Part Twenty-Five: Evolution of a soul; Gambit by way of X

A/N: Special message and heartfelt thank you goes out to 'gwee', who left me a review for the whole of this story so far but without logging on so i could not reply; reviews are the life blood of any story and reviews like yours mean a very great deal to me personally, so once again thank you sincerely for the lovely, detailed review. PS: I'm glad you liked the 'sociopath' bit in chpt. 17, it's my favourite too; I also agree with you about the ambiguity of Gambit's character. It is what makes him interesting ;)

P.P.S: this thank you also extends to everyone reviewing and/or reading this story; though I do try when i can to reply to every review(er) individually.

Spikey44

'It's time Gambit.'

'Quoi, Cyclops?'

'Psylocke should've made her move by now. Which means it's your turn. You deliberately took that spike Hodge fired, figuring rightly, since he's the kind who'll never pass on an opportunity to do any of us harm, he'd leave it be.'

'Storm told me you were good.'

'She said the same of you, a thief par excellence.'

'So now I am to prove it, eh?'*

So, I suppose I should take the time to explain how I ended up in this newest mess, non? How it is that Gambit, thief of Nawlins, man with no past and not much of a future, end up imprisoned and accused of treason in Genosha with a bunch of mutant superheroes who are trying to overthrow a despotic dictatorship.

Hold on to your hats, this going to be a long story.

Firstly I should say that after I overhear my belle Stormy trying to persuade the X-Men to trust me I had decided that me and the jeune fille going to have to have a long talk about things; there's no way I was going let her suck me into no X-Men mess (haha – best laid plans of mice and thieves, eh, Gambit?).

I didn't get the chance to have that lil' talk though, as X-Factor come a calling for a reunion. Turns out they old school X-Men themselves and they want to reconnect with Stormy. D'accord I thought, I can wait, but then these Genoshan magistrates teleport onto the grounds outta nowhere and kidnap Stormy and the New Mutant kids while they hanging out by the lake.

That's the sort of thing that's going to bother a boy, having his partner snatched by a bunch of mutant hating foreigners, so I was plenty pissed and figured I needed to get my lil' partner back. It seemed fairly natural to tag along with Cable and the rest of the X-nuts under those circumstances.

Ah, oui, no one ever going to accuse Gambit of having a working brain, non? What made me think, even for a minute, that me and the X-Men have the same ideas about how to affect a prison break, eh?

Me, I'm thinking that I find out where they be holding my Stormy, break the fille out, and get gone – didn't particularly care what happen to the New Mutants, oui, it suck that they get snatched but I figured that's Cable's job to sort out, non?

The X-Men though, mon dieu, the X-Men got some funny ideas about how you rescue a body non? Instead of a quiet, stealthy infiltration and extraction they gone and started a full-scale war; they trying to overthrow a government! Oui, it be about as bad as a government can be, knew that before we even got here, but the idea that these people can just waltz in and change the whole political structure of an entire country….mon dieu, it's crazy.

Least ways that's what I was thinking until I see what the Genoshans gone and done to my partner. Turn my Stormy into a Mutate and you are going to pay, I don't care who you are, you still going to pay. As it turns out the homme (and I use the term loosely) behind all this be a body by the name of Hodge, don't know his story and I don't care neither. All I know is he some kinda freakish half metal, half man spider thing and he got a real hard on about crushing the X-Men.

I could live with that, figure the X-Men going to have them plenty of enemies, but I take exception when the homme include me and my partner as part of his personal vendetta. So, oui, that's why I'm now picking the locks on my manacles using my feet and the spike I took to my thigh, not too challenging a thing for me, but really, I'd sooner not be here at all, oui?

It's funny but it's really not that hard to fit in with these people. Okay, on a personal and philosophical level we really don't speak the same language but in terms of knock down drag out brawling, oui, I can do this.

The homme Cable, he reminds me too much of a G.I. Joe toy that's been hit by a landmine and got him some new metal limbs but he's the sort of man I'm used to dealing with; a killer who's not ashamed to get his hands dirty. I don't have to like the humourless, bad tempered homme, but I can work with him easy enough. In a strange way it reminds me of backing up Grey Crow on a consignment.

When Cable made his move against Hodge I could see it before he did it, acted like we planned it because it was all so familiar to me, grabbing the gun from that femme in the magistrate's uniform when she try to punch laser fire holes through Cable. Oui, I figure we'd not manage to make a break for it, but for some reason it never occurred to me to just let the other man get capped.

It was the most natural thing in the world to tackle Cable before he could get turned into a human pin-cushion by Hodge's spikes and oui, I figured the spike I took in the leg would come in handy maybe, but that's not why I did it. I'd sooner not deliberately take a flesh wound if I can help it, no matter what mon Capitan Cyclops say.

Speaking of this Cyclops homme, he's……different from the usual psychos and soldiers for hire that I've tangled with in the past but I have to admit he knows what he's about; got a natural affinity for giving orders and taking charge in a fire-fight and although I'm not sure how inclined I am to listen to them orders so far I've not heard him say anything I've not seen the sense of.

'Voila mes braves,' I declare as my manacles pop open (only took me thirty-two seconds too, not bad seeing as it's been a while since I had to unlock something with my feet), 'beat dat Stormy,'* I add just for the hell of it.

I catch the looks the big blue furry homme and Banshee exchange as I get to my feet and pull free the spike to start freeing the others and can't help but feel just a little smug; oui, mes compeers, the boy got serious skillz, non?

So while I'm letting loose the rest of my temporary comrades Cyclops and his woman, Jean Grey, are having some kinda conversation about what's going on elsewhere in this prison come citadel.

Apparently Hodge has a real dislike for one of the X-Factor bodies they calling Archangel, now he's an odd looking mutant and no mistake, got him skin as blue as a summer sky and these lethal looking metal wings. The homme also got an attitude that makes Wolverine seem bearable, but that's not really an issue.

Speaking of Wolverine, he's currently involved in a less than friendly tussle with the uptight Angel and he's not looking so good; strange that they so ready to take it to one another when they supposed to be playing for the same team. Still no matter, it's not like teammates have to like each other I suppose.

Cyclops is giving orders again, and it's strange but I find myself listening to what he's got to say, accepting orders from a man I don't know and have no reason to obey. I tell myself it's because there's safety in numbers and I know my limits; I'm not going to be able to get me and Stormy out of this mess without help. I tell myself I'm only playing at being an X-Man because of necessity and because I owe my loyalty to Stormy.

I tell myself a lot of things while the X-Men hand Hodge his head (literally) and liberate a whole nation from an insane tyrant and the worst sort of slavery, the funny thing is, I don't believe a word of what I'm saying.

'I go or stay as I please m'sieu Serval; ain't found a door yet stayed closed to me, if I wanted in, or a body could stop me.' **

I go cartwheeling over this holographic, make believe, whatever simulation that seems almost more real than real life with Wolverine haring after me, and truth be told I'm feeling pretty fine.

After the whole Genosha thing it didn't make much sense to keep protesting that I'm not an X-Men and I'm only a guest so I agreed when Wolverine, of all people, suggest him and me have a session in the Danger Room (so sue me, I was curious to test the stuff out).

What I neglected to tell my hairy sparing partner is that while I've never used the Danger Room before I'd already hacked the system and learned how to mess with some of the sequencers and stuff. I have a little surprise for monsieur Logan…..checked some of his programmes and found he likes to fight some weird looking femme of the name Lady Deathstryke, figure he going to be tres thrilled when she makes an unexpected appearance in our session, non?

So what? I'm not going to apologise. Logan wants to test my moves, try and gauge how I fight, d'accord, but he's going to have to learn that Gambit always has an ace up his sleeve.

It's not like I've ever seen the sense in a fair fight, after all. Plus what is fair about a fight with a man that can heal almost any wound and has six, foot long, metal claws that can cut through steel and the attitude of a pissed off psychopath, I ask you?

Sure I'm going to cheat, it's just common sense.

Things have been a petite odd recently. I had to deal with my own stuff for a day or two; the thing in Genosha gave me pause. It kinda hit me hard when I come down from the post fight high, the idea that a bunch of mutants could liberate a whole country and rescue thousands of other mutants from having their personalities erased and being turned into nameless slaves; that's not the sort of thing I used to think was possible. I never would have thought that I could be a part of something like that either –least ways not by fighting on the right side, at any rate.

I don't know how to explain how I felt when I realised what I'd done, that I fought alongside a bunch of strangers whose only connection to me was funky genes and a friend in common. I didn't know how to handle the fact that it felt good. I promised myself after the Morlocks and Sinister that I'd never work with any group of mutants ever again - and then I went and did just that.

I put in a call to NakNak as soon as I felt it safe. She already knew about the whole thing (apparently the X-Men made the news all over the world – even lowtown Madripoor). I told her I'd scared myself and she said: 'good'.

'Are you out of your comfort zone, Lebeau? Don't know what you are doing? Acting against your nature?'

'Oui.'

'Good, keep it up. That was the whole point remember, stupid thief?'

So, basically NakNak not a whole lot of help and Stormy, mon dieu, Stormy's worse than useless.

I don't know how it happened and I think if I did I'd do something to fix it right quick, but somehow when she was freed from the mutate thing and had her woman body back she ended up with the biggest stick up her ass you ever did see. I could almost have cried to see my spunky, feisty jeune belle turn into a woman that don't know how to crack a smile to save her life.

She was too serious when she was a jeune fille, now she's like a mourner looking for a funeral, what with all her talk of responsibility and the like. Soon as I'm done teaching monsieur Logan a lesson I'm going to have to have words with Stormy, there some things a partner just not going to tolerate, oui?

First things first though, I have something that needs saying to my sparing partner; hopefully I'll only have to say it the once, non?

With my bo-staff wedged under the homme's chin and my foot planted on his chest I grin down at Wolverine, knowing that his little fille be watching up above in the control room.

'For the record though, just to make this official: bang you dead.' **

I lean a little more of my weight down on his chest and meet his angry, pained eyes for a moment, triumph in my own. This ought to learn him not to mess with me, non? Once I think I've made my point I release the old man and turn on my heel, don't even care that I'm giving him my back. I got me more important things to do than wipe the floor with over the hill half-pint Creed wannabes, after all.

Still, I'm grinning real wide as I head off for a shower and change of clothes before I go looking for my Stormy.

It be official Gambit boy, just in case you not caught a clue yet, you are totally and completely out of your depth. You're in outer space; you're in another freaking galaxy. This is so far out of your comfort zone, Gambit, that's it not even funny any more.

Outer space….how did this even happen?

I keep asking myself that question as I'm plodding through this alien (yep, keep saying it boy and you might start to believe this is real) city looking for……I dunno what I'm looking for but I'm not coping too well and don't want Stormy or any of the X-Men to see that suave, mysterious, unflappable Gambit be well and truly shitting himself about all this.

Another fucking Galaxy; I didn't even know that was possible. I barely know which order the planets of my own solar system are in let alone understand how I be in another solar system altogether, light years from home. If I ever get home I'm never going to be able to watch Star Trek without shuddering ever again: aliens; I ask you, how did this happen to me?

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I almost miss the petite, Jubilee, hiding in some kinda ventilation shaft or something looking real intently at something going on through the grate. Jubilee's a familiar sight so I come up behind her. We can be two peas in a pod, both of us with no clue what's going on and too proud to admit we're not happy about it.

'(Hsst) wha'chu doin' chere?' ***

I'm vaguely gratified that Jubilee's well and truly freaked out by all this too, still I have to slap a hand over her mouth and hold her pinned until she calms down in case she alerts a bunch of aliens to the fact that we're spying on them; who knows maybe they eat us or implant eggs in our guts – figure there's got to be an alien that does that somewhere in the universe, non?

'Quit'cher strugglin' hear, you wan' tell the whole world we be hidin' here? Jubilee! C'est moi Gambit!' ***

Once the petite quits struggling me and her settle in to watch what's going on below. Seems to me that femme with the wings who's responsible for bringing us all into outer space (what's her name again - ah, oui, Deathbird) is getting her just desserts – still there seems like there's something not right about this set up…..something about the homme with the cloak and helmet giving the orders seems familiar, and creepy.

Me and the petite watch and I have to admit, aside from the fact that these people are all strangers and aliens and whathaveyou, I don't like what I'm seeing or hearing one bit.

I get this feeling, like a burning in my gut, as I watch Deathbird get dragged up before the man in the helmet; a feeling like déjà vu but not. Deathbird, she's struggling but she's outgunned and out-matched, being dragged before the man in the helmet like a prisoner before the executioner.

I don't like this at all, got no love for the femme sure, but something in me rebels at the sight of anyone being treated like they treating the femme.

The sound of Gladiator, or whatever they call the homme with the purple Mohawk, breaking and tearing Deathbird's wings apart, the wet snapping sound of her bones…..mon dieu, but I remember the tunnels, the sound of bodies being shredded by blades and claws and bullets as I run like hell to escape the horror I created.

It's like everything crystallises into a perfect moment of clarity then; I stop worrying about the fact that I don't understand any of what is happening or who these people are or why they doing what they doing. None of that matters. It don't matter that I'm in outer space and in another Galaxy. It don't matter that Deathbird be an enemy to the X-Men or that I have no business wearing X-Men colours in the first place (only put them on to cheer up Stormy after all –yellow is so not my colour).

Non, all that matters, right here, right now, is the sounds of pain and hurt and the fact that Deathbird has gone and bit through her own bottom lip so she don't give her tormentors the satisfaction of hearing her scream. All that matters, in this entire universe or any universe is that once again I'm in a position of watching someone being hurt, tortured, and this time I can do something about it. This time I can decide if I'm going to stand by and let a body get hurt like that.

'Gambit!' Jubilee screeches and it's only then that I realise, for better or worse, I've made my decision. 'Geez lou-eez, man, what're you doing!' ***

The grate goes flying as I kick it out and I'm uncoiling out of the shaft, a brace of cards flying through the air towards Gladiator and the homme with the helmet and cloak who sounds an awful lot like the X-Men's precious professeur, before I even hit the ground.

'Apologies Jubilee, I guess when you wear the uniform of a hero....hey I guess sometime you got to act the part.' ***

And that's all there is to it in the end, and I finally get it. I finally get what NakNak's been trying to tell me and what Stormy meant all along. I get it now. It's not about being righteous or being a 'good man'………all that really matters is that you don't stand by and let the bad guys win.

So let the good times roll, mes braves. Here I be, and this time I'm fighting back.

A/N: * - dialogue taken from X-Men X-tinction Agenda (I think? – it's the story arc involving New Mutants/Uncanny X-men/ X-Factor where they go to Genosha and kick-ass)

** -dialogue from Uncanny X-men, I can't remember the exact number (I got it from a compendium of Jim Lee greatest issues) but it's something around Uncanny 270/271 or something. The scene is pretty famous: Gambit kicks Wolverine's ass in the Danger Room (yay!).

*** -again can't place the exact issue of Uncanny the dialogue comes from but it's part of the Shi-ar/shapeshifting Scrulls/evil aliens/lets go rescue Xavier in deep space free-for-all arc from the early nineties.