A/N: I own nada but Lupa and the plot! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story, I truly, truly appreciate it! Special thanks to the following:
NightStalkerBlade – More stuff going down now!
Lil Mizz Blondi – I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you! Mwuahahah! No just kidding. I could tell you but it would ruin the surprise!
My Beautiful Ending – LOL, glad it was daring enough! And loved your review, I'm glad that line made you laugh!
kungfupandabear – Thanks again for the review, so glad the last chappie was fun to read!
Obscure Stranger – "Gah, Zero" is right! Sneaky little bastard…
xPrincetonx – I had to bribe the plot bunnies with ice burg lettuce before they would help me out again, finicky little things.
QuirkyCullen – OK, totally my bad about not updating sooner, unfortunately life got in the way (isn't that always the way?). Hope the wait was worth it!
MovieNutNiffer – Yay! I'm sooo glad you've been enjoying the story since the start, thanks for reviewing!!!
tulip tea – Poor Logan is right, he's always getting the short end of the stick.
lilou – Thank you SOOO much for reviewing, glad you like the story! =]
bookdreamer17 – Can't wait to read your next chapter, love how you write Victor!!! And thanks for the idea about Stryker's patriotism, freaking brilliant! Thanks for letting me use it! XD
And thanks also to Silvertabbymars, girllyingbythesea901, lovingmama23, Silvertabbymars and lightning8star for favoriting/reviewing!
Recap:
Logan rushed to the staircase connecting the upper level to the lower level. Zero started firing and managed to graze the rampaging feral in the shoulder and thigh, but the he kept coming, running in a zigzag pattern up the stairs to avoid the flying Adamantium bullets. Stryker was screaming at Zero to "Shoot, just shoot," but everything was happening so fast.
No one noticed Victor had healed from his own wounds and was now making his way up the stairs.
Logan reached the second level and leapt forward to Stryker, blood rage in his eyes, freshly minted metal claws extended and glinting in the artificial light. His animal was completely in control. Suddenly the Runt's body fell from the air and dropped to the ground lifeless. Zero had shot him in the head with his last Adamantium bullet.
Chapter 36
Endings
It was just then that Victor reached the top of staircase. Both Stryker and Agent Zero were standing still, staring down at the mutant sprawled at their feet as if they were waiting for him to jump back up like the villain in a bad horror movie. Creed bellowed out a roar seeing his baby brother felled and tackled Zero to the floor. Big brother was in a bad mood. Hollering barely comprehensible words and expletives, Victor started ripping the gun loving mutant apart. Now was the moment the Sabertooth crouching in wait inside Victor's mind had been waiting for the entire journey south from Prince Edward Island. Now the beast could be unleashed to indulge in its darkest, most cruel and violent fantasies.
And oh, he did indulge.
Using his long talons, the feral tore large chunks of flesh from his prey; blood, skin and meat coated the walls, ceiling and Creed. Using his teeth to shred Zero's throat, the beast relished the wet gurgling that emanated from what remained of the dying agent's neck. It ended much too quickly to appease the dreaming animal. Victor reprimanded himself for granting such a mercy to the Colonel's pet and chalked the swift death up to his animal being wound too tight for too long. Though he had to admit, while the death was fairly quick, perhaps only taking two to three minutes, the method of execution was…exquisite.
He stood up to take in the scene before him: the body lay on its back, limbs askew and awkward from struggling and seizing. Zero didn't have much left of his torso seeing as he'd essentially been hollowed out like a jack-o-lantern, but his pectorals had been left unharmed. The name carved there over a month ago was still clear as day and beautifully scarred over.
Splattered with blood, it laid claim to the kill, VICTOR CREED.
The Sabertooth couldn't resist giving in to his macabre sense of humor-he dipped his index finger in the blood pooling on the floor around Zero and drew a small red smiley face on top of his 'autograph.' He smiled at the sight.
Rising out of his post violence daze, Victor stood, swung around. Jimmy was still out and Stryker was still standing there frozen in place, white as a ghost, staring at Creed with lips slightly parted. The feral tilted his head, considering his former commanding officer. He's probably never seen death up this close before, a real life murder… Fucker seems the type to always get someone else hold the knife, do his dirty work fer him. Doubt he's ever stepped foot on a battlefield either, goddamn pansy assed officers givin' orders from far away at H.Q.…Stinks of fear, too!
"Hello Colonel." Creed rumbled, curling his lips in a mocking smile. "How've ya been?" Had Logan been awake and coherent at that moment, he would have been struck at how much his brother resembled a housecat playing with a trapped mouse.
"Victor, I-" Stryker began only to be cut off by a very pissed off snarl. Stryker flinched.
"Save it. Now tell me where she is, or I'll do to you what I did to your little pet over here. But I'll keep you alive for a while longer."
"I was telling the truth before, she is with the General! Victor, don't you understand?! Think of everything we could gain from studying her, how America will become safer for it! Soldiers who can heal themselves, fight better and live longer, we'd never lose another war! No more folded flags for widows and mothers! No more wooden coffins for our boys! We'd never suffer the shame of another Vietnam again! What is the suffering, or even the life of one compared to so many others?"
Stryker was on a roll, not even pausing for breath as he passionately listed his justifications and rationalizations. "And you know other nations, other governments would do anything to get a hold of her or our research and use it against us! It's too dangerous for her to be left alone, not under our supervision. You must understand, Victor!"
Creed realized something right then, Stryker was buying into his own bullshit. Folks that believe, really Believe, in something, always are the most dangerous type of crazies, seen it before. Damn fanatics…
"See now, you've got some problems with yer argument there," as Victor spoke he slowly stalked closer to Stryker, Zero's blood drying on his face and coat. "Yer first problem bein' I'm not sure how much I like the idea of havin' a bunch of super soldiers runnin' round the military. Me an' Jimmy, well, I suppose ya could say we're used ta bein'…unique." Victor had almost reached Stryker now.
"Second issue is the fact I couldn't give two flying fucks about your patriotic, bullshit propaganda, won't work on me, I don't give a rats' ass about 'keepin' the nation safe.' Didja forget I'm Canadian?" Creed smirked, pleased with his wit.
"And three, yer biggest problem really, that one life? The one life for many? Well, you picked the wrong 'one.' Lupa is mine. Her life belongs to ME. No one else can have her. No one else can touch her. No one but ME. She is My Mate. MINE and no one else's!"
As he roared out the word mate, Jimmy opened his eyes. It was a horrifying scene to awake to: guts and gore splattered the room (presumably from the eviscerated body lying on the floor not 10 feet away) and a terrifying man in a black coat covered in blood screaming at a terrified man in military dress. What the HELL is going on?! Who the fuck are these guys?! Where am I?!
Logan decided now would be an opportune time to run, preferably attracting as little attention as possible. He tried to move quietly as he rose from the floor, prepared to bolt the second the giant painted in crimson looked his way. Speak of the devil, Jimmy quipped as the stranger he'd been wondering about snapped his head to the bewildered feral.
"Took ya long enough, Runt. I was jus' finishin' up with this bastard, then we go find Her." Victor turned back to face Stryker, not noticing the look of panic and confusion in his brother's eyes.
"Who are you?" Logan husked out. How does the big, bloody guy knows me? Am I supposed to know him?
This made Creed whip his head back to Logan. "The fuck you talkin' bout?" Victor narrowed his eyes, "Never mind, jus' shut the hell up and lemme finish chattin' with the Colonel 'fore we get comp'ny." Creed wasn't in the mood to be distracted from his prey; he and Jimmy could talk after.
But before Jimmy Runt could respond or even flee, there was a large explosion that shook the room and made plaster dust rain down from the ceiling. Then there was the familiar tattooing of gunfire very nearby Victor hadn't thought it possible, but Stryker paled even further. The explosion meant bad things for one of them.
Suddenly Agent Zero's radio went off, "Colonel, sir! One of the subjects got loose and blew a hole in the wall of the detainment facility, they're escaping! I'm sending two teams to escort you from the facility!"
No sooner than the anonymous voice on the walkie-talkie stop speaking, did Creed hear some of said soldiers approach the lab's lower level, shouting for Stryker. Until the escort teams ventured up the staircase, Zero's body, the brothers and the Colonel were all out of sight. Victor's feline instinct to corner prey had made him push everyone on the second level deeper into the room, far from the railings.
The voices seemed to snap Logan back into reality and out of his indecision. "I'm gettin' the hell outta here." The younger feral muttered to no one in particular.
Before Creed could turn his head to respond, Jimmy had bolted out of the room, leaving a scent trail reeking of anxiety and questions.
"Shit! Damn it ta hell, Jimmy!" Creed growled low in his throat and deep in his chest. He could hear the soldiers starting up the staircase. He glared at the shaking Colonel and grabbed his throat with one hand, "Tell me where she is!" Victor kept his grip tight enough to be painful and restricting but loose enough so Stryker could still rasp out an answer.
"With the General! That's all I know! I swear it, Victor!" Stryker's face was turning red as he wasted precious air to speak.
Victor yelled out as he felt the bullets hit his back, dropping the Colonel with frustration. Fuckin' goddamn fuckin' soldiers! I still know jack shit 'bout where she is!
"I'll come fer ya, Stryker! And fer HER!" Creed snarled as he fled the room, trying to avoid additional bullet wounds. Luckily the soldiers were using regular ammunition instead of those Adamantium beauties. It would take a few dozen of these rounds to his body or one lucky head shot to bring the enraged feral down.
Didn't get 'nuff time to find more out 'bout this General! I need a chance ta get 'im alone, ask him again if he knows where my Lupa is…I will find her. Can't keep me away from her! NO ONE CAN. Victor was fuming but he had almost reached his healing limits, his body struggling to heal as fast as it was being wounded.
Victor tore down hallways and corridors, catching neither hide nor hair of his younger brother. Hell, I'll find him later. He got a head start after all, little shit…
Finally Creed found an exit and raced to the beach; he didn't see any patrols and figured they were busy with the big bang near the med wing. He jumped the razor topped fence for the second time that night, and dove head first into the water. Victor'd lost the soldiers back in the passageways (though he allowed the possibility that they let him go to ensure Stryker's safety) but kept his eyes and ears open for a delayed attack. Fortunately, luck was on his side and he reached the opposite shore where hours earlier he left the stolen suburban. Still no sign of Jimmy Runt.
Fuck him. We'll find each other sooner or later, he knows ta meet up in Boston if we get separated. Asshole's bein' weird anyway, actin' like he don' know me…I got more important things ta do than chase after him. Gotta find my Lupa. First though, need ta get supplies, do some recon, find out where this General sets up camp…Wonder what Erik's up ta, bastard owes me a favor from back in '45, he'll hook me up. Gotten all gung ho 'bout mutant rights and brotherhood an' all that shit, after all…Where's that sunnuvabitch Lehnsherr live again, Philly? Yeah, Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love…Heheh, always had a good sense of irony, that boy…
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Somewhere Dark and Far Away…
They have me again. Not the same 'They' as before, where He was, They have new faces here but the same ideas, the same questions, the same experiments. They are the same as the others and the two do not deserve a distinction.
No one talks to me here, or even to each other while in my presence. I haven't heard the sound of a human voice in what feels like weeks but I know is probably only days. I don't know why They've stopped speaking, perhaps it's a new form of torture or some kind of test. I don't know and I don't care anymore either. All I can do is wait for death or rescue. There is no way for me escape unless perhaps over time They relax their guard and I am favored by the gods.
I don't really believe in them any more though, the gods that is. I have put all my faith and hope in my mate, in my Victor. I cannot doubt that he will find me, I just have to give him time. We are well hidden wherever we are. I know it is underground, I can smell the dank earth.
I know nothing more though, They kept me unconscious until I was safely stashed in my new prison. Surprisingly it is a step up from my previous prison: I am not in a dog crate this time, I have an entire room.
There is a thin sleeping mat and even a stainless steel toilet, but no heat or blanket. Perhaps they will want me to 'earn' the luxury, such a method has been tried on me before by others. It won't work this time, either.
I wonder how Jimmy is, I remember he was taken at the same time as me. I hope he got away, he should not be hurt for helping me…And Victor, my Victor. Where is he? Does he know I've been taken yet? Is he thinking of me, searching for me? It might be too early still. I mustn't lose faith though, I cannot doubt, I have to stay strong.
Perhaps I can work on escaping into my memories, into my mind. Practice and be able to disappear from the world at will. I could even make my own world, one where I am with Victor and we are happy. We would live in a northern forest, in an isolated cabin so he can hunt freely. Jimmy Runt would visit all the time because he'd have his own house nearby. Maybe we could even have some pets, a couple dogs and even a cat…
The house has to have a wrap-around porch like Jimmy talked about and a blue door, yes, a bright blue door like at the cottage on P.E. Island…
Lupa stared off into space, curled up on the tan colored mat she'd dragged into a corner of her room. She retreated into herself, attempting to use her imagination as a sanctuary. The Wolf Girl was right, with practice she would be able to use her mind to escape reality, to feel safe and free and be with her mate. But how long would she have to hide inside her own mind before rescue arrived?
A/N: OK, so it's finished!!! That is until the sequel, of course. Please, please, PLEASE review if you liked my writing or story at all or if you have any comments, suggestions, corrections or ideas! I'd love to hear from people about what they'd like to have happen in the sequel so send me any requests! Again, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to review, especially to those who wrote multiple reviews! Now remember, the Cupcakes for Reviews Program is still going strong and will continue on in the sequel, so visit my profile page to pick em up! ;-)
P.S. How does the title The Dreaming Animal sound for the sequel?