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Laura did not like Jersey City.
It was not so different from other cities, perhaps, loud and smelly and full of people – even less offensive than others Laura had stayed in. Still, right now it scraped on her nerves and it wasunfamiliar – not the seething cesspool that was Madripoor or the familiar chaos of New York City but something in between. She kept her shoulders hunched and her head down, not entirely certain what she was looking for.
Logan – Wolverine had come here, months ago, before his death. Laura had not meant to retrace his steps but she found herself doing it just the same, as though following his path might give her some answer.
What kind of answer that would even be was beyond Laura. It was a foolish idea. Yet she was here just the same. She should go.
(Go where? She had been drifting for months.)
Laura heard a soft shuffle of feet behind her at the same time as she caught a new scent under the smell of garbage and exhaust. She whirled around, claws popping through her skin. The girl staring at her didn’t quite jump back, though her eyes did widen and she raised her hands.
“I was right!” she said, sounding triumphant though Laura could smell her nervousness. “It is you!”
This response was not precisely reassuring, even if Laura wanted to scowl at her own reaction. She should have better discipline than to jump like that. She could not decide if it was softness or the anger (still too close to the surface) that had caused it. Either way, she said nothing, though she let her claws slide back under her skin.
The triumph flickered a little. “It is,” the girl repeated. “Right? X-23?” She looked very young to Laura’s eyes, and not angry, but Laura still felt her shoulders lock. Recognition did not usually mean anything good for her.
“Why are you asking,” she said finally. The girl’s face fell a little further, and Laura nearly felt guilty.
“I was just…” She trailed off, now looking a little lost. “Is something going on? Some kind of superhero thing? Are the other X-Men here?”
“No,” Laura said, relaxing slightly. That made sense; she had merely identified Laura as one of the X-Men and wished to know if there was trouble on the way. “I am alone.”
“Oh.” The girl looked faintly disappointed, and Laura waited for her to turn and leave, but she did not. “You know…I met Wolverine a few months ago.”
“A lot of people have,” Laura said. She could hear the coldness in her voice and knew it was rude. The girl looked hurt but she still didn’t leave.
“Is he really…?”
“Dead? Yes.” Laura’s voice was flat. She knew she should have been trying harder to be polite, but she did not want to talk about Wolverine, not with anyone and certainly not with a stranger. The girl’s eyes widened.
“Oh,” she said, more quietly. “I’m…really sorry.”
Laura’s hands clenched into fists. “I do not think that you had anything to do with it,” she said, looking away. She heard the girl shift.
“That’s not really the…never mind.” A moment of silence, and then she said, “my name’s Kamala.”
“You already know mine,” Laura said. Or at least she knew her as X-23 and that was enough. Her voice sounded dull. She made herself look back at the girl – Kamala – and made an effort. “You met Logan when he was here?”
Kamala brightened. “Yes! He-” She stopped, and glanced over her shoulder before continuing, her voice lowered. “He helped me fight alligators in the sewers.”
Laura blinked and then frowned. At least that answered her question about what Logan had been doing here, though it raised another in its wake. “Why were you fighting alligators in the sewers?”
“It’s…kind of a long story.” Kamala’s cheeks flushed pink, and Laura felt a frown touch her mouth. She sniffed, catching that odd scent again she didn’t quite recognize.
“You aren’t a mutant,” she said.
“No-o,” Kamala said, shaking her head. “Apparently I’m an ‘Inhuman,’ which I didn’t know about until their queen had her dog Lockjaw teleport me to Attilan and-” She stopped. “You’re probably not very interested,” Kamala said, sounding abashed. Laura looked at her for a long moment and could not help but think no wonder Logan helped you. Like me, like Jubilee. You are lucky he died before he could abandon you.
“I do not know very much about the Inhumans,” she said, instead of saying no I am not, why are you talking to me. Kamala brightened.
“I didn’t either! I’ve always been more of a fan of the Avengers – though the X-Men are great too,” she hastened to add. “But their queen Medusa is pretty amazing – really intimidating, though.” She paused, hesitated, and then said, “I’m sorry, but – can I ask what you’re doing here?”
Laura was almost tempted to lie and say X-Men business. She was not entirely certain why she didn’t. “I do not know.”
“Oh.” Kamala was looking at her with a strange expression, like she was thinking about something. Laura waited for her to finish. “I really am sorry about Wolverine – Mr. Howlett,” she said quietly. Laura jerked her head in a nod.
“I understand,” she said, because it was the only thing she could think to say. Everyone was sorry. No one seemed to understand that Laura was angry. Kamala chewed her lip for a moment, and Laura saw the second she realized she was doing it and stopped.
“You’re only the third superhero I’ve ever met,” Kamala said. “Well – fourth, I guess. I should count Lockjaw. But…still.” Laura shook her head.
“I am not a – superhero,” she said. “I am a mutant.”
Kamala looked indignant. “Mutants are superheroes all the time! Storm is a superhero, isn’t she? Anda mutant. Don’t tell me you believe all that – that stuff about mutants being bad.”
“I do not,” Laura said. “But I am not Storm.” She remembered Storm’s encouragement, her kindness when Laura had first struck out on her own after X-Force. She met Kamala’s eyes. “I am a killer by training and experience.”
Kamala crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “In the past, maybe. But you joined the X-Men. You fought a dragon in New York. I saw the video.”
“I am not a good person,” Laura said. “Not a hero.”
“You are to me,” Kamala said, thoroughly defiant, and Laura paused. She looked at this girl, lookedhard. She still looked so young to Laura, though she supposed she couldn’t be that many years younger. She tried to think what Jubilee would say in a situation like this. Something clever and funny, no doubt; Laura did not think she was very good at either.
“Thank you,” she said finally. Oddly enough, that seemed to fluster Kamala.
“You’re welcome,” she said, though, her voice not wavering. “Um – I should go. My parents are expecting me home. Are you…” Kamala trailed off, and then seemed to make up her mind. “Would you take a selfie with me? I have a wall, and if I don’t have a picture no one’s going to believe I met you.”
Laura blinked. She was not certain she’d ever gotten that request before, though she remembered Jubilee dragging her into a booth and shoving a strip of pictures at her. So you don’t forget you have a friend, X, she’d said. Laura wondered suddenly if Jubilee would want to see her.
“You don’t have to,” Kamala said, though she looked crestfallen. Laura summoned a smile though it did not feel quite natural on her face.
“No,” she said. “It is fine.”
Kamala shuffled over, keeping a polite distance as she tried to maneuver them both into the frame of her phone. Because she didn’t ask, and didn’t try to put her arm around Laura without asking, she said, “you may touch me.” Kamala gave her a little smile and put an arm around her shoulders, snapping a picture. Laura’s face on the screen looked pale and sad and she tried to smile.
“Thank you!” Kamala said, skipping back. Laura bit the inside of her cheek.
“Did you take a photo with – Wolverine?” She asked.
“Yeah,” Kamala said. “Do you want to see?” Laura nodded, not sure she trusted her voice.
The photo Kamala showed her was Logan, all right. He did not look unhappy but he did not look happy either. Kamala herself looked positively thrilled. Laura was not certain if the pang she felt was jealousy or something else. “Thank you,” she said. “For showing me.”
“You’re welcome. He seemed…I mean. He helped me.”
“You should go home,” Laura said.
Kamala sighed, her shoulders drooping. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But…thank you for the photo. It was good to meet you.” It was little more than politeness, Laura told herself. This girl Kamala was kind.
Still, as she turned away, Laura raised her voice again to say, “it is good that you are watching over this city.”
Kamala looked back at her, expression startled, and then it bloomed into a bright smile that reminded Laura of Jubilee. “Thanks,” she said. “Someone has to, right?” Laura caught herself smiling back before she looked away. “Um – can I ask your real name?”
“My real-” Laura paused, almost tempted to say X-23 is my name, but that was not the right answer, and it was not the true answer either. “It is Laura Kinney.”
“Laura Kinney,” Kamala echoed, and nodded. “All right. If you’re ever in Jersey City again…”
“I will come find you,” Laura heard herself say. A foolish promise. The odds were not good that she would be here again, and if she was doubtless it would not be for something so frivolous as socialization. But she said it, and Kamala’s pleased expression was good to see.
“Safe travels,” Kamala said. “Wherever you’re going.” The tinny sound of a phone ringing broke through her voice, and Kamala winced. “That’ll be my parents. I’m sorry – it was really good to meet you!”
Laura watched the girl run off. Her smile faded, but the odd warm feeling remained.
Perhaps it had not been a waste of time coming here, after all.