“You are a hard woman to track down,” Creed said happily as she was forcefully pushed into the chair before his desk. He stood, walking around the large, mahogany piece to stand in front of her. It was the perfect chance to take him out, but she didn’t want his greasy thoughts in her head. She was still hoping to get the information by stealing it the old fashioned way. “But you are a beauty, aren’t you? Not my type, of course. I prefer something with a little more elegance and class. No, you remind me of the stories my step-mother used to tell me. About a child who grew up wild with wolves. I guess that explains why you are so attracted to… animals.”
“At least my animals love me,” Rogue replied with a grin, not missing the digs. “You really are the spitting image of your father, you know. Too bad that, in a few more years, you will probably be confused for his father. Oh well, we can’t all be blessed with the right mutations, can we?”
“Say what you want, Filth. Just as long as you do what you are told, I don’t give a damn.” Creed leaned against his desk, surveying her closely. “Yes, I believe you will do. With your small stature and that pretty face, you will be my prized possession, so to speak. And, with you unique gifts, we can make you the most powerful mutant in the world.”
“You’re delusional,” Rogue replied with a roll of her eyes. “How would you even try to accomplish this?”
“Well, I actually have your first two subjects standing behind you.” Creed smiled viciously, eyeing both Rusty and Vasquez.
Rogue had no problem holding on to her calm facade, but, judging from the way Creed’s eyes lit up, she knew that both men easily showed their shock. She would have to get them out of here.
Reaching for her gloves, she heard the door behind them open, slamming into the wall hard enough to leave a hole the size of the door knob. “Now, Rogue. You didn’t really think it was going to be that easy to take me out, did you?”
She concentrated for a moment, listening to the sounds of the men behind her breathing. Trying harder she was able to pick up on another set of sounds. Stifled thumping noises, A bit fast and exited. Heart beats. Doing a quick count, she was able to estimate that there were five guards, not including Rusty and Vasquez. By herself, she would have no problem taking all of them out, but, as it was, the X-Man in her couldn’t take the chance of sacrificing the other two mutants. She cursed herself silently as she narrowed her eyes at the man before her.
“Now, my dear, you didn’t really believe that I would allow just anyone to join my team without looking as deeply into their backgrounds as possible, did you?” Creed laughed as he spoke, allowing the thrill of the situation to feed into his insanity. “When I first came across them, I thought about killing them for being so brazen to believe that I would actually allow the mutant disease into my personal ranks. But then it occurred to me how powerful these freaks were, and I wanted to see what they were capable of without the use of their mutations. They were put through a vigorous test, which they all passed easily. It was at this same time when I received word about you. I knew I had to have you. You would be my greatest asset, but the others… well, it would have just been wasteful. So I decided against having just one or two mutants, to having a collection, with you at the forefront, of course.”
“What would be the point in all of this?” Rogue asked, trying to keep her voice calm. “Why have a team of mutants in the first place, Creed? Would you really want a security unit full of the very people you hate?”
Creed laughed loudly, his head rolling back and his chest expanding as he did so. Rogue did her best to hide the confusion bubbling up inside of her. Why else would a man of his standing want to be surrounded by a team of mutants?
“This has nothing to do with Security,” Creed told her, his voice rising with the manic frenzy. “This is about money and entertainment, my dear. The strongest mutants pitted against each other to see who will win. Men and women pitted against one another to prove who is the ultimate champion. This is about the return of the Gladiators.”
Rogue found herself speechless. She wasn’t expecting this… this barbaric ritual. “You are going to make us fight for your enjoyment?”
“Of course. It’s either that or kill you. It will be easy enough to keep you under control with a few of those collars we brought from the labs you were kept in. You see, Sweetheart, we were in the midst of closing the deal on you specifically when you made your daring escape. I actually thought that I would never have you, either,” Creed’s smile widened as he spoke. “But then you and that little group showed up, wanting to be crime fighters. Clean up this city. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I will clean it up. By the time I get out of office, the mutant menace will be over.”
She fought the urge to attack him then, trying to keep in mind the other’s involved. The part of her that was still an X-Man wouldn’t allow her to put the other’s in danger.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“If you come out now, we won’t have to kill you,” the yell came from their left, towards the house. Logan’s nostrils flared as he tested the air around him. They had found themselves surrounded, and Logan wondered just what kind of security team Greydon Creed had in his arsenal. He hadn’t even heard them arrive, and he wasn’t expecting this many people. “If you fight us, we will kill her. We have men on standby waiting for the signal. I suggest you follow orders.”
Logan didn’t have to ask who the unseen man was talking about. She was in there with a group of mutants who didn’t really know what they were doing.
“Just say the word and we attack,” Victor whispered to him. His own gaze was sweeping the area around them, trying to catch a glimpse of any of the guards. Victor stopped moving suddenly, his eyes focused on something a couple of feet away. A smile tugged at his lips even as Logan sought out what ever it was that caught Victor’s attention. A black boot, just barely visible through the brush. “I’ve got this.”
“No,” Logan whispered harshly. “We get inside first. We get to Rogue and the others before we do anything.”
Victor’s only reply was a deep growl that emanated from deep within his belly. “Fine, but after we find her, you do not get in my way.”
“I can handle that, as long as you promise to explain to me why you keep calling me Jimmy,” Logan told him quickly even as they both raised their hands and slowly walked towards the soldiers before them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“There were other mutants in your camp. Where are they?” Rogue asked quickly, trying to keep as much control as possible. She needed to buy some time to formulate a plan to get them all out of here.
“The brutes are dead,” Creed replied with a shrug. “Waste of life. There wasn’t any real need for them, though. They may have been strong, but both were too stupid to cover their asses. That kind of stupidity would have cost me a lot of money, and I already have someone planned for you to take. I could have sold them, but I doubt they would have been worth it.”
Rogue cringed inwardly at his words, but her façade stayed straight. He only spoke of two people, and she had a feeling those two were Warpath and Strong Guy.
“But the third, he was something a little more special,” Creed continued, his tone growing darker. “I only regret that he had to die the way he did. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have kept him for my own team, but he knew too much about me and refused to give up any information on his little friends. He died valiantly, if painfully. You should be proud.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
So I have three more chapters already typed up, but it seems my beta reader has disappeared.... hmmm... still not sure about that. These next few chapters are not beta read so sorry! Mel: WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!!! WRITE ME SO I KNOW YOUR OK!!!!!!!! And now back to the show!
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks to all my readers. i will try to post the next chapter some time this weekend, but it all depends on when i can use my little brothers computer.