(Six)
It was late afternoon when Scott called Seth and Fallen on the intercom of the Lucky Dragon. "Hey, guys. Logan's back and he's got Remy. The Professor wants to see all of you in the War Room. Kimble's been found."
Fallen rose excitedly. She grabbed Seth's power cubes and laughed as Seth climbed up on her back. It was still easier to transport him piggyback and it was a game to them. He laughed all the way down as they took the tram (Seth had gotten quite used to the tram now and loved riding in it) and walked down the hall and into the War Room. She set him down carefully in one of the soft, cushioned chairs and placed the power cubes in his lap. She looked around her and saw a small gathering of X-men. Everyone was here from the Blue squad.
She was startled when she saw Gambit leaning against the back wall. He looked terrible, thin and drawn. He had cleaned up, but it did little to mask the punishment he had done to himself while he was gone. Fallen smiled at him, hoping to make him smile and feel better.
He saw it and returned it but then cocked his head in surprise when he saw Seth. His smile grew wider, there was so much of Kimble in Seth's face and it warmed him to see it. Gambit had gotten out of bed just a couple of hours ago and hadn't stopped since. Logan wanted him to help with preparing for this meeting, Gambit had no idea Seth was out and no one had thought to tell him. He walked over and held out his hand to the young pilot. "Bonjour. Long time, no see, mon ami."
Seth smiled warmly and took Gambit's hand in both of his. In an act of impulse he stood and fully embraced the thief with enthusiasm, just like a child. Gambit squeezed him back without hesitation and Seth was happy to feel a low vibration of genuine caring there that leaked out his way. He was a bit surprised to feel it, he had felt them in the system with Kimble, but the one he felt from Remy now was the strongest of all, as if there were no barriers in between them. It surprised him that it should be so vibrant and powerful. Remy's vibration came into him like a breath of warm air and he couldn't help but smile, it made him feel so happy. "I'm glad you're here."
Remy didn't appear to notice that Seth had felt anything beyond the physical contact, he simply smiled and said, "We gonna get your brother, dat's a promise."
"I don't doubt it."
The Professor cleared his throat and everyone went back to their places. "I called you here because we've had some news. Kimble is alive, which is good. But I'm afraid he's gotten himself into some trouble."
He rolled over to a computer and put a disc into one of the drives. The disc started up automatically and was a recording from a video surveillance camera. The screen was divided into four squares, each from a different perspective. It was black and white and grainy and showed the interior of an office. At first it was empty, but then they could see a group of people entering through the window. Fallen could see them clearly once they spread out. Kimble, Leon, Michael and Kyle.
Fallen was shocked by Kimble's appearance. He was in his pilot skin, but fully dressed in a Freedom Kings' black uniform. He was covered in various leather straps with pouches. His hair was loose and free about his shoulders, with two small braids in the front to keep it from his eyes. It changed his look, making him seem smaller and more feminine. But what shocked Fallen the most were the two very large caliber pistols he held in his hands. He gripped them both with casual ease as he covered the door to the office, he had taken a seat on a desk that faced the doorway. He was still and quiet, unusual for him. It wasn't because he was afraid or just being careful, he just didn't give a shit about what was going down or what could happen. She couldn't explain how she knew it, she just did by looking at him and his body posture.
She wasn't the only one. Gambit cursed softly and shook his head. He hadn't seen the contents of this disc until now. Logan had told him about it, but not what was in it. Probably didn't want his head ripped off. Remy couldn't hide the surge of anger that made him scowl and squint his eyes.
Easy, Remy, the Professor sent out.
Gambit just ignored him and kept his furious eyes on the screen.
"Who's that with him?" Fallen asked.
"Kyle Franks," Logan answered in his low growl. "He useta hang with us, but couldn't deal with the idea that humans and mutants could live together. It was a long time ago."
One the screen, Michael and Leon began setting charges. They were going to destroy the room they were in.
"Where are they?" Rogue wanted to know.
"Friends of Humanity office in Baltimore," Logan replied.
Kimble was bored. He began to flip and twirl his guns.
"Who does he think he is? Jessie James?" Bobby joked without humor.
Kimble continued to play. His movements were swift and skillful. He didn't smile or laugh or give any sign he was enjoying what he was doing and it reminded Logan of Zander when he was sparring with Valentin. So cold, so empty of everything. He gave a quick snap of his hands and dropped both clips from his guns. He reloaded telekinetically, taking two more clips from his belt. He did it so fast, they almost missed it. "Sweet Jesus..." Logan muttered.
"Hey, Lakotashay! Quit foolin' around and watch the fuckin' door!" Leon ordered.
"What did he say?" Fallen asked, startled to hear the Siskan word. "That was Siskan."
"What does it mean?" the Professor asked.
"It means filthy or dirty," Seth replied, his voice very quiet.
"Non. Worse dan dat. It more like shit or puke, de nastiest t'ing you can t'ink of, comprenez?" Gambit snapped bitterly. "Untouchable. De worse' kind of trash. Siskan a subtle language, like de Japanese. Dis is how Kimble mean it."
"Why would Kimble call himself that?" Bobby asked, confused.
" 'Cause it ain't really Kimble," Remy answered, looking not at Bobby who had asked the question, but at Logan. He was daring Wolverine to challenge his answer. The other man met his gaze and their eyes locked in silent battle. For the first time Remy could remember, Logan actually backed down and turned away to watch the screen. Before Bobby could express his confusion at Remy's strange reply, Wolverine clicked the mouse and the square that was centered on Kimble was enlarged to show what was going to happen next.
Back on the video, Kimble had finished with his game. He raised his guns and was standing up slowly, his eyes locked on the door - they had been discovered and he knew it. He threw up a rippling telekinetic shield for the others, but not for himself. "Don't makes me shoots ya, old man," he warned through gritted teeth. It wasn't clear who he was speaking to, the other was just out of range of the camera.
Fallen cocked her head. Kimble's voice didn't sound right. It was high as if he were afraid, but his body spoke only of calm resolve. She still didn't understand that Kimble wasn't really there in any way that mattered.
"Get out!" a security guard challenged as he finally entered the room, his own gun raised. "You got one second, ya stinkin' muties!"
"Fearless little bugger," Rogue commented wryly.
"Not fer long," Logan replied.
Kimble wouldn't lower his guns. The security guard began firing, he was a lousy shot and the bullets went all over. They hit Kimble's telekinetic barrier and ricocheted about, breaking things. Kimble didn't try to get out of the way, he simply shot the guard point blank in the head without ceremony as if it meant nothing at all. The man fell and lay twitching on the floor, growing gradually still as he died. Kimble sniffed with indifference at the corpse and sat back down on the desk, unfazed. It was as if he did this sort of thing all the time.
" 'Shay!" Kyle bellowed in outrage, his shock and surprise obvious. "What did you do!"
"What the Master wants me ta do. Protectin' ya. Now shut up an' finish yer stupid little bombs. Cops'll be here soon." His voice was that of a monestrous demon child, ice cold and without emotion. It was the voice of the Quitter, cold and empty. The man watching the door might have looked like Kimble, but the Lover wasn't really there. This was the Quitter's little show. 'Shay turned and looked at her shoulder, noticing for the first time that she had been shot.
Kyle put a hand on her shoulder, but Lakotashay shrugged him off rudely, not wanting to be touched. She snapped her fingers impatiently, getting Leon's attention. Leon tossed her a plasma ball and she took it with a grunt, absorbing it quickly. She shivered and rotated her arm, feeling the plasma heal the injury. She sniffed and lay her head back a little, high now. The rush wasn't as great because she had used most of the energy to heal, but she was still buzzed. She fiddled with her guns a little more, smiling a little as she watched the light reflect off of the highly polished barrels.
Kyle watched the pilot for a moment, then turned away shaking his head. He looked like a defeated man, someone without hope. It was clear he disapproved of what just happened but was powerless to stop it. He was trapped with no way out of the nightmare that Kimble had become.
'Shay sat quiet while they worked and for one brief moment, looked up at the security camera. She cocked her head, noticing it for the first time. She twitched and her whole expression changed. Her face became one of desperation and pleading. She slowly mouthed two words. Help me!
Logan freeze framed it. "There."
"There, what?" Scott asked, perplexed. He didn't know what Logan was getting at.
Remy did. He was silent, his eyes glued to the screen with wild understanding.
"Ya see it, Cajun?"
"Oui, patron. Gambit sees."
"What?" Scott repeated, irritated.
"Dose're Kimble's eyes," Remy replied. His voice trembled with hope. "Looks like he askin' fo' help or sumptin'."
"What are you talking about? Of course it's Kimble," Cyclops insisted, still not getting it.
"Kimble ain't de one doin' de killin'. Dat's 'Shay, de Quitter. She hopin' someone's gonna put a stop ta 'er permanently. She jus' wanna be dead, dat's all," Gambit tried to explain.
"What are you saying?"
"Kimble's all broken up inside. He t'ree people, jus' like Anya say. 'Shay be doin' de killin' an' Kim can't stop it."
"Oh, please!" Scott snorted. He had read the report that Gambit and Logan had filed about Anya's predictions, but didn't believe a word of it. It was just too outrageous and of course convenient that Kimble would be split into these three people - the Lover, the Quitter and the Punisher. It was a perfect excuse to remove the blame. It didn't sit well, especially after what he had just witnessed. He wasn't going to allow that man's murder to go without blame. "You can't be serious. If that were so she would have just let the guard kill her. You said she wants to be dead."
"And 'ow was dat gonna 'appen, eh? She get shot, dat plasma boy dere jus' gonna fix 'er back up again. Dis ain't like you an' me, it ain't so easy to kill one of dese Siskans. Kimble almost die on de way here, he 'ad to bleed out almos' down to nuthin'. Dat ain't gonna be no option 'ere, not while 'e still someone dese guys can use. 'E get 'urt, someone come and 'eal 'im. Simple as dat. He's trapped, comprenez?"
Scott shook his head. "I'm not buying it. He took that guy down without a thought."
" 'Shay done dat, not Kimble."
"A split personality? How convenient. You're the one who's a fool."
"Why don't we just go get him and see what we're dealing with when we find him," Warren offered, trying to disrupt what looked like the beginnings of a fight. He wasn't siding with anyone in particular, he was just trying to keep this moving along.
"It seems like ze best plan, ja?" Kurt added, putting in his own two cents worth.
"We might not get that chance. Not if he keeps killing like this," Scott countered. "One person or three, he's a killer and needs to be taken down before he hurts anyone else."
"He is t'ree people, Cyke," Remy insisted. "You seen de report we filed? We gave evidence!"
"What evidence? A psychic woman older than God? Professor! Kimble's running around killing people. I know it sucks, but you can't just explain it away like that!"
"I know you are a very literal person, Scott, and I appreciate it, but I fear Kimble truly is as damaged as they are suggesting. Logan himself heard Kimble speaking with more than one voice."
Scott turned to Karen, seeking a second opinion. "What do you think?"
She paused before speaking, her brow crinkling as she considered her answer. "I've never met Kimble, so I have nothing to compare this to. I must say that the change in his appearance is striking, as well as the change in his voice, but those things alone aren't enough to convince me one way or the other. I would have to interview him, and even then... I'm not sure I'm qualified to make that kind of diagnosis."
"It was Zander that came out and used the plasma ta burn me," Logan said. "I recognized his voice from when we were on the ship comin' here. 'Shay ain't the only one runnin' the show. Maybe Kimble's still in there, too."
"What did you say to 'im, Wolvie?" Remy shot out impatiently, his voice sharp. "What you say to 'im dat make de Quitter come out?"
Logan just glared at him and refused to answer. They sat for a moment, warring each other with their eyes again, saying nothing. Logan turned away and let the disc run again. Kyle and the others finished with the charges and they left. There was a moment's pause and then the office exploded. The camera was housed in a special protective box and transmitted to a remote location. It melted away into grey static and Logan shut it off.
"Kennedy got that from some friends at SHIELD," he growled. "Nobody b'sides the guard was killed but I think it's pretty obvious we got ourselves a problem here."
"What's wrong with Kimble?" Seth asked, looking up at Fallen, forlorn. "Why is he doing this? I still don't understand."
"Quitter's got a hold of 'is mind, cher. Dat wasn't Kimble at all," Remy answered for her, keeping his voice gentle even though he was frustrated by having to repeat himself. He thought of Seth as a child, a more innocent version of Kimble himself. He would not raise his voice to this one. "Not de Kimble you know."
"That's not Kimble," Seth repeated in agreement, nodding slowly. "No way."
"Yes it is. He's become what they wanted him to be," Fallen insisted. She still wasn't buying into the idea of Kimble being split, not as dramatically as this. She had known him longer than anyone else here and wasn't going to let them blow this out of proportion. She believed he was having a breakdown of some kind, 'Shay's behavior made that clear, but a split personality? No, she had a more realistic explanation. She shook her head bitterly and said, "Siskans are programmed to please and will adapt to any user. What I don't understand is why people keep using him to kill. It wasn't what he was made for, but they do it anyway. He just called somebody Master. He's just doing what he was ordered to do. Look at him. He's given up. He's as good as dead himself. It's horrible."
"Cameron Bishop 'is Master now, but it look like Kyle's de one running de show wit Kimble fo' de moment. We find 'im, we find Kimble," Remy said, trying to hide just how much it galled him that 'Shay had spoken the word.
"I know Kyle Franks," Logan growled. "I know where he hangs out. Kimble ain't been at Cameron's Club, he's gotta be someplace close. Baltimore ain't that far from here. I'm gonna find Kimble and end this. We brung him back with us from the Clan, we're responsible fer what he does if it's 'Shay doin' it or not. I'm gonna find him an' end this, one way or another. I showed this ta all of you so you know what we're dealin' with. The plan is ta bring him back alive, if that don't work out, well, now you'll understand if I do what has ta be done."
"Wait a minute," Remy snapped. "You didn't say nothin' 'bout takin' Kimble down dead!"
"And I'm not. It's only if he don't come quiet. That's why yer here."
Gambit turned to the Professor, his eyes burning with indignant accusation. "An' you're goin' along wit dis?"
"Kimble must be stopped. I do not condone violence against him, but in light of what we've just seen, it may be necessary. He cannot be allowed to kill anyone else and if he puts us in a position where we have to chose between him and hostages, well, you know my answer."
"Fuck all of you!" Gambit shouted. "I don' b'lieve dis!"
"It ain't just us, Cajun," Logan interrupted. "SHIELD wants his ass, too. We get our hands on him first, maybe we can do a deal. Maybe they'll let us keep him here in a holding cell. We don't find him, they're gonna wipe him out just the same. You want yer boy alive, work with us on this. If not, he's toast, either by them or me. He ain't gonna be killin' nobody else, that's a fact."
Seth jumped in his chair and covered his ears. "Stop it! Stop talking about killing Kimble!" he wailed as tears poured down his face.
Fallen reached for him and was surprised when Gambit beat her there. Remy's hand was on his head and Seth was shivering, not from fear anymore but from the intense conviction that was coming from Gambit. The vibrations of anger were softened by a powerful love and a fierce desire to protect. Nothing was going to happen to Kimble because Gambit wasn't going to let it. Remy fixed him with his eyes, willing him to understand. "Nobody's gonna waste yo' brother, it ain't gonna 'appen. Not on my watch, mon petite fils, je promets."
"Fine, then it's settled," Logan growled irritably. "I'm leavin' fer Baltimore in an hour. Whoever's comin' along best be ready, I ain't waitin'. I think we're pretty much finished here." He then went to retrieve the disc from the computer.
" 'Old up dere, buddy," Gambit snapped sharply, freezing Logan in his tracks.
Logan turned to him slowly, his eyes dark and serious. His hands clenched. "Yes?" he asked in a sickly sweet voice. He hadn't like Gambit's tone.
Gambit was angry that his question from before hadn't been answered. He wasn't about to let it go. "Dis t'ing far from over, mon ami. 'Shay picked 'er name, eh? Why she call 'erself dat? Kimble only got two truths. De firs' is dat 'e's real. De other is dat he's not a bad person. Lakotashay? Dat makes dat one easy ta figure out. What you 'cuze him of dis time, asshole? What's so bad you make Kimble break like dat!"
"Why are ya so sure it was me? That boy ain't been right fer some time now!"
"Boy, you must be t'inkin' Gambit's really dumb. 'Course it was you, he don' really hate nobody else. What's your secret! What did 'e See!"
Logan turned and walked out, not wanting to continue this conversation any further.
" 'Ey!" Gambit barked, following him. "You answer de fuckin' question, homme!"
"Easy, Remy," the Professor said, rolling over. "Let me handle this."
The Professor followed Wolverine quickly. "Logan, wait. We don't feel responsible for what Kimble has done, you do. Why? Tell me what he saw in you, Logan."
Logan looked past him to Gambit who now stood in the doorway. "I'm responsible because what the Quitter's done, she done on account of me, jus' like Anya said. I fucked up an' I'm gonna set things to rights as much as I can. No one else dies. As fer what Kimble saw, I ain't discussin' that with nobody. That's 'tween him an me."
Wolverine took another pace, but cocked his head with a strange smile as he felt the Professor, one of the world's most powerful telepaths, begin probing around inside of his head. He had been run through the wringer with Tanya, he wasn't about to let it happen again. He retaliated, not by showing the Professor what he wanted, but the aftermath. Crazy John lying in a pool of his own entrails. The Professor shuddered and looked away, horrified.
Logan just grinned. "Shoulda known better than ta be pokin' round inside a my head, Charlie. But yer right. I do feel responsible. That's why I'm gonna fix this one way or another b'fore he kills anyone else."