…SUCH MEN ARE DANGEROUS
PART SIX
Ororo sat on the edge of the large water fountain and popped two kernels of the popcorn she had just bought into her mouth. She took a deep breath and let it out.
"Any closer and this time the lightening strike will be fatal."
Logan, whose form had been hidden behind the center column of the fountain, slowly walked around into view. Ororo still had her back to him as he moved part of the way around large circle.
"I will kill you."
"Nah. Ya won’t. Ya wouldn’t."
"You know I have the power."
"You do."
"You know how much I detest you."
"…Uh-huh."
"Then do not test me further."
"Ya might fry me real good darlin’, but ya’d never kill me. Not fer yourself. If ya were protecting someone else… maybe. But you’d never take a life t’save yer own. That’s not yer style."
She turned her head to look at him. He was standing at a right angle away from her according to the center of the fountain.
"He can paint ya a new life on the outside, but he can’t change what’s underneath. He can’t change who ya are."
"What do you want?"
Logan just stared at her.
"Well?"
He let his eyes drop, lest she see the sorrow in them, then turned and walked away.
Ororo stood up and watched him. She took a few steps in the direction he had gone. After he disappeared down one of the park paths, an object her right caught her eye. Lying on the edge of the fountain, where the rough man had been standing, was a flower. A very strange flower.
‘A hybrid.’ She thought, and moved to pick it up. ‘I know this flower.’
She closed her eyes and brought the strangely beautiful plant to her nose. She inhaled slowly, and recalled her own words.
‘To remember…’
* * * * *
"So, where ya been all mornin’?"
"Central Park. I needed to clear my head… no pun intended."
"You run inta any… trouble?"
Ororo put the strange hybrid in a vase. Her back was to him.
"No, Victor." She turned and smiled. "Everything was fine. I had a lovely walk."
Creed narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded then left the room.
‘She’s lyin’. An’ she know I know. This ain’t good.’
Ms. Kesh was coming up the stairs carrying a box. He stopped her.
"It—it’s only a sweater." She said in anticipation. "See." She opened the box to show him.
He picked up the dark blue sweater and then dropped it back into the box.
"Keep and eye on her."
She watched him walk past her and disappear through the front door before she continued on her way.
"Come in." Ororo said when Kesh knocked.
"I picked you up a little something." She said coming into the bedroom. Ororo was sitting at the bottom edge of the bed staring at a strange flower on the dresser.
"I wish you wouldn’t. You buy me far too many gifts. I cannot remember what I have done to deserve them."
"Oh… just trying to make this a little easier for you."
"…"
Ororo blinked a couple of times then turned to look at Kesh who was placing the box on the bed.
"To make what a little easier for me?"
Kesh, who was now holding the sweater out in front of herself, froze."
"Well… you know… getting use to everything… again. Sin—since you can’t remember anything."
Ororo nodded thoughtfully.
"How long… have you worked for Victor—for us, I mean?"
"Uh, not long."
"How well do you know him?"
"Not very."
"What do you think of him?"
"…He’s uh… he’s very focussed. Determined. He’s… got a bit of a temper, but he’s really working on controlling it. And, uh... well he’s got a… unique sense of humor."
"Mmm. Why are there no pictures of us?"
"What?"
"Pictures."
"Uh… there was a fire."
"When?"
"Two—I mean, a year ago."
"Here?"
"Yes. I mean no. I mean… Why all the questions all of a sudden?"
"… I am forgetting myself." She said, more to herself.
"Well, you have amnesia."
"That is not what I am speaking of." Ororo replied.
She stood up and walked to the balcony.
"Where are you going?" Kesh asked, a touch of panic shading the worry in her voice.
"I—do not know. The Botanicals I suppose, I need to think. Something is not—right. It does not feel right."
Kesh looked about the room as Ororo leaned against the doorframe.
"I—I think I would like to speak to one of them."
"Who?"
"One of the X-Men."
Kesh’s eyes widened.
"Th-the X-Men?" she finished with a whisper.
"There is something nagging at me. It has something to do with them—I know it does. I feel so close to Victor—I do… But there is something wrong here." She looked at the flower on her dresser. "There is something missing."
Kesh had been wringing her hands fretfully. She looked about the room once more as though she expected to see someone pop out of the walls at any minute.
She sighed and moved forward taking Ororo by the hand and pulling her back into the room. She closed the balcony doors and made certain they were secure. She turned and spoke with a hushed voice.
"Wait to go to the Botanicals. Go tomorrow. I can get in touch with one of the X-Men. This… Cajun guy. He’s on the team but he’s still pretty low to the street. I can get word to him that you want to meet."
"Really? Are you certain, Kesh?"
She nodded. "Tomorrow."
"Just be sure to tell him it is a neutral meeting. One on one, and no tricks. I just have a few questions."
"That won’t be a problem."
"Thank you, Kesh."
"Valerie. And believe me, it’s the least I can do."
* * * * *
Kesh looked out the window of her small one room servant’s quarters towards the main house. Large heavy trees filled the distance between the two structures, and there was only one small stone path that wound it’s way towards the latter. Still, it was still possible to view the large house through the trees. There were no lights on in the house as it was three in the morning. There was no moon and the sky was overcast.
‘Now or never.’ She thought as she grabbed her keys from the table.
"Goin’ somewhere Kesh."
The voice came out from the darkness around her.
"Who—"
Creed stepped out from the darkness into the minimal light provided by the window.
"Where ya goin’, Kesh?"
"Vi—Sab—M—Mr. Creed… What are you—"
"I asked you a question, Kesh."
She looked at the keys in her hand.
"I—uh, was just going for a drive. Nothing special."
Creed nodded. He slowly walked over to the door and locked it.
"What—what are you doing?"
He walked towards her just as slowly, and she began to back up matching his pace. She backed up against a support post.
"M—Mr. Creed, what are you do—"
He reached across and backhanded her across the face so hard that she ended up halfway across the room on the floor. Kesh, laying on her stomach, grabbed her jaw in pain. Creed picked her up by the collar and flung her onto the bed, crushing himself down on her an instant later.
He held her down, one hand around her throat. With his other clawed hand, he completely shredded her blouse. She tried to scream, but his hand allowed only the smallest stream of air out. Only the smallest sound of the word ‘no’ was able to escape her lips. He reached down and tore the button from the top of her pants. Kesh reached up and raked her nails across his eyes. This did distract him and he released his grip on her. Unfortunately, she was backed into the corner against the wall where the bed was pushed. She was trapped. She tucked herself up as tightly as she could.
Sabretooth ran his hand over his eyes then glared at her with an evil smirk. He grabbed one of her legs and pulled her back out of the corner, then used his knee to pin both her legs to the bed.
Kesh flailed her arms about in a vain attempt to fight him off. She cried and pleaded with him. He managed to catch both of her arms in one of his and held them down to her chest. He backhanded her across the face, snapping her neck to the side. He put his mouth over hers and kissed her violently. He released her leaving her gasping for air between sobs.
"Don’t act surprised, Kesh." He hissed in her ear. "Why the hell do ya think I’ve been keeping ya around?"
He used his hand and forced her face to look directly at him. "Ya think I didn’t know you been wantin’ t’double cross me the whole time."
Her eyes widened.
"Wanted t’wreck all my plans. I know where you were goin’ tonight Kesh. You were gonna contact them. Turn her against me. Well now, you’re gonna help me turn her against them fer good. See, when I’m done with ya here, and they find yer carcass all torn up… the X-Men bein’ the prime suspects, she ain’t never gonna question what I tell her again."
"God, no." She sobbed.
"‘Fraid ya’ve warn our yer usefulness Ms. Kesh. Gonna hafta terminate ya. But first…” he grinned and roughly ran a clawed hand across her now exposed breast, drawing the faintest amount of blood. “Yer severance pay…”
To Be Continued…