Summary : All things come to their 27 and the conclusion 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 10-23-13 for the usual fixin's...
(One)
Remy sat in his seat on Darken's big ship, his eyes closed and dreaming. They had left for Westchester only a few minutes after the galley negotiations with Games Master. They had all packed up and were seated for departure. Once they had taken off, it hadn't taken long for Gambit to get just a little too comfortable in the lush chairs of the passenger's section.
The dream he was presently enjoying was vivid and real. He was back on Skye's large bed, stretched out and naked, blindfolded with his wrists and ankles bound to the rings on the bed. Any pain he might have felt from the restraints was obliterated by the sensations pouring into his body, sensations provided by his lovely hostess. If he had thought being with Aiden had topped the scale of being blown away, he was wrong. Skye was not for the faint of heart, Darken's warning had proved to be quite fair enough.
The magnificent Siskan herself was on top of him, riding him for all she was worth. It had taken nothing for her to seduce him into complete submission, her kisses had drowned him and her potent Kundatesh had made him her compliant servant. He had crawled onto the bed and let her do with him as she had wished, not one argument ever leaving his lips, even as he had been tied and made helpless.
Skye's empathy was blasting right through him, her pleasure coursing through him, every touch and stroke of her body resonating through his own. He could hear her sharp gasps of pleasure as the most artful music, her vibrations of happiness were pouring down into him in a flood, keeping him in her thrall.
"Uhhnn! Mon dieu!" Remy sobbed, so close now. His body was on fire, he could feel her power vibrating through every inch of himself. He wanted more, he wanted all of it. "Don' stop! Don' stop! 'Arder! 'Arder!"
"Whatever yous desires, m' pretty," Skye said, laying her hands on him.
Remy felt another luscious blast of her Kundatesh and he was done, finishing so hard his body convulsed as if he was having a seizure. His muscles pulled taut and the large wooden bed creaked from the strength of his body pulling on it. The silken scarves binding him cinched tight on his limbs, abrading his skin in a delightfully pleasant way. His heart pounded like fury and he was fearful he would arrest or at the very least burst a vessel in his brain. Stars broke out over his eyes and then he felt it, the tearing, the separation of mind and body.
He had gone through this mildly with Babette and then again even more fully with Aiden. The deepest love and power shared had taken him to a whole other level, one that left the physical body behind. Skye might not have felt a kind of bonding love for him, but it was still the strong recognition of one who shared similar gifts and was admired and appreciated for it. He was 'one of us', a member of the Kundatesh club, and that was enough for her. She was there in this strange new space, holding him, bathing him in the glow of her power. Like before with Aiden, Remy's skin was glowing with sparkling glitter lights, illuminating them both in this vast, dark nothing like some kind of giant firefly that wasn't even close to being human. His body was filled with glitter, made of glitter, and radiating glitter from every pore like a strange human lighthouse in a vast empty darkness. He felt that same euphoric high, like he could take over the world. He would bring a peace that no one would ever be able to tear down. He was like a god. He could do anything.
"You likes that, huh? M' power?" Skye was teasing, her body glowing just as brightly as his was. She was laughing giddily at what she had done to him, enjoying the sight of it.
He looked into the pale green of Skye's eyes, mesmerized and completely helpless. "Stay wit me," he whispered, his mind blown away. "Can't live wit'out you. Wit'out feelin' dis ever again!"
"It would please me, fer shure. That ain't no lie. Ya makes the luvin' like no one else, darlin', but you gots a job to do yet. Bein' with me would only interfere with that. Cain't allow that. M' power, it has a way of - changin' – folks. You ain't ready fer that. Maybe we'll sees each other again. I shure hopes so. I enjoyed this more'n I kin say, I really did."
"Come wit me. Let me take you 'ome," Remy continued to plead, straining at his bonds.
"We'll see," she whispered. "Maybe fate will come an' makes it so."
Remy gasped and awoke in his seat with a jerk. He was still on Darken's ship and he could hear the young Dognan boy working his pilots in the cage room next to them. They were at Westchester now and negotiating the landing. This ship was substantially larger than the Dragon had been and they were being told to cloak and land on the front lawn. He could hear Cyclops on the speaker, co-ordinating things with Henry.
Gambit sat up straight and rubbed his eyes in a fog. He had been rudely transported from dreamland back to this reality and still wasn't quite with the program. Rogue was sitting next to him and gave him a nudge. "Welcome back to the living, Sugah. That was some dream. You were shakin' and shiverin'. You okay?"
"Oui, chere," he replied automatically, his poker face firmly in place to cover just how much he was freaking out. He had thought to cover himself with his long winter coat before he had dropped off and he was never more grateful for it than now. The dream had been very sharp and real. He had a feeling it was more of a memory than fantasy, his body's way of telling him what had happened during his blackout with Skye. "Jus' gotta see a man 'bout a horse."
He got up on wobbly legs and shuffled off towards the nearest restroom, keeping his coat balled up in front of him. If he had been wondering if that was a dream or a memory, he got a confirmation of sorts when Skye looked up at him knowingly as he passed by.
"Nice dreams?" the Siskan asked softly in his native tongue, a teasing smile on his lips. There was no contrition on that face, only the arrogance of one who knew he had done something well.
"Oui. All Gambit's dreams are nice," Remy replied, unsure of what else to say. He found himself reacting negatively to that arrogance. He had consented to a degree, yes, to what Skye had done but there had been trickery in there. He hadn't liked being given more than what he had actually asked for but just now, wasn't quite ready to fight over it.
"Dreamin' dreams of Siskans 'r better than any others, huh? 'Specially ones with me in 'em," Skye said just the same, though he had seen the spark of Remy's anger. There would be no apology.
Remy snickered softly to hide his discomfort, opting not to bicker over it, and continued on his way to the bathroom. He entered the lav, steadying himself as the ship turned in to land. He checked himself, his underwear was dry, thank God.
Shi'ow-ri, tell me Gambit didn't beg like dat. It was just a dream, right?
/ If it was more than that, I wouldn't know any better than you. Your memories are my memories. That's how the power works. /
So you don't know? Merde!
/ No, I don't, sorry. What I do know is that everything seems okay. Skye is coming with us, but not to stay. You called Etienne, he'll be here to pick him up. Maybe you should just keep him away from Kimble, that's all. Pack him off as soon as possible and just keep checking up on him in Boston. If there's a problem, you should know right away. Relax. Worry about the big picture. The Games Master is here, Kimble is going to be fixed, fixed for real. That's what you should be worried about, okay?
Oui, chere. Dis jus' a little scary, is all. Guess Gambit's gotta be a little more picky who 'e sleep wit, neh? Don' like bein' taken advantage of like dat. Who knows what 'e coulda done wit' me.
/ Maybe when a Dognan Games Master tells you a 'gram doesn't play fair, you should listen, Shi'ow-ri teased with a laugh. She calmed down and next advised, / Don't be afraid about what happened, it's in the past. You seem none the worse the wear. Think now on what you're going to say to Kimble. He might need some persuasion before he lets the Games Master near him. /
Kim will be okay, 'e trust me. Gambit will say what need to be said to get de kid to listen. Once he's straight, den we can smooth it all out later.
The thought of Kimble being repaired and restored to the playful character he had first met back on Cerise sent a shiver of delight right through was no different than any other mission he had been on. Lives saved for the lives lost, that's how it was for him, always. He looked up as he felt the ship touch down. They were home.
(break)
Now, back at the house and coming down from the widow's peak, Kimble lagged behind Remy as they walked down the hall, his head down with apprehension. The closer they were getting the slower Kimble was walking and the Cajun had to stop and wait for him at times, sending him soft vibrations and words of reassurance to keep him moving. They had dropped off Angel in the holding cell with Molly to look after her for safekeeping and were now on their way to see Darken, the Games Master.
They walked into the gym where Darken had set up his equipment. Darken still looked small and strange, like an odd hairy nerd who lost his way. He was cross legged on the floor in the middle of a small arena of machines, his head down in a book, rubbing his brown furry wings absently. He was scanning the pages with a clawed finger and then making adjustments on the machines. Darken looked up and smiled as they entered. "There you are."
He wasn't alone, the Professor, Logan, Henry, Jean and Scott all waited in a group nearby to observe the proceedings. Fallen and Seth stood by as well. Everyone looked nervous and uncertain, but none were more afraid than Kimble. He saw the crowd and the machines and stopped dead in his tracks. He began to tremble with fear and Gambit tugged on him. "Don' worry, little brother. Gambit's gonna watch out for you, je promets."
Darken waved his hand, indicating that Kimble should be brought down next to him.
Kimble froze and wouldn't budge. "Fuck you! This ain't happenin'!" Zander growled and threw up a shield protectively. He raised two orange, glowing fists. The sight of Darken, a Dognan of royal bearing, had frightened him for reasons he couldn't understand.
Gambit cried out as he was pushed back, but did his best to steady his friend. "Don' do dis, Zandy. Dis for de best."
Darken wasn't the least bit put off. He sighed in exasperation and barked in Siskan, "Command Override Master Key Quishnalay1287."
Zander squealed in terror and the body went down hard, his legs giving way of their own accord. He lay on his back, heaving for breath but was otherwise paralyzed. The defensive shield he had raised shimmered and melted harmlessly away.
" 'Ey!" Remy complained sharply, glowering at Darken. "What de fuck was dat?!"
"Sometimes they just need this," Darken replied, not without compassion. "You have to show them who's in charge or they'll just up and control you. Learn." He got up and contradicted his sympathetic attitude by dragging Kimble over to the machines like he was a piece of meat. He sat down again, typing on a keyboard.
"Gambit don' need to learn no lessons like dat. You best be treatin' 'im better dan dat or Gambit's gonna fry yo' little ass, comprenez!" Remy threatened, his red eyes glittering.
Darken peered at him, looking at him over the rims of his glasses him with Dognan arrogance. "You want him fixed or not?"
Remy crouched down next to Kimble and lay his hands on him. "Bien sur. Gambit want 'im fixed, sure. But you better be playin' nice!"
Darken ignored him and returned to his book. Kimble lay without speaking, but he was trembling violently now, his eyes wild. Gambit soothed him with a gentle hand, a resentful twist to his lips.
Shi'ow-ri? Is 'e okay? Okay fo' real?
/ Yes, as far as I can tell. This boy hasn't done anything to him yet, only just shut him down. /
Dis Darken guy fo' real?
/ I sense no deception from him, only the arrogance of one in the know. Be patient and relax, she suggested, trying to soothe. Remy let his guards down some, but not too far.
Darken finished what he was doing and looked down at Kimble. He lay a hand on the pilot's head and ruffed his hair like a dog. "Easy there, little fella. I'm not gonna hurt you." He waited a moment for Kimble to calm, but when he saw the Siskan wasn't having any of it, just shrugged and continued. He reached for a long wire and lay it over Kimble's chest. "Command Override Open Door," he barked again in Siskan.
Kimble's skin flickered out and he lay still formed as a pilot, but all grey now. His trembling grew worse as two glowing lights rose to the surface of his chest. Remy recognized these as the star like orbs he had seen floating inside of Kimble the day he had been stabbed and almost drained. Remy recalled now what Trishnar had said about the stars being rebuilt to fix a split. This must be what Darken was attempting to do. One of the orbs rose higher and broke partway free of Kimble's skin. It was shimmery and bright, glowing like a beacon. Darken plugged the wire into it.
"Command Override Star One."
Kimble shuddered and grew completely still. Data scrolled up fast and furious on one of Darken's computer screens.
" 'E okay?" Gambit asked in a hushed whisper. He was horrified by Kimble's death like stillness. He was frightened by these things that reminded him that his good friend was really some kind of animated machine.
Fallen came over and put her hands on Remy's shoulders when Darken ignored him. The Dognan boy was working fast and furious, oblivious to the question. Fallen whispered to him reassuringly. "It's okay, Remy. Really. This is what I had to do when I first reconstructed the 'gram."
"Bien. You use de Overrides like dis?"
"Not exactly, but I've seen it done. It looks bad but Kimble's okay. Trust me."
Remy was quiet, but his eyes were dark and angry. This he had not expected. He realized he was powerless to stop Darken from doing anything he wanted to and he was scared.
Don't worry, Remy. We're all behind you here, the Professor sent out as a private message.
Remy nodded, but clearly wasn't happy.
Darken shook his head. "Who wrote these codes? They're a mess!"
"I wrote some of them," Fallen answered, her eyes wary. Darken hadn't sounded happy.
The boy glared at her over the rims of his glasses, a sarcastic twist to his lips as he commented, "You should have stuck to ship building, pilot."
Fallen glowered right back at him. "I did the best I could."
"See these matrixes? You left him wide open for personality separation. Some of these codes are missing. He's not even complete. What happened to them?"
Fallen glanced up at Seth. "They were removed."
Darken followed the path of her eyes. "Him? Oh, great! You shared the primary personality codes? That was really stupid!"
"Hey! Kimble was a wreck when I found him!" Fallen snapped, her turn to be irritated with the young Dognan's rude manner.
"Looking at this mess, I can believe it. He was in a ridiculously long hypersleep for what? Almost sixty years Earth time? What a disaster. What did you hope to accomplish by bringing him back?"
Fallen blinked at that, trying to make sense of what Darken had just said. "He wasn't down that long when I found him."
Remy was quick to reply in answer to her statement, having pieced some of this together from what he knew and from what Trishnar had suggested to him. "Remember de files, fille? You guys seen what happened. Gotta read in between de lines, chere. Or in between de blanks, neh? Dere was a space of time 'tween when he was in de box on Siska and when de Clan woke 'im up, made 'im into Zander. 'Tween Siska an' de Clan, Kimble was asleep close to sixty years."
"Impossible!" Fallen snorted. There was still a shade of resentment there that now somehow Remy knew Kimble better than she did. "How could you possibly know that?"
Remy smiled at her. "De same way I know everyt'ing else about 'im. We share in de files. Kim knows he lost time, so I know it, too."
Fallen shook her head, still not getting it. "He wouldn't have been able to function at all. Courtesans can't be down more than a few weeks or they break down. They lose their memory..." Fallen's words trailed off as it sunk in what she had just said. She had just been supplied the answer as to why Kimble's memory files were so shattered. She had thought it was a result of what the Clan had done to Zander afterwards, but now she was left to wonder.
"Exactly," Darken said in agreement. "He has lost memories. I've got miles of blank code here. Quishnalay does good work, it's to his credit this guy even works at all. Too bad you've made it worse by splitting the codes." He looked at Seth and went on to say, "I can also see you were idiotic enough to put a Mark on 'gram not involved in the Game. Look at him tremble, he's not even Lushna-esk, is he? He's not even finished properly. Guess your stupidity knows no bounds."
"Hey! Watch yer mouth, bub," Logan snarled, advancing a step. The boy might have been justified in criticizing, but he didn't like Darken's tone.
Darken raised his hands, but his eyes held no retreat. "Hey! Don't blame me when someone comes here looking for a Channeler and finds a fake. Hope that little guy doesn't mean much to you. He probably won't make it once he's found out."
Seth cried out softly in fear and backed up towards Fallen, his terror plain in his wide, tear filled eyes. He hadn't liked what the boy had said about him. Not even finished, what was that supposed to mean? Worse than that was the thought that Jael might come for him as well as Kimble. That had never crossed his mind before now and it terrified him.
Fallen grabbed at him protectively and glared at Darken. "Seth is my responsibility, I will protect him. Your only concern is Kimble."
"Well, thanks to your meddling, I can't reintegrate him. Not completely. My father could have - maybe - but this damage is too severe."
"So dat's it? Kimble's fucked fo' good?" Remy whined. Now he was really sorry he had brought Darken here. What a waste of time.
"No, not exactly. I can make it so he has one dominating personality, but the others will still be there, just not in power. He won't switch all around like he did when he walked in here. Maybe the voices will stop, maybe not. You'll have to pick which personality you want to dominate and that's it."
"Can I talk to 'im?" Remy asked softly.
"Sure."
Darken clicked a few buttons and Kimble's skin flickered back on. The pilot shuddered and went back to his heavy breathing. "Remy...stop...hurts..." he wheezed as a tear spilled from one eye.
Gambit glared at Darken.
The boy shrugged. "They all say that. His pain receptors are off line. He can't feel anything."
Remy did not believe, at the very least, Kimble was terrified. He stroked Kimble's cheek. "You 'ear what Darken say, Kim?"
"Jus' kills us, please..." Lakotashay whimpered and started to cry.
"Non. Dis is better. Only t'ing dyin' 'ere t'day is yo' pain, 'Shay."
"He lies!" she cried. "It's not true! He'll steal our voice!"
"When Kimble is feelin' better, you gonna be better, too, little sister."
"Is this gonna stops us from hurtin' an' killding?" Lin asked in his tiny Siskan.
"Dat's de plan, fils."
"I loves ya. I loves ya fer doin' this. Gots ta stop the hurtin'. Don' wants ta hurts nobody no more."
"Gambit love you, too."
"What about me!" Zander growled, showing his teeth.
" 'Shay in too much pain. You too angry. Dis gonna be better for both of you."
"Who's gonna protect Angel? Kimble cain't use the sword."
Remy shuddered involuntarily. He had seen firsthand what the sword could do and it was something he never hoped to see again. Unfortunately, he and Zander were in agreement on the ugly necessity of having that power for Angel's protection, the bounty was still in place. He looked up at Darken. " 'E gonna lose 'is powers?"
"He shouldn't. If anything, he'll have more direct access. That part of him I can definitely integrate. This is only a matter of personality."
"See, Zandy?" Remy soothed, petting him gently. "It's gonna be all right."
"You ain't never gitten rid 'a me! I'll always be here!" Zander promised, his angry eyes boring into Gambit with all of his rage and resentment over this.
"Kimble?" Remy asked. The Lover had been silent.
"I'm scared!" Kimble replied in a voice very tiny and small. Another tear leaked out. "Help me!"
"I'm right here." Gambit rubbed Kimble's cheek and ran his thumb over his soft white lips in a gentle kiss. "Dere ain't nuthin' bad gonna 'appen to you. Not wit'out retribution," he finished, giving Darken a harsh look.
Darken held his hands up. "I've done this before, it's just that he's so damaged. Choose now or forget it."
"Kimble?"
The pilot just sobbed, miserable. He was completely undone and whimpering in terror.
Gambit looked up at Fallen with frightened eyes. He didn't know what to do.
"I think you should do this," she suggested, rubbing her hands on his shoulders. "Pick Kimble. He's been there the longest and he's the most gentle. He hasn't killed anyone."
"Dat we know about," he corrected softly, his eyes down.
"He hasn't. I can feel it. Trust me, Remy."
"What about 'is skins?" Remy asked Darken, delaying on purpose. He wasn't sure yet what to do. Can you make it so 'e can be a girl again if 'e want?"
Darken returned to the screens and typed quickly. Data scrolled up and he read it even though it was moving at blinding speed. One of the other orbs inside of Kimble rose to the surface. It wasn't glowing like the first one and was scored and pitted. He looked back at Remy and shook his head. "That star is dead. His body has already started to digest it and break it down. I can't add anything more."
This came as no surprise to Remy. Again he recalled the words of Trishnar explaining the functions of the stars. The third star affected a 'gram's ability to shift. This confirmed his own suspicions that the third star had been damaged. What he hadn't expected was for it to be so utterly dead. His knowledge was sparse and he didn't know how serious this was.
"Can you change it? De star?" Remy asked uncomfortably. He didn't like any of this.
"Not without erasing his drives. I could do that, you know. Just wipe him out and start from scratch. Probably would be doing him a favor actually. Of course he'll lose most of his value..." Darken said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
"You do dat, you a dead man," Gambit threatened with complete sincerity. His eyes squinted with real malice and his hands fisted, threatening bodily harm.
Darken held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, man. Just giving you options."
"Dat ain't no option so you best be forgettin' it."
"No problem," Darken replied. He knew the threat was real and shifted uncomfortably. "So what are we doing?"
Gambit lowered his head. "I pick Kimble. De Lover."