The Cold Hearted Truth
Chapter Ten
Kaleidopy 

Remy lays on his side staring at the wall. The collar around his neck was scratching his throat. He had tried every trick he could think of to get the thing off, nothing worked. He was a prisoner in a house he once called home. Now that he had time to think, he was beginning to remember things that happened at Sinister's base before the X-men kidnapped him. What was that remark that Scott Summers had said before he hit him. ' Little Brother?' Remy smiles to himself. The burden of leadership has finally claimed Cyclop's sanity. He heard someone come inside his room. He didn't want to see anyone, so he didn't bother to turn over.

" May I come in, Remy?"

" Go 'way, Stormy."

" I will not! And do not call me that name!" Storm slams the door hard behind her, making sure that Gambit knew she was not about to leave. Walking over to the bed, she glares down at him. Electricity was in the air as she speaks. " You will either turn over and look at me or I will stand here and make your life miserable." She stands over the bed waiting for him to respond, when he doesn't, she taps her foot on the hard wood floor. " Well?"

Gambit mutters something under his breath, that Storm could not hear.

" Suppose I raise the temperature of this room a few degrees to match your temper." Ororo taunts him. " Or just maybe I will dump a rain cloud over your head to cool you off."

" Gambit asks y' b'fore t' leave." Remy turns over and glares at her. " GET OUT!!" He turns back on his side.

Storm squints her eyes, " When I learned from Rogue that she had left you in Antarctica I tried to kill her until I came to my senses." She sits down on the bed and places her hand on his back and begins to rub it. " My dear Remy, you are the brother I never had. Do not shut me out of your life, not like this, not when I can see you are hurting so much. Please, talk to me."

" Don' have nothin' t' say."

" Remy, this is not like you to treat me like this." Storm continues to rub his back, looking for any sign of body language that she could recognize. Sensing nothing familiar, " I am fearful for what Sinister has done to you."

" Essex didn' d' anyt'in' t' me." Remy tells her. " X-men got nothin' better t' d' but blame Sinister f' everythin' dat goes wrong around here. Bet dey blame him for Xavier's disappearance t'."

" I believe Sinister had a hand in Charles' disappearance." Storm says. " Sinister does not deserve your loyalty, Remy. His history with the X-men is long and he will only hurt you in the long run."

" Essex was de one who rescued Gambit, Stormy, wasn't de X-men." Remy bitterly replies. " Sinister has always been dere f' me, de X-men dey never cared f' dis Cajan."

" We did not abandon you, my friend." Storm tries to explain. " You did not know that Bastion attacked the mansion while you and the others were in space. Scott was almost killed, we did not know what happened in Antarctica until Rogue told us."

" N'body missed Gambit!" Remy turns over and looks at her. " De X-men didn' care t' look,"

" No Remy, I searched every night for you." Storm could see the hurt in his eyes, a hurt she shared with him. " I would never deliberately hurt you. We are a family, the X-men are your family."

" Non!" Gambit shakes his head and turns away from her. " Sinister is de only family Gambit needs."

" Remy please, do not let him turn you against me. I can not bare the thought of losing you."

Gambit just stares at her with a blank look on his face, If he had his way, he would unleash the powers that Sinister gave him to blow up the mansion with everyone in it, well almost everyone. He finally says. " Gambit wants y' t' leave dis place, padnet, b'fore Essex comes. Y' leave b'fore Gambit gets free."

" I shall releave you of one of your burdens now." Storm pulls out the small key. She inserts the key into the lock of the collar and turns it. After the lock is opened, she pulls the collar off Remy's neck and tosses it across the room. She looks deep within Gambit's eyes, hoping to touch the heart of her best friend. " I am at your mercy now Remy," Ororo continues to stare at him. " Will you use those new powers of yours to attack me too?"

Gambit tries to turn his head away from Storm's perishing eyes. " Stormy, Gambit don' want t' see y' get hurt."

" No my friend," Storm grabs his head to make him look at her. " What ever Sinister has planned for the X-men, he also has planned for me. I will not leave my friends to face Essex." When Gambit tries again to keep from looking into her eyes, Ororo yanks him back. " No Remy, you look at me. You tell me why you hate the X-men."

After rubbing his neck, Gambit looks into her eyes. Tears were beginning to form in those eyes. Lowering his head, " Stormy, why? Why dey leave me t' die?" He too was on the verge of displaying those same emotions Storm was feeling. " Angel, Henry, 'lizabet', Joseph, dey all knew, "

Placing both of her hands on his cheeks, " I can not answer that my friend, but all I can say in their defence is they thought Rogue dropped you off some place," Storm says. " None of us in our wildest dreams thought she left you in Antarctica."

Remy only lowers his head, trying his best to block out Storm's pleads. He didn't want to hear anymore lies.

" I understand your doubts, Remy. What happened was inexcusable," Storm continues. " Someone should have noticed Rogue's sudden mood change, but so much was going on around here, that nobody noticed." Ororo shakes her head, finally she sighs, admitting defeat in her attempt to answer Gambit's question. " Look at me trying to make excuses, Remy forgive me, I have no answers," She takes him into her embrace. " But remember you and I share a bond that none of the others can understand. I love you , my brother."

" Stormy, don',"

" No Remy," Storm cradles him. " I will not let you go back to Sinister. You are an X-men, even if you do not believe it yourself. You belong here," She says. " If you leave, I shall hold myself responsible."

Gambit closes his eyes. He loved this woman more than himself. She was the only one who first believed in him when no one else would. But he also remembers the other X-men who pronounced judgement on him, abandoning him to a cold frozen death, had it not been for Nathaniel Essex, their death sentence would have been carried out. " I ain' stayin', where I ain' wanted." He turns away from Storm's pleading eyes. " Stormy, don' try and stop me from leavin'. Gambit don' belon' here."

" I see." Storm gets up off the bed, goes to the window to deactivate the force field. Looking out, she suddenly blows out the glass with a powerful wind gust. " Perhaps you are right, you do not belong here." Turning back out around, " Go. It is what you want, isn't it? I am giving you your freedom from this room you call a jail."

Jumping to his feet, Remy was about to leap out the window, when Storm places her hand on his shoulder. " Hey, y' say I could leave, y' change y' mind already, Stormy?"

" I have asked you before not to call me Stormy, do I look like a child to you."

" Non," Remy cocks a wicked smile. " Y' don' look like no child, Storm----y."

" I am not in the mood for one of your childish games, Remy." Storm takes her hand off his shoulder. " I will allow you to leave the mansion, but before you go, I want you to think about what this says about me." She stares outside watching several birds fly by. " I brought you to the X-men because I saw in you a kindred soul. Someone, who accepted me for who I was, as I did you." Ororo then turns back to look at Gambit. " Was I so wrong about you, Remy?"

" Mebbe what Warren and Bobby say 'bout Gambit true 'fter all, non."

" If you want to act like a child, then I shall treat you as one." Storm grabs his arm, lifts him and herself outside the mansion before landing on the roof. " You are going to sit up here until you can get it through your head that you belong here." She glares at him. " And don't even think about leaving because I will freeze you to the roof if you try."

" Y' would." Gambit huffs as he props his elbows on his bended knees. Sighing, he had a feeling it was going to be a long day. Staring down at the mansion grounds, Remy's attention caught Bishop and Bobby patrolling the grounds. Standing to his feet, he suddenly starts waving his hands over his head. " Hey Drake, look Gambit don' have de collar, y' wan' t' come up here and finish what y' started."

Bobby glares up at the roof, " What the," He notices Storm standing by Gambit. " Ororo, have you gone mad? You let him loose?"

Bishop grabs Bobby by the shoulder and squeezes it tightly, " Drake, don't be stupid. Remy is baiting you." The big man stares up at the two on the roof, he never had any doubts of Storm's leadership abilities, but freeing Gambit was not in his opinion, the smartest move for the regal Ororo to make.

" What's de matter, Drake, 'fraid t' fight Gambit one on one?" Remy shouts down to the two on the ground. " Y not'in' b' a,,, OUCH!!!"

" Leave Bobby alone Remy or I will zap you again." Storm glances down at Bishop and Bobby. " You may continue your patrol. I assure you that Remy will not cause anymore trouble." She turns to Gambit, eyeing him with a very clear threat. " Will you Remy?"

" Non!" Gambit sighs." Y' goin' t' let me go, Stormy?"

" I said you could leave the mansion, did I not," Storm replies. " As you are well aware, you are out of the mansion."

" Dat ain' what y' meant!" Remy yells at her. Just the thought of him remaining a second longer with Xavier and the rest was an outrage. And the fact that Storm was the one who misled him, made him sick at his stomach. " Should have figured de X-men would stick toget'er." He glares out towards the lake.  

The Marauders were hiding in the woods just several hundred feet from the mansion. Riptide cut the wires to the security system and came back to report his progress. " Everything has been disabled. I made sure that I had their main computer back on line so that they wouldn't realize what had happened."

" Good everything is going along as planned," Scalphunter glances over at Arclight. " Radio the boss and tell him that it is time."

" He's already here." Roadblock remarks.

The other Marauders look stunned as the terraces opens and Sinister walks through it.

" About time you made an appearance," Creed comes out of the brushes and approaches them. He glances around and then looks back at Essex and smiles. " Boy run off again, didn't he?" Sabertooth starts laughing. " Not as clever as you think you are, are you Essex?"

Sinister grabs Sabertooth by the neck and begins to choke him. " Not so funny now is it, Creed." Satisfied, that he had Sabertooth's attention, " The boy was taken against his will by the X-men, and I blame you for that act." He gets as close as he can to Creed's face without touching him. " As soon as I reclaim what Xavier took from my domain, Sinister will deal with you." He shoves Creed down, " Because of your stupidity, the X-men took advantage of your disappearance and escaped, an escape that never would have happened if the Marauders were stationed at their post," He adds his distaste to the conversation, by adding, " Instead they were sent out on a mission to hunt you down."

" I ain't one of your Marauders, Essex," Creed curls his upper lip before gritting his teeth in anger. " I come and go as I please. You don't like it then pay me what you owe me and we can call this partnership dissolved."

" You get paid when the job is done and not before." Sinister continues to glare a hole into Sabertooth.

The Marauders knew Creed was walking on dangerous ground. They secretly began to take bets on how much longer Essex would take from Creed.

Scrambler rushes back quickly. " Just two of them on the grounds." He says, while wondering why the other Marauders were passing around money behind Creed and Essex's back. " Drake, and that big guy with the muscles." He pauses to catch his breath. " The one called Storm is on the roof with LeBeau, and from the looks of it, he doesn't want to be there." He notices the angry expression Creed had on his face. " The rest of the X-men are in the mansion." He sighs before continuing. " Uh Boss," he pauses, dreading the information he must report to Essex. " Vertigo and Prism are also in the mansion."

" Indeed!" Sinister nods his head. " So we kill two birds with one stone." He then becomes very serious as he addresses the Marauders and especially Creed. " Until the boy is back in my hands, no one is to kill the X-men." He adds. " Sinister will see if Xavier cares more for his X-men or keeping what is Sinister's."

OUTSIDE THE MANSION

" Scott is going to blow like a volcano when he finds out Storm freed Gambit." Bobby continues to maintain his anger. " What is she thinking? He could turn on her like he did with Jean and the others."

" Don't sell Storm too short, Drake." Bishop tell him. " She knows what she is doing."

" Well that is one of us who thinks she does." Bobby says stomping his feet in anger.

" Will you grow up!" Bishop grits his teeth in anger. " We are on full alert and here you are making enought noise to wake the dead." He glares down at Bobby. " Drake, if you make another sound, I am going to knock you into next week."

" What a grouch!" Bobby snorts in disgust. " You and Logan been eating out of the same bowl?"

" I'm not going to warn you again." Bishop threatens him.

" Why don't you tell the others that Gambit's loose, you know Storm isn't going to do it?" Iceman mockingly answers his own question. " Oh I forget, we are talking about Gambit, the poster child for the most mixed up mutant, and now that jerk turns out to be Scott's long lost little brother," Bobby rolls his eyes upward as if asking the sky 'Why' " It is going to be hell around here once everything settles down."

Bishop stops suddenly, holding his hand up to get Bobby's attention.

Drake hears a twig snap. " Bish,"

" Hush," Bishop puts his finger to his lips to silence his friend. He pumps his riffle twice before turning the corner. Before either man could move another step, they are attacked. Bishop tries to aim his gun, but Scalphunter comes out of the shadows and slams the butt of his gun over the back of Bishop's head, who drops to the ground, unmoving.

Bobby tries to turn into his ice form, but Arclight uses her super strength to grab Drake by his neck and slams him hard down on the ground, knocking him unconscious the second he hits the ground.

" Easy Philippa, we need him alive." Roadblock reminds her of Essex's warning, while checking on Bishop. " This one is still alive, what about him?"

Sliding one of her knifes out of her uniform, Arclight grabs Drake by his hair, stooping down, she takes the tip of the knife and places it below Bobby's left ear. " What's one less X-men?" She laughs. " They seem to multiply every few months, I say we knock these two off and get another one to take their place. Who would know the difference? Essex isn't here."

" Think again," Sinister suddenly materializes before their eyes. " Sinister does not allow insubordination without paying for the act. Are you willing to risk that?"

" No," Arclight retracts the knife and places it back on her uniform. Standing back to her feet, she moves away from Drake's body.

Sinister smiles slightly. " Scalphunter, you and Scrambler gather these two. Sinister has need of them." He orders. " Harpoon, Roadblock, Arclight and you, Creed, if you can follow orders," Essex glares at Sabertooth almost daring him to move. " Go around back, and engage Storm and subdue her. The four of you should be enough to handle the weather witch." He adds. " The rest will come with me, once the regal one is captured, bring her and my son to me inside the mansion. Now go!"

" Move it people, we are under attack." Cyclops yells out a warning. " security has been breached."

" The cameras have been deactivated." Warren tells him. " Where is everyone?"

" Jean and the professor are upstairs checking on Gambit," Psylocke answers. " Rogue, Logan are in the danger room. I just sent out a mental summons to them. Bobby and Bishop are outside."

" Where's Storm?" Scott glances around looking for his co-leader.

" Haven't seen her," Warren answers. " The last time I did, she was angry and took off."

" Scott," Jean came rushing downstairs with the Genoshian collar in her hand. " Remy has escaped. I tried scanning for him but I am getting an interference that is too close by."

" It's Sinister!" Charles tells everyone just as the door explodes off it's hinges.

" How correct you are Charles." Essex enters the mansion with the Marauders fast behind him, carrying Bishop and Bobby's unconscious bodies. They drop the bodies down in the middle of the floor. " You have taken something that belongs to Sinister, either return what is rightfully mine, or these two are dead."

Cyclops suddenly hits Sinister in the chest with his optic laser blast. Scott felt almost indestructible as he watches Essex fall backwards. But to his horror, it only stuns the scientist, who manages to get to his feet with a look that would have shaken any sane person in their boots.

" Scott, is this a way to treat a guest in your home." Sinister addresses him with a evil grin.

" You're going to have to come through me and the rest of the X-men to get what you want." Scott manages to keep his fears under control. He watches as the X-men get into position for the upcoming battle. Turning his attention back to Sinister, he notices that several of the Marauders were not in the mansion. " What's the matter, Sinister, can't keep good help these days?"

" Observant as always, my child, but foolishly misguided," Sinister almost looks pleased as he studies Cyclops. " A certain beautiful member of your team is missing, Arclight believes Storm should join her friends."

" I'm giving you fair warning, Essex," Cyclops tells him. " You are not getting your hands on any of the X-men, and that includes Remy as well."

" Your brother is no X-men, Scott, you yourself have thought that many times in the past." Sinister begins to laugh as he glances at several members of the X-men. " In fact many of your friends would like nothing better than for Sinister to reclaim what is his." He suddenly fixes his glaze over at Warren. " Isn't that right, Worthington?"

" That was in the past, Sinister, and you know it." Angel glares at him. " This is just like you to manipulate the facts for your own gain. I have nothing against Remy, just you and the rest of your Marauders."

" Do I detect a little seed of revenge being planted in you, Worthington?" Sinister sighs deeply as if growing tired of the conversation. " Enough of this idle chit chat," He turns to Scalphunter. " Send someone outside to see if Arclight needs assistance. "

" That was pretty lousy, girl." Wolverine stands over a dazed Rogue. " If I woulda been the FOH or the Marauders, ya woulda been dead."

" Ah just let ya win, Sugah, that's all," Rogue slowly stands up. " Ah just didn't wanna make ya feel bad when Ah kick yer butt up and down this here program." She grins slightly. " Would ya like ta try it again, and this time, Logan," She takes to the air and hovers over him. " Ah won't take it easy on ya."

" Yeah right," Wolverine snorts and he looks up at her. " Why ya so happy this mornin'?"

" Why Logan, what ever do ya mean?" Rogue floats at the top of the ceiling. " Ah'm always in a good mood."

" Yeah and Beast needs Rogain." Logan replies. " Ya through playing around and ready fer some real action?"

" Yes, sir!" Rogue half salutes him in a mocking matter. " What ever ya say, Sir. Would ya care if Ah raise mah hand and go ta the bathroom, Sir!"

" Knock off the clowning, girl. Ya been hanging around Drake and Gumbo too long." Wolverine stops and turns around, sniffing the air, he looks up at Rogue. " Somethin's not right, Rogue."

" Ah was about ta tell ya th' same thing." She lands beside him. " Scott's ain't called a danger room session and it's too dang quiet." Rogue touches her com badge. " Rogue here, hey Scott, where is everyone?"