Chapter 4: T-10 || 1.5k

====General Lieutenant Office===

Nick Fury stared intently at his monitor, watching Logan's body camera footage. He saw Logan skillfully dodging trees and rocks as he ran through the forest, with a mad bear hot on his heels. The only sounds in the room were Logan's voice and the roars and crashes of the bear behind him. Yet Nick could tell that Logan was calm and composed, barely breaking a sweat despite running for the past five minutes straight.

"Progress report!" Logan shouted into his walkie-talkie.

Five minutes ago, when Logan had first emerged from the cave, he had contacted HQ with his plan. He asked for backup to meet him at the main campsite, where he hoped to lure the bear into a trap.

'This kid is good,' Nick thought as he paused the video and turned his head towards Steele. Steele was sitting smugly on a chair, watching Nick's reaction with a smirk on his face.

"What do you think?" Steele asked confidently.

Nick didn't reply right away. He picked up the file that Steele had given him when he entered the room.

=-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------= U.Q.M.A. File #XXXXXX

#Subject: Logan Howlett

##Alias: Fang

##Quirk(s): Healing Factor. Alloy Frame.

##Status: Active

##Affiliation: UQMA (United States Quirk Military Academy)

##Threat Level: TBD

#Personal Information:

##Date of Birth: 11/23/21XX

##Height: 5'10"

##Weight: 160 lbs

##Hair Color: Black

##Eye Color: Green

##Blood Type: AB

##Distinguishing Features: N/A

#Summary:

Logan Howlett is a Male of Japanese-American origin. He was born on November 23rd, 21XX to an American scientist, James Howlett, and a Japanese hero, Kaneko Kinoshita. Shortly after his birth, both his biological parents died due to (CLASSIFIED) during a visit to Kaneko Kinoshita's household in North America.

Logan was then raised by his biological grandparents until the age of 5, before being moved to an orphanage due to the passing of his grandparents from old age. He stayed there until he was eligible for joining the UQMA, enrolling himself with the agreement of his then guardian (CLASSIFIED) shortly after.

Logan displays a high level of physical and mental prowess. He has a measured IQ of 153. His physical achievements include ((REDACTED)).

In his assigned general's words, "He's the perfect soldier. He can run faster than a cheetah, lift more ((REDACTED)), heal from any wound, slice and kill anything. He's fearless, loyal, and obedient. He's a natural leader and a brilliant strategist. He's the best of the best."

Logan also exhibits signs of (CLASSIFIED).

Logan's body also exhibits signs of other minor quirks including but not limited to:

-Superhuman Senses

-Superhuman Strength

-Superhuman Speed

-Superhuman Stamina

-(CLASSIFIED)

-(CLASSIFIED)

-Superhuman Durability

-(CLASSIFIED)

=-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=

'This…' A smile apperead on Nick's face. 'Hes exactly what we need…'

Nick looked up from the file and met Steele's gaze.

"I think you have a very interesting candidate here," Nick said. "But I need to see more before I make a decision."

He pressed play on the monitor, resuming the video. He wanted to see how Logan would handle the situation. He wanted to see if Logan had what it too.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

||West Virginia, Washington national forest||

Logan could be seen dashing through the forest, heavily panting. The plan was to lure the bear outside of its cave and towards the campsite.

The PLAN was to tire out the bear by making it chase him through the forest…

'THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN!'

Looking behind him, Logan could see the bear, towering over the forest trees. Its height increased to an astounding 15 ft. Every step it took towards his direction, making the ground shake and the air tremble. It echoed through the forest, reaching the ears of anyone nearby.

Some people heard it and panicked, grabbing their belongings and running away. Some people heard it and ignored it, thinking it was just a thunderstorm or a plane.

As Logan was coming up on 10 km, he was expecting to see the bear no closer thean 10 meters behind him. It got closer. How is that possible?' Logan was trying to process what he had just seen. If the bear was that heavy, then it had to have been using everything it's got to try and catch up to him.

Slowly, Logan could feel the vibrations of the ground getting ever closer, creeping up his shoulders. It was as if a carrier of death was looming over his soul, ready to strike at any moment.

"Logan to HQ, the perpetrator is right on my tail. I repeat, HE IS RIGHT ON MY TAIL." Logan was sweating from every pore of his body, cold sweat running down his spine as he smiled.

'It's now or never.'

"HQ to Logan, backup will arrive in t-10 seconds."

"10" Logan was 5 meters away from the bear. He experienced what he could only describe as a foul stench. It smelled like rotten meat and decayed fish, mixed with blood and bile. It smelled like the carcasses of its victims and the garbage of its meals. It smelled like death and disease, with a hint of mold and dirt. It was a nauseating odor that made one want to vomit and faint.

"9" The bear opened its mouth, ready to snap at its prey given proper distance.

"8"

"7"

"6"

"5"

The bear locked its jaws. The snap was so quick it caught Logan off guard. It latched onto Logan's right arm, crushing every muscle, bone, and tendon present. Flailing Logan like a rag doll, the bear completely dislodged Logan's arm, throwing him through the forest and sending him into multiple trees.

"4"

Logan could be seen flying through the forest, like a ragdoll breaking everything is his path as his body crashed against the different trees, shrubs, and boulders present. Finally after a few seconds a loud THUD could be heard as his back smashed onto the wall of a giant rock. His figure was battered and bruised.

"3"

His claws were sheathed. On the verge of collapse, Logan slowly looked up, he saw the bear's arms starting to raise, waiting to deal the final blow as it stared at him with bloodshot eyes

"2"

Yet it had not managed to notice one key detail.

"1"

"You did well, boy." General Steele said with a smile on his face, as he spoke from a helicopter flying above the fight scene.

"0"

General Steele lunged from the helicopter! Propelling himself downwards, as he bit into a small titanium nugget that he held in one hand. Steele's body began to change at frightening speeds. He felt a surge of energy coursing through his veins. He felt his muscles tense and his bones harden while his skin tightened. His eyes glowed, forming a deep yellow light.

Flying through the air, General Steele formed a flying kick soaring at Mach 0.5. He landed on the middle of the bear's spine, creating a crater with a diameter of 20 meters. The bear wailed in despair as it completely lost control of its hind legs. Approaching its head, Steele looked the bear in its eyes. He put his arms together, raising them in front of the bear's face.

BAM!

Its skull was shattered. Wails of pain could be heard coming from the bear, but slowly they turned into soft murmurs. The bear fell creating a thud that could be heard 8 km away.

Steele walked over to Logan and checked his injuries. He was still conscious, but barely. He lifted him up and carried him to the helicopter.

"HQ to general, what's your status?"

"Steele to HQ, mission accomplished." He said as he boarded the helicopter with Logan in his arms.

HQ to General Healthcare is on standby and will be ready on your arrival. The campers have been located and escorted to safety."

General Steele looked at Logan's wounds. His arm was already close to being fully grown back. The gashes from the bear claws slowly shrunk until nothing but smooth skin was left.

"Unnecessary HQ. Get the cadet a new uniform instead".

==================================================

||Present day||

Logan counted the drops of water that fell from the leaky faucet in his room. He had been doing this for hours, trying to distract himself from the boredom and the hunger. He heard his own voice echoing in his head.

Drip.

"1998."

Drip.

"1999."

Drip.

"2000."

With a final burst of strength, Logan released his grip on the pull-up bar and dropped to the floor. He felt a dull ache in his muscles as he landed with a loud thud.

He was wearing baggy cargo pants and a heavy weighted vest that added 50 kilograms to his already muscular frame. His chest and arms were drenched with sweat that sparkled in the sunlight that filtered through the small window.

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

He was not alone.