CHAPTER TWELVE
The Mansion
Under the cover of darkness, Storm patrolled the mansion grounds from the
air. Her communicator started beeping. She touched the device and spoke,
"Storm, here Professor!"
"Anything?" A voice came through her voice communicator.
"Quiet, but I will continue to watch the grounds from the air. The
darkness will keep me concealed."
"Just be careful. Our opponents are devious as well as dangerous."
Xavier's voice replied with a warning. "The others are on their way back.
Their mission was a success."
"Thank the Goddess!!" Ororo sighed after saying a silent prayer. "I
shall be watching for them. Storm out."
_______________
The Starjammer
Scott stood impatiently outside the door of Corsair's private quarters
onboard the Starjammer, waiting for some word on Gambit. He glanced at his
teammates. All of them appeared just as worried about Remy's condition as
he did.
Rogue lifted her head and looked at him. Unable to maintain eye contact,
the young woman lowered her head and returned to staring at the ship's
deck. Scott knew she was still blaming herself for the Antarctica
incident. Deep down, he did too, but now Remy's well-being was all that
mattered. After things settled down, he would deal with Rogue.
The door opened and Raza stepped out. Scott straightened as the X-Men
joined him. The cybernetic swordsman glanced briefly at the others before
addressing Scott. "Thy father wishes to speak with thee, young Summers."
Raza said, moving aside to allow Scott to enter the room. "I must leave.
Ch'od may need my assistance."
Scott watched the Starjammer leave, and then glanced back at his
friends. "Wait out here. I'll let you know as soon as I know something."
He stepped inside the small quarters, and then closed the door behind him,
allowing his eyes to become adjusted to the dim light.
The door opened again, and Scott turned to see Hepzibah had followed him
inside. She stopped long enough to pat him gently across the back before
moving to the bed against the wall.
Corsair sat on the edge of the bed, holding Remy's hand with a gentleness
Scott vaguely remembered from his own lost childhood. Christopher waited
until Hepzibah finished checking on Gambit before speaking. "What did McCoy
tell you, Mademoiselle?"
"Keep him sedated until the mansion we reach, Dr. McCoy wants," Hepzibah
answered. She touched her lover's face, and added, "Speak with you, Scott
does."
Corsair turned with Hepzibah's announcement, slightly surprised he'd been
so focused on one son that he hadn't heard the other enter. He locked eyes
with his first-born.
"Scott." he released Gambit's hand, stood and met his son in the middle
of the cabin. "Why didn't you tell me, " he paused, fighting hard to keep
control. "What did Sinister do to you?"
"It's in the past, Dad." Scott shook his head. He didn't want to
discuss that subject with anyone. "Forget it."
"Forget it? How can I forget something like that?" Corsair shouted,
"And to hear it from that devil's own lips, instead of yours."
"You weren't there! How was I supposed to tell you? I thought you were
dead," Scott shouted back, his own anger matching his father's. "Suddenly,
you're back in my life. Did you actually expect me to pretend we still have
the same relationship we did when I was a child? No! You have to earn
it." No sooner had he spoken the last words, Scott regretted them. He
quickly tried to make amends. "Look, Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"It's all right, Scott." Corsair assured his son by pulling him into a
tight embrace. "I spent the last twenty-three years believing you and Alex
were dead too. I'm still trying to get used to the idea my sons are grown
men instead of the little boys I remembered."
Scott pulled out of his father's embrace, feeling better after hearing
his father's confession. He realized he hadn't been the only one who had
suffered those lonely years. Perhaps it was time to bury some of his
demons. "Dad, you heard Sinister speak of some of the things he's done, but
it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as I'm concerned."
Cyclops made his way over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and studied
his brother's features. "Sinister has this habit of manipulating things to
a point where you don't believe anything or anyone except him."
He looked up at his father, and in a pain-filled voice said, "I know, he
did it to me when I thought I'd lost Jean." Glancing back at Gambit, he
added. "But I feel Sinister has done something far worse to Remy.
Something so terrible, it's completely turned him against us."
"Sinister," Corsair barely whispered the name, but the hatred in the word
was enough for Scott and Hepzibah to overhear.
"This Sinister be worthy not of your hate, my love." Hepzibah said,
joining the two men at the bedside vigil. "Reclaimed your son, from this
mad man, you have. Be glad of that much."
_____________
Outside in the main cabin, Rogue leaned against the side of the ship,
deep in thought. She wondered what was happening inside the small quarters
just a short distance from her.
Glancing at the closed door, Rogue sighed deeply, and then started biting
one of her fingernails, trying to decide what to do next. She desperately
wanted to go inside the room, but knew her presence would only cause more
harm than good right then.
She couldn't erase the mental image in her mind of Remy's hate-filled
behavior back at Sinister's base. Scott, Jean, and Xavier had told the team
what Sinister was capable of doing but until she saw Remy with her own eyes,
and the result of Sinister's mind tampering ability, she never truly
believed them. Now, those results were haunting her as she played the
events over again in her mind. One quick glance at the others told her that
they were just as haunted by those memories as she was.
Silently, Rogue kept a vigil, praying that the Professor could reverse
the damage Sinister had done, and then another thought crossed her mind.
What if Sinister never touched Remy? What if Remy really did hate them...
and her? With a worried glance, her gaze darted back to the other X-Men.
Warren nervously paced back and forth before muttering, "How much longer
before we reach the mansion?"
"'Bout ten seconds less than th' last time ya asked that question,
Worthington." Wolverine answered, clearly irritated. "Sit down, yer
getting on my nerves."
Warren stopped long enough to give Logan a threatening glare before
continuing his pacing.
Wolverine sighed deeply, turned to Bishop, and asked. "Wanna talk 'bout
it, Bish?"
"No!"
Logan exchanged glances with Rogue. Both of them knew what was bothering
the big man. Rogue shrugged, leaving Wolverine to carry the conversation
alone. "Gumbo will be back to his usual pain-in-th'-ass self in no time."
"Logan, don't pretend you didn't hear what he called Sinister." Bishop's
angry eyes settled on Wolverine before he added, "Father. Remy called that
thing, Father."
"Awwh, th' kid's screwed up in th' head right now," Wolverine said,
pulling out a cigar. "Once Chuck an' Jean do their magic, he'll be back ta
normal." He snickered. "That is until he finds out he's related to Cyke."
"But you saw how Sinister was controlling him. And Remy's eyes, they
were glowing, just like Sinister's." Bishop said, still not convinced. He
finished cleaning the barrel of his gun for the third time. It was a habit
of Bishop's when he was extremely nervous.
"You know, I always thought Gambit had weird eyes. Now, I know why."
Bobby started laughing.
Warren stopped pacing and turned on Drake. "Bobby, shut up before I shut
you up myself."
Iceman was shocked at Angel's sudden angry outburst. "Hey, it was only a
joke, Warren. Don't take it so personal, man."
Bishop got up, readied his gun, and pointed it at Bobby.
"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Drake asked, trying to move out of
Bishop's way.
"What's the matter, Drake?" Bishop grinned and then lowered his gun.
"It was only a joke, don't take it so personal."
Wolverine started laughing. Angel joined in on the joke. Bobby angrily
turned to the two laughing at him. "Not funny, not funny at all."
It was only a few more moments before Bobby's natural good humor tempered
his anger and he started to chuckle with the others
____________
The Cell
Nathaniel Essex slowly regained consciousness and discovered where he
was. He was on the ground. How undignified!
Getting to his feet, he realized that his prisoners had escaped.
Noticing a playing card lying on the ground, Sinister walked over and picked
it up. Rubbing his thumb over the card, he realized what had happened while
he was unconscious.
Glancing at one of the dark corners, he looked up and saw one of the
hidden cameras was still operating. Apparently, the X-Men had left in such
a hurry they hadn't noticed he had bugged the cell.
Tossing away the card, Sinister headed for his control room. With his
cameras still in place, they would show him everything that happened while
he was unconscious. He entered the room, flipped a few switches, and sat
down as the monitors played back the events he had missed.
A smile played across his face, Remy had not given up so easily. When
Christopher Summers stepped into the viewing area, Sinister stood up. He
thought the elder Summers was dead. He continued to watch the monitor,
understanding how Christopher Summers and several strange alien beings had
been able to join the X-Men in taking Remy LeBeau.
Balling his hand into a fist, Sinister angrily slammed it into the
monitor. Glass shattered upon impact. There would be hell to pay. Nobody
stole from him and lived to tell about it. He flipped another switch,
activating the radio communicator.
"Yeah, Boss?" Scalphunter's voice answered.
"Have you found Creed?"
"No, Boss. Creed wasn't headed for the mansion after all," Scalphunter
answered. "It seems he changed his mind and is heading north. You want us
to still track him?"
"No." Sinister sharply answered. "I want you to continue with the
original plan. Return to base."
_____________
The Mansion
As soon as the Starjammer landed, Hank met the group and together, they
rushed their unwilling, unconscious passenger to the med lab. He pointed to
the bed closest to the far wall. "Put him over there, Scott."
Beast waited until his friend did as he instructed before beginning the
examination of his patient. Looking up at Scott, he worriedly asked. "Has
he regained consciousness at all?"
"No way." Bobby answered instead. A hint of laughter lingered in his
voice. "After Scott cold-cocked him, he hasn't even moved."
"Ah think th' sedative they gave him might have something ta do with it
too, Bobby." Rogue replied.
Raza entered the large room. In the cyborg's usual eccentric mannerism,
he apologized for his intrusion. "I regret my interference, but, Captain I
must speak with thee."
Corsair joined his friend, and the two had a brief conversation in
private. As soon as it was over, the space pirate turned to Cyclops and
explained the situation. "Scott, the Starjammer just received an emergency
signal from Cyndar. They're asking for our help. You know if there were
anyway I could get out of---"
"Dad, I understand. You have to honor the blood vow you made." Scott
said. "Give my best to King Dalkar."
"I'll do that." Corsair moved back to the bed, regret evident in his
every move as he picked up Remy's hand, holding it for several seconds
before he finally spoke. "All these years I believed you were dead. Now,
when I finally discover you're alive, I'm forced to leave you."
He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and lowered Remy's hand to his
chest before he released it. He ran his hand through his youngest son's
hair, taking his time as he did so. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Your son will be here waiting for you, Corsair." Beast said. "I will
make certain of that, my friend."
"Thanks McCoy." Corsair slowly got back to his feet, glanced at his
oldest son, and forced a smile on his face. "Scott, look after your
brother," he quickly shook his head, correcting himself. "Make that
brothers. It still sounds very strange to me."
"To all of us." Scott agreed.
"Yeah, well, I've tried calling Alex but all I'm getting is that blasted
answering machine of his. Try to get in touch with him while I'm gone. I
want to see him when I get back."
Scott nodded and watched his father leave the room.
The sound of booted heels striking the floor, heading in the direction of
the med lab caused many to turn. Storm, Jean and Xavier entered the room.
Storm glanced briefly at everyone before moving to the bed. She reached
down, taking Gambit's limp hand into hers and squeezed it lovingly.
"Welcome home, my brother." She whispered before placing a kiss on his
forehead.
Glancing up, she spoke to Beast. "Hank, when Remy wakes, I wish to speak
to him."
"As do Scott and the professor." Hank slid his glasses up his nose and
opened a book. "Which brings up another concern. Remy is naturally going
to be in a state of distress when he regains consciousness. I think it's
best to limit how many visitors he has until I can decide on an appropriate
diagnosis and treatment plan."
"An' how many visitors do ya have in mind, Beast?" Rogue asked.
"I prefer six, including Cecelia and myself." Hank answered. No sooner
had he made his request, the room erupted in a flood of protests. Looking
at Xavier for help, the doctor raised his hands in the air. "Charles, if
you would be so kind."
"The medical facilities are off limits until Hank says otherwise."
Xavier said, stopping the protests before they got out of hand. "Until that
time comes, only Jean, Scott, Ororo and myself will assist Hank and
Cecilia."
"I will keep everyone notified with Remy's progress." Beast promised.
The banished X-Men took their time leaving the med lab. Some made
disgruntled remarks, but otherwise kept their opinions to themselves.
Hank turned to Cyclops. "Scott, make sure the doors are sealed. If Remy
becomes hostile, I don't want him escaping, nor do I wish our banished
friends present to further complicate matters."
Scott moved to the control panel, pushed several buttons, and turned back
to his friend. "It's sealed, Hank. Now what?"
"Patience, fearless leader." McCoy filled a syringe, checked the dosage,
and walked over to the bed. "This will counter act the sedative and bring
Remy to full consciousness."
Storm pressed her back against the wall watching with concerned eyes as
McCoy injected the serum, then stood back and waited with the rest of them.
_____________
Corsair stared out the cockpit window, watching the Earth grow smaller.
Hepzibah placed her hand on his shoulder. "If explained to the king,
sure I am, he would request us not."
"No. I owe the man my life." Corsair said. "If I had needed him,
Dalkar wouldn't hesitate to come to my aid."
_____________
Hank McCoy moved closer to his patient, listening as Gambit fought his
way back to consciousness. "Remy, it's Hank. Can you hear me?"
Scott stood next to his friend, waiting anxiously to speak with his
brother. As Gambit slowly moved his head back and forth, muttering in a
whispering plea, the word ‘Father', Scott's rehearsed speech was quickly
forgotten. In its place, urgency was born. Exactly how far was he willing
to go to keep his brother away from Sinister? He knew Remy would make his
decision difficult.
"Ororo, would you please go to my lab and bring back a neural
stabilizer." McCoy said, glancing at the monitors above his patient's bed.
"I don't like the way Remy's readings are registering. Especially his power
levels, they're almost off the charts."
Storm rushed out of the room without questioning McCoy. She was too
concerned over her friend to risk losing any time arguing over requests.
"Is there any danger?" Scott asked, watching as Remy opened his eyes.
"I don't know, Scott, but it's unusual." Hank answered as he helped Remy
to a sitting position. "The big question is was the power tampering done
willingly or against Remy's consent. If so, are the effects controllable?"
"Mebbe you find out now, no?" Remy grabbed the feather pillow behind
him, charged it and threw it at the unsuspecting doctor. The pillow
exploded, knocking Hank into the wall, leaving him barely conscious.
Cecilia rushed to McCoy's side, ignoring the singed feathers that fell
like fluttering snowflakes in the room.
Remy tossed his legs over the side of the bed and ran for the sealed
doors.
Scott turned, and started to give chase but when Remy froze, he knew
either Xavier or Jean had been quicker in confronting Gambit.
"Remy, until we know for certain that Sinister hasn't done anything to
you, I must insist that you remain here at the mansion." Xavier said with
kindness before adding an additional promise. "You will be treated as a
guest, not a prisoner, if you give me your word that you will not try to
escape."
"Dat's my decision to make, not yours." Remy hissed at Xavier. "Now,
release me, old man, b'fore you regret it."
McCoy braced himself up against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He
waved off a worried Dr. Reyes. "Thanks, Cecilia, I don't think anything's
broken." He exchanged worried glances with Scott, and then turned to the
others. His eyes widened in terror. "Oh my stars and garters! Jean, look
out!"
Scott snapped his head in the direction of his wife and saw the picture
hanging above her and Xavier's heads expanding and glowing. He gasped in
shock, disbelieving his own eyes. Remy was kinetically charging an object
without touching it.
‘There's not enough time to stop him.' Jean telepathically warned the
group. ‘Everyone, protect yourselves.' She created a telekinetic bubble,
encasing herself and Xavier inside. Seconds later, the picture exploded.
Scott dove for cover, using the bed as a shield to protect himself from
the flying debris that was spraying the walls like bullets.
The smoke detectors went off simultaneously as smoke covered the room
like a heavy blanket. Waving his hand in front of his face, Scott waited
until the ventilation system kicked in to suck the smoke out of the room
before he raised his head up to investigate.
Remy had his back to him, the door glowing with enough energy to ignite.
Scott got to his feet, knowing he had to stop his brother before the door
exploded, but before he could take a step, Beast was jumping through the
air.
McCoy managed to pull out a black leather cincture while flipping in the
air. The doctor landed gracefully on his feet and quickly tied the cincture
behind Gambit's head, covering the younger mutant's eyes before Remy
realized what had happened.
Wrapping one large arm around his captive's shoulders, McCoy effectively
pinned Gambit's arms to his side. "Cecilia, get me a sedative." Hank
frantically started shouting orders. "Scott, look in the second drawer on
the right and grab one of the collars. Hurry."
"Wha..."Scott stuttered, unable to get the word out of his mouth before
Remy kicked out and struck a tray, sending several medical instruments
crashing to the floor. In a desperate attempt to escape, Remy twisted his
body just enough to squeeze through Hank's massive arms.
Realizing he had no choice, Scott ran to the desk, pulled out the drawer
Hank had instructed him and yanked out the collar.
He rushed back to find McCoy still struggling with Remy on the floor.
Hank grasped both of Remy's wrists together in one large hand and sighed
wearily. "My apologies Remy for this unplanned wrestling match, but I
simply can not allow you to touch anything."
"Here, Hank." Cyclops handed the device to Beast but the doctor shook
his head, refusing to accept it.
"Scott, you have to do it." Hank grunted in frustration, barely dodging
the head-butt Remy tried to give him. "Hurry, I don't know how much longer
I can hold him."
"I can't." Scott protested. The thought of collaring his own brother
made him nauseated. It reminded him of horrible incidents done to fellow
mutants and he wanted no part of it. Deciding on another option, he made a
judgment call, hoping Hank would understand. "Get Cecilia to do it. I'm
sure you and her both have more experience with these things anyway."
Hank turned his head slightly, and glared up at his friend. He opened
his mouth to speak but Gambit's boot connected with his knee, causing the
doctor to yell out in pain.
The distraction was just the opening Gambit needed. He touched the
floor, instantly charging it, sending an eerie orange glow spreading across
the ground.
"Scott, do as Henry says." Xavier responded, his voice straining with
every spoken word. "You must hurry. It's taking both Jean and my combined
mental powers to contain Gambit's. Unless you act now, he's going to kill
us all, himself included."
Dropping down to his knees, Scott's hands shook as he opened the collar
and whispered. "I'm sorry." He placed the device around Remy's neck and
snapped it shut.
He got back to his feet, watching as Cecilia injected the sedative. The
door hissed opened and Scott barely heard Storm's familiar voice gasp at the
scene unfolding before them.
Remy cursed, vowed revenge, and retaliation until the drug took effect.
Scott stood back, blanketed by Storm on his right as Remy was gently picked
up in McCoy's massive arms and carried back to one of the beds.
Hank stopped his analysis long enough to offer his condolences to his
bewildered friend. "Scott, this is the last thing I wanted to happen. I'm
sorry you had to be put in the position you were." Hank moved to a small
drawer, opened it, and pulled out a small key. He tossed it to Cyclops.
"It's the key to the collar. I know it's not much, but it's the least I can
do to ease the situation."
"This is all my fault." Scott muttered, holding the key tightly in his
hand. "I should have gone to Antarctica myself and...."
"You were sick." Cecilia tried to console him. "You had a bomb planted
in your head. You were in no condition to even walk, much less travel."
"The fault lies in those who were in Antarctica." Storm stated bitterly,
glancing accusingly at McCoy and then paused before leaving the room. "They
are the ones who are to blame, not you, Scott."
Jean turned to Xavier, waiting until Storm left the room before
speaking. "Professor, did you..."
"Yes, I felt it." Xavier admitted, and explained what he and Jean had
discovered to the non-telepathic X-Men inside the large room. "Remy's never
allowed his emotions to be conscripted, but after he charged the floor, both
Jean and I felt his distress."
Hank studied several printouts and glanced up at the monitors. "You're
right, Professor. His heart rate jumped considerably at the time you
mentioned. The reason escapes me. Perhaps the excitement?"
"Or fear." Jean added. "We don't know what Sinister did to increase
Remy's powers but it's possible Remy can't control them."
"This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Scott remarked
grimly. After a final look at the unconscious patient, he put the key in
his pocket and followed Storm out the door.