Disclaimer: The characters and environment depicted are the property of Marvel. This is a work of fiction set in the main Marvel universe (616) in May of 2012, before the events of Uncanny X-Force #24. The date and time elapse mentioned, as well as the details surrounding events are my own speculation, as they've not been stated in the MU.
The Bauers, the St. James family, Bianca Navarra, Karl Lange, and Jadzia were all created by me to fill in a few blanks and propel the story forward.
Chapter Five: Ante Up
Waking mid-afternoon, Kurt spent the rest of the daylight hours trying to ease the tension from his shoulders and formulate a plan on how to gain access to the security footage in the CDC. Such places generally stored data for a period of time. It stood to reason that it would likely be stored in the central security room. Last night, that room had been manned by one guard, with another walking through the building, Tom and Bubba, respectively. It would be easy enough to overpower both of them, if needed, but that certainly would not go unnoticed.
The door was fingerprint activated. He'd gotten a glimpse inside, so he could teleport in, but naturally, that would cause unwanted attention as well. I suppose it will come down to the image-inducer and my ability to act, he mused. His accent would be the most difficult thing to hide. He concentrated, then tried to mimic a southern drawl in the privacy of his room.
"Evenin' Tom."
"How 'bout them Braves?"
Ach, that's awful. He sighed. Fine. So the guard he planned on impersonating tonight would develop a sudden case of laryngitis.
Well after hours, he retraced his path from yesterday and lay in wait for "Bubba", the foot patrol guard, to leave on his rounds. After observing his departure, inspiration suddenly struck, and Kurt made a quick foray to one of the break rooms to pick up coffee and snacks from the vending machine, as well as something from the first aid room. After checking to ensure the coast was clear, he activated the setting he'd pre-programmed into his image inducer, and armed with goodies, tapped on the door of the security office. Tom looked out the rectangular window and frowned, but opened the door for him.
"Hey Bubba, that was a fast round. What, did ya run through or somethin'? "
Kurt nodded and forced a hoarse rasp from his throat and whispered, "Coffee."
"Damn boy, what's wrong with ya? Ya sounded fine a few minutes ago."
Kurt shrugged and gave the man a half smile, then offered up what he was carrying.
Tom grinned, eyeing the packet of Danish. "Yeah, can't have you gettin' sicker. 'Sides, ain't like anything ever happens here."
They sat down and the man devoured the coffee and sweets and droned on about his good-for-nothing son and nagging wife for the next twenty minutes or so. Kurt made whispered one-word responses as needed to keep the man talking and waited, trying not to fidget. I'm going to have to move on to Plan B if this doesn't hurry and work, he thought. I can't afford for the real Bubba to show back up at this juncture. Finally, Tom clutched his abdomen and grunted.
"Ugh. Coffee gone straight through me, man. I gotta hit the shitter. You wanna hold down the fort a minute?"
Kurt nodded in response and waited several seconds after the door closed before he jumped into action. He figured he had perhaps ten minutes, at the very most, before Bubba returned. Poor Tom is likely be gone significantly longer, judging by the amount of laxative I added to his coffee.
He made his way into the storage vault, and quickly found the relevant security tapes. He tucked them into a bag he'd brought for that purpose, then went back into the office to flip through the filing cabinet for records of requested access to the facilities. McCoy, I'm in luck. Perfeckt! Kurt had guessed correctly that Dark Beast had been posing as his counterpart in this world to gain entry. The records even offered an address; that was far better than perusing surveillance videos. He took the file and departed the building quickly.
Kurt wasted no time in tracking down the listed address. He debated on calling for back-up, but decided against it; there was time enough for that if he discovered the address to be valid.
The address led him to a particularly seedy apartment complex that rented by the week. It was apartment number 302. Staying out of sight and keeping to the outside of the building, he determined roughly where he thought the room would be.
He peered in a window and was confronted with the sight of an ample-figured blonde and a man that was most assuredly not McCoy engaged in a surprising show of agility, given the woman's corpulence. Whoops, wrong room. Kurt grimaced and moved on to the next set of windows. They overlooked what appeared to be an empty living area. He took a chance and teleported in, freezing in place within the shadows and listening to determine if he'd been heard. No sound greeted him. Silently, hugging the walls, he crossed the room to peer into what should be the bedroom. It was empty as well; so was the bathroom. He opened the front door to peer at the number and make sure it was the right apartment. Yes, 302.
Verdammt! Kurt's fur bristled and his tail lashed in rage as he hurled his dagger with full force across the room. It stuck with a dull thump in the wall. Taking a deep breath, he raked his hand through his hair and tried to get his disappointment under control. It was at least worth a look around, in case McCoy had actually been here.
An hour later, after rummaging through two bags of leftover garbage, and various other disgusting detritus, he was rewarded. It was scribbled and stained, but legible. 35665 Madripoor. Kurt's fangs gleamed white in the darkness as he smiled viciously.
The next day.
"Deal."
The cards slid across the table towards Logan.
"Raise by twenty," Kurt decided after looking at his own hand.
"You sure? I'm feelin' lucky."
"Ja. Twenty."
"So you think what you got on Drake bein' in Madripoor is reliable?"
"I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't." Kurt hesitated before taking another card.
"Stop stallin' and play."
"I am playing, however, the pay I receive here is barely adequate, therefore I'm careful with it."
"What? Barely...? Damn." Logan rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If the pay's so bad, why you wanna gamble it?"
"I have to supplement my meager income in some way, ja? Und I have nothing better to do at the moment."
"Raise you another twenty."
Kurt's expression didn't change as he slid a note to the center of the table.
"I know what Iceman did to yer people when we was there."
"Sehr gut, then you were paying attention. Call."
They both laid out their cards.
"Damn, you won." Logan looked vaguely surprised. "Deal, and this time keep yer tail where I can see it."
Kurt flipped his tail onto the table with a nasty look, twitching the end irritably. "Satisfied?"
The cards flew out and the room was quiet for a few moments before the bets were placed once again.
"There more I don't know?" Logan asked, looking across the table over the top of his cards.
"Highly likely."
"Raise you ten. Drake was an X-Man in your world a long time, ain't that right?"
"Ja. I raise by another thirty." Kurt laid his money on the table.
Logan frowned and matched the bet, drawing two cards. "Was he a good friend?"
"Ja. Pass me another beer."
"I been doin' what I do a long time. Damn hard call sometimes when it's a friend."
"I am not you. Call."
With narrowed eyes, Logan watched the other man gather his winnings again.
"Give 'em here. I'm dealin' this time."
Kurt curled his lip into a toothy smile and passed the deck of cards over.
"Of course."
Logan popped the top off of another beer and studied the cards in this hand.
"I start with fifty this time."
"Yer gonna lose this time." Logan grinned ferally, putting his money down.
Kurt shrugged in apparent unconcern and asked for two cards.
"You know, I spent a helluva lot of my time huntin' folks down that pissed me off."
"Raise by another fifty." Kurt casually threw the notes on the pile.
"Somebody tried to tell me a while ago that there comes a time you gotta balance it, ya know? Quit makin' the rage all there is in life. Ain't like I listened, but it was good advice."
Kurt eyed him before taking another card. "Well, anger und revenge are all I have left to call my own, mein Freund."
Doing the same, Logan answered, "Ain't gotta be that way, Elf. Like I told Jeannie - the Jeannie from yer world - you got a chance ta start over here. Raise you ten."
Kurt chose to allow the 'Elf' to slip by this time. "Und what did she answer you?"
"Said she had stuff to do there, that it wasn't for her. But yer here."
"You know why I'm here. What you ask is for me to change the man I am."
"No, I'm just sayin' you can have a life other than revenge. More'n that. You got a choice. Check."
"Now who is stalling? Give me a card." Kurt added the new card in, his eyes half-closed in contemplation. "Nein, Logan, I do not have a choice any longer. The man I might have been, should circumstances have been different, is long gone. What you see is what remains."
"I used to think that way. Maybe I still do, maybe not. I ain't give up the idea of there bein' hope for somethin' different, I reckon. Them kids at the school have been showin' me that."
"Good for you. Call." Kurt chuckled as the cards were shown.
"Dammit, yer cheatin'!"
"Perhaps I am just better at this game than you, ja?"
"The hell you say!" Logan glared. Looking disgruntled, he opened another beer, passing one over to Kurt as well.
"Another game?"
"Hell no, I'm broke now, thanks to you."
Kurt smiled and pocketed his winnings.
"Look, I ain't tryin' ta lecture you or nothin', I'm just sayin' there's maybe hope for folks that want it."
"What makes you think I want it? Vielleicht ist Freiden nicht mein Ding. " Kurt stood and lifted his drink in a farewell gesture. "Guten Nacht, Logan. I enjoyed winning your money."
Logan shook his head. "'Night, Kurt. We're set fer Madripoor at seven a.m. tomorrow."
Kurt lay awake for a long while that night, thinking of the day to come. He thought of finally confronting Bobby and making him pay for what he'd done. He'd lain awake in a similar fashion many nights, tormented with the idea that Drake would escape him and profit from his treachery. But tomorrow, finally, there would be some closure, one way or the other.
As the silent darkness surrounded him like a blanket, he also thought of what Logan had said about starting over, and about the hope of a future. What is hope? Hope means I'll find those I seek, and exact retribution before I die. He was the product of his life, nothing would change that, whatever sentimental thoughts the other man might have voiced. For things to be different, he'd have to go back in time and avoid that wave that had started him on this path so long ago. And where is the hope in that?
Kurt's mind drifted to sunbeams on a wooden floor and he finally dozed off with the faint sound of Liebestraum echoing in his memory.