(Three)
As the time finally came for the Rally, Creed became increasingly paranoid. He would pace about and was more irritable, wanting only for this job to be done. He had heard about the SHIELD raid against Jael's lair and hoped that it had put a serious cramp in the terrorist's style, but he had no way to know for sure. Jael hadn't contacted him at all since then, but the finance account he had used to pay for everything to do with the Rally was still active and covering all the bills.
What he had heard about from one of his contacts wasthe ridiculous bounty that Jael was hanging over his head now. He knew by the start time of it going active only after the Rally was done that this was a clear message – turn Kimble over by then or else. Jael was done fooling around. As Logan suspected, the bounty only raised Victor's ire and made him that much more determined to hang onto his prize. The time for turning Kimble over was long passed, the bounty would go active. He could care less. He valued Kimble too much regardless of any bounty, and had spent quite a bit of time pondering solutions to his various problems.
He sent a polite message to Jael just the same, saying his plans for the Rally were on schedule and that he should be pleased with the results. He had outlined what he had put together, hoping Jael would see the genius of it. It was a masterful plan, one sure to succeed. He also tossed out a token price for the stolen Siskan as well, figuring Jael would probably refuse it, but, hey, you never know. It was of course, politely declined.
Still, Creed had worries. He had this big job to do, but was reluctant to leave Kimble behind. He was concerned that someone would try to steal his servant while he was gone. If Jael was to discover Kimble's location, Jael had the power and ability to break into the loft and forcibly take his treasure, especially if Creed wasn't there to defend it. The only thing saving him was that only he and Mary knew about the loft, he had kept the location secret even from his men, and he believed Mary would never betray him, not now with things between them going so well. On the other hand, Jael also knew Creed was going to be at the Rally personally overseeing things. He had to be careful. He had to be clever if he was going to keep Kimble for himself.
Creed was in his office, mulling all this over when he called out, "Hey, Kim. Come over here."
Kimble approached his Master and knelt down in front of him. Things had been better for him, he had made some peace with his situation, but there were still moments of lingering doubt. Mary had slept in Creed's bed all last night, another first and a clear sign her position of being first in Creed's heart was growing strength. Kimble had been in the bed as well, but on the outside. He hadn't slept well. Kimble tried to cope, but it was a losing battle. He tried his best to block out the visions of his Master and Mary being together and tried to think only of those times his Master wanted and needed him. His Master wanted him now and he couldn't be happier. He looked up at Victor, his eyes full of love. "Yes, Kristalay?"
Creed lay his hand on Kimble's head. "I got a problem."
"What's that, Master?"
"I got big job comin' up. It's gonna take a day or so and it's kinda dangerous. It's dangerous 'cause it's fer Jael and he knows where I'm gonna be."
"He wants ta hurts ya 'cuz of me," Kimble said softly, lowering his eyes.
"Maybe. I don't know. We've got to be careful."
"Whatcha wants me ta do?"
"Can you protect me like ya done with Cameron's guys?"
"Of course, Master. It's my job ta protects ya."
"If you can do that, you can come with me when I go to do this job."
Kimble was elated, but had some negotiating to do. Zander?
Yeah, buddy?
You gonna help me do this? I knows the sword is really yer thing.
If ya wants me to, I will, Zander was all too willing to agree. If they got out of here, maybe they could escape. It would be their only opportunity and he wasn't about to give it up.
Kimble looked up into the eyes of his Master. "I promise ta keeps ya safe."
"Good." Sabretooth next gestured to a large crate on the floor next to his desk. "I made a cage fer you, just somethin' ta help keep ya safe while we're movin' around."
Sabretooth was resourceful and had soon found a solution to this problem. He had a special cage made from a metal frame and a containment field. The command truck he would be using to oversee the stadium activities was quite large and he knew there would be room for it. Kimble would have to sit hunched up inside it, but at least he would be in Creed's sight the whole time. He figured the cage would give Kimble some sense of security and make it that much harder for Jael to grab hold of Kimble as well. The cage was quite heavy and could be fastened into the command truck with a lock, it wouldn't be so easy to just pick it up and steal it away. When Victor had the cage brought up to the loft, he figured Kimble would argue and he did. Just not the way he had expected.
Kimble took one look at the cage and freaked. "Yer not sendin' me away! No!" he squealed in terror and bolted, phasing though the wall to run away, his clothes and the dog collar fluttering to the ground in a heap.
Sabretooth stood there, stunned. He shook his head, grinning now, and started checking the bedroom closets. He found Kimble in one, buried behind a pile of coats. He could see the pilot's eyes gleaming at him in fear, but with defiance as well. If Creed insisted on taking him away, he would just phase again.
Victor reached out and brushed Kimble's cheek. It was wet with tears. "I ain't gonna send ya away, kid. I've gotta go to work and this time I'm takin' you with me. The cage is so no one can steal ya from me."
"You wants ta give me up fer Mary!" Kimble blurted out in an agonized sob. Here it was, his final removal, it had to be.
"What? No, that ain't it at all," Victor answered with a short laugh. In spite of Kimble's discomfort, he found this to be somewhat amusing, Kimble's jealousy.
"You loves her more'n me!"
Creed sighed. Now here was an argument he never expected to have in his lifetime. "I ain't givin' ya up fer Mary, Kim. I need ya too much and I think you know it."
Kimble blinked at him, not daring to believe. "You don't wants me cuz I cain't be no woman fer you."
"If that was a real problem, I wouldn't have been fuckin' ya all this time, Kim."
"You kin fuck a man, but ya cain't loves one. It ain't the same."
"Kim, I can't love anybody. I'm a monster and we both know it."
His words had the desired effect. Kimble left his own insecurity behind and automatically reached out to touch him reassuringly. "You ain't no monster, yer my Master."
Creed chuckled softly. "I want you here, Kim. As much as monster Master can want the one that makes him as happy as you make me. I ain't sendin' ya nowhere. I want ya on the job with me, but I hafta make sure yer gonna be safe if someone tries ta steal ya away from me."
"Promise?"
Creed shivered, he couldn't help it. Kimble wanted him, desired him, never wanted to leave. It still amazed him that this impossible thing had happened. "I promise."
Kimble eased out of the closet, spilling into his arms. He clung to his Master like a child, sobbing quietly. Creed held him tightly, drinking up the vibrations of love that poured into him, enjoying this. It was private here in the bedroom so he pulled Kimble's head back and kissed him, slow and deep. Kimble shuddered, instantly aroused. "Kristalay...!"
"We ain't got no time ta play right now, Kim. There'll be time later."
"Yes, Master," Kimble said, giving in. He followed the big man back out to the cage and dressed in his fallen clothes. He was sure to replace the dog collar, it was a symbol of his possession and his acceptance of it, he wouldn't leave it behind.
Sabretooth opened the door to the cage and the pilot went inside, scrunching up as small as possible and whimpering softly. He prayed this wasn't a lie. This had revived his fears of being passed over for Mary and the voices were screaming in his head.
Kimble! We gots ta git outta here! We cain't go to Jael! Zander howled. He had an instinctive fear of the terrorist, he wanted only to get back to Westchester and the safety of the Xavier Mansion.
We gots ta trust the Master, Kimble said, barely able to hold his fear in check.
Who ya tryin' ta convince, me 'r you? If yer so certain, why're you so scared?
"Kristalay!" Kimble whimpered.
Sabretooth put his hands to the softly colored containment barriers. "Relax, Kim. We're just gonna bring ya down to the truck now. Stay quiet there, buddy."
Mary and Creed hefted the cage up onto a dolly with a long handle and used it to bring Kimble to the elevator and down to the warehouse where the command truck was parked. Kimble cried softly with fear as he was taken to the truck and loaded away. He kept his hands to the field as his eyes tracked Creed who was handling him. When he saw his Master go into the back of the truck with him, he took some comfort from his Master's presence and quieted. Mary as usual, was driving. Creed deactivated the barrier on one side of the cage for a moment and gave Kimble a quick pat of reassurance for which his prisoner was grateful. Victor snickered to himself. He should have thought of this before. The Rally wasn't really until the next morning, at least now he would have entertainment while he waited.
They drove to a loading dock nearby where they took a small boat out to a massive barge in the harbor. The barge was only marginally safer than the street, so Creed then took Kimble out of his cage and bundled him up in a large trench coat, ordering him to flatten his wings as much as possible. Kimble was already dressed in loose pants so his pilot's legs weren't so obvious, and suffered having a hat squashed over his head to hide his long hair. Victor was very paranoid, he didn't want anyone to know Kimble was still with him and he was much too nervous to leave him in the truck while he did his inspections. Kimble was under orders to keep silent while Creed made sure everything was as it should be. He also had another order to give.
"If somethin's gonna happen ta us 'cause of Jael, here's where it's gonna happen. I don't think it will, Jael ain't that dumb, but the guys on the boat can't be trusted all the way. Here's where I'm countin' on you ta cover my back."
Zander was eager to cooperate. He didn't want to go to Jael and wasn't about to let any of Creed's treacherous hired thugs bring him there. I'm on it, Kim. Don't you worry 'bout nuthin'.
"Yes, Master," Kimble replied, his voice dark and serious.
They stepped out onto the barge. This large ship was the launching point for the operation and where all of Creed's men and ordinance had been assembled. Creed's plan was very simple. He would start by teleporting three large helicopters over the stadium. He had obtained three top notch teleporters to do this. Sabretooth had spent most of his money locating these teleporters, they had to be powerful enough to jaunt such heavy vehicles and had been very expensive. The talent was checked out and these guys were more than powerful to get the task done. Getting the 'copters in over the stadium would be done so fast, neither SHIELD nor anyone else would be able to stop them - by teleporting the helicopters in over the stadium, the risk of being detected early was minimized, they wouldn't be heard coming. The vehicles were now parked on the deck of the barge, cloaked by Kimble's magical devices and invisible so anyone flying overhead or sailing around them wouldn't be able to see that they were there. Being in the harbor, this barge was more than far enough away not be considered a threat to the Rally. The choppers were surrounded by chicken wire so that no one on the barge would walk into them by accident and be injured.
Once in position over the stadium, the helicopters would next drop off their mules. The mules were mutants with telekinetic or flight ability, loaded with packs of explosives. The plan was to put the mules in the choppers, unload them over the stadium, and they would next drop their packs loaded with explosives down onto the crowd. All the mules would be heavily armed with rifles and even rocket and grenade launchers.
These mules were now standing about the deck, wearing their large backpack bombs with the casual ease of well trained mercenaries. This was just another day's work to them. Just the same, Creed was sure to check all of the packs. It wouldn't do for one of these idiots to blow himself up and wreck everything. Kimble followed his Master about the barge meekly, doing his best to stay out of the way. His eyes were watchful on the crowd around them, but everyone here was busy and he didn't notice anyone paying special attention to them.
Kimble was oblivious to all the operation preparation, he was too thrilled and happy he hadn't been left behind to pace alone in the loft. His fears of being caged were gone now that he could see his Master was truly at work and not handing him over. Kimble had no clue what was going on as far as the job went, he understood only that there was a long line of telekinetic people here called mules who had packs filled with small grey bricks. It was trickling in that these were bombs and that these mules had been gathered to drop them down somewhere. He had seen the blueprints for the stadium at the loft, but he hadn't put it all together. He didn't even care that all these folks milling about were now wearing the cloaks that he himself had built, he had made them at his Master's request, only doing as he was told. Kimble wasn't really interested then nor now. There was no sign of danger here to himself and he could sense Creed was just making the rounds so he could return to the command truck.
Sabretooth finally decided all was in order and he and Kimble took the boat back to the warehouse and the control truck. Creed locked himself and his servant away in the back of the truck, relaxing as Mary started up the vehicle and they drove off to the Bronx and Yankee stadium. They would park close by the stadium, but not so close as to be suspicious. They would not be at the stadium itself nor in the parking lot, but only just a few blocks away.
Mary found the spot Creed had selected and parked, remaining up front in the large cab and leaving Kimble and the Master alone. She had a headset radio and could be called upon for anything she was needed for. Tired now, she closed her eyes and took a nap.
Creed wasn't so tired. He was always wired before a big job. There was a small bank of video monitors and he was keeping track of things. One small screen was showing the Super Bowl. It was a tape, the Game was long over, but it had been an interesting game to watch and now Victor was watching it again. It was late now, after midnight, and he tried to relax. Creed was the only one who would be working in here so it would be private. He considered using Kimble, but the pilot had curled up into a ball inside of his cage and was now fast asleep. Creed just chuckled softly and watched the game, never feeling it as his own eyes slid shut and he fell fast asleep.
It was morning when Sabertooth snapped awake, a small alarm waking him. It was only just a couple of hours before the Rally was to begin and he had wanted to make sure he had time to see things were all set. He buzzed Mary, asking her to get some coffee and breakfast. There was a bench seat along one side of the truck and he had fallen asleep on it. It was long, but not very wide, and it was a miracle he hadn't fallen off of it. He had no idea he had been that tired. He sat up, rubbing his neck.
The time had passed quickly, uneventfully. Truthfully, he hadn't expected any trouble. It was very possible Jael had spies on the barge and had seen Kimble with him in spite of the disguise, but Sabretooth knew that Jael wasn't so stupid as to pull something before the mules launched. Victor had his finger on the trigger of this great big gun Jael had at the Friends of Humanity and Jael wasn't so stupid as do anything to jeopardize his plans. If any of the terrorist's hunters were going to make a move, it would be after the bombs were dropped, not before. He was safe for the moment.
"Mornin', Kristalay," Kimble greeted, blinking up at him from his cage with delighted eyes. He was happy the Master had risen and he was no longer alone.
"Hey, Kim."
Creed deactivated one side of the cage, allowing Kimble to come out and stretch. The pilot slid out, sighing with relief as he arched his back and flapped his wings a little to work out the kinks. The cage gave him a sense of security, but it was small and he had very little room to move about.
Mary was there a moment later, bringing coffee and donuts. She stayed to eat, but was soon sent back up the front. She was Victor's eyes and ears for the truck itself, even though he had monitors. He wanted her in position in case he got spooked and they had to move at once.
Full of coffee and pastry, Victor was feeling human again. And bored. He clicked his tongue at Kimble, deciding he had waited long enough before using his toy. Kimble came to him, waiting to see what he wanted. He made the pilot kneel and pulled Kimble's head into his lap without speaking. Kimble went to work eagerly, happy to do this and show his worth. It had been too long since this was asked of him Kimble thought with some resentment, Mary had distracted the Master so. He never paused in labor, not even when the satellite phone next to them rang. Creed picked it up and pressed the speaker phone, placing his hand on Kimble's head so he wouldn't stop. "What?" he growled impatiently.
It was Davis calling from the barge. "Everyone's in place, sir."
"Good. I'll give ya the signal fer the launch when it's time." Creed bucked a little and grunted as Kimble shifted, increasing his pressure now that his Master was so close.
"Jason said that we're not alone. The X-men are here."
Kimble couldn't help but hesitate at the sound of that. Creed pulled on his hair savagely, jerking him back to work. The pilot obeyed, but his hands had begun to tremble. If the X-men were here, that meant Remy was here, too. Possibly even Fallen.
"Don't worry. They have no idea we're here. We'll take care of them, too, at the same time. How sweet." Creed hung up, not the least disturbed by the interruption to Kimble's activities, and clicked his headset, calling to Mary up front. "Come back here, Kimble looks hungry."
"I just fed him."
"Feed him again."
"Right, boss."
Creed clicked off and grabbed Kimble even more roughly than before. He had sensed Kimble's momentary hesitation. "It's not like you to stop like that. Somethin' on your mind?"
Kimble didn't reply. He closed his eyes and changed tack, using all of his skill to bring Creed to a finish in an effort to distract his Master from having that question answered. Kimble was working, but his mind was a million miles away.
Kimble! Yer X-men are here! Zander was shouting. This was the break he was looking for, the one thing he could use to wrench the Lover free of this insanity.
Yeah, so?
You ain't so stupid as ya pretends ta be. Ya knows what the Master is plannin' fer the Rally is gonna kill yer X-men, too!
No, it ain't true. The Master ain't gonna hurt nobody, Kimble tried to deny, but his heart knew better.
Zander's reply began with a series of flashbacks. The blueprints, the cloaks, the helicopters, the bombs. Don't be an idiot. We hafta gits outta here an' save 'em!
I cain't. I ain't that strong...them X guys kin look after themselves nohow. They don't needs me.
Not from this! You gots ta warn them!
His Master bucked and shivered, releasing him as he finished with a violent shudder. Creed laughed as his huge body shook with the joy of it, no longer interested in Kimble's answer. He had a solution to that problem anyway. He didn't even flinch as the back of the truck opened and Mary came inside.
She startled and paused in mid stride, surprised to catch her boss in such a compromising position, Kimble was still on his knees, his head bowed over his Master's lap. She watched as the Siskan backed away, wiping his chin and swallowing what his Master had given him. She couldn't help but shudder with revulsion at the sight of it, that was one trick she had never mastered nor was it one she had any desire to learn.
Kimble smiled up at her from his kneeling position, but his eyes were confused. He was still uncertain what do about the X-men or if he should even do anything about them at all. On top of that, he didn't like the jealous swirling in her shine. In so many ways, at that moment all of his loyalties were being tested.
Mary didn't notice Kimble's discomfort, she was rocked with a jealousy that took her breath away. She had been happy that Kimble had been put on a kind of hold, Creed was giving most of his affection to her. It had been a while since she had been in a position to see these two at play and it bothered her more than she had expected.
Creed stood, pulling up his pants. He saw the look on Mary's face and recognized it as jealousy. Uncertain for whom it was felt, he sneered. "He's way better than you darlin'. Don' take it personal."
She just tossed her head at him. "Does he fuck you in the ass, too?" she asked, the words escaping her before her wisdom could catch them. She should have known better than to play on Creed's insecurities, not when things had been going so well between them.
He snatched at her, his huge hand wrapping around her throat. He was furious. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it!"
Mary trembled, letting him smell her fear. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn her own self destructive streak. There was no arguing with this man. She would show her submission and then he would let her go, that was how the game was played. "Nothing," she wheezed. It was all she could manage.
He threw her down forcibly on the bench and let her see his teeth. "You fuckin' cunt. Yer lucky I even keep you around."
Mary leaned back against the wall of the truck, trying to retain some dignity, but failing. His words had stung her worse than the rough handling. Were these past days of happiness only a lie? "What do you want?"
"I want you to feed Kim, he looks a little peaked. But y'know? I think you should give him some of what I just got. I know how much you just love suckin' on big fat c-cks."
Mary shivered with revulsion. He knew she hated that more than anything and was using it now to punish her. Her power had given her enough of an edge that she could dominate any man - well, any man but Creed. She wouldn't get down on her knees for anyone else and he'd had to beat her almost senseless first the one time he had asked this of her so long ago. She had performed badly on purpose, disliking both the task and the man. Her hope had been that he would leave her alone and he had. Respectful of her now more than ever, he hadn't requested this of her once they renewed their relationship. Damn, she should have known better than say anything. She knew Creed had been mellowing out lately, he had been so nice to her, loving her. Curse her own stupidity that she had flown off at the mouth like that. She had brought this down on herself.
"You don' hafta, Mary," Kimble whispered, horrified that things had exploded into mayhem and disaster like this. It only went to show just how much tension there was still between them all. Not once had she done this for him and he hadn't asked. His enhanced senses had told him quickly enough she would never be willing do it and he was too much in her thrall to demand such a thing from her. "Let's just fergit it, guys."
"Not a chance. Just this once, I wanna see Kimble cum from you, Mary. Yeah, that'd be real fine," Creed growled. He sat down in one of the command chairs to watch, getting comfortable. "C'mon now, we're all lovers now. Ain't no big deal. Right, Mary?"
Mary was in no real position to argue, Kimble knew it as well. He loved his Master but wasn't oblivious to the man's cruel streak, he was just sorry it had come out like this. Kimble sat next to her on the small bench when he saw she wasn't going to fight this and let her undress him. He had wanted this a long time, it was a pleasure he had always enjoyed, yet so seldom received. Not since Raul had he been given this. Problem was, the one he wanted most to do it, never would. His eyes met his Master's as she went down on him and he made sure Creed knew his desire. I wish this was you.
Sabretooth just grinned at him, saying nothing.
Kimble could feel Mary's distress and loathing of this task and wanted only to soothe her. He stroked her head gently in reassurance and sent out vibrations of comfort, but began to trip out almost immediately as her plasma cascaded into him from the intimate contact. Creed watched as Kimble's eyes glazed over and he began to shake from the pleasure of her attention. Kimble spared Mary and didn't hold back. Between the plasma and his desire for Creed, it didn't take him long to finish. Mary relaxed against his legs, grateful for his consideration. He could have taken full advantage of her situation, but hadn't. Of course not. He was Kimble and unlike anyone else she had ever known.
"I dunno, Mary. I would have thought ya could've done better'n that, but guess I was wrong. Guess ya don't have ta worry bout me ever askin' ya," Creed laughed, his voice betraying more hurt than anger. His cruelty was from the pain she had caused him from her sexual remark. Now he was simply jealous even though he had forced her on Kimble. Creed was a psycho, not able to conduct himself in a normal manner. It was too easy for him to step up to the line and cross over it. It was too late to take it back now so he chose instead to forget it.
Kimble wanted only to forget this as well. He wasn't happy with the tension in the room. "Ya done just fine, baby doll," he said to Mary, his eyes kind. He was buzzed and warm and satisfied now. While ugly, Sabretooth's tactic had worked, the X-men were a distant memory and forgotten from Kimble's mind. "Thanks."
She smiled at him and rose, blocking Creed's view of her face. For one moment, Kimble saw how much she had hated this, and to a point hated him for just being in the skin of a man. He turned away from her, sorry, but then smiled as she brushed his face. "You're welcome."
"Dose him high, Mary. I want him quiet," Sabretooth ordered next. He hadn't forgotten Kimble's involuntary hesitation before, it was the whole point of asking Mary to come back here. This momentary unpleasantness had been unplanned. He knew there was some residual loyalty there in Kimble's reaction to the news the X-men were nearby and he didn't want it to get in the way of what he had to do today.
Kimble looked up and then gasped as Mary sent a blast of plasma into him. His mind was washed away and he slumped over on the bench, grunting and laughing softly to himself. Mary dressed him and eased his legs up onto the bench before covering him with a blanket. He shivered and moaned with each stroke of her fingers on his bare skin. He was also hard again even though she had just gotten him off. It wasn't her, she knew. It was the plasma, it always did this to him. She stood back over him, watching him slip away with a small smile on her lips. He was like a child now, all bundled up and falling asleep with his hands curled up at his throat.
"Git yer ass back outside," Creed barked. He hadn't liked how Mary was looking at Kimble now. He was frustrated and confused at what he had just made to happen, upset and angry that he had forced Mary on Kimble like that. He was feeling an intense regret and shame, something he simply wasn't able to cope with.
Mary nodded and walked out, keeping her head down. As she made her way to the front of the truck, it sank in what had just happened. If Victor truly cared for her, he wouldn't have done it. His obvious shame and regret wasn't enough to convince her it wouldn't happen again. Forced to be subordinate to Kimble like that told her one thing, if Victor was forced to chose between them, Kimble would win. She wasn't oblivious to Creed's addiction, she had been foolishly toying with the idea that it could just be dealt with. Now, she was no longer sure. If she were smart, she should leave as soon as possible before this madness swallowed her up for good. There was never a better time than now. She went to the cab of the truck and instead of getting in, grabbed her pack and slammed the door so Victor would think she was there. She broke into a run and fled into the crowd of New York City. The further away from the two of them she became, the faster she ran, the more tears poured down her face.