Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.
Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
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Here's the next chapter o!!! Thanks for the reviews !
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CHAPTER 28: Dilemma
Ororo, Rogue, Bobby and Kurt bade goodbye to Yuriko and they exited the room one by one. Three of them looked at Stryker coldly as they walked pass by him. As for Kurt, he walked towards him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Stryker looked up and saw the blue-skinned man smiling at him. The man's eyes were void of anger and hatred, unlike the others who looked at him with so much contempt.
"My name is Kurt Wagner...And I forgive you." Whispered Kurt.
Stryker forced a smile upon his lips. He could see the sincerity in Kurt's eyes. "Thank you." He whispered. Out of all the people he had met, it was the blue-skinned man, the man who looked the most different, who had forgiven him.
Kurt nodded at him and then disappeared in a blue cloud of smoke.
Stryker suddenly jumped back as he saw Kurt vanish right in front of his very eyes. He had a shocked expression on his face as if he couldn't believe what just happened. Things and people couldn't just disappear into thin air. That was impossible.
"He's gone!" He shouted as he looked at Yuriko. His eyes wandered around the room and found no sign of Kurt anywhere. "Where did he go?!" He asked with a worried look on his face. He reached out in front of him, trying to feel if Kurt was still there. "He was just standing here a while ago and -- - and he just disappeared. He just vanished!" He said with a panicked tone in his voice. He looked at Logan and the professor. "Didn't you even see what just happened?!"
Logan couldn't believe what he was seeing. To think that William Stryker was the man who chose to use Kurt because of his teleporting abilities. And now, that same William Stryker was acting as if he didn't even know that teleporting mutants, or teleporting, itself, even existed.
The professor looked at the panicked Stryker and smiled. "Calm down, William. Kurt is all right. He is a teleporter." He said calmly.
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. "A tele-what?" He asked curiously.
"A teleporter." Said Logan firmly. "He can disappear from one place, then reappear on another." The current Stryker's stupidity was gnawing at him. He couldn't believe that was the same man who almost killed the entire mutant population. The current Stryker probably didn't even know what Cerebro was.
"So...You mean he's still in the mansion? He...he didn't disappear completely? He's still alive?" He asked. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Of course he is! Didn't you just hear what I said?!" Logan asked angrily.
Charles placed his hand on Logan's lower arm. "It's all right, Logan. As you can see, Mr. Stryker still has a lot of catching up to do." He looked at Stryker and motioned his hand towards one of the chairs. "Please do sit down and make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, professor." He said calmly. He glared at Logan as he sat down on the chair nearest to the professor.
"And you too, Ms. Oyama." Charles said, looking at Yuriko.
Yuriko smiled and sat down on the chair facing Stryker's. She could see Stryker looking at her with that strange, longing look again. What did he truly want from her? She couldn't even read his actions anymore. Ever since they met Logan in the mansion, he had been acting so strangely.
Stryker suddenly noticed Yuriko looking into his eyes and he quickly looked away from her. He looked at the professor and offered him a handshake. "By the way, I don't want to appear rude. My name is William Stryker."
The professor smiled and shook his hand. "I know." He said.
"Yeah. I guess you would..." He placed his hand on his lap and nervously rubbed them against each other. He could still feel the soreness in his knuckles, but that didn't bother him anymore. There were greater things, non-physical things, which bothered him now. "...After all, I know I've been here before." He could hear his own voice slightly shaking. He couldn't even look at the professor in the eyes. "I know I hurt you, and I hurt the others. I hurt the children too. There were so many of them, looking at me with lifeless eyes." His lips shook as he remembered his vision. His eyes looked like they were staring into nothingness.
"William." The professor said. He could see the empty look on Stryker's face. "Mr. Stryker?"
Stryker's eyes suddenly looked at the professor. Charles' voice seemed to have snapped him out of his trance. "I'm sorry....I....I was just thinking of something." He said.
The professor looked deeply into his eyes. "There are some things...that are better left in the past, my friend. History has taught us that we are shaped by our past experiences. While most of us have benefited from it, others have been misled by it. But when those who have been led astray decide to forget about their past and move on to the future, then they are given the chance to become better persons. Everyone deserves a second chance, William. And you are being offered yours."
Stryker nodded, but the professor's words weren't enough to bring him comfort. He didn't know if he would be able to forget the images in his mind. He looked at Yuriko and still saw the coldness in her eyes. How could he completely let go of the past, when it was right in front of him?
Yuriko looked away from Stryker, then turned towards Charles. "Ironically, professor, the past is the primary reason why we're here." She said with a tone of uncertainty in her voice.
Charles looked at Yuriko and Stryker, and then moved himself towards the window. He focused his eyes on the luscious view outside the transparent glass. At times he wished that the world could be as simple and as beautiful as his surroundings. But he knew it could never be that way. It will always be as complex and as deep as the people who inhabit it.
"I know, Yuriko. You long to have your past back." He said as he looked outside the window. "That is why you brought William here. He is the only one whose mind still contains the memories of who you once were." The professor turned around and looked at her.
Yuriko looked back at the professor with eyes that seemed to long for an answer to a question that lingered in her heart. Did she still really want her past back?
When she surfaced from the underground base, the first thing she wanted to do was to find the past she had lost. She wanted to know who she was before she fell into her decade-long nightmare as Stryker's slave. It was the only thing she wanted, the only thing she longed for.
But now that she was at the end of her journey, now that the professor was right in front of her, she wasn't sure if she still wanted to rediscover her past. Everything was so perfect now. She finally had a home, friends, family, and a life. She now had a new life.
What if her past suddenly reveals something that will change the way she looks at the world forever? Was discovering the past worth risking the future?
Charles noticed the troubled look on Yuriko's face. He could see the inner struggle in her eyes. He knew she was having doubts about her past, and he didn't want to impose a decision on her. He wanted her to decide for herself, whether she still wanted to rediscover her past, or not.
"Do you still want to remember your past, Yuriko?" He asked with a gentle tone in his voice. He wanted to give her time to think. Unfortunately, time was not a luxury for Yuriko. For there was something that the professor still had to reveal.
Yuriko's eyes darted from left to right. Did she still want it back? Did she? She looked up at Logan, and then looked at the professor.
"If I decide to postpone the procedure....Perhaps next week or....I...I just need some time to decide if I really....." She could barely keep her thoughts straight. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.
The professor could understand Yuriko's conflicting emotions. Any person who had lost his past would long for it. But the past may hold things and surprises that could hurt and damage the person himself. An unknown past was a like sharp, double-edged sword that could cut deep and make one bleed.
"Unfortunately, time is not on our side, Yuriko. I suggest you make your decision soon." He said firmly.
Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" She asked.
The professor looked at Stryker. "As long as William's memories remain lost, we can extract your past from his mind. I am not sure how long it's going to take before he gets his memories back, but when he does, I won't be able to retrieve your memories from him anymore."
She suddenly clenched her fists. She couldn't believe what the professor had just said. She almost wanted to jump off her seat. "What?!" She asked with an angry, shocked look on her face. "But...But there is no difference whether he's aware of his past or not! If he does remember who he was, then...then...well, it won't make any difference! It's still the same mind! It's not as if his entire brain is going to change once he reverts to his former self!"
"It's not as simple as that, Yuriko." He looked at Stryker, and then he looked at Yuriko. "You see, William has a chip implanted in his brain. It gives him the ability to deny telepaths like me access to his thoughts and memories. I sensed its presence when I first encountered him in the Alkali Lake incident. That probably explains why he was able to protect himself from Jason's illusions. Hence, I cannot probe his mind if he doesn't want me to. And I doubt that the previous Stryker would allow that."
Yuriko leaned back against her chair and sighed. "I can't believe this is happening..." She whispered as she closed her eyes. She didn't expect things to get that complicated. But then, she also didn't think that she would have a dilemma about her past.
She took a deep breath and then sat up straight, her eyes looking at the professor. "So what you're saying, professor, is that I don't have enough time to decide on whether I still want to go through the procedure or not."
"That is correct, Yuriko." The professor said. "I suggest you think about it tonight and decide on what you really want. You can give me your decision tomorrow morning. I will meet you and Mr. Stryker here in the study once you have made up your mind."
She nodded in agreement to the professor's suggestion. "Yes. I...I guess I really do need to think about this." She said with uncertainty in her voice.
Even with the professor's guidance, she still felt so lost. She could feel herself being torn apart. She wanted to remember her past, but she feared it too. She was scared of what she might see in Stryker's mind. What if the past just ends up hurting her in the end? Then she would have to bear the pain and remember each bittersweet memory for the rest of her life. Was a glimpse of the past worth it all?
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TBC o...
Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
= = = = = = = = == = = = = =
Here's the next chapter o!!! Thanks for the reviews !
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
CHAPTER 28: Dilemma
Ororo, Rogue, Bobby and Kurt bade goodbye to Yuriko and they exited the room one by one. Three of them looked at Stryker coldly as they walked pass by him. As for Kurt, he walked towards him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Stryker looked up and saw the blue-skinned man smiling at him. The man's eyes were void of anger and hatred, unlike the others who looked at him with so much contempt.
"My name is Kurt Wagner...And I forgive you." Whispered Kurt.
Stryker forced a smile upon his lips. He could see the sincerity in Kurt's eyes. "Thank you." He whispered. Out of all the people he had met, it was the blue-skinned man, the man who looked the most different, who had forgiven him.
Kurt nodded at him and then disappeared in a blue cloud of smoke.
Stryker suddenly jumped back as he saw Kurt vanish right in front of his very eyes. He had a shocked expression on his face as if he couldn't believe what just happened. Things and people couldn't just disappear into thin air. That was impossible.
"He's gone!" He shouted as he looked at Yuriko. His eyes wandered around the room and found no sign of Kurt anywhere. "Where did he go?!" He asked with a worried look on his face. He reached out in front of him, trying to feel if Kurt was still there. "He was just standing here a while ago and -- - and he just disappeared. He just vanished!" He said with a panicked tone in his voice. He looked at Logan and the professor. "Didn't you even see what just happened?!"
Logan couldn't believe what he was seeing. To think that William Stryker was the man who chose to use Kurt because of his teleporting abilities. And now, that same William Stryker was acting as if he didn't even know that teleporting mutants, or teleporting, itself, even existed.
The professor looked at the panicked Stryker and smiled. "Calm down, William. Kurt is all right. He is a teleporter." He said calmly.
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. "A tele-what?" He asked curiously.
"A teleporter." Said Logan firmly. "He can disappear from one place, then reappear on another." The current Stryker's stupidity was gnawing at him. He couldn't believe that was the same man who almost killed the entire mutant population. The current Stryker probably didn't even know what Cerebro was.
"So...You mean he's still in the mansion? He...he didn't disappear completely? He's still alive?" He asked. There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Of course he is! Didn't you just hear what I said?!" Logan asked angrily.
Charles placed his hand on Logan's lower arm. "It's all right, Logan. As you can see, Mr. Stryker still has a lot of catching up to do." He looked at Stryker and motioned his hand towards one of the chairs. "Please do sit down and make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, professor." He said calmly. He glared at Logan as he sat down on the chair nearest to the professor.
"And you too, Ms. Oyama." Charles said, looking at Yuriko.
Yuriko smiled and sat down on the chair facing Stryker's. She could see Stryker looking at her with that strange, longing look again. What did he truly want from her? She couldn't even read his actions anymore. Ever since they met Logan in the mansion, he had been acting so strangely.
Stryker suddenly noticed Yuriko looking into his eyes and he quickly looked away from her. He looked at the professor and offered him a handshake. "By the way, I don't want to appear rude. My name is William Stryker."
The professor smiled and shook his hand. "I know." He said.
"Yeah. I guess you would..." He placed his hand on his lap and nervously rubbed them against each other. He could still feel the soreness in his knuckles, but that didn't bother him anymore. There were greater things, non-physical things, which bothered him now. "...After all, I know I've been here before." He could hear his own voice slightly shaking. He couldn't even look at the professor in the eyes. "I know I hurt you, and I hurt the others. I hurt the children too. There were so many of them, looking at me with lifeless eyes." His lips shook as he remembered his vision. His eyes looked like they were staring into nothingness.
"William." The professor said. He could see the empty look on Stryker's face. "Mr. Stryker?"
Stryker's eyes suddenly looked at the professor. Charles' voice seemed to have snapped him out of his trance. "I'm sorry....I....I was just thinking of something." He said.
The professor looked deeply into his eyes. "There are some things...that are better left in the past, my friend. History has taught us that we are shaped by our past experiences. While most of us have benefited from it, others have been misled by it. But when those who have been led astray decide to forget about their past and move on to the future, then they are given the chance to become better persons. Everyone deserves a second chance, William. And you are being offered yours."
Stryker nodded, but the professor's words weren't enough to bring him comfort. He didn't know if he would be able to forget the images in his mind. He looked at Yuriko and still saw the coldness in her eyes. How could he completely let go of the past, when it was right in front of him?
Yuriko looked away from Stryker, then turned towards Charles. "Ironically, professor, the past is the primary reason why we're here." She said with a tone of uncertainty in her voice.
Charles looked at Yuriko and Stryker, and then moved himself towards the window. He focused his eyes on the luscious view outside the transparent glass. At times he wished that the world could be as simple and as beautiful as his surroundings. But he knew it could never be that way. It will always be as complex and as deep as the people who inhabit it.
"I know, Yuriko. You long to have your past back." He said as he looked outside the window. "That is why you brought William here. He is the only one whose mind still contains the memories of who you once were." The professor turned around and looked at her.
Yuriko looked back at the professor with eyes that seemed to long for an answer to a question that lingered in her heart. Did she still really want her past back?
When she surfaced from the underground base, the first thing she wanted to do was to find the past she had lost. She wanted to know who she was before she fell into her decade-long nightmare as Stryker's slave. It was the only thing she wanted, the only thing she longed for.
But now that she was at the end of her journey, now that the professor was right in front of her, she wasn't sure if she still wanted to rediscover her past. Everything was so perfect now. She finally had a home, friends, family, and a life. She now had a new life.
What if her past suddenly reveals something that will change the way she looks at the world forever? Was discovering the past worth risking the future?
Charles noticed the troubled look on Yuriko's face. He could see the inner struggle in her eyes. He knew she was having doubts about her past, and he didn't want to impose a decision on her. He wanted her to decide for herself, whether she still wanted to rediscover her past, or not.
"Do you still want to remember your past, Yuriko?" He asked with a gentle tone in his voice. He wanted to give her time to think. Unfortunately, time was not a luxury for Yuriko. For there was something that the professor still had to reveal.
Yuriko's eyes darted from left to right. Did she still want it back? Did she? She looked up at Logan, and then looked at the professor.
"If I decide to postpone the procedure....Perhaps next week or....I...I just need some time to decide if I really....." She could barely keep her thoughts straight. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.
The professor could understand Yuriko's conflicting emotions. Any person who had lost his past would long for it. But the past may hold things and surprises that could hurt and damage the person himself. An unknown past was a like sharp, double-edged sword that could cut deep and make one bleed.
"Unfortunately, time is not on our side, Yuriko. I suggest you make your decision soon." He said firmly.
Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" She asked.
The professor looked at Stryker. "As long as William's memories remain lost, we can extract your past from his mind. I am not sure how long it's going to take before he gets his memories back, but when he does, I won't be able to retrieve your memories from him anymore."
She suddenly clenched her fists. She couldn't believe what the professor had just said. She almost wanted to jump off her seat. "What?!" She asked with an angry, shocked look on her face. "But...But there is no difference whether he's aware of his past or not! If he does remember who he was, then...then...well, it won't make any difference! It's still the same mind! It's not as if his entire brain is going to change once he reverts to his former self!"
"It's not as simple as that, Yuriko." He looked at Stryker, and then he looked at Yuriko. "You see, William has a chip implanted in his brain. It gives him the ability to deny telepaths like me access to his thoughts and memories. I sensed its presence when I first encountered him in the Alkali Lake incident. That probably explains why he was able to protect himself from Jason's illusions. Hence, I cannot probe his mind if he doesn't want me to. And I doubt that the previous Stryker would allow that."
Yuriko leaned back against her chair and sighed. "I can't believe this is happening..." She whispered as she closed her eyes. She didn't expect things to get that complicated. But then, she also didn't think that she would have a dilemma about her past.
She took a deep breath and then sat up straight, her eyes looking at the professor. "So what you're saying, professor, is that I don't have enough time to decide on whether I still want to go through the procedure or not."
"That is correct, Yuriko." The professor said. "I suggest you think about it tonight and decide on what you really want. You can give me your decision tomorrow morning. I will meet you and Mr. Stryker here in the study once you have made up your mind."
She nodded in agreement to the professor's suggestion. "Yes. I...I guess I really do need to think about this." She said with uncertainty in her voice.
Even with the professor's guidance, she still felt so lost. She could feel herself being torn apart. She wanted to remember her past, but she feared it too. She was scared of what she might see in Stryker's mind. What if the past just ends up hurting her in the end? Then she would have to bear the pain and remember each bittersweet memory for the rest of her life. Was a glimpse of the past worth it all?
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TBC o...