THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE'S REVIEWS :D! Here's the next chappie :D! and to those who're confused with Stryker's age, I believe this chap will answer thy questions ;)!
Chapter 94: Introductions
"Logan…" Stryker said with a smile. "You're a little late." There was an ounce of caution in his voice. He sounded like a man who was treading on dangerous waters. In fact, he sounded like he feared to offend the man behind the mask.
The mysterious figure didn't say anything at once. He didn't even move in response to Stryker's words. No gestures were made and no words were spoken. He just stood there and looked at Stryker with invisible eyes. Then after a few seconds, the silent man finally moved, and it almost made Stryker, Kenji and Yuriki jump on their toes.
The masked Logan sharply kicked the stand of his motorcycle down so that the two wheeled, jet black vehicle would stand on its won. Then he stood up with both legs still on either side of the vehicle, and carefully took his helmet off with one slow pull.
Yuriko's eyes widened as she looked up at the mysterious figure. She was finally going to see what lay beyond that intimidating motorcycle mask. Just a moment ago, she overheard her father and Stryker's conversation about this person this "creature" that they called Logan. And somehow, that discussion had intrigued her even scared her.
It seemed as if they didn't refer to this Logan as a man. They referred to him as if he were an animal, a monster, a myth, like a dragon or a vampire or a werewolf. And as she looked at him, her heart thumped on her chest and her eyes grew wider with each and every passing millisecond. What will she see behind that mask? Will that man truly change their life as her father had mentioned earlier? And if so, why?
The first thing she saw was a man's chin, then his lips. His lower jaw was covered by a prickly stubbles that seemed have been shaved just a few days ago. But other than that, the lower part of his face looked like that of a man's. But what she really wanted to see was his eyes. Because, perhaps, this Logan wasn't the monster or the creature that her father and his friend said that he was. Maybe this Logan was just like any other man. Maybe he was just exceptional and that was what made him different.
Logan pulled the helmet smoothly off his face, causing his raven black unruly hair to free itself from its domed recluse. He had piercing eyes that made Yuriko shiver. His hair was like that of a wolf's and a raven's combined. He looked like the kind of man who could wrestle a lion and walk away without a scratch. His sharp features and observant eyes made him look keen and sensitive to his surroundings. He looked like he could hear and feel and smell and sense everything that moved and breathed around him.
Her father was right. This Logan was definitely different. She could smell it. She didn't know why, but she could smell it. This man was different. This was the kind of man she would never want to be associated with. She scared him, and she couldn't deny it to herself. Yet somehow, she intrigued him, like a moth to a deadly, burning flame.
Logan stepped off his vehicle and stood there, looking at Stryker and Kenji. His silence was almost deafening, and his eyes, undoubtedly intimidating. He seemed to be observing them, like a hungry wolf looking at two wounded, bleeding deets. His nose twitched as he ran his eyes ran over Stryker's face, then Kenji's, then he looked down at little Yuriko. He sneered at the sight of the little girl, almost as if he were asking "What's she doing here? She doesn't belong here."
Yuriko's eyes met his and she immediately moved a step closer to her father. She almost grabbed Kenji's legs, in hopes of shielding herself from the view of the human wolf. She didn't like his eyes. She couldn't even stand to look at them. Every time she glanced at them, she felt like he was going to eat her alive.
"Father…" She whispered, moving an inch closer to Kenji, almost burying her face on the back of his leg. Her subtle young voice trembled with fear.
She wanted her father to hold her, to hug her, to tell her that this Logan wasn't a bad man. But no comfort came. Her father, though she knew how much he loved her, seemed to have forgotten that she was standing there right next to him. Her father was more interested in Logan now. He looked at Logan was so much awe and bewilderment. He looked like a child, entranced by the glittering lights of a Christmas parade.
"I'm never late." Logan muttered in his deep and gruff voice. His words passed through his clenched teeth like knife through soft butter. His eyes continued to glare at both Stryker and Kenji as if he were implying that he was offended and irritated by Stryker's earlier comment about his tardiness.
"I come and go as I please." He followed soon after. And this time, his piercing eyes were looking at Stryker and Stryker alone. "I follow no one's time. Everyone follows mine." He implied, his voice delivering an invisible blow. "That was a part of our deal. Isn't that right, William?" He said, looking at the older-looking military man.
Stryker didn't move. He just stood there and took a quick glance at Kenji from the corner of his eyes. Then he looked directly at Logan, while Logan continued to look at him. There was fear in Stryker's eyes. He looked as if he was being judged by the angel of death. The lump on his throat moved, implying that he had swallowed hard. A drop of sweat tricked down his temple and he clenched his hands in fear.
After a few seconds of silence, a trembling breath escaped form his parted lips and he nodded his head. "Of course, Logan." He said, assuring. "That…" He swallowed again then cleared his throat. "…was definitely a part of our deal." Stryker lifted his hand close to his chest, and then placed it back down to his side. He was about to loosen the tie that held his collar but quickly banished the thought. It would only show a sign of weakness and vulnerability. And at this moment, that was the last thing that he wanted to show his dangerous friend. After all, he knew that wolves always ate the weak ones first.
"Good." Logan replied. His eyes bore deep into Stryker's as he spoke. He wanted to show the military man that he was the one who had the upper hand. "I know you're a man of your word, Will." He said, almost with a mocking smirk on his face. "And I know that no matter what happens, you will keep your word. All of it." He continued, emphasizing each and every word.
Logan clenched his fists as he looked back at Stryker, waiting for a reply. Stryker couldn't help but glance down at Logan's knuckles. He glanced at Logan's hands as if they were two cobras, ready to strike and devour him alive.
Even Kenji noticed the fear and discomfort in Stryker's eyes. He knew how brave and unshakeable his friend was. Yet here he is, trembling at the sight of this mysterious stranger. But he couldn't blame him. Just standing in front of this Logan made his spine tingle. And he didn't even know what his true capabilities were. What more when he finally sees what this Logan is truly capable of doing? Or rather, who or what this person, this creature, truly was. But despite the fear, was the feeling of bewilderment, curiosity, the hunger for knowledge. He was going to study Logan no matter what.
Logan's eyes turned sharply towards Kenji. Though his eyes moved, his head didn't. Not even a nudge not a slight turn. He seemed to be studying the Japanese man from head to foot…observing him, smelling him.
"Who's he?" He asked, sneering back at William.
Logan disliked strangers. In fact, he didn't like anyone or anything. To Logan, the world revolved around him and his rules. The life he had lived had made him that way. As for Gen. William Stryker, he'd known the man for about two years now. He respected him, but that was that. He rarely respected people, but Stryker's honor and loyalty had somehow wooed him to trust the man and comply with his requests.
Stryker slightly nudged his head to his side, towards Kenji. "A good friend of mine." He said, still maintaining an air of cautiousness.
Logan narrowed his eyes. "I thought I was going to deal with you and you alone. No other person but you, remember? That was another part of our deal." He muttered through gritted teeth. He looked like a bomb whose fuse had just been lit.
The older man breathed in through his lips, and exhaled through the same passage. He seemed to be thinking of the right words to say next. He knew that he and Logan had a deal that he was going to talk with no one but him. And having Kenji standing right next to them right now was definitely a breach of their spoken contract. In fact, no other person was supposed to know about Logan's true existence and his true capabilities.
"I don't like how things are going, William." Logan said monotonously. His voice was void of any enthusiasm or emotions whatsoever. "You know how I feel about keeping one's word." He continued. "And you know what I do to people who don't."
With those words, he suddenly pulled something out of his jacket, and the unexpected movement almost caused Stryker to step back. In his hand, Logan held a tobacco. It was one of the tobaccos Stryker had given him during their meeting a couple of months back. Logan loved to smoke those things. To him, they were just like sweet, succulent candies to pass the time. He never really cared about all that crap about smoking being dangerous to one's health. After all, unlike normal human beings, he would never suffer from lung cancer, or any kind of sickness whatsoever.
He sharply bit the cap off the tobacco, and pulled a lighter out of his jeans' front pocket. He flipped the lighter's cover open and slipped the tobacco between his thin lips. Then he moved the lighter right next to the tip of his tobacco and lit it up, causing a thin stream of grey smoke to rise up from the source.
Logan inhaled and slipped the lighter back into his jeans' front pocket. One of the hotel's attendants, who happened to stand by the lobby at the moment, almost panicked at the sight of Logan smoking his tobacco. The Hotel Barclay had strict rules about smoking such things in the vicinity. In fact, the hotel had a strict no smoking policy.
From the corner of William's eye, he saw the hotel attendant walking towards them and Logan. And right before the attendant could pass William, William turned around and extended a hand towards the woman, stopping her in her tracks. "He's a friend of mine." He said firmly. "Let him do whatever he wants. That's a request, from me." He said quickly. Stryker seemed to be a known figure in the Barclay.
The female attendant nodded her head and took a quick glance at Logan. Logan just continued to smoke his tobacco as he looked back at her in a stoic manner. Even if the she had managed to correct his unlawful act, he wouldn't lay a finger on her anyway. He may be a ruthless mercenary, but he wasn't the kind who would hurt those who can't defend themselves, like that woman who was now walking back to her post.
"Thanks, Will." He said, still puffing smoke from his lips and his tobacco. Logan had a gentler tone in his voice now as he addressed Stryker. And as for Kenji and Stryker, they were obviously trying to hold back their coughs in fear of making Logan feel uncomfortable and offended. Neither of them actually smoked.
Logan noticed this but continued to keep on smoking in front of the two gentlemen. It was pretty obvious that he really didn't care. "You still haven't answered my earlier question." He added, blowing more smoke towards his companions. "What's he doing here? Who is he? Because from the looks of it…" He turned his head and met Kenji's eyes with his. He looked back at him, boring deep into the Japanese man's soul with his wolf-like keen senses. "…He seems to know a lot about me." He emphasized the word 'lot', and there was a hint of enmity in his voice.
Yuriko coughed at the smoke that blew her way. She didn't like that Logan at all. He scared her, and he smoked and he didn't seem to be respectful. She couldn't really understand why her father liked this man. Logan was the kind of person her father would dislike. And yet, there he was, giving Logan more attention than her.
"Father..." She pleaded, coughing as she spoke. She wanted to tell him that she was tired and that she needed to move away from them, from the smoke and from that scary person. But her father couldn't seem to hear her now. He seemed too busy discussing something with Logan and the military man.
She covered her mouth in hopes of blocking the smoke away. And then she clung to the leg of her father's slacks, hoping, at least, that he would look down and notice her. But he didn't look down. He didn't even flinch. It was like she wasn't even there. She felt like she was nothing but thin air, like she didn't even exist at the moment.
Yuriko, in her entire eleven years of life, never had to do anything to get her father to notice her. Whenever he got home from work if he came home from work, he always gave her every minute, every second, every passing moment of his life. He gave her all the attention she ever wanted, all the love she ever needed. He would spend enough time with her to make up for all the times he had been at work.
But now, Yuriko felt alone. And in a way, she couldn't blame her father. After all, this was work. He was working right now. He was busy. In fact, she was even lucky that she finally got to be with him while he was "working". She was finally a part of the life that he had somewhat hidden from her for the past few years of her life. She was finally standing here, while his father did business.
If only he'd pay attention to her. If only he'd look down and see her there. If only he'd smile her way and speak the words that would take the feeling of aloneness away.
Then Yuriko heard a voice….
"I haven't seen you around here before."
Yuriko's eyes widened in surprise. Was that voice talking to her? It sounded like a voice of a child. And not just a child. From the sound of the voice, it was a boy. A young boy.
She immediately turned her head to the direction of the voice and saw a young boy standing an arm's length away from her. She was right. It was a young boy. And he looked her age, if not a little older. He had dark blue eyes…piercing dark blue eyes that looked a little more experienced than the boy who possessed them. His eyebrows were thick and arched, almost following the curved upper rim of his round, steel glasses. He had dark brown feathery hair with bangs that covered his forehead. In fact, his face looked like a younger, though gentler version of the military man's.
Unlike her copper skin, his skin was an amalgam of flesh and light pink, which she didn't consider odd due of the fact that he was Caucasian and she was Asian. But it seemed that that boy didn't go out of the house much. His pale skin needed more sun.
He was wearing a simple set of jeans and pants…something a boy his age would usually wear. And in his right hand, he held a toy plane. She wasn't an expert on planes and jets and other military vehicles, but she recognized it from the movies she'd seen on TV.
A small and subtle smile arched up the left corner of the boy's lips. "You okay? You're looking at me as if you've just seen a ghost." He said, smiling.
Yuriko raised her eyebrows, as if she couldn't believe that the boy was talking to her. She's never had a stranger talk to her before. In fact, she had never been out of the apartment enough to actually meet other kids than the ones at her school. And she never really had friends at school to talk with. Well, there was Ayame, but they never really met outside of class, outside of school, or during their free times for that matter.
She looked at him curiously and motioned a hand to herself. "Are you talking to me?" She asked with an air of uncertainty in her voice.
The boy giggled and showed her a beaming smile, causing his full lips to stretch from ear to ear. "Er, who else would I talk to? I mean, I'm looking at you, right?" He asked matter-of-factly. He looked at her with an arched brow, waiting for an answer.