Chapter Four – A Theory
Kitty Pryde was the last one to arrive to the Professor's office; the team had gathered there after their search party for Rogue, Kitty arrived with Caleb in her arms. "I drove around all over the city and no sign."
"Checked all the Motels and hotels in the area?" Scott Summers asked, he was leaning against the wall with his arms folded.
"First places I checked."
"She'd give an assumed name most likely," Logan reminded.
"She always books into hotels under the name of Anya Smitty," Kitty explained. "It's the name on her drivers license, and her credit cards."
"Anya Smitty?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "Surely that isn't her real name."
"Only Remy knows her real name..." Kitty mumbled.
"But Anya Smitty?"
"Roman Holiday," Jean commented. "It's from Roman Holiday."
Logan rolled his eyes.
"That old movie with Katherine Hepburn?" asked Scott.
"Audrey Hepburn," Ororo corrected.
Jean sighed, "I checked with the airports to see if she booked herself a flight out – especially any flights out to the UK. Ororo checked the train stations."
Ororo nodded. "If she left Bayville, she didn't do it on foot. But she can't fly forever, her body will feel the strain."
"She didn't take her credit cards...they were still in her room when I looked," said Kurt with a sigh. "Her wallet was full of money...she has none with her."
"Geez, she must have been so scared to just take off like this," Kitty shook her head sadly. "Without anything, just some clothes?"
"Professor, you must be able to sense her?"
"I'm afraid not. I've been experiencing static with my powers lately when I try to use them from here...even trying to use Cerebro to magnify my powers brings up nothing..." he confessed, "I have a theory about it."
"Oh?" Jean asked, she stepped over, "you've felt it too?"
"It's Jessie," Professor Xavier admitted, "I believe that Jessie might be highly empathic for a mutant her age. She seems quite capable of sensing feelings...and perhaps dampening abilities of others around her."
"Empathic and dampening?" Kitty gasped, "are you sure?"
"I suspected it...at least her empathic abilities" Jean spoke up. "She seems to pick up on feelings rather well for a kid so small – and seems to understand things far better than a child her age should..."
"Why didn't you mention before?" The Professor queried.
"I was unsure if I was imagining things. The thought had occurred to me that she might just be exceptionally perceptive in a human capacity..." Jean looked away.
"It seems out of the mansion my powers are far stronger than they are when I'm here..." Professor Xavier explained.
"You're not the only one who's noticed that," Logan admitted. "I seem to be healing slower these days. Cut myself shaving this morning and the fucker still hasn't closed up – usually something like that is gone in minutes."
"Anyone else experiencing this?"
"I haven't really used my powers properly in a while," Kitty shrugged. "They seemed okay when I used them this morning..."
Ororo rubbed the back of her neck, "I find it harder keeping the cold weather away than I used to – which is why December was the harshest winter we have had in years."
Jean paused for thought, "You know...I've experienced this before...but not in Jessie's presence..."
"Do tell," Scott offered.
"When I was helping Hank treat Remy...my headache from hearing too many thoughts cleared up almost instantly...that rarely ever happens. Perhaps whatever Jessie has...Remy has too..."
"Rogue did happen to mention something about Remy's powers allowing him to kind of touch her. She didn't go too much into details though," Kitty said after a moment.
"It would seem their powers both seem to be able to cancel out other powers around them. This could be a good thing and a bad thing..."
"It could be a very bad thing if we're attacked and neither of them can control it," Logan remarked.
"Yeah, but how do you tell a child to control a power she doesn't even know she's using?" Scott asked. "It's gonna be...difficult to train her, isn't it?"
"That may be, but necessary. Then again, if we are attacked by other mutants, they will be rendered powerless by being in this area meaning we would have the upper hand possibly..." Jean reasoned.
"For now the first focus we need to make is finding out where Rogue went. She must be very distraught...we need her to understand that we do not blame her for what happened."
Logan grunted, "tellin' ya, Charles...she's probably took off to Muir Island to be with Gambit..."
Kitty shook her head, "no...she wouldn't have done that...she was frantic...worried about what his reaction would be...the last thing she would probably want to do is see him right now."
"Then where is she?" Logan shrugged.
Kitty stared into space. "That's the question. Where."
