Chapter 25: Gambit's Gambit.
Remy LeBeau may have been raised by the Thieves guild, but he did have moral standards. He did not strike women, unless they really deserved it. He did not spill liquor, or waste a good cigarette. He did not kill unless he absolutely had to... But there was one thing that rankled him even worse than murder. And that was kidnapping.
When Remy heard the crying from the room he was guarding, he knew that something was up. Peering through the door slot, he saw a young girl sitting in the corner of the room, her knees curled up to her chest. Her blond hair fell around her, blocking her face, but he could hear her weeping.
Quietly opening the door, he slipped into the room. Walking over to the girl, he crouched down.
"Don' cry, mon ami, tell Remy wha' be de' trouble?"
The girl looked up at him, and he drew in a breath through his teeth. Her face was so similar to Piotr, that it could not be a coincidence.
"I just want to go home." She said, her voice thick with a Russian accent.
Remy's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses as pieces of the puzzle quickly locked themselves together. It all made sense now; the reason that Piotr didn't seem to want to be here, yet was, why he seemed so willing to fight, yet hated to do so, and a dozen other little tips and hints he had left for his teammates.
"Don' you worry, mon ami, you won' be 'ere much longer. Remy be makin' sure o' dat."
With that, Remy rose from his crouch, and walked to the door, as he reached it, he turned back. "Don' be tellin no one you talked to Remy, 'kay? Otherwise, Remy non be able to get ye' out." The girl nodded her head so hard, Remy was half afraid it would fall off.
He quickly slipped out the door, and relocked it. Ten minutes later, Sabertooth came to take his shift at the door, and Remy quickly left.
Remy silently thanked god that he had been trained as a thief. His training made it far easier to make his walk seem normal as he headed towards the door of the third of the four original Acolytes. As he reached his door, Lockjaw walked by with a pair of new faces. One of them had a Middle-eastern look to him, and the other looked like that Blob guy, with less fat, and more muscle. Opening the door to Colossus's room, Remy stepped through, and closed it behind him.
The large Russian was sitting at his desk, a pencil in hand. Remy cleared his throat, and Colossus turned.
"What do you want, comrade?"
Remy walked over to Colossus's desk, and leaned against an empty space on it.
"Remy want ta know if you be workin' 'ere cause dat' yo' little sister we be guardin' in the North corridor."
Colossus's eyes came to Remy's in a split second, and Remy could see that he was right.
"Why do you ask comrade?"
"Cause Remy don' stand fo' kidnappers, an' Magsy' startin' ta look like one, non? So, Remy figure, we could get yo' sister, an' make a break fo' that guy, Xavier's."
Colossus's face looked like he'd just been offered the chance to do the Queen of England's portrait. However, his face sobered at a thought.
"What about Psylocke, Comrade?"
Remy smiled, "Berserker be on next shift. If we knock 'im out, it put Psylocke down fo' a while. Remy'd bring 'er wit' us, but when Berserker wake up, so do Psylocke."
Colossus nodded, "When do we go, Comrade?"
"Next shift be startin' in six hours, mon ami, be ready."
Colossus nodded, and Remy headed towards the door. Listening for a second, he heard nothing on the far side of the door, and opened it cautiously.
Heading to his room, Remy saw another of the new Acolyte's. This one looked Native American, with lots of muscle, and was almost Colossus's height. Deciding that, if he was going to go to Xavier, he had better come with more than just himself, Russkie, Russkie's kid sister, and whatever they use for transportation, he decided that copying Magneto's files on the Acolytes would do.
Remy stepped into his room; thankful that his instincts had made him arrange his room into stuff he would take and wouldn't take if he left. He'd quickly filled a bag with the stuff he was taking, and slipped out with a disk, intent on copying Magneto's files.
Remy walked through the base, disk in his pocket. Remy walked through the door to the computer room, and felt a slight tingling as he did so.
Merde, Mags's got the door magnetized. Have to find another way out.
Remy's thief trained eyes scanned the room, looking for both an alternate exit, and for anyone else in the computer room. Seeing the room was unoccupied, he quickly sat at one of the computers, facing the door, and on the far side of the room from the entrance. Knowing that he had better have a legitimate excuse for being in here, he brought up a file on one of the new Acolyte's and began to scan it. Soon after he did so, a breeze blew past him. His eye's flicked up to the disk drive from behind his glasses.
"What are you doing in here, Gambit?" Asked Pietro.
"Jus' readin' up on our new teammate's, mon ami."
"Okay then." Pietro ran out the door, wondering if the security system had a glitch in it.
Remy chuckled, as he glanced over at a computer that Pietro hadn't been able to see from where he had been standing. It's screen read 'Download Complete." Closing the screen on Warpath, the Native American mutant from earlier, Remy walked over to the computer, and popped the disk out.
Remy then looked around the room, wondering how to get the disk out without frying it. The mutant thief smiled as he saw his answer. Opening a panel in the wall, Remy slipped the disk into it, and then walked out the door. On the other side, he walked towards his room, waiting until he was out of the view of the Security camera watching the computer room. Once he was out of it's view, he slipped open the panel on the wall, and slid into the service conduit's for the electrical supply to the base. Walking carefully, he reached where he had slid the disk, and saw that, to his great fortune, he had not placed the disk on the generator for the magnetic field. Picking up the disk, he slipped it into his pocket, and walked back to where he had entered the conduit.
Listening for a moment, he heard footfalls go by at a rapid pace. Once they had rounded, the corner, Remy quickly exited the conduit, and slid the panel into place, then continued to his room.
Four hours latter, he and Colossus were heading towards the cell that his younger sister was being held in. Their plan was to knock out Berserker, get the girl out of the cell, and then try to sneak out before anyone found Berserker.
When they reached the corridor, Remy placed a hand on Piotr's arm.
"Orders say dat if you come down' dis 'ere corridor, we send up de' alarm. So let Remy handle thunder-boy."
The Russian goliath nodded, and watched as Remy headed down the hall.
The Cajun thief reached the cell, and slipped into a casual walking stance, his hand holding onto the rod that, with a button press, could extend into his quarterstaff.
"Mon ami, how's de watch?"
"Boring, man. I was hoping for a bit of action."
"You want action, mon ami? Well den... 'Ere ye go." With that, he extended his quarterstaff into the side of Berserker's head, the rushing extension catching Berserker in the temple, knocking him out cold. Quickly opening the door, he motioned to the little girl.
"Com'ere, mon ami. Time fo Remy ta get ye out o' dis place."
With this pronouncement, the blond girl smiled, and ran out the door.
Remy put a hand on her shoulder, and kneeled down next to her.
"Now, ye goin' ta 'ave ta be very quiet, okay? Otherwise, they catch us, an' den we goin' ta 'ave trouble."
She nodded, and the two of them began quietly walking to the end of the corridor.
Reaching Colossus, the two now former Acolytes nodded to each other, and began to make their way to a nearby window. Opening it, they slid a very thick rope out, and Piotr began to climb down, his sister clinging to his back. Once he reached the ground, Remy began his descent. However, as he exited the window, Warpath came around the corner.
"What are you doing?" The new Acolyte asked.
Instead of answering, Remy just tossed him a card. Grabbing it, Warpath saw that written on it's back the words, 'So Long.' Warpath managed to toss the card before it exploded, but he was still caught by the concussive blast.
Remy and Piotr quickly made their way to where Remy had stowed two motorcycles. Quickly changing into leather riding gear, Piotr fitted a helmet to his sister, and then the two put their helmet's on, and departed.
Seven hours latter, the two mutants pulled up to the gates of the private compound, Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngster's. Pressing the button on the intercom, they waited for there to be a response.
After a few minutes, Charles Xavier's voice came through the box. "Please enter." With that, the gate swung open, allowing the two mutants to drive inside.
The X-Men gathered at the front door upon hearing the noise of the two motorcycles. Professor Xavier rolled forward as his students made a path for him.
Scott watched carefully as the two mutants disembarked from their motorcycles, and as the larger one helped a smaller figure from the back of his. Walking towards the door, they took off their helmets, and Scott heard a gasp. Turning to look at the source, he saw Rogue, staring at the one of them.
"Profess'r Xavier, I am Remy LeBeau. Dis 'ere is Piotr Rasputin, and dis be 'is little sister. We be wantin ta know if we could be stayin' 'ere with you?"
Rogue spoke up, "Why don' ya go back ta ya' mastah Magneto?"
Remy turned to look at Rogue, as an aisle formed between the two.
" 'Cause, mon cheri, he been takin' up de habit o' kidnappin', an' Remy fin' that be leavin' him wit' a bad taste in da mouth."
"Maybe it's from kissin' Magneto's butt?" Said Rogue, her tone sugery-steel.
Professor Xavier spoke up, "Their intention's are true, Rogue. Please, all of you, go back to bed."
The X-Men began to filter out, grumbles and general sounds of displeasure ringing.
"De femme don' like me." Stated Remy.
Kyle chuckled, "You've tried to blow her up twice. I'd say she has reason." With that, the blind mutant walked away, as Piotr and Remy watched him.
"Dat' de kid who took on Psylocke." Remy said to Piotr.
"Yes, comrade. Yet he does not seem like he could be so."
Professor Xavier chuckled, "Kyle can be a ferocious fighter when he needs to be. Come, let us talk in my office."
