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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
 
 
 

Relative Motion - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Monica Tamaru
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 1

She stole silently through the shadows, intent on her prey. There was a full moon out casting an eerie glow on her surroundings. Trees played hide and seek with the small figure moving smoothly through them. The wind was high and leaves rustled restlessly, covering any noise she might make. Although it was summer the air was cold and she shivered as she moved through the darkness. The cabin stood about ninety yards away when she finally slowed. It was on the waterfront, separated from the main buildings. Ruby grimly smiled, ‘It can only help.’ A flicker of doubt nagged in the back of her mind, but she ignored it as she came forward slowly. She had been trained to follow orders, not question them. She had plenty of other problems to worry about anyway. There was that high-tech security system that would require every ounce of her energy. It was mocking her to try to beat it. Ruby found her first smile all day. Taking out a small screwdriver, a nail file, and chewing gum, she attacked the first line of security…

The front door opened without a sound. The cabin was really just a bedroom, with a kitchen and bathroom attached in the back. She could see the bed from where she stood in the middle of the spacious room. Ruby had spent her fifteen years on earth honing her thief’s skills so that she was able to slip in undetected. Moonlight came through an open window, giving her enough light to see what she was doing, but also making her visible. She hesitated at the door, which was left open just enough for her to fit through to make her escape as fast as possible. The victim was on the bed, sleeping as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She watched his silhouette move up and down with the steady movement of deep sleep. The dagger was ready in her grasp as she crept toward the prone figure. She was relieved that he was on his back. She excelled in knife throwing and would be long gone by the time the knife was fully imbedded in his throat.  Her eyes glittered gold in the dark as she held her breath and readied to throw. Ready...steady…GO! The dagger flew swiftly through the air, but the sound of cut flesh wasn’t heard. She hadn’t been undetected after all as the man in the bed turned over and caught the dagger by its handle an inch from his throat had been. He leapt to his feet as he caught a glimpse of her, and she ran out of the room and away from him as if her life depended on it.

Ruby knew every second was precious, and that her prey was very dangerous. Avoiding roots and branches, she cut through the forest the same way she came. Panic was a foreign concept to her. ‘Just keep going and use your head, girl,’ she told herself. Footsteps were close behind; too many to just be one person. She vaguely wondered how they all were on her tail so quickly. ‘Must have tripped security with that mad escape.’

Ruby knew who they were. There wasn’t anybody who didn’t know who the X-Men were. The assignment had been a risky one, but she took it. There was no choice, really.

She ran hard through the greenery, not once stumbling over the uneven earth. She concentrated on reaching the wall along the property.  Once she reached that she would be home free, as she knew the surrounding alleys and underground tunnels like no one else.

Whoosh!

“Gotcha!” a woman’s voice said into her ear. Ruby grunted in reaction as she was grabbed around the waist. The grip was tight and digging into her ribs. She realized that she was also flying through the air. Ruby kicked back as hard as she could into the person’s leg and hoped that the problem of avoiding the trees and the surprise of pain would gain her release. Ruby was dropped two stories to the ground, landing on her feet, as always. A blinding pain shot up her leg, but she kept going regardless.

The threat was far from over. As she landed, five people suddenly surrounded her. Ruby was not ready to concede just yet, though. She leapt straight up. As soon as her hand clasped the low branch, she climbed with strength and agility far above what a child her size should have been able to accomplish. By using her special “gifts” she was able to stay one-step in front her adversaries. Unfortunately, the group that had assembled below was on her heels and gaining ground fast. She knew that staying among the trees should make things more difficult for the flyers to maneuver around. ‘Too bad that girl is driving through the branches as though invincible,’ Ruby thought, making a face. She took a deep breath as she leapt from tree to tree, ignoring the scratches and bumps she incurred along the way. Every time she managed to grab a hold of a branch, it was immediately incinerated. Ruby changed her plans by moving up and down as well as back and forth. She prepared for a large leap that would get her over the wall. She jumped a little too quickly though and a bolt of light broke the branch that Ruby managed to catch, and she went tumbling to the ground. On the way down, she hit her head on a bigger branch, knocking her out. 

The one with the red eyes caught her. She stared at him for a long minute before succumbing to the blackness that nagged at her consciousness.

The Gambit brought her into the med-lab and laid her on a bed. She was a mess, with leaves clinging to her hair and scratches all over her face and hands.

“What was she doin’ here?” Rogue asked, still upset that she hadn’t held on to her. Her shin was throbbing, though there should have been no way for a child to hurt her. She was invulnerable, dammit!

“Well, chere, she was tryin’ t’ kill me,” Gambit said, looking no worse for the wear. His eyes narrowed on the little girl who looked quite peaceful at the moment while he twirled the dagger on its tip.

The group gathered in the war room consisted of Jean, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Remy, and Rogue. The head of the X-Men, Professor Xavier, soon entered and was filled in on the situation.

“Ah know that, but why?”

“I can think of plenty o’ reasons,” Logan said. He had just barely come home to get the end of the excitement.

“How did she get in undetected? Is our security system out?” Scott asked, aggravated to be dealing with this so late at night.

Before another word could be uttered, Ruby let out a moan of pain as she began to gain consciousness.

Ruby awoke to a delicate probing of her mind. She quickly threw up her psi-shields and sat up. The sudden movement almost made her ill. Her head ached and she thought she had a sprained ankle. She quickly glanced around the room so that she could plan her escape. It was then that she realized there was a group crowded around her bed. There was a pretty redhead and a man with rose-colored glasses, an older man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth, a disgruntled woman with wild chestnut hair with a white streak down the center of it, a woman with long silver hair and the look of royalty, and a man in a wheelchair. They looked irritated and curious at the same time. Ruby wasn’t concerned with them, though. She was looking for the One.

He was behind her. She could feel his gaze on her back. She shivered unconsciously. Looking back very slowly, she tried to read what he was thinking. She was surprised that it was so easy to get into his mind. His file had mentioned that he had considerable psi-blocks that the best telepaths had trouble with. She was thoroughly rankled that she had been so misinformed. He moved closer to her. She panicked, her eyes now black with fear. Somehow she knew that everything else she read was painfully true. Ruby created a force field with her mind and rammed it against him. He flew backwards and slammed into the wall and suddenly everyone was in motion. Ruby wasn’t thinking or feeling. She just pushed her force field harder and harder into the threat while struggling to get free and away from him. She didn’t feel the hands that tried to restrain her, didn’t feel the needle as it pricked her skin, didn’t feel anything but her terror.

“What do you think we should do about our unexpected guest?” Professor X sighed. He didn’t want to hurt the child, yet he couldn’t let her hurt one of his X-Men.

“Well, now ah know why that puny kick she gave me hurt so much,” Rogue said angrily.

Remy groaned as he regained his feet. Rogue rushed over to him.

“Ya ok, sugah?” she asked, concerned. 

“Lil’ one packs a punch, eh?” Remy said, though he wasn’t thinking about his pain. He felt like he knew her from somewhere. He saw her purpose, and her fear and he knew there was something more.

Professor X looked at him sharply. “What do you know, Gambit?”

A moan dragged their attention to the girl. She seemed to be in the middle of a nightmare, as her body thrashed against the bonds that now held her wrists secure.

“How long should she be out, Jean?” Scott Summers asked of the redhead. His mouth was drawn into tight lines. ‘Out of all the enemies we’ve faced in recent years, we now have to deal with a teenage assassin?’ Scott couldn’t believe it.

“Not very long. It would be a good idea to clear the room, though. I think everyone is scaring her even more. You’re not going to get anything out of her as long as she feels she needs to be on the defensive.” The Jean Grey-Summers glanced doubtfully at Remy. “I don’t think he will calm her at all. It’s weird. I tried to probe her mind, but she closed it down. She has psychic powers, and from what I can tell they are quite powerful.”

“I’ll talk to her, Jean,” Professor Xavier said. He watched as the rest of the X-Men shuffled out of the room. The girl was still thrashing restlessly on the bed. He too tried to probe her mind for any clue, but found himself running into a wall. When he opened his eyes, he found her staring back at him.

“Now young lady, let us see if we can clear up some of this mess. What is your name?”

Ruby shrugged. She tugged at her bindings and looked at him expectantly.

“I cannot do that until I can be certain that you will not run away or hurt anyone.” Xavier saw the frustration. She was determined, however, to be difficult. “When you are ready to talk, then we will see what we can do.”

Ruby suddenly smiled sweetly. “Please, could you loosen me just a little? I’m losing feeling in my hands.”

Professor X looked skeptical. “I do not think that would be wise.” Something strange was going on. The Professor didn’t seem sure of himself. He was also having trouble remembering why the girl was tied up in the first place.

The girl reminded him of someone. Her hair was black as sin and her eyes a heart-stopping blue, but there was a look in her eyes that was so familiar. He again wondered what Gambit knew about her.

“Who are you?”

“I am nobody. I have no past, and now, no future.” Ruby flopped against the bed dramatically.

“Do you know Remy?”

All he got in response was a stony stare. Xavier sighed. It was obvious that he would have to wait until she was ready to share to find out anything from her.

“I am leaving you tied for the rest of the night. Do not think to cause any more trouble tonight.” Xavier did loosen her binds a bit, though. Ruby turned her head away to hide the smile of satisfaction.

As soon as he left, Ruby twisted her wrist around, took her nail file out from the inside of her sleeve and cut the bonds open, jumped off the bed and walked around the room. ‘Thank God they didn’t know about all her skills, or they probably would have been a little more careful,’ the teen thought, going over to the wall to study her options. There was a skylight up high and a window to the side. Both were locked, but Ruby was certain she could make quick time in opening them. She was a first-rate thief after all. First things first, though. She walked over to the door and tried opening it. Locked.

It swung open as the redhead walked in with a tray.

“Hi there. My name is Jean. The professor wanted to make sure you ate. I’ll keep you company.”

“No he doesn’t, he wanted you to become my friend and confide in you. You can tell your professor that I don’t trust anyone. I have been raised not to trust anyone,” Ruby said quickly as she stuffed the food down as fast as she could. Escaping could hold off for a little while.

Jean stayed silent and watched her. She looked as if she hadn’t eaten in days. Her black hair was stringy down her back, and her cheeks were sunken in. Worse, her eyes looked haunted. Ruby was content to ignore her dinner partner. She figured that there was probably one more check-up tonight, and then she would be gone.

Once the tray had been taken away and Ruby snuggled under a heavy blanket, Jean left to report back. She couldn’t understand why Xavier was being so careful with the girl. When he questioned someone, the Professor usually won the stare-down. Jean told them about what transpired in the med-lab. Gambit raised an eyebrow when Jean said that the girl was walking around, but didn’t say anything.

“Gambit, what do you know about the girl?” Xavier asked again. He was still reeling over the power Ruby held over him.

“Not’in’. Don’ know why’d she want t’ kill lil’ ole me,” he said, forcing his usual carefree attitude.

“What happened when she was trying to crush you? You saw something, didn’t you?”

“I don’ t’ink so. She’s just a scared chile.”

Ruby waited silently as the after-midnight check came and went. She scrambled out of bed and went to the window. It seemed the safest and quickest route to use. Picking the lock, cutting, then blocking the security system, and silently lowering herself to the ground took no more than a couple of minutes. Besides jamming her ankle again against the wall, it was easy. Almost too easy.

“Where y’ goin’, petite?”

Without turning, Ruby knew that it was Him. She froze at the sound of his voice. Her eyes changed from gray to gold as she set to attack. They glowed softly in the black night. She slowly turned, and then sent a knife flying through the air. She didn’t wait around to watch it hit her target, but immediately grabbed another from her utility belt and ran toward him. Remy, no slouch, quickly plucked the knife from the air and grabbed the girl in mid-leap. She was a handful, but quieted as he pointed her own blade against her throat.

“First t’ing y’ gonna do is stop tryin’ t’ kill me.” Gambit was shocked at how quickly the girl moved, and how aggressive she was. It didn’t seem to matter that they were on his home turf. “Give me your knives.” He didn’t budge an inch, knowing that she would take any advantage in a heartbeat.

Ruby handed him the one in her hand, then grabbed two more from her jacket and from around her calf. She glanced up at him. She tasted bitter defeat, and hated it. Remy sighed as he gave her a quick search and removed various other weapons.

“Quiet. We’re goin’ t’ talk now.” He took her to the boathouse. The place she had entered to kill him but a few hours before.

“Who wants me dead?” The look in his eyes was unnerving. Ruby just stared at him, mesmerized. Remy was leaning against the doorjamb, his legs and arms crossed. It had been difficult getting her to the cabin in silence. She was trussed up on the bed glaring at him.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Now that she had failed, it didn’t matter if he knew, but she was worried for her own life. He wouldn’t kill her if he needed her for information.

“I don’t think I should tell you just yet,” Ruby said slowly. She watched him lean up against the door casually. To any outsider, it would look as if they were discussing the weather. She wasn’t fooled. She was sure that if she moved an inch, he’d be on her quickly. “I’m not supposed to be here,” she added carefully.

“I don’ plan on killing y’, petite, if dat’s what’s worrying y’.” Again, Ruby was surprised. It was obvious that the information she had studied about him wasn’t complete in the least.

“I didn’t hurt you too badly I see. It’s hard to guess how much pressure to put out. I’ve been working on it, though. Pretty cool, huh?”

“How ‘bout y’ wait ‘til you master dem before using your powers on me. My head hurts,” Gambit said, pouting.

“He will know that I’ve failed at dawn, then he will kill both you and me.”

“Den we wait for him t’get’er.”

Remy LeBeau, Prince of Thieves, watched the girl across the room. She looked pale and too thin. He noticed she watched his every move with apprehension.

“Get some rest, petite. Won’ be morning for anot’er hour now.” Ruby didn’t say anything, but didn’t relax her position either. He had untied her after she complained, and he performed another sweep for weapons.

He moved over to her. She moved away.

Remy sighed and moved towards a chair near the door.

“Lie down. I’ll stay here.” Ruby didn’t trust him at all, but she moved back to the bed to sit because it was the furthest point from him. She decided to watch him all night, but that plan failed as her eyes drooped lower and lower. Gambit watched her sleep.

“She failed me, just as we planned. We attack in a week. Let them think that she’s the extent of the damage.” The assembled group shared a malicious grin at the thought of the blood and mayhem. The girl had been a pawn, unwilling at best, but she came through in the end.

He was a little disappointed to lose her so early, but Gambit was the main player, and he would sacrifice anything to get him.

Sunlight streamed through the window, announcing a new day. Remy glanced down at the girl who was spread out, taking up as much of the bed as she could. He had been sitting on a hard chair all night, waiting for their enemy to show themselves and was slightly irritated. Soon his teammates would burst in on them, but he was loath to wake her. She looked almost angelic in sleep. Looks could be deceiving, he thought sardonically.

He stood to stretch. She was awake instantly when he moved. She had leapt up to a standing position with a dagger at the ready. It was smaller than the one that she had attempted to use last night and he found himself wondering how much armory she had on her.

“Calm down, petite. It jus’ me.” Ruby looked confused for a second, then tensed again. The door had been yanked open and the X-Men stood in the doorway.

“Not again!” Rogue exclaimed, starting forward. Remy stopped her by holding out his arm, and then slowly moved toward Ruby. She slowly lowered her arm realizing she was outnumbered, but kept her defensive stance.

“We were concerned about you when the girl was found missing,” Professor Xavier said.

“Ruby. My name.” She didn’t look at all dangerous now. She looked defeated, exhausted and hopeless all at once.

“Let’s all go back to the mansion, have some breakfast, and sort this mess out,” Xavier said firmly.

Ruby allowed herself to be escorted to the mansion, choosing to stay away from Rogue, who kept shooting dirty looks her way. She quickly ate the breakfast set in front of her. She tried to ignore the many sets of eyes watching her every move. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to evade their questions so easily this time.

“Where did y’ keep dat one, petite?” Remy seemed amused. She shrugged, allowing a small smile. When she looked up, he drew in a breath. Her eyes, emerald green, were sparkling merrily.

“Ruby, why don’t you tell us your connection to Remy,” Scott said. It was posed casually, but she could tell it was more of an order. Ruby shrugged. She decided to give them what they wanted and get out of there as quickly as possible.

“I don’t have a connection. I was up for my second degree, and for promotion I had to kill him. I was given one night to complete the assignment. Something is wrong, because when you fail, you’re dead within an hour. Perfection is the only expectation. There’s something very wrong.” She talked in between bites of breakfast. So much food was a dream come true.

“Who did this assignment come from?” Jean asked.

“Dunno. The head boss guy.” Ruby wasn’t concentrating on anything other than reaching for the juice while maneuvering the pancake towards her mouth.

“A name would be nice, sugah.” Rogue was watching in amazement as Ruby ate more than her body weight in about ten minutes.

“I dunno. I’ve never met him. My mentor, Kennedy, passed on the info.” She finally looked up from her plate. “I was told to kill Gambit of the X-Men and then I’d be free to go. I was so close!”

Remy frowned at her.

“Well, I was,” she muttered. With nothing else to say, she began to get apprehensive under the stares of the group around her. “I should go. These people will be upset that I failed in my assignment. I don’t think it’ll go any easier for me if I’m still here.”

“Not so fast. I would like to test your special abilities. We take in mutants and help teach them control of their powers. I think you could be a prime candidate. If you stay here, we could also offer some sort of protection,” Xavier said.

Ruby stared at him, the picture of innocence. “What special abilities?”

“You know, ramming Remy into the wall,” Scott said dryly.

“Oh yeah. That.” Ruby turned back to the professor indignantly. “I know how to control my powers, thank you, and I don’t need your help. My life might be hell right now, but it’s all I know. If I thought it would help any, I’d still kill him.” She walked out of the kitchen amid protests with as much dignity as a queen before breaking into a run. She ran out of the mansion, and into the forest surrounding the premises before she realized she had nowhere to go.

“It’s not easy for any of us, petite.”

“Why are you tormenting me? I’m sorry I tried to kill you, all right? Just leave me alone!” She was high on a branch with her arms around her knees. Remy easily jumped up to the branch and sat beside her in silence. Him being that close was grating on her nerves.

“What do you know of my life, huh? I live every day in fear that someday I’ll be killed for not being good enough, or fast enough, or for simply just being. You have choices. You choose to live this lifestyle. I want nothing of it,” Ruby climbed higher into the tree until he could no longer see her.

Remy didn’t push her. What she said brought back a lot of unpleasant memories, and he didn’t want to relive them just now. He was pretty sure that she would come to her senses and accept the X-Men’s help. If not, well, he’d keep tabs on her.

Ruby didn’t know it, but Professor X and Jean were watching her with the wide array of security cameras around the mansion.

“What should we do with her?” Jean asked, “I think there’s a bigger connection between her and Gambit, but she won’t or can’t tell us. I think she’s dangerous to have around.”

“That may be true Jean, but she needs help. I think that someone is after her and probably Gambit too. We don’t abandon our own.”

“We need to get her to cooperate. This could all be a scheme that would just be inviting our enemy to come in and kill us, you know. ” They watched in silence.

Ruby walked in a circle around the whole property, less like the predator than the prey. She looked up and saw the mansion and grimaced. There was no other choice. Even with their help, she may not survive, but without them, she would certainly die. If there was one thing ingrained into her very being, it was survival. There wasn’t another soul in the world she could go to for help.

Wandering around the grounds aimlessly, Ruby found herself back to where she started. Sighing, she made her way back to the boathouse, climbed into Remy’s bed and fell asleep.

“Is she okay?” Rogue asked Remy quietly. They were watching her while going over the workout plans and perimeter surveillance

“She be ok. She needs t’work t’ings out.”

“Are you okay?” Rogue moved closer to him. She stared into the face of the man she had both loved and hated. She realized that she didn’t like him unhappy.

Remy didn’t answer her but watched the girl enter his room. He heard Rogue sigh besides him. “Will she accept our help?”

“Oui. She doesn’ have anywhere else t’ go.” Remy turned away from her before the doubt crossed his face.

 

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