(Four)
A few minutes earlier, Maylee had scrambled for the front door, confused. It was very late at night here at the Xavier Institute in Westchester, almost two in the morning, and pouring out. The front buzzer had gone off and she was the only one here to answer it.
The Xavier Mansion was no longer officially occupied by the X-men, but a small skeleton crew remained to keep watch over the place. There were still mutant refugees wandering in if they were lucky to hear about the sanctuary here by means of the mutant underground. When enough had gathered, Fallen would come and airlift them out to Arizona, making round trips almost every day as she brought along supplies and other goods to the Arizona Complex.
No students remained here, it simply wasn't that safe. At times, human hate groups gathered to protest outside. They would hold up signs and shout things, stupid and ignorant humans that they were. It was well known this was a school for mutants, but no one really knew that the X-men had operated out of here. That is, except SHIELD. More than one representative had come around snooping, threatening arrests and lawsuits if the Professor's whereabouts were not revealed. So far Maylee and the others here had been able to hold them off. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to hold them at bay. It was no secret to her that she wouldn't be here much longer. When the refugees started slowing down, this facility would be shut down.
Until then, Maylee was here to tend the wounded or sickly that might arrive, but she wasn't alone. Her fiancé Max was upstairs asleep in their bed, a powerful enough telekinetic to keep watch over her if there was any trouble. Even though there had been some protesters, so far no one had tried to get past the front gates – until now.
Maylee was a bit confused at the intrusion. There shouldn't be anyone at the door at this hour and the alarms weren't buzzing which didn't make any sense. Anyone else who had a right to be here should've had their security card and would have used it to enter.
She opened the door and was surprised to see a man and a woman there out on the front porch, strangers. The woman was wearing a hooded heavy cloak but it didn't keep Maylee from seeing she was in bad shape. She was pale and limp, tears or water running down her cheeks. She was hanging onto the young man who held her, barely able to stand. Her hair was long and mahogany brown, soaked despite the hood she wore. The man was dressed in a cloak as well, but it wasn't helping him either. Both of their clothes were drenched through from the torrential rain pelting down.
"Can I help you?" Maylee asked timidly, uncertain about her guests. She wondered if she should call out to Max, who was sleeping upstairs. She didn't know if she could handle these two on her own if they were mutants in distress. One could never tell by appearance alone what a mutant was capable of.
The man pulled back his sopping wet hood to better look at her and gave her the strangest of smiles when he took in her cat like face. She didn't have the luxury of an image inducer. "Isz disz de 'ousze of Remy LeBeau?"
"Uhm, yeah. But he's not here right now," she replied nervously. The man's face was bruised and his lip was cut. It wasn't bleeding, but the injury was very recent. She had no idea who was at her door like this and she looked past him nervously to see if these two were in fact alone. She could see no sign of anyone else.
The man slicked back his thin blonde, rain drenched hair and regarded her with light green eyes. He held out his hand, a slim white business card in his slender white fingers as if he had conjured it up from thin air. "I am Aiden an' disz isz Babette. We come from ze 'ousze of Trishnar. Jael 'asz come. 'E kilt our Maszter an' szteal away de anjelz. LeBeau, 'e give disz card to Babette, szay if she ever needsz 'elp, to come an' szee 'im."
Maylee marveled at Aiden's thick accent and figured that he must be from New Orleans, possibly a Thieves' Guild associate. She had no clue who Trishnar was or what this Aiden was talking about, but that was nothing new. She wasn't part of the active roster of the X-men. She was little more than a doctor in training and didn't know all of their adventures. She would check this out. "Just a moment."
She didn't exactly close the door on her guests, but left it open a crack while she pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call to the Arizona compound. She managed to find Logan and he went to go find Remy. While she waited, a large winged man came down from the stairs, tousled and sleepy eyed. "Everything okay, May?"
"Yes, Max," she replied, unconsciously moving closer to her fiancé, relieved that he had come down on his own. She still was unsure who was at her door. Max put a large muscular arm around her possessively, his blue eyes meeting those of the blonde haired stranger.
Aiden took in his mutation with an amused smile, a strange sort of merriment in his eyes. Max was dressed only in a pair of loose pajama pants, revealing a sculpted, well built body, and he was uncomfortable with how he was being stared at. It was like Aiden couldn't decide whether to fight him or finish undressing him. Max was tempted to ask Aiden what his problem was, but then Maylee gave Aiden the phone.
"Good morrow, Remy," Aiden spoke playfully in soft Siskan. "Missz me?"
(break)
Remy sat in the front row of the Lucky Dragon's passenger seats, shifting his body restlessly as his own thoughts were rattling around in his head. The phone call from Westchester had really thrown him. He would never have anticipated getting a call like that in a million years, but then again, Aiden was anything if unpredictable.
Gambit chewed on a fingernail, something he only did when extremely agitated. First he had been stressed about the destruction of Trishnar's palace, something that he had been coping with all day, and now he was shifting gears to overwhelming relief. Someone had survived. He should have known that if anyone was to walk away, it would be Aiden.
Remy looked back on his experience with Aiden with mixed emotions. Remy had spent six days at Trishnar's, but the vast majority of that time had been spent with Babette. He could count his time spent alone with Aiden as little more than two hours in total - time enough to be intimate, but not near enough time to know the Siskan well.
It had been Remy's goal to try and learn from all of Trishnar's Siskans, he had wanted to gather as much information as he could in order to help Kimble as best he could. Babette had done her best and had gone on to tell him that like Kimble, both Aiden and herself had been damaged, broken into separate personalities. Immediately interested, Remy wanted to know more.
Babette's history hadn't been as helpful. She had been melted once by accident and had shattered as a result. The breakage hadn't been that bad, she had been repaired and was for the most part okay. Aiden hadn't fared so well. According to Babette, Aiden had been seriously shattered as a result of significant abuse, breaking down into at least ten personalities, all warring for control. He had been forced to fight for money, had been beaten and melted multiple times, all on the whims of his former Masters. He had been a mess when Trishnar found him, something the gentle King had done his best to rectify. To that end, Trishnar had called upon an old friend, the Games Master. The Games Master had repaired him, but even Remy's inexperienced eye could see that Aiden was far from normal. Aiden was shy, Aiden didn't speak. Well, he did, but rarely and mostly in some foreign tongue that no one could fathom.
Remy had been at his wits end. He pursued Aiden, hoping for some answers to his many questions, but Aiden was difficult. He was intrigued by Gambit sure, but it seemed only in the interests of sexual play. Gambit might have been up for it except for the fact that Aiden remained in his pretty male skin and had made it clear he wasn't about to shift to suit Remy's rather limited tastes. Aiden had actually gotten offended when Remy passed him over time and time again, not quite getting the message, or simply refusing to cooperate.
All of this was communicated in the most awkward and haphazard way possible of course. Aiden refused to speak any language Remy threw at him although Babette claimed he knew several languages including Siskan. Aiden barked at him and everyone else in some guttural, crude language that no one understood, not even Trishnar himself. That one had never been explained, not even by the time Remy had left.
Remy ended up learning most of what he could by simply observing Aiden from a distance. He saw that Aiden was melancholy and not so well accepted even among his Siskan peers with the exception of Babette. She adored him and looked after him, their bond was strong, but not quite the same as the Bimbo Twins. She had told Remy on one occasion that Aiden belonged to himself more than he belonged to anyone else, something unusual for a Siskan. He always held himself separate from everything, including both his Master and the harem. He was aloof and guarded, solitary, again something a happy healthy 'gram never was. Gambit wasn't sure if he should ever have any hope for Kimble's complete recovery if Aiden was any kind of example.
None of Aiden's strange behavior was ever explained and by the time Remy went home, he was just as clueless about it as he had been from the start. It was Babette who had maintained their correspondence over the years, sending Remy Christmas cards and the like. She always passed along messages from Aiden, mostly inquiring on how Kimble was. Aiden was still much of a mystery to Remy, they didn't get to know each other well at all, but one thing had been clear, Aiden cared about Kimble in some strange way. He sent Kimble some paintings that first year and two more each year since, paintings that Kimble kept even now, all of them cheerful Siskan castles with bright clouds and sunshine. Happy pictures. Things that Aiden clearly was not.
Aiden had been something of a moody 'gram, a characteristic that got in the way of their getting to know each other well. It hadn't stopped Remy and him from being intimate. Aiden had pushed the issue, all put out that he had kept getting passed over because he favored his male skin. He ambushed Remy, using a female skin to lure him in, and then revealing himself at the last minute.
It had been an encounter Remy never forgot.
At first Remy had been certain that Aiden had done it for his own twisted pleasure, but he soon found out that Aiden was as complicated about sex as he was about everything else. Only moments after Aiden had revealed himself, he blasted Gambit soundly with his power, sending Remy on a trip he had never forgotten. Bright sparkly crystals of light had passed through Aiden to him, boosting and enhancing his own power more than Babette had ever done. It had cleared Gambit's mind, helped him in some strange way that remained even now. Of all the Siskans Remy had encountered then or since, Aiden's Kundatesh was the most powerful and he was by far the most in control of it. He had manipulated the whole event, luring Remy in and then altering his body forever, something Remy had never regretted he had allowed to happen.
After Remy was high and helpless, Aiden astounded him even further by speaking to him in English for the first time. It was here that the strange quality of Aiden's voice was fully revealed. He had a strong accent, even more French-like than Remy's own and heavy on the Z's. It leant to him a certain esthetic quality, of making him that much more special, but it was his words that had Remy riveted. Aiden spoke of love and being broken, of how Remy's fear of the masculine gender was a problem best dealt with and quickly forgotten as a simple childish misunderstanding. See? Now that this was done, Remy had nothing to be afraid of. He should go home and make love to Kimble, that that was what would heal Kimble for certain, not a visit by the Games Master. It took a minute to sink in, but then Remy figured out that the whole point of this was that Aiden cared enough about to Kimble to get Remy turned in the right direction, one way or another.
Remy couldn't help but smile a little as these memories came back on him, most of them happy ones, tempered by the passage of time. He still couldn't help but wonder what it was going to be like facing Aiden again. Would he be the same stubborn pain in the ass? Remy chuckled softly, of course he would. He was Siskan.
Remy's thoughts were interrupted by a soft noise from Fallen. "Oui, chere?"
Fallen was on her pilot stick, flying her ship with the usual grace and ease, but she was looking at him now, a strange smile on her face. "Penny for your thoughts."
"Fo' dese? Gonna cost more dan dat. Some t'ings best kept private," he replied as lighthearted as possible. He didn't want to offend her, but wasn't about to say a word of what had crossed his mind.
"It's just as well, we're already there," she said, letting him off the hook without offense.
Fallen landed the Lucky Dragon in the hanger of the X-Mansion, not happy to have returned here so soon and for yet another emergency call. It was already pretty late at night when she had been woken up by an urgent phone call from Remy, saying they had to depart for Westchester at once. She hoped this time that it wasn't to transport another ripped and torn up enemy of the X-men.
Remy had explained none of what was going on to her simply because he knew so little himself. His conversation with Aiden had been little more than a request for rescue. Now they were here and he rose and bounded down the ramp as soon as it was lowered. He paused when he saw Aiden waiting for him in the hanger bay and couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. Max was there as an escort for the visitor, but Gambit didn't see him at all even though he was standing right there.
Gambit been horrified when he learned of the attack on Trishnar's house and feared these two Siskans were long since taken. There were no words to describe his happiness at their being safe, but the knowing grin on Aiden's face said he knew it. Aiden was standing there, still for a moment, dressed the same as he had been at Trishnar's, as if eight years had not passed since they last saw each other. Aiden favored bright Hawaiian shirts, loud silky things that Babette bought for him to cheer him. He wore the same khaki shorts and scuffed hiking boots. His blonde hair was still shoulder length and silky thin, his eyes pale green and filled with emotion.
Aiden allowed him a moment's inspection and then finally moved. He embraced Remy quickly and boldly kissed him on the lips, his hands on both cheeks, the standard greeting of Trishnar's Siskans and one Remy had forgotten about. It looked intimate, but had another purpose. Aiden was a Siskan Courtesan, he had done it to touch Gambit and 'read' him.
/ Aiden 'az misszed you, me. It'z good to szee you again, but I need your help, came a message from Aiden, faithfully translated by an enthusiastically happy Shi'ow-ri.
/ Oui, Gambit miss you, too. Whatever you need, it's yours, Gambit replied, accepting the kiss and returning it with similar enthusiasm and intent without a hitch or fight. Once reminded of this way of greeting, he had fallen right back into it, much to Shi'ow-ri's delight. She was whispering, laughing with happiness at the first taste of Aiden's potent Kundatesh.
"It'sz been a long time, my friend," Aiden spoke softly, this time out loud, his pale green eyes on lingering on Gambit's face. "But Aiden 'asz not forgotten you, me."
Gambit was elated and a bit dizzy from Aiden's use of power. The heat of it made him flush with arousal, just enough to tease. It had been years since his trip to see Trishnar and his Siskans and his memories of Aiden's flavorful Kundatesh hadn't done justice to tasting the real thing again. His body remembered Aiden well enough. It was suddenly too warm in here, making it a little hard to think. " 'Ow is Babette?" he asked, trying to settle down.
"She isz reszting in ze 'oszpital room wit ze Dognan girl. You bring your pilot?"
"Oui, she's here. Dis is Fallen."
Aiden extended his hand to Fallen who had just come down from the ramp. His eyes had graced over the ship they had arrived in, taking in its Dognan shape and design. He wondered briefly where it had come from, this technology shouldn't have been so available here. Questions for later.
Fallen took the offered hand and smiled at Aiden politely. She had no clue who he was and her mind was swirling with questions as well. She didn't even realize he was a Siskan hologram, but that kiss made her wonder about him. Why would a very much married Remy greet someone like that? Especially a man.
"Good morrow," Aiden greeted and bowed slightly at the waist to receive her. He seemed startled by her in some way. The truth was, he had never seen such a high quality pilot and she wasn't what he had expected. Trishnar's pilots were little more than mindless children where Fallen was very much bright and alert. Human. He smiled at her awkwardly, wanting to know more but not having the time. "Pleasze, come disz way. Babette isz in terrible szuffering."
They walked briskly down to the lab where Maylee was waiting with Babette. She had put the distraught woman to bed and tried to give her what comfort she could. The poor Siskan girl had been brutalized, beaten close to death. But worse than that was her broken heart. Her angel was gone. She sobbed and cried, overcome with grief. She was still beautiful, her long brown hair having been brushed out by Aiden during the wait. Her large brown eyes were filled with pain and tears.
Remy's eyes widened when he saw Babette's poor condition and immediately went to her. "Je suis de'sole, mon chere! Mon ador'ee! What happened to you, fille?"
"My angel, my David, gone he is!" she sobbed in his arms. She clung to him and bawled. "Took him, Jael did! He took my David!"
Remy held her and rocked her. He had forgotten the strange sound of her voice, the way she jumbled up her words. Like Aiden's heavy 'Z's, it was a sign of her being a Lushna-esk 'gram, a Siskan that had been damaged and repaired. The damaged ones always had messed up voices or oddball accents like Kimble and Aiden. Her vibrations of fear and sorrow poured into him, instantly bringing tears to his own eyes. Shi'ow-ri was whispering to him of poor Babette's agony, but he didn't need his internal advisor to tell him the girl was suffering. The sight of her tears was enough to hurt him deeply. "We'll bring 'im back, je promets."
"You cannot," Aiden said softly, but firmly enough to cause Remy to look up at him. "He'sz dead. Jael 'asz kilt 'im, ze fuckin' basztard."
Remy took in Aiden's battered face, his split lip, really seeing them for the first time. He noted that the scrapes and bruises went down as far as Aiden's legs. There must have been quite the fight. He took some relief in the fact that at least this time, Aiden was willing to talk freely, no more games, and asked, "Why would 'e do dat?"
"For ze power 'e poszesszed, not'ing more," Aiden said blandly, his dispassionate voice an obvious sign of his terrible grief. He was barely hanging on, Babette's pain was as painful to him as it was to Remy. "Zere isz not'ing anyone can do for 'im now. Aiden bring Babette 'ere, disz ze only t'ing 'e t'ink to do. 'Elp usz, pleasze. She need a charje, her."
Fallen was startled when she saw a pile of black hologram cubes next to Babette on the night stand. "What is this? Why are these here?"
"Dis is Aiden and Babette," Remy explained quickly. He had been so overcome with the sight of his friends he had been slacking on the introductions. "Dey Siskans like Kimble and Set'. Gambit met dem down N'awlins way back when de Kimble was sick. Trishnar de one to 'elp us wit de Games Master, remember? Dese folks are friends."
"Doesn't that mean Trishnar is a player in the Game?" Fallen questioned, thinking this through. How exactly was Trishnar a friend if he was in fact competing in the stupid Game?
"Yesz," Aiden answered for him. " 'E wasz until Jael kilt him."
"Then why aren't you with Jael? Isn't how that how the Game is played? You were supposed to go with him," Fallen asked, still confused.
"Jael cheat. 'E bring isz sztupid alphasz to kilt my Maszter. Trishnar would 'ave beaten ze Great Loszer if not for zem. If 'e cheat den szo can Aiden cheat asz well," the Siskan replied arrogantly, challenging her with his eyes, daring her to contest his actions.
Knowing Aiden could be at times rude and outspoken, Remy stepped forward. "What's done is done, neh? All de better fo' us you don't play by de rules. Fuck Jael."
"Could you pleaze recharje ze cubez?" Aiden next asked Fallen politely, calming some after Remy's statement in his defense. He was trying to be patient, but couldn't stand still in his worry for Babette. He shifted his feet nervously, simply not comfortable.
"Sure," Fallen replied, still a little bewildered, and did as she was asked. She was instantly on guard. Time spent in Kimble's company made her very aware of how unstable these 'grams could be and Babette's poor condition did nothing to relieve her nervousness. It was clear the girl was breaking down. Aiden she wasn't sure about at all. He was worried about the girl, but Fallen didn't like the way he stood, the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. It was as though he was hiding something.
Aiden brought the refreshed power cubes to Babette and tried to get her to use them, but she thrashed and pulled away. He gripped her tightly and placed her hands on the cubes. Immediately she calmed and her injuries began to heal. She was badly injured and Fallen had to charge the cubes more than once to finish the repairs. Afterwards, Babette sobbed softly and curled up, covering her face. Aiden soothed her with gentle Siskan whisperings and she soon fell asleep. Once she was out, he pulled the curtain around her bed and they withdrew.
"You gonna charge?" Remy asked. He noted how Aiden had made sure Babette was cared for while not using the cubes himself. Seth could not go long without the cubes, it was a way that made it easy to keep track of him. Remy was surprised that Aiden hadn't helped to himself to a charge, especially since he had been injured.
"Later," Aiden replied noncommitedly , looking around him nervously. He seemed jumpy like he was expecting trouble at any time. "Not szo bad off, me."
"What 'appened at Trishnar's?" Remy asked.
Aiden explained in his thickly accented English how Jael and his band of heavy duty thugs had come to Trishnar's house and brutally murdered him. Trishnar had seriously underestimated Jael's treachery and power. Jael had some kind of strange weapon, a kind of armor Aiden had never seen before. Worse than that was the army of alphas that had been used to tear down the palace. It was a cruel and one sided battle and Trishnar had been unable to defend himself. He didn't go without a fight, Jael was badly injured. Still, Jael collected as many of Trishnar's Siskans as he could and ran off with them. Aiden had managed to grab Babette and flee, but at a terrible price. Babette's Angel child, a young boy named David, had been taken. Aiden and Babette were very close, they had both raised the boy since Babette had found him, it had been Aiden's shirt the boy had been wearing when he had been killed. It might have been better if Aiden had left her behind to be taken as well. Babette was devastated by the loss.
It had taken them a couple days to get here to Westchester because they had to be careful they weren't followed. Both Siskans had some telekinetic abilities, but neither one could fly. Babette was weak and had barely stayed alive for the trip here. Aiden was injured as well, but not as seriously. He was merely battered and bruised. They had covered up in heavy cloaks taken from Trishnar's house and had hopped on a train, thinking it the safest way to travel unnoticed.
Even now, Aiden was fearful Jael wasn't far behind. He wanted to get moving as soon as he figured out the Westchester house had been abandoned for a safer place. His bruised and battered face was enough to convince Gambit Aiden was right and it wouldn't be safe for anyone to remain here. They decided to leave for the Arizona compound at once. It was heavily protected and Aiden and Babette would be safe there. They set the auto defenses and they all flew back to Arizona, including Maylee and Max who was staying there with her as her protection.
On the return trip to Arizona, Aiden was quiet and cradled Babette in his arms, laying her across his lap. He petted her and whispered soft Siskan words of love and concern even though she slept. Remy watched them with rapt curiosity, his mind racing as it had on the way here, this time with all new questions. Had Aiden succumbed to the same lure as the Bimbo Twins and fallen in love with another Siskan? Gambit no longer doubted such a thing was possible. These two had been very close when he had first met them, they looked after one another. He also knew that with Siskans, appearances were deceiving. Aiden's show of devotion could mean he regarded her as much as a sister as he could a lover.
Long ago, Remy had learned that the Siskans of the Game had all been born of the same clutch. Technically, they were all siblings and more than once, Babette had referred to Aiden as her brother in conversations she'd had with Remy about him. They had passed a few letters over the years, Trishnar not caring in the least that technically, Remy was his rival in the Game. Neither one of them had been all that interested in the Game itself, it was their mutual understanding of the proper care and feeding of the Siskans that had made them friends and he was sure to pass on whatever Remy sent. In her letters, Babette had often spoke of Aiden, always in the gentlest of terms, even going so far as to confess that they had been intimate on more than one occasion though it hadn't stopped her from pursing Remy's attentions the one time he had visited their palace.
Remy was reminded now that Aiden had another name as well, Babette had often called him the Dreamer. Once, she had explained that Aiden saw things in his dreams, possibly even premonitions. Sometimes he would paint them and once Gambit had seen some of those pictures. They had shown a terrible and bloody war, a battle so fierce it was hard to tell if either side was going to win. What was left might not be worth having. The nightmares had disturbed the poor Siskan and while at Trishnar's, Remy had witnessed one such partial breakdown. Aiden had been badly frightened, and Babette had explained that the painting was a way for him to release some of those feelings of despair. That was eight years ago, and Remy wondered about that now, if Aiden still dreamed.
Aiden glanced at Remy suddenly as if he was aware of Gambit's thoughts, startling the watching man momentarily with the sharpness of those pale green eyes. It was direct and challenging, the way Aiden had been back at the palace, showing that that much had not changed. A moment later, the look was softened by a ghost of a smile that followed and a gentle vibration of deep affection. It was that dichotomy of moods that reminded Remy that Aiden was complicated, complicated to a point of pure aggravation. While Remy's memories of Aiden were most often fond, he knew Aiden was volatile, possessing both a sharp temper and a painfully inadequate way of expressing himself. He was shy and unspoken, frustrated when others couldn't seem to read his mind. They had not communicated well in the beginning when they had met at Trishnar's. It was only after they had become intimate that he had heard Aiden speak real words for the first time. It was as if Aiden demanded something from others before he would give of himself. Of course once he had spoken, Aiden had quite a lot to say in so few words. Aiden was wise in the way of Siskans, a valuable resource. Remy wondered what it was going to be like having Aiden around full time, if it was going to be heaven or hell. Knowing Aiden, it was probably going to be a bit of both. Aiden chuckled softly, and looked away, returning his attention to his poor afflicted sister.
Gambit tried to still his thoughts and simply took pleasure in watching the careful play of hands as Aiden stoked his long white fingers through Babette's silky brown hair. Gambit wondered if this was how it looked when he was with Kimble. If so, why was it so confusing to others? It was just a simple show of love, Siskans were very demonstrative and affectionate with those they loved, something that often confused the folks back at the Mansion. Remy tried not to let such things get in the way of his understanding, in fact just watching these two brought a smile to his face. He had become something of an Siskan expert because of dealing with Kimble so much and understood them well...or at least he approached them with a lot more patience than most.
It was quite late and almost morning when they arrived back at the compound. Everything was quiet at this late hour and Remy used the full clout of his power as a senior X-man to get clearance for the Siskans to be brought down to the Main Lab where Henry worked. It was an emergency after all, Babette wasn't anywhere near fine in her terrible mental state. Remy wanted the most protection possible for his new charges and the best care. He wasn't about to wait for them to be processed through the usual channels.
They made their way inside the Complex and down to the Med Lab. Babette had woken up from her nap as they descended and clung to Aiden, still trashed in spite of being recharged by the cubes. Aiden didn't permit her to walk, he picked her up and carried her easily in spite of his small size - he was as short as Wolverine - and he continued to soothe her gently in soft Siskan as they traveled. Once they arrived at the lab, they were greeted by a compliment of nurses and Henry was on hand, Fallen had called ahead as they landed so he would be ready for them. Logan had been notified of their arrival and was there as well with a posse of his men, but they were polite enough to linger in the background, waiting for Babette to be properly seen to.
She was put to bed and Henry immediately began running some tests. He had enough background information on both Kimble and Seth to do some comparison work and wanted to make sure Babette was okay. At the very least, he could give her something to make her more comfortable. He had plenty of tonics around for Kimble, never knowing when Remy's charge might have a breakdown.
Aiden paced nervously as Henry worked on his sister, a little disturbed to be surrounded by people he didn't know. Gambit was confident in this strange blue physician so he was as well, but he was still uncomfortable in this new environment. At first he lingered close by his Siskan sister, but soon realized he was just in the way and so retreated. He wandered deeper into the lab and away from all of the excitement, lured by the glowing yellow-green lights of the two holding cells located just a few feet beyond. Remy was ever watchful and followed him, smiling silently as he saw Aiden silently gasp in wonder when he peeked in one of the doors.
Aiden was looking in on Kimble as he slept. The pilot was in his padded cell, curled up in a blanket looking cute and small. He lay on his side, his hands curled up at his throat, that small smile still in place, Remy's comfort from a few short hours ago was still holding and he was sleeping comfortably. Kimble would always seem childlike as he slept, it was part of his natural innocence.
Aiden was momentarily breathless. So very long he had waited for this moment and his dreams had not done justice to the beauty before him. As Gambit had correctly remembered, Aiden was the Dreamer. He saw things in his dreams, things that might happen. He had dreamed of Kimble many times and knew that they were destined to meet. Once, long ago, Remy had sent him a photograph of Kimble, one of him smiling oh so shyly, an invitation there in his eyes. Aiden kept it with him always, it was in his pocket even now, lovingly wrapped in plastic to keep it safe from the rain. Many nights he had held that picture, touching it gently. It had carried him through some of the toughest moments in his life. In return for the photograph he had sent a series of beautiful watercolor paintings, pictures of Siskan castles and fine landscapes. They were well received and given to Kimble, the pilot had loved them all and they were hung on his walls even now. Aiden couldn't believe he was finally here in the presence of the one he had seen so many times in the vaporous land of dreams. Surely all he had dreamed would now come to pass. He didn't know if that was good or bad.
"Lu kay dict numerick edeszk," Aiden whispered softly in a foreign tongue, glancing once to the left as if someone was there.
"What's dat?" Remy asked, unsure who Aiden was addressing. They were the only ones here. He wasn't surprised by the strange words, he had heard Aiden speak like this before. Remy guessed it was that weird language Aiden had favored back at the palace, the one no one else understood.
"So dat isz your Sziszkan, him?" Aiden responded instead, not exactly answering the question. He was regarding Remy now with those playful green eyes. "Disz isz Keemble?"
"Dat's 'im," Gambit replied with a smile of pride and amusement. He had wondered what Aiden's reaction was going to be when these two met. There was a lovely sound to the way Kimble's name rolled off of Aiden's tongue. He'd spoken it with such reverence, or perhaps, it was just his strange accent. "Dat's m' boy."
" 'E isz very beautiful. Aiden can szee why you come to Trishnar'sz 'ousze."
Gambit laughed in wry amusement when he saw Aiden's intense interest. The man couldn't tear his eyes away. He was looking at Kimble hungrily, an unexplained gleam in his eye. It was enough for Remy to consult his inner spirit. What's dis I see?
/ A Siskan in love, Shi'ow-ri replied, a snicker in her voice. / He is truly smitten. Can't you feel it?
Remy could. Aiden was vibrating intense interest, but something more. Just that glimpse of Kimble laying there had been enough to quicken his breath and flush his face. It was almost comical, the way Aiden's eyes had lit up. 'Ow could 'e possibly be in love wit Kimble? 'E don' even know 'im.
Shi'ow-ri just snickered at him. / Are you really so sure? Kimble's memory is shattered. You know what he knows — what he knows only. Just because Kimble doesn't know Aiden doesn't mean Aiden doesn't know Kimble. /
Remy's eyes widened a bit at that. He was filled with conflicting emotions – compassion for Aiden, a little jealousy, but mostly concern and guardianship for Kimble. He didn't want his friend to be hurt. He didn't know Aiden well. He was no longer certain about Aiden's commitment to Babette, not with the way Aiden's whole body seemed to hunger now as he stared at Kimble's sleeping face. That gave Remy some hope. Aiden was strong and willful, unforgiving of those who did not accept him just as he was. While it led to some difficulty, it had other uses. Aiden wasn't about to be bullied and he carried a kind of self confidence that was hard to ignore. Kimble was in need of something like this, especially the way he had fallen so low. Perhaps this was the thing Gambit had been praying for. Kimble could use a dose of Aiden's confidence.
"Why isz 'e in dere an' not azsleep in your bed?" Aiden challenged without malice, breaking into Remy's thoughts and confirming the thief's memory of his directness. "Your shine, Aiden can szee dat ze two of you, you not juszt friendsz no more. Not like when you come to szee my Maszter. You take Aiden'sz advicze, yesz?"
Remy's smile turned more shy and embarrassed. He would never be comfortable about direct inquiries regarding his sexual matters when they did not involve women. "Oui, me an' Kim... we 'adjust' our relationship, t'anks to you. It... it 'elped us bot' during a bad time."
"Szo why zen isz 'e 'ere?" Aiden repeated with firm insistence. He was a bit perplexed by the situation he was presented with. He hadn't pegged Remy as the type of Master that would keep a Siskan locked up, he had thought quite the opposite, actually. Remy had always had an air of understanding that was sorely lacking from any other Master Aiden had known besides Trishnar.
Aiden could sense no real trouble from Kimble's sleeping body, its shine glimmering there for his preternatural eyes to see. It wasn't as sparkling blue as he would have expected from a contented Siskan, but it was calm enough to tell him Kimble wasn't resisting his confinement. Remy's shine, well that was something else entirely. First there was the sexual embarrassment, but that had been there when they first met and Aiden guessed it would always be that way with this strange human. After that came a recognizable evasion - Remy was no longer in full possession of Kimble and wasn't sure how to answer. He was also angry and resentful of... what? When Remy began to answer the question, the response came as no surprise. This hadn't been Gambit's idea and he was pissed about it.
" 'Cause 'e need to be. Someone came in, tryin' to take 'is Angel, someone from Jael, sorta like what 'appen wit you guys. Dey didn't come in guns blazin' like they done at yo' place, but dey got in just de same. Dey found someone Kim use' to know, used her to get past Kim's defenses. She got in real close, lured Kim wit some plasma. Once ol' Kim figured out what de deal was, well 'e got a little angry 'bout it. Went into defense mode and 'e kill 'er dead. De folks 'ere took it kinda 'ard. Dey scared of 'im."
" 'E kill 'er? 'Ow?"
Remy just grinned. " 'E a Channeler among many t'ings."
Aiden nodded knowingly. " 'E usze ze szword?"
"Yup."
All the Siskans in the Game had both a color and a Title. Kimble had a purple Mark, making him a Rogue. A Rogue's powers were not so clearly defined, but one of Kimble's known powers was Channeling, the official name for his little sword trick. Aiden had a color and a title as well. Somewhere under that gaudy orange shirt was a tattoo just like Kimble's, only a pale blue instead of purple. Remy had heard Trishnar call Aiden a Receiver. When Remy had asked what that meant, Trishnar wouldn't say, only that his power had something to do with energy. Perhaps Remy was now in a position to find out. He didn't ask just yet, Aiden was speaking.
"Good for 'im," Aiden crowed, standing a little taller now with the cocky confidence Gambit had remembered so well. It was a reminder that Aiden could be hard to handle himself at times. "Jael will learn ze 'ard way not to messz wit usz. Your friendsz, zey do not undersztand disz?"
"Non. Dey got a little freaked out."
Aiden snorted arrogantly. "Szo what? You ze Maszter of 'im. What you care what dey t'ink?"
Remy scowled, feeling a familiar tension. When Remy had first come to Trishnar's, he had been confronted with Aiden's directness. Aiden was stubborn and seemed to have a certain sympathy towards Kimble even then. He was the one who had given Gambit a gentle shove out the door, thinking Kimble had been left alone too long even during the short week Remy had visited. Gambit had gone there seeking knowledge and once he had been educated, Aiden seemed to want that information put to use immediately. It was just as well, the lessons Remy had learned there had been very important and went a long way towards helping Kimble. Now, Gambit was once more faced with Aiden's direct manner and concern for Kimble. He would have to be thoughtful in his responses. He wanted Aiden to understand things here. This was not Trishnar's palace where things were so simple.
"Dis a structured place, cher. We got laws 'ere, rules. Gotta live by dem to keep de peace. De invader could 'ave been taken care of wit'out a killin'."
Aiden's face crinkled in a sneer. "Once ze bad one'sz come in, zey got no rightsz. Fuck dem! Zey de one aszkin' for whatever zey get back, dem."
Gambit was too tired for this. He could sense Aiden's hatred of the Game and his readiness for violence. As much as he was happy to talk with Aiden, Remy just didn't want to deal with it right now. "Non, killin' can't be de only way. Look, we worry 'bout dis another day, eh? Don' worry 'bout Kim. Gonna take 'im out in de mornin', let 'im sun. 'E'll be better den."
Aiden scowled, not really happy with that answer, but too tired himself to argue about it.
"Excuse me," came a rough, gravelly voice, startling both Aiden and Remy from their thoughts. Logan had come up quietly and shown an odd sense of politeness in his interruption. "Remy, you know you can't just waltz folks in and out of here without bein' checked out," he continued, his voice even and not argumentative in spite of his words. He was looking at Aiden oddly, his perceptive eyes taking in the Siskan's split lip and the bruises on his hands.
Remy cocked his head in wonder at Logan's unusual tact. He had expected a more boisterous complaint. "Logan, dis is Aiden. 'E and Babette Siskans bot'. Dey from dat group down in N'awlins I tol' you about."
Wolverine nodded with a slight smile. "Trishnar's kids."
"Dat's right."
"So you guys made it out," Wolverine commented, looking into Aiden's pale green eyes.
"Two of usz. Jael take ze reszt," Aiden replied wearily. "We managed to sztay out of moszt of ze fight. Waszn't about to let Jael take usz. 'E would never love usz."
Logan grunted in response, familiar with this desire of Siskans to be loved. It was Kimble's primary weakness. It made him curious about this Siskan, if he was going to be as weak and childish as Kimble. Something about his posture told him no. This Siskan was too confident. Aiden was looking at him boldly with a squint that had become familiar to the feral mutant. He knew his shine was bright, but it never failed to fascinate him how Seth and Kimble would look on him like this.
Aiden extended his hand and Logan took it. His eyes widened slightly as he felt Aiden use his empathic power to 'read' him. He had never felt a jolt of Kundatesh like this before, though he knew enough about Siskans now to recognize it for what it was. It was warm and pleasant like an unexpected touch from a loved one. Feeling slightly warm, he retreated without backing away.
"We got some questions that need answers. I'd appreciate it if you came with me."
Remy wasn't sure how Aiden was going to react, he could be stubborn and arrogant, but the Siskan merely nodded and made to follow. "Take care of my Babette," he said to Remy as he passed.
"Absolument, cher," Gambit replied, letting his fingers brush Aiden's just slightly. He passed a vibration of reassurance, but had the idea that Aiden didn't really need it. Aiden was cooperating because he wanted to, not because Wolverine intimidated him in any way. Remy watched them go then turned back to Kimble, looking in on the pilot's sleeping face.
