Follow Me Until the End of the World: The Weapon - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Sandman
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 5

“Goodnight, goodnight,

Dear child.

Watch the night’s lights fade to dark,

And pray for days’s come,

For if the beast is unleashed upon us,

All the days and nights,

will all be done”. A children’s lullaby

1.1.1 Omaha, Nebraska

Among heaps of rubble, a young woman lay nearly choking on her own blood. Her light-bronze skin was scratched and lacerated in many places, seeping her life’s essence into the broken ground of the dying city around her. The beautiful blue sky above her faded in and out as cloud passed in front of the blazing sun. Whenever the harsh sunlight was unleashed upon her unprotected eyes, she was momentarily blinded. No matter, it was only a matter of time before the unpleasant sensation would be ended forever, anyhow. Dani Moonstar felt the earth quake around her, shaking pebbles loose around her body. As death approached to claim its prize, she felt an absolute calm overtake her body. Grandfather, how I have failed you…

The words of grandfather and tribal chief, Daniel Two Feathers, continuously played in her mind. His wise old voice that had enchanted her in her youth would be the last one she would hear, of that Dani was sure.

“Danielle, my granddaughter and namesake. You must leave this place and talk to the four winds of the world. Stop the sickness that is killing this land. In my dream, the ancestors came to me as a silver wolf, and told me ‘when you were young, we saved you from death, and told you that one day you would repay us. You have lived a good life, fathered many children, had many wives, and have killed many enemies, but now you are old. You must send someone in your place…”

As much as she wanted to move, no strength came to her. The earth shook harder now. The armored demon known as the Juggernaut was getting very close, now.

Bodies of the urban dwellers that had fought the monster with her lay close by, though their eyes would never open again. Wesley, a round-faced boy with a sharp wit, lay facing her, with his mouth gaping wide open, as if he had one final joke to tell. Dani thought back to one that he told with regularity. “Stop me if you’ve heard this one…a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar…”. Never again would she have to endure the sanguine joke, and for that, she was regretful.

When the building collapsed, many others inside had been crushed to death. Those on the roof at least had a small chance of survival, though Dani believed that she was the only one that had lived.

Thunderous footsteps announced her death’s coming. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Debris spilled off the standing remains of the building around her. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A silver wolf gracefully appeared to her and stood next to her shattered body, shielding out the relentless bombardment of light. Its wise black eyes looked down upon her. This wolf recognizes me…could it be the one grandfather spoke of from his dream? The beautiful creature sniffed her sympathetically, and offered it paw to her. She raised her bloody hand and grasped it, and in a mighty pull, it yanked her to standing.

Staggering, she found it difficult to run, tripping over random cinderblocks, paneling, and metal beams. She was running with all of her might. Behind her, the thunderclap of the giant’s footsteps intensified in both pace and volume. Turning, the wolf was no longer there. Instead, a man had taken its place-one of the urban dwellers, though she could not remember his name. For several minutes, they ran by each other’s side. Dani dared not turn back, knowing that death grew ever closer. It is a good day to die, she thought, regretful that she would fall in retreat and not in battle. No blood-relative of hers had ever fallen with their back to the enemy. Somehow, it seemed unnatural.

When she had made the decision to turn and distract the crimson-armored Juggernaut and possibly earn her comrade time for escape, Dani noticed that he had tripped when his foot was caught in a sinkhole. A moment later, the giant came barreling over a trash heap and liquefied the man, crushing his bones into a fine paste as his blood exploded from his body. And the bastard continued running, not in the least phased, at her.

“YOU’RE DEAD WHERE YOU STAND, BITCH,” he called out to her with a voice that seemed to be fed through thousands of kilowatts of amplified concentration, shaking the ground in the same way as his movements.

Desperate, she continued running, in what she knew was a futile effort. It would at least give her time to think.

He is immune to my powers, but how? If I could have just a moment to see into his mind, there might be hope.

Weaving through broken structures and collapsed buildings, she tried to delay his inevitable interception. Though her body was growing tired, she felt her resolve burning even greater now. When at last she could not run any further, she collapsed to her knees, gripping a broken board as last means of defense.

The Juggernaut stopped more then fifteen feet from her, standing nearly as tall as a building, he howled in laughter, shaking the very ground underneath her. Her bones vibrated and her ears felt as if they were close to bursting from the sound. Defiantly, she stood, and waved the board out in front of her. “If you come any closer, you vile bastard, I’ll cut you down,” she said without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

The laughter subsided, and his mouth narrowed. “IS THAT RIGHT?

“Yes, that is right. I will avenge the many hundreds of people that you have killed today. Laugh if you like. It will be the last sound you will hear, you murdering cocksucker.”

The scene looked almost like some perverse re-enactment of David and Goliath, except her primitive weapon had no chance of breaching his impenetrable armor.

The Juggernaught’s face reflected the rage that flickered within his hateful mind. Then, he quoted an ancient text, intending the smallish girl to realize what exactly stood before her. “NOW I AM BECOME DEATH, THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS.”

With unbelievable speed, he sprang forward. Her reactions were barely enough to raise the weapon in a defensive posture. His gigantic hand swung at her and connected with the board. The 2x4 split into thousands of splinters at the end, and the remaining part flew violently from her hand. Instantly, her shoulder popped from its socket. Dani screamed in agony while she was sure that her right arm was torn completely off her body. The armored lunatic seized her and raised her high into the air. His hand reached completely around her waist. Again, the sun blazed into her eyes, blinding her from everything but the pain.

He shouted “YOU CALL ME A MURDERER! YOU MUST REALIZE THAT I AM A LIBERATOR! I WILL FREE YOU FROM THIS HELL AND FOR THAT, YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL! I….”

He continued shouting, though it was no longer intelligible. In a final moment of desperation, she reached for the eye sockets of his helmet, which were no bigger than the combined width her two largest fingers. In her attempt to gouge his eyes out, she felt something within the helmet dislodge, almost like a triggering mechanism. The helmet tumbled from his head, as it no longer was secured against the shoulder blades of the armor. A second later, the giant was vulnerable to her.

The fall took the wind from her, though as a matter of survival, she recovered quickly. When she turned, Dani saw that the Juggernaut stood before her in a dazed state of confusion. She believed in that instance that it might have been many years since he had been without his helmet. Underneath, he looked like a normal man. His curly red hair was damp with oil and aged perspiration and he carried heavy sandbags underneath his eyes. The paleness of his skin revealed the fact it had been many years since the sun had directly touched his face

As the Juggernaut stood there, he seemed to be in a moment of revelation. And then, she entered his mind, revealing the source of every weakness in humans. His greatest fear was realized within the confines of his hollow mind, warping him into a new state of insanity.

Staring at Dani, he began to tremble, and began wailing incomprehensibly. Finally, he words became clearer.

“WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO ME! GODDAMN THEM! MISERABLE FUCKING MAGGOT-FEED!”

Picking up a cement wall, he threw it heaved it far into the collapsed streets several yards away. He thrashed violently, but seemed to forget his previous intentions towards Dani.

“I WILL AVENGE! I SWEAR TO EVER-LOVING CHRIST, THEY WILL FEEL THE PAIN!”

And with that, the Juggernaut began his long journey towards California to destroy the city of Sacramento, where the slave drivers of the Hellfire Council dictated his existence. Like Hercules, Juggernaut completed his final task, only now, he intended to complete one on his own behalf-to destroy the soulless beings that created and manipulated him. In his eyes, they committed the most heinous betrayal. Dani had forced him to see the truth-that they reduced him to blind machine, and intended to dispose of him once the remaining cities were no longer in revolt.

When at last the thundering stopped, the sun had fallen from the sky. Her wounds pained Dani a great deal, though she clung to them as reminders that she was still alive. Deciding that she was too weak from combat, Dani laid there for the rest of the night.

The wind picked up and carried a sad wail that told the city’s final lament. That night, she dreamed of the silver wolf that had saved her the day before. She dreamt that she lay dying in the snow as it accumulated on top of her body. The cold inflicted a frigid numbness within her, and soon enough, her will to live diminished. The father-wolf paced around her and then howled, calling forth a pack of several other wolves. They surrounded her. Leaning down into her face, he spoke, “look to the stars, and find your way. Remember us, Dani, and you will never be alone in the face of evil. Remember…”

…

Logan watched as Kurt and Betsy continued their exercises. Though they were making remarkable progress, he would never tell them that. Both had agility that he had never seen, though Betsy seemed far better and using it as a weapon. Without a doubt, Kurt lacked a killer instinct. Logan would hate himself for it, but he could turn Betsy into a fighter. Her eyes, the so-called windows of her soul, revealed to him nothing less than the fact that she had the soul of a warrior.

Reaching out and grabbing a branch, Logan grabbed a thick branch and charged Kurt, swinging directly at his head. Confused, Kurt scrambled backwards. The rest of the camp looked on in astonishment, wondering if Logan had finally snapped. In the week that they had been together, it had been apparent to all of them that he bordered on madness.

“Whoa, Logan, are you crazy! Stop it!” Kurt demanded.

Wolverine growled in response and pressed his attack further, coming within inches of smashing Kurt’s skull. Finally, Bishop and Sam leaped from the campfire and charged forward.

Logan finally connected, belting Kurt across the chest and knocking him to the ground. Within an instant, he sat on his chest and pinned him.

“You stupid son of a bitch! What are you doing? You need to learn how to use your fucking power in combat, or your going to die! Or maybe, you’ll end up getting us all killed!”

Wolverine stood and flung the branch aside, walking off. Behind him, he heard Kurt wheezing for air.

Internally, Logan hated himself for the act. Though he also knew that Kurt did not learn to fight, he would be useless in the future. It was potentially dangerous. Kurt had been adopted as the leader of the group, simply because he drew people to him with his spirit and gift of words. More importantly, he inspired them into believing that there was enough good in the world to make an effort save it worthwhile. Attacking Kurt only made them more suspicious of Logan. In the end, they would both love and hate him, though for the same reason.

“What the hell is your problem!?” Sam bravely yelled at him as he passed. Saying nothing, Wolverine walked out into the woods.

…

Unable to sleep, Kurt volunteered to take first watch. That night the group had decided to head for Seattle, where many dozens of Hunters, bounty hunters, and Southern Cross special forces were congregating in a great search for a telepath that had been cornered in the battered remains of the city. Bishop had explained that a sizable resistance existed there until they unleashed the Juggernaut, which reduced the once-great city to rubble. The only thing was, it made it far more difficult to catch the real prize-the female telepath named Jean Grey that managed to allude capture for nearly a year now. They figured that if they found the woman before the enemy and helped her escape, they would possibly gain a powerful ally. Or at least, they would prevent Essex from obtaining yet another telepath, and apparently Grey was one he sought very desperately. Unknown to the rest of the group, Bishop toyed with the idea of killing the girl upon finding her out of fear that she would eventually fall into the enemy’s hands. From there, Logan announced that he would leave for California to attend to some business.

From her sleeping bag, Ororo watched as tears filled Kurt’s eyes. He had hid the extent of his sadness until the others fell asleep, as she predicted that he would. Going to him, she offered him her shoulder, and he laid his head against it and sobbed.

“Why does he do it, Storm?” he said between gasps for air.

“You might as well ask why birds fly, Kurt. Do not let it trouble you. Your worth to the group has never been in question.”

“Try telling him that.”

“I suppose telling him anything might be quite a challenge. I do not pretend to know his past, but it seems to me that he battles a great many demons.”

“I’m trying..”

“I know Kurt. It will come in time. You must realize that Logan does not see the world through your eyes. He believes that brute force is the only chance for survival. I truly believe that this is the only way he has sustained himself in his lifetime. You, however, do not.”

“The world needs poets too, is that what you’re trying to say?”

Chuckling, Storm responded “not exactly. There are many ways to fight Kurt. You will learn which way works best for you.

“Thank you, Ororo. I really do feel a bit better.”

“I am glad that I could help, Kurt. Perhaps you should get some rest, I will finish your watch.”

Accepting the proposal, Kurt thanked Storm again, and crawled into his sleeping bag. During the night, she felt a slight shaking of the ground, and believed it to be a slight earthquake.

…

The exercises continued several more mornings during their journey, though Logan seemed to relax his aggression towards Kurt, who now was managing to make remarkable progress.

One day, it rained heavily. Logan ordered Kurt to sit out a practice and observe while he worked with Betsy. While showing her several choke and restraint holds (she had already mastered his martial arts training, already having an amateur background), he clamped down and began squeezing the air from her lungs. She tried to whimper, but could not. Panicking, she began kicking her legs out. Logan seized the opportunity to take her imbalance and tackle her to the ground. Loosening the hold, he whispered into her ear, “relax, Betsy. I know what I’m doing”. And with that, she relaxed.

BAMF

From out of nowhere, Kurt appeared to Logan’s back. With uncharacteristic aggression, he gripped Logan around the neck in a similar hold, securing a grip around his jugular vein.

“You better let her go, I’m warning you,” Kurt said, squeezing with all of his might. Turning blue, Logan was forced to release Betsy.

Kurt still refused to break the hold. An animalistic urge to finish the job overcame him. Betsey knelt beside Nightcrawler, shouting “let him go Kurt, it was only an exercise! He was only testing you!”

Finally releasing his grip, he let go, pushing the much larger man down. Shocked by his own actions, he held up his hands, before turning and walking away. This time, Logan was actually smiling, though just slightly. Though she wasn’t sure if she agreed with his tactics, Elizabeth Braddock admired his results. Perhaps Logan had allowed Kurt to take the advantage, though she doubted it. It just wasn’t his way.