, as they pick themselves up, Nate gets a good look at their assailant. He can see his weaponry - strictly twentieth century issue. He’s wearing no gun belt, so he probably doesn’t have unlimited ammo. He also hears D’Von Kray’s voice, and wonders if he knows it.
Speaking in a strange formal style, he warns Nate than he has his mind again, and the blood rite is the Canaanite’s way. Now, Nate shall taste D’Von Kray’s fury, as his company tasted Nate’s. He fires a volley of ammunition, forcing Franklin to duck for cover. He moves gracefully through the smoke, eagerly stalking his prey. He tells the unseen Nate that he has been adapted to more effectively grind his bones; molded to perfection by this era’s tech-makers. They have given him the tools to ferret and flash.
He sights Nate using infrared vision, but before he can begin blasting, he notices a wind rustling up around him. He turns to see a helicopter hovering just above the ground, and in the doorway, a familiar sight. Wolverine has his claws extended, and tells D’Von that he looks better than he did in Moose Jaw. Department H put their best eggheads to work… and this is what they get? “They sent me here to play fetch…”
He leaps with surprising ferocity, launching himself at D’Von Kray, and stabbing him with every claw as he makes contact. In one quick move, D’Von aims the large weapon on his arm at Wolverine’s torso and fires. He takes the blast square in the chest, and his flesh is torn asunder. Nate winces as he sees Wolverine fall, and asks Franklin if he’s a friend of his. “Not mine. Whoever he is, there’s no way he survived that!” Wolverine, however, is no ordinary human, and his healing factor begins to work its magic immediately.
Nate picks up two sets of thoughts. One’s the Canaanite, and the other is primitive; feral… animal. He notices Franklin get up and dash back to the shop. He’s returning for ammo, and wants to draw D’Von’s fire. “NO!” cries Nate, but Franklin is already up and running. He fires using a pistol held in both hands at their opponent; his bullets ricocheting off his jet pack. They do him absolutely no damage whatsoever, and he turns quickly to counter Franklin’s attack. His shots are more successful, with several hitting Franklin who drops to the ground, severely wounded.
D’Von keeps firing until his ammo is spent, and the weapons click lifelessly. Nate jumps at the opportunity, landing a kick on the giant’s chest. He says Kray has ventured far to meet the same end his fellow butchers did, and wonders was it worth it to leave everything he knew? D’Von replies that Nate’s pain will be his journey’s worth. And if he should fail, there will be others to follow. He kicks Nate away forcefully, and follows up by grabbing Nate around the neck. He can’t breathe, and is unable to concentrate long enough for his telekinesis to work.
Suddenly, D’Von’s eyes open wide as Wolverine pops his claws straight through the back of his skull. He squirms in agony, and loses his grip on Nate’s throat. “Go ahead then, snowball,” says Logan through gritted teeth. “Welcome to the twentieth century, D’Von!” adds Nate, before unleashing a telekinetic blast at his foe. He pops several feet into the air, and Logan mercilessly dismembers him, cutting his head clean off.
With D’Von dead, Nathan now wonders if his new comrade is actually willing to fight him too. Before he can think about that, he remembers Franklin, lying on the ground, bleeding to death. He holds him, but Franklin knows his time is short. He looks at Nate, and tells him that he’s reconciled a lot in his life and found some peace in this sad world. He wants Nate to try the same. He may not be able to read minds, but he knows that much. As he slips away, he asks Nate to remember his name. “I will Franklin Rhodes; I will.”
(later)
Wolverine explains that the feds picked up what was left of their boy, and the cops are cleaning up the rest. Nate suggests they get out of there. As Wolverine climbs aboard the helicopter, he says it’s tough to lose someone; he knows, but he warns Nate to park the attitude before he ends up needing another fake arm. Nate asks him not to threaten him when he has one foot out the door. He’s got a lot of pain right now, and if he wants it taking out on him, he’s game. Wolverine replies that they’ll meet again someday. Maybe they won’ be on the same side, and he can take a stab at taking that pain out on him. “Count on it,” replies Nate. Wolverine disappears in the helicopter, leaving Nate to end the story in silence.
(Salem Center, New York)
Nate is standing at Franklin’s gravestone. It’s a quiet cemetery, with a lone marker. The inscription reads, ‘Franklin Rhodes. A good soldier laid to rest.’ Nate thinks nothing and says nothing. There are no words and no thoughts to give. He has laid a friend to rest; his first friend in this strange era, but it will not be the last. There will be others; allies and adversaries of every type. Charles Xavier is only one of many he will soon encounter. He knows that he has only taken a first step toward a greater destiny, and to reach that destiny, not only a mission to enact change, but a search for meaning and belonging in a world where every man seeks as much, he must continue to move forward, one step at a time.
The beginning…


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Black Rio
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Detective Antonio Vargas is having lunch with a man named Omar, and their conversation turns to the subject of vampires, zombies and immortals who walk the Earth. Omar seems to know more than he’s telling about these things, but Vargas doesn’t have time to play games.
Wolverine arrives in Rio by plane and, as soon as he gets off, the very smell of Carnaval hits him. He spent a year in Rio, back before he started keeping track of what year it was; back before he joined the X-Men and people started calling himself Wolverine. Though his eyes see nothing unusual, his mutant senses tell him that something heavy is going down tonight. He can smell the stench of death underneath the scents of the numerous tourists. Welcome to Rio!
At this time of year, the city welcomes you like no other, with open arms. The word carnaval derives from the word, carovale, meaning ‘goodbye meat.’ In Italian, it translates to ‘farewell to flesh.’ Logan heads from the airport, straight to the central police precinct. He enters the office of Detective Vargas. After a feigned initial squaring up, the two men hug one another. They are old friends, and haven’t seen each other in many years. Logan recalls the last time they met, when Vargas owned the Devil’s Grill. Logan was employed as a bouncer for a year, and they had so many good times. Vargas wasn’t always the respectable police officer he is today. They even wrote a samba about Logan’s reputation back in the day, called ‘The man of harsh business.’
Logan relaxes, and informs Antonio that he’s there for the carnaval. He never expected to find him working on the right side of the law for a change. Vargas replies that his days as a shady club owner have long gone, and he asks about Logan. He replies that he banged around for a while before he finally put down some roots in Salem Canter, New York.
A plain clothes officer enters Vargas’s office and, in Portuguese, informs his boss that a call just came in from a cove near Sao Conrado. There have been some more murders. The fact that he mentioned murders, plural, makes Vargas think it sounds like a perp he’s been after for some time. Logan enquires as to the killings. Vargas tells him that they’re calling them ‘vampire killings.’ Someone with a serious wild streak is running around the favelas, emptying blood out of people’s veins with no rhyme or reason that he can see. He grabs his pistol and holsters it. He then asks Logan if he fancies coming along; just like old times. Logan replies sure; the party will still be there when he gets back.
At the cove, the water swilling around beside the floating path is red with blood. Ten bodies float in various states of dismemberment. Vargas informs Logan that there have been many slayings like this over the past year, but this is the worst yet. Logan replies that whoever did this doesn’t care who knows it. Vargas pulls an arm from the water and points out the slashed wrist. It looks like the same type of attack as the others he’s investigated. There are bites all over them, but their wrists are slashed as well. The murderer is not drinking the blood.
Logan sniffs the air. There are all kinds of scents floating around the cove; blood, death, decay, and something familiar. He can’t quite put his finger on it. Vargas has no leads, and some of his colleagues on the force are wary of investigating these murders. They’re superstitious, and these killings are ritualistic. Vargas, however, is not afraid, and in some strange way he is drawn to the case.
Logan is barely listening by this time. He has spotted a danger much more imminent. Before he can warn Antonio, a shark, attracted by so much blood, leaps from the water and through the floating path. Logan calls for Antonio not to shoot it. The shark’s only acting on instinct, and so is he. He extends his bone claws and leaps at the shark. As it grabs a body in its huge mouth, Logan leaps on top of it, much to Antonio’s surprise. It only takes a few minutes before Logan stands victorious. Antonio, despite being surprised by Logan’s claws, isn’t fazed. “There have been some… changes in your life, eh, Logan.” Logan explains, and Antonio takes it well. He grew up in the favelas, in the slums of Rio, and he’s seen the dark side.
Meanwhile, in a derelict church, a body lies on one of the pews as a madman rants before an image of Christ on the cross. He asks his companion, Ezra Asher, to look at him and tell him what she sees. Before she answers, a voice in his head replies, “You are Saint Cyrus Leviticus.” He replies that he is, indeed, and normally that would be enough. Ezra tells him he’s talking to himself again, and he needs a stiff drink. He smashes the mirror she is holding; the last one in the place. The voice says she is disrespectful, and Cyrus tells Ezra that her feminine ceremonies will not be tolerated. Look at me, he insists, is this the face of a king? Ezra walks away without replying. The voice tells Cyrus that she does not understand them. Indeed, he replies.
As she leaves, Cyrus grabs her arm and gets in her face. The voice tells him that she is radiant in her insolence. Ezra tells Cyrus that she is on his side, but the voice orders Cyrus to kiss her. Against her will, he presses his mouth to hers, telling her, “You have tasted immortality; now taste power!” He then turns and releases his grip on her. The voice tells him to be repentant, and he duly apologizes to Ezra. He asks for forgiveness, and releases her from her guilt.
Cyrus then turns to Ezra, and says that he understands her pretty motivations, and excuses her for them. She thirsts for a blood that will satisfy her desires. He also has a thirst; a thirst to meet his destiny in the proper manner. His destiny, he continues, is larger than the known universe. It spans light-years, and she simply has no concept of that. He motions outside towards the sprawling city. He explains that this city produces an unparalleled energy in the weeks before the celebration of the resurrection. That energy will be his; it will restore him. The voice in his head calls for him to gaze over his foothold, which he does. He will be restored for his ultimate ascension upon this lonely mudball.
Elsewhere, Logan is enjoying the atmosphere as the carnaval gets into full swing. He revels in the danger and the weirdness of it all. He parties like he hasn’t partied for some time, and the women of Rio certainly get plenty of attention. By the time he reaches his limit, he hardly knows what day it is. He rests against a wall in an alleyway to recover his second wind. The party’s better than he remembers.
As he sucks in air, a voice behind him provides a grin for his aged face. A bunch of thugs called the Bate-Bola Boys are gathered close by. Their leader, with green eighties’ hair leads a gang of kids whose disguises are designed to scare the tourists and locals during carnaval. To Wolverine, they are little more than fodder. After some carefully designed belittling, the fight begins. Wolverine is on the leader in no time, and doesn’t think he even needs his claws. The rest of the gang join in, and soon, an almighty brawl breaks out, with the weapons carried by the gang having little effect if they can’t reach their target. It doesn’t get much better than this, thinks Logan.
Later, the sunrise opens a new day, and Wolverine finds himself outside a bar. Antonio Vargas arrives and tells him he looks like he’s been enjoying himself. Vargas informs him that the search for the ‘vampire killer’ continues. Logan pours the last drop from a beer glass and replies that he’s all done there. He might as well see what he can help dig up.
Rio gets busy quickly and, as Logan and Vargas wander through town, Vargas mentions that his wife hated this area. Logan replies that she was a class act, no doubt about it, and he asks Vargas how he’s holding up. Vargas says it’s years since she disappeared, but he still misses her every day. Logan then enquires about the murders, asking if Vargas is positive about them having an ‘undead’ angle to them. Vargas is convinced of nothing if he doesn’t see it with his own eyes. He merely suspects, but he wouldn’t be on the side of the angels if his suspicions didn’t serve him well. His scent of confidence has Logan convinced. Logan says that, since they last met, he’s seen a few things, and vampires don’t mean a thing to him. He’s looking forward to meeting whoever’s responsible for this mess. “Could be an even better party than last night…”
The Bate-Bola Boys have returned to their squat to lick their wounds. They’re convinced that they could take the short guy next time. As they chat, a woman’s voice comes from nowhere. “Tough talk boys. Bom dia.” Ezra appears upside down at their window, and she asks if they care to show her a few of their moves, or are they still too drunk to dance? The boys grab their weapons and prepare to whup Ezra, but she bares her teeth and leaps at the gang’s leader. She bites him on the arm, and proceeds to wade through them in much the same manner as Logan did. The only difference is, she leaves them dead. Their blood is satisfying, but they haven’t lived. They’ll do for now, though.
Logan and Vargas retreat for a drink at the Hotel Dix. Their investigations have thrown up nothing, and Vargas would like to forget the investigation for now. He says, “I look different don’t I? Older…” Logan can’t lie, and replies that he’s put on some mileage, but there’s something to be said for soldiering through life. He’s a survivor. Vargas asks about Logan. He tells him it’s been years; decades since he saw him, and he doesn’t see any more lines on his face than the last time. Long story, replies Logan. It’s not important; it’s still him. Vargas is thankful for that. Good friends are hard to come by these days. Logan suggests they get back to their scotch before all this sentiment ruins his mood.
By evening, the two men are drunk, and they make their way back to Antonio’s apartment, singing songs in Portuguese as they clamber up the staircase. Antonio opens the door to his apartment and, to his horror, sees Cyrus standing in front of his window, with Ezra sitting on the couch. He asks what they’re doing in his home, and Wolverine can only manage, “That woman on the sofa… Tony, it’s your...” before he is smashed over the head by a zombie. Vargas reels in horror, and asks the assailant what or who he is. The zombie tells him to mind his own business. Logan falls unconscious to the ground, and the voice in Cyrus’s head informs him that it senses and old soul in the bestial one. Indeed, Cyrus replies. Vargas is surprised by this, and asks if he’s talking to him. No, replies Cyrus.
The voice orders Cyrus to make his speech and exit. Again, Cyrus does as he is told. He turns to Vargas and tells him that his keen detection skills have only served to being him to their attention. His plan, his destiny, has no room for meddling policemen. He now leaves him to deal with his own destiny, and thinks Vargas’s circle is about to be completed. Ezra approaches him, and smiles. “My dear Antonio; alone at last.” Vargas cannot resist as she slides up to him and kisses him hard on the mouth. The kiss is hypnotic, and Ezra pulls away and tells him to gaze into her face and see the truth. Slowly, her face metamorphoses into that of his beloved wife. But you’re dead, Vargas tells her. Very true, she replies, and now, so are you. With that, she attacks him without mercy.
By the time Wolverine wakes, the sun is up. His healing factor has taken care of his hangover, but the crack on his head still stings a bit. As he shakes off his miasma, he receives conflicting scents, and realizes that most of the blood around him isn’t his. He sees the body of Antonio Vargas sat in a chair; a ghastly sight even for someone as used to death as Logan.
(later)
Logan attends Antonio’s funeral, attended by many of Antonio’s fellow cops. When a cop is killed, there is usually talk of payback, but in this instance they don’t even know where to begin. How could they, because Logan never told them a thing. He didn’t mention anything about Ezra, his wife who disappeared years ago only to return as some kind of bloodsucker. As far as they’re concerned, Tony’s just another on a long list of these so-called ‘vampire killings.’ Afterwards, he heads to a bar to drown his sorrows. No one’s anxious to continue Tony’s investigations anyway, mainly due to superstition. This is fine with Wolverine. It means they’re all his.
He heads into the night, heading from building to building looking for Ezra’s scent, but like a pro, she hides it well. As he passes a tunnel, his senses pick up a faint scent in the air; the scent of death. He ventures into the dimly lit tunnel and realizes he’s hit paydirt. He soon finds himself surrounded by a large gang of kids, some of whom he recognizes as being the Bate-Bola Boys. Of course, they weren’t dead last time he tangled with them, but Ezra’s got to them, and a whole bunch of others. He quickly thinks of a plan.
Logan can tell by the way they move that they want him alive. That’s fine by him, but he doesn’t have to make it easy for them. He extends both sets of bone claws for the battle, and is soon set upon by the zombies, who hammer at him with bats and bolas and all kinds of assorted weapons. He manages to keep it together, and holds his own, but slowly, intoxicating fumes emanating from a mummy’s threads begin to take their toll. As he fights to the last, he feels the darkness closing in. As he passes out, he thinks of Tony, and wonders if he’ll ever wake up at all.
When he finally awakens, Logan finds himself bound in chains like an animal. He sees bite marks all over his body, with traces of dried blood on his skin. He knows Ezra’s been feeding on him. He gets a fix on his position without being too obvious about it. They think they have him where they want him, and he’s happy to let them think that. Around him is the church with the figure of Christ dominating the wall behind him. “Comfortable?” asks Cyrus. Logan replies that he’s a little hungry, and asks if there’s anything on the menu besides him. Cyrus tells him that he will soon be far beyond these pale concerns. He is insignificant, and should face that truth.
Cyrus proceeds to ramble on about accepting ones place in the natural order of things. Immortals like him are placed in a higher state, he says, and the natural order no longer applies. He points at Logan, and informs him that there are levels above and beyond the pathetic limitations of the mortal coil. For mortal men, their destiny is death, but for an immortal, destiny can be something greater. It takes a great will to fulfil that destiny, and it’s not for the weak.
As he speaks, he opens his jacket to reveal his chest. His body is twisted and rotten, but more importantly, he is revealed to be hosting a small parasitic alien being. He tells Logan they are joined together as Saint Cyrus Leviticus. The creature is not of this world. It travelled here from across the cosmos to bestow upon him a most precious gift: immortality. In return, he shall feed it the psionic turbulence of thousands of dying souls. Just as there is truth in blood, there is truth in the eternal pain of death.
He adds that the symbiote has made him whole, and is the shepherd of his consciousness. The symbiote tells Cyrus that it is flattered, but Logan will never understand. Cyrus agrees. He closes his jacket, and Logan tries to rattle him. “Yer hearin’ voices are ya? I think yer just a nut, pal. Get some help.” Cyrus isn’t bothered by his remark. He replies that Logan is short-sighted to say the least, but he also knows something of longevity, and what it takes to achieve and maintain it.
Cyrus explains that his agenda is a simple one. As the unwashed masses gather for their hedonistic celebration, his subjects will slay them in their stupor; an exquisite mass murder. Dozens of zombies move slowly through swirling mists, awaiting their orders. As he walks away from his captive, he adds that, through a hundred thousand deaths, he shall live anew; a beautiful king, divine in his inspiration. He orders his ‘children’ to follow and then departs. Logan knows he means it, and if he sits there and does nothing, he thinks Cyrus will get away with it.
First things first, though. Ezra watches him, menacing in her stillness. Logan can smell her now, underneath the masking scent of decay. It’s definitely Tony’s wife. To him, she’s the ultimate betrayal. Maybe he can even the score. Ezra asks him if they’re going to dance, for old times sake. He tells Ezra that she’s too far gone. Ezra runs her fingernail down his cheek, and informs him that he’s full of surprises. His blood is unlike anything she has tasted. So much truth contained within. It’s positively exquisite. She says he’s been around, and could probably give Cyrus a run for his money. She then digs her teeth into Logan’s neck. He can feel her drawing out more than blood. Like they said, thinks Logan; there’s truth within the blood… the juice of life. Ezra loves it.
She smiles as the blood trickles down her chin and neck. There’s so much about Logan that he himself probably doesn’t know. It’s too bad, says Ezra, that he’s too weak to share it. Wolverine proves her wrong, and yanks the chains from the wall in one almighty push. Ezra attacks and uses both punches and slashes from her elongated nails to punish Logan. He reacts by swinging the chain across her face, and overpowering her physically. He doesn’t like doing this, but knows that the Ezra he knew is long gone; replaced by something inhuman. It makes fighting her a little easier, but not much.
He pops his claws, and prepares to end her existence, but she isn’t ready to go just yet. She crashes through the window and flees, but Wolverine has no time to chase after her. Cyrus is his main concern. He sprints through the village, and even up there he can hear the unsuspecting crowds dancing to the samba. He makes good time, and leaves the favelas behind as he enters downtown Rio.
Meanwhile, the alien symbiote tells Cyrus that they are so very close. Cyrus replies that his tongue has tasted nothing but dust for so long. He fears he will become drunk with his own greatness. Youth can taste so sweet when you have been so old. Cyrus looks at his intended victims below in the streets. Through their agony, he tells the alien, and the sting of death, his glorious reflection will once again become the source of his power. Then, they can leave their mighty footprints upon this rock.
Wolverine finally arrives and spots Cyrus atop the building. He knows Cyrus is crazy, but then that makes him more likely to follow through with his plans. He can’t have that. As he watches Cyrus, he is approached by a very large group of zombies, including some of the Bate-Bola Boys. ‘I can’t be this lucky,’ thinks Logan as his claws snikt from his wrists. The lead Zombie informs him that they’re just waiting for the signal to kill everyone in town, but in the meantime, he’ll do. Logan replies that he could use the warm up.
Cyrus, meanwhile, is spotted by some of the crowd, but isn’t interested. They can see his decrepit form, as it will be the last sight they see as his children sweep through the crowd. As they die, he will ascend. The gods will gaze upon his beauty and tremble, because the beautiful shall inherit the Earth. “Very profound,” says the alien. Cyrus thanks it, courteously.
Wolverine has made quick work of the zombies. He appears behind Cyrus on the roof, and the alien senses his presence. Wolverine is dressed in some of the threads of his victims. He informs Cyrus that his friends are in the alley, in pieces, and his business is done here. The party’s over. Wolverine leaps at Cyrus with all six claws at the ready. He can feel his rage building inside, rising to a fever pitch. He’s uncontrollable, but gives in to it, as he thinks he may need it.
The two men face each other in physical combat. Logan slashes Cyrus, but the alien orders his host to take him and own him. As Wolverine closes in, Cyrus throws his cloak over Logan’s face, and the alien tells him to go for the body. Wolverine collides with Cyrus, and is thrown to the ground. Cyrus is quickly upon him, and clamps his fingers around Wolverine’s throat. “This beast’s life is forfeit for a greater glory,” says the alien. “Yes!” Cyrus replies. ‘No,’ thinks Wolverine. He uses his claws to reveal the underneath of Cyrus’s cloak, and discovers what he’s looking for. With one swipe from his three claws, he rips the alien symbiote into several pieces. The alien is exposed, but it is too late. With a scream, the alien is destroyed.
Cyrus throws Wolverine away from him, asking what he’s done. He loses all sense of sanity, and clutches the void in his chest. He is a sitting duck, and Wolverine decides to make this quick, and merciful. He slams both fists into Cyrus’s stomach; the claws extending right through his body and out of his back. His body slides off Logan’s claws like a lifeless sack of old meat. Logan tries not to breathe too deeply. The scents in the air are intoxicating. Ether and perfume, smoke and sweat, gunpowder and alcohol, and the smell of flesh that could be a thousand years old. But whose flesh?
Logan looks down and sees the audience applauding his efforts. They think it’s part of the Carnaval; a show to be witnessed. Maybe they’re right, he thinks; maybe it is. He looks into their faces, and can’t help but think that each of them has a destiny to fulfil, be it large or small, and they don’t know how close they came to losing it all. What they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em. He then wonders if this is why he’s here. Is this part of his destiny? He doesn’t want to think about that. He may have saved a city, but he’s buried a friend.
(sometime later)
Logan visits Antonio Vargas’s gravestone. As he moves through life, those around him never remain constant. A lot of good folks pass on before their time. You’d think he’d be used to it by now. Hardly. He pours a few drops of spirit onto Antonio’s grave, and tells him to enjoy it. He won’t be the last guy who marries the wrong woman, and doesn’t live to regret it. He doffs his hat, and gets on his bike. As he speeds away, he thinks about Ezra. Maybe he’ll run into her again someday. Then, Antonio will see some payback. He can count on it. From the bushes, Ezra watches him depart, and she looks none too pleased.