Note: Warning: Chapter contains adult
language.
One Step Forward, Two
Steps Back
Part Four
"You knew about this
all these months and you never told us?"
"It was not my place to
do so, Scott. Ororo requested I keep it to myself, and I could not violate the
doctor, patient privila—"
"Screw the damn
privilege Hank. This is family. You should have told us!" Logan growled.
"All the more reason
she didn’t want anyone here to know. She didn’t even tell me about her
condition until she needed something to keep her going. She didn’t want us
feeling sorry for her."
"It was Ororo’s choice
and her right to keep this from us." Charles said. "We should not be
blaming Henry for this."
"Hank," Jean said
calmly. "Isn’t there anything you can do?"
Henry shook his head.
"Her state advanced too quickly. By the time she went to see Dr. Martin,
it was already too late. Without her knowledge I have been doing testing but
have found nothing."
"How—how bad is
she?" Jubilee asked. I mean… how much time… before…"
The Doctor closed his eyes.
"…At the most… Twenty-Four hours."
"What?!"
"Her system is
completely shutting itself down. By tomorrow night, if she’s still with us,
Ororo will be living by the aid of machines alone."
The door to the med lab
waiting area slid open.
"Hey, what everybody
doin down here?" Remy asked walking in. He’d come and the mansion appeared
to be empty. The computer, when asked, revealed they were all in the medical
area.
"Wha’s goin’ on?"
"…"
No one spoke. Remy looked
around the room suspiciously.
"Where’s Ororo?"
"…Remy…" Rogue
began slowly.
He looked at her, then at
everyone else. A sudden jolt went through him and Remy bolted for the med lab
door.
"Remy, wait…!"
Remy ignored Hank but
stopped short when he entered the room. Ororo was in a Shi’ar Medical bed. She
was hooked up to both a ventilator and a heart monitor. He walked over to the
bed and put his hands on one of the raised sides.
Most of the others had followed
him in.
"…What’s wrong? What
happened to her?"
"She has Striker’s
Cancer Remy. …Ororo is dying."
"Dat can’t be."
"It’s true."
"She would’a tol’
me."
"Remy…"
"What can you do for
her? How can ya stop dis?"
"Nothing."
"What do ya mean
nothing?!" For the first time Remy turned away from Ororo and glared at
Hank. "I t’ought you was one of the best doctors on d’planet!"
"I have done
everything possible Remy. I have contacted the most advanced sources in the
world. This Cancer is too new. It is beyond our abilities."
"Non."
"Remy…" The
Professor began.
"Non!" He yelled
and marched past them again out of the room.
No one followed him this
time.
‘Why didn’ I see dis? I
should’a seen dis! Too wrapped up in my own damn selfish life. My Stormy needed
me an’ I weren’t dere!’
Remy reached the carport
and sat on his Harley.
‘Stormy can’t die. Not
gonna let dis happen.’
He started the engine and
drove off.
‘It ain’t gonna happen.’
* * * * *
A test tube rolling off his
desk and hitting the floor caused Hank to jump awake. He had fallen asleep in
his office again. The clock on the wall read 7am. He patted the pockets of his
lab coat looking for his glasses before realizing they were sitting out of
place on his head. He took them off and put them back on properly.
He got up from his chair,
stretched, walked to the door leading to the main med lab and nearly had a
heart attack.
Ororo was sitting up in the
medical bed, her feet hanging over the side. She was rubbing the back of her
neck and proceeded to disconnect the heart monitor. An alarm went off which
startled her. Henry ran over to the main system and turned it off.
He stood there staring with
his hands still on the machine.
"Ororo?"
"Hank? What am I doing
down here?"
Hank just continued to stare
with his mouth wide open.
* * * * *
"She is almost in
complete remission. It is as though the cancer is deleting itself!"
"How is that
possible?"
"Well, there have been
cases of spontaneous remission, but never at this speed. Actually, it usually it
means a cancer goes into remission without any form of medical, so this doesn’t
even fall into that category." He sat back in the chair in a huff and
through up his hands. "I’m at a loss. And you know what? At this moment, I
don’t care."
It was eight thirty. The
X-Men had awakened to the happy news that Ororo was alive and well. Jean was in
the med lab, helping Ororo dress. Although she was recovering, her body was
still very fatigued from all of the trauma. The other occupants of the house,
most of them, were now gathered in the rec room, waiting to see their beloved
teammate.
Rogue came in the room.
"Guys, Remy’s gone. Ah
went up there and most of his stuff is gone. The things that are important to
him anyway. Some clothes and personal stuff. His closet and drawers were almost
empty."
"You were
searching?" Scott asked.
"Ah started to after I
saw these on his bed." She held out Remy’s team communicator and a small
card with the words ‘Time To Be Movin’ On’ written on it in Gambit’s
handwriting. "And his Harley’s gone."
"Great." Logan
muttered.
"He must be distressed
about Storm. He doesn’t know she’s okay." Kitty said.
"I will use Cerebro to
search for him." Charles said. "After, I see Ororo."
"There could be an
easier way." Sam said picking up the phone. "Don’t think he’d go away
without letting his mama know where he is. Not as close as those two have
gotten."
"Now I remember why I
like you, kid." Logan said with a laugh.
* * * * *
Unfortunately, the only
effect of the phone call was to worry Danielle. She hadn’t heard from Remy
since he’d dropped her off the afternoon before.
This worried Storm as well,
which no one wanted to happen.
The Professor put out a
search using Cerebro. The initial scans came up with nothing. Remy had always
been a hard person to read telepathically, but since his return from Antarctica
and the revelation of all his major secrets, he had been more trusting. Jean
and the Professor were always able to contact him… if he wanted to be
contacted.
* * * * *
Remy lay on his back, arms
folded behind his head, staring up in the dark to the ceiling. There was no
moon that night so even though there was no covering on the small window, the
room remained dark.
The door to the small room
opened and a large silhouette stood in the frame.
"He wants to see
you."
"What for?"
"To talk."
"Tell ‘im t’go
t’hell."
"Oh, he’ll like
that."
"An’ you go with
‘im."
"If you’re going to be
such an ass, why did you come back in the first place?"
"Dat ain’t your
business."
"We don’t need you."
"Your boss t’ink
different."
"He’s your boss
too."
"I be my own
boss."
"That were true,"
the voice said backing out of the doorway. "you wouldn’t be here."
The door closed.
Remy looked up to the small
window near the ceiling. He could just make out a few tiny flakes of white
dancing out there.
‘I’m in hell.’ He thought. ‘An’ it’s snowin’.’
* * * * *
Someone was watching her.
She could feel it. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up.
Ororo turned from the shop
window and looked around the busy street. I was her first time out by herself
since her miraculous recovery. She had decided to do a little window shopping
downtown. She actually had to threaten to tie the others up before they would
let her go out on own her own. She had to promise to call every half and hour.
Scanning the street, Ororo
panned until she was looking towards the area she felt the stare was coming
from. It was a crowded corner on the opposite side of the street and down a
bit.
It took her a moment, the
crowd was moving very fast—but there was someone among them standing very
still.
‘Remy?’
He was leaning against the
brick corner staring right at her, a sad little smile on his face. She made her
way over to him as quickly as possible and threw herself at him in a hug. He
received her in kind.
"Remy! Where have you
been?"
"It’s good ta see ya
up an’ around like dis Stormy."
"My illness is in
remission. I am fine now. Where have you been?"
Remy shrugged slowly.
"Felt like I needed to
be cuttin’ out for a while."
"I read your note.
What is it you are not telling me?"
He shook his head.
"Nothin’ Stormy. Dere’s nothin’." He glanced at his watch and pushed
off the wall. "I gotta be goin’ Stormy." His kissed her on the cheek.
"Pressing
engagement?"
He grinned. "Somethin’
like that."
"Remy…"
"Storm… I’m glad t’see
you up and around Stormy."
He started to walk away.
"What about
Danielle?"
He stopped but didn’t turn
around.
"Been thinkin’… maybe
it be better she don’t see me for a while. Been takin’ up all her time. She got
other pups dat need her too."
"So when are you going
to start telling me the truth."
"Don’ know. Maybe I
wait as long as you did to tell me d’truth. Oh, dat’s right! Ya never did tell
me d’truth. I come home and find you dyin’ in a hospital bed."
A few people turned to look
as Remy raised his voice.
"…I…"
Remy shook his head.
"I’m sorry Stormy. I-I shouln’ a said dat."
"…No…No. You had a
right to."
"Jus’ when I saw you
like dat in d’med lab…"
"I—I know. My reasons
for not telling anyone were purely selfish. I admit that. But I can not say
that I would do things differently if…"
"No ‘if’, Stormy.
Don’t do d’ ‘if’."
She smiled slightly.
"When you are ready to
talk Remy… whatever it is…"
"I t’ink I remember
d’address."
She gave him another hug.
"Do not be gone too
long, my friend."
"…I’ll try,
Stormy."
* * * * *
Remy walked into his new
employer’s office without knocking. The site of him… just being in the presence
Mr. Sinister made Gambit want to retch.
"Where were you?"
"My business."
"I have work for you
to do. You and the others."
"What?"
"This mutant." He
brought up an image of a man on the computer screen. "He works for me, but
has not been responding to my summons as of late."
"Smart man."
"I want you to retrieve
him. Bring him to me by any means."
"I ain’t killin’ no
one an’ neider are any o’ dem."
"Have you discussed
that with them."
"Ain’t nuthin’
t’discuss. Ain’t no one dyin’ long as I’m around. …Less one o your pups get
outta hand."
"I’m sure your team
would have some opinions about that."
Remy placed his hands flat
on the table and leaned towards his employer angrily, red eye to red eye.
"DEY—AIN’T—MY—TEAM!"
"They are now, Remy.
Oh, and incidentally, I have informed them of the reason for return, and that
you will be leading them under my authority. You, as they, belong to me now,
Remy. Do not forget that. If I want either them, or you to kill—to slaughter a
hundred people, you will do so without question." He tilted his head to
the side. "You remember what that’s like, don’t you Remy?"
Remy clenched his fists;
his nails digging into his palms so hard, they nearly bled.
"…I’m outta
here." He said trying to control his voice.
"Fine. I shall be sure
to send a bouquet of flowers to your friend’s funeral."
Remy spun around and stared
hard at the creature sitting behind the metal desk.
"She already cured.
Dere ain’t nuthin’ you can do t’her."
The creature actually
laughed. Such a rare feet that it sent spikes of ice down Remy’s spine.
"Did you really
believe I would give Storm a full cure? What would that serve to keep you here?
You are a man of honor but I know even you have your limits. You would not stay
long on your word alone. Your actions here are proof of that."
"What do you mean you
didn’t give her a cure?!?!"
"You wanted your
friend to live did you not? Well… she will live… as long as you continue to do
my bidding."
"What did you give
her?"
"I gave her a
mask."
"A what?"
"A mask. What I
created for you to inject her with was not something to cure the cancer. It
seeks out all the cancerous cells in the body and envelops them—but does not
destroy them. The cells are still there but they no longer active, they do not
multiply or spread, they no longer feed on the body. Quite ingenious if I may
say so myself."
Remy narrowed his eyes.
"The mask disguises
itself as normal read blood cells or amino acids in the body. Your hairy doctor
would not know it was there unless he was actually looking for it. And I am not
even certain that someone with his limited scientific ability would be able to
do that much."
Remy was surprised at the
sudden urge to defend Hank’s medical and scientific ability. But he realized
that Sinister was insulting someone who, in his heart, if his mind would not
admit it, was family.
"So… what? You mean
she gotta be injected with dis again t’keep dis goin’?" The thought of
this worried Gambit. He would have a hard time explaining sneaking into Ororo’s
room in the middle of the night to inject her with something she didn’t know
she needed.
"No, of course not. My
serums belong to me. I want as few of them outside of here as possible."
"Den how exactly you
planin’ doin’ dis little blackmail?"
"Blackmail? Remy, you
wound me. Remember, it was you who sought me out." He leaned back in his
chair. "The mask can be dissolved with a simple amino solution. Once it is
injected into the blood, the mask disappears and the cancer picks up where it
left off. And as I recall you telling me, where it left off was on dear Ororo’s
deathbed."
"You’d hafta get near
her first. I’d never let dat happen."
Sinister folded his hands.
"When walking down a
normal street, as you did today for example, how many people did you touch? How
many touched you? A simple brush… A simple prick of a needle… Your friend will
be dead inside of forty-eight hours… If that long."
"…" Remy stood
back, his mouth open in disbelief.
"So, young sir. What
will it be? Are you in or out?"
"…" Remy pressed
his lips into a tight straight line. He turned and headed for the door.
"Ain’t killin’."
"Whatever. Just get
the job done."
"Fuck off." He
said as the door was sliding shut behind him.
Sinister smiled.
To Be Continued…