"... You've gotta be kidding me. No, just no."

Andrew actually could not believe what he was hearing, the absolute load of horseshit coming out of one of the most well-known heroes in the world. Captain fucking America himself. 

The star-spangled Avenger had come with what appeared to be a battalion of armed men to mount a rescue after Professor Xavier had requested his help. Andrew was actually touched... For all of five minutes before the moment was ruined by being asked not-so-politely to go into a not-quite-but-actually-yes interrogation room. What the heck? He and Laura were the victims here!

So what if they may or may not have killed a couple, dozen, "people"? If anything they were doing the world a service for getting rid of the trash.

"Kid, liste-"

"Let me just stop you there, Stevie. First of all, I'm not a kid, so don't call me one. Secondly, there isn't a goddamn thing in this world or the next you could do to change my mind. What the hell kind of hero are you?! To even suggest that I hand Laura over to you? You just fucking attacked her moments ago, and we know all too well what you and your friends at S.H.I.E.L.D would do once you get your hands on her. We're young, not stupid."

The sentient virus had half a mind of punting the man outside the building and making a Captain shaped window. It'd be a nice touch to the darkroom they were interrogating the two teens in and he was pretty sure Dare Devil wouldn't be too opposed to it.

Who would've thought edgy McGrimFace would be the one playing Devil's advocate and being the good cop of the duo? Guess you really couldn't judge a comic book by its cover.

Captain America was clearly frustrated at the turn of events, how dare Andrew refuse to see "reason" and hand over the girl so she could pay for her crimes, right? While her creators and the people behind the program merely have to pay some fines and delay their project, she'd have to pay with her childhood and the rest of her life.

The young X-men's own mounting frustration showed not on his face but by the deep groves he was subconsciously digging into the oaken table with his fingers. 

"Ok, look, Andrew. I'm sorry for hurting X- I mean Laura. I didn't know-"

"That's right, you didn't, just like you don't now, but I know and I'll thank you kindly to fuck off and leave us alone. We don't need you or the Avengers, so how about you uncuff us and open that door? We all know I've only been humoring you and these trinkets wouldn't stop us for half a second."

Laura didn't say anything, but the tip of her claws poking out of her fist gleaming in the light was enough to get the message across. If Andrew decided to take hostile actions, she was going to back him up no questions asked.

Whatever Steve Rogers had wanted to say quickly died in his mouth as Matt Murdock, the civilian lawyer identity of Dare Devil pulled him aside. How a blind man managed to convey a glare behind sunglasses was a mystery, but it proved effective nonetheless.

"Steve, we came here to rescue kids, remember? Not lock them up for a crime they had no control off. Andrew and Laura can not be held responsible for how they escaped their inhumane captors, and remember, the latter was under the control of a trigger scent. Under the influence as they say. Are you really going to try to hand them over to be some secret weapon of Fury's? Because he's right, that's exactly how it'll go down."

It seems that was enough to make the Avenger back down as he handed over the keys and stepped away from the door out.

"No, need."

Was it petty? Yes. Did it feel satisfying giving a small fuck you to the captain? Also yes. Andrew simply broke the handcuffs on himself and Laura, but he stayed behind long enough at the door to give a final parting shot.

"You know, when I was a kid I always looked up to you. I wanted to be like you, be a hero, be there for when someone needed me. Sure, you weren't as "cool" as Ironman, as powerful as Hulk or Thor, but you had something even better, heart. You did what was right no matter the difficulty or personal sacrifice. Or at least, I thought you did. I admired that, you know? But it seems the saying was right, "Never meet your heroes, because they're sure to disappoint".

He made sure to slam the door, the force managed to knock over the bright lamp they were shining in his face and left the two heroes standing in darkness. Now to explain to a certain grumpy Canadian how he was technically in a relationship with the man's clone/daughter.

That's gonna be fun- Wait a second, he could just make Sarah do it! Yes! He knew she'd end up being useful for something someday!

----------------------------------------

Weird. Why did he feel so angry? Sure, the Captain may have knocked Laura into a tree, but considering the situation and how powerful their healing was, it shouldn't have been much of a big deal. Even handing X-23 to S.H.I.E.L.D would've been a logical choice from his standpoint if he didn't know how fucked up the organization could be.

The man was trying to save him after all, so why did he only feel pissed off instead of grateful even if only for the sentiment?

Hell, neither of them would bat an eye of having their limbs sliced off during battle, and getting the air knocked out of you was hardly painful enough to even register anything above a 0.5/10 on their pain threshold. Now that he had left the room and cooled off some he could admit to himself how childish and irrational he was being, yet the thought of going back to apologize to the man felt more painful than having a root canal.

Was it pride?

He didn't consider himself as an especially pride man, in fact, he had pretty low self-esteem all things considered, so how he had gone on such a rant without stuttering still baffled him in retrospect. It couldn't be from disappointment, could it? After all, the man didn't owe him anything, hell he'd never even seen the man before. Neither Dare Devil nor the other X-men warranted such a reaction in him.

It was a strange puzzle. He'd send an apology letter later, lashing out at someone from, what was most likely, stress and irritation wasn't cool. Nobody should have to put up with his shit besides himself, especially not someone who was only trying to help him.

"Andrew, are you... Ok?"

And suddenly a soft voice pierced through his cloudy thoughts. Right, he didn't have time to get stuck in a funk now. He smiled with a nod, holding her hand and gave it a soft squeeze to reassure her, idly taking notice how strangely heavy and... Dense it was. His sight and hearing wasn't the only thing enhanced and he could notice the feeling of the tips of her claws hidden within. Her hand was small, soft yet firm. He knew she was made of sturdy stuff, yet he couldn't help but think of how delicate it looked despite knowing fully well how deadly she could be.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Does... Does it hurt?"

Oh... Oh gosh. Now he was becoming overly conscious of how he was holding a girl's hand and he could feel his palms getting sweaty. His body reacted without his permission thanks to his mental panicking, which was weird. He wasn't a virgin anymore, he'd seen her naked, plenty of times in fact!

Yet, now that he was more in his mind so to speak... 

He didn't know how to interact with his first "girlfriend". Wait, shit, did she even want to be his girlfriend? They were basically forced into a cage together, and like any wild animals sought comfort in each other. In other words, he was her only option, but now that they were outside.

For a brief moment, he felt disgusted with himself but he couldn't stop the treacherous thought.

Maybe it would've been better if they never left. They could've been together forever...

He knew she couldn't read his mind, heck he wasn't even sure if anyone besides Jean and Xavier could anymore if he tried to force them out or retreated within himself, but her brilliant emerald eyes seemed to shine a light on all his secrets and sins. He felt guilt like a physical blow that knocked the air out of him and almost buckled his knees.

"..? What do you mean?"

"Ah, um, your hand I mean."

"Not particularly, I've gotten used to the pain of extending my claws," She raised her unoccupied right hand, slowly demonstrating the process. It was the first time he has gotten such a close first-hand view of the scene. Twin metal knifes tips poked out of her skin, drawing blood and parting skin and flesh alike. "The pain is momentarily and the blood loss is negligible. With my healing factor, I got from... Wolverine, it takes a lot more than such small cuts to hinder my performance and I've been trained extensively to increase my pain tolerance. I'm used too it."

I'm used too it.

She said it without any pause. Short, detached as if she was talking about the weather or something in a movie she'd seen. As if it had happened to someone else.

Monotone. Dull. Another facet of life, an everyday occurrence that warranted no further thought.

There was no sorrow, no grief, no emotional affliction, and that, above all else, bite deeply into him.

Andrew... Had no words. Despite the fact that he had scores of Ph.D. achieving geniuses and Harvard grads hidden away somewhere within his mind, they all failed him. What could he say to that? What would be the right answer, the right response?

It took him a moment to realize there wasn't any. Nothing he said would change what had happened, no words could give her back her lost childhood and innocence. It would all be pointless empty gestures. 

He pulled her into his arm, sending her all but crashing into his chest. Her head cradled in the nook of his neck as he tried the most primitive way to convey his feelings. Laura was confused, but she didn't fight it and simply relaxed in his hold. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, finding comfort in his familiar warmth and smell.

She didn't have to keep her guard up when she was with him, he was more than capable of detecting any threat so she had a rare chance of relaxing. She was almost too relaxed after the physically and emotionally tiring task of escaping and reading the letter her... Mother had sent them, that she had almost fallen asleep before she heard his voice.

It was soft, almost an inaudible whisper even to her honed senses.

"It's not ok."

Laura didn't understand what was going on. What wasn't, and why was Andrew shaking? Was he in pain? She didn't smell any blood, and nothing they ate had been poisoned, she had checked. An illness? She didn't know, but once she noticed the tears he knew that he was hurting in some way. She just nodded into his shirt.

They stayed like that for a while.

----------------------------------------

Andrew decided, he would show Laura all the things that she had missed out on. That there was a life to be had besides the Facility, that the outside world could be beautiful. She may have physically left the place, but he could tell that she was still chained by the burden of what they'd done to her. 

Unlike him who had led a life before it all, it was all she knew ever since she was born. Nothing but blood and death. He'll change that no matter what.

Even if she didn't want to be with him anymore.

When he thinks back to the abuse she'd suffered in that hell he felt as if his vision was dyed in red, that Kimura had gotten off too easy. Sometimes he idly fantasied of finding a necromancer to bring her back just so he could personally get his pound of flesh from her again, but surely Demons which have had millennia to practice would be better at torture than him, because there wasn't a doubt in his mind that Hell was her destination.

----------------------------------------

"Come now, what happened to all that spunk you had? Where did all the energy you had when beating me and Laura go?!"

Andrew felt a maddening glee as he watched the woman who had been abusing him and Laura since day 1 thrashes around with muffled screams in his grip. Kimura. Normally, when he killed a group of soldiers he would Consume them, leaving not much of a mess behind beside the grotesque scene of their death.

Not this time.

No, he made sure to leave not even an inch of the corridor not covered in blood and gore. Considering how many doctors he had also recently absorbed and even without actively channeling the memories he had ample medical knowledge. He knew exactly how much punishment their bodies could take before dying, practiced prolonging it actually. 

Just so he could ensure he and Kimura could fully enjoy their little play date.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" 

She was quite heavy when using her density control, around 300 pounds give or take, but for him, that might as well be a child. At first, he had fun knocking her around, her body was so sturdy she could bounce off or through the metal walls without a scratch. She was quite willing to play then, it was almost cute how she thought a few bullets to the face or a grenade or two in the esophagus would do the trick.

The look in her eyes as she realized he was playing with her was absolutely priceless.

"You know, that impenetrable skin of yours that you're so very proud of... It really is quite something. Not even Adamantium could cut it, you'd proven that many times over the years during your sessions with Laura after all, but I wonder... Are your insides as tough?"

Andrew slowly grew something out of the palm of his heads, the sinister black orb was the size of an egg, but she knew full well its destructive potential.

Her eyes widened as she kicked up a bigger fuss. It was understandable really after she saw what one of his "Bio-Bomb", as he called them, did to a man. A small ball that he could plant onto walls or the ground that would violently explode when triggered that would erupt in a violent mass of tentacles.

"I never really understood why you were so full of yourself just because you're a bit resistant. I mean there are oh so many ways to kill you. I should know, I've every waking moment the first year or two contemplating it. If I had more time I'd wish we could keep playing so I could test them all out. Surely you need to breathe? I could drown you, burry you alive, choke you out."

He tightened his grip as he slowly brought the Bio Bomb closer to her eyes, almost scraping its surface. Small tendrils ensured they were forced wide open.

"Is your skin fire-proof? Immolation would be interesting, I've never eaten cooked humans before since my stay here. Apparently humans taste like pigs, although between you and me I can't actually taste what I Consume. Can I poison you? You know, I've actually fantasized about Consuming you quite a bit, the good old fashioned way that is, but the thought of making you an actual part of me disgusted me so much that even when you guys removed my stomach I thought I would puke."

Suddenly he dropped her as if she was something dirty. She gasped for air, lacking the strength to even attempt to run away from the monster in front of her.

"Oh, look at what you've made me done! You got me monologuing, you sly dog, you. No, I'm not going to Consume you, don't worry. I'm going to make sure there won't be a single trace of you left in this world after I'm done. You'll be nothing more than an afterthought, not even leaving a footnote in history. You'll die a worthless unmemorable death without anyone to mourn your worthless existence."

Andrew had every intent to make good on his words, he'll erase every trace of DNA, there won't even be a single spec of dust left for anyone to clone or find. Long fleshy tendrils wrapped around her and bond her head to toe like a skinless mummy. Long spider-like legs grew out of the bondwoman as they went towards their destination unhindered.

The incendiary room.

He planned to blow the entire place up afterward. The setting on it was far higher than any cremation furnace and would ensure not even the highest tech scanners could recognize the carbonized remains as something that originated from a human. 

It was a shame he wouldn't be able to get her density control, but some things simply weren't worth it.

----------------------------------------

"What the hell do you mean you're not coming back to the Mansion?!"