A few hours later
Elizabeth walked into the professor's library, greeting Jean and Charles
before she took a seat and explained her tardiness in a breathless tone.
"Sorry for arriving so late, Charles, but my flight was delayed three hours
and I couldn't just teleport myself back to the mansion with hundreds of
witnesses standing around." She settled into the chair and tried to relax.
"Jean has filled me in on what you want us to do but I fear if Sinister
attacks before we break the link, the X-Men will be outnumbered."
"The Starjammer radioed a few hours ago. If all goes well, they should be
back shortly. With their assistance, the X-Men should be able to hold off
the Marauders." Charles glanced over at Jean who appeared deep in thought.
"Jean, are you ready to begin?"
She glanced up, opened her mouth, and then paused before speaking.
"Professor, are we doing the right thing?"
Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair and stared in bewilderment at the
redheaded woman. "Jean, surely you don't approve of what Sinister has done,
do you?"
Jean turned to the other woman. "Of course not. I just don't like the
idea of what we are planning to do." She turned back to Charles and
explained. "We are about to force our way into a mind that doesn't want us
there. I consider it an act of violation."
Jean lowered her head before speaking again to Xavier. "Professor, you
have taught us to value our gifts and never force them on others. Shouldn't
we at least try to talk to Remy again?"
"I see that I have taught you well, Jean." The professor turned to
Elizabeth. "She does have a point."
"But we can't just stand by and do nothing." Psylocke protested.
"I agree, we have to do something and quickly." Jean stated. Two sets of
eyes stared back at her in astonishment. She took her time, carefully trying
to find the right words so not to cause any more confusion. "Professor, back
in Hank's lab, we both felt Remy's feelings of anxiety when he unknowingly
lowered his shields. I know your powers are not at full strength, but I was
able to learn more."
"Yes." Xavier urged. "Continue."
"I assure you both that when I briefly touched Remy's mind, it wasn't
done intentionally." She felt the need to clarify the inadvertent mind
probe. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Sinister was not controlling
him. Remy was acting on his own free will."
"That is impossible!" Psylocke objected. "The Gambit we all know would
never attack you or any of the X-Men."
"It seems he isn't the same anymore. " Xavier replied. "Sinister has
twisted things around to make us look like we wanted to kill him."
Psylocke shook her head in disbelief. "And he believes that?"
"Yes, Remy feels betrayed by the X-Men. Sinister has convinced him that
we only used him just to get information." Jean answered. "And from what the
others have already told us, Gambit thinks of Sinister as the only person he
can trust or depend on. He considers Sinister family, a father."
"That's sick!" Elizabeth's facial expression displayed her feelings. "And
I thought Rogue's choice for a parent was bad."
______________
Ororo Monroe stood outside the closed door considering her next move. She
had carefully plotted her time perfectly, waiting until she knew most of the
X-men were either occupied or involved in personal matters before she
planned her visit with Remy.
She took a deep breath, readied herself for the upcoming battle she was
sure to expect, when the door opened and Scott stepped out into the hallway,
and closed the door behind him.
Cyclops glanced at her, shook his head negatively and then leaned back
against the door.
In all her calculations, Storm had completely forgotten about Cyclops.
She mistakenly believed Scott had been downstairs in the danger room
preparing for his usual routine workout session, but one quick glance told
her otherwise.
She studied her friend, noticing the tired worn look on his face. He
appeared to have gone several nights without sleep. "Scott, how long have
you been in the room with Remy?"
"Twelve long frustrating hours." He wearily answered as he stifled a
yawn. "After Hank told me what happened, I thought I would try to reason
with Remy, but he refused to be civil. If he wasn't glaring at me in
silence, Remy was calling me every name in the book and most of those were
in French."
"Remy does have a good grasp of colorful metaphors but he is not the only
one." Storm agreed, recalling an incident that had happened several months
ago in the early hours before dawn. "I unfortunately had the misfortune of
overhearing a very hostile disagreement between Remy and Bishop. It seemed
Bishop took offense when Remy claimed curfew did not apply to him. It did
not help matters when Logan joined the conversation."
"I can imagine the language."
"If their words had been fertilizer, my garden would now be Earth's
prettiest." Storm declared. She hesitated, lowered her voice, and asked.
"Scott, have you told Remy the truth?"
"No." Cyclops admitted with reluctance. "I wanted to tell Remy everything
but the Professor believes it would only complicate matters if Remy learns
that information. In the state of mind he's in now, Remy would only claim it
was another attempt to keep him here at the mansion."
"Professor Xavier is correct." She gently squeezed his shoulder. "My
friend, you need to rest. I will sit with Remy. Perhaps, he might listen to
me."
"You can give it a try, Ororo, just don't get your hopes up. Remy's not
the same person anymore. He's changed, just like Hank mentioned." Scott
walked away. "If you need me, I'll be in the boathouse."
She waited until Cyclops had gone before she raised her hand, knocked on
the heavy wooden door, and waited for permission to enter. When no answer
came, she knocked repeatedly and again the result was the same. She opened
the door, entered, and then closed the door behind her.
She walked across the room, anxiously waiting for Remy to acknowledge her
presence but he kept his back to her refusing to turn around. A sense of
sadness overwhelmed her as she observed the changes in Remy's mannerism even
without the luxury of conversation.
Steadying herself for what might lie ahead, she cleared her throat,
announcing her arrival. "May I come in, Remy?"
"Go 'way, Stormy."
"I will not! And do not call me that ridiculous name!" Storm quickly
reprimanded him, using the same tone of voice she usually took with him when
he called her the playful nickname both knew she hated.
She moved to the other side of the bed, forcing him to notice her. When
he turned his eyes away, she asked. "Will you not at least say hello?"
Storm raised an inquisitive eyebrow when he rolled over to the other side
of the bed, defiantly ignoring her.
"Unlike Scott, I will not be disregarded." She warned, electricity
crackled in the air highlighting every word she spoke. "You will turn over
and look at me or I will make your life miserable."
She stood over the bed waiting for him to respond, when he didn't, she
tapped her foot on the hard wood floor. "Well?"
Remy muttered several undetectable words under his breath.
She sat down on the bed and placed her hand on his back, relieved beyond
words when he didn't flinch away from her touch. It was obvious their bond
was intact, perhaps strained, but intact.
"My dear Remy, you are the brother I never had. Do not shut me out of
your life. Not like this!" she pleaded, "not when I can see you are hurting
so much. Please, talk to me."
"Dere's nothin' to say dat hasn't been said before."
"We have not spoken since your return to the mansion. How am I to know
what has been spoken when you will not talk with me?"
Silence greeted her.
"Remy, it is not like you to treat me like this." Storm began to rub his
back, looking for any sign of body language she could recognize. Sensing
nothing familiar, she sighed. "I am fearful for what Sinister has done to
you."
"He didn' do anythin' to me." Remy rolled back over and shifted his elbow
into the mattress, using it as a prop to rest his head. "Don't de X-Men got
nothin' better to do but blame Sinister for everythin' dat goes wrong? Bet
dey blame him for Xavier's disappearance too."
"It would not surprise me to learn that Sinister had a hand in Charles'
disappearance." She reached out and lovingly cradled his face. "Sinister
does not deserve your loyalty, Remy. His history with the X-Men is long and
he will only hurt you in the long run."
"He has always been dere for me, Stormy." Remy said bitterly before
pulling away from her touch. "Can de X-Men say de same? No! Dey can't."
"We did not abandon you, my friend." Storm tried to explain to her
friend. "You did not know but Bastion attacked the mansion while you and the
others were in space. Scott was almost killed. We did not know what happened
in Antarctica until Rogue told us."
"An' nobody asked questions?" Remy stared at her waiting for an answer,
but she had none. She had wondered the same question herself. Her silence
was enough for Remy to reach his own answer. "De truth is de X-Men didn't
care enough to look for me."
"No Remy, I searched every night for you." Storm could see the hurt in
his eyes, a hurt she shared with him. "I would never deliberately hurt you.
We are a family. The X-Men are your family."
"I'm tired of hearin' how de X-Men are my family." Remy defiantly shook
his head. "If de X-Men are family den de family needs professional help."
"Remy, please, do not let Sinister turn you against me." Storm pleaded.
"I cannot bear the thought of losing you."
"We both know I never belonged here. Several of de X-Men made dat very
clear from de start." He stood up and moved to the window making sure he
kept his distance from the energized field. "Padnet, it's only a matter of
time before I get free. I want you outta de mansion in case Sinister sends
de Marauders to get me."
"I shall relieve you of one of the barriers of your freedom now." Storm
pulled out the small key and joined him by the window. She gave him the key
and watched as he unlocked the collar, yanked it off, and threw it across
the room.
"I have given you your freedom, Remy." Ororo stared deeply into his eyes
and smiled when he smiled back at her. He still loved her that she was
certain. His compassion was stronger than Sinister realized and perhaps it
was the key to turning the tide against their enemy.
"I am at your mercy now." Ororo continued with her new strategy. "Will
you use those new powers of yours to attack me too?"
"I could never hurt you, Stormy." Remy admitted with a heart-felt
confession.
"Yet you pretend to wish harm on the others?" Storm countered. "I'm sorry
Remy but what ever Sinister has planned for the X-Men, he has also planned
for me. I will not leave my friends to face him alone."
"You deserve better dan de X-Men." He said angrily as he turned back to
stare out the window again.
Ororo grabbed his arm and gently tugged on it, fully aware that he could
easily pull away from her reach if he desired. Instead, he stubbornly
refused to move.
She raised her head, trying hard to keep her emotions under control. A
lone tear slid down her face. "Remy, tell me why you hate the X-Men."
Gambit squeezed his eyes tightly, "Why did dey leave me to die?" He asked
before opening his eyes to look at her.
Storm tried to speak but he continued, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Angel, Henri, 'lizabet', Joseph, dey were all dere an' nobody cared."
Placing both her hands on his cheeks, Storm spoke gently. "Everyone
believed Rogue had left you in a safe place. None of us in our wildest
dreams thought she had left you in Antarctica."
Remy lowered his head, shaking it in disbelief.
"I understand your doubts, Remy. What happened was inexcusable." She
lifted his chin, maintaining eye contact. Believing she finally had his
undivided attention, Storm continued offering an explanation. "Someone
should have noticed Rogue's sudden mood change, but so much was going on
around here, that no one noticed."
Ororo glanced at the younger mutant and sighed deeply. How could she
convince Remy when she herself didn't believe her own words? She silently
reprimanded herself and admitted defeat. "Here am I making excuses. Forgive
me, Remy, I have no answers but remember you and I share a bond that none of
the others can understand. I love you, my brother."
"Stormy, don't." He pleaded. "I'm not stayin', where I'm not wanted."
"No Remy. I will not let you go back to Sinister." She reluctantly
released him. "You are an X-Man, even if you do not believe it yourself. You
belong here. The professor---"
"I'll tell you ‘bout de professor, Padnet. He an' his telepathic vampires
are plottin' to force dere way into my mind." He balled his hands into fists
and shouted defiantly. "I'll bring de mansion down on dere heads before I
submit to dere mental probe."
The news momentarily shocked her. Xavier and Jean had to have a reason
for reaching such an inconceivable decision. Storm also knew Remy feared
such an invasion more than he feared death. Without hesitating, she allied
herself with her friend.
"I promise you I will not allow that to happen, Remy." Storm vowed. She
would deal with the consequences of her actions later. "They will have to go
through me to get to you."
"It won't change how I feel."
"I see." Storm sighed and then slowly moved to the window. With a wave of
her hand, the mechanical device clicked and the force field was deactivated.
She waved her hand a second time and the glass blew out of the window.
Turning back around to face him, she said unemotionally. "Perhaps you are
right, you do not belong here."
She turned back around and pointed towards the now opened window. "Go. It
is what you want, isn't it?" She stated. "I am giving you your freedom from
this room you call a jail."
Remy moved to the window, but Storm grabbed his shoulder. He stopped and
glared at her. "You're changing your mind?"
"I will allow you to leave the mansion, but before you go, I want you to
think about what your leaving reveals about me." She stared outside watching
several birds fly by.
"I brought you to the X-Men because I saw in you a kindred soul. Someone,
who accepted me for who I was, as I did you." Ororo glanced at Gambit. "Was
I so wrong about you, Remy?"
He chuckled, wasting no time answering. "Mebbe Warren and Bobby are right
'bout me, no?"
His sarcastic remark infuriated her. "If you want to act like a child,
then I shall treat you as one." She quickly grabbed his arm before he had a
chance to react, flew out the window, and settled on the roof.
"You are going to sit up here until you can get it through your head that
you belong here." With a confident smile, she gracefully sat down, stared up
at him, and declared firmly. "And don't even think about leaving because I
will freeze you to the roof if you try."
"You would." Remy huffed and then propped his elbows onto bent knees.
"Dis gonna be a long day."
_____________
Bobby heaved a deep-frustrated sigh as he continued his patrol of the
mansion grounds. Besides being one of the most tedious duties of being an
X-Man, the situation was made even worse because he was paired with the only
X-Men who made Rambo look like Gumby.
He knew he had to meet Bishop at the routine appointed time or the big
man would bark louder than any dog on guard duty could ever hope to
accomplish.
Rolling his eyes in total boredom, he managed to glance upward and caught
movement on the roof. He blinked twice, unable to believe what his eyes were
witnessing. Storm and Gambit were sitting on the roof having a heated
discussion over something he couldn't quite hear.
Bobby studied the pair and noticed Gambit wasn't wearing the collar.
"What the..." he muttered under his breath before he shouted up at Ororo,
"Storm, have you gone mad? You let him loose?"
"Not only did she take de collar off, she also trusts me." Remy stood up
and glared down at Bobby. Gambit wiggled his fingers, motioning Bobby to
come up to the roof. "Drake, l don't have de collar anymore. Why don't you
come up here and we finish what we both started, no?"
As hard as he tried, Bobby couldn't keep the smile from his face. "You
just made my day, LeBeau." He was more than willing to create a snow slide
and ski his way to the roof just to knock that stupid smirk off Gambit's
face.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it tightly. He turned, caught a
glimpse of Bishop staring up at the roof. The big man glanced down at him
and in a deep baritone voice, replied. "Drake, don't be stupid. Remy is
baiting you."
"Well it's working." Bobby growled through gritted teeth.
"Ignore him." Bishop suggested. "It will aggravate him more if you do."
Bobby almost busted out laughing. What an idea! He glanced at Bishop,
wanting to thank the X-Man for the idea, but Bishop shrugged and walked away
to continue the patrol.
Remy continued to taunt him from the roof. "What's taking you so long,
Drake?"
Bobby heard the sound of a power surge, followed by Gambit's sharp cry of
pain. He stepped back and looked up to investigate.
"Leave Bobby alone Remy or I will zap you again." Storm promised a hint
of future chastisement lingered in her voice. She glanced down at Bobby and
declared, "You may continue your patrol. Remy will not cause anymore
trouble." She turned her attention back to Gambit, eyeing him with a very
clear warning. "Will you Remy?"
Bobby walked away, laughing aloud as the two on the roof started arguing
again over Gambit's demand of freedom
"I said you could leave the mansion, did I not," Storm replied. "As you
are well aware, you are out of the mansion."
"Dat ain' what you meant!" Remy's voice screamed in defiance. "I told you
before I'm not stayin' here."
Bobby stopped, hearing Gambit's promise to leave the mansion grounds. He
had to go back and help Storm if she needed help.
"Drake!" Bishop's voice shouted, demanding instant attention. "Get
moving."
_____________
The Woods
Several of the Marauders were hiding in the woods just several hundred
feet from the mansion waiting for Riptide and Scrambler to return from their
appointed mission.
With the information he had received from Sinister, disabling Xavier's
mansion should be a piece of cake. Usually never one to look a gift horse in
the mouth, Scalphunter couldn't help but wonder who had given the
information to Essex in the first place.
He could only come to one conclusion and that was Remy. Gambit was the
only person who knew the layout of the mansion and how the security system
operated.
He didn't know how or when but somehow during the past few weeks,
Sinister had triumphed and finally lured LeBeau back into the fold.
The sound of rustling weeds caught Scalphunter's attention. He raised his
rifle, readying it for a possible kill.
A low whistle was heard, almost like the sound of a regional bird. It was
the signal that either Riptide or Scrambler was returning. He lowered the
weapon when he saw Janos moving through the bushes.
"Everything has been disabled. I made sure that their main computer was
back on line so that they wouldn't realize what had happened." Riptide
reported. "Kim should be here any minute."
"Good everything is going as planned," Scalphunter glanced over at Baer.
"Radio the boss and tell him it's time."
"He's already here." Blockbuster remarked and pointed to the tesseract
that was materializing.
The tesseract opened, allowing Sinister to walk through it. The scientist
took one look and then glared at Scalphunter.
"I told you to take all precautions and yet you are in plain view of
Xavier's minions." With a slight wave of his hand, underbrush, shrubbery,
and vegetation grew at a rapid rate to camouflage the group.
"Bout time ya made an appearance," Creed's voice came from the camouflage
bushes. The Marauders turned and watched as Sabretooth moved out of the
thicket and approached the group.
Glancing around as if he was searching for something, Sabretooth turned
back to Sinister and heaved a satisfying chuckle. "Boy run off again, didn't
he? Not as clever as ya think yer are, are ya Essex?"
Sinister turned, his red eyes glaring at Creed. "Because of your
arrogance, the X-Men took advantage of your disappearance and escaped, an
escape that never would have happened if the Marauders had been at their
post. Instead they were sent out on a mission to hunt you down."
"I ain't one of yer Marauders, Essex." Creed curled his upper lip and
flashed his teeth in anger. "I come an' go as I please. Ya don't like it,
then pay me what ya owe me an' we'll call this partnership dissolved."
"You get paid when the job is done," Sinister continued to glare a hole
into Sabretooth, "not before."
Janos playfully tapped Blockbuster's leg. "Two thousand says the next
word out of Creed's mouth is a moan."
"I'll take some of that action." Arclight added by pulling out several
large dollar bills. She slapped them into Riptide's hand and then glared at
the man. "You lose my money, you lose a limb."
A low whistle sounded and seconds later Scrambler appeared. Kim
approached Scalphunter, ignoring the exchange of money going on between
several of the Marauders. "There are just two of them outside on the
grounds. Drake and that big guy with the muscles."
Kim paused to catch his breath and wondered why he was giving a report
when no one but Scalphunter was listening. On second thought, he knew he
better finish his findings before Sinister struck him down just for the
sport of it if he didn't.
"The one called Storm is on the roof with LeBeau, and from the looks of
it, he doesn't want to be there. The rest of the X-Men are in the mansion."
Scrambler paused, dreading the information he had to report to Sinister.
"Vertigo and Prism are also in the mansion."
"Indeed! It seems the opportunity has arrived to kill two birds with one
stone." Sinister's voice turned serious, staring threateningly at each
Marauder and then finally settling on Creed.
"I want bargaining tools!" The scientist said forcefully, pointing a
finger in Sabretooth's direction to illustrate his point. "This means live
captives, not casualties."
"An' where's th' fun in that?" Creed asked.
"You can have your fun when my property is returned, not before."
Sinister replied. "We will see if Xavier cares more for his X-Men or keeping
what is mine."