Prey Drive Chapter 7

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movie, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on movie continuity. Thanks to the people that are leaving reviews, they're encouraging. Rated T for adult language, adult situations, and violence. Horror/Comedy. Takes place in the 1970's

The Next Morning

Victor Creed was purring. It wasn't something he did very often. Combined with the sound of him brushing his fangs, it sounded rather odd. If he had been the introspective type, he might have pondered how strange it was that he kept his teeth impeccably clean, but his claws dirty.

"Oh, you do have a reflection after all," Tabby said as she entered the bathroom next to him.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Just testing my vampire theory," she said, grinning.

She jumped up on the side of the sink and sat on it. Her feet swung slightly in the air, like a cat's tail. He could see marks on her from last night like a tattoo, a tattoo of his ownership.

"What time do we have to check out?" she asked.

"Noon, but I think this place rents by the hour if you know what I mean," he said, winking arrogantly at her as he started to floss one of his oversize canines.

"A week would be nice, but maybe a higher class place, like The Plaza or The Carlyle or a YMCA next to a bus station," she said.

"I'm almost out of money. We got to get back on the road," he said.

"Uh…yeah. You never told me where you're ordered to be going."

"To the Island of Misfit Mutant Toys," he said sarcastically.

"Is it next to Oahu? Seriously, what's going to happen to me?"

"It's classified information."

"Is that French Canadian for you don't know either?"

"I'm from the North-Western Territory. And I hate French Canadians. All of the attitude of France, none of the scenery."

"Funny, you want people to think you're this dangerous bad-ass motherfucker, but then you turn around and follow orders like a dog."

He smelled it first. Her hands were getting hotter. He had never put the Adamantium cuffs back on, although he still had them back in his trench coat pocket. It wouldn't surprise him if she used her powers. She'd gotten a lot more confident since he first met her.

"I need a paycheck as much as the next mutant. And the guy I work for, Stryker, he likes our kind. His son is a mutant."

Creed neglected to tell her Stryker also kept his mutant son cryogenically frozen in a block of ice. He started to ponder what Stryker really did have planned for her. He thought of Tabitha as his, and knew the moment he delivered her over he would lose that.

"If his intentions are so pure, why did he send you of all people to kidnap me? Why not just use a college recruiter?"

"Maybe he didn't think you could afford the tuition. And he doesn't know you like I do. He couldn't have guessed how…submissive…you turned out to be," he leered, strategically grabbing her wrists so she couldn't aim at him.

"Speaking of submissive, what if you stopped following this guy Stryker's orders? What if we didn't go back? What if you and I really acted like Bonnie and Clyde and went on a crime spree? No rules, no laws, no orders, just you and me completely free. You can kill more cops and I could blow up banks for money."

Even though he didn't trust Stryker, he loved the sense of purpose from his job as an assassin and the relative free reign provided by being a member of Team X. It was the only place he didn't feel like a misfit. He didn't think he was in love with her. They'd only known each other for a few days. She was just prey, just another mark; all he needed to do was drive her to his destination. His boss already promised he could have access to Tabby. If he turned her in he could have his cake and eat it too. If she hated him for it, she wouldn't have the power to do anything anyhow.

It was a tempting offer though. As much as he craved the excitement of his job, he resented having to always follow directions and Stryker's control. Plus he missed having a sidekick. He and Jimmy had roamed together for almost a century. It was nice having someone by his side, weaker, but still powerful. In some ways she made a better companion. She was easier to control, and she 'put out.'

But, was she really that much easier to control? For all he knew she was faking her "Stockholm Syndrome," getting him to let his guard down so she could escape, and he would be abandoned again. After Jimmy left, he never wanted to be left behind again. He remembered the famous open-ending of the story: "The Lady or the Tiger." The lady or the tiger indeed.

"You're right. I won't take you in. It's you and me against the world," he grinned, crocodile teeth glinting in the light.

Several Hours Later, on the Road

Tabitha was happy. For the first time in her life, she felt free. Even better, she was in love. At least she thought she was. It was such a new feeling for her.

In a strange way, this all felt familiar. She'd spent a few years on the run with her father, so she was used to the pattern, a partnership with an older father figure of sorts. Granted Victor was a lot older, and he didn't exactly act fatherly.

He kept looking over at her. She smiled and he smiled back, with a raised eyebrow. It was funny how afraid of him she'd been when she first met him. He'd been so terrifying and monstrous, and now he reminded her of one of her favorite cats. So much for first impressions. Don't they say to always trust your first impression?

"What's your last name?" she asked.

Funny how after everything they'd been through together, he never volunteered that information. How much did she really know about him?

"Creed," he replied.

"Victor Creed. Sounds like a soap opera character," she said. One of the villains.

"Because 'Smith' is so original," he said.

"Well, I'm a 'Manciewicz' on my mother's side. My father got custody though."

Her father got custody because her mother was afraid of her, but her father wanted to use her gift. Like this guy Stryker. What did he want from mutants? Why did Victor Creed start working for him, and did he really stop, stop for her?

"You're Jewish? Explains your sense of humor. And how neurotic you are," he said.

"That's just a stereotype. Like all mutants are psychotic".

Don't psychopaths have no regard for human life? Don't they specialize in being charming? Like being able to lure their victims into a false sense of security before they…pounce?

She stared out the window. Something was familiar about it. The landscape had changed, but there was something nagging at her.

Tabitha's mouth was faster than her brain. If it wasn't she may have had a last chance. When she was nervous, she didn't censor herself.

"Victor, if you're not taking me to Stryker, why are we still going East?" she asked.

"I was wondering how long it'd be until you caught on," he said.

Before she had a chance to react and use her powers, she felt the pain. The same pain as when he'd first pricked her with the tranquilizer. Everything went black.

To Be Continued