Cue the Fireworks (Angel, Polaris)

[wildcard]

Continued from Fight Night xmenalternative.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cablebaseisland&thread=2256&page=2

Remy LeBeau was leaning against the wall with his legs crossed in front of him. The distinct sound of cards being shuffled was audible in the otherwise quiet room created by the cards masterfully dancing through the air, taking refuge in one hand only to bounce back to the other. Cable had warned him over the intercom that he would have some guests at this location. Remy was the perfect man to surprise a group that is under the guidance of a telepath. The remnants of his kinetic energy created a static interference which prevented almost all telepathic communications and detection. His natural intensified the difficulty for any telepathic communication making it much easier to rely on the intercom for communication.

Gambit was sharing the wall that supported his weight with the only door into the room. He continued his persistent shuffling as the door creaked open an arm’s length away from his position. Those burning red eyes rose from the cards to the beauty who stood before him. He was certainly not expecting a gorgeous woman to be part of this strike force he had been hired to “slow down”. The money that he was offered was enticing enough, but combined with his mysterious benefactors promise of fun and now a green haired beauty? This was becoming more enjoyable by the minute.

“Bienvenue, Madamoiselle. Homme say I would have company but never mentioned ze guest would be so beautiful.” Gambit had removed his weight from the supporting wall as he began his introduction, which was filled with a thick Cajun accent. Always interested in a dramatic entrance, Gambit continued his soliloquy as he was closing the door. “You bring a friend? Look like Mardi Gras come early.” By this point the door was shut behind Lorna and the handle began to emanate a violet aura. Tendrils of energy danced from Remy’s fingertips to the doorknob which flickered with the power of the unlocked kinetic energy.

Remy spoke in a reassuring voice as if justifying closing the door. It was all part of his little game. “One man, one woman… Only natural, no? Alas… I don’t believe your friend will stay outside forever. If itza party… then cue da fireworks.” Synchronized with his statement, the door exploded outwards, being ripped off of the hinges which held it. The door was propelled away by the explosion creating a cloud of shrapnel and splinters which projected outward. “Allow me to introduce myself. Gambit shall be your entertainment.”

[lorna]

She hated going into situations that were pretty much unknown. Lorna was only one of two of them who'd ever encountered Cable before and the other one worked for the man so she felt some responsibility in terms of updating the team. Unfortunately, what information she had on him was extremely sparse and based solely on her one interaction with him in New York. It didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

No, what she felt was more like anger. Anger that she'd allowed him to teleport away that day. If she had known that he would go and kidnap the Professor, she wouldn't have let him leave. While the amount of metal she sensed in his body was mostly organic and therefore immune to her powers, he still bled like any other man and she could use the iron in his blood against him. Would she have killed him if she'd known he was dangerous? No. She didn't have it in her to do that. But she sure as hell would have done something to prevent the kidnapping.

Hindsight really sucked at times.

Sure that Warren was behind her, Lorna reached for the door handle and turned it, pushing the door in as she did so. It was dimmer inside the hallway that the door led in to but not totally dark. However, by the time she'd shifted her eyes to the side, she was already aware that she was most definitely not alone. And she'd already walked in, waiting for Warren to follow her.

Her eyes encountered what had to be one of the most stunning men she'd ever seen in her life, and considering she knew Tony Stark, that was saying something. His voice was smooth and he spoke in an accent she'd not heard too often in her life. However, her mind reminded her that this man was obviously working for Cable and therefore, not someone to spend time staring at, even if it was tempting.

To say he was charming would have been like saying the sun was merely warm.

“What are you supposed to do, charm me to death?” she asked, before he managed to get the door and slam it in Warren's face.

Turning quickly, she immediately noticed the door handle glowing purple. Okay...that wasn't supposed to happen. She was pretty sure of that. Backing away a bit, Lorna glanced back over at the man who spoke of parties and fireworks. She was just about to reply to him when the door suddenly exploded.

Training taking over, she was immediately encased in a glowing green magnetic bubble that would shield her from any debris. Warren, however, might not have been so lucky.

“Warren!” she cried out, attempting to look outside. She saw no indication of feathers flying anywhere or that he'd been hurt but she knew that didn't mean anything. Hopefully he'd flown upward and had missed the blast.

Turning toward Gambit as he made his introduction, she gave him a piercing glare and replied, “If you have hurt my friend, this will be a very short lived dance.”

[wildcard]

Remy began to approach the woman, leaving the collapsed doorway behind. The former frame was reduced to dust and rubble after the explosion preventing anyone from entering without first digging through the debris. Gambit had a slow, confident strut unaffected by the woman's comments. As he approached ever closer a darkly alluring smirk began to appear, made more mysterious by the dim lighting which cast a shadow over half of his face. Gambit's prominent eyes resembled two cigarettes piercing the veil of night in the dimly lit room. Those burning orbs lifted to meet the woman's gaze producing a hypnotic charm.

Gambit was reminded of his orders via the intercom now that the varying parties had engaged their opponents. Cables voice spoke out again mentioning to avoid unnecessary injury. That made no difference to Gambit. He never had the intent to harming the beautiful lady who had invited herself into his chamber, not that she was unwelcome. The Cajun had a certain knack for distracting women without the use of violence and he appreciated his assignment.

"Then we just have to make the most of it, Cher. Gambit must be lucky to get dis assignment. Der is already ele'tric between us, no?" Remy was referencing the woman's defensive shield and playful threat. He continued to approach, noticing that she had pulled away after the explosion. However, the room was so small that there was little space to retreat or pull away, specifically chose to inhibit fliers. With only two doors, one to enter from and one to continue deeper into the heart of the fortress, most of the space was inhabited by a large writing desk made of oak.

As Remy drew closer, he engaged in an illustrious bow. During his motion, he removed his fedora cap and extended his hand to the newcomer in offering. Remy's other hand remained behind his back, his fingers tickling the handle of his condensed telescopic staff in precaution. "How 'bout that dance?"

[lorna]

There wasn't much left of the door except brick and mortar lying in heaps around the only opening that she could find. This wasn't going to be her day, was it? The only things that provided any illumination at all within the room was her glowing shield and his eyes, which were really quite stunning...

As he approached her, a sense of calm began to spread through her body, easing the tension that had been there just mere seconds before. In the process, she dropped the shield and smiled at him as if he were the most magnificent thing she'd ever seen, ever met. While she wasn't a stranger to attractive men and desire, this was something new.

She smiled a bit broader as she replied, “I imagine I can make the sparks fly even more.”

At that second, something snapped in her head and she heard an all familiar voice. Lorna, look away! He's using some sort of mental trick on you, Jean commanded her.

She'd completely forgotten the woman in that small amount of time that it had taken for him to completely work his magic on her. Lorna listened to Jean, glanced away and tried to clear her head. Dammit, she hated when people messed with her like that! I can't read him, Lorna. His mind is like trying to look at a television that has lost it's signal. All I can do is...oh, no, Jean added before breaking off.

What? she demanded to know, feeling Jean leave her in a sense.

It's Wanda. Cable's attacking her mentally. Just stay away from his eyes and don't let him charm you no matter how much you want to be charmed, she told her former best friend. When Lorna began to protest, she added, I'm in your head, Lo. I know what you're thinking but I have to help Wanda before he tears her apart.

With that, she felt the powerful telepath pull away from her and leave her completely alone in the dark room with the Cajun. Great. Just...great. The conversation took place in a matter of mere seconds but it had been like a splash of cold water on her face. She needed to keep her head, needed to focus on the assignment.

Trying not to give away the fact that she was no longer under his spell, she smiled at him in a way she would have done had they been on a date and he'd just asked her to dance. “I do hope you can keep up with me,” she replied, licking her lips and reaching her own hand toward his.

If he touched her, a bolt of magnetically charged electricity would transfer from her fingers to his body, hopefully incapacitating him enough so that she could scurry further into the building on her quest to locate the Professor. Hopefully at some point, she'd be able to find Warren again.

[wildcard]

With that omnipresent smirk the Cajun reached out to cup the woman's slender hand in his own. Her playful comments and exotic beauty were enticing and Remy felt the familiar feeling of meeting a new woman that he fancied, exactly as it was upon meeting his teammate Domino. This job came with a big briefcase of cash and some extra perks. It might just make his list of favorites.

Remy's hand grew closer to his company's. He had always had a taste for the theatrical and found that making a woman wait built up suspense, thrill and mystery. As his hand was within inches of her, a jolt of energy jumped out startling him. The distance proved enough to avoid experiencing the full effects instead causing Remy to instinctively withdraw his hand and stumble back a few steps. The lightning coursed through his body momentarily stimulating his hand, arm and shoulder with a numbing tingle.

How the woman resisted him like that was perplexing, only a strong mind tended to resist his charms and see through his deceit. Perhaps that electric charge was a permanent part of her powers, in that case it would have been completely uncontrollable, accidental. The boss had mentioned telepathic assistance though, perhaps she had help from an outside source?

His smile had temporarily faded during the surge only to return after the electricity had run it's course. "Désolé Madamoiselle, you're shockingly beautiful. Breathtaking." Gambit recovered his footing after only taking a few steps back towards the desk. The small distance could be enough to tempt the woman into running for the exit if she underestimated Gambit's speed. Just in case, the fingertips of his unaffected hand graced a playing card, preparing to cut off her escape if necessary as he took a moment to fill his lungs with a few breaths, helping to shake the numbing sensation.

[lorna]

If this wasn't a mission, a mission to find their kidnapped mentor no less, Lorna would have been happy to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the hypnotic charm of the man who was in the small room with her. In fact, if not for Jean, who knew what she'd be doing right that moment. She knew she had very little defense against mental attacks of any kind so she was going to have to be extremely cautious if she wasn't going to get snared in his little web again.

That meant getting away from the man as quickly as possible and the best way to do that was to incapacitate him for as long as possible. Lorna didn't really want to hurt him, that was cruel and had never liked using her powers against another person in such a way but this man was definitely involved in the kidnapping and she couldn't let her guard down. No matter how tempting it was.

As his hand neared her own, she watched as the tiny green sparks leaped from her fingers to his own, growing stronger with each inch. Unfortunately, he noticed much too soon and while she felt the power transfer from her own body and into his own, it wasn't quite as much as she had wanted. The green electricity coursed through him all the same and he stumbled back.

Lorna took that opportunity to turn, power up very briefly to illuminate the room long enough to spy the desk and the door and bolted. She was already pushing her way through the room when he mentioned her “shocking beauty” and she couldn't help but think of all the ways she was able to use that particular ability of hers in much less painful, and much more pleasurable methods.

Snap out of it, Dane. You have the Professor to help rescue and this man is keeping you from him, she chastised herself, reaching for the door and refusing to look behind her to see if he was gaining on her.

[wildcard]

Having taken a few steps back, Gambit had been out of arms reach of the woman but he was prepared for her to run. He drew the card from his pocket, squeezing it between two fingers. The card rapidly grew to a vibrant purple, tendrils once again flickering. The emerging energy emitted an aura, helping to illuminate the dim room with ghostly purple light. "Gambit like when dey play hard to get."

Lorna was quickly approaching the door but he wasn't paid to let her get away. He had to distract her, typically an easy and very enjoyable job. Chosen methods having failed, he had to resort to other options. Damaging such beauty would be a crime far beyond the likes of even the Prince of Thieves, forcing him to chose another well developed skill; the bluff. The trick to a good bluff was that you had to occasionally hold the cards and have careful timing. Lorna had witnessed his display of fireworks and it appeared to frighten her. She seemed intelligent, it was the perfect opportunity.

"Leavin' so soon? Den perhaps you should take my card." Gambit launched the glowing card with deadly precision, ricocheting it off of the top of the door frame where it proceeded to float downward crossing Lorna's vision. He knew it would only fizzle out in nothing more than a flash of color, only containing enough kinetic energy to appear threatening. The thought of destroying another doorway had occurred to him but his prey had already ventured too close to the door putting her at risk for any explosion that might be sent that way.

Hurting a woman was never something he wanted to do. So long as there were other options, he would avoid bruising the silky skin. If she wanted to play rough, however, he would be happy to oblige.

[lorna]

The now darkened room illuminated again but this time, it wasn't the green glow of her own powers that caused it. No, it was the same purple glow that had been attached to the door handle just before Gambit had blown up the doorway. When he mentioned how he enjoyed it when “they” played hard to get, she thought to herself, Shit. Why'd Wanda have to go and get into trouble now. I could use Jean to help guide me through this place.

It was completely a moot point as her eyes caught sight of something fly in her line of sight, wrapped in the same glow that had been illuminating the room. The last time she'd seen something glow that wasn't attached to him, it had exploded. She had no idea that he wasn't playing for keeps, that he didn't want to hurt her so Lorna reacted how just about anyone else would.

She backed up further into the room again, waiting for the inevitable explosion. If he destroyed this door, they were going to be trapped. Well, he would be trapped. She'd be using her powers to blast a hole out of here somewhere. The com-link she was wearing had faded into static and was pretty much useless at the moment. She couldn't get a call out and no one could get one in. Lorna had been hoping for a clearer signal once she left this little room, whatever it was.

The card floated toward the ground and she took another step back and shielded her eyes as well as erected a shield around her as the card grew brighter then...fizzled? Huh? That was not the result she'd expected to happen. Dropping the shield again, knowing the green glow gave away every move she made, she reached took a step toward the door again, knowing that short of blasting a hole through the wall or ceiling, it was her only way out. This little game of cat and mouse was beginning to get old already, especially when she was in the role of the mouse.

[wildcard]

With his distraction in place, Gambit made a charge for the door. He wanted to cut her off from escape and to keep her in the room with him, alone. He didn't want her winged friend to find a back way in or any telepaths taking up a habit of back seat driving. Gambit wanted some alone time with the exotic angel he shared the cramped space with. Any time she lost here meant more time for the boss to do what he needed to.

Gambit launched himself towards the door, gracefully flipping over his own body as he rolled across the ground. The fluid motion concluded with the Cajun landing on one knee and promptly jumping upright to his full height. He wasn't sure if the cover of darkness had concealed his movement, but if it had his red eyes gave away his new presence, a position half way between Lorna and the only exit.

The green shield had faded, returning the room back to the monotone shade which doused everything in its darkness. Those beaming red eyes cut through the haze. Accompanied by faint footsteps which seemed to echo through the hollow, those red orbs steadily grew as Le Diable Blanc once again began to approach the green haired diva. "Make yourself at home, Cher. What kin' a' host I be if you leave so soon? Perhaps we have a roman'tic discussion by de candle light?" Remy had another card in hand as he grew nearer to the woman which started to emit the pale purple aura that was becoming so familiar. The new light source caused shadows to flicker across the man's face, illuminating the ever present mysterious smirk that ran parallel with the low brimmed fedora, cuttin across his angled jaw line and facial stubble.

[lorna]

By the time she had let go of the shield, he had managed to roll or leap in front of her and again she stopped. There was only one reason that Cable would be this intent on keeping her from getting further into the building and that was if she was on the right track. So far, there'd been no communication telepathically from the Professor and her own comm-link was useless. It was getting frustrating and the plan had never been for her to enter the building alone. Where was Warren? Had he been hurt in that initial blast after all?

The light had faded once again and all she could see where his glowing eyes. Those damned eyes. Jean had said to be wary of them, that was how he'd managed to get into her head once before. Although right now, she didn't have that same sense falling over her. Whatever telepathic mind tricks he used, they weren't being used at that moment.

She backed up again until the back of her legs hit the desk and she had to reach back and place her hand on the wood to keep from falling over it. Wood. What an absolute waste. If it had been a metal desk, it would have been much more useful. As it was, only the handles and screws would be of any use to her.

Lorna didn't know if he could see in the dark but it was entirely possible. He'd been able to track her movements easily enough but that could have been because he knew the layout of the room. She was at a distinct disadvantage there. Another card began to glow between them and his face was illuminated in the hazy light. He was too damned beautiful for her good and she had to get away from him now.

“I think I'm going to have to take a rain check on that candle light discussion, Gambit. Your employer has kidnapped my mentor and I intend to get him whether you want me to or not. Besides, Cable has a date with the Pacific Ocean that I am positive he doesn't want to miss. He did promise me, after all,” she told him, trying to keep her voice even to not betray her own growing panic.

Taking a step forward and closing any distance that was between them, she wrapped her fingers around the wrist of the hand was holding the glowing card, she looked at him for a moment. “It's a shame, though. I bet you could have been a damned good dance partner,” she added before attempting to shove him aside so that she could get to that blasted door.

[wildcard]

Trying to hide her quivering voice from the renowned gambler was like telling a shark not to hunt. Gambit had keen observation, able to pick out minor mannerisms that others wouldn't notice. That quaking voice was trying to hide something, pretending to be strong and determined. The red eyed gambler was getting a read on his prey, figuring out how to play her knowing now that he was somehow underneath her skin. Whether it was fear or lust didn't matter. There was something buried within the woman's willfully nonchalant voice and Gambit planned to use it to his advantage.

"All work and no play, Cher? That is no way to live." The beauty took a step towards him, closing the remaining distance. She reached out gently for his wrist. This was it, she succumbed to his charm. As she reached out to touch him, Remy could only think of one thing; those luscious lips that were drawing nearer, resting below vibrant blue eyes. She was a model of perfection complete with an exotic twist. Entertaining his own thoughts had distracted him, making him vulnerable to the womans shove.

Her push had forced the Cajun back a step before regaining his balance. With his mutant ability enhancing his agility, athletics and acrobatic ability, it was hard to force Gambit off balance. He regained his footing, only budging a single step. Attempting to redirect the force of the push, Gambit planted his back foot firmly on the ground, stabilizing him against the excess pressure while raising the hand which Lorna had grabbed. His arm flicked out above her head as if he was twirling her on the dance floor. The motion redistributed the force of the shove upwards, maintaining his balance while providing a further opportunity to slow the woman's escape down.

Regardless, she was now a few steps closer to the door and he was no longer in position to impede her with his own body. Should she run, he would have to act more decisively; more aggressive. The next card he played would have to make a statement.

[lorna]

Lorna realized too late that she should have added some force, some mutant powered force, behind her shove. He barely budged and while she now had an opening with which to work with, he'd managed to pull her off balance as well by pulling her arm up with his own. She let go as quickly as she could and did her best to recover. The small room they were in was actually impeding nearly everything she could do. So besides items that weren't made of metal or magnetic, enclosed, cramped spaces would be added to the list of things she needed to work on.

She pretty much hated Cable right about then.

Knowing she didn't have much time, she changed her strategy a bit. This time, instead of merely reaching for the door, she reached out with her powers for the hinges and door handle, herself and the objects she was manipulating glowing green. While the door itself was made of wood, the smaller pieces that actually held that wood together were made of metal. And in her hands, metal sang. The screws that held the hinges in place quickly worked free as did the ones that held the handle on and without the support to hold it in place, the door fell open without her actually touching it.

Light filtered into the now open room and while it wasn't exactly bright sunlight or anything, it was more then it had been. Truthfully, after playing in the dark for as long as they had, broad daylight would have blinded her so this was a much better choice. She glanced back at the Cajun and discovered that he was already regaining his balance. That was so not good.

In an effort to slow him down, she took the objects that were still floating in the air in front of her and flung them in his direction. Small metal screws, door hinges and a handle weren't going to do much to slow him down but hopefully it would be enough to distract him. Once she was through the door, she could figure out where to go.

[wildcard]

The tight quarters did place more acrobatic stunts into the realm of impossibility but the screws and hinges which were flung at him didn't require a complicated stunt. What did require artful dodge was Remy's preference towards style and flowing motions. The feint light which had entered the room did help him see more clearly, but with a green aura around the metal he would have been able to dodge this even within the haze of darkness.

His opponent, his prey, seemed intent on simply walking away as if he was not a threat. It was true that he hadn't hurt her and as long as everything stayed inside his control than he wouldn't but this woman seemed dedicated to squirming out of his room. Remy refused to be the first agent to release their target into the inner corridors of the base. That wouldn't be good for reputation or pride. His quota for stories about "the one who got away" was also filled by his ex-fiancée. Letting her walk free so soon could be detrimental to his reputation. Gambit was resolved to keep her occupied, as promised, until informed otherwise.

The magnetically controlled projectiles were approaching quickly. Improvising and quick thinking though, they were among Remy's greater skill set. He knew what he had to do. Opting to run towards the projectiles, Remy hit the floor entering seamlessly into a slide. While he was sliding, he withdrew his telescopic bo staff, extending it to full length. It expanded to the full berth, just in time for Remy to pop out of his slide into a spiraling flourish. The circular motion began with Remy carefully trying to aim for the back of the woman's knee, where he could trip her backwards without causing any harm and he concluded the spin leaving himself in position to catch the woman should his strike work. He was posing as if he had just dipped her backwards on the dance floor, waiting for the woman to enter his arm, the hand which held the metallic staff hovering behind him.

It was the first time he had actually tried to strike her. He didn't mean any harm, and if everything was executed properly than there wouldn't even be a mark. It might swing the meeting back into his favor. The list of things Gambit wanted to do were growing. He wanted to stroke her flowing hair, kiss those enticing lips, look deep into her stunningly vibrant eyes... and steal that com-link right out of her ear.

[lorna]

It did not escape her attention that she could have ended this long ago by using her powers the way that she'd seen Magneto use his. All she had to do was use the electricity that was in the air and fry him. Or even cause his brain to have a stroke by restricting the blood flow to it. She once heard that the man had even removed all the iron from someone's blood, causing them to die a rather gruesome and painful death. Yes, she could have done any one of these things but she'd never done it before and wasn't about to start now.

For all that the man was attempting to stop her from getting out of the room, he hadn't exactly hurt her as of yet. That also hadn't escaped her notice. So whatever Cable had planned, he didn't want them dead. Or possibly even hurt. The only part of this entire game that was bothering her was the lack of communication from the Professor. Surely he knew they were there. She'd been around telepaths long enough to know that they could sense familiar people from a distance, sort of like she did with electromagnetic signatures.

With the thought of the Professor, she reached up and pressed the com-link again, hoping to get through to someone, anyone at this point. She knew that the projectiles she'd just thrown behind her wouldn't do much good but right now, she was just trying to buy time so she could get out of that damned room. Again, all she received on the other end was static and she heard the pieces of metal fall to the floor.

About that same instant, something hit her in the back of the knees and she felt herself falling backward. Before she could even erect a shield to push herself back up, she was caught, in more ways then one. “Oh,” she breathed out as her eyes looked up and found him smiling down at her.

This was so not good.

In a way, she'd been hoping to prove Cable wrong. Lorna had it in her head that she was going to prove to him that his ways of using force to get everything he wanted was wrong and that the Professor had a much better idea. Everyone could be talked to, well except maybe Magneto, but surely everyone else could be reasoned with. She didn't want to resort to using her powers to get out of this. All she wanted to use them for was to fulfill the promise he'd given her back in New York.

Even as she thought this, though, her eyes traveled to the metallic staff behind his back. That could be quite useful...

[wildcard]

His metallic bo staff condensed itself as he returned it to his pocket. The extra reach that it provided was no longer necessary. Remy gazed down at Lorna, who seemed to be taken by surprise at the chain of events. Gambit hover over her; the woman's long lashes and plush lips only inches away. He was enthralled by her beauty but he still had a job to do. Who was to say that he couldn't have a little fun with his assignment though; all work and no play was no way to live. Cable only mentioned keeping anyone from entering the heart of the base. If Remy had his way, these two mutants, engaged in a tantalizing dance of wit, would remain in this room for a long time to come.

Gambit's crimson hues gazed down on the woman, taking in the stunning beauty that was within his arms. The hand that previously held the bo staff moved towards the woman's emerald tresses, brushing the hair behind her ear as with his nimble fingers. The comm-link was only a finger's tip away now. An extension of his deceitful hand could remove it and with a simple roll of his wrist, the comm-link could disappear into the sleeve of his jacket. But the ears were sensitive and she would have to be distracted.

His hand continued to caress the side of the womans face as Remy smiled down at her. "Amoureux, you mention bringin' friends, no? Why not let them find dis... professor... so that we may enjoy our time together? It does appear that Gambit has swept you off your feet." His voice was deep, accompanied by a light rumbling tone as he spoke in the slow Cajun drawl. As he spoke, his fingers motioned towards that comm-link. If she was to fall into his trance again, removing her communication with the team could prevent her from breaking the suggestive hypnosis.