Smooth Criminal
By
Meeyr
Chapter 3
Anything with *'s means telepathic talk, just thought you should know
BAM! BAM! BAM! Wake up and let me in Remy, you're going to be late!
Remy's eyes shot open as his dreams and sleep faded into acute awareness. He hastily looked over to the other side of the bed only to find it remarkably empty. Girl must already left, Remy thought, though he was immediately confused about how what's-her-name had left his apartment so silently that he hadn't noticed. Apparently she had also locked his door on her way out, but this only added to his confusion since the door only had a deadbolt lock. As he expelled this minor mystery from his thoughts, Remy put on some boxers, a tank top and then headed to the door to greet the individual responsible for his courteous wake up call.
"If ya wanted ta profess your love for moi Birdy, ya sure picked a poor time ta do it," Remy said with a grin as he opened the door with a sweep of his arm to allow the stunning blonde into his home. She was around 5'9"with long golden hair tied back in a pony tail and a spectacular figure that was only accented by a mid-thigh black skirt and a rather tight red button-up shirt, both of which were partially covered by an ankle length leather jacket. If it were any other woman, Remy knew that he would pull out all the stops to get her for a night, but Birdy was almost as dangerous as she was beautiful and also Victor Creed's personal assistant. This, of course, and Remy's tremendous respect for Birdy made her off limits and safe from his charm.
"Oh yes Remy, I desperately love you. Take me right now." Birdy laughed as she threw her arms around his neck and ruffled his mangy hair. "On second thought, how about you get your less-then charming ass in the shower right now before we are both late and Mister Creed personally disembowels us."
"You know Birdy, you have been working for Victor about 4 years now, I'm sure you have earned the right to call him by his first name."
"I guess I could do that Remy, but, unlike you, some of us are professionals when it comes to both our jobs and employers. Mister Creed has never given me permission to address him so casually and so I don't. I really fail to understand why I have to go over this every time we talk," Birdy said as she sat at the kitchen counter, resting a briefcase in front of her and her ankle length leather jacket on the stool beside her. "But enough of that, I told you to get in the shower, now hurry up because the meeting's at 12:00 and it's already 10:00."
"Yeah, yeah, I read ya loud'n clear chere," Remy mumbled as he went into the bathroom.
20 minutes later Remy reluctantly exited the shower and dried himself off, though only after Birdy had crept in and flushed the toilet to motivate him. After this, Remy went to his bedroom, got dressed, putting on a faded pair of loose jeans and a plain white t-shirt and then headed to the kitchen where his morning coffee and cigarette waited, courtesy of his lovely guest. "So what's so important Birdy dat Remy be receivin' your lovely presence dis mornin'?" Remy asked as he leaned on the counter across from Birdy and took a sip of his coffee.
"Mister Creed suspected that you would have a long night so he instructed me to come over personally to wake you up and get you prepared for today's meeting. I will assume from your apparent laziness that Mister Creed was correct in his assessment and your evening was a successful one," Birdy said rhetorically. She then opened up her briefcase and pulled out three manila folders, which she handed to him, one being the exact folder Remy procured last night. "Actually, lets not talk about that yet, business first. That first folder is the updated file on the x-men, complete with additions from the information you acquired last night as well as the pictures you requested. The second is your instructions from your father, which Mister Creed brought over last night. Mister Creed thought it would be best if he just gave them to me so that you would actually go over them. The third is, of course, the files that you were hired to get, slightly altered as decided by your father."
Remy, now in business mode, leafed quickly through the x-men files mainly as a formality. He would study the pictures later when he had time. "How is the old man doing anyway?" Remy asked absently as he prepared to open his instructions.
"He's still sick, though it comes and goes as usual. Thankfully the virus hasn't spread or become transmittable which would make things much worse. Unfortunately I think that Mister Essex is worried that he is running out of time because he was very adamant that you read his instructions immediately."
A worried frown creased Remy's brow as he proceeded to read his instructions.
Remy,
As you have known for a while, I am very ill and it seems that everything in my immediate power is useless to cure me. I have, however, discovered some new information that might allow me to finally cure myself though there is a cost. I have entered into an agreement with a mutant named the Shadow King, which is why I had you acquire the files from the Xavier institution. The Shadow King is a bodiless psionic entity that resides almost entirely in the astral plane and has tremendous telepathic powers. From what I have gathered, it seems that he used to have his own body; but Charles Xavier, the owner of the Xavier Institution, destroyed it many years ago, therefore forcing the Shadow King to take host bodies in order to exist on our plane of existence. Unfortunately for him, the Shadow King apparently loses a portion of his strength every time he takes a new host. With his powers draining, the Shadow King now has found an alpha-class mutant host and apparently wants to destroy Xavier while he sill has enough power to do so. This is why he wants information about Xavier and his school, or so he says. In exchange for this information, the Shadow King has agreed to give me some of his hosts infected mutant DNA. With this contaminated DNA, I might be able to figure out his mutant sequence and alter my own enough to transfer out of this failing body and into another.
Remy, I can't stress enough that you should in no way trust the Shadow King. I have a strange feeling that he may have left out some details of his plans because individuals such as he are not merely satisfied with revenge. If you stumble upon any further information of his plans, contact me immediately and be prepared to take all necessary actions needed to prevent him from succeeding in his objective. I have asked Birdy to accompany both you and Victor, to help prevent the Shadow King from taking either of you as a host even though that was a stipulation in our agreement. I realize that you have exceptionally strong mental defenses, but know that the Shadow King is tremendously powerful. But, for the time being, accommodate his requests, as you will be under his command. Remember, you are to gain his trust while working for him so that we can deduce what his true plans are.
-Essex.
Without another glance at the letter Remy grabbed the lighter resting on the kitchen and reduced the letter to ashes. Still lost in thought, Remy put the other folders into the briefcase, closed it and moved to the door with only a "let's go Birdy" and a determined expression as a glimpse into his thoughts.
#
~"Gambit don remember any of da oompa loompas of Charlie and the Chocolate bein' dis vicious. You musta been a reject, eh homme," Logan heard as he stalked the thief called Gambit. Charging, Logan ducked under the kid's staff and delivered a fatal blow towards the thief's chest. Damn this kid is fast, thought Logan as his claws just grazed his opponent's chest. Logan tracked the kid's spin behind him with his turned head to see him reach for something in his pocket and in a last desperate move Logan threw a backhanded slash towards the Cajun's head. As he saw the thief duck under his desperate attack, all Logan could think was "I'm fucked" and then darkness took him. ~
Logan burst into an upright position and instinctively swung his head around in panic only to groan at the severe pain that spread through his body. As his mind finally caught up with the rest him, Logan settled down and looked over his body. With his bed sheet now clumped at his waist, Logan could see the faint remnants of a whole in his upper abdomen as well as nearly healed burns that covered the rest of his chest. Kid musta really brought the wood if I'm still healin', thought Logan. The mere thought of that damn punk pissed Logan off to no end. He always proclaimed himself the "best at what he did" and to have some kid kick his ass severely injured Logan's great pride.
"You are so much like a hero in a Greek tragedy my friend," said Professor Charles Xavier with a smile as he wheeled himself into the room, "you hubris is your only flaw. Thankfully for myself and the x-men, your pride was not fatal this time."
"Well Chuck, I don't think my ass can get any closer to fatal than it was. But, for god's sake, save the education lesson for yur students. My head hurts too much as it is without you tryin to make me think," Logan grinned back. He had always respected Xavier and while this dream of his wasn't Logan's exact cup o tea, it was his respect for Chuck that made him come back. "So, did you guys figure out the identity and catch the punk that roughed me up last night?"
"No, to this point we have been concerned solely with your health. I deemed that the investigation could wait until you were able to give your account of the attack to couple with our surveillance tapes. If you feel up to it, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the war room where we can evaluate the situation. The whole team is almost there with a few exceptions and lunch will be included with your presence.
At the mention of food, Logan's stomach grumbled loudly and he decided that he would head down with Xavier. "So what's new around here Chuck?" Logan asked abruptly.
"Well since your sabbatical, we have increased our roster considerably. The new additions that will be present are Dr. Henry McCoy, named Beast, Samuel Guthrie, named Cannonball, and Jubilation Lee or Jubilee. They are all waiting for us, as well as Marie who has joined our ranks. Yes before you ask, she is well and was by your side as long as we let her. We have two other team members who haven't arrived yet and they are Katherine Pryde, named Shadowcat and Robert Drake, called Iceman. Robert was a student here when you left; you might remember him when you see him. Well here we are," said Xavier as they came to a shiny door that suddenly slid open.
As Logan walked into the room, he was suddenly bombarded with a huge hug from Marie.
"Logan, I missed you so much," said a glowing Marie as she released her crushing hug. "It's great to have you back."
These sentiments were echoed in various degrees by the other x-men who had been around before he left. Logan surveyed the room to see Jean, Scott, and Ororo of course as well as a short stocky guy that had the build of a gorilla and wore glasses, a tall blonde kid with goggles that rested on a head full of spiked hair and a small Asian girl with a bright yellow jacket that gave him a sweet smile and a not-so-sweet wink. Also present was Marie who Logan immediately noticed had grown remarkably in his absence. Sitting himself beside Marie, Logan took a bite of the food in front of him and asked," when do we start?"
"We will start now if that is all right with everyone. I would have preferred to wait for Bobby and Katherine, but apparently they have been delayed," Xavier stated looking around the table. "I want to first examine the surveillance tapes and then we can proceed with your account Logan. Oh, it seems Katherine has just arrived, Jubilation would you go upstairs and bring her down here. Be sure to fill her in on recent events as well, so that she is abreast of the situation. Thank you."
#
Katherine Pryde was so embarrassed that she was late that her cheeks had taken on a rose color. It didn't help that her reason was due to an all night encounter with a guy. She flushed even deeper when her friend Jubilee asked her why she was so flushed. Since she knew that Jubilee would not stop hounding her until she told her, Kitty quickly revealed her little secret to her friend as well as most of the details.
"Long auburn hair, devilish smile, tight body and great in bed. Oh my god Kitty, since when did you become such a player?" grinned Jubilee.
"It's not like that Jubes, he was just so hot that I had to have him. Hell, even I have trouble believing what I did. I was so embarrassed this morning that I left before he could wake up. God I feel like such a slut."
"Hey now," Jubilee said as she escorted Kitty down the stairs," if this one one-night-stand makes you a slut, I'd hate to think of what I'm considered. Speaking of hot guys, you remember the stories we've heard about Logan from everybody. Well he's back and it seems our lovely teammates failed to mention that he is straight smokin'. Oh shit, I almost forgot to tell you the whole story. Apparently some dude broke into the mansion and Logan caught him in the act. Unfortunately Logan also caught an ass kickin that laid him up in the infirmary for the night. We just started investigating the whole thing right before you showed up.
Which is why you two need to stop socializing and hurry up, Xavier said to them telepathically with more than a bit of impatience.
"I've changed my mind slightly and would actually like to hear your version of the story first Logan instead of showing you all the surveillance tapes," Xavier said as Kitty and Jubilee took their seats.
"Ok, here goes. So I got to the mansion last night and decided to surprise everybody with bein back and all. But when I walked through the door, I caught a whiff of a scent that I had never smelled before. At first I thought nothing of it but then noticed that it was coming from your office Chuck. So, I burst in only to find some kid standing behind your desk with a folder in his hand."
"What did he look like?" interrupted Scott Summers. Being the guy he was, Scott had been up all night worrying about this mysterious break in and the young man who had done it. Thankfully, though he would never tell, Scott was extremely thankful that Logan had returned to disrupt the intruder. Well, maybe he was just happy to have old Logan back anyway, things had been getting rather dull lately.
"As I was sayin' one-eye, I found this kid standing behind Chuck's desk with his back toward me with a folder in his hand. Since it was dark, I couldn't really see what he looked like at first, other than he was about 6'2"ish and fairly skinny. I'll be honest, kid didn't look like much, and I thought he'd piss his pants since I'd caught him," Logan said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Obviously I was wrong, which I painfully found out when I told the punk to turn around and he did something to an object that he had hidden up his sleeve and threw it at me. Whatever it was, thought I think it was a playing card, blew up when it hit me, kinda like a bomb. We then got into it, with him getting the best of me in the end. I'll spare ya the little details."
"Actually, I would like to hear a bit more about him kicking the shit out of you, if you don't mind," smiled Scott. If it wasn't for the fact that this kid had broke into the mansion Scott could really enjoy this moment. It wasn't everyday that he got to hear about how Logan got his ass beat by a kid.
"Unfortunately we don't have time for a full account Scott," Jean Grey said with a look of disapproval towards her boyfriend, "so if you could just give us the important details Logan, we can move on to the video camera footage."
"Thanks Jeannie," Logan said as he shot her a grin before he started again. "Guess I'll start with the norm. Kid called himself Gambit, talked with a southern accent, some gutter French, and sometimes in the third person, which was fairly fuckin' annoyin'. Was, like I said earlier, 'bout 6'2", long auburn hair, and skinny but muscular. You know what I mean. Kid also had some weird eyes. They were all black with red irises that glowed, and shocked the shit out of me when I first saw him. As for his abilities, the kid can fight, plain and simple, even without his powers. He mainly uses a bo staff, but probably can fight hand to hand as well. With his powers, he is extremely dangerous but not unbeatable by any means. Basically, if I would've kept my head like a professional, I would have introduced him into a world of pain. As for his powers, this Gambit does somethin' to objects that make them glow and then explode. He can see in the dark like a fuckin' cat, probably thanks to his eyes, and is very agile which also might be a part of his powers. In short, he is a trained fighter and a very good thief who is dangerous and has an interest in the school. He also seemed to know who I was and what my powers were while also implying that he knew about the team. What I want to know, Chuck, is what did he steal?" Logan finished with a look towards Xavier.
Charles had not wanted to say anything about this yet, but since Logan had forced his hand he did. "Ever since I decided to start this school, I have kept notes on mutants I meet, their powers, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. I named these files the Xavier Protocols and this information was hidden in my office. This Gambit has stolen these files and therefore either he or an employer now knows all of your strengths and how to defeat each of you individually."
Charles's words were met with shocked expressions on each and every face in the war room. He could tell that they all now knew the importance of catching this thief as quickly as possible. If this information got out, the government, evil mutants, anybody could be extremely dangerous to the x- men.
"Maybe we should look at those video tapes Professor," said a now composed Ororo Munroe, which broke the heavy silence in the room.
This thought was echoed around the room, and the Professor put in the video.
"I took a look at this last night in order to find the area's that would be useful. As Logan has stated, Gambit is apparently a very good thief and didn't leave much video footage to work with. One aspect that Logan failed to address is that this thief is very cocky and so, left us a little message from my office which I will play."
The lights in the war room dimmed as the television switched from static to picture. All that was visible was the hallway upstairs, with apparently nobody in it. As the camera panned across the room, there was no sound, just the shadows that came with the darkness. This static environment continued for a while until two red circles shined from the shadows by the stairs. They traveled quickly from the view of the camera soon invisible again. Still no sounds, or any others signs that there was an intruder until a shadow moved from its cover and raced to the doorway of Xavier's office. The now visible Gambit had his back to the camera and was pressing his ear up to the door, apparently listening for any sounds. The video showed the thief visibly relax, pick the door's lock and enter Xavier's office with a brief wave at the camera. The video then switched to the interior view of Xavier's office, panning slowly away from the door and just missing a clear shot of the intruder. Then as the camera panned back across the room, Gambit was gone, apparently nowhere to be found. The camera panned across the room again and again for a minute without giving a clue to the thief's whereabouts. Suddenly, Gambit's face appeared right in front of the camera shaking a finger back and forth. "Uh uh, non peakin'" the he said with a grin right before the picture flashed out.
Kitty was tired. While the rest of the x-men viewed the video, she had rested her head on her arms and tried to relax. She knew that she should feel guilty about not paying attention, but what would she see on a video that all the rest of the x-men wouldn't. Then, just as she closed her eyes she heard a deep sexy voice that was all to familiar to her and her head shot up in a panic while she said the only that could come to her mind, "Holy Shit!"
Everyone's head in the war room swiveled towards Kitty as she sat in shock, staring at the picture that was now frozen on the monitor.
"Something to add Katherine," Xavier said rather impatiently. He had noticed her dozing off as the video was playing, and this coupled with the fact that she interrupted their viewing had begun to try his patience. Professor Charles Xavier was in no way prepared for what she said next.
"Yes Professor, I know who he is!"
The room was silent.
Disclaimer: Nothing in this story is mine, so don't sue me.
Author's Notes:
Wow, has it been a long time since I updated this. I know that this isn't exactly the size of update that many of you wanted, but I am only one man and I still have writers block. Three months of trying to put out a new chapter and this is all I can come up with. I mean I know where I want it to go, but it is so hard to get there. Summertime is here and that kicks ass. I am moving into a new place that actually has the internet, so look for more updates in the near future. Oh yeah, I saw X-men 2 which I thought was well done. Brian Signer kicks ass so it's not like it is that surprising though with the new movie out I kinda feel dumb about making this a sequel to the first one. I've thought about changing the beginning to fit better but who knows.I will at least notify you all if I do. Thanks to everybody that has reviewed, your reviews have made this chapter possible by forcing me to write even when I had no idea what to say. I haven't received any suggestions on improving the story and I that it isn't perfect, so don't be shy. I am a big kid that can take a little constructive criticism. Once again, I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter and remember that you still have a preview to the next chapter. Late.
Chapter 3
Anything with *'s means telepathic talk, just thought you should know
BAM! BAM! BAM! Wake up and let me in Remy, you're going to be late!
Remy's eyes shot open as his dreams and sleep faded into acute awareness. He hastily looked over to the other side of the bed only to find it remarkably empty. Girl must already left, Remy thought, though he was immediately confused about how what's-her-name had left his apartment so silently that he hadn't noticed. Apparently she had also locked his door on her way out, but this only added to his confusion since the door only had a deadbolt lock. As he expelled this minor mystery from his thoughts, Remy put on some boxers, a tank top and then headed to the door to greet the individual responsible for his courteous wake up call.
"If ya wanted ta profess your love for moi Birdy, ya sure picked a poor time ta do it," Remy said with a grin as he opened the door with a sweep of his arm to allow the stunning blonde into his home. She was around 5'9"with long golden hair tied back in a pony tail and a spectacular figure that was only accented by a mid-thigh black skirt and a rather tight red button-up shirt, both of which were partially covered by an ankle length leather jacket. If it were any other woman, Remy knew that he would pull out all the stops to get her for a night, but Birdy was almost as dangerous as she was beautiful and also Victor Creed's personal assistant. This, of course, and Remy's tremendous respect for Birdy made her off limits and safe from his charm.
"Oh yes Remy, I desperately love you. Take me right now." Birdy laughed as she threw her arms around his neck and ruffled his mangy hair. "On second thought, how about you get your less-then charming ass in the shower right now before we are both late and Mister Creed personally disembowels us."
"You know Birdy, you have been working for Victor about 4 years now, I'm sure you have earned the right to call him by his first name."
"I guess I could do that Remy, but, unlike you, some of us are professionals when it comes to both our jobs and employers. Mister Creed has never given me permission to address him so casually and so I don't. I really fail to understand why I have to go over this every time we talk," Birdy said as she sat at the kitchen counter, resting a briefcase in front of her and her ankle length leather jacket on the stool beside her. "But enough of that, I told you to get in the shower, now hurry up because the meeting's at 12:00 and it's already 10:00."
"Yeah, yeah, I read ya loud'n clear chere," Remy mumbled as he went into the bathroom.
20 minutes later Remy reluctantly exited the shower and dried himself off, though only after Birdy had crept in and flushed the toilet to motivate him. After this, Remy went to his bedroom, got dressed, putting on a faded pair of loose jeans and a plain white t-shirt and then headed to the kitchen where his morning coffee and cigarette waited, courtesy of his lovely guest. "So what's so important Birdy dat Remy be receivin' your lovely presence dis mornin'?" Remy asked as he leaned on the counter across from Birdy and took a sip of his coffee.
"Mister Creed suspected that you would have a long night so he instructed me to come over personally to wake you up and get you prepared for today's meeting. I will assume from your apparent laziness that Mister Creed was correct in his assessment and your evening was a successful one," Birdy said rhetorically. She then opened up her briefcase and pulled out three manila folders, which she handed to him, one being the exact folder Remy procured last night. "Actually, lets not talk about that yet, business first. That first folder is the updated file on the x-men, complete with additions from the information you acquired last night as well as the pictures you requested. The second is your instructions from your father, which Mister Creed brought over last night. Mister Creed thought it would be best if he just gave them to me so that you would actually go over them. The third is, of course, the files that you were hired to get, slightly altered as decided by your father."
Remy, now in business mode, leafed quickly through the x-men files mainly as a formality. He would study the pictures later when he had time. "How is the old man doing anyway?" Remy asked absently as he prepared to open his instructions.
"He's still sick, though it comes and goes as usual. Thankfully the virus hasn't spread or become transmittable which would make things much worse. Unfortunately I think that Mister Essex is worried that he is running out of time because he was very adamant that you read his instructions immediately."
A worried frown creased Remy's brow as he proceeded to read his instructions.
Remy,
As you have known for a while, I am very ill and it seems that everything in my immediate power is useless to cure me. I have, however, discovered some new information that might allow me to finally cure myself though there is a cost. I have entered into an agreement with a mutant named the Shadow King, which is why I had you acquire the files from the Xavier institution. The Shadow King is a bodiless psionic entity that resides almost entirely in the astral plane and has tremendous telepathic powers. From what I have gathered, it seems that he used to have his own body; but Charles Xavier, the owner of the Xavier Institution, destroyed it many years ago, therefore forcing the Shadow King to take host bodies in order to exist on our plane of existence. Unfortunately for him, the Shadow King apparently loses a portion of his strength every time he takes a new host. With his powers draining, the Shadow King now has found an alpha-class mutant host and apparently wants to destroy Xavier while he sill has enough power to do so. This is why he wants information about Xavier and his school, or so he says. In exchange for this information, the Shadow King has agreed to give me some of his hosts infected mutant DNA. With this contaminated DNA, I might be able to figure out his mutant sequence and alter my own enough to transfer out of this failing body and into another.
Remy, I can't stress enough that you should in no way trust the Shadow King. I have a strange feeling that he may have left out some details of his plans because individuals such as he are not merely satisfied with revenge. If you stumble upon any further information of his plans, contact me immediately and be prepared to take all necessary actions needed to prevent him from succeeding in his objective. I have asked Birdy to accompany both you and Victor, to help prevent the Shadow King from taking either of you as a host even though that was a stipulation in our agreement. I realize that you have exceptionally strong mental defenses, but know that the Shadow King is tremendously powerful. But, for the time being, accommodate his requests, as you will be under his command. Remember, you are to gain his trust while working for him so that we can deduce what his true plans are.
-Essex.
Without another glance at the letter Remy grabbed the lighter resting on the kitchen and reduced the letter to ashes. Still lost in thought, Remy put the other folders into the briefcase, closed it and moved to the door with only a "let's go Birdy" and a determined expression as a glimpse into his thoughts.
#
~"Gambit don remember any of da oompa loompas of Charlie and the Chocolate bein' dis vicious. You musta been a reject, eh homme," Logan heard as he stalked the thief called Gambit. Charging, Logan ducked under the kid's staff and delivered a fatal blow towards the thief's chest. Damn this kid is fast, thought Logan as his claws just grazed his opponent's chest. Logan tracked the kid's spin behind him with his turned head to see him reach for something in his pocket and in a last desperate move Logan threw a backhanded slash towards the Cajun's head. As he saw the thief duck under his desperate attack, all Logan could think was "I'm fucked" and then darkness took him. ~
Logan burst into an upright position and instinctively swung his head around in panic only to groan at the severe pain that spread through his body. As his mind finally caught up with the rest him, Logan settled down and looked over his body. With his bed sheet now clumped at his waist, Logan could see the faint remnants of a whole in his upper abdomen as well as nearly healed burns that covered the rest of his chest. Kid musta really brought the wood if I'm still healin', thought Logan. The mere thought of that damn punk pissed Logan off to no end. He always proclaimed himself the "best at what he did" and to have some kid kick his ass severely injured Logan's great pride.
"You are so much like a hero in a Greek tragedy my friend," said Professor Charles Xavier with a smile as he wheeled himself into the room, "you hubris is your only flaw. Thankfully for myself and the x-men, your pride was not fatal this time."
"Well Chuck, I don't think my ass can get any closer to fatal than it was. But, for god's sake, save the education lesson for yur students. My head hurts too much as it is without you tryin to make me think," Logan grinned back. He had always respected Xavier and while this dream of his wasn't Logan's exact cup o tea, it was his respect for Chuck that made him come back. "So, did you guys figure out the identity and catch the punk that roughed me up last night?"
"No, to this point we have been concerned solely with your health. I deemed that the investigation could wait until you were able to give your account of the attack to couple with our surveillance tapes. If you feel up to it, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the war room where we can evaluate the situation. The whole team is almost there with a few exceptions and lunch will be included with your presence.
At the mention of food, Logan's stomach grumbled loudly and he decided that he would head down with Xavier. "So what's new around here Chuck?" Logan asked abruptly.
"Well since your sabbatical, we have increased our roster considerably. The new additions that will be present are Dr. Henry McCoy, named Beast, Samuel Guthrie, named Cannonball, and Jubilation Lee or Jubilee. They are all waiting for us, as well as Marie who has joined our ranks. Yes before you ask, she is well and was by your side as long as we let her. We have two other team members who haven't arrived yet and they are Katherine Pryde, named Shadowcat and Robert Drake, called Iceman. Robert was a student here when you left; you might remember him when you see him. Well here we are," said Xavier as they came to a shiny door that suddenly slid open.
As Logan walked into the room, he was suddenly bombarded with a huge hug from Marie.
"Logan, I missed you so much," said a glowing Marie as she released her crushing hug. "It's great to have you back."
These sentiments were echoed in various degrees by the other x-men who had been around before he left. Logan surveyed the room to see Jean, Scott, and Ororo of course as well as a short stocky guy that had the build of a gorilla and wore glasses, a tall blonde kid with goggles that rested on a head full of spiked hair and a small Asian girl with a bright yellow jacket that gave him a sweet smile and a not-so-sweet wink. Also present was Marie who Logan immediately noticed had grown remarkably in his absence. Sitting himself beside Marie, Logan took a bite of the food in front of him and asked," when do we start?"
"We will start now if that is all right with everyone. I would have preferred to wait for Bobby and Katherine, but apparently they have been delayed," Xavier stated looking around the table. "I want to first examine the surveillance tapes and then we can proceed with your account Logan. Oh, it seems Katherine has just arrived, Jubilation would you go upstairs and bring her down here. Be sure to fill her in on recent events as well, so that she is abreast of the situation. Thank you."
#
Katherine Pryde was so embarrassed that she was late that her cheeks had taken on a rose color. It didn't help that her reason was due to an all night encounter with a guy. She flushed even deeper when her friend Jubilee asked her why she was so flushed. Since she knew that Jubilee would not stop hounding her until she told her, Kitty quickly revealed her little secret to her friend as well as most of the details.
"Long auburn hair, devilish smile, tight body and great in bed. Oh my god Kitty, since when did you become such a player?" grinned Jubilee.
"It's not like that Jubes, he was just so hot that I had to have him. Hell, even I have trouble believing what I did. I was so embarrassed this morning that I left before he could wake up. God I feel like such a slut."
"Hey now," Jubilee said as she escorted Kitty down the stairs," if this one one-night-stand makes you a slut, I'd hate to think of what I'm considered. Speaking of hot guys, you remember the stories we've heard about Logan from everybody. Well he's back and it seems our lovely teammates failed to mention that he is straight smokin'. Oh shit, I almost forgot to tell you the whole story. Apparently some dude broke into the mansion and Logan caught him in the act. Unfortunately Logan also caught an ass kickin that laid him up in the infirmary for the night. We just started investigating the whole thing right before you showed up.
Which is why you two need to stop socializing and hurry up, Xavier said to them telepathically with more than a bit of impatience.
"I've changed my mind slightly and would actually like to hear your version of the story first Logan instead of showing you all the surveillance tapes," Xavier said as Kitty and Jubilee took their seats.
"Ok, here goes. So I got to the mansion last night and decided to surprise everybody with bein back and all. But when I walked through the door, I caught a whiff of a scent that I had never smelled before. At first I thought nothing of it but then noticed that it was coming from your office Chuck. So, I burst in only to find some kid standing behind your desk with a folder in his hand."
"What did he look like?" interrupted Scott Summers. Being the guy he was, Scott had been up all night worrying about this mysterious break in and the young man who had done it. Thankfully, though he would never tell, Scott was extremely thankful that Logan had returned to disrupt the intruder. Well, maybe he was just happy to have old Logan back anyway, things had been getting rather dull lately.
"As I was sayin' one-eye, I found this kid standing behind Chuck's desk with his back toward me with a folder in his hand. Since it was dark, I couldn't really see what he looked like at first, other than he was about 6'2"ish and fairly skinny. I'll be honest, kid didn't look like much, and I thought he'd piss his pants since I'd caught him," Logan said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Obviously I was wrong, which I painfully found out when I told the punk to turn around and he did something to an object that he had hidden up his sleeve and threw it at me. Whatever it was, thought I think it was a playing card, blew up when it hit me, kinda like a bomb. We then got into it, with him getting the best of me in the end. I'll spare ya the little details."
"Actually, I would like to hear a bit more about him kicking the shit out of you, if you don't mind," smiled Scott. If it wasn't for the fact that this kid had broke into the mansion Scott could really enjoy this moment. It wasn't everyday that he got to hear about how Logan got his ass beat by a kid.
"Unfortunately we don't have time for a full account Scott," Jean Grey said with a look of disapproval towards her boyfriend, "so if you could just give us the important details Logan, we can move on to the video camera footage."
"Thanks Jeannie," Logan said as he shot her a grin before he started again. "Guess I'll start with the norm. Kid called himself Gambit, talked with a southern accent, some gutter French, and sometimes in the third person, which was fairly fuckin' annoyin'. Was, like I said earlier, 'bout 6'2", long auburn hair, and skinny but muscular. You know what I mean. Kid also had some weird eyes. They were all black with red irises that glowed, and shocked the shit out of me when I first saw him. As for his abilities, the kid can fight, plain and simple, even without his powers. He mainly uses a bo staff, but probably can fight hand to hand as well. With his powers, he is extremely dangerous but not unbeatable by any means. Basically, if I would've kept my head like a professional, I would have introduced him into a world of pain. As for his powers, this Gambit does somethin' to objects that make them glow and then explode. He can see in the dark like a fuckin' cat, probably thanks to his eyes, and is very agile which also might be a part of his powers. In short, he is a trained fighter and a very good thief who is dangerous and has an interest in the school. He also seemed to know who I was and what my powers were while also implying that he knew about the team. What I want to know, Chuck, is what did he steal?" Logan finished with a look towards Xavier.
Charles had not wanted to say anything about this yet, but since Logan had forced his hand he did. "Ever since I decided to start this school, I have kept notes on mutants I meet, their powers, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. I named these files the Xavier Protocols and this information was hidden in my office. This Gambit has stolen these files and therefore either he or an employer now knows all of your strengths and how to defeat each of you individually."
Charles's words were met with shocked expressions on each and every face in the war room. He could tell that they all now knew the importance of catching this thief as quickly as possible. If this information got out, the government, evil mutants, anybody could be extremely dangerous to the x- men.
"Maybe we should look at those video tapes Professor," said a now composed Ororo Munroe, which broke the heavy silence in the room.
This thought was echoed around the room, and the Professor put in the video.
"I took a look at this last night in order to find the area's that would be useful. As Logan has stated, Gambit is apparently a very good thief and didn't leave much video footage to work with. One aspect that Logan failed to address is that this thief is very cocky and so, left us a little message from my office which I will play."
The lights in the war room dimmed as the television switched from static to picture. All that was visible was the hallway upstairs, with apparently nobody in it. As the camera panned across the room, there was no sound, just the shadows that came with the darkness. This static environment continued for a while until two red circles shined from the shadows by the stairs. They traveled quickly from the view of the camera soon invisible again. Still no sounds, or any others signs that there was an intruder until a shadow moved from its cover and raced to the doorway of Xavier's office. The now visible Gambit had his back to the camera and was pressing his ear up to the door, apparently listening for any sounds. The video showed the thief visibly relax, pick the door's lock and enter Xavier's office with a brief wave at the camera. The video then switched to the interior view of Xavier's office, panning slowly away from the door and just missing a clear shot of the intruder. Then as the camera panned back across the room, Gambit was gone, apparently nowhere to be found. The camera panned across the room again and again for a minute without giving a clue to the thief's whereabouts. Suddenly, Gambit's face appeared right in front of the camera shaking a finger back and forth. "Uh uh, non peakin'" the he said with a grin right before the picture flashed out.
Kitty was tired. While the rest of the x-men viewed the video, she had rested her head on her arms and tried to relax. She knew that she should feel guilty about not paying attention, but what would she see on a video that all the rest of the x-men wouldn't. Then, just as she closed her eyes she heard a deep sexy voice that was all to familiar to her and her head shot up in a panic while she said the only that could come to her mind, "Holy Shit!"
Everyone's head in the war room swiveled towards Kitty as she sat in shock, staring at the picture that was now frozen on the monitor.
"Something to add Katherine," Xavier said rather impatiently. He had noticed her dozing off as the video was playing, and this coupled with the fact that she interrupted their viewing had begun to try his patience. Professor Charles Xavier was in no way prepared for what she said next.
"Yes Professor, I know who he is!"
The room was silent.
Disclaimer: Nothing in this story is mine, so don't sue me.
Author's Notes:
Wow, has it been a long time since I updated this. I know that this isn't exactly the size of update that many of you wanted, but I am only one man and I still have writers block. Three months of trying to put out a new chapter and this is all I can come up with. I mean I know where I want it to go, but it is so hard to get there. Summertime is here and that kicks ass. I am moving into a new place that actually has the internet, so look for more updates in the near future. Oh yeah, I saw X-men 2 which I thought was well done. Brian Signer kicks ass so it's not like it is that surprising though with the new movie out I kinda feel dumb about making this a sequel to the first one. I've thought about changing the beginning to fit better but who knows.I will at least notify you all if I do. Thanks to everybody that has reviewed, your reviews have made this chapter possible by forcing me to write even when I had no idea what to say. I haven't received any suggestions on improving the story and I that it isn't perfect, so don't be shy. I am a big kid that can take a little constructive criticism. Once again, I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter and remember that you still have a preview to the next chapter. Late.