Caged Souls - Chapter Two
Discl: Creed is not mine (sob!). Some known characters appearing, also not mine but Marvels. No money.
Char: Sabretooth and others
In short: Life as a Mercenary and the beginning of a beautiful enmity.
Rating: not sure, some language, violence.
Well, here goes the second part. THANK YOU to my reviewers (both of you!). Everyone else, PLEASE REVIEW AND MAKE ME VERY VERY HAPPY.
----------------------
Creed downed his second beer silently staring before him and Raims didn't dare interrupt him. He had hoped the big man would come along. Scary as he was to have around, Raims thought he was the best security for success. That and his tracking ability.
What had started off a year ago as a break for him had finished being one of his worse jobs ever. The Patagonian jungle was a nightmare and most of the other men were not prepared for it and it had shown. Even worse, he had lost the whole team to their employer, which was unheard of. Creed had disappeared for a month after it was finished and they had risked not being paid at all. He remember the bloody way he sorted things out when he finally reappeared, and then they had received not only their pay but also that of the other men. In spite of the money he was adamant that he would not like to repeat the experience.
He had thought about it for months. Going back and looting what was left of the bunker. It was obviously an old government bunker and sure enough worth the effort, if only in information. This could result in a very hefty retirement fund, if handled correctly, and he needed that on account of his various economic disasters of late. He knew Creed's conditions would be leonine, but even so it looked worth it. He had also kept an eye on the zone and there seemed to have been no activity whatever in the last twelve months. However, you never knew, and having Creed to deal with surprises was a relief.
He looked around in the crowded bar and spotted the waitress Victor had grabbed earlier. Tiny pretty girl in red with a white apron all frills (the place had a 1950's ambiance) and hair up in a ponytail. She was talking to the barman, obviously still in a state after her first encounter with Creed. The man was looking in their direction with a frown knitting his brows together. A very bad sign. This could get ugly in no time if he was stupid enough to try and challenge the man.
He turned and was startled to notice Victor was looking directly at him, no longer in thought.
He mustered a *Well, are you in?* and waited.
Victor had been busy for the last ten months in his usual manner. There always was someone around who wanted someone else dead. But things had quieted down lately and he was looking at a good two months without a thing to do as far as he could tell. He was OK with money, as always, since he always invested at least half of his earnings (he was quite an intelligent man, if not book-smart, and he made smart choices) but inactivity was something he loathed. What the hell, he thought. *I'm in* he said *Let's discuss the conditions*
Raims noticed that the barman was approaching the table. Oh, shit. He sincerely hoped Creed was in a mood to keep a low profile today or this was going to be a mess.
*Good evening, boys* the man said *I've some complaints about your manners. We don't want any trouble here*
Victor turned towards him and Raims' hair went all up. Before the big man could speak he quickly flashed a smile to the barman and told him they were about to leave in a moment and didn't want any trouble either. It was all a misunderstanding. He caught sight of Creed from a corner of his eye and to his relief saw that he seemed to be greatly amused. That was a good sign (sort of). The big man leaned back on his chair and stretched slightly in a very catlike movement, seemingly relaxed.
The girl came over behind the barman and Victor smiled at her over his shoulder. *What's the matter girl, did I spook you?* he said playfully, grinning, *don't you mind old Vic here*. His tone was caressing, like a purr, but this didn't fool Raims. He had heard the caressing tone before, just before seeing somebody being ripped open from groin to neck. The girl giggled and the man left after scowling, first at them and then at her.
Victor downed the last beer. The girl approached and asked if they were having another round, smiling under Victor appreciative look. He made another slow grab without taking his eyes off hers, his long muscular arm extended and this time he got only a pinch hold of her apron. The girl tugged at it giggling and having recovered the bit of fabric, retreated into the crowd. Creed laughed softly and gave Raims a look across the table, *learn from the master* it said.
*Well, where were we?* all trace of amusement in Creed's voice was gone, and they got down to business.
========
One year earlier, just outside the bunker.
========
Creed had jumped the woman while she was attacking Raims and had a good hold of her windpipe, his claws digging into her neck without rupturing anything important, so far. Raims was whimpering just outside the door, all wrapped up in a ball, his body gave out an incredible reading of fear.
*You have no hope in hell to get me before I rip your throat out, BITCH!* he snarled baring his teeth. He was pinning her down with his sheer weight and so close to her face their breaths were forming a common cloud of condensation.
A wave of pain hit him and right behind it a huge wave of nausea. He was overwhelmed by a huge tide of mind numbing, paralyzing fear and he roared out aloud. He was not an average man and fear and pain were old friends of his, but the level of it almost made him release his prey. He dug deeper and tensed to pull his hand back, windpipe and all, completely blinded in a paroxysm of rage. The pain and the fear left him as suddenly as they had hit. He found himself panting, nose to nose with Fear again, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched.
*That will be quite enough, Sabretooth* a cold voice said and he realized they had been joined by a group of armored soldiers. All twelve guns pointing at him.
Raims was up on one knee, still shaking but managed to speak *We kept our part of the bargain. Just get the bitch off us and we will leave peacefully*
*LIKE HELL WE WILL!* roared Victor.
*THINK man* he said in panic.
Creed cooled down a bit, just enough to be able to reason again. A quick look told him he would not make it against those particular odds. Those guns could blast a huge hole right through a man, armor and all if close enough. Right. No matter how much I want to gut this cow now, the fact remains it will be my last action before I die. On the other hand, I can get a better chance later and have some time to enjoy it too.
Still holding Fear by the neck like a rag doll, he grabbed the box beside her and gave the commander a short order. *You want your box, it has a price. Your call* He had to fight very hard to maintain control, rage hitting him like a tidal wave, but succeeded, and slowly started to calm down.
Raims chimed in, *The deal was that we were to find the place and then help recover the goods, which we did. It was a good honest deal and a lot of people are going to be very pissed off if they find out the way it was conducted by your side. I'm sure your boss will agree with me that is a bad idea to fight this out. We can reach an agreement and then everybody can go home*
The commander made a signal to his men and spoke in his comm. Raims didn't understand the language, but after a short interchange he seemed to have either reached a decision or received his orders. *Very well, then. Release the box and the warrior and you will be free to go"
*Here is the deal* interrupted Creed *You provide Raims with transport to our craft. I remain here with the lady and the box firmly tugged in my loving arms and when he comes to get me I kiss the lady goodbye and make a gracious exit. We leave WITH the box and when we reach Santiago airport we leave it for you in a locker. You follow us and you get your box spread in two square miles of terrain. The alternative is that I destroy both bitch and box RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! You have five seconds!* There was no mistaking his tone. The commander knew whom he was dealing with and nodded in assent.
=========
Later in Santiago international airport
=========
Raims was in the check-in line for the next transport to the north. After leaving the box in the locker, as agreed, they had contacted their go-between man and got from him an assurance that the money for the job was on its way. After all the happenings of the last days Raims was going to wait and see about that. All in all, he was only too happy to have made it alive.
Creed had disappeared from sight. He was always in awe at how the huge man could become suddenly and completely inconspicuous. Anywhere.
He shuddered at the memory of his last encounter with Fear. His stomach still contracted and he had been slightly nauseous from time to time ever since. She had not even moved! Just looked at him and hit him with whatever her powers were, right out of the blue!. He should have expected it, especially after what happened to the rest of them.
He was very surprised at Creed being rather calm about the whole thing. They had hardly spoken a word to each other and after getting to the airport and choosing a locker he had lost sight of him.
He went through all the motions of the check in and the boarding, his nerves soothed by the routine of it all and finally sighed in relief when they were off.
=======
After Raims had strapped two explosive charges to the box and left, Victor had spent three hours holding Fear by the neck. She had snarled the whole time but kept still, except for a couple of times when she had attempted to reach out again and almost lost her pretty throat. By two AM Raims had come back and he had released her. She had got up stumbling and turned around menacing. The commander had bowed to her and delivered what seemed to be a code word and she had gone cold as ice.
*Sorry girl, don't have time to stay and cuddle* he said with a grin. You had to give it to her, she had guts. After the first shock there had been only the faintest trace of fear coming from her. Just enough to put her in "brave but not stupid" class, as per Victor's standards. She turned around and left, back to her master he thought.
After agreeing the method and time of delivery of the precious box with the commander they started towards the airport. He was not satisfied with the turn of things, but he had a good long memory and he could wait for the next time to get things finished his way.
He had also worked up a crick on his arm and another on his neck from holding the same position for the best of three hours and he could use a change of clothes too. As much as he liked the outdoors, nothing could beat a good burning hot shower to make him feel good as new.
For the next five hours they kept a neck-braking speed at very low altitude, probably scaring the shit out of many farmers in the way, and reached the airport by early morning (damned slow surface cars!). He had read the commander right. He was a straight man and he probably had no reason to fear any double-crossing, but you never knew. He should have stuck to taking contracts like he did before. That was a nice job and he could do it alone and have fun in the process. He was not much of a team player really, hunting was his thing and he would stick to that from now on.
While on their way he pondered. He had recognized the language the commander had spoken: Russian. An odd choice since they were no longer a power, if you didn't count the Russian Mafia. The commander and the troops looked like regular army too, but the uniform was unknown to Victor. The interchange had not been very noticeable in content, only the usual stuff. Yet, one thing had intrigued him:
"--"
"I'm not sure is possible, sir" the commander had cast a quick look in Creed's direction "chance is pretty much spoiled"
"--"
"Yes, like the last time.." he was interrupted.
"--- ---"
"Control word acknowledged. I will keep you posted. Out"
And then the fact that they were there at all. How interesting. Perhaps they were thinking of picking up something else besides the box? Nobody had such a crush on Raims, so it had to be him. But why? He couldn't think of a single reason. Some revenge perhaps? Or they expected to get information from him? Could be.. He didn't remember any dealings with Russians, but then again, he had a memory like a Swiss cheese. He shook his head in frustration. Damned bastards! He couldn't even trust what he DID remember after all the tampering. He would have to do some digging on this one. He had been lucky in the fact that they wanted the box more than they wanted him.
Raims was still shaking slightly. By what he had felt, he figured it had been quite a test for the old mercenary and he chuckled. Raims was so tired he had no energy to mind Creed and just passed out in his seat.
Victor was in one of his foulest moods, but the shock of Fear's attack had taken its toll in energy from his body too and he was tired. This was a sensation he was not used to, specially after so little action by his standards. He considered throwing Raims out of the craft altogether and continue alone, but dismissed the idea. Raims was a good contact and he could be useful in the future. He would get his fun elsewhere.
========
After leaving the box in the locker at the airport, Victor went wondering about in search of a suitable bag to deposit the bug that was stuck to the infamous box and ended dropping it into a bunch of cases belonging to a group of nuns. He smiled at them and they regarded him with some apprehension, but everything went smoothly.
He was on his way back to check-in line when he saw him, or better said, he smelled him. With a growl that startled the people around him he started off and followed the retreating man. He was wearing a cloaking device that made him look a normal businessman, but that sort of things never fooled Victor Creed's nose. He followed the man to the outside and into the city where he finally stopped at a somber looking house in the suburbs immediate to the airport.
It was a bright morning but this was a quiet area and there were very few people in the street. In the house, the windows were closed and so were the curtains and there seemed to be no movement inside. He approached the high metal fence and casually strolled along the front of the house. When he was sure not to be seen he jumped the fence effortlessly and made to the side of the house in a flash, and then the to the back. He couldn't sense movement at all and that made him nervous.
Victor gingerly approached the back door sniffing and was puzzled to find no scent of humans or mutants, recent ones that is. *Aw, shit! I'm going to have to go in* he thought and he tried the knob. To his surprise it was open and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He sensed at once there was something very wrong in this situation and he crouched, waiting. Nothing happened.
The faintest of clicking sound reached his ears, the sound strangely familiar and his eyes now opened in surprise. *Hypodermic gun?* then he bolted up and into the next house's back garden in a clean jump. As soon as he came down the whole place burst out with armored soldiers. *STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!* he kept repeating to himself.
He managed to dodge the first five darts and, cornered and outnumbered, made another jump falling right in the middle of a group of them. He managed to crush one chest, armor and all, and to slash at another soldier, his claws hooking in his jawbone and ripping it out completely, then he charged the remaining four, but before he could make any serious dismembering he had around 30 or 40 more darts in and everything went into slow motion and then he closed his eyes and slumped to the ground.
He could hear the voices around him, frantic and horrified. *Oh my god! Look at Miller, for fuck's sake!* Heavy booted feet stomping around him. *Get the medic here, NOW! * - *There is no point, commander*. They had got close enough, his healing factor had managed to counteract some of the narcotic and Victor prepared to act.
*How many doses did he get* the commander's voice asked.
*About forty*
*You, you and you. Another twenty a piece, NOW!*
He had started his jump and the multitude of darts hit him like hale coming from everywhere. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and everything went black.
=======
The present.
=======
*You mean, you never even tried to find out what was in the box?*
*No*
*Not even a peak?*
*No* Raims looked at her bewildered expression. She didn't understand the rules of the game. As long as they kept their part of the bargain they would have no problems. If they had messed up like that they would have never worked again.
*But who would've known?* she insisted, hands in hips, defiant.
*They would have known. Look, I don't have time for this now. I have to go* he said folding his last piece of clothing and closing the duffel bag.
She put her arms around him and kissed him. He kissed her back coldly. It was time for this to end, he thought, this expedition was a perfect excuse. He would be gone for some time and when he came back he would just move on. She didn't know enough to be a threat to him and if she did blabber about she was the only one bound to get hurt and she knew it. It had been a nice couple of months but it was very much over on his side.
He came down the stairs by himself and went out the door. There was a red sport vehicle outside and everyone on the block was admiring it. A real classic, very flashy, and he sighed in frustration. *Nice car* he said fighting back what he really wanted to say, and he climbed, the image of resignation, on the seat next to Creed who was grinning widely. Like there was a hope in hell they would go unnoticed...
To his relief, their first stop was Creed's private parking where they picked up a nondescript vehicle. They made a stop to get their travelling cards done and then headed for the airport.
======
*You've got to be kidding me!*
*Creed, Foster looks like shit but is quite capable*
The scrawny bespectacled young man was gaping in awe at Victor and barely blinked at the "shit" qualification of his looks. Victor growled down at him (he was a good foot and a half taller) and Foster shrank, still open-mouthed.
*He looks like a moron to me!*
*My IQ happens to be over 150, you know* the man replied, and then gulped as Victor turned to glare at him, shrinking even more.
*Creed, believe me, I have used them before and they are good value for money*
*They? What do you mean "they"?*
*They work in combination, one in their base and one on site*
*WHAT?!*
*Creed, just have a little patience and they will show you how good they are. I assure you, it will be fine, they are the best at not being traced so there will be no problem in having them connected*
*..... *
*We are already here, man. You might as well give it a try.*
*.....*
*Mr Creed, we can be of use to you in a huge variety of jobs, you'll see* Foster put in *Research? You have any system you want infiltrated, corrupted or erased? Tracking? We are the best at that too...*
*And I'm supposed to baby-sit you, or are you a jungle expert as well? I DIDN'T THINK SO! * he snarled as Foster lowered his eyes.
*Creed, believe me. It will be worth it...*
Foster also made a last desperate attempt *Mr. Creed, by the information Mr Raims already gave me and after some research, I can assure you this job is going to be hugely worth everybody's while, and we are the only ones...*
*You are very sure of yourself, little man. You are not the only nerd in the planet!* he sneered.
*I AM NOT A NERD!* the small man shouted, suddenly standing erect, and Victor's claws made an appearance. *I'm sorry, Mr Creed* he said meekly, flinching *but you will see, you will be very satisfied with our job. I promise you*.
Victor had been surprised and amused by the punk's outburst. In spite of the strange setting of the job he was also disposed to believe them. He regarded Foster with contempt. The man looked like a rat, teeth and all. But then, in his experience, the worse they looked, the more intelligent they were. He snorted again in disgust as both men stared at him in hope, and then capitulated.
*OK* he said rolling his eyes *let's get this fucking job over-with.*
===========
END OF CHAPTER TWO
Discl: Creed is not mine (sob!). Some known characters appearing, also not mine but Marvels. No money.
Char: Sabretooth and others
In short: Life as a Mercenary and the beginning of a beautiful enmity.
Rating: not sure, some language, violence.
Well, here goes the second part. THANK YOU to my reviewers (both of you!). Everyone else, PLEASE REVIEW AND MAKE ME VERY VERY HAPPY.
----------------------
Creed downed his second beer silently staring before him and Raims didn't dare interrupt him. He had hoped the big man would come along. Scary as he was to have around, Raims thought he was the best security for success. That and his tracking ability.
What had started off a year ago as a break for him had finished being one of his worse jobs ever. The Patagonian jungle was a nightmare and most of the other men were not prepared for it and it had shown. Even worse, he had lost the whole team to their employer, which was unheard of. Creed had disappeared for a month after it was finished and they had risked not being paid at all. He remember the bloody way he sorted things out when he finally reappeared, and then they had received not only their pay but also that of the other men. In spite of the money he was adamant that he would not like to repeat the experience.
He had thought about it for months. Going back and looting what was left of the bunker. It was obviously an old government bunker and sure enough worth the effort, if only in information. This could result in a very hefty retirement fund, if handled correctly, and he needed that on account of his various economic disasters of late. He knew Creed's conditions would be leonine, but even so it looked worth it. He had also kept an eye on the zone and there seemed to have been no activity whatever in the last twelve months. However, you never knew, and having Creed to deal with surprises was a relief.
He looked around in the crowded bar and spotted the waitress Victor had grabbed earlier. Tiny pretty girl in red with a white apron all frills (the place had a 1950's ambiance) and hair up in a ponytail. She was talking to the barman, obviously still in a state after her first encounter with Creed. The man was looking in their direction with a frown knitting his brows together. A very bad sign. This could get ugly in no time if he was stupid enough to try and challenge the man.
He turned and was startled to notice Victor was looking directly at him, no longer in thought.
He mustered a *Well, are you in?* and waited.
Victor had been busy for the last ten months in his usual manner. There always was someone around who wanted someone else dead. But things had quieted down lately and he was looking at a good two months without a thing to do as far as he could tell. He was OK with money, as always, since he always invested at least half of his earnings (he was quite an intelligent man, if not book-smart, and he made smart choices) but inactivity was something he loathed. What the hell, he thought. *I'm in* he said *Let's discuss the conditions*
Raims noticed that the barman was approaching the table. Oh, shit. He sincerely hoped Creed was in a mood to keep a low profile today or this was going to be a mess.
*Good evening, boys* the man said *I've some complaints about your manners. We don't want any trouble here*
Victor turned towards him and Raims' hair went all up. Before the big man could speak he quickly flashed a smile to the barman and told him they were about to leave in a moment and didn't want any trouble either. It was all a misunderstanding. He caught sight of Creed from a corner of his eye and to his relief saw that he seemed to be greatly amused. That was a good sign (sort of). The big man leaned back on his chair and stretched slightly in a very catlike movement, seemingly relaxed.
The girl came over behind the barman and Victor smiled at her over his shoulder. *What's the matter girl, did I spook you?* he said playfully, grinning, *don't you mind old Vic here*. His tone was caressing, like a purr, but this didn't fool Raims. He had heard the caressing tone before, just before seeing somebody being ripped open from groin to neck. The girl giggled and the man left after scowling, first at them and then at her.
Victor downed the last beer. The girl approached and asked if they were having another round, smiling under Victor appreciative look. He made another slow grab without taking his eyes off hers, his long muscular arm extended and this time he got only a pinch hold of her apron. The girl tugged at it giggling and having recovered the bit of fabric, retreated into the crowd. Creed laughed softly and gave Raims a look across the table, *learn from the master* it said.
*Well, where were we?* all trace of amusement in Creed's voice was gone, and they got down to business.
========
One year earlier, just outside the bunker.
========
Creed had jumped the woman while she was attacking Raims and had a good hold of her windpipe, his claws digging into her neck without rupturing anything important, so far. Raims was whimpering just outside the door, all wrapped up in a ball, his body gave out an incredible reading of fear.
*You have no hope in hell to get me before I rip your throat out, BITCH!* he snarled baring his teeth. He was pinning her down with his sheer weight and so close to her face their breaths were forming a common cloud of condensation.
A wave of pain hit him and right behind it a huge wave of nausea. He was overwhelmed by a huge tide of mind numbing, paralyzing fear and he roared out aloud. He was not an average man and fear and pain were old friends of his, but the level of it almost made him release his prey. He dug deeper and tensed to pull his hand back, windpipe and all, completely blinded in a paroxysm of rage. The pain and the fear left him as suddenly as they had hit. He found himself panting, nose to nose with Fear again, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched.
*That will be quite enough, Sabretooth* a cold voice said and he realized they had been joined by a group of armored soldiers. All twelve guns pointing at him.
Raims was up on one knee, still shaking but managed to speak *We kept our part of the bargain. Just get the bitch off us and we will leave peacefully*
*LIKE HELL WE WILL!* roared Victor.
*THINK man* he said in panic.
Creed cooled down a bit, just enough to be able to reason again. A quick look told him he would not make it against those particular odds. Those guns could blast a huge hole right through a man, armor and all if close enough. Right. No matter how much I want to gut this cow now, the fact remains it will be my last action before I die. On the other hand, I can get a better chance later and have some time to enjoy it too.
Still holding Fear by the neck like a rag doll, he grabbed the box beside her and gave the commander a short order. *You want your box, it has a price. Your call* He had to fight very hard to maintain control, rage hitting him like a tidal wave, but succeeded, and slowly started to calm down.
Raims chimed in, *The deal was that we were to find the place and then help recover the goods, which we did. It was a good honest deal and a lot of people are going to be very pissed off if they find out the way it was conducted by your side. I'm sure your boss will agree with me that is a bad idea to fight this out. We can reach an agreement and then everybody can go home*
The commander made a signal to his men and spoke in his comm. Raims didn't understand the language, but after a short interchange he seemed to have either reached a decision or received his orders. *Very well, then. Release the box and the warrior and you will be free to go"
*Here is the deal* interrupted Creed *You provide Raims with transport to our craft. I remain here with the lady and the box firmly tugged in my loving arms and when he comes to get me I kiss the lady goodbye and make a gracious exit. We leave WITH the box and when we reach Santiago airport we leave it for you in a locker. You follow us and you get your box spread in two square miles of terrain. The alternative is that I destroy both bitch and box RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! You have five seconds!* There was no mistaking his tone. The commander knew whom he was dealing with and nodded in assent.
=========
Later in Santiago international airport
=========
Raims was in the check-in line for the next transport to the north. After leaving the box in the locker, as agreed, they had contacted their go-between man and got from him an assurance that the money for the job was on its way. After all the happenings of the last days Raims was going to wait and see about that. All in all, he was only too happy to have made it alive.
Creed had disappeared from sight. He was always in awe at how the huge man could become suddenly and completely inconspicuous. Anywhere.
He shuddered at the memory of his last encounter with Fear. His stomach still contracted and he had been slightly nauseous from time to time ever since. She had not even moved! Just looked at him and hit him with whatever her powers were, right out of the blue!. He should have expected it, especially after what happened to the rest of them.
He was very surprised at Creed being rather calm about the whole thing. They had hardly spoken a word to each other and after getting to the airport and choosing a locker he had lost sight of him.
He went through all the motions of the check in and the boarding, his nerves soothed by the routine of it all and finally sighed in relief when they were off.
=======
After Raims had strapped two explosive charges to the box and left, Victor had spent three hours holding Fear by the neck. She had snarled the whole time but kept still, except for a couple of times when she had attempted to reach out again and almost lost her pretty throat. By two AM Raims had come back and he had released her. She had got up stumbling and turned around menacing. The commander had bowed to her and delivered what seemed to be a code word and she had gone cold as ice.
*Sorry girl, don't have time to stay and cuddle* he said with a grin. You had to give it to her, she had guts. After the first shock there had been only the faintest trace of fear coming from her. Just enough to put her in "brave but not stupid" class, as per Victor's standards. She turned around and left, back to her master he thought.
After agreeing the method and time of delivery of the precious box with the commander they started towards the airport. He was not satisfied with the turn of things, but he had a good long memory and he could wait for the next time to get things finished his way.
He had also worked up a crick on his arm and another on his neck from holding the same position for the best of three hours and he could use a change of clothes too. As much as he liked the outdoors, nothing could beat a good burning hot shower to make him feel good as new.
For the next five hours they kept a neck-braking speed at very low altitude, probably scaring the shit out of many farmers in the way, and reached the airport by early morning (damned slow surface cars!). He had read the commander right. He was a straight man and he probably had no reason to fear any double-crossing, but you never knew. He should have stuck to taking contracts like he did before. That was a nice job and he could do it alone and have fun in the process. He was not much of a team player really, hunting was his thing and he would stick to that from now on.
While on their way he pondered. He had recognized the language the commander had spoken: Russian. An odd choice since they were no longer a power, if you didn't count the Russian Mafia. The commander and the troops looked like regular army too, but the uniform was unknown to Victor. The interchange had not been very noticeable in content, only the usual stuff. Yet, one thing had intrigued him:
"--"
"I'm not sure is possible, sir" the commander had cast a quick look in Creed's direction "chance is pretty much spoiled"
"--"
"Yes, like the last time.." he was interrupted.
"--- ---"
"Control word acknowledged. I will keep you posted. Out"
And then the fact that they were there at all. How interesting. Perhaps they were thinking of picking up something else besides the box? Nobody had such a crush on Raims, so it had to be him. But why? He couldn't think of a single reason. Some revenge perhaps? Or they expected to get information from him? Could be.. He didn't remember any dealings with Russians, but then again, he had a memory like a Swiss cheese. He shook his head in frustration. Damned bastards! He couldn't even trust what he DID remember after all the tampering. He would have to do some digging on this one. He had been lucky in the fact that they wanted the box more than they wanted him.
Raims was still shaking slightly. By what he had felt, he figured it had been quite a test for the old mercenary and he chuckled. Raims was so tired he had no energy to mind Creed and just passed out in his seat.
Victor was in one of his foulest moods, but the shock of Fear's attack had taken its toll in energy from his body too and he was tired. This was a sensation he was not used to, specially after so little action by his standards. He considered throwing Raims out of the craft altogether and continue alone, but dismissed the idea. Raims was a good contact and he could be useful in the future. He would get his fun elsewhere.
========
After leaving the box in the locker at the airport, Victor went wondering about in search of a suitable bag to deposit the bug that was stuck to the infamous box and ended dropping it into a bunch of cases belonging to a group of nuns. He smiled at them and they regarded him with some apprehension, but everything went smoothly.
He was on his way back to check-in line when he saw him, or better said, he smelled him. With a growl that startled the people around him he started off and followed the retreating man. He was wearing a cloaking device that made him look a normal businessman, but that sort of things never fooled Victor Creed's nose. He followed the man to the outside and into the city where he finally stopped at a somber looking house in the suburbs immediate to the airport.
It was a bright morning but this was a quiet area and there were very few people in the street. In the house, the windows were closed and so were the curtains and there seemed to be no movement inside. He approached the high metal fence and casually strolled along the front of the house. When he was sure not to be seen he jumped the fence effortlessly and made to the side of the house in a flash, and then the to the back. He couldn't sense movement at all and that made him nervous.
Victor gingerly approached the back door sniffing and was puzzled to find no scent of humans or mutants, recent ones that is. *Aw, shit! I'm going to have to go in* he thought and he tried the knob. To his surprise it was open and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He sensed at once there was something very wrong in this situation and he crouched, waiting. Nothing happened.
The faintest of clicking sound reached his ears, the sound strangely familiar and his eyes now opened in surprise. *Hypodermic gun?* then he bolted up and into the next house's back garden in a clean jump. As soon as he came down the whole place burst out with armored soldiers. *STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!* he kept repeating to himself.
He managed to dodge the first five darts and, cornered and outnumbered, made another jump falling right in the middle of a group of them. He managed to crush one chest, armor and all, and to slash at another soldier, his claws hooking in his jawbone and ripping it out completely, then he charged the remaining four, but before he could make any serious dismembering he had around 30 or 40 more darts in and everything went into slow motion and then he closed his eyes and slumped to the ground.
He could hear the voices around him, frantic and horrified. *Oh my god! Look at Miller, for fuck's sake!* Heavy booted feet stomping around him. *Get the medic here, NOW! * - *There is no point, commander*. They had got close enough, his healing factor had managed to counteract some of the narcotic and Victor prepared to act.
*How many doses did he get* the commander's voice asked.
*About forty*
*You, you and you. Another twenty a piece, NOW!*
He had started his jump and the multitude of darts hit him like hale coming from everywhere. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and everything went black.
=======
The present.
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*You mean, you never even tried to find out what was in the box?*
*No*
*Not even a peak?*
*No* Raims looked at her bewildered expression. She didn't understand the rules of the game. As long as they kept their part of the bargain they would have no problems. If they had messed up like that they would have never worked again.
*But who would've known?* she insisted, hands in hips, defiant.
*They would have known. Look, I don't have time for this now. I have to go* he said folding his last piece of clothing and closing the duffel bag.
She put her arms around him and kissed him. He kissed her back coldly. It was time for this to end, he thought, this expedition was a perfect excuse. He would be gone for some time and when he came back he would just move on. She didn't know enough to be a threat to him and if she did blabber about she was the only one bound to get hurt and she knew it. It had been a nice couple of months but it was very much over on his side.
He came down the stairs by himself and went out the door. There was a red sport vehicle outside and everyone on the block was admiring it. A real classic, very flashy, and he sighed in frustration. *Nice car* he said fighting back what he really wanted to say, and he climbed, the image of resignation, on the seat next to Creed who was grinning widely. Like there was a hope in hell they would go unnoticed...
To his relief, their first stop was Creed's private parking where they picked up a nondescript vehicle. They made a stop to get their travelling cards done and then headed for the airport.
======
*You've got to be kidding me!*
*Creed, Foster looks like shit but is quite capable*
The scrawny bespectacled young man was gaping in awe at Victor and barely blinked at the "shit" qualification of his looks. Victor growled down at him (he was a good foot and a half taller) and Foster shrank, still open-mouthed.
*He looks like a moron to me!*
*My IQ happens to be over 150, you know* the man replied, and then gulped as Victor turned to glare at him, shrinking even more.
*Creed, believe me, I have used them before and they are good value for money*
*They? What do you mean "they"?*
*They work in combination, one in their base and one on site*
*WHAT?!*
*Creed, just have a little patience and they will show you how good they are. I assure you, it will be fine, they are the best at not being traced so there will be no problem in having them connected*
*..... *
*We are already here, man. You might as well give it a try.*
*.....*
*Mr Creed, we can be of use to you in a huge variety of jobs, you'll see* Foster put in *Research? You have any system you want infiltrated, corrupted or erased? Tracking? We are the best at that too...*
*And I'm supposed to baby-sit you, or are you a jungle expert as well? I DIDN'T THINK SO! * he snarled as Foster lowered his eyes.
*Creed, believe me. It will be worth it...*
Foster also made a last desperate attempt *Mr. Creed, by the information Mr Raims already gave me and after some research, I can assure you this job is going to be hugely worth everybody's while, and we are the only ones...*
*You are very sure of yourself, little man. You are not the only nerd in the planet!* he sneered.
*I AM NOT A NERD!* the small man shouted, suddenly standing erect, and Victor's claws made an appearance. *I'm sorry, Mr Creed* he said meekly, flinching *but you will see, you will be very satisfied with our job. I promise you*.
Victor had been surprised and amused by the punk's outburst. In spite of the strange setting of the job he was also disposed to believe them. He regarded Foster with contempt. The man looked like a rat, teeth and all. But then, in his experience, the worse they looked, the more intelligent they were. He snorted again in disgust as both men stared at him in hope, and then capitulated.
*OK* he said rolling his eyes *let's get this fucking job over-with.*
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END OF CHAPTER TWO