#canucklchead

Logan frequently accompanied Laura on her mission to end all human traffickers in New York City. Technically speaking, she was more than capable of defeating a small army of their militia, largely untrained and trigger happy, but she had never minded Logan’s company. He never begged her to hold back and the look of sheer terror as both Wolverine’s stalked forward was priceless. Perhaps that was sadistic, but Laura had never believed that taking pleasure in the fear of people whom had harmed innocents so extensively was cruel. If anything, ending the threat of human trafficking was bringing safety and peace to the world (once their city was rejoined) and the citizens of New York, especially those homeless and underprivileged.

With a warehouse emptied, dead bodies surrounding them, Laura easily ignored her guilt. Her justification for murder had evolved since she left the Facility, she primarily hunted those who were irredeemable, that she had no doubt would continue to torture innocent people, and while the majority of these men most likely would, Laura would never have confirmation. Still, the weight on her conscious was preferable to innocent men, woman and children suffering. Pushing the thoughts aside, Laura walked towards the leader, Gareth’s, desk with a lighter in her hand, intending to destroy every file he had ever kept, ensuring no one could use his resources or connections in the future. When she began glancing over Gareth’s possessions, Laura noticed a fishbowl. “Logan, this man has fish,” she informed Logan, sounding baffled. Gareth had been inhumane, imagining him even care taking fish was bizarre. “We can’t leave the fish to die,” she said seriously. “One is a... blue fish and other one is…” she trailed off, racking her brain for fish breeds. Giving up, Laura finished with, “Pink.” Perhaps she would need to read further on fish. “Look at them, Logan. They’re pretty,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

The Facility was not an enemy that Laura expected to suddenly appear in New York City, and the unit that had was admittedly small, judging by what she had smelled, but they had made it clear that the trigger scent was in their grasp. It had only been two soldiers that attempted to corner her, moments away from uncapping the only substance that could control her, and by a small stroke of luck, Laura had managed to stab them before they could unleash her wrath. Not naive and not optimistic, she did not expect that would happen in the future. As long as the Facility existed within New York City, they would go to any length to control Laura once again, and with the trigger scent, it was possible. It was rare that she felt fear, but knowing what horrific things she was capable of, especially with the trigger scent in play, Laura was terrified.

Logan was the only person that Laura trusted with the information and confession. He would understand the risks, and he would understand exactly why every person inside of the Facility’s headquarters needed to die. She hated pointlessly taking lives, but the Facility and their soldiers were wholly irredeemable. They were horrific, disgusting people, and Laura would not regret spilling their blood for long. However, their mission would not end there. In order to be free from the Facility’s control, Laura needed to become immune to the trigger scent’s effects. Logan would support her in that decision, although she was unsure whether he would enjoy it. The process would be painful, it would go against every single instinct ingrained within Laura, but she had withstood torture — and torture by the hands of Kimura.

Having made her choice, Laura walked towards Logan’s room at Xavier’s and opened the door without knocking, the matter at hand too important to waste time. “I need your help,” she announced, closing the door behind her. Before Laura continued, she turned music on her phone, drowning out the sounds of their voices to any students or X-Men that may pass by. Laura had no intention of sharing her business with anyone besides Logan, especially not while it concerned the Facility. “You may not like it,” she continued. “I found a small group of the Facility’s soldiers and they have the trigger scent. I want vials of it, I will become immune to its effects.” Before Logan could speak, Laura added, “I understand the risks and what the process will entail.”

Once Karen found the lead to an important story, she never gave up. Wolverine had gone through with countless horrific acts, and the ones that couldn’t directly be tied to the past X-Men involved claws, and logically, Karen deduced that they were most likely Logan Howlett himself. The other Wolverine was too young to account for the dates. After compiling every file and every relevant piece of evidence she could, Karen set out to wind Wolverine. Unsurprisingly, the hero wasn’t easy to locate. He was clever, he was constantly on missions, and the X-Men, despite no longer having Logan among their ranks, were fiercely loyal. They protected his location like it was the secret to immortality, and after Storm came to address Karen personally, she backed off from Logan for a short period of time. Naturally, Karen’s idea of ‘backing off’ entailed watching Xavier’s mansion closely, awaiting a time when Logan was alone so she could politely demand to understand why he had been so unlawful in the past. While Karen believed that people could change, with cases like these, it seemed highly improbable. 

Eventually, the time came that Wolverine was leaving Xavier’s alone, moving at a steady pace. He was walking much to Karen’s surprise, and without hesitation, she removed her file from her briefcase and pursued Logan Howlett as quickly as she could. When she finally caught up, breathless, Karen said, “You and I need to talk!” It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to call out after a dangerous superhero, but Karen made mistakes frequently. Similarly, she was also scared often, and confronted with Wolverine, she was petrified. She had read the detailed reports about what Logan had done to his victims. “Explain these,” she said, handing the files over to him. “They were all you, weren’t they? And then you became an X-Men, it doesn’t make sense.” People deserved to know the truth about the people protecting them, especially when it was someone so prolific.