Summary : Secrets are a dangerous thing as Logan is about to find out. Part 15 of my Kimble series.
Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.
AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.
Updated 10-15-13 to add (break)s as needed and fix stupid stuff I keep breaking.
(One)
"I 'tought Anya say Kimble gonna be 'ere, man. Dere ain't nuthin' 'appenin at dis place," Remy complained. It was getting cold and he was damp out here on the boat.
The X-men's resident thief was currently located just outside of the warehouse Anya had predicted Kimble would be located at this night. It was only minutes after the big fight at Cameron's hideout and Gambit had not yet been notified of its outcome.
The X-men were a large team and had many assets. They had come out to the harbor in a medium sized fishing boat, one of a few boats that Charles had purchased for various purposes over the years. It was full dark now and the only good thing about all this is that they were sure to have a good view for the fireworks. They were due to start any minute now.
"It's still early," Fallen said softly. She didn't want to be reminded of what the old woman had foretold. Her whole body was tense, sensing trouble in the air. She had a terrible nagging feeling that clung about her all day. She was still groggy from the drugs she had used recently and her spirts couldn't be lower. Remy was good, Remy was strong, yet she took no comfort from his presence.
Gambit looked up and scowled when Rogue and Storm dropped down from above, landing on the prow and rocking the boat a little. They had been circling the warehouse in shifts, looking for any activity, so far everything had been quiet. Remy tried to keep his balance as he said, "Easy, easy, girls. Dis ain't no night ta send de Cajun fo' a swim!"
"Didn't anyone tell ya ta keep your radio on, Sugah?" Rogue complained.
"Damp got to it. Dat's Scott's job, maintainin' the boat. Complain to 'im." He saw their excited eyes and went to work. "What's goin' on?"
"Saby jumped Kimble at Cameron's hideout. Kyle flew him out and took him to some rich guy's house. They jumped in a limo with Cameron and they're headed here. Should be pullin' up any minute."
Kurt and Angel had tailed the retreating Kyle Franks to a large house nearby, keeping a steady radio contact with the rest of the team. Cameron had gone visiting some friends and Kyle crashed the party, demanding they all high tail it out of there. They all piled into Cameron's large limo and came here, a safehouse for the Freedom Kings. Supposedly no one knew about it and Cameron considered it safe from prying eyes, in this case incorrectly. The X-men were watching it very closely.
Gambit turned with his binoculars back to the warehouse. He smiled with satisfaction when he saw Cameron's long stretch limo pull up and a very disheveled looking Kyle Franks got out. He reached into the car and eased Kimble out, lifting him up into his arms like a child. Kimble was bundled up in a blanket, his poor condition was obvious to all. He was still in shock from Gail's horrible murder and lying still and lifeless against his team leader.
Remy swore and put the binoculars down. "Didn't say nuthin' 'bout Kim bein' 'urt, chere!" he snapped at Rogue who only sneered at him. The tension between the two of them was palpable.
"You didn't ask."
"What 'appened, Stormy?" Remy asked, no longer bothering with Rogue. She clearly was too immature in this moment to handle the job and her mouth at the same time.
"Jean said that Kimble was with a girl on the roof. Sabertooth shot her. She died right in front of him." Her report was a stiff statement of facts, but her eyes showed that she was sympathetic. Words and emotion would come later, right now, they had work to do. "She didn't know if Kimble himself was actually injured, only that he might be in shock."
Remy's face contorted in pain and rage, but he said nothing, not daring himself to speak as he thought of Sabretooth's cruelty. That fucking monster. Some freaks just never changed.
"Stormy, you an' Rogue check out de buildin'. Give me one of your radios, s'il vous plait. Don't do anyt'ing, not till we know fo sure what's goin' on, comprenez?"
Storm nodded and tossed him her radio. She watched as Rogue took off without saying a word and lagged a moment behind, wanting to say something, anything to take that look off of Remy's face.
He saw her there and his face softened. "Je suis bien, chere. Really. We gonna get my Kimble, bring 'im 'ome an' put all dis to rights."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek to let him know she really cared and took off, making him step back a pace from the gust of her winds as she lifted off into the night. She was truly beautiful to behold, an ebon goddess in every sense of the word and he loved her. She was still one of his closest friends and he was glad she was here. She had a cool head unlike the tempestuous Rogue. Storm would help him through this. He would not let Kimble down.
(break)
Logan prowled through the alley, coming up on the warehouse from the back. He knew he had been ordered to stay away but his arrogance wouldn't stand for it. He was an in control kind of guy, he chuckled to himself, fuck 'em. How dare the Professor suggest he wasn't capable of doing his job properly. Okay, Kimble was a little snot nosed brat, spoiled rotten to the core, it wouldn't keep him from doing his job. He was here to support the team, he didn't actually have to do anything. He was back up, insurance that this wasn't going to blow up in their faces.
Logan found a broken window and tumbled noiselessly into the building. One good sniff told him this building hadn't been used much lately but was full of people now. He could hear them milling around in the distance. He would have to be careful.
He had brought a radio with him but left it off, not wanting to give himself away from the chatter. He would do a quick search, if he found anything, he would radio it in. That's all.
He made his way through a couple of rooms, drawing ever nearer to the voices there. He was stealthy and quiet, but hopeful that he wouldn't have to go too far into enemy territory. He didn't want to alert the sentries and start a big fight. He paused when he heard the sharp whine of old brakes and heard a door slam. A large car had pulled up and some more people were blabbing outside. He clearly recognized Kyle Frank's voice and then smiled when heard a low moan. Even in disheveled condition, Wolverine knew that voice as well. Kimble had just arrived.
(break)
Kyle carried Kimble into the warehouse and into one of the small offices on the first floor. He lay Kimble down on a musty old couch and wrapped him up. Immediately, the pilot rolled over and away from him, still sobbing. He was devastated. Leon had given him a charge in the car on the way here and repaired the damage done to him from the bullets he'd taken on the rooftop, but he was still injured in a way plasma could never heal. Kyle held him, offering comfort. Kimble lay balled up and wasn't acknowledging his efforts.
It was in this moment of fragility that Kyle became absolutely certain Cameron had made a mistake in his assessment of Kimble. There was no way the Lover could ever be a warrior, not when he was breaking from a loss such as this. That didn't mean he couldn't be part of the team and Kyle still wanted to help him. He wasn't certain how to do that exactly so he tried to comfort Kimble as best he could.
"Kim, don't do this. None of this was your fault."
"She wuz shot right in front 'a me!" Kimble bawled. "I seen the red light an' didn' know what it wuz! If I wuz payin' 'ttention like I wuz suppozta, I woulda known she wuz gonna die! I coulda stopped it!"
Kyle sighed. There was no room for argument on that score. Kimble was absolutely right. Michael was meticulous in class and red laser sights were always brought up. It had been discussed many times and Kimble had repeatedly blown it off. "Maybe now you understand what we've been trying to teach you."
Kimble sobbed. "I cain't be yer ShaRain! Yer stupid protector! I cain't do nuthin'!"
"Don't give up on me, son. Everybody has setbacks, even the best of heroes. We all do our share of screwing up and you're not the first to ever lose a comrade over it. The thing is not to give up, not to let it stop you from fulfilling your destiny. You can still be a part of us," Kyle said, a little hope still in his voice.
Kimble disagreed. He turned back to look at Kyle, his face wet with tears. "I ain't gots no destiny. This ain't what I wuz meant for. I wuz made ta fuck, that's it. It's the only thing I ever done rightI ain't no warrior, no hero, no matter what you an' Cameron think."
"I find that awfully hard to believe, but if it helps, most of our destiny is what we make for ourselves. You could still be that hero, if you really want to be."
Kimble turned his head away and buried it in the pillow. He was exhausted and wanted only to have this day to do all over again so he could have Gail back. He wanted to be a million miles away.
Kyle nodded at Leon who had come to the doorway. "Dose him high. I want him to sleep."
Leon came close and tossed a good sized ball of plasma at Kimble. The pilot grunted as it impacted him and shuddered with a small laugh in spite of his grief. He opened his eyes, but his pupils were huge and glassy, he wasn't really awake. They slid closed after a minute and the pilot began to softly snore. Kyle ruffed his hair and walked away, satisfied Kimble would rest for a while.
He walked away from Kimble and his misery through the rickety building, not really trusting it. This old warehouse was well used and barely standing, it hadn't been used for anything useful in months. The floor creaked under his feet, making him constantly on edge. He hated this place.
Kyle was determined to have a talk with Cameron as soon as possible. Kimble was just about done, one more rude shock and he was going to collapse. Cameron was just going to have to face facts, Kimble wasn't even close to pulling off the destiny his boss had planned for him.
Kyle entered one of the larger rooms on the way to where Cameron as waiting for him when something out of place caught his eye. One of the rear doors was ajar, it had been shut when he passed through here before. He paused and tensed, using all of his senses to try and feel the room. It wasn't enough. He vaulted up into the air and utilized his height for a better look around. He saw a quick flash of movement behind some crates and used his telekinetic power to quickly snare his fleeing prey. He raised a bristling, snarling Wolverine up into the air.
Kyle held the man at a safe distance and sneered, "Well, well, well. Look what the cat drug in. It's not like you to be caught so easily, old man. You're losing your touch."
Logan was pissed. He hadn't been prepared for how quickly Kyle had sensed his presence. He had been prowling around, but the warehouse was like a maze. It was filled with crates, most of them old and rotting. He had gotten lost and was back tracking when he heard Kyle approach. Wind from an open window nearby was blowing against him, he hadn't known who was coming. He did the usual duck and cover, but it wasn't good enough to evade this powerful telekinetic, the one form of mutation he struggled the most to defend himself against. He didn't answer Kyle's challenge but popped his claws just for ritual. He wasn't going to let this twerp get the best of him.
Kyle flew closer and sniffed at him. He knew Logan well enough, so he did. They had butted heads more than once back on the Xavier campus, Kyle had been one of Wolverine's students in one of the many martial arts classes the feral man had taught. They had clashed early, neither one seeing the other's point of view on politics or fighting. Kyle was certain Wolverine hadn't missed him even once since the day he had left.
Kyle grinned at his prey. "Lose someone and now you've come looking, huh? What a drag. Maybe Kimble had enough of your bullshit and pathetic attitude just as I did. Do you have any idea how many of your recruits we pick up that wander? Ever wonder why that is?"
"Cuz it's always harder doin' what's right. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Doin' things the right way!" Logan sneered, showing Kyle his teeth.
Kyle just laughed at him. "You haven't changed a bit. Still as much of an asshole as you ever were." He dropped down to the ground, but left Logan hovering in the air looking awkward and stupid. Kyle whistled sharply and two of Cameron's big bullies came running.
Kyle glowered at them. "Remind me again why Cameron pays you? It took me all of two seconds to find this guy, what's your excuse?"
"Nobody told us anyone was coming," the largest one said petulantly.
"The Club was just blown up by Creed and his flunkies, you moron! Hello!"
"Sorry, boss."
Kyle just grinned irritably and sighed. He used his power to slam Logan to the floor, praying it would be enough to stun him. There was a groan as the building shook from the impact, but it didn't fall. Kyle cursed this stupid junky warehouse, they were all going to get killed.
Logan grunted loudly and wheezed, but refused to pass out. The two men snatched at him and he tried to slash at them, but Kyle held him tight, squeezing the breath out of him by hardening the air all around him. Healing factor or no, he could still suffocate. Logan finally blacked out and they dragged him off, never seeing Rogue who hovered in the nearby window.
Rogue flew off quickly, looking for Storm, they had gotten separated after leaving the boat. She was going to need some backup for this one, Kyle was powerful and not alone. She knew she should call in to Remy about this, but stubbornly refused to. She had seen the look on Gambit's face when he saw Kimble was wounded. The last thing he needed to hear was that Wolverine had showed up after all. In spite of her gruff attitude, she really was worried about Gambit and knew he was suffering. She still loved him, even if he was a lying scumbag no good thief, she chuckled softly to herself. She would go save Logan and drag his furry ass out of here before Gambit even found out. All she had to do was grab Storm and figure out where they had taken Logan. No problem.