(Two)
Kimble woke with a startled grunt when he felt something leather and heavy land across his backside. He was on his belly on the bed, stretched out and comfortable, and looked over his shoulder to see Aiden already up and dressed in black, looking him over with an admiring grin. "Time for work, neh?" the Dreamer teased. He gave Kimble's rump a playful slap before walking out into the hallway. "Let'sz go."
Kimble groaned and got to his feet in a daze. It wasn't that he wasn't a morning person, he simply needed more sleep than Aiden did. There was no way he was going to be chipper, not this early. He was still tired.
Kimble looked at what Aiden had tossed at him and saw his black pants and his uniform jacket. He was a bit surprised to see the jacket, the last he had seen it it had been ripped up pretty good. The coat Aiden had tossed was in perfect condition, so Aiden had either had it repaired or replaced. Whatever was the case, Kimble didn't want it. He dressed in his pants but left the jacket behind, shuffling off to the bathroom to splash some water on his face in an attempt to wake up some more.
Feeling a bit more refreshed, he went to the kitchen to see that Asher had already arrived to take over babysitting duties for Julien. The lad was still sleeping in his room this early but once he awoke Asher would feed him and take him to his new quarters. He hadn't left yet, but Kimble already felt the loss. He had grown to like the boy.
Kimble greeted his brother with a kiss, always happy to see him. "Mornin', Ash."
"Takes care today," Asher returned warmly. He didn't see Kimble much outside of when Kimble needed a treatment so this was nice.
"Time to go," Aiden interrupted, shoving Kimble's discarded jacket back into his hands. "We are already late."
Kimble gave it back. "I don't needs this."
"Yesz, you do. Put it on," Aiden ordered Masterly, gently but firmly. He wasn't going to have Kimble fretting over this. "We 'ave to go."
Kimble took the jacket without arguing further, Aiden was right about them being late, but Kimble's shine was swirling, upset, as he slipped it on. He still didn't think it should be his anymore, but he could never defeat Aiden when it came to this sort of argument. It was better to just wear it and deal with it without complaining.
They left Julien in Asher's care and made their way out to the ship. Remy was there, already waiting when they arrived. He wasn't in full uniform under his own long jacket, it had simply been too painful to put his armored chest plates on over the torso wrap. It shouldn't matter that he had less than the usual amount of protection, this wasn't a trip where he would see any action. He looked tired and drawn and was limping a bit as he made his way up the ramp. Stressed out over his wayward son, he had hardly slept and he wasn't feeling too zippy even though they were there to work, something he should have been eager for. He had smiled a bit when he saw his boys come - Kimble, ever the care giver, had made sure they had stopped at the Bistro for coffees along the way up to help them get started.
They got to work getting the craft ready for takeoff. In spite of the coffee, Remy was still grumbling a bit that it was too early in the morning to be doing this. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Damn Logan and his stupid military training.
Remy stood next to his pilot chair, his face softly scowling with tiredness as he flipped some switches, getting ready. He was stiff and sore, not really moving too quickly. Normally he would have been happy for the work, but with so little sleep, he felt bruised and damaged, like a truck had run him over in the night. He hurt everywhere. It was still going to be some time before he was himself again.
He made a soft sound and turned around as Aiden tapped his shoulder. "Oui?"
The Dreamer said nothing, but rudely slid his hands up over Remy's sides and chest without asking permission, as if he was some sort of doctor giving him a quick exam. Remy stood awkwardly and let him do it, his arms up and out of the way. "M' okay," he complained, rolling his eyes a bit, impatient to get going. He was tired and just wanted this quick trip over with so he could come back and have a nap.
"Szure you are," Aiden answered to that, not the least bit convinced. "You going to be okay too, when Fury szee you ready to fall over, neh?"
"Like I care what dat fool t'ink."
"Right."
Remy next shivered hard with a startled grunt when Aiden let go with an unexpected burst of yellow Morrowhiem. He hadn't been ready for it and it ripped right through him with its heat and pleasure. His knees buckled a bit and he sagged into Aiden's ready embrace, his head down on the Siskan's shoulder. "Cher, really... you gotta warn a boy befo' you do sumptin' like dat..."
"Zen dat would szpoil ze szurprisze," Aiden teased in return, patting him on the back with playful roughness and steadying him back on his feet.
"Maybe you two oughta get a room," Logan growled, coming up the ramp just in time to see the exchange. He was teasing but his eyes were hard. He knew the Siskans had this gift, but he thought only Star's could heal. He didn't understand why Aiden had done this. He was suspicious of anything that resembled mind control and there was no doubt that this had affected his teammate in a big way.
Aiden ignored Logan, dismissing him as useless Chuckfet. He could have cared less what the man thought. He looked at Remy and asked him, "Better, yesz?"
"Merci," Remy replied, grateful. As awkward as this may have looked it really had helped. He wasn't healed by any means but the hard ache in his chest had eased and he was bright and awake now, like he had just had a shot of caffeine. The coffee Kimble had brought him, strong as it had been, had nothing on this. The gloom of his morning fog had lifted and his mood was lighter, he was eager now to get to work but in a different way than before when he had only wanted to just get it done. Now he was looking forward to being out in the world again and doing. He was in no pain as he took his seat and gave the stick a boost to warm up the ship and get things going.
Logan just shook his head in irritation and took his own seat. He was wary of the odd relationship that Remy so eagerly maintained with these strange creatures. Logan didn't trust them. How was anyone to know if they weren't more in control of Remy than he was of them?
Moments later Rogue came up the ramp with Simone. Rogue was a morning person like Wolverine and was bright and chipper, chatting away as she guided Simone to his seat. The Siskan himself was just as sleepy as Kimble had been and once seated, lay his head on Rogue's shoulder, his eyes closing right away. Aiden, helping them get ready for take off, lay a blanket over him as he passed, not waiting to be thanked as he moved on to the next task.
The members of the Gold Team that Logan had invited came next - Cyclops with his telekinetic wife Jean, and Storm, the resident weather witch. This was gong to be a bit exciting for them as they had never been aboard Gambit's small craft before. They had all brought along a lot of camping gear, most of them would be spending a couple of days with Fury as he did his forensic work on the island.
Kimble and Gambit got the craft off and running quickly now that everyone had arrived and was on board. The trip was short but just long enough for Scott to be impressed with how well this little partnership was working out. He could see why Remy was so worried about letting anything happen to Kimble, he had an idea that Remy wouldn't enjoy flying nearly as much with anyone else.
Kimble set the small craft down in the same spot he had two days before. On the video screen as the craft came down, Logan could see why Fury had wanted to return here, SHIELD was still on site with their forensic team, scouring Jason Frost's warehouse for clues. They still hadn't figured out his distribution plans and were looking to find anything they could use to shut the rest of his network down. They had come en masse, there were two big black tractor trailer trucks parked in the lot and lots of expensive looking equipment laying around.
The Dragon 2 landed as smoothly as ever and Remy opened the hatch, lowering the ramp. The passengers departed carefully, Simone still cloaked as he was walked out in their midst, unseen by Fury and his team. Remy, one of the last to leave, stopped and looked back when he saw Kimble lingering in the hatchway, not coming down the ramp.
"It's cool if you want to stay, cher," Remy offered, not wanting to make the same mistake he had the last time. He hadn't been unaware of Kimble's discomfort, his shine had grown more agitated the closer they were to arriving here. Kimble's hesitation here was no surprise. "But dere ain't gonna be any fightin', not today."
"There's a book I kin reads in one of the cubbies," Kimble replied, grateful that Remy had let him off the hook so easily. "I'll just keeps an eyes on things fer you 'til ya comes back."
"Bien," Remy said and turned away. He had taken only one step when he heard a noise from behind him. He looked back and Kimble was gone - Zander had forcibly taken his place, the change hard enough that the pilot's body had taken an awkward step forward, choking on Kimble's cry of protest.
Remy looked at the Siskan uncertainly and asked, "I t'ought you weren't comin'?"
Zander just grinned his wicked, toothy smile, confirming what Remy had already guessed, arrogant as he replied, "Kimble wuzn't but I am. I wouldn't miss it."
Remy raised his hands, blocking the way down. "Look, dere ain't no need fo' you, Zandy. De fightin's all done, comprenez? Dis a follow up, nuthin' more."
Zander just chuckled his deep gravelly laugh. "Then whatcha all scairt of? I won't embarrass you or nuthin'." He walked by the thief, rudely brushing him with his shoulder as he passed, daring him to fight this.
Remy did. He grabbed that shoulder and turned Zander around, not being gentle about it. "I said, dere wasn't no need fo' you. You best be lettin' go of m' Kimble. Now, sil vous plait!"
Zander squinted, testing the shine of the man in front of him. He wasn't exactly arguing when he proposed, "Kim's got the ship, I gits the field anatimes yer in it. How's about that?"
"Don t'ink Kim's gonna go along wit dat, cher," Remy replied, sticking up for his friend and teammate. His fear was the same as Kimble's - that Zander might like being out so much that one day he would never let Kimble return. " 'E didn't give you permission just now."
Zander sighed. "Look, I promise ta listens ta whatcha says and I'll lets Kim comes back when we's done, no arguments. I gotcher back, Rems. That's it and nuthin' more."
Remy hesitated, actually considering this for a moment. It wasn't as though Zander hadn't proved useful the last time out and he hadn't done anything reckless. The thief's fleeting indecision was enough that Zander nodded at him in thanks and kept moving. Gambit hadn't actually agreed yet and his anger spiked. He snatched at the pilot once more and Zander let him. "I didn't say yes, cher."
"Yes ya did," Zander argued, keeping his voice even in an attempt not to antagonize his boss any further. His low deep growl was perfectly serious as he said, "You knows I kin be of use out there, ya just don' trusts me none. I cain't build that trust if ya don't ever use me."
Remy cursed softly under his breath, being given an argument he couldn't refuse. Kimble would just have to forgive. "You screw dis up and it's de end, eh? One chance."
Zander nodded once in agreement, making it more of a bow, indicating his submission. He wasn't teasing as he repeated, "One chance, aye, Capt'n."
"D'accorde, let's go," Remy ordered and they went down the ramp together.
Logan watched from a distance as Remy worked his Siskan, chewing on what he was seeing. He didn't see the shines but he could recognize the difference between Kimble and Zander just by the change of body language alone. It made him think back on what Karen had said about the Siskans being alive and real, if not exactly human. If that were true, then Kimble wasn't just one person, he was actually two, or at least two at the moment. There was a scary thought. One of Kimble was enough trouble, never mind adding Zander into the mix.
Aiden had paused, watching this as well, and Logan took a moment to read him, too. The Dreamer didn't know he was being watched so there was no reason for falsehood as Logan took in the complicated expressions crossing that face – concern, dismay, cautious approval when Remy let Zander stay. For a machine, his range of emotions was not just a simplistic one or two.
Logan snorted and shook his head to clear it, he wasn't here to examine these strange beings, he was here to work. He wouldn't let them interfere with this mission the way they had so willfully disturbed Remy in just such a short time. They were not in charge here and they had best stay out of his way.
Logan didn't wait for Remy and Zander to catch up, he herded the group along to where Fury was waiting. They were a few minutes late and the head of SHIELD already looked impatient. "Better late than never," Nick Fury grumbled light heartedly. He was annoyed, yes, but happy to be going back to Twilight. There was so much forensic work there to be done. Clues needed to be found, evidence collected, bodies recovered.
Fury looked over the group, noting the void in the middle where someone who was obviously cloaked had to be walking. He asked the question anyhow, "You bring your doorkey?"
"Yeah, he's here. Remy and me'll stay with you there a coupla hours. If we find any loose kids runnin' around we'll fly them home. The rest of the X-men will stay with you on the island with the doorkey. We'll set up two base camps – one fer yer guys and one fer us. We'll maintain radio contact, that way we won't be trippin' under yer feet. Anytime you need to come back home, he'll open the door for you and your men. Remy and I will fly back here tomorrow and pick up our crew. That should be good enough for you to get a lot of work done with the time difference. One day here is two days there, understand? You need to stay longer we can renegotiate then. How's that sound?"
Logan was being polite but his words also carried an unspoken threat – if Fury was as familiar with the Gold Team's powers, he would know better than to mess with them. This plan had already been discussed before they had left the Complex. There was no way Simone was going to be taken by Fury's people, no matter how badly they wanted him. Just to be sure, Logan wasn't going to leave things the least bit vague. He smiled at Fury without humor and said, "And so we're clear – you try anything with my guy and we'll be stranding yer ass over there fer good."
"I get it. There won't be any trouble," Fury agreed and turned towards where his men were assembled, gesturing for Logan to follow, which he did. He had no intentions of trying to steal Xavier's doorkey, at least not yet. But should the opportunity arise... well, he might just take it. "And your favor?"
"It can wait until we cross over."
Fury nodded, knowing this game. Once he was there he would be so eager to explore that Logan likely figured he would be happy to grant any wish short of setting Frost himself free. It was probably true, though Fury was still cautious. He had no clue what it was Logan wanted, something that made him uneasy. "All right."
Fury signaled his forensic crew and wasn't disappointed when he saw the door to Twilight wisp into view. Because he had already passed through once before, he saw this door right away on his own. He guided his crew through and then they were there, back in the strange offworld gloom that was Twilight. It was brighter than the last time, indicating it was what passed for daylight here. Again the air was fresh and sweet, smelling of fresh foliage and Honey.
The door had opened out on to the flower field and Leroy was already there, amongst his precious Yum Yums, waiting for them. "Welcome, visitors," the goat man greeted warmly, taking off his hat with a shallow bow. His injuries were almost healed, showing that again, the time passed far more quickly here than back home. "Welcome back."
"I'm sorry to disturb you again," Fury said to be polite. It was a bit odd, speaking to Leroy. Leroy was less than half his height and it was like speaking to a child.
"You need to do your investigations," Leroy replied, replacing his hat back on his head. Simone had warned him in advance that they would be coming and that they needed to look around the town. "You are welcome here."
"Thanks," Fury said to that. He turned to his men and directed them towards the town, letting them get a head start. He would catch up with them in a few minutes. Like the X-men who were staying, they had brought along a lot of equipment, including camping gear. Logan watched as they carried it along the dirt road, the lot of them huffing a bit as they worked. It made Logan wonder just how they were planning to bring it all back to SHIELD headquarters plus what they had collected as well. They might need another big truck back at the warehouse, he mused to himself with an internal laugh. At least that wasn't his problem.
Once Fury's men had departed, Scott said to him, "The rest of us would like to begin searching the woods and look for any kids that might still be out there running around. The sooner we do that the sooner we can get them home. Plus we'll need to set up our own base camp."
Leroy was quick to offer, "You may stay at my house if you like."
"Will there be enough room for all of us?" Scott asked. They would be a fairly large group. The only ones going back home were Logan and Remy's team.
"Not in the house, of course, but you may camp right outside. There will be plenty of room there. It is not far from the town and the flower field."
"Then we accept."
Logan nodded, wanting to get this rolling now that the housing arrangements for his teammates were finalized. "Fury and me'll be going to the town. Just keep in touch if you need anything before me and Remy leave, and watch for traps out in the woods."
"Will do," Scott replied. He looked at his team and said, "Rogue, you and the doorkey stay with Leroy and set up camp at his house. The rest of us will start searching the woods. That means you and your guys, Gambit. You aren't leaving for a couple of hours so you may as well help out. You go east, we'll take the west for starters. Keep your radios on."
"Bien," Remy agreed with a nod and left for the woods, bringing his Siskans along.
Scott left in the opposite direction with his own group. If there was anyone left on the island, they would hopefully be spotted by the group's flyers, or picked up mentally by Jean, the telepath.
"Come along now, fellas," Rogue said to Simone and Leroy. "We got us some work to do." She had packed bags for both her and Simone, plus all the other baggage the others had brought along. It wasn't a big deal - with Rogue's enhanced strength and ability to fly, she would make short work of the supplies. She waved her radio at Fury. "Keep in touch, we won't be far."
Fury nodded and he and Logan left her to it. The men headed towards the town, following behind Fury's men who were still humping all the heavy gear along. They hadn't gone that far ahead with all that equipment. Fury glanced at Logan as they strolled. "So what do you want from me?"
Wolverine took a long breath and cautiously answered, "Julie One Hand."
"I don't have him."
"I know you don't."
Fury squinted sharply at him, hearing the unspoken message in that reply. Fury didn't like that he had been lied to about the boy's whereabouts, even if it was by omission. It wasn't that he hadn't already suspected it, there were only so many places a kid like that could hide, but he should have been told about this from the beginning.
"I see. He is a material witness. I can't let you keep him."
"We didn't know it until we got here, but he belongs to one of us."
"And which one of you would that be?" Fury asked though he was already making a list of potential candidates, placing one in particular right at the top. He hadn't forgotten about the Polaroid Remy had pulled from the pile of debris just a few short days ago.
"That's classified."
Fury just grinned irritably. "I can detain you for obstruction of justice."
"You can try. You won't succeed, not with us bringing you along here for your work. We've been taping his deposition. You can have copies of those."
"Not good enough."
Logan continued as though he hadn't heard. "Plus you can have Frost's diary."
"We'll find it on our own."
"Not quickly and it's encrypted. The kid gave us the code."
Fury chewed on that for a bit. "I'm not entirely comfortable with this. I don't see how we won't be able to scrounge up enough on Frost on our own to keep him from being executed. Julie One Hand should be right there with him getting the needle from what I've gathered from Frost's men. At the very least he should be locked up for life."
Logan sighed and tried to explain. "The kid got messed with. He's barely legal and Frost had him for a long time. He's a kidnap victim, a head case. Been brainwashed by Frost. I don't know that you'll get a court to hold him on the same level, especially if the kid cooperates and gives you anything you want."
"I want to see him for myself."
Logan shook his head. "We'll get you the diary and the code and then we'll talk again, how's that?"
"All right. Let's see how good that information was."
They had made the short walk to the town now and Wolverine opened up the map that he'd had Julien make up for him. All the buildings were labeled and they found Frost's personal cabin easily. Sure enough, the book was right where Julien had said it would be under the floorboards and true to his word, the book was written in code. Logan handed Fury a paper with Julien's awkward scrawl on it. "Here's the code."
Fury took the journal to the desk and using the paper Logan had given him, found the text easy enough to follow. It was true that he probably would have found this on his own, and could even have broken the code with the many experts that he had on his payroll but this had just saved him a ton of time. Still, he looked at Logan and said, "This boy can't be allowed to run free. I want to see him for myself."
"He's not free. He's under house arrest while we depose him and probably for a long while after that, too. We'll send you the tapes as we make them."
"How do I know you're not coercing his testimony, you got plenty of head guys in your house. I want one of my guys there."
"Because we're just not that stupid, Nick. This is too important. We want the same things – Frost gone, his network shut down, and this place cleaned up. The kid isn't going to give you anything with a SHIELD guy standing there threatening him with the death penalty. Let us take care of it."
Fury nodded but he wasn't relaxed. "You're probably right but I don't like how much I am at your mercy here. I want those tapes and I want access to your doorkey anytime I need it. No questions."
"We shut this place down, there won't be a need for you to come back here."
"And if anyone comes through that we don't want? You still haven't told me how Leroy got here."
"That's because he hasn't had a chance to tell us that himself. But as far as this place goes, we'll be keeping watch, don't you fret about that. Chances are, if anything came through you'd need us to take care of it anyhow. Some things just can't be fixed with a gun."
"That's not the least bit encouraging," Fury complained, unhappy with the thought of a possible alien invasion. Bad enough they had outer space to watch, now there was an inner threat. "I'd rather try to find a way to keep these doors closed permanently."
"So would I but I wouldn't have one clue how that could be done. In the meantime, we'll just have deal with these doors as problems arise," Logan said dismissively. "If they ever happen. Meanwhile I am curious what your plans are for Frost if you don't mind my asking."
"That sick fuck's got a nice comfy cell, just comfy enough to tide him over until he gets a one way ticket to the next world. I plan to run this through as fast as I can. I figure a few good shots of that graveyard there will seal the deal, no problem."
Logan nodded. "Then I'll leave you and yer guys to it. You need any other help you let us know. I'm gonna go by Leroy's place. See how Rogue's making out with that camp."
Wolverine didn't wait for a reply and there wasn't one, Fury had returned greedily to Frost's journal, eager for clues. He left the cabin and as he had said, hit the trees and made for made for Leroy's house.
(break)
Remy trudged through the trees, his feet getting heavy with every step. Aiden's Morrowhiem treatment was only a band-aid fix and it was wearing off quickly with all the exercise. His breathing was getting tight and his bruised ribs were now a hard solid ache in his left side. It didn't help that it was warm here and humid, the air so heavy with the scent of Honey even this far from the flowers.
His team had started out on the paths, but decided to take some short cuts through the trees. If there were kids out here, they wouldn't be hiding in plain sight.
Zander was leading the pack, sometimes walking briskly, sometimes floating up a bit above the trees for a clearer view ahead, but at all times he was keeping a protective shield out in front in case of traps. They had found a couple as they had traveled, but once they were spotted were easy enough for Zander to disarm telekinetically. Remy's team stayed in the trees, but were also curbing around the edges of a small pond they had found, looking to see if there were any signs of anyone coming here for water.
"Zandair," Aiden called out before the pilot could get too far ahead. "We take a leetle break, eh?"
Zander complied and halted, watching as Remy walked over to a pile of fallen trees that had been stacked nearby. They were piled quite high, almost like a fence, perfect for a nice place to rest without sitting down. It was just as well, Remy didn't know if he could make it back to his feet if he had dared to sit. He looked a bit pale and strained.
Zander, not being one for much compassion, sniffed at him impatiently and gruffly asked, "You all right?"
"Oui, just need to catch m' breath."
"I could treat you again," Aiden offered.
Remy shook his head, not wanting to be babied. "Mother hens, de bot' of you. M' fine. I just need a minute, dat's all."
"Well then, what am I suppozta do while yer all lollygaggin' around?" Zander complained. He was teasing, but couldn't hide his twitchy edginess. Zander had never been good at just standing around and they hadn't found anything or anyone out here for all of their looking. He liked to do and they hadn't done squat so far.
Remy waved a hand with playful impatience, laughing a bit as he suggested, "Jus' make yo'self useful and fly around. Mebbe you see if anyone runnin' around, lookin' fo' a fight, neh?"
Zander chuckled at that, amused, but ever the fearsome warrior, his eyes were still hard. Joking or not, he couldn't just stand around so he did as directed, jumping into the air and lazily skimming over the water some. He wasn't even looking at the trees, he amused himself instead by reaching down with his hand to trail his fingers in the wet, liking the wakes he was making. He looked so calm and peaceful as he did it, Remy couldn't help but wonder if it was him or Kimble who had really desired to do this. It was such a passive activity.
Aiden snorted a bit next to Remy. "Show off."
Remy just smiled. "You sound a little jealous, cher."
"It would be nicze to fly. It look like fun."
They stood for a moment in companionable silence, watching Zander flit about, before Remy finally asked a question he had been meaning to ask for a long time now. Looking at Zander flying around out there had reminded him of it, of how these Siskans were all so broken and complicated. "You still see yo' ghosts, mon ami? You never talk about dem so much anymore."
"You mean Fad'er and Talalanay?"
"Oui, dem."
Aiden was thoughtful as he slowly answered, "Non. Not szincze zat day Jael come. When Anjel give 'erszlef to me."
Remy blinked on a flicker of grief. Angel was Kimble's adopted daughter, his Angel as much as Smee was Asher's. She had been just as close to Remy as she had been to Kimble and the thief still felt the loss. She had been killed in the fighting of the Game and some sort of energy transfer had happened between her dying body and Aiden's, a subject they had been dodging for a while now. Funny, Remy hadn't considered Aiden's perspective in this, that he might think she had given herself to him rather than to say she had been murdered and her energy absorbed by Aiden before it could be stolen by Jael. It implied she might have known it was coming, something that gave the thief pause. Whatever the case, Aiden had been briefly tested afterwards by Henry, just long enough to know that his energy signature had been altered, but no other changes had been discussed. Aiden was not a chatty guy when it came to himself.
"Is dat good or bad?" Remy asked, hoping that maybe Aiden would open up to him.
Aiden sighed and rubbed his cheek against his own arm as if comforting himself. "I missz zem szometimesz, when I 'ave to figure szomet'ing out, me. Szomet'imesz zey were 'elpful. Szomet'imesz non."
"You know you can talk to me anytime you got a need to," Remy found himself saying without hesitation. It was always like this with them, his boys. They were like his children, he would do anything for them, just as he knew they would do anything for him. Unlike Logan, he saw them as real and alive without question. He knew just how much they could feel, he saw it in their shines every day.
Aiden laughed softly and nodded his head, "Aiden knowsz."
They both watched Zander's little areal dance but then Aiden grunted when he saw the pilot abruptly halt and float in one place, looking deeply into the water. Something had gotten the Siskan's attention – his shine had changed dramatically, becoming Kimble's once more. It seemed turn about was fair play here, Kimble had wanted out and had done so by force. What the real question was, of course, was what had compelled Kimble to come out in the first place?
Kimble smiled broadly and spoke something they couldn't quite hear, something playful and teasing judging by his merry shine. He reached down into the water and much to the surprise of the pair, actually pulled out someone's hand from the pond. A head followed and just like that there was a young girl out there with him.
Aiden chuckled softly, shaking his head a little bit. "Keemble szure 'ave a way wit ze ladiesz, non?"
Remy laughed at Aiden's joke. He stood a bit straighter and walked to the water's edge. He called out, "Who you got dere, Kimble? You find yo'self a lil' ole mermaid?"
The girl turned to look at him and smiled, her body flowing easily with the water as though she was a part of it. Her shine was sparkly bright with happiness and Remy had an idea that that was what had given her away to the observant pilot. Kimble tugged on her hand and gently towed the girl towards shore until the water was shallow enough for her to find her feet, laughing all the while at this fun little game. If Kimble was angry about being booted out by Zander earlier, he was at least happy to be out now.
"You're X-men, right?" the girl asked, sloshing a bit as she came out onto the dry land. She was naked and didn't seem the least bit shy about it. Her hair was long and dark from the water, her skin a sparkling white. She looked very young, fourteen at best. "I saw the emblem on Kimble's jacket."
"Dat's right," Remy answered, automatically removing his long coat for her to take.
She saw him hand it over and blushed instantly. "Oh, sorry. I've been in the water a long time. This means I've been rescued, right?"
"Indeed," Aiden answered, giving her a polite bow. "It wasz our pleaszure."
The girl dressed in Gambit's long coat, an awkward exercise. She was tiny and so was swimming in it, the leather down to her ankles and her hands barely poking out from the sleeves. She thought it was funny and kept laughing, something that made Gambit smile. He needed the levity and wasn't complaining.
"You all alone out here, petite?" he asked, looking to the trees.
"I don't think so," she answered. "I thought I had seen a couple more of us, but that was a little while ago. I didn't go with them, it's safer here for me in the water. I heard there were dangerous traps in the trees. They didn't put any in the water."
"You got a name?"
"Tilda Matthews."
"Well, Tilda. Look like today yo' lucky day. You get a free ride home if you want it." He adjusted his jacket on her as best he could, happy to see that she looked untouched. "Did dose men 'urt you?"
"They never had a chance. When I woke up after they had kidnapped me I was on a boat heading out to this island. All I did was drop over the side and that was that. I swam around a bit but unfortunately there was nowhere else to go. I didn't want to go out of sight of the island in case I never made it back. I followed a small stream of water from the outside of the island to this pool and just kinda camped out. I didn't mind, the water is calmer here."
"What did you do for food?" Aiden wanted to know.
"Oh, when I am in water form, I don't need to eat regular food. As long as I am in real living water, you know, not distilled or a swimming pool, the water feeds me."
Remy smiled with a short laugh. "Dat's handy."
Aiden tapped Remy's shoulder. "Mebbe would should tell ze oders we find disz girl, eh? Zey could come lookin' disz way more for de oder kids."
Remy nodded and used his radio. Scott was quick to pick up and pass on his own good news. They had found a small group of stragglers themselves and he was suggesting that they all meet up at Leroy's right away. It would be best if they got these kids home right away. They could always come back if more kids were spotted later. Remy was quick to agree to that, he was ready to go home and get some more rest.
They headed back that way, Remy inwardly pleased to see that Kimble remained in place. The pilot was chatting away with their precious find, telling Tilda age appropriate jokes to keep her at ease. Just like he had with Julien when the need arose, Kimble had come forth and offered himself freely in friendship. He was relaxed and comfortable and Gambit could only hope that it would cement into Kimble's mind that he was of value out here, in spite of his fears.