SHIELD Medical Facility, thirteen days ago…
Mystique has entered Wolverine’s hospital room, though he is gone and only a trail of blood is left. Raven looks out of the window, but doesn’t say anything. She notices something encrypted on a table. The note comes from Logan and reads not to follow him.
A worrying Jessica enters, wanting to know what happened and where Logan is, but Raven doesn’t know. But, she is going to find out. She climbs out of the window and departs, ordering Jessica to give her fifteen minutes to find Logan again before she notifies Shaw, thinking that will be enough time. And Jessica can’t follow her.
SHIELD Command Office, today…
Shaw wants to know something. He asks Mystique if she thinks Logan left that message for her. She confirms. Shaw understands, wondering if Raven believes that this message was to be taken literally or… metaphorically. When Raven reacts confused at this, Shaw says that, for the sake of brevity, he’ll forgive Raven for her ‘feigned ignorance.’ But only this time. He wants his question answered. Hesitant, Raven admits that Logan isn’t the poetic type.
And yet, Raven did follow him. Alone. Raven defends she followed Logan alone, because she feared he might kill anyone else with her. Shaw defends that she effectively disobeyed a direct order. And, she compromised Agent Drew by requesting that she delayed him on notifying him on Logan’s AWOL status. Raven has no excuse for her actions. A furious Shaw powers up and angrily slams his hand on his desk, breaking it apart! As other agents enter, and Shaw calms down. Shaw orders the agents to bring Raven to the brig.
Seven hours later…
Shaw meets up with a guard, asking him if there has come any escape attempt on Raven’s part. The guard explains there hasn’t been any, and Mystique didn’t even say anything as they locked her up. Shaw doesn’t like that. The scientist thought that’s what they wanted, but Shaw denies that, mentioning that he wants to be kept informed on any new developments. He enters a restricted lab, and asks a scientist for a confirmation if Nick Fury is dead.
The scientist apologizes, but either way he can’t be certain. He shows an operating table, on which the sum total of the physical evidence lies that was gathered from the scene of the fire. What the jet fuel didn’t completely incinerate, the plastic explosives scattered to the four winds. Unfortunately, there’s nothing here that can even tell the scientist whether or not Fury was even in the building!
He did find something else, though. He activates his computer and shows Shaw what he means. He adds that when he pulled up Fury’s personnel file to get his medical info, he happened to notice something strange in the access log. The file has only been accessed three times since the investigation surrounding Fury’s death was concluded. Twice by the scientist, and the other time by… Shaw doesn’t let the scientist finish and walks out of the lab.
The prison cells…
Shaw walks back to Mystique, who’s sitting behind bars. He suggests that they start over. Raven doesn’t understand why, but agrees. Shaw asks if Logan ever talks to her about his past. Mystique already told it once, but claims that he doesn’t talk about it often. Shaw wants to know what Logan does talk about, if he does. Raven remembers that Logan talks about how weird the world was before the rise of the mutantkind. How, even though he was despised for being what he is, Logan somehow felt that he belonged in that world. Because he had a purpose there, and how that’s all gone, now.
the past, several weeks ago…
After a night of lovemaking, Raven notices Logan drinking again and asks him to stop. Logan refuses, as it isn’t like it’s going to hurt him. But, it does hurt Raven. Logan turns away from her and remains silent for a while, before telling Raven she doesn’t understand. This little bit o’ death… that’s the only thing that makes him feel alive.
Raven angrily shouts and asks that’s because the war is over. She wonders when Logan shall realize that he’s worth more than the sum total of his enemies. Logan defends that he doesn’t have enemies anymore. Raven shouts that his victims were only humans, who mean nothing. With a serious look on his face, Logan denies that, claiming that there was one human that did matter.
the prison cells, today…
Shaw wonders what Raven said about Logan having a purpose. Shaw wants to know how Raven tracked Logan down. Raven claims the same way Logan tracked Fury down. Shaw understands. Raven tells Shaw that he assumed it, because it plays into his “conclusion” theory, namely that Logan somehow knew that it was Fury he was after the whole time. But, he didn’t necessarily have to know all that. She thinks the sole reason that the embassy was targeted by Fury was because he wanted that Sentinel. Therefore, she knew just as Logan did, that if she located the Sentinel, she’d find what she was looking for.
Raven knew that the Sentinel itself wasn’t destined to be sold. Shaw wants to know how Raven knew about this. Mystique explains that there were no buyers, as there’s no market for something on that scale. There is, however, a market for information pertaining to Sentinels, particularly how to destroy them. But in order to extract that information, the hijackers would have to do a chop-job on the chassis and then physically remove the Sentinel’s data core and, due to the Sentinel’s sheer size, they’d have to do it somewhere close to the embassy. Somewhere secluded. Preferably, where equipment was already on-site. That’s where she found where Logan was, as did he.
thirteen days ago…
Mystique has taken a helicopter, and lands outside an old steel mill. She takes out her binoculars to make sure it’s clear, and enters it. She opens a stockroom door, and hears Logan loudly screaming for Fury!
the prison cells, today…
Shaw noticed that, still, Raven held back from entering the building and helping Logan out. He wants to know why. Raven defends it would have been stupid of her to run in blindly into a hot situation. Besides, she knows Logan can take care of himself.
thirteen days ago…
Logan scouts the stockroom and finds Sentinel body parts lying around. Suddenly, lots of soldiers sneak up on him! Without wasting any time, Logan snikts out his claws. He tries to remain calm, but more and more soldiers pop up and open fire. Logan dodges most bullets, but eventually does get hit and falls against some boxes. He finds small cogs, picks them up and one by one throws them at the soldiers, knocking them out. As some agents manage to dodge them, Logan tries to escape and goes to hide behind a door.
The soldiers follow him, but this time the element of surprise is at Logan’s side. He snikts out his claws again, sticking them right through a soldier’s back! He picks up that soldier’s gun and uses it to finish off the remaining soldiers. After that’s done, he climbs up some stairs, where he makes it to a large hallway. He decides to open one of the many doors, and finds a smiling Fury waiting for him!
Logan remembers the lesson Fury taught him during his training, namely to never confront an enemy face-to-face only when you wants to talk. Logan tries to hit Fury into his face, but he is not actually there… he’s a hologram. Unable to slay him, Logan suggests that Fury start to talk. Fury agrees to do that. In fact, he’ll get straight to the point. He promises that the House of M will fall. Not because of him, but because… of Logan! Fury knows Logan got sloppy and weak. And because of that, they managed to grab the Sentinel. As they speak, cells of resistance fighters positioned around the globe are receiving all the data they’ll need to neutralize the Sentinels patrolling their respective sectors. Once that’s accomplished, the only thing standing between the rebels and their ultimate goal is the Red Guard, meaning Logan. And Fury thinks that means nothing.
Fury and Logan look at each other quietly for a while. Logan tells Fury to keep thinking that, because he’s coming for him. He promises to kill every human on this planet if he has to just to find Nick. Ever since the end of the War, Logan has just been killing time. But now, he’s going to kill Fury. And this time… he’s going to stay dead. Fury smiles at that statement. Fury mentions that they’ve got company and that Logan might want her to stay clear. He takes out a detonator and presses it! Logan knows Fury’s talking about Mystique and is worried.
Outside the office, Mystique hears a noise, like a bomb going off. Suddenly, an explosion takes place! She jumps off the stairs she was climbing on and lands below, unharmed. Unfortunately the roof starts falling down and Raven starts to panic. Logan makes it to her and grabs his lover up and they run outside together before the whole place falls in. Feeling secured, Logan asks Raven if she’s alright. Raven, happily, touches Logan’s face and mentions she is now.
the prison cells, today…
Shaw asks Mystique if she didn’t think that was a bit selfish. Raven defend that Logan risked his life to safe her. Shaw wasn’t talking about Logan, he was talking about her. Raven doesn’t understand. Shaw wants to know when Raven first heard Fury’s name. Raven remembers Logan shouting it, right before she entered the stockroom. Shaw doesn’t believe that. He believes it had to be at least two months ago.
two months ago…
Raven remembers Logan telling her that there was one human that did matter to him: Nick Fury.
the prison cells, today…
Shaw thought so, because that’s when Raven first accessed Fury’s personal file. Raven doesn’t know what to say to that. She defends that she loves Logan. Shaw tells Mystique that, because of that love, she gave him the one thing he could not live without: Raven gave Logan back his war. He thinks the attack on the embassy and possibly even the kidnapping, the theft and dismantling of that Sentinel, even the showdown at the steel mill, Shaw believes Raven orchestrated all of it. Raven remains silent. Shaw has figured it all out: Raven was Nick Fury!
Mystique confesses. She transforms into Nick Fury and congratulates Shaw on the discovery. In her defense, she incurred only human casualties and the Sentinel specs, of course, were never transmitted. She personally destroyed the data. However, Raven is fully prepared to face the consequences of her actions, whatever they may be. Shaw thinks that’s good to hear and wants Raven to start immediately.
He orders a guard to open up her cell, and he does. Raven is surprised that Shaw is releasing her. Shaw defends it’s like he said: he wants Raven to start immediately. He walks away and orders Mystique that, since she sent Logan on this chase, it’s up to her to bring him back.
