To Raise a Tempest... Ch 2

Disclaimer in Ch 1

A brisk wind cuts through the tall trees in Westchester... Cain
runs ahead of you, teasing you... your brother is stronger,
faster...and you mutter wholly classless curses under your
breath... Proper upper class children shouldn't think such
thoughts, but Charles Xavier was never much one for the trappings
of Society!

And now, in the playgrounds of his mind, Charles has an option he
never had as a child... 

He leaned down by the fencerow, and picked up something he'd seen
his brother stash there: one of his father's pistols...and now he
exercised the ability to exorcise his childish frustrations with
cunning and savagery...

Inside his mind, Cain Marko doesn't even have a chance to scream...
but Emma Frost does..and most surprisingly of all, so does Charles!
Crying out in his sleep as the nightmares threaten to overtake his
rational mind, at last blissful darkness... a shadow of the man he
once was...over takes him.

And as quietly as it started, the psiscan ended, with a painful
revelation.

Joseph quickly eased the amplifier helmet off Emma's sweat-beaded
brow, using his electro-magnetic abilities to shield her from the
backlash she was inevitably feeling,<What happened, Emma?>

[Charles...] she whispered, her sea-green eyes glazed in shock,
taking cover in the arms of her friend, [Oh, Blessed...]

<What is it?> he whispered soothingly, <What did you see?>

[They are one and the same,] she finally continued, after
struggling for the right words, [Joined together.... to the root...
to the very core of who they are... Charles and that.. *thing*...
are one being...]

Joseph continued to gently rock her in his arms for a long time
after the telepath had fallen asleep in his arms, her mind
attempting to deal with the shock...

A week later: 

Somewhere, a tortured soul deals with the painful truth about his
discovery, unsure what to make of what he was seeing. His mission
in life was an obsession!

"How is it that no one was able to detect that modified Quinjet
until it landed?" the wirey man growled under his breath as he
continued surveillance of the site, gesticulating wildly at the
comm techie in his aggravation.

"Nothing registered on my scanners, sir," the soldier replied, as
he readjusted his scanners in the darkness, "meaning that bird's
probably stealth-enabled... that's cloaked in layman's terms..."

"OF course," the field agent grumbled, lighting up another smoke,
"That's a covert action team's craft!"

"...but that the hell are they doing here?" he continued as the
soldiers in his surveillance unit continued to monitor the
situation.

"Prob'bly the same reason we are?" the platoon sergeant muttered.
The intel officer shook her head, "The file indicates that the
Hellfire Club and the X-Force don't have the best of relations,
sir. Maybe we should just sit tight and let them do our work for
us--by taking each other out? 

As the field agent and the platoon of specialists passed 'round the
lighter and thermos of bitter coffee, they neglected to notise the
shadowy figures sneaking past their position...

A Cajun thief, a Coda Sister and a freelance merc with more prices
on his head than a lost masterpiece at auction made their way along
the overgrown trails, while a subtle telepathic suggestion put the
surveillance squad at ease, allowing the interlopers to sneak past.

Psykeye looked over her shoulder, her psibereyes allowing her to
function normally in the extremely low light levels as she guided
her partners to their target, [We got us a back door, ladies!]

She looked over the large metal grate, listening, and letting her
eyes autofocus on the dim heat signature below, Cable edged up next
to her, running a hand through the strong draft of air, [Oath!
Generators're pumping out some very hot air...]

[Bloody exhaust vents...] the Otherworlder replied with a nod,
[Someone is cooling down sublevels...rather deep down, it would
appear...]

She and Cable looked at each other as Remy lit up another clove,
muttering to him self, "Shall we?"

Liz shot a guarded look at the increasingly aloof Cajun, [Venture
into dank, windy tunnels with the two of you, luv?]

She and the 'borged merc each locked gauntleted hands in the grips
on the grate, easing it out of the way as the Cajun slipped through
like a peeled grape, ready to examine the opening for security and
intrusion countermeasures.

[Have a care, Remy,] she advised him, the clarity of her Sight-gift
surprising her once again, [There is a laserweb about 10 feet down,
strong enough to incinerate any small vermin...it wouldn't kill
you, but you'd feel it, even through that armor.]

<An' ya don' t'ink ol' Gambit don't know how t'disarm that kinda
t'ing on his own?> the Cajun grumbled, <Y'all be hurtin' my
feelin's, Lady of Blades...>

[And don't neglect to bypass that old fashioned trip-wire...] she
retorted smugly, her psibereyes revealing just how close he'd come
to triggering it.

<...damned know-it-all Britons,> he muttered to himself as he
twisted his lithe, agile form between the various defenses,
concentrating wholly on his work.

Cable rigged a mechanism of rope and a pulley that would allow them
to lower it back into place while Psykeye kept a mental eye on the
area, broadcasting a subtle "see-me-not" suggestion to any sentient
minds that might encounter the strange trio. She didn't have to
wait long for her on-again-off-again lover to finish disarming the
grid. 

Cable slid down the rappelling line first, serving as an anchor for
the Coda, and then the thief as the dripping of water could be
heard in the distance...

She and Cable clung to the sides of the tunnel, as they heard Remy
splash down in the questionable liquids that pooled at the bottom
of the shaft, Liz's dark eyes flashing for a moment as she winked
at Cable, [I didn't think he'd fall for it...]

[But he did, didn't he?] the merc replied with a good dose of
mental sarcasm, and the dull glow of his cybernetic eye punctuating
the expression on his face.

Remy grumbled to himself, wondering what on earth could smell so
bad, and now he was covered in it. He saw Liz carefully lower
herself to the tunnel floor with Cable's help, admiring the view
with a wanton gaze, <Lordy, but a naughty boy's dreams can come
true...>

Liz turned around and glowered at him, her cybernetic eyes adjusted
to the gloom, [Remy LeBeau, you are obnoxiously incorrigible!]

He raised a hand and gaped in protest for a moment, before
bantering back at her, <But think o' how much fun it could be
t'corrige ol' Remy?>

Cable glared at the Cajun, [There is no such word, but if there
were, would it not be your blonde fellow Guildswoman's rather
unpleasant responsibility, not Psykeye's?]

The Cajun winced as he moved ahead of the other two, he didn't know
much about the cyborged merc, nor now much the man knew about his
"extracurricular activities" involving his "Guild"...

Some time later, the tunnels emerged into the fan and generator
rooms they'd suspected existed down this far. It had been a game
of "chutes and ladders" for them to work their way downward,
leaving the trio with quiet unease about their destination, or what
they would find there...

The buildings above were abandoned years ago, their ostensible
purpose is..or rather was...an orphanage, but there was always
something more... something darker. 

There was little joy here, and less hope. Even now, in the darkness
of these tunnels, the other darkness that filled this place still
echoes across the years...

Liz followed Remy into the sub-basements, the clairvoyant aspect of
her Sight- gift allowing her a look above as she shook her head,
[So this is where some children grew up? How sad that they were
expected to thrive in such austere circumstances!]

<Should see some o'the places that ol' Remy called home, chere,>
Remy muttered, concealing any glimpse of those places from her
telepathy, shaking his head as she and Cable gave one another a
suspicious look.

Psykeye and Cable are freelancers, Gambit is a fringe member of
Xavier's private militia, called the X-Force, and they have come
here on a mission of near desperation: a quest to discover any
secrets they can relating to the deadly Legacy Virus...

Remy took the point, letting his thief's instincts guide him
through the maze of humming machinery, far too new, considering the
condemned orphanage above the surface, to a wall, where there
should have been none...

Liz and Cable followed quietly, using their own instincts and
enhanced senses survey their surroundings, her eyes noting heat
signatures and the Sight-gift seeking anything else...

[There's no reason for him to be so uptight about this mission,]
she commented to the merc, [Considering we're possibly entering the
stronghold of one of Xavier's shadow-partners, with the only intel
provided by the most suspect of sources...I can't like it!]

She felt Cable's strong, reassuring hand on her shoulder, [You just
keep us linked to Phoenix and Beast topside... And we'd best
operate under the assumption that nothing Sabretooth told us about
Sinister's little operation, or anything else you were able to
pluck out of his head, is true...]

Liz reached out and pulled the Cajun away from the hologrpahic
wall, before he set off the laser-web defenses, her precognitive
senses and truesight showing her what was and what would be....

[Remy, you've got a death wish, don't ye luv,] she muttered along
the mind link she maintained, feeling Phoenix's assent echo in her
head.

<I swear, that Cajun is so cocky,> she commented, <He ends up on
his feet, just to spite himself!>

Hank's friendly voice joined the redhead's, <Now, now, Phoenix, be
nice... I know something's up, but Gambit's endearing bravado may
not be unwarranted, nor may Cable and Psykeye's suspicions...since
none of the situations Sabretooth warned us about have transpired.
Now, may I suggest silence? It's difficult enough sensing
everything through our lovely psychic's eyes without editorial
comment...>

Phoenix grumbled to herself, feeling handicapped without her own
telepathic abilities, "weeeel, excuse me!"

Hank gave the mercurial redhead a friendly hug, whispering in her
ear, "You're excused..."

They both then concentrated on the peculiar sensory input that came
from the telepath's cybernetic eyes, feeling a little like voyeurs.

Deep below the streets of the Big Apple, Cable planted small
charges at the emission points Psykeye designated, and then they
took cover as the merc hit the detonator switch.

A dazzling display of fireworks forced Remy to cover his eyes as
Liz watched the results, unfazed--her eyes automatically
compensating for the dramatic variance of light conditions, [Well
done, Cable... Let's see what we find?]

She gestured for Cable to rein in the thief as she approached the
burned out holographic generator and laser-web... Nothing triggered
any of her psychic senses, or portended to danger as she passed
through the opening between two massive pieces of ultra-tech
equipment.

[Oi, it's safe, come on through,] she told them, not turning her
back to the smaller room, [Remy, you're on..]

He grinned suavely, wriggling his eyebrows at her erstwhile lover,
<That's what Remy like t'hear...a lil' confidence tha' some o' us
know how t'do our jobs th' right way.. Y'all just watch as
m'scorin' tool finds a groove in th' masonry here...>

Psykeye still marveled at how the Cajun's sensitive fingers found
what he was looking for, that she could already See. His cocky
attitude intensified as she watched him reveal the chink in the
masonry and remove a small portion, <...an' watch now as Remy take
d'lead an' uncover th' obligatory secret panel!>

The peice fell into his other hand as he carefully set it aside and
gestured for Liz to examine it, which she began doing, focusing her
Sight-gift on the panel and letting it guide her as her fingers
flew over the keypad...

She stepped back and waited...feeling the anticipation build in her
allies as the door suddenly hissed open, sliding up into a recessed
pocket above them, Cable commented, [Much as I hate that bastage,
the intel Creed gave us is no lie, so far...]

Liz nodded grudgingly, [Indeed, I've found very little of what he
has to say about some of Sinister and Xavier's dealings is,
gentlemen. And this is, so far, exactly where Creed said it would
be. A secret access to underground facilities...more often than
not, they're the unpleasant truths we'd prefer not to hear, aren't
they, Remy?]

Her pointed remark hit home, exactly as she'd known it would,
<Listen, me an' you been cold shouldered fer a couple o'weeks now,
chere... no need t'rub in in Remy's face, 'kay?>

She gave him a cool look, [That was never my intention, Remy. I'm
truly sorry that whatever your side jobs entail, that it has
coloured the things you professed to feel for me!]

Remy felt a rush of guilt, at juggling his various loyalties, and
the sudden realization that it might jeopardize his relationship
with Liz, he sent her a private tendril of thought, <No, Remy
should be appologizin', chere. He don' mean t'snap...it's a sore
spot righ now.. jus' that Remy don' much like th' face that a
murderin' fiend like Creed lives in th' mansion...an' shadow 
dancin' 'round with our heads, playin games an' laughin' at us the
whole time!>

She nodded curtly, accepting his apology for the moment, as Cable
scouted the vista on the other side, [I sense you're troubles go
beyond Sabretooth and myself... Your thoughts are of New
Orleans..your family...and the Guild you still owe fealty to...]

He quickly buried any thoughts of his other..obligations...and
quickly set up a facade over his thoughts, blocking her from his
private mind, and hoping she would at least abide most telepath's
etiquette of not digging too deep, <Those telepathic abilities o'
your kickin' back a little too much fer Gambit's taste, mon
petite...>

She raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into Remy in the
last month or so, [Exxcuuse me? I did not mean to pry, but with
the full scope of my psi-talents being revealed, I've had a
difficult time erecting the proper psi-screens to ward out the
deeper thoughts of those around me...Hekate's Scythe!!!]

Cable had rigged the control mechanisms to light the room that lay
beyond them, and it had revealed a huge cavern, filled with
peculiar, alien equipment, that bordered on H. Geiger's
imaginings...

She'd "Seen" it the moment before he hit the switch, and now, both
men knew what had caused suck a reaction in the Coda warrior.

Cable placed a hand on her shoulder, restraining her from stepping
off the platform they now stood upon, [No, Liz, I don't think the
founder of the Coda had anything to do with this place... Oath, but
this is somehow...familiar!]

Liz steadied herself in the merc's comforting presence, using him
as an anchor to help her focus out the rush of things she Saw and
felt in this place, while Remy pulled out a small digicam and began
recording images of what lay before them...