Drop of Nightshade
Jul. 29th, 2006 12:54 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsRemy and Lorna arrive in New Orleans to discover what the situation is. Tnate Mattie has a surprise for Lorna from remy's past.
It was hot and muggy in New Orleans. The air outside was a soup of humidity, making them both glad for the air conditioning in the rental car. Their flight from France had been quiet, mostly spent dozing or talking softly about all types of inconsequential matters, building new associations between each other. Remy had spoken very little about the Guilds, telling Lorna that he wanted to get an idea of what Tante had in mind before explaining everything to her so it all made sense. However, even just getting off the plane and into the car, he'd commented on how the city felt wrong; something deadly in the atmosphere. That was why he'd replicated his limp, and hidden his now clear vision behind a pair of sunglasses.
The car rolled to a stop out front of an innocuous looking suburban house. Remy awkwardly got out, steadied himself on the cane, and limped to the trunk, pulling out a small bag that contained his computer and communications equipment. He came around to join Lorna at her door.
"You sure dat you don't just want to go back to de mansion? Dis is my obligation, chere. Not yours."
Lorna slipped her wide-brimmed hat on her head and adjusted her sunglasses. Her shoulder was hurting her more than usual today so she was cheating more than a little, using her powers to open and close the door. "Oh, but I'm here already and it would be a shame to waste the trip," she said lightly, like this was all just a vacation. It was remarkably convincing but tinged with just enough steel that he would get the idea that he wasn't going to shake her and he needed to stop trying.
Women. Remy waved a hand towards the house. "Welcome to de home of de voodoo queen. It's not as impressive as de home in de swamp." The house he'd pointed out was almost ridiculously normal, only the signs in the one window indicating 'psychic' showed anything out of the ordinary. They started up the walk, Remy using his cane and mimicking his former limp.
At the door, a black woman stood, arms folded across her ample chest and a glare directed at Lorna. "Thought dat you coming alone, LeBeau?"
"Janelle. Dis is Lorna. Remy sure dat you not going to be friends. Where's Tante?"
Lorna tipped down her sunglasses and grinned before sliding them back up. She said nothing because there wasn't much to say.
"She's inside, waiting for you. Had to cut it close, didn't you, LeBeau. Got no sense for anyone but yourself and--" Remy cut her off with a wave.
"Janelle, Remy looking forward to having a long screaming match wit' you, but right now, I need to see Tante." Janelle finally stood aside, allowing Remy and Lorna to pass. Lorna got another poisonous look as they stepped in, before Janelle stormed off upstairs. "She's a little jealous, chere."
Lorna gave him a sweet smile, "Why? Do you suppose she wants my hat? It is a very nice hat. Keeps the sun off my face and everything." Being in pain tended to make Lorna just a bit contrary and if he was going to state the obvious, well, he'd have to deal with her vagaries of mood. Once inside she gave a curious look around.
Women.
The inside the house was as normal as the outside, certainly looking like anything but the home of a powerful witch. They found Tante in the kitchen, sitting at the table and leafing through a newspaper. She gave Remy a level look as he stepped in.
"Jah late, LeBeau. Jah know how dat vexs me."
"Nothing to be done 'bout it, Tante. Still here before dat meeting. You going to tell me what de hell is going on?"
"Where's jah manners? Drag de femme all de way down New Orleans and leave her at de door? Jah got less sense den ever." Tante passed over a stack of papers to Remy and waved him away. "Jah go work through dat while Tante meets jah guest."
Lorna slipped off her glasses and hooked them into in her blouse, using the time to muddle her way through Tante's incomprehensible accent, before offering her hand to the older woman, "I'm Lorna. It's nice to meet you finally. I appreciate the recipes you sent, they're marvelous."
"Jah welcome. Seemed de thing to do. All dem at dat school too skinney. 'specially dat Doug. Boy like dat needs some meat on him." Tante gave Lorna a wide smile, bright white against the darkness of her face. "And jah, Lorna Dane, finally came down wit' him to de swamp. Tante was waiting ta see which way jah choose."
"I like to throw some of them into the meal rotation every now and then to see what the kids do. Doug, of course, isn't at the school anymore. But hopefully he's still eating properly. Probably not though." Lorna smiled back politely, "You have a lovely home, ma'am." She ignored the comments about choosing. She didn't particularly find it any of the other woman's business.
"Dis is a place for de femmes. My home is in de bayou. Sure dat Remy tell jah 'bout it sometime." Tante's smile never wavered. "Jah know dis place is dangerous right now. Come down wit' dat one, and jah going to make his enemies yours."
Lorna's smile sharpened just a bit. She didn't like Tante trying to scare her off any more than she had Remy. "Well, you know, it's just another day in the life, right? I'm sure Remy gave you a little bit of my history so you'll know this isn't exactly the first time I've been surrounded by absurd amounts of humidity and people with sinister intentions. Lucky me I can do it with one hand strapped behind my back. Or, well, to my side."
"I know dat jah danced wit' de Baron before, childe. Still got his darkness inside jah, clear ta tell. And dat one in de other room, him got de scent of it all round. Dey loa can see dat too." Tante's voice hadn't changed, and her smiled hadn't moved, but the bright kitchen seemed to darken slightly, an oppressive edge threading it's way in. "Jah come down here, jah stay wit' dat one, jah going to face dat dance again."
Tante got to her feet, the ominous tone disappearing. "Coffee?"
Lorna blinked then smiled and nodded, "Please. I don't care that most people would say it's insane to drink coffee in this heat. It's coffee, that makes it perfectly sane." Tante reminded her vaguely of her Aunt Regina--great aunt really. Except Aunt Regina would have mentioned Rapture by now. But then again, Aunt Regina was insane.
"Dis place built on de heat. Sunk right into de blood and de bone. Everyone come down here can feel it." She passed over a bright yellow mug, with a picture of New York City on the side. She didn't bother to ask about cream or sugar. Precognition had it's advantages. "What 'bout you, Lorna Dane? Can jah feel de fires 'round jah?"
"Sorry, I'm as headblind as they come." She accepted her coffee with a serene smile, "But I'm from California. I like the heat. It's the humidity that's the awful part. I don't really like chewing my oxygen, you know."
"Dat right?" Tante Mattie sat back down, settling serenely into her chair. Her look was appraising, measuring Lorna it seemed. Finally, she took a sip from her mug, breaking the gaze. "Alright, LeBeau. Jah can quit sneaking 'round de door to listen. Jah know dat everyone safe here."
Remy stepped out from the doorway, not looking abashed but certainly less cocky than normal. He slid into one of the free chairs, stroking his fingers across Lorna's back as he passed her. It was an odd combination of emotions that Tante seemed to inspire in LeBeau. For a man normally expert in controlling his features, with her the mixture of respect, fear and almost familial affection was obvious on his face. "Remy was just coming in. Dis all accurate?"
"To de letter."
"Den someone finally managed to set off a full blown Guild war. Merde. You right. Dis meeting is going to be 'bout pinning things on you if dey can."
Lorna settled back in her chair, sipping her coffee with the slightly distracted air of someone hearing but politely not listening to a conversation. It was just a pose, of course, not something she even realized she was doing but it effectively removed her from the conversation, making her just part of the background. She wasn't going to try to sort out the Guild politics that Remy had touched on with her. She was really only here to make sure he didn't get himself killed.
"It all starts at dat meeting. Jah will be attending."
Remy nodded. "Dere's still more to play out on dis. Someone is looking to provide a little more theater for dis, and based on de location of de meeting at de Boudreaux estate, Remy willing to bet dat it's coming straight from Belladonna herself. I should have seen it coming."
"And do jah have a plan ta deal wit' jah wife?"
Lorna choked on her coffee.
"Jah sure dat not too... hot for jah, dear?" Tante said innocently, while Remy covered his eyes with his hand.
The look that Lorna gave Remy probably could have peeled paint from the wall, "No, I'm fine. Just went down the wrong pipe is all. I have a terrible drinking problem."
"Got a feeling dat Remy could use one right 'bout now." Remy muttered, getting up from his chair. "Tante, I'll be at de party tonight. Until we know all de facts, dere's no way to make a plan yet. Lorna, you 'bout ready to go?"
Lorna nodded and rose, setting her coffee mug down on a coaster near to hand. "Thank you for the coffee, ma'am. It was nice to meet you." Her smile was perfectly congenial as she held out her hand to Tante again.
"Tante be seeing jah 'fore too long." Mattie smiled at her as she shook her hand. Remy escourted Lorna out the through the door, ignoring Janelle's dark glare as they walked out. Once they were out in the front yard, Remy turned to her.
"I get de feeling dat you upset, chere."
Lorna tilted her head to the side, "If I'd known I was going to meet the missus, I'd have worn something a little more appropriate to the role of woman on the side. There's a dress code you know. It's part of the Girl Code. All Other Women have to dress trashy."
"First of all, Belladonna is Gambit's wife. And if all goes well, you not going to be anywhere near her." Remy protested. It was funny the little things that having twenty years of history dumped into your brain caused you to forget to mention.
Lorna didn't glare at him. She considered that too good for him right now. "I suppose I have no room to complain. After all, the last time I was here to see you, I was still engaged." She shoved her sunglasses over her eyes and adjusted her hat. "I have a headache."
"Lorna, de two things aren't de same. You know de kinds of things dat Gambit did. Is it really dat big a shock dat he married a sixteen year old for sex and information, in exchange for killing her brother." Remy shock his head. "You told me dat I was better den Gambit. Dat only apply to de thousands of people dat he killed, but I'm still at fault for his love affairs?"
"You're married. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but that means something to me." She opened the car door without waiting for him to unlock it. "I don't want to talk about this anymore.
"I am not married." Remy climbed into the car, wondering exactly how things had suddenly gone so wrong, so fast. "If dis is going to get technical, de marriage took place under Guild law almost ten years ago. Dere's no legal basis for it. De only reason dat Gambit did it was to get access to de Guilds for de Agency. It didn't mean anything to him, it's didn't mean anything to Belladonna, and it certainly doesn't mean anything to me."
Lorna took a deep breath and shook her head. "I really don't want to talk about this, Remy. You're not Gambit but there are certain things that I think follow you and people are one of them. You have a wife and you never told me. We'll discuss it later after everything is settled." She rubbed at her temple, "I need some hair dye. I'm assuming that you don't want people to know that you have an X-Man with you."
"You right. Wouldn't want dem to follow me to, would we?" Remy said, with more anger than he'd intended. They settled into a sullen silence as he left Tante's home for the inner city and the details that needed to be settled before the meeting this evening.
They both travel to the home of the Assassin's Guild for the big announcement.
The Boudreaux estate was lit up like a party was going on, long lines of cars weaving through the front to be parked by valets who darted between them like insects. Remy handed over the keys and opened the door for Lorna. He'd finally stopped doing a double take on the brown hair, although since she was doing her best to avoid looking at him at all, it didn't matter much. He carefully quashed the mixture of anger and hurt, pushing past it to focus on the matter at hand.
The Boudreaux House had been the centre for the Assassin's Guild since it's construction in the mid-ninetienth century. Despite the rich, fashionable exterior, Remy could picked out the guards hidden on the grounds and on the roof. It doubled as an effective fortress, even when not full of highly trained killers. That was why Remy had decided to keep his cane. At least he could hold on to surprise.
Brown hair and wrap designed to disguise the way her arm was held closely to her side. It wasn't much of a disguise but then she wasn't the dangerous one here as far as anyone knew. While she'd been dyeing her hair, she'd though a great deal about why she was here and what her role would be. These people killed as a matter of course. The man beside her would do the same without hesitation. Lorna…was capable of the same--that much she knew--but making the decision to do it, that she didn't know if she could.
Lorna followed Remy, a step behind, eyes downcast. She didn't need them to sense all the shifting forms around her. Her best bet as back up was to not be noticed.
Remy handed his papers to the man at the door and they were both waved through. Lorna's official cover was as one of Tante's business associates, which explained both why she was there with Remy and why no one would know her. He had continued with the charade of his injury, limping badly through the front and into the foyer. A group of servers instructed them to the ball room.
"I don't see Arlan." Remy muttered to Lorna as they walked in.
"Maybe he's making an entrance?" Lorna replied quietly, mostly to acknowledge that she'd heard. She paused as they entered the ballroom then gave him a quick glance. "I'll wait over here. Be careful."
"I'll meet you in a minute." Remy turned and threaded through the crowd. There were a number of mutters, and more than a few black looks sent his way. Something ugly was starting here. Remy's phone buzzed, and he fished it out, looking at the text message.
TRAP. BD SETUP. TAKEOVER GOING ON.
Arlan. That's why he wasn't here. In fact, Remy noticed the Thieves Guild much more lightly represented than the other clan. Merde. He limped back over to Lorna quickly.
"We've got trouble."
She went cold but did no more than nod. "Imagine that." Lorna took a deep breath and sighed. "Great. Well, this is your party. What's the etiquette for trouble?" Something about being in a room full of criminals made her wry. This was probably something to discuss with a therapist. If she ever got another therapist.
"Very quick Guild breakdown. De heads of all five guilds were killed two weeks ago. De interrum heads have been moving to all out war. Dat's never happened before. Looks like de Boudreaux family, dat's de Assassin's Guild, has called dis big meeting to address de situation." Remy looked around and scowled. "However, dere's only a few D'Armades here; Thieves Guild. Dat means something's already happening."
Remy edged them both closer to the wall. "I see de Baptiste's, de Garvious, and de Marceaux in force. Courtiers, or power brokers, Forgers, and Whores Guilds. Something has just happened to de fucking Arrangement."
Lorna's eyes widened, "You're telling me the criminals are about to have an all out war? Oh for the love of God. Your city is insane, Remy." Her initial impulse was to suggest that they get the hell out of the line of fire but if this idiotic system was about to go down then there would probably be innocent people in the line of fire and she couldn't walk away from that. "So how do we stop it?"
"I don't know. De backroom players have completely shifted. What worries me is de fact dat de guilds have always avoided dis because fractured, de Carrib community ends up wit' all de power in de city." Remy's eyes flicked around the room. "If dey ready to push things dis far, it means dey got a plan to deal wit' de hougans, and dat means Tante too."
She'd never seen him quite this nervous and it wasn't helping her one bit. "We need a plan, Remy. I'll go back to Tante. I don't care how witchy she is, she can get assassinated just like anyone else."
"She's vulnerable in de city." Remy nodded. "Merci, chere. You'd better get going. De second dey start dis announcement, dis place going to be locked up tight. I'll stay here. Dey already know dat I'm through de door. I should be able to buy you some time."
Lorna nodded, hesitated a second, grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. "I'll see you soon." She let go and started to thread her way through the crowds again and out into the still warm, sultry night.
Remy watched her disappear through the crowd, knowing that eyes would be on him now. For now, he was stuck here, seeing how things played out. At the very least, their attention on him would mean they'd assume he was Tante's protection, and would try to deal with him first.
It was only a few minutes before people began filing out of one of the back rooms, and took up stations at the small podium set up at the far end of the room. Remy recognized several of them; Henri Baptiste, looking old and tired. Marcel Garvious, for once without his wife. Marie Marceaux, usually never found in the company of the others. Mutters began around the room immediately.
Finally, a shatteringly attractive blonde stepped to the podium; Belladonna Boudreaux-LeBeau. Obviously, she was orchestrating all of this.
"Good evening." She said, taking her place. The room quieted, both due to the start of her speech, and the appearance of guards at all of the doors.
"For the last five weeks, the Guilds have been plagued by attacks and losses from an unknown source. Because of these attacks, we have fallen to fighting amoungst ourselves. The Arrangement, which for three hundred years has defined our society is close to being torn asunder." More murmurs went through the crowd, a bit of surprise at someone finally addressing the issue they'd been dancing around for a month now.
"Worst of all, the heads of all five Guilds were killed in a cowardly fashion, just as they were attempting to bring peace to our city. These were not just the leaders of the guilds. They were friends, relatives, fathers." Belladonna paused for a moment, seeming to collect herself. "My father was killed that night. I am not alone in that fact. Since then, with the help of the other guilds, we have been investigating the incident and our own people. We have the names of those who are responsible."
Belladonna paused again, looking to the others who nodded, indicating she should go on. "I name Arlen D'Armade and the Thieves Guild responsible for the breach of the peace. His actions were supported by members of each guild, to my shame, even my brother Daniel. Most importantly, his plot could only happen with the help of the Caribbean community. I name Mattie Devereaux as his accomplice."
The guards moved forward, and seized the few D'Armades who had attended the announcement, forcing them off the floor amidst their protests. "We have come together to survive this crisis. The Arrangement has been sundered, We will make a new one. As of now, the five guilds all will support and accept the decisions of a council, made up from each of the guilds. Until this war is over, we need to function as a united entity or we will parish. As the new head of the Assassins Guild, I have been asked to assume the chair of the council. In this capacity, my first declaration is the orders for the capture of the identified Thieves Guild members who are at large, so they can face the justice of the Council."
Belladonna stepped away from the podium, to measured applause. Remy stayed were he was. The play was brilliant. She'd managed to assume total control in weeks, as opposed to years. His ex-wife was a lot smarter than he remembered. It wouldn't be long before she sent for him.
Remy tries to delay the Assassins long enough for Lorna to reach Tante.
The four men sent to 'collect' Remy for their meeting had the professional look of assassins; not Daniel's thugs but the upper tier professionals that had made the Guild famous. They moved with easy grace beside his limping form. Each held a machine pistol, closely covering Gambit as they ushered him into a sitting room.
It was lushly appointed, the overt wealth of Boudeaux family on display. He declined a seat, leaning heavily on his cane instead. Withen a few moments, the door opened again, and Belladonna Boudreaux-LeBeau stepped in.
"Hope dat you brought de coffee. De rest of you waitstaff seem to need more training." He indicated the guards dismissively.
The woman smiled thinly, her green-eyed gaze never wavering from Remy's face as she neared him. "After all this time, have you finally been domesticated, cher? I never thought I'd live to see the day... nor you." Her voice was low, pitched in just a way to send shivers down a man's spine. In fact, everything about her seemed to be arranged in such a way as to maximize her assets... but then, Belladonna had never been one to turn down any available weapon.
Dressed as she was in a form-fitting dress that nevertheless allowed her full freedom of movement, she was obviously intended for Remy to notice. She sized him up quickly enough, her full lips curving in a slight sneer as she noted how he carried himself. "Why don't you take a seat? The heat can be most draining."
"Hip's twisted. Can't sit properly. But course you knew dat, Belladonna." Remy smiled, eyes hidden by the sunglasses. Ever minute he delayed her here was time for Lorna to get to Tante's and make sure whatever ambush his wife had certainly sent wasn't going to work. He hoped she hadn't identified Lorna with him, under the wig to hide her hair.
"First Julian, den Marius and Daniel. You starting to run out of immediate family. I like de meeting by de way. Framing it as a Thieves Guild takeover, de young turks against de established order, and all wrapped up neatly using dere dislike of Tante."
Belladonna's smile widened somewhat, and she favored him with a girlish laugh. "I'm so glad you approve. You can imagine my delight when the quickest way to accomplish my goal also happened to be the easiest... and most fun. I suppose that must mean I'm doing something right."
"Despite de trick you pulled in dere, de rest of de Guilds aren't entirely stupid, 'donna. Dey going to make de same connections dat I have, and start looking. Dat alone is going to keep you 'unified Guild' from being able to take on Tante and de rest of de hougans." Remy shook his head.
The woman gave a lazy shrug, waving one hand dismissively in Remy's direction. "As if I would trust them to solve my problems for me. Have you forgotten so quickly, Remy, that I do not need anyone else to take care of my business?" She seemed to want to say more, but held her tongue, instead giving the Cajun another long, searching look.
"Now. Dat wasn't always de case, 'donna." Remy turned on the cane, swiveling slightly to keep her square in his field of vision. Belladonna was dangerous as a viper and twice as quick. "So what is de plan? Try and eliminate Tante first? Take her out and hope dat de confusion between de hougans lasts long enough to consolidate you hold on de other Guilds?"
"Whatever my plan, Remy, you can rest assured I have no intention of sharing it with you," Belladonna sneered. "I have long since outgrown the need for your input, especially since you no longer concern yourself with anything pertaining to the Guilds."
"Considering dat I'm here as Tante's representative, maybe I do have a concern." Remy shrugged. "Or maybe it's time dat I took my wayward bride back in hand, neh?"
This earned a venomous look from the woman, her features no less pleasing even as her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm afraid that I may be too much woman for you to handle, now," she said, her gaze very conspicuously dropping to the cane at his side. "Neither the Guilds nor I have any use for a pain-ridden cripple."
"Alors, such things dat I have to find a way to live wit'. Considering dat dis isn't a social call den, 'donna, what do you want from me? I doubt it was just to preen in front of Remy 'bout how you got 'way wit' all dis." Remy settled himself on the cane, both hands folded over the top.
"Despite your apparent uselessness, there are still some who might consider you a threat," Belladonna replied in a bored tone. "I think they are overly nostalgic, but you have left quite a reputation in your wake, cher. What better way to cement my place than to rid us of that threat? They won't even know how easy it was to deal with you... or how satisfying." Her smile turned cruel then, and the four men who had accompanied Remy into the room shifted ever so slightly, obviously awaiting her signal.
"Looks like you thought of everything, 'donna. Bet you planned your pere's death wit' de same precision. Dere's just one problem." Remy smiled at her. "You a much better assassin den you ever were a spy, which is why little details always screw things up for you."
The cane lashed out to his right, the end crushing the trachea of the man next to him. Remy was moving with the cane, rotating and lashing out with his hand. A card smashed the trigger finger of the one man at his back, and Remy's hand continued in an arc, pushing aside the other man's pistol. The rounds passed Remy, catching the man on the left full in the chest and smashing him to the floor. Remy locked on the man's wrist, pulling him forward and pivoting so he was now in front of LeBeau, just in time to take the full mutant blast from Belladonna in the chest.
Belladonna let out a shriek as the man crumpled to the floor, though it was definitely a sound of anger, not fear. "Get him now!" she ordered the one remaining man, who moved forward with a purpose, his gun tracking towards Remy.
Remy pulled the top off of his 'cane' and twisted it, both ends shooting out to reveal his titanium staff. The first two shots went high, past the rapidly moving Cajun. He spun, the tip of the staff knocking the gun up, opening the man's chest up to a side kick. He went down, clutching at his chest.
"I hope dey weren't you best, chere." Remy said. Belladonna didn't respond, but the double doors at the one side of the room burst open, and a dozen assassins stood there, ready to rush LeBeau. He gave Belladonna a nod. "Guess not. I like de setup."
"You are not getting out of here alive, ma puce," she said, stepping backwards to open up the field for the assassins. Despite the nasty surprise she had gotten, Belladonna was still confident that Remy would be defeated – though she would've preferred dealing the blow herself, she could easily content herself with watching his twitching, jerking body flail on the ground afterwards.
"Dat's de problem wit' women, mes braves. Dey always underestimate you." Guns came up as Remy reached into his trenchcoat pocket and pulled out a full deck of cards. "Technically, Remy think dis is called a crapshoot, but I always preferred fifty-two pickup instead."
With a snapping motion, the entire deck of energized cards exploded out in front of him. Each card had a minimum of charge, only enough to shock and explode into flashes of purple light, but it filled the room with a chaotic cascade of energy. Remy was already moving, using his staff to vault himself up and over the group. He smashed down heavily on a man in the back, launched himself into a front roll and was out over the hall railing and dropping down into the foyer below.
"Out! Around the back and sides!" Belladonna snapped as the room cleared. The men and women scattered, their actions just a little more frantic and harried than usual. Belladonna grit her teeth, hesitating only a moment before following directly after Remy, muttering curses in various languages under her breath.
Remy hit the ground running. He had a clean break to the front, but he wasn't sure if he'd given Lorna enough time. Instead he cut right, delivering a viper-fast pair of blows to the assassin coming through the door and moving past him into the hall. LeBeau parried the barrel of the submachinegun of the man in front of him, driving it down and to his left. He snapped an elbow across his nose, breaking it, and yanked him into Gambit's upcoming knee by his gun sling.
The assassin crumpled, but tangled up in Gambit long enough to slow him. Only his power gave him the ability to duck the blast aimed his way, and he spun to block the followup kick from Belladonna.
Rebuffed, the woman kicked away the machinegun that threatened to trip them both, clearing the area so that she could focus completely on Gambit. Raising both hands, she shot off a blast with one hand aimed at his head, sending another a split second later to the place where she anticipated he would move to.
Remy was moving, his sense following her hands, as opposed to the blasts themselves. He'd once explained that he couldn't dodge bullets. They moved too fast for anyone to. What he could dodge was the speed of the trigger finger and the arm moving the gun. With Belladonna, it was very much the same. Still, the blasts came too close for comfort.
He scythed out with his staff, forcing her back as he shouldered through one of the holes she'd blown into the hallway, to the next room. Remy smiled as he saw the pool table, launching himself over it as a blast exploded through the wall behind him. "Getting tired yet, 'donna?"
"Never," came the reply as she followed him into the room, firing several more blasts in his general direction, though none of them even came close to hitting him. She moved surprisingly well in heels – though it wouldn't be surprising to know that she had trained in them until her feet bled to be able to do that. "You surprised me, Remy, but it won't happen again."
"I doubt dat. You good, 'donna. Almost as good as you think you are. But you just way out of you league here." Remy scooped up one of the billiard balls and began to charge it. It was amazing how much power they could hold. "Your father knew dat even a hundred assassins wouldn't be enough."
Remy twisted and launched the ball. He had unexpectedly thrown it away from Belladonna, instead crashing it into the door to the hall. The explosion shuddered the room, and through the smoke and haze Belladonna could see the unconscious bodies of the strike team that was ready to back her up lying on the floor.
With a growl Belladonna leapt, seizing one of the pool cues and swinging it in an arc towards Remy's head. It didn't connect, of course, but the time it gave her allowed her to approach closer, almost to point-blank range. He could see the fury in her green eyes as she fired several blasts at him, the pool table quickly becoming pitted and scarred with smoking craters.
"It did not have to be this way," she told him, this time jabbing the cue at him like a spear. "We could have done this together, once."
Remy caught the end of the cue with his staff, forcing both weapons up. Belladonna dodged his kick, sidestepping and dropping her cue, trying to get a fast energy blast on him. Fortunately, Remy was quick enough to grab both of her wrists, forcing her hands away.
"Dat's right. Psychotic killers together, neh?" Remy forced her back, bending her using his own strength. "Sorry 'donna, but to Gambit, you were just a hot fuck. You not even dat to me." He blocked her knee with his, but couldn't avoid the headbutt that smashed down on his forehead. With a curse he was forced to let go of her hands, dropping and rolling under the table to avoid the energy blasts.
"You always knew how to sweet-talk a woman, cher." Belladonna began to lob everything she had available at him; billiard balls and chunks of wood were interspersed with flashes of energy. "But you are deluded – as if I could ever want a man who has allowed himself to become such a shadow of his former self. The only way I want you now is cold and dead."
"If only I could get dat on tape." Remy muttered, still rolling to avoid the attacks. He sprang to his feet, lashing out in a circle around him to drop another assassin that had made it into the room. He used a spread of cards to force Belladonna's head down and leapt on to the pool table. Remy grabbed one of the balls and vaulted off, avoiding Belladonna's attack.
As his feet hit the floor, Remy threw the ball, shattering the wrought iron frame and bars over the window. The metal twisted outward, into the grounds. "Sorry 'donna, but I've got things to do. But don't you worry, Gambit be back." He promised before diving through the window into the night beyond.
"Putain! Belladonna nearly dove after him herself, but restrained herself, instead shouting for any remaining assassins to hold back. It wouldn't do for anyone to see her chasing after that son of a bitch. Wiping a trickle of blood from her lip, she turned and blasted a gaping hole in dear old grandpere's portrait, who had been smirking down at her as if mocking her defeat. "Faut déverminager enfer, LeBeau. I will get you yet."
Lorna is left facing off against an Assassin team, but fortunately, it takes more than hired killers to bring down an X-Man.
Wrap abandoned and hair secured back from her face with bands of metal, the only way she could style it that didn't require two hands, Lorna had arrived at Tante's to find the woman waiting at the door, her manner unconcerned. Lorna felt that was rather in poor taste considering this was an actual life or death matter for her but what could you do?
"Tante, maybe you should go wait in your room or something. If people are coming after you, it's better for them to have to get by me first." Lorna rather desperately wished for her uniform. There was something so comforting about having an inch of metal between you and the people trying to kill you.
"Jah think so? Well den, Tante not 'bout t' disagree." The woman looked around outside for a moment. "Best leave jah t' dance wit' de Baron tonight alone." She closed the door, leaving Lorna standing on the front porch. The lights were off and the house was dark, making it seem like simply a quiet residential street, and not the target of a family specializing in death.
The hit squad didn't bother to conceal their presence. The three car loads of men and women rounded the corner and bore down on Tante Mattie's home. Belladonna didn't underestimate Tante's power, which is why she'd decided on a fast assault as soon as it was clear that Mattie was not going to submit quietly. For all her magic, ten trained assassins were more than a match for the old voodoo witch, especially if they reached her before her followers could.
For the witch perhaps, but the mutant standing on the porch was a different matter. Correctly assuming that the average carload of people wouldn't have quite that much weaponry, Lorna lifted her hand and stopped the cars. The engines protested mightily and the inhabitants were thrown forward as airbags deployed. Car doors fused closed as the frame seemed to swallow up the windows on the first car. Lorna was at a disadvantage as soon as they got close. Her best bet was to not let that happen.
The shouts of alarm from the cars proved that they were not expecting a mutant presence. However, the group was well trained. Rather than trying to make the cars go any further, the other two groups smashed the windows of their vehicles, slithering over the cubes of impact glass to reach the street.
Guns and blades were tools of the trade but only so long as they were in your control. The assassins lost that advantage instantly. The first gun to fire hit its owner in the leg. The rest discharged harmlessly or never fired at all, the bullets fused into slag in the clips.
Lorna stood impassively, her hand extended. She was shaking but didn't seem to notice. The men and women running toward her may as well have been trees for all the attention she paid them. Her world was shifting and green, the bright spots keeping all her attention as she drew it away from its original placement, pulling to her.
It was apparent the cause of a plan suddenly and totally gone wrong. After the first few shots, the assassins abandoned their weapons. They were trained to be weapons themselves, and their hands would suffice for a single woman. One of the men bent as he ran, scooping up a stone from a garden placement beside the sidewalk and let it fly with deadly accuracy.
It was the movement of his hand, more than the rock itself that made her move though it still struck her shoulder hard enough to break skin. Lorna swore and jerked the rest of the free metal to herself. She shook herself back to seeing things as most did and realized she was still faced with five assassins and no good way to stop them. She swore again. Metal gathered into a free floating ball in front of her, spun out into a thin flat shield then exploded back toward the assassins.
The five assassins attempted to cover themselves as the light metal shrapnal beat at them, whirling and fractaling around their bodies. Still, they moved forward, using their arms to cover their faces and relying on their combat training for handling blind fighting. Some had picked up that the green haired mutant could have killed them at whim in the cars, which meant that she was holding back for some reason.
All any of them needed was a moment's hesitation to get rid of her.
The shrapnel continued its blinding swirl then Lorna's hand twitched and two of the assassins felt as bands closed around their ankles, halting movement. A moment later they were hurled, feet first, into their comrades. How do I keep from killing them? Lorna thought frantically.
The assassins tumbled back, fetching up against the immobile cars. They had begun to climb to their feet and stopped. Behind Lorna, a small crowd of black men had begun to make their way down the street. They were armed mostly with bats and tire irons, but there were several dozen of them. They moved purposefully towards the remaining assassins.
One of the assassin nodded his head back towards the city, and the band broke off in a run back the way they came, supporting their injured comrades. The job had been to catch Mattie before the community could recognize the danger and rally to protect her. Since they failed, thanks to the unidentified mutant, there was no point in remaining.
Lorna considered their retreat for a moment then helpfully stripped the metal away from the windows of the first car. Those four could be someone else's problem. She sat down on the porch and rested her head in her hand. New Orleans, she decided, sucked.
After a long moment, she was joined on the porch by Tante Mattie, who was holding two cups of coffee and looking remarkably unperturbed by the whole ordeal, as if attempts were made on her life on a nightly basis. "See dat de boys finally made it. I tell jah, takes forever to get dem off de couch."
Tante handed over a cup of coffee and settled on the porch next to Lorna.
Lorna took her hair down and shook it forward, unsurprised to see the brown streaked with green then sighed and accepted the coffee. "I'll bet there was a game on. Guys always want another five minutes to catch just one more play. They're like little kids before bedtime." She wasn't going to think about Remy right now. Wasn't going to wonder what was happening at the glitzy estate she'd left behind. She was just going to drink her coffee and not think.
"He's alive." Tante said, answering the unasked question. "And late. Just like him." She groused, looking at her watch. "I was hoping dat he'd get here before de others." Tante took a sip of her coffee, watching the men haul the assassins out of the car, tussing them up ready for delivery in the city centre.
"Of course he's alive." Lorna muttered irritably, "I'd have killed him if he wasn't."
"Jah still might." Tante said, looking into her cup. She got to her feet, just as LeBeau rounded the corner. He was bleeding from a gash above his right eye, and his formal wear was beyond repair, covered in dust, plaster and blood. Still, he moved too easily to have sustained any serious injury. He took in the scene in a second, from the fragments of metal still embedded into the road to the lack of injury on both women.
"Tante, Lorna. You both alright?"
Lorna ignored Tante, focusing on Remy, "We're fine. Walk in the park." She stood, setting her mug aside and walked down to him, her evening wear still pristine. "What happened?"
"Domestic disturbance. Tante, have you heard from any of de other guild members?"
"Course. Arlan D'Armade is in de process of breaking into my house from de rear. De rest be here soon."
"Soon?" Remy looked surprised. "You planned dis?"
"Jah not a bright one sometimes, LeBeau. Dis is one of de futures dat Tante saw coming." Tante took a look at Lorna. "Almost. Jah come in when jah ready. Dere's work t' do."
Remy took a deep breath and let it out. "Merde. Every damn time." He muttered before turning to Lorna. "I'm sorry, Lorna, but we going to have to stay here 'nother hour or so. Remy need to get some things sorted out 'fore I can leave."
Lorna shrugged. She'd already known that Tante had expected this and hardly thought that it would be such an easy thing to wrap up. "All right, but the next group of assassins that come after someone, it's not my turn. I've used up all my clever, non-lethal tactics for the night and now I deserve spiked coffee."
Remy gave her a slight smile, the first he felt safe to since she'd learned of Gambit's marriage. He reached into his jacket and handed her a flask. "Go easy on dat. It's a little strong."
Lorna took a sip straight from the flask and made a face, "It's also terrible." But she didn't give it back. "We should go in. You can carry my coffee since I'm the invalid here these days."
"Hard to maintain a stone killer rep wit' a flask full of Baileys." He took her cup and helped her up the stairs, careful to avoid jarring her arm.
Inside the house, Arlen had taken a seat at the table, several of the hougans near him. Zoe Ishihara was perched on a counter, with Lucian Marceaux beside her. Lorna took a comfortable seat near the living room, leaving Remy standing.
"Looks like Belladonna has a near perfect coup, neh?"
"That's the case right now." Arlen scowled. "Sewed up my Thieves and neutralized the other Guilds in one stroke. She cut the heart out of us, LeBeau. At least forty D'Armades are dead, mostly our midlevel people, the young well trained ones."
"We haven't lost as many, but the Garvious are going to fall in line." Zoe looked angry. "Can't afford not to, even if it means giving her the members she wants."
"Playing dis as a revolt of de young Turks den?"
"Exactly. She cuts out the ones most likely to oppose her, while keeping the older generation under close watch."
"Sounds about right. What 'bout you, Lucian?"
"The Marceaux's sway with the wind, and right now it's blowing in Belladonna's direction. But those of us on her little list are going to simply disappear." Lucian smiled wide. "Not handing anything free over to dat bitch."
"That might be de plan for all of you. Get out of New Orleans, get under cover, and find you people. Zoe, can't be hard for you to set up a secure network for dem." She nodded. "Den find you people can get dem out. 'donna not about to give up on trying to get you, or me. If we coordinate our response, we might have a chance at stopping her."
"So we run?"
"Dat's right, Arlen. Far and fast. 'donna's got all the power right now. We need to chip away at that."
"Jah know dat Tante be off now. To de swamp."
"Won't she go after you?"
"Belladonna's not stupid enough t' challenge Tante in dat place. She go into de swamp, she don't come out again. She doesn't have de power to go after my people yet."
Remy nodded. "Once everyone is out of here, we start figuring out a solution. Speaking of, Arlen, I need a car. We going to drive out, get back to New York."
"I can arrange something."
"Good. Belladonna made de mistake of letting us get away. Let's make sure dat starts hurting her now."
***
"It's as clean as it is anonymous." Arlen said, standing beside Remy. Both looked at the dingy car.
"Clean isn't de word dat jumps to mind first, Arlen."
"In the legal sense. The engine is solid, and it won't draw any real attention on the highway. Heading for Atlanta?"
Remy nodded. "De hub is too big to dig us out of later. Once you settled, get Zoe to contact and we'll go from there."
"A pleasure to meet you." D'Armade turned to Lorna and gave her a slight bow.
Lorna smiled at him somewhat automatically. "And you." She really wanted to be home now. Possibly in a bubble bath. With a book and wine. With that in mind, she firmly took Remy's elbow, "It's been...different. We'll get going now."
Arlen raised an eyebrow. "So that's how it is..."
"Shut up." Remy scowled at him, holding open the door for Lorna to climb in. With her arm, he was going to have to drive. People might notice a car being steered magnetically.
Lorna tried not to roll her eyes. Really she did. There was effort involved, just not nearly enough to prevent the actual eye-rolling from taking place. She settled into the car and let Remy shut the door. She slanted a glance at him as he got in. "You have strange friends, LeBeau."
"I don't know if friend is de right term. Associate. Maybe target." Remy slid in the keys and gunned the engine. "You going to be alright? It's six hours to Atlanta."
"I'll be fine. I can just nap through it." She settled back in the seat, running her fingers through her hair meditatively. "What about you? You going to be all right driving all that way? I really can drive one handed, I swear. I'm good at it even."
"Superspy, remember." Remy said, a little cynically. The last time this had come up, Lorna had made it abundently clear she wanted nothing more to do with him. "I'll get you back to de mansion as fast as I can."
"That doesn't mean you don't have limitations like the rest of us mortals," Lorna said a bit more sharply than necessary. "Don't try to be all macho and shit. If you need a break, let me drive, damnit. Of the two of us, I'm the one who didn't get beat on by criminals recently."
"Dat's right. Bring competance into it." Remy groused, pulling out into the street. He'd do the six hours to Atlanta, likley mostly in silence. Otherwise, he'd have to find out if Lorna would still be there at the end of the trip.
"Sorry that I expect you to behave like a responsible adult," she muttered back and then quite firmly closed her eyes. Right now she wasn't in any kind of mood to deal with him. Maybe once they got out of this poisonous city things would be better. Maybe.
It was hot and muggy in New Orleans. The air outside was a soup of humidity, making them both glad for the air conditioning in the rental car. Their flight from France had been quiet, mostly spent dozing or talking softly about all types of inconsequential matters, building new associations between each other. Remy had spoken very little about the Guilds, telling Lorna that he wanted to get an idea of what Tante had in mind before explaining everything to her so it all made sense. However, even just getting off the plane and into the car, he'd commented on how the city felt wrong; something deadly in the atmosphere. That was why he'd replicated his limp, and hidden his now clear vision behind a pair of sunglasses.
The car rolled to a stop out front of an innocuous looking suburban house. Remy awkwardly got out, steadied himself on the cane, and limped to the trunk, pulling out a small bag that contained his computer and communications equipment. He came around to join Lorna at her door.
"You sure dat you don't just want to go back to de mansion? Dis is my obligation, chere. Not yours."
Lorna slipped her wide-brimmed hat on her head and adjusted her sunglasses. Her shoulder was hurting her more than usual today so she was cheating more than a little, using her powers to open and close the door. "Oh, but I'm here already and it would be a shame to waste the trip," she said lightly, like this was all just a vacation. It was remarkably convincing but tinged with just enough steel that he would get the idea that he wasn't going to shake her and he needed to stop trying.
Women. Remy waved a hand towards the house. "Welcome to de home of de voodoo queen. It's not as impressive as de home in de swamp." The house he'd pointed out was almost ridiculously normal, only the signs in the one window indicating 'psychic' showed anything out of the ordinary. They started up the walk, Remy using his cane and mimicking his former limp.
At the door, a black woman stood, arms folded across her ample chest and a glare directed at Lorna. "Thought dat you coming alone, LeBeau?"
"Janelle. Dis is Lorna. Remy sure dat you not going to be friends. Where's Tante?"
Lorna tipped down her sunglasses and grinned before sliding them back up. She said nothing because there wasn't much to say.
"She's inside, waiting for you. Had to cut it close, didn't you, LeBeau. Got no sense for anyone but yourself and--" Remy cut her off with a wave.
"Janelle, Remy looking forward to having a long screaming match wit' you, but right now, I need to see Tante." Janelle finally stood aside, allowing Remy and Lorna to pass. Lorna got another poisonous look as they stepped in, before Janelle stormed off upstairs. "She's a little jealous, chere."
Lorna gave him a sweet smile, "Why? Do you suppose she wants my hat? It is a very nice hat. Keeps the sun off my face and everything." Being in pain tended to make Lorna just a bit contrary and if he was going to state the obvious, well, he'd have to deal with her vagaries of mood. Once inside she gave a curious look around.
Women.
The inside the house was as normal as the outside, certainly looking like anything but the home of a powerful witch. They found Tante in the kitchen, sitting at the table and leafing through a newspaper. She gave Remy a level look as he stepped in.
"Jah late, LeBeau. Jah know how dat vexs me."
"Nothing to be done 'bout it, Tante. Still here before dat meeting. You going to tell me what de hell is going on?"
"Where's jah manners? Drag de femme all de way down New Orleans and leave her at de door? Jah got less sense den ever." Tante passed over a stack of papers to Remy and waved him away. "Jah go work through dat while Tante meets jah guest."
Lorna slipped off her glasses and hooked them into in her blouse, using the time to muddle her way through Tante's incomprehensible accent, before offering her hand to the older woman, "I'm Lorna. It's nice to meet you finally. I appreciate the recipes you sent, they're marvelous."
"Jah welcome. Seemed de thing to do. All dem at dat school too skinney. 'specially dat Doug. Boy like dat needs some meat on him." Tante gave Lorna a wide smile, bright white against the darkness of her face. "And jah, Lorna Dane, finally came down wit' him to de swamp. Tante was waiting ta see which way jah choose."
"I like to throw some of them into the meal rotation every now and then to see what the kids do. Doug, of course, isn't at the school anymore. But hopefully he's still eating properly. Probably not though." Lorna smiled back politely, "You have a lovely home, ma'am." She ignored the comments about choosing. She didn't particularly find it any of the other woman's business.
"Dis is a place for de femmes. My home is in de bayou. Sure dat Remy tell jah 'bout it sometime." Tante's smile never wavered. "Jah know dis place is dangerous right now. Come down wit' dat one, and jah going to make his enemies yours."
Lorna's smile sharpened just a bit. She didn't like Tante trying to scare her off any more than she had Remy. "Well, you know, it's just another day in the life, right? I'm sure Remy gave you a little bit of my history so you'll know this isn't exactly the first time I've been surrounded by absurd amounts of humidity and people with sinister intentions. Lucky me I can do it with one hand strapped behind my back. Or, well, to my side."
"I know dat jah danced wit' de Baron before, childe. Still got his darkness inside jah, clear ta tell. And dat one in de other room, him got de scent of it all round. Dey loa can see dat too." Tante's voice hadn't changed, and her smiled hadn't moved, but the bright kitchen seemed to darken slightly, an oppressive edge threading it's way in. "Jah come down here, jah stay wit' dat one, jah going to face dat dance again."
Tante got to her feet, the ominous tone disappearing. "Coffee?"
Lorna blinked then smiled and nodded, "Please. I don't care that most people would say it's insane to drink coffee in this heat. It's coffee, that makes it perfectly sane." Tante reminded her vaguely of her Aunt Regina--great aunt really. Except Aunt Regina would have mentioned Rapture by now. But then again, Aunt Regina was insane.
"Dis place built on de heat. Sunk right into de blood and de bone. Everyone come down here can feel it." She passed over a bright yellow mug, with a picture of New York City on the side. She didn't bother to ask about cream or sugar. Precognition had it's advantages. "What 'bout you, Lorna Dane? Can jah feel de fires 'round jah?"
"Sorry, I'm as headblind as they come." She accepted her coffee with a serene smile, "But I'm from California. I like the heat. It's the humidity that's the awful part. I don't really like chewing my oxygen, you know."
"Dat right?" Tante Mattie sat back down, settling serenely into her chair. Her look was appraising, measuring Lorna it seemed. Finally, she took a sip from her mug, breaking the gaze. "Alright, LeBeau. Jah can quit sneaking 'round de door to listen. Jah know dat everyone safe here."
Remy stepped out from the doorway, not looking abashed but certainly less cocky than normal. He slid into one of the free chairs, stroking his fingers across Lorna's back as he passed her. It was an odd combination of emotions that Tante seemed to inspire in LeBeau. For a man normally expert in controlling his features, with her the mixture of respect, fear and almost familial affection was obvious on his face. "Remy was just coming in. Dis all accurate?"
"To de letter."
"Den someone finally managed to set off a full blown Guild war. Merde. You right. Dis meeting is going to be 'bout pinning things on you if dey can."
Lorna settled back in her chair, sipping her coffee with the slightly distracted air of someone hearing but politely not listening to a conversation. It was just a pose, of course, not something she even realized she was doing but it effectively removed her from the conversation, making her just part of the background. She wasn't going to try to sort out the Guild politics that Remy had touched on with her. She was really only here to make sure he didn't get himself killed.
"It all starts at dat meeting. Jah will be attending."
Remy nodded. "Dere's still more to play out on dis. Someone is looking to provide a little more theater for dis, and based on de location of de meeting at de Boudreaux estate, Remy willing to bet dat it's coming straight from Belladonna herself. I should have seen it coming."
"And do jah have a plan ta deal wit' jah wife?"
Lorna choked on her coffee.
"Jah sure dat not too... hot for jah, dear?" Tante said innocently, while Remy covered his eyes with his hand.
The look that Lorna gave Remy probably could have peeled paint from the wall, "No, I'm fine. Just went down the wrong pipe is all. I have a terrible drinking problem."
"Got a feeling dat Remy could use one right 'bout now." Remy muttered, getting up from his chair. "Tante, I'll be at de party tonight. Until we know all de facts, dere's no way to make a plan yet. Lorna, you 'bout ready to go?"
Lorna nodded and rose, setting her coffee mug down on a coaster near to hand. "Thank you for the coffee, ma'am. It was nice to meet you." Her smile was perfectly congenial as she held out her hand to Tante again.
"Tante be seeing jah 'fore too long." Mattie smiled at her as she shook her hand. Remy escourted Lorna out the through the door, ignoring Janelle's dark glare as they walked out. Once they were out in the front yard, Remy turned to her.
"I get de feeling dat you upset, chere."
Lorna tilted her head to the side, "If I'd known I was going to meet the missus, I'd have worn something a little more appropriate to the role of woman on the side. There's a dress code you know. It's part of the Girl Code. All Other Women have to dress trashy."
"First of all, Belladonna is Gambit's wife. And if all goes well, you not going to be anywhere near her." Remy protested. It was funny the little things that having twenty years of history dumped into your brain caused you to forget to mention.
Lorna didn't glare at him. She considered that too good for him right now. "I suppose I have no room to complain. After all, the last time I was here to see you, I was still engaged." She shoved her sunglasses over her eyes and adjusted her hat. "I have a headache."
"Lorna, de two things aren't de same. You know de kinds of things dat Gambit did. Is it really dat big a shock dat he married a sixteen year old for sex and information, in exchange for killing her brother." Remy shock his head. "You told me dat I was better den Gambit. Dat only apply to de thousands of people dat he killed, but I'm still at fault for his love affairs?"
"You're married. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but that means something to me." She opened the car door without waiting for him to unlock it. "I don't want to talk about this anymore.
"I am not married." Remy climbed into the car, wondering exactly how things had suddenly gone so wrong, so fast. "If dis is going to get technical, de marriage took place under Guild law almost ten years ago. Dere's no legal basis for it. De only reason dat Gambit did it was to get access to de Guilds for de Agency. It didn't mean anything to him, it's didn't mean anything to Belladonna, and it certainly doesn't mean anything to me."
Lorna took a deep breath and shook her head. "I really don't want to talk about this, Remy. You're not Gambit but there are certain things that I think follow you and people are one of them. You have a wife and you never told me. We'll discuss it later after everything is settled." She rubbed at her temple, "I need some hair dye. I'm assuming that you don't want people to know that you have an X-Man with you."
"You right. Wouldn't want dem to follow me to, would we?" Remy said, with more anger than he'd intended. They settled into a sullen silence as he left Tante's home for the inner city and the details that needed to be settled before the meeting this evening.
They both travel to the home of the Assassin's Guild for the big announcement.
The Boudreaux estate was lit up like a party was going on, long lines of cars weaving through the front to be parked by valets who darted between them like insects. Remy handed over the keys and opened the door for Lorna. He'd finally stopped doing a double take on the brown hair, although since she was doing her best to avoid looking at him at all, it didn't matter much. He carefully quashed the mixture of anger and hurt, pushing past it to focus on the matter at hand.
The Boudreaux House had been the centre for the Assassin's Guild since it's construction in the mid-ninetienth century. Despite the rich, fashionable exterior, Remy could picked out the guards hidden on the grounds and on the roof. It doubled as an effective fortress, even when not full of highly trained killers. That was why Remy had decided to keep his cane. At least he could hold on to surprise.
Brown hair and wrap designed to disguise the way her arm was held closely to her side. It wasn't much of a disguise but then she wasn't the dangerous one here as far as anyone knew. While she'd been dyeing her hair, she'd though a great deal about why she was here and what her role would be. These people killed as a matter of course. The man beside her would do the same without hesitation. Lorna…was capable of the same--that much she knew--but making the decision to do it, that she didn't know if she could.
Lorna followed Remy, a step behind, eyes downcast. She didn't need them to sense all the shifting forms around her. Her best bet as back up was to not be noticed.
Remy handed his papers to the man at the door and they were both waved through. Lorna's official cover was as one of Tante's business associates, which explained both why she was there with Remy and why no one would know her. He had continued with the charade of his injury, limping badly through the front and into the foyer. A group of servers instructed them to the ball room.
"I don't see Arlan." Remy muttered to Lorna as they walked in.
"Maybe he's making an entrance?" Lorna replied quietly, mostly to acknowledge that she'd heard. She paused as they entered the ballroom then gave him a quick glance. "I'll wait over here. Be careful."
"I'll meet you in a minute." Remy turned and threaded through the crowd. There were a number of mutters, and more than a few black looks sent his way. Something ugly was starting here. Remy's phone buzzed, and he fished it out, looking at the text message.
TRAP. BD SETUP. TAKEOVER GOING ON.
Arlan. That's why he wasn't here. In fact, Remy noticed the Thieves Guild much more lightly represented than the other clan. Merde. He limped back over to Lorna quickly.
"We've got trouble."
She went cold but did no more than nod. "Imagine that." Lorna took a deep breath and sighed. "Great. Well, this is your party. What's the etiquette for trouble?" Something about being in a room full of criminals made her wry. This was probably something to discuss with a therapist. If she ever got another therapist.
"Very quick Guild breakdown. De heads of all five guilds were killed two weeks ago. De interrum heads have been moving to all out war. Dat's never happened before. Looks like de Boudreaux family, dat's de Assassin's Guild, has called dis big meeting to address de situation." Remy looked around and scowled. "However, dere's only a few D'Armades here; Thieves Guild. Dat means something's already happening."
Remy edged them both closer to the wall. "I see de Baptiste's, de Garvious, and de Marceaux in force. Courtiers, or power brokers, Forgers, and Whores Guilds. Something has just happened to de fucking Arrangement."
Lorna's eyes widened, "You're telling me the criminals are about to have an all out war? Oh for the love of God. Your city is insane, Remy." Her initial impulse was to suggest that they get the hell out of the line of fire but if this idiotic system was about to go down then there would probably be innocent people in the line of fire and she couldn't walk away from that. "So how do we stop it?"
"I don't know. De backroom players have completely shifted. What worries me is de fact dat de guilds have always avoided dis because fractured, de Carrib community ends up wit' all de power in de city." Remy's eyes flicked around the room. "If dey ready to push things dis far, it means dey got a plan to deal wit' de hougans, and dat means Tante too."
She'd never seen him quite this nervous and it wasn't helping her one bit. "We need a plan, Remy. I'll go back to Tante. I don't care how witchy she is, she can get assassinated just like anyone else."
"She's vulnerable in de city." Remy nodded. "Merci, chere. You'd better get going. De second dey start dis announcement, dis place going to be locked up tight. I'll stay here. Dey already know dat I'm through de door. I should be able to buy you some time."
Lorna nodded, hesitated a second, grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. "I'll see you soon." She let go and started to thread her way through the crowds again and out into the still warm, sultry night.
Remy watched her disappear through the crowd, knowing that eyes would be on him now. For now, he was stuck here, seeing how things played out. At the very least, their attention on him would mean they'd assume he was Tante's protection, and would try to deal with him first.
It was only a few minutes before people began filing out of one of the back rooms, and took up stations at the small podium set up at the far end of the room. Remy recognized several of them; Henri Baptiste, looking old and tired. Marcel Garvious, for once without his wife. Marie Marceaux, usually never found in the company of the others. Mutters began around the room immediately.
Finally, a shatteringly attractive blonde stepped to the podium; Belladonna Boudreaux-LeBeau. Obviously, she was orchestrating all of this.
"Good evening." She said, taking her place. The room quieted, both due to the start of her speech, and the appearance of guards at all of the doors.
"For the last five weeks, the Guilds have been plagued by attacks and losses from an unknown source. Because of these attacks, we have fallen to fighting amoungst ourselves. The Arrangement, which for three hundred years has defined our society is close to being torn asunder." More murmurs went through the crowd, a bit of surprise at someone finally addressing the issue they'd been dancing around for a month now.
"Worst of all, the heads of all five Guilds were killed in a cowardly fashion, just as they were attempting to bring peace to our city. These were not just the leaders of the guilds. They were friends, relatives, fathers." Belladonna paused for a moment, seeming to collect herself. "My father was killed that night. I am not alone in that fact. Since then, with the help of the other guilds, we have been investigating the incident and our own people. We have the names of those who are responsible."
Belladonna paused again, looking to the others who nodded, indicating she should go on. "I name Arlen D'Armade and the Thieves Guild responsible for the breach of the peace. His actions were supported by members of each guild, to my shame, even my brother Daniel. Most importantly, his plot could only happen with the help of the Caribbean community. I name Mattie Devereaux as his accomplice."
The guards moved forward, and seized the few D'Armades who had attended the announcement, forcing them off the floor amidst their protests. "We have come together to survive this crisis. The Arrangement has been sundered, We will make a new one. As of now, the five guilds all will support and accept the decisions of a council, made up from each of the guilds. Until this war is over, we need to function as a united entity or we will parish. As the new head of the Assassins Guild, I have been asked to assume the chair of the council. In this capacity, my first declaration is the orders for the capture of the identified Thieves Guild members who are at large, so they can face the justice of the Council."
Belladonna stepped away from the podium, to measured applause. Remy stayed were he was. The play was brilliant. She'd managed to assume total control in weeks, as opposed to years. His ex-wife was a lot smarter than he remembered. It wouldn't be long before she sent for him.
Remy tries to delay the Assassins long enough for Lorna to reach Tante.
The four men sent to 'collect' Remy for their meeting had the professional look of assassins; not Daniel's thugs but the upper tier professionals that had made the Guild famous. They moved with easy grace beside his limping form. Each held a machine pistol, closely covering Gambit as they ushered him into a sitting room.
It was lushly appointed, the overt wealth of Boudeaux family on display. He declined a seat, leaning heavily on his cane instead. Withen a few moments, the door opened again, and Belladonna Boudreaux-LeBeau stepped in.
"Hope dat you brought de coffee. De rest of you waitstaff seem to need more training." He indicated the guards dismissively.
The woman smiled thinly, her green-eyed gaze never wavering from Remy's face as she neared him. "After all this time, have you finally been domesticated, cher? I never thought I'd live to see the day... nor you." Her voice was low, pitched in just a way to send shivers down a man's spine. In fact, everything about her seemed to be arranged in such a way as to maximize her assets... but then, Belladonna had never been one to turn down any available weapon.
Dressed as she was in a form-fitting dress that nevertheless allowed her full freedom of movement, she was obviously intended for Remy to notice. She sized him up quickly enough, her full lips curving in a slight sneer as she noted how he carried himself. "Why don't you take a seat? The heat can be most draining."
"Hip's twisted. Can't sit properly. But course you knew dat, Belladonna." Remy smiled, eyes hidden by the sunglasses. Ever minute he delayed her here was time for Lorna to get to Tante's and make sure whatever ambush his wife had certainly sent wasn't going to work. He hoped she hadn't identified Lorna with him, under the wig to hide her hair.
"First Julian, den Marius and Daniel. You starting to run out of immediate family. I like de meeting by de way. Framing it as a Thieves Guild takeover, de young turks against de established order, and all wrapped up neatly using dere dislike of Tante."
Belladonna's smile widened somewhat, and she favored him with a girlish laugh. "I'm so glad you approve. You can imagine my delight when the quickest way to accomplish my goal also happened to be the easiest... and most fun. I suppose that must mean I'm doing something right."
"Despite de trick you pulled in dere, de rest of de Guilds aren't entirely stupid, 'donna. Dey going to make de same connections dat I have, and start looking. Dat alone is going to keep you 'unified Guild' from being able to take on Tante and de rest of de hougans." Remy shook his head.
The woman gave a lazy shrug, waving one hand dismissively in Remy's direction. "As if I would trust them to solve my problems for me. Have you forgotten so quickly, Remy, that I do not need anyone else to take care of my business?" She seemed to want to say more, but held her tongue, instead giving the Cajun another long, searching look.
"Now. Dat wasn't always de case, 'donna." Remy turned on the cane, swiveling slightly to keep her square in his field of vision. Belladonna was dangerous as a viper and twice as quick. "So what is de plan? Try and eliminate Tante first? Take her out and hope dat de confusion between de hougans lasts long enough to consolidate you hold on de other Guilds?"
"Whatever my plan, Remy, you can rest assured I have no intention of sharing it with you," Belladonna sneered. "I have long since outgrown the need for your input, especially since you no longer concern yourself with anything pertaining to the Guilds."
"Considering dat I'm here as Tante's representative, maybe I do have a concern." Remy shrugged. "Or maybe it's time dat I took my wayward bride back in hand, neh?"
This earned a venomous look from the woman, her features no less pleasing even as her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm afraid that I may be too much woman for you to handle, now," she said, her gaze very conspicuously dropping to the cane at his side. "Neither the Guilds nor I have any use for a pain-ridden cripple."
"Alors, such things dat I have to find a way to live wit'. Considering dat dis isn't a social call den, 'donna, what do you want from me? I doubt it was just to preen in front of Remy 'bout how you got 'way wit' all dis." Remy settled himself on the cane, both hands folded over the top.
"Despite your apparent uselessness, there are still some who might consider you a threat," Belladonna replied in a bored tone. "I think they are overly nostalgic, but you have left quite a reputation in your wake, cher. What better way to cement my place than to rid us of that threat? They won't even know how easy it was to deal with you... or how satisfying." Her smile turned cruel then, and the four men who had accompanied Remy into the room shifted ever so slightly, obviously awaiting her signal.
"Looks like you thought of everything, 'donna. Bet you planned your pere's death wit' de same precision. Dere's just one problem." Remy smiled at her. "You a much better assassin den you ever were a spy, which is why little details always screw things up for you."
The cane lashed out to his right, the end crushing the trachea of the man next to him. Remy was moving with the cane, rotating and lashing out with his hand. A card smashed the trigger finger of the one man at his back, and Remy's hand continued in an arc, pushing aside the other man's pistol. The rounds passed Remy, catching the man on the left full in the chest and smashing him to the floor. Remy locked on the man's wrist, pulling him forward and pivoting so he was now in front of LeBeau, just in time to take the full mutant blast from Belladonna in the chest.
Belladonna let out a shriek as the man crumpled to the floor, though it was definitely a sound of anger, not fear. "Get him now!" she ordered the one remaining man, who moved forward with a purpose, his gun tracking towards Remy.
Remy pulled the top off of his 'cane' and twisted it, both ends shooting out to reveal his titanium staff. The first two shots went high, past the rapidly moving Cajun. He spun, the tip of the staff knocking the gun up, opening the man's chest up to a side kick. He went down, clutching at his chest.
"I hope dey weren't you best, chere." Remy said. Belladonna didn't respond, but the double doors at the one side of the room burst open, and a dozen assassins stood there, ready to rush LeBeau. He gave Belladonna a nod. "Guess not. I like de setup."
"You are not getting out of here alive, ma puce," she said, stepping backwards to open up the field for the assassins. Despite the nasty surprise she had gotten, Belladonna was still confident that Remy would be defeated – though she would've preferred dealing the blow herself, she could easily content herself with watching his twitching, jerking body flail on the ground afterwards.
"Dat's de problem wit' women, mes braves. Dey always underestimate you." Guns came up as Remy reached into his trenchcoat pocket and pulled out a full deck of cards. "Technically, Remy think dis is called a crapshoot, but I always preferred fifty-two pickup instead."
With a snapping motion, the entire deck of energized cards exploded out in front of him. Each card had a minimum of charge, only enough to shock and explode into flashes of purple light, but it filled the room with a chaotic cascade of energy. Remy was already moving, using his staff to vault himself up and over the group. He smashed down heavily on a man in the back, launched himself into a front roll and was out over the hall railing and dropping down into the foyer below.
"Out! Around the back and sides!" Belladonna snapped as the room cleared. The men and women scattered, their actions just a little more frantic and harried than usual. Belladonna grit her teeth, hesitating only a moment before following directly after Remy, muttering curses in various languages under her breath.
Remy hit the ground running. He had a clean break to the front, but he wasn't sure if he'd given Lorna enough time. Instead he cut right, delivering a viper-fast pair of blows to the assassin coming through the door and moving past him into the hall. LeBeau parried the barrel of the submachinegun of the man in front of him, driving it down and to his left. He snapped an elbow across his nose, breaking it, and yanked him into Gambit's upcoming knee by his gun sling.
The assassin crumpled, but tangled up in Gambit long enough to slow him. Only his power gave him the ability to duck the blast aimed his way, and he spun to block the followup kick from Belladonna.
Rebuffed, the woman kicked away the machinegun that threatened to trip them both, clearing the area so that she could focus completely on Gambit. Raising both hands, she shot off a blast with one hand aimed at his head, sending another a split second later to the place where she anticipated he would move to.
Remy was moving, his sense following her hands, as opposed to the blasts themselves. He'd once explained that he couldn't dodge bullets. They moved too fast for anyone to. What he could dodge was the speed of the trigger finger and the arm moving the gun. With Belladonna, it was very much the same. Still, the blasts came too close for comfort.
He scythed out with his staff, forcing her back as he shouldered through one of the holes she'd blown into the hallway, to the next room. Remy smiled as he saw the pool table, launching himself over it as a blast exploded through the wall behind him. "Getting tired yet, 'donna?"
"Never," came the reply as she followed him into the room, firing several more blasts in his general direction, though none of them even came close to hitting him. She moved surprisingly well in heels – though it wouldn't be surprising to know that she had trained in them until her feet bled to be able to do that. "You surprised me, Remy, but it won't happen again."
"I doubt dat. You good, 'donna. Almost as good as you think you are. But you just way out of you league here." Remy scooped up one of the billiard balls and began to charge it. It was amazing how much power they could hold. "Your father knew dat even a hundred assassins wouldn't be enough."
Remy twisted and launched the ball. He had unexpectedly thrown it away from Belladonna, instead crashing it into the door to the hall. The explosion shuddered the room, and through the smoke and haze Belladonna could see the unconscious bodies of the strike team that was ready to back her up lying on the floor.
With a growl Belladonna leapt, seizing one of the pool cues and swinging it in an arc towards Remy's head. It didn't connect, of course, but the time it gave her allowed her to approach closer, almost to point-blank range. He could see the fury in her green eyes as she fired several blasts at him, the pool table quickly becoming pitted and scarred with smoking craters.
"It did not have to be this way," she told him, this time jabbing the cue at him like a spear. "We could have done this together, once."
Remy caught the end of the cue with his staff, forcing both weapons up. Belladonna dodged his kick, sidestepping and dropping her cue, trying to get a fast energy blast on him. Fortunately, Remy was quick enough to grab both of her wrists, forcing her hands away.
"Dat's right. Psychotic killers together, neh?" Remy forced her back, bending her using his own strength. "Sorry 'donna, but to Gambit, you were just a hot fuck. You not even dat to me." He blocked her knee with his, but couldn't avoid the headbutt that smashed down on his forehead. With a curse he was forced to let go of her hands, dropping and rolling under the table to avoid the energy blasts.
"You always knew how to sweet-talk a woman, cher." Belladonna began to lob everything she had available at him; billiard balls and chunks of wood were interspersed with flashes of energy. "But you are deluded – as if I could ever want a man who has allowed himself to become such a shadow of his former self. The only way I want you now is cold and dead."
"If only I could get dat on tape." Remy muttered, still rolling to avoid the attacks. He sprang to his feet, lashing out in a circle around him to drop another assassin that had made it into the room. He used a spread of cards to force Belladonna's head down and leapt on to the pool table. Remy grabbed one of the balls and vaulted off, avoiding Belladonna's attack.
As his feet hit the floor, Remy threw the ball, shattering the wrought iron frame and bars over the window. The metal twisted outward, into the grounds. "Sorry 'donna, but I've got things to do. But don't you worry, Gambit be back." He promised before diving through the window into the night beyond.
"Putain! Belladonna nearly dove after him herself, but restrained herself, instead shouting for any remaining assassins to hold back. It wouldn't do for anyone to see her chasing after that son of a bitch. Wiping a trickle of blood from her lip, she turned and blasted a gaping hole in dear old grandpere's portrait, who had been smirking down at her as if mocking her defeat. "Faut déverminager enfer, LeBeau. I will get you yet."
Lorna is left facing off against an Assassin team, but fortunately, it takes more than hired killers to bring down an X-Man.
Wrap abandoned and hair secured back from her face with bands of metal, the only way she could style it that didn't require two hands, Lorna had arrived at Tante's to find the woman waiting at the door, her manner unconcerned. Lorna felt that was rather in poor taste considering this was an actual life or death matter for her but what could you do?
"Tante, maybe you should go wait in your room or something. If people are coming after you, it's better for them to have to get by me first." Lorna rather desperately wished for her uniform. There was something so comforting about having an inch of metal between you and the people trying to kill you.
"Jah think so? Well den, Tante not 'bout t' disagree." The woman looked around outside for a moment. "Best leave jah t' dance wit' de Baron tonight alone." She closed the door, leaving Lorna standing on the front porch. The lights were off and the house was dark, making it seem like simply a quiet residential street, and not the target of a family specializing in death.
The hit squad didn't bother to conceal their presence. The three car loads of men and women rounded the corner and bore down on Tante Mattie's home. Belladonna didn't underestimate Tante's power, which is why she'd decided on a fast assault as soon as it was clear that Mattie was not going to submit quietly. For all her magic, ten trained assassins were more than a match for the old voodoo witch, especially if they reached her before her followers could.
For the witch perhaps, but the mutant standing on the porch was a different matter. Correctly assuming that the average carload of people wouldn't have quite that much weaponry, Lorna lifted her hand and stopped the cars. The engines protested mightily and the inhabitants were thrown forward as airbags deployed. Car doors fused closed as the frame seemed to swallow up the windows on the first car. Lorna was at a disadvantage as soon as they got close. Her best bet was to not let that happen.
The shouts of alarm from the cars proved that they were not expecting a mutant presence. However, the group was well trained. Rather than trying to make the cars go any further, the other two groups smashed the windows of their vehicles, slithering over the cubes of impact glass to reach the street.
Guns and blades were tools of the trade but only so long as they were in your control. The assassins lost that advantage instantly. The first gun to fire hit its owner in the leg. The rest discharged harmlessly or never fired at all, the bullets fused into slag in the clips.
Lorna stood impassively, her hand extended. She was shaking but didn't seem to notice. The men and women running toward her may as well have been trees for all the attention she paid them. Her world was shifting and green, the bright spots keeping all her attention as she drew it away from its original placement, pulling to her.
It was apparent the cause of a plan suddenly and totally gone wrong. After the first few shots, the assassins abandoned their weapons. They were trained to be weapons themselves, and their hands would suffice for a single woman. One of the men bent as he ran, scooping up a stone from a garden placement beside the sidewalk and let it fly with deadly accuracy.
It was the movement of his hand, more than the rock itself that made her move though it still struck her shoulder hard enough to break skin. Lorna swore and jerked the rest of the free metal to herself. She shook herself back to seeing things as most did and realized she was still faced with five assassins and no good way to stop them. She swore again. Metal gathered into a free floating ball in front of her, spun out into a thin flat shield then exploded back toward the assassins.
The five assassins attempted to cover themselves as the light metal shrapnal beat at them, whirling and fractaling around their bodies. Still, they moved forward, using their arms to cover their faces and relying on their combat training for handling blind fighting. Some had picked up that the green haired mutant could have killed them at whim in the cars, which meant that she was holding back for some reason.
All any of them needed was a moment's hesitation to get rid of her.
The shrapnel continued its blinding swirl then Lorna's hand twitched and two of the assassins felt as bands closed around their ankles, halting movement. A moment later they were hurled, feet first, into their comrades. How do I keep from killing them? Lorna thought frantically.
The assassins tumbled back, fetching up against the immobile cars. They had begun to climb to their feet and stopped. Behind Lorna, a small crowd of black men had begun to make their way down the street. They were armed mostly with bats and tire irons, but there were several dozen of them. They moved purposefully towards the remaining assassins.
One of the assassin nodded his head back towards the city, and the band broke off in a run back the way they came, supporting their injured comrades. The job had been to catch Mattie before the community could recognize the danger and rally to protect her. Since they failed, thanks to the unidentified mutant, there was no point in remaining.
Lorna considered their retreat for a moment then helpfully stripped the metal away from the windows of the first car. Those four could be someone else's problem. She sat down on the porch and rested her head in her hand. New Orleans, she decided, sucked.
After a long moment, she was joined on the porch by Tante Mattie, who was holding two cups of coffee and looking remarkably unperturbed by the whole ordeal, as if attempts were made on her life on a nightly basis. "See dat de boys finally made it. I tell jah, takes forever to get dem off de couch."
Tante handed over a cup of coffee and settled on the porch next to Lorna.
Lorna took her hair down and shook it forward, unsurprised to see the brown streaked with green then sighed and accepted the coffee. "I'll bet there was a game on. Guys always want another five minutes to catch just one more play. They're like little kids before bedtime." She wasn't going to think about Remy right now. Wasn't going to wonder what was happening at the glitzy estate she'd left behind. She was just going to drink her coffee and not think.
"He's alive." Tante said, answering the unasked question. "And late. Just like him." She groused, looking at her watch. "I was hoping dat he'd get here before de others." Tante took a sip of her coffee, watching the men haul the assassins out of the car, tussing them up ready for delivery in the city centre.
"Of course he's alive." Lorna muttered irritably, "I'd have killed him if he wasn't."
"Jah still might." Tante said, looking into her cup. She got to her feet, just as LeBeau rounded the corner. He was bleeding from a gash above his right eye, and his formal wear was beyond repair, covered in dust, plaster and blood. Still, he moved too easily to have sustained any serious injury. He took in the scene in a second, from the fragments of metal still embedded into the road to the lack of injury on both women.
"Tante, Lorna. You both alright?"
Lorna ignored Tante, focusing on Remy, "We're fine. Walk in the park." She stood, setting her mug aside and walked down to him, her evening wear still pristine. "What happened?"
"Domestic disturbance. Tante, have you heard from any of de other guild members?"
"Course. Arlan D'Armade is in de process of breaking into my house from de rear. De rest be here soon."
"Soon?" Remy looked surprised. "You planned dis?"
"Jah not a bright one sometimes, LeBeau. Dis is one of de futures dat Tante saw coming." Tante took a look at Lorna. "Almost. Jah come in when jah ready. Dere's work t' do."
Remy took a deep breath and let it out. "Merde. Every damn time." He muttered before turning to Lorna. "I'm sorry, Lorna, but we going to have to stay here 'nother hour or so. Remy need to get some things sorted out 'fore I can leave."
Lorna shrugged. She'd already known that Tante had expected this and hardly thought that it would be such an easy thing to wrap up. "All right, but the next group of assassins that come after someone, it's not my turn. I've used up all my clever, non-lethal tactics for the night and now I deserve spiked coffee."
Remy gave her a slight smile, the first he felt safe to since she'd learned of Gambit's marriage. He reached into his jacket and handed her a flask. "Go easy on dat. It's a little strong."
Lorna took a sip straight from the flask and made a face, "It's also terrible." But she didn't give it back. "We should go in. You can carry my coffee since I'm the invalid here these days."
"Hard to maintain a stone killer rep wit' a flask full of Baileys." He took her cup and helped her up the stairs, careful to avoid jarring her arm.
Inside the house, Arlen had taken a seat at the table, several of the hougans near him. Zoe Ishihara was perched on a counter, with Lucian Marceaux beside her. Lorna took a comfortable seat near the living room, leaving Remy standing.
"Looks like Belladonna has a near perfect coup, neh?"
"That's the case right now." Arlen scowled. "Sewed up my Thieves and neutralized the other Guilds in one stroke. She cut the heart out of us, LeBeau. At least forty D'Armades are dead, mostly our midlevel people, the young well trained ones."
"We haven't lost as many, but the Garvious are going to fall in line." Zoe looked angry. "Can't afford not to, even if it means giving her the members she wants."
"Playing dis as a revolt of de young Turks den?"
"Exactly. She cuts out the ones most likely to oppose her, while keeping the older generation under close watch."
"Sounds about right. What 'bout you, Lucian?"
"The Marceaux's sway with the wind, and right now it's blowing in Belladonna's direction. But those of us on her little list are going to simply disappear." Lucian smiled wide. "Not handing anything free over to dat bitch."
"That might be de plan for all of you. Get out of New Orleans, get under cover, and find you people. Zoe, can't be hard for you to set up a secure network for dem." She nodded. "Den find you people can get dem out. 'donna not about to give up on trying to get you, or me. If we coordinate our response, we might have a chance at stopping her."
"So we run?"
"Dat's right, Arlen. Far and fast. 'donna's got all the power right now. We need to chip away at that."
"Jah know dat Tante be off now. To de swamp."
"Won't she go after you?"
"Belladonna's not stupid enough t' challenge Tante in dat place. She go into de swamp, she don't come out again. She doesn't have de power to go after my people yet."
Remy nodded. "Once everyone is out of here, we start figuring out a solution. Speaking of, Arlen, I need a car. We going to drive out, get back to New York."
"I can arrange something."
"Good. Belladonna made de mistake of letting us get away. Let's make sure dat starts hurting her now."
***
"It's as clean as it is anonymous." Arlen said, standing beside Remy. Both looked at the dingy car.
"Clean isn't de word dat jumps to mind first, Arlen."
"In the legal sense. The engine is solid, and it won't draw any real attention on the highway. Heading for Atlanta?"
Remy nodded. "De hub is too big to dig us out of later. Once you settled, get Zoe to contact and we'll go from there."
"A pleasure to meet you." D'Armade turned to Lorna and gave her a slight bow.
Lorna smiled at him somewhat automatically. "And you." She really wanted to be home now. Possibly in a bubble bath. With a book and wine. With that in mind, she firmly took Remy's elbow, "It's been...different. We'll get going now."
Arlen raised an eyebrow. "So that's how it is..."
"Shut up." Remy scowled at him, holding open the door for Lorna to climb in. With her arm, he was going to have to drive. People might notice a car being steered magnetically.
Lorna tried not to roll her eyes. Really she did. There was effort involved, just not nearly enough to prevent the actual eye-rolling from taking place. She settled into the car and let Remy shut the door. She slanted a glance at him as he got in. "You have strange friends, LeBeau."
"I don't know if friend is de right term. Associate. Maybe target." Remy slid in the keys and gunned the engine. "You going to be alright? It's six hours to Atlanta."
"I'll be fine. I can just nap through it." She settled back in the seat, running her fingers through her hair meditatively. "What about you? You going to be all right driving all that way? I really can drive one handed, I swear. I'm good at it even."
"Superspy, remember." Remy said, a little cynically. The last time this had come up, Lorna had made it abundently clear she wanted nothing more to do with him. "I'll get you back to de mansion as fast as I can."
"That doesn't mean you don't have limitations like the rest of us mortals," Lorna said a bit more sharply than necessary. "Don't try to be all macho and shit. If you need a break, let me drive, damnit. Of the two of us, I'm the one who didn't get beat on by criminals recently."
"Dat's right. Bring competance into it." Remy groused, pulling out into the street. He'd do the six hours to Atlanta, likley mostly in silence. Otherwise, he'd have to find out if Lorna would still be there at the end of the trip.
"Sorry that I expect you to behave like a responsible adult," she muttered back and then quite firmly closed her eyes. Right now she wasn't in any kind of mood to deal with him. Maybe once they got out of this poisonous city things would be better. Maybe.
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