The bio-electric kick landed with a deafening crack. Peter launched the charred, armless Wade Wilson straight through the casino's stained-glass window. Wade's body arced over the street. He crashed into a neon sign on the opposite building with a metallic clang.
The tactical board reset immediately. Scott Summers laid down a scorching suppressing fire of red kinetic energy. Hank McCoy used the cover to grapple with Arkady Rossovich. Across the floor, Logan took on Victor Creed and Daken simultaneously. Peter and Cindy were now free to intervene.
Hank was struggling. The Beast possessed immense physical strength, but the X-Men had disbanded six years ago. His combat reflexes were dull. Sweat matted his thick blue fur. His muscles shook under the strain. Omega Red, conversely, fought with lethal precision. The Russian mutant bled death pheromones into the air. The toxic fog severely degraded Hank's cellular vitality. Hank's raw power bled away.
Hank had managed to pin Omega Red to the carpet earlier. Now, Arkady reversed the hold. Carbonadium fists hammered into Hank's ribs. Bruises bloomed under the blue fur. Scott pivoted, his ruby-quartz visor glowing brightly. He needed a clear shot. Hank and Arkady were too entangled.
Peter dropped from the ceiling in a tight parabola. He tucked his knees, concentrated his uncalibrated strength, and slammed both fists directly into Omega Red's spine.
The impact cratered the casino floor. Arkady shrieked.
The death pheromones hit Peter's system instantly. A profound, suffocating weakness washed over his muscles. Then, something clicked. The toxic dampening effect hit Peter's out-of-control bio-electric output. The competing forces canceled each other out. Peter realized he could feel the upper edge of his strength again. The pheromones accidentally stabilized his calibration instability.
Peter grinned under his mask. He blinked into invisibility.
"Silk!" Peter shouted to the empty air. "Go help Wolverine! I feel fantastic!"
Arkady pushed himself off the cracked floor. He whipped his carbonadium tentacles in a blind, sweeping arc, trying to flush the invisible Spider-Man out of cover.
Peter didn't retreat. He stepped right into the strike zone.
"Metal tentacles?" Peter materialized, grabbing the carbonadium coil with both hands. "I love you, Omega Red."
Blinding white lightning pooled in Peter's palms. "Let's test the conductivity of carbonadium!"
Peter unleashed a massive bio-electric current. The voltage ripped down the coils and engulfed Arkady's body. Omega Red screamed. The shriek cut off abruptly. Arkady collapsed to the floor, twitching and smoking. Peter immediately pinned him down with thick layers of structural web-silk.
Peter stared at the unconscious Russian. He felt a brief pang of nostalgia. If he could just bottle Omega Red's death pheromones, he wouldn't have to worry about punching holes in the ceiling anymore. Fighting guys with healing factors was incredibly relaxing. He didn't have to hold back.
Across the room, Cindy executed her S.H.I.E.L.D. support protocol flawlessly. She tracked Daken's movement, fired a web-line, and stuck it squarely to his back. She planted her feet and hurled the clawed mutant straight up into the air.
Scott didn't miss. A thick beam of optic force slammed into the airborne Daken, blasting him cleanly out of the casino through another freshly made hole.
Only Sabretooth remained.
"You think some kids are gonna save you, Jimmy?" Victor snarled. He swiped his overgrown claws across Logan's face, tearing away a chunk of flesh.
Logan didn't flinch. He gritted his teeth, stepped inside Victor's guard, and buried his adamantium claws deep into Victor's heart. Logan hoisted Sabretooth off the ground using the embedded claws as leverage.
Logan stared up at the bleeding giant. A cold sneer touched his lips. "No, Victor. You were doomed the second you walked in."
Logan slammed Sabretooth onto the carpet. He raised his claws and brought them down. He slashed again. And again. Bones shattered. Muscle tore. Logan didn't stop until Victor's chest was a ruined, unrecognizable mess. Sabretooth finally stopped breathing.
Everyone in the room knew the monster would heal in a few minutes. But for right now, Victor Creed was dead.
Scott walked over to Logan. The Canadian's flannel shirt hung in bloody ribbons. "Deadpool and the kid got away," Scott said calmly. "Sabretooth and Omega Red are secure. Looks like Weapon X found you first."
"Shut up, Scott," Logan rasped. He retracted his claws with a wet snikt. "Tell the kids to tie these two up. I don't want them bleeding on my floor."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can take them into custody," Cindy said.
Scott and Hank both turned to stare at her. The girl hadn't spoken a single word since they left Westchester.
Logan glanced at Cindy. He gave a sharp nod. "Make the call, kid. Give me a minute to change my shirt. Then we talk."
Ten minutes later, the group gathered in a ruined VIP suite. Logan wore a fresh, loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt. He pulled a cigar from his pocket.
"The gene-editing device is with Ajax," Logan said bluntly.
"Who is Ajax?" Scott asked.
"A mad scientist," Logan replied. "Used to work under Stryker. He's running a rogue Weapon X operation now." Logan popped his middle claw, neatly sliced the end off his cigar, and lit it. "After the dam, the President shut the official program down. Ajax and his crew went rogue. I've been tracking them for years. Picked up their trail in Madripoor two years ago."
Logan blew a thick ring of smoke toward the ceiling. "Ajax has the gene-editing device. He wants to use existing mutant genetics to build the ultimate weapon. That's the play."
Logan's delivery was completely flat. Scott, however, was visibly vibrating with energy.
Hank, Peter, and Cindy all watched Scott's posture shift.
"This is it," Scott said, his voice rising. "This is why we're still here. The X-Men have a reason to fight." Scott stepped toward Logan. "We can rebuild the team, Logan. The world still needs the X-Men."
Logan stared at Scott for a long, heavy moment. Then, he let out a harsh, barking laugh.
"It's over, Slim," Logan said coldly. "There are no X-Men. We disbanded six years ago, and the world hasn't ended."
"You help us get the device, and then you can go back to hiding," Scott snapped.
"I wasn't the one who quit!" Logan shot back. "I left because there was nothing left to stay for!"
"You left first!" Scott yelled, his rigid composure finally cracking. "If you had stayed, maybe the others would have stayed!"
Logan turned his back and walked out of the suite. Scott stormed out right behind him.
"Don't forget the Professor took you in!" Scott's voice echoed down the hallway. "Why won't you fight for his legacy!"
Logan didn't answer.
Hank sighed. He adjusted his glasses and looked down at Peter and Cindy.
"They've been like this for six years," Hank said mildly. "Probably fine."