Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men characters. Thanks also to my good friend Corrinth for the use of the character Ilehana Xavier.

A/N: I'd like to take this opportunity to beg copiously for reviews! All comments are welcome...

Scene Ten

"So how did you meet Gambit, Blaze?" Rogue asked as she and Bobby helped Blaze and Scott to organize themselves for the briefing. For a moment Blaze paused, leaning back from the computer screen and thinking. That had been a very long time ago. Realising that not only Rogue, but also Bobby and Scott were waiting for her answer, Blaze snapped out of her reminiscence.

"It was in Paris, about six months after I ran away from home, after discovering I was a mutant. I was sixteen, and already a talented pickpocket. I was in a bar, getting hassled by three French boys. You know, 'Voulez vous couche avec moi cest soir?' I left but they followed and it got ugly. I lost control of my powers and killed them.

"What I hadn't realised was that thirty seconds later a young man called Remy le Beau came round the corner to rescue me. He'd been in the same bar and hadn't liked the look of the three boys. When I'd left and the boys had followed me, he'd finished his drink and left too. But when he got to the alley and found three charred bodies and me unconscious (That's what happens every time I use my powers like that,) he didn't freak out. A mutant too, he saw that I'd lost control, that I couldn't have done anything else. He didn't dare leave me for the authorities to find, so he carried me three blocks to his hotel. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Bobby and Rogue shared a smile, recognising that Gambit meant as much to Blaze as they did to each other. Scott frowned though, no wonder Blaze was so scared of her powers, by his count that was six people at the very least she'd fried. The doors to the briefing room slid open once more and the Professor rolled in, followed by Storm and Ilehana.

"All ready?" Xavier asked, and both Blaze and Scott nodded. There was a poof! of blue smoke to announce Nightcrawler's arrival, whilst the door slid open and closed one more time to admit the Wolverine, cigar in hand. Blaze flicked a button on the computer and the larger screen whirled into life.

"This is Jacobi's HQ, the centre for both his legitimate financial consultation business operations and his criminal world." Blaze said, as a 3D map of a huge building turned and twisted on the screen to let the X-Men see as much of it as possible. "It's a glass fronted building about two miles North from where you picked me up."

Several of the X-Men nodded, concentrating. The view changed to an overhead plan view.

"Essentially, it is two buildings run on two separate computer and security systems. I doubt that the majority of the workers in the finance company even know about the rest of the building. From the reception," Blaze used a laser pointer to indicate the large open plan room with reception desk, stairs to each side and a balcony running all the way around for the first floor. "There are two sets of doors on each side, on each floor, leading to the offices. Upstairs, the central double doors leads to the primary security office. Downstairs, the double doors lead into the heart of the building, computer mainframe, central heating, electric workings, air conditioning, mops, buckets and brushes."

At a nod from Blaze, Cyclops took over.

"Professor, would it be possible for you and Cerebro to get an X-Man into the offices? To convince one of the workers to leave his office unlocked, tell security that whoever we send in isn't anything unusual and have the receptionists accept whatever we tell them?"

"Of course Scott, glad to be of use." Xavier smiled genuinely and Wolverine grinned, it was good for the old guy to get some fun.

**Don't write me off just yet, Logan... **

**Wouldn't dream of it, Boss. **

Blaze took over the explanations again, clicking a button and bringing up some blue lines to overlap the bright green ones that were the building's walls.

"These are the air ducts. Two loop systems running through the same control unit. There is a grill in every room that is just large enough for a small but very determined person to crawl through. Whoever the Professor helps into the building will have to climb inside one of the ducts and crawl to the maintenance room on the ground floor- silently. Scott has enforced on me that we have as little impact on the normal workers as possible."

"Ilehana, think you could handle it? Perhaps as a cat or something?" Scott asked, and Ilehana nodded.

"Leave it with me."

"You should then be able to hack into the systems and tamper with just enough of the security to let us in without alerting anyone. There are security cameras in that room, but they are focused on the doors at the front and rear of the room." Blaze zoomed in her plan to show that room in detail. "There is a blind spot just by both the mainframe and air con units. Whoever fitted this security system wasn't very good."

Ilehana grinned, this would be fun. "Then what?"

"When I was there last, you could have slipped into the second air con loop, the one that serves the criminal side of the building. But I've a feeling that they will have put a block of some sort there by now, I know I would have. So you will have to stay put and hold things from there. When it comes to getting out, there is a funnel leading to the roof that with the right equipment you should have no trouble climbing."

Ilehana nodded, already planning her equipment list and smarting slightly that she wouldn't be more directly involved in the action. Still, somebody had to be the responsible one. Again, Scott took over the plan.

"When Ilehana has gained control of the computers, she will freeze the frames on the two security cameras in the alley to the right of the building. They are what caught Blaze last time, so it's important they are disabled." He shot Blaze a glance through his shades, and she smiled to let him know there were no hard feelings. "That is how Blaze will get in this time, with one other X-Man," Blaze didn't miss the fact that Scott had almost called her an X-Man. "They will then head for the second computer room, again through the air con system."

"You up for it Rogue?" Blaze asked her friend. "I know Scott's not keen on it being you, but I need someone small." Blaze didn't add that she too had wanted to take somebody else on this dangerous part of the mission. It didn't seem fair that the youngest member of the group should have possibly the worst part of the task. But Storm was the only other person small enough to fit through the ducts, and Scott had told Blaze that she was claustrophobic. "The vent we will be going in through is at a junction of the ground and first floor air con loops, about ten feet up. If you boost me up, I can reach it from the ground and drop a rope for you to climb. But I wont be able to reach it on my own."

"Sure," Rogue shrugged as if it was nothing to her, but also gulped and reached out for Bobby's hand.

"Good. Once we are in the second floor computer room, we can free up the parts of security that aren't accessible from Ilehana's position. Namely that's the roof, where there is a helipad." Blaze looked to Cyclops again. Ilehana addressed her father telepathically.

**Working well together aren't they? **

**Humm. So it seems. ** It was almost an agreement, but more of a reprimand for not paying full attention. Ilehana just smiled.

"The rest of us will land the jet at Blaze's signal." Scott continued. "We don't move until Blaze and Rogue have located Gambit. Then it's in and out, quick as possible. No messing about okay, Logan?"

"Mess about? Me?" Logan grinned and Scott ignored him. Storm cleared her throat to speak.

"What about the people in the other part of the building, how do we stop them getting involved?"

"The two sections of the building are divided by a 'lockdown' corridor." Blaze answered. "This runs on both levels, with connecting stairs. Doors on both sides of the building are controlled by computer, and are blast-proof. The office side doors will be under Ilehana's control, and the others Rogue's and mine. We will have to synchronise the lockdown, leaving it 'til the last minute and make sure that nobody gets locked actually in the corridor. That should act as enough of a barrier to keep the ordinary folk safe."

Storm nodded and the Professor looked most impressed. Wolverine was less so.

"So what type of resistance can we be lookin' at? Just those mutants from the prison, or what?"

Blaze shook her head.

"When I was last there, there were two patrols of twenty-five men each, armed with hand guns and rifles. If Rogue and I can lock the door to the barracks on the second floor, you will only have the duty patrol to deal with."

"Sounds good," Wolverine slammed one knuckle into the palm of his other hand "And the mutants?" He growled.

"Crush is strong, very strong. But that's it. If Scott's ranged attack can knock him out, he won't be a problem. Electra is the one to worry about, she's fast and agile, and if she hits you it's like getting struck with a cattle prod set on five thousand volts. In other words, it hurts like hell." Blaze grimaced.

"Sounds like you've had experience." Logan acknowledged appreciatively.

"She's got a bigger crush on Gambit than Jacobi, and a girl's gotta defend her man." Blaze smiled.

"Anybody else?" Storm questioned, not wanting any surprises.

"I'm not sure. There was other offices set up when I was there last, but I didn't see anyone. Then again, I didn't see anything to suggest that they were planning to bust Gambit, so anything's possible."

"Including Gambit being swayed by this Jacobi? Being grateful enough to not want rescuing?" Logan asked.

For a moment Blaze only wanted to deny it. Then she remembered something, a bargaining chip if Jacobi had ever wanted one. Could it be possible? Would Remy betray her?