(Four)
Remy slid the tape into the player and leaned back against the table. He was in the War Room down in the lower level, it had the best media players and was very comfortable. Logan had come in and taken a seat at the long table behind him. Karen sat silently next to him, a pad of paper out in front of her for notes.
"Creed's Whore", the tape had been labeled. Do I really want to see dis? Remy asked himself, shaking his head. He remembered the moniker from Leon's story and knew who it meant. Leon had said something about Kimble having a bad session with some of Creed's men, but had given no details. He hoped it wasn't this and decided to watch anyway. The whole point of this was to look for clues for where Creed may have gone. Even if it was some kind of horrible porno tape, there might be something that was filmed afterwards that could give them some clues as to where Sabretooth may have gone.
The tape started. There was a date in the corner showing this tape had been made several days after Kimble had been taken by Creed. It was filmed from a small mini-camcorder placed on a guard's table in the room with the holding cells. Both Leon and Kimble could be seen inside their small cells. Of the two men, only Kimble was naked. It was a sick statement of what he had been used for all those days in the cell, there was no point to him being dressed, really.
One of the men went inside Leon's cell and held a gun to his head.
Kimble stood at the entrance to his cell, shifting his weight warily. His keypad was activated and he nervously stepped out, clearly uncertain of what to expect. This told Remy that what was happening now was something new to the pilot. The four men Creed had left behind were there - Bob was in the cell with Leon and Charlie, George and Hardy stayed outside with Kimble.
Hardy unzipped his pants. "I want some of what yer Master got, bitch."
"Shure." Kimble dropped down to his knees and went to work.
Remy closed his eyes and pinched the brow of his nose. Now more than ever he knew this was going to be bad. He was trying really hard to stop the tears of fury and frustration that had come on him almost violently. His emotions had been so out of control lately, this he did not need. He should have slept first, it had been only three hours since they had left Leon behind at the bar and his high was long gone.
Logan was silent, but didn't look away. He could smell Gambit's distress and saw the tightness of his shoulders. He knew this would be hell for him to watch. Maybe they should have waited. He had asked Seth to do a quick check on the men he saw before him now, the ones Leon said Sabretooth had killed. It hadn't taken Seth long to pull up a police file. Three of the four men had been found, washed up in the harbor, all killed by a single bullet to the head, execution style. Logan already knew they wouldn't find the fourth. The blood he had seen in the kitchen for Creed's men pretty much clinched that. This had to be that ugly session that Leon had alluded to. He prayed it wasn't as bad as he feared.
Kimble finished his task only to be presented with another man to please. So it went until they had all had a turn, the men rotating so there was always someone in the holding cell with Leon where Kimble couldn't reach them. Kimble had no restraining collar in place, it wouldn't work on him and the protective barrier was the only thing keeping Kimble from killing them all. Leon had told the X-men about Kimble's resistance to the collar back at the bar, both X-men had been surprised by the news. Here was some evidence that Leon was telling the truth, any prisoner that was a true mutant would be expected to wear one, its absence on Kimble was explained.
Logan watched and wondered. Yes, it was true that Leon was being held hostage here, but with Kimble's telekinetic power, he still should have been able to free them both simply by making shields or blowing the men back on their asses. Zander's ability at the bank should have proven that. No, something else was keeping Kimble there, Logan just couldn't figure out what it was. He hoped this tape would tell, but he wasn't so sure.
The tape played on. Hardy was the first to have been served by the pilot and was wound up again watching Kimble work his friends. He pushed the pilot against the wall and kicked his feet apart, holding him down by the scruff of his neck. Hardy took him roughly, growling, "Give me the 'glow', freak! I seen what ya do with Creed! Give it to me!"
"Fuck you!" Kimble snarled in Zander's harsh growl.
Hardy hit him again and Kimble groaned in Siskan.
Remy froze the tape. "You catch dat?" he asked Logan without turning around to look at him. His voice was tired and sad.
"Sounded like frash-a -nay- a -too."
"Frashnarayatoo?"
"Yeah."
"Means 'please.' "
"Who's he asking?" Karen asked, confused.
"Zander mebbe. If he speakin' in Siskan, it ain't to dose guys. Dey ain't gonna understand."
"What's the 'glow'?" Karen wanted to know.
Remy shifted uncomfortably. He had an idea what it meant but was concerned to reveal too much. They might wonder how he knew and he wasn't about to discuss his crumbling sex life here. "I t'ink he mean 'is empathy," he offered as a compromise. "Kimble can make people feel good by t'inkin' about it. Dis 'ow 'e 'elp Brucie pass on when 'e was sufferin'. It de mos' powerful when 'e fuck."
"How do you know this?" she asked softly.
" 'E show me in de files." It was all he was going to say.
Remy started up the tape again.
"Come on, give it to me!" Hardy continued to demand.
"Kiss my ass!" Zander snapped again.
Hardy yanked Kimble's head back and smashed his forehead into the wall. Kimble's legs buckled and he slid partway down the wall.
"Frashnarayatoo...Zander, lastareckt...frashnarayatoo..!" Kimble wailed, tears streaming from his eyes. He was all done, the pain and the beating more than he wanted to take.
"Nisk. Hreasek tadesk kalistada dect," Zander replied, his voice calm.
Remy froze the tape again.
"What?" Karen asked when Remy didn't immediately speak.
"He askin' Zander ta do it, to use 'is power like dey askin'. Zander say non."
"Why?"
" 'Cause if he does, they'll never leave him alone," Logan answered for him. He was familiar with this, having seen people incarcerated and tortured before. He understood why Zander was doing this although it was hard to see Kimble's mistreatment. Kimble lived for sex, but he was in misery here. It made Wolverine feel all the more guilty for having called Kimble a rapist, what Kimble had done wasn't even close to the scale he was now receiving.
"No, why would he have to ask Zander that?" Karen said. "Can't they all use the power?"
Remy was thoughtful, her question a welcome distraction. "P'etetre, p'etetre non. Mebbe 'e like some kind of on/off switch. He de Punisher, de one who would need deir power de mos'. It makes a kind of sense dat 'e would be in control of it."
The tape played on.
"I think this here boy thinks he's too good for us," Hardy said, holding up Kimble's body while he continued to pound into him without mercy.
George came to assist. He had a small knife and lay it across Kimble's throat. "Do as he says!"
"Go for it, fat boy!" Lakotashay hissed at him, her eyes eager. "Fuckin' do it, man!"
"Jeezus..." Logan swore and shook his head as he felt a surge of guilt. Kimble was still hopelessly smashed, still wishing for death.
"This guy's fucked in the head!" Charlie said, coming to the other side of Kimble. He yanked on Kimble's ear, making the pilot howl. It was too much for Hardy and he climaxed, turned on by the torture. He finished and stepped back, releasing the pilot. Kimble slumped to the floor, his legs too weak to hold him. He was crying now and trying really hard to stop, but he was in pain.
"Aw, what's the matter? Think all the fun is gone?" George asked. "Plenty more where that came from." He forced Kimble on his knees, moved behind him and started where his friend had left off. Bob came in front, demanding service as well. Kimble complied, what else could he do? The remaining man held Leon to watch, the gun still in place.
"Is there anything of use on this tape?" Karen asked softly. She had stopped watching almost from the start.
"Won't know 'till it's over, babe," Logan replied softly. "Maybe there's something after this."
Gambit was silent, but watching again. He was determined to burn in every detail. He knew these men were dead already, Logan had told him what Seth had found before they started, but someone was going to pay. He could blame Sabretooth for keeping Kimble, he could follow Creed to the ends of the earth and punish him forever, so great was the depth of Remy's hate.
George finally finished and Bob wasn't far behind. He demanded the "glow" as Hardy had, but it wasn't going to happen. Zander was quite firm on the matter. Hardy was in the cell with Leon and began to beat him, hoping to use that as an incentive. It didn't work. Kimble's eyes were glassy from pain and he was beyond being able to convince Zander to do anything. Hardy gave it up. He wasn't so stupid as to kill Leon, he was the only leverage they had against the pilot. There was no restraining collar holding Kimble's power in check and he had seen how powerful the pilot could be when Kimble was taken.
Bob finally finished and Charlie got up from his chair, he had taken a breather while the others had played. He stepped in front of Kimble now. "You think that was good, huh, ya little whore? Creed's Whore you are, since you won't share. Well, I'm gonna show ya what we do with little whores who don't share, boy. Tell me, when was the last time you ate?"
"Y-yesserday..." Kimble wheezed, grey gel leaked from his split lip, mixing with the semen and spit from his torturers that dribbled down his chin. He was trashed and barely hanging on. If the Siskan Courtesan in him was enjoying this as Leon had so thoughtlessly implied in his interrogation, he hid it really well. He was gasping for air and trembling all over with shock. It didn't mean he was unaware of what was going on. His eyes kept straying back to the gun at Leon's head, clearly he was deciding if he should act. Again, something stayed his hand. Wolverine knew the score here as Kimble did, he couldn't be certain Leon wouldn't be harmed in an exchange of fire, the risk was too great. If it really was for Leon's sake that Kimble took what he did, Logan couldn't help but admire his courage. This was a side of Kimble he never took the time to see.
"You must be real hungry, then," Charlie said, coming closer.
George and Hardy grabbed Kimble and held him down, yanking his head back. Gambit watched in dumbstruck amazement as Charlie crouched down and defecated on Kimble's face. There was movement and Leon screamed as he was struck. It was a warning to Kimble not to act. Hardy smeared the excrement all over Kimble's face, shoving it into his mouth. "You shit eating whore! Fuckin' faggot! Creed's fuckin' faggot whore!" someone yelled out.
Kimble reeled and gagged, held in place by powerful hands. He vomited explosively from his mouth and nose, making Charlie curse and punch him again. Kimble groaned and went down. The others stood over him, cackling curses and began urinating all over the pilot who now lay heaving his guts out onto the floor.
It was too much. Without warning, Gambit exploded into violence as he had back in the bar. He stood quickly with a inarticulate scream of fury and smashed his fist into the side of the television, tossing it to one side. It fell to the floor, shattering with a loud crash and a hiss, sending sparks and smoke everywhere. Gambit had reached his end with this and could no longer contain the tempest inside of him. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door abusively, and broke into a run as he made his way down the hall, not hearing as Karen shouted at him. He ran and ran, bolting down the mile long tramway, wanting the room to stretch his legs. He ran until he had no more breath and his legs burned like fire. He was in the hanger now with nowhere left to go, the mile long tram tunnel a blur in his hate blackened mind. He turned skittish as he heard Wolverine come up behind him. He paced away, holding two cards in his hand. His face was all black anger and rage.
Wolverine saw it and kept his distance. "Whoa, there. Easy. We'll get him back."
" 'E wouldn't be gone if it wasn't fo' you!" Remy blurted out in anger, tears streaming down his face as he spoke. Sabretooth wasn't here to answer for Kimble's torture, but Logan was, and the man was equally responsible as far as Gambit was concerned. "What happen dere - dat's your fault, homme! Your fault!"
There was a noise and the door for the Dragon came open and Seth came out. "Hey guys. What's going on?"
Remy began to pace and Logan put his hands up in surrender. "Look-"
Gambit didn't wait, he dropped the cards and charged, wanting to hurt Logan with his fists instead. Logan sidestepped him and they clashed in a rapid dance of hands too quick for Seth to follow. It didn't matter, it was clear Remy was sporting for a fight. Seth ran back up the ramp to get Fallen.
Karen came up from the tramway, gasping for breath. She was nowhere near as physically fit as the guys and it had taken her this long to catch up. She watched as Gambit charged again and Logan fought him off. The fight was brilliant and fast, their skill beyond anything she had ever seen up close. They were both deadly and Gambit wasn't holding back.
"Take it easy, Gumbo," Logan repeated with calm resignation. "Those guys are all dead. Seth pulled up their files, I told ya that already. Creed took care of this. Let it go."
"Non!" Remy shouted. He tossed his coat and gloves off angrily, wanting the freedom of movement as he paced and paced like a cornered animal. "What you say to him, eh? What did you say to Kimble after he touch you! Tell me!"
"What does that have to do with this?" Logan asked, trying to deflect the question. He was painfully aware of Karen standing right behind him.
"Gambit 'seen' what dat guy did to you, dis Crazy John, whoever de fuck 'e is! What you say to Kim? Dat he like dat guy!"
Logan grit his teeth and was silent. This he did not want to discuss and he wasn't sure why Gambit was even bringing this up now. It had to be the rape, Kimble's rape. Here it was, that confrontation he had been dreading. The one where he was expected to explain what had happened in the warehouse, the one where he would be expected to finally acknowledge his role in Kimble's shattering. This was sure to be explosive and ugly. He couldn't hide a flicker of guilt that crossed his face.
Gambit saw it and his restless pacing stopped. He grinned that sad, pained smile, the one that he always wore when his heart was smashing to pieces. "Bien sur, oui...oui. Gambit see it now. You did, didn't you? You fuckin' called de Lover a rapist! Oh, dat's real fine! Wolverine, one of de white shinin', non prejudiced, unbigoted, all fo'givin', 'we accept dem all, even de guilty' X-men!"
"Gambit - Remy, I-" Logan stammered uselessly. Nothing he could say was going to fix this.
"Y'all happy now!" Remy interrupted, opening his arms expansively. Tears were streaming down his face and he was close to outright bawling. He was breaking down. Here it comes, a shattering of his own. "Y'all happy now? Did y'all like dat, what dey done to him? Gave dat boy a taste of 'is own medicine! Gambit's pumped up little faggot sex freak got what 'e deserve, eh!"
"No," Logan said firmly. This he hadn't wanted. No one should have to go through what Kimble had. Not even the worst of monsters.
Gambit didn't want to hear it. He charged again, screaming, "You lyin' morceau de merde! Vous encule de mere malade! You sick mutherfucker!"
They came together and fought quickly, hands and feet this time. Remy was fast, but Logan had him at endurance. The battle was surprisingly painful. When their hands would come together, Remy hitting and Logan blocking, Wolverine was getting flash vibrations of Remy's intense rage and it hurt him mentally, like being sucker punched by an unseen opponent. Gambit's new found empathic power was leaking out of him, his pain and anger too intense for him to control. He had been keeping it inside for so long - since the warehouse, Wolverine figured. It was coming out of him from the physical contact of their battle and now he understood. They had fought before, him and this thief, and never had this happened before. Gambit had been altered by Kimble and there was no use denying it now. That alteration exposed the thief's deepest feelings, his rage and his hurt, and Logan could feel it and knew what needed to be done.
Wolverine stopped talking, figuring Remy needed to get this out. He didn't block as well on purpose and some of Gambit's blows were getting through.
Gambit was all over it. He stopped pushing and started punching, hitting harder and harder. His lips pulled back in an ugly snarl and he came again and again, punishing Logan more and more each time.
"Stop it!" Karen screamed in frustration. She didn't dare get close, they were leaping about and using a lot of space as Remy waged his war. She couldn't believe Gambit's rage, the guy had been mostly quiet and kept to himself. He and Logan had been working together without squabbling or bickering. There were no hints that he'd been keeping all of this inside.
Remy hit and hit, ignoring the pain in his hands from Logan's metal covered bones. He saw first blood coming from Wolverine's nose and it drove him even more insane. He swung at Wolverine in rapid fire succession, landing the blows each time now. Logan let him. He stopped blocking and finally stood unresistant while Gambit punched him harder and harder, the thief losing all of his control as the rage and tears finally overwhelmed him. Logan reckoned that if Remy needed a punching bag to get rid of the sickness inside of him, so be it. Wolverine had been punished by Zander for his mistake, now it was Remy's turn to punish. So be it.
It took a long while, a good five minutes before Gambit was finished. He howled in mental agony as his legs gave way and finally collapsed in exhaustion into Logan's arms which caught him. Logan's face was a mess, but with his ability to heal, he was already recovering. He hadn't lost strength. He went down to his knees, bringing the exhausted Cajun with him and held him while he bawled, apologizing over and over. He ran his hands over Remy's head, soothing him while he cried.
"Je t'haine... I hate you!" Remy wheezed, contradicting himself by gripping Logan tightly with all the love of a betrayed child. "I hate you fo' what you done...!"
"I know," Wolverine replied gently, not letting him go.
There was a small crowd now. Seth had returned with Fallen and the tram pulled up with Henry and the Professor, the young pilot had rounded up the whole gang by phone. Logan looked up at them, forcing them to stay back with his eyes. They obeyed and Remy gradually quieted. His face was a red swollen mess and his hands were mangled. It looked like he may have broken one or two of his fingers from hitting Logan so hard. Still, Wolverine held onto him until the thief sat back, his head down from being too heavy to lift. Remy was wasted. He slowly lay down, putting his head in Logan's lap and covering his face with his ruined hands. Logan smoothed his hair back as he would a child and sat with him until he was asleep.
Karen sought permission to approach from Logan and crouched down next to him. She dabbed at her lover's bloody swollen face with a handkerchief. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Been through a lot worse'n this."
The Professor glided over on his chair. "You want to explain this?" he asked calmly. He could see that the two of them'd had some kind of breakthrough, a release of the pent up energy between them. He would never condone such a violent resolution to any problem, but wasn't going to argue about it now at this moment. Things weren't as bad as they could have been. In spite of Gambit's anger and violence, the thief hadn't refused Logan's contrition nor his offer of comfort. They were still friends. Charles was glad to see it in spite of the damage to Wolverine's face, though the swelling was already going down thanks to his mutation.
Wolverine tried to explain. "We got a phone call from Kimble and Remy managed to get some details from here 'bout where he was."
"You found Kimble?" Seth asked quickly, his eyes eager.
"No. We just missed him. Creed bugged out, takin' everyone with him."
"Creed? I thought Kimble was at Jael's," Henry asked in confusion. He was giving Remy a quick once over, trying to disturb him as little as possible. Logan still held him protectively.
"We all did. Things just got a lot more complicated, people. Anyway, me and the Cajun went to Creed's safehouse and poked around a little bit. We found a camcorder a tape with Kimble on it. It was real bad - real bad. I never thought I would say this, but... I really, really feel bad for that guy. We gotta get him back."
"It hasn't been for the lack of trying. Did you learn anything new from the tape?" the Professor wanted to know.
"Not really. It was just - just Creed's guys beating him up," Wolverine replied, turning his head so he wouldn't have to see the crestfallen look on Seth's face. Logan sat still as Karen continued to clean his face. The bleeding had already stopped and the bruises were fading rapidly. "We got some other stuff from Creed's place that was more helpful. Seth'll work it through the computer."
Seth was shivering still from the news that Kimble had been beaten and horrible display of violence he had just witnessed. He crouched down and looked at Remy's face. His voice was quiet and sad as he asked, "Is Remy going to be okay?"
"Yeah. He had ta get the anger out. He'll get some sleep and you'll see. He'll be right as rain," Logan promised, trying to sound more hopeful than he felt. The only thing that was going to end Gambit's pain was Kimble's ass back in this house. Nothing less was going to satisfy.
"Bring Gambit down to Med Bay and then you and I will have a little talk," Charles ordered to Wolverine with just enough insistence to let him know this order would be obeyed.
Logan nodded and eased Remy to his feet.