xp_logs | The Mask of Ozymandias: The Final Battle

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This time, Remy, Marie and Ororo show themselves into el-Gibar's headquarters. The three make it clear to el-Gibar that he will give them what they came for and there will be no more discussion.

The keys hit the centre of the desk with a loud jangle. To his credit, el-Gibar didn't even flinch, merely completing the page he was reading and calmly setting it to one side before sweeping the keys into his desk drawer and looking up. The guard that had been on the door was unconscious, and the three mutants stood unaccompanied in the inner part of his home.

Marie was to one side, carrying a heavily-wrapped parcel in her arms. One guard had already found out what a bad idea it was to try and take the package from her, and was going to be nursing a very big headache for his troubles when he awoke. Stepping closer to the desk, 'Ro narrowed her eyes at the old man, only the thinnest veneer of calm on her face now. "We have what you asked for. Now it is your turn to deliver."

A delighted smile spread over el-Gibar's face, as if he wasn't aware of just how much danger he could be in if he didn't cooperate now. "Of course, of course... but first, let me see it."

Marie scowled at the old man. She still remembered the look in his eyes at their first meeting. Gently unwrapping the Quran, she held it up for el-Gibar to see, but did not allow him to touch or hold it. Watching el-Gibar’s eyes fill with greed, she covered the book and took a step back. “Your turn,” she said coldly.

"I heard about al-Sanussi's security troubles. A car bomb, and that inconvenient sandstorm." The old man shook his head and locked his gaze back on the Quran. "I should have known that you'd be successful."

Three unimpressed looks returned his statement. Remy settled his cane, and glowered, finally taking el-Gibar out of his little game and back to business.

"Well, you should all be very proud of yourselves... have you ever considered thievery? Oh wait." el-Gibar laughed, leaning back in his chair. "But yes, you have upheld your end of the deal quite well. And so I suppose it would only be fair that I honor mine. I do indeed know the location of the mask, as well as the two professors who were kidnapped."

"Ah suggest you tell us what you know and stop drawing this out, unless you want to end up like your guard there," Marie said, jerking her thumb towards the doorway. "Only Ah may not be as gentle with you." She was still on a high from the attack earlier and she couldn't force herself to stay silent, even if she was supposed to let 'Ro and Remy do the talking.

Remy smiled thinly. He liked Marie a lot more when she was predatory. Considering both hers and Ororo's high following the heist, it felt like he needed horns and some red clothes to fully round out his 'tempting devil' look.

"Very crass. Very American." el-Gibar started, but the intensely threatening glare from Storm caused him to pause before baiting them further. "Of course, the identity of the mask thief is simple. It was me, or rather my associates, much like the lovely Ororo once was. Watching you steal, child, it was a song on the street; a pure unalloyed joy of what should be."

The atmosphere in the room grew suddenly thicker, the smell of ozone wafting in from nowhere, it seemed. "We will not be delayed any longer," Ororo said, stepping forward until she was at the edge of el-Gibar's desk. "Give us all the information you have and we will leave you the Quran." She pointed to a pen and pad of paper to one side impatiently, and the old man hastily picked up the pen and began to write as the hair at the back of his neck prickled.

The trio make it to Aswan to try and locate the mask. They're too late to snatch it, but do find the Professors and the reason why Magneto wants it so badly.

The Oberoi Hotel had been the finest hotel in Aswan for over a hundred years. Even now, with larger resort hotels built on the island or the cataracts, the hotel still held all the grandour of earlier days. If el-Gibar's information was correct, both the mask and the professors were being held here, in preparation for the exchange with Magneto. Remy hoped they were in time, and more importantly, there before the Brotherhood. A fight between mutants inside the hotel would have a heavy casualty rate, since the Brotherhood weren't hesitant about spreading combat damage around.

It all seemed too easy, and if there was one thing 'Ro didn't trust, it was el-Gibar when he claimed he was telling the truth. Though he had said that he would release the professors to their care, she couldn't help but wonder if the instructions he had relayed to his men after their departure had been vastly different.

"We should split up," she murmured to Remy and Marie as they approached the hotel. "Approach the room from different points... cover the escape routes. We do not have a large enough team to do this the normal way, so we will have to improvise. Marie, you and Remy should go inside, find the professors. I will stay out here and watch the exits."

Marie nodded and turned her attention to the building in front of her. “Ah’ll go in the main door. Ah can probably handle the most hits of any of us, draw the attention to me if they don’t take kindly to our presence.” The slimy feelings she got from el-Gibar had already cemented the idea that things would not be easy for them.

"If de Brotherhood are in dere, splitting up is going to make things hard on de person dat runs into dem." Remy said sourly, unfortunately not seeing many other options. He really didn't like the number of people around, and with his cane, stealth was out of the question on his end.

Still, it was a massive hotel. They'd have any number of ways in and out which even the entire Brotherhood, or any number of thugs el-Gibar might have sent down couldn't cover. Plus they had the room number as well. "Merde. Right, Remy meet up wit' Marie near de room. Dere's got to be a fire exit or something 'round de side."

“Don’t worry sugah, Ah’ll come rescue you if you get in over your head,” Marie drawled sardonically before slipping away. Entering the hotel lobby, she looked to see if anyone reacted to her arrival and then began heading to the designated room.

“Just make sure you on time. Remy already down a leg." Remy said as she left, and hobbled off to go around the building. Trouble was, if they did run into the Brotherhood, it was very likely she would be the one to have to keep him from ending up dead. She'd done well, very well in fact, in the raid on al-Sussani's place. Hopefully that carried over.
------

The only good thing about those two, 'Ro thought as she sat atop a tall building a block away from the hotel, was that their bickering and sparring made the X-Men look like best friends in comparison. As long as they do not let it interfere with the mission, they can bicker all they like. She had a good view from here from most every angle, save one corner of the building that was blocked by the restaurant next door, but luckily she was able to change positions by flying over enough to see the side door that led out to the alley. There was no undue commotion from the hotel yet, and she hoped that meant that everything was going smoothly. Not that it has gone so badly that Marie and Remy have been incapacitated. Banishing those worrisome thoughts, 'Ro shifted and knelt by the edge of the roof, concentrating on the comings and goings of the hotel.

Remy finally reached the end of the hallway, seeing nothing untoward. He wasn't going to approach the door without backup, and couldn't see Marie anywhere. He clicked open his phone.

"Stormy, you see anything from up dere?"

Almost on cue, Rogue walked came into view on the other side of the hallway. She walked up to Remy, adjusting her gloves. "Ah ran into a little bit of company on the elevator. Apparently, Ah'm easy to pick out in a crowd," she said while twirling a strand of white hair around her finger. "Remind me to dye my hair the next time Ah do somethin' like this."

"No, nothi--" 'Ro paused, eyebrows knitting together as a man emerged from the back of the hotel, glancing up and down the small street suspiciously. "Gambit, there's an unidentified man emerging from the hotel – possibly hostile. He seems to be looking for something. Is there any movement on your end?"

"It'd look terrible dyed." Remy said distractedly, still talking to Storm. "If we clear, den we might as well go in. I don't see any way to make dis situation any less dangerous." They were exposed in the hallway, and as bad as pushing through the door was as a plan, it was about the only one they had.

Glancing away from the figure behind the hotel for a moment, 'Ro scanned the area. It seemed quiet – no one was making a break for it, it seemed. "Go ahead," she said to Remy.

Marie paused in front of the door, waiting for Remy’s signal before proceeding. Deciding that ripping the door of its hinges would cause more damage than necessary, she instead reached down and broke the lock. “Open sesame,” she muttered as she pushed the door open.

There was a pair of shocked voices, their shouts loud and harsh in the room. Remy limped behind Rogue, having no chance of keeping up with her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two men sitting on the floor beside a bed, duct tape over their mouths. He also saw the guns coming up, and flung himself sideways, hoping that Rogue was up to the job.

Hoping Remy got himself out of the way, but not counting on it, Marie lifted up to draw the guard’s fire. Landing in between the two men, she knocked the guns out of their hands and delivered a sidekick to one, hearing the crunch of breaking bone. Rogue spun around to deal with the second guard, but wasn’t fast enough and he took the opportunity to attack her. Unluckily for the guard, he hit Marie’s face with a bare fist and after a few moments of skin contact he fell to the ground.

Remy slowly got to his feet, muttering curses under his breath. Marie had taken both of the guards out, without any of them shooting Remy. However, his leg was killing him from the landing on his hip. He limped over to the bed and sat down on it between the two bound men. He took a moment to light a cigarette, looking over to Marie.

"You alright, Marie?"

“~Better than him.~” Did Ah just speak in Arabic? Shaking her head, she pushed the guard’s imprint to the back of her mind. “Ah’m fine,” she said, though her voice was a little weaker than usual. “There are more guards coming, so Ah suggest we hurry things up a bit.”

“Sounds like a plan. Dr Ahmedjad. Dr Rice." Remy broke the handcuff links using a tiny amount of his power and pulled the tape from their mouths. "Who we are isn't important. What we need to know is why both of you are, and what it has to do with a mask dat was old by de time Muhommad was was born."

Both men scrambled to their feet, rubbing the tape from their mouths and sputtering. Remy rolled his eyes at the sudden babble of totally pointless questions. Remy put up his hands. "Enough! You've got a lot of questions, and we've got very little time, neh? As soon as you tell us what we ask, you can get back to your lives."

It was Ahmedjad who responded. "I can guess why they want the mask. As a relic, it's fairly important historically, but more so, the construction of the mask is worth even more."

At both of their confused looked, Dr. Rice finally chimed in. "The mask isn't pure gold, or even the more common gold beaten over bronze. It's Vibranium."

That does not sound like a good thing. The look on Remy’s face further cemented that thought in her mind. “What is that? And where’s the mask?” she asked hurriedly.

"Vibranium is a rare metal. Mostly used in military type things." Remy said quietly. He also knew exactly how expensive it was on the black market. Since the metal was only allowed to be sold to specific licensed facilities, research institutions, and governments, the already expensive metal went to astronomical prices.

"More then just that. The uses of the metal in the military industry are extremely versatile and dangerous. Dr Ahmedjad asked me to research the mask after he'd typed it as being from the tribes in and around what is currently Wakanda." Dr Rice shrugged. "The mask was heavier than it should be, and it didn't take long to sample it and determine it's true nature. On the open market, it's like... it's like offering up thirty-five pound of enriched uranium for sale to the highest bidder. We'd just set up to report it to the government when they took us."

“Oh my god…” Rogue paled, imagining something like that in the hands of Magneto. “We can’t let him get his hands on that. Do you know what he could…what he would do with something like that?” Shuddering at the thoughts in her head, she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps in the hallway.

Remy, on the other hand had his spatial awareness kick in as soon as the man reached the doorway. Even though the near total loss of sight in his left eye had badly limited the range of his power, it hadn't totally change it's effectiveness at close range. The two energized cards flew even as the gun was coming up, the first hitting the man's finger and the second striking him in the temple. The man whipped around and crashed to the floor, his gun going off harmlessly into the wall.

"Dat was de sign dat we need to leave. Where was de exchange for de mask supposed to happen?" Remy said. Both professors looked puzzled.

"We don't know. They mentioned the dam, but not where." Dr Rice's reluctance made sense, since there were two Aswan Dams, the upper and lower, and both of them were long sprawling complexes. Remy cursed.

"We need to get moving, Marie. Professors, here's some money. Find yourself some dinner and call whoever you need to get home. I hope you'll agree to not remember who saved you too exactly." Remy said, pulling on his headset and motioning Marie to leave with him.

"Stormy, we've got a meet at one of the dams somewhere. Tell me you've got your eye on someone?"

"You are in luck," Ororo replied over the comms, her voice a bit muffled. "Several men exited the hotel not long after you went offline and entered a car. I believe they may have connections to el-Gibar. I am tracking them currently from above."

"Dat's what I wanted to hear." Remy was already limping down the hall. "Marie, I hope you a fast driver."

Storm, Gambit and Rogue interrupt the exchange, at the cost of facing one of the most dangerous of the Brotherhood: Sabretooth! After the battle, a surprise none of them could have anticipated waits

It was very difficult to fly stealthily overhead while tracking a carful of goons, especially in the middle of the day. 'Ro didn't think they would be looking in the skies for surveillance, but that didn't make it any less nervewracking as she followed the fast-moving car to the lower damn. After relaying the directions as best she could to Remy and Marie, she began to make her way towards the area where the car had been parked.

She could see several of el-Gibar's men there, standing in a defensive pattern around a central figure holding what she could only assume was the mask. They seemed on high alert, watching for something or someone.But who? Magneto would not come himself, but for something of this importance, it would be foolish to send someone he did not trust completely...

Remy slumped in the car, having hotwired it from the parking lot and getting Marie to drive. His hip and leg were on fire, and going into a combat situation, he couldn't even pop some painkillers to stop the burn. Marie was speeding hard towards the dam. He tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a scheduled area ahead.

"Stop dere, petite. We got to go on foot from here."

The tires screeched as Rogue hit the brakes and pulled off the road. Looking over at Remy, she began to wonder at how he would possibly be able to keep up just getting to the spot at the dam, let alone performing in any type of combat that might arise. “Ah can fly us the rest of the way, it’ll be faster,” she said with a final glance at his leg.

Remy started to say no, and stopped. Demeaning as it was, it would be faster than him lurching along the dam. He finally nodded. "Oui. Drop me off a little outside of de meeting."

Wrapping her arms around Remy, Marie lifted off and flew as quickly as she could in the direction he indicated. Switching on her headset, she continued flying until they were out of sight. “Storm, if you give me a little cover, Ah can get us closer.” Rogue’s voice crackled over the coms.

"Cover approaching," came the reply. Knowing that another sandstorm might well drive their quarry off at this sensitive point, Ororo instead called up a fog from the nearby lake, watching as the mist obscured all but the faintest glimpse of the figures nearby. Hurry, Marie, so we do not lose them.

“Thanks…we’re behind ‘em now. Any sign of who they’re waiting for?” Rogue’s stomach was twisted in knots. While she knew there was little chance Erik would come to something like this himself, the possibility of facing him again was unnerving. Not that the sight of any of his subordinates would be any less intimidating, but she did not have the same history with them.

"Doesn't matter. Drop me here, Rogue. Gambit see if he can surprise dem." Remy touched his ear piece as Rogue descended. "Stormy, de second you see de mask, hit dem. Dat be de signal."

"There is another thing to consider," Storm replied, watching as a huge figure loomed up through the mist. "It seems Magneto has sent an emissary - Sabretooth is here."

Rogue had set Gambit down at his request and flown to hover off to the side. The news that Sabretooth was present was not at all comforting and she could only hope that the element of surprise would give them the upper hand. Afraid to speak when she was so close to the group, she waited in silence. She was anxious for the action to start, but waited to let Remy take the lead.

"Creed's here? Merde! Dat means he's--" Sabretooth suddenly paused in the circle of men, lifting his head to sniff the air. The brutish mutant snarled, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "-likely figured out dat we're here."

Rogue watched Sabretooth bound off in the direction of where she’d dropped Remy.

Sabretooth's nose twitched as he louped forward, and a slight sneer curled his lips. He all but hissed 'Gambit' as he tasted the scent on the wind. Remy saw him coming with a sense of dread. Sabretooth nearly killed him once when he was healthy. Crippled, he wouldn't last long. Remy hoped Storm and Rogue were on their way as he energized a pair of cards and let them fly.

One neatly clipped Sabretooth across the eyes, and the sudden pain and blindness turned his rush clumsy, flailing as he stumbled and giving LeBeau time to lurch out of the way. As he went past, Remy planted his good leg and lashed out, a viperfast blow smashing Sabretooth's right knee and pitching the mutant sideways.

"Should have hit you wit' a bigger truck last time, Creed."

"You still talk too much!" Creed snarled, cupping his face. His eyes were already healed enough to see shapes, and the rest of his senses filled in the details. His knee was shattered, but it wouldn't take more than a few moments to heal.

"Dat's what dey tell me." Remy started throwing cards, still hyper-accurate, but now Sabretooth was moving again. His first few scored heavy blows, rocking the man, but once Creed's knee firmed under him, it was getting harder. Remy pivoted to throw a spread when Sabretooth lept. The cards couldn't stop his momentuem, and even Remy's spatial sense could only keep him from the claws, and not the heavy body that slammed him to the ground.

Remy landed hard, and shot a quick jab that crushed Creed's throat, but the mutant didn't even slow, backhanding LeBeau and driving a knee into his hip. Lights exploded behind Remy's eyes as Creed drove himself into the injured joint, and more when two heavy punches landed on the leg itself. He couldn't stop the scream of pain, only cut off as Creed slammed his head into the concrete and leaned down beside his ear.

"Been years coming, Gambit." He said, breath heavy and blood spoiled in Remy's face. Just as suddenly as he'd hit, Sabretooth's weight was gone, and Remy rolled over to see Rogue bounce Sabretooth off the ground ten feet in front of him.

Come on girl, its just like sparring with Wolverine…except no pulling punches this time. Rogue touched down briefly behind Sabretooth, before leaping up to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head. "Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?" she spat out at him.

The big man stumbled forward but didn't go down, whipping around as soon as he got his feet under him to glare at Rogue. "You've gotta be kidding me," he growled, looking more amused than angry. "A shrimp like you? Don't make me laugh." With those words he charged forward, obviously intending to grab her and show her just how foolish she was being.

Rogue stood her ground. As his arms came out to grab her, she seized each of his wrists, holding them apart. Pushing off the ground, she twisted to flip over his head while holding onto his arms, intending to pull him with her and use the momentum to land him flat on his back.

It seemed the ground shook as he landed, or perhaps it was the mighty gusts of wind coursing around them by this point as elsewhere Storm used the currents to corral several of el-Gibar's men as they tried to get away.

Rotating his hands to seize onto Rogue's arms, Sabretooth gave a vicious pull, still lying flat on the ground. "So you wanna play rough, eh?"

Tumbling forward, she landed hard. That’s gonna leave a bruise. Wincing as she stood, she resisted the urge to quip back at him. This was not the time for sarcasm; she needed to concentrate on hurting him physically. Aiming for his kidneys, she threw her body into the punch.

He grunted as the blow impacted, throwing out a forearm and aiming for her face.

Instead of ducking under his arm, Rogue shifted to the side and lifted off. As she flew over him, she aimed a kick the side of his head, hoping to crack an eardrum. “You gotta be faster than that to catch me.”

Now it was Sabretooth's turn to duck, and he came up roaring. Springing up into the air, he swiped a clawed hand at her, catching her around the arm. "How's that?" he spat triumphantly.

Ugh…Scott would rip me a new one for that. Stop being cocky. She felt her sleeve and glove tear as Sabretooth’s claws scratched her and thinking about Scott gave her an idea. Instead of trying to pull away, she allowed her attacker to pull her towards him. Just as a sadistic smile spread across his face, she reached out to pry his hand off her wrist. Once her arm was free she pushed it against his face, making sure to touch bare skin to bare skin. “Perfect, thank you.”

There was a split second of resistance before Sabretooth's eyes widened and Rogue's powers kicked in. He swayed on his feet, reaching out to grab at her even as he grew weaker.

Rogue’s mind flooded with images that reminded her of those she had gained from Logan in the past. Quickly moving her arm, she ending the contact and the injuries she had obtained began healing. Snarling, she slashed at the arm reaching out to grab her, feeling rage that she couldn’t explain.

Sabretooth didn't move away from the blow, though he did twist enough to keep her skin from coming into contact with his own. His reactions were just a bit slower, a bit weaker than before, though he was still brutally strong and blindingly angry. Snarling back, he continued to tussle with her, not noticing that they seemed to be moving slowly but surely in the direction of the dam.

Rogue wrapped her arms around the man in front of her and they began grappling. Her strategy had gone from organized and efficient to violent and instinctual. Growling, she knocked Sabretooth over and the two began rolling on the ground, oblivious to their surroundings. A cat-like grin spread across her face as she landed blow after blow.

"Give up, girl," he growled, his face inches from hers, his teeth bared in a snarl.

“Well alright, hon. Since you asked me nice,” she said while simultaneously kicking him off of her and towards the edge of the dam.

The bigger mutant had barely a chance to react as the kick sent him towards the edge, and though he scrabbled in the dust for purchase, he found none. With a roar he slid over the edge, disappearing from sight.

Marie rubbed her hands together, watching the dust settle with satisfaction for only a moment before turning to see how Gambit and Storm were faring with the rest. Cursing under breath, she ran to join the fight.

Ororo had been standing back during the fight, using all of her concentration to orchestrate the gusts of wind and waves of sand that periodically came to knock the feet from under both el-Gibar's men and Sabretooth's backup. She and Remy managed to corral them together, though unfortunately now the two groups had a common foe to work against.

Fortunately, Remy had managed to blow the tires on the car that had brought the mask there, so they weren't going to escape that way. Still, 'Ro thought as one of the men dove for a gun that had been knocked from his hands earlier, she would feel much better if the mask was safely out of their hands.

"Remy," she said into the comms, hoping the Cajun could hear her over the whirling sands, "if you can provide me a distraction, I will liberate the mask."
"Done." Remy said, although his voice was sounding strange. He'd gotten to his feet after Sabretooth's attack, but had done most of his fighting from long range. His cards had crippled the truck, but he himself had moved very little.

Remy needed something larger than a card to hold the energy, and found his cellphone in his pocket. With a pain streaked smile, he enfused it and sent it winging back towards the stranded car. The energy tore open the engine, and ignited the gas tank, sending a fireball into the sky and drawing the attention of the remaining men.

Perfect. Lifting off, Ororo rode on a gust of wind toward the now-cowering men, who were scuttling away from the fiery truck as quickly as they could manage. She spotted the tall, goateed man who had been clutching the mask during the entire fight and grinned, swooping toward him. He was so preoccupied with the burning vehicle that he barely saw her, and before he knew it, the mask was gone. He shouted out in Arabic, but by the time the men had lifted their guns she was away again, holding the mask tightly to her chest.

"I have it," she sent to both Rogue and Gambit, the triumph evident in her voice. Overhead, a cloud began to form and tiny drops pelted the ground and the burning tuck.

"Now to get de-" Remy's voice was cut off by the sounds of helicopters exploding into the night air. The six UH-60M Blackhawks appeared like a mirage made real, circling the combat zone and directing high powered searchlights into the area. Remy squinted up into the light, trapped in one spot, and Marie in another.

There was a hissing sound as men began to zipline down off the sides of the helicopters, dropping neatly to the top of the dam and forming a circle around the two of them, weapons at ready. Remy didn't move, using his cane to hold himself upright, and made a motion to Rogue not to move either.

Slowly, out of the mist came a man dressed similar to the other men surrounding them, but not wearing any nightvision goggles. He was black, wearing an eyepatch over an impressive scar over his right eye. He took a long draw off his cigar and smiled.

"Merde." Remy muttered.

"Well as I live and breathe," the newcomer to the fray said after exhaling the smoke from his cigar. "Remy Lebeau. Unless it's still Gambit, these days?" He waved absently with his free hand, and the circle of soldiers loosened, weapons lowering. "Our mole in el-Gibar's circle told us you were in the area, and I almost had him fired for incompetence. Now I think he's earned himself a promotion."

What in tarnation? Rogue’s mind instantly began arguing against obeying Remy’s signal to stay still; instead her brain told her to flee as quickly as she could or attack the newcomers. It was only with the greatest effort that she managed to stay still, though she remained tense. Even when the guns were lowered, she remained in a defensive fighting stance, not trusting this unknown man who seemed to know Remy a little too well for her tastes.

"No one had de decency to have you killed yet, Fury? Dat's a pity." Remy's voice was calm, almost bored, but he was sweating heavily in the desert night's cool. "See you brought de kids wit' you. Dis your weekend to have dem?"

"Oh, the missus and I got back together, hadn't you heard?" Fury replied, cigar bobbing in his mouth. "And we've been taking a real close look at the state of the neighborhood. Some real disreputable types lurking around, and you know what that does for property values. So I suppose you'll be having the lady there hand me that mask nice and slow, right, Lebeau?"

"Stormy, I think dat dey on to you." Remy said into his comm.

Marie began counting the men…she could probably take out most of them, but with Remy injured, she wasn’t sure they’d be able to take on the entire force surrounding them. Not when Storm needed to get as far away as she could before whoever this was got their hands on the mask. Not wanting to act too soon, Rogue continued watching to see if Remy could talk their way out of this.

Ororo touched down some distance away from the men and the helicopters, still holding onto the mask. She noticed the way the weapons followed her every movement - escape was not an option. "Remy, who are these people?" she asked over the comms, eyeing them warily. "And what business do they have with the mask?"

"Dis is General Nick Fury. What are you now? CIA, wait, non, you wit' dat SHIELD thing." Remy scowled. Having Fury suddenly appear was not something he could have predicted. It had been pressure from SHIELD investigating rumours of LOSTBOYS that had led to the shutdown of the program, and the psychic surgery on Remy's brain. "Now why he out in de middle of de desert... dat's something dat I'm sure he 'bout to fill us in on, neh?"

"Be glad to, Remy," Fury said, motioning for his men to back off a bit further. "That mask there contains an alloy of bronze, copper, and vibranium. Specifically, that's about fifteen pounds of vibranium metal that lady's holding there. I don't expect you're a regular Scientific American subscriber, but you can guess what a lump that size goes for on the research market. All kinds of research, Remy. Medical, engineering, seismic - military research. The kind we would like to make sure is as difficult for Magneto as possible. Which is why we're making sure that mask is in our hands instead of his."

Rogue relaxed minutely as the armed men moved a little farther away, but continued eyeing Fury suspiciously. How does he know all of that? And why would the mask be any safer in his hands?

"I'm going to guess de Egyptian government is going to have to accept it's gone missing den, neh?" Fury nodded. Remy sighed and waved at Ororo, who grudgingly handed the mask over the SHIELD agent that approached. The guns dipped slightly, making it obvious that Gambit and the two X-Men weren't exactly targets, at least for now.

A helicopter touched down and Fury made a sharp gesture. The agents began to move back to their transport, and Fury himself walked towards his, taking only a second to throw a 'be seeing you' over his shoulder at LeBeau. As fast as they'd arrived, the helicopters where gone, leaving the three mutants staring at each other.

Rogue was the first to break the silence. “Did that really just happen?”

Remy nodded tiredly. "No idea how de hell Fury found out 'bout dis." He saw Storm and Rogue's puzzled looks. "He's de head of SHIELD. It's de top intelligences agencies in de United States, and one of de most secret. Answers only to de president and de Intelligence Committee or something. Dat means if he wants de Mask, we give it to him, or de Professor likely get an earful from de President tomorrow."

"At least it's out of Magneto's hands, and somewhere safe." Ororo said, shaking her head at the seeming futility of all their efforts. "Let's go home."

Both started to walk, and stopped when Remy didn't follow. His face was
still pale, and sweat was dripping off of it, despite the cool night air. "I can't walk." He said quietly, only now letting the pain slip in. "Creed... my leg won't move."

Rogue walked to where Remy stood, torn between feeling pity for the Cajun and feeling smug about his predicament. She lifted him in her arms, careful to avoid direct skin contact and resisted the urge to throw him over her shoulder. “Don't get the wrong idea, sugah.”

"Remy try and remember dat." He said, grateful for her strength. "So Stormy just led you into a life of crime. Dat's something to tell de kids." It was a weak quip, and he let himself droop as they carried him out of there.

"Ah just wish Ah had something to show for it." She didn't want to admit to Remy that she had enjoyed her fleeting venture into crime as much as she had. It felt odd, all the work the three had done, and to end up with nothing. It all seemed almost anticlimatic - they had done so much, and then the mask was out of their hands the instant they got it.

Noticing the pained look on Remy's face with every step, she floated the rest of the way to the car. "We need to get you checked out," she said while looking him over, feeling guilty that she had been able to rid herself of all her injuries.

"I'll be fine. Just need some rest." Remy winced , feeling little flashes of fire shoot up and down his leg. Storm took to the air, heading to the car ahead of them, to pick up the pair. Remy managed a small grin at the likely expression on her face when she realized it was hotwired and stolen. Good to get her back into her element. Marie steadied him as his knee buckled momentarily.

"You did good, petite." He said finally, his voice hushed against the sounds of the Nile, being separated and reformed as it thundered through the dam. "Keep you cool in de fight, de con job, even when Remy offered to sell you. Dat takes both brains and control to ride a situation like dat. Trust you at my back any time, from now on."

They walked for a moment in silence. "Also, you tell anyone dat Remy told you dat, I'll find and kill you in your sleep."