PREMEDITATED
Gambit endured the stench of rank breath as a hulking body weighed itself down on him. Wild eyes watched him struggle against superior strength and his opponent prematurely mocked, "Say your last prayers-"

The taunting remark went incomplete when Wolverine�s claws cut into Sabertooth from behind, leading him to roar and loosen the restraining hold. "Mind if I cut in?" This was asked after the fact.

With his teammate�s assistance, Gambit was granted the opportunity to jerk his knee up and ram it into Sabertooth�s most sensitive region. Having regained the upper hand, it was not difficult to break from murderous clutches.

He surged to his feet and left Sabertooth to Wolverine. Scanning for more opposition, he paid little to no heed to the corpses scattered about the combat site. It was loitered with Acolytes, Guild members (Assassins and Thieves alike), Marauders, and numerous individual foes. None of their deaths had been merciful. Demise ranged from decapitation, disembowelment, incineration, strangulation to simple, brute pummeling and, while their deaths were dissimilar, the causation was the same � Gambit.

A rustle clued him into Marrow�s intended surprise attack. He quickly leapt to the right and avoided the hit of a bone-sculpted knife. The miss did not deter her and she persisted moving forward, rampantly thrusting. Ignoring the pain radiating from his thigh, a wound attributable to their confrontation in the Morlock tunnels mere days before, Gambit nimbly dodged each slash.

Wolverine kept doggedly fighting Sabertooth. The arch nemeses exchanged blows, not exhibiting any signs of tiredness. The smaller man would have actually been enjoying this if he had not caught wind of Mr. Sinister�s approach. Mr. Sinister and others. He and Gambit were becoming sorely outnumbered.

Gambit did not require a warning with respect to the newcomers, intuit to their presence also. When Mr. Sinister arrived, he created a plasma blast and launched it without delay. Gambit took an opening and grabbed Marrow, using her as a human shield. He let her accept the annihilating shot in his stead and, once the threat had cleared, dropped her lifeless form.

Stepping over the cadaver, Gambit braced himself to go head to head with Mr. Sinister and his remaining lackeys, Harpoon and Riptide. Beads of perspiration speckled his face and, unlike the swift-healing Sabertooth and Wolverine, his exhaustion was readily apparent. The battle had been long and furious with no obvious end in sight.

When another scent assailed him, that of Magneto, Wolverine decided he�d had enough. Amidst giving Sabertooth an uppercut, he snarled, "Automatic override. Voice print - Wolverine."

The computer responded to the command, "Confirmed. Shut down in five seconds. Five... four... three�"

"Non," Gambit called above Riptide�s rapidly increasing air stream while making a valiant effort to steer clear of Harpoon�s razor-edged slayspears. His objection was too late. He was not able to counter the directive.

"two... one. Session terminated."

The landscape and people dissipated, leaving Logan and Remy alone in the Danger Room.

A charged card, meant for Remy�s adversaries, was thrown at a metallic wall in a demonstration of frustration. No damage was incurred from the explosion that followed. The room was impervious to his indignation. "You had no right!"

In unison, Logan lectured, "What kind of hair-brained notion was that? Makin� and runnin� a simulation with all your enemies. Are you nuts? You�re lucky I got here when I did, else you�d be kitty chow!"

"Was handling it fine without you, homme."

That garnered a skeptical arch of the brow and Logan probed, "Shouldn�t you be with Rogue? You know, the mother of your child?"

Succeeding the Marrow debacle, Rogue had been returned to the mansion and, under the supervision of Beast and team addition Cecelia Reyes, brought the newest Lebeau into the world. A healthy baby boy. Although extra precautions were necessary due to the mother�s mutation, there were no unexpected complications. An injured Logan had not gotten to witness the delivery firsthand, his hard-earned place having been forfeited to the restored father.

When Remy was slow to answer, he added, "Maybe I should mention this incident to her. See what she has to say."

"Maybe you need to butt out for once. Mon dieu, since when are you Gambit�s keeper?"

"This isn�t about you, Cajun. This is about her and the kid."

"You�re startin� to sound like a broken record."

"Well, someone ought to be lookin� out for �em seein� as how you�ve been AWOL and, now that you�re back, you�re in here playin� around." Logan waved an arm, gesturing to the training room as a whole, prior to needling, "So, tell me, is all of this for my benefit? You tryin� to get in shape because I kicked your sorry ass at that bar?"

"You had de advantage of Gambit bein� in his cups. Dat�s not de case at present. Shall we have a fair tussle? You game?"

The Wolverine was always game. "When your leg�s mended, find me. I�ll be happy to accommodate. Don�t want you usin� that as an excuse for my victory."

His comment precipitated a sneer. "Only one thing in de world dis Cajun fears and it�s not you. It�s his belle's wrath. Speaking of which, Gambit best take your advice and check in on de Rogue. Ciao."

Not allowing Remy to depart with the last word, Logan said, "Oh, don�t fool yourself. You�re scared of a lot of things, not just Rogue. In fact, I believe that simulation showed just how scared you really are."

"Not scared," was the prompt denial. "Just preparin� to live up to de sayin�."

"What sayin�?" Logan prodded, wanting to get a solid grasp of the other man�s mindset, though he was pretty certain he knew where all of this was going.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies dead." There was no humor behind the statement. He was dead serious.

Logan narrowed a penetrating look on him. He was on the verge of giving the patent "X-men don�t kill" speech and thought better of it. Still, he had to put forth some type of argument. "If I were in a similar position, I�d feel the same. Hell, they aren�t even mine and I do feel the same. Problem is, you can�t just plan on offin� anyone you consider a potential risk to Rogue and the kid. We don�t do preemptive strikes."

"Want to bet?" Remy limped toward the exit, not bothering to meet Logan�s gaze as he spoke, "And, ahead of choosin� yes or no, remember dis... not wise to gamble with de Gambit."

By himself, Logan instructed the computer, "Simulation 0178, level 10, commence. Voice print - Wolverine."

He was primed to vent.

"Confirmed. Commencement in five seconds. Five... four... three... two... one."

The scene transformed into that of a jungle. Towering trees and plants encircled him and sheltered a pending assault. Even his keen detection skills found it hard to track his rival�s movements. He was suddenly tackled and there was a menacing growl, "Get ready to die, runt."

With a head-but, Wolverine broke away and hurriedly took on a defensive stance. His claws extended with an ominous *snikt* and a smile touched his lips. "That�s what you think, bub."

Meanwhile�

Sharon Carter studied S.H.I.E.L.D.�s (Strategic Hazard, Intervention, Espionage, Logistics, Directorate) recent acquisition. Marrow sat in the corner of her cell, rebelliously quiet, attempting to become acclimated with her surroundings and uncover a means of escape.

Having been sedated in advance of transport, Marrow did not understand that there was no hope of escape. They were stationed on the agency�s aircraft headquarters, otherwise known as Hellicarrier. With or without the bars of her cell, she had nowhere to go.

"We had a deal," the mutant finally muttered. She was accusatory.

"Yes, we did," Sharon agreed. "You were given twenty-four hours upon receipt of the syringe. When your twenty-four hours expired, we retrieved you. You cannot blame us for your failure to take care of personal affairs."

A low, obstinate grunt was received.

Realizing she had an appointment to attend with the memory implant and mutancy control specialists in less than five minutes, Sharon informed, "I�ll be back later. There are matters that demand my attention. We can finish our� discussion� then."

"Oh, how will I ever pass the time?" Marrow posed the rhetorical question with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

A fine sleeper agent she will make, Sharon mused. She would definitely have the memory implant specialist provide his subject with a civil tongue.

Unaware of the schemes being cultivated on her behalf, Marrow resumed searching for an out. A way to get free so she could destroy Gambit and everything he held most dear. His child. His woman. His family. His friends. The X-men.

THE END
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