Claim to the Throne (Artemis, open)

[Victor Creed]

Victor groaned as he awoke in a strange place. Muscles tensed and he sat up quickly...but there wasn't anyone there. He sneered and slipped down from the bed to rest his bare feet on the ground. Surprisingly he remembered everything that happened at that rally. Even during that little psychotic blood lust of his, he still remembered every person he had killed. That was why Xavier always thought he could be saved. As much as he didn't care who he killed, his subconscious seemed to care enough to remember who they were. Creed tilted his head to the left then right side, hearing a satisfying crack before he rolled his shoulders. All that resting made him stiff. A moment later he left that room, clad in only a pair of pants. Damn Firefly...need to find some sort of inflammable clothes next time he fought her. Not that he had expected her to be there.

While he moved down the corridor to the larger room he realized where he was. It had been a long time... It was dark and there was no sign of anyone here. Sure there were signs of activity but no one was actually here now. Victor moved over to a console and pressed a few buttons so at the least the lights turned on. Not that he needed them on, but it was easier.

Victor had remembered hearing a rumor that Apocalypse was dead...and all the members must have ran like cockroaches. Then again they could have ran because of Cain too. Their scents still lingered there like a ghost of the past. But everything looked practically shiny and new. Someone had OCD. Or tried to hide the fact that the Brotherhood had no leader. Interesting...

The tables have turned and the world was upsidedown. Riots were growing more frequent and the humans were getting out of control. Everyone needed a place to call home that wasn't that blasted pacifist school. The scents in the air were enough to prove that the members still came and went through the base. But without any unity they would certainly get picked off one by one.

Victor wasn't really the 'unity' type. Even when he was an active member in the Brotherhood he stood at the sidelines, coming and going as he pleased. This was a different circumstance though. This could lead to total domination. Not to mention a few fights with his most favorite people. Creed grinned at that thought.

Well what was that old saying? Finders keepers...

[rhyme]

Artemis walked into the room and took a seat silently as he waited for Creed to acknowledge him. It wasn’t hard for Artemis to find the man even though he moved since with so few people the few sounds that were human were easy to track. Artemis was there to gain Victor’s loyalty or at least his support. Snapping all of the Brotherhood out of Cain’s control apparently wasn’t enough for most of the members to let Artemis rise to power. Artemis would need an old time member and some muscle behind him if he wanted the shift of power to go smoothly and without struggle.

When he first actually looked at Victor his eyebrow twitched slightly as he shifted slightly in his seat. He fully knew that Victor wasn’t interesting in him but when the man walked around shirtless he was just temping the poor younger man.

When Victor acknowledged his presence he spoke after releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. For once it didn’t come out snarky or sarcastic.

“Here, this should hold you until you get a real shirt.”

Artemis reached behind him with a clearly empty hand into the clearly empty space behind his chair but came back with a flannel button up shirt that appeared to be Victor’s size. He tossed it to the man while he waited for him to get dressed.

[Victor Creed]

Victor was quite the primal sight to see. Being the two hundred and seventy-five pound of muscle that he was it was hard to miss him, especially without the overcoat. The lights seemed to help show off each curve of his muscles as he moved but when he smelled the fresher scent his attention turned to see Artemis sitting there.

Normally he would have cared less to walk around without a shirt. But with this kid he supposed it was the better idea. He reached his hand out and grabbed the shirt as it moved through the air. He pulled it on before buttoning it up, not saying a word to Artemis in the meantime.

Things made more sense now. He remembered getting set ablaze by the fire bug and then nothing. That knocked him out? Seemed unlikely. His wounds had all healed and he was back to a hundred percent. Now just to figure out how he got here. And something told him that it had to do with the song boy.

But instead of asking a question he merely turned back to that console to find a news broadcast on the monitor so he could see what came of the rally. He was still pissed off that he hadn't managed to fulfill the mission he went there for.

[rhyme]

“Try the tabloid news channels if you want any straight answers. They are keeping that entire scene all hush hush or only showing the people captured on the normal new channels since they don’t want to show us kicking their asses repeatedly or that they accidently bombed a church. You must have really pissed off that fire girl, she torched half a block in New York. Give me a few days and I can get you the official debriefing the Senators are getting.” Artemis said dancing around the subject he wanted to broach.

He didn’t want to look like the weaker man by asking Victor to join him or support him. He wanted them to be equals since he refused to be Victor’s errand boy. Artemis could help a lot though to get Victor what he wanted. Another direct attack on the school wouldn’t help anyone, and it was always easier to lure out the single person you wanted as it gave you a better chance at success.

Victor easily instilled fear in people by just being there but fear alone didn’t run a group. It took tact, information gathering, and most of all, people skills. He had the skills to lead people if they respected him and to be a good voice of the group, if only he had the chiseled body and primal features that instilled fear just by sight.

[Victor Creed]

Torched half a block? That didn't seem right. He witnessed first hand how she could control fire and it didn't seem like there was a reason for torching the block. Not that he cared for the block but it just didn't seem right. He watched the monitor on silent for awhile, his arms folded over his broad chest. He was wondering how this was all going to pan out. "Why would I need that?" He didn't care what the senators were up to, he just wanted Graydon dead.

His attack upon the mansion wasn't about luring out the person he wanted. It was about catching the 'enemy' off guard and seeing what they had to offer. He could hack their security systems easy and he found out that they had the fire bug. It was rather sucessful, not to mention his time in the cell was probably more fruitful than the boy thought. And he managed to get out didn't he?

What made Creed really dangerous was that he wasn't just muscle. He had decades worth of fighting experience not to mention tactical planning. While many confused his brute force ways of dealing with things as a sign of his intelligence, they were sorely mistaken. He just liked to let the monster out of its cage.

[rhyme]

“Doesn’t the Art of War or something say ‘Know Thy Enemy?’” Artemis said to Creed in response to wanting to know about Senators. “Guess it is more useful for me.”

He liked to know as much as he could, he never knew when a piece of information could help him. In the worst it would help his disguises be more authentic.

“Voice Command.” Artemis said using Apocalypse’s voice. He had not yet switch over the voice codes to his own voice though it didn’t bother him much. “Um…2-2-8-5-7-3.”

When he said the command a small window popped up next to the new feed Victor was watching that showed a close-up of Graydon Creed’s house from a satellite.

“I think that is the guy you want.” Artemis said using his normal voice. “Or…” he continued before pausing to switch voice again to Apocalypse. “2-8-5-8-3-6”

Another small window popped in showing a close up of Logan’s room at the Mansion or at least however much could be seen from the window since it was limited to satellites.

“Still working on getting connections with the Exiles but those should come pretty soon. I think I heard enough of Freya to pass by anyone but her sister.” He said again using his normal voice.

[Victor Creed]

Victor turned to look at Artemis with his brow arched. What was this kid thinking? "You think I need satelite footage to find the people I want dead? Hmph." Victor was an expert tracker, he could find anyone he wanted anywhere. That didn't mean he went after them. There was a time and place for all things, and that included revenge. That place had been at the rally for his son, but that was denied to him.

Creed turned completely to look at him then, keeping his arms folded over his broad chest. "Your trickery wont let you live forever. One of these days you will make a mistake..and will pay dearly for it." He didn't like his carefree attitude, there was just something that irritated him around the boy.

Perhaps it was the attitude or maybe it was the fact that he acted like he could do anything. It seemed pretty much the case, but Victor was looking forward to the chance that Artemis gave him a really good reason to choke the life out of him. Perhaps it was the fact that he pulled him out of a few tough scraps that kept him alive now. But he had yet to give him a reason to think that his life mattered at all. Whether Artemis was alive..or dead, he couldn't care less.

[rhyme]

Artemis held Creed’s gaze unfazed at the man’s facial expressions. His eyes were clear, they did not show the normal amount of fear of Creed. Most mutants in his position would probably be sweating bullets but Artemis held his ground. In the back of his eyes it did show a small twinge of fear, a small tense of muscles in his legs and arms always ready to move if the need arose.

“No, I know you don’t need satellites. Your reputation precedes you among the mutant community. Even the mutants of other countries have heard of the powerful and deadly Sabertooth. And dying? It doesn’t really both me. Unlike you, we all have to die sometimes, I just hope that when I do go, it is causing as much mayhem as I can.”

He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t afraid of death. That was one of the few things most other humans feared most. Maybe it was because he was only a figment of a sixteen year old’s shattered psyche. Though at times he wondered what would happen if Rhyme got killed. Would he fade as well?

“You can make anything you want happen, I just propose that you accept the aid of my trickery as you call it. I am not saying you can’t get the people you want yourself, I can just make it so much easier for you. From my angle it looked like you were going after Graydon Creed correct? I…well….Senator Yates can easily get his number, maybe invite him to a nice hard to guard café in Grenache Village. The man must be running scared or plucking the few white hairs you gave him. And hey, I can’t kill someone as easily as you can but as you found out early on, I can certainly keep people busy, stop those goodie goodies from getting in your way again.”

[Victor Creed]

Victor stared at Artemis for a long time. The kid was up to something, but he hadn't quite figured out his angle yet. But there definitely was one. It could have been a simple mayhem agenda like he stated but there seemed to be more behind it. Things were rarely that simple.

Of course other countries have heard of him. He wasn't known as 'the butcher' in Germany for nothing. "I'll kill Graydon when and how I see fit." He almost snarled at the idea of luring Graydon some place to kill him. What was the fun in that? No, he wanted him dead...and wanted to see the look of complete fear and shock in his eyes. Just like the way he looked the night of the rally. Though preferably he would get some torture time in, but that really didn't matter. As long as he paid for what he'd done, that was all that truly mattered.

"And why is it that you 'propose' to help me? What's in it for you?" Victor's eyes narrowed towards him. He wasn't liking this, not that he liked being helped in the first place. Curiousity though made him wonder why this kid was determined to help him. He was just too... convienently helpful.

[rhyme]

“Well…” Artemis said pausing for effect. “One, I get to hang around and help out the epitome of masculinity and strength.” He said his old self coming back as his eyes blazed with mischief. “Two, it secures me something you wouldn’t even want, the Leadership of the Brotherhood of Mutants.”

He held up one finger and then two as he described the two reasons. He then titled back in his chair back at an angle that most would believe would have landed him on the floor.

“To me you don’t seem like the kind of person who would enjoy having to listen to all the member’s problems, sorting out disagreements without someone having to die. Recruiting new members, keeping spies out of the organization, working alliances with other groups, it is all quite a hassle really, but right up my alley.”

He then leaned forward and his chair came back forward hitting the ground with a loud clang.

“And, you would have to stay here most of the time. No more heading where-ever you please, whenever you please unless you want the organization to go to shit and give you even MORE headaches when you finally decide to come back.”

[Victor Creed]

Victor listened to him, he even ignored the flirtatious comment as well as the comment about helping him, when something else piqued his interest.

"Wait a minute. The leadership of the Brotherhood? Like I'm going to listen to a wet nosed brat like you." Victor snarled slightly, half ready to attack him right then and there.

He hadn't even really heard the reasons he stated. Victor was more furious that he thought that he had the power to force Victor to do his bidding. That wasn't going to happen.

He moved in suddenly, quickly closing the gap between them. Victor's hands rested on the arms of the chair Artemis sat in, and if he was smart he leaned back into as Victor loomed over him. He stared him in the eyes like any predator that had just been challenged in his territory.

Victor's grip on the chair tightened, causing the metal to bend at the curves of his fingers. "What makes you think you have any chance at controlling me?"

Whether or not Artemis was correct about his assumption of Victor's...leadership abilities. He didn't care. His instincts screamed that this was a challenge and he was ready to take it.

[rhyme]

Artemis leaned forward slightly, puckered his lips as to kiss Victor and then…fell backward through the material of the chair. His body passed through the chair but not the floor and he tumbled backward landing in a crouch after one full rotation. It went back to what he told Freya at the riot, always have a way out, always.

“Now now, what is it with everyone I talk to lately and their poor listening skills. I want to be the leader of the Brotherhood, last time I checked, you were freelance. Became a lone cat as it were once Apocalypse took over. As their leader I would have no power over you anyway.”

It could be seen though that in his hand there was now a kunai. During his tumble backwards he conjured one. He hoped he didn’t have to use it as he planned to just continue to dodge the man until he calmed down if he didn’t come to his senses soon.

“Technically you shouldn’t even be allowed to become leader but enough people here remember you and want you back.”

Artemis still had ways out. If Victor tried to attack again he could tumble to the left or right pretty easily or even phase through the floor. He made sure to take Victor to a room that was not on the bottom floor.

[shaungallagher]

"Hey hey hey! hold on there a second lads, shouldn't we be holdin elections or somethin now?" Shaun came strolling in from the doorway as he watched the two grown men who seemed to have found themselves in a bit of a tussle.

Shaun was wearing a pretty nice suit, after all first impressions were always important. He continued in his charming Irish accent: "Come on now, we can all be civilized gentlemen here can't we?" You mr. Victor Creed you want power, but no responsibility your a lone wolf do things on your own kinda type...I can respect that, a group like this would just tie you down when you wanted to leave...but they also provide you power in ways no where else can."

"And you Artemis Enturi you are the resident Loki, of this group. You are the jester, the class clone the arbitrator of chaos...you enjoy being the puppet master pulling the strings of those around you...It's smart, and in the end it tends to be the best way to do things, I got to respect your talent."

"If Chaos is all you are really after, then I'd say that would easily be obliged, but I have a feeling you aren't one to play second fiddle. At the same time though, by committing this group entirely to chaos and power grabbing we will ultimately get no where. A foot note in history instead of the foundational legend for the future ahead."

"As for myself, I'm Shaun Gallagher, and I have connections. What I want is more connections and more resources in order to enact my plan to set the future on the 'right path'. A path where Mutants rule the streets and humans are a thing of the past. A future where we are gods among men looked upon as saviors with all the power we could ever dream of. Gentlemen if you would oblige me for just one moment I think we could make a deal."

[Victor Creed]

Victor growled and chucked the chair off to the side, letting it clang and clatter along the floor. With Artemis out of the chair he didn't need that barrier between them when he'd make his attack.

Once he was about to retort to Artemis' words his attention was diverted. Who the hell was this? A snarl crossed his lips again as he stared at the new boy that came to their 'meeting'.

"I don't make deals with children." Creed growled slightly as his arms folded over his chest. Victor was over a hundred years old so both of the men he was with were children in his eyes. He assumed Shaun would just rant away and move on with whatever he came to talk about. But the last thing he was going to do was make him think that he actually cared for what he had to say.

Connections? That was all he had? Connections were helpful...sure, but what did that have to do with anything? Victor also wasn't out to be a god. Even with his hunger for power, being a claimed diety was the last thing he wanted. Not to mention that was the reason why he and Apocalypse didn't get along. Victor was all for making humans pay for the things they have done. The hate crimes and the concentration camps. They deserved everything that they got.

[rhyme]

For the first time it appeared as if Creed and Artemis were in agreement. He felt much the same toward this newcomer though Artemis didn’t know the true extent of their similarities. Shaun just went from an annoyance to a problem.

“Now who ever said chaos would bring down the group. People always think in black and white, order and chaos, good and evil those never get you anywhere. Pure chaos is useless since what good would it do, chaos doesn’t exist without the order it contradicts. And connections? Really? Well, this may make you more useful…and by you, I really mean…” he said as he stood and spun on his heels.

When he spun his form blurred more so then what the speed would suspect. After about five seconds he stopped facing Shaun and looked exactly the same as Shaun did at the moment.

“me, Shaun Gallagher.” He said mimicking the man.

The vocal pitch was perfect, would get past any voice scanner but if he was listened to at any length his syntax would be somewhat off. Artemis was just lucky the man liked to monologue. The voice was real but the change was purely illusionary. It was easy for him to bend the light’s wavelength to bring about the change.

“That is the difference between your connections and mine. You have to actually work for yours, mine, I can steal.” He said a wicked grin on his face using his previous ‘normal’ voice.