Wolverine: Origins #31

Issue Date: 
February 2009
Story Title: 
Family Business: Part I
Staff: 

Daniel Way (writer), Yanick Paquette (pencils), Serge LaPointe & Michel Lacombe (inks), Nathan Fairbairn (colors), VC’s Cory Petit (letterer), Anthony Dial (production), Jody LeHeup (assistant editor), John Barber (editor), Axel Alonso (group editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Dan Buckley (publisher), Mike Deodato with Val Staples (cover art)

Brief Description: 

In the North African town of Rujuka in Halwan, Wolverine and Daken have traveled there to find Romulus. When they get there, they see destruction and death all around them. Eventually, they find the cause – Cyber and his brigade of child troops. Cyber recommends that they all work together to take down Romulus but Wolverine refuses. The next day, Wolverine and Daken devise a plan to get the information they need from Cyber. When it is successful and they have captured Cyber, Wolverine goes to ask him a question but before he does, punches him for Janet. Cyber just laughs it off and tells him that it was worth it to see his face. Enraged, Wolverine goes to hit him again but is slashed across the neck by Daken who tells him that he’s sorry, but he likes Cyber’s plan better.

Full Summary: 

I guess every father hopes that his son turns out, in someway, like himself. In his, Logan’s, case, he got more than he ever could’ve hoped for, his son is just like him. They both got a mutant healing factor capable o’ bringin’ them back even from beyond the grave. They both got heightened senses allowin’ them to hear an’ smell things that others can’t. They were both born armed an’ they’ve both been trained to kill since pretty much the first moment they breathed air. An’ somethin’ else they got in common too. Both of them, with every bit of their black hearts, wanna see Romulus laid out dead before them, his blood on their hands.

Daken has spent almost his entire life as Romulus’ favorite attack dog, Logan’s old job. But whereas he was always kept at a distance, Daken was brought directly into the fold. If anybody knew how to find Romulus, it would be him. Five days ago, Daken told him to follow the trail of blood. The more violent the conflict, the more senseless the slaughter, the more likely they are to find him.

That’s why they’re there in the war-torn village of Rujuka, Halwan in Northern Africa. There, yesterday mornin’, leaders of the D’Wali tribe were s’posed to meet with representatives of the Jono tribe, their ancestral enemies. After generations o’ bloodshed, the two tribes were finally comin’ to the table to work out a peace agreement. It’s unclear whether or not the Jono ever showed up seein’ as how Jono an’ D’Wali teeth an’ bones pretty much look the same. Since nobody immediately claimed responsibility, both sides figured the other had betrayed them.

Yesterday mornin’ after lifetimes o’ war, the people o’ the land were ready to lay down their weapons an’ live together in peace. Today, only death and destruction remains. Dodging some gunfire, Logan goes to tell Daken that they need to get outta the open but finds Daken is nowhere to be found.

Just then, Logan hears the cries of a child. Rushing towards the sound, Logan finds Daken standing there with a small child holding a rifle. Daken tells Logan “Look daddy, I’ve made a friend.” Logan can tell from Daken’s voice that he’s lettin’ him know, as if he didn’t already, that they ain’t friends an’ they never will be. Far as he’s concerned, the only thing they have in common is a goal an’ he’s willin’ to do whatever it takes to achieve it, even if that means spendin’ time with the old man. Neither o’ them speaks the language but usin’ a mix o’ pidgin an’ hand signs, they find out what they need to know – somebody’s been there. After the kid tells them that it wasn’t D’Wali or Jono, Logan discovers that it was somebody like them.

Just then, Cyber arrives and says to the kid “Look, he’s made a friend.” As Daken rushes towards Cyber, Logan puts his hand on his shoulder and tells him to wait. Cyber remarks father and son, together at last, who would’ve thought, definitely not him. When the wind shifts, Logan sees the ace that Cyber has in his sleeve. All of his friends are the kids of the country carrying rifles. Ripping his shoulder away from Logan’s hand, Daken tells him “Don’t ever!” Cyber then tells Daken that he should take his father’s advice. He may care even less than he does about the lives of the kids but he knows for sure he cares a helluva lot about his own hide. If he comes at him, he’ll skin him alive.

Standing between Daken and Cyber, Logan asks Cyber how the ticker is. Cyber tells him they’ll talk about that some other time but right now he thinks they should talk about the business at hand. They’re all lookin’ for the same guy, for basically the same reason – they want him dead. He proposes that they work together. Shocked, Logan tells Cyber that he’s full of $#%@. He willingly worked for Romulus; he never used him like they used them. Cyber tells him that he’s right. But what he did was have him eaten alive by mutant deathwatch beetles. Logan replies that wasn’t him, that was…

Cyber cuts him off and tells him that it’s always him. Logan says alright and asks why. Cyber tells him because he did the one thing Romulus fears. He told someone (Nick Fury) that he existed and worse, he provided them with proof. When Logan asks who, Cyber says that it’s his turn to answer some questions. Logan replies that he has nothin’ to… Cyber says not him, him and points in Daken’s direction. Cyber then asks him where was the last time he saw him and when. Daken asks why he would tell him that. Cyber replies why would he not tell him? They’re all holding pieces of the same puzzle, all they need to do is lay them out on the table.

Before Daken can speak, Logan states no deal. If he wants to tell them about what he knows, fine by him. If he wants to keep it to himself, he doesn’t give a $!@#. They’re killin’ Romulus one way or the other. If he gets in their way… Cyber asks that they’ll kill him? Logan tells him that he’s already killed him. Enraged, Cyber tells Wolverine dumb move but that that’s nothin’ new for him, he never did know how to negotiate. Preparing for a fight, Logan informs him that he still don’t.

As he walks away, Cyber tells him that they’ll see about that. He’ll be around in case he changes his mind. With their tracking skills, they shouldn’t have a problem finding him. But with his tracking skills and with just a little information from the boy, they could all find Romulus.

That night as they sit around a campfire, Logan asks Daken if he wants a drink. When Daken refuses, Logan tells him to suit himself. Daken begins to talk about Cyber and Logan tells him that he can’t be trusted. Daken asks him and he can to which Logan replies that he can only hope. If they tell Cyber what they know, he’ll do one o’ two things. He’ll either sell them out to Romulus to curry favor or he’ll use that information to somehow take Romulus down an’ then take his place. Daken says with that being said, he does have information that they need. Logan agrees and says that he thinks he knows how to get it.

Logan informs Daken that that thing stuck to Cyber’s chest? He had it put there. It’s made outta carbonadium. It’s just like what he has but it’s molecularly unstable; it eats itself. But first, it eats whatever’s close by. Cyber knows he’s runnin’ outta time an’ he also knows that the only thing that can save him is a little piece o’ tech called a carbonadium synthesizer. There’s only one of ‘em in existence an’ he’s the only one that knows that it’s lyin’ in the mud below the Gerdesiabrug Bridge. Daken remarks that is quite a bargaining chip but unfortunately, they have no bargaining position. Logan informs him that he has a plan for that and he thinks he’s gonna like it. It involves him gettin’ shot a lot.

The next day, Logan is driving a jeep towards Cyber’s military compound. From a watchtower, Cyber wonders what Logan’s play is. Is he and his boy ready to make a deal or what? He figures there’s only one way to find out and tells his troops to get ready. If the jeep doesn’t slow down at the gate, they’re gonna hit it with everything they’ve got. When Cyber’s troops inform him that the jeep isn’t stopping, Cyber tells them to open fire. When they unload their rifles into the jeep, it eventually comes to a stop outside the gates much to the delight of Cyber’s troops. Cyber orders them not to celebrate just yet, and to reload and verify the bodies. If either of them so much as twitches, open fire.

Opening the jeep door, only Logan falls out. One of Cyber’s troops then informs him that only one of them are dead. From behind him, Daken holds his claw to Cyber’s head and tells him gotcha.

A little while later, Logan awakens from his bullet wounds. When he does, he asks Daken if they are in. Daken informs him that they are and shows him Cyber. Seeing Cyber chained up by his arms and neck, Logan tells Daken that he hopes it doesn’t bother him sayin’ this, but hell, he’s impressed. Approaching Cyber, Logan says to him that he has one question. If he answers it, he’ll tell him where to find the c-synth. Don’t answer and he’ll bury him in a hole so deep that the carbonadium stuck to him will eat him alive before he can dig his way out.

Cyber asks him, “And the question is?” Logan tells him first things first and clocks him across the face with a hard left cross. He informs him that’s for Janet. Cyber laughs and say that it was worth it just to see the look on his face. Logan calls him a sick son of a… Cyber tells him not then, now. Just then, Daken slashes him across the neck and tells him sorry “dad” but he thinks he likes Cyber’s plan better.

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine

Daken

Cyber

Cyber’s brigade of child troops (all unnamed)

Various residents of Rujuka, Halwan in Northern Africa (all unnamed)

In flashbacks:

Daken

Romulus (in shadows)

Wolverine/Logan

Mutant deathwatch beetles

Cyber

Nick Fury

Janet

Story Notes: 

Halwan is a fictional North African country that borders Algeria, Libya, Murkatesh, Niger, and Chad.

Cyber was jailed off-panel and placed in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody sometime after following his confrontation with Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde back in Wolverine (2nd series) #81.

The Dark Riders broke Cyber out of jail back in Wolverine (2nd series) #93-95.

Cyber was killed by mutant deathwatch beetles back in Wolverine (2nd series) #96. The beetles were unleashed by Genesis. They ate all of his flesh and left his adamantium behind.

Cyber (Silas Burr) murdered a woman by the name of Janet, whom Logan was involved with romantically. After learning of her death, Logan attacked him but was humiliated after Cyber’s beating left him for dead. It had been Logan's most severe beating up to this point in his life and resulted in a deep psychological fear of Cyber. [Marvel Comics Presents (1st series) #90]. This was also shown in Wolverine Origins #15.

A mistake is made in this issue. It states that Wolverine had the carbonadium device attached to Cyber’s chest back in Wolverine Origins #10. Actually, it was #15. That was the same issue that Logan tossed the C-synth over the Gerdesiabrug Bridge in Belgium.

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