Edit 3/13/15
Thanks again for the reviews! Your comments have been really helpful. Wish I could say things are going to get better for Greer and X-22 but sadly things are about to get a lot worse. It took me a while to write this chapter so comments and ideas are appreciated. Now, back to the story...
X-22 released his grip as the last Multiple, windpipe crushed, collapsed to the ground.
'New tactics this time, in addition to the speed. Perhaps next time he will present more of a challenge.'
Stepping over the dozens of bodies now littering the jungle floor, X-22 approached a hyperventilating Tigra. She let out a territorial hiss at his approach, bringing Weapon 22 up short.
'My kills. Mine. Stay away.' Tigra was hunched over a number of Multiples, one clawed hand resting on the pile and the other poised behind her back ready to strike. She continued to growl as Weapon 22 simply sank to into a low crouch, never taking his eyes off of Greer's glowing red ones.
"Who are you?" X-22 asked Tigra, getting only a hiss in response. Maintaining eye contact, X-22 kept in his crouch so as to be appear smaller, presenting himself as less than a threat. When he got too close to the still hissing and growling Tigra, she slashed at his face. Dodging the first strike, X-22 grabbed her wrist at the second attempt, forcing them both to a standing positing.
"Who are you?" At first straining against his grip, Tigra eventually locked eyes with X-22. Slowly, Tigra's breathing returned to normal and her eyes faded back to their bright green. When he saw that she had regained control, X-22 released his group and took a few steps back and returned to his crouch.
Greer felt dizzy... disoriented and ready to collapse...
"What happened?" she muttered, her head now in her hands as she regained control of herself. Feeling something sticky on her hands, Greer looked at them and gasped in shock. Blood... Why am I covered in blood? Taking in the scene around her, it didn't take Greer long to remember what had happened. What she had done.
Greer braced herself against a nearby tree as she hunched over and vomited.
"Oh my god…I killed Jamie..." Greer said it at almost a whisper. Her body trembling violently...Her claws digging into the tree trunk as she tried to absorb what had just happened.
"I killed... What the HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!?" Greer had spotted X-22 remaining silent a few feet from her, staring at her cautiously. Greer didn't care if she could beat him. All she wanted to do was to hurt him. "Answer me!"
Before X-22 could respond, a slow clap caught both Greer and his attention, "What did he do? Apex here set you free...Kitten. And very impressive work by the way. I didn't know x-men could be so...vicious." Sabertooth entered the clearing as the dead Jamie's slowly began to fade. Apex stepped back from Greer and stood rigid in a military pose, but his eyes quickly shifted from Greer back to Sabertooth.
"Sabertooth?" Greer was shocked to see one of Wolverine's greatest enemies calmly walking towards her. At the moment, her shock quickly turned to rage. "You made me a killer! I killed Jamie!" Greer shouted.
"Don't be so dramatic Kitten. The multiplier is too valuable an asset to simply kill off. He provides the perfect training tool. Hell, I think Apex over here's killed him at least a hundred times these last couple months. The original is locked somewhere within the Base. Poor b*** can't take it much longer...Probably gonna toss the real one in here sooner or later." Sabertooth was obviously enjoying toying with Greer.
Greer noticed that..."Apex"...remained silent, and apparently wary of Sabertooth. Sabertooth seemed to not even notice him and kept his focus on Greer. "And as for turning you into a killer, all we did was help you reclaim what you have always been. We're all just weapons and animals here."
Jamie's... Jamie's alive? But I killed him. I killed him over and over…Greer couldn't remember everything that had happened when she had lost control, but she could remember the feeling. She had felt...she had felt...no, it was better to not remember. She was not that... She will never be that...
"I am NOT an animal." Greer said almost reflexively. But as she said it, she couldn't help but notice the blood on her hands and feet. Their metallic smell almost taunting her... Greer closed her eyes and tried to ignore it. "And what does Weapon X want with me?" Greer asked, looking down at her still bloody hands, attempting to come to grips with what she had done.
"Honestly, I don't know what the Admiral wants with a reject like you. What the Admiral would want with a wild animal is beyond me." Sabertooth taunted. As he spoke he just kept walking in circles around Greer. Greer fighting the urge the flinch when he walked behind her.
"Don't play games with me you psychopathic murderer. Where is Wolverine and what do you want with me? Why did you bring me here!?" Greer was again filling with rage and before she could stop it... the red haze began to fill her vision. Taking a step towards Sabertooth, a massive shock went through her system and she collapsed to the ground in pain.
"Some beasts just never learn," Sabertooth held up a trigger device in his clawed hand. He walked over to the still twitching Greer and leaned down so that his mouth was right by her ear, "We brought you and Wolverine home. It's time you both stopped pretending. Welcome back to Weapon X." And with that, Sabertooth promptly booted Greer in the head.
"Put her back in the enclosure and resume training schedule six." Sabertooth barked at Apex.
Apex waited until Sabertooth had disappeared and gently scooped up the unconscious Greer. Carrying her to the enclosure, he placed her in the corner he had seen her sleep in the previous night and with one last look, left the enclosure as it sealed behind him.
'Whatever they want with her, I hope she can take it. Otherwise, she wont last the week...'
"Progress?" Stryker stood behind a solider seated before a dozen screens of the enclosure. Others showed vitals and biometrics.
"The injection in combination with X-22's removal of the mental blocks are keeping us on pace Admiral." The solider confidently reported.
"Good. Let's give her the first sensory package when she wakes up. That should get things moving. Keep me updated every six hours." The Admiral took one last look at the monitors and left the darkened room.
'Who knew a mistake like her could reap such rewards. You may have the secret Weapon 13. Let's hope you do.'
Greer slowly came to and looking at her still bloodied hands and feet, attempted to hold back the flood of self-pity and tears that she knew were coming.
'It can't be true... I am NOT an animal... I am NOT some weapon that was made. They're lying... THEY HAVE TO BE...' Greer chanted to herself over and over and over. She was ready to lie there with her eyes closed, tail wrapped around herself forever, but flashing lights caused her to open her eyes, and immediately wish that she never did again.
Somehow the glass walls of the enclosure were projecting videos. Videos of her - or at least something that looked like her.
What she saw was a monster, vicious and feral. A killing machine.
What she saw was her... killing her friend Jamie. Over and over.
"No..."
Fearing she would be sick again, Greer tried to close her eyes to the videos. Because as much as it sickened her, when she had seen what she had done, it wasn't fear that had gripped her...it had been pride. Pride that she was able to... No, that's not me. They MADE me do that. That isn't me. It isn't...However, her sharp ears quickly noticed some kind of audio playing in the background.
It took Greer a minute to focus on it before realizing that...it was her voice. But what she was saying..."I am an animal...I am an animal," mixed with her hissing and growling.
Greer moaned in almost physical pain at the noise and tried covering her ears and closing her eyes but it was as if it was being projected straight into her head. Rocking back and forth, Greer did the only thing she could do...she screamed.
She didn't even realize it came out as a roar.
REVIEW!
Realized that a quick background might be necessary for those of you who havent read Tigra of the X-Men. So Greer Nelson (Tigra) was mutated by Dr. Minos who was orchestrating a Sentinel project. So Greer is not actually a mutant. She was mutated roughly 4 years ago and has been with the X-Men that entire time. She was at first rejected by her mother but have since reconciled (great storyline) but has only had negative experiences with the public at large. Over time she came to tolerate her feral appearance but has always been plagued by a fear of her more "animal" side and nature. When she was first mutated, Greer would fall into a feral rage when engaging mutants and almost killed a few mutants in the process. The Professor and Wolverine were able to help suppress this. But the fear still remains. Hope this clears some things up. Also, it is worth mentioning that in Greer's appearance, she has maintained a human face, but with green eyes and slit pupils along with the two stripes on either side of her face (Thanks cheshirecat9116).