***
Do What You Have to Do
Part One
By Tchabu
***
"Run," Jarod hissed at his sister. She was considering disobeying, but he gently pushed her, saying, "Just go. I'll be fine." He was confident that he would, so Sarah gave him a quick hug, then turned down the alley and left, cries of, "Mutants!" and, "Get 'em!" drawing nearer.
***
Rogue walked quickly down the street, looking for a place to hide. She had come into town with her friends earlier that day, only to become separated when the angry mob appeared. How could they know? She wondered. It was too late to stick around and ask questions now; there was no way she could take on all of them at once.
Up ahead, she spotted exactly what she was looking for: a dark alley that led off of the street. Quickening her pace, she ducked into it, out of sight of the irate people behind her. She let out a short yelp as a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Rogue was yanked behind a dumpster and found herself face to face with a pretty young redhead with a thin scar under one eye. The girl held a finger to her mouth and made a "sshh" noise.
Rogue pulled away abruptly. "Don't do that," she whispered forcefully.
"Why?" The stranger's expression was incredulous. "I don't have rabies. Or would you rather be out there? You seemed scared, so I thought you would want to hide."
Rogue realized the girl wasn't after her, so she decided to trust her with a secret. "You can't touch my skin without getting hurt."
The girl tilted her head expectantly, waiting for Rogue to continue. When she didn't, she gave a small shrug. "So they're after you, too?" the girl asked. Rogue nodded in response. "Okay, then follow me. I think we can get away."
"By the way, I'm Rogue," she drawled with a thick Southern accent.
The redhead wasn't really paying attention, but replied automatically. "I'm Sarah. Pleased to meet you." She peered out around the corner, and seemed to be considering their position. "When I say go, we're going to run out of this alley as fast as we can. There's a river about a hundred yards from that building. If we make it then we can hide under the bridge until it's safe."
Rogue smiled tightly. "Ready when you are!"
"Okaaay… Now!" At her word, they took off, sprinting hard and fast. They had almost made it across the narrow stretch of open land when Sarah slipped on the wet grass and hit her head on a sharp stone. Rogue ran back and helped her new friend up, oblivious to the gash that had been opened on Sarah's forehead. Soon they were hidden in relative safety under the bridge, and just in time. The crowd passed noisily overhead as the rain grew harder every second.
After determining that the coast was clear, the girls began to climb up the bank, mindful of the river's rising water level. With some effort, Sarah made it. She turned to help Rogue, and was just in time to see the girl's gloved hand slip from the bank and disappear into the raging water. A second later, Rogue thrashed to the surface and screamed for help. Without hesitation, Sarah kicked off her shoes and wrestled out of the backpack and coat she was wearing so they wouldn't weigh her down. She then executed a clean dive and struck out through the icy spring waters.
***
Logan jogged slowly along the riverbank, keeping an eye out for Rogue. He mentally kicked himself for allowing them to become separated. His eyes searched the surrounding area until he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.
There was Rogue, prostrate on the bank and soaking wet. Another girl, probably two years younger than the first, was bent over his friend and working quickly with gloved hands. When he approached, she didn't look up, but simply said, "Hand me your sweatshirt," as she checked heart rate and breathing and began to pump water from Rogue's lungs.
He obeyed and watched the girl place it under her head as a pillow. The girl was working so quickly and efficiently that he said, a bit nervously, "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?"
It was meant as a joke, more to lighten his own mood than anybody else's, but she looked up at him, dead serious. "Physically, yes, but at the moment, I am a doctor. Now stop worrying and let me help your friend." He was amazed at her boldness, but didn't have time to wonder how she knew he was a friend because Rogue sat up then and coughed the remaining water from her lungs.
The girl began to say, "She'll be fine," and stand, but she stopped, swaying slightly. Her knees buckled and her eyes closed heavily. Logan caught her just in time, as he noticed the ugly cut on her forehead. Just then, Storm and Scott arrived.
"Stop the rain, Storm," he ordered the woman. She did so, as Scott helped Rogue to her feet.
"What happened to Sarah?" she asked, concern showing on her face.
"She passed out," Logan explained, "after pulling you out of the river." He looked at the shivering girl he was supporting. "What now?" he asked Scott, but Rogue interrupted.
"We can't leave her. I think she's one of us. They were after her, too, and she saved my life."
Scott nodded. "All right. But we'd better get home fast. She looks like she could use some medical attention."
***
"I don't care what you do to me," Sarah muttered defiantly. "I'll never help the Centre again." The girl continued to mumble softly in her sleep.
"The cut isn't even going to scar. She just needs some rest," Dr. Jean Grey said, telekinetically picking up a piece of gauze from across the room and bringing it to her hand, "although her sleep doesn't seem all that peaceful." The redhead spoke softly to her dreams the entire time. "See what I mean?"
"I do indeed, Jean," Xavier responded. He was relieved that the newest arrival at his school was not seriously hurt, but was, at the same time, intrigued over the child's mutterings.
Jean continued to explain. "She has been calling out for people named Angelo and Jarod, and her parents, ever since she fell asleep. I decided to wait until I'd spoken to you before going into her mind."
"What's ice cream?" the patient asked suddenly. After a pause, Sarah giggled and exclaimed, "It's good!" A moment later, her words returned to darker themes as she mumbled about murders and beatings.
With a worried glance at Dr. Grey, Xavier placed his hands on either side of the girl's head and closed his eyes, concentrating. He probed gently in her mind, searching for some clue to her identity. Abruptly, he pulled away and left the infirmary wordlessly, greatly disturbed by what he had seen.
***
She's nowhere, Jarod thought, nowhere in this entire town. He'd been searching for his sister for the last twenty or so hours, ever since the mob had dissipated. He prayed they hadn't caught her; he didn't even want to think about what an angry mob would do to a young, defenseless person they saw as nothing more than a menace to society. With no other apparent course of action, he started to walk along the highway, hoping to hitch a ride to the next town that wouldn't try to kill him on sight.
***
Rogue poked her head into Xavier's office. "You wanted to see me, Doctor?" she drawled politely.
"Yes, come in, please." The man in the wheelchair motioned her to a seat. "Rogue, I want you to tell me everything you know about Sarah."
"There isn't much to tell," she said. "I was tryin' to get away from all the people, and so was she. We ran down to the bridge, but on the way she tripped and cut her head. We kept goin' and after everyone was gone, I fell into the river. Sarah jumped in and pulled me out, and that's that. She saved my life." Seeing the expression on the doctor's face, she began to question. "Why? Is she all right? I haven't seen her since last night."
"At the moment, she's resting in the infirmary, and she will be perfectly fine, although that isn't the reason I asked." Before Rogue responded, Scott, Jean, and Logan entered the comfortable office. "Good, you're just in time," he said. "I was about to explain Sarah's gift to Rogue."
As they found seats, Dr. Xavier began his narrative. "Sarah is an extremely talented girl. Besides having advanced skills of empathy, she is what is known as a Pretender. Are any of you familiar with that term?" Receiving negative answers all around, he continued. "Pretenders are, to put it simply, geniuses. They are prodigies who have amazing mental capabilities, and, among other things, are able to 'become' any person on earth; to get inside a person's head and think how they think, and what they think. I have heard of this phenomenon, but his is the first time I have ever seen proof of it."
"I was wondering how she knew what she was doing," Logan said.
"What's that?" Scott queried.
"After she pulled Rogue out of the river, she was working on her, you know, checking pulse and that sort of thing, and she just knew what she was doing. When I made some crack about her being a doctor, she looked at me, completely dead-pan, and said that at the moment, she was."
"In effect, she was," Xavier replied. "At any given time, Sarah could take up any occupation, from pilot to neurosurgeon to a university professor, and all she would need to prepare is a few hours and a book."
Scott was incredulous. "And this kid is what? Thirteen? What does this have to do with us?"
Xavier paused before answering. "I want to know what you think about asking her to join the X-men."
