“So what’s with this, ‘Danger Room’?” I ask, the other guys changing into their weird costumes I saw on them. Piotr pipes up.
“It is basically what Americans call gym class but it is far more dangerous than that. I heard that years ago it had become a sentient robot.” he chuckles, “But it is fine now!” He’s in a red and yellow leotard lookin’ thing.
Kurt pops up in his red, black, and white number with his tail winding through the air, “Ooh! Ooh! I heard it was made by aliens! Isn’t that neat?” he hops off the dividing wall and bounces on his toes.
“Well, whatever y’all heard, it’s gonna be Vic’s first time. So I don’t think Logan’ll be gentle.” Remy sighs, “My turn won’t be either. But I hope Anna’ll forgive me.” He slides on his coat and has a weird compression headgear with the neck connecting to his shirt. He’s got his ears free too.
“Wait what? I thought he was gonna let that slide!” I snarl, “Fuckin’ liar.” I dig through the bag he’d tossed at me after breakfast. All I see is a heavy fur collar and it’s more in gray than the weird orange tones. My gloves are fingerless.
I can’t stop the growl, “Real funny…” I slide it on and it fits me perfectly. There’s no headpiece but I tie my hair back with a vibranium tie. It makes my skin crawl wearin’ this thing, hair length and all that couldn’t stop me from thinking when I look in the mirror…
“I’m him.” I give the mirror my best ‘bring it!’ smile but all it does is remind me of him, “Fuckin’ A.” I step out of the locker room and Scott meets us out in the hall. He’s wearing that blue suit but with a skullcap, so he looks even dumber with a gold bandolier lookin’ thing with the X in the middle.
“Well then, you look peachy.” I snicker and he glowers at me like I offended him but I’m not the hardass, “What?”
“Just follow my lead out there, Creed.” he states, “You have no idea what’s in store.”
“It’ll be fake, I’ll break it, and we’ll all pass.” I reason with a smile, “Of course that is if you follow my lead instead.” I point at myself with my thumb, “Trust me, I saved y'all in that Hotel.”
“I think we should follow Scott in this case, Loupgarou.” Remy sighs, “Not t’be a downer but you ain’t the best at leadin’ if you fly offa the handle.”
I bite back a hard snap. Mostly because they’re right.
Mr. Logan walks up to us, “Well, you’re not workin’ in a big group this time. Everyone’s gonna split up into groups.”
“Really?” Scott asks, “How is it going to be useful?”
“Well, breaking into smaller squads will increase effectiveness.” Remy shrugs, “Er somethin’ like that.”
“Right, if we’re ever split up, we can all work together without being lost on what we got!” Jubilee exclaims happily.
“Right, so… Creed! You’re with Cyclops and Jean!” Logan barks and Scott fixes me with a glare. We got a long way to go. About time this starts really hitting the gas. Jean flashes me a smile, and of course that weird warm feeling comes back in force.
The Danger Room is like some kind of big box, a weird barren place, smooth and shifting like liquid. There’s a soft hum in the air and then… The area around us shifts and bends into the Canadian Wilderness. The sharp and chilling wind, the scent of the pines, the bright sun making the snow blindingly bright and making me squint. For some reason I felt like I was home. I knew it like the back of my hand and all. Cyclops and Jean stand beside me.
“So uh… what do you think we’re up against?” Cyclops asks.
“I dunno, but I don’t like it…” I snarl. Jean closes her eyes, trying to scope it out for anyone ahead but that’s when a familiar scent of metal and blood enters my nose, bursting out of nowhere is my father?! How is he here?! Is this some kinda-
Weaving backward, I kick some snow into his eyes, Cyclops’s beam slams into him from the side and Jean slams him into the snow. Dirt and water mix into slush and mud. Trying to overwhelm him even if he’s a robot. My claws strain, my chest heaves, my eyes widen and my mouth opens in a loud and chest ripping scream. Jean flinches and I tear through the snow towards Sabretooth. Whoever was runnin' the simulator…
"RAAAGHH!" I roar, my claws ripping through him but he rips me aside, cracking filling my ears,
"Grrugh..." I skid and bound back, pouncing on his back.
"CYCLOPS! NOW!" I yell, tearing into his back as Cyclops aims with his impact blasting us into the air, kicking him off me and Jean slams a huge boulder into him. In a cloud of snow and dirt the first bot is...
The boulder slashes in five lined chunks before Sabretooth comes at me, "Alright, Bot-Tooth!" I yell, kicking him in the chest and pouncing on him. I aim right for the face and rip into him before Jean lifts me out of the way and Scott keeps him busy with bursts of energy.
"How'd you beat him?!" he yells.
"I didn't! I ran! Bone can't cut through Adamantium!" I look at Jean, "Any ideas, Jean?"
'Maybe, but I haven't done it before! It'd take some time!' she thinks, 'Just give me a moment to recharge, you two!'
"You hear that, Cyke?!" I yell back.
"Yeah! You just hit close, I'll hit far!" he snaps, bursting out more blasts as I wade in and slash at him, muscles and veins feel real and everything else does too. But whoever picked this as our round had to be playin' a sick joke.
He grabs a boulder and crashes it into me, bringing his claws down onto the back of my head and everything fades out, all that fills my mind is the burning, clogging sensation of rage, sticking in me and burning me out of body and mind. Instinct takes over and my body swells with adrenaline, my senses sharpen and my muscles kick into the respiration. I can’t control this. I can’t bring myself out of it. Jean and Cyclops try to hold him back but I vault over them.
"GRAAAAHHHHGGGG!" I roar, slamming him into the earth and slamming him over and over, "RAH! RAH! RAGH! RAAAAAHHGH!" slamming it over and over into the ground before I'm digging into the metal. Blood and the metallic scent of it fills my nose an’ all I do is RAGE. The scream and grind of metal, the environment around us flickerin’ and dying. Cyclops tries to blast me but Jean stops him.
“Don’t scare him!'
“RRrgh!” I whirl and spring at her with the wind rushing through my ears, “RAAAAAAGH!” My muscles seize and I can’t close the distance. I don't notice it but Jean's got her hold on me,
'Victor! Victor, stop! It's over! I got it! Don't fight anymore!'
“RAAAH! RAGH! AHHHGH!” I thrash and strain against her hold, her eyebrows knit in concentration. I growl and grit my teeth, images of the calm river Mama and I used to live near, images of the birds singing.
'It's alright, Victor...' Jean soothes, ‘It’s alright…’
“Jean, what are you doing?”
“I’m calming him down, he’s going to sleep in a moment…” More images. Bein’ tucked in, kissed goodnight, an’ the light goin’ off. Not my memory but her’s adjusted to fit mine like a deep whatever that replaces faces. I sway, trying to stay awake. Trying not to fall asleep ‘cause that’s dangerous. That’s not good. He’s still out there. He’s gonna kill my friends, Logan, everyone! I can’t… I won’t… a yawn sounds out and I fall to the smooth floor.
"Alright! Who's idea was it to make Sabretooth part of my class's regiment?!" Logan snaps me out of my sleep, "You all know he's got things against Sabretooth!"
"We know, Logan." a big blue hairy guy says, "Which is why I added it to the Danger Room's copy ability. To test the Junior's true power." Apparently there’s other classes than Mr. Logan’s and this is one of the teachers of the more showy mutants that look like weirder stuff.
"That ain't right, McCoy!" he snarls, "He just got-"
I sit up, "Mr. Logan, you don't have to defend me worth shit. He knows what he did." Getting to my feet again I hold out my hand.
"Doc, what kinda tests you runnin'?"
"To prove that you are what you say you are." Doctor McCoy says, "Forgive my caution, but considering your explosive temperament and your flighty disposition I would not be mistaken if you were related to one of the mutants in the Weapon X program."
He motions to walk with him and I follow, seeing his blue eyes flick to a tablet. It shouldn't be a mystery who my Dad is. He leads me into an examination room. His smile's serene. The examination room is big, a lab almost. On the grounds we got the infirmary and then here's where the magic happens. All the tech, training bots, all of it is made here. That and mutant research done by the man humming what I think is Beethoven?
"Victor, I do hope that we become good friends." he pats the table, "Do not worry, my boy, it's just some blood tests."
"What? Do ya think Sabretooth's NOT my Dad?" I snarl, "I mean look at me, it's just-"
"No, it's not that... it's how you survived this long with just normal bones and a Healing Factor. Even Logan wasn't as sturdy." he looks at me with a serious expression on his face, "If you are related to Sabretooth, this might just make you stronger than him."
He takes out a needle, "Are you afraid of needles?"
"Psh! No, why would I be?" I don't notice my claws grinding into the table.
"You were saying?" he raises an eyebrow and I cross my arms.
"Just do it y'prick." I say, "Also what were you humming?"
"Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War." he says, "Apt for what you, Logan, and Victor are."
After the examination, I get back to our dorms. Remy's standing there with a sly smile on his face. Everyone's sitting with each other on the couches, in the bean bag chairs, all of it. I stay standing.
"Heyo, Loup! We da figured out somethin' for ya'll's blues, mes ami!" he walks over and plunks his arm around my shoulders. Ororo sighs.
"Remy, if it's anything like the makeshift Mardi Gras you threw last year-"
"Now now, 'Roro. You ain't seen what da Gambit's been cookin' in his here brain case!" he exclaims, "For de past I 'unno, few months. We done faced some nasty customers."
He claps his hands, "So voila! I done cooked us up some R n' R for us! A movie an' a dinner, all for us!" Jubilee shoots out of her chair.
"No WAY!" she squeals, hugging him, "Ah Gambit, I could KISS YOU!"
"Wait wait wait." Scott cuts in, "Does the professor know? Does Mr. Logan know? Do ANY of the other teachers know?"
Piotr nods, "That would give me peace of mind."
Remy laughs, "Like hell any 'a dem sticks in the mud would let us out on our own!" he looks up at me, "Plus imagine Vic an' Kurt's newest memories bein' made tonight!"
"We goin' out or stayin' in?" I ask, it's more of a snarl than anything else.
"We goin' out, Vic!" he exclaims.
"Pass. I hate the city. That place is CRAWLING with Sentinels." but the look in his eyes says differently.
"You need to rest, Victor. That's what you need." Jean sighs, "That Danger Room session... it scared me." she gets up and walks over to me, grabbing my hand.
"It's just one night, Victor." she smiles, "Don't you want to?"
"D' I mean... Yeah, but I'd want it to be what I'd wanna do, but if you guys wanna go do it, that's fine." I sputter, looking at the others.
"Issit 'cause you want to go on a date with Jean?" Anna Marie pipes up, heat rushes to my cheeks.
"What?! No! It's not like-"
Scott sighs, "It is, Creed. Just admit it..."
Jean smiles, "Besides, it could be a date with a friend!" she exclaims. But then she gets my thoughts and blushes heavily.
"Oho, mignonne... Looks like DATS a date!" Remy exclaims, getting elbowed by Ororo.
"In any case, I will be responsible if anything goes wrong." She says, but Piotr speaks.
"Niet, Ororo. I will be. I am the oldest." he smiles, "And do not worry, we will be careful. There is theater not far from where we go."
He looks down at me and Jean, "Now please. No funny business. If need, I will send Anna to watch over you two."
"Hey! I ain't doing that!" Anna Marie exclaims, "They're more shy than a churchmouse in a cat's room!" I don't even have a clue how I'm going to do this. Jean pecks me on the cheek.
"Well, we'll go get ready then."
Once again, I'm going through the closet and all I got are normal shirts and jeans, belts n' bomber jackets. No real difference really. All not really fancy and more casual. After a real intense game of Rock Paper Scissors, Scott was the one picked to write the note. Of course, all of us goin' out is weird, so we just told the truth. Well, the truth an' somethin' Remy called 'Embellishments.' Somethin' about the food? Maybe snacks? After that, we all went out through a backway. Piling into Piotr's weird VW Minibus. Remy sighs.
"Look, Pete. I ain' gon' tell ya t'get a new car but-"
"Remy, it is effective for big group!" he exclaims, "Now, everyone stay together. If there is trouble, you have mobile phones, yes?" he looks at the more tech savvy guys and well, then there's me.
I ain't tech savvy at all. But we drive into the city and already I'm feeling the headache. Jean's not really wearin' anything fancy either. She's got her hair pulled back and she's talking to the other girls.
"Y'nervous dere, Vic?" Remy wonders, "Y'know y'never know when love gotcha."
"Right..." I look at Jean and she smiles. Everyone's going to some theater, but I wanted to get something to eat. Everyone else goes towards the theater. Jean grabs my hand and I had to make sure I passed for human.
Jean could, but fangs n' claws ain't too nice for people to see. So long agonizing hours of cutting my claws and filing down my fangs later and I'm already regrowing them. But Jean still holds my hand. It's real nice of her to do that. We sit down at a table, get drinks. Not anything alcoholic but Jean sits across from me with a happy smile.
'Are you sure you can eat cooked food?'
'Yeah, I can.'
"So there I am, covered head to toe in mud, draggin' in dinner an' my Mama looks at me like she's never seen somethin' so horrible but so cute and-" I cut myself off, taking a drink of my soda.
"I... I must be borin' ya to tears, Jeanie."
Jean laughs, "No! No, it's cute, Vic!" she smiles, "I had something similar. There was one time my friend and I were out in the rain, and the river was all full."
"What didja do?" I ask.
"Well, I thought we could build a raft or something to sail across." she says, "And we got everything together, and well, we didn't weight test it!" she laughs a little.
"So what? Didja fall in?"
"No! But my little Sabertooth tiger did! Ah, he needed like three drying cycles." she grins and reaches across, grabbing my hand. I almost wanna pull it back for what happened in the hotel but-
"You remembered something, Victor. That means progress." she smiles, tracing my palm with her fingers.
"Jean, I... about the hotel-"
"I felt everything, Victor." she states, "You really did love them."
I smile, "Jean, I..." she gets up slightly, leaning forward and her eyes are closing. She looks like a dream, talks like heaven, but I gulp back my fear. This is my first ever kiss. Like, mouth to mouth kiss. 'Alright, Victor. You're gonna cup her cheek an' pull her in, yer gonna give her a peck and that's it. Then, you're gonna look right into the eyes of your-' In moments, there's the smell of Adamantium. Amber eyes burning into us like fire. Long wild blonde hair brushed neat. Wearin' all black like always. Looming above us, with a vicious smile on his face.
'Daaaaaaad?!'
We practically jump away from each other, claws out on my end but he slides in like nobody's business. He grins down at us.
"Well, if it ain't my son..." he leans in, sitting next to Jean, "What'cha doing out here?"
"Just ah, having dinner."
"Right, right..." Dad gently hovers his hand around the back of Jean's neck. She stiffens, almost letting the fear take her. Sabretooth likes it. He laughs and tilts his head to study her.
'Victor?'
'Stay calm, Jean.'
Sabretooth grins, "Hey there, hon." his voice sounds soft, almost kind, "Let's play a game."
"What kind of game?" she asks.
"Answer my questions, an' if I like the answers you get to keep that pretty head on your shoulders." he presses his claws into her neck a little, "If I don't like 'em..."
"Shhhrrrrk!" he motions across his neck with his free hand, "Of course, it's only stayin' yer execution anyway."
"Why're you doing this?" I snarl. Rage barely being kept back by the fact that this establishment even allows mutants at all.
"Vicky Vicky Vicky..." he sighs, "I'm doin' what a Dad should do for his boy."
'What kind of excuse is that?' Jean snorts through our link, 'If he was half the father he claims to be, we wouldn't be here right now.'
'Jean, I like your enthusiasm.'
'Is that a new word for you?'
'Yeah!'
"Okay. Let's start!" he grins and takes a drink from my cup, "So, what's your name?"
"Jean." she answers like this happened before. Like this all was just another Tuesday in a long line of bad days.
"Jean, huh? That's a nice name." he looks at me, "What made ya so interested in my son?"
Jean looks at me, 'Should I lie?'
'What? Just tell him the truth. He's like Logan except a hundred times stronger.'
Jean lets out a breath, "I became interested because he was so gentle. Despite the standoffishness and the anger."
Sabretooth laughs a little, "Really? It wasn't my son's strength? Or his power? Tons o' ladies like power." he gives her that slow, heated smile. That one means he's thinking.
"But outta the options you got, why him?" he growls, "You had the boy scout, the imp, the fuckin' Cajun, an' the Russian."
'Victor... are you ready?'
'For what?'
Jean looks at him with a smile, "He likes to listen."
"Huh?" Sabretooth blinks, caught a little off guard but here we are trying not to die. He grins and starts to laugh.
"Don't tell me you're acting soft now, Vicky!" he leans forward and takes a drink from my cup again, "You're like... what? A month, a few weeks into this mamby pamby bullshit and already you got a girl?"
"Sabretooth-"
His claws press a little into Jean's neck, "Ah ah ah... say it right."
"Dad, sir." I growl.
"Now tell me, Jean. What's Vicky shown you?" he asks.
"Everything." she says, her tone flat as a board. Dad leans close.
"An' you know what's gonna happen every year on his birthday." he grins, "You either get used to it real fast or you'll end up dead."
Jean glares at him, "All I know about you is that you're a murderer. You've killed countless people in your long life and you're trying to do that for Victor too." Dad's eyes widen.
"Well! Ain't that a kick in the teeth!"
'Jean! What are you-'
'It's angry.'
In seconds he goes flying head over heels through the glass window like it's water. He goes slamming into the pavement. Rising with a shining orange aura, her lips set in a scowl. Sabretooth rises and wipes the blood from his face with his sleeve, "Well I'll be damned... I like her." he moves away back towards the alleyways. Jean lands a little woozy but okay.
Ororo swoops down, "Victor, Jean! Are you two alright?" she steadies her and I check myself for any bugs. He might've ended up planting some on us but I'm not sure. Jean looks at me.
"We're okay, Ororo." she answers, "Just... it's odd."
"What's odd?" I ask, "You threw him through the window like it wasn't even there!"
"I know, but..." she clasps my hand, "I... almost kissed you." I gently tuck some of her hair behind her ear and give her a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks for helpin' me handle Sabretooth." I admit with a smile, "Let's get back to the others before they-" in moments, Jean picked me up and planted a kiss dead on my lips.
"Wha... wha..." I breathe as she ruffles my hair a little.
"Consider us even."
God, I don't know what the fuck happened but she just made my heart skip a ton of beats. Ororo fixes me with a pointed glare.
"If you break her heart, Victor..."
"I know, I know." I sigh, feeling Jean pull me along behind her. For once in my life...
I don't mind being led.
