The blue and yellow uniform stretches across my shoulders. I run my fingers over the reinforced material, still not quite believing I'm actually wearing the X-Women colors. The utility belt sits snug around my waist, loaded with gadgets I haven't even had time to explore yet.
"How's it feel?" Scotty had asked earlier, watching me admire myself in the mirror.
"Like I'm finally someone who matters," I'd replied, too honest in the moment.
Now, sitting alone in the observation room adjacent to Sabretooth's cell, that honesty feels like a distant memory. The massive predator hasn't spoken a word since I arrived fifteen minutes ago. She just stares. Her amber eyes track my every movement with the focused intensity of a lioness studying potential prey.
The silence between us stretches so thin it might snap. I shift in my chair, the material of my new uniform making a soft sound against the metal seat. Sabretooth's ears actually twitch at the noise.
"So why are you staring?" I finally ask, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. "Is this some kind of mind game, or are you just bored?"
Her lips curl back in a smile that's all teeth, those elongated canines gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. "I'm going to rape you," she says casually, like she's commenting on the weather.
I sigh deeply, reaching for the tablet beside me. "Sabretooth, come on now," I mutter, typing into the incident report form Xavier insisted I fill out during my shift. "Now I have to write that down."
The complete lack of fear in my voice seems to catch her off guard. Her massive frame straightens slightly in her restraints.
"You're not scared," she observes, nostrils flaring as she scents the air between us. "Most men piss themselves when I say that."
I shrug, still typing into the tablet. "Threat of sexual violence... directed at observer... timestamp 21:47..." I mumble as I document the interaction. Looking up, I meet her gaze steadily. "Sorry to disappoint you. I've had scarier people than you threatening me my whole life."
Sabretooth laughs, a rough, grating sound that echoes off the walls of her cell. "Scarier than me?" She flexes against her restraints, muscles rippling beneath her prison jumpsuit. "Now that's just insulting, boy."
"My mom once held my head underwater in our bathtub until I passed out because I forgot to take out the trash," I reply conversationally, setting the tablet down. "My dad broke three of my ribs on my thirteenth birthday because I thanked him for the cake before I thanked my mom. So yeah, scarier than you."
"Plus, what's raping me going to accomplish?" I add with a casual shrug. "Oh no, you made me cum. How terrible."
Her eyes narrow. "What?"
"Nothing, just disregard that," I wave dismissively, meeting her gaze. "It'd be pretty difficult to rape me anyway."
"Why's that?" she asks, leaning forward as far as her restraints will allow, suddenly interested.
"I'll tell you that particular secret once you're an official member of the team. Consider it motivation for good behavior."
She scoffs, settling back against her chair. "Hmm. Maybe a little piece of meat like you would be worth behaving for."
The way she says it should probably make my skin crawl, but after everything I've been through, it barely registers on my creep-o-meter. Instead of showing discomfort, I redirect the conversation.
"So what exactly can you do? Power-wise, I mean," I ask, genuinely curious. "I've heard different things from the others."
"I do what Wolverine does," she replies, flexing her hands. "But better."
"You have adamantium bones too?"
"Minus that," she admits, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face.
"Oh," I say with exaggerated disappointment. "So not really better then."
Her growl reverberates through the room, low and dangerous. I can see I've hit a nerve.
"I'm stronger than her," Sabretooth snarls, straining against her restraints for emphasis. "Faster. My senses are sharper. I heal quicker."
"But she's got the unbreakable skeleton," I counter, leaning back in my chair. "Kind of a significant advantage in a fight, wouldn't you say?"
"I've beaten her plenty of times without it," she snaps, baring those impressive fangs. "The runt just doesn't stay down."
"So you have a healing factor, enhanced senses, strength, speed, and those claws." I gesture toward her hands. "Impressive package."
"You have no idea," she purrs.
"What about you, pretty boy?" She tilts her head, those predatory eyes scanning me like I'm an all-you-can-eat buffet. "What's your special trick? Xavier wouldn't put you on the team if you were just a cute face."
I lean back in my chair, considering how much to reveal.
"Deep-seated mommy issues, mostly," I reply with a casual shrug. "Daddy problems too, if we're being thorough."
Her expression shifts from to confusion, those amber eyes narrowing. "That's not a power."
"No, it's not," I agree. Years of watching my parents destroy opponents in the ring taught me something valuable, the less information your opponent has, the better. Knowledge is leverage, and I'm not about to hand her any.
Her lips curl into a smirk. "You're going to have to give me more than that, pretty boy. What makes you special enough to wear that uniform?"
Before I can answer, the lights suddenly cut out. The entire room plunges into darkness so complete I can't even see my hand in front of my face.
A few seconds of pitch blackness pass before dim red emergency lights flicker on, casting the room in an eerie crimson glow that makes everything look like it's bathed in blood.
The soft hiss of hydraulics draws my attention to Sabretooth's cell. The transparent barrier slides open with a mechanical sigh, but when I leap to my feet and lunge for the exit on my side, the door remains firmly sealed.
"Oof," I mutter, my shoulder connecting painfully with the reinforced metal. I slam my palm against the security panel, but it remains dead, no indicator lights, no response.
Sabretooth's amber eyes seem to glow in the red emergency lighting, her massive silhouette framed in the open doorway of her cell. She doesn't move, just watches me with that predatory stillness that makes the hair on my arms stand up.
"Scared yet?" she purrs, her voice silky with anticipation.
"You're still in cuffs."
The sound of metal ratcheting makes my blood freeze. One by one, the heavy restraints around her wrists and ankles release with mechanical clicks, falling to the floor with dull thuds that seem to echo in my bones.
She rises slowly to her full height, rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms like she's just woken from a pleasant nap. The red emergency light catches on her elongated canines as her mouth splits into a feral grin.
"How about now, kid?" she asks, flexing her fingers, sharp claws extending where normal nails should be.
I take a deep breath, centering myself the way I used to before my dad would start swinging. Fear is pointless when there's nowhere to run. I meet her gaze steadily, my voice surprisingly calm when I answer.
"Nah."