The image in front of him became clearer every moment, hadn't his eyes been clouded a few moments ago. In front of him was a woman, a beautiful woman with a smile that could melt the snow that surrounded him. He smiled back at her, unsure.
"Goodbye Pere." He looked at her oval face, she was young, maybe in her late 20's.
He knew she spoke his name, but he couldn't hear her voice. Her long auburn hair matched his, blowing in front of her soft hazel eyes. He knew there was a bright light around her, but his eyes didn't hurt, nothing hurt.
"Goodbye Henri, Tante Mattie. I have loved you all." He smiled at the mental image of his family. "I was so lucky to have you all in my life." Were his goodbye's spoken out loud? Or was he talking only to the mysterious woman who nodded encouragingly at him. Her arms wide open, beckoning.
She was reaching for him, he felt warm. His fingers, cold and frozen, lifted to hers. Closer. Almost touching.
Gambit's head quickly shot up. What was that sound? The woman was gone. Who was she? And why was she so familiar? There it was again.
He knew this time he heard something. Footsteps? Voices? They had come back. He knew that his team wouldn't let him die like this. Gambit slowly poked his head out of his parka and started to stumble to the center of the city. He needed them to find him. Remy tried calling for help a few times but his voice came out as a chocked whisper. He could almost feel them coming closer to his location.
Remy blinked his eyes a few times, they were stinging with tears of relief. The X-Men had come back for him, he would live. His red and black eyes searched the open hall and finally fell on two large figures. He squinted and blinked but still couldn't make the image clear, he saw red eyes and a lot of hair, golden. Who had yellow hair?
His mind suddenly darkened. Red eyes, the devil. Satan had come to take his own home to the fiery pits of hell. Realization of his doom hit him and he slumped to the ground. "The devil has come for me… I must have died." He mused out loud to himself.
"Not yet, runt." Gambit's head shot up with shock- that voice.
"Remy LeBeau." Dr. Essex said in greeting. Mr. Sinister saw Remy start to panic, sometimes his presence did that to people.
Gambit was scared out of his mind. Death was fine, the devil would have been welcomed, but Mr. Sinister was the worse possible scenario he could have ever imagined. The reason for his damnation would also try to salvage him? No, maybe he would be merciful and kill him quickly. Remy hoped that was what this madman had planned and he would not try to fight or bargain for his life. He was dying a traitor and murderer he would not go out as a desperate sniveling pathetic excuse for a man. His papa had taught him better than that, his years on the streets had taught him better than that.
Remy stood and backed up slowly, he could see the two shadowy villains come closer to him. If he turned his head to the side and looked out the corner of his eye he had a clearer visual.
"C'mon LeBeau, just get your frozen butt over here and we can get out of this wasteland." Creed snarled at the scared thief. Gambit continued to move away slowly. He even tried to resist when Creed grabbed him and dragged him to the doctor. Gambit was on his tender knees in front of the man who haunted his worse nightmares. He was barely able to hold himself up but he turned a defiant eye to Sinister, cursing him with his stare only because his voice could not.
"Hello Remy. How wonderful to see you again, I hope you have been well these past few years." Sinister started with a sick smile, Remy's stomach churned, bile rising in his throat. "Was your time with the X-Men amusing? I hope it was because it is over now. You are to come back and resume your service to me."
"Non- you kill me now, I will never do what…" his voice failed him again. He dug his fists into the floor, trying to stay conscious.
"You say that as if you have a choice, young man. You will do as you're told as soon as I repair the implant I placed in your brain." Implant? Wasn't he supposed to get something out of his head, not put something in it.
"What are you talking about, homme?" He was sick and tired of this, why wouldn't his torture end?
"During your surgery I had placed a chip into your brain to control your thoughts, make you do what I wanted. Unfortunately it shorted out during your mission to the Morlock tunnels. Now I will be able to reboot the microchip and have you under my control again." Sharp teeth gleamed in the low light, not that Gambit could see the mad scientist in all his evil glory.
"You mean, I wasn't in control of my own actions?" Remy stumbled over the words as they fell from his lips. He began to cry and chuckle at the same time.
"He's lost it." Creed said to the doctor. Essex nodded once and turned to open a portal to his laboratory. Just as Sabertooth reached down to pick up Remy he noticed his clothes starting to glow, he was charging them. "Essex!" Sinister turned to Remy and grimaced in anger.
"You will not destroy yourself, LeBeau." Sinister pulled Gambit up by his hair until his toes were struggling to hold himself up. "You are mine now, accept it." Due to Remy's weakened state the charge fizzled out with no affect, he could no longer fight. Sinister opened a portal and the three of them left the frozen hell Remy had been condemned to.
"Why are you stopping now, Sinister? Are you finished?" Scott called to the scientist as he scrubbed out of surgery.
"No, Mr. Summers, I am not in a hurry to complete this task. I want it perfect, not sloppy." Sinister said as he pushed Remy's sweaty bangs out of his face. "Besides, I want to make sure his powers are fully restored before I compete the second phase of the surgery, that way I can adjust his power accordingly, if needed, the second time I open his skull again." Essex explained to the man. After he recoded a few more tests he injected something into the IV drip attached to Gambit's arm.
A few moments later Remy's eyes started to flutter then open. He looked about the room quickly, then turned his attention to Dr. Essex. Before his eyes only shown submission, now there was anger, hatred, and the scariest of all- defeat. Sinister double checked the straps and chains that held his captive down, satisfied he addressed the man.
"LeBeau, I have collared you to keep your recently restored mutant powers contained. I will return shortly to ensure that the surgery was indeed a success. Any questions before I depart?" Remy only narrowed his eyes and shook his head side to side. "Creed will be along shortly to watch the prisoners. Do not try anything stupid, my boy. You know it will not end well for you" After that the doctor left.
"Brother? Can you hear me?" Remy was silent even though his eyes were wide open. She tried again, "Brother? Please Remy answer me."
"Don't call me that." His voice was harsh, his Cajun accent strong once more.
"Don't call you what? Remy?" Storm asked her eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
"No. Brother." His answer was short and hurtful. "I'm not that to you, not anymore."
"Gambit, we know that you were under Sinister's control during the massacre. We don't blame you." Scott told the bound mutant. Jean patted Ororo's shoulder, being the silent comfort she desperately needed.
His sharp laugh cut through the air, but no one said anything funny. "You don't blame me? You don't blame me? Well thanks a bunch, oh fearless leader."
Wolverine tried next, "Look kid, we know they messed with your mind. We are going to get you home-"
"Home?" Remy's eyes flashed with anger as the collar on his neck blinked steadily. His blazing red eyes turned to Rogue and locked with her tear-filled green ones. "I have no home." She choked out a sob.
"Remy please, forgive me. Please." Rogue pleaded to the man as the X-Men looked on stunned.
"Never." He looked away from the cage. Gambit refused to show them his emotions.
"C'mon Gambit," Iceman started, "She really didn't mean to do that you know, it was because she absorbed your thoughts and stuff."
"Didn't mean to do what exactly? Blind me? Give me frostbite and hypothermia? Kill me?" His voice was accusing to all the X-Men, "Or did she not mean to gift wrap me to the one person in this world who makes my blood run cold with fear?" Beast's jaw clenched, and Bobby opened his mouth and closed it again. How could anyone answer Gambit?
"Did she not mean for me to be turned into a mindless slave? Or was it that she didn't mean to give her enemy a powerful weapon?" Hatred radiated off his body, "Which one is it?" No one answered, their shame answered their past teammates accusations. "Hm?"
"We will get you out of here and make it up to you." Warren promised Remy, "if it's the last thing I do, I swear it." He almost couldn't believe the emotional pull he had to the man he once hated. After being used by Apocalypse, ArcAngel knew what it was like to be manipulated to the point of no hope, but if he could over come that then so would Gambit.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, homme. So you get me out of here, then what? You think Sinister will stop? You think he wont come for me?"
"We will protect you, Remy." Betsy held Warren's hand, knowing this was upsetting him.
"Furthermore, Psyloche, what makes you think I want to be with you people?"
"What?" Jean whispered in disbelief. "Gambit, you cannot stay mad at us forever."
"Its past mad, Jean." His eyes narrowed, "or should I say Phoenix? No one ever turned you away for all the evil shit you did. Or when Angel went and kissed Apocalypse's boots, you all took him back with open arms. Same with Rogue, a known terrorist and murderer, no one bats an eyelash at that, but me? Manipulated and desperate and not only am I turned away, but I'm left in a frozen wasteland."
"Remy-" Beast started but was cut off by Gambit's angry speech.
"No food, no clothes, or hope of rescue. Worse than being put to death, I had to wait and wait and wait for it. Do you know what its like to-" He stopped. Even if he could describe what it was like to come to terms with your own death, and then to be dragged to a hell that you did not deserve, he knew he couldn't explain it to them. Words would never convey his true feelings or thoughts about his horrific experience.
"You gave me back to the one man that haunts my dreams. Every dark shadow I see- it's him. He took my soul from me before and now he has control of my body and mind. I will never be free from him. I will never be at peace with myself. And I will never ever forgive the X-Men." Silent tears slid from his eyes as he shut them, closing off any further communication between the captives and himself.
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