Part Four

"You waited?" Malice asked surprised. Victor had brought Remy to the lab about an hour earlier after he collapsed in the kitchen. She didn't expect the normally cold mutant to wait outside the lab for an update. She flagged him into the room where Remy was resting.

"I thought I should know what's going on since he part of the team now." Creed knew his excuse was lame, and the smile on Malice's face proved it. "So, how is he?"

Malice was about to tease the larger mutant, but let it go, she needed to stay on Creed's good side. "The collapse was from malnutrition and the lack of his normal mutant abilities. I am going to change his collar to an adjustable bracelet. That will allow us to change the amount of his abilities he can use. It will help with his strength and will also help us to calculate just how much of his mutant abilities his body can handle."

"So, what are his mutant powers?" Creed felt stupid for not knowing already.

"He has two. One he has had since he was about thirteen. He can kinetically charge an object and make it explode. That power he had complete control over until the second manifested a year ago. It is a mental ability that has yet to be identified fully. It came on too strong and too fast, making him ill. Maybe slowly adjusting the level of the power he can learn how to control it. Which is what this is for." She pulled Remy's thin arm up to display the metal bracelet to Victor. "This should be a lot more comfortable for him as well." She fiddled with the controls on the bracelet for a few minutes until she had it at a low level of mutant activity. "There we go. You mind picking him up and following me?" She said quickly and started out the lab doors before Victor could complain.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Damn it!" Creed gently, but swiftly, picked up the still unconscious Remy and headed quickly out the door after Malice. He walked down the hall where she was waiting in the elevator, holding the doors open. "Where the hell are we taking him? He doesn't need to stay in the lab?"

"I think it's best to place him in a permanent room for now. Moving around and getting on a normal schedule should help him gather his strength. Plus, Essex will be doing experiments in that lab tomorrow and that is not something Remy needs to wake up to. He is not aware of Essex's other activities." She held the door open again once they reached the third floor, where the sleeping quarters were set up like a modest hotel.

"Which room you putting him in?" Creed asked before stepping out.

Malice waved him out of the elevator and walked down the hall leaving Creed to follow her. "Well, I thought it would be best if I put him in one of the adjoining rooms so that he would have someone close if there were any problems during the night. I thought next to Michael's, but he hasn't come back in several days, which Essex is not happy about.

Creed stopped. "That's not going to work. When Michael is here he is drunk and he is mean. Remy can't handle a fight with Michael in his state."

"I am glad you agree. That is when I thought, you have really good hearing and you seem to have taking a liking to the young man, so maybe I could just put him here. Next to your room." She flashed a charming smile while opening the door to an empty room that connected to Victor's. "I know you like your privacy, but he is technically in another room. There just happens to be a door that goes in between the two. You could always keep it closed and you would never know the difference." She was waiting for some kind of argument, but was surprised to get nothing but a shrug as the larger man pushed by her to take the young man in to his new room.

"You're joking right?" Malice was astonished. "Do you know how long I practiced that little speech in the mirror? I thought you would throw a fit if I put him next to you!"

"I don't care. You were right. I am the best person to put him next to. I will hear him if he wakes up and has a problem. Since you don't sleep, the only other alternative is to put him next to Michael, this is the best way to go." Creed stopped next to the simple bed placed in the corner of the room. "Can you pull back the covers for me?"

Malice walked over and pulled back the blankets and sheets and watched as Creed carefully placed the boy down and tuck the covers around his thin frame. "I'll never figure you out, Victor."

"I like to keep you guessing." He smiled and opened the door that connected his room to Remy's new one, leaving it open. "I'll call if something happens."

"Alright. Sweet dreams, you two." Malice began to shut the door behind her, but paused short of closing it. "Vic, you know he's jail bait don't you?"

Victor stuck his head back through the adjoining door, giving Malice an angry look. "First off, when has that ever stopped you. Just because you have a new body, it doesn't change what you did with the other ones. Second off, that's none of your business even if it was an issue, which it's not."

"All right, just letting you know. Good Night."

"Night, Mal." Victor waited for his friend to leave before taking one last look at the young man now sleeping just a few steps from his own room. "Jail bait, huh?" he said to himself. "What's she thinking?"