Government Intervention

Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the Marvel, I'm not making any money.

Warning: This part includes spoilers for "Ultimate War" #3.

Part 5/6

Logan paused, his nostrils flaring. "Hold up 'Ro," he said.

The white haired weather witch glanced around the street fearfully, half expecting hostile government agents to come boiling out of the pavement at any moment.

A surprised and concerned frown etched into his face, Logan turned into an alley. Ororo stuck close to him, even when he pulled up a manhole cover and dropped into the murky tunnel beneath the street.

Several meters from the manhole, Logan turned a corner leading into a small alcove. Ororo squeaked in alarm at the sound of movement and the sight of two glowing red eyes.

An eerie glow pushed back the gloom, outlining a familiar form.

"Easy Remy, it's just us," Logan said, his voice low and soothing.

Remy blinked and squinted like a newborn trying to focus. The boy was huddled in a corner, dressed in muddy, torn hospital scrubs. His feet were bare and he was shaking.

"Logan?" he asked disbelievingly then laughed. Storm shivered at the edge of hysteria and shock in his voice. After a few moments his laughter dissolved into hiccups.

Being careful not to make any sudden moves Logan approached the boy. Uncertain of what to expect, gritting his teeth slightly, he reached through the glowing nimbus surrounding Remy and put a reassuring hand on the boy's arm. A few ragged fragments of Remy's power ran up his arm, singing hair and heating skin but doing no real damage. Then Remy pulled his power back in and the glow that had lit the tunnel disappeared.

"That's a good boy," Logan said. "Are ya hurt?"

Remy shook his head.

"Can ya walk?"

"Oui, I t'ink."

"That's good, we'll get ya to the safe house, get some dry clothes, ya can sleep, you'll be good as new 'fore ya know it," Logan promised.

Remy staggered slightly as the older man pulled him to his feet. Logan pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder giving him some support.

Storm moved ahead of the pair, her eyes darting about as she scanned their surrounding for danger. "Did they, did anyone follow you?" she asked.

"Non..." Remy's voice drifted off with his thoughts until Logan tugged him forward. "Made dem not want dis boy... easy to 'scape dat way," he finished.

He moved tentatively as if walking through a thick fog, uncertain that the ground would be there when his foot came down.

Painstakingly, the trio made their way back to Xavier's safe house.

"Did you get the sniffers this time?" Hank asked without looking up.

"Give up the attitude Henry," Ororo snapped tossing a bag at him. "We've got bigger problems."

"Remy?" Hank exclaimed recognizing the boy stumbling beside Logan. "What's he doing here?"

"Save the twenty questions for later," Logan said. "Chuck, time for yer channeling a medic thing!"

"Oh my," Xavier exclaimed. "Between events at the Hellfire club and Magneto's return, Remy's anticipated arrival slipped my mind."

"Well ain't that just dandy," Logan growled. "I think there's something wrong with his eyes."

Remy's wandering gaze paused on the Blackbird curiously. "Dat'd make a nice boom," he commented cocking his head to the side.

"I'd rather you didn't," Xavier replied calmly. "Logan says you're having a difficult time seeing?"

"Non, oui. Seeing de energy, de potential real bon. Not seeing de surface too good dough," Remy explained. "Not 'less I t'ink real hard 'bout it."

****** ****** ******

Jean-Luc strode into the Triskelion a manila folder in his hand. "Tell your boss I got his ransom price here."

The receptionist stared at him blankly.

" 'Llow me to translate," Jean-Luc sighed. "Call Nick Fury, tell him Jean-Luc Lebeau be here wid information he be interested in wid regards to de mutant situation an' I want to seem 'M nephew in exchange. Dat bettah chere?"

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked. "If not I think there are more appropriate channels to go through. General Fury is a very busy person."

One of the security guards standing at the lobby door recognized Jean-Luc from his earlier meeting. "Call," she told the receptionist.

Ten minutes later Jean-Luc was escorted upstairs.

"I'm glad you decided to be reasonable," Fury said accepting the folder. He glanced through it. "This is nice but it's not what I asked for."

"It's information 'bout five of Magneto's cells, mais a summary of it," Jean-Luc replied. "He's de one yo' should be fightin' anyway."

"We already took out three of these," Fury said with a shrug.

"The details on de other two be wort' one teenager," Jean-Luc replied. "We both know dis be true. So why waste m' time?"

"I've got other sources on Magneto. What I need is a lead on Xavier," Fury said. "I think this particular teenager is worth that to you."

"I won' argue dat," Jean-Luc admitted. "Mais yo' get rein else from me 'til I see Remy."

"Doesn't work that way."

"Did yo' kill him?" Jean-Luc asked quietly. " 'Cause dat be de conclusion I be forced to work under 'less yo' show him to me."

"I swear we haven't hurt the boy," Fury stated firmly as the lights flickered.

A man announced: "Whoops. Sorry about that, people. Some kind of glitch with the generator going on. We've switched over to backup while we figure out what happened," over the intercom.

A moment later the lights were gone again, this time they didn't come back. Jean-Luc and Fury exchanged a glance and moved away from the doors and windows taking up a defensive stance along with the security guards who'd accompanied Jean-Luc to the General's office.

When the sound of machine gun fire echoed through the halls, along with reports that Magneto was the building, Fury drew a pistol and tossed Jean-Luc a second one. "I'm not going to stop you from defending yourself against him," he explained.

The thief quickly checked the weapon over, priming it to fire.

After what seemed like an eternity the building's generator came back up, quickly followed by a number of urgent reports. The head of the security guards turned to Fury, "General, Quicksilver is down and.." he glanced at Jean-Luc and trailed off.

Jean-Luc coolly aimed his pistol at Fury; in a second the guards had him in a Mexican standoff. "They won' be fast enough," Jean-Luc said. "Yo' say Remy ain't hurt, mais yo' won' prove it. Why should I believe yo'?"

"I'm telling the truth. You shoot me, they'll shoot you and the kid will get shipped off with the next lot of terrorist to rot in prison for the rest of his life," Fury said. "Co-operate and everything works out fine for both of us."

"Magneto jus' waltzed into your headquarters, did whatevah it was he came to do and left easy as yo' please, an' yo're still worried 'bout de X-Men," Jean-Luc said shaking his head at the insanity of the situation, as he surrendered the pistol. "I've placed people inside his Brotherhood, he's collectin' every mutant he can get his hands on. I'll give yo' everyt'ing I get on him, all I want is Remy."

"No deal," Fury said, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Den we got rien to discuss," Jean-Luc said.

The guards looked to Fury for instructions. "Let him go," he said.

****** ****** ******

Remy blinked slowly then stretched, luxuriating in the feeling of waking up somewhere safe for the time since arriving in New York. The ceiling above him was off white and the air was clear, rather than both of them being a glittering tapestry of greater and lesser potential energy with brighter swirls of emotion moving through it.

"Hey kid, you a little more together today?" Logan asked standing in the door. His voice was subdued and his posture reluctant.

"Oui, feelin' much bettah. M' eyes are workin' right 'gain," Remy said. "It be easier to charge t'ings when I can see what I be doin' an' what I have to work wid. Mais I'd rather see normal."

"That's good," Logan sighed. "There's something I gotta talk to you about. Cyclops is dead."

For a moment Remy just stared. "Non, yo're lyin'."

"Remy," Logan said.

"Yo' don' feel anyt'ing! How can he be dead an' yo' not care?" Remy insisted.

"I've seen a lot of people die. I know you saw him as a big brother and... I'm sorry Remy, I would have saved him if I could."

"Non!" Remy cried. "Yo' should be angry!"

"At who?"

"Whoevah's to blame!"

"Remy, a mountain fell on him," Logan said. "There ain't no one to be mad at."

"Yo' didn' save him," Remy exclaimed. "Yo' should feel worse."

"Kid, I've been around the block too many times to torture myself 'bout things I can't control, people die everyday."

"Dis ain't people! Dis is Scott we be talkin' 'bout!" Remy yelled.

"I'm sorry you're hurtin'," Logan repeated. "But you can't expect me to feel the same. Cyclops and I weren't friends."

"Go 'way," Remy whispered closing his eyes and curling up on the bed.

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