Relative Motion - REVIEW THIS STORY

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

Chapter 3

Remy was sitting on the roof downing a six-pack of beer. He stared out at the great expanse of land surrounding the mansion. Caring for Ruby rubbed him the wrong way when he analyzed it. He was a man who lived his life minute to minute, enjoying the finer things, not worrying about some kid who had appeared out of no where. Also, he survived the streets as a child, and knew the type of things that happened. Remy thought he had grown immune to the pain of others. He had never had anyone worry about him, thus didn’t concern himself overly about anyone else.

‘Damn. Overnight I’m into a mess dat I prayed would never happen again. How did dat little girl wind herself so tightly around my soul?’ Gambit took a deep drag on the cigarette before plucking it from his mouth, charging it with energy, and watching it explode as he threw it off the roof. He remembered when he met Nathaniel Essex, who was posturing as a doctor. Remy was barely out of boyhood:

“You have a lot of potential, boy. I could help you. You could be the most powerful mutant on the planet.” The doctor’s eyes began to glitter, and Remy felt uneasy.

“Non. I got other t'ings t’ do.” His tone was haughty. As he started to walk away, he felt himself being spun around. The face he stared into wasn’t human. The sixteen-year-old felt his arrogance drain away.

“I think that you should reconsider.” The doctor waved his hand, and they both disappeared. The next thing he knew, they were in some sort of lab.

Remy shook himself out of the nightmare. The time after that was hell on earth, full of pain and misery that he chose not to revisit.

“Ya all right, sugah?” Rogue settled down on the roof next to him. Their relationship was rocky at best, but she never really stopped caring about him. No matter how hard she tried.

“Jus’ t’inkin’. What are you doin’ up so late, chere?”

“Ah couldn’t sleep. I saw ya up here.”

Gambit turned to her. His eyes locked with her wide green ones, and he found himself falling for her again. He brushed her chestnut hair back from her face, being careful not to touch her skin, and just stared. He loved her, he hated her, and he needed her more than he cared to admit. He turned away.

“I got t’ go, chere.”

Ruby lay on the mattress limp and lifeless. Sinister had pumped her full of drugs to get her compliance once he learned that a few broken bones didn’t help. She didn’t know how long she had been there. A young boy had been assigned to bring her food and clothing, but other than that, she saw no one but Sinister. It had been a month since the night of the attempted assassination, but it felt more like forever.

 “Ruby, you’re progressing very nicely,” Mr. Sinister said, studying a chart tracking the changes in her body. The treatments he gave her were very painful, and she was soon dependent on the daily shot that made living bearable. Nothing else was happening to her, as far as she could tell.

“Hate you.” She was quite pleased with herself. It took a great deal of concentration to mutter that phrase. Much to her consternation, Mr. Sinister laughed, a truly horrible sound.

“The second part of my experiment is nearly in place. You will be more than anybody has ever dreamed of, and you will have me to thank.” He gave her the shot, and then locked the door to her cell on his way out. She sighed in relief as the stabbing sensation in her side faded away to a mere throbbing. She regained feeling in her face and feet once again. There was nothing else to look forward to day in and day out. Ruby cried as she contemplated her life within the five by five cell forever.

The boy came silently into the room with a tray of food. He unlocked her shackles so she could feed herself, and then turned to leave.

“Wait!” Ruby said in a voice barely above a whisper. It hurt to talk.

The boy looked up at her, and cocked his head to one side in question. His flat brown eyes locked on hers. He was slightly bigger than Ruby, but looked younger. His light blonde hair framed his face like a halo, and his washed out features made his general look unremarkable.

“Don’t leave. Stay. Please?” Ruby longed for human contact, even if it was this dull-witted child. He seemed to understand her, and he moved to the mattress on the floor and sat beside it. He looked at her with curiosity in his eyes, but didn’t speak.

Can you talk to me? I don’t want to be alone. What's your name? Ruby was tired, so she reverted to mind-speak. She didn’t expect anything from him, but his presence was helping.

“How did you do that?” His voice was deep and solid. He seemed just as surprised as Ruby at the sound.

I dunno. I just think it. I can hear you if you answer me in your head. This seemed to worry the boy, as he looked intently at the door.

My parents called me Alex. I was brought here when I was nine years old, and I haven’t been outside since. I don’t talk because it’s easier to go unnoticed. It’s the safest thing. Why are you here? I saw what they did to you. Don’t fight them, please?

Ruby sat thoughtfully. She didn’t want to give in gracefully, but she didn’t want to suffer the consequences either. She knew that she would have been killed a long time ago if that had been their intention. On the other hand, she didn’t know if she could live through very many more of the “tests” that Sinister liked to put to her. Then again, she could try to hold on to hope of a rescue.

Yeah right. Who’s going to rescue me? The only people who’ve shown even the slightest kindness to me, I had to go and try to kill. Damn! I hate being me.

Alex patted her arm to get her attention. He was pointing to the dinner lying untouched. Sighing, she began to eat. They fed her intravenously when she refused to eat that first week. She hated needles more than anything. The food was pretty good, anyway.

Will they be looking for you soon? Ruby asked, picking at the lasagna on her plate. She was upset at the thought of losing her new companion.

No. They won’t miss me until it’s time to bring your next meal. There’s something I should tell you. It’s true that those who try to escape Sinister die, but there was one who did. I was around twelve when he was brought here, and he caused such chaos here. Sinister did the same kind of tests he does on you, but this guy gained more and more power until even Sinister could barely restrain him. He tried to get me to come with him, but I was afraid. I knew what Sinister was capable of, and so I doubted that we’d make it. He did though.

Ruby felt a glimmer of hope. Surely she could get out if this kid did. Who was he?

They called him Gambit.

"We found her!" Jean yelled from the war room, collapsing into a chair behind her. Jean, Storm and Gambit had been working around the clock to get a trace on Ruby. Weeks had passed since she had disappeared from the mansion, and they were physically and emotionally exhausted. Storm and Gambit lifted their heads from the endless data that spewed from the computer and dragged themselves to their feet. "She's in San Francisco."

The X-Men headed towards the Blackbird, and set a course to the City by the Bay.

Sinister watched the mutated cells evolve on the screen in front of him. They seemed to multiply and change both shape and color.

"Fascinating," he said to himself as he recorded the changes. The girl was finally beginning to understand who was in charge, which made data collection a lot easier. The power the girl would have could be unlimited, but he would be in charge, of that he had no doubt.

"Boss, the mutants are approaching the vicinity," Scandal reported. "They should be here in about an hour, right according to plan."

"Finally, the pawns are finally moving in for me to finish off the kill. We must not let our guests be disappointed. Alert the team, get to your positions, and bring me the girl!"

Remy glanced around the city of San Francisco, but didn't really see anything. He felt old as he returned to play a game in which his opponent held all the cards.

"This way, Remy," Storm said, lightly placing her fingertips on his arm. She was concerned for him. He had been not been himself ever since Ruby had complicated their lives.

In the middle of a harsh neighborhood stood a pristine medical facility. Scott looked at the building skeptically. "Isn't this a little obvious?"

"Just t’ us, homme," Remy said. They found a way in through the sewers, and tried to plan the most effective way to accomplish their goals. It was difficult without knowing the schematics, but they were the X-Men, thus they prospered against the odds.

They crawled through the narrow spaces that the sewer offered, following endless corridors, unsure of the final destination.

"They're right through there," Wolverine said, motioning to a door that blended in nicely with the grime and age.

The attack was not unexpected, so the X-Men moved fluidly into action. Breaking into pairs, they took out the concentrated attack. Scott and Jean took on Kennedy, who was holding her own. As Jean surrounded her in a telekinetic bubble, Scott shot to disable. Kennedy was teleporting away before the blow came, though. Kimoto was dancing around Logan and Storm, doing more taunting than actual fighting. Wolverine was getting more and more frustrated as he used his super-speed to get away from his claws. Storm was trying to sweep him up in a whirlwind, but Kimoto would run over to Scott or Jean, making it impossible for her to keep him still without ruining her teammates skirmish. Rogue was fighting to get close to Scandal, who secreted a liquid that made his enemies freeze for a few seconds. With this power, he was successfully stopping Rogue from charging him, and he was able to get a few hits on her. Rogue was quickly adapting though, and when he missed his target, Scandal was wishing he called in sick. Beast was waiting on the plane, on call if things got too difficult or ready to leave at the drop of a dime. While his teammates worried about the immediate attack, Remy rushed into the main room of the lab to search for Ruby.

"Finally, the guest of honor arrives!" The door behind Remy slammed shut, leaving him and Sinister alone.

"Where is she?" Remy said through clenched teeth. Two cards glowed faintly from the energy he gave them. Hatred emanated from him as he faced Sinister.

"She's here, of course." Sinister didn't move from the computer as he looked upon Gambit with a mixture of contempt and boredom. He turned back to the computer and mixed some liquid in test tubes.

Remy let the cards fly. Instead of hitting Sinister, they hit the equipment behind him. Sinister had to get out of the way as an explosion tore through the room, but he shot back at Remy as he dodged the medical machinery and flames. Behind them, adamantium claws tore through the steel doorway that was separating the rest of the X-Men from the main event, but neither Remy nor Sinister noticed them. A full-blown battle began dismantling the lab around them as both sides became more intense.

Scandal was up and running again as he froze his enemies for Kimoto, who ran full tilt into them. Phoenix hit Scandal with a psi-bolt and knocked him off balance, and then Scott shot an optic beam at him then knocked him out. The X-Men were far superior to Sinister's group and they were quickly running through whoever was thrown at them.

Quietly, Quickblade carried Ruby through the shadows and laid her out on the steel table, then crept away to safety. He went unnoticed as the other occupants were engaged in serious battle. His left hand was still useless to him, but he was still very valuable to his boss. He saw something glittering on the table and he went to pocket it. Blending into the shadows, he awaited the signal.

"Ruby!" The harsh whisper was torn from Remy's lips as he abandoned the assailant he was facing and ran to her side. She was thrashing around on the table and moaning as if in pain. He shook her carefully, trying to wake her from the nightmare that had ensnared her. 

Ruby couldn't quite focus on what was happening around her. Her head felt heavy and all she wanted to do was fall asleep. Something was different then the other times she was there, but Ruby couldn't bring herself to care. "If only that guy would stop shaking me…" she thought, her brow furrowing in irritation. Remy reached to pick her up when a cold voice stopped him.

"If you take her now, she'll be dead before you reach the plane." Sinister's voice resonated off of the high ceilings. Jean held Sinister prone using her telekinetic shield, but the strain was getting to her. Everyone stopped to look at them before continuing the fight.

The syringe. I need it. Remy grimaced as Ruby's voice faded in his head. He saw the needle lying on the counter, and examined it carefully. He weighed the effects of the giving her the shot, but Ruby decided for him. The needle was yanked out of his grasp. Ruby laid her arm out for the injection and cringed at the pinch as the needle slid home. He didn't wait another second to scoop her up and head towards the door.

"Don't leave yet. You're going to miss the best part." He barely heard the mocking voice. He didn’t notice the stillness around him. He didn’t see Sinister just standing there, making no attempt to stop him. The rest of the X-Men were close, but in front to make sure the way out was smooth. Remy was two steps to the door when his neck began to throb. Pushing aside the pain, he continued to move out into the bright day to where the Blackbird was waiting.

"Ruby?" Red on black eyes peered down at the girl who was staring up at him with wonder in her eyes. She smiled a bit.

"Is it over?"

Remy nodded tiredly.

Ruby looked away. “Thank you, you know, for helping me.” He didn’t answer, so she forced herself to look back. He was grinning.

“Was dat hard?”

“God, yes!” His smile was infectious, though, and she grinned as well as she gave him a hug. She still felt so weak, but somehow she knew that it was going to be okay.

Remy helped her lie back down and then relinquished her to Hank to make sure that everything was okay. Ruby gasped as he turned around.

"Gambit, may I suggest that you sit down," Hank said calmly. He yanked out the needle protruding from his neck just as Remy passed out.

"Finally, my plan will finally be tested and I will have the weapons to carry out my whims. LeBeau and that girl will be mine…when the time is ready!" Two glowing eyes watched as the plane flew away overhead.