(Nine)

Joseph woke with a whimper, looking around him in confusion. This looked like home– as in Clan Station Nine - but not quite. Was it that he'd had a bad dream and all the pain and suffering he had gone through these past weeks was simply just another nightmare? He rose stiffly, but groaned when he felt the familiar pain seep into his limbs. He was still painfully thin from his illness and malnourished...and far from home. He was in a tiny room with carved stone walls, it was lit with a small torch and still dark and gloomy. The one who had taken him hadn't even bothered to tie him, seeing quickly that he was in poor shape. At least they had covered him with a blanket, it smelled damp and musty like everything else around him. He could feel the drugs he'd been shot with. In his weakened state, he had been easily subdued.

His awakening had been discovered however, the door opened to his cell and two large men came in. He cried out as he was viciously kicked. "This one's up," one of them said with a laugh.

Joseph was hauled to roughly to his feet and this time his hands were tied. He tried to resist, but had no strength. He was dragged down a series of hallways too much like the Clan stations to be denied. He was lost and bewildered, not quite sure where he was or how he had gotten here. He was taken to Jael's throne room and tossed onto a rug made of a huge animal skin.

Jael was seated in his big chair and he looked down on Joseph with some surprise. "Oh, my! Could you have found a Clansman in more wretched condition? He's all skin and bones! At least he's clean. Probably not by his own choice, I'll wager."

Joseph rolled onto his back to see who had spoken, the voice was chillingly familiar. He looked up at Jael in surprise. "Katero?"

Jael just laughed at him. "That man is dead. He died the day you pathetic fools denied him his right to be First General. I am now Jael."

"That was your mother."

"Yes. She died on the journey here, an unfortunate loss. But I didn't bring you here to discuss my family. You have information I want."

"I don't know anything!"

"Surely you know someone who does, then? Who came across with you? You didn't make it here by yourself, Clansman."

"Fuck you! You'll get nothing from me!"

Jael just smiled and snapped his fingers. Just like a well trained dog, a lovely dark haired woman came out of the shadows at the sound. She was dressed in expensive leather pants and a thick sweater, looking more like a fashion model than a terrorist. She walked with the confidence of the truly superior and smiled as she was introduced. "This is Tanya, the Keymaster. She's going to pick your brain."

The woman stepped forward, but paused when they were rudely interrupted. Joseph's eyes widened as he saw a tiny young pilot come running into the room on her hands and feet, squealing madly in happiness. She was being chased by a flustered young man with a leather harness in his hands. She laughed and jumped up, using her ability to fly to gracefully land atop Jael's huge wooden throne. "Kailay chur! Meer a tack! Meer!" she chirped down at her pursuer, her eyes merry.

Jael sat motionless in his chair, but couldn't stop the smile from coming across his lips. This pilot was something of a free spirit and a treasure. Unfortunately, she kept breaking loose and running around the place. Her run in with Sabretooth the other day hadn't frightened her enough to stop trying to get free. Jael waited to see if the handler was going to resolve this situation quickly, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen. They were having a merry chase around his large chair, Kailay having the advantage of her telekinetic flight ability. She was having a blast and at the poor guy's expense.

"That's enough, Kailay," Jael finally rumbled.

She responded immediately and hopped to his feet. She rubbed her cheek against his leg. "Kialay chur!" she insisted petulantly. It was a complaint, clearly she felt neglected.

"Kailay, chur nostro kia domo!" he ordered gently and she put her head down.

Joseph shivered, happy to have the attention distracted away from him even if it was only for a moment. These two were speaking in Dognan, it only confirmed his suspicion that Jael had gone over to the other side before coming here.

Jael looked at him. "Kailay, you know better. I know you want to play but the Master has business. How can I properly interrogate this man if you are interrupting me?"

Joseph didn't like the sound of that! He reeled and tried to flee, but it was a useless gesture. He froze as his mind was rudely overtaken and he was paralyzed. He fell gracelessly back on the fur in a boneless heap and heaved for breath. The air had become like mud and he feared he would suffocate. His heart was racing with sickening speed, not a good thing in his frail condition. He watched numbly as the tiny pilot was harnessed and taken away. Clearly her handler thought nothing of his being held prisoner like this. There would be no help for him, not this time. It would have been better if he had stayed at Xavier's.

Joseph's thoughts were next rudely invaded by the lady telepath and then raped of all things Kimble. Tanya was a Master at her art, there was nothing she couldn't unlock from this man's mind. She saw the first time Joe had ever met Kimble, this strange program Fallen was using to fly a ship. She felt Joseph's resistance and unease with the technology he saw, he was a Clansman and unused to such things. It frightened him in a way he did not fully understand. Maybe Fallen made him feel stupid because she knew so much and it was beyond his ability to learn.

Jael was linked to Tanya's mind during this rough interrogation, Jael could essentially scan Joseph's mind under her guidance. Jael knew something of Siskans and now knew why Seth was there working alongside Kimble to run the ship. He saw that Seth was not as real as Kimble was, Seth would have no value for Jael and wasn't worth hunting down.

Jael was impressed with Fallen as a pilot. He had seen many pilots in his life, but few were as good in quality as she was. Most pilots made were like Kialay - childish or more like a pet than a human. Fallen was superior, intelligent, self aware and handy with tools. She reminded him of his mother and he wondered if they had been crafted by the same Master. Not all Dognan slavers were created equal. He also liked that she had chosen a pilot skin for Kimble. It wasn't something he had given much thought to - a male pilot - but was pleased by the result. It had translated well. Kimble in motion was even more beautiful than his photographs. Jael couldn't wait to meet him for real.

Jael next saw when the three X-men were taken hostage and how they fought the war of the Clan. He knew these men — Wolverine, Gambit and Beast. The sight of Valentin again made Jael growl softly. He never got over being passed by for that asshole. He was even more surprised to learn that Valentin had also been included on the Lucky Dragon for the trip home. Bruce was as well. Bruce he recognized as one of the few humans who had stuck up for him. He was pleased to see that he had been taken from the Clan, they were a bunch of losers and Bruce was better off without them.

Joseph saw little of Kimble on the trip to Earth, he was locked away with the others. He did witness part of the fight where Logan kicked Kimble's ass so hard. Jael couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, he knew a lot about Siskan Courtesans. They damaged easily. Kimble would be in great pain. It was the least he would suffer. Jael next learned about Valentin's failed attempt to take over the Lucky Dragon. He was particularly upset when he saw Joseph stab him so viciously and felt the Clansman's hate for a creature he did not understand.

Poor, Joseph, Jael couldn't help but think. You always were such an ignorant fool.

Jael was intrigued when he then watched a blurry playback of Kimble's files. He didn't completely understand what he was seeing. He knew these were memory files and that somehow Gambit got a free ride. They didn't show all of Kimble's history, he knew first hand that some items were missing, but there was enough there that some eye witness insight would be handy. The Cajun would know Kimble pretty well, perhaps the best of all.

"Damn," Jael mumbled. "I had that little Cajun tunnel rat here not long ago. I let him go too soon."

"He can be recovered," Shakra said confidently from close by. She had anticipated Joseph's having the information they wanted and had come here, awaiting further orders. She was accompanied by Marcus and Razel.

"He left the house this morning," Marcus said, ruffling his wings a little. "Wolverine the night before, not an hour before this one."

"Gambit's too slippery, but the other...Wolverine. I want him found." His smile suddenly brightened and he said, "Actually, I'll offer you an incentive. Bring me either one in two days or less and you'll have a prize."

Marcus beamed. "And that would be?"

"A free romp with any of my Siskans, any one of your choice."

"But Master, you have so many. It would be tough to choose."

"Then you shall have more than one."

Marcus liked the sound of that. "You have a deal!"

"This all right to you, Shakra?"

"Yes, Master. I am looking forward to it," she purred and snapped her fingers at her two companions. They left.

Tanya continued her scan of Joseph but there wasn't much left. The Clansman had been locked up at the Mansion as well and saw little of any further value. He did come out however, after the virus had gone into affect. For the first time, Jael was witness to the after effect of his own mayhem. One by one the X-men and their staff all fell sick and they suffered badly. He saw Bruce as he died and Kimble's heartbreaking reaction to it. Siskans were sensitive, never so much as the ones who could "feel", the empathic ones. The Lushna-esk, they were called back on Siska, Jael knew. It was hard to watch Kimble suffer, but he would take care of that. Kimble would be well treated here. Until he was used. Until the great Game was ended.

Jael thought about what he had seen. Valentin was no great loss, but Bruce he had genuinely liked. It disturbed him and he frowned. He also witnessed Gambit's reaction upon waking and how Kimble had given great comfort to his friend. Jael now hoped his hunters would bring this one back, the thief. Gambit was sure to know more about this marvelous Siskan than anyone else.

Tanya broke the contact, having played this out to the end, and took a step back, exhausted.

"Thank you, my dear. It's always such a pleasure watching you work."

"And what of this one?" Tanya asked, smiling now. "He's all done, I think." Joseph had been reduced to a quivering mass of jellied flesh. His eyes had rolled back behind his lids and he was drooling onto the fur. He hadn't taken his "interrogation" well.

Jael snorted. "Grog hasn't fed in a while. Give this meat to him. Hope he doesn't choke on it."

(break)

Charles once more sat in his office listening to more bad news. Scott was giving him an update on the situation here at the house. Joseph was gone. The Professor sent out three teams to scour the grounds, the nearby woods and even to check in town. His disappearance was puzzling. He could understand how Joseph got out of the restraints and even up to the house, but off the grounds? A check of the security cameras outside revealed nothing. Whatever happened, it occurred just out of the range of the cameras' vision. They had an elaborate defensive system, but it wasn't perfect.

He had to assume there was a possibility the Clansman was picked up by an outside party. That was very troubling because one) it meant the house was being watched without their knowledge, two) Joseph might have some knowledge of the Mansion's safety features that could be revealed to others. That one concerned him the most, mainly because Logan was now gone. No one knew the systems as well as he did. If they needed work, it would be more difficult in his absence.

Gambit was gone as well and that hurt the Professor deeply. It was like he had failed the boy in some way. He knew Remy was trying very hard to make up for his past and this was a major setback. The house was in disarray in the wake of his abrupt departure. Rogue was having a meltdown – Thank God, Karen was here. Best thing I ever did, asking her to stay! — and Manny had left to visit his parents. Manny at least told him he was coming back. Manny had enjoyed his position in the school as a teacher and he wasn't going to let Rogue ruin that for him. In many ways, Manny was a lot stronger than many members of Charles' team.

Charles tried to get Rogue to discuss the nature of her argument with Remy. She said she had discovered that Gambit had been changed by Kimble somehow, more than just knowing how to speak Siskan so well. She was uncomfortable talking about it because the source of her concern was sexual in nature. After some reassurance of privacy, she revealed Gambit had acquired a restraining collar and that they had used it to make love. When Gambit was touching her so intimately, it had affected her somehow. He was making her high, giddy in a very pleasant way. She could feel his emotions, sense his intense pleasure and his love. When she confronted Remy about it, he got very defensive and secretive, things sure to set her off, and of course, they argued. That was why he had left. Charles had suspected Gambit was affected by the playback of Kimble's files much more than he let on, the mind link had been quite strong, but this he hadn't expected.

In what way was Gambit changed, the Professor wondered. Kimble supposedly possessed a charm power or some such. Some people had said Remy already had his own charm power because he could sucker anyone in with that bright smile and his teasing eyes. He had a reputation of being able to easily seduce women and get information from difficult people. He was a very good manipulator as well. Perhaps Kimble had tapped into something that already existed and amplified it.

That would be more troubling. Empathic people got swamped by the emotions of others around them. With no control, they could be slowly driven insane. Gambit had given no irrefutable sign of empathy, but he was very sympathetic towards Kimble when others pushed him away. He was very protective of Kimble and stuck up for him a lot, seeing things from a very different point of view as the rest of them. Gambit was very adept at blocking out the resident telepaths, but empathy can be more difficult to handle because it was based on emotions. He knew Gambit wasn't as strong or as secure as he made out to be, he certainly hadn't been trained on how to make mental shields that he was aware of. Charles wished that Remy hadn't left like he had. He wanted desperately to discuss this with him before things got out of hand. He knew Gambit was sensitive and self destructive. He worried he might harm himself or do something reckless and stupid.

On top of all Charles' worries was the restraining collar. Such a device could be very harmful in the wrong hands and he disliked the idea that these powerful collars had been walking around the Mansion so casually like that. Rogue told him that Gambit gotten his from Kimble. Fallen had no knowledge of this, but Seth did. When he was finally asked about it, the young Siskan apologized shyly and explained that Valentin had ordered three collars be brought on board for the return trip to Earth in case the X-men had to be subdued. He and Kimble had buried them on purpose by rearranging the supply list. Seth had forgotten about it, but apparently Kimble had not. The other two collars were collected and safely put away, as well as the one from Remy's room. Actually, the Professor was happy to have them. Those collars were very rare and very valuable. The holding cells the X-men had could contain a mutant with powers, but couldn't stop them from using them within. These collars were an added bonus to their security.

Gambit's switchblade knife, his old friend, had been also discovered when the collar was retrieved from his quarters. Jean had found it under the bed and gave it to the Professor. The Professor had known of its existence and its purpose. He thought Gambit had been done with it a long time ago, but the fact that it was found with the blade out concerned him. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved Remy had left it behind or not. He knew there were other ways Gambit could take his own life.

"You okay, Professor?" Scott asked. His mentor had been staring off into space, not really listening. Charles had been very thoughtful lately and Scott was worried.

"Yes, Scott. I'm fine. It's just that these past events trouble me. We still have no idea what Jael's up to. I see pieces of a puzzle floating around us, but not the picture itself. I don't want anyone to leave the Mansion alone, everyone gets an escort."

"Yes, Professor."

"Any luck in tracking Remy or Wolverine?"

"Gambit's evaporated — no surprise there - but Logan's in upstate New York, cruising around."

"Send someone up to keep an eye on him. Don't confront him, just watch. Whoever may have nabbed Joseph might start looking for a more valuable target."