PLEASE READ: Thank you for waiting for Chapter Six. I would like to say that this chapter has to parts. Chapter six is part 1, Chapter Seven is part 2 as both parts link in the same area and may seem like it is sort of dragging along slowly. Those of you who have seen the movie will understand. Those that do not, bare with this chapter until the next one.

Thank you again.


Last time on Kuzuri I: A Creation From A Signal Origin

"Since when has Lo-Lo ever worked out her own problems? Can't we suggest COUNSELLING at least?"

"Not in this life time... It's - a women's thing."

"No." Wade drawled. "It's a Lo-Lo's thing." Wade summed, zipping up the bag and sprinted out to catch Jenifer up. "Though I have to say; she is putting on a nice show for the fans who are reading this fuck-up-of-a-story. Maybe we can tell her – OOOH! Fuck!" He slapped his face stupidly. "I forgot! I'm the only one who knows this aint real... Oh well!"

X-X-X-X

She froze.

Her figure grazed something hard. Fearfully, peeked under the table, a groan almost escaped as she spotted the metal attached to her knee. The same metal type that she bumped into had turned into earlier. She gave a cool breath to calm down, focusing. She watched relived as the metal texture on her knee began to fade away from her skin into nothing but good old bark brown skin.

That's better... Hope it don't happen again.

She looked up and heard the fate voice of someone translating one of the Spanish sentences on the board.

Chapter Six

"Damn it, man. I'm really sorry." Jenifer cringed, watching John scrape pieces of remnant glass up from the red carpet into a dust pan using a ligneous brush. John sighed calmly, continuing to gather remaining bits of glass and cast it into the bin beside him.

Jenifer pulled a wavered frown; careful not to slice the aggravated create in her arms with her new claws. Jenifer allowed it to weave its head up along her breast, shaking from side to side, and relax around her neck. A blue forked tongue flicked out in the corner of her eye; hissing in rage from the destruction of its home. Who could blame it? In fact, Jenifer could empathise with the creature.

Stupid Wade.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X Forty Minutes Ago X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Staring up at the large sign lit in bright yellow letters. Wade whistled lowly.

"S-PEC-TRE," Wade sounded out - humming. "Could have thought up a better name than Spectre," Wade criticized. "Like, 'The Ring'. No! No no, that's too much like the Lord of the Rings. Oh! How about 'Hang Up Your Boxers And Put On Your Gloves'... wait! That sounded so wrong and too long! Wow... I rhymed." Wade laughed. Jenifer seemed bleak, before eyes were trained to the doors ahead.

Jenifer attempted to arrange her thoughts, thinking: How she was above and beyond hope in bringing up the Stryker subject? It was not like she could pop the question out of the blue, and drag John out of the life he built for himself. It was not his problem. It was hers.

John had left the team a few months after Jenifer and they both ran into each again a year or so later in a backstreet grease alleyway in Las Vegas. A few words were exchanged before they both parted. Though it was a brief; Jenifer never knew the reasons for why John had left. Plus, she did not bother to ask at the time.

However in that brief moment, it did explain how she came by to know this place.

Jenifer remembered having a few shots right after a cage match.

... She had to earn money somehow, seemed like a good idea at the time.

Anyhow. Some eccentric jelly-belly Mexican in nothing but a very puny pair of, Jenifer shivered, tight red spandex trunks. Too puny for comfort. The Mexican had worn a matching bull mask and a long silky cape, and he himself constantly cried out 'Dre'-Bull' every few minutes, which was not annoying at all. Jenifer looked microscopic compared to his gigantic size. It was almost laughable. But not even ten seconds within the bell ringing, the guy had pissed her off royally.

Lets' just say; the guy would not be walking straight for a long~ time.

At the time, having a reputation at beating every muscle bag thrown at her. The people developed a... aversion towards her. The kind of aversion where people would pay hundreds just to see her loose the match rather than win it. Jenifer just shrugged the strange or spiteful looks they gave her, not giving them the time of day; as long as she still got paid in the end. Seriously, it was not like she was doing it for charity. She did however, every now and then, felt the need to divert herself from all the tension she received.

So all Jenifer did was go out and have a cigar, to clear her mind and relax.

She wished.

Some pals of the Mexican 'Dre'-Bull' guy, the stage name was so bad it was not even worth the comment, came to avenge him by ganging up on her while her 'back-was-turned', as you put it. Jenifer grinned at the memory; most of them had learnt that mistake and was made roomies with the cold floor. All accept one, he raised a gun, point blank, but shaking in fear.

A shadow figure popped, no, not even popped just – appeared out of nowhere in between her and the Mexican rookie. The figure directed a solid right-hook to the side of the guys petrified face. Jenifer froze, watching the Mexican Rookie fall to the floor, out cold, not able to register what had occurred. It only took the sight of the man's hat and one whiff to realise who he was, rather than what.

Jenifer stared across the distance between them with taunting sardonic look on her face.

"I could've taken him," was the words she used. John had given a million watt smile before tipping his hat to her hyperbolically.

"Couldn't help bu' step in to assist a damsel in distress." John was damn right lucky enough to even have the privilege of living after calling her – dare she shudder – damsel.

A small conversation struck between the two of them until an up-roar of protests from inside the fight club interrupted. At that point, Jenifer had to turn down John's offer of having a drink with him. John however did quickly explain he was saving money to buy his own boxing ring, clarifying that he was going to call it SPECTRE, and having it in done in one of the old buildings down town. Jenifer barked right out laughing at the name and said she would pop round sometime.

Nonetheless, 'pop round sometime' was never something Jenifer wanted with these intentions. John was a good friend, well they left on good terms; he did not need her problems, but she has no other option.

Walking up to the double doors of the building, Jenifer intentionally left Wade out on the dark, but lively lit Las Vegas pathway.

"... You know! I'm beginning to think you don't like me!"

Hard pacing steps eventually got closer and closer to the end of the hallway. Jenifer pushed hard against the double swing doors, enough so they banged against the wall; drawing every eye in the room towards her.

Jenifer stepped into a hall of glory, workout weights and training room.

Sharp eyes caught three reasonable toned men; one stood on the edge of the boxing ring, acting as Ref while the other two stood in the ring, boxing gloves on, and shirtless. The musky scent of male sweat reached her nose, knowing instantly that the men had just been in a match.

"Hey!" The Ref had called out, drawing Jenifer's attention to him. "Yeah you, Dickhead! You can't be in here. Get the hell out before we throw you out!"

"Err Paul? That's a girl."

Jenifer twitched.

"What?" The Ref turned glazed, then back at Jenifer, at her chest to be more precise. Jenifer growled, catching the scent of an aroused man. "Oh." The man trailed off dazed.

"OOOO! Dangatang!" Wade played his cowboy accent. "Tha' the wrong thin' 'a do, Shorty!"

A snort, yer think?

"Hey! Who you calling short?!" The guy on the right in the boxing ring shouted back, face flamed a rosy colour.

"Who you calling short?!" Wade mimicked the guy's voice. "Who else in here is four foot three inches, barely tall enough to go on the kiddie rides? Wait! – You!" Wade shouted back.

This is gonna get real ugly real fast. Jenifer summed.

"Look. Fellas. We need ta' see John Wrai-"

"The fuck yer' talkin' like tha' to my brother for, Scar-Face!" The other boxer shot back, making his way out of the boxing ring.

"No!" Jenifer tried to interject. "He didn't mean – fuck. We're looking for J-"

"Awe~ ooo ah! My heart! It hurts from your horrible words!" Jenifer's shoulders slumped vexed, irritated from being ignored. "I'm so sorry; please forgive me!" Wade exasperated theatrically. "But I am afraid I don't see the resemblance with Miss-Shorty-Number-One! Yer' mother must of – Hmphmm!" Jenifer's hand quickly covered Wade's chap lips, patience finally snapped, which muffled down the rest of Wade's sentence.

"Shut up!" Jenifer hissed, loud enough for only Wade's ears. "Listen, we don't wanna fight 'em, we jus' wanna talk 'ith John. Messin' 'ith his guys isn't gonna get on his good side." Jenifer slowly pulled her hand away, thankfully, Wade kept the trap shut. "Good. Now do as I say an'-"

"Yeah! Fucker! Let yer' wife do the talking for yer'! Man can't even settle his own battles withou' getting the Misses involved!" The three men started to laugh and Wade watched fearfully Jenifer's face darken. The short hair covering her eyes did not ease Wade at all.

"Yeah, bet if he kept quite he'd get lucky tonight." The Ref informed. "Hey! Scar-Face! She a screamer?!" All three men bawled out in hysterical laughter.

... *Pop*

Jenifer shrugged off her Kanata swords and raised them to Wade who took them quickly. Jenifer rolled her shoulders, stepping at a side angle, still seeing the men wearing some sort of satisfaction on their grease, chubby, shit-monkey-smug-full faces. Wade stepped away from the angry feral. Jenifer did not even need to look his way to state to obvious: Stay the hell out of my way.

Slit eyes narrowed.

Three men stood all together approximately twenty feet away of the boxing ring, and thirty feet away from Jenifer; smirking and laughing to one another, victorious.

That is, until a flying sixty Kg Bodymax weight rammed straight into one of the men's stomach.

A gut, retching scream and he flew into the side of the boxing ring. The Ref and the other brother of Miss-Shorty-Number-One flapped their mouths; bug-eyed to the man lying sprawled out, convincingly unconscious. Only reduced to groans and moans. The power of the weight was thrown so hard that it literally folded the boxing ring side into a V shape on impact left it ruined and deformed.

Both men sped round to face the accusing attacker, shoulders hunched and ready to retaliate. Jenifer, growling viciously and blue eyes shined bright with coal slits, pressed her foot into the ground, as if ready to start a race with weight cracking the floor beneath. A split second and Jenifer leaped.

The Ref did not even have the chance to defend himself before receiving a straight sidekick to his ribs, and from the same wrathful foot, under his chin. A resounding crack echoed, sending him off the ground. The man lying on the floor at the boxing ring, just barely come round, was knocked out again by the Ref's body mass crashing down on him.

The last man standing sourly missed the opportunity to back off and gave a vengeful roar, producing a sloppy punch intentionally aimed at her head. Jenifer gracefully side stepped him, leaving a foot out for him to trip over.

He tripped.

As expected.

Though what Jenifer did not count on was the guy pausing in mid air for a split second, a faint figure holding him in place before the figure and the guy vanished. Jenifer blinked, rigid for a moment in confusion, before she then relaxed.

"Well... I gotta say; whenever you come crashing through, I don't always expect it this clean."

"Hey!" Jenifer cocked an eyebrow at John in an offended tone. "It's not like I have a reputation to keep up wit'. Besides, I wasn't gonna lay down takin' wha' yer' guard dogs said." John raised his boxing pal and gave a pat on the shoulder, informing him that the situation was okay and instructed him to go and check on the others.

Jenifer sighed deeply, noticing the tense structure in John's posture. "Really; I didn't wanna cause any trouble, bu' yer' highly untrained, chimp bozos decided ta' be... difficult. I'll pay for any damages, alright?" A moment went by and John nodded his head once. Jenifer was torn relieved but still feeling guilty. Jenifer clenched her teeth as the three men started to leave the training room, carrying one under the arms in a pathetic formation.

They had it comin'. Her thoughts were disrupted by John.

"Business was slow this season round anyway." John bit. Jenifer recoiled a little, feeling like a complete ass.

Damn, he really loved tha' boxing ring.

"I'm sure whatever it was; it was highly misinterpret-" A high pitched cackle rang through the silent training room, cutting John off. Jenifer exasperated a sigh, noticing the confusion on John's face when it was aimed at her. The previous tension in the air disappearing in a snap.

"Yeah, not a chance." Voice flat, Jenifer explained; "They pegged me as his wife." Jenifer deadpanned just as Wade cried out a Hey! John's eyes widened, his body almost flinching from the sight as if he had never seen the face of death before. Well, he had seen Wade before, at least.

"Damn. That you Wade?" John asked. Wade beamed at him, scars stretching over his face as he gave the thumbs up. "What the hell happened to you?"

"OH!~ The usual; tortured maliciously, which by the way, wasn't fun! Taken a dip in freezing ice water after jumping off a fifty feet waterfall and DAMN! Fuck! It was cold! Cut my hand off and grew it back. HA! Beat that! The look on Lo-Lo's face was priceless!" Wade sang. "Let's not forget Mr. Gunslinger's attempt to capture me and Lo-Lo, whilst missal launching a barn house, taking down a helicopter with a truck and blowing up the rest of the helicopter with Lo-Lo's new, shinny knives!"

Deaf silence replaced Wade's voice and John stood staring, not sure what to make anything at that moment. Jenifer looked down at the floor and rubbed an aching spot on the bridge of her nose.

"... Oh! And we rand sacked a weapon shop! You'll love the big guns I packed in here, Cow-Boy." Wade beamed.

Oh, is tha' all? Jenifer thought acerbically.

Perplexed, John blew a raspberry. "Guess I can't be mad at yer if you had to put up with him for the entire time." John smirked. A pair of loathing blue, slit eyes glared right back. "How about you tell me the more... definite version while we have that beer in my office?" John offered. The corners of Jenifer's lips twitched finally relaxed and inside crying in joy for the taste of beer.

Oh sweet, sweet beer.

"BEER?!" Jenifer groaned, bliss ending as soon as Wade opened his mouth. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING SOONER!?" Wade exploded with excitement. John lodged a figure in his ear and twisted it, face pulling. Not another word and Wade ran off, leaving trails of dust in his wake.

"So... How thin is the ice?" John asked innocently, only to then laughing out loud without hesitation when Jenifer growled.

"Too thin ta' even hold a fuckin' feather up." Jenifer followed John. "Think Wade will get lost in here?" Jenifer asked hopefully.

"Nah. My office has a label. He should be fine." John caught a muttered, 'wha' a shame'. "Besides," John chuckled, "you look like you could use a break."

"Yer' hav' no idea." Jenifer chuckled. "Sorry about your ring."

John shrugged; "I've got money spare. Plus, with tha' fellas' and Wade on top of it; can't really blame you. I would've snapped a long time ago rather than let it drag out." John spoke, mirroring Jenifer's expression. John led her up a flight of metal stairs, boots clanking with each step until John turned the corner. "So what went down so bad that you to team up with Wade, of people?" John asked.

Jenifer turned a corner at the top of the stair case, tucking her hands into the trouser pockets and looked out the window to see bellow the whole training centre; a few guys here and there, weight lifting, fighting and some just chatting.

In Jenifer's mind. She knew John was trust worthy, last time she checked. However the particular tale John wants to hear is a bit of a long one. Furthermore, she herself did not know all the answers that John will obviously ask. She would need more time to explain.

Hopefully she could.

"He was wit' Stryker for six years. Thought he had somethin' tha' could help." Jenifer explained in short, fully aware John would be expecting a further detailed explanation – soon. She watched John shuffle to a door with a label that read out JOHN'S ROOM. An ironic laugh almost escaped if Jenifer had not noticed the door was jarred open slightly. A frown appeared on John's face as he reached down to the door handle, hanging limp, like it had been forced open.

"Wha' the-"

*BANG* *BANG*

Jenifer jumped straight into action and pushed past John to charge through the door first.

"WADE!" Jenifer bellowed ducking a bullet that nicked the door instead of her head. Jenifer seethed as a second bullet grazed her right arm and jacket. Wade; placed in the centre of the office waved a gun frantically as shattered glass and mini stones surrounded him. Then Jenifer's attention went to the hissing noise. Jenifer stiffened. Noticing the snake curled up submissively under the table, forked tongue flicking aggressively up at Wade.

Another curse slipped as three more incoming bullets shot dead straight into her chest. Jenifer stood her ground, attempting to pacific the animal from stirring within.

"Wade." Jenifer grounded out. "Knock it off. It ain't gonna hurt you." Wade's gun shook in his hand, but he did not fire again. Bullets emerged from her newly healed skin, each falling to the floor with soft clanks. John stayed behind her, vigilant with an aware curiosity, linked with clear aggravation of his vandalised office room.

"Th-the hissing... Hissing... It won't stop. No more... Hissing." Wade strained, as if the words were too much for him to even say. Jenifer paused and looked.

Really looked.

Jenifer could not pull her eyes away from the doe eyed expression. Shaken from head to toe; a full on defence tactic. Shoulders rolled forwards, face pulled aggressively, but his eyes betrayed his act. They were to revelling. Glazed over in unshed water. Jenifer did not think she could handle an emotional Wade; let alone off the rails Wade.

There's a lot more, wasn't it Wade?

An unspoken question. The very question Wade never wished to be asked. So Jenifer will not ask. She pushed down the urge to unsheathe her claws, and breathed to try and reason with him first.

"One last time, Wade. Put tha' gun down."

"..."

Jenifer watched Wade...

... Wade watched Jenifer.

"Mhp... He... Hehe... Hmhmphm," Wade breathed. "HAHAHAHA!" Jenifer's eyes widened, watching how Wade gasped each time to only take a breath and continue laughing in the most recoiling way. If Jenifer had ever seen Wade loosing it before; this was a whole new level of insanity to her. Jenifer tensed, pin pointing how the gun wavered in his hands, finger loose on the trigger.

Jenifer went rigid.

She took her chance.

Wade was only caught off for a split second to then regain enough sense as soon as Jenifer was within two feet. Two more shots fired. Both aimed at Jenifer's shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Jenifer snapped the gun to the side by pushing hard on Wade's arm and pressing a pressure point in his wrist. The gun fell and she kicked it away. Wade, with viper reflexes, wrapped his arm around Jenifer's neck and held her up against his chest in an effective strangle hold.

Then Wade locked the hold. Jenifer eyes widen as air was cut off from her lungs. Jenifer quickly searched through her medical history that she learnt in a book that if both carotids are compressed for twenty seconds she would lose consciousness, death within two to four minutes. Jenifer doubted Wade was not just planning on knocking her out, though.

The thought of dying did not affect her in the slightest, but if she were to pass out or die, now. Who knows what could happen in that period of time.

Twenty...

Wade panted harshly in her ear. Her left arm waved in the air trying to grab the back of his neck so she could flip him forward, but Wade kneed his legs leaving Jenifer to rely on Wade's strangling support.

... Fifteen...

She attempted to claw at his bare skin with her new claws. Tear drops emerged and the wound healed instantly.

... Ten...

Fuckin' bad time ta' hav' my healin' ability. Jenifer frustrated, baring fangs.

Then it happened.

Wade's chocking grasp slipped into Jenifer's mouth just as she closed it; like a bear trap, the fangs sunk deep into flesh. Iron stained teeth and tongue, and metallic poison sickened her stomach before it reached.

Nerves rattled.

... Five...

Wade's blood sent painful shivers through her. The taste of death or something foul that was similar feeling back at the farm house, but it was something else.

... Four...

An invisible force pulled her in more ways than one, but less fixative in coercion than it seemed.

...Three...

Gray dots invaded her sight.

... Two...

There was no stopping the mad swirls of darkness that began to form images.

A wall... No, a cell... A chair... metal chair. Bindingno. Straps! Hungry... Wade's face... So hungry. Starving. Weak...

Need to escape.

Need to get out!

Leave! Fight! Need to fight! Make it stop. The metal stick – needle.

So weak.

Need to fight. Cannot fight... Just pain. Sheering. Hot pain.

Figure.

White. All dressed in white. Strange object. Strange object gets closer. Strange object bad. Thrash. Pull. Get it away!

Strange object hissed.

Jenifer chocked.

Numb – Jenifer could hear a faded voice, quickly rising in volume, making-out to be a clear roaring scream of pain, and light attacked Jenifer's sight.

Jenifer found herself on all fours, coughing ferociously. Coming back to reality, she just manage to feel Wade's weight roll to the side. Jenifer turned her head to him. The unconscious mercenary laid with a bite mark. However, and Jenifer scrunched her eye brows together confused, the bite mark that surrounded the skin turned a tinned, pale grey. The grey tanning was there for a moment, but as the bite healed, the grey colour vanished. Jenifer unblinking shook her head, choosing to ignore what she had saw.

A different shadow casted against the ground. Jenifer looked up. A feeling of déjà vu crept over.

"Huh... I could've taken him." Jenifer stated. Jenifer did not bother to look sheepish at the unimpressed look sent her way. John swung back over his shoulder a metal bat he picked up from somewhere within the room.

"Couldn't help bu' step in to assist a damsel in distress." John repeated like last time, but a hell of a lot less enthusiastic.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X Back To Present X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

John stood up, throwing the dust pan and brush to the side, straightening his pale orange shirt back into his tight, belted trousers; now looking more presentable. Tipping his cowboy snake skinned hat, he walked towards Jenifer and lifted the snake from her shoulders. Jenifer manoeuvred the snake in her fingers, letting the slick, scaly skin force through and raised the creature over John's cowboy hat onto his shoulders.

"Yer' know, anyone else Logan." He said, amusement dominating his annoyance, "an' I would have jumped 'em to the Antarctic an' left 'em there." John clarified, walking across his office to his desk; a sound of a drawer opening and he slipped the pale green creature into it. Out of sight.

"Yeah, I know." Jenifer huffed. "I knew Wade freaked over snakes an' all, bu' fuck. I didn't think he would've gone tha' far." Jenifer spoke in an apologetic tone. No - Jenifer should have known better. With Wade as he is, more mentally unstable than before, likely was to cause unnecessary dictions and mistakes that could evidently get him into serious trouble. Plus, as much as Jenifer disliked Wade for obvious reasons, not litotes at all, she did let him out of the prison cell that kept him contained in Stryker's clutches. Therefore – her responsibility.

Should have known better, Jenifer huffed in thoughts.

John just waved off with a friendly expression.

"It's cool. Luckily he didn't hurt my baby. Then, there would be trouble." The sentence being no less truthful as John let the words ground out, lips in a firm line.

"Yeah, luckily." Jenifer agreed, sighing in relief, not wanting this reunion to start off with bad judgements.

Jenifer deflated.

Oh one misjudgement for example: Allowing Wade off on a loose leash to run on ahead into John's office (without permission), and left to find a pet snake in a tank (knowing full well John loved snakes) and in turn instantly going berserk, causing an all out brawl and make ruin of John's office.

Yeah... Jenifer should have known better.

I jus' wasn't thinkin', she supposed.

"Honestly, Logan. It's fine. No one got hurt." John patted her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"We're good?" Jenifer asked.

"We're good... Don't know abou' him." John narrowed his eyes on the unconscious mercenary. Wade was left slumped in a soft arm chair at the corner end of the office. It was no secret that John disliked Wade. Let alone consider Wade above all, a friend. Wade found killing too much fun than either of Jenifer and John put together, even if they could still carry out the assignment.

Killing was the easy part; living with it was an entirely different thing all together.

"How long yer' think he's gonna sit like tha' for?" Jenifer asked.

John shrugged; "who knows. I believe you owe me an explanation." It was not a request, but a demand. So... Jenifer began.

Right after Jenifer nursed the tip of a beer bottle, of course.

To Be Continued...

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