Snap.
Zero suddenly grabbed Sabretooth's wrist before the larger man could take another step forward. His voice dropped into a low warning.
"Victor, not yet. There are too many people here."
Sabretooth glanced down at the hand gripping him, clearly irritated. The corners of his mouth curled into a careless grin that showed the edges of his sharp teeth.
"What's the problem?" he asked lazily. "Do you really think anyone here could stop me?"
Zero didn't answer immediately.
Of course nobody in this amusement park could stop Sabretooth. That had never been the concern.
The real issue was visibility.
Killing someone in the middle of a crowded amusement park would create a massive disturbance. Too many witnesses meant too many questions, and questions were exactly what Stryker didn't want right now.
"If someone tries," Sabretooth continued with a quiet, vicious tone, "I'll just kill them too."
Zero stared at him in silence for a moment before trying again.
"Victor, don't cause unnecessary trouble. You know how important this operation is to the commander. Let's wait until later tonight when the crowds thin out."
Sabretooth's grin slowly faded.
"You're using Stryker to pressure me?"
Before Zero could react, Sabretooth's hand shot forward.
His claws closed around Zero's throat and lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing. Zero's feet dangled several inches above the pavement as the grip tightened.
Air instantly became scarce.
His face flushed red as he struggled to breathe.
"I'm not pressuring you," Zero forced out through clenched teeth. "Just… making a suggestion."
Sabretooth studied him for several seconds.
Then, with a dismissive snort, he released his grip.
Zero dropped to the ground and staggered back a step, coughing violently as air rushed back into his lungs.
"A shame," Sabretooth muttered, rolling his shoulders. "It would've been more fun doing it now."
Still, he didn't move toward Bradley again.
Even Sabretooth understood Stryker's authority.
The sky had already grown dark, and the amusement park would soon begin shutting down for the night anyway. Most businesses in America closed fairly early because few people wandered the streets after midnight.
The amusement park was no exception.
Waiting an hour wouldn't kill him.
At least not literally.
—
Nearly an hour passed.
Gradually, the carnival atmosphere faded.
Visitors began leaving the park in groups, laughter and music slowly dissolving into the cool evening air. One by one, the stall owners started packing their equipment and locking up their booths.
The bright lights dimmed.
The once lively park became quiet.
—
Screech.
A black sedan rolled to a stop outside the entrance.
The doors opened, and Erik Lensherr stepped out first. Ryan followed a moment later, closing the door behind him as he looked around.
"This should be the place," Erik said.
He pulled the document from his pocket and checked the address one more time before nodding with satisfaction.
"Yep. This is it."
The two men walked through the park entrance.
Most of the tourists had already left. Only a handful of stall owners remained, busy closing their stands and gathering supplies.
As they passed a roller coaster entrance, Erik noticed an elderly man locking the gate.
"Excuse me," Erik said politely. "Do you know where Bradley is?"
The old man paused and turned toward them.
Instead of answering immediately, he studied the two strangers with obvious caution.
"What do you want with him?"
Erik's eyes brightened slightly.
After asking several people in the park, they had finally found someone who knew Bradley.
"I'm from his hometown," Erik replied smoothly. "We've got something to discuss."
The lie came out without the slightest hesitation.
The old man considered the explanation for a moment before shrugging.
"If that's the case, head east," he said. "Bradley's stall is all the way at the far end."
"Thank you."
Erik gave a polite nod before continuing forward with Ryan.
They followed the path eastward through the dim carnival grounds.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before they spotted a lone figure in the distance packing up a small booth.
Even from afar, the man's appearance matched the photograph in the file.
Ryan exhaled quietly.
Looks like Bradley hasn't run into Sabretooth yet.
Maybe this mission will go smoothly after all.
But just as that thought crossed his mind—
Erik suddenly stopped walking.
His head turned sharply toward the left.
Ryan followed his gaze.
Near the carousel, two large men stood smoking beside one of the support poles. Their silhouettes were illuminated by the fading carnival lights.
Ryan recognized them instantly.
Sabretooth.
And Zero.
Erik, however, showed no sign of recognition.
To him, they were simply two suspicious men loitering in a nearly empty amusement park.
Ryan calmly withdrew his gaze after a brief glance.
With his current abilities, Sabretooth wasn't much of a threat.
Even if things turned violent, Ryan wasn't particularly worried.
"Erik," he said quietly, "those two don't look like staff members."
Erik looked at them once more before shrugging.
"Don't worry about them," he said. "Let's focus on our own business."
He turned and continued walking.
Ryan followed.
A few minutes later, they reached Bradley's stall.
Bradley was in the middle of packing equipment when Erik approached.
"Mr. Bradley," Erik said politely, "my name is Erik, and this is Ryan. Do you have a moment to talk?"
Bradley paused and looked up.
His eyes immediately filled with suspicion.
"I don't think we've met before," he said cautiously.
"That's true," Erik replied with a calm smile. "But we can fix that."
As he spoke, Erik casually raised his hand.
The small metal prop Bradley had been holding suddenly lifted into the air, floating several inches above the table.
Bradley's eyes widened.
"You're… one of us?"
"Yes," Erik said firmly. "I'm a mutant."
"Another mutant…"
Not far away, Sabretooth watched the scene with growing interest.
"Well, look at that," he muttered.
Zero followed his gaze.
Sabretooth's grin slowly stretched wider.
"Seems we got lucky tonight."
Their current mission from Stryker was simple.
Find mutants.
Capture them.
Dead or alive.
Sabretooth hadn't expected to encounter multiple targets in the same place.
First Bradley.
Now two more.
Even better.
Since the older man was a mutant, the young one beside him was probably the same.
Three targets.
Maybe more.
Sabretooth flicked the ash from his cigarette and smiled coldly.
Let them talk.
Once he finished smoking, he would walk over and kill them all.
—
Meanwhile, Erik had no idea two hunters were watching from the shadows.
His attention remained fully focused on Bradley.
Seeing another mutant clearly changed Bradley's attitude.
After a moment of hesitation, he stepped aside and gestured toward the small trailer behind the stall.
"Come inside," Bradley said.
The three of them entered the cramped living space.
Bradley closed the door and looked at Erik with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
"I never expected to meet another mutant in a place like this."
Erik smiled slightly.
"Where we come from," he said, "there are many more like us."
Bradley frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"We're building something," Erik explained. "A place where mutants can stand together. A place where brothers and sisters like us can unite."
Bradley's expression immediately shifted.
"You're saying you belong to some kind of mutant organization?"
His tone carried a hint of unease.
Bradley had spent years escaping from one mutant organization already.
The last thing he wanted was to become part of another.