(Four)
While Kimble was off sneaking into his room, Gambit was miles away and hard at work. He walked into Barry's, a local bar filled with the less savory members of Salem Center's population. Remy would never admit to this back at the Mansion, but truth be told, he would always feel more at home with the dregs of society like these than with the stiff upper crowd of Xavier's Inner Circle. Most of the people here knew little about the Morlock Massacre and even less about his role in it. He could walk freely here without judgement.
Remy sniffed deeply, happily taking in the reek of stale beer and unwashed bodies. He was at home and back in his element, his years as an impoverished thief would never leave him. His lack of mental shields not withstanding, he was feeling pretty good, he sensed no real threat here. He made his way to the back of the bar, closest to the jukebox, and took a seat at his usual booth there. In the corner like this, he had full view of the room with nothing at his back. It was the safest place.
Not that he couldn't brawl his way out of here if he wanted to. He might be a little behind on his physical stats back at the house, but in here? He could take any one of them with his eyes closed and his hands tied.
Two drinks in and a plate of greasy yet satisfying chicken wings later, Remy finally spotted what he was looking for. He smiled when he saw Gina walk in and notice him. Without him saying a word, she came right over and slid into the seat opposite him. "Hey there, handsome. Long time no see," she greeted, sliding her hand across the table to cover his.
Remy let her touch him. Gina was one of his best contacts amongst the prostitute population and he had been one of her favorite customers. The rumors Cyclops had heard about Remy's promiscuity were quite true - given the chance to roam, the thief took full advantage of it and knew most of the girls here pretty well. Of them all Gina was his favorite. She was blond and vivacious, quick to laugh and seldom depressed or mopey even though her life had to be the pits. She was a decent dresser for her profession and had long dangling earrings that clinked happily as she moved. Many times when Rogue booted him out, it was Gina he went to see. Gina was safe and the furthest thing from committed. He could tumble with her and never have to worry about her following him around asking for more than he was willing to give. She was also quite talkative. She served many seedy characters besides him and she often passed information onto him, helping him in ways she never realized.
But today, all he was seeking was news. Yes, Rogue had distressed him, but as much as that had hurt, he wasn't quite ready to play around just yet. "Been away," he answered evasively, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it, soft and gentle.
Gina wasn't fooled. There was deep pain in his eyes and she had an idea he wasn't going to be as receptive as she would have liked. She knew that he had a girl somewhere that he was fond of, one that sent him back to her more than once, but never for long. She had always knew that Remy's heart was spoken for, something that hadn't changed in all the time she had known him. Gina thought that perhaps if she could make him happy, he might at least change his mind about a little fooling around. "Been a happenin' place since you been gone. You'll never guess who I saw come in just a couple of nights ago."
Remy bit. He gestured to the waitress for a drink for the lady and settled back into his seat. "Really? Who's dat?"
"Kyle Franks."
Remy arched an eyebrow at that. He had heard of the name though he had never met the man. Kyle Franks was a recruiter for the Freedom Kings, an anti-human mutant group that had been growing steadily stronger over the past year. They weren't in Jael's class by far, they were mostly all blab and no action, but everyone at Xavier's knew that could change at any time. Lately Kyle had been snapping up new and powerful mutants before Charles could get a hold of them. Just before Gambit had been taken to Cerise, the Professor had been complaining that the Freedom Kings must have some kind of precog or a Seeker, someone who could sense new mutants emerging in much the same way the Professor did. It was disheartening to lose to the Kings, the mutants that joined them would be corrupted or eventually end up in prison. Charles would rather have them fighting with him instead of against him.
Gambit knew something else about Kyle Franks. Kyle was a powerful telekinetic who had once spent some time at the Mansion. Kyle was close to being the top of his power class, not only did he have powerful shields, he could create spikes. The same way Fallen or Jean could harden the air around them to offer protection, Kyle could do that and more. He actually made the air solid and could have it stay that way indefinitely, a talent that teetered him almost into the omega class of telekinetic. He could create weapons from thin air, making him a significant find. Problem was, Kyle had constantly struggled with the idea that there could be peaceful relations between humans and mutants, and his faith had ebbed away with each new act of horrific violence against his kind.
Kyle eventually bailed, leaving the X-men not long before Storm had brought Remy in. They had never met but Remy was fully aware of just who Kyle Franks was. If he was hanging around here, that meant there must be someone here he was looking for. While not exactly news about Jael, it was something he would have to report.
"You seen anyone else? Razel or Marcus?" Remy asked next, smiling as Gina picked casually through the remains on his plate. Razel and Marcus worked for Jael, the closest anyone had ever gotten to seeing the man himself.
"Buy me a plate and I'll tell you," she answered, all Remy had left was bones.
"Like you even gotta ask, chere," he replied, pretending hurt as he gestured to the waitress who brought Gina's drink to bring another plate. He knew Gina had no money and a really bad drug habit. He would have fed her without her asking if he hadn't been so distracted with his thoughts.
Gina waited until the food had come, smiling hungrily as it was placed before her. Gambit let her eat without interruption. He had sympathy for her and her situation and they were more than just contacts to one another, she had sometimes allowed him to use her without payment just because he was one of the few men she knew that didn't make her feel like trash.
Gina finished eating and sipped at her beer, satisfied now. "Razel's been in town, sniffing around, but he won't let anyone near him, you know how he hates to use us girls. But Marcus hasn't been so shy. He's been with Maggie."
Remy nodded taking mental notes. Razel was a snob, he wouldn't dare let such polluted women near him, but Marcus wasn't so timid. Of course Marcus had an excuse, while he and Razel were both mutants, Marcus couldn't pass for normal and so had limited means of acquiring companionship. He wasn't ugly by any means, he had the wings of an angel and a kindly face, but his heart was hard. Barry's didn't care if mutants came here, they also allowed bikers and drug dealers, so what was a few oddities among them?
Gambit smiled at Gina, happy with her offerings. The message was clear, someone was being sought after by more than one mutant group. Perhaps if he could find out who Jael wanted, he might find Jael himself.
(break)
Remy walked into the hanger bay, his eyes burning and tired. He had left the Institute shortly after supper the day before yesterday and had no sleep. He had a pounding headache now and his stomach hurt from drinking more than he probably should have. He had left Gina behind hours ago - well fed but unsatisfied in the matter of his personal company - and had tried a few other places to get information. He hadn't met with any success, his efforts to find Jael's exact location were in vain. The man was like the wind, a whisper in the shadows. Crazy elusive, the ultimate frustration - and the ultimate challenge. Gambit was even more determined now to find the bastard. He had to find the creep just to maintain his reputation.
Remy found the Professor next to the newest Blackbird jet to arrive. It had been delivered only just this morning and Scott and Henry were looking it over. Remy was surprised to see Logan standing by, his arms crossed casually. Standing next to him was Kennedy, another one of the Professor's spies and one of the few non-mutants that were X-men allies. Kennedy was a large man, a natural brawler and one of the few men Logan respected. It was probably because they were both so much alike. Kennedy was well built and strong, covered with tattoos. He was dressed in his usual black leather and steel toed boots. He had a large caliber hand gun in a harness around his chest. The Professor didn't generally allow guns in the house, but Kennedy didn't lay his guns down for anyone. Kennedy was whispering to Logan but the X-man wasn't really listening, he kept turning around the other way to keep his eyes on the Lucky Dragon.
Fallen and Kimble were nearby, outside the ramp organizing some building supplies. Henry had been successful in selling the gems Fallen had given him and she had used part of the money to buy some metal framing and sheet rock. She figured a nice little project for Kimble would be to reorganize the barracks room into two separate bedrooms for himself and Maylee. Maylee had been accepted to the school and given a room in the student's dorm to be closer to her classes, but Fallen still wanted her to have her own space on the Dragon if she wanted to stay over. Fallen stood now next to the materials on a large hand cart, using a checklist to make sure everything was there.
Kimble stood by, his hands on his hips and his head down, not looking at anyone. Gambit just knew Kimble had gotten busted for something, it was in his submissive posture and the low droop of his wings. Remy sighed with impatience, not even close to being ready to hear more bad news.
The Professor heard him arrive and turned to face him. "Ah, Gambit. You've got some good news for me, I hope?"
"Mebbe yes, mebbe non. Nuthin' on where Jael is."
"Sure yer not pushin' a little hard?" Logan growled, noting the tiredness in Remy's face.
"I'm fine. Got a couple more t'ings to check out."
"You go down to Barry's?" Kennedy asked, offering his hand for Remy to shake. Kennedy was one of the few who cared less about Gambit's poor reputation. He and Gambit often went to Barry's. Both Kennedy and Remy hung out there and their drinking contests were well known, they were both sneaks and ran in the same circles.
"Oui. No dice so far as locatin' Jael," Remy replied, shaking Kennedy's hand and giving him a small smile. It had been a while since he'd seen him, Remy had gone looking for him last night but had just missed him. "But de word is 'e might be lookin' fo' sumptin'. Kyle Franks come in from Los Angeles just last week. 'E been sniffin' around. Marcus and Razel, too. Sumptin's definitely up."
"Got the word Sabretooth and Davis are scouting around, too. Not so close as Barry's, but over at Signals and Cheesy Paul's," Kennedy offered, mentioning two popular clubs closer to New York City. He had gone snooping around for information just as Gambit had. Sabretooth and Davis digging around brought a third mutant group into play. This was getting more interesting by the minute.
"Chancy and Berris got busted by S.H.I.E.L.D two days ago," Logan said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he mulled over the possibilities of all of these new facts.
SHIELD, or Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate, was a government agency that handled all kinds of criminal activity, including those involving the more powerful mutant threats, a sort of mutant police. They ran a high security mutant prison facility along with controlling other secret mutant weapon groups in their fight against mutant terrorism. The X-men did not fight the bad guys alone, they often worked co-operatively with SHIELD. The two men Wolverine had mentioned were not only trackers, but high up on the mutant Ten Most Wanted list for violent offenders and members of the Mutant Brotherhood, a terrorist group even more brutal than Jael's.
"Four teams from four different factions. These men are all Seekers, hunters," the Professor commented, thinking out loud. "The hounds are circling. Somebody's definitely looking for something."
"Maybe we should be, too," Wolverine growled.
Remy just shook his head. He wasn't exactly disagreeing, but said, " 'Ard to look for sumptin' when you don' know what it is, mon ami."
Logan met Gambit's eyes. "Guess we're gonna hafta find out what it is."
"D'accorde, patron, but Gambit gonna find out tomorrow. He dead dog tired, man." Remy glanced over to where Kimble stood passively by as Fallen finished checking over her delivery. He paused only a moment before inquiring, "What's up wit Kimble?"
Damn, that boy's perceptive, Logan thought to himself. He didn't miss that one in spite of being so tired. "Caught him pawin' up Holly Mercer yesterday."
"And?" Remy snapped. He had no clue who Logan was talking about.
"She's fourteen."
"Nice guy," Kennedy sneered, giving Kimble a hard look.
Remy groaned inwardly and winced, feeling his headache spike painfully into near migraine territory. He felt a surge of anger at Kimble's foolishness and couldn't help a growl of impatience. How was he going to help Kimble if the guy couldn't stay in line?
Kimble suddenly flinched and turned around, startled. He had sensed Remy's vibration of anger from across the hanger and looked to see who it was that was pissed at him now. He realized it was Gambit and understood from the look on Remy's face that he had just been told what he had done. Kimble shivered and wilted from the pain and yanked on the handcart, pulling it up in to the ship, wanting only to get away. Fallen startled a little at Kimble's movement and looked across to Remy. She smiled and waved at him, oblivious to what had just passed between the two friends.
The Professor wasn't so blind. Kimble felt that, he thought to himself. How very interesting. It reminded him that he had observed Kimble 'feeling' the moods of others before. Kimble was an empath he had been told, how silly of him to have forgotten. Funny how it was Gambit's vibration he felt and not Kennedy's, though. Hmm, another piece of Kimble's puzzle to solve. Remy hadn't yet turned his report on Kimble to Henry as promised so the Professor was left to his own observations.
"What you do to 'im?" Remy asked, not really wanting to know.
"Boy got off easy if you ask me," Wolverine grumbled. " 'Ol One Eye gave him some stupid sexual harassment papers to sign, explaining the rules."
"Kimble don' understand. 'E like a kid himself," Remy said feebly, not really having it in him to make excuses. He couldn't believe Kimble had been that stupid.
"He's understandin' good now, I can tell you. He's been nice and quiet," Logan replied, a smug grin on his face.
Remy rubbed his eyes and retreated without a fight. He was much too tired to deal with this crap right now. Kimble had baked his own cake, he was just going to have to eat it now. Maybe this would be enough to get his act straightened out. "I'm goin' to bed," he said and turned to go.
Wolverine grunted, surprised Gambit hadn't said any more in Kimble's defense. He watched Remy leave without comment, but wondered what was going through the Cajun's mind. He was a difficult man to read.
"If Kimble's such a creep, why are you letting him hang around?" Kennedy wondered out loud.
"He's not a creep," the Professor argued. "He's not from around here and is having a hard time adjusting to our ways."
"That lady there? That's Fallen," Wolverine explained to Kennedy. "She's got a lot to offer the team and he's just along for the ride. Don't worry, we'll get his ass in line sure enough."
"That's rather crudely put," Charles snapped, looking up into Logan's eyes without fear. While he respected Wolverine's advice, the feral man still had his share of prejudices to overcome. They had been working on this, but still had a long way to go.
"It's precise and I'm always precise," Logan boasted arrogantly, challenging the Professor to deny it. "Kimble's gonna fall in line if I gotta kick his ass to do it."
"I certainly hope it won't come to that. There are other ways besides violence to solve one's problems you know. I'll go have a chat with the boy. It's long past due anyways."
Charles started to make his way to the Lucky Dragon and was joined by Henry on the way over. The Blackbird inspection would be finished by Scott and Henry was ready to start work with Fallen again. He excitedly explained to the Professor about the progress they had made and he nodded. They disappeared inside the ship with Fallen.
"Let's go grab a steak at Harry's," Kennedy offered to Wolverine. "I'm starvin'."
"Sounds good to me."
(break)
Remy made his way up the stairs and up to his room. He was tired from the job and upset over Kimble's fuck up and just wanted it all to go away. He made his way down the hall, but paused as he passed Manny's room. He had heard a soft feminine giggle leak out from behind the closed door, one he knew all too well. Manny wasn't alone, Rogue was with him. It was early morning and no doubt she was getting Manny ready for a brand new day.
Remy felt a surge of anger and frustration rise at the thought of Rogue in the hands of another man. His fists clenched and his teeth ground tight, officially sending his headache to that migraine level for good. Man, he was tired! He shook his head and kept going to his room, slamming the door behind him a little harder than he intended. A picture frame fell over from his dresser and he fell back against the door, covering his eyes, trying to keep his rising temper in check. He just needed some sleep, that was all.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself. That was better. He slid off his coat and tossed it down on the back of his wooden chair. He sat down on his bed and opened the drawer of his night stand. He kept a bottle of Jack Daniels in there with a glass and poured himself a nice big shot, a little hair of the dog. He grabbed a couple of Advils from the drawer as well and tossed them back with the whiskey, feeling the alcohol's pleasant warmth seep into him. He was going to sleep for a whole fucking year, he was so wasted. He put the bottle back and froze in surprise.
Someone had been in his room.
Remy wasn't always the neatest person and had tossed his clothes from the previous day onto the seat of the wooden chair before he had showered. His clothes were not as he had left them, his area had been disturbed. This wasn't the first time this had happened - his relationship with Rogue was widely known and more than once, students had come in while he was gone and raided his large stash of condoms and other little 'goodies' he kept aside for her. He kept meaning to buy (or steal) a lock box but never quite got around to it.
He took a quick inventory of his surroundings and realized that yesterday's shirt, the one he had casually tossed on the chair, was missing. Dat rascal Rogue, he thought to himself with a smile, not minding that intrusion at all. Guess she miss me more dan she t'ink, non?
He lay back on his bed with a chuckle, feeling much more contented than he had a moment ago. He curled up in his bed not bothering to undress and fell asleep instantly, never losing that teasing smile. He had no idea he'd had a visitor of quite another sort last night.