Chapter 5

 

Ray eyed both of them carefully and scanned them. He asked, “Where are we?”

 

“In Xavier’s School for the Gifted.” Storm told him. “You are a student here.”

“We never went to school before. Papa had us homeschooled.” Ray stepped out of the elevator and looked around carefully. It looked like a very rich and imposing place, but it might make a good mark. But one look from the man.. Logan.. told him that trying to steal here wouldn’t be in his good health.

 

Logan sniffed the air and realized that the boy was scared and unsure of what to do. The kid had no idea where exactly he was or what was going on. He pulled the kid into the kitchen and had the kid sit down on a stool. It was odd to know that a teenager was running around in the body of an adult man. Storm sat down next to him and Ray seemed to relax.

“What are we doing here? Last I checked, we were working a job in Australia. But I haven’t had the chance to come out since Seattle.” Ray sensed a tension in the air when he mentioned Seattle. “I guess the Trio panicked after Sorrow lost it at the theatre.”

 

“What exactly is the Trio? What happened in Seattle?” Storm realized that this was a chance to learn a few things that Remy wouldn’t tell them.

 

“The Trio is the top three personalities who control our infrastructure. Remy is one of them, so is Wraith and Stefan. They decide who has control and for how long. In Seattle, Sorrow lost control of his kinetic powers and blew up a theatre. After that, no one except Renegade or Nathaniel were allowed out.” Ray looked at Logan and Storm. “What happened?”

 

“We don’t know the whole story, Remy never told us.”

 

Ray snorted. “Figures, his job is to make sure that the cores are protected and that our existence is kept secret. Maybe that’s why he took the blame for what Nathaniel did at Seattle.”

 

Things were making sense but there were many questions left. Logan suddenly focused on Gambit, whose scent changed dramatically. It was Remy again. “Gumbo, that you?”

 

“Oui, what happened?” Remy frowned. “Uh… did someone..”

 

“No, Ray and Renegade were well behaved but Nathaniel and Feral gave us quite a scare.” Storm held her old friend’s hand and said, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

 

“I couldn’t, telling Xavier was bad enough but … old habits.” Remy looked at Logan. “Thank you for looking out for us.”

 

“Who was responsible for the Massacre? And don’t tell me that it was you because it wasn’t.” Storm asked forcefully.

 

“I was supposed to be doing a simple job: break into a house and steal some data from a mutant-finding computer. Things got out of hand and I learned that Nathaniel sold us out and agreed to help in the Massacre. I managed to stop him and save Sarah, but Sabertooth got to us before …. I blamed myself because I thought that Nathaniel would be the best one to work with Essex.” Remy looked at his hands and shook his head.

 

“What about the others?” Logan asked. “Are they..”

 

“They are not going anywhere. It’s just that circumstances have ensured that the majority of us are either homicidal maniacs or stuck in catatonic stupors. And that’s not including those who have ‘died’. Ray was the personality who dealt with the LeBeau family in New Orleans.” Remy laughed. “The accent I acquired later on, after he tried to fuse a couple of us together.”

 

“You could have told me.” Storm looked at her oldest friend sadly. “I trusted you with everything and you couldn’t even tell me the truth.”

“I couldn’t.” Remy got up and went to the window. “My job is to make sure no one learns of our existence, and if it meant taking the blame for the Massacre, then so be it.”

 

Logan lit a cigar and said, “What about Rogue?”

 

Remy stiffened as that name hit him hard. “What about Rogue?”

 

“She absorbed your memories, or was it someone else?”

 

Remy touched the glass window and shook his head. “Rogue’s power t’ absorb memories n’ powers took us by surprise. She got my powers but de memories mostly belong t’ Nathaniel n’ Sorrow. I got kicked out briefly. If I was a decent telepath, I could remove the memories but I can’t. And I don’t trust any of the others to do it.”

 

Storm sighed softly. “Now what?”

 

Remy shrugged. “Depends if they want me to stay. If they throw me out, I have a job to fall back on. But they won’t, we’re too dangerous.”

 

“True, true.” Logan puffed on the cigar.

 

Storm cocked her head at Remy and asked, “What do you mean ‘too dangerous’?”

 

Remy laughed bitterly. “Xavier’s worried that I’ll turn into another Legion. We both have multiple personalities and Omega-class powers. If I, if we can’t maintain control, then we’ll be put down.. or contained permanently.” Then he asked, “Anyone for coffee?”