ARG!!!! I'm begining to forget who I HAVE and HAVEN'T killed off!
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Thanx to Soar for her expert editing. Without it this would make NO sense at all!!!
What the Future Holds Part 6/?
Storm awoke to the sound of muffled explosions. It took her a moment to figure out where she was but when she did she was immediately brought to action. Jumping out of bed and ignoring the dizzy spell that overcame her at the fast movement she ran to the emergency point. It was the place she had been told to go if something happened and there was no one else around to tell her WHAT was going on.
Coming into the room she found that it was relatively non active, except for Remy, Logan, Alex and Hank who were having a calm conversation in the opposite corner. Upon her arrival they all looked up at her, but before they could say any thing, Scott and Wolverine came bursting in behind her.
"Morning mes copains. Sleep well?"
Scott and Ororo looked at each other in confusion and then back at Remy. For all intents and purposes he looked quite good for a man who, just the day before, had been laying on his death bed. The four also looked completely unconcerned by the explosions outside.
"You look confused," Alex stated. "What's on your mind?"
Remy cleared his throat, and Hank smiled at his subtlety.
"The answer to that inquiry would most assumedly be our Cajun Wonder's miraculous recovery. If that is indeed the case then the proper response to said inquiry would be the amazing advancements by way of technological apparatus in the field of medical progress. To put it rather bluntly in the spirit of the X-Men past and present: He got better."
"Uh..." Cyclops started.
Remy smiled sideways. "Come in and sit down. Dere's a lot t' be said."
The three obliged and he sighed not really knowing where to start. He had wanted to have this all planned out but he became busy. Finally he settled on letting the young X-Men before him take the ball and run with it. "What do you wan' t' know?"
"The explosions...?" Scott said right away.
"The explosions?" Alex asked confused, as yet again Remy smiled.
Logan nodded and looked at Remy, "I hadn't noticed. Can ya' handle it?"
"Oui. 'S not'in' big. My shields'll hold."
"Shields?" Scott and Ororo asked in unison.
"Oui. You 'member when Logan told you I'd gone blind? Well, dat was from an experiment dat was done on me a couple o' years back. Essex started it..." He went silent for a moment in memory but not wanting to dwell he quickly continued. "Af'er I got out a scientist named T'oarkala from de Sh'iar Empire finished it. De outcome was a sort of ver' powerful telepathic power. De loss of sight was due to de expirment being cut short."
"IDIOTS took him out of stasis too early. Nearly killed him, and Oricle and Bets'."
Ignoring Logan, he countinued. "Our side hasn' been able t' recreate de beginning o' de experment in ot'er people, so 'M left t' defend de planet moi meme. Fortunately Essex can't figure out what we did on our side either so dey can' overrun us with an army of superpowerful telepathic clones or what not."
Scott nodded in realisation. "Guardian."
Remy noded back. "Oui. Mos' de ot'er telepat's on our side 've been killed so dat dey can' interfere. Weren' for Blind Side here I probably wouldn' be here speaking with you now. He has de power to hide people from de Astral plain." He looked at Alex, "Saves 'lot of lives dat way."
Alex blushed. "Thank you, sir," he replied quietly.
"Why are telepaths so important?" The younger Logan asked, breaking his silence.
Hank and Alex exchanged looks and Wolverine lowered his head to avoid his gaze Remy
however didn't even flinch away. That's why he's telling the tale, and not us, Wolverine thought.
"Our greatest enemy... Onslaught," Remy articulated perfectly.
Scott chocked a minute, "Excuse me?!?"
Remy took a deep breath, "After... +AHEM+ After de death o' de X-Men. Xavier went loco on de government. He read our minds and saw dat S.H.I.E.L.D. was responsible and den wen' after dem. When we wouldn' help he got some new soldiers. We didn' want to fight 'im but we didn' have much of a choice. He killed a lot, enslaved some ot'ers, and sold out de rest. All t' gain more allies."
"After the death of the X-Men...?" Storm said trying to get a grip on what Remy was saying. "But we aren't dead!" Cyclops exclaimed. "If you hadn't taken us out of our time, we'd-"
"-Have been killed off by de government," Remy finished. "We took you all out at de time of y' deaths, boy. Y'd be charred to a crisp now if it weren't for us. Melded with the WarRoom floor."
Logan looked up at Remy in surprise at his tone. "Blasts getting to ya Remy?" He asked in concern.
Remy squinted. "Oui. Regrete." He looked at Scott who could have sworn by the intensity of the gaze that he had his full sight and sighed in irritation. "Sorry t' snap, homme. Haven' had much sleep lately."
It was then that Scott realised the look of pain in those eyes and completely understood. He was not as 'healed' as he was leading the others to believe. He felt a surge of pride at the amount of strength he was using. Remy smiled back, knowing that Scott had figured out his little secret.
"But that does not make sense," Ororo said, breaking their gaze.
"What doesn't 'Ro?" Logan asked.
"How is it that both you and the Logan of our time can exist here?"
Remy took a deep breath, as his eyes started to glow. "He will not remain here. In order to preserve the future, he must be sent back to the past, with no recollection of de events which have taken place in dis time." With a gesture of his hand, the younger Logan fell to the floor. "Alex, send for your brother."
"If the future is so bad... Why do you want to preserve it?" Cyclops said in shock, as Storm went to Logan's side and Alex left to go find Portal.
"The future IS bad, but who says the world we create won't be any different, or any worse," replied Logan.
"Isn't the possibility enough?"
"Non. It isn'. 'Sides, if we send someone back to change what happen, den dey change de future. Dey change de future, how dey goin' get back in de firs' place? Dey don' go back, de past don' change; Past don' change, dey do go back. We'd get stuck in a time loop."
"What about Bishop?"
Remy sighed. "Bishop is an 'nomaly. 'E exists OUTSIDE de time stream. Trust me. We have exausted dat particular thought. We can' guarentee dat it would work. We don' even know where to start t' make it work."
"Bishop, indeed. +SKINT+ I'd love ta' get my claws on that--"
"Logan," Remy snapped, "Leave de pup 'lone. Take out y'anger on Onslaught, next time y' meet."
Cyclops blinked in surprise. "What did--?"
"Xavier 'sided dat he wanted t' walk 'gain, so he took a new body." Rising from his chair Remy walked to the window allowing himself to feel the light on his face and take it in as one of the few comforts he had left. "I haven' been able t' reach Bishop for years. Af'er he took Bishop, 'Bird followed. We den made our own connections wit' de Sh'iar and wit Lil'. Wit'out dem we'd 'ave lost dis war long 'go," He said thoughtfully, slightly charging a glass of coffee he held in his hands so as to warm it.
"I do not understand," Storm said in a confused voice. "If Lilandra is so important why have we not seen her? Or any other of her race?"
Remy's knees appeared to go weak, as he stumbled and nearly fell. There was a deep sadness in his eyes as he turned to face her. Putting down his glass with a trembling hand he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to respond, "Y- you have Chere... T'rin an' Don'vin are Sh'iar. Half Sh'iar. Lilandra is dere mother."
"Are you saying that Lilandra is your...?" Scott exclaimed.
Logan gave way to a slight laugh, putting a hand to Remy's shoulder in a comforting gesture. As did Hank comming up beside the two, "Lady and Gentleman, I'd like to present to you the benevolent Earth Angel, King of the thieves guild, Guardian of Terrans everywhere, the amazing, astounding, Remy Nerimani LeBeau: Emperor of the Sh'iar empire."
"Your levity is greatly appreciated Henri," Remy said quietly, turning towards the window again.
Logan leaned close to his old friend. "We'll get them back Remy. I swear it to you, this time we won't let them go. He's taken enough from us all he's got to be stopped here and NOW."
"I know, Logan. I know. Try tellin' dat t' d' ot'ers." At that moment a portal opened and one of the twins stepped in.
"'Bout time Jimmy," Logan said to the boy who headed straight for the unconscious Logan on the floor.
"Yeah. There was some trouble-- HEY! He's uncounscious," He exclaimed, stating the ovbious. Looking up he noticed that no one really cared because Bobby and Alex came running in, "Right, it'll take a few minutes to the portal and then I'll be out of your way," he murmered to himself.
"Sir! There's trouble breaking out in all the sectors! We've been hit by all sides except..." Out of nowhere Remy lurched back into Logan's arms, struggling to keep his balance. He failed miserably and the two tumbled to the ground, a creepy red light escaping Remy as he gasped for air.
"Guardian?" the twins gasped in unision.
"Except by Xavier, right Bobby?" Wolverine asked, morbid fear covering his visage.
Alex dropped to his knees beside the two, and tentatively put a hand to his mentor's shoulder, "Sir?" he asked.
He gasped a few more times before his breathing returned to normal. "Dammit Jimmy, get him de HELL OUTTA HERE!"
"Yessir," he replied pushing his portal for all he was worth. As it closed around him, he could barely make out all of the yelling and commotion going on around him, but he knew whatever happened, whoever won, this would be the last battle.
TBC...