Disclaimer: Don't own Gambit; do own pretty much everyone else.
A/N: Please read and review?
09
Lance and his fellow police officers watched as the endoscope camera was passed through a gap in the boards that covered the drug den's rear windows. Thermal imaging had placed a large number of people in there, including one that seemed to have wings stretching out from his back. Lance was itching to get going, to kick the boards down and dive in there with all guns blazing. Next to him to the left, Gus shifted from foot to foot, cradling his gun. The image from the camera flickered up on the palmtop screen Lance held. You've got sloppy Fallon, Lance thought, you've got no one watching outside, and now we've caught you red-handed. Your own arrogance has let you down.
With that poetic thought, all hell broke loose. In an instant the police were at their most vulnerable, as they announced their presence by kicking down the boards and dropping into the room. Fallon's men opened fire fractionally first. The cop on Lance's right side took a bullet to the stomach and dropped screaming. Lance and Gus launched a volley of bullets as the other cops also returned fire. Furniture was overturned as Fallon's men dived behind the makeshift barricades. Drugs and cash scattered through the air. Lance bellowed for cover fire, and then took a risk to take out the man with the machine gun. He felt the movement of the air as a bullet passed close by his arm, but he couldn't afford to think about it. Then he was face to face with Fallon, and everything went quiet.
Not for long, as Fallon flung out his wings, raised his arms and escaped upwards through a ceiling void and out into the open air. He left the carnage that had been his close circle without a backwards glance. Once clear and in the air, Fallon's eagle eyes spotted someone running away from the building carrying a black satchel. Fallon let loose a screech of raptor anger, folded his wings and plummeted towards his betrayer.
Henrick had snatched up the payment as soon as it was offered to him, and started to back away. When the police crashed into the room he was already near the door. He turned and unashamedly ran, cradling the cash to his chest. Head down, he winced as he heard Fallon's vengeance screech, and tried to run faster. He could hear the air whistling through the primaries of Fallon's wings. Henrick couldn't escape, there was just nowhere to run. The weight of the massive mutant striking his back knocked Henrick to his knees. Fallon's taloned hands scratched for Henrick's eyes. Henrick yelped, throwing himself forwards onto his belly to protect his face. The satchel with the money was lost, having fallen out of his grasp when Fallon first struck him.
There was a hiss and a whistle through the air, followed by a resounding bang. Debris, heat and light struck the two squabbling criminals. That got Fallon's attention. Gambit charged another card as the eagle-like man drew himself off the bloodied Henrick by a few flaps of his fantastic wings. He eyed Gambit sharply, but Remy didn't bat an eyelid. Fallon unleashed another keen of fury as he saw what was in Gambit's other hand. It was the black satchel with Fallon's money in it. Smelling a rat, the winged mutant launched himself, taloned hands outstretched as Remy. Gambit drew his arm and shoulder back behind his body, before thrusting forwards again to throw the card between his fingers. The card arched magnificently through the air to hit Fallon in the shoulder and left wing. The birdman was knocked off-kilter, blood dripping from the gaping wounds as he screamed and the air was filled with brown feathers.
"My eye, my eyes…" Henrick whined, clutching his half-shredded face. If anything remained of his eyes as he lifted his face towards Gambit, Remy couldn't tell for al the blood and misshapen flesh.
"You're welcome for me savin' you life," Gambit retorted. "Guess you ain't gonna be ogglin' no belle filles again any time soon."
"My eyes…" Henrick sobbed, but Gambit was already walking away. As the police arrived at the scene to find both wounded men, there was no sign of their mysterious helper.
Round the block at the front of the block of flats, Gambit was reunited with Electra. The blue-haired girl seemed much less sure of herself now. In fact as Gambit approached with the money in his hand, he saw she was in fact close to tears. Her need for vengeance had been fulfilled, that anger she felt towards Fallon was abated. She could hold a grudge, but she could also let one go. She clutched her ribs in her hands, making Remy wonder how much her own fury and adrenaline had been keeping her on her feet. He knew she was still black and blue from her beating. He took her willowy form into his arms and held her silently for a few moments. Electra only buried her face in his chest and stood shaking with exhaustion.
A phone rang, it was Blaze. The party was over and she was ready for the next one. Gambit agreed that some good times were in order after the last few days. They met up at a bar far enough away to avoid the cops, dolled out the money between the three of them, and avoided the ominous question of 'what next?' Electra worried if she had outlasted the interest in her now they had the money. Gambit was all the things Fallon hadn't been, she wanted to pursue that, but didn't know if she'd be given the chance. Gambit wondered about how he'd find the next job, the next contact, and the next place to live. The clock on the wall over the bar distracted Blaze. She was thinking of her date that night and when Gambit was going to get rid of Electra. The conversation stuttered, stalled and became eventually an awkward silence.
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"How long do they think it will be before we can interrogate either of them?" Lance asked Gus as he handed over a lukewarm cup of hospital coffee in a beige plastic cup.
"Henrick should only be a couple of days, a week tops," Gus answered. "Fallon will be longer. Whatever got him has done some damage. All I know is I'd give my right arm to know who took him down."
"The consultant mentioned a blast wound?"
"Yeah, it's the strangest thing. We all heard the blast, but forensics can't find any trace of explosives and no weapon has been found…" Gus shook his head slowly, blowing on his coffee. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was a mutant."