NYX (2nd series) #2

'The drop down is the best part. The look on their faces. Then that smooth feeling, like a knife through melon. His clavicle's locked up in the claws. Rest of his arm's on fire. I don't give them a choice. With sheer force of will. I make the truth. From the moment I show up till the moment I disappear into the shadows... they're dealing with the Wolverine' Laura Kinney thinks to herself as she drops down on a man wearing a yellow mask over his face, whose eyes go wide as Wolverine's claws pierce his shoulder. Laura then turns her attention to two other men in yellow masks who are standing several feet away, with a blue-skinned mutant who has six eyes across their face standing between them. 'Let' go of the kid, or lose the hand!' Laura warns the men. She thinks to herself that thirty mutants have disappeared off the street in as many days, mostly young and unhoused. 'It ends tonight' Laura decides.

Laura pulls her claws out of the man's shoulder, 'OH $&*#!' he shouts, while Wolverine asks 'Where are you taking her? Who's behind this?' Wolverine demands, barring her claws at the men in the masks. 'No, stop! They're not taking me anywhere! I asked, they're... they're my friends!' the blue-skinned mutant exclaims. The man Wolverine had dropped down onto rushes over to the others, and the mutant tells Wolverine 'You can find him too. They'll take you in just  like me. Just gotta think local' the mutant remarks, cryptically. Wolverine watches as the mutant leaves with the men. 'It was supposed to end tonight' she thinks to herself as she stands in front of some graffiti artwork of Charles Xavier.

Laura arrives at East Harlem and enters a derelict building with a vacate notice taped to the door. Laura looks in a mirror and remembers having a friend once, called Kiden, who told her that life was what they made it – lie until it's the truth. Laura pulls back her mask and realizes that she thinks about Kiden a lot lately.

Shortly, Laura is back out on the streets, walking through the rain in a leather jacket with fur trim, a black tank top, black mini skirt, white belt and fishnet stockings. It hasn't taken her long to find who she is looking for, because he isn't even hiding. 'If you know how to throw a Midnight M, his world's open to you' she thinks to herself, realizing that he has been here longer than the diaspora, living a mutant life, out in the human world – using mutants. 'But for what?' Laura wonders. She has followed his trail to a metal door in a grungy street in Bushwick, which calls back memories to nights with Kiden. Laura realizes that what felt dangerous back then would be a vacation now. 'Explains why he has so many willing “friends”' Laura decides as she arrives at the metal door. A sign above it appears to be written in the Krakoan language, while a large figure looms in foront of the door. 'Who doesn't want to get invited?' Laura wonders as the bouncer is revealed to be Mammomax, the elephant mutant. Mammomax speaks to Wolverine in Krakoan, and Wolverine responds in kind, while the two make symbols with their fingers. 'Who doesn't want to belong?' Laura wonders as she walks down some steps beyond the metal door.

As Laura arrives downstairs, a voice calls out 'Hey! New blood! Guess you're the sooky shadow girl who's been asking around about us? Glad you finally decided to put that body in motion'. Laura looks over and sees a man sitting on a sofa, a yellow mask pulled down around his neck, while a woman wearing a yellow mask sits at his side, and two men in masks stand behind them,. 'Name's Local' the man without the mask introduces himself, while raising a hand, which releases some sort of energy which appears to manifest like a grid, or a map. 'You know my people think you're Wolverine, right?' Local remarks. 'Hah. That'd be insane. Call me Scratch' Laura responds as she puts a hand over a candle and lets the flame burn her palm. 'Consider this my audition' “Scratch” tells Local, informing him that she has one condition – she wants to meet his boss. She lets the flame continue to burn her, and asks Local if they have a deal. 'Let's see what he says' Local responds as he holds up his phone, which has an incoming call from someone called Mr. Friend.

Local moves away from the couch to take the call, and Laura sits down in his seat, when suddenly, a voice calls out 'PSSST! Laura!' It's Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel who appears behind Laura and tells her that she knows she is clearly in the middle of something, but that she needs a quick Ms. Marvel consult. 'And I'm pretty sure you don't have a cell phone -' Kamala begins, to which Laura interrupts her and asks her what she is doing here, as this place is dangerous. 'Uh, this place is the only not-dangerous placce to hang out we've found all week' Kamala replies, before motioning to the dancefloor, and telling Laura to look. 'I think they look happy' she notes as Sophie Cuckoo and Anole can be seen dancing.

Laura and Kamala watch as Local walks up a flight of stairs and Kamala informs Laura that she faced off against the Krakoan, who isn't some false-flag operation, but an actual mutant with telekinesis that has a green glow. 'It was dark and one angry twenty-something white boy kinda lokos like the next, especially in a half mask, so – anyway, if you'd just give me a second to talk about this investigation -' Kamala begins, to which Laura stands up and tells Kamala to %#^& off. 'I tried to warn you. This isn't an investigation. With mutants, it's always a war' Laura declares. 'You don't need to save the city by yourself -' Kamala begins, to which Laura tells her that the only thing she needs from her and her little friends is for them to leave her alone. Laura turns and walks away, leaving Kamala, Anole and Sophie watching her, concerned.

Outside, “Scratch” has met up with Local, who uses his strange energy powers to knock out a security camera. Laura's first test is to steal a car. She pretends it's hard. When Local tells “Scratch” that they are driving, she laughs – who drives in New York? With another use of his power, Local changes every traffic light, and guides the traffic for miles. They abandon the car at a bridge, and make their way into a subway, leaping over the barriers, the subway train meets them right as they hit the platform – which, Laura thinks, never happens. With another snap, Local makes the subway train an express. She and Local smile at each other, and once they leave the subway and arrive back up on the surface, Local uses his power to take out further surveillance equipment, at least the ones he can reach from the city grid. “Scratch” uses her claws to slice the tops off several bollards, and Local tells her that what comes next is the real audition.

Local stands on some steps in front of the Empire State University, and tells “Scratch” that Orchis built this place, used unpaid college labor to make all kinds of terrible $#%& inside, and that the Essex building is genocide in glass and steel, backed by every security system the university could buy. 'You steal what's in there – you've got a meeting with the boss' Local announces. 'Okay. Side bet. For each thing I break in there, you give me one answer. I dare, you truth' “Scratch” responds, popping her claws. 'Damn, Scratch. You trying to make this fun?' Local smiles.

'How are you all organized?' “Scratch” asks as she slashes her way into the lab. She is told that there are safehouses all across the city, with good food and stolen Playstations, and that Mr. Friend thinks he is doing a public service – maybe he once was. 'What's the trade off?' she asks as she kicks two security guards over. Local tells her that it is petty crime, a classic racket – safety for exploitation, but they haven't lost anyone yet, and Mr. Friend seems proud of it. 'What's the appeal?' “Scratch” enquires as she shoves her claws into a console. But Local turns the question on her, asking her what she does for fun. “Scratch” wants to tell him that she kills vampires, drinks with pop stars and runs the jungles of the Wild Hunt – but instead, she doesn't and simply thinks about Kiden. 'I like to dance sometimes' Laura responds. And the way Local looks at her, it almost feels true. Laura had forgotten what it felt like to work like this, together, with someone, against the world.

Suddenly, 'Laura? Uh... hi?' David Alleyne a.k.a. Prodigy, a professor at the university, calls out as he discovers Laura and Local rushing through the facility. 'You know this guy, Scratch?' Local asks. Yeah. We go back. Same...apartment...complex' “Scratch” responds while raising a hand to David, indicating for him to stop. She tells him that he should forget what he saw here, to turn around and walk away. 'You don't need to be in this world anymore' Laura adds. David looks at Laura with  wide eyes, and Laura tries to ignore his look – the judgment and the wisdom. It almost works, if not for Kiden, hiding in the back of her head, shaking her own. All the way back to the boss, who Local calls Mr. Friend, just another human gorging on mutant power and who demands to see his newest soldier – alone. David watches as Laura ruses away from the destruction she caused at the university, but says nothing to her.

Soon, Laura supposes that she passed the test, as she enters a room, where she finds Mr Friend sitting behind a desk. He is a pale-skinned man in a suit, and calls out 'Hello Scratch' as she approaches him. Mr. Friend tells Scratch that it is a pleasure to meet her, as he has heard incredible things. However, as soon as she enters Mr. Friend's office, Laura picks up a scent. 'Mr. Friend, right? What we stole tonight. What's your plan for it?' Laura asks, while realizing that Mr. Friend smells like formaldehyde, liming agent and chromium – the man smells like freshly tanned leather. Mr. Friend leans forward and grins as he informs “Scratch” that he is absolutely using it to lace Mutant Growth Hormone that'll hit like the Juggernaut – as the market is ripe for the taking. He explains that there is a  real void in the underground scene, with so many mutants running around with the ingredients just floating in their bloodstream.

'Pretty bold of you to just tell me that. Mutants don't take kindly to that kind of abuse' Laura exclaims as she realizes that it isn't leather she can smell – it's his skin. 'Oh, wolverine, I had hoped you knew better...mutants love to be abused' grins Mojo as the blubbery mass emerges from the shadows behind Mr. Friend, who appears to be nothing more than a puppet. Wolverine pops he claws, and Mojo grins: 'Oooh. What a trailer moment' he jokes. The name Mojo is enough to make Laura vomit, but she lunges forward, slashing his robotic tentacles with her claws. 'Should've stayed the hell out of our reality, parasite!' Wolverine snarls, before one of Mojo's tentacles drags across her face, cutting here across her cheeks and mouth.

'Parasite? But I'm your biggest fan. I've seen every single episode. You see, I understand you now. The mutant story. The arc of survival. The tragedy, the pain of losing your perfect little lives again and again and again!' Mojo looms over Laura and grins: 'Especially now! Your big brand-synergy exercise is over, and there are so many little ones on the street with no one keeping them safe?' he asks, before he holds up the “Mr. Friend” puppet and remarks that all of the little ones are looking up to him – as someone needs to take care of these gifted youngsters. Despite being trapped in one of Mojo's tendrils, Laura lunges forwaerd and shoves her claws into the front of Mojo's head. 'Oh, I bet that looked like you got me!' Mojo exclaims, before telling her that the things is, reality is made by belief, and by his viewers, by the place where his lies meet their truth. 'I have a citywide audience of hopeful children – and you're just the mean old Wolverine!' Mojo shouts as he fires energy out of his eyes, blasting Laura at close range, causing her to scream.

'A fight like ours? It's really just a numbers game' Mojo snarls, when suddenly, 'Scratch? Mr. Friend? What's going on?' Local asks as he enters the office, to find “Scratch” reduced to flesh and bone. 'He's not your friend' “Scratch” remarks as she collapses to the ground, before she gets up and leaps through a window, shattering the glass. 'Let her go, Local!' Mojo – via the Mr. Friend puppet – exclaims, before instructing Local to come back in and close the door.

Laura tries telling herself that she made a tactical retreat, before realizing she shouldn't lie to herself – 'It was run the %&#$ away' she admits. She returns to the derelict apartment and hides in the shadows as her body begins to regenerate. She thinks to herself that the Saturday morning cartoon shrugged off her claws and scaled her skin right off of her body – fear floods her brain like blood in her mouth. Every bit of belief mutants had in themselves, in what they had built – now Mojo has turned that into power. Laura knows it is a problem she cannot stab. It is designed to make her feel hopeless, just like those kids Mojo is collecting off the street every day. 'He wants me to defeat myself. Hell, he thinks it's already done. But we've been hopeless in these streets before, haven't we, Kiden? And we know the way out' Laura tells herself. Her body regenerated, Laura looks in a mirror. 'Hell, so does he. He said it outright, the big idiot' Laura tells herself, remembering how Mojo said “A numbers game”.

Laura remembers Kamala warning her, but she closed  her ears, tried it her way, thought there wasn't a choice. But Laura knows there is always a choice – especially when the world wants you to feel unimportant, helpless and alone. Laura arrives at the club, and finds Anole, Sophie and Kamala on the dancefloor. Laura smiles at them. 'Between the lies we live in...and the truth we make' she decides as she steps onto the dancefloor and joins the others.