Set Description:
X-23: Target X
COMPLETED 03/08/2017!
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Laura is kidnapped and interrogated. In flashback, X-23 is forced by the facility to mirror a hologram program of Weapon X. Dr. Sarah Kinney is shown in the observation booth as she argues frantically with the director, Dr. Martin Sutter, begging him to end the program. X-23 suddenly out-performs the program by improvising and killing her assailant--a simulated Grizzly bear--with her foot claw, which Weapon X does not have. She is shown approaching the simulation of Weapon X and staring at him, as the off-panel voice in the present continues to demand her to answer the question: "Are you X-23?"
She tells them she is not, and another voice says that she is telling the truth, while the first voice says this is not possible. A locket is shown to X-23, with a picture of Dr. Kinney; she tells them that it is her mother. She remembers the day when she killed Sarah (because of the trigger scent). She had stayed with Sarah until she was covered with snow. Helicopters appeared in the distance, and Laura grabbed the dropped book and letter, shoved them back into Sarah's bag, then ran off (returning once to touch Sarah's cheek). The helicopter found her, and she swiftly dealt with the incoming wave of facility personnel; however she couldn't hurt Kimura, who had also shown up. She instead shot down a tree with a gun procured off a fallen facility officer. This caused the ice beneath them to shatter, and both she and Kimura were buried. Laura resurfaced a few moments later, still holding her mother's bag.
In the present an unseen voice asks her: "The girl. Who is she?" as a hand holds up the other side of the locket, with a picture of a teenaged girl. The scene cuts to show Megan Kinney waking up from a nightmare, about her previous experience as a kidnap victim of a serial killer that X-23 had killed. Laura had hidden outside the Kinney's house in San Fransisco, at fourteen years of age, listening to the Kinneys argue about Megan's emotional problems. She continued to shadow the Kinney family for twenty-one days. On the twenty-second day she knocked on their door and introduced herself to Debbie Kinney, who was astonished to see her sister's daughter. X-23's current captors confer about how "This isn't going to work!". Laura continues to reminisce, about how she introduced herself to Megan Kinney, who appeared to have a defiant teenaged nature. Together in Megan's room, Laura asked her why she had drawn so many pictures of the man who kidnapped her. Her cousin began to cry. X-23's captors in the present are revealed to be Captain America and Daredevil (in his Matt Murdock persona).
Captain America hands Murdock a file detailing X-23's crime: the murder of Greg Johnson, which Murdock reads with his fingers. He asks Laura "Why?" in a small voice. She replies that it was her mission. Captain America goes on to relate his view of the event, which involves his response to a S.H.I.E.L.D. report on a possible threat to candidate Johnson. He arrived too late and saw the carnage that X-23 had left in her wake. He says "I've seen my share of senseless death in my time...but this still affected me. And then I heard crying." He continues to narrate that he found the handicapped girl amongst the mess (Laura) and took her to an ambulance. He later realized his mistake in letting her go when he was told that the center was locked down since the event. He returned to find the ambulance workers dead.
X-23 continues to narrate her time in San Fransisco with her relatives. Megan demanded Laura tell her mother about the kidnapping, because she couldn't remember it herself, and wanted to know why her mother had been concealing the event from her. Debbie was upset and sorry about Megan, and apologized to Laura. She then offered her niece some of her daughter's clothes, but apologized for the Gothic style of the outfits (which Laura appeared to like, explaining her later tastes for the style). Laura told Debbie that she would follow Megan to school by tracking her scent. In reality, the trail led to the wharf, where she imparted the story of her creation very briefly to her cousin. They then headed toward school, where Laura got into various situations with her odd blunt, clinical manner and dangerous knowledge of how to kill people. She got them sent to the principal's office twice in one afternoon and then got them suspended. Laura and Megan took off for a joy ride in the Principal's car. This continued into a museum trip, a movie at the theater, an amusement park, a pet store, Tiffany's jewelry store (where Laura bought Megan several pieces), a Dazzler concert, and ended with them talking more about Laura's past on the wharf. They returned to Megan's home, where Debbie was very angry and chewed them out for not telling her where they were. Megan and Debbie shared a bonding moment and Megan apologized to her mother "for everything", having changed her mind after hearing Laura's tale of having to kill her own mother. She promised that things would be better. Captain America says "But they weren't...were they?" Laura answers "No", then details how her aunt's boyfriend, Desmond, was actually a facility operative. Laura tells them "They were going to make me kill Megan."
Murdock questions Laura about the trigger scent. She describes the three-year training process, consumed with experiences of different forms of water torture (with trigger scent in place of water). She killed a dog without a second thought on the first trigger-scent trial. Murdock expresses disbelief, but Captain America asks if this scent was used on all her missions. Laura explains how it was only used in instances when the facility did not trust her to kill the target, or if the target was considered exceptional. She goes on to reminisce about killing a man with the ability to become invisible: DiLorenzo ( Fade), on a job for Wilson Fisk ( Kingpin). Captain America tells her he knew about DiLorenzo, and tells her that the man had a wife and child that disappeared. He asks her if she had anything to do with this, and Laura looks like she is in pain when she says "Yes".
Captain America prods her to continue with the San Fransisco story. Laura explains how she and Megan were out on the streets when Megan received a call on the phone that Debbie was sick and that they should pick up some cold medicine. Megan asked if Laura had some money; she explained that she had one hundred forty-seven thousand six hundred and ninety-two dollars. Megan was astonished and asked whether she could borrow money from Laura, who replied that she could, but that it was at Megan's house. Just then Laura saw Wolverine and the other X-men (when Professor Charles Xavier announced to the world that he is a mutant) on a TV in an electronics store window. She stopped, and was mesmerized by the man she was replicated from. Megan said that they had to go home and get cash.
At the Kinney house, Desmond brought tea to Debbie. He came downstairs just as Megan opened the door on him, spilling the tea on his front. It became apparent that the tea was laced with trigger scent and Desmond began to panic. Megan touched Desmond to comfort him, transferring the scent onto herself. Laura entered a blind rage. Captain America asks her if she killed Megan and Debbie, while Murdock reminds him that she was acting under the influence of a controlling substance. Rogers replies that he knows but he needs to uncover the story, and that the judgment on X-23 is up to someone else. He asks Laura to continue narrating. Desmond yelled on the phone for Kimura as he ran away, but X-23 reached him first and slaughtered him mercilessly while Megan looked on, horrified and begging her to stop. Scared by the screaming downstairs, Debbie spilled the tea on her front, just about to drink it. Megan suddenly remembered Laura's explanation of how trigger scent worked, and realized that the scent is in the tea. She ran upstairs for her mother, as Laura became aware that Megan was covered in the scent. She demanded to know if Debbie drank the tea; she responded that she did not. Megan grabbed her hand, ran to the bathroom with her mother in tow, then shoved her into the bath tub and started the shower just as Laura appeared to kill them.
The water washed away the trigger scent just in time, and Laura smelled the air as her eyes cleared, but the trouble wasn't over. Kimura had just arrived. Captain America interrupts to ask Laura who is Kimura, a woman she has now mentioned twice. When Laura was twelve years old, she first met the woman five days after her claws were laced with Adamantium. She narrates how Dr. Rice instructed her to kill Kimura, and how she had failed, as the woman's skin was indestructible. Laura was then punished for her failure with a brutal beating in which Kimura broke her nose and kicked her in the stomach multiple times. She was told that Kimura was now her handler, and would punish her if she failed a mission or disobeyed an order. She relates how Kimura did punish her, on many different occasions (Kimura is seen appearing in many scenes shown in Innocence Lost). Captain America asks if Kimura is a mutant too, but Laura says that the facility designed her. Steve asks her to continue the San Fransisco story. She details how she took Megan and Debbie to the basement and burst a water pipe, so they would not show up on heat detectors. Then she details how she dealt with the arriving Facility personnel, and how Kimura found her and broke her neck. Kimura taunted her and handcuffed their wrists together, then dragged her downstairs and after speaking to Laura's relatives (while holding a crossbow at Megan), she fired her weapon. Laura cut the arrow in half before it could reach her cousin, then began to try to escape, but discovered that the cuffs were Adamantium and that her claws couldn't cut through them. X-23 tried to beat Kimura off with physical violence but failed, and the woman taunted her, starting to put her finger through Megan's chest, over her heart. Laura cut off her hand to escape the cuff, then attached Kimura to a water pipe with the empty cuff. As Laura gave her cousin instructions to pack a bag in three minutes and leave the house, Kimura threatened that: "I'll kill you! There's nowhere you can run I won't find you! You think you've saved her?! You're wrong! Megan is dead! Debbie is dead! Everyone you love will die! And I'll be the one that kills them!". Laura, in the present, says that Kimura was telling the truth, and how she couldn't let that happen. Murdock asks what happened, Rogers says "I'll tell you what she did".
Steve Rogers details how Laura blew up the Kinneys' house by breaking a gas pipe downstairs, then turning on a light bulb. He notes that Kimura was not amongst the twenty-seven bodies in the wreckage (on Laura's questioning). Murdock asks what happened to Megan and Debbie. Laura explains she drove them to a hotel, and how Debbie had told her that she had saved their entire family, including Sarah. At the hotel, Laura cut out Debbie's and Megan's pictures and put them in the fake passports Dr. Kinney had procured for herself and her daughter. Megan took some of the unused photos. At the Washington US/Canada border, Megan asked why Laura was saying goodbye, and why she was not coming with them. Debbie understood right away, but Megan didn't. Megan was distraught, and asked how Laura will find them. As Laura turned to go, Megan stopped her and presented her with the locket containing a picture of Sarah and a picture of herself. Laura thanked them and left, crying, as she narrates "And that's the last time I saw them."
Murdock asks where she went next, and if it was to find Wolverine, to which Laura replies "Yes". He then examines Laura's possessions--the Pinocchio book and Laura's mother's letter, and asks her what they are because he cannot read (he is blind). Laura says the blood washed the words of the letter away. Rogers demands for her to continue the narrative. Laura describes tracking Wolverine for a while, then how she confronted him when he left the school one night and camped out near the New York US/Canadian border. Logan informed her that he'd caught her scent an hour ago, and then Laura initiated a violent fight. She surprised him with her ingenuity when she threw dirt into the wounds she cut, to hold them open so that they couldn't heal. He let her gain the upper hand, and asked her what was her problem. On Wolverine pushing her to explain, she shouted: "We are weapons! We must be stopped! We must be destroyed!". Wolverine told her to kill him, but that he wouldn't let her kill herself. He went on to tell her that she didn't choose this life, and that she had no choice anyway. He explained that her mother sent him a copy of the letter she'd written to Laura, and that by the time he'd received it, Laura was gone. She imparted how her mother was dead, and that she was forced to kill her. Wolverine gave her his copy of the letter, and told her she had to make a choice: do what the facility wanted her to do, or do what her mother wanted her to do: find her humanity. He offered her a place at the institute, which Laura was hesitant to accept, thinking the facility would find her there. Then helicopters came, carrying Captain America; he caught Laura and took her away for interrogation.
The next day Daredevil came in after a hard day's work, to a ringing phone. He tells Captain America he should have left her with Wolverine. Rogers is astonished, but Murdock tells him that it is the best chance she will have at a normal life. If they turn her in, the Government will use her as a weapon. He holds up the copy of Sarah's letter and reminds Rogers that it absolves Laura of everything, that she is actually the victim here. Rogers doesn't believe him at first, and takes X-23 to turn her in to the authorities, but has a change of heart when they are outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. substation in Washington, D.C. He takes Laura to a Greyhound bus station instead and tells her to find the X-Men.
Laura leaves on the bus, watching a little boy with his mother and smiling. The mother shows the boy pictures of an Eagle's claw and asks him what it is; he replies "Talon." This suggests that Talon might have been planned as a codename for Laura initially (this plan never came to fruition, as she is still known as X-23). Laura then begins to read her mother's letter, she cries quietly to herself. [Source: Comicvine]
I used to love reading comics as a kid, but it wasn't til I was in college that I first became interested in superhero comics. At the time I was an avid baseball card collector, acquiring many 1950s Topps cards with stars such as Mantle and Mays. When I finally read a superhero comic, it was Wolverine...what a great story, I was hooked. I amassed a rather large collection at the time until the comic industry began to saturate the market with too many variants and I eventually lost interest. Flash forward to 2015..... I ended up buying a Wolverine 1988 series issue #1 graded CGC 9.8. I hadn’t really thought about it much up to that point, but the collecting bug was rekindled. I dug out my collection that had been stored away and decided to start submitting my back issues. I looked online to fill gaps in my various collections and thousands of dollars later I’ve acquired quite a few comics and am trying to avoid collecting too many series at a time! I also like to collect covers I find appealing (see Incredible Hulk 340) and 1st appearances here and there. It’s all a labor of love! Be sure to checkout my detailed descriptions and highres images
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| The gallery tab shows only items with images. Click the thumbnails to enlarge. |
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 1 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 1 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1212790003
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Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 1 02/07 "The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US $3.99
Writer(s): Marjorie M. Liu
Penciller(s): (more...)X-23 Target X 1 02/07 "The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US $3.99
Writer(s): Marjorie M. Liu
Penciller(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Inker(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Colorist(s): John Rauch
Letterer(s): Virtual Calligraphy, Cory Petit
Editor(s): Jeanine Schaefer, Joe Quesada, Jody LeHeup, Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Danni Shinya Luo
Synopsis: X-23: Age Fifteen.
She sits in an interrogation room wearing an X-Men jacket. She has a bag over her head and her mouth is taped shut. A light comes on and the bag and tape are removed. A man asks twice “Are you X-23?”
X-23: Age Eleven.
X-23 is put through a Weapon X training sequence. A hologram of the original Weapon X appears. X-23 shadows its movements perfectly as a pair of cyborg wolves attacks her. In a control booth above, Dr. Zander Rice, Dr. Martin Sutter and Dr. Sarah Kinney observe her progress. She is initially within .09n percent synchronicity with Weapon X. Zander goads Dr. Kinney saying that as a clone she should match his moves perfectly. Sarah tells him to shut up and Dr. Sutter says that X-23’s performances will determine whether their efforts to create her have been a waste of time or not. Sarah tries to tell him that she’s only a little girl and Zander reminds her once more that they’re here to build weapons not Girl Scouts. Sarah tells him to go to hell.
Behind the trio of scientists, X-23’s handler, Kimura watches the training as well. X-23 is momentarily overcome by the wolves and falls out of sync with the Weapon X hologram. Dr. Rice barks at her to resume her position but before she can do so he unleashes the next attacker: a cyberneticly enhanced grizzly bear. The bear tosses her away like a rag doll and Dr. Kinney begs him to stop the program. He notes that getting tossed like that has to be considered out of sync with program parameters.
X-23 tries to return to the hologram and is again swatted away by the bear. Dr. Kinney begs her superior, Dr. Sutter to stop the sequence before x-23 is killed. Sutter coldly replies that if she fails here, she’s no good to him anyway and orders Zander to increase the bear’s adrenaline levels. The bear advances on X-23. She kicks up from where she lies on the ground, driving her foot claw into the bears mouth and up into its brain.
Sutter is impressed by X-23’s ability to improvise and upon comparing her fight time with that of the original Weapon X finds that she defeated the bear in significantly less time than it took her predecessor. Sutter is pleased but Dr. Rice notes that she was outside mission parameters. Sutter tells him that doesn’t matter and to prepare the girl for a field test. He assigns her to the Candidate Johnson assassination. Kimura watches X-23 closely as she approaches the Weapon X hologram.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The question is repeated: “Are you X-23?” to which the girl bound to the metal chair replies “No.” One of her interrogators confirms that she is telling the truth and the other insists that that’s not possible. He holds out a locket and asks who the woman in the photo inside is. X-23 replies that it is Doctor Sarah Kinney, her mother.
X-23: Age Thirteen.
Dr. Sarah Kinney lies in a pool of blood on the snowy grounds of the Facility. X-23 begs her not to leave her and to wake up. She asks her “What is my mission?” X-23 remains by her “mother’s” side for a long time despite the bitter cold. The sound of approaching helicopters forces her to her feet. She gathers the scattered notes and journals that lie strewn about Dr. Kinney’s body. She begins to walk away and then returns to Sarah’s lifeless body to wipe the tears from her empty eyes.
The circling copters easily tracks X-23 and send a small squad of troops to intercept her on the ground. She easily takes out three of them mere moments after they hit the ground. Using one of their assault rifles, she takes out one of the helicopter pilots. The copter explodes magnificently in the forest near her.
As she continues her flight from the Facility, she is suddenly hit by a series of crossbow bolts. She immediately recognizes the source: Kimura. X-23’s handler steps boldly towards her and asks if she really thought they were going to let her get away. She says that she’s going to take X-23 back in. X-23 lunges for Kimura’s gun and Kimura reminds the young clone that there’s no way that X-23 can hurt her. X-23 replies coolly “I know” and shoots the gun into a nearby snow bank. This creates a miniature avalanche that buries them both. X-23 is the first to emerge and makes good her escape.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The interrogation continues as they ask the name of the young girl in the other side of the locket. It is Megan, Sarah Kinney’s niece.
X-23: Age Fourteen.
In San Francisco, Megan awakes from a nightmare about a deranged madman who kidnapped her when she was a child. She cries out and asks for it to stop. Surrounding her bed are drawings of the man in her dreams and another figure: a dark-haired woman with claws extending from her hand.
As Megan makes her way downstairs, she overhears her mother Debbie and her mother’s boyfriend, Desmond arguing. Desmond insists that he won’t pay for another “shrink” and what Megan needs is discipline. Debbie begins to tell him what Megan needs and Megan interrupts and asks what that might be. Debbie asks her daughter if she’d like some breakfast and Megan slams the door behind her.
From across the street, X-23 watches as her “cousin” heads off to school. For the next several weeks, X-23 watches Megan, Debbie and Desmond from afar. She observes Megan’s lonely isolation and Debbie’s motherly desperation. After three weeks of watching, X-23 rings the doorbell wearing a t-shirt and looking like a normal teenaged girl. Debbie answers the door and immediately recognizes the young woman.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
X-23 sits silently in the interrogation room. One of the men in the room insists that this isn’t going to work and the other that it has to. They ask the question “What is X-23?”
X-23: Age Fourteen.
Desmond is furious as Debbie tries to explain to him what has happened. Debbie tries to apologize and explain that the situation is complicated. Megan arrives and asks what’s going on. Debbie struggles for words and finally just tells Megan that they have a guest, her cousin. Megan is surprised by this news. She finds X-23 in her room looking at the drawings that adorn her wall. Megan gets angry and tells her to get out. X-23 asks Megan why she draws the man who took her. Megan tells X-23 that he’s not real, except in her nightmares. X-23 replies that he is real and that she killed him. Megan begins to cry.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
Again the men in shadows ask the question, “Who is X-23?” One of the men asks if he can ask the question and the other replies, “Go ahead.” The man, Matt Murdock asks “Who was X-23?” to which X-23 replies, “He knows what I was…” Captain America looks down on the young girl and says flatly “She was a weapon.”
Characters: Anole
Bobby Soul
Cameron Palmer
Captain America
Captain Universe
Catiana
Cyclops
Daredevil
Desmond Alexander
DJ
Domino
Dr. Sarah Kinney
Dr. Zander Rice
Dust
Elixir
Emma Frost
Gamesmaster
Hellion
Henry Sutter
Jubilee
Kiden Nixon
Kimura
Lady Deathstrike
Lil' Bro
Megan Kinney
Nimrod
Psylocke
Raina
Rockslide
Storm
Surge
Wolverine
Wolverine Demon
X-23 (less...)
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| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 1 Top Cow Edition |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 1 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2014026009
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 1 Top Cow Variant 02/07
(Self Submission)
"The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US (more...)X-23 Target X 1 Top Cow Variant 02/07
(Self Submission)
"The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US $3.99
Writer(s): Marjorie M. Liu
Penciller(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Inker(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Colorist(s): John Rauch
Letterer(s): Virtual Calligraphy, Cory Petit
Editor(s): Jeanine Schaefer, Joe Quesada, Jody LeHeup, Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Danni Shinya Luo
Synopsis: X-23: Age Fifteen.
She sits in an interrogation room wearing an X-Men jacket. She has a bag over her head and her mouth is taped shut. A light comes on and the bag and tape are removed. A man asks twice “Are you X-23?”
X-23: Age Eleven.
X-23 is put through a Weapon X training sequence. A hologram of the original Weapon X appears. X-23 shadows its movements perfectly as a pair of cyborg wolves attacks her. In a control booth above, Dr. Zander Rice, Dr. Martin Sutter and Dr. Sarah Kinney observe her progress. She is initially within .09n percent synchronicity with Weapon X. Zander goads Dr. Kinney saying that as a clone she should match his moves perfectly. Sarah tells him to shut up and Dr. Sutter says that X-23’s performances will determine whether their efforts to create her have been a waste of time or not. Sarah tries to tell him that she’s only a little girl and Zander reminds her once more that they’re here to build weapons not Girl Scouts. Sarah tells him to go to hell.
Behind the trio of scientists, X-23’s handler, Kimura watches the training as well. X-23 is momentarily overcome by the wolves and falls out of sync with the Weapon X hologram. Dr. Rice barks at her to resume her position but before she can do so he unleashes the next attacker: a cyberneticly enhanced grizzly bear. The bear tosses her away like a rag doll and Dr. Kinney begs him to stop the program. He notes that getting tossed like that has to be considered out of sync with program parameters.
X-23 tries to return to the hologram and is again swatted away by the bear. Dr. Kinney begs her superior, Dr. Sutter to stop the sequence before x-23 is killed. Sutter coldly replies that if she fails here, she’s no good to him anyway and orders Zander to increase the bear’s adrenaline levels. The bear advances on X-23. She kicks up from where she lies on the ground, driving her foot claw into the bears mouth and up into its brain.
Sutter is impressed by X-23’s ability to improvise and upon comparing her fight time with that of the original Weapon X finds that she defeated the bear in significantly less time than it took her predecessor. Sutter is pleased but Dr. Rice notes that she was outside mission parameters. Sutter tells him that doesn’t matter and to prepare the girl for a field test. He assigns her to the Candidate Johnson assassination. Kimura watches X-23 closely as she approaches the Weapon X hologram.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The question is repeated: “Are you X-23?” to which the girl bound to the metal chair replies “No.” One of her interrogators confirms that she is telling the truth and the other insists that that’s not possible. He holds out a locket and asks who the woman in the photo inside is. X-23 replies that it is Doctor Sarah Kinney, her mother.
X-23: Age Thirteen.
Dr. Sarah Kinney lies in a pool of blood on the snowy grounds of the Facility. X-23 begs her not to leave her and to wake up. She asks her “What is my mission?” X-23 remains by her “mother’s” side for a long time despite the bitter cold. The sound of approaching helicopters forces her to her feet. She gathers the scattered notes and journals that lie strewn about Dr. Kinney’s body. She begins to walk away and then returns to Sarah’s lifeless body to wipe the tears from her empty eyes.
The circling copters easily tracks X-23 and send a small squad of troops to intercept her on the ground. She easily takes out three of them mere moments after they hit the ground. Using one of their assault rifles, she takes out one of the helicopter pilots. The copter explodes magnificently in the forest near her.
As she continues her flight from the Facility, she is suddenly hit by a series of crossbow bolts. She immediately recognizes the source: Kimura. X-23’s handler steps boldly towards her and asks if she really thought they were going to let her get away. She says that she’s going to take X-23 back in. X-23 lunges for Kimura’s gun and Kimura reminds the young clone that there’s no way that X-23 can hurt her. X-23 replies coolly “I know” and shoots the gun into a nearby snow bank. This creates a miniature avalanche that buries them both. X-23 is the first to emerge and makes good her escape.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The interrogation continues as they ask the name of the young girl in the other side of the locket. It is Megan, Sarah Kinney’s niece.
X-23: Age Fourteen.
In San Francisco, Megan awakes from a nightmare about a deranged madman who kidnapped her when she was a child. She cries out and asks for it to stop. Surrounding her bed are drawings of the man in her dreams and another figure: a dark-haired woman with claws extending from her hand.
As Megan makes her way downstairs, she overhears her mother Debbie and her mother’s boyfriend, Desmond arguing. Desmond insists that he won’t pay for another “shrink” and what Megan needs is discipline. Debbie begins to tell him what Megan needs and Megan interrupts and asks what that might be. Debbie asks her daughter if she’d like some breakfast and Megan slams the door behind her.
From across the street, X-23 watches as her “cousin” heads off to school. For the next several weeks, X-23 watches Megan, Debbie and Desmond from afar. She observes Megan’s lonely isolation and Debbie’s motherly desperation. After three weeks of watching, X-23 rings the doorbell wearing a t-shirt and looking like a normal teenaged girl. Debbie answers the door and immediately recognizes the young woman.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
X-23 sits silently in the interrogation room. One of the men in the room insists that this isn’t going to work and the other that it has to. They ask the question “What is X-23?”
X-23: Age Fourteen.
Desmond is furious as Debbie tries to explain to him what has happened. Debbie tries to apologize and explain that the situation is complicated. Megan arrives and asks what’s going on. Debbie struggles for words and finally just tells Megan that they have a guest, her cousin. Megan is surprised by this news. She finds X-23 in her room looking at the drawings that adorn her wall. Megan gets angry and tells her to get out. X-23 asks Megan why she draws the man who took her. Megan tells X-23 that he’s not real, except in her nightmares. X-23 replies that he is real and that she killed him. Megan begins to cry.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
Again the men in shadows ask the question, “Who is X-23?” One of the men asks if he can ask the question and the other replies, “Go ahead.” The man, Matt Murdock asks “Who was X-23?” to which X-23 replies, “He knows what I was…” Captain America looks down on the young girl and says flatly “She was a weapon.”
Characters: Anole
Bobby Soul
Cameron Palmer
Captain America
Captain Universe
Catiana
Cyclops
Daredevil
Desmond Alexander
DJ
Domino
Dr. Sarah Kinney
Dr. Zander Rice
Dust
Elixir
Emma Frost
Gamesmaster
Hellion
Henry Sutter
Jubilee
Kiden Nixon
Kimura
Lady Deathstrike
Lil' Bro
Megan Kinney
Nimrod
Psylocke
Raina
Rockslide
Storm
Surge
Wolverine
Wolverine Demon
X-23 (less...)
|
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 1 Variant Edition |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 1 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1461223009
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 1 Variant 02/07 "The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US $3.99
Writer(s): Marjorie (more...)X-23 Target X 1 Variant 02/07 "The Killing Dream, Part 1"
Cover Price: US $3.99
Writer(s): Marjorie M. Liu
Penciller(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Inker(s): Will Conrad - 'Vilmar Nunes Conrado'
Colorist(s): John Rauch
Letterer(s): Virtual Calligraphy, Cory Petit
Editor(s): Jeanine Schaefer, Joe Quesada, Jody LeHeup, Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Danni Shinya Luo
Synopsis: X-23: Age Fifteen.
She sits in an interrogation room wearing an X-Men jacket. She has a bag over her head and her mouth is taped shut. A light comes on and the bag and tape are removed. A man asks twice “Are you X-23?”
X-23: Age Eleven.
X-23 is put through a Weapon X training sequence. A hologram of the original Weapon X appears. X-23 shadows its movements perfectly as a pair of cyborg wolves attacks her. In a control booth above, Dr. Zander Rice, Dr. Martin Sutter and Dr. Sarah Kinney observe her progress. She is initially within .09n percent synchronicity with Weapon X. Zander goads Dr. Kinney saying that as a clone she should match his moves perfectly. Sarah tells him to shut up and Dr. Sutter says that X-23’s performances will determine whether their efforts to create her have been a waste of time or not. Sarah tries to tell him that she’s only a little girl and Zander reminds her once more that they’re here to build weapons not Girl Scouts. Sarah tells him to go to hell.
Behind the trio of scientists, X-23’s handler, Kimura watches the training as well. X-23 is momentarily overcome by the wolves and falls out of sync with the Weapon X hologram. Dr. Rice barks at her to resume her position but before she can do so he unleashes the next attacker: a cyberneticly enhanced grizzly bear. The bear tosses her away like a rag doll and Dr. Kinney begs him to stop the program. He notes that getting tossed like that has to be considered out of sync with program parameters.
X-23 tries to return to the hologram and is again swatted away by the bear. Dr. Kinney begs her superior, Dr. Sutter to stop the sequence before x-23 is killed. Sutter coldly replies that if she fails here, she’s no good to him anyway and orders Zander to increase the bear’s adrenaline levels. The bear advances on X-23. She kicks up from where she lies on the ground, driving her foot claw into the bears mouth and up into its brain.
Sutter is impressed by X-23’s ability to improvise and upon comparing her fight time with that of the original Weapon X finds that she defeated the bear in significantly less time than it took her predecessor. Sutter is pleased but Dr. Rice notes that she was outside mission parameters. Sutter tells him that doesn’t matter and to prepare the girl for a field test. He assigns her to the Candidate Johnson assassination. Kimura watches X-23 closely as she approaches the Weapon X hologram.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The question is repeated: “Are you X-23?” to which the girl bound to the metal chair replies “No.” One of her interrogators confirms that she is telling the truth and the other insists that that’s not possible. He holds out a locket and asks who the woman in the photo inside is. X-23 replies that it is Doctor Sarah Kinney, her mother.
X-23: Age Thirteen.
Dr. Sarah Kinney lies in a pool of blood on the snowy grounds of the Facility. X-23 begs her not to leave her and to wake up. She asks her “What is my mission?” X-23 remains by her “mother’s” side for a long time despite the bitter cold. The sound of approaching helicopters forces her to her feet. She gathers the scattered notes and journals that lie strewn about Dr. Kinney’s body. She begins to walk away and then returns to Sarah’s lifeless body to wipe the tears from her empty eyes.
The circling copters easily tracks X-23 and send a small squad of troops to intercept her on the ground. She easily takes out three of them mere moments after they hit the ground. Using one of their assault rifles, she takes out one of the helicopter pilots. The copter explodes magnificently in the forest near her.
As she continues her flight from the Facility, she is suddenly hit by a series of crossbow bolts. She immediately recognizes the source: Kimura. X-23’s handler steps boldly towards her and asks if she really thought they were going to let her get away. She says that she’s going to take X-23 back in. X-23 lunges for Kimura’s gun and Kimura reminds the young clone that there’s no way that X-23 can hurt her. X-23 replies coolly “I know” and shoots the gun into a nearby snow bank. This creates a miniature avalanche that buries them both. X-23 is the first to emerge and makes good her escape.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
The interrogation continues as they ask the name of the young girl in the other side of the locket. It is Megan, Sarah Kinney’s niece.
X-23: Age Fourteen.
In San Francisco, Megan awakes from a nightmare about a deranged madman who kidnapped her when she was a child. She cries out and asks for it to stop. Surrounding her bed are drawings of the man in her dreams and another figure: a dark-haired woman with claws extending from her hand.
As Megan makes her way downstairs, she overhears her mother Debbie and her mother’s boyfriend, Desmond arguing. Desmond insists that he won’t pay for another “shrink” and what Megan needs is discipline. Debbie begins to tell him what Megan needs and Megan interrupts and asks what that might be. Debbie asks her daughter if she’d like some breakfast and Megan slams the door behind her.
From across the street, X-23 watches as her “cousin” heads off to school. For the next several weeks, X-23 watches Megan, Debbie and Desmond from afar. She observes Megan’s lonely isolation and Debbie’s motherly desperation. After three weeks of watching, X-23 rings the doorbell wearing a t-shirt and looking like a normal teenaged girl. Debbie answers the door and immediately recognizes the young woman.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
X-23 sits silently in the interrogation room. One of the men in the room insists that this isn’t going to work and the other that it has to. They ask the question “What is X-23?”
X-23: Age Fourteen.
Desmond is furious as Debbie tries to explain to him what has happened. Debbie tries to apologize and explain that the situation is complicated. Megan arrives and asks what’s going on. Debbie struggles for words and finally just tells Megan that they have a guest, her cousin. Megan is surprised by this news. She finds X-23 in her room looking at the drawings that adorn her wall. Megan gets angry and tells her to get out. X-23 asks Megan why she draws the man who took her. Megan tells X-23 that he’s not real, except in her nightmares. X-23 replies that he is real and that she killed him. Megan begins to cry.
X-23: Age Fifteen.
Again the men in shadows ask the question, “Who is X-23?” One of the men asks if he can ask the question and the other replies, “Go ahead.” The man, Matt Murdock asks “Who was X-23?” to which X-23 replies, “He knows what I was…” Captain America looks down on the young girl and says flatly “She was a weapon.”
Characters: Anole
Bobby Soul
Cameron Palmer
Captain America
Captain Universe
Catiana
Cyclops
Daredevil
Desmond Alexander
DJ
Domino
Dr. Sarah Kinney
Dr. Zander Rice
Dust
Elixir
Emma Frost
Gamesmaster
Hellion
Henry Sutter
Jubilee
Kiden Nixon
Kimura
Lady Deathstrike
Lil' Bro
Megan Kinney
Nimrod
Psylocke
Raina
Rockslide
Storm
Surge
Wolverine
Wolverine Demon
X-23 (less...)
|
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 2 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 2 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0746923011
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 2 02/07 Signed by Mike Choi on 04/18/07 "Part Two"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher (more...)X-23 Target X 2 02/07 Signed by Mike Choi on 04/18/07 "Part Two"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle
Penciller(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Inker(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Colorist(s): Sonia Oback
Letterer(s): Troy Peteri - 'Comicraft/TP'
Editor(s): Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Synopsis: Captain America hands Matt Murdock the report on the assassination of presidential candidate Greg Johnson. It details the precise and professional manner in which each victim was killed, twenty-seven in all including Johnson’s teenaged sons. Stunned by the gruesome thoroughness of the entire operation, Murdock asks why. Wide-eyed but far from innocent, X-23 answers “It was my mission”.
Four years earlier…
Captain America arrives with a squad of SHIELD agents after receiving a tip about an assassination attempt on presidential candidate Greg Johnson. Cap leads the squad into action after shots are fired with SHIELD director Nick Fury advising via comlink. Fury is insistent that they catch the would-be assassin. As Cap makes it to the room where Johnson is, agents greet him with grim news: Johnson and his entire family and campaign entourage are dead. Cap enters the room to see the eviscerated bodies of the slain.
As he surveys the carnage, Cap hears a whimper. He scrambles through the corpses until he finds the body of a young girl with leg braces. She asks him to please help her. As he carries the girl to safety, he fails to even consider that she might be the assassin. He also overlooks a camera on the ground that captured an image of the girl slaying Johnson. Cap gets the girl to an ambulance and assures her that she’ll be okay.
A SHIELD agent approaches and reports that an EMP took at surveillance before the hit but that the building is locked down and no one has left since then. Cap thinks to ask the sole survivor what she may have seen and looks over at the ambulance. When he sees blood dripping from inside the vehicle, he immediately realizes that the girl was the killer and he had let her get away.
In the interrogation room, Cap confesses his role in this situation to Matt Murdock who recognizes that Cap feels personally responsible. Cap tells Matt that he holds himself personally responsible for every single life that X-23 has taken since that day. Murdock tries to tell Cap that his personal investment is too great but the Star-Spangled Avenger insists that they continue.
He asks X-23 what happened in San Francisco with Megan after she verified the girl’s claim of being abducted. X-23 tells them that Megan wanted her to tell her mother that it was all true.
One year earlier…
Megan demands that Laura tell her mother and Desmond the truth about her being kidnapped. Laura acts as if she has no idea what Megan is referring to. Desperate, Megan begs Laura to tell them how she killed the man who took her, that he was real. Debbie pleads with Megan to calm down, while Megan begs X-23 to tell them that she’s not crazy. Megan runs away, upset by Laura’s refusal to talk. Debbie is concerned about Megan but Desmond blows it off as just another tantrum. Debbie begins to explain to Laura but can’t. Instead, she takes her upstairs to get her settled in. She tells her she can borrow some of Megan’s clothes until they can get her some of her own. Laura is pleased when she sees the wilder fashions that Megan insists on wearing.
The next day Laura is ready for school, dressed in a racy outfit from Megan’s closet. Her Aunt Debbie asks if she’s sure she wants to wear that and Laura assures her that she is. Debbie says they’ll figure out someway to get her enrolled in school and asks awkwardly if she has a birth certificate. Laura tells her that she has seven of them as she identifies Megan’s scent. She tells her aunt that she knows the way to school and can find her own way. Debbie tries to insist but X-23 merely thanks her and takes off after Megan.
She finds her cousin alone on a pier. Megan has been crying and asks why X-23 didn’t tell them the truth. X-23 explains that when she saw Megan’s drawings she assumed Megan remembered everything. Had she realized that she only had vague recollections, she wouldn’t have confirmed the veracity of them. She tells Megan that she is safer not knowing the full truth as those who made her might come looking for her. Megan is surprised to hear this and asks Laura what she is.
In response, Laura pops her claws causing Megan to gasp. She tells Megan that if anyone knew she was there they would kill Megan and her mother to get to her, so no one must know. Megan agrees as Laura sheathes her claws. She tells Megan that they should get to school as she doesn’t like to be late.
As they arrive at school, Megan is enthusiastically asking for details about X-23’s claws. As they make their way down the hall, they are taunted by jeers. Terms like “freaks”, “Goths” and “Sluts” are bandied about. A pair of jocks stops Megan and teases her about her new ‘friend’. When a young boy named Henessey grabs Megan’s arm, X-23 tells him fiercely to let her go. He asks if she’s going to hurt him if he doesn’t and she answers yes. Megan pulls Laura away as the jock notes that she’s kind of hot for a freak.
In French class, the teacher notes the arrival of his new pupil and asks in French if she has any familiarity with the Romance languages. X-23 answers “oui” and he snottily asks if she can say more than “yes”. Laura rises and in perfect French gives him a lengthy and detailed explanation of how to bribe and torture international peace officers while obtaining information. This lands Laura and Megan in the principal’s office.
At lunch, Megan tells Laura that until she came along no one believed her about being abducted and thought she made it up to get attention. Even her mother thought she was crazy. Laura tells her that she doesn’t think she’s crazy at all. Megan tells Laura that she’s her only friend.
Later in biology class, Laura corrects the teacher when he gives incorrect information about the amount of blood in the human body. He chides her for interrupting his lesson and asks if she has any other trivia about the human body to share. She stands and shares with the class details on the most effective way to kill a person without leaving a trace. This leads to a second trip to the principal’s office for her and Megan.
The principal unleashes a tirade on the two girls about the topics that X-23 has brought up in class and the disruption they’ve caused. She assures the girls that they are nothing special and undeserving of the attention they are clearly seeking. She shouts at them and asks if they are even listening. Laura rises and shouts back at the principal, reiterating word for word everything she has said since they entered the office to prove that she was listening. This gets both girls suspended.
As they leave the school, Megan is amazed at what Laura did and comments on how her mom is going to kill her. X-23 asks what sort of training her mother has. Megan says off-hand that she wishes they could just run away and Laura agrees. Megan notes that they don’t have a car as Laura eyes the principal’s convertible. Moments later, the girls are joy-riding throughout San Francisco.
They spend the day exploring the city, enjoying a museum, a movie, shopping and even drive out to a nearby amusement park. Laura provides cash to buy jewelry at Tiffany’s after which the girls take in a Dazzler concert! They stay out all night and watch the sun rise at Fisherman’s Wharf. Laura tells Megan about her life and confesses that she was forced by those who made her to kill her mother. She explains that her creators made a scent that triggers a blackout and when she wakes up, everyone around her is dead. Megan tells her that she’s sorry and Laura tells her that she is too.
When the girls return home, Debbie is furious having spent the whole night trying to find them. Megan stops her mother and tells her that she’s sorry… for everything. Debbie hugs her daughter and Megan promises that things are going to be better now.
The present:
In the interrogation room, Captain America guesses that things didn’t end up being better and X-23 confirms this. She explains that she followed the proper protocols and was careful but that they had already found her and were going to make her kill Megan. She didn’t even realize it.
As Megan and her mother were patching things up, Debbie’s boyfriend Desmond drove to a desolated part of the city where a man gave him an envelope and told him to call in. He reports that he almost lost her and that he can’t take X-23 down on his own. He opens the envelope and inside is a vial marked “TRIGGER”.
Characters: Captain America
Daredevil
Deborah Kinney
Desmond Alexander
Megan Kinney
X-23 (less...)
|
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 3 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 3 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0308510023
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 3 02/07 (Self Submission) "Part Three"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, (more...)X-23 Target X 3 02/07 (Self Submission) "Part Three"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle
Penciller(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Inker(s): Sonia Oback
Colorist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Letterer(s): Troy Peteri - 'Comicraft/TP'
Editor(s): Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Synopsis: While being interrogated by Capt. America and Matt Murdock, X-23 details how the Facility conditioned her to respond to the “trigger scent” by torturing her regularly from the tender age of eight. When she was fourteen, she was sent on a paid assignment for the Kingpin. She posed as the Kingpin’s niece and was kidnapped by a rival crime boss with invisibility powers called DiLorenzo. The trigger scent was used to mark DiLorenzo and X-23 easily killed the man. This was the start of a profitable business relationship between the Facility and the Kingpin. When asked by Cap which other targets the trigger scent was used on, X-23 reveals that they used the scent on both her sensei and her mother. Cap then realizes that it was also used on Megan and Debbie. Desmond, an operative for the Facility who had been assigned to get close to X-23’s aunt Debbie had spiked her tea with the trigger scent. When Megan arrived home, the tea spilled all over Desmond and a bit got onto her as she was helping him to his feet. Desmond panicked when he realized that he had been marked by the scent. In his panic, he demanded to know where X-23 was. Megan was surprised that he knew this name. She had no time to put the pieces together and realize how Desmond might know it. Laura had already smelled the trigger scent and was standing in the doorway, her eyes red as she entered the trance-like killing frenzy induced by the scent.
Characters: Beast
Captain America
Daredevil
Deborah Kinney
Desmond Alexander
Dr. Sarah Kinney
Dr. Zander Rice
Fade
Kimura
Kingpin
Megan Kinney
Tanaka Sensei
Wolverine
X-23 (less...)
|
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 4 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 4 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0285370004
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 5 05/07 (Self Submission) "Part Four"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, (more...)X-23 Target X 5 05/07 (Self Submission) "Part Four"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle
Penciller(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Inker(s): Sonia Oback
Colorist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Letterer(s): Troy Peteri - 'Comicraft/TP'
Editor(s): Michael O'Connor, Daniel Ketchum, Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Synopsis: Captain America asks X-23 if she killed her aunt and cousin. Matt Murdock jumps in and tells Cap that she was under the influence of a mind-controlling drug and cannot be held responsible. Cap tells Matt that despite that people are dead and he has to understand what happened and that it will be up to someone else to decide what X-23 will be held responsible for. He asks her what happened when the tea spilled on Megan and Desmond.
One year earlier…
As X-23 pops her claws, Desmond immediately realizes what is happening and begins to panic. Megan, on the other hand, is bewildered by Laura’s behavior. Desmond calls Kimura on his cell phone and begs her to abort the mission and evac him immediately. Megan asks what he means by mission and he pushes her aside.
As he screams into the phone for help, X-23 leaps at him. She lands on his back and in seconds he is dead. As he cries out, Debbie who is upstairs in bed is startled and spills her tea. Megan cries out for Laura to stop but she doesn’t. As Megan watches her kill Desmond, she recalls the story that Laura told her about killing her mother while under the influence of the Trigger Scent. Megan quickly surmises that the tea was laced with the stuff and rushes upstairs.
She cries out for her mom and asks her franticly if she drank the tea. Debbie tells her that she spilled it and Megan takes her by the hand and hurries her into the bathroom.
X-23 makes her way up the stairs in search of her next target. Megan slams and locks the bathroom door and Laura’s slice come slashing through it. Megan is stammering to her mother that they have to get out of there and Debbie is confused by all that is happening.
Turning to the window, Megan sees the shower. X-23 is cutting the door to pieces to get to them. Megan thinks fast and shoves her mother into the shower. They both scream as X-23 bursts through the door, and yanks back the shower curtain.
As X-23 pulls back for a full force attack, the last of the Trigger Scent is washed from Megan and Debbie’s bodies and swirls into the drain. X-23 sniffs and her eyes clear. She stops and then realizes that Kimura is here and coming for them.
Nearby, Kimura reports in that Desmond is dead and they are going to have to do this the hard way. At her command, a small contingent of armored troops makes their way towards Debbie’s home.
present:
Captain America interrupts X-23’s tale and asks her who Kimura is since she has now mentioned her twice. X-23 recounts the story of their first meeting.
X-23: Age twelve….
Just days after her claws were surgically removed and laced with adamantium, Dr. Rice enters X-23’s room and introduces her to Kimura. The older woman stands imperiously over X-23. When Rice orders x-23 to kill Kimura, she strikes without hesitation. Her blows do nothing to the woman, who simply stands there and takes it.
Rice taunts X-23, ordering her again and again to kill Kimura. Finally, Kimura blocks X-23’s blow. Rice sneers and tells X-23 that she has failed to follow his orders and must be punished. He signals Kimura who smiles sadistically and says “hi, sweetie” before viciously head-butting X-23. She then proceeds to pummel on Laura until Rice tells her to stop.
He then tells X-23 that Kimura will be her handler from now on and that if she fails to complete an order or disobeys him in any way, she will answer to Kimura. He tells X-23 that she can’t hurt or kill Kimura who they made just for her.
X-23 explains that Kimura was there when they the first tested the Trigger Scent and forced X-23 to kill her sensei. They chose her sensei because he had disobeyed orders by being kind to X-23. This was their way of punishing him. As X-23 grieved for her sensei and realized what they had forced her to do and why, Kimura dragged her away by the hair to punish her for her role in all of this.
She notes that Kimura always punished her even when she had not failed. When she failed to rendez-vous at the assigned time following a mission, Kimura relished this and took the opportunity to punish X-23. In other instances, Rice lied just to create a reason for further punishment at Kimura’s hands.
present:
Both Cap and Matt Murdock are disgusted by the lengths that Rice went to manipulate and control X-23. Cap asks if Kimura was a mutant whose mutation allowed her to withstand X-23’s claws. Laura tells him that she wasn’t but was created by the Facility as a specific counter to her abilities. Cap brings the interrogation back to the night that Debbie and Megan died.
past:
As X-23 leads Debbie and Megan downstairs, Megan mentions that Desmond said he was on a mission. She asks what’s going on and if Laura’s creators were after her. Debbie asks Megan what she means about Desmond just as they come upon his dead body in the foyer. Debbie begins to freak out and Megan asks Laura to help her with her mother. X-23 punches Debbie in the jaw and knocks her out with a single blow.
Megan asks Laura why she did that and Laura hurriedly explains that they are coming there to kill the two of them. At that moment, a tear gas bomb crashes through the living room window. Megan asks if it’s anthrax as X-23 leads them into the basement. She then uses her claws to slice through a water pipe. She tells Megan to stay down here no matter what she hears and to not make a sound. Megan agrees though she is freezing and unclear on what Laura is doing or why.
Upstairs, armored goons enter the building and scan for targets using infrared devices. They pick up life-signs in the basement but conclude that the body temperatures are too low to be human. X-23 takes one out from behind and then braces herself against the ceiling above a doorway in an adjoining bedroom in order to take out a second. She then takes out a third in the bathroom.
A pair of troops sees this and opens fire. They report this to Kimura who sarcastically wishes them luck in taking her down themselves. X-23 dives into the kitchen and then kills the two men by hurling meat cleavers at their faces.
Downstairs, Megan can hear the sounds of battle and is frightened when the basement door swings open. The armored troop stands there a moment before falling down the stairs. He lands at Megan’s feet, several knives are sticking out of his neck.
The battle continues upstairs as X-23 uses the claws on her hands and feet to take out four goons at once. She stops to assess the field of battle and catch her breath. In that moment of pause, Kimura grabs her from behind and snaps her neck. She smiles sadistically and greets X-23. She asks “Did you miss me?” as X-23 falls to the floor.
Characters: Captain America
Daredevil
Deborah Kinney
Desmond Alexander
Dr. Zander Rice
Kimura
Megan Kinney
Tanaka Sensei
X-23 (less...)
|
| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 5 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 5 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0285370005
|
Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 6 06/07 (Self Submission) "Part Five"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, (more...)X-23 Target X 6 06/07 (Self Submission) "Part Five"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle
Penciller(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Inker(s): Sonia Oback
Colorist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Letterer(s): Troy Peteri - 'Comicraft/TP'
Editor(s): Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Synopsis: X-23’s interrogation by Captain America and Matthew Murdock continues.
X-23’s narration:
She tells them that Kimura found her living at the home of her aunt, Debbie Kinney. X-23 defeated Kimura’s troops but was no match for Kimura who broke her neck. Kimura asks X-23 how many people she will have to kill before she will finally accept that she is not a person but a weapon. She mentions her sensei, Tanaka and her creator Sarah Kinney before saying that now she’s going to have to kill her new family in San Francisco. She handcuffs X-23’s wrist to hers and drags her into the basement so she can watch her aunt and cousin die.
Megan hears them enter and is horrified to see what Kimura has done to Laura. Kimura smiles sweetly and says hi to Megan as she levels her crossbow at the girl.
As Kimura fires a bolt at Megan, X-23 reacts and slices it into pieces before it can hit Megan. She tries to cut herself free of the handcuffs but they too are made of adamantium. Kimura says that she’s now going to have to kill Megan with her bare hands. X-23 fights back, kicking and punching Kimura relentlessly. Kimura is unhurt and reminds X-23 that striking her handler is against the rules and warrants an appropriate punishment. She reminds X-23 that there’s nothing she can do to hurt her and that she’ll never beat her. She then takes a piece of wood and savagely beats on X-23 to reinforce her point.
Megan cries out for Kimura to stop and tells her that she’s killing her. Kimura corrects Megan and that it’s really her that she’ll be killing and that X-23 has to watch. Kimura slams X-23 to the ground and holds her there by placing her boot on her throat. She then asks X-23 if she should shove one of her indestructible fingers into Megan’s brain or into her heart. She wants X-23 to be the one to decide.
X-23 begs Kimura not to do this. She promises to return to the Facility and do whatever she’s told, if she doesn’t kill them. Kimura tells her that she’s going to do both those things anyway and that Megan is going to die. She then begins to press her finger into Megan’s chest. She tells X-23 that she could end Megan’s suffering by killing her herself. It would be swift and merciful, unlike this. As Kimura’s finger punctures her skin, Megan screams in pain. This wakes Debbie. Kimura admits that she forgot about her and tells her that she’s next. Kimura asks X-23 again what it’s going to be and X-23 pops her claws. Megan gasps in horror.
Present:
Matt Murdock is shocked to hear this and asks X-23 is she killed Megan. She replies that she didn’t. Instead, she used her claws to cut off her own hand. This freed her from the adamantium handcuffs.
X-23’s narration:
Kimura can’t help but be impressed by X-23’s cleverness. She begins to lunge for X-23 but finds that Laura has handcuffed her to a pipe. Kimura shouts at X-23 that this isn’t over and that she will kill her for this.
X-23 orders Megan to go upstairs and tells her that she has three minutes to pack the essentials before they leave. X-23 reattaches her hand so that it can begin to heal as Megan and Debbie head upstairs. Kimura rants that she will not rest until Debbie and Megan are both dead. She tells X-23 that she will personally kill everyone that she loves.
Present:
X-23 tells Murdock and Cap that Kimura meant it and she knew that eventually, Kimura would find them. She decided that she couldn’t let that happen.
Murdock asks what she did and Cap interrupts and offers to explain it.
X-23 listened as Kimura threatened to kill her. She then sliced through the pipe and turned on an overhead light bulb. Together, this caused an explosion that destroyed the house. Cap explains how SHIELD responded after the fire department found the remains of 27 men and remnants of advanced technology.
X-23 asks if they found Kimura’s body and cap replies that they did not. X realizes that this means Kimura is still out there. Murdock asks how Megan and Debbie were after all this. X-23 explains that Megan was okay and Debbie was sad. As they were driving away, Debbie asked Laura to stop the car. Debbie showed her a photograph that Sarah Kinney had taken of her at the Facility when she was around seven years old. Sarah had given her sister the picture and explained that she needed to get her daughter away from where she was living. At the time, Debbie had assumed that Sarah was simply in a bad relationship. She explains to X-23 that she couldn’t have imagined the truth of the situation. She tells X-23 that she saw something in her sister that day that she hadn’t seen in a long time. Sarah had truly loved Laura. Debbie told X-23 that she was the first person Sarah had managed to love since she was abused by their father as a child. Sarah’s love for Laura had saved her from all that and now Laura had saved them too. Debbie hugged X-23 and thanked her. Laura simply replied “You are welcome.”
Narration:
Laura drove them to Sacramento where she doctored the passports that her mother had created so that Debbie and Megan could use them. Megan asks if she’ll need one and X-23 replies no. A few days later, Laura takes them to the Canadian border. She gives them detailed instructions on where to find a safehouse and some money to start a new life. She tells them to keep moving for the first month and alternate their cover stories as they go. Megan realizes that Laura doesn’t intend to go with them.
Laura explains that she can’t join them because the Facility and Kimura will never stop until they have her. This is the only way they have a chance at surviving. Debbie seems to understand and tells Laura how much they love her and that they’ll miss her. Megan asks how Laura will find them. Laura cannot look at her and simply turns and says good-bye. Megan tells her to wait and gives her a locket. Inside is a picture of her mother, Sarah and one of Megan herself. Laura hugs Megan fiercely and says thank you. She walks away, leaving her aunt and cousin behind forever.
present:
Matt asks where she went from there and X-23 replies that she went after him… the one who started it all and made her a weapon and a killer. She went looking for Wolverine at the Xavier Institute.
Characters: Captain America
Daredevil
Deborah Kinney
Dr. Sarah Kinney
Kimura
Megan Kinney
X-23 (less...)
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| Slot: |
X-23: Target X 6 |
| Item: |
X-23: Target X 6 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0285370006
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Owner Comments
X-23 Target X 6 07/07 (Self Submission) "Part Six"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, (more...)X-23 Target X 6 07/07 (Self Submission) "Part Six"
Cover Price: US $2.99
Writer(s): Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle
Penciller(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Inker(s): Michael 'Mike' Choi
Colorist(s): Sonia Oback
Letterer(s): Troy Peteri - 'Comicraft/TP'
Editor(s): Axel Alonso
Cover Artist(s): Sonia Oback, Michael 'Mike' Choi
Synopsis: Captain America and Matt Murdock continue their interrogation of X-23. Cap begins to ask her about her visit to the Xavier Institute and asks if she was looking for Wolverine. She replies yes and he asks why. Meanwhile, Murdock “looks” over the evidence that they have gathered, including Laura’s personal effects. This includes the locket her cousin Megan gave her, a tattered copy of Pinocchio, bloodied letters from her mother, a gun, piles of cash and more. Matt interrupts and picks up the book, asking the others if it’s Pinocchio. X-23 says yes and tells them that her mother used to read it to her. Murdock asks her if she ever said why she read that particular book and X-23 replies no. He touches the letters which are covered in blood and states that he can’t read them. Laura tells him that they’re letters from her mother but that there was so much blood on them that the words were washed away. Cap interrupts and suggests they wrap up this interview. He asks X-23 what happened at Xavier’s school.
X-23’s narration:
X-23 explains that it took her a while to find Logan as there were so many mutants at the school. When she did find him, he wasn’t alone. She watches for weeks, carefully avoiding detection by the nine telepaths living at the Institute. On her twenty-fourth day observing the school, the wind shifted and Logan caught wind of her. That night he left the Institute on his motorcycle and X-23 followed him.
She finds him camping out near the Canadian border. Without turning around, he said to her “Quit messing around, kid” and notes that he caught her scent an hour earlier.
X-23 pops her claws and jumps down from her perch. Logan tries to calm her and tells her they don’t have to do this the hard way. X-23 lunges at him and he back-steps to avoid her claws. She advances and he continues to dodge without retaliating. She then pops her foot claw and catches him by surprise. He blocks her next attack and tells her to stop since she knows that he’ll just heal from any wounds she inflicts.
She finally connects and slices through his neck. Her next blow cuts his leg. Logan pushes her away and takes off his jacket. He tells her that if she won’t listen then he’ll make her listen and he pops his claws.
They both charge at each other. Wolverine misses, X-23 doesn’t. She drives her claws deep into his chest. She then grabs a handful of dirt and rocks and shoves it into the open wound as Logan tries to recover. He tells her it stings but assures her he isn’t going to die from an infection. She says nothing but continues her attack pattern, cutting him deep with one hand and forcing gravel into the wound with the other. Logan cries out in pain and asks if she’s trying to annoy him to death. X-23 doesn’t speak and continues her assault.
Her next blow is to the neck and again she clogs it with a handful of earth. Logan throws her off him and asks what’s wrong with her. He then realizes that his wounds are not closing up and that she’s trying to bleed him out.
His astonishment gives X-23 another opening and she takes it, slicing him across the face with her foot talon. He falls to the ground and X-23 pounces on top of him and places her fists to his throat, ready to pop her claws.
He wryly says that he’s starting to think she’s “got a beef” with him. She tells him to shut up and that it’s over for both of them. He asks why. She yells at him that they are weapons and that they have to be destroyed. He tells her that if she’s set on killing him, then do it, but he refuses to let her kill herself. He positions her claws under his throat again. X-23 is confused and says that they both have to die. Logan replies that that may be true of him, but not her. He tells her that she didn’t choose this life and there was nothing she could have done to prevent what happened.
X-23 begins to tear up and says that it has to stop and she has to die. Logan tells her to look at him and tells her that her mother sent him a copy of the letters she wrote for X-23. He knows what happened and that none of it was her fault. Laura begins to cry and tells him that they made her kill her mother too. Logan tells her that he’s sorry and calls her by her name: Laura.
A while later, X-23 and Logan are sitting around the campfire talking. She is wearing his X-Men jacket. Logan explains that by the time he received Sarah’s letters, X-23 had left the facility. He tells her that no one, especially a child, should have to go through what she did. But now she has a choice. He tells her that her mother’s letters are in the inside pocket of his jacket. She gets to choose to be what the Facility wanted her to be, or what her mother dreamed she could be. He tells her he knows that it won’t be easy or quick to overcome all she’s endured but that there’s a guy at the Xavier Institute who could help her like he’s helped him. She tells him that they’ll come for her, even at the Institute. He tells them they’d find a world of hurt waiting for them if they tried.
Their heart-to-heart is interrupted by approaching helicopters. X-23 pops her claws thinking it’s the Facility who has found them. Wolverine tells her it’s worse than that… it’s the good guys. A pair of SHIELD assault copters drops from the sky. The agents aboard receive orders to take them down.
Logan tells X-23 to get out of there as the SHIELD agents open fire. He dives in front of X-23 and is ripped apart by the spray of bullets. He yells at her to run. She hesitates for a moment and then flees. As she runs away, she is hit by Captain America’s shield. He places it on her back and steps on it, announcing that she is under arrest.
The recent past:
Later in New York City, Daredevil returns from a night of patrolling to find his phone ringing. Captain America is on the other end of the line and asks for a favor. He needs him to meet him immediately. This leads to the intense interrogation of X-23.
The present:
At its conclusion, Murdock tells Cap that he should have left X-23 with Wolverine as this was her best chance for a normal life. Cap is surprised and points out that she is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Matt holds up Sarah’s letters and asks Cap if he read them. He tells Cap that it’s a confession written by one of the people who are truly responsible for all those deaths. He notes that Sarah claimed responsibility for every murder committed by X-23 including the executions of the other guilty parties from the Facility.
Cap says that that doesn’t change anything and Murdock argues that it changes everything. He tells Cap that all the people he’s after are dead already and that Laura was as much a victim as any of the people she was forced to kill. Cap argues that she can’t be set free and has to be held accountable.
X-23 sits there, listening to them arguing her fate as if she wasn’t there. Matt asks Cap what he thinks SHIELD will do with her. He says that giving them X-23 would be like handing them a weapon and that they’d use her too. Cap says that the conversation is over and grabs X-23 by the handcuffs.
Matt steps in and says that speaking as her lawyer, he cannot allow this. Cap gets in Matt’s face and says “Don’t do this.” He tells Matt that he needed him there to verify that she wasn’t lying and that now that she’s confessed she has to face justice. Matt argues that she won’t find any justice and tells Cap that he’s wrong on this one. Cap apologizes for involving Matt and realizes it was a mistake. Matt tries to tell Cap that they can still fix this but Cap just walks away with X-23 in tow.
Cap drives X-23 to a SHIELD substation and is ready to turn her over to them. He tells her he has no other choice and can’t just let her go. Then he looks at her for a long moment. Perhaps he sees her for the first time, not as a weapon or as a killer but as a girl who never got the chance to be anything but what she was created to be.
A short time later, Cap puts X-23 on a bus. She asks why he’s doing this and he explains that when they first met after her assassination of a presidential hopeful and his entire family and campaign team, he made a mistake and she ended up back in the hands of those who created her. He realizes if he turns her in, others will use her in the same way and he can’t let that happen. He says that he’s not sure she can build a normal life for herself but he has to give her that chance. He tells her that Matt was right and she should find Logan.
X-23 thanks him and gets on the bus. As she boards, she sees a mother and her son doing flashcards. The boy smiles at her and she smiles back. The mom asks him what the word is for a bird’s foot claw and he hesitates a moment, then remembers that it’s called a “talon”. Laura pulls her mother’s letters out of her bag and begins to read them. They begin as a plea for forgiveness for all she has done. She acknowledges that these things can never truly be forgiven and that all she can do is tell her daughter the truth of what happened. As the bus pulls away, Laura begins to cry.
Characters: Captain America
Daredevil
Emma Frost
Jean Grey
Wolverine
X-23
(less...)
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