Clan Yashida

Daken watched as Amiko Kobayashi, his adoptive sister, laid a map of the world out along the surface of the kotatsu table. Kenuichio Harada and Yukio both sat on opposite ends of the table, with Daken across from Amiko. The only light in the room came from the candles.

“Okay, we’re just about set,” she said.

“What do we do?” asked Daken.

“Just watch and learn.”

Amiko held out her hands and spoke a few words in a language Daken had never heard before. As the last descendent of the Shosei Clan, Amiko had a magical aptitude and had been instructed in the mystic arts by Mana Ianowa, one of her ancestors.

Once Amiko finished the incantation, she took one of the candles and held the flame to the edge of the map. The flame caught and it quickly spread across the entire map, burning all but one remaining part. Amiko blew out the remaining embers and picked up the last remaining scrap of the map.

“Here it is,” she said. “This is where you’ll find Izo.”

“So he is alive?” asked Harada.

“He’d have to be. This spell wouldn’t work if he was dead,” said Amiko.

“So where is he?” asked Daken.

Amiko handed him the remains of the map. Daken took it between his fingers and studied it. It looked like an island and there was a name written across it. He read it out loud.

“Madripoor.”

Just then, the glass windows shattered and ninja clad in crimson gi burst through, wielding swords.

“The Hand,” muttered Yukio, clenching her fists.

AFTER DEATH

Part IV

By Dino Pollard

Xavier Institute

“Well?” Scott Summers stood in the black and red uniform. His skullcap was pulled down and his visor was removed, and his pupils glowed bright red as he looked at the X-Men’s guest. “We’re waiting.”

John Wraith leaned back in his chair and looked around the war room on one of the lower levels of the Institute. He found himself looking into the faces of several X-Men. In addition to Summers there was also his wife, Jean Grey-Summers. Hank McCoy, the school’s headmaster, and Kitty Pryde. Sean Cassidy, Peter Rasputin, Rogue, and Forge were also present, standing around and staring at the new arrival.

Wraith took a breath and removed his hat, setting it on the metal table with an X engraved in the surface. He took off his sunglasses, sliding them into his shirt pocket. “What exactly do you want me to say, Summers?”

“We want you to tell us the truth,” said Sean. “Logan died. We were all at his funeral. So that means this has got t’be some kind of ruse.”

Wraith folded his arms and just remained silent.

“Whoever did this, they did their homework,” said Kitty. “I phased through his—its claws. And there’s no doubt about it, those things were made of adamantium.”

“That’s gotta prove it’s fake then,” said Rogue. “Magneto stripped the adamantium outta Logan’s body years ago.”

“He could also heal, remarkably fast,” said Scott. “Logan’s healing factor burnt out not long before his death.”

“Jean, you were in his mind, weren’t you?” asked Hank. “What’s your assessment.”

Jean sighed. “I don’t know. There was no real humanity in there. Just pain and rage. Like a wounded animal. But when I fell…he caught me. And in that instant, I could have sworn I saw something in his eyes.”

“I had a moment like that when I saw him,” said Kitty.

Forge held up his hands. “Everyone take a breath, okay. There are plenty of people out there with the means to whip up a clone. Black Womb, Sinister, Weapon X, Weapon Plus, I mean, take your pick.”

“Forge is correct,” said Peter. “But if it is Logan…”

“There’s only one person here who can tell us for certain,” said Scott, still staring at Wraith. “There’s a reason you came here. You were following it, weren’t you?”

Wraith leaned back and placed his legs on the table. “What are you gonna do, Summers?”

Jean rose from her chair and walked closer to Wraith. “John, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Logan was someone very dear to me—to all of us. Someone’s desecrated his memory in an effort to turn him into a weapon, and I want to know why.”

She turned his chair towards her and leaned over, placing her hands on the armrest. Jean leaned in close, her faces inches from his. Wraith looked into her eyes and saw the flicker of flames within the green irises.

“So you have two options here. Either you tell us what you know.” The flames in her eyes grew larger. Wraith could have sworn he saw the image of a fiery bird in her pupils. “Or I’ll peel back the layers of your mind like an onion to get to what I want to know. And I won’t be gentle about it. I’ll tear through every dark thought, every repressed memory, every secret you’ve ever kept until you’re reduced to a quivering, drooling mess.

“The choice is yours.”

Wraith swallowed hard and muttered, “Duly noted.”

Jean stood upright and folded her arms, taking a step or two back. “So what’s it going to be?”

Wraith sighed. “It’s not a clone. Not a robot. Not a shapeshifter. Not a time traveler and not a refugee from an alternate reality. It’s nothing other than exactly what it looks like—Logan.”

Kitty’s mouth fell open. “That can’t be…”

“He’s lying,” said Scott.

Wraith pointed at Jean. “You really think I’d lie after the speech she just gave me?”

“But it’s not possible,” said Peter.

“He’s right,” said Jean. “Logan’s wishes were explicit and we followed them to the letter. He was cremated.”

“And you cremated him yourself?” asked Wraith.

“What? Of course not—”

“Then there’s your answer,” said Wraith. “Weapon X got hold of the body before the cremation, replaced it with a fake.”

“What about the adamantium and the healing factor?” asked Sean.

“Weapon X originally planned to simply clone Logan, but once they got their hands on his body, they discovered something very interesting—his healing factor was still working,” said Wraith. “His healing factor wasn’t burnt out, it was just dormant. And with his death, it had kicked into overdrive, trying to fix all the damage he’d done to his body over the past few years.”

“And if the healing factor was working at maximum strength, that means the adamantium bonding process would be a simple matter,” said Hank.

Wraith nodded. “Exactly. He took the adamantium even better this time around.”

“So how do you figure into this whole thing?” asked Rogue.

“I work for an…organization,” said Wraith. “Logan worked for us once upon a time, too.”

“Landau, Luckman, and Lake,” said Jean. “An intergalactic holding company with vast power.”

“That’s right,” said Wraith. “My superiors got word of what was going on, and they sent me in.”

“Why, so you could use him as a weapon?” asked Forge.

“No, so I could stop Weapon X and finally give Logan some peace,” said Wraith.

“You were going to kill him,” said Kitty.

“Can you blame me?” asked Wraith. “You saw him, Pryde. You saw what he’d turned into. That thing…it may be Logan’s body, but it’s not him.”

“Why is that?” asked Peter. “Logan’s gone feral before, but from what you’ve all described, it sounds quite different.”

Wraith shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine, big guy. Maybe it’s the stress of the adamantium bonding. Or maybe it’s like an arm that keeps twitching after it’s been chopped off. But whatever the case, I have to find him. My only lead was you people. Except you lot managed to scare him off, so I’m even more lost than I was before.”

Scott arched a brow. “Are you saying you want us to help you? You just said you’re going to kill our friend.”

“Is he really your friend anymore, Summers?”

Scott paused and looked down.

“That’s what I thought,” said Wraith. “Logan’s dead. You’ve all accepted that. Now I have to make sure his body stays that way.”

“And you’re certain you can do this?” asked Hank. “To ensure no one else desecrates his memory again?”

“Triple-L’s got the means. I just need to find him first. And no one’s better equipped for that than Red over here.” Wraith gestured at Jean.

Clan Yashida

Harada moved to the shrine and removed the Honor Sword of the Clan Yashida from the katana rack. He drew the blade from its sheath and spun, slicing through one of the Hand ninjas. Harada moved from that ninja into another and then another, deflecting and blocking when necessary.

Yukio twisted to avoid the thrust of a Hand, grabbing him by his wrist. She drew a wakizashi and stabbed him in the gut, dragging it across his abdomen and opening him up. As he fell, Yukio claimed his katana for her own. With the katana and the wakizashi, she tore a bloody path through the ninja.

Daken clenched his fists. Two bone claws emerged from the backs of his hand, a third from under his wrist. He launched with a cry into one of the ninja, stabbing him in the chest. Daken tore the claws away, ripping the ninja’s chest.

He could sense someone trying to ambush him. The Hand were good, almost undetectable. But not completely. Daken spun, slicing off the ninja’s hand at the wrist, then ramming his claws into his head.

Amiko joined the fray as well, flipping and dodging the strikes. She took a pair of sai from a ninja, twirling them in her hands. Amiko drove a sai through one ninja’s chest, pulling him around and throwing the corpse into another ninja. It was a quick distraction that enabled Amiko to sneak around behind him and stab the sai into the back of his head.

“Who are these guys?” asked Daken.

“The Hand,” said Yukio. “Tsurayaba must’ve sent them after you, dog-boy.”

Harada found himself surrounded by several of the ninja. He concentrated, channeling his energy into the sword. The blade hummed with tachyon energy and he moved like a flash, tearing easily through the surrounding opponents.

Daken retracted his claws as he looked around at the dead bodies. “So that’s it, huh?”

All the Hand corpses suddenly vanished in a burst of smoke. Daken began coughing and waved his hand to clear the air. “What the hell?”

“Don’t ask,” said Amiko.

An arrow struck the wall—a flaming arrow. Harada turned to the window and saw dozens, maybe even hundreds more of flaming arrows flying towards the house. He turned to his compatriots. “Get out, now!”

They gathered what they could. Just before departing, Daken took the photograph of his father with Mariko Yashida.

The Xavier Institute

Jean carefully placed the Cerebra helmet on her head. She sat in the large, cylindrical metal room, the console attached to a walkway running through the center of the chamber.

The helmet covered her face and as she concentrated, the panels lining the chamber began to glow brightly. In Jean’s head, she could see the globe and all along it were millions of lights, each one representing a different mutant. She tried to lock onto Logan’s signature, still within Cerebra’s files.

The room returned to normal and she removed the helmet and stood. With a sigh, she turned and returned to the entrance. The X-shaped doors opened, revealing Wraith, Kitty, Scott, and Hank waiting.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t find him.”

Wraith grunted. “Of course not.”

“Cerebra works on brainwaves,” said Hank. “If what you’ve said is true, it means that the record of Logan’s brainwaves won’t help us out.”

“It’ll take time, but we’ll find him,” said Jean.

“And until then?” asked Wraith. “How many people are gonna die in his wake?”

“You asked for our help,” said Scott. “If you don’t like what we’re offering, you know where the door is.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Wraith vanished suddenly, teleporting. He reappeared outside the front door of the Institute and walked towards the gate. Just before he reached there, a ghostly figure rose from the ground right in front of him.

“Hold on right there,” said Kitty.

Wraith rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. “Outta my way, Pryde. I got work to do.”

“Logan was one of my best friends. More than that, he was my mentor,” said Kitty. “If you’re going after him, you’re not doing it alone—I’m going with you.”

“Why should I agree to that?”

“Because as well as you know Logan, I know things about him you probably don’t. We can help each other.”

Wraith considered her offer. Having her around certainly would prove helpful. He and Logan hadn’t exactly been close over the past several years. Having someone with that perspective certainly couldn’t hurt.

“Okay, let’s get moving.”

“How are we going to find him without Cerebra?” asked Kitty.

“Simple,” said Wraith. “We follow the trail of destruction.”

Japan

Daken looked up at the freighter ship, a bag slung over his shoulder. He turned around to face Harada. “You sure about this?”

“Amiko’s spell proved me wrong,” said Harada. “Izo is still out there. And I owe Logan a debt that can never be repaid. With him gone, I now owe that debt to his heir. This ship will take you to Madripoor. From there, I’m afraid you are on your own.”

“And what will you do?” asked Daken.

Harada’s lips curled into a snarl. “Matsu’o Tsurayaba has destroyed my family’s home. It’s an insult that won’t go unpunished.”

“I could stay, help you with that,” said Daken.

Harada shook his head. “No. Your mission is elsewhere. You must fulfill your father’s request.”

Daken nodded. “Thanks, Ken.”

“Ganbatte, Akihiro-san.” Harada gave a deep bow. Daken returned it and boarded the ship.

As Daken moved through the decks to his quarters, he stopped, sniffing. He spun and extended his claws, only to find him facing off against Amiko.

“Whoa, easy with those,” she said. “How’d you not know it was me?”

“I did, actually. Just wanted to see how you’d react.” Daken retracted his claws. “What are you doing here, Amiko?”

“Izo’s a big deal. I’m not letting you go after him alone,” she said. “So guess what? We’re partners on this.”

The Wolverine moved through the forest. He didn’t know where he was. Wasn’t even sure what he was doing here. All he knew was that he had to keep moving. Couldn’t risk stopping too long. That’s how the enemy finds you.

He stopped and immediately moved for cover. The Wolverine crouched behind a tree and he surveyed the area. There was something moving in the distance. A large shadow. With a very familiar scent.

The Wolverine moved around the tree, slowly inching closer. The shadow was near. He could almost taste the rage that filled the air. And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

The shadow stopped. It turned, moving closer. Thunderous footsteps caused slight tremors in the ground. But the Wolverine wasn’t scared. This was a fight he was waiting for.

“Well, well, well,” came a booming voice, tinged with the hint of amusement. “Ain’t this a surprise. Thought you were dead, runt.”

The Wolverine growled, his claws extending. SNIKT

This brought a chuckle from the large beast that stood before him. He extended his hand, beckoning the Wolverine towards him with a single, green digit.

“C’mon then,” said the jade giant. “HULK SMASH!”

To be continued…