1A/N: I'm sure that Gambit seems very out of character, but that is because I am not that familiar with the Gambit character. I have seen him in the Original Cartoon series, and that is about it... I haven't read that many of the comic books, and I never saw any of the Evolution episodes with him in it...I just know he's Cajun, and he is kind of cute... hehe... I tried though, okay? So a humongous apology to all of the Remy LeBeau fans out there for slaughtering their favorite character (not really, you freaks! It's more of a figure of speech!).
Chapter Eleven
"Are you alright? That was a lot of blood." Rogue dug through my closet for something suitable to wear for the rest of morning before the parade and carnival opening.
"Yea, I'm fine. That sucker packs a fucking punch though. It hurt like hell for a while."
"What do you want to wear?" She asked, pulling random things out.
"Uh, I think I'll just put on what I wore for tennis this morning. I'm sure Jubilee is going to want to play again as soon as she sees me."
"Alright. I'll go get you a rag to wash off that blood, and a bucket to soak that shirt." Rogue exited for the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a soapy bucket and a wet washcloth, "Here you go."
"Thanks." I set the bucket on the floor, and took off my shirt as Rogue turned to go back through my closet again, flipping through.
"What are you wearing tonight?" She asked.
"I'm not sure." I looked up from where I was washing the blood off of my stomach, after I had plunged my t-shirt into the bucket of water and suds, "Why?"
"Can I borrow these tonight?" She pulled out a pair of black jeans with little yellow skulls stamped on them.
"Sure. There's a shirt that matches them in my third dresser drawer Wear your black denim jacket over it, with a pair of those baseball gloves."
"Good idea." Rogue moved over to my dresser to riffle through for the shirt while I changed back into my white tank top, and cargo shorts.
We both looked up at the knock on the door as I was pulling the zipper up on my shorts.
"Who is it?" I called.
"Just me. You decent?" Logan asked through the door.
"Yea, come in." I invited him, moving to my dresser.
"Are you alright?" He asked, opening the door, "Hey Rogue."
"Hey." She sat down on the bed to riffle through her side table drawer looking for the gloves I had suggested.
"I really wish people would stop asking me that. I'm fine now." I slid my feet back into my white sneakers and sat on my bed to tie them, "What time is it?"
"Not quite ten yet." Logan said, leaning in the doorway, watching me tie my shoes, "Jubilee is looking for you."
"Alright." I nodded, "She probably wants another tennis game."
"When did you get that shirt?" His eyebrow raised when I looked up at him.
"Um...after school ended, why?"
"I like it."
"Oh jeez." Rogue shoved the drawer back in, and got up, gloves in hand, "Let me at least leave before you two get all over one another, alright?"
Logan grinned, "Sorry Rogue."
Rogue pushed past him into the hall, and Logan closed the door behind her.
"You know...we haven't done it in your room yet."
"That's because I have a roommate." I put my arms around his neck, and he lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his hips, "A roommate you may remember as the girl who just left...named Rogue."
"Who?" He kissed me, making his way over to the bed.
"Oh c'mon...you had your chance this morning. It's to late now."
"It's never to late." He growled in my ear, biting down softly on my earlobe.
"No, c'mon..."
"Not even quick?"
"No." I shook my head.
He sighed, and dropped me back down onto the floor in front of the bed, "Damn."
"Maybe later, if you're well behaved." I winked, and gave him another kiss, and then stepped away from him to pick up the tennis racket I had borrowed from Warren, "I'm going to go find Jubilee. I'll see you later."
At the carnival later that afternoon, Logan was keeping close, with one arm wrapped possessively around my waist.
"Logan, are you going to tell me what's going on?" I asked, as we approached the line for the Tilt-a-Whirl.
"The Professor thinks that Magneto might use the Carnival as an opportunity to try and kidnap you again. I promised him I'd keep you on a short leash -is that okay?" He asked, looking down at me.
"Sure." I nodded, "But you and the Professor should know by now that I can take care of myself."
"Yea, but it's fun just to pretend for awhile." He gave me a quick kiss just as my name was called from behind me. Lance was sauntering up with his arm over the shoulders of Saundra, who was looking perky in a yellow sun dress and matching high top sneakers.
"Hey Lance." I pulled away from Logan to bump hips with him while Saundra looked at us distastefully, "What's up? Where you been? I haven't seen you around."
"I had to go visit my Grandparents in New Jersey." He shrugged, "How about you?"
"Oh, you know...just hanging around the Institute, staying out of trouble." I shrugged.
Lance nodded, and looked down at Saundra as she tugged on the hem of his shirt, "What?"
"I'm hungry, Lance..." She pouted, "Can we go get some cotton candy?"
"Yea, sure." Lance dug into his wallet and handed her a five, "Here you go."
She stomped on his foot as she turned around, and Lance winced.
Lance came back up, putting his arm around my hip again, "I really hope you don't like that girl...or that five bucks, because I really don't think you're going to be seeing either again."
Lance shrugged, "I only came with her because she was an easy date...and I can always sucker another five bucks out of my parents."
I smiled, and put my arm around Logan's, "Well, we better go find the others. I'll talk to you later, Logan."
"How exactly do you know that guy?" Logan asked, after we had gotten out of hearing distance of Logan.
"He was my Chem-partner." I explained, "Nothing more, I swear."
"You sure?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Positive." I assured him.
We both turned around when Kurt suddenly grabbed onto my shoulders, Rogue yelling from behind him.
"Kurt!" Rogue warned him, "What did I tell you? Let them alone, alright? You're like a little kid." She looked good in my jeans and shirt with the jacket and gloves I told her to wear. She had found a skull-cap hat that matched perfectly on the top shelf in my closet.
"It's ok." I told her, linking an arm with Kurt, "Hey, we're going to go on some rides, Logan. You want to come with, or are you going to brood and watch?"
"I think I'll brood and watch. You be careful."
"I'll be fine, Logan." I kissed his cheek and went off with Kurt and Rogue.
"What's Logan's problem?" Rogue asked, linking my other arm.
"Nothing, he's just worried about the whole Magneto thing, but I think that everything will be just fine."
"Did you try a...you know. Premonition?" Rogue lowered her voice as we got into the Tilt-a-Whirl line.
"No...and I haven't gotten one, so I'm just not going to worry, okay?" I shrugged, "C'mon, it's loading."
The three of us managed to squeeze into one of the carriages. I loved the feeling you got on the Tilt-a-Whirl -the way the carriage would spin the opposite way of the ground, and the way it would lift up and down, and then suddenly shift direction. Rogue however wasn't as enthusiastic about it and didn't join Kurt and I on our second run. After that we played games, Logan playing bodyguard, lurking behind us. I snuck the use of my telepathy to help Rogue win large stuffed lion, and Kurt to win a poster of his favorite actress at a dart game.
"So, you helped them win what they wanted..." Logan put an arm over my shoulder when Kurt and Rogue ran ahead to get into line for the bumper cars, "What about you?"
"I don't want anything." I smiled.
"You sure? 'Cause I don't need your help to win anything."
"Alright Mr. Logan... Lets see your stuff." I paid the man behind the counter the two dollars to play, and handed the darts to Logan.
Logan cracked his neck to the side, and then threw one dart. It hit a one, and I giggled, "Hey, I never said I was good with darts. I'm a little more educated with knives -you should know that." He threw another one and hit a six. I clapped sarcastically.
"Good form, but are you sure you don't want a little help?" I asked.
"I think I can do it just fine." He threw the last dart, and nailed a solid eight.
"Fifteen points -that's good for anything right here in front." The man said, pulling the darts from the board.
"What do you want?" Logan asked, hooking a thumb through one of my belt loops.
"How about this cute little teddy bear? Except you have to hold it." I picked up a little pink teddy from the pile, and shoved it into his arms.
"Why do I have to hold it?" Logan asked, looking disgusted at the little pink 'thing' in his arms.
"Because you won it, silly." I kissed him.
The guy behind the booth raised an eyebrow, "Her parents know about you?" He asked Logan, his eyebrows raised.
"I'm pretty sure they encourage it." Logan informed him.
"Well my Mom at least." I rolled my eyes, "C'mon, lets go find Kurt and Rogue again."
"I think I saw them getting on the Ferris wheel." Logan took my hand and we walked through the hordes of people towards the Ferris wheel where I could see Rogue looking a little worried and Kurt was whooping loudly at the top.
"If Rogue doesn't like this stuff, why does she come to these things?"
"I don't think it's that she doesn't like them...I think it's Kurt."
"Oh yea, being on a ride that puts me a hundred feet in the air would with him would freak me out too." Logan shrugged.
Rogue and Kurt joined us on the ground again a few minutes later, and we caught up with Jean and Scott who were giggling and sharing a cotton candy cone, as well as Jubilee, Bobby, and Kitty who were playing the sport-like games in one of the lanes.
"Hey, has anyone seen Remy?" Rogue asked, one arm around mine, the other hand around a bottle of water she kept swigging from, "I thought I saw him leave with Warren...I haven't seen Warren either."
I shrugged, "I haven't seen either of them...I hope they aren't getting into trouble." Then I stopped, dead on the spot. My eyes were open, but I wasn't seeing anything what was in front of me. The Shot-Basket game was blowing up, and a token booth was shattering. Dust was everywhere, and after a moment to let it settle, I saw the shape of several figures. I could identify two of them as Magneto and Mystic. The others were a mystery.
"Jo...Joanna, are you alright?" Logan had an arm around me, and I turned to look at him as everything came back into focus.
"I'm fine...but...I think we should...we should probably go."
"What? Why? We were just starting to have fun." Kurt bemoaned.
There was a loud explosion, and we all turned. The Shot-Basket game had just exploded, and the token booth beside it was in pieces. The air was thick grey with debris and dust, and smoke. Flames licked the ground, and people screamed, running from the grounds. I turned and everyone else was in their uniforms. A quick trick and I was in my uniform as well. The dust was settling, and I felt Logan move beside me, unleashing his claws.
Magneto and Mystique came into view, and then the others. Their own uniforms were obviously suited to their powers. One was dressed in a silver skin-tight (and I mean a skin tight) body suit decorated with a green lightening bolt across it. Another was a woman dressed in a long red dress, her hair tied back with a thick red ribbon. She looked like she might trip on the stiletto heels she was wearing. Another of them took up the space of three men, and was extremely fat. Of the last two, one was crouched on the ground, I couldn't tell what he was supposed to be, then I saw his tongue as he flicked it at the group of us. The last was attractive, wearing a navy blue uniform with calf-length boots, and a helmet. I took it that he was the one that caused the ground to rumble underneath us, and I reached for Rogue as I created my magnetic field, touching her face only long enough for the power to transfer before letting go. Magento joined the two of us in the air.
"You've learned to use my powers really well... I was hoping for that." His voice was cool.
I got a little ahead of myself and threw the first punch of sorts. I nailed him in the chest with a plasma-blast and he was thrown backwards, his field broken, and he dropped down to the ground. Below Rogue and I, people were still screaming, and running around in terror.
"Hey Girls." Warren hovered next to us out of no where, "What did I miss?"
"Where the heck were you?" I asked, crossing my arms, "You and Gambit like disappeared?"
"Sorry Sundry. I was just showing him around." Warren shrugged, "C'mon, lets do this." He dove down over the bodies already in action, and Rogue and I went for Magneto, who was coming to after his fall.
"Are you so weak that you need a friend to defeat me?" He asked, rising again, throwing a look at Rogue.
"I'm not weak. She just needs practice." I managed, in my array of powers, to find one that would hold him, while Rogue pulled off a glove, pressing her hand against his cheek. His body wrenched the longer she held on. Finally she let go, her own scream emitting, and she dropped down to the ground. After making sure that Magneto was out, I followed her.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I...I...just..." She looked up at me, "He rebuilt his machine, Sundry. He wants to brain wash you to join the Brotherhood."
"Contact the Professor, and Storm, and anyone else at the Institute. I think you gave him enough of a shock to keep him out for an hour at least." I left her to make her contacts, and took over the fight Jean was losing against the Red woman.
"Who are these people?" I asked her, after I had wacked the witch over the head with a peice of scrap iron, knocking her unconscious in a large red heap.
"That is Scarlet Witch...you might want to watch out for her in the future." Jean wiped her forehead with her sleeve, as I touched Scarlet Witch's forehead, the nasty shock of her power numbing my fingers, and I groaned.
"I don't think I'll have to worry about her."
I sighed, and lifted various pieces of metal, pushing them into all of the Brotherhood mutants, knocking them over, stunning them temporarily.
Then Gambit decided to make his appearance.
"Fabulous work, doll." He winked at me, "Remy is sorry he missed all of the action, but it looks like you lot can take care of yourselves."
I pelted him with the little tokens from the booth that littered the ground.
"Excuse me, but a little help here?" Logan growled at me, Mystique having regained her balance and was now fighting with him adamantly.
I sighed, picking up a rod in my hand, and hitting her hard over the back of the head. She crumpled liked a half empty sack of flour onto the ground.
Warren dived down swiftly, pulling up in time to kick the Lightening bolt kid into a telephone pole as he was about to jump me. The only ones left were the Blubber-butt, Toad, and Helmet-Head. Our sides were clearly drawn, and they were obviously outnumbered, but it didn't mean they wouldn't try. Those of us who could fly lifted into the air as the Helmet made the earth rumble, and the Toad flicked his tongue into the air, trying to wrap it around Warren's ankle. He was thrown back by a bolt of lightening as Storm entered the scene.
"Sorry I'm late..." She said, hovering beside me, "I see you all take good care of yourself though. Only two left."
"Thanks to you." I smiled, "And hell we can take Blob over there, and the little Earthquake."
"That's Avalanche." She informed me, "He's new to the game."
"Avalanche...nice. Lets see how he likes Plasma." I let the little green wisps of fury wrap around my fists, and I blasted them at him, slamming him backwards with the blasts. His head made a cracking sound as he hit the ground, and we all turned on Blob. His eyes got big, and then mean and he thundered towards us. Jean used her telekinetisis to stop him, Jubilee, and I showered him with sparks, Gambit threw his playing cards, and it wasn't a whole heck of a long time until he went down.
"Lets get these guys back to the Institute." Storm commanded.
I set my feet back down on the ground, and surveyed the damage as the others went to work. The grounds were empty now except for one person. Lance. He was looking at me with a confused look on his face, but I couldn't bear to even look at him. It wasn't that I was ashamed of what I am... I love my powers...but I couldn't bear that look. The look that normal people gave mutants. He felt sorry for me, but really, I felt the pity for him that he wouldn't never get to feel that exhilaration. After I made sure that everyone was on their way, I walked up him.
"I'm really sorry about all of that." I said, "You shouldn't have seen it."
Lance put his hands in his pockets, "So...you're a mutant, huh?"
I nodded, "And now I have to wipe your memory..."
"What? Why?"
"It won't hurt, I promise..." I reached up to touch his forehead, and he grabbed my wrist to stop me.
"Don't." He said, "I'm not going to tell anyone...Hell, it's kind of cool, they way you guys kicked ass."
I laughed, and put my hand down, "I really have to, Lance...The Professor would do it, even if I didn't."
"Why does the Professor have to know anything?" He asked, "C'mon...we're buddies. I don't sell out on my friends, Joanna...or what was it they were calling you? Your little codename?"
"Sundry!" The name came from behind us, "Lets go." I turned to see Logan lugging Quicksilver over his shoulder, "This is the last one."
"I really have to, Lance. I'm sorry." I touched his forehead, and he went still. I extracted the last half hour of his memory, and then disappeared before he came to.
"You want some help with him?" I asked as I approached Logan.
"Naw, just hold the van door open for me." Logan said, hefting Quicksilver higher onto his shoulder, "This kid is dead weight."
I held open the door, and he tossed him in unceremoniously.
Later that night, we all sat in a conference room having a sort of team meeting, our eyes occasionally drifting to the security screens focused on each of the rooms we had our little prisoners in. They were slowly coming too, Scarlet Witch first. She looked pissed.
"To bad we didn't kill any of them...mind you, that would have been kind of messy." Gambit sighed, watching the screen as Quicksilver started to wake up, "Who are these people, anyway?"
"They are all part of the Brotherhood of Mutants... Magneto's band of miscreants." The Professor said, "I've contacted a few people I know at the Muir Island base -the place where they keep Juggernaut... They've agreed to house Magneto there as well, but the others, I'm afraid we will have to turn over to the police, and let them deal with them."
"Why don't we just kill him?" Logan asked, unleashing his claws, "I volunteer to do the deed too."
"No." The Professor told him, "We will put him into a tank."
Logan retracted his claws again, and crossed his arms, "How are we transporting him?"
"How long will he be out, Joanna?" The professor asked.
I sighed, looking up at the clock, "Maybe another...half hour or so?"
"Do you think if Rogue gave him another little...jolt, he'd stay out long enough to get him on a jet?"
"I think we should put him in that plastic casing we've been playing with, just in case."
"Good idea, Joanna. Rogue, Jean, go pay Magneto a little visit. Joanna, you and Ororro go get the case ready, and on the jet." Logan, you go with Rogue and Jean to carry him to the jet. You all accompany him to the facility."
"Hey, what about the rest of us?" Gambit asked, "We sit here and babysit the Brotherhood while they go on a little trip to Scotland?"
"It isn't a vacation." I told him, "It's business."
The Professor thought for a moment, "There will be other missions for you to go on, Remy."
Remy sighed, and turned to watch the monitors again, "Blob is wakin' up...and he don't look to happy."
"He'll be fine." The Professor said, "The walls are reinforced to contain him perfectly.
"Alright, lets get to work." Storm clapped her hands together, and we all set off to do our jobs.
It was very late when we set the jet down at the Scotland facility. Security guards helped us to unload the plastic casing where Magneto was still passed out, into the building and into a containment room. Greenish looking liquid was swirling in tubes, and a large plastic tube like object was sitting in the center of the room. Storm and I helped the guards to unload him into the tube, clamping his hands and his feet into shackles, and removing his helmet and cloak. He looked very small, and pathetic in the casing. As soon as we had stepped out, the tube closed, and the greenish liquid began to fill the tank. His body lifted off of the floor, floating, his body pulling at the restraints lightly.
"Guess your out of harms way for awhile, huh Sundry?" Storm raised an eyebrow at me, and Logan put his arm over my shoulders on my left side, Rogue wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me on my other. Logan took a second to pat her head with his gloved hand, and then kissed my cheek, "C'mon kid, lets go home."