CHAPTER FIVE
Sinister's Base
The large room was opulent with resources that no hospital or medical
building could claim superiority over. The same held true for the entire
research facility. The proprietor owned the best of everything and if it
didn't measure up to his standards, Nathaniel Essex created a better
replacement.
For the past three days, Essex remained isolated in the large room,
refusing visitors, demanding and receiving solitude from his subordinates.
He worked non-stop, spending his time watching monitors, taking readings,
and trying different elixirs.
The task would have broken the greatest of any medical professional,
sending the defeated into a spiral whirlwind of denial. However, Sinister
was not ordinary. He was supreme with all others considered beneath him.
Failure was not an option; he simply would not permit it.
Though LeBeau's color had returned to normal, the young man still
suffered from the effects of his ordeal. Nightmares continuously robbed his
patient of the necessary strength the young man would desperately need for a
successful recovery. Sinister had no other choice but to sedate LeBeau in
order for his wounds to heal properly.
Several hours later, Essex smiled to himself, knowing he had finally
mastered victory. Remy LeBeau was out of harm's way and slowly starting the
healing process, but success was not the reason why Sinister had kept a
silent vigil over his latest achievement. He wanted his face to be the first
sight LeBeau saw once the young mutant regained consciousness.
He made one final examination of his patient before he was truly
satisfied with his findings. Still, he moved to a monitor, flipped a few
switches, and twisted several knobs, then to a computer and typed in a
command. Turning back around, he returned to the bed and looked down. "Open
your eyes, child."
A low moan escaped the young man's lips but he remained in a state of
semi-consciousness.
"Obey me!" Sinister ordered and again the result was the same. For all of
Essex' research and hard work, LeBeau should have awakened to the sound of
his voice. Instead, the fruits of his labor remained unconscious.
Sighing quietly over the small hindrance, he reached down and lightly
stroked Remy's cheek. When the young man didn't respond to the physical
contact, he gently touched Remy's face and sent a warm energy force into the
young man's body.
Another moan and the eyes slightly opened, then closed in a quick,
painful squeeze. Essex swept his hand over the room and the lights
immediately dimmed. "Open your eyes." He repeated in a softer voice this
time.
Again, the eyes opened and LeBeau blinked several times, trying to focus
his vision.
Sinister chuckled, watching in amusement as recognition slowly waved over
Gambit's face. "Surprised?"
LeBeau inhaled, deeply shocked to learn his savior's identity.
"I seem to be making a habit of saving your life," Sinister whispered as
he checked the monitor again, reading LeBeau's heart rate and brain waves to
make sure they were returning to normal levels.
"What is the count now? Three?" He asked, while pulling a white mobile
cart closer to the bed. A metallic silver tray rested on top of the cart,
containing assorted surgical tools.
He picked up a clamp, pulled down the sheet, and began a series of exams
that he knew would be painful for the young man.
Remy jerked painfully from the contact, gasping in agony as the
examination continued without mercy. Anesthetics were used in these exams
but using them would defeat the scientist's purpose and that purpose for
retribution, pure and simple.
Sinister had a long memory and the events in Seattle often played in his
mind like a repetitious movie, a very bad movie. Nobody denied Sinister.
Those that tried soon discovered their mistake.
His eyes narrowed into slits, glaring down at the only individual that
had been allowed that oversight, but that privilege was now revoked. The
time was now at hand to pay the debt Sinister so graciously granted. LeBeau
was now in his custody and Sinister fully intended to teach the boy a lesson
he would never forget.
Sinister remained silent, taking his time as he probed, squeezed and
rubbed LeBeau's body, searching for internal injuries and delighting in the
pain he was inflecting. As the examination continued, Essex found himself
surprised by LeBeau's restraint. The young man's control was remarkable
considering the level of pain he was enduring.
LeBeau never uttered a sound, dissolving Sinister's plans of enforcing a
much needed lesson. Turning his attention to a monitor, he checked the
readings and made his diagnosis. "There are no internal injuries and I was
able to reverse the damage the frostbite created. Your voice will return
after the medicine has time to reverse the damage from the Antarctican air
you inhaled."
Relief flooded the younger man's features, but Sinister wasn't sure it
was because of the good diagnosis or because he was grateful the painful
examination was over. The red on black eyes blinked back at him, offering an
unspoken thanks to the scientist, but Sinister wasn't about to forget the
past.
"Were you expecting to wake up inside Xavier's mansion and find your
so-called friends waiting by your side?" Essex moved out of Remy's line of
sight, allowing him to see beyond him. "This is neither Xavier's mansion nor
was it the X-Men who carried your unconscious body out of Antarctica.
Sinister claimed you only after they left you to die."
"Non." Gambit painfully denied the accusation. His voice rasped in
gasping whispers, pausing for breath at each syllable. "Rogue, she..."
"Ah, yes, Rogue, the same woman who put you in a coma and fled without
caring if you lived or died." Sinister chuckled, recalling an incident in
the romance between the two X-Men. He wanted the relationship terminated. It
served no purpose in his grand scheme of things. Perhaps mentioning several
painful events in the relationship would do more damage than other methods
could accomplish.
"And what of that abnormality who returned with her? Did the X-Men not
welcome him with opened arms, believing he was Magneto, de-aged and claiming
to be suffering from amnesia?"
Wetting his lips with his tongue, Remy swallowed, "Wasn't Magneto..."
"Perhaps not, but what about Creed?" Essex smiled, delighting in LeBeau's
stunned expression at hearing Sabretooth's name mentioned. Apparently, the
boy believed the information had been an X-Men secret, adding salt into an
already raw wound would prove beneficial.
"Xavier knew Creed's past, but still he and his X-Men allowed that killer
to take up residence in the mansion. Where was their compassion for you, my
boy?"
Remy didn't answer. Instead, he focused his attention on staring at the
ceiling.
"And what about Storm? The one you call sister," Sinister continued. "She
remains in the mansion, pretending you do not exist. She too has turned on
you."
Hearing Storm's name, Remy shut his eyes and turned his head away, trying
to hide his emotions.
"Oh no, child, you are going to hear the painful truth, every last word
of it." Sinister grabbed Remy by the chin, forcing the boy to look at him.
"You have paid a high price for defying me, have you not, Remington? Tell
me, what have you gained for your betrayal?"
Remy inhaled deeply, and then whispered, "Friends."
"What is that old saying?" He paused, pretending he didn't remember the
familiar phrase until he snapped his fingers and recited it. "With friends
like them, who needs enemies?"
Not getting the response he wanted, Sinister stated nonchalantly, "The
X-Men have ruined you. I'm surprised you're not begging me for their
miserable lives."
Remy lowered his eyes, unwilling to make eye contract. Essex tightened
his grip, demanding complete vigilance and with a heavy sigh, declared, "You
have greatly disappointed me, Remington."
"Join de club." The voice became clearer, stronger as the medication
started to take affect. "I 'ear de membership is growin', and stop callin'
me, Remington."
"The X-Men have been a thorn in my side for too long," Sinister added,
watching the young man carefully. "I plan to rid myself of their nuisance."
Remy glared up at the scientist. "You...hurt dem, Sinister..."
"Are you threatening me, child? I find this very amusing. You can barely
breathe on your own much less issue a threat." Chuckling, he tapped Remy's
cheek slightly and continued undaunted, "You are suffering from pneumonia
caused by those that you are trying to protect. I do believe your fever is
affecting your reasoning."
"If you hadn' interfered, dey woulda found me. If not Rogue, den de
others woulda returned," Remy said categorically. "You had no right,
Sinister. I don' belong to you. I'm an X-Man, not a Marauder."
"So, tell me, X-Man." Sinister hatefully emphasized the last word. "How
long would you have waited before you realized that your loyalty to the
X-Men had condemned you to die? I'm sure the thought crossed your mind more
than once as your life ticked away, second by agonizing second."
"Dey never had de chance." Remy screamed in a fit of rage. "YOU de one
who found me first."
"No, dear boy, it wasn't Sinister, but a mere human who stumbled across
your body by accident. You had depleted your mutant power in an effort to
keep warm. Had the man not found you at that precise moment, you would not
have survived at all." He paced the length of the bed, and walked to the
front of the bed to look down at his patient.
The boy was failing miserably in a desperate attempt to mask his
emotions. Sinister almost roared with laughter, but being the magnificent
individual he was, that would have been undignified. Instead, Essex
continued the details of how he had rescued LeBeau.
"Arclight was monitoring radio signals and picked up the conversation
between the human and his companion. According to the conversation, you were
covered in several inches of snow and barely alive. He could not detect your
body temperature and guessed from your appearance, you had been there for
quiet some time. It was then I went to Antarctica to save your life."
Remy stared at the floor, refusing to continue the argument.
"Your loyalty is misdirected, child." Sinister lifted the young mutant's
head, but Remy refused to look at him. The boy's defiance was quickly
grating on his nerves. Realizing he was losing control, Sinister turned his
back and walked away.
A moment later, the master of manipulation had an evil smile playing
across his lips. He had been going about this wrong. There were better ways
than the direct approach. The smile now gone, he turned back around and
returned to the bed.
"Have I not always been here for you, Remington? Have I not been the only
one who has not tossed you away in your many hours of need? Am I not here
for you, now?"
Remy closed his eyes again.
Knowing he had just planted the first seeds of doubt, Sinister went for
the jugular. "The truth hurts, does it not?"
A lone tear slid down the young man's pale cheek. "Leave me alone," the
voice demanded, sounding more like a plea than a command.
Sinister caressed the cheek and swiped the tear away. "Son."
Remy angrily slapped the hand away. "Not your son."
"As far as you are concern, I am your father."
"Jean-Luc might have somethin' to say 'bout dat," Remy countered,
defiance returning to his voice.
"Indeed," He admitted with a sly smile. He often wondered about the
admiration the Thieves Guild patriarch had for the young mutant. Well, he
smiled to himself, no time like the present to discover that knowledge.
"Perhaps your adopted father would like to know the details of your resent
trip to Antarctica or better yet, the Guild itself."
The young man's face filled with terror. "Non, mon père's never to know.
He would..." Remy stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed as suspicion flashed
across his features. "How do you know 'bout..."
"I have known you even before your birth." Essex interrupted and sat down
on the bed as the young man stared at him in disbelief. It was time LeBeau
learned the truth of his heritage, just enough of it to switch the balance
of persuasion back into his favor. "Your mother lived long enough to see
your face before she died. During those moments of grief and confusion, I
foolishly allowed a subordinate to place you in the nursery while I made
final arrangements for your mother. Someone who had an financial interest in
your birth stole you from the nursery and turned you over to a vile
individual."
Remy shook his head, denying Sinister's allegations. "Dat's not true."
"You deny what you were too young to remember," Essex stated. "What is
your earliest memory?"
LeBeau shrugged his shoulders. "Just 'member livin' on de streets, always
hungry, sometimes scared."
"You speak as if that time was a mere stumbling block in your life. I,
however, know the truth. There were several incidents where certain vile
individuals crossed your path. Many of who preyed upon your childhood
innocence. I'm sure you still have nightmares concerning these individuals.
Should I name them?"
"Non," the voice whispered, unable to hide the fear and shame behind the
protest.
"Rest assured, those individuals met the same fate as all who attempt to
alter my work."
Remy lifted his head; the red eyes glowed in anticipation. "What happened
to de person who wanted me an' de one who stole me?"
"It does not matter," was all Sinister volunteered. He didn't want to
reveal too much information until he was certain LeBeau was under his
control. That goal, he was certain, was now within reach.
"You killed dem?" Remy asked in a harsh whisper.
"Killed? No, neither has paid for the crime... yet. Both foolishly
believe they are outside my domain, but in time, they will discover their
mistake." Essex's eyes glowed as he gave an evil laugh. "Fitting punishment
for taking what was mine, don't you think?"
Remy opened his mouth to protest, but Sinister placed his finger over the
young man's lips, silencing the objection instantly.
"You are mine, child. I know it and so do you." He slowly ran his gloved
fingers through Remy's hair, observing how the boy relaxed under his skilled
touch. "The X-Men will pay dearly for what they have done to you."
Sinister felt the young man tense after hearing his vow. For several long
seconds, he waited patiently, wanting to know if LeBeau's loyalty had
wavered against Xavier and the X-Men.
LeBeau remained silent, choosing instead to run his left index finger
across the white sheet.
The scientist concealed his eagerness, but down deep, he was silently
enjoying the emotional tug-of-war the young mutant was fighting. It seemed
LeBeau still had some devotion towards the X-Men.
The time was now at hand to destroy that allegiance-forever by playing on
the one fear LeBeau possessed. Sinister reached into his belt, pulled out a
long clear cylinder containing a thick green liquid, and uncorked it. The
commotion was enough to get the boy's attention.
"You must drink this now." Sinister handed the cylinder to LeBeau. "Your
health as well as your life depends on you taking this elixir without
haste."
Remy swished the liquid several times, staring at it until the elixir
stilled inside the cylinder.
"Really, Remington," he replied with a deep sigh, knowing the reason why
LeBeau was stalling. "Would I have wasted my time going to Antarctica to
save your life if I wanted to poison you?"
LeBeau took another careful look at the liquid before reluctantly sipping
the elixir. Surprised registered on Gambit's face before he gave in and
swallowed the remaining concoction. "Not bad for somethin' green." He
admitted before returning the cylinder back to Sinister. "What is it?"
"As I told you earlier, I was able to reverse the effects of frostbite
and heal the damage done to your vital organs." Sinister held the cylinder
tightly in his gasp, revealing the rest of the diagnosis, "but I didn't want
to tell you until I was sure of my findings."
"W...what?" LeBeau stuttered, unable to control the fear in his voice.
"When you depleted your powers, you suffered major nerve damage. It
affected your brain wave patterns, causing a severe side effect." The
scientist explained. "I don't have to tell you what that means, do I?"
Remy turned his head away, but was unable to control the trembling raging
through his body. In a panicked voice, he asked, "De surgery?"
Sinister reached out, and took LeBeau's hand into his. The simple gesture
destroyed any control Gambit had over his emotions. To Sinister's surprise
and delight, LeBeau sat up and fell into his chest.
Sinister placed his arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Be at ease,
child. The elixir was created for such a precaution. I was not going to let
the X-Men take your life without a fight."
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Sinister, Remy lifted his
head, looked up at the scientist, and said, "Don' wanna ever hear dere name
mentioned again. Leave dem be, dat's de best revenge you could give me.
Dey're outta my life now. Don't wanna do to dem what dey did to me."
"Very well, I will grant your request but under one condition." He
chuckled, taunting the boy with a demand he knew LeBeau would refuse. "You
know what I desire, don't you? Acknowledge it and the X-Men's lives will be
spared."
Remy sighed and without hesitation nodded. "I accept. You're---"
"Silence!" Essex interrupted, surprising himself with the emotional
response. He expected another protest, perhaps a little defiance on LeBeau's
part, but never would he have expected complete submission. Anger quickly
overrode better judgment. Compassion for one's enemies was a weakness and
there was only one person who could have bestowed that trait on LeBeau.
"Xavier has defiled you!"
Remy huffed, "De X-Men said dat 'bout you."
"This conversation has grown tiresome as have you." Sinister placed his
open hand over Remy's face, forcing the boy back into the pillows. "Sleep,
my boy, and heal." A mist engulfed Gambit, sending him back into
unconsciousness.
For several minutes, Sinister stared down at the young man sleeping in
the bed. A shift in the air broke his concentration, revealing another
presence entering the room.
"My, my, my," A harsh deep baritone voice said from behind him. "If I
didn't know any better, I'd swear ya actually cared fer someone."
"Victor, I have killed better men than you for spying on me." Sinister
stood up and faced the intruder.
"Don't get excited, Essex." Sabretooth moved across the room and looked
down into the bed. "Had to see this for myself." He laughed hard, "And the
X-Men call me heartless! I should take lessons from them."
"Join the Marauders in the war room, Creed," Sinister ordered. He turned
his attention back to Gambit. "It seems my influence has been confounded by
Xavier. I must thank him personally for the trouble he has cost me."
"It looks like ol' Bowling Ball's been trespassin' on yer private
property, Essex. I hope yer not th' jealous type," Sabretooth laughed hard
as he left the room.
---------------------------
"No way am I working with Creed!"
"Me either!" Another shouted in agreement.
"I don't like it either, but the Boss is the one who wants him in on this
mission." Scalphunter replied, looking at everyone in the group. "He's
blaming all of us for letting Prism and Vertigo's escape."
"Blame Blockbuster and Harpoon!" Riptide declared, motioning with a tilt
of his head towards the named Marauders. "They're the idiots who were
supposed to be watching them."
Harpoon straightened and moved away from the wall. He balled his hands
into fists. "Who are you calling an idiot!"
"You, you piece of crap." Riptide hatefully answered and grabbed a weapon
off the nearby table as Harpoon moved in his direction. "Come on, let's see
what you got!"
"Save it for later," Arclight ordered, her voice laced with venom as she
glared at both men. "After the mission, you two can kill each other for all
I care. Until then, you'll both follow orders. Do I make myself clear?"
"Maybe, when I finish with him," Riptide taunted, "I'll deal with you."
"By all means," the female Marauder smiled diabolically, her hand issued
him closer as the other reached for a knife. "Take your best shot."
"Silence," the Marauder leader yelled. When his command went unheeded,
Scalphunter fired his gun to illustrate his seriousness.
The room became quiet, but only temporarily.
"Just because she hangs with you, Scalphunter," Scrambler spoke, breaking
the silent truce by siding with Riptide. "Doesn't mean she is second in
command."
"Arclight is exactly that, second only to me." Scalphunter told the man.
"You got a problem, you take it up with me."
No sooner had he spoken the last word than everyone in the room began
shouting.
"Somebody throw a party and forget to invite me?"
The Marauders turned and glared at the uninvited guest.
Sabretooth laughed loudly, not bothering to hide his opinion. "I see
Sinister's cloning hasn't improved the intelligence of his lackeys."