Enter Remy

[x-gambit.livejournal.com]

"Why can’t we rescue wayward mutants in the Waldorf? Or Cicero’s?" Courier said grimly as they picked their way through the rubble and garbage strewn across the alleys of the riverfront. Empty warehouses and decaying piers served as the backdrop of dozens of homeless people, most in tiny clusters around flaming barrels or huddled underneath piles of rags. The winter hadn’t truly
hit yet, but the elements savaged the street people cruelly. The small team of X-Men did their best to avoid contact, but there were simply too many not to see.

"Ain’t always clean living, rich boy." Logan muttered, straining his nose to pick up individual scents beneath the filth and rot. Courier bit back a comment and trudged ahead quietly beside
Beast and Nightcrawler. Both men stayed close, just in case this was another of Magneto’s little surprises. Courier stayed further back, mentally comparing the docks to a dozen Eastern European countries and was suddenly glad he/she didn’t have a suitcase full of cocaine handcuffed to her wrist.

"Quiet. According to the Professor, our mutant should be right in this building." Psylocke broke in over all of them, ostensibly in command on this mission. Her telepathy created tiny pings of
awareness, and the warehouse held a single person. It was hard to narrow in on the mutant, but with her powers acting erratically over the last few weeks, it wasn’t a surprise. The small team
entered quietly, fanning out in the dim interior. Their quarry was easy to find, slumped against a wall in the corner, a bottle of cheap wine empty at his feet and the reek of filth and booze almost
solid around him.

"Great. We’re rescuing the ‘stink guy’." Courier said in a nasty voice. Psylocke shot her a dark look before approaching the recumbent form.

"Excuse me. Hello. Are you awake?" She said, reaching out to shake him. His eyes flickered open and a hand shot out to grasp her throat, viper quick.

"Don’t touch, chere." He snarled, and Psylocke brought her hand up, striking the inside of his wrist sharply. His hold was broken, but he scissored his legs, whirling to his feet even as he
scythed hers out from under her.

"Psylocke!" Beast yelled, as the homeless man danced back from the form.

"Psylocke? Dat don’t sound like you given name, femme. Which means dat German fruit must have sent you. Remy isn’t interested. Told you once." Remy said, backing away from the corner and opening up as much room for himself as possible.

"Don’’t be stupid. We’’re just here to––" Betsy said, coming to her feet. Her sudden lurch forward drove Remy back, and he kicked out with his foot, knocking a length of steel rebar into
the air. He snatched it deftly and swung the metal rod in a tight figure eight, nearly taking Betsy’s head off.

"Remy said non twice, chere." He said, and lashed out with the rod. Psylocke sidestepped the strike, and spun away from the follow-up. Beast launched himself into the air, gaining height in
the small space.

"You seem to be labouring under a false assumption, my friend." He said, grabbing the rafters and swinging down towards the mutant. Remy planted one end of his staff into the ground and polevaunted up, slamming both feet into Beast’s gut just as the large mutant was about to drop. The breath wooshed out of him, and Remy back-kicked off the mutant to land on his feet as Beast crashed awkwardly into the floor.

"Dat’s one. How many more you got ‘fore you get de message?" Remy smiled, and tossed a pair of cards, scattering Wolverine and Courier as they exploded. He dropped down with a flourish of
his coat, easily avoiding Betsy’s kick and shoulderblocking her off her feet. Nightcrawler teleported and lashed out a kick, missing by a hairs breath. Gambit blocked his second kick,
lashing a kick through the teleporting wash, caught a punch in the short ribs from the blue mutant behind him and was roughly hauled backward. Remy twisted impossible fast, his feet hitting the
ground first and straight-armed Wagner into a wall.

“Mein Gott!” Kurt teleported, only to be met by a foot to the chin, teleported again, and into the same result. Nightcrawler teleported away, up into the rafters, before noticing the pickly glowing card tucked into his jacket. The explosion knocked him clear of the warehouse itself.

Remy’s smirk turned sour as he ducked three adamantium claws lashing past his ear. Logan came forward carefully, swiping in tight circles at the Cajun. Remy flipped the rod back up
into his hands and parried two quick slashes. He ducked a third and planted a solid kick into Logan’s gut. Logan swiped sideways, and Remy’s staff was sliced in two by the razor sharp claws. Remy spun and kicked out behind Logan’s knee, staggering him and blocking a backhand cut. He slammed his knuckles down Wolverine’s ribs, and recoiled in pain as his fist hit the superhard metal lacing. Logan finally grabbed a handful of long coat, and pulled Gambit off his feet, slamming him down on the ground. He raised an arm to strike, but Psylocke’s timely kick knocked his arm to the side, the three claws slamming through the concrete beside Remy’s head.

"That will be quite enough, boys." She said, leaning down to talk to Remy, even as the mutant stared sideways at the blades beside his head. "We are not here from Magneto. In fact, we fight
against him."

"Dat’s not a selling point."

"Look, we work as part of a school for gifted people, like yourself. We help them learn to control their powers and find a place for themselves." Betsy said, noticing despite the grime and the splotchy beard how young Remy looked.

"For free, I’m sure. Den you just happen to go out in leather outfits to do t’ings?"

"By choice, if need be." Psylocke said. "We’’re not trying to recruit you. If you want us to leave, just say so. But we’d like you to at least come out to the school first. Take a look around. Even if you don’t like it, we can still help you with getting off the streets."

"If I like de streets?" Remy said, but the lie sounded feeble even to him. Frankly, the grinding months of hard living had wearied him to his very core, and even if they were trying to recruit
him, a few days of decent rest and food would be enough for him to escape.

"You expect anyone to believe that?"

"Oui." Remy said, and slowly sat up. Logan sheathed his claws, backing up slowly in case Remy tried anything violent. "I’ll take a look at least."

"Good. Thank you. I’m Betsy Braddock. I teach there." Betsy said, and watched his red on black eyes travel up and down her body.

"LeBeau. Remy LeBeau." He got to his feet. "You sure dis place is for real?"

"Last I checked."

"Bizarre." Remy said, just as Nightcrawler stalked back through the doors, covered in muck and dripping slimy water. The force of the impact had driven him into the East river, and he was forced to struggle through the polluted mud and climb the rotting timbers back to the river front. Beast had picked himself up and was gingerly feeling his jaw. "Sorry ‘bout dat, hommes. Can’t be
too careful."

Remy’s comment was met with a sudden silence. He shrugged and turned back to Betsy. "So, when do we leave?"

"I’m thinking you might want to get cleaned up first. There are some things going on in the mansion right now––"

"Mansion?"

"So maybe a couple of days in a hotel would be best. I think we should get you checked out by a doctor too."

"Remy not contagious."

"I’m inclined to wait for a professional opinion on that, Mister LeBeau."

"Everyone is a damn comedian."