Caged souls
Discl: Creed is not mine (sob!) - no money. I don't do accents or slang, so use your imagination.
Char: Sabretooth and others.
In short: Mercenary life and the beggining of a beautiful enemity.
Continuity: None that I can think of. Happening circa 2300
Rated: not sure, some language, explicit violence.
=====
Cold wind ruffled his hair and he took in deeply the scent of green. His nostrils flared as he also scented the prey, invisible but to his keen senses. It had been a nice evening, first tracking and then, after a good hour stalking, he was at about the right distance from unsuspecting dinner. The job and his teammates were but forgotten while his senses and his mind focused only in the hunt. It had been ages since he last felt so strongly in his element and he was enjoying it with every muscle and every pore. He shifted in his crouching position just slightly, feeling the power going to his leg muscles. His eyes were fixed on the small animal as he prepared to make the jump. He licked his lips at the thought of raw, fresh meat. *Grace!* he thought smiling wide.
*skkk* Sabretooth? ...* his earpiece shouted.
!!!! .. the prey took off like a dart up in the trees and he roared in frustration. He would have to start again now, the small animal being up in the thinner branches where he could not reach it on account of his weight. Getting a decent meal was proving to be almost impossible around those idiots back at the camp.They had also just proven without a doubt that they had a major death wish.
He stood up and stretched hard in order to ease off the tension that had built up in his back and leg muscles for the leap. A deep rumble began to grow in his chest as he started his way back to the camp with that elastic graceful trot so common in big cats and Victor Creed. The interruption had seriously pissed him off. *I might even have myself some merc for dinner!* A big ugly grin appeared in his face, the kind of grin that made grown hard men run like hell the other way, not that was any good, ever.
The deep cold jungle around him was dark and there was barely any space to move. Numberless shades of dark green in a wall of vegetation blocked his view but his other senses were overwhelmed by the variety around him. Crisp sounds and scents so rich and clean he could almost taste all of them in his mouth. This was definitely HIS kind of place. Cold, rain or snow didn't trouble him and the place was so rich in life and so unaccessible that he could probably live in peace here, top of the food chain too. It all came to keeping undetected, which was hard since there were so many different bastard after his gorgeous ass. Bad for business too, he needed to be reachable. Ah.., too bad.
Upon reaching the camp he slowed his pace and started circling the group of men around the fire, finally positioning himself behind the idiot that had spooked his dinner. Except for Rimes, the rest of this group he could easily deal with in about ten seconds flat, or even less, he figured. In his book this was bordering pathetic for a group of mercs. But then again, this was supposed to be an easy job, no fuss and good pay: what they called a "holiday" job. The high numbers were apparently on account of being able to spread and cover more terrain in the shortest time since their employers were in a hurry.
=========
*What are you, completely OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!!?* Raims felt like shooting the guy himself on the spot. The man smiled cockily. Oh shit, and I thought this was going to be an easy job!. Things had gone smoothly for days, now he's going to be in one hell of a mood when he comes back. Perfect!.
*Well, he is coming, isn't he?..*
*Shut up, you moron!* Raims gave the others a look. They all knew each other from other jobs. A good group of old pros, calm and efficient if not very fast, except for this one, that had joined them at the last minute when Barry Olsen couldn't make it on account of a broken leg from his last job.
*Well, he's Barry's old partner* answered Sugar to Raims implicit question *don't know about the "old" part though, considering what he obviously -doesn't- know* he added, casually distancing himself from the man.
*But..* he never ended the phrase.
*GRAAAHHhhh!* Everyone froze in place as Creed came out of nowhere and the man fell to the ground with his spine visibly broken in two. Blood quickly drenched the vegetation around him *Aj! he tastes like shit!* Victor muttered to himself licking his claws and spitting back out with a grimace. The man in the floor convulsed and his eyes glazed. *What was he on, steroids?*. Everybody kept a tight silence, carefull not to move an inch.
*WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!* he hissed to Raims face
*The man is sending us one of his seconds* he tried to keep a steady and calm voice. Don't make firm eye contact you fool, remember what happened to that other guy, what was his name?.
He relaxed -some- as Victor walked away towards the shelter and picked up a bottle of water to wash his hands of the -foul tasting- blood. Well, all in a day's work with the famous Sabretooth, he said to himself, what the hell was I thinking when I signed up for this? He sighed mentally, trying to focus on the BIG pay check he expected to get for this job, and almost said a prayer. A weary look around confirmed he was not alone in either.
==
*I thought you were six* the figure said in an icy tone.
*We had some problems* started Raims *lost one..*
*Never mind* interrupted the other.
Creed frowned from across the path taking in the scent of the newcomer.
The figure regarded him in particular for a second and then addressed Raims again *Have you found the place yet?*
*No. I don't expect we will find it for a few days*
*Fine* the shrouded figure said, and retreated to the shelter, leaving the five men to spend the night in the open air, not that there was ever a question or sharing.
Raims exhaled in relief, aloud and wrapped himself in his sleeping bag. Creed gave him a curious look. *So who's this?*
*Eh..? Oh, where have you been, man? This is the guy they call "F", and no, is not a joke* he said noticing Creed's grin.
*F for what then?*
*F for Fear*
Something dawned on Creed *Oh, yeah* He smiled to himself. Boy o boy, the price must be a very juicy one.
=======
Creed was particularly antisocial when working. Not that he was social at any time, really. He was especially irritated this time because he felt at a loss on things happened in the last year. He had been "out of touch" for that much, as his contact for this job had had the audacity (or the stupidity) of telling him. In fact, he had been alternately in a cell or heavily sedated and strapped to a table at Sinister's lab. He had finally escaped not too long ago, leaving something to be remembered by... that would teach the bastard not to mess with Victor Creed!. Nevertheless, he had heard a few loose comments while there, and he would have to figure out the rest as he went, he figured.
The newcomer was reputed a lot of things, but a nice guy he wasn't. The assumed gender was a manner of speach. Even after a good look you couldn't really tell if there was a male or a female body under all those rags, but the scent had puzzled Victor ... Mmm.. no, this was definitely not human, or at least not entirely human. Gender was also confusing. This was a first for him, not being able to "read" a person by the scent.
The sorroundings being breathtakingly beautiful, it could have been a lovely dinner around the fire in other circumstances. In the present state of things it was just a gloomy circle of men eating half heated beans. Fear was oblivious of it all, standing out of the circle of the fire, staring out to the impenetrable jungle. His demeanor so far had been detached and very little had been said in the past two days.
Creed snorted angrily at his can of beans and threw it away. Thanks to the moron he had gutted two days ago he hadn't had a decent meal in three days and he was hungry as hell. His four companions looked up worriedly for a moment, then resumed their meal.
He tried to recall what he had heard so far about this F (HA! man, this guy had a sense of humor!). He chuckled to himself, startling Sugar again who went about two shades lighter (a feat considering the man was almost an albino). Victor didn't even notice, lost in though.
Vague memories of comments overheard while in the cell (or bound to the table?), something about this "Fear" reappearing after a bunch of years. He had heard about Fear before but figured it all to be mostly myth. Some old witch story to scare kids, even if the protagonist had been a real person. What he did remembered were some horror stories of more than a hundred years ago, almost immediately after the split. To complement that, Victor had blurred memories of chatter between Sinister and some minor punk about this F, as he called himself. The information about him (her?) was very unreliable, being mostly uninformed gossip and speculation. For sure he only knew that the object of this speculation, being a major leaguer, had always been in his own side of the fence, a fact that didn't go well with all those megalomaniac bozos that seemed to be popping up from everywhere like fungus ever since the human/mutant split in the early 2200s. Very dangerous a thing to be known by Fear too, a fact proven by a long series of people nobody ever heard of again, if you believed the stories, after dealing with him (her? oh, never mind! he was getting a headache out of this..).
The only other thing he remember was that everyone was VERY afraid of him.
Victor's ruminations did not go any further though. Fed up, he stood and started off into the green wall without a word. After an initial frozen panic, the rest of the group exhaled and relaxed in their respective positions. The standing figure turned at the noise and looked alternatively towards them and to the point where Creed had disappeared in the vegetation.
*Gone hunting?* Raims asked softly and was surprised at having actually voiced it.
*Good, tell him to bring some back* F's voice sounded very loud in the reigning silence.
Everyone looked at Raims, their eyes very clearly declining the honor.
=====
*skkh We found it, sir*
*Are you sure?*
*Yes. Metal door covered by massive vegetation. Square lock, as we were told*
*Wait for us and do nothing. We will be there in 10 minutes*
*Copy*
*I say, this is by far the best idea you've had so far!*
*What is?*
*Leaving that psycho and -well, the other psycho- with Sugar when you split the team! Man, you'll be in my last will and testament* Morales was grinning widely, at ease for the first time in two weeks. Will nodded in agreement, expressionless as ever.
Raims could not help but smiling himself. He had been a mercenary for a long time, but working with Creed (this was the third time) always made him wish he had taken another line of work. Not that the man was not good, he was incredibly good, the best actually, only people tended to die in rapid succession if he got into a bad mood and you never knew what was going to set him off. Still, he had a great reputation for finishing even the most impossible jobs and ALWAYS getting paid, and that was reassuring. The group had been recruited one by one, and they had found out who were the other five upon checking in. He remembered being startled at the sight of Creed and then wondering why he should take this holiday job that was way below his level. Then again, the job was below Raims level too. He had taken it because he needed a brake, but somehow he could not imagine Creed needing a brake.
They had almost missed the door in the thick vegetation. It looked old and decayed and it was completely covered in moss and leaves. Only the hollow sound produced by Will banging his metal arm against it when falling had given it away. Otherwise they would have surely missed it.
The second group arrived, Creed in front, and F gave the door a thoughtful look. He searched his small pack and took a strange looking object out of it.
*Get the moss out of the way* he ordered, and as Will and Morales were doing so, F paneled the whole group around him, an action that gave Raims the creeps. Victor was tense and alert too, his instinct screaming danger. Victor moved silently around and placed himself to F's left a few steps from the border of the rocks where the door was placed. Raims noticed and followed him trying to be casual about it. If fearless Sabretooth was taking cover, he was sure as hell going to get some too.
*Enough* Will and Morales stepped back. *Shouldn't we be checking for security first?* asked Sugar
*No need* shrugged F.
Sugar gave Raims a look and noticed his movement. He frowned and a question started to form in his mind. He didn't have the time to finish.
F placed the object in a depression in the door and there was a feint whirling sound. The "key" lit up in soft green and the door made a click sound and moved a few millimeters back with a jerk, the sound of air going in (*almost like opening a jar* Raims thought), then all hell came loose.
======
*OW!* After the world stopped spinning, F's face came into focus right in front of him, framed by the blue afternoon sky showing through a hole the green cupola above. Creed found himself on his back on the leaf covered ground about twenty meters from the place he was before, F leaning over him. A look around showed a circular area completely flattened out. F was faintly glowing. *Force field* he thought. A few steps behind him he could smell Raims and heard him moan. Sugar was impaled in a tree, a branch stomp coming out of his stomach and both legs missing, and he was screaming. Will and Morales were all but dismembered and quite dead, being the ones closest to the center of the circle of destruction, which was obviously the door. The latter had moved all the way in, or back, and was out of sight, the opening was now a gaping black hole in the rock.
*Amazing* murmured F *Get up, I still have some use for you* and he started towards the opening.
*Creed?* Raims voice was shaky but sounded normal *what the hell was that?!*
*Some defense system, you moron* he got up, his head suddenly pulsing painfully and a wave of nausea hit him. He shook his head hard and tried to focus again.
*My arm is broken* said Raims, still laying down and, unable to focus at all, he lifted his head painfully. He had not been hit dead on by the wave because he had managed to get behind Victor. Actually, it was the impact of the bigger man's body and not the explosion what had broken his arm.
*You're lucky*
*Fuck, yeah..* Raims groaned as he got up slowly, holding his arm to his body and having a look around trying to control the heaving.
*You can say that again..* Victor shook his head again, his healing factor taking care of most of the pain in a wave of heat.
*You figure Fear did it in purpose?*
*.....*
*Creed?*
*....*
*C..?
*YES!* his mind was racing now, dead cold, the healing factor taking up all the energy that otherwise would go into blind, crimson rage. His lips curled and he snarled. Not that he minded anybody else getting killed, but he certainly didn't like to be used as meat. The kind of work he did was tricky, but there was a certain "code" to it. Some conventions were adopted between the parties to keep the business going and everyone satisfied. This kind of behavior was not acceptable in the "code" and had caught him by surprise (*you dumb ass*).
Fear lifted one of the guns from the ground and put Sugar out of his misery with a single shot to the head and there was silence. He then walked into the gaping hole in the rocks ignoring the two standing men.
Raims' expression was a blank, *a good old pro* Victor thought. He couldn't fool him though, he could smell the anger and the fear. *This looks like Showtime* he said aloud.
*Yeah* Raims was wrapping his arm to immobilize it, flinching at the pain now that the adrenaline rush had stopped.
They followed F inside the hidden bunker.
======
The interior of the bunker was smooth and featurless except for some sort of console right in the middle of the floor. There was a human body in one of the corners, wearing a sort of uniform, mummified in fetal position. Creed figured he had died around a hundred years ago, by the state of the remains. Everything was covered in shining black glasslike material, the small amount of light coming in from the outside making the surfaces reflect the three standing figures all over the place. Fear was at work in the console.
The hood that had covered Fear's head all along was now hanging back. The features were fuzzy in the dim light, but clearly soft. Creed realized he was looking at a female face. Short dark blond hair and very strange eyes. Narrow to a slit, they seemed to flicker, as if changing between two different shades of dark blue, a very disturbing sight that made them look artificial. The mouth was tight, a mere line in the lower face. The scent was still a puzzle, but the flickering of the eyes gave him a clue: there were two separate scents coming together, intertwined but not mixed, and then something else which he could not grasp.
He examined the figure with some attention. She seemed to be lean but strongly built. The length of shoulders, which was the only feature he had been able to appreciate under the cloak and all the apparel, had been enough for a small to medium man or a medium to large woman. Not too tall either, perhaps 1.65 or 1.7m or so. Her hands, now devoid of gloves, were big and strong, but kept some of its feminine grace.
*Acknowledge* said F softly, there was a faint whirling sound again *Voice reckon* -ACKNOWLEDGED- a generated voice murmured and a screen appeared in front of F descending from the roof.
*Man, this is OLD!* thought Creed rolling his eyes *Take a look at those things!*
-CONFIRM VOICE RECKON-
*Cyanea*
The screen in front of Fear started flashing a hand-shaped display and she placed her hand in it flinching just slightly and a few seconds passed.
-DNA RECOGNITION- -WELCOME CYANEA-
*Voice off*
Victor chuckled aloud, amused. Fear gave him a cold stare and he grinned at her, unruffled.
*This is like being in a museum* he said. When does the tour start, bitch? hehehe.. She looked very pissed of. Good.
*You* Fear pointed at Raims *A door will slide open on your right at the end of the room. Get into the next room.. *
*I'm not going anywhere until we check for security*
*There is no security left* she snapped. She was not lying, Victor could tell.
*I'd rather check myself* retorted Raims
*Just do it!*
*Why don't you? After all, you are the one who actually knows what we are looking for*
She looked in doubt, her face a mask of anger.
*I will have a go* said Victor starting for the corner.
*NO!* she ordered sharply, almost in a shout.
*?...* He was surprised at the outburst.
*Why not?* put in Raims
*It has to be a human without mutations or the second set of traps will be triggered and the.. price destroyed* No scent of lie there either.
*??.. You mean to tell me this is booby trapped against mutants? There weren't any yet when this bunker was abandoned!* he could tell by the scent and what he knew about the technology around him.
*The bunker was sealed in the years of the war with the outsiders, anything not entirely human will set off the second stage of defense as the builders expected them to mimic us*
*You are not human either* She turned sharply towards him and Victor picked up something very much like a growl. He could see the flicker of a smile in Raims eyes. Well, well, a bargaining situation was in the make. They might make it after all...
========
A year later, in a small bar in Los Angeles' suburbs.
========
*Raims*
*Creed, glad you could make it* Here we go again. This suddenly looks like a very bad idea.
*Your call* said Victor flopping into his chair and taking a swing at his beer bottle.
*F*
*Aw shit!* Creed said annoyed, rolling his eyes and getting up again.
*Not with her, just wanted you to remember the place*
*... Let me guess.. you want to go back to the bunker for...??..* he looked down at him mockingly.
*After all, we just took the box and left. There's bound to be something there worth going back..*
*And I assume you got a piece of that bitch in a box, just so that the DNA recognition system unlocks...*
*I got myself a guy that can fiddle with it and some epithelia from the floor of the plastic shelter she used.*
*Spare me. NOT interested.*
*I've got financing too*
Victor was already half way to the door, leaving.
*That doctor.. the one you mentioned ..*
Creed stopped dead on his tracks and turned around. The look in his eyes frightened Raims, and he was not easily frightened. As Victor approached the table again in two impossible strides he shrank in his seat, knowing he had not even the hope of escape if Victor decided to go nuts just now, a very, very likely possibility by the looks of him.
*Sinister?* Victor's voice came in a growl as he came down on Raims and stopped a few inches short of his face.
*I-I was in contact with him on my last job and I told him about this one. He is willing to put the money for the expedition. He will also pay for anything we get. Handsomely too* OHMYGOD! HE IS GOING TO GUT ME NOW!!..
*Is that so?* Creed's voice had become suddently calm and cold where his eyes still bore that red shimmer few people had seen and lived to remember.
Raims saw the straw and grabbed at it frantically *Perhaps this could be your chance to get him, when we deliver the goods* and after we collect, he thought.
The big man sat on the chair opposite to him again. Creed's eyes were looking directly at him.
*We did not have the time to mark the location properly then, remember? And I figured you were the fastest way to get there anyway, besides....*
*SHUTUP*
*....*
Victor made a grab behind him and caught a leg (some unfortunate waitress), she squealed. *Get me another of these and keep your mouth shut or you'll be wiping the floor with it* he said with a snarl. The girl clammed up, took the bottle and run. She came back with three bottles and set them gingerly on the table, securing an amused look from Victor, then she ran again.
It had been a long time, he had had at least ten big jobs after that but he would ever really forget.
----------
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Discl: Creed is not mine (sob!) - no money. I don't do accents or slang, so use your imagination.
Char: Sabretooth and others.
In short: Mercenary life and the beggining of a beautiful enemity.
Continuity: None that I can think of. Happening circa 2300
Rated: not sure, some language, explicit violence.
=====
Cold wind ruffled his hair and he took in deeply the scent of green. His nostrils flared as he also scented the prey, invisible but to his keen senses. It had been a nice evening, first tracking and then, after a good hour stalking, he was at about the right distance from unsuspecting dinner. The job and his teammates were but forgotten while his senses and his mind focused only in the hunt. It had been ages since he last felt so strongly in his element and he was enjoying it with every muscle and every pore. He shifted in his crouching position just slightly, feeling the power going to his leg muscles. His eyes were fixed on the small animal as he prepared to make the jump. He licked his lips at the thought of raw, fresh meat. *Grace!* he thought smiling wide.
*skkk* Sabretooth? ...* his earpiece shouted.
!!!! .. the prey took off like a dart up in the trees and he roared in frustration. He would have to start again now, the small animal being up in the thinner branches where he could not reach it on account of his weight. Getting a decent meal was proving to be almost impossible around those idiots back at the camp.They had also just proven without a doubt that they had a major death wish.
He stood up and stretched hard in order to ease off the tension that had built up in his back and leg muscles for the leap. A deep rumble began to grow in his chest as he started his way back to the camp with that elastic graceful trot so common in big cats and Victor Creed. The interruption had seriously pissed him off. *I might even have myself some merc for dinner!* A big ugly grin appeared in his face, the kind of grin that made grown hard men run like hell the other way, not that was any good, ever.
The deep cold jungle around him was dark and there was barely any space to move. Numberless shades of dark green in a wall of vegetation blocked his view but his other senses were overwhelmed by the variety around him. Crisp sounds and scents so rich and clean he could almost taste all of them in his mouth. This was definitely HIS kind of place. Cold, rain or snow didn't trouble him and the place was so rich in life and so unaccessible that he could probably live in peace here, top of the food chain too. It all came to keeping undetected, which was hard since there were so many different bastard after his gorgeous ass. Bad for business too, he needed to be reachable. Ah.., too bad.
Upon reaching the camp he slowed his pace and started circling the group of men around the fire, finally positioning himself behind the idiot that had spooked his dinner. Except for Rimes, the rest of this group he could easily deal with in about ten seconds flat, or even less, he figured. In his book this was bordering pathetic for a group of mercs. But then again, this was supposed to be an easy job, no fuss and good pay: what they called a "holiday" job. The high numbers were apparently on account of being able to spread and cover more terrain in the shortest time since their employers were in a hurry.
=========
*What are you, completely OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!!?* Raims felt like shooting the guy himself on the spot. The man smiled cockily. Oh shit, and I thought this was going to be an easy job!. Things had gone smoothly for days, now he's going to be in one hell of a mood when he comes back. Perfect!.
*Well, he is coming, isn't he?..*
*Shut up, you moron!* Raims gave the others a look. They all knew each other from other jobs. A good group of old pros, calm and efficient if not very fast, except for this one, that had joined them at the last minute when Barry Olsen couldn't make it on account of a broken leg from his last job.
*Well, he's Barry's old partner* answered Sugar to Raims implicit question *don't know about the "old" part though, considering what he obviously -doesn't- know* he added, casually distancing himself from the man.
*But..* he never ended the phrase.
*GRAAAHHhhh!* Everyone froze in place as Creed came out of nowhere and the man fell to the ground with his spine visibly broken in two. Blood quickly drenched the vegetation around him *Aj! he tastes like shit!* Victor muttered to himself licking his claws and spitting back out with a grimace. The man in the floor convulsed and his eyes glazed. *What was he on, steroids?*. Everybody kept a tight silence, carefull not to move an inch.
*WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!* he hissed to Raims face
*The man is sending us one of his seconds* he tried to keep a steady and calm voice. Don't make firm eye contact you fool, remember what happened to that other guy, what was his name?.
He relaxed -some- as Victor walked away towards the shelter and picked up a bottle of water to wash his hands of the -foul tasting- blood. Well, all in a day's work with the famous Sabretooth, he said to himself, what the hell was I thinking when I signed up for this? He sighed mentally, trying to focus on the BIG pay check he expected to get for this job, and almost said a prayer. A weary look around confirmed he was not alone in either.
==
*I thought you were six* the figure said in an icy tone.
*We had some problems* started Raims *lost one..*
*Never mind* interrupted the other.
Creed frowned from across the path taking in the scent of the newcomer.
The figure regarded him in particular for a second and then addressed Raims again *Have you found the place yet?*
*No. I don't expect we will find it for a few days*
*Fine* the shrouded figure said, and retreated to the shelter, leaving the five men to spend the night in the open air, not that there was ever a question or sharing.
Raims exhaled in relief, aloud and wrapped himself in his sleeping bag. Creed gave him a curious look. *So who's this?*
*Eh..? Oh, where have you been, man? This is the guy they call "F", and no, is not a joke* he said noticing Creed's grin.
*F for what then?*
*F for Fear*
Something dawned on Creed *Oh, yeah* He smiled to himself. Boy o boy, the price must be a very juicy one.
=======
Creed was particularly antisocial when working. Not that he was social at any time, really. He was especially irritated this time because he felt at a loss on things happened in the last year. He had been "out of touch" for that much, as his contact for this job had had the audacity (or the stupidity) of telling him. In fact, he had been alternately in a cell or heavily sedated and strapped to a table at Sinister's lab. He had finally escaped not too long ago, leaving something to be remembered by... that would teach the bastard not to mess with Victor Creed!. Nevertheless, he had heard a few loose comments while there, and he would have to figure out the rest as he went, he figured.
The newcomer was reputed a lot of things, but a nice guy he wasn't. The assumed gender was a manner of speach. Even after a good look you couldn't really tell if there was a male or a female body under all those rags, but the scent had puzzled Victor ... Mmm.. no, this was definitely not human, or at least not entirely human. Gender was also confusing. This was a first for him, not being able to "read" a person by the scent.
The sorroundings being breathtakingly beautiful, it could have been a lovely dinner around the fire in other circumstances. In the present state of things it was just a gloomy circle of men eating half heated beans. Fear was oblivious of it all, standing out of the circle of the fire, staring out to the impenetrable jungle. His demeanor so far had been detached and very little had been said in the past two days.
Creed snorted angrily at his can of beans and threw it away. Thanks to the moron he had gutted two days ago he hadn't had a decent meal in three days and he was hungry as hell. His four companions looked up worriedly for a moment, then resumed their meal.
He tried to recall what he had heard so far about this F (HA! man, this guy had a sense of humor!). He chuckled to himself, startling Sugar again who went about two shades lighter (a feat considering the man was almost an albino). Victor didn't even notice, lost in though.
Vague memories of comments overheard while in the cell (or bound to the table?), something about this "Fear" reappearing after a bunch of years. He had heard about Fear before but figured it all to be mostly myth. Some old witch story to scare kids, even if the protagonist had been a real person. What he did remembered were some horror stories of more than a hundred years ago, almost immediately after the split. To complement that, Victor had blurred memories of chatter between Sinister and some minor punk about this F, as he called himself. The information about him (her?) was very unreliable, being mostly uninformed gossip and speculation. For sure he only knew that the object of this speculation, being a major leaguer, had always been in his own side of the fence, a fact that didn't go well with all those megalomaniac bozos that seemed to be popping up from everywhere like fungus ever since the human/mutant split in the early 2200s. Very dangerous a thing to be known by Fear too, a fact proven by a long series of people nobody ever heard of again, if you believed the stories, after dealing with him (her? oh, never mind! he was getting a headache out of this..).
The only other thing he remember was that everyone was VERY afraid of him.
Victor's ruminations did not go any further though. Fed up, he stood and started off into the green wall without a word. After an initial frozen panic, the rest of the group exhaled and relaxed in their respective positions. The standing figure turned at the noise and looked alternatively towards them and to the point where Creed had disappeared in the vegetation.
*Gone hunting?* Raims asked softly and was surprised at having actually voiced it.
*Good, tell him to bring some back* F's voice sounded very loud in the reigning silence.
Everyone looked at Raims, their eyes very clearly declining the honor.
=====
*skkh We found it, sir*
*Are you sure?*
*Yes. Metal door covered by massive vegetation. Square lock, as we were told*
*Wait for us and do nothing. We will be there in 10 minutes*
*Copy*
*I say, this is by far the best idea you've had so far!*
*What is?*
*Leaving that psycho and -well, the other psycho- with Sugar when you split the team! Man, you'll be in my last will and testament* Morales was grinning widely, at ease for the first time in two weeks. Will nodded in agreement, expressionless as ever.
Raims could not help but smiling himself. He had been a mercenary for a long time, but working with Creed (this was the third time) always made him wish he had taken another line of work. Not that the man was not good, he was incredibly good, the best actually, only people tended to die in rapid succession if he got into a bad mood and you never knew what was going to set him off. Still, he had a great reputation for finishing even the most impossible jobs and ALWAYS getting paid, and that was reassuring. The group had been recruited one by one, and they had found out who were the other five upon checking in. He remembered being startled at the sight of Creed and then wondering why he should take this holiday job that was way below his level. Then again, the job was below Raims level too. He had taken it because he needed a brake, but somehow he could not imagine Creed needing a brake.
They had almost missed the door in the thick vegetation. It looked old and decayed and it was completely covered in moss and leaves. Only the hollow sound produced by Will banging his metal arm against it when falling had given it away. Otherwise they would have surely missed it.
The second group arrived, Creed in front, and F gave the door a thoughtful look. He searched his small pack and took a strange looking object out of it.
*Get the moss out of the way* he ordered, and as Will and Morales were doing so, F paneled the whole group around him, an action that gave Raims the creeps. Victor was tense and alert too, his instinct screaming danger. Victor moved silently around and placed himself to F's left a few steps from the border of the rocks where the door was placed. Raims noticed and followed him trying to be casual about it. If fearless Sabretooth was taking cover, he was sure as hell going to get some too.
*Enough* Will and Morales stepped back. *Shouldn't we be checking for security first?* asked Sugar
*No need* shrugged F.
Sugar gave Raims a look and noticed his movement. He frowned and a question started to form in his mind. He didn't have the time to finish.
F placed the object in a depression in the door and there was a feint whirling sound. The "key" lit up in soft green and the door made a click sound and moved a few millimeters back with a jerk, the sound of air going in (*almost like opening a jar* Raims thought), then all hell came loose.
======
*OW!* After the world stopped spinning, F's face came into focus right in front of him, framed by the blue afternoon sky showing through a hole the green cupola above. Creed found himself on his back on the leaf covered ground about twenty meters from the place he was before, F leaning over him. A look around showed a circular area completely flattened out. F was faintly glowing. *Force field* he thought. A few steps behind him he could smell Raims and heard him moan. Sugar was impaled in a tree, a branch stomp coming out of his stomach and both legs missing, and he was screaming. Will and Morales were all but dismembered and quite dead, being the ones closest to the center of the circle of destruction, which was obviously the door. The latter had moved all the way in, or back, and was out of sight, the opening was now a gaping black hole in the rock.
*Amazing* murmured F *Get up, I still have some use for you* and he started towards the opening.
*Creed?* Raims voice was shaky but sounded normal *what the hell was that?!*
*Some defense system, you moron* he got up, his head suddenly pulsing painfully and a wave of nausea hit him. He shook his head hard and tried to focus again.
*My arm is broken* said Raims, still laying down and, unable to focus at all, he lifted his head painfully. He had not been hit dead on by the wave because he had managed to get behind Victor. Actually, it was the impact of the bigger man's body and not the explosion what had broken his arm.
*You're lucky*
*Fuck, yeah..* Raims groaned as he got up slowly, holding his arm to his body and having a look around trying to control the heaving.
*You can say that again..* Victor shook his head again, his healing factor taking care of most of the pain in a wave of heat.
*You figure Fear did it in purpose?*
*.....*
*Creed?*
*....*
*C..?
*YES!* his mind was racing now, dead cold, the healing factor taking up all the energy that otherwise would go into blind, crimson rage. His lips curled and he snarled. Not that he minded anybody else getting killed, but he certainly didn't like to be used as meat. The kind of work he did was tricky, but there was a certain "code" to it. Some conventions were adopted between the parties to keep the business going and everyone satisfied. This kind of behavior was not acceptable in the "code" and had caught him by surprise (*you dumb ass*).
Fear lifted one of the guns from the ground and put Sugar out of his misery with a single shot to the head and there was silence. He then walked into the gaping hole in the rocks ignoring the two standing men.
Raims' expression was a blank, *a good old pro* Victor thought. He couldn't fool him though, he could smell the anger and the fear. *This looks like Showtime* he said aloud.
*Yeah* Raims was wrapping his arm to immobilize it, flinching at the pain now that the adrenaline rush had stopped.
They followed F inside the hidden bunker.
======
The interior of the bunker was smooth and featurless except for some sort of console right in the middle of the floor. There was a human body in one of the corners, wearing a sort of uniform, mummified in fetal position. Creed figured he had died around a hundred years ago, by the state of the remains. Everything was covered in shining black glasslike material, the small amount of light coming in from the outside making the surfaces reflect the three standing figures all over the place. Fear was at work in the console.
The hood that had covered Fear's head all along was now hanging back. The features were fuzzy in the dim light, but clearly soft. Creed realized he was looking at a female face. Short dark blond hair and very strange eyes. Narrow to a slit, they seemed to flicker, as if changing between two different shades of dark blue, a very disturbing sight that made them look artificial. The mouth was tight, a mere line in the lower face. The scent was still a puzzle, but the flickering of the eyes gave him a clue: there were two separate scents coming together, intertwined but not mixed, and then something else which he could not grasp.
He examined the figure with some attention. She seemed to be lean but strongly built. The length of shoulders, which was the only feature he had been able to appreciate under the cloak and all the apparel, had been enough for a small to medium man or a medium to large woman. Not too tall either, perhaps 1.65 or 1.7m or so. Her hands, now devoid of gloves, were big and strong, but kept some of its feminine grace.
*Acknowledge* said F softly, there was a faint whirling sound again *Voice reckon* -ACKNOWLEDGED- a generated voice murmured and a screen appeared in front of F descending from the roof.
*Man, this is OLD!* thought Creed rolling his eyes *Take a look at those things!*
-CONFIRM VOICE RECKON-
*Cyanea*
The screen in front of Fear started flashing a hand-shaped display and she placed her hand in it flinching just slightly and a few seconds passed.
-DNA RECOGNITION- -WELCOME CYANEA-
*Voice off*
Victor chuckled aloud, amused. Fear gave him a cold stare and he grinned at her, unruffled.
*This is like being in a museum* he said. When does the tour start, bitch? hehehe.. She looked very pissed of. Good.
*You* Fear pointed at Raims *A door will slide open on your right at the end of the room. Get into the next room.. *
*I'm not going anywhere until we check for security*
*There is no security left* she snapped. She was not lying, Victor could tell.
*I'd rather check myself* retorted Raims
*Just do it!*
*Why don't you? After all, you are the one who actually knows what we are looking for*
She looked in doubt, her face a mask of anger.
*I will have a go* said Victor starting for the corner.
*NO!* she ordered sharply, almost in a shout.
*?...* He was surprised at the outburst.
*Why not?* put in Raims
*It has to be a human without mutations or the second set of traps will be triggered and the.. price destroyed* No scent of lie there either.
*??.. You mean to tell me this is booby trapped against mutants? There weren't any yet when this bunker was abandoned!* he could tell by the scent and what he knew about the technology around him.
*The bunker was sealed in the years of the war with the outsiders, anything not entirely human will set off the second stage of defense as the builders expected them to mimic us*
*You are not human either* She turned sharply towards him and Victor picked up something very much like a growl. He could see the flicker of a smile in Raims eyes. Well, well, a bargaining situation was in the make. They might make it after all...
========
A year later, in a small bar in Los Angeles' suburbs.
========
*Raims*
*Creed, glad you could make it* Here we go again. This suddenly looks like a very bad idea.
*Your call* said Victor flopping into his chair and taking a swing at his beer bottle.
*F*
*Aw shit!* Creed said annoyed, rolling his eyes and getting up again.
*Not with her, just wanted you to remember the place*
*... Let me guess.. you want to go back to the bunker for...??..* he looked down at him mockingly.
*After all, we just took the box and left. There's bound to be something there worth going back..*
*And I assume you got a piece of that bitch in a box, just so that the DNA recognition system unlocks...*
*I got myself a guy that can fiddle with it and some epithelia from the floor of the plastic shelter she used.*
*Spare me. NOT interested.*
*I've got financing too*
Victor was already half way to the door, leaving.
*That doctor.. the one you mentioned ..*
Creed stopped dead on his tracks and turned around. The look in his eyes frightened Raims, and he was not easily frightened. As Victor approached the table again in two impossible strides he shrank in his seat, knowing he had not even the hope of escape if Victor decided to go nuts just now, a very, very likely possibility by the looks of him.
*Sinister?* Victor's voice came in a growl as he came down on Raims and stopped a few inches short of his face.
*I-I was in contact with him on my last job and I told him about this one. He is willing to put the money for the expedition. He will also pay for anything we get. Handsomely too* OHMYGOD! HE IS GOING TO GUT ME NOW!!..
*Is that so?* Creed's voice had become suddently calm and cold where his eyes still bore that red shimmer few people had seen and lived to remember.
Raims saw the straw and grabbed at it frantically *Perhaps this could be your chance to get him, when we deliver the goods* and after we collect, he thought.
The big man sat on the chair opposite to him again. Creed's eyes were looking directly at him.
*We did not have the time to mark the location properly then, remember? And I figured you were the fastest way to get there anyway, besides....*
*SHUTUP*
*....*
Victor made a grab behind him and caught a leg (some unfortunate waitress), she squealed. *Get me another of these and keep your mouth shut or you'll be wiping the floor with it* he said with a snarl. The girl clammed up, took the bottle and run. She came back with three bottles and set them gingerly on the table, securing an amused look from Victor, then she ran again.
It had been a long time, he had had at least ten big jobs after that but he would ever really forget.
----------
END OF CHAPTER ONE
