(Four)

Aiden's struggles hadn't gone unnoticed. Remy was ever present, making his rounds about them all. He visited with Babette at least twice daily, checking in on her and charging her power cubes. He was satisfied that Aiden had done what he could for her and that she was well cared for. She called the Dreamer Master now and Remy understood that it was what she wanted. He was hoping for better than that, that she would be stronger, but the arrangement she made with Aiden satisfied her mind and kept her calm. He didn't fight it.

He tried to speak with Aiden but the Siskan had grown distant, more like his old silent and spooky self. Whatever positive energy he had taken in from his earlier exposure to Kimble was gone, all that progress lost. He was working long hours, having thrown himself into his work quickly. Aiden gave Gambit money, honoring the promise he had made. Remy tried to refuse it, saying he had plenty and that Aiden should save it. It was a mistake, Aiden became insulted and angry. Seeing the tension there in this prideful Siskan, Remy just took it and let it go. He tried to explain that if Aiden kept up his work, they could move into something better than their one room place. Aiden nodded as though he hadn't considered it but he had. He knew that an upgrade in his quarters might move him closer to where Kimble was staying.

On the subject of Kimble himself, Aiden refused to answer all questions, especially after that last fight the pair had had. When Remy came to visit him that day, Aiden was especially spiteful and angry, refusing to let him in. All Gambit could do was shake his head and try a different tack. He went after Kimble, the source of the trouble.

True to form, Kimble had fared far worse than Aiden emotionally. In an attempt to block out his feelings for Aiden, he shut down on everyone. He spent his time in the holding cell, refusing to talk to anyone, just sitting limply in the corner staring off into space. He perked up when Angel came to visit, but other than that, stayed by himself.

Kimble may have been silent on the outside, but his mind was echoing with the verbal battles of his fractured selves.

Kimble, you are so stupid! Zander was arguing. How could you let Aiden go like that!

Zander was very much in favor of the relationship. Aiden had boosted Kimble's pride and self worth, he had made Kimble strong. The shell of a pilot sitting ghostly still in an undeserved holding cell was enough to send Zander into a fury.

Cain't have no lovers, Lin argued, his whispers powerful enough to get past Zander's shouts. They die. We hurted and killded them.

Big fat deal, that's got nothing ta do with the fact that we're still here in this Lab! We cain't watch over Angel like this! If we keeps sittin' still, they ain't never gonna lets us out!

Kimble ignored them both, lost in his misery. Worse than that was the stirrings from Lakotashay's corner, she was coming ever closer to waking. Kimble was feeling ashamed of himself again and it was growing worse.

The Lover sat in his corner, crying and crying, mourning the loss of the Dreamer as though he were already dead. He hadn't realized just how much he had come to love his Siskan brother until now. The great big empty hole inside of his heart was huge, impossible to fill.

At the very least, ya gots ta use the sword again. Jael's gonna come. Mary did and so will he, Zander grumbled. You hafta stay ready. We took Mary down, we'll kick Jael's ass. Only ya cain't do that if ya sit around like a fuckin' zombie! Zander continued to complain. We hafta keeps training!

What's the point of anything? Kimble sobbed and Lakotashay's eyes fluttered briefly before remaining closed. The unspoken thought - It's better to be dead than in agony like this.

Kimble was grieving deeply. He missed Aiden's laughter, his pale green eyes. The Dreamer's vibrations of love had been so powerful that Kimble didn't know how addicted he had become until they were gone. The soft touch of his hands, the sweetness of his mouth. The way he always seemed to know just what Kimble wanted.

Kimble wanted to crawl into a hole and die. If he couldn't find one, maybe he could make one. He began to dream of a circle, of a bubble just big enough for himself. One he could crawl into and hide away forever. One no one else could open, he would be safe and small in there. If he could make a sword, how hard could a bubble be? It was so tempting. Zander cursed him for his thoughts, it was too much like quitting and they argued, Zander refusing to give in to such crap. The Lover cried and cried.

(break)

Remy stood in front of the holding cell, his face tight with anger. For three days Kimble had been hiding out. In spite of the fact that his furloughs had been reinstated, the pilot had to be forcibly dragged up to sun and when he returned, he came in here and sulked. After Aiden had confronted him the last time, all he did was sob and whimper in here like a child. He hadn't showered, he ate nothing that was offered to him. He made no attempts to see Angel on his own, he only visited with her when she was brought to him. Gambit had come here, this being the fourth day, and saw Kimble was still a sulky slumped up bump in the corner. Remy was done with this.

Without preamble, he walked into the cell and gave Kimble a soft kick with his foot. " 'Ey, wake up!"

Kimble shifted, blinked up at him in a fog. "What?"

"Get up. You ain't gonna sit in 'ere sulkin' 'til Set' gets started buildin'. Move yo' ass!"

Kimble turned away with a soft snarl. "Go away!"

Remy grabbed him essentially by the scruff and hauled him to his feet. He then dragged him squeaking and protesting all the way to the nearest shower and tossed him in, not bothering to undress him before turning the water on full blast. "Wash up! You stink!"

"Fuck you!" Kimble howled and tried to leave.

Remy shoved him back. "I said, wash up!"

Kimble slumped back into the shower, giving up far too easily, and started to pull off his heavy, wet clothing. He reached for the soap, grumbling and rubbed it over himself, glancing at Remy now and again to see if he would leave. The thief was adamant and stayed as he was. "Dis some real feeble shit you got goin' on."

Kimble turned away, not wanting to hear it.

"You boot Aiden out, but you de one actin' all betrayed."

"I cain't..."

"Can't what? Act like a civilized 'uman bein'? What was de point of dumpin' Aiden if you gonna crawl into some kinda 'ole and die? 'Ow exactly is dis any better?"

Kimble stood sullenly, his head down as the water poured over him.

"An' 'ow exactly is dis takin' care of Angel?" Remy repeated, his tone a little more gentle.

"She don't belongs ta me no more," Kimble whispered softly.

"Oh? Let's see, you skewer Mary like Shish kabob when you t'ink she in danger, but now you givin' up wit'out a fight? I don't get you."

"I ain't never gonna gits outta bein' locked up an' we both knows it. When the Lab gits full then Logan's gonna put me up down in Security. I sees it evratime he looks at me."

"You give up too easy. I t'ought Aiden was teachin' you to be stronger dan dis."

"I ain't strong."

"Non, you just quit too easy. Lookit 'ere? You givin' Logan all de ammunition 'e need to keep you 'ere. You don't talk to nobody, you all cryin' an' shit. Dis is bullshit. You ain't never gonna get Angel back dis way."

"How kin I takes care of her when I ain't never gittin' out?"

"De only one keeps sayin' you ain't gettin' out is you. You gotta stop dis crap and start actin' like a man t'inkin' 'bout livin' instead of dyin'. Focus on Angel an de res' gonna fall into place. You got yo' furloughs back, go an' see yo' daughter, Kim."

Kimble moved, pouring shampoo into his hand and scrubbing it through his hair. Just this simple thing was waking him up some, he had always been a clean creature. It wasn't like him to have gone so many days without washing. Not that he got all that dirty, it was just the simple thing of being fresh. The ugly part of him was still trying to resist what Remy was saying, it was just so easy to give up and crawl into a corner and sleep. But Zander was stronger.

You listenin' up, pup, or what? You cain't believe all he says is bullshit, right? All Remy's ever done is look out fer us. Jus' like Aiden wuz doin'. If ya ain't gonna listen ta Aiden, ya gots ta listen ta Remy. C'mon!

Kimble rinsed off and stepped out of the shower, taking an offered towel. He kept his eyes down but he was a little straighter than when he was tossed in here. Finished now, he stood in front of Remy, waiting.

Gambit looked him over, reading his shine. It was brighter than before, a little more blue. "You wit de program now, little brother?"

Kimble nodded, his head still down.

Remy raised his chin, forcing Kimble to look at him. "You gonna visit wit Angel an' make 'er smile? She miss you."

"Okay. She in school?"

"It Saturday, cher. No school today. You come on up to my place, we eat lunch an' play."

Kimble nodded.

"Den we go see Aiden? 'E not too 'appy."

/ I wants to, I really, really do! Kimble vibrated in misery before saying, "I cain't."

"Why's dat?"

"Cuz I wants him too much, is why. He ain't gonna be nuthin' but trouble fer me."

"You already in trouble. Look at you. You sittin' round 'ere like a dead man. Go see Aiden, let him take your pain. 'Ave some fun," Remy pushed. He could see both of the Siskans were trashed, a sign that this relationship had been far more than what was seen on the surface. In spite of his reservations about Aiden, Remy was interested in anything that got Kimble out of this spell he was in. If Kimble couldn't be brought out, then perhaps it was time to just give it all up.

Kimble pulled away, grumbling in frustration. "None of yous understand. Anaone I ever lets that close ta me gots hurt. I won't let that happen no more."

Remy swallowed a quick surge of anger, so tired of hearing those words over and over again. "It's not dat we don't understand, it's jus' dat we see dat excuse for de bullshit it is. Dere ain't no reason for it to 'appen again."

"There's every reason!" Kimble snapped, fire blazing in his eyes.

Not that he wanted Kimble angry, but Remy was delighted to see the spark of life there. "What reasons? Dere ain't nuthin' gonna 'appen."

"Jael's still lookin' fer me. When he comes, it's gonna git real ugly. I kin feel it. Mary made it in here, he can, too."

"Nobody's gonna make it in 'ere, not wit'out goin' t'rough us, and dere's a lot more of us dan dere used to be back at de Mansion. You safer now dan you ever been. We all gonna look out for you. Wolvie's got all de Security stuff worked out. He's doin' more every day. No one's gonna come 'ere an' 'urt you or anyone close to you. Go see Aiden. 'E ain't gonna get 'urt by you or anyone else. Time to jus' let all dat crap go."

Kimble looked away, unconvinced. "You don' know that. It ain't safe."

Remy ran a hand through his thick auburn hair, sighing with impatience. Sometimes his friend was just too stubborn. "Gambit ain't gonna convince you."

"No."

"All right. All right," Gambit said, giving up. He knew the game well enough. There was more than one way to win this, he was quite clever. This way wasn't working, time for plan B. He tossed Kimble a clean pair of sweats from the shelf of spares and made for the door.

"Remy?"

He stopped and looked back at Kimble, not liking the look of misery there in the pilot's eyes. "Oui, mon amoureux?"

"You stay away from Aiden, I'm better off without him. Don' do nuthin' stupid."

You de worse' liar dere is, cher, Remy thought to himself, but held up his hands in mock surrender. "Moi? Not dis boy."

"Remy," Kimble repeated, his voice stern with hostile intent. It was almost low enough to be Zander's and it gave Gambit pause. "Promise me."

"I promise I won' do nuthin' stupid," Remy said, his voice sickly sweet. Of course he would do something, he had to. How stupid it was, was relative to one's point of view. He snorted and walked out, not giving Kimble a chance to say anything more.

(break)

Remy wasn't the only one having Siskan troubles. Jael stood outside a metal cage, one he had made on a scramble. It was large, quite roomy with plenty of space for the creature to move about. Really, Simone had given him no choice but to lock him up. The troublesome Siskan had done nothing but pitch fits and howl and scream at everyone who came near. The only time he was quiet was when he thought he was alone and then he mostly scrunched into a corner and buried himself under a blanket.

What to do? What to do? Jael had no answers. All attempts to speak with Simone simply caused the Siskan to fling himself against the bars of his cage with a fury the likes of which Jael had never before seen. Simone had no care of the damage he caused himself – and it had been considerable. The Siskan was almost constantly bloody and bruised. He tolerated only Steve and then only at feeding times. Simone wanted no conversation, he wanted to be charged and then left alone.

Against his better judgement, Jael considered having this Siskan destroyed. It was of no use like this, flinging itself about so recklessly. At least it cost nothing to feed, it ate nothing other than the plasma Steve threw at it. It didn't seem to recognize organic substances as anything it could consume, nor did it recognize the function of clothing even though everyone else that came near it was dressed.

Jael wondered if it was stupid. Perhaps it had been so badly damaged that it no longer functioned. That would be a terrible waste, but a possible inevitability. He had been taking his time here, hoping Simone might display some kind of raw power that he could use or exploit in his plans to take down Xavier and this wretched planet. Rogues were supposed to be very powerful, creatures worth any price. Star had proven her value in her ability to heal her Master if he should get injured, perhaps this one could have had a talent equally valuable. If Simone did, he was doing a very good job of keeping it secret.

Simone lay in the cage, a dirty rumpled heap of wasted superior Siskan craftsmanship. He was asleep now, sprawled out from an earlier fit and drawing ragged broken breaths. An hour ago, Jael had tried to talk with him, but the moment he had spoken, Simone went off. He flung himself against the bars with such force that he bloodied himself from head to toe. His nose was split, his nails broken and jagged stumps. He had even bitten the bars, shattering his facsimile teeth, pouring gel blood down his chin in a froth. Feathers from his great wings had clouded the air, fizzling out in bright orange sparkles as the heat from his body no longer warmed them. It would have been a magnificent display if it hadn't been so frightening. Why would a Siskan act this way?

Jael cocked his head when he heard the Siskan draw breath in a soft whimpering sob. His black fingers twitched and a tear leaked out of one eye, glistening as it wet his cheek in a small river. A flinch, a pair of hands raised as if warding off a blow. Simone was dreaming.

So that was it. Abuse, and on a grand scale it would seem. It made sense of course - in order to break a Siskan, one had to hurt it. Melting was the preferred method though Jael had never seen it done himself. The closest he had come to seeing it were the reports of when Kimble had been melted by a plasma burst years ago. He had thought his great prize lost until the Siskan showed up days later seemingly fine. A little more broken than when he had started out, but still fine. It certainly hadn't stopped Kimble from finding his Angel, perhaps that would be so with this one as well.

Emboldened, Jael slipped a hand into the cage, reaching out to gently stroke the rumpled hair of this poor suffering 'gram in a gesture of friendship and concern. It was a mistake.

Simone's eyes flew open at the contact. He hissed sharply and drew away, displaying fantastic agility by twisting in mid-rise and grasping Jael's wrist at the same time. He gave a savage yank, slamming Jael cruelly forward into the bars of the cage.

Jael howled in fear and shock, choking on blood as it flooded his lion's nose and mouth. Simone had smashed him so hard, bones broke in his snout and damn if that wasn't a tooth plopping out onto the floor. He heard footsteps coming, but all went red and dark when he felt Simone sink his teeth into his face, tearing away at his cheek and ear. Those jagged nails plowed into one of his eyes and he was screaming.

"Hey, you fuck!" Razel was shouting. There was a bright flash of light, a trademark of Razel's teleportation, and then Jael heard the thick meaty sounds of Siskan flesh being pounded.

Now released, Jael flopped backwards onto his side, hardly feeling it when he was dragged away from the cage. With his one good eye he could see both Razel and Marcus in the cage now, beating the Siskan down. Simone was fully gone in hysterical rage, flailing with full blown insanity, shimmering iridescent feathers flying in all directions. If ever there was a chance for that Siskan to display any special abilities now would've been it.

It didn't happen. Simone put up a fight, but no more than an ordinary man. He fell under Marcus' heavy, telekinetically assisted blows, only relenting when unconsciousness took him.

Another flash of light and then soft hands cradling his face. "Master, are you okay?"

"S-Star!" he managed to gasp.

Marcus left in a rush, already calling her name.

"Master, why did you get so close?" Razel questioned, his voice cracking at the sight of the gore that covered Jael's face. In a matter of mere seconds, Simone had caused a great deal of damage. "It should be destroyed!"

Jael wheezed, giving it serious consideration. He blinked through the blood and looked into the cage. Simone lay on his side, his face so horribly damaged it was hardly recognizable as human. Both of his arms lay in bent, unnatural angles to his body, his wings broken and the remains of feathers sparkled away into nothing around him. To put it to death would be a mercy, it certainly deserved it more than the others he had destroyed simply because they had bored him.

Well, Simone was certainly anything but boring.

Maybe that was what the fascination was. Even now, Jael didn't want to put him down. He wanted to figure him out, learn what made him tick.

Jael gasped, "Leave him be... I- I will keep him...for now."

Razel cursed softly, clearly not agreeing, but unwilling to argue about it. He looked up when Star arrived, cringing when he heard her shriek in horror and cover her face. She had repaired her Master's damage more than once already, he thought she would be used to it by now. She was shoved at Jael and she reached out with her hands, flooding him with her power. Sparkling glitter left her fingers - she was using the same Morrowhiem that Aiden possessed, only hers was far more powerful and able to heal. The glitter was sparkly and bright, not unlike the way Simone's feathers twinkled as they vanished.

It didn't escape Jael's attention, the similarity between these two things, even as he felt her power course right through him. Again, he was instantly on fire and he grasped and clawed at her, pulling her under him. The others were leaving, being shoved out by Razel who was protecting his privacy. He stayed to watch, admiring the view as Star was pinned and assaulted by her Master's passion. This was something that so far Jael had no complaints about - if he minded Razel's presence, he gave no sign of it yet.

Jael finished with a deep growl and a thundering shudder, his whole body rippling with her power. When he glanced up at Razel a moment later, both eyes were bright and clear. "Liked that, did you?"

Razel smiled. "Can't help it, boss. You're a real piece of work. How do you feel?"

"Better," Jael replied, nuzzling at Star possessively. She was passive beneath him, smeared with his blood. He knew her well enough now to know she wouldn't make any movement until he had released her, she was his completely. "Tell me, Star. Why does your brother fight me?"

"I don't knows, Master," she replied, trying not to tremble so hard. She was covered in blood and horrified. It was all she could do to keep Luma, her Protector, from lashing out at their Master for being so thoughtless. Luma was losing patience with their rough and careless treatment, but Star feared the Master far too much to fight it.

"Then I suggest you talk to him and find out. It would be a shame if he were to be destroyed."

Star nodded quickly, wanting only to get away.

Jael could see it. He shifted and grunted, rising enough to let her escape. "You have until Xavier's people are done. After that, I will have no need of him if he won't serve me, understand?"

She squeaked her assent and fled, heading for the shower.

Razel laughed, watching her go. "Do you think she will succeed?"

Jael sat up, flexing and feeling his renewed flesh react with strength. "Yes. If anyone can understand a Siskan, it's another like itself. Come, we have much planning to do. It's time to return to Arizona and plan our next move."