Sighing again, I take my shades off and gaze up at the imposing metal gate before me. Sunlight glints off my neon-green pupiled eyes, and I notice a buzzer by the gate.
I take a deep breath and heft my backpack more securely over my shoulders. I’m glad I was able to pack everything I need in that bag, or it might have taken off with the cab.
I raise a hand to push the button. Almost as soon as my finger leaves it, an unfamiliar male voice comes from the box.
“Yes? Identify yourself.”
“Uh…this is HLM, a friend of Logan’s. He said you’d be expecting me?” I reply uncertainly.
I’ve known the X-Men for several years, Wolvie for longer, but this is the first time I’ve ever visited the mansion. Well, in this reality at least, but that’s a different story.
“Logan will be there to escort you to the house shortly,” the voice responds after a moment.
“Thank you.” The conversation is apparently over.
As I wait for Wolvie to arrive at the gate, I think back to our first meeting.
I was seven or eight at the time. It’s always been difficult to determine my exact age because no one knows my birthday, or rather, creation day.
Anyway, I was a strawberry blond haired, ice blue eyed little girl who looked a lot more fragile than she really was. I lived with my adoptive mother in upstate New York, and I was content with my family life. Mariko Lee was the perfect mother to me. She had rescued me from death at the hands of the very scientists who had created me, and she had taken care of me ever since. Back then, though, all I knew was that she was my mom, and I loved her very much.
One summer night, I was awakened from a light slumber by the sound of soft talking.
I shuffled out of my small room, wearing my cotton pjs, my hair a messy mass of curls, and my eyes sleepy. When I rounded the corner to the kitchen, where the voices were coming from, I clutched my plushy cat to my thin chest.
Mom looked up from her mug of tea as soon as she heard me come in. Her almond shaped eyes were wide with worry. She knew that I’d been suffering from nightmares for weeks.
"Did you have another nightmare, sweetie?” she asked, holding her arms out to me.
I shook my head and went over to her, letting her pick me up and hold me. “Wasn’t dreamin’ at all,” I told her in a sleepy voice. Then I looked over at the man she was talking to. “Hi.”
He was short, but very muscular, with wild black hair, and dark eyes that hold mystery within their depths. I could tell, even from that young age, that those same eyes, looking on me at that moment with kindness, could turn very dangerous if given the right motivation.
“Hey there, ‘lil darlin’. We didn’t wake you up, did we?” he asked in a gravely voice.
I nodded, watching him, but not staring as most kids would.
He chuckled softly. “Sorry about that.”
I smiled shyly and snuggled into my mother’s arms a little more. “S’ok.”
“Logan, this is my daughter, Eloise.” She laughed at the face I made at the sound of my given name, “but she prefers to be called HLM. Honey, this is my good friend, Logan. We’ve known each other for a long time.”
I gave Logan a timid smile and offered my small hand to him. “Nice to meet you,” I said in my most well behaved voice.
My tiny hand disappeared into his larger one as he accepted it in an oddly gentle handshake. “The pleasure’s all mine.”
He then released my hand and looked over at my mom, as I snuggled back into her arms.
“She’s everythin’ you said she’d be, Mariko,” he told her with a warm smile.
Mom smiled back at him and kissed the top of my head. “Yes, and I’m very proud of her.”
I smiled and closed my eyes. Eventually, I was lulled to sleep by their soft voices.
I snap myself out of my thoughts when I hear the engine of a motorcycle roaring down the driveway. The gates swing open before me to allow Logan through.
I smile broadly and match the bear hug that Logan gives me. Though bigger than I was at seven, I’m still a small woman at nineteen or twenty. I’m five foot one inch and barely over one hundred pounds, but I’ve very strong, stronger than a lot of men, and pretty much indestructible. Like Wolvie, I have a healing factor and unbreakable bones. The difference there is that his bones are adamantium laced. Mine aren’t.
“It’s good ta see ya again, darlin’,” he tells me warmly.
“It’s good seeing you, too, Wolvie,” I respond just as warmly.
“That bag all the luggage ya got?”
“Yep, you know me. I don’t drag around more than I have to,” I tell him with a wink.
He grins and hops on his bike, gesturing for me to get on behind him. I do, and am reminded of the first day I met Raph, several months earlier. Wolvie’s nothing but muscles physically, too, but he obviously doesn’t have a shell.
“Who else is home?” I ask during our ride up the drive.
“The Elf and Irish are visiting,” he pauses, realizing that I’ve not met them before. “Kurt and Sean used to be members of the X-Men, but are now leaders of different groups.” I nod, and he continues, “Bishop’s here, he was the one who answered the intercom. Stormy, and Cyc are also here, so’s Beast. Jeannie and Chuck’ll be comin’ back from overseas tomorrow.”
“Coolness,” I reply, as we reach the mansion.
I almost fall off the bike in surprise as there’s a puff of rancid smoke, and a blue furred, pointy eared and devilishly handsome man shows up right by my side. He smiles charmingly and steadies me with a gentlemanly three-fingered hand. Wolvie, meanwhile, is laughing his ass off.
“Kurt Wagner at your service, frouline,” the man tells me, kissing the back of my hand and taking my bag.
I chuckle as the three of us make our way into the mansion.
We’re headed up to the room destined to be mine for my stay when we run into Beast.
“Ah! Welcome to our humble abode, my moronic friend! How are your new turtilian friends?” he asks after giving me a bear hug.
They’re doing pretty well. They’re in Japan with their Sensei at the moment,” I respond.
“Leaving you free to investigate your somewhat unstable mutagenic nature, hm?”
I nod. In case it’s not obvious by now, I’m not what one would call human. Nor am I really a mutant. Truth to tell, no one really knows just what I am. I was created by a division of the United States Government to be some kind of super-soldier. To my understanding, the scientist dudes spliced together a bunch of different DNA strands together to form a synthetic sperm and egg. They then put them together and exposed the resulting embryo to various mutagens. See what I mean?
We reach my room and something on Beast starts beeping.
“Ah! It would appear that an experiment in my laboratory is in need of my attention. If you would excuse me?” With that, he bounds off.
I chuckle and shake my head. “Same ol’ Beast.”
Wolvie grins and opens the door to my room for me.
“Yeah, some things never change.”
We troop in, and I start unpacking. While I’m hanging up the last of my clothing in the closet, Nightcrawler picks up a folding trio of framed pictures I’d set on the dresser.
“Liechbine, who are these people?” he asks, curious.
I join him, as does Wolverine, and put a friendly hand on his shoulder. Pointing to the picture of myself and a lovely oriental woman sitting on a bench, I say, “This is my adoptive mom and I.” He nods, and I move on to the next picture; a group shot of the Ninja Turtles and Splinter. “This is my, I guess you can say, new family.” I point to each one and say their names. The last one is of me and Raph taken as we were cleaning up after work. We were in a goofy mood because the night had gone well, and we were planning to go home and do some sparring, among other things. Raph had hoisted me up on his shoulder, and we were both grinning like mad. “Last, but not least, this is Raph and me.”
Nighty grins and looks up at me. “You and he go well together.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
“How’s Mariko?” Logan asks.
I look down. “You haven’t heard?” I whisper.
“Darlin’? What happened?”
“While we were living in Japan, there was a horrible quake…the building mom was in collapsed. I was headed home form school when it happened, and I tried to get to her in time to save her, but…I was too late….I found her body in the rubble…crushed…” I close my eyes, trying to push the unwanted memory away.
Silence fills the air like thick smoke.
I look up to see Wolverine disappearing through my door.
“Wolvie…” I call, as I start to follow him. I feel a restraining hand on my shoulder and turn my head to see Nightcrawler holding me back.
“It’s best for him to be alone now, HLM.”
I sigh and nod. “I should have told him sooner.”
“Ah, liechbine, don’t blame yourself, he simply needs to grieve. Come, I’ll introduce you to those you have yet to meet, and see perhaps if we can find those you do know,” he says, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders.