Scott Summers had never been one for running through the mansion. Too many
antiques. Too many fine rugs. And often, quite often, too many people.
Today however he made his exceptions. He tore through the hallway and
skidded across the fine carpet to halt in front of Gambit's room. HE
breathed twice before he opened the door.
Bad things can happen if you wake an X-Man wrong.
Scott turned the knob slowly and leaned in. But he abandoned all attempts at sanity when he opened the door. Slowly he closed it again so as not to disturb the icy silence. Jubilee had heard his mad dash through the house and come in pursuit.
She saw the vacant look on Cyclops face and pushed past him. He didn't try to stop her. She opened the door and peered inside.
"Ahhh, Cyke?" She asked hesitantly
"I know. How did we not hear that happen?" Scott grimaced. "Because it wasn't in the script."
"So it's already begun? Without Gambit getting to even look at his script? That's so not fair!" Jubilee was outraged.
"Unless it's Gambit's script." Scott countered. "But how could it be?" It looked as thought the whole room was burnt and blackened.
"Gambit's script?" Jubilee was confused.
"Come see." He told her.
Back in the kitchen Storm had recovered from her shock and opened the script as well as a bag of oreo's.
Scott and Jubilee joined her.
"Gambit's room" Scott began but Storm interrupted.
"Looked as thought the whole room was burnt and blackened." She read it verbatim off the script.
"Oh, yeah." Scott eyed the script as his words "Ooh, yeah." Appeared on the page. The script would now fill in as the fanfic was acted out. If only there was some way to see what was happening. If only they knew that Gambit was safe.
"Storm" Cyclops began, only to discover that he was alone in the room. Storm and Jubilee were quietly chatting down the hall. "Storm?" He called after them.
"Right, Scott." She said coming up on him from behind. "Jubilee and I tried to find the Professor. We thought he should know if Gambit's really contacted an author." It sounded reasonable to Scott.
"What did he say?" Scott asked, crossing his arms authoritatively.
"We can't find him." Storm continued.
"Or the front door." Jubilee sighed.
"The front door?" Cyclops considered this comment.
"Ah, yes." Storm hated delivering news like this. "I suspect it's a catch all phrase." She grimaced. "Something like 'And the X-Men were powerless to interfere." She saw the expression shift on Cyclops face. He didn't like this a bit. "Or something like that." She concluded.
"Wonderful." Cyclops shook his head.
Meanwhile, in a concealing darkness in a foreign land, Remy LeBeau looked up on to a scene from his distant past. Because once upon a time Remy LeBeau had failed to stop events he had set in motion. On this very night, in the past, the team that he had assembled had massacred the Morlock population in those tunnels right in front of him.
Gambit knew he had very little time. Soon the death squad would arrive. And then, shortly after, he too would come, too late to do more than save one life.
He hesitated no longer. He moved quickly and quietly over the landscape and up in to the darkness of the tunnels. Even his unbelievably quiet steps echoed in the vast concrete underground. And soon enough he came to find what he was looking for.
It was a shiny metal handle that looked wholly out of place in the abandoned tunnel system. It stood almost four feet tall and rose out of the floor.
"Not too subtle, eh?" He asked out loud to the sky above him.
He reached out and hesitated. He could still go back. He hadn't interfered up until now. But once he did, the entire marvelous continuum could be destroyed. He looked down the tunnel toward the Morlock encampment. He never had a choice. From the moment he arrives here later tonight, he was destined to return to now to change it.
He grabbed the switch and pulled it hard toward him. A great click sounded as it halted its momentum.
"Dat it?" Gambit wondered as he looked around. Nothing felt different.
He padded back down the tunnel. In the distance he could see the approaching murderers intent on wiping out the Morlocks. Fear washed over Gambit. What if it didn't work? What if this author he had found just makes him live through it all over again. He felt numb and ill.
The voices were approaching. But something was different. This wasn't the extermination team he had hired. Who were these people?
"Are you Remy LeBeau?" The white-haired woman asked.
"I'h 'am" Remy nodded "You da one dey call Storm?" The words rolled out of his mouth before he knew he had said them.
"Indeed." She nodded. "Your information was correct. There was a conspiracy to wipe out the Morlocks." She looked demure. "I extend their thanks to you for bringing this matter to my attention."
"It was about time I made some new friends." Gambit smiled. "I couldn't relate no more."
"Well you made some today Bub." A rough little man reached in and pumped Remy's hand.
"Glad I could help." He smiled. And he meant it.
And as Gambit narrowly averted his own damnation, the marvel universe began to come apart at the seams.
"Did I just read that right?" Jubilee asked Storm.
"I think so. It says the whole universe began coming apart a the seams." Storm read it aloud.
"I told you this author couldn't be trusted." Jubilee commented. "Just up and unraveled the universe, didn't he?"
Scott was unsure. He looked around. The mansion seemed unchanged.
"Jubilee." He asked "How did you find out about the authors id numbers on the postmark?"
"Some story on Fanfiction.net" She said. "Why?"
"I want to know everything I can about our author. I know we have lawyers in that other dimention. Maybe we can get this stopped." At the very least, Scott mused, I can read his other stuff and see if he's the decent sort who will put a universe back properly when he's done with it.
"Pretty please?" Scott said out loud.
"What?" Jubilee asked.
"Nothing." He gestured toward the computer and off she went.
Bad things can happen if you wake an X-Man wrong.
Scott turned the knob slowly and leaned in. But he abandoned all attempts at sanity when he opened the door. Slowly he closed it again so as not to disturb the icy silence. Jubilee had heard his mad dash through the house and come in pursuit.
She saw the vacant look on Cyclops face and pushed past him. He didn't try to stop her. She opened the door and peered inside.
"Ahhh, Cyke?" She asked hesitantly
"I know. How did we not hear that happen?" Scott grimaced. "Because it wasn't in the script."
"So it's already begun? Without Gambit getting to even look at his script? That's so not fair!" Jubilee was outraged.
"Unless it's Gambit's script." Scott countered. "But how could it be?" It looked as thought the whole room was burnt and blackened.
"Gambit's script?" Jubilee was confused.
"Come see." He told her.
Back in the kitchen Storm had recovered from her shock and opened the script as well as a bag of oreo's.
Scott and Jubilee joined her.
"Gambit's room" Scott began but Storm interrupted.
"Looked as thought the whole room was burnt and blackened." She read it verbatim off the script.
"Oh, yeah." Scott eyed the script as his words "Ooh, yeah." Appeared on the page. The script would now fill in as the fanfic was acted out. If only there was some way to see what was happening. If only they knew that Gambit was safe.
"Storm" Cyclops began, only to discover that he was alone in the room. Storm and Jubilee were quietly chatting down the hall. "Storm?" He called after them.
"Right, Scott." She said coming up on him from behind. "Jubilee and I tried to find the Professor. We thought he should know if Gambit's really contacted an author." It sounded reasonable to Scott.
"What did he say?" Scott asked, crossing his arms authoritatively.
"We can't find him." Storm continued.
"Or the front door." Jubilee sighed.
"The front door?" Cyclops considered this comment.
"Ah, yes." Storm hated delivering news like this. "I suspect it's a catch all phrase." She grimaced. "Something like 'And the X-Men were powerless to interfere." She saw the expression shift on Cyclops face. He didn't like this a bit. "Or something like that." She concluded.
"Wonderful." Cyclops shook his head.
Meanwhile, in a concealing darkness in a foreign land, Remy LeBeau looked up on to a scene from his distant past. Because once upon a time Remy LeBeau had failed to stop events he had set in motion. On this very night, in the past, the team that he had assembled had massacred the Morlock population in those tunnels right in front of him.
Gambit knew he had very little time. Soon the death squad would arrive. And then, shortly after, he too would come, too late to do more than save one life.
He hesitated no longer. He moved quickly and quietly over the landscape and up in to the darkness of the tunnels. Even his unbelievably quiet steps echoed in the vast concrete underground. And soon enough he came to find what he was looking for.
It was a shiny metal handle that looked wholly out of place in the abandoned tunnel system. It stood almost four feet tall and rose out of the floor.
"Not too subtle, eh?" He asked out loud to the sky above him.
He reached out and hesitated. He could still go back. He hadn't interfered up until now. But once he did, the entire marvelous continuum could be destroyed. He looked down the tunnel toward the Morlock encampment. He never had a choice. From the moment he arrives here later tonight, he was destined to return to now to change it.
He grabbed the switch and pulled it hard toward him. A great click sounded as it halted its momentum.
"Dat it?" Gambit wondered as he looked around. Nothing felt different.
He padded back down the tunnel. In the distance he could see the approaching murderers intent on wiping out the Morlocks. Fear washed over Gambit. What if it didn't work? What if this author he had found just makes him live through it all over again. He felt numb and ill.
The voices were approaching. But something was different. This wasn't the extermination team he had hired. Who were these people?
"Are you Remy LeBeau?" The white-haired woman asked.
"I'h 'am" Remy nodded "You da one dey call Storm?" The words rolled out of his mouth before he knew he had said them.
"Indeed." She nodded. "Your information was correct. There was a conspiracy to wipe out the Morlocks." She looked demure. "I extend their thanks to you for bringing this matter to my attention."
"It was about time I made some new friends." Gambit smiled. "I couldn't relate no more."
"Well you made some today Bub." A rough little man reached in and pumped Remy's hand.
"Glad I could help." He smiled. And he meant it.
And as Gambit narrowly averted his own damnation, the marvel universe began to come apart at the seams.
"Did I just read that right?" Jubilee asked Storm.
"I think so. It says the whole universe began coming apart a the seams." Storm read it aloud.
"I told you this author couldn't be trusted." Jubilee commented. "Just up and unraveled the universe, didn't he?"
Scott was unsure. He looked around. The mansion seemed unchanged.
"Jubilee." He asked "How did you find out about the authors id numbers on the postmark?"
"Some story on Fanfiction.net" She said. "Why?"
"I want to know everything I can about our author. I know we have lawyers in that other dimention. Maybe we can get this stopped." At the very least, Scott mused, I can read his other stuff and see if he's the decent sort who will put a universe back properly when he's done with it.
"Pretty please?" Scott said out loud.
"What?" Jubilee asked.
"Nothing." He gestured toward the computer and off she went.