FicWad

Daddy's Girl
Chapter 8: Train Station Brawl

**************************************************

The cab ride to the train station had been painfully silent for Laura. Thinking back to what she was leaving behind, her world seemed doomed once more to a life of isolation. At long last, she had found a place where she could potentially fit in. But as her luck would have it, she ruined it.

Her father didn't say much during the short trip to the train station. In fact, he was never this quiet when she was this miserable. Usually he'd do something, ANYTHING to talk her out of it, even if his efforts were in vain. But for some reason, he just let her sulk as he stood by her.

After buying their tickets, the duo made their way to the platform outside. Already, their train was half full and the time for departure was drawing ever near.

"Hey, buck up kid," said Logan, finally breaking his silence, "In a few days, ya probably won't even remember Xavier and his sideshow school."

"I don't know, Dad," said a hesitant Laura, "I just...I wish it didn't have to be like this. I really thought I could..."

"It was their decision, not yours," he told her as they filed into the train, "They were gonna kick us out anyways."

"But I could have at least apologized."

"Still wouldn't have changed anything. And besides, I don't blame ya. Xavier's the jerk here. If he can't accept who we are then as far as I'm concerned he can just keep fightin' his crazy cause. We don't need him anyhow. We got everythin' we need right here."

As hard as it was to accept that, Laura did manage a smile. But it didn't change the way she felt about this whole mess. And as she sat down at a window seat on the noisy, cramped train she found herself thinking about some of the things Xavier had told her and the memorable experience she had enjoyed ever so briefly at the institute.

Xavier was such a kind and understanding man. Sure, he had a right to be angry about what had happened, but would he have really just kicked them out even when these Brotherhood goons were after them? It just didn't seem like his character and the more she thought about it the more she began to wonder.

"Just sit tight, kid," said Logan, placing a hand upon her shoulder, "Soon, this whole mess will be completely behind us."

**************************************************

In the crowded parking lot outside the train station, Logan arrived on the supped up motorcycle he had stolen from the institute. It had been a hell of a ride to say the least and the mechanic in him wanted to know how far this thing could truly go. But he set that aside for the moment. Right now, he had a little girl that needed him.

"Damn! Of all the rotten places!" he cursed as he made his way into the station, trying to get a scent.

The whole area was crowded with swarms of people. There was noise everywhere and for someone with heightened senses, it was a bit disorienting. Add to that, a scent in this chaotic environment was almost impossible to pinpoint, but if Laura was here then he would find her. And the imposter who took her would have a lot to answer for.

'Come on...Where are ya, kid?' he thought to himself as he sniffed the air, trying to find any trace of his daughter.

There so many scents and so few trails he could pick up on. Trying to filter them all was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But Logan knew the scent of his daughter better than any other scent in existence. If she was here, then he'd find her.

Finally, he picked up something near one of the ticket booths.

"Laura..." he said to himself, his parental instincts kicking into high gear as the scent of his little girl filled his mind.

Following the faint trace, he found that it led over towards the main platform. Soon, the scent disappeared in a sea of people, but he had smelled enough to know that Laura was still here. And the sooner he got her out of here, the better...For he had a bad feeling about this.

**************************************************

While Logan was keeping up the search for his daughter, Cyclops and Storm arrived in the parking lot in a blue Ferrari. Since time was a factor here, they decided to take a vehicle with a little extra horsepower to make up for the lost time. Jean and the Professor would follow, but they wouldn't be there for another twenty minutes at the most. And by then, this whole ordeal would probably be over.

"Looks like he's here," said Storm as she pointed out Scott's motorcycle, which had been parked in a handicapped space and already had a ticket on it.

"Damn!" said Cyclops as he picked up the ticket, frowning at the 250 dollar fine he now owed, "Let's get these two out of here quickly and quietly. Logan has a lot to answer for and now he officially owes me money."

Rolling her eyes at Cyclops's attitude, the African mutant entered the crowded station with her teammate following close behind. They were both wearing disguises so as not to stick out. Scott had his visor on for combat, but he wore a hat to keep himself somewhat concealed. Ororo stuck with the casual black pants and white shirt she had been wearing earlier, but also wore a coat just in case somebody recognized her as a mutant.

"This place is big," said Storm as she took in the surrounding crowd, "Where do we even begin?"

"Let's start with the ticket counters and go from there," said Cyclops, taking on his leadership role, "If their train hasn't departed yet, then they're still here."

"What about Logan? He's probably here too."

"He can handle himself. Our job is to find Laura and get her away from the Brotherhood. Chances are she's not even aware that she's captive. And there's only one mutant capable of that."

"Mystique, yes I know," said Storm, "Hopefully Laura will see through her."

"For now, let's assume the worst and get to her before Magneto makes his next move."

Scanning the area for any signs of the feral mutant and her shape shifting imposter, the two X-men began their search. Ororo got in line for one of the ticket counters while Scott checked on the train schedules. And near as he could tell, the only northbound train to the Canadian boarder had not left yet. They just had to know where to find it.

While looking over the schedule, Scott noticed a small kid looking up at him. He seemed to be fixated on his visor and smiled at him when he drew the young leader's attention. In response, Scott simply smiled back, for it was a relief to see somebody who wasn't immediately turned off by the eyewear he was doomed to bear. And kids always seemed to have an open mind, for they were so easily struck with awe. Now if only the rest of humanity could think like that.

While the two X-men were distracted with their duties, neither of them seemed to take note of a hooded figure climbing up one of the stone columns. Turning his attention back to the train schedule, Scott felt as though something was amiss. But before he could scan the area for signs of any trouble, the figure struck.

"Tally ho, X-men!" came a familiar British voice from the ceiling above.

Then, before Cyclops could react, a long sticky tongue shot out from the mouth of Toad and ripped his visor from his face. It all happened so fast that Scott couldn't close his eyes in time and a powerful optic blast erupted from his eyes.

"Scott!" yelled Storm as she turned to see her friend fall to the ground, trying to close his eyes as his blasts hit the stone walls and caused debris to rain down on the bewildered people below.

Screams of shock and horror soon echoed throughout the structure as Toad leapt from column to column, watching as the panic stricken masses scrambled like the rats.

"Mutant! It's a mutant!" exclaimed some of the horrified bystanders.

"Oh no!" said Ororo as she was nearly knocked over by a couple of scrambling bodies, "I have to..."

But before she could act any further to aid her friend, an ominous presence came up from behind her. And judging from the growl, the African born mutant knew exactly who it was.

"Not so fast witch," growled Sabretooth.

Turning around, Ororo prepared to defend herself, but Sabretooth beat her to the punch, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her up against the ticket counter.

"Ack!" she choked, her eyes suddenly turning white.

A sharp wind began to pick up in the air around them and Sabretooth scrambled to act fast. He tightened his grip on her, trying to maintain his balance. Then suddenly, he was hit with the force of a tornado and sent flying through the air as Storm sank to the floor in an unconscious heap.

As his heavy body plowed through a wall and into a storage closet, Toad leaped down from the ceiling, ignoring the frantic cries of the horrified onlookers as they all scrambled to get out of the station and escape from the growing pandemonium.

"Quit playing around!" said Toad, giving Sabretooth a firm kick, "We've got work to do!"

**************************************************

While pandemonium erupted in the station, Laura Howlett was still looking out the window in a daze. The more she thought about her current situation, the more unusual it seemed. Something just wasn't right here. She knew it. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"We're almost out of here, kid," said Logan, "Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. And if it'll cheer ya up, we'll go out for ice cream as soon as we get back."

Looking over at her dad, a slow smile formed on her face. And without really thinking too much, she decided to try something.

"Does that mean you'll buy me my favorite banana split from Baskin Robbins?" she asked, sounding a little less distant now.

"Hell, I'll buy ya two, kid," grinned Logan.

Then suddenly, the look on Laura's face shifted. Now Logan was looking at an angry, feral girl as the claws in her hands popped out with a 'snikt' and she held them directly to his neck.

"I hate Baskin Robbins. I'm a Dairy Queen girl. My father knows that," she growled with an angry look in her eye.

For 'Logan,' it was a rather dirty trick. This girl wasn't as impressionable as she seemed. Even in the face of the best deception, she knew how to decipher it.

"Smart girl," he said, not sounding all that threatened despite the sharp claws now at his neck.

"Who are you?" she demanded in a rage.

Then, the eyes of the imposter before her flashed a mysterious yellow color.

"That, you do not need to know."

"Pal, if you don't get out of my way right now, I'll..."

But Laura didn't even get a chance to finish her threat. Before she could take any more action against this mysterious imposter, the whole train was rocked by a mysterious, unseen force. Panicked screams and frantic cries soon echoed all throughout the cabin as the lights flickered and the area around her shook violently.

This activity did not go unnoticed by the outside. Many who had seen the train suddenly move as if it were possessed by a demon began to run away in horror. But for Logan, who was still on the platform searching for the train with his daughter, it was a tell-tale sign.

"Oh shit," he muttered, knowing that train just had to have Laura on it.

Drawing his claws, he ran towards the shaking train in preparation to attack anybody who dared to stand in his way.

Back in the train, however, Laura's situation was about to go from bad to worse.

"What the..." she grunted as she was thrown to the ground by the heavy turbulence.

Suddenly, the sound of metal being torn apart like a sardine can echoed through the heavy duty train. Sparks were now flying everywhere as mothers sheltered their babies from the unseen force and as the front end of the train was ripped open as if it were made of tin foil, an ominous presence descended into the mangled kart.

"Ms Howlett I presume," said Magneto as he touched down on the now twisted center aisle.

Looking through the sparks and debris, Laura now found herself face to face with the master of magnetism. All this destruction seemed to be centered around him. She just knew it. Letting out a determined grunt, the feral teen and former living weapon rose to her feet with her claws drawn, ready to defend herself.

"Who the hell are you?!" she demanded.

"Please. Such rage is unnecessary," said Magneto, his tone sounding so calm and poised despite the horrified screams surrounding him.

"I'll be the judge of that, bub!" she spat, "Now TALK! Talk or I'll..."

"You'll do nothing little girl," said Magneto as he raised his hand, "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Suddenly, Laura felt every bone in her body come under some mysterious strain. It felt as though a hand had reached right inside her and started pulling at her insides. Having a metal skeleton definitely was a disadvantage against somebody with magnetic powers and red hot pain soon followed.

"Ahhhhh! What are you...STOP! STOP IT! AHHHHHHHH!" she cried.

With his magnetic powers to guide him, Magneto levitated the feral teenage girl into the air. Despite all her rage, she was powerless against him. And to show this, he made certain she knew the kind of power she was dealing with.

Now at six inches off the floor, Laura felt her arms being pulled in opposite directions as if she were a wishbone. It was so strong that her claws were actually bent by this force, but that didn't hurt nearly as much as having her internal bones bent, compressed, and warped.

Her pained cries brought no reaction to Magneto as he simply held her there in mid air, stretching her limps and compressing her ribs so as to cut off her air. All the while, the imposture version of her father made his way to the side of the master of magnetism with a look of triumph on his face.

"Told you I could trick her," said 'Logan' in a strange, modulated voice.

"As if I had any doubts," grinned Magneto affectionately.

Then, through the power of a shape shifter, the struggling teenage girl watched as the imposture shifted into the form of a blue skinned woman with red hair and yellow eyes. It only made her angrier, for she had allowed herself to be tricked. They used her and she couldn't see through it. And now she was in a world of pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! STOP! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" she cried, her body being twisted and contorted by Magneto's relentless power.

"Enough little girl. You're coming with us," said Magneto as he closed his hands into a fist, delivering the final blow.

Feeling as though her lungs were now in a vice grip, Laura blacked out, falling into an unconscious heap. And as she went limp, her claws were drawn back into her hands, leaving her at the mercy of the master of magnetism.

"Well now, that was easy enough," said Mystique, casting her superior an affectionate gaze.

Magneto was about to agree with her on that when suddenly, a feral roar erupted through the mangled train and the door to the side was torn open by three adamantium claws. The pained cries of his little girl had been all too clear to the feral man who now found himself in full berserker mode. And when he looked in and saw his little girl hovering unconscious in mid air, his instincts took over and his anger took charge.

"LAURA!" bellowed Logan, fearing the worst for his baby girl.

"Ah, looks like he caught up with us," grinned Magneto.

Looking at Laura's disposition, he wasn't sure whether or not she was still alive. But he didn't want to think that. He couldn't think that. His daughter was a survivor. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he yelled in a rage, "LET MY DAUGHTER GO OR I'LL..."

"Please," scoffed Magneto with a sigh.

Suddenly, Logan found himself being flung to the back of the train like a rag doll by an unseen force. And as he hit the back area near the emergency door, he found himself pinned to the heavy structure as if every limb had two tons of weight on it.

"As easy as it would be to kill you right here and now, I think you deserve to be alive to witness the momentous event that your child shall take part in," said Magneto as he let go of his magnetic hold on Laura, allowing her body to fall limply to the ground.

"No!" grunted Logan, trying to fight with all his might against this unseen force that was holding him back like a brick wall.

"Oh come now, you should be proud," said Magneto as he used his powers to warp his claws and metallic skeleton, putting him in a world of pain, "Young Laura here is about to partake in the first step towards mutant liberation. She will be a martyr to her species."

That word, martyr, was all Logan needed to hear. They were going to kill his little girl. They were going to take away the only thing that gave his life any meaning. That alone was more painful than any torture that this sick bastard could dish out.

"You...Son of a...Bitch!" spat Logan, his body arching in pain as he felt his ribs compressing around his lungs, "If you hurt my daughter I'll rip your head off! I swear to God I'll..."

"Will you silence him already, Erik?" said Mystique with a groan.

Without another word, Magneto made a fist with his hands, using his magnetic powers to choke off the air to Logan's head. And just like Laura, he blacked out and fell into an unconscious daze, the last sight before him being his little girl who was now at the mercy of the Brotherhood.

"Laura...I'm sorry," he choked out before everything around him went black.

"He'll understand," said Erik as he watched the feral mutant go limp, "One day he'll see the true glory of what his daughter's sacrifice will accomplish."

Having finally gotten what they came here for, Mystique picked up the unconscious teenaged girl and hitched her over her shoulder. And as they exited the train, Toad and Sabretooth were waiting for them. There, Mystique handed Laura's prone form off to Sabretooth, who could carry her with greater ease because of his strength.

"Are we ready, boss?" said Toad with an eager grin, proudly wearing Cyclops's visor on his head.

"We're ready, Toad," affirmed Magneto, "We've got what we need. Now nothing can stop us."

**************************************************

Making their way outside through the new tattered and deserted train station, the four members of the Brotherhood of mutants stepped back into the crisp evening air. But as they looked to make their final leave, they were greeted with one last little obstacle.

"STOP RIGHT THERE MUTANT! DROP THE HOSTAGE AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" shouted a police officer, who was only one of many as at least half a dozen cars surrounded the entrance to the station, boxing the four powerful mutants in.

Yet despite this sight, the Brotherhood didn't look too threatened. If anything, this was just a minor annoyance.

"Sorry, but we're in somewhat of a hurry," said Magneto, a slight grin forming on his face as he used his powers to levitate two police cruisers as if they were toys.

"Holy..." gasped one of the officers as he was forced to jump out of the way from one of the falling vehicles as it crashed upon his squad car.

"Are we going to have a problem here, gentlemen?" said a confident Magneto, standing tall before these pitiful homo sapiens.

To further explicate his point, Magneto went on to disarm each and every officer of their firearms and hold it directly in front of them so it was aimed at their heads. Soon, the hapless police were looking down the barrels of their own guns, now powerless to do anything against this madman.

"Oh shit...Oh God...Please! Let's just talk about this!" said one of the lead officers.

"I believe the time for talk has passed," said Magneto in a strong tone, "This is a time for action. And I will NOT allow weak bigoted humans to stand in my way."

Every officer gasped as they head the cocking sound of their guns, hinting that he was going to make them fire.

Then suddenly, Sabretooth reached forth and grabbed the master of Magnetism by the neck.

"Let them go, Erik," he said in a voice that sounded little like the feral Sabretooth that everyone was so familiar with.

Knowing exactly what this was, Magneto actually found himself smiling as he looked out towards the cars that were parked behind the police perimeter, knowing his old friend just had to be in one of them.

"Charles...Glad for you to join us," said the master of magnetism, sounding undaunted and unafraid.

Then Toad was the next to speak. And just like Sabretooth, he spoke in a tone that was completely unlike his real self.

"What do you want?"

Magneto let out a slight chuckle.

"What's the matter, Charles? Can't find out for yourself?" he said, tapping the helmet on his head that was protecting his mind from the powerful psychic.

Showing his old friend that he meant business, Magneto stepped up the pressure and made the guns move in closer to the petrified officers.

Over in an unmarked black car, Professor Xavier sat anxiously with Jean Grey by his side, working hard to maintain psychic control on his henchmen. The situation was tense, no doubt about it. Not only did they now have Laura, but they also had over a dozen innocent police officers hostage and there was nothing he could do about it.

"You must stop this, Erik," said Xavier, projecting his voice through Mystique, "It doesn't have to be this way."

"Does it now?" questioned Magneto, looking back at all the hapless officers, "You of all people should know, Charles...Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Only this time, history shall favor the strong and homo superior won't end up in government sponsored detention centers with a number burned into their arm!"

Xavier knew that Erik was speaking from a lot of personal pain. Having survived the horrors of the holocaust, his views on humanity had been forever tainted. To this day he still bore the mark on his forearm that had been burned into his flesh by Nazi soldiers when he was just a little boy. And the way he saw it, mutant kind was heading down that path as well and he would not allow it.

"Please Erik...This is madness," sent Xavier through Sabretooth.

"No Charles. This is evolution," said Magneto in a firm tone as he ordered every last gun cocked in preparation to fire, "Now release my henchmen and let us go in peace. Otherwise these faithful civil servants will pay the price and I know you're not willing to have that on your conscious now, are you?"

There was a tense silence. But in the end, Xavier knew that he could not win this battle. There were too many innocents involved. So with a heavy heart, he released Mystique, Sabretooth, and Toad from his psychic grasp.

"What in the bloody hell?" groaned Toad, shaking his head in confusion as he and his comrades all had to reorient themselves from psychic control.

"That crippled son of a..." began Sabretooth, but Magneto was quick to cut him off.

"Relax Brotherhood. It's time we make our leave."

Not arguing with their leader, the three Brotherhood minions fell silent and let Magneto do his thing. Through the power of magnetism, the team was levitated into the air and was soon out of sight with their prize in hand.

And as soon as they were clear, the array of guns and firearms that had kept the surrounding police at the mercy of raw mutant force finally fell to the ground, but not before being warped beyond the capacity for use.

"Oh thank you, God," gasped one of the officers in relief as they were all left to pick up the pieces of what had just happened.

Back in the car, however, things were not good for Xavier and his X-men. Whatever Magneto had come here for, he succeeded in obtaining. Now he had Laura and they still had no idea what he was planning. Everything was growing grimmer by the minute and his team seemed powerless to stop it.

"What do we do now, Professor?" asked Jean Grey as she saw the look of distress on her mentor's face.

"I don't know, Jean. But whatever Magneto is planning, we have to stop him. The fate of so many now hangs in the balance and I fear we may already be too late."

**************************************************

Back in the mangled mesh of twisted metal that used to be a train, Logan forced himself back into consciousness. He didn't care that his insides felt like they were on fire, he didn't care that his head was killing him, and he didn't care that he couldn't even stand in. All he could think about was his little girl and how he failed her.

"Laura..." he groaned in a tone wrought with pain and anger.

Then, as he forced himself back onto his hands and knees, he saw something on the floor that only served to worsen the blow. And as he struggled through a world of agony to pick it up, he actually felt a rare tear form in his eye. It was the small silver locket that he gave Laura on her first day of high school...The same locket that she so rarely took off.

His hands trembling, he opened it up to see the small picture she kept inside of the two of them smiling happily together as father and daughter. Then, as he took in the small image of the beautiful little girl that he took in all those years ago his heart literally shattered into a thousand pieces.

He had failed his little girl. He had broken his promise.

"No...NOOO!" he yelled in a blend of feral rage and inner agony, "Laura! LAURA!"

Holding the locket in his hand, Logan fell to the ground again in a pained heap. But as he lay tormented by his failure as a father, he made himself and his baby girl one solemn promise. He would not let this stand. As long as there was a breath in his body, he would fight to save his little girl. And God help that bucket brained son of a bitch who took her.

X-men or no X-men, Brotherhood or no Brotherhood, Logan was going to save his daughter. He made her a promise on the fateful day he first held her and he had no intention of breaking it. His baby needed him and he was going to save her or die trying.

**************************************************

THE BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN! REVIEW BEFORE THE FIRST SHOT!