A small eating problem was a major understatement. Fred Dukes was so big I barley recognized him. "Come on, Fred. It you wanna get in shape who gotta move!. I told him he got to move." John said, as we watched Fred punch a man so hard he flew out of the boxing ring. I was slightly disturbed by the change in Fred's appearance. My distress was probably due the fact that Fred looked like he hadn't bathed in a few days, or weeks.
"Fred Dukes? That looks like the creature that ate Fred Dukes." Logan whispered. I felt bad for laughing at his off-color joke.
"If you want him to help don't mention his weight." John pleaded.
Logan walked forward towards Fred, who was now taking a drink from a slushy. "Hey, fat - Fred. I seem to remember that girl when she was 85 pounds."
The larger version of Fred looked down at the tattoo on his arm of the girl. "Oh that's funny. You're still so funny, Logan." He said sarcastically.
"Do you know where Victor is?" Logan said, cutting him off.
"No idea." Fred said quickly.
"Where did Stryker take the captured mutants?" Logan asked.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Logan." Fred said, taking another drink from his red slushy. Logan stepped up onto the edge of the ring, holding onto the elastic strings for balance. Logan then said something that I couldn't hear from my position by John. What ever it was, it upset Fred. "Did you just call me 'blob'?" And before Logan could answer he was sent flying backwards towards us. He hit the wall and crumpled to the floor.
John phased over to Logan while I ran. "I told not to mention his weight. Why did you call him 'blob'?" John said, even though he didn't look very concerned, for Fred's mental well-being or Logan's physical.
"I didn't call him blob. I said 'bub'. Goddammit." Logan started to pull his jacket off as he stood up.
"Hey, hey. I got an idea." John said.
Three minutes later Logan was in the boxing ring. Fred was in one corner and Logan was in another. I was against the boxing match. It seemed like a major waste of time, but I wasn't about to voice my opinions. As John handed him a pair of gloves Logan said, "This is your idea of an idea?"
"I'm trying to help you out. Dukes doesn't like you that much." John explained.
"Yea, the feeling's mutual."
"Just dance with him a little. Allow him to take his anger out on you. If you do that, he'll probably tell you everything you wanna know." John said.
"Yea, if you survives." I said quietly as John hit the bell. Logan turned around to face Fred, but was instantly punched in the face.
"Fred's not the one I'm worried about." John laughed. Logan swung at Fred and hit him in the stomach. If it hurt, Fred didn't show it. Logan continued to hit him in the stomach but Fred appeared not to be effected by it. Fred started to swing his arm; he connected to Logan's face the first time. After a few more swings, Fred grabbed Logan by the shoulders and head-butted him. A weird ringing echoed though the room. Fred stumbled backwards a few steps. "Damn!" John said in disbelief. Logan then leaped up into the air and brought his elbow down on top of Fred's head. A few seconds later Fred collapsed to the ground, causing the ring to bend of his weight.
"Now, where's Victor?" Logan said, looming over Fred. I stood up on the edge of the ring, looking down at Fred's face.
"Vic- Victor's, er, with Stryker on the island. They run it together." Fred said lazily.
"Wait a minute. Victor's with Stryker?" I asked from my place above Fred.
He looked up at me, "Yea. You didn't know that?" Clearly upset, Logan started to circle the edge of the ring.
A waited a few seconds before I felt if was safe to ask another question. "What's the island?"
"It's where Stryker takes them after Victor's caught 'em."
"Takes who?" Logan asked before I could.
"Mutants. Rumor is Stryker's doing experiments on them. You mean you never wondered what happened to them?" Fred said to a guilty looking John.
"I tried not to." Was his only answer.
"They killed her so I'd let them put Adamantium in me. They killed her for a goddamn experiment." Logan said in a distressful voice. Angry, Logan roughly grabbed Fred by the shirt and said, "Where is it? Where's the island?"
"Logan, Stryker kept is real secret." Fred cautiously. "But a prisoner escaped there once. His name was Remy LeBeau. He's a street gambler from New Orleans. The guards at the prison called him 'Gambit' because he kept taking their money at poker. That's all I know." He practically said the whole thing in one breath.
"What's the end game? What's Stryker planning?" John asked.
"He's taking their powers. Trying to combined them some how. That's all I know, Logan." Fred breathed.
"If I have to come back here, I'm taking your head off." Logan threaten. Logan jumped out of the ring and headed for the door. John followed him.
"I'm coming too. Wait up." Both of them gave me skeptical look but neither of them said anything.