The tesseract opened and Sinister walked out to the precise location he
had intended. His mastering of portals and tesseracts were nothing more
than a mere mathematical calculation. Simple child's play.
He glanced back inside the swirling tesseract, waiting for the young man
to emerge. As expected, the wait wasn't long. However, the response he had
predicted out of LeBeau was unanticipated.
LeBeau rushed out of the tesseract, cards energized with kinetic energy
came flying out of the young man's hands, aimed in his direction.
Sinister stepped aside, waved his hand in one complete circular motion
and watched as the cards fell harmlessly to his feet. He glanced up, ready
to confront the young man with what he believe would be common sense,
instead, LeBeau charged a lawn chair, and threw it at him.
"Remington, your powers can not harm me. Don't waste your strength and
energy on a meaningless task," the scientist said, barely moving his head as
the chair flew past his head and exploded. The intensity behind the
explosion surprised him. Had he underestimated LeBeau's power? Perhaps,
but a few experiments could always rectify that mistake. Destabilizing
LeBeau's mental state was his first priority, and considering Gambit's
current power level, it would be simple. "It's very obvious, even to
yourself, that your power level has grown increasingly unstable since your
abduction from my care. How much longer do you think it will be before you
lose complete control and the results are irreversible?"
"I have control over my powers!" LeBeau countered, and then picked up
several small objects near the pool, and charged them. "Wanna
demonstration?" he asked, grinning with defiance before he threw them at the
scientist.
With each object charged, the explosions became more powerful. When an
energized Frisbee flew by, Sinister watched with interest as it struck a
tree, destroying it upon contact.
He glanced at LeBeau, whose body glowed with kinetic energy. Objects
charged around him without being touched, but the expression of terror
revealed the truth. Gambit no longer had control of his mutant power.
The moment of victory was now at hand.
Sinister reached into a compartment of his belt, pulled out a long silver
cylinder, and uncorked it. He approached the young man.
"Stay where you are, Essex." Gambit warned, as he looked around to find
something to throw. Spotting a beach ball, he reached down to pick it up,
but the instant he touched it, the ball exploded knocking him to the ground.
Stunned, LeBeau shook his head before he reached up with a shaky hand and
grabbed a lounge chair for support. The outdoor furniture exploded, sending
the injured mutant back to the ground, barely conscious.
"I am only concerned for your well being, child," Sinister replied,
admiring his own ability at sounding so sincere that it would have fooled
any lie detector. With scrutinizing interest, he looked down, and analyzed
LeBeau. Gone was the cockiness he had grown accustomed to witnessing
whenever he crossed paths with the flamboyant Cajun. What he now detected
was fear, though cleverly masked by LeBeau's usual charisma, but it was
still present, nevertheless.
At that exact moment, LeBeau looked up, but before the mutant realized
what was happening, he was grabbed and pulled to his feet. He fought,
frantically reaching for anything on the scientist's body to charge, but the
act was fruitless.
Sinister pried open LeBeau's mouth and forced the elixir down his
throat. Amongst the pleas and the incapability to spit the elixir out,
LeBeau was powerless to stop him. The deed done, he simply released the
Cajun and returned the cylinder to where he had originally had it.
Remy gazed at the compartment on Sinister's belt where the scientist had
placed the cylinder. He recognized the elixir the second he tasted it, but
the idea of being forced fed the liquid didn't sit well with him and in the
back of his mind, something wasn't right.
"Use your powers!" Sinister urged with assurance. "You no longer need
to fear power surges. Use the power you were born with and understand your
destiny."
Remy fisted his hands and then opened them. Strange, the tingling
sensation had stopped, but had the power surges stopped as Sinister
claimed? Suspiciously, he stared at Sinister, wanting to know how the
scientist knew, "What are you up to, Essex?"
"Don't you know, Remy? Hasn't your body already adjusted to the
elixir?" The sinister voice taunted, and then warned of future revelations
if not heeded, "but in two days you will once again suffer the first stages
of withdrawal. Only this time, I assure you, unless you return to me, the
side effects will become worse."
Remy turned away, unable to comprehend what his mind was thinking. The
Elixir! Side effects? Withdrawal? Oh God, what was in that thing? His
mind raced back to when he had first worked for Sinister. While the
marauders were out on a mission, he had hacked into the scientist's computer
data banks and discovered Sinister's darker side. What he uncovered in
those files caused him to have nightmares for weeks. The insane experiments
on live subjects would have turned even Wolverine's stomach.
He didn't dare tell anyone what he had read, fearing retaliation from his
employer, and the conscious belief that the outside world would never
believe him. Sinister might have favored him above the Marauders, but Remy
wasn't about to risk his life on taking that chance.
Now, it frightened him to think he had allowed himself to be led into a
false sense of security. Had he actually believed that he was above such
experimentation?
He turned back around, demanding answers for his questions, "What side
effects?" He asked, fighting to keep his voice strong.
"Do you actually believe the elixir I gave you was out of the generosity
of my heart? As many of the X-men have stated, I have no heart." Sinister
cupped his gloved hand under Remy's chin and raised it. "I created it for
one purpose and that was to guarantee that you will always stay within my
reach." Essex's black lips curled upwards. "You will never be free of me,"
and then articulated the next two words with possession. "my son."
He was no son to this diabolical creature. He was only some damned
possession that could either increase or decrease in value when Sinister so
demanded.
He'd be damned if he was going to live his life under those conditions.
"You're a damn liar, Essex," he declared, determined to rid himself of
this albatross finally by denouncing Sinister's accusation. "If dat elixir
was additive as you claimed den I would have known 'bout it long b'fore
now." But what little optimism he allowed himself to believe quickly
deteriorated with Sinister's explanation.
"When you were first introduced to the elixir it was done in small doses
so you wouldn't suspect what I was doing. Later as the doses were
increased, you no longer questioned taking it. In fact, you began craving
it as much as you craved food." The scientist stated confidently. "And
soon, you will do anything I command just to have a fraction of the dose
that I promise you. Refuse me and suffer the consequences, and I assure
you, it will not be pleasant."
----------
Traveling through Sinister's tesseract was not a new experience for
Wolverine. The X-men on many occasions had intercepted the evil scientist
and his group of Marauders by following their enemies into Sinister's
teleporter, but this one seemed to stretch out into infinity.
"I feel like I've run long enough to be in Florida," he growled in
frustration.
"Is it mah imagination, or is the roaring inside this blasted thing
diminishing?" Rogue asked, stopping in mid-air to investigate. She glanced
behind her and smiled. "That idiot Riptide is still following. Ah think
Ah'm gonna teach him some manners his mama forgot to teach him."
"Rogue, wait!" He ordered and then pointed a finger at the end of the
portal. "Look! Daylight."
"It's about time," she commented, then turned, and flew back to intercept
the Marauder tracking them.
He didn't bother to stop her. Since the incident in Antarctica, Rogue
had wallowed in self-pity, guilt, and remorse. She needed something to
release those bottled up emotions.
Logan chuckled. He almost felt sorry for the Marauder.
Reaching the end of the tesseract, his unique hearing picked up
Sinister's voice. His curiosity peaked, he stopped, and listened, hoping to
discover the scientist's latest plan before Essex had time to enact it. It
was then he detected LeBeau's voice, and realized he had stumbled across
something more disturbing.
With the agility of a cat, Wolverine pounced out of the portal and hid
himself behind some shrubbery, granting him the privilege of eavesdropping
on the conversation.
When Sinister confessed to hooking LeBeau on some newly created drug, it
took all of Logan's control to keep from going ballistic. The confession
wasn't done out of remorse, but admitted to as a boast, spoken like some
bragging hero scoring the winning touchdown in the Super bowl. It only
angered Wolverine more, but if he wanted to learn more, he had to bury his
anger and wait.
--------------------------
"Cerebro's tracked the portal. Sinister has teleported behind the
mansion. Rogue and Wolverine are already there, and so is Gambit, but as
usual his bio readings are very vague," Xavier said. He turned to Psylocke
and ordered, "Elizabeth, teleport yourself and Scott to Sinister's exact
location and help the others engage Sinister."
"I'm going with you," Corsair declared, preparing his ruby crystals for
battle. "There's no way that devil's getting away again."
Psylocke walked to the wall, reached out, and took Corsair's hand into
hers. Scott followed suit, and took his father's other hand. "Stare at
your shadows on the wall," she instructed, "and then walk into them."
--------------------------
Wolverine raised up on his haunches, prepared to pounce on the modern day
Dr. Jekyll, but when LeBeau's own anger matched his own, his curiosity got
the best of him and he strained to hear more of the private conversation.
"It was you who pretended to be Erik de Red at dat trial, wasn't it,
Father?" Gambit said, speaking the last word with sarcasm. "Those
lies you told 'bout de X-Men were done to turn me against them."
"Your assumption is only partially correct. I could not allow the
slightest possibility that Xavier or one of his associates might decipher
your genetic code. It was too much of a risk to tolerate your continued
association with the X-Men." Sinister admitted, almost gloating with the
revelation. "I knew you would not come willingly, so I devised a plan that
guaranteed my secrets remained mine. I allowed the only individual more
powerful than I to learn of your involvement in the tunnels. With that
knowledge, he reacted as I anticipated. The rest, as they say is history."
"You went to all dat trouble for nothin'." Remy shot back. "I'm
surprised Magneto allowed you to escape his brand of justice."
"I have no fear of Erik Lensherr Magnus, nor does his agenda concern me."
"Well, dat's a first! Since when have you not stuck your nose in some
mutant's business?"
Alarm bells went off in Wolverine's head. It was only a matter of time
before Sinister retaliated for Gambit's defiance.
"Your hostile attitude only strengthens my belief that Jean-Luc was
incapable of raising you in the accurate manner that I required. Your
childhood not only lacked discipline, but the traits you were born with were
severely neglected."
"Jean-Luc's been more of a father than you'll ever be. You'll never
replace him, so leave him outta this," Remy said, glaring at the scientist.
"I live my life de way I want, an' without any interference from you."
"You are foolishly misguided. No longer will you deny who you are, nor
will your powers lie dormant." Sinister suddenly reached out, grabbed
LeBeau's hand, and turned it over. A declaration of future expectations
instantly followed, "You will master your powers, using them as I so demand
or I will experiment to learn the reasons for your failure."
"Like you did wit' Adam?" Remy asked accusingly.
'Adam? Who the hell is Adam?' Wolverine tried recalling the name but
nothing clicked and judging from the expression on LeBeau's face, the Cajun
had just realized he had made the mistake of a lifetime by mentioning the
name.
"You are treading on dangerous ground," Sinister warned, his voice taking
on a dangerous tone that caused Wolverine's hair to stand on end. "Mention
Adam's name with sarcasm again and you will learn of the sort of discipline
I administer to disrespectful children."
"Care ta wager a bet on that promise, bub?" Logan snarled, unsheathing
his claws as he climbed to his feet.
His enemy turned and faced him. The jagged teeth smiled back at him.
"Logan, how unfortunate for you that you chose this moment to interrupt a
private conversation." Sinister raised a gloved hand and declared, "There
is a price to be paid for interfering in my business."
A strangled scream caught Logan and Sinister's attention. Human ears
would not have picked up the sound. As Wolverine looked up, he spotted
something or someone in the air falling uncontrollably head first towards
the lake.
Riptide.
Seconds later, the Marauder crashed into the water.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Rogue said, rubbing her hands together as
if she were wiping something off them. With a sparkle to her green eyes,
she glared down at Sinister. "You're next, big boy."
With a simple wave of Essex's hand, a force field surrounded the
scientist and the young man he kept within his reach.
"Rogue, no," Logan shouted, warning the woman before she reached the
force field but at the speed Rogue was traveling his warning came too late.
She bounced off and fell to the ground in a heap.
"Why ya dirty rottin' son of a..." Rogue cursed as she got to her feet.
"If ya think this is going ta keep me from beating ya ugly mug in when Ah
get mah hands on ya, ya better think again." She started walking towards
her prey. "Ah'll break it down, and when Ah do, Ah'm gonna knock ya clean
back to the sewer ya crawled outta."
"This foolishness has gone on long enough." Sinister again waved his
hand and a tesseract formed inside the force field. He turned to Remy. "It
is time to leave. My experiments have been neglected too long."
Remy stared defiantly, refusing to move.
Before Sinister could respond, the sound of glass shattering surrounded
him, destroying the force field within seconds. He found himself surrounded
by several X-Men and one very angry Starjammer.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Now," Scott shouted, seizing the opportunity while Sinister appeared
temporarily defenseless. Time was of the essential. Two of the Marauders
were still at large, and could return at any second to assist their leader.
"It's over, Sinister. Face it. Remy's no longer blinded by your
deception. You've lost. Surrender, or be destroyed."
"So certain, are you, Scott?" Sinister taunted. He stepped aside,
allowing Cyclops to see Gambit. It was a deliberate attempt to boaster
Sinister's next threat. "Attack me, and risk your brother's life."
The two brothers locked eyes, and the cocky expression Gambit flashed
revealed more than any words could have told Scott. He didn't know how, but
somehow Remy had managed to steal something of great value from Sinister
without the scientist being the wiser, or so he thought.
"Return them," Sinister demanded, turning unexpectedly in Gambit's
direction. The gloved hand opened, and the voice hissed with malice, "Now."
"Return what?" Gambit asked, pulling out a playing card. Kinetic energy
rapidly consumed the seven of spades.
"Defiant as ever," Sinister stated, balling the same hand into a tight
fist. "Well, no more. This tiresome game has finally ended."
The card instantly dropped from Gambit's hand, falling harmlessly to the
ground. The young man's eyes glowed eerie with untapped power, sending him
into a trance like state.
Unwilling to wait any longer, Scott took matters into his own hands. He
tapped his communicator, signaling Rogue. "Now," he whispered into the
device.
She took to the air.
"Come," Sinister said, motioning to the tesseract. "It's time to
leave."
Rogue swooped down at super sonic speed. Anticipating an attack,
Sinister stepped back, giving Rogue the opportunity she needed to grab Remy.
"Scott." Sinister turned and stared down at the man. "Rest assured that
I hold you personally responsible. This will not go unpunished."
Wolverine grinned sadistically, "Is that a promise?"
The two adversaries stared at one another, but before either could
advance, Raza materialized, separating the two enemies.
The cybernetic grabbed the unsuspecting scientist by the throat. "Be
gone, malice creature," Raza said, shoving Sinister backwards and into the
tesseract.
"Great timing, Raza," Scott stated, fighting back the urge to laugh. It
wasn't everyday someone tossed Sinister around like a worthless toy.
As silence descended on the gathering group, a telekinetic bubble lowered
the unconscious Riptide to the ground. "Look what I fished out of the
lake," Jean announced with a triumphant grin. "Should we keep him or throw
him back?"
"Add him to our growing collection," Bishop's baritone voice answered,
surprising everyone with his capture of Scalphunter. The Marauder leader's
hands were raised, but even captured; Gray Crow remained a dangerous foe.
"Don't even think about lowering those hands," Bishop threatened the
Marauder. "Your next breath depends on your ability to obey orders." The
cop glanced at Logan. "Wolverine, can to give me a hand with these
prisoners?"
"Thought you'd never ask," Wolverine replied, callously slinging Riptide
over his shoulder.
With everyone's attention diverted to Scalphunter and Riptide's capture,
Remy used the distraction to sneak back inside the mansion. He needed to
grab a few things, plan a destination, and disappear before someone realized
he had gone.
Now that Sinister had been defeated, Remy knew it would only be a matter
of time before the Starjammer came looking for him. Learning he was
responsible for the horrific event in Katherine Summers' life only added to
the emotional baggage he already carried, and facing Corsair with that
knowledge was something he wasn't ready to discuss.
Remy quickly climbed the stairs, taking two at a time until he reached
the second floor that led him to his old room. He pushed open the door, and
hurried to the chest, silently praying his personal belongings were still
there.
He opened a drawer, and sighed with relief thankful everything appeared
untouched. Grabbing the old duffle bag that always rested in the corner,
Remy stuffed it with clothes, and other personal items before hurrying out
of the room and down the hallway.
A door slammed, announcing someone had entered the front door. With that
escape route cut off, Remy turned his attention to the third floor and
Storm's private sanctuary.
A flight of stairs later, Remy reached the loft. The door, never locked,
was an unspoken invitation that all were welcome.
Inside, the big balcony windows were open and bare, creating the illusion
the room was larger than it appeared to be. A late afternoon breeze drifted
through the area, causing the wind chimes to clang, which generated a soft
musical tune.
He started towards the balcony, determined it was the only way of getting
out of the mansion without being seen. Just as he reached the threshold,
voices called his name from below.
"Damn," Remy muttered, slapping his free hand to his side in
frustration. His hand struck something hard. Confused, he slipped his hand
inside a pocket and pulled out the five cylinders he had stolen from
Sinister. In his haste, he had forgotten all about them.
"Remy, are you inside?" Ororo called from the balcony.
"Oui, Stormy," he answered, frantically searching for a place to hide the
cylinders. The corner closest to the balcony caught his eye. It looked
like a tropical jungle with the large vegetation, potted trees, and plants.
A smile crept across his face, delighting in the discovery of the perfect
hiding place.
Floral scents perfumed the air, inspiriting an instant calming effect.
Whirling around, Remy was amazed at Storm's ability to create paradise in
such a confiding place.
Chains attached to the ceiling held several potted plants, each a
different fern, and all large enough to hide all the cylinders from
unsuspecting eyes. His task completed he hurried outside, but came to an
abrupt halt when he found Storm waiting for him.
"Why are you hiding, my friend," she asked calmly. "Scott and Corsair
have been searching for you."
"Can't I have some time to myself without you worrin' 'bout me, Stormy,"
he asked, flashing his best winning smile as he joined her on the balcony.
He motioned with a slight nod of his head. "Besides, I wasn't hiding, I was
admirin' de jungle."
"Do not change the subject!" Storm said, pointing an accusing finger at
him. "Remy, you can not hide from this forever. At some time, you have to
face Scott and Corsair."
"Mebbe, mais not today," he declared, slinging the bag over his
shoulder. He glanced over the railing, looked in both directions, and found
the area deserted. "Well, dis looks like goodbye for awhile, Stormy. I'll
stay in touch."
"You disappoint me, Remy. Never would I have thought you were a coward."
Her words stung, hurting him more than any slap could have accomplished.
Remy collapsed against the railing, letting the bag slip from his grasp.
"Why can't you understand," he asked, pleading for her sympathy. "I can't
face dat man, now after what Sinister did to his wife."
"But what happened was not your fault," Storm countered, consoling the
younger mutant. "Nobody blames you for..."
"I do," Remy shouted. He blinked, shocked by his own admission, and
quickly turned his back afraid his emotions had given him away. The last
reserve he had fell the instant a slender arm encircled his waist, and soft
lips kissed his cheek. "Stormy, please," he pleaded, squeezing his eyes
shut to cut the flow of tears that started to flow. "She was my mother. I
can't deal wit' dis right now."
"Can any of us?"
Startled by the intruding voice, both turned to find Corsair standing
inside the loft.
Corsair knew he had unintentionally intruded on a private moment, but
listening to the young man's private anguish convinced him to intervene.
Nobody should share that burden alone, especially his long lost son.
"I do not mean to intrude, Ororo," he apologized. Stepping outside,
Corsair's eyes drifted to Gambit. "But if you would excuse us, I would like
to speak to my son alone."
Storm nodded slightly, gave a reassuring squeeze to her friend, and
walked back inside the loft.
Corsair waited, listening as the sounds of Ororo's boots faded away
before he walked to the balcony railing. Neither man spoke, choosing
instead to look out, watching the sun slowly disappear behind the trees.
During the long, lonely months in space, sunrises, sunsets, and daylight
are a rarity, never taken for granted, and now standing in the warmth of the
sun's rays, Corsair could only admire the beauty he missed most about
Earth.
Corsair turned his attention back to the young man standing silently
beside him. The glowing red eyes, staring at nothing in particular caused a
sliver to go down his back as Sinister's malicious words came back to haunt
him.
'Whose eyes does Remington have? I would say his father's, wouldn't
you?'
It wasn't true. The glowing eyes were only a side effect from the
mutant powers, just like Scott, only without the visor,' he mentally
convinced himself. Perhaps he should be thankful at least one of his sons
had control over their mutant powers, and not forced to wear a special suit
or visor to contain them.
"Storm is right, son, nobody blames you for what happened to your
mother," Corsair said, breaking the silent tension between the two. Already
he blamed himself for what happened, he didn't need to pass that guilt down
to his son. His son. God, if only he had listened to Katherine instead of
believing that doctor those years ago things would have been so
differently.
Anger resurfaced, and it took all his self-control to restrain it. He
secretly made a sacred vow; someday he would terminate Sinister's existence,
even if it took an eternity, he would keep that promise.
"Monsieur Summers," the young man said, deliberately avoiding making eye
contact. "We're both kiddin' ourselves. I'm not your son and..."
"Funny, I don't recall getting a DNA test confirming that." Corsair
reached out and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "William,
son..."
"It's Remy," Gambit hissed, slapping the hand off his shoulder. The eyes
glowed, flashing with anger. "And before you start callin' me son, dere's
some things you better know 'bout me. For starters, I'm a thief."
Corsair folded his arms and raised an unimpressive brow. The boy
apparently wanted to antagonize him. Which wasn't a surprise, considering
some of the tales Scott had told him about Gambit. It seemed the apple
didn't fall from the tree. He replied, arrogantly, "I'm a pirate, what's
your point? You take after your father."
Gambit opened his mouth, preparing to launch another shocking revelation.
"Don't waste your breath," he warned, holding up a hand to cut off the
protest. "We both know anything you say would be a pitiful attempt to make
me deny you are my son." He added, "Deny that if you can."
The young man angrily narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.
"Stubborn, aren't you," Corsair teased, enjoying the one-sided
conversation intensely. It reminded him of his quarrels with Katherine.
Whenever he got the best of her, she would clam up, and refuse to admit
defeat. "I can see so much of Kate in you," he said as tears formed in his
eyes. "You have many of her traits."
Gambit lowered his head, giving Corsair the opportunity to pull the young
man into a tight embrace. Strange, Gambit didn't fight him; instead, the
younger man buried his head into the pirate's chest.
"You know what Essex did to your...to my..." Gambit whispered, unable to
finish the sentence. The nightmarish truth was too hard to comprehend.
"I'm not your son, why pretend when we bot' know de truth?"
"Your mother believed I was your father, and that's all that matters. I
will not dishonor her memory by allowing Sinister to have that privilege."
The pirate released his hold, and pulled the younger man away at arm's
length. It was possible that Essex was the father, but as long as it wasn't
confirmed, Corsair could live with that knowledge. "But," he added, risking
that certainty by giving peace of mind to a son that might not be his, "Dr.
McCoy has offered to perform a DNA test to confirm if I am your father. He
wants us in his lab in ten minutes for the test."
The last thing Remy wanted was to take a DNA test. Once McCoy got a
sample of his blood, then whatever Sinister had given him would show up in
his bloodstream. There had to be a way out of this, but Corsair seemed
determined to have the test conducted. No doubt, the pirate wanted
assurance.
Corsair walked back inside, turned and waited for him.
With no other choice, Remy reluctantly followed him.