The banished X-Men kept an impatient vigil outside the closed doors of
the medical center, waiting for any information on Gambit, but after two
hours and no word, some were imagining the worse.
Warren kept silent, listening to Bobby's consist threat of blasting the
doors open to find out what was going on behind the sealed doors but
Wolverine's threatening growl kept the threat from becoming reality.
"Why won't someone tell us somethin'?" Rogue demanded. She nervously
twirled one of her fingers into her hair and looked up at the clock hanging
over the sealed doors. "Ah can't stand ‘round like this an' do nothing."
"Nothin' we can do but wait, Darlin'," Logan said. The door hissed
opened and Storm came out of the med-lab with tears streaming down her face.
Logan jumped up, rushing to meet her. "Ro?"
"Logan, my friend," Ororo exhaled deeply, squeezing her eyes tight. "I
do not wish to appear rude, but I want to be alone." With those words, she
rushed down the hall, opening the only door leading outside and took to the
air. Within seconds, a pounding rain started.
Wolverine looked out the window, watching the heavy rainstorm as he
chewed on his unlit cigar. "Don't like th' sound of this."
Rogue touched the window glass with her gloved hand. "Ya want me ta go
after her, Logan?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, Rogue," Bobby answered instead.
Looking through the glass pane, he stared upwards at the darkening clouds.
"Storm's very dangerous right now."
"I'll try and talk to her." Warren volunteered. Angel quickly left the
trio to seek out Storm.
"It's days like this Ah wished Ah was a telepath." Rogue shouted
abruptly to everyone in hearing distance. "At least, Ah would know what was
going on instead of standin' ‘round here guessing."
The med-lab door opened and Scott walked out. "Mebbe we're ‘bout ta get
some answers, Rogue." Wolverine said, waiting until Cyclops reached them.
"Cyke, ya wanna tell---"
Scott walked by the trio without saying a word, following the same path
Storm had taken outside.
"What tha' heck's goin' on, Logan?" Rogue asked, dumbfounded.
Before Wolverine could offer a guessed explanation, the doors opened.
Jean, Cecilia, and Hank emerged, their shocked expressions kept the others
silent.
"I'll go see about Scott." Jean said, hugging both doctors. "There was
no other choice. I know Scott isn't blaming either of you."
"I wish I was as reassured as you are, Jean." Cecilia replied,
dispirited. "I don't take pleasure in having to do what we did..."She
paused and glanced briefly at the gathering X-Men before hurrying back
inside the medical center.
Wolverine was not one known for being tactful. He folded his arms and
simply asked, "Wanna tell us what's goin' on, Hank?"
"It seems Charles has not regained complete use of his powers." Hank
sighed deeply before continuing, "and what little the Professor can control
isn't strong enough to break through the hold Sinister has on Gambit."
"Tha' Professor's helpless?" Rogue asked, shocked. Xavier without his
powers was like a fish out of water. "What about Jean? She's a full-blown
telepath. If anyone can figure out what Sinister's done ta Remy, she can."
"I wished it were as simple as that, Rogue, but Sinister is only a small
part of the problem." McCoy rubbed his shoulder, wincing in pain at the
contact. "Though I do not wish to admit it, but we have greatly
underestimated our friend, Gambit. His recent stay with Sinister has
changed him. I fear I no longer know him."
"What th' hell is that suppose ta mean?" Wolverine angrily snapped at
the doctor. "Why dontcha just tell us what happened an' stop beatin' round
th' bushes."
Beast stopped, rubbed his shoulder, and stared straight at the stalking
X-Man. "Remy attacked us with some new powers we didn't know he had."
"Wha-" Rogue blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Is everyone all right,
Hank?"
"Everyone is fine, Rogue." The low hum of Xavier's hover chair announced
his arrival. "It seems Sinister has given Remy the power to attack
mentally. He can charge objects without touching them. We were lucky Hank
was quick enough to sedate him or I fear a lot worse would have happened."
Logan used his thumb and pointed towards the door Scott had exited. "Wanna
tell us what's wrong with Cyke?"
"Scott had to use the only means available to stop Remy's attack." With
a heaved sigh, Xavier continued, "Henry restrained Remy long enough for
Scott to collar him. Right now, Scott is blaming himself for what's
happened."
Rogue and Bobby exchanged concerned glances while Logan could only shake
his head. The shocked expressions didn't go unnoticed by Xavier. "I know
collaring Remy was the last thing Hank and I wanted to do, but Gambit is
very dangerous at the moment. If given the chance, I believe he would kill
us."
"No." Rogue shook her head, denying what Xavier was revealing. "Ah
don't believe it."
"It's true, Rogue." The professor lowered his head, choking back his own
emotions before speaking again. "This is tearing me apart to do this to one
of my own students, but until I believe Remy is no longer under Sinister's
control, you must abide by my wishes."
"What ya wanna do next?" Wolverine asked. "Can't keep th' Cajun tied up
forever. Ya know th' boy wants t' go back to Essex."
"Well, he ain't going back," Rogue shouted and glanced at the sealed
doors. "If Ah hafta, Ah'll sit on him. An' don't ya'll think Ah won't
either." She stifled a nervous laugh. "That boy needs a swift kick in th'
butt ta open his eyes ta what Sinister's doing ta him."
"We have a hard decision to make, my X-Men." Charles said, breaking the
uneasy joking. "We can keep a Genoshian collar on Gambit to make certain he
doesn't have access to his powers or we--"
"But that would make him a prisoner," Rogue strongly protested. "Ah
don't like it one bit."
Logan touched the young woman's shoulder. "Let him finish, Rogue."
"Or Jean, Elizabeth, Emma and myself can get into his mind while he is
unconscious and try to find out exactly what Sinister has done. Even with
Remy's new powers, he can't fight all four of us when we merge our powers."
"Don't like th' idea of messin' in th' Cajun's mind." Logan confessed.
He noticed the worsening weather outside. "How long is Storm gonna keep
this up? If she keeps doing this we gonna be livin' in a boat."
_____________
Storm soared high in the darkened skies. The much-needed rain she
commanded continued to fall harder, allowing her the freedom of solitude.
The winds served as her source of freeing herself from the raging emotions
she had brewing inside her.
She didn't know what had angered her the most; the X-Men, whom she
considered accomplices at the mock trial or Remy himself. She knew he had
confided in her on many occasions concerning his past, but keeping his
participation in the Morlock massacre a secret from her hurt more than she
wanted to admit.
"Storm, you have to calm down." Warren's yelling voice broke her from
her chaotic thoughts.
Angel's wings flapped heavily against the heavy winds as he tried to keep
himself balanced. "Your emotions are playing havoc with the environment."
"Leave me, Warren, I wish to be alone." She shouted back at him through
the howling winds.
"Ororo, you have to pull yourself together." Angel gently grabbed her
hand. "The X-Men are gathering inside the mansion as we speak to make plans
for a defense against Sinister."
"At the moment, the X-Men are not my concern. Now, release my hand
before you make me angry."
Angel obeyed, but gave her a pleading look.
The winds slowed considerably to illustrate that she once again had
control over her emotions.
"Please, Warren." She implored him. "I need time alone to gather my
thoughts."
He nodded briefly, understanding her request and then flew back to the
mansion.
She turned her attention back to the night skies and contemplated the
events that had transformed over the past hour.
How things could have gotten out of hand so quickly, Ororo wondered. Her
brother was now home, but he was no longer the same man she had grown to
love. Less than an hour ago, she had witnessed Remy's uncharacteristic
rage. It was a pure hatred, and aimed at everyone he saw in McCoy's lab.
Storm offered up a silent prayer that fate had interfered and Remy had
been out of position and not seen her.
If the truth was told, she secretly carried a deep longing to punish the
X-Men who betrayed her brother, but being a Goddess, she knew she wasn't
allowed the luxury of revenge.
Glancing downward, she saw a dark figure sitting on the docks. Wanting
to know the individual's identity, Storm floated in a slow descent until she
distinguished the person's familiar silhouette. Once recognition set in,
she understood why she wasn't alone in the night storm.
"I see I am not the only one who needs the rain to hide my emotions."
She offered an explanation as her feet touched the wooden planks. At the
sound of her voice, the individual straightened. She quickly tried to make
amends for her intrusion. "If I am interfering, I will leave."
"I don't want to talk, Ororo." Scott's voice sounded disheartened.
"Forgive me, Scott, here I have been wallowing in my own self pity, Not
once did I think about what this has done to you." Storm walked over to her
friend. "If there is anything that I can do, do not hesitate to ask."
"Storm, this is something I have to deal with myself." Cyclops turned
away from her and stood at the edge of the dock. He stared out towards the
lake. It didn't take a telepath to know his thoughts were contemplating
revenge. She suddenly felt ashamed for her earlier actions towards some of
the X-Men, especially Rogue.
"Scott, I know more than anyone what you are feeling, but revenge will
only eat away at your soul." Storm walked up behind him, placing her hands
on both of his shoulders. "If you follow through with your feelings, then
Sinister will be the only winner. He will have beaten you at his own game."
Scott swung around and stared at her. She couldn't see through his visor
but if she had, she would have seen the anger in his eyes. "You have no
idea what I'm feeling right now."
Storm crossed her arms and called his bluff. "Look at me and tell me you
have no desire to go after Sinister."
He turned towards the lake, his body shifting with his changing mood. In
a defeated tone, he admitted. "I can't."
"There has been many times I can recall when you have been there for me,
Scott, not as the X-Men's leader, but as my friend." She said
compassionately. "Please, talk to me. It does no good to bottle up your
emotions. I should know."
"Sinister has tormented me my entire life, Ororo." Scott reluctantly
bared his soul, explaining in rigid detail of how his adversary had followed
him through childhood and into his adult life. "He cloned my wife, knowing
full well that I believed Jean was dead. He used me again in his asinine
obsession attempt to create the perfect mutant."
His voice became angrier. "Jean says she doesn't hold me responsible,
but I hold myself responsible for falling into Sinister's trap."
"Scott, you are blaming yourself for something that was out of your
control. Sinister is the master in cloning. Just look at how many times he
has cloned the Marauders. There was no way you could have known Madelyne
was not Jean." Ororo said, hoping her words were enough to convince Scott.
"Jean came back to you, my friend. Sinister did not prevail."
"You really don't think so?" Scott challenged. He pointed towards the
mansion. "What about Remy? Do you still think Sinister hasn't manipulated
him?"
"Sinister's manipulation of Remy isn't what's bothering you, Scott." She
tilted her head slightly, watching the familiar body language that always
told her the truth. "Unlike Jean, I can not read your mind, but the nervous
habit you have of balling your hand into a fist when something is troubling
you is still intact."
She tried not to smile when he looked down and found her words to be
true.
He sighed, "Between you and Jean, I don't know if I'm coming or going."
"Jean knows you better than I could possibly hope, my friend." Storm
said. With a change of tone, she added, "It is the incident in McCoy's lab
that is troubling you, isn't it? It has affected me as well."
"Do you have any idea what it is like to have your friends help hold your
own brother down on the floor while you chain him like some rabid animal?"
Scott again turned his back to her.
"I feel so guilty that I wasn't with the rest of the team in Antarctica.
I know that if I had been we would have never left him behind. I don't care
what came out at that trial, I never would have turned my back on a team
mate no matter what they were accused of..."
"Then I must also share the guilt." Storm interrupted and then sighed
deeply. Perhaps it was time for her to confess as well. "Several months
ago, I found Remy in the tunnels. He had lit several candles in memory of
the slain Morlocks. When I confronted him about the massacre, he told me
that he had read about it in Cerebro's files."
"I should have seen through his little charade and realized what he was
trying to hide." She shook her head in regret. "Instead, I chose to close
my eyes. If only I had acted on my first instinct, a lot of what happened
never would have come to pass."
"Ororo, when did you become a telepath?" Scott asked, forgetting his own
confused feelings to console his friend. "As you just told me, you're
blaming yourself for something that was out of your control."
"Perhaps you are correct." Storm admitted. With a sly smile, she asked,
"Then it is agreed, we are both blameless?"
Scott laughed out loud for the first time in days. It was music to
Storm's ears. "I could never fool you."
"Nor I you, my friend." She replied, embracing him with a heartfelt
hug. The two broke the embrace and Storm motioned with a nod of her head
towards the mansion. "If anything good comes out of this, at least we know
Remy should sleep through the night without further incident."
"Jean told me Hank doubled the dosage before he and Cecilia moved Remy to
a secure room. It's going to be hell on earth when Remy wakes up and finds
out he's still at the mansion." Scott said. "The only thing bothering me
is the collar. You know Remy can open any lock."
"Rest assured, he will not unlock this collar." Storm answered proudly.
"Forge himself made this collar. I am almost as skilled a thief as Remy and
Forge used me to try his success on the collar. It cannot be open without
the key."
Cyclops headed back towards the boathouse. "Now, all I have to worry
about is Sinister and the Marauders."
Storm watched as he left. Slowly, she opened her hand to reveal the key
she just swiped from Cyclops. "Forgive me Scott, but unlike the others,
Remy has no reason to turn on me."
_____________
With the storm over, Rogue ventured outside listening to the merry sounds
of crickets as she made her way towards the front gates of the mansion.
She thought about taking to the air as a way to get away, to clear her
chaotic thoughts but with the threat of Sinister and the Marauders lurking
around, she didn't want to reduce the X-Men's forces by leaving at such a
critical time.
"Rogue?" Storm's voice interrupted her thoughts. She glanced upwards
and saw Ororo floating above her. "I wish to speak with you. Is now a good
time?"
"Sure, Storm." She wondered what the older woman wanted as she replied.
Storm floated downward, her white boots touching the pavement of the
driveway as a look of sadness crossed the beautiful features of the
Egyptian's face.
"Storm?" Rogue called out, easily forgetting her own troubles to console
her friend. "What's wrong, Sugah?"
"I have come to seek your forgiveness, child." The weather goddess
answered, surprising Rogue with her deeply felt apology. It was the last
thing she expected, but appreciated nonetheless.
"I have greatly wronged you. For that, I am deeply ashamed." Storm
continued. "I can only hope you can find it in your heart to be more
compassionate towards me than I was to you."
"Heck, Storm," Rogue laughed before pulling Ororo into a passionate
embrace. "Ain't like Ah nevah done anythin' wrong b'fore. I love ya, gal.
There's nothin' to forgive."
"Thank you, Rogue." The embrace broken, Ororo exhaled deeply with
relief. "What are your plans for this evening? If you are not too busy, I
wish to speak with you in private and perhaps I might have an ally in you,
tomorrow."
Rogue shrugged her shoulders, "Whatcha got in mind?"
"I need your help in distracting Logan for a few hours tomorrow so he
will not know what I'm doing." Storm answered. "The other X-Men are going
to be occupied most of the day, so that leaves only Logan. Can you handle
him?"
"Ah can handle Wolverine wit' no problem at all." Rogue replied with a
grin and then revealed her plan. "All Ah gotta do is issue a challenge to
him in tha danger room an' he's there. It's nevah failed before."
Storm placed her arm around Rogue's shoulder and both walked together,
talking like the good friends they were.
_____________
The Next Day
Remy rolled over onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. He stared up
at the ceiling, waiting until his vision adjusted while trying to remember
where he was.
Hearing the low humming of an electrical field, he turned to
investigate. Faintly glowing blue bars criss-crossed the length and width
of the only window adorning the room. The energy field was energized to
keep him inside the room.
His eyes drifted to the night stand placed beside the bed and then to the
book sitting upon it. An idea came to him. The X-Men, in all their
arrogance, had forgotten his mutant ability to use any object as an
explosive device. The book would be their undoing. The X-Men believed they
had him helplessly held in confinement.
Remy stretched out his arm with ease and grabbed the book. He tried to
charge it, intending to use it as a weapon to destroy the barred window but
when nothing happened, he dropped the book to the bed as if it had burnt
him.
Mystified at the loss of his powers, he tried to think of an
explanation. His thoughts drifted back to when he had charged the floor in
McCoy's lab, and how he almost lost control over the charge.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his
powers were becoming unstable again. Because of his capture by the X-Men,
it had been several days since he last took the elixir Sinister had created
to counteract the damage done in Antarctica.
No doubt, it would get worse unless he escaped.
Sitting up, Remy knew he had to think of another plan to escape. Swiping
his neck with the back of his fingers, he barely touched the object and
understood why he couldn't activate his powers. The X-Men still had the
blasted collar around his neck.
Grabbing the collar with both hands, he tried to pull the thing off.
Failing, his frustration flared to life. Glaring down at the book he had
just tossed on the bed, he picked it up and walked over to the window.
The energy beams covering the window began to hum louder as he
approached, warning him of the dangerous consequences of getting closer.
Clutching the book tighter in his grasp, he contemplated his situation.
Not only had the X-Men kidnapped him, but also they had made sure that he
would not have use of his powers, or the means of escaping anytime soon.
He angrily threw the book at the window, watching as it was destroyed by
the force field. His temporary moment of enjoyment over, he turned his
attention to the door as he walked over to it.
Quietly placing his ear to the door, he listened for a moment and was
satisfied that the coast was clear. He reached down and tried the
doorknob.
He sighed after a short inspection. There was no way to pick this lock.
It had to be one of Forge's little inventions.
He heard footsteps approaching, announcing the arrival of an unwanted
visitor. Maybe his luck was about to change. Remy quickly rushed back into
the bed and pretended to be asleep.
The door crept opened, and seconds later he heard a tray being placed on
the nightstand. He listened for any sign that would tell him who was inside
the room, but the movement was unfamiliar. He could only hope that it
wasn't McCoy or Wolverine. He knew he had no chance of getting the jump on
either man.
A soft hand gently touched his forehead before two fingers were pressed
against his neck, apparently checking for his pulse. Realizing the
individual was neither Hank nor Logan, he grabbed the hand.
"Would you please release me?" A woman, with a kind yet irritated face
asked as she looked down at him. "I normally don't have my patients
attacking me."
Remy slowly got off the bed, still holding her hand captive. She looked
familiar but couldn't recall where he had seen her. It took a few more
seconds before recognition set in; she had been in McCoy's lab when the
other X-Men refused to let him to leave.
Believing she was now a threat to him, he eyed her suspiciously. "An'
you be?"
"Cecilia, Dr. Cecilia Reyes." She introduced herself and then, in usual
X-Men procedure, started making demands. "If you release me now, I will
recommend to Dr. McCoy that we no longer keep you sedated."
Remy laughed at her suggestion. "Like I trust anything de X-Men say."
"Look, I don't know the complete details of what happened between you and
the rest of the X-Men, and I really do not care." She sighed before
continuing. "I would like nothing more than to get on with my life and
believe me when I tell you that it does not include a life with the X-Men."
"Join de club," Remy smirked. "I don' wanna b' here. You at least gotta
choice in de matter, eh?"
"That depends on who gave you that information. I hate it here."
Cecilia raised her voice in frustration. "You're only going to make this
worse on yourself if you try to leave your room."
"Unlock de collar, chere," Remy told her. "I don' wanna hurt you. I
jus' want outta here."
"Cyclops has the key. Right now, he isn't in the mansion." Cecilia told
him. She heaved another sigh. "I don't want to get physical with you, but
you are making me run out of options. Now, for the last time, release me
before you force me to activate my powers."
"Not until I'm outta de mansion an' after dat you go free. Now, let's
go." Remy declared. When she refused to move, he wrapped his arm around
her neck but a feeling of dizziness swept over him, threatening to cause him
to collapse. Panic spread across his face. "What did you an' de Beast do
to me?"
Cecilia glanced over her shoulder, watching him carefully as he started
to sway. "You're still under the influence of the sedative we've been
using. The dizzy spells are a side effect because you've become agitated.
Just calm down and it will wear off in a few hours."
Again, she warned him, "You are only going to make this worse on
yourself if the others come up here."
"Remy, let Cecilia go." McCoy appeared in the doorway. Hank walked
slowly into the room, speaking gently as he approached. "My friend, you are
not in any condition to be up, especially with such unnecessary displays of
emotion."
"Non! You stay where you are, Henri." Remy warned and emphasized his
threat by tightening his grip around Cecilia's neck. "Dis one doesn't get
hurt as long as you keep your distance."
The doctor pleaded. "Remy, please."
Remy turned his back to the door, making sure Hank stayed in his line of
sight. He took a step backwards and heard the crunching sound of ice just
before he slipped and lost his balance.
Beast reached out and grabbed Cecilia before Remy fell to the floor.
"Sorry to do that to you, Remy, but you gave me no other choice." Bobby
announced as he stood near the ice patch he had created. Drake turned his
attention to the female doctor and asked in a concerned voice, "Are you all
right, Cecilia?"
"Yes, I am fine." She glanced down at Remy, who returned the look with a
vicious glare, leaving no uncertainty as to his intentions. She turned to
Hank. "McCoy, maybe you should..."
"My thoughts exactly," Hank replied and then walked over to Gambit.
McCoy offered a hand to him. "Remy, please, we do not wish to harm you but
under the circumstances it would be best if you allow me to keep you sedated
until..."
"So you can do God knows what to me, Henri?" Remy slapped the hand
away. "No thanks!"
Knowing he couldn't escape while the three of them were watching him,
Remy went back to the bed and began plotting another plan of escape.
"Remy, I brought you something to eat." Cecilia announced, breaking the
uneasy silence that had suddenly gathered in the room. "That was the reason
why I came up here in the first place."
"Take it away." Remy muttered. "I don' want nothin' from any of you
X-Men."
Bobby pointed at the tray sitting on the stand. "Jean cooked it
especially for you. The least you could do is taste it."
Remy grabbed both the pillows on the full-sized bed, stuffed them behind
his back, and defiantly stared out the window.
Drake moved to the end of the bed and glared down at the occupant. "Jean
wasn't in Antarctica. You don't have to take it out on her."
Remy angrily glared back in Bobby's direction, furious that Drake even
had the audacity to mention Antarctica. "What difference does it make if
your precious Jean-Grey was dere or not? She's jus' like de rest of de
X-Men, all sanctimonious hypocrites."
Bobby folded his arms, forcing himself to remain cool, "If you're not
going to eat, then I'll take the tray back downstairs."
Remy reached over to the nightstand and picked up the tray. With the
other hand, he lifted the lid, ignoring the steam and the wonderful aroma
that was rising from the food. Instead, he chuckled before throwing his
tray of food directly at the wide-eyed Bobby. "You like it so much, you eat
it, Drake."
Using quick reflexes, Bobby managed to duck as the tray flew by his
head. He glanced over his shoulder, and then he shot Gambit a withering
look. "Why, you piece of..."
"Bobby!" Beast grabbed Drake, restraining the younger man tightly in his
grasp. In a calm voice, he replied, "You're not making this situation any
easier, my friend. You can either control yourself or I must ask you to
leave."
"Yeah, yeah." Bobby muttered, reluctantly agreeing to McCoy's demand
before the doctor would release him.
"Uh oh, Drake, you better watch yourself. Not living up to X-Men
standards will get you a knife in de back." Remy laughed. "If I were you,
I wouldn't go on any mission dat involved an uncharted island. De X-Men
probably already have a volcano picked out wit' your name on it. Let's see
you survive in dat fiery hell hole after you depleted your ice powers."
McCoy's mouth dropped open. "Is that what happened to you, Remy? You
depleted your mutant powers? How did you---"
"Survive?" Remy asked, taunting the stunned doctor who nodded at the
last word spoken. "You de doctor, you tell me how I survived. After my
powers were gone, I couldn't even produce body heat."
McCoy's eyes widened in disbelief, "I did not...we didn't know."
"Dere's a lot of things you don't know, mon ami. Jus' ‘member dis,"
Gambit declared, enjoying the concerned expressions he received. Let the
shoe be on the other foot for a change. "I was unconscious when Sinister
found me. What he learned durin' dat time, I don't know or care."
With a defeated sigh, McCoy said despairingly, "I guess we have no other
choice but to allow Charles to proceed with his plan."
"A mental probe?" Cecilia asked.
McCoy kept his eyes on Gambit and then nodded.
Remy gasped in terror before he could mask the reaction, terrified at the
possibility of being defenseless against the powerful telepath. The thought
of Xavier doing a mind probe against his will chilled him to the bone.
The news got worse when he heard Drake announcing, "Jean and the
Professor are downstairs waiting for Betsy to arrive. Emma's on standby."
"Non!" Remy yelled at McCoy, trying hard to keep the fear out of his
voice. Even with his powers, he knew he couldn't fight off three telepaths,
much less four. He tried to keep up a false bravado by sending a fear
factor their way. "You touch me an' Sinister will rip out your hearts an'
feed dem to his creations."
"You're nuts if you really want to sic Sinister on us." Bobby said, his
blue eyes sparkling in astonished disbelief. "Don't you know what he does
to people he experiments on?"
"I know all too well, Drake." Remy lifted his head, stared straight into
Bobby's eyes, and without batting an eyelash said. "I worked for de man
‘member?"
"God, you're sick!" Bobby grabbed the railing at the foot of the bed and
leaned forward. "Sinister was right. You really do belong to him, don't
you? My God! You're even wearing the same evil smirk he does."
"Bobby, that remark was absurd." Cecilia walked over and pulled Drake
away from the bed.
"Well, it's the truth and everyone knows it." Bobby stated as Hank and
Cecilia stared angrily at him. He glared back at Gambit and declared,
"They just don't have the guts to say it."
"Bobby." McCoy's voice issued a warning.
"Look at him, you can see Sinister's handiwork all over him." Bobby
shouted. "There's no telling what Sinister has done to him."
"He saved my life!" Remy responded defiantly. "Dat's a hell of a lot
more dan any of you X-Men ever did for me."
"Oh dear, I'm afraid this might be worse than we first feared." Henry
McCoy rubbed his long whiskers and glanced worriedly at both Bobby and
Cecilia before he addressed Gambit. "Remy, forgive the implications of my
next statement, but with this imperishable loyalty of yours towards
Sinister, should the X-Men be concerned with the knowledge you have
accumulated as a resident of the mansion?"
"I'm jus' as loyal to de X-Men as dey were to me." Remy answered,
baiting the intelligent X-Man with a devilish laugh. "Dat answer your
question, mon ami?"
"If you think we're going to let you walk out of here and tell everything
you know about us to Sinister, you're wrong." Bobby vowed. "You're not
going anywhere, LeBeau."
"You ain' keepin' me a prisoner, Drake." Remy jerked forward, feigning
an assault on Bobby. The ploy worked, giving him another reason to gloat.
He fell back on the bed laughing, determined to continue harassing the
Iceman, simply because it was so easy. "Tell you what Drake, mebbe I'll ask
Sinister to take you first."
That remark was the last straw. Bobby jumped on the bed and both men
started throwing fists until McCoy managed to pull a protesting Bobby away.
Drake took his frustrations out on the doctor. "Let me go, Hank. I want to
teach this jerk a lesson he will never forget."
"Bobby, my friend you are only going to agitate your emotions and blood
pressure if you vigorously continue to allude with this..."
"All right, Hank, you made your point." Bobby admitted reluctantly,
interrupting his friend before McCoy had time to finish. With a heavy
groan, he added before leaving the room, "You're starting to sound more
like Scott and his boring long lectures every day. The only difference
between the two of you, Scott doesn't use a dictionary when he speaks."
"A dictionary? Perhaps I should introduce you to one, my friend." Hank
jokingly called out. The doctor turned his attention back to Gambit, who
did not attempt to control his temper. "Remy, I shall return momentarily.
If you have not calmed down, then I will sedate you and keep you that way
until I feel you have come to your senses."
"Den you better bring de rest of de X-Men to help you, Henri," Remy eyed
him threateningly.
McCoy shook his head as he and Cecilia left the bedroom, locking the door
behind them.
Charles sat with his hands folded in his lap waiting anxiously as Cecilia
and Hank made their way to him. "I take it from the looks on your faces
that the diagnosis didn't go as you had hoped."
Cecilia was the first to speak. "Professor Xavier, according to the law,
we have no authority to keep him here," she paused briefly, "but under the
circumstances I believe you have no choice." Turning to McCoy she said.
"If you need me, I will be in the lab doing research." With a nod of her
head, she dismissed herself and left the two men to continue the
conversation without her.
Xavier's mental ability picked up the doctor's chaotic emotional
thoughts. "From your thought patterns, you believe our security would be
breached if we released Gambit?"
"As much as it pains me to say it, but yes I do." McCoy admitted in a
deep remorseful voice. "Our Cajun tenant harbors an abysmal resentment
towards us and given the opportunity, he would use any means possible to
escape. In addition, there is a chance that Sinister scanned Remy's mind
for information about us and the mansion's security. He did not say if
Sinister had that information, but Remy did seem to enjoying taunting me
with that threat. I'm afraid the situation looks bleak."
"Forcibly entering the mind of one of my students is something that I
have always taught and believed was wrong, but if the safety of the X-Men is
at risk, I'm afraid I have no other choice but to do so." Xavier reached
out and touched McCoy's arm, "Hank, wouldn't it make more sense if Gambit
was going to betray us, he would have already told Sinister everything he
knew about us."
McCoy shook his head, smiling at the quiet observation. "You never stop
amazing me, Professor. Only you could find salvation in a minuscule an
implication as that."