SKETTY24 WHOA O.O!!!! It's awesome that you're enjoying Stryker's back story so far D! I just really wanna flesh him out before the finale of the story )! Hmmm...as for Yuriko (and Logan), they'll be making their 'cameo appearances' soon enough...in the next chapter ) (I'm working on it right now D). Thanks for reviewing :D!
Chapter 65: Knight in shining glasses
"And I believe it's called Weapons and Warfare of the 20th Century by Jeremiah Cassidy!" He exclaimed. "I was actually the one who bought the last copy from the shop." He chuckled. "And let me tell you, it's a great book. I've never read any printed material like that before. It has all the details you could ever want about the weapons and tactics that they used during the ---"Then the excited tone on his voice slowly faded into mumbling sounds as he noticed the disgruntled look on Karen's face.
Then he stopped talking altogether and he looked at her curiously. Why was she looking at him like that? She was looking him as if she wanted to bite his head off. Shouldn't she be happy that she had already found someone who had the book?
Karen tightened her jaw as she looked back at him. It looked like she was mistaken. She did think she that he was rather charming when she first saw him, but now she just realized that he was nothing but an arrogant fool. "Look, William." She spoke his voice in a hardened way. "If you came all this way to rub my face in the fact that you have it and I don't, then I'm sorry, Mr. Stryker...because I don't engage in such lowly, childish games." She said with a sarcastic tone in her voice. "Good day."
William's eyes suddenly opened wide with distress and he waved his hands in front of him in a refusing manner. "No, no, no, you read me wrong!" He immediately said before she could turn away from him again.
"I, I, wasn't trying to rub your face in anything! I mean, well, that's not the reason why I ran all this way to see you again." He had a rather worried tone in his voice. It looked like they got off on the wrong foot in this sophomore meeting.
Then he breathed in and straightened himself. "Well, come on, why would I even want to do something like that, right?" He asked, smiling. "But anyway," He shrugged. "I actually ran after you because I would really love to lend you the book. I overheard you and Nathan talking about it and you sounded like you really, really need it." He explained. "You could even keep it for the entire week if you want. The entire month, even." He said excitedly. "After all, I just finished reading it last week and I doubt that I will read it again some time soon." A soft chuckle escaped from his lips.
He was now expecting her to jump for joy and thank him, but he found a ridiculing look on her face instead. What was wrong with this girl? He was there to practically save her life and she was looking at him as if he was some kind of criminal.
"I don't even know you." She said in a scrutinizing way. Okay, so he was a nice guy and he had the book that she was looking for. But that wasn't reason enough for her to trust him. She barely knew who he was. "For all I know, you're just saying this so that you can get 'something' from me. And let me tell you, I am not 'that' kind of girl."
"What?!" He asked with a shocked look on his face. "What do you mean 'I want something from you'? What could I want from you?!" Then his eyes suddenly widened with surprise when he suddenly realized what she was talking about. "Oh! That!" He said in a shocking way. He couldn't believe that she actually thought that he was trying to 'pick her up', or what they called it, 'get it on' with her.
"Oh god, no! No!" He exclaimed. "Trust me, I, uh, I don't want 'that' from you. I'm not that kind of guy, you know." He said as he shook his head from side to side. Though he really couldn't blame her. She was just looking out for her safety after all.
Karen arched an eyebrow as she looked at him. "So, you mean, you're really going to lend me the book? No strings attached? I don't have to pay for anything?" She asked curiously. "Though if you want me to pay for it, I would, of course." She immediately added. She actually felt rather embarrassed for scrutinizing him earlier.
William laughed and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, yes. And no, you don't have to pay for anything." He replied. Finally, it looked like he was getting through to her. "And if it would make you feel better, we could go Nathan's ---"He motioned his hand towards the direction of the bookstore "--- and you can ask him anything about me...Just to assure you that you're not dealing with a serial killer." He said with a chuckle. "And if you're wondering who I am to him, I'm a close friend of his. I worked with him in the military until he retired." He said with an assuring smile.
Well, he didn't really 'lie' when he told her that he worked for the military, because he did. It's just that he secretly worked for Code7 too.
Karen couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. She could feel the sincerity in his voice and see the honesty in his clear blue eyes, which just added to his overflowing charm. This guy was perfect...too perfect. Perhaps that was the reason why she had suspected him earlier...because he was 'too' ideal. What are the chances that you'd find a guy in a bookstore, be mysteriously attracted to him, then later on see that guy chasing you across five blocks so that he could give you something that you really needed?
This William Stryker was definitely too good to be true. He was like the living embodiment of everything she could ever want in a guy. This had to be a dream. It had to be. But if it was, then she'll definitely take her time to enjoy it, and hopefully never wake up, unless if he was the first thing she was going to see.
"And why are you doing this?" She asked curiously. "Why offer your help to a complete stranger?" They say curiosity killed the cat, but she didn't care. She was actually more curious about his personality, than why he decided to lend her the book.
William smiled and shrugged. "Well, why not?" He laughed. "And come on, you're Nathan's friend," He said as he motioned a hand towards her, "...and any friend of Nathan's is a friend of mine...so you can consider this as an open act of kindness towards a friend." He smiled and nodded his head in confirmation. "Or rather, a friend's friend."
Then he raised his eyebrows and shrugged "Well, I also overheard how much you needed the book, so I couldn't just stand there and do nothing while you virtually sail the seven seas and comb the deserts looking for it, right?" He chuckled.
Karen laughed as she looked at him. He was definitely too good to be true. And the more she looked at him, the more she wanted to stare. She actually couldn't believe how she could think of him in such a way, when she barely knew who he was. She just met him in the bookstore and this was basically their first 'real' conversation together.
She didn't even know his middle name or where he lived or how old he was. And now she was looking at him as if he 'could be' her future boyfriend. God, what was she even thinking? He could already have a girlfriend for all she knew. He could even be married already! She had never really felt this way towards any guy before. But then, she may just be feeling this way towards him because he had the book that she needed. Yeah, that could be it. After all, which kind of girl would fall in love with a guy on the first day?
William smiled as he noticed Karen looking at him. She had been looking at him for quite some time now. He was actually expecting her to say something after he talked, but she never spoke back. Instead, she just stood there and looked at him. He really didn't know what was going on in her mind, but at least she wasn't looking at him suspiciously anymore. And she had that soft smile on her face, which was a good sign that she was feeling better than when he last saw her on the bookstore.
"What?" He asked curiously. "Do I have something on my face?"
Karen's eyes suddenly shot wide open and the startled expression on her face made her look as if she had just been snapped awake. Then she looked into his blue eyes and felt her cheeks flush. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed by what just happened. Was she just gawking at him? Of course she was gawking at him. She was staring at his face for a full minute without saying a word and she knew that he noticed that she was.
She quickly shook her head from side to side. "Oh no, no." She said with widened eyes. "Trust me, you don't have anything on your face. Your face is perfect." She said with a smile. Then she furrowed her eyebrows. Did she just say that his face was perfect? This was definitely not her. It must be her suppressed lovesick self who was talking. She wasn't even a romantic. She was more of the blunt, logical type...that's why she became a writer for the Herald. Because as a writer, she just had to research and write things as what they are...not doll them up in melodrama as if they were some sort of art.
"So, you still wanna go back to Nathan's? Tell him the good news? Or maybe, you know, ask him about me?" He asked, laughing. He couldn't believe it, but he seemed to have formed some sort of connection with this girl. Since he had joined Code7, he never really felt the need to interact and make friends with those who lived in the 'outside world'. In fact, the only person he talked to whenever he wasn't with Yuriko and Logan was Nathan, and even he was once a part of Code7.
But Karen, she seemed to make him want to spend more time with her. He knew he just met her, and he barely knew who she was, but there was just something about her that attracted him to her. Was it because she was a breath of fresh air? A person who didn't know who he truly was and what he truly was? Someone who didn't know the blood he had spilled? Or was it because right now, at this moment, while he was standing right in front of her, he could be whoever he wanted to be and be whatever he wanted to be and simply forget about the blood-soaked mercenary he had become?
Forget about Code7? Forget about James Howlett and Yuriko Oyama?
No. No. He could never forget them. They were his life. They were his world. They made him as much as he made them. He would die for them.
Karen smiled back at him and slightly shook her head. "No. It's all right." She said softly as she looked deep into his eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take the smile off her lips, and her eyes off his. "I don't think that's really necessary."
William raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Okay. That settles it then." He said with a shrug. Then he breathed in and exhaled. "So," He said as he clasped his hands together. "When do you need the book?" He asked. "If you want, I could drop it by Nathan's this afternoon and you can pick it up from there." Then he pursed his lips, furrowed his eyebrows and looked to the distance, as if was thinking of something else.
His eyes suddenly lit up and he looked back at her. "Or --- well, um, please, don't take this the wrong way, but uh, my apartment is just a couple of blocks away from here," He said as he vaguely pointed to its direction. "So, if you want, you could pass by, later, or maybe now, and then I could give it to you from the there." He looked at her, waiting for her answer. He really hoped he didn't sound like some desperate guy who wanted her to come over to his place. It's just that he really wasn't that good with words when in it came to situations like this. He'd actually prefer to instruct an entire battalion on how to infiltrate a tight-security weapon-clad enemy stronghold instead.
Karen tilted her head and looked at him curiously. Did he just invite her over to his place? Then she giggled and poked him on the chest. "Yeah, I think I'd prefer to drop by your place instead." She said with a smile. "After all, I think Nathan's had enough of us for the day."
Stryker's eyes widened when he saw Karen's reaction to his proposal. He was quite surprised to see her eager to go to his apartment. Though now, he wasn't really sure if inviting her to 'come over' was a good idea. The only people who had been there were Yuriko, Logan, Nathan, and some of the other operatives of Code7, so he really didn't feel that comfortable having someone else over. That was how separated he was from the outside world. But then, he guessed it wouldn't hurt because she was just going to drop by and get the book. It's not like she was going to live there and stay with him forever.
"Okay! Sounds like a plan." He replied.
"Sounds like a great plan." She added, putting the emphasis on the word 'great'. "So, William..." She suddenly said. "What now?" She asked with an enthusiastic smile.
Stryker laughed. He still couldn't believe the rather surprising connection that he had with this girl. "Well, I say, we go out to lunch." He said proudly. "Don't worry. My treat." He said as he pointed to himself. "Think of it as my little way of apologizing for stealing your book and causing you so much worry." He smiled.
"You know what?" She asked as she nodded her head. Then she smiled and laughed quietly. "I think I would really like that. Consider yourself forgiven."
"Great!" He laughed. "Anyway, there's this really nice café just down the street." He motioned his hand towards its direction. "It's nothing flashy, but its got great food and a nice, quiet atmosphere. My friends and I eat there every once in a while." Friends, meaning the people of Code7, specifically Logan and Yuriko. Surprisingly, even Logan liked the food. "And I think it's the perfect place for that lunch that I owe you."
"Then lead the way." She said proudly as she looked at him. She couldn't believe what was happening. This day just turned from worst to better to best. When she left the bookstore earlier today, she didn't have the one thing that she needed. And now, she had the one thing she needed, and something a little bit more.
"Come on." William shrugged his head and walked down the side of the street. "We don't have the rest of the day, you know." He said as he smiled back at her. "If we're going to have lunch, then we might as well be there before one o' clock."
Karen giggled and walked beside him, and the two of them made their way down the street. Stryker, on the other hand, with his arms crossed over his chest, stood on the sidewalk and watched as his younger self and Karen walk pass by him. They weren't holding hands, nor were they touching each other, but at least they were together, walking side by side. And Stryker couldn't help but smile to himself, because he knew that this was just the start of something great, something wonderful, something that would change his life forever. And he couldn't wait to see more.
He looked to his side and saw Karen and William already a few paces away from him, walking further and further down the street.
William looked to his side and saw Karen walking so close to him. "Hey!" He suddenly said. "You like peanut butter? Because that café has this really great peanut butter pancake and you just have to try it!" He said with an excited tone to his voice.
Karen looked up to him and laughed. "I love peanut butter!" She exclaimed.
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows, and then he laughed. "Peanut butter." He whispered. Well, at least that was one of the things that never changed with him.
And then his eyes opened wide with surprise when he suddenly found himself standing in a room that looked like --- a bedroom. He appeared right next to a window covered with soft white drapes, with the faint rays of the sun passing through them. Looks like his memory decided to skip some scenes and make a little jump forward in time. He looked around and observed the place where he could be at right now. He didn't know why, but he knew this place. He knew where he was. This was his room. Well, it used to be his room. Then he looked down and confirmed that what he thought was right.
On the bed, just a couple of paces away from the window, laid the sleeping form of the younger William Stryker. The young man was laying on his right side, facing the window, with his sheets covering him up to his waist. His left forearm had a bandage around it, from his elbow down to his wrist. And the sunlight that streamed through the window gently touched his sleeping form.