Taken : An Illustrated X-men fanfic by Squeekness.

[squeekness]

Howdy, I've been writing an X-men fanfiction for some time now and thought I would mention it here in case anyone wanted to take a peek at it. It's too big to post in its entirety but I thought I would put a small piece of it here and a link to the rest. It is rated M so no really young kids please. :)
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Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men though I do so love toying with them.
Summary : Gambit, Beast and Wolverine get abducted by off-world slavers and make some new friends along the way. Part one of a long series.
Notes : This story contains a number of OCs(other characters). No, wait, before you run away screaming – there are X-men in it, but the story is mainly about Kimble, a sentient, living hologram who finds himself among the X-men. This story is his impact on their lives (mostly Gambit’s) as he tries to find his place in their world. Bah, you say! Who needs OCs (other characters) anyway! Well, take into consideration that technically any new X-men after Giant Sized #1 could be considered an OC, they are not part of the original team after all. That would include some big names – Kitty Pryde, Gambit, Cable, Bishop, Maggot, Marrow, Psyclocke, all the Gen M kids. Are you getting the idea now? Yes, this story has a few OCs, but I’m asking you to let them pass or fail on their own merits, not because they are not original X-men.

Rated M for language and non-explicit sexual situations. (Sorry, it ain't that kind of story). AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories, nothing drastic so please forgive. I wrote this for a friend who didn't read the comics so there is a bit of back history and explanation on who everyone is and what their powers are. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children. LOL.

I did more than just write this story, I illustrated it and now, my good friend Deina has built a webpage for me so you guys can have a peek at the art if you like. The link is: http//home.comcast.net/~squeeker1/index.html or go to my profile and click on the homepage link.


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(One)

The music was terrible and loud.

Logan hated discos, the obnoxious thumping music was hard on his sensitive ears. He wasn't a normal man, he was a mutant which meant he was born different than the other humans in this room. In his case, he was gifted with an animal keen sense of hearing, sight and smell. Most of the time these traits were considered an asset, but right now all they were doing was making him miserable. Places like this were an assault on his ears he was forced to bear as part of his job. He'd been dragged along by two of his teammates to this night club because his enhanced senses made him an excellent tracker and spy.

He was leaning comfortably against the back wall, trying not to look too conspicuous. He was dressed in tight fitting blue jeans, a black T shirt, and cowboy boots. He was better suited for a biker bar than this place and Remy had to pay extra to get him in. Logan snickered at the thought. Anything that was inconvenient for Remy was just fine with him. He had his light black leather jacket slung casually over one shoulder and drank beer from an open bottle while he scanned the crowd.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/001wolverine.jpg

The club wasn't particularly small, but it was packed with young people. You had to push and shove your way through to get around. Logan's compensation for the noise came in the form of eye candy, there were lots of beautiful women here. Some of them had to brush past him to get by. He'd just grin and raise a hairy eyebrow at them as they wiggled by in tight dresses and skirts.

"Excuse me!" they'd giggle.

"No problem, ma'am," he'd growl softly in his gravelly voice, and tip his hat at them.

Logan didn't get asked to dance. As soon as the women would get a close look at him, they'd shy away. He was a rough character and it showed in his face. His black hair was brushed back straight over his head and unruly. Today he'd jammed a cowboy hat over it. His cheeks were buried under long black muttonchops, out of style for this day and age, but he could've cared less. He had always looked this way for as long as he could remember and wasn't one for change. He'd shaved this morning so the rest of his face was neat, but that was not the usual case for him. His personal appearance had never been an issue for him and he could care less what anyone thought.

His eyes were small and squinty, yet saw everything in the room. They were framed in laugh lines, but they came more from growling than laughing. He was not known for a kind and gentle disposition, was often grumpy and ill tempered. He was a short man, just over five feet tall, heavily muscled and compact for his size. His bare arms were large and hairy, as was most of his body. He gave off an air of arrogance and danger. He was a loner by nature and avoided crowds. He wasn't here for pleasure, he was working.

Logan belonged to an undercover group of mutant humans called the X-men. Their leader was a crippled professor named Charles Xavier, hence the name X-men. Charles Xavier was reportedly one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet and used his team to fight for peace on this world. All of their members were mutants and gifted with a variety of talents. Logan had his animal senses plus a healing factor in his body that allowed him to heal rapidly from almost any wound or injury. It was the world's greatest equalizer and the source of his fearlessness and arrogance.

It also made his age impossible to determine. He looked to be about forty or so but was probably much older than that. He suffered from a fragmented memory and didn't even know himself how old he was or where he'd been born. He'd spent a great deal of time up in the Canadian Rockies and so considered himself to be Canadian more than American even though he was living in the States now. What he did know and recall was a lifetime's worth of military training. His mutations made him well suited for such work and he had found himself working for various secret agencies within the Canadian and American governments over the past years. He was an efficient killer when the situation called for it. He was the guy you wanted covering your back because he'd always be there. He was dependable and fiercely loyal to the X-men, they were his adopted family and he would die to protect them. He was also unfortunately cursed with a wicked temper and a cruel mouth. His codename, Wolverine, was well deserved.

"You see anyt'ing yet, mon ami?"

[squeekness]

A little more..
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Logan looked up, the smooth Cajun drawl had come from somewhere to his right. As if by magic, a tall slender man melted out of the crowd and came lean against the wall next to him. The new arrival ran a hand through his thick auburn bangs and checked out the women dancing close by. His hair was a bit long and unruly at times, he had it up in a neat ponytail to keep it from his eyes. Even though it was dark inside the club, he wore an obnoxious pair of cheap sun glasses with mirrored lenses. He was chewing gum and popped it loudly, only one of his many annoying habits.

"Nuthin' yet, Gumbo," Logan growled irritably, using his pet name for his Cajun teammate. "This place'll be no better than the last. This is a f***in' waste of time." he complained with his usual tact.

"P'etetre, we do better at de next place," his friend said with a shrug. "I go find 'Enry, be right back, d'accorde?" He melted smoothly back into the crowd, sliding his glasses down slightly and smiling at a pretty girl as he went.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/002heybaby.jpg

Logan grunted a laugh at him and went back to perusing the crowd.

That handsome young devil was Remy LeBeau, codename Gambit. He was young, only about twenty three or so, overly handsome by some accounts, and a natural charmer. He had dressed in loose dress pants with a matching dark sweater. He carried his trademark leather duster trench coat folded over one arm. He was relaxed and comfortable here, everything Logan was not. He was at least a foot taller than Logan and towered over him. He was lean and lanky and had a catlike grace as he walked with casual ease through the crowd. His face was ruggedly handsome and the only thing that gave him away as a mutant were his eyes. They were an odd combination of a crimson iris on black, with no whites. He always wore the cheesy sun glasses whenever he went out in public to hide them. They could be creepy sometimes if you were unaware of how much of a clown and a scoundrel he really was.

Before he came to join the X-men, Remy had been a talented thief and a gambler. His reputation for being able to get into anywhere and steal anything had been well known before he arrived. One of their teammates had found him living fast and loose on the streets and asked him to join them, seeing his skills as valuable even before his mutant powers were even considered.

His mutant gift was the ability to charge small objects with bio-kinetic energy from his body and hurl them like bombs. His weapon of choice was a charged playing card tossed with a skill and accuracy rarely matched by others. He would toss these red glowing grenades to confuse or stun his prey. He would then dazzle them with his acrobatic prowess and skill at hand to hand combat. He was nimble and quick and difficult to catch, unlike Logan who was more of a bruiser and brawler.

Gambit claimed to be reformed as far as thieving went, but Logan knew better. It was more like nobody asked when he showed up with something new. When the Professor needed something "acquired" from a difficult or dangerous place, he asked for Remy, often using Logan as his back up. Not that Remy felt he needed it. He was confident of his fighting prowess and chose instead to spend most of his time trying to annoy Logan as much as possible. He was playful and easy going, delightfully ****y as he gleefully tormented his teammate, but he was not malicious by nature. Although often at odds, these two did work well together.

A couple of months ago, large groups of people began to disappear. There was no pattern to the happenings, except that it seemed to occur at dance clubs or bars where young people hung out. The last time it happened one of their friends, a mutant teleporter named Jacob, had vanished along with everyone else in the club. The X-men didn't believe mutants were specifically targeted, but they could be behind the disappearances.

At any given time, there were as many as six or seven warring factions of mutant humans fighting over control of their territories. Those territories could be a city or a country, sometimes even the whole planet. These groups would destroy buildings, kidnap people for ransom, and terrorize the world just to get their point across. Opposing them and no less dangerous were human government agencies and paramilitary rebels. The bickering was endless and disheartening. Somewhere in the middle was the X-men. Their goal was peace between all the mutant and human groups, something Logan doubted he would ever see. He'd been all over the world, to Ireland, Israel, and Yugoslavia. If the normal folks there couldn't resolve their differences amongst themselves, he failed to see how global acceptance of mutants would happen. Logan chose to stick it out with the X-men anyway because it was the only team he'd ever been on where he was completely accepted and welcomed as part of the family.

Logan was blinded by a sudden flash of light and felt a sickening lurch in his stomach. As he staggered back against the wall, he recognized the sensation and understood that he'd just been teleported to somewhere else. One of the drawbacks to being as old as he was and as experienced, was that sooner or later everything happened to you. He cursed with impatience. Sometimes it seemed like he couldn't catch a break.

He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes, but saw only a blur. He leaned forward unsteadily and groped out blindly with his hands, accidently colliding with the breasts of the woman who had been standing in front of him only seconds before all of this happened. It might have been funny in another time and place, but instead he jerked back in surprise and felt the whiff of air as she swung out at him in fright.

"Hey!" she complained.

"Sorry, darlin'. Can't see sh-t."

"F--k you, a--hole!" she said, giving him the ritual response.

He could smell her fear and didn't say anything more, she was panicked enough already.
Logan's enhanced senses told him a lot about his current circumstance even without the use of his eyes. He could smell all the people that had been around him right before this had happened. Wherever he was now, they had all been forced along. At least the loud terrible music was gone, it had come to a screeching halt the same time he'd been blinded. It let his ears go to work. He could now hear clearly the people around him talking to each other in a panic. No one knew what was going on and no one else could see either. Whatever this was had affected them all. He could tell by the way their frightened voices echoed back to him that they were in a large room with a high ceiling. The air was stale, recycled, and there was a humming vibration from the floor. That made him assume they were in a huge moving vehicle of some kind – but what was large enough to hold them all?

He turned around, trying to assess what else might be different. He could still feel the hardness of the wall behind him. He put his hands on it and realized he'd been mistaken. The painted cinder blocks that had been there before were gone, the wall had been replaced by a force field. He felt the red hot rage rise and he began to growl softly, pulling his lips back in an angry sneer. He naturally rebelled against any kind of confinement. He swallowed the urge to pop his claws and start hacking away.

Because of his healing factor, Logan had been forcibly taken by the Canadian government agency he'd been working for at the time and experimented on. They'd discovered he was a mutant and decided to exploit that for themselves. He was kidnapped and given no choice in the matter, it was simply done to him without his permission. His memories of the whole thing were foggy and confused, a result of the trauma of the ordeal, but the final outcome was that someone had bonded Adamantuim, an indestructible metal, to his bones. This made them impossible to break. He also gained six nine inch retractable switchblade like claws; three in each arm. Most of the time they were hidden safely in his forearms, but he could snap them out of the backs of his hands at will and had mastered the art of killing with them. The goal of the program had been to make him an unstoppable super soldier, the supreme assassin. It didn't quite work out as planned. He rebelled against them and escaped. The slaughter still haunted his nightmares to this day. His will was quite strong, Logan could not be caged or controlled by others for long.

Wolverine's growl grew in time with his rising frustration and he sensed the woman he'd accidently groped move away from him in terror. Normal humans don't sound this way, not ones who could be trusted. The people were all stumbling about into each other in confusion. Most of them still couldn't see or figure out what was happening. The smell of their fear was very strong, almost choking him with it's intensity. His sense of smell was curse as well as a gift.
He rubbed his eyes and blinked again. His vision cleared after a moment and he looked through the field. When he took a good look around, he knew instantly that he was in serious trouble.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

The force field was transparent, clear enough to see through though it gave everything a slight blue cast. It rippled slightly at his touch, but not enough to block his view. The room he was in was huge. The walls were made of grey metal and very high. Two levels of what looked like iron catwalks ran the circumference of the room, giving the strange soldiers who patrolled them a perfect view of the corralled humans. These soldiers weren't human, not even close. They looked like really tall lion people. They were large and their legs were bent like the hind legs of a cat. It didn't hamper their movements in any way, they were all heavily muscled and walked with an arrogance and strength that came from years of dominating others. Their uniforms were blue and made in the cavalry style, complete with heavy looking boots. The guns they carried were elaborate and nothing Wolverine had ever seen before.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/003catwalks.jpg

Once a long time ago, he had been incarcerated as part of some infiltration scheme. It had been like this, large men with guns patrolling the walks. He had been in danger then and he was in danger again now. There were a lot of these soldiers and he realized his team wasn't going to get out of this easily.

He and the people from the dance club were penned in by the force field, contained in the center of this huge room. Everything had come with them, the tables and chairs, even the bar itself. More of the lion soldiers moved about on the other side of the force field. Two of them came quite close to where Logan was standing. They were taller up close, probably seven or eight feet in height. Their uniforms were in good condition and so were their guns. He could smell gun oil, but not powder. These were energy weapons, possibly lasers or blasters. One soldier had a blue sash on his arm, the other a red one. Logan guessed this was some kind of ranking. They spotted him watching them and walked up to him.

Wolverine saw them come and put his hands up against the field, slouching arrogantly. He growled and spat in their direction, letting them know he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

They were impressed by his lack of fear and jabbered to themselves in a language he couldn't understand. Blue Sash made a joke and the other one laughed.

"Wouldn't be laughin' if I was out there. I'd be kickin' yer stupid little ass," Logan challenged in his usual arrogant slur.

Red Sash smiled and went right up to him. He was so close Logan could see he had the slitted eyes of a cat as well. Red Sash spoke to him in accented broken English, "Look, you. Brave man. Make good slave, yes? Fight slave. Tranding Muzla pay huge, yes? Good for us!"

So that's what this was about. Slavery. That's why all the people had been disappearing. "I ain't gonna be nobody's slave," Wolverine sneered confidently.

Blue Sash's grin was as cruel and wicked as his friend's. "Make brave man slave mine. Hmm...Play nice fun you, me." He licked his lips and blew Logan a kiss.

Happy to play along, Red Sash cackled and grabbed his crotch suggestively.

Logan's eyes went wide. He snarled and punched the force field angrily in an impressive display of fury. The people behind him moved away in a panic, shoving into each other and shouting. They were loud and their fright spread through the crowd in a ripple. Someone screamed loudly to his left and the smell of fear came washing over him again. He could hear as someone fell down and was trampled as frightened people charged in all directions. He cursed his rage and the panic he'd caused, but wouldn't tear his eyes away from the enemy in front of him.

A new soldier with a gold sash approached the two soldiers there. He began to berate them for starting the trouble. Naturally, they made excuses and pointed at Logan. Gold Sash drew his weapon and leveled the gun at Logan. "You there! Calm yourself or be destroyed!"

Wolverine looked him in the eye, his chin high. "I'd like to see ya try."
Gold Sash turned his gun on a woman nearby and fired. The blast of energy easily passed through the containment field and into her. She screamed in agony as her body became red hot and she disintegrated before Wolverine's eyes. He could smell her flesh burn as it was incinerated and vaporized almost instantly. He stepped back in horror, raising his hands defensively. His healing factor was the world's greatest equalizer, but it couldn't cope with this. Apparently, the gold sashed soldier thought Logan was more valuable than the woman and had killed her instead.

"You there! Back off now! Be calm and no one else will die!" Gold Sash repeated with authority. When he saw Wolverine had gotten the message, he moved on. The rest of the people near Logan backed away from him, afraid he would get them killed. Logan shook with rage at the senseless killing but kept quiet. He didn't want any one else to die because of him.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

"See you makin' friends already."

Logan turned at the sound of Gambit's voice. Remy and their lost teammate Henry had made their way through the crowd to join him. Gambit had taken off his dress clothes and was now wearing his working clothes. He’d hidden them underneath his regular clothes, just in case something like this happened. Remy was never one to be caught unawares. He was revealed now in tight fitting black spandex pants and a protective Kevlar flexible chest plate over his torso. Underneath the chest plate was a long sleeved, black spandex shirt that ended in gloves that could be detached if he wished. Two of the fingers on each hand were uncovered, allowing him to charge objects with his bare fingers. He'd put his long trench coat on over his outfit, making him less conspicuous. He still wore the sun glasses. With the lights now so bright, his eyes would be that much more obvious. He chewed his gum with nervous tension as he looked at the soldiers pacing the catwalks, evaluating their situation. He didn’t look any happier than Logan was.

Henry's image inducer was still working and Logan wondered what these cat guys were going to think when it stopped.

Henry McCoy was the X-men's chief scientist and doctor, but he occasionally got called out on missions such as the one they were on. Henry's usual appearance was vastly different than what Logan was looking at now. Henry was a huge hulking mass of blur fur and muscle, almost like a huge bear. He had a broad face with a large mouth that allowed his elongated lower canine teeth to protrude from his lips, making him look like a troll. He had the pointy ears to match. He had to be four hundred pounds at least and resembled a football line backer. He wasn’t born blue and furry, that was a result of one of his genetic experiments gone awry. He had been normal looking in High School and had played on the football team, earning them the state championship all the years he was there.

His size and physique earned him the codename Beast, but his nature was anything but. He was very sensitive and gentle as well as extremely intelligent. He had the same unruly hair as Logan, but his eyes and voice were soft and kind. He was really just a big softie with a weakness for science journals and Twinkies. His fingers were clawed, yet quick and nimble. He did most of the technical work on the X-men team as well, being very skilled in electronics and machinery. He was very strong and agile, almost acrobatic which was surprising given his size.

The image inducer Henry wore projected a false image of a normal looking man to disguise Henry's freakish and frightening appearance. It didn’t change his size, he was still quite large and looked every bit like that linebacker only better dressed. He was in a nice sweater and slacks. He was forced to use the image inducer whenever he left the X-men’s residence because the anti-mutant harassment had been growing steadily worse over the years.

"These guys are friggin' slavers. We gotta get these people outta here!" Wolverine said to his teammates, looking around for any kind of opportunity to get out of this.

"You t’ink of sumptin', you let Gambit know, patron," Gambit teased in his Cajun drawl. He had a habit of referring to himself in the third person, something that had always annoyed Logan. Gambit was well aware of this and made no effort whatsoever to change it.

"It would seem our situation is less than desirable. Our captors have us pretty much where they want us," Henry added.

A mechanical voice chimed on a loud speaker, silencing the room. "Attention please. Attention please. Welcome to Dognan Processing Station Twelve. Stand by for processing instructions. If you follow the orders promptly no harm will come to you. Resist and you will be destroyed."

"Charming," Henry groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Please exit through the two doors at the rear. Males to the right. Females to the left."

One of the soldiers on the catwalk fired his gun towards the ceiling and bellowed, getting the crowd moving. The noise was deafening and horrific, forcing Logan to cover his ears with an irritated growl. The crowd surged towards the two doors in the back, dragging them along in it’s wake. The smell of fear and panic flooded Wolverine's senses again and he had to swallow the urge to lash out. He felt Henry’s strong hands snatch at him protectively, Henry wanted them all to stay together as they tried to steer towards the open door on the right.

The crowd did not always co-operate. Some of the couples didn't want to separate. They clung to each other in fear and were fired upon by the guards on the catwalks. Several people were incinerated. The Dognan lion soldiers laughed and made fun like it was some kind of game.

"Who are dese losers!" Remy exclaimed, horrified.

"Don't know! Don't care!" Logan snarled. "They ain't gonna be nobody when I get through with 'em!"

"Take it easy, my hairy friend," Henry cautioned, putting a large furry arm on his shoulder. "We don't know what's going on. We don't need any further violence until we are sure what awaits us."

They went through the doorway and filed into a long hall. The walls were the same grey metal as the big room and seemed to confirm the X-men’s suspicions that they were on a vehicle as opposed to a building. Wolverine’s Adamantium claws were very sharp and could cut through most anything. He hoped maybe he could slice through the wall and they could break free. He inconspicuously snapped out a claw and dragged it along the wall. He was surprised when it didn’t cut but he could surmise why. The force field was still there even now, keeping them from escaping. The Dognan were taking no chances with their prisoners. This was not good. The hallway narrowed until they were forced to stand single file. Gambit was in front of Logan, while Henry was last, holding up the rear. There was no way to know what they could expect.


To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

(Two)

Gambit waited patiently in line, unworried. Jus’ like de lunch line back at Saint Anne’s, he mused to himself, thinking of the New Orleans orphanage where he’d stayed as a small child.

Unlike Logan who’s past had been blurred by abuse and mental implants, Remy LeBeau knew his all too well. He’d been a scoundrel even as that small child and it seemed his destiny was to find himself moving from one tight spot to another, sometimes with disastrous results. Those experiences left him at odds, he was a social creature by nature, yet now found himself surrounded by many fine acquaintances, but very few true friends. Remy had a lifetime’s worth of painful, ugly secrets and tended to keep them to himself, something that had at one time cost him his spot on the X-men team for a while. He had returned a year later with the proper contriteness and was now forever finding ways to try and make up for his screw ups.

As if dat could ever ‘appen, he joked to himself again. Gambit, yo’ life is nuthin’ but bouncin’ from one adventure to de next. Never knowin’ where you gonna end up.

Remy’s return had placed him on the outside circle of the team, and his rambunctious risk taking and refusal to be a submissive beggar of forgiveness kept him there. He chose instead to make up for his life’s sins by working as much as possible on whatever missions the Professor sent him on, especially if it involved saving lives. Taking care of some inter-galactic slavers fit that bill quite nicely and he wasn’t the least bit concerned about where he was. It seemed to him that he and his X-men had been in tighter spots than this before and walked away. They would knock a few heads around, free some people and be home in time for X-Files.

"Lives saved for de lives lost, no matter what de cost," he muttered softly, saying the motto that kept him going. He had a tab to pay for he didn’t think he could ever repay, it wouldn’t keep him from trying. He was calm and relaxed as he took in the situation at hand.

They came to an entrance of a medium sized room filled with more Dognan soldiers. The doorway was framed in metal and appeared to be some kind of scanner. When someone stepped through, a red light beam moved down the doorway and scanned his body. Medical information came up on a screen in the next room. A civilian cat man, presumably a medical officer, sat at a desk and looked over the results. He was sending the humans in two directions. It seemed like the older and less healthy ones were sent to the left where a group of soldiers led them away.
Gambit was close to the front of the line when he saw what was happening to the men. He didn’t like what he saw. Always prepared, he casually slid his hand into one of his deep jacket pockets. He loved this wonderful, long trench coat. It had lots of places to hide things. He always carried a pack of loose cards and his retractable bo staff hidden for times such as these. The staff was only about ten inches long in his pocket, but would snap out to about five feet when fully extended. Remy had an idea that something funky might happen when it was his turn to be scanned and wanted to be ready.

Remy advanced to the front of the line. He was halted in the doorway and scanned.

Immediately an alarm went off and flashing lights lit up the doorway above him.

Remy rolled his dark and crimson eyes casually up at the flashing lights, grinning innocently while waving his hand behind his ass. "Quoi? Was dat me? Aunt Charity’s Jambalaya...it go down easy, but it’s murder on de way out, n’est ce pas?"

The Dognan did not share Gambit’s sense of humor. "Alpha!" someone yelled. Two large cat men with guns came running.

Unfazed, Gambit’s grin widened. He playfully tossed his glasses away with flair, no longer needing them and spat out his gum. He whipped out the bo staff, snapping it out to it's full length with a quick twist of his wrist. The staff had been custom made for him and using it was second nature.
"Go for it, Cajun," Logan growled with a snicker, itching to get down to it himself.

Remy twirled the staff skillfully, never missing a beat and met the soldiers prepared. He moved around them quickly and efficiently, taking them down easily with sharp blows from the bo staff and acrobatic kicks with his booted feet. He moved with a feline liquid grace as if the air and the room belonged to him, his smile wide and carefree. He was confident and completely in control of himself, enjoying this to a point.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/004gambitfightcolor.jpg


Logan stood in the doorway with a grin and let Remy have his moment. One had to admire Remy’s grace, he moved about as if he owned the room itself, as if he was putting on some kind of show. It wasn’t exactly appreciated by their captors and more soldiers came in response to the noise. They were armed with guns, but no one fired, not just yet. It wasn’t all that unusual for a captive to kick up a fuss now and again and sometimes it was even entertaining. This was sport to them and today it looked like they were getting their money’s worth.

"You wanna play wit Gambit? Pick a card!" Remy challenged and let loose with a volley of red glowing playing cards, making them appear as if by magic from his fingertips.

They exploded loudly, adding to the confusion and Logan finally jumped into the fray. The scanner alarm went off as he passed through, one obviously set to detect mutants. He didn’t care. He fought vigorously, putting on his own little display of power and strength, and the bodies of Dognan soldiers started to pile up. He hadn’t quite gotten to the point of being lethal, he was hoping that his display of ferocity alone might buy them a chance to escape.

Still, they just kept coming. The two X-men were soon outnumbered in spite of their efforts. Beast joined in, but things were getting out of control. It didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse -- one of the cat men swung his gun wildly and accidently hit Remy on the head right over his eyes.

Gambit’s legs buckled from the blow, but he didn’t go down. He swung wildly with his staff, but was too dazed to connect. The soldier saw Remy’s sudden weakness and took advantage of opportunity to strike him again. He smashed the butt of his gun again into Remy’s forehead and watched with satisfaction as the thief fell to his knees with a pained shout, his hands over his eyes. Gambit was dazed and bleeding, no longer able to fight. The soldier laughed and hit him again. This time, the thief went down for good.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

Logan, protective as always, got to him before the Dognan soldier could do more than just stun him. Logan spun the soldier around and viciously slammed his fist into his face with a growing fury. The animal rage in him was rising and he growled once more between gritted teeth as he fought. Two more soldiers tried to jump on Wolverine and pull him down. He took care of them easily, but their replacements were right behind. Logan wasn't liking the odds much and decided to up the ante. He popped his claws with a snarl and slashed through the next wave quickly, sending blood flying in all directions. The rest of the Dognan men paused, startled by this new development.

Beast stepped back, momentarily free. He was concerned about Wolverine's decision to take this to the next level. This out of control situation was getting worse.

Logan stood over Remy, claws dripping blood as he claimed his property. "All right, who's next!?" he challenged with a wicked laugh.

Blue Sash stepped up from the crowd, wanting a turn. "Hey, you. Brave man. You, me. Play fun now." He slid off his rifle and took his shirt off. He was massive; well built and strong. The rest of the Dognan soldiers stood back and cheered him on without interfering.

"Yeah, we'll play. Just you 'n me," Logan growled, pulling his lips back in a wild sneer.

They circled. Blue Sash lunged and Logan countered, cutting the man's hand and drawing first blood. Blue Sash just kept smiling. He jerked to the left and Logan moved to block. The cat man struck out with his foot and tripped him.

Logan fell with a practiced grace, tangling his feet with his opponent's and bringing him down as well. They rolled and wrestled, each fighting for a better grip. Blue Sash managed to get his arm around Logan's neck and hauled him to his feet, picking him up off of the ground. Logan reached behind his head and grabbed a fist full of Dognan hair with one hand. In one quick movement, he shoved the fingers of his other hand up the guy's nose and yanked the man's head down.

Blue Sash bellowed with fury and pain as his lion’s nose exploded in blood and shattered bone. He heaved Wolverine off of him and gripped his face, trying to stop the flow of blood. Logan landed expertly and rolled to his feet. He was laughing and having a blast. Fighting was a kind of release for him, an out for his animal energies.

Logan shook his head and shoulders triumphantly, loosening up, and waved his hands in invitation. "Ya like that, huh? Wanna taste some more? C'mon!"

"Brave man dead now!" Blue Sash blurted out, spraying blood with every word.

"Then let’s do it, ya f--in' pussy!"

Blue Sash roared and charged.

Logan side stepped him easily. He popped his claws on one hand and drew them across the man's belly. Blue Sash was out of control with rage and his momentum carried him into the blades. The force of it almost cut him in half as Logan's claws sliced right through him just as nice as you please. Blue Sash sagged and dropped to the floor with a twisted scream as his guts spilled out onto the ground. Logan pulled his hand up and finished the movement of his deadly dance elegantly, his eyes wild and defiant. He threw his head back and howled with the thrill of the kill. It was sometimes too easy for him to get lost in it and lose grip with his humanity. He was magnificent and horrible all at once. No one else moved in the room, they were awestruck by his ferocity. Blue Sash twitched and died unaided as his blood spread into a large pool around his body.
The moment passed. The soldier with the gold sash walked up to his dead compatriot and kicked the body, then looked away, bored. He barked an order to the medical officer who was sitting at the table. The man picked up a small gun and shot Logan with it casually as if he did this sort of thing all the time.

Logan was still standing protectively over Gambit and was too busy watching Gold Sash to fully understand what was going on. He thought there was going to be another fight. He was wrong. The tranquilizer dart struck his arm and he crumpled with a startled grunt, falling bonelessly to the floor.

Gold Sash poked him with his foot and laughed in contempt. He went to the table and picked up another gun. This one was more like a hand scanner than a weapon. He held it up to Logan's arm and burned a bar code into his hairy bicep.

Gold Sash moved next to Remy who lay unmoving on the floor. He stripped one of his coat sleeves off and ripped the sleeve of his shirt to burn a mark on his arm, too. He picked up Remy's bo staff and looked at it curiously, finding some fascination with the weapon. He found a small button on one side and the staff retracted to the small ten inch bar. He smiled, amused with Gambit’s little toy.

He put restraining collars on the two mutants.

Somewhere along the line a scientist for one of the anti-mutant groups had designed special collars that blocked out whatever gifts a mutant had been given. Not many were made and they were rarely found on Earth. The Dognan seemed to have acquired one of these and copied the technology for themselves to control the alphas they harvested by accident. Gambit would not be able to charge objects with his power or Logan to heal. They were essentially pacified and unable to act.
Gold Sash looked back at Beast who was still standing. "You there! Come this way please!"

Henry gave up and shut his image inducer off. He was now revealed, a huge hulking mass of blue fur, dressed only in a pair of tight fitting shorts. Because of his fur, Beast was simply too hot fully dressed.
Gold Sash just laughed when he saw the blue fur. "You silly alphas! You fool no one. Smelled you as soon as I saw you. You want to fight me, too?" Henry just glared at him. "Didn't think so. You come now! Come here or your friends will die."

Henry obeyed meekly, coming up to him slowly. What else could he do? He reminded himself that it was better to live and fight another day. He offered no resistance as his arm was burned and a collar put on his neck. He sighed when he felt the weakness seep into his body, the collar was draining away his strength. He was still blue and furry, nothing would ever change that, but he was not as strong or as agile as he would be normally.

"Alphas too strong for slaves. Got something better for you," Gold Sash cackled. He waved his hand and a group of soldiers came. They grabbed Gambit and Wolverine and dragged them away. Henry was towed along as well. The X-men were tossed into a holding cell and energy cuffs were placed on Logan's wrists. These powerful restraining cuffs made Wolverine’s arms numb so he would be unable to pop his claws and cause more trouble. After that, they were left alone. From where he stood, Beast could hear the sounds of screaming men. The cat men were slaughtering the weak.

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[squeekness]

After a few moments, Gambit groaned and came awake slowly. He wiped at the cut on his head and winced. His head was one huge throbbing ache. He was dimly aware of movement beside him and felt familiar blue comforting hands lightly touch his face. "Uhhh...Where we at?" Remy wheezed, looking around. Through bleary eyes, he could see they were in a large metal cage attached to a wall. "Dis don’ look like no ‘Oliday Inn Gambit ever sleep in."

"Holding cell for the moment," Beast replied as he examined Remy’s injury. "We have no way of knowing where this facility is actually located."
"Guess dis mean no decent room service." Remy was never one to be caught unprepared. He slid a small lock pick from his pants pocket with a smile. He was well trained in the delicate art of lockpicking and this wouldn’t have been his first attempt at a restraining collar or cuffs.

"Mebbe dis 'elp, non?"

"Perhaps, but I fear they wouldn't be so quick to let us leave alive if we cause more trouble than we already have. They seem to have an endless supply of personnel. Besides, Logan is still down."

Gambit looked over Henry's large blue shoulder. Wolverine lay in heap, his bloody hands still cuffed. The restraining collar was preventing his body's natural healing factor from purging whatever sedative he'd been shot with. Who knew how long he'd be out. He was probably going to be all pissed off about it, too when he woke up. Logan was normally crabby to begin with but confinement only made him worse. The energy cuffs were of a different design than Remy had never seen, they didn’t have a visible lock. Without a pickable lock, even this talented thief wouldn't be able to get those off either. He looked up at Henry's collar, giving it a quick once over. Of course it was booby trapped. No way that was coming off without some damage. Damn.

"Dis ain't lookin' too good, homme. Looks like we in for de ride."

"So it would seem. Perhaps, if we are patient, an opportunity will present itself."

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[squeekness]

(Three)

They sat in the holding cell for two days, watching helplessly as more groups of humans were taken past them to be killed. The screaming was horrible. Beast figured at least three other large shipments of people had been captured as they had been. He guessed they must be on some kind of ship or large transport, but couldn't really tell from their location. He sincerely hoped they were still on Earth so that an escape might still be possible for them. No more alphas were added to their pen, though. Mutants were still pretty rare, thankfully.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/007caged.jpg

The time passed slowly. Logan was angry about the collar when he woke, but didn't complain. He just moved off to sulk in a corner, his eyes blazing. The others knew better than to try and talk to him so they left him alone. The energy cuffs paralyzed Logan's arms so he couldn't pop his claws and hack them free from their prison. The Dognan seem to have thought of everything.

They were not fed and had only one bowl of water to share between the three of them. Logan passed on the water most of the time, giving his share to Remy. Remy had a large cut on his forehead from being hit with the gun. There was nothing decent to clean it with and they couldn't spare the water so it soon grew infected and swollen. He was soon feverish and sick after only a few hours. Henry tried to comfort him, but he was in a lot of pain and there was nothing that could be done about it.

Gambit tried to hide it by joking around, but his misery was obvious.

They were given a bucket to use as a toilet. Logan wasn't uncuffed so he had to rely on the others to help him out. The soldiers laughed at his predicament, taunting him with sexual jokes and insults. He was livid. It wasn’t the limit of the torment they would endure. An endless supply of soldiers came to visit. They banged sticks on the bars of the cell and yelled insults at them. Garbage and moldy food scraps were tossed in as well. Logan stayed in his corner, pissed off and speaking to no one.

On the second day of their captivity, they were surprised when an automated voice chimed in from a speaker above them. "Jump sequence activated. Initializing in ten minutes."

A Dognan soldier looked in on them as he passed by. "You, there. Hold on. Bumpy ride, it comes," he laughed and walked away. The other cat men moved about, securing items and taking seats.

"What's this all about?" Henry demanded but no one answered.

He received an explanation of sorts when the ship was jolted violently and the world seemed to come apart. All sense of reality was gone as everything in the room bent and twisted, warping into a nightmare. There was no sense of up or down, front or back. The floor was a cresting tidal wave and they all toppled over. He heard Logan howl in confusion and rage, the man relied on his senses to orient himself and this wild acid trip was torture to him.

Henry slid across the traitorous floor and managed to grab a hold of Gambit before he went too far. Logan toppled and slammed into them, smashing them with his weight. All of that Adamantium added an extra hundred pounds or so to him and it wasn’t much fun to those on the receiving end of it. The X-men crashed into the bars of their cage, bringing a tortured shout of pain from the already injured Gambit. They barely had time to duck as their toilet bucket flew over them and sprayed the soldiers outside. Logan managed a twisted laugh at the rude payback when he heard someone complain. The room settled down to normal after a minute. Reality came back, and they looked around disoriented.

Logan recovered quickly and staggered to his feet. Henry pulled Remy up and dusted him off. Gambit just sagged against him, trying not to heave. He was dizzy and sick and that little spin did little to help him.

"Well, that's high on my list of things I never wanna do again," Logan complained. He looked at Henry. "What was that?"

"No idea. If I had to guess, I'd say whatever vehicle we're on was teleported as a whole to another location. The real question is, where are we now?"

They wouldn't get an answer for another couple of hours. Finally, a company of cat men came and collected them. They were dragged without mercy down winding halls. Henry did his best to try and follow where they were going but was soon lost in all the twists and turns. They eventually made their way to a shipping bay where several ships were parked. They were moved onto a loading platform and Beast realized to his horror that they had been on some kind of huge spacecraft all this time. He had no idea if the rest of the X folks back home even knew where they were. Any hopes he may have had for a quick rescue were shattered, they were on their own.

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[squeekness]

They were hauled up onto a smaller craft and chained to a bar in the main cabin. This new craft was small, it only had one large room with a viewing screen like a huge television in front. It was almost like being inside a small theater. A short row of seats ran along the back wall and faced the screen. There was no captain’s chair or control panel in sight and Henry was confused. How was this ship flown?

In the center of the room was a strange looking wooden pole like a pogo stick with bars at foot and shoulder height. It was mounted floor to ceiling and resting on it comfortably was an odd looking creature. It was a woman, but not human...not anymore. She was naked, revealing just how alien she really was. She had alabaster skin and shock white hair like all the color had been bleached out of her. Her head and torso were that of a normal human, but that’s where all the similarity stopped. She possessed the leathery wings of a bat but they were too small for any practical use, they were certainly too small for her to fly with them on their own. Her small white hands were clawed and her legs were bent like the hind legs of a cat as the Dognan’s were. Her fore arms and calves were thick with white fur and her feet were paws with two large furred toes. In between those toes was a large retractable claw that glinted wickedly in the light and seemed dangerous. The whole combination of alterations made her look unnatural and unappealing to the human eye. She stood casually on the stick and gripped it like she was riding a bike. She stared sightlessly forward at the viewing screen mounted on the wall behind where the X-men were led to and chained.

The craft slowly filled with cat men and one of them approached the X-men, his lion’s eyes gleaming with curiosity. His uniform was decorated with both gold and silver sashes, marking him as a high ranking officer. He looked down on them not unkindly and spoke. "You there, alphas. I am Frishnan, captain of this vessel. You are now privileged to see Cerise, a stronghold of the mighty Dognan. You will make good sport for the pens. It's been some time since we've had an alpha from your world, never mind three in one shipment. How very exciting."


"Kiss my ass!" Logan snarled, diplomacy not being one of his strong suits.

Frishnan just smiled at him indulgently, his eyes merry. "I would do you better than that, my lovely, but we've no time for it." He withdrew, barking an order to the white female and the ship made ready to depart.

"What is dis love fascination dey have for you, furball?" Gambit joked weakly with a sly grin. Pain was never a factor in limiting his ability to toss out one liners if given the chance.

"Must be his charming use of the language," Henry offered, smiling himself. One thing the X-men had learned over the course of a million missions was always to take advantage of a moment of levity. In all that time, they’d had few casualties. While they were on their own at the moment, Henry was confident they could still get out of this, all they needed was an opportunity.

"Take us out, pilot!" Frishnan ordered to the white bird woman. She nodded and there was a kind of humming as the craft slipped smoothly out of the bay. The X-men could feel the craft lift up and then pick up speed. When they had gone only a short distance, Frishnan gave another order. The X-men were next startled when blue flame, not unlike electricity, burst from the arms of the white pilot. It was absorbed into the stick she was riding and vanished. The ship surged powerfully forward and the X-men next had to grip the bar to keep from sliding across the floor. They realized that the strange female perched on that stick seemed to be using the it to guide the ship. The screen projected a forward view of their travel, but she just stared blankly, not really watching it as it marked their progress. It seemed as though she were guiding the ship simply by feel.
Henry with his well trained scientific eye didn’t take long to figure out what was happening. This pilot’s ability to produce those blue flames was the source of this ship’s power. She also clearly possessed some telekinetic ability and was using it to control the ship.

Telekinesis was one of the more fascinating mutant abilities because it presented itself in many different ways. Primarily, it was the ability to move objects by mental command. Most mutants who could fly, flew by this mental power. They simply moved themselves just by thinking about it.

The ability wasn’t limited to movement. Some telekinetics could produce shields of hardened air by mentally manipulating air particles and making them so dense, nothing could penetrate them. These shields were used to protect themselves or others. The X-men had one of these telekinetic mutants on their team, a woman named Jean Grey. She had been an asset to the team, getting them out of many scraps by using protective shields or flinging large objects at their enemies.

Telekinetics were always valuable on a fighting team. Most powerful fighters like Logan could be shut down quickly just by picking them up off of the ground and denying them their ability to maneuver. A powerful telekinetic could even crush his prey by creating a shield around their victim and using it to suffocate them. For this, there was almost no defense.

The most powerful telekinetics could make shields, break them into pieces and use those pieces as weapons. What could be more terrifying than a person who could conjure weapons out of thin air? These telekinetics were very rare and almost always snapped up by the most persuasive of mutant teams.

Beast watched this pilot, fascinated. He was relaxed and calm as he did so. He couldn’t fight this and so took the time to observe his surroundings and think instead. The scientist in him was always curious about the new places he was taken to and the people he saw there. It amazed him that the pilot appeared to be both telekinetic and a producer of bio-kinetic energy that she was using to power the ship, back home she would be highly prized indeed for having such dual abilities. Henry wondered if she was born this way or forcibly mutated by the Dognan. Looking at her misshapen, unnatural appearance, Henry figured the latter.

They flew for about an hour or so. Frishnan was a gracious host. He came by and gave them some light traveling food and water, for which the X-men were grateful. They ate some sandwiches and crackers with cheese. The food appeared to be of Earth origin and was quite good. He had one of his men clean up Gambit's bloody face, but didn't dress the seeping wound. Even he could see there was no hope for it getting treated properly on this ship.

Frishnan appeared to be fascinated by Wolverine. He would stare at him with a curious, wistful smile saying nothing. Once, while the X-men were being fed, he attempted to touch Logan but pulled back with a smile when he tried to bite. "Lovely..." Frishnan whispered.

Wolverine spat at him and he walked away. Logan wouldn't take his eyes off of him, untrusting.

Before long, the X-men felt the craft land and prepared themselves for anything. If an opportunity to escape presented itself, they would be ready. Frishnan led the group of men who hauled them outside.

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[squeekness]

They had landed on a tall platform which provided an open, panoramic view of this new world on which they now found themselves. The platform was quite large and several ships were parked there. They disembarked and Frishnan let them wander close to one of the railed edges. It was almost dawn, but no stars or moon could be seen through an impenetrable sky of dark brooding clouds. The only light came from large flood lights on the platform itself and from the huge Dognan complex close by. It didn’t keep them from gasping with wonder and horror at where they found themselves now.

They looked out at what seemed to be the aftermath of some sort of cataclysmic holocaust. Below the platform was the ruins of a great city laid to waste. It stretched out for miles, they couldn’t see the edges of it any direction. Shattered husks of tall skyscrapers crouched over lifeless streets strewn with the wreckage of mangled bombed out cars. If they didn’t know any different, it looked like any earth city, only deserted and abandoned. The only signs of activity came from a steady stream of Dognan ships flying overhead. They were sleek and beautiful, clearly armed with huge guns and decorated with striking Dognan markings, not unlike Chinese symbols. They combed the rubbled, damaged streets with search lights but what they were looking for, the X-men could not guess. It didn’t seem as though anything alive could possibly survive for long here.

Logan gagged as he breathed in the polluted air. All around was the horrible smell of burning fires and decay, a torment to his enhanced sense of smell. A slight breeze carried the dust from the ruins and brought with it, the reek of death. Frishnan took Logan’s chain and led him off to one side where they could look down at the ruins. Frishnan spoke to him as he pointed out some sights.

"This was once a beautiful city. That was once a huge tower, there a fort. The Clan are rebels who are trying to take over this planet. So far, they have been very successful at destroying it so badly no one else will want it. This is all that remains of our last base. The Clan will take it soon as well. They think that to do so will bring an end to our rule, but they are wrong. We own many worlds such as this and they will never be rid of us. These Clan...pah! They are a disgusting race. The worst of the human scum we have harvested. They have no sense of social order. They are savage and live only to war on others. They destroy all that is beautiful. We Dognan at least try to integrate the best of the societies we encounter. The Clan just wreck everything and make a big stink in the air.
"See that?" Frishnan asked, pointing to a yellow glowing fenced off section of the city. It looked to be several blocks wide. "Those are the pens. We created them to dispose of the weak and unuseful. It is also where alphas like yourself are disposed of. Alphas are much too unruly for slaves so we have little choice. You could take your chances there and face the packs or you could stay with me. I would take good care of one such as you." He smiled at Logan and the feral mutant smelled his arousal.

Logan jerked away from him in disgust, baring his teeth with a revolted hiss.

Frishnan just smiled sadly, his disappointment obvious. "You may yet come to regret that decision, my friend."

"I doubt it," Wolverine snapped, yanking on his chain. He wanted to be as far away from Frishnan as possible, even if it meant the pens.
Frishnan didn’t repeat his offer, he merely gathered up his charges and led them away. They went down a small staircase to the next level below the platform and were taken inside a nearby building. It was a detention center with many holding cells. They placed inside the first large cell they came to and released. Logan was still cuffed and they still wore the restraining collars, but were unchained from one another and could move around a little. They never saw Frishnan again.

[squeekness]

This holding cell was larger than the last, but was still a metal cage with two walls made of brick. The X-men moved towards the back as more prisoners came along and were tossed in with them. Gambit sagged against the back wall, the heels of his hands pressed into his eyes. His head was one huge agony and he was finding it harder and harder to maintain his sense of humor. The cut on his forehead burned with a heat he knew all too well. It was infected and not getting any better. His head pounded, a curse he couldn't escape. Beast stood close to him reassuringly, bumping his shoulder gently with his own, and Remy took some comfort in his kindness. Logan was a tense ball of white hot rage beside him. The man was really wired.

More people were being added to the cell. They were human, but white and washed out like the female pilot. That was it then, Henry thought to himself. The Dognan captured humans and forcibly mutated them to make them stronger or better somehow. It seemed the Dognan liked to mutate their slaves into shapes like themselves. Most of them had clawed hands and bent cat legs. Almost all of the new arrivals were injured or weak in some way. Some looked half starved and beaten. These were rejects, souls no longer suitable for work or anything else. None of them had restraining collars on or were cuffed. They merely shuffled in like zombies and stood quietly, resigned to their fates.

One of the last to be added was a small white female with wings, a pilot like the one in the ship that brought them here. She was tiny and delicate, frail looking. She hopped feebly to the rear, not putting her weight on one of her feet. One of her legs had been crushed some time ago and healed poorly, she couldn't really walk on it. Henry was confused by this, she should have been able to fly if his assumption of telekinesis was true. Then he saw the reason --- they'd put a restraining collar on her so she couldn't fly or use her blue flame power. She made her way to the back awkwardly, fearful of all around her. She was very small and fragile looking compared to the other slaves.

She came close to Wolverine, but one look at his dark, scowling face made her steer clear. She ended up next to Henry. The cell was getting crowded and she bumped into him awkwardly. She looked up, startled, into his big blue face and expected him to lash out at her, but was greeted instead with a gentle smile.

"Pardon me," Beast apologized politely, even though it wasn't his mistake.
"It's a little crowded," she said in a quiet, trembling voice. She smiled at him shyly. She was lost in this room full of people much larger than herself.

Henry was surprised at her voice, the other pilot had been silent and he wasn’t sure these pilots could even talk. He continued to smile at her warmly, trying to put her at ease. Perhaps she could tell him something of this place. "Hello there, I'm Henry."

"My name is Shayla. I'd shake hands, but you know..." Her hands were cuffed with the arm numbing bracelets. She responded to the warmth of his smile and seemed less afraid of him now. "You're an alpha."


"Why yes, I suppose I am. Don't be frightened. I won't hurt you." He glanced down to her bent and twisted leg. She was leaning on her gnarled foot. It was bent almost completely backwards and the toe claw was missing. "What happened to your leg?"

"I'm a pilot. I fly the ships. We got shot down by the Clan on one of their raids. I was injured and blamed for the crash of our ship even though it really wasn't my fault. Whoever flew the Clan ship was a much better pilot than I was. My leg didn't heal right and it looks ugly, so here I am. I can still make the Ristle, you know? I don't understand why they can't still use me." she protested, scared.

"What is Ristle?"

"That's the energy we use to power the ships."


Henry remembered the blue flame of the pilot who had brought them here. "Yes, I recall seeing another pilot using it. I didn't know what it was. Is it some kind of bio-kenetic energy?"

"I don't know what it is for sure, I know only pilots can make it. It's a privilege to be chosen as pilot," she said almost proudly, in denial of the horror of being forcibly mutated. "We're considered to be very valuable."

"Not so valuable if yer broken," Wolverine growled sarcastically from beside Gambit.

Shayla cowered down, fearful of him. He looked angry and mean like a cornered animal.

"He won't hurt you," Henry apologized in a soothing voice. "He's with me and my friend here. This is Gambit."


Remy gave her a small wave. His eyes were glassy and distant. He didn’t look like he really saw her, he just acknowledged her politely from hearing Henry speak. He was dazed now and in pain, just trying to get by until the cavalry arrived. It was becoming difficult for him to think and he was so tired...so very tired.

Shayla gazed with wonder into Remy's blood red eyes and saw his suffering. "He's sick."

"Yes, but I am a doctor," Henry replied. "Hopefully when we get to where we're going, I can find something to help him."

"Then you'd better pray Death finds him quickly," she said in a whisper so Remy wouldn't hear. "The pens are where they send us to die."

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[squeekness]

(Four)

The Dognan soldiers came eventually and chained all the prisoners together. The X-men and Shayla were towards the rear of the cell so they were at the end of the line. Shayla was the slowest and was last. She had to hop quickly to keep up. She wasn’t doing well, she fell a couple of times and was beaten by the guards. Henry tried to help her as best he could by holding her up with his hands as much as possible.

They shuffled outside of the building through a different door than they had come in and moved out onto a large paved area. It stretched out far in all directions and looked like a parking lot for a shopping mall or for ships that weren’t here at the moment. It was twilight now and the sky was filling up with stars as the sun went down.

They were marched towards the fenced in area Frishnan had showed Logan before. The pen was massive, spreading out into the distance ahead of them with no end in sight. It was fully enclosed, fenced in on all sides with walls as tall as the skyscrapers within, including the top as if the inmates could fly out. Henry thought of Shayla and supposed some of them could. It seemed like they would march forever to get there and the walls just got higher as they approached. It was intimidating and disheartening.

Henry was startled out of his thoughts when the line of prisoners stopped abruptly. Gambit with his head down in a red fog of misery, stumbled into Logan who was ahead of him.

"Watch it, Cajun!" Logan growled, disgruntled. He turned to glare at the bean pole of a man behind him and didn't like what he saw there. Gambit's eyes were glazed and unfocused. Logan could smell the sickness wafting off of him and swallowed the unease it created inside of him.

"Je suis de’sole, homme," Gambit wheezed. "Hard t' see wit you bein' so shrimpy n' all," he joked feebly, justifying his excuse by speaking in the wrong direction. He was totally out of it.

"Best get frosty, Gumbo," Logan cautioned. "We don't know what's waitin' in there fer us."

"I'm on it, patron." Remy shook his head a little to try and clear it, but all it did was make him dizzy. He was unbelievably thirsty and swayed unsteadily on his feet. Henry caught him with a huge blue shoulder and steadied him. Gambit felt a little like a pinball being bounced recklessly back and forth. His stomach heaved, but he swallowed and the spell passed.

Logan got a good look at the fence as it glowed evilly in the gloom. It was cris crossed like chain link, but was really some kind of energy field. One of the guards unchained the first slave in line. The slave was dragged, screaming, and mercilessly tossed onto the fence. His body caught fire and was incinerated in seconds. What was left blew away in a cloud of ash. The guard said nothing; no further explanation was necessary. The soldiers spread out and started handing out small backpacks to the prisoners. There was a vibrating grinding noise as part of the fence opened in front of them like a rolling gate. The line of prisoners moved forward once again and before long, all were inside. One by one, the slaves were unchained by armed Dognan guards. Shayla and the alphas were approached and held at gunpoint while their restraints were removed. The guards retreated and the gate closed. The new arrivals were on their own.

At once, the white slaves that came in with the X-men scattered, trying to find places to hide. The area close to the fence had been cleared of buildings, making an open space for the guards to work, but there were other buildings close by. The slaves ran off into the alley ways and through the broken windows of the shattered buildings. Shayla and the X-men stood now alone in the wide open area not quite sure what do next.

"I'm t’inkin' mebbe dat’s a bad sign," Gambit suggested wryly. He didn’t have to be sharp to notice how swiftly they had been left behind.

Shayla cringed against Beast, her chosen protector. "I’m scared!"

"We’ll look after you," he promised and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"We'd best stick close together," Logan advised gruffly, taking charge. He rubbed his wrists, feeling the numbness dissipate with satisfaction. He was free now and back in control of himself. He surveyed the area, using all of his senses to try and get his bearings. The electric energy fence crackled above them and on all sides. A street opened out in front of them, beckoning. Tall ruins of sky scrapers stood on either side of them and burned out wrecks of cars lay all around them like discarded children's toys. They didn't look much different from Earth vehicles, making this all seem a little surreal. Garbage and debris was strewn about everywhere and the building s spoke only of long time neglect. There was the awful stink of death like this place was one huge graveyard, but no bodies could be seen.

"Let’s find a place to hole up," Wolverine said finally, ready to get moving. "It’ll be full dark soon and I don’t think we should be on the street."

"Let's walk a bit first, shall we?" Beast added. "Maybe the buildings will be in better shape further in."

They started to head down the street, Henry giving support to a weak and shuffling Gambit. He was good as long as he was pointed in a straight line, but wasn’t even looking around him. All he wanted was a place to fall down.

Shayla, now unrestrained, fared much better. She flew lightly over the ground, pulling her damaged leg up high to protect it. She was all spirit and grace, confidant now she was back in her element. Henry couldn’t help but marvel at her a little, she was beautiful up in the air and not so malformed as the pilots appeared to be at first glance and he hoped nothing bad would happen to her here.

Logan was too busy to wonder about their new friend. He could feel the hairs rising on the back of his neck and knew what it meant. They were being watched, but couldn't see any one out in the open. He looked more closely at the buildings and saw what appeared to be small cameras mounted on the walls. The Dognan were tracking their progress. He hoped that was the source of his unease but knew they wouldn't be that lucky.
They hadn't gone far down the street when a small pack of white figures came out in front of them, a few yards away. They were white slaves like the ones they had come in with. Old timers of the pens, they were hard and confident in their territory. They were dressed in ragged, ripped up clothes and filthy. None of them had shoes. There were five of them in a star shaped pattern, blocking the X-men’s path.

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[squeekness]

The leader, a huge white male, threw his head back and howled a challenge.

Logan answered him by stepping forward and popping his claws. Gambit became aware of the trouble and felt that surge of adrenalin that always came before a fight. It revived him momentarily and he stooped down slowly and scooped up some rocks from the street. He charged them with energy from his body and they rested in his hand, glowing red and ready.
Logan walked forward and the leader of the pack came to meet him. The two recognized they were the authority and dominant ones of their respective groups. They circled each other warily, taking each other's measure. This white male was much larger than Logan with a longer reach, but not in as good physical condition. He was lean and scraggly, food was obviously scarce here. He lashed out suddenly, tossing out a knife he'd hidden along his forearm. It whistled through the air and landed with a thunk! in Wolverine's gut just above his pants.

Logan stepped back with a startled grunt. He took the handle of the dagger in one hand and slid the knife out with a mischievous smile. He cocked an eyebrow and said, "If that's all ya got, son, I feel sorry fer you already."

The cut immediately began to close, his healing factor kicking in and repairing the wound. The injury was still very painful, but Logan possessed a lifetime of dealing with extreme pain. This was nothing new for him. His attacker waited for him to start falling down and was perplexed when it didn't happen.

Logan flipped the knife skillfully in his hand and held it ready. "Want it back?"

The slave didn't answer him but barked a sharp command to the pack. They rushed forward and attacked the X-men. Gambit threw his charged rocks and they flew far and accurately, landing near the two smallest members of the pack. The rocks exploded loudly on impact, sending the men flying. The men shrieked in terror as they were tossed, surprised and frightened by the blast that had seemingly come out of nowhere. They whimpered and ran away, not wanting any more.

The leader and a friend were more bold. They jumped on Logan, biting and clawing at his eyes like the savages they were. He fought them with a strange smile of happiness. It felt good to unleash his frustration on someone and he was thankful for the exercise. He gave them no mercy and got none in return.

The remaining pack member took a shot at Beast, but Henry dodged him easily and tossed him into a wrecked car with enough force to stun him. The big man was quick and agile, no match for his scrawny malnourished opponent. Shayla cowered on the ground, unused to fighting and all but useless.

Wolverine snarled in irritation when one of his attackers grabbed at the knife he had discarded on the ground. He smacked it out of the guy’s hand as soon as it was picked up and spun, hacking and slashing with his claws. He was a much better fighter than these pitiful scraps of men who had the stupidity to attack him and he was all done fooling around. He whirled with a roar, slitting the throat of the leader and ripping open the belly of the other. Blood gushed out everywhere, covering Logan and soaking him through.

Logan stood easy now, his sides heaving from his effort, and surveyed the damage. The man who had his belly opened lay groaning at his feet. "Kill me...before they eat me!" he gasped. Logan didn’t quite get his meaning, but he complied just he same, slitting the poor unfortunate’s throat without a word. It was a mercy, the man was going to die anyway.
"What 'e say?" Gambit asked in a daze. The rush had worn off and he was now more exhausted than ever. He blinked and swayed unsteadily, licking his dry and chapped lips. He wasn’t going to be awake much longer, everything was all hazy now.

"Nuthin’," Wolverine replied gruffly to his question. They had no time for conversation, they had to get moving. He could see Gambit was going to fall down any moment now and they couldn’t move quickly if he had to be carried.

Wolverine stripped off his T-shirt and tried to wipe off as much of the blood covering himself as he could. All he did was smear it and he was going to stink like high heaven before long. He balled up the shirt in frustration and jammed as much of it he could into his back pocket. "Let's get outta here."

Before they even moved a few feet, there was a rustle of wings from overhead.

"What now?!" Henry complained.

Once more, the X-men assumed their defensive positions. They stood their ground as another pack, this time comprised solely of pilots, descended from the sky like angelic, human birds. The X-men were now surrounded by nine females, all tiny but powerful in their own right. Nine pairs of glowing blue hands put an end to all resistance. The leader, a confident sleek, well fed creature approached Logan. She raised her chin arrogantly and spoke clearly. "We come not for you, alphas. The pilot, she comes with us."

Shayla cringed behind Beast and he put an arm around her protectively.

Logan looked back at her. "She don't wanna go."

She ignored him and spoke to Shayla. "I am Carma, Leader of the Angels of the Fallen. You will come with us. The Clan will come for these alphas and you will be left alone. As a pilot, you are superior to all. You are one of us. We shall fly the skies and be free."

Wolverine stepped aside to let Shayla decide. He was not one to interfere in this kind of thing, not in a place like this. Folks had to make up their own minds. Shayla hopped forward feebly, then spread her wings and gracefully flew to his side. She looked into the eyes of Carma, seeing kinship there. "I will come."

Carma kissed her cheek and took her hand. They flew off, leaving the rest of the pack behind.

Logan turned to the rest, growling defensively. True to their leader’s word, the tiny white females ignored the X-men, instead they stepped away towards the dead bodies of the previous pack that lay on the ground. They picked them up and carried them off without speaking.

"Why dey do dat?" Remy asked naively. Logan had a real good idea but didn't answer. Instead he took off, leading them on to safer ground.

They moved quickly, following Wolverine's lead. He was peering into windows checking out the insides of buildings. He led them down a side street into what he hoped was a more secluded area. He finally found a basement of one building that satisfied him and they crawled inside.
Gambit found a corner and collapsed with a groan. He shivered and passed out.

Henry went to him. "He's got a fever. I don't like the look of that head wound."

"Nuthin' to be done about it now. When it get's full dark I'll scout around. See what I can find." There was a rusted out sink against the back wall of this basement. Logan turned the water on and sniffed it. It wasn't good enough to drink, but he could use it to clean up a little. His healing factor dispelled any fear of poisoning or infection from tainted water. He just wanted to get some of this blood off of himself. He didn't know if any of the slaves could track and wasn’t going to chance them following his stink down here. He stripped down and rinsed out his clothes, using a tiny sliver of soap he found then hung his clothes up on some hanging wires to drip dry. That finished, he had one last job to do. He leaned over the basin and popped a claw. He began scraping his arm where the bar code had been burned in. He grunted in pain as he worked. The mark went quite deep, but he was damned if he was going to keep it.

Beast watched him quietly, always amazed at Logan's extreme tolerance for pain. As fast as Logan was cutting, his body was repairing and there was very little blood. At last he was satisfied. He put his arm under the faucet and cleaned the blood and skin away. His skin was smooth as though he'd done nothing more than scratch an itch.

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Henry decided to check their supplies. He was disappointed to see what they had would not sustain them for long. Each backpack had a day's worth of food, a bottle of water and a small, thin blanket. He combined the blankets and covered Remy. He knew better than to pester Logan with small talk so he leaned against the wall and tried to get some rest.

Beast startled awake some time later when Gambit moaned and thrashed, knocking over a glass bottle. Henry had no idea how long he'd been asleep, but it was dark out. Logan was gone. His clothes still hung by the sink, he'd left them behind. Henry went to Gambit and tried to soothe him. He felt helpless without any medical supplies. Remy was burning up with fever and delirious. He wasn't going to last long like this. Henry gave him some water and he quieted. Henry hoped Wolverine could find something to help them out of this mess. Things weren't looking too good right now.

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[squeekness]

Wolverine moved quickly and silently in the inky blackness. This was his element, his world. He could see perfectly in the dark. He looked up at the dark moonless night. It was cloudy here and the only light came from the eerily glowing fence above him. It was nice to be outside and out of the spacecrafts, but he had no time to really enjoy his situation. He had to find out whatever he could about this new place. He stood still, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His nose and other senses told him everything he needed to know. This was not a highly populated place. What few people there were tended to gather in small packs, obeying the rule about safety in numbers. He moved on, avoiding those buildings where he could sense people inside. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle himself, he just wanted to keep a low profile for now. As he moved about, he was unable to find any food or medicine anywhere and felt his earlier good spirits drain away.

He did find a small drinking fountain that was okay to use. He drank his fill, figuring to give the water in his pack to the others. He splashed the ice cold water over his face, washing up some more. It was warm here and he was sweaty and dirty from rummaging around. He’d never been known to be the cleanest person, being only one or two steps away from feral, but decided to make the best of this opportunity while he had the chance.

Logan wasn’t one to express his feelings, but he was very concerned about Remy. He always considered himself to be the protector, the one who looked after everyone else because he was best equipped to do it. Now one of his people was down and it was up to him to fix it. He checked in every box, every cupboard, but there was nothing. Whatever had been around was picked clean long ago and was a distant memory. This place had been unused by civilians for a long time, for years probably. Logan saw where someone had tried eating wood and clothing and knew this was not a good sign for their chances. They had no real food and no way out that he could see. If he wanted anything, he might be forced to steal it from someone else.

He found the Dognan equivalent of a dumpster and crawled silently inside to rummage around. He froze, crouching, when he heard voices coming from somewhere outside.

"Of course, they're coming! There's alphas here, I saw them. The Clan always come when alphas are here." The speaker was a man. "All we have to do is figure out where the Clan will strike. When they come to free the alphas, they'll take us, too. You just follow me, Greth. I'll take care of you."

"I hope you're right, Milan. I don't know how much longer I can last. I can't feel my stomach any more!" His companion was female. She was speaking a little too loudly for her safety Logan guessed, and he was right. There was the sound of breaking glass and a shriek as the two of them were suddenly set upon by a pack that was hiding nearby. Logan heard a brief bloody fight of which the outcome was never really in question. He peeked out the lid of the dumpster.

Two people lay ripped and shredded on the ground, the ones Logan had overheard talking. They were surrounded by a good sized pack of white slaves with at least ten members. The pack was devouring them ravenously, gobbling them down before they were even fully dead. This pack was completely feral, snarling and growling amongst themselves and fighting over the best pieces.

Logan shuddered. He'd eaten his share of nasty things to stay alive before in his long life, but had never been forced to this extreme. He sat back in the dumpster and made himself as comfortable as possible. He would have to wait for the pack to finish eating and leave before he could come out. He was in no mood for another fight.

He thought about what the two victims had said before they were killed. It sounded like the Clan made a habit out of raiding the pens for alphas. He figured that their chances were better with the Clan than hanging out in here. All he had to do was try to figure out where the Clan would try to get them. It would be better if they were close to the fence he guessed, unless the Clan tunneled its way in.

He heard a familiar rustle of wings and another quick skirmish. Peeking out once more, he saw Carma's Angels of the Fallen fighting with the white slaves over the freshly killed meat. They used telekinesis to push the pack back and blue sparks of energy to drive them away.

Shayla was very close to Logan's dumpster, terrified. She hadn't participated in the fight, but didn't try to stop it. She looked on in horror as her new friends began to eat the dead. They were using small bursts of Ristle energy to cook the meat as fast as they could eat it. Logan knew that it was just a matter of time before starvation drove her to join them.

Shayla turned suddenly and their eyes met. He held a finger to his lips and she nodded, recognizing him. She would not betray his presence. He lowered himself back inside and waited. After a while he heard the pilots break up and take off. He decided to wait a bit first, then quietly snuck out. All that was left of the two people who had been slaughtered were two bloody smears and the big heavy bones that were too hard to break open.

He headed back to the others in a fast trot, concerned for their safety. He was relieved to find his two teammates safe and sound, even though Remy’s condition was getting worse. Henry asked him what he had seen and Logan gave him a quick sketch, leaving out the part about the packs eating the dead. He didn’t want Henry to worry. Logan was confident he could protect Beast and Gambit from the packs and he saw no need to add to their stress with such a horrific tale. He curled up in a corner, dressing for warmth and fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of pilots and raw meat.

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[squeekness]

Wolverine wasn’t the only one dreaming. Remy was burning up with fever, his mind made numb by his sickness. He was asleep, but woke after a moment, lost in a deep dark fog. He didn’t know where he was, only that this place had the stink of death all over it. His body was in agony, aching all over. He felt like he’d been chewed up by some horrible monster and spat back out again.

"Somebody get de name of dat truck...?" he joked feebly to himself.

He rose up on unsteady feet and tried to make out where he was. The lighting here was dim and it was hard for him to see all around him, but he could tell the walls were made of rough hewn rock. It seemed as though he was in some kind of cave. He could see a brighter light in the distance and shuffled drunkenly towards it.

" ‘Enry? Wolvie? You guys done leave Gambit on ‘is own again?" he called out, but no one answered.

He kept moving. The closer he got to the light, the colder it was getting. He wrapped his arms around himself as he shivered. The cold should have been warning enough not to continue in this direction, but he had lost control of his body and kept plodding dutifully forward. The opening was a hole in the rock wall. He had been in a cave after all. He fell through the hole and tumbled down outside into a deep drift of snow.

He looked up in shock and surprise to find Rogue hovering a few feet above him, using her mild telekinetic power to fly. She was one of his teammates and the girl who’d stolen his heart for all time. His heart ached at the sight of her, he loved her so much.

"Rogue! Oh, t’ank God! Ol’ Gambit was worried dere for a moment!" he gasped, shivering. She would save him. She would take him out of here. Or so he hoped.

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He was disappointed when she just hovered there without moving, an angry scowl on her face. She was young and pretty, more lovely than he remembered. She ran a hand through her brown hair, teasing the white streak that formed her bangs, and tossed her head in anger. "I saved ya from the buildin’ fallin’ down, Remy, that wasn’t your fault. But out here it’s up to you whether you live or die. Ah don’t care anymore." she said in her heavy Southern accent, her voice chilling him more than the Antarctic snow around him.

Mon dieu, not dis again! Not Antarctica! Remy thought in horror, looking around him. The cave behind him was gone, replaced by an opening to a collapsed metal building. It had once been the hideout of Eric the Red, the bad guy of the Antarctica mission two years ago that had gone so horribly awry. Remy was confused as he sat drenched in snow and the sweat of his fever. Why was he back here again? This was the day he had been kicked off the team, when they had discovered his worst and most terrible secret. But this nightmare had played out in reality long ago. It was over. Done. Forgotten. He shouldn’t be back here again.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words that came out weren’t the ones he’d wanted to say, they were the ones he’d blurted out so long ago in a useless attempt to save himself. "Rogue! I don’t care if you leave me ‘ere, chere, but you ‘ave to understand --"

"You think Ah can understand you? You think wrong, mistah," she snarled in her anger. She was from Mississippi and spoke with a Southern accent like he did. Her cheeks were flushed with fury and she never looked more beautiful.

Remy withered under her censure, the familiar guilt an old and trusted friend. It would never leave him, the horror of his crime. His voice shook as he spoke. "Fine, den. Gambit’s earned your hatred. But at least get ‘im somewhere dat’ll give ‘im a chance ta get back home!"

"Home? You ain’t got no home, Sugah. Not with me...not with the X-men, you no good, Cajun piece of trash! Fend for yourself. You seem to have done a good job of that in the past," she snapped, her voice sharp with accusation.

"But...I love you!" Remy breathed in a trembling whisper, this betrayal to his heart more than he could stand without something breaking deep inside.

"You’re supposed to be honest with people you love, Gambit. Without honesty you cain’t have trust. Without trust...what you have isn’t really love at all. G’bye, Remy." She rose quickly and flew off into the ice cold sky leaving him behind alone in the frozen waste.

"Rogue! Espe’re! Rogue, wait!" he shouted, trying to follow her, but it was no use. He was trapped here. Forgotten, rejected, left behind. Never good enough. He had been a fool to think he could ever belong anywhere after what he’d done down in the darkness so long ago.

He fell down to his knees in the snow and sobbed as he gripped himself in a hopeless defense against the cold that burned into him with its freezing, unfriendly fire. He felt his lungs begin to freeze from the arctic air, the pain all too familiar. He couldn’t breathe, he could only gasp out the same old useless apology. "I’m so sorry....I’m so sorry..."

----------------------------

Henry hovered over Gambit’s fevered body, worried more than he could say. They’d been hiding out in the pen now for two days, moving from place to place, trying to hide out from the packs. Remy’s condition was worsening and he had no medicine to save him. The Cajun was lost in a fever and delirious. He was thrashing and crying out, no longer lucid. More ominous than that was the choked, asthmatic wheeze of Gambit’s tortured breathing, it was as though the man couldn’t get enough air. Henry wasn’t sure if it was the fever that was causing that or some sort of panic reaction to their situation or perhaps both. All he knew for certain was his teammate was in serious trouble. Beast was stuck here, useless, unable to do more than watch his teammate fall deeper down into sickness. He had no doubt Gambit wouldn’t last much longer, perhaps not even through the next night.

Remy curled up with a groan as he shivered uncontrollably. His words were breathless sobs. "Je suis de’sole’, chere.... I’m so sorry....so sorry."

Henry sighed, all too familiar with this particular nightmare of Remy’s. He gently brushed Gambit’s sweat soaked hair back and leaned in close to his ear. "It’s all right, Remy. We’ve all forgiven you, it’s over," he whispered softly.

"Non...ne jamais...never....Can’t be undone...so cold...Gambit’s so cold, chere...’e ain’t never gonna be warm again," Remy babbled, not even awake.

Henry looked up at Wolverine who leaned quietly against the back wall. Logan was watching Gambit’s decline in his usual brooding silence. Henry knew that meant nothing. Logan had sealed off much of his emotion long ago in an attempt to control his own savage rages. Still, there was a look of pain in those steel grey eyes that his friend would never give voice to.
"He still worries over this," Henry complained.

"He shoulda known better than ta lie ta us, hidin’ things," Logan replied without malice. "Can’t say as I agree with what Rogue did that day, leavin’ him out there ta die, but bein’ on a team is about trust. If ya can’t trust yer teammates, yer in a real bad place."

"What happened was a long time ago. He’s proved himself to us time and time again since his return. Rogue has forgiven him. He should be done with this."

"Don’t matter if the team forgives ya, if ya never forgive yerself."
Their conversation didn’t get a chance to continue. Logan jerked when there was a loud explosion from close by. "Time ta go!" he growled as if he’d been expecting it. Actually he had been to a point. He’d taken the words of the two white slaves seriously and was hoping for this. He just prayed that this was the Clan and not some Dognan attempt to put them all out of their misery.

Henry was ready and tossed Remy over his shoulder. The man made no sound at all, he was finished with his fever dream, and that frightened Beast most of all. Remy was dying.

Logan led them through the streets towards the noise. He was correct in thinking the Clan would strike near the fence. He headed towards the smoke he saw rising from a hole in the ground on their side of the pen, the Clan had blasted a tunnel under the fence to break inside. A group of men climbed out of the smoking hole. He was relieved to see they were human, not cat people. They were all large men, dressed only in black leather pants and boots. Their bare chests and arms were covered with ornate, colorful tattoos and they carried large broadswords and bows. They were in excellent physical condition, warriors.

One spotted the X-men and he shouted to the man in front. "Kane! There!"

Kane turned to look at them. He was very tall and handsome, a warrior knight from all the paperback soap operas. He had long blond hair tied back in a pony tail and blue eyes that glittered with intelligence and courage. He had the most tattoos and the best sword, marking him as the leader.

He shouted to the X-men and waved them towards him as if he'd been expecting them all along. "Hurry! A pack comes!" he called out in a loud clear voice.

Henry moved towards Kane, but Logan turned to the pack to cover his teammates. He didn't have long to wait. The white slaves came out of nowhere, melting out of the debris of the buildings like they were made of it. They leapt for him, perhaps in retribution for their brothers he’d killed that first day here. Wolverine could have cared less about their motivations. He popped his claws and went to work. He was quickly joined by Kane and some of the others and they hacked and slashed through the pack until most of the slaves were dead. The rest retreated quickly, snarling curses in a language Logan didn’t understand. He wasn’t sorry to see them go.

"Someone will eat well this night!" Kane joked bitterly from beside him.

"Let's go!"

Logan didn't need to be told twice.

As they turned to go, Kane was suddenly slammed from the air by one of Carma's Angels. She carried him aloft by his head and hair, cackling wildly with insane glee. He was kicking and screaming but couldn't get free, she held him too tightly. Two of his men shot her with arrows and she finally let him drop. She had taken an arrow to the throat and slowly sank down to the ground, choking. She stood on shaky legs and tore the arrow from her neck, spitting blood as she cursed them. The men came at her with swords. She growled at them defiantly, but was already dying. They advanced and hacked at her until she fell.

Kane survived his fall without mishap and stumbled over to her. He looked down at her sadly. "What a waste of a pilot!" he snarled, bitter. He touched her face briefly in a sort of tribute, a sign of respect for her kind, but then turned away. He walked over to Beast and looked at the bar code the Dognan had burned on his arm. "You're the alphas. We came to free you. Come with us. We will care for your friend."

They didn't argue.

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[squeekness]

(Five)

They jumped down the hole, following the men who had rescued them. Kane tossed a grenade behind them so no more of the packs would follow them. It exploded and the hole was sealed in a cloud of dirt and smoke. The Dognan were lax in their security Kane explained rapidly as they quickly marched. If they moved away fast enough, they could escape with ease. One of the Clan men took Remy's body and they made good time. The Clan men were very strong and fast, they moved through the city at a rapid pace. Kane obviously had been this way many times and knew where he was going.

As they traveled through the ruined city, they were joined by another small group of Clan made up of women and children. They were heavily burdened with wood and skins, tent making materials and supplies. It seemed odd to see such crude living supplies after being flown in ships and surrounded by modern buildings, smashed or otherwise. In spite of being so heavily burdened, they didn't slow Kane and his men down at all. These folks were used to being on the move. Kane stopped the group from time to time as Dognan ships passed overhead, but they weren't spotted. They went like this for a couple of hours before Kane allowed them to stop and rest.

They went inside a building that had a lot of tables. It might have been a restaurant once or a store judging from all the tables and shelves nearby. They lay Gambit across one of the larger tables and one of the women took out a small first aid kit. She started to clean his ugly head wound, but then shook her head. "This man will not survive," she said to Kane.

Kane had a backpack. He slid it off and rummaged through it quickly. He took out a small head set and a tiny radio, again surprising Logan by the odd mix of old world and new age technology. He put the head set on and clicked one of the buttons. "Seth! Seth can you hear me?"


There was a crackle and then a reply. "Good morrow, Kane. Seth's downstairs with Fallen. Didja find yer alphas okay?" a man's voice pleasantly drawled. He had a bizarre accent, not quite Southern, not quite anything else. It was strange and unique as it rolled off the speaker’s tongue, making him stand out.

Beast turned to Logan and rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy. Someone who speaks worse than you. I didn't think it was possible," he complained good naturedly. Logan just glared at him, not in the mood.

Kane smiled. "Yes, actually. They were waiting for us, they were so eager." he joked, looking at the X-men. "Made it very easy for us. Look, Kimble. One of them isn't doing well. We need a pick up. Is Fallen around?"

"She's here. Where ya’ll at?" Kane didn't answer, but turned on one of the other buttons on the radio. "I gotcha. Ya gots ta git past th' next marker b'fore she kin git to ya."

"We'll rest here a few minutes first. Have her meet us at the green fountain. We'll be there in an hour."

"Green fountin’, one hour, aye. Kimble out."

"Kane out." Kane shut the radio off. "We'll rest and then move on. Won't be long." He had his men open their packs and they all had some food.

The X-men were starved and Kane gave them the most to eat. He noted their enthusiasm. "How long were you in the pens?"

"Almost three days," Henry replied with a weary sigh.

"If we'd heard about you sooner we would have come faster. As it was, we only learned of you six hours ago."

"How did you know about us in the first place?"

"Your bar codes. Seth hacked the Dognan computers and saw you. He always tells us when alphas come so we can bust you out."

"Why're you so interested in us?" Logan grumbled. He was happy to be free but trusted no one.

"Selfish reasons," Kane replied honestly. He took a large gulp from a bottle of whiskey he'd opened and passed it around. "We save the alphas. The alphas join the Clan. You strengthen our people with your powers. Most alphas are very strong and make good warriors. Others bear us promising children like Jake here." He whistled and motioned. A child who had been standing nearby slowly came over, touching the furniture as he moved along. He was very young, maybe nine or ten years old. He smiled admiringly at Kane when the man touched him. "Jake, these men are alphas. Alphas like you."

Jake turned towards them and smiled. "I can make fire!" he said proudly. He held up his hand, palm up. He concentrated and a small flame burst over his hand. He held it there as if it was a ball instead of a flame. He closed his hand and the fire winked out. "Neat, huh?"

Henry smiled. "That's very clever."

"What can you do?" Jake asked. It was then that Henry realized the boy was blind. He should have guessed from the careful way he had come over.

"I’m a doctor," Henry replied.

Jake laughed. "That's not a power!"

"It is when you're sick and you need help. Actually, I am very clever, too. I help people solve problems. I am also very strong and well...furry."

"Furry?!" Jake giggled. He reached out to Henry and felt his arms. He laughed and pulled on Henry's blue fur. "Cool! I wish I was furry, too!"

"It's not always much fun, Jake. I tend to clog many shower drains."

"Go back to your mother, boy," Kane said gently and the boy left.

"Sure it's a good idea havin' women and kids out here?" Logan commented.

"We live out here most of the time. It's all they know. When we take this world, things will be better."

"Who are you? Who are the Clan?" Henry wanted to know.

"We are the decedents of Dognan slaves who escaped out into the wild. They banded together and became the Clan. They eventually formed an army and we've been picking away at the Dognan ever since. We own most of this world. Cerise is strategically placed. Once we've taken over this whole planet, we'll be ready to drive them away from other worlds, too."

"Pretty ambitious plan," Wolverine grumbled. He remembered Frishnan’s comments about how the Clan foolishly believed they could drive the Dognan out. He wondered if Frishnan’s opinion was accurate.

"We have plenty of fine fighting ships and a large army."

Logan looked at Kane's sword. "You have space ships, but you fight with swords."

"The Clan has a great love for bloody fights," he laughed. "We have technology we've taken from the Dognan. We have some of their pilots. This enables us to travel to many far away places."

Beast was immediately interested. "Pilots? Like that bird lady?"

"Yes. That 'bird lady' was a pilot. No doubt you've seen others. The Dognan use them to fly ships and so do we. The pilots are telekinetic, but more importantly, they produce Ristle; the energy used to power the ships. This ability can be passed onto their offspring, but it's never as strong as the ones who are made."

"The Dognan 'make' the pilots?" Beast asked, trying to understand.

"Yes. I'm sure you realize all the Dognan slaves are mutated humans. They are gathered from the many Earths and mutated. It's a lengthy process and very painful. Not all survive."

"What do you mean by many Earths?"

"The Dognan are very technologically advanced. When they brought you here, you not only traveled across space, but you crossed dimensions as well. Some of the pilots are exceptionally powerful. Band a few of them together, and they'll produce enough Ristle energy for the largest ships to actually jump from one dimension to another. It's only been recently that the Dognan have been going to your Earth. That's when the alphas began to show up. Your Earth is the only one with alphas, with humans that have powers. The Dognan always put the alphas in the pens because they fear your power. Plus they are fools for gambling. They play to see how long you will last against the packs. You are legends to the rest of us. Some of the Earths have stories about alphas that have been passed onto many generations even though they possess no real alphas at all. Fallen’s was like that. She knows many legends of alphas such as yourself. Guess we all wish we were different."

"It's not always what it's cracked up to be," Wolverine complained.
"Sometimes when yer different, people just use you or try to hurt you."

"The Clan doesn't "use" alphas. We give them a good life compared to the horror of the pens. I've yet to see an alpha who wasn't happy to join us and help out. We integrate all we rescue. Everyone has value. Not all the slaves from the pens are so savage. Fallen was there and she's okay."

"Who's Fallen?" Logan asked, noting the eerie similarity between the name and the pack of white pilots.

"She's a pilot. She's the bravest thing I've ever seen," Kane said with a smile. He was obviously quite taken with her. "She's the only one with enough courage to help us raid the pens. The Dognan slaughter any freed slaves they find. If they catch her she'll be destroyed for certain, but she comes anyways. She's not afraid of anything. When Cerebus releases her I'm going to ask him to give her to me."

"Cerebus?"

"Cerebus is our leader, the head of the Clan. He is a brave and fierce warrior. Many years ago he freed Fallen from the pens. She owes him a ten year term of service. It's coming to an end very soon. When it's done, I shall ask for her. I know he will agree. I've earned her."

"How does Fallen feel about this?" Wolverine was getting the idea that Fallen didn't have much say in the matter.

"Fallen won't mind. I'm always around as it is. She knows I won't bug her about the guys."


"What guys?"

Logan's question was never answered. One of Kane's men approached. "Pika says ships are coming. We must get moving." They packed up quickly and departed. Wolverine could hear the whine from the Dognan ships flying overhead. They stayed close to the buildings and weren't spotted. Soon, they came to a large bombed out building. They went inside. It looked like the remains of a large shopping mall. Open ruins from the store fronts could still be seen and there were broken boxes and tables all about. In the center of the complex was a large green marble fountain. Logan looked up to the cieling. They could see to the sky through an open hole made by the bomb that wrecked this place.

Kane's men spread out and relaxed by the fountain. The water was running and it was good to drink from. Unfortunately, there was no one here to greet them. Kane got on the radio again."Kimble, where's Fallen?" he demanded.

"Ain't she there yet?" Kimble asked from the radio, surprised.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, guys, I'm right here."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

The voice came from somewhere above them. Henry looked up in time to see a small white figure wink into view. She must have been cloaked, he reasoned.

Fallen certainly knew how to make an entrance. She dropped down into the middle of them with a soft rustle of wings. She was indeed a pilot. Her body and hair were white and bleached out and she was tiny, just over five feet tall and very thin, almost scrawny. It made her seem ugly and out of proportion. Her upper arm muscles were heavier, as if she was used to heavy lifting. She was dressed only in black leather pants and some kind of leather harness, like a reindeer ready for the sled. The pants she wore were tight fitting and showed the odd bend of her legs. She was no longer human and never would be again. She was bare chested and not shy about it. In fact, she arched her back almost seductively as she landed.

The reason was obvious. She had a large colorful tattoo of a sword that ran the whole length of her torso, from the notch of her breastbone to the waistline of her pants. The ink of the tattoo was very bright and stood out in sharp contrast against her white, white skin. The sword was black and an emerald bird woman lay stretched along the blade, her wings spread out across the hilt and over Fallen's tiny breasts. It was apparently a mark of some significance and she wasn't going to hide it. On one bicep, she had another small mark. It was an X in a box with lettering on each side too small to be read from where the X-men sat. Fallen wore a headset radio and carried a bundle of leather straps in her hands. She tossed them down and started to sort them out.

"You're late," Kane complained good naturedly.

"You're early," she replied arrogantly with an easy smile. Wolverine thought Fallen's mutated body was ugly and unattractive as he did all the pilots, but he saw why Kane wanted her. Her spirit was very strong. She seemed to attract the attention of all the men in the room. She didn't appear to be aware of it or want to exploit it. She just ignored the reaction of the men around her.

"I tell you, Fallen. These alphas are getting weirder looking all the time," Kane teased, patting her on the back. "Look what we caught this time."

Fallen glanced at the X-men and smiled at them politely. She was busy so she went back to the straps but then stopped suddenly. She slowly looked back at them, her eyes wide. Henry saw that this was not fear, but recognition. "My, God..." she breathed.

"Fallen?" Kane was alarmed by her reaction. He looked at the X-men now with suspicion.

Fallen looked at Henry with a warm smile and pointed at him. "Dr. Henry McCoy, I presume?"

Henry smiled back, his surprise obvious. "Why, yes. I am Henry McCoy."

Fallen's wonder turned next on Logan. She tilted her head, inspecting him with a wry smile. "You'd be Wolverine. I'm surprised there are any Dognan still alive. You must be losing your touch, old man."

Logan didn't return her smile. He cocked his head arrogantly and checked her out now that she had moved closer. Her eyes were a pale washed out blue and very bright and alert. She looked to be about thirty or so, but he had the sense that, like himself, she was much older than she appeared to be. She was looking him over with great interest. Fallen was confident and unafraid of him even though she seemed to know him for the killer he was.
Not to be subdued by the fact she was a woman, he sniffed her openly, testing her air. He bared his teeth in a sneer, letting her know he felt he was dominant. Her scent told him a lot about her quickly. She smoked cigarettes, drank heavily, and frequently used some kind of narcotic. She was very clean, he could smell the soaps she used, but he'd been around enough addicts to know the smell. He wondered if Kane knew she used, maybe he wouldn't be so eager to marry her if he did. She smelled of machinery, oil, and tools. He looked at her tiny, clawed hands, and noticed they were stained with grease and calloused. She was some kind of mechanic. Unusual trait for a woman, but Fallen was anything but feminine. She appeared to have more in common with the Clan men then the women. He figured she was probably a real pain in the ass, too.

"I had these two lugs slowin' me down," he offered as an excuse.

Fallen ignored Logan's scrutiny and response as if she'd expected his rudeness. She glanced at the man sprawled on the ground next to him. She rose, holding a set of straps and walked over. She crouched down next to Remy and looked him over, taking note of the ugly head wound. She gently touched his fevered face with her clawed fingers and looked concerned about his sickness. She carefully opened one of his eyes and then blinked in surprise.

"The Cajun....the guy with the cards..." she mumbled. She snapped her fingers, thinking. Remembered. "Ah, yes. Gambit. That's it. Remy LeBeau, thief of hearts. Best get him well and back home in one piece before Rogue worries herself half to death."

"I'm impressed," Henry replied, surprised by the extent of her knowledge. Rogue was one of their team mates and Remy’s current girlfriend. "But you have us at a disadvantage. You know us, but we don't know you."
She leaned back and gave a tiny hand to Henry to shake. "Please, excuse me. Too busy being blown away. I am Fallen, Captain of the Lucky Dragon and First Pilot of the Clan. I don't really know you, just about you. You're all X-men. I enjoyed the stories of you very much. I never dreamed you'd be real."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/014fallenbeastcolor.jpg

"Well, we are very much real and are in need of your help. Remy is gravely ill."

She smiled at him gently. "Not to worry. Maylee will take care of him." She took the straps and carefully fitted them around Gambit, moving her hands skillfully as she worked. The straps formed a harness like the one she was wearing. She pulled the leather tight and surprised Beast by heaving Gambit's limp and lifeless body over her shoulders with ease, supporting him with her wings.

Beast rushed up to her. "Please, allow me to carry him --"

Fallen looked at him like he was an idiot. "I've got TK. You don't," she said using the slang term for telekinesis. "He's nothing for me to carry."


It was true. It was like Remy weighed nothing at all. She shifted his weight and clipped his harness to hers using what looked like dog leash clips.

She turned her headset radio on and spoke, "Hey, Seth. This is Fallen. I'm coming back trip one, one heavy. Tell Maylee to be ready. He's hot and has a serious head wound. Gonna need some thread, I think."

"I've got you, Fallen. Stay low around Red Bay, I've spotted some ships there."


"No problem. Fallen out." She clicked off and turned to Kane. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"Take it easy."

"Piece of cake." Fallen jumped and lightly took to the air. She pressed a button on her head set and blinked out of sight.

"Isn't she something?" Kane beamed, proud. He tossed the rest of the straps to the remaining X-men. "Put these on. She's coming back for you."
"Where did she take Gambit?" Wolverine wanted to know.

"To her ship. The Lucky Dragon's parked about ten miles from here."
"And it's only gonna take her twenty minutes to get there and back?"

"Yeah, Fallen's pretty fast when she has to be. She'll pick you up and the rest of us will join you later."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

Twenty minutes later, Fallen touched down among them again. She was sweating from flying so far so quickly. She took a water bottle from Kane and drank heavily.

"How's Gambit?" Henry asked.

Fallen touched her headset. "Good morrow, Seth. This is Fallen. Can I have an update on the alpha please?"

"Good morrow, Fallen. It's yer Kimble." As if he needed any introduction with that accent! "Seth's workin' with Maylee. He says yer alpha's gots a high temp but Maylee's icin' him down now. Gave him a shot of anti-biotic. He's got a small skull fracture, but it's healin' normal. Maylee's cleanin' the head wound now. He's stable. He'll be all right."

"Thanks. See ya in a bit."

"Fly safe. Wasayachay natooroo, Fallen."

"Wasayachay, tay kunda," Fallen laughed softly to herself and clicked off. She looked up at Beast. "Feel better?" Henry nodded. "Let's go, then." She moved the two X-men until they were side by side. She stood behind them and clipped them to her harness. She tugged on them, checked her clips until she was satisfied. "All set."

"Be well, Fallen," Kane said. "We will join you before dark. Some of the men want to go hunting."

"Later, then," she replied and jumped.

Logan grunted when the straps snapped tight as he and Henry were yanked into the air. Fallen was very strong. He felt her telekinesis touch him like a giant helping hand and he was no longer dangling at the mercy of the leather. She really didn't need the straps to carry them, it seemed, it was more for the peace of mind of her passengers. Fallen tapped her headset and Logan's vision turned red as the cloaking field covered them. She eased them out of the building, careful not to snag them on any jagged edges. Once in the open air, she flexed her wings and took off in a huge burst of speed. Fallen didn't flap her wings to fly, she used her TK. Her wings were used for maneuvering and short sprints of speed. It was clear she loved to fly, she had a big smile on her face and was very relaxed and comfortable even though they were quite high.

Logan wasn’t so happy. He hated to fly. Really, it was that he was uncomfortable in any situation where he was at the mercy of someone else. Well, it was nice when his teammate Jean carried him, but that was just because he loved to be near her. Fallen wasn't even close to being as pretty and wonderful as Jean. Too bad Jean was married to Scott, one of their other teammates. Her loss, Logan figured. Jean and Logan had a passion for each other that had never materialized into anything more than a close friendship. She made her choice and took Scott to be her husband, leaving Logan frustrated and on the outside. Logan still clung to a feeble fantasy that she’d come around and they’d be together someday. He'd wait.

From this height, Logan could see pretty far. They were leaving the ruined city behind them and heading towards a rural wooded area. The air smelled much better now and he felt better. He had never been one for the city anyway, he preferred wide open spaces with as little human interference as possible.

They neared a small body of water and Fallen dropped down to avoid some Dognan ships cruising around. They skimmed the water so close Logan could almost touch it. It was clear and beautiful and the setting sun shimmered red across the waves. He was sorry when they passed over it too quickly and headed into the forest. They reached the tree line and Fallen moved up quickly, not wanting to hit them on the tops of the green trees that now swept under them at amazing speed. Logan saw mountains in the distance and the trees thinned out. Fallen took them very close to the mountains, but then swooped into a hidden rocky area with a deep ravine. There was a large river flowing in the canyon. She slowed her speed and landed in a boxed off area. He couldn't figure out why they were here in the middle of nowhere until he realized that there was a ship parked here. It was well camouflaged, almost cloaked. She unclipped them and helped them remove their harnesses. She walked up to the ship, slinging the straps over her shoulders, and humming softly to herself.

The Lucky Dragon was crescent shaped, being thicker in the middle than the sides. It was fairly large, but not a warship. It was a scout ship or transport of some kind. Fallen and the X-men walked up a short ramp to a locked door. There was a security pad there that took a palm print. She scanned her hand and the door opened, allowing them inside.
They entered a large central area in the body of the ship. This was the Main Room of the craft and was divided into three sections. The first section was on the left and consisted of six rows of paired seats along the wall, going deep into the room.

The second section was to the right of that and just as long. It was an open room with chain link fencing for the two walls that faced into the Main Room itself. The wall that faced the seats had a doorless opening while the other had a the whole middle section open to a large viewing screen that covered the furthest wall of the Main Room. This cage room was quite large and took up most of that side of the Main Room.
As they walked down the walkway that separated the cage room from the seats and led deeper into the ship, they could see the cage room was actually a small living area. It had a bed, a small table and a doorway that led off to another small room, presumably a bathroom. Next to the bed on the east wall was another small viewing screen that could be seen from the seats. Inside the cage, facing the big main screen were two of the strange sticks Henry had seen the pilot use to fly Frishnan’s ship.

Fallen led them past the seats, past the cage, up to the third and last area of the room. This was a large open space with the huge viewing screen that took up the entire back wall. The screen was on and electronically divided into six windows. Four of the windows showed four different views of the outside of the ship.

The fifth and sixth portions in the middle showed two views of a control room, almost like a cockpit of a plane. The room was large and spacious, not confining and had real furniture in it. It could be assumed that two people worked in there because each had a work station, although both were currently empty. The windows showed each station from the front even though they were back to back to each other. Each station could be seen clearly and both had computers and various other gadgets that were probably used to fly the vessel.

It was obvious two very different individuals worked there. One station was neat and orderly, everything in it's place. It was almost sterile as if it was rarely used. The other was cluttered with small glass and metal figurines, books, and pictures of nude women. Logan chuckled softly at this. On one side was a rack with music CDs, and a guitar on a stand. The station wasn't messy, just lived in.

"Seth? Kimble?" Fallen called out.

Kimble answered, "In here, Fallen."

His voice came from a room that branched off to the left of the Main Room. Fallen followed it into another room that looked like a small barracks. It was a long narrow area that paralleled the main room and had four beds and it’s own bathroom. Gambit was laid out comfortably on one of the beds. He was undressed and cleaned and had an IV drip attached to one arm.

Seated next to him was a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen years old. She was odd looking and Henry realized that she was a half breed. She was both human and Dognan. The combination was not unkind. She had a gentle cat face and soft brown fur lightly covering her body. She had short cropped hair, and yellow slitted eyes that winked up at them with curiosity. The child was dressed in a simple undecorated shift of soft leather. The leather was well cured and the dress finely crafted in spite of its simplicity. Her legs were straight as a human’s and she wore leather moccasins on her feet.

Her hands were small and clawed, but it didn’t keep her from using them with some skill. Henry had already guessed that this was Fallen’s doctor from the protective way she sat over Remy and had a hand resting gently on his chest, measuring his breath. Remy’s head was not bandaged and Beast could see that she’d put five stitches in to close his ugly head wound. The injury had been cleaned properly and the swelling was already well on its way down.

She and Gambit were the only two people in the room and she smiled up as they came closer. "Hey, Fallen."

"Maylee," Fallen greeted warmly. She walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked down at Gambit. He was sleeping peacefully and he looked much better. "He looks good."

"This is your doctor?" Wolverine asked sarcastically, shocked by her youth.

Fallen looked back at him sharply. "Maylee has been training since her tenth year. She is quite skilled for one so young in age. Don't be so hasty in your judgments," she scolded.


"Easy on th' new peoples, kiddo," Kimble drawled casually. "Don' wants ta scare 'em away."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

The X-men turned in the direction of his voice. There was another viewing screen on the wall. It showed one side of the same control room as the screen in the other room had. Seated at the cluttered work station was a strange looking man. Fallen seemed to collect half breeds. He wasn't a pilot, but he wasn't Clan. He was both. He had Fallen's alabaster skin and wings, but his hair was black and striking because of his pale complexion. It fell very long and straight, tied back in a pony tail draped over one shoulder and down the front. He had the same long black side burns as Wolverine, but cut very close to his face. He looked like he was about thirty years old or so, judging by the worn laugh lines around his eyes. He was dressed a dark colored sweatshirt cut off at the sleeves. This was odd because none of the Clan men wore shirts. A pair of pilot’s wings snuck out the back of his shirt, tucked low to be comfortable in his chair. His arms were heavy and muscular as if he exercised regularly and he had Fallen's X mark tattoo on one large bicep. His eyes were a bright and merry pale blue, and he had a teasing, arrogant smile.

Kimble had taken the chair from the other work station and was leaning his elbow on it comfortably as he smoked a hand rolled cigarette. He looked over their guests with obvious interest and curiosity. He had an air of easy confidence and casual arrogance.

Fallen turned to the screen and smiled at him. "Good morrow, Kimble. Natay laskarat faroo edectk a set. These are the X-men. This here is Dr. Henry McCoy and this is Logan. They are also called Beast and Wolverine."

"Yer from Fallen’s legends. I kin recognize the names well enough though I don’ unnerstand why ya’ll gots ta have so many," Kimble said with a soft chuckle. He bowed slightly in his seat and said, "Good morrow an welcome to th' Lucky Dragon."

"Good morrow to you," Henry returned politely. "It's nice to finally put a face to the voice. And yes we do have a lot of names. It’s a hazard of being an alpha."


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Logan said nothing, but looked at the screen with suspicion. It came to him as no surprise that Kimble was sitting at the cluttered work station. He had that punk kind of attitude. The teasing smile never left Kimble's face as he endured the scrutiny.

Kimble spoke to next Fallen but his eyes were fixed on Wolverine. "This area's clear. No ships followed ya. Kane's in the fourth quadrant. Seth's got what he thinks might've been a transmission from Valentin to Station Nine. Didn' catch the message, but he thoughtcha should know he's in the area. He's checkin' on it now."

"Valentin can go f**k himself," Fallen snapped, ignoring the fact that young Maylee was there. "He won't find us here."

"We can move, it's not a problem," Seth suggested as he walked into the cockpit room from a door that opened in the back.

Seth was obviously a close relation to Kimble, a brother or cousin. He was too old to be Kimble's son. They looked exactly alike except Seth's hair was shock white like Fallen's and he was clean shaven. He had a much slimmer build and as he entered, Logan saw he had wings, too. Seth’s hair was long and tied back as Kimble’s was and they were dressed the same except Seth was completely in white, making him seem small and pale. He was as neat and tidy as his station. He went to sit at his desk, but saw something was missing. He smiled impatiently and rudely yanked his chair out from under Kimble’s elbow, taking it back to his station where it belonged.

Kimble grunted a laugh but never faltered, he simply readjusted himself. He greeted Seth with a strange unfamiliar word and leaned back comfortably in his own chair, putting his feet up on the table. He was wearing black jeans and had Fallen's pilot feet and legs.

Seth waved his hand at Kimble’s smoke. "I wish you wouldn't let him smoke in here," he complained wearily. It had a familiar ring to it as though he was too often ignored. Henry noted that Seth didn't have Kimble's garbled speech patterns and figured maybe he wasn’t related after all.

Kimble just grunted again in amusement at Seth’s comment and made no move to put the cigarette out. His eyes crinkled with laughter and he said proudly, "That’s cuz she loves me best."

Fallen turned to the X-men with a laugh at Kimble’s playfulness and introduced the new arrival. "This is Seth, Kimble's twin."

"Good morrow," Seth greeted politely, bowing slightly as Kimble had done.

"Good morrow," Henry replied. He was surprised by her statement, in spite of their similarities, he never would have pegged the two brothers as twins. Kimble clearly appeared older and more mature, his playful behavior aside. Perhaps there was a good story to go along with this.

Seth returned his attention to Fallen. "Valentin's definitely here. We should go." Seth looked concerned for their safety and tried to get her to see it.

"Forget it," Fallen said, not seeming to notice. "Don't want it to look like we are avoiding him."

Kimble snorted sarcastically and blew smoke out of his nose. "We are avoidin' him!"

"We'll wait here until Kane returns and discuss it with him."
Kimble shrugged in irritation. Whatever. "Why don'tcha get these guys cleaned up. Maylee made a nice stew. Bet they're hungry."

"Right."

Fallen smiled up at Seth and spoke to him in that other language. As they chatted, Logan began to feel a little sorry for Kane. Fallen spoke to Seth warmly and her eyes were bright. Whatever Kimble and Kane had to say about it, it was obvious where Fallen's heart lay. He knew Kimble was probably just kidding around to tease his brother so he thought to Kane, You poor sucker, you don't stand a chance.

Kimble sat patiently and smoked, looking over the new arrivals with continued interest. He was listening to Fallen and Seth but added nothing.

Finally, Fallen turned to Maylee. "Stay here with Gambit. I'll care for the others."

"Is Valentin coming here?" she asked in a small quiet voice. Like Seth, she was afraid, too.

"I don't know, May. I don't think so. We'll just be careful. Whatever happens, happens. No stopping it." She bent down and kissed the top of her head. The gesture made Henry wonder if Fallen was Maylee's mother. If she was, she didn’t say. She led Henry and Logan to the bathroom and showed them around. There was a shower and a small machine that would wash their clothes quickly while they cleaned up.

"There's plenty of hot water so take your time," Fallen offered. "There's a razor there if you want it, some tooth brushes in that drawer. Help yourselves."

"Who is Valentin?" Logan asked quickly before she could leave.

"Valentin is First General of the Clan and an assh**e." It was all she'd say. She left them and Henry and Logan just looked at each other. They didn't have to say what they were thinking. Trouble.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[Kazaire]

squeekness is amazing :D:up:

[squeekness]

Why thank ya! ;) I'm glad ya like it. I'll update soon, but you can always read the rest by the links. :)

[squeekness]

(Six)

The two X-men took their time cleaning up and felt much better after a nice hot shower. They wandered out to the Main Room and saw another door that led to a large galley. It was a large room with a long metal table with fixed benches where Fallen could easily sit all twelve of her passengers and herself. A clear glass jar mounted on the table contained a generous supply of hand rolled cigarettes. There was a large bowl of fruit, mostly some kind of oranges.

One whole wall consisted of storage cabinets and shelves that appeared to be well stocked with bottles and boxes of food. A counter top ran the length of one wall. It held a double sided sink and rack filled with a large supply of whiskey bottles. Another rack close by held a row of dark colored ones. It seemed Fallen liked to keep a good supply of liquor around. There was a large double door refrigerator as well. On one of the walls was a large representation of Fallen's X mark. It was an X in a box with a word printed on each side of the square. Honor. Loyalty. Courage. Sacrifice. But best of all this kitchen and galley had a good sized stove where a large stew pot was bubbling merrily. The smell was wonderful and inviting and Logan felt his stomach growl in anticipation.

Soft music was playing on unseen overhead speakers. Logan was startled to recognize it as Born on the Bayou from Creedence Clearwater Revival. Where did Fallen get Earth music from? he wondered to himself, but didn’t bother to ask.

Seth and Kimble were in their usual chairs in the cockpit room on a viewing screen. Seth had a headset on and was listening to something, his eyes closed in concentration. Kimble was excitedly jabbering away about something funny, laughing merrily. Fallen sat at the table, listening to him halfheartedly with a smile as she smoked one of the hand rolled cigarettes. Her eyes were half closed and she looked sleepy.

Logan sniffed quietly at her and realized she wasn’t merely sleepy, she was stoned. She looked up at them lazily as they entered and spoke, "Feel better?"

"Do you?" Logan quipped. He had no patience for drug use.

She looked at him sharply and locked eyes with him, unafraid. "What I do on my ship is my business, X-man. I'm not about to take any **** from you, legend or not. You don't like it, you can go back to the pens," she snapped.

"Reoww! Ffft! Ffft!" Kimble joked from the screen, imitating a cat fight. "Chill, baby. Don' let the furball gits a rise outta ya."

Logan sneered up at him, showing his teeth. He wondered if this guy ever left that stupid room. Where were they anyway? The Control room was nowhere in sight and the only scents on board were Fallen and Maylee’s. Logan was about to respond to Kimble's dig when Henry touched his arm and shook his head in warning. Forget it. They sat down at the table to eat.

Fallen was quick to assume her duties as host. She got up and went to one of the cupboards. She took out two large serving bowls and served Logan and Henry generously from the stew pot. She gave them some bread as well. She went to the small refrigerator, grabbed two bottles of beer and set them out. The X-men were starved and ate quietly. The stew was very good although Logan noted there was no meat in it. He didn’t mind, he was happy just to fill his belly.

Fallen leaned against the counter away from them and smoked. She watched Seth as he worked with a gentle smile. He seemed to be trying to listen in on someone else's transmission. He tapped the head set and typed away rapidly at a keyboard.

"Anything?" Fallen asked.

Seth squinted and shook his head. "I can't make it out. The Dognan know the pens were broken into and that it was us, but they don't know where we went. They sent out an All Alert. They know the alphas are gone. Fence is fixed.... There was a big brawl on the way out....." He cocked his head as he listened and shivered. "Frishnan's angry. His favorite, Theba, got sliced."


"One of the Angels?"

"Yeah."

Fallen looked at Logan.

He shook his head. "Kane's men."

"Poor Frishnan. Gonna have ta find someone else ta place his bets on. Prob'ly lost a bundle on that fight, too," Kimble teased. "Poor baby."

"How can you find that funny?" Logan grumbled.

"Kimble finds everything funny. It's why I keep him around," Fallen said quickly before Kimble could respond.

"Clan'll shut the pens down soon enough," Kimble said after a pause. He looked at Fallen closely and a meaningful look passed between them.

Fallen reached behind her and grabbed a whiskey bottle. She opened the seal with a claw and poured herself a good sized drink. She tossed it back like it was water. "Anything else?"

"No. It's pretty quiet now. I'll try again later."

"Looks like we gots us a breather. Could use the break," Kimble said, rubbing his eyes like he was tired. He leaned back in his chair and put his furry feet up on the console again.

"What is it you guys do exactly?" Logan asked, curious about these new people he found himself with.

"We raid the pens, harass the Dognan," Kimble explained. "We stays out on the sidelines pretty much. Valentin's army does most of the work of drivin' them Dognan guys back. They've been really busy lately. Think the Clan is workin' on some kinda big project. My guess is Cerebus is gonna go fer the big push soon. All or nuthin'. Prob'ly drag us into it just fer kicks."


"Don't you want to get involved?" Henry wanted to know.

"Ain't much inta suicide, thanks," Kimble quipped sarcastically.

Fallen was quick to explain Kimble’s reaction. "The Clan army isn't as organized as they could be. They have a lot of resources, but there's too much competition among the Generals. They seem to be more interested in who's going to get the Honor Sword than winning anything for the people."

"Honor Sword?"

Fallen arched her back and stroked her long tattoo. "This. The Honor Mark of the Hopelessly Reckless."

"Ya shouldn't joke about it likes that," Kimble said, oddly serious. "Ya earned evra inch of that Mark."

She looked up at him. "I didn't earn it, we did."

"How did you earn it?" Henry asked.

"Lotsa reasons. Raidin' the pens, mostly," Kimble answered for her. " ‘Corse, it coulda been that time Fallen saved Cerebus' life." he teased with a laugh. "Ol' Cerebus got his ass stuck in the city and we hadta come bails him out cuz Vally chickened out."

"Valentin didn't chicken out, he wanted Cerebus' throne. Figured the Dognan would save him the trouble of having to kill Cerebus himself," Fallen retorted.

"Yeah, well Fallen got him outta that little mess."

"I couldn't have done it without you," she said, looking up at Kimble with a loving smile. "You showed me the way out. Helped me fly through one of the worst firefights I've ever seen."

"Nobody flies like you, baby doll. I ain't gots nuthin’ ta do with it." Kimble said with sincere modesty, not wanting to take the credit.

"You're wrong. Nobody flies like me and you together." Her look and tone of voice finalized the matter. "That's why you're my Second and always will be."

Kimble shrugged. "Anaways..." he continued, returning to Henry's question. "...we take alla the crap jobs nobody wants. Make it back alive. Cerebus wants alphas fer his cause, we gits 'em for him. No sane white pilot would come out here. If the Dognan catch Fallen, she's toast. Good thing she's so good with the stick."

"The stick?"

" ‘S slang fer the way pilots fly the ship. Fallen's the best pilot around --- no matter what she sez 'bout me. No one kin catch us," Kimble said, proud. "She built this ship and evrathin' in it. Nuthin' else like it around."

"Quiet now," Fallen cautioned. It wasn't the praise, it was her secrets. "They don't need to hear you prattle on." She stood straight and poured another drink. "Where's Kane?"

Seth flipped a switch on his panel, waited. "Still in the fourth. You want to speak to him?"


"No. I'm going to have a bath and crash." She looked at Henry and Logan. "Help yourself to whatever you want in the cupboards." she said and left with the bottle.

"I'll go with you," Seth offered and left the cockpit room through the back door.

Logan stared at Kimble up on the screen, not really watching his brother leave. It was this one he was really interested in. Kimble seemed to know it. He leaned back in his chair comfortably and stared back, grinning arrogantly. He behaved like Wolverine didn't intimidate him at all. Must be some kind of punk, Logan thought. Can’t wait to meet him in person and size him up for real.

"You said you and Fallen earned the Mark together. Where's yours?" Logan challenged. He’d picked up on the fact that Seth and Kimble were the only males he'd seen with a shirt since they left the pens. He didn't know why, but it bugged him.

Kimble didn’t answer but slowly pulled down the collar of his shirt until the handle of the tattooed sword was visible. It seemed he was just as Marked as his captain. His smile changed to one more sly and he cocked his head waiting for Wolverine’s response.

"Why cover it up?" Logan continued to probe. He had the idea something wasn't quite right about this stranger. He was bored and comfortable now with his belly full, so he figured he would try and ferret it out. Nothing like a good game to pass the time. He could see Kimble was up for it.

"Chilly down here," Kimble replied with a mock shiver. He was obviously lying and didn't care. He continued to stare at Logan and grin, he clearly knew it was pissing Logan off.

Beast sat watching the two of them with a resigned shake of his head. He sighed impatiently and scolded, "You two enjoy your pissing contest. I'm going to sit with Remy." He stood up and put his dishes in the sink. He waved to Kimble and left.

Kimble returned Beast's wave, but his eyes never left Logan’s face. "Ya always thanks people who save yer life this way, or did we win the lottery?" he challenged in return. His eyes were hard.

"Somethin' ain't right about you, boy. Somethin' ain't right about all of this. Why are you hidin’ from the Clan if you're a part of it?"

"Not evrathin' here is what it seems. Ya wants ta git home, you'd best be careful." Kimble flipped a switch and his corner of the viewing screen winked out, leaving Logan on his own in the empty galley.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[TwilightPro101]

Defintely an interesting read.

[squeekness]

Thanks. :D I'm glad you like it. I've certainly worked hard on it. I've been at this for about seven years now. I doubt I'll be able to post all of it, it's huge!

[squeekness]

Beast walked into the barracks to check in on Remy. Maylee had stretched out on the next bed over from the sleeping thief and had fallen asleep. She looked so tiny and small curled up there and he couldn’t help but cover her up with a blanket. She smiled up at him, not really awake, and rolled over, wiggling to get more comfortable.

He sat next to Gambit on his bunk and looked him over. Whatever Maylee had done, it was the correct thing, he felt the coolness of Remy's cheeks and was satisfied. He startled a little when Gambit opened his eyes and smiled up at him. So strange, the red on black. At least he seemed well enough.

"Didn' know you cared, mon ami," Gambit teased in a raspy voice.
"Welcome back," Henry said, smiling. He saw a cup of water next to the bed and held it to Remy's lips so he could drink. "How do you feel?"

"Wasted...What did I miss?"

"You've been unconscious since last night. We were liberated this morning by some people called the Clan. They broke us out of the pen and brought us to this ship. We've made some interesting new friends." He pointed to Maylee. "That's your doctor."

Gambit glanced over at the sleeping young girl. "Dey start young 'ere, eh?
Can't wait to meet de rest of de girls."

"They're white, have wings and can fly."

"Cool. Where do I get one?"

"The Captain of this ship is a pilot. Do you recall that strange, white bird like woman on the Dognan ship that delivered us to the pen?"

"Vaguely. Gambit wasn’t t’inkin’ too straight mos’ of de time we been ‘ere."

"Well, she's one of those and her name is Fallen. It seems the Clan is some kind of resistance group made of those white slaves and their children. They want to drive the Dognan out and take over this world. They liberated us from the pen because they like alphas to join them and make them stronger because of our powers," Henry explained, keeping his voice low enough not to disturb the child sleeping in the next bed.

"Dey want us to fight wit dem?" Remy asked nervously. He could hold his own, sure, but he wasn’t interested in becoming a resistance fighter. He was a sneak and a thief, not a soldier.

"So far no one has asked us to do anything. I hope we can work something out to get us back home. Kane is a warrior who helped to free us. He said it is possible for a pilot to return us home. He didn't say how or if they would voluntarily."

"You ask dis Fallen?"

"Not yet. There's been some tension..."

"Bien entendu." Remy said with a soft snicker. "What Wolvie boy done now?"


Henry laughed. "He's suspicious about the people here."

"E's suspicious 'bout everyone. What's so special 'bout dese people?"

"He's not saying. He's keeping it to himself as always."

"E's paranoid."

"Yeah well, my paranoia's saved yer ass more'n once," Logan drawled from the doorway. His eyes glanced to Maylee, but he could tell by her breathing she was out cold.

Gambit shifted to get a better look at his ornery teammate. "Dey got us out, took care of me. We should wait ‘fore we be startin’ any fights, n’cest ce pas?"

"Good advice," Beast agreed. He looked at Logan. "While we do rely on you for your instincts, I don't think it's a good idea to alienate these people. Kane said a pilot could get us home. Fallen is a pilot. Perhaps she will help us."

"When? In between gettin' high or gettin' shot down? She's a freakin' junkie. Somethin's up with that Kimble guy, too. This place gives me the creeps. Can’t smell those two pilot guys anywhere."

"Let's wait before we snap to any hasty judgments we'll regret later," Henry advised. "The people here seem harmless enough."

"What seems ta be, an’ what is aren’t always the same thing," Logan cautioned. "I just wanna get us outta here and back in one piece."

"Den we all on de same page, homme," Remy replied, rubbing his eyes. He felt much better and hoped he would be well enough to move around soon. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about. He felt a little left out, but was happy to be fixed up and cared for.

"You should get some more rest," Beast said motherly and pulled the blankets up a little higher on his chest.

"Mebbe we all should. Gambit ain’t de only one who look a little ragged."

Henry sighed and nodded. It was true. With his belly now full and his concerns about Remy alleviated, he could feel the weariness creeping in. He hadn’t slept worth anything in the pen. He took the bed across from Remy and lay down, smiling as he saw Logan lay down on the bunk next to him without closing his eyes. He watches over us like a hawk, he thought not unkindly. As much as it pains me to see him so paranoid, I am glad for his presence. He closed his eyes and was out like a light.

[squeekness]

(Seven)

Kane's group of people joined them just after sunset. They had traveled on foot through the rocky canyon and were dirty and tired. They opened up their tents and set up camp just outside of the ship. There was about twenty people, mostly women and children. The kids were laughing and dove into the nearby water, splashing and playing around while the evening meal was being prepared. Someone had shot an animal that looked like a deer and it was soon roasting on a huge spit. The Clan did not seem to be concerned about the fires attracting attention and were relaxed and comfortable. Fallen came out to greet them soon after they arrived. She spoke briefly with Kane and then went back inside her ship.

Logan wandered out, checking out the people as they settled down. They were dressed mostly in furs and leather, reminding him of Native Americans. The tents and sleeping rolls were made of the same. These people had been living off of the land for a long time and were well adapted to it. They carried only crude weapons such as bows and swords, no guns that he could see.

They seemed happy enough, although the men were clearly dominant here. They deferred to the men and did all of the cooking and serving. They kept their eyes down and wouldn’t look at him directly although they appeared unafraid by his presence here.

He saw Kane sitting by a fire eating roasted meat. He sat down next to him and accepted a good sized steak from a woman who served him. It smelled wonderful and he was grateful. He thanked her and noted her surprise at his courtesy.

He ate his meal and turned to Kane, making conversation. "I see you had a good hunt. Maybe next time I'll join you."

"You'd be most welcome. Are you a good hunter?"

"You could say that," he answered cryptically. Logan had been known to take down big game with his claws alone when he wanted the challenge. Logan never used guns to hunt. He thought it was unfair, there was no sport in it if you didn't get up close.

"Your friend is well, eh? I told you we'd take care of him."

"Thanks. Those guys don't eat out?" Logan asked as he jerked a thumb towards the ship, trying to maneuver the conversation.

"Fallen doesn't eat meat. The guys, well, they don't eat at all." Kane said, a strange smile on his face.

Logan blinked. "Excuse me?"

Kane laughed. "They're a program on Fallen's computer. They're not real."

Logan was stunned, but tried to cover it up with a laugh. "Coulda' fooled me. Sure she ain't got them stashed somewhere on board?" Logan was feeling foolish. He should have known, it explained why there were no scents on board and the guys were never around.

"Yes, I am certain. I've seen the whole of the ship. There's no control room, no men. They're just a program Fallen uses to help her with Lucky."

"I've seen lots of strange things in my time, but I've never seen a program that real." Logan said not being entirely honest. The X-men had traveled far and wide, this was not Logan's first trip off world. As they traveled, they picked up bits and pieces of technology from people they've helped. One such group, called the Shi'ar, had given them some wonderful and sophisticated holograms. The X-men used these holograms for training, but never interacted with them as if they were real people, not like Fallen did.

"Where did Fallen get the program?"

"She claims she found the program by accident and she hasn't worked it all out yet. It was damaged and she’s been putting it back together again. She's only had them about three years, but they've made a big difference in our raids, Seth mostly. He can talk to the Dognan computers---that's how we found out about you---and he's made Lucky a much faster, more efficient vehicle. I'm not sure exactly what Kimble does besides run his mouth off. She claims he helps her to fly but I don't see how. I know the two guys make some in the Clan nervous because they are so life like, but they don't bother me. Lucky's the fastest ship we have, the most maneuverable. Fallen flies like the angel she is. Who am I to question how she does it? Fallen downplays its significance, but the Clan doesn't give the Honor Sword to just anyone. She worked hard for it, made many sacrifices to get where she is now. She wants to put a pretty face on Lucky, so be it."

"She found this program? Did she say where?"

Kane grunted. "No. She keeps her secrets."

"Secrets and marriage don't mix."

"What do I care of her little secrets? When Lucky is mine I'll have the fastest ship with the best pilot. That's all I care about. "


"What do you mean, ‘when Lucky is yours’?"

"When Fallen marries me, all that is hers will become mine." Kane laughed.
"Really, why else would any one want such a scrawny ugly woman for their wife?"

"Yeah, right," Logan agreed, feeling sick. Fallen was a bi!ch, but he had a problem with anyone using someone else like that. He rose to go. "Well, I'm beat. Gonna go get some rest."

"Sleep well, my friend," Kane said. He offered his hand and Logan shook it.

Logan walked back up the ramp of the Lucky Dragon and into the main room. He saw a large opening in the floor that hadn't been there before. It was some sort of trap door with a stairway going down to a lower level. He quietly crept down the stairs, all senses alert. The stairs led down to a hallway with a large room at the end. As he walked down to the room on the end, he saw three doors that led to other rooms off the hallway. The first led to a small lavatory with just a shower and a toilet. The second said Storage on the door. It had a security panel that needed a palm print scan to enter. The last door was labeled Engine Room. It, too, required a palm scan. Logan made his way down the hall. This lower level was not as nicely finished as the top, it was more like a basement with hastily painted walls.

He heard voices as he advanced, Fallen, Seth and Maylee were in the room on the end.

"It feels funny.....like I've got a bag over my head," Seth was complaining.

"Just relax and breathe... Slowly, you're going too fast," Fallen replied.

Intrigued, Logan went up to the opening of the main room. He didn't enter, but hovered in the doorway, checking out what was gong on. This room was a workshop. One wall was covered with strange tools all neatly hung and arranged. A long work bench ran most of the length of the wall, leaving space for the head of a small bed in the far corner. Opposite the bed on the wall was a medium sized viewing screen.

The workbench held three large computers with monitors. All were on, their screens glowing brightly with information written in symbols Logan couldn’t read. Fallen sat in a chair in front of one, her back to Logan. She was busy tapping away at a keyboard and didn't realize he was there.

Maylee sat on the small bed. She didn't notice Logan either because she was too busy watching Seth. Seth stood in the middle of the room with his back to the door, appearing for all the world like a real man. He was making small movements, doing some sort slow moving dance or stretching exercises. Logan could smell everyone in the room except for Seth and he smiled when he realized what was going on. Kane was telling the truth, Seth was a hologram.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

For the first time, Logan could see Seth's whole body. He had Fallen's bird like physique of a pilot, but he was in better physical condition so his proportions were normal. He was dressed only in a small, white brief that left almost all of his skin exposed. He would have been easily half again Fallen's body mass had he been real and he looked to be a head taller than her as well. His body was smooth white skin that graduated to soft fur at the waist which continued down his legs. He didn’t look quite right as he moved and Logan noticed that it was more like the hologram lacked detail. The image of Seth it reproduced was not as good as he appeared from the control room. It also wasn't as good as the ones back home.

Seth's wings were larger than Fallen's with heavier bones and the tips of the wing fingers were clawed. His legs were bent like a cat and he had the strange pawed feet with two toes. He looked like he was having trouble balancing himself as he moved because he was wobbling on his ankles and swaying slightly. He turned his toes in, hoping for better balance, and slid the toe claws slid out, grabbing into the floor to steady himself. His arms came out at awkward angles as he wobbled all the harder. It was enough for Logan to see that Seth’s arms were human with normal hands, not furred and clawed like Fallen’s were. He was a mixture of pilot and human, just like Kimble had appeared to be.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/019sethwobbling.jpg

And like Kimble, Seth's hair was very long, but white, and his pony tail reached to his waist. What was most striking about him was the long Honor Sword Mark that ran the length of his torso. He was larger than Fallen so the mark was bigger. The emerald woman was bright against the black blade, and commanded attention. The blade was rippling as Seth breathed. He was now gasping for air too quickly, hyperventilating.

"Slow down, Seth. Easy. Small breaths," Fallen said.

Seth stopped moving and stood still with his sides heaving. "I can't get enough air!"

"No, you're getting too much. Slow down."

Fallen rose and went over to him. Logan could now see her computer screen. It showed a diagram of Seth that copied his movements as he made them. Fallen made Seth crouch and put his head down. She rubbed his back gently with her hands, revealing that Seth's hologram body had to be of some sort of solid construction. "Slow down. Easy now," she said and kissed him.

Seth seemed to relax almost immediately with her so close. "Ahrgg! The lights are too bright or something. I don't feel right."

"It's just that you're not used to it. You're trying to do too much."

"This wasn't such a good idea."

"Chicken," Fallen teased. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Kimble took it," he joked, then grew serious. "I want to go back."

"Not yet, don't be such a baby." She stroked the hair of his head, petting him like a dog. "I need you out so I can work on the codes. Just a few more minutes. Remember what were doing this for." She kissed him again, this time slowly and passionately on the mouth.

"Okay," Seth said dreamily, enthralled by her touch and obviously wanting to please her. It was clear he was uncomfortable in this new environment, but was willing to do as she asked. She stood and went back to the computer. Seth stayed crouched down with his hands and feet on the floor. His long white pony tail slid over one shoulder and reached the floor as he caught his breath.

Maylee got up and sat next to him, wanting to comfort him. Seth looked at her and smiled, happy she was there.

"You going to be okay?" Maylee asked.

"Yeah, just need to get used to it," he wheezed. He looked up suddenly when he noticed Logan in the doorway. He startled with a shriek and almost fell over. He slid a leg out to balance himself and tried to position himself defensively as if waiting for an attack. His toe claw was large and wicked as it tacked onto the floor. He whined like a dog as he cowered in fear.

Fallen turned and saw Wolverine. "Easy, Seth. I won't let him hurt you," she promised calmly, rising quickly. She moved in between Logan and Seth, shielding him. She faced Wolverine, her chin up and hands fisted. "Can I help you with something?"

"Not really. I was just wondering what you were up to." Logan entered the room, walking carefully around Fallen to get a better look at the hologram. "New toy?" he teased arrogantly.

Seth still crouched as he was but balled one hand into a fist. There was no trust there.

Maylee stood up, blocking Seth from Wolverine. "What do you want?" she asked a little more bravely than she felt.

"Just a look at yer boy. Seems to be havin' a little trouble."

"He's just learning his way around," Fallen said. "He's only been out a couple of weeks. If you're going to give us trouble you can just leave."

Logan put his hands up and moved back. "Not me, ma'am." He found a chair at the work bench and sat down.

Seth relaxed a little now that Logan was further away, but he was still rattled. He kept his eyes down, feeling vulnerable. He started to shake even worse.

Fallen noticed and sat beside him. "Relax. Forget him."

"I want to go back," he whined softly and a tear leaked out of one eye.

"Not yet. Here." She reached out behind her, and using her telekinesis, floated a whiskey bottle over and a glass. She poured a small portion of the dark whiskey into the glass and held it to his lips. He sipped from it and shivered from the taste, but seemed steadier.

"Better?" Fallen asked, wiping his face gently, and he nodded. "You're thinking too much. Just relax and drink." She stood up, leaving him the bottle and the glass, and went back to her computer.

Logan was intrigued. Since when could holograms drink or cry? The ones back home certainly never did, why would they? They weren’t real in any physical sense.

Maylee sat next to Seth again. She took out a pack of cards and shuffled them. Seth watched her with rapt attention, entranced. Her actions distracted him from Logan’s presence and he calmed quickly, focusing on what she was doing. She laid the cards out, playing a kind of solitaire. Seth pawed at the cards, he wanted to look at them. Maylee giggled and gently moved his hands away, like you would a small child. Seth laughed and made a game of it. His co-ordination wasn't that good, it was too easy for her to block him.

"Teach me to play," Seth asked and listened as Maylee began to explain.

Logan ignored them and leaned over to watch what Fallen was doing.

Fallen noticed his curiosity and explained, "I'm working on Seth's program codes. It's a large program, he's only using half of it even now. The more codes I unlock, the more real he gets."

"Why do ya want to make him real? Got plenty of Clan men around."

"I like Seth better," she replied.

Seth looked up at her as she spoke, but said nothing. Maylee touched him to get his attention back. Seth went back to the game, but he now had a small wistful smile on his lips.

"I have no need for Clan men who are only interested in what I can do or what I possess." Fallen continued bitterly. She obviously knew about Kane's intentions. "Seth is my friend. He provides me with companionship. He accepts me for who I am, no matter what. Most importantly, he listens to me. I don't know if you're the kind of man who is capable of understanding how much just that one thing means to me."

"I do understand that, darlin'. But I also believe in dealin' with reality. These things you use to escape are only good fer so long."


Before Fallen could respond, Logan looked up to the doorway, his friends had arrived.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2486472/1/

[squeekness]

"Well, this is where everyone went."

Fallen turned to see Beast and Gambit now standing in the doorway. Gambit looked pale and drawn, but his eyes were bright. His clothes had been cleaned and he came down in his stretch pants and black undershirt. His head wound didn’t look bad at all now, the cut looked clean and there was very little swelling in spite of the five stitches Maylee had put in.
Henry had spoken. " I thought maybe you were avoiding us."

Fallen laughed and waved her hand at him in invitation. "No, just working on a few things."

Henry took a moment to formally introduce Remy to everyone, the boy had been too ill to really greet anyone before. Remy took in these new faces with his usual grace, nodding to them all and smiling. He took in Fallen’s pilot presence and matched it up with the one they had seen before. Seth he never questioned, figuring he was more of the same. Maylee he saw was Dognan, that wasn’t hard to miss, but he held her no ill will, already knowing she had been the one to help him before.

Logan watched his teammates go through their paces with a kind of amused passivity. He knew Henry and Gambit didn't know Seth wasn't real. He said nothing, waiting to see how long it would take them to realize it. Beast entered the room and went to the other side of Fallen so he could look at her tools. He never wasted an opportunity to learn something new, especially if it involved new technology or machinery. He had figured out pretty quickly that he could learn a lot from this strange young woman they now found themselves with.

Gambit walked on wobbly legs to where Seth and Maylee were playing and sat down with a sigh of relief. He was still very weak although he felt a hundred times better than he did just a short time ago. He smiled and checked out Maylee’s game, offering his hand. "Bonjour, fille. You play poker?"

Maylee shook it happily. "What's poker?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/020howdymaylee.jpg

"It's a game of chance. Dere's more than one way t' play."

"Teach us," Seth requested, his eyes bright and eager.

Gambit looked at him a little more closely and smiled. He realized now there was something odd about Seth, but he couldn't figure it out right away. There was something strange and disjointed about his eyes, his way of moving. Remy was patient, he took his time and began to explain the different games. He did this in such a way that Seth was forced to ask questions and then watched the young pilot carefully as he spoke. Like Wolverine, Gambit was very curious and observant of other people. It was a necessary part of being a charmer and a con man and was a habit he had never left behind.

Gambit took Maylee's cards and looked them over before starting a game. The symbols were different but could still be used to play the games he knew. He shuffled them skillfully and dealt each of them a hand. He noticed that Seth watched the quick movements of his hands with rapt fascination as if he’d never seen anyone play cards before. Remy was fast and very skilled and he tossed the cards about with flair, showing off and having a blast. He was a sucker for an audience and was rewarded by a beaming smile from Seth, the boy was enthralled.

Seth tried to pick up his cards after Remy dealt him his hand, but his fine motor skills were feeble. He had trouble getting his fingers to do what he wanted. He clumsily arranged his cards, almost dropping them. Remy waited patiently as Seth struggled and then succeeded. Seth looked at his hand of cards then leaned over to check out what Maylee had.

"Hey, no cheating!" she said, laughing.

Seth just smiled. It was obvious he had no clue what he was doing, but was having a grand time just the same. It was a moment later when he startled suddenly and gasped as his cards fell through his hands as if his fingers were made of air. His body flickered and he cried out in panic.

"Sorry," Fallen apologized from her computer. Henry turned to look at Seth, startled by the young pilot’s response.

"De’tendent, fils. Relax, little buddy. Yo’ hand wasn't dat good anyway." Gambit laughed and picked up Seth's cards, not the least bit fazed. He had already guessed Seth was less than real.

"He's a hologram?" Henry gasped, surprised. The Seth personality from upstairs had been so convincing, he hadn't questioned Seth's physical presence here.

"Not a very good one, I'm afraid," Fallen said. "He has difficulties."

Seth slid back away, blinking. He was shaking again and started to hyperventilate with a high whistling whine. Tears flowed fresh from his eyes and he clutched at his throat with his hands as he wheezed like a frantic freight train.

Fallen punched buttons quickly on her keyboard. It didn't do any good. Seth was losing it again. She got up and went to him. "Relax."

"I don't want to relax!" Seth's voice trembled. He was terrified. "I want to go back!"

"You're never going to get used to the sensory data if you keeping bailing out all the time."

"Well, this is interesting," Henry said. "How can a program be frightened? Is it sentient?"

"Something like that," Fallen replied evasively. She covered Seth's ears with her hands and made him put his head down. "Close your eyes. Think quiet thoughts."

Seth obeyed her command. He closed his eyes and put his head down to the floor. He placed his slender white hands over hers so she wouldn't leave him, wanting her comforting presence close. He opened his wings slightly and lay them down, covering himself. He calmed, but it was only because she was there.

"Tay kunda, Seth. Tay kunda Siska esk. Wasayachay felar delay a resk," Fallen said softly, rubbing his hands with her thumbs with genuine love and affection. She kept repeating it patiently until he was very still. She pulled away, but he didn't move. He'd fallen asleep or was in some kind of hypnotic state. His eyes were closed and his hands covered his ears. She'd made him shut out most of what was frightening him.

Kimble popped up quickly on the screen across from the bed. "What’s goin’ on?" he demanded, his concern for his brother obvious.

Fallen looked up at him. "He’s all right. Just freaking out a little as always. You can finish the diagnostics like I asked, Kim," she said firmly, dismissing him.

"Maybe he ain’t gonner be doin’ so well with an audience around," Kimble argued, not quite so willing to leave. His eyes were on Seth, watching as his brother lay still and quiet.

"I said he’s fine, Kim. Do as you’ve been told."

Kimble hesitated, then scowled and clicked off.

"Neat trick," Gambit commented, looking at Seth. "What did you do to ‘im?"

"He gets overwhelmed. I've tried filtering the sensory data from the computer, but it doesn't work. He's part of the system and separate from it at the same time. He finds the sound of that particular phrase comforting so I use that. I can't explain why. Kimble does much better, but he's a lot more outgoing and not intimidated."

"Kimble comes out, too?" Logan asked, a bit uneasy at the idea. Kimble interested him more because he appeared to be stronger, more potentially dangerous.

"Yes. This program is supposed to be a full time hologram, not just a simple personality. I’ve been restoring the hologram codes, with some difficulty as you can see."

"Why do you have two of them?" Henry asked.

"The original program was damaged when I found it, fragmented. Kimble is what was left of the personality the program originally came with. I created Seth to bridge the gaps. That’s why he's younger and more timid. He's very intelligent, though. He interfaces better with other computers than Kimble does. He also has infinitely more patience. The program is fascinating, the way the two of them work together."

"So you didn't create this program?" Henry questioned.

"No, only part of it. I gave it certain characteristics like their appearance and the way they talk to a point. I haven't yet discovered just where Kimble got that horrible drawl, though. That's all him," she added with a laugh.

"How do you know they aren't dangerous?" Logan asked.

Fallen smiled at him indulgently. "The main function of this program was entertainment. It has safeguards. It goes against their programing to hurt anyone."

"You haven't unlocked all the codes, you said. How do you know the safeties are even working?"

"Because I put in some of my own. One of them is the power supply. See those two black cubes there? Those power the hologram. When one of them is 'out', he has to stay within eight feet of those cubes. Those cubes act as restraints. He basically can't leave this room."

"What powers the cubes?"

"My Ristle energy." Fallen snapped her fingers, making a blue spark. "The cubes are powered directly from me or from batteries in the Engine Room. I charge the batteries and everything that uses power on this ship uses Ristle energy from those batteries. So do Seth and Kimble."

"So they're like slaves, then. Totally under your control," Logan said.

"Be very careful, Wolverine," Fallen said sternly. "They are not slaves. I was a slave myself once. It was horrible. I wouldn't do that to them or anyone else. This is a program designed to please. They both want to be out so they can play and explore. I don't force them to do anything they don't want to."

"Right. Sure. He didn't seem too happy about bein’ ‘out’ just now." He jabbed a finger at Seth who was still balled up on the floor.


"Not that I have to defend myself to you, but Seth and I had a long conversation about this before this was done. We have an agreement. He saw that Kimble liked it and wanted to try."

"An 'agreement'? You made an agreement with a program? You talk about him like he is already real," Beast interjected. "I don't understand. Either he's sentient or he's not. If he is sentient, what right do you have to control him this way?"

"He's not sentient the way you mean. He's just a very realistic personality. Even if I was able to acclimate him permanently to this environment using the hologram, he'll never be alive the way you mean. He asked me to do this because he wanted to know what it was like out here. It's the closest he'll ever come to being what we are. He's very curious. Both of them are. I saw no reason not to indulge him. As a precaution, some safety measures are required."


"Sounds ta me like you are dancing on a real fine line," Wolverine commented. "I can see how this 'program' of yours could get out of control so easy. You got it tied into yer ship, now yer tryin' to bring it out in this world. You ain't convincin' me that this thing is safe. What if one of them goes nuts? What then?"

"It won't happen. I can control it. It's just a program like any other."

Logan shook his head. "I hope yer right. For your sake."

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[squeekness]

(Eight)

Logan woke the next morning refreshed but was in no hurry to get up. He lay on his bed, contented and relaxed. He was used to waking up in strange places and could sleep anywhere, especially in a bed as comfortable as this. The mattress was thick, the blankets warm and cozy. He scratched his belly as he lay, letting his mind wander. He wondered how long they would be trapped here and if they would ever get home. Wolverine was adaptable and had no baggage from one place to the next, but he knew the others were not. It wouldn't be long before Henry missed his lab and Gambit his girl. The others back home must be worried about them. He wished there was some way to contact them, but without an inter-dimensional phone, that wasn’t likely to happen.

Logan was alone in the barracks room at the moment, the X-men’s temporary quarters, the others had already risen and started their day. He could smell food from the galley being cooked and decided to get up and eat. He washed up quickly in the lav and wandered out to the galley. The room was busy, Gambit and Kane were eating at the table while Maylee was cleaning up and doing chores.

What caught Wolverine’s attention next was that Henry and Seth were playing chess. Henry’s board was another small hologram active on the galley table. Seth had a matching board on his desk in the control room. As a move was played, the pieces moved on each board. Henry fingered one of his pieces and made his next move.

Seth grumbled a little, unsure of how to make his next move. Unlike yesterday, he was fully dressed, back in his white sweat shirt and jeans. He made his play, his brow crinkling.

"Are you certain you wish to make that move?" Henry questioned, his eyes up to the viewing screen.

Seth fidgeted. "Yes?" he answered a little uncertainly.

Beast snickered softly, amused by the indecision in the young pilot’s voice. "Perhaps you should move the pawn to your right instead."

"Um. Right. Thanks." Seth moved his piece, taking Henry’s advice. He smiled shyly at the big blue doctor, obviously happy to be tutored.

Logan was too hungry to just stand there and watch. He took the seat next to Beast and smiled as Maylee placed a bowl of food down in front of him. It was leftover stew from yesterday, but after starving in the pen for three days he could’ve cared less. "Thanks, kid. Where's Fallen?" he asked pulling a hunk of bread from a fresh loaf on the table.

"She's down in the shop with Kimble, taking down some parts for Maylee's lessons," Seth explained from the screen. He glanced at Henry as he made his next move, waiting for a nod of approval from his opponent before continuing. "Fallen’s teaching her how to repair the ship."

Henry looked at the girl. "You're training to be both a medic and a mechanic?"


Seth answered for her, "Not much difference between the two if you think about it. Besides, kids like her need to be as useful as possible if they want to do well in the Clan. Maylee has good hands. She has a real talent. She works very hard," Seth finished proudly.

Maylee smiled at him, thankful for the praise. Her eyes glowing with happiness showed just how much she cared for Seth, that she was happy he had spoken up for her.

At that moment, Kimble walked into the cockpit room from a door in the back. His hands were sooty and black from grease and he was casually wiping his hands on a rag as if he had physically taken machinery apart. The realism of the image he cast impressed Henry, reminding him of himself every time he’d pulled one of the X-men’s Blackbird planes apart. He could almost smell the grease from Kimble’s hands. Kimble had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth and he took a big drag and blew smoke. "Fallen's ready fer ya, kid," he said to Maylee with authority.

Maylee nodded and started finishing up her chores. The happy look she’d had for Seth was gone, lost under a passive submission to Kimble’s tone of command. She clearly did not have the same affection for Seth’s twin.
Kimble paid no mind to her change in attitude. As he waited for the girl to finish her chores, Kimble noticed Seth and Henry were playing a game together and looked over Seth's shoulder. He grunted with a laugh and reached down, rudely making Seth's next move on the chessboard. He glanced up at Henry, that teasing half smile back in place. "Checkmate."


"Hey!" Seth complained loudly. "I was going to do that!"

"Uh huh. Right." Kimble looked down at his brother, smiling with amusement at his reaction.

"I was! I--I'd at least considered it!"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/021considereditcolor.jpg

Kimble's grin grew larger, his eyes twinkling. "Shure you wuz. Uh huh, right," he chided merrily as Seth continued to sputter excuses. Kimble took another drag on his cigarette and blew smoke at his twin. "Shure. Ya coulda had 'im four moves back, too, but I guess you wuz just drawin' out th' suspense, right?" He patted Seth on the head like a dog. "Maybe you should jus' go back ta playin' checkers with the kid, huh?" he finished, jabbing a finger at Maylee.

Seth waved smoke out of his face. "I can do this! I just --"

"Hafta learn ta looks at the whole board, kid," Kimble finished for him, his voice losing some of its teasing and becoming more instructive. "It’s a lotta squares, gots ta keeps a good attention. Yer smart enough, I guess, butcha lose track of where yer goin'."

"Maybe you should just let him lose on his own," Henry suggested. "He might learn more that way."

Kimble looked at Beast, his eyes still merry. "Well, if losin' is a learnin' experience, then he oughts ta be a genius by now fer all the ass kickin' I been givin' him," he drawled arrogantly. He looked next at Maylee, a flash of impatience in his eyes. "Downstairs. Now. Fallen's been waitin'." he said sternly.

"Yes, sir," she said submissively and left.

Seth looked at the chessboard, forlorn. Kimble yanked affectionately on his long white ponytail and gentled his voice even further. "Don' take it personal, kid. I been playin' a lot longer than you." He looked at Henry, teasing once more. "I'm shure Henry there'll letcha win if ya piss an moan enough."

Seth looked up at him. "You're an a**hole."

Kimble beamed. "Yes, I am," he said proudly, kissing the top of Seth’s head with a loud smack. "Butcha loves me anaways," he finished and laughed as he walked out.

"He's a real charmer," Wolverine commented sarcastically, not the least bit amused.

Kane laughed. "He's more bark than bite and little more than a child. He's not as tough as he'd like us all to think he is. I've seen Fallen make him break down and bawl more than once from arguing. He's got no patience, no control. It’s sickening. He wouldn't last two minutes out here."


"He's tough to me," Seth complained.

"And you're all the better for it," Kane commented fatherly. "You're even weaker than he is."

Wolverine shook his head. It was hard to believe these images were two halves of some bizarre computer program and not really alive. They behaved and interacted like real people, not made up characters. Kane and Maylee reacted to them as if the brothers were real people.

"Well, I'm sick of his crap," Seth continued, trying to hide how Kane's words had stung him. "Fallen lets him get away with everything." He was about to continue when an alarm flashed on his console. He clicked it off and put on a set of headphones to listen.

Kimble poked his head back into the control room. "What is it?"

Seth held up a finger and Kimble waited patiently, cleaning his hands on the rag again. Seth shook his head slowly and closed his eyes. He slowly took the headset off and looked up at Kimble with sorrowful eyes. "Valentin's in the third. He's too close. He’s going to come here, I know it. We have to move," he said in a trembling voice.

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[squeekness]

Kimble grinned at him sadly, all teasing gone. "Been two months gone now. She ain't gonna go," he said softly, coming into the room.

Seth began to argue with him angrily in the other language Fallen had used. Kimble nodded without comment and put a hand on Seth's shoulder, listening to him vent. Seth began to cry and Kimble brushed his cheeks tenderly as he would a child. It was odd to see Kimble change from arrogant a***ole to caring brother, but it was there and not artificial. He appeared to care very much about what Seth was feeling.

"Shamay war natay a roo. There ain’t no helpin’ it, buddy," he said to his brother gently then looked up at Kane. "You best gits yer women an’ children an’ git out early. Takes May with yous."

Kane met his eyes and said boldly, "No. I will stay and face him if he comes."

"He'll chew you up an' spit you out," Kimble snarled in disgust, flashing his teeth. Seth shivered at his brother’s angry words and put his head down. Kimble stepped closer so Seth could lean against him and put an arm around his brother’s shoulders protectively. He didn’t look down at Seth, but continued to glare at Kane. "You should go."

"No. I'm staying. Someone's got to stand up to that brute."

Kimble snorted. "Oh? An' yer it? I'll be shure ta send our condolences to yer first wife."

Kane stood abruptly and pointed up at the screen. "That's enough out of you, Kimble!"

Seth tugged on Kimble's shirt, getting his attention. "You have to tell her to go, Kimble. Make her listen," he pleaded.

Kimble brushed Seth's hair back and looked deeply into his eyes. "She don' listen ta me as well as you, you knows that. We’ll just end up fightin’."

"Please..."

"All right. I'll try, but I ain't promisin' nuthin'." He looked into Seth's face and saw his distress. He smiled indulgently. "Seth tay kunda Siska esk, huh?" Kimble said gently and rubbed his brother’s head. He gave Kane a long, hard look and walked out.

Seth sat still with his head down and wouldn't look at the others.
Wolverine turned to Kane. "What's goin' on? I thought you guys were all on the same side."

"We are on the same side, it's not about that. It's about Fallen and Valentin," Kane explained.

Seth shivered at the mention of Valentin's name. He looked out the door where Kimble had gone, turning his back on the conversation in the galley, not wanting to hear it.

"What do ya mean?" Logan said, not understanding. He was disgusted by Seth's show of weakness, by the soap opera that had been played out on the screen. What could have him so rattled?

Kane tried to explain, "Fallen and Valentin have this kind of love hate relationship. I don't know how else to describe it. She'll avoid him for months then she'll make sure he finds her. When he does, he comes and beats the living crap out of her." Seth covered his ears and looked down again. He didn't want to hear what Kane was saying and yet didn’t want to click off, either. Kane looked away from him, just as irritated as Logan by his childish behavior. "It's something she's always done. I can't explain it because I don't understand it myself."

"He hits her?" Henry asked, alarmed. "Then we should leave at once!"

Kane shook his head. "No. This will be the last time. I have asked Cerebus for her. I will stand up to Valentin and protect my claim. I will put a stop to this."

Angry voices began to drift up from the floor. Kimble and Fallen were going at it pretty good, a fight just as Kimble had predicted. The conversation had started out merely being loud, with Kimble trying to go about this with some humor, but it soon turned sour and brutal when it was clear Fallen wasn’t going to be persuaded easily.

Gambit watched as his teammates grew uneasy over the argument and how it was spiraling down into ugliness. Logan especially was beginning to clench his fists and growl softly, wanting to do something without knowing what. He himself was not so quick to judge. He had been involved in many verbal battles with his high spirited girlfriend, Rogue. Like anyone who squabbled often, he saw fights in layers, that there were levels of severity, and he hadn’t thought that Kimble had crossed that final line just yet. Kimble’s fury was not directed at his captain, the worst of his savagery was aimed at Valentin, this mysterious General who had everyone on edge. Kimble was scared and frustrated, but he was not attacking Fallen herself, something that kept Remy in his seat waiting patiently.

Once Gambit had learned that the two brothers were in fact artificial personalities, he had spent some time observing the two pilots. He was quite taken with the Kimble personality in particular, intrigued by how real he had seemed. Kimble’s playful, teasing manner, so much like his own, appealed to him as well as Kimble’s response to his brother’s emotional breakdown. Kimble could tease, annoy, and soothe with equal ease, changing glibly from one to the other as any normal human would. It made him seem three dimensional and real. Even now Remy could hear that Kimble wasn’t just trying to push Fallen around, his argument had merit, he was simply put out that his views were being disregarded.

Kimble snarled something again, making Remy laugh in surprise when Kimble let fly with a torrent of mangled profanity, using new and inventive phrasing the thief had never heard before. This was like Rogue, oh yes. Even Kimble’s drawl reminded him of her. Maybe that’s what the attraction was, Remy mused. Kimble reminded him of home, even now with the argument growing more strained. It made him recall those fiery battles, maybe because when all was said and done, they had each scored points and in some ways learned new things about each other. Rogue did not make things easy and he was thinking that Kimble shared that trait. Remy couldn’t help but wonder what the guy was like when he came out in the hologram. He hoped he might have a chance to find out.

Logan wasn’t so eager to see an irate Kimble go any further than he already was. He didn’t differentiate between ‘levels’ of verbal battling. All he heard was Kimble’s mouth going way too far. He took a step towards the galley door, intending to go downstairs and interrupt, but a grunt from Kane halted him. "Let them be, son. They’ll work it out."

"That Kim’s got a mouth. If he respects Fallen so much, why does he talk ta her like that?"

Kane chuckled wryly. "Because a mouth is all he has."

Seth wasn’t the least bit entertained by the goings on. He covered his ears tightly at the sound of the raised voices and drew his legs up into his chair, curling up defensively. A door slammed below and it was suddenly quiet. Seth slowly lowered his hands and looked at the rear cockpit door waiting for Kimble. It wasn't a long wait. Kimble leaned in the door, his face red and his eyes blazing. Seth asked him a question and Kimble rubbed the heel of one hand into his right eye in irritation. He shook his head in a negative gesture and replied. "Nisk. Fallen natar ratan eresk tadaesk ratay."

Seth broke down into gasping sobs and Kimble went to him. He snapped a switch on Seth's console without commenting to the others and the screen winked out.

"What's his problem?" Logan growled. "Why is Seth actin’ like that?"

"Seth can't handle any kind of violence. The last time Valentin was here it was pretty bad. He just freaks out now whenever Valentin gets too close. I don't know why Fallen doesn't fix that. Who wants to hear and see a man cry like a child? Certainly not I. At least Kimble stands up to Valentin. Whatever. I've got better things to worry about than Fallen's stupid program. I've got to get my people ready." He nodded at them and walked out.

"Gambit seen some pretty strange t’ings, mes amis," Gambit spoke for the first time, running a hand through his bangs and scratching his scalp thoughtfully. "But ‘e ain't never seen anyt'ing dat was 'just a program' act like dat. Dem boy’s be actin’ like real, no foolin’ around. I'm t’inkin' mebbe Fallen got more dere dan she sayin’."

"It’s just a program, Cajun. Ain’t no different than what we got back home," Logan grunted, clearly not sharing the same view.

Remy smirked at him. "Not even when ol’ Beastie ‘ere put dat Britney Spears patch in de system did anyt’ing we got come dat close to real."

Logan shook his head. "Don’t matter. What was up there ain’t no different than watchin’ TV. It isn’t real. Those guys ain’t real. Fallen’s just got a wee bit too much time on her hands, she has to have some kind of show goin’ on, I guess."

Remy clearly didn’t agree. "Mebbe so, but dis Valentin? I 'ope 'e one bad mutherf***** to deserve all dis fuss."

"I have to agree with you, Remy," Henry said. "I think Fallen's bitten off more than she can chew. These brothers are more real than she cares to admit --- at least to us. If Seth is that badly frightened, we should keep on our toes. I suspect our new friends are going to need all the help they can get."

Logan wasn’t about to sit around and be amused by Fallen’s computer. If there was trouble brewing, he wanted to be ready for it. Being very security conscious, said he was going to check the ship’s perimeter and see what kind of defenses the area had to offer. Henry followed him out and Gambit decided to try talking with Fallen about what was going on. Maybe he could worm some details out of her.

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[squeekness]

Remy saw the trap door was open and went down the stairs to the lower level. He found Maylee and Fallen working in the shop. She was instructing Maylee on how to take one of the filters apart. Fallen appeared calm in spite of the fact she and Kimble had argued aggressively only minutes before and looked up at him with a smile as he entered but continued the lesson. It only confirmed his guess that he had just witnessed something of a day in, day out scenario here. Kimble and Fallen must bicker often. Remy eased himself against the wall nearby to watch and wait for the lesson to finish.

They were interrupted before that, however. Gambit turned his head when Kimble popped up on one of nearby viewing screens. "Fallen," Kimble barked. His voice was tense and angry.

Fallen ignored him.

"Mistress," he repeated with emphasis, the first time Remy had heard the word spoken. It said something, implying ownership and Fallen’s higher status. Where it might have sounded ridiculous or demeaning in any other situation, here the title made perfect sense, even to Remy’s highly developed sense of fairness.

"Not now," she said calmly without looking up at him.

Kimble grinned an irritated, nasty smile and raised an eyebrow in impatience. "Fallen, darlin’?" he insisted, his voice sickly sweet.
She glared up at him then. "I. Said. Not. Now." Her voice was stern.

"Ya gots a coolant leak on two. Fix it. Don' fix it. I could give a crap less," he snapped. He switched off, but not before he clearly snarled, "F**kin' b***h!"

"Argghhh!!!" Fallen shouted, clenching her fists. Blue flames of energy rippled around her wrists as she struggled for control. "He's impossible!" She snatched a wrench and hammer from the bench and stomped off to the Engine Room.

When she was gone, Maylee started to softly laugh. Remy looked at her and cocked his head in curiosity. "What’s so funny dere, petite?"

"This is how Kimble gets his way. He's going to torment her until we leave."

"So tell me dere, kiddo..." Remy inquired, trying to sound casual, "...what you t’ink of dat rascal Kimble, eh? Seem like mebbe ‘e make you a little nervous."

"He’s all right, I guess. He’s been different since Momma started using the hologram."

Remy nodded to himself, keeping track of who belonged to whom. Maylee had used Momma the same way Kimble had used the word Mistress. She must be Fallen’s daughter. "Diff’rent ‘ow?"

"I don’t know. Bossier....not so nice to me. He used to be more playful, more fun to be around, but now it’s like he thinks he’s the only one who can take care of Momma right. When she gets...hurt...he comes out in the ‘gram and he’s all over her. He won’t let me get close, like she belongs only to him. It’s annoying. I mean, I was here first."

"He older dan you. P’etetre, ‘e sees it as ‘is responsibility."

Maylee snorted derisively. "He’s not older than me! He just looks that way because Fallen chose that skin. He’s not a man, not a real one anyways. Real men don’t cry."

" ‘E cries?"

"All the time. When Fallen gets hurt he cries. When they fight, he cries. He cries more than I do. It’s pathetic. I’ve never seen Kane or Valentin cry. I’ll just bet Kimble’s younger than I am," Maylee complained with obvious disdain. "He’s like a little kid."

Remy could see she carried some resentment towards Kimble. He noted how she said nothing about Seth’s own child like behavior. If anything, Seth appeared to him to be more immature and childish than Kimble was. The fact was that Remy had seen Seth fall apart and cry, not Kimble, but Maylee didn’t seem to acknowledge that. Remy wasn’t naive, he had an idea that her problem with Kimble was more like some kind of sibling rivalry. If Kimble was coming out frequently and was active in Fallen’s care, Maylee probably felt displaced or shoved aside. "Sound like you an’ Kim don’ get along so good."

"I don’t trust him," she replied evasively, keeping her eyes down.

"Why?"

"I don’t like the way he looks at Momma sometimes. I wish she would bring Seth out for good and leave Kim behind. Seth is nicer than him. He doesn’t yell or fight and he’s really gentle. He always talks nicely to me."

"Sound like you like ‘im best."

Maylee smiled at him shyly. "Yeah. He’s good for Momma. She’s been a lot happier since he’s been around. She stays away from Valentin more."

"Do you know why she let Valentin treat ‘er so bad?"

"No. It’s just always been that way for as long as I can remember."

Their conversation was interrupted when another loud verbal argument broke out from the next room. Kimble was still trying to press his case and was getting nowhere. It was clearly pissing him off, his profanity alone could peel the paint from the walls. Kimble had quite the vocabulary, even if he did mangle it as much as possible. After a few moments, Fallen stormed from the room and returned to the bench. She slammed the tools down, furious. She was quite a sight, all riled up, and Gambit couldn't help but laugh a little. She saw his amusement and smiled suddenly, laughing herself to break the tension.

"You’re stupid little games aren’t going to work, Kimble! You hear me? Not this time!" she shouted to the air.

She suddenly shrieked in shock as the overhead sprinkler fire system turned itself on for no apparent reason, spraying her with ice cold water. Only her. It had activated precisely where she stood and not in the whole room, impossible for it to have done so by accident.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/023sprinkler.jpg

"Kimble! You arrogant, little b*****d!" Fallen screamed, spraying water. "Oh, you are so frikkin' dead!" She snatched the wrench and stalked over to the black power cubes for the hologram. She raised the wrench in the air, threatening to demolish them. Destroying them would clearly end any further possibility of the twins using the hologram to leave the system and interact with others.

Her threat was taken seriously. On cue, the sprinkler shut off and Kimble came up on the screen. "Wait a minnit there, baby doll," he drawled, his hands up in cheerful surrender. "You don' wanna be doin' nuthin’ rash!" He was trying really hard not to laugh. He saw Remy there and gave him a playful wink.

"You going to quit this?" Fallen challenged, the wrench still raised high.

Kimble wilted before her obvious wrath, losing that playful charm. He sat back with a defeated sigh, looking ten years older with some kind of suppressed pain. "Whatever ya say, kiddo. If gittin' smacked all ta hell means that much to ya, fine, girl," he said, a nasty hard glint coming into his eyes. "Jus’ don’tcha come cryin’ ta me all about it later." He clicked off with an angry, final flick of his wrist.

Fallen wiped dripping water off of her chin and roughly tossed the wrench aside onto one of the benches. "Pr**k!" she snapped to the empty screen, losing her earlier playfulness. She walked back over to Maylee, but the girl had clearly lost interest in the lesson. Fallen noticed and quickly dismissed her. Maylee fled, no longer in a good mood.

"Dat Kimble's kinda spunky for a computer game, neh?" Remy noted.

"Yeah, well. He has to learn when to quit. Sometimes he goes too far," she replied, using some clean scrap rags to dry off.

"‘E's got a point, chere. If it's not safe ‘ere for you, we should go."

"Valentin is my problem. Not yours. Not Kimble's," Fallen said, squaring up to him, daring him to defy her. "We don't leave unless I say. That's final. Even if Valentin comes this way, you are in no danger, so the rest is none of your business. I suggest you go back up and get some rest. We’ll be leaving soon enough and you’re not quite well just yet," she said, dismissing him.

Gambit shrugged and left, seeing he was going to get nowhere here. Maybe he could try again after she cooled off a little. He had no idea he wouldn’t be given the chance.

End book one. To be continued in The Clan.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

The Clan, Book two of my Kimble series, Chapter one. :)

"Sir, there’s been a problem with the mission."

Charles Xavier sat at his large mahogany desk, eyes closed, one hand rubbing at his temple, warding off what was soon to be a killer headache. Those words had been spoken to him days ago, but they kept replaying themselves over and over again like a bad recording in his mind.

Charles Xavier was not a young man, he was in his late-fifties, bald but still quite fit for his age. He was a mutant himself, an omega telepath and possibly the most powerful mind reader on the planet. He was also bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Not one to let limitations of any kind set him back, Charles had used his wealth and his mutant power work for him in creating the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children – a fancy cover name for a school, but more importantly, for a refuge for mutant children. This amazing institution was located on a large estate in Westchester New York, a fine place for such a fine facility. That had been a few years ago now, and some of those gifted children had grown into outstanding men and women. With the help of those first students, Xavier next created his most beloved accomplishment, the X-men.

The X-men were not like most other mutant groups or gangs. They fought not for profit, but for peace. They most often acted as policemen against mutant terrorists or did interventions where they would seek out troubled mutants – most of whom didn’t even know or even wanted to know they were mutants – but who had found themselves in trouble, harming themselves or others. The X-men would collect these wayward folks and add them to their own numbers, giving them survival skills, but more importantly, a superior education.

These folks then had a choice, they could stay on and help others at the school, or if they had the dedication and the guts to stand up to the challenge, they could eventually win themselves a seat on the X-men team itself. Charles Xavier, or the Professor as he was sometimes called, had many such loyal and reliable people.

The team grew steadily larger over the years, mostly by students from the Institute, but also by acquiring the occasional "walk on" like Remy. Logan they had recruited from a Canadian government agency, the first Charles had invited this way, and it was such a success, that others had followed later. Regardless of their reasons for joining, most had worked out well, sacrificing themselves for others on a daily basis.

"They’ve simply vanished, Professor. Just like the others."

Charles Xavier wasn’t a stupid man. In every venture there are always risks, sacrifices. It didn’t happen often, but Charles had buried more than one good friend in the large private cemetery on the grounds.
This had been very different. If there had been a plane crash, one could search the rubble and bury the remains. If there had been an abduction and a claim of responsibility, one could pursue the perpetrator until he was caught and the stolen ones returned, hopefully safe and sound.
But this....

This was a vanishing without a trace. One of a series of vanishings that began a couple of months ago which hadn’t even come close to being solved. No one had claimed responsibility and the number of victims had come close to four thousand in total. The abductions had all occurred to large groups of people in the city of New York. All had happened in places where young people gathered, dance clubs and the like. This is why the Professor had placed his teams there, that is why they had gotten taken as well it seemed. What a colossal turn of rotten luck.

"They’ve vanished without a trace and I don’t know what we’re going to do about it. Professor, we have no plan."

Those incredibly painful words had been spoken by the Professor’s right hand man, Scott Summers. Scott was a sturdy young man, one of Charles’ first students and possibly his finest. Scott’s mutation was pretty spectacular in nature, his body produced a sort of destructive energy that could be released through his eyes. Due to a childhood accident, there was no on/off switch, he simply shot out beams of red energy whenever his eyes were open. Because of this, he was forced to always wear protective eyewear that controlled this deadly energy to protect himself and those around him. Charles had perfected a special visor for him, one that allowed that energy to be released at will. Scott had mastered the use of this visor and earned for himself the codename Cyclops. This terrible mutation had brought out in him a strong personal will and self restraint. He did not make alarmist statements without fully assessing a situation and checking all of his options. It had been difficult for Charles to hear the sadness and hint of defeat in the man’s voice.

These three missing team members were all valuable in their own way and were already sorely missed. The one missed most of all was Henry. Beast taught many classes in the sciences and was in contact with much of the student body. His classes were the most lively and very popular. Henry made learning fun and the kids learned well from him, some of them going on to work on scientific projects beneficial to the whole Institute. It hadn’t taken long for questions and whisperings about his unexplained disappearance to be heard among the students. The X-men missions were not discussed amongst the civilian students and none of them were in the know. Charles was unsure how long he could keep the kids from questioning this loss before he would have to tell them some devastating news.

Wolverine was also missed by the senior team and staff if not the students. His classes were tough and the going sometimes hard. He taught mainly self defense classes and survival training and he expected results. He was fair if not exactly lenient. Logan was primarily missed by the staff because on a risky mission he was the guy you wanted watching your back. Because he could take a beating and walk away from it, Wolverine was the first to jump into harm’s way to protect another, the man was positively fearless.

Now Remy LeBeau, prince of thieves... for him there was always a special place in the Professor’s heart. He considered Gambit to be one of his finest achievements. With every step he took, Gambit was a walking symbol of reform and recovery. He was the hardened criminal with the Devil’s eyes who now worked on the side of the angels. It was widely known that Gambit had a checkered past and some even knew about his one most notorious crime. This knowledge had kept Remy from making many friends in the mutant community, he was shunned and scorned by most, finding peace at last in this Westchester refuge.

These three men were among the Professor’s finest and now, he had no clue where they were or how to find them. He could only hope that wherever they were, they were alive and well, safe and sound.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

(Two)

Wolverine climbed up the slope to the top of the ravine. The view from up here was fantastic, he could see for miles in all directions. He could see the forest and the big lake they had flown over just yesterday out here to the Lucky Dragon. Even further out were the ruins of the City they had fled from. So far, there had been no sign of an advancing Clan army or incoming ships.

Logan was surprised at how barren this area was considering how close the forest had been. In these brown rocky canyons, nothing grew except scrub brush and a few scraggly dead looking trees. He could sense no large animals, only tiny mice and the occasional insect crawling around in the nooks. No birds flew overhead that he could see and he wondered if there would even be bats here at full dark. It was dim here, gloomy. The sky seemed like it was perpetually cloudy. He had expected that near the Dognan city because of all the fighting, but out here it should be clear. Weird.

He grinned to himself when he heard Henry slip and slide on the loose rocks behind him. He waited until he heard the big blue man come up behind him before he teased, "Climb much?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/024climbmuch.jpg

"Very funny. You see anything?"

"Nuthin'. If this Valentin guy is comin', he ain't walkin' in with a big army."

Maybe he has teleportation capabilities."

"Maybe he ain't comin’ at all. Could be some kind of trick."

"Seth seemed to think something was going to happen."

"He ain't real, Blue," Logan replied, quick to show his viewpoint on that.

"Doesn't mean his opinion doesn't matter. We haven't been here long enough to dismiss him or Kimble so easily."

Logan just grunted. "What's Kane doing?"

"Not much. His people haven’t packed up. He's waiting."

Logan scanned the horizon again. "We should keep watch up here."

"This is too far away from the ship. If something happens, we might get separated. The ship's cameras show these same views on the big screen. Come back with me. You can look out from inside."

"You go ahead. I want ta check the perimeter one last time before dark."

"Right."

Henry turned away and went back down the way he'd come. He wandered through Kane's camp, seeing how his people were milling about nervously. They looked to the canyon top anxiously as if expecting an attack. Some of the men were sharpening their weapons, others were packing up everything else but their tents while trying not to be obvious about it. The children were out of sight and probably hiding. Kane hadn’t given the word to leave yet and they weren’t comfortable with it. It didn’t matter. Henry suspected these people could break camp quickly if they had to.

Henry walked up to the Lucky Dragon and went inside. He entered and stood in front of the big screen in the Main Room, observing that it still showed four different views of the surrounding area. Henry could clearly see Logan moving about and noticed that the camera views appeared to be following him as if he was being deliberately tracked. As if in answer to Henry's unspoken question, Kimble popped up on the screen at his work station. He was leaning back in his chair and had his furry pilot’s feet up on the console as usual. He smiled up at Henry as a friendly greeting. "It's all clear, Henry. Don' worry, I gots ya covered. If Vally's cummin', it shouldn’t be fer a while yet."

"Logan said he could see no sign of an army. Would Valentin teleport in? Beam down from a ship perhaps?"

"Beam down? Dunno whatcha means by that, but if he's runnin' with Reese, he kin teleport most anawhere. Reese kin move a lotta people at once if he's got a mind ta do it."

"Who is Reese?"

"Reese is Vally's Third. He's an alpha like you guys. He kin teleport people from far away. 'S the only reason why Vally keeps that scraggly little bugger around. Reese ain't always with him, though. Sometimes Vally gots him runnin’ ‘round doin' other stuff. Tough ta say what's gonna happen. Don' worry, me an Seth're lookin' out fer him."

"How is Seth?"

"He's all right. He's gonna be shy 'til Vally's gone, then he'll come out. It's kind of ya ta ask, though. I'll mention it to him."

"Tell him I'm ready for a rematch at chess anytime."

"You gonna let him win?"

"Not unless he earns it."

"Good man," Kimble said with a snicker. "See ya round." He waved and clicked off.

Henry smiled and went into the galley. Fallen and Maylee were seated at the large metal table. Fallen was eating a light snack. Maylee had some photos of Gambit's injuries and looked like she was filling out some kind of report. Henry sat across from her and tugged on one of the pictures. "What is this?"

"When we go back to Station Nine, I'll go back to my class. Any confirmed reports of any medical work I did out here will be added to my scores. I’m sorry your friend was hurt, but he's really going to boost my grade this quarter."

"They have regular schools here?"

"Yeah though the classes are pretty small and I only get to go when we come to the station. My instructor is really nice and he holds all my lessons for me. I do most of the work out here."

"That must be difficult for you."

"Not really. Momma and Seth help me out a lot."

Henry smiled at Fallen. "Maylee is your daughter?"

"Not in the real sense," Fallen answered. "Valentin gave her to me when she was four. He said he found her in a ditch someplace. I was still pretty low after the Red Sky went down --- that was a ship I had been piloting. I was recovering from a serious injury and not quite myself and he figured that caring for her would take my mind off things. He was right. Maylee was one of the best things to happen to me." She gave Maylee a hug. "May and my boys. They're the best."

"How did Remy get those scars on his chest? Was he clawed by a monster?" Maylee asked shyly. She’d seen five large silver slash like scars that crossed most of his chest and abdomen when she’d undressed him. It was an old injury and she guessed it had almost killed him.

"Why, yes. He’d been clawed by a monster...in a manner of speaking. We’ve fought many enemies in our time. It would be impossible to walk away unharmed."

Henry was aware of Remy’s scars, but hadn’t thought of them for some time. It had been a long time since he’d seen them. All the team members were expected to report for regular physicals, but Remy like Logan, often dodged them. The one time Henry had managed to drag the thief in, he’d been quite shocked by the signs of that old injury to say the least. In spite of his training, Henry had been unable to hide his surprise and the thief had seen it. Remy didn’t allow the doctor to ask about them and never showed up for a physical again.

The other team members had taken longer to find out about them, if they even knew at all. It had been clear early on that in spite of his flirtatious nature, Gambit was a shy boy. He never walked around the house or anywhere else without a shirt and he never used the communal showers, even after a grueling workout session with the team.

When the X-men finally learned of Remy’s checkered past and his most serious crime, Henry knew then the claw marks had come from Sabretooth, a vicious killer mutant that Remy had been known to be with on one memorable occasion. Judging from the depth of the scarring, Gambit was lucky to have walked away from that encounter alive.

As bad as those body scars were, Henry was surprised they were all Maylee had asked about. There were a pair of more devastating scars that Gambit possessed, one on each wrist. Those were still tinged with pink and far more recent, the sign of a serious suicide attempt, no kidding around there. Henry with his deft medical eye had surmised those had come during Remy’s trial in Antarctica or in the beginning of his exile. Again when Henry tried to question the thief in private about them he was brushed off and not allowed to ask about them again. If Logan or anyone else on the team had seen them, they hadn’t dared to ask.

Kimble came up on the galley screen, interrupting Henry’s thoughts. He spoke Fallen’s name and waited, saying nothing more.

"Yes?" she replied, her eyes glancing up to him.

Kimble didn't answer, but looked at her intensely instead. She met his gaze and slowly shook her head.

He swore and said, "Better haul ass an' hide, May! Vally's comin’!" He clicked off, vanishing into the system.

Maylee reacted immediately to Kimble’s warning. She got up in a rush, snatching her things hurriedly from the table and fled from the galley, disappearing down the trap door to the lower level of the ship.

Henry stood, trying to control the hammering in his chest. There had been no mistaking Kimble’s fear or Maylee’s reaction. This was going to be bad. "Are you going to do anything to stop this?"

Fallen lowered her eyes, a sad sort of defeat in her eyes. "No. Stay with Remy. This isn’t your quarrel and I’m certain nothing will happen to you. Whatever you see, whatever you hear, don't try to fight Valentin. You won't win and it will only make things worse."

"Fallen, please."

"Go. Stay with your friend."

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[JLBats]

I find it sad that squeekness has done two full pages of writing and only two people commented on it.

[squeekness]

Me, too! But I am pleased that at least someone has noticed. Of course I am not complaining too loudly, I have gotten some very nice compliments via PM and some reviews on the fanfiction site where this is regularly posted. At least I am not getting flamed, LOL. :D

[Kazaire]

Yay for squeekness! Awesome :up:

[squeekness]

Thanks. :D Just when I thought no one was reading....:D Thanks, guys. :D

[squeekness]

(Three)


Logan came down from the slope and walked unhurried over to Kane. He hadn't seen any sign of anyone coming and had decided to come down. Maybe Kane would have some meat cooking and would want to talk for a while. He greeted Kane and was about to ask him something when the wind shifted. Logan froze. The wind carried the scent of a large group of people coming their way. "Someone's comin'."

Kane looked at him. "How do you know?"

"I'm an alpha. It's what I do."

At that moment, there was a flash of light and a small pack of large men, warriors, materialized in the middle of the camp. The leader was massive, over six feet tall and very powerful. He was Clan, by his dress and tattoos. He had the most markings of any Clan man they'd seen so far. They covered most of the sides of his chest and arms. The only gap was down the front of him where the Honor Sword would be if he had it. His hair was fiery red and tied back in a long ponytail. He had a long broadsword in a sheath tied to his back and a Dognan energy gun strapped to his thigh. His face was cruel, his eyes mean. There was no mistaking the malice or power of this man.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/025firstvallycolor-1.jpg

At his feet crouched a small black haired man, clearly some kind of feral alpha. He was dressed in a ragged pair of leather pants and wore no shoes on his feet. He carried no weapons. His eyes darted quick and sure about him as he took everything in, sniffing at the air. He grinned wickedly up at his Master, showing broken, jagged teeth.

"Easy, Reese," the big man purred, patting this creature of his like a pet.

Behind him stood another man, his Second, Joseph. Joseph had a large amount of tattoos and carried a broadsword as well. His hair was a deep brown and tied back as everyone else’s was. He was tall and sturdy, a heavily muscled warrior as were most of Valentin’s men. He looked over the crowd with the arrogance of someone who has been in power for a long time. He would be as cruel as his Master.

The people of Kane's camp dropped down to the ground, kneeling submissively in terror. Valentin turned his withering gaze on Kane and sneered. "Kane."

Kane dropped down on one knee. "Valentin,"he returned with equal contempt.

Valentin looked next at Logan who hadn't moved. "And you are?"
"Neutral observer," Wolverine drawled. He slouched arrogantly, hooking his thumbs in his jeans. He figured he could take Valentin without working up much of sweat.

Valentin approached him cautiously, but with no fear. "And what have you seen?"

"Nuthin' that impresses me much."

Valentin stopped and smiled at him indulgently. "Really?"

Logan yawned, bored. "Really."

"Well, we'll just have to work harder then."

Valentin's men began to laugh.

Logan didn't get the joke, but all the hairs went up on the back of his neck. He turned to look behind him, but it was too late. A flash of light blinded him and Reese, the feral alpha, stood beside him. This beast was the teleporter. Before Logan could act, a restraining collar was placed on his neck and his target flashed away. The man reappeared next to Valentin bowed on one knee. His master looked down at him, pleased. "Very good, Reese."

Reese garbled something lovingly up at him only Valentin could understand.

Wolverine snarled and yanked on the collar, feeling the red rage rise. He let it. The collar wouldn't come free. He turned and roared at Valentin. "Come fight me like a man!"

He popped his claws, feeling his flesh shred and bleed without healing. He was a pain junkie and shivered with the joy of it, looking forward to the coming battle. He was going to rip this jackass a new one and love every minute of it.

Valentin stepped towards him and they circled. Valentin had his large sword but didn't pull it. Instead, he suddenly kicked up dirt into Wolverine’s eyes and smashed a massive fist into his face. The collar dulled Logan’s senses and delayed his reaction time, he hadn’t even thought to dodge the blow. The force of Valentin’s strike lifted him off his feet and sent him sailing backwards a few feet before he landed gracelessly on his back with a thud. He did get some satisfaction in spite of his pain, though. Hitting his metal laced bones was like hitting a brick wall, Valentin howled with pained surprise and gripped his wrist in agony.

Wolverine shambled drunkenly to his feet with a wicked laugh. It had been a really long time since anyone had sent him for a flight like that, this was getting interesting. He came back to Valentin without fear and circled him once more, sniffing at him like a buzzard to the kill. Valentin’s wrist was injured and the big man wouldn’t be able to strike out at him again, not like that. Logan chose his moment and lunged, popping the claws on one hand just for show. He wanted to intimidate Valentin but wasn’t quite ready to take this to the next level, not until he was certain just what he was dealing with.

Valentin was clearly a veteran warrior, he dodged Logan’s blades quickly and spun, kicking Wolverine in the face. He wore heavy boots with steel toes and Wolverine felt his lips tear as his mouth exploded with pain. How he didn’t lose teeth on that one he didn’t know. He twisted and went down on his knees hard, blood pouring from his open, gasping mouth. Damn, he was getting his ass kicked instead of the other way around! How embarrassing!

Valentin laughed, pacing around the downed man in a circle. "You alphas are all the same. So arrogant with your silly powers."

Logan calmed, trying to get back under control. He knew he was letting his rage get the best of him and that he was better than this. He would beat Valentin down, it was just a matter of time. He wiped his chin as he stood up on shaky legs and pulled his torn lips back in a bloody smile. He spat blood and they circled again. He was about to make a move when a volley of red glowing objects flew past him overhead towards Valentin. Logan knew to keep his head down but his opponent did not. The ground exploded in front of Valentin and he spun away, cursing.

Logan looked behind him and saw Gambit and Henry coming. "'Bout time you guys showed up."

"You know us, better late dan never," Remy wheezed. He was still weak but putting up a good front. It wasn't working. He looked like he would fall down at any moment.

Valentin barked a command and Reese blinked out.

"Watch out!" Logan yelled. "He's got a teleporter!"

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

Gambit and Henry braced themselves but Reese did not appear. Instead, the rest of Valentin's army melted out of the blackness and came towards them. There was at least three hundred men, all in prime physical condition and armed with swords and arrows. More than a few of them carried Dognan energy guns. The X-men were completely surrounded with no way out.

Valentin scrutinized the three mutants. He was even bolder now with his men behind him. "Best decide now if you wish to live or die."
"Kneel down and live to fight another day," Kane advised from behind Logan. All of Kane's earlier bravado was gone, so much for him standing up to Valentin.

There really wasn't much choice and though it rankled him to do so, Logan got down on one knee. Gambit and Henry went down behind him. The submission by these X-men was outward only -- they all knew how this game was played, stay down and wait for the best time to strike again.
Valentin approached Logan more confidently now, his men following closely behind. He came up to Logan and gave him a backhand slap, wanting to establish his dominance. "Both knees for you, outsider!" he sneered. Logan started to stand, flushed with rebellious fury, but Valentin knocked him back down. "Stay down, wild one, or maybe I'll take one of your friends. They seem a bit weaker than you."

Logan stayed as he was. He knew there was no way out, not just yet anyway. His anger still burned however, rising up out of him in a deep, throaty growl.

Valentin eyed the feral man warily, but didn’t back down. Another of his men approached him from the main pack, carrying more restraining collars and energy cuffs. Logan snarled at the sight of them but didn't fight as the X-men were next restrained. There was no profit in it, not three to three hundred. He could probably make it, but not his teammates. He would wait.

That finished, Valentin next turned to Kane. "Come here, Kane. We must talk."

Kane stood and obeyed nervously, his face pale. He looked up at the larger man and Logan smelled his fear. Valentin could as well, the red haired Clansman grinned with evil intent and Logan knew Kane was going to die. Valentin’s voice was calm as he spoke, "Cerebus tells me you've been to see him, Kane. He is pleased that you have freed these alphas, they are prized above the others. Supposedly, they are the ones of legends told on the Far Earth. Fallen’s little X-men. Seem a bit pitiful to me, but Cerebus wants them just the same. He shall have them."

"They are his," Kane stammered, clearly hoping a little generosity might get him out of this.

It wasn’t going to happen. Valentin’s voice became more haughty and arrogant. "Of course they are. And I shall bring them, not you. Did you really think this meager offering would get you what you want? The pilot? As if Cerebus would give his First Pilot to a two bit piece of Clan trash like you? Please! Not when he has someone else in mind more deserving."

"She'll never bow down to you!" Kane snarled and recklessly drew his sword.

Valentin just laughed. "Me and Fallen know each other in ways you'll never understand," he growled. He pulled his own sword and they circled just as he and Logan had done. Kane could see that Valentin was wounded from the brief tussle with Wolverine and was all over it. He lunged wildly and without finesse, Logan almost groaned aloud at the sight of the man’s stupidity. Valentin was perfectly calm and therefore far more accurate, he sidestepped just as he had with Logan and with an easy, well timed stroke, hacked Kane’s arm off and sent the man’s sword sailing off into the growing darkness. Kane screamed, bloody foam and spit flying from his mouth. Valentin walked up to Kane as he finally sank to the ground on his knees and lay his sword across Kane's neck. "No one gets Fallen but me!" he snarled and cut the man's throat with a single angry thrust. He tossed the man down like a sack of garbage and spat on him as he bled out into the ground. Valentin then cleaned his blade on Kane's leather pants and sheathed it with a satisfied click.

At that moment, Fallen came from the ship with Reese following behind her, loping awkwardly on his hands and feet like a big broken dog. In contrast, Fallen’s strides were long, confident in her authority.

Valentin watched their approach with interest. "Ah, Fallen, so good of you to join us."

Fallen saw Kane's ruined body and hollered, "How dare you!"at Valentin with shock and fury. She went right up to Valentin and slapped him viciously across the face. "Who do you think you are?!" she snarled, her face flushed.

He didn't answer immediately, but wiped his chin with a wicked smile. He stood over her, enjoying his superior height and laughed, amused in some sick way by her lack of respect. "You look good, Fallen." He licked his lips in anticipation, his eyes gleaming.

Fallen glared at him and fearlessly stood her ground. "Who do you think you are, coming in here like this and slaughtering your own people?" she repeated.

"Who am I? I am first General and may do as I please." He clearly wanted to avoid talking about Kane and discuss more personal matters, he looked Fallen over with unveiled sexual interest and purred at her, "It's good to see you again, my pretty. It's been a while. Did you miss me?"

Valentin towered over her but Fallen raised her tiny fists and defiantly hissed at him like a cat, showing him her long canine teeth. She had no fear of him and it seemed as though she might even attack him. Logan certainly hoped she would. She didn't have a restraining collar so he figured Fallen would use her telekinesis against Valentin and get them all out of this. He'd just love to see Valentin go for a flight. He was quickly disappointed when she made no move to do so.

Valentin was amused by Fallen's defiance and continued to undress her with his eyes. He reached out and touched her chin and smiled when she jerked away from him in disgust. "I see your jaw has healed since our last meeting, how nice. Time again to put that mouth of yours to good use." He started to unbuckle his pants.

"You put that in my mouth and I'll bite it off!" Fallen warned, meaning it.

"Hmm....We have ourselves a bit of a problem, then don't we?" Valentin sneered.

He came very close to her and she spat in his face. She was a good shot, her large wad of spit went right into his eye. He snarled and punched her with as much force as his sprained wrist would allow. Unfortunately, it was still quite a bit.

Fallen's legs buckled, but to her credit, she didn't go down. Having been on the receiving end of that fist, Logan was amazed. He could see now that this was some kind of brutal ritualized dance she and Valentin had done before. He’d seen enough repeat offenders in the field of domestic violence to see this for what it was. Kimble’s own spoken fears back in the ship only confirmed what he was now looking at.

Oblivious to the others around her, Fallen stood and laughed as blood poured from her nose. It wasn't broken, but he'd split her lip. She was crazed, no longer sane.

"Just like old times, eh Fallen? Old times..." Valentin said wistfully, his eyes glowing.

He caught her hair in his good hand and dragged her towards Kane's tent. She tried to slap and claw at him with her hands but he just ignored it. He roughly tossed her inside the tent and followed, closing the flap behind him.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[Bastila]

Hey Squeek, i've just been reading this and i like it, i like the pictures in between as well, i think it gives more of an idea or picture in your head of what is happening. Its cool, i've been read some Fan Fics as i am just finishing writing one, so i wanted to see some ideas of how to write a fan fic and i think yours is one of my favouites i have read its good.

[Bastila]

Stupid double post, my internet keeps doing stupid things everytime i click reply i hate it now lol.

[squeekness]

Double posts, always fun. Think of it as increasing your post count for free. ;)

I'm glad you like this, and I like that you like the pictures. I wish the Fanfiction.net site let me put the pictures in like I can here, but they don't. :( The story is meant to be seen that way. I had a co-worker reading this who told me that she might not have stuck with it as long as she as she has (she's actaully read the entire thing) if not for the pictures. I hope over time to add more, to make it a lot more like a graphic novel. Maybe someday. Thanks for chiming in, it's always good to hear from folks who are reading. :D

[squeekness]

(four)

Logan watched them go, furious at how all this had turned out so badly. His sensitive ears couldn't block out the sounds that followed of Valentin beating and raping Fallen inside the tent. She was snarling and crying, still fighting him, her oppressor grunting happily all the while. It was horrible, but Logan thought Fallen's acceptance of his abuse was worse. With her powers, she was stronger, she should be fighting him off.

Wolverine looked over at Remy when he heard his teammate make a small noise. Gambit was looking at the tent, his demonic eyes glowing with barely controlled fury. His mouth was a thin tight line as he held back the sounds of his outrage.

Remy was secretive and had remained something of an enigma to his teammates ever since he had arrived at the Xavier Mansion just a few short years ago, but some things had been made clear pretty early on. Remy was a creature of sensuality, something he pursued relentlessly and with great style. Intimacy was something he clearly enjoyed, but most of all respected. He tolerated sexual abuse no better than Logan, often going out of his way to rescue those he thought might be in distress with no regard to his own personal safety. Being so helpless now was driving the Cajun thief to a near frenzy. He was wordlessly wringing his hands in a futile attempt to escape the glowing energy cuffs that bound him. It wasn’t going to happen.

Gambit wasn’t alone in his distress. Henry sat quiet, his eyes closed and breathing in calm deep, meditative breaths. Wolverine could only admire his friend’s resolve. Unable to stop what was going on, Beast was doing his best to shut out what could only drive him deeply into a helpless despair. It didn’t mean he didn’t care, he was a doctor after all, with a few unpleasant ideas of what Fallen was going to look like when all of this was done. She would need medical attention and if he could, he would help her. For now, he would calm himself now to preserve his superior wits for later. There would be a reckoning.

The sounds of Fallen's pain and abuse lasted the better part of an hour. In the meantime, as the night darkened and the moon rose, Valentin's men were bored and amused themselves by terrorizing Kane's people. They slaughtered the men and raided their food stores. The women fared much worse. The children ran off into the scrub, but weren't chased. Valentin's men knew they wouldn't go far out here in this desolate waste. The X-men were guarded by a large group of soldiers and unable to interfere. When Valentin left Kane's tent, he looked around him, satisfied. He had wanted to teach Kane a lesson and had done so to his immense satisfaction.

"Yer one sick f*$#!" Logan snarled. "What kind of leader are you?!"
Valentin walked over to him, bringing the sharp, ugly scent of Fallen's sex and blood with him. "I'm the kind that gets results, little man. This is a vicious world. Only the strong survive here."

"You'd get more done if you didn't kill yer own people!"

"Would I? They obey me unquestionably. Of course, I am not always this cruel," he commented casually, looking around. "Kane tried to take something that was mine. I made it very clear that will never be tolerated. Surely a beast like you understands the concept of territory."

"Sick f*%#s like you always fall. I hope I'm there to see it."

Valentin grinned malevolently. "Maybe you'll get that lucky, but I doubt it." He looked down at Logan and recognized him for the warrior he was.
"We've got some plans for you boys. Fight with us and things could go very well for you. I've always got a need for alphas who can deliver."

"I'll never work for an a**h**le like you. Yer pathetic, beatin’ up on a woman like that."

Valentin glanced back at the tent. "Oh, that?" He grunted a laugh and had a strange, almost sorrowful look on his face. "Fallen likes that, she always has."

Logan shook his head, not believing Valentin’s act for a minute. "No woman ever asks for that."

"Fallen is no ordinary woman," Valentin said, almost lovingly. It was disturbing to hear, like fingernails on a chalkboard. "She and I go way back. We have an....understanding, she and I."

"Don' make it right."

"It is what it is, nothing more."

Valentin gave a command and the X-men were dragged back to the Lucky Dragon. Logan and Remy struggled valiantly, refusing to give in without some kind of fight. Remy lashed out with his feet and tried to twist himself free. He was very flexible, weasel clever in his way. It wasn’t enough. He was held fast, viciously slapped about as a reward for his defiance, and in his weakened state, not able to do much about being herded along. Ragged French, no longer so elegant when chocked with ugly, wrathful profanity, came from him in a scathing torrent until he was finally punched viciously enough to silence him. He had no choice but to give it up and take Henry’s path, saving the fight for another day.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/027draggedoff.jpg

Logan had no such desire. He spared his mouth the same angry words and simply used his teeth instead. He bit one of Valentin's men savagely, tearing his arm open and was brutally beaten for it. Still he fought, holding out much longer than Remy had. The fight was savage and brutal, recklessly spilling more of his own blood than that of his captors. They were not restrained by either shackles nor their Master’s will, ever so willing to punish. It was an effort, it took three of Valentin’s men to finally subdue Logan and then only by kicking him until he passed out.

Valentin just laughed all the while at the display of X-men ferocity, his sick and twisted psyche entertained by the whole thing. Logan’s wildness would be an asset once it was bent to his will, and he was pleased. He paid no apparent mind to the passive blue Beast, but inwardly he knew better than to underestimate one such as this. Obviously this was the clever one, the brains of the operation if not the brawn, not like the two scrappy fighters that had put up all that fuss. What was this one thinking? Silent but most often deadly, clever men were. He would watch this one, see if his suspicions of Henry’s superior intelligence played out.

Valentin had the three X-men dragged into the Lucky Dragon and chained to the outside of Fallen's cage in the Main Room, facing the viewing screen, and went into the galley to eat. His men walked around Fallen's ship as if it belonged them and behaved as if all this violence was a normal thing for them. It probably was. Eventually the hour grew late and things quieted. Valentin came to look at his prized mutant captives one last time before he left for the night. He said nothing to them but rubbed his now bandaged wrist for a moment then he and his men went back outside, leaving the captives unattended for the moment. He apparently wasn't concerned about them getting loose.

When she was sure Valentin was gone, Maylee snuck out from the lower level and crept over to the restrained X-men, carrying a small box with her. As soon as she opened it Henry was relieved to see it was a medical kit, something they very much needed right now. Logan hadn’t moved once since they’d been lashed to the cage, not a good sign.

"Seth? Seth, are you there?" Maylee whispered, looking over her shoulder to the big viewing screen.

Seth and Kimble's portions of the screen had been blacked out since the captives had been dragged in here, but they now winked on. Seth was alone and seated in his chair. "I'm here," he answered her, looking around the Main Room nervously. "Where's Fallen?"

"Still outside," she replied. She started to cry, but fought it. "Help me. Help me with them."she said, meaning the X-men. Logan's face was dripping blood and he was still out cold, not moving.

Gambit was faring better in that he was still conscious. He sagged weakly against the cage, held up by his restraints as he stared numbly off into space. His face was bruising where he had been struck and there was a tight ring of agony around his ribs when he breathed. Judging by all the damage he had suffered here, this wasn’t going to be one of his better trips.

"What do you want me to do?"Seth asked in a small, frightened voice. He kept glancing to the door leading to the outside ramp. It was still open meaning Valentin could return at any time.

"I need to do a scan."

"Okay."

Maylee took out a small strip that looked like a Band-aid and placed it on Logan's forehead. A light flashed from under it and winked out. Medical information scrolled up on the screen and Seth read it off. "He's got massive internal trauma and bruising. His skeleton is metal -- I don't even want to know about that.... Hey, Maylee. Just take his collar off."

"Valentin will kill me!" she squeaked with very real fear. Her hands were trembling badly.

"Only do it for a minute," Seth pleaded. "Just enough for him to recover a little bit."

"He's right," Beast concurred. "Logan can heal. It's his power."

"How do I get the collar off?" Maylee asked, relenting.

More information scrolled on the screen, showing details about the collar, including how to remove it. Maylee loosened it a bit until the little glowing light shut off. Almost immediately, Logan's injuries began to heal. His bruises slowly faded and he groaned, blinking blearily as he gradually woke up. He was better, but still in a lot of pain. It would take more than just this moment free of the collar to fully recover. He got onto his knees and looked around him, the soldier in him automatically trying to figure out what was going on and where he was. He looked up at the screen and saw Seth sitting there looking fragile and terrified. The young pilot was obviously nervous and frightened, he still eyed the doorway behind them fearfully.

Henry hadn’t noticed, he was asking Maylee, "Can you get the cuffs off of us?"

She looked to Seth for help, but Seth had frozen in terror. He was looking past her to the ramp that led outside, his eyes wide in fear.

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[squeekness]

(five)

"Oh, Fallen!" Seth said in a pained whisper, his voice trembling. He hunched over in his chair with an inarticulate outcry of internal agony, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears as he had done before when he had been out as a hologram and was frightened. He'd shut himself down so he wouldn't have to look at her.

The X-men strained at their bonds, turning to look at what had spooked Seth so badly. Fallen was walking slowly towards the screen, a ragged ruin of pilot flesh. She leaned sideways as she shuffled her feet, dragging one foot stiffly behind her as she moved with methodical, determined slowness. Clearly, she had a destination in mind, and wasn’t going to let her condition stop her from getting there. She pressed both hands against her lower belly as she moved as if her guts were falling out. Her head was down and her breath came out in ragged gasps, blood and spit dripped from her chin to the floor. She was naked and dried blood and dirt caked her furry legs and ankles in a dark black accusation of abuse. She shuffled drunkenly and wasn't looking where she was going, though she had determination driving her on. She kept walking past them until she bumped into the screen, arriving at last. She put up a hand to brace herself, but slid to the floor, leaving a bloody smear on the glass.

Maylee came out of her shock and rushed to her side at once. She cried out in dismay when she saw Fallen's swollen bloody face.

There was a noise as Kimble burst into the cockpit room through a side door, his face tight with barely controlled emotion. He went immediately to Seth and found him cowering in his seat, swearing softly in exasperation at his brother’s condition. He brushed a hand over Seth's head and spoke to him softly in an attempt to rouse him, but his brother didn't move. Kimble looked up through the glass and saw Fallen broken and bleeding at the base of the screen. "Get her a wet towel. Clean 'er up," he ordered to Maylee, his voice icy and eerily calm, considering the wildness in his eyes. She obeyed him and left for Fallen’s lavatory in a rush.

Henry jerked in his bonds, the doctor in him horrified at the sight of Fallen’s abused body. He couldn’t restrain his own growl of frustration that he was now unable to move. He could bear being tied, but not when he knew someone was desperately injured and in need of his help. The only thing that gave him any comfort was knowing that Maylee was free and able to act. He would be quick to offer his advice if she needed him.

"Seth...? Seth, are you there?" Fallen called weakly, responding to the sound of Kimble's voice. She searched for him with her dirty, bloody hands, but found only glass. One of her eyes was swollen shut, the other was filled with blood.

"He’s here, but he's all crunched up," Kimble grumbled. "Figgered he be used ta yer crap by now. Hope yer happy."

"Don't be angry..." she pleaded, unable to see him but all too aware of his anger.

Kimble leaned against his work table and snatched a pack of cigarettes from his console. He shook one out and lit it with an angry spark from his fingertips. The spark was blue like Fallen’s magic pilot’s energy, sharp and potent. Kimble wasn't angry, no. He was furious. His voice shook with emotion as he began to speak, threatening to break at any moment. "We take pretty good care of each other, right? You an' me. Heh, I mean yer helpin’ us with cummin’ out and I look after ya. Makin' shure ya git what ya needs. Keepin' ya safe, huh?"

He didn’t wait for a response, but sniffed as angry tears started to shine in his eyes. He was trying to play the tough guy, but he couldn’t hide just how worried about her he was. "I do a good job, huh? I mean, ya tells me so, right? But you must be thinkin' I need another friggin' challenge cuz look at ya, girl."

"Kimble, please!" Fallen gasped with a sob, hurt by his words.

It didn’t stop Kimble’s rant. He clearly had to unload his frustration with his Mistress and figured now was just as good a time as any. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and sniffed impatiently, defying the tears that shined in his eyes not to fall. "You tell me what ta do an' I do it, no questions asked. But I'm thinkin' ya musta missed a file I wuz suppozta get, cuz I just don't know how I'm suppozta take care a ya when ya keep doin' this crap ta yerself."

Fallen didn’t answer, but stayed as she was, sobbing.

He shook his head in frustration and raised his voice. "Seth tells ya he's cummin' an you won't friggin' run! Vally drops his pants an yer right there with yer mouth friggin' open, Fallen! I mean, Jeez! What am I supposed ta do, Fallen?! You tell me cuz I got no friggin' clue!" he finished with a snarl, his mouth grimaced and his eyes closed now, the only thing holding those treacherous tears at bay.

"Guys..." Remy croaked, his voice harsh with pain. He had come out of his stupor, brought back by the angry words flying around. He was squirming now in his awkward position, not wanting to be an audience to this argument. The emotions being displayed here were too powerful to be anything but real in his eyes. He found himself responding to all of Kimble’s physical signs of distress, one small corner of his mind trying to figure out how something supposedly artificial could behave in such a realistic way. Ever the peacemaker, he couldn’t stand it. "Arretez ceci, sil vous plait! Stop dis now!"

He was ignored. Fallen started to shake as Kimble had raised his voice in censure, his anger and pain hurting her even more than she was already. She sobbed now as she requested, "Play me something, okay? I’ll.... I’ll be all right."

"No way. Uh, uh. I an’t doin’ nuthin. Not ‘til ya tells me why yer doin' this, ya friggin' little b---h." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at her. "Tells me why!"

"I can't..."

"You tell me!" Kimble shouted bitterly, standing now and flashing his teeth in an angry snarl. He shook with his wrath, his hands fisted as he looked at her. "You tells me now! I've friggin' earned it!"

"I can't...I can't..."she sobbed.

"Fine, then!" he spat impatiently and reached for the switch to sign off.

"No!" she begged, pawing at the glass. "Don't leave me...Don't leave me, please!"

He stopped, her pleas halting him. He covered his face with his hands for a moment, then wiped his face on his arms. His eyes were all red now and his nose was running. "Tell me why I shouldn’t just shut down," he said quietly, his voice soft with defeat. "Why I should keep puttin' up with yer crap."

"Because you're all I have!" she cried.

Maylee came from the bathroom. She came towards Fallen but stopped abruptly when she saw the two of them were arguing. Even from the screen Kimble's anger frightened her.

"I need you here with me..." Fallen continued. "No one listens to me but you guys. No one helps me like you... Don't leave me!"

"Then helps me, baby doll. I needs ta understand, cuz I jus' don' friggin' git it. Why do ya let him do this to ya? It's killin' Seth. He gets wrecked evra time an' I git stuck cleanin' up!"

"Because I did something really bad...Really bad...Junta bay...I have to be punished."

"Punished? Fer what? I've seen some pretty bad crap in my time, but you ain't ever done nuthin'. I ain't never seen you hurt nobody! What could ya do that wuz so bad thatcha deserve this?!"

"I can't tell you...."

"Why?!" Kimble snarled loudly, frustrated." Don’tcha trust me?!"

"I trust you... I just couldn't bear it if you hated me..." she finished in a thready whisper, her body trembling all over now.

"Oh, baby doll..." he said then, a half sob escaping him. He released his anger in a long sigh, a tear finally spilling down one cheek. He leaned forward to put his shaking hands on the glass, reaching out as if he could touch her. He was very close to her now, his lips up against her ear as she rested against the screen. "I ain't never gonna hatecha. Not now, not ever. There just ain't no junta bay in the world that kin change that. We been together too long, you an' me."

"You would... It was so awful!"

"Tell me, Fallen," Kimble insisted, more tears streaming from his eyes now.

"Please! I cain’t hardly stand this!"

"I can't....I can't...I can't..!" she bawled and slid the rest of the way to the floor. She curled up, sobbing and covered her face with her tiny white hands. Maylee went to her then and started to clean her up, whispering to her foster mother gently in a feeble attempt to comfort her.

[squeekness]

Kimble retreated to fell back into his chair in a sorrowful slump. He slowly shook his head and smoked, wiping the wetness from his face in a helpless gesture of defeat. He reached behind him and took a CD from a rack, obeying Fallen finally. He slid a very real looking compact disc into a player and soft music began to play. It was a silly song from Lovin' Spoonful, something about the rain and a roof.

Logan couldn't believe what was happening, it was like being trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t get out of. Fallen was lying there broken, Seth was balled up and useless, and Kimble pissed off and crying like some little kid trapped in the body of a grown man. The figures up on that screen were not real, they were a program. A stupid friggin' program placed there by some sicko pilot who obviously got off on some kind of melodramatic overload. Programs were there to make things better, not worse. This was a dysfunctional family operating on a scale he had never witnessed before. They should be trying to get away from here, not playing out this sick little soap opera. Cripes!

"Hey! Kimble! Dude!" Wolverine shouted up at the screen. "Vally ain't gonna leave us alone fer long. We gotta bail!" He snarled when he saw he was being ignored.

Fallen heard the music and garbled something intelligible, laughing.

"Yer all friggin' crazy!" Logan howled. He’d had enough of this insanity and yanked on his chains. "Alla ya! Friggin' crazies!" He heaved on the cage and like an evil tease, it started to come apart in one corner, inspiring him to continue. Beast and Gambit saw what he was up to and then helped out, eager to escape their prison. They weren’t even close to being silent.

"Stop that!" Maylee shrieked in a panic. "If Valentin sees you he'll kill us all!"

"I ain't gonna be around that long!" Logan growled, jerking and grinning with satisfaction as something in the framing behind him groaned and broke.

"What a shame," Valentin sneered from the back of the room. "I was just getting used to having you here."

Logan put his head down and cursed.

Valentin entered the main room and walked up to Fallen. She just lay on the floor, trembling. He towered over her and gave her an arrogant sniff. "You stink, pilot." He didn’t wait for an answer, but looked up at the screen. "I see you still have your freaks. Might have to do something about that."

"F--k you, Vally!" Kimble snarled fearlessly, raising his fists.

Valentin just laughed. "You got a mouth on you, son. Too bad that's all you've got. Had yourself a nice little cry, did you? You stupid child."

"Leave him alone!" Fallen challenged from the floor as if she was in any position to stop him.

"Sure thing," Valentin grunted at her, amused. "For now. You'd best get straight, pilot. We leave for Station Nine in the morning. Shoot yourself full of junk, whatever it takes. No excuses."

He turned to go, but changed his mind. "Think I'll have my Second, Joseph, stay and keep an eye on these guy just in case you get any more ideas about taking off." He whistled sharply and Joseph came up the ramp, ever obedient. He stood and listened attentively as Valentin issued him orders. "Take six men. Camp out in the galley, whatever. I don't want these alphas left alone again."

"Yes, my Lord." Joseph left to collect his team.

Valentin turned his attention back to Fallen. He crouched down next to her with a disgusted sneer. He took her hair and mercilessly hauled her up to her feet like the possession he perceived her to be. He released her enough to be sure she could stand, then he leaned her head back, baring her throat to him. He leaned in and licked her neck with a long, slow flick of his tongue.

Fallen quivered from his touch and urine dripped down her leg. She was broken in every way that counted now.

Valentin didn’t care. "It's was nice to see you again, my lovely. It's been so long."

Fallen didn't resist him, she simply stared off at nothing, her eyes glazed.
He desired a response. He kissed her full on the mouth, giving her his tongue. She roused some at the intrusion, sensing that she had to do something to please him, anything to satisfy his desire for dominance. She returned his kiss and he smiled, happy now. He next glared at Kimble who stood with his hands fisted and useless. "See? She's mine in every way that matters." He laughed and released her before turning and walking away, passing Joseph on his way out.

Fallen stood unmoving like a discarded toy, her eyes shiny and half open, her mind completely gone. Joseph sniffed her in disgust, saw her mess, and looked at Maylee cowering by Beast. "Get her cleaned up, girl. Heh, look at you. Getting big now you are," he said, his eyes glittering with evil intent.

"Don' even think about it, you #$%^&# son of wh--e!" Kimble threatened with real enthusiasm. He sounded menacing, but everyone here knew it was an empty promise.

"You couldn't stop me even if you wanted to, freak, no matter how badly you swear," Joseph sneered in a good imitation of his Master. "You’re nothing but a crybaby wannabe pilot with a foul mouth and even worse manners. You’re not even real. Just what do you think a pathetic scrap of a program like you can do to me?"

Logan shook his head, a headache like a Texas thunderstorm threatening to split his head apart. He was beyond appalled at the behavior he saw today. "What kind of people are you?! I'm not sure who's worse, you or the Dognan creeps who brought us here in the first place!"

Joseph turned to him, the wattage of his evil smile never dimming a bit. "Well, it looks like you'll be around long enough to decide. Better get some rest. We leave for Station Nine in the morning."

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[squeekness]

(six)

The X-men didn't sleep well that night. They were all lashed to the cage and uncomfortable with no ability to move about. They hadn’t been given blankets or comforts of any kind, nor any food or drink. The constant movement of Joseph's men from one room to the next didn’t help matters either. The night before, Maylee had cleaned up Logan as best she could and fled. She went into the lavatory where Fallen had gone and didn’t come out.

Gambit sat with his back to the cage with his arms still pinned up high. His shoulders ached from the lack of movement and his ass hurt from the hardness of the floor. Being a space ship, the floor of the Lucky Dragon wasn’t carpeted. He was watching the Clan men carefully, looking for weaknesses, but finding nothing he could use. He'd mostly recovered from his illness now but still wasn't full strength.

He found himself glancing up at the screen, waiting to see when Kimble would return. The Kimble personality intrigued him and he was welcome for the distraction to his current situation. He was impressed at the depth of Kimble’s sympathy and pain towards Fallen after her abuse and wondered how an artificial personality could seem so real. None of the holograms they used to train with back home behaved as Kimble and Seth did. He had watched some of the students playing computer games and such back home and even then had never seen anything that came close to what he’d seen here. He didn’t have a lot of close friends and the idea of having someone always around like that struck him deep inside. What could be better than a friend you’ve programmed to always be around whenever you needed them?

He didn’t share Maylee’s view that Kimble’s show of misery at Fallen’s mistreatment was a bad thing. If anything, it made him like Kimble even more. It showed a depth to his character that made him seem more lifelike and human. He clearly wasn’t just a plain jane personality designed to make a computer more interesting. He was complex and complicated, a puzzle to be figured out. Gambit was intrigued by games or anything that was used for fun and entertainment. Too bad this little journey wasn’t for pleasure, he would have liked to getting to know Kimble a little better.

Beast was hunched next to Remy, quiet in his despair. His thoughts weren’t that different from Remy’s. He was a technology junkie and loved anything as new and interesting as this sentient program. What fun they could have in the Danger Room training facility back home. He was also curious just how much control the Siskan brothers had over this ship and if they could be used to somehow get them out of this. No immediate ideas came to mind. Perhaps something would present itself later.

As a doctor, he was distressed over Fallen’s treatment and wanted desperately to see her and see for himself that she was okay. It pained him to see what had been done to her. He lived a sheltered life because he stayed primarily in his lab. He wasn’t often a witness to domestic violence since things were pretty stable back at the Mansion. There were strict guidelines regarding behavior and most of the people there were much too honorable to smack each other around over petty domestic squabbles.

The closest he’d seen to a total meltdown was a spectacular fight between Gambit and Rogue. Remy had gotten a little too carried away with the teasing and Rogue had gone off. She was invulnerable as well as unnaturally strong and she was tossing dishes and pieces of furniture at the playful thief, curses streaming from her mouth. Of course Remy hadn’t helped things any, he couldn’t stop from laughing and running his mouth off, saying, "Oh, chere. You know dis po’ t’ief don’ really t’ink yo’ ass is dat big!"

A table went flying out through the window. Remy was quick and nimble, the table never hit him, nor any of the chairs that followed, but he quieted after when the adults came running over. He knew they were so busted. Rogue had to be restrained and Remy got chewed out for instigating. He paid up the damages without having to be asked and walked off, grinning. He just never took anything seriously. Henry hadn’t been so amused. He didn’t like anything that could escalate into the violence he had witnessed last night.

Logan was on Henry's opposite side. Fallen’s computer program didn’t interest him in the least. The only thing he wanted was to break free and kick Valentin’s ass...severely. He was forced to satisfy his frustration by growling as the Clan men passed by, hoping to get a rise out of someone. Maybe it could be used to get them a hostage or something. It wasn’t working. For the most part they ignored him, but whenever Joseph came by, he would kick Logan with his heavy booted feet in a useless attempt to make him be quiet. Logan wasn’t giving an inch, not to these guys. When he thought no one was looking, he would try to work part of the cage loose. It was taking too long, but he just couldn't sit by and do nothing. This trip had been one huge exercise in frustration.

The control room block of the screen was dark and Fallen's bloody smear was still on the glass, no one had bothered to clean it and it clung there as a constant reminder of how volatile their new situation was. Not long after Fallen had disappeared into her lavatory with Maylee, Logan had heard Seth talking to her in there, but couldn't make out what was being said. It was quiet in there now. He hoped she would be okay, but wasn’t disillusioned about the severity of the beating she’d received. He’d been on the receiving end of too much violence and abuse to know she had been hurt, inside and out.

Logan looked up and growled as Joseph once more came out of the galley. Joe looked well rested and chipper, a bright easy smile on his face. Valentin's Second looked down at his captives with the glee of the truly in charge. "Sleep much? No? Too bad. You've a busy day ahead."

At that moment, Valentin came up the ramp. He, too, looked well rested and happy. His hair was wet as though he’d taken a wash in the river close by and he smelled of the outside and breakfast, making Logan’s stomach growl. His wrist was still bandaged. He slammed the fist of his good hand against the wall of Fallen's lavatory as he passed and shouted, "Move your ass, pilot! You got ten minutes!"

He entered the main room and stood next to Joseph. His Second looked at his master with a kind of adoration that turned Logan's stomach, he never had much love for zealots. "They still live, Master," Joseph commented in jest. "Not so spirited as yesterday."

"Good, perhaps they are capable of understanding just where they stand." Valentin turned to the men chained to the cage and said, "Welcome, gentlemen, to your first day in the service of the Clan."

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[squeekness]

"I don't serve nobody," Logan sneered. "Least of all bullies like you."

"You'll learn."

Valentin started to say something else, but turned to the screen when the cockpit block winked on, showing Kimble seated in the control room. He was alone, Seth was nowhere in sight. He showed no sign of strain or distress from the night before, but then, he wasn’t really real. He deliberately ignored Valentin as he began working, flipping switches as he warmed up the ship. The floor started to hum under the X-men as Lucky's engines came on.

"Freak," Valentin muttered.

"Mornin', Vally," Kimble drawled arrogantly. He met the other man's eyes and lit a cigarette, his movements comfortable and at ease. He sat back in his chair with his arms behind his head, his work done for the moment.

"You are so very bold aren't you?" Valentin sneered, his voice full of menace. "We'll see how you hold up when I pull your plug. Won't be long now."

Unfazed, Kimble grinned and said, "Life's a funny thing, Vally. Not evrathin' happens the way ya think."

"How would you know, freak? You're not even alive. Never were. Soon enough, you won't be anything at all."

"If yer so shure 'bout me, Vally, why're you even threatenin' me? Huh? Seem a little nervous or sumpthin'."

"I'm not afraid of you. I have your precious Fallen. It's you who should be afraid."

"I'm just a program, Vally. Gots no reason." Kimble's eyes were laughing. If Logan didn't know any better, he'd say Kimble was in control of some secret weapon that he was going to whip out at any moment. He was deliberately baiting this monster.

"Why do you encourage him, Master?" Joseph asked with disdain. "He'll be unbearable."

Valentin glared at the screen. "Soon, freak. Soon."

Kimble blew Valentin a kiss and smiled when he heard Gambit chuckle at it. He watched as Valentin cursed at him and stomped into the galley, Joseph in tow. Kimble grunted in amusement and went back to work, giving Remy a quick wink.

"You think that's such a good idea, talkin' to him like that?" Logan grumbled at Kimble. He wasn’t happy about Remy’s laughter either, he didn’t want Kimble to be encouraged to get them into more trouble. "What if he takes it out on us?"

"Yer too valuable," Kimble replied not looking up. " ‘Sides, he expects it from me. Don' wants ta let 'im down."

At that moment Fallen emerged from the lav. She had washed and put on fresh clothes, looking a hundred percent better than last night. Her face was swollen and bruised and it looked as though she could only see out of one eye, but she walked with a steady stride and jumped lightly onto the stick.

"Good morrow, Fallen," Kimble greeted from the screen. He smiled warmly at her.

"Good morrow, Kimble. Prepare to boost in ten." There was a slight slur to her speech. Logan didn’t need to hear it to know she was stoned on painkillers, the smell of an opiate based narcotic wafted off of her skin.
"Boostin' in ten, aye."

Kimble started flipping more switches. He was calm and at ease in his chair and appeared to be experienced in preparing the ship for flight. He was confident and didn’t ask Fallen for anything as he worked. He would occasionally glance at the men tied to the cage, but said nothing.

A short time later, a group of Clan men came up the ramp and sat in the seats. None of them were from Kane’s camp, these were all Valentin’s officers, including Reese. Not all of them had washed as Valentin had and there was a tang of sweat and testosterone in the air. Valentin and Joseph came out from the galley and the feral teleporter joined them in the seats. He didn’t take a seat himself, but crouched at his Master’s feet, laying his head in Valentin’s lap like a dog. His Master lay a hand there and petted him gently, thinking nothing of how odd it might look. Gear was stowed away and the ramp was raised. There was a loud bang as the inner hatch was sealed.

"Boostin' in two," Kimble drawled. It didn't look like Seth was going to join him for their departure. His chair remained empty and Kimble made no move to call him out from where he was hiding.

"Boosting in two, aye," Fallen replied. She pulled out a cigarette from a small jar wired to the cage and lit it with a sharp blue pop from her fingers. She took a deep relaxing drag and blew smoke out of her nose. She leaned on the stick, relaxed.

Moments later a mechanical male voice chimed in. "Boost sequence initiated." A clock appeared on the screen counting down. Fallen crushed out her butt and gripped the bars of her stick like a bike.

Kimble counted down. "Ready, steady...Boost!"

At his command, blue electricity, like flames, burst from Fallen’s hands and was absorbed into the stick. Fallen's power was far and away the stronger of the two pilots the X-men had seen flying a ship and Beast couldn't help but jerk away from where he was chained to the cage, he was closest to her stick. The burst of flame was bright but brief. There was a strange smell, almost like ozone and he could feel some of the hairs rising on his neck as if there were a static charge in the air.

"Boost sequence complete," Lucky chimed again. "Do you wish to continue?"

"Yes," Fallen answered.

"Launch sequence initiated."

"Launchin' in two," Kimble announced.

"Launching in two, aye." Fallen looked at the X-men with as pleasant a smile she could muster in spite of the damage done to her face.
"Welcome, X-men, to the Lucky Dragon. Now Lucky, he's kinda peppy when he goes so you might want to grab onto the cage real tight now."

Some of the Clan soldiers laughed at her words. Wolverine sat still (real men don't need to grab), but Gambit hung on with one hand. Henry was too busy watching Kimble as he moved about the control room.

Kimble counted down once again. "Ready, steady...Launch!"

Blue flame once more exploded from Fallen’s hands and the ship lurched powerfully upward. Wolverine cursed and had to scramble to keep from sliding. He could feel a strong vibration under him from the lower level then a thump as the landing gear closed. Fallen closed her eyes a little and they slowed. Logan felt the ship stop rising and surge forward. They banked a little to the right and then leveled out, moving at what had to be incredible speed.

"G-Force stabilizers activated," Lucky announced. The X-men stopped sliding and heaved a sigh of relief. "Launch sequence complete."

"We gots two hours 'til we reach Nine," Kimble said.

"Two hours, aye," Fallen replied.


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[squeekness]

The Clan men unbuckled and began milling about, some heading into the galley looking for refreshments. Joseph and Valentin went into the barracks with some of the other men. Fallen stayed where she was but leaned her head against the post. She rested her elbows on the bars, comfortable. Small flickers of blue flame wrapped themselves around her arms and were absorbed by the stick. She was still powering the ship even from this relaxed position.

Gambit wiped his mouth on his shoulder, still trying to recover from the quick launch. He was impressed with her power and ability and being a big fan of carnival rides and roller coasters, he had enjoyed it immensely despite being tied to the cage. "Dat's one wild wild ride, chere!"
Fallen closed her eyes with soft snicker. "Yeah, it’s a real trip."

Logan hadn’t been all that thrilled with the ride, he didn’t share Gambit’s love for such things. He was still on the job, looking for an opportunity to get loose. He didn't know what he could do, but he was hoping that he could force Kimble to help if he could get a hostage, Fallen preferably since the Kimble program cared about her so much. Either way, he wasn’t about to sit here without trying.

Wolverine squirmed and complained, "I gotta take a leak!"


Fallen turned towards the seats, Maylee was still there. "Get Joe for me, honey."

Maylee got up and walked into the galley. She came back alone. "Joe said to make him use the bucket."

Fallen grunted. "Nice. You know where it is."

Maylee went into Fallen's lav and returned with a plastic bucket. It seemed so out of place with all the men here wearing swords and such. She put it down in front of Logan. "Here."

Logan jerked his useless arms. "This ain't gonna be pretty..."

Maylee stepped back. "I'm not holding it for him!"

Kimble was snorting a little as he snickered, "Could be a problem!"

Fallen sighed. "Engage autopilot."

"Autopilot engaged, aye!" Kimble managed through hearty laughter.

Fallen stepped off the stick. She hopped up to the window cut out and onto the sill with a light and easy burst of flight. Her movements were very bird like and graceful, use of her telekinesis obvious. She was right above Beast and he ducked as she dropped down in front of Wolverine and turned to face him. "You gonna give me a hard time?"

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He gave her a mischievous smile. " ‘Pends on what ya have in mind, darlin’."

Fallen sighed impatiently and stooped down in front of him. He could see the pupil of her one good eye was dilated. She was high on something and a nice easy target. She surprised him by raising her hands and crossing them over her chest. He felt a push pinning him down with his back against the cage. The cuffs fell off and he could feel his arms again, but he was trapped against the fencing. He could pee into the bucket but that was all. She'd used her power to hold him in place out of reach. Damn.

Maylee moved the bucket into place and Logan urinated.

Fallen looked at the others. "Anyone else? It's a long way to the next gas station,"she joked with a wan smile. She was very tired. She probably hadn't slept any better last night than they had.

They each had a turn and Fallen replaced the cuffs without touching them or coming close enough for them to reach her. Wolverine still wanted to know why if Fallen was so powerful, she allowed Valentin to brutalize her without a fight. Maylee left with the bucket. Fallen stood stiffly, hopped back into the cage and resumed her position on the stick. She closed her eyes and relaxed with a sigh.

Kimble watched her protectively. "Ya wants th' stick back?"

"Nah. Too comfortable."

"Ya wants me ta play ya sumpthin'?"

"Sure."

Kimble reached behind him, but picked up the guitar this time instead of a music disc. He tuned it quickly and began to play. He sang in a soft but rough, growly voice not out of place for the song. It was an old Dylan tune, Shelter From the Storm. He performed it very well. Even some of the Clan men paused in the doorway of the galley to listen. He ignored them, he wasn’t there for Valentin’s officers, he was intent on pleasing his Mistress who was so tired and in pain.

Fallen smiled. "Been a long time since I heard this one...Hmm.... When did you learn it?"

"The other day. Seth found the file, junked it. Kid ain't got no frikkin' taste, I swear. I dug it out ta learns it fer ya," Kimble boasted, pleased with himself.

"How did you know I would like it?" she slurred, drowsy.

The lights over Fallen's stick dimmed. "Been together too long fer you ta be askin' me that," he said, but she was already falling asleep. "Fayed rowth, my Fallen," Kimble whispered gently. He played for a few more minutes then put the guitar away. The screen flickered and blacked out.


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[squeekness]

(Seven)

A short time later, Fallen startled awake with a gasp, drenched in a fear induced sweat. She’d had a terrible nightmare, one of many and certainly not the last. Valentin had provided her with plenty of material to work with on top of the full plate the Dognan had dished out for her already. She straightened up on the pilot’s stick and groaned. Her earlier high was gone and she was now very sore.

"Good morrow, Fallen," Kimble greeted. He had returned just before she woke.

"Uhnn...Good morrow, Kimble. Where are we?"

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"Ten minutes ta Nine."

Fallen stretched, still balanced on the stick. She looked down at the X-men. "You guys okay?"

"Just ducky," Logan grumbled irritably.

Valentin came down the hallway. The lights brightened. "How close are we?"

"'Bout ten minutes out of Nine," Fallen answered.

"Good. I can't wait to get out of this crate." He moved over to where the X-men were chained. "Did you enjoy your little trip? Enjoy our fine Clan transportation?"

"You people're all crazy," Logan complained bitterly. "We won't serve you!"

"Oh, yes you will. You will if you ever want to see your home again. My guess is Cerebus will make you an offer you won't refuse."

"Why should we believe you gonna bring us back, neh? You don' 'xactly inspire confidence," Gambit countered.

Valentin grinned an evil, wicked smile. "You don't fight, you're useless to us. Useless things have a way of dying painfully around here. You don't want to find out how, son."

"You gonna ‘ave to work ‘arder dan dat to scare me, vous [ --insert French profanity that would get me banned if I actually posted it ~ SQ --]," Gambit snapped, his ruby red eyes glittering with arrogant anger. "Gambit ain’t no petite fille you can shove around. Let’s pull off dese chains, see who’s gonna be sorry."

"Your weakness is surpassed only by your stupidity, alpha. Have a care, boy. I took you down easily already, I can do it again. You already got one fine cut to your pretty little face, would be a shame to get another." He turned to Fallen. "Open a hailing frequency. Have your freak here ---" he gestured at Kimble " --- call up a squad to meet us at the hanger bay. Inform Cerebus that our little trip was a success."

Fallen nodded at Kimble. "Do it."

"Aye, Fallen." Kimble picked up a headset radio from next to him and began to speak into it.

Valentin walked over to join some of his men who were returning to their seats. The rest of the Clan came out from the galley, laughing and smelling of food and beer. They were returning to port and the men were glad. After months outside in the wild fighting the Dognan, none of them felt comfortable in Fallen's strange ship.

Lucky announced, "Clan Station Nine ahead. Prepare to port."

The Clan took their seats and The X-men were wary and alert, not knowing what to expect next.

Fallen and Kimble negotiated their landing into the hanger of the large Clan military station. The two were an organized team, working together like a well oiled machine. The landing was smooth and well co-ordinated and it wasn’t long before the X-men felt the ship touch down onto solid ground. The Clan men rose from their seats and began to organize themselves and their belongings, getting ready to depart. There was a loud hiss as the Main hatchway of the Lucky Dragon opened up and the ramp lowered down, allowing warm air from outside the ship to trickle in.

A squad of fresh soldiers entered the ship and the leader spoke with Valentin, gesturing to the prisoners as he asked Valentin questions. He knew they were alphas from the restraining collars they wore and was cautious about how they were to be handled. Valentin wanted them taken to a holding cell to be processed. Logan heard him say something about them meeting Cerebus later this day. The squad approached and the X-men were dragged to their feet.

Gambit groaned as his legs were shot with pins and needles and he leaned into Beast who did his best to hold him up. His head throbbed as his headache threatened to return. Even Logan was a bit wobbly. With no healing factor, he was all pins and needles as well. They weren’t given much time to recover, each X-man got his own double escort and was dragged down the isle towards the outside hatch.

As they were hauled out, Fallen spoke to them, her eyes sad and tired. "Good luck to you. Perhaps we will meet again under better circumstances."

They didn't get a chance to respond before they were roughly escorted out to the hanger bay.

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[squeekness]

(Eight)

The X-men were brought down the ramp of the Lucky Dragon and out into the hanger. Henry looked up at the Lucky Dragon as he walked out, he wanted to see what the vessel looked like without the camouflage. Lucky was sleek and beautiful, a nice shiny silver like a dewdrop. Lucky must just slide through the air like a penguin through water, Henry mused to himself, the scientist in him whirling into action. Lucky was crescent shaped and looked smaller than he had seemed from the inside. The layout of the rooms inside had provided the best use of space and he had been well made. Henry wondered where the engines were, they must be large to be so powerful, but Lucky just didn't seem big enough to house them.

Beast went on to give his new surroundings a much closer look and was startled when he realized that the hanger was actually a huge cave. The walls were carved from rock, probably some kind of limestone or granite, and the smell of damp stone was everywhere. The walls were grey and sparkled with minerals. In spite of being underground, the hanger was very warm and humid.

The hanger itself was massive, it must have taken a long time and a monumental effort to shape it out of the rock. There were several large cargo ships parked inside and even a squad of smaller scrub fighters that must have been stolen from the Dognan judging by their markings. It looked like the marks had been partially painted over as the Clan wanted to claim the ships for themselves, but the Dognan marks could still be seen. The Lucky Dragon was unique in the hanger, the other ships parked here were large and bulky, more of what one would expect from people who didn’t seem to have full knowledge of the technology they were using. Henry wondered if they required pilots to be flown as well. The more pilots there were besides Fallen, the better their chances were for getting out of here.

He also observed that there were a lot of Clan men milling about. They were all dressed in the same black leather pants and boots as if there were some sort of style norms here, perhaps as a way of keeping order. Bare chests, long pony tails and tattoos were everywhere. Henry didn't have Logan's sensitive nose, but he could smell the stink coming off of them. Apparently, hygiene was not a priority with these people or they simply didn’t have the proper means to maintain it. The smell of sweat and dirty leather was worse here.

Another squad of Valentin's men marched up and greeted their Master with salutes and hand shakes. Valentin gave the order and they surrounded the X-men, taking them into custody and forming an escort. They were led through the bay and placed into a nearby holding cell. There Henry and Gambit's wrist cuffs were removed but not Wolverine's, clearly he was the bigger threat. The cell was locked and they were left alone for a moment to enjoy this new environment.

The cell was dirty and didn’t look like it had been used for a long time, lucky them. Beast didn’t know if that was good or bad, but he certainly had no desire to stay in here for long. The idea of anyone being held routinely here unsettled him. It was disgusting. A filthy toilet crouched uninvitingly in one corner and a cot with rotten, ragged blankets was in the other. He was appalled by the conditions. "My God! Don't these people ever bathe!"

Logan sniffed around him, making a face. "I don' get it. They can carve out a place like this, but live like savages."

Henry was actually impressed that Logan had articulated what he himself had been thinking. With the odd mix of technologies they’ve been seeing, it seemed more like the Clan were the lucky beneficiaries of someone else’s handiwork that got left behind somewhere. Still, Beast hadn’t realized Logan was quick enough to pick up on something that didn’t have to do with fighting or military action. As impressed as he was with his teammate, he couldn’t stop himself from complaining, "I certainly hope the whole place isn't like this."

"Don’t worry, Blue. If I have my way, we won’t be stayin’ here long," Wolverine promised. He had no ideas to back up his words, but as bad as this seemed to be, they’d gotten out of worse scrapes than this.
Gambit sat down on the cot but jumped up when he saw the blankets were crawling with bugs. "Sacre’ merde! Dis is ridiculous!"

Food was brought to them, but their hopes for full bellies were soon dashed. Henry grimaced when he saw it was half cooked meat swimming in grease. It was so foul none of them would touch it. Gambit paced away, feeling his stomach heave just at the sight of it. After a brief wait they were collected and taken for a long walk through the station.

Clan Station Nine was a massive warren of connecting caves, reminding Henry of stories he’d read of Dwarves building their huge kingdoms underground. The hallways and rooms had been painstakingly carved from solid rock and he never lost his admiration even after they’d gone a ways. Whoever had crafted it, it must have taken them years to dig it all out. What was disappointing was that for all the care it must have required to create it, the place was badly kept. The place was filthy with garbage and debris strewn about. There were no decorations and no colors except for the stony greys and blues of the stone walls. The more Henry looked about, the more he became convinced that his idea about the Clan inheriting this place from some else had to be correct. It would be the same as how they were using Dognan ships to move about. They hadn’t built those ships but mastered the use of them on their own somehow.


All the people the X-men passed were unwashed and the stink was horrible. Beast truly began to fear that running water must not exist in here until they passed a courtyard with a large fountain in it. He could see no way that the water was being pumped, but it was spouting up into the air with enthusiasm just the same. It was surrounded by small shops constructed of wooden carts made from salvaged materials from the ruined city, Dognan markings were on the pieces of wood just as it had been on the ships. They didn’t offer many wares, they mostly sold handmade clothes and weapons. There was another one selling bottles of beer and wimpy looking vegetables. The beer looked to be homemade and not shipped in.

There were some holes carved into the high ceilings overhead that had fans uselessly twirling the fetid air, but not enough to allow much light or ventilation. The main source of light came from torches and large biers of burning wood nearby, adding the odor of smoke to the already murky atmosphere. It was dim and smoky and Henry was already missing the fresh air of the Lucky Dragon. Even the pens seemed better than this as far as air quality was concerned.

It was clear early on this was a brutal, male dominated society. The men stood about loosely while women cowered behind them submissively. If an order was given, the women responded immediately or were openly beaten. The men fought and argued amongst themselves, shoving each other around, not caring if any innocents or children were harmed in their tussles. The X-men were carefully steered to avoid a sword fight more than once. There seemed to be little or no laws governing violent behavior. Fights and arguments with the use of foul language were constant to the new arrivals as they were led through a central part of what appeared to be a small town.

They saw fixed building shops and taverns constructed of more recycled wood from crates and bombed Dognan buildings. Everywhere the men drank and smoked, filling the air with the stink of tobacco, booze and sweat. Clearly they were even less concerned about second hand smoke than keeping clean.

Things quieted down as the X-men were escorted to more private living quarters. Here there were almost no women and the men were more military in their attitude and appearance. They passed several obvious barracks and community dining halls and had to get past security check points. Squads of men and boys marched by them in an orderly fashion. All were carrying various weapons, mostly swords and bows. Some men of higher rank carried Dognan energy weapons and waited to be saluted by the lower ranking soldiers escorting them. Some officers stood by in amusement as the X-men were pushed and shoved along, they had seen alphas before and were interested in who these new ones might be. Henry, being so big and blue, caught a lot of attention and comments were made.

At last they arrived at a large meeting room. Judging by the security, Wolverine guessed they were about to meet someone of some importance. The room was large with high vaulted ceilings and the stone walls were covered with rich looking tapestries, the first sign of any art or decoration they'd seen so far. The tapestries were hand crafted and showed warriors and battle scenes. Torches were lit every so many feet making this room one of better lit they had been in so far. They passed many long wooden tables covered with maps and dioramas. Soldiers stood about, discussing strategies. A battle was being planned.

They were taken to the back of the room where there was a great open area with a huge throne. They were brought closer and forced by their escorts to kneel in front of a large powerful looking man. This throne was made of wood and covered with soft animal furs and the man seated there looked at ease sitting upon it as though he had been there for years. Next to him he had a huge broad sword kept in a stand within easy reach. He was covered in tattoos, including the Honor Sword as Fallen had and his long black hair was streaked with grey and tied back in the usual pony tail. He had a short beard cut in the Amish style with no mustache. His eyes were bright and watchful of them even though it was obvious most of his fighting days were over, he was easily in his fifties and had as many scars as he did tattoos. He was dressed in the plain leather pants of the Clan with no other signs of his rank besides his markings. Clearly this was a King with no need of robes and gold trinkets to rule his people, and Logan’s respect for him went up a notch. He watched with curiosity as his guests arrived but didn't speak just yet.

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Logan assumed this was Cerebus, the leader of these Clan guys and he couldn’t wait to get this over with. If Cerebus wasn’t into riches, he must be more of a politician, and if so Logan hoped he wasn’t sleazy or cruel. Logan knew he would have to be cool here and hopefully something could be worked out to get them home. No matter what the deal was, they wouldn’t be slaves. He would die first.

Off to the side of Cerebus, both Fallen and Valentin were settling down on furs. They had just arrived as well through an alternative entrance in the back. They sat in a place that seemed reserved just for them, the furs they sat on were especially clean and layered for comfort. Judging by their posture and the way they were received, Fallen and Valentin were clearly of a high and special rank. Joseph and some of Valentin's other men were standing patiently behind them and not given the same comforts.

Standing beside the throned man was a tall warrior, impossibly white like Fallen, but completely human in his appearance. Oddly, he had no tattoos except the highly prized Honor Sword which blazed brightly on his white skin. He leaned casually against the throne and whispered in his Master’s ear. He was certainly Cerebus' Second and in full authority here. He turned to the X-men once they were settled and spoke in a loud and clear voice. "Welcome, X-men, to the Hall of the Great and Mighty Cerebus!"

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[squeekness]

Cerebus leaned forward to inspect them. "You are the mighty warriors I've heard stories of?" He laughed contemptuously and glared at Valentin. "Seem a bit small and weak to me."

"Uncuff me and we'll see," Wolverine challenged, keeping the arrogance to a minimum. He was hoping a show of force might make a good impression and earn them a better bargaining position.

Surprisingly, Wolverine’s wish was granted. His cuffs and the restraining collar were removed by two servants. He rubbed his wrists, feeling his strength return and smiled at his freedom. He cracked his neck and shoulders, loosening up and he wondered if he was going to have to fight the old man. It wouldn’t have been much of a contest, Cerebus didn’t look like he would last five minutes against him. It didn’t take long for his unspoken question to be answered.

"Antius," Cerebus said.

Antuis, the white slave and Cerebus' Second came down from behind the throne and approached Wolverine. He casually walked around the smaller man, looking him over. He bowed at Logan respectfully and stepped into a fighting stance, ready. Logan bowed back in equal measure, surprised by his opponent's show of respect and civility, Logan had thought such things as honor and respect were dead in this place. He moved into his own stance and waited. A heartbeat passed and Antius went to it. He lunged quickly, fists flying. Antius was very fast and nimble, quickly reminding Logan of Gambit’s own moves. When they sparred, Gambit was difficult for Logan to beat because of his speed and quick reflexes and Logan usually had to wear him down. The same would probably prove true here.

This fight was more like a gentleman's sparring match to Logan than a real battle. Antius gave a clean fight and did nothing underhanded or unsportsmanlike, not like Valentin’s use of trickery and street survival tactics. He was very skilled and Logan took to wondering just how old he was. He seemed young enough, but he had Fallen's same ageless qualities.

Antius was very strong and matched Logan's thundering pounding with heavy fists of his own. He didn't tire quickly either and it was clear this wasn't going to be a fast fight.

They spun, twisted, hit and kicked, each taking the other's measure. The deciding factor was of course Logan's factor. His healing factor. He could recover from Antius' blows in a way his opponent could not. It took almost twenty minutes before Antius hit the floor for the first time. It wasn't the last. Down and down he went, never cursing or growing angry. He was patient the way a teacher is when he realizes the student has surpassed him and it's now just a matter of time before the match is over.

When Antius breathed his last conscious breath of the afternoon and lay in a crumpled heap at Logan's feet, Logan looked down at the first man he truly respected since they started this stupid adventure. "Not bad."Logan said, grinning at Cerebus and cocking an eyebrow. "Got anything better?"

Cerebus was finally impressed. He snapped his fingers and Antius was carried off to be cared for. Logan grumbled as the restraining collar was replaced around his neck, but again showed some patience and didn’t fight it. He knew his returned healing ability alone wouldn’t be enough to break them free of this place.

Cerebus had Logan seated and turned next to Valentin and Fallen. "You have done well. Come, Fallen."


She stood and knelt before him. Her movements were slow and pained, yet graceful and well practiced. Cerebus started to say something but a frown crossed his face. He'd seen the damage to her face and it displeased him. He turned his scowl on Valentin. "What is this? I was told nothing of any battle taking place."

"There was a disagreement," Valentin explained. He squirmed, uncomfortable. Cerebus was clearly the one man he actually feared.
"While I know Fallen can be somewhat spirited and correction may be at times necessary, I will not tolerate damage to my First Pilot! She should be able to fly without discomfort at any time."

"I beg your forgiveness, my Lord. It will not happen again."

"I should hope not." Cerebus turned now to Fallen who hadn't moved at all during this discussion. "Are you all right?"

She looked up at him, her chin up. "I am well, my Lord. Valentin's fists have done me no harm."

Logan was seated behind her now and he crossed his arms and shook his head with a snort. Why didn't she try to get Valentin called off? He had the feeling she could probably get Cerebus to do it. There was obviously something more going on here than he knew about.

Cerebus ignored Wolverine's rudeness, he spoke to Fallen instead. "Are you ready to fly for me again? I have need of you at Station Six."

"Yes, my Lord. I can depart at once."

"Very well, then. You may leave."

She bowed her head and rose stiffly, in pain. She turned and left, not meeting Logan's heated gaze as she passed.

Cerebus waited until she was gone and turned to Valentin who was still waiting. "You have done well, old friend. You will be rewarded. Is there anything you desire?"

"You know what I want."

Cerebus smiled. "Ah, yes. The pilot. Well, she still owes me a few more weeks. Perhaps when that is done you'll have what you ask for."

"Until then, I am ever at your service, my Lord."

Valentin was dismissed and walked out the way Fallen had gone.

Cerebus returned to his guests and looked at Wolverine in particular. "And, you? Are you at my service?"

"That depends," Logan answered, once more rising to his feet to show he wasn’t intimidated, collared or not. "We ain’t gonna be no slaves. It’s cool ya brung us out of the pens, but we ain’t here ta fight no wars. Yer Valentin there made out like we was gonna just fall over fer ya, but that ain’t happenin’. Not without a better reason than this," he said, tugging on the collar around his neck.

"Perhaps you haven't been properly informed of your situation. You are many miles from home. Not even in the same dimension. When you took that 'jump' on the Dognan ship you traveled across space and time, my friends. You are in our world now. You want to get home, you'll do as you're told."

Beast spoke up. "By what right have you taken us against our wills?"

"The right of survival. We are an oppressed society. The Dognan must be thrown down. The time to strike is very soon. We have only a few short weeks before the Dognan will send a large supporting army to defend what little they have left. We intend to make sure they have nothing to come home to. Once they see how we've driven them out, they will not return. There is nothing here for them. You will work with our strategists to prepare our defense. You will train our best warriors and I think you’ll find the Clan learn very quickly."

"We ain't mercenaries," Wolverine growled.

"Of course, nor will you really be slaves. You will be well cared for and not chained as a proper slave would be. You will be instructors, teachers. It’s for your own benefit really." He laughed when Logan cocked an eyebrow and snorted derisively again. "Don’t believe me? Understand this. You defeat the Dognan here, it will prevent them from raiding your world as they do. Cerise has been the staging point for every raid on your Earth."

Logan just shook his head again. "How do we know that? Where’s your proof?"

Cerebus was unaffected by Logan's attitude. "Don't want to take my word for that? All right, put that aside for the moment and let me offer this proposal. Anyone freed from the pens is usually expected to give a ten year term of service and they usually cheerfully agree. In your case, I'll make an exception. You help us fight, and not only will that term be waived, but I will see to it that you are returned home. Refuse, and I'll have you dumped back into the pens. Your choice."

Gambit wasn’t the least bit pleased with how the conversation was going. Fighting a war, just or not, was not the way he had expected to earn a ride home. He was smart enough to know that not everybody came home from that kind of fighting. "Don' sound like much of a choice t' me, patron," he complained, speaking up for the first time.

"That's cuz it ain't," Wolverine answered. He turned to Cerebus. "We'll help ya out, but if you don't honor yer promise to bring us home, you will pay. Dearly." He popped his claws for emphasis, not caring that his hands split and bled to the floor.

Cerebus sneered, trying to hide his fear and surprise at Wolverine’s hidden weapons. "I'm sure." He motioned to an aide. "Go with this man. He'll take you to be fed and quartered. We'll be seeing each other again soon."

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[squeekness]

(Nine)


The X-men were led away. The arm numbing energy cuffs were removed but the restraining collars were left in place, being newcomers, the Clan only trusted them so far. They were taken through a series of dormitories and given temporary quarters. They had their own small cave that had been reserved for them near where the alpha squads were kept and it was explained to them that if they chose to join the alpha squad, they would be moved. The rooms there were better than this, they were promised.
Henry certainly hoped so. This room wasn’t the least bit enticing. The walls in this room were rough hewn and dismal as the rest of the place had been, no decorations of any kind. Being a cave, there were no windows and the only light came from two small torches and some candles.

The room had four small cots constructed of a rough wooden frame and a stuffed mattress of straw. Henry hoped they weren’t infested but had serious doubts. The blankets were worn and thin, rejects from happier times. They were rough and made of some kind of woven yarn with plenty of holes, how nice. Henry was so big, it would’ve taken four or five to cover him but they only had one a piece. At least it was warm here, his fur would be enough.

There was a small bathroom to the back, or what passed for one here. It had no shower or bath, only a sink with an ancient hand pump to draw water. The toilet was little more than a outhouse in one corner of the room. At least it didn't smell, it must have been treated with something. A cracked mirror was over the sink. The floor was also stone with no coverings and had a layer of dust on it. They were the first ones to stay here in some time.

They would have no real privacy. The door was a large hanging leather skin with the fur removed. Anyone walking by would hear them talking so they would have to be careful what they said. A small dangling string of rocks was rattled to announce if someone wanted to enter. The Lucky Dragon didn't have much but it already seemed like a palace compared to this place.

The aide bowed and left them, saying another man would come to help them settle in.

"I 'ope dis war don' be lastin’ too long. Gambit not likin’ dis, mes amis," Remy complained as soon as they were alone. He didn’t like the way the hard stone walls seemed to be closing in on him. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but was very uncomfortable with the idea of living underground. He had grown up poor and hard before he’d been adopted and wasn’t happy to be living so rough like it had been then. He had hoped to leave those times behind him forever. He looked at the bed and couldn’t stop the shiver of revulsion that rocked him. His early poverty had made him clean, he didn’t relish the idea of what might be crawling around in there.

"You and me both," Henry agreed, sharing Remy’s sentiment. He saw no books or entertainment of any kind. How would he possibly keep his over achieving mind busy? He was no soldier, that was for sure, and he prayed for an early end to this or at least a nice vigorous rescue.

Logan said nothing, just sniffed at everything suspiciously. Rough living was not a problem for him, not for a man who'd spent years at a time running around the Canadian woods half naked. He felt for his compatriots, though. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy for them and vowed silently to do his best to get them through this.

He turned when their rocks were rattled and watched as Henry pulled the skin drape back.

A servant with Cerebus' markings greeted them. "I am Zekian. I have been assigned to see to your needs," he explained. "I have brought a woman for you." He stood aside and allowed a small woman to pass by him into their room. She carried a cloth bag and a sleeping mat.

"I assure you that won't be necessary," Henry stammered.

"But of course it is," Zekian insisted. "She will clean for you and she will also be your guide. You must learn the facility and I will not always be available. Of course, she will also attend to you...in any way you may need," he finished suggestively. "We are aware that most alphas are very full of vigor, yes. You are very valuable to us and we will see you are cared for properly. She has been well trained and will surely satisfy you gentlemen."

Logan looked her over and sniffed at her. She was tiny, little more than a girl, and very pretty. A deliberate bribe. Of course she was a spy and they would have to put up with her. He grinned at her in irritation, showing his teeth, and she backed away nervously.

"Really, I don't see how this is necessary...." Henry tried but got nowhere.

"Surely, the three of you... Big, strong men... I could send for a boy?"

"No! No! This is fine," Henry said in exasperation. He smiled at the fool. "This is more than we could expect."

"Good then. I'll be back in the morning and give you a quick tour before we start working with Cerebus. Good morrow, gentlemen." He left.

Henry looked at their guest and smiled, trying to make her comfortable even though he most assuredly was not. "And what is your name?"

"Shawzy," she said softly with a demure smile. She was obviously well trained and submissive.

"Well....Shawzy. We seem to have an extra bed. You could sleep there."

She lay her mat on the floor in a corner. "It is not permitted," she said simply.


Henry looked at Gambit who shrugged. "No one would know. Surely that mat can't be comfortable," he insisted.

She smiled at him like he was an idiot. "It is not permitted. I will sleep here."

"As you wish."

Shawzy looked at them, lost in the uncomfortable silence that followed. "You wish to eat?"

"Sure. Dat'd be nice," Remy replied and beamed his charming smile on her. He offered her his arm and she took it eagerly, basking in the attention this handsome young devil was giving her. He doubted anyone had treated her so nicely and was quick to show her what a real gentlemen was. "You show Gambit everyt’ing, now, s’il vous plait. We got plenty of time, chere." He swept her out the door and Logan and Henry followed, laughing, Remy could charm anybody.

The military quarters seemed to be run like a commune with dormitories and large eating places. There were no private quarters, no stores, no taverns. She brought them to one of the less crowded dining halls and sat them down at a table. She left them to get their food from what looked to be a buffet style table in the back. She came back laden with trays and waited on them without eating herself.

Gambit wasn't surprised Shawzy didn't eat. The food was terrible. They were served greasy stringy hunks of meat with gravy. The meat was at least fully cooked, but not much better than the food from the holding cell. There were no real vegetables, just lumpy potato things. The Lucky Dragon was looking more and more like luxury living.

Gambit sighed and ate only from the bread they were given. Again, he was reminded of his days at the orphanage and felt a swelling of depression sweep over him. He had done without food before and he would do so again. He had grown quite accustomed to the fine dining at the Xavier Mansion. They were given room and board for being on the team as well as a decent paycheck. The kitchen there was always well stocked and he loved to cook. He would often buy new cookbooks just to experiment and most of his teammates enjoyed what he came up with. Of course, he had a weakness for the spicy Cajun food of his native New Orleans and was an accomplished chef in that regard. He might not have been the most accepted member of the household, but when it was his turn to cook and the scent of cayenne pepper and fine wine came wafting out of the kitchen, he always had a full house at his table.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/035eatingnew.jpg

Logan gave up and dug right in with a grin. With his constitution, food was never a problem. He had been a soldier most of his life and the old ways still stuck — Eat while you can, when you can, because you never know when your next meal will be. He was already checking out the men around them, sizing them up and thinking of ways to get out of this. He hoped they wouldn’t have to fight, but if it came down to it, he would look out for the others and keep them safe. He would bring them back alive or die trying.

Henry was ill just watching Wolverine eat and he picked at the bread with less enthusiasm than Gambit. He needed to lose some weight anyway, he teased himself. They were given a choice of beer or wine to drink, nothing else. He was a teetotaler himself and this was just another form of torture. The Clan had to be chain smoking alcoholics, he groaned to himself. Already he missed the comforts of the Lucky Dragon and the pleasant comradery between Fallen and her boys. This was going to be a long painful stay.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

(Ten)

Henry slept poorly in his new bed. He simply couldn't get comfortable with no back support and these rough smelly blankets. It didn't take long for him to join the others on the floor. Gambit was out cold, snoozing deeply, but it had always been easy for him to sleep anywhere. Henry remembered the time he saw Remy dozing comfortably in X-men's Blackbird jet while standing up. They had been on a horrible mission and none of them had slept in days. Remy wasn’t a soldier and didn’t know diddly about flying the plane so he just grabbed a ceiling strap and zonked out right on his feet. They were making their great escape in the middle of a fire fight, surrounded by enemy fighters, but the Cajun thief never flinched or woke. The kid was strange.

Henry looked next to him and saw that Logan was awake as well. He was lying on his back staring into the dim light of one of the wall torches, scratching his belly absently with one hand. He looked like he was worried, but it was more of a matter that he was relaxed and comfortable and really wanted a nice cigar right about now. He hadn’t smoked one in a while because of this trip and was sorely missing them. Logan turned to him with a small smile. "Somethin’ on yer mind, Blue?"

"Not really. Just hoping this all turns out well. I don’t think I’d like to make this my permanent residence."

"That makes two of us. Why don’tcha try an get some sleep? It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow."

Henry grunted and rolled over. He was far more comfortable on the floor and soon dropped off into a dreamless sleep.

They were collected the next morning just outside their door by Zekian. He was to give them a tour of the areas where they would hopefully be working soon. "I'll show you around some and then we'll start working with some of the strategists," he said.

Zekian led them first to the arsenal. This weapons dump consisted of several large caves that were stockpiled with many different kinds of weapons and military supplies. The area was heavily guarded and they had to keep checking in with the guards when they passed from one room to the next. Henry and Remy hung back a bit, they knew nothing of these things and let Logan handle this.

Zekian brought them into the first cave of the arsenal where they saw some crates that were neatly stacked against the back wall. Like everything else here, they were made of wood and had Dognan markings on them. Logan was allowed to open one and he was quite surprised to see some land mines and grenades. They were ancient and looked to be World War II issue, but no less dangerous for being so. Land mines were not something he had considered here and he wondered numbly if the pens had been booby trapped. He was glad they hadn’t been there long enough to find out, but if they went back out into the ruins, they would have to be careful.

"Where did you get this stuff?" Wolverine asked, not caring for how old some of this stuff was. His extensive training in the art of war made him painfully aware that old ordinance like this could be far more dangerous than new.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/036armory.jpg

Zekian was quick to answer Logan’s question. "Our First Pilot, Fallen, is very resourceful. She has been known to raid the Dognan storerooms now and again and when she finds stuff like this, she brings it back to us for us to use. Where the Dognan get it, I can’t imagine." Zekian moved on, pointing out other items of interest. "We have mostly swords and bows, but we do have some Dognan energy weapons."


"You'll need more than what I seen here ta fight a war," Logan advised. "Ya wanna beat these guys, you gotta have the same weapons they do or better."

"That won't be a problem. Fallen just received some information regarding a shipment of weapons to be delivered to one of their storage houses and she is planning a raid. If she is successful, it will vastly improve our inventory."

Zekian led them further in where they next saw some laser cannons and demolition supplies. Powdered TNT and sticks of dynamite were in small boxes carefully labeled. There were even some cubes of C4 left haphazardly about, making Logan’s fingers twitch in nervous irritation. He knew just how dangerous that stuff was, it was worse than those land mines he’s seen earlier. These fools were going to blow themselves to bits and hand the Dognan their victory without the cat guys even knowing it.

Logan had received extensive training in explosives and special forces operations. He knew how to construct bombs and their timers. He knew best how to place them and keep his people out of harm’s way and he had an idea he was going to be instrumental in anything these guys had planned. This type of warfare was something the Professor discouraged and Logan had never taught a class like that at the school, but he’d never forgotten what he himself had been taught.

Zekian pointed to the dynamite and plastic explosives. "We have these but we don't know how to use them. We were hoping maybe one of you might be able to teach us."

Logan grinned in anticipation, the first place he would start was how to keep that stuff locked up. Casualties were supposed to happen during the war, not before it due to stupidity. "I can help ya there, no problem."

In the last cave, there were neat rows of swords stacked and bows hung. They were homemade and not the nice modern weapons like he’d seen back home. The only good thing about them was that there were a lot of the in case they fell apart.

They then moved on to the training areas where the Clansmen were taught how to fight. Remy and Beast perked up a bit here, both had given self defense classes back at the Mansion and were curious how the Clan trained their men. One room was as spacious and open as the ship hanger. To make it easy to see in the darkness, the room was lit with torches and biers burning every few feet. They could see large squads of men performing martial exercises in a neat and orderly way. Each squad had a handler or trainer who walked among them carrying large bull whips. The sound of cracking and lashing was constant and loud, these handlers showed no mercy and were obeyed without question. You learned or got beaten, those were your options.

Logan couldn’t help but growl softly at the sight of it. While he didn’t exactly disapprove of corporal punishment for a glaring offense, if they tried to use the whip on him, someone was going to be in for a nasty surprise. He would jam that thing so far up the handler’s ass, he’d be sh--ting leather for a week.

"Those are Valentin's men," Zekian explained, obliviously noting Logan’s interest without realizing the guy was pissed off. "They are the most highly trained and the most skilled. He rules them with an iron hand and they love him. He is the greatest hope of our people."

Zekian showed them another area with large cubicles and mirrors. Here men sparred with each other in hand to hand combat. Henry was surprised to see some of the men working with holograms. He never expected to see that kind of technology used here in this primitive place. The holograms were of very poor quality, not like what Fallen was using or the nice ones back home. They were solid like Seth had been, but had no details or faces.

"These are the where the newest men start out in their training," Zekian explained. "These holograms are poor though a while back we used to have some rather good ones. Siskan. But we had some trouble with them. One of them went crazy. Thought it was real or something. It malfunctioned and killed some of the men. That's what happens when you take a pleasure program and convert it over for military use, I say," he said with a laugh. "I was one of the lucky few who got to try the pleasure programs out before they changed them all over. Quite wonderful, I tell you. Better than a real woman any day. She'd do anything you asked --- anything! Shame the Dognan killed off all the real Siskans who made those wonderful holograms. It would've been nice to have more of them. Worst thing the Clan ever did was dump all those programs. Who knows where they all went to?"

The X-men exchanged meaningful glances at each other. They now had an idea where one of them may have gone. Henry was immediately concerned at the idea of a Siskan hologram that went crazy and killed someone. When he looked back on it, Kimble and Seth’s emotional instability could be a sign of some sort of damage. It certainly made no sense for Fallen to have chosen them to be like that, who would want a companion that argued back? If Fallen did indeed possess one of those Siskan holograms, she could be in danger. Unfortunately, at the moment they had no way of contacting her.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

They were next taken to where the alpha troops were working. If all went well, this would be where they were moved to next, to be with their own mutant kind. Here things were less formal since these men were used mainly for stealth and black ops. There were no handlers with whips here and for the first time, the X-men saw some women soldiers. As alphas, they were considered special and privileged since there were only a few of them. The ratio of human to mutant back home was less than half a percent of the normal population. In order to flood this barracks with alphas, the Dognan would have had to make many raids indeed.

The X-men were told that these alphas here worked closely with the Clansmen but since most of them came from off world like the X-men, they didn’t share the Clan ideals of subjugating women. The skills of the women were too valuable for them to be beaten or wasted as servants. Here they were well dressed and fed, walking about as freely as any of the men. Henry noted with great interest that there were a couple of white skinned pilots. They, too, were treated as equals and seemed to belong here. None of the alphas or pilots here wore restraining devices of any kind.

Logan grinned when he caught a familiar scent and heard a sharp whistle from across the room. "Well, now this is sight for sore eyes!"he growled as their long lost friend Jacob came running over. Jacob was the one they had gone in search of when this whole weird adventure had begun. Logan held his hand out and Jacob took it, pumping it madly.

"My word! I never expected to see you guys here!" Jacob said, his grin wider than Logan's. Jacob was a medium sized man, blond and blue eyed. He was in the best physical condition Logan had seen him in and was obviously thriving in his new environment, bright and happy. Jacob’s ability as a teleporter would make him very valuable here and it seemed that the Clan was smart enough to see that he was comfortable.

"Yeah, well. It wasn't exactly planned."

Jacob cocked his head. "Dognan express?"

"Got it in one."

"Yeah, we were lookin' for you, mon ami," Remy added. "Guess dem cat guys t’ought we were too good to pass up, neh?"

Jacob looked at Remy, saw his crimson eyes with recognition, and addressed him with a small sneer, "LeBeau."

Jacob’s greeting had all the warmth of a frigid arctic breeze. Even this far away from home, Remy’s bad reputation had preceded him. He didn’t know Jacob well, but this wasn’t the first time he hadn’t been well received by others he didn’t really know. Remy nodded at him but said nothing more, silenced by Jacob’s obvious dislike of him.

Henry gave Jacob a big blue squeeze, trying to divert Jacob’s attention away from his less than beloved teammate. His physician’s eye went right to work, grateful for once that the Clanspeople here wore so little. He noted as Logan had that Jacob seemed to be doing much better than he had in the past, but couldn’t help himself but ask, "Are you well? We've all been very worried about you since you vanished."

"I'm fine. Never better."

"Yes, I can see that."

"They got you runnin' in hoops?" Logan grumbled. He still wasn't happy with their current situation and wanted a more reliable opinion of what things were like here.

Jacob shrugged casually and said honestly, "Not really. I wanted to join up after they dragged my ass out of the pens. One overnight stay in there was enough to convert me, thanks."

"You were there, too? It was pretty awful," Henry said.

"Yeah. Like I said I was there only one night before the Clan came and bailed me out. Did you guys meet that crazy pilot? Fallen? What a trip, man. That guy Kimble cracked me up."

"Yeah, we met 'em. What about Kimble?" Logan asked, curious.

Jacob laughed as he explained. "We got struck outside the hanger here, waiting for clearance? We had to wait a while and we were all bored so he's up there sittin' at his desk, smoking. He starts telling these hilarious dirty jokes. I mean, the guy never stopped. I've never known anybody who knew so many. I was crackin' up. It was great. I'd love to meet that guy for real some day, he was a riot."

Logan glanced at Henry. It seemed that Jacob didn't know Kimble and Seth weren't real, the illusion had been that perfect.

"Sounds like your experience was better than ours," Henry commented, not bothering to set his friend straight. It didn’t matter what Kimble was or wasn’t here. Henry went on to briefly detail their horrific adventure with Valentin, he wanted to hear what Jacob would have to say about it.

Jacob shook his head. "That sounds a little crazy, my friend. Valentin is a hard guy, yes, but I've never seen him do anything like that. He's actually pretty decent. He reminds me a lot of my drill instructor when I was in the army. He works just as hard as the rest of us and goes right into battle with us, no matter what. He never has us taking any risks he doesn't take for himself. I hope you join up with us. Then you'd see."

"We weren't exactly given a choice," Logan said. "We're here fer a while."

"Good. You'll see it's not so bad. The alpha squads get better privileges and quarters. I'm surprised they didn't take you here directly."

"Maybe they wanted to see if we would back out."

Jacob smiled. "I hope not. We could really use you guys, especially you," he said to Wolverine. "We need a guy who knows explosives."

"What's goin' on?"

"A big raid. It won't be for a while but we have to get ready. I think they want to blow up the main Dognan base just north of here. We take that out and they'll run with their tails tucked, I guarantee it."

Zekian cleared his throat and the reunion was over. The X-men followed him back to Cerebus' chamber and planning room. The strategists showed them what few plans they had and they and the X-men spent the rest of the day going over what could be done. It seemed the Clan had plenty of resources, they just weren't being used as effectively as they could be and the X-men were quick to point out ways they could improve. That one thing alone was worth having them there. Cerebus was pleased with the day's progress and told them they would be moved to the alpha quarters in a couple of days.

When they returned to their quarters, a package was waiting for them outside the door. Henry picked it up and brought it inside. He opened the bundle and saw three wrapped boxes, one for each of them. Gifts from Fallen, a note said. He opened his and was pleased to find four large books on various subjects. She had included a translator so he could read the different languages. Remy was given several packs of finely decorated Clan playing cards. Logan got a bottle of quality liquor and some cigars. ‘Don't ask me where Seth found those...’ her note said and Logan grunted with amusement.

Henry saw those with a groan. He had a low tolerance for tobacco smoke and things were bad enough with all the torches around. The last thing he needed was cigar smoke added into the mix."I hope you don't plan on smoking those in here."

"Nope," Logan grinned, lighting up.

Henry rolled his eyes. Yes, this was going to be a long trip indeed. He smiled when he saw that Fallen had also packed a small amount of fresh food for them. She clearly knew just how bad the dining was here and felt bad for them. They decided to eat sparingly and make it stretch. Who knew how long they were going to be stuck here?

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[rjb182]

Wow... this is really good stuff! Very well-written! :)

[squeekness]

Thanks! :D I appreciate you taking the time to tell me so. I hope you like the rest.

[squeekness]

(Eleven)

The X-men were moved to the alpha quarters as promised once Cerebus determined they wouldn't try to fight or resist. All their restraints were removed and they were allowed to roam about freely. They weren't so foolish as to believe they weren't being watched. Still, they settled in that night and tried to make the best of their situation.

Jacob was right when he said the alphas had better quarters. Their beds were significantly cleaner and they were given some Clan clothing and boots in good condition. Henry suggested that they dress like the Clan to be less conspicuous. Their Earth clothes were different and stood out. It was warm enough in the caves that it wouldn’t be a too cold for them to go without shirts. Besides that, they had no real way to clean their regular clothes. They had access to a lovely ice cold bath, but not hot water. It was better than nothing so they would just have to deal with it.
The Clan was infested with head lice, but there was nothing to be done about it. Soon, they would be scratching and complaining as much as everyone else. Henry hoped it wouldn't be long for the last push to be made so they could get out of here. He had the most body hair and was certain to be infested all over. They were given jobs and told they would be paid thirty credits a week, quite a princely sum they were later to learn.

The alpha squads accepted them readily and they became part of the family. There were many different kinds of alphas here -- telekinetics, teleporters, and men of great strength and wisdom. Henry was interested in the few pilots that were included in their ranks. Only two had been made by the Dognan and neither one was as powerful as Fallen. The others were children of the first two and even weaker. They looked completely human, but could produce small amounts of Ristle and were telekinetic. They flew ships, but always in twos and threes, never alone because they just weren't strong enough. Henry was convinced that if it was going to be a pilot that took them home, it would have to be Fallen.

Jacob gave them a brief history on the Clan. The Clan didn't create Station Nine, they found it empty and claimed for themselves, just as Beast had suspected. Whatever perks that existed then -- like scentless outhouses -- they accepted gratefully.

Until recently, the Dognan hadn’t cared that a few crippled white slaves from the pens had gotten out and settled down out here. They had plenty of new slaves any time they liked and cared not what they did. The Dognan used to fly out here and make sport with any slaves they could see, hunting them down like animals, but otherwise left them alone. The Clan had been living here in the caves for about two hundred years and over time had grown in number and power as they gathered their strength. They raided the furthest Dognan store houses and stole as much technology and comforts as they could. Still most of the conditions here were poor.

Everything had changed about twenty years ago when Cerebus took over and really organized the men. The addition of alphas to their ranks boosted them even more. With their unique talents, the Clan were finally able to inflict some serious damage on the Dognan. The Dognan were unprepared for the assault and the Clan took most of them down easily. There was one last stronghold left.

------------------------

Remy woke in his bed on the first day of his new life as a Clansman with a disgruntled sigh. He wanted to be back home in the worst way. He loved adventures as much as the next guy but this was getting to be too much. He missed his home, something he never thought a drifter like himself would ever feel. He snickered softly. Not home. Rogue. He missed that fiery Southern Belle more than he could say and he could really use one of her bright shining smiles right about now. He’d even settle for a rip roaring fight, flying tables and chairs and everything.

He closed his eyes and pictured her face, trying to hold it in front of him forever. If he could hold onto that one thing, he could keep going. He felt horrible when he thought about how casually he’d said good bye to her before they had left for that last mission. Cocky as ever, Remy had assumed nothing untoward would happen, he certainly never imagined he would find himself somewhere where he might never see her again. Just the thought of it made his chest hurt. He would make it back to her no matter how long it took.

He let go of her and sat up, putting his feet on the floor. He hated it here, it was so dark and dreary. Sometimes he felt like he just couldn’t breathe in here and would find himself shivering for no reason although it was plenty warm inside the caves. There were no windows and no sunlight. Thinking of the cloudy skies of Cerise made him realize a window probably would be a waste of time anyway.

He knew Henry wasn’t happy about the head lice but it was torture for him as well. With all the kids being rotated in and out of the orphanage, he’d been infested several times. Long hours he’d sat in misery while his hair was combed out for eggs. He’d even been made to endure a buzz cut a couple of times. That had been horrid, he loved his hair long and prayed he wouldn’t be forced to cut it now.

He grabbed the neatly folded pile of his new clothes and shuffled off to the bathroom. He washed up as best he could, shivering from the ice cold water. As bad as he hated bugs, freezing was worse. Ever since he’d been left alone in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, he could never stand the cold anymore. He’d spent more than a week freezing his ass off in the remains of their enemy’s ruined base, numb, starving, praying for a death that had never come. He was found by some sledders who saw the ruins and wanted to check it out. They brought him back to civilization, but part of his soul would always remain there.

Gambit looked at his reflection in the large cracked mirror over the sink. His hand traced the savage scars on his chest that were a present from the infamous Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth. They were a dark grey now, but he remembered a time when they had been a deep and ugly red, a more accurate mark of his terrible sin.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/037mirrorscars.jpg

Sabretooth, the man who had mauled him so badly, was a vicious mercenary mutant with large claws on either hand, a five fingered Cuisinart that could put Freddy Kruegar to shame. He had been present on what was probably Remy’s biggest screw up of all time and gave him these as a parting gift. He’d been almost eviscerated and hadn’t been expected to survive, Sabretooth rarely had folks walk away from his five fingered "massages". These scars were a permanent reminder of Remy’s guilt and his inability to ever make up for such a horrific crime. It had happened years ago, long before he had joined the X-men and his keeping a secret of it had been the reason he’d been booted off the team once. He was back, but his heart was still heavy with it and he supposed it always would be.

"Gambit, you a t’ief an’ a killer. Best get used to de idea, ‘cause it ain’t never gonna change," he whispered softly to himself. He looked into his blood red eyes and saw the sadness there. He didn’t like it so he grinned and ran a playful hand through his hair in an attempt to shove all of his bad feelings down. "Self pity don’ suit you, homme. You gotta snap outta dis," he scolded himself.

He dressed in the uncomfortable leather pants and walked out. He felt uneasy and exposed because he was never without a shirt back home. He had covered up his scars like he covered up his crime and tried to think about them as little as possible. He paused to let a sleepy eyed Logan pass him by. He saw Wolverine check him out, his exposed scars in particular, and was grateful the man walked by him without saying a word.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

Gambit saw Henry sitting up from his bed. Henry smiled at him, but his grin faltered a bit when he saw Remy’s scars. It had been a long time since he’d actually seen them and it showed on his face. Remy locked eyes with him, his shoulders in an arrogant slouch, daring Beast to say something.

"You’ve got a class today," Henry said as a greeting.

"Dat’s right. Gonna teach dese losers how ta fight like de great an mighty X-men. Dey gonna be heroes, man. De meilleure qualite’, non? De best," he boasted. He went to his bed and picked up a long wooden staff in a leather sheath. Jacob had acquired it for him at Logan’s request and Remy used a leather thong to tie it to his back as the Clansmen did their swords.

"Well, at least you seem to be approaching this with the proper attitude. I myself would much rather be home in my lab. When I think of all the work I shall have to start over again...." He sighed. "Oh, well. One does need adventures to grow as a person. However, I thought I was large enough already. Well, you’d better be along. Don’t want to be late."

Gambit nodded at him and left. He walked down the rough carved hallways of Clan Station Nine and tried to perk up a little. He had taught students in self defense back at the Mansion so teaching wasn’t new to him at all. He was actually quite good at it, moving the students along with a surprising amount of patience. There was just about a million other things he’d rather be doing right now. He found the training room with no difficulty and looked over his class. He’d been given a small group of newbie alphas. They were only about six or seven in number and he didn’t recognize any of them from home. That didn’t bother him at all. He was something of a social creature when he was away from the X-men’s Mansion and had no trouble working with groups of strangers.

"Bonjour, mes amis," he said with a grin, hoping to put them at ease. "Dis ‘ere is Gambit. He gonna be teachin’ you some of de X-men’s best tricks, d’accorde?"

One of the larger alpha males looked him over. "Gambit, huh? I know of you. You’re that Cajun thief. I’ve heard all about you."

Remy groaned inside. He should have known he wouldn’t be that lucky. When rumors of his crime first broke, it spread through the mutant community like wildfire and Remy became isolated among his own kind. The only company who really tolerated him now were non-alphas who didn’t know what had happened and some of the X-men. Even a million miles and a dimension hop or two away from home and his reputation still preceded him.

Whatever, Remy thought, his emotional defenses falling neatly into place. He just grinned and swept a hand through his hair. "De femmes still talkin’ ‘bout me? Well, Gambit’s got plenty more of dat good lovin’ ta go around," he teased, winking at one of the female students.

"I heard you’re nuthin’ but a low life, thieving piece of murdering trash."

Gambit’s grin never faltered, but eyes grew colder. "Dis t’ievin’ piece of trash gonna kick your flabby white butt all ‘round dis room, you keep runnin’ off your mouth like dat."

"Is that a fact?"

"Oui, dat’s a fact."

"Peter, don’t..." a small white pilot said to the man, holding his arm back.

He looked at her in disgust and gave her a shove. "Somebody’s gotta show this scumbag what we do to killers of our own kind."

He lunged at Remy, but the smaller man side stepped him easily. Remy stuck his foot out and Peter took an ungraceful dive, landing on his face in a tangled heap.

Remy clicked his tongue at him in mock disdain. "Tsk. You kinda slow dere, fat boy. Too bad you ain’t as fast as yo’ mouth."

Peter got up and dusted himself off. He glared at Remy who stood by easy, a cocky look on his face. He decided that he was probably too slow after all and a change of tactics was in order. He raised two orange glowing fists, and fired off two bursts of plasma energy as if his hands were a gun.

Remy dodged the blasts quickly and easily, having faced much more powerful and talented foes than this. "Not much into a fair fight either, Petey boy? Dat’s all right, Gambit’s got you covered," he said arrogantly, sliding his new bo staff from its sheath.

They went to it and chased each other about the room. Peter was working very hard, huffing and puffing and it wasn’t long before it sank in that he’d chosen the wrong boy to pick a fight with. Gambit outpaced him easily, showing off and joking around. It was even more telling that Remy wasn’t even trying to use any of his mutant powers, he was doing this all by his hand to hand training and natural fighting ability. Gambit figured this was as good a way as any to give a demonstration of his skills. He also reasoned that the only way to earn any kind of respect was to beat this bully down. He wasn’t cruel by nature and didn’t let the fight drag out too long. He gave Pete a sharp crack to the back of the head with the staff and tripped him again.

Pete went down hard and lay on his back, panting. Remy approached him with fluid grace, not even winded, and put the butt of the staff against his chest. "Bang! You dead, sucker," he teased with an arrogant grin.

"What’s going on here!"

Remy looked up as Valentin came in the room in a huff, Wolverine in tow behind him. Valentin had heard all the racket from Peter’s plasma bursts and came in looking for the source of the trouble. He wasn’t too surprised to see Remy in the middle of it, Valentin had pegged Gambit as a trouble maker right from the beginning.

"Jus’ givin’ a little demonstration, boss," Gambit replied smoothly, backing off.

Pete sat up and looked at Wolverine. Logan was a senior X-man and bit more recognizable so Peter pointed at him. "You! You’re an X-man! Don’t you know who this guy is?!"

"Of course I know," Logan replied evenly.

"You guys came in together! How can you stand there and not take him out! How could you take him in and have him on your team!"

"‘Cause he’s saved my life more’n once. He’s proved himself ta me and the team," Wolverine replied with complete honesty. "He’s a better man than most --- in spite of what he may have done in the past. I trust him with my life and so should you."

"My brother was a Morlock!" Peter shouted loudly, spitting with his rage. "He was down there in the tunnels when that scumbag you call your friend led those vicious killers down there! My brother is dead because of him! I won’t work with him! I refuse!"

"You owe the Clan a ten year term of service and you will do as you’re told!" Valentin ordered, his size and aggressive posture begging no refusals. He didn’t know what was going on here, but this wasn’t the first time alphas from different factions collided unpleasantly. The best thing was to put it down quickly and get back to business. "We will fight this war and we will fight it together. After that, the two of you can settle up in any manner you like."

Remy took a step back when he heard Peter mention his brother. His face had paled and his shoulders slumped in a submissive posture Logan had come to know all too well. Remy often walked the Mansion this way when he was among some of his more unforgiving teammates. His teasing manner was gone and he kept his eyes down. "Je suis de’sole, homme. I’m sorry about yo’ brother. I know it probably won’ mean anyt’ing to you now, but I never meant what ‘appened. It was a mistake."

"How could you not know? You’re nothing but a lying scumbag! How dare you insult me by trying to apologize?!" Peter howled, unable to contain his rage. "You’re dead, LeBeau, you hear me! You’re so f--king dead!"

Remy just shook his head and walked out at a fast trot, taking his bo staff with him.

Valentin turned to Logan who had watched Remy leave with a strange look of concern on his face. "Is your friend going to give us any more trouble?"

"No."

"See to it that he doesn’t. I’ll reschedule his training class around those who would rather fight than train. He will still be expected to work here, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," Wolverine grunted, a little surprised by Valentin’s willingness to work around this. He figured Valentin would beat Remy to a pulp and force him to obey. For the first time, Logan was thinking maybe there was more to Valentin than he’d first thought. It wouldn’t be the last.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[Bastila]

nice new part, I like Remy line you wrote - Tsk. You kinda slow dere, fat boy. Too bad you ain’t as fast as yo’ mouth."

Made me laugh, can see him saying it now. lol.
I really like the way you write Remy its great.

[squeekness]

Thanks! :D I worked very hard on it. :)

[squeekness]

(Twelve)

Remy took off through the gloomy tunnels of Clan Station Nine. It occurred to him that some of his discomfort was coming from the fact that these hallways looked an awful lot like the tunnels used by the Morlocks. He ran faster and faster as he was overcome by painful horrible memories.

The Morlocks were a group of mutants that had gone to live in the tunnels under Manhattan. They took their name from H G Wells’ Rulers of the Netherworld. These mutants were the last dregs of mutant kind, deformed and ugly and sometimes too dangerous to live out on the streets without inadvertently hurting people. They were so horrible looking they could never live out in the open without being hunted down and killed by the less forgiving bands of human mutant hunters. The Morlocks hid down in the tunnels, banding together for safety. They lived off of whatever they could scrounge and tried to get by as best they could.

An evil mutant scientist named Sinister had learned of their existence and as a geneticist, found them to be a blight on the face of mutant kind. They simply had to go. To this purpose, he enlisted the aid of a popular thief for hire, one Remy LeBeau.

Remy’s life had never been easy. He was left at the doorstep of Saint Anne’s orphanage only a couple of days after he was born. He stayed at the orphanage until he was eight, living in poverty half in half out of the streets. There were gangs of thugs all about and they were hardly a good influence. At the tender age of eight, he had the brass to try and pick the pocket of Jean Luc LeBeau, head of a local crime family called the Thieves Guild. Jean Luc was amused by the boy with the fiery red eyes and a few weeks later adopted him.

For eight wonderful years, Remy knew bliss. He was well cared for, surrounded in the rich southern heritage of a large and loving family. He suddenly had more cousins than he could count and they all accepted him. Jean Luc trained him in the fine art of thievery and found in Remy a natural talent. He showered Remy with love and the boy knew it and felt it. It all ended two days after his sixteenth birthday.

The Thieves Guild wasn’t always peaceful and a feud broke out. Poor Remy was caught in the middle of it and through no fault of his own, was exiled. He was told his leaving was the only way to ensure peace. He loved Jean Luc dearly and did as he was told.

Once back on the streets, he was alone and all of his old pains came back to haunt him. He wasn’t good enough. He was shunned as a mutant and it chilled him down to his very soul. He was now living with pimps and whores, drug dealers and addicts and it drained the life right out of him. To survive, he moved from one job to the next, not caring who he was robbing so long as there was a challenge and some kind of payoff in the end. It was around this time that he and Sinister crossed paths for the first time.

Their relationship started out small. He would acquire things for a price and Sinister always paid handsomely in cash. Remy was always suspicious of the strange doctor, but the work was easy and the pay good, so what the hell? They’d been on good terms for while before that final terrible day and so Remy didn’t turn down the guy’s money when the man came to him with a list.

"Gather these men for me."

Remy took one look at the list and knew something ugly was going to go down for somebody. He recognized Sabretooth’s name immediately, having run into that monster more than once already.

"Sure t’ing, boss," Remy had replied, taking the man’s money and doing as he was asked.

When he showed up with the men, he was supposed to be done. He was just going to walk away and think on this no more. Sinister had other ideas. He asked Remy to take them down to the tunnels and get them past the Morlock defenses. Remy refused. Sinister countered with an offer Remy couldn’t turn down. He had something Remy wanted and needed more than anything. Something that was more valuable than money or any riches he could have offered. Something only he could provide.

Remy swallowed his pride, shut down his emotions, and tried not to think of what he was doing when he found himself agreeing to do as Sinister had asked. At least he’d been smart enough to ask for payment first. Sinister was more than happy to pay what Remy had asked for -- after all, what Remy wanted would cost Sinister nothing.

Later, as Gambit led the men down in the tunnels, these seasoned killers and mercenaries, his heart filled with dread. The men were joking and laughing, calling themselves the Marauders just for the kick of it. Remy tuned them out and tried to convince himself that this was just another job, just another working day. No way was this something legal, but that had never stopped him before. He was just being paranoid. How bad could it be?

Remy was shocked to discover just how bad, bad could be. It never came close to his feeblest imaginings. He used all of his thieving skills to get past the Morlock defenses and opened the main door. The men he’d so thoughtlessly brought down here slid past him and the slaughter of the Morlocks began. Gambit hadn’t known the true purpose of these guys, Sinister had mumbled something about collecting blood samples. The tough men comprising the Marauders were necessary because the Morlocks, though ugly, would put up a vigorous fight.

Gambit stood there in numb horror, bathed in blood both real and imagined, seeing that he’d been totally duped. There were no blood samples being collected today, at least, not in the traditional way. The Morlocks were not strong, most of them were weak betas, cosmetic mutants only, and they fell like wheat to the scythe.

Remy stood there, agape, unable to accept what he’d just allowed to happen. The evil killer Sabertooth was among the men he’d brought and he next turned on the poor stricken thief, slashing his chest and belly open and leaving him to die. Remy managed to gather himself and flee, grabbing a small child as he went. He made it to a hospital, badly wounded and barely alive, wishing he’d died.

When he woke up days later, the child he’d rescued was gone and he was lying in a hospital bed. He had been nearly eviscerated and it had taken over fifty stitches to close his horrible wounds. The only one who’d known he done anything wrong was himself so he buried it deep inside of him. He swallowed it down with most of his emotions in self defense and became even more heartless and cold than he had been before. When he recovered and went back to work, he found himself taking even more risky jobs, losing himself in reckless abandon, not caring if he lived to see another day.

He’d joined the X-men for kicks, loving the adventure of it. Falling in love with Rogue changed all that. For the first time, he began to feel like he might actually be worth something. It also made him feel good inside when he saw all the good things he’d accomplished as an X-man. He was helping people and making a difference in the world that could be seen and felt. It also opened up his heart so those feelings he had buried so deeply and he was tortured by the horrible thing he’d done. He was developing a conscience.

He vowed to make up for what he’d done by working as hard as he could with the X-men. His only fear was that Rogue and the X-men would find out what he’d done. He didn’t know what they would do to him and he wasn’t eager to find out. He knew one thing for sure, Rogue would never forgive him and would hate him forever. She’d seen what went down in the tunnels firsthand when the team at that time had gone down and drove the Marauders off. The horror of the slaughter had never left her.

When Gambit had joined the X-men, he said nothing of his past, hoping only to hide it. It was a useless attempt in a house full of such powerful and intuitive mutants. The fact that he was in love with a girl who had the unique talent of absorbing a person’s memories with a single touch undid him. One kiss. One kiss and it was all over. She knew he was hiding something, but didn’t know what. Only that it was very bad, so horrible that Remy had smashed it so far down in his own mind that she hadn’t been able to see it clearly herself. She hounded him for weeks, trying to get him to confess, but he resisted her.

He employed evasive tactics to protect himself from Rogue’s probing, but those didn’t last. When it finally all came out during that disastrous mission in the Antarctic, Rogue had left him there to die, condemning him on her own just as he’d feared she would. How he’d prayed for death then, had even attempted to accomplish that himself, but it seemed like fate had other plans for him. He was rescued days later and he scraped up a living back on the streets again, not really alive.

He didn’t feel a spark of anything resembling true living until he’d caught a quick glimpse of Rogue while in New York City. It sent a thrill right through him and he knew then his heart had been stolen long ago, before he’d even left. He sucked down his pride and came crawling back to the Professor, spouting apologies and groveling for the first time in his life. He was stunned when it actually worked. He did manage to earn his way back on the team, but he paid for it, oh yes. He was always paying for it with his constantly having to apologize and getting smashed over his head time after time with his guilt. He would never be free of it.

Back in the smoky caves of Clan Station Nine, Remy stopped running when he found a small unused boarding room. He hid himself in the far corner, scrunching up as small as he could. He opened a bottle of Clan whiskey he’d "liberated" on his way here and drank down two large gulps of it, wishing only to get as drunk as possible and pass out. He took the whiskey down and buried his face in his arms, unable to stop the tears of humiliation and shame that came unbidden, now that he was alone and could let his guard down. He cried and cried until he grew tired and fell asleep.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

(Thirteen)

Wolverine crouched on the empty bed, looking down at Gambit dozing drunkenly in the corner. It hadn’t taken him long to track down his wayward teammate, but he wasn’t ready to wake him just yet. He could tell Remy had been crying and could still smell the odor of his distress. Gambit was hurting.

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Serves you right, Logan complained silently to his sleeping friend, but he couldn’t stay angry at Remy for long. Lord knows he’d done enough killing in his own time to make him not the proper candidate to pass judgement. He knew Remy’s remorse was real and that Gambit had enough trouble dealing with his own guilt and shame without any more harsh words from him. He’d watched Remy skulking around the Mansion for over a year now, always putting up a brave front to hide how much he loathed himself.

Logan understood that he and Remy were the same. They worked as X-men to make up for the sins of the past. Remy had his Morlock Massacre, Logan had a lifetime of military work and berserker rages. Logan had never pulled a number as deliberately foul as Remy’s misadventure with the Morlocks, but he’d slaughtered a fair number of soldiers on his way out of the military complex where they had crammed all that metal into him without so much as a by your leave. Logan’s personal nightmares made Remy’s fever dream look like a trip to Disneyland.


Logan knew his main role on the X-men’s team was as a protector. He was the big junk yard dog that prowled the yard, keeping watch. He’d done more than his share of killing on missions and protecting the house from mutant invaders with a score to settle. He accepted it as his job and did it whenever it was necessary to spare the others. He took on the burden of guilt because he was suited for it. He swallowed it down with the rest of his emotions, leaving him hard on the outside.

He chuckled softly as he looked down at Remy again. Remy tried really hard to put up the same kind of front with his arrogance and disregard for the rules. Wolverine knew better. Remy was young, not even twenty-five. His crime had been committed as a teenager. His swagger couldn’t hide just how sensitive and emotional he really was. Logan thought it was hilarious actually that Remy thought he could pull off the emotional distancing that he had perfected to an art form. Gambit had been devastated when Rogue left him behind in Antarctica, it had been stamped on his face like a neon sign the first time Logan had seen him after his return. Gambit and Rogue were back together now, but not as closely as before. Logan wasn’t sure why Remy had even bothered, the two of them fought so bitterly sometimes. Maybe Remy figured if he could get the one who’d felt the most betrayed by his lack of trust to forgive him, he would have that absolution he so desperately needed.

"Enough useless wool gatherin’, old man," Logan grumbled softly to himself. "Time ta get this lost son back with the program."

Remy woke when he felt a heavy hand shaking him gently. He looked up with swollen bleary eyes into Wolverine’s face and snorted softly with impatience. He should have known Logan would track him down eventually.

"You all right?" Logan growled, his face betraying his concern.

"Sure t’ing, patron," Remy replied in a dry scratchy voice. He rubbed his eyes and stretched a little. He found the bottle again and drank from it.

Logan didn’t stop him. "Valley says he’s gonna move you around, keep you out of trouble."

"Whatever."

"We gotta get through this, Gumbo. We do this, we go home. Simple as that. We have to work together. I know you can train people, I know you can fight. What I don’t know is if you can keep it together long enough for us to get this job done."

"Not even de Arctic kept dis boy down. Dis place a piece of cake," Remy boasted arrogantly, his swagger a false bravado covering his pain.

Logan’s senses were much too powerful to be fooled by any of Remy’s false pretenses. "You ain’t here all alone. We’re gonna look after you."

Remy sniffed. "Gambit can take of his’self now. Dis is ‘is trouble, ‘is crime, comprenez? He’s de one who ‘as to pay for it. What ‘appens, ‘appens."

"We’re X-men, we stick togther."

"Not for dis. Dis ‘appen before I ever come to be wit you."

"I know. I was there in the tunnels trying to stop it."

Gambit shuddered with the memory of all the blood and carnage and closed his eyes. He was much too drunk to be having this kind of conversation. He buried his face in his arms again and wouldn’t look up. He was still teetering on an emotional edge and didn’t want to Logan to see him cry.

Wolverine put a hand on his shoulder. "We’re gonna look after you whether you want us to or not. Just do us a favor and don’t make us work too hard, all right?"

Gambit raised his head and nodded, wiping at his eyes. He was a little surprised by Wolverine’s gesture of comfort, Logan never touched people, the guy was too closed off. He figured Logan was just trying to get him leveled out so they could get out of this. It was impossible to believe he could ever be forgiven for what he’d done.

"You can start by comin’ back with me," Logan growled, retreating. "I wanna get some sleep an’ I ain’t leavin’ ya out here alone."

Gambit nodded again and rose unsteadily. He was still drunk and his legs were cramped from being folded under him for so long. He stretched again and followed Logan back to their room, keeping quiet. When they got back, he crawled into his bed and covered up, not wanting to look at anyone. Henry said nothing and left him alone. The next day, they didn’t speak of what happened and Remy went back to work.

The first week was brutal for Remy but he made it through. He was constantly harassed by Peter and some of the others. He never left their humble cave quarters without his new bo staff in hand and was in several fights and minor scuffles. He would come home from his new job bruised and cut, but never took as bad as he gave out. Gambit was fast, Gambit was skilled. He’d been trained almost from the first day Jean Luc had adopted him in the art of hand to hand fighting, it was all part of the thievery daily fare. Flexibility and wiry strength were a must when confronted with hard to reach places and tricky entrances. His problem solving skills were just as sharp when it came to a pinch or a fight, especially when it came down to his own personal survival. Remy’s inborn agility and flexibility only made him that much faster and more accurate than his opponents. He was simply too hard to catch up with and when they managed to get in close, he used every ounce of skill to punish them without mercy. It was a decidedly one sided battle.

The losers soon got tired of Remy’s abuse and the fights trailed off after a while and things settled down. True to his word, Gambit had taken care of his own troubles without the others having to step in and help him.
Valentin took a moment to take Wolverine aside and compliment him on his teammate’s strength of spirit. Remy’s ability to keep the alphas at bay so skillfully had made an impression with the hardened warrior, something not easy to do. Valentin had been harboring some doubts about Remy’s usefulness for the upcoming raid, but those concerns had now been laid aside. In a society where the strongest survived, Gambit had managed to hold his own.

Remy got into a routine of teaching classes and kept mostly to himself. As things quieted, his confidence returned and he was more like his old self, even if his eyes were a bit more haunted than they were before. Logan was satisfied with Remy’s effort to get along and left him alone.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

(Fourteen)

After a week of working and helping to organize the upcoming big raid, Jacob decided his old friend needed a break. He offered to take Logan into one of the small towns in the station for a little rest and relaxation. Jacob asked them all to go, but Henry begged off. He wanted to read one of the books Fallen had given him. Remy wanted to go and Jacob just nodded at him without speaking. He walked them down to one of the few taverns in Station Nine. Even from the outside, they could hear men shouting and fighting. "It's kinda rough," Jacob warned.

Logan grinned. "My kinda place."

They went inside and made their way through the crowd to some tables in the back. They sat down and a tired looking female came and waited on them. She took their order and left, hunched over and passive. "Do all the women suck like this?" Logan complained.

"Mostly." Jacob grinned and gave a conspiratory wink. "If it's a real good time you're looking for, I can hook you up with my buddy Jack. But it will cost you."

Logan was a loner by nature and not one to form lasting relationships. His comforts came in the form of casual sex or the occasional prostitute. He was not above paying for a little fun so long as the women weren't abused or mishandled. He had no tolerance for that kind of abuse and had been known to make pimps disappear if he caught them misusing the girls. It’s not that he hunted them down, but he hung out in rough bars and it was all around him. If he was in the right place at the right time, his sense of honor and protectiveness forced him to act.

"How much?" At the moment, Logan had just been paid and he had thirty credits burning a hole in his pocket. The Clan made coins from metal they had scrounged and had a crude picture of the Honor Sword on it. Counterfeiters were punished by death so the credits kept their value. The alphas were paid once a week.

"At least ten for the usual. But I tell ya, if you want to go for broke, he's got a Siskan you can have for fifteen."

Logan’s interest perked up at that. "A Siskan?"

"Yeah. He got one of the pleasure programs illegally. It's better than a real woman, I kid you not. Worth every penny. She'll give you the full treatment and then some. This Siskan is for alphas only. It's our best kept secret so don't spread it around."

"Sounds good ta me."

"Wait here." Jacob got up and left to make the arrangements.

"What you doin', patron?" Remy asked, shaking his head with mock disapproval.

Logan grinned. "Research."

"Research?"

"Yeah. I wanna see what all the fuss is about with these Siskans. I wanna know if that's what Fallen's got."

"I t’ink we both know dat's what she's got, mon ami."

"Well, I wanna know for sure."

"De Lucky Dragon's far away from 'ere. Ain't got not’ing ta do wit us."

Logan ignored him as Jacob returned. "You coming?" he asked Remy.

"Non. Gambit wait 'ere for you." He had seen a card game starting up in the back and was thrilled at the idea of some real entertainment. He got up and made his way over.

Jacob led Logan from the tavern to a small private cave not too far away. He was met at the door by his friend, Jack. There was a small discussion and Jacob asked for Logan's money. He paid the man and they went inside. The home was sparsely furnished with mats and furs, a small wooden table that had been constructed of wooden crates was the only piece of real furniture. Logan was taken to a separate room while Jacob waited.

The leather skin divider was pulled back and Logan went into the room. This room was almost lavish in its decorations. Of course, this was where the money was made. A pallet bed covered in soft furs was on the floor to one side and the walls had dark red tapestries depicting sexual acts in a beautiful and tasteful manner. A large inviting stone bath filled with steaming scented water was in the middle of the room, filling the air with the scent of flower petals. Logan shivered in anticipation, that one thing alone was worth the fifteen credits.

Standing next to the bath was one of the most beautiful women Logan had ever seen. She had long dark hair in an impressive drape down one shoulder and was dressed in a shimmering red silken kimono. Logan grinned, Jacob knew of the X-man’s preference for Oriental women and must have passed it on. Although this lovely lady was not Oriental herself, she had done her best to please. It was good enough for him.

She seemed to sense this somehow and smiled at him demurely. "I am Lanlin. I will be serving you today." She gestured to the bath. "Please."

He approached and paused as she came forward to undress him. He smiled and sniffed at her when she came close, using his feral abilities to give her a more thorough inspection. Like Seth, she had no scent, he could smell her perfume, nothing more. On top of that, he was aware that she was extraordinarily quiet – she had no heartbeat. Only someone with his level of hearing would notice that. It didn’t mean she wasn’t warm, he could sense and feel her heat as she moved in the room. It was kind of creepy considering she wasn’t truly alive.

Logan had nothing to fear from this unique and beautiful creature. Lanlin was gentle and careful as she removed his clothing and laid it aside. She eased him into the bath, making sure he was comfortable. He gestured for her to join him and she opened her kimono, revealing herself to him with a small smile. She was perfect in every way a woman could be for him. She was lean, but not scrawny and had nice firm breasts. The kimono shimmered as it left her body and disappeared, making Logan grunt in surprise. It had never been real.

She climbed in the bath, sliding in behind him and placing her silky legs around his waist. He groaned with pleasure as she washed him and massaged his back and shoulders with nimble and skilled fingers, knowing just where and how hard to squeeze. It had been a long time since he'd been spoiled like this. She chatted about nothing in a soothing gentle voice as she worked her hands over him. Now Logan could see why Fallen wanted Seth so badly. Lanlin was thoughtful, skilled and compliant.
She soaped up his hair and scrubbed his head, making all the itchies from the headlice disappear. He closed his eyes and moaned in happiness, unable to keep quiet about just how much he was enjoying this. He heard her laugh softly and he teased, "I suppose ya get this all the time, huh, darlin’?"

"Not really, no. Most of the men, they skip the bath and get right to the love."

"The love, huh?"

She took him from the bath to the bed and that's where the real magic was. She's not real, he kept telling himself, but it was hard to believe. Her body was warm and felt completely real to him, inside and out, even when he had gotten down to actually making love to her. He could feel the tiny hairs of her skin and the muscles and bones of her body as she moved around him. She reacted to his touch no differently than any other woman he’d been with and she shivered and responded to his hands moving over her as though to be touched by him was to be blessed by a god. She was certainly more than eager to serve him and seemed overjoyed to have his company, making him feel like royalty.

A slight sheen of sweat formed on her back as she worked him and her breath was real and fine in his ears. She shivered and shook in a perfect imitation of woman in climax and he began to wonder if he’d been lied to. Was she a real person? An alpha perhaps that could mask her scent somehow and silence her heartbeat? He’d seen weirder things in his travels. She kissed him passionately as though she'd known him all her life and showed no fear of him at all. That was a rare thing for him and pleased him most of all. She made him miss home, though. There was nothing as soft and kind as she was here in this horrible Clan Station.

When she was through with him, she massaged him again and whispered in his ear that strange musical language he'd heard before on the Lucky Dragon. He hadn't felt this good, this wonderful and tingly all over in a long time. He wanted to explore her, silently demanding that she reveal to him the truth, that she wasn’t real. He pulled her head back and looked deeply in her eyes. He almost wished he hadn't. This close, with all of his hyper senses, he could now see she wasn't real, not truly alive. There was a sort of deadness to her eyes that disappointed him. The only thing it did for him was take away any guilt he may have had for using her like this. If she wasn't alive, she wasn't truly a whore being used against her will.

Remy grinned as he watched Logan come back into the bar. Logan couldn't hide his good spirits and contentment. His skin was glowing from a good wash and he smelled of soap and girlie things. He sat down across from Remy and just smiled away, saying nothing.

Remy snorted. "Dat good, huh?"

"You have no idea." He eyed the bag of credits Remy had out on the table. Remy had done very well at cards while he was waiting for Logan to return. "You should put that bag a credits ta good use, boy. Those ain't gonna be worth nuthin' back home."

"Merci, but non. Gambit 'ad enough fun for one day. ‘E’s ready for bed."

Logan got up with him and they made their way back to alpha quarters. Henry greeted them from his bed as they entered. He noted Logan's fine condition. "I see the two of you had fun."

"You should come wit us next time," Remy offered.

Henry raised his book. "I've got all I need right here."

Logan cocked his head with a sly grin. "I had a bath."

"Congratulations."

Remy eased himself down onto his bed and stretched. "Dat's not all he got. Jacob knows somebody who 'as a Siskan."

Henry was immediately interested. "Really? How was it?"

Logan's grin got wider.

"Hmm? Interesting."

"Maybe you should find out for yourself, Blue. The bath alone was worth the fifteen credits."

"Fifteen credits? Good Lord! That's highway robbery! Most of the regular men only get paid five credits a week." He shook his head. "Well, how did to compare to Seth and Kimble?"

"This was much better. Hard ta tell it wasn't real."

"But it was the same? Fallen does have a Siskan pleasure program?"

"I think so, yeah."

"And it was damaged," Henry said to himself. "If she does indeed possess the one that killed those men, she could be in danger."

"She must know what she’s got," Gambit replied impatiently.

"I'm not so sure."

"Anyways, what does dis 'ave to do wit us? We ain't gonna see dem again."

"Au contraire, my Cajun friend. The good word is that we've been assigned to the Lucky Dragon as part of Valentin's squad on the big raid. I'm convinced now more than ever that Fallen is our best bet for getting out of here."

"You ever talk to 'er about it?"

"No, but I would very much like to."

"Why would she take us home?"

"To get away from Valentin."

"What if she don' wanna leave?" Logan prompted.

"I'll offer her a job. I'm sure someone of her various talents would prove useful to us."

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

(Fifteen)

Henry sat as his work station working on some of the detonators for the upcoming raid. It bothered him that his skills were being put to use constructing devices that’s only purpose was to kill people, but he agreed with Cerebus that the Dognan had to be stopped. They were getting out of hand, going to Earth and teleporting people out to be used as slaves. Any means to put that to an end was worth it.

Henry paused as his stomach growled loudly. "My pointed ears for a Twinkie," he sighed. The food here was simply unbearable and Fallen’s care package had been used up long ago. He’d finally broken down and was living off of bread and water as Gambit was. Neither one could bring themselves to touch anything more and they were both looking a little ragged and thin.

Wolverine was in his element and getting along nicely, but Henry was concerned about Remy. He was moody and quiet, keeping mostly to himself. He didn’t go back out with Jacob as Wolverine had done. Wolverine had grown quite enamored with the Siskan hologram and had gone back a couple more times already.

Henry was fond of Rogue and didn’t wish her heart any harm, but Henry would have been at least a little relieved if Remy had visited Lanlin as well. Anything to raise his spirits. Henry would see Gambit sitting alone at the cafeteria table way in the back, smoking and staring off into space as he absently rubbed a thumb along the scars on his chest. He’d made no friends here, Peter had seen to that, but Remy was a loner by nature when he was at the house. He didn’t socialize with the X-men except for Rogue. Remy was secretive and absent most of the time so Henry didn’t know him as well as he did other X-men. The X-men team was quite large, having up to twenty and thirty members moving in and out on various assignments all over the world and it was impossible for Beast to know them all well.

Henry had been on the mission to Antarctica where Remy had been left behind. He had watched in abject horror as the details of Remy’s horrific crime had been dealt out and how it shattered the team. Their opponent apparently knew Remy better than they did and was more than happy to humiliate the poor thief in front of everybody. It had the desired effect. Oh, how well they had been played, Henry thought as he looked back on it. The team was shocked and horrified by the traitor in their midst and they completely fell apart, bickering and arguing so much over the distraction provided, that the bad guy got away and poor Remy was abandoned to freeze to death. They went back for him eventually, but no trace of him was ever found. It came as a total surprise when a year later he showed up in New York City, quite thin, a little haunted, but none the worse for wear. He stayed nearby, making his presence known, and was eventually gradually reinstated as an X-man. Even so, it was never the same after that, not even when Rogue took him back. Henry knew that Remy took these big risky jobs as an attempt at absolution for his past crimes.

"So why are you here, Henry old boy? Hmm?" Henry asked himself, rubbing his eyes. "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
He’d been very surprised when the Professor had asked him to go along with Wolverine and Gambit, two of the less predictable and most unstable members of the team. Henry worked mainly in the lab and didn’t get asked to go out on missions as often. That was just fine with him. He preferred to help out the team by more scientific and passive means.

"I’m a bit shorthanded," the Professor had replied wearily. "These disappearances must be stopped. They worry me in that we still have no idea who’s behind them. So many young lives simply gone. We’ve lost a few good mutants, too. We must find out what’s going on and stop it."

How could Henry refuse such an impassioned plea for help? He certainly never expected to end up here.

His thoughts were interrupted as Zekian approached him and handed him a note without speaking. Henry read it and was surprised to see it had come from Fallen. It was an invitation for him to come to the Lucky Dragon. She had found something that would be of interest to him. She also promised him a good meal and a hot shower. Henry didn’t need to be asked twice. Without hesitation, he packed up his work for the moment and made his way down to the hanger bay.

Maylee was waiting for him on the ramp and greeted him warmly. She had just returned from class herself and had some books and papers in her arms. She brought Henry inside and made him comfortable. The first order of business was the hot shower as promised, for which Henry was very grateful. He was even more pleased when he was provided with special soaps that would kill the lice that now infested him head to foot. The relief was immediate and heavenly. Maylee brought him next to the galley and fed him, laughing gaily when he gorged himself. He had no idea when his next good meal would come and wasn’t about to refuse anything offered, especially since it was all so fresh and well prepared. Maylee gave him a large cup of tea when he was finished and sent him down to the shop to see Fallen.

Henry made his way down the trap door steps and to the shop. He was a startled to see a white skinned, dark haired stranger standing at ease at the work bench to the back. It took him a moment to realize he was looking at a male pilot and that it was actually Kimble. Kimble was out in the hologram and writing something down on long sheets of blue prints that were coming out of a large printer that Henry hadn’t seen before. Henry was a little shocked. Paper was very scarce here and he had no idea where Fallen acquired it.

Kimble was slouching comfortably as he worked, rubbing his wings together thoughtlessly while he leaned over the papers. Soft rock and roll music was playing and Kimble had one pawed foot tapping in perfect rhythm to the music. He was smoking absently, squinting slightly from the smoke. The cigarette was real, Henry could smell the smoke and wondered why if Kimble wasn’t real, he should even have the desire to smoke at all. Kimble held the hand rolled cigarette between two slender white fingers and flicked the ash without even thinking. He didn’t seem to have any of Seth’s fine motor skill problems and was at ease being out in the hologram.

The hologram program Fallen was using allowed for the differences between Seth and Kimble. Kimble stood tall and confident, flexing his large arm muscles as he scribbled quickly on the papers. He had a much heavier build than his brother and the dark coloring of his hair and sideburns contrasted sharply with the sparkling whiteness of his skin. The side burns made him look much older than Seth had appeared, more mature. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and Henry could see the Honor Sword mark blazing brightly down his chest. He had a pilot’s body and wings, and wore a pair of tight fitting black denim jeans. His furry toes were bare and Henry could see the tips of his toe claws. Kimble had untied his pony tail and his hair fell long and thick about his head and shoulders, reaching down to his waist.

A lock of hair fell down over his eyes and Kimble tucked it behind his ear in a slow and graceful movement, smiling slightly as if he’d enjoyed the stroke of his own fingers against his skin. He caught Henry’s approach out of the corner of his eye and his smile slowly grew wider. He stood up straight and turned unhurriedly to face his guest, drawing out the moment before offering his hand. "Good morrow, Dr. McCoy," he purred, his voice soft and low.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/040firstkimblecolored.jpg

"Good morrow," Henry replied, taking Kimble’s outstretched hand and shaking it.

Kimble’s skin was warm and his fingers slightly damp from holding the pen he’d been using. The illusion was very good, Henry couldn’t tell Kimble was anything less than real.

Kimble took his hand back slowly, drawing his fingertips across Henry’s palm as if he was examining the doctor by touch as much as he’d been looked over by Henry himself, a mutual admiration. He leaned back against the workbench, resting his hands on either side of his body. He cocked his head slightly with a sly grin and flexed his abdominal muscles as he took a deep breath. He let his eyes roam freely over his visitor, rudely staring at him without speaking as he looked him over. His eyes glittered with bright intelligence and he sniffed at Henry slightly, something Henry had seen Logan do when he was trying to figure someone out. The lock of hair came loose again and once more Kimble stroked it back, shivering slightly as if aroused from his own touch and the presence of his guest so very close.

If I didn’t know any better --- and I don’t --- I’d say this creature is flirting with me, Henry thought to himself. Fallen isn’t here so Kimble is acting on his own. Fascinating. "Well, this is a surprise," Henry said, breaking the momentary silence.

"A pleasant one, I’m hopin’," Kimble said in his lazy drawl. He gave Henry another one of his teasing, playful smiles. "You enjoyin’ yer stay at Nine?"

Henry grunted a laugh. "Not really. The conditions are quite primitive."
"Maylee took care of ya some, yer lookin’ pretty fine from here," Kimble commented flirtatiously, looking Henry over again and licking his lips like he was something good to eat. It was true, Henry’s fur was clean and brushed, the best he’d looked and felt for some time.

Henry squirmed a little, pinned down by Kimble’s almost predatory stare. He’d never been looked at quite that way by a man before.

"Give it up, Kimble. He wouldn’t be interested," Fallen said impatiently, coming out of the downstairs lavatory and into the shop.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

"Good morrow, Fallen," Henry said, relieved by her timely appearance.

She walked up to him and shook his hand. "Good morrow. Don’t mind Kimble. He does that to shock people. He thinks it’s amusing. He doesn’t get out much and isn’t properly socialized."

Fallen had plenty of time to recover from her savage beating and in spite of a few fading bruises on her back, looked in good shape. Her smile was bright and warm and cheered Henry’s heart. He had been worried about her.

"Your Kimble here is quite impressive. Very realistic for an artificial personality."

Henry saw a look of dark anger cross Kimble’s face and was startled to hear the man actually growl at him. It was low and deep, reminding him of Logan’s own gravelly built in warning system. He realized he’d just made a mistake. Kimble was clearly offended at the suggestion that he was anything less than real.

Fallen gave Kimble a kick and he quieted, putting his head down submissively. He rubbed his wings together with aggressive impatience and pouted a little.

Henry bowed slightly at him. "Pardon me, I meant no offense. I am unused to the idea of a sentient hologram. The ones we have back home are not like you in this way."

" ‘S all right," Kimble said, clearly lying. He was still offended. " ‘S a common mistake."

Fallen barked at him in another language and Kimble turned away and went back to the papers.

"You did nothing wrong," she said to Henry, ignoring Kimble as he sulked. "He’s a child and hopelessly immature, nothing more. Forget it. I asked you here because Seth found some papers that may be of some help for you. These seem to be the blueprints for the Dognan complex Valentin is planning to attack."

Henry was immediately interested. "How did you come by these?"

"We found a crashed Dognan ship yesterday. I took the computer out and Seth was able to hack into it. He found these files. Maybe if you guys look them over, you can find a good way to get inside."

"I already done it," Kimble boasted, looking up at her with a grin.

"Really?" Henry asked, coming closer to look at the papers. He hoped that if he gave Kimble a good listen, he would see he was sorry he had inadvertently insulted him. He was surprised by his own feelings towards Kimble, he simply couldn’t help himself from regarding Kimble as anything but a real person. He behaved so lifelike, even if he was a bit childish and sensitive.

When Henry looked down at the papers, he was surprised at what he saw. The blueprints did look authentic and were very detailed. Kimble had been writing notes in the margins. His writing was very beautiful, he used a font Henry was unfamiliar with but it could be read easily even though it was decorative and carefully made. Kimble had made notations on most of the exits and entrances, but what was most noteworthy was a small commentary on the nuclear core reactor in the center of the base. Kimble had speculated that causing the reactor to overload and explode would destroy a good portion of the base with minimal manpower --- if they could get to it. Henry chuckled softly. How convenient that they had just the slippery little thief to do just that.

"I’m impressed," Henry commented. "You do very good work."

Kimble smiled, absorbing the praise with pleasure. His earlier anger was completely gone. "I do all right," he said with false modesty. He reached for a bottle of beer nearby and drank from it.

"Don’t encourage him. He’ll be unbearable," Fallen teased, giving Kimble a playful bump with her shoulder.

Kimble garbled something at her and she replied in kind.

"May I ask what is that language you’re speaking? It’s very beautiful."

"It’s Siskan," Fallen replied. "Kimble is a Siskan personality."

"That’s interesting. Logan said the alphas have obtained a Siskan pleasure program. Logan spent some time with this...program. He said it was very....gratifying."

Kimble grinned. "I’m shure it wuz. Lanlin’s no slouch, but I kin assures ya, I’m much better."

Henry wasn’t put off again by Kimble’s suggestion. He was becoming used to Kimble’s flirtatious arrogance and could see that it was just a playful part of his personality, not that he would actually do any harm. He was impressed that Kimble knew about Lanlin, though. He’d thought it was a secret held by the alphas. It boosted his curiosity. "Why would a Siskan pleasure program such as yourself be content running a ship, I wonder?" Henry directed at him. "Seems to me your talents might be misplaced."

Kimble grinned mischievously. "I gots lotsa talents fer lotsa things. Wants ta find out?"

"That’s enough!" Fallen interjected, exasperated by her spirited Kimble. She looked up at Henry and explained. "Kimble was damaged. He can’t do everything he used to."

"It don’ stop me from tryin’!" Kimble interrupted with a laugh.

"Even this hologram doesn’t work right," Fallen continued, ignoring him.

"It’s not finished. Only half the codes are working. There’s a missing access code. Once I find that, the ‘gram will be restored."

Kimble grunted. "Yeah, when Fallen’s done with it, you kin haves Logan come see me fer a comparison. Or come by yerself, if ya have a mind. I ain’t never had nobody with blue fur b’fore. Could be interestin’," Kimble offered, not giving an inch.

"Oh, you are impossible!" Fallen said, giving him a playful shove. "Don’t you have something better to do?"

"Not really," Kimble replied with a laugh, still enjoying the game.

"Yes, you do," Seth said, popping up on the viewing screen nearby. He was seated at his work station, neat and tidy as always. He was smiling, amused by Kimble’s fooling around. "The diagnostics I set up for Engine Two are ready. Time to do that scan and crunch the numbers."

"Later."

"Now, Kimble," Fallen ordered sharply.

"Aye, Fallen," Kimble replied, his disappointment obvious.

Kimble stood up straight and crossed his arms. He bowed his head and Henry was startled to see Kimble’s outer shape melt and turn grey as he left the hologram and returned to the system. The hologram material remained behind, converting itself into a cube. It settled to the floor and waited, ready to be used again.

"Fascinating," Henry repeated, awed by what he’d seen today. "He’s quite the character."

"He’s a blast and I enjoy having him around very much," Fallen said as she gathered up the papers for Henry to take back with him. "Just do me a favor and don’t tell anyone about the hologram. My Siskans are very precious to me."

"Your secret is safe with me," Henry said, thanking her for the papers. He wondered if he should tell her what he heard about a Siskan hologram going on a murderous rampage in the Station but decided it would be best to wait. Other than being rambunctiously playful, Kimble seemed harmless enough.


Henry returned to their quarters, refreshed and happy. At first the others complained because they got left out, but Henry didn’t come back empty handed. Fallen had given him a generous supply of lice soap and another care package of fresh bread and fruit. Logan bowed out to let the others enjoy. He could at least tolerate the Clan food and had been eating pretty well all along. Henry and Gambit didn’t argue but dug in cheerfully.

As he ate well for the second time that day, Henry told them about his strange encounter with Kimble. Gambit chuckled when Henry explained how flirtatious Kimble had been. "P’etetre, you should’ave taken ‘im up on it. You could ‘ave given us a full report, seen ‘ow your research measured up to Logan’s."

"Kinda tough to do that. At least mine was a girl," Logan said with a laugh.

"Well, he seemed harmless enough anyway. He had a lot of ideas that I think might be useful to us and his advice is definitely worth looking into."

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[Kazaire]

:up: Squeekness has been busy! :D

[squeekness]

Yes. Thank you. it's been awhile since anyone else has responded. :D I am glad you still like it.

[squeekness]

(Sixteen)

Henry sat at his desk once more, trying to digest the Dognan blue prints Fallen had given him. There was a lot of work to be done and he wished he had some help. As if in answer to his silent plea, there was a soft knock on his table. He looked up to see a Clansman he didn’t recognize. "Good morrow, alpha. My name is Bruce. Valentin sent me to give you a hand."

"Good morrow. I’m Henry and I am so very grateful you’re here. This will take some time to work out," Henry said with a warm smile and offered his hand.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/042firstBruce.jpg


Bruce took it and gave a firm shake. He was a sturdy Clansman, in his mid-thirties and in good physical condition, though not as heavily muscled as most of the other Clan warriors. He had the tattoos and markings of medium rank and was quite intelligent. Henry learned that Bruce was in charge of most of the reconnaissance work and raid planning for Valentin. He had long rusty blonde hair tied back in the usual ponytail and green eyes that kept straying to Henry’s big blue face though he tried to hide it. He had been a Clansman all his life and had never seen an alpha such as Henry with his blue fur and huge size.

Henry and Bruce got along immediately, laughing and teaching one another as they worked, and got a lot done. Bruce was talkative and bright as they worked, freely sharing many stories of growing up in an area not far from here called Pastor’s Lake. He had an easy, friendly manner that wasn’t much like the others here who seemed to function on the idea that posturing and bravado was the means by which a real man was measured. Henry did not share that view. It was pleasant beyond words to spend time like this, in the company of a relaxed and open person. Bruce was quick to laugh and a real treat to be with. The time fly by.

Bruce was very well educated and seemed able to interpret the plans that Fallen had provided well. They worked for several hours, accomplishing quite a bit, when there came a soft knock on the table again.

Bruce turned to face his visitor with a warm smile. "Good morrow, Justin."

"Good morrow, Bruce," Justin greeted with a short laugh. Justin was a contrast to Bruce, being a medium sized Clansman, well built and heavily muscled. Clearly, he was more of a warrior than Bruce who was smaller and seemed weaker by comparison. Justin’s hair was long and black, loose about his shoulders and not as long as everyone else’s. He carried both a broadsword and a large bow on his back. His eyes glittered with intelligence and amusement as he looked at Henry. "Who’s your friend?" he asked Bruce, apparently had no qualms about showing his interest in the big blue mutant.

"This is Henry."

"Good morrow, Henry McCoy. I’ve heard all about you," Justin said, offering his hand.

Henry shook it. "All good, I hope."

Justin laughed again. "Fear not. The grapevine says you and Bruce here are going to save us all."

"Well, that’s a hard reputation to live up to, but I’ll try my best."

"I’m sure you will." Justin patted Bruce on the shoulder. "I’ll be down in the galley if you want to eat with me. They’ll be serving in an hour."

"I’ll be there."

Justin nodded at him and withdrew, his eyes lingering on Bruce’s face before he left. Bruce noticed Henry watching them and turned away shyly, his face flushing just slightly.

In that one gesture alone Henry knew these two were much more than just friends. Nothing had to be said, Beast was simply too observant to need them. All such well trained X-men were capable of assessing a person quickly like that, it was all part of survival training. Logan would argue that it was a matter of threat assessment, but Henry wasn’t like that. He maintained a neutral ground when it came to race or gender or, more importantly, sexual orientation. He was aware that not many men were so accepting of that one difference and went out of his way to show that he wasn’t one of them.

"You two known each other long?" Beast asked just to make conversation, keeping his voice neutral and light.

"We grew up together. The Clan is actually many Clans all gathered from different areas nearby here. We’re both from the Deer Clan just like Valentin. We all grew up not far from here by Pastor’s lake, that place I was telling you about earlier. When the Dognan war really started gearing up, Valentin convinced a lot of young men to join up with him. Justin convinced our parents to let us come here with him and join the fight."

Henry nodded, but he’d caught something in Bruce’s tone. "Doesn’t sound like to me like it was your decision.

Bruce thought carefully before he spoke. "Justin wanted to fight. I didn’t want to leave him behind. We’ve been close friends for a long time." He looked up at Henry warily, waiting for judgement. He knew Henry had caught on to him and Justin alarmingly fast, but Beast just smiled at him warmly.

"I understand, my friend. These things are never easy. It seems as though it worked out all right for you. You have a good position here."

Bruce relaxed noticeably. "It’s all right. All this technical knowledge is dry and more than a little boring, but it keeps me off the field. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never been much of a fighter, not like Justin there. He lives for the fight. He spends all of his free time practicing how to do it all better. I can’t help but wonder what he’ll do when the war is over, if we pull this off, I mean."

"I’m sure things will work out for you guys," Beast said, ever the optimist. He leaned back and stretched, cracking his neck and shoulders. "Why don’t you go along and join him. We can pick this up tomorrow. I’m in need of some rest myself."

"Why don’t you join us?"

Clan food. Henry couldn’t stop the shudder of revulsion that made him shiver. "My apologies, but your Clan food doesn’t quite agree with me."
Bruce just smiled. "I know what you mean. It took some time for me to get used to it myself. Pastor’s Lake was the best for hunting, but it’s been so long now I hardly remember what decent food tastes like. I’ve lost a lot of weight since I’ve lived here."

"No offense, but I hope I’m not here that long," Henry joked and steered Bruce towards the door. I’ll see you tomorrow."


"None taken. Later," Bruce said and left quickly, going the way Justin had gone.

To read more click here : http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2495701/1/

[squeekness]

The time passed quickly for the X-men as they and the Clan prepared for the final assault on the Dognan. Valentin kept a close watch on the alpha troops and was always around, making sure all was going well. He was in charge of the big raid and had full rights to use as many of the alphas and best trained Clan troops as he wished. He worked closely with Beast and Wolverine as they laid out their ideas and moved his people around to suit them, actions that only caused Wolverine's opinion of him to grow. He treated both Henry and Logan with respect and listened to what they had to say.

Valentin behaved very differently here in the Station than he had out in the field when the X-men first met him. He was obviously in charge, but didn't harass or abuse his men. Quite the opposite actually. He worked closely with them in the training and practiced just as hard as they did. His skill in weaponry was clear as well as the hard work he'd gone through to obtain it. There were no ugly episodes, not like how Valentin had behaved with Kane or his people. It was if that man didn't exist here, like Valentin suffered from some kind of split personality. If Logan hadn't seen him abuse Fallen so badly, his respect for Valentin would have come much more easily. As it was, Logan found himself liking Valentin very much against his better judgment.

Valentin was watchful of Gambit, but they hardly spoke. Valentin insisted that Remy come along with them out in the field, having watched his fighting skills with admiration. Logan knew it wasn't really Remy's thing, being that Gambit was more of a sneaky infiltrator than a hardened soldier, but it would allow them to stay together where Logan could keep an eye on his Cajun teammate.

Gambit continued to work with the alphas, brushing them up on their hand to hand skills, while also showing them some of his tricks from his days as a thief. There weren't many places he couldn't get into. He didn't share Logan's respect for Valentin, but Gambit had never seen real combat. He didn't realize as Logan did that Valentin was the kind of man who could get the job done in situations where most men would fall apart. Remy avoided Valentin as much as possible and concentrated on his work. He tried to keep his mind on his objective which was to get home in one piece and get back to his girl.

Logan worked with a small crew of alphas, teaching them how make plastique and other small bombs from the materials the Clan had stolen from the Dognan. As promised, they learned quickly and soon they had a good supply of explosives primed and ready for use.

Henry was used more for the planning stages of things and organizing, but he and Bruce also helped out with helping the clan to salvage what they could from whatever tidbits of technology Fallen managed to steal form the Dognan. It was quite a bit. There were two way radios and tracking devices, armor and weapons to compliment Wolverine's collection of explosives.

When the last plans were finalized, Logan came by to see Henry to learn what he and Bruce had come up with. They made good use of the blue prints Fallen had provided and came up with a strategy. The plan was to assault the Dognan stronghold in the three stages. First they would hit the main munitions and supply dump on the outside of the complex, near the ruined city. This would take out the steam out of the Dognan defense and hopefully make the next stages easier and less dangerous.

Next, they would blow up the living quarters where most of the Dognan soldiers were stationed. The Dognan wouldn't be able to fight if most of them were dead.

Then they would go for the main complex itself. This was more difficult because they would actually have to get inside. At first, Logan said this was impossible, but changed his mind when Henry showed him the scrolled blue prints of the complex. There were small marks and comments on the margins. Logan looked at the marks on the corners and turned to Henry, "Who's mark is that?"

Henry grinned. "Seth's. He organized the documents after he hacked them off of a Dognan computer. He's quite sneaky and clever, you know. Some of the remarks came from Kimble. What marvelous handwriting he has. He makes good use of the hologram, as I had told you. It was his suggestion that we hit the main reactor in the center. He was able to determine that destroying that would cause an explosion big enough to bring the whole building down."

"How're we gonna get those charges in there? Looks complicated."

"Easy. We'll have our Cajun friend sneak in through the ventilation shafts and plant the charges while the rest of you create a diversion outside. Shouldn't be too difficult."

"How we gonna get outta there on time?"

"Jacob and Reese. We 'port in and use what few pilots we have to move you guys around as we need to. All you have to do is make enough fuss for Remy to get the job done and then get out as fast as you can. It's so simple it has to work."

"Have you talked to Gambit yet?"

"I'll tell him after supper. I can't see how it would be a problem."

[squeekness]

(Seventeen)

"You want Gambit to do what?!"

Henry backed up a bit, surprised by the heat of Remy's reaction. The thief was outraged, barely in control of his temper. His red eyes blazed and his hands clenched and unclenched in fury. Beast and Logan, along with Valentin, had approached the fiery eyed mutant with their proposal on how to destroy the Dognan base. Henry had figured Gambit would be all over it, enjoying any kind of challenge, and was not prepared for this little snag in their plans.

"All ya gotta do is sneak in, plant the charges and get out," Wolverine repeated, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Gambit, he a t'ief. He ain't no killer, not no more. Dat place'll be loaded with dose cat guys!"

"Sometime's there's a killin' that needs to be done."

"Bull****! Dat's a load of f--kin' crap an' you know it!"

"If you won't do it, all you have to do is bring someone in who will," Valentin said evenly. He was exasperated at how sensitive alphas could be. They never seemed to understand war and how these things must be done. Sacrifices had to be made.

Gambit's face turned colors Henry had never seen before. Valentin had made a serious error.

Gambit bellowed ragged Cajun curses in his fury and then the room exploded in red flame and dust. They barely had time to duck under the heavy table. Remy had charged over a dozen cards and flung them at them. The cards exploded loudly, causing chunks of rock and debris to go flying from the walls and ceiling. When the dust settled, Remy was gone.
"Well, that went smoothly," Wolverine quipped, dusting himself off. He had to hide the sly smile that was threatening to leak out. It had been in ragged French, but there had been a certain satisfaction in hearing Gambit tell Valentin to go screw himself.

It was true Valentin didn't get it, though Remy's anger was easy enough to read. He complained in exasperation, "What's going on? I thought you said he would help us!"

Henry sighed and gave Valentin a brief run down of Gambit's history, the Morlock Massacre in particular. Valentin's brow creased with frustration.
"This isn't the same thing!"

"To him it is."

"I'll go talk to him," Logan offered and left.

He followed Remy's trail easily, all he had to do was follow the smell of frustration and anger, Remy was really pissed. Logan sighed with impatience. They should have guessed that Remy would have a problem with this scenario, it just didn't occur to them until it was too late. Remy had gone quite far before he ran out of steam and slowed down. He had traveled as far as the outer hanger bays, sneaking past the guards. Logan found him on the edge of a carved, stone ventilation shaft for the hanger, his legs dangling and his head down.

Wolverine sat next to his teammate without saying anything. He knew Remy would speak when he was ready.

Gambit sniffed and took a deep breath. His eyes were shiny with angry tears that he didn't bother to hide. "You done kicked me out for bein' a killer! You left Gambit behind to die for doin' dis very t'ing! How dare you ask dis of me!?"

"I wouldnt've left ya behind fer that," Wolverine said quietly. He hadn't been there when the mission went down and couldn't honestly answer what he would have done. The bad decision had been made in the heat of anger, poor Remy paying the price.

"Non. Non. You would ‘ave killed me instead!" Remy snapped.

Logan put his head down and sighed. "I don' kill fer no stupid reasons, kid."

Gambit snorted. "Neither do I."

"You gonna tell me why you let Sinister talk ya into doin' what ya did? You ain't never said."

Gambit slowly shook his head. "It wasn't for nuthin' stupid. Wasn't for money or nuthin' like dat. ‘Sides, I didn' know nobody was gonna get killed or I never would've done it."

"Then why?"

Gambit didn't reply.

Logan sighed again. "Look, kid. Doin' this thing isn't like what you did before. This is war. Out here, only the strongest survive. If you don't do this for us, we'll have to go in full throttle and a lotta folks're gonna die. You can do this quiet. You can do this sneaky." Logan waited but Gambit still said nothing. He was listening, though. "Think of this. We don't owe those Dognan creeps nuthin'. How many of our own people did they kill when we were stuck in that holdin' cell, huh? What about the pens? What about all them slaves they keep makin'? We gotta take these sleazebags out. If we don't, they're just going to keep comin'."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/044gambitsadcolored.jpg
"I can't."

"Then take a team in like Valentin said. Just one or two guys, that's all."
Gambit looked up, his face strained from trying to keep those traitorous tears from falling. "Gambit's got a bill too big already to ever pay back. He can't make up for dis one too."

"You don't have to. Lives saved fer the lives lost."

Remy shivered as he heard Wolverine speak those words. Logan must have heard him muttering those words to himself many times out on the road.

"Do this, Remy. It's the right thing ta do. Remember, there ain't honor in a killin' if ya do it fer hate or cuz ya wanna hurt somebody. This isn't about that. This is about survival. It ain't bad if ya don't love it." Logan rubbed his hands together slowly. "I know you don't believe this, but you've more than made up for what you've done. Three hundred Morlocks dead but six million people saved during that Genosha thing we did five months ago. You're square, Remy. You been square fer a long time now."

"I didn't do Genosha alone. De whole team was in on it."

"Doesn't matter, but if it does to you, than do this. Do this and be square."

Remy put his head down and slowly nodded. Logan patted him on the shoulder and left him, figuring Remy would want to be alone.

Gambit sat on the stoop and looked out over the grey sky of Cerise. He was strong in his heart and in his will, and it had done him some good to hear Wolverine speak so well of him. He was lonely, he was tired and very, very homesick, but he would do what was asked of him.

Jus' gotta get t'rough dis one t'ing, he whispered to his heart, Jus' dis one t'ing, an' it just a little, little t'ing like all de other little t'ings you done. We do dis, den we go ‘ome. It's gotta be, it jus' gotta be, ‘cause I don' t'ink I'm gonna make it ‘ere on m' own.

Remy looked out at the sky once more, shuddered from a chill felt more on the inside than out, and rose to follow his friend.

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[squeekness]

Book three ~ Endgame

(One)


Henry sat at his work station, fumbling through the last of the detonators. The date for the big offensive had been set for the next day and as much as he didn’t like the idea of warfare, he was eager to get these done.
Beast was a creature of deep feelings though he didn’t always articulate them. Here he was creating devices made to kill and yet you wouldn’t know from the look on his face that the very act of doing this disturbed him greatly. Remy was not the only one with reservations about large scale killing, but Beast hadn’t been able to get the acts of the slavers out of his mind. He recalled all too vividly the sounds of them killing off the humans that had been undesirable as slaves and the pens had been a horror. Those people had done nothing wrong other than be in the wrong place at the worst possible time. As much as he shared Gambit’s revulsion to killing and war in general – as a doctor he’d had to repair too much of the collateral damage that many battles and stupid petty squabbles had left behind – he understood that sometimes it just had to be done.

Logan was aware of his teammates’ reluctance to fight and had gone out of his way to remind them both about the callousness of such slavers. Any race that felt itself so superior that it could kill and enslave with such a lack of compassion and sympathy for the rights of others was one that had to be destroyed. The Dognan moved from world to world, how long before they decided they wanted more than just a few slaves from their own precious Earth and stole the rest of it?

Henry knew this, he did, but there was always that lingering doubt that not all of the Dognan men approved of such practices. A race that thought nothing of slavery no doubt used conscription as a means of replenishing their ranks. They could be killing many innocent people along with the guilty. Henry knew his history, Nazi Germany no doubt had it’s share of innocent Germans, but the regime as a whole had to go. This wasn’t much different.

The one thing that did give Henry some selfish comfort was the knowledge that he wasn’t going to be active in the field. He would be co-ordinating the various teams from the Lucky Dragon and not out in the actual fighting. It made this a little easier to bear.

Beast closed his eyes and rubbed them for a moment. These thoughts were painful and he was trying not to dwell on them. He also knew that this thing had to be done for them to earn their way home, as distasteful as it might be. He had tried to explore other avenues of getting their freedom a bit more cheaply, but the alternatives here were almost non-existent, there simply was no other way besides their co-operation with the Clan.

Beyond his initial outburst, Gambit, too, had gone quiet on the matter. He did as he was instructed and kept his thoughts to himself. The haunted look was in his eyes a bit more than before, however, and it was no secret he was ready to just get this over with.

Lucky for him that would be the very next day. Another reason Beast was eager to finish today’s work was that they had all been invited to spend what they hoped was one of their last nights here with the Clan on the Lucky Dragon, being treated to Fallen’s superior hospitality. It was an invitation none of them had even considered refusing.

The plan was for them to sleep overnight with Fallen and then she would fly them to the staging area in the morning. Beast was looking forward to some decent food and a good night’s sleep – not to mention the luxury of a nice hot shower.

"You ready, Blue?"

Henry looked up into Wolverine’s eyes, seeing his teammate had arrived to collect him a little early, no doubt thinking along the same lines he was. Logan had packed up their few meager belongings and was taking them along just in case this finished quickly. Remy was quiet but tense behind him, a small backpack and his bo staff in hand.

"Yes, I just have to pack up the last of this stuff."

They helped Beast gather the remaining ordinance for the offensive. Henry was in charge of the timers and detonators for the explosives, but he and Bruce had also scrounged some more two way radios and tracking devices that might come in handy. Bruce wasn’t coming along with them to the Dragon, this had been an X-men only invite, Fallen’s way of apologizing for their rough first meeting.

Maylee met them along the way, she was returning from her classes and had been told to keep an eye out for them to make sure they didn’t get lost, and they followed her to the large hanger bay. The Lucky Dragon was parked in it's usual place, ready and inviting. The ramp was down but the hatchway was locked. There was a small intercom box just outside the door and Maylee clicked a button on it. "Seth, it’s me."

"Hey, Maylee. Did you find everyone okay?"

"Yes, they’re all here."

"Good. You know the rules though. You’ll have to wash up first. Fallen's in the workshop. You can use her lav. Take turns."

"Okay." Maylee clicked off and there was a loud snap as the hatch unlocked.

"What was that all about?" Logan grumbled.

"Fallen has this thing about being clean. She thinks all the Stations are filthy. She won't be happy unless we shower first. Is that a problem?"

Unanimously, "No!"

Maylee lead them into the ship and directly into Fallen's lavatory. Logan noticed immediately as he entered that the air quality in the ship was much better than in the hanger, something Henry had mentioned from when he had visited here so recently but it hadn’t meant anything until he experienced it now for himself. It was much cleaner and he assumed she must have filters running.

In all the time they had spent on the Lucky Dragon before, none of the X-men had gone inside Fallen's private lavatory. It was located to the back of the cage room, a private area just for her. The lav was generous for a bathroom, almost as big as the cage area itself, with plenty of room for everyone. There was a good supply of hot water so they could take as long as they liked to wash. Maylee smiled at them demurely and left.

While he waited for his turn in the shower Logan took some time to check out the room. Fallen's lav was large and had lots of shelves. Towels, clothes and bedding were stacked neatly on one and a generous supply of medical supplies were on another. There was a medium sized viewing screen mounted on the wall near the shower --- so Fallen could talk with Seth, Maylee had explained. The sink area had a large vanity with a long mirror. She had a lot of items in jars along the top of it, he saw some hand rolled cigarettes in one and helped himself. He saw another jar with old style metal syringes and wondered why she would need so many. A closer look at her collection revealed she had quite the assortment of recreational drugs. He sniffed at the jars and winced at the smell, many of them were opiates and no doubt the source of her habit.

Wolverine saw her washing machine and crammed all of their clothes into it. This machine was simple yet quite efficient, Maylee told them that it could wash their clothes in a matter of only a few minutes, something that would make Fallen a million bucks and then some if she were to sell this technology back home. Logan was happy just for the privilege of using it, these small luxuries were the most welcome after living in the grungy Clan caves all this time. The Lucky Dragon was like a time machine warping them back to civilization. He couldn't wait for their next meal. Even he'd grown sick of the horrible Clan food. He smiled at Remy as he stepped out of the shower and hopped in, grateful.

After everyone was cleaned up, they all felt refreshed and comfortable. As they left the lav, they were startled to hear loud, thumping dance music drifting up from the lower level. The affect on Gambit was immediate, he broke out into a wide smile and his pace quickened. He was a veteran of the many dance clubs nearby the Institute. Gambit loved a scrap, a chance to flex his muscles to the maximum, but more than that he loved to dance. It was a release for him and he could surely use that right now, all these weeks stressed out at Clan Station Nine had left him quite miserable.

Logan, knowing this, had to suppress a smile as he rushed to keep up.

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[squeekness]

(Two)

The X-men made their way down the stairs and to the workshop, Maylee following behind them. The song was some kind of techno country music and Gambit recognized it immediately as Cotton Eyed Joe from the Rednex. It was a quirky tune but full of fun and their new friends were enjoying it and then some.

Kimble was out in the hologram again and he and his pilot Mistress were line dancing --- or at least Kimble was. Fallen was having serious trouble getting the steps right and she was goofing up like crazy, laughing at her own incompetence. The awkward pair had their backs to the hallway and didn't immediately notice the approach of their guests.

A computer screen was turned on on the long work bench in the back and an instructional animated figure was going through the dance steps on the screen. Kimble was pointing at it. "See? This way."

He stood back and went through the steps with exaggerated slowness, as if explaining to a retarded child. He took her hands and they tried again but poor Fallen was completely lost. She was making mistakes and laughing hysterically.

"No, no, no!" Kimble scolded through hearty laughter. "Yer not even close!"

He let go of her and went through it again, this time at full speed. His co-ordination was much better than Seth's and he flowed through each move with confident efficiency and in perfect time with the music. He was wearing those tight fitting black jeans again. They didn't seem to restrict him in any way, but exaggerated the odd bend of his legs. Looking at them, Logan surmised the clothes had to be part of the 'skin' that was Kimble's design, just as Lanlin’s kimono had been. There simply was no way denim pants that tight could ever be made to fit over crooked cat legs like that. Kimble wasn't human, but still danced with ease and grace.

"See? It's easy!" Kimble boasted when he finished the quick series of steps.

"Easy for you! You've got the files!" Fallen protested in response.

"That ain't it at all," he tried to explain. He took her hands once more and led her through the steps again. "Yer just bein' stubborn!" he drawled in his strange accent. "It ain't surgery, Fallen! Jus' dancin'." They danced awkwardly, Kimble forcing her to go faster and faster until she was a reckless tangle of limbs. She fell against him, gasping, and he held her loosely in his arms, his embrace comfortable and easy. They were both laughing loudly and having a blast.

The song ended and then started over, looping. Gambit took his cue and cut in on Fallen's other side, clearing his throat to get the hologram’s attention. Kimble looked up at him as he entered the line and smiled warmly, not the least bit upset over the interruption. His eyes glittered instead with amusement as he looked Remy over with the same unconcealed interest that he had Henry. He raised an eyebrow in invitation and Remy accepted, not the least bit intimidated by Kimble’s intense glance over. Remy knew both the music and the steps for this dance, he bowed and started right in. He counted off and the three of them began the dance together. Kimble and Gambit were in perfect time, but Fallen was hopelessly lost and not improving with practice.

"C'mon, 'Enry!" Remy shouted over the music and dragged a hapless Beast into the fray.

"Well, it's been some time...." Beast stammered, but managed to work his way feebly through the dance. Henry was quite nimble himself and no slouch on the dance floor, but he was unfamiliar with these particular steps. At least he was doing better than Fallen, she kept doing things backwards and was bumping back and forth between Remy and Kimble like a bizarre albino pinball. She was laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming from her eyes. She was swaying wildly, dizzily.

Kimble was laughing, too, but not as hard. He watched her with a mixture of dismay and amusement. "She's hopeless!" he announced, the verdict final.

Fallen took the hint and bowed out of the line. She staggered to the bench, her sides heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She was topless as usual and sweat gleamed on her bony torso. It didn't seem possible, but she looked thinner than before. There were some open beer bottles on the bench and she took one and drained it in one thirsty gulp. Henry joined her, glad for the excuse to make his escape. Logan weaved his way around the two remaining crazy people and leaned next to Henry.

Maylee had moved across the floor, behind all the action, to sit on the shop bed, her eyes glowing with excitement. She was watching the two remaining dancers intently. She wanted to join in, but Kimble intimidated her. He'd always made her nervous. Maybe when she got the steps figured out, she would join in. For now, she was content to watch.

Kimble and Gambit continued to dance. They were going at it with much more gusto now that the feebles had left. Gambit paused and showed Kimble a new series of steps that went with the same music. Kimble watched him carefully and then imitated him exactly, revealing he possessed a near perfect memory. He went through them again and Gambit nodded his approval. They danced again, quickly and in perfect unison.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/046wedance.jpg

"Oh, sure!" Fallen complained. "Now you're showing off!"

"He learns fast," Henry commented.

"He has almost unlimited learning capabilities," Fallen explained, leaning in closer to be heard over the music. "Plus he has all of Lucky's resources now that he's in the system. His 'brain' is much larger than ours if you put all that together. When he's motivated, he can learn almost anything. He especially likes games and dancing. Anything fun. He is an entertainment program after all. This is what he was designed to do."

Gambit went through another series of steps, thrilled to be dancing and playing around with the hologram. He wasn't the least bit put off by Kimble's playful and flirtatious kidding around. If anything, Kimble's eagerness to be with him only added to the fun. Gambit's gloom and dread of the upcoming mission evaporated and he laughed and laughed. He wanted to see just how much Kimble could do. The new steps that Remy showed him now were much more difficult than the ones Kimble had been trying to teach Fallen.

Kimble watched him, rapt, and picked them up just as easily as the last. He obviously enjoyed the challenge and was thrilled to be interacting with someone new. They continued to dance, rotating through the whole series of steps and Kimble completed them all with great skill. Kimble seemed to be having a grand time now that he had a competent partner. He laughed and joked with Remy, both of them at ease even though they didn't know each other well.

Logan was watching this with keen interest. Kimble learned fast, imitating Remy's slick moves with that computer perfect recall of his. Far from being thrilled by Kimble's ability to shmooze on the dance floor, Logan worried more over some basic truths. Dancing and fighting weren't all that different, especially the way Remy played it. Both required speed, grace, and accuracy and Kimble had no problem with any of these it seemed. Logan wondered if Kimble had any files on fighting techniques and just how strong he was. Because of his aggressive nature, Wolverine judged all men this way. They were categorized by threat assessments.

Kimble's outgoing and cocky demeanor made Logan wary. This was no passive and compliant hologram, not like Lanlin had been. Kimble's eyes were bright and he always seemed to have that sly, teasing grin. He was just a little too free, too independent in his spirit. He did what he wanted, not always what Fallen ordered him to do. Perhaps this was how these holograms behaved when they were integrated into a family as Kimble was, but Logan doubted it. There was something unique and different about Kimble that hadn't been there in the other hologram. Logan could see the hologram restraints were still in place, but he had no doubt Kimble could break out if he wanted to. It was there in his eyes. He had too much confidence, too much free will to be penned in forever.

Logan also recalled the argument Kimble had with Fallen. He'd threatened to click off, but was stopped by her plea for him to stay. If she was truly in control of him, Kimble would never have had the ability to leave or even the capacity to think about it independently of her. That was it, really. Kimble was a program, but showed that he functioned and thought separately and independently. Games and programs didn't do that last Logan knew. He wasn't sure what all this meant, or if it was even a concern, but he just couldn't shake the unease Kimble gave him. Even Seth hadn't made him feel this way.

He also noted how fast Remy was captivated by Kimble's charm. He couldn't recall the last time Gambit had laughed so hard or when he looked so bright and alive. Wolverine figured having a hologram like this wasn't much different than having a dog, the way they greeted you so bright and eager at the doorway when you first walked in. Problem was, some of those dogs would later bite you in the ass. Logan had no reason to believe Kimble could be any different. He only hoped that Gambit wasn't so captivated by this bizarre creation that he wouldn't get swept away by a false sense of security.

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[squeekness]

"Where did you get the steps and music for this dance?" Henry asked Fallen, interrupting Logan's thoughts.

Fallen smiled as she answered, "Seth found it in one of the Dognan computers. Apparently they have extensive files on human culture and behaviors."

"Seth has contact with the Dognan?"

"Yes. Well, he listens in on them all the time. In this case, Cerebus gave me a computer drive from a downed ship for analysis. I got the military files he wanted, but Seth found this stuff in a junk folder. The Dognan seem to like our music which is fine by me. These extracted files are my only source for music. Of all the things I miss most about home, music is the worst."

"How long have you been gone?" Henry asked gently, respectful of any pain she might still feel.

"About twenty years or so," she answered as quietly as he'd expected. "Clinton was President."

"Clinton?" Henry asked, puzzled. Back home, their President was a guy named Robert Kelly. He had risen to power on an anti-mutant platform, a cause of great concern for them all.

She smiled at him. "My Earth is not the same as yours," she explained.
"We don't have alphas or X-men, just stories about them. I believe now someone from my world could see into yours. It's my only explanation for your being here, real and alive."

"What year was it when you left?"

"2000."

Beast raised an eyebrow. "That's the same year it is for us now. If you came to our world, it would be like you never left."

"Wow," she breathed, genuinely surprised. "That’s freaky."

"May I ask how old you were when you were taken?"

"I was about 33 I guess."

"Let's see. You were 33 when you were taken. You said you've been gone about 20 years. Well, I must say you're in very good condition for someone who's about 55 years old."

"The Dognan conversion process retards aging. I also don't get sick as much as the Clan people do. Probably the only reason I get away with smoking as much as I do."

"I'd like to hear about the conversion process sometime."

"No, you wouldn't. It was awful," she said softly, dropping her eyes for a moment.

"Have you ever thought about going back home?" Henry said, changing to a less painful subject.

"Can't. My Earth was destroyed. They're all dead," she said quickly, forcing it out.

Oops, Henry thought to himself, instantly sorry for his mistake. "What about one of the other Earths? Ours, for example. Would you like to go there?"

"Sure. Seth and I have talked about it a lot since you came." She sat back into a chair, watching Kimble and Gambit play. They seemed tireless. "But I am one who is slow to change. I am comfortable here, even with Valentin," she added softly. Before Henry could speak, she continued. "Besides, I don't know if I can jump anymore. Kimble seems to think so, but it's been a really long time. Even if I could, looking as I do now would make things difficult for me."

"That's true," Henry agreed. "But your abilities and technical knowledge would go a long way towards overcoming that."

"Who would hire me? S.H.I.E.L.D. or some other government agency?" Fallen snapped. SHIELD was a powerful American agency that had been designed on the X-men’s Earth to intervene in the human/mutant squabbles. It was telling that Fallen was aware of its existence, it gave credence to her claim that she knew the X-men for real. She went on to say, "They'd want me to make weapons and I refuse. I won't be responsible for the death of another person."

Something in her voice caught Logan's attention. He wasn't sure what it was, but it nagged at him. Her phrasing begged the question -- had she killed before? Is that why she wouldn't use her power to fight Valentin? It was the only thing that made sense around here.

"I'd hire you," Henry said simply.

(Three)

Fallen had been drinking as the doctor had made his offer and she coughed and sputtered with surprise at Henry’s words. Kimble glanced her way, protectively watching his Mistress but not slowing down. Fallen replied, "You would hire me? What would that make me? The Fallen X-Man?" She threw her head back and laughed, obviously not believing him. "Yeah, I'd fit right in with all you beautiful happy people," she said sarcastically.

"Beautiful?"

"Oh, yes," she replied, a hard glint coming into her eyes. "That's the way you're drawn. A Clan of handsome, beautifully tragic people fighting a never ending war against racism. Me? I'm just tragic, nothing more," she finished bitterly.

Kimble seemed to sense her change in mood and came over, using his thirst as an excuse to make sure she was all right. He grabbed a bottle of beer next to her, selecting the one that was the most full, and chugged the whole thing down without stopping. He spilled the last of it and almost choked as it dribbled down his chin. He grinned and wiped his face on his arm, sputtering.


"Slob!" Fallen teased with a laugh.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/048backtothedance.jpg

"Wuz raised inna whorehouse. Let's go, yer rested enough, girl!" he said with hearty laughter, dragging her back to the dance. She didn't fight him. She failed once more at the steps, but Kimble succeeded in inspiring her laughter.

"Whorehouse, huh? Bet that's not far off the mark," Logan joked humorlessly, thinking of Lanlin. "He's very protective of her."

"Yes, as every good friend should be, I suppose."

"Your job offer didn't seem to impress her much," Logan continued, keeping his voice low as he kept his wary gaze on Kimble.

"Sometimes all one has to do is plant the seed, my friend. Perhaps if Kimble hears as well as I suspect, he will persuade her," Henry replied.

He'd noticed the timing of Kimble's convenient interruption and had no doubt of what he’d seen in Kimble’s eyes. "He'd do anything to get her away from Valentin, I am sure of it. Perhaps I will speak to him directly about it."

Logan snorted. "Don't bother. We don't know anything about him. Look at him. He's one of those Siskan holograms, but there's something different about him. He could be dangerous."

"Different? Yes. Perhaps it's because Fallen is using him for something a little less recreational than you did with the other one, my friend."

"Sheesh, Blue. It ain't that, okay? Did you see his eyes? He's got too much spirit. It’s like he’s really alive or something."

"Is that a tone of fear I detect? You don't think you could take him down if it came to it?"

"Sure, I can. If he bleeds. We don't know that he does or anything else about him."

"I'm willing to take the risk to get home. I still believe Fallen may be our only ticket out of here. Besides, I haven't seen anything about Seth or Kimble to make me nervous yet."

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

Once more, Fallen bowed out and left Gambit in charge of her overzealous hologram. She stepped aside, enjoying the show the two of them were putting on.

Remy was all over it. He danced faster and faster and was amazed when Kimble easily kept pace with him. Kimble moved with a fluid feline grace that matched his own and it was impossible for him tell Kimble wasn’t real by his movements. The only giveaway was a certain lack of fine detail on Kimble’s body and clothing and Remy saw the hologram’s ‘skin’ flicker slightly a few times. It didn’t slow Kimble down any, he certainly didn’t freak out like Seth did. He just kept dancing and fooling around, laughing wildly and clapping his hands.

A moment later, Kimble abruptly stopped dancing and stood still, touching his ear as if listening to something only he could hear. His body gave a great shiver and then melted slightly, magically shifting its appearance into Seth's. Seth apparently wanted to give the dance a try and in spite of all the fun he was having, Kimble had generously given the hologram over to him.

Henry raised his eyebrows to Logan who only looked that much more aloof. "Neat trick," the doctor couldn’t help but comment.

Fallen took Seth's hands and smiled, her pleasure at his arrival obvious to all. "I was hoping you'd come," she said and kissed him. "Let’s dance, love. Show Kimble just how good you are."

"Okay, just take it easy on me," he laughed. He bobbled a bit, woozy and blinking. "Uh, gotta thank Kimble for the beer. I think I’m too drunk for this!"

"You’ll be fine," Fallen said, giving him another kiss.

At last, someone who danced worse than Fallen. Seth was still very slow and wobbly on his legs. Gambit grinned and showed Seth the steps, curious about how he was different from Kimble. Seth shared Kimble's near perfect memory, but not his skill. He still struggled as he moved his body around. He was also quite drunk on what Kimble had taken into the hologram, that had been no joke. His cheeks were now flushed and he had a good case of the giggles going on.


Remy was very patient with the new arrival, as ever a natural teacher. He was amused to no end on how tipsy Seth was, it only added to the fun and he was having a blast.

Seth ate up all the encouragement Gambit had to offer and started to dance when the song looped over again. The two different personalities were very powerful in their individuality, Seth seemed small and timid compared to Kimble's dynamic presence, another sign of just how different these two brothers really were.

Maylee was keenly aware of that difference and was excited Seth had come. She loved him best and enjoyed his company, especially when he was out in the hologram. She decided she'd seen enough to give the dance a try, figuring she couldn't be any worse than he was. She came up behind Seth and waited to cut in.

The young Siskan didn't see her and swung back with his arms, inadvertently elbowing her in the face. Maylee cried out in shock and surprise as her nose began to bleed.

Seth turned to Maylee and panicked when he saw the blood. "Are you all right?" he gasped in fear. It was only just a small dribble of blood, but he grabbed at her like she'd been stabbed. Blood from her nose leaked out over his hand and Seth cried out in horror at the sight of it.

The music stopped abruptly although no one had moved to shut it off. Logan looked around, confused and it next occurred to him that Seth or Fallen had shut it off just by thinking about it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maylee said, laughing and feeling foolish for not looking out where she'd been going. Fallen tossed her a rag and Henry stepped in to pinch off her nose. It was more difficult because of her cat like face, but the bleeding was so minor, he wasn’t really concerned about it.

Seth was. He backed up, looking at the bright red blood on his hands in terror. His eyes were wide and he began to tremble violently. He made sharp hitching noises as he started to hyperventilate as he had before. All of his confidence had evaporated, lost by what he perceived to be a disaster. Fallen noticed and went to him. "Hey, relax. She's fine."

"I hurt her....I hurt her...Uhhh..." Seth wheezed. All he could see was the blood.

"It was an accident. See? The bleeding's already stopped." Fallen looked back at Maylee who held the rag up as proof. She wasn't bleeding anymore.

Seth didn't care. "I hurt her... I hurt May!" he wheezed breathlessly. He backed up until he hit the wall and slid down to the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears, smearing blood on his face. He kept repeating the same thing over and over.

Fallen followed him and crouched down. She put her hands on his cheeks and started chanting his catch phrase. "Shhh...Seth tay kunda Siska esk. Seth tay kunda Siska esk..."

Logan noted the word Siska and nodded to himself. Siska, meaning this was in fact a Siskan hologram, just as Zekian had spoken of. Wolverine watched Seth’s childish display of horror with a kind of disgust of the immature. He couldn't figure out why the two brothers were so different. Kimble made him wary because he was so outgoing, now Seth's little freakout made him even more untrusting of them both. Why would anyone over react like this unless they weren't quite right? These guys had some serious problems, no matter what anyone else thought.

After a moment, Seth calmed and was quiet. Maylee came over and crouched next to Fallen in front of Seth. She kissed him lightly on the forehead. "You okay, buddy?"

At the sound of her voice, Seth opened his eyes. He looked tired and frightened and he reached out and lightly touched Maylee's nose as if he didn't believe she was okay. "I'm so sorry I hurt you." He looked like he would bawl at any moment.

"It's okay. It was my fault. Next time I'll let you know I'm behind you. It was an accident," Maylee said. At twelve years old, she sounded more adult than the man on the floor in front of her. Her concern was obvious, just as she was clearly much more at ease with Seth than with Kimble.

Seth nodded and closed his eyes again. "I want to go back now," he said softly.

"All right," Fallen said. "Don't stay away long. Kimble will take care of you." She gave him a lingering kiss and hugged him. Seth smiled at her, grateful for her touch and then turned his head away. The hologram melted from Seth's shape into that of a solid square. The personality was gone, but the particles remained and waited to be used again.

"What was that all about?" Logan asked impatiently. He didn’t understand why Seth had made such a fuss over a nosebleed.

"He's very sensitive to any kind of violence," Fallen explained, giving Logan a dirty look. She had no patience for his lack of understanding and stood up to face him. "It's worse when Valentin's been around. He can’t take the sight of blood."

"Can't imagine why."

"I think Seth is paranoid about how his actions affect other people," Fallen continued, ignoring his sarcastic remark. "Understand that his on-screen personality can't be hurt or affect this outside realm. The hologram is different. When he's out, he's much more sensitive about what he does and how he acts. He's more timid, more easily frightened than Kimble. Although I think he panics too easily, I fail to see how his being upset over hurting someone is a bad thing. I'd rather have him like this than be a bully."

"Where did he go?" Henry asked.

"He's back inside the system. He'll be quiet now for a couple of hours and then he'll be back, good as new. I'll talk to him about this and he'll be better."

"Kimble comin' back?" Logan wanted to know.

"No. He'll look after Seth until he's ready to come back out."

No one was in much of a mood to dance after this so they all went back upstairs. Fallen and Maylee cooked another wonderful stew. As before, Fallen served no meat, but it was fine just the same. They also served fresh bread and fruit, making a nice well rounded meal, the best the X-men had eaten in days. They all ate until they were stuffed, their good humor returning after a while. Gambit took out his cards and they played and drank her fine wine until it was quite late.

Neither Seth nor Kimble returned to the screen. Fallen would keep looking up as if expecting them, but the control room remained empty. Eventually they all grew tired and wandered off to bed. Fallen set the X-men up in the barracks, making sure they were all comfortable before retiring herself. She gave Maylee her bed in the cage and went down to the lower level to sleep.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

(Four)

Sometime in the night, Wolverine jerked suddenly awake. He'd heard a strangled cry from the lower level, something that brought him from a deep sleep to full attention. He sat up and listened, seeing that no one else around him was awakened by the noise. It was dark in the ship but he could see well in the dark, enough to notice the trap door was still open. He rose, sleek and quiet in the dark. This was his element and he could move about easily without being noticed.

Soft voices rose from below. Kimble and Fallen were whispering togther but it wasn’t enough to keep Wolverine from hearing that she was crying. Logan moved silently to the trapdoor and down the stairs. He slid down the hall and paused at the opening for the workshop. He wasn’t ready to make his presence known just yet, he wanted to see what was going on first. There were no lights on in the room but with his enhanced senses, he could clearly see the edge of the bed from where he had stopped. She wasn’t alone, the Kimble hologram was talking to her gently from a crouched position on the floor.

"S'okay, now, baby doll, I'm right here."

"Seth!" she called, her voice hoarse.

"He ain't come back yet. He's all nervous with the extra folks around. I'm here fer ya now."

Fallen was crying. She'd obviously had a nightmare, something Logan was all too familiar with himself. "Don't let them catch me!" Her voice had an edge of panic.

"Ain't nuthin here 'cept me," he soothed, leaning up onto the bed so he could touch her. "S'all quiet now. Jus' relax."

"No, they're always here, always..."


"Who? Who're you 'fraid of? Why won’tcha ever tells me?"

Kimble's voice had a familiar ring of frustration to it, informing Logan that she must have had this dream before. She didn't answer him but continued to sob. Fallen kept her secrets.

Kimble held her, kissing her and tenderly stroking her face. Taking advantage of her distress, his kisses grew more slow and intimate until he was making out with her full on the mouth.

She allowed it for a moment then gently pushed him away. "Stop that," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked her just as quietly. He wasn’t pushing himself on her, he was simply upset at her refusal to let him help her. "I kin helps ya. I kin takes yer pain away if you would only let me. It's what I wuz made ta do, you knows that."

"It's not you I want."

"Seth ain't never gonna do fer you like I can, baby doll."

"Ability has nothing to do with it. We love each other, that's all that matters."

"I loves you, too!" he protested in an almost childish whine.

"I know you do," she replied, holding his chin. "I can hear it in your voice and taste it from your lips. You have a kind and loving heart, but you will never love me like he does."

"Let me takes yer pain, girl," he insisted. "All ya needs is fer someone ta touch ya right. Show ya that ya don' need Vally's pain ta feel alive. Seth cain't do that, Fallen, but I can. I loves ya enough to wanna helps ya. I hates ta see ya like this."

"I know you care," she said, looking into his eyes. "But even you can't take all the pain away. It hurts me all the time now."

"That's cuz ya don' keep Vally offa ya. You gittin’ pregnant and rippin' yer body all ta hell with them horrible potions ta git rid of it ain't helpin’," Kimble complained with real concern.

Logan winced inwardly at the thought of what she'd done to herself. There was much they didn’t know about this pilot and her strange holographic men. He had no idea what drove her, what kept her going --- or what kept her sane. Wolverine just prayed she could hang on a little longer, just long enough to help them... and from the sound of things, herself as well.

"I didn't get pregnant this time," Fallen was arguing to her companion.

"No. But you ain't been right since the last time. Yer too thin. Usin' too much. I knows yer havin' trouble keepin' food down. You worry me, girl. Ya really do."

"I'm fine," she insisted sadly, rubbing his cheeks. "Thanks for caring, though." She sat up on the bed and rested her head back against the wall, sighing heavily. "I need a drink."

Kimble responded immediately, he rose and went to the shop bench, lighting two large double wick candles there. He grabbed a whiskey bottle from the bench, stuck it under his arm, and carried the works back over to the bed. His movements were quick and practiced, the sign of a good and conscientious servant.

Logan crouched down as Kimble passed near the doorway, fearful that the light might reveal him watching there. In spite of the extra illumination, the hologram didn't appear to notice him. Kimble set the candles on the floor and handed Fallen the bottle. He fussed over her, taking a blanket and seeing that she was covered, draping it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said, using a claw to open the bottle.

"Shure thing, kid. Anathin' fer you." Kimble sat down on the floor, his back against the bed.

Fallen took a large hit from the bottle and sighed in relief as the warmth of the liquor spread through her. She reached out and pulled Kimble's long ponytail onto the bed with one hand and toyed with it, running it through her fingers. He put his head back, loving the attention.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/049darkroom.jpg

"You're the best friend a girl could have," Fallen whispered wistfully.

"Why's that? Cuz I let ya git drunk an' pet me?" Kimble teased, laughing a little at his joke.

"Actually yes. I enjoy this simple pleasure very much. But mostly it's because you're always here when I need you. I'm glad you wanted me to work on restoring the hologram. It's better talking with you like this instead of on the screen."

"Better fer me, too. You gonna sleeps down here all the time now? All I kin do is talks to ya when yer up top."

"I'll think about it." She sounded like a woman who didn't like to commit to anything.

"You seen Vally today," Kimble said, changing the subject. It wasn't a question.

"Yes. This morning."

"He give you any crap? That why you dreamin’?"

"No. He was too busy. Tomorrow will be a busy day for us all."

"You talk with Cerebus? He gonna make Vally leave you alone?"

"He said, ‘Stop resisting him and he won't beat you’."

"That's cuz ya don't tells him what he does. Jus' like you won't tells me why ya let him hurts ya like ya do," Kimble complained, turning to look back at her. "If ya won' tell me, you should tells Seth. I knows yer more personal with him than me."

"I don't want to start this with you again."

"Sorry. It's only cuz I cares 'boutcha, is all," he said, giving in. He was quiet a moment and then ventured to ask, "We gonna split or what?"

"What do you mean?

[squeekness]

"Yer almost done with yer service. We gonna split or hang around with these losers?" he asked, meaning the Clan.

"I haven't thought about it."

"Liar. You just don' wants ta tell me. We're stayin’, right?" he asked, his disappointment obvious.

"Where are we going to go?" she countered in exasperation.

"To the X-men's place. I heard that Henry guy talkin' to ya."

Logan's ears pricked up with interest. This he definitely wanted to hear and he dared to come one step closer to the edge of the doorway.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, my Momma used to say," Fallen replied to Kimble’s question.

"You wuz pickin' on Seth fer havin' no sense of adventure. Now look at you, chicken." He clucked in an exaggerated imitation of the bird.

She laughed and tugged on his hair. "You're such a pest! Besides, I don't know if I can jump."

"You kin jumps easy. Yer levels are higher than all them other pilots."

"Yes, but we always jumped in pairs with the Dognan. You want me to do it alone."

"So? I knows ya kin do it. I'll helps ya. Lucky's a fine ship, gots the best engines. Won't take as much fer you ta jump us."

"Valentin won't let us go."

"No, you won' let Vally go, there's a difference," he said, serious again.

"Are you jealous?"

"Only cuz ya gives him yer body. Ya say yes ta him, but no ta me. Huh. That's sumpthin' I ain't never gonna understand. I wouldn’t ever do ya like that, baby doll. No f'kin’ way. Ya say yer waitin' fer Seth, but ya spend th' meanwhile with that a--hole. That -- that ---- that --Ughh!! Fergets it," he grumbled irritably and put his head down, turning away from what he clearly didn’t understand.

"You don't understand because it's not about sex, Kimble."

"Then what is it about, huh? Tells me!" he demanded.

"I can't. It's complicated."

"Oh? I'm too f'kin' stupid ta understand, is that it?" he said sharply. "You'd be surprised what I knows, lady!"

"I'm sure. I realize there's more to you than you tell me. We both have our secrets. As such, this is a private matter between me and Valentin. You'll just have to respect that."

"An' Seth? Alla this is hurtin' him bad. He ain't so tough as me."

Logan had to suppress a snort at that, the idea that Kimble thought he was tough about anything at all. Logan still didn’t know what to make of this hologram that stubbornly refused to see its own limitations.

Fallen was answering, "As you're so fond of saying, ‘we'll deal with it.’ Right now Seth is too afraid to come out all the time, so there's no point in changing things. Perhaps when he's braver, it will get better for all of us."

"So, you gonna dump my files when he comes out fer good?" he asked, a tone of insecurity making him quiet.

"Not a chance, mister," she said, yanking on his ponytail with affection. "You're my best friend, Kimble. I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, I wouldn't want to be anywhere without you. No one makes me laugh like you do. No one pisses me off like you do." she joked, laughing. "I always know I'm safe with you watching my back. No one knows this ship like you do. It took you a long time to learn, but no one flies like you do with me. We're a team. You're my Second. You always will be. I would do it, but I wouldn't enjoy flying as much if you were gone."

"You knows I wuzn't ever meant ta fly no ship like this."

"Yes. I know. But you're a survivor like me. We adapt to whatever comes our way. We do what we have to, to stay alive." She stretched and yawned, growing tired again.

"You should sleeps now," he said gently.

She leaned forward and set the bottle down. "C'mere," she said, pulling Kimble onto the bed with her so he lay behind her. She took his big arms and wrapped them around her tiny body like a nice warm blanket. "I'm so tired, Kimble. Tired inside and out."

"Sleep then. Fayed rowth, my Fallen. M’ Mistress," he whispered, confirming Logan’s guess of the hologram’s status. Kimble was owned like property, saw that as his place and served the woman he held with complete devotion. Logan had the idea then that Kimble may not be in love with her, but he would do his best to protect her, to honor his station. He could see the way Kimble touched her, he was so gentle. He held her close and kissed the back of her head. "I'll watch over yous. Ain't nuthin' gonna happens to ya with me here."

"I'm glad you came tonight..." she whispered, settling down. Kimble stared off into space, rubbing her arm with his thumb, thinking. He smiled when he heard her breathing change and she snored a little.


Kimble startled Wolverine in his hiding place when he spoke softly. "You kin leaves now, Logan. She's sleepin'."

Logan snickered softly, busted. "Right, then." He stood to go.

"She won' go. Won' leave Vally. I'll keep tryin' fer yous guys, though," Kimble's voice was sad and tired.

"I'm sure you will." he replied and left as quietly as he came. He went up the stairs and lay back down on his bed. He was tired but couldn't sleep now, he had too much to think about. He was surprised that Kimble had detected him. With all of his military training, Wolverine was not an easy man to catch by anyone’s standards. The room had been almost completely black, lit only by the two large candles. He casually wondered if Kimble, as a hologram, possessed some kind of extra sensory perception that no one knew about. He certainly wasn’t human so it would be foolish to judge his capabilities as one. He would have to keep an eye on him and be cautious whenever Kimble was out in the hologram.

On the other hand, he had no doubt that Kimble would honor his promise. Getting the X-men home served his Mistress as well and Kimble desperately wanted Fallen out of the mess she was in. Their goals appeared to be the same.

Logan yawned and settled down himself, ready now for some sleep. They were going to have a busy day tomorrow.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

(Five)

The X-men slept well and were refreshed and happy when they woke. They rose excited and ready to get this battle over with so they could go home. They cleaned up and got dressed before wandering out to the galley.

Remy had passed on Clan dress this morning and put his X-men clothes back on. He was overjoyed when Fallen had returned his much missed leather duster, it had been left behind on her ship when they were taken prisoner by the Clan all those weeks ago. He wanted his long coat for the pockets and the flexibility of the spandex pants for greater mobility, leather never really was his favorite. He hadn’t liked the Clan dress at all, he was self conscious about his scars and he felt exposed without a shirt. His boots were also of a much higher quality, he wasn’t one to scrimp when it came to his protective gear. They were made of fine leather and fit snugly, giving his ankles support in case he had to do any jumping around. His chest plate was flexible, but reinforced with durable Kevlar and gave him a sense of security. If any shrapnel were to go flying, at least his torso would be protected.

The others seemed to have no such concerns. Well, Henry wasn’t going out in the field so that was no big deal, but Logan didn’t seem nervous about going out to plant bombs in little more than black leather pants and boots. There was something to be said for having a healing factor.
Fallen was waiting them in the galley and had some things out on the table. She had set out a nice breakfast of fresh bread and fruit, plus some ground grains as cereal. It was sweetened with some form of honey and was quite tasty. Henry was impressed, he had seen no bees here, never mind farmers growing crops. Most of what she had placed out for them must have been gathered and prepared by either her or Maylee.

Fallen had also put together some small backpacks with travel food and water for Logan and Gambit. The two of them would participate in the actual raids while Henry remained behind on the Lucky Dragon co-ordinating the various teams.

While he ate, Logan looked at what she'd put out for them. "What're those packs for?"

"Let it not be said the Clan treats its prisoners poorly," she teased.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/050gettingready.jpg

"There's some food here for you and some water." She tossed Remy a leather bag. He caught it easily and smiled when he felt the weight of it. He opened it and saw it was full of marble sized ball bearings. "Those might come in handy." she suggested.

"Merci, mon chere," he said with a grin and slipped the pouch into one of his roomy pockets. Cards were good, but bearings even better, they went farther and carried a stronger charge. The stronger the charge, the bigger the bang. He was sorry he'd lost his retractable bo staff to the Dognan, it could've come in handy today. He had his wooden one, but it wasn’t the same.

"De rien," she replied to Gambit then laughed when he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Don’t get excited, that’s the extent of my French other than some swears. Don't be shy with those bearings, I've got plenty more." Fallen turned to Logan as well and locked them both firmly with her eyes. "Now, you two be careful out there. I'm counting on you coming back. I've considered Henry's proposal and a trip back to Earth is sounding more and more appealing. I need you as an excuse to get out of here so try not to get killed, okay?" she said only half joking.

"You'll take us home, then?" Henry asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Yes, if I get the opportunity. If we pull this off today, I might be able to get things rolling quickly so we can all be free of this place. It will take some luck and prayers, but I think I can manage it." She looked back at Wolverine and Gambit. "Be wary of Valentin. Don't let him bully you or use you unwisely."

"We'll be careful. Don't worry," Logan promised, his mood vastly improved by the thought of going home.

She gave them each a small black box. "Take these. Hide them. Those are tracking devices. Only use them if you get in trouble and don't let Valentin know you have them. You activate them like this..." She showed them a small button on one side. "Seth can find you anywhere on this rock. If you activate it, sit tight and we'll come pick you up."

They enjoyed their quick breakfast and ate well, knowing they weren’t going to eat so well if they ended up back at the Station. Seth and Kimble joined them a few minutes later from the screen, a welcome surprise. Seth seemed to have recovered from yesterday's trouble and was smiling and joking around with Kimble as always.

They briefly went over the day's plans. They had three targets to hit today if all went well. First was the munitions and fuel dump, the second was a large barracks, and the third was the main Dognan complex itself. The last would be the most risky, since the first two targets were fairly isolated. The last one was a huge building and much better guarded. The hope was that destroying these three main targets would so cripple the Dognan slavers that they would be forced to leave Cerise for good. The truth was, Cerise was so badly damaged from all the fighting, there wasn’t much left to keep. What little there was, the Clan wanted and was determined to have it.

They moved into the Main Room and everyone took their places. They settled in and the Lucky Dragon took off for the staging area. The flight was quick, only an hour or so. Henry was interested in the ship and how it was flown, he asked lots of questions and Fallen answered them with a laugh. She was in fact a powerful telekinetic and used her power to guide the ship as well as producing the Ristle as fuel for the engines. The ship could not be flown without her. Henry was sorry they didn’t have time to explore the ship further, he would have loved to see the engines and know them better. Perhaps after all of this was done, he might get that chance.

As they flew along, Kimble was joking around and in a good mood as he teased his brother and Fallen. He did in fact have quite the large library of jokes, both dirty and innocent, and he had them all in stitches most of the time. His good humor was infectious and they landed at the rendevous place in high spirits.

They were met outside the Lucky Dragon by Valentin and his crew who had teleported out to the site the night before. Several large squads of men were here to be used for this mission, clumped together with their leaders. Most of them were packing up the gear they had used overnight, folding up the tents and putting out the cooking fires. Logan and Remy joined the alpha squad that was headed up by Valentin and were paired off with their partners for the day. It was believed they would all fare better with the buddy system in place. Logan would go with Valentin and Remy with Bruce.

Bruce wore a modern headset radio that he and Henry had scrounged and was in link with Henry back on the ship. They would stay closely in touch throughout all three stages and Beast wouldmonitor their progress from the Lucky Dragon. It still surprised Logan to see the odd combination of Medieval and modern out here. Swords and radios, teleporters and bow and arrows. He just shook his head in wonder and kept moving.

Bruce was nearby and he joked and chatted with Justin as he waited for all the various squads to get ready. The two men were playing around, but with such a large crowd of men, showed no signs of intimacy and behaved as if they were nothing more than just good friends. No one seemed to know they were more than that and Beast wasn’t about to comment on it. Both men carried bows and shot off a few practice rounds while they waited, showing off. Both were excellent shots and confident.

Reese was there, too, although he would be used for the next trip later this day. It was decided to alternate the teleporters to give each one a break. Jacob would be moving them first. Reese sat crouched at Valentin’s feet, a dusty, humble human dog. Like before, he was dressed in the ragged pants and wore no boots. He didn’t speak, but growled and barked up at his Master. Valentin would nod and respond back, somehow understanding him perfectly. Reese kept a wary eye on Wolverine, sniffing at him and showing his teeth.

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[squeekness]

Logan returned in kind, not letting this dirty little creep think he was superior because he was Valentin's Third. He stood very close, invading the smaller man's personal space fearlessly and made sure it was Reese who backed down. Valentin let them play their little game without interfering. He was entertaining thoughts of making Logan an officer if he decided to stay. Wolverine certainly seemed very comfortable out here in this military atmosphere and Valentin had no doubt the man would be a valuable asset to the cause.

Valentin made sure everyone had their cloaking devices and that the timers on the charges had all been set properly. All seemed to be in order so they readied to depart. Jacob gathered them all together and concentrated, working his magic. He teleported them in close to the munitions warehouse, a site about two miles from where they had camped.

This was the first of their three targets for the day. The warehouse was located near the ruined city and not well protected considering what was supposedly inside. The Dognan had lost territory here to the Clan raiders bit by bit and were stretched out much too thin to guard it as well as such a tasty target deserved. In spite of this building having been built by an alien race, the structure was similar to any warehouse back home, as if one had been plucked off the earth as the humans had been and placed here. The warehouse was a long cinderblock building with many windows and doors, most of them open and unguarded. If their information was correct, this building contained weapons and fuel for some of the larger Dognan fighting ships. It should go up with a spectacular bang.

The Clansmen split off into their assigned pairs to plant the charges. Logan had prepared these bundles of explosives for this occasion, cocktails of C4 and dynamite. Logan was playing for keeps. He had trained these men how to handle the explosives over the past weeks, hopefully well enough that no one would get blown up by accident. It had been a crash course, most government agencies back home wouldn't have remotely considered giving such dangerous ordinance to newly trained men, but out here they had to make due with what they had.

The Clansmen and their complimentary Xs were all cloaked and moved about easily for the most part. The Clansmen men had been well trained by Valentin as far as moving in silent groups was concerned and they moved stealthily and quietly. Logan couldn't help but be impressed and he could now see how these men who lived as little more than savages had gotten as far against the Dognan as they had. You can't retaliate against what you can't see or hear. They were sneaky quiet, moving like deadly shadows along the outside walls and up through the windows to get inside.

Wolverine and Valentin came up on a pair of Dognan sentries that were a little more wary then the others but dispatched them quickly and quietly. It was the only the trouble they encountered.

Remy followed Bruce as was directed, but was still uncomfortable. He didn't mind the sneaking around, but the explosives made him nervous. He knew those things were tricky and had always refused jobs back home where they were involved. More than one fellow thief in his Guild had blown off a finger during a pinch and he wasn't interested in the least in joining their ranks.

They went in through one of the unguarded doors and went over to where some large drums of fuel were placed. Gambit let Bruce do all the work as far as planting the bombs near some large containers of fuel and setting the timers. Remy stood over him warily, holding up his end by covering him in case of trouble. It was quiet in the nook they had chosen and they got in and out with no trouble. Remy couldn't hide his relief when it was over. Maybe all this was going to go more easily than he had feared.

Logan planted his own charges and stepped back to watch over the other teams as they worked. He saw Valentin nearby doing the same and was impressed with Valentin's skill and bravery. Out here, he was in charge, but had taken no less risk than his men. He walked silently among the sentries, taking out the threats and placing his explosive charges himself. Handling explosives was always a risky business even for the well trained, but he showed no fear or concern for himself. He did what had to be done and got out of there. The charges were placed with no fuss and all the pairs regrouped around the front.

"This is too easy, my friend," Valentin complained with a grin. "I almost feel sorry for them."

"I don't," Logan replied, remembering the pens.

They teleported back in a flash of bright light, reappearing not far from Fallen's ship. They had a spectacular view of the warehouse and watched as it exploded. All the fuel and munitions caught fire and a huge fireball burst out to the sky, going up red and orange and black. A wave of heat and acrid smell washed over them, but it was intensely satisfying. Phase One was complete with ease and no casualties.

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[squeekness]

(Six)


Reese, the feral teleporter, was used to bring them in for the next target. This was the barracks where most of the Dognan soldiers were housed. The Clansmen were grouped in a much larger party this time but acted quickly, only moments had passed since the first target was taken out and the Clan wanted to keep the rush going to keep the Dognan running around chasing their tails. Reese surprised Logan by accepting a sword this time and holding it ready. It was clear that in spite of his feral and animal nature, he was capable of holding his own.

Like Jacob, Reese teleported them in not far from the barracks complex. This part of the Dognan facility was located opposite the fuel and munitions dump and wasn't far from the bombed out city. The yellow glowing fence of the pens could be seen in the distance.

There were a lot of Dognan men running around, confused and panicked because of the munitions explosion only minutes before. The invaders were sheltered behind a storage shed and hoped the cloaks would keep them from being seen. Again they formed their pairs and split off, leaving Reese behind to wait for their return. He was much too valuable to sacrifice out in the field and the sword he had been given was for his own protection.


The Clansmen scattered quickly, each team going to a prearranged location to set their charges. Logan went with Valentin, Gambit with Bruce again. Logan and Valentin were closest to their designated planting spot and set their charges in place early. They startled when they heard a loud gun fight not far from where they had left Reese to wait for them. There was a shrill whine as Dognan warships came in from above and shouts from patrols could be heard all around. There were far more men here than the Clan had been led to believe.

"Damn you, Bruce!" Valentin cursed and he and Logan raced back to Reese. There they found a small Dognan squad standing around over his shattered body by the shed. Reese had put up quite a fight, but he couldn't hold them off, there were too many. Their transportation was gone.

The Dognan soldiers turned when they heard Valentin and Logan approach and Valentin realized they could be seen in spite of the cloaking devices. Somehow the Dognan had discovered the frequency of the cloaks and had rendered them useless. That was always the risk when you used someone’s technology against them. The team was in danger.

He and Logan didn't hesitate, they jumped as one and laid waste to their enemies. The squad hadn't been prepared for the ferocity of their attackers and were taken down easily in spite of being the larger party. The two human warriors were speedy and skillful, they finished their grim work quickly. When they were finished, Valentin stood back and leaned on his huge bloody sword, panting from the effort. He raised an eyebrow at Logan and gave an ironic laugh. "Never a dull moment, eh?"

Logan grinned. It was hard for him not to like this man who risked so much, so selflessly. Like a modern Alexander, Valentin had learned that men followed courage and his effect on Wolverine was no less.

Gambit and Bruce came up behind them, out of breath from running. They had managed to plant their charges but had to fight as well, both were scratched and bruised, but intact. Justin and his partner were right behind them, their eyes bright from the fighting.

Valentin turned on Bruce as soon as he saw him, slapping him with enough force to spin him around. Bruce reeled in a daze and staggered to his knees with a startled grunt. He hadn’t been prepared for Valentin’s anger and had no clue what was going on.

"You idiot!" Valentin howled, his earlier humor gone. "You said there would be no patrols! They can see us!"

"It's not his fault! How would he know they would get past the cloaks so quickly?!" Justin protested, defending Bruce. His partner could hardly speak, blood was streaming from his nose and he was doing his best to stop the flow as it dripped down his chin. "The Dognan must have figured out the frequency on the cloaks from the last run! They set us up!"

"I'm not interested in his pitiful excuses!" He glared at Bruce who cowered on the ground and pointed at him. "Whoever dies today is on your head!" He clicked on his headset to communicate with the rest of the team. "Fall back to the first marker, people! Reese is gone! We have to run for a pick up!" He reached down and hauled Bruce to his feet, shoving him towards the street. "Move it!"

They ran towards the ruined city, their only choice for survival was to get lost in the ruins and pray someone would come along and pick them up. Bruce was screaming into his headset, begging Henry to call in some air support to cover their escape. There had been some Clan pilots and ships on standby just in case.

The other team members joined them gradually as they went, a pair at a time. They, too had been met by foot patrols and not all of them had made it back. Only half of Valentin's original party now remained. The Clansmen were durable and sturdy, the wounded kept pace and didn't slow them down.

The group ducked down as the Dognan barracks finally exploded behind them, right on time. The Dognan patrols had interrupted their surprise attack, but hadn't been able to prevent all of the charges from going off. At least this disaster was a partial success.

They could hear the whine of Dognan ships barreling down on them as they hit the city. Buildings exploded as the ships fired on them and missed. They had to keep ducking down behind wrecked vehicles and buildings to avoid all the flying shrapnel and debris but they gave a silent cheer when they saw the Clan fighters flying in to cover them. They were caught in the crossfire of a bitter aerial assault but at least they were no longer the sole target.

One Dognan ship swooped a little low and close to them and Gambit jumped up, ready. He held three of Fallen's ball bearings in his hand, charged them, and tossed. The red glowing missiles exploded right in front of the ship's cockpit, blinding the driver. The ship jerked wildly and crashed into a building, exploding in a blue ball of flame.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/051gambittoss.jpg

"Score one for de Cajun!" Gambit cheered, proud of his handiwork. Taking down a ship in self defense was more than okay on his list in spite of the casualties. He was exhilarated by the explosion and clapped his hands. "An de crowd goes wild!"

They didn't stop to watch the battle continue, but kept on running. They seemed to be making good progress and traveled quickly. They ran out into the streets where it was clear and they could make better time. Too late, Logan realized the danger. He barely had the words out, "Watch out fer mines!" when the ground suddenly exploded out from under him.

He jumped wildly, snarling as he felt the shrapnel come up between his feet and rip into his legs and his abdomen. His speed kept him from taking the worst of it but the pain was horrible. He crashed to the ground and writhed in agony, feeling his blood pool around him with its sickening warmth. He was down, but not out. He just needed a minute to recover.

The others did not fare so well. One of Valentin's men next to him hit another mine and was shredded instantly, blood and gore flew in all directions. Valentin was next to him and gave a twisted scream as a large sliver of shredded metal impaled his thigh and lodged in his flesh. Men were bellowing and flailing all around, most of them wounded in some way.

"Damnit!" Logan cursed from his heap on the ground. He had tried to train these men about the mines but they simply hadn’t had enough time. There was a big difference between a class and actual field experience, and this accident was a glaring example. He began pulling the shreds of metal out from his belly and legs. He had to work quickly, it was such a pain in the ass when the flesh healed up around the shrapnel and made it harder to get out.

Valentin grumbled and clutched at his own wounded leg, assessing the damage. The injury wasn't that serious, just painful. He stood up awkwardly and tugged on the metal trapped in his thigh, but it was stuck fast. He would have to wait to get it out. A career soldier, he removed his belt from his waist and tied off the injury without further complaint.

"My, Lord!" one of his men cried out in loyalty laced fear and tried to help him.

Valentin shoved him away with aristocratic impatience. "Don't worry about me, let's get out of here!"

Gambit and Bruce helped Wolverine to his feet. He could stand but he wouldn't be able to run for a while. Remy was shaking, his earlier excitement gone. It was one thing to fire at a ship that crashed and exploded from a distance, it was quite another to see men screaming with their guts ripped out. One man had been cut in half, his entrails spread out between the two halves that were now twitching as he died. Remy felt his gorge rise and couldn’t stop himself from puking. He had never been good with blood, he had way too many bad memories with it. His only consolation came that he wasn’t the only one, Bruce was hurling right there next to him.

"Let’s get this train wreck moving!" Valentin snarled. They were out in the open and horribly exposed. The Dognan would be on them any minute.

Logan could sense Remy’s fear now that the thief had actually seen the wounded up close. There was no mistaking this for the war it was and Remy was not in his usual secure environment. It hadn’t surprised him that Remy was sick, it wasn’t an easy thing to see a man ripped apart like that and the kid was no killer, no matter what he’d been accused of. He gave Gambit’s arm a reassuring squeeze and felt him relax a little.

They moved away from the street and back to the buildings where they were better protected. They were going much more slowly and carefully because so many of them had been injured. Still they were getting picked off and their numbers were now drastically reduced.

Wolverine, even as injured as he was, watched his steps, making sure he was always in between Gambit and danger. He wouldn’t see his teammate come to harm, not if he could help it. When they paused here and there, Logan would yank more debris out of himself, grunting softly with impatience. It was already getting hard to get the stuff out, he had to rip and tear a little, only adding to his pain. Valentin watched him with jealous amusement. "Would that I had your ability, my friend."

"All it means is ya get hurt more," Logan joked wryly and tossed a piece of metal aside.

They reached the outer marker finally. Valentin looked around at the buildings, he saw one he liked and pointed. "There! We'll climb to the roof."

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[squeekness]

(Seven)


They entered the building through a bomb shattered doorway and made their way up a rickety staircase to the top floor. Bruce scrambled into a corner, wanting the security of some walls, and called for help on his headset radio. Almost at once, a Dognan ship swooped down and began firing.

Valentin snatched at Bruce's headset and snarled into it with impatient rage into the radio. "Henry! Get us out of here!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but there's no one left!" Beast answered from the other end. "The next wave of pilots won't be here for another half hour! The rest are already there or shot down!"

Wolverine could barely hear the response over the crash of bombs and artillery and he moved closer to Gambit protectively. The thief was leaning against a wall, ducking down and doing his best not to reveal just how terrified he was. He was way out of his league here and it showed, he made no snappy jokes or goofed around as his protective teammate came closer, he was white as a ghost and wanted no more of this. Buildings were exploding all around them.

"Then send Fallen!" Valentin continued to holler into the headset. It was still attached to Bruce’s head and the man winced at his General’s tone.

"Sir! The Lucky Dragon wouldn't last a minute in the crossfire!"

Valentin’s anger exploded and he snarled, "I didn't say 'send her ship', you moron! I said 'send her'! Tell her to grab a harness and get her ass out here! There's only eight of us left!" He clicked off, furious. They were now trapped on the top floor of the abandoned six story building. The roof was gone and they were protected by only three walls, and those not for long. More Dognan ships flew overhead dropping bombs all around them. The building trembled and groaned in pain, not liking the abuse. The Dognan knew they were there, just not exactly where and were firing all over the place. Valentin turned his wrath on Bruce. "This is all your fault! I should just leave you here!"

"I'm sorry! How could I know they would bypass our cloaks so soon?!" Bruce countered weakly. He was terrified of Valentin and it showed.

"It's your job to know these things! I wouldn't have put my men at such a risk if you hadn't told me it was safe!"

"I can only pass on what I've been told, Sir! I didn't make the cloaks!"

"You are still responsible!"

"How long will it take Fallen to get here?" Wolverine said, trying to deflect some of Valentin's rage off of the squirming man. Bruce might be an idiot but he didn't deserve to die for it.

"Not long, maybe ten minutes. If we even last that long."

Wolverine was surprised by Valentin's answer. Lucky was parked twenty miles away at least. With the fire fight going on, Fallen would be at great risk. Valentin saw his disbelief. "She's flown in worse than this," he said proudly with a smile. For a moment, Logan could see that Valentin valued her and on some bizarre level, even loved her. Logan just couldn't understand what it was between those two.

They waited, all of them nervous and tense. Moments later, Logan heard a familiar rush of wings and Fallen touched down in the middle of the room. She was graceful and confident, a smile on her face as soon as she saw him. Fallen wore the leather harness and had a radio headset on. She carried the usual tangle of leather in her hands, harnesses for the rest of them. She tossed them down.

"Two at a time," she commanded, instantly in charge. She appeared to be unafraid of the bombs and noise and Wolverine couldn’t help but admire her courage. She had a cloaking bracelet on her wrist and threw two more down on the straps. "These are set at a different frequency," she explained to the Clansmen. "Won't keep you from getting shot, but at least they won't have anything to aim at. I'll cover you with my TK as much as I can."

Logan steered Gambit over to her with a gentle shove, silently insisting he go first. Logan wanted him out of here and back where it was safe. Remy didn’t argue. He and another of Valentin's men started putting on the straps and bracelets. They stood side by side and Fallen went between them, hovering slightly and clipping their straps to her harness. "Clear?" she spoke into the headset.

"You're clear," Seth's voice came from the radio. He was monitoring the Clan and Dognan ships.

"Ready. Steady. Jump!" Fallen grabbed the two men from their back straps and hoisted them into the air. She really didn't need to touch them, her telekinetic power held them to her. The straps were mostly for the confidence of her passengers. They winked out as the cloaking devices activated and were gone.

"That's my girl," Valentin boasted to Logan. He had seen the feral alpha’s fine appraisal of his pilot. "She's not afraid of anything. She used to pull the Dognan men out of the battlefields when she first was made. Some of them are twice our size."

Fallen returned for another round and flew off again. This wasn't taking long at all. A good thing, the bombing was getting worse. One of the walls collapsed and Bruce cowered in the corner, unable to hide his terror. Justin came over and stood above him protectively without comment, silently shielding him with his large body.

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Valentin watched this without comment, recognizing Bruce’s uselessness out here. He himself hadn't moved at all, he stood at ease as though the bombs would never touch him. All he needs to do is start talkin’ about napalm in the mornin’, Logan thought to himself, wryly amused at the sight of it.

Fallen touched down again and Bruce snatched for the straps. He was trembling so badly, he almost couldn't get them on. A bomb exploded right next to them and he screamed.

Fallen yelled into her headset. "Seth! We're getting slammed!"

"You've got two ships on your right! The Clan's right behind them! Just sit tight! Wasayachay a recta set, Fallen. Don't worry!"

Bruce blinked and looked up in surprise, momentarily distracted from his fright. "Was that Siskan?" he asked, an odd light in his eyes.

Fallen ignored him, but she looked afraid for the first time. Bruce looked to Valentin who was watching Fallen with renewed interest.

"No," Valentin answered for her, his voice betraying uncertainty. He motioned for Justin to put on a set of straps. "It's just some silly words they always say to each other."

"Shreikedickt belanda krishna dect! Watch yer ass, Fallen!" Kimble hollered next. He sounded panicked. "Dontcha do nuthin’ stupid, girl!"

"Who was that?" Bruce asked, unable to hide the renewed terror that blanched his face. It was unclear what had terrified him more, the situation he was in or the voice coming over the radio.

He never got a reply. Another bomb exploded and Kimble was shouting into the headset again. "Fallen, gits outta there! Swing ta yer left an go 'round the back way!"

"Left and back, aye!" she shouted. She said nothing more, only rudely grabbed Bruce and Justin and vaulted off into the treacherous sky. Now only Wolverine and Valentin were left.

Valentin was thinking hard and didn't speak, working his mind around the strange exchange he had witnessed amongst his crew. Apparently Bruce’s response to Fallen’s computer personalities had peaked his interest.

Logan didn't like the look in the First General’s eyes, like he was hiding something Bruce had made him realize. Fallen could be in danger and Wolverine considered killing Valentin right then and there. He had lots of good reasons, not the least of which was the way he abused Fallen. Just the thought of it made Logan clench his fists. It was too easy for him to forget just how much of monster Valentin was out here when his bravery and courage blinded him. These were the things Logan admired in a man. Still, it would be so easy to take him down in this place. He could say it was the bombs and no one would question it, especially not Fallen.

Valentin suddenly looked at him as though he knew what Logan was thinking. He smiled a wicked grin and laughed. "Tempting isn't it? Just pop a claw and go to it, boy. If you think you can."

"Heh. Too easy, Valentin. Yer not even worth the effort," Logan spat, his resolve gone. It just wasn't in him to kill a man he respected, not without a better reason.

Valentin moved in front of him. "Go for it," he challenged arrogantly.

At that moment, Fallen touched down, returning for the two of them. She saw them squaring off but didn't interfere, her pale blue eyes glittering.

Valentin turned to look at her. "Saved by the angel in white," he sneered.

"Don't be so sure," Logan grumbled with a laugh.

Valentin looked into Fallen's eyes and didn't like what he saw there, she was actually considering her options. She tossed Wolverine a set of straps, but kept the other to herself. Her headset crackled. "Leave th' f--kin' bastard, Fallen!" Kimble shouted, his voice loud and angry. He could hear every word through the headset.

Valentin stood his ground, boring into her with his eyes. "You going to do that? Leave me? What about the Four? You swore an oath. Honor, Loyalty, Courage and Sacrifice. You wear the Honor Sword of the Clan. You swore to protect your passengers at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing yourself. Kill me now and you violate all you hold sacred. Where's your honor now? Your loyalty? I am Clan! You are Clan! Would you sacrifice your honor for something stupid like revenge? I've never done anything you haven't wanted me to and you know it!"

"Don’tcha listens ta him, Fallen!" Kimble insisted. "Grab Logan and run, girl! Do it now!"

Another bomb exploded with a thundering crash. The building couldn’t take it, the second wall collapsed leaving only one. There was no way they wouldn’t be seen by the Dognan ships flying nearby. Wolverine stepped up. "You gotta decide now, Fallen. We got no time!"

"You told me you would never be responsible for killing anyone else, Fallen," Valentin continued, changing tack and easing the forcefulness of voice into something more tender. He wasn't the least bit worried, he was just probing her.

Logan shook his head, his suspicions of Fallen’s past confirmed.

"Leaving me is the same as murder and you know it," Valentin said, raising his chin.

Fallen looked at him, torn. A single tear trickled down one cheek. "I hate you," she said finally and tossed him the straps.

"Aw, Fallen, don' be stupid!" Kimble complained. He knew what her last transmission had meant. "You ain't never gonna get another chance!"

"Fallen!" Seth called, breaking his silence. He could hear as well as Kimble.
"I'm sorry, guys," she whispered and shut her headset off.

Valentin laughed as he slipped the straps on, his emerald eyes all over her. "Someday, you'll realize you need me as much as I need you. You'll never kill me. Deep down inside you know it's just you and me, Fallen. Forever."

"F--k you!" she snarled and leapt into the air. Valentin laughed as she jerked both him and Wolverine into the dangerous sky. They clicked their cloaking devices on and became invisible.

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[squeekness]

(Eight)

Fallen flew them quickly over the bombed out city. She covered a lot of ground swiftly, spurred on by her anger. Logan watched the terrain go by in a blur, her scent telling him everything. She was hurt and angry, cursing herself for her honor. Like her, Wolverine was worried that she had made the wrong decision in sparing Valentin’s life, but understood that it wasn't easy to kill. It wasn't Logan's place to judge her so he let it go.

Fallen dropped them off outside the ship and stomped up the ramp to the ship, saying nothing to anyone. Valentin watched her go, a strange look on his face. Logan was surprised to recognize it as genuine concern and shook his head. He would never be able to figure these two out in a million years.

Logan made his way stiffly up the ramp. He wanted to shower and see if he could get any more of the crap jammed in his guts out. He wouldn't get it all, it would ease out slowly on its own, making him itch like mad. He still had some red blotchy scars from where the shrapnel had cut him and was smeared with dried blood, but the injury now looked worse than it was. Nothing that shower wouldn’t fix.

He was making his way to the shower in the barracks room when he passed Bruce in the Main Room. Bruce was wandering around Fallen’s ship in a sort of daze, looking for something with a puzzled look on his face. He was bruised and battered from Valentin’s abuse, filthy from their mad dash through the city, and looked lost and confused. "You all right?" Logan asked him, concerned for the man.

"Yeah, fine," Bruce replied, clearly lying as his eyes shifted around the room. He realized that Logan was studying him and nervously made his way into the galley.

Wolverine watched him go, not sure what Bruce was up to. It vaguely occurred to him that Bruce was looking for the Siskans he'd heard chattering on the radio. Logan was aware that few, if any, of the Clansmen knew about the true nature of Fallen’s little program. She had asked Henry to keep their ability to come out as a hologram a secret, maybe there was good reason for that. Logan looked to the screen, but the control room there was empty, the twins were off hiding somewhere.

As if on cue to Logan’s unspoken question, he heard Kimble and Fallen begin to argue loudly from below. The sliding trap door was closed, but Logan could hear them just fine. Kimble was put out over Fallen shutting the radio off on him and was making sure she knew it. He couldn’t believe she had given up the one chance to be free of her tormentor.

Logan could hear Kimble’s pain and sympathized in spite of his own reservations against the Kimble personality. Kimble could do nothing to protect her, not even from her own bad decisions and it was obviously driving the Siskan crazy. Wolverine paused and shook his head, chagrined at himself. How could he be thinking this way about Kimble? The guy wasn’t real, his emotions were all programmed and artificial. Logan refused to see him as real, no matter how convincing the image. He was surprised Fallen allowed him to berate her so ferociously. He would have shut the guy down a long time ago.

Logan turned when he saw Valentin come up the ramp from outside. He was limping and sore from his injury. His leg was still tied off with the belt and untended. Valentin paused when he heard Kimble let go with a spectacular stream of profanity, ending only when he started to bawl, his anger too great to hold back. Something slammed from below and the argument ended abruptly.

Valentin laughed. "Oh, he's got quite the temper doesn't he? Stupid child."

Logan stepped back when the door to the lower level slid open. Fallen came up in a huff, her face flushed and angry. She said nothing to them, but passed them to go into the galley. There was the sound of breaking glass and Bruce came out, Fallen's anger had frightened him from his hiding place. He quailed when he saw Valentin. He was out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"You!" Valentin snarled at him. Apparently he wasn't quite finished chewing Bruce's ass out and was more than ready to resume the man’s punishment. "You allowed us to be seen! They know we will come again! Now we have to start all over again!" He slapped the man again, a heavy devastating blow. "All that time and planning wasted!"

Bruce crumpled and continued to grovel. Blood gushed from his nose again and he trembled uncontrollably. The poor man was obviously teetering on some kind of edge and looked ready to break at any moment. "My, Lord!" he begged, hoping uselessly for mercy. "The information I had came from your spies out in the field! They’ve never failed me before! Something unforeseen must have happened! It’s not my fault, I swear!"

"I am not interested in your petty excuses! Get out of my sight!"

Bruce covered his face and fled, passing Logan without a glance.

Valentin snorted in disgust and limped into the galley, looking for Fallen. Logan followed him in case he started in on Fallen in his frustration, but kept his distance. He leaned in the doorway and watched as Valentin went to his pilot and attempted to console her.

Fallen stood over the sink, picking up the pieces of broken glass from her temper tantrum. There was plenty of it to pick up and room reeked of whiskey now. She was shaking with rage but doing her best to calm down. She tossed the glass into a bin and snatched another bottle from the rack, not letting one broken bottle keep her from her goal of blotting all of this out. She opened it with a claw and drank a large gulp of whiskey down as if it was nothing.

Valentin stood behind her and carefully put his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you keep this Kimble fool around if he angers you so?" he asked her quietly. "You should have scrapped him long ago, along with all the other junk that never worked right on this ship."

"He’s not the one making me angry," she snapped.

Valentin grunted a laugh. "Surely, not I?"

Fallen found no humor in his joke, her voice was quite serious as she said, "My service to the Clan is coming to an end, Valentin. Things between us will change."

"How so?" He bent down and kissed her bare white shoulder.

"This. This will stop." She turned and pushed him away firmly but without malice.

He grinned. "No. I don't think so. You're mine and always will be."

She shook her head. "I've come to terms with what I've done. I don't need you any more."

"Really? You're releasing me from my duties?" he said with a contemptuous laugh. "I've grown much too fond of you, my dear. You'll not be rid of me so easily. Perhaps my hand has been a bit heavy, yes, but you've done well under it. You've come a long way from that snarling little she-b-tch Cerebus dragged from the pens."

"I don't want to talk about that," she whispered and turned away.

"You brought it up, my dear. Now, enough of this foolish talk of change. Tend to me."

She looked back at him and saw that he was injured. His leg was still tied off with his belt and most of the bleeding had stopped, but it would need to be cared for. She nodded and helped him to undress, careful of his pants around where the piece of shrapnel protruded.


Valentin sat on the table, stretching his wounded leg out in front of him, the other bent over the bench. The wound was still fresh and blood seeped out onto the table, flowing now from the movement. Fallen stood easy beside him and lay her hands on his thigh carefully, examining him. She ignored him as he sniffed at her and closed her eyes. She was using telekinesis to 'feel' the metal and gently slide it out, it would be less painful than if she were to dig it out with her hands.

Valentin still grunted with pain in spite of this and grabbed a fistful of her hair, bringing her closer. He wasn’t really pulling on her, it was more like he wanted just to touch her as if this would give him comfort.

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[squeekness]

Logan stood as he was, still watching them. Their body language spoke volumes. These two were bonded and in spite of their sick little game, had a relationship that was beyond abuser and prey. As brutal as Valentin had been to her before, now he was gentle and it wasn't just because he needed her to do something for him. Wolverine knew that in order to ensure Fallen would bring them home he had to get her away from this man. Now more than ever, he regretted not killing him. Funny how it was the gentleness that made Wolverine feel this way and not the vicious abuse.

Fallen eased the long sliver out and Valentin relaxed, releasing her. He smoothed her hair out gently, putting her back in order. "You're so very good, my Fallen," he said, licking his lips.

Fallen wouldn't meet his eyes and moved away. She tossed him the bottle of whiskey and ordered. "Drink this."

He took it and chuckled softly at her arrogance, he seemed to like it when she bossed him around. Fallen paid him no mind. She took out a med-kit and some fresh towels and she began to clean his wound, being careful and doing a decent job of it. She was drunk now, but it didn't seem to affect her ability to care for him.

Valentin petted her as she worked, smiling the whole time. He didn't acknowledge Logan's presence in the doorway even though he'd seen him there. Valentin's eyes were on her, glowing with a sick kind of love. He flinched once as she stitched him, but otherwise showed no sign that she was hurting him. She ignored his touch but didn't move away from him or avoid him. It was though she didn't care one way or the other. Logan shook his head. It was beyond his ability to figure these people out.

"Y' know..." Logan drawled, getting back to business. "...the Dognan knew we were there today. Of course we got our cover blown. I'm guessin' they think we're gonna tuck tail an run. Let's go back in few hours anyways. We got nuthin' ta lose."

Valentin rubbed his chin and looked at Fallen. "Can you reset the cloaks? We'll need at least twenty."

"Yes, my Lord. If it takes me all night."

He looked back at Logan, pleased that this alpha had read his mind. Again, he considered Wolverine's suitability for an officer's position. "First light, then?"

"First light," Logan repeated as a farewell and left. Before he got too far, he heard Valentin say to Fallen, "All night? I hope you've got some time to spare for me."

"Of course, my Lord," she whispered tonelessly.

Logan left them and went for his shower, not wanting to hear any more. Whatever this thing was between them, he wanted no part of it.

Wolverine freshened up and after a quick catnap, rose to find Fallen seated on the floor in front of the main room's big screen. The screen was blank, just swirling static. In one corner was a small window showing the control room used by Kimble and Seth. The chairs were empty, the brothers off in the system somewhere. Fallen sat, kneeling with her head down. The bottle of whiskey, now empty, sat in front of her. One of her wings was slightly bent and not folded completely, Valentin had bruised it in his passion. At least she was otherwise unharmed.

Wolverine stood in the doorway of the barracks, watching her. The ship was empty, all the Clansmen were settling down to sleep outside where there was more space. Logan walked over to Fallen and crouched down beside her. "You okay?"

"Kimble is angry. I need him to help me with the cloaks but he won't come."

"You can't do it alone?"

"He helped me build them. He knows them best," she explained in a soft trembling voice. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears, but it could just be the exhaustion. The stress of this was taking its toll on them all.

"He'll be back." Wolverine put a hand on her shoulder, concerned about her. Her white skin was very warm like she had a fever. She was also very drunk. "He seems to care about you."

"Do you like him?" she asked, proud in spite of her pain. Logan could see she'd been crying earlier, her eyes were red and swollen. "He's not all that different from you. My protector. It's why I made him look a little like you."
He shook his head with a smile, amused by her crush. He didn't buy into her reasoning, though. Kimble was a child and reckless with his emotions and anger, nothing like him at all. Still, he said, "You really know that much about me?"

"Oh, yes, I know all the legends. I knew of you long before I got taken. I know all about you X-men, how you would fight so gallantly for freedom and the rights of everyone." She sniffed, her smile wistful now. "Kimble's like that. He wants to protect me, look after me. Keep me safe. He takes it very seriously like you do. Only, heh, he's more of a clown than you are, more like my husband was."

"You were married before?"

"Yeah. Had some kids. They're all dead now. The Dognan took who they wanted, destroyed the rest,"she said quietly. "It was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Now Kimble is mad because I let Valentin live. I deserve what Valentin did to me tonight,"she said, flexing her wing slightly to reveal an ugly terrible bruise. "I should have let him die."

"It ain't no easy thing, killin' someone. But I suspect ya already know that, though." He paused, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't, he continued. "You don't deserve what he does to you, though. I can't understand why ya think you do, girl. I've seen it before, women thinkin' that they've done some terrible thing and this all they're worth. Yer better than this, Fallen."

"No, I'm not," she replied, keeping her eyes down. "You don't know anything about me."

"Enlighten me then. What's yer trouble, darlin'?"

She just shook her head and was silent.

Logan looked up at the screen and at the empty chairs. "Maybe you should get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day."

"I'll wait here. Seth will come in his place if I wait long enough."

"Ya want me ta stay?"

She gave him a tired smile. "No, I'll be okay."

"All right, then." He stood and walked away towards the ramp, he wanted a little fresh air before going to bed for some real sleep. He looked back before he went outside, seeing her there. She was a tiny white figure crouched in front of that huge screen, lost. He didn't want to leave her, but there wasn't anything he could do to help her.

Just as Logan turned away, he heard Seth say her name, the young pilot had come back to the control room. Wolverine watched as Fallen stiffly rose and walked to Seth's small window. He had put his hands up to the screen and she put her hands over his, taking some small comfort from that strange contact. They began to whisper to each other. They spoke in Siskan and Logan couldn't understand what they were saying. Seth was sad and his voice shook as he spoke. He started to cry and his Mistress soothed him, speaking to him with love and gentleness.

It was the strangest thing Logan had ever seen. Unable to fathom it, he shook his head and walked out.

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[squeekness]

(Nine)

Logan made his way down the ramp and to the outside of the ship. Valentin's men were camped out all around in their tents, trying to get as much rest as they could before tomorrow’s raid. He decided to make a quick trip around the ship’s perimeter, years of being concerned with security were hard to ignore and Logan was a creature of habit. He was off around the dark side of the ship when he heard soft voices coming from the scrub close by.

Instantly on alert, Wolverine went to check it out. He found Bruce and Justin alone by the one scraggly tree that leaned nearby. He didn’t make himself known to them, but approached them silently. They had stolen away to this isolated spot for a private conversation yet Logan couldn’t help himself but want to listen in. He wasn’t an eavesdropper by nature, but with everything that was going on, he found himself doing it more and more. He paused and crouched down to listen.

"You’re worried about tomorrow, aren’t you?" Justin asked Bruce, his eyes lingering on his partner’s face. Bruce had a large, ugly bruise on one side from being struck by Valentin and he looked completely miserable. Justin was quick to soothe, "Don’t be. We’ll all be fine, you’ll see."

"We came too close the last time. I always worry that we won’t make it back," Bruce said softly. He leaned forward and gave Justin a passionate kiss, seeking comfort for his pain.

Logan balked a little at the sight of it, swallowing hard. Oh, so that’s how it was. Excuse me, please. He’d had no idea there was anything more than just friendship between them.

Justin returned the kiss, laughing softly and pulling Bruce closer. He spoke gently now, happy to ease his lover’s pain. "We have to make this raid. It’s the only way to be sure everyone is safe. Once the Dognan are gone we will all be free. Any sacrifice made will be a small price paid." He brushed Bruce’s hair back in a tender, loving gesture.

It made Logan shiver with revulsion, he wasn’t used to seeing that kind of intimacy between two men and it unnerved him a little. Still, he kept quiet, interested in what Justin had to say.

Justin’s voice was sincere as he spoke, "Just remember that no matter what happens, I loved you from the moment I first saw you. I have never loved anyone else."

"Don’t frighten me," Bruce whispered in a trembling voice. He was in pain and small and fragile here in this moment. "I couldn’t live without you. Not here. Not with Valentin and the others. Not anywhere. Promise me you won’t let anything happen."

Justin shushed him with a dreamy whisper. "Shush now about all that. Forget about everything, lover. Let’s just pretend that none of this is happening and it’s just the two of us out by Pastor’s lake. The moon is out and bright. The fish are jumping just enough to break the surface of the water---"

" — It’s spring and the chickburries are roosting down for the night," Bruce finished for him, his voice soft and wistful as he joined in the game. Justin had succeeded in calming him and he was relaxed now, happy to be here in his lover’s embrace.

Justin laughed. "That’s right. Pastor’s lake and nothing but the fall hunt to look forward to."

"I wish we could go back there again. I’m so sick of this war."

"Just close your eyes and you will be." Justin tipped Bruce’s head back and kissed him again, this time more forcefully and full of passion. "Just close your eyes..." He reached for Bruce’s belt buckle and Logan took that as his cue to leave.

Wolverine slipped silently away through the scrub and made his way back to the ship. He might not have approved of their relationship, but the intimacy and recollections of the two men filled him with a longing for home. He was tired of this dark and cloudy world. He wanted to see the bright moon and smell the crisp air of Canada. He no longer doubted that he and his teammates would get back home, but Justin’s comment about sacrifices pained him. He just hoped they would all come back alive.

Logan was about to go back up the ramp when he saw Remy leaning against the side of the ship smoking. He wandered over to join the thief in a smoke, his homesickness making him feel oddly gregarious.

Remy smiled at him as he approached. He seemed to have recovered from their horrible day and was his usual chipper self. " ‘Ey, short stuff. Fallen get dose cloaks done or what?"

"Kimble's givin' her a hard time. She says she needs him to help her but he's still pissed off."

"What 'appened out dere today? You an Valentin’ come back wit ‘er den she an’ Kimble went at it pretty hard."

Logan briefly explained about Valentin and how Fallen had almost left him behind. He didn't mention Valentin's confirmation that Fallen had killed someone, he figured it was a private matter and Gambit didn’t need to know. He shook his head, thinking of Fallen and Valentin. "I’m never going to figure those two out."

"P’etetre, if you wasn't so closed off, you'd see it a little better, non?"

"Really? Enlighten me then."

Gambit shrugged. "Fallen been wit Vally a long time. She comfortable now. She t’inkin' she done sumptin’ bad and she need to be punished. She chose Vally to ‘elp her out. He seems pretty qualified, n’est ce pas? Anyways, now she found sumptin' better. Now she not so sure what she wants to do cause she scared. Girl's are like dat."

Logan grunted a laugh at the young man. "You know the ladies that well, huh?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/055letstalkoutside.jpg


"Bien entendu. Gambit is good. Gambit is wise. 'E knows many t’ings, non?" Remy laughed.

Logan shook his head and grinned. "Right," he agreed sarcastically, thinking of all the flying dishes and debris from Rogue’s hot temper. These two could put up quite a ruckus when it came to their own domestic battling. "But yer wrong about Seth bein' better. The guy ain't even real."

"Don' matter. 'E's real to 'er. Who's to say it ain't right?"

Logan snorted and looked away.

"She get more from Seth dan I get from Rogue," Remy offered. "You sayin' me an Rogue ain't real?" Rogue was Remy's girl. She was one of their teammates and like them, she was a mutant. Her 'gift' was that she could absorb a person's personality and life energy just by touching them with her bare skin. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for her or her victim. She would get swamped and lost with their psyche imprinted on hers and they would lose consciousness and become quite ill. Her power was so potent, she could kill just from prolonged contact. To protect herself and others, she covered herself from head to toe, cutting herself off from all physical contact. Remy's curse was that he was hopelessly in love with a girl he could never completely touch.

"That ain't the same," Logan protested.

"Non? Why, den?"

"'Cause yer alive, okay? Flesh an' blood. Maybe you kids'll work it all out someday."

"Yeah. Mebbe Fallen an Seth will, too if dey ever get de chance."

Logan waited a moment and then asked the question that was really on his mind. "You gonna be good to go in the mornin’?"

"Sure t’ing, patron. Dis boy de picture of readiness. Gonna kick some Dognan ass," the thief replied merrily but was betrayed by a shiver of fear his feral teammate could sense.

Wolverine was quick to reassure. "You just remember what I said. This is a war. It’s our war whether we wanted it to be or not. We gotta do this thing. Just think about yer girl. Think about Rogue. Yer keepin’ her safe. Don’t want any of those Dognan creeps gettin’ their paws on her. We do this an they’ll keep away from our world, too."

"Gambit’s with de program. ‘E won’ let you down."

Logan didn't answer but gazed off into one of the nearby camp fires. He finished his cigarette and crushed it out. "I'm gonna get some sleep while I can. You should, too."

"I'll be up in a minute."

"Right." Logan left him and went up the ramp. Fallen was gone from the Main Room, but he could hear her and Seth talking below. Hopefully she was getting the cloaks done with or without Kimble. He went into the barracks and settled down on one of the beds. He was tired and dropped off quickly.

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[squeekness]

(Ten)

Remy stood outside the ship, waiting. The morning air was crisp but had no moisture in it, not like home. This area was little more than a wasteland now. The stark countryside did little to raise his spirits and he was not looking forward to what had to be done today. He wasn’t much of a practicing Catholic these days, but found himself saying a soft little prayer, "Please, just dis once, Lord. Let dis pitiful t’eif do de right t’ing. ‘E knows ‘e ain’t perfect, an’ ‘e knows ‘e ain’t never gonna be good enough to be wit you, but ‘e needs so much to know dis is really okay, comprenez?"

He didn’t get an answer, but was startled when he felt soft, gentle hands touch him softly. He turned to see Fallen standing behind him. "Yes, petite?" he asked quietly.

"Don’t be afraid about today. I won’t try to justify this for you with stupid, pitiful reasons, but just look at me, Remy. Look at me and see what they’ve done. They took me from my home, killed my people, and did this thing to me. Do you know how many human females die just so one pilot can be made? Huh? Eight. I don’t know what kept me alive. I like to think that when God or whoever is out there decides that it’s not our time, that there’s a reason. I think he kept me alive for this. To stop them from hurting anyone else. You’ve come close to death so many times and walked away. Don’t you think there might be a reason for that?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/056wetalk.jpg

"I used to t’ink so, chere. Now, Gambit ain’t so sure. He ain’t no killer."

"No, he’s the saver of lives. Lives saved for the lives lost." Gambit shivered, and she gripped him tightly. "Yes, I know about you, Remy, but don’t worry. You’re in good standing with me. I know what it’s like to f--k up and forever be apologizing for it."

"You couldn’t know what dis is like, dis pain. Dere ain’t no greater crime dan mine."

She kissed him gently with a sad smile. "Don’t be so sure."

She pulled away from him and started to walk away from him, her head down. He watched her go, a pained, perplexed look on his face. It was true he did not know her well and couldn’t possibly know the pain and suffering she had endured in her life. He recalled Valentin’s savage beating and how she allowed him to do it. She had said something about a terrible crime to Kimble. He hoped she hadn’t fallen from Grace as far as he had. He couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else suffering his level of personal pain and internal persecution.

She paused when she saw him looking at her with all of that so plain on his face and said gently, "I know you’ll do well today, my good Gambit. He’s out there looking after you, your God. Do your best and He will see it."

"Merci, mon chere," he said, feeling a little better. "Maybe He lookin’ out after us all, non?"

She nodded slowly and walked away to where the rest of the men had gathered. She began speaking to Valentin and Remy looked away, his spirits raised by their brief conversation. He laughed when he felt something large and blue bump him affectionately.

"Woolgathering so early? Not a good idea on a day such as this. I trust you slept well and are ready to dive into battle, flags waving?" Henry said with a laugh.

"Yeah, dat’s me all right. Yee haw," Remy replied, rolling his eyes.

"Good. Remember your only mission for today is to come back alive. Don’t do anything stupid."

"You mean, don’ do anyt’ing Wolvie would?"

"I heard that," Logan growled good naturedly from behind Beast. He roughly grabbed both Henry’s and Remy’s hands in his own. "Nobody dies today," he said as a vow and released them. He didn’t wait for their response but kept walking until he stood next to Fallen and Valentin.

"He’s certainly chipper today," Henry commented.

"Dis is ‘is t’ing, mon ami. ‘E a closet general. ‘E probably all bummin’ dey won’ be givin’ ‘im a medal for dis."

"No, they’ll just stick that big sword tattoo on him."

Gambit grunted, " ‘E’s too short, homme. It be comin’ down round ‘is knees."

"Too true, my friend."

Remy turned as he heard Justin come up behind him. "You ready?"

"Ready as Gambit’s ever gonna be, mon ami."


Justin was going to be his partner on today’s little trip. Fallen would be flying the two of them — hopefully in secret this time — close to the Dognan base where they would sneak in and plant more of Logan’s explosives. Valentin and his group would create a diversion outside to draw out the soldiers and keep them from being detected. Unlike Remy, Justin seemed up for the job and was acting as though this was just an ordinary day and this a regular trip to the park.

Justin shook his shoulder roughly. These Clan guys were very strong and Remy staggered a bit, something that amused the Clansman. "Don’t worry, I’ll cover your ass, little brother," Justin teased and slid his pack on. He was carrying two sets of leather straps as well and he handed one to Gambit. "Put this on. Hope that pilot doesn’t drop us on our asses. It’s a long way down!"

"It’s quite nice, the Fallen express," Henry said with a smile. "It’s a nice view."

"Gambit wouldn’t know. ‘E slept t’rough one trip, got shot at de other," the thief complained unhappily.

"Well, try to enjoy this flight then. Just pretend it’s Rogue." Henry patted Remy’s shoulder and walked back up the ramp. He was co-ordinating the diversionary skirmish via head set with Bruce.

"Who’s Rogue?" Justin asked, his teasing smile giving away that he probably already knew the answer.

"She a girl back home."

"I take it she can...fly?"

Remy grinned mischievously. "Among other t’ings, oui."

Fallen came up at a trot. "Ready?"

They donned their leather reindeer harnesses and were soon aloft. Henry was correct about the view. Even this savage wasteland had a kind of beauty from this high up. Fallen was swift and sure as she navigated her way to the drop off point. In the distance, Gambit could see the huge Dognan complex crouching in it’s crater. This building was further away from the city and better protected. It was a large star shaped structure with many out buildings and parked vehicles. He remembered how Logan had chuckled over the blue prints, saying how the place had been designed so poorly. It was too spread out to give a proper defense, the biggest weakness being the wide sprawling duct work. Maybe the Dognan guys who made it couldn’t fit inside the ducts because they were so large and then assumed no one else could as well. Either way, whoever had designed it didn’t count on having Clansmen move in like this for crazy guerilla warfare.

Remy prayed the cloaking devices were working as he could see patrols of Dognan soldiers running about. The Dognan slavers had an idea the Clan would up to something this day, but didn’t know what. They had people spread out all over, but Remy saw with relief that none of them appeared to notice the arrival of their uninvited guests.

Fallen found the small out building that housed the air duct opening and dropped off her two passengers. They touched down lightly and Fallen collected her leather straps, hiding all evidence of their arrival. She checked her head set radio with the one Remy pulled out of his backpack, she would be keeping tabs on their progress inside and give them directions if they needed it. She had her own small backpack with a tiny hand held computer, a device she would be using to track them inside the building. She had given Gambit a transmitter just before they left the ship that was tied into that little computer, her hand held device had a map of the complex and she would guide them along if they got lost -- or heaven forbid, come in after them if things got really bad.

After she was sure they were all set, she gave Remy a small kiss on the cheek. "Be brave. Be safe."

"No worries, chere."

She smiled gently and took off to hide behind some scrub bushes nearby. She would wait there for twenty minutes or so or until she heard a signal from them upon their return.

Remy took out a small leather bag of tools and began working on the screen for the duct, his fingers swift and sure. He missed the fine set he had back home, most of those were battery powered and he could work more quickly. Before they left, Fallen had given him free reign in the shop, letting him take whatever tools and equipment he might need for this job. He had grabbed a small set of screwdrivers and wrenches wrapped in a leather skin and tied with a thong. It was a decent set and he was pleased when Fallen told him he could keep it. He had also taken another good sized bag of ball bearings, he had no intention of letting any of those cat guys get close.

The screen came away easily and he set it gently aside. He slid inside and Justin followed. The ventilation shaft was very long and it would take some time for them to get to the energy generator. It was also quite dusty. He had anticipated this and had made sure they were both wearing some bandana sized rags around their necks to pull over their noses and mouths. One good sneeze could give them away.

Gambit was dressed in his regular working clothes, they had been made for this kind of work and he was grateful to have them. He still wore his chest plate for extra protection, but it was made of a thick, rubbery plastic that allowed him to bend to a point. It didn’t restrict him from squirming around. He just hoped Justin could keep pace with him. Gambit was lithe and nimble, but he didn’t know if his larger, older companion had the required acrobatic ability to follow him.

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[squeekness]

They crawled through the duct work as quietly as possible and weren’t detected. Remy had memorized the directions Kimble had laid out, but wasn’t worried. If need be, he could call up Fallen to get his bearings. This wasn’t the first time he had to crawl through vast duct work to get to a destination and he was comfortable here. The only part of him squirming was his conscience. He just kept telling himself this was just another job, just another diamond or prized statue. He held Rogue’s image in his mind. He was doing this for her, to keep her safe from another possible unannounced Dognan slave raid. No one else would be taken, he vowed.

Good thing he had no fear of tight spaces. At times the duct work narrowed and he had to stretch and flex to get around corners. To his amazement and relief, Justin maintained a steady pace behind him, grunting softly here and there. At one point, Remy heard Justin’s back crack with a loud pop as he navigated a particularly obnoxious bend in their path. He waited for the yelp of pain, but instead got a low chuckle and heard Justin calling himself an old man. In spite of the danger, Justin was having a blast.

They were halfway to their destination when the heard the alarms go off. Right on time, Valentin had begun his diversion. Remy paused for a moment, happy as he listened to the sound of Dognan soldiers galloping by behind the wall, away from where they were hiding. He moved faster, not wanting to put Valentin’s efforts to waste.

Remy and Justin had no trouble until they got to the reactor room. The shaft they were in ran along the ceiling and Remy looked down through a large grate. He gave a soft cry of dismay when he saw that the room had easily twice as many workers as they had anticipated and more than a few guards as well. This was becoming a regular bad habit, always being outnumbered, and not a good sign. He used hand signals to communicate this to Justin, but Justin motioned for him to keep going anyway. They could do this, but would probably lose their advantage of stealth. Remy opened the screen quietly and they entered.

Remy dropped down first, falling silently behind a pair of guards. He was quick and soundless as he dropped them efficiently with a well placed series of blows and nerve pinches. Justin was just as proficient and far more lethal, he was a well trained soldier with many years of experience and knew full well what would be required here. He went at the Dognan workers with gusto, taking down three of them quietly with his bare hands before he was even detected. He moved on, not even hesitating when the alarm was sounded in this area and they could hear the sound of heavy boots come running from outside the energy generator room’s door.

Gambit did his best to cover himself but couldn’t help but balk at the idea of actually killing these men. It just wasn’t in him to do it even though he knew these Dognan guys would just get blown up anyway. He bashed them about, knocking them senseless to the floor, but couldn’t bring himself to finish them off.

A small squad of soldiers came in and Remy was left with no choice but to bring them down, they were waving those horrible energy guns around, moving this to the next level. Remy gritted his teeth and shut off all of his emotions, using all of the training he’d received as both an X-man and a Thief as he cleared a path to the reactor.

Justin and Remy were like two engines of death, coordinating things wordlessly as though they had been teamed up all their lives. Gambit kicked and spun with lethal accuracy, sending an energy gun flying. Justin grabbed at it almost instinctively and began firing, vaporizing three Dognan men before the tide stopped flowing, the next wave of soldiers lingered near the door without going in. Justin was a good shot and the Dognan soldiers learned quickly.

Taking advantage of opportunity, Justin tossed the gun to Gambit. "Cover me while I plant the charges!"

Gambit did as he was told, holding the weapon like it would burn him. He had never liked guns and thought of them as the coward’s way out, though like today, they did sometimes come in handy. He cringed with every blast he fired, but held his own. He was a good shot, having practiced shooting as a means of improving his own accuracy with projectiles back home. He was keeping the soldiers at bay while Justin got the work done. The problem was, this was taking too much time. Justin was swift, emptying both his pack and Remy’s quickly of their bombs, but he was still eating up precious minutes. Remy wondered, how were they going to get out of here?

Things did not improve when one of the Dognan soldiers proved he was just as good a shot as Remy was. Clever enough to shoot high, he fired and hit some of the machinery above where the two men were crouched. These guns melted metal just as well as flesh and it come down in a torrent. Gambit’s quick reflexes saved him from injury but Justin took the brunt of it, howling in agony as he was burned across his legs by the gooey mess.

Remy was immediately concerned for Justin, but he had to cover the door, Justin’s cries of pain were inspiring the Dognan soldiers to try that much harder to regain access to the room. Gambit was forced to almost continually fire to keep the way clear. This was going from bad to worse. "Justin, you goan’ be okay? Should I call Fallen in to get us?"

Justin had quieted and was doing his best to clear the molten mess from his legs. It was a useless effort, he was only making this worse and was going into shock. "No, there’s no time. Give me the gun and go back. I’ll stay here and cover the bombs."

Gambit blinked, trying to fathom what Justin was suggesting. It wasn’t that bad was it? "Quoi?"

Justin gestured to his ruined legs, he wasn’t going anywhere, not like this. "You heard me. We can’t leave the charges unprotected. If we do all this will be for nothing."

"You stay, Gambit stays," Remy said without conviction. His damn survivor instinct was sending him alarms, double time. It was hard not to pick up and flee.

Justin grinned bitterly. "This was never your war, alpha. Take this box, there’s something in there for Bruce. He’s very special to me, understand?"
"Non, no. You comin’ back wit me!" Remy stammered, not wanting to hear this. "We can work dis out. Let me call Fallen!"

"No, it’s too risky. I admire your honor, alpha. Now, don’t deny me mine. Give this to my Bruce. He won’t be very happy with me, but I had to do this. I’m doing this for him. He’s been the whole world to me."

Remy took the small box Justin had shoved at him, trying to comprehend what he was being told. He’d seen the two of them hanging around a lot, but it never dawned on him that Justin and Bruce were anything more than friends. Justin saw the hesitation in Remy’s eyes. "Do this for me. Your debt is paid to the Clan, my friend. Go back and be proud of what we’ve accomplished here this day."

Gambit took Justin’s box and crammed it into his pack which was now significantly lighter than it had been before. He opened the bag of ball bearings, charging a handful. He tossed them through the open door into the hallway and smiled with grim satisfaction when the Dognan fell back as they exploded. A chunk of the ceiling in the hallway fell over the door, blocking Justin in and giving him some more protection. They both knew it wouldn’t be enough, the Dognan men were determined to get in and they would. It was going to be a question of whether or not they did it before the explosives went off and only Justin’s use of the gun would determine that. Justin had made his choice and so with great reluctance, Remy backed off they way they’d come. He hauled himself back up into the duct, but hesitated a moment more, his red and black eyes full of pain and woe.

Justin looked back at him, in pain but no longer afraid. "You’ve got no time, my friend. Get moving!"

Remy said a quick prayer and made his way back, double quick. It was much easier for him on his own. He had a good memory and an uncanny sense of direction and he made it back without mishap, but did hear troops moving at a fast march through the building below him. Justin was surrounded and Remy heard echoes of him through the duct work. Justin was firing shots and shouting curses, laughing as if this was some kind of wild party and not his own death sentence.

Remy came out of the duct, back where he had started, grateful to find it undisturbed. In spite of all the ruckus the Dognan slavers hadn’t discovered how they got in. He gave a quick sharp whistle and Fallen came out of hiding.

She looked behind him, seeing he was alone. "Where’s Justin?"

"We ‘ad some trouble."

Fallen didn’t question him. The troubled look in his eyes was answer enough. She started to unravel the leather straps, but the ground rocked beneath them as the first of the explosive charges went off. It wasn’t close to being safe here and Fallen snatched at him without ceremony, vaulting them both up into the air. A moment later, the blast wave came from the huge core reactor exploding and hit them in a cloud of smoke and heat. They both cried out as they were buffeted and Remy shouted, terrified that Fallen would drop him. He had nothing to fear, Fallen raised a telekinetic shield around them, buffering them from the heat and turbulence. It kept them from falling out of the sky but they were both singed and smelling a bit crispy when the dust finally cleared. Fallen held him easily and took off towards the Lucky Dragon, their end of the bargain done.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

(Eleven)

While Fallen was flying Remy and Justin in towards the large Dognan complex, Jacob teleported in a crew of his own. He had deliberately selected a landing site on the opposite end of the complex from where she had gone. The plan was for this second crew to cause enough of a diversion that Justin and Remy would have fewer soldiers to deal with as they worked.

Jacob teleported his crew in near one of the loading bays and stepped back, exhausted from the task. He was not as powerful as Reese had been and the effort of moving so many people had tired him. Fortunately, this time the pilots from the alpha squad had been brought along to help spread the new squads out. They grabbed their pre-arranged cargo of men and took to the skies, spreading out the assault force into four groups.

Jacob stood with Valentin’s group and waited. Once everyone was in place, they gave a loud cheer and attacked the building, startling the bands of soldiers milling about nearby. The Clansmen were cloaked with Fallen’s revised devices and the Dognan had no idea what was going on at first.

The Clansmen were well organized and attacked the armed soldiers first, eliminating the worst threat. The Dognan fell quickly, unable to see who was attacking them. It was almost comical as the ones who managed to escape the first wave of attackers fired out shots at random, sometimes killing their own men, sometimes not. More Dognan men fell than Clansmen and the newcomers soon overpowered them.

Jacob hung back from the worst of the fighting, not being a seasoned soldier, and watched in a kind of horrified admiration as Wolverine took to his task with gusto, growling and snarling. Blood flew about in all directions as Logan gleefully let go of all restraint and skillfully worked his way through the crowd. As talented in the martial arts as Remy might have been, this soldier was far more deadly. When he had free rein to act, he was as beautiful in his own deadly way as he was lethal. Six silver blades, at once covered with blood, sliced artistic arcs through the air with deadly intent, more often then not finding the intended target with no wasted motion. The screams of the mortally wounded added their own soundtrack, leaving no question that this was a dance of war.

Valentin wasn’t far behind his mutant companion, hacking and slashing with his huge broadsword. Where Logan was good up close, short and sweet, Valentin was just as lovely, slicing his way through the crowd and showing just how well he deserved the title of First General.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/057dogfight.jpg

As he took down some of the armed men, Valentin distributed their guns and the Dognan were pushed back even farther inside the complex, repulsed by their own weapons.

Logan stepped back, clear of enemies for a moment, and took a deep breath. This was going so well that he had to hold himself in check. It would be too easy to get carried away and dash off deeper inside the complex to follow his prey. Knowing that this building was going to go up any moment, that wouldn’t be such a good idea. He could only hope that Remy and Justin were getting along okay.

It wasn’t long before the warriors heard a huge rumble and the ground trembled beneath them. Justin’s charges had gone off, signaling that it was time to wrap this up.

"Take cover!" Valentin shouted and the Clan men raced for the outside. They hadn’t gone that far inside so it was only a short dash to freedom. They were joined by the pilots returning with their survivors, a short crew. Valentin had suffered some severe losses, but not as badly as the Dognan had just now. All in all, it was still a rousing success.

Jacob gathered them all quickly and happily teleported them back to the Lucky Dragon, too excited and thrilled to care how the trip had exhausted him further. They had done it! They were free!

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[Sentinel X]

This is good squeeks :)...I dont think I got this far in your fan fic.
Btw, keep up with the pictures :up: Since you have a lot of creatures/mutants Im not familiar with its good that you can draw them to show how you see them

[squeekness]

Thanks, Sent. I really appreciate your thoughts, it's been a while since I've heard from anyone. :D Yeah, there's nothing more awkward than trying to describe a pilot -- "..a strange white girl with bat wings and sorta crooked legs... sorta..." :p

[squeekness]

(Twelve)

Fallen made the trip back to the Lucky Dragon quickly and dropped down next to Valentin's men where they had gathered just outside of her ship, landing with her usual grace. Both she and Remy dusted off after they landed, they were covered in soot and dirt from the blast.

Bruce came running up as soon as he saw them, a huge grin on his face, but he faltered when he saw that Justin was missing. "Where's Justin?" he demanded sharply.

Remy kept his eyes down, wilting under the Clansman's tone of voice. This wasn't going to be easy or pleasant. " ‘E didn't make it. Sorry, mon ami, but ‘e left dis for you." Remy dug into his pack and took out Justin's box.

Bruce, in clear denial of the situation, refused to even look at it. He turned very white and started to shake as he began to sputter, "No...no...We have to go back! How could you leave him there?!"

Remy did his best to explain. "Dere ain't nuthin' left, de buildin' is gone. Je suis de'sole, mon ami. It was ‘is decision, Bruce, I'm sorry. ‘E wanted to stay. Gambit couldn't make ‘im go. ‘E done it for de Clan, ‘e done it for you. Dis what he say to me," Remy said quickly, wanting only to say the one thing that would take away the look of horror in Bruce's eyes.

"No...No!..NO!" Bruce began to shout. He let out a piercing scream of tortured pain that brought immediate tears to the corner of Remy's eyes. Gambit couldn't imagine leaving Rogue behind in any situation and didn't want to. The pain would be the same. He had never heard a man scream like that and he never wanted to again.

Logan heard Bruce's noise and came on the run. "What's goin' on?"

"Justin didn't make it," Remy explained quickly, shaking his head. He was trying really hard not to cry but he wasn't sure he would succeed. This hurt horribly and he was just too sensitive a creature not to feel it deep inside. "Je suis de'sole. Dis de wors' f--kin' t'ing."

Bruce had sunk down to his knees and covered his face, the grief swiftly overtaking his control. He was shaking hysterically and was screaming into the ground. True to the words Logan had overheard, Bruce couldn't imagine this place without Justin and the loss was more than he could bear. When Remy saw no one move to help the grief stricken man he went to Bruce and tried to comfort him.

Bruce felt him come and shoved him away as though he was diseased. "Don't touch me! You killed him! You left him to die!" he blurted out, his pain making him say things his heart knew weren't true.

Remy backed up with a soft cry and turned away, his head down as he wiped at his eyes. His battle not to cry was lost and a tear got away from him. It burned down his cheek, hot and wet like an accusation. He was flooded with guilt and now questioned his decision to leave Justin behind. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough, surely there must have been more he could have done. This was all his fault. It ripped at him from all sides of his already guilt ridden conscience and he turned to run away, to hide away, but Henry's big blue body blocked his exit.

Beast had come from the ship with a Med-kit, uncertain of the source of Bruce's screams. Once quick look at the situation told him the worst had happened and that Remy was well on the way to adding this lost soul to his already oversized collection of failures. The doctor was quick to scold in his firm, yet understanding tone. "Don't even think about blaming yourself for this, my Cajun friend. You did what you had to. This man's heart is breaking, don't take what he says that seriously." Beast gripped him and wouldn't let him go until he nodded slowly and stayed put.

Logan stepped in, seeing Bruce's distress. He knelt down in front of him and said in his gentlest voice. "Yer friend was very brave. He wouldn't want ya to be sad for him."

"What would you know about it?" Bruce snapped rudely, not wanting to hear it. His eyes were red and tears streamed freely down his cheeks. He was shaking violently and gripped his stomach as he started to heave. Logan was out of comforts for a grief on this level, his repertoire was rather small, and retreated to let someone with more experience take his place. Henry was right there and ready.

Bruce knew Henry and didn't try to fight him. He sagged as he greyed out from shock and swayed unsteadily into Henry's arms. Beast laid him down on his side and reached into the Med-kit for a sedative.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/058upsetbruce.jpg

Valentin stood quiet through Bruce's whole display of grief with a look of complete disgust on his face, but couldn't hold his tongue when Logan came near. "What's his problem?"

"Justin didn't make it back."

"So? Clansmen die all the time. This should come as no surprise. He should take it like a man, not like some stupid woman."

"They were close."

Valentin sneered at him. "Don't talk to me like an idiot. I've known these two for almost twenty years, we're all from the same Clan. I know what good friends they were."

"Maybe they were closer friends than ya thought."

Valentin's eyes widened at his words and he snorted in disgust. "Oh, please! Justin was a fine Clansman, not some sniveling f-ggot boy. He would never be as you suggest."

Logan shrugged. "Some folks you just can't tell. I saw the two of them together. It's true."

Valentin looked down at Bruce who had grown quiet from Henry's sedative. Valentin couldn't hide his disgust and loathing. "I had no idea. If I had Bruce wouldn't be here."

"It didn't keep him from holdin' up his end," Logan snapped defensively. "He worked just as hard as anyone else out there today."

"No, but look at him now. If we were in the middle of fight what use would he be to me then? Look at him, weeping and slobbering like an old woman. Get him out of here or I'll kill him myself!"

Beast closed the Med kit and heaved Bruce up into his arms, thankful for his superior strength. He wasn't obeying Valentin, he just wanted to get Bruce somewhere comfortable. "I'll lay him down in the ship. He'll be asleep for a while."

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

Henry carried his friend up into the ship and lay him down on one of the barracks beds. Bruce curled up with a groan and covered up his face with his hands, still grieving even though he was no longer fully awake. Henry covered him up and stood for a moment, looking down at the man who had grown to be his friend. He recalled now the stories Bruce had told while they worked together. Bruce would often talk about how he and Justin grew up together in a small nomadic Clan that had joined up with the others at Nine when the boys were twelve. All told, Justin and Bruce had been together all their lives and were a couple for almost twenty years, having known they were meant to be together from the beginning.

That kind of bonding left Henry no doubt at the depth of Bruce’s grief and anguish. They may as well have been married. That perspective put a light of understanding on Bruce’s breakdown and Beast grieved for him knowing that Bruce would suffer for a long time to come. Such were the casualties of war and the primary reason Henry did all he could to avoid it. Henry sighed and walked out, some of his early high at their apparent victory dissipating.

When he left, he saw Fallen in the Main room watching the Dognan base burn on the ship’s monitors. She saw him and jumped up and down in her excitement, giving a cheer, and hugged him tightly in her joy. Beast laughed at her enthusiasm, letting her recharge his happiness. "We did it!
We did it!" she squealed, squeezing him without mercy.

"Yes, we did," he replied.

Fallen took his hand as the door for the lower level opened on her mental command. She took him below and locked the door behind them, she was still protecting her secrets and didn't want any of the Clan to follow her. She let go of Henry and raced down the hall when she saw Seth already out in the hologram and waiting for her. She flew into his arms and lifted him with her power so as not to topple him, he was still pretty unsteady on his feet. She spun with him just above the floor in a lazy circle and covered him in kisses.

"You're free, Fallen! You're free!" he cried, holding her close and laughing with joy. "It’s over!"

"I'm going home!" she said. "We're all going home!" She continued to shower her love and excitement on Seth who received it gratefully. Her kisses grew more and more intimate and tender as she calmed down. She touched his face and ran her hands through his silky white hair. In her happiness, she was oblivious to everyone else except him.

Henry watched them, an amused smile on his lips. He could see how much Seth and Fallen loved each other. The fact that Seth was technically not real didn't matter to him at all. Their love was so strong, so powerful, Henry could almost touch it himself. They reminded him of the many couples that formed on the team back home, being in such dangerous situations time and time again formed such strong bonds. Some loves were just too strong to be denied and this clearly was one as well.

Henry noted Kimble was up on the viewing screen. He was in the control room, simply sitting in his chair, watching them from his work station. He had a peculiar expression on his face, his mouth was smiling --- it always was --- but his eyes were terribly sad as if he knew just what he was missing out on. Henry hoped he wasn't jealous. It was hard not to be, looking at two lovers like that.

Seth kissed Fallen and whispered in her ear, just enough that Henry could catch it, "Tonight. You and me, my love. No matter what."

She laughed softly. "No matter what. Don't worry, I'll help you."

Kimble cleared his throat to get their attention. "Vally's cummin' up the ramp, Fallen."

Fallen gave Seth a last lingering kiss. "Go, now. I'll be back for you."

She set him down and he left her reluctantly, he was much too happy having her close and in his arms to ever want her to leave. He stood still with his hands across his chest and then his body suddenly shimmered and melted until all that remained was the grey block of particles. Seth’s computer image reappeared next to Kimble on the screen and he gave her a long, pained look of separation.

Kimble stood awkwardly and tugged on him. "Let's go. We gots work ta do fer leavin'." He dragged Seth away, taking him out the rear door and back into the system.

Fallen turned to Henry and led him back to the upper level, whispering to him all the while. "Listen, now. Quickly. Valentin will come and we'll go back to Station Nine to see Cerebus. Cerebus will ask you what you want. You must tell him you wish to return home without delay. Understand? We have to leave as soon as possible if we are to escape with little fuss."

"I understand. Believe me, there is nothing I want more."

They didn't have long to wait for Valentin and the others. The First General came up the ramp, his face split wide with a grin. He hugged her and gave her a kiss, his excitement mirroring that of Fallen’s would be lover down below. Fallen accepted it, but her expression was far less than she had for Seth. "We leave for Nine immediately," he ordered.

"Yes, my Lord."

She pulled away from him and went to the main screen. Kimble was already waiting for her and they began the preliminary preparations for departure. Seth came in the control room and stood behind Kimble, watching over his shoulder. Kimble made a remark in Siskan and they laughed.

Henry smiled when he saw Logan and Gambit come up the ramp. They were dirty from the explosion and the fighting but thankfully otherwise unharmed. Both of them were grinning. They were going home!

[squeekness]

(Thirteen)

The trip back to Clan Station Nine went smoothly. Logan and Gambit showered on the way in, they were all ready and refreshed for the landing, feeling like new men and excited by the prospects of going home. The Lucky Dragon landed in Nine’s great stone hanger, emptied out
quickly and the party made its way down to Cerebus’ grand Hall.

The celebration was well underway when they got there, the noise extravagant and loud. The hall was filled with laughing, dancing people. The main festivities were to be the next day, but you wouldn’t know it by the revelry they saw at this moment. Most of the Clansmen they saw were already drunk and shouting, but who could begrudge them this celebration? At least there was no violence, all seemed to be happy and cheerful as they partied. There were musicians playing all sorts of instruments and singing, the music deep and primal. There were many extra torches along the walls and bonfires, brightening the room. The tables were heavy with fine food and drink, the best the X-men had seen since they arrived here.

At the end of the great hall Cerebus sat on his fur covered throne, surrounded by his attendants. Antius, the former white slave was among them. He nodded respectfully at Logan when he caught his eye and Logan returned the nod with a smile, thinking back fondly on their contest. Antius was no sore loser and it cheered Wolverine’s heart to see it. He almost wished Antius was going back with them, he would have served Charles Xavier well. The regret was fleeting, Logan wished only to return home.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!"

Logan turned to see Jacob coming up behind them, carefully towing a tiny white pilot behind him by one hand. Jacob was obviously thrilled at the day’s events, he rushed up to them and gave them all a round a bear hugs, he even had one for Remy he was so excited. Wolverine was grinning, his friend’s cheer raising his already soaring spirits that much higher. "We made it out in one piece," he grumbled as a reply to Jacob’s enthusiasm.

"Rumor has it you guys are bailing out on us."

"That’s the plan," Wolverine answered. He leaned in close to say, "Why don’t you try and sneak on, eh? Hitch a ride with us?"

"I’ve got too much celebrating to do. Besides, I just asked Leena to marry me," Jacob said, bringing his pilot companion that much closer.

Logan nodded. He had grown to know Leena a little these past weeks. She was a pilot like Fallen and in many ways more pretty and attractive, yet not one as finely made. She could produce the Ristle energy and fly, but she was a bit dim, not as smart or as aware. It was her child like state that attracted Jacob, she brought out the protector in him and they were both completely smitten with one another. Jacob had struggled with dating back home, Leena was the primary source of his improvement here Logan had come to learn. He considered it a good match and was happy for his friend.

"Take her with you," Wolverine suggested. He was hoping to persuade Jacob to come back with them, he had been the reason all this had started in the first place.

Jacob’s smile dimmed some. "They wouldn’t accept her there."

The X-men, in their various ways, had worked hard to improve human/mutant relations, but it was a never ending battle. It was true that someone as drastically altered as Leena would struggle in public life. Fallen had enough spirit to carry her pretty far, this was not so with Leena. Logan knew Jacob’s answer to be true.

"Besides," Jacob went on to say, "...there’s still work here to do, rebuilding this place. There will always be a place for an alpha like me."

"Then we wish you the best of luck," Henry said, extending his hand. "Congratulations."

Jacob shook with Henry and then stepped politely aside as Zekian came forward to greet the X-men. "Cerebus is ready for you. This way, please."
The X-men followed as commanded and they were given spots of honor. They sat on comfortable furs to one side of Cerebus’ throne while Valentin and his men arrived to sit on the other. Fallen and Maylee were close by with another group, speaking softly to one another.

They weren’t given long to chat, only moments later Cerebus raised his hands to get everyone's attention. He held up his gold cup filled with wine. "A toast! A toast to the great and powerful X-men!" There was a great cheer, loud in the stone room. "Let it not be said that Cerebus is not generous to those who serve him well! You! X-men! Rise and stand before me!"

They complied clumsily, a little embarrassed to be shown off like this. In all their trials back home, they were for the most part unsung heroes that very few people even knew about. It was awkward but kind of nice in a self flattering kind of way.

The Clansman leader laughed, amused at their nervousness, and clapped his hands. "Whatever you desire! Name it!"

"You know what we want," Logan spoke, raising his voice so he could be heard by whole room. "We wanna go home as soon as possible. Immediately would be preferable."

Cerebus looked disappointed. "Don't you want to rest? Surely you must be tired?"

"Plenty of time ta rest on the ride home."

"And so it shall be done. Who will take these brave men home?"

Fallen stood. "I will." She strode tall and proud to their side and looked back at the gathering. "I am Fallen, First Pilot and recipient of the Clan Honor Sword. It is my right and my privilege. I will take them home. My ship is ready and I can depart in less than two hours. If we leave then, I can be back in time for the festivities tomorrow. Perhaps I could even bring back another load of alphas if they desire."

Logan looked at her and she smiled. He returned it with heartfelt warmth, he was happy they were going. Fallen had kept her word, they would be leaving today! Not too soon if you asked him.

"And so it shall be done!" Cerebus said loudly. "My good and wonderful Fallen, so eager to please!" She turned to go, but he stopped her with a raised hand. "Wait, Fallen. Don't go just yet. You, too, have served me well and shall have a reward as well. As a sign of my appreciation, I give you Valentin, First General and my finest warrior, as your husband."

Logan heard the words coming, but was too shocked to stop the growl that came. Of all the things that might have hampered their escape, this was one he had not foreseen. He figured that with Fallen still having some time left to serve with the Clan, this decision would have been put off and left behind them, best forgotten. He vowed not to let this stop them, his mind was already shifting gears to the next plan before Fallen even had a chance to reply.

Fallen almost choked at Cerebus’ words, her shock of his announcement obvious to all. Her face paled with terror and she stammered feebly, almost unable to get the words out in her haste to think if some excuse to refuse. This couldn’t possibly be happening! "Oh, no, good Sir. You do me too much honor. I couldn't possibly accept!"

Cerebus wouldn’t have it. He was drunk on his wine and thought his offer was so magnanimous, the poor pilot was afraid to be so in his debt. He couldn’t see her horror for what it was. "Nonsense, child. It is my wish and his as well. He has asked for you himself more than once. I see no reason now not to grant his wish. The two of you together shall be the Clan's finest asset."

"Please!" Fallen pleaded in a strangled wheeze. She could hardly breathe. "It’s too much!"

"Look at you, Fallen. Anyone can see you are tired and are in need of rest. Take these good people home. Stay with them a while. Enjoy your husband. Get pregnant! Think of what powerful children the two of you shall bear for the good of the Clan!"

Fallen trembled and sobbed in spite of herself, her hands rising and grasping at her mouth as she felt her gorge rise. She couldn’t stop the shudder of revulsion that rocked her.

Cerebus noticed and his eyes narrowed in an irritated squint. For the first time, he questioned the wisdom of his choice. It was too late to take it back, he would not embarrass Valentin in front of this crowd. Besides she was a pilot and female, how dare she act this way? "Do you dishonor me by questioning my good judgment?"

"No, Sir," Fallen whispered as she tried to compose herself. "I am weary..." her voice trailed off into nothing, the light already going out of her pale blue eyes.

Logan took a half step forward, trying to think fast. There must be something he could say that might get her out of this, but the only words that came to mind would surely result in turning all of the men in this room against them, not a wise decision. It was just fate then, beyond his ability to stop. They would just have to deal with it and hope for the best.

Cerebus beamed, happy now with her capitulation. "Ahh! It is done, then." He snapped his big fingers at this First General, ordering him to come forward.

Valentin approached Fallen with Joseph who carried a small bag. Joseph smiled his wicked smile at his Master’s wife to be and took out a red sash, using it to tie Fallen's wrist to Valentin's. He was happy for the General and cared not one bit what Fallen had to say about it.

Fallen began to shake, but did not cry. She would not dare, not here, not now.

"Hear me, my Clan!" Cerebus' voice boomed in the big hall. "These two are now together as one. She is his as are all her possessions. Nothing can break them asunder save Death itself. So says the Great and Mighty Cerebus!"

There was another great cheer in the hall, echoing off of the walls like thunder. The musicians beat their drums and glasses were struck in heady toasts. Fallen never heard it. Her eyes were glassy and dead as she stared numbly off to space, her heart and soul lost.

Valentin moved her face to his and kissed her on the mouth, his greed for her plain to all. She did not return his kiss but stood still, lifeless. Valentin cared not a bit, he smiled a grin full of malicious intent as that other face of his, the face of the evil man who had brutalized her the first time the X-men had seen him, revealed itself. His eyes were bright as Logan heard him hiss, "You've no need of your pathetic little Siskan now!" in her ear.

She shuddered again and this time a tear rolled down her cheek. They were still tied together and Valentin led her away from all the noise and revelry. She followed meekly, her head down, a criminal off to the gallows.

The X-men watched her go, unable to help. They were escorted to a private table where they were given the best food they'd ever seen in this place. Sumptuous chunks of broiled meat simmering in real gravy, not pools of grease, lay in platters before them and fresh bread beckoned to be tasted. Bottles of fresh wine, whiskey and beer were placed out for them as well. Too bad, none of them were in any mood to enjoy it. They had two hours to kill and heavy hearts to bear.

Logan growled impatiently and heaped food on a plate, just for something to do. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring a generous amount of it into a cup. He drank it down, saying nothing.

"So what now, mes amis?" Remy asked, just for something to say.

"We get ourselves home," Logan replied evenly. "Valentin ain't our problem any more."

Remy’s red and black eyes narrowed at that. "What if de bastard comes wit us?"

Logan didn’t hesitate, but offered the best solution he could come up with. "Then he's got himself a nice comfy stay in Holding Cell Three. I wouldn't let that monster loose fer a minute."

Beast nodded, accepting it as their best option. As a member of the senior staff, he was quite familiar with the small security area set aside at the Institute for the unruly. Sometimes it was just better to rehabilitate a crazed mutant than to toss him into a prison that couldn’t possibly deal with his condition. The holding cells would work just as well on a dangerous Clansman just as well as any mutant. "I agree," he said. "I only hope Valentin doesn’t get a chance to delete Seth or Kimble before we leave."

Remy grunted softly in agreement and Beast went on to say, "You should have seen Seth's face right before we left. He'll be devastated if Valentin comes back with us. Fallen will most likely honor the marriage if he does."

"Seth ain't real. Kimble ain't real. The sooner you guys get over it, the better," Logan growled. He wasn’t blind to the situation, he had just adjusted his perceptions to better ease his heart. It was simply better to think this way and worry about the rest later.

Henry wasn’t so eager to let it go. "Why is it so difficult for you to accept the possibility that they could be real in their own unique way, Logan? Computer programs don't behave the way those two do."

"C'mon, Blue!"

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Beast shifted forward, insistent in his point of view. "You didn't see the way Seth was looking at Fallen, I did. You could feel the intensity. It was there, Logan, you could almost touch it. I haven't seen many real people look that way, never mind them. He loves her without a doubt, no matter what you may think."

Gambit had his two cents worth to add and was quick to spend them. His voice was a little sharp as he said, " ‘Sides, you spend some time wit Lanlin, neh? If she was so fake, what you doin’ wit ‘er so much?"

Logan squirmed a little, but wasn’t going to back down. He had made up his mind about this whole stupid business and was going to stick to his guns, stubborn as always. "That’s not the same thing. I ain’t in love with her --- it --- whatever! I know the difference between real and fake. Lanlin was just somethin’ ta pass the time an’ spend my money on, nuthin’ more."

Gambit shook his head. "Does any’ting ever make you ‘appy, eh? Didn’t you ever get no toys at Christmas?"

Logan looked at him sharply and Remy groaned inside, remembering that Logan probably didn’t remember any of his childhood. His memories had been wiped out and so screwed around with he really didn’t know what was real and what was fake anymore.

"Toys’re toys. Not real people. That’s what reality is," Logan said firmly, rising. He walked off, his shoulders tense.

Remy put his head down on the table. "Merde. Dis suck like nuthin’ else. Gambit jus’ wanna go ‘ome now," he complained.

Henry put his hand on his shoulder. "Fear not, my friend. Two hours and we’ll be on our way."

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/

[squeekness]

(Fourteen)

Two hours later as promised, the X-men boarded the Lucky Dragon, relieved to finally be going home. Remy had boarded first and taking a seat in the front row, was relieved to see the control room on the screen and that Kimble and Seth were seated inside. Everything was quiet, the mood somber inside the ship.

Logan boarded a minute later and looked over the seats as he entered. Bruce was still asleep from being sedated and had been laid across the seats in the last row. He was out cold and if Fallen kept her word about staying on Earth, would have a rude surprise when he woke up. His pack with Justin’s box safely inside had been crammed under his seat. Logan wasn’t happy about Bruce still being on board since it probably meant he wasn’t going to be the only one going along.


His suspicions were justified when he saw Valentin and Joseph arguing in the galley doorway. "When this ship gets back, I'm gonna shut those freaks down." Wolverine heard Valentin say.

"If they help her fly the ship, shouldn't you keep them?" Joseph was arguing. "We need this ship in case the Dognan return. We need a powerful space vessel. We can't fight the Dognan with our scrub fighters. Not in space."

"Fallen flies this ship, not those two freaks," Valentin snarled in disgust. He walked into the galley and his Second followed him. The argument continued, but Logan wasn't interested in listening to any more of it.

Logan finished snooping and took his seat next to Gambit. A deep sinking feeling of unease settled into Logan's gut. He tried to shrug it off and looked over to the cage. From where he was sitting, he had a good view of the inside. Fallen was on the closest of the two sticks, her head down. She had a cigarette burning but the ash was long like she was in a trance.

"De pilot, she gonna be okay to go?" Remy whispered low.

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Logan turned to his teammate, trying his best to sound confident as he replied, "I suppose so, ain't nobody stoppin 'er."

Remy almost groaned aloud when he saw both Valentin and Joseph take seats a couple of rows behind them. Again he whispered to Logan. "What's dis? We're not catchin' a break on nuthin'!"

"Too late ta do anything 'bout it now. We'll deal with it."

A moment later, Henry came up the ramp. He glanced over at the lethargic pilot hanging on her stick and scowled. Now more than ever, her cage room looked like the prison that it was. Knowing that Valentin was close by, he said nothing, but took his seat next to Maylee, hoping to offer the child some comfort. She had slunk into her seat only just before Henry had taken his, turning away to face the wall. She had been hiding out during the battle and hadn’t seen much of them. More than that, she was no doubt upset about Fallen's new living arrangements. It affected her and not in a positive way.

Glancing up to the large viewing screen, Beast could see that Kimble was in his usual place in the cockpit room. He was working, getting ready for the flight. He would occasionally glance up at Fallen, but was silent. His face was drawn, serious. Seth was behind him in the control room for the launch. He sat in his chair, still and quiet as he stared off into space. He seemed as sad and defeated as Fallen did, he sat doing nothing. There really wasn’t anything for him at the moment, taking off was Kimble's job. Like Bruce, Seth was just here for the ride.

"Boost sequence initiated," Lucky chimed.

Kimble announced, "Boostin' in two."

"Boosting in two, aye," Fallen responded without moving. Her voice was low and scratchy.

Henry felt useless with all of this sadness and had to do something. He gently gave Maylee’s shoulder a nudge, making her look up at him with a slight smile. That was better. He said nothing more but lay a gentle hand on her arm, patting her slightly. Her smile grew a bit brighter and she leaned into him, suddenly grateful to have him there. He put an arm around her and comforted her like the child she was.

Wolverine took a moment to quietly sniff out Fallen's condition. Even from this distance he could pick up Valentin's stink all over her. Her hair was tangled and dirty, she hadn't washed from Valentin's last dose of love and affection. Scores of new bruises decorated her arms and she had a nasty looking suck mark on her neck, Valentin had marked her as his. She looked terrible, but appeared calm and unhurried. She crushed out her cigarette and gripped the stick.

Kimble counted down, "Ready..Steady..Boost!"

Fallen shot of a bolt of blue Ristle energy from her hands. They boosted.

"Boost sequence complete. Do you wish to continue?" Lucky prompted.

"Yes."

"Port exit initiated."

The engine hummed into life with a low vibration. Fallen concentrated and Logan felt the ship move up. There was a thump as the landing gear was retracted, they were now floating in the bay. Using her powerful telekinesis, Fallen mentally piloted the ship out of the hanger and into Cerise airspace.

The huge screen was divided into the six windows. Two for the cock pit, the other four giving different views of their progress. Logan watched as the blue sky of Cerise turned into the black starlit backdrop of outer space. The sight of it should have made him feel excited to be traveling, but all it did was increase his sense of unease.

Lucky chimed again, speaking in his tinny voice. "Port exited. Do you wish to continue?"

"Yes," Fallen replied.

Fallen and Kimble negotiated the rest of the launch and they were on their way. Logan's unease still wouldn't go away. He looked around him nervously but nothing seemed obviously out of place.

They flew steadily for about forty minutes, placing the light brown dustball of Cerise further behind them, until they reached the jump point. Kimble had been quiet all this time, but spoke up as it was time to prepare for the jump. He glanced up at Fallen again, his pale blue eyes serious. "Jumpin' in five."

Fallen nodded. "Jumping in five, aye."

"Still with me, girl?" Kimble mumbled low, concerned about Fallen's quiet and unable to keep it to himself.

"Still here," she replied, giving him a wan, dismissive smile. She wasn’t about to air her grievances in a ship full of passengers.

The time passed.

Lucky chimed, "Jump sequence initiated."

Kimble took his turn. "Jumpin' in two."

"Jumping in two, aye." The jump clock came up on the screen and began counting down. The silence was broken when Fallen barked suddenly, "Command Override Lost Cause."

Lucky responded immediately with, "Command Override accepted. Emergency procedures activated."

Kimble blinked, startled. " ‘Scuze me, darlin’?"

For the first time Seth moved. He looked at Kimble in alarm. "What?"

Wolverine grunted as his seat belt locked tightly against his chest. Grids lit up on the floor like movie theater running lights. Something thumped from the lower level below and Logan's gut clenched. His hyper senses were going wild as his body surged with adrenalin and the hairs went up on the back of his neck. He just knew this was going to be bad, whatever it was.

Lucky continued to announce in his strange mechanical voice. "Ristle power overload screens deactivated. Explosion safeties disabled. Command Override options negated."

"Fallen, what're ya up to, girl?" Kimble asked nervously. When she didn't answer he snorted with impatience. "Lucky, abort jump!"

"Unable. Second Command Override required."

Kimble grinned angrily and shook his head. "Oh, yer in so much f--kin' trouble, Fallen. I ain’t got the words!" He began flipping switches but didn’t seem to be having any success.

Lucky had more good news to offer. "Warning, jumping without safeties activated may result in implosion during the jump. Probability of successful jump without safeties engaged, two percent or less."

"It’s all right, Lucky, we’ll be just fine as we are," Fallen replied, her voice sounding as far away from all right as a poor exhausted pilot could. "Leave the safeties off, if you please."

Wolverine jerked in his seat at those words, now realizing to his horror that she intended to kill them all. As unforseen as her marriage to Valentin had been, this had been that much more off his radar. Fallen had appeared much too strong to him for such a lame move as this.

Not about to take it sitting down, Logan was done with being restrained. He popped a claw and in a flash, slashed his belt, not caring that he cut himself in the process. Gambit was next to him and tried to free himself as well, but with no means of cutting his belt as Logan had, remained trapped in his seat. Logan heard Remy call out for assistance but ignored him, he was too busy trying to stop this nightmare. He stood and tried to move to the cage but was stopped by a force field.

Lucky's voice chirped from a small speaker above him. "Security grid 3 activated. You are in violation of emergency procedures, Sir. Please return to your seat."

"Violate this!" Logan snarled and slammed his fists full force against the containment field. No good. He wasn't going anywhere.

Valentin shouted. "Fallen, what is this sh-t?! What's going on?!" He didn't get an answer. He shoved against his belt and reached for his long sword, but it was secured under his seat. With the seat belts locked, he couldn't reach it.

Seth tried a different tactic. "Fallen, whatever you're going to do... Just wait a minute and let's talk about it."

"It's too late for that now," she whispered softly, her head down. She was just hanging there on the stick now, like an abused rag doll that had nothing left inside.

"Espe’re, Fallen, let’s talk about dis reasonable, s’il vous plait!" Remy called out. He had done his share of sweet talking, enough for him to try. He didn’t know if he could charm her from this distance, his persuasions worked best when he had eye contact and skin to touch, but he had to do something. "Come on, fille. You stronger dan dis, Gambit’s seen it in yo’ eyes. Dere ain’t nuthin’ so bad you gotta go dis way!"

Fallen didn’t even spare the young thief so much as a glance. Once committed to her course, she wasn’t about to back down from it.

The clock was still moving, only one minute remained. Fallen closed her eyes and began to recite in a loud, scratchy voice. She chanted, "Lo, there do I see my Father...
Lo, there do I see my Mother, and my Sisters and my Brothers..."

Logan recognized her words immediately as a butchered version of a Viking Death Chant and it only conformed his worst fears. "Fallen!" he cried out in a hoarse snarl, only increasing the panic of the others around him.

"Command Override Frecketeshackt!" Seth ordered in hysterical scream.
Lucky, "Access denied."

Lo, there do I see the line of my people
Back to the beginning....."

Seth, "Command Override Zaresh didect a set!"

Lucky, "Access denied."

...Lo, they do call to me,
Bid me take my place among them...."

Seth, "Command override Liteckt!"

Lucky, "Access denied."

"F--kin' do sumpthin’!" Kimble snarled at Seth.

"...In the halls of Valhalla
Where the brave..... shall.. live.... forever."

Seth, "Command Override Seth predicta keteriackt!"

Lucky, "Command Override accepted."

"'Bout f--kin' time!" Kimble said, unable to hide his fear.

Kimble and Seth frantically began flipping switches. Some of the security grids shut off, but the jump clock continued to wind down. Twenty seconds. Kimble swore again, they weren't going to stop it. Seth turned to his brother quickly and shouted. "Go! Go, now!"

Kimble snarled in frustration and suddenly bolted from the control room, toppling his chair in his haste. He snatched a black bag from a shelf as he went, sending more items flying. He disappeared through the back door and into the system, slamming the door behind him.

"Where's 'e goin’?" Gambit asked behind Logan.

"Whatever it is, I hope he's quick about it!" Wolverine growled.

Fallen watched Seth's distress impassively and finally spoke. "I love you, Seth. I always have."

"Fallen!!!" Seth bellowed with a sob as he rose suddenly to his feet.
The clock hit zero and Fallen responded, a huge burst of blinding energy flamed from her tiny body and into the stick. She threw her head back and screamed.

They jumped.

To be continued in Adrift.

[squeekness]

Adrift ~ Book four of my Kimble series.

(One)

Kurt Wagner, a most peculiar young man, was warm in the May sunshine, planting flowers. It was an odd thing to see a person who looked as he did doing such a pleasant and simple thing – Kurt was covered from head to toe with velvety indigo fur, a much shorter and darker version of Henry’s own. Kurt liked to joke that he wasn’t furry so much as ‘plush’, a phrase that always brought on a round of good natured teasing which he never minded all that much. He was demonic in appearance, having the pointy ears and sharp teeth, with a complimentary prehensile tail that came in handy in a tight spot. He also had three fingered hands, something that may have looked a bit odd, but actually increased his grip and flexibility. He had the uncanny ability to blend into the shadows and in dark places was almost invisible. His striking outward appearance had earned him the Codename Nightcrawler.

Appearances aside, his primary mutation was the ability to teleport. Now that was a handy thing, the ability to transport not only himself across short distances, but others as well. He could be counted on to get his teammates in and out of a tight spot. He had trained long and hard to hone his craft and he was a valuable asset to the team.

Kurt’s physical appearance may have been flashy and strange, but his clothing wasn’t. He was dressed in simple black, almost priestly in it’s severity. In fact he had come close to joining the priesthood on several occasions, his strong, personal faith taking him on many strange paths. Today, however, the clothing was simply keeping the grass from staining his knees as he bent to his task.

Tomorrow was Memorial day, a day of remembrance, and he wanted to keep the cemetery looking fine. He had an assortment of flowers all neatly arranged for planting -- pansies here, marigolds there. He loved to plant fresh young flowers, to beautify this world with gifts from the Father, but today, he couldn’t stop his eyes from staying to a small square staked off with sticks and tape in the corner where the memorial statues were placed.

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It didn’t happen often, but there had been a disastrous mission or two where more than one person was killed and the bodies not recovered. In those instances, the students used their various talents to create and erect lovely granite statues in honor of the departed. It hadn’t been widely discussed, but that area in the corner had been staked off with three unrecovered teammates in mind.

As quickly as the strange disappearances had started, so too they had ended, the last one a mere two weeks after Logan, Henry and Remy were gone. Still no one had claimed responsibility, an odd thing considering how many militant factions there were out there operating in their world, both mutant and human alike. One particular new mutant terrorist had been especially active, a cheery fellow named Jael who simply loved blowing up buildings and racking up his body counts. No one had seen his face or knew where he was, but he was quick to make sure everyone knew he was the one reaping such bloody havoc. In this case, the X-men waited for news, but even Jael didn’t come forward on the disappearances. It was disappointing, at least Jael was a physical being that would be tracked down eventually. He had a name. Whoever had stolen their teammates was a faceless, nameless ghost and with each passing day, it grew less certain the missing X-men would return.

Of the three missing teammates, Kurt missed Logan the most. His priestly intentions aside, Kurt loved nothing more than to sit alongside that seasoned warrior as they both had a few frosty mugs of beer and debated the secrets of the universe. Not that Wolverine was all that talkative, but there were moments, occasionally, after a difficult mission when Logan needed some kind of justification for the hard facts of life. People were mean, people were cruel, and for all of their efforts, bigotry against mutants still continued. Nightcrawler often acted as Logan’s conscience, trying to get the feral mutant to think a little more about his actions. He was teaching Logan that killing wasn’t always the best first option and his words, spoken with patient understanding, had been working their way in.

The effects of those conversations had been seen by all, Wolverine had been slowly becoming more tactful and less violent. Kurt hated to think of all that work wasted. At best, he could only hope that if his dear friend was dead, that God had appreciated Logan’s efforts enough not to judge him too harshly.

Nightcrawler was as complicated as his dear friend. He loved the action of a good mission but at the same the time, craved the solitude and contemplation of the holy life. He was torn at times and it was this uncertainty that kept him here as an X-man, serving both as a teammate, but also as a natural confidant and councilor to many. It was in this capacity as unofficial confessor that had kept him busy the past few weeks. The disappearance of Henry, Gambit and Wolverine had affected a large number of the senior staff and in their mourning, they had come to him for comfort. This he did not mind, he was well suited for it and it pleased him that he could help ease their pain.

The X-men team here was large and the talent best divided into squads. Logan was quite active and crossed over into many squads, one of them being Kurt’s group. Kurt was obviously closest to the members of his own squad and the first to come to him was Storm, their resident weather witch. She was a longtime team member and had come on the same time Kurt had. She was a lovely African American, her chocolate skin complimented by her shock white hair and soft blue eyes. Once, on a mission that had taken her undercover as a jewel thief, she came home with a real one of her own, one Remy LeBeau. They had become fast friends on the mission and at first, no one had questioned her judgement. Gambit’s powers had complimented the team and everything worked out well until Remy’s terrible secret had come out.

Storm had been a major participant in an outreach group the Professor had set up to try and reach the surviving Morlocks of the Massacre. She had been there first hand, witnessing the aftermath of that horrific crime, and in helping the unfortunate, had come to feel that the Morlocks were in some way her own. The discovery of Gambit’s involvement in that crime had been shattering to her. She simply couldn’t equate her playful heroic thief with the heartless monster who had lead those vicious killers down into the tunnels. Their friendship had strained to the breaking point. While she didn’t denounce Remy to his face, even after his return from exile, they were no longer close.

The next to seek out Kurt’s patient and compassionate ear was Jean. Jean Grey Summers was a powerful telepath, though not on a par with the Professor. She was also telekinetic and an active team member. Jean was one of Xavier’s oldest students, a fiery redhead with a strong spirit. She was the wife of Scott Summers and they had a good marriage, but it was well known that Scott had a rival for her affections in Wolverine. There had been a spark between Logan and Jean, one that had never been acted on, but it was there just the same. Jean missed Logan in her way and had come to see Kurt, seeking his kind and gentle ear. Kurt was safely neutral and never passed judgement, a man with an endless ear for listening. Just his ability to let her unload her pain with passive patience had made her feel infinitely better. She was coping well with the loss.

Also part of Kurt’s squad was Bobby Drake, the class clown. Everyone had to have one, the guy who couldn’t keep still and was always joking around, breaking the tension. Bobby was an original student of the Professor’s, but he was also one of the youngest. He was the least tragic of their little squad, he looked like a normal human but could create and control ice from the ambient moisture in the air. If he worked hard enough at it, he could even transform his body into a living, moving statue of ice as well. Of the group he was taking the disappearances the best, he just seemed to be acting on the principle that the three of them would just waltz in that front door, casually asking what they had missed on X-files while they were gone. Bobby was fresh and blonde, his hair spiked and a clean shaven face except for a tuft of blonde fuzz on his chin. He had to be different and never failed to make Kurt smile, even through the bad times.

Kurt finished with the pansies and grabbed a crate of marigolds, moving on to another marker. History was taught here at the school and some events couldn’t – or shouldn’t – be erased. There was also a large memorial here in memory of all the Morlocks who had been killed in the Massacre. The Massacre had taken place five years ago, but for the last three, just before Memorial Day, someone had gotten to it with fresh flowers before Kurt could. At first Kurt couldn’t figure out who it was, Storm perhaps, but after that fiasco in Antarctica, well, by then everyone pretty much knew who it had been. Even during the six months Remy had been cut off from the team, he had still stolen his way over the fence to tend to the marker, it was the first sign Kurt had been given that their dear friend had in fact survived that most severest of sentences. This was the first year in the past three that it hadn’t been tended to, an agonizing reminder that Remy might not be coming back at all this time.

Kurt sighed and gently whispered this soft prayer for his missing friends,

"May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."


Not all of Kurt’s squad members had taken the loss as he had anticipated. Of all the ones closest to the missing, the one that troubled Kurt the most was Rogue. He had fully expected her to be one of the first to come to him for comfort but oddly, she had not approached him at all. Always concerned, Kurt had kept a watchful eye on her. He understood that the relationship she shared with the Cajun thief was not one of those smooth and steady rides like Jean and Scott were having. Rogue and Remy were one of those two months on, two weeks off kind of couples, coming together and separating with the same amount of passionate energy.
They were loud at times, especially when they argued. It might seem pleasant enough on the surface, just a game to the spirited thief, but Kurt was aware that there were times that Gambit staggered into the Institute after a night of binge drinking, an unhealthy masochistic gleam in his eyes. Kurt would often try to get Remy to open up, they shared a common Catholic background, but since Antarctica, Remy was shy when it came to personal matters.

Before this last mission Kurt had been especially hopeful for the couple, they’d had the longest streak of together time, just over three months without a fight. They had seemed especially close and affectionate, spending a lot of time together. This made Rogue’s present behavior all the more puzzling.

Rogue was not sulking or off crying in a corner somewhere. She had been moody for a week or so, but then she did an odd thing. She had cut her long, flowing hair quite short and went shopping, buying a whole new wardrobe. Kurt had raised an eyebrow at this but had said nothing, perhaps this was the way she grieved, but he couldn’t help but sense she was feeling something other than loss for her dearly departed. She looked, well, almost relieved he was gone.

Kurt tried to tell himself he was mistaken, but he feared for his friend’s return. If by some miracle the small team returned, what was Gambit going to find?

In times of trouble, it was only natural to turn to their leadership and Kurt had been watching over the Professor as well. Charles had been doing his best to watch over them all and was keeping up a good face, but everyone knew he was worried. He would see them through this, he always did when one of their own had died, but Kurt was hoping it wouldn’t come down to that.

Kurt sighed again and shifted on his knees, feeling the tension in his legs from kneeling for so long. He smiled, thinking he should be used to this. Planting flowers was the same as saying a prayer and so he spoke another, whispering soft words of gratitude for his blessings and yet, offering a humble request for the safe return of his friends. He had no desire to see yet another marble statue standing in the place of the missing. If only they knew where the three had gone, that alone would make this so much easier. Kurt couldn’t help but frown. If they were still alive, where had they gone and what could they possibly be doing right now?

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Two)

Wolverine was the first to wake. He was foggy and disoriented from Fallen’s disastrous jump. Soft voices trickled into his dim awareness, Seth and Kimble were arguing from somewhere around him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Logan groaned and wiped his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. He was on the floor just outside the cage, he hadn't been tossed very far when they jumped. He looked inside the cage room and saw Fallen lying motionless on the floor behind her stick. It didn't look like she was breathing. He could smell burnt plastic coming from the lower level. He saw the trap door was open and took a big sniff. Burnt but not burning. Thank God for small favors.

He got to his hands and knees in a daze but paused when he saw a white figure walk briskly out of Fallen's lav with a med-kit. It was the Kimble hologram. No, wait, Logan thought to himself. That wasn't possible. The hologram was supposed to be restrained, never mind running. He blinked, squinted. No, it was real. Kimble was really there. Wolverine got up and walked on rubbery legs over to the cage. He tried to enter through the door, but a security grid lit up in the doorway and a force field blocked him.

"Security grid 6 activated," Lucky chirped helpfully.

"Hey!" Logan grumbled, frustrated.

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The Kimble hologram was kneeling on the floor next to Fallen. He was shirtless and dressed only in the tight fitting black jeans. He had the med kit open and ignored Wolverine as he rummaged around inside it. His hair slid down over his shoulder and he tossed his long dangling pony tail behind him in irritation. He gently turned Fallen onto her back, being careful with her head and neck. Wolverine thought he saw a dim glow of blue light where Kimble touched her bare skin as if there was some kind of static charge between them. Kimble paused for a moment, puzzled, and looked with wonder at his hands.


When Wolverine had first seen the Kimble hologram and recognized something different and special about him, he had been quite correct. What he couldn’t possibly have known was the impact Kimble would have on all of their lives.


Kimble was in fact quite sentient and more than a little clever in his own way, but he was clueless about what to do when Fallen overloaded the ship with her Ristle power, it had all happened too fast. Seth was quicker, ordering Kimble about. Seth knew the overload would destroy the ship so he rerouted as much of the power as he could to keep the ship from imploding as Lucky had warned. It worked, but Fallen would still be injured from the backwash as the power was routed through the ship's systems. Someone would have to get to her as soon as possible after the surge had passed and Kimble got elected. Seth had frantically activated the hologram program before the surge had burnt itself out. Being the most capable to use it, Kimble flung himself into the hologram, dragging his personal files with him, represented by the black bag. All this took less than a couple of seconds.

Once Kimble was in the hologram, Seth used an access key to unlock the last of the Siskan program codes. These codes would 'finish' the hologram and restore it to what it should have been originally. Seth had discovered the key just before they left but had been waiting to use it. He had wanted to wait for Fallen to help him with it but now she'd taken that option away from him. Seth had no choice but to try it alone. He believed Kimble had a better chance of helping Fallen with the hologram whole and complete.

Kimble’s personality had only just fully loaded into the hologram cube when he saw a blinding flash of light. Fallen’s volatile Ristle energy overload next surged from the ship into the hologram as it had all the other ship systems, changing the chemical nature of it and turning it into something else. The restraining cubes exploded violently from the overload, freeing him from the limited area of the shop room. Kimble thought he heard a scream from somewhere far away, he realized afterwards that it had come from himself. He had felt a kind of searing pain as a torrent of brilliant sensory data flooded his thoughts. These things had been muted before because the hologram hadn't been complete. The sharpness of his senses assaulted him now. Sight, smell, sound, touch. His mad dash from the lower level to the cage was a blur of sensation and brightness.

Now, here in the cage room, the lights were almost too dazzling for his sensitized eyes. He could feel the vibrations of the ship through his furry bare feet on the floor. His hands tingled with every contact of Fallen's skin. When he recognized the sensation as a pale reflection of when she powered the ship, it came to him that he was absorbing tiny amounts of her Ristle energy as he touched her.


As part of the onboard operating system, he got a taste of her Ristle power every time she rode the stick. It was a wonderful, orgasmic rush whenever she fired off a big bolt to launch or boost. He could never explain why he felt what he did and never told Fallen about it. He thought it might have something to do with the Siskan pleasure programming codes but he couldn't be sure. If Seth felt the same thing he never said anything and so Kimble kept his little secret to himself. Now he had to try and ignore all that was happening to him and take care of Fallen.


It was in the nature of a Siskan Courtesan to care for its Master or Mistress and Kimble was no exception. His greatest difficulty was that he didn't know how much longer his current power supply was going to last or what would happen to him once it was gone. Fallen needed him now and she was his only priority.

"Okay, Seth. What now?" Kimble growled towards the screen in the Main Room, doing his best to hide the panic that was shaking his words. "What do I haves to do next?"

Seth’s portion of the control room now took up the whole screen, making him appear larger than life. It revealed the full extent of his grief and anguish, he was barely able to keep from crying. "D-do a Med-scan," he answered in a quivering voice.

"Easy, kid. Let's jus' do this," Kimble said without looking up. He was terrified by the whole situation, but needed to keep Seth calm and so he gave the appearance of patient tranquility. If Seth knew how frightened he really was, this whole thing would only get worse. Kimble put the Med Strip on Fallen’s forehead as directed and Seth began a scan.

Lucky read off the results. "Ristle energy backwash. Damage to the Neural Ristle Process. Severe trauma to the left quadrant. Shock. Bio- rhythm failure."

"Sh-t! What do I do now?" Kimble growled again.

"You have to do CPR," Seth replied. "I'm sending you the file now."

Kimble paused as instructions on CPR flooded his mind and came up on in a small box on the screen. Even though he was out in the hologram, Kimble had a kind of telepathic link with Lucky, similar to a wireless modem, that allowed information to be sent back and forth between himself and the ship. Fallen had installed this capability in the hologram when she first began to restore it and it was this that allowed him to link up with Lucky and 'borrow' Lucky's resources to learn and store data. Kimble laced his hands into position and began pumping Fallen's chest, his fingers still glowing slightly from the contact with her skin. His execution of the procedure was perfect, he breathed into her mouth and pumped her chest with skill as he repeated the process. Working harder now, he began to mumble to himself angrily. "Stupid! Stupid, kid! F-ckin' quitter! No g-ddamn f-ckin' patience!"

"Bio-rhythm resumed," Lucky chirped.

Kimble heard and sat back on his ankles, wiping his chin. He was sweating from his labor and from the rising tide of the panic he was trying to hold back. He knew how to take care of people, sure, but he had never had to rescue anyone like this. He didn’t want to think about Fallen being gone. He was getting overloaded with sensations and it was hard for him to stay focused, it had been far too long since he'd been out with all of the hologram intact. His hands were tingling and it was distracting him.

Maylee joined Wolverine at the cage's edge. "Kimble? But how..?" She saw Fallen lying still. "What are you doing?"

"Bio-rhythm failure," Lucky prompted again.

"Damnit!" Kimble cursed and went back to work. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. "C'mon, Fallen, ya stupid little b-tch!" He smiled angrily as he worked. "Give me a command override, will ya?! I'll give you a command override --- F'kin' breathe!" he shouted into her face.

"Bio-rhythm resumed."

Fallen convulsed and inhaled deeply from her mouth in a startled gasp. She coughed and moaned in pain, her eyes open now but unfocused, seeing nothing. Kimble held her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. So pale blue, so beautiful he could fall into them forever. He had always loved the look of her. "Fallen? Fallen, kin ya hears me?" She mumbled something incomprehensible. "Hey? Ya in there, girl?"

Her eyes closed.

"Bio-rhythm failure."

"F'k!" Kimble snarled in frustration. He began pumping her chest again.

Seth cried out, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He was helpless and trapped in the control room, in no position to help. He stood up and put his hands to the screen and sobbed, "Fallen, please! Don't you leave me! Not now!"

"Don'tcha bail on me, Seth!" Kimble hollered without looking up from his task. "You bail an' I'll go back in there an' kick yer f'kin' ass!"

"Let me in, Kimble!" Maylee demanded from outside of the cage. "Let me help her!"

"Bio-rhythm resumed."


Kimble sat back on his ankles again, his sides heaving. The Honor Sword rippled darkly against his bright white skin as he breathed, a detail that only enhanced the reality of his actually being there. He wiped his face and looked at the sweat on his hands, not quite believing it was really there for him to feel. He was real again, alive. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream. His panic and the sensory data overload was making it hard to maintain his control.

The tinny voice of the Lucky Dragon clicked on again, this time offering advice to the badly frightened hologram alone in the cage with his poor, damaged Mistress. "Bio-rhythm stabilizer, substance code: B21, recommended. Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Dosage12cc."

"Help me, Seth!" Kimble ordered, dismissing his mesmerizing sensory overload and dutifully turning back to the screen. "Gimmie the f'kin' file!"

"Sending!" Seth replied, gasping as he tried to control his sobbing.

Kimble turned to the open med kit and pawed through the bottles. They all had tiny labels on them with numbers. He selected the one Lucky said and grabbed a syringe. As he ripped the sanitary paper wrapping open, instructions on how to inject blinded him. He swayed unsteadily and blinked, trying to absorb it all.

"Kimble, let me in!" Maylee repeated, angry at being left out. She was the medic after all. "Seth! Kimble won't let me in!"

She was ignored.

Kimble plunged the needle into the bottle and expertly drew out 12cc. He traced Fallen's arm, found the vein, injected. He startled visibly when Valentin slammed his fists against the cage.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Three)

Valentin had been one of the last ones to wake and when he saw the crowd gathered at the cage's edge, he knew there had been trouble. Ever cautious, he had taken the time to recover his sword, reaching under his seat silently and without being noticed. He gripped it now in a white knuckled hand, furious. He had been stunned when he saw Kimble in the cage. Sure he knew the Siskan existed in the computer, but since he had never known about the personality’s ability to come out in a hologram, his shock was doubled. But what had truly enraged him was seeing the Honor Sword Mark proudly displayed on Kimble chest. Valentin had always wanted the Mark for himself but was never quite good enough. Now Fallen had put the Mark on this freak. He now understood why Kimble and Seth had always worn shirts when in his presence. Fallen had given this Mark to her freaks and had been hiding it all this time. Her insolence knew no boundaries and she would pay dearly for this.

"What the hell is going on?!" Valentin bellowed in his outrage.

Wolverine gripped Valentin's shoulder and heaved the First General away from the cage. He spun him around and shoved him back into Joseph who had come to his aid. Logan snarled, "Back off! The guy's a little busy!"

Valentin advanced, but paused when Logan popped his claws. "Not a good idea, bub."

Valentin unsheathed his sword and tossed the scabbard aside. Joseph moved in behind him and followed suit.

"We should have left you to rot on Cerise!" Valentin snarled and lunged at Wolverine.

One thing about arrogant men was their predictability. Logan knew he was going to charge and when he did, sidestepped him easily with a well trained grace. He grabbed Valentin's sword arm as he came forward and stuck his own leg out, tripping him. Logan used the big man’s momentum to spin him around while still gripping his wrist, snapping both bones in his forearm. There was a sickening crack as the bones gave way, a sharp report like the sound of a gun going off, and Valentin howled in pain. All of this took less than a second.

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Joseph never hesitated to aid his Master. He stepped up and plunged his sword through Wolverine's stomach, a mad grin on his lips.

His hands still full with Valentin, Logan never had a chance to defend himself. He didn’t give the scream of pain Joseph was seeking, he had experienced far worse than this, but only grunted loudly as the blade slid right through him. Wolverine released Valentin involuntarily, his body going into shock even if his brain didn’t quite catch up with it yet. He fell back into the seats, taking Joseph’s sword down with him.

Valentin, now released, finished his forward motion as his legs buckled and his sword fell to the floor with a clatter, signaling his defeat.

Gambit had revived from Fallen’s suicidal jump just after Logan and was on the ball quickly, all of his training coming to serve him well. He’d sensed the impending attack just as Logan had and reacted immediately to the Clansmen’s advance. He was too far away to stop Valentin but next dove at Joseph, protecting his teammate from being stabbed again. He was worried for Logan sure, but had compartmentalized it for now, seeking only to keep the damage to a minimum. Logan would heal if given the chance. Remy clothes-lined Joseph across the neck and dragged him to the floor before smashing Joseph's face with a sharp crack of his elbow, stunning him.

Beast was up now as well. He looked past all this to observe a half drugged, drunken Bruce stagger woozily to his feet. Bruce had woken from the sedative he’d been given just in time to see Valentin rush the X-men. He didn’t comprehend what he was seeing, only knew that he was supposed to back up his Master in any situation and had risen to do so. He held a sword in his hands, but was clearly in no condition to use it.

Bruce’s foggy brain understood only that Valentin was howling in pain and he was somehow supposed to do something about it. He jerked forward in a sloppy lunge with the sword, but Beast easily grabbed his wrist and twisted it with just enough force to make Bruce to drop his weapon without actually hurting him. He had more control than Wolverine and had no desire to see his friend injured.

Bruce growled with pain and staggered back as he was released. "What’s going on?!"

"Just calm down and take it easy," Henry tried to soothe, but though he saw only fear and disbelief in Bruce’s eyes, explanations would have to wait for a calmer moment. He moved closer and blocked the aisle before Bruce could try to do any more harm.

Bruce backed up and grumbled with frustration, but stayed put.

Meanwhile, Valentin had gathered some of his wits. He reached again for his sword with his good hand, but cried out in surprise when Maylee stomped down on his fingers, pinning him. She stood over him, holding a small dagger in her trembling hands, an unspoken threat. Valentin, outnumbered and now injured, pulled back and sat back on his haunches to reassess his situation. He sensed Henry looming behind him and gave it up — for now.

Wolverine tried to regain his footing, but kept getting the sword that was still trapped in his guts hung up on the seats. He cursed through a snarl and slowly drew it out, tearing the flesh that had foolishly tried to heal around it. Blood gushed out in a warm river down his legs, but stopped almost immediately once the sword was removed. The cut had sealed itself, preventing blood loss, but the internal injury itself would take longer to heal. It was still very painful and he shut it out as the long years of his life had trained him to do. He would worry about that later, when he was sure the fighting was done. He did notice a large rip in his shirt and swore again, he should have known better than to put his good Earth clothes back on. This was the second time in two days he had his guts ripped to pieces. He could heal, but two such serious injuries in so little time made him tired and sore. He heaved himself up with a grunt and took a step towards Valentin who was still crouched in the aisle.

"Are we done?" Logan grumbled at him impatiently.

Valentin raised his hands in surrender and said nothing, but his eyes were wild with defiance.

Logan looked at Maylee. "We got anything to tie these guys up with?"

"I think Fallen's got some rope in the galley." She left to retrieve it.

Gambit had Joseph pinned quite nicely, and snorted with his usual arrogance. "Not much of a contest if you ask me, homme."

"Yeah, well, you didn't get stabbed," Wolverine complained.

"Heh, mebbe next time."

Maylee returned with the rope and they began to tie up the Clansmen.

Valentin glared at Bruce. " ‘Bout time you woke up, you f'kin' f-ggot. Not like you did us any good," he hissed with real contempt.

Bruce just lowered his eyes and allowed himself to be bound with no argument. He had no clue what was going on. He had no idea where they were, or even why he was on the ship at all, only that some kind of mutiny had taken place. As he was tossed back into his seat, he looked with wonder at the scene playing out inside the cage.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Four)

Kimble dismissed the activity outside of the cage, he simply didn't have time for it. He reached behind him and yanked the blankets off the cage room bed. He pulled them over Fallen and wrapped her up, tucking them under her with swift and practiced hands. She had begun to tremble from shock and moan with pain. Kimble asked for a full bio-scan with enhanced shots of the Neural Ristle trauma while he worked. Seth did as he was told and the data scrolled up on the screen. Pictures flashed rapidly, too quickly for a human mind to follow, but Kimble saw it just fine if he sat still and concentrated. A final picture settled on the screen.

"Neural Ristle trauma. Left quadrant damage critical. Ristle production disabled," Lucky announced, speaking Fallen's doom without passion. He was, after all, just a machine.

Maylee was still standing in the isle. She turned to the screen and groaned. "This is bad!" She started to shake, Fallen was like a mother to her. She couldn't bear the thought of her pain.

Undone, Seth broke down completely. He pulled his legs up and hunched over in his chair.

"Aw, Fallen! What didja do?!" Kimble wailed, shaken. "Stupid–stupid, b-tch!!" He was instantly furious, growling. He grabbed a handful of bottles from the med-kit and in his wrath, threw them against the wall. They shattered explosively, filling the air with a medicinal smell. What were they going to do now, he wondered. What a stupid f--king waste!

"Hey! Take it easy in there!" Wolverine snapped, uncomprehending the seriousness of the situation. He staggered drunkenly to the edge of the cage, still in pain from Valentin’s abuse. "She's still breathin’! How bad can it be?" All this drama was wearing on him.

"Let me in, Kimble," Maylee pleaded. "Let me finish this. Don't let her suffer."

Wolverine looked at her in surprise. "What are ya talkin' about?"

Kimble tried to control himself. He had to slow down and think, he could figure this out if he could relax and concentrate. Deep breaths, he told himself. That was all he needed. She's breathin’. She’s still alive. Okay. Wait. Wait just a minute. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, concentrating. A moment later, he knew what he needed. He called out to his brother, but when he got no answer, Kimble looked up and saw his twin had broken down. "Seth! Damnit! Seth!"

Seth looked up slowly, but said nothing. His eyes were filled with sorrow and defeat.

"Gimmie the file on the Red Sky," Kimble demanded, his voice level and calm now that he had his solution. He was sympathetic to Seth’s situation more than his brother could know, but he had to tend to his Mistress first.

"Wh-why?" Seth asked wiping his eyes and shivering.

"Just send it fer me, okay?"

Seth did as he was told and Kimble scanned the file as quickly as it was sent. He smiled wearily and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he saw what he was looking for. There. There it was. Fallen would be angry but she'd understand. She'd left him no choice, really. He got to his feet and hopped out of the cage room window in a perfect imitation of Fallen's bird like grace. The trapdoor to the lower level was still open and he went down quickly without looking back.

Maylee tried to follow, but she was blocked as another security force field lit up on the floor.

"Security grid 12 activated," Lucky chirped.

Maylee was furious, Kimble was trapping them at will, using mental commands to activate security grids that had been implanted into the floor. He clearly didn't want anyone to interfere with what he was doing.
"Kimble!" she shouted, uselessly beating her hands against the invisible barrier.

He didn’t answer her but returned quickly with a small white box in his hand. It had a Chinese style Dognan character on it.

Maylee recognized it immediately. "Oh, don't you even think about it! Where did you get that!"

Alarmed by Maylee’s reaction, Seth demanded from the screen. "What are you doing, Kimble? What is that?"

Kimble ignored everyone and hopped back into the cage. He sat next to Fallen and grabbed another syringe, unconsciously rubbing his wings together nervously, the tension and strain of all of this was starting to wear on him. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm and relaxed. He had to do this. He had to do this for her. He opened the box he'd brought up from below and removed out a slim white bottle. He ripped open the paper on another syringe with his teeth before closing his eyes to concentrate.

"Substance Code: White Lightning. Neural Ristle Process Stimulant," Lucky recited, prompted by Kimble's mental question about the dosage. "Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Minimum dosage 5cc every seven hours."

Kimble loaded the syringe, the liquid from the bottle was clear and harmless looking.

Maylee knew otherwise. "Don't do it, Kimble. Please!"

"Gots no choice. She ain't wakin’ up without it. She don't wake, we die," he responded firmly, finally acknowledging her.

Gambit and Wolverine looked at each other in alarm. This was news to them.

Maylee continued to plead. "Don't! If you care anything about her, let her go."

Kimble paused and gave her a long hard look, his anguish obvious. She couldn’t possibly comprehend what Fallen meant to him so he said nothing and tore his eyes away. He traced Fallen's arm again carefully and found the vein.


"Warning," Lucky continued. "Illegal substance. Use of this product may cause seizure, violent behavior, psychosis, hallucinations, and dependence. Body mass less than optimum. Increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and hemorrhage."

"Sweet jeezus!" Wolverine muttered under his breath.

Henry stepped up to the cage for the first time. "Maybe we should discuss this."

"T’ain’t nuthin' ta discuss," Kimble replied without looking up. He was firm in his conviction that this was their only option for survival and they were in no position to stop him. He inserted the needle and pulled back on the plunger. A small trace of blood swirled and danced with the poison inside. He closed his eyes, hesitating.

"Kimble, please!" Seth said quietly.

"Ya knows I gots ta do it. Jus' tell her -- jus' tells her it wuz my idea, none of yous had anathin' ta do with it."

"Don't!" Maylee sobbed. She bowed her head against the cage, defeated.

Kimble opened his eyes to look at Fallen's troubled face. He could see and feel her pain. How many nights did he silently watch over her like this, just to see her sleeping calm white face? Too many to count. Lord knew, he loved her. It was like a white hot pleasure blasting through his very soul. It was killing him to watch her suffer, but he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. She was his responsibility and it was up to him to take care of her the best he could. Nothing would ever tear him away from his duty.


"Fergives me," he whispered and injected.

Maylee shoved away from the cage, upset. "You a--hole! I hate you!"

Kimble pulled the needle out and tossed it, the deed done. He cursed his Mistress for forcing him to decide this and he crouched next to her, his head down. Seth hunched over again, exhausted.

A window popped up on the screen labeled "Ristle Production Level." It was scrolling a flat line.


Fallen shuddered and calmed noticeably, the Lightning was doing its work.
Kimble sat still for what seemed to him to be a long time. He needed to move now, or he'd go crazy. He rose stiffly and started picking up the glass from his earlier little tantrum. There was a lot of it and he couldn’t fit it all in his hands so he walked into the lav and returned with the bucket. He put the glass inside the pail, focusing on the task and not on the racing emotions inside of him. He was excited and frightened, thrilled to be out again and yet terrified of being so exposed. He refused to look at the others or at the window on the screen, not wanting to jinx this. He walked back to the lav and dumped the glass in a garbage bin, grabbing a towel to mop up the cage floor.

He paused when he saw the jar of cigarettes on the bathroom vanity and took one impulsively. He lit it using Fallen's snap trick, discovering that he stored enough of the Ristle he'd absorbed to do this. He inhaled and felt the smoke flow inside of him. Strange how he could taste it now, feel the chemicals pass into his system, soothing his jangled nerves. When he smoked as a program it meant nothing, it was just a series of actions that calmed him because that's what the data instructed. Smoking now relaxed him in a more tangible way, serving him chemicals that actually affected his physical body.

He caught his reflection in the mirror and stopped, his curiosity getting the better of him. There were no mirrors in the shop and so he'd never actually seen himself in this skin. He'd had many different forms over the years, it often changed with each new user. Now a stranger peered back at him. He ran his fingertips along the Honor Sword mark. Different how he could feel the touch both on his skin and his fingertips. He had forgotten how nice this was. It had been a long time since the hologram had been fully restored. He could sense memories of another time, of pleasures just waiting to be felt again. It was just as well that Fallen had never indulged him sexually, he thought to himself. It would have been a waste compared to what he was capable of feeling now. Any desire to return to the main system he may have had evaporated instantly.

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Looking at himself, Kimble remembered how proud Fallen was when she'd received the Honor Sword Mark. Proud enough to give to both of the twins as well. They'd earned it together, she'd said. He liked the look of it on his skin, the bright colors pleased him. He had always liked colorful things, especially glass because of the prism effects from the surrounding light.

He inhaled from his cigarette again and watched the red tip of it glow as it burned. Smoke drifted lazily from his parted lips. His eyes followed it in the mirror, fascinated. A small fan came on overhead, activated by the smoke. He felt the slight breeze tickle the hair on his arms. He shivered and felt gooseflesh rise, snickering with amusement. He was whole again.

In the next room, Wolverine was growing impatient, no surprise with his ill tempered history. Kimble had gone into the lav and not come out. It was too quiet. Logan was none too pleased to be trapped in one place like this. Why would Kimble isolate them if he wasn't up to something? "What's he doin' in there?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Henry replied.

" ‘Ey, mes amis," Gambit interrupted, pointing to the screen. "What’s dat?"

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Five)

Kimble was drifting away, distracted by the smoke. It was easy to lose his place with so many wonders to remember. He closed his eyes and did a quick scan of his files. The access code Seth had used unlocked some memory files from the original program, he now had some restored memories from before he was broken. He already had a few shattered, fragmented memories from before, splintered but priceless. They were all he had and he had kept them to himself, protecting them fiercely, even from Seth. Now he was tempted to check out some of the new ones, to recall what he'd lost. Some part of him screamed in protest. It was better to forget and just go on as he was now. Still, he was curious by nature. He peeked into one, thrilled to learn that this was a pleasure program memory...and oh, how pleasant it was indeed! He shivered from a sudden, fierce arousal, his face flushing instantly, and decided it was best to put that one aside to amuse himself with later in private.

He peeked into another, but this time grunted with shock and surprise from being assaulted by a vision of violence and bloody mayhem. He'd seen a flash of himself in another skin wielding a bloody, dripping sword. This Kimble had been overcome by rage and despair. There was a flash of light as he was blasted away by some kind of electrical weapon.

Kimble quickly closed the horrible file and banished it as far away as he could. Where the hell did that come from? He bent over the basin and coughed as his belly heaved, doing his best not to actually vomit. He looked up at the mirror and suddenly never wanted to see himself ever again. His reflection frightened him.

"Hey, you!" came a voice from outside the cage, one that sounded like Wolverine.

Kimble ignored it. He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand as the other strayed unnoticed to his ear in a Seth like gesture of terror. That memory had been mistake. It had to be. No way was he some kind of violent killer. Someone had corrupted his files, that was it. He had someone else's stupid memories. Everyone knew the Clan programmers all sucked. Yeah, that was it. He had files that didn't belong to him. He took a deep trembling breath and cleared his mind. Those files would remain closed. He would delete them at his earliest convenience. Just the thought of dumping them calmed him and his spell of nausea passed.

Seth came on the lav screen. "Check the data, Kimble."

Kimble nodded, glad for the excuse to do something else. He tore himself away from the mirror and walked out of the lav. Maylee and the others were watching the scrolling line. The flat line was wavering slightly. Kimble went to the cage window and leaned on the sill. He waited patiently, smoking now to calm himself, his misadventure in the lav forgotten for the moment.

Blip. The line bounced significantly.

He cocked his head, interested. Waited and smoked some more. Another fan came on above him and he glanced up at it. Why does Fallen gots all these stupid fans, anaway? he thought to himself, distracted.

Blip. The line was bobbing steadily now, just not very high.

"Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" he asked no one in particular, a huge grin breaking out across his face

Logan glanced behind him as Bruce suddenly gasped. Bruce had turned quite pale and cowered back into his seat, his eyes wide. Something about what Kimble had said had caught Bruce's attention. Logan could smell his fear and was hard pressed not to growl once more. This was now the second time Bruce had reacted this way to Kimble’s voice and that was something the X-man could no longer dismiss or ignore. Now was not the time to investigate that fully, but he would be certain to find out what was going on when it was.

Kimble was oblivious to it all. He crushed out his cigarette in Fallen's ashtray by her stick, noticing several butts still sat in there, a trace of her presence. He saw a vision of her there on her stick, laughing at one of his jokes. The memory was startlingly painful, bringing the sting of tears to his eyes. He didn't want to think of being here without her.

Seth was excited now, rocking in his seat. "Talk to her, Kimble! See if you can wake her up!"

Kimble obeyed, walking over to where Fallen lay. He straddled her tiny waist and crouched down, looking at her. Her face was very still.

Fallen?" he called out softly.

He reached down and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Brushed her cheek. He watched with fascination the soft blue glow of his fingers as more of her Ristle energy seeped into him. It was stronger now than before and it felt warm and good as it passed into him. Her eyes flickered, but didn't open.

"Find me. I'm right here," he whispered. He moved closer, both hands on her cheeks now, and rubbed her face with his thumbs. The line on the screen wavered with more enthusiasm. "Fallen, kin ya hears me?"

"Uhhh...." she wheezed softly. Her eyes opened just a little.

"Talks ta me, kiddo," he pleaded, his eyes earnest.

"Who..Who's there..?" Her voice was very weak.

Kimble smiled broadly, relieved. "La ShaRain natay LaRoo."

"My guardian angel? What? Seth?"

"Humph! Seth ain't got the skills ta do fer you!" Kimble grumbled, offended.

"Kimble, it’s you. Sorry. But the restraints...?"

"Blown out by a really stupid big power surge. Go figger," he said, still grumpy.

She laughed, coughed. "Very....funny."

"I'm here, Fallen." Seth said from the screen. "I'm still in the system."

Fallen turned her head towards his voice but couldn't see him. "Seth?"

Kimble grew stern, his eyes flinty. "Look at me!" he growled, turning her head back to face him. "That wuz a really, really stupid thing ya done. How couldja do that ta yerself? Ta alla us?!" She turned her head away again, not wanting to hear it, but he carefully moved her back to look at him. "We had this all worked out. We had a plan!"

"Too late...Valentin.."

"No! It wuzn’t ever too late!" He raised his voice without yelling. "Ya gives up too easy!"

"You don't know what it's like with him!" she spat out, her anger reviving her

"Oh, like what's like?!" he returned, pulling his hands away in his displeasure. "Like watchin' him treat yer Mistress like garbage, beat 'er up --- f'kin' rape 'er!--- and not bein' able ta do anathin' abouts it?! Huh? Ya know what rapin’ is ta me! Takin’ without askin'! I’m Siskan! It f'ckin' rips me up! Yer not the only one sufferin' in this!"

"You're just a program," came the weak reply.

"Kimble, please!" Seth pleaded. He could see his brother was gearing up for a nice big fight.

Kimble ignored him and sat back on his haunches over his Mistress, his eyes blazing. "An’ Seth? Is he just a program, too? Huh? Last I checked you wuz in love with him! Doncha ever f--kin' insults me like that again!" He was furious

Fallen began to sob weakly. "I'm so sorry... Sorry!"

Kimble caved almost immediately. He sighed heavily, blowing out his rage in one long breath. "Don' do that, baby doll," he protested in a much gentler tone of voice as he leaned forward to wipe the tears from her face. "Stop this now." He got off of her and she curled up into a ball, bawling. He didn’t hesitate but pulled her up to him with the blankets and wrapped his big arms around her protectively, swallowing her up inside them. She seemed so tiny there and it made him sad. "I don' wanna fights witcha, Fallen. You jus' scared me really, really bad, is all."

Kimble’s thin veneer of control wavered slightly and a single tear dripped down from one cheek. He rubbed his face against her head, trying to hide it. He was painfully aware of their audience of big strong men outside of the cage and he couldn't afford to let them see his weakness. He took another deep breath and calmed himself. He rocked her gently and petted her until she stopped crying. He whispered to her in Siskan and kissed the top of her head, hardly believing he was actually holding her. It wasn't so much that he was real to her as she was so very real to him now. He could smell her tears, feel the heat coming off of her body. He could feel her soft breath on his arm as she calmed. She was so close now he could breathe her Ristle energy from the air.

Seth watched him from the screen, saying nothing, but eyeing Fallen possessively. He'd never seen Kimble touch Fallen like this. He was never around when Kimble came out as a hologram to comfort her from her nightmares. He trusted Kimble but was uncomfortable seeing his brother do the same things he did to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry ... I almost killed you... I'm so sorry," she whispered finally.

"Fergits it." He kissed the top of her head. Her smell was there again, almost overwhelming him. He was so tired now, sad and tired down to his very core. "It's done. We'll deal with it."

Fallen sniffed. "I can feel what you did. The Lightning."

He continued stroking her head gently. "We'll deals with that, too."

Valentin jerked against the cage. "And what about me, boy? You gonna deal with me? That's my wife!"

Kimble looked up slowly, his eyes flinty and cold. Sharing Fallen with Seth he could deal with just fine, but this monster? There was no way in hell. He fixed Valentin with his heat and growled deep and low like a large mean watchdog. It was not a natural sound and there was no mistaking the malice. "You waits yer turn," he warned through gritted teeth.

Looking at Kimble, that hateful angry look on his face, Logan felt all of his earlier concerns about Kimble’s mental stability were justified. Kimble gave off an air of danger

Fallen put her hand on Kimble's chest and whispered to him. "Shush. He'll kill you."

Kimble continued to stare at Valentin, his eyes burning with his unconcealed hostility. He smiled wickedly, showing long, sharp canine teeth and his voice noticeably dropped in pitch as he growled, "He's a steamin' pile of maggoty dog sh-t what needs puttin' down."

Wolverine stepped up. "It ain't up ta you to do that."

Valentin looked up at his new challenger and sneered. "Oh, and you are?"

"We got enough problems right here without this. The two of you can settle up later."

Valentin returned to Kimble. "You and me. Soon. Very soon."

"I'll be there. You kin counts on it."

Valentin turned his head away no longer interested, but Wolverine surely was. He thought about the time he watched Kimble dance. Kim could move, sure, but he seriously doubted Kimble would be good enough to take Valentin down. What was Kimble really? Nothing more than a fancy dancer with a smart mouth. Valentin was a hardened warrior with many years of experience. To a point, Logan even respected him. It really was a shame he was such an ass-hole. Kimble couldn't even come close on a good day.

Kimble didn’t care about any of that. He scooped Fallen up easily and lay her down on the cage room bed. She moaned softly in the sudden comfort of it and turned onto her side. He put a pillow against her belly and she curled around it like always. He tucked the blankets around her with practiced hands. "Git some rest."

He started to pull away when she caught his wrist with her tiny hand and said, "Thank you."

"Fer what?"

"For being there. For always being there for me."

"Anathin fer you, kid," he whispered gently, a gentle smile just for her. He looked up sharply as Seth came up on the small viewing screen next to the bed.

"We should keep the Med-scan running," Seth said, needing to say something. He wasn't comfortable with the way Kimble was looking at Fallen. It disturbed him in a way he didn’t fully understand.

"All right. Now I gots ta go take care 'a some things," Kimble said to Fallen. "Git some rest."

"Don't go too far."

"I'll stay close by, don' worry. Fayed rowth, my Fallen." He moved away, standing in the center of the small room. He concentrated and sent a mental command, happy when the lights dimmed in the cage. He went to the doorway and then looked at the others. "We'll talk, but not here. In the galley."

Logan nodded and they filed out of the main room.

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[squeekness]

(Six)

A moment later, they were gathered in the galley. Joseph, Bruce and Valentin were tied to the fixed benches of the table. Maylee had another med-kit out and was putting a brace on Valentin's arm. They were all waiting for Kimble to compose himself so the meeting could begin.


Kimble was standing in front of the galley viewing screen, arms folded, watching streams of data go by. Seth was there and they were talking softly in Siskan to each other, conferring. Seth was informing him about the condition of the ship, looking worried as always. In one corner was the readout of Fallen's Ristle energy scan, the Med strip was constantly updating itself. Kimble flexed his wings and rubbed his arms absently as he read it. He wasn't sure how to say what needed to be said. He was studying her levels, concerned.

Logan was using this opportunity to clean up a little. Kimble had shut the security grids off outside of the cage, allowing Logan to grab a fresh change of clothes. He'd changed into Clan leather pants with no shirt and was using a damp towel to wipe off the blood from when he'd been stabbed. He'd been watching Kimble since he came into the galley, noting that the first thing Kimble had done was drink a large glass of water. He was a hologram but required fluids. He recalled the pilot had also drunk the last time he'd been out, when he had been dancing. Logan cataloged this knowledge in case he needed it later. Any weaknesses he knew of would be valuable.

As Logan cleaned up the blood, he couldn't help but notice how Bruce was also staring intently at Kimble. Bruce didn’t seem to be as afraid now, only curious, as if he was trying to figure him out. Like maybe he recognized him somehow but couldn't place him. Logan thought he heard him whisper a name --- Zander. Bruce leaned over to whisper something to Valentin, but was brushed off by the older man.

"You've got a lot of med-kits here," Beast noted as he watched Maylee skillfully set Valentin's arm and place it gently in a sling.

"Fallen gets hurt a lot," Maylee answered, giving Valentin a hard, angry look. The Clansman just smiled back at her, his eyes flinty and cold.

Seth told Kimble he was going to go back and watch over Fallen. He left and Kimble finally turned to the others, beginning this. He cleared his throat to get their attention and they quieted, anticipating what was to come.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/068galleytalk.jpg


"Okay, here's the deal. We made the jump okay. We're just on the other side of Clan air space meanin’ we're in the right dimension ta git y'all back home. Problem is the engines're fried." Someone groaned and Kimble put his hand up. "Don' panic just yet. Me an' Fallen kin fix 'em --- if she's able."

Logan shook his head. "What do ya mean, ‘if she's able’?"

"Fallen seriously injured herself. She went and overloaded the stick. I never dreamed she wuz so powerful.... Anyhow, me an’ Seth sawr what she wuz gonna do, but didn't have enough time ta stop it. We wuz able ta reroute some of the overload inta the life support batteries---"

"What batteries?!" Valentin snapped.

Kimble kept going, ignoring the interruption. "---and use some of it ta free up the hologram but it wuz still too much. It backwashed inta Fallen and caused some real damage."

"Maybe you should have just let her do it," Maylee said softly. She was still upset over Kimble's decision.

Kimble turned to her. "Do what, kid? Kill herself? Kill us all? Lucky would've exploded. We'd all be dead now if not fer me and Seth."

"It took her a year to get off that crap, Kimble! You didn't see it!" Maylee started to cry again. "All she did was scream. The nightmares!!"

"She wuz alone then. She ain't now. It wuz my decision. Seth an me'll take care 'a her."

"What does the White Lightning do?" Henry wanted to know.

"It enhances the chemical connections in the brain that allow fer the Ristle energy ta be produced," Kimble answered. He and Henry next exchanged a medical volley so complicated no one else could understand. It was startling just how much Kimble knew in spite as coming off as uneducated and stupid. Henry knew exactly what Kimble was talking about even though he didn't pronounce the scientific terms as well.

Kimble could tell the others were left in the dust so he put his hands up to put Henry on hold and addressed them himself. "It stimulates the area of the brain that keeps her Ristle energy production active. The Ristle energy process is also tied inta the part of her brain that controls consciousness and rational thought."

He paused to organize his thoughts and reached to the table to take a cigarette from the glass jar there. He snapped to light it and took a deep drag, squinting as another stupid fan came on.

"If Fallen wuz normal, the drug would produce a kind of euphoric high. She's so far gone now, all it's doin' is keepin' her from slippin' into a coma," he said soberly, unable to hide his concern for her. He paused and smoked a little before speaking again, considering his words. "The Dognan designed the pilots so that if they wuz so injured they couldn't ever fly, they'd go in a coma and die cuz they couldn't be used."

"How could you possibly know all this?" Valentin demanded.

"Fallen told Seth. Seth told me."

"Why would she tell you and no one else? None of our other pilots are like that."

"They are, you just don’t knows it. How many of them wuz ever in this kinda trouble fer yous to see it? She's got a lot of Dognan memory implants, too. The Dognan never taught any of ‘em how ta do stuff, they used implants --- Salvage, Technology, some basic medical files 'bout herself. How do ya think she built this ship and evrathin’ else she has? She knows lotsa things she don’ talks about. She talks ta me an' Seth when she does cuz she trusts us. I don’ think the same can be said fer you."

"You lie!" Valentin tried to rise. The ropes slipped a little, but held him. "I'll bet we're stuck like this because of something you did. How do we know you didn't screw us up doing this thing you did to yourself?!"

Kimble turned to the group and raised his hand like a kid in class. "Who doesn’t think Fallen tried to kill herself?" They were silent. "Anaone? Anaone? No?" He glared at Valentin. "You a--hole!"

"Why would she do that? She would never put her passengers at risk!"

"Don’ think she cared about too much anamore, Vally. Prob'ly figgered she wuz better off dead than married to a piece of s--t like you."

Valentin roared and heaved against the ropes. They snapped and he was suddenly free, lunging for Kimble with all the violence he could muster. Gambit scrambled for him and missed as Valentin vaulted across the table. Even injured, he was formidable.

Kimble still dodged him easily and used all of his strength to slam a fist into his opponent’s face, using his momentum against him. Kimble's fingers exploded with pain from the contact, but the power and the ability to act against Valentin sent a thrill right through him. Valentin's legs buckled from the power of the blow, but he didn't fall. He reeled and Beast grabbed his good arm, pulling him back.

Kimble wasn’t done. He advanced towards Valentin, snarling, but before he could continue, his head was yanked brutally to one side. The pain in his scalp was enormous, horrible, and totally unexpected. He couldn't help but squeal from the shock of it, the cigarette flying from his mouth. Wolverine had twisted his ponytail tightly around one hand and then used it to fling Kimble into the wall like a child's plaything.

Kimble looked like a man, but his inorganic body was not quite as heavy, Logan had tossed him easily with more force than he had intended. Kimble hit the wall hard with a startled grunt. Instantly angry, the pilot snarled and shoved back, trying to defend himself, but Logan easily pushed him again and pinned him with his much heavier body. His fist came to Kimble's face.

Snickt!

Kimble jerked with a gasp as three shiny claws jumped from the back of Logan’s fist and cut into the wall next to his left eye.

"Don't f'kin' move," the older man growled with real authority. "Don't even breathe."

Kimble did as he was told, but trembled with indignant rage at his mistreatment. Unlocked memory files threatened to open again, prompted by the suddenness of his anger. Images flashed before his eyes but he couldn't really make them out. He shoved them away, not wanting a repeat of what happened in the lav. They closed down, but he was left with an acid burning in his gut. The depth of his own anger frightened him a little, it had been a long time since he'd felt pain on this level or the anger that followed.

Kimble looked into Logan's eyes and saw only malice and unquestionable superiority. The man's arrogance galled him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Wolverine’s earlier assessment of him had been quite correct, he had only a handful of fighting files, all of them useless against a warrior of this caliber. He could feel he had lost energy, too. The force he had used on Valentin had cost him, increasing his anxiety, he didn't know what he was going to do when his power was gone. He then remembered how Fallen had made his hands glow, maybe she could recharge him like the cubes did if he touched her long enough. He had to get out of here and back to Fallen to find out.

Logan kept Kimble pinned but looked back to see how Beast was making out with Valentin. Henry had wrestled the man down and now Maylee and Gambit were tying him back to the bench, using a lot more rope.

He returned to Kimble hologram, boring into him with his eyes, trying to get a bead on just what he had here. Whatever the brothers had done, it made a big difference in the hologram’s appearance. This new hologram was perfect and completely convincing in its representation of Kimble's "skin". He appeared to be real and alive.

Wolverine could tell Kimble remained different from Lanlin, though, he didn't share the deadness of her eyes. Kimble's were a pale blue and blazed with the intense fire of his intelligence and obvious fury. His skin seemed almost to glow with energy, the Ristle perhaps, but it exposed him as unnatural, alien. He wasn't human at all, not even close, and yet he was beautiful like an angel might appear. Ghostly and seductive to one not able to resist the draw of something from some other place. It was hard not to look at him. Up close like this, yes he was beautiful, but also dangerous. Lovely and dangerous like a cobra just before it strikes. This was how he appeared to Logan. Sweet jeezus, Logan thought, what did Fallen bring out into the world?

"Lemmie go!" Kimble hissed, squirming helplessly in Logan's grasp. He squinted a little as if Logan’s very presence was hurting him somehow.

Logan ignored him, not yet ready to let this stupid pain in the ass go. He figured Kimble for a troublemaker from the get go and so far the ersatz pilot had done little to change that opinion. Beast was still working on Valentin so Logan continued his scrutiny of his prisoner. He'd been surprised by the squeal that had come from Kimble when he'd turned his head like that. He would have thought a guy as cocky as this could take a little pain. Whatever. It would only make him easier to control.

Beast was finished now. Logan withdrew his claws and released Kimble.
Kimble slithered away from him along the wall, his hands fisted but not raised. Their eyes were still locked in silent battle. Kimble was outraged and didn't want to back down, his usual response to Valentin’s bullying was to push back, but out here he had to be so much more careful. Out here he could be hurt for real.

Logan made sure Kimble knew he knew it, too. "Don't make me do that again, boy," he warned, his authority not to be questioned.

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[squeekness]

Kimble swallowed heavily and tried to regain his composure. He picked up his fallen cigarette and straightened his hair, thinking his long ponytail was now going to be a liability. He thought maybe he could cut it or something, but wasn’t sure just how much control he had over his own programming. He was going to have to learn and quickly if he was going to survive in this environment. Fortunately Kimble was a quick study.

The others were uncomfortable from the obvious tension between Kimble and Logan. Beast wasn't so sure that Logan's manhandling of Kimble had been necessary, Kimble had only been defending himself after all, but the doctor kept silent about it for now. He would back his teammate as long as things didn’t get out of control.

"Okay. The engines're down," Kimble continued gruffly. He had to finish this stupid meeting so he could try to recharge from Fallen. "We got enough power in the batteries fer five days of life support."

"What batteries?!" Valentin repeated. "There's no such thing!"

Kimble grinned a nasty, toothy smile at the man. "Fallen's a lot smarter than you losers ever gave her credit fer. Maybe if ya spent a lot less time smackin' her around--"

"Watch yer mouth!" Wolverine warned. "That’s enough of that crap!"

Kimble backed away, growling, he couldn't help himself. "Fallen's real smart," he continued, trying to sound casual, instructional, but he was still angry and it came out in his voice. "She built the Lucky Dragon and alla the machines in it. She's got technology here the Clan's got no clue about. She figgered if you bastards found out you'd all chain her up ta some kinda mass production line." He paused, smoking. "Yeah, the ship's got batteries. They hold enough Ristle energy ta keep us alive fer five days or so. Hopefully that'll be long enough fer Fallen ta recovers a little bit. We needs her ta power up the batteries ta keep us alive. If she keeps boostin' 'em we kin hang here fer quite a while."

"What about food and water?" Logan asked.

"We always carry enough food fer six months. All the water is recycled. It's pretty much unlimited. We resupplied right b'fore we left sos evrathin' should be pretty fresh. Worst case scenario, we crawl to a habitable planet an' do some scroungin’. Fallen and us've done it before, just fer kicks. But it shouldn't come ta that, hopefully."

"Hopefully," Logan repeated. "Anything else?"

"That's pretty much it," Kimble said and crushed out his butt in an ashtray on the table. "Now if you'll ‘scuze me, I gots ta check on Fallen --" He started for the door, desperate to escape. He sighed angrily when Wolverine blocked him.

"Hold up there, bub. How do we know all this is on the level?"

Kimble squared up to him, daring to raise his chin. "Guess yer just gonna hafta trust me."

"I don't trust that easy. ‘Specially not some stupid sex toy that thinks it's real when it ain't," Logan sneered arrogantly.

Valentin snickered at Logan's words, his eyes bright with malevolent glee.

Logan continued, ignoring it. "I'm not so sure yer up to the responsibility. You'd better step back and let the real folks handle this. Maybe you should just show me these batteries you supposedly got and the supplies."

Kimble was furious and trembling, offended beyond belief. Valentin's laughter and Logan's criticism had cut him deeply. Sex toy? Oh, this was too much! Kimble was so much more than that and he knew it. "I ain't no f'kin' sex toy, ya hairy little a$$hole! I'm Second in command on this f'kin' ship! I'm real enough, old man, and this is Fallen's ship, not yers! She powers it! I controls it! Just what exactly do ya think you kin do without us? Huh? You ain't in no position ta take over nuthin'!"

Logan advanced, growling, and Kimble retreated a little and put up his hand, asking for patience he didn’t deserve. He had to remember that out of the system, he could be retaliated against for his mouth. He had to watch what he said. "Wait. I don' wanna fightcha, man. My job is ta take care of Fallen, so's she kin take care'a yous. You wants ta sees the batteries and supplies? Fine. But not 'til I check up on her."

"How about now." Logan wasn't budging.

Kimble was cornered, but tried to maintain his position. "I haves ta see her. I needs ta know she's okay."

"Look at her med-scan," Maylee offered helpfully, she knew Kimble well enough to know he was hiding something.

Kimble hesitated, feeling the red rage rise dangerously. Crap! How was he going to get out of this without a fight. He didn't have the energy to defend himself, he could already feel himself starting to discorporate a little as it was, a sensation he didn’t like in the least. He was running out of time.

Wolverine wasn't that stupid. He peered into Kimble's eyes. Sniffed him. "What are you hidin', boy? What's yer problem?"

"Nuthin'. I just wants ta see her, that's all. Let me go!"

Wolverine wasn’t about to wait for Kimble to tell him another lie. He impulsively stuck his hand out and pushed it against Kimble's chest, an attempt to pin him in place. He startled as his hand sank partway into Kimble's body as if Kimble was a ghost. Logan's eyes went wide and he jerked his hand back as if it had been burned. It was quite the opposite actually, it was ice cold, like he'd stuck it in a bucket of ice water. "What the f--k is this?!"

"F--k you! Get outta my way!" Kimble insisted with a twisted snarl, his frustration finally overtaking him.

Wolverine blocked him, still trying to control the situation, but Kimble shoved against him, straining from the effort. Logan grabbed his arms and refused to let him pass. Like before, his hands sank partway into Kimble's body, but still held him. The two of them locked against each other and it became another battle of wills.

Kimble wanted nothing more than to just get past this guy. He made the wish in his mind like a child wishing on a star and was startled when his desire was actually granted, just not in the way he expected. His body suddenly lost solidity completely and his pressure against Logan propelled him right through the other man's body. Both of them gasped in shock and surprise.

Logan was blasted with an ice cold shock wave as Kimble's inner core passed right through him. The Adamantium didn't react well with the cold and Logan fell awkwardly against the wall, shivering. He couldn’t be sure, but for a second he thought he caught a sense of Kimble’s panic, as if he had read Kimble’s mind for just that one instant. It was a panic that competed with a strong sense of responsibility for the poor shattered pilot in the next room. Logan shook his head in confusion, maybe he’d just imagined it. You didn’t have to be telepathic to read what was on Kimble’s mind, it was plain on his face.

Kimble looked back at him, shocked and horrified by what he'd just done, but the need to recharge was even worse now. Whatever he'd done, it had taken energy to do it, energy he didn’t have to spare. Unable to wait any longer, he went for the door again. The others parted quickly, letting Kimble pass.

Kimble bolted to the cage and walked through the security grid like it wasn't there. He was shaking uncontrollably now, it was taking all of his will to remain as solid as possible. He didn't know what would happen if he discorporated completely and didn't want to find out. Seth called out to him as he entered, but Kimble didn't hear him. He fell clumsily to his knees by Fallen's sleeping body and took her hand. His fingers began instantly to glow with the exchange of energy. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief as the waves of Ristle energy washed into him. Fallen half opened her eyes and breathed his name.

Wolverine was pissed. He didn't like anything he couldn't control and this whole situation certainly applied. He stormed out of the galley and to the cage. Seeing the feral mutant was on the verge of losing it, everyone got out of his way just as they had with Kimble. Unfortunately, the door to the cage was as far as he got, the force field in the doorway still blocked him. He slammed his fists against the cage. "Hey!!" he bellowed just as Valentin had earlier. "I'm talkin' ta you!!"

Kimble couldn't have answered if he wanted to, he was a million miles away. He gripped Fallen's hands in a trance as her power cascaded over him. She was still weak so her power didn't come into him as a gush, more like gentle ripples of blue shimmering energy. An endless sea of warm gentle caresses. He could feel her presence in his mind. He was riding the stick. He was riding her. It was pure ecstasy. He lost control and moaned as an orgasmic shiver took him.

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[squeekness]

(Seven)

Fallen was dreaming. She was falling down slowly in the middle of a big empty room. She was on her back looking up as she drifted down, but could see little else besides a dim light coming from an unseen source above her. It wasn’t very bright, it didn't hurt for her to look up into it. Her descent was gentle and easy so she wasn't afraid of it at all.

She wasn’t alone in her journey. Kimble was lying on top of her, his big arms wrapped around her securely. He looked like he was asleep and dreaming happily from the expression of absolute peace on his face. She was warm and comfortable with the heat of his larger body against her and still felt no fear, even as she looked below her and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. She braced for impact, but instead they landed lightly onto a big black silky mattress. They rolled slightly as they sank into the deep cushion of the bed and Kimble giggled out loud like a small child who'd been tossed. She looked into his face and watched, surprised, as he groaned and shuddered against her from the rush of her power cascading into him. There was no mistaking his reaction for anything less than orgasmic ecstasy.

He opened his eyes to look at her, drunk from the rush, and started to speak. He was cut off as Lucky's mechanical voice chimed, "Unpassworded client. Connection failure."

Both of them abruptly woke back in the cage on the Lucky Dragon and gasped as they looked around themselves, bewildered.

Back in her bed, Fallen looked into Kimble's eyes with confusion. "What was that?"

Kimble was fiercely aroused from the unexpected rush and heat of her power. He wanted to kiss her mouth and taste her for real. He wanted to plunge into her body and feel her heat consume him. He desired only to hear the thunder of her heartbeat followed only by her screams of joyful ecstacy as he made love to her again and again. He knew he could do it, oh, yes. He could make her feel things she had never dreamed of, it was his one true purpose after all. He was trembling with a bright white lust for her, but the look of fear and jealousy on Seth’s face was enough to cool him down. He knew Fallen did not belong to him so he just gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Nuthin’. Fergits it."

Fallen sensed Kimble’s powerful desire for her and how he'd squashed it. Spooked and momentarily frightened, she yanked her hand away and withdrew away from him towards the wall.

Kimble stayed as he was, giving her space, hoping she would calm down. He waited a moment for her to say something. When she didn't he said, "Don' be scared. I ain’t never hurt ya an’ I never will."

"What just happened?"

"I needed ta recharge. The cubes're gone. I thought if maybe I touched ya, you could still power me up. I wuz right. I gots ta take from ya directly fer now," he explained slowly so she would understand.

"Are you okay, Fallen?" Seth asked, concerned. He'd watched the whole exchange in confusion. He had full access of Lucky’s cameras and viewing screens, but still wasn't clear about what he just saw.

"Yes, Seth. I'm fine." She gave her attention back to Kimble. "I saw you in my mind."

"I sawr ya, too," he replied, the teasing smile comfortably back in place.

"How?"

Kimble sat down and shrugged. "Gots no clue. It wuz fun though, huh?"

"I suppose," she said, calming down. She lay back down where she had been before, seeing he meant her no harm, and motioned for him to come closer. He came and slowly raised himself up to her, putting his arms on the bed. She reached out and brushed his face, looking at him closely. He was more beautiful now than she could ever have imagined. He was vibrant, intelligent and very much alive. She noticed a thousand little details that hadn't been there before. She could tell his eyes were a pale blue, but now they were flecked with grey. He had lines around his eyes, not from age as he was still young looking, but from perpetual laughter. She could see the individual hairs of his long black side burns and the pores of his skin. She touched his lips and felt the warm air of his breath from his nose. When he returned her smile, he had her elongated canine teeth.

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"You guys unlocked the last of the codes, didn't you? The ones I couldn't figure out."

"Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" Kimble teased. It was his favorite expression of discovery. She had never programmed him to say it, it was just one of the quirks of his pre-existing personality. It came with the drawl and never failed to make her smile.

"I found the access code," Seth said, wanting his share of credit.

"When did you do it?"

"Right before we left. I was going to tell you, but it didn't work out. We were busy." He didn't want to talk about Valentin and their horrible last day with the Clan. "Are you okay with it?"

"Are you?" Fallen asked Kimble.

"Guess I hafta be. Don’ knows if I kin go back. Sumpthin' happened in the power surge." He looked a little nervous when he said it.

Fallen tried to reassure him with a brush of her hand. She knew how much he liked to be touched. "Why did you do this?"

"Cuz ya needed me," he said simply. "Now I needs ya ta do sumpthin' fer me."

"What?"

"I needs ya ta make me yer Second fer while I'm out."

"You always have been, you know that."

"That wuz different, I wuz part of the ship. Now I'm out. I wants ta be yer Second fer real, Fallen. Decisions gots ta be made. I needs ta take care'a ya. Make me yer Second sos the others knows ya trust me."

Fallen turned to their audience, noticing them for the first time. Wolverine still hung on the cage, slouched now with his permanent scowl. He looked really angry and she wondered how he could stay so intense without exploding. Gambit and Henry stood behind him, waiting to hear what she had to say. Maylee greeted her with a silent wave, looking drawn and tired. Fallen sat up slowly on the bed, her body complaining with every movement. She faced them, locked eyes with Logan. "I name Kimble as my Second. His wishes are mine."

"That don't mean crap ta me, darlin'," Logan drawled, his accent so close to Kimble's. "Yer sick. Fer all we know, he's controllin' you."

Kimble looked up at Fallen amused and grinned when he saw her face flush with anger. This was going to be good. He hoped she kicked Logan's ass.

"Kimble is not controlling me," she said with ill concealed fury. "This is my ship and I'm in charge."

"No, yer in bed 'cuz yer crazy an decided to kill yerself and us, too. I don't think yer qualified to decide anything."

Fallen shook her head and Kimble groaned in mock dismay. She swung her tiny legs down to the floor and carefully placed her feet. She rose unsteadily and Kimble’s amusement changed to sudden concern. He moved to stop her, but she pinned him with a sharp look. He held his hands up in mock surrender, knowing better than to argue with his willful Mistress.

Fallen put her hands against her stomach in obvious pain and shuffled slowly to where Logan stood. He moved from the fence to the door opening so they could see each other unobstructed. She wasn't much shorter than he was and they stood to face each other, eye to eye. She held her chin up high and showed him her teeth in an irritated smile.

Logan could see the strength in her, that the force of her will was equal to his own. For a brief moment, it called to him and he wondered what it would be like to take her like some insane wild animal. That’s how it was with any woman that looked at him so fearlessly, it was the same with Jean and it was the same with Fallen. He just knew she could take anything he could dish out, take it and then some, the answer was right there in her eyes. He immediately dismissed the idea as absurd of course, and met her challenge. "What," he said arrogantly.

"I am Captain of this ship, Logan. I power it. It goes nowhere without me. I won't fly for anyone but me. You're not going anywhere without my co-operation. Is that clear?"

He looked into her pale blue eyes. "Yeah," he said with a short laugh.

"Kimble is my Second. No one knows this ship as well as he does. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you. Is that clear?"

A ghost of a smile played across his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

"I give him full authority to deal with all matters of this craft. I name Seth as my Third for matters of my care should I be unable to address them. Maylee will be his advisor. Is that clear?"

"And in matters of Security? As in the Clan fer example?"

"You and Kimble can work that out. I could care less what you guys do. Dump them out the damn airlock if it pleases you." She almost laughed then and he knew she was under no one's control and never would be. It just wasn't possible. They were very much alike, the two of them.

"All right. Fer now. Yer boy said somethin' about batteries and supplies. I wanna see 'em. I hafta be sure my people're gonna be okay."

She squinted at him, tilting her head just slightly in confusion. "Why are you so concerned about the supplies? Earth isn't that far from here."

Kimble came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We gots trouble."

She turned her head to look back at him. "What kind of trouble?"

"Both engines 're down. I don' know how bad. And yer sick, Fallen. Real sick. We ain't goin' nowheres fer a while."

"Sick?"

"Hurt. Hurt bad. Worse than the time ya got shot down in the Red Sky. I checked the files. It's how I found out about the Lightenin'. I sawr ya used it ta keep up then, so I tried it fer this."

Fallen closed her eyes and started to shake as she realized what Kimble was saying.


Logan wanted to reach out to her. He was so close, not even a foot away, but the security screen that Kimble controlled still blocked him.

Kimble was there for her. He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, pressing her against him. The heat of her body warmed him and he had to shove back his desire again. He needed her to listen. "S'okay, baby doll. Doncha worry 'bout nuthin'. I'm gonna help ya. That's whatcha gots me for. We're gonna take care 'a this like we done evrathin' else. Just you an me together."

"I was so stupid...."

"Yeah, but we'll git over it," he teased with a chuckle. "I gots some things ta do ta git started, but I gots ta git ya squared away first. I wantcha ta git some rest. You shouldn't even be standin' up right now."

"We have to get these people home," Fallen continued to protest.

Kimble turned her to face him, putting his hands on her shoulders. He locked her with his eyes. "We ain't goin' nowhere fer a while, I toldja that already. The engines're fried and yer in no condition ta fix 'em. Accept it."

Fallen cursed and put her head down against him.

He gently put a hand on her head. "Ferget it. We'll worry about that later." He looked at Wolverine who was still waiting. "The X-men wants ta see the ship. They needs ta be shure 'bout the batteries and the supplies. I'll shows them round. It won't take long. Have a bath. Relax." He grew stern. "Doncha take nuthin'--Ya cain't use with the Lightnin'. Better yet, let's have Maylee sit with ya, make shure you behave." He paused and the security field shut off at his mental command. Maylee walked into the cage and Kimble looked at her, willing her to obey him. "Git some Rishna. Have her sip it," he ordered with his usual authority.

Maylee nodded, going along with this only because it was what she would have done anyway. She hadn’t forgiven him for any of this, it was clear in her eyes. She left for the galley.

"What's Rishna?" Beast wanted to know, his question directed at Kimble.

"It's a high calorie, high protein drink that pilots use on long flights. They don't hafta git offa the stick ta eats. Fallen hates it, but she's gonna drink it fer me like a good girl, ain'tcha?"

"I'll throw it up."

"No, ya won't," he scolded as if to a child. "You'll drink it and keeps it down. Ya gots ta clean up and put on some weight if we're gonna git out of this."

Maylee returned with a cup and a dark colored bottle. Wolverine could smell the Rishna as she walked by, it smelled sickly sweet like Coke syrup and he could see why Fallen wouldn’t like it.

Kimble opened his arms to let Fallen go, but she leaned against him, wanting his warmth. "I gotta go, kiddo. I won't be long," he said and moved away.

She swayed unsteadily and Maylee took her arm. She allowed the girl to lead her into the lav. Seth went with them, changing screens.

Kimble watched them go, concern all over his face. Showing the X-men around was clearly the last thing he wanted to do, but Wolverine wasn't going to let him off the hook. Logan cleared his throat and Kimble nodded. "This way."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Eight)

Kimble led Wolverine and Henry down to the lower level. Remy volunteered to stay behind to keep first watch on the Clansmen. They went down the stairs and Kimble took them to the door marked Storage. Kimble didn't put his hand on the security panel but clicked off a button instead. He said, "Kimble, La ShaRain natay LaRoo."

Lucky answered, "Command override accepted."

"No palm print," Kimble explained with a shrug and the usual laugh.

The door unlocked and they went inside. The room had rows of scaffolding shelving. Some of the shelves held large bins of various sizes while others had an old guitar and some books among other loose items. Kimble unlocked one of the bins on the closest shelf and slid it off. It was heavy but he managed it just fine. Apparently he was very strong in spite of being so light. He opened it and displayed its contents. It was filled with small packages of preserved meals. The packages had the Chinese style Dognan markings on them.

"This's all Dognan stuff, okay? The highest quality. Clan cain't make stuff like this. Fallen scrounged it up on her raids, just like alla the rest of the pilots do. Alla the good stuff we got is Dognan. We raided the pens close to the Dognan so much she gots more of it than most, is all. Alla this stuff is preserved. It don't need ta be refrigerated. We kin heats them up in the galley. Most of these bins here have food."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/070storageroom.jpg

Logan looked around and nodded in satisfaction. There were a lot of bins, plenty to go around by any reckoning. It would have to do.

"The rest have more blankets, some clothes, soaps and stuff like that. Medicines. That Lightnin’ I used wuz stashed down here by Fallen. Me an’ Seth inventory this stuff alla the time sos we usually have an idea how things stand as far as stored goods go. Alla the fresh stuff like the fruit we scrounged, sos once that's gone, too bad, I guess. Maybe we kin finds more if we gits in a real jam an’ hafta lands someplace."

"What about water?"

"Tanks're in the Engine Room."

Kimble replaced the bin and fastened it back to the shelf. They left the Storage room and crossed the hall. Kimble used the same code phrase to by-pass the security panel. The room was quite large, the largest on the ship itself. Three large clear containers the size of refrigerators stood out against the back wall, easily noted because of their size. Two were filled with some kind of thick liquid that appeared to be blue gel. Another large tank nearby was clearly marked "Water" and was also full. Pipes led in and out of it, connected to the ship’s systems and what was probably a filtration and recycling system beside the tank itself.

What was the most surprising, were the ship’s two engines, planted neatly in the middle of the room itself. They were small, only about the size of compact cars and were unlike anything the two X-men had ever seen. They were complicated and had a lot of running parts, not simple motors that Henry had seen before. Here was the source of that burnt plastic smell.

Yup, they were fried, all right. Small vapors of smoke still wafted up from one of them. It seemed this room was more than prepared for that problem to be dealt with. On the back wall of the room was a long storage rack stacked with tiny boxes and spare parts. Another cabinet made of drawers sat beside it, all labeled neatly. A worktable was fixed beside that as well, the area above it covered with tools all neatly arranged and hanging. Fallen was tidy and organized, there was no doubt they were in good hands.

Kimble jerked his thumb towards the engines. "When Fallen's better, she kin works on those. Maybe in a coupla days. I might be able ta gits some of it done myself b'fore then. Don' know fer sure."

"You can repair the engines?" Logan was surprised.

Kimble tapped his head. "Yeah. I gots the maintenance files. Fallen's got tools. Not a big deal. I’ve done work likes that in the hologram all the time. I likes the work, it keeps me busy."

"How long will it take?" Henry asked. He was really interested in the motors, his brilliant mind going into overdrive with near orgasmic excitement. He was touching them and poking about, eager to explore. Many times he’d had opportunities to learn from others, times he had cherished. He was always quick to remember and incorporate what he’d learned for the team’s use back home, his memory near perfect. He was trembling with delighted fascination now, already thinking of how he might be able to apply this technology back home. Kimble would have all the help he wanted right here, right now. Sign me up, if you please.

Kimble laughed as he spoke next, sensing Henry’s unveiled interest. " ‘Pends on how many parts I kin fix and what she has t' modify. I'd say a few hours. She's got lotsa spare parts, enough ta rebuild one of them completely at least. It ain’t no big deal. Now that we’ve jumped already, we kin gos pretty far on just one engine if we hafta."

Henry looked at him in surprise. "Surely you jest. These engines can't be big enough to fly this large a ship by themselves."

Kimble laughed. "They're Siskan, like me. Full 'a surprises."

"I’ll just bet," Henry replied playfully. Back in an environment where his prodigious brain might be used, he was much too excited to be anything but eager and happy. "We heard that Siskan technology was rare and hard to find. How does Fallen have so much of it?"

"When Fallen gits bored, we fly 'round some of the dead worlds that the Dognan leave behind. She looks fer downed vessels, junk yards. She's got lotsa Salvage implants. She knows what ta look fer, the Clan don't. She picks stuff up and fools around with it -- kinda like me," he said with a smile. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. It took her a long time to get those things workin' right. Lotsa bottles of whiskey, lotsa swearin'."

He laughed, reminiscing. "I sometimes wonder if the value of her projects kin be measured out in bottles. Anaways, once she got 'em right --- bang! Those locks went on the doors. She didn't dare let the Clan see what she'd done. So far, no one bothered ta ask why Lucky wuz so powerful. They just assumed it wuz cuz her Ristle is so strong."

He pointed to the two large tanks filled with blue plasma gel. One was dark, the other one glowing. "Those're the batteries. One is out from the jump, but the other's got a pretty good charge on it. 'Nough to run the life support machines fer about five days."

"Speaking of life support, you need Ristle to keep alive, don't you?" Henry asked abruptly, his curiosity overriding his better manners.

"Seems that way, I guess," Kimble answered warily, he obviously didn't like to talk about himself.

"Can you charge from the batteries directly? Maybe it would be better for Fallen."

Sensing only eager curiosity from the big, blue doctor, Kimble pointed to a small lamp on the workbench. "See that light? That's me. I'm that tiny light compared ta that huge battery. Remember the boost?" Henry nodded. "That boost charges both of them power cells. Fallen kin boost in her sleep when she's full strength. My tiny light bulb ain't nuthin' more than the energy it takes fer you ta scratch yer ass!" he laughed. "Yeah, I probably could charge off the battery, 'cept I gots no way of gittin' the power from the battery inta me. Looks like I gots ta have direct contact through my skin. Even so, I ain't puttin' my hand in that thing! Don' know if it'll fry me or what! I knows it's safe to touch Fallen." He cocked his head and grinned. "Lot's more fun, too. I'll sticks with her, thanks."

"You said she had damage to her Ristle Process. If she can't charge the batteries right now, or even fix the engines, doesn't your draw hurt her?"
Kimble shook his head. "Doubt it. The 'gram never used all that much." He walked over to another viewing screen. He concentrated and Fallen's med scan came up.

Henry watched him, observing that Kimble had maintained the telepathic link with Lucky that Fallen had spoken of before. It made sense, he supposed, that as a separate entity the hologram might have a modem or some other such connection to the primary computer system. It explained how Kimble and Seth had switched the use of the hologram so quickly, and some of the conversation he’d overheard upstairs while Kimble was tending to Fallen. It didn’t mean this was Kimble’s only talent, Henry was much too wise to assume that. He wondered what kind of abilities the Kimble hologram now possessed and if he was dangerous. Maybe Wolverine could handle him, maybe not. They had to learn as much about him as they could.

Kimble called up a graph, oblivious to the doctor’s internal musings. "See the red? That's where Fallen is now. She's producin' Ristle even in her weakened state. The Lightnin' is keepin' her from fallin' all the way down. You kin sees she's just under the yellow. That ain't too bad. See that little dip in the scroll line? That's when I drew from her. It didn' even drop her ta how low she wuz when I first started the scan. See? Nuthin' ta worry about. When she's midway in the yellow, she kin fix the motors. See the blue? She'll be able to boost, maybe fly us a little. The green? Well, we'll just hafta wait an' see. I'm not convinced she'll ever jump again, or if she should even try. Seems ta me this dimension's plenty big for alla us ta play around in. We’ll git ya guys home, worry ‘bout the rest later. Fallen’s gonna be fine."

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[squeekness]

(Nine)

Maylee sat with Fallen in her lav. Fallen was in the bath, sitting still in the warm water and staring off into space. She sipped the Rishna only as it was offered, making a face.

"You okay, Momma?" Maylee asked, concerned.

"Yes, I think so. I'm just really tired," she replied softly.

"I don't think Kimble should have given you the Lightning," Maylee said, unable to get it off of her mind. "I tried to stop him, but he used a security screen to keep me out."

"He was protecting Fallen," Seth said, excusing his brother. Like all the rooms on the Dragon, there was a viewing screen in here, allowing him to interact with Fallen. "It’s what he does. It could have gotten bad out there. Look at Logan, he got stabbed." Seth was in his control room, watching over Fallen. Remaining inside the computer system didn’t make Seth any less sentient or emotional than his brother, he was worried terribly for Fallen and wished he could be there by her side. It was killing him to be so trapped and useless.

"No, he did it to keep me out," Maylee insisted. "He knew I would try to stop him. Now Momma's got that poison inside her again. What're we gonna do now?"

Fallen raised a heavy hand and brushed the soft brown fur of Maylee's cheek. "It's all right, May. I beat the Lightening before, I can do it again. It serves me right for being so stupid in the first place."

"Why did you do it, Momma?"

"Because I just couldn't take Valentin anymore," Fallen sighed. "I know he's a monster of my own creating, but I just can't take him in my life any more. Not when I've found something so much better." She looked up at Seth, who had started to cry silently. "I'm so sorry. never dreamed Cerebus would force Valentin on me like that." She covered her face and sobbed, "What am I gonna do now? I can't be his wife! I just can't!"
Maylee pulled Fallen into her arms, unmindful of the water splashing everywhere. "It'll be okay, Momma. Please don't cry."

"Fallen, don't you worry," Seth said, wiping his own cheeks and trying to sound very brave, which he wasn't. "We'll stick to the plan, just like Kimble said."

"Valentin won't go quietly, Seth. I won't be responsible for setting him loose on Earth. Who knows what he'll do there?"

"We'll work it out. Kimble will come up with something, he always does," Seth offered. He had to believe in his brother, it was the only thing that gave him any hope. Kimble had bailed them out of trouble before, surely he could do it again.

"It's Kimble that frightens me," Maylee said quietly. She didn’t want Seth to be offended, but she couldn't help the way she felt.

Fallen looked at her, startled by what she had said. "Why?"

"It's the way he's taking charge and using the security screens. It's like he's hiding something. I don't trust him."

"I know Kimble better than anyone, May," Seth said. "You don't have to be afraid. He saved Fallen. He saved all of us. Does that sound like something a bad person would do? Besides, he's better in the hologram than I am. You know I suck at it. I wouldn't have been able to help Fallen like he did."

"Then why doesn't he go back? We don't need him to be out anymore. He acts like he's going to stay out all the time now."

Seth looked down at her, thoughtful and sad. "I'm not sure he can go back. Something happened in the power surge. I heard him screaming. It was awful. I asked him if he was all right. He said he was, but I still want to run a diagnostic on the hologram components when we get the chance. We'll decide what to do next after that. The most important thing is for Fallen to get some rest. The sooner we get out of here, the better off we'll be. I won't be happy until Valentin is gone."

[squeekness]

(Ten)

Valentin sat at the galley table simmering with rage and frustration. He had to do something, he wasn't about to sit here a prisoner on his own ship. He glared at Gambit who was sitting casually on one end of the long galley table, taking the time to have a drink and a smoke. "This is my ship! I demand to be released!"

"Je suis de’sole, Vally. No can do. Seems you got a problem keepin' your hands to y'self."

"You really trust that freak? You saw what he did to your friend. He walked right through him! You don't know how powerful he is! We should take him down while we still have a chance!"

"Trust dat boy more 'n you, mon ami."

Gambit took out a deck of Clan playing cards and shuffled them loosely in his hands. Valentin was playing on his own insecurities, he knew. It wouldn't work. He'd seen a lot of weird things as an X-man, watching Kimble phase through Logan like that didn't really blow him away. He'd seen a girl named Kitty Pride walk through walls and rise up on steps made of air. Jean could fly and read people's minds. Storm, one of his very best friends, threw lightening bolts from her hands. Rogue, the girl who'd stolen his heart, could absorb someone's personality and powers just by touching them.

"I know who he is," Bruce said to no one in particular, his eyes thoughtful and dreamy. He’d been moved to the opposite side of the table because Joseph and Valentin wouldn’t leave him alone. They were mad at him for not putting up a good enough fight before. They didn’t seem to care that he was half out of it at the time.

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"What?" Remy asked, turning his head back to look at him.

Bruce looked at Valentin. "Zander. I think he's Zander."

"Who's Zander?" Valentin grumbled irritated. He wasn't pleased with Bruce at all right now.

"I'd know that voice anywhere." Bruce shook his head with an odd smile. "Never thought I'd see him again." He looked at Valentin again. "You don't remember? The Siskan hologram that went nuts. Killed all those guys."

Gambit was immediately interested, but tried not to show it. This could be a trick.

Valentin sneered. "Oh, that was so long ago. How could you be sure?"
Bruce looked at him pointedly. "Because I knew Zander. I'm positive it's him. I'd know that voice anywhere."


Valentin snorted in disgust and looked away.

Bruce continued to reminisce. " ‘Well, what do ya know 'bout that?’ " he said in a near perfect imitation of Kimble's catch phrase. "Never thought I'd ever hear that again. It has to be him. I'll just bet your precious little pilot bribed the Curator of Files to get him and she thought she could fix it."

"You're being stupid, Bruce. Zander didn't look like this."

"You don’t get it, Valentin. The user decides what the program looks like. Fallen’s a pilot so she made him look like one."


"Tell me 'bout dis Zander," Gambit asked.

"We used these Siskan holograms in our training," Bruce explained. "They made good sparring partners because they couldn't get hurt. We could use them all day and they wouldn't get tired. They used these black cubes that powered them up and healed them if they got damaged. We could load them up with files and they did what we wanted them to. Something happened to Zander. They say he got smart. Thought he was real. Went crazy. He went to work one day and blew up for no reason. He grabbed a sword and started hacking away. Some men were killed.

"I was there when it happened. It was horrible. They tried to run him through with swords, but he just kept coming. Someone finally used a taser gun to shoot him down. They shut off the program and Zander was deliberately 'broken' so the program wouldn't work anymore. All the other Siskans were closed down and they disappeared, too.

"I'm betting Fallen found him and played with the program. There's two of them flying the ship and working together, right? She did that to fix him, I'll bet. It's him, I'm telling you. It's not stable. We gotta take it down while Fallen is still weak and can't protect him. He might not do anything right away, I mean, he was good with us for a while before he cracked up. But no one knows what set him off. I was there with him right before it happened. He seemed okay to me. Then a couple of hours later, he just went nuts. He could do it again at any time."

Remy considered what Bruce said. It was eerily similar to what Fallen had said about Kimble. He suspected Bruce wasn't just kidding around, although Remy didn't think he was telling the whole story. He would have to talk to the others about this. He didn't have to wait long, a moment later they came walking up with Kimble.

"Everything seems to be on the level," Logan said as he approached.

"Bien. Dat's good ta know. C'mere a minute," he said to Wolverine, pulling him aside. He stood close to Logan's ear and whispered, telling him what was said. He didn’t think Kimble would be able to hear.

Kimble wasn’t the least bit happy about it, he knew they had to be talking about him. He resented it, but said nothing. He distrusted the X-men as much as they distrusted him it seemed. He looked at the Clansmen and at Bruce in particular. There was something familiar about the guy, but he couldn't place him. Bruce wasn't one of Valentin's regular guys and hadn't been aboard the Lucky Dragon before this run. Something nagged at Kimble. Something unpleasant.

Joseph clicked his tongue at Kimble as if he were a dog, getting his attention. "Zander." he said softly, with an odd smile. It wasn't a question. He wanted to see what Kimble would do.

Bruce groaned in dismay and looked away.

Remy stopped talking and waited, his eyes locked on Kimble’s face.

Kimble squinted at Joseph. "What didja just say?"

"That's your name, isn't it? Zander."

Kimble felt sick, that acid burning sensation again. The name burned into him with an agonizing familiarity. He saw the bloody sword, could almost feel it in his hands. He realized now that file had been no mistake and the truth of it rocked him. He tried to control his swirling emotions as they fought to run away out of control. He couldn't let these men see how badly he was frightened, they might try to lock him up or worse. If he could just forget about it, it would go away. There was no proof that he had been Zander or anyone else. Let them say whatever they wanted. It had nothing to do with what was going on now. He could never be that way again and so it was meaningless. It was in the past. He could ignore it if he could just control his anger and fear. One thing was certain, he couldn't let Fallen find out about this. He'd had a taste of freedom and wasn't going to allow anything to take it from him.

Kimble swallowed heavily and lied arrogantly, "Name's Kimble. Always has been."

"Fallen named you that."

"Nope. She asked me. I told her Kimble. I'm Kimble. Ya gots me confused with someone else."

"Bruce says he knows you. Don't you remember him?"

Bruce hissed, "Don't set him off!"

Kimble cocked his head at Bruce and laughed to cover his discomfort. He had no clear memory of Bruce at all and he wasn't about to go digging for one. His small dip into the memory files had already caused him enough trouble.

"Nice try, Joe. You git these guys all wound up by yerself? Must be quite an accomplishment fer a pea brain like you," Kimble said with a disgusted snort and looked at the X-men. "They tell ya 'bout that Siskan that went nuts? Huh? Old news, pals. Last I heard they fried that bastard good. Unrecoverable. These guys just wants ta spook ya. Fallen ain’t that stupid."

"She doesn't know," Bruce whispered, too afraid to look Kimble in the eyes.

"Please!" Kimble sneered. "Fallen ain't that blind. Yer just tryin' to get outta this bucket of sh-t yer in. Wonderin' what yer gonna do now that Fallen ain't gonna let ya kick 'er around no more."

"Speakin' of which..." Logan interrupted. "We need someplace ta lock these guys up. Keep 'em quiet ‘til we figure out what we're gonna do." He wanted to change the subject so he could get Kimble away from them for a moment. He wanted to talk to his teammates. He didn't believe Kimble at all. The Siskan’s eyes were jumpy, like Joseph had caught him in a lie. "Can we use the barracks?"

"Ain't got no security there but I 'spoze we could rig up a security screen or sumpthin' ta keep 'em in. It's got a lav so we wouldn' hafta moves 'em around. I'll see what me an' Seth kin do."

"You do that."

Kimble walked away to the main room. He called up Seth on the main screen and they talked.

Logan used the opportunity to confer with the others. "I think we should keep a close eye on Kimble. Try ta learn as much as we can about him. He's lyin', I can see it." He challenged the others with his eyes to contradict him, but they were quiet. "I hope these guys're wrong, but I wanna be ready if they aren't."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Eleven)

Kimble reached up to the top of the barrack’s doorway and drilled a small hole. Shavings fell into his eye and he swore softly in his usual creative manner.

"You really should be wearing safety glasses, you know," Beast advised fatherly.

Kimble dropped down from his awkward position. He had been up on a small stool he brought up from the workshop. "Fergot how much this crap hurts. This sucks," he complained good naturedly and rubbed his eye. He blinked and his eye watered, still hurting. Just one more hurt to add to today’s list of grievances. Seemed like he couldn’t catch a break.

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"Let me assist you," Beast offered, grabbing a nearby flashlight. He clicked it on and peered into Kimble’s watering eye, hoping to find the source of the problem. The result was fascinating. His doctor’s eye caught the fact that the light both reflected against and shined into Kimble's eye like it was transparent. The pupil constricted in the light as if his eye was real. Weird.


Kimble grumbled with impatience and squinted, concentrating. Henry watched in amazement as the particle that was sitting on the surface of Kimble's eye sank into the eye itself and disappeared. Kimble had absorbed it into his body. Kimble blinked again and sighed in relief. "Uhhnn...That's better."

"How did you do that?" Henry asked, curious.

"I dunno. I just wanted it gone. If I think 'bout things, sometimes they happen."

"Like walking through Logan?"

"What?" Fallen was sitting in one of the front seats of the passenger section. She was wrapped in a blanket and watching them. She'd finished her bath and wandered over, using this as an excuse to get a closer look at the new and improved Kimble.

Seth was back on the screen in the main room, he didn't want to let Fallen out of his sight. This near miss with death would make him afraid of losing her for a long time. "What did you do?" he asked his brother.

"I kinda walked through someone," Kimble explained like it wasn't a big deal. He climbed back up to the hole he'd drilled.

"You can control your solidity?" Beast continued to probe. He handed Kimble a part for the security screen.

"Uhmm. Yeah, kinda. I dunno. I only did it that one time. Don' knows if I kin do it again."


"What else can you do?" Fallen asked.

Kimble grunted, working the strip into place. "What is this, Fifty Questions?"

"Inquiring minds want to know," Henry joked.

Kimble looked down at him and smiled that teasing grin, offering, "I kin sings Phantom of the Opera in three diff'rent languages."

"How would you know that if you're Siskan?"

"Well, uhmm. Me an’ Seth have this insatiable curiosity, y' know?" he said glancing towards his twin. "When Lucky would go ta port Seth would, you know, interface with the port computers. Be surprisin' what you kin finds out if ya knows what ta look fer. Lotsa ships gone Earthside come our way, y'know? Fallen likes the music so I'd go look through the stuff Seth collects."

"Seth would interface with the port computers? You guys know better than to talk to systems that aren't Dognan," Fallen warned. "That's dangerous. If anyone found out they could've held us for spying."

"Well, they didn't find out," Seth boasted. "I'm better than they are. Sneaky. I know how to get in and out."

"Sometimes, when yer tryin' ta puts a puzzle together, ya gots ta look in lotsa different places fer the pieces," Kimble added as he jumped down, finished.

"Is that how you broke the codes?" Fallen asked to the screen.

Seth looked at her. "Yeah. Piece of this, piece of that. Someone had a running Siskan program. I read it, figured it out."

"Just wish we coulda' got it done faster, is all," Kimble continued for him. "Maybe we coulda made ya happier. Less afraid of Vally if we wuz around fer real. Might've avoided this whole mess."

"How did you become like you are now?" Henry asked Kimble, changing the subject.

"When Seth seen what Fallen wuz gonna do, he knew it wuz gonna be bad fer her. She wuz gonna git hurt. He activated the hologram program sos we could git to her. I jumped in cuz I kin use it best. Funny thing, the power surge changed the hologram somehow. It feels different, not like it's suppozta be. Don' know what I am now, only that I ain't what I wuz before. Couldn't walk through people before, that's fer shure," he said with a laugh. "The surge also fried the restraints so I could move around. I took advantage of opportunity and fixed up Fallen there. Guess it all worked out or Fallen would be gone." He looked at her then turned away with a sad smile. "Don' matter now." He took another part out of its box and fiddled with it nervously.

"When you first used the hologram, why did you chose the Ristle energy as your power source? There are other energy sources out there that last longer." Henry asked, still curious. "We have Shi'ar technology that is much more efficient."

"We played around with other power sources before. We likes the Ristle. I likes the way it makes me feel," Kimble said, an odd look on his face.

"You told me Seth said the other power sources weren't good enough," Fallen said. "That they weren't compatible with your programming."

"Like I said, I likes the way the Ristle makes me feel." He wasn't budging. He waited for Seth to contradict him, but his brother was quiet and looking at him curiously.

"What does it feel like when you charge?" Fallen asked, wanting to understand all this.

Kimble's grin got bigger. "I think ya already knows the answer ta that, baby doll."

"Why, though? It's just power. You should feel stronger after a charge. What you feel is more like...like..."

"F-ckin’," Kimble finished for her with a laugh.

"Excuse me?" Seth interjected. He didn't like the sound of that and he eyed Fallen possessively.

"Don' worry, little brother," Kimble said gently. "It ain't f-ckin' fer real. Not even close."

"Well," Henry interrupted, a little embarrassed, but still very curious. "If Kimble used to be a pleasure program, it may be that whatever he feels is defined in those terms. He needs to charge to stay alive. When he does, he is rewarded by feeling good. Like how it feels good to eat for us."

"I don't get an orgasm eating a piece of fruit, Henry," Fallen teased.
"Maybe yer not eatin' the right things," Kimble responded with a laugh. "I gots a few suggestions!"

"Hey!" Seth protested, feeling really nervous now.

"Yes, well we don't need to go there," Henry commented. "What does it feel like for you, Fallen? Does it hurt when he takes power from you?"

"It feels nice. It doesn't hurt at all. It's kinda like getting a hug when you really needed it. I could feel Kimble in my mind."

"A telepathic link?" Henry asked intrigued.

"Yeah, something like that. It's like he takes my power, but gives me something back in return."

"A symbiotic relationship? Intriguing," Henry concluded, his scientist’s eyes gleaming. "I'd love to get a look at this in my lab when we get back home."

"I ain't no lab rat," Kimble protested playfully with mock insult.

Henry laughed. "Don't worry, all my rats get treats."

"Twinkies?" Fallen asked with a smile.

"Are the legends that specific? My word. Is nothing sacred?" Beast joked. He couldn’t help but wonder all the same, just where Fallen’s legends had come from and how she knew so much about them. The X-men were generally secretive, choosing their friends and allies carefully.

Fallen looked at Kimble. "He would probably love a Twinkie. All that cream filling."

"What's a Twinkie?" Kimble wanted to know.

Beast was quick to answer. "A golden slice of heaven, my friend. I'll be sure to have one ready for you to sample. I'm going to need a whole box and then some to put back on all the weight I've lost eating Clan food."

"Sucks, don' it?" Kimble joked and stopped, startled by his own words.

"How would you know?" Fallen asked him, cocking her head at him.

"Just look at ya, darlin'. You got no meat." Kimble's response was jerky. He'd been caught in a lie and couldn't hide it.

"Have you been loose? Away from the restraints?"

"Me? Naw, I wouldn't ever do that," he teased, covering up his slip. He hadn't been loose, but a memory of horrible Clan food was there all the same. Something recently gained, these new memory files were getting out of hand.

"Guess it doesn't matter now," Fallen said. She didn’t feel like arguing about it.

Henry was curious. If Kimble had gotten out of the restraints, what else had he been into? Clearly he kept secrets. He could see Kimble was sly, but didn't get a vibe of malice or treachery from him. He was just a guy who wanted to get out and explore. Henry trusted his own sense of judgment, even if it differed from Logan's. He personally liked both Kimble and Seth.

Kimble finished fastening the strip. "Well. Looks like we're done here. Just gotta activate it and we're all set."

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Twelve)

Once the Clan men were squared away, the group headed down to the workshop. Gambit offered to stay behind to do first watch on the Clan again. He didn't have much of a head for science and figured Henry would fill him in on what he missed.

Kimble carried Fallen down the stairs and lay her down on the bed, fussing over her until he was satisfied she was comfortable. He didn't like how light she was, but said nothing. He would make sure she ate and put on the weight she needed to get better. He could be very persuasive if he had to be.

Opposite the bed was a viewing screen. Seth was there in the control room, flipping switches and tapping away on his keyboard. He was preparing to run tests on the Kimble hologram.

"I want to do a regular hologram scan first," he said nodding at his brother.

Kimble picked up a metal bracelet from the work bench and put it on. Like the Med-strip, it flashed and winked out. Data from the scan scrolled up on a window in the corner. Seth looked at the data on a screen in his room, the words reflecting on his eyes as they buzzed by at a lighting speed no human could read by. He shook his head and rubbed his chin nervously.

"What," Kimble barked impatiently.

"Well, you're definitely not just a hologram anymore. I'm not sure what you are, actually. The hologram diagnostics don't even read you at all. They don't ‘see’ you because you're something else now."

"What does this mean?" Fallen asked.

"He probably won't be able to power off of the cubes even if they are restored, or even the batteries." He looked at Kimble. "Put a regular Med-Strip on."

Kimble removed the bracelet and borrowed the strip Fallen still had on her forehead. He put it on and it flashed and winked out.

Lucky began to recite. "Subject, Kimble. Height, 5' 9". 102 pounds. Species unknown. Gender unknown. Body temperature, unable to determine. Body density and structure unable to determine. Possible system failure. Diagnostic test recommended."

Seth shook his head again. "Guess Lucky doesn't really ‘see’ you, either. Touch Fallen."

Kimble grinned and lightly brushed Fallen's face with his hand. His fingers glowed blue from the contact and she smiled back at him. "You're getting a kick out of this aren't you?"

"I ain’t complainin’."

"This is interesting," Seth said, trying to ignore them. "I can see the Ristle being absorbed by his skin on the infrared. Some kind of chemical reaction. It's heating him up. Interesting.... Whatever. We already know he has to touch you to power up. At least he won't shut off or fade off into nothing as long as he keeps recharging."

"That's not a big deal," Fallen said. "This is only until he goes back."

Seth looked at her pointedly. "He’s not coming back."

"Yer sayin I'm stuck out here?" Kimble asked. Privately, he was elated. He wanted to stay out, he just hoped it didn't screw things up with the ship.

Logan groaned inwardly. He'd been hoping Kimble would return to the system and he wouldn't have to watch out for him anymore. The idea of babysitting Kimble for a long period of time was not in the least bit appealing. Who knew what kind of mischief or mayhem Kimble was going to get into?

"Yeah. You're out there and I'm in here," Seth said quietly. He looked sadly at Fallen.

"Kin ya copy the hologram files sos you kin come out too?" Kimble asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. You took them with you. Even if I could rewrite them, we don't have the base material to create another hologram," Seth said, meaning the particles that allowed Kimble to be solid.

"Just what files does he have?" Fallen asked Seth while looking at Kimble nervously.

"He's got a lot. All the hologram files including a good amount of unopened memory files that were unlocked by the access codes. Who knows what's on those. We should check them out later."

Logan noticed as Kimble shifted uncomfortably at his brother’s words. He said nothing, but his distrust of Kimble went up another notch.

"He's got all of his personality files. The pleasure files," Seth continued, looking at his brother with a grin. "Don't you even think about using those on Fallen, brother."

"That ain't up ta me," Kimble teased, eyeing Fallen suggestively.

"Kimble!" Fallen snapped at him irritably, she was in no mood for his games.

Kimble put his hands up in surrender, but he was laughing.

"Ooooh......" Seth groaned, scratching his chin nervously again.
"Uhm...He's got the flight files. That could be a problem."

"No it ain't," Kimble answered. "I'll just link up with Lucky and do it telepathic. Whatever I ain’t got you kin send me. Just like we done with the med files. It's still doable."

"You two share files?" Henry asked.

"Yes," Seth answered. "We can read each other's files, but they can't be copied. To a point I could learn what he knows, but I will never have his skill. He manages the power and flies the ship very well. He and Fallen are a good team," he said, proud of them. "His linking up with Lucky wouldn't be any different than if he was still in. We can still work together like we always have. Same thing only different, I guess."

"It looks to me like the two of you are still connected, but now split again because the split is physical. Are you going to be stable?" Henry wanted to know.

"Guess we’re gonna find out," Kimble grunted.

"Can you guys switch? You know, trade? Even if it's just for a little while?" Fallen asked Seth, her eyes pleading.

"No, Fallen," Seth answered, sadly. "This split is final." He looked at her and his eyes grew wet. He started to say something but turned away, shaking his head.

Fallen stood on shaky legs and slowly walked to the screen. She put her hands up to Seth and started to cry as she spoke up at him in Siskan.
Kimble went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked up to Seth. "I'm sorry, guys. I really am," he said, meaning it. "I did what I hadta do," he insisted next as if the whole thing was just his idea when it wasn't. "I didn't know what wuz gonna happen. But even if I did, I'd do it again. I'd do it fer Fallen."

"This isn't all your fault," Seth said, excusing him.

"No, it's mine!" Fallen complained, sobbing.

"Baby doll..." Kimble started, but couldn't finish.

Seth looked at him. "Can you give us a minute? I want to speak to Fallen alone."

Kimble nodded and slowly took his hands away. He didn't want to go, but forced his body to move anyway. He went down the hall and the others followed.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Thirteen)

Kimble went up the stairs but lingered at the trap door opening as the rest gathered in the galley again. He could hear Fallen crying and Seth trying uselessly to soothe her. Kimble wanted so much to go back, but respected his brother's wishes. He crouched down at the top step of the trap door, hooking his toe claws over the edge. He looked down the steps and waited, hoping that when Fallen came back up he would have something in mind to say to make her feel better. He couldn’t bear the thought of her pain.

Gambit was still on guard duty and was now stretched out comfortably across the first row of passenger seats. The arm rests flipped up, allowing him to lay across them like a bed. He was quite tall and his feet stuck out into the walkway, but he didn't mind. He was Gambit and Gambit was comfortable anywhere. He'd watched the small crowd come up and noted Fallen's absence. The others had all shuffled into the galley except for Kimble. Remy kept his watchful eyes on Kimble as he crouched at the door, his face full of woe.

Gambit inspected this Siskan hologram with rapt curiosity. There was a variety of expressions clear on Kimble’s face — pain, sorrow, jealousy and pain. Gambit had the reputation of being a heartless conman, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sympathetic to the emotions of others. On the contrary, he had always been compassionate to the pain and suffering of the people around him. It was what made it easy for him to read people and know the right thing to say to get what he wanted, to charm them, if you will. It didn’t keep him from feeling their pain, he’d had to learn to shut off his emotions to escape the pounding guilt that came on him at times. There were moments when he’d considered the possibility that he might be a low level empath, a mutant who read not thoughts, but the emotions of others. If this was so, he’d never been diagnosed as such and so hadn’t declared it to anyone.

He had lost some of that empathy – if that’s what it was -- when he had been told to leave New Orleans and the Thieves’ Guild, in those dark years he’d spent on his own. Those were the worst of times for him, when he’d made the worst of his life’s mistakes. He had to shut off much of that sensitivity or he would have given in to temptation more than just that one time and just ripped his wrists to shreds, bleeding his guilt and suffering out of him until he was dead. Long before Antarctica, he’d been close to suicide many times, another symptom of someone with deep caring and understanding of misery and angst. Some of that empathy was coming back to him now that he was back with the X-men full time and he was trying to deal with it the best he could. Professor Xavier had been very instrumental in keeping him sane, counseling him and giving him advice on how to manage his guilt. Gambit was sympathetic and painfully aware that Kimble was suffering now.

What amazed him was that this hologram, this walking, talking computer program should display such powerful emotions at all. If he was so fake, so programmed, why did he appear as though he might cry at any moment? Was it real, or was it because he was out in the open with so many people around him? He certainly had an audience here and all the reasons in the world to manipulate them, Kimble needed them sympathetic enough to his cause so they wouldn’t just pound him to a pulp and take over.

But when Gambit saw Kimble put his head down and noted the dismal, soft little sigh that left him, he had serious doubts Kimble was faking this. His instincts told him the pilot wasn’t doing this just to get attention. Those instincts had served Remy far too well for him to doubt them now. Maybe it was all the time they had spent dancing, but he had an idea that Kimble was a lot more complicated than the others here gave him credit for, Fallen included.

One of the things Remy had been especially good at back home was talking down a troubled mutant in a crisis situation, especially the younger ones. There had been some teasing that Remy could relate to them simply because he hadn’t grown up himself, but it wasn’t true. It was more that Gambit saved his judgements for later, getting to know a person first before he condemned them outright. That reservation had played out well back home and he used it now to speak to this poor, troubled hologram.

"What's goin' on dere, buddy?" he asked Kimble quietly.

"I'm stuck out here. Seth's trapped in the system. Fallen ain't doin' so good with it," Kimble replied sadly. He glanced up as Valentin came to the barracks door, but turned his head down so the big man wouldn’t see how upset he was.

"I can fix her up nice," Valentin replied arrogantly with a laugh. "Just send her in here."

"She don't love you," Kimble said without looking up.

Wolverine came to the galley door, expecting trouble. Henry stood behind him.

"What does that have to do with anything? She's my wife."

"When yer heart is broke, it means evrathin’. She needs real love, not the kind that comes from yer fists, neither. Real love is sumpthin’ you kin feel an’ taste. It kin fix evrathin’," Kimble said with conviction, seeming to speak from experience.

Valentin snorted disdainfully. "What would you know of love and broken hearts, creature?"

Kimble turned his head to look at Valentin. His eyes were flinty and cold. "What do ya love, Vally, huh? What do ya love 'sides that great big sword of yers?"

Valentin considered his answer. "Hmm.... I love a nice big steak grilled on the fire. I love a bottle of fine Kyrule whiskey just opened. But what do I love most of all? Heh, Fallen's nice hot mouth going down on me, slow and easy...."

Kimble clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but didn't move, not just yet.

Remy eased one foot down to the floor and slid his deck of cards out, pretending to shuffle them from boredom. He could sense the rising tension in the room and saw Kimble’s jaw working. He didn’t like the smouldering rage brewing behind Kimble’s eyes and remembered how quick Kimble was to fight with Valentin before. He knew Kimble was hopelessly outclassed even if the holographic pilot did not.

"But what I'm gonna love best, son..." Valentin continued, "...is the sound of your neck snapping when I crush you down with my bare hands."
Kimble laughed suddenly and rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, that'd be fine, I guess -- if I had any bones, that is. Gonna hafta do better'n that ta take me down, you f-ckin' son of a b-tch," he finished, the dangerous, deep growly edge coming back into his voice.

Valentin's mouth split wide in an evil sneer. "My, my. What a mouth you got on you, boy. Still, I doubt taking you down will be a problem for me. I suspect you'll bleed quick enough. I've always been a sword man, myself. You ever feel the edge of a blade, son?"

Kimble froze. He hadn't been prepared for Valentin's question or the flash of a memory that came unbidden. Swords and death. Death and swords. Blood, ice cold and frosting the edge of a broadsword as it pulled out of his guts. He shivered noticeably and Valentin laughed again.

"Guess that answers that question --- Zander."

"My name's Kimble, ya ignorant f-ck. Best git that straight. As to yer question, I ain't never felt it, but I seen it plenty. I seen you cut Kane down like he was nuthin'. You ain't gonna catch me like that, Vally, no Sir. Yer gonna find out there's a lot more ta me than any a yous kin see," Kimble boasted, trying to sound tougher than he felt. Kimble wasn't sure what exactly he'd seen or felt in the past so, as far as he was concerned, he hadn't been lying...not entirely.

"I'm sure," Valentin agreed. "I'll be seeing it as I split you open wide. It's gonna spill out right over those stupid furry feet of yours. Gonna laugh my ass right off, too, watching you die."

Kimble stood up, his hands fisted once more. He moved towards Valentin with unveiled hostile intent, his mouth twisted in an angry sneer.
Logan cleared his throat. "Ladies."

Kimble ignored him, but stopped his advance when Gambit suddenly stood up in front of him. Remy shuffled his cards, his blood red eyes glittering. "Stop right dere, s’il vous plait. Dis trash ain't wort’ it, mon ami."

Kimble growled deep in his throat and took another step.

Gambit charged two cards and held them up defensively. "Ain't gonna hap --" He stopped in mid sentence and cocked his head with a curious smile.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/074gambitcardscolor.jpg

Kimble's widened eyes had locked on the red glowing cards and he was struck dumb with wonder, like a deer caught in a truck's headlights. Kimble loved red. It was his most favorite color because it was bright and reminded him of heat which he loved best of all. His inner core was very cold so anything warm felt amazingly wonderful to him. It was the primary reason he loved to be touched and held and why the Ristle felt so good. The cards sizzled a little from the energy Gambit had charged them with and Kimble could smell them burning. He raised a trembling hand towards the cards, he wanted to touch them and feel their heat blasting into him. It never occurred to him that he could be burned. The red glow simply drew him in and he couldn't resist.

Unfortunately, Valentin wasn't quite done yet.

"Hey, you. You little child. Why don't you show these fine X-men what a big brave man you think you are? One minute with me will show the truth of you. You'll be begging me for mercy, snot dripping from your nose."

Kimble tore his eyes away from Remy's cards. His anger returned and he desperately wanted to rise to Valentin's challenge, but he knew Valentin was right. He couldn't even come close to backing up his own threats. He had no choice but to back down. He was going to lose face badly here.

He was rescued by Fallen coming up the stairs. She had tried to give Seth as much comfort as she could and now had to get back to the business of getting herself back in order. She was exhausted and only wanted to sleep some more. She came up the steps and paused when she saw Gambit with his cards lit and Valentin leaning arrogantly in his doorway. She knew immediately what was happening.

"Kimble, please. I must speak with you," she ordered sternly, wanting only to get him away. "Come with me." She went back towards the cage and Kimble obediently followed, hiding his relief.

Valentin watched them go with a sneer and gave a nasty chuckle, satisfied he’d put Kimble in his place. He withdrew and just like that, the confrontation was over.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Fourteen)

Fallen and Kimble went into the lav and Fallen shut the door on Valentin's contemptuous laughter. "What do you think you're doing?" Fallen hissed at Kimble, keeping her voice down so no one outside could hear. "Don't start something you can't finish!"

"He pisses me off so bad, Fallen!" Kimble complained. He sat down on the floor in a huff and put his head down. "Alla this just sucks!"

She crouched down in front of him. "I know and I'm sorry. We just have to deal with it, remember? Picking fights with Valentin isn't going to help."

"Aye, Fallen."

She tipped his head up to see into his eyes and he looked up at her with the adoring eyes of a child seeing its mother. Fallen was his Captain, but even more than that, she was his Mistress. As a Siskan Courtesan, it was his purpose to serve and please whoever was in charge of him. The fact that she regarded him as her Second only reinforced this idea in his mind. He wanted only to protect her and keep her safe. It made him feel valuable and loved. Her love was just as important to him as the power that sustained him and kept him alive. Fallen knew this just as she knew a lot of his macho posturing and bravado was a false front he put up to defend himself. He was usually a lot less serious and more playful than he was now. He was trying to be brave and strong for her and it made her smile, she loved him so.

"I didn't say that as your Captain. I said that as your friend. Just calm down and relax. We’ll get out of this just fine, okay?"

Kimble laughed a little. "I thought I wuz suppozta be takin' care a you, not the other way around."


"We'll take care of each other, okay?"

"An Seth? He gonna be okay, too?"

"He will be. It's just going to take some time to get used to how things are, that's all. He'll be good as long as we stick together, the three of us. Don't shut him out. Don't leave him alone too long."

Kimble smiled. "He's my brother. I cain't leaves him alone, not fer long. He ain't gonna have the chance ta miss havin' me so close."

Seth laughed, popping up on the screen behind them. "Oh, sure. All those smelly cigarettes and stupid pictures of naked women. Right. Plus you snore really, really loudly. Yeah, I'll miss that."

"Them pictures, you will. I tooks 'em with me, justa keep ya outta trouble. An' I don't snore!"

"Yes, you do!" Fallen said with a laugh.

"Yes! Very, very loudly!" Seth joked, feeling better. "Besides, who got you those pictures in the first place, brother? What makes you so sure I gave you all of them?" Seth teased, his eyes merry.

"Cuz you got yer eyes on jus' one girl," Kimble answered in all seriousness, looking at Fallen. "I knows yer gonna waits fer her no matter how long it takes." There was a tone of sadness in his voice. "I jus' hope it don' takes too long, is all. I want yous both ta be happy."

"I know you do," Fallen replied, kissing him. "That's why I love you. Now do us all a favor and stay out of trouble."

"Aye, Fallen."

"Good. Now, I want to get some more sleep. I'm exhausted."

She stood up on wobbly legs and smiled as Kimble rose to help her. They left the lav and she lay down on her bed. He tucked her in again, putting the pillow to her belly and making sure she was warm and comfortable. Seth came up on the cage screen and watched over her, his face tight with worry. It was frustrating to him that he couldn't reach out to her anymore. He regretted now all those times he'd bailed out of the hologram so soon. If he ever got the chance to come out again, he would be sure not to waste it. He wouldn’t be separated from her ever again.

Fallen snuggled down into the blankets and was quickly fast asleep. The two brothers looked down at her, protective and full of love. "I wish she could be yers forever," Kimble whispered softly.

"Someday, she will be," Seth replied. His eyes filled up with tears and spilled over. His tears betrayed his lack of confidence. Right now he wasn’t too sure of anything.

Kimble looked up at him. He felt bad for having made his brother cry. "Wants ta play some chess?"

"Here?"

"No. In the Black Room. I wants ta see ya."

"Can you still go there?"

"I wants ta try."

"I'll see you there." Seth winked out and was gone.

[squeekness]

Kimble knelt down next to Fallen and took one of her slender white hands in his. He closed his eyes and grew still, concentrating. He didn't think he needed Fallen to do this, but he was concerned about leaving her alone and unattended. If she moved, he hoped she would wake him. He relaxed, concentrated, and was gone from the outside world.

Kimble’s consciousness slid through the invisible connection line between himself and Lucky. It was odd for him to be back in the system again. It felt the same, but different somehow. He wasn't completely here like before, he was just a visitor now. There were barriers all around him where before he had total access, it was as if Lucky knew he wasn't the same, too. He came to the Black Room and saw Seth waiting for him there.

The Black Room was a kind of home base where the two brothers would spend their time in the system. Seth had created it because they needed some place that was just for them, where they could speak privately and play uninterrupted. Fallen didn't know about it, nor did she have access to it -- she had been the unpassworded client Lucky had spoken of before. It was a private place and theirs alone. Well, it had been until Fallen had recharged Kimble the first time. Somehow, she'd come here with Kimble for just a moment and then she was gone. The system had sensed her as an intruder and booted her out.

Kimble arrived in the Black Room, comfortable to be here. The room was a great big black empty space with a single large circle of light in the center. He walked into the circle of light and stood next to his brother who was there waiting for him. The endless black silky bed Fallen had experienced was gone, now there was a hard floor. Seth was seated comfortably in front of a chessboard he had placed on the floor. He looked up at Kimble and smiled. "You made it."

Kimble brushed his fingertips across the top of Seth's head and grinned. "Yeah."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/075kimblelovesseth-1.jpg

Kimble was Seth’s brother, but he was more than that. He was his protector, his father. The one who looked after him and kept him safe. They were two parts of one person, two fractions of a single splintered psyche. They needed one another and were bonded closer than any real brothers could be, save perhaps true twins. This separation had been violent and painful to them both.

Kimble sat down across from his brother, taking the black side of the board. As usual, Seth played the white pieces and Kimble the black. It's just how it was.

Kimble grinned and conjured a cigarette out of thin air, snapping his fingers to light it. He took a deep drag and turned his head to exhale, keeping the smoke from his twin.

Seth smiled and shook his head. "Same old Kimble."

Kimble grunted. "That's right. Same ol' Kimble. You ain't never gonna be rid of me, so don'tcha worry yer pretty little head none about it."

Seth, being white, made the first move on the chessboard. He couldn't hide the fact that he felt much better now in Kimble's company. They'd never been apart for this long before. Even when Seth would run and hide, he always felt Kimble's presence because they were both in the system.

Kimble would often try to lure him out with soft music or a constant stream of dirty jokes to make him laugh. There was always some kind of Kimble noise going on. These past hours had given Seth only a terrible empty silence. Kimble's return here gave Seth a special kind of reassurance. Kimble would never leave him. Kimble was still looking out after him as always. Kimble still loved him and Seth needed that love more than ever right now. Kimble looked up and saw Seth looking at him with all of that in his eyes plain as day. He grunted and laughed, making his first move on the chessboard.


Moments earlier and outside the system, in the Main Room of the Lucky Dragon, Logan had watched Fallen lure Kimble away with a sense of relief. At least one of these crazy people still had a lick of sense. He saw Valentin back away from the door and disappear inside the barracks. He knew Valentin perceived Kimble as the most immediate obstacle between himself and Fallen. If Valentin regained control of Fallen, she might release him and the other Clansmen from their prison. Logan wasn't about to let that happen. They would have to keep Kimble and Valentin apart if they wanted to maintain any kind of peace.


Logan walked over to Remy who had resumed his earlier position across the seats. "What was that with Kimble and the cards?"

"Beats me. P’etetre, dey just turn 'im on," he replied with a laugh.

Logan grunted, leaning comfortably against the cage. "Looks like it don't take much ta get that boy all wound up."

Gambit snorted. "Dat's like de kettle callin' de pot black, furball. Seen you go off for nuthin' more dan once."

Logan sat down in the row of seats behind Remy and stretched out himself. "At least I start fights I know I can win. That boy won't be happy 'til Vally kicks his ass inta next year. If Vally gets out, Kimble won't last five seconds."

"Vally ain't gonna get out so stop worryin’."

They both looked up as Fallen and Kimble left the lav. Fallen lay down on her bed and Kimble tucked her in. The two brothers whispered softly but only Logan could hear it. He was confused when he saw Seth leave and Kimble kneel down. He thought they were going to play chess but instead Kimble took Fallen's hand and grew very still.

Logan sat up for a closer look. Kimble was completely frozen in place, it didn't even look like he was breathing. It was like someone had come along and flipped an invisible on/off switch. "What's he doin’?" Logan mumbled, more to himself than to his teammate.

"Sleepin', I guess," Remy answered anyway.

Logan got up and slowly walked over to the cage. He was forced to halt in the doorway when the security grid reactivated. Lucky chimed in but Kimble didn't move at all, the sound didn't wake him. Logan snapped his fingers. Again, Kimble didn't respond. This was a bit spooky so Logan looked at Remy and crossed his arms, a sure sign he was irritated. "This guy gives me the creeps," he complained.

"Seems all right to me. Even computers gotta sleep, n’est ce pas?" he laughed.


"I heard him say he was gonna play chess. He ain't doin' nuthin' now."

"Den leave 'im alone. You been houndin' 'im enough as it is. Dat boy gonna get a complex de way you watchin' 'im all the time. Chill out."

"He needs watchin'."

"Gambit gonna do dat, patron. You get some sleep. We all be tired now, been a long, long day."

Logan grunted and returned to the seats. He stretched out again and pulled a blanket over himself. They had decided earlier that this was going to have to do as their new sleeping arrangements now that the Clan had appropriated the barracks. Fortunately the seats were well cushioned and comfortable. He closed his eyes, surprised by how tired he was. It was so easy to lose track of time out here in space. No sun. It didn't take long for him to drop off into a comfortable sleep.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[squeekness]

(Fifteen)

Wolverine startled awake when Remy lightly touched him. He'd been deeply asleep, a rare thing for him. He hadn't realized just how tired he was. Still the lightest touch had roused him quickly. He had no idea how long he'd been out, it was at least a couple of hours minimum.

"Sumptin's wrong wit Fallen," Gambit whispered. Maylee was sleeping in the next row of seats behind Logan and Gambit didn't want to wake her.

Logan got up and went with Remy into the cage. The security grid was no longer activated and Fallen's bed was empty. The light was on in the lav and the door open so they went right inside. Fallen was seated on the commode, a blanket wrapped around her tiny body. She was having a nosebleed and it was a bad one judging from several bloody towels nearby. Kimble was standing next to her, pinching her nose off with another towel. He held the back of her head with his other hand, gently petting her. He was obviously frightened for her and losing his battle to hide it. Fallen looked wasted, ready to pass out. Henry was there, pawing through the med kit, looking for something.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/076bloodynose.jpg

Kimble looked back at Henry. "Please hurry!" he insisted without demanding.

"The little bottle with the grey stuff in it," Seth advised from the viewing screen.

"Got it," Henry said, sitting back with a small bottle in his large blue hand.

"You’ll need a swab, too. One of the long ones."

Henry got one from a glass jar. He saw Logan and Remy in the doorway and he shook his head, worried. He went over to Fallen and knelt down in front of her.

"Dip the swab in the grey stuff. Put a good dab on it," Seth instructed. "We have to swab the sinus to stop the bleeding."

Henry did as he was told. He put a good amount of the grey paste on the tip of the swab. Kimble took the towel away from Fallen's face, scowling when he saw a small river of blood leak from her left nostril. He wiped at it, but the blood just kept coming. Kimble closed his eyes and cursed softly to himself. This wasn't going well.

Henry moved in and inserted the swab up Fallen's nose. She coughed, gagging.

"Easy, girl," Kimble soothed, holding her so she wouldn't move.
Henry gently swabbed her sinus and pulled the stick out. Her nose continued to bleed, but it was slowing down. Kimble wiped at her nose again. The blood slowly grew less and less and then stopped altogether. Kimble sighed with real relief, he didn’t enjoy the sight of blood any more than Seth did although it didn’t make him freak out. Fallen slumped against him, exhausted, and he gently rubbed her head with shaking hands, he was still scared for her and trying really hard not to show it.

"That's her second one in as many hours," Henry explained to Logan and Remy. "I don't know how much more blood she can afford to lose."

"Why is she bleedin' so much?" Logan wanted to know. He could smell all the blood and it sickened him.

"The Lightning thins her blood out," Seth explained.

"Still sure it was a good idea?" Logan asked, glaring at Kimble.

"Cain't bleed if yer dead." Kimble snapped at him sharply with a growl in his voice. He didn't like his decision questioned.

Logan stepped up to him. "You little punk!"


"Logan, please," Henry said, pushing him back. These two were proving to be quite a handful. He looked back at Kimble. "Cooler temperatures will prevail here. Both of you calm down!"

Kimble was grumbling, but turned to check on Fallen. She pleaded for him to behave with her eyes and he looked away, a small pout teasing the corners of his mouth. He went back to work, reaching for a bottle of Rishna and pouring some of it into a cup that was on the vanity. His face was tense, angry. He tried to swallow the resentment he felt from Logan's question and it went down hard.

He put the cup in front of Fallen. "Drink this," he ordered.

Her eyes closed. "Won't stay down..."

"Drink it anaways," he insisted a little more gently.

She sipped it and gagged. "I can't..."

"Ya gots ta take sumpthin' down. I ain't given ya whiskey."

"You don't have any kind of juice or soda?" Henry asked.

Kimble just blinked at him. "What's soda?"

"A carbonated sugar drink."

Kimble shook his head. "Alls we got's whiskey, beer, Rishna an' water. Maybe some tea." He looked at Henry and shrugged. "It's a Clan ship."

"How about a piece of fruit? One of those oranges would do nicely."

"There's some in the galley."

Remy left to get it, he was closest to the door.

Kimble tried to get Fallen to drink more Rishna but she turned away, uncooperative. Logan watched this, concerned. Fallen did not look good at all and he had serious doubts about Kimble being able to handle the situation. It was good that Henry was here but he couldn't help Fallen if he didn't have what he needed.

Remy returned. He gave the piece of fruit to Henry who peeled it and offered it to Fallen. She looked at it like she didn't know what it was so Kimble took it and sectioned it quickly, his fingers moving swiftly as he carefully tore it apart. He spoke softly to her in Siskan and slid a piece into her mouth. She chewed mechanically, staring off into space. Kimble fed her a slice at a time, whispering to her softly and petting her head to reassure. By the time she was finished eating, she didn't even look like she was awake. Kimble had relaxed her and she was still slumped against him. He carefully picked up her tiny body and lay her on the floor, pulling more blankets off the shelf to wrap her in.

When Kimble was satisfied that she was comfortable, he leaned back against the vanity and rubbed his eyes. "I'll stay up with her 'case she bleeds again."

"You look tired," Henry commented.

"I'm good. Jus' worried bout her is all. I did this. I'll stay with her." Kimble looked terrible. Henry wondered how it was possible for a program to look so exhausted but it was plain.

"I'll be here, too," Seth said as if he was capable of actually doing anything.

"I'll stay close as well," Henry offered. "I just need a minute."

Beast left the room, taking the other X-men with him. They grouped in the galley, having an impromptu meeting to decide what to do next. "She doesn't look good." he said to them. "I don't know what I can do for her. The supplies here are limited for this sort of thing. She’s stocked up for battle injuries, but not for a head injury I know little about. If she bleeds again, I can put an IV drip on her to keep her from dehydrating. She’s got plenty of bags of fluids so that’s not a problem. I just wish I had some kind of monitoring device that wasn’t tied into the computer. She has no stethoscopes or blood pressure cuffs, not even a thermometer." He sighed and rubbed his tired and aching eyes. "Really, what she needs most is to rest and keep some food down."

"What about Kimble? He looks like crap," Logan commented, concerned.

"I don't know. He seems tired, but we don't know anything about how his body works or anything else. Judging from the cube we saw, he has no internal organs or a real brain, so I guess we have to fly by night on this one. We’ll keep an eye on him. I do trust him to look after her. He does care for her and seems capable enough. He’s done this before I suspect."

"Won't do no good if he flips out," Logan complained, his distrust plain. He had been just as aware as Gambit had been of Kimble’s anger and of his struggle to control it. "We should take turns keepin' watch. Just in case. I just woke up, I'll go first."

"No. You stay with the Clansmen, I'll stay with Kimble," Henry said. He didn't think it was a good idea for Logan to be alone with Kimble. Those two clearly disliked one another.

"All right. You get tired, you come and get me."

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[squeekness]

(Sixteen)

Henry sat comfortably on the bathroom floor, reading one of the books that had been in the storage room, his back against the bathtub. The book was a manual on Siskan technology and he was perusing the section that dealt with the engines Fallen had downstairs. He was using Fallen's small translator so he could read it. He slid the small rod across the words and the translator read them off in English into a small earpiece he was wearing. He found the book fascinating, it was chock full of information and he was hoping he would be able to give a hand in the repairs. Anything to get them home. He looked up when heard a small noise. He saw Kimble and smiled.

Kimble sat across from him, still up against the vanity. He was nodding off and trying to fight it. Henry watched as Kimble lost his battle and slowly slumped over onto his side. Immediately, the scientist in Beast clicked into full gear and he began writing notes on an invisible mental notepad. Item number one) This Siskan hologram requires sleep. This was an intriguing idea. If this creature was composed of gel and hardware, why would a sleep cycle even be necessary?

Beast looked up to the viewing screen. Seth was laying back in his chair, out cold as well. Hmm, so we sleep if we are out of the system or not. Or is this just a representation of a shut down cycle, a conservation of power if the program itself wasn’t being used?

Henry looked back at Kimble and had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. He wanted to explore this marvelous creation, to feel him and test his reality. Of course his sense of propriety wouldn’t allow such a thing, it was rude, but he would dearly love to get Kimble under one of the Shi’ar examining machines he had in his lab. He knew something of artificial intelligence, but had never seen anything like Kimble and Seth. As chief science officer, he was in charge of the Danger Room back home and the holograms used within it. They were solid and realistic as was Kimble, but they did as they were programmed to, they did not possess the independence and reasoning skills this one did. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was as far as the differences went. He doubted they had even begun to scratch the surface of what this marvelous creation was capable of.

Kimble snuffled softly and began to snore. His hands twitched and he giggled softly.

Item number two) This Siskan hologram.....dreams? Now this was interesting indeed. Henry knew only sentient things dreamed. A pure computer program as he knew it did not. This only reinforced the idea that was developing inside of him --- Kimble was real and very much alive. He might not have started out that way, but he was surely that way now.
Kimble moaned softly, shivering. He curled up a little and a hand strayed down between his legs. He whispered in soft Siskan and shivered again, this time from arousal, no doubt.

Item number three) This Siskan hologram has sexual fantasies? Henry shook his head, a small smile teasing his large mouth. He thought it was hilarious actually. Was this ‘gram so real, it mimicked the sleep cycle of a normal human male?

Henry took a closer look at the book he was reading. He checked the index and found that this text did in fact touch on Siskan holograms, but he wasn’t sure to what degree. He took his attention away from the snoozing pilot and skipped ahead, more curious now about the machine in front of him than the engine downstairs.

---------

Kimble sat on the floor, his back against the cabinets of the vanity. He felt drained, weak. He didn't understand the sensation, he'd been touching Fallen all this time so he had taken in plenty of Ristle. His eyes were so heavy. He tried to fight it, but it was a losing battle. He closed them just for a moment and before he knew it, was fast asleep. He startled awake a few minutes later, a noise had awakened him. He realized it was just himself snoring and he thought it was funny and laughed a little. Guess he did snore kind of loud after all.

"What's so funny?" Fallen asked from the makeshift bed beside him. They were alone in the room. Henry must have left. The door was closed.

"Nuthin’," he answered, smiling. "You should be sleepin'."

"Come over here."

He crawled over to her, laying out flat on the floor. The tiles felt smooth and wonderful against the bare skin of his belly. He was acutely aware of everything around him, especially her. His face was over hers and he looked down at her with eyes full of relief. He was glad she was feeling better.

She kissed him. "Take my pain, Kimble," she whispered, stroking his long, dangling ponytail. "Make love to me and take my pain."

The phrase sent a shocking blast of arousal right through him, stealing his breath. He began instantly to tremble with excitement but tried to choke it back. Now that it had finally come to this, he realized he simply loved Seth too much to betray him this way. If he did this, Seth would be devastated. "Don' think I kin do that no more since I got broke," he offered as an excuse.

"You know you can. Do this for me, please." She kissed him more insistently and rolled, pulling him on top of her. He saw she was naked under the blankets and his trembling grew worse.

"Fallen, wait ---!"

She trapped him against her telekinetically and he couldn’t escape no matter how hard he struggled. She was amazingly strong in spite of her sickness and he couldn’t break free. He groaned aloud as she squeezed a hand down between his legs. It was simply more than his three years of pent up sexual frustration could bear. She managed to magically undo his pants and then she was touching his bare skin, flooding his most sensitive area with heat. Any shred of resistance he had was gone and he was kissing her madly and running his hands all through her marvelous white hair. He wanted her badly and he wanted her now, consequences be damned.

She laughed and released her mental restraints, it was clear they were no longer necessary. "You're so easy," she teased.

Kimble had been wanting this a long time. He was designed for sensual pleasure, for making love, yet for years he'd been shelved or forced to work doing something else. Now with the hologram fully restored, his original programming had kicked in full throttle. He was painfully aware of all of the warm bodies around him and he couldn’t help but think of how nice it would be to interact with them the way his creator had intended. It was worse with Fallen because she was his Mistress, the one he loved best. She was so close to him and he had to touch her to power up. It was growing harder and harder to be around her without being used. She was so close it was maddening.

He cried out again as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. He kissed her passionately, inwardly thrilled by the idea that she had actually chosen him above all others, including Seth. In the three years that he'd been aware of her presence, he'd never known her to take a man for her own pleasure. There was Valentin, but Kimble knew he didn't really count. He couldn’t make sense of an equation that had Valentin and the word pleasure together, it just wasn’t possible.

Fallen reached down and tried to slide his pants off. Having crooked cat legs was a hassle. Kimble tried to help her, but his pants kept getting snagged around his ankles. Like everything else, Kimble thought his squirming was funny and he laughed. They made a game out of it, writhing and twisting playfully around one another in a maddening tease. He was helplessly excited, feeling her naked against him, her skin so warm and soft.

Kimble was so wound up at the thought of her he feared he would disappoint her. He distracted himself by going through his large supply of data files. The Siskans were a peaceful race who took their pleasures very seriously. Their artificially intelligent Courtesans were known far and wide for their ability to please. Kimble had a large number of detailed files on sexual techniques from which to chose from. The fact that Fallen was telekinetic and could levitate only added to his current options.


Fallen laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. The sound of her voice sent shivers through his whole body. Kimble took into consideration her frail condition. He selected one of his favorite files ---one he'd dreamed of often, but never dared to hope he'd ever get the chance to use again --- and maneuvered himself to get ready. He was about to thank her for this wonderful opportunity when his world exploded in a violent outburst of red hot pain.

Kimble had been hauled to his knees by his hair, interrupted from his pleasure by someone less than gentle. This again! He felt a blast of rage but then froze in terror as an ice cold blade came against his throat. He looked up at his attacker and gave a startled cry. He could see the man was a Clansman by his dress and by the long blonde ponytail that dangled down, but the face of this man was a broken mess, something not even close to real. Instead of a normal face, this man wore a shiny mask, a distorted image of a human face in a shattered mirror, unrecognizable but still familiar to Kimble in some strange way. He should know who this was, but couldn't place him. Even so, he knew it well enough to be terrified of it.

"Hey, kid. Remember me, huh? Heh, jus’ lettin’ ya know I’m still around...jus’ in case ya fergot," the monster growled down to him with a laugh. The voice was eerily similar to his own, it had the same garbled drawl, but it was deeper with a more pronounced growl, like gravel tumbling down a mountainside.

Kimble started to scream in fear of his life, but it was cut off as his worst fear was realized and his neck was cut open. Bright red blood gushed out of him in a geyser, spraying Fallen. She rubbed it over herself, laughing. From above he heard the sound of his own laughter.

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[squeekness]

(Seventeen)

Henry looked up from his book again as once more, Kimble laughed in his sleep. He cocked his head and grinned, then frowned as Kimble's face suddenly changed. Kimble twitched violently and gasped loudly, bringing his hands to his neck, choking. His heels hit the vanity cabinets as he jerked convulsively again.

His noise woke Seth. Seth sat up in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He saw Henry was watching Kimble intently. "What's he doing?"

Henry startled a little at Seth's voice. "He's dreaming."

Seth made a face. "When Fallen dreams, she wakes up screaming."

"Doesn't look like Kimble is faring any better."

Kimble jerked awake violently, slamming his head against the vanity. A bloody towel left over from Fallen's nosebleed fell from the counter top over his face. All he saw was the blood and he screamed. He whipped the towel away and slid away from it like it would attack him. He looked around him in terror, certain that the monster who had attacked him must still be near. He saw Henry and was disoriented because of the realism of his dream. In his dream, Henry had been gone. Now he was here. Kimble backed away, panting and whining in his confusion.

"Easy, now," Henry soothed. "Everything's fine."

"Evrathin' ain't fine!" Kimble blurted out before he could stop himself. He looked like he would bawl at any moment.

Wolverine poked his head in the doorway with Gambit standing behind him at the ready. Logan saw Kimble trembling on his hands and knees and grumbled, "What's his problem?"

"He had a bad dream," Henry explained.

Logan started at that, his eyes widening just slightly. Logan was no scientist, but like Henry, he knew only sentient things dreamed. Programs did not last time he checked. Wolverine wasn’t the least bit comfortable with this sign that Kimble was more than he wanted him to be.

"Ughh....Fergot what it wuz like..." Kimble said, finally calming down. He sat back on his haunches and wiped his face with his hands, smoothing away those tears that had threatened. He remembered now the time when he was first made and the first time he'd ever dreamed, how frightened he'd been. With that memory came the recollection of the warm Siskan hands that had soothed him and the strong protective arms that had held him afterwards. He felt an aching sense of loss. He would never feel those hands and arms ever again. They were gone forever. This was not a restored memory. It was one he'd hid away for himself and he’d vowed never to forget. He wished now Fallen would wake up and comfort him like that other one had, but he didn't want the others to see him as weak, especially Wolverine who was looking down on him with such unfriendly eyes.

"You've dreamed before?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. B'fore I got broken," Kimble said, rising unsteadily.

He walked on rubbery legs back to the vanity and grabbed Fallen's cup with the Rishna in it. He dumped it out in the sink and filled it with water. He drank greedily, almost choking as the water dribbled down his chin. It seemed like Kimble always drank at a breakneck pace, certain to drown himself.

He kept his eyes down, not looking in the mirror. He didn't want to see himself. He wasn't sure who's face was going to be looking back at him. He saw Fallen's jar of cigarettes and impulsively took one. He snapped his fingers to light it with a Ristle spark, but his hands were shaking so badly, it took a couple of tries to get it lit. He took a long drag and gently scratched his head. His own touch was soothing, reminding him of those warm Siskan hands, and he felt better.

"Been a long time since I been dreamin'," he mused, a look of wonder on his face. It had been a nightmare, nothing more. He snickered and felt a little stupid for being so frightened.

"You remember your life from before?" Henry asked.

"Small bits an’ pieces, yeah."

"What was it like?"

Kimble walked back to the wall and sat down, getting comfortable. "Don' remember too much. 'Member havin' fun. Playin', dancin', makin’ love. Lotsa pretty girls. Some guys, too. Hmm, they wuz a lotta fun..." he said absently, his eyes distant.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/078kimblesfun.jpg

Kimble didn't notice the sharp look Logan sent to Remy at his words. It had never occurred to Logan that Kimble, being a pleasure program, might be receptive to more than one gender. His earlier flirtatious manner had been dismissed as merely fooling around. Now Logan wasn’t so sure and he shifted nervously. He wasn’t really homophobic, but the idea of two men going at it just didn’t sit well with him.

Remy shrugged at Logan’s response. He was a sociable creature and had many bi-sexual and gay friends even though he wasn’t either of those himself. He could care less what Kimble’s sexual preferences were.

Kimble was still smiling wistfully, remembering fondly the first part of his dream. It had been so intensely real. "I miss usin' the pleasure files. Be lyin' if I said I didn'. Fallen don' wants me like that, but maybe I kin finds someone who does where we're goin'. That'd be cool."

"Ah, the eternal search for true love, how it occupies us all," Henry mused.

Kimble snorted with an ironic grin. "Sorry, doc. Seth's got all the true love an' devotion files outta the two of us. What little I had 're long gone. Me? I jus' wants ta have fun. Have some laughs. Show somebody a good time. Heh, a real good time."

"You seem confident of your prowess," Henry couldn’t help but tease. The sexual nature of the conversation aside, Beast was quite pleased with the opportunity to know Kimble a little better.

"Hey, what kin I say. Them Siskans made me good. I ain't never had no complaints," Kimble boasted, his eyes merry.

"You say you don't love, but you seem to care for Fallen."

"That's different. She’s m’ Mistress, m’ keeper. I ain't in loves with 'er the way you mean. Not like the kid, there," he said jabbing a thumb up at Seth who laughed at him. "I wouldn't refuse 'er..." Kimble just had to add as a dig to his twin. "...but I ain't in love with her, no. We have fun tagether. I looks after her good cuz someone's gotta do it. She don't makes it easy, the little b--ch," he complained affectionately, looking at her where she slept. "Nope, she shure don't."

"Do ya remember how ya got broken?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

"Nope," Kimble answered just a little too quickly.

Logan didn't believe him. No, not at all.

"What about those hologram memory files that are unlocked now?" Seth offered. "Maybe there's something in those."

"I gots the feelin’ they wuz locked up fer a reason. Don' think I wants ta go pokin' around in there just yet," Kimble said, just as Logan had expected.

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[squeekness]

Fallen stirred and woke, hearing all the voices around her. Kimble grinned as she turned her head to smile at him. He felt a surge of love for her, his Mistress, and a stab of guilt for his lack of resistance in his dream. At least it had all been a fantasy. He hoped he wouldn't be put to the test for real, he had never been known for his good impulse control. "Hey, kid."

"Hey."

"Feel any better?"

"A little. I'm hungry."

"Don' hafta asks me twice," Kimble said and rose stiffly. He stretched and walked out past the small crowd in the doorway, going to the galley to get her some food.

Remy followed him in case he needed a hand. As they passed the barracks door, Valentin hissed at Kimble, "Was that you I heard squealing like a little girl? What are you dreaming, Zander?"

Kimble paused, clenching his hands. He started to say something but thought better of it. He continued on into the galley and started taking out different food items from the cupboards. His face was dark and cloudy, all of his earlier fun gone, and he said nothing to Remy even though he’d seen the other man follow him.

"You need ‘elp wit anyt’ing?" Remy asked from the doorway. He positioned himself so he blocked Valentin’s view of Kimble.

"I’m fine," Kimble growled a little more harshly than he intended.

Gambit watched the Kimble hologram closely, keeping quiet for the moment. It still intrigued him that technically Kimble wasn’t even real. It was impossible to tell that just by looking at him. Kimble moved, acted, and sounded like any other real person. If Kimble was now truly real, he wondered just how well Kimble was going to fare in the real world back home. He would need looking after, at least in the beginning. Remy was concerned about this trip and how Kimble seemed to get angry so quickly. Gambit liked Kimble and wanted only to keep him out of trouble. Maybe he could help Kimble out.

"You okay bein’ out?" Remy finally spoke.

Kimble looked at him, a little surprised with the question. "Shure. This is how I always been. I ain’t ‘spozed ta be flyin’ ships from inside’a no computer."

"Seem a little tense. P’etetre, you takin’ on too much. You gotta learn to relax."

Kimble laughed and said wryly, "Relax? Right. I ain’t got what I needs ta do that here."

"Oh? If you could do anyt’ing you wanted to right now, what would you do?" Remy asked, his favorite question when it came to setting a person at ease. He sat down on the bench of the galley table, getting comfortable. He’d seen that Valentin had disappeared back inside his room and felt it was safe enough to sit.

Kimble worked as he considered his answer. He opened a package of rice and vegetables and put them into the warming oven. The device looked a bit different, but operated similar to a microwave oven, heating up the meal quickly. Kimble opened up a bottle of whiskey and thoughtfully poured a shot for both himself and Remy.

"What would I do? ‘Spoze I’d really like ta go dancin’ some place. I jus’ love dancin’, love the music. Clan ain’t gots no real music. I’d go dancin’, work the crowd a little." He laughed and handed Remy his glass of whiskey. His eyes were glowing just thinking about it. "I’d find me sumpthin’ young an pretty. Find us a nice quiet corner...Hmm..." He laughed again. "Best ta stop talkin’ like this, gonna git m’self all wound up fer nuthin’." He poured himself another shot and tossed it back.

Remy was all over Kimble’s suggestion, using it to work the pilot around to his point of view. If he could get Kimble to stay calm and focus on a goal, maybe he might ease up a bit and keep his temper. It worked for the kids back home and he had no reason to doubt it would work for Kimble as well. "We got lots of places to go dancin’ back ‘ome. Gambit knows a couple of places he could take you. It’d be good for a laugh. ‘Nessa would ‘ave lots of fun wit you."

Kimble cocked his head at him, immediately interested. "You’d go out with me?"

"I wouldn’t ‘go out’ wit you, non," Gambit said with a grin, amused by Kimble’s misinterpretation. "But I would bring you to a couple of places, oui. Lots of girls. Gambit knows all de best places."

"Who’s ‘Nessa?"

"Vanessa. She a girl. She crazy. You’d like ‘er."

Kimble grinned broadly. "Sounds like fun. What’s she like?"

"She a lot a fun. She like to dance, like to play. She remind me a lot of you. We ever get outta dis place, Gambit take you to see ‘Nessa. She kinda fast. P’etetre, you de only one who can keep up wit ‘er. P’etetre, de two of you like each other so much, you settle down. Dat would be worth seein’."

Kimble found a tray and began to set up Fallen’s meal. "Logan gonna let me go out?" he asked quietly. "Sounds like he’s gonna lock Vally away. Maybe he’s gonna put me in a box, too."

Remy was quick to reply, not wanting to lose the ground he’d gained. "Nobody gonna lock you up ‘less you do sumptin’ stupid, mon ami. You gotta keep yo’ temper down. You do dat, Gambit gonna take care of you, je promets. But Gambit can’t ‘elp you if you be fightin’ all de time, d’accorde?"

Kimble nodded, working it out in his mind. "If I’m good, yer gonna take me out? Take me ta see this ‘Nessa lady?"

"Oui. Gambit do dis for you, but you gotta take it easy, homme."

Kimble grinned. "I kin do that. Gonna try real hard. Gots sumpthin’ ta looks forward to now." His mood now improved, Kimble finished up quickly and they headed out back to the cage.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/

[TKing]

Ok, I've only read parts of it but what I have was great. :D

I'm going to have to start from the beginning and read all the way through. :up:

[squeekness]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked what you read and I hope you like the rest. :D

[squeekness]

(Eighteen)

Henry had watched Kimble and Remy leave for the galley to get Fallen’s meal. He turned back to Fallen, a curious look in his eyes. "How long have you known Kimble?"

"I dunno. About three years, maybe a little more."

"Where did you get him?"

Fallen sat up stiffly and rubbed some sleep out of her eyes. "I found him on a dusty shelf in a Clan store room on Nine. I paid the Curator of Files six bottles of vintage Kyrule whiskey for him, but he's been worth every bottle. Why?"

"He had a nightmare and he seemed a little troubled."

"It's probably just stress. He hasn't been out for this long before. It's strange that he's dreaming. I wonder if he dreamed when he was in the system."

Henry shook his blue furry head. "He said he hadn't dreamed since he'd been broken." He looked up at Seth. "What about you? Do you dream?"

Seth laughed and cocked his head in a very Kimble like movement. "I have no idea what dreaming is."

"Do you see pictures in your head while you're sleeping?"

Seth pondered this. "No, I don't think so. I just rest. I mean, I shut down to conserve energy, but that's only for a couple of hours unless there's nothing to do. Most of the time, Kimble and I just play games."

"What about Kimble?"

"I would know if he was dreaming like that. I'd hear it. No way."

"You guys are that close?"

Seth laughed. "Of course. We're brothers. We shared a lot of the same files. He can't really hide anything from me."

"What did he dream then?" Logan broke in.

Seth grew a little wary. He was uncomfortable with Logan's obvious dislike for his brother. "I don't know. We're not connected anymore."

"You know how he got broken?"

"No."

"Right," Logan grunted, his disbelief plain.

"What's your problem with him, anyway?" Seth asked sharply.

"He's a little kid swingin' his big adult fists around, stirrin' up trouble," Wolverine replied arrogantly.

"You're probably not that far off," Fallen interrupted.

"What?" Logan grunted at her.

Fallen smoothed her hair back and rested her chin on her knees. "Let me explain a little something about Kimble, okay? He's what the Siskans call a Courtesan. He's a pleasure program, sure, but he is also a complex and realistic personality, just like Seth." She looked up at Seth briefly before continuing. Seth knew all this already, but she could see he was curious what she was going to say.

"As long as a Courtesan has access to a continuous power supply, they can live to be quite old, as many as two hundred years or so. Their personalities develop slowly, just like our own children. They train for many years before they are actually put into service. It's all in the book I see Henry is reading. Check it yourself if you don't believe me.

"Anyway, I suspect Kimble was very young and only just beginning his training when he was taken by the Dognan. The Dognan tore him away from everything he knew and then shelved him in storehouse. Who knows how long he was there before the Clan found him. I'm sure all of that must have affected him badly. My treatment at the hands of the Dognan certainly didn't do much for me," she said bitterly. "In many ways he is like a child. He has a child's temper and emotions. But at the same time there's a hardness to him like he's gone through some kind of serious trauma he's never really recovered from."

"Has he ever spoken of his past?"

"He says he can't remember it. Most of the original files were damaged or locked away. I have no reason not to believe him. I'm sure he knows more than he says, he's private in much the same way we are. Still, I don't think he would hold back anything I really needed to know."

"Maybe he's scared that you'll shut him down if ya ever found out the truth of what he really is, darlin'," Logan drawled as he leaned against the back wall. "Bruce seems ta think he might be this Zander guy. Zander supposedly went nuts and killed a buncha guys back at Nine."

Fallen laughed. "Who? Kimble? Please! He's just a big kid who likes to run his mouth. He wouldn't hurt anyone. I've never seen him do one violent thing. We fight, yes, but it's me who's always slamming things around."

"I've seen it in his eyes, Fallen," Logan said ominously, quieting her. "I wouldn't put anything past him."

Seth closed his eyes and turned away. The man was so unreasonable.

Fallen cleared her throat and looked up at him with dark and serious eyes. "I won't deny his temper, Logan, but he wouldn't hurt anyone. You know what Kimble does? He takes care of people. He's always looked out for me and he's done a fine job keeping watch on Seth. It makes him feel wanted and loved. That's all he wants. That's all he needs. He would never do anything to jeopardize that.

"Understand, it's been three years since he's been this free. Now he's stuck out here in all of this big mess that I created. His plate is a little full, all right? Just give him a little time. He'll work himself out. Why can't you cut him a little slack? You'd do it for anyone else."

Wolverine was quiet. He couldn't explain what it was about Kimble that rubbed him the wrong way, but it was there nagging at him all the time. He'd trusted his instincts much too long to ignore what he perceived as a disaster waiting to happen. He was about to reply when Remy and Kimble returned with Fallen’s meal on a tray.

Kimble crouched and set the tray down with a careful and practiced grace. He'd forgotten nothing. He brought her a steaming bowl of rice with vegetables and some more fruit. He'd selected more than one type to give her a variety to choose from. She had a cup of water, no Rishna. He knew she wouldn't drink it so he didn't bother. He remembered a fork and a napkin. Henry and Logan both got the idea Kimble had done this before.

Kimble grabbed some pillows and propped her up so she would be comfortable and tucked the blanket around her. "Watch the rice, it's kinda hot," he mumbled motherly and sat near her as if waiting for more instructions.

"Thanks," Fallen replied and kissed him.

"Anathin' fer you," he said, then looked a little embarrassed when he noticed the others watching him. He backed off and sat against the vanity again.

"Well, we'll leave you to it," Logan said and walked out.

Henry rose to follow him. "Eat well and get some rest," he advised Fallen with a gentle smile.

"I'll be all right."
Henry nodded and left. Remy said good night to Kimble and Fallen and followed him.

Fallen ate and when she was done, Kimble gave her another shot of the Lightening. He could tell she was needing it.

She snuggled up against him. "My head hurts..."

"I knows. I kin feel it." And he could. It was trickling through with her Ristle. "Won't take long fer the medicine ta work. Kin I do sumpthin’ fer ya?"

She closed her eyes and pulled his arms closer around her. "Sing for me."

"All right."

Kimble began to gently sing a Siskan lullaby. The sound of it reminded him of another place and another time and it soothed him even though it was his own voice singing it. Seth recognized the song, Kimble had sung it to him many times and he joined in. His voice was as good as Kimble's even though it was pitched a little higher. Kimble laughed a little as he sang, happy just to have Seth and Fallen so close. Fallen relaxed as the Lightening kicked in and let their voices send her off to sleep.

Outside the lav, the X-men listened to the gentle song and soon dropped off to sleep themselves. The Lucky Dragon drifted quietly in space, a tiny speck lost among the great and mighty stars. Drifting towards a most uncertain future.


To be continued in The Hunter


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[Bastila]

Squeek, haven't posted for a while on here lol, but I have been catching up and still am lol need to read this page then I am up to date, but its good to still you post its, its a cool x-men fan fic, enjoying reading it, and I still think your little pictures are cute hehe.

[squeekness]

Thanks! I Haven't heard from anyone in a while, wasn't sure if anyone was still reading it. :p Glad you still like it.

[squeekness]

(One)

Day two

Remy couldn’t sleep. Everything that was going on since they had been stranded was rolling around in his head and he wanted nothing more than some kind of distraction. He got up and wandered into the galley but no one else was there, they were off getting some well deserved rest. He felt nosey and poked around in the cupboards, checking out Fallen’s supplies. He liked what he saw and started pulling out some jars of food. He was bored and figured he may as well cook something, he had always loved to cook and found it very relaxing, just what he was looking for.

He was pleasantly surprised when he also found a stash of packaged, salted meat. It was some kind of red meat, deer perhaps, sliced into steaks. He opened the package and sniffed at it. He couldn’t tell what kind it was, but didn’t really care. He took out a pan and plopped the steaks in. He next went through Fallen’s dusty supply of spices and groaned when he saw how neglected they were. Jeez, these Clan folks just didn’t know how to cook right, he thought to himself. He seasoned the hunks of meat the best he could with what he found and started them marinating in some wine he found nearby on the counter. The smell was already making his mouth water and he hadn’t really even started yet. He drank from the bottle of wine (Chef’s privilege) and started cutting up some vegetables.

The smell of food began to lure the others in one by one. Wolverine, Beast and Maylee sat at the table in eager anticipation, reminding Remy of the audiences he used to get back home. He loved the attention and couldn’t stop himself from smiling just a little. Maylee was smiling, too. She happy to see someone else cook, it was usually her job.

Gambit worked with a contented grace. The only thing better than cooking was cooking for an appreciative crowd. He noticed Valentin and Joseph lurking in the doorway of the barracks.

"Dogs is ‘ungry, boss," he said to Logan.

Logan leaned over on his bench, looking out the galley door across to the barracks. "Guess it’ll be all right ta take ‘em out so long as they’re quiet," he said loudly enough for the Clansmen to hear.

Henry and Wolverine went out and brought the prisoners into the galley. Once more, the Clansmen were tied to the benches. Logan noticed that of the three men, Bruce was the only one who’d taken the time to shower while they’d been locked up. The others stank and Logan wondered how long before he would have to drag them in for a bath. Their hands were left free on their good behavior.

Bruce remained imprisoned with the others because it still wasn’t clear which way his loyalties lay. Logan had said, "Keep him with the others and we’ll straighten it all out when we get home," and no one had argued. If things dragged on for too long or if he got too harassed, they would take him out.

Gambit finished cooking and served the crowd. The Clan looked at the food with greedy eyes, Remy hadn’t been the only one in need of a diversion and everything smelled so good. It wasn’t a bad thing having somebody different cook, they now had something new to try.
Bruce dug in and being the most polite, smiled broadly. "This is really good!"

"Merci beaucoup. Glad you likin’ it," Gambit replied with a bow, beaming now.

"Looks like you might be out of a job, May," Henry commented with a grin.
"Fine by me!" she replied. Cooking was not her favorite thing to do.

Logan looked up as Kimble came in next, Fallen in tow. Kimble was plainly still tired, but Fallen was worse. She walked like a zombie, hardly picking up her feet. Kimble had given her another shot and she was a little out of it. The Siskan sat her down on a bench and smiled up at the galley screen as Seth popped up from the control room. Seth waved at Fallen, but she was too doped out to notice him just yet.

Kimble went to the stove and looked over Remy’s offerings with obvious interest. He smiled at the Cajun and put some of his cooked vegetables on a plate for Fallen. He sniffed at the meat, but knew Fallen wouldn’t eat it. Too bad, it looked tasty.

Kimble was a full service hologram. He could eat and drink even though he wasn’t real. The water he needed for the hologram components, but food was a luxury. Just the same, his whole existence was about pleasure and he loved to eat, to taste. Fallen had given him a few treats since she’d started restoring the hologram, but none of them smelled as wonderful as what he saw before him now. He moved away with some reluctance, he was here for her and not himself, and set the plate he’d made in front of Fallen. She picked up her fork and began to eat numbly without comment.
Remy had noticed Kimble’s interest in the meat. "I seen you drinkin’, mon ami. Can you eat, too?"

Kimble sat down at the table next to Fallen. "Yeah, I kin eats a little."

"Den try dis."

Gambit put a small piece of seasoned steak in a bowl and set it in front of him.

Kimble picked up the meat and slowly put it in his mouth, wanting to savor it. He shivered and moaned in ecstacy as the spices exploded on his tongue, the flavor of it a bright new experience. As nice as it was to smoke for real again, eating was better. He laughed and smiled up at Remy, thrilled by the taste and unable to hide it. He hadn’t eaten anything like this in ages.

Gambit watched Kimble with amusement and laughed. "Dat good, huh?" He took Kimble’s bowl and gave him another piece.

Logan watched Kimble without smiling. Kimble’s childish reaction disgusted him. His biggest problem with Kimble was not that he wasn’t organically alive, but that he had no emotional control. Just as he was quick to anger, so too, his reaction to a simple piece of meat seemed exaggerated. Not that Remy seemed to care, Logan could see. The thief was indulging him as if he was some kind of new toy. Maybe to Remy he was. Wolverine shook his head and turned away, not wanting to watch any more.

Fallen gradually became more aware of what was going on around her. She watched as Remy set the bowl back down in front of Kimble and then saw what was in it. Her eyes opened wide in horror and she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.

Henry saw her reaction and moved away from her a little on the bench, uncertain what it meant.

Valentin sat very still, watching her from across the table like a cat does a mouse before it pounces. His eyes betrayed the fact that he knew full well what her reaction meant and he was ready to see it played out.

Kimble was enjoying himself much too much to notice. He ate the steak, chewing slowly so he could maximize his pleasure of the flavor of it. He looked up at Fallen, his eyes full of delight. "Ya gots ta try this, baby doll. Maybe you just ain’t found anaone what could cook right."

Fallen coughed loudly and vomited explosively, catching most of it in her hands.

Joseph pushed his bowl away, disgusted. "I'm done!"

"Hey!" Seth shouted, standing up in the control room. "What's going on?" He hated how helpless he was trapped in the system. The frustration was unbearable.

Fallen staggered away from the table and over to the sink, coughing and retching the whole way.

A shocked and frightened Kimble followed her. "You okay?" he asked in alarm.

Fallen didn’t immediately answer and Kimble rubbed her back as she continued to vomit in the sink, frustrated that she was so slow to respond. He couldn’t help her if he didn’t know what was the matter. He glanced up at the screen to his brother, worried. Valentin was snickering now and Kimble had a feeling that more was going here than he realized.
Fallen turned the water on and began to wash her hands and face. She rinsed out her mouth and spat before rolling her eyes up at Kimble, her mouth twisted in a furious sneer.

"What's wrong?" Kimble asked her again. "What did I do?"

"How did we get meat on board? I didn't order any with the supplies!" she demanded.

Valentin spoke up. "I did. I changed the supply order before we left."


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter[/FONT]

[aaron]

you've put toooooo much effort into this! :p

[squeekness]

LOL, thanks. It's amazing what a person can do with too much time on their hands. :p

[squeekness]

Fallen's eyes ripped into Kimble who squirmed under the heat. "And you guys okayed it?"

"We didn' have no choice. Technically yer his wife. Lucky's his ship now."

"Never!" she snarled viciously, charging Kimble.

He backed up, unafraid. He just wanted to give her some space so she would calm down. They’d fought so many times before this, he knew how to handle her. He would just let her vent and then he’d try to reason with her some more.

She continued to advance, growing more out of control. "Lucky is my ship! I built it! He's mine! I decide the supplies, not him!"

Valentin and Joseph laughed, enjoying the confrontation. It seems they’d gotten a little more entertainment than just a free meal. Unlike his compatriots, Bruce had paled and looked frightened. He clearly found nothing funny in this.

"This ain't about no supplies, is it?" Kimble said defensively, growing angry himself. He’d done his job as he always had, she was his Mistress and he obeyed her unquestionably. There was no reason he should believe he’d broken any orders. Something else was going on.

Maylee moved to say something, but Logan shook his head at her. "He wanted to be Second so badly. Let him handle it."

Fallen was spitting now, she was so enraged. "I am your Mistress! I am First Captain of this ship! I am in charge! I decide things here! You will do as I say! Do you understand me?!" Furious beyond measure, she grabbed the pan of meat from the stove and flung it at him, wanting to make her point clear by any means at her disposal.

Kimble reacted quickly and knocked the pan away with his hands before it could hit him, but was splattered with it's contents. He growled in pain as he was burned and raised his fists, his own fury fast matching the pace of his hysterical Mistress.

Gambit was standing next to him and dove out of the way. His clothing gave him better protection than the Siskan hologram, the juices from the pan weren't hot enough to burn through his sleeves, but still warm enough to hurt. He wasn’t too happy about being so close to Kimble’s fists, either. He didn’t know if Kimble would lash out at the nearest target.

"Now that was really frikkin' stupid," Kimble said, opening his fists in an effort to calm himself and wiped at his chin. His hands were trembling as he tried to control his traitorous wrath.

"Not as stupid as you forgetting who's in charge!" Fallen snapped, finalizing this, and snatched a whiskey bottle from the counter before stomping out in a huff.

Kimble stood up straight and shook with rage. He snarled an order at Seth in Siskan and Seth nodded, his fear obvious. The screen blacked out, he'd gone to follow Fallen.

Kimble was panting, trying to decide what to do. He’d clearly made a serious error but wasn’t sure what it was. He knew Fallen didn’t eat meat, but since she kept her secrets, he’d always thought it was a matter of preference. Obviously he’d been wrong. He closed his eyes and swallowed as the acid rose up his throat again. He wasn't used to all the pain and anger coming his way like this. He did not understand or deserve the treatment he'd just received. He and Fallen had fought before, but she never once had struck him physically like this, their arguments had been exclusively verbal. Scathing and explicit, to be sure. But never physical.

"Deep breaths, boy. Deep breaths," Logan advised, speaking from experience. He tossed Kimble a towel, eyeing him with distrust.

Valentin was still laughing, amused. "Looks like she's got you whipped pretty good, son."

"Sure you can handle her, freak?" Joseph added.

"Don't make him angry!" Bruce hissed. "You don’t know what he’ll do!"

Kimble ignored the Clansmen and started wiping off with the towel, calming down a little. "I kin handle her just fine. Been doin' it a long time already," he said after a moment.

"Not quite the same thing in the real world now, is it?" Valentin sneered, unafraid.

"Must be the Lightning making her crazy," Maylee interrupted. She was still upset over Kimble's decision and wanted him to know it.

Kimble shook his head in irritation, he couldn’t believe she was actually going to bring that up again. Clearly she wasn’t going to let it go, the little brat. Like he really needed this right now. "No. This's sumpthin' else," he insisted impatiently, aggravated that he had to keep defending his decision.

"How do you know?" she challenged.

"'Cuz I know Fallen!"

"I know her, too."


"Not like me," Kimble snapped. "I'm with her all the time, yer not cuz a yer schoolin’. She’s got sumpthin' on her mind she don't wanna talk about."

"Maybe you just don't want to admit you made a mistake."

Kimble flung the towel into the sink. He grabbed a piece of fruit and began to peel it quickly, angrily. Fallen would need to eat and he was going to follow her whether she wanted him to or not. He wasn’t going to leave without making his point first, though. "I didn' make a mistake! I made the right decision!"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/080mayleefight.jpg


"For her or for you?" Maylee questioned, angry.


"What th' f--k is that suppozta mean?!" Kimble snarled, furious again.

"Watch yer mouth!" Logan warned. He moved closer to the girl.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that you took all the files you needed to stay out," Maylee continued to accuse. She was emboldened by the presence of the X-men, she knew they would protect her from Kimble enough that she could speak her mind. "You made this happen on purpose and then you addicted her so you could keep her for yourself!"

Kimble froze and looked at her stunned. He knew she disliked him, but had no idea of the depth of her hate. "Are ya sayin' I deliberately made her try ta kill herself? That alla this is from me?" he asked still in shock from her words.

"I think you would do anything to stay out. You knew she was going to use the hologram for Seth so you did this to take it from him."

"Dat's some cold cold sh-t, chere," Gambit said softly. He didn't believe what she said was true.

Kimble swallowed the hard lump in his throat and tried to stay calm. He really didn’t need this on top of what Fallen had dished out for him already. He grinned angrily and shook his head. "I know yer disappointed it wuz me an not Seth what got left out, but he woulda let her die. He wuzn't ever good enough ta do what needed ta be done. Yer young, but you ain't a child no more, baby doll."

"Don't you call me that!" she hissed.

Kimble grunted sarcastically. "Huh. Just think, ya got a whole life of disappointments in front of ya. This is yer first one. Boo f--kin' hoo, darlin'! Welcome to the real world. Life just sucks most of th' time. Ya cain't handle it? Too f--kin' bad! It only gits worse from here!" he said bitterly. "I don' know what I done ta make ya thinks so bad of me. Right now, I don' much care. I know what I done wuz right cuz Fallen's still alive. We're all still alive. You wanna be dead so damn bad, jump out the f--kin' airlock. I could give a sh-t less!" he snapped and walked out.

Maylee stood still for a moment and then burst into tears. He frightened her for reasons she couldn't explain. She only believed half of what she'd said, but couldn't stop herself from saying it. The truth was she was disappointed that Seth wasn't the one out here. She loved him best and knew Fallen was in love with him. Now Fallen and Seth were separated forever. It just wasn’t right that Kimble was free and Seth was not, this whole thing was so unfair. She fled the galley, too embarrassed by her outburst to hear Remy as he called out and reached for her, and escaped down to the lower level. She went into the small lav and locked herself in so she could be alone.


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Two)

Kimble looked to see where Fallen had gone. He looked into the cage room and saw the door to her lav was shut. He tried to open it but it was locked. "Fallen, open the door!"

He got no response, but he could hear her moving around. He heard the clink of a glass jar and Seth pleading with her. Kimble had admonished his Mistress not to use any of her funtime narcotics while on the Lightening and it sounded like she had wasted no time in disobeying that order. He needed to get in there now! "Fallen, let me in!"

No dice. He put down the piece of fruit he brought and leaned against the door. He knew he wouldn't be able to break in. He had to get inside before she did anything stupid. He remembered the last time he had to get by an immovable object -- Wolverine. He concentrated and pushed against the door, wishing as hard as he could to be on the other side. He felt a strange liquid sensation and then he was there, looking at her. He'd phased through the door. He stood for a moment, stunned that he had actually pulled it off, then saw what she was doing.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/082kimblephase.jpg

Fallen was sitting on the commode, naked now with her pants tossed off to the side. She was bent over her leg with a loaded syringe in a vein and was about to push the plunger. He’d seen this before all too many times, she always shot in her legs to hide the needle marks she had from using so much.

Seth was on the nearby viewing screen pleading with her to stop. He stopped talking abruptly, shocked silent when he saw what Kimble had done. He had no idea Kimble could pass through a locked door like that. Yes, Kimble had confessed to him about walking through Wolverine, but part of him didn’t quite believe it had actually happened. Kimble had just proven him wrong and it left him breathless.

Kimble didn't notice the shock on Seth’s face, he had only his disobedient Mistress in mind. He moved quickly, smacking the needle away and out of Fallen's hand. It hit the wall and broke from the force of his anger. Fallen shrieked, startled by his sudden appearance, she had locked the door on purpose to keep him out. "How did you get in here?"

"What the f-ck do ya think yer doin’?!" he snarled, angry.

"That's none of your business!"

"It's my business ta keep ya alive! I toldja ya cain't take that crap with the Lightnin'!"

"I'll do as I please!"

He gripped her arms and leaned in close to her face, boldly establishing some dominance while doing his best not to be cruel. He cared about her deeply, but had to make his point. He was doing this for her, he could only hope she would eventually see that. "No, you won't. This ain't just about you, Fallen. It's about alla us. These people're countin' on you. So am I."

"It's not fair!" she cried, sobbing.

"Lotsa things ain't fair, but they happen all the same," he replied sadly, wiping her cheeks. He really hated it when she cried, it ate right into him. He was an emotional creature and the pain and suffering of others had always bothered him. He wanted so much for this all to go away and he tried to express that by being gentle with her now. He kissed her forehead, lingering so she would know how much he loved her.

She knew it and surrendered, falling against him in her misery. "I feel terrible...I need a shot."

"No. Whatcha needs is ta eat."

Kimble left her long enough to retrieve the piece of fruit he'd left outside. He didn’t show off by phasing again, that was just too freaky, he simply unlocked the door to get out. He sealed it back up after, not wanting them to be disturbed. Seth started to ask him about phasing through the door the first time but Kimble silenced him with a dark look.

Kimble grabbed a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around his Mistress, making sure she was comfortable. He sat on the floor and moved her between his legs so he could wrap his arms around her and keep her warm. He carefully sectioned the fruit and fed it to her a slice at a time like before. She took what he offered, chewing slowly without speaking. It was very warm and comfortable with him wrapped around her now and she was relaxed, calm once more.

"What setcha off, Fallen? Talk ta me. Talk ta us," Kimble insisted gently. He was calmer himself now and wanted only for her to talk and get rid of her pain.

She didn't answer, just leaned tighter into his embrace.

"You gots ta talk ta us, kiddo. Stop keepin' all that junk inside of ya. This is still me, still good ol' Kimble, ready ta listen. Ain't nuthin' you kin say that'll change what I think boutcha."

"Fallen, please..." Seth pleaded. He put his hands up to the screen where she could see. "Talk to us."

"I don't want to think about that place," she whispered, her voice low and miserable.

"What place, Fallen?" Seth wanted to know.

"The pens... The Dognan pens."

Seth nodded. He knew she had been in the pens, the same as the X-men and others that they had rescued, she had told him that much, but nothing else. She refused to talk about it or what she had done there to survive. She dreamed about it, though, he knew that well enough. She would have the same terrible nightmare over and over again. It came whenever she was especially stressed out or Valentin had been away too long. She'd lie still, twitching and dreaming, then wake suddenly, screaming in hysterical horror. Sometimes she'd even run around a little bit before she woke, breaking things, and bellow Dognan curses at monsters she thought were trying to eat her.

Seth, being the closest to her emotionally, usually was the one who comforted her. It was especially difficult for him because all he could do was watch her from a viewing screen and try to talk her down. One of his primary motivations for trying the hologram was so that he could give her better comfort. She settled down much more quickly when he was out and could physically hold her. His main trouble was that he was fearful of her terror and hysteria, the violence in her dreams disturbed him and made him tremble with fear. Sometimes he couldn't handle it and Kimble would come out in his place to offer their Mistress comfort.

Sometimes after she recovered from her spells, she'd go get high and not talk to them for a while. Seth hated those times most of all because she isolated herself away from them where she could not be reached or consoled. She was too far away from Seth then and he would weep until Kimble would come and offer him comfort as well. Kimble was the bridge between them all, the one that bound them all together.

When Fallen was finally sober, Seth would ask her about her nightmares, what they meant, but all she'd say was that the dream was about the pens. Any further attempts to goad her into confessing only led to arguments Seth had no will to entertain, and so the matter was never discussed as it should have been.

Now, today, Kimble was hoping that that might finally happen, "What do the pens gots ta do with what happened today?" Kimble asked softly, petting her in the hopes he could coax her to talk and free her heart from all of this pain.

Fallen didn't answer right away, but heaved a weary sigh and closed her eyes. Kimble couldn’t hide his relief when at last she began to tell them what she’d been holding back for so long.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Three)

Fallen had been born Sarah Xifaras, a small town girl in a small town life. She’d grown up well and lived a normal life, becoming no one special or different from anyone else. She found the perfect husband, had some perfect kids. They lived in a quaint New England coastal town, close to the ocean. She had the pink house with the picket fence, the whole nine yards. Life was good...until the Dognan came and ruined everything.

It started out small. Groups of people would turn up missing all over the world, mostly where large groups had gathered. The Dognan were kidnapping humans to be used as drones in a slave army. When the Dognan had created enough white slaves, they sicced them back on the world they had come from in a successful bid to take them over. The white slaves came with the Dognan soldiers and destroyed their own planet. The destruction had been swift and horrible, all signs of human civilization wiped out in a matter of weeks. With the human pests removed, the Dognan then moved in to feast on the planet’s rich resources.

Sarah had been one of the last humans taken from the area where she lived. She had lasted long enough to see her whole family destroyed, a fate worse than death. She was captured along with some others who had been hiding out in a nearby forest. She bitterly fought the Dognan soldiers who took her, scratching and biting. They admired her spirit and had her tested for Ristle capability. She came up positive and they had her processed.

It was horrible. She spent days in a stasis tank, awake just enough to realize with horror what was being done to her. Her body was ripped apart by surgeons who knew no mercy. Her legs and forearms were replaced with organic pilot body parts, changing her forever. There were no words to describe the pain. Still, her will to survive kept her alive. They cut into her brain and implanted microscopic computer chips and parts that allowed her to create the Ristle energy from her own body. They also implanted her with files on piloting ships, ship construction, salvage, and medicine. Her mutated body tolerated the harsh treatment and she became what they made of her.

While she was being processed, Sarah dreamed in the tank. She dreamed of the X-men legends she read about before the war and fantasized that they would come to help her. She recalled a story that had been told of the X-man Angel and how in an alternate time line he’d become an evil twisted creature called The Fallen. He had pale white skin and the sheer leathery wings of a bat, not all that different that what she was now. She now saw herself as him and took his name for herself, changing her identity now that her old life was lost. Sarah was gone, now there was only Fallen.

Fallen survived her ordeal and was put into service. She took very well to flying the Dognan ships but not so well to the harsh treatment of her new Masters. She often fought and rebelled, turning her new gifts against her Masters by zapping them with Ristle or scratching them with her new clawed hands. She was beaten and whipped repeatedly for her transgressions, but it did little to tame her. She was transferred from place to place, learning new things about her body as she was moved from place to place and made to do different jobs.

She mastered the skill of telekinetic flight and shield making while stationed out in the battlefields. Her job there was to go out and retrieve the wounded or dead flying out in the middle of battles that would have shaken the nerves of any man. Her new Masters didn’t care if she got shot down, she was so unruly, but she never did. She could dip and weave with the best of them.

She hated herself and what she’d become, the loss of her humanity a bitter, blazing scar on her soul. It made her fearless and reckless and she flew bravely out into the worst battlefields and firefight, careless of her own personal safety. She would lift and carry groups of soldiers, secret messages, anything they wanted. Using her telekinesis, she was the perfect mule. She could even air lift heavy ordinance and equipment as long as it was strapped to her body. Her telekinesis was more powerful with things she touched. Having finally proved herself, the Dognan put her back into a ship. She took her skills and applied them. She was a skilled and worthy pilot.

Problem was, she was still feisty and at times uncooperative. Her Ristle was very strong, higher than normal. She learned quickly that it could do more than power up ships. It could be used as a weapon. Her temper got the best of her one day and she fired off a good sized Ristle blast at a Dognan officer who had attempted to rape her. The practice was common among Dognan men, they saw pilots as creatures to be used any way they saw fit. The man had no chance against her wrath, he was incinerated almost immediately. She had no idea she could do that kind of damage.

It didn’t go over well with the Dognan either. Finally done with her, they cuffed and collared her and off to the pens she went.


Fallen was horrified in her new environment. She was sorry she had murdered the Dognan officer, but it was too late to take it back. She tried to hide in the bombed out buildings as much as possible, but her food didn’t last. When she tried to forage, she was attacked by the packs. She used Ristle blasts and telekinetic shields to protect herself, killing those who threatened her. As she became more and more desperate, more and more hungry, the charred and cooked bodies of her victims became that much more appealing.

It wasn’t long before she took the final, inevitable step towards cannibalism. She had the advantage over most of the prisoners here, her telekinetic and Ristle production capabilities giving her the clear edge in any fight, even against multiple targets. She became merciful death, ending the prolonged suffering of the weak that ended up in the pens. She hunted the packs, dive bombing them from on high, grabbing whomever fell into her path.

What made matters worse, was that as time went on, she found she enjoyed the hunt. Considering herself damned, she gave into it, embracing her darker self, and went all the way over the edge. She no longer selected her prey at random, no, she chose who she wanted to kill and how. She toyed with them, improving her hunting and telekinetic skills all the time. As her skills grew, so did her power. She used her Ristle all of the time, firing blast after blast at her prey. She realized now what her Masters had before, that she was stronger than most of the other pilots who’d been made, her Ristle strong enough to incinerate. This power and her ability to control it made her the Queen of the pens. She nicknamed herself the Hunter, proud of what she’d accomplished. She no longer foraged at all, but lived exclusively off of her kills. She grew sleek and fat, living quite well.

She thrived now in this new environment with no Dognan masters holding her down. But she was still human enough to grow lonely as time went on. She began to hang out near the main gate to the pens and kept watch as the occasional pilot was tossed in with the rest of the slaves. She would fly in and try to make them join up with her. She met with no success until Carma. Carma was a true sister to Fallen. She embraced the life and together they were merciless, the scourge of all who entered the pens. They killed often and ate well. Gradually others joined them and they became the Angels of the Fallen.

Meanwhile, the Clan was gearing up in their resistance efforts against the Dognan. Cerebus knew he needed pilots and ships to do this. He led raiding parties into the pens and tried to capture as many of the pilots as he could. He avoided the Angels because of their violence and savagery, but soon he had his eye on Fallen when he saw how powerful she was. Here was a pilot strong enough to jump, to cross dimensions. He had to have her. He set up traps but she and Carma were much too clever. Finally, Cerebus resorted to shooting her down with arrows treated with sedatives. It was crude, but got the job done. She fell and Carma was left behind.

When Fallen awoke, she was tied up and collared with restraints, her Ristle power robbed from her. The Clan knew the restraining devices used by the Dognan for the alphas worked just as well on the pilots and were sure to keep some around for times like these. Fallen was in the hanger of Clan Station Nine and helpless against her rescuers. She howled with rage and fury as Cerebus and his son, Jaska, stood over her laughing. They untied her carefully, waiting to see if she would calm down once she was freed and listen to their proposal of service. Almost all of the pilots they’d taken so far were eager to work for the Clan and exact some revenge against the Dognan who had mutated them so horribly.

Enraged by their lack of compassion, Fallen wasn’t interested in talking. She came at Jaska with her clawed hands out and savaged his face, scarring him forever. She dove in to finish the job, but was grabbed from behind and wrestled to the floor by two more of Cerebus’ men.

"Kill her!" Cerebus ordered, outraged by the damage done to his son. He had no idea she would be so savage, it had never happened before.

"Wait!"

Cerebus turned to see who had spoken. It was Valentin, one of his up and coming young officers. "Yes?"

The man’s eyes were full of interest of this newly freed creature. He wanted her for himself. "Why waste such a fine pilot? I can tame her for you."

Cerebus laughed contemptuously. "You are welcome to try."

"If I can, may I have her? I have need of a good pilot for my reconnaissance missions."

"Be my guest."

Valentin walked up to her as she was once more released and they squared off against each other. She hissed at him like a cat, but he wasn’t afraid of her mouth or her claws. He was quite tall and sturdy, quick on his feet and more than a match for her. "Come, pretty, lay down your hate and come with me," he whispered softly.

She spat in his face, hitting him square in the eye.

He swung and dealt her a heavy blow across her jaw, almost spinning her tiny body around. He was stunned that she didn’t fall, it was rare that anyone could take a hit from him and not collapse in a dead drunk heap.

This pilot just looked up at him as her blood began to flow and laughed crazily, her eyes wild with madness. He could see she was insane and he spoke to her again, gripping her with his voice. "Well, pilot, guess we know each other well enough then, huh? Guess what? You’re in Hell and I am your Devil. You’ve given up your soul, now it’s time to pay the price." He reached out and took her chin in his hand, fixing her with his penetrating, withering gaze. "You will be mine. You know this now. Accept it." He leaned in and kissed her, slipping her his tongue.

Fallen was mesmerized, her tiny mind reeling. In her deluded state, his comments about her being in Hell and his owning her soul made perfect sense. She had done such horrible things and now she had to pay. Pay in full. She accepted his kiss and gave herself to him, giving in to fate.

Cerebus didn’t quite know what to say as Valentin led her off, docile as a lamb.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

Of course, Fallen didn’t tame as easily as all that. She did have her moments and Valentin dealt with them in his usual harsh manner. He beat her senseless more than once and eventually she did get the message.

The incidents of her violence became less often. Fallen returned gradually to a more civilized frame of mind, her feral Hunter moving into the past. The horror of what she’d done to survive still tormented her. She refused to eat meat and couldn’t stand to be around anyone else eating it. It made her violently ill, destroying her appetite. Valentin knew this and would sometimes use it to beat her spirit down. Forcing her to eat meat was the height of his cruelty.

Fallen did have her highs and lows and succumbed to drug use in an attempt to blot out her darkest thoughts. The Clan often raided Dognan storehouses and narcotics were easily available to someone in the know. She dreamed of the pens but in her nightmares, instead of being the predator, she was always the prey. Night after night she would wake screaming as the ghosts of her past came and hunted her down. Valentin tried to comfort her, but he couldn’t play the role of Master and Mother at the same time, she wouldn’t have it. She wanted only one thing from him; his fists and as hard as possible. She would be good for a long time, then deliberately bait him until he was in a fury. She needed him to punish her. She wouldn’t allow herself to forget what she’d done. She never let Valentin into her cold dead heart, not the way he would have liked. He went along with her because he had fallen in love with her in his own twisted way and took what he could get from her.

Valentin compensated for not being allowed to show her any tenderness by bringing her Maylee.

It wasn’t long after the Red Sky had crashed. The Red Sky was one of the few working Clan ships and required a pilot to fly it. The Red Sky had been shot down by a Dognan patrol while running a recon mission for Valentin. Fallen was at the helm and the blast from the Dognan ship caused her Ristle to overload the stick and it back washed into her, damaging her brain. When Valentin brought her in to the medics, she was barely alive.
The Clan doctors didn’t know what to do for her strange injury until she told them of the White Lightening. They didn’t know if it would work but she was dying anyway. They had some of it around from raiding Dognan storehouses, but never knew of its purpose. They gave it to her, addicting her while saving her life. She recovered from her injury but suffered from even more severe mood swings. On a particularly low day, Valentin brought her a present.

Maylee was a tiny child, no more than six. She was the offspring of a Dognan officer who had raped a white slave. Maylee’s mother escaped to the Clan but was horrified by the monster she’d given birth to and killed herself. Maylee was moved around from place to place, never being accepted. She’d tried to steal some food from Valentin one day and he caught her. At first he was just going to kill her for annoying him so, but then thought better of it. Fallen never seemed to get pregnant no matter how attentive he was so he figured Maylee might be a good enough substitute. A child might raise Fallen’s spirits, he reasoned.

Valentin had no way of knowing that Fallen had already been compelled to abort herself of his offspring three times by then already. She used harsh chemical potions that ravaged her body and almost killed her. She accepted this as part of her punishment. He was puzzled by her illnesses because she never really got sick any other time. He wasn’t always around and she always seemed to recover from her ‘spells’ so he didn’t question her about it.

Fallen embraced Maylee and having the child did lift her spirits. They both thrived from each other’s love and Fallen started to feel a little better about herself. Maybe she wasn’t really this terrible monster after all.
Fallen got better rapidly, but was still addicted. Having her self esteem boosted gave her the strength to try and overcome her addiction to the White Lightening. It was a long and painful process, but she did manage to pull it off. Her low spells remained however. They were usually prompted by a sudden longing for the hunt again. Some part of her, the one she called the Hunter, still craved the power and blood. When the urges became very strong, she would send for Valentin and he would beat and rape it out of her. It was the only thing that worked. Until Seth came along that is.

It took some time for Seth to work his way into Fallen’s heart, but eventually he did. He showed her that there was another way to redeem herself. It wasn’t as easy as Valentin’s beatings, which made it seem all the more right. Retrieving alphas from the pens was the way. Fallen became more and more independent of Valentin, even going so far as to achieve the rank of First Pilot. She left on her own missions now, and aided by Seth and Kimble, saved herself by pulling more flesh alive from the pens than she killed during her seven month stay there. The more they did it, the more she realized she was no longer a monster, she was just a lost soul who’d strayed a little off the path. Her Siskan pilots had propped her up and set her right.

Her Hunter spells came less and less but still occurred. She sent for Valentin less often. He didn’t like it and felt neglected. Valentin vented his frustration by beating her more and more savagely at each visit. He would follow her, seek her out and it became a game to him. Fallen was trapped by the monster she had created. Valentin would not leave her and now had managed to talk Cerebus into marrying them.

It was the last straw. Fallen did have some sense of Honor. Rather than break her bonding, she chose instead to give up everything and kill them all. It had cost her Seth and now she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Her biggest fear was that she’d never hold Seth ever again. She needed him more than ever now that all this had happened. What was she going to do about Valentin now?

Kimble had nodded as Fallen had spoken, stroking her hair back ever so gently. He was an inorganic being, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t understand something like this. " ‘S okay, darlin’. You done what ya done ta survives. Ain’t nobody gonner hold that against you."

"No, you don’t get it. There’s more. I wasn’t just a cannibal, Kim. I liked it, don’t you see? I liked the hunt. I liked hunting them down! I called myself the Hunter and made a game of it! It was the only thing that made me happy there!" she sobbed, curling up that much tighter. "I liked it! And when that wasn’t enough, I taught others to do the same!"

Kimble closed his eyes, trying to equate his tender Mistress with someone who hunted down her penmates like prey. It was hard. To him she was soft and warm, strong willed and sturdy. He hadn’t realized where that inner strength had come from, how being a survivor meant more than just having lived through something traumatic. Kimble understood a great many things about human behavior, but this was a little out of his range. What he could do was offer her comfort without his judgement. He was perfectly honest when he had said that there was nothing she could say to make him hate her, not even this could scratch a dent in the vast love he had for her.

He wasn’t the only one. Seth was horrified by her tale as he would be by anything like it, but he still had this to say. "You did what you had to, Fallen. What I don’t understand is why you thought you needed to be punished for it. The only one who needed to be punished here was Valentin for not helping you through this. How was him beating you ever supposed to make you better? All you had to do was forgive yourself."


"How can I?" she sobbed.


Seth just smiled. "You already have. Think back on all the lives we saved from the pens. It was dangerous to do it but you kept it up. Don’t you see? You’ve saved so many, how could that not be enough to make up for what you did?"

Fallen looked up at Seth then. She was warm and safe in Kimble’s arms, but it was the look of absolute love on Seth’s face that finally convinced her that what he spoke was true. "I love you," she breathed. It was meant for them both, but it was Seth’s eyes she saw as she said it.
"And I you, my Mistress," Seth replied, his eyes sad for her pain, but his mouth in a tender smile.

Fallen relaxed, crying just a little more, her agony finally released, and Kimble held her close until she was asleep. He then rose carefully and lay her gently on the floor. He opened a glass jar and gave her a mild sedative so she wouldn't dream that horrible nightmare again. He could see Seth trembling and shivering in the control room and spoke to him gently.
"Go to the Black Room. I'll be right there," he said, seeing that Fallen wasn’t the only one who needed him.

Seth nodded, weak with tears, and disappeared.

Kimble stood over Fallen as she slept and wiped away an angry tear that dribbled down one cheek. She was his Mistress, his only reason for being, and he couldn’t bear her suffering. The best he could hope for was that she would be better off having finally gotten all of this off of her chest. Maybe she could leave it all behind for good and be stronger. He sank down to the floor next to her and lay still, transferring his consciousness along the invisible link back into the system and to the Black Room.

[squeekness]

(Four)

Kimble found his brother there in the Black Room, curled up in the middle of the circle of light, his hands cupped over his ears and his eyes clamped shut as he cried uncontrollably. Kimble stepped into the circle of light and went to him, putting his arms around him and speaking to him gently. "Seth? C'mon, buddy. It ain't all that bad. She's good now."

"How can I help her when I’m stuck in here?!" Seth bawled. "I can’t touch her or kiss her! She needs me and I can’t get to her!"

"Easy, now. Calm down."

Kimble took Seth's hands away from his ears and pulled him up into his arms just as he did Fallen. When Seth broke down, Kimble always took care of him. He was his brother. The stronger taking care of the weak, it was what Kimble did best. Kimble most often expressed himself physically, he touched and he hugged to soothe the pain of others. He liked to kiss and reach out with his hands. Seth and Fallen both knew this and seemed to enjoy and need his closeness when they were troubled. He now brushed Seth's hair back until he felt him relax.

Seth cried himself out and snuggled down against him, burying his face against his chest. Kimble's embrace was comforting and familiar. When they had been locked in the system together, Kimble had often held him as he slept. In many ways, Kimble was more of a father to him than a brother.

"How am I going to help her?" Seth whispered in a dry scratchy voice.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/085sethcryblackroom.jpg

"By doin’ whatcha been doin’. Just keep lookin’ after her sos she knows ya love her."

"It’s not good enough..."

"S’ gonna hafta be fer now." Kimble wiped the last of Seth’s tears away. "When ya gots time, I wants ya ta take the password safeties offa the Black Room."

"Why? It keeps us safe."

"Jus’ do it. If we git inta trouble you kin always put it back."

"All right."

"In the meantime, I kin take alla the meat and toss it inta Storage. The door’s got a lock on it, it’ll be all right. I won’ let nuthin’ happen ta her like what went on today."


"I'm never going to feel her again, am I?" Seth asked, a tremble still in his voice.

"Don' say that, kiddo," Kimble soothed. "Life's a funny thing. Never know how it's gonna turn out. Ya just gots ta have a little faith. I'm gonna try my best ta do fer you, 'kay?"

"Okay," Seth agreed, his doubt still there.

"Have I ever letcha down, kid? Huh?" Kimble teased gently.

Seth laughed softly. "No." He was growing drowsy from Kimble's warmth.

"You jus’ rest easy, I'll stay witcha till yer asleep," Kimble promised, not quite ready to leave Seth just yet. He kept his word and held his twin until he was asleep, still and warm in his arms.

Kimble was a sensitive creature, in touch with the emotions of others. He understood Seth’s frustration, he just wasn’t sure what to do about it. He had an idea from when he had taken Fallen here to the Black Room briefly before, something that could be formulated into a plan if he was clever enough. Maybe he could bring her again and with the password gone, perhaps she could remain here longer than just a few seconds.

Kimble closed his eyes and held Seth close to him, wanting a little comfort himself. This day wasn’t turning out so well after all. In here with no one to see, Kimble could let his guard down. He trembled as he started to cry. Being the caregiver was a difficult and painful job, one he chose to do on his own, but one that carried its own pains. He was frightened by Fallen’s story and stung by Maylee’s accusations. He knew deep in his heart that he wasn’t bad or evil like she’d said. Valentin was. This place was. Fallen’s story made him remember that it wasn’t always safe out in the real world and now he was there again. He didn’t know if he could in fact be killed out here and wasn’t in an all fired rush to find out. How was he going to protect his people — Seth and Fallen and May — from everything that was going on, from Valentin? He was the Second, he was Kimble and it was his job to look after them. He would do whatever it took, sacrificing everything else to do it.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Five)

Gambit scrubbed the floor of the galley, feeling horrible about what happened. He had no idea what was going on, only that he had screwed up royally and poor Kimble had taken the fall for it. He wished he knew what was going on. He could hear Logan trying fruitlessly to worm the truth out of Valentin. He’d been at it for over an hour now and had nothing to show for it. Valentin was giving up nothing, enjoying the game too much.

Gambit stood stiffly and tossed his towel into the sink. He grabbed a cigarette from the table jar and lit it. He was trying to calm down himself. He was even more concerned about Kimble after Maylee’s horrible accusation. His concerns were justified when he saw Kimble return with a large box. The pilot looked terrible, he had a haunted sad look in his eyes as he opened the cupboards and started tossing Valentin’s stash of meat into the box.

Remy stood next to him, quick to apologize. "Je suis de’sole, mon ami. I ‘ad no idea."

"Yeah, well neither did I," Kimble said gently, forgiving him with a tired smile. Remy’s simple regret made Kimble feel all the more kind towards his new friend, it was a buffer towards Logan’s harsher treatment of him. "That girl keeps her secrets. I been with her alla this time an she didn’ tell me nuthin’ till just now."

"Told you about the pens, did she?" Valentin's cruel voice rasped.

Kimble whirled, all too ready to vent his rage and frustration. "You knew! And ya brought this crap on board anaways!"

Logan saw Kimble’s meager control already slipping away and moved in next to him. He locked eyes with Remy, daring him to stop him from keeping Kimble down.

Remy didn’t argue, instead he stepped in between Kimble and Valentin, trying to block their view of one another. He did nothing more, hoping that Kimble or Valentin would say what was going on. He had no problem with them arguing as long as they didn’t start fighting. He also hoped his presence would help Kimble remember his promise to be good.

"Of course I know," Valentin sneered. "I know everything about her, boy. Deep down inside she needs me. She wants me to give her what she needs. Something you'll never be capable of doing. You think the Hunter can be stopped with your silly kisses and stupid little songs? Please! I’m the only thing that ever kept her in control." He raised a large heavy fist. "See this? This is all she truly understands and needs, not your pathetic, soft, white brother."

Wolverine struggled to process what he was hearing. He looked at the packages of meat and then he remembered what he saw from his brief stay in the Dognan pen. The packs were hunting down the weak and eating them. He pondered Fallen's unspeakable crime, the one she allowed Valentin to punish her for. It came to him suddenly. Fallen had been just like Shayla, the pilot that had gone in with them and was taken in by the Angels. Or worse, he said to himself, thinking of how strong Fallen’s spirit was. Carma, the leader. A woman who was not only a cannibal herself, but the leader of a pack of them might have a few issues. He cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.

Kimble was beyond all that. He thought of Fallen’s suffering at the hands of the monster before him and how it was ripping Seth apart. His rage spilled over and he lost control with frightening speed. So much for being good. He saw Valentin’s raised fist, heard his cruel laughter, and forgot everything else.

"You a--hole!" Kimble howled fearlessly and lunged for Valentin, his hands out like claws.

Logan caught Kimble as he flew by and held him back, once more using his superior weight to keep the Siskan in check. "Calm down!"

At their racket, Valentin began to howl like a rabid dog on purpose, raising a ruckus and adding to the chaos. He pulled against the ropes, but they held him this time. He was laughing like a madman, enjoying himself as he watched Kimble lose control.

Henry wasn’t about to stand for it.. He stood behind Valentin and put his big blue hands on the big man’s shoulders. He wasn’t about to let Valentin break free like before. "Get Kimble out of here!" he ordered to Logan.

Before Wolverine could respond, Gambit weaved in between Kimble and Valentin, still trying to block Kimble’s view of his antagonist. He knew Logan was stronger than he was and better able to hold the enraged pilot back. He charged a card with his bio-kinetic energy, hoping to catch Kimble’s attention with it like before. " ‘Ey!" he shouted sharply and held the card right up to Kimble’s face.

Like before, Kimble’s eyes locked onto the red glow. He didn’t freeze, but Gambit clearly had his attention.

"Paisible maintant, cher. Easy now," Remy said slowly, working Kimble with his voice just as he had with the card. "Take it down, nice and easy. Soft, soft, now. Easy like. We gonna talk ‘bout dis civilized and work it out, bien? You trustin’ Gambit now?"

Kimble nodded, slowing down. He was easily mesmerized by Remy’s kind eyes and gentle tone of voice. It appealed to his inner desire to please and Remy was asking him so nicely, it was hard to refuse.

Logan didn’t quite buy it and wouldn’t let him go, but Remy didn’t hesitate to continue. "Talk to me, Kim. Tell Gambit what’s goin’ on."

Kimble took a deep shuddering breath and relaxed. He went slack against Logan and didn’t fight him anymore. His anger was temporarily on hold as he listened to Gambit’s easy words. He answered Remy’s question in a tired, scratchy voice. "Vally knows her pain an’ he don’ care. He thinks her sufferin’ is some kinda joke — Well, it ain’t no joke ta me!" Kimble squirmed a little as he started to grow angry again.

"Shhh...Easy now. Relax. What’s ‘er pain? Tell me."

Logan waited for Valentin to cut in, but he had quieted and was watching Kimble as intently as everyone else. Kimble was putting on quite the entertaining little show.

"She wuz the Hunter in the pens. Huntin’ and killin’ ta stay alive. A cannibal. Three years I been watchin’ her suffer cuz of it. An fer what?! Fer sumpthin’ she didn’ have no control over!" Kimble raised his voice as angry tears spilled down his cheeks. "He coulda helped her, made her see that she didn’t need no punishin’ fer it, but NO! He had ta keep beatin’ her down! You thought that last time wuz bad, huh? You weren’t there when he broke her f--kin’ jaw an’ me an May had ta feed her cuz she couldn’t f--kin’ eat on her own! Or the time before that when he took that big ass f--kin’ pipe wrench to her legs! You weren’t there! You don’ hear her screamin’ evra time he lays down with her or hafta listen ta her heavin’ her guts out killin’ his children! I wuz there! Me! It’s always me f--kin’ cleanin’ up after!"

Logan held Kimble firmly as Gambit charged another card, Kimble was getting himself all worked up again. Remy was horrified by what Kimble had just let slip, here was the answer to his unspoken question about who’s crime might be worse, his or Fallen’s. Just the same, he passed no judgment. He gave his all to Kimble now, coaxing him back down with his soothing Cajun drawl. "Easy, easy now. Paisible, paisible, fils. We all done wit that now, ey? We gonna look after ‘er. She okay now."

"I never did anything she didn’t want me to," Valentin said evenly, looking up into Kimble’s red, tear streaked face. "She could have run — jumped —anywhere, but she stayed. Why? Because deep down inside she knows she needs me. She doesn’t want anyone else."

Kimble snorted with indignant rage. "She tried ta kill ya, Vally. What do ya know ‘bout that, huh? Seems ya don’t know her so well as ya think!"

Valentin shrugged. "Fallen is a little confused on account of that little f-ggot boy you call your brother. I’ll take care of him soon enough, that’s a promise. Once he’s gone, she’ll see the error of her ways."

Valentin’s words had the desired effect. Kimble went off with a bang. He screamed a scathing torrent of mangled profanity and heaved against Logan again. No bright glowing cards were going to control him now. "You even think ‘bout touchin’ Seth, I’ll kill ya! I’ll rip yer f--kin’ guts out!" he bellowed. "Motherf--ker!"

Bruce covered his ears and tried to squirm away from Valentin on the bench. He was terrified of the enraged Siskan and wanted to be as far away from Kimble’s intended target as possible. He leaned into Joseph who shoved him back with a impatient growl.

Henry had seen enough. The last thing he wanted was a brawl on the bench as well. "That’s enough! Get Kimble out of here!" he repeated.

Logan obeyed and hauled Kimble towards the door. Kimble resisted, digging his toe claws into the floor, but Logan kept him moving. Logan hoped that Kimble was too out of control to try phasing through him again, if he did, Logan had no way of stopping him. Kimble remained solid throughout his rant and Wolverine gave him a mighty shove, tossing him back out into the Main Room. "You just calm yer ass down! We’re all done with yer stupid crap! Can’t ya see he’s playin’ you?!"

Gambit followed Logan out of the galley, determined not to let the fight continue on out here.

Kimble moved away from Logan’s hurtful words, staggering to the cage. He was getting overloaded again from all the violence. The horror of the story Fallen had told him and his rage towards Valentin was ripping him apart. His head was filled with violent thoughts. He wanted to kill Valentin. He wanted to take that big shiny sword of his and cram it right up that monster’s ass. His belly clenched as his stomach threatened to heave and he bent over with the pain. He rubbed his hands against his stomach and for the first time he longed for the security of the hologram restraints. He felt so trapped here, like he couldn't get out. He wanted nothing more than to be reintegrated with the computer. It was easier then, caught in that two dimensional world. He couldn't interact physically and didn't have to worry about the consequences of his actions. The violence and hatred of this world had never been turned on him personally there. He'd felt no pain, no exhaustion. No real love either, he reminded himself thinking of Fallen's calm white face and her warm and gentle touch. He had to keep focused. He had to help her get through this. He had to keep her safe. He chanted the Siskan phrase Fallen used with Seth softly to himself as he rubbed his hands over himself, calming down from his own touch.

Wolverine watched him recovering, waiting to see if he was going to stand down or explode.

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After a moment Kimble turned to him. His eyes were bloodshot and tired. He started to cry a little more and self consciously wiped the tears away quickly. "Ya don' understand. Ya don’ know what happened ta her," he said as a way of explaining his actions.

"Yeah, I do," Logan said quietly. "I was in the pens and I saw what happened there. I saw Carma and I know what she did. I just didn't put it all together with Fallen until now."

"It wuzn’t her fault!" Kimble said, his voice so terribly sad. "She didn’ mean ta kill nobody. She ain’t the Hunter no more. He don’ need ta keep beatin’ her down. He’s killin’ her a piece at a time. Her an’ Seth both."

"Easy, Kim," Gambit said, trying to soothe him. Again, he was impressed at the depth of Kimble’s concern for his family. He didn’t think the emotions Kimble was displaying were false. He remembered the playful happy Kimble that had danced so skillfully and was laughing and playing around with such happiness. It bothered Gambit to see the same Kimble so miserable and angry. "It ain’t gonna happen no more, d’accorde? We gonna take care of it, je promets. When we get outta dis, we’re goin’ to a place where he won’t be able to touch ‘er ever again."

Logan nodded, trying to hold on to Remy’s optimism about their chances. "I know it ain’t always been easy for you, but the Cajun’s right. We got this one, all right? You gotta calm down, boy, and get yer act together," he said, trying to sound comforting. "Get some sleep, whatever it takes. Ya look like crap. Yer f--kin’ wasted. I understand we have to wait for Fallen ta heal, but how are you gonna look after her when ya can’t even keep it together out here?"

Kimble nodded and started to walk away. He paused and looked back, flexing his big arm muscles in an unspoken threat. "I’m tellin’ ya now, I loves her. I loves her an Seth an’ May no matter what the kid thinks a me. I won' let him hurt any of one of thems, ya hear me? He ain’t touchin’ a one of ‘em ever again. I'll do whatever it takes. I swears it!"

"You won't have to," Logan growled, more as a warning than words of comfort. "Nuthin's gonna happen."

Kimble moved away, unbelieving, and returned to Fallen’s lav and his Mistress.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Six)

Logan watched Kimble go and then walked back into the galley. Valentin and Joseph were laughing to themselves. If they weren’t going to break free, the least they could do is have a few laughs. Bruce sat in between them, leaning forward with his face in his hands, trembling as he found no humor in any of this. Logan wondered why Bruce should be so afraid. He knew of Bruce’s suspicions, but there was no way to prove that Kimble was this Zander fellow, not right now anyhow.

Logan went to the cupboards and finished putting the meat in the box, seeing the wisdom of removing it and completing Kimble’s task. He certainly hoped they wouldn’t be stuck here for days on end. He wasn’t sure who was going to go crazy first, Kimble or himself from being cooped up in this tin can with all of this madness. He kicked the box to one side and rubbed his eyes. All of this tension was giving him a headache.

"You gonna cry, too, pup?" Valentin sneered.

Wolverine’s rage bloomed like a silent bomb. He turned without a sound and smashed his fist into Valentin’s face. He had reacted so unexpectedly and so quickly, Valentin never had a chance to dodge the blow.

Bruce was sitting next to Valentin and was splattered as Valentin’s nose exploded with blood and shattered bone. Bruce screamed at the sight of it, his voice a high hysterical shriek. He cowered as Logan next stood over Valentin, his face full of hate and rage.

Logan shoved Valentin’s head down onto the table. The force of it snapped the strap on Valentin’s arm sling, adding to his helplessness. Valentin slid his splinted arm across the table for balance, but Logan wasn’t done yet. He leaned in real close to Valentin’s face, baring his teeth. "Let’s get somethin’ straight, you an’ me. We need both Fallen an’ Kimble ta get outta this mess an’ I ain’t about ta let ya screw this up. Whatever respect I mighta had fer you is long gone. Yer three claws away from bein’ a bloody smear on this table. You readin’ me?"

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"You don’t frighten me, little man!" Valentin growled fearlessly from his awkward position.

Logan popped his claws out real close. Valentin couldn’t help but twitch in fear this time. He’d seen Wolverine use those claws and knew just how deadly they were. He shivered as he heard Logan’s dry growl in his ear. "Maybe I didn’t make my self clear. One more freakout on account of you and yer spendin’ the rest of this trip in yer little room over there. In pieces if it comes ta that. You gettin’ me now?"

"F--k you!" Valentin replied with a sneer, still unwilling to give an inch.

Logan grabbed Valentin’s hair, raising his head not to free him, but to slam Valentin’s head back down against the metal table with a quick snap, stunning him. Valentin lay still then, wheezing out blood and spit with every unconscious breath. "Anyone else?" Logan snarled, looking at the others.

Bruce shrank away, covering his face.

Joseph glared at Wolverine, as defiant as his Master. "I’ll kill you for that!"

Gambit came to the table, stepping up on the bench with one foot. He put the fingertips of his right hand on the metal table and looked deeply into Joe’s face, his demonic red on black eyes glittering with playful malice.

Joseph jumped a little when he felt a sizzling shock as the red eyed mutant gave the table a little charge of bio-kinetic energy. "Oui? You feel dat? Gambit can do dis to anyt’ing, not just ‘is fancy playin’ cards, comprenez? Don’ t’ink you wanna see what ‘e can do to your face."

Gambit would never use his power directly on anyone, but Joseph didn’t need to know that. "You gonna go quietly now, or is Gambit gonna ‘ave ‘imself a little down home barbecue?"

Joseph said nothing, but put his head down submissively.

"Bien. I t’ink we done ‘ere now," Remy said, backing off.

"Let’s go," Logan said, untying the men. He and Remy saw Joseph and Bruce back to the barracks while Henry looked Valentin over.

Valentin’s nose was broken. He woke in a foggy daze but sat still as Henry next set the bone and taped him up. His eyes were already bruising from the abuse, adding to his already disheveled appearance. "I suggest you don’t keep antagonizing Logan," the big blue doctor advised him. "I’m not sure how many more of your bones you want him to break."

Valentin said nothing in return and Henry led him away back to the barrack’s room.

Henry made his delivery and looked over to the cage, seeing that Fallen’s lav door was shut. Maylee had come up from her hiding spot below and was curled up on Fallen’s bed asleep. Beast hoped Kimble was getting some sleep as well, they were all tired and irritable. This was going to be a long trip and already everyone’s nerves were on edge. He prayed all the violence was behind them now. Considering the events so far, he doubted it.


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Seven)


When Kimble had returned to his Mistress he closed the door of her lav and locked it without thinking. He then stood over Fallen and looked down at her, assessing her condition. He saw that she was still comfortably asleep and went to her, needing her badly now. He scooped her back into his arms and held her close to him as if she'd disappear if he let her go. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her sweet smell, he covered himself with her blankets and felt her warmth and Ristle seep into him. It calmed him and he relaxed. He had to remember who he was doing this for, he reminded himself. He would be strong for her. He would be strong for all of them. He chanted the Siskan phrase of comfort to himself again and felt it's magic work on him. He settled down and slowly fell into an uneasy sleep.

He startled awake from another nightmare less than an hour later. His body was drenched in sweat and he was shaking. He was exhausted. He didn't get to sleep long, he’d only had three or four catnaps and with each attempt at sleep, Mirror Face reared his ugly head. He couldn't escape his own personal monster, the guy came on him every time he closed his eyes now. He stood shakily and took a cigarette from the jar on the vanity, deliberately avoiding looking at his reflection in the big mirror. Mirror Face had frightened any vanity he may have had right out of him.

If he wasn't going to sleep well, he figured, he was just better off not even trying. He looked down on Fallen, seeing she was still out cold from the sedative and would be so for a few more hours. He wasn't going to accomplish anything hanging around here, so he figured he might as well take a peek at the engines.

He walked out of the lav and found Maylee waiting on Fallen's bed. She was awake now and sitting there, impatient to see her foster mother. He didn't meet her eyes but said, "She's sleepin'. You should go in an' sit with her awhile 'case she wakes up an needs sumpthin'." He was trying to offer her a hand of peace, but she didn't accept.

"I don't need your permission," she said coldly, rising. "Next time, don't lock the door. You've got no right to keep me out!"

Kimble blanched, insulted and wounded all over again at her suggestion. "I wuzn't keepin' nobody out!"

"Then why was the door locked?" she challenged.

He didn't want to argue and gave in. "No reason. Sorry. I didn't mean nuthin' by it," he stammered lamely and left. He couldn't look at her, he was too afraid of his rising anger. He'd done enough damage in a day and half already and he didn't want to make things worse by saying something else he would regret.

Kimble passed by Gambit on guard duty without comment and went down to the lower level. He used his Command Override to open the Engine Room door and blocked the door so it would stay open. He didn't know what tools he might need and didn't want to have to keep using the override each time he went back and forth from the shop. He went over to Engine One and examined it with a well trained eye. He was correct when he told Henry he had detailed files, he could assess the damage quickly and see what needed to be done. So far, the engine didn’t look unrecoverable, always a good sign. He could still smell the burnt rubber and hoped this wasn't going to be too bad. He looked over the main control panel, concentrating as he pulled up files from his maintenance files. He used the tech manuals there as instructions on how to pull the panel apart. He went to work and all his troubles slipped away as he immersed himself in the repairs.

Kimble wasn't aware of it when Beast walked in an hour or so later. He'd turned the music on and was so absorbed in what he was doing that a bomb could have gone off and he wouldn't have noticed. Henry paused behind him and watched. Kimble may have been a hologram and technically not real, but he had no trouble working with the machinery. He sat with his crooked cat legs under him in a large open area of floor. He had one of the larger components disassembled and the parts organized neatly spread out in front of him. He had some boxes of replacement pieces next to him and was rummaging around for the right part he wanted. He had a cigarette burning forgotten in a bowl on the other side of him and an open bottle of whiskey, requirements for this procedure, obviously. He had a monitor on that showed Fallen sleeping on the floor of her lav so he could keep an eye on her. His hands moved swift and sure as he reassembled one section of the component and Henry had no doubt that Kimble knew what he was doing. Just the same, he offered with hopeful politeness, "May I offer you some assistance?"

Kimble startled and almost dropped the hunk of engine in his hand.

Henry was shocked when Kimble looked back at him with eyes filled with rage. His lips had pulled back in an angry sneer, showing his sharp pointed teeth. It changed the whole look of Kimble’s face, making him seem dangerous and out of control.

Henry took a step back warily, seeing for the first time what had Wolverine so much on edge. "Excuse me!" he stammered lamely.

Kimble saw who it was that had startled him and relaxed immediately. It wasn’t Mirror Face as he had first thought, but good old Henry. He felt silly and smiled sheepishly, relaxing his face into something more normal. "Sorry. Guess I thought you wuz someone else. Didn’ mean ta scares ya."

"That’s supposed to be my line," Henry joked, still uneasy. "You need any help?"

Kimble grinned and was himself again. "Shure. C'mon over an' sit." He politely cleared a space for his guest and gestured for him to sit.

Beast sat beside him and looked over the parts. "This is some piece of work," he commented pleasantly.

"Gonna takes some time. She fried the b-tch good."

Henry reached out and started to assemble a different section. He had read most of the book Fallen had given him on Siskan technology, but he didn't need it here. In an odd twist of fate, the Siskan mechanics were almost identical to the Shi'ar components he kept up back home. It was enough to make him wonder if the Siskans were themselves related to the Shi’ar, just in an alternate universe or dimension.

Dr. Henry McCoy was more than just a fine physician and surgeon, he was an intelligent blue giant who spent most of his time working on machinery such as this and on other experiments back home. He was highly skilled in all kinds of technology and never passed up an opportunity to learn more. In between boxes of Twinkies and reading piles of science journals on all subjects, he’d become quite knowledgeable and learned quickly. Gadgets and widgets were his thing. He was responsible for most of the specialized equipment back home and the X-men’s personal fighter jet, the Blackbird. His fast thinking and skilled, nimble fingers had gotten the team out of more than one scrap. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated about tackling the disassembled machinery Kimble had out in front of him. He recognized what he had in his hands not because he was told, but because he’d worked on so many different kinds of engines that it just came naturally to him.

Kimble watched him with curiosity and then grunted in amusement when he saw Henry didn't need any help. "Well, all right then." he said with a smile and went back to his own piece. "Tell me about yer place," he asked after a moment.

"My place?"

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"Yeah. Yer house. What's it like?" He was just making conversation.

Beast grinned, more than willing to entertain his host with tales from home. "Well, it's quite large with a lot of rooms. It started off as a school for mutants --- alphas, I mean -- and it still is, but we also do a lot of outreach work and we shelter those who need it. We help out if there is trouble with other mutant groups getting a bit too rowdy for their own good. The grounds are quite large with some woods behind it. We have a lake close by where we go swimming sometimes. Of course, my favorite place is my lab. I was working on several experiments when I left. I suppose I shall have to start all over again when I get back."

"You gots lotsa that Shi'ar stuff? You know, like the Siskan stuff here?"

Henry looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno. I wuz thinkin' maybe when we git to yer place, you kin fix it so Seth kin come out."

Henry was a little surprised by his question, he hadn't really thought much about it. It pleased him, though, that Kimble had asked. It confirmed his own belief that Kimble did care for Seth and that Maylee's accusations were unfounded. "It depends. Seth had said you didn't have enough base material for another hologram. What do you require?" Kimble read off a list of basic elements, the liquid ingredients for his gel. Most of them Henry was familiar with and the doctor nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I can acquire all that you need, but I would certainly like to give it a try. It would be worth it for the challenge."


"You'd like Seth," Kimble said quietly. "I bet he kin helps ya with yer experiments. He's got a better head fer that junk than I do. Gimmie a machine, I kin fix it with the right files. Maybe I kin figger it out on my own with enough time. That science crap jus' makes my head hurt," he said with a laugh.

Henry joined him. "It's not for everyone, true. I probably could use a good partner in the lab. He can learn from files as you do?"

"I don' see why not. He’s got my memory, too. He’s fast. He's real good with computers. He hacks inta the Dognan stuff alla time. I figger yer stuff can't be any harder. Prob'ly make a good spy if ya needed one."

"We can use people of all skills at the mansion," Henry tossed out as bait, hoping to encourage Kimble to believe he might fit in as well.


Kimble didn’t bite, but changed subjects, talking about the work at hand instead. They worked together for a few hours and seemed to accomplish a lot. Kimble was quick and they worked well together. Henry frowned as he looked over some damaged circuit boards, they were singed and useless. "Are there replacements for these?"

Kimble glanced over his shoulder, checking out the serial numbers. "I dunno. Gots ta go check." He walked away, rubbing his eyes. He was really wasted now and trying to fight it, his disrupted sleep wearing him down. He went to one of Fallen's large storage racks and scanned the index labels. He paused at one rack, it was tall and had many drawers. He slid a drawer out at chest height and rummaged through it, his fingers moving carefully through the small boxes there. His head dipped a little as his eyes shut on him in exhaustion. He jerked awake a moment later and shook his head in a vain attempt to revive himself.

"You should get some rest," Henry commented from beside him.

Kimble hadn't seen him approach and he startled. "Ughh...Hey. I jus’ wants ta gits this done," he said with a laugh, rubbing his eyes again.

"It can wait. It's not a good idea to do this kind of work unrested. You could make a mistake."

"I'll be fine."

Henry nodded and let him be. He walked back to their working area and saw Logan standing in the doorway. Wolverine was watching Kimble intently, a small scowl on his face. Beast had no idea how long he'd been there, it was spooky how Logan could sneak up on you. Henry smiled at him in greeting.

"'Bout time somethin' got done," Wolverine complained good naturedly, his scowl replaced with a small smile for Henry. Inwardly he was pleased. The sooner this was back together, the better.

Kimble looked up as he spoke but said nothing. He saw the way Logan was looking at him and didn't like it. It didn’t escape him how Logan’s expressions had changed, the smile was not for him. Kimble didn’t see much in the way of Wolverine’s reputed honor or caring coming his way, not so far. He scowled and went back to the drawer. His head hurt and now he was angry again. He wished now he'd left the door shut, he suddenly wanted to be alone. He couldn't find what he was looking for and the frustration made him even more angry. He closed his eyes and tried to relax and think. He concentrated and scanned his files for the inventory list. He never felt it when his mind shut off again and he fell asleep where he stood.

"Looks like yer boy's a little tired," Logan commented wryly.

Beast turned and saw Kimble sway unsteadily as he dozed. He laughed and went over to him. He slid the drawer shut and caught the pilot as he fell. He didn't quite wake up but mumbled a complaint Henry couldn't make out. Beast picked him up in his big arms, the doctor was very strong and managed Kimble's much lighter body easily. He carried him out to the workshop and lay him down on the bed. He covered him up and shut the lights off before returning to the Engine Room.

"He gonna make it, doc?" Logan asked, just making conversation.

"Who? Kimble? I think so, yes. Just the same, the sooner we get out of here the better. These components are very similar to what we have back home. I can help out quite a bit here."

Logan nodded and stood by quietly while Henry worked. These mechanics were too complicated for him to work on himself. He was the first to admit he was more of a tinkerer than a repairman. His area of expertise lay elsewhere. After a short while, Logan heard Kimble talking in his sleep. He left the room quietly and went into the shop. He didn't need the lights to see Kimble thrashing on the bed.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Eight)

Kimble was lost. He had walked into the shop looking for something, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He paused when he saw Fallen sitting on the shop bench, waiting for him. She was naked and beautiful to his eyes. She was also happy to see him, she spread her legs for him and held her hands out in invitation. "Come here, Kimble. Take my pain."

Kimble recognized those words, he’d heard them repeated just a few too many times now, each time he had dreamed Fallen had said them. Now that he knew he was dreaming again, Kimble was instantly filled with terror. "No!" he snarled and retreated instantly, not wanting any of what he got the last time. He was a quick boy and learned fast, so he did. If he could leave quickly, perhaps this wouldn’t turn into the nightmare it always seemed to be. He stopped in his tracks when he bumped into someone behind him.

Of course it was his new personal monster, Mr. Mirror Face. Kimble was grabbed roughly and the shattered face leaned into him, the deep gravelly voice coming at him from that horrible distorted mouth. "Know what happens when it’s all work an’ no play, huh? Heh, heh, I do. But yer ass I do! Yer gonna looks real nice with a face like mine!"

"Nnnooo!" Kimble screamed and tore himself away. He tried to run down the hall to the stairs leading up and out the trap door but his feet became leaden and too heavy to move. It was one those stupid nightmare tricks, he was suddenly mired in invisible quicksand. He couldn’t run fast enough and Mirror Face was right behind him.

"Help me!" Kimble shouted towards the upper level, but of course nobody came. He wasn’t real, he was just a stupid worthless hologram and didn’t matter in the true scheme of things. No one would care about him when he was gone. They all hated him anyway, each and every one. He began to sob wildly when he felt the hands grab him and turn him around. The knife came to his throat.

"You’ll never be rid of me, boy. Dontcha know who I am?"

"Lemmie go! I’ll be good, I swears!" Kimble bawled, all of his control gone.

"I’m Zander. I’m you!"

Kimble managed another twisted scream before his throat was cut.

---------------------

Logan stood over Kimble in the dark, listening to him whimper with fear. It frustrated him that Kimble had no scent. Logan used that as a tool to ‘read’ people and learn what they were hiding. Kimble’s lack of odor denied him that and it bugged him. He did sense something different in the air around Kimble and held his hands out over the pilot’s body. He could feel a low vibration tickling the hairs on his arms and he groaned inwardly. He knew what this was. Kimble was giving off very weak telekinetic waves, prompted by his terror probably. This whole situation on this ship was out of control, Kimble being a possible telekinetic just made things worse. What if he could fly or make shields? Telekinetics were very difficult for Wolverine to defend against.

He remembered how surprised Kimble was at his own ability to phase. Maybe he didn’t know about this either. That was both good and bad. If he didn’t know, he was untrained and could be outmaneuvered. The downside was that he probably wouldn’t be able to control his power when he did find out. The possibilities for collateral damage were endless. Logan speculated that Kimble was weak now because Fallen was weak. When she recovered and her Ristle became more powerful, perhaps Kimble would be more powerful, too. Just one more item on today’s b-tch list.

Now more than ever, Logan believed Kimble was in fact Zander even if he didn’t know it himself. Either way, Kimble was in trouble. The real question was, how much trouble was he in and how bad was it going to be for the rest of them? Logan didn’t hate Kimble, not really, but he wouldn’t hesitate to take him down if he tried to attack or kill anyone.

Logan took a step back when Kimble came violently awake with a strangled cry. Kimble was grabbing at his throat like he was choking. "I ain’t no killer..." he gasped, not aware that he wasn’t alone. "I ain’t you!"

Logan pulled out a cigarette and lit it, illuminating his face. "You got a real big problem, boy," he said in his raspy growl.

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"F-ck!" Kimble shrieked in fright and backed away against the wall, scrambling. He was disoriented and terrified, his chest was squeezed tight with panic and he couldn’t breathe. He tried to calm himself and not give himself away. He felt nauseated and kept swallowing it down as he gasped for air. What was he going to do? How many more frights was it going to take before he popped a stitch for good?

"Obviously got somethin’ on yer mind, boy. Ya wanna talk about it?" Logan offered calmly, pretending not to notice how he’d scared Kimble half to death.

"Shure, like yer the first guy I'd think of ta talk to," Kimble snapped irritably and pulled himself away from the wall. He reached across to the work bench and turned on one of the lamps. He looked terrible, his face was drawn and his eyes were red. He took a cigarette from a nearby glass jar and snapped to light it. "I kin handle it by myself, thanks."


It didn’t escape Logan’s notice how badly Kimble’s hands were shaking. "I'm not sure you can. You ain't lookin' so good."

"It ain't yer problem." Kimble leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He didn't want Wolverine to know how frightened he'd been when he saw who'd been standing there. Kimble didn’t differentiate much between Mirror Face and Wolverine, both men terrified him.

"Everything that happens on this ship is my problem, includin' you," Logan replied as he sat comfortably on one of the stools and crossed his arms.

Kimble opened his eyes and leveled his gaze on him. "I ain't nuthin fer you ta worry about. I been workin' on the engines, ain't you happy now?"

"Sure I'm happy. But I won't be forgetting about you until we get home. Until then I'll keepin' my eye on you. Somethin' still ain't right about you. Yer keepin' somethin' down. You want me not worry? Then spill it."

"Humph. Yeah, that'll happen." Kimble got to his feet and started to walk away.

Logan stood up in his way, looking him over with arrogant contempt. He was frustrated by what he saw as the pilot’s lack of co-operation. "I'll get it out of ya, one way or another. We can do it nice or we can do it hard. I promise you, you don't wanna see how hard I can be."

"Leave him alone," Henry said from the hallway.

Logan turned to face him. "He's keepin' somethin'. I'll just bet we need ta know what it is."


"Your forms of persuasion don't seem to be working. Leave him alone." Henry repeated firmly. He looked at Kimble and could see how tired he was still. Something was definitely wrong, but Logan wasn't his first choice as therapist. "I'll talk with him."

Logan grunted and backed away, his eyes never leaving Kimble's face.
"Best speak up, boy. You don' wanna be dealin' with me." He turned and walked off.

Kimble watched him leave, his face tense and angry. His stomach started to hurt again and he unconsciously began to rub his belly with a fist, trying to smooth away the ache there. "An' he worries 'bout me. Who's watchin' him?"

"Logan means well. He just isn't as good at expressing it as the rest of us. Sit, please. Relax." Henry said, guiding Kimble back to the bed. He had noticed Kimble’s fist at work and couldn’t help but wonder at it, why would a hologram feel pain? As far as he knew, Kimble had no organic parts, but here he was, imitating a human in distress and imitating it just a little too well. Beast guided him back down to the bed and took over Logan's stool. "Now, why don't you tell me why you're sleeping so poorly."

"I just ain't useta dreamin is all," Kimble lied smoothly, resting back against the wall again. "It's a little spooky."


"What are you dreaming about?"

"I dunno. Stuff. I don' really remember the dreams too good."

"Well, now. That is a classic example of evasion if I've ever heard it. You did that quite well. Why don't we try again? I am here to help you. It's clear you are under a strain and could use a kindly ear. You'll find I am quite a good listener. I've gotten good practice in my years as an X-man. I doubt you could surprise me with anything you have to say."

"It's tough bein' out," Kimble said after the obligatory dramatic pause. He figured if he handed Henry something, the man would leave him alone and call Logan off. "Evrathin's different now. I hafta think alla time 'bout evrathin I say, evrathin I do cuz now I kin hurts people an’ they kin hurts me back. I ain't useta that. I'm thinkin' alla time 'bout how I'm f-ckin' up evratime I open my mouth. Logan's all pissed at me. Maylee's all pissed at me. It sucks."

"Yes, well. We are all under stress right now. I would not concern yourself with Logan, he's like that with most new people he meets. But Maylee does worry me. Perhaps you should try talking with her. Tell her that you're sorry you were so short with her. I'll bet she'll understand."

"Doubt it. Me an' the kid, well...we ain't never got along so good. She likes Seth better'n me. Evraone likes Seth better'n me," Kimble ended softly, unable to hide a tone of bitterness.

"Are you jealous of him?"

Kimble shrugged in a classic evasion. "Not really. I don' wants ta be like him. I likes me. I wants ta be just me. It's jus' that the Kimble Fan Club is a little small, is all."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I like you just the way you are, too. But I think you should try to control your temper a bit more around Maylee. She seems to be a little frightened of you. I still believe you should try and talk to her. Letting these things go too long often times makes them worse."
Kimble considered his words. "All right. I'll give it a try."


Henry stood and patted Kimble's knee. "A good decision. Now, try to relax and get some rest." He walked away and returned to the Engine Room.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Nine)

Kimble knew sleeping would be a waste of time so he got up and went upstairs, sneaking past Henry who had returned to the Engine Room. Gambit was still on guard duty in the Main Room, but had fallen asleep. He was out cold, still stretched across the front seats of the passenger section as before. Kimble looked down at the dozing thief and smiled.

Kimble liked Henry well enough, but he liked Gambit all the more because Gambit seemed to accept him as he was. Coupled with Remy’s sense of fun, Kimble’s affection could only grow greater. Still, Kimble was envious of Remy’s peaceful slumber and was loathe to wake him. He had considered talking to Remy before about his dreams, but wasn’t sure if he should. Maybe his new friend would become afraid of him and Kimble didn’t want that. He decided to wait and see if things would settle on their own.

He went to the cage room and peeked into Fallen's lav. Maylee was seated on the floor next to Fallen, gently petting her hair as she slept.

"May? Kin I talks to ya?" he asked quietly, coming into the room. He left the door open deliberately, to show he wasn’t trying to pull anything and to give her a way out so she wouldn’t feel trapped with him.

She looked up him distrustfully just the same. "I suppose so."

He sat down against the wall, keeping a respectful distance between them. "I jus' wants ta 'pologize fer bein' so nasty b'fore. I wuz mad an' I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Saying you're sorry doesn't make it okay."

This is going to be fun, Kimble thought wryly. Still, he plowed on ahead. "No, it don't. Jus' the same, you gots no right ta 'cuze me of whatcha said neither. I wouldn't ever hurt Fallen, ya knows that."

"No, I don't know that. The way you talk to her sometimes makes me wonder. Seth doesn't do that. He's always nice to her."

"I knows I'm a little rough, but Fallen knows me. She knows that I kin be counted on fer sayin' what needs ta be said. Not evrathin' is nice an' pretty in this world. Yer big enough ta sees that now."

"You're a bully, Kimble. You always get your way. It should have been Seth out here. She loves him and now he's stuck in there with no way out. She's never going to be happy now," Maylee complained, her eyes growing shiny with tears.

"Listen, kid..." he soothed, automatically coming towards her in comfort. She jerked away from him in fear and he sat back, wounded by her lack of trust. "Ya don' hafta be afraids of me, kid. I knows ya don' like me much, but yer still family ta me an' ya always will be. I'm here ta looks after ya, keeps ya safe. Yous guys're all I got. I ain't about ta do sumpthin' ta lose any of ya."

"How can I believe you when all you do is yell and fight?"

Kimble sniffed and sat back down further away. "I know I ain't been doin' so well keepin' control, but I promise ya I'll try ta do better. As fer Seth, don' worry 'bout him. I'll just bet Henry's got some stuff at his place that'll git him out. Henry's real smart an’ I know he'll help us. We just gots ta git there in one piece is all. Us fightin' ain't gonna help that."

"I don't think you can control yourself," she said quietly. "You've never been able to do it before and it's worse now. I see the way you look at Fallen. You don't want Seth to come out because you want her for yourself. You always get what you want one way or the other. I'm going to watch over her and make sure you don't do anything to her or Seth. I won't let you kill him!"

Kimble started to shake with hurt and rage. He couldn't believe what she had just said, he would never do anything to harm Seth and the accusation was more than he could stand.

"Git out!" he hissed, his eyes blazing.

"No." She sat back on her heels with her hands fisted.

All it did was enrage him further. "I said, git out!" he shouted, rising.

The sight of his fury was too much, she squeaked in fear and bolted out the exit Kimble had provided. Kimble glared at the door and it slammed shut and locked of its own accord. He'd used telekinesis to shut it and in his fury, didn't even realize it. He had felt a pinch as the door shut and then a sharp lance of pain shot right behind his eyes, making his head feel it was going to explode. He was in horrible pain now and enraged almost beyond the limits of his feeble control. He couldn’t stop a whimper of mental agony from leaking out of his tightly clenched teeth. As his shaking grew worse, he at least realized he couldn’t trust himself right now, he was more afraid of losing control than he was of this pain. In an attempt to calm himself down, he went back to the wall and sat in the corner next to the washing machine, his head turned into the center. He was trying to block out everything around him and so found the smallest space available and jammed his body in.

Seth immediately popped up on the screen, alerted by both Maylee’s flight and Kimble’s noise. "What's going on? What's wrong with Maylee? She's all upset."

Not a second later, Gambit pounded on the door. "Open up dis door, Kim! Maintenant! Now!"

Kimble covered his ears and scrunched into the corner even further. He was trembling badly now, and wanted only to hide. He wasn't sure what he would do right now if confronted. Maylee could have no idea how much she’d hurt him with her words. He was angry and exhausted. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to kill and rip and tear. His head was pounding and his stomach was burning from the rage. Everything in front of his eyes was red. He spread his wings and covered himself, trying to hide himself from this ugly terrible place and all the angry voices in it.

Gambit pounded again. "Open de door, Kim, or Gambit's gonna blow it down!"

Fallen stirred and woke from all the noise. She was still groggy from the sedative and totally clueless. "What's going on?" She heard Gambit's pounding and unlocked the door with a mental command. He burst inside in a rush with Henry behind him. "What's going on?" Fallen repeated.

"Maylee's all scared. Kimble done sumptin' she won't say," Gambit explained without accusing, being very careful about his tone of voice. He could see Kimble turned away in the corner looking like a child who'd already been punished. The sight of it made him feel sick and he started to approach Kimble in an attempt to help him, but Henry held him back. Remy relented, giving Beast first crack at comforting the poor stricken Siskan.

Henry went close to Kimble and lightly touched his shoulder. "Kimble?"

"I done whatcha said..." Kimble said from under his wings. His voice was scratchy and strained, his teeth gritted tightly. "All I done wuz make it worse. She said things that ain't true...She said I wanna kill my brother. She said...!" he couldn't finish because of the sob in his throat.

Henry patted his shoulder. "It's all right. At least you tried. Give it some time and try again later."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Fallen demanded.

"Maylee and Kimble are having some difficulties," Beast replied, turning to look at her.

Fallen laughed. "It wouldn't be the first time." She looked up at Logan as he came to the door, her smile fading when she saw his hostility, he was clearly furious at Kimble. "Maybe you should just leave him with me," she suggested, a little authority now in her voice. "I'll take care of this."

"Yer boy's gotta watch his mouth. How can he be yer Second when all he does is fight and cause trouble?" Logan complained harshly.

"I find it hard to believe that all of this is his fault alone, but I assure you, I will find out. Now, leave us. All of you."

"I’m not sure any of us should be alone with him. He’s a f-cked up mess."

Fallen just snorted at him contemptuously. "Get out!"


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

The others walked out at that, but Wolverine stayed behind. “He can't be trusted.”

“Please, continue to insult him while he's still in the room,” she said sarcastically. “Get out or I'll remove you myself!”

“Yeah, right,” he grunted arrogantly but then he startled when he felt her telekinesis shove him briskly towards the door. She was obviously getting better and stronger. He glared at her and walked out, being sure to leave the door open behind him.

Fallen waited until she was sure he was gone and then looked at Kimble in the corner. “Hey, you. Troublemaker,” she teased.

He ignored her.

“Kimble Bee....” It was what she called him when he was upset or behaving regressed like he was now. It never failed to make him laugh.

He flattened himself against the wall, pulling one of his wings back and turning his head to look at her. “What.”

She saw Kimble’s reddened eyes and the obvious strain on his nerves. She could tell he was exhausted and needed to sleep. He was always crabby and irritable when he was tired and she figured that was part of his problem. “C'mere.”

Kimble glanced up at his brother on the screen. Seth had been quiet all this time and was looking at Kimble now with a combination of uncertainty, fear and distrust on his face. “Don' think that's such a good idea right now,” Kimble said, putting his head down again. He was wiped out and just wanted to lay down someplace quiet. Preferably far, far away from here.

“Tell me what happened, then.”

“May...she wuz thinkin' I wants ta hurt yous guys. She said alla this wuz my fault an' I done it on purpose ta gits out. She said...she said I wanna kill Seth an take ya fer myself...I--I wouldn't ever hurt you,” he said looking up at Seth, his eyes pleading. “Yer my brother. I couldn't--I wouldn't!”

Seth sighed and relaxed. He’d never seen Kimble so angry and distressed before and it had frightened him badly, Kimble was his foundation, the one who took care of everyone. What would happen to them if Kimble fell down? Now that he knew why his brother was so upset, he might be able to help out. Seth didn’t believe Maylee for a minute, Kimble just wasn’t capable of that kind of treachery. “Tay kunda Siska esk, ratay a nooroo, Kimble. Don't worry. I'll go talk to her,” he said gently and winked out.

“She's just a kid and she's frightened, Kimble. Don't be too hard on her,” Fallen added.

“She hates me. Everybody hates me!” he whined like a child.

“Nobody hates you. C'mere.” She held her arms out and this time he slowly crawled over to her. She lay him down next to her under the blankets and held him. “You need to sleep.”

“I ain't tired....” he protested, his eyes heavy. Her heat and Ristle trickled into him, soothing him. Her arms were finally around him, giving him the comfort he so desperately needed. She kissed him and he felt her love come into him like a gentle comforting wave. He hadn’t realized just how badly he’d needed her to hold him like this. All of his anger and pain melted away and he finally relaxed, resting his head against her neck. He breathed in her smell, loving her, and closed his eyes. He started to say something else, but was asleep before he could finish.

She felt him drop off and smiled to herself. She was still woozy from the sedative and the heat from his body was making her drowsy. It wasn't long before she too was back asleep again, warm and cozy beside him.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Ten)

Seth found Maylee curled up on the bed in the workshop. She had wrapped the blankets around herself and was hiding under them as she cried.

"May?" Seth called.

"Go away!"

"Not a chance, girl. It's me. Seth. Come on out and talk to me."

She peeked her head out, winking her cat’s eyes at him as she sought him out. When she saw it was him and no one else, she relaxed. "Where's Kimble?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/092sadmaylee.jpg

"He's upstairs with Fallen. She'll keep an eye on him."

Maylee sniffed and wiped her eyes. "He shouldn't be alone with her. He might try something and take her away from you." She sniffed. "I see the way he looks at her."

"He loves her as I do. He wouldn't do anything to harm her. I know he's a little wrecked right now, but he'll be okay. I promise."

"He's scary. Not nice like you. I wish you were here instead of him."

"That's really what's bothering you, isn't it? C'mere." He put his hands up to the screen and waited for her. She got up, taking the blankets with her and went to him. She put her tiny clawed hands over his on the screen and smiled. "It's okay," Seth continued. "I know how you feel, May. I want to be out there, too. Now more than ever. But...but it's not fair to punish Kimble for something he had no control over. Fallen tried to blow us up. I made Kimble go to save her. It was the only logical choice. I can't control the hologram that well. She would have died, May. I can't regret what happened because of that. I won't. Let it go."

"It's not fair!"

"No. No, it isn't. But that's how things are sometimes. Just don't give up hope, May. Maybe we can fix this later. I'll never give up hope. Remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you and Fallen. Always."

"And what if he does something to you? He's scary now. All he does is yell and fight."

"That's just Kimble being Kimble. He's still trying to feel his way around. He's surrounded by fighters up there. Soldiers. He's the weakest one. He probably figures that if he acts tough, they'll respect him more. He doesn't have it too easy right now. He doesn't need hard words and false accusations on top of it."

"I'm sorry..." She put her head down.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, May."

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Eleven)

Kimble woke slowly. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, only that he’d slept without the nightmare for the first time since he’d been separated from the system. Fallen was awake and still holding him, petting him gently. He sniffed and looked up at her. "Hey."

She laughed and kissed him. "Hey. And you do snore, by the way," she teased.

"No I don’t," he grunted with a laugh, playing the game. He rubbed his cheek against her and felt her Ristle trickle into him. "Ya needs a shot."

"I don’t want it all. It’s making me too sleepy. Just give me half."

"Ya shure?"

"I’ll be okay."

He got up stiffly and stretched, loosening up and feeling much better. He went to the vanity and prepared her injection. He watched her as she came next to him, she did seem better herself since the accident, maybe because she’d slept so much. She wasn’t having nightmares like he was.

"Ya hungry?"

"Yeah. I promise not to barf this time," she joked wryly.

"S’ okay, baby doll. Jus’ aim fer Vally next time, is all."

He gave her the shot and they wandered out to the galley, they could hear that everyone was gathered inside. Henry was playing chess with Seth and Maylee was having a snack. Wolverine and Gambit were fooling around, sparring.

Kimble sat Fallen on a bench and began to prepare her a meal. He glanced at Maylee. She gave him a small smile and he nodded at her with a short laugh. It wasn’t the same as a real apology, but it would do for now. He leaned against the counter and watched Wolverine and Gambit play.
Wolverine snatched at Remy with his hands but caught only air.

"You sure are slow, old man," Remy teased, his eyes merry.

"I’m fast enough fer you, Cajun, don’t you worry."

They dodged and parried, Logan never quite gaining on Gambit. The boy was just too damn fast and slippery as an eel, impossible to pin down for long. No matter, he’d just wear him down as always, Logan was nothing if not relentless. Logan noticed Kimble’s obvious interest in their game and grew uncomfortable, remembering about Kimble’s near perfect memory. It just wouldn’t do to have Kimble sneaking lessons on how to fight on the side like this. Best to end this quickly.

Gambit bobbed and weaved, but Wolverine ensnared him with a sudden surge of animal speed. He spun Remy around and lay him backwards over his knee, popping his claws at the poor thief’s throat. It looked like they were dancing a tango. "Bang, yer dead, Gumbo," he grunted with a laugh.

Remy had no fear, but relaxed into Logan’s embrace with all the ease of a long time lover. "Well, dis sure is cozy, but Gambit usually gets dinner an a movie first, cher." He batted his long lashes upwards and blew Logan a kiss.


"Humph," Logan snorted and dumped Gambit rudely onto the floor with a smile. He went over to the table and sat across from Fallen.

Gambit stood and dusted himself off. He winked at Kimble in greeting and sat at the table. He took out his cards and began to shuffle, once more showing off by doing it quick and fancy. Without asking, he dealt out a hand to everyone, making sure to include Kimble. He could see Kimble had slept and looked much better, calmer, and he wanted nothing more than to hear Kimble laugh again.

Kimble grinned when he saw he would be included and picked up his cards, intrigued. He looked at them and arranged them automatically without a clue of what to do. He was happy just to play.

Fallen grinned at Remy sheepishly. "It’s been a long time..."

Gambit named the game, Five Card Stud, and read off the rules. They began to play. Kimble didn’t need to be reminded as he played, he learned this as quickly as everything else. His spirits had brightened considerably and it showed.

Henry leaned over and watched them play. "This is going to be a long trip. Gambit will have won all your money by the time we land, I’m sure."

Fallen smiled warmly at him. "What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home, Dr. McCoy?"

"Hmm. Tough question. I suppose what I’d love most to do is to take a quick run down to Harry’s for a nice cold beer and a pizza."

"Amen ta that," Logan growled and lay his hand down. He’d won the round. He grinned at Remy and chuckled.

"What’s pizza?" Kimble wanted to know.

"Well, where Twinkies are golden slices of Heaven, I’d say pizza is the food of the Gods. Ah, yes, Anchovies, here I come!" Beast said dreamily.

"No way!" Fallen exclaimed. "Mushrooms and green peppers all the way."

"Sheesh, what a buncha babies," Logan grumbled. "The only way ta eat a pizza is with sausage, pepperoni, and salami smothered with onions."

"Not if you want to be sociable, my friend," Henry replied with a smile.

"Ain’t never been much of a problem fer me."

"Does this mean your healing factor works against onions?" Fallen teased.

Logan grinned. "On the way in or the way out?"

"Believe me, you don’t want to know," Henry complained, rolling his eyes. "He can peel the wallpaper off the bathroom walls just like the rest of us, my dear. Don’t let him kid you."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/093eatpizzacolor.jpg

"So what are you going to do when you get home, Logan?" Fallen asked as she laughed.

"Prob’ly wipe the dust off my Harley and take a spin down the back roads. It’s been a long time since I took her out."

"What’s a Harley?" Kimble asked, lost. He felt left out because he had no idea what they were talking about.

"It’s a two wheeled motorized vehicle. You’d love it," Fallen answered.

"What about you, Remy? What are you going to do when you get home?"

Gambit dealt the next hand. "I’d go down to Lucy’s on de corner, pick up some nice fresh chicken, some spices. Cook up some nice Creole chicken. Light some candles. Bottle of wine. Set Rogue up nice an’ fine. She like dat Ben an’ Jerry’s ice cream, too. Chunky Monkey. Gonna feed my girl an’ den mebbe we make some good use of de loft in de barn, bien?"

"How kin ya do that if ya can’t touch her right?" Kimble asked innocently, forgetting that young Maylee was sitting there among them.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

Gambit just grinned. "Ancient Cajun secret."

Kimble cocked his head in confusion.

Henry just laughed. "Gambit here has invested in several large latex companies. He’s doing quite well, I hear."

Fallen and Logan laughed at Henry’s joke, but Kimble didn’t get it. He had no idea what latex was. Fallen saw his confusion and spoke to him in Siskan, rolling her eyes suggestively as she explained what a condom was and how it was used. Instead of laughing, Kimble looked a little sad, genuinely dismayed at the thought of anything that would come between a man and his pleasure in that way. The idea of not making full bodied contact with a lover was disappointing and made him feel sorry for Remy. "That sucks."

"C’est bien, Kim. Gambit gets by just fine, don’t you worry," Remy said with a grin. "It’s a lot more fun den it sounds. I’m a t’eif, comprenez? Stealin’ it makes it more excitin’."

Henry cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject. "What about you, Maylee? What would you like to do?"

"I don’t know. I’d like to keep up my medical training. It’s the only thing I really like."

"She doesn’t get out much," Fallen said. "I hope there’s some kids her age at the house."

"It would be my pleasure to continue training you," Henry replied. "I was impressed at how well you handled Gambit’s injury."

"You guys gonna hang around that long?" Logan asked.

"I don’t know. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing," Fallen replied evasively.

"Gots ta git Seth out," Kimble said softly, saying what he knew was on her mind. He looked up at his brother on the screen and their eyes locked with silent understanding.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance there," Henry offered.

"First we gotta get home," Logan said. He wasn’t taken with the idea of having more Siskans on the loose. His experiences with Kimble’s inability to maintain control wasn’t a shining endorsement for Siskan liberation.

"What would you like to do, Fallen, when we get home?" Henry asked.

"I don’t know. I think I’d like to go to the beach. It’s been years since I’ve seen the ocean. I miss it. I miss the way it smells."

Henry cocked his head at Kimble. "And you?"

Gambit laughed. "P’etetre, it not so good to ask wit de kid ‘ere, n’est ce pas?"

Kimble snickered. "Actually, I‘d likes ta go outside. I mean really outside, not jus’ outta the ship. I wants ta see a real sunrise, not jus’ one on a computer screen." He closed his eyes. "I miss the orange an’ red. ‘Specially the red. I jus’ love red."

Gambit nodded at Logan. The red. That’s why Kimble locked onto the cards.

"What’s so special ‘bout red?" Logan asked.

"Cuz it’s hot," Kimble replied. "I likes anathin’ hot."

"Hot things’ll burn ya, kid."

"Some risks’re worth takin’, I guess. I ain’t scared. I wants ta try new things. I cain’t wait. I wants ta try anchovies an’ onions an’ Creole chicken an’ a Harley an’ Chunky Monkey, too--whatever th’ f-ck that is," he ended with a laugh. "I wants ta see it all."

"Don’t you worry, Kimble," Henry replied. "There’s much to see and to do on Earth. I’m sure you will enjoy yourself."

"Just so long as ya stay outta trouble," Logan growled, setting the tone that would define their relationship forever.

Kimble put his head down submissively and looked at his cards, saying nothing. He felt Logan’s dislike for him as if he’d been struck silently. His smile was gone and he really didn’t feel like playing anymore. He set his cards down and got up. "Gots work ta do. Engines ain’t gonna fix themselves," he mumbled and walked out, heading back to the Engine Room.

"Why do you do that?" Seth asked Logan, his face turned down with a pout.

"Do what."

"Shut him down."

"I ain’t shuttin’ nobody down. That boy’s gotta control problem. Just makin’ sure he stays with the program."

"Well, you don’t have to be so mean about it," Seth complained. "I’m going down to help him." Seth clicked off.

"Yer Siskans’re pretty sensitive," Logan said to Fallen, feeling a little guilty.

"They’re not used to bullies," Fallen quipped, not so thrilled with Logan herself right now.

"With Valentin around? Find that hard to believe."

"Yeah, well, he couldn’t hurt them like you can," she said, rising.

"That ain’t so true anymore. Vally’s got an eye on your Kimble. Your boy best be careful."

"I can handle Valentin just fine," Fallen said as she went to follow Kimble.
"I can handle you, too, don’t worry. Good morrow, people," she finished arrogantly and walked out.

"Well, dat was smooth," Remy said as he collected his cards. "You gonna alienate de rest of us too b’fore we get home?"

"Just lookin’ out fer us, that’s all. If you can’t handle that, too bad."

"You don’ need to be comin’ down on everyone so ‘ard, patron. We used to it, dey ain’t. You gotta chill out," Gambit complained.


"I’ll chill out when we’re all back home. ‘Til then, I’m keepin’ watch."

"If you keep pushing Kimble, you could cause him to react violently against you," Henry cautioned. "Obviously he sees you as a peer and a challenge. Why don’t you try working with him instead of against him? If your opinion of him matters that much to him, your help could go a long way towards him maintaining his control. If he’s fighting against both you and Valentin, he could snap."

Logan nodded silently, not really wanting to argue. He got up and walked out. He took Gambit’s position on the front row of the passenger seats, looking like he was on guard duty but really sitting here to brood. He lay back comfortably and was quiet.

Maybe he was being a little hard, but that was just his way. A lifetime of military training and having most of your friends being ex-war buddies tended to do that to a person. Logan was just in the habit of being gruff and didn’t really know any other way to be. Besides, Kimble’s reckless temper and inability to control his childish emotions rankled his nerves. Logan had spent most of his years under the care of Professor Xavier trying to control his own wayward rages. His tight emotional control was the only thing that kept that in check. He’d made excellent progress and so had trouble tolerating anyone who failed where he had achieved so much. He didn’t think Kimble was making enough of an effort to stay in line.

Wolverine relaxed and closed his eyes, not wanting to think about Kimble anymore. He didn’t realize just how tired he was, just a few moments later he nodded off and quietly dozed.

To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

(Twelve)

"He’s asleep," Bruce whispered quietly and stepped away from the door. He went back to his spot on Valentin’s bed and picked up his cards. The Clansmen, too, were playing a card game to pass the time. Well, two of them were. Joseph was working.

"How’s it coming?" Valentin asked him.

Joseph was kneeling on the floor beside the General. He had his hands on the base of the iron bed leg where it was fastened to the floor. He was grunting softly and sweat dripped from his forehead to the floor. "Slowly, Master. This will take some time."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/095joescrew.jpg


"Faster, then."

"My Lord. My power isn’t that great, you know that. I was never good enough for the alpha team."

Joseph was the son of a pilot and mildly telekinetic. Emphasis on mild. He couldn’t fly. He couldn’t make Ristle or protective shields. What he could do was move objects with his mind if he concentrated hard enough. Most of the time he did it to amuse his friends while drinking. He would spin beer mugs or move their chairs so they’d fall onto their drunken ass while he busted up laughing. Now he was using his meager power to loosen the bolts that held the beds to the floor. The idea being that if they could remove enough bed legs without getting caught, they could be used as weapons if they had the opportunity to escape.

Joseph felt a sharp lance of pain stab through his brain. He grunted again, but the bolt came free. He leaned against the bed, exhausted. "I can do it, but it won’t be today. This is taking too long."

Seth came up on the viewing screen suddenly. "Hey, guys."

Joseph almost dropped the bolt in surprise and swore silently. He should be getting used to this by now. Seth made a habit of checking in on them. He would pop up at irregular intervals hoping to catch them if they were up to something. So far, Seth had no idea what Joseph was doing. Joseph stood awkwardly and smoothed out his laces as if he’d only been tying up his boots. He sat down on the next bed and said nothing, that was Valentin’s job.

"Freak," Valentin snarled to the young pilot on the screen. His voice was much more nasal and gravelly after Logan’s latest adjustment to his face.

Seth was nonplused at the insult, he was here to work. "You guys want anything? I can have Henry bring you something from the galley." The Clansmen would no longer be allowed to eat in the galley, Logan’s orders. It just wasn’t worth the risk of another fight.

"We’re fine, thanks. Maybe in an hour," Bruce suggested helpfully, just wanting the kid gone.

"All right. I’ll check back," Seth said and clicked off.

Joseph rubbed his eyes. "That was too close."

"Get back to work," Valentin ordered gruffly.

"Yes, my Lord."

Joseph returned to the floor. He lay his hands on the next bolt. He closed his eyes. Half an hour later...another lance of pain, another loose bolt in his grip. Only ten more to go, four to each leg, two free already. A drop of blood fell from his nose. He ignored it and kept at it. Yeah, tomorrow definitely. Then he could work on the light strip that was the security screen to the door. Piece of cake.

To be continued in Breaking Point.


To read more, click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2529125/1/The_Hunter

[squeekness]

Breaking Point, book six of my Kimble series.

(One)

Day three
Miles away from Earth, a tiny space vessel was drifting lifelessly in the black emptiness of space. Most of its passengers were awake, doing their best to amuse themselves in their desperation. Fallen lay dozing on the floor of her lav, resting under the watchful eye of her daughter, Maylee.

Logan and Remy picked at breakfast, eating as a means to pass the time.

The Clansmen were planning their escape, vowing they would regain control of the Lucky Dragon by any means at their disposal. Henry was in the shower and Kimble lay on the floor of the engine room, fast asleep.

Kimble and Beast had spent the bulk of the last eight hours working on the damaged engines, hoping to finish the worst of the repairs so that Fallen, in her weakened state, could manage to power them home. The damage to the engines had been pretty substantial, more than Kimble had first thought, but nothing a little enthusiasm and some help from Beast couldn’t fix. Fallen’s Ristle levels were being constantly monitored and her levels were rising, but she would still need more time. The question was, would fate grant them that time or would this present tranquility prove fleeting?
__________________

Kimble was dreaming, his hands and furry, pawed feet twitching as his mind saw only images that threatened to break his mind. He saw himself running through the vast confines of the ship’s computer system, being chased by a man from Hell. He stumbled into the circle of light of the Black Room and collapsed to his knees, exhausted from running. Mirror Face was always just a step behind him and it seemed as though he would never escape. Kimble had come to the Black Room hoping to find safety, but he could already tell it was a wasted effort, even now he could hear the beast howling in the distance. Kimble put his head down and bawled, overcome with fear and hopelessness. His creator had never designed him to take this kind of stress and these dreams were wearing him down. He sobbed for a moment and then looked up when Seth approached him from out of the black.

"Oh, thank th’ spirits!" Kimble cried, wiping his tears away. "Ya gots ta help me, Seth. He’s there. He’s always there now!"

Seth looked down on him and slowly shook his head, his eyes full of contempt and disapproval. "Why didn’t you tell me you were Zander, Kimble? Here I am telling everyone that you’re okay, when you’re hiding things from me."

Kimble hadn’t expected such an unfriendly response from his brother and he didn’t know what to say. He began to stammer lame excuses, "I wuzn’t hidin’ nuthin’! It ain’t real! It ain’t the truth!"


"You’re a liar, Kimble. You’re not my brother," Seth turned and walked away back into the black, his head down with sadness and regret.

"No! Wait!" Kimble started to rise and follow, but he wasn’t alone.

"Just where did you think you’re going, freak?"

Kimble turned to see Valentin come into the circle of light behind him and he cowered in fear. Yesterday Kimble had asked Seth to take the password safeties off of the Black Room so anyone could enter. He had done that in the hopes that maybe Fallen could go there again and not be booted out. He could see now that had been a mistake. Here there were no security screens to protect him, he was now defenseless. He raised his fists in a pitiful attempt to intimidate the big man.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/097blackroomdreamval.jpg

Valentin towered over him, uninjured in this vision and standing tall and powerful. He poured down his derisive laughter on the terrified Siskan, his words full of arrogance and malice. "Put your head down, little boy. You can’t fight me and you know it. All you know how to do is run your mouth off."

Kimble submissively put his head down as he groveled before the stronger man, but muttered, "It ain’t always gonna be like this, you’ll see. The X-men’re gonna bring me to their place and I’ll be a hero just like thems. They’ll teach me how ta fights and then I’m gonner kick yer ass!"

"I wouldn’t count on that, punk," Wolverine growled, coming into the light.

Kimble gasped in surprise. Valentin had faded away and Logan now stood in his place. The feral X-man looked down where Kimble cowered and sneered down at him with all of his hate and non-acceptance. "You got a problem, boy. You’d best learn to accept where yer at. You ain’t never gonna be good enough fer us. Fallen an’ Seth’ll do just fine, but not you. Not you. You ain’t nuthin’ but a stupid little child with all of yer fussin’ and fightin’. The only thing yer gonna learn is what the four walls of a holding cell look like ---- from the inside!"

"Remy’ll help me! He likes me!"

"He ain’t gonna do nuthin’. He’ll keep in line and do what he’s told. He’s an X-man first. Accept it. Yer on yer own, boy."

Kimble lay down and sobbed, losing all hope.

"I’ll helps ya, kid. Don’t you worry."

Kimble looked up as Zander finally stepped into the light. The light glittered off of his shattered mirror face, robbing him of all expression except for the conviction in his voice. He held Valentin’s long broadsword in his hands as he spoke, raising it up and into the light. Instead of threatening to kill Kimble as he usually did, he offered him the blade with this advice, "This is whatcha need, Kimble. It’s alla yer rage an’ power. Use it. You ain’t got no idea what’s inside a ya --- an’ neither do they. This is all ya needs ta find out. Takes it. Feel yer power. Kill Valentin an’ they’ll see. They’ll see how powerful you kin be an’ then they’ll finally respects ya they way ya deserves."

"No! Yer full of sh-it! You ain’t nuthin’ but a monster! You always try ta kills me!"

"Aw, don’t be takin’ all that personal, kid. I wuz just messin’ with ya," Zander cackled, shrugging his well muscled shoulders as if his terrorizing Kimble had meant nothing.

"It wasn’t funny!" Kimble bawled, tears streaming from his eyes. He wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, Zander chasing him or Zander trying to be friends. "Go away!"

Zander snorted with impatience. "Look at ya, down on yer f-ckin’ knees like some stupid little crybaby. Yer so much more an’ all ya does is waste it. Siskans didn’t accept ya, neither did them Clan bastards. What makes ya think them X-feebs’re gonna have ya, huh? Why even try, they ain’t nuthin but a buncha stupid a--holes what’re never gonna love ya the way ya deserve. They don’t thinks yer even real. To them, you ain’t nuthin’ but property, boy. No say and no rights. An’ fer that they deserves ta be punished!"

Kimble trembled at those words. Punished, Zander had said. Something about the way he said it made it almost sound appealing. It would be so easy to give into his hate and rage, to surrender to the growing madness inside of him.

"You kin do it, you know," Zander said, continuing with his wicked persuasions. "You done it before and you kin do it again. Punish them! Punish them all!"

Kimble shivered in revulsion. He saw flashes of violence, of blood covered swords and the cries of dying men. "Go away! I ain’t no killer!"

"Oh, yes you are. You ‘n me, we’re the same."

"Never!" Kimble screamed and found his feet. He was running again. He came from the darkness back to the ship like some kind of bizarre magic trick and now he was running down the hall towards the shop. Zander was right behind him, gravelly laughter trickling out of his mouth as he thrilled to the chase. Kimble gasped in agonized futility as the hallway stretched out endlessly in front of him. There would be no escape.

He heard as Zander tossed Valentin’s sword from behind him. It made a chopping helicopter sound as it spun on it’s way towards him.

"Ya fergot sumpthin’!" Zander cackled just before the sword caught up with Kimble, running him through from behind. Kimble screamed and fell.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2538691/1/Breaking_Point

[squeekness]

Kimble snapped awake with a jerk, barely feeling the hard floor beneath him. There was that strange pinching sensation in his head again as he twitched but it went away quickly. He dabbed at his nose, expecting it to bleed, the pinch had felt just like that, but there was nothing. The spasm passed and he dismissed it as just simple stress. After a dream like that who could blame him? He rose up numbly on his hands and knees, still gasping as he fought the urge to keep running, his dream had been so vivid and real. He saw he was safe now though, he was in the Engine Room surrounded by engine parts. He was still here on the ship and he remembered now that he and Beast had spent most of the night working in here on the repairs. He must have fallen asleep on the floor.

A sob escaped him and he rubbed his aching stomach. It hurt so bad now. He thought for sure he had screamed as he’d woken, but no one came running. Either that, or like Zander had said, no one had cared. Kimble shambled drunkenly to his feet, his head swimming in a fear induced fog. He needed a charge and some water. He had to get back to Fallen.

He staggered out of the Engine Room, not bothering to shut the security door behind him. He shuffled down the hall to the stairs and didn’t even notice Beast as he came freshly showered out of the downstairs lavatory.

Henry had been working just as hard as Kimble. Less than an hour ago, he had watched as Kimble nodded off and slowly tipped over onto the floor. Knowing Kimble was exhausted, Beast let him go. He had slipped away himself a few minutes later, wanting to take a shower to refresh himself. It appeared that Kimble hadn’t slept long or peacefully. The Siskan looked trashed. Henry greeted him as he shuffled by, but he didn’t reply.

Henry watched him go by, puzzled by the Siskan’s lack of response. He could tell Kimble had just woken up, he was rumpled and glassy eyed, and figured that maybe Kimble wasn’t much of a morning person. Beast shrugged and went into the Engine Room to work some more on the engines, figuring the more they accomplished now, the sooner they could get home. He walked over to where Kimble had been working and gasped in surprise.

Beast had only just left Kimble where he was sleeping, but nothing was as he had left it. All of the parts that Kimble had been working on before he fell asleep had now been pushed away from the work area in a perfect circle. This wasn’t Kimble being neat. Some of the pieces had fallen over in disarray. What Beast was looking at was a telekinetic blast pattern. A very mild blast to be sure, but a blast nonetheless.

Beast touched the floor in the center of the circle and wasn’t surprised to find it still slightly warm from Kimble lying there asleep. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "What are you dreaming, Kimble?"

He followed Kimble upstairs, but didn’t find him in the galley. He did see Logan and Remy sitting there, having breakfast. "You know, I think Kimble may be telekinetic," he said as he sat next to them. "I was just checking his progress in the Engine Room. He’d just woken up and walked right past me like a zombie. I could see where he’d been sleeping and he had all the parts pushed away from him in a perfect circle. I don’t think he even knew he’d done it."

"Telekinetic blast pattern?" Logan repeated, not the least bit surprised. He already suspected Kimble’s emerging new ability.

"Weak, but yes. You don’t sound too surprised."

"Yesterday when he was dreamin’ in the shop, he was givin’ off very small telekinetic waves."

"You didn’t mention it," Henry replied, just a slight edge to his voice. This was something he would have wanted to know. Not that he considered Kimble a threat, it was the doctor in him. He didn’t like secrets.

"You didn’t give me a chance," Logan growled back defensively, a bit of righteous indignation in his tone. "You were too busy backin’ him up ‘stead of me."

"That’s not fair. You had him backed into a corner!"

"Why would Kim even be telekinetic?" Remy interjected, wanting to avoid an argument. He wasn’t sure how to take what he was hearing. "It don’t make no sense. He just a ‘gram."

Henry gave voice to something he had been mulling over in his mind. "I think it’s possible that more than Kimble’s power sources got altered in the overload. Kimble’s Mistress is telekinetic and now she’s powering him directly. It’s possible that some of her abilities might have transferred to him in the surge. Seth himself admitted that Kimble no longer scanned as a normal hologram."

Remy nodded, trying to digest that. It sounded a little implausible, but he didn’t know that much about these things as Henry did. "You t’ink Kimble knows?"

"I don’t know," Henry replied. "What I am certain of is that he is still disturbed and sleeping poorly. He passed me by like I wasn’t even there. He didn’t look well."

"If he cracks up, what are we gonna do about it?" Logan asked, desiring a plan. He didn’t care about the why of this, only what could be done about it. "He can phase. We can’t lock him up. We’ve got no way of restrainin’ him."

"Why you so eager ta lock ‘im up?" Remy asked impatiently in Kimble’s defense. He was sick of Logan’s poor attitude. Sure Kimble was a little stressed out, but he didn’t think it was anything they couldn’t handle.

"Where have ya been, Cajun? He’s gone fer Vally twice and scared the bejesus out of little May. Hello?!"

"Vally’s been askin’ for it since de firs’ day we got ‘ere, furball. And de kid? Well, I don’ know ‘bout you, but if I was bein’ accused of wantin’ to kill my brother, I’d be a little pissed off, too."

Logan cooled a little without giving up his position. "Look, Gumbo. I understand ya like him. I know ya well enough to see why. He’s a bright shiny new toy and I’m sure he’s a real hit at parties, but ya gotta face facts here, boy. He’s crackin’ up. When that kid pops, we gotta be ready ta deal with it."

"Kim ain’t no toy," Gambit snapped defensively.

It was Henry’s turn to interrupt. "If he can phase and he’s telekinetic, we’ve got no real way of controlling him, not here. The best thing is to keep him calm and as far away from Valentin as possible. We probably should keep him away from you as well, Logan. Clearly the two of you dislike each other."

"Yeah, well, it ain’t no picnic being cooped up in this tin can like this. I don’t know what’s worse, waitin’ fer Kimble to crack or us runnin’ outta air if Fallen doesn’t get back on her feet on time."

"She’ll be fine," Henry insisted. "If her scans are correct -- and I think they are -- we should be up and running tomorrow or the day after. Until then, I’m asking you to stay out of Kimble’s way."

"I’ll leave him be so long as he doesn’t give me any excuse ta butt in," Wolverine countered, not really budging. He felt it was his duty to look after his teammates, psycho ‘gram or not. He was about to say something else, but Maylee had smelled Remy’s cooking and was shuffling into the galley, rubbing her eyes. She smiled at them and at Remy in particular, he’d made breakfast again so she wouldn’t have to.


Remy got up and made her a plate, trying to keep his frustration down. On one hand, he appreciated Logan’s concern for their well being, but on the other, he believed Logan was well on his way to causing the very break in Kimble he was trying to prevent.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2538691/1/Breaking_Point

[squeekness]

(Two)


Kimble made his way to the cage, still disoriented and upset from his dream. Fallen wasn’t on the bed so he went into her bathroom. He found her there, nestled comfortably asleep on the floor in a tangle of blankets. She’d taken to sleeping in here now for the privacy. He went to the sink and turned on the faucet. He greedily cupped water to his mouth with his hands and drank heavily, unmindful of the mess he made. It tasted sweet and wonderful and he felt refreshed. He splashed some more over his face and wiped away the fog that had clouded him. He dried off and grabbed a cigarette from the glass jar. When Fallen finally woke from his noise, he’d composed himself well enough that she couldn’t tell he’d been wrecked when he’d come up from below.

She rolled over and looked up at him smiling. "Good morrow," she whispered.

"Good morrow."

He came over and crouched down next to her, touching her face to absorb some of her power and recharge. His fingers glowed blue from the contact and he smiled, easily amused. She laughed at his wonder and he leaned down to kiss her, glad that she seemed better from all of her rest. He brushed her face, leaving his hand there to keep absorbing her power. Her power restored him and he felt strong up here above her, like he could protect her from anything.

"Ya looks better," he said finally.

"I feel better. Stronger. Thanks to you."

"Won’t be thankin’ me when ya stop takin’ the Lightnin’. ‘S gonna suck big time."

"It won’t be so bad this time, I can feel it. You didn’t give me as much as I was taking before. I don’t feel like I need it as much and I want to start cutting back as soon as possible."

"Yer already takin’ only half. Ya shure ya wanna go with less?"

"Yes. I’ll be all right with you and Seth watching over me."

"All right. You start slippin’ an I’ll up it back, ‘kay?"

She smiled at that, he was such a Mother Hen. "Fine."

"Right. Ya hungry?"

"Yes, but I want to shower first."

"How 'bouts a bath?"

"Takes too long. There are some things I want to do."

"Like what? Alls we gots is time, darlin’."

She didn't answer him but rose stiffly instead and yawned. She started to undress, struggling weakly with her pants. Even she found crooked cat legs a hassle when it came to clothing. Kimble stood and helped her, trying to ignore the heat of her naked body so close to his. She turned on the water and stepped into the shower on wobbly legs, prompting him to take her arm and steady her along. She hadn't eaten as much as he'd hoped and she still looked so thin and frail. Seeing that she was going to need his support, he went right into the shower with her, still holding her up.

She looked back at him gratefully, but laughed when she saw he was still dressed. "You'll get soaked!" she said.

"It's jus’ my ‘skin’, baby doll. My pants don' really git wet."

She looked at him closely and saw he was right. The water beaded and rolled off of his legs as though his pants were his skin for real. They didn't absorb the water.

"Could you take them off if you wanted to?" Fallen asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I reckon so, but I don't see the point of it really. Don' wants ta start sumpthin' we ain't gonna finish," he said, propping her up and lathering up her hair. He scrubbed her scalp with his usual vigor and she mistook it for him being upset by her question.

"Don't be mad," she said softly.

"I ain't mad about nuthin’," he replied honestly with a laugh. "It's jus' how things are, that's all. I don' spend hours an hours worryin' about it so neither should you."

She leaned forward and rinsed out her hair. He was very patient and held onto her so she wouldn't fall. He waited until she had rinsed all the shampoo out before asking, "So what's yer big plan fer today?"


"I'm going to try and talk with Valentin."

Kimble grunted. "That'll be a fine waste of time." He gave her the soap.

"Well, time is something I have plenty of right now, so I can't see how it could hurt."

"You'll take it easy, right?"

"Don't worry. I'll be careful."

She lathered and rinsed off quickly, grabbing a towel on her way out.

Kimble stood where he was, feeling the water run off of him. He'd forgotten how nice a hot shower was and the wonderful smell of her soaps filled his senses. His inner core was cold and anything warm that touched him gave him an extra thrill. He tarried, washing himself so he’d have her smell and watched her dress through the curtain.

He wanted her body badly, but was doing his best to choke it back. He knew it was only for his own personal gratification at this point and nothing more, except perhaps to make her happy, to make her laugh and have fun. He enjoyed her happiness more than anything. It was the only thing that made him feel alive and valuable. He loved her dearly, but wasn’t truly in love with her. He’d been there once so very long ago and he knew what it was like to have that absolute, perfect love. This wasn’t it. Perhaps he resented her just a little for not using him properly from the beginning and so never fell completely. He was never meant to fly ships or be a mechanic as she had him do, he wanted to play and explore and make love with anyone who was willing, enjoying himself as much as possible. He would lay down his life for her but it was because she was family. She belonged to Seth heart and soul and he knew it. Kimble wondered if she really understood how much he cared about the two of them. He knew she sometimes dismissed him as frivolous and insensitive.

He stepped out of the shower and shared her towel. She stood quietly while he brushed out her hair and fussed over her, loving his caring and attention. It was familiar and comforting to have him there helping her and she told him so, making him smile and laugh again. Finally he was satisfied she was as beautiful as she was going to get and they left the lav for the galley.

Valentin watched them pass from the doorway of their prison. Kimble put an arm on Fallen's shoulder protectively and steered her to the galley, nodding at Henry who was on guard duty.

Gambit greeted them as they entered, glad to see they both looked better rested. He’d cooked another fabulous meal, careful not to use any meat. Logan had removed the stash anyway, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He set a plate down in front of Fallen and watched with contentment as she ate.

Maylee was there too, cleaning up the dishes. She smiled at Fallen and Kimble. She still hadn’t formally apologized to Kimble yet. She wasn’t quite sure what to say and was hoping to catch him in a quiet moment so she wouldn’t have to speak in front of the others. Kimble returned her smile and she resolved to find the time to set things right between them.

Logan leaned against the wall in his usual slouch, smoking with one thumb hooked on his pants pocket as his eyes tracked Kimble’s every movement. He didn’t trust the holographic pilot one bit and wasn’t quite sure what to do with him just yet. It was probably too much to ask for that Kimble would calm down and be good for a while.

Fallen ate in silence, enjoying Remy’s cooking and contemplating her next move. She knew she had to try and negotiate with Valentin, but wasn't sure what to say. She knew he could still hold sway over her. She would have to be calm and try not to let him rattle her.

Henry came into the galley looking for breakfast and Logan walked out to relieve him as guard on the Clan. Fallen watched this changing of the guard with trepidation. She really didn't want to try and talk to Valentin with Wolverine there, but she was afraid that if she waited too long, she would lose her nerve. She finished her food quickly and stood up to leave.

Kimble questioned her with his eyes and she told him to stay in Siskan.
He obeyed, quiet.

The others watched her leave. They could tell she was up to something so Gambit moved to the doorway to watch her. He shuffled some cards, but didn't follow.

Fallen walked confidently to the doorway of the barracks. Logan was seated in the first row of the passenger seats. He had his back to the wall and had started a game of solitaire. He watched her come, but didn't move or speak.

Fallen stood in the doorway and called to Valentin. He came to the door slowly, taking his time. He leaned against the doorjamb and slouched arrogantly. "What."

"Will you speak with me?" Fallen asked, not the least bit intimidated.

"Anything for you, my love." His words dripped with malice.

Fallen looked at Wolverine. "Could we have some privacy?"

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2538691/1/Breaking_Point

[squeekness]

"Nope. You didn't stop him from takin' us in. How do I know ya won't let him out? Think I'll just stay here and keep an eye on ya," he replied with a cocky smile.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/099goawaylogancolor.jpg

Fallen considered using her telekinesis to forcibly remove him, but figured it wasn't worth the hassle he'd give her for it later. She closed her eyes for a moment and compartmentalized him out of her mind. She knelt down on the floor in the submissive female posture and waited. Valentin snickered and sat down in front of her, eager to begin the game.

They regarded each other as if there was no force field separating them. She made no comment about the damage Wolverine had done to his face though she hadn’t known about it.

Valentin lit a cigarette and blew smoke. "What do you want, pilot?"

"It's time we re-evaluated the nature of our relationship."

"There's nothing to discuss. You are my wife." His voice was firm.

She cocked her head and smiled at him wryly. "Not any more. I renounce the Clan. We will not be returning to Cerise."

He just laughed. "You became Clan the moment the Dognan took you. They changed you. We set you free. There's no walking away."

"I gave my ten years as asked."

"Yes, you did. And what a fine service you gave. But your crime, Fallen. Now that is another matter."

Fallen looked down and smoothed imaginary wrinkles on her pants with her small white hands. "I have paid my debt. For every life I took, I saved five from the same fate. I served the Clan in ways beyond any other pilot."

"You kept secrets from us," Valentin interrupted. "This ship is a prime example."

"I never hid Lucky from you."

"No. Just the technology in it and everything else that mattered. The Siskans?"

"Are none of your concern. This is between you and me."

"You and me," he repeated softly, smoking. The light screen between them wasn’t the only barrier that separated them. "Tell me, Fallen, all those times you got sick...Your ‘spells’...You were murdering my children, weren’t you? Your black haired freak said as much."

Fallen swallowed heavily and put her head down. "Yes," she replied softly.

"How many?" Valentin asked next through tightly gritted teeth.

"Six." Her voice was so low, Logan wasn’t sure if Valentin even heard it.

"You b-tch!" Valentin muttered, confirming that he had. "And the last time?"

"About four months ago."

"I forbid you to do that again! You had no right!"

"Doesn’t matter now. I haven’t bled since the last. I don’t think I can bear anymore," she said quietly, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Why?"

"Why did I do it? Because you’re a monster. I would not have your offspring loose in this world," she said quickly.

Valentin only snorted at her words. "Please! Now tell me the real reason."

Fallen paused a moment before answering. "They would have bound you even more to me. I knew the day would come when I would no longer need you."

"You will always need me."

She cocked her head up at him. "Why do you care so much about me, Valentin? As First General you must have women all over."

"No. There’s never been anyone else. Not since the first time I set eyes on you."

Fallen laughed without humor, hiding her surprise. "For a man who claims to be in love, you have strange ways of showing it."

"You never let me! You made it quite clear all you wanted from me was pain."

"You enjoyed it."

"I was venting my frustration!" he snarled, keeping his voice down.

Fallen put her head down and was quiet.

"Let’s take a breath now, pretty, and start over again, shall we?" he offered. He put his good hand up to the security grid and held it there as Seth had so often done.

She didn’t accept. "It’s too late for that. I’m sorry. My heart belongs to Seth now."

"He’s not real."


"His love is," she replied with conviction, looking up into his eyes. "I have felt it. All I feel for you is a cold dead nothing. It has always been this way, I’m so sorry. Seth has touched me and showed me there was a better way to hold the Hunter back. He showed me how to save my soul, not enslave it."

She arched her back and stroked her hands down the long lovely tattoo on her chest. "This was how. Pulling the alphas out of the pens was the way to my freedom, not your bloody fists, Valentin. He raised me up while all you did was smash me down. Together with my good Kimble, we brought more flesh alive from the pens than I ever took down while I was there. Five to one, Valentin. Five live souls for each one lost."

"Come back with me and you can continue that if you love it so much. There are other pens on other worlds held by the Dognan. The more alphas the better for the Clan."

"No. I’m officially retiring. My only goal now is to restore Seth in return for all he’s done for me. I won’t rest until he’s free from the computer as Kimble is."

Valentin did not believe. "It’s his innocence that draws you. He is not a man, he is a child. Kimble’s out, I assume he has been out as well. Those Siskans are quite skilled, I’ve used the one at Nine myself. Have you f-cked him yet?"

She didn’t dignify his question with a response.

"I thought not. Nothing more appealing than a fresh white virgin, eh? He’s holding you back, pilot. Kill him and free yourself. Come back with me and rule the Clan. Cerebus won’t last much longer," Valentin offered, daring her to refuse with his eyes.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2538691/1/Breaking_Point

[squeekness]

(Three)

Kimble had been listening as best he could from the galley door. At the mention of Seth’s name, he took a few steps into the Main Room. He remembered Valentin’s threat against his brother and wasn’t going to stand for any more. Gambit hissed at him, warning him to go no further. Kimble obeyed for the moment, but his hands had already fisted.

Fallen laughed at her husband and shook her head. "Nice try, Valentin. I know you much too well, my Lord. There is no freedom with you. You don’t desire me. You want only my power and what it can provide for you. That’s just another form of slavery. I wouldn’t slave for the Dognan, I won’t slave for you."

Valentin smiled at her and took deep drag on his cigarette, appreciating her spirit. He blew smoke and spoke with a strange glow in his eyes. "I remember the first day I saw you. When they dragged you kicking and screaming from the pens. You were so wild and feral. What a thrill just to look at you fight them. Hmm..." he laughed. "You cut Jaska right across the face. He still carries the scars."

Fallen turned her head away, she didn’t want to hear this.

"You wouldn't be tamed and they spoke of destroying you as they'd had to do to others before. I knew better. I wasn't about to let them kill such a fine creature as yourself. What a waste that would have been. I walked right up to you and took your face. Made you look at me."

Fallen wiped her face as a tear spilled down her cheek. When he spoke so tenderly like this, he could almost make her believe he actually loved her. She had to be strong and not let him sway her.

Valentin took his hand down from the screen and put it back, re-emphasizing his desire to reach out to her. "You saw me. I saw you. We knew each other then. I gave you my kiss and you were mine. I let you feel my hand and you've obeyed me ever since. I'm the one who really saved you that day. You want me and you know it. I am a part of you that you’ll never be rid of. You love this Siskan? Pah! Like I said, it's his innocence that draws you. It'll only keep you so long. The Hunter will come calling and you'll be back for a taste of me again."

"That may have been true, once. No more. I've outgrown you. Moved on."

"Heh, right. Your heart is black, girl," Valentin sneered, showing her his teeth. "It's as black as mine. We are two of the same. Your Hunter's heart has been sleeping. Time for it to wake up to what reality is. You need me. You want me. You've never once denied me. You couldn't leave me behind for the Dognan and you won't leave me behind here. You'll come back with me and we'll cut Cerebus down. We will rule the Clan together as King and Queen."

"No."

"Yes! Let me out, Fallen!"

Logan sat up, ready.

Kimble took another step. This time he felt a large blue hand come down on his shoulder.

"Let them finish," Henry cautioned him. He would have put a stop to this himself except for the fact that Fallen seemed to be handling herself just fine. As bad as things were on this ship, Fallen gaining some kind of control over her own fate could only help them. He was willing to see this played out as long as no one lost their head.

Kimble trembled with rage, but stayed put.

Fallen shook her head again. "No, Valentin. You're wrong about me. I was weak so I let you torment me, thinking that was the only way to redeem myself. What a fool I was. So much wasted time. Seth has touched me with the purest love instead of your blackest hate. He knows me and what I did and loves me still. He speaks not of how I should use my power to hurt others or kill again."

"He is a boy and not even real, my lovely, how can he speak of what is true or right? You and I know what true power is and how real it can be. These Siskans are toying with you and your mind. Do you know that Kimble believes he is alive? How can this be if it is not insane? He’s controlling you!"

Kimble jerked under Henry’s hand but the weight of it held him."That dickless jerk ain’t nuthin’ but a big ass f-ckin’ liar, Fallen!" he complained but she ignored him.

Instead she hissed at Valentin, "No one controls me!"

"Oh, he does. This I have seen. Even May thinks it’s so. You are blinded by your love for his brother. Blinded by something as false as the creature behind you. Kill him, Fallen! Kill him and win back your freedom! Release me!"

"Never!" she snarled and rose as blue Ristle flickered around her wrists.
"You are what is false! All you know is Death and I’ve seen too much of it already!"

"Kill him, Fallen!" Valentin insisted. "He’s crazy! He’ll say and do anything to keep his freedom! Kill him and come back to your senses! Come back to me!"

"Forget it, Valentin! You and me? It’s over! We had nothing! We are nothing! You have no Honor and so I shall never honor you or this pathetic excuse for a marriage! I am not your wife and never will be!" Fallen screamed in her rage and raised her fists. She was ready to fire off a blast of Ristle not at Kimble, but at the monster who had ordered it.

"Doncha even thinks about it!" Kimble shouted, not in anger from her actions but with concern for her. He knew she wasn’t strong enough to try anything like this and he was right. She grunted in pain as a small trickle of blood dripped down from her nose. She wiped at it and it grew worse.

Henry released Kimble immediately and the pilot went to her protectively. Kimble cupped one hand under her chin to catch the blood, holding her back with his other. "Back off, Fallen! Ya cain’t handle it!"

Logan stood up in between Fallen and Valentin. "Get her out of here!" he ordered to Kimble. "We’re done with this!"

Valentin disagreed. "Look, Fallen! Even now he controls you! His weakness will be yours if you do not free yourself!"

Fallen squirmed under Kimble’s grasp but he wasn’t letting her go. "Give it up, baby doll," he grumbled in her ear.

"Break free, Fallen! Kill him now before he snaps and kills us all!" Valentin insisted.

"Shut the f-ck up, ya stupid a--hole!" Kimble snapped.

"Back off, all of you!" Logan growled.

"All of you can just go to hell!" Fallen snarled in her frustration and sent out a large pulse of telekinesis, pushing them all away from her. She turned and stomped off to her lav, slamming the door shut. They heard the sound of breaking glass as she hurled a jar in her anger.

"Yer dead, Vally! Ya hear me! Yer f-ckin’ dead!" Kimble shouted, enraged by the sight of Fallen’s fury and wet of her blood all over his hands.

Valentin just laughed. "Look at you, you pathetic piece of fluff! You want her for yourself, huh? She'll never be yours! Not 'til I'm dead and she can't run back to me! You ain't never heard her squeal until you've scratched her back down to the bone, boy! You don't have the guts to do her right!"

Kimble launched himself at Valentin, his hands fisted.

Not this stupid friggin' dance again! Logan swore to himself. He caught Kimble like before and tossed him back, shoving him repeatedly until he was backed up into the galley.

Kimble was swearing violently over Logan’s shoulder at Valentin the whole way. Valentin gave forth a volley of his own, adding to the noise and confusion.

To read more click here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2538691/1/Breaking_Point

[squeekness]

Maylee sat on one of the galley benches, sobbing. She blocked her ears to try and shut out all the shouting but they were too loud. Henry put his arms around her and tried to comfort her.

Logan slammed Kimble back into the wall. "I've had about enough of yer bullsh-t, boy!"

"Git yer hands offa me!" Kimble was out of control with rage and frustration. All he could see was red. He wanted Valentin’s blood now. He wanted to cut him open and see it all come gushing out. He wanted to bathe in it and drink it all down. He growled like an animal and shoved uselessly against Logan, no longer sane.

"Not until you calm down!"

"F-ck you!" Kimble snarled and phased through Logan's body. He was thinking with an odd clarity not his own and acted boldly, instinctively, intuitively guessing at Logan’s next move. Kimble turned in mid-stride, moving with grace, dancing in this fight, and caught Logan as he stumbled from the shock of his freezing inner core. Kimble snaked his arm quickly around Logan’s neck and cinched it tight with the opposite hand, choking him. Kimble grinned wickedly, thrilled with his success, and whispered softly, maliciously, in Logan's ear, his voice unconsciously going gravelly and deep to match that of Mirror Face’s own. "Well now, what do ya knows 'bout that?"

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b317/squeekness/101gotcha.jpg

Logan reeled as his air was cut off. He’d felt the ice cold wave as Kimble passed through him, just as shocking as it had been the first time, and then something more. He actually felt the red hot burn of Kimble’s rage and a horrible vision of a shattered mirrored face flashed before his eyes. This was now the second time this had happened, his receiving messages as Kimble walked through him, and this could no longer be dismissed as a fluke. Wolverine was forced to take the vision seriously and he immediately knew this was Kimble’s nightmare. This was Zander.

Damn, Logan thought as he recovered quickly. Kimble must be spending his time in perpetual terror. No wonder he was so unstable. But why am I seeing this now? Is Kimble telepathic, too? Cripes!

Remy took a step forward, raising his hands in an attempt to calm the pilot. Funny thing, though, he just loved it when somebody got the upper hand on his teammate because it happened so rarely. Gambit had no idea just how serious the situation had become, he didn’t think for a minute that Kimble was any real threat here and his first reaction was to laugh. It was like some little kid kicking Wolvie’s shins, it just wasn’t going to happen. Gambit couldn’t stop the humor in his voice as he spoke, "Esp’ere! Whoa dere, Kim. Just take it easy now, fils! Let’s just all take a nice deep breath, non?"

Kimble wasn’t listening. He was too filled with pride and a deep, intense satisfaction. The thrill of being in a position to punish those who had hurt him, just as Zander had suggested, suddenly didn’t seem all that bad. He was going to show this arrogant prick a thing or two, oh, yes! Then they would see! He would show them all!

Logan cursed inwardly, knowing this action was going to have to be answered. He could already feel the hairs rise on the back of his arms as Kimble’s bo