2014.04.13 - The Steal

When you're a mutant with few moral boundaries, you get to have a certain amount of fun that other people don't. But even the most amoral person would feel a slight tinge of remorse for stealing someone's car, which would taint the enjoyment he got from any joyride he might be inclined to take. However, when the car is a convertible Lamborghini Aventador, and the person you stole it from was (in all likelihood) a total scumbag, any remorse is gone the first time you press the accelerator.

Unfortunately though, Gambit isn't driving a brand new convertible Lamborghini Aventador. Because he doesn't know where the ship is docking. He doesn't even know what state it's docking in. So he has to accept the consolation prize of sitting in the passenger's seat and pretending to not be scared shitless. It would help greatly if they weren't being pursued by a black SUV full of pissed-off casino employees with no necks, and automatic rifles.

"I promise, if you just let me live through this, I'll make some serious changes. I'll start going to church again. I'll give away most of my money..." He continues on like that, but as he's looking straight up at the sky, it's very unlikely that he's talking to Rogue...

TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK!

One of the goons has leaned out of the window and started firing at the back of the vastly overpriced sports car.

"Quit prayin' and focus! ?Besides you might have more luck with the devil. Ah've got his number anyway. Ah should be focusing." Rogue lifted her middle finger at the goons and slammed on the breaks, only to turn and go in the opposite direction.

She looked over to Gambit and slapped him lightly on the arm, "Am Ah keepin' you around for yer looks? Get them cards, start tossin'. Aim for the tires or driver specifically."

She gripped at the wheel and checked her rearview mirror, "Got no idea how you got me involved in all of this. You owe me!"

The noise that Gambit makes as his torso is suddenly slammed against the side of the car is impossible to accurately describe. But it's mostly drowned out by the engine noise anyway. And then they're off again, and he remembers to breathe.

"Toss cards? What, you think I've just always got a pack in one of my pockets?" Gambit pulls a few of the tacky pawn shop rings off of his fingers and grips them in a loosely-clenched fist. The gaps between his fingers glow with an intense pink light. For a minute, it doesn't look like they're going to need his talents after all, what with the SUV flying past them. But the driver is apparently as skilled as Rogue is, managing to pull an incredibly tight 180 in the middle of the freeway. Looks like they'll still be in small arms range for a few minutes.

Waiting just a a few seconds to gauge their speed in the mirror, Gambit tosses the rings over his shoulder and watches them predictably spread out as they hit the pavement. A few seconds later, the SUV runs over one of the rings right as it's exploding, sending the vehicle flipping off the road until it lands on it's roof.

"Oh shit, I had a pack in my pocket after all."

"Good thing I didn't throw them though, they're the black Bicycles. Huh, pack hasn't even been opened yet..."

Rogue let's out a breath as she sees the vehicle turned over. And thank goodness no one innocent seems to have gotten hurt, beyond just a new dent on their cars. Hopefully. She tossed Gambit a look, "Oh you are /such/ a whiner! Got a pack in my purse anyway."

She drove past the next few exits and took one, maintaining the speed limit and pulled off into a fast food parking lot. Rogue looked towards Gambit and tapped at the steering wheel, "Alright stud, what's the game plan now that we're alive (well for the moment anyway)."

"Hmph!"

It's all the response he seems willing to dignify the suggestion that he's whiny with. Or maybe he's just too busy admiring the deck he found. Still in the shrinkwrap. How exciting.

"Well, you probably know as much about it as I do now, since you're the one that made out with Average Sal... But basically, the guy supplies to a crime family in New Orleans. Real bad guys, do most of their business by assassinating their rivals. For a few years now, there's been a peace between this crime family and their enemies." Gambit repockets the deck, and relaxes in his seat for the first time since Rogue's foot touched the gas pedal.

"This freighter that we're meeting is carrying weapons. Weapons that this family is going to use to wipe out its rivals and take over crime not just in Louisiana, but all over the South."

"So... the plan is... we blow it up."

Rogue had to learn how to drive real early, when you grow up with super villains for parents you're sometimes stuck driving the getaway car. But that was another conversation for another day.

But at the newly formed plan, "Then that's a plan I can get behind. But Ah can't do that in these digs. A dress like this Ah'd love to wear it again sometime without being shot at."

She peeked at the back seat and saw a suitcase. Bound to be something decent in there. Rogue made her way to the back seat and began undressing, "Eyes forward hun. And Ah didn't...make out with him. It's a quick way to catch someone off guard and shut up. Ain't even my type."

Quickly after Rogue slid back into the front seat, dressed in a black over-sized t-shirt with a wide neck opening that slipped off her shoulder along with a pair of jeans and men's combat boots. It would do. "At least yer a fun date, Ah'll give ya that much."

Surprisingly enough, Gambit actually looks forward like a perfect gentleman. Of course, quickly glancing at the rear view mirror still technically counts as looking forward. "See, when I want to catch someone off guard and shut them up I usually just crack 'em upside the head with a metal stick. But, I'm not opposed to learning some new techniques..."

He's clearly disappointed by the wardrobe change, but seems resigned to accept it. You can't argue much with practicality.

"For the record though, this isn't a date. It's nothing personal, I just prefer blondes."

And just for that, Rogue slammed on the gas because Gambit was looking much too comfortable with himself, "I prefer redheads, anyway."

Some time later they caught up with the docket boat. Rogue parked the car somewhere safe nearby. She slid off one of her gloves, "Now then. If yer willin to share a bit of your power we can get this ship sunk right quick. Ah left my bombs at home and all."

Well, that could have made for an awkward trip. But if the smirk on Gambit's face is any indicator, he got exactly the reaction from her that he was hoping for. Slumping a bit in his seat, he puts his head against the headrest and attempts to sleep. Unsuccessfully, of course, but at least he manages to rest his eyes.

It's with some surprise that he hears her plan. "Wait, what? We can't just blow it up without checking on board." He quickly steps backward, just in case she gets any funny ideas. Turning on his heel, he pulls the lapels of his coat up (Don't call it 'popping his collar') and walks toward the freighter. Even from a distance, it's obvious that the freighter is guarded pretty heavily. People are walking around the deck with shotguns, after all.

"There might be something worth stealing on board." And he's off, taking an indirect route toward the ship and taking advantage of some obliging shipping containers to mask his presence.

Oh it's nice that /he/ got some rest. Rogue mused to herself that she should have grabbed something heavily caffeinated. Oh well pure adrenaline it is then.

She rolled her eyes and quickly caught up with him, not looking quite so posh and put together but /you/ try to blow up a boat in a dress and heels! With her ungloved hand she caught up and quickly took his in a whisper, "Ah aint got the strength or flight anymore, not walkin' into this thing empty handed. So to speak."

This is what he gets for leaving his fingerless gloves at home...

"Bah! I guess that's fair enough. But be sneaky, we want this to look more 'accident' and less 'blown up by mutants.'"

With careful timing and a mostly-covered route, Gambit is able to make it all the way to the freighter without being detected. He even manages to clamber onto a ladder on the side of the ship without making enough noise to give away his presence. Of course, he's gone into complete Silent Mode, not even taking a chance by whispering to Rogue.

As he pulls himself up onto the deck, he turns around and offers Rogue his arm. Sure, it's a token gesture at this point, but it's the little things that count.

The deck is crawling with armed guards, but most of them are congregated around a burn barrel that's been placed in the center of the forward deck. By the sound of the rough laughter, they appear to be passing around a bottle and telling stories.

Thankfully with snagging Gambit's making things go kablooey power, she also took his agility and some memories that she was going to ignore for now.

Rogue quirked a brow and took his arm, random gesture when sneaking onto a ship. However, that barrel would be an excellent cover for the cause of the fire.

Walking along the side of the ship, Gambit peeks around a corner. He quickly pulls his head back, and leans so close to Rogue that his mouth is almost on her ear. In a super-low whisper, he apprises her of the situation. "Two guards ahead, right in our path. I'll get in position. You distract them, and I'll whack 'em upside the head with a metal stick." He turns to leave, but quickly turns back around. "Put the whammy on one of them. We're going in blind, it'd help if you knew the layout of the ship if we're going to find this weapons cache."

Once again he turns around to get in position, but quickly spins back around again.

"By the way, you smell fantastic."

This time he leaves for real, leaping over the railing and edging along the the side of the ship with his hands. It's very Solid Snake.

Rogue jumps just slightly because woa whispering and and ears is a distracting combo. Speaking of distracting she blushed slightly and got ready to do what needed to be done, she slipped off one of her silk gloves.

She stepped forward, stumbling a bit like a drunken frat girl, "Hey! Is John here? He said...he said he wanted me to meet him here and introduce me to all of his friends."

With a drunken fake smile she stumped forward and brushed her hand against his as she made contact, "But you are /way/ cuter, you know?"

WHACK!

True to his word, Gambit did in fact whack one of them over the head. As the man's body slumps, Gambit does some sort of fluid judo-looking hip roll thing that flips the unconscious smuggler right over the railing and into the ocean. It might seem cruel, but he probably has a better chance in the ocean (in the harbor, no less) than he does on the boat that's about to explode.

However, Rogue is in for a shock: The man not only knows the layout of the ship, and the location of the cargo, he also knows what the cargo is and what it's for. They're importing weapons all right, just not ones made in a factory.

Down in the cargo hold of the ship, nearly two dozen mutant youngsters are secured, bound with power-restricting collars. They'll make excellent weapons for the Boudreaux Family, with a little bit of training.

Of more pressing concern, the man she just absorbed abilities from is one of those hairy, extra-tough mutants that every pirate crew and School for the Gifted seems to need.

Of even more pressing concern, another of the smugglers just rounded a corner, saw someone getting tossed over the side, and is yelling at the top of his lungs to alert the rest of the crew.

The ideal of this impromptu mission would have been stealth, but hey things don't always work out as planned. As Mr. Manly was turning around in shock she slipped off the other glove and placed both hands on the sides of his face, long enough for him to pass out and he too was tossed over the ledge.

Well hey at least bodies were buoyant right?

With an extra heaping of super strength and near invulnerability provided by the mustachioed gentleman she bum rushed the new intruder and easily tossed him over the ledge as well.

So everyone else was still likely to catch up to them within a moment, Rogue hurried back to Gambit and shared the news, "Gotta get them all outta here before blowin' this to bits, that ain't up for debate."

So the situation is worse than even Gambit thought. Then again, it usually is. "Gee, are you sure you don't want to look around?" Despite the severity of the situation, Gambit can't help but remind Rogue that doing more reconnaissance was his idea. Impatience leaves you with empty pockets, and apparently it also leaves you with a bunch of blown up kids. But Gambit doesn't have much time to gloat, because a whole group of armed thugs, some of whom may also be mutants, has just been alerted. Gambit looks longingly back in the direction of the Lamborghini, but escape will have to wait until the job is done.

A few seconds later, the rest of Gambit's man jewelry is blowing up like little cherry bombs. Only instead of taking off fingers, these take off legs.

Yeah this mission was now no longer about profit, not with that many innocent mutant lives in stake. At least as far as Rogue was concerned.

As Gambit was tossing off his man jewelry she spoke loudly so he might hear, "Getting to the prisoners. Don't destroy the ship yet."

She rushed downstairs on the ship and punched one normal human guard into a deep sleep or concussion whatever.

Rogue looked over the corner and spotted the captured mutants and their guards.

"That's it. Just run off and do your thing, I'll stay here and fight all of the smugglers." Gambit mutters to nobody in particular, as he's pretty much alone with the pirates. It's too bad that Rogue isn't above deck to see him though, as he puts on quite a show. With his metal bo staff moving so quickly that it's a blur, he handily dispatches the goons while miraculously managing to avoid getting shot. Then again, these are goons on a freighter, not Delta Force operatives.

Having run out of man jewelry to toss, he has to break out the brand new deck of cards in order to re-arm himself. It's with a bit of reluctance that he charges up the first one, but soon more small explosions are occurring on the deck, punctuating the gunfire.

Rogue is on her own with the guards below deck, as Gambit has his hands full trying to keep the rest of the crew busy.

Thankfully Rogue managed to grab her own pack of cards from her purse before ditching the car. Planning ahead had it's privileges. She grabbed a handful and tossed them towards the guards. Kaboom!

She grabbed at the metal beam that was keeping them all connected to the floor,

"Bum rush any of your captors and Ah'll see to your freedom and will destroy your collars. Um, mutant liberation!"

It felt like with that moment mutant freedom speech was needed so...that.

She ushered them forward and hoped that Gambit was about ready to blow this boat into bits."

The deck is eerily quiet when the first of the young mutants rushes up to the deck. One could probably hear crickets if there were crickets in the ocean. Gambit has taken care of anyone who didn't feel like jumping off the ship of their own volition. And now he's rummaging through the pockets of one of the goons who decided to stay aboard. "There they are, knew you wouldn't fail me."

In addition to the wallet, he pulls a pack of cigarettes out of the man's coat. "Wait... Marlboros? I'm very disappointed in you, Stumpy." Cigarette snobbery notwithstanding, he lights one of the cancer sticks anyway. It's not always easy to find a pack of Gauloises when you're digging around in the pockets of corpses.

And then he gets bum rushed by a kid. "Ah! The shit?! Cut it out!"