Chapter 72: X-XXIII
Once Janice calmed down, she looked at Benjamin with a complex expression for a while before muttering.
“Thank you…”
Benjamin nodded and turned to look at the laboratory around him before asking.
“How exactly did you end up here? I recall Nat sent you to a SHIELD prison.”
Janice shook her head.
“I don’t understand much either. Some time ago, I thought I was being transferred to another prison by some SHIELD agents then I was drugged unconscious. When I woke up, I was already here…forced to participate in that guy’s…experiments…”
Benjamin fell silent.
It must be around the time when HYDRA was still within SHIELD. There was probably some mix-up afterward or some agent had made a mistake so her disappearance wasn’t reported.
Realizing this, Benjamin felt guilty.
Benjamin himself had somewhat avoided meeting Janice again after what had happened between them since he didn’t know how to face her after…well, almost fucking her to death…
So he also hasn’t realized that she was missing.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve visited you to check in on you.”
Janice shook her head.
“No need to be sorry. I tried to harm you after all.”
Benjamin looked at her for a moment then asked.
“What’s your plan now?”
Janice looked at him weirdly.
“Are you not going to take me back to prison?”
Benjamin shook his head and sighed.
“After what you’ve been through, I’d say you’ve done enough time in a cell. Besides, SHIELD hasn’t noticed your disappearance until now and no one really knew I found you here so…you’re free to go anywhere you want.”
Benjamin shrugged.
“Of course, if you commit any more crimes afterward, then you’ll need to be imprisoned again.”
Hearing that, Janice chuckled bitterly.
“No. I’m done with that life. I guess I’ll just look for a stable job somewhere and live quietly. Besides, you’ll just catch me again if I do something bad again, right?”
“Are you sure? You know, if you’re still itching for some action, I can refer you to HYDRA.”
“Huh?”
Janice was confused.
Is he…going to refer me to HYDRA? Did I mishear? Did he mean SHIELD instead?
Benjamin chuckled seeing her reaction.
“Don’t worry, we’ve mostly subdued HYDRA and the one leading it now is under me. She could use some talent to assist her and take over the whole organization faster. After all, Red Skull seems to be back and is secretly wrestling some forces to his side. What do you think?”
Janice fell silent for a moment then asked.
“So…I can continue to be a bad guy but at the same time, I’m not one of the bad guys?”
“Well…yeah? Basically.”
Benjamin chuckled.
“Of course, you guys are only permitted to act on the ‘grey areas’. I’m sure you understand what I mean.”
Janice nodded.
Benjamin then opened a portal and led Janice through it.
Janice looked at the portal in amazement as she followed Benjamin.
Once through, Benjamin saw Selene glaring at him as if she was wronged.
“Why did you suddenly close the portal before I could follow!? I almost cut my leg off!”
“Ah, I forgot about you.”
“You-!”
Selene flared up but could do nothing as she was bound by the Slave Collar.
Benjamin smiled wryly at her reaction and sighed.
When he went through earlier to Sublime’s lab, he immediately saw Janice’s predicament and rushed to save her. He must’ve closed the portal as well in his haste.
Afterward, when he saw it was Jancie, he was confused for a while and forgot about Selene.
Sublime’s next actions also angered him and made him completely forget about leaving Selene behind.
“Anyway. Janice, this is Selene, Selene, this is Janice. You two will be joining HYDRA together.”
Selene should be a big help to Ophelia considering her power.
With Selene, Janice, and Callisto by her side, Ophelia should be able to suppress all of those lingering believers of Red Skull.
There’s also a higher chance of uncovering Red Skull’s whereabouts.
Benjamin really wanted to deal with all threats on Earth so he can finally focus on dealing with extraterrestrial threats like Thanos and such.
After introducing the two to each other, Benjamin opened another portal and connected it to a secret room in Ophelia’s HYDRA base.
There, Ophelia was already waiting for him.
Ophelia looked at Selene and Janice in surprise.
“The Black Queen and Beetle? You actually got them to help me?”
“There’s one more. Callisto. I’ll send you the address later to pick her up. Well, if she agrees to join anyway.”
Ophelia nodded.
She looked at the two new ‘recruits’ for a moment then asked Benjamin warily.
“Are you sure they will listen to me though?”
Benjamin smiled and turned to look at Selene first.
“Selene, remember this. Her words are my words. Make sure to follow what she says.”
“Grr…fine!”
Ophelia was surprised to see how the infamous Black Queen listened to Benjamin so easily.
Then she noticed a familiar black collar on her neck and understood.
Suddenly, she looked at Selene with a warm gaze.
So she’s the same…
Seeing Ophelia look at her like that, Selene was confused.
But when she also saw the familiar black collar on her neck, she understood.
So that’s the case! No wonder Benjamin seemed so sure that HYDRA is under his control!
But…how come Benjamin treats Ophelia better than her?
Aren’t they both slaves? Why is there such a double standard!?
Thinking of this, Selene felt more wronged and looked at Benjamin accusingly.
Benjamin saw her reaction that seems like he was caught cheating by his girlfriend and was confused.
What’s wrong with this girl now?
Benjamin sighed and ignored her then turned to Janice.
“Janice won’t be a problem. She’s uhh, an old friend.”
Benjamin nodded at his own words.
Anyway, he wasn’t too worried about Jancie betraying him.
Even if she did, Ophelia should be able to handle it with Selene’s help.
Janice looked at Ophelia and nodded at her.
“Although I’ll be joining, I’d appreciate it if I can get some time to rest first…I just escaped from a crazy scientist and am quite tired.”
“Crazy scientist?”
Ophelia turned to Benjamin in curiosity.
“Yes. John Sublime. You know him?”
“Ah. Yes. He was one of the go-to scientists of HYDRA back then. I’m surprised he’s still alive.”
“Well, let’s just say you won’t be hearing about him from now on.”
Ophelia was surprised.
“You…killed him?”
“No. Killing him is too easy of a punishment. I just put him somewhere he will wish he was dead.”
“...”
Coming from Benjamin, Ophelia couldn’t help but wonder where that is.
For some reason, she felt scared at just the thought of it.
After discussing a few more things, Benjamin left Selene and Janice with Ophelia and returned back to Sublime’s lab.
He hasn’t taken a good look around yet so now that he was free, he decided to look around some more in case there was something he could use or in case there are still some people in captivity.
The facility was quite big and it’s really a wonder how Sublime was able to manage everything by himself.
After going through a few areas, he found an area that was filled with rooms.
Benjamin took a look inside the rooms and saw that there were several mutants locked inside.
Some had various external mutations while some didn’t have any visible mutations but are either breathing fire or sending shockwaves at the cell walls in an attempt to break free.
Everyone was basically locked in their rooms but there was one room that was quite special.
The prisoner there wasn’t just locked in the room but also bound tightly in chains and even wore a straight jacket. The type you would see in a mental asylum.
From the long hair and the figure outlined by the straight jacket, Benjamin could tell that the prisoner was a woman.
Not only was she bound in chains and a straight jacket, but she also had an iron mask that covered her mouth and bound her feet that was welded straight on the ground.
Benjamin wondered what kind of mutant ability she had to warrant such a restraint.
He looked at the sign at the door and his eyes widened in surprise.
It wasn’t her name that was on the door but her project code name.
[X-XXIII]
X-23…!
Right…this one is none other than Laura Kinney. Otherwise known as Wolverine.
She’s a mutant artificially created using Logan’s DNA, giving her similar powers as him.
Benjamin was surprised to see her here.
He sighed at how this world is really quite different from the comics he had read and movies he had watched in his previous life.
“I wonder how Logan would react if he sees her…”
The Laura in front of him right now wasn’t a kid but looked to be a young adult. Maybe a teen.
Benjamin wasn’t in a hurry to free everyone as he started with Laura first.
Opening her door, he found Laura glaring at her like an angry beast. Ready to pounce and kill if she wasn’t bound.
Benjamin tried to smile as harmless as he could and even raised his hands.
“Calm down. I’m here to free you. The bad guy who experimented on you is no more.”
Benjamin said, trying to calm her down as he approached her.
As he slowly approached her, he removed the mask covering her mouth first so she could speak.
As soon as he did, Laura started to roar at him.
“AAAHHH!! I’LL KILL YOU!!! I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
Laura roared loudly as she tried to lean towards him and bite him but with her restraints, she wasn’t able to move much.
Benjamin sighed.
“Look, I’m here to free you.”
“I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
Benjamin thought for a moment and pulled out the Clarity Bell once more and rung it once.
With the chime from the bell, Laura’s rage-filled eyes started to calm down a bit. She wasn’t shouting anymore but was still trying to bite him.
Benjamin was a bit surprised that one bell wasn’t enough to calm her down so he rang it once more.
As he did, Laura could be seen visibly calming down but was still glaring at him.
Benjamin rang it a third time for good measure and saw Laura no longer moving as much or glaring at him but she still had a scowl on her face.
Since she had somewhat calmed down, Benjamin removed her other restraints one by one.
Once all her restraints were removed, Laura massaged her wrists for a while and suddenly, two adamantium blades appeared from her knuckles as she pointed it on Benjamin.
“Who are you and why are you here!?”
Benjamin looked at the claws and smiled wryly.
“You can just ask properly without threatening me, you know? Considering I just freed you and all…”
“Answer me!”
Laura growled.
Benjamin sighed and answered.
“I was tracking down Sublime and it led me here. After I finished dealing with him, I looked around the place and found you guys here.”
Laura frowned and thought for a moment before asking.
“Is he dead?”
“No. But I’m willing to bet that he’s wishing I killed him already.”
Benjamin smiled and he used Telepathy to show her a scene.
Within the Soul Stone, in the depths of the Soul Realm lies a single impenetrable cell.
Inside was none other than Sublime.
His figure was truly a shock to see as his body gets blurry every now and then as he suffers pain from within his soul.
Every once in a while, he dies but revives once more as if Death itself doesn’t want him and he begins to suffer all over again.
Benjamin was right.
Sublime was now begging to die. Only, no matter how much he shouted, no sound seemed to escape the room.
Back in reality, Laura’s eyes snapped open in fright.
She didn’t notice it yet but her back was dripping in sweat.
What she had seen was truly a nightmare…she couldn’t imagine how painful it must be for Sublime to react that way.
Initially, she felt unsatisfied hearing that Sublime was still alive but after seeing that, she even felt a bit of pity for him.
Seeing Laura finally retract her claws, Benjamin smiled and turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Hm? I’m going to free the others too. Then leave this place. Are you coming?”
“...”
Laura didn’t think much about it anymore and followed behind Benjamin.
The moment she stepped foot out of her cell, it was as if the weight on her shoulders had been lifted.
Looking up, she saw Benjamin’s back and had a feeling.
A feeling that her life has finally truly begun!
Chapter 72: X-XXIII
Once Janice calmed down, she looked at Benjamin with a complex expression for a while before muttering.
“Thank you…”
Benjamin nodded and turned to look at the laboratory around him before asking.
“How exactly did you end up here? I recall Nat sent you to a SHIELD prison.”
Janice shook her head.
“I don’t understand much either. Some time ago, I thought I was being transferred to another prison by some SHIELD agents then I was drugged unconscious. When I woke up, I was already here…forced to participate in that guy’s…experiments…”
Benjamin fell silent.
It must be around the time when HYDRA was still within SHIELD. There was probably some mix-up afterward or some agent had made a mistake so her disappearance wasn’t reported.
Realizing this, Benjamin felt guilty.
Benjamin himself had somewhat avoided meeting Janice again after what had happened between them since he didn’t know how to face her after…well, almost fucking her to death…
So he also hasn’t realized that she was missing.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve visited you to check in on you.”
Janice shook her head.
“No need to be sorry. I tried to harm you after all.”
Benjamin looked at her for a moment then asked.
“What’s your plan now?”
Janice looked at him weirdly.
“Are you not going to take me back to prison?”
Benjamin shook his head and sighed.
“After what you’ve been through, I’d say you’ve done enough time in a cell. Besides, SHIELD hasn’t noticed your disappearance until now and no one really knew I found you here so…you’re free to go anywhere you want.”
Benjamin shrugged.
“Of course, if you commit any more crimes afterward, then you’ll need to be imprisoned again.”
Hearing that, Janice chuckled bitterly.
“No. I’m done with that life. I guess I’ll just look for a stable job somewhere and live quietly. Besides, you’ll just catch me again if I do something bad again, right?”
“Are you sure? You know, if you’re still itching for some action, I can refer you to HYDRA.”
“Huh?”
Janice was confused.
Is he…going to refer me to HYDRA? Did I mishear? Did he mean SHIELD instead?
Benjamin chuckled seeing her reaction.
“Don’t worry, we’ve mostly subdued HYDRA and the one leading it now is under me. She could use some talent to assist her and take over the whole organization faster. After all, Red Skull seems to be back and is secretly wrestling some forces to his side. What do you think?”
Janice fell silent for a moment then asked.
“So…I can continue to be a bad guy but at the same time, I’m not one of the bad guys?”
“Well…yeah? Basically.”
Benjamin chuckled.
“Of course, you guys are only permitted to act on the ‘grey areas’. I’m sure you understand what I mean.”
Janice nodded.
Benjamin then opened a portal and led Janice through it.
Janice looked at the portal in amazement as she followed Benjamin.
Once through, Benjamin saw Selene glaring at him as if she was wronged.
“Why did you suddenly close the portal before I could follow!? I almost cut my leg off!”
“Ah, I forgot about you.”
“You-!”
Selene flared up but could do nothing as she was bound by the Slave Collar.
Benjamin smiled wryly at her reaction and sighed.
When he went through earlier to Sublime’s lab, he immediately saw Janice’s predicament and rushed to save her. He must’ve closed the portal as well in his haste.
Afterward, when he saw it was Jancie, he was confused for a while and forgot about Selene.
Sublime’s next actions also angered him and made him completely forget about leaving Selene behind.
“Anyway. Janice, this is Selene, Selene, this is Janice. You two will be joining HYDRA together.”
Selene should be a big help to Ophelia considering her power.
With Selene, Janice, and Callisto by her side, Ophelia should be able to suppress all of those lingering believers of Red Skull.
There’s also a higher chance of uncovering Red Skull’s whereabouts.
Benjamin really wanted to deal with all threats on Earth so he can finally focus on dealing with extraterrestrial threats like Thanos and such.
After introducing the two to each other, Benjamin opened another portal and connected it to a secret room in Ophelia’s HYDRA base.
There, Ophelia was already waiting for him.
Ophelia looked at Selene and Janice in surprise.
“The Black Queen and Beetle? You actually got them to help me?”
“There’s one more. Callisto. I’ll send you the address later to pick her up. Well, if she agrees to join anyway.”
Ophelia nodded.
She looked at the two new ‘recruits’ for a moment then asked Benjamin warily.
“Are you sure they will listen to me though?”
Benjamin smiled and turned to look at Selene first.
“Selene, remember this. Her words are my words. Make sure to follow what she says.”
“Grr…fine!”
Ophelia was surprised to see how the infamous Black Queen listened to Benjamin so easily.
Then she noticed a familiar black collar on her neck and understood.
Suddenly, she looked at Selene with a warm gaze.
So she’s the same…
Seeing Ophelia look at her like that, Selene was confused.
But when she also saw the familiar black collar on her neck, she understood.
So that’s the case! No wonder Benjamin seemed so sure that HYDRA is under his control!
But…how come Benjamin treats Ophelia better than her?
Aren’t they both slaves? Why is there such a double standard!?
Thinking of this, Selene felt more wronged and looked at Benjamin accusingly.
Benjamin saw her reaction that seems like he was caught cheating by his girlfriend and was confused.
What’s wrong with this girl now?
Benjamin sighed and ignored her then turned to Janice.
“Janice won’t be a problem. She’s uhh, an old friend.”
Benjamin nodded at his own words.
Anyway, he wasn’t too worried about Jancie betraying him.
Even if she did, Ophelia should be able to handle it with Selene’s help.
Janice looked at Ophelia and nodded at her.
“Although I’ll be joining, I’d appreciate it if I can get some time to rest first…I just escaped from a crazy scientist and am quite tired.”
“Crazy scientist?”
Ophelia turned to Benjamin in curiosity.
“Yes. John Sublime. You know him?”
“Ah. Yes. He was one of the go-to scientists of HYDRA back then. I’m surprised he’s still alive.”
“Well, let’s just say you won’t be hearing about him from now on.”
Ophelia was surprised.
“You…killed him?”
“No. Killing him is too easy of a punishment. I just put him somewhere he will wish he was dead.”
“...”
Coming from Benjamin, Ophelia couldn’t help but wonder where that is.
For some reason, she felt scared at just the thought of it.
After discussing a few more things, Benjamin left Selene and Janice with Ophelia and returned back to Sublime’s lab.
He hasn’t taken a good look around yet so now that he was free, he decided to look around some more in case there was something he could use or in case there are still some people in captivity.
The facility was quite big and it’s really a wonder how Sublime was able to manage everything by himself.
After going through a few areas, he found an area that was filled with rooms.
Benjamin took a look inside the rooms and saw that there were several mutants locked inside.
Some had various external mutations while some didn’t have any visible mutations but are either breathing fire or sending shockwaves at the cell walls in an attempt to break free.
Everyone was basically locked in their rooms but there was one room that was quite special.
The prisoner there wasn’t just locked in the room but also bound tightly in chains and even wore a straight jacket. The type you would see in a mental asylum.
From the long hair and the figure outlined by the straight jacket, Benjamin could tell that the prisoner was a woman.
Not only was she bound in chains and a straight jacket, but she also had an iron mask that covered her mouth and bound her feet that was welded straight on the ground.
Benjamin wondered what kind of mutant ability she had to warrant such a restraint.
He looked at the sign at the door and his eyes widened in surprise.
It wasn’t her name that was on the door but her project code name.
[X-XXIII]
X-23…!
Right…this one is none other than Laura Kinney. Otherwise known as Wolverine.
She’s a mutant artificially created using Logan’s DNA, giving her similar powers as him.
Benjamin was surprised to see her here.
He sighed at how this world is really quite different from the comics he had read and movies he had watched in his previous life.
“I wonder how Logan would react if he sees her…”
The Laura in front of him right now wasn’t a kid but looked to be a young adult. Maybe a teen.
Benjamin wasn’t in a hurry to free everyone as he started with Laura first.
Opening her door, he found Laura glaring at her like an angry beast. Ready to pounce and kill if she wasn’t bound.
Benjamin tried to smile as harmless as he could and even raised his hands.
“Calm down. I’m here to free you. The bad guy who experimented on you is no more.”
Benjamin said, trying to calm her down as he approached her.
As he slowly approached her, he removed the mask covering her mouth first so she could speak.
As soon as he did, Laura started to roar at him.
“AAAHHH!! I’LL KILL YOU!!! I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
Laura roared loudly as she tried to lean towards him and bite him but with her restraints, she wasn’t able to move much.
Benjamin sighed.
“Look, I’m here to free you.”
“I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
Benjamin thought for a moment and pulled out the Clarity Bell once more and rung it once.
With the chime from the bell, Laura’s rage-filled eyes started to calm down a bit. She wasn’t shouting anymore but was still trying to bite him.
Benjamin was a bit surprised that one bell wasn’t enough to calm her down so he rang it once more.
As he did, Laura could be seen visibly calming down but was still glaring at him.
Benjamin rang it a third time for good measure and saw Laura no longer moving as much or glaring at him but she still had a scowl on her face.
Since she had somewhat calmed down, Benjamin removed her other restraints one by one.
Once all her restraints were removed, Laura massaged her wrists for a while and suddenly, two adamantium blades appeared from her knuckles as she pointed it on Benjamin.
“Who are you and why are you here!?”
Benjamin looked at the claws and smiled wryly.
“You can just ask properly without threatening me, you know? Considering I just freed you and all…”
“Answer me!”
Laura growled.
Benjamin sighed and answered.
“I was tracking down Sublime and it led me here. After I finished dealing with him, I looked around the place and found you guys here.”
Laura frowned and thought for a moment before asking.
“Is he dead?”
“No. But I’m willing to bet that he’s wishing I killed him already.”
Benjamin smiled and he used Telepathy to show her a scene.
Within the Soul Stone, in the depths of the Soul Realm lies a single impenetrable cell.
Inside was none other than Sublime.
His figure was truly a shock to see as his body gets blurry every now and then as he suffers pain from within his soul.
Every once in a while, he dies but revives once more as if Death itself doesn’t want him and he begins to suffer all over again.
Benjamin was right.
Sublime was now begging to die. Only, no matter how much he shouted, no sound seemed to escape the room.
Back in reality, Laura’s eyes snapped open in fright.
She didn’t notice it yet but her back was dripping in sweat.
What she had seen was truly a nightmare…she couldn’t imagine how painful it must be for Sublime to react that way.
Initially, she felt unsatisfied hearing that Sublime was still alive but after seeing that, she even felt a bit of pity for him.
Seeing Laura finally retract her claws, Benjamin smiled and turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Hm? I’m going to free the others too. Then leave this place. Are you coming?”
“...”
Laura didn’t think much about it anymore and followed behind Benjamin.
The moment she stepped foot out of her cell, it was as if the weight on her shoulders had been lifted.
Looking up, she saw Benjamin’s back and had a feeling.
A feeling that her life has finally truly begun!
