Part seven. I have no idea how much longer this will be. I'm just winging it. :)
I hope this part turns out okay. I wrote it after a long day at school, and I don't really know anything about Beast/Hank, so I don't think I got the characterization right. Remy's questionable too. Personally, I think he's dorky in this part, but I hope to change that. And references made to Bobby's name and what he was named after is purely made up from my sick, twisted mind. ;)
As always, feedback is craved. :)
CKWan
~`~`~`~
An hour later they were on their way. Jean had stayed behind with the professor to keep an eye on Ebony and strengthen her sedatives if needs be. In her place, after much debate, they brought Bobby. He was old enough they thought and had enough control over his cold power. This wasn't his first mission, but his first "big" one. Logan thought they'd do just fine with the three of them, but Scott and Ororo had argued that they had no idea what to expect, and another person on their side wouldn't hurt.
On the way to New Orleans, Logan was, as usual, restless. For this mission he had a new uniform, seeing as the last one had been destroyed on the last mission. He had never gotten used to the tight leather uniforms they had to wear, and fidgeted, popping his claws in frustration and impatience. Scott cast him a quick glance. Logan glared at him. Ororo hid a small smile. Bobby laughed, earning himself a look from Scott.
"Calm down, oh fearless one," Logan said. "Relax a bit."
"I'll relax when we're all back home safely with all the mutants securely in our care," Scott said through clenched teeth.
"Don't ask for much, do ya Cyke?" Bobby asked.
"Robert," Scott said in warning.
"Robert?" Logan asked. "That's yer real name?"
Bobby mumbled something in response.
"Ya were named after yer grandpa's dog?!" Logan exclaimed. Bobby blushed, having forgotten about Logan's enhanced hearing. Logan howled with laughter, the first time anyone had ever heard the old man actually laugh. Bobby felt like crawling under a rock when he heard Ororo start chuckling. Scott coughed a few times to cover up his own laughter.
"Ha ha," Bobby said. "It's not funny."
"Ya it is!" Logan managed between bits of laughter.
"It is not!"
Scott broke into the ensuing argument by reporting that the building the professor had "seen" the mutants. As he and Ororo searched for a place to land, Logan promised Bobby he wouldn't tell anyone. Bobby hid his face in his hands as Logan continued to chuckle a little. Any other conversation was cut off when they landed on the edge of the Red River.
"The building's only a block from here," Scott said. "It's dark, so we shouldn't stand out too much."
"Yeah right," Logan mumbled. "How should we enter the building?"
"Without alarming anyone would be my suggestion," Bobby said. "What?" he exclaimed at the glares he got from the others.
"We'll have Logan and Bobby go in first, since they're the least suspicious looking out of the four of us," Scott said. He ignored Ororo's look. "You'll have to improvise from there because the professor wasn't able to tell what kind of security they have."
"What level are they on?" Bobby asked.
"The fourth," Scott said. "Let's go. And try to be careful to not hurt anyone," he said, looking at Logan. It was his turn to feign innocence.
Scott and Ororo walked behind the other two a few paces, acting like a couple. They pretended to make small talk, leaning in to speak to each other, arms entwined, and large, silly grins upon their faces.
Ahead of them, the two men walked silently. They were almost to the building when Logan spoke.
"What kind?" he asked quietly.
"What?" Bobby asked, confused.
"What kinda dog was it?"
Bobby hung his head, shaking it.
"Huh?" Logan persisted. "What breed?"
"It was a, a," Bobby stammered. He couldn't bring himself to tell Logan. At Logan's raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes, he was persuaded to say. "It was a toy poodle, okay? Happy?"
Logan had to stop himself from laughing out loud. "Ya, kid, ya," he said, trying to contain himself. "Ya made my day."
"I'm thrilled," Bobby said sarcastically. "Here we are," he said, happy to change the subject.
"Well don' jest stand there, go in," Logan said.
"Okay, okay," he said, walking through the door. He cautiously walked through the metal detectors.
"Dammit," he heard behind him.
"What?" Bobby asked. Logan unsheathed his claws and destroyed the machine with a single swipe of his hands. "Oh."
"Let's see if we c'n find 'em," Logan said, retracting his claws.
"It's awfully quiet," Bobby commented as they headed towards the stairs. Right as he finished saying that, three security guards appeared in front of them, guns drawn.
"Freeze!" one of them yelled.
"Ya spoke too soon, kid," Logan growled.
"This building is a restricted area," one with short black hair and black eyes said. "You have to leave."
"We ain't goin' nowhere," Logan said, moving into a fighting stance: legs apart, hips rotated for balance, arms free.
"The police can be here in two minutes," a blonde guy said.
"Goody for them," Logan remarked. "Bobby."
"Yeah?" Bobby asked.
"It's kinda warm in here, don' ya think?"
"Yeah, it is," Bobby said, getting Logan's drift. He started to lower the temperature in the room with his powers. The guards looked at them, confused and starting to get scared. "It's also not white enough," he remarked, drawing the moisture in the air into snowflakes and centering them around the guards. It wasn't long before the guards were buried in snow, but not before one of them managed to get a shot off.
"Damn!" Bobby yelled as the bullet lodged itself in his upper left arm.
"Ya okay, Drake?" Logan asked, walking over to him. Bobby clenched his arm tightly with his right hand.
"I'll be okay."
"Ya sure?"
"Yeah," Bobby muttered. "Jerk," he said of the one that shot him. He piled more snow on him.
"Live snowmen," Logan remarked. "Interestin'."
Bobby managed a small smile. "Let's head upstairs." Not being able to resist the temptation, he scooped up a handful of the snow and chucked it at Logan. He couldn't hold back his laughter at the old man's glare. "Just getting you back for earlier."
"You got it comin', Bub," Logan said. "Jest ya wait."
Bobby responded with a smile.
"Will you two get upstairs already?" Scott called from behind them. Logan growled deep in his chest, flexing his hand.
"We're getting Cyke," Bobby called.
~`~`~`~
"Which door?" Bobby asked, standing in a hallway he guessed about a hundred feet long with doors on either side.
"Yer guess's good as mine, kid," Logan said, staring down the hall to the left of them.
"You take the right side, I'll take the left, okay?"
"Whatever, 's long 's we find them damned mutants."
"Hey dere!"
"You say something, Logan?" Bobby asked, as he checked the first door. Blank computer screens stared back at him.
"No, did ya?"
"Would I ask you if I said something?"
"I dunno kid," Logan replied. "I dunno what's goin' on in that doggie head of yers."
"Wolverine," Bobby said warningly.
"What did ya call me, Bub?" Logan growled, stalking up to him.
"You heard me," Bobby said, unwisely standing his ground.
"Hey dere, hommes!" someone yelled right before Logan popped his claws and Bobby started making snow.
"'Hommes?'" both men said together.
"Who's there?" Bobby yelled.
"Remy!" the voice called again. "Ya gotta git me outta here, hommes!"
"Another southerner?" Bobby asked, rolling his blue eyes. "Jeeze. Like we needed more."
"This one sounds worse," Logan said. "Sounds like he's gotta French accent too."
"Great. I can see it now: all the girls will be swooning over this guy."
"Ya mean our miss southern belle, don' ya Bobby?" Logan asked with a gleam in his eye. "Kitty and Jubes don' strike me as the types ta go after French southerners."
"Hommes? Ya dere?"
"We're comin' Cajun!" Logan yelled.
"Cajun?" Bobby asked.
"Why not?" Logan asked with a small smile on his rugged features. "Where ya at Remy?"
"Over here!"
"Where's here?" Bobby asked, getting annoyed.
"De third door down de hall," he said. "To de right."
"You go first," Bobby said.
"Why me?"
"I already claimed the left side of the hall," Bobby said with a smile. "You got the right."
"Oh ya got it comin'," Logan said, raising his fist.
"Hurry up, up there!" Scott yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
"Alright, alright," Bobby said. "Jeeze."
Claws out and prepared for anything, Logan cut down the metal door. Bobby was behind him, ready to help Logan if anything attacked him.
"Woah dere hommes!" came the startled reply. "Gambit not hurt ya!"
"There's two of ya in here?" Logan asked.
"Non, jest Gambit."
"Who's Gambit?" Bobby asked.
"Remy of course."
"He's talking in third person," Bobby said, looking for a light switch. When he turned on the overhead light, he turned to study the mutant.
He was tall, with long, thick chestnut hair down to his shoulder blades. He had a big build, and with the white T-shirt he was wearing, Bobby could see every muscle from the waist up was completely defined and the man was very powerful looking. It was his eyes that caught their attention though. Instead of whites surrounding the pupil like normal, his eyes were black. The pupil was red.
"What ya hommes here for?" the mutant asked, pupils widening and narrowing.
"We're here to get you out of here," Bobby said, as he took in the small room with only a mattress and small dresser in it. There was no window, the single light bulb overhead the only source of light.
"Oh really?" Remy asked, suspiciously crossing his muscular arms across his huge chest. "What's it gonna cost Gambit?"
"Who's Gam-" Bobby started to ask, but stopped himself. "Nothing. It's not gonna cost you anything."
"Gambit don' believe ya," he said, his pupil becoming smaller.
"Believe what ya want, Bub," Logan said. "But we're leavin' either way."
"Okay, Gambit come wit ya," he said. "Lemme pack a few t'ings first, okay hommes?"
"Sure," Bobby said. "Um, you wouldn't happen to know a mutant names Henry McCoy would you?"
"Beast?" Remy asked. "Big blue homme?"
"Yeah," Bobby said.
"Five doors down on de left," he said as he grabbed a few things from a small dresser in the room, shoving them into a shirt he'd fashioned into a bag.
"Logan," Bobby started.
"No way, kid," Logan said. "This one's yers. Ya got the left side of th' hall right?"
Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but realized it would do little good.
"Homme," Remy said as Bobby started to walk off. Bobby stopped and turned to look at the mutant. "Don' worry 'bout Beast. He's huge, but nice guy. An' don' let the fur scare ya."
"Fur?" Bobby asked, but the word fell on deaf ears, for Gambit was looking through the stuff he'd collected in his shirt, mumbling things in French to himself. With a small shrug, he headed towards the door to the other mutant's room.
"Hello?" Bobby asked when he got there. "Henry McCoy?"
"Yes?" a deep voice from the other side answered. "Who might you be?"
"Bobby Drake, member of the X-Men," Bobby replied.
"The X-Men?"
"Yes," Bobby said. "I'm here concerning a young mutant girl who claims you took care of her."
"Yes?"
"Her name is Ebony. Her powers are getting out of control and she claims you have a drug that will keep them in control."
"Renee?" the voice asked, sounding much louder. Bobby assumed he was by the door.
"She doesn't remember her real name, but she remembers the name 'Renee' vaguely."
"Where is she?" the mutant demanded.
"She's at X-Men headquarters in Manchester, New York," Bobby said. "Do you have the drug she needs?"
"I don't have any made right now, but I can make some in a matter of hours."
"Can you bring the supplies with you to New York?" Bobby asked, unknowingly crossing his fingers.
"You can get me out of here?"
"Yes, Mr. McCoy, we can."
"Call me Hank."
"Okay, Hank, yes we can get you out of here," Bobby said.
"We have to try to get Tatiana out of here as well," he said.
"Who?"
"Another mutant like Renee," Hank said. "She's next door to me."
Another one?, Bobby thought.
"We can try," Bobby said. "Logan," he called.
"Yer on yer own, kid," Logan said.
"I need you to take down the door," Bobby replied.
Grumbling to himself, Logan clawed down the door. Both X-Men stepped back when Hank walked out. The mutant was HUGE. He stood a good two feet over Bobby, who wasn't short himself. Hank looked like he was as wide as Bobby, Logan, and Scott standing shoulder to shoulder, though he didn't look fat by any means. In fact, he was incredibly muscular, and that's what scared Bobby and Logan.
"Ya ready ta go, hommes?" Gambit asked, walking over what was left of his door.
"We have to get Tatiana, my red-eyed southern friend," Hank said.
"Oh, ya, we have ta get Chere," Gambit agreed.
Hank walked to the door next to his room and pounded it in with one pound of his fist.
"Why didn't you just do that to get out of your own room?" Bobby asked.
"They made the door too strong," Hank said. "Tatiana!"
Gambit ran over to the door to see what Hank was exclaiming over. "Chere!" he yelled as he ran into the room himself. Logan and Bobby hurried to the door to see a girl that looked exactly like Ebony hanging by her neck from the electric cord with the light bulb attached to it. Both X-Men could tell the poor girl was dead, but Hank lowered her anyway and attempted to revive her.
Even Remy could see it was hopeless. "Homme, she gone," he said sadly.
"Poor girl," Hank said. He sat in silence for a minute before grabbing a blanket off the mattress in the room and covered her body with it. "I need to get into the lab to get the supplies in order to make the drug for Renee."
"Renee?!" Remy exclaimed. "Where she be?"
"She's safe in Manchester," Bobby said. "We have to hurry though, she needs that drug!"
"Gambit hear ya homme!" he said as he ran down the hall. "Woah! Who's dis? Hello, Chere," he said gently.
"Remy?" Bobby yelled. He ran down the hall just in time to see him kissing Ororo's hand. Apparently, the two had gotten impatient waiting downstairs. Scott was staring at Remy, trying to decide whether or not he should blast him. "Woah, Cyke, it's okay. That's Remy LeBeau."
"Cyke?" Remy asked. "Who be Cyke?"
"I'm Scott Summers, Cyclops, leader of the X-Men," Scott said extending a hand. Remy shook it, his eyes on Storm all the while. Ororo finally began to blush under his unwavering stare. "Bobby, what happened to your arm?"
"One of the guards got me," he said. "I think the bullet went all the way through. Jean can fix it up when we get home. I'll be fine."
"Let's go," Logan said, carrying Tatiana in his arms, Hank behind him, huge arms full of supplies. Scott's hand went to his visor at the sight of Hank.
"Cyke, it's okay," Bobby said again. "That's the mutant Ebony was talking about that took care of her."
"Let's go," Logan said again, this time clenching his hand, threatening to pop his claws.
"Wazza matter dere, homme?" Remy asked, mimicking Logan's hand movements.
"It's his way of telling saying to get going."
"Talk about having patience," Scott said. He took a minute to fully notice Logan. "What're you carrying?"
"Tatiana," Hank said. "She's just like Renee, but decided to kill herself. She and Renee were sisters."
"Renee?" Storm asked.
"Ebony," Logan explained shortly. "Now let's go."
Without waiting for a reply he walked past Scott and Ororo, heading downstairs to go to the jet. The others followed behind them.
~`~`~`~
"I hope they get here soon," Jean said as she checked Ebony's vitals. "Her pulse is accelerating, and her blood pressure's rising also."
The professor sat at the end of the bed, chin in his hands. "I wasn't able to find anything out about the company in New Orleans. This is the first I've ever heard of them."
"This is the first I've ever heard of this kind of experimentation on mutants," Jean said. Anything else she was going to say was cut short when the lab started to vibrate. "They're back! Will you stay here and watch over here, professor?" Jean asked.
"Of course," he said. "Go make sure everyone's okay."
Jean nodded and ran off to meet them.
To be continued...
I hope this part turns out okay. I wrote it after a long day at school, and I don't really know anything about Beast/Hank, so I don't think I got the characterization right. Remy's questionable too. Personally, I think he's dorky in this part, but I hope to change that. And references made to Bobby's name and what he was named after is purely made up from my sick, twisted mind. ;)
As always, feedback is craved. :)
CKWan
~`~`~`~
An hour later they were on their way. Jean had stayed behind with the professor to keep an eye on Ebony and strengthen her sedatives if needs be. In her place, after much debate, they brought Bobby. He was old enough they thought and had enough control over his cold power. This wasn't his first mission, but his first "big" one. Logan thought they'd do just fine with the three of them, but Scott and Ororo had argued that they had no idea what to expect, and another person on their side wouldn't hurt.
On the way to New Orleans, Logan was, as usual, restless. For this mission he had a new uniform, seeing as the last one had been destroyed on the last mission. He had never gotten used to the tight leather uniforms they had to wear, and fidgeted, popping his claws in frustration and impatience. Scott cast him a quick glance. Logan glared at him. Ororo hid a small smile. Bobby laughed, earning himself a look from Scott.
"Calm down, oh fearless one," Logan said. "Relax a bit."
"I'll relax when we're all back home safely with all the mutants securely in our care," Scott said through clenched teeth.
"Don't ask for much, do ya Cyke?" Bobby asked.
"Robert," Scott said in warning.
"Robert?" Logan asked. "That's yer real name?"
Bobby mumbled something in response.
"Ya were named after yer grandpa's dog?!" Logan exclaimed. Bobby blushed, having forgotten about Logan's enhanced hearing. Logan howled with laughter, the first time anyone had ever heard the old man actually laugh. Bobby felt like crawling under a rock when he heard Ororo start chuckling. Scott coughed a few times to cover up his own laughter.
"Ha ha," Bobby said. "It's not funny."
"Ya it is!" Logan managed between bits of laughter.
"It is not!"
Scott broke into the ensuing argument by reporting that the building the professor had "seen" the mutants. As he and Ororo searched for a place to land, Logan promised Bobby he wouldn't tell anyone. Bobby hid his face in his hands as Logan continued to chuckle a little. Any other conversation was cut off when they landed on the edge of the Red River.
"The building's only a block from here," Scott said. "It's dark, so we shouldn't stand out too much."
"Yeah right," Logan mumbled. "How should we enter the building?"
"Without alarming anyone would be my suggestion," Bobby said. "What?" he exclaimed at the glares he got from the others.
"We'll have Logan and Bobby go in first, since they're the least suspicious looking out of the four of us," Scott said. He ignored Ororo's look. "You'll have to improvise from there because the professor wasn't able to tell what kind of security they have."
"What level are they on?" Bobby asked.
"The fourth," Scott said. "Let's go. And try to be careful to not hurt anyone," he said, looking at Logan. It was his turn to feign innocence.
Scott and Ororo walked behind the other two a few paces, acting like a couple. They pretended to make small talk, leaning in to speak to each other, arms entwined, and large, silly grins upon their faces.
Ahead of them, the two men walked silently. They were almost to the building when Logan spoke.
"What kind?" he asked quietly.
"What?" Bobby asked, confused.
"What kinda dog was it?"
Bobby hung his head, shaking it.
"Huh?" Logan persisted. "What breed?"
"It was a, a," Bobby stammered. He couldn't bring himself to tell Logan. At Logan's raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes, he was persuaded to say. "It was a toy poodle, okay? Happy?"
Logan had to stop himself from laughing out loud. "Ya, kid, ya," he said, trying to contain himself. "Ya made my day."
"I'm thrilled," Bobby said sarcastically. "Here we are," he said, happy to change the subject.
"Well don' jest stand there, go in," Logan said.
"Okay, okay," he said, walking through the door. He cautiously walked through the metal detectors.
"Dammit," he heard behind him.
"What?" Bobby asked. Logan unsheathed his claws and destroyed the machine with a single swipe of his hands. "Oh."
"Let's see if we c'n find 'em," Logan said, retracting his claws.
"It's awfully quiet," Bobby commented as they headed towards the stairs. Right as he finished saying that, three security guards appeared in front of them, guns drawn.
"Freeze!" one of them yelled.
"Ya spoke too soon, kid," Logan growled.
"This building is a restricted area," one with short black hair and black eyes said. "You have to leave."
"We ain't goin' nowhere," Logan said, moving into a fighting stance: legs apart, hips rotated for balance, arms free.
"The police can be here in two minutes," a blonde guy said.
"Goody for them," Logan remarked. "Bobby."
"Yeah?" Bobby asked.
"It's kinda warm in here, don' ya think?"
"Yeah, it is," Bobby said, getting Logan's drift. He started to lower the temperature in the room with his powers. The guards looked at them, confused and starting to get scared. "It's also not white enough," he remarked, drawing the moisture in the air into snowflakes and centering them around the guards. It wasn't long before the guards were buried in snow, but not before one of them managed to get a shot off.
"Damn!" Bobby yelled as the bullet lodged itself in his upper left arm.
"Ya okay, Drake?" Logan asked, walking over to him. Bobby clenched his arm tightly with his right hand.
"I'll be okay."
"Ya sure?"
"Yeah," Bobby muttered. "Jerk," he said of the one that shot him. He piled more snow on him.
"Live snowmen," Logan remarked. "Interestin'."
Bobby managed a small smile. "Let's head upstairs." Not being able to resist the temptation, he scooped up a handful of the snow and chucked it at Logan. He couldn't hold back his laughter at the old man's glare. "Just getting you back for earlier."
"You got it comin', Bub," Logan said. "Jest ya wait."
Bobby responded with a smile.
"Will you two get upstairs already?" Scott called from behind them. Logan growled deep in his chest, flexing his hand.
"We're getting Cyke," Bobby called.
~`~`~`~
"Which door?" Bobby asked, standing in a hallway he guessed about a hundred feet long with doors on either side.
"Yer guess's good as mine, kid," Logan said, staring down the hall to the left of them.
"You take the right side, I'll take the left, okay?"
"Whatever, 's long 's we find them damned mutants."
"Hey dere!"
"You say something, Logan?" Bobby asked, as he checked the first door. Blank computer screens stared back at him.
"No, did ya?"
"Would I ask you if I said something?"
"I dunno kid," Logan replied. "I dunno what's goin' on in that doggie head of yers."
"Wolverine," Bobby said warningly.
"What did ya call me, Bub?" Logan growled, stalking up to him.
"You heard me," Bobby said, unwisely standing his ground.
"Hey dere, hommes!" someone yelled right before Logan popped his claws and Bobby started making snow.
"'Hommes?'" both men said together.
"Who's there?" Bobby yelled.
"Remy!" the voice called again. "Ya gotta git me outta here, hommes!"
"Another southerner?" Bobby asked, rolling his blue eyes. "Jeeze. Like we needed more."
"This one sounds worse," Logan said. "Sounds like he's gotta French accent too."
"Great. I can see it now: all the girls will be swooning over this guy."
"Ya mean our miss southern belle, don' ya Bobby?" Logan asked with a gleam in his eye. "Kitty and Jubes don' strike me as the types ta go after French southerners."
"Hommes? Ya dere?"
"We're comin' Cajun!" Logan yelled.
"Cajun?" Bobby asked.
"Why not?" Logan asked with a small smile on his rugged features. "Where ya at Remy?"
"Over here!"
"Where's here?" Bobby asked, getting annoyed.
"De third door down de hall," he said. "To de right."
"You go first," Bobby said.
"Why me?"
"I already claimed the left side of the hall," Bobby said with a smile. "You got the right."
"Oh ya got it comin'," Logan said, raising his fist.
"Hurry up, up there!" Scott yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
"Alright, alright," Bobby said. "Jeeze."
Claws out and prepared for anything, Logan cut down the metal door. Bobby was behind him, ready to help Logan if anything attacked him.
"Woah dere hommes!" came the startled reply. "Gambit not hurt ya!"
"There's two of ya in here?" Logan asked.
"Non, jest Gambit."
"Who's Gambit?" Bobby asked.
"Remy of course."
"He's talking in third person," Bobby said, looking for a light switch. When he turned on the overhead light, he turned to study the mutant.
He was tall, with long, thick chestnut hair down to his shoulder blades. He had a big build, and with the white T-shirt he was wearing, Bobby could see every muscle from the waist up was completely defined and the man was very powerful looking. It was his eyes that caught their attention though. Instead of whites surrounding the pupil like normal, his eyes were black. The pupil was red.
"What ya hommes here for?" the mutant asked, pupils widening and narrowing.
"We're here to get you out of here," Bobby said, as he took in the small room with only a mattress and small dresser in it. There was no window, the single light bulb overhead the only source of light.
"Oh really?" Remy asked, suspiciously crossing his muscular arms across his huge chest. "What's it gonna cost Gambit?"
"Who's Gam-" Bobby started to ask, but stopped himself. "Nothing. It's not gonna cost you anything."
"Gambit don' believe ya," he said, his pupil becoming smaller.
"Believe what ya want, Bub," Logan said. "But we're leavin' either way."
"Okay, Gambit come wit ya," he said. "Lemme pack a few t'ings first, okay hommes?"
"Sure," Bobby said. "Um, you wouldn't happen to know a mutant names Henry McCoy would you?"
"Beast?" Remy asked. "Big blue homme?"
"Yeah," Bobby said.
"Five doors down on de left," he said as he grabbed a few things from a small dresser in the room, shoving them into a shirt he'd fashioned into a bag.
"Logan," Bobby started.
"No way, kid," Logan said. "This one's yers. Ya got the left side of th' hall right?"
Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but realized it would do little good.
"Homme," Remy said as Bobby started to walk off. Bobby stopped and turned to look at the mutant. "Don' worry 'bout Beast. He's huge, but nice guy. An' don' let the fur scare ya."
"Fur?" Bobby asked, but the word fell on deaf ears, for Gambit was looking through the stuff he'd collected in his shirt, mumbling things in French to himself. With a small shrug, he headed towards the door to the other mutant's room.
"Hello?" Bobby asked when he got there. "Henry McCoy?"
"Yes?" a deep voice from the other side answered. "Who might you be?"
"Bobby Drake, member of the X-Men," Bobby replied.
"The X-Men?"
"Yes," Bobby said. "I'm here concerning a young mutant girl who claims you took care of her."
"Yes?"
"Her name is Ebony. Her powers are getting out of control and she claims you have a drug that will keep them in control."
"Renee?" the voice asked, sounding much louder. Bobby assumed he was by the door.
"She doesn't remember her real name, but she remembers the name 'Renee' vaguely."
"Where is she?" the mutant demanded.
"She's at X-Men headquarters in Manchester, New York," Bobby said. "Do you have the drug she needs?"
"I don't have any made right now, but I can make some in a matter of hours."
"Can you bring the supplies with you to New York?" Bobby asked, unknowingly crossing his fingers.
"You can get me out of here?"
"Yes, Mr. McCoy, we can."
"Call me Hank."
"Okay, Hank, yes we can get you out of here," Bobby said.
"We have to try to get Tatiana out of here as well," he said.
"Who?"
"Another mutant like Renee," Hank said. "She's next door to me."
Another one?, Bobby thought.
"We can try," Bobby said. "Logan," he called.
"Yer on yer own, kid," Logan said.
"I need you to take down the door," Bobby replied.
Grumbling to himself, Logan clawed down the door. Both X-Men stepped back when Hank walked out. The mutant was HUGE. He stood a good two feet over Bobby, who wasn't short himself. Hank looked like he was as wide as Bobby, Logan, and Scott standing shoulder to shoulder, though he didn't look fat by any means. In fact, he was incredibly muscular, and that's what scared Bobby and Logan.
"Ya ready ta go, hommes?" Gambit asked, walking over what was left of his door.
"We have to get Tatiana, my red-eyed southern friend," Hank said.
"Oh, ya, we have ta get Chere," Gambit agreed.
Hank walked to the door next to his room and pounded it in with one pound of his fist.
"Why didn't you just do that to get out of your own room?" Bobby asked.
"They made the door too strong," Hank said. "Tatiana!"
Gambit ran over to the door to see what Hank was exclaiming over. "Chere!" he yelled as he ran into the room himself. Logan and Bobby hurried to the door to see a girl that looked exactly like Ebony hanging by her neck from the electric cord with the light bulb attached to it. Both X-Men could tell the poor girl was dead, but Hank lowered her anyway and attempted to revive her.
Even Remy could see it was hopeless. "Homme, she gone," he said sadly.
"Poor girl," Hank said. He sat in silence for a minute before grabbing a blanket off the mattress in the room and covered her body with it. "I need to get into the lab to get the supplies in order to make the drug for Renee."
"Renee?!" Remy exclaimed. "Where she be?"
"She's safe in Manchester," Bobby said. "We have to hurry though, she needs that drug!"
"Gambit hear ya homme!" he said as he ran down the hall. "Woah! Who's dis? Hello, Chere," he said gently.
"Remy?" Bobby yelled. He ran down the hall just in time to see him kissing Ororo's hand. Apparently, the two had gotten impatient waiting downstairs. Scott was staring at Remy, trying to decide whether or not he should blast him. "Woah, Cyke, it's okay. That's Remy LeBeau."
"Cyke?" Remy asked. "Who be Cyke?"
"I'm Scott Summers, Cyclops, leader of the X-Men," Scott said extending a hand. Remy shook it, his eyes on Storm all the while. Ororo finally began to blush under his unwavering stare. "Bobby, what happened to your arm?"
"One of the guards got me," he said. "I think the bullet went all the way through. Jean can fix it up when we get home. I'll be fine."
"Let's go," Logan said, carrying Tatiana in his arms, Hank behind him, huge arms full of supplies. Scott's hand went to his visor at the sight of Hank.
"Cyke, it's okay," Bobby said again. "That's the mutant Ebony was talking about that took care of her."
"Let's go," Logan said again, this time clenching his hand, threatening to pop his claws.
"Wazza matter dere, homme?" Remy asked, mimicking Logan's hand movements.
"It's his way of telling saying to get going."
"Talk about having patience," Scott said. He took a minute to fully notice Logan. "What're you carrying?"
"Tatiana," Hank said. "She's just like Renee, but decided to kill herself. She and Renee were sisters."
"Renee?" Storm asked.
"Ebony," Logan explained shortly. "Now let's go."
Without waiting for a reply he walked past Scott and Ororo, heading downstairs to go to the jet. The others followed behind them.
~`~`~`~
"I hope they get here soon," Jean said as she checked Ebony's vitals. "Her pulse is accelerating, and her blood pressure's rising also."
The professor sat at the end of the bed, chin in his hands. "I wasn't able to find anything out about the company in New Orleans. This is the first I've ever heard of them."
"This is the first I've ever heard of this kind of experimentation on mutants," Jean said. Anything else she was going to say was cut short when the lab started to vibrate. "They're back! Will you stay here and watch over here, professor?" Jean asked.
"Of course," he said. "Go make sure everyone's okay."
Jean nodded and ran off to meet them.
To be continued...