For I Am Lost
CHAPTER 1
The bats flew in numbers from their shadowy depths as Logan stepped on a branch. Kitty squealed as they swarmed around her. She phased through them as they soared towards her. After the squealing ended and the cloud of bats cleared, the room was visible. A dilapidated laboratory- the ceiling beams were caving in and what seemed like miles of cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The room smelled of death. There were thousands of hyperbaric chambers aligned in rows. They were covered in dust. The X men split up around the room to try and see through the glass on each tube. Logan's voice echoed throughout the room as he declared: "Top left corner of the plaque has the name of the mutant inside." He paused in his sentences as he looked at a few others. "They're all in alphabetical order... Look under D. "The X-men searched in the 'D' section for what seemed like hours, until Logan said with a touch of sorrow in his voice, "Lets head back home- she ain't here."
A raspy, thick Cajun accent threw back at him, "We ain't leavin' yet. Not til' we're sure." The others looked at him in amazement. Remy LeBeau hadn't spoken in months. All he did was stay in his room to drink and smoke and God knew what else. His red on black eyes seemed distant- sorrowful and broken yet pleading, fierce and angry all at the same time. Logan received the message and nodded his head.
"Keep searching X Men, split up into groups of four, search everywhere, but be careful because this building could cave in any second. That means, no phasing through columns, got it Half Pint?" He directed at Kitty. She looked at him for a split second a bit shocked and then nodded in compliance.
The X-men split into groups, Jean being separated from Scott, trotted over to him gracefully and gently planted a peck on Scott's lips, sending a wave of depression through Remy who was watching from a distance. He could feel her lips on his, her smell on his skin, and the feel of her slender fingers intertwined into his. Remy reached into one of his pockets of his trench coat and pulled out a small leather covered flask of bourbon and took a hit. The fiery liquid slithered down his throat and made his fingertips tingle. His mind wandered away from her for a second and then her angelic face popped right into his head again.
Remy, Scott, Logan and Kurt were all in a group together. They headed down dark steps. Scott in front, Logan next, Remy, and last Kurt. They had to keep an arm on the person in front of them, none of them could see in the dark except for Scott who had set his visor to night vision. Logan was next because he could smell the changes in the air. Finally Scott stopped in his tracks. "There's this door here. I'm going to blow it open. Stand back, but don't let go. One more thing. Logan, what do you smell?" They all listened to Logan's sniffing of the air. He paused for a moment and slightly gulped. "Blood. And lots of it." Remy began to tremble a bit. He felt Kurt's hand grab his shoulder tightly and give him a squeeze, reassuringly. Remy ignored it and looked ahead to prepare himself for the worst.
The dust finally cleared and the coughing noises finally stopped. They all stepped into the room which smelled of decay and filth. The room was vast, and the stale air began to filter out. The group looked around the room and all that could be seen were tables with what once were mutants. The corpses were falling apart. Remy looked away as a pang of grief hit him. Who could have done this? Scott exclaimed, "Guys help me move this! There's another door behind these pillars! The group rushed over and together they moved the two columns which had landed in an "X" in front of the door. Inside, the air smelled clean and fresh. A large nuclear-looking machine was in the center of the room and many wires and electrical cables were strewn across the floor.
Then he heard her. "Remy," she called out in a weak voice. He closed his eyes as she whispered again. "Do y'all hear that?" He said as he frantically searched around the room. "Hear vat?" Kurt replied. "She's here! Can't you hear her?" The calling became intensified as she realized he was close. "Remy please," she begged "Ah'm right here..." The whispering dissipated like wisps of cloud in the sky. "No..." He whimpered. "Come back, please!" He frantically began searching for her body, anywhere. He began tearing off panels of metal from the outer skeleton of the machine and looking inside. Logan and Scott tried to stop him but they couldn't get through to him. "Rogue?" He hollered. "Please come back!" The machine started to vibrate and make strange noises. The sputtering stopped for a second and the top of the machine began in a series of small explosions. Remy covered his face to guard the debris falling. The explosions continued to descend down the tower of the machine until it reached what seemed like the central power line and stopped. An even bigger explosion erupted and sent the three men flying backwards and into one another.
Remy stared at the wreck in horror. Rogue was in there and the machine had just blown up!
Remy crawled amongst the wreck and began sorting through metal scraps. His heart wrenched every single time he moved a piece and didn't find her. Finally, he got to a slab of metal that was burning hot from the fires of the explosion. This must be the center, he thought. Remy placed his hand on it and focused upon the kinetic energy of the object and charged it so much that it disintegrated into thin air. He closed his eyes as he expected the same turnout as all of the other attempts. Instead of nothing, lay a still slender figure. Remy looked down in delight and smiled as he examined the body before him. "R-Rogue?" He stuttered as he felt her skin through her gloves. She had a fever, a high one from the looks of it. He pushed aside the white and auburn bundles of hair from her face and gazed longingly at her beauty. Her skin, a smooth and alabaster surface, her nose just as adorable as he remembered, and her lips, as full and red. But there was something different about her. Instead of her normal "Sleeping Beauty" expression, she seemed troubled, as if she were in a nightmare. He wanted to kiss her and wake her up, but he thought it better to approach her later, when she saw him.
When she saw him? What would she think when she saw him? He felt for his chin and wondered if she would like that he grew out his beard. What else would she think? He considered his physical state. He had lost a noticeable amount of weight, so he had muscle but no real attractive body mass. He had taken up smoking and drinking again opposed to the regimen where Rogue had him on electronic cigarettes and a beer every week. She had him on a leash, he was her lap dog, but he was a really happy lap dog. He had also become a slob, throwing anything and everything on the floor, contrary to his nature. But he had never touched her side of the room. Everything was just as she left it. And that was how he stayed for the past 3 years. In his room, smoking, sobbing and sleeping.
He looked down at her small frame, beads of sweat on her brow. He gently gathered her into his arms, handling her as if he were going to shatter a pane of glass. He inhaled. Lavender. He smiled faintly. He had his love back. She looked so helpless and defenseless lying there. She cuddled up into his chest and he could feel their hearts beating in unison. He turned and began walking towards the other X-men with an enormous smile on his face. The others looked at him in utter confusion and then looked down at Rogue. Kurt looked down at her and his eyebrows knitted together in sorrow. He smiled sadly and touched her white strands.
Remy climbed back up to the surface and through the crowd of X-men. They all gasped and Kitty said, "Oh God." He held her a bit tighter and closer to his heart. He got outside.
What used to be cloudy grey skies now was bright and sunny. The world seemed to breathe out now that it knew Rogue was back. He smiled and walked up to the Blackbird. "Hank?" He called out. "I got m' Rogue back. Can y' help m' here? She feels like she might have a fever. Ah high one too."
"Let me have a look." Hank positioned his glasses on his fuzzy blue nose as Remy gently laid Rogue down upon a pop-up examining table. Hank began taking her temperature, checking her blood pressure and pulse. "My goodness! You are very lucky to have found her. She is in the beginning phases of a violent case of Influenza. Because I have caught it so early, we can treat it, and the severity and duration of the illness will be decreased tenfold." Hank turned to a small working station desk with drawers and pulled out a long clear tube. He also pulled out a plastic bag of clear liquid and attached the two. "Just some minerals and nutrients for her. She's also got a touch of malnutrition. Once she gets home she'll be hooked up to a stronger solution. She'll be just fine, Remy. Don't worry." He added to reassure Remy's worried expression.
"Why don't you take a rest? You look like you need it." Hank nodded his head toward a big comfy chair in the corner. Remy's body seemed to scream "sit down!" But his mind begged him to stay up by Rogue's side. Hank seemed to pick up on his discomfort. "Remy, I will wake you up if there are any fluctuations in her vitals. Please, sleep." For a second, Remy considered fighting, but then his mind lost to his body and he slumped into the chair and fell asleep, thinking about how happy he was that he had his Rogue back.