The mutant thief Gambit sits and waits. A lot of his stories begin this way. Him, alone and a mark waiting to be made.
Tonight it's a jewelry store and tomorrow it's a fence.
He's back in his element and doing what he does best.
Superheroing is good fun but sometimes he needs to get back down to his roots and come at life from an angle he knows a little better.
The shop is supposed to have good security. It's not state of the art but it's good and he's spent a few days scoping the place out, getting his head on straight and figuring out how to get around the locks and alarms.
He's even bought a necklace he thinks rogue will like as an excuse to poke his nose in the door. Imagine her surprised when he shows the receipt! She'll be shocked.
The idea makes him grin and he lowers his head in the night time, hiding his smile as he leaps down from the roof top and and onto the flat roof of the jewelry store.
There's an access panel there between the slate tiles and he peels it back, finding it without an alarm. A stupid oversight, really. From below and above. People need to watch their necks and their asses.
He slips inside and finds the top floor is mostly storage. Boxes and filing cabinets full of old papers and dates.
He bypasses these and finds the store's offices. They're dark and empty and the chairs look gray in the night time light.
He tip toes past a window and stops and sees the street below, black tree branches across the street and sleeping cars under them. No one else is out.
This job came at the suggestion of a friend. Someone with small time connections to the Guild and at first he'd thought it too easy but now he's having a better time of it.
There's something special about being in a place you're not supposed to be. Especially after dark.
He leaves the window and the sleeping cars.
The store is supposed to have a nice collection of diamonds on display and really, if they want to stay in the big leagues they're going to have to secure the roof.
He'd gone and seen the collection and gotten an appraisal and after a time the diamonds had started to linger in his mind.
They'd been part of a looted ship's confiscated belongings from the 1700s. A fantastic story that just worked it's way into his mind until he'd wanted to get in on the action.
Twice looted made for an even better story.
The office level is not alarmed either but he finds a pin pad by the stairs that he's able to use to dismantle the floor below and once that's done he creeps down to see what he can pilfer.
Rule number one his father had taught him was don't take more risks than you can afford.
Remy hasn't always managed that but he creeps silently now into a dimly light but open shop with glass display cases scattered throughout. Risk is part of the fun.
There's track lighting along the walls but it's turned down low and now it helps him stick to the shadows and find his way towards the main display case.
This one is bigger than the others.
He'd seen it in person and he'd seen it in a magazine.
He creeps closer and see's the diamonds inside, set into a heavy gold chain and glittering faintly in the light.
He licks his lips, ready.
He knew what kind of security the place had. State of the art most of it but here. .. now that the main alarm system had been deactivated they were still relying on the old ways. . . glass and locks.
It's almost nice to get out a pick set and start working on the lock. It's old fashioned and he has it open in less than a second.
The diamonds are bright, even in the darkness and he takes a last moment to admire them in their case before lifting them out and slipping them into his pocket.
Twice looted.
Pirates and thieves.
He smirks but a second later there's a red light flashing and he knows he missed something.
His mind works furiously as he struggles to find what he missed.
There's no alarm but the light keeps flashing and in an instant he's on his way towards the stairs, sprinting up them and through the offices to the roof access door.
He doesn't make it.
The air turns heavy and before he can cover his mouth it's effecting him.
How and where from though?
He struggles, feeling foolish and somehow inexperienced.
The diamonds in their gold chain are heavy in his pockets as his knees go out and he tastes carpet.
The room is spinning, office chairs and plastic ferns on shelves start to dance.
A light goes on suddenly but it's too late and he's out.
He wakes up some time later and see's the same carpet.
Fuck.
His head is aching and his mouth is dry.
The carpet comes into focus and he sees a pair of shoes and then a pair of legs.
A hand fists into his hair and lifts his head for a moment before dropping it and the shoes leave his line of sight.
Slowly he lifts his own head and see's a face he doesn't recognize. The man has glasses and a brown suit on.
The man is watching him but behind him he see's a face he does know.
It's the guy who told him about the diamonds in the first place and he's watching with an uncomfortable expression.
Remy follows him with his eyes for a second before refocusing on the man in the brown suit.
"So. . . I'm guessing I've been set up?" He asks, voice thick and slurred.
The man in the suit moves sharply. "And easily so." He say's.
Remy tests the strength of his bonds but he's tied up with rope and even though he has a small knife up his sleeve he can't do anything about it right now.
They'd be on him before he cut through the ropes.
"So what's this about, huh?" He asks. "I take it we ain't gonna let the police in?"
The man in the brown suit frowns at him, he has a sharp, expensive looking hair cut. "We're not." He say's and a second later there's a flip phone in his face. "We're trying to get ahold of your father."
He looks back at his friend in the doorway. Nathan Fulkner is a small time crook who's heard of the Thieves Guild. He's been hanging around and asking Remy questions for a few months but he'd considered Nathan rather small and harmless. The guy took small time jobs and threw larger ones his way.
Right now Nathan is looking at the carpet.
He raises his eyebrows at the man. "Et tu, Nathan?" He asks.
Nathan shuffles and won't meet his eyes.
"Don't talk to him. You talk to me." The man in the brown suit say's, tapping his cheek with the phone. "Your people stole something quite valuable from me and I want it back. Get your father on the phone now or I'm gonna start making it hurt."
Remy weighs his options.
He can get out of this, he's sure of it. There are only two of them and he's a mutant. He has the advantage here.
He can feel when he moves his leg that he's been relieved of his diamonds.
Damn.
He isn't surprised though and he clears his throat. "Can't dial anyone like this." He say's.
The man in the brown suit frowns and opens the phone. "Give me a number to call." He say's.
Remy pauses again, feeling arrogant and sure of himself.
He could of course give the man his father's home phone directly but then it's late and Jean-Luc might have already gone to bed.
Then again his father is a thief and he doesn't keep regular hours.
He gives them the number and the man types it in and waits.
Remy listens closely and can only just make out the sound of someone picking up.
It's small and faint in the dimly light office.
"Mr. Lebeau, this is Vince Moran in New Jersey. That name sound familiar to you?"
Remy slides the little knife down his sleeve and begins working on the ropes tying him to the chair.
"Hm. Imagine that. Your people relieved me of some very valuable items a few months ago. I'd like them back." A pause. "Well that's too bad because I've got someone here that say's you can get them back."
The phone is shoved back into his face and Remy hears breathing on the other end.
"Who's been telling you that?"
It's his father and he almost laughs because this guy is in over his head if he thinks he can bully the Thieves Guild of New Orleans like this.
"It's me pop." He say's.
"Remy? What are you doing?"
"Well not talking like he say's."
"You alright?"
Remy glances up at the man in the brown suit and then at poor Nathan who's still hanging out in the doorway, eyes perpetually glued to the carpet. "Yeah, I'm alright. Bit tied up but that's nothing new."
"Can you get out?"
He fights the smirk that hits his face when the ropes around his wrist start to fray. "Yeah, should be no trouble."
The phone is pulled back sharply but he keeps sawing with his tiny knife.
Seconds flicking by with each thread cut.
"You want your son back then I get my paintings back." The man in brown say's.
He can't hear his father but he knows the man isn't getting his paintings back.
The man's lips curl into a snarl. "I'm serious here. I'll throw him in the river if I have to."
The ropes slip away from his wrists but he holds onto them and doesn't let them touch the ground.
The man is growing angry and Nathan is frowning and staring at the carpet.
He waits a second longer and then throws the frayed bits of rope at them both, sending the largest chunk flying at the man in brown.
They blow up in his face and he hears Nathan yelp and jump back.
The phone hits the carpet and he's out of the chair, sending it flying backwards as he kicks out at the man in the suit and winks at Nathan.
He's been betrayed by a fair few people in his life.
This isn't new but damn it if he hadn't expected it from Nathan Fulkner.
"I'd get out of here if I was you." He say's, knowing Nathan is too pathetic to go after. If he see's him again he might have words for him but if he doesn't it isn't much of a loss.
Nathan squeaks and turns on his heel and runs.
"You get back here!" The man in the brown suit roars at him. "I'm not done with you! You owe me money!"
So that's it.
Remy fishes a card out of his coat and tosses it at the man who's red face is clashing with his suit nicely.
The man shouts but is knocked backwards as a desk cracks in two and a plastic fern topples over.
"Thieves Guilt ain't much for making returns." He say's. "An' mon pere isn't going to start now."
He's been trained to get out of situations like this.
He could pick locks before he could read.
If he failed he'd only be letting Jean-Luc down and so he lets a whole hand fly, cards bursting in the air in shocks of energy and light.
The man in the suit curses and fishes inside his jacket for something.
Remy see's the butt of a gun and drives his foot into the man's gut. "Not so fast." He say's.
He might not have as much to do with the Guild these days, especially with the X-Men taking up so much of his time but he's got some loyalty still and this crossed some lines.
He drives the man to the floor and stands over him, bo staff retrieved as he kicks the gun away and holds the staff out menacingly. "Sorry about your paintings but I don' think they had too much to do with me. Probably should try a different approach next time." He say's.
The man hisses from the ground, the plastic fern resting sideways next to his head. "You fucking freak."
Remy raises his eyebrows.
He's heard that one before.
"Fulkner didn't say anything about you being a mutant."
He snorts. Maybe Fulkner wasn't such a bad guy after all. "Yeah well, he's a bit dim." He say's. "But your business with de Guild don' have nothing to do with me. You come after me again and I'll blow up more than a few desks. You hear?"
The man bites his lip until Remy think's it's going to bleed and then nods.
He gives it a second longer before bending down and picking up the gun.
No sense getting shot in the back on his way out.
He glances at the man's coat pocket and see's it's lumpy and heavy and so he shrugs to himself and checks it out.
"Hm." He say's, finding the diamonds. "For my trouble."
The man pounds a fist against the carpet but the staff is in his face again, just to make the situation clear and then Remy is away and on the roof, back the way he's come.
He skips roof tops for a while until he's put some distance between him and the man in the brown suit.
He stops and lights up, taking a moment to let the wind lift his hair.
Fuck that had been messy.
He shakes his head and sighs.
A set up but at least he's come out on top.
He puts his hand in his coat and feels the weight of the diamonds resting there.
He pulls out his own phone and dials his father's number.
"You still up?" He asks when the man answers.
"Of course Remy, you think I can sleep knowing my son is in danger?"
He grins a little. "With my life you'd be awake twenty-four-seven." He say's.
His father laughs. "It's different when it's Guild business." He say's. "Then it's my business."
He's right and Remy let's the thought warm him just a little.
"You got out okay?" His father asks.
"No trouble. Might head back to Westchester for a bit. Let this settle down. Got some diamonds you might like. Stolen by pirates and now by me."
"Twice looted." His father say's and he thinks briefly of the legends of Jean LaFitte he'd grown up hearing.
Pirates and sunken treasure.
"You know who set you up?"
"Guy named Nathan Fulkner. Small time. I think he owed the other guy money. He owes a lot of people money."
"Hm. We'll keep an eye on both of them, then.."
He nods and it's good to hear his father's voice.
The stars peak through over head and he looks down into the streets before hanging up and heading home.
He'll go back to the mansion in a day or two, send the diamonds to New Orleans and call it a finished for a while.
He misses Rogue and he misses the action and the diamonds in his pocket are a good fix until the next time he needs to feel the earth between his toes. He think's that when that next time comes he'll be a little more careful who he get's a job from though.
Just a little more careful at least. . . hopefully.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!