Vengeance is Mastermind Chapter 11
By Cadet Deming
I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movies, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. This takes place between the Wolverine Origins Movie and the X-Men Trilogy in the mid 1980's. Rated M for really adult language and situations, drug and alcohol references. My usual mixture of dark humor/action/suspense. Victor Creed/Wade Wilson/Emma Frost/Jason Stryker/Colonel Stryker. Thank you so much for any reviews. They're much appreciated-)
Author's Note: I know the story links on were screwed up for awhile, so I recommend reading Chapter 10 if anyone missed it as a result.
Westchester County, Near Team X Base
Victor Creed took in the scents of the woods around him. He preferred the smell of nature to anything goddamn New York City could offer him. He breathed in the essence of fresh earth, green plants untouched by pesticides, and gunpowder. They were definitely getting close to the Team X Base.
Emma and Jason lagged conspicuously behind. Creed noticed they kept looking at each other as if they were having a normal discussion, but their lips weren't moving. He figured they were having a telepathic conversation. He didn't trust it. At least when people whispered behind his back, with his super attuned senses he could hear it. How do you eavesdrop inside someone else's head?
"You have to admit it feels like déjà vu, you and me going into battle, together again. Just like old times. I still hate you as much as I did half a decade ago," Wade rambled next to him.
Victor was getting the same feeling of annoyance bordering on murderous rage he associated with having Wade as a teammate. His brow knitted to a deeper frown, and he felt his claws lengthening.
"Well, we hated each other, but still got the job done. The more things change the more they stay the same. It is kinda ironic, goin' after our old boss. And you and Frost, how the hell did that happen? You guys detested each other when she was a captive," Victor asked.
Wade looked back at Emma and smiled. She gave him a nauseatingly sappy smile back. Jason scowled with obvious jealousy.
"We met up again at work, believe it or not. Sometimes people grow up. And Three Mile Island…did shit to people. It was a life-changing experience. I was the only one who was really on both sides: the jailers and the prisoners. I want to atone for it, for being on the wrong side, and she's a mind reader. She understands that. Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins, because of thy just punishment, but most of all because they offend thee, my God. Is that why you're here too? Atonement?" Wade said.
"I ain't done nothin' I gotta 'atone' for. I'm here for the oldest motive of all: vengeance. That and money. Jason pays well," Victor sneered.
"Emma hasn't paid me. Not in money at least," Wade said.
"When she fucks you in her diamond-skin form, do you stare at your own reflection the entire time?" Victor taunted.
"You sleep alone, don't you Creed? You've slept alone for a long, long time, haven't you?" Wade deadpanned.
"You sound like you wanna join me," Victor said.
"Oh come on Vic, let's consummate our years of homo-repressed sexual tension. I know whenever we fight that's not a gun in your pocket, you're just really glad to see me," Wade said, smiling wickedly.
Victor growled.
"Ahem," Emma interjected.
Jason just stared at them like he'd seen a car wreck.
"Oh, hi honey…sweetheart…darling…gorgeous…princess…goddess…White Queen," Wade said.
Emma rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I hate to interrupt you, but does it seem abnormally quiet around here? I normally hear background telepathic chatter, but all I'm getting beyond the 4 of us is silence. I'm concerned," Emma said.
"It could just be because we're in the wilderness, if anything in Westchester County can be considered wilderness. I get silence too if there aren't other people around," Jason said.
"And how many infiltrations have you led before, Frost? My senses ain't pickin' up on anythin' out of the ordinary. I think you're just too scared to continue and lookin' for an excuse to turn back. Typical frail," Victor said.
He figured this was why women weren't allowed in the military.
"There's a thin line between bravery and stupidity. In your case the line is clearly dotted," she said.
"Why, you snotty little…" Victor lunged threateningly at her.
Wade jumped with superhuman speed in front of her. He unsheathed his swords and glared at Creed daringly.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not that I'd ever want to be you. Well, maybe for 5 minutes on Halloween," Wade said.
"Look, if Victor says it's fine it must be fine. We're almost there anyhow. We're not turning back," Jason said.
Victor noted Jason had the same crazed tone in his voice as when he'd spoken about being frozen in ice by his father.
"I feel like I'm in a fanfic version of Stephen King's 'Stand by Me,'" Wade said.
"I can see it," Victor said, gesturing to a valley ahead of them.
With his enhanced senses, he could make out the view long before the others could. Wade and Jason both took out binoculars and craned their necks in the direction Victor pointed. Jason smiled.
"We're about to cross into Mordor," Jason said.
"Yeah. Whatever. I don't speak nerd," Victor said.
"Actually, that was geek. It's a completely different dialect," Wade said.
They walked for several minutes. Victor surveyed the base. It had no windows and was one story tall. The only immediately visible door was the front, which wouldn't be his first choice for an attack. He figured the bulk of the facility was underground. A chain link fence with barbed wire surrounded it. He also smelled dogs. He fucking hated dogs.
The roof was more interesting. It looked like it was used as a helicopter landing pad. There was a small opening for a stairway.
"We'll have to come back at night. It'll give us some cover. We're goin' in through the roof," Victor said.
Several Hours Later
Wade was having fun already. Some of his work felt more like a game to him, with obstacles to be overcome and roadblocks to be destroyed. He approached the looming fence with a grin.
"Does it smell like Adamantium to you?" Wade asked.
Victor sniffed the air in front of them.
"Nope. I don't think it's in their budget," Victor said.
"Batter up, then," Wade said cockily, brandishing his swords like a baseball bat.
He quickly used them to cut a hole through the fence. It made a racket. He created a makeshift doorway as fast as he could. Emma, Jason, and Wade quickly followed.
"Is everythin' you do loud," Victor snarled.
"If it's too loud, you're too old," Wade said.
Victor growled. Wade thought he was growling at him, but turned and saw two German Shepherds approaching them. They started barking.
Victor leapt at one. It let loose a primordial howl, before being cut off. Victor tore its throat open with a sickening gurgle.
Emma turned to diamond. The effect was strange, as he had only seen her in that form in the light. She looked muted. Jason jumped on top of her.
"Protect me," he squealed.
At that moment, the other dog lunged at Wade, tackling him to the ground. It bit into his right arm, digging into his flesh. Wade tried to hack at it with his left sword. The Shepherd turned and bit at his left arm. Wade finally stabbed it with his right blade. It let go of him and fell to the ground, twitching.
Wade stood up and stared at it. He didn't like killing animals, especially dogs. Partially because there was no money in it, and also because something didn't quite feel right. Animals were essentially innocent.
Victor came out of nowhere and took the dog's head in his hands. He snapped its neck. It let out one last cry and was silent forever.
Victor glared at Wade with an expression of contempt. There was blood dripping from his mouth. Wade realized it was from the first animal. Victor wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand. Instead of rubbing it somewhere to clean it, he licked it the way a child would lap at a spatula with pudding or cookie dough.
"Is this were I tell a bad joke about fighting like Sabertooth cats and dogs?" Wade said.
"You can get off me Jason," Emma said.
Jason awkwardly stumbled to the ground. Wade considered kicking his ass if he'd tried to feel up Emma, but remembered when she was in diamond form, nothing really counted as "feeling." It was like attempting to have sex with a department store mannequin, which Wade had actually tried once.
"Yeah, Victor killed the puppies. He's ruthless like that. Ohmigawd, this one was named Veronica. Stryker named his attack dog Veronica," Wade said.
"The other one is named Betty," Emma said, looking at the dog's collar.
"Who gives a shit what their names are? We've made too much noise already. Let's go," Victor said.
They quickly advanced to the building. Victor took out a rope and tied it to his belt. He climbed the side of the wall, using his claws for traction. Finally he dropped the rope down to the rest of them.
"Do we trust Victor to not cut the rope on us?" Emma asked.
"No," said Wade.
"Wow, that's the shortest answer I've heard from you so far," Emma said.
"Don't get used to it," Wade said.
"I'll go first. He knows he won't get paid the second half if I don't come out alive. He needs the rest of us, even if he won't admit it," Jason said.
"Are you OK with this? I'll go last to catch you if he pulls anything," Wade asked Emma.
He reached out and touched her cheek, even though she probably couldn't even feel it. It didn't seem fair. He "felt" her 24-7.
Seeming to understand, even though she wasn't telepathic in her diamond form, Emma transformed to her normal state. It felt like she was melting in his hand, in more ways than one.
"But, then I can't catch you. It should be alright. It's only one story," she said, and she switched back to diamond.
The other three managed to make it to the top without Victor trying anything. Wade used a device to open the door on the roof. For the first time in almost 6 years, he returned to Team X.
Stryker's Bedroom, Team X
The silent alarm wasn't as "silent" as it could be. Stryker woke up sharply to the warning signs that security had been breached. He started to get out of bed, but Marrow grabbed him.
"Why are you getting out of bed? It's still dark out. Of course it's always dark where I came from," she said.
He tensed under her embrace. Even though she acted completely infatuated with him and grateful for the surgeries he'd provided her, he still feared her ability to randomly shoot bones from her own body.
"That's the special alarm. We're under attack," he said, carefully peeling her arms away from his shoulders.
"I get to fight for real now? I want to fight for real. Fighting Agent Nord is getting boring. I mean, he was boring before, but I want to fight someone new," she said.
"I love your enthusiasm, in more ways than one. I'm sure I'll give you a medal for it. If you'll excuse me, I need to check the monitors," he walked to a panel and pressed a button.
A row of television screens appeared. They showed various areas of the entire base. One screen in particular caught his eye. Four figures loomed into view.
He had been having nightmares about them for so long, he questioned if he was just having another dream. Victor Creed, his most vicious recruit who he had manipulated and betrayed years before appeared. Behind him Wade Wilson, the long-tortured Weapon XI experiment filled the monitor. Next was a woman who looked like diamonds, who could be none other than his former captive Emma Frost. The final figure was the most personal of all: a young man with unique blue and green-colored eyes. Although he had grown a little, Stryker knew it was his long lost presumed dead son Jason.
To Be Continued