A/N: I got reviews!!! Thanks for the tips SLH and Nari. I completely forgot
about that. Hope I fixed it in this one.
IN retrospect I guess it is like an A/U to the real marvel-verse. However
I'm keeping the characters and stuff like in AOA. Anyway, on with the next
installment. Pls review, nice ones, flames anything. I could use any tips
that are offered.
Plight
Alex Summers sat in the lab, his top off, as Cecilia Reyes bandaged his chest. All the Prelates were here, getting medical treatment after their battle. Scott had been summoned by the Externals. Sylvia sat in a chair, having already been healed in the de-tox tank. Her brief contact with Rogue had required that, though only for a while. Helena already had a bandage on her arm, to heal her burns, which were because of Scott's massive optic blast that had just hit her too. Lorna was comparatively unhurt. Weapon X had taken most of the optic blasts brunt by being right between her and Scott. The fifth Prelate Kan stood in front of Alex; he had been injured in the previous fight with the X-men and had not been able to help them in this battle. Alex was not a happy man.
"We had them in our hands man! He let them go! Okay so we got Xavier, but the others escaped. We could have easily killed most and captured a few."
Kan grinned; something or the other always irritated Alex. If they had managed to kill all the X-men, he would have most likely been angry about not having captured one to obtain the location of the others. And supposing they did capture one or two, he would have been annoyed about which ones they captured. Then again, he was a lot like his brother in that aspect. Once Scott set perimeters for himself, he would not be satisfied until those perimeters had been completely fulfilled.
It was scary to think that once Scott died, or was promoted to something else, Alex may become just like his brother. Scott already pushed them to their limits; Kan had no doubts that Alex would be worse. He also didn't think Alex would be as good a leader. That was something Scott only had. Kan was certain even the Externals listened to Scott when he formulated a battle plan.
Sylvia laughed inwardly at Alex's angry remarks. She was used to them, having spent nearly three years training under and then by the other Prelates side. She brushed her chin-length blonde hair back into a short ponytail at the back of her head, letting only some strands frame her face. Sylvia was only two years older than Alex, but sometimes she felt old and grey compared to him. He was like a little boy, always whining. Not that she underestimated him in battle of course. In that aspect he was second only to Scott. Still Sylvia never understood what Lorna saw in him. She had just come back and was sidling up to him, in flagrant disobedience of Cecilia's rules. Lorna knew as well as anyone else that Cecilia was very tender hearted. Especially towards Scott, Alex and Lorna. They had been raised in the Tower, Scott and Alex by Sinister and Lorna by Archanfel. Sylvia shuddered slightly. The two Externals didn't exactly seem to be the proud parent type, but all three had also been taken care of by Cecilia, which was why it didn't seem so strange that she took almost a motherly attitude by them. Sylvia shifted her attention to Helena. Helena was like her and Kan, a mutant who had been captured by the Prelates, and made to serve in the army. When she had been taken, the High Prelate had been Sarek, a cruel man, who had worked her nearly to death. Sylvia had been extremely glad when she found out he had been killed by the X-men. Soon her abilities were taken note of and she was promoted to Uber-leutnant. The rank just below the Prelates. Her three fellow Uber-leutnants had been Kan and Helena, as well as another who had died later, Grant. Grant had been an excellent Uber-leutnant, slated to become a Prelate. He had also been her lover. The X-men had killed him in battle though. That was when she had decided to destroy the X-men completely. She had killed his murderer soon after being promoted to Prelate. Czar, the cyborg X-man. Sylvia closed her eyes tightly, the remembered pain and the joy of killing the man sweeping through her. She opened her eyes to see Helena looking at her curiously.
"It's okay, I was just thinking."
Helena nodded, a tinge of sympathy in her eyes. Helena was the only one who knew that she and Grant had been lovers. Sylvia also suspected that Scott knew, but Scott had not said anything about it to her. He didn't socialize much with the Prelates, or anyone else for that matter. Sylvia closed her eyes again and let more pleasant memories wash over her.
Helena sat next to her best friend. Well closest friend among the Prelates anyway. Her best friend had been another girl, one she had known since birth. Helena had not met her since being brought to the complex for training. She had been neighbors with her family, her name had been Elizabeth Braddock. Betsy to her friends. Helena still remembered Betsy, though she supposed Betsy would have forgotten about her by now. It had been twelve years since she had last seen Betsy; they had been fourteen years old, both of them. She was now twenty-six. *Going on fifty.* She thought cynically.
Helena had grown close to Sylvia since coming here, more so after Grant had died. Sylvia was also the only female companion she had, Cecilia was too matronly to be a friend and Lorna just rubbed her the wrong way. It may have something to do with the fact that she once had a crush on Alex, though she had moved on by now. She now harbored strong feeling for the External Exodus. She had caught his eye when he had come by for the routine inspection of the forces. He had summoned her later. She had been almost shaking for nervousness, but had masked it well. Well enough for Exodus to approve of her. He had invited her into his chambers for a drink and she had accepted, she would not have been fool enough not to. There she had slept with him. There he had made her his overnight. She was now completely bound to him. He had used his powers on her, nearly blocking her of all her mental capabilities and then made love to her. He had left functional only those which gave rise to the senses, which allowed her to reach a point of pleasure she could not believe existed. He had unblocked her mentally again, using his telepathic powers. She shivered in brief anticipation; he was sure to call for her today. He usually always did after she had done well in a battle. He had also all but promised her the position of High Prelate, even if it meant having two. She shivered again. Exodus was the way to power.
Cecilia swabbed at Alex's ribs again, then smiled at the grimace he made. She then swabbed once more, with more force to show her disapproval of the fact that he and Lorna had been involved in a liplock even though she had expressly stated that Lorna was not to hold him, or hug him in any way until she was done bandaging. He glared at her and she put her hands on her hips. He dropped his head abashedly, just as he had done when younger. Cecilia tried to maintain her displeased expression, but he looked up at her from widened eyes. She laughed then.
"You little monkey, I could never stay mad at you for long."
She smiled at him in fondness, then bandaged him up swiftly.
"Don't I get a sucker?" Cecilia had always given the three children lollipops. She gave one to him, grinning.
"Always one for my little monkey."
He hugged Cecilia, then showed his prize in mock victory to the other Prelates. They just shook their heads in amusement. Whatever happened, Alex would not lose his sense of humor.
The door banged open and Scott strode in then, his uniform still on, just sans cape. He collapsed on a chair. Cecilia went to him her eyes worried.
"Scott what's wrong? Are you okay?"
He looked up at her and smiled slightly, bitterly.
"Yeah, I'm okay Cece. I just had a talk with the Externals. Right after coming back. Agh they kept me for an hour.
"Where are you hurt?" Cecilia asked him briskly.
"God, everywhere."
Cecilia crocked an eyebrow. Alex supplied the answer.
"Colossus punched him through a wall. He survived thanks to his armor, but it must have hurt."
Cecilia looked worriedly at Scott. "Oh honey, come here, I want to conduct a complete check up on you. You may have broken something."
"He can handle it."
None of the Prelates or Scott had said that. Dr. Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister walked into the room. Sinister was a dangerous looking man. He wore black and red clothes. Dark blue pants with black armor, and a black and red top. An open collar swooped around his head, and a cape, made up of long strips that seemed to move about of their own volition, hung behind. The rest of body was covered in silver armor. The most arresting thing about him was his face, which was white. His eyes glowed red, and a diamond shaped red mark was on his forehead. His hair swooped back from his forehead, haning down to his back, nearly as long as Cyclop's; a few strands framed his face. The very image of a modern day vampire. At the sight of an External, the Prelates snapped to attention, including Scott. Only Cecilia stood slightly relaxed.
"Good Evening, Nathaniel. I don't care if he can handle it, I want him in tip top shape.'
Sinister smiled. Only Cecilia could get away with calling all the Externals by their names. Surprisingly they all allowed her to get away with it. Her position was lower than the Prelates, but she was Cecilia. Even the Externals had felt the harsh side of her tongue at times. All except Sammael. Even she dared not lecture him. She was also one of few doctors who could heal mutant injuries, apart from Sinister and Dark Beast. The other Externals didn't really trust Sinister to let him look over them, and though they would never admit it, all of them were afraid of Dark Beast. That left the good Dr. Reyes to come to. Of course, even she had been punished at times, by the Externals, for her easy ways, but all the Externals, even Sammael depended on her to run the palace efficiently. Which she did.
"I'm all for having him fixed up, but for now just let him use the de-tox chamber for a few minutes. That will keep him going for a few hours and I need him for some important work. He is a High Prelate, he has duties. It cannot wait."
Cecilia sighed.
"Very well Nathaniel, but I want him back so that I can heal him properly. If anything is broken, the de-tox tank doesn't mend it."
"It does keep the pain away for a while. That's all I want. I know that a fully recovered High Prelate is of little use, and dangerous if an enemy attacks." Sinister swept out of the room. Scott stood for a second, shrugged at Cecilia and strode off after him.
Cecilia sighed again, then turned to the Prelates, "Well you're all done, do I need to tell you? Shoo!" The Prelates left, laughing.
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Jean Grey stood in front of the mirror. She looked sufficiently composed by now. As soon as she had reached Muir Isle, Moira had leapt into her arms. They had stood and cried, for Moira had been Xavier's lover at one point and still held quite strong feelings for him. Had held. They had talked about old times with the rest of the team. Moira had later seen how grimy and worn the X-men were and had told them to go their rooms and freshen up.
Jean was just finishing toweling her face dry, when someone knocked on the door. She telepathically opened the door and let the visitor in. It was Ororo. Jean was surprised, but then ran to hug her friend. Ororo Munroe, Storm had been part of the X-men, but had left a few months ago, to join Gambits team, Roulette. When Gambit had left the team, she had gone with him. She had always been Gambits best friend. Ororo's two other close friends had been Jean herself, and Xavier. She cried on Jeans shoulder, but Jean was fresh out of tears. She stood and let Ororo cry on her shoulder.
"So, Ororo, tell me, how's life with Roulette?"
Ororo looked at Jean warily for a second. Jean had been one of the most bitter about her changing teams. Jean had understood later Ororo's reasons but Ororo was still wary about the topic of Roulette and Gambit the many times she had visited. She would of course refuse to talk about it in front of Rogue or Magneto.
"The days progress smoothly. Except for one thing. One of the team was captured by the Prelates."
"Captured? Who?"
"Betsy."
"Oh, Ororo, I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Gambit is very angry. He blames himself of course. He always does."
"So do you have any plans for a rescue?"
"Yes, we do. In fact, I need to be back home soon, I'm the only one who can keep Remy calm."
"Is there anything we X-men can do to help? I'm sure Magneto and Moira will want to help." Ororo looked a bit discomfited.
"I wish you hadn't brought that up. Remy told me not to ask you for help. He also sent his condolences for Xavier."
Jean suddenly felt angry. Remy would only refuse help for one reason, and she would be damned if she let his mule-headedness get Betsy killed. Jean knew Betsy quite well. Xavier had trained at Gambits request. She had many telekinetic abilities, that Jean helped her with as well.
"That idiot! Why can't he ask us for help? Rogue chose Erik, he should deal with it. I'm gonna tell Erik."
Jean suddenly swept out of the room in a rage. Ororo had a small premonition that this would not go well. She also felt glad. Once told, Erik would never refuse help. Betsy's odds of being rescued just went up.
--------------------------------------------- ----------------
Remy sat in his chair, contemplating what needed to be done. It would be almost suicidal, but would likely succeed. They had to try to get Betsy back. He would not let her fall in the hands of Dark Beast or Sinister. Sinister. Remy scowled at the name. That man had cost him what he most valued. He had taken everything from him.
Twelve years ago, he had been in the assassins guilds tower, with Belladonna. That was when his alarm had gone off. Someone was attacking the thieves guild complex. He got up ready to go, when suddenly the towers alarms went off. The two were being simultaneously attacked. Remy had grabbed Belladonna and guided her into the main room, where he had left her and started to head for the thieves guild complex. On the way, somebody attacked him. He fell as the individual stood back. It was Prelate Nexxus. Remy got up, and got into a wary crouch. He heard a voice. "Oh don't bother, you could not hope to win. It is most strange but I find in you mutant powers. Remarkable powers, the likes of which I have never seen." The owner of the voice came forward and Remy had gone speechless. It was Mr. Sinister, and another External was with him, Candra, the thieves' guild benefactress. "Yes, he does have mutant abilities. They have not manifested yet though. They are on the brink though."
Remy frowned, mutant? He was not one, his eyes were strange, but how was that making him a mutant.
"You are of the thieves guild, I recognize you from the dossier. You must be killed." The Prelate stopped talking abruptly. He leapt for Remy. Sinister and Candra seemed startled. Remy leapt back, pulling out a deck of cards. He threw them at the Prelate.
The Prelate stopped and backtracked, then growled malevolently at the cards and came forward again. Remy looked around in anxiety. There was nowhere to go and he would be no match for a Prelate. Suddenly he was grabbed. The Prelate looked into Remy's eyes. Remy looked back. The eyes began glowing. Remy began to stop resisting. Suddenly the guard was yanked back, but as he was Remy grabbed onto the Prelate's gauntlet, panicking, instinctively. The Prelate's hands glowed, then suddenly it exploded. The Prelate screamed in agony and fell grabbing at his tattered lump of a shoulder, which was all that was left of his arm. The Prelate's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious.
Sinister and Candra stared in fascination.
"Your thieves guild has been destroyed, utterly. I am afraid all your family is dead. You should come with us. It was regrettable, but we only follow Apocalypse's orders." Remy stared at him. Suddenly he heard a scream. Belladonna!
Remy suddenly lurched to his feet and ran toward the tower. In the tower he had managed to save Belladonna, using his newfound powers. But Sinister had found them. He had captured Belladonna and used her as bait. Remy had followed him and there Sinister had given him his ultimatum, join them or Belladonna would die. Remy had made the choice without hesitating. Candra had grabbed him from behind. Then Sinister threw Belladonna off the tower.
Remy had seen his love fall off the tower, and in a moment of irrational rationality he looked up at Candra. He told her to leave him, or she would burn. Candra had snickered, but Remy looked deep into her eyes. He could sense her emotions. He twisted them. She let him go. He immediately looked around for a weapon as Sinister ran forward to attack. He took out a card. The Ace of Hearts. He touched it, it glowed. He threw. The card hit Sinister who fell back, and Remy leapt off the tower, shooting out a line and swinging to safety. He could not go to where Belladonna lay. He didn't want to see what he might.
That had been twelve years ago. Now he waited for Ororo to return. So that he could avoid Betsy's death, or worse. He sighed and got up, heading for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of an alcoholic drink. He had been saving up, as it was so hard to find the bottles these days. Now he just wanted to get drunk. He had just taken one swig of the hard liquor when the monitor began beeping. He slid his chair to the monitor and opened up the connection. It was from Muir Isle. *Must be Stormy contacting me*
The monitor flickered on, revealing the face of Erik Magnus Lensherr. Also known as Magneto. Remy frowned deeply.
"What de hell do you wan'?"
Erik smiled exasperatedly.
"Nice to see you too Remy."
"Gambit." He said flatly.
"As you wish Gambit. I'm only calling to offer the X-mens help in rescuing your comrade." Remy scowled even more deeply. *That bitch! I told her not to tell them! *
"Storm told me of your problem, we can help."
Remy twisted the idea around in his mind. The help would be nice. More than nice, privately he admitted he needed help.
"We can take care of ourselves."
Magneto's face tightened. Suddenly he disappeared and Jean's face appeared. It seemed the cliché was true. She really did look more beautiful when angry.
"Remy Lebeau, what the hell is wrong with you! Get off your high horse. Ororo told me what happened and your crackpot scheme. You're insane. With our help, you can avoid what is at best a suicidal endeavor."
"Inform Storm dat I want her back, now."
Jeans face grew angrier, and she left the screen, letting Rogue appear. Remy's breath caught. He had not talked to Rogue since she had told him she chose Magneto, that she loved him, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. The words he had dreamed of her saying to him, just in relation to him. She looked the same as when he had last seen her, just more tired. His heart began to flip flop, but he ruthlessly crushed the feeling.
"What do you wan'?"
"Remy, this is wrong. Betsy may need ah help. Yoah not doing the raght thing. Aht least let us halp you. Remy, you know what ah am saying is raght."
Remy sighed then. "I'm sorry. You're right che-. You're right. You all are right. Roulette could use your help. T'anks."
Rogue winked out, and Storm came on. "I am glad to see you used the common sense I know resides in you Remy."
Remy smiled almost bitterly at Storm. "Was dere any doubt, Stormy?"
Storm sighed.
Later Remy sat in the chair, his mind on the past again.
Rogue.
After Belladonna died he had survived by living on the street, running from the Mutant Elite Force's sent to hunt him down. He had gradually developed his powers so that he could control them. His powers still went off sometimes, but for the most part he had them under control. Including his empathy. It took him one year, but he got the hang of using it. For his own good of course.
He had met a woman then, who suffered from amnesia, and helped her to survive on the street. They were both thieves, but by and by she regained her memory. She remembered everything when a group of mutants came to them. Remy protected her as best he could, but they knew her and she them. One of them, a redhead had used her telepathic powers to break her amnesia. Ororo had remembered all then. She had offered Remy a position in the X-men. Remy had declined at the time, but had later accepted. There he had met Rogue. He had flirted idly with her at first. She didn't seem interested, at first. Soon she had begun to warm to him and later he learned that it was her inhibition of killing him with her powers that made her reluctant to start a relationship. But Remy wasn't called the Ragin' Cajun for no reason. Soon Rogue had warmed to him. Remy realized that this was the girl he had waited for all his life. When a dampener was put on her she could touch humans. She would wear it whenever she wanted to touch. They had touched through that, sharing kisses, making love. Still she could not wear the dampener for more than a few hours at a time. She had finally gained control of her powers, and there was no more need for the dampener. Then Magneto had come in the picture. With his powers of empathy Remy had realized that Rogue was attracted. Yet he was too sure of her, too trusting. When she had confronted him he had hid his emotions realizing that Rogue felt strongly for Magneto. He had hidden his hurt, at the time. Still a man could only stand so much. Remy had left the team a week later; he wasn't able to continue, with Magneto and Rogue being on the same team as he. Surprisingly Storm was the one who had argued the most about it. In the end she opted to go with him. He still didn't know why, yet he strongly suspected that she came because she wanted to keep an eye on his team. He wasn't angry about it now. When she admitted it, he had been a little angry, but he remembered what a great help she had been. She had also told him that she wanted to stay. Who was Remy to refuse a beautiful woman?
Remy got up shaking off the memories. There was work to be done.
Remy went into the common room where his team was. They all sat, listlessly. They too were all worried about Betsy. The group was close and it was like a member of their family had been kidnapped. Gavin jumped up as he appeared. Sarah and Raven looked up at him. Raven was Mystique, a shape changing mutant who was very agile and an excellent firearm specialist. She kept at least one big gun with her most of the time. Sarah was Marrow a young mutant who could grow boney protrusions all over her body. She had finally gained control over her ability and made the bones into armor over her when she went into battle. Gavin was able to form his body into pure flame. He was the exact opposite of Iceman. Though he called himself renegade, Iceman referred to him as burnout. He good-naturedly called him popsicle. "We'll be helped by de X-men. Get ready. We'll be leavin' in thirty minutes," Remy turned and left, heading for his own room. Thirty minutes. Then he would leave for Muir Isle, X-men base number 2, now base number 1. The Prelates had destroyed the old one. Muir Isle and Rogue.
Plight
Alex Summers sat in the lab, his top off, as Cecilia Reyes bandaged his chest. All the Prelates were here, getting medical treatment after their battle. Scott had been summoned by the Externals. Sylvia sat in a chair, having already been healed in the de-tox tank. Her brief contact with Rogue had required that, though only for a while. Helena already had a bandage on her arm, to heal her burns, which were because of Scott's massive optic blast that had just hit her too. Lorna was comparatively unhurt. Weapon X had taken most of the optic blasts brunt by being right between her and Scott. The fifth Prelate Kan stood in front of Alex; he had been injured in the previous fight with the X-men and had not been able to help them in this battle. Alex was not a happy man.
"We had them in our hands man! He let them go! Okay so we got Xavier, but the others escaped. We could have easily killed most and captured a few."
Kan grinned; something or the other always irritated Alex. If they had managed to kill all the X-men, he would have most likely been angry about not having captured one to obtain the location of the others. And supposing they did capture one or two, he would have been annoyed about which ones they captured. Then again, he was a lot like his brother in that aspect. Once Scott set perimeters for himself, he would not be satisfied until those perimeters had been completely fulfilled.
It was scary to think that once Scott died, or was promoted to something else, Alex may become just like his brother. Scott already pushed them to their limits; Kan had no doubts that Alex would be worse. He also didn't think Alex would be as good a leader. That was something Scott only had. Kan was certain even the Externals listened to Scott when he formulated a battle plan.
Sylvia laughed inwardly at Alex's angry remarks. She was used to them, having spent nearly three years training under and then by the other Prelates side. She brushed her chin-length blonde hair back into a short ponytail at the back of her head, letting only some strands frame her face. Sylvia was only two years older than Alex, but sometimes she felt old and grey compared to him. He was like a little boy, always whining. Not that she underestimated him in battle of course. In that aspect he was second only to Scott. Still Sylvia never understood what Lorna saw in him. She had just come back and was sidling up to him, in flagrant disobedience of Cecilia's rules. Lorna knew as well as anyone else that Cecilia was very tender hearted. Especially towards Scott, Alex and Lorna. They had been raised in the Tower, Scott and Alex by Sinister and Lorna by Archanfel. Sylvia shuddered slightly. The two Externals didn't exactly seem to be the proud parent type, but all three had also been taken care of by Cecilia, which was why it didn't seem so strange that she took almost a motherly attitude by them. Sylvia shifted her attention to Helena. Helena was like her and Kan, a mutant who had been captured by the Prelates, and made to serve in the army. When she had been taken, the High Prelate had been Sarek, a cruel man, who had worked her nearly to death. Sylvia had been extremely glad when she found out he had been killed by the X-men. Soon her abilities were taken note of and she was promoted to Uber-leutnant. The rank just below the Prelates. Her three fellow Uber-leutnants had been Kan and Helena, as well as another who had died later, Grant. Grant had been an excellent Uber-leutnant, slated to become a Prelate. He had also been her lover. The X-men had killed him in battle though. That was when she had decided to destroy the X-men completely. She had killed his murderer soon after being promoted to Prelate. Czar, the cyborg X-man. Sylvia closed her eyes tightly, the remembered pain and the joy of killing the man sweeping through her. She opened her eyes to see Helena looking at her curiously.
"It's okay, I was just thinking."
Helena nodded, a tinge of sympathy in her eyes. Helena was the only one who knew that she and Grant had been lovers. Sylvia also suspected that Scott knew, but Scott had not said anything about it to her. He didn't socialize much with the Prelates, or anyone else for that matter. Sylvia closed her eyes again and let more pleasant memories wash over her.
Helena sat next to her best friend. Well closest friend among the Prelates anyway. Her best friend had been another girl, one she had known since birth. Helena had not met her since being brought to the complex for training. She had been neighbors with her family, her name had been Elizabeth Braddock. Betsy to her friends. Helena still remembered Betsy, though she supposed Betsy would have forgotten about her by now. It had been twelve years since she had last seen Betsy; they had been fourteen years old, both of them. She was now twenty-six. *Going on fifty.* She thought cynically.
Helena had grown close to Sylvia since coming here, more so after Grant had died. Sylvia was also the only female companion she had, Cecilia was too matronly to be a friend and Lorna just rubbed her the wrong way. It may have something to do with the fact that she once had a crush on Alex, though she had moved on by now. She now harbored strong feeling for the External Exodus. She had caught his eye when he had come by for the routine inspection of the forces. He had summoned her later. She had been almost shaking for nervousness, but had masked it well. Well enough for Exodus to approve of her. He had invited her into his chambers for a drink and she had accepted, she would not have been fool enough not to. There she had slept with him. There he had made her his overnight. She was now completely bound to him. He had used his powers on her, nearly blocking her of all her mental capabilities and then made love to her. He had left functional only those which gave rise to the senses, which allowed her to reach a point of pleasure she could not believe existed. He had unblocked her mentally again, using his telepathic powers. She shivered in brief anticipation; he was sure to call for her today. He usually always did after she had done well in a battle. He had also all but promised her the position of High Prelate, even if it meant having two. She shivered again. Exodus was the way to power.
Cecilia swabbed at Alex's ribs again, then smiled at the grimace he made. She then swabbed once more, with more force to show her disapproval of the fact that he and Lorna had been involved in a liplock even though she had expressly stated that Lorna was not to hold him, or hug him in any way until she was done bandaging. He glared at her and she put her hands on her hips. He dropped his head abashedly, just as he had done when younger. Cecilia tried to maintain her displeased expression, but he looked up at her from widened eyes. She laughed then.
"You little monkey, I could never stay mad at you for long."
She smiled at him in fondness, then bandaged him up swiftly.
"Don't I get a sucker?" Cecilia had always given the three children lollipops. She gave one to him, grinning.
"Always one for my little monkey."
He hugged Cecilia, then showed his prize in mock victory to the other Prelates. They just shook their heads in amusement. Whatever happened, Alex would not lose his sense of humor.
The door banged open and Scott strode in then, his uniform still on, just sans cape. He collapsed on a chair. Cecilia went to him her eyes worried.
"Scott what's wrong? Are you okay?"
He looked up at her and smiled slightly, bitterly.
"Yeah, I'm okay Cece. I just had a talk with the Externals. Right after coming back. Agh they kept me for an hour.
"Where are you hurt?" Cecilia asked him briskly.
"God, everywhere."
Cecilia crocked an eyebrow. Alex supplied the answer.
"Colossus punched him through a wall. He survived thanks to his armor, but it must have hurt."
Cecilia looked worriedly at Scott. "Oh honey, come here, I want to conduct a complete check up on you. You may have broken something."
"He can handle it."
None of the Prelates or Scott had said that. Dr. Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister walked into the room. Sinister was a dangerous looking man. He wore black and red clothes. Dark blue pants with black armor, and a black and red top. An open collar swooped around his head, and a cape, made up of long strips that seemed to move about of their own volition, hung behind. The rest of body was covered in silver armor. The most arresting thing about him was his face, which was white. His eyes glowed red, and a diamond shaped red mark was on his forehead. His hair swooped back from his forehead, haning down to his back, nearly as long as Cyclop's; a few strands framed his face. The very image of a modern day vampire. At the sight of an External, the Prelates snapped to attention, including Scott. Only Cecilia stood slightly relaxed.
"Good Evening, Nathaniel. I don't care if he can handle it, I want him in tip top shape.'
Sinister smiled. Only Cecilia could get away with calling all the Externals by their names. Surprisingly they all allowed her to get away with it. Her position was lower than the Prelates, but she was Cecilia. Even the Externals had felt the harsh side of her tongue at times. All except Sammael. Even she dared not lecture him. She was also one of few doctors who could heal mutant injuries, apart from Sinister and Dark Beast. The other Externals didn't really trust Sinister to let him look over them, and though they would never admit it, all of them were afraid of Dark Beast. That left the good Dr. Reyes to come to. Of course, even she had been punished at times, by the Externals, for her easy ways, but all the Externals, even Sammael depended on her to run the palace efficiently. Which she did.
"I'm all for having him fixed up, but for now just let him use the de-tox chamber for a few minutes. That will keep him going for a few hours and I need him for some important work. He is a High Prelate, he has duties. It cannot wait."
Cecilia sighed.
"Very well Nathaniel, but I want him back so that I can heal him properly. If anything is broken, the de-tox tank doesn't mend it."
"It does keep the pain away for a while. That's all I want. I know that a fully recovered High Prelate is of little use, and dangerous if an enemy attacks." Sinister swept out of the room. Scott stood for a second, shrugged at Cecilia and strode off after him.
Cecilia sighed again, then turned to the Prelates, "Well you're all done, do I need to tell you? Shoo!" The Prelates left, laughing.
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Jean Grey stood in front of the mirror. She looked sufficiently composed by now. As soon as she had reached Muir Isle, Moira had leapt into her arms. They had stood and cried, for Moira had been Xavier's lover at one point and still held quite strong feelings for him. Had held. They had talked about old times with the rest of the team. Moira had later seen how grimy and worn the X-men were and had told them to go their rooms and freshen up.
Jean was just finishing toweling her face dry, when someone knocked on the door. She telepathically opened the door and let the visitor in. It was Ororo. Jean was surprised, but then ran to hug her friend. Ororo Munroe, Storm had been part of the X-men, but had left a few months ago, to join Gambits team, Roulette. When Gambit had left the team, she had gone with him. She had always been Gambits best friend. Ororo's two other close friends had been Jean herself, and Xavier. She cried on Jeans shoulder, but Jean was fresh out of tears. She stood and let Ororo cry on her shoulder.
"So, Ororo, tell me, how's life with Roulette?"
Ororo looked at Jean warily for a second. Jean had been one of the most bitter about her changing teams. Jean had understood later Ororo's reasons but Ororo was still wary about the topic of Roulette and Gambit the many times she had visited. She would of course refuse to talk about it in front of Rogue or Magneto.
"The days progress smoothly. Except for one thing. One of the team was captured by the Prelates."
"Captured? Who?"
"Betsy."
"Oh, Ororo, I'm sorry."
"It's all right. Gambit is very angry. He blames himself of course. He always does."
"So do you have any plans for a rescue?"
"Yes, we do. In fact, I need to be back home soon, I'm the only one who can keep Remy calm."
"Is there anything we X-men can do to help? I'm sure Magneto and Moira will want to help." Ororo looked a bit discomfited.
"I wish you hadn't brought that up. Remy told me not to ask you for help. He also sent his condolences for Xavier."
Jean suddenly felt angry. Remy would only refuse help for one reason, and she would be damned if she let his mule-headedness get Betsy killed. Jean knew Betsy quite well. Xavier had trained at Gambits request. She had many telekinetic abilities, that Jean helped her with as well.
"That idiot! Why can't he ask us for help? Rogue chose Erik, he should deal with it. I'm gonna tell Erik."
Jean suddenly swept out of the room in a rage. Ororo had a small premonition that this would not go well. She also felt glad. Once told, Erik would never refuse help. Betsy's odds of being rescued just went up.
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Remy sat in his chair, contemplating what needed to be done. It would be almost suicidal, but would likely succeed. They had to try to get Betsy back. He would not let her fall in the hands of Dark Beast or Sinister. Sinister. Remy scowled at the name. That man had cost him what he most valued. He had taken everything from him.
Twelve years ago, he had been in the assassins guilds tower, with Belladonna. That was when his alarm had gone off. Someone was attacking the thieves guild complex. He got up ready to go, when suddenly the towers alarms went off. The two were being simultaneously attacked. Remy had grabbed Belladonna and guided her into the main room, where he had left her and started to head for the thieves guild complex. On the way, somebody attacked him. He fell as the individual stood back. It was Prelate Nexxus. Remy got up, and got into a wary crouch. He heard a voice. "Oh don't bother, you could not hope to win. It is most strange but I find in you mutant powers. Remarkable powers, the likes of which I have never seen." The owner of the voice came forward and Remy had gone speechless. It was Mr. Sinister, and another External was with him, Candra, the thieves' guild benefactress. "Yes, he does have mutant abilities. They have not manifested yet though. They are on the brink though."
Remy frowned, mutant? He was not one, his eyes were strange, but how was that making him a mutant.
"You are of the thieves guild, I recognize you from the dossier. You must be killed." The Prelate stopped talking abruptly. He leapt for Remy. Sinister and Candra seemed startled. Remy leapt back, pulling out a deck of cards. He threw them at the Prelate.
The Prelate stopped and backtracked, then growled malevolently at the cards and came forward again. Remy looked around in anxiety. There was nowhere to go and he would be no match for a Prelate. Suddenly he was grabbed. The Prelate looked into Remy's eyes. Remy looked back. The eyes began glowing. Remy began to stop resisting. Suddenly the guard was yanked back, but as he was Remy grabbed onto the Prelate's gauntlet, panicking, instinctively. The Prelate's hands glowed, then suddenly it exploded. The Prelate screamed in agony and fell grabbing at his tattered lump of a shoulder, which was all that was left of his arm. The Prelate's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell unconscious.
Sinister and Candra stared in fascination.
"Your thieves guild has been destroyed, utterly. I am afraid all your family is dead. You should come with us. It was regrettable, but we only follow Apocalypse's orders." Remy stared at him. Suddenly he heard a scream. Belladonna!
Remy suddenly lurched to his feet and ran toward the tower. In the tower he had managed to save Belladonna, using his newfound powers. But Sinister had found them. He had captured Belladonna and used her as bait. Remy had followed him and there Sinister had given him his ultimatum, join them or Belladonna would die. Remy had made the choice without hesitating. Candra had grabbed him from behind. Then Sinister threw Belladonna off the tower.
Remy had seen his love fall off the tower, and in a moment of irrational rationality he looked up at Candra. He told her to leave him, or she would burn. Candra had snickered, but Remy looked deep into her eyes. He could sense her emotions. He twisted them. She let him go. He immediately looked around for a weapon as Sinister ran forward to attack. He took out a card. The Ace of Hearts. He touched it, it glowed. He threw. The card hit Sinister who fell back, and Remy leapt off the tower, shooting out a line and swinging to safety. He could not go to where Belladonna lay. He didn't want to see what he might.
That had been twelve years ago. Now he waited for Ororo to return. So that he could avoid Betsy's death, or worse. He sighed and got up, heading for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of an alcoholic drink. He had been saving up, as it was so hard to find the bottles these days. Now he just wanted to get drunk. He had just taken one swig of the hard liquor when the monitor began beeping. He slid his chair to the monitor and opened up the connection. It was from Muir Isle. *Must be Stormy contacting me*
The monitor flickered on, revealing the face of Erik Magnus Lensherr. Also known as Magneto. Remy frowned deeply.
"What de hell do you wan'?"
Erik smiled exasperatedly.
"Nice to see you too Remy."
"Gambit." He said flatly.
"As you wish Gambit. I'm only calling to offer the X-mens help in rescuing your comrade." Remy scowled even more deeply. *That bitch! I told her not to tell them! *
"Storm told me of your problem, we can help."
Remy twisted the idea around in his mind. The help would be nice. More than nice, privately he admitted he needed help.
"We can take care of ourselves."
Magneto's face tightened. Suddenly he disappeared and Jean's face appeared. It seemed the cliché was true. She really did look more beautiful when angry.
"Remy Lebeau, what the hell is wrong with you! Get off your high horse. Ororo told me what happened and your crackpot scheme. You're insane. With our help, you can avoid what is at best a suicidal endeavor."
"Inform Storm dat I want her back, now."
Jeans face grew angrier, and she left the screen, letting Rogue appear. Remy's breath caught. He had not talked to Rogue since she had told him she chose Magneto, that she loved him, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. The words he had dreamed of her saying to him, just in relation to him. She looked the same as when he had last seen her, just more tired. His heart began to flip flop, but he ruthlessly crushed the feeling.
"What do you wan'?"
"Remy, this is wrong. Betsy may need ah help. Yoah not doing the raght thing. Aht least let us halp you. Remy, you know what ah am saying is raght."
Remy sighed then. "I'm sorry. You're right che-. You're right. You all are right. Roulette could use your help. T'anks."
Rogue winked out, and Storm came on. "I am glad to see you used the common sense I know resides in you Remy."
Remy smiled almost bitterly at Storm. "Was dere any doubt, Stormy?"
Storm sighed.
Later Remy sat in the chair, his mind on the past again.
Rogue.
After Belladonna died he had survived by living on the street, running from the Mutant Elite Force's sent to hunt him down. He had gradually developed his powers so that he could control them. His powers still went off sometimes, but for the most part he had them under control. Including his empathy. It took him one year, but he got the hang of using it. For his own good of course.
He had met a woman then, who suffered from amnesia, and helped her to survive on the street. They were both thieves, but by and by she regained her memory. She remembered everything when a group of mutants came to them. Remy protected her as best he could, but they knew her and she them. One of them, a redhead had used her telepathic powers to break her amnesia. Ororo had remembered all then. She had offered Remy a position in the X-men. Remy had declined at the time, but had later accepted. There he had met Rogue. He had flirted idly with her at first. She didn't seem interested, at first. Soon she had begun to warm to him and later he learned that it was her inhibition of killing him with her powers that made her reluctant to start a relationship. But Remy wasn't called the Ragin' Cajun for no reason. Soon Rogue had warmed to him. Remy realized that this was the girl he had waited for all his life. When a dampener was put on her she could touch humans. She would wear it whenever she wanted to touch. They had touched through that, sharing kisses, making love. Still she could not wear the dampener for more than a few hours at a time. She had finally gained control of her powers, and there was no more need for the dampener. Then Magneto had come in the picture. With his powers of empathy Remy had realized that Rogue was attracted. Yet he was too sure of her, too trusting. When she had confronted him he had hid his emotions realizing that Rogue felt strongly for Magneto. He had hidden his hurt, at the time. Still a man could only stand so much. Remy had left the team a week later; he wasn't able to continue, with Magneto and Rogue being on the same team as he. Surprisingly Storm was the one who had argued the most about it. In the end she opted to go with him. He still didn't know why, yet he strongly suspected that she came because she wanted to keep an eye on his team. He wasn't angry about it now. When she admitted it, he had been a little angry, but he remembered what a great help she had been. She had also told him that she wanted to stay. Who was Remy to refuse a beautiful woman?
Remy got up shaking off the memories. There was work to be done.
Remy went into the common room where his team was. They all sat, listlessly. They too were all worried about Betsy. The group was close and it was like a member of their family had been kidnapped. Gavin jumped up as he appeared. Sarah and Raven looked up at him. Raven was Mystique, a shape changing mutant who was very agile and an excellent firearm specialist. She kept at least one big gun with her most of the time. Sarah was Marrow a young mutant who could grow boney protrusions all over her body. She had finally gained control over her ability and made the bones into armor over her when she went into battle. Gavin was able to form his body into pure flame. He was the exact opposite of Iceman. Though he called himself renegade, Iceman referred to him as burnout. He good-naturedly called him popsicle. "We'll be helped by de X-men. Get ready. We'll be leavin' in thirty minutes," Remy turned and left, heading for his own room. Thirty minutes. Then he would leave for Muir Isle, X-men base number 2, now base number 1. The Prelates had destroyed the old one. Muir Isle and Rogue.