Disclaimer: I only own Blaze; Ilehana Xavier is used with express permission of Corrinth; I do not own and am making no profit from the X-Men characters or their world.
A/N: Please read and review!
L'ange de morte 2The X-Man named Gambit stalked his quarry with the stealth of a cat. This night had been weeks in the making. And now as the dawn light crept over the horizon and the next town on his prey's hit list was still asleep, everything was ready. Nobody else would suffer at the hands of this madman, l'ange de morte………
The dark form of the mutant skimmed low over the trees above Gambit's position. The man didn't even know Remy was there, waiting for a clean shot as his quarry hovered over the ridge, sentimental as always, waiting for the dawn to begin his acts of terror. In his hand, Gambit filled a single playing card with explosive energy via his unique mutant ability. He had his orders, the angel of death had to die.
He loosed the card, watching as it sped glowing towards the winged mutant. But suddenly it was hit off target, a fireball sending it harmlessly into a nearby tree. The flying mutant didn't even look around, soaring off over the town, leaving Gambit fuming with anger. Who dared stop him doing his job?
He stormed forward, all thoughts of concealment gone, another card ready in his hand to blast the interfering scum who………
Blaze stood on top of a small ridge, fireball dancing in her palm, endless red curls caught in the shimmering morning breeze. Her face was emotionless as the father of her child stalked into view, her old friend, now facing her as armed as she was.
"Blaze! Merde, Chere! What you doin' here?" He yelled, furious. "You make me miss? I got orders from Xavier!"
"Does it look like I care, Remy?" She fumed back, not shouting but every bit as angry. "You don't know what you are doing! I wont let you kill that man."
"You know somethin' Gambit don't, but you take three weeks to get to me to let me know? Try tellin' all those people that madman's scared outta their homes you wont let Gambit take him out!"
Blaze stormed down the slope, absorbing her fireball into herself and slamming a fist hard into Remy's wrist to make him drop the card. She could never tell him what had taken so long to get her here, the endless forms and interviews, the pain of having to give up the person she loved most in the world; having their daughter adopted so she could do what she had to do and come home to the X-Men. It was the only chance she had of saving Warren, stopping Apocalypse. But it didn't mean she was happy about it.
"That man's name is Warren Worthington, and he's a friend of mine!" She met and held Remy's eyes, the fire there almost painful for him to look at. "He would never in a million years harm another soul. He's kept his mutation a secret, controlled it by himself all his life. Before a man called Apocalypse got involved, there were very few people who knew anything about Archangel!"
"You datin' that madman or somethin' Laura, seein' as you knows so much about him?" There was spite in Gambit's voice she was too familiar with. This wasn't exactly the welcome back she had been expecting, but why should any of this be easy?
"Not that it's an ounce of your business, but yeah!" She snapped. "Don't you think I know mind control when I see it Gambit? Or are you really as dense as that?" She referred to the spell she had spent with three other young women at the beck and call of a mutant with powers of persuasion named Gareth King. Mind control then had only been broken by Gambit, through their friendship and a mysterious mind-bond now too long broken. They faced off for a few moments more, both still so angry, before Gambit turned away. What was it that had changed between them?
"Alright, little one……... We play this your way, for now. You gotta plan?"
"Only to get him to the Professor. With any luck, Xavier should be able to restore Warren back to how he was, get rid of Apocalypse's control………" Blaze watched Gambit's broad shoulders as she spoke, noting how tense he was. This argument would run and run she knew. He wouldn't forgive her easily for leaving in the first place, and even less for not keeping in touch, and now she had the nerve to show up out of the blue? Still, part of her at least was very glad to see her old friend. She reached out hesitantly to touch his trench coat, but he turned as she did so and pushed her reaching hand away.
"Non, Chere." He muttered, "We work t'ings out another time. We got work to do."
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They went into the town even as the first terrified screams came racing through the morning air. They had to let them pass, heading instead to a hardware store for essential supplies. The owner hadn't opened up yet, but his security systems were nothing to the pair of proven thieves, especially not as his locks were easily melted. Taking lengths of tough chain, Gambit left the money plus a good tip on the counter. Maybe they had broken in, but they weren't thieves anymore.
There was the sound of gunfire up ahead, a brave man tried to defend his property from the swooping mutant who fired back with guns in both hands. Blaze was shocked to see how different Archangel looked, his lips blue, eyes bloodshot and skin so pale the network of blood vessels underneath could almost be seen. The guns came from holsters strapped to each thigh, his glorious wings dull and lifeless. Had she looked this bad when she had been under mind control herself?
"I'll draw him away from the civilians." Blaze directed, "I'll try and get him to follow me down that alleyway. Climb up a fire escape and you should be able to drop onto him without him seeing you." Gambit didn't reply, knowing she was well capable of looking after herself he ran to take position.
"Hey Archangel!" Blaze shouted, gathering a fireball and preparing to throw it at Warren's back. "You're Momma was a pigeon! Come pick on someone less your own size!"
"Who dares interrupt the work of the Horseman of the Apocalypse? You shall pay dearly in the blood of your loved ones when Apocalypse comes!" Warren turned in the air and flew directly at Blaze, guns firing.
"Heck do I know how to pick 'em………" Blaze muttered, letting the fireball fly past, singeing Archangel's left wing to give her a bit of a head start as she ran for the alleyway. The morning light couldn't penetrate the enclosed space, the floor was littered with boxes and crates, barring Blaze's way and as Archangel closed down on her she wondered if she had made a mistake? What if Gambit was so mad at her he didn't come through? She'd given him a second chance at killing Warren if he wanted it……… She went to ground three-quarters of the way up the alley and waited for the Angel of Death to follow her.
Apocalypse's Horseman flew low to the ground, searching for the insect that had interrupted his work. She must be here somewhere……… There! Some movement behind a stack of crates! Just as he reached Blaze's hiding place, he felt a sudden heavy weight on his back as an X-Man dropped to wrap chains around Archangel's wings and arms. In a struggling mass the two men plunged to land hard on the floor. For a second the wind was knocked out of both of them, but that was time enough for Blaze to charge forward, grab the trailing ends of the chain and melt them together in a solid metal mass. Archangel roared his defiance as Blaze offered Gambit a hand up.
"There you go, Chere. One chained chicken. How you wanna get him back to the mansion? I'se only got my bike an it wont take t'ree………" He half expected her to announce she wasn't actually coming home, and Blaze knew it; she could see it in his eyes. She turned away, ashamed of the hurt she saw there she started back the way they had come.
"I've got a 4x4 outside town, will your bike tie to the back?"
"You mean it Petite?" He didn't ask about the bike, damn he'd leave it here in a second if it meant Blaze'd come home.
"Well it doesn't look like I'm ever going to get to live the nice, quiet, safe normal life I wanted. May as well try and do some good with what time I've got instead………" She didn't add the knowledge that she had maybe twelve to fifteen years to make the world a good place for mutants to live, until Jessica's mutant powers began to develop. Blaze had no hesitation in believing that Jess would one day be a mutant too. Gambit left Blaze to her thoughts, pulling Archangel to his feet as he struggled and screamed and tried to get away………