There's no holding me back
I'm not driven by fear
I'm just driven by anger
And you're under attack
I'm just climbing up slowly
I'm the one and only ...

"Would someone mind telling me why a known assassin is in our medical bay?" asks Archangel. He stands in full uniform, with his arms crossed. In the bed, surrounded by various medical equipment, is Vargas, an assassin for the Jigoku crime syndicate. Also present are Quicksilver and Blink, who found Vargas, as well as Joseph, Psylocke, and Pyro. Psylocke is taking care of Vargas's body, while the others communicate about the situation.

"What happened to him anyway?" asks Pyro. Quicksilver looks up at Pyro, and John Allerdyce notices the fear in the man's eyes.

"Sabretooth," he replies.

"Oh..." mutters Pyro. "Looks like he's got quite a lot o' bandages on his torso there."

"If they weren't there, he'd be bleeding to death right now," says Blink. "'I'm back suckers' was carved into his chest."

"So he attacked an intruder," says Pyro. "Isn't that what a good little watchdog's supposed to do?"

"It gets worse," says Quicksilver. He looks at Blink. "Tell them."

"Tell us what?" asks Joseph.

Blink sighs deeply before continuing, "during the fight, Mr. Cre—Sabretooth, he tore his restraints off."

"Isn't something supposed to happen if he does that?" asks Archangel.

"Yes," replies Quicksilver. "Forge said that if any attempt is made to remove the restraints, nanomachines will be released in Sabretooth's bloodstream. They would travel to his heart and once there, administer quite a painful shock."

"That's not all the restraints were supposed to do," says Psylocke. She steps towards them to join in the conversation. "Vargas will live."

"What else were the restraints supposed to do?" asks Pyro. Quicksilver's eyes rose in shock.

"If Sabretooth was ever to attempt to kill anyone...he was supposed to receive a fierce electric shock..." he replies.

"But... he did kill someone," says Pyro. "Remember in Japan?"

"That's exactly what he's saying," says Joseph. "Sabretooth's restraints must have been damaged somehow."

"And if he was able to kill in Japan, then they've been damaged for some time," says Psylocke.

"Oh no..." mutters Blink.

"What?" asks Joseph.

"Back at Warren's mansion," says Blink. "When Harvest attacked, something must've happened to damage the restraints."

"So ever since we've been in Australia Sabretooth has had the opportunity to break free?" asks Archangel. "Why the hell you chose to keep that animal around is beyond me, Maximoff."

"I didn't hear any debates from any of you," replies Quicksilver.

"That's because you're the leader," says Archangel. "We were taking our lead from you. Sabretooth outlived his usefulness after we took down Deus. And once Bishop left, why didn't you send Sabretooth off to SHIELD?"

"I... don't know..." says Quicksilver.

"We can sit around here all day trying to figure out who dropped the ball," says Joseph. "The important thing right now is that we have to stop Sabretooth before he escapes."

"He won't escape..." says Psylocke. "He's going to stay in the town."

"What for?" asks Pyro.

"So he can kill every last one of us," she replies.

"Well..." mutters Pyro. "Doesn't that just brighten my day..."

The Australian outback can be quite peaceful at night, as well as quite dangerous. However, for the X-Man who calls herself Rogue, she is not frightened in the least. She knows this area like the back of her hand, having spent time here before. She doesn't worry about the local wildlife because with her vast catalogue of powers, she has no need to worry. She is prepared for any predator to come her way.

Save for one.

She hears a low growl as she walks through the empty land.

"I'm really not in the mood right now..." she mutters.

"Well... now ain't that just a cryin' shame."

"Go away Sabretooth," she says.

"I can smell Maximoff on ya," he says. "An' judgin' by yer attitude and the way yer walkin', I'm guessing that it wasn't a pleasant conversation."

"None of your business."

"Aww... c'mon, be a sport."

She can feel his breath on the back of her neck. It makes her hair stand on end as a slight chill goes down her spine.

"If you're gonna annoy me, can you at least do it to my face?"

"Whassamatter?" he asks. "Scared?"

"Of you?" asks Rogue. "Don't make me laugh."

Victor Creed draws the air surrounding them into his nostrils at a rapid rate. The sound is not one that goes unnoticed by Rogue. He then expels the air from his nose before speaking again.

"Maybe I should be the one who's laughing," he says. "'Cause fear is exactly what I smell. Not a lot, but just enough."

He grabs her shoulder, and this causes Rogue to spin to face him. Once she does, however, he moves like lightning and leaps over her head. He lands in a crouch not far from her, his body concealed in shadows.

"I like that smell," he says. "Gets me all giddy and giggly inside."

He slowly moves closer into the moonlight, just enough so Rogue can see him smile.

"Like a schoolgirl."

Rogue folds her arms over her chest and taps her foot impatiently.

"You're startin' to bore me, Vic."

"By the way, what happened t' yer cornpoke country accent?" he asks. "I kinda liked the white trash thing y' had goin'."

"Okay, now you're just trying to piss me off," says Rogue.

"Maybe I am," says Sabretooth. He moves closer to her, and she pulls out a small device from her jacket.

"One more step and you become a walking bug-zapper," she warns.

"Go ahead," taunts Creed. "Punch it. I dare ya."

"Okay," says Rogue and she presses the button.

Nothing happens.

She presses it again, still nothing.

She hears a low noise coming from Sabretooth's mouth as he approaches her. A... chuckle? And then, she sees his hands in the moonlight. Free of the restraints. The collar which once adorned his neck is also gone.

"Hey Rogue, guess what?"

Rogue drops the remote and steps back in fear. Sabretooth grins, and then leaps towards her.

"TAG, SUCKER!"

"Sabretooth is out there, somewhere," says Quicksilver. "Our primary goal is locating him and neutralizing him."

"Sabretooth's quite a bit different from the usual threats we go up against," says Psylocke. "He may not look like it, but he's very cunning. He fooled all of us into believing that he was docile following a battle with Wolverine. It was a ruse that cost us dearly."

Archangel watches as Psylocke flinches slightly. His eyes are primarily focused on the mark of the Crimson Dawn. The result of the ruse. She had been taken to the brink of death by Sabretooth, and almost beyond.

It is not something Warren Worthington is prepared to forget.

"So what's the game plan, boss?" asks Pyro.

"Take him out," replies Quicksilver. "By any means necessary."

"I'm going with you."

They turn to see Vargas rising from his bed, a hand draped over his bandaged midsection.

"The hell you are," says Quicksilver.

"I've defeated Thabretooth oneth before," he says.

"...did he just say Thabretooth?" asks Pyro.

"You defeated him when you were at peak strength," says Joseph. "And obviously you couldn't do it a second time."

"I wath holding back," says Vargas. "I need to rectify my mithtake."

"His skills would be valuable," says Psylocke. "Plus, it would be wise to keep an eye on him, Pietro."

"I don't like this, Psylocke," replies Quicksilver through telepathy.

"Would you rather have a known enemy creeping about our home?"

"Point taken," he replies. "Okay, Vargas will accompany us."

"This is your chance to redeem yourself, Vargas," says Psylocke in a direct psi-link with the assassin. "Do not fail me again."

"Let's fan out," says Quicksilver. "I want every area of the town checked before moving on to the rest of the outback."

"Wait," says Joseph. "Where's Clarice?"

A flash of smoke and brimstone signal Rogue's departure before Sabretooth can attack her. She reappears behind him, and Sabretooth hears an original sound. A sound which has haunted his nightmares.

*SCHLIKT*

He spins on his heel and sees Rogue standing before him with three foot-long bone claws, extending from between the knuckles of each hand. His own adamantium claws shine in the moonlight as he steps towards her.

The two warriors circle each other, sizing the other up. They take stock of the situation and of their opponents. Rogue jumps towards Sabretooth, who grabs her arm as she flies towards him and counters her attack by slamming her on the ground. She moves to her feet quickly, and slashes into Sabretooth's chest, drawing first blood.

Creed pulls back and as Rogue attempts to make another slash, he grabs her arm and pulls it straight. He them slams his free hand with the palm open against the elbow. A sickening crack is heard. Rogue grits her teeth to try and ignore the pain. Wolverine's healing factor is beginning to mend the wound, but it doesn't make it any less painful. She tries to pull herself away from Sabretooth, and she spins her body around, using her free hand to cut into his face. This causes Sabretooth to release her and she pulls back. She looks at him and sees the three red slashes across his face already beginning to fade.

"Not nice, frail," he says. "Yer gonna pay f'r that!"

Sabretooth brings his arm down in an arc towards her, prepared to slash into her. Rogue blocks it with the claws attached to her good arm. Sabretooth grins, and simply closes his fist on the claws. They shatter as if they were made of glass.

"Y' may have the runt's powers," he says. "But one thing y' ain't got is his skill."

The claws retract into Rogue's hands, and concussive beams of red energy explode from her eyes. They strike Sabretooth and send him flying backwards. The energy fades, and when Sabretooth gets up, Rogue is gone.

Then, what feels like a tank slams into his back. Sabretooth turns his head and sees Rogue standing over him, her skin now composed of organic steel. She pulls her arm back and thrusts it forward. Sabretooth grabs the arm and reverses her own momentum, sending her falling to the ground. He jumps on her back and then drives his adamantium claws into her back. She cries out in pain.

"Hmm... always wondered if adamantium could pierce the Ruskie," he says with a grin. "Guess now I know."

Sabretooth drives his hand down to deliver another blow, but at the last second, Rogue's body reverts to flesh and blood, and Creed's claws travel straight through her, striking the earth instead.

"What th' flamin' hell?"

Rogue grits her teeth as she gets to her feet, all the while remaining in a phased state that allows her to pass through Sabretooth's body. The density of his adamantium skeleton makes it a painful experience as she does so. Her body returns to solid mass an instant before she becomes engulfed in flames. She directs these flames at Sabretooth, but he darts through them, and drives his claws into her abdomen. She cries out in pain, and the flames dissipate. In order for Rogue to use her powers, she must be conscious. She falls over, his claws still buried in her flesh. He pulls them out, and blood spurts forth. She begins to topple, but his blood-stained hand wraps around her throat and he lifts her into the air.

"It's been fun while it lasted, sweets," he says. "Too bad it had t' end this way. But if it's any consolation, y' did put up a good fight."

He pulls his claws back, about to deliver the killing blow. Before he can do it, Rogue vanishes in a flash of pink energy. He sniffs the air and grins as a new player enters the battlefield.

"Well... I was wonderin' where ya skittled off to."

He turns around and sees Clarice Ferguson staring at him. She holds a javelin in each hand, both of them crackling with temporal energy, as are her eyes. Sabretooth observes her stance, her facial expressions, and her scent. Right now, he can tell that she is a mass of emotions, the primary ones being betrayal, hatred, and fear.

"Game over," she says. "Mr. Creed."