14.

Fisk's voice crackled back through the phone, trying to maintain its earlier composure but tinged with a hint of frustration. "I believe we've both come to the same conclusion..."

"It seems we have."

Kai hung up the phone as he turned towards Nathan, "Do you really not want to take over Fisk?"

"Sorry, what do you-"

"Don't bother," Kai grinned as Nathan couldn't help but feel chills crawling throughout his body as they made their way toward the car heading immediately to the airport.

----------------------------

Northern Alberta, Canada-

"Jesus! I didn't expect it to be so cold." Nathan shivered driving through the snowy landscape. The icy wind cut through his layers of clothing, making him regret not dressing warmer. The road ahead was a winding, narrow path flanked by towering pine trees, their branches heavy with snow.

Kai, sitting in the passenger seat, looked out at the serene yet unforgiving wilderness. "How close are we?"

"I believe we are not too far, sir." Nathan said as he looked through his tablet tracking Rogue, "Sir, she appeared to be in a vehicle not too long ago but it appears she has made a certain stop."

"In the middle of the road?" Kai asked with amusement as Nathan nodded, "It seems they have started it without me..."

Nathan unsure of what thoughts were going around in Kai's mind chose to remain silent as he continued driving to their destination. The car's heater struggled against the relentless cold, but inside, the tension was warming up rapidly.

As they drove on, Nathan kept his eyes peeled for any signs of activity. The snow-covered road made it difficult to see far ahead, and the trees cast long shadows in the dim afternoon light.

"Sir, there's something up ahead," Nathan said, squinting through the windshield.

He slowed the car down as they approached what looked like an RV that had been through an accident.

"Sir, she's here!" Nathan called out pointing at the girl inside the car.

"Not so quick!" Kai grabbed Nathan's collar pulling him back right in time before an angry man lunged at them with ferocious intensity, barreling through the snow.

The man had wild, unkempt hair styled into distinctive muttonchops and a pair of sideburns that framed his rugged face. A fresh wound on his forehead had already started to heal visible in front of their eyes, closing up almost as quickly as it had been inflicted.

Nathan stumbled back, his heart racing as the man, clearly enraged, came to a stop in front of them.

"Who the fuck are you?" Logan growled, his eyes narrowing at Kai. "And what the hell do you want with the girl."

"And why do you care, mutt?" Kai walked forward looking down on the man who he had recognized as the infamous Wolverine.

The sheer difference in their height was striking. Kai's composed demeanor and towering presence contrasted sharply with Logan's raw, feral intensity.

"Sir..." Nathan tried to interrupt the two men but his presence was completely ignored.

"This will not go the way you think this will, bub." Wolverine's voice was a low, dangerous growl as he stepped closer to Kai, claws fully extended and glinting in the pale light.

"I wonder about that," Kai chuckled clearly not wanting to clear the misunderstanding Wolverine seemed to have about him.

In his head, all he saw was an unkillable target that he could cut through how many times he wanted. As if his natural enemy was standing before him, a man who could kill everything and a man who could just not die.

As the intensity in the air reached an all-time high, both the men were ready to strike but before they could, a loud scream brought the two back to their senses.

Without even turning to look both the men acted immediately as Kai grabbed the incoming man by the throat and Wolverine stabbed the man with his claws.

The hulking figure, taller and broader than Wolverine, with a mane of wild, dirty blonde hair framing his savage face. His eyes gleamed with a feral intensity, matching the animalistic growl that escaped his lips.

Kai's hand gripped the man's throat like a vise, stopping the madman's charge with surprising ease. The man snarled and struggled against Kai's grip, his claws slashing wildly through the air. But before he could land a blow, Wolverine lunged forward, his adamantium claws extending with a metallic hiss.

With precision honed through countless battles, Wolverine's claws found their mark, sinking deep into the man's shoulder. A guttural roar erupted from him as he stumbled back, blood spraying into the snow. He clutched at his wound, glaring at Wolverine with a mix of hatred and pain.

"It seems the whole zoo is here..." Kai shook his head in annoyance, "Stay down puppy."

The man who was clearly none other than Sabertooth, snarled at them as his wounds began healing similarly to Wolverine he lunged at them but before he could make any further moves, Kai with a disgusted look decapitated the man immediately leaving everyone except Nathan in shock.

And just as the people around him thought he had enough, Kai launched a series of attacks chopping sabertooth into several chunks of flesh making sure, he couldn't regenerate himself immediately.

"Who really are you?" Wolverine shook his head unsure if he could protect himself and the girl at the same time against the monster in front of him.

Kai looked at him from head to toe before chuckling, "Shouldn't you be asking that question to yourself, Mr. memory loss?"

The scene was tense with the aftermath of violence hanging heavy in the cold Canadian air. Nathan stood frozen, caught between the intense presence of Wolverine and the enigmatic figure of Kai. Snowflakes gently settled on the blood-stained ground as the adrenaline-fueled encounter left its mark on everyone present.

Wolverine, his brow furrowed with a mix of confusion and caution, regarded Kai with a wary gaze. His keen senses still reeling from the rapid escalation and the sudden ferocity of the man who had dispatched Sabertooth so effortlessly.

Kai, towering over the scene with an air of nonchalance, seemed almost amused by Wolverine's guarded stance. His eyes held a glint of recognition as if he saw more in Wolverine than just another adversary in the chaos.

"Memory loss?" Wolverine's voice was low, a growl barely contained. His mind raced, trying to grasp at fragments of a past that felt elusive and distant. "You know something."

Kai's grin widened slightly, though there was a hint of respect in his demeanor. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But what I do know is I have a job to finish here."

Kai walked past, Wolverine as he pulled Rogue out of the RV using her robe as the girl fell to the ground.

Wolverine still keeping an eye on him watched the scene unfold ready to launch an attack at Kai in case he wanted to do something to the girl.

"Thanks..." The girl clumsily stood up brushing off the snow from her clothes. She glanced at him from head to toe annoyed by his rough handling as she looked towards Wolverine, "Who were they?"

"The hell if I know, kid. Are you all right?" He asked as Rogue began walking towards him wary of Kai who was menacingly looking at her but before she could, Kai grabbed her by her robes picking her up.

Bringing her face closer to his, he examined her with intensity as the atmosphere tensed.

"What do you want..." Wolverine growled ready to leap into action.

"Meh! You can have her." Kai threw Rogue over at Wolverine with enough intensity to knock him down alongside the girl who groaned in pain.

"Sir, is that all right?" Nathan asked concerned, stepping closer to Kai. He gestured towards Rogue and Wolverine, who were now sprawled in the snow, and the tension hung heavy in the air.

Kai however ignored Nathan walking towards 'Rogue'.

"Stop teasing me, Mystique as far as I know, you're not immortal."