Akshay Malik

So, Syndicate had an interest in what Primal was capable of? That was cute. The only alignment that the animal whisperer was involved in was the animal kingdom. At least with them, they know how to take the appropriate amount of resources. Pathetic humans, not so much. With a grunt, Primal popped a grape into his mouth and sighed contently. He was so pleased to have found this little nugget of dense foliage of Central Park. Here, he didn't have to be bothered with anyone or anything that wanted to bug him. Or so he thought. 

Primal glanced up at the cloudy sky above him. It was around 6:45 in the evening which meant that joggers and runners would be busy along the concrete pathways. He groaned at the thought and rested his head on the side of one of his hyenas' chest. "...I can't decide whether I want Chinese or Cuban food, Shaka. Why do you feel like?" He asked as he stared up at the clouds. Shaka laughed in response, "Chinese it is. We'll order in after we finish relaxin'." Shaka had no qualms about that. He was enjoying the human femur that he was currently gnawing on.

The twenty-three-year-old almost fell asleep when a couple of birds started to chirp and warn him about a possible threat. Primal groaned and sat up from Shaka. "Oya, Shaka, stand down until I call you." The two hyenas got up and jogged over to the bushes to hide. At least he had the element of surprise on his side. Primal stood up from the ground and brushed the grass blades from his attire. "Come on out," Primal sighed, "you can't sneak up on someone who's in tuned with nature."

Another mutant. Reports had come in about some strange occurrences in Central Park: animals acting strangely, animals that shouldn’t be around were, however no one has been able to track down a plausible reason as to why this was happening. However, for the most part it seemed like an innocent enough thing. Animals were spotted, some strange behavior was logged, but it was nothing that seemed to require intervention. Then the first attack happened. Then another. That was when S.U.P.E.R. got involved. It practically shouted that something mutant related was happening.

Akshay wasn’t one that was usually sent on the smaller missions. Truth was that Akshay’s skillset was a little more specialized. He was focused more on the hunt and capture of mutants, not tagging them and sending them along their merry way. However, resources spread then, it soon became a requirement that he would be stepping out into this case. Begrudgingly, he accepted.

Central Park was big, but it wasn’t big enough to hide a mutant from him. As soon as Akshay set foot into the park, he made for the last known location of the incidents and hoped that it would be a simple case, recalling that that was rarely case for him. His jobs never turned out simply.

Moving down the little traveled paths, Akshay was dressed simply in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He looked like a business man lost in the denser parts of the park. His shoes ground against the ground, a hand reached up and ran through the curls of his medium length black hair before smoothing down his mustache and goatee. It was warm tonight, warmer than he would have liked. But a job was a job.

As he stalked through the denser trees, Akshay came to a stop. He was close enough to the spoke where the attacks seemed to be occurring. So, closing his eyes, Akshay sighed and took a long, deep breath. He was further away from most of the populace but still close enough to pick them all up with his mutation. He sighed feeling his senses reach out further and further, peering into the darkness for those little beacons of light, those signals that someone was a mutant.

In the distance he could see the faded signals, those little twinkling star lights of mutants who were just at the edges of his radius. But it wasn’t them he was after. Instead, as he turned, Akshay winced catching sight of a fairly bright mutant signature, far closer to him than any of the others. His jaw set, the man turned and began to move through the darkness. As he did, his body slowly began to pull apart, like mist caught in the cone of a fan. Every step he moved his body pulled apart more and more until, finally, he vanished completely from sight.

Seconds later Akshay reappeared, standing in the middle of green, a natural paradise. He moved, slowly, his eyes straining in the darkness. As he peered through, he caught sight of a slowly growing signature – a mutant. Akshay couldn’t quite see him through the brightness but he was able to tell he was a younger man who seemed to inclined to show off more skin than what was probably appropriate. Akshay continued to circle the perimeter, his hand pulling a tranquilizer gun from the inside of his jacket. He wasn’t sure, totally, what he was dealing with but he would be prepared.

>> "Come on out…you can't sneak up on someone who's in tuned with nature."

He blinked. How on earth? He assumed the man’s mutations must have had something to do with animals, but how did he sense him? Extraordinary senses? Mind reading? He grumbled as he stood up, holding his hands behind his back and keeping the gun ready. If the man knew he was here, he could at least present himself civilly.

Calmly he stepped out, a small turn of his head causing his hair to flip out of his eyes. He advanced just close enough to be visible as he looked the man over. A smirk played on his lips as he eyed him. ”Channeling your inner Tarzan?” he inquired. ”You go out like that, you’re bound to be arrested for indecency.”

>> "Channeling your inner Tarzan?...You go out like that, you’re bound to be arrested for indecency.”

This caused Primal to chuckle, deeply. "Well, what can I say? I enjoy the air between my legs." He guestered to his battle kilt before folding his arms over his battle harness. He studied the guy that was in fron of him, closely. "I was craving Chinese and Cuban tonight for dinner, but I guess I wouldn't mind havin' some...jalebi for dessert." The African American mutant started pacing in front of the South Asian. He wondered why this man was watching him. If he wanted to go on a date, he should've approached him instead stalking him like a predator in the African grasslands.

"...What were you plannin' on doin' t'me while you attempted to ambush me, hm?" Primal let out an animalistic snort as his eyes fell down to his waist. Believe it or not, Primal wasn't checking him out. In fact, he was trying to see what was behind the other man's back. "And how did you find me?" He added in question.

After a few more paces, he stopped. Primal focused all of his attention on the man who was stalking him. "Well? I'm waiting."

Akshay was just a little put off by the man. The way he moved, the way he spoke, he had the air of someone who was in control and had little fear for his own safety. Akshay didn’t know if he should admire that or fear it. The problem here was whoever this man was, he was causing trouble for the local populace. If his ability was to have sway over animals, if those animal attacks were his doing, then a glance around would show that Akshay was vastly outnumbered. But he didn’t need to out muscle the mutant – he just needed to subdue him.

Strolling out into the open, the agent kept his hands clasped behind his back, the tranquilizer gun safely hidden behind his back. As he moved, he moved in much the same way as someone casual would, his eyes roaming around the scene, taking in everything his saw. He didn’t push too much away from the tree line, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was dealing with here, after all.

>> "Well, what can I say? I enjoy the air between my legs…I was craving Chinese and Cuban tonight for dinner, but I guess I wouldn't mind havin' some...jalebi…for dessert."

Akshay tilted his head but his eyes narrowed. For the briefest of moments he wondered if maybe this guy was a cannibal. Though what he said had a more teasing quality to it, there was a still a part of Akshay that knew he needed to be cautious. Again, he was going into this with limited intel. Probably a stupid move on his part but the agent rarely liked to work with others. He only hoped that tendancy wasn’t going to bite him in the butt now.

>> "...What were you plannin' on doin' t'me while you attempted to ambush me, hm? And how did you find me?"

The man stalked him like a predator. Moving back and forth, like an animal surveying his prey. Akshay didn’t show any fear or weakness, though. Wasn’t that the thing with animals? You don’t show weakness. But were weren’t supposed to challenge either? It was a precarious balance but if anyone could walk it, it was Akshay Malik.

>> "Well? I'm waiting."

”Patience is a virtue…” he stated plainly, a light smile upon his lips. He stopped moving, hands still behind his back as he surveyed the handsome wild man. Why did all the pretty ones have to be crazy? ”And you didn’t really leave a subtle trail. People were attacked by animals in these parts.” he eyed him. ”If you were looking for someplace deep and dark to hide, I wouldn’t suggest the middle of Central Park.”

”And you didn’t really leave a subtle trail. People were attacked by animals in these parts...If you were looking for someplace deep and dark to hide, I wouldn’t suggest the middle of Central Park.”

[color=green"So he does speak?"[/color] Primal asked with a grin on his face. He knew that there was something behind the man's back, but didn't address it. Instead, he wanted to play this "lion and gazelle" game with him. It was starting to get fun. "And you're right, patience is a virtue. Any ambush hunter knows that. Though, I wouldn't classify myself as a predator. More like...a dangerous herbivore." Primal purred playfully at the man.

A cool breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees that surrounded the small clearing. "First off," Primal held up his index finger, "I had nothin' to do with those animal attacks," he corrected, "second off, Central Park is where all of my friends are." As if on cue, a couple of birds flew down from the treetops and landed on either side of Primal's shoulder. "...How about we start over. Name's Primal and yours?"

>>”So he does speak?"

Akshay said nothing. He kept his ground, ignoring the sing-song voice of the man as he stalked closer. Keeping his footing, Akshay continued to survey his surroundings, noting the landscape, escape routes, anything he might need to use so that he could get himself out of this predicament. When one was an agent, it paid to have all these things in mind, to be prepared for any and all eventualities. It was a state of being that the agent had grown comfortable in, that he had accepted as part of his life. It was behavior like this that kept him alive.

His eyes trailed the man as he moved, noting his body, his posture, the ease at which he did so. He looked more like some comic book villain than an actual threat. But considering that people were attacked and that he was the only mutant within the vicinity, especially with abilities such as his, well, sometimes a duck was a duck.

>>"And you're right, patience is a virtue. Any ambush hunter knows that. Though, I wouldn't classify myself as a predator. More like...a dangerous herbivore."

Another eyeroll. Okay. He was a campy supervillain. Greeeat.

>>"First off…I had nothin' to do with those animal attacks…second off, Central Park is where all of my friends are."

Akshay tilted his head, watching as several birds seemed to fly form the trees, joining him by landing upon his shoulders. His eyebrow listed as he watched this, contemplating if maybe this guy was trying to go out from some campy Disney villain now. The bird thing, there was no way that was just a coincidence. So with a sigh, Akshay shook his head.

”Pardon if I don’t exactly believe you.” he said quitely, a slight, mocking grin upon his lips.

>>"...How about we start over. Name's Primal and yours?"

Yeah. Akshay was getting a little over this. The guy was handsome, sure, but the agent really had better things to do than likely to a cosplaying mutant who lost touch with reality. With a shake of his head, Akshay held his ground once more, looking at the man closely.

”Oh, you’re going to have to ask a whole lot nicer if you want my name…Primal.” he snorted. ”Here’s the deal. You’re causing a nuisance in this city. I’m giving you one warning. Stop. You won’t like where this goes if not.” His hand tightened on the tranquilizer gun behind his back.

>> ”Pardon if I don’t exactly believe you.”

"That's surprisin'," Primal sassed, "I'm sure you had a lot of pre-assumptions about me from what you 'heard' on the streets." In all honesty, Primal didn't have anything to do with the way the animals were acting. Maybe they just fed off his energy, maybe they were tired of being "domesticated". If Primal was their reason to act the way animals should act, then by all means.

>> ”Oh, you’re going to have to ask a whole lot nicer if you want my name…Primal...Here’s the deal. You’re causing a nuisance in this city. I’m giving you one warning. Stop. You won’t like where this goes if not.”

He snorted, "I won't like it, huh?" Primal licked his lips, "damn, but I'm already likin' what I'm seein'." But of course, he had to play nice. Or did he? "...May I ask the name of the handsome stalker that's holdin' somethin' behind his back?" Primal wasn't stupid. The way he was standing and presenting himself, he knew that there was something behind his back. "Come on, what is it? I doubt it's flowers." The twenty-three-year-old attempted to peek around Akshay's side, but then something else caught his attention. "Damn. Anyway, what's the other part of the deal?"

>> "I won't like it, huh? Damn, but I'm already likin' what I'm seein'."

Another roll of his eyes. This wasn’t the first time that Akshay had been objectified like this, but normally those moments had been reserved to when he occupied certain clubs or bars (once at a bookstore). However it was not something that was easily done out in the field. Normally mutants just ran from him, other’s fought, but there were few who were as diluded enough as the man in the loincloth who stalked him like a hungry predator.

Akshay held his ground, his hand tightening around the tranquilizer gun in his position. He still didn’t know what this man’s exact power was but he had a feeling that if a fight broke out that he would find himself easily outnumbered. No, he needed to knock him out, that would be the only way to ensure that the animals around them wouldn’t be a threat – he hoped.

>>"...May I ask the name of the handsome stalker that's holdin' somethin' behind his back?"

He had asked after his name, this time with a far nicer tone. Akshay wasn’t sure which he had found more disturbing, his earlier demand or the honey-coated words he attempted to deliver upon him. Either way, Akshay wasn’t swayed. Even though Primal already knew that he was hold something behind his back, Akshay’s resolve didn’t falter.

>> "Come on, what is it? I doubt it's flowers…. "Damn….Anyway, what's the other part of the deal?"

Yeah, Primal was beginning to step into creeper territory. Maybe if this were in a bar or out on a dancefloor, he could have been flattered, but this was business. Carefully Akshay pulled his arms out from behind him, both at his sides. In one, though, as clear as day, was a tranquilizer gun. He didn’t seem annoyed or panicky that his weapon was revealed, as a matter of fact, Akshay looked rather pleased.

His eyes felt upon Primal, deep and dark as a pit they bored holes into the man. ”The other part…” he grinned.

His black eyes suddenly began to burn, like metal rings left sitting inside of an furnace. Bright and hot, his irises turned an impossible shade of red. White smoke started to waft off of his body, smoke that pulled him apart, causing him dissipate like a cloud. As he did so, Akshay took several steps backwards, away from the mutant before he suddenly vanished into strange fog. Moments later, somewhere behind the mutant, the voice of Akshay spoke up, ringing through the trees and darkness.

”…the other part is if you don’t stop, I’m hauling your cute butt in for processing.” There was a click. A tranquilizer gun was raised from somewhere behind the other. ”And as for my name…just call me…Stalker.”

Primal's dark brown eyes fell on the gun that was in his hand. Well, ****. That made things more interesting. The darker skinned mutant looked closely at the firearm and saw that it wasn't your run of the mill glock. Was it some type of tranquilizer gun. Huh. So, he didn't plan on killing him? Perfect. At least he wouldn't have to worry about Akshay's cute self-being mauled to death by Oya and Shaka.Speaking of, they were just waiting for the signal to pounce. Derek telepathically told them to stay hidden until he said so. Their safety was number one.


The Disney Villain watched as the Southasian's eyes started to smolder and give off smoke? What was this mutant?! I living smoke?! Primal squinted his eyes as the man turned into smoke. He looked around the small clearing to see where the other mutant would recollect. Primal was about to whip around when he heard a voice behind him.

”…the other part is if you don’t stop, I’m hauling your cute butt in for processing...And as for my name…just call me…Stalker.””

In response, the bird flew back into the treetops to avoid being caught in the possible crossfire. Smart birds. "Stop which part? The obvious flirting or messin' with the animals?" He asked quietly. Even a powerful animal knew when to...submit. "Fine, fine, I'll stop messin' with the fauna," he looked over his shoulder a bit to look at Stalker, "you think I'm cute?"

Akshay’s abilities were considered quite terrifying. The fiery eyes, the disappearing from sight, it was the kind of thing that unnerved a lot of his fellow agents. However, it wans’t just the physical aspects that scared people, it was the fact that to escape from him was next to impossible. He could see a mutant, they lit up like a funeral pyre in the dead of night. Actually it was rather painful for Akshay to look at, not that he had a choice.

Right now, Primal blazed like a sun due to the fact that Akshay had locked onto him and now he was standing within a few feet. His back to him, the Agent held the tranquilizer gun up, directly pointed at the man’s back. At this ran, the mutant needed to have the speed of Hermes himself if he wanted to dodge it, something which Akshay believed was not within the other’s power set.

Gun poised, he delivered his ultimatum – stop or he was going to have to bring him in for processing. S.U.P.E.R. wouldn’t treat Primal as kindly as Akshay was and that was saying something. So, he waited, he held his breath, he was ready to squeeze the trigger if provoked. It was all in Primal’s court now.

>> "Stop which part? The obvious flirting or messin' with the animals? Fine, fine, I'll stop messin' with the fauna,”

Thankfully, and surprisingly, the other seemed to understand that this was a situation he didn’t want to get into. He agreed to stop messing with the animals, though not without crossing boundaries by again bringing up his flirtatious nature. Akshay sighed and shook his head. However, his earlier comment would only spur the other on further as he turned to look over his shoulder at the agent.

>>"You think I'm cute?"

Akshay stared. He stared hard. Then with sass dripping like venom from hidden fangs, he responded. ”Some parts.” He let that hang in the air for a second before he reached into his jacket with his free hand, procuring another device, this one looking long silver, and slender. It was used to implant trackers. ”Now, to make sure you keep your word…” he pulled off the cap to reveal the needle. ”…I’m going to have to poke you.”

”Some parts.”

Some parts? What did that mean? Primal looked around his body as if to try and see which parts Stalker was talking about. Was his it his eyes? Beautiful ebony skin? His overall demeanor? Derek didn't know. Perhaps he'll find out later.

”Now, to make sure you keep your word…I’m going to have to poke you.”

At hearing that last part, Primal quickly whipped around to look at Stalker. "No, I draw the line at that. You're not gonna tag me like some...mother orca who's making her trip up the Pacific coast so they can track her progress. The answer is 'no'. Find another way." Primal wasn't like some animal that needed to be tagged and tracked. "...What oration are you with anyway? You're obviously not a loner. Who are you?"

Not a lot of mutants like this part of the procedure. When S.U.P.E.R. agents ran across one who could be a danger to the public, they needed to be tagged and tracked. It was just the way of things. SUPER had to keep an eye on them, make sure that they were being monitored so it anything out of the ordinary happened, they could easily track down and put a stop to it. Letting certain mutants just run around free with only their word as a bond that they wouldn’t do anything else was ridiculous. What kind of government would allow that?

Tranquilizer gun still trained on Primal, Akshay pulled out the implantation needle. Honestly, it didn’t hurt, this was actually the tamest version. For those mutants who were caught removing their tracking implants, there was already the option of planting it directly inside their skull. It was quite the invasive procedure, but SUPER had to be sure that said mutants couldn’t easily remove the device again.

Primal, so far, had been playing nice. Which was good. The last thing that Akshay wanted was for this to descend into something it didn’t have to be. However, upon revealing that he was going to actually tag him, the mutant’s helpful nature turned decidedly against him.

>> "No, I draw the line at that. You're not gonna tag me like some...mother orca who's making her trip up the Pacific coast so they can track her progress. The answer is 'no'. Find another way."

Akshay sighed. He really didn’t want this to get messy but Primal clearly didn’t like the idea of being tagged. Honestly, what mutant would? Akshay wasn’t in anyway swayed by the man’s pleading, but instead just kept the gun aimed directly at his chest, the needle still poised and ready with his other hand. His stern expression showed that whatever arguments Primal had, they were invalid to him.

>>"...What oration are you with anyway? You're obviously not a loner. Who are you?"

”Who I am doesn’t matter.” He said plainly. ”What does is that you need to make a choice. You have two options here,” he said. He hefted up the needle. ”Either you play nice and I implant his tracker without a fuss…” He then wiggled the tranquilizer gun at him. ”Or I knock your butt out and implant it anyway.” His tone and posture showed that he was clearly not going to negotiate. ”Up to you.”

”Who I am doesn’t matter...What does is that you need to make a choice. You have two options here,”

Yeah, Primal was sure that Stalker had two options. Two options that he wasn't going to like.

”Either you play nice and I implant his tracker without a fuss…Or I knock your butt out and implant it anyway...up to you."

"Hm," Primal looked up and started to rub his chin as if he was actually thinking of which one to choose from. Being knocked out would cause his hyenas to burst from the brush and attack Stalker. Him giving in would show weakness. "Let's see, how about this." Primal cleared his throat, "you and I get beers and I'll take the implant. You did call me cute after all."

Primal was agitated but it was clear that he knew he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Either way, Akshay was going to tag him; to not be tagged was simply out of the question. As usual, the agent had a task to complete and he wouldn’t be leaving the other’s presence until it was done. S.U.P.E.R. took matters like this seriously and if Primal was indeed affecting animals, causing them to lash out against humans than he was a threat that needed to be neutralized. In actuality Akshay should have just shot him down and dragged him in for processing. He still could, though; the night was young.

The last of his ultimatum was delivered – it was either compile or be forced to compile. Aksahy was honestly good with enforcing either options. So, with his tranquilizer gun trained and ready, the agent waited for Primal to make one more or the other.

The man fully turned and the two of them locked eyes. The younger man seemed to be considering Akshay’s words. The agent hoped that he would see reason in this and just play along as he didn’t want to drag out further.

Unfortuntely “dragging it out” seemed to be exactly what was on Primal’s mind.

>> "Hm,…Let's see, how about this…you and I get beers and I'll take the implant. You did call me cute after all."

…sigh. He really was not in the mood for this. Truth be told, he wanted to just tranquilize him right then and there, tag, then leave. But alas he still wasn’t sure of the scope of the mutant’s abilities. If he could affect animals, how would they react to him being felled? Would they care? Would they jump into the attack? Would they be free of his spell and wander off on their own? What if they attacked the surrounding populace all at once? There were too many unknowns in the equation.

In the end, it was better to momentarily break bread than to risk lives; besides, he was fairly certain that if he had to stop him, he could.

A second of thought, his eyes narrowed, then an unheard curse fell from his lips. Slowly he took a step back from Primal, replacing the cap on the needle and returning it to his pocket. The tranquilizer gun was still pointed squarely at him, at least until they were not completely surrounded by dangerous creatures. His set set, he slowly nodded his head.

”One beer,” he said with firmness. His eyes roamed down the younger man’s body before raising back up to greet his face. ”And you’re putting on pants. No one’s going to serve you dressed like that.” He then sighed, realizing what he said. At that moment he lifted his hand to Primal to stop him before he could make a lewd comment. "And I didn't mean like that."

A grin came to Primal's face when he noticed the delay in Stalker. He knew by the look on his face that contained his contemplation. After all, it was one beer. And maybe some wings, too. Boneless wings; those were the best and pretty damn good. Then he'll have to swing by the butcher and get a large cow's leg for Oya and Shaka. On top of that, he had to get up six the next morning for his eight o'clock equine anatomy and physiology lab. Ugh, so much to do on such a small amount of time. Life just seemed too damn busy now and days. He longed for the days of undergrad.

Primal snapped back into focus when Stalker spoke again,

>> ”One beer,”

There was a surprised look on slightly shorter mutant's face. He actually agreed to a beer. "Oh?"

>> ”And you’re putting on pants. No one’s going to serve you dressed like that."

The African American mutant was ready to say something gutter worthy when Stalker shut him down.

>> "And I didn't mean like that."

"You're no fun, Stalker," Primal pursed his lips before heading toward the clearing. He clicked his tongue to signal for Shaka and Oya to stay where they were and for them to behave themselves. The last thing he wanted to was for them to get tranquilized or worse, "we'll make a stop at my apartment before we go to a bar. Then afterwards you can impale me if anything you see fit." He paused and have Stalker a playful grin, "and I didn't mean like that."