"Sabretooth: Blood & Prey" (Cont.)

Sabretooth angrily swatted away the garbage atop him and glared across the tunnel at his attacker.

"Constrictor? What the Hell are you doin' here? You ain't part of this hit."

"No, I'm not, Sabretooth. But I'm here on business, too. I'm here for the girl, Creed." Behind him, the girl involuntarily shivered as a wave of terror cut through her. "She's worth a lot to me."

"Well," he said as he struggled to his feet, "me too." And with that, Sabretooth pounced.

The girl's eyes grew wide as the two men rolled around in the sewage, each trying to negate the other's weapons. The Constrictor battled to keep Sabretooth's razor sharp claws at bay, while his own electrified tendrils were shielded from their target. After a few seconds, Sabretooth got his hands on his old friend and threw him twenty feet up the tunnel. The Constrictor quickly recovered, but froze as looked before him.

"Well, I guess this is ballgame," Creed sneered as he held his hostage. Lori was once again helpless, and the Constrictor was too far away to help. "My instructions are to kill every last stinking mutant I find in these tunnels, and I don't think I can let this one go and still pick up a paycheck."

"Come on, Creed." Constrictor spoke slowly to his friend and former partner. He knew Sabretooth was far too fast to stop. "She's worth a whole lot more to me than she is to you. Look, Sinister contacted me about this hit, too. I know what you're getting paid, and I'm in the same ballpark. Let me make it worth your while."

Sabretooth turned his head slightly. "Nah, I think I'll just kill her."

"Don't!" Constrictor shouted. Creed smiled an evil smile at his friend. "This is important to my rep, pal. I'll split my cash with you, 50/50."

He flashed his claws in front of her neck, and she involuntarily trembled. "How 'bout 80/20?"

Constrictor grimaced. "60/40, and a case of beer. That's fair." Sabretooth smiled again, his fangs glistening. "All right, 75/25, Creed, but that's it. If you want any more, she's yours. I ain't a charity, you know."

Victor Creed suddenly turned his face away, staring intently up the tunnel. He inhaled deeply, then quickly several times in succession. He then grabbed the girl by the shirt and threw her to Constrictor.

"You're in luck. I just caught a whiff of something up the tunnel I need to check into. A little family business, if you know what I'm saying, Frank. I'll collect from you when this is all over and done with."

"All right, Vic. Good hunting," Constrictor said as Sabretooth bounded into the darkness in search of fresh prey. Ten seconds later, the sounds of battle rang in the distance. It sounded like explosions, gunfire, and lightning.

The girl finally regained her senses and scuttled away from her captor, and babbled a nervous string of questions. "Who are you? Why are you after me? Why do you want to kill me?"

Constrictor turned to her slowly. "Look, I don't want to kill you. I've come to get you out of these tunnels. It's gonna get real messy down here, and you need to get out."

Lori sat staring in disbelief, as the situation finally cracked her resolve. She collapsed in tears, sobbing in a fetal position on a pile of garbage. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

"Lori," Constrictor said. "I'm here to get you home." He reached up and pulled back his cowl. "Your mom and dad miss you, and they want you back. These tunnels are no place for you."

Through tear-stained eyes she looked up. "Uncle Frank? Is...is that you?"

"Yeah," Frank Schliting said as blood from an open gash ran down the side of his face. "It's me. I knew you were down here and when I heard about the planned massacre, I knew I had to come and get you out."

Lori struggled to her feet. "What about my friends? Can we help them?"

"No. There isn't time. I'm not some kind of super-hero, Lori. I'm just here to get my niece out of some trouble like a good uncle. Now let's go. Unless I'm mistaken, those optic blasts I hear are getting closer, and those guys tend to shoot first and ask questions after everybody's unconscious. I'd rather not explain myself, if you know what I mean." Lori nodded, and the Constrictor started leading the girl back to the surface.

"Besides, I'm not sure if they'd believe me, anyway."