Title: Long Way Down
Authors: M/G & B/C
Rating: PG – violence is not for children
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. 'cept for maybe Mia. Please don't take my Mia from me. Also, I am not getting a penny for this. But a million pennies of happiness, oh yes.
Logan came stomping down the stairs carrying a tray holding nothing but empty dishes. The silverware clanged sharply against the ceramic bowls with each step and Jean, sitting on the couch, turned her head to see. She looked at the dishes and smiled at Logan.
"What are you up to, Logan?" Jean inquired.
"What? Nothin'. Just bringin' these down," Logan nodded to the tray and headed to the kitchen.
Jean turned back to face the unlit fireplace and pretended to read her book. She was laughing on the inside. Logan has been spending a lot of time with Gambit...it's so—her thoughts were cut off by another. She received an image of the Professor with Cerebro, and two seconds later, Xavier's voice boomed throughout the complex from the intercom system.
"Attention, X-Men. Attention. I have pinpointed another mutant child. All capable X-Men report to the Blackbird at once!"
Jean jumped as Logan bolted out of the kitchen, the saloon doors swinging wildly behind him. He grazed one of the end tables, making a vase wobble for several seconds before plummeting to the floor with a crash. The Wolverine didn't even look back, continuing on his journey to his room to don his costume. Jean was already climbing the stairs to the women's wing.
Logan reached the upstairs hallway and began to dash toward his room at the end of the row, but was stopped short when he ran squarely into Gambit as the fully-clad Cajun exited his room. Both mutants grunted in surprise, but Wolverine was already thundering down the hallway again.
"C'mon, mon ami!" Gambit yelled after him.
Gambit watched as Logan disappeared in his room, then pulled his collar up to cover his neck as he gracefully descended the staircase. Nightcrawler materialized in a gray smoke in front of him.
"Are you ready, Gambit?" he hissed in his thick German accent, looking at the Cajun over his shoulder as he scrambled forward on all fours.
"Gambit gon' kick some tail!" Gambit prophesized, smiling with a coolness he didn't feel.
Hol' on petit...
The two mutants opened a large door and hurried down a long flight of stone stairs to the hangar, where the Blackbird hummed electrically. Cyclops could be seen in the cockpit, pressing buttons and flipping switches. Nightcrawler and Gambit bounded up the ramp and were greeted by Rogue and Iceman who had apparently just arrived as well, both in uniform. Cyclops turned around from his seat at the control panel. "Gambit, Nightcrawler. Who are we still missing? Oh... Wolverine." Scott's voice belied his lack of surprise.
The controls in front of Cyclops beeped. The Professor had just sent the coordinates. "Looks like we're going to an abandoned factory about 150 miles northeast of here, everyone."
Wolverine entered the aircraft, putting on his left glove as he strode up the aisle.
"Good of you to join us, Logan," Scott stated laconically.
"Yeah, sure, no problem, Cyke. Do you have our seating chart done or can I just sit here?" Logan didn't wait for an answer, taking the chair behind Cyclops.
"Don't you have something useful to do?" Cyclops asked.
"Than to be near you, Cyke? Nada thing in the world!"
"Stop it, both of you," Jean came in, sitting next to Scott and examing the Professor's instructions.
"I'm sorry, Jean," Scott said contritely.
Logan snorted audibly.
Baby. Don't wanna make his honey mad.
Scott looked back at the crew. "Hey, where's Bea—"
Beast leaped into the Blackbird. "Better late than never. I apologize for my belated arrival. I had to be sure that Storm was stable in the Infirmary."
Scott raised his eyebrows behind his visor. "She's still not feeling well?"
"Well, she has been reporting symptoms suggestive of a serious concussion. I fear I may have released her too early the last time. Still, it is best if she remains off her feet for the time being."
"I trust you'll have her back with us in no time," he said to the older man, then turned to address his team. "All right, everyone. I believe everything is ready. We're about to take off."
"Not without me," a voice called from the ramp.
"Professor!" the team shouted in unison.
Xavier wheeled his way into the cockpit, next to Cyclops.
"Professor, are you sure? If we happen to get into battle, you might be of better help to us at the mansion," Cyclops suggested tentatively, not wanting to offend the older man.
"Scott, I believe I can be of immense help on the field. If you do indeed face Sinister and his team again, I will attempt to search the minds of his followers for the whereabouts of the children they have taken. If we lose this child as well, we will have nothing to do but sit and wait until another young life is in danger," Xavier responded equably.
"You're right, Professor." Scott frowned, his cheeks reddening slightly.
Logan grinned.
With the engines finally warmed, the Blackbird lifted from the ground, ramp detracting beneath it. The overpowering drone of the jet shook the hangar and the metal doors in front of the craft parted, revealing a gray sky overrun with clouds. The Blackbird shot out of the pen with a deafening roar.
The Blackbird arrived at its destination within three minutes and landed in a parking lot behind the warehouse. The craft touched the ground gently, frail snowflakes disappearing as they touched the dark metal. The eightmutants stepped out into the chilly air and assembled at the foot of the ramp. Professor Xavier remained inside, prepared to fly the ship back to Salem in the case of an emergency.
The neighborhood surrounding them had become a familiar sight. Garbage cans and dumpsters lined the lot, looking only slightly less dilapidated than the tall brick apartment buildings behind them. Few of the windows had curtains, but Wolverine still felt he was being watched. His eyes darted around the enclosed lot, searching some silent, invisible predator.
Cyclops frowned at Wolverine's obvious lack of respect and attention. He cleared his throat deliberately and waited for Logan to face the front. Finally satisfied, Cyclops stopped pacing and confidently addressed his team: "I know things seem quiet, but we all need to keep in mind that this is a dangerous area and Sinister and his goons could show up at any time. Keep your eyes peeled! Remember, everyone, we're here to protect a civilian. Not to participate in a war." He glared at Logan who smirked back at him.
The group cautiously approached a metal door leading into the run down warehouse. It was large; at least three stories high. Rust crept down the sides of the building giving a spot of color to the bland outer covering.
Logan quickly approached the door, pressing his head against the coldness. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the shuffling of footsteps behind the door. He nodded to the rest of the team. Cyclops stood in front of the doorway and raised his right hand to his visor as Gambit held the doorknob. With a nod from Cyclops, Gambit pushed the door open. Nothing.
The team filed in cautiously, inspecting every detail of their surroundings. Every inch of the building had at least one pair of mutant eyes on it. Pipes of all colors ran the length of the ceiling, all of them rusted. One large pipe had broken and fallen to the floor near the back of the bare depot. Windows ran along the top of the factory, the meager light making shadows dance malevolently across the concrete floor, while a tangled web of catwalks spread across the upper level. The thick walls did nothing to keep out the cold, Wolverine noted.
Something's living in here?
He continued sniffing the air and caught the scent of...someone.
We ain't alone.
He waved the team to follow him and they rounded a corner, finding an old cardboard box that swayed slightly for a moment and abruptly stopped. The X-Men stopped too, unsure of how to approach the box or of who should do it. They glanced at each other, seeing confusion on every other face. Bobby tested his powers, sending unneeded cold to surround the team and earning him a barrage of anger stares. After an eternity of indecision, Gambit decisively brought a card out of his coat. The Ace of Spades. It glowed faintly red.
The Cajun's silent feet neared the box and with one swift movement, he lifted the lifted it away – and froze. Before him was a girl, huddling against a tattered yellow blanket. Her clothes alone told how long she had been in there. Her jeans had numerous holes; both knees were exposed and the cuffs were frayed. She wore a threadbare black sweater which left her thin white shoulder exposed to the cold air -- hardly enough to keep her warm in the New England winter. Incongruously, a pristine, red ribbon was tied snuggly around her milky neck.
Gambit carefully tossed the card behind him and backed away. Nobody seemed to know how to approach the girl. She hadn't looked up from her blanket since the box was removed. She seemed to be waiting for the nightmare invaders to disappear on their own.
Wolverine finally stepped forward. He looked the huddled figure up and down once more.
What, 12? Maybe 13?
She was incredibly pale and thin. But there was also a desperate vigor in her small body.
Quite suddenly, the old mutant felt nervous and quietly tried to clear his throat. "I ain't gonna hurtcha, kid. Jus' c'mere," Wolverine rasped, reaching his massive hand out to grab her shoulder. The young girl gasped and slid backward as though she had just woken up. She stared at the burly man in front of her with undisguised terror. Wolverine grunted in frustration. Dealing with children was by no means his forte. He turned and walked to the wall, leaning against it with his arms folded. He was perfectly content to let someone else handle the diplomacy.
Chuckling to himself at Wolverine's disgruntlement, Gambit took two long strides toward the girl and crouched down. He was only a few feet from her, but she no longer had a place to run and could only clutch her blanket more tightly and hide her face. Gambit smiled softly. She was adorable. Her jet black hair was cut at chin length and wrapped around her face like a toddler clutches a teddy bear. Her enormous brown eyes were beautiful and might be even more so were they not so possessed by fear.
"Aw, don' be scared, petite. We not gonna 'urtcha," he assured, keeping his eyes on the young mutant.
"Secure the perimeter!" barked Cyclops, who had suddenly found his voice and remembered that they could still be in danger.
Nightcrawler evaporated in a gray vapor and reappeared twenty feet above on the rafters, where he began scurrying from window to window. Iceman went to one of the three heavy metal door and peeked out. Finding nothing of interest, he proceeded to the next door, sliding on his own ice paths. Rogue smiled at his self-indulgence and then flew to the top of the warehouse to look out one of the windows beside Nightcrawler for any sign of danger. Beast climbed the rafters following her.
"Wha's yo' name, petite?" Gambit asked in a friendly voice.
The girl, who had uncurled to watch the X-Men scrambling through the building, turned back toward the man who had spoken. She inspected him with childish care, but found no sign of danger in his red eyes or pleasant smile. She frowned slightly, considering his question, and, for a moment, Gambit thought she might not answer at all.
"Mia," she said simply, in a voice that was surprisingly strong and confident.
Remy let loose a genuine smile and reached down to grab her hand. She grasped her blanket with her left and his large fingers with her right. He helped her stand and wrapped his arm around her. "Gambit s'my name. C'mon, chère. We gon' get you some food. You mus' be 'ungry, non?"
Mia looked up into Gambit's open face. She didn't even come up to the big man's shoulder, but she felt safe holding onto his strong hand. She tried to suppress a smile. "A little."
"Dats great! We can have a feas' when we get back!"
"Where are we going?" Mia inquired.
"Chère, you gon' love it! S'a big house wit' games an' food an' nice people to keep ya company. Jus' you wait!"
He led her away from the box, slowing his strides to match her own small steps. Cyclops smiled, observing the two chattering and grinning as they strolled along. Wolverine, arms crossed, frowned as he watched everyone depart.
What the...? How'd he do that?
He shook his head and began to trail the rest. He glanced back once more at the box where Mia had made her shelter and noticed something. A yellow flower, poking out of the floor. Logan cocked his eyebrows.
I ain't no...flower scientist, but a flower? Growing in this cold? Outta the concrete?
He gave a brief snort of laughter, then shrugged it off as he walked after the rest of the team.
"Okay, everyone! Great work! Let's get word back to the Professor and get out of here," Scott declared, confidently. Jean hovered down to the floor and Beast jumped alongside her, landing with a thud. Rogue bit her lip, staring out at window at the empty white expanse of snow. With a last worried glance, she joined the others on the main floor. Nightcrawler and Iceman were walking toward the entrance when a sudden noise stopped them. A door on the opposite end of the compound burst open, sending in the whistle of wind, and they turned to see outlined a figure, contrasted black against the falling snow.
"Oh, no. No, you're not going anywhere," a familiar voice hissed. "The girl is ours." A tall man, light reflecting off his fanged grin, approached from the doorway.
Sinister.
The X-Men, knowing their mission was complete, quickly tried to escape, heading for the door leading to the Blackbird. They burst through it and were greeted by the immense form of Sabretooth blocking the far-too-long path leading to the craft.
"Coming this way?" he called with a wicked smile.
"Sabretooth!" Wolverine extended his six claws. "Get back in there. Find a safe place for the kid and fight!"
Fight? And protect a little girl? Cyclops rapidly mulled over his options and decided that there wasn't a choice. "Yes. Everyone back inside! Gambit, stay with Mia! Don't let her out of your sight!"
"You got it, mon capitain," he shouted suavely at his leader. Then he turned to Mia and smiled conspiratorially. "We be fine, petite. Ol' Gambit not gon' let anythin' happen to ya. They jus' gonna make a big fuss an' then we get you some warm food."
Mia returned the smile nervously. She wasn't sure what was going on, but Gambit was confident enough. She held his hand tightly and waited for him to tell her what to do.
Wolverine ignored the rest of the team and bolted through the door toward Sabretooth, snarling visciously. When Xavier was sure they were occupied, he rolled up the ramp of the Blackbird and hid in the cockpit. He exhaled deeply and placed both hands at his temples.
The X-Men re-entered the building just as Blockbuster came crashing through the wall behind Sinister. Vertigo leaped down from one of the windows up top, landing on Blockbuster's left shoulder. Riptide and Scrambler walked from Blockbuster's new doorway. Plague brought up the rear, carefully stepping through the debris wearing a heartless grin.
"My, my. This is familiar. But no Storm? And I must ask, how is your ankle, Jean?" Sinister asked smoothly.
Jean's lips curled into a snarl and Scott stepped forward. "Back off, Sinister. You're not taking the girl without a fight!"
Ignoring the banter, Gambit bundled Mia under his coat and guided her to a dark corner behind a cluster of pipes. Even from the distance, he could see the razor glint of Sinister's smile.
"Very well," he thundered.
The two opposing forces ran at each other, screaming, preparing their powers for battle.
Cyclops fired a red energy beam from his visor hitting Blockbuster square in his massive gut.
"That tickles," Blockbuster boomed. "Do it again."
Blockbuster slammed his fists on the ground, causing a shockwave to erupt throughout the building. The X-Men fell to their knees. The evil mutants, known as The Marauders, ran to the fallen X-Men. Blockbuster approached Beast, who, like the rest, quickly jumped to his feet. Blockbuster threw his fist in Beast's direction. The agile blue mutant smoothly jumped over it and landed on the brute's shoulders, kicking him in the face. Blockbuster spun in circles, growling, trying to throw Beast off. Beast back-flipped from the mutant's shoulder, landing on his feet next to a stacked pile of metal crates.
"I'll teach you not to anger Blockbuster!" the angry mutant shouted. He ran towards Beast.
Beast looked at the crates. "'Personally I'm always ready to learn...'" He kicked the bottom crate out as Blockbuster neared, sending the four on top of it clattering onto Blockbuster with a crash that echoed throughout the warehouse. "'...although I do not always like being taught.'" Beast smiled. "Sir Winston Churchill."
Back at the Blackbird, Professor Xavier closed his eyes and began probing the mind of the nearest mutant, Sabretooth.
Embroiled in his fight with Wolverine, Sabretooth suddenly clutched his head and screamed. He knew Xavier was poking around in there. "Get out!" Wolverine got a free shot to Sabretooth's gut, causing him to stumble back.
Xavier found only distorted images of a laboratory and many pictures of Wolverine. He moved his mind inside, finding Vertigo. She wasn't much help either. The Professor mostly saw images of Vertigo when she was with the X-Men in the Savage Land. Nothing here, either
Rogue and Iceman had their own problems with Riptide. Iceman fired a stream ice from his hand, but Riptide spun out of the way. The mutant spun so fast that the wind from him actually knocked Rogue out of the air and sent Bobby sliding into a concrete wall. "Heads up!" the tornado called.
Four shurikens shot out of the twister with incomprehensible speed, pinning Bobby's arms and legs to the wall, missing his skin by a hair. The cyclone slowed and stopped and Riptide casually walked to the immobile X-Men, laughing. He balled his hand into a fist and raised it. He swung it down by was stopped by Rogue, who swooped in front of Iceman and grabbed Riptide's fist, throwing it away. Using her inhuman strength she picked up Riptide and tossed him across the building, slamming into the concrete wall on the other side. With this free time, she tore the ninja stars from Bobby's uniform, freeing him. But the mutant in the cyclone returned, sending the two X-Men flying into the air once more. They tumbled to the ground on opposite sides of the warehouse.
Nightcrawler faced off against Scrambler. The X-Man vanished and reappeared at random, hoping to throw his opponent off guard. Scrambler, trying to keep his eyes on him, found himself nearly tripping over his own feet. Utilizing the advantage, Nightcrawler dropped him to the floor with a square kick to the back. Scrambler picked himself up in a flash, however, and gently touched Nightcrawler's hand.
"Uh oh," he teased.
Nightcrawler looked at his hand puzzled. But then he realized what was happening when he tried to dematerialize and couldn't. Scrambler had halted his power usage! Nightcrawler raised his fists, as did Scrambler.
Nightcrawler threw the first punch which Scrambler easily blocked with his arm, mimicking Nightcrawler's move and hitting the blue mutant in the stomach. Nightcrawler doubled over, groaning and was hit in the neck by Scrambler's elbow. Nightcrawler laid on the floor in a fetal position. Scrambler walked over, smiling. In an instant, Nightcrawler sent his leg hurtling out, contacting with Scrambler's feet. The two mutants were on the ground next to each other, but only for a moment. Nightcrawler once again swung at Scrambler with his fist but was countered by Scrambler's foot in his sternum. Nightcrawler, robbed of his air, was powerless to stop Scrambler's rapid assult. After a blow to the mouth, a kick to the stomach and knee to the head that left the blue mutant immobile on the floor, Scrambler laughed and ran away.
Nightcrawler stayed down.
Rogue, groggily stood up. Riptide had disappeared, but not thirty feet in front of her, Sinister was watching the mêlée, back turned away from Rogue. An idea suddenly dawned on her, and she cautiously stalked up behind him, removing her right glove as she went. When she was within arm's reach, she silently leaned forward and pressed her bare hand to Sinister's forehead. A sensation passed into her arm and then her entire body. It was a tingle at first and then turned into an intolerable, sharp pain. She started to convulse and screamed. Sinister pulled away.
"You fool!" He smacked her with the back of his hand, sending her soaring across the warehouse. She hit the concrete wall and fell to the floor, unconscious.
Professor Xavier capitalized on Sinister's brief lapse in concentration. With a single, forceful mental thrust, the powerful psychic broke into Sinister's mind. Knowing he had little time to find the information he sought, Xavier rapidly scanned through Sinister's thoughts and memories. He glimpsed images of what appeared to be Gambit as a young boy, Storm imprisoned in a small brick room and three children in a metal cell, deep underground in southern Maine.
Sinister frowned as he watched the battle, and cast a suspicious glance at the X-Man craft.
Cyclops shot a beam at Vertigo who dodged it with graceful ease. She lifted her arms into the air and Scott suddenly felt dizzy. He clutched at his head and stumbled. Vertigo smiled and walked towards him.
"What's the matter? Your world turning upside down?"
Cyclops felt he was going to be sick. He fell to his knees, groaning. Jean ran in front of him, guarding him from Vertigo.
"Oh, you, too?" Her arms rose again and Jean felt the same dizziness. There were two Vertigos. Two Scotts. Two of everything. Vertigo ran towards her and, before she could comprehend what was happening, a high-heeled boot connected with her chest.
Scott looked at the ceiling. He could see a blotched spot of whiteness where the windows would be.
"Jean...?" he groaned.
And into his view, came Plague's face. He couldn't tell for sure, but she seemed to grin.
"What's the matter, deary? You look like you're getting a touch of the flu," she crooned. Her hand reached down towards Cyclops.
He saw it. No! Don't let her touch you...but he couldn't move a muscle. He was too weak. And as he saw that hand reach down to him, time seemed to stop. He called out to Jean, but he never heard his voice. The warmth of the hand touched Scott's mouth. The direct contact didn't feel odd to him at all. But seconds later his stomach began to turn again, sending acrid bile into his throat. He swallowed reluctantly. After that, he began to feel achy; the cold ground made it worse. He felt like a million needles were sticking into his body. He moaned and tried to move away from the pain, but he seemed to be cemented to the floor. Sweat began to form on his brow, though he was freezing. His skin flushed. He wanted only to sleep. And when he blinked, that's exactly what he did.
Outside with the gathering snow, Wolverine swung a clawed hand at Sabretooth who caught it in his arms.
"What's the matter, old man? Losing your touch?" he rasped.
"Old? Look who's talkin', bub!" Wolverine shot back. He kicked his foot into Sabretooth's shin, allowing him to pull back his grasped hand.
Sabretooth growled, running at Wolverine with a raised, clawed fist. Wolverine jumped clear over the creature, kicking him in the back on his way down.
Sabretooth stumbled, sliding on the new snow but stayed on his feet. He turned back to Wolverine with a snarl on his lips.
Inside, Gambit watched the chaos from the dark corner. Mia huddled against him, face buried in his side. He knew the hiding place wouldn't remain safe for long. His mind rapidly searched for an escape route, eyes finally lighting on the side door of the warehouse.
The alley!
"Doan worry, petite. We gonna get out now," he whispered, gathering Mia into his arms and rising.
"I can walk myself." Mia's muffled voice came from inside of Gambit's jacket.
"S'okay, chérie. You not dat heavy," Gambit said lightly, glancing down at the bundle of silky black legs and spindly white legs.
"No!" Mia said loudly and began squirming in Gambit's arms.
Rather than argue with the young girl, Gambit carefully lowered her to the ground.
"Take my 'and petite."
Mia pursed her lips in a childish look of determination and nodded her head decisively.
Slowly, he and Mia, holding hands, emerged from their hiding place. Making sure no one saw them, Gambit led Mia to the door, beyond which Wolverine's growls could be clearly heard. They opened the door and were temporarily blinded by the whiteness of the world. As their vision adjusted, the two saw Wolverine and Sabretooth engaged in ferocious combat. Gambit veered toward the alley. "Dis way, Mia!"
As the two departed down the brick alley, Sabretooth turned to look. He lowered his brow and smiled, exposing his fangs.
"No you don't, my pretty."
With a violent resolve, he smacked Wolverine across the face. Wolverine soared into one of the dark green dumpsters, denting the metal with his head. With a final groan, he slipped into unconsciousness.
Gambit led Mia to a run-down alleyway paved with beer bottles and tattered newspaper. Not a single car drove down the nearby street. Old apartment buildings were the only sight of interest and they seemed to stretch endlessly toward the horizon. The two started to run, but Gambit quickly realized he would have to slow his pace drastically to allow Mia to keep up. She looked up at him and he smiled encouragingly, pretending to be trying hard to run as fast as her. A grin spread across the young girl's face and she opened her mouth to speak, but Sabretooth suddenly exploded into the alley howling with bloodlust.
Knowing there was no more time for games, Gambit scooped Mia into his arms and took off sprinting.
"'ang on tight, chère!"
Gambit ducked into another alley, easily vaulting over a chain-link fence. Mia yelped. Only seconds behind, the shrill sound of shredding metal signaled Sabretooth's rapid approach.
He was getting too close for Gambit's comfort. The Cajun deftly removed a card from his coat. "Take a card, mon ami!" he yelled as he whipped the three of hearts behind him. The card burst into red flames as it impacted the ground in front of Sabretooth, and the mutant coughed and waved his hand to clear the smoke. The X-Man had gained ground. He growled.
The alley ended at a street very similar to the previous one. Or was it the same one? Gambit was already confused. But there was no time to stop. He kept running with Mia gently slung over his shoulder, occasionally mumbling comforting words to keep her from panicking.
"Why is that scary man chasing us?" Mia asked suddenly.
"Doan you worry, petite. 'e's jus' a kitty cat wan's ta go for a run," Gambit replied, hoping his voice conveyed his reassuring smile.
Mia suddenly wrapped her thin arms around Gambit's back in an awkward hug. Gambit grinned and gave her delicate body a squeeze.
Sabretooth growled in frustration. The X-Man was faster than he was. Such a problem required a plan...or brute strength. Sabretooth picked up a garbage can in passing and rolled it towards Gambit. Pieces of food and paper spilled out onto the sidewalk as the can made its way towards him, and Sabretooth grinned at its inevitable progress toward the fleeing duo.
Mia was speaking against Gambit's back, but a sudden clanging of metal behind him prevented him from hearing. He continued running, but just as he raised his foot to take another step, something caught him behind the leg, and he fell, feet pointing to the gray sky. He landed on the ice, hard; the back of his skull slammed onto the frozen concrete. Fortunately, Mia had landed on his chest, padded even more by his coat.
Gambit groaned and winced in pain, eyes closed. The only thing that jolted him out of his shock was a major weight taken off his chest and the scream of "Gambit!"
He shot up, eyes wide and looked around. Dere! Sabretooth was running down the sidewalk. And in one arm, Mia dangled, screaming.
"Mia!" Gambit stood up and attempted to chase after them but the ice had become even slicker, sending the usually graceful Acadian crashing to the ground once more. He smacked the ground in frustration and tried once more. Failed. No..."Non!"
Sabretooth, already far ahead, ducked into an alley. Gambit willed himself to stand and ran after them. He came out on the street with the apartment buildings, but no one could be seen except an old boozehound, suckling the last drops of whiskey from a brown paper bag.
With growing anxiety, Gambit turned into another alley and saw the Blackbird. He was back at the warehouse. He noticed Wolverine's face buried deep within a garbage dumpster. He also saw Sabretooth and Mia enter the warehouse and took off after them, disregarding his friend.
Upon entering, Beast was thrown at Gambit's feet, wincing. Blockbuster laughed at the fallen mutant. Sabretooth, with Mia screaming in his arms, stood behind Sinister, smiling.
"Marauders! We're off. Pleasure doing business with you, X-Men," Sinister called. The rest of the Marauders followed Sinister through Blockbuster's hole in the wall.
"Gaaaambit!..."
Remy ran after them and emerged back into the cold whiteness. But there was nothing there. Nothing.
He fell to his knees, mouth agape, stunned.
Beast, the only member of the team still mobile, walked to him, a sullen expression on his face. He placed a clawed hand on Gambit's shoulder.
"Come, Gambit. We will find her. Right now, we must help the others, though," he said.
Gambit didn't move. Beast patted his shoulder again. "Gambit?" Beast frowned and then picked up the young Cajun in his arms. Even if not for his mutant strength, there would have had no trouble lifting him, Beast mused. The boy was practically a skeleton. Hank carried him back to the Blackbird and placed him on a seat. Gambit stared forward, not even acknowledging the kind intentions of his comrade. Beast returned to the warehouse and one by one, picked up the fallen mutants and carried them back to the plane. Finally, he picked up Wolverine, prying his head from the dumpster, with a metallic screech.
Beast closed the ramp and started the Blackbird's engines, snow melting beneath the dark ship.
"'A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits.' Richard Nixon," he quoted to no one in particular. Jean, and Iceman were the only X-Men still coherent, but they were all sitting quietly in their seats, too tired and disheartened to even check on their injured teammates. Gambit sat where Beast had left him, not seeming to notice anyone at all. Scott was in the worst shape. Beast could determine that with just a look. But he would run diagnostics and tests when they arrived back at the mansion.
No one talked on the ride back home. The hum of the craft was the only sound.
Beaten again.