X-23: Blood Rage, Part 1- Reborn

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Rated M for Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.

Note- To find out what happened to Sinister and his band of Marauders, check out this chapter (Spoilers).

Project X: The Birth of Wolverine, Chapter 69- Sinister

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic-8/project-x-the-birth-of-wolverine-chapter-69-sinist-650116/

X-23: Blood Rage, Part 1- Reborn

It was only a matter of time that the mad scientist, Dr. Nathaniel Essex devised a way to bring the ultimate weapon back to life. He waited so long for this kind of opportunity to attack his enemies. But his creation had failed 22 times, to be exact. He almost gave up on her, but he tried once again, and this time he had got it right.

Dr. Essex also known as Sinister had survived the last battle with Wolverine back in Vietnam. Not to mention, some of his Marauders were still left intact, but they got injured. Except for Scalphunter, who had a healing factor much stronger than anyone else. He stood there quite far behind the mad scientist as he checked his experiment, numerous times. Sinister called her X-23 due to her perfection after failing 22 attempts. He smiled, checked her vital life signs and the DNA. They were all perfect, and well expected by him. Dr. Essex had worked with Project X to create powerful weapons of destruction. Wolverine was one example. However, there was a strong possibility that the Canadian hero, who now joined with D.A.G.G.E.R. might turn against his creators.

Scalphunter looked bored as usual. He was hoping that the scientist asked him to hunt down other mutants, killing them off, stealing their scalps on the top of their heads, and earn some big cash. Sinister only hired these dangerous mercenaries to do the dirty work and take DNA samples. The scientist didn’t mind the death of innocent children, somewhere along the deep tunnels of New York.

“Hey, boss,” Scalphunter looked at his gun, fine-tuning it. He was a master of advanced weapons, yet he knew how to fix and create new ones, so that he could lend them to his friends. “When are we going do to some killing?”

Sinister looked back at the bored mercenary. He understood that these mercenaries were impatient, brutal, and willing to take lives out of their miserable hands. He didn’t respond, turning towards his creation.

“Come here, Scalphunter. I liked to show you something,” the scientist stared at her with wonder. She was naked, encased inside a glass tube, and the wires attached to the back of her body. She breathed heavily, yet her eyes were closed. She was a beauty and a perfect creation within Sinister’s mind.

Scalphunter shook his head, went closer to Sinister. The light that came out of the tank almost blinded his eyes. Then he looked at the young girl clearly.

“So?” The leader of the Marauders said. “Do I give a $h!t?”

“I know you don’t,” Sinister said. “But I’m responsible for her. You see, my dear friend, the outcome of my experiment had been proven to my late general Stryker that she might fail again. I tried so many times to create her out of Wolverine’s DNA. The process proved incalculable. But the result was somehow different.”

“You were only trying to create a girl,” Scalphunter attached the gun back into his armour.

“Not likely,” Sinister smiled. “I didn’t intend to create the female version. Wolverine was a flaw to Project X. And by flaw, I don’t mean he was created out of nothing. He was only involved in the healing factor experiment and the adamantium. After years of serving Stryker, he turned against us, me and attacked! So, I had to do something about it.”

Scalphunter wondered where this conversation was going. He cared less of what happens to the scientist’s naked creation. But he only wanted some money and kills. He was a Marauder, after all.

“This girl...” Scalphunter stared at the girl again. “Is she like me or Wolverine? You know...healing factor?”

Sinister nodded. “She’s very much like any mutant who has a healing factor. Yours proved stronger than ever. On the negative side, the previous healing factor experiments somehow went awry, accelerating this girl or her previous clone to age rapidly. That’s why I needed you to turn her into a perfect weapon.”

“So...I guess you don’t need us,” Scalphunter thought of what Sinister just said. With the girl available in the mad scientist’s hands, he felt that it was time to move on and find other missions to attend to or get hired by another mad scientist.

Sinister got up from his seat, touching the Native American’s shoulder. “My dear friend, why would I allow such a thing? In my time, I had to hire thugs to do my dirty work and cover it up. Without the Marauders, I would have been caught.”

“Hmm....” Scalphunter gave it a thought. After all, Sinister did pay large sums of money for killing the Morlocks.

“You’re right,” Scalphunter said. “Maybe, it’s good to find a boss like you. I doubt there would be anyone else.”

“I knew I would count on you, my dear friend,” Sinister felt relieved. Now that Scalphunter was back on the game, he can definitely continue working on his experiments. There was so much to accomplish.

Sinister came closer to the tank; observing her beauty. The bubbles inside the tank can be seen, and the reflection of the mad scientist’s eyes turned towards her. He smiled, wondering when she would ever wake up.

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There was a moment of flashes in her mind. X-23 wasn’t sure of what to make of it. She had trouble recalling her past, of where she had been. It was most likely that she went on some secret mission to kill someone important. She opened her eyes and saw full of dead bodies lying around her. It felt like a horrible nightmare. She felt this was her own doing, killing or slaughtering unknown people. A dark shadow stood there, staring at her. She didn’t know who he was.

“Hello, kid,” his familiar voice called out to him. He didn’t move an inch to reveal himself. She wanted to know of this stranger, speaking to him.

“Who...Who are you?” She asked the stranger. She stepped closer, making sure she didn’t trip herself over the dead bodies.

“You don’t know?” The dark, short stranger sounded surprised. “I guess they messed up with your head too.”

“What do you mean?” She felt confused. For a fact, she couldn’t remember the time that she had done anything or been going somewhere else.

“Look kid,” the dark shadow said. “I’m gonna tell ya one thing for sure. And you ain’t gonna believe me.”

“Just tell me!” She demanded for an answer. “I need to know. I want to know who I am.”

“You mean what,” the shadow corrected her. He moved slightly over the dead bodies. He stared at them.

X-23 froze for a moment. She couldn’t fathom the idea of this short, dark stranger telling her these things. For one thing, she thought it could be a bad dream. But something had told her that this might be real, even though it wasn’t.

“I’m you,” the shadow said.

“What?” She didn’t know what to say. “That’s...That’s impossible.”

“I know the feelin’,” the shadow continued. “But it’s somethin’ ya have to get used to it. Sorry, kid.”

She wanted to know more of what’s going on with her and the fact that this stranger had told her something unbelievable. She came closer to him, but he stepped back.

“Please...Let me see you.”

“No,” the shadow turned away from her. “I have to go. I have to kill more.”

“Kill more?” She looked around the dead bodies. Some of them were floating in the pool of blood. “Why?”

“Because it’s who we are,” the shadow turned back. Then he disappeared into darkness.

“Wait!” She cried out almost falling over the dead, wanting to get more answers from the shadow. “Please! I want to know more about me!”

“Hello...” a girl interrupted her. X-23 looked back and almost stunned to see that she was alive.

“You...” X-23’s eyes were wide open. “I thought...”

“Yes, Laura,” the young girl said. “It’s the real me.”

She opened eyes slowly, waking herself from the nightmare. The mad scientist was still standing right in front of her, smiling. He felt the joyfulness that she was finally awake.

To be continued in X-23: Blood Rage, Part 2- Assassin.

What’s this? X-23 has been created by Sinister? Not to mention, how did she get back into the mad scientist’s hands? Who was the girl that X-23 encountered within her mind? Find out what happens in the next part of X-23. My name is Laura and I’m going to kill you. SNIKT!

Edited.