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MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS..."HERO"
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| (Note: The events of this series take place prior to Dino Pollard’s X-Men: The Lazarus Contract)
Previously, in Sabretooth…
Victor Creed, the mutant known to the world as Sabretooth, is a man with a checkered past. For the majority of his life he used his increased strength, hyperactive senses, and “healing factor” to become one of the most ruthless and efficient mercenaries on the planet. His insatiable blood lust and penchant for killing made him an especially viable candidate for the dirtier jobs. This usually set him in direct opposition to the various heroes and vigilantes of the world. More often than not, Creed found himself directly opposite the Uncanny X-Men, a group of mutants formed underneath Charles Xavier that fought for peace between Homo sapiens and Homo superiors. Creed would develop a particularly venomous rivalry with the X-Man known as Wolverine, who ironically enough turned out to be his father. After one failed assignment Creed was captured and taken in for rehabilitation by the X-Men, forced to join their ranks. Victor appeared to make progress, forming a mentor like relationship with Clarice Ferguson, the X-Man known as Blink. Creed’s rehabilitation was abruptly ended when then X-Man Psylocke telepathically forced him to betray his teammates, nearly killing Blink in the process. The X-Men defeated Sabretooth and left him to die.
But Victor would not die, due
in great part to his mutant healing factor. Now free of the
X-Men, Creed wandered for some time before finally settling down
in what remained of the city of
This was just the beginning.
Victor hunted down and murdered Greg’s killer, and was ready to
leave
Back at Greg Siegel’s
apartment, D’Spayre, in the form of reporter Kevin Hope, assaulted
Blink and the Siegels, crippling Clarice with her worst fears and
convincing Kathy to take her baby to the roof and leap to their
deaths. Only the timely intervention of Creed, leaping from a
window to catch the falling baby, prevented a certain tragedy.
This act woke Blink from D’Spayre’s spell, who in turn saved
Kathy. The reunion in Kathy’s apartment was short lived, as
D’Spayre appeared and revealed his plan; to feed off of the wealth
of despair and hopelessness emanating from the ruins of
And now, the conclusion…
“I'll face myself
-Linkin Park, “What I’ve Done”
“Now…squeeze…”
I hear her voice, grating in my head like a record bein’ scratched. It’s the only thing I hear, and my body is listenin’. I can feel Clarice’s pulse quicken underneath my fingers, jumpin’ a bit when I start to push down harder. The claws at my fingertips start to grow, scratchin’ the pup’s lavender skin. She’s squirmin’, held in the air and pressed flush against the wall. I can see her mouth movin’, but I can’t hear a word she’s sayin’. Everything around me’s in a thick haze and I can’t smell a goddamn thing ‘cept for the sweat drippin’ off Blink’s brow. It smells like fear. I snarl, showin’ off my nasty set of teeth, and my fingers dig a bit deeper. I feel the flesh pop a bit, and a thick, ugly smell hits my nostrils. A smell I’ve known all my life. A smell that used to make me grin. A smell I wish I could forget. Blood’s got one of the most distinct scents in the whole world, and I smell it in my sleep I know it so fuckin’ well. Clarice’s body shudders, and I know I should hear a whimper, a little moan lettin’ me know she’s giving up.
Damnit girl, why haven’t you left? Blink the fuck outta here and save your skin? But she ain’t. Somethin’ must be stopping her. Makin’ her helpless as my claws start to sink into her throat. I’m tryin’ my fuckin’ hardest to let her go, but my body ain’t listenin’. I’m watchin’ some monster hurt the only person I’ve bothered to give a shit about. ‘Cept that the monster is me. Obeyin’ orders like a fuckin’ mutt…an animal. That bitch was right…I am a patsy. Few more seconds and Clarice’ll be outta air. She’s already startin’ to slow down. And then she’ll be dead. And I’ll be the murdering bastard I’ve always been. Just like before. You can’t change a ruthless son of a bitch like me.
Sorry pup. I’ve let you down. It’s just hople-…wait a fuckin’ second.
One of those moments of clarity hits me like a fuckin’ load of bricks. I almost admitted that this was hopeless. But that’s fuckin’ horseshit. I would never say crap like that. I know what it’s like to have that witch Betsy playin’ with my head…and she wouldn’t mess with shit like that. Ain’t her style. And now that I know it ain’t Betsy there, everything comes back to me. D’Spayre, Greg, his wife and kid, S’ym…all of it. This ain’t real. Feelin’ starts to creep back onto my face, and I stop snarlin’ and start grinning. Sound rushes back into my airs, fillin’ the vacuum that was there.
“M…M…Mr… Creed…” Clarice mutters before startin’ to black out.
“Sorry pup…everything’s goin’ to be all right…” I let her know. By the time I get sensation back in my fingers the girl’s passed out. She slumps to the floor, still breathin’. Which is more than they’ll be able to say for the half ass Psylocke knock off I’m lookin’ at. She’s got a nasty look on that Asian face o’ hers. I take a long sniff at the air. Gotta be honest, I’m a bit surprised that I can smell the bitch. That’s one hell of a fuckin’ illusion right there.
“Jig’s up frail…you ain’t real,” I snarl, movin’ away from Blink. I flex my arms a bit, showin’ this ninja skank what I’m packin’, and pop my claws for extra emphasis. In all the confusion I forgot that a handful of my claws snapped off when I was fighting that asshole S’ym. Doesn’t matter…I only need one claw to gut this bitch like a fish. She doesn’t seem phased though.
“You really are a moron. Trying to lecture a telepath on what’s real,” she says with a shit-eating grin on her face. A second later she’s gone, leavin’ only an empty space. I sniff around, but can’t smell a damn thing. “…and what isn’t,” she whispers over my right shoulder. I whip my arm around, tryin’ to catch her, but the little frail’s too quick and seems to be floatin’ in the air, drivin’ her leg into the side of my head. My neck turns a bit, but I don’t budge. The bitch certainly kicks real. I make to grab her, but by the time I’m all the way around she’s gone again. Lots of scentless fog starts floatin’ around, and I can’t see a damn thing. I lose Betsy’s scent, every last trace of it. In fact, I’ve lost everything. Can’t smell a damn thing. Not ‘cause I can’t, but because there ain’t a scent to pick up. No sound either, ‘cept for my own breathing. All I can see is the mist around me, and all I can feel is my feet on some sort of solid ground… that I can’t see.
‘Course, this means I catch and recognize the next scent immediately. It gets an instant reaction as my body tenses up and I hear myself start to growl. It’s a gut instinct reaction, and I don’t fight it. Ain’t got the patience or the desire, if the scent belongs to who I think it does. There’s a tiny voice screamin’ that this is all just some hoax. Another one of D’Spayre’s illusions. Except that little voice keeps on getting’ drowned out by my own snarling.
“Creed…figures I’d find you here, murdering cops like the animal you are,” an all too familiar voice says. I don’t bother turnin’ to find the voice, tellin’ myself none of this is real. That, and I’ve got no fuckin’ idea which way to turn. The voice is comin’ from all angles. Just like his scent.
“This is getting’ old real quick D’Spayre,” I growl. Hopefully he’ll make this easy and quit it with all the mind games.
“Who the hell are you flappin’ your gums at Creed…it’s just you and me.”
Before I can call D’Spayre out again the fog starts to break apart in front of me. I know it ain’t D’Spayre comin’ out though…the shadows are too small. Instead it’s someone smaller…the voice that’s been talkin’ to me. A voice I’d silence for all fuckin’ eternity if I could.
“Cute. Parading Logan out in front of me…when are you goin’ to stop acting like a little girl?” I call out, completely ignoring the small runt in front of me. It ain’t really Wolverine, stalkin’ up to meet me like he’s some Rambo bad ass. It might look like the little bastard, and smell like ‘im too. But it ain’t Logan. It ain’t my good for nothing pop, in his blue and yellow boy scout uniform with the cowl pulled down. Nothin’ from D’Spayre. Looks like I’ll have to bait him a bit more. That’s when Logan jams his fist into my stomach. And it fuckin’ hurts. For real. I can feel my face scrunching up like I drank some bitter beer, and the little X-Man doesn’t miss a beat, catchin’ the side of my face with his other fist. I hit the ground, whatever it is, hard. My mind’s trying to tell me this ain’t real. The blood I start coughin’ up says otherwise.
“Been waitin’ a long time for this Creed. Live as long as I have, you make a lotta mistakes. But there isn’t a doubt in my mind ‘bout you. Should’ve smothered your sorry ass when you were a kid,” he grunts, rearin’ up to kick me in the gut. I swing my arm out, hopin’ to catch the only foot he’s got on the ground now. Little runt’s too fast though, and just hops over before drivin’ his foot straight into the side of my ribs. Been takin’ a lot of punishment ‘round that area over the last few hours, and my body just hasn’t been able to catch up. I try as hard as I fuckin’ can to hold back, but I can’t stop the howl of pain.
“You’re one sick pup Creed,” Logan tells me, takin’ a step back. SNIKT. Three adamantium claws slide out from between his knuckles on each hand. “Did a lotta sick shit back in your day. But I knew you were really fucked in the head when you tried to go straight. Figured you could just forget about all the innocent people you killed,” he says with a growl. He stays a few feet back, goadin’ me to get up so he can gut me. I don’t give him the satisfaction just yet, givin’ my body a few minutes to catch up.
“Doesn’t work that way dirt bag. Can’t just decide to walk the straight and narrow after what you did. That’s why it was so easy for you to nearly kill Clarice,” he continues.
“That wasn’t me,” I snarl. I feel my muscles start to tense up, achin’ to take a swipe at the runt.
“You tell yourself that enough you actually believe it. That’s how I know you’re really a head case. You’ve got yourself convinced that you had nothing to do with what happened in the Outback. That the whole incident was Bets’s doin’. Since when were either of us easy to control? Can’t make you do anything you don’t want to Creed. Didn’t you ever wonder why it all came so easy? Why, if it weren’t for the rest of the X-Men, Clarice would’ve been just one more woman you butchered? It’s because you wanted to do it Creed. You’re a mindless, murdering, animal,” he says, enunciatin’ each fuckin’ word.
He’s not even finished talkin’ before I’m up and in the air, arms stretched right for his throat. He’s ready, of course, claws and all. The little bastard lunges straight up at me, and figures I’m probably goin’ to try and swing off to the side, tryin’ to avoid those pointy meat stickers of his. He’d still catch a good chunk of my side and I’d be easy pickins for him after that. So I take the only other option on the table. I keep on goin straight at him. My claws, what I’ve got left of ‘em, drive right into his shoulders. He simply grunts and grins, the little bastard. ‘Course, that’s ‘cause his claws shoot right through my chest at the same time. Pain explodes all over my chest and the adamantium knives slide right through my ribs and into my heart. I nearly bite the tip of my tongue off, but I’m not givin’ this bastard the satisfaction of hearin’ me scream.
“I made the mistake of lettin’ you live way too long Creed. I brought you into the world…guess it’s only fair I take you the fuck out,” he says. I hear another SNIKT and feel three more of his claws drive through my other breast, puncturing my lung. He hoists me up in the air, the blood drippin’ at his feet.
“You’re pathetic…thinking you could just forget all those women you raped…all those women you killed,” he says with a vicious edge, drawin’ me a bit closer. My arms are startin’ to feel heavy, and there’s a strange whistling noise every time I try to breathe.
“I know the truth though Creed…the reason you did it. The reason you raped all those women and then killed them…the reason it was so easy for you to turn on Clarice. The screams…the pain. It’s addictive. It turns you on; you feed off it, you lust for it. The rush of seeing the fear in their eyes and hearing their screams. You destroy them, and then you murder them. Except you didn’t need to rape Clarice to destroy her. No…you had her trust already. You had her feeding from the palm of your hand…and then you tried to crush her,” he says, drivin’ home his point by pushing his claws just a little bit deeper. His voice was startin’ to fade at the end…everything is startin’ to fade just a bit. But I could still hear him. And I’m fuckin’ pissed.
I use every last ounce of strength I think I’ve got to swing my arm up high. I don’t bother with my claws, just tryin’ to hit the runt in the head as hard as I fuckin’ can. Gotta admit, I’m kind of surprised that I connect. Even more shocked when I drop to the ground, watchin’ Logan stumble back like someone’s fuckin’ with his skull. The white paint job surrounding everything starts to get all blotchy. The whitewash starts to break like someone’s splashing water on a surface covered in mud. Can only see small chunks at first, but it ain’t long before I recognize where I really am…still in Greg’s apartment. Finally startin’ to see clearly now. Breathing becomes a lot easier, and I look down. Turns out I wasn’t really stabbed in the chest at all. Fact o’ the matter is, I don’t have a scratch on me. That fuckin’ bastard. He’s been playin’ mind games this entire time. But he got too close…must’ve hit him in the head when I took that swing. D’Spayre…I’m gonna rip your fuckin’ heart out.
A quick look around and I know everyone’s been stuck in some sorta nightmare. Greg’s wife is curled up in a ball on the floor, and Blink’s gropin’ her forehead a few feet away from her. Baby’s layin’ on the bed, bout as quiet as a kid can be when it ain’t eatin’ or sleepin’. And stumblin’ around is D’Spayre. Don’t need the demon loser to tell me that he’s angry, the way he’s gropin’ his head and clenchin’ his fists.
“Come on Clarice, gotta get out of here!” I urge the pup, grippin’ underneath her arm and pullin’ her up. Girl’s probably gonna think I’m some sort of coward, running from some dunce in a cape, but that ain’t what’s important. Once I figure she’s got enough wits about her I grab the kid and hand it over to Clarice. Then give her a small shove towards the bedroom door and move to Kathy, scoopin’ her up off the floor before bustin’ my ass after Clarice. She’s waitin’ out in the living room for me, and I’m ready to scream at her for not runnin’. It’s okay, though…I didn’t really feel like leavin’ anyways. Now I just hand Kathy off to her and turn back towards the bedroom.
“Mr. Creed!” Clarice yells at me. I act like I can’t hear her and pull the door shut behind me. I turn, ready to start rumbling with D’Spayre. Son of a bitch looks like he’s been waitin’ though, and bright flash shoots outta his palm. Fuck. The bedroom wall crumbles as I fly into the next room, leavin’ a nice crater on the border ‘tween the kitchen and the living room. Even as my ass hits the floor I spot Clarice shootin’ me a worried look. Why the hell is she still here?
“The door’s locked!” she shouts, as if readin’ my mind.
“Well then blink out!” I snarl, turnin’ my attention back to D’Spayre. He’s takin’ his time walkin’ through the hole my body punched in the wall. Must figure he’s got all the time in the god damn world.
“I can’t!” the pup yells back. I can hear the panic in her voice. I take my eyes off D’Spayre for just a moment, lookin’ out at Blink, Kathy, and the baby, who looks like its ready to pitch a fit. I would be too if I crapped in a diaper and had a loser like D’Spayre lurkin’ around. Kathy’s a mess, and Blink doesn’t look too far behind. D’Spayre must be workin’ his mojo on her. Speakin ‘o which, when I turn back to my demonic host, he’s still walkin’ towards me like he’s the shit. Well, I’ll show him. The smug bastard. I pounce forward as quick as I can, pushin’ off from my spot on the ground. This means I’ll only be able to rip through this asshole’s gut, but that’s okay. His heart can wait. ‘Cept that, right when I’m about to dig my nails into him, I go right through him, like he ain’t there. And I get a chilly sensation wherever my body passes through him. Like dippin’ my dick in freezin’ water. Not pleasant. And that’s ignoring the face plant I manage on the tile floor. And D’Spayre starts laughin’.
“Stupid animal…thinking you actually had a chance at thwarting my plans. How do you propose to stop that which you cannot touch? And your friend will be of no use to you…with a wave of my hand, I can cast them into their darkest nightmare,” the smug son of a bitch gloats. And he does just that, wavin’ his arm in the air. I don’t bother watchin’ as Clarice’s eyes glaze over. I’m back on my feet and swingin’ at D’Spayre in no time flat, but my hands just keep on passin’ through him. He’s just toyin’ with me now, lettin’ me take a few swipes at him before he sends me flyin’ back to the ground.
“Foolish man…I’ve been feeding off the sorrow in this city for months now. The power has allowed me to pursue much grander ventures than controlling this piddling pool of human existence. It has elevated me to a plane where you are unable to lay your filthy paws on me, and where I can engulf my victims in fear with but a gesture,” he boasts, motioning to the girls at the door. Blink’s frozen in place now, and Kathy won’t stop tremblin’. The babe recognizes its mom is losin’ it and starts to bawl. Perfect. Just what I need to help me focus…my enhanced hearing picking up the screams of some little rug rat. This ain’t over yet though.
Not sure what my plans is when I head for D’Spayre now. I just keep on swingin. Hard, fast, high, low. There’s gotta be some part of this loser that’s tangible. I even try stabbing at his toes, figurin’ he’s gotta stay grounded. Nothin. Not a god damn fuckin’ thing to touch. He must be feedin’ off of Clarice and Kathy, usin’ their negative emotions to stay untouchable. Thank god he finally gets bored of me lookin’ like a complete moron, flailing away at him, and hits me with another blast of light, straight in the butt. I pop up into the air and hit another wall. I hear a shelf crack overhead, and a pot falls from above, cracking me in the skull. Fuckin’ grand, really. I scrunch my face up out of sheer annoyance. How the hell am I supposed to…-
What the hell is that noise? The kid’s stopped cryin’ and is…laughing? I open my eyes, figurin’ I’ve finally gone fuckin’ nuts. But there’s the baby, giggling and flashing that toothless grin at me. At least someone other than D’Spayre is laughin’. Speakin’ of old chuckles, he looks even more confused than me, watchin’ the kid dumbfounded. Guess he didn’t account for the kid’s easy mood swings. His face goes from confused to angry, and it looks like he’s ready to work his voodoo again. Can’t let ‘im do that, so I give this one more try. I grab a piece o’ the broken shelf and whip it right towards D’Spayre’s head. He’s too focused on Kathy and the kid, doesn’t see the block comin’ for him. More importantly, the chunk makes contact and smacks off the side of his head, makin’ him scream some demon curse. Or somethin’ like that. I don’t ask questions ‘bout how he’s solid again and don’t really fuckin’ care. I grab another piece of shelf and hurl it straight at him. ‘Cept I don’t wait for this one to hit before I’m on my feet and following it through the air. The slab caroms off his shoulder, distractin’ him as I head in low, aimin’ for his waist. Moment of truth kiddies.
My arms swing around his torso, and I simultaneously drive my shoulder forward and pull my arms back. I’m expectin’ to just pass through him and feel my arms against my chest. Instead I feel my shoulder dig into his abdomen and his body lift off the ground, tumbling backwards with me through another wall and into the kitchen. When the dust starts to clear I’ve got this fucker underneath me, ugly eyes wide open. Looks like he’s just as surprised as I am. But there’s somethin’ else there. Something that fuckin’ makes my day, hidin’ in the back of his eyes. Fear.
“No…this can’t be,” he mutters just before I drive my fist into the side of his face. I thought this guy’s hide might be as tough as S’ym’s, but the sweet sound of bones cracking tells me that ain’t the case. I hit him with my other fist before grabbin’ his skull with both hands and drivin’ it into the ground. And then again. And again. And again. Now this is what I call satisfying. Gotta give D’Spayre credit though…he doesn’t scream. Hell, the fucker doesn’t even bleed. I’d probably be concerned this ass whuppin’ wasn’t doing any good, except that the look of panic keeps on spreadin’ further and further across his ugly mug.
“You haven’t beaten me…” he gasps after I slam the back of his skull through the tile floor one more time.
“For an all powerful demon who’s been runnin’ a city, you sure are stupid. Like I said, I ain’t no hero…and more importantly,” I growl, raising my hand above my head and poppin’ my claws, “you’re dead.” I practically roar with bloodlust as I drive hand into D’Spayre’s chest, headed right for his heart. A lot like how I finished Greg’s killer. Except D’Spayre was the real killer all along. Pullin’ the strings. He’s worse than the guy who actually pulled the trigger. And I plan to give him the same miserable fate. Grab his heart, squeeze, and rip. I pierce his flesh with ease. His body is cold as ice, and I have a hard time findin’ anything resembling a heart. I’m still groping when I realize that D’Spayre’s startin’ to evaporate into some black mist. And now he’s screamin’ in pain and agony. I really wanted to rip out this guy’s heart, but I’ll settle for something just as excruciating. I take my other fist and drive it right into the center of his face. The loser’s still tangible enough to have his face cave in around my fist, bones twistin’ and turning as I drive through as hard as I can. My fist eventually hits tile as the rest of D’Spayre goes up in smoke, slipping a few feet into the air before vanishing completely.
“Is it over?” Clarice asks tentatively behind me.
I turn around, kneeling over where D’Spayre used to be. My chest is heavin’…I was damn close to losin’ it there.
“I don’t know. I can’t smell ‘im.”
“I’m going to contact SHIELD. Someone needs to know about this, and we’re going to need crowd control out front,” Clarice says, reaching for a phone.
“Probably ain’t such a great idea pup,” I grunt. Last thing I want is for a bunch of government screwballs questioning me.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Creed, I’ll make sure you’re long gone by the time they arrive. Would you mind checking on Kathy and the baby? We’ll leave in a few moments,” Clarice asks. Hard to tell if she’s still shaken by what happened or not. Part o’ me thinks she’s more frightened by what she saw me try to do. Part o’ me wishes she hadn’t seen that. And somewhere, in the back of my head, I hear Logan’s voice. I beat the shit out of D’Spayre because it felt good. Just lucky it happened to be the right thing to do this time.
Few hours later I’m sittin’ in my motel room, alone. In the dark. Suitcase is packed on the floor; ready to go when Clarice gets back. Not sure where I want her to take me, but chances are this area is goin’ to be crawling with SHIELD agents for a long time. And I don’t feel like bein’ watched all the time. That’s why I came to Milwaukee in the first place. And that’s why it’s gonna be time to leave.
“So you are the one who defeated D’Spayre,” a man’s voice says from the shadows, near the bathroom. I take a long sniff at the air. No scent other than my own. The hair on the back of my neck stands up a bit, and my muscles, still sore from today’s work, tense.
“You have nothing to fear from me, Mr. Creed. I simply came to congratulate you,” the voice says. Guy sounds way too calm for my liking, and I’m about to go turn the lights on when a strange green light appears. It’s blindin’ for a second, but a moment later it’s in the shape of a man wearin’ some silly bathrobe and gay puffy shirt.
“I’ve heard of you,” I growl, venturin’ a guess as to who my uninvited visitor is.
“And I you, although I fear we’ve never been formally introduced. I am Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme.”
“Right. What do you want?” I grunt. The old man might be in the mood for pleasantries, but the last thing I want now is anymore mystic shit.
“Merely to congratulate you, and assure you that D’Spayre and his demonic influence are indeed gone from this city,” the doc tells me, foldin’ his hands in front of his body.
“Says who? Those in the SHIELD jumpsuits? If they couldn’t notice the shit wrong with this town before, what makes you so sure they’re not missing anything now?” I growl. Not really thrilled with the high handed matter this guy is talkin’t o me in.
“I assure you, Mr. Creed, my methods are far more meticulous than those of the men you speak so poorly of.”
“So D’Spayre’s dead then?”
“If only it were that simple. I am afraid D’Spayre is the type of being that can never truly perish. Indeed, if what I have observed is true, this plot of his was one of many he is currently commanding. I am certain that your victory will have a tangible impact in those other battles.”
“Great for me then. Doc, if you know so god damn much, how come I was finally able to touch that fucker?” I grunt. Strange holds up for a moment, probably not used to potty-mouthed language from the spandex losers he usually runs with.
“I suspect D’Spayre’s sudden vulnerability was a direct result of the child’s happiness. You see, D’Spayre draws his energies empathically, feeding off of negative emotions. He was correct in stating that he was on a plane where you could not hope to compete with him. He amplified his already considerable power by feeding off the despair of Kathy Siegel and your friend Clarice. So focused, was he, on the despair in the room that the child’s laughter caught him completely by surprise. In that moment you were able to strike him. This sudden change caused D’Spayre to…well, despair. His empathic feeding had become so rampant that he began to feed on his own distraught state, allowing you to continue to strike him. In truth, his only option was to flee.”
“Pansy,” I growl, lookin at the knuckles I had driven right into his skull.
“I see that the magnitude of your victory is lost on you Mr. Creed. As much as you deny it, you’ve saved an entire city. You’re a hero.”
“I ain’t a fuckin’ hero. Now get the hell out of my place before I rip your shiny green ass a new one.” Strange shuts up. It’s clear he doesn’t really want to leave. And to be honest, I didn’t mean to bite his head off like that. But I’m not about to ask the Doc to stay and have tea. I just want to get the fuck out of here and be on my own again.
“Very well. You can rest assured that I will maintain a close level of observation on this city, should D’Spayre attempt to return. I hope that you can one day accept what you’ve done here, Mr. Creed,” Doc says before his green hologram thingy starts to shimmer and fade. Seems like not a second later there’s another blindin’ flash of light, this one pink. Clarice is back.
“Everything’s under control, Mr. Creed. I had to tell the SHIELD agents about your involvement, but didn’t let them know where you are,” Clarice says in a rushed tone. It’s obvious she’s probably just as anxious to get out of here as I am. Probably more. Poor kid. I don’t even want to know what sort of shit D’Spayre showed her. She’s been around the world a lot less time than me and I’m sure she’s seen a lot more horror than I have. Fact, I know she has. The light’s dim in the room, but I can still make out claw marks on her neck. I feel a wave of heat flush through me. Those are mine. God damnit.
“You should get out of here, kid,” I mutter, not getting’ off the bed.
“What do you mean? I thought you were leaving with me?” Clarice asks. Her voice is so soft. The girl’s a born bad ass on the battlefield, but when it comes to me, she’s all heart. And that’s why I can’t go with her.
“Nah. I gotta stay here for a bit.” It ain’t much of a response, and the silence afterwards says that Clarice wanted a bit more from me.
“But why?”
“That ain’t none of your business pup.” More silence.
“Fine.” More silence. Damn this is fuckin’ awkward. If she knew what was best, she’d just turn and leave.
“What D’Spayre was showing you? With Betsy? That’s not true. Mr. Creed. It’s not your fault. You’re not an animal,” she says, spillin’ her heart out for me. She walks beside me and drops to her knees so she can look me right in the face. God damnit it Clarice…you don’t want to go there. I ain’t got any answers for you…not any that won’t make you hate me all over again.
“Mr. Creed? What is it?”
“You don’t want to know, kid. Best get out of here,” I mutter.
“No, I want to know,” she says defiantly. That softy routine changes pretty quickly. The girl means business.
“It’s all true,” I say, hopin’ she’ll leave it at that. But I know she won’t.
“No, it’s not. You’re not an animal or a patsy, Mr. Creed. Betsy had control of you; anyone would have had trouble blocking her telepathy. D’Spayre was just trying to use your guilt against you,” she insists with a firm tone.
“You don’t get it, pup. The Asian bitch couldn’t have done shit if there wasn’t something there to build off of,” I growl, lookin’ right at her now.
“What?” Clarice responds. Caught her off guard. Maybe even frightened her a bit. She scoots back a bit. “What do you mean?”
“I mean Bets just pressed the right buttons. The machine was already in place. Every night I had to spend in Australia with you losers,” I see her wince, “I dreamt of how I would murder each and every one of you. At the beginning, I would’ve done it in a fuckin’ heartbeat. But after a while, I didn’t want to hurt you. And then even the rest of those pansies either. At least, I didn’t think I wanted to. But I still dreamt of tearin’ everyone to fuckin’ shreds. Some times I’d even have flashes when I wasn’t sleepin’. Nasty shit. Ugly, violent, mental and physical rape. On the surface I didn’t feel like a monster, Clarice. But on the inside,” I seethe a bit, “everything was still the same.”
“No,” she insists a bit.
“Bets just pulled that side out of me. And let me tell you…it felt fuckin’ great. Fallin’ off the wagon made me feel free. Sure, I felt like shit after, but I had an excuse. I was bein’ manipulated. That’s the saddest fuckin’ shit I’ve heard. And I heard it coming out of my own goddamn mouth. Makes me sick just to think about it,” I spit, feelin’ angry. Ain’t sure what I’m angrier about, though.
“It’s not true,” Clarice insists stubbornly, and I snap. I take a long step off the bed and grab her by the shoulders, slamming her against the wall. My breathing is quick and I know I’ve got that savage look in my eyes. Which is good. Just what I want. She’s frightened. Every enhanced sense I’ve got is tellin’ me that much. ‘Cept she isn’t striking out at me…she’s not runnin’ away.
“Of course it’s fuckin’ true, Clarice!” I roar. “I did a lot of nasty shit before I met you, kid. Stuff that doesn’t just go away. And I didn’t do it ‘cause someone paid me to. I did it because I fuckin’ enjoyed it. I killed mutants and humans that hadn’t done a god damn thing wrong. And not just men. Women and kids…like Kathy and her little runt. You think a few months kickin’ around in a desert with you and the X-freaks made me not want to kill?” I rant as rabidly as I can.
“I…I don’t believe you,” Clarice says. Seems like she’s almost on the edge of tears. A light outside scatters through the blinds and flashes across her face. I’m sorry pup. I really am. I continue to grip her tightly by the shoulders, glaring at her. After what seems like an eternity there’s another flash of light. And she’s gone. It’s about fuckin time. I bang my hands against the wall before headin’ back to sit on the edge of the bed.
Yeah, I’m one hell of a fuckin’ hero.
THE END |
