Chapter 9
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The boy stood with his shoulders drawing in, his head still tilted, his eyes held an only just barely there light..
Then the child's elbows bent and he covered his head with his forearms and curled in on himself as he collapsed to the ground on his side..
Wade and Logan both took a step towards the kid at the same time only to have the boy flinch violently and give a harsh wounded cry of pain and mourning.. You won't make me forget! You WON'T!" The boy cried out "I have a name! I have a name!.. I'm a person!"
"Please no, please no, please no more, no more!" The boy chanted as Wade and Logan tentatively stepped slowly closer..
The child flinched and sobbed as Wade knelt down and put gentle hands on the child and sat him up..
"Hey.." Wade tried in the gentlest voice he could muster "It's okay.. We.. We're not gonna hurt you.. We're like Richard.. Richard Parker.. Do you remember him?"
The boy nodded.
"We're like him.. We only want to get you out and away from this place.. Okay?" Wade asked as Logan knelt next to him..
The boy nodded even as he still cried.. But then he shook hus head and threw himself back and away from Wade "No!.. You.. You're tricking me!. Testing me.. Trying to make me forget.. But even when I pretend to forget I remember.. Because you can't make me not remember! Even when you use the chair again I won't forget!"
"Hey, hey.. No kid.. That's not what's going on here.." Logan said as he stretched out his hands but didn't touch the boy.. "We're like you.. See?" Logan showed the boy his claws then retracted them again.. The kid peeked between the gap of his arms and flinched at the "Schnik" sounds Logan's claws made upon being revealed and upon being retracted.. But then the kid peeked his head out from the cover of his arms and looked curiously at Logan's hands..
"Like me?" The boy asked..
"Yeah, kid.. Like you.." Logan reassured him..
"But what about them?" The boy gestured at the flaming base "They'll follow.. They'll bring me back.."
"They're all dead." Wade replied "They can't hurt you or anyone else anymore."
"Mmm.. Nnnooo.." The boy muttered "They are HYDRA.. Cut off one head.. They don't die.. They just .. Multiply .."
"Not this time kid." Logan assured him.
"Pppp... Eeeeettt.. Eeerrr.. Nnn.. Nnnooott.. ttt.. Kidddd." The boy stuttered.
"Okay.. Peter.." Wade agreed and Logan nodded.. "We're gonna get you out of here.."
"Really free.. Ttthhh .. Iiisss .. Ttt .. ttiiimmmmee?" Peter asked..
"Yeah.. Really free this time, Peter." Logan replied..
"We just need to know how far you can walk.. It's a ways to the nearest civilization.." Wade stated "And when's the last time you ate?"
Peter shrugged and looked already exhausted like simply just fighting free of his programming to try to use what limited speech he had, had already drained most, if not all of his energy..
"Wade.. How did you get here?" Logan asked..
"Oh yeah.. Major plot hole... Okay.. So surely I got here then there must be a method to get back because if not then what method did I use to even get here in the first place?"
"Exactly.." Logan said with an exasperated sigh..
"Well.. How I got here involved Dopinder, a plane and no parachute.."
"And what exactly were you gonna do if you had found me starved, tortured and too wounded to get myself five feet let alone through miles of rough terrain?" Logan asked..
"I didn't exactly think things through.. I'm less of a coming to the rescue type guy and more of a leaping without looking and slashing up any bad guys in the near vicinity type guy.. But you were missing and no one else was looking for you or listening to me when I was worried you were missing.. Even when I asked them to look for you and told them Stryker might be involved.."
"Who all'd you talk to?" Logan asked.
"Xavier, Jean, Glasses, Rogue, Gambit.. Stark, Rogers, Banner.."
"Okay.. Okay.." Logan interrupted "And they didn't come look for me because??"
"Well there was an Invasion and Magneto was gonna drop a whole Stadium on The White House and.."
"Again?" Logan said as he rolled his eyes..
"Yeah.. So everyone might have been a little busy.." Wade confessed.
Just as he said that they heard a "Whoosh" as a strong wind blew the tops of the trees every which direction and The X-Jet soared past followed by Iron Man who stopped to hover and point down at them..
"Looks like we have a ride out of here after all.." Logan said with a grin.