A pitch-black night.
A worn-down aircraft glided silently through the night sky, skimming above a glittering metropolis before entering the stillness of the vast ocean.
"We're almost there, right?"
Wolverine still sat stiffly in his seat, gripping the armrests like his life depended on it.
He turned toward Gambit, who was piloting up front.
"What, still afraid of flying? You're drenched in sweat," Gambit quipped, throwing a glance over his shoulder.
"Very funny. Just keep your eyes on—"
"On what? The clouds?" Gambit's smirk widened. "You ought to learn from Alex. Flying is supposed to be a pleasure, not torture."
He tilted his head toward Alex, who sat beside Logan looking perfectly relaxed—leaning comfortably in his seat, seatbelt unfastened, arms crossed casually.
The contrast between them couldn't be more stark.
Logan looked like he was strapped into a missile.
Alex? Like he was in a recliner.
"Pleasure? In this flying scrap heap? It's shaking like it's held together by tape. I'm just worried it'll fall apart midair!" Logan snapped.
"Well," Gambit shrugged, "this is me flying carefully."
The plane slipped through a thick layer of clouds—then, at last, an island appeared on the horizon.
"Relax, we're almost there," Gambit announced, gesturing out the window.
"Three Mile Island, in all its glory."
Wolverine's eyes widened in shock.
He knew this place.
He never imagined Stryker would be bold enough to build a base here, in the open.
"I mean, who the hell wanders near nuclear reactors?" Gambit added with a shrug.
"Everyone's too scared they'll turn into mutants or monsters."
In a twisted way, it made perfect sense.
Stryker had bet on human fear—and used it to shield his operations in plain sight.
"I got a heads-up for you two," Gambit added, glancing back again.
"We can't land on the island directly—radar and ground defenses will shoot us down. So…"
"…we jump?" Logan guessed flatly.
"Exactly. Just a little swim." Gambit grinned.
"You guys'll be fine. Sure, it'll sting a bit—surface tension at this height makes water feel like concrete—but nothing your healing factors can't handle."
Logan cracked the door open with a grimace. Wind roared in.
He looked down at the black water below, then back at the others.
"Yeah… this is gonna hurt. Probably makes you happy," he growled at Gambit.
"Delighted," Gambit replied cheerfully.
"Gentlemen, I'll go first," Alex said casually.
He unlatched his door and, without fanfare, stepped out—and blasted into the sky, vanishing into the clouds with a boom.
Gambit: "…"
Logan: "…"
The two of them stared out the open door, dumbfounded.
"…Did he just fly?" Gambit finally asked, voice hollow.
"Yeah," Logan said after a beat. "He flew."
"…Heh. Good luck, Stryker." Gambit snorted.
Having a monster like him coming for you?
He was starting to feel sorry for Stryker.
"I'm actually looking forward to this now," Logan muttered, and then—with no more words—leapt from the plane.
SPLASH!
A single plume of water erupted into the night.
Meanwhile, far below, Alex had already landed—with an earth-shaking impact—right inside the base.
"Stryker, I'm here," Alex muttered, eyes gleaming in the dark as he activated his enhanced vision.
Even in the dead of night, everything around him was crystal clear.
He immediately spotted the entrance to the facility.
Without hesitation, he started walking toward it.
"What was that?"
"What's going on?"
The guards posted outside the secret base had sharp instincts—especially after hearing that sonic boom.
They spotted Alex quickly.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?! Stop right there!"
A few soldiers raised their rifles and shouted.
Zzzap! Zzzap!
Alex didn't waste a single word.
Two beams of searing heat lanced from his eyes, instantly incinerating the armed men.
This wasn't a place that deserved mercy.
This was where inhumane experiments were conducted on mutants.
Alex wasn't here for negotiations. He was here for justice—and destruction.
With the flies swatted out of the way, he reached the base entrance.
BOOM!
He threw a lazy punch—and the heavy reinforced steel door flew off its hinges.
Without breaking stride, Alex walked into the facility.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Red lights flashed, and blaring sirens echoed through the corridors.
"What the hell is going on?"
In the central lab, Stryker had been personally overseeing Weapon X-11's development when the alarms shattered his focus.
"Sir! We're under attack!" a soldier shouted as he burst into the lab.
Stryker's face instantly darkened. His brow furrowed deeply.
"Keep working! Don't stop for anything!" he barked at the scientists before storming toward the control room.
Though surveillance wasn't mainstream yet in this era, a top-secret facility like this one still had cameras all over it.
And sure enough…
As Stryker glanced at the monitor feed—
"It's him!"
His expression collapsed.
That face—the one burning into his screen—was one he would never forget.
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