Ben 10: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Weapon X Facility

Earlier

Steve turned and hurled his shield at the control panel. The impact shattered the device, and the restraints binding Laura's limbs instantly disengaged.

She slipped off the bed, feeling the freedom in her movements for the first time in as long as she could remember.

But there was no time to savor it. As expected, alarms blared throughout the facility, and red lights flashed ominously.

Steve took carefully took Laura's hand. "Stay close to me, Laura. We're getting out of here."

They bolted out of the small room, Steve leading the way as they sprinted down the corridor. The sound of heavy boots pounding against the floor and muffled shouts echoed from all directions. Steve knew they had little time before the facility's guards closed in on them.

"We have to get to James," Steve said, his voice firm as he guided Laura through the maze of hallways. His mind raced, recalling the quickest path to where he had seen James on the surveillance screens.

They rounded a corner just as a group of guards appeared from the opposite direction, guns raised. Steve didn't hesitate. With a powerful throw, he sent his shield flying down the hall. It struck the first guard square in the chest, knocking him out instantly, and ricocheted off the wall to take down two more. Before the remaining guards could react, Steve was on them.

Laura watched as Steve disabled the guards. She had seen plenty of violence in her short life, and despite her reservations, she wanted to live, just like what happened with those strange beast men.

"Come on!" Steve called out to Laura, retrieving his shield as the last guard fell.

It didn't take long for another squad of armed soldiers to come rushing around the corner. Laura instinctively dropped low, her claws unsheathing from her hands with a distinctivesnikt. Steve's shield flew from his hand, bouncing off the wall and smashing into the lead soldier's rifle, sending the weapon flying.

Laura darted ahead. Before the soldiers could fully react, she slashed through a riot shield with her razor-sharp claws. A soldier swung his rifle to fire, but she ducked beneath the barrel and thrust upward, her claws sinking into his armor as she tossed him aside like a rag doll, bleeding from the torso.

Steve caught his shield as it ricocheted back into his hand. He slammed it into the chest of another soldier, knocking him to the ground. The soldier reached for a sidearm, but Laura was already there, slashing it from his hand before delivering a swift kick that sent him crashing into the wall.

"More coming!" Steve shouted as he heard more boots echoing down the hall.

Laura nodded and positioned herself beside Steve. Bullets poured into the hallway. Steve raised his shield, deflecting a hail as he charged forward. He bashed the first soldier in the face with the edge of his shield, following up with a spinning kick that sent another stumbling back.

Laura, meanwhile, darted through like a shadow. A soldier aimed his rifle at her, but before he could pull the trigger, she leaped into the air, somersaulting over him and driving her claws into his back as she landed behind him.

"How many of these guys are there?" Steve muttered, knocking out another soldier with a brutal shield bash.

"Enough," Laura answered. She spun around and sliced through the legs of another enemy.

Steve smashed through another wave, using his shield to create openings for Laura. Every time a soldier raised their weapon, Steve was already there, deflecting bullets and creating an opportunity for her to close the distance and strike.

Despite her age and size, Laura's claws slashed through the soldiers like they were nothing more than paper.

Steve took down another group with a series of punches and shield strikes before glancing at Laura. She was already dispatching the last few soldiers. Blood stained her clothes and hands.

As the last soldier fell, the hallway was littered with unconscious and dead bodies. Steve could hear the faint crackle of radio chatter from one of the fallen soldier's helmets. More reinforcements were coming.

He placed a hand on Laura's shoulder. "You okay?"

Laura blinked up at him, her claws retracting with a softsnikt. She nodded, wiping some blood from her face with the back of her hand. "I'm fine..."

"You don't need to kill if you don't want to, Laura. I've fought in the war for years. I've already got blood on my hands and seen what it does to the new recruits. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you..."

She pondered those words. Doctor Kinney was her first kill, and it's felt wrong ever since.

#

"Sector Five lockdown in progress," a mechanical voice announced over the intercom. "All personnel report to designated stations."

Steve's grip on Laura's hand tightened. As they neared a junction, Steve suddenly halted, pulling Laura into a small alcove just as another patrol rushed past them, oblivious to their presence. He waited, counting the seconds until the footsteps faded into the distance, then exhaled sharply.

Despite her young age, Steve knew what she was capable of, but a child didn't deserve to fight the battles of adults. A child shouldn't have to kill to survive, but this one had to.

They moved out of the alcove and continued out of Sector Five. Steve could see more soldiers at the end of the hall. He paused, assessing the situation. There were too many of them to take out quietly, and he didn't want to risk Laura getting caught in the crossfire.

He turned to her, his voice low but steady. "Laura, I need you to stay back while I handle this. Can you do that?"

Laura's eyes flicked to the guards, then back to Steve. Her claws urged to come out. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Steve offered her a reassuring smile before stepping forward. The guards spotted him immediately, their guns snapping up. Steve charged down the corridor, his shield deflecting the first barrage of bullets. With a powerful leap, he crashed into the midst of the guards. Within moments, they were incapacitated, and the path was clear.

They reached a corner, and Steve raised a hand, signaling Laura to stop. He pressed his back against the wall, peeking around the corner. A pair of guards stood by a door ahead. He turned back to Laura, motioning with two fingers and nodding toward the guards.

She understood immediately and kept in mind what he told her earlier.

Without a sound, Laura slipped around Steve.

Steve watched her approach the guards, who remained oblivious.

She crouched low, and her claws extended. Before either guard could react, she sprang forward.

Laura swept the legs out from one guard with a single strike, sending him crashing to the floor, while her other clawed hand slashed upward, disarming the second guard before he could even blink. Steve returned with a right hook and a stomp, leaving them unconscious on the ground.

Steve nodded his approval as Laura retracted her claws.

Steve turned back to her, breathing heavily. He looked up and saw a large enough vent hatch. "I think it's time we try the quiet route," he said.

Earlier

Lady Deathstrike stood before the submerged Wolverine, her mechanical claws twitching. The man who had haunted her every thought for years was now at her mercy. Her father's voice echoed in her mind, urging her to finish what she had started so long ago. She had sacrificed everything to get this opportunity. She would finally kill Logan and reclaim her honor.

"You will die today, Logan-san," she hissed. "It does not matter what the professor says. These are your last breaths."

Wolverine glared at her. There was defiance, but Lady Deathstrike didn't care. She wanted only his death. She brought her adamantium claws to the tank. The tips of her claws began to press into it.

Just as she was about to break it, a voice cut through. "Deathstrike, what are you doing here?" Professor Thorton stepped into the room. "I'm about to start Wolverine's reprogramming!"

Lady Deathstrike's claws froze in place. She turned her head slightly at the professor. "He has to die! This ends today!"

Thorton's expression hardened. "How many times do we have to have this conversation, Yuriko? He's more valuable alive than..."

From behind, Sabretooth was just about to slash the man's back when the facility's alarm blared.

"Alert: Security Breach in Sector 5."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sabretooth, who had been silently lurking in the shadows, made his move. His feral grin spread wide as he prepared to slash at Thorton's back.

But before the strike could land, the facility's alarm blared loudly.

"Alert: Security Breach in Sector 5."

Sabertooth dropped his arm. "Huh?"

Thorton instinctively flinched, turning around to see Sabretooth. "What are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

The man kept a blank expression. "Uh, nothing... Never mind that. The alarm?!"

Even Lady Deathstrike stopped what she was doing.

Thorton quickly recovered. "Subject 23 must be trying to escape! We must secure the exits! Get me Omega and Deadpool!"

Sabretooth huffed. "Finally. I was waiting to have a shot at the welp."

Lady Deathstrike seethed. "This isn't over, Logan." With that, she turned to follow Thorton out of the room. At least she could take her anger out on his spawn.

Sabretooth cast one last glance at Wolverine before following the others.

Later

Wolverine floated in his containment chamber. He had finally been left alone.

About a minute passed before he noticed a strange banging from above. His eyes flicked upward to the source. The banging grew louder until the air vent duct above the chamber suddenly crashed to the floor.

Wolverine tensed as a familiar figure dropped from the vent.

"Steve?" Logan asked, muffled.

Steve Rogers dusted himself off before his eyes settled on Logan. "Nice to see you again, James." A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Logan rolled his eyes, though a sense of relief washed over him. However, before he could process the reunion, another figure dropped down from the vent: a little girl.

She was thin, with raven-black hair that fell in messy strands around her face. The girl turned slowly, her dark eyes meeting Logan's. For a moment, she stood still.

Logan's brow furrowed. Who was this girl? Did Steve free her?

Steve chuckled. "I'm sure you have questions."

Logan watched the girl step forward. A small hand reached out to touch the glass.

Before he could piece it together, the girl did something that made his heart skip. She extended two adamantium claws from each of her hands, just like him.

His eyes widened. 'What the hell!?'

Laura brought her claws to the reinforced glass and began to cut through.

As the chamber emptied, Logan felt the restraints loosen. He collapsed forward, gasping for breath.

Steve helped him to his feet. "Take it easy. Quick introductions: James, meet Laura. Laura, meet James. We need to get out of here before they realize what's going on."

#

AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, Salo Guzman, Traiton Moses, SonicSonicsSonic, KA012, Monkey, Tapion, Roger Cornejo, Dragon lord, JJsouza09, Alexander SegreLaw, Red Rasher, I am lord dems, Ajax Roranson, and trey hill!

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