(Seven)

When Kimble had returned to his Mistress he closed the door of her lav and locked it without thinking. He then stood over Fallen and looked down at her, assessing her condition. He saw that she was still comfortably asleep and went to her, needing her badly now. He scooped her back into his arms and held her close to him as if she'd disappear if he let her go. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her sweet smell, he covered himself with her blankets and felt her warmth and Ristle seep into him. It calmed him and he relaxed. He had to remember who he was doing this for, he reminded himself. He would be strong for her. He would be strong for all of them. He chanted the Siskan phrase of comfort to himself again and felt it's magic work on him. He settled down and slowly fell into an uneasy sleep.

He startled awake from another nightmare less than an hour later. His body was drenched in sweat and he was shaking. He was exhausted. He didn't get to sleep long, he'd only had three or four catnaps and with each attempt at sleep, Mirror Face reared his ugly head. He couldn't escape his own personal monster, the guy came on him every time he closed his eyes now. He stood shakily and took a cigarette from the jar on the vanity, deliberately avoiding looking at his reflection in the big mirror. Mirror Face had frightened any vanity he may have had right out of him.

If he wasn't going to sleep well, he figured, he was just better off not even trying. He looked down on Fallen, seeing she was still out cold from the sedative and would be so for a few more hours. He wasn't going to accomplish anything hanging around here, so he figured he might as well take a peek at the engines.

He walked out of the lav and found Maylee waiting on Fallen's bed. She was awake now and sitting there, impatient to see her foster mother. He didn't meet her eyes but said, "She's sleepin'. You should go in an' sit with her awhile 'case she wakes up an needs sumpthin'." He was trying to offer her a hand of peace, but she didn't accept.

"I don't need your permission," she said coldly, rising. "Next time, don't lock the door. You've got no right to keep me out!"

Kimble blanched, insulted and wounded all over again at her suggestion. "I wuzn't keepin' nobody out!"

"Then why was the door locked?" she challenged.

He didn't want to argue and gave in. "No reason. Sorry. I didn't mean nuthin' by it," he stammered lamely and left. He couldn't look at her, he was too afraid of his rising anger. He'd done enough damage in a day and half already and he didn't want to make things worse by saying something else he would regret.

Kimble passed by Gambit on guard duty without comment and went down to the lower level. He used his Command Override to open the Engine Room door and blocked the door so it would stay open. He didn't know what tools he might need and didn't want to have to keep using the override each time he went back and forth from the shop. He went over to Engine One and examined it with a well trained eye. He was correct when he told Henry he had detailed files, he could assess the damage quickly and see what needed to be done. So far, the engine didn't look unrecoverable, always a good sign. He could still smell the burnt rubber and hoped this wasn't going to be too bad. He looked over the main control panel, concentrating as he pulled up files from his maintenance files. He used the tech manuals there as instructions on how to pull the panel apart. He went to work and all his troubles slipped away as he immersed himself in the repairs.

Kimble wasn't aware of it when Beast walked in an hour or so later. He'd turned the music on and was so absorbed in what he was doing that a bomb could have gone off and he wouldn't have noticed. Henry paused behind him and watched. Kimble may have been a hologram and technically not real, but he had no trouble working with the machinery. He sat with his crooked cat legs under him in a large open area of floor. He had one of the larger components disassembled and the parts organized neatly spread out in front of him. He had some boxes of replacement pieces next to him and was rummaging around for the right part he wanted. He had a cigarette burning forgotten in a bowl on the other side of him and an open bottle of whiskey, requirements for this procedure, obviously. He had a monitor on that showed Fallen sleeping on the floor of her lav so he could keep an eye on her. His hands moved swift and sure as he reassembled one section of the component and Henry had no doubt that Kimble knew what he was doing. Just the same, he offered with hopeful politeness, "May I offer you some assistance?"

Kimble startled and almost dropped the hunk of engine in his hand.

Henry was shocked when Kimble looked back at him with eyes filled with rage. His lips had pulled back in an angry sneer, showing his sharp pointed teeth. It changed the whole look of Kimble's face, making him seem dangerous and out of control.

Henry took a step back warily, seeing for the first time what had Wolverine so much on edge. "Excuse me!" he stammered lamely.

Kimble saw who it was that had startled him and relaxed immediately. It wasn't Mirror Face as he had first thought, but good old Henry. He felt silly and smiled sheepishly, relaxing his face into something more normal. "Sorry. Guess I thought you wuz someone else. Didn' mean ta scares ya."

"That's supposed to be my line," Henry joked, still uneasy. "You need any help?"

Kimble grinned and was himself again. "Shure. C'mon over an' sit." He politely cleared a space for his guest and gestured for him to sit.

Beast sat beside him and looked over the parts. "This is some piece of work," he commented pleasantly.

"Gonna takes some time. She fried the bitch good."

Henry reached out and started to assemble a different section. He had read most of the book Fallen had given him on Siskan technology, but he didn't need it here. In an odd twist of fate, the Siskan mechanics were almost identical to the Shi'ar components he kept up back home. It was enough to make him wonder if the Siskans were themselves related to the Shi'ar, just in an alternate universe or dimension.

Dr. Henry McCoy was more than just a fine physician and surgeon, he was an intelligent blue giant who spent most of his time working on machinery such as this and on other experiments back home. He was highly skilled in all kinds of technology and never passed up an opportunity to learn more. In between boxes of Twinkies and reading piles of science journals on all subjects, he'd become quite knowledgeable and learned quickly. Gadgets and widgets were his thing. He was responsible for most of the specialized equipment back home and the X-men's personal fighter jet, the Blackbird. His fast thinking and skilled, nimble fingers had gotten the team out of more than one scrap. He wasn't the least bit intimidated about tackling the disassembled machinery Kimble had out in front of him. He recognized what he had in his hands not because he was told, but because he'd worked on so many different kinds of engines that it just came naturally to him.

Kimble watched him with curiosity and then grunted in amusement when he saw Henry didn't need any help. "Well, all right then." he said with a smile and went back to his own piece. "Tell me about yer place," he asked after a moment.

"My place?"

"Yeah. Yer house. What's it like?" He was just making conversation.

Beast grinned, more than willing to entertain his host with tales from home. "Well, it's quite large with a lot of rooms. It started off as a school for mutants --- alphas, I mean -- and it still is, but we also do a lot of outreach work and we shelter those who need it. We help out if there is trouble with other mutant groups getting a bit too rowdy for their own good. The grounds are quite large with some woods behind it. We have a lake close by where we go swimming sometimes. Of course, my favorite place is my lab. I was working on several experiments when I left. I suppose I shall have to start all over again when I get back."

"You gots lotsa that Shi'ar stuff? You know, like the Siskan stuff here?"

Henry looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno. I wuz thinkin' maybe when we git to yer place, you kin fix it so Seth kin come out."

Henry was a little surprised by his question, he hadn't really thought much about it. It pleased him, though, that Kimble had asked. It confirmed his own belief that Kimble did care for Seth and that Maylee's accusations were unfounded. "It depends. Seth had said you didn't have enough base material for another hologram. What do you require?" Kimble read off a list of basic elements, the liquid ingredients for his gel. Most of them Henry was familiar with and the doctor nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I can acquire all that you need, but I would certainly like to give it a try. It would be worth it for the challenge."

"You'd like Seth," Kimble said quietly. "I bet he kin helps ya with yer experiments. He's got a better head fer that junk than I do. Gimmie a machine, I kin fix it with the right files. Maybe I kin figger it out on my own with enough time. That science crap jus' makes my head hurt," he said with a laugh.

Henry joined him. "It's not for everyone, true. I probably could use a good partner in the lab. He can learn from files as you do?"

"I don' see why not. He's got my memory, too. He's fast. He's real good with computers. He hacks inta the Dognan stuff alla time. I figger yer stuff can't be any harder. Prob'ly make a good spy if ya needed one."

"We can use people of all skills at the mansion," Henry tossed out as bait, hoping to encourage Kimble to believe he might fit in as well.

Kimble didn't bite, but changed subjects, talking about the work at hand instead. They worked together for a few hours and seemed to accomplish a lot. Kimble was quick and they worked well together. Henry frowned as he looked over some damaged circuit boards, they were singed and useless. "Are there replacements for these?"

Kimble glanced over his shoulder, checking out the serial numbers. "I dunno. Gots ta go check." He walked away, rubbing his eyes. He was really wasted now and trying to fight it, his disrupted sleep wearing him down. He went to one of Fallen's large storage racks and scanned the index labels. He paused at one rack, it was tall and had many drawers. He slid a drawer out at chest height and rummaged through it, his fingers moving carefully through the small boxes there. His head dipped a little as his eyes shut on him in exhaustion. He jerked awake a moment later and shook his head in a vain attempt to revive himself.

"You should get some rest," Henry commented from beside him.

Kimble hadn't seen him approach and he startled. "Ughh...Hey. I jus' wants ta gits this done," he said with a laugh, rubbing his eyes again.

"It can wait. It's not a good idea to do this kind of work unrested. You could make a mistake."

"I'll be fine."

Henry nodded and let him be. He walked back to their working area and saw Logan standing in the doorway. Wolverine was watching Kimble intently, a small scowl on his face. Beast had no idea how long he'd been there, it was spooky how Logan could sneak up on you. Henry smiled at him in greeting.

"'Bout time somethin' got done," Wolverine complained good naturedly, his scowl replaced with a small smile for Henry. Inwardly he was pleased. The sooner this was back together, the better.

Kimble looked up as he spoke but said nothing. He saw the way Logan was looking at him and didn't like it. It didn't escape him how Logan's expressions had changed, the smile was not for him. Kimble didn't see much in the way of Wolverine's reputed honor or caring coming his way, not so far. He scowled and went back to the drawer. His head hurt and now he was angry again. He wished now he'd left the door shut, he suddenly wanted to be alone. He couldn't find what he was looking for and the frustration made him even more angry. He closed his eyes and tried to relax and think. He concentrated and scanned his files for the inventory list. He never felt it when his mind shut off again and he fell asleep where he stood.

"Looks like yer boy's a little tired," Logan commented wryly.

Beast turned and saw Kimble sway unsteadily as he dozed. He laughed and went over to him. He slid the drawer shut and caught the pilot as he fell. He didn't quite wake up but mumbled a complaint Henry couldn't make out. Beast picked him up in his big arms, the doctor was very strong and managed Kimble's much lighter body easily. He carried him out to the workshop and lay him down on the bed. He covered him up and shut the lights off before returning to the Engine Room.

"He gonna make it, doc?" Logan asked, just making conversation.

"Who? Kimble? I think so, yes. Just the same, the sooner we get out of here the better. These components are very similar to what we have back home. I can help out quite a bit here."

Logan nodded and stood by quietly while Henry worked. These mechanics were too complicated for him to work on himself. He was the first to admit he was more of a tinkerer than a repairman. His area of expertise lay elsewhere. After a short while, Logan heard Kimble talking in his sleep. He left the room quietly and went into the shop. He didn't need the lights to see Kimble thrashing on the bed.