Where could he be? It was not like him to be gone so long. Sure, he left for work, that he had learned to accept, but he was at school five of those seven days and he had always been there to pick him up afterwards. It was Saturday now, which meant he had to wait for eight hours for his brother to come home from work, but it had been fourteen hours now and there was no sign of Shawn.
Now Shawn was a good brother, he had picked up the slack as soon as his mother had run off. He had never reported her, never called the police and told them she had left him in charge of a brother nearly ten years his minor. He knew that they would split them up, put them in foster homes and go through family after family. He had watched television specials, and knew what might happen to his little brother in a cruel foster home. So instead, he had quit high school, and gone to work at the local construction sites. The foreman always paid in cash, and he didn't care how old Shawn was. And so it was, with his seven day a week job and the welfare checks the government unknowingly sent to their mother that he raised the little brother that he loved so dearly. With that hard earned money he fed and clothed young Leo, and even bought him a gift or two instead of buying himself that heat pack he so desperately needed. Shawn would do anything to know he was the one that put the smile on Leo's face. That smile which radiated innocence and joy in their purest forms and seemed to rid the world of all its troubles, if only for just a moment.
Now this was not to say there were not problems. Any family had problems, no matter the size or class or wealth of its members, but they got through them. Like when he discovered his precious baby brother was a mutant. Shawn nearly had an aneurism that day, his face creased with fear and his brain going a mile a minute. He was not afraid of what his brother could do; in fact, he didn't really know what his abilities were. He was afraid for his Leo's safety, for the safety of his baby brother. Shawn himself was a mutant, although nobody could tell just by looking at him. He could merge with substances, although not metal or some plastics. It had occurred when he was about thirteen, and he somehow covered his hands in paper. His mother had beaten him for being so careless with crazy glue and would not believe he had not used any. He had since trained himself to control such small things from happening, but there was an occasional slip when he got too emotional.
There were recent anti-mutant sentiments throughout the nation which didn't bode well for either him or his baby brother. It had consumed the closed minded and fearful of the nation, twisting the image of mutants in the eyes of many. Shawn feared his baby brother would be lost in some massacre in the near future, or used as experiments in some lab. It was of no concern what happened to him as long as his young charge was safe. Shawn wished he had some way to protect his brother, some powerful mutation of his own, like that "radical mutant terrorist group" the news always talked about.
He had once been invited into a school for people like himself. He could not remember the name of the school, although there were a few of the cards laying about the apartment. This strange man in a wheelchair had come to him a few days after the paper incident back when his mother was still with them. This man had told him he helped people with mutations and kept them safe. Shawn seriously doubted the honesty of that statement but had taken a few cards as to not offend the man. And now, four years later Shawn was missing, and a young Leo fell asleep without his big brother for the first time in seven years.
Leo walked slowly through the crowded streets of New York in little more than a day old shirt and blue jeans. He had woken up in the early hours of the morning only to find himself alone and staring outside as the sun tried to penetrate the mass of clouds overhead. He would not go to school today, he had decided, a decision made without the influence of brother or parent. Leo was strangely proud of this and had walked the streets with shoulders high. At the young age of almost eight he possessed an intellect far above normal, but he didn't excel at school, often finding himself forgetful and uninterested. Instead Leo acted in the way one might expect a twelve year old would act. His youth made him unaware of the world around him and consequently unafraid. He would talk back in a way one never expected a seven year old to behave, and his remarks were almost always witty. Yet, in his heart he was truly a child and held his big brother at a level of adoration all his own. Leo attempted to mimic his brother in every way, proud to learn the lessons Shawn was unknowingly giving. Leo had once believed the world was as his brother had chosen it to be, perfect and undisturbed. However, he would learn differently, his foolishness beaten out of him by experience and the mark of time.
The youngest Dorian was new to his mutation and had yet to know the extent of his powers. Unlike most mutants he possessed no horrible manifestation story, no repressed memory that would haunt his dreams as an adult. He had simple woken one day to find he could sense his brother, or more correctly his brother's mutation. It was a strange feeling, new and unexplored yet it felt surprisingly natural. Leo was not sure what was happening to him and so woken Shawn up to tell him. Surely Shawn would have the answer, Shawn knew everything. His brother seemed angry at him that day, a side of him that Leo had hardly ever seen. But no, he was not angry. Shawn's jaw was clenched shut, his knuckles white from his grip, and the lines of his face frowned in discontentment. Leo looked into the eyes of his big brother to plea for forgiveness, yet had stopped mute with slack jawed amazement. There was a snivel and the tears had stopped as quickly as they had started, as if stopped by sheer will alone. They had not talked about it since.
Leo tugged on the arm of his shirt while deep in thought. It was something he had done all his life, and yet had never noticed. Shawn had always smiled when he saw his baby brother like that, what a seven year old could be thinking was beyond him. Leo walked slowly though the crowded New York streets. His legs led without direction, as if he needed to be moving in order to stay alive. It was eleven days ago that he had manifested, a singularly happy moment for him. Somewhere in the stealth of night he had become a little more like his brother, one step closer to his hero. Now his brother was missing, gone without reason or inclination. And yet he knew he would see his brother again, with the perfect assurance only a seven year old could muster. Shawn had to come home, anything contrary to this fact was impossible.
So far gone in the recesses of his mind, he was surprised to hear a startled "Ugh!" as he was drenched in stale cold coffee. "Sorry!" Leo said, apologizing profusely with the true sincerity of a child, "I wasn't watching where I was-"
"Non, it's fine cher. Y' don' have t' apologize. Remy didn' watch where he was goin' neither." In fact, the young man that had referred to himself as Remy had noticed, and he had made it a point to bump into the child. Albeit he had not meant to spill his coffee on the poor thing, but accidents happened. Remy had grown up in the streets, scouting his surroundings was second nature to him now. So while Leo had not noticed the three strange men following him, Remy had. It was after all, his profession, 'World's Top Third Thief' or something to that extent. His eyes were shaded in darkness as they analyzed the boy critically. He didn't look so special; he was just like any other kid his-.
"You're a mutant too!" Shouted Leo with the intensity only a child of his years had the capability to reach. The statement was made as a matter of fact, but was not accusing. If anything it was a tone of approval, as if being a mutant was a good thing. Remy had constantly heard people say that mutations were a gift. But it had become mechanical for those trying to spearhead the mutant cause. It was something one was expected to say, and held no sincerity. Yet, this young child had managed to throw such emotion, such zeal, into four little words. Remy suppressed a smile, reveling in the feeling of worthiness.
"Shhh, cher! Y' never know who be watchin', waitin' f' y' to slip." He paused for a moment in his cryptic speech, scanning the area, almost assessing it. "C'mon an' stay close." It was odd for a man in his early twenties to behave so oddly, and he managed to be odd with such few words it was stunning. The man suddenly took off at a great stride and didn't even bother looking back. The boy hesitated, he had never seen an odder man, but had decided to run after him. His short legs and slight hesitation put him at a disadvantage and he soon found the gap growing even larger. Remy must have noticed, as he slowed his stride to a leisurely stroll. They were headed into the smaller streets and the more prosperous sides of the city. Leo, panting with the effort, caught up to the man and started rambling.
"So, your mutation lets you charge stuff huh? And it-" was all he had time to get out. The Cajun stopped and spun around. Remy had seen a lot of things in his time and so a child who knew much about him wasn't surprising. Yet, he was eager to know how the kid knew this stuff, wondering if it had anything to do with the mysterious men who were still following from a great distance.
"How d' y' know dat? And why dem guys followin' y'?" He meant to ask when the kid was safe, but suspicions were rising and intentions questioned. These days nobody could be trusted, not even a little boy. He wondered if in fact he was helping the right person, one tended to make mistakes in split second decisions.
"Guys?" The boy asked, he turned around but saw nobody suspicious, surely this man was kidding. "And you feel different from everyone else." He said, answering the first question with no transition in between. Lately some people just gave a pull as if attached to the boy by an invisible force. When Leo examined these strings he knew what they could do, or what was done to them. The odd thing about this man was, he had not only that main pull but loads of small ones. "You do a lot more then charging stuff huh? Like your eyes."
As way of answer the man grunted and shrugged one shoulder. He continued his massive stride again, just brisk enough that the child had to run. He meant to keep up with this young mutant, but running kept the boy from talking. It appeared the boy was in trouble. Why was it always him that got the ones in need of help?
"M' name's Remy LeBeau, but everyone calls m' Gambit. What d' they call y'?" said the Cajun around the cigarette of sweet clove in his mouth. Somehow he managed to keep smiling, even through drags of tobacco and accented speech. Remy's smiles were warm and affectionate, as if each smile was to a personal friend. He had an air of confidence about him, a lazy reassurance associated with his presence.
For the first time Leo noticed that the stranger's sunglasses had slipped down, so that the tops of his eyes were barely visible. The child was drawn deep by into Gambit's eyes, pulled in by the red pupils and black irises. He stared not with an adult's fear, but was memorized with a child's curiosity. With only the single mindedness of a boy, Leo had forgotten the question completely. Frustrated, the man gave a single glance back and saddled his motorcycle.
"Oh! Uh. My Name is Leo Dorian. I live at 5701 Ramsdale Drive." It was recited from memory, the chant one told a child if he happened to get lost. Yet, the two brothers had no telephone to have a number, and he certainly didn't wish to reference his mother.
"Oui," said Remy, still waiting for the child to continue. "Hop on," the man looked at Leo impatiently as he started the ignition. The kid wasn't getting on. He scoffed, "Y' comin'?"
"My brother Shawn says not to talk to strangers, especially ones who want to take me someplace." Leo stated this proclamation of the almighty word of Shawn with honor in his voice, but Remy merely chuckled. He found it funny that a kid his age who was walking the streets when he should have been in school was lecturing him. If he met this so called Shawn he was going to beat some sense into the man for allowing it.
"Ole Remy ain't gonna do nothin' but take y' home. He promise." He stressed this point by widening his smile, and somehow taking a deeper drag of his cigarette. The three men had stopped a bit in the distance. They had obviously not expected the kid to be mobile, as they had not brought a car of their own, and this miscalculation was fortunate for the boy.
Somewhere in the few seconds of the Cajun's speech Leo had decided to trust him. The man was not threatening, and anyone who smiled like that couldn't be bad. And the man wasn't a stranger, his name was Remy. He already knew more about him then he did his teacher at school. In this way his youth came in useful to both of them. He would not have trusted so easily if not for the inexperience he had in the world, and similarly Remy would not have helped him if he were older. And so, Leo climbed on the bike with an almost complete stranger. He clung onto the back of Gambit trustingly, as if he was a man he had known all his life. Together child and young man sped off making complicated and time consuming patterns. In this chain of events a single domino had fallen, a single piece disturbed. Now a single person's hatred would cost people dearly. One would lose his life, the other his sanity, one more his spirit, and the last his integrity. Four would suffer at the hands of fate, forever bound by tragedy.