Observations *OTA*

[hunteroffreaks]

*Jack sat in front of his tent, surrounded by folders of various thicknesses and sizes, chewing absentmindedly on end of a pen. He would occasionally take it out of his mouth long enough to scribble something in unintelligible writing down on a scrap of paper in a notebook. He then would rip that scrap out, sliding it into one of the folders. He

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[watch_the_nails]

*Something Victor had been meaning to do for several days now had been to taunt the mutant hunter with his new-found abilities. He'd been working on tracing people from a distance using his mind, and now he zoned in on Jack's, realising with a certain amount of disgust that the human had a hunter's instinct that was more similar to his own than he'd care to admit. Scowling, he 'spoke' to Jack using his telepathy, sending the words directly into his head.*

Feeling a little cooped up, Buffalo Joe?

[hunteroffreaks]

*Jack's head jerked up, looking around for Victor before realizing that he was hearing the voice not with his ears, but inside his head. Why, out of all the mutants in camp, had Victor been the one granted the ability to see inside his mind? There was something about the perversion of free will that gave him a certain distaste for psychics. Well, he wanted inside his head, eh? He'd get it. With every bit of venom and hatred he could pour into it, he thought out.*

Get out of my head, freak.

[watch_the_nails]

*He laughed at that, his amusement easy to hear even in his mental 'voice', chuckling at Jack's clear hatred and distaste. The poison within Jack's thoughts did add a certain bad 'taste' to his reply, but it didn't dissuade Victor from continuing the conversation. The things that Jack could come up with weren't exactly nice, but the feral had done far worse, and enjoyed it.*

What's the matter? Got a few things rattling around in there you don't want me to know about?

*He was already trying to search through Jack's mind for a juicy morsel to use against him. He didn't know if Jack had any training against mental attacks like this, but it was worth a try.*

[hunteroffreaks]

*Jack began trying not to focus too hard on any one subject, instead letting his thoughts bounce around. It wouldn't last long, he could already feel Victor riffling through his mind like the pages of a book.*

Nothing that you'll ever see. Bad kitty.

*He began focusing on trying to shield a memory. It was the hunt that had ended in him shooting Victor in the head. The tactic wouldn't fool an experienced psychic like Emma for a second, but he was counting on Victor's inexperience to take the bait, thinking it to be something important.

[watch_the_nails]

*Jack's tactic worked; it was foolish of him to fall for it, since he'd used the very same trick on Emma before, but he was curious, eager to gain an advantage over the mutant-hunter and still treating his telepathy too much like a new toy to be overly-cautious.*

What's that you got there, hmm? Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude not to share?

*He zoned in on the memory Jack was trying to conceal, determined to find out just what was so precious to the man. And wanting to break it.*

[hunteroffreaks]

Bet your mother never stuck around long enough to teach you anything. I should warn you, curiosity killed the cat.

*With that taunt, he deliberately let Victor break into the memory. Glimpses of the pain he had inflicted on Victor during their battle, every shot and stab wound remembered clearly, and relished. He focused on the raw emotions, the excitement of the hunt, the adrenaline rush during their battle, and most importantly the pure and utter satisfaction he felt standing over the mutant, the moment before he shot him at point blank range in the head.*

[watch_the_nails]

*Victor gave a loud mental howl, the intensity of the memories searing into his mind like a burning brand, remembering the moment just before Jack's bullet had torn into his flesh; it hadn't completely destroyed his brain, only sheared the side and removed a few memories, but it had been enough damage to make Jack think that he'd been destroyed for good at the time.

Realising that he'd been tricked, drawn into a trap so similar to his own, Victor snarled and growled, countering Jack's memories with some of his own, his most brutal and painful conquests and kills, forcing them into the hunter's mind with all the accompanying twisted satisfaction that he'd felt at each and every one.*

[hunteroffreaks]

I warned you to stay out of my head.

*Jack had a moment of satisfaction of beating Victor at his own game before the feral retaliated swiftly with a barrage of his own. He shuddered at the brutality of the memories, each one more vile than the last. What disturbed him more was realizing how similar he and this filthy animal were alike, the same way of toying with their victims, and the same rush they got with the killing blow. Still, he wouldn't let Victor derive any pleasure from his pain. Giving a mental yawn, he asked*

Is that all you've got, you pansy?

[watch_the_nails]

*The similarity wasn't lost on Victor either, only his disgust was for a different reason; it sickened him to think that a mere human could be capable of possessing the same killing instinct as he did. As far as Victor was concerned, his mutations made him superior to any normal human, and to find that Jack's hunting abilities were on a par with his own made him angry and resentful.*

That was just for starters. How about this for the main course?

*He was deliberately aiming to sicken and shock now, focusing on his memories of facing down children before tearing them apart, slaying their own parents in front of them before cutting them down - or murdering helpless children in front of their own parents. Children younger than Nicky. And for every single memory, a sick thrill of satisfaction, and a chilling mental laugh.*

[hunteroffreaks]

You're one sick fuck.

*That was one line Jack had never crossed. He had killed men and women, sometimes torturing them for hours on end, making them beg and plead for him to end it. But children? No, he never could. Not after what had happened to his own son. Seeing Reese, lying there... But he wouldn't think about those old memories, oh no. He would rather shoot himself in the head then let Victor find those.*

Why don't you show this little home movie to your son? Show him how much of an animal his father really is.

*He hoped to divert Victor's attention, both away from his mental torture and the memories Jack was desperate to conceal from him.*

[watch_the_nails]

Are you kidding me? I hope he grows up to be just like his dad.

*And the truth was, he really did. To some extent, he felt like he had to shield Nicky from some things until he was old enough to understand them - like sex, for example. But his son had already proven himself to be a capable hunter, and Victor would have been happy for him to progress to more... sentient prey. He was proud of the fact that he'd been able to make Jack uncomfortable, even if only for a moment.

And then it occurred to him that he hadn't even mentioned to Jack about the fact that Nicky was his son.*

((OOC: I think the fact that Nicky is Victor's son is still a secret to some extent. But I'd be happy for Jack to know about the Victor/Nicky relationship, perhaps from Stryker?))

[hunteroffreaks]

Really? That's just sad. Here I was thinking a father strives to teach his son to be better than himself, not worse.

*He mentally smirked, hoping Victor could feel his smugness. He hadn't been sure, but his chats with Nicky and now Victor's acknowledgment confirmed what he had suspected all along.*

((OOC: Yeah, kinda dropped the ball a little on that one, not making it clear. Hopefully the above clears it up. *Facepalms self.*))

[watch_the_nails]

*There was a surge of protective anger from Victor, furious and angry as to how Jack knew Nicky was his son; it was a secret that he tried to keep, because if anyone knew about the relationship, it meant they could use it against him.

Jack's words didn't bother him, though. If the human was trying to make himself sound holier-than-thou and take the moral high ground, he was welcome to it. Did he really think Victor wanted Nicky to become some kind of model citizen?*

Maybe he will be better than me. A better hunter, a better killer - perhaps he'll even be another Alpha Male when he grows up. You can take your wishy-washy moral bullshit and shove it up your ass. You're weak.

((OOC: That's fine! ^_^ ))

[hunteroffreaks]

Yeah, and I'm sure there'll be another hunter to put him down. A shame really. That kid is alright, for what he is. And I'm the weak one?

*His mental laughter rang out with amusement.*

If I'm so weak, how come I've managed to beat you at your own game twice since I arrived?

[watch_the_nails]

Don't you even joke about hurting my son, you piece of shit, or I swear, I'll tear you apart one limb at a time.

*He ignored Jack's smug question and focused instead on the man's threat, unable to let a comment like that lie. If anyone so much as hinted about harming a hair on the boy's head, he'd kill them.*

He won't ever get caught, I'll make sure of that. And who knows, maybe one day he'll be the one hunting you down.

[hunteroffreaks]

Do you think I'd sink to your level, and harm a child, you monster?! I've never killed anyone under the age of fourteen, and that's a fact I am very proud of!

*His anger and disgust at the insinuation could be heard. Had he been verbalizing, he would have been yelling. Unbidden, a memory sprang to mind of his own son, smiling at him for no particular reason other than he was happy. He prayed Victor hadn't noticed his slip up.*

You flatter me if you think I'll live that long. I have a feeling I'm already on my final hunt.