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Cover: Logan looking in the mirror, his reflection cut in half. The left side, him in his Weapon X uniform. The right side is a man who looks just like him, but with shorter hair and in an army uniform.

"Huf, huf, huf, huf."

Explosions shook the ground as Logan raced forward. He was dressed in simple army fatigues and a Thompson SMG lay on his back, attached by a leather strap thrown over his shoulders. Sweat poured down his pale voice as he traversed the rough forest.

Somewhere to Logan's right, a man screamed. He didn't have time to react, to think, he kept running. He couldn't stop. If he did, he'd never have a chance. He'd never have a chance to get home…

…To get to his wife and son.

Logan heard a brief whistling noise before feeling a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He'd been shot. Damn, did it hurt, but he couldn't stop. He kept running. Guilt, fear and pain couldn't keep him from returning home. He was going to survive.

Someone's voice rang through his head, "It's a suicide mission. Once you're in, there's no way out. We've already ordered a casket for you boys. You'll be honored in death, and your family's repaid immensely. All that's left for you to worry about is the mission…isn't that right, James?"

James…who the hell was James? Suddenly, another sharp pain, this time in Logan's thigh. He fell to the ground. Logan cried out in pain. A shadow overtook his vision; someone was standing in front of him.

When Logan looked up, all he saw was the end of a barrel of a gun. No, this couldn't be the end! He knew the mission was supposed to be suicide, but he'd taken that as a joke. He had to get home. He'd abandoned her…he had to tell her he was sorry…he had to meet his baby boy! Oh God, this couldn't be the end…this couldn't…

BLAM!

Pain, insufferable pain. Logan just wanted it to end. Something…some sound rang in his ears, almost like a bird's cry. White, hot light came over his sight and suddenly all his pain was gone. Was this heaven? Was he dead? Was he…

More white light, and an intense burning sensation. Logan could almost swear he could see something else through it all…some sort of fiery bird…and then…

"AGH!"

Logan jerked awake, drenched in sweat. He glanced at his surroundings. Silver Fox turned abruptly in bed beside him, readjusting.

"What the hell…?" Logan whispered. It had all been a dream. But it couldn't have been just that. It felt like more…almost like a memory.

Logan silently slipped out of bed. Silver Fox didn't stir. She was still exhausted from their previous mission. Logan took a deep breath and went over to his simple wooden dresser, put on a raggedy white shirt and cargo pants, and left the room.

He needed to see the Professor. He needed answers.

INFINITE WOLVERINE

The Harsh Truth of Lies

Logan wandered the seemingly endless halls of The Facility. It was a large military-grade compound that seemed like something out of Greek Myths. Endless hallways leading to endless amounts of doors, all with a surprise behind them, whether it be Creed and his newest whore, Deadpool's #$%^ed up bedroom, or a lab full of experiments Logan didn't even want to think about.

At last Logan found the room The Professor always crept into during the night. No one was allowed in; no one knew what happened in there. The Professor's secrets were kept hidden behind that closed door.

Logan knocked. Nobody answered. He knocked again, this time calling, "Professor, open the #$%^ing door! We need to talk!"

Still no response. Logan tried the door. It was locked. He looked down at the lock and realized it was fairly simple, not some weird high-tech mumbo jumbo like in the rest of The Facility. With a flick of his wrist, Logan stuck his middle claw into the lock and twisted. It clicked. Logan tried the door again. It was still locked.

"What the hell…?" Logan pushed his shoulder against the door. It didn't budge. The mutant sighed, cracked his knuckles, and let his claws emerge from his hands. With a few quick swipes the door was gone, cut into shambles.

Logan entered the room. It was completely dark except for a glowing computer screen at the end of the room.

"Professor…" said Logan, "I knocked. You didn't answer…"

"…Are you even in here?"

No one replied. Logan didn't care. He approached the computer and looked intensely at its screen.

"Phoenix Phenomena…?" He searched the table in front of it for a mouse. Once he found it, he scrolled over the file and clicked it. Numerous other files appeared on the screen. The Gifted, Mutation, X-Gene, the list went on and on. Logan clicked on 'The Gifted.'

A list of names came up.

"Erik Lensherr. Namor Mackenzie. Melissa Jones. Charles Xavier. Thomas Raymond." Nearly three dozen names were listed. One in particular caught Logan's eye.

"James Howlett…" It was 'the original.' Logan's 'donor.' He clicked on the name. A dossier came onto the screen.

"James Logan Howlett, born December 12, 1915. Married to Itsu Akihiro-Howlett, deceased. Unnamed son, deceased." Logan stared off into space, "I…the original had a wife. A son."

Intrigued, Logan read on. Apparently, James' parents had died at a young age. He'd been sent to live with his grandparents, who were eventually killed in an automobile accident. At the age of 18, James moved to Japan, where he met Itsu and eventually married her. James had abandoned his wife, after finding out she was pregnant, and used the War as an excuse to do so. During the War, he'd fought with the likes of Captain America and Namor, a name he recognized from the list of 'Gifted.' After a brief paragraph detailing his leaving the war, the summary ended. No more information was kept.

"What the hell…?" Logan scrolled down the page. Nothing. Just a few scientific pieces of info like blood type and eye color. This couldn't be right…The Professor has said James had died. Surely there would be something about his death. And why the hell was James under a list of 'Gifted Individuals'? What did that even mean?

"I see you've found your way into my room."

Logan swerved around. The Professor was standing in the doorway, a frown creeping down his face.

"I was looking for answers," Logan admitted. He chose not to apologize; not to the man who had kept so much from him, "All I got were more questions. What the hell happened to James…"

"…Or should I be asking, who the hell am I really?"

The Professor's frown was replaced by a smirk, "You? You are Wolverine, the Ultimate Killer!"

Logan ran towards the Professor and grabbed onto the collar of his jacket, "Don't play games with me! Who am I?"

"I told you who you are. I told you The Truth." The Professor replied, "We are not defined as people by our genetic code, but by our actions. Your actions describe the very nature of your being, and you, as a person, are an animal. You are a Wolverine."

Logan's claws snikt'd out of his knuckles, "I'm not the animal here! You're the one that had innocent children killed!"

The Professor sighed, still rather calm despite Logan's obviously angry demeanor, "You're still upset about the last mission? Victor and Silver Fox did the right thing, you know. They saved numerous lives by ending those of the children."

"They didn't have to die!"

"I beg to differ!" Logan was tackled away from the Professor by a large brute of a man.

"Creed…" Logan growled, "Don't get into this."

"'Don't get into this?' Are you joking, Wolverine? We're all part of it! We're all part of this. This means everything. This conflict. This question. This Truth." Victor Creed chuckled like a psychotic child.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Logan. Creed was muttering nonsense, just like the Professor. All this about truths and questions…what the hell was going on?

"The Truth. That's what's 'going on.' Your truth. My truth. The Sun's White Hot Truth. That's what we're doing, protecting The Truth. Protecting it with The Truth of Lies." Victor stated.

Logan didn't care about James anymore, or Itsu, or what was his dead son. All he wanted was to get away from this crazy. All of it.

Logan sprinted out of the room. As far as he could tell, nobody followed him. He kept running, all throughout the endless hallways and rooms, till he found his way to two large steel doors: Freedom.

Two men in army fatigues approached him.

"Agent Wolver…" Logan decapitated them without a thought. In just another second he'd cut the doors open and was running for his life.

He didn't care that he was leaving Silver Fox. He didn't care that he was leaving all that he had known for the past ten years…for what could have been his entire life. He had to keep going. He had to keep running.

And run he did. For miles upon miles he ran through the wintery forest, till his healing factor couldn't heal the sores on his feet fast enough and he was forced to collapse to the ground. Within half a minute he was running again. What the hell was wrong with them? What the hell was wrong with him?

Logan stopped, his claws unsheathed. He didn't know what he was doing, where he was going? But it didn't matter, he had to get away from that. Or did he?

The man was shaken out of his thoughts by a rough, guttural noise coming from directly behind him.

"Ggrrrr…"

A large wolf stood just a few feet from him. Logan didn't say a word. He took a step to the side of the wolf. The wolf's growls only grew louder. Logan took another step. It lunged.

Logan was knocked to the ground. Blood splattered onto his face.

But it wasn't his blood. The wolf took one last breath and then died atop Logan's claws. The clawed man slid out from under the beast and pulled his adamantium claws out of the corpse.

That's when Logan heard the crying. Three wolf cubs emerged from behind where the mature wolf had once stood. Dear God…Logan had killed their mother. The wolf…it had only been protecting its young from him, a mysterious clawed man, a true murderer. Every step he'd thought he'd taken away was actually towards the wolf's kin, that was also why it hadn't moved. Maybe…maybe Logan really was an animal. Maybe he was a monster. Maybe he really was…

Wolverine.

Logan approached the three cubs. They all backed away from him, one growled. All he wanted to do was help. Logan held out his hands. One nipped him. Logan ignored the pain and the wound healed quickly.

"C'mon, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Logan bent down. One of the cubs stepped forward and sniffed his hand. Then another did. The last one did too.

After sniffing his hand for a brief amount of time, the three cubs began to gently lick it.

"…I promise I'll protect you…" Logan whispered.

BAM!

One of the cubs fell to its side, yelping while doing so. Its chest was in pieces. It died within seconds.

"What the hell?" Logan stood in front of the other two cubs.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Logan was rocketed to the ground by three immensely powerful shots. Blood exploded from his chest as he fell.

BAM! BAM!

The next two shots ended the lived of the remaining cubs, who had attempted to scurry away.

"No…" Logan growled, forcing himself through the pain to stand. The three bullets popped out of his chest as his wounds healed over, "NO!"

Logan ran towards where the bullets had come, claws unsheathed.

BAM! BAM!

One took a chunk off Logan's ear, the other hit his right arm. He pushed forward.

BAM!

This shot hit him right in his kneecap. After briefly falling to the ground, Logan began to crawl towards his attacker.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Five shots ripped through Logan's chest, right arm and head as he stood up again.

"God…damnit…" Logan cursed, coughing up blood as he did so. He made to it to his attacker. Behind a tree, dressed in his usual garb, stood Deadpool, a sniper rifle in hands.

"Hey, ol' buddy, ol' super-claw-y-assassin. Remember me?" Deadpool smirked under the mask.

Logan growled, "Wade, you made a big mistake coming after me, and an even bigger mistake killing those cubs."

"Sorry, brochacho, but the Prof told me to bring ya back and if I couldn't do that to kill ya, and those damn cubs got in the way! Plus, y'know, you have to have something to motivate you to go off on your big emotional quest and to beat the living shit out of Sabretooth!" Deadpool said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Logan took a step towards Deadpool.

"It's…" Deadpool shook his hand, "Never mind. All you need to know it's time for a…"

"…BOSS BATTLE, SUCKERS!"

Logan lunged at Deadpool, who flipped over his attack and threw away his sniper rifle, instead using two pistols. He unloaded a barrage of bullets upon Logan, who merely shrugged the attack off and cut off Deadpool's right arm.

"Hey! I can't just reattach those y'know!" Deadpool laughed sadistically as he grabbed his arm, reattached it, and fired his pistols again, "Oh wait! Yes I can!"

"Shut up!" Logan impaled 'Pool, and cut off both of his arms and legs.

"Sooooo not cool, broseph," Deadpool sarcastically said, already reattaching his body parts.

"I said, SHUT UP!" Wolverine lunged at Deadpool again. This time, Deadpool, while still on the ground, unsheathed a katana and blocked Logan's strike with it.

"Vibranium katana, sucker! The only thing that won't be cut like paper by your claws!" Deadpool flipped up, kicking Logan in the chest while doing so.

Logan shrugged off the attack and charged at Deadpool again. The ninja-ish person flipped over Logan and kicked him in the back. The clawed ex-assassin fell to the ground.

"Ever played Street Fighter?" Deadpool asked. As Logan stood up Deadpool punched him in the stomach.

"SHORYUKEN!"

"Ulgh!" Logan fell back to the ground.

"KO!" Deadpool cried.

"Don't…think…so!" Logan kicked Deadpool's legs out from under him, rolled on top of him and put his claws to Deadpool's throat.

"I lose! Good guy: 1! Bad guy…"

"Shut it, 'Pool!" Logan growled.

"I must rather say I agree with Wolverine on this one."

Both combatants twisted their heads to their left. Standing just a dozen yards from them, in a brown trench coat, on the edge of a cliff, was the Professor.

Suddenly, three helicopters rose up behind the man and two dozen soldiers climbed up from the cliff.

"Holy backup army, Batman!" Deadpool joked.

"Ready to come home, Logan?" The Professor asked.

"Never." Logan growled.

"Then you will die…" The Professor started, "Just as James did."

Logan stood up and away from Deadpool, who flipped his way back to the Professor.

The clawed man sighed.

"It'd going to be a long night…"

Note: 4/6 complete! I hope you enjoyed it! And hopefully you guys are beginning to understand, or at least getting the hints about, my new origin for mutants. Please review! Seriously! It's the only payment I get for the time and effort I spend on this!

Next Time: In the penultimate chapter in this Infinite Universe Mini-series, Logan goes to war with Weapon X! Somebody Logan loves dies! (I bet you can guess who) And the first steps towards Infinite X-Men are taken!

Cover: Logan and Sabretooth in battle, at each other's throats.

Title: Vicious Circle