What Someone is Willing to Give
By: Vainglorious696
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Disclaimer:
Gambit, the X-Men, Essex, and anybody else that you probably recognize is Marvel's. Sin, Dr. Kiltchner, Madeleine, and any
unfarmiliars are mine. Please don't sue me, Marvel- I'm poor. Besides, I spend
more $ on your comics than any lawsuit could possibly ever win.
This is a
brutal story containing graphic violence, MATURE
THEMES, and dark imagery. You
have been warned, therefore, please use your discretion accordingly. Thank You. ~Vain
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"How is our patient holding up
doctor?"
The man known as Eli Kiltcher looked up from the notepad he was holding in
surprise. The woman in front of him
smiled and at his expression and then turned and walked to the metal table to
which the boy was strapped down. Kiltcher followed her.
"Actually, things are not at all going as I had planned, Madeleine. His mind is
putting up a strong resistance- much more than I had originally expected. Even
for one of Essex's, he still is incredibly strong. Perhaps when I am done with
him I will perform some additional experiments on him the ascertain the reason
for that."
Madeleine gently brushed an errant strand of red hair out of his face, ignoring
the tubes and electrodes running to and from his still form. His closed eyelids danced in what appeared
to be REM sleep, but she knew it was something much different. The memories her invention caused always
came somewhere in the middle of Delta rest, trapping the patient in the deepest
sleep cycle until they were unhooked. She wondered what he was dreaming. "Pity. He's so beautiful. So
powerful... He could be of great use to
us. I take it that the machine is fully
operational, though."
"Yes. I couldn't be happier with
it. It's quite an ingenious little
device that you've rigged up. I'm not
quite sure how you've done it, my dear."
Madeleine looked up sharply. "You haven't been tampering with it, have
you? The effect that could have on the
patient's mental stability are-"
"No, no, of course not."
She looked away from him and back
to the young man. "If you must know,
it's really quite simple: hook a person up to the machine, get them agitated,
feed them the right drugs, and, bingo: instant vegetable. It works better on mutants with some sort of
psychic ability, though. It's really
quite amazing the amount of damage a hormonal imbalance can do."
Kiltcher smiled slightly. "A pity you can't choose what the patient
experiences..."
"If you don't like it, Eli, find
yourself another Jane-of-All-Trades. There are plenty of people out there who'll pay good money for my
skills."
"But can they give you what I
have?"
She was silent, brooding as her
eyes roamed to a bruise that marred the boy's pale skin. It's not always what you're willing to
give that matters, old man...
Pleased with his victory, Eli
clapped his hands briskly. "Nonetheless, I am thrilled with your little device. I believe that it is only a matter of time
before his shields collapse beneath the weight of his own mind."
Madeleine's eyes found another angry welt on the young man. That wasn't there yesterday, and there's
no way my machine does that kind of damage. New marks seemed to be appearing daily. "And the marks and bruises? You've discovered their cause?"
Kiltcher smiled again. "Come with me."
They left the room with the suffering young man behind them and went to
another, this one just as sterile and cold, but dominated by a large computer
panel. The doctor and the woman walked up to the huge screen and Kiltcher
rapidly typed something into the keyboard. "Computer: locate current file on Subject:
EX. Omega-2, Sigma. Present Power File 4: Empathy."
There was the soft whir of electronics as the machine complied and moments
later the pair were bathed in artificial white light as diagrams and power
level read-outs appeared on the screen.
"As I said before, that ingenious little device that you gave me is quite
remarkable," he began. "Once I hooked
him up to it, he immediately recalled one of the most painful memories he had,
specifically one which he had repressed. That is how I've managed to keep him under wraps for so long. Normally this would be the end of the story,
but, as you know, bruises and bite marks began to appear, not to mention that
two of his bones have broken, in spite of the fact that he is strapped
down. When I saw this, I ran a CAT Scan
and then a PET Scan on him." He paused
dramatically and then pushed a key. "This is what I found."
Madeleine watched as the screen scrolled down and her eyes widened in
disbelief. "He's an Omega Class
empath!" She took a step closer to the
screen and leaned over the keyboard. "But that's not possible! He
already has two Omega Class powers, and now a third? This isn't unheard of in an Alpha Class mutant like myself, but
there in no precedent for an Omega-Sigma Class mutant of his caliber..."
Now Kiltcher was grinning. "I know. I
don't think that even Essex was fully aware of what he was unleashing when he
made the boy. This is simply
astonishing. Look at the amount of
activity in his Parietal Lobes! It is two thirds greater than that of the
average empath working at full capacity, and yet it seems that he's barely even
gotten started. I'm quite pleased- I
can't wait to see what this will lead to."
"But what caused the bruises?"
"The White Guard."
Madeleine blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
Eli's grin stretched again,
giving him the ghastly appearance of a skull. It occurred to Madeleine, not for the first time, that he was insane,
and, like most insane people, was running right towards a proverbial cliff he
couldn't see with her just one step behind him. She shivered.
Eli was talking. "It seems that before he met with our good
friend Mr. Sinister, our Omega 2 was captured and interrogated by Sin and the
White Guard. From what one of the psychics
told me of the memories he's reliving, it was... brutal."
She licked dry lips. "And that's somehow being carried over from
his memories to physical reality?"
"So it seems. Omega 2's empathy is so
strong, that his mind has actually convinced his body that these things are
happening to him again. It's really
quite fascinating. He's mentally
reliving being raped beaten, and tortured, therefore his body is literally
being raped, beaten, and tortured. I
believe that his telekinesis is to blame. Tomorrow I am planning on unhooking him, waiting until he is lucid, and
then proceeding with some experiments which are a bit more. . . invasive. It will no doubt prove extremely
enlightening."
"Are you sure that this is wise, though? The boy is clearly Sinister's property, and given this latest discovery,
I doubt that the good doctor will tolerate him being in your tender 'care' once
he discovers his location. Are you
really ready for the kind of trouble this may bring?"
The scientist continued to grin. "Oh, I know Essex will want his pet back. In fact, I'm counting on it."
"I don't follow."
"Apparently, somehow our former employer made the mistake of letting this
little chick of his fly the coop shortly after our. . . resignations, and the
boy has been on his own since then. I've been trying to find out who may have ties to him and try and
interfere with my plans so that I can circumvent that, but thus far, I have
only linked him to several small underground organizations. There are, however, whispers that he is
involved with some sort of mutant terrorist organization based in the North
Western United States, but I have yet to substantiate such claims."
Madeleine made a small impatient gesture. "What does this have to do with Essex?"
Kiltcher cast her a sidelong glance. "These rumors may be the reason that he has not moved to reclaim the
boy. Somebody obviously sent him here,
it's just a question of finding out whom and why. It isn't everyday that such a valuable canary flies right into
your cage of its own free will."
"What about Essex?"
"Come now, my dear. Do you really think
that Sinister would allow such a precious experiment to slip through his grasp
so easily? Do you think that he will do
so again?"
Realization dawned on her face, "He won't attack us for fear of harming the boy
. . ."
"Exactly. Obviously, somebody must be
standing between him and the child to prevent Essex from reclaiming him. We ourselves have heard Sinister repeatedly
state that our darling Omega 2 is his finest achievement. The jewel in his
crown, so to speak. Essex won't dare
strike us- not unless he wants his precious Omega delivered back to him piece
by piece. These others, however- whoever they are- could present a
problem. They will have to be dealt
with."
"And your plans?"
"Everything is moving on schedule. Ahead of schedule, actually, thanks to Omega 2. I did not expect to get my hands on one of
the few people left alive who had direct contact with the Portal. " He looked away from Madeleine to the
computer screen. "Yes, Omega 2 is quite
a valuable canary, indeed."
Madeleine turned away, leaving him still staring at the charts. As the door slid open before her, she looked
back and regarded the aging doctor. "Is
that his name? The designation that
Essex gave him?"
"No, no," he muttered almost absently. "According to the memories he's reliving, he's called Gambit. His real name appears to be Rem-something
-or-another."
"Something or another?"
Kiltcher looked up at her, smiling slightly. "That boy has you quite intrigued, doesn't he? Who would have thought that one such as yourself could have a
heart?"
She stiffened and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch yourself, old man. Remember, Eli Kiltcher: you made me." She spun about sharply and stepped through
the door.
"Lebeau."
"What?" she turned, her hair flying.
"His name- Remy Lebeau."
"The beautiful," she said softly to herself. Madeleine looked up, face smooth and expressionless. "I will find out more about him, Eli. Just
be sure that the price is right."
The scientist smiled as the doors slid shut behind the young woman's retreating
figure. It was simply amazing how
things had a way of taking care of themselves.
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