2990/The Bonfire of the Vain: Chapter 3

The Bonfire of the Vain: Chapter 3
Date of Scene:	27 October 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	X-23 and Gambit complete their escape from the Morlocks Tunnels without any of them being burned alive, there's a basis for a friendship here, depends on how things go in the future.
Cast of Characters:	Gambit, X-23

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Gambit has posed:
RECAP: Gambit got snatched up by the Morlocks. X-23 decided to save him after a talk with Caliban, even though getting involved isn't really her thing...

"I shoulda just stayed in Hell..."

As Caliban predicted, Gambit has already been put through the ringer by Callisto, the Morlocks' sadistic leader. He doesn't appear to have taken any damage greater than a 'flesh wound' so far. A few cuts and bruises, some cigarette burns, but nothing that wouldn't be considered a typical date night in some American households. But the wounds he's suffered don't seem to be the main drivers of Gambit's misery at the moment.

Most of his misery seems to stem from the fact that he's ziptied to the wall of a place called 'The Fridge', and he has had most of his clothing taken.

Outside, the Morlocks are still carousing, adding more broken furniture, garbage, and anything flammable to the giant pile in the center of their biggest tunnel. On the 'ceiling' above, some of the Morlocks are trying to open the sewer grates and manhole covers that allow them to burn giant bonfires without all suffocating instantly. They only need the fire to last long enough to make Gambit nice and crispy though. Shouldn't take long.

Elsewhere, in her private abandoned subway car, Callisto is sleeping soundly. The satisfied smile on her face is evidence that at least one of the people involved in Gambit's torture enjoyed herself. Good for her. She clutches the Only Other Key to The Fridge against her chest, snoring loudly as she rests up before the bonfire.

Outside The Fridge, two Morlocks stand guard. One of them seems fairly normal aside from a pair of octopus arms in the place of regular ones. The other guy is just really big, and covered in scales.

The door itself is made of solid iron, and incredibly rusted-looking. There's probably no way to open it without it squeaking loudly enough to alert the guards. But fortunately, the festivities are pretty loud right now as the Morlocks get progressively drunker.

"Least in Hell I was nice and warm, and the ladies weren't so rough. Guess I'll be warm enough soon though..."

Gambit strains against his zip ties, trying in vain to get his wrists free. He used to be much better at getting out of restraints before he decided to become a superhero.

X-23 has posed:
Following the direction she was given by Caliban, Laura takes an unlikely shortcut of one supremely familiar with the Morlock Tunnels, as she makes her way to the fridge. Nothing the rusty looking door when she finally gets there, coupled with guards, she knows there's no subtle way to open it. So she finds some rags about the place to toss over herself, and blend in a bit, before approaching the guards whilst brandishing a rusty looking blade she picked up on her way. "I was sent to torture Hated One before the fire," she notes, showing her weapon, and then flashing her key, "I was given access. Do not disturb me. Or she will be mad." She hasn't quite picked up Callisto's name, but she picked up that the leader is a woman. She figures this ought to be enough to sway the guards. At least from her experience, talking with confidence is a big part of fooling people. Particularly not too clever ones.

Gambit has posed:
"Uh... Callisto said nobody's supposed to go in there... didn't she, Tickles?" The big scale-covered guy looks somewhat uncertainly at the smaller guy with the suction cup covered tentacle-arms.

Tickles, however, seems fairly sure of what to do. "Nah. She said nobody was supposed to go in there until after SHE had her turn. Now that she's had firsts, she's probably gonna start lettin' everyone file through here one at a time. Wouldn't be very satisfying if he only got tortured once, would it?"

Tickles steps aside, followed quickly by the big guy. The big guy offers a few words of parting wisdom before she's able to unlock the 30's era vault door leading to 'The Fridge.'

"Just make sure's you don't torture him so bad that he dies before we gets to burn him. And also don't torture him too little, or he might enjoy it."

Tickles chimes in, as he steps even further away from the door. "Yeah! Make sure you tickle him EXACTLY the right amount. And holler if he tries to get away so we can whack him on the head again."

X-23 has posed:
Laura simply nods along with the words of Tickles, who is obviously the 'smarter' of the two. She readily agrees with his wisdom, and perfect reading of the situation, quipping only, "thank you for the instruction, I will remember," she promises to Tickles and his buddy, before unlocking the door, and going inside the Fridge, closing the door behind her.

She keeps the Morlock rags about her as she approaches Gambit, poking at him to see if he is awake, before stating, "here to get you out. Caliban wants to save the light. You know a way out, or should I kill everyone?" She certainly seems mighty confident in her abilities. By now her healing factor is back in full capacity, and there's no sign about her of all the fighting she partook in earlier.

Gambit has posed:
"Ain't you a little short for a Morlock?"

Sitting on the cold metal floor, with his hand ziptied to an old pipe on the wall above him, Gambit looks substantially less comfortable than the movie character he's paraphrasing at the moment. But he says it with every bit of bemusement that the original had when she was rescued by an unlikely hero. He's bemused enough that one might suspect that he halfway expected a last minute rescue, as if that sort of thing happens to him all the time.

"Only way I know to get out of here is the way they brung me, and I don't remember which way that was. I got bumped on the head, you see." He turns his head toward her so that she can see the giant bruise right on his forehead. It's not the only bruise on his head, but it's definitely the most prominent.

X-23 has posed:
"Not a Morlock," Laura admits to Gambit, from her droneish tone of voice, she's no sophisticated spy. At least she doesn't give the impression, looks like she literally threw some rags on herself and it was enough. She likes to give wrong impressions about herself.

"We need to get you out...by walking right out...you'll need clothes," Laura notes, and then she walks to the door, and moves it enough to let her head peek out as she asks Tickles, "you want a turn on the Hated One? You believed me, and so I want to give you this reward. It's fun! He really suffers."

Should Tickles be foolish enough to take her invitation, she'll close the door behind after he gets in, at which point the screaming could be the Hated One's or his own, but either way, he'll be very much perforated so Gambit can 'borrow' his clothes.

Gambit has posed:
Several seconds later...

"Ugh... and here I thought he smelled bad on the outside..."

Gambit crouches near the aptly named, and recently deceased Morlock formerly known as 'Tickles.' The entire Fridge pretty much smells like the inside of Tickles right now, and Gambit can practically smell what he had for dinner.

He's pretty sure it was chili.

"You didn't think maybe I'd look less suspicious wearing clothes that WEREN'T soaked in blood? Don't get me wrong, I'm all manner of grateful, but the only way they're gonna be able to identify his body now is with dental records, and I'm pretty sure the Morlocks don't keep those."

Pulling the splattered garments off of the dead Morlock is a bit of a chore, and Gambit complains through pretty much every second of it. But eventually, he's standing there wearing a blood-covered pair of overalls, a seriously threadbare hoodie, and a NASCAR trucker hat from way back when Richard Petty was still racing.

"Great. Now I look like the face of America's Opioid Crisis."

X-23 has posed:
"They are not the smartest," Laura reminds Gambit, as she patiently wait for him to get dressed int he bloody rags, "we say it is blood of the Hated Ones, who still lives in eternal suffering, waiting the purging of fire..." once Gambit is dressed, she notes, "quiet, humble, giddy at suffering of Hated Ones, eager for fire, and slowly we leave...yes?"

It's a suggestion based on her experience, she's confident they'll be able to leave this way. If they're fast enough, they might even make it before the Morlocks can tell the guards are missing.

Gambit has posed:
"Sounds like you got it all figgered out already, Emily the Strange."

As Gambit finishes tying his newly-acquired bootlaces, he makes his way to the door of The Fridge. Listening intently, he tries to suss out what's going on just outside the door. He places his bare hand on the cold metal door, as if trying to feel the vibrations that are coming from out in the main tunnel.

Little does he suspect that he's in the company of someone with far better senses than his own.

"Sounds like Sunder's band is getting ready to play. Shame we gotta miss it, they actually do a pretty decent cover of that Bob Seger song from the Chevy commercials."

Sure enough, right outside the door the sounds of a crowd cheering and out of tune electric instruments starts to kick up. The cheering is actually louder than the instruments, because the Morlocks have shitty amps.

"Ugh... sounds like he's startin' off with Sweet Chil' of Mine though... friggin' typical."

He opens the door suddenly, right as Sunder begins singing, his gravelly voice not even remotely appropriate for the song he chose. There, facing the crowd, is Guard Number Two, and off a bit in the distance is Sunder and his band, standing atop the funeral pyre intended for Gambit with his shitty Morlock cover band.

X-23 has posed:
"Emily the Strange...? Huh? I have a name, Laura."

Apparently Laura was bothered by being misidentified, entirely missing the reference to 'Emily the Strange', something she's utterly clueless about.

With everything apparently in synch between her and Gambit, Laura starts to head out, walking at Gambit's side, on occasion when they pass by some Morlocks she makes sure to quip, "Hated One will burn tonight, hahaha." It's cheesy, sad, yet somehow seems to blend for the most part with the sentiment of other Morlocks. Amazing.

Gambit has posed:
"You're doing it all wrong, p'tite. Ain't you ever been to a concert before?"

Gambit walks close enough to Laura that they can hear each other speak without shouting too loudly. Or rather, so that he can hear her talk, as she'd probably be able to hear him all the way across the noisy tunnel.

So that they don't look too suspicious, walking away from the night's entertainment, Gambit actually makes a point of occasionally pausing and mixing with the crowd. Just long enough to look like he's actually there for the show, rather than trying to get away from it as fast as possible.

Leaning down, he puts a hand behind Laura's ear so that he can shout into it: "You gotta heckle the band, or nobody'll think you're a real fan. Try doing this...."

He stands back up, raises his hands to his mouth, and shouts toward the stage....

"FREEBIRD!"

X-23 has posed:
Taking the cue from Gambit, Laura changes tactics, and makes sure to look eager to be there, doing a bit of a dance. Good thing Gambit doesn't know her, because anyone who does would find the fact Laura actually CAN dance quite shocking.

She looks aside dubiously as Gambit asks for Freebird, she's not entirely sure the Morlocks will feel the same as he does. His instincts proved quite wrong so far, and so she shouts instead, "burn the Hated One! BURN HIM!" She figures she has a better read of the crowd, this might incite a riot of Morlocks eager for a pyre, they could surely slip out in such an event.

Gambit has posed:
As the song that definitely isn't Free Bird continues, there are other signs of activity near the front of the stage. Some of the Morlocks are approaching the hastily-constructed stage with lit torches in their hands, obviously getting prepared to finally set the whole thing on fire once The Hated One has been strapped to the rusted metal column that they built the entire pyre around. The column is providing important structural support for the entire tunnel, and goes all the way up to the cieling near the open sewer grate. They probably shouldn't be setting fire to it every time they want to hold a bonfire... but it's their prerogative, and they'll have nobody to blame but themselves if the whole tunnel comes crashing down on them someday.

Just when everything looks like it's in readiness, there's a scuffle off near The Fridge, and enough noise is generated for Sunder to notice, which interrupts him right before he gets to the climax of the song. The band stops playing, and look over to their right to try and figure out what's going on.

"Uh oh... I think maybe we should exit stage left right about now...." Gambit's voice is barely louder than a mutter, and he starts doing exactly that, working his way backward as the rest of the anxious crowd starts packing in toward the pyre.

"Everyone STOP WHERE YOU ARE! The Hated One has escaped!"

It's the voice of Callisto, who's really good at projecting. Maybe she should be the one who's fronting the Morlocks' cover band?

"They can't have gotten far. Look around, and see if there's anybody pretty!"

Almost immediately, the crowd starts to part around Gambit and X-23, with dozens of fingers pointing directly at them.

Up on the stage, The Big Guy looks out at them, tears in his big scaley eyes.

"That's them! That's the lady what poked poor Tickles to death!"

X-23 has posed:
"Everyone! The Hated One! There!" Laura is trying her best to beat out the upcoming reveal once she hears the murmurs of what happened in the Fridge, good thing her hearing is so solid. She points at a random direction, hoping she can get some Morlocks to go after the wouldbe escapee.

But then it all turns a mess when someone claims she poked Tickles to death, and other clear the area around them, leading her to jab Gambit "run," she says and with a *snikt* her claws come out. She's about to clear a path if Morlocks be dumb enough to block it. She could have been a stand in for Freddy Krueger the way she rushes and chops limbs apart. Some might claim that is not at all a pretty sight, so there's that!

Gambit has posed:
"Run? Where!? There's like infinity of them!"

Gambit does his best to fend off the advancing Morlocks, but he doesn't have any of his normal gear. He also doesn't seem to be producing any explosions, which is... something to come back to at another time.

As the tiny terror starts attempting to clear a path, Gambit takes a stock of the situation. He's a gambler, after all, and he can tell when the odds just aren't going to work out for him.

Not without a bit of cheating, that is.

"Hol' up, little one! I'mma need you to trust me on this. Ain't no way we're gettin' out of here alive. Best thing for us to do is just let 'em take us up to the pyre so's we can die with some dignity."

Turning around to face the platform, Gambit raises both of his hands above his head. "YOU HEAR ME? WE GIVE UP!" Looking back at Laura, he quickly nods his head upward to indicate that she should also raise her hands.

"WE GIVE UP! Just..." The entire room suddenly falls silent. "Just... let us get it over with already, no? I can't live with the guilt anymore over what I done to ya'll."

He looks... surprisingly sincere? Maybe he's just playing an angle, or maybe he really means it and he's ready to atone for his sins?

X-23 has posed:
Laura stops when Gambit decides to be an idiot, still keeping her claws extended, she stares at him in disbelief. She has a quick backup plan, stab him to death, and drag his sorry ass out there, only to find out later if anyone can save him from bleeding to death. It seems far better than his plan, but with the knowledge that nothing she suspects the Morlocks to do will kill her, she is willing to give the idiot a shot to end his own life, rather than do it for him. Standing by his side, she rises her hands, claws retracting, "Hated One took severe brain damage, you will kill an innocent who isn't aware of his crimes. Your vengeance will be empty." Just words, but she gives her prognosis, Gambit clearly took a severe head trauma after all.

Gambit has posed:
"Bring their pretty asses up here!" Callisto shouts out into the crowd, all of whom seem a bit reluctant to get near either of the only two non-Morlocks in attendance. After all, they remember all too well what both of them are capable of, given the proper motivation.

It doesn't look like Gambit has the proper motivation to do anything other than give up and die meekly. In truth, it's really all that he deserves, right? He did all of the things that they're accusing him of, and his entire life has basically been one long string of bad decisions, and he's left innumerable victims behind him.

"No need for that, Pirate Morticia Addams." It's a weak insult, but it's the best that Gambit can do when his heart is racing like it is. He might be cool as can be on the outside, but his vital signs are all over the place, which is probably something that Laura can sniff out pretty easily.

True to his word, he walks toward his own funeral pyre, hands raised above his head to show that he means no harm. Dressed still in Tickles' old clothing, he looks all manner of ridiculous, but at least he takes off the trucker hat and holds it in his hand above his head.

"I meant it. I ain't gonna fight anymore. This has been a long time coming, and I know I deserve to go to Hell for what I done."

He climbs up on the stage, a bit awkardly as he's keeping his hands raised, he manages it though, taking his place near the column. The Morlocks start to surround the stage again, and Sunder's band quickly clears off their equipment so that it doesn't get burned up during the bonfire which is apparently going to happen any second now.

X-23 has posed:
Following Gambit along, Laura mutters, "Caliban warns of losing the light..." she doesn't shout it, but as they draw near to the pyre being set, she makes mention of it in case Callisto or any of the other would like to contemplate it's meaning. She still gives Gambit the benefit of the doubt, but if he proves merely suicidal, there just might be a Morlock Massacre Pt Deux.

Gambit has posed:
Now that they're both on the pyre, the Morlocks start to chant again. They can't seem to decide on a single thing to chant though, because now there are two people to burn. So the chanting remains pretty scattered.

With her arms folded, Callisto actually seems slightly reluctant to see Gambit burn to death. Who's she going to have fun with after he's a charred corpse? Probably the charred corpse, come to think of it. Callisto is creepy.

"We ain't gonna lose any light tonight, p'tite. The place is about to get real bright. I just hope you're as good at climbin' as I think you are, otherwise this was all a trrrrrble idea."

The torch-wielding Morlocks look a bit puzzled as Gambit's dialogue takes a strange turn, but they've all pretty much cleared off of the pyre by now. After all, none of them want to be on it when it goes up in flames, right? But one of them is just close enough that Gambit is able to quickly reach out with one of his well-practiced Savate kicks, and knock the torch out of his hand. Snatching the torch adroitly with his foot, he kicks it backward so that it lands directly on the pyre, which immediately starts to burn like crazy.

At this point, all of the Morlocks start stepping back, the flames quickly engulfing the pyre.

Gambit stays right where he's at though, looking very much like a man who loves it when a plan comes together. A sinister smile spreads across his stubbly face, and the red of his eyes glows in the blazing light from the fire. He looks, in short, like The Hated One from all of their nightmares.

Reaching down, he grabs Laura by the legs and quickly lifts her into the air, tossing her at the giant metal support column that the entire pyre was built around. The one we mentioned waaay back toward the beginning of the scene. The one that goes all the way up to the cieling. The cieling that has the open ventilation grates.

Good thing she's light enough to toss, and Gambit is stronger than he looks.

"Cheese it, Boo!" He's right behind her, climbing up the sturdy metal column fast enough to make Spider-Man jealous.

X-23 has posed:
"I'm good at everything," Laura snorts when her ability to climb is questioned. She still doesn't know what Gambit is up to, but she is ever attentive and will follow his cues.

Eventually, it all does make sense, and she does prove a capable climber once he hoists her up the metal pole as she works her way up and out to safety along with the 'Hated One', she's split about whether she should even ask him about it or not? Either way, she's glad she was able to prevent the Morlocks from burning the Hated One, because Caliban was nice to her, he called her pretty, or so she thinks. Maybe there is light inside her? Doesn't seem likely, but for a moment, she feels like she's done good.

Gambit has posed:
As he shimmies his way up the support column, Gambit does his best to dodge the bricks and empty bottles that are being thrown at him. Apparently the Morlocks don't like being tricked. But it doesn't seem like many of them are super enthusiastic about knocking him off the the column before he can get to safety. Almost as if... maybe they didn't all want to see him burn to death? Perhaps Caliban was right about the Morlocks being redeemable if they just had a chance to vent first.

Nearing the top, Gambit shouts down at the Morlocks. His voice is suddenly full of life again, as if the prospect of being killed made him finally realize just how glad he is to be alive.

"SUCKAZZZZZZ! I already been to Hell once, so I ain't got nothing left to be sorry for! I ain't sorry for NOTHING!"

A glass bottle hits him in the head, shattering and nearly knocking him off of the column. That's gonna leave another giant bruise.

"Right... less talking, more clambering. Clamber faster, p'tite!"

The ceiling poses a slightly tougher proposition, but if the Morlocks managed to make it up there, surely Gambit and X-23 can, no? He manages to find sufficient handholds from a number of conveniently placed cracks, crags, and old pipes. Enough to make it all the way to the nearest grate and squeeze his way out, just in time to hear potshots from Callisto's pistol coming from the ground that's now beneath him.

X-23 has posed:
    "You are an idiot," Laura concludes when she notes Gambit slowing down to taunt the Morlocks and lucky for him, doesn't get hit hard enough to get knocked back down. She wasn't going to jump down there to save him again, there's a limit to how much suicidal tendency she'll cater to.

Laura naturally cheats with her claws when it gets to the toughest part of the climb, and before long they are both outside. She stares at Gambit as she retracts her claws and notes, "I don't know who they are. I don't know who you are, 'Hated One', but I did this for Caliban, not for you. You were stupid, I could have saved you, and you choose to let them catch you. Glad this wasn't a timed mission," she snorts, and turns to leave, making social connections is something she really sucks at.

Gambit has posed:
"What? You musta bumped your l'il noggin, Boo. That was a BRILLIANT escape!"

Gambit fumbles around in his pockets, only to remember that he's wearing somebody else's clothes, and it's highly unlikely that Tickles kept cigarettes in his...

Wait! There's a slightly crushed pack in the bib of the overalls.

Taking out the pack of cigarettes, Gambit selects the least crushed one, and lets it dangle from his lower lip as he starts fumbling again for something to light it with.

"Now the Morlocks can't chase after us, 'cause there's a big ass fire in their way. And more importantly, we didn't have to shish kabob all of them poor hobos, which... seemed to have been your entire plan. Not that I ain't grateful, but come on... them poor ugly sumbitches don't deserve to be skewered just 'cause they happened to get caught up in a tide of homicidal rage. Can you blame 'em? They live in the friggin' sewer."

Finding a lighter, as he continues to briskly walk away from the grate, Gambit sets fire to the cigarette and coats his lungs with delicious tar. It's been far too long since his last cigarette, and the smile on his face is enough to prove that it's exactly the amount of fire he needed after a long night in the clutches of The Morlocks.

"We can talk about your questionable methods later though. For now, what do you say we cheese it the eff outta here? I know a place we can lay low until tomorrow."

Hopefully the guy in question has some clothes that Gambit can borrow.

X-23 has posed:
Laura stops to stare at Gambit for a moment when he questions her assessment, offering no further words, not caring to argue an argument not worth having. But when he pities the potential massacre she'd have left in her wake, Laura asserts, "those who stand in my way deserve what comes to them. I asked no one to stop me. Those I hurt volunteered for it by coming after me."

She was about to go her own way, but learning about new hidey spots is never a bad thing, so she just shrugs and follows him quietly, before quipping, "smoking harms your lungs, in turns damages your long term stamina, making you less effective."