"Rogue..." Against better judgement, she looked into his eyes. Those ocean eyes. How did she feel so much when she looked at them? Why did they make this ten times harder. She knew what she had to do. For the X-Men. For the Morlocks. For herself. "I love you." She closed her eyes, almost laughing. Of course he says it after he's passed the point of no return. After they have sex under Magneto's captivity. Of course.
Of course he used it as a bargaining chip. A way to keep her from being tired of being hurt by him. "You're honest with the people you love, Gambit." She responded. Didn't he know? How many times she'd been used. Betrayed. That she couldn't tolerate it, not even from him. That she owed herself that much. It's like she twisted a knife in his heart, but he doesn't look surprised.
He saw it coming. He deserved it. He loves her that much more for sticking to her guns. It wouldn't be like her to fold over three words.
"You think long and hard about this." Logan's eyes burned through the girl, her growing locks cropped above her shoulders again. She tended to fiddle with her hair during times of stress. Cut it, let it grow. Chemically straighten it, leave it natural. The girl's hair seemed to be part of her mutation as well, it could do anything. And right now, she looked like the defensive teenager she was a few years ago. This worried him, he knew the past few days had affected her.
He gazed at her, a worn leather jacket shrugged on his broad shoulders. It had been a couple of days since the X-Men left Remy in Genosha. Since Rogue had turned away from him saying 'I love you'. The professor was none too pleased with the decision, but he couldn't blame Rogue or the rest of them. Her memories proved traumatic for the whole team to learn about their fallen comrades. Charles and the other admins figured something gruesome had happened to the peaceful mutants, but it was worse than they could've prepared for. And Rogue lived with it all in her mind.
"Ah don't deserve to be on the X-Men." She responded, her voice flat. In her hand, was a crudely packed duffel bag. Professor Xavier watched her carefully, not speaking, but listening very carefully with what she chose to say. He didn't think she should be off on her own, but he felt a great need to respect her boundaries. He was glad her teammates had no qualms telling her how wanted and needed she was.
"That's not true." Scott corrects quickly.
"You agree with leaving Remy on an abandoned island?" She had meant her actions then, her words too. But ever since they returned to New York she was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt and regret. Like a monster. She had been so sure then, but now she felt horrible. Like she should be punished. Left somewhere. Like she shouldn't be an X-Men member anymore. Charles had urged them to be supportive and patient, and that the effect of all this on the girl's mind had been taxing.
Picking apart other people's feelings from her own was becoming increasingly difficult. He understood the struggle well. He wanted to guide her into the right choice without forcing the poor girl, and it was getting increasingly difficult. "Ah don't feel sure, not about anythin' in my head right now." Rogue looked at the ground. "Ah think I need to-"
"That's bull, Rogue." Logan cut in, his eyes shining with emotion. If she ran off, he knew they wouldn't see her again. "You need your friends and family to help you through this." He insisted. Rogue huffed. "I know it's been tough, and I'm sorry. But this stuff get's better when you're with your friends, loved ones. That's how you heal." He stared, a hard look on his face.
"Ah abandoned someone Ah was thinking of sayin' Ah love you to." She stood close to Logan, glaring. "Feel good about me bein' on this team, now?" Kurt stepped forward, his brow wrinkled in concern.
"Rogue, ve all understand what you did, and vhy." He urged. Remy was the least of their issues right now. Kitty nodded in agreement.
"If anything, we're kind of glad. Those memories have been torturing you for months." Her old roommate said with a frown. Jean nodded solemnly.
"When he knew you'd have his memories, he fled. One would say he abandoned you, Rogue." She added gently. Scott nodded.
"Sounds like you're both even." He added. Rogue shook her head.
"Then why doesn't it feel like it?" She asked bitterly, looking around at her friends. Nobody had the answers to the questions in her head. She couldn't help but feel that she was a special case in accepting what she'd done. Anyone else would've been chewed out, and she hated that. Logan placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.
"Because, you're a good person, Rogue. And you were put in a rough situation that had no good answers." Charles nodded behind him. "Please, put your bags down and just relax." She searched his face and felt if she could trust anyone, it was him. She searched the pleading look in his eyes, then sighed. With a groan, she let her bags drop to the floor. Jean smiled, lifting the bag with telekinesis.
"Kitty and I will take this to your room." She offered, smiling as the two girls disappeared. Kurt approached his sibling with a smile.
"Leaving the school vould be a mistake." Wrapped an arm around her. "You're stuck vith us." She grimaced, squirming in his grasp.
"For now," She snorted, crossing her arms. She tried to smile but her mind was preoccupied. 'Why did Ah do what Ah did?' She couldn't answer herself. It had been the only thing she wanted to do, but she regretted it. She filed awkwardly out of the room behind Scott and her brother, leaving Logan and the professor behind. As if on cue, they both sighed.
"It's been a rough couple of months, Chuck." The telepath nodded in agreement, leaning his chin on his hands.
"I know, Logan. She's lucky to have friends like her teammates and you to guide her." Logan's face flushed red, suddenly embarrassed. He didn't do the things he did for praise, praise mortified him. It was just who he was, especially when it came to Rogue. They had so much in common, had been through so many of the same things, how could he not watch over her? He returned an uneasy smile.
"I know she's strong, thank god. I just..." He gripped a fist. "I'm just worried about her meeting her breaking point again." The memories of her shaking and crying plague his mind. The look in her eyes when she didn't know who she was. It all haunted him. He growled uneasily. Charles nodded, he was always worried about the same thing.
"All we can do is be here for her." He answered tiredly, like he spent many nights worrying about the same thing. He hadn't slept well since Vargas breached all of their security. 'Not to be heard of for months...' He was planning something, the psychic was sure of it. And he didn't like that. This was the calm before the storm, and it was barely that.
He frowned at the other mutant, communicating a lot in his disconcerted look.
"Piotr?" Both Kitty and the large mutant looked at the girl in a restless sleep on the Rec Room couch. She had trouble sleeping in her room, too many sights and smells that triggered memories. Once the trip down memory lane started, sometimes they couldn't be stopped. Her zone outs were steadily increasing in frequency and intensity, so the blackouts earned her more sessions with the professor. And she was under the much more watchful eyes of her friends and Logan.
After a movie or two, she found she got better sleep in the Rec Room. Whether students were hanging out there, or not. Kitty sighs, wondering if she left the girl's room too soon. Rogue was too stubborn, too proud to reach out for someone most of the time. If she did want her to stay, she'd never admit it. He looked down to the brunette, her eyes fixated on her friend. "Katya," He said softly, interrupting her daydream.
"D-Do you think... Do you think Remy was okay?" Her voice was almost inaudible as Rogue slept. Piotr looked at the ground. Kitty, so pure, she couldn't even bring herself to fully hate Gambit. And he deserved it. That's why he loved her. "Not that I really care, but if we left him and something happened to him because of that..." She stared at Rogue's face. "It'd be our fault, right?" He frowned.
"I think he is fine. You forget he served Magneto. Remy earned no such honor by having no survival skills." He answered carefully. He had observed the cajun a lot when he was an Acolyte. His laissez-faire attitude was an act, a ruse. Remy could just as soon cause somebody's death while he shuffled cards. Probably had, without thinking twice. He was not to be underestimated, or expected to just keel over in Genosha.
She nodded, not sure if she was glad or weary for Rogue. They were like magnets. Even when she didn't know him, couldn't stand him, she could hardly keep herself away from him. And after she returned from New Orleans she smiled nonstop for days. Kitty sighed. She used to feel that way about Lance. For better or worse, no matter what, that they were endgame. They had shared unique experiences. Now, she wasn't even sure what he was up to.
'Just as quickly as someone can become irreplaceable in your life...' She thought as Piotr wrapped her carefully in his arms.
"Everything will work out, Katya. Things usually do." She smiled up at him.
"You're right, I shouldn't worry. What do we ever have to worry about?" They both laughed as they reflected on plenty of things to be worried about.
Jean watched Logan with an unimpressed face as he tortured himself on the outside obstacle course, running it on it's hardest setting. Bullets and saws collided with his body, bloody wounds rapidly healing. Ever since Mystique successfully kidnapped Rogue, he'd taken his training to the nth degree. It wasn't training anymore, it was punishment. And Jean was tired of watching it. He wasn't the best communicator before, but ever since, he was even harder to read. Understand, and the telepath used to understand him best of all.
"End simulation," He barked, staring up at the cloudless sky. She approached, dwarfed in a large, X-Jacket. He didn't turn to face her as she approached from behind.
"What're you doing?" She asked, staring off into the horizon with him. He wiped his face with the back of his hand.
"Trainin'." He answered, panting. She rolled her eyes.
"Why are you running the doomsday outside course?" She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. He sighed.
"What's it to ya, Red?" He started past her but she followed, her face determined.
"You know I care very much if my friend is torturing himself." He paused. He hated how she was always right, about everything. Her mind had all the answers before he could even open his mouth.
"Who's torturing themselves," He asked as if she didn't know what she meant. He took a swig of water, avoiding green eyes. She chewed her lip, he wasn't going to make it easy for her.
"You've been... Approaching things differently. Ever since she was taken-" He stood abruptly and tried to exit the conversation, but Jean followed. "Logan, would you let her walk around this long with talking about it?" He growled in frustration. She was getting tired of him not holding himself to the same standard he held them. They were expected to work hard, love themselves. So should he.
"What is there to say?" He snapped, immediately regretting his tone. "I let her down. I was here, playing Mutie Ball when Mystique came in here and snatched her right under our noses." She nodded sympathetically. He could barely talk about how for half of that trip, Rogue thought she was acting under his orders. She trusted him fully and found it imperative to follow his instructions.
"Logan," She began gently. "You know Mystique is virtually in-detectable. She's a nightmare for a place like this, full of students." He shook his head, disappointed.
"Not an excuse, Red. She didn't just kidnap her... She-" His claws shot out unexpectedly. "She caused millions of dollars in property damage under her control. S.H.I.E.L.D came to the mansion. They built a new sentinel after that. She almost died." Jean can see the lethal rage in his eyes, and she understands. Mystique was a habitual line crosser, but she nearly took their teammate away. "We didn't know how she was gonna wake up, if she would wake up, whether or not she'd be herself... Carol," His throat tightened. "She's never gonna wake up. A good woman, a hero, like us-"
He was silenced when Jean placed a comforting hand on his bicep, and then her head. "I know I can't stop you from blaming yourself." She said, staring into charcoal eyes. He suddenly found himself breathless as she looked at him unflinchingly. "But please know, none of this is your fault. It's Mystique's. You're not the reason that stuff happened to her, that Remy hurt her." She shook her head. "You're the reason she's still here, Logan. You don't ever have to question that."
She placed the box of incense in his hands for no particular reason, and placed a kiss on his head before hovering off. He watched her in amazement, wishing he didn't also have a slew of his own problems he was ignoring through Rogue's.
'Red...'
Logan was already on his way when he heard a plate shatter. It was sundown, he was enjoying the peace and quiet and a cigarette when he heard the ruckus. He sniffed, his feet already working. 'Kitty,' He thought, picking up his gait.
She stood in overalls at the door, staring in shock at the guests. The woman looked like late night dancer, with purple hair and the features of a model. And not very many clothes. She stood next to Gambit in an indigo, skin tight dress. She ran a hand through violet hair and stared at Kitty like she were a toddler. She had her hand lazily on Remy's shoulder. She and Remy shared a look and a chuckle, making Kitty blush.
She shook her short hair, recently chopped into a bob. Remy's eyes glinted in the sunlight. "Bonjour, petite." She dropped the dish, wondering just what was about to happen when Rogue saw this. The mystery woman was shrouded in Remy's trench coat. She backed away, bristling like a cat.
"Aw, she's cute, Rem. High schooler?" Her eyes slid to the woman, a mutant no doubt. 'Rem?' Kitty imagined phasing her into a wall and leaving. She frowned when she saw Logan and Scott coming in hot. 'Uh, professor-'
'I know, Kitty. Remy and Betsy are welcome to come in my office. Please try to keep the mansion from being destroyed in the process.' The girl he'd called Betsy enveloped her hand in a pink energy, a sneer on her face. Remy was ushering her back, though. His frown was serious. He wanted to cause a disturbance, but not a fight. Jean was able to intercept Logan but Scott pressed forward, his hand on his glasses.
He shot a blast that hit the mutant squarely in the chest. Remy launched onto the steps, Betsy crouching in a defensive stance. "That was for the Morlocks." He said as Jean rushed to his side.
"Scott-"
Betsy prepared to fling herself into the fray, but Remy yelled out. "Don' worry about it," He assured her, standing. "Remy deserved it." Scott reached for his glasses again, but Jean stopped him, a scowl on her face. Rogue flew around the corner, in a form fitting, black X-Suit and what appeared to be one of Logan's leather jackets on over. She froze in place when she realized who had arrived. Her mind didn't even register the other woman standing beside him.
"Ah, silvery hair..." Betsy commented, looking her up and down. "She is pretty cute." That ripped the southerner's attention from Remy. She smiled sweetly, slipping her glove off before Scott and Jean restrained her. Jean cried out when she pressed against them with her inhuman strength. Betsy only smiled.
"Not worth it," Scott insisted, his glasses glinting. "What the hell are you doing back here, Swamp Rat." Remy's face hardened. "I ought to-"
"Ya mean since ya left me in Genosha?" Rogue wrenched free from Scott, her eyes ablaze. "Place didn' even have running water." He said, his face even. He was staring at Rogue, who'd literally flew out of his touch back there. Over half a year had passed, but to him it was like it had just happened. 'How could she...' He deserved a lot of things, but even he didn't think he deserved that.
Rogue exhaled sharply, Logan pulling her away. "Not worth it," He insisted, fighting the urge to draw his own claws. Betsy grinned.
"Oh, are you all the lot that left him on the abandoned island? Had a lot of fun locating him with my telepathy." He folded her arms.
"I'm sure it must've been very difficult for a telepath of your level." Jean responded without missing a beat. Scott turned to his girlfriend in surprise, not used to reprimanding her. Betsy only sneered.
"Jean,"
'Jean, please escort Remy and Betsy to my office.' The look on Jean's face told what the professor had asked. Rogue shook her head no as the telepath gestured upstairs.
"This way..." She began reluctantly. Scott shook his head, fuming.
"He's gonna let them stay..." Rogue shot from their sides out the door, leaving a gust of wind with her. Logan snarled, doubling back the other way. Scott stood there, alone.
"I'm afraid I must do what I believe is right." Logan snarled in protest, his fists shaking. Betsy had already been escorted to her room long ago, Remy watching as the mutants argued over him. His read and black eyes glowered, watching them both with interest. "Logan, you know my thoughts on what this school is."
"He murdered innocent, defenseless mutants!" A small crowd had gathered outside of the professor's office to listen. "He led Sabretooth to the Morlocks to have them extinguished. What more do we-"
"You know what occurred on Genosha is not the X-Men way." Logan clamped his mouth shut, knowing from his friend's tone there was no arguing. "I can hardly fault Rogue. I know what she was experiencing mentally and emotionally was torture. Crippling. Of that," He turned to Remy. "I have no doubt. And you did abandon her to deal with your memories all alone, just as she abandoned you." Remy gripped his fist tight. Charles faced the man like a disappointed father, and he felt fear.
The man was completely right, he had no rebuttal to what he said. Logan snorted. "I'm a firm believer of an eye for an eye leaves the world blind." He massaged a temple tiredly. "Why not make all this right?"
"Cause it ain't right." Logan pressed, fighting tooth and nail for Rogue's peace. Remy sighed.
"If it's any consolation, Remy ain' here on no funny business. And Remy think he deserved to be left behind." He shrugged. Just hearing the mutant's voice infuriated Logan. Charles smiled tensely.
"Remy, I'm sure you're feeling tired. I've just contacted Hank to show you to your room." He made himself disappear as they continued talking.
Charles' stare hardened. "Now, I understand Rogue being emotionally compromised on Genosha, but the rest of you letting that travesty happen-"
"He's a manipulator, Charles. Everything Magneto said was true, and he said not a word about it! Tried to say he loved her when he begged for her forgiveness, and you're letting him back in this house. How can you do that to her?"
"I cannot turn down the mission statement of the school, especially when it seems I've failed Remy once. On our side, he cannot hurt Rogue or anyone else-" Logan stormed off before he finished talking.
"Yeah, right."
Scott squinted at Remy and Betsy, necking each other under the shade of a tree. He had insisted on getting the team together to grill, spend time together. And Remy and his new friend had insisted on coming outside to make out. All in all, it seemed to bother everyone else besides Rogue. She wasn't paying any mind, even taking over the grill as Scott became more flustered.
"It's cruel," Jean murmured, her arms folded across her bust. She did not feel good energy coming from the other psychic, and Jean was good at reading energy. She was naturally a jealous person, if Scott had done something like this to her, it wouldn't have ended well. Remy had been Rogue's only real romantic partner, and he had not sold relationships for her. Kitty mimed a gag, biting her veggie dog, half her hair in a tiny bun.
"Cruel and tacky, like ew." She shivered involuntarily. "He's like a little puppy dog, doing anything for her attention. And she's pathetic for playing into it." She stuck her nose up, angry for Rogue. She had her nose tuned to the grill, not a certain cajun. Scott huffed and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
"I'm gonna say something-" Jean placed an arm on his chest.
"Not a good idea."
"We can't jus-"
"Nobody cares what Gumbo does." The wistful stare in her eye betrayed her words as she handed her brother a hamburger. He smiled wide, biting down in excitement. But still, all things considered, Rogue was holding up. The Rogue from a few years ago would've lost it, easily. She sent the couple a pointed glare. "He's her problem, now." With that, she took to the sky to a destination unknown. Remy watched her go, an amused look on his face. The look faded, and the look on his face told it all.
"Aw," Betsy said, her British accent garnering stares. "Usin' me to get her attention?" She frowned when he didn't acknowledge her. "Gambit?'
"Only 'bout 80%-20%." He said with a halfhearted grin. She shook her head.
"Appreciate the honesty." She rolled her eyes, looking up at the sky. "She looked pretty done with yo-"
"Don't wanna talk about it, petite." He stood, his face in a frown. The X-Men watched as he shuffled off to occupy his time somewhere else.
'Is Remy really dat obvious,' He thought. He couldn't even hurt Rogue right. He rifled a hand through shaggy hair, wishing he could just get over this.
"What were you up to before you showed up here, Ms. Braddock?" Remy was busy poking around the blue mutant's lab, looking for something to steal to make sure he wasn't getting rusty. Betsy was apparently very interested in his work and and his scholarly talk. She didn't miss a beat, pulling up a seat to see what Hank did.
"I majored in biology and environmental studies, After I graduated from college I've been traveling," She explained. "That's how I met that scoundrel." They both chuckled while he frowned, eyeing Hank's flasks.
"Remy right over here..." Betsy chuckled, leaning in closely to a beaker of a substance Hank was holding.
"I can't lie, I'm a scoundrel, too. I'm basically a female Remy." Hank chuckled.
"Smart and wild, I like you, Ms. Braddock. We could use someone like you around." He beamed as she lit up her unique telekinesis, casting a pink glow over his notes.
"Fascinating," He murmured as Remy slipped out. He was beginning to feel like he was a third wheel to them. Betsy seemed to be fitting in better than he was. He found himself tagging along with her or alone. Other students dare not speak to him, and he found himself either trying to rile Rogue up subconsciously or avoiding her all together. 'Why is Remy like dis...'
He slipped out silently, neither mutant noticing. He found himself traveling silently through the shadows, exploring the mansion for himself. He soon found himself lost, wandering until he found an elevator. No destination, he boarded and went to the ground floor. It let him out near the kitchen, and he turned in to find the one mutant he hadn't been around alone. Rogue.
How much time had separated them? Since they laid together in Genosha. Since Betsy pulled him out of the saloon? Time was not something that existed in Remy's world anymore, and certainly not now as he saw her. All of the air escaped his lungs as he froze. She stood before him, grabbing an apple to eat. She had on dark blue camo military pants that Logan had gifted her for training.
She'd peeled the rest of the uniform off after training finished, a plain white t shirt tucked in. Her short hair was in a stubby ponytail as she did her best to ignore the cajun. But he spoke. "Rogue." His mind was screaming a hundred things, but that was all he said.
She dropped the apple. "Ya just had to say something." She grumbled, picking it up and tossing it in the trash. His face went even, and then smug.
"Aw, ya mad at Remy for bringin' a girl?" He questioned, grabbing a clean apple for himself. He took a juicy bite and stared at her. "Sorry, petite. Didn't think we was on speakin' terms." He laughed now, but they had both cried over their last meeting on the island. Rogue shook her head. "Remy be ya boy if ya ask nicely." He sneered at her. "Maybe."
"Keep tellin' yaself that, Gambit." His grip on the fruit went white knuckle when she called him by his codename. That hurt, she took care not to call him that name once they got to know each other. That name was for associates, not friends. And they certainly aren't friends.
"Oh, ya call me Gambit now?" He questioned, the hurt evident. She huffed. She'd avoided this song and dance for weeks, she would continue to.
"Ah don't call you anything." She refused. She would not give in to his banter. He challenged the hard look in her eye and knew she meant it. "We're bad for each other, Gambit. Let's just leave it at that." His shocked face melted into a hard one.
"Remy made some mistakes," He mumbled, suddenly protective of whatever they shared in the past. It felt as inevitable as breathing to him. "But Ah wouldn't go that far." Her expression didn't change. He was a vision from her dreams, long, tawny hair in a ponytail. He stared at her in a black X shirt and worn jeans, wishing this was a spat they'd make up for with kissing. Those days were gone.
"Ah abandoned you." They stood for a moment in silence. "After you left me to deal wit' your memories." Remy found he had nothing to say. It was true, all of it. "What part of this sounds good for either of us? Why don't you respect yourself enough to be angry with me?" She gasped when he met her eyes. Rogue had thought she'd felt all she could about the mutant, but she was wrong. Her feelings on him were never a safe bet.
"Sometimes," He began, whether she would listen or not. "Y'do more harm tryin' not to hurt people than you would doin' notin' at all." She clenched her fists tight, threatening to rip her gloves. 'Is he tryin' to excuse the Morlocks?' Nothing could make her understand, see his point of view. She had witnessed it, and he didn't even warn her.
"If you're tryin' to get me to sympathize with you, ya won't. What you did to the Morlocks..." His face fell. "Isn't forgivable, Remy." The words sink in like a knife. "Jus' like me leavin' you on Genosha, that isn't forgivable." Her brow furrowed. "Ya can't just come here, tryin' to make witty banter with me! We've passed that point, we can't go back." She told him harshly, her hands shaking. "That ink is dry."
He dropped his stare. They were the smartest words he'd ever heard. "I don't blame you, chére." She was taken aback by how soft his voice was. "Jean went diggin' through yo' mind, brought up my memories..." He carried with him how he feels every day. "You felt my own self-hate. My guilt." She looked away from him. "What else could ya do besides leave me t'die? When I think of those memories," He clutched his fist tight. "I want to be left t'die."
Rogue inhaled sharply, the feelings rising up in her own chest. "Stop," She whispered.
"It hurt Remy, but Remy can't blame you. He not de one who get to be mad." He told her, his face sullen. She backed away as he crossed the floor to her, his eyes locked with hers. "Remy thought he wanna die, but I realized out dere I didn' want to. Even if you hated me, Rogue. I wanted to get back here and see you." Rogue felt helpless as a blush tinged her cheeks. "Dats de truth."
She stumbled into his arms when the whole mansion began to shake, violently. She was hovering in the air a second later.
'Guys,' Jean called mentally. 'What was that?'
'I don't know.' Scott responded. 'To the lawn guys, check it out.' Rogue looked at Remy, fear in her eyes. So quickly she forgot their conversation.
"Protect the kids, Remy." He reached out as she zipped off, off to be a hero. He sucked his teeth and followed after Rogue as the shaking grew worse. 'What de hell happenin' here?' He found two massive sentinels descending onto the lawn to answer the questions. The purple and pink armor glinted in the sunlight as the robots swept the lawn with searchlights.
Laura launched her body at at the sentinel to cut through the wiring. She was captured instantly in a green, jello like substance. All of the original X-Men remembered this phenomena well. Rogue flew forward quickly as Logan screamed, dropping into a rage. Barely thinking, Rogue phased through the springy cage and released Laura back into the fray.
"Get younger kids to fall back, they are trying to collect us!" Scott screamed, unleashing a full optic blast into one of the robots. They seemed a little sturdier than models past, eating the solar energy easily. 'What are these things?' He screamed as a net fired at Kitty, who's back was turned. "Katherine-"
The purple haired mutant flew from the air, her telekinetic knife slashing through the net, leaving Kitty free. With a wild scream, she unleashed a butterfly, projectile blast her psychic energy, effectively scrambling one of the machines. She stood smirking in her indigo, backless jumpsuit. Kitty stared at her in disbelief, not even sure how to categorize her powers. "Whoa."
Logan roared, slicing through tentacles that held Jubilee and Jean, dropping them both to safety. 'None of us are putting a dent in them, and they're just here to collect us.' Jean rose in the air, focusing her massive abilities. One sentinel rose in the air and slammed into the other, machine and metal screeching. The relentless robots slowly stood from the grass, facing the mutants again.
Remy cursed, his back to Betsy. In his hands, cards glowed pink. "Don't dese things get tired, Psylocke?" He complained, tossing his cards into the fray. She smirked.
"Dunno, never fought one before." She leapt over the cajun screaming, flinging her real sword at the weapons. Remy shook his head and followed, swinging his staff furiously. He frowned when he saw Jubilee's ankle get caught in a goo trap, her ankle sunk. He dove quickly, tossing a spray of cards to blast the robot back. He charged his hands slightly and placed it in the goo, melting it and freeing her foot.
"R-Remy, thank you-" He ushered her to a less dangerous spot.
"Careful, petit-" A rocket landed close, blasting him in the air and on the ground. One of the sentinels shined a massive, red light on him.
"MUTANT, SPOTTED." A turret rose on it's shoulder, preparing to shoot him. Betsy landed in front, blocking the blast with a psychic shield. That gave him just enough time to stand, dusting himself off before pressing his back to her.
Black clouds covered the sky as Ororo began to do what did best. Rogue flew beside Jean and focused on her memories. She'd been doing a lot of work with her powers, it'd been a great distraction for Remy's coming and going. Focusing on Magneto, she began ripping metal sheets off, exposing the robots' circuitry. Sheets of rain poured all over everything, making the machines act weird.
Jean tugged with her telepathy to pull the wires out as Rogue ripped the metal away. Kitty phased her arms through where she could, pulling and tugging on wires. Sentinels just had to be borderline destroyed to act dysfunctional. Both Rogue and Jean's brows dripped with sweat in the rain as they kept at it. Betsy joined in the fray, using her concussive telekinesis to interfere with the robots wiring.
Remy joined her, tossing explosive cards in the holes of it's armor.
"MUTANT, SPOTTED." Two, long tentacles snaked out of the robot, wrapping around Remy's waist. He cried out in surprise, tossing several cards at the sentinel like his life depended on it. He snarled as the robot squeezed him, preparing to detain him for experimentation. The air whistled out of his lungs, his fingerless gloved hands gripping the metal. Rogue saw just out of the corner of her eye. 'No,' Rogue had been detained, captured when she wandered the world as Carol. Remy wouldn't have the same fate.
Betsy jumped up with a vengeance, her hand swallowed in purple energy. "Back off!" she screamed, but the other robot's massive fist collided with her, sending her careening into the grass. Hank galloped to her side, using his superhuman strength to defend her from more tentacles. He fought off the nets, keeping her from being captured. She came to to see him defending her. 'Thank you...'
Rogue pivoted in the air as soon as Betsy was launched back. Rogue tugged on him, but he was gripped tight in the tentacle, hissing in pain. "Chére," He croaked as she wrenched furiously to free him. Without a word, her eyes went yellow and the metal of the sentinel began to warp to her will. She grunted with the effort as the tentacle released Remy. She sent the scraps to the ground and grabbed him, taking him to the ground.
When he stood on solid ground she shot back to the air, grabbing the sentinel's tentacles and hurling the entire machine over her head and into the the lawn. The whole campus shook as she screamed. She stared at the twisted metal hatefully. Ororo followed with a well timed lightning strike, and that robot was down for the count. Rogue landed on the ground and shared a one second, relieved smile with Remy. Unfortunately, the other sentinel was not as damaged.
It flew forward with frightening speed, too fast for Rogue to see it coming. She was already hit by the time Remy started screaming. The machine slammed tons of weight into Rogue with it's fist, sending her smashing into the institute's walls. "ROGUE," Logan screamed for her, pulling Kitty out of the way of another trap. She was holding her head in a daze, Bobby slamming into the ground behind them. Kurt ported over and grabbed them both, getting them out of the way of a laser. Logan's claws sliced through rockets as he struggled to keep up with the chaos.
The sentinel shined another spotlight on the pile of rubble Rogue had been smacked into. Remy ran as fast as his feet would carry him, tossing half his deck at the ground, exploding a spray of dirt and grass everywhere. The blast kept Rogue safe.
Ororo cried out, reaching for the sky to attack with. Jean pushed with her telekinesis, a few trees smashing into the sentinel for good measure. Scott ran beside her, firing a strong optic blast to halt the dangerous technology. When the lighting connected, the robot finally died. It collapsed into a heap, the lights powering down. Both women lowered to the ground, panting.
"That was too close," Ororo complained quickly, Jean landing beside her.
"They get the authorization in no time, now." She frowned, as Scott moved around the tattered lawn, looking for injuries. He frowned when he spotted Remy furiously digging through rubble. Like a madman. 'No...' He thought. Piotr ran over to help, moving giant piles with ease. Remy didn't slow down, he kept replaying the sound the sentinel made when it smacked her aside. 'Girl...'
Logan peered into Kurt's eyes, trying to tell if he had a concussion or not. "I'm fine, honest." He insisted, staring at the two Logans. When Hank walked by he ushered Kurt and Kitty to go with him and get treated. They were feeling too sore to protest, the blue mutant taking them in his care. He sniffed and frowned when he realized he hadn't had eyes on Rogue. 'Was she taken?' No, he smelled her. Then, where was she?
He rocketed towards the rubble when he spotted Remy, too worried to start a problem. He helped clear the brick and plaster, revealing Rogue draped on debris underneath. Her white shirt was stained with soot and small flecks of blood. He cursed under his breath, helping Remy carefully peel her out of the crater. "Easy," He instructed, supporting her neck and the back of her head. He sniffed to see if he detected an emergency. She smelled stable, but she had a bloodied cut on her forehead.
"Rogue," Remy whispered, studying her for any movement. He hated seeing her still like this. She twitched and moaned, and Remy carefully slipped from around her. He was just glad to see her move, the way the sentinel had hit her he wasn't sure she'd get up. He exhaled, letting Jean, Scott, and Logan take his place at her side. She was fine, mostly just dazed. As usual, Logan insisted she see Hank even though she was invulnerable and had his healing factor.
Rogue would humor him, she'd feel fine in a couple of hours, tops. Scott extends a hand to help her up, smiling. Betsy and Remy hung back on the torn lawn, watching as the X-Men retreated inside. Rogue rubbed her temple, wondering why her mind was frozen on Remy. 'Coulda swore I saw him when I woke up...' But when she blinked, she saw Jean, Logan and Scott.
She turned back unsurely before disappearing inside. Remy watched her the whole way in.
