RIEK BUKENYA

Real Name: Riek Bukenya

Identity/Class: Human mutant (Ugandan)

Occupation: Soldier; (formerly) student

Group Membership: Ugandan rebels

Affiliations: Mrs. James, Joseph, Samalie Ochelo, Omer, other children
formerly: Mr. Muwhezi (teacher)

Enemies: Reverend, Ugandan People's Defense Forces

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A rebel camp in Uganda
                                    (formerly) A school in the Gulu district in Uganda

First Appearance: Muties#3 (June, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: When Riek slowed down his heartbeat the world around him began to move slower as well (or he became faster). He needed to concentrate to use this power, but he learned how to use it over a short time. Sadly he didn't know about the danger that this power was also able to kill him if he accidentally slowed down his heartbeat too much. Through the rebel training Riek was able to use machine guns, pistols and other conventional weapons.

History:
(Muties#3) - Riek was thirteen years old and a student in Mr. Muwhezi's class in the Gulu district. His grades weren't good and he was always afraid that the teacher would ask him a question. One day the Reverend and his soldiers came to Riek's school, killed the teacher and abducted Riek and the other children. On the way to the Reverend's camp Riek used his power for the first time when he saw the wings of a hummingbird slowly beating back and forth. Shortly after that the students had to cross a bridge and Riek saw his fellow student Omer fall from it. In the evening Riek and the others where picked up by a truck and brought to the camp.

  The next day Riek didn't pay attention to the Reverend and got his ear cut off. In the following weeks he learned how to use a machine gun and helped wherever he had to. Six weeks went by until he first had to use the machine gun against humans. Riek and a few others were trapped by UPDF soldiers in a city and suddenly everything began to move slowly for Riek. He took the opportunity and shot the soldiers while this effect lasted. Back in the camp Riek cleaned his machine gun and in the night his fellow soldier Joseph told him that he saw what Riek could do. Riek only told him that he doesn't want to kill.

  A few days later the girls were separated from the boys and Riek attacked the Reverend when he didn't leave Samalie alone. In their fight he stole the Reverend's pistol and ran away. Hours later he was seen wandering on a street by government soldiers and brought to the Centre for Traumatised Children. There Mrs. James took care of him, but UPDF soldiers returned at night with the order to bring him away because he was a rebel, but Riek was gone. He stole their jeep and returned with it to the Reverend's camp. The Reverend and his men shot at it, but Riek used his power to avoid their bullets and the jeep was empty when they stopped firing. Suddenly the world stopped moving at all for Riek and he stabbed and shot the Reverend and his men. Riek then realized that the world had stopped moving because his heart had stopped moving too. Riek was found dead by Samalie and the other abducted children.

Comments: Created by Karl Bollers & Dean Haspiel

Profile by Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS:
Riek Bukenya & Samalie Ochelo have no known connection to:

Reverend has no known connection to:

Samalie Ochelo

She was a student at the same school as Riek and was kidnapped alongside him and the other students. She was only eleven and began to cry when she was threatened with a machine gun by the Reverend for the first time. Over the next weeks the Reverend showed an interest in her and a little later the girls were separated from the boys. Riek attacked the Reverend when he didn't leave Samalie alone. Riek fled and when he returned Samalie witnessed his death.

--Muties#3

 

Reverend

The Reverend was the leader of the rebel army. With his soldiers he attacked Riek's school, killed their teacher Mr. Muwhezi and abducted all the children. He threatened them with a machine gun when they didn't comply and didn't care that some of them died on their way to his camp where he taught the boys how to use a machine gun. Riek didn't pay attention to him and the Reverend cut off his ear. The following weeks the Reverend showed some interest in Samalie, gave a statement to American journalists and decided to separate the boys from the girls. The Reverend was attacked by Riek when he didn't leave Samalie alone and then escaped with the Reverend's pistol, but not too long after that Riek returned. The Reverend and his men shot at Riek's stolen UPDF car, but nobody was in it. The Reverend was then stabbed and shot by Riek, when the boy used his mutant power.

--Muties#3

images:
Muties#3, p11, pan1 (Riek Bukenya main image)
  p1, pan3 (Riek head shot)
  p4, pan5 (Samalie Ochelo)
  p12, pan2 (Reverend)

Last updated: 12/20/05

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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