Summary : Logan and Remy check out Sabretooth's safehouse and find a surprise. Part 19 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.
Still with me? I didn't scare all of you away? Hee! That's good. SQ
Updated 10-17-13 to add (break)s as needed and the usual stuff.
(One)
Logan stepped out of the Jeep and watched as Remy slid out of the driver's seat and looked up at the sky. Light flakes of snow were still falling, lit by small lights on the side of the building. The apartment complex was very tall and located just where Kimble had hinted it might be. It was twenty minutes since Kimble had called, they had made good time in getting here in spite of the snow.
"This's Porter's Point," Logan explained. " 'S the only complex 'round here that has more'n forty-six floors and faces the harbor. I also know it just happens to have an old CIA safehouse in it. Let's check it out."
Remy nodded and let Wolverine do his thing. His teammate walked slowly up to the front of the complex, sniffing softly. It would seem to an ordinary person that he might have a cold with the sniffles, but what Logan was taking in was vast amounts of sensory information. Just that quick sniff told him that Creed had been by here not long ago and was upset about something. There was an edge of distress to his scent. He saw the tracks in the snow. Sure, this was a big city, but it was very late and these marks were fresh. He approached the doorman.
"Goin' up ta forty-six."
"It's late," the man countered, eyeing him suspiciously. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. There had been a number of scruffy looking people going that way lately. "Besides, Mister Benjamin left with his men twenty minutes ago."
No kidding, Logan thought to himself. He knew that their chances of intercepting Sabretooth had been nil, but this was the closest they had come to their quarry since the hunt began. He knew that Creed had left in quite the hurry and he wanted to get up there in the worst way, no telling what Sabretooth might have left behind in the rush to evacuate.
"Bien sur," Remy said courteously, extending his hand to the doorman. It held a neatly folded hundred dollar bill. "De Monsieur, 'e ask us to wait dere for 'im, s'il vous plait."
Logan had to suppress a smile. Remy was so smooth. He had acted quickly, laying on the charm and giving the man a winning smile. Logan wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a flicker in the doorman's eyes when he took the money. It seemed he looked Remy over like he was something good to eat. "But of course," the man replied. "Let me show you in."
"Dat's all right, mon ami. We know de way."
"Very good, sir," he bowed politely and opened the door for them.
"Merci. 'Night, y'all," Remy replied as he passed, giving out another teasing smile.
They walked a few paces and Logan chuckled softly. "Ever notice you lay on the French real thick when yer after something?"
"It's de language of love," Remy replied flirtatiously. "You get anyt'ing from dat sniffer of yours?"
"Yeah, this is definitely the place. But he's gone for sure."
Remy nodded solemnly, accepting this, and Logan walked slowly to where a set of elevators were located. He paced casually until the car he wanted came down, ignoring one that came first. He wanted the one Creed had ridden in. They stepped inside and Logan closed his eyes while Remy pressed the button for forty-six. Wolverine worked the car, mumbling softly. "Five guys...one of 'em's a girl. Chanel and plastic...plasma girl. Got somebody who don't wanna go, fear's real strong. Creed's pissed. Pissed and...upset. Not just angry. Hurt - that's funny, he never cares 'bout anything - guns and some plastic explosive..." He sniffed again. "Guns and plastique for sure. Best be careful, place might be booby trapped."
The car came to the desired floor and they stepped out carefully. The hallway was empty. Logan made his way carefully, ready for anything, but paused when Remy tapped his shoulder at the door to the apartment. He stepped back and let Remy take over.
Gambit took a roll of cloth from his large coat pocket and laid out his tools. He tested the lock on the door and took out a ring of Master Keys. One slid right in and the door opened. "Too easy, homme."
"Keep back," Wolverine ordered and advanced carefully. He stepped in and the alarm beeped, demanding a code. Remy was there. The panel took a card and he used one to swipe it, punching in a maintenance number used by the company that made the panels. The alarm went on stand by, waiting for the next code, and Remy used a small battery powered screwdriver to quickly work the face plate off. His fingers were swift and sure. He thumbed through the multi-colored wires without thinking, so practiced was he. He snipped the one he wanted and gave Logan a quick thumbs up.
Wolverine shook his head. "Yer too cool, man."
"Like riding a bike, patron."
Logan snickered and kept moving. They had entered almost silently and spoke in whispers, they had no idea if any of Creed's men were left behind. Logan stopped their progress a couple of times to disarm a couple of minor booby traps, but for the most part they had no trouble.
This safehouse was one Logan had been in before long ago as part of a government mission. It was in the shape of a U – the outer quarters – with a square penthouse to the rear. They were in the U part now, the area where Sabretooth most likely kept his men.
It was also where he kept his prisoners, it seemed. They found the holding cells, the door to that area was a heavy one, built for security, but left wide open in their haste to leave. Just outside that open door, there was some recent damage to the wall - the sheet rock was smashed, leaving crumbs still on the carpet, and a depression was in the shape of someone's head. The smell of Creed's hurt and rage was very strong here.
Remy had entered the holding area and now stood in front of one of the cells, a strange expression on his face. These cells were well made, he could see the expensive inhibitor screens and control panels. Anyone trapped in here wasn't going to get out easily. Kimble had just been here, Remy reasoned, he had to have been a prisoner. It seemed like he was always so close to recovering his wayward Siskan, but forever a step behind. Gambit wondered just what it was going to take to bring Kimble home again.
Logan moved in behind him, his senses going into overdrive. He could smell Leon all over the other cell and realized that Leon had been taken along with Kimble from Cameron's safehouse, a food supply for Kimble no doubt. His was the scent in the elevator of the reluctant tag along. There was the scent of old blood, but nothing alarming here, not just yet.
They left the holding area and moved on to some small rooms where the gang was quartered. There wasn't as much room for privacy in this safehouse, there were two rooms with four bunks each and a large closet to share. Sabretooth had a decent sized crew, all the beds looked used. The guys had clearly left in a rush - many items had been left behind, the beds rumpled and unmade, the closet open and junk strewed everywhere - and Remy immediately went to work, sifting through the remains. There was a lot left behind, but not many personal items that could be traced, mostly clothes and small weapons with the serial numbers removed. Remy was a bit surprised at their quality, Creed's men must be pretty well supplied if they could afford to leave these nice handguns behind.
Logan did a quick search himself, but Gambit was a thief, this was his territory. Logan left him to it, choosing instead to check out a small kitchen in the next room. The pantry was small and not filled with much, mostly beer and junk food. Lots of take out boxes and candy wrappers. One quick sniff did tell him something, though. There was blood here, old blood. He opened some of the lower cabinets and growled softly. He found a small flashlight and saw that there was blood residue on the inside shelf. Someone had been done to death in this room and the cleaner not as adept as he should have been. The blood was old, maybe a couple of months. For it to have made its way in here, there must have been quite the mess.
Gambit was discovering things, too. He had left the clothes behind and moved on. It had taken a few minutes but he been a careful investigator, sliding his hands around some of the furniture, looking for secret caches and hidden openings. He smiled when he found a small tape attached to the back of a small dresser with duct tape. It was the kind of tape that went into a modern cam-corder and was labeled "Creed's Whore". If it had been hidden, there had to be something of value on it.
"Whatcha got?" Logan asked from just behind him. He had finished with the kitchen and was ready to move on.
"Don't know. Some kinda tape."
"Good. Bring it," Wolverine ordered as if he actually needed to say the words. They kept searching, but didn't come up with anything else of value.
Moving on, they found the door for Creed's private penthouse and once again, Gambit got them past the keypad with ease.
They spread out, moving quickly through the rooms. Logan was looking around, but his mind was humming. This was where Creed had stayed, his half brother he now knew. Logan hadn't seen the man in a long time and had never spent any time in his personal quarters, he really knew nothing of Creed's private life at all. Looking around, he wondered just how well he knew him. Creed had always struck him as a slob, but this place was sparkling clean.
He wandered into the kitchen, it was large and well stocked, the opposite of the small one he had investigated earlier. Expensive pots and pans hung neatly on hooks and everything was modern and clean. He was startled when he saw a hand written note attached to the door of the refrigerator with a magnet. It was a supply list and Kimble had made it, Logan immediately recognized his extraordinary handwriting. It was a small thing, but it spoke volumes. Kimble was not being kept in the holding cells as they had thought, he had been living here. He was able to move about freely - He used the phone — and was a part of the household to some degree. He was in charge of who wanted what for groceries it seemed. Logan also knew Kimble was tidy, at least he had been on the ship. He also liked to take care of things. Was Kimble now some kind of servant? Knowing how Kimble had cared for Fallen, it really wasn't that much of a surprise, other than the fact that Kimble was supposedly a prisoner.
Out of curiosity, Logan opened the 'fridge and peered inside. No leftovers, but lots of beer. It was Canadian and the same brand he drank. He couldn't stop himself from taking one and cracking it open. He worked while he drank, his eyes and nose never ceasing their careful investigations. The pantry was full of food, all different kinds. He was surprised to see some foreign items in there. Creed liked his food spicy.
He moved on to the livingroom, his feet silent on the thick luxurious carpet. He was again surprised by some very nice pieces of art hanging there, but figured this place might have been maintained by someone else for Creed. He found a stereo and a stack of CDs. Most of them were soft classical music, stuff he himself had grown to like over the years. Sometimes, it was the only thing that calmed him. He never would have pegged Creed as being cultured, he was too much the beast, too much the Sabretooth.
"Logan."
He turned and followed Gambit's voice. The thief was in Creed's bedroom. This room was also well kept and Logan was again struck by the luxury he saw. He didn't think Creed gave a shit about where he stayed but clearly he had been wrong. The bed was a huge four poster and covered with expensive bed clothes. The comforters were thick and the sheets silk. They would feel smooth and cool against his skin, he knew this. Something he would have chosen for himself if he didn't sleep so poorly and slash up everything around him. The carpet was rich and dark, immaculate as if someone cleaned in here every day. There was a large slider that looked out onto a balcony and Logan was eerily reminded of his own room. The door was slightly cracked, just as his own was.
Gambit was on the bed, his lips tight in a scowl. He held a large dog collar in his hand, it was black leather with sheep skin lining the inside of it. It had also been torn, it had a sharp jagged cut right through it. Remy was running his hands over the small metal studs on the outside of it while he turned it slowly and thoughtfully through his fingers.
"You smell a dog 'ere, homme?"
"No," Logan replied softly, having an idea of what Gambit was upset about. There was a small dog's bed on the floor in front of the window. A blanket was over it, not a thing one would do for a dog. There was no scent of a dog or any animals here at all, it hadn't been used for that purpose. Next to Remy on the bed was a small pile of leather clothing cut way too small for Creed to use. He raised a shirt for Logan's inspection. Wolverine took it and sniffed at it. It smelled of the house and of Creed's rough loving, but not of the wearer. It had a flap on the back with velcro, similar to the shirts Warren had specially made to get around his wings. "Got no scent. I think it's Kimble's."
Remy said nothing more, but rose and walked out. He was angry, Logan could smell it, but there was nothing to be done for it now. Logan wanted to explore. He opened some of the drawers in the dresser, but found only clothes. All of them were in good shape, as were his own. Creed's life was in constant upheaval, everything was temporary or disposable. He peeked into the bathroom and looked over the toiletries, not sure what he was really doing. The shampoos and soaps were ordinary, but the cologne was one he knew well, he'd smelled it on Creed many times. He found a brush and saw several long blonde hairs there. He plucked them free and held them in his hand, just staring at them and wondering why he felt so lost. He shouldn't care, but with his memories now restored, he had this strong desire to connect to the man who had lived here. There was much about his half brother he wanted to know.
He wandered away and saw another bedroom, this one for a woman. It was colored in lavender and had a nice smell to it. Chanel and plastic, the plasma girl. Again, not everything was taken. He opened a drawer and found a small stack of Poleroids. He smiled when he saw Kimble there, the Siskan was lounging on her bed, naked and well pleased. A smile teased the corners of Kimble's mouth as he slept. He was wearing the dog collar, a long gold leash was attached to it and dangled to the floor. It would have been creepy if it weren't for that smile. Kimble seemed happy enough. Another showed Kimble crouched down and submissive, but trying to hide a smile. His eyes were merry. But all was not well, not all of the time. Another showed him looking out of the window in her room, his face tired and sad. His cheeks looked wet. Such a strange combination of emotions shown there in the photos. Logan slipped them into his pocket to be looked over in more detail later.
Wolverine was confused at first as to why Kimble was spending time with this woman if Creed was supposedly his Master. He remembered then that Kimble was now using the plasma to power up. Looks like Kimble was having the best of both worlds, a male Master and female to feed him. No wonder he had told Remy he was happy here.
He rummaged around some more and discovered a small check book with carbon receipts left inside. That and a credit card that had fallen into a crack of the dresser drawer. He grabbed that with a grin, knowing Seth would be all over it.
He was called for again and followed Remy's voice. He found his companion seated on the desk in Creed's office. He had one of the drawers open and was going through some papers. "Look like 'e been a busy boy."
Logan came closer. There were some airline ticket stubs and some outlines for some old snatch and grab jobs that had been done. SHIELD might want to take a look at those.
"Anything else?"
"Non. But he did leave dis."
Logan smiled. Remy had a small leather bag with some diamonds dumped out. It sat next to a stack of foreign currency, all different denominations. Creed's personal stash? Next to it was a box that had some small vials of drugs. Looked like that was one habit Creed hadn't given up. He sniffed at it, heroin and coke and a small baggie of pot. As if Creed needed anything to crank him up even more, Logan couldn't help but think.
Logan poked around some more and found the machine Sabretooth used to record his phone calls. He grabbed some of the tapes he found, maybe they would find something there.
They both startled when Gambit's cell phone abruptly rang. Remy snatched at it quickly, unable to contain his excitement. He wanted it to be Kimble, but of course it wasn't. It was still good news. "Hey, there, Louisiana," Kennedy greeted.
"What you got fo' me, eh?"
"Must be your birthday. I got Leon."
"Leon?"
"Yeah. You know, Cameron's plasma boy. Funny thing, he's got a restraining collar on he's trying to hide. Wanna help me find out where he got it?"