The declaration of war by Britain and France, followed swiftly by Canada's own entry into the conflict on September 10th, 1939, sent a ripple of grim determination and anxious fervor through Montreal. The city, already bearing the scars of the Great Depression, now girded itself for a new, more profound struggle. Recruitment posters blossomed on walls, patriotic rallies filled the squares, and industry began the slow, inexorable pivot towards wartime production.
For Elias Thorne, this was not a surprise, but an anticipated shift in the global chessboard. His preparations, both local and nascently international, were designed for precisely this eventuality. The war would act as a crucible, accelerating technological development, exposing societal weaknesses, and, crucially for his purposes, bringing individuals of unique capability – potential Prime Conduits or those with specific latent talents – to the forefront.
His immediate concern was securing his Canadian assets and laying the groundwork for influencing, and benefiting from, Canada's wartime mobilization. His investments in key industries, managed through layers of shell corporations overseen by Dr. Finch (whose analytical prowess was now applied to navigating wartime economic controls and opportunities), began to pay dividends. He wasn't just accumulating wealth; he was embedding himself within the sinews of the nation's war effort.
Anya Petrova was recalled from her latest European assignment just before hostilities made travel too perilous. Her reports from Germany had been invaluable, painting a picture of a nation technologically advanced, ruthlessly efficient, and utterly convinced of its destiny. She spoke of hushed whispers among émigré circles about "Wunderwaffen" (wonder weapons) and the SS's obsessive pursuit of ancient relics and esoteric knowledge, supposedly to unlock forgotten powers – themes that resonated disturbingly with Finch's Ahnenerbe research.
"They are looking for more than just territorial conquest, Mr. Thorne," Anya had concluded, her Archer-eyes reflecting a deep unease. "They seek a fundamental shift in power, on a level that few comprehend."
Upon her return, Elias tasked Anya with a new domestic role: using her unparalleled observational skills to identify individuals within Canada's rapidly expanding military and industrial sectors who displayed exceptional aptitude, resilience, or other noteworthy traits. She was to be his talent scout, looking for raw material for potential future empowerments or as non-empowered, loyal assets.
Mickey O'Halloran, surprisingly, found a new, albeit still morally grey, niche in the wartime economy. With rationing and shortages becoming commonplace, a thriving black market emerged. Mickey's Goblin-enhanced abilities to acquire and move goods stealthily, coupled with his network of street-level contacts, made him a small but efficient cog in this illicit supply chain. Elias allowed this, partly because it provided another stream of untraceable income, but mostly because it kept Mickey's ears firmly pressed to the ground, gathering information on everything from troop movements to public morale and the activities of potential fifth columnists.
Thomas MacIntyre, ever the bedrock of Elias's organization, took on the role of head of security for Thorne's burgeoning, legitimate business interests. His Barbarian strength and imposing presence were a clear deterrent to any opportunistic crime that might target warehouses or factories suddenly vital to the war effort. But more than that, Thomas, with his military background, understood the logistics and mindset of wartime. He helped Elias navigate the complexities of dealing with military contracts and government bureaucracy, his innate common sense and loyalty proving invaluable.
And then there was Logan.
The declaration of war had a peculiar effect on him. The brooding restlessness in his Westmount apartment didn't lessen, but it changed character. The distant rumble of global conflict seemed to resonate with something deep within him, a forgotten call to arms, or perhaps just the familiar scent of widespread carnage. He became even more terse, more withdrawn, but Elias noticed him paying closer attention to the news reports Finch would occasionally leave for him, his yellow eyes scanning headlines about battles in Poland, the sinking of ships in the Atlantic.
"Another mess for the cannon fodder, eh?" Logan had grunted one evening, a freshly lit cigar clenched in his teeth.
"Wars are fought by more than just ordinary soldiers, Logan," Elias replied, testing the waters. "Sometimes, they require… specialists. Individuals who can do what others cannot."
Logan had merely snorted, but his gaze lingered on a map of Europe Elias had strategically left open on a table.
Elias knew that activating Logan for direct involvement in the European theatre was a decision fraught with immense complexity and risk. Unleashing the Wolverine onto a battlefield was like unleashing a force of nature; controlling the fallout would be almost impossible. But the potential was also staggering. And the System, Elias sensed, was nudging him in this direction. The objective of [Conduit Integration (Wolverine): Proceeding] was still active, and deep integration often required shared purpose, shared struggle.
Moreover, the System hinted that [Unlockable System Sub-Routines via Conduit Integration (Logan)] were tied to "Unique Combat Data Acquisition" and "Exposure to Extreme Hostility Environments." In other words, to fully unlock what Logan's Prime Conduit nature could offer the System (and by extension, Elias), Wolverine needed to be used in the environments for which he was seemingly designed: brutal, relentless combat.
Elias began to subtly shift the "problem-solving" tasks he assigned Logan. Instead of merely dealing with local nuisances, he began to involve Logan in neutralizing potential threats to Canada's nascent war effort – a suspected ring of saboteurs operating near a critical munitions plant (Logan's methods were, as always, brutally direct and left no witnesses), or a group of foreign agents attempting to steal sensitive shipping manifests from the port of Montreal. These tasks were still clandestine, still deniable, but they had a clearer, more "patriotic" (if one squinted) purpose.
Logan undertook them with his usual grim efficiency. He asked no questions about the larger context, content to have an outlet for the violence that simmered within him. His loyalty to Elias inched up another few precarious percentage points, reaching [28% ( grudging Respect, Shared Action Catalyst – Extreme Volatility Persists)]. He was beginning to see Elias not just as a "kid" playing dangerous games, but as someone who could point him towards a fight that, for whatever twisted reasons, felt momentarily meaningful.
The real test came when Elias broached the subject of direct military involvement.
"Canada will need every able-bodied man, Logan," Elias said one evening, as reports of the swift German blitzkrieg through Poland dominated the radio waves. "And some who are… more than able-bodied."
Logan actually laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "You want me to enlist? Wear a uniform? Take orders from some jumped-up corporal who still wets the bed?"
"Not enlist in the conventional sense," Elias clarified. "But there will be… opportunities. For someone with your unique skillset to make a significant impact. Far from here. Where the fighting is thickest. Where your… particular talents… would be appreciated, or at least, very effectively applied."
He wasn't suggesting Logan join the Canadian army officially. That would be a bureaucratic nightmare, and Logan would never submit to standard military discipline. He was thinking of something else – a deniable operative, a ghost on the battlefield, deployed by Elias's unseen hand to achieve specific, critical objectives that no ordinary soldier could.
Logan stared out at the city lights, his adamantium claws unconsciously extending and retracting within his fists, a habit Elias had noticed when Logan was deep in thought or agitated.
"Fighting for what, kid?" he finally asked, his voice low. "King and country? Democracy? Don't peddle me that horse manure."
"Fighting because it's in your nature, Logan," Elias replied, his voice quiet but carrying the weight of his own transformed being. "Fighting because the alternative is this room, this bottle, and the ghosts that won't leave you be. I'm offering you a target for that rage, a purpose for that power. A very large, very deserving target is emerging across the ocean."
He let the silence stretch. He had planted the seed. He knew Logan's past was a tangled web of wars, betrayals, and lost memories. The call of battle, the chance to unleash his fury against a worthy foe, might be too potent to resist, even for a creature as jaded and wounded as the Wolverine.
The Dominion of Canada was mobilizing for war. Its industries were retooling, its young men enlisting. And in a quiet apartment in Montreal, its most terrifying, most secret weapon was beginning to stir, prodded by a young, unnervingly powerful landlord with ambitions that stretched far beyond the city limits, towards the blood-soaked fields of a world at war.