Chapter 17: Golden Boy
Please Read and Review! Sorry this has taken so long. As you all know, school is back in session. I hope you enjoy it.
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Recovery took a while for Ryan.
Physically he healed quite fast, but his emotions would take longer, and would probably never fully heal. He also had a new desire for vengeance.
Stryker died months before he even came to the institute, but Dobson still lived, and Ryan would not tolerate that.
With a little more information, they found out that Lady Death Strike had guarded him and more than a few times took all her anger out on him. That explained the cuts. Even as the rest of his body healed and the pain forgotten, the scars remained a cruel reminder of the torture. Most of them were not visible but he had three across his right cheekbone and four on the back of his neck. But as much as Ryan hated the reminder, it helped him grow close to one of the hardest humans possible to get close to: Wolverine. They often joked about Lady Death Strike; trying to lighten the pain she had caused them together. Ryan envied Wolverine for getting the pleasure of killing her.
However, Ryan did not just get along with Wolverine, he got along with everybody. No one could say a single bad thing about him, except that it took him a long time to learn how to control his powers. He cleaned up more than his share after every meal, always made time to talk to everyone, helped people with homework and chores, did much computer work with the professor, and even went to chick flicks if a girl didn't have anyone to go with.
Max soon nicknamed Ryan "Golden Boy," or "Goldie," and it stuck.
However, even though Ryan seemed to be healing, and had quickly jumped out of his shell, he still cowered when someone larger than he entered a room and he still winced when anyone raised a hand or their voice. He lived in the company of friends now, whereas he had lived so long in presence of enemies. It would take him a long time to realize that he could stop cowering and start fighting back.