Title: Unforgivable Sinners 2 : The Past Never Forgets
Summary: The sequel to Unforgivable Sinners. Yuriko, Stryker and Logan's pasts are soon to be revealed. Where will this journey to the past take them? How will it end once they rediscover themselves? Will they hold on to the past, or move on to a new future?
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse =). 'nuff said =)!
ANGELICA = it's great to know that you loved the previous chapter =D! whoo!!! I was actually worried at first because it was stryker-centered, but it's kewl that you liked it still =)! As for Karen, you'll definitely see her soon. This part of the fanfic will actually focus more on K and W =)! It's just that I really want to show what could have made Stryker hate mutants so much =)! Thanks for reading =D!!!
ROSEMEG = LOL! Whoa O.o! I can't believe that chappie made you like Stryker O.O! But I guess he really WAS likeable when he was younger =)! Anyway, you'll see more of young William in this chapter too (and probably the next). I really want to show what he was like before he went "crush puny mutants!". Lol!
SKETTY24 = Heheh...yeah, the last chap was more on aimless conversations. LoL! Anyway, this one will still have a little bit of talking, but it will also focus more on how Stryker looks at his younger self and his past relationship with both L and Y ;)!
:) = Thank you so much for reviewing =D!!! Really great to know that you're loving the story so far =)!!! As for the adamantium thing, that's our little secret. LOL!!!
Chapter 59: Of friends and enemies
Yuriko was the first woman he had ever loved. And ironically, she was also the woman he knew he could never have. Her heart already belonged to Logan, and Logan loved her in return. The two of them were like two pieces of one whole. They completed each other. And as for him, he was nothing more than Yuriko's dear, trusted friend...and he doubted that he could be anything more to her than that. He had learned to accept that fact. He had learned to accept that painful reality. That's why he let them be together. And as their friend, he was happy for them...because that's what friends do.
Now if only he could stop himself from feeling the pain. If only he could stop his heart from feeling so much envy whenever he saw them locked in each other's arms. But he was just human...and to feel such emotions was human.
Nathan noticed the sudden change in Will's facial expression. The happiness on the young man's face had faded, and his blue eyes looked lost in his own thoughts. Nathan knew that something was bothering him. He had known William ever since they recruited him in the division, and he had learned to read him like a book. He wanted to ask Will what was wrong, but he preferred to deviate his mind from it instead.
"Speaking of your job, how's that research of yours going?" Asked Nathan. He knew how much William loved talking about his research. That would definitely get his mind off whatever it is that was plaguing his thoughts.
William's head suddenly perked up as he looked back at his friend. The startled expression on his face made him look as if Nathan's voice had just woken him up from a daydream. "Research? What Research?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. He had done so many researches in the division that he couldn't tell which one Nathan was asking about. A part of his mind was also still busy lingering in the thoughts of Yuriko.
Nathan lowered his voice again and leaned closer to him with his elbows on the counter. "Well, right before I left Code7, you started a research on creating some kind of virtually indestructible steel alloy." He said quietly. "I forgot what you called it. Something like aderanium --- adam --- damn, what was that called..." He muttered to himself.
"Adamantium..." William whispered as he looked back at the older man.
Nathan snapped his fingers in realization. "Yeah! That's the one! Adamantium!" He said with excitement whilst still trying to keep his voice down. "So...how's it going? Making progress I hope?" He asked. His voice was filled with anticipation.
William smiled and nodded his head. Life seemed to have flowed back into his young face. "Yeah, everything's going great to far." He said enthusiastically. "I'm actually still on the first stage of my study...Currently doing a lot of research on ores and alloys to see which ones could create a compound strong enough to stand any kind of condition. Still haven't found the right combination though, but I'm getting to it. You know me. Once I start something, I make sure I finish it." He chuckled in a rather devious way.
"That's good to hear, William." Nathan replied with an assuring smile.
He was proud of his young friend's accomplishment. Ever since the day they recruited him at the tender age of seventeen, he knew that bright young man would go far. In fact, he had already gone further than what he had expected. For someone so young, William Stryker had already accomplished so many technological and biological feats that have greatly contributed to the development and progress of their military's weapons, vehicles and facilities. He couldn't help but imagine what other things that young man would achieve in the future. He was definitely glad that he was on 'their' side.
Then he placed a hand on William's shoulder and looked at him firmly. "And once you finish this 'adamantium', once you perfect this indestructible steel alloy, I'm telling you, Will...it's going to be a breakthrough that will make you 'the' scientist of the twentieth century. It will revolutionize everything that our military has to offer. You can just imagine the things you can do with that material. Think about the weapons, the vehicles you can make out of it. Our nation will become invincible, and it's all going to be because of you." Then he pulled his hand back and smiled in satisfaction.
William smiled and nodded his head. He felt quite invigorated after hearing Nathan's encouraging words. "Oh I know, Nate. That's why I'm putting a lot of effort on this one. I know it's going to be huge discovery. Even better than the stealth jet I developed for the military." Then his eyes took a quick glance around the bookstore, and then he leaned closer to the old man. "You can already imagine the big guys on the government wanting to get their hands on this once its finished." He whispered. "You know how they are. They only know how to take, but not to make." He snickered.
"You can say that again." Mumbled Nathan.
William laughed and pushed himself off the counter. Then he straightened his jacket and flexed his arms and shoulders. "Anyway, enough about my work and research! Let's talk about something else, old friend! Something refreshing! Something that doesn't have anything to do with Code7 or the CIA!" He said with a big smile on his face.
"As you can see, I'm currently not in the 'work place' right now." He added. " I'm not wearing any kind of infiltration suit," He motioned his hands towards his clothes. "...my hands are free of any kind of weapon," He showed his empty hands to Nathan. "...And I am obviously not covered in someone else's blood." He arched an eyebrow and smirked. He talked about blood as if it was something that naturally came with his 'job'.
He didn't want to admit it, but he had accepted death as something normal in his work as a mercenary. And blood was nothing more than a colorless liquid. Blood and death didn't bother him anymore. He felt numb at the sight of them. After all, when you're out there standing behind enemy lines, and your teammates' lives are at risk, you have no choice but to kill. Kill or be killed, just like a wild animal fighting for survival.
"So I say we talk about something else..." He said with a smile. That's why he loved days like this. He could forget about the animal that he was and be the human being that he was supposed to be. "Something like...your family, or your dog."
Nathan arched an eyebrow. "You wanna talk about my dog?" He asked. "My dog's been dead for a year, Will." He said with a disgruntled look on his face. "Thanks for reminding me." He arched an eyebrow and smirked sarcastically.
William raised his eyebrows and looked at his friend in a rather embarrassed way. "Oh." He whimpered. That was definitely a huge mistake. Nathan loved that dog. "Um...yeah. Sorry about that." Then he shrugged and forced a smile on his face. "Well, the better reason for us to choose a better topic! A topic about, um, things that are, uh, still living thing." He said with a wide smile, hoping to lift his friend's spirit.
But before Nathan could say anything, William's face lit up as if he had suddenly thought of something interesting. He snapped his fingers and looked at his friend with widened, excited eyes. "Oh! By the way," He exclaimed. "I just finished reading the book that I bought from you last week. You know, 'Weapons and Warfare of the 20th Century' by Jeremiah Cassidy?" He said enthusiastically.
"Yeah? How was it?" Nathan asked.
"It was pretty good! Well worth the wait..." William replied, nodding his head in confirmation. "Better than what I expected actually. And that's coming from someone who's already developed his own weapons and who's devised his own tactical strategies for the military." A proud grin spread across his face. For a twenty-six year old man, he already knew everything there was to know about weapons and tactical warfare, most of which he had naturally acquired during his 'work' with Code7.
Some of the operatives in their division say that he had worked very hard, that's why he had progressed faster and accomplished more breakthroughs than any of their other scientists and tacticians. But most of them believed that he was naturally gifted in the field of weapons development and infiltration, making him a formidable force in Code7, and a fast-rising name in the military and in the government.
"Still, it was really nice reading about weapons and warfare from a source that doesn't come from the military's files. Kinda' gave me a fresh, out-of-the-box perspective of what I've been working on all these years." He said with a smile.
Nathan grinned and nodded. "Well, it's good to know that the book was a good read, Will. And you're quite lucky to have gotten your hands on it too. I wasn't able to tell you this when you bought it last week, but I was actually only able to ship two copies of it, and I doubt that I ever will again." He said with a serious look on his face. "They only released a thousand copies of them worldwide, so you can just imagine how difficult it was for me to acquire 'two' for the store. That, and everyone wants to get their hands on it. Heh. Kinda funny how people hate war and destruction, and yet they love readin' about it. No wonder there are so many movies about the damned things."
William chuckled and gently slapped Nathan on the upper arm. "Oh come on, Nate. You're just jealous 'cause they aren't making any movies about us."
"And I hope it stays that way." Nathan said firmly. "We wouldn't want anyone to know about Code7 now, wouldn't we? Or any of the other COD's for that matter. To the world, we're nothing but figments of their imagination...nameless heroes who undergo missions that no other persons in their right minds would even dare take."
"Well, I can't deny that." Replied William. Then he furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "In fact, the only time I was able to use my talents out in the 'public' was when I had that little stint in North Vietnam a couple of years ago. You know what I'm talking about, Nate. The black-ops thing."
"Of course I do. How could I ever forget that?" Nathan asked. "You had to leave the team for a couple of months. Code7 practically felt handicapped without ya'." Then he exhaled and smiled at the young man. "But you saved a lot of lives during that black-ops mission, Will. You saved a lot of lives. Most of those soldiers and rescued POWs wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you." Nathan said.
"Yeah. Well, you know no other person can pilot a Navy helicopter better than I can." He said with a wide smile. "Too bad I had to go as soon as we landed on our last trip back in the US. Those soldiers didn't even know who I was."
"They weren't supposed to know who you were." Nathan said as he looked firmly into the eyes of the young man in front of him. "You were there to do a job for your country and your people...not to gain fame or glory or win medals for your actions."
"I know." He said with a smile. "I'm not a big fan of fame and glory anyway. Knowing that I did my job well is good enough for me."
Then he stepped away from the counter and took a quick glance at the science fiction section of the bookstore. It was just a few paces away from the counter. He looked back at Nathan and shrugged his head towards the science fiction shelves. "Anyway, I'll go see if I can find more books to read. I'm actually thinking of spending the entire day in my apartment so I might as well find a good novel to keep myself busy."
"Well, you go do that. It's gonna be good for my business, you know. More sales means more profit." Nathan said with a chuckle. He was about to pick up his newspaper, when he suddenly found the need to tell William something. "Actually," He suddenly said.
William stopped in place and looked at him. "What?" He asked.
Nathan grinned and pointed at him. "I'll let you have one book for free. Sales have been pretty good lately, so I guess it's okay to give a friend a little freebie, eh?"
The young man's face suddenly lit up and a wide smile spread across his lips. "Hey, thanks, Mr. Waldman!" He exclaimed. He gave his friend a small salute and continued to walk to the science fiction section of the store.
Nathan suddenly arched an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "Mr. Waldman? What's with the sudden formality?" He asked in a scrutinizing way.
William didn't respond. He walked between the shelves without even looking at the asking man. But as soon as he disappeared from Nathan's sight, he suddenly poked his head out from the aisle and looked at his older friend. "Because it makes me feel younger!" He shouted in response, his voice mixed with suppressed laughter. Then he quickly pulled his head back to once again disappear behind the shelves and deviously smiled to himself. He liked joking around with Nathan every now and then. He always liked how the older man reacted to him whenever he pulled his strings.
"Well it makes me feel older!!!" Shouted Nathan as he picked up the newspaper. "So I suggest you never 'ever' refer to me in that way again, you juvenile delinquent!" He spat out, loud enough for William to hear. He grinned and shook his head from side. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed having those 'word wars' with that boy back when he was still working for Code7. Then a happy sigh escaped from his lips as he turned his attention back to the article that he was reading a while ago.
Stryker, the older Stryker, remained standing near the doorway as he watched everything unfold right before his very eyes. He had a dumbfounded, shocked and confused look on his face while he observed and listened to his younger self. He couldn't believe that 'that' young man was 'him'. That was him when he was twenty-six-years old.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to observe his younger counterpart. He still couldn't find the will to move. He wanted to approach his young self to see him up close, but he felt afraid. He was so afraid to see the part of him that he had lost.
The young William was now busy picking out some books from the shelf and looking at the summaries on the back of their covers. The older Stryker, on the other hand, continued to watch him with fearful awe. He still couldn't imagine how that young 'William' could have been him. Because that boy was nothing like the mutant-hating monster that Yuriko and the mutants claimed that he was. That young man was nothing like the man he had become. When he first laid eyes on his younger self, he was actually expecting to find a troubled youth, with fire raging in his puerile eyes and a rebellious streak on his young face. He was expecting to see a young person filled with budding hate, a person who would care for no one but himself, someone who would inevitably grow up to be the hateful man that he had turned out to be.
But instead, he found a vibrant, happy young man who had no hint of anger on his face and no sign of contempt and hate in his persona. So that really was him? That was who he used to be? None of it was making any sense. Was this really 'his' past?
He also heard him mention the names of both Yuriko and --- Logan? Yes...He remembered his younger counterpart talking to the older man about them. In fact, he was talking about Yuriko and Logan as if they were his friends, his comrades, his family. But how could that be? Was he referring to the 'same' Yuriko and Logan that he knew? Were they the same Yuriko and Logan that he had encountered for the past two days? The Yuriko he had enslaved and the Logan who hated every fiber of his body?
But that was impossible. If they were the same Yuriko and Logan, shouldn't they be as old as he was now? And Logan, he couldn't even imagine him as a friend, not even as an ally. That animalistic, bloodthirsty man looked at him with so much hatred and searing anger. He had tried to gut him and kill him countless of times before. And yet the young William referred to Logan as the 'brother' he never had. He talked about Logan as if he was his best friend, a person whom he trusted with his life.
And Yuriko --- when he first met her by the lake, she too looked at him with so much loathing and enmity. She hated him for the horrible and inhumane things that he did to her. Due to his amnesia, he couldn't remember any of what he had done. But he knew that he did those hideous things because he saw them in his mind. They haunted him, taunted him, reminded him of his monstrosity. They filled his head with vague, fractured images of his past sins. There were even moments when he closed his eyes and saw Yuriko screaming for mercy, begging for freedom, begging for him to stop, begging for him to kill her so that her silent suffering would finally end.
So if Yuriko really was his friend before, if everything that the young William had said was true, then why did he end up doing those horrible things to her? Why did he end up hurting her the way he did? What caused him to make her go through so much pain? Friends don't do those kinds of things to one another. His younger self even seemed to look at Yuriko as more than just a friend.