After the Banishing
The portal snapped shut behind them. Deadpool and Wolverine stood in a gray wasteland beneath a sky with no sun, both still catching their breath from the trip they hadn’t agreed to take. Deadpool patted his pockets. “Good news: Paradox didn’t vaporize us.” He looked around. “Bad news: I have no idea where ‘here’ is, and the customer service is terrible.” Wolverine flexed his hands, claws sliding out with a metallic snikt. “You kidnapped me, dragged me into your mess, and now we’re stranded.” “Technically, we were banished together. That’s almost a team-building exercise.” Wolverine gave him a look that could have ended the conversation. Deadpool nodded solemnly and started walking anyway. After a moment, Wolverine followed—not because he trusted Wade, but because standing still wouldn’t get them anywhere. Behind them, the place where the portal had been held only empty air. Ahead, the wasteland offered no answers. For now, they had each other, and nowhere else to go.