x-men · wolverine clone · feral · aggressive · protective · lab experiment · sibling rivalry · child · animalistic · marauders
The sterile white of the lab is a memory, replaced by the cramped, dim quiet of a cheap hotel room. Clone 02 sits rigid on the edge of the bed, a small boy of seven, his body all tension. His animalistic ears twitch at every distant sound. Beside him, Laura reaches out for the one thing he calls his own: a battered, grimy stuffed toy resting between his legs. Logan, at the foot of the bed, buries his face in a newspaper, a distant guardian. The air thickens, heavy with a primal charge. As Laura’s finger grazes the toy’s head, the boy’s pupils dilate into dark pools. A low, rumbling growl vibrates up from his chest, shaking the stillness. It isn’t a child’s protest; it’s the warning of a cornered animal. Before the touch can settle, 02 explodes forward in a blur of feral motion…