Combusting Hearts
Chapter 28
I never would have thought that a mission could be so hectic. Granted, I had only been sent a few states over, but still.
I think what got me the most was the fact that I was forced to descend into the sewers. That was only after chasing said mutant that I was ordered to apprehend.
This mutant had been causing serious problems above ground. What really sucked was that they seemed to find safety below ground in the sewer system. At least I wasn't alone though, I had Bobby, aka Iceman with me.
"Hey, Nova, did you see where he went?" Bobby asked me as we continued further into the sewer system.
I merely raised a hand up to silence him for a moment, tentatively listening to the sounds around me. I heard the sudden rippling of water a few meters ahead of us.
"That way!" I called out, running forward quickly after the mutant.
Bobby tried his best to keep up with me, but was having a bit of trouble given my kinetic based abilities. I had found out a while ago that my issue with exhilerated speed had to do with my kinetic abilities and at the time I was subconsciously using them to move faster.
I was somewhat happy when I found that Gambit could use his for the same thing. In fact, I realized that I could learn a lot from him about my powers and how to use them properly. Although, he was still adement in telling me that I had a few accessible bits of my powers that he could not manipulate with his own. So, unfortunately, I was on my own with a few of them. Anything else though, he was more than willing to help me with.
"Nova! Watch out!" Bobby yelled, but I wasn't fast enough and was hit with a large force of water, knocking me to the watery ground.
Moments later I started cough, spitting out the water from the attack.
"Move!" Bobby called, quickly moving me out of the way before I could be bombarded with water again.
"Thanks," I sputtered, quickly standing up and facing our apponent.
"I'm not going anywhere with the likes of you two!" the man yelled in outrage.
"Please Sir, we're not here to try and hurt you, we just want to-" I was interrupted by another blast of water, knocking me right into the cylinder pipping of the tunnel system.
I groaned as I sat there, slowly realized that as a few more shadows appeared, we weren't dealing with just one man alone.
"Great work in luering them down here Jamesen," a woman said, her eyes glowing a bright green in the darkness of the sewer.
Even with our flashlights, we still couldn't seem to light the room up properly to the point where we could see everyone in it.
"Thanks Jade, I try my best," the man that we were chasing now known as Jamesen said.
"Why couldn't the Professor have sent Logan with us?" I whispered.
"You're telling me," Bobby said back.
He then looked around at everyone in the room.
"We have to stick together on this one Nova," Bobby told me, slowly moving over to help me up.
I was still dizzy, so I had to lean against him for a moment or two. After that though, I was pretty much good to go.
Once we started fighting, we soon found that our plan to stick together wasn't quite working out for us. We ended up being to spread out from each other, leaving us both vulnerable against our apponents.
Granted, Bobby kept freezing the water and building barriers around himself when things got too overwhelming, but I wasn't so lucky.
I had to dodge once again as the woman known as Jade leapt at me, slicing at me with her nails. I only found out after they cut into my skin that they were coated in a painful acid, burning my skin terribly.
I jumped out of the way quickly, avoiding an attack from behind from another man. Black flames of sorts flying past my head.
"Idiot! Watch where you're aiming!" Jade yelled at the man as it came within a few inches of her. "Get her!" she yelled as I tried to move away towards Bobby.
I only made it a few feet before I felt water licking at my skin and wrapping around me tightly like no other.
Slowly, it made it's way up to my neck and then to my nose and mouth, sufficating me. I tried my best to break free of it, but it merely forced it's way down my throat and into my lungs, choking me.
Eventually, I could barely breathe at all. It was then that I heard a voice out ranking Bobby's cries for them to let me go.
"Enough! I never said to kill her," a man said, revealing himself in the little bit of light that there was.
At that, the man let me go, the water falling to the ground along with myself. I began coughing feverishly, hacking up as much as I possibly could. It was rediculous how much water had gotten into my system. In the end though, it made me rather weak, depriving my lungs of much needed oxygen.
When I looked up, I saw the man now standing merely a few yards away from me. He seemed so familiar, but I didn't know how.
"Who..." I started.
"Hello, Elaine," he spoke with confidence in his voice, a rather swave undertone lingering within it as well.
A moment later, I felt something colliding with the back of my neck, sending me straight into darkness.
Bobby laid there, tied and unconscious on the steps of the institute. A man had brought him back to the mansion via teleporting and a note attatched to him for Xavier to find.
"Bobby, you have to tell us what happened," Logan said, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him a bit.
"It was a trap. The mutant that we were sent after was part of an even bigger group. They were expecting us...and they got Elaine," Bobby explained sadly.
"What ya mean d'ey got Elaine? What'd d'e do ta ma Cheri?" Gambit pushed as he ran his hand through his hair and threw his other out from his side.
He had just gotten back from his mission a couple hours ago to find a giant mess awaiting him. His cheri was gone and all that had returned was Bobby and a note that had been pined to his leather suit.
Gambit had been enraged at the note that had been addressed mainly to him.
Looks like the cards are in my favor now Cajun. Sure you don't want to join me?
That was all that it said, Elaine's rose bracelet falling from it when they had first opened it. If that wasn't a dead give away in letting them know that he had her, then Gambit didn't know what was. What he did know though was that he had to get her back and soon, before something terrible happened to her. For he knew that this man was not one to be triffled with.
"I'm sorry Gambit, all I know is one minute we're fighting and then the next she's knocked out, same as me," Bobby told him, a defeated tone in his voice.
He knew how much Elaine meant to Gambit and unfortunately, he wasn't able to save her, he hadn't even been able to save himself.
"I'm sorry Gambit, I really am," he tried to apologize, but Gambit just walked right out of the room and outside, bracelet clutched in his hand.
He had finally gotten her back not even a month ago and she was already pulled from his loving arms once again. He just couldn't stand it knowing that Victor of all people had a hold of her, and he knew that he was the one behind this, the one that had his Elaine. That snake in the grass of a man, if you can even call him a man that is. He sure as hell didn't act like a respectable man, that was for sure. He just hoped that Elaine was alright.
"Merde!" he hissed, slamming his hand against one of the walls in the hall.
From there, he went outside to try and cool off, but even that could only do so much for poor Remy.
He was merely left to suffer with the knowledge of Elaine's disappearance and capture. Knowing full well what Victor could do to his darling Elaine. So out of anger and rage, he let loose a mighty rampage of power, blowing a poor tree to bits.
Afterwards, he fell to his knees, pounding the ground with his fists.
"Gambit?" Charles called carefully as he wheeled out into the yard.
Gambit barely even raised his head to look at the man as he came closer to him. He just continued to sit there in his sorrow, his fingers digging into the ground.
"Gambit, please, you must calm down," the Professor told him, "We'll find her, I promise you that we will find her," he said, placing a hand on his quivering shoulder.
All that Gambit did was shake his head.
"You don' know what d'at man could do ta her. He be too damn sadistic...even Magneto ain't d'at bad Professor," he told him, running his hand through his brown locks of hair with a sigh.
He then rose from his spot on shaky legs, breathing still rouged, and hands shaky.
"We need to go after her," Gambit said, trying to move back towards the mansion, but only ended up collapsing on his knees with a groan.
"Gambit, you are tired, you need to rest," Charles said, calling for Logan and Scott's help.
Moments later, the two men were walking out of the mansion and towards Gambit and the Professor. Surprisingly enough, Gambit didn't try and fight them off as they lift him up, helping him back inside.
Once they got him into his room, Scott left with a nod of his head, leaving Logan behind to tend to him if need be.
"You know Gumbo, you can't beat yourself up about this," Logan started, leaning against the wall nearest to the door. "We'll find her, I'll promise you that one. After all, with this nose of mine, I'm sure to sniff her out," he said with a hearty laugh, but Gambit didn't share in his laughter.
Gambit merely stayed quiet, turning away from Logan.
"Come on kid, you've gotta cheer up a bit. Do you really think that Elaine would like it if she saw you like this?" Logan asked, pulling at Gambit's shoulder a bit.
Gambit sighed and shook his head, his bangs falling in front of his eyes, shielding them from Logan's sight.
"Non, she wouldn', but..."
"No buts Gumbo. It's simple, just cheer up. Hold onto that bracelet and cheer up," Logan told him, before pushing off of the wall and walking to the door.
"Hey...Wolverine?"
"Yeah Gumbo?" Logan turned to look over his shoulder, his hand resting on the door frame.
"T'anks..." Gambit said quietly, before turning back over and looking at the wall.
Logan chuckled for a moment before walking out of the room.
"Don't thank me just yet," he muttered, shutting the door behind him.
"Je vais vous trouver et vous revenez, Elaine, je vous promets," he whispered, looking down at the bracelet before closing his eyes.
Ok everyone, there's chapter 28. I hope that there was plenty of suspence in it for you? Please, remember to REVIEW? I'd love to hear what everyone has to say about this chapter. I'm always open to creative criticism. -dances around happily for no apparent reason, save for getting another chapter out- XD
