"Go, go, go!" Gambit shouted, as he slid towards Scott Summers. Scott dived
forward for the trench. Remy slid in and landed almost unceremoniously on
top of him.
Remy dropped down to the bottom of the trench and looked at his friend. Both were covering their ears and smiling profusely.
The explosion was spectacular.
It echoed through the caverns below with such force that it shook the ground and vibrated any part of you that touched the earth.
Inside the caverns you could hear level after level of the underground complex as it fell in on itself.
And then the flames came in shades of orange, purple and red. They shot up the escape tunnels with a roar like that of water and they spit themselves across the night sky in all directions. Including across the top of the trench our hero's were hiding in.
A moment later, when the flames receded, both sat up. They were smoldering and covered in a layer of soot and ash that had swept in to the trench.
"Marie, she is a gonn-a kill Gambit." Remy told Scott.
"Why?" Scott knew that Rogue knew where they were, what they were doing. How could Remy be in trouble for this?
"I don tol her I quit smokin' for new years!" Gambit splashed a handful of ash at his friend's face.
Scott shook his head at the horrible joke and helped his team mate to his feet.
"You know I'm going to miss you G." Scott told him. "But you're the best man for the job."
"I hope so. 'ome time's Gambit get to wondering." He looked Scott right in the eye. "So you tells me once, so's I's can believe's it." He fixed his stare right in Scott's ruby quartz lenses and focused on the eyes behind them. "Am I ready to lead a team?"
"Gambit." He took him by the shoulders "Remy. The Gold team is lucky to get you. And yes, you deserve it more than Storm. And she's good with it Remy. She's seen what we've all seen since you became a father. What I saw in you when I recommended that Xavier promote you. That you're ready, capable and dedicated."
Then Scott smiled "I can't lie any better than that." He broke in to a wicked grin.
"You can' lie at all Summers." Gambit grinned back.
"You tink we don 'ere now?" Gambit looked at the smoking ruins of Mr. Sinister's last laboratory.
"Looks pretty blown up to me." Scott decided. "You know, with Sinister in custody now, I didn't really realize how much stress I was under."
"Till it was gone hunh?" Gambit smiled. "I just glad you didn't keep he all to you self. I can see where dis all might have been personal."
"Always room for a friend." Scott smiled. "But really, I think you hate him more than I do. Although I cant seem to guess why."
"Gambit don know either. Not really. Somtin' about that man jus' don sit right with Gambit." He nodded, feeling the discomfort but not knowing it's cause.
"So how old is André going to be when Rogue delivers again?" Scott hadn't done the math.
"Almos' three." He smirked "Gives Gambit six month's to go underground and disappear."
"You're horrible LeBeau!"
Gambit laughed at him.
"You know, I'm going to ask Jean to marry me." Scott was smiling slyly.
"No? For real?" Gambit was astonished. "Wen dis happen?"
"I've been thinking about it." Scott smiled "You're the first one I've told."
"You can jus' relax now Slim, because 'Bachelor-Party-Gambit' has arrived!" He tore loose one of his most dashing smiles.
"Why did I suddenly fear for my relationship when you said that?" Scott joked.
"Jus' a-member dis, DENY AVERYTIN'!" Gambit made a wide gesture to include everything in his view. "See dat dere tree?"
"Yeah." Scott told him.
"No." He said quickly. "No you don!." He smiled. "You say 'What Tree?'"
"What tree?"
"Better." Gambit looked around as they walked. "Where we park the plane?"
"What Plane?"
Gambit shook his head. Scott Summers could really be a piece of work sometimes.
(Meanwhile back in the Mansion)
"What does he mean I can be a piece of work sometimes?" Scott sat bolt upright and looked to Storm and then Jubilee. Both were engrossed in studying the minute details of the floor and avoiding his gaze. "Oh, man." Scott realized. "I am a piece of work sometimes." He put his head down on the script in front of him.
"It's not so bad Scott." Storm began rubbing his shoulders in apology for having agreed in the first place.
"Sure. He used the word 'work' instead of what he was really thinking." Jubilee quipped from a safe distance. Scott just fell forward in mock exhaustion and let out a labored sigh.
Just then Scott noticed more words forming along the script.
"And Xavier wheels in to the room!" Scott read aloud as he turned toward the door.
Sure enough there was Xavier. But something about him was a little off. Scott seemed not to notice.
"Scott." Xavier prompted "What's happening?"
"I think that the universe is unraveling sir." Scott began. "It's Gambit. He's contacted an author an now they've teamed up to rewrite our history."
"I see." The Professor seemed unconcerned and uninterested.
"Don't you think you should contact the others sir?" Scott began to notice that something was off about Xavier. His head seemed to float side to side and his features seemed rounded and cartoonish.
"Oh, no." Xavier sighed. "I can't. I'm just a balloon." And he pulled a pin out of his pocket and popped himself with a terrible BANG!
Scott whirled on the script as more words were appearing.
"And the Author laughed and laughed and laughed."
"He's." Scott searched for the right word "TOYING with me!" He had grabbed up the script with both hands and began yelling at it. "You won't get away with this. We have lawyers you know!"
But the script didn't seem to be listening.
"Oh, oh, did you see that?" Cyclops asked Storm and Jubilee "But the script didn't seem to be listening." He read mockingly aloud off the newly formed words.
"Uh, Scott?" Jubilee spoke and tried not to stare.
But Scott wasn't listening.
"Uh, yes, Scott." Storm concluded, "Jubilee is right."
"Right about what?" He suddenly tuned away from the script and followed their gazes.
Then he jumped. He dropped the script and closed his robe tightly.
"Don't you sleep in anything else?" Jubilee asked.
"Yes!" He hissed. "I slept in something more last night."
"Ahh." Jubilee understood. "Then I guess we should say nice things about the author instead of raving like lunatics, hunh Scott?" She was smiling, and it was slightly forced.
Scott considered this. She was right. They couldn't stop the sunrise. But maybe they could find a shady spot somewhere.
"You're right." He grasped several times for the belt of his robe only to find it missing. So he held it closed by hand and trekked to the computer. "I think it's time for a review." Scott said with some finality while Storm and Jubilee exchanged some worried glances.
Remy dropped down to the bottom of the trench and looked at his friend. Both were covering their ears and smiling profusely.
The explosion was spectacular.
It echoed through the caverns below with such force that it shook the ground and vibrated any part of you that touched the earth.
Inside the caverns you could hear level after level of the underground complex as it fell in on itself.
And then the flames came in shades of orange, purple and red. They shot up the escape tunnels with a roar like that of water and they spit themselves across the night sky in all directions. Including across the top of the trench our hero's were hiding in.
A moment later, when the flames receded, both sat up. They were smoldering and covered in a layer of soot and ash that had swept in to the trench.
"Marie, she is a gonn-a kill Gambit." Remy told Scott.
"Why?" Scott knew that Rogue knew where they were, what they were doing. How could Remy be in trouble for this?
"I don tol her I quit smokin' for new years!" Gambit splashed a handful of ash at his friend's face.
Scott shook his head at the horrible joke and helped his team mate to his feet.
"You know I'm going to miss you G." Scott told him. "But you're the best man for the job."
"I hope so. 'ome time's Gambit get to wondering." He looked Scott right in the eye. "So you tells me once, so's I's can believe's it." He fixed his stare right in Scott's ruby quartz lenses and focused on the eyes behind them. "Am I ready to lead a team?"
"Gambit." He took him by the shoulders "Remy. The Gold team is lucky to get you. And yes, you deserve it more than Storm. And she's good with it Remy. She's seen what we've all seen since you became a father. What I saw in you when I recommended that Xavier promote you. That you're ready, capable and dedicated."
Then Scott smiled "I can't lie any better than that." He broke in to a wicked grin.
"You can' lie at all Summers." Gambit grinned back.
"You tink we don 'ere now?" Gambit looked at the smoking ruins of Mr. Sinister's last laboratory.
"Looks pretty blown up to me." Scott decided. "You know, with Sinister in custody now, I didn't really realize how much stress I was under."
"Till it was gone hunh?" Gambit smiled. "I just glad you didn't keep he all to you self. I can see where dis all might have been personal."
"Always room for a friend." Scott smiled. "But really, I think you hate him more than I do. Although I cant seem to guess why."
"Gambit don know either. Not really. Somtin' about that man jus' don sit right with Gambit." He nodded, feeling the discomfort but not knowing it's cause.
"So how old is André going to be when Rogue delivers again?" Scott hadn't done the math.
"Almos' three." He smirked "Gives Gambit six month's to go underground and disappear."
"You're horrible LeBeau!"
Gambit laughed at him.
"You know, I'm going to ask Jean to marry me." Scott was smiling slyly.
"No? For real?" Gambit was astonished. "Wen dis happen?"
"I've been thinking about it." Scott smiled "You're the first one I've told."
"You can jus' relax now Slim, because 'Bachelor-Party-Gambit' has arrived!" He tore loose one of his most dashing smiles.
"Why did I suddenly fear for my relationship when you said that?" Scott joked.
"Jus' a-member dis, DENY AVERYTIN'!" Gambit made a wide gesture to include everything in his view. "See dat dere tree?"
"Yeah." Scott told him.
"No." He said quickly. "No you don!." He smiled. "You say 'What Tree?'"
"What tree?"
"Better." Gambit looked around as they walked. "Where we park the plane?"
"What Plane?"
Gambit shook his head. Scott Summers could really be a piece of work sometimes.
(Meanwhile back in the Mansion)
"What does he mean I can be a piece of work sometimes?" Scott sat bolt upright and looked to Storm and then Jubilee. Both were engrossed in studying the minute details of the floor and avoiding his gaze. "Oh, man." Scott realized. "I am a piece of work sometimes." He put his head down on the script in front of him.
"It's not so bad Scott." Storm began rubbing his shoulders in apology for having agreed in the first place.
"Sure. He used the word 'work' instead of what he was really thinking." Jubilee quipped from a safe distance. Scott just fell forward in mock exhaustion and let out a labored sigh.
Just then Scott noticed more words forming along the script.
"And Xavier wheels in to the room!" Scott read aloud as he turned toward the door.
Sure enough there was Xavier. But something about him was a little off. Scott seemed not to notice.
"Scott." Xavier prompted "What's happening?"
"I think that the universe is unraveling sir." Scott began. "It's Gambit. He's contacted an author an now they've teamed up to rewrite our history."
"I see." The Professor seemed unconcerned and uninterested.
"Don't you think you should contact the others sir?" Scott began to notice that something was off about Xavier. His head seemed to float side to side and his features seemed rounded and cartoonish.
"Oh, no." Xavier sighed. "I can't. I'm just a balloon." And he pulled a pin out of his pocket and popped himself with a terrible BANG!
Scott whirled on the script as more words were appearing.
"And the Author laughed and laughed and laughed."
"He's." Scott searched for the right word "TOYING with me!" He had grabbed up the script with both hands and began yelling at it. "You won't get away with this. We have lawyers you know!"
But the script didn't seem to be listening.
"Oh, oh, did you see that?" Cyclops asked Storm and Jubilee "But the script didn't seem to be listening." He read mockingly aloud off the newly formed words.
"Uh, Scott?" Jubilee spoke and tried not to stare.
But Scott wasn't listening.
"Uh, yes, Scott." Storm concluded, "Jubilee is right."
"Right about what?" He suddenly tuned away from the script and followed their gazes.
Then he jumped. He dropped the script and closed his robe tightly.
"Don't you sleep in anything else?" Jubilee asked.
"Yes!" He hissed. "I slept in something more last night."
"Ahh." Jubilee understood. "Then I guess we should say nice things about the author instead of raving like lunatics, hunh Scott?" She was smiling, and it was slightly forced.
Scott considered this. She was right. They couldn't stop the sunrise. But maybe they could find a shady spot somewhere.
"You're right." He grasped several times for the belt of his robe only to find it missing. So he held it closed by hand and trekked to the computer. "I think it's time for a review." Scott said with some finality while Storm and Jubilee exchanged some worried glances.