Virago
Chapter Six
19 April 2009
'We've found Garrison's location. He's currently holed up in an abandoned military base off the coast of Molokai in Hawaii.'
'And I bet it's underground too,' Rogue commented wryly.
Professor Xavier smiled. 'It is indeed. It's not supposed to exist so you won't find it on any maps, but I will transmit exact coordinates once I find them. Although Garrison tried disarming the security at the facilities, he missed one and it triggered an alarm. That's how we know where he is, and a unit is already assembling to take him out. All the more reason to move quickly.'
'An army unit?' Jean questioned.
'Not exactly.'
'Right, one of those,' Kurt said.
'Yes, and we need a team to reach Garrison before the unit. We need to transfer him from the base to here, and hopefully we can better understand what it is that's going on with Rogue and how to stop what's happening to her. Jean, Kurt, I want you two to take Kitty.'
'Uh, Professor, I'm not sure-'
'I am aware of Kitty's current feelings towards Rogue, Kurt,' Professor Xavier interrupted, frowning, 'and it is for that reason that she must go.'
That tug of guilt at the bottom of her stomach returned, and Rogue bit down hard on her lower lip. 'I guess I'll be staying here.'
'Yes.'
'Then I'll go,' Warren said, his tone firm.
Rogue turned to look at him, concerned. 'Warren?'
'Garrison knows me, and it will help in gaining his trust. Due to his situation, I highly doubt he would be willing to place his life with just anyone, not even the X-Men.'
She knew how logical his words were, but a part of her resisted the idea of him going on the mission. It was not going to be as easy as it sounded, and the team was more than likely going to be met with hostilities if they encountered the unit assigned to kill Garrison.
'Very well. I want the team gone in half an hour.'
'Not without me you ain't,' a gruff voice sounded from the doorway.
They all turned to face the arrival. Rogue grinned. 'Logan!'
'Hey, kid. Heard you were back and I wanted to see for myself,' the older man replied, a grin appearing on his own face. He hadn't changed since the day she last laid eyes on him.
She hugged him briefly. 'They told me you had taken a few of the students on a trip to Alaska.'
'Damn kids were insistent on building an igloo.'
'Logan.'
'Sorry, Charles. Now what's this about a mission and covert military groups?'
*
'Rogue?'
She turned to face him with a questioningly smile. 'Scott?'
'I…' Scott trailed off, uncertain of what it was he had wanted to say. 'It's nothing.'
A small crease formed over her brows. 'It's something. What is it, Scott?'
He looked away and stared towards the direction of the departed X-Jet. He found that he couldn't face her right then. She was suddenly too beautiful to be looked at.
'Scott?' Rogue had placed a gentle hand on his arm, feather light and soft.
It scorched him, and Scott pulled away suddenly. She had touched him previously, when they had been younger and she had needed his powers. He had never forgotten those occasions of contact, or the feeling of losing himself during those brief moments.
But this time was not the same. Scott had gained something in the process. He was unsure of what it was, or why, but he had felt…more.
An indiscernible emotion passed through her features, too fast to be identified, and then she smiled. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-'
'No!' he quickly interrupted, wanting to reach out again and repeat the incident, but he kept his hands by his side. 'It's not that. It's just…' Scott hesitated, not knowing how to put in words what he had experienced.
'It's different,' she said. 'The sensation of touch is different when I'm not draining anyone of life and powers.' Rogue paused. 'It's something…more.'
Her words were spoken with such quiet passion that he felt something stir inside of him. Scott suddenly remembered that he wasn't talking to her. He turned abruptly and walked away.
*
Rogue opened her mouth to speak, but her vision clouded for a moment and caused Scott's retreating back to blur out of focus. A wave of dizziness overcame her.
Before she could even grasp what was happening, the vertigo passed as quickly as it had arrived. Her sight was as clear as before and the room had reverted to its non-spinning nature.
Rogue felt fine. But enormously troubled.
*
'Rogue, I'm glad you're here,' Hank greeted as she walked into his lab. 'I was just about to go get you.'
His tone revealed nothing to her and Rogue struggled to keep from reacting too strongly. 'What is it?'
'The results aren't yet fully complete, but I think I've managed to piece together an outline of how this microbe works.'
She was impressed. 'I didn't expect such results these soon.'
'Yes, the whole thing is quite fascinating and I've been up the past two nights working on it.'
'Hank, I'm sorry. I didn't realise-' She broke off.
'It's quite all right, Rogue,' Hank said kindly. 'I am tired, but I'm glad that I did what I did.'
Rogue offered him an apologetic smile. 'I hadn't intended to cause so much disruption by my arrival, but I feel as if suddenly I'm the principal lead.'
'Considering the effects that this microbe is having on you, we can't hardly just sit back idly and twiddle our thumbs,' Hank said with a tone of disapproval. 'The last thing we want is for this to beat you, Rogue.'
'I know.' She took a deep breath. 'Okay, let's have it.'
'I'll try to keep it as simple as possible.'
'That would be of great help, Hank.'
The doctor grinned. 'Okay, this microbe of Garrison's, it has different effects on different mutations. I'm assuming that what he had in mind was a suppressor only, but that's not what was created. What this microbe does to you, Rogue, is that it attacks postsynaptic receptors in your skin. These receptors are necessary for the passage of neurotransmitters that trigger your mutation.'
As Hank spoke he drew a rough diagram of his explanation, aiding Rogue in understanding his words. Basically, the microbe-filled drug was stopping her deadly mutation from transferring to her skin.
'But it's killing me, right?'
He sighed. 'Unfortunately, all evidence seems to point to that conclusion. Because these neurotransmitters aren't going to where they're supposed to go, they turn and they attack whatever else is available. In this case, you.'
In spite of the dread that overcame her, Rogue was unable to stop her morbid words. 'My own mutation is draining me from the inside.'
end chapter six.
Author's notes: As usual, thank you for the reviews. And to Pixie Flyer - it's not always easy getting negative feedback, but in its own way, it can also be helpful, so don't be too afraid to post your stories. Especially if you get constructive criticism. It allows you to know which mistakes to avoid in the future. Anyway, "suck" is such a relative term. One person's trash is another person's treasure. It's a cliché, I know, but it's true.
