Chapter Text
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 1 (4 panels)
Panel 1
Cold, dark. The communication room at the Factory. Once the computer mainframe for the production of Sentinels – one of mutantkind's most fearsome attackers – it is now used to process the world in an effort to save the mutants that were born after the fall of Krakoa.
Scott Summers – Cyclops, leader of the X-men – stares at the blank screen, his hand laying on a set of headphones. He is unsettled, which isn't abnormal for the face of mutantkind, but more pressurized than usual.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
Psylocke – Kwannon, the ninja assassin finally given back her own body – steps through the door's threshold. She is concerned as Cyclops has been in here for a while.
PSYLOCKE:
Scott?
Panel 3
Cyclops looks at her, but says nothing. He is still puzzling through whatever conversation he had just finished and not willing to share. Psylocke knows that something is wrong.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 4
He walks past her, distant and unreadable, walking forward into the sliver of light from the open doorway. She is more worried than angry. This isn't like the X-men leader.
SCOTT:
You're in charge.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 2 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Voices echo inside the medbay at Avengers tower, so much larger and cavernous than the ones at the Factory. Even so, Jarvis cannot pick up a single word, much to Tony and Steve's frustration. Ironman and Captain America watch the communication screen, looking into the sealed off medical room. Two figures inside converse quietly – one sick, weak, unable to sit up on the bed, and the other Cyclops. Tony's frustration is palpable.
TONY:
What? Are they speaking in Morse Code? Jarvis, translate Morse Code. Translate something. What the hell are they saying?
STEVE:
He asked for privacy.
TONY:
Some woman showing up and saying Cyclops is her father is bad enough, but two kids from the future? There are no odds in Vegas that would have called that.
Panel 2
Steve leans in closer to study the screen. He stares at a man who has been both his ally and enemy.
STEVE:
The Summers family doesn't do probability.
Panel 3
Scott holds the woman's hand. Scars cover her face, bruises and cuts, and a broken nose. She is visibly weak and her skin a dangerous and sickly green and yellow, but she smiles. Cyclops' face cannot be seen. Tony leans on the keyboard edging, frustrated. Steve is very much the opposite. He is solemn. Empathetic.
TONY:
Jarvis! What are they saying?
JARVIS:
Unknown, Sir. They are too far away from the microphones to be heard.
STEVE:
She's dead.
Panel 4
Wide-eyed, Tony looks down at his seated companion. Steve continues to watch Cyclops – who is still inscrutable – and his heart goes out to the man.
TONY:
You're kidding me. But, I didn't even have time to figure out what was wrong!
Panel 5
Tony scrambles to gather up medical supplies to take into the room, but Steve stops him with a hand on his elbow. Steve catches Tony's glare with a glare of his own.
STEVE:
Whatever she's been through, it's enough. Okay? No more. Let her go.
TONY:
Just imagine the diseases that we could cure if she really is from the future! We could find –
Panel 6
Steve doesn't care. He's adamant that the woman not be made into another experiment.
STEVE: She's Cyclops' daughter, not a science experiment, Tony.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 3 (3 Panels)
Panel 1
Outside of Avenger's tower, Scott walks calmly to a waiting motorcycle. Captain America watches from a window far above, a silhouette in the glass.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
In the med room, Tony throws a fit. Arms high in the air, staring down at an empty bed. There's a figure behind him in the room that he doesn't see. Imposing – 7 feet tall, carrying a big gun. Bathed in shadows, the figure is ominous.
TONY:
Where – Steve! She's gone!
FREYA:
She's not yours to experiment on.
Panel 3
Freya Saunt. Half human, half robot. The robotics split her body nearly in half, including her right eye and scalp. Military insignia decorate the pouches around her waist, more guns at her ankle and ribs, and a huge one on her back. Multiple compartments in her robot half conceal even more weapons. Her clothes are well-worn, dusty, never fashionable in any time line. She's been through hell and will go through more, and the half-crazed smile on her face proves that.
In her robot hand, she holds a long barreled gun far more advanced than anything Tony's ever seen. And in her human hand, she holds the rim of Captain America's shield. Without access to his suit in the med room, Tony helplessly holds up his hands, not quite sure what to make of her. Steve can be seen in the background beyond the door, hands up and unsure.
FREYA:
Cyclops. Where is he?
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 4 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Avengers Tower surveillance room the following day. Tony, Steve and Freya sit on one side of the room facing Wolverine. The screen shows Cyclops leaving the med room the day before, his jaw gritted and mouth tight. His hands are balled up into fists, and behind him, the woman is covered with a sheet.
Freya, Steve and Tony sit in various poses facing Wolverine. The room is fraught with tension. Cap and Logan both look at the screen, their profiles grim. Tony, exasperated, holds his arms out in front of himself trying to argue his point. Freya is just plain pissed off that she missed her window to find Cyclops at the Avenger's Tower.
TONY:
You can't be serious!? You're not even going to look for him?
Panel 2
Closeup on Wolverine. He doesn't like this one bit. The whole situation stinks of things he shouldn't be involved in – from the robot menace in front of him to Cyclops on the screen. He's leaned back in his chair, ill tempered, and already ready for a beer.
LOGAN:
Ain't my job. 'Sides, how do we know she's telling the truth?
Panel 3
Freya is not having it. She slams her fist against the wall, creating a dent. Tony's perturbed by this. And while Steve is hoping to calm things, Logan is defiantly baiting the woman. He wants to see her crack.
FREYA:
I don't care what you think your job is, he blows up the moon and that is fact. If I can't stop him now, then this whole world is doomed.
STEVE:
Freya –
Panel 4
Steve stands in the center of the room, holding Freya back from attacking a much amused Wolverine. She's adamant, dangerous. Trying to save her future. Logan's just looking for kicks. He doesn't trust this soldier from the future any more than he trusts that Scott isn't going to do something stupid.
STEVE:
(with known futility) Let's talk about this rationally.
FREYA:
We're talking about galaxies worth of people. This is why I wanted the other Wolverine. This one's useless.
LOGAN:
He can already blow up the moon.
FREYA:
I'm here to prevent a future that sees the deaths of everyone and everything I've ever loved. Even you have to have sympathy for that.
LOGAN:
You're asking me to give up what little peace I have to babysit Summers? Rather eat my toenails.
Panel 5
Wolverine is ready to leave. He stands in the doorway, already half way out, but Tony knows how to bring him back to the discussion. He smiles, one brow arched in mischief.
TONY:
The woman called him father.
Panel 6
At the door, but now interested, Wolverine turns around and takes a step back inside.
LOGAN:
Damn. Why isn't he neutered yet?
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 5 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Split Picture.
A beautiful world. The skies are filled with puffy white clouds and the Earth with tall glass buildings and their walkways. The buzz of sky traffic. Children laugh and play a game with a flying disc, while parents chat with each other on a park bench. Above it all, stands half of Cyclops in heroic silhouette, the hero of Earth.
A picture of a hellscape and moonless sky. People are starving, clinging to each other for warmth, for comfort. The world above ground is ravaged. The earth is barren, structureless. Its people are sick. Midst it all stands half of Cyclops in silhouette, dark and menacing, mad with a power that he can barely control.
CAPTION (FREYA):
He saved us. Many times. He was a hero. Until he wasn't.
Panel 2
Cyclops' lover in dark silhouette, dead, blood soaked sheets covering their body. The bedroom is small, dark, and again, Cyclops stands in silhouette, hard as stone. There is a menace to the red glint off his visor. Something insidious, but barely seen.
CAPTION (FREYA):
He went mad. He protected his lover fiercely for years at the cost to those under his command. Then something broke and he killed them and that cost the world thousands of lives. He'd gone mad.
Panel 3
The darkness of space. The moon an eclipse between Scott and Jean, and the Earth a forgotten consequence. Cyclops looks up at Phoenix, grim, tense. She is beautiful in her god-hood. She is trying to convince him to stop the madness. To let her make it stop. She holds out her hand, the flames of the Phoenix swirling like wings at the tips of her fingers, reaching out to the man she once loved more than anything. Scott's madness pervades.
JEAN GREY, PHOENIX:
Scott, please. Let me help you. Please, let me put your thoughts to sleep.
CAPTION (FREYA):
Phoenix learned that her best friend had been murdered and that Cyclops was on the warpath against the entire galaxy. But, her attempts were futile. The madness was seeded that deeply.
Panel 4
The Earth – that place that was once rich with life – stands in defeat, massive blackened holes seen in the roving storms and swathes of land. There was fire, there was destruction, and even that did not stop these two gods. The atmosphere is visibly worn from their power and dust and debris litters its orbit. Phoenix, severely wounded, holds the moon together with her power while Cyclops' beam slowly turns it red.
JEAN GREY, PHOENIX:
Please. If you ever loved me, if you ever loved them, please, stop this!
CAPTION (FREYA):
If his powers had never been fixed, then the Phoenix would have easily won. But Cyclops knew he was the strongest of the new gods. As he was on Earth during his youth, he was in the heavens. Their most powerful warrior.
Panel 5
The moon explodes, killing Phoenix. The shards of the moon rain down upon Earth – a shower of fire and explosions that can be seen from space. Cyclops shows no emotion as he sees the body of the woman who shared his life shattered and broken, the beauty of her flames dimmed. Behind him, Earth is barraged by his madness, the atmosphere burning, the shards that make it through exploding upon the land. That menacing glint to his visor returns as he looks to galaxy before him, ripe for the taking.
CAPTION: To kill Phoenix, he blew up the moon.
Panel 6
Cyclops - a ruby red glow of hostility and vengeance, stands against the other new gods – Storm, Angel, Iceman, Polaris, Magik, and his brothers. A half smile on his face, he is undeterred by their presence. He taught them. He trained them. They are but dust under his feet. They, too, will finally feel the long cold of death.
CAPTION: Then the new gods came. It didn't end well.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 6 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Freya wraps Cyclops' triplets in a rough, brown blanket. She is comfort against their fear, as they watch their father in the sky fight the new gods. They know the importance of their mission, that their father has to be stopped. Storm falls from the sky to the cries of onlookers. Freya sees one of their last few hopes disappear, but does not weep.
CAPTION (FREYA):
His children were our best chance at stopping a younger Cyclops from fixing his powers. He'd loved them so much, but I guess even love can't stop insanity.
Panel 2
Surrounded by screens and videos, Freya frantically searches the histories for the single event that started this war. Respectful looking in her formal uniform, but gray from exhaustion and frantic thoughts, she can't stop her research until she finds a way to stop the man destroying the world. The roof shakes above her, knocking dust into her coffee and eyes. The battle with the new gods continues outside of this small library chamber. But, Freya will outlast them all. She will find a way to stop the madness.
CAPTION (FREYA):
I refused to give up. I studied the histories and there was only one conclusion. I had to convince the one person left in the world that he respected to help. I needed Wolverine.
Panel 3
The Avengers Tower. Defeated, Freya hangs her head, the memories of that dying world stilting her words. Her arms hang uselessly at her side. Time has not eased her plight. She is prideless, a stain to the uniform that she once proudly wore. She left. She left the world for one person, and she found the wrong one.
FREYA:
You are not her.
Panel 4
Tony is fully convinced that she is telling the truth. The screens are at his back, and he leans on the keyboard, arms across chest. Steve isn't fully convinced, however. Skeptical, he rubs his thumb against his shield methodically, as if the righteousness will effect his words.
TONY:
He always was wound too tight. Figures he'd snap.
STEVE:
Tony, he's not a warpath kind of guy.
Panel 5
Logan is tired. He looks at the screens again, the determined look on Scott's face. He, too, is skeptical of Freya's story, but he can sense a certain truth to it. Scott is capable of these things. It's what Logan has always feared most about the man. Losing himself to the mission.
LOGAN:
So what exactly do you want from me?
FREYA:
I need someone that knows what he's capable of and can do the right thing.
LOGAN:
Fine. Where do we start?
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 7
Panel 1 (5 panels)
A small house, quaint, cottage like is nestled in between the mansions of Westchester defiant and bold with its meekness. The garden blooms with pastels and deep purples. Scott's motorcycle is parked just off the sidewalk in the front. Scott stands just in the doorway, in wind blown civilian clothes, and he looks at his phone while speaking.
SCOTT:
Thank you, Ms. Greenfield. Your help is appreciated. You may get visitors soon. Try and delay them, if you can.
Panel 2:
Logan's hotel room. It's a cheap place. Single, spring-busted bed, and a TV the size of a microwave. Logan's phone is on the side table beside a partially consumed six pack. Freya – still ragged from her travels – stands in the doorway, while Logan sits on the edge of the bed with a beer in his hand. While still skeptical of this visitor from the future, he still listens.
LOGAN:
Why do you need me on this if you already know where to go?
FREYA:
Better to come with a friend of a friend than as a cyborg from the future.
LOGAN:
Summers and I ain't friends.
FREYA:
Maybe not, but Greenfield doesn't know that.
Panel 3
Logan crushes the can and has one hand on a cigar. He's already fed up with the mission and the woman from the future. Freya still stands in the doorway, uncomfortable.
LOGAN:
And you're sure this Ms. Greenfield knows Scott?
FREYA:
She's one of the few names in the histories that isn't an X-man or an enemy of an X-man. Surprised he never mentioned her.
LOGAN:
Slim doesn't mention a lot of things, especially that he had a babysitter.
FREYA:
She was his society teacher. Her book was overlooked in its time, but it was a milestone for later generations.
Panel 4
Logan cracks open another beer a slick smile on his face. He can't resist poking at Freya's uptight nature. Freya rolls her eyes, tired of Logan's attitude.
LOGAN:
If people from the future learned society stuff, then what happened to you?
FREYA:
She's the only real record we have of Cyclops' childhood. The rest is pieced together from the half recollections of Essex and Xavier.
LOGAN:
Obsessed much?
Panel 5
Freya turns her back to him, robot hand on the doorknob. She's done with him for now, her patience finally worn too thin. Logan crushes another can of beer, still antagonistic towards her.
FREYA:
It's called desperation, Logan, and from what I've read in the archives, you know that feeling intimately.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 8 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Dawn in Freya's hotel room. She dries what little hair she has with a scruffy white towel and stares at a videograph contained in her wrist. A child – newborn – smiles back at her.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
Freya knocks on Logan's hotel room door – number 206. Weary, she tries to overcome her morning memories with the mission at hand.
LOGAN:
(from inside the room) Better be good, metalmouth. Sky ain't even pink yet.
FREYA:
There's a diner down the street. Up for breakfast?
Panel 3
The diner is nearly empty at this time in the morning. The streetlights outside the window are still on, the black of night slowly graying. Logan downs a cup of black coffee as Freya speaks. She's direct, trying to be casual.
FREYA:
Lieutenant. It surprised some that I got promoted. My bunkmate said it was nepotism because my father was a Commander, but I earned my place. Just didn't think it would lead to this.
Panel 4
Logan stuffs a bite of waffle in his mouth. Listening, but more intent on getting his body running properly.
LOGAN:
By this, you mean me, right? The Wolverine you didn't want?
Panel 5
Freya holds her cup of tea up to her face, one eye brow arched, the other low. Waitresses laugh in the background barely noticing the cyborg in their midst.
FREYA:
You're the one I need, I guess. You were his right hand for years.
LOGAN:
I was his dog for years. Big difference.
Panel 6
Coffee clinks to the table and Freya smiles. It's a strange smile as only her human side moves. The robot part does not. Logan, leaned over and shoving another bite of waffle into his mouth, looks up with annoyed disbelief, tired of the hero worship.
FREYA:
In the histories, you're a source of wisdom.
LOGAN:
Maybe I'm tired of cleaning up his #$!%.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 9 (6 panels)
Panel 1
Logan and Freya have been talking for a while. There is still tension between them, but a familiarity is starting to form. The diner is starting to fill up now that it's daylight, but it is still too early to knock on Ms. Greenfield's door.
FREYA:
Ms. Greenfield wrote that he used to sneak out of the school on Wednesday nights at eleven pm to get cookies. His favorite were oatmeal raisin.
LOGAN:
Slim's the only man I know that would have a schedule for breaking the rules. What else did she say?
Panel 2
Logan is leaned back in the booth, more comfortable now that he has some coffee in him. A waitress refills his cup.
FREYA:
One day, he just stopped coming. She went to the mansion and he acted like he'd never met her.
LOGAN:
Chuck.
FREYA:
That's what I thought, too.
Panel 3
They walk down near empty streets. Harry's Hideaway can be seen on the opposite side of where they are, run down with age, but still open, a memory of the childhoods that the X-men never got and a reminder that everything they've achieved has always gone up in smoke.
Walking side by side, Logan keeps his cigar on the opposite side of Freya. She's a foot taller than he is, but her build is more slender in both the human and robot half. Unlike Logan, she does not wear a jacket or a hat, but simply a proffered T-shirt and sweatpants from the Avengers.
LOGAN:
This Ms. Greenfield is going to tell us where to go?
FREYA:
She would be the one to know.
LOGAN:
You're really bad at saving the world.
FREYA:
What would you have done?
LOGAN:
Stabbed him sixteen ways south of Sunday before he could blow up the moon.
Panel 4
The neighborhood continues to worsen. More trash. Beat up cars on the side of the road. To think, kids used to play on these streets until the sun went down.
FREYA:
It's hard to track someone when you have little to no information about them.
LOGAN:
Thought he was your leader or something.
Panel 5
Still on the street. An inebriated man takes a second look at the pair, surprised to see a half robot, half human on the street this early in the morning. Logan and Freya take no notice of him. The hotel is in the distance.
MAN: (to himself)
Damn mutie.
FREYA:
He's our Prime Commander, but our President is actually a human. One of the few left. He's a puppet of Cyclops.
LOGAN:
Ain't like Cyke to lead from the shadows.
FREYA:
I told you. He went mad.
Panel 6
They stand outside the hotel. In the dawn light, it is just as dismal and cheap looking as it was in the dark. Graffiti covers the outside brick, a window is boarded up on the bottom floor. Logan's truck fits right in. They stand on either side of the truck, both with a hard edge to their shoulders and stern looks on their faces.
LOGAN:
If she doesn't know where he's going, then we do this my way.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 10 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Small Panel
Scott pulls up at the gas pump of a rural gas station, still in his casual clothes. The clerk inside is a young, bored kid with piercings and a wild hair style. Pumping his gas, Scott tilts his head, knowing that a car that has been following him for a while. It can just be seen on the road's horizon. Green and old, but too cared for to be a clunker.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
Scott pays for his gas. He speaks to the cashier. They are both staring at a television screen that monitors the pumps. At the very end of the screen is the front end of the car.
SCOTT:
I'll pay you fifty bucks to do me a favor.
CASHIER:
Sure.
SCOTT:
See that car at the edge of your security camera?
CASHIER:
The green one?
Panel 3
Scott hands the cashier his receipt with a phone number on it – unintelligible – and a roll of cash.
SCOTT:
Yeah. That one. Give me a call when it moves.
Panel 4
Scott has returned to the road on his bike, watching a blue Volkswagen Beetle behind him. The green car cannot be seen in his rear view mirror.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 5
Scott starts to relax as Chevy pickup passes him. There is still no sign of the green car, just the open road and a bit of road kill. Jean always did tell him he was paranoid.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 6
The phone rings. He cringes seeing an unknown number.
SCOTT:
&^$% .
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 12 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Ms. Greenfield's cottage midst the mansions of Westchester. The realty companies have been after Ms. Greenfield's house for years knowing they could sell the small two bedroom place with a perfect British butterfly garden for millions to the right buyer. Quaint, with white paint and polka dot green curtains in the picture windows on either side of the door, it stands in stark contrast to the grandiose nature of the mansions that surround her.
Logan and Freya – refreshed now that they've had breakfast and showered and changed – knock on the door. Freya is much more anxious than Logan.
LOGAN:
Let me do the talking.
FREYA:
You don't know what to ask.
LOGAN:
You're a cyborg from the future with a bad attitude. I'll take my chances.
Panel 2
Ms. Greenfield is the prototypical grandma – a full belly, a mumu to match her curtains, glasses perched on the edge of her nose, and curly gray hair. She is not surprised to see the pair standing in her doorway.
MS. GREENFIELD:
Can I help you?
LOGAN:
We're here about Scott Summers. He needs our help.
Panel 3
Ms. Greenfield's living room is as comfy as her garden outside – furniture that would have been considered fancy 20 years ago; a collection of tea cups in a curio cabinet; tasseled pillows; perfectly placed potted plants. She had been a remarkable teacher of manners, but she never evolved with the times.
She sits across from Logan and Freya – her in her rocking chair, the others on the floral sofa. Logan holds the tea she has served with both hands; Freya has left hers on the coffee table.
MS. GREENFIELD:
That poor boy. How can I help?
Panel 4
Ms. Greenfield sets her tea on the side table next to her chair. A cat sleeps in her lap. She speaks calmly and honestly – something to which is frustrating Freya. Logan, however, seems perfectly content to listen.
LOGAN:
You spent a lot of time with him when he was a kid. What can you tell us about him?
Panel 5
A fourteen year old Scott Summers stands behind Xavier's wheelchair looking at his feet. He is strictly quiet while Xavier speaks with Ms. Greenfield in the living room that looks almost the same as it does now. She is pretty, more slender, with perfectly coiffed brown hair. She still wears glasses and a rather beautiful wedding ring.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
He was such a quiet boy. Polite to a fault. Reserved, obedient. He followed directions to perfection. From which fork to use at dinner to learning to waltz, he was intent on every detail.
Panel 6
Young Scott – in a sweater vest and beige pants, a la the 60's debut – denies a cookie offered by Ms. Greenfield. She is concerned, but she doesn't pressure the child to take it.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
Every Wednesday, I would offer him cookies and milk. He was so strict on himself, that he wouldn't take one. No matter how many times I offered him one – or anything at all – he would refuse, stating that it would interfere with his training. Until that one night.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 13 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
It is late at night. Scott, his face bruised from martial arts training and dressed in his night clothes, knocks on Ms. Greenfield's door.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
He asked for a cookie.
Panel 2
A bit more exuberant than his usual quiet self, Scott smiles with Ms. Greenfield over cookies and milk. In his pajamas, a game of checkers between them, and the radio playing groovy tunes, the boy never laughed so hard.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
It became our time together. Every Wednesday night at eleven o'clock he would sneak out of his house to come have cookies with me. For that single hour, he got to be a child.
CAPTION (FREYA):
Come on, lady. We're in a hurry--
CAPTION (LOGAN):
Ignore the robot. Keep going.
Panel 3
Daytime in front of Ms. Greenfield's cottage. Scott – dressed in a smart suit – stands behind Xavier's wheelchair, his head heavy. Xavier is none too pleased.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
But, three months later, he got caught. Charles asked that I cease his visits. He had other responsibilities and cookies were not one of them.
Panel 4
Ms. Greenfield watches out the window as Xavier's car drives away. She knows that she will not see him again, but she can't comprehend why.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
That poor child. If I'd known.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 14 (5 panels)
Panel 1
Freya, full of rage, grabs Ms. Greenfield by the collar. The old woman is lifted partially in the air. Freya is at the end of her rope. She's listened to the sob story long enough. Ms. Greenfield is absolutely frightened.
FREYA:
Forget the reminiscence and tell us where he's at!
Panel 2
The snikt of claws in the foreground. Freya looks over her shoulder her human eye shocked, her robot eye still. She doesn't want to challenge Logan. Ms. Greenfield doesn't cry out. She expected something like this when Scott left her house the day before. She is defiant and protective.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
Freya drops the old woman back into her chair. Logan is hulkishly angry. He stands defensive as Freya turns from the old woman. Freya rebels against Logan's command. She has weapons of her own. Ms Greenfield covers her head with her hands, not sure what else to do.
LOGAN:
Go sit outside.
FREYA:
Every second she stalls, the further away he gets!
Panel 4
Logan has no sympathy for the cyborg. Though she is more powerful, he's so intimidating, registering on the verge of bloodlust that she drops her challenge to his authority.
LOGAN:
Out.
Panel 5
Sulking, Freya exits, leaving Logan and Ms. Greenfield alone. He sits back down and sighs.
LOGAN:
Sorry about that. Robot hormones are a %&$*.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 15 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
Close up on Logan. He's bent in an almost prayer, hunched and bowed. Ms. Greenfield remains earnest, but even Logan can now sense that she's stalling, but he's unwilling to frighten her again.
LOGAN:
Ms. Greenfield, the robot's right. The longer we talk, the further away he gets. We're trying to save him. Please, anything you can tell us about where he went would be appreciated.
MS. GREENFIELD:
He didn't remember me. Or them.
LOGAN:
Them?
MS. GREENFIELD:
The kids. Three of them, all with glowing red eyes that reminded me of Scott's glasses. They said he was their father. I believed them.
LOGAN:
Did he?
Panel 2
A teenaged Scott Summers watches the three children from the corner of the living room. They are buoyant, light, happy – a stark contrast to Scott's dismal demeanor. Ms. Greenfield stands next to the sullen boy.
MS. GREENFIELD (On panel.):
They look like you.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
He did, or at least knew he was related to them. He didn't have a family, so these children, in such a short time, filled that role for him.
Panel 3
Charles Xavier – along with his driver stares from the doorway of Ms. Greenfield's cottage at Scott reading a book to his happy children. Beside him, Ms. Greenfield is extremely concerned.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
I told Charles, thinking that he would accept that Scott had a family now and that whatever plans he had for the boy were detrimental to his happiness. His anger stunned me. He always seemed so calm on TV.
Panel 4
A saddened Scott follows Xavier and his driver to the waiting car, taking one last look over his shoulder at the children.
CAPTION (MS. GREENFIELD):
I vowed that I would not let that man ruin Scott's life, but I failed. Miserably so.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 16 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Hiding those hard held tears, Ms. Greenfield looks away not wanting Logan to see the results of her failure. She fidgets with a pale green handkerchief – the same style as her curtains – and tries to concentrate on the cat. Logan watches her with narrowed eyes. He has a feeling he knows why she failed.
MS. GREENFIELD:
I don't know why I told Charles that he was sneaking out again. I prayed for Scott's happiness, not this dangerous life that Xavier had planned for him.
Panel 2
Close up on Ms. Greenfield. She still can't look at Logan. Knowing that he's hit an emotional nail with her, he hands her the tea on the table beside her chair. He is not surprised that Xavier played a role in this.
MS. GREENFIELD:
Scott was frantic one night. He gave the kids a map and told them to run. They had had to get to Canada before Charles found them. After that, Scott never remembered me and I don't know what happened to the triplets.
Panel 3
Logan watches Freya out of the window. She paces around the truck, fuming. He is not mad at Ms. Greenfield, but rather another tale of Chuck messing with his students' lives.
LOGAN:
Do you remember where he told the kids to go?
MS. GREENFIELD:
He mentioned a cabin and his Dad. That's all I remember. I should have asked questions.
Panel 4
Logan puts a hand on her shoulder in hopes of easing her years of guilt. She smiles weakly in return.
LOGAN:
Not your fault, Ms. Greenfield. Xavier never did live up to his own dream, but that doesn't mean Scott can't. Thanks for the talk. I hope you have a good night. And don't worry, we're going to save him. No matter what.
Panel 5
Logan is already tired of the cyborg and doesn't want to hear her yelling at him. He waves his hand in the air to let her know he's not going to have it.
FREYA:
If you ever--
LOGAN:
We're leaving.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 17 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
The open road, but it doesn't come with the freedom that it should. Even the forest on the right side of the road does nothing to quell the urgency of this trip. Scott – on the motorbike – can see the green car far behind him and isn't pleased. He is pulling off onto the shoulder of the road around a curb.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
Small Panel
Scott has pulled off the road at the end of a deep curve. He has waited patiently for just the right moment. Just when the green car breaches the beginning of the curve – its tires fully turned – he blasts the front wheel and sends the car into a spiral against a rocky outcrop on the other side of the road.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
Small Panel
Reflected off of a caution sign, a second blast stops the car from hitting a tree and dents the hood of the car. Smoke billows from the car's engine. Inside, Bucky slams both fists on the steering wheel.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 4
Bucky gets out of the car, highly displeased that Scott has broken the car that he'd spent the last year putting back together. Scott stands in defiance of that anger – calm, relaxed, but with a ready-to-go energy that keeps the tension up between them.
BUCKY:
Thanks, One-eye. Spent months fixing this one up.
SCOTT:
Cap send you?
BUCKY:
Tony.
Panel 5
Small Panel.
Bucky cracks his knuckles. Scott twists his foot slightly. They've been waiting for this throwdown since before Krakoa fell.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 6
Bucky lunges forward, vibranium arm out. He knows that he has to get Scott twisted away from him in order to avoid the man's optic blast.
SCOTT:
Attack first, ask questions later?
BUCKY:
Yup.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 18 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Scott gets the upper hand on Bucky and breaks from a head lock. His judo skills come into full play. He sweeps the Winter Soldier's legs, causing him to fall back but not completely lose balance.
SCOTT:
If I tell you it's none of your business, will you back off?
BUCKY:
Nope.
Panel 2
Small Panel.
Bucky takes a swing at Scott. The mutant dodges with ease. He's reading the battlefield well.
SCOTT:
Thought so.
Panel 3
Nose bloodied from a left hook, Scott's once again in a hold, Bucky's vibranium hand, around his neck, and a dagger against his back.
BUCKY:
Come back to the tower and we'll help you.
Panel 4
Scott, an infinite chasm of smooth patience, throws Bucky over his shoulder twisting the man's vibranium arm from its socket. Bucky is angry that he underestimated the man, but it's not often that he's seen Cyclops fight hand to hand.
BUCKY:
Judo. Aikido. What else?
SCOTT:
Optic blasts.
Panel 5
Scott blasts Bucky unconscious with a small pin point beam to the man's forehead.
SCOTT:
Tell Tony he's a nosy #&$&#.
Panel 6
Small Panel.
Scott leaves Bucky tied up on the side of the road – his arm on the other side of the car - with a headache and a car very much in need of repair. Scott's taken his time to make this as humiliating as possible for the Winter Soldier – from the jumper cables that bind his legs, to the backwards coat that fits him like a straight jacket, to the smoothed down, nerd-parted hairstyle, Bucky will wear this like a badge of shame. Scott gives Bucky a single wave and a honk on the horn before disappearing.
(No dialogue.)
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 19 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Small Panel.
A small town, very rural. Scott has pulled up at a small, dusty gas station and is seen talking to the mechanic. He hands him a wad of cash.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 2
Small Panel.
Scott drives past Bucky, who is scooting on his bottom first towards his arm and trying to rip the jacket off with his mouth. Scott waves again and honks the horn with a smile on his face. Bucky curses.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
As Bucky puts his arm on, he talks over com, more flabbergasted, than angry. He sits just inside the car, legs out.
BUCKY:
The whole thing was a &^%* diversion.
Panel 4
Avenger's Tower. Tony speaks on the radio, looking at a map of Georgia. Cap stands behind him, arms over chest, disappointed at Tony for the obvious change in plans that he made.
STEVE:
What happened?
Panel 5
As Tony hangs up the phone, Steve takes a step closer, zeroing in on a satellite image of Bucky getting towed. Tony is smug, arms crossed against his chest, matching Steve's disappointment.
TONY:
Told you we couldn't trust him.
STEVE:
No. It's the opposite. He knew he couldn't trust us.
TONY:
Don't do that. Freya said he was going to destroy the world. We know he's capable. He's been unhinged for years.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 20 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
Tony rolls his eyes. He's sick of Cap's self punishment over the mutants. Like anyone else, they can go bad, and that includes Cyclops. Steve, however, has softened his views after watching first hand how the world treated them on Krakoa. Skeptical of Tony's continued dismissal of the mutant cause, he chides his teammate.
STEVE:
He's not unhinged. He's in danger.
TONY:
Do you actually eat guilt for breakfast? Is that what it is?
Panel 2
The tow truck on screen is approaching the gas station. Bucky – arm in its proper place – waits with annoyance as the truck is loaded onto the flatbed. Tony and Steve, however, ignore the man's predicament. They continue to pick at each other, neither willing to cede their argument.
TONY:
Cyclops doesn't want help. He never did.
STEVE:
He doesn't have to know we're even involved.
TONY:
You take Cyclops' words too seriously. He's a bitter man, but being his ally doesn't mean that we fight his battles for him. There are other ways to help.
Panel 3
Steve presses a button on the keyboard – something he was watching this morning. Three small images at the bottom of the screen.
STEVE:
Fine. Then we stop the battle before it even reaches him.
Panel 4
Three cars appear on the screen, all from different directions in the US. Cap doesn't know who sent them, but they are ominous and lethal.
Car One: A stealthy, ominous Vietnamese man. His skin is flawless, his muscles lean, and he has a preference for black clothing. He plays with a fidget spinner as he drives.
CAPTION: Scab. Chi mastery. Assassin. Plain old human.
Car Two: A dead-eyed woman, with strange bumps under her skin, drives three dark haired children dressed in Candy Goth clothing. Para (the oldest) is tense, watching Nora carefully. She's prim, proper, and controlling. Syte (middle brother) plays with a handheld video game. Puppet (the youngest) jams gummie worm after gummie worm into her mouth.
CAPTION: Nucleus. Parasitic control. Spliced with Maggot.
Truck Three – A man with a blonde mullet and a lollipop in his mouth, as he's trying to quit smoking. Fuzzy dice and a Playboy bunny air freshener hang from his driver side's mirror. He's a true southern red neck, full of charm and grit.
CAPTION:
Mac. Absorbs kinetic energy to grow stronger. Spliced with Sebastian Shaw.
CAPTION (TONY):
Who are they?
CAPTION (STEVE):
Widow had a run in with the assassin last night. If it hadn't been for a press crew showing up, she said she wouldn't have made it out alive. Bucky found the other two. Seems rather ominous that they show up now.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 21 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
A small highway weaving through rural New York. The land is dotted with pines and rocks, and every once in a while, there is a cattle farm. There is tension in the cab of Logan's truck. Freya's idly fuming still over a recent argument that they've had. Logan is pushing her buttons trying to get her to tell the truth. Logan turns on the radio. Johnny Cash.
RADIO: It burns, burns, burns. The ring of fire. The ring of fire.
Panel 2
Freya quickly turns it off, annoyed. Logan, agitated, cracks his neck, and takes a deep breath returning to their previous argument. Freya shrugs.
LOGAN:
Who fixes his powers?
FREYA:
I told you. I don't know.
Panel 3
A road sign ahead signals that the state of New Jersey is just ahead. They've made good time, but there's still a long way to go. Logan's hand tightens on the wheel, his continued aggravation with Freya becoming more evident. She is exhausted, done with the conversation before it starts.
LOGAN:
Who do you think fixes his powers?
FREYA:
I assume it's the gene splicer, Nathaniel Essex.
Panel 4
Logan stomps the brake. The truck swerves with a giant Screech, but stays on the road. Dust and gravel are kicked up in its wake.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 5
Logan is deadly serious. He grips the wheel with one hand, her collar in the other. Dangerously quiet, he speaks, keeping her close enough that she can feel the razor edge of his claws on each side of her face. Freya raises both hands in the air in forfeit.
LOGAN:
Truth time. Tell me what you know.
FREYA:
I don't know for sure, only that Essex was the one that broke his powers to begin with. Who else would know how powers are even broken?
Panel 6
Still disgusted with the whole situation, Logan retracts his claws. Freya remains alert for any movement, but tells him what he wants to hear.
LOGAN:
Sinister's been obsessed with Summers since he was a kid.
FREYA:
Exactly. And he's the best there is at splicing genes. The children and I only exist because of him.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 22 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
Logan considers every word, not entirely certain that she's telling the truth. Eyes narrowed, he watches her for tells, but her cybernetic half disguises any lies that she's told. He lowers his claws, but doesn't retract them. Freya looks frayed.
LOGAN:
You went to him?
FREYA:
My mom did. I was a human. She had me spliced in the womb.
LOGAN:
Whose DNA?
FREYA:
Kate Pryde's.
Panel 2
Freya opens a panel in her upper arm revealing that there is nothing there but mechanisms and sparks. There is no flesh, no blood, just air. She's tormented, but steadfast. Logan is searching for lies in her words, but can't find any.
FREYA:
He spliced a lot of people. But, outcomes were mixed and dangerous. When Kate's powers started consuming me, he went to the Forge Archives. Forge had built a suit for Kitty as she aged, to stop her from dissipating. Essex did the same for me.
Panel 3
Logan relents a bit, pities the traveler from the future. He's thoughtful, careful in his words. He knows there more. A lot more, but he also recognizes exhaustion. Defeated again, Freya shrugs.
LOGAN:
Why not go after Sinister instead of Scott?
FREYA:
Because I don't know where he is either. His history is as obscure as Cyclops'.
LOGAN:
You're tellin' me.
Panel 4
Logan lights a cigar in frustration and begins to drive again. Freya, her memories rampant, looks out the window. Logan is trying to keep his cool.
LOGAN:
What else do I need to know?
FREYA:
That he's not at the cabin. That's the first place I looked.
LOGAN:
Why didn't you tell me that earlier?
FREYA:
You didn't ask.
LOGAN:
We're going anyway.
FREYA:
Why? It's pointless.
LOGAN:
I have a hunch. That's why.
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 23 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
A huge smile on his face, Mac follows road signs until he passes the marker for Tallulah Falls, Georgia, population 200. Relaxed and cheerful, he holds the com with a smile.
MAC (into comm):
Made it. ETA?
VOICE (through comm):
Twenty minutes.
Panel 2
Mac smiles even wider and gets out of the vehicle. It's a heavily forested road just outside of a state park. He happily stretches his muscles, his shirt short enough that as he lifts his arms, it shows his belly button.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
Small Panel.
He rummages in the back of his old heavy pickup.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 4
Small Panel.
The hood is up on his truck, the radiator spilling over into a green pool of coolant on the ground. Steam rises up into the hood. He bends down to the right front tire and stabs it with a screwdriver.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 5
Small Panel.
Now chewing on a lollipop, he sits half way in the driver's seat, door open, kicking at dirt on the ground. He's already bored.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 6
Small Panel.
Finally!!!!!! Cyclops nears. Mac waves him down with both arms in the air, yelling out with a smile on his face. Scott pulls over, unaware of the danger that he has driven into.
MAC:
Hey man! Could use some help here!
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 24 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Mac leans against the truck, very casual. He's very charming and easy to like. The cell doesn't have service out here. Scott doesn't sense the danger he's in.
SCOTT:
Let me call a tow truck.
MAC:
Don't know if you'll get cell service out here, but if you give me a lift into town, I'll give you twenty bucks.
CYCLOPS:
Sure. No problem. Keep the cash.
MAC:
Thanks, man.
Panel 2
Scott's back is turned to the man he thinks he's helping. Mac reveals himself with a massive punch to Scott's head, knocking him to the ground.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
On the ground, Scott struggles to get the heavier guy off of him, using Aikido to throw the man's weight away from him. Both men show signs of struggle from the gravel on the road, but neither are really hurt.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 4
Scott isn't out of the woods yet. Mac recovers all too quickly reaching out and grabbing Cyclops ankle, pulling him back. Scott falls to the ground, being dragged across the pavement.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 5
Cyclops shoots a beam at Mac's elbow, but the Southern man doesn't react in pain. Instead, something changes. He gets just a touch taller. The sleeves to his shirt are a little tighter, his pants a touch short.
MAC:
Aw, come on, y'all. My powers didn't surprise you?
Panel 6
Unfazed by the man's growth, Scott grapples the man's knee with both his legs, twisting. Mac is surprised instead and is knocked off balance, landing with a massive thud to the pavement and knocking himself unconscious.
(No dialogue.)
The Adventures of Cyclops and Wolverine Issue 1
Page 25 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
The pouches on the motorcycle are open, a few things moved around and visible, such as his uniform, a can of oil, and a can of baked beans. Cyclops, having twisted Mac's arms behind him, kneels on the man's back. In his hand is a spool of duct tape that he's retrieved from one of the pouches on his bike.
SCOTT:
I have a son that's older than I am. A wife that's a god. A daughter from another time line, and my brothers get possessed every other Wednesday. Not much surprises me.
Panel 2
Mac is thoroughly duct taped, including his mouth, ankles, knees, and elbows. Scott knows the man is too strong for these bonds, but he's unwilling to waste any more time here. He revs up the bike and leaves as fast as he can.
(No dialogue.)
Panel 3
A black car – sleek, fast, and ultimately rich – pulls up to the scene. Tony and Steve get out of the car. Steve knows that they have to get things under control before all hell breaks loose. Tony, on the other hand is flabbergasted that they let Scott go.
TONY:
That was him, right? Red shades, one hangnail away from a nervous breakdown?
Panel 4
Steve places vibranium handcuffs on a still duct taped and unconscious Mac while Tony stands back disapproving of the situation.
STEVE:
Yes, it was him.
TONY:
And we're not going to follow him?
STEVE:
No. We're not following him. We're not fighting his battles, remember?
Panel 5
Scott on the open road, breeze in his hair, visor glinting in the sunlight. There is something settled about him, as if he's figured out a puzzle, but there's still a long way to go. His diversionary tactic has taken him a long way from the cabin where he spent vacations with his family.
CAPTION (STEVE):
Because we're going to stay out of his way. We're going to trust him to do the right thing.
End Issue 1