Chapter 75: Wolverines
AN: Sorry for the delay. I was busy with reviewing yesterday and taking the N5 exam today...I don't think I'll pass T_T the test had more kanji that I didn't know...owell.
Anyway, enjoy!
We will soon be going through a major arc!
------------------------------------
After Benjamin made a few more rounds and freed the rest of the prisoners, he explained the situation to them and provided them with three options.
One, they can leave and go about their daily lives. No harm will come to them provided that they do not break any laws.
Two, they can join the EPD and become a part of its members.
Or three, they join his HYDRA team and help Ophelia gain control of the underworld.
The prisoners all looked at each other hesitantly.
Benjamin smiled and urged them some more.
"Don't worry. I'm not forcing you all. If you don't want to join either side, you can pick the first option and just live normally. If you want to take any studies, I can refer you to Charles' School for the Gifted or Massachusetts University. Naturally, if you were to commit a crime, I'll be putting you back in another kind of cell for you to serve your time. Just like any other human being who commits a crime. You won't be experimented on."
At this moment, Laura was the first to step up.
"I'll join that EPD or whatever. Living normally is too boring for me."
Seeing Laura choose a side, the others began to choose as well.
As fellow prisoners in the Facility, they were naturally aware of Laura's reputation.
Unlike them who can freely roam in their cells, Laura was the only one who was tightly bound even in her cell.
She had caused a huge headache to Sublime whenever it was her turn for the experiments and they could occasionally hear her roars once in a while.
To put it simply, she was akin to the Alpha in their pack.
Since even someone like her chose to listen to Benjamin, they no longer hesitated and picked the options they wanted.
Most of them desired to be free and picked the first option. Only a few of them chose to join EPD or HYDRA.
After seeing that everyone has made their choice, Benjamin opened up a portal for them to go through based on their choice.
The last one was Laura who looked back at him instead of entering the portal.
"Aren't you leaving too?"
"I'm going to look around for a while here then destroy the place."
"In that case, I'm coming with. There's nothing I want more than to see this damned place crumble into pieces!"
Laura growled in hate.
Although she had calmed down a lot, she still can't get rid of her hate regarding this place.
Benjamin didn't mind and nodded at her request.
Then, the two of them started to look around the Facility.
When they entered a rather large room, Benjamin frowned as he looked at what seemed to be an incomplete…Sentinel in front of him.
Benjamin clicked his tongue.
Damn, this guy was even involved in the creation of this thing?
Beside him, Laura was glaring at the incomplete Sentinel.
"That guy called this thing the Sentinel. Supposedly, it's an anti-mutant weapon he was making that could wipe out the entire mutant-kind! In order to make it, he has been experimenting on us mutants for a long time…"
"I see…"
Benjamin sighed.
He then tapped his feet on the ground and suddenly, tree trunks appeared from the ground under the incomplete sentinel, winding around it as it grew taller and bigger, eventually crushing it as it grew.
Now, what appeared before them was a towering tree intertwined with the incomplete Sentinel.
He tapped on the ground again and the whole island began to shake.
"Let's go. There's nothing more to see here."
"...Okay."
Laura was still quite surprised at the power that Benjamin showed.
Is he also a mutant? Or…something else?
While confused, she followed Benjamin through the portal.
As soon as the portal closed, the whole facility caved in and disappeared beneath the rubbles.
Back in the EPD Headquarters, Benjamin and Laura appeared.
"Well, before you actually get started, I think there's someone you should meet."
"Who?"
"Hm, I guess you can call him your father."
"..."
Laura fell silent for a moment.
She knew who he was talking about.
The one they called the Wolverine.
"Unless, you don't want to?"
Benjamin asked.
"...No. I want to see him."
"Alright."
Benjamin nodded and opened another portal that led to the X-Mansion.
Appearing there, he was immediately greeted with a red-head. Jean Grey.
Benjamin looked a bit awkward since he knew about her break-up with Scott thanks to his ability. He also knew that he had been the reason for it so he didn't know what to say.
Not knowing what he was thinking, Jean's eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Benjamin! Is it already time to meet?"
"Uhh, hey Jean. No, didn't we agree to meet on weekends? I'm here for something else."
Jean then noticed Laura's figure behind Benjamin and squinted her eyes.
She remembered what Ororo told her about Benjamin sleeping with everyone…is this girl also the same?
Laura, on the other hand, saw Jean looking at her like that and glared at her back.
She didn't know why but she just felt like her prey was about to be snatched by someone else.
Benjamin looked at the two of them and cleared his throat to get their attention.
"Jean, this is Laura. Laura, this is Jean. Oh, have you seen Logan by the way?"
Jean looked at Laura for a while more then back at Benjamin.
"Logan? He's at the garage."
"Thanks. I'll see you this Saturday then!"
Benjamin grabbed Laura and then ran away.
He had a feeling the two were about to fight over something if he didn't separate them now.
As they left, Laura asked Benjamin.
"Who's that Jean girl to you?"
"Huh? Well, I'm teaching her to control her powers."
"I see…then, teach me too."
"Huh? What's wrong with your powers?"
"I can't control it. It relies too much on my emotion."
Laura said with a deadpan expression.
Benjamin was confused.
She seemed capable of controlling her emotions though.
"Won't Logan be a better choice to teach you?"
"No!"
"Well…fine. I guess I can teach you some breathing techniques for meditation."
Benjamin wondered if it will work if he teaches her a sorcerer's way of meditating?
Rather…what if she also learns magic?
A Wolverine Sorcerer…won't that be interesting?
Benjamin chuckled at the thought.
Meanwhile, Laura smiled seeing Benjamin accept.
Soon, they arrived at the garage where they could see Logan, with a cigar in his mouth, maintaining his motorcycle.
Hearing someone arrive, Logan lifted his head with a frown and saw Benjamin and Laura.
"It's you. What do you want?"
Logan grunted and went back to work on his bike.
Benjamin smiled and didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to look at Laura and nodded at her.
Laura knew what he meant and walked toward Logan.
She lifted her left hand near Logan then in an instant, two blades appeared from her knuckles, slicing off the cigar in his mouth.
Seeing the familiar blades, Logan's jaw dropped as the cigar fell to the ground completely, and looked at the blades dumbfoundedly.
Soon, he lifted his head again and looked at Laura, then at Benjamin, then at Laura again.
Laura grinned at him.
"Hello 'Dad'."
"...Fuck."
Hearing Laura say that, Logan cursed involuntarily.
He staggered back for a bit and sat on a chair, still not having wrapped the situation in his head.
Logan turned to Benjamin.
"You. Explain. Now."
Benjamin smiled wryly and explained what happened.
After knowing that Sublime used his DNA and the experiments that guy did on Laura, his face nearly turned red from anger.
As part of the Weapon X Project, Logan naturally knew the pain that comes with experiments of this nature.
Knowing that his DNA was used on Laura, he had already acknowledged her as 'the same as him' or rather, 'family'. And for that to happen to her, Logan was seething with hate.
"WHERE IS THAT PIECE OF SHIT!? I SWEAR EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO-"
"Don't worry, he's already taken care of."
Benjamin sighed and showed him a vision of Sublime the same way he did to Laura.
After seeing the torment that guy was currently experiencing, his anger finally calmed down but he still felt a bit unsatisfied for not being the one to do the tormenting.
Logan sat back again with a sigh.
He turned to Laura and grunted, not knowing what to say.
After all, he doesn't really have any experience with being a parent and he wasn't the type of person that was good at making conversations.
"Listen, kid-"
"I'm not a kid."
Laura cut in before he could continue.
Logan scratched his head.
"R-right…then, Laura…what's your plan now?"
"Well, I was thinking of joining the EPD and figuring it out from there."
Laura shrugged.
Logan nodded and sighed.
"Look…I may not be your actual parent…and I don't know how to act like one…but if you need me, or if you need help on anything…I'll be there."
"...Thank you."
Seeing them bond, although just a bit, Benjamin smiled.
"Well, why don't you show Laura around? There's somewhere I need to go. Laura, you can start tomorrow. Just rest up for now."
"Ah?"
Before Laura could say anything, Benjamin already left through a portal.
Logan and Laura looked at each other awkwardly.
"Ahem. Well, have you tried riding a motorcycle?"
Hearing that, Laura's eyes shone.
"Can I!?"
"Haha, sure kid. But you can scratch her."
"I said I'm not a kid!"
Laura glared at him again but didn't say anything more as she quickly rode on the motorcycle.
The next moment, she drove off while laughing.
"Bet you can't keep up, old man!"
"Old-!?"
Logan's face twitched.
He then took Scott's motorcycle and quickly chased after her.
Meanwhile, in Charles' room, Benjamin appeared there and the two of them watched as Logan and Laura drove off.
Charles' face was all smiles.
"Thank you, Benjamin. For finding her."
He knew better than anyone the solitary life that Logan lived.
Now he has a chance to spend that with family.
"Well, finding her was more of a coincidence though."
Benjamin just shrugged.
He truly didn't expect to find her there but he's glad that she and Logan met.
"Anyway, have you considered my proposal before?"
"No need to think so much about it. I accept."
"I'll tell Emma then."
Benjamin nodded and sent a message to Emma.
Soon, the two institutions announced their student exchange plan to the media and it garnered some attention.
After dealing with all that, Benjamin went back to the headquarters and saw Spider-man and Spider-woman bickering again.
Besides them, there were two figures in restraints.
Benjamin was surprised to see that the two in restraints were actually Ant-man and Yellow Jacket.
Just what happened here?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone