William Stryker was growing weary of all of the meetings and forms and red tape that the government kept trying to bind him with. All he wanted nothing more right now than to just be given free reign over his projects. All of this stupidity was wearing very thin, very quickly.
“And how do you plan on controlling James?” one of the directors was asking him. “Near as we can tell, he answers only to his brother.”
“You have to understand that after the procedure, James will essentially… imprint on the nearest alpha male figure that he sees,” Stryker explained, for what felt like the millionth time. How many different ways did these people need to hear the same thing? “All we need to do is make certain to keep him in a controlled environment for a period of time and then he will be our ultimate assassin.”
“And what of his brother?” Dr. Cornelius threw out. “Do you really think that Victor is just going to roll over and let us take James from him? Based on what I have seen so far, these two are closer than ever. While you may be able to make James ‘imprint’ on someone else for a short while, once he sees Victor he will instantly return to him. And trying to take James from Victor could prove disastrous all around.”
“James is the one we really need,” Stryker said, “and Victor is expendable, if need be. Honestly, our plan was to put Victor in suspended animation in case we needed him at a later date.”
Dr. Cornelius tapped his chin thoughtfully. “That just might work. But who were you planning to replace Victor with? James won’t respond to just anyone. He will need similar… attentions to those that Victor has been giving him.”
“Well, I have considered multiple options, some of which you provided me with, Doctor.” Stryker tapped a small pile of folders. “David North is too straight laced, honestly, to take meet some of James's... unique needs. This Arkady Rossovitch you acquired in Russia is entirely too sadistic for James. He may accept Arkady for a short while, but his need to feel loved will get in the way entirely too quickly and we know that he does not respond well to sadism in the long run. Honestly, Wade really is the only plausible option. James will find him familiar when he first wakes from the procedure, and Wade is the closest thing to Victor we have at the moment without having the overly emotional attachments to James. He will be able to stand in, giving us time to find a more suitable replacement.”
Carol Hines, the chief technician who would be working with James, frowned. “Wade? Isn’t he a bit… unstable psychologically?”
“As I said, Wade is the closest we could come to a Victor substitute. Once the procedure is complete and we get a better handle on how James’s personality will settle out, then we can find a more suitable replacement,” Stryker bit out. “Until then, Wade is more than up to the task. In fact, he seemed rather excited at the opportunity when I mentioned the possibility to him.”
Victor was pissed as hell. No sooner had the mission in Berlin been finished, Stryker swooped in and stole Jimmy away.
It had been bad enough watching Wade’s brief flirting with Jimmy. But the way Stryker had seemed to ooze over his little brother made Victor’s stomach clench.
At first, Victor had thought that it was because he believed Jimmy wasn’t ready to return to active duty with the others. But now he knew what is really bothering him: the realization that he doesn’t want anyoneelse around Jimmy.
Jimmy was his little brother.
Not Stryker’s. Not North’s. And sure as shit, not
Wade’s.
As soon as they had gotten on their return flight to the states, Wilson and Stryker had cornered Jimmy on one side of the plane. Each one of them flanking his little brother, whispering in Jimmy’s ears with smiles on their faces. And Wade’s hand… on Jimmy’s thigh!
How Victor had longed to tear them all apart, and fuck the consequences.
But there was that odd look in Jimmy’s eyes, like he was trying to figure out some complex problem. Stryker had started stroking Jimmy’s back, always whispering to Jimmy. Sometimes Jimmy’s lips would move, again like he was having his own private conversation.
Noticing Victor watching them, Stryker had come over to Victor with a flask of whiskey with a reassuring smile. And how foolishly Victor had drunk it, not thinking to question Stryker’s sudden kindness.
Very quickly the feeling of drowsiness had over taken Victor. The last thing he saw was Wade putting an arm around Jimmy’s shoulders and caressing his thigh, before Jimmy had shrugged him off.
When Victor awoke, Jimmy and Wade were gone. Stryker was sitting across from him, filling out some paperwork.
“Victor, we have some questions about your brother,” Stryker said, tapping a pen against his cheek. “I am very glad to have him back on base-“
“Wait, no,” Victor interrupted, nearly crashing to the floor as the plane spun around him a bit. “Jimmy isn’t ready to come back to the base yet. I need to get him back to the house.”
“I think not, Victor.” Stryker sighed and stood. “You’re time alone with James has run out. I’ve decided to move him back on base. It’s time that he reintegrates into our organization.” Stryker chuckled darkly. “You didn’t think you were going to stay up there forever, did you? The government is not paying you to fuck your brother, Victor. We are paying you to do as you are told. And we need James back now.”
Stryker patted Victor’s shoulder and then walked off of the plane, calling over his back, “Don’t worry, Victor, we will take very good care of your little brother for you. You needn’t be burdened by him anymore.”
And just like that, Victor realized he had completely lost control of the situation. Hell, had he ever been in control of the situation?
”The mother fucker played me,” Victor mumbled to the floor.
Victor sat on the plane for nearly ten minutes before deciding that it was time he and Jimmy found a new line of work.
It was difficult to walk in a straight line. Victor didn’t notice the first wall he bumped into, but there was no missing the second one as he stumbled and crashed to his knees. He grimaced, trying to get back to his feet. It took him several tries, but he manages to stand up and continue his stagger down the hall.
“Victor? Where do you think you are going, Victor?” Stryker’s voice seemed to be coming from far away, but Victor could smell how close the smug bastard was. Damn cheap ass after shave was making Victor feel sick to his stomach.
“Jimmy,” he mumbled. “I need to get to Jimmy. Where is he?”
Hands were holding him up. “It’s all right, Victor, everything is all right,” Stryker soothes. “Jimmy is going to be all right. You’re going to be all right. You just need to go to bed, get some rest.”
“Fuck you!” Victor roared, pushing Stryker away. His run was jagged, crashing into walls as he ran up and down various hallways. “Jimmy! Jimmy! Where are you?”
He didn’t know how long he ran through the base, but Victor finally found Jimmy.
Jimmy was crouched on the floor of the shower room, hands pressed to his ears. He was rocking back and forth, muttering to himself. It was if there are two people speaking with the same body.
Victor slammed down next to Jimmy, pulling his little brother into a sloppy hug. “It’s all right, Jimmy, I’m here,” he murmured.
“You did this to him,” Logan snarled, swiping at Victor and skittering out of reach. “If you hadn’t made Jimmy so damned weak, we wouldn’t be in this fucking situation!”
“Jimmy-“
“Is a fucking coward who thinks he can’t live without you. The little shit thinks he’ll die without you.” Logan was frothing at the mouth, madness glittering in his eyes. “You made him this way. You did this to us!”
The claws were out and in Victor’s chest before he even had a chance to process what is happening. “Jimmy, stop it!” he yelled, tossing Logan across the room.
“That is not my name, cock sucker! My name is Logan, you little shit. You’re nothing but a god damned dog, an animal!”
This was not Jimmy talking to him. This was Thomas Logan, who both loves and loathes his oldest son. And Victor was horrified. How could he not have seen this deterioration in Jimmy?
Logan approached him, wiping spit from his chin. “I shoulda drowned you the day you were born, you damned dog. You’re worth even less than that bitch mother of yours. At least she had the decency to die.”
“Jimmy, cut this shit out,” Victor growled. Some of the fuzz was starting to clear from his brain.
“You destroyed yer mother comin’ outta her. You ruined my life by continuin’ to exist. At least yer runt of a brother had the balls to fight back. You always just took it, didn’ ya?” Logan sneered at him, slowly circling Victor. “An’ what ya do with yer little brother? Ye make him weak. You turned him into yer damned bitch ‘cause you were jealous that he was everything you never were!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Victor screamed, lunging at his little brother. His claws tore into Jimmy’s gut, slamming his body into the wall. It took him a moment to realize that Logan is laughing painfully at him.
“That’s my boy,” he cackled bloodily at Victor.
The door to the shower room burst open as several guards and scientists came pouring in with Stryker. Victor was roughly pushed out of the way as they swarm Logan.
“He’s having an adverse reaction to the drugs you gave him on the plane,” a female scientist- Carol Hines, if memory served Victor correctly- snapped crossly at Stryker. “This is why I told you to wait until they were on base.”
“Your supervisor assured me there was only a low chance of side effects-“ Stryker was cut off when Logan roared in frustration and tried to toss off the guards. More guards quickly rushed in, piling on the enraged feral and pinning him to the floor.
“Psychosis was practically a given in his mental state,” Carol was still going on as if Jimmy wasn’t writhing and fighting on the floor. “If you had actually read the reports given to you, you would have known better than to let something like this happen.”
“Just… sedate both of them and move James to a secure location until we are ready for the procedure,” Stryker muttered in frustration.
Before Victor could even register what is going on, one of the guards was sticking a large needle into his neck. And then the world went swirly.
His body refused to listen to him and he watched as men wrestle his brother, pushing needles into his body. But Jimmy/Logan won’t go down easily. They fight fight fight…
There was glitter coming out of Victor’s finger nails.
Jimmy wanted his help
But everything is
Right now
Victor feels sooooooo good.
Everyone should feel this good
Stryker, where are you taking Jimmy?
Oh, somewhere to make him better?
Yes, better is good.
Better is GrEaT.
Hmm, some turkey would be
Fabulous
Right about now.
Wait, where are those MEN
TaKiNg JIMMY?
WaIT BrinG Him BaCK…
I WANT my lITTle BRoTHer…
WhERe are you taking him…
This isn’t what you promised me Stryker…
What are you doing with-
Relax, James, everything is
going to be all right.
This isn’t FAIR.
(Victor is sleeping now)
