Drowning, was this the feeling of death? He closed his eyes and felt a warmth surrounding him. Soon he'd be in Hell. He expected the warmth to become a raging inferno, but the ever-present warmth never left. He opened his eyes and saw life through the eyes of someone familiar.
Horrified, he tried to move but couldn't. Forced to watch the scene that followed, he relaxed as the images passed before his eyes.
A computer screen scrolled through information on him. "Dangerous", "Psychotic", "Extreme Caution" were the first words that popped out at him. Then the screen went over to see his stats. He agreed with what the screen announced about him except for one thing. They forgot to put, "Best Assassin there is."
"Hey darlin' what are ya doin," the runts voiced echoed out to the person. He quickly became enraged, but since he couldn't do anything -- he resigned himself to actually listen.
"Checkin' out Professors files on all the baddies, ya can't be too careful ya know," the gaze still on the computer screen.
"Who ya checkin' --" he heard an loud growl and a familiar snikt.
"Don't worry Wolive, ain't like the furball's here," the gaze still on the computer screen.
A silence went between them as the screen turned into various articles of the people he killed. Creed smiled to himself, enjoying the memories of terror and fear he put into those victims. Then a familiar face popped up on the screen with the headline:
"Mutant woman found dead in New York -- supposed assistant of a notorious assassin..."
Dread filled him, this is the reason he's here now, and he didn't want to deal with Birdy's death.
The screen turned off, a silent request answered and the attention came to the runt, "Ya know Wolvie," a brief silence came over her, then he saw a hand waved -- like it was to excuse her, "I'm hungry let's get somethin' ta eat." She got up and headed for the door.
"You're payin' darlin," He hear the runt joke as she laughed it off.
"Let me change first, kay," she announced as she walked up the stairs. When she got to her room, he heard he give a big sigh.
"I should tell him," she muttered. Confusion overtook him as the image faded away.
When the moemory faded in front of him, he knew he'd wake up to something -- someplace he didn't want to be.
* * *
The sun beamed down on him, his Viper was in front of him, and he was on the sidewalk. He turned to see where he was at, only to see the frail -- No! she wasn't frail -- the kid sat next to him.
He couldn't express his anger and frustration, the kid foricbly took away everything from him. His luxary of his home in Canada, his rival that he wanted to kill, his bloodlust for humanity and now his way of living. He tried everything to get rid of her, but she was there -- always there. The human part of him broke when she said those things that night. The feral part of him broke when he felt the sting of them. No frail alive would say the things she said to him.
"Why didn't ya let me die, kid," he asked bluntly and bitterly as he looked at her for any expression from her.
Her somber face, breathed out a sigh, "When ya pulled the trigger 'Tooth, nothin' came out -- apparently you didn't read the other side that said 'replica.' "
He couldn't believe his dumb luck. He smelled the gunpowder, felt the weight, he swore it was real -- he must be losing it. Something didn't click right, did she call him 'Tooth.'
"Ya still didn't answer my question, kid" He interjected, he needed to know the answer even though he knew what was coming. She would say that she'd haunt him forever cause he killed her. He braced himself for an eternity of agonizing pain.
"I needed a drag," she pointed out to the opened pack of Marlboro's next to him, "I'd do anything for a drag," the teasing smile made him even more enraged.
"Look kid --" He growled at her.
"Look yerself, ya want a serious answer, you'll get one" she stood up and glared down at him, "Ya said, 'Look frail, I hate ya, ya hate me let's get this over with,' but ya got that wrong 'Tooth, I don't hate ya enough ta kill ya that way -- I ain't no killer like yerself," she gave an exasperated sigh as she sat down next to him.
"And besides, I owed ya one, lets just live it at that," she gave out a serious answer -- a rarity since this began.
So she owed him one -- for what? Before he could ask her why, he saw her get up, besides its kind of fun bein' your conscious ," she announced with that familiar smile. He didn't like the way she said that -- like she knew her place this whole time.
"I didn't ask for one and don't ya mean conscience," He grumbled back not making eye contact. He didn't want to feel the guilt after the pleasure left, he didn't want to be reminded of how he couldn't love, he didn't want to be more human than animal. At least when he was more feral, life was simple.
"First of all ya tried seein' if I was somethin' wrong with yer head -- found out it ain't that," she counted that point on her index finger, "then ya try ta just drop me off at church -- like that's all it took -- now ya know that ain't goin' ta work," she counted that with her middle finger, "Yer stuck with me 'Tooth and there ain't nothin' ya can do bout it," she gave a sign of glee to his desperation. A part of him wanted to yell back that it wasn't over, but he tried the thing he knew and it wasn't working; so he had to believe what the specter said was true -- for now.
"So ya got one 'Tooth, I'm stuck here, I might as well be it and nah yer 'concious'." She argued back to him in an innocent tone -- another rarity. He heard her sigh again.
"I got a deal for ya 'Tooth," when he heard this his ears perked a little, but he still didn't look at her, "I won't use yer memories against ya if ya don't have ta make me -- meanin' no killin or rapin'," She offered the deal on the table. He'd take the deal in an instant because he'd be plotting a way to escape the deal, but this ones permanent for all he knew.
"Why kid, ya can't make me into that runt," he replied back, he knew what she tried to do.
"Ain't comparin' ya to Wolvie," her purpose finally became revealed -- why did she care?
He didn't need to think of the runt at a moment like this. He got some leeway and he needed to take it "If I can still bust heads and take a lady if she wants it then we got a deal," He couldn't believe he was making a deal with his 'conscious.'
"Sure," she said without a second thought, she got up and smiled at him, "we still goin to L.A or what?"
"Give me a second kid," he picked up the Marlboro's next to him, took a cigarette and started to smoke it, "I need a drag."