"Chere,
no!" Gambit cried out as Rogue flew up into the climax point of
the ill-fated experiment. The heat and noise imploded around her, and
he fell to his knees. "Anyt'ing but dis.."
"Is
that a prayer, Cajun?" boomed the voice of the Fates. Around
them time stopped.
"De
Fates? What are you doin' here?" He scrambled to his feet. "Come
to mock Gambit in his pain?"
"We
come to you with an offer. The one you call Rogue can be restored to
you, alive and whole. But there is a price."
"Dere
always is. Name it." In front of him, a piece of paper fluttered
down from the bright forms of the Fates. He snatched at it, reading
their demand.
"This
is our price. Respect it or deny yourself the woman you love!"
"Dis
is it?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Reaching into his pockets, he
pulled out his wallet. "You take plastic?"
"In
our line of work, we cannot afford not to." The credit card in
his grasp flew into the light, and he could have sworn he heard the
sounds of a till ringing up. The card was returned swiftly, and he
looked up once more.
"So,
dat's it?"
"That is it. Take Rogue and leave this place,
lest you be caught in the aftermath." The light dulled and he
turned around to see Rogue fall to the floor.
"Chere!"
He scooped her up and began to run towards the exit. Ahead of them
Cyclops brought the Blackbird around, and Storm helped him carry her
up the ramp. As the doors closed and the ship took off, the world
below them exploded with heat.
"Sugar?
What happened?" She stirred in his arms as he stroked her hair
gently.
"I
bought you some time from de Fates."
"What? What did
they want from you? Don't tell me you did somethin' stupid, ya swamp
rat.."
"Non, chere. All they asked for was $500."
"No
kidding?"
"Non."
"So
Ah'm worth 500 smackers.. lousy."
"Oh,
and for future ref'rence, de Fates take Mastercard."
Just something that made me think about the words writers use.