Summary : Did Kimble survive being melted? The X-men try to find out. Part 13 of my Kimble series.
Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.
AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.
Updated 10-15-13 to add (break)s as needed and to fix the other crap I screwed up...
(One)
Remy was out cold asleep in his bed when his door burst open and he was blinded by his own bedroom light. He snapped awake and jerked upright, bringing three lit cards to bear without even knowing who his intruder was.
"Yer a jumpy boy there, Cajun," Logan growled. He cocked his head slightly. Remy's chest was bare and it still freaked him out a little to see Remy's scars. It was a reminder of just how resilient his teammate was. Folks just don't walk away from Sabretooth like that.
"What's goin' on?" Gambit wheezed, struggling to get his brain moving.
"Yer boy's in trouble again. What a surprise."
Remy groaned and put the sizzling and half burnt cards into an ashtray next to his bed. "What he done now?"
"He's been sneakin' out, but I guess you wouldn't know anything about that."
Gambit just glared at him.
"He was down at Chester's. Kennedy saw him get nabbed by Sabretooth and Davis."
"What dey want wit 'im?" Remy asked rhetorically. He couldn't imagine the answer to that.
"Wait, this just gets better. They drag him out and guess who's waiting?"
Remy still wasn't quite awake. "No clue."
"Kyle Franks and his gang."
"Non. Dat can't be possible. Dat would mean -"
"—That our boy's the one Jael's been lookin' for all this time? It kinda looks that way from here."
Remy just shook his head. "Uh uh. Kimble ain't nobody," he protested.
"Well, he must be somebody to them. They had a big nasty fight, coupla folks got killed. Kennedy says Kimble got hit by plasma and was melted."
"Melted!" Remy repeated and came fully awake as a wave of fear hit him. "Is 'e okay?"
"Don't know. Kyle seemed to think he was salvageable. He scooped up what was left and flew off with it."
"Mercy..."
Gambit put his head down and covered his eyes. Kimble just couldn't be dead. No way. Remy couldn't bear another death on his head, not now.
"The Professor wants everyone down in the War Room, pronto."
"Bien sur. I'll be dere. Jus' give me a minute."
Logan nodded and left.
Gambit reached for his cigarettes and lit one, trying to control his shaking hands. He was so busted. There was no way they would believe Kimble got out on his own. Gambit was determined not to run this time, he was responsible and he would own up to it. Kimble had needed to get out, the real question was would they understand why.
He sat for a minute, thinking as hard as he could. What would Jael possibly want with Kimble and how did he know about him in the first place? It wasn't impossible that there were spies in the Xavier camp, it had happened before, but that didn't explain all this interest in Kimble. When Kyle Franks first flew in, Kimble hadn't been off the grounds yet. Maybe Jael and Kyle had someone with the Sight or something hinky like that.
Remy couldn't sit here forever. He got up and dressed quickly, crushing out his cigarette before leaving. He made his way down to the lower level and slunk into the big War Room, his head down and eyes low. He expected to get chewed out, but the Professor only looked at him and said telepathically, You okay?
I'm good, 'Fessor. Let's just find 'im.
Charles turned to the group and brought them all up to date on what had happened. Kennedy was there at the bar and had called the Professor right away, giving him a full report. He went over the quick battle and the fact that Kimble got hit with a plasma burst. The last thing he saw was Kimble — or what was left of him — being carried off. Kennedy was still out in the field now, trying to track Kyle down and where he may have gone.
Fallen shook with fear through the whole story. When the Professor finished, she turned to the crowd. "Plasma is very bad for the hologram components. It's much too hot for Kimble's inner core to handle," she said, her eyes red from crying. "He probably didn't make it."
"Kyle musta t'ought sumptin' was up," Gambit replied, trying to be optimistic. " 'E took off wit Kimble dere."
"Perhaps because Kimble had been altered in Ristle surge he is now different enough to have survived the plasma blast," Henry suggested.
"Why was Kimble sneaking off in the first place?" Cyclops complained, accusation in his voice. He focused his impatience in Gambit's direction.
"I tol' you guys what Kimble needed. You didn' listen. I took 'im once, it wasn't enough. He found some more on 'is own," Remy explained defensively, his tone a little sharp.
"How long has he been sneaking out?" Bobby asked.
Gambit squirmed when all the eyes in the room turned to him. "Don' know. Coupla, t'ree weeks mebbe. 'E was 'idin' it even from me."
"But you still knew about it, right?" Rogue challenged. "You knew and said nothing."
Remy sighed and took out a stick of gum. Logan rolled his eyes in dismay before the thief even began to speak. Always with the stupid gum. Gambit's in the shit now and he knows it.
"Gambit knew 'e was goin', oui. When 'e need sumptin' it always comes down to me, n'est ce pas? 'E was gonna go anyways, already been out a few times 'fore I caught 'im sneakin' in. Gambit jus' made sure 'e was doin' it safe, is all."
"Wasn't too safe, huh? Ah mean somebody still came along and took him," Rogue snapped, not letting it go.
" 'Ey! Nobody tol' me de whole worl' be lookin' for 'im! If I'd known, I never woulda 'elped 'im!" Remy barked defensively. His red eyes burned at her and his fingers twitched, itching for a fight.
"Easy, easy, people," Charles said, raising his hands. "Arguing like this isn't going to help."
"Is he some kind of sexual addict? I mean most of us can do without," Scott continued impatiently when the two combatants had settled down in their respective corners. He just didn't understand Kimble's need at all. They shouldn't have to be dealing with this crap, really.
"Kimble need de love to keep 'im sane. Dat's it. 'E don' get it, 'e go crazy, comprenez? De more stressed out 'e is, de more 'e need it to smooth out," Remy answered aggressively, still on the defensive. How many times did he have to explain all this? He glared at Scott, abusing the gum in his mouth.
"What's Kimble got to be stressed out about? It's not like he had any responsibilities or anything," Scott challenged sarcastically.
"Maybe he needed some," Charles interrupted. "Perhaps he took the recent deaths harder than we thought. He is empathic. They feel things on a whole other level. I thought I had made myself clear about that," he ended just as impatiently as Remy. It seemed like emotional issues were difficult for this group of serious people to understand.
"What matters now is findin' the little bugger," Logan said, not wanting to argue anymore. It was time to get to work.
"Yes, and to do that I will need all of your help. Remy, I want you and Logan to do a search of Kimble's quarters. Find out what you can. Maybe there's something there that can help us. Take Fallen with you."
"Oui, patron."
"The rest of you I want in the City. Groups of two or three. The thing is, if for some reason you should find Jael, do not confront him. We don't need a repeat of what happened the last time. This is a fact finding mission and may take some time. We want to free Kimble, but we do this by the numbers and no one will get hurt."
"What are we looking for?" Cyclops wanted to know.
"Any of the Seekers. I want to know where Cameron Bishop is."
"Mais, dat's de easy part," Remy piped in. "He run de Ricochet. It's a sex Club in Manhattan. De meilleure qualite'. Si beau, si magnifique, best girls in town, les meilleures putains." His eyes were gleaming and he had to pause, a bit carried away at the thought of the women there. He made a show of it, all the better to raise the ire of his ex. He shrugged with playful arrogance as he noted with satisfaction that Rogue's face had flushed and her eyes now stabbed into him with an angry jealousy.
"Just stick with the details, Gumbo," Logan grumbled, but his eyes were merry.
Satisfied with his game, Gambit continued, "Cameron own de whole buildin'. It's very exclusive, gotta 'ave a pass to go more dan de firs' floor. Dere's six floors in all, Five an' Six floor, dem's fo' mutant clientele only. Dat's where 'e works 'is people. Dey trainin' jus' like us. Penthouse up top a' dat, nice big slider on the east side. If Kyle an' Kim come in flyin', prob'ly go in dat way," he offered helpfully, smiling mischievously as Rogue's eyes continued to bore into him. The unspoken question, Just how did you know all this?
Charles paused a moment, biting back a compliment on Gambit's valuable inside information. This was a mixed group and not Remy on his own. The Inner Circle members of this group didn't always know the extent of Xavier's covert activities and he liked to keep it that way. Remy had been most valuable to Charles in much the same way as Kennedy, as someone who kept tabs on who was doing what out there. While Charles hadn't sent Gambit to specifically spy on Cameron before, it was helpful that the thief had kept up his contacts. It was telling that Gambit had been so free with what he had discovered on his own, it made Charles trust him all the more.
He spoke to the group, "Then I want the place watched. No one goes in until we know for sure Kimble is there. We are dealing with some very serious people. I don't want anyone hurt that doesn't need to be."
(break)
Remy stood in Kimble's room and looked around, trying to remember what it all looked like just a couple of days before. He explored Kimble's tiny area with his eyes, looking for what could possibly be out of place. It all appeared to be in order.
Logan idly leaned in the doorway. He figured this was Remy's gig and would let him have first crack at checking the place out. Fallen had come with them, but she left them to speak with Seth in the hopes that maybe his brother had seen something.
Remy ran a hand through his hair, focusing his concentration. Kimble didn't have a night stand or a dresser, all he had was the bed and the table. He had seen Kimble drawing before, but didn't see any of his art stuff out and he guessed Kimble must have a hiding place somewhere. Remy crouched down and looked under the bed, smiling when he saw what he had been seeking. He slid out the long wooden lockbox and sat back on his heels, not sure he wanted to know what was inside. It took him all of two seconds to pick the lock. He opened the box and his eyes went wide. He wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't this.
The box was filled with junk, organized junk neatly folded. Kimble had been busy, stealing things from all over the house. Remy was no fool. Kimble was stealing pieces of the alphas for himself in his desperate need to belong.
Logan had seen enough to move away from the door and come closer now. He crouched down next to Remy and pulled out one of Jean's bras. By itself, it was enough to anger him, but blended in with the motley collection of X-men effects in front of him, it meant something else. Kimble had wanted so much to be a part of them, but he hadn't been good enough. To compensate, he took a small piece of everybody and kept it in a box under his bed. It was horrible, pathetic and sad.
"This kid's got some trouble," he whispered softly, and put the piece of Jean back in the box.
Remy's voice was pained as he replied, "I tol' y'all what 'is trouble is. Don' nobody listen, though. All he want is a place ta be, where he ain't all alone or treated like dirt."
"Hey, nobody treated him bad. He brought his own trouble."
"De faible la chose, he a lost boy, Wolvie. He ain't no pervert. De rest of you so hung up on your stupid morals, you judge him all wrong."
"He had his paws on a kid. A fourteen year old kid. I can judge that one easy."
"Non. Dat's jus' Kimble not wantin' ta be alone."
"That's a fuckin' pervert gettin' his hands on fresh meat. It is what it is."
"Whatever," Remy snapped back at him, not wanting to argue.
Remy sniffed and pawed through the box some more. He saw Kurt's Bible and was a bit angry that Kimble would take something so valuable, but then saw that Kurt had left an inscription inside, the book had been a gift. Kimble hadn't gotten far. He had started not with The New Testament as Kurt had suggested, but at the beginning of the Bible with the Old. He had read as far as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and stopped, no big surprise there to Remy. As soon as those of an unconventional sexual nature were being punished, Kimble had lost interest. Kurt should have known better, Remy thought, but wouldn't comment.
Gambit lay the book aside and pawed further through the box. What he saw next took his breath away. He closed his eyes, trying to control his hurt and rage. He had seen his shirt, the one he had been so certain Rogue had taken. It was the last nail in the coffin of his hope that she would ever return to him.
"You all right?" Logan softly growled, sensing the change in Remy's mood.
"Bien sur, oui," Gambit replied sadly. He looked down at all things the pilot had collected and saw Kimble's broken heart. "No one's gonna know about dis," he ordered.
"I ain't gonna tell nobody," Logan said. "What he took ain't worth gettin' the others all riled up."
Gambit reached in and pulled out the drawing pad. He flipped through a few pages and started to quietly laugh as he saw sketched in black and white Kimble's deepest desire for him. He shook his head in a useless denial. What else could he do? The pictures were painstakingly detailed and sexually explicit. No mistaking who Kimble had in mind to please and in what manner. Remy saw his own face and knew the truth of Kimble's desire. Not one of the pictures had Kimble depicted as a woman, he wanted Remy as a man. Gambit cocked his head and squinted at some of them, trying to visualize what Kimble had in mind. He wasn't sure all that Kimble had portrayed was even physically possible, but he figured Kimble probably knew better than he did.
Gambit looked up at Logan's face, but saw only tightly controlled emotion. Logan was concerned about a possible threat to Remy's person, but at the same time was amused by the idea of Kimble's crush.
"Dis didn't 'appen," Gambit said lamely.
Logan grinned mischievously and patted his shoulder. "Sure it didn't."
"Gambit's frisky, d'accorde, but dis...?"
"Never know 'bout you. You did take him dancin'," Logan teased, playing the game.
Remy put the pad back inside and picked up the journal. He flipped through it and saw that Kimble had filled quite a bit of it with his beautifully crafted script. It was written in Siskan and would take some time to read. He kept it, jamming it into a coat pocket.
"Why would Kyle want him?" Logan repeated, bouncing ideas and questions off the walls.
"Non. 'Ow did 'e know 'e was even 'ere? Cameron's got someone wit de Sight. Jael must 'ave, too. Has to be."
"I know someone we can see," Logan tossed out. Gambit's thoughts had given him an idea, it might be possible to level the playing ground here. "Take them drawin's. We're goin' for a ride."
"Hey, if we gonna sell dese, I want 'alf de profits, oui?" Remy said, hiding his discomfort. He really didn't want anyone else to see them.
"I know someone with the Sight, Cajun. She's gonna need somethin' real personal to See him. He put a piece of himself in each one of those. She'll See it. Maybe she'll See where he's at."
Remy nodded and closed up Kimble's box before shoving it back under the bed. He looked up as Fallen came to the door. "Seth doesn't know anything," she said. "He heard Kimble arguing with himself, but that was a long time ago. It was before Remy took him out and he hasn't done it since."
"Prob'ly nuthin' then," Logan growled. "Let's get this show on the road."
"Where are you going?" Fallen wanted to know.
"Not me. We. I know someone who can See things sometimes. Maybe she can help us," Wolverine answered, making his way to the exit. "Yer comin' too, darlin'," he barked, not letting her get away. Fallen shrugged and she and Remy followed him out.