Chapter 6
A/N: Thanks go out to Sky Queen, who wrote a little of this chapter when I was stuck.
Disclaimer: (8)This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb...(8)
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Scott cleared his throat pointedly. "Storm? Who is this guy?"
"He's...an old friend," she murmured softly, eyes still fixed on the man
before her.
"What're you doin' out here?" Remy asked Ororo curiously.
"It's a very, very long story, my friend. I will tell you
later. And I could ask the same of you..."
"Dat's another long story, chere. Though, I'm
startin' to wish I wasn't here. It's freezinn'!"
"Actually, it's a good thing you're here,"
commented Storm smiling wryly at the Cajun,
"because we're not going anywhere."
"What seems to be da problem, Stormy?" Remy asked curiously. No sooner had the words left his mouth than he caught site of the jet. "Merde........." He muttered. "I think I know one pissed off professor."
The phoenix force had been standing quietly through all of this, but Mia suddenly piped up. "Well, we have a car back there," she gestured with her hand, "but it kind of... doesn't work right now."
"No problem, I'm sure we can fix it and get ourselves outta here," replied Gambit smugly "who be you guys anyway?"
"My name's Mia, these are Chandra, Daniela, Joseph, Sanina and William."
Chandra smirked. "...And, to paraphrase Mr. Freakish Glasses, over there, exactly who the hell are you?"
He gave her his best charming smile. "I am Remy Lebeau, also known as Gambit. Pleasure t' meet you."
Ororo rolled her eyes. Scott's gaze flicked between the Windrider, the Cajun and the telepath. Finally he sighed. "Well, let's go see if we can get your car working, and then we'll head back to the Institute."
"Institute?" Chandra's eyes sparkled as she turned to Mia. "See? They've finally decided we've snapped, and are here to take us to our nice friends in the white jackets."
Mia punched her in the shoulder. "Probably Xavier's, you unsmart little person."
Chandra shrugged. "I rest my case."
Ororo leapt gracefully to the snowy ground, and looked expectantly at Mia. "Your car...?"
"This way," Mia told her, starting off the way they had came. The others followed, Ororo walking with Remy, Chandra and Mia walking together, Joseph and William running off in a race towards the car, and Sanina and Daniela taking up the rear. Scott gave one last look at the poor jet, and sighed regretfully. As Storm's friend had said, the Professor would not be happy with this. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. 'How'd that guy know who the Professor is?' He took off to catch up with Remy and Ororo.
"Hey! You two, wait up!" The two slowed, allowing him to fall into pace with them.
"What is it, Scott?" asked Ororo. Scott ignored her, glaring directly at Gambit.
"I'd like to know exactly how you knew who the Professor is," he stated coldly.
The man shrugged casually. "I've got my sources, mon ami."
Scott clenched his teeth. "And those sources would be...?"
An infuriating smirk slipped across the man's handsome features. "Even if I were t' tell you, you'd never 'ave heard o' dem anyway, so dere's no point."
Scott glanced at Ororo, and was increasingly chagrinned to see that she was desperately trying to restrain a grin of her own. He gave them both a particularly aggravated glare, and headed up to the front of the line to speak with Chandra and Mia, all the time muttering things like, "All out to get me... Want me to go insane... Damn Cajun... Thought teacher's were always supposed to stick up for their students..."
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"So, what's wrong with the bloody car?!" Chandra called from the front seat where she was bent over her laptop with Ororo and Joseph.
Remy, Scott and William had their heads all under the hood, a toolbox lying out on the ground near their feet.
"Nothin' too bad, chere!" Remy's voice came to her.
"So you guys can fix it?" asked Joseph.
"No problem, man!" William stuck his head out of the car long enough to send a thumbs-up in the general direction of the front seat.
"How long?" asked Mia.
"'Bout fifteen minutes," Remy replied.
"Great!" Sanina shivered, wrapping her jacket closer around herself.
Back in the front seat, Chandra scrolled down the information displayed on the computer screen. Ororo's eyes were fastened to the words as they moved by.
"There's so much information out on the school! How did you get all this?"
Chandra glanced at Joseph, who shrugged helplessly. "I'm...really good with computers," Chandra brushed the question off hurriedly.
"You're a hacker, aren't you?" asked Ororo, frowning.
"No!" Chandra shook her head. "I'm just really good at procuring information on the Internet and in other people's computers that I might not really supposed to have."
"In other words, yeah, she's a hacker," Joseph affirmed.
"I see," Ororo said disapprovingly.
"Hey!" Daniela called from the back seat, "I got my Discman fit with new batteries! We've got musique!"
"Thank God!" Mia grinned.
"Okie, now what do you guys wanna hear?" asked Daniela.
"You should get to choose, it's your player," Scott spoke for the first time since opening the hood of the car.
"Sure, sounds good," Daniela flipped through her C.Ds. Finally spotting a disc to her liking, she dropped it into the slot and hit the play button. Music poured forth, providing a background to the work of the group.
"Charades, pop skill
Water hyacinth
Named by a poet
Imitation of life
Like a koi in a frozen pond
Like a goldfish in a bowl
I don't want to hear you cry
That sugarcane that tasted good
That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood
Come on, come on
No one can see you try
You want the greatest thing
The greatest thing since bread came sliced
You've got it all
You've got it sussed
Like a Friday fashion show
Teenager freezing in the corner
Trying to look like you don't try
That sugarcane that tasted good
That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood
Come on, come on
No one can see you try."
*^*^*^
Jubilation Lee dodged the large robotic arm coming at her head, and rolled to the side as a laser beam shot from a port on the wall. Bobby Drake sent a bolt of ice at it, and she let loose with a burst of fireworks to destroy it. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Jean and Logan arguing about something, but she didn't have to time to wonder what, as three claw- like things descended from the ceiling. The was a *BAMPH* from behind her, and she felt Kurt's tale wrap around her wrist before they were off in another teleport.
"Thanks, Elf," she said when they reappeared.
"No problem!" he called back, already off to help Sam. Safe for the moment, she looked out over the danger room, trying to find each of her teammates. This task proved easier than she had expected, for just then the Professor deactivated the projection, and the images flickered and vanished. Unfortunately, she had been standing on a high turret, and when it was no longer there, she plunged straight to the hard metal floor.
"Shit! That hurt!" she cried out, struggling to get up. Logan walked over, offering her a hand up.
"You ok, kid?" he asked gruffly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Wolvy. It just kinda hurts to fall from fifteen feet in the air, ya know?" she rubbed her arm, knowing she was going to have a really big bruise there within the hour.
"When are we, like, going to be able to like eat or take a rest?" asked Kitty, walking over to Logan, Rogue right beside her.
"Whenever Chuck decides we've had enough, I guess." The older man turned away, apparently not particularly caring that they had spent the last three hours in training.
"Ah'm exhausted," admitted Rogue.
"Yeah, I'm totally wiped!" Kitty plopped down on the floor.
"The Professor better have a good reason for all this crap," Jubilee joined Kitty on the ground, soon followed by Rogue. The Goth girl rested her head in her hands, and Jubilee remembered overhearing Kitty telling Kurt that Rogue hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Hey, you feelin' ok, Rogue?" asked the Chinese girl.
Yeah, Jubes, ah'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."
"Not sleeping well?" asked Kitty, though Jubilee knew that she already knew the answer.
"No, not really, but it's nothing, Kit. Really. Ah promise if it gets real bad ah'll go see the Professor, k?" Rogue asked.
"Yeah, like, ok. I'm just worried about you," Kitty smiled at her friend. Jubilee made gagging noises.
"Please, if this gets anymore sweet and mushy I may just throw up!"
"Believe meh, sugah, if ah wanted ta make ya throw up, ah'd come up with a much more interesting and creative way of doin' it," commented Rogue. Kitty laughed, Jubilee glared.
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A/N: Short, I know, but I'm kind of experiencing writers' block right now. Oh, btw, the song belongs to R.E.M.
A/N: Thanks go out to Sky Queen, who wrote a little of this chapter when I was stuck.
Disclaimer: (8)This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb...(8)
*^*^*^*^
Scott cleared his throat pointedly. "Storm? Who is this guy?"
"He's...an old friend," she murmured softly, eyes still fixed on the man
before her.
"What're you doin' out here?" Remy asked Ororo curiously.
"It's a very, very long story, my friend. I will tell you
later. And I could ask the same of you..."
"Dat's another long story, chere. Though, I'm
startin' to wish I wasn't here. It's freezinn'!"
"Actually, it's a good thing you're here,"
commented Storm smiling wryly at the Cajun,
"because we're not going anywhere."
"What seems to be da problem, Stormy?" Remy asked curiously. No sooner had the words left his mouth than he caught site of the jet. "Merde........." He muttered. "I think I know one pissed off professor."
The phoenix force had been standing quietly through all of this, but Mia suddenly piped up. "Well, we have a car back there," she gestured with her hand, "but it kind of... doesn't work right now."
"No problem, I'm sure we can fix it and get ourselves outta here," replied Gambit smugly "who be you guys anyway?"
"My name's Mia, these are Chandra, Daniela, Joseph, Sanina and William."
Chandra smirked. "...And, to paraphrase Mr. Freakish Glasses, over there, exactly who the hell are you?"
He gave her his best charming smile. "I am Remy Lebeau, also known as Gambit. Pleasure t' meet you."
Ororo rolled her eyes. Scott's gaze flicked between the Windrider, the Cajun and the telepath. Finally he sighed. "Well, let's go see if we can get your car working, and then we'll head back to the Institute."
"Institute?" Chandra's eyes sparkled as she turned to Mia. "See? They've finally decided we've snapped, and are here to take us to our nice friends in the white jackets."
Mia punched her in the shoulder. "Probably Xavier's, you unsmart little person."
Chandra shrugged. "I rest my case."
Ororo leapt gracefully to the snowy ground, and looked expectantly at Mia. "Your car...?"
"This way," Mia told her, starting off the way they had came. The others followed, Ororo walking with Remy, Chandra and Mia walking together, Joseph and William running off in a race towards the car, and Sanina and Daniela taking up the rear. Scott gave one last look at the poor jet, and sighed regretfully. As Storm's friend had said, the Professor would not be happy with this. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. 'How'd that guy know who the Professor is?' He took off to catch up with Remy and Ororo.
"Hey! You two, wait up!" The two slowed, allowing him to fall into pace with them.
"What is it, Scott?" asked Ororo. Scott ignored her, glaring directly at Gambit.
"I'd like to know exactly how you knew who the Professor is," he stated coldly.
The man shrugged casually. "I've got my sources, mon ami."
Scott clenched his teeth. "And those sources would be...?"
An infuriating smirk slipped across the man's handsome features. "Even if I were t' tell you, you'd never 'ave heard o' dem anyway, so dere's no point."
Scott glanced at Ororo, and was increasingly chagrinned to see that she was desperately trying to restrain a grin of her own. He gave them both a particularly aggravated glare, and headed up to the front of the line to speak with Chandra and Mia, all the time muttering things like, "All out to get me... Want me to go insane... Damn Cajun... Thought teacher's were always supposed to stick up for their students..."
*^*^*^
"So, what's wrong with the bloody car?!" Chandra called from the front seat where she was bent over her laptop with Ororo and Joseph.
Remy, Scott and William had their heads all under the hood, a toolbox lying out on the ground near their feet.
"Nothin' too bad, chere!" Remy's voice came to her.
"So you guys can fix it?" asked Joseph.
"No problem, man!" William stuck his head out of the car long enough to send a thumbs-up in the general direction of the front seat.
"How long?" asked Mia.
"'Bout fifteen minutes," Remy replied.
"Great!" Sanina shivered, wrapping her jacket closer around herself.
Back in the front seat, Chandra scrolled down the information displayed on the computer screen. Ororo's eyes were fastened to the words as they moved by.
"There's so much information out on the school! How did you get all this?"
Chandra glanced at Joseph, who shrugged helplessly. "I'm...really good with computers," Chandra brushed the question off hurriedly.
"You're a hacker, aren't you?" asked Ororo, frowning.
"No!" Chandra shook her head. "I'm just really good at procuring information on the Internet and in other people's computers that I might not really supposed to have."
"In other words, yeah, she's a hacker," Joseph affirmed.
"I see," Ororo said disapprovingly.
"Hey!" Daniela called from the back seat, "I got my Discman fit with new batteries! We've got musique!"
"Thank God!" Mia grinned.
"Okie, now what do you guys wanna hear?" asked Daniela.
"You should get to choose, it's your player," Scott spoke for the first time since opening the hood of the car.
"Sure, sounds good," Daniela flipped through her C.Ds. Finally spotting a disc to her liking, she dropped it into the slot and hit the play button. Music poured forth, providing a background to the work of the group.
"Charades, pop skill
Water hyacinth
Named by a poet
Imitation of life
Like a koi in a frozen pond
Like a goldfish in a bowl
I don't want to hear you cry
That sugarcane that tasted good
That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood
Come on, come on
No one can see you try
You want the greatest thing
The greatest thing since bread came sliced
You've got it all
You've got it sussed
Like a Friday fashion show
Teenager freezing in the corner
Trying to look like you don't try
That sugarcane that tasted good
That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood
Come on, come on
No one can see you try."
*^*^*^
Jubilation Lee dodged the large robotic arm coming at her head, and rolled to the side as a laser beam shot from a port on the wall. Bobby Drake sent a bolt of ice at it, and she let loose with a burst of fireworks to destroy it. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Jean and Logan arguing about something, but she didn't have to time to wonder what, as three claw- like things descended from the ceiling. The was a *BAMPH* from behind her, and she felt Kurt's tale wrap around her wrist before they were off in another teleport.
"Thanks, Elf," she said when they reappeared.
"No problem!" he called back, already off to help Sam. Safe for the moment, she looked out over the danger room, trying to find each of her teammates. This task proved easier than she had expected, for just then the Professor deactivated the projection, and the images flickered and vanished. Unfortunately, she had been standing on a high turret, and when it was no longer there, she plunged straight to the hard metal floor.
"Shit! That hurt!" she cried out, struggling to get up. Logan walked over, offering her a hand up.
"You ok, kid?" he asked gruffly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Wolvy. It just kinda hurts to fall from fifteen feet in the air, ya know?" she rubbed her arm, knowing she was going to have a really big bruise there within the hour.
"When are we, like, going to be able to like eat or take a rest?" asked Kitty, walking over to Logan, Rogue right beside her.
"Whenever Chuck decides we've had enough, I guess." The older man turned away, apparently not particularly caring that they had spent the last three hours in training.
"Ah'm exhausted," admitted Rogue.
"Yeah, I'm totally wiped!" Kitty plopped down on the floor.
"The Professor better have a good reason for all this crap," Jubilee joined Kitty on the ground, soon followed by Rogue. The Goth girl rested her head in her hands, and Jubilee remembered overhearing Kitty telling Kurt that Rogue hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Hey, you feelin' ok, Rogue?" asked the Chinese girl.
Yeah, Jubes, ah'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."
"Not sleeping well?" asked Kitty, though Jubilee knew that she already knew the answer.
"No, not really, but it's nothing, Kit. Really. Ah promise if it gets real bad ah'll go see the Professor, k?" Rogue asked.
"Yeah, like, ok. I'm just worried about you," Kitty smiled at her friend. Jubilee made gagging noises.
"Please, if this gets anymore sweet and mushy I may just throw up!"
"Believe meh, sugah, if ah wanted ta make ya throw up, ah'd come up with a much more interesting and creative way of doin' it," commented Rogue. Kitty laughed, Jubilee glared.
*^*^*^
A/N: Short, I know, but I'm kind of experiencing writers' block right now. Oh, btw, the song belongs to R.E.M.