Not L.A. New York City. High above, Spider-Man flies through the air, much to the delight of the on-lookers on the street below. One man, however, is not impressed. With a scowl on his face, Daken makes his way across the busy street and into a nearby toy store. Inside the store, Daken heads over towards the super-hero section and picks up a stuffed miniature version of Wolverine. A young boy tells him that’s Wolverine. He’s one of the best good guys. Putting the toy in his inside jacket pocket, Daken agrees that he is.
Inside his lab in the Baxter Building, home and headquarters of the Future Foundation, Reed tells Daken he’s sorry. He doesn’t know how to say this, but Daken is dying. He’s very sorry. Looking over at Daken, Reed asks him if he heard what he said. Daken replies that he did. Reed continues by telling him that the Heat drug, the blood of the Pride. He took it in such quantities; it actually burnt out his healing factor, which he wouldn’t have considered possible.
Looking up at a very large microscope, Daken mutters under his breath “ridiculous microscope.” Reed continues to tell Daken that his healing factor’s been fighting this. It’s actually started to return but it’s become confused and is attacking his healthy blood cells. And he doesn’t know how to correct it, currently. But if this continues he’ll be gone in weeks. Placing his hand on Daken’s shoulder, Reed implores him to stay there. He’ll work on this. They’ll work on this. He’ll contact Wolverine. By extensively studying his healing factor, he’s sure he can…
Daken begins to laugh out loud. He points out that the healing factor Wolverine passed down to him is killing him. And now he wants to bring him there to save him? They together will save him? Elder gods intervening… No, he doesn’t think so. He will decide if he is damned or saved. No one else. He has been guilty of forgetting in the past that Reed and Logan are of the same tribe. They look down on everyone from their silver tower… Reed tells Daken that he knows he’s upset, but this isn’t him…
Putting his shirt and his hat back on, Daken says yes it is. He just never allowed him to see the truth before. Placing his hand on Reed’s chin, Daken tells him that intelligence and power is such an attractive combination. He can see why his sumptuous wife finds him so beguiling. Just then, Johnny Storm enters the room and says Daken’s name. When Daken coldly walks by him, Johnny mentions that he thought he’d be pleased to… Daken tells him that real people stay dead when they die. Him standing there is simply… an insult.
Standing atop a building, Daken overlooks Avengers Mansion, Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Kingpin’s domain – Shadowland. As he does, he remarks and so the flesh decays. Such a moribund, ordinary way to die. It makes him like them. Locked outside of the special. God, the arrogance of New York’s costumed toymen. Both the heroes and the villains. What a fine line separates them. The absurdity married with cosmic hubris. They rule and yet were not elected. They make the world their stories. Behold the kingdom of super heroes. Ripping off his mask, Daken exclaims very well then. He tried to make something of his own, but if he is to have this life taken away from him, then it’s only correct that he say goodbye in the proper fashion.
At the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, located in Westchester County, Daken states that Logan is teaching children so they will have a good future. Of course… Every child should have a good future. How noble and altruistic the person who set up this fine educational establishment must be… How great and giving a man… A father to these children.
As Logan sleeps in his room, a tube descends from the ceiling and some liquid drops into his mouth. Once it does, Logan immediately pops out of bed, pops his claws, and readies himself for the figure who falls through the ceiling above him. Logan remarks that you gotta be kidding. No one’s tried this James Bond crap on him since Cuba in ’61. Didn’t work then either. Pinning the figure to the ground, Logan angrily tells Daken that it’s tough to poison someone with a healing factor. Ain’t so tough for him to slit his punk…
Just then, Logan notices that the person who fell through the ceiling wearing a Wolverine costume has his mouth taped. Removing his assailant’s mask, Logan sees that it’s Toad. Toad proceeds to tell him that he was in his quarters, waiting… Logan calls out to Hank McCoy to wake his furry hide up. They have an intruder. It’s… Beast finishes Logan’s sentence for him. It’s his malcontent and nefarious offspring, judging by the costume. He got past his security network. He takes affront to that. He has him, he’s… Out on the grounds of the estate, Logan finds Daken and notices that he’s running. He tells Hank to keep the kids away from this, it’s gonna get ugly.
As he gives chase, Logan informs Daken that Reed called him. He called him because he was worried about him. He told him ‘bout his condition. Told him he should go looking for him. But he knew he’d come looking for him soon enough. He can’t help himself. He can’t be his own man even when he’s dying. He wants to take him out with him, is that it? Poison don’t take on him, son. His healing factor’s still workin’. Did he get stupid out in L.A. and forget that?
Inside a helicopter, Daken remarks such atypical east coast arrogance. He’s sorry to have to break it to him but that liquid he swallowed? It wasn’t poison. It’s Heat. A highly concentrated liquid version of a drug made from the blood of the Pride. It’s fun. It alters your perception while somehow getting right to the heart of you. And while he’s sure his incredibly efficient healing factor will eject this nastiness from his system soon enough, there’s something he’d like to show him before he goes – a little father/son time.
When Logan boards the helicopter, the Heat drug makes it appear to him that he just boarded a flying metal dragon. As they fly through the air, Daken tells Logan to look around and enjoy the ride. The Heat might just show him something interesting. Logan looks around and sees Japan? Calling down the figure on the ground, Logan tells Itsu, who is holding a baby, to run away. Daken remarks run away from Logan and proceeds to swallow up Itsu in the dragon’s jaws. Logan calls out don’t and then exclaims that he’s sorry. Logan then reaches out for baby Daken but is unable to grab hold of him and he slips into nothingness.
Eventually, Logan finds himself back over New York. Daken tells him that he does hope he’s now completely purged all that ugliness from his system. It’s time to concentrate on the here and now. Grabbing a hold of the helicopter for dear life, Logan asks Daken what he is doing. Smiling, Daken sings “I’m gonna make a brand new start of it…” and presses a button. When he does, bombs explode at Avengers Mansion, the Baxter Building, and Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum. Logan yells at Daken that he doesn’t care how little time he has left. He swears he’s going to kill him. He comes after him? Wants to torture him? Fine. But why do this? Daken says why? Because super heroes are stupid.
