“Been a Long Time”

I’ve been living here for over 500 years. I’ve never really thought of that before. I’m over 600 years old. I guess you get the advantage of a long life and only a few gray hairs when you have an advanced haling factor. There was a time, when I spent my life running around, causing all sorts of trouble. I fought in the Second World War, was part of a program called Weapon X, but all that’s gone now. All of it ended when Apocalypse destroyed it all. I joined the X-Men then, and met the most beautiful women in the world. I left the X-Men with her and vowed to never return. Then she and the guy named Apocalypse were killed also. Except me. The man who was once called Weapon X. Now, I’m simply Logan.

I can still remember that day, vividly. The day the world came to an end. The nukes came down, and tore into my skin. Ripped off the metal that covered up my lost hand. Even removed a bit of the adamantium from my skeleton, though I’ve still got some left. It killed me. Holding the woman I loved, dead in my arms, I was destroyed by the nukes. But my healing factor proved itself once again, and brought me back. Unfortunately, I was alone.

There were a few survivors here and there. I did for them what I could, but most of them died then too. Some remained. Never kept up with them after that. Figured they starved to death. Never thought anyone else was alive on this world but me. Me, having to eat every scrap of meat remaining on this planet. Until, it began to flourish again. Now I have plenty to eat, because I live alone. Hunt my own food. I live the life. Well, technically alone anyway. Turns out there were some survivors from the nuclear destruction. Some were on Apocalypse side. I’ve had to fight them over the years, and one was even the best there was at what he did. But I killed him. As well as the others. I think some remain, descendants, but I haven’t seen anyone for years. Besides that, I’ve encountered other survivors. Like Exodus. A man I never expected to see again. I thought he was dead. He obviously thought the same about me. He hadn’t aged a day, but I didn’t care. I poked three holes in his shoulder and told him if he ever came back I’d kill him. He never did. Not until recently that is.

I don’t think he was the only survivor. From what I got out of him, there’s a whole ‘nother world out there. A world with technology, and all that crap. A world, I don’t want to be a part of. I think it’s peaceful here. However, Exodus’ world has been coming to me. A little under a month ago scents started coming in from the coast. It can only mean one thing. A large immigration. Led by the high and mighty Exodus I’d bet. I even met a couple of them, but left immediately afterwards. I don’t want to let these people know I’m here. So I’m staying away.

Right now, I’m in the middle of the forest. Hunting. Hunting a deer, more accurately. Up here in Colorado, they run around undisturbed again, except by me. I make a rustle in the leaves, and he perks his ears up. He stares around, and begins to graze on grass again. I move around to the closest tree to him. Then I strike, quickly. I poke a claw straight through his head. I need to eat, but I won’t make a deer suffer for it. Upon seeing me, the other deer begin to run. Not that I want them, but they’re running out of the clearing towards the woods. I have my meal; they won’t come towards me.

Or maybe they will. The deer, they were almost to the woods, but they stopped and turned around. They’re heading straight towards me. I climb a tree, because if I didn’t, they would’ve run me over. Only one thing gets deer to run like that. It means something spooked them more then I did. After the last deer passes, I drop from the tree and run towards the area they ran from. I go into the trees only to find nothing. I stand there, and suddenly, I smell something. A scent. A scent I never wanted to smell again.

“Hello Logan.”

*Crack*

Ouch. That hurt. I just got slammed into a tree hard. By someone I thought dead. I look up, in disbelief. It’s him. It’s Omega.

“It’s been a long time old enemy,” says Omega. He cackles and smiles starring at me. I hate this guy. He’s big. Big, mean, and as deadly as anyone I’ve ever faced. And not to be messed with. His name tells it all. He’s about 8 feet, tall and wide. He’s got red blazing eyes, and a red blazing chest and legs. His head is completely silver, as well as his hands. However, over his hands, are two giant spikes that he can transform into anything. he’s deadly. I barely survived our last encounter, where I thought I killed him. This time, I need to make sure.

“How’d you get back Omega,” I ask him.

He laughs again and says, “I am like he who created me Logan. Very hard to kill.” He then charges at me but I put my hand on his head and dodge over him. He rams the tree. Worst part of all, he doesn’t even flinch. He just dusts himself off and turns back around. He suddenly turns the spikes attached to his arms over his hands into swords.

“It’s time to settle this, once and for all,” he says. He suddenly charges at me and slashes a sword at my feet. I’m barely fast enough to avoid it. Probably because of the sensors in his mind that tell him my next move. He uses that. He was setting me up. He slashed the sword at my feet anticipating what I was going to do. He grabs me with his other hand and throws me down to the ground. He then puts the sword up to my head. he puts the point of it right on my forehead. However, he won’t kill me. He needs me.

“Where are they Logan,” says Omega. “Tell me where they are, and I’ll let you live.”

“I wouldn’t tell you,” I spit out, and it’s the truth. He simply smiles. It’s always amazed me how much he keeps his cool in battles. Even when I thought I killed him, the man never screamed.

“I can find out you know,” says Omega. One of the swords one his arms then transforms into a helmet. A helmet I see, that was designed to go on my head. I slash at it, but even adamantium can’t cut adamantium. He hits me, and places the helmet right over my head. It shocks me, and I scream in pain. I suddenly see my life flash before my eyes, and when he removes the helmet, I realize the horror of what he’s done.

He laughs “see, you told me anyway,” he cackle,” and now I can find them. As well as make sure I stop you. Like Havok did your beloved Jean.”

“Shut…up,” I moan. I have been able to put up with a lot of crap in my life. Never ever, have I put up with someone teasing me about Jean. I pop out the claws on my left hand. I move quickly and move his sword from the tip of my forehead. I try to slash into him, knowing it’s useless. He falls back, but is unscratched. It’s because of what his skin is made out of. Adamantium. Apocalypse only used the best. When Apocalypse was at the peak of his reign, he knew there was the possibility of his eventual death. So he had Sinister find him the most powerful mutant on all the planet. He found Omega. The man with the ability of turning the skin above his hands into anything he dreamed. He was also invulnerable and gained new abilities by the day. Apocalypse, gave him immortality. He was just a scared kid.

A scared kid put into a stasis tube. He was frozen for years. In that

time, a program was committed to cover his skin with adamantium and build his abilities to the max. All of Apocalypse’ memories and desires were also downloaded into his brain. He was meant to awaken five days after the death of Apocalypse, in case he did die that is, and take over the empire for him. He did just that. Five days after the war, I encountered him. his dream was the same as Apocalypse’. He looked at the world around him, and called himself Omega, for that’s just what he was. And he did just what he was meant to. I pity him. He was unwilling when Apocalypse brought him in. That’s why we faced so many times, with my refusing to kill him. One day I did, but now he’s back. And I have no idea how to defeat him again.

“You really thought you’d killed me didn’t you,” says Omega,” you thought you’d killed that which is undefeatable. You old fool. My name is Omega. My name means the end. When the end of the world comes, I will be here. The same can not be said for you.” He suddenly lifted me up in the air with an ability he didn’t have when last we met. Telekinesis. I’m frozen in mid air. However, if he wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it already. Something’s up.

“What else do you want Omega,” I utter.

“I want to break you Logan,” said Omega,” I need to break you. As you broke me when I was still young and inexperienced. I want you to feel that same pain I felt on that day. I want you broken. Then, I want you to feel deep pain. Then, I want you to die.”

“One problem with that bub,” I say,” it’s never been done.” I suddenly take advantage of the passion he put into his little speech and move my arm towards him slashing him across the face. He drops me. I rise to my feet and release both set of claws. Though the left arm hurts like hell. Tends to happen when there’s no skin over the bone there. But I must endure the pain. Many lives depend on it. “You stay away from them Omega,” I say,” I’ll kill you if I have to. Whatever

it takes. But I won’t let you do it.”

“You can not stop me Logan,” he says as he suddenly shoots fire at me through his hand. Another ability he hadn’t had before. He’s catching me by surprise too much. I have no idea what the full arsenal of his weaponry is. I doubt he does either. I don’t want to find out. Because he’s right. I can’t win. I can only survive. But I’m the best there is at what I do. And that’s surviving.

“Maybe I can’t,” I say, trying to sound confident,” but I’m sure as hell going to give my best effort.” I take into account that he can anticipate any move I’ve done before. So I do what I should’ve done all along. Something new.

I charge at him. As I’m doing this I know he’s going to reach out to grab my claws. So I retract them. I hit him with my fist right in his face. He stumbles backwards a little, but barely flinches. I hit him in the chest again just to get a good pace. I hit him again. And again. And again. I barely affect him. But I knew I wouldn’t. The point of this is to get to his weakness. When Apocalypse covered him with adamantium he missed a spot. The spot right above his heart upon his chest. That’s why he has it covered. So as not to expose his Achilles heal. His problem is, I know about it.

“You know the problem there is with guys like you Omega,” I say,” you don’t know what it means to face someone better then you. Anytime you do, you never admit it. Instead, you dedicate your career, your entire lives, to facing them over and over again. But you never win. So you have to be stopped, One way or another.”

Apparently, he doesn’t care about my words. He just lets out a low cackle and smiles at me. Suddenly, right before my eyes, his arms enlarged to at least three times their size. Suddenly, I see him swinging his arm towards me….

A few hours later…

Oh, man. That’s the worse hangover I’ve ever had. Omega hit me. And that was hard. My back hurts. It was obviously ripped open. It’s heeling though, but I’ll have trouble getting up. But he didn’t hit me in my back. he hit my chest. Why does my back…hurt…so…bad?

Oh my God. I’m out of the forest. He hit me right out of the forest. I can barely even see it anymore. He must’ve hit me a few miles I’d say. Now I have another question. Why does my right arm hurt so badly?

“Welcome back Logan,” said Omega,” you will notice when you try to pop your claws on your right hand will come with great difficulty.”

He was right. I tried popping the claws in that hand, but I couldn’t. They wouldn’t come. But suddenly I noticed, a glove was on my right hand. I took it off. And my hand, it had three large gapes in it, and it was covered in blood. I scream in pain when my brain finally registers what has happened. I look at Omega and I see three silver claws in his hand. My claws. he ripped them right out of my arm. The bones along with them. He did it so efficiently, the bones will never be able to grow back. I will not have a skinless arm with claws like my left arm. No mechanical arm this time. Just an arm, with mechanical bones. No claws included. Omega laughs.

“Perhaps you will have greater difficulty challenging me Logan when you are without your simple crutch.” He then threw the three claws onto the ground in front of me. I fell over on top of them. I may be injured, but my mind still thinks. I have an idea.

“I understand that your mind is probably in so much shock,” says Omega, “it will probably not allow you to release the claws on your left hand. Your crippled claws. The claws which barely have a hand with which to shoot out of. Thanks to Apocalypse’ servant Cyclops. You are now crippled Logan.” He then picked me up into the air with his arm. “I win. You lose. Kneel.”

“One thing about cripples Omega,” I spit in his face,” they always find an efficient way to get something done.” I suddenly jab him with one of the claws I picked up off the ground right into the hole that is exposed about him. He screams in pain. I then kick him in the chest, pushing myself away from him, and he falls over on top of the claw. He’s down and out. Momentarily at least. I take advantage. I grab the two other claws and I run as fast as I can west. Which isn’t very fast with a crippled back and having to hold my arm to keep it from gushing blood at the same time. But it’s enough time. Omega should be unconscious. That gives me time. I have to make it. I’m right beside Texas. I’m almost there. I can make it.

An hour later…

I made it. The gates open and I scream out the words I have to, to anyone who’s listening.

“EVERYBODY!! OMEGA IS STILL ALIVE AND HE HAS FOUND OUT YOUR LOCATION!!! HE’S COMING TO KILL YOU!!! GOD HELP ME, I CAN’T STOP HIM ALONE. I NEED YOUR HELP. YOU ARE NATIVES OF THIS LAND. THE FEW THAT SURVIVED THE ARMAGEDDON SO MANY YEARS AGO. TIME FINALLY, TO EARN YOUR NAMES AS AMERICANS!!” I yell these words, and all who hear rush to me. I yell these words, to those descendants of the few survivors of the end so many years ago. I yell these words here, because here, I can find X-Men.

To be continued…

 

Next Issue-Logan disabled! Omega on the rampage. The mystery of exactly who it is Logan is talking to. Is he delusional, or is he talking to actual people. Plus, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the coming of the X-Men! In addition, don’t expect this issue to be small. The issue that introduces everyone’s favorite super team is going to be huge. Trust me. Logan will be but a small part this time. Be here, when the X-Men, whoever they are, face Omega!