Summer Night <open>

[kim]

Characters Appearing: Kimberly
Time of Day: Nightfall
Location(s): Random hotel in SoCal
Previous Thread Name/Info: None
NPCs Used: None
Plot Summary: Nothing yet. I have no plot in mind, we can just see where this leads.

~*~*~*~*~

Kimberly sat in a tree outside the cozy hotel she'd checked into, her back resting against the bark as her brown eyes gazed at the horizon, watching the sun set. Beautiful shades of orange, pink, and purple splashed through the sky and reflecting off of a few puffy clouds that drifted lazily by.

She sighed in content as she closed her eyes, feeling the last of the warmth the sun had to offer. An everyday sunset was something that a lot of people took for granted, but Kimberly loved watching it. It was never the same. She once heard that people who enjoyed sunsets were considered dreamers. It seemed that it was a good analogy, because it fit her well.

It was getting darker now, and as Kimberly opened her eyes, she noticed fireflies in the fields. A smile touched her lips as she remembered catching the tiny creatures in a jar as a young girl, only to set them free later. She couldn't bear to see anything in captivity.

The former Pink Ranger remained in the tree long after the sun had set. Her eyes were now focused on the stars in the sky, and the full moon that was shining brightly, lighting up the night. A shooting star streaked across the sky, causing another reminiscent smile to cross Kimberly's face. It was another memory of her childhood, staring outside her window long after her mother had put her to bed, gazing at the night sky for a shooting star that she could make a wish on.

Kimberly climbed down from the tree, her years as a gymnast showing as she leaped from branch to branch, graceful and fluid in her movements, landing perfectly on her feet as she hit the ground.

"Haven't lost my touch." She said to herself as she walked along the grounds. She wasn't ready to go inside just yet, and decided a walk around the grounds would be nice.

[Victor Creed]

It would appear she would not be the only one to walk around the grounds of the hotel. Victor Creed had decided this place would do to hit up a room for the night. Not having yet headed inside to claim a vacant room. He had watched the woman from afar when she climbed down a tree with the grace of a feline. Either from years of training or a mutant power. He would find out soon enough if she was one or not.

Walking, or more like lurking in his case, around the area to check things out didn't seem too out of place. Unless you happen to be watching him and noticed how odd he appeared. Creed didn't even bother to stick to the shadows as if daring anyone to try and jump him in this area. A brave or foolish act that he did not care. His heightened senses kept him alert for anything out of the ordinary.

Of course nothing was than that little stunt the young woman pulled off. Seriously many humans were too weak and lazy to pull off those moves. After a few minutes, Creed decided to head towards the main building to sign in for a room. It did not take long at all. Plus being a paying customer this time around than being threatening. After stepping outside, he glanced around and found it still to be nonthreatening with this area.

“This is going to be a long, boring night,” he muttered to himself.

[kim]

Kimberly walked around the grounds, enjoying the night. It was peaceful and quiet out, and she was enjoying herself. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to be happy. She hated the fact that she lied to Tommy and ended the relationship she had with him, and the fact that he and Kat dated was painful to know as well. Granted, it was the reason she'd decided to end it. She wanted Tommy to be happy, and if that meant he could be with someone who was close to him rather than far away... it hurt, but she felt his happiness was the most important thing.

Kimberly pulled herself out of her thoughts when her eyes fell on another man outside. She didn't realize she wasn't alone, and she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her. He was a big man, and his very demeanor suggested that he was one who got into a lot of fights, and Kimberly didn't doubt he won them.

Deciding that it'd be better for her to be inside the building, she walked toward the hotel, noticing that he was going that way himself. At least people were inside, and hopefully that meant that if this guy was a troublemaker, he wouldn't bother where witnesses would be around.

She kept quiet after his comment, not wanting to start anything with him.

[Victor Creed]

Slight fear emanate from the woman as it was the only thing new to scent in the air. A small chuckle erupted from the back of his throat as he caught wind of it. He had turned to catch her watching him and took note on how she was judging him with her eyes with just this brief moment. Something most people weren't good at unless they were used to fighting bad guys.

Interesting. Maybe this woman would be fun to provoke. Besides other people staying at the hotel this would not bother him any. Something the feral mutant was used to unless killing didn't need a witness by the person paying him. Right now he was not under any contract. Free reign. The way he loved it than having certain restrictions in order to get paid.

“By the way you got out of the tree I'd say you are or were a gymnast,” he called out to her. Funny how if she was around back when Stryker made his team that Fred Dukes would of probably wanted to have a night with her. Unless only that one caught his interest. Victor never bothered to ask about his short lived love life. This way he would make sure that he noticed how she was looking at him and that he had seen her get down out of the tree.

[kim]

Kimberly's plan was to go for the stairs and head straight for her room. However, the man called after her, his words causing her to stop. Kimberly closed her eyes for a moment, trying to keep calm. Letting her anger rise wasn't a route she enjoyed taking, nor did she feel it would help her in this situation.

Still, the thought racing through her mind was just how long was the man out there? She decided to let that part go. It wasn't as if she was doing anything out there that would reveal she was a former Ranger, nor was she talking to anyone about her past.

She turned to face him, trying her best to keep her expression semi-friendly, although her guard was up.

"Took classes in middle school, high school..." Kimberly said casually. "Went to the Pan Globals, too, did pretty well."

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this guy was rubbing her the wrong way. Her instincts were telling her to stay away. He just seemed... dangerous to her. His strength was obvious, but something was telling her that he was the type who knew how strong he was, and that he looked for people who he could fight with as a source of amusement more than anything else.

[Victor Creed]

So she wasn't as gifted as he had thought. A late bloomer for getting into gymnastics but it seemed all her hard work paid off. Victor wasn't completely sure about the Pan Globals yet didn't bother to ask any further. It seemed very important that she had gotten that far. In the end she would of have to give up due to their silly requirements as she got older.

“Impressive, but let me guess you stopped competing,” he suggested with a light shrug of the shoulders. Even if she stopped competing in competitions it was still like a second nature to her. Just like it was nature to him to hunt like a predator. This woman still didn't seem like a threat and only amused him with how afraid she seemed to be by just looking at him.

Smirking, showing off his fangs, he asked, “Why do you seem so afraid? I haven't done anything but talk to you.” Clearly knowing he was making it more obvious that he was doing this on purpose. Everyone else within this hotel seemed to be minding their own business than check out who is having a conversation outside. He would just back off if someone did come out to see what was going on. For now he would keep talking to her.

[kim]

The truth was, Kimberly's experience at gymnastics had started at a very early age. When she was four years old, she was watching the Summer Olympics with her parents, and she was entranced by the athletes she'd seen performing gymnastics. After that, she would spend her entire time outside practicing cartwheels and handstands with her dad holding her steady.

He helped her a lot, and by the time she was eight, she was skilled for her age. She dreamed of a day where she'd be in a competition, and with her father coaching her, she just knew that she'd be one of the best.

Unfortunately, it was at that age that her dad died. Kimberly was devastated at the loss, and for a while, she lost her desire to practice. Eventually though, the time came where she realized her father would never have wanted her to quit, and she got back to practicing. By the time middle school came along, her skills and confidence were back, and she was more than ready to give it her all again.

But she wasn't about to tell this guy something that personal.

"Got too old for it." Kimberly said, still using the same casual tone. "I couldn't be part of the competitions, but it's still something I'm good at."

Kimberly glanced at the window. Most people were starting to leave the lobby and head back to their own rooms, and those who were staying were focused on their own tasks. No one was coming outside, so she was alone with this creepy guy. She needed to get back to her own room...

The man started talking again, asking her (in a condescending tone) why she was afraid of him. Kimberly spun to face him again, ready to tell him that she wasn't afraid. She wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. However, when she saw his fangs, that intention vanished. Her eyes widened as she saw his fangs, and she wasn't able to stop the gasp that came out.

"What are you?" She asked, starting to back away.

[Victor Creed]

As she noticed his eye teeth being longer than any normal person's it caused him to chuckle. “What I am,” he mused as if trying to piece together an answer, “is a mutant.” Surely she had to have heard of them at some point. They were just crawling around every nook and cranny. Scaring her was proving some entertainment before the night is over with. Taking a few steps towards her, the feral mutant let the claws on his hands elongate to a much finer point and longer length.

His senses picked up on something nearby and his eyes lingered to the source. A window leading into a room a couple of feet away. Taking a few deep breaths made him realize that something was off. About ten people were in the room but also the familiar scent of metal filled his nose. Metal that belonged to weapons than simple electronics. The next moment proved to bring out the excitement even more.

Crouching, Victor brought his right arm back, only to rake it through the air as a young man came crashing through the wind with long knife in hand. Claws caught the man in the chest and Victor pinned him to the ground. With his other hand, Victor slashed open his throat, blooding splattering him and the surrounding area. “Friends of Humanity,” growled Victor. “You guys never seem to learn.”

The tell tale symbol with the initials FOH on the shirt marked the man. Either they were just here to see if they could find mutants out in the city later or just waiting for one to come to this motel was a mystery. Either way Victor was not pleased to be hunted and seemed to have lost interest in anyone else around him. They were expendable. A shot was fired from a gun that clipped Victor in the shoulder as he moved enough not to get hit fully.

A panic broke out inside the motel now; more FoH members climbed out the window to try and take this mutant down by all means necessary; Victor began to dodge and weave weapon fire while knocking weapons out of their hands and taking them down one by one.

[kim]

Kimberly's eyes widened as Creed told her he was a mutant, and a feeling of unease began to creep down her spine as he held up his hand in front of her, his claws growing into long, sharp points.

Still, she couldn't let the small amount of fear she had grow. Yes, she was nervous around his presence, but his intimidating demeanor was affecting her when she thought he was just a human. She never had a problem with mutants, Marie D'Ancanto, or Rogue, as she now called herself, was one of her dearest friends. She didn't believe in fearing them when they hadn't given a just cause for it. And while he was showing off his claws, he wasn't raising them to attack her.

She opened her mouth, ready to try and reason with him, and assure him she harbored no hatred for mutants when his demeanor suddenly changed. His eyes looked toward the window, and he seemed to be sniffing the air. She assumed that heightened senses were part of his powers, but she didn't have much time to think about it.

Creed crouched and swung his arm out, this time in an attack, but to Kim, it seemed justified. A man had burst out of the motel, a knife in his hand. Kimberly covered her mouth to cover a gasp when his clawed hand slashed at the man's throat. Suddenly they were surrounded by the Friends of Humanity. Kimberly had heard of them attacking and sometimes even killing mutants. It seemed that it was their intent tonight.

Two men stood in front of her, offering what they thought to be words of encouragement to her.

"Don't worry miss, you're safe now!"

"We won't let this freak hurt you!"

"How do you know that's what he planned?" Kimberly demanded. "He didn't start acting like this until your group showed up!"

That said, their expressions changed to anger.

"She's a mutant lover!"

Kimberly ignored them and looked toward Creed. He was skilled at dodging their attacks, but one finally hit him, causing him to hit the ground, no longer moving. Her eyes widened as she shoved past the other two men, trying to get to the gunman who'd managed to hit him.

"What did you do?!" Kimberly demanded.

"Stunned him." He said, sneering at her. "Stand aside, mutant lover."

"No. I'm not gonna let you hurt him."

"Any mutant lover is as much of an enemy to us as that thing lying on the ground is." The man snarled, aiming his stun gun at her. Kimberly had no time to react as he fired. There was a sharp pain where she was hit, and her world went black.

Moments later, a uparmored van approached as the members of the F.O.H. gathered around the bodies of the unconscious human and mutant and tossed them both in the back before slamming the doors and placing a lock on the outside.

"Let's move." Their leader said, climbing into his own vehicle.

[Victor Creed]

Clothes being blood splattered was nothing new to him. He can always get new clothes. By now the small wound on his shoulder had healed as if it was never there. The only remnants would be the hole in his jacket and shirt. Victor had easily killed three FoH members before feeling a sharp pain starting at the middle of his back and racing through his entire body. Enough voltage to take down at least eight elephants.

Letting out a loud, angry snarl, he collapsed in a heap and managed to notice the woman fighting them just before his vision went dark. He had to give them credit that they were doing their homework now than just rushing into fights with mutants. Any bruises and scrapes he ended up getting with the fighting were healing. Giving the FoH members realization that he has a healing factor.

Stirring, Victor noticed the motion of being on the move and the cool steel. Just how long had he been out? Obviously long enough to be captured and being transported somewhere. It didn't take long for him to notice the shackles on his wrists and ankles. Wrists behind his back and steel chains binding him at the chest and legs. Snarling with clenched teeth, he began to test if it was regular steel or made out of adamantium.

So far his strength still had not fully came back as quickly as his senses had. So things weren't looking well at the moment. Managing to sit up in the back of the armored vehicle, he glanced around at his surroundings. Not much to see but he took notice of the female from the motel on the opposite side of the vehicle, out cold and bound. “Well you just had to get involve, didn't you?” he said in an annoyed tone to the prone body.

[kim]

The climb back to consciousness was a very long and arduous one for the brunette woman lying on her back. When Kimberly woke, the first thing she noticed was her head throbbing. She tried to sit up and bring a hand to her forehead, but found that her movements were severely restricted. She slowly craned her head and saw they were handcuffed around a long thick pole that reached the top of the... van she was in?

The van was confusing to her. It took a moment for her to remember the last thing that'd happened. She was standing between a mutant and a member of Friends of Humanity, who aimed a stun gun at her and fired.

Kimberly turned her head, noticing the mutant she'd met at the motel bound to the floor beside her. He had shackles on his ankles, and his wrists were bound underneath his back, with chains wrapped around his chest and legs. Clearly, the F.O.H. knew they were dealing with something strong.

The mutant was awake, and Kimberly didn't doubt that he'd been awake for a lot longer than her. He looked angry, not that Kim could blame him. It was a bit cliche, but the first thought that came to her head was he was like a caged animal, like an angry lion, one that was just waiting for the chains to be loosened so he could wreak havoc on the hunters who'd captured him.

She knew now for a fact that he was a fighter. Men were dead now, at his hands. For this scenario, Kimberly didn't think that he could be blamed for it. It was self defense, the F.O.H. came at him with weapons. Just because he'd acquired the gene that caused mutation didn't mean he was a monster. The only thing she didn't know was would there be any remorse from the man beside her over their deaths.

Unable to handle the silence, she voiced another question that had been plaguing her for the past several minutes.

"Do you know where they're taking us?" She asked. "Or... how long they've been driving?"

Her guess was that several hours had passed from the attack, but where... Kimberly didn't have a clue. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she knew it wasn't going to be good.

What I wouldn't give to still be a Ranger. Kimberly thought.

[Victor Creed]

Kimberly would find out soon enough that Victor Creed didn't give remorse to who he kills. Just before she woke up, he managed to twist his wrists enough to feel the pole behind him and start to slice his way through with his claws. Working as quietly as possible so the people driving would not hear the sound of nail against steel. She would probably hear it with their close proximity.

“Hell if I know,” he grunted. “But it seems that we've been on the move for over two hours. Most of it you've still been unconscious for.” Victor had been trying to figure out which direction they were heading in since he woke up. Even if he could over hear the people up front. Only faint mumbling he could pick up through the thick steel of the van but they also could be keeping low voices. Not enough to pick up anything of importance.

Victor soon cut through the pole holding him in place and he moved where he was able to slip himself free. It took a moment or two for him to slid his arms under his legs, so they weren't behind his back any longer. He began working his way through the chains. The shackles proved to be a lot tougher which caused him to growl. “Don't think they figured I'd get this free but still annoying they found a way to get adamantium cuffs,” he said more to himself than to the woman.