1963-06-26 - Eye for an Eye
Summary: Raven and Remy decide what to do with Officer Gates
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: That Magic Moment, The Drifters ( https://youtu.be/Ul041CSNJto )
raven gambit 


RURAL PENNSYLVANIA

They decided on a barn out in the middle of nowhere where the plains are high and green and the vegetation grows high and encroaches on buildings and equipment that man forgot. The farmer who used to live here died. His wife moved to the old folks home. His kids have yet to sell the land.

Or at least that's what Remy Le Beau thinks as he pulls the sedan onto the old dirt road.

The car door slams and the Officer, tied and gagged, is dragged through the long grass. Remy kicks open the door and throws him in, dropping him unceremoniously onto the grime covered floor.

"He all yours, cherie."

*

Naturally, when places were picked and especially under circumstances such as these, Raven needed time to prepare. She could always rely on Remy for the best spots, with her scouting them out before hand and actually setting up the room so that the area itself could be used to its fullest potential.

Let's face it, in times like these drastic measures needed to be taken and a place here out in the sticks would allow such freedoms for the man to scream until there was nothing of him left. The kick open of the door allows the Officer to see a red headed woman from behind, dressed in black leathers (oh, this is going to be good), and a hint of blue skin which is wrapped around fine steel. But it all changes in that moment, the skin shedding itself away until the blonde locks burn away the red, a slight turn over her shoulder and a grin is given as her yellow eyes rest upon the officer with resignation.

"Get him up on the chair."

Which sat closest to the table where she stood, handcuffs upon the two front legs and arms that would keep the man perfectly still.

*

Gambit drags the man, via a pair of deep grips into his hair and yanks him along the pavement. He's kind enough to lift under his arms to bring him up onto the chair and begins to fasten him. Without saying a word, he reaches up to rip the duct tape off the man's mouth.

"Oh god! Oh god! Please don't hurt me. Please don't kill me!" Gates screams bloody murder, begging for mercy and then help, and alternately other things, but no one is close enough to hear. The dark barn is lit up orange as Remy lights a cigarette and moves off towards the side of the barn.

*

There was a sheer moment of disinterest as Raven picks up a nice, sweet bundle of her blonde hair, picking out a few tiny little haysticks with a glance upright, her face scrunching into befuddlement until she hears the cries of the man. "I could only imagine what little Miss McVie said just before those few moments in which you took her life." She tsks. "Some variation of, 'What did I do?' and 'Please don't hurt me..'

A cloth, ragged and bloodstained as it was, was soon taken from the table, a long orbitoclast taken next and cleaned to a slight perfection, or as medical professionals would call, imperfection.

"But I suppose me and my partner are willing to give you a chance to walk away free from this. Unharmed, unscathed. You just have to answer a few questions."

The towel itself was dropped upon the table, another chair gripped and dragged to settle in front of the man, one leg crossing over the other as she twiddles her instrument between her fingers with ease. "I suppose rules are in order." She tilts her head towards Remy, then smiles. "Disobey those rules and I will unleash him upon you. And you will wish that you've dealt with me instead." She smiles. "You see. I am gentle. I am reasonable and at times, I'd like to think myself as kind. But my dear friend here?" She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.

"Nasty fellow. With that said. I ask. You answer. Nothing more, nothing less. You hesitate, I treat your body like the machine it is and work it to my advantage. And it will not. Be. Pleasant. Are we understood, Officer Gates?"

*

Gambit can't help but laugh menacingly, the red irises in his eyes seem to light with anticipation, even though he is totally just playing this up for the moment. He much prefers the man to just do this the right way. Remy turns away, blowing some of the smoke outside, and taking a moment to notice the edge of the woods that sit outside the farmland.

Gates is breathing heavily and yelling his answers. Agitated and terrified, he eyes the instruments of torture on the table and nods, then nods again. "I'll answer whatever you want, please just don't. Please don't." He gulps as she mentions the name McVie, "I didn't mean to kill her. It was an accident. I swear to God it was an accident."

*

Man, there was some love there. Remy was a good an actor as any and even beats her out on her best days. But, she kept that little feeling and moment of pride on the inside. This is business. Her hand reaches up to lightly snap in front of the mans face, three quick clicks to keep his attention held upon her. "Careful." She states, snapping her fingers yet again, "Do not look at the table. Only me." Another trio of snaps, and then her hand rests down upon her leg.

"Tell me what happened. From start to finish. The circumstances surrounding her death were unclear. And.. remain calm." That lowered hand snaps three times again, attempting for a touch of mental conditioning.

*

Gambit slips out of the room and wanders out into the grass for a moment to look up at the stars. The big city, whether New Orleans or New York, can feel so cramped and oppressive. Out here, now after dusk, as the wind blows through and rustles the trees, he feels free.

Zzzzzzzzzip

He also begins to urinate.

Inside, Gates breathes heavily, trying hard to focus. It takes him a bit, but he complies. "We were on a routine stop. Landlord called about an incensed family over some sort of bill. Gas bill, electric bill, I don't know. Something that if, it wasn't paid, would make problems for the rest of the building." Again, he tries to breath and focus, realizing his life might rely on it.

"Lady, I guess it was Mrs. McVie started to lose her mind and just yell at us. My partner, Lombardozzi, went to cuff her. That girl, that girl just started to freak out. She grew these spikes and I just fired." He exhales in a wince-cry and shakes his head, tearing up. "I didn't mean to kill her. I didn't know, I just…I just shot her right through the head."

*

Three more snaps of her fingers…

And as the man tells the story, Raven slowly nods. Her expression turns almost sympathetic to his cause and plight. "You did not mean to kill her, but yet you drew your gun as a child posed a viable threat, am I right?" She asks. "A child, who had to witness her mother being handcuffed, someone she loves and cares deeply for. A child who was scared of the unknown men in her home, to take a loved one away because she dared to raise her voice at two officers of the law."

"Tell me, Officer Gates, of your prior history in dealing with mutant kind. And peoples of color. Is your record clean."

She snaps three times again, then leans forward.

*

"I…" Gates stammers. He knows that he has to tell the truth, but that the truth is likely to get him lobotomized. "If it were me, ami, I would tell the fille what she wants to know, n'est-ce pas?" As he enters, Gambit is zipping up his fly and taking his former seat.

"A few years ago…" Gates eyes begin to flow with tears, although his voice remains strong. "There was an incident."

*

Her ears alight to the sound of the zipper which has her neck craning in his direction. There was a look, one that starts from the bottom of Gambit's feet, then up towards his eyes to watch him as he sits. And soon her attention was back upon the officer, the point tip of the orbitoclast pressing against the most sensitive point of the man's knee and begins to -dig-.

"Go on…"

*

"Look, I was exonerated. I was cleared of any wrong doing," Gates begins, trying to lay the ground work for sympathy.

And then he flinches as Gambit flicks his dying cigarette right off his forehead. A small flicker of burning tobacco embers jut out in every direction as it startles him more than anything else. The implication is clear. Stop bullshitting.

"I was accused of beating a mutant."

*

The flick of the cigarette nearly pisses Raven off. Not for the fact that he did it, but a small ember dances along her knee which has her shoving the 'clast right into that sensitive fleshy part just below the patella and right through the articular cartilage. With her hands free, she immediately begins to dust off her pants, patting out the slow burn that nearly scars the flesh beneath.

"Shit." She murmurs.. but continues on. Screaming or not.

"You'll have to forgive me. It was an -accident-." Raven jaw tenses, her hand reaching out to grip the mans chin, keeping his face still to search his eyes, then stands again, retrieving another 'clast since the first one was lost. "You say accused. But did you -REALLY- beat the mutant? Or did our kind -single- you out, pointed at you and decided that -you- would suffer for the hate that they've been dealt all their lives." She pauses a little, musing.. "Though, there are always reasons to single you and only you out.. especially if you have been -known- to show your brand of hate for them before."

She settles down within the chair again, snapping her fingers three times. "What happened. Why were you accused."

*

Gates screams in pain as the metalwork is lodged inside him. Several screams are followed by desperate attempts to catch his breath and his composure. "There was a fight. A fight at a bar that I came to break up. The guy turned on me and we went at each other. It was self defense."

As Gambit makes eye contact with Raven, he makes the 'eek' face, and then shrugs his shoulders. An apology about the cigarette, probably.

*

"ONE INCIDENT.." Raven raises her voice over the screaming man.. "..is -nearly- forgivable. But there were two. Two incidents in where you've forgotten your police training and indulged yourself with your baser instincts as an animal to raise up and -FIGHT- when you are challenged."

A grand-standing show, for sure. But Raven was truly perpl—.. no. She was down right pissed. There were times, times because of her beloved brother and the memory of what he's attempted achieved have stayed her hand these long years. Perhaps she was angry with him. Perhaps there was a need that she had to prove herself right in his eyes. And it was a dangerous path and line that would put family against family and she was going to cross that line.

This was her defining moment.

They were Remy Le'Beau and Raven Darkholme. They were nearing to that point of no return.

"I am going to do you a favor then, Joseph." Raven murmurs now, her tone neutral. But there was an inevitable darkness within her yellow eyed gaze, set upon a pretty human face. "I'm going to show you the truth about our kind. I am going to show you that underneath it all? We are all.. no different than the next." She stands from her chair then, drawing herself towards the table to retrieve a metal mallet. It was spun, the palm of her hand opened to strike against it in light taps, all done by the counts of three.

"Hold his head, my dear."

*

"Guess de truth don't set you free, mon ami," Gambit says with a forlorn and resigned look on his face. He moves lithely to the side of Raven and reaches around Gates neck in order to hold him steady. "No rockin' and rollin', hear? De pain will be bad, but iffen she miss, it all over for Monsieur Gates."

Now he really starts screaming, "Oh god! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh God, no! Please! I have a wife. A wife and a kid!"

*

"It does not." Raven admits. "But he will live."

"I will tell you one thing, no. A couple of things Joseph. You will be my beast of burden. And I say this because I am -such- a huge fan of social engineering." She moves close, the needle point of the orbitoclast lifted before her very eyes, which soon narrow to discern its sharpness. It wasn't dull, that was for certain, and if the light of the moon catches it just right, it would gleam. A terrible beacon of what's to come.

"You will be a martyr in the eyes of the norm. A victim of circumstance to a victim of circumstance.. You will be the tipping point of a silent war that has been brewing between the normals, the mutants, the blacks, the italians, the irish.." She smiles. "Some of them will sing your praises and claim that you were innocent. That Officer Gates fell in the line of duty, though fell is completely subjective. And most of them would say that you got just what you deserve."

She settles in front of him, her eyes lifting towards Remy to ensure the stillness, as the pointed tip of the 'clast was pressed against the nictating membrane of Joseph's eye..

"You will be my tragedy. My greatest gift. Because of you, Officer Joseph Gates, -HONORABLE- Officer Joseph Gates, mutant kind and all those that suffer from prejudice will be lifted from perdition.."

She leans in.. raising her arm.. the mallet high in the air..

"..and be free!"

THWACK
THWACK

THWACK

*

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