Marvel: 2011-04-08 - A Tale as Old as Time

It had been a four day hunt for Logan through upstate NeW York farms and forest as Victor Creed had kept on the run and left a swath of death and destruction for Logan to follow. Though the trail had circled around and Logan would have found the remains of a fire fight that did not end well. He would have smelled Agent 96 and Jubilee's scents. But there would be no sign of them to be found.

The trail would lead through the night and the next day would lead to a small farm just south of the Canadian border. The gray sky threatening rain coming soon. At the edge of the meadow lays a large oak tree, a female body hangs from the tree swinging lifelessly in the wind. Agent 96's scent in the wind. Inside the farm house, sits Jubilee handcuffed at the kitchen table where she can see the barn, the hay meadow, and probably Logan's approach. The power had been cut in the house and somewhere in the house the sounds of Sabertooth laying a trap can be heard. The farmer and his family is no where to be seen.

Logan is making a point of not being seen, careful to keep himself both as out of sight as possible and downwind, he spots Jubilee, but is careful not to approach, that's what Creed would expect after all. He seems to consider the building, his years of experience with Creed and his general tactical ability giving a few possible ideas of what the serial killers got planned... Though generally Creed likes ambushes over traps, which leads Logan to make a careful approach, his senses all focused on locating Creed. Well, this sucked. It started out so good, too - she was able to catch up with Logan, but then things turned from bad to worse, it seemed. Just a few short days after meeting up with Logan and Agent 96 - and suffering through the grumpy Canadian's antics, Jubilee had mostly teamed up a bit with 96 - following the older woman's lead, when Logan did not seem to wish to give it. But the best SHIELD Agent in the world, and a sparkplug, were no match for an ancient berserker.

Jubilee had had a rough few hours, with only the spooky sounds of whatever that psycho Creed was doing above keeping her company - it was better than the times that he had kept /her/ company. Clenching her jaw, the Asian-american hadn't tried to paf her cuffs off yet - it would be stupid with Creed able to catch her. So she watched, and waited - looking over the fields for something...!

There comes a low growl from the house that seems to be emitting from everywhere and nowhere. Then a snarl as Jubilee hears, "Girlie, do you see him? He should be coming pretty soon. If you see him, you better call for him or I will gut. That Shield Cupcake will be pretty in comparison." In the spring sky there's a lighting strike and the thud of thunder. It rouses the horse on the farm and it lets out a whinny. The ozone filling the air with it's acidic smell.

Logan frowns at the rain, it dapens sound for both of them, reduces visibility, but it also means the air's likely to shift. Logan's effectively run out of time, the wind no longer even a little reliable to cover his scent, so instead he sneaks towards Jubes, hoping at least that he can get her out before whatever trap he's heading into is sprung. Now, Jubilee was terrified. But Jubilee had a particular way of dealing with terror; "Well, I ~would~ be able to see somethin' if not for the rain. And the trees! And the fact that I totally, uh... um..." Okay, the whole teasing Creed thing had its limits, and Jubilee's voice dies down some. She remembered what had happened to the agent, after all.

Her eyes flit towards the shape skulking out in the bushes - did she see...? She clenches the arms of her chair, tighter. "Don't!" she calls out, "It's a trap!" Logan swears under his breath. He's not sure if Jubes is stupid or thinks he is, but he'd been hoping to get Jubes out before springing the trap, but now that seems unlikely he'll instead head directly for the scent of Creed, cutting his way through the most convinent section of wall... That won't bring the building down on them... Gotta love Adamantium.

The sound of skin striking skin comes down the hall. Creed is clapping, "Good job, Frail. I knew I kept the right one alive. " There's sounds as if Victor Creed stalks up the stairs to the second floor. The creeks up stair sound as if he's looking out the second story floor that out look the farm yard from the same direction as Jubilee. As Logan goes to cut through the wall, there's a crashing sound of glass and wood breaking. Victor's trying to pounce Logan with his claws barred.

Stupid, no - but... well... traps were meant to surprise people, right? And so she did not want Logan surprised. It made sense to her. "Sh-shut up!" Jubilee calls back up the stairs, jerking her wrists against the cuffs. As the violent fighting starts to sound, Jubilee grits her teeth, closing her eyes (she had lost her shades already), and trying to shoot her cuffs off with an explosion of light and sound at the chain.

Logan Shifts as the glass breaks, his shoulder dropping and his own claws raising up on one hand to hopefully catch Creed, if not he should at least be able to deflect the larger Feral with the roll. He lets out a sound akin to a growl as he swipes at Creeds abdomen with one of his clawed hands.

The cuffs weren't Jubilee proof. So as long as she doesn't blow her hands off in the process or set the chair on fire. Meanwhile outside, Victor rolls out of the way of Logan's claw. He lands on the porch in a low profile he begins to circle with Logan, "Hey Runt, Your a day late and dollar short as usual. Women just don't have any luck with you. They all end up dead." He then rakes at Logan's face.

There are some things you don't say to Logan, there are things that push Logan's buttons, and Creed knows them, he's damn good at getting under Logans skin, sometimes it results in a quick and sudden act of violence, a mistake that Creed can exploit, yet now it becomes something to fuel his already burning rage... He's likely holding back that part of himself that's all animal through sheer will at present. He manages to catch Creeds forearm with his own, his knee raising towards the other mans stomach. "It's the last time Victor, I'm finally putting you in the ground."

Well, Jubilee wasn't going to target the bit around her wrist - just the chain lashing her to the chair. She kinda knew that fine control was a little off. So what she accomplishes is getting her hands free, although she might be stuck with a bracelet for a while. Squinting open one eye, she looks back down to her hand, flexing her fingers. She survived - yes! "You know, I'm not sure I wanna talk Logan out of killin' this Sabretooth guy anymore..." she murmurs to herself, getting up - not to run, but to try to find where the two men were fighting. It was easy enough to follow the sounds.

The wind shift and picks up in intensity. The thunder draws closer and the the rain arrives, all signs hearkening the arrival of the true storm. Victor lets out an umph, sound as the knee strikes him in the gut. "Oh Got your big boy pants on Logan? Nah, you don't whelp. Me and you are going to be playing a little game for a long time coming. You just going to watch you're loved one's die." With that he grabs Logan by the shirt and throws him into the yard proper. He looks back to Jubilee, "Oh don't be going anywhere little Rabbit, I got plans for you."

It's been four days of following Creed's trail, and likely too many years of getting close to people, but when Logan hears Creed talk to Jubilee Logan lunges at him, his words are almost a growl, one observant enough might just notice his eyes are beginning to become shot with blood. "You don't talk to her Creed." His claws swipe at blinding speed towards Creets stomach, his next words no less harsh in tone. "Run kid."

"Yeah," Jubilee says. "About those plans?" Jubilee says, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Not gonna happen!" Hopefully, before Logan can reach him, Jubilee has her hands up, closing her eyes for lack of those glasses, and sending a rather harsh bolt of energy towards him - pink swirls that sparkle and pop as they close on him. "I'm /totally/ not gonna run!" she says, her tone a bit more snappy due to... well... she's had a rough day.

Jubilee's flash catches Sabertooth in the eyes blinding him. Victor lets out a scream of pure pain as Logan disembowels him. Then an inhuman roar comes out of his mouth. The villain goes charging toward Logan. His fangs bitting, his claws ripping as he goes into a beserker rage of pure predator.

Jubilee's flash catches Sabertooth in the eyes blinding him. Victor lets out a scream of pure pain as Logan disembowels him. Then an inhuman roar comes out of his mouth. The villain goes charging toward Logan. His fangs bitting, his claws ripping as he goes predator mode. The villian figuring his best defense being a good offense to survive.

Logan for his part was on the verge of losing his own temper, strangely enough it's the denial to run that really pushes Logan, the bites and scratches managing at times to land, yet Logan seems not to mind, the faint growls and single roar as he seems to press the attack against Creed proving that the beast in Logan has managed to make its way to the surface, He moves with a speed and viciousness he rarely musters, his claws aiming at Creeds throat in a frantic series of slashes. "J-jeez," whispers Jubilee to herself. It was one thing to know that Creed and Logan were bad, and another thing to see them just... hack into each other. She felt kinda sick, really - the only thing keeping her in place? The fact that Logan might need her help. Sabertooth continues to swing, claw, and fight against Logan as the two mutants life blood bleeds out onto the ground. Victor's attacks begin to slow as Logan's savage attacks are quicker than Victor heals. A last swipe at Logan's face to blind him as the large mutant hits the ground bleeding out. The monster's heart stopping. With Creed down Logan turns his attention to Jubilee, there's little sign of humanity about his expression, he's let that go for the moment instead he's pure aggressive preadator, he's healing faster than usual, but for now his face is a ragged mess, he can't apparently see, though his sense of smell seems to have picked out Jubes with unnerving accuracy, he begins towards her with a quick, and surprisingly aggressive step, his claws still extended, his face healing with each passing second.

"I... um... Logan?" Jubilee says, her face growing paler. Normally, well, she would have been pretty excited about Team Jubilee's 'win' here, today, but the brutal victory didn't really leave her feeling great. And seeing Logan like that? "Mr. Logan? Logan? I'm here to help you out?" she says, taking a few steps back. Her urge for survival was at war with her, well... trust in her teacher. Logan's at war with himself it would seem, his motions are aggressive yet there's a definate sense of tension, he lacks his usual grace, his eyes have grown back leaving only superficial, if deep, wounds. He looks at Jubes with eyes that are far too red, his advance stopping, even if his expression hasn't become any less inhuman, there's only the faintest glimmer of humanity in the newly grown eyes. "H-hey, it's me? Are you alright? Did his claws get your eyes or something? It's me?" Jubilee says, her voice shaky, but rising up in a certain level of confidence again. He stopped - that was an advantage, right? "Are, are you hurt? We should go get your stuff looked at." Logan seems all but ready to strike when a look of recognition comes upon him, he also looks somewhat tired, his claws disappear and the annoyed sound he makes is far more the Logan Jubes knows. "Next time I tell you to run you run." He frowns a little. "Come on." He begins away, apparently having decided to leave Creed to the elements. "We've got to get you back to the school." He glances at the body, not sure if Creed's really dead or not, but not willing to risk the chance that Jubes will get caught up in things if he isn't. "Don't know what Summers was thinking sending you out here."

Jubilee's raincoat was tattered, but she sticks her hands into her pockets, anyways, looking back towards Creed with a grim expression. "Is he... is he dead? I don't know what Scooter was thinking - but, um... I just didn't want you to kill him, you know?" she says, shrugging her shoulders. "Don't know, with a little luck." Logan moves at a pace Jubes can maintain, but he moves with a purpose. "Some people need to die kid... Ain't nice, but it's the way things are. Some people can't be saved and they're just too dangerous to lock away... You think anything'd have stopped Creed for long?" He shrugs a shoulder. "You think he was ever going to stop? I didn't take a chance to kill him then I've let him kill more people." He turns to look at Jubes. "I ain't one of the heroes kid, I'm a killer and a monster, only difference between me and Creed is I've got enough control to only kill those who need killing."

"Pshaw. There you go again - 'I'm a lone wolf. I'm a killer'," Jubilee says, mimicking Logan's growly tone at certain points. Still, she glances over her shoulder at the body of Creed, as she follows along behind Logan. She pauses, too, when he looks at her, a little frown on her lips. "Maybe you can change his mind about killing - maybe he could... become a hero too, you know?" Jubilee says, although she sounds somewhat unconvinced about that last. "But I don't think you're a monster, Logan - not at all." Shaking his head Logan frowns. "Can't change what you are kid, you can choose to deny it, choose to direct or control it, but it don't change the fact... I ain't one of the good guys, I'm a killer and an animal. You learn that and you'd be a lot safer." He sighs. "Creed's the same, difference is Creed likes it, he ain't ever gonna change because he loves the killing, he loves hurting people." He shakes his head.

"But, okay - doesn't that make you more of a good guy?" Jubilee asks, "I mean, if you have to fight against wanting to kill everything... I mean, that's more than most people have to deal with. That makes you like... twice as much of a good guy, right?"

"I don't want to kill everything... I just want to let the... Man go." He shrugs a shoulder as he continues to walk. "I give that up and life gets real simple... What you saw back there, that was a little of what's waiting to get out... I ain't good for not giving in to it, I ain't nice because I only kill under certain conditions... I'm a bad man, I just make sure I keep myself focused on stopping worse men."

Jubilee gives Logan a long, disbelieving look. "That's why you just attacked a crazy, creepy man, and led me away safely, huh? Because you're so terrible?" she asks.

Looking at Jubes Logan shakes his head. "No, because I ain't /all/ terrible, that's what makes me different from Creed." He shrugs a shoulder. "Anyway, I'll need to get you back to the town and SHIELD, then I'll come back for the Agent's body... She shouldn't be left hanging out there."

Victor lays there for a long long time. His blood mixing in the mud and the rain. Jubilee and Logan are long gone by then. Victor's heart starts to beat again and his eyes flicker open. He sits up popping his neck, he muses to himself, "Don't you know frail, I'm the hero of this story. Reminding the Runt he's not a human." He makes his way to his feet, "Guess it's time to get to work." With that Victor turns and begins to make his way toward the Canadian border.