(Two)

The X-men made their way down the stairs and to the workshop, Maylee following behind them. The song was some kind of techno country music and Gambit recognized it immediately as Cotton Eyed Joe from the Rednex. It was a quirky tune but full of fun and their new friends were enjoying it and then some.

Kimble was out in the hologram again and he and his pilot Mistress were line dancing. Or at least Kimble was - Fallen was having serious trouble getting the steps right and she was goofing up like crazy, laughing at her own incompetence. The awkward pair had their backs to the hallway and didn't immediately notice the approach of their guests.

A computer screen on the long workbench in the back was turned on and an instructional, three dimensional, animated figure was going through the dance steps on the screen. Kimble was pointing at it. "See? This way."

He stood back and went through the steps with exaggerated slowness, as if explaining to a retarded child. He took her hands and they tried again but poor Fallen was completely lost. She was making mistakes and laughing hysterically.

"No, no, no!" Kimble scolded through his own hearty laughter. "Yer not even close!"

He let go of her and went through it again, this time at full speed. His co-ordination was much better than Seth's and he flowed through each move with confident efficiency and in perfect time with the music. He was wearing those tight fitting black jeans again but they didn't seem to restrict him in any way even as they exaggerated the odd bend of his legs. Looking at them, Logan surmised the clothes had to be part of the 'skin' that was Kimble's design, just as Lanlin's kimono had been. There simply was no way denim pants that tight could ever be made to fit over crooked cat legs like that. Kimble wasn't human, but yet still danced with ease and grace.

"See? It's easy!" Kimble boasted when he finished the quick series of steps.

"Easy for you! You've got the files!" Fallen protested in response.

"That ain't it at all," he tried to explain. He took her hands once more and led her through the steps again. "Yer just bein' stubborn!" he drawled in his strange accent. "It ain't no brain surgery, Fallen! Jus' dancin'." They continued to dance awkwardly, Kimble playfully forcing her to go faster and faster until she was a reckless tangle of limbs. She fell against him, gasping, and he held her loosely in his arms, his embrace comfortable and easy. They were both laughing loudly and having a blast.

The song ended and then started over, looping. Gambit took his cue and cut in on Fallen's other side, clearing his throat to get the hologram's attention. Kimble looked up at him as he entered the line and smiled warmly, not the least bit upset over the interruption. His eyes glittered instead with amusement as he looked Remy over with the same unconcealed interest that he had Henry. He raised an eyebrow in invitation and Remy accepted, not the least bit intimidated by Kimble's intense curiosity. Remy knew both the music and the steps for this dance so he bowed and started right in. He counted off and then the three of them began the dance together. Kimble and Gambit were in perfect time, but Fallen was still hopelessly lost and not improving with practice.

"C'mon, 'Enry!" Remy shouted over the music and dragged a hapless Beast into the fray.

"Well, it's been some time..." Beast stammered, but managed to work his way feebly through the dance. Henry was quite nimble himself and no slouch on the dance floor, but he was unfamiliar with these particular steps. At least he was doing better than Fallen, she kept doing things backwards and was bumping back and forth between Remy and Kimble like a bizarre albino pinball. She was laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming from her eyes. She was swaying wildly, dizzily.

Kimble was laughing, too, but not as hard. He watched her with a mixture of dismay and amusement. "She's hopeless!" he announced, the verdict final.

Fallen took the hint and bowed out of the line. She staggered to the bench, her sides heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She was topless as usual and sweat gleamed on her bony torso. It didn't seem possible, but she looked thinner than before. There were some open beer bottles on the bench and she took one and drained it in one thirsty gulp. Henry joined her, glad for the excuse to make his escape. Logan weaved his way around the two remaining crazy people and leaned next to Henry.

Meanwhile, Maylee had moved across the floor, behind all the action, to sit on the shop bed, her eyes glowing with excitement. She was watching the two remaining dancers intently. She wanted to join in, but Kimble intimidated her. He'd always made her nervous. Maybe when she got the steps figured out, she would join in. For now, she was content to watch.

Kimble and Gambit continued to dance. They were going at it with much more gusto now that the feebles had left. Gambit paused and showed Kimble a new series of steps that went with the same music. Kimble watched him carefully and then imitated him exactly, revealing he possessed a near perfect memory. He went through them again and Gambit nodded his approval. They danced again, quickly and in perfect unison.

"Oh, sure!" Fallen complained. "Now you're showing off!"

"He learns fast," Henry commented.

"He has almost unlimited learning capabilities," Fallen explained, leaning in closer to be heard over the music. "Plus he has all of Lucky's resources now that he's in the system. His 'brain' is much larger than ours if you put all that together. When he's motivated, he can learn almost anything. He especially likes games and dancing. Anything fun. He is an entertainment program after all. This is what he was designed to do."

Gambit went through another series of steps, thrilled to be dancing and playing around with the hologram. He wasn't the least bit put off by Kimble's playful and flirtatious kidding around. If anything, Kimble's eagerness to be with him only added to the fun. Gambit's gloom and dread of the upcoming mission evaporated and he laughed and laughed. Happy with the distraction, he wanted to see just how much Kimble could do. The new steps that Remy showed him now were much more difficult than the ones Kimble had been trying to teach Fallen.

Kimble watched him, rapt, and picked up the new set of steps just as easily as the last. He obviously enjoyed the challenge and was thrilled to be interacting with someone new. They continued to dance, rotating now through the whole series of steps and Kimble completed them all with great skill. Kimble seemed to be having a grand time now that he had a competent partner. He laughed and joked with Remy, both of them at ease even though they didn't know each other well.

Logan was watching this with keen interest. Kimble learned fast, imitating Remy's slick moves with that computer perfect recall of his. Far from being thrilled by Kimble's ability to shmooze on the dance floor, Logan worried more over some basic truths. Dancing and fighting weren't all that different, especially the way Remy played it. Both required speed, grace, and accuracy and Kimble had no problem with any of these it seemed. Logan wondered if Kimble had any files on fighting techniques and just how strong he was. Because of his aggressive nature, Wolverine judged all men this way. They were categorized by threat assessments.

Kimble's outgoing and cocky demeanor made Logan wary. This was no passive and compliant hologram, not like Lanlin had been. Kimble's eyes were bright and he always seemed to have that sly, teasing grin. He was just a little too free, too independent in his spirit. He did what he wanted and not always what Fallen ordered him to do. Perhaps this was how these holograms behaved when they were integrated into a family as Kimble was, but Logan doubted it. There was something unique and different about Kimble that hadn't been there in the other hologram. Logan could see the hologram restraints were still in place, but he had no doubt Kimble could break out if he wanted to. It was there in his eyes. He had too much confidence, too much free will to be penned in forever.

Logan also recalled the argument Kimble had with Fallen. He'd threatened to click off, but was stopped by her plea for him to stay. If she was truly in control of him, Kimble would never have had the ability to leave or even the capacity to think about it independently of her. That was it, really. Kimble was a program, but showed that he functioned and thought separately and independently. Games and programs didn't do that last Logan knew. He wasn't sure what all this meant, or if it was even a concern, but he just couldn't shake the unease Kimble gave him. Even Seth hadn't made him feel this way.

He also noted how fast Remy was captivated by Kimble's charm. He couldn't recall the last time Gambit had laughed so hard or when he looked so bright and alive. Wolverine figured having a hologram like this wasn't much different than having a dog, the way they greeted you so bright and eager at the doorway when you first walked in. Problem was, some of those dogs would later bite you in the ass. Logan had no reason to believe Kimble could be any different. He only hoped that Gambit wasn't so captivated by this bizarre creation that he wouldn't get swept away by a false sense of security.

"Where did you get the steps and music for this dance?" Henry asked Fallen, interrupting Logan's thoughts.

Fallen smiled as she answered, "Seth found it in one of the Dognan computers. Apparently they have extensive files on human culture and behaviors."

"Seth has contact with the Dognan?"

"Yes. Well, he listens in on them all the time. In this case, Cerebus gave me a computer drive from a downed ship for analysis. I got the military files he wanted, but Seth found this stuff in a junk folder. The Dognan seem to like our music which is fine by me. These extracted files are my only source for music. Of all the things I miss most about home, music is the worst."

"How long have you been gone?" Henry asked gently, respectful of any pain she might still feel.

"About twenty years or so," she answered as quietly as he'd expected. "Clinton was President."

"Clinton?" Henry asked, puzzled. Back home, their President was a guy named Robert Kelly. He had risen to power on an anti-mutant platform, a cause of great concern for them all.

She smiled at him. "My Earth is not the same as yours," she explained. "We don't have alphas or X-men, just stories about them. I believe now someone from my world could see into yours. It's my only explanation for your being here, real and alive."

"What year was it when you left?"

"2000."

Beast raised an eyebrow. "That's the same year it is for us now. If you came to our world, it would be like you never left."

"Wow," she breathed, genuinely surprised. "That's freaky."

"May I ask how old you were when you were taken?"

"I was about 33 I guess."

"Let's see. You were 33 when you were taken. You said you've been gone about 20 years. Well, I must say you're in very good condition for someone who's about 55 years old."

"The Dognan conversion process retards aging. I also don't get sick as much as the Clan people do. Probably the only reason I get away with smoking as much as I do."

"I'd like to hear about the conversion process sometime."

"No, you wouldn't. It was awful," she said softly, dropping her eyes for a moment.

"Have you ever thought about going back home?" Henry said, changing to a less painful subject.

"Can't. My Earth was destroyed. They're all dead," she said quickly, forcing it out.

Oops, Henry thought to himself, instantly sorry for his mistake. "What about one of the other Earths? Ours, for example. Would you like to go there?"

"Sure. Seth and I have talked about it a lot since you came." She sat back into a chair, watching Kimble and Gambit play. They seemed tireless. "But I am one who is slow to change. I am comfortable here, even with Valentin," she added softly. Before Henry could speak, she continued. "Besides, I don't know if I can jump anymore. Kimble seems to think so, but it's been a really long time. Even if I could, looking as I do now would make things difficult for me."

"That's true," Henry agreed. "But your abilities and technical knowledge would go a long way towards overcoming that."

"Who would hire me? S.H.I.E.L.D. or some other government agency?" Fallen snapped. SHIELD was a powerful American agency that had been designed on the X-men's Earth to intervene in the human/mutant squabbles. It was telling that Fallen was aware of its existence, it gave credence to her claim that she knew the X-men for real. She went on to say, "They'd want me to make weapons and I refuse. I won't be responsible for the death of another person."

Something in her voice caught Logan's attention. He wasn't sure what it was, but it nagged at him. Her phrasing begged the question - had she killed before? Is that why she wouldn't use her power to fight Valentin? It was the only thing that made sense around here.

"I'd hire you," Henry said simply.