The days turned into weeks as he thoroughly reminded himself how to act accordingly in front of certain individuals. When someone inferior than him (say Wild Child the poor excuse for a feral still couldn't speak or any of the frails around) walked next to him he had to growl in feral rage and give them a look of extreme anger; and even though he was unable to slash at them while being bound by mind blocks – the fear still wafted off the frails.

He had to change that appearance when he stood in front of Agent Jackson, he didn't move – instead he listened to what's happening in the world today. Wars, terrorism, and anti-mutant sentiment, nothing that he cared about, he was a more personal killer anyways.

Then there were times when he stood in front of Torque, two things either happened. One, the mind blocks were further instilled in his mind – to make sure he'd only intimidate frails, but kill on command. The second being tortured with inane drama to a certain degree. Torque (a.k.a. Jono) talked about his life with the X-Men. Those times he wished he could go against the frail and put a pretty hole where his pathetic mind still stood, but he could never go through with it (so the mind blocks worked pretty well).

Torque talked about Jubilee constantly – the real one. Not the sarcastic, ill tempered, compassionate hallucination his mind created.

Torque personally showed him her files, of course against the will of the new Director. She came to Weapon X not of her own accord at first, but she grew to be civil around here. She was meant to be an assassin, but her first field mission stated otherwise. That's files stated; however they were things he pounded into his head by Torque's incessant whining.

'Jubilee' never appeared in front of him those days and, came to the conclusion that the boy subject of the mental tampering of mind implants. He asked Torque about the mind implants he got in his head, and was sure that the frail would revel in the chance to bring it up – but Torque stood there silent most of the time and changed the subject to something boring like 'Paige' or 'Angel' till finally he growled at him to get over it – that no one would love a freak like him. The frail never brought it up again and he forgot where some of his safe houses where. No problem, he could always buy more when he got out of here.

His mannerisms, look, temper and thoughts returned to being 'Sabretooth' the psychotic killer. He plotted a way to get out of this hellhole and get back to killing random people on the street. This is the goal he had to focus on.

Not to annoy a hallucination...

Not to teach a hallucination to be stronger...

Just be free and kill...

The excitement of getting back to his old life became apparent when he destroyed everything that they threw at him in training sessions; yet, when it came to real frails, he hesitated. A part of his mind didn't want to kill them and it wasn't the mind blocks that Jono put in. He'd look at the weak humans he was ordered to kill but he couldn't lift a finger to slit their throat. He didn't know why he acted in such a way, but the reason he gave to his superiors was that they weren't worthy to die by his hands and let Jono or Wild Child takes care of the insignificant bastards.

He tore up the shifting room those days, only to see it form back to it's original state. He once again attained his feral nature that made him feel good about the hunt.

----

The nightmares that tormented him before the hallucinations started. He tossed and turned when the tortured bloody faces with their twisted hands came after him. The knock on the door woke him from his nightmares. His body drenched in sweat as he approached the door with a growl meeting the person that always met him when he got up.

Rise and shine bloke, Jackson wants to call you out, that could only mean one thing – field mission. He followed the firefrail out the door without a second thought, Need a towel.

Creed only sneered as they walked passed the other cells; he popped his claws in and out as they reached Jackson's office. They walked in as they were greeted by a weasel's smile.

"Victor, I finally think you're ready for something that is worth your 'kill'," The man sat still in his seat as he clicked a remote control and a monitor came from the ceiling and behind the Agent Jackson. A sun burnt, khaki wearing, chubby little man suddenly appeared on the screen, "This hapless fool has been trying to find the location of this facility for a couple of years now and he's been out here for weeks –,"

"Ya want me ta gut him," Creed let out his typical reaction as he popped his adamantium-laced claws. This chubby little guy would be perfect to gut inside out – so much blood and guts would stain nature today. Yeah, today would be fun – it would.

"No, something worse," Agent Jackson let out his own nasty smirk as he clicked and the screen shoed the man taking a picture of the place, "We know he's working for someone, but our best hackers couldn't find out who hired him."

Creed nodded as he felt the same adrenaline for the kill rise up, "So we wait till he gets to a town, makes the call then wham blood and guts galore." Creed pounded his fist into his hand – outlaying the plain his experience gave him.

"Right, Torque will go with you so you don't betray us, understand," Jackson ordered as Creed looked over the half-faced telepath.

Ain't going to be a problem, Ol' Creed looks like he would kill anything – except for us of course, the firefrail piped in as something on the screen got Creed's attention. To the normal naked eye, the chubby guy just stood there like an idiot eating Doritos; yet he looked farther in the frame. In the corner of the screen, he saw a small being pass by – of course the chubby man didn't see it and it was a flash. Creed was probably seeing things.

Then she came into view...

Well actually her whole face enveloped the screen, she gave the camera the raspberry and the middle finger and she was off. Torque and Agent Jackson didn't see it, but he did. Stricken at seeing the hallucination again, Creed grasped his head. Reminding him that what he saw was fake – and nothing more.

"Something wrong Victor," Agent Jackson asked in an unconcerned tone. All he could do is growl.

"Nothing frail – are we goin' ta set up the base of operation in the town or not," he asked for the next aspect of the plan that Jackson would problem bring up. With half his attention on the actual plan, Creed let his other half reconnect him back to reality.

Sabretooth, psychotic killer...

Nothing would change that, not even these hallucinations – he repeated over and over again.

This should be a breeze won't it, the firefrail announced as he led the feral behind him. Creed didn't like being treated like this, but the mind blocks made him unable to put a claw against the firefrail.

"Let's just get this over with" Creed just let out a guttural insistence as they approached a metallic door. He wanted to kill already. He popped his claws in and out as the door opened slowly. Growling, he ripped the door to shreds as he went in first. He turned around when he heard laughing in his head.

Jubilee busted down that same door, cost a lot of money those days, the firefrail walked behind the feral as the door started to materialize back into it's metallic form. Everything formed back into its original state when Creed destroyed it. He growled at the sight of the reforming door as he let Jono take the lead.

That's when he processed what the firefrail said. Jubilee this and Jubilee that, he grew impatient with it, "Look is this yer way of annoyin' me 'cuz it's not workin'!" he tried to suppress the growl that came from the pit of his stomach. Once again he heard the firefrail laugh in his head.

I had to talk to Jackson because he wanted to kill you, why trust someone that betrayed him a long time ago? the firefrail avoided the statement as Creed now growled at that statement, but I talked 'im out of it – why? the firefrail got up in his face. Creed could only growl as he tried his best to lift a claw at the annoyance, because I told him that I could torture this bloke everyday for the rest of his miserable life – and it seems like it's working.

Creed tried to lunge at the firefrail, but his mind stopped him from doing that action. The only thing he could do is snarl as he took out a piece of the wall – satisfied that it wouldn't come back to its original form.

He followed the firefrail to the many vehicles lying around down here. He went over the plan as he tried to find a loophole to get away.

First, they had to follow the man to where he parked his car. They checked out that Geo Metro and nothing suspicious was with it. Next, they would have to follow the car to town – which was a good seventy-five miles away. Lastly, check into the motel where the chubby man stayed and wait for the employer to come pick up the photos.

And that's where the killing will begin...

Since 'Torque' had control of who's, when's and what's, he had to figure out a loophole within the first two objectives. His best bet was to get away in the fury of battle – that way he had a whole town to hide in – full of people and distant thoughts. He hated people, but he'd use them to his advantage.

This is it, Torque pulled out the car keys and Creed just sneered at the car of choosing – a Volkswagen Bug.

"I ain't drivin' in that garbage," Creed sneered as he got in the firefrail's face. He knew that he didn't have a choice, but it didn't mean he didn't have to comply with it.

You're not driving bloke, I am – you're the passenger, Creed growled as the firefrail opened the door for him.

"If you didn't blow up that ugly face of yers I know you'd be smilin'," Creed slammed the door as he saw the gothic broody boy walk to the driver seat – point for him. Light started to peer into the area as the firefrail started the car. They drove through the light and saw the green grass and the sun for the first time in weeks.

Shielding his eyes to the new experience, he looked over to the forest. This is the same exact place where he took out the firefrail a couple weeks ago. The same place where his delusions got the better of him.

They were only mind implants...

The thought made him look out in the forest even deeper. He dreamt about passing illusion – nothing else. The scenery slowly changed to one of nature, to one of man. He looked ahead of him to see that the highway out in front of him. They parked on the side – the man was still packing his stuff into that crappy Geo Metro anyway.

So what did the firefrail decide to do? He put on the radio and it started blare out something that would usual make him cool down a little.

"Can ya turn this crap off – ain't goin' ta –,"

Hey I thought you liked Johnny Cash, you yanks like him so much – that I've gotten used to him, the firefrail turned up the volume as they listened to something that brought him down, but he couldn't dwell on it too long. – since, gratefully, the car they supposed to be tailing zoomed right by them.

'Torque' followed quickly as they where one-step closer to killing this bastard and his employer. Something on top of the Geo Metro made Creed sit up straight.

Was that a dog tail hanging wagging under that blue tarp on the roof – or more precisely a Labrador tail.

He blinked to see it was still there, then in a second it vanished within the confines of the tarp. Creed shook his head – just implants...just implants...

Twenty minutes on the road, trailing a Volkswagen Bug and listening to Johnny Cash on the radio. A part of his mind wanted to rip this Torque a new hole in his body, but of course his body didn't correspond with the thought. The torture showed now signs of giving up now. He just focused on the town they were in.

Eerie, Pennsylvania – how quaint...

Creed looked at how the sun exemplified the skipping children they were walking by. He growled and bared his teeth at them. The children quickly went out of view as he saw the fear in their faces. He smiled as he looked forward to see they lost the sight of the Geo Metro.

"Hey firefrail, where the car go," Creed asked obviously as he looked around. His first kill in a while would be on the hapless fat poor excuse of a --.

We're staying somewhere else remember, the firefrail told him as if he were a child. Creed growled as stage three of the plan stood into effect.

The firefrail suddenly turned off the radio as he heard the driver mentally sigh in his mind, I felt two minds in that car, his and a child – but I couldn't see the child anywhere in his car – bloody 'ell, we got to deal with children again – I mean I'm... Creed drowned out the angst ridden, self-absorbed explanation and thought about what he saw at the beginning of this hellish drive.

A Labrador's tail hanging out from the blue tarp on the roof, compound that thought with what the firefrail added. No, it couldn't be the boy. The firefrail probably thought that intentionally in order to get a rise out of Creed – it worked.

He sneered as he looked out the window. They approached the parking lot of a dilapidated motel with its sign of 'vacancy' blinking at him.

...and that's why we need to do this without anybody seeing us. We're here! the firefrail exclaimed as Creed's thoughts went back to reality. Creed didn't hesitate as he got out of the car.

That's when the stench of drugs, sex and violence entered his senses. This was his world, but he'd been away for it for it for so long that it kind of swept him in quickly, as he stepped back leaning on the car.

Wot, coming back from nature and training made you a sissy? Oh and don't scratch the paint – we just got that, he heard the firefrail taunt in his mind as he made sure he scratched the hood before going towards the lobby. He smelled the firefrail following from behind.

As Agent Jackson ordered, Creed had to do the talking. He didn't talk to the manager of the place long before he got the room they needed to spy on the target. As he grabbed the keys out of the mans hands, he took notice at the glare the skinny man gave both of them He growled as he made a mental note to seriously hurt that guy after he escapes from Weapon X.

For now he played the good Boy Scout and went towards the room. Creed put the key in and opened the door. This room looked like the room where he stayed in, when Jubilee sang that – he blinked a looked again. The room changed appearances.

Wot no carrying me over the threshold, Torque was in a good mood for someone who didn't have a face and moped about it a couple of minutes ago, or is it that this dump felt too cozy now?

Creed put two and two together as he took the bag Torque held and ripped out the binoculars out of it.

Touchy aren't we, his voice taunted in his head. When he got out of this he'd so kill the bastard. He looked from the vantage point and sure enough a good clean view of that prey lounging around.

"The target is doin' nothin' right now," Creed informed Torque, who lay on the bed looking at the static on the television.

The firefrail turned and looked him straight in the eye Wot?

Creed growled as he had about enough of Torque, "He ain't doin' nothin'!" Creed informed while trying to hold back his anger.

He hadn't felt like this in a while. The urge to kill Torque, that bastard that gave him a glare, those children that were happy and that fat prey of his ran through his mind.

This was a good thing. Keeping those thoughts fresh in his mind meant that the mind blocks where wearing down and started to beoame overpowered by his might; yet, he couldn't let on that he knew about this. His free will was at stake.

Good, Torque replied as he flipped the channel to the current news. He heard the news blare out as the monotone voice warned of some emergency warnings.

News flash, The Slasher strikes again...

Creed's ears perked when he heard that name – the same exact name used to describe all those killings when he was at Iggy's house. Listening closely to the news, he kept one eye on his prey. That eye started to twitch uncontrollably as Creed looked away from his target. Some things burned corneas just by looking straight at it. Creed turned away as he let the target dress in privacy. So far the targets action were normal: he slept a while, ate a while, took a shower for a long while (he didn't watch) and now took a while to get dressed.

Creed turned his attention to something that fascinated him more. He heard the end of that report and they stated more at six.

Wot's the status on the target, he herd the firefrail's voice ask in his mind. He sneered as he could never get used to that. He had to escape soon, his reputation as a lone killer was on the line, but for now he'd play this little game.

"He's about to move," he informed grittily as he stood up, "ain't goin' ta stay here while the prey is movin'," he growled as they had a good ten minutes to get out and trail that fat fool.

Hold on, they're going to talk about The Slasher now, Jono got up off the bed as they watched the screen change to a lanky reporter in a trashy suit.

Top story tonight, The Slasher strikes again. The notorious killer eluded officials in the New York area. The serial killer, who only targets blonde males in their thirty's, have left his calling card in the Pennsylvania area...

Bloody 'ell could that be Logan? the firefrail asked in his mind. This is the lure he needed to find out the truth. The simple question would be Torque's downfall.

"What I saw this once when –,"

You're at that boys house – I know, I read your mind – but you also... so the trap has sprung. Not only did Torque deny the existence of mind implants taking over his mind the past months, he confirmed the one thing that plagued his mind for the time he was held at the Weapon X compound.

The boy was real...

And if the boy was real then...

C'mon let's go, Torque turned off the television as he walked out the door. If his suspicions where correct, than why didn't she appear to him to deny his original statement.

Confused but determined, Creed followed the firefrail out the door.

"Jubilee if yer here give me a sign," he warily asked as he closed turned off the lights and closed the door. He sniffed the night air and that's when he smelled it – the boy was here. He didn't catch it earlier since he was stuck making sure that bastard didn't go anywhere.

Growling, he headed towards the car with the impatient Torque waiting for him. He been through a roller coaster of emotions and he'd deal with them tonight.

---

"There," Creed pointed out to the man getting out of the building. He noticed the man look around cautiously while holding a manila envelope. Info on the Weapon X compound probably in it.

Lets go, the cocky fool ordered, not realizing the plan that Creed had in his mind. He'd let the firefrail go in first, then thinking Creed was under his hold – he'd just escape through the back. The plan was simple, not his style, but the most effective way to go. When he got away, the boy would find him and with him...

He had to focus now and not let his head be up in the clouds. All that mattered was the things where clearer...or where they. Though his actions where those of the cold and calculated assassin, Sabretooth, he had so much internal strife that began when he got in Weapon X...

Wait, it all started when...

Victor, are you paying attention or wot, the firefrail next to him asked in his head angrily. He sneered as he noticed the man they trailed went into a deep dark alley. They followed him inside, making sure that no one followed them.

That's when their target took notice of them. The fat man couldn't go anywhere as Creed could smell the fear rising in the man – he liked doing that. They walked slowly towards the man without hesitation. Creed knew that any puny human behind that door would be no match for him.

He smelled the sweat drip down from the man as the door opened. The frightened being ran inside, closing the door behind him.

Creed growled as he ran up to the door and slashed it down – his prey wouldn't get away so easy. When the door shattered into pieces death wafted in the air. Not new death, but a lingering feeling that's been here for days.

Good job bloke, lets get this over with, and for the first time in the past couple of weeks, he agreed with the no faced bastard. Time to implement his plan into –

The smell...

The boy was here, his blood spattered on the wall next to him. He saw the handprint covered in blood on the pieces of the shattered door.

He growled as he followed the firefrail inside.

Following the tracks of spattered blood and the scent of fear in low-lit conditions, they continued their search for the employer and the fat employee. Creed growled as the small handprints appeared on the pipe. Whoever hurt the boy would have to answer to him.

He had first dibs...

Anything your sniffer picks up, the firefrail asked him in a demeaning tone. Creed sniffed the air and sneered.

"Meat, blood and fear – the good things yer missin' out," he gave a smirk as they continued on into the darkness. The temperature started to drop, Creed felt the chill hit his body. Creed involuntarily shivered.

Wot, wot's going on, so he had a little advantage over the firefrail – he could feel.

"Freezin' off here firefrail, ain't expectin' ya to feel anythin'," Creed informed the dubious being as he could've sworn he could make out a scowl through that bandaged face of Torque. Not caring, Creed continued to go forward. The sight of blood spattered on iron poles would've sparked the intrinsic feral in him, yet it he didn't feel that bloodlust.

He knew the blood splattered on the iron pipes, on the floor and on the wall were the boys. Dread, something he shouldn't be feeling entered into his mind..

"Y...yeah...I got the stuff," he heard an unfamiliar voice echo from the darkness. This probably was the fat employee, "T..Two guys are following me, you know the info is legit – so give me the money and lets go!" the pathetic man's whimpering just confirmed his suspicions.

Gesturing to Torque, he went forward towards the distant echo.

"W..we got to hurry...they could be..." Creed wouldn't let that fat bastard and the person responsible for doing this. He'd kill them, kill them good. Jubilee would find out though. He shrugged – she wouldn't mind if he killed the guy responsible for hurting the boy, and he'd just say the fat bastard was collateral damage.

"W..Why...is that filthy mutie bleeding over there," Creed knew the fat bastard was referring to his boy. Growling he hurried ahead, only to be stopped by searing pain going through his mind.

Did you forget, I'm in charge 'ere. Creed violently tried to escape this imprisonment, he turned to glare at the telepath, Why don't you be a good pet and just stay 'ere for a sec. Torque turned to leave him here to go check out the haunting echoes. Creed didn't have the capacity to move. He tried snarled and growled as he felt the tearing of his mind.

"L...Look I'm leaving now...so...what are you going to do with those...no...no!" Creed heard a scream and a gurgle. The person that hired the fat bastard probably killed him. That was his kill, so he had to pay this employer back two times over.

The silence surrounded him. The sickening sound of blood dripping off the pipes got his attention. As he tried to break free of the mind control he heard a loud boom in the around twenty-five feet from here.

So the firefrail tried his luck against the employer Damn, he needed to get up. He felt the grip on his mind just shatter. Apparently the firefrail wasn't so tough after all.

He got up running. He didn't know where he was going. The only thing on his mind was to kill. Kill whoever killed the fat bastard and kill whoever hurt his boy...

His boy...

He didn't dwell on the thought too much as he got a whiff of what could've done the carnage.

Logan was here...

No surprise to him. 'The Slasher' had struck close to here and his assumptions where never wrong. What part of Logan would he see this time? The first time he didn't see him at all – Jubilee made sure of that. The second time, the feral nature of the runt took over too much – so the fight was a waste of his time.

Now as he turned the stretch, blood spattering on his shoes, he wondered what shape the runt would be in this time.

The carnage lay before him like an artist gallery. He looked at the meat hooks all around dangling in anticipation. He smelled the fat bastard to the right, he didn't have to move very far to see that the hooks carried something heavy. The same marks on the body where of those of what 'The Slasher' would do.

Lying on the floor below that body was the damn telepath that controlled his mind. He didn't know if the firefrail was alive or not – it didn't breath. Then he saw the perpetrator of all this staring him in the eyes.

The eyes of no remorse and psychotic rage entered deep into his soul.

"Well bub, I've been searchin' for you – me an' Jubilee will take you down..." the runt eerily smiled at him.

"I killed her runt, ya can't take me down even if Jubilee was here," he yelled at the runt. He saw the runts face twist in agony, but then turned into a twisted smile. The runt actually started laughing.

Perplexed, Creed held his ground. Usually, an opportunity he'd attack the runt head on for showing an opening; yet, now, he thought what if. What if the runt actually saw her? He wanted her to get out of his life, but not enter his rival's life. What if the night (or day) he said she was just a hallucination, that it made her only be seen by the runt instead of him...

"Ya thought ya killed her Creed," the runt already had his claws out raring to fight, "but I see her – she's here, can't you see her?" the runt yelled at him, pointing in the darkness of the meat locker. Creed looked around and he couldn't see her. Her smell wafted to his senses. Was the runt right? She could be alive, but he killed her. Her spirit haunted him and only him.

The sounds of pumps hitting concrete made Creed weary. If anything, someone else was here that smelled of Jubilee. When did Jubilee ever wear pumps? That's when she appeared in the hazy light.

She stood as tall as the Asian firecracker, but something was off by an inch. Her hair, dark as the midnight sky, didn't flow right. The trench coat yellow as the sun, but it was never that bright. Her pumps matched her outfit, and when did it ever?

"Fur ball, we're takin' ya down," she threw some fireworks at him, but he easily dodged. So she looked like Jubilee, she talked like Jubilee and she had the same powers of Jubilee; yet, there was something off with her.

He growled as he looked at a raging Wolverine slathering his way. He threw a nearby meat hook directly at his face, making direct contact – that didn't stop the runt though. He barely dodged the slice to his face as he kneed the runt in the stomach and threw him to the other side of the room.

He felt the sting of fireworks hit him hard. He flew back as a meat hook deeply slashed into his back. The pain, only temporary, healed.

Her laughter filled the cold meat locker. That wasn't her laugh. He never heard her with such venom and such maliciousness. She stepped forward when it became perfectly clear why he felt something was off with her.

Her eyes, they were red...

She put up her hands and tried to blast him again. He dodged that time but he felt something tackle him from behind. He found himself trying to get the runt off him. Cheers of Jubilee being echoed in the frosty room as he felt the runt slash his chest. He yowled in pain as he looked back.

His eyes widened as he saw the boy hung up on a meat hook. He heard the drop of blood hit the floor as the pool of blood started to form. The clothes tattered as liquid dropped from the scars like dripping faucets. He heard the boy's faint heartbeat, but he didn't move.

"Iggy," he called out his name. He heard his heart hastily pound in his head as he felt the slashes being dealt to by the runt. The pain became inconsequential for the first time in his life. He roared in anger as he lifted the runt easily and threw him towards the direction to the facade that taunted him. They both didn't see it coming.

He ran over to Iggy, unhooking the boy from his pain.

"Creed...that's not me...she couldn't be me..." that was Jubilee. He knew she inhabited the boy's body. Her disbelief she sputtered out, crimson liquid being coughed up.

Creed cradled Iggy in his arms, looking around hastily to find the nearest exit. He looked over to see the runt looking over the farce with great detail.

"Darlin' I'm sorry, are you okay, you'll be okay..." the runt kept consoling the wrong being as he decided the best way out was the way they went in. He could always deal with the runt later and he would.

He started to run out the door. Things began to become warmer; Iggy bleed on him and it wouldn't stop. Jubilee didn't feel pain, she could answer his question.

"Jubilee what happened to Iggy?" he growled for an explanation. He knew that the bleeding form in front of him had one.

Jubilee inside Iggy's body tried to spill out a sentence, but blood spilled out instead. The boy's heart rate steadily decreased Creed growled, as he knew what he had to do. Tonight, he kept note of names and the places.

Everyone would pay...