Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Marvel, Ilehana Xavier to Corrinth, Blaze
and all other OCs to me.
A/N: The bit about Gambit owing Blaze a drink is a referral to Empowered, when a much less scary Blaze bought him a beer as a consolation after she and Vixen beat him to something Magneto wanted. Didn't start off this story with the intention of making Blaze so dark and disturbed, its just kinda happened. She's not all bad really, honest! All reviews greatly appreciated.
09
"I'se seem to remember I owe you a drink?" Gambit commented without even glancing away from the car chase on the bar's TV.
"Tequila, and make 'em big ones." Blaze spoke directly to the barman, taking the stool besides her drinking buddy. What was wrong with her? She couldn't see properly anymore, her vision was blurred and tinted orange, and her mind picking up like wildfire on anything that she saw as remotely flammable. Her breath rasped in and out of her too hot, burning her delicate throat. All she could taste was steam; all she could smell was ash.
"So this how easy you give up on vengeance?" Gambit finally averted his eyes from the screen and glanced at her. It seemed to take Blaze a lot of effort to focus her attention on him, and he couldn't hide the worry in his voice. "Or you got some idiote plan to save the day?"
"Depends." Blaze replied. "On whether or not you'll help. I need to take out those cameras." She nodded back up to the TV. "The man driving that car is Magneto's, he's leading them right into the fight." Gambit took a double take at the TV broadcast, but didn't recognise the man. He could feel Blaze's eyes burning into the back of his neck until he looked back at her. "Magneto doesn't ever need to know it was you. He doesn't know you're here."
"An' how I supposed to get onto a helicopter when it flyin' Cherie?" He asked sarcastically. Blaze only shrugged; it hadn't crossed her mind that he might find it a problem. "You'll think of something."
"I don't even wanna know what you gonna be doin' to stop all this." Remy muttered in reply. Taking a deep breath he met Blaze's eyes, not backing down as she stared at him unfocused. "You like playin' games, Chere, here's the deal. I do this, but only on one condition. When this all over, you go back with the X-Men. You let the Xaviers help you." He took hold of her hand in his fingerless glove, shocked briefly at how warm she was. "This ain't you Petite, you ain't smiled once since I found you. This ain't my friend, Amie........."
Briefly, he almost reached her, the real Blaze. The Blaze who laughed readily at his jokes even when no one else found them funny, the Blaze who'd do anything for the people she cared about. But then she was gone, replaced again by this fire-demon with a will of forged steel. It seemed a Blaze consumed by her powers was even more stubborn than the usual sort of Blaze.
"That's your condition?" He nodded, before she continued. "Then this is mine. I'll go back to Bayville if you will leave Magneto."
"I can't do that." He warned. "He........."
"Will have to get through me if he wants to hurt you." Blaze snapped, hair like an aura of flame about her, eyes on fire. "And that's not as easy as it looks."
"I don't know." Gambit mused, "It don't look too easy right now." He shook his head and changed his grip on Blaze's hand into a firm handshake. "We got a deal then Blaze?"
The corner of her mouth twitched, rose-red lips moving into a smirk. She took his handshake and turned it into a fighter's clasp, grasped hard as though for an arm-wrestling match.
"We'll show them all what we thieves are worth." She swore, making Gambit smile.
"I'll drink to that."
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He waited on a rooftop, long trench coat billowing around him in the night breeze as he crouched, extended metallic pole in hand. At the buzzing of the first helicopter he started forward at a run, knowing the lead 'copter was the police one. He did not want to end up in that one especially. As the second started to whir closer, Gambit lodged the pole against the roof and took off. Somehow he made it, landing cat-like with pole in hand amongst the terrified TV crew.
"Bin waitin' for you." He smiled, reaching out grabbing the TV camera from the cameraman. "Mind if I borrow this?" His hands throbbed as his power went into the machine, then with a grunt he threw the device back into the air. It exploded, making the pilot drive the helicopter suddenly sideways in shock. That suited Gambit fine, and the third 'copter was just coming alongside.
Taking his pole in hand, an attachment from his inside trench coat pocket turned the implement into a means to launch a grappling hook across to the other vehicle. Without saying anything, he fired the rope, smiling as it caught true on the third helicopter's runners. A quick tug to make sure it was secure and he was swinging out over open air, the road below him a very long way down. Gambit passed right under the belly of the news 'copter, even as its occupants cried out in shock. A back flip and he was inside again, snatching the camera from the startled camerawoman this time, smiling sweetly at her.
"Merci, Cherie." He offered, winking as he tossed her camera out the door. "Sorry I have to do this to you." Then he was gone again, dropping back out on the long rope still attached to the machine as the TV crew, pretty camerawoman included, leaned out to see where he had got to. Rope in his hands, he swung out his feet, catching a fire escape stairway and simultaneously clicking the rope release button on his pole. The helicopter flew straight up as soon as Gambit had landed, the pilot obviously not impressed with strange mutant visitors dropping out of the sky uninvited. Gambit didn't look back, but made his way instead back up to the rooftops.
The sight that greeted him made him shield his eyes with his hand. Night was lit up like day as a huge blast went off not a block away. A dome of fire reached up uninterrupted and glorious into the nighttime sky, a wave of heat smashing against him, hot air moving like the tide that casts ripples in sand. Then the sound hit, a wall of noise that could break bones, an explosive sound that reverberated in the hot air and made the building underneath him shake. He gasped as the force of the blast knocked the air from his lungs, the air he dragged back in tasting thick like charcoal.
Blaze had found her vengeance, and her powers had seized their moment.
A/N: The bit about Gambit owing Blaze a drink is a referral to Empowered, when a much less scary Blaze bought him a beer as a consolation after she and Vixen beat him to something Magneto wanted. Didn't start off this story with the intention of making Blaze so dark and disturbed, its just kinda happened. She's not all bad really, honest! All reviews greatly appreciated.
09
"I'se seem to remember I owe you a drink?" Gambit commented without even glancing away from the car chase on the bar's TV.
"Tequila, and make 'em big ones." Blaze spoke directly to the barman, taking the stool besides her drinking buddy. What was wrong with her? She couldn't see properly anymore, her vision was blurred and tinted orange, and her mind picking up like wildfire on anything that she saw as remotely flammable. Her breath rasped in and out of her too hot, burning her delicate throat. All she could taste was steam; all she could smell was ash.
"So this how easy you give up on vengeance?" Gambit finally averted his eyes from the screen and glanced at her. It seemed to take Blaze a lot of effort to focus her attention on him, and he couldn't hide the worry in his voice. "Or you got some idiote plan to save the day?"
"Depends." Blaze replied. "On whether or not you'll help. I need to take out those cameras." She nodded back up to the TV. "The man driving that car is Magneto's, he's leading them right into the fight." Gambit took a double take at the TV broadcast, but didn't recognise the man. He could feel Blaze's eyes burning into the back of his neck until he looked back at her. "Magneto doesn't ever need to know it was you. He doesn't know you're here."
"An' how I supposed to get onto a helicopter when it flyin' Cherie?" He asked sarcastically. Blaze only shrugged; it hadn't crossed her mind that he might find it a problem. "You'll think of something."
"I don't even wanna know what you gonna be doin' to stop all this." Remy muttered in reply. Taking a deep breath he met Blaze's eyes, not backing down as she stared at him unfocused. "You like playin' games, Chere, here's the deal. I do this, but only on one condition. When this all over, you go back with the X-Men. You let the Xaviers help you." He took hold of her hand in his fingerless glove, shocked briefly at how warm she was. "This ain't you Petite, you ain't smiled once since I found you. This ain't my friend, Amie........."
Briefly, he almost reached her, the real Blaze. The Blaze who laughed readily at his jokes even when no one else found them funny, the Blaze who'd do anything for the people she cared about. But then she was gone, replaced again by this fire-demon with a will of forged steel. It seemed a Blaze consumed by her powers was even more stubborn than the usual sort of Blaze.
"That's your condition?" He nodded, before she continued. "Then this is mine. I'll go back to Bayville if you will leave Magneto."
"I can't do that." He warned. "He........."
"Will have to get through me if he wants to hurt you." Blaze snapped, hair like an aura of flame about her, eyes on fire. "And that's not as easy as it looks."
"I don't know." Gambit mused, "It don't look too easy right now." He shook his head and changed his grip on Blaze's hand into a firm handshake. "We got a deal then Blaze?"
The corner of her mouth twitched, rose-red lips moving into a smirk. She took his handshake and turned it into a fighter's clasp, grasped hard as though for an arm-wrestling match.
"We'll show them all what we thieves are worth." She swore, making Gambit smile.
"I'll drink to that."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He waited on a rooftop, long trench coat billowing around him in the night breeze as he crouched, extended metallic pole in hand. At the buzzing of the first helicopter he started forward at a run, knowing the lead 'copter was the police one. He did not want to end up in that one especially. As the second started to whir closer, Gambit lodged the pole against the roof and took off. Somehow he made it, landing cat-like with pole in hand amongst the terrified TV crew.
"Bin waitin' for you." He smiled, reaching out grabbing the TV camera from the cameraman. "Mind if I borrow this?" His hands throbbed as his power went into the machine, then with a grunt he threw the device back into the air. It exploded, making the pilot drive the helicopter suddenly sideways in shock. That suited Gambit fine, and the third 'copter was just coming alongside.
Taking his pole in hand, an attachment from his inside trench coat pocket turned the implement into a means to launch a grappling hook across to the other vehicle. Without saying anything, he fired the rope, smiling as it caught true on the third helicopter's runners. A quick tug to make sure it was secure and he was swinging out over open air, the road below him a very long way down. Gambit passed right under the belly of the news 'copter, even as its occupants cried out in shock. A back flip and he was inside again, snatching the camera from the startled camerawoman this time, smiling sweetly at her.
"Merci, Cherie." He offered, winking as he tossed her camera out the door. "Sorry I have to do this to you." Then he was gone again, dropping back out on the long rope still attached to the machine as the TV crew, pretty camerawoman included, leaned out to see where he had got to. Rope in his hands, he swung out his feet, catching a fire escape stairway and simultaneously clicking the rope release button on his pole. The helicopter flew straight up as soon as Gambit had landed, the pilot obviously not impressed with strange mutant visitors dropping out of the sky uninvited. Gambit didn't look back, but made his way instead back up to the rooftops.
The sight that greeted him made him shield his eyes with his hand. Night was lit up like day as a huge blast went off not a block away. A dome of fire reached up uninterrupted and glorious into the nighttime sky, a wave of heat smashing against him, hot air moving like the tide that casts ripples in sand. Then the sound hit, a wall of noise that could break bones, an explosive sound that reverberated in the hot air and made the building underneath him shake. He gasped as the force of the blast knocked the air from his lungs, the air he dragged back in tasting thick like charcoal.
Blaze had found her vengeance, and her powers had seized their moment.