Prey Drive Chapter 1

By Cadet Deming

I don't own the rights to the X-Men, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. Based on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Rated T for adult language, themes and violence.

Team X Base, sometime in the 1970's

He had a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch again. Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, could smell it on Colonel Stryker's breath. One of the downsides of having enhanced senses was the information overload. It also intensified his hunger at the moment. Of course, to Victor the four food groups were dairy, vegetables, muscle, and marrow.

"I have a proposition for you Victor. Or should I put it more simply, a chance for you to hunt again."

He didn't need enhanced senses to hear the condescension in the Colonel's voice. He always had an air of smugness about him, like he knew a secret no one else did. Little men always seemed to assume that the strong were naturally stupid. Victor thought of how easy it would be to snap his neck with one hand.

"Who do you want me to kill this time?"

"No killing is needed, yet. Just collecting. I'm thinking of growing our little mutant family. And I think you're the best half-man for the job."

"Ain't nothing 'half-man' about me," he sneered, purposely baring his fangs more than needed.

"Relax, it's just a saying. Have I ever told you that out of all of my Team X soldiers, you're my favorite?"

Victor had heard him say that to every member of Team X several times over by now. Yet another side effect of abnormally sharp senses. Stryker wore more manipulations on his sleeve than most military brass had insignias.

"Yeah, you have. But I don't mind you saying it again. By 'growing the family', does that mean you want to start using my stud services?"

"Oh heavens no. I was thinking more along the lines of adopting mutants with new abilities, whether they agree to it or not. I figured a…man…of your many talents would enjoy the thrill of hunting your own kind for a change. Something to sharpen your 'prey drive' so to speak."

Victor was intrigued. Human casualties were too easy. He craved a bigger challenge.

"Who do you have in mind?"

Stryker slid a file across his desk to him.

"As this is your first mutant assignment, I figured I'd give you something small. Its legal name is Tabitha Smith. Aliases are "Boom-Boom" and "Boomer". It's 16 years old and in a juvenile detention center. Most adolescents…that means teenagers…blow things up with pipe bombs or firecrackers. It can create explosions with energy balls from its bare hands. I want that power…for the Team. Your assignment is to capture it alive and transport it to this facility."

Victor looked through the file, his interest piqued.

"I'm in." He got up to leave.

"One more thing before you go," said Stryker.

Victor paused.

"Try to control yourself this time."

"I'll try," he replied, but muttered to himself: "But I won't promise".

Hicksville, Ohio Juvenile Detention Center for Girls, 4 days later

Victor hid in the trees of the enclosed courtyard of the Detention Center. There weren't very many, just a token few planted to appease some environmental zoning law, but enough to give him cover.

He scanned the crowd of tough-looking girls for his prize. Most were standing or sitting in packs sharply divided by race. He tried to sniff the air for Tabitha, assuming that as a fellow mutant she would smell "different" enough, but the stench of cheap cigarettes almost choked him.

Finally he saw Tabitha, off in a corner by herself. Alone, like most mutants were. Was she shunned by the other girls because of her "gift", or did she separate herself out from them, knowing her own superiority. Perhaps a little of both. Either way, she lacked the safety of "the herd."

He leapt from one tree to a closer one, breaking a branch in the process. He held still as she quickly looked up and around, but didn't see him.

Tabitha gently pushed the open can of tuna to the stray orange tabby cat.

"Here kitty, kitty. Nice kitty."

The cat crept closer, as if it was stalking the can. It paused and stared at her mistrustfully. She couldn't blame it for not trusting humans. She certainly didn't, not with the way they treated her kind. The feline meowed questioningly, but finally started to eat ravenously.

"Nice kitty. I'm not going to hurt you," she said as she edged closer to it.

Tabitha liked cats. They didn't care if she was "different". If a cat liked you, it was because you earned it.

Tabitha heard a branch snap and looked in its direction. She felt an instinctive sense of fear, but told herself she was being ridiculous. After all, it was broad daylight. Besides, she had her powers, even if she tried not to bring attention to herself by using them in public. She was only allowed one half hour outside, why chicken out with what little freedom she had?

She cautiously scratched the cat behind its ears. It purred, and rubbed its ears against her possessively. Suddenly it caterwauled loudly and bit her, breaking the skin on her hand before running off.

She shouted: "Dammit! What the he…"

Then, Tabitha felt the pain of five sharp nails digging into her shoulder. She looked up and saw a tall man, if that's what he even was, grinning with tiger-sized fangs down at her.

To be continued