6Episode 2: Gambit
All Characters Belong to Marvel and Disney.
Enjoy!
A long time ago, in the country of France... Long before the Age of Avengers had surpassed the Age of X-Men, there was a Child. A Child that was left alone, abandoned by a family that did not love their own blood. And long before the Child, there was the Thieves Guild, a society of criminals that is spread into different chapters around the world.
One of these Chapters, New Orleans, had discovered the Child, claiming it as one of their own. When acquired, the Guild discovered that the Child they claimed had possessed Burning Red Eyes. From then on, the Child would grow to have many names... First, he would be known as the Cajun, for his French heritage.
Then, as the years grow, and time passes by as he becomes one of the highest members the Guild has ever bred, he would grow to bear numerous other names.
Remy LeBeau...
L'enfant abandonne...
Le Diable Blanc...
...Gambit.
Fingers clicked on a keyboard while the room remained dark. Red Pupils, Darkened Orbs gazed upon a laptop, accessing Trask International's Servers as the person behind the device was sitting comfortably on the chair, hearing the sounds of two men conversing together outside the room.
"Alright, so I'm standing there with these other guys, and this one guy comes out, and he was acting all calm and shit, asking if we could all just talk about it, like he was attempting to defuse the situation."
A door was opened, and two armed gunmen start walking themselves inside.
"And then someone steps up, calling this Guy in Red Tights Spider-Man, and guess what happens?"
"What?"
"The guy in tights got so offended, he had this silent stare before he whipped out his pistol, and put two bullets in the chest."
"Holy shit." The men continued their conversation, with their backs turned around, unaware of the 3rd person occupying the room. "That's pretty fucked up."
"No, that ain't the fucked up part. The fucked up part is that the Guy shot the man by both his own fucking nipples."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, really."
The men stared at each other while contemplating that thought before bursting out laughing, almost losing their breath for it as one of the men turned around with a smile on his face.
Then that smile turned into a frown, having finally spotted the man in a Brown Trenchcoat sitting from across their spots.
"...What the fuck?"
"I know, right? Like, one second, he's acting like Gandhi, and one second after, he starts shooting up the whole room, it's almost hilarious-!"
"No, no, look."
The partner turned around, seeing the Trenchcoat Man inside as his good mood suddenly phased out quickly.
"...Who the fuck are you?"
The Trenchcoat Man halted, no longer typing on the keyboard. Then he turned around, facing his Red-Eyes over towards Security.
"...Tu me parle?" The man spoke in French, with the added bonus of a French accent, thus confusing the men who did not understand what he said.
"What?"
"I said, "Are you talking to me?", in French, of course." The Trenchcoat Man turned his chair around, letting his face shown in the flesh. "You do understand French, don't you?"
"You French or something?"
"Oui, oui, of course, I'm French! Why, is the accent not convincing?" He pressed his fingerless gloves against his throat, rubbing it. "Is there something wrong with my accent? Am I sounding Non-Cajun to you?"
One of the men tilted his head. "Who are you?"
"Oh, did I not offer you my name? Ah, mince, my sincerest apologies: I'm Remy, Remy LeBeau, but you can call me Remy, I'm perfectly content with just Remy. And what you are looking at is the new head of IT, Mes Amies." Remy stood up, greeting the two uncertain coworkers. "I assume that you did not get the Email?"
The two turned to glance at each other, perplexed as they stopped to glance back at Remy.
"...no."
"No? Me neither! HA!" Remy pressed both hands around each shoulder of each different person. "One minute, you're sitting at the office, minding your business, and then a minute afterward, you get a phone call telling you that you just received a promotion! Isn't life weird that way?"
"You... Don't look like IT."
"Oh, you mean my clothes?" Remy cleared his throat, stepping back. "Oh, no, no, no, don't judge a book by its' cover, Mes Amies. These are my work clothes, and as the new head of IT, I have granted all my employees the freedom of attire! I mean, fuck the dress code, I could give a shit about the dress code, I could wear whatever the fuck I want and give two fucks about it anyways."
"...So how did you do it?"
"How did I do what, Mon Ami?"
"How did you change clothes? I mean, you said that you got promoted into IT, right? Where did you get the clothes from?"
"Yeah... How did you manage to change clothes if you didn't even know you were getting promoted today?"
"And pardon my French, but can you tell us just what the fuck is the matter with your eyes?
Remy let out a loud groan, making it last as he slid his hand into a metal rod
"You know what, Mon Ami... You really shouldn't judge a book by its' cover."
Within a moment's notice, a finger pressed a button, and the rod extended itself, turning into a bo-staff as he hit one gunman right in the chin, and elbowed the other by the nose. With a swift movement, Remy pressed his foot against a gunman's chest, kicking him off his feet while swinging the Staff towards the other's leg, his hip, both his shoulders, and then his head, knocking him out cold.
Then as the remaining conscious opponent just pulled out his gun, Remy turned and flipped a Card, throwing it directly at the back of his wrist, stabbing it, pinning it to the wall, stopping him from pointing the gun in his general direction.
Though, he wasn't successful at stopping the fingers from instinctually pulling the trigger...
BANG!
"ARRRGHHHH!"
Remy sighed, closing his eyes as he walked over to the screaming gunman, kicking the pistol away from his hand.
"I wish you haven't done that, Mon Ami." Remy knelt down to the guard's level. " I mean that. I really wish you didn't, 'cause now that just sped up my time, and I don't like it when I'm rushed, because not only does it impact my performance grade, but it also impacts my credibility of being a stealthy thief, do you feel me, mister security guard, sir?"
"FUCK YOU! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING MUTIE GARBAGE-!"
SMACK!
The guard fell silent when the Staff hit him hard in the head, leaving Remy to let out another sigh as the alarms started to blare out.
"And may the sweet joy of the Holiday Spirit bless you too, Mon Ami." Remy mused to himself as he pulled the Card right out of the guard's wrist. "Well, no turning back from Raven now."
The French turned to the computer, having seen the hack a complete success as he pulled the hard drive out of the device and turned to exit into the hallways. From there, the lights flashed red throughout each corner as he made his escape. He quickly turned to hide in the shadow, away from the sights of armed mercenaries, blissfully aware of the intruder that lurks right behind them.
"What's with the alarm?"
"Not sure. Somebody heard a gunshot coming from the Server Room, we're going in to investigate."
"Is it one of those assholes with the Claws on his fist?"
"That's what we're trying to find out, keep moving!"
As soon as the patrol passed by, Remy turned to enter the opposite direction of where they were heading as he kept moving, pressing hands deep into his jacket's pockets. He reached the stairs, knowing too well that the elevators will already be occupied with armed weapons so he climbed his way down, keeping himself composed.
He made it halfway out when he spotted flashlights, as well as the sounds of voices coming from down the stairwell. With no time left to think, he turned to the door closest to his direction and found himself in the laboratories, surprised when he suddenly found the mist that came from his mouth.
"...Did it just get cold in here?"
"...Help!"
His head turned to the sound of a cry, as he knew this one came from one of the labs. Acting out of his nature to move on, he walked inside, curious as every step became colder in seconds. He pressed his hand at the door, gently pushing it open as he was almost shocked at what he had seen.
Before him, there was an entire room encased in Ice. And behind this was an Iceman, or rather an Iceboy, as he was restrained to a table, blindfolded with a collar around his throat.
"Mon Dieu..." Remy walked over to the teenage boy, removing the blindfold around his face as he looked at what was tying him. "What happened to you?"
"Help me. Please, please help me." The boy begged, struggling against his restraints. "I can't get out. These people took me against my will..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I think you have me mistaken. I'm a Thief, not a Rescuer."
"A... A Thief? What the fuck...?"
"Oui, indeed I am." He pressed his hands against the insides of his pockets. "And as much as I'd like to talk, I am getting very, very cold. And you are certainly not helping with that. I came in here because I was curious, and my curiosity has been sated, so if you may excuse me..."
"Wait, wait! Please, don't leave me in here! I... I can't spend another day in here, I'll fucking die if I do! Just, take these restraints off me."
"And what's in it for me if I do such a thing?"
"What are you? A Hero for Hire or something?"
"I believe that's mostly Mister Luke Cage's gig, now that he is... A Boss, so to speak. Good for him though, he actually does look nice in a Suit."
"Are you going to help me or not?!"
"It depends on whether or not you have a thousand dollars in your bank account."
"What?!"
"And my thoughts exactly." He clapped his hands together. "Now, again, if you'll excuse me...!"
"What's your hurry, Gambit?"
Gambit froze, hearing another voice in the lab as he turned around, seeing an Assassin dressed in a Red Coat, wielding a pair of shades as he was standing in the middle of the doorway.
"The guards are still looking for you upstairs. It'd be a shame to walk away from a lengthy conversation for you and me."
"And may I ask, just who are you, precisely, Mister...?"
"X... Call me, Mister X."
"Ah... X..." Gambit nodded his head. "Oui, oui, I've heard of you, yes... You're an Assassin, are you not?"
"And you are a Thief. Two professionals from different worlds."
"Least mine involves minimum bloodshed, well, for my line of work anyway." Gambit glanced at the Iceman on the table. "You're not here for... Him, are you?"
"WHAT?!"
"Kidding! Kidding..." Gambit laughed, patting the boy's face, turning to face Mister X once more... "...I mean, that is just a joke, isn't it?"
"On the contrary... I'm here for you."
Gambit turned back around, seeing Mister X pull out his Blades.
"Your Guild has kept a close eye on you... Especially when they intercepted your hidden transmission from the Raven to you."
Gambit tilted his head, stepping away from the boy's table. "...Did sweet, darling, Odessa put you up to this? I mean, I fancy she'd get upset, but this feels a bit... Overkill, isn't it?"
"Perhaps... But I'm only holding back because she sent me explicit instructions."
"And those instructions are...?"
"If you drop what you have stolen from your Guild's Client, then all is forgiven. And the Bounty on your head shall be dropped from mine."
"Just like that?"
"Exactly like that. After all, given what I've heard so much about the One who is destined to bring about a Unity to both our Guilds, I'd say you'd have a lot more to lose than me."
Gambit pressed himself against the wall, thinking to himself.
"...Perhaps... Perhaps you are correct, perhaps I would, given my case..."
"Perhaps indeed."
"...But then I'd be trading one thing for another."
"And that's supposed to be...?"
"My dignity." Gambit leaned himself off the wall. "See... Being a thief such as I, it's supposed to feel... Thrilling. It's supposed to make you feel like you actually like doing your job, not because someone tells you what to do, but because at the end of the day, win or lose; you walk out feeling fulfilled with your skills. And being integrated into a Committee where they dictate every single thing you do is not a Guild I want to be a part of. Especially when we're supposed to be stealing from those who don't necessarily need things the most, things that many wouldn't miss. Like a dick drawing for example; it's the easiest thing to steal, I mean come on."
"So I presume you're tendering in your resignation?"
"I presume if this is the part where we have to kill each other, then, by all means, Mon Ami."
Mr. X tilted his head, his thrill piqued as he gripped on the handle blades thoroughly.
"...You've gotten soft."
"Yeah, that's what having a soul does to you."
"And I thought Devils don't have souls?"
"Don't tell me: You're a fan."
"More like an Admirer... Shame I have to kill you though."
The two remained silent as the Thief and the Assassin locked eyes together. Gambit held out his Staff in his hand, prepared to fight an unwinnable battle.
"...You think because I am known as a Thief, that I am not squeamish about shedding blood myself?"
"Didn't you just say you like to keep the bloodshed to a minimum?"
"Only if I never had to... But never say never, Oui?"
"...Well said."
They both stood there, staring at each other... Until what came next was inevitable to happen. The two charged at each other and brawled, dancing in combat as they fought with their individual weapons. One swing and Gambit dodged. Another swing and X blocked his attack.
Eventually, the weapons clashed together, making the two lock eyes closer than before as they fought, with the end result of their fight becoming uncertain.
"I heard you were a low-level telepath. That's why you fight so well, Oui?"
"What's it to you, dead man?"
"Try reading my mind, Assassin."
Getting out of the Clash, Gambit swung his Staff once again, before unleashing a Playing Card, throwing it right at X's face. And so the Assassin turned to make a move...
Snk!
The sword was pulled up, and the card was cut right in half, thus saving X from death... But not from the injury to his back, as five cards were dug right into his back, right before exploding from a timed postponement.
After the explosion, X fell right on the floor, groaning as blood poured right from his back, gritting his teeth while Gambit stood over the Assassin, victorious.
"I thought as much when I've heard of you... An excellent fighter, but quite slow to react when you're reading a mind, especially during a fight."
X groaned as he faced the floor. "This... Isn't over..."
"No... But you let me worry about that, Oui, Mon Ami."
Gambit stood up as he started to walk away, with his Staff resting on his shoulder, all while the Mutant Teenager lay on the table, trapped still.
"Hey... Hey, please, don't do this! Don't leave me in here, come on!"
Gambit froze once more, having heard the cry for help. Then he turned around, glancing up and down as he saw Mr. X's body on the floor, and the Iceman in the cage... Then he let out a sigh, having come to a decision...
"Alright, rise and shine, Iceman."
"Ahhh!"
The boy coughed, feeling the sun on his face as he covered his eyes, finding himself at the Airport as Gambit let out bags on the ground.
"Now, I'd normally offer you a coat, but I doubt you'd really need one, so given your condition; I'd say I'll hand you Five Grand. One bag has some clothes for you, and the other is money that I am willing to give away just for you, so you'll owe me one big time, kid."
The teen turned around, finding the bag with money inside as Gambit loaded up his own rucksack.
"...What am I supposed to do with all this money?"
"Oh, you know; find your way back home, start a new life, maybe even throw a party in Vegas. I don't know, do whatever that sounds so much cliche to you, and see how that works for you, but make your money last, Oui?"
Iceman pulled out a shirt, rubbing his arm as Gambit started to get inside of a car. "Hey... Thanks for this."
"Don't think me, just thank the fact that I was never given a choice since Birth, and I'm feeling a little sympathetic, okay, Iceman?"
"It's... Bobby."
"Bobby... Splendid name, I like it. Mine's Remy, how do you do?"
"We've already met."
"I know that, I'm just being polite." The Gambit started the engine. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I have a Date with a Raven, and hopefully a one-way trip to Madripoor."
With enough said, Iceman and Gambit went on their separate ways, with Bobby being left with enough money to guarantee him to passage out of the city, and Remy on his way to meet with Fate...
This takes place between the 3rd and 4th Episodes of the Wolverine. Feel free to take a look at those when you're up to it!
Hope you have enjoyed this, and have a nice day!
PEACE!