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Rated M for Mature
Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.
Project X: The Birth of Wolverine, Chapter 85- Kestrel, Part 1
I found myself tied up on the chair with hard and strong steel chains. It was the moment of despair, wantin' to get out of this place. A dry and deserted country much like the one I used to visit Arizona. I came to this country on a mission to find John Kestrel also known as Wraith. He was a strong cowboy who could teleport anywhere at once. Not even a single indvidual could catch him, includin' me. But how much time will it take to catch some motherf*cker who keeps f*ckin' around with innocent people? Who knows? I might have to get outta this d@mn chair and find out.
The inside buildin' smelled rotten that nobody could even stand it. There was blood which several prisoners got beaten out of. These prisoners were the rebels who wanted freedom in their country. The fact is that some people will do anythin' to get sorta power. Whether it's weaponry, technology, politics, business, ya name it. The person who wanted much power is none other than John Kestrel. Yea, the guy whom I used to work with and back at Project X. We also worked as part of the Team X operations, seekin' out important figures and killin' them. It wasn't pretty though. But I had to manage keepin' my insanity in check. John Kestrel always liked to kill people behind their backs. The kinda important figures like politicians, scientists, military generals and others. These people neva knew what hit them. A large rock that just rolls over their body and crushed them like a hard splatter of blood.
I recalled when John Kestrel and I had to assassinate an important president of Northern Africa. It was the place called Morocco where most of the Black Muslims originally lived. The president's name was Al-Muhammed Rasheem. His father was a freedom fighter who wanted to take control over Morocco and the rest of Northern Africa. A man whose vision was to control the entire states much like the evil Hitler would have done before. But the man's vision came with a price. After his father won the rebellion against the dangerous militiary generals of Morocco, he took power and became everyone's hero. Most people think that way. But it ain't the case though. Stryker got orders from a highest government official to kill the former freedom fighter. That's where Kestrel and I came in. We had to travel to Morocco and kill the b@$t@rd which later turn the Black Muslims to have hatred and fightin' for their country. At that time, the military generals lost power due to their savior. No one was able to kill the hero at any time. Because the guy had resources from others so that he can be saved. Stryker told us that the mission would be tough enough to kill the hero. But Kestrel became a good asset to Team X since he can teleport from one place to another. I wish I had that kind of ability. Kestrel was lucky to have it. I wondered if Kestrel could also take me to various places at once. But he said his power couldn't allow more than one person to teleport. I guess he didn't even had that kinda experience before. Even though I wokred with him on the way, Kestrel became the only person to kill the former freedom fighter. The news had broken out like some wild dogs, doin' the chase and wantin' to find out who killed him.
The incident took place in the year 1973. It was a lost memory which I neva used to recall. At that time, I thought that I was cryogenically frozen like ten years ago. But during those years, I woke up and bein' sent out on personal assignments like a lab experiment. I couldn't even remember if the rest of the Team X members had been frozen at the same time as me. They probably have escaped from the strange Great Beast or they wanted to escape from Project X itself. Much like David North did. I ain't sure about the others though. On the other hand, John Kestrel came back to Morocco for one good reason. And that reason is....power.
While I tried to move from the chair, a figure just phased out of nowhere. It was John Kestrel himself. He held a large rifle on his right shoulder and wore sunglasses that covered his real eyes. The sunglasses made himself look like a cool cowboy. But he ain't a cowboy for that matter. He had a slight brown hat that sits on the top of his head. His shirts were like someone had been wearin' since the last 1970s. The same and old plain shirt.
"Logan. Logan." Kestrel said. "You came back to look for me. Right?"
"Let me guess. Stryker told ya."
"Ha! Yeah, sure. He did told me. But what do I care? I have some businees to perform here."
"What kinda business?
The cool-lookin' cowboy didn't say a word as he kept walkin' around the rotten jail cell. He looked outside the small window on the wall. A few seconds later, Kestrel took his rifle and whacked me on the face. The blood spilled out like dry water and landed on the dry floor. He then looked at me for a while and continued talkin' like a harsh cowboy.
"Let me tell you something, Logan. I had this idea that I could very well take power at my own hands. That way, I could do anything I wanted."
"Is this what ya had in mind all the time?"
"You could say that. But I never wanted to become part of Team X in the first place."
"Then why did ya join?"
The cowboy turned back away from me and stared at the small window outside. He still held the gun on his right shoulder and continued speakin'.
"I had a plan, Logan. You have no idea how I wanted this much bad as anyone else. With Project X controlling and telling you what to do, it's just a shame that a person can't have freedom in their lives."
"But you're still workin' with Stryker."
"Did I say I worked with him, Logan? No, I never did. He knows that I wanted freedom. That's why I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain that freedom."
"You are a piece of $h!t! You know that, Kestrel?"
"Ha! Ha! Ha! I may be that kind of person. But what can you do, Logan? Did you think that there always has been freedom?"
I didn't know what to say in front of my former Team X mate. I had to agree with him here. Because I neva had freedom to do what I wanted in life. People force you to do things whenever they can. It was a pure and a hard-boiled mission that no one would ever like. I did kill some innocent people in Morocco just to find the d@mn freedom fighter and kill him. I remembered that day when Heather Hudson showed her latest technology. This technology helps an individual to relive his or her lost memories. When I got inside that machine, I felt strange considerin' the fact that I may have not remembered everythin' after I watched that Kane's secret video. The video did show me all the details which I have ever wanted to learn about my past. But there were still missin' pieces to the puzzle. Psi-Borg did create a lot of damage to my brain recently. So that I couldn't recall every single fragment of my own memory. It's like the broken glass which couldn't be fixed unless you have to pick each of them up. It does take time though.
Kestrel was walkin' around the chair where I was still bein' tied with chains. He seemed to be enjoyin' this game, not carin' what happens to the outside world. I decided to ask him regardin' the current president who's runnin' the show here.
"Where's this Al-Muhammed Rasheem guy?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"I just wanna know, bub. It seems strange to me that you're sidin' with him nowadays. Yet, you killed his poor daddy."
"You're full of questions, Logan. We all had a dark past to deal with. But we've managed to move on and forget about it."
"I figured that he knew what you did."
"So what if he knows? Heh? Ever since you came here, you f*cking spoiled it."
"Yea, I did. But I needed to know where Stryker is."
The angry look came upon Kestrel's face. He then took the rifle from his right shoulder and whacked me in the face again. The blood still oozed out from my dry lips. I didn't had a drink for quiet a few days since I came back to Morocco. I had a secret plan that Kestrel wouldn't even know about. And this plan seems to be goin' well. I had to count this mission on others as well. I ain't just the person who's doin it.
Kestrel placed his rifle back on his right shoulder, lookin' down the floor as if he had noticed somethin'. He looked back at me, still wearin' the sunglasses and not wantin' to take them out. He likes to look cool that way all the time.
"I had to take care of some business, Logan. I don't have f*cking time to chat with an animal. See you later....Logan."
Kestrel phased out of existence right in front of me. Yet, I still couldn't get the information out of his bad mouth. I had a secret radio transmitter hidden inside my white shirt. This transmistter was so tiny that no one could notice it. It was a surprise that Kestrel neva knew the fact that I had the transmitter while someone heard our conversations. I carefully whispered to the person who was waitin' for the next move.
"Fred, ya there?"
"Yeah, Logan. I heard everything."
"Good. You and Wild Child betta move quick. I have a feelin' that Kestrel just teleported to the president's house."
"How can you tell?"
"I have a f*ckin' nose. What ya think?"
"Oh yeah. Right."
"Send Washout here to release me."
"Got it."
Meanwhile....President Al-Muhammed Rasheem's mansion.
"Kestrel, my man. You have arrived. How is our prisoner?"
"He'll be fine, Mr. President. But not for long."
"I know what you mean. He is special like you."
"I know. He was my friend."
"Not to say that you have killed my father. Although if I were like him, I would have killed you."
"Won't that be a surprising fact?"
"Yes. I'm nothing like him. We need to maintain our power at all costs. No matter what the consequences are."
"I hear you, Mr. President. But we'll need to be....careful for now."
"Careful?"
"Let's just say that my former friend already has something store for us."
To be continued in Project X: The Birth of Wolverine, Chapter 86- Kestrel, Part 2.
Holy $h!t! Does Kestrel know that Logan has a backup team? You better find out because things are going to get more uglier in the next chapter of Wolverine. Kestrel, I pray that you don't disappear before I know where Stryker is. SNIKT!
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