Chapter 6.

Playing with Fire


The brief moment of satisfaction when he saw mutant-hating mobsters running with tails beneath their legs was over, and Kal turned his attention to the girl he saved.

There was something odd about the girl. Was it a thick white streak in her dark brown hair, or the gloved hands in the middle of the summer, or the strange vulnerability in her eyes – she wasn't the face you can lose in the crowd easily.

She told him that her name was Rogue.

Kal asked her, "What kind of name is Rogue?" The girl started giggling.

"What did I say that was so funny?"

"Ah'm sorry. It's just... there was a man who asked Meh this question, usin' the same words you did".

"It's a valid question, isn't it? So, may I walk you home?"

When he offered her hand, the girl flinched. The memories of Rogue, cornered and helpless, replayed in his mind, and Kal cursed himself for the stupidity. After being jumped by FOH, it's no wonder that she is scared of everything.

"Rogue, I swear I just want to make sure you'd be safely home...," Kal hesitated, seeing tears in her eyes. "Rogue? What's wrong? Is it something I said?"

Rogue answered, "Nothin' ta do wit' ya, Kal. It's just... Ah' lived wit' Mah parents... an' they don't want Meh around anymore".

"Because you are mutant?"

"Yes. As fer funny business," she added with a sad smile, "Ya can't if ya wanted to. If Ah were ta touch you right now, you'd end up in hospital. Or worse. Mah skin kinda absorbs life force, or mutant's powers. Ah' have no control over Mah' gift".

"That's why you are wearing gloves?" Rogue nodded gravely. "So if these FOH punks tried to have some 'fun' with you…?"

"Ya got it right".


They kept walking and talking. Kal let Rogue do all the talking. He learned more after ten minutes he was listening to her than after previous two hours of tries, errors and wild guesses.

Kal ruffled his hair. Mutants existed; he was a living proof of it. But he couldn't claim that he understood Rogue's feelings. He was strong and invulnerable, the only complication was a loss of memory; it definitely wasn't the same as not being able to touch. And mutant issues were more complicated than he thought. Rogue explained to him about rival fractions of mutants.

After Rogue's tale Kal felt the same all-consuming anger he felt while facing FOH members. He was mad at her parents, for kicking out their only daughter, and at the "good" guys for ostracizing Rogue when she wanted some normality in her life. As for that mutant terrorist, Magneto, who tried to use a teenage girl as a source of power for Made-a-Mutant machine, Kal wanted to tear him limb from limb.

Rogue surprised him when she declared than she must go back to the Xavier's Institute, no matter how they treated her in the past.

"Ah'm goin' back. The Cure isn't workin', they must know".

Kal didn't understand it. No memories, no responsibilities, nothing to compare Rogue's situation to.

But her tale awakened something inside of him. Not memories, but images, short and vague.

Rogue was adamant, "Ya don't have ta tell me anythin'".

"I know".

But the images were burning him from the inside. "I... saw something". Kal explained Rogue what he saw - the hospital room, a middle-aged man in plaid shirt and a red-haired woman. She was unconscious, and he was holding her hand.

"He looked at me like I was a stranger. And I felt... like I was crumbling from the inside. I have no memories of them, but they are old enough to be my parents. Maybe they ARE my parents. I wish I knew".

Now it was his turn to tell a story, though it was much shorter than Rogue's. It wasn't a wisest decision to tell the girl he barely knew about his memory loss, but he just felt that Rogue won't betray his confidence.

Rogue commented, "Just mah' luck".

"What are you talking about?"

"First mutant Ah' met had memory troubles too".


"Are you certain they can help me with my memories?"

"Ya afraid of somethin', Kal?"

"I have my doubts, but I'll go with you to Westchester. Can't let you get yourself into trouble again".

"Rogue is perfectly capable of getting herself into trouble, with or without you, Harley Davidson".

Kal turned to see who was following them. It was a woman dressed in black, hair scrapped back in a ponytail, a tattoo on her face and a pierced lip. One of her eyes was covered with a patch. Her companion was shorter, with disheveled hair and a smug look on his face. Kal disliked them immediately.

"Pyro?.."

"Little scared girl in the dark forest, and nobody to protect you from Big Bad Pyro. Where's your guard dog, little Rogue? Where's Wolverine?"

Pyro. Rogue told him about John Allerdyce, among other things. Kal's memories were as hazy as before, but he was pretty sure that he met the likes of Pyro before. The followers of the principle "Do What Thou Wilt" made Brotherhood no better than Al-Quaeda.

"Dumped Icicle and found a new boyfriend? Was he worth it betraying your race and turning into a human?"

Kal interrupted him, "For the record, Rogue is not my girlfriend. Doesn't mean I'm going to stand and let you insult her. One more word about Rogue, and you'd better start looking for a good dentist".

Pyro laughed loudly, "I'm shaking in my boots. Callisto, you heard that? Flatscan is threatening me!"

"Kal…" Rogue looked worriedly.

"Really, what's so interesting in becoming a minion for the old Nazi bucket-head who never bothered to read 100 Things I Would Do If I was An Evil Overlord? Or you believe that using powers to set hospitals on fire makes you cool?"

A minute ago he was so gentle and caring with Rogue, and now he felt something inside of him switched into Aggressive mode.

"Smart-ass comments can't save you".

"Who said I need saving from the likes of you?"

Callisto disappeared with a smirk, a gust of wind blew Rogue's hair out of her face, and then Callisto reappeared behind their backs.

"I can run in circles around you, human. I can hit you twenty times before you blink".

"I don't know, I can blink pretty fast," Kal could swear he saw Callisto zooming around the area. And, after his latest discoveries, he couldn't write it off as a fruit of his imagination. "Hit me twenty times? I'm a nice guy, so let first punch be for free," Kal spread his arms, readying himself for the attack from tattooed mutant.

Callisto cracked her knuckles, stepping forward. Then sped forward, her fist connected with Kal's jaw. He barely felt it. He could say the same about Callisto – a loud crack and yelp indicated that she broke something in her hand.

"OW! MY HAND! MY FREAKING HAND!" Callisto yelled, cradling her fist. "What the hell are you made of?"

"Steel?" Kal offered before he tapped her head with an index finger, knocking Callisto out.

"Guess what, Rogue has a guard dog, after all," Kal sneered. "Now what are you going to do, Johnny? Run away, or stay and let me rearrange your face?"

"Rearrange THIS!" Pyro created two balls of fire and hurled them at Kal.

The fire enveloped him… and nothing. Kal wasn't fried alive, he didn't feel pain from the intense heat at all.

My hunch apparently worked.

The face of the pyromaniac was priceless.

"I gave you the chance to run away…"

"Not so fast, hero. You may be fireproof, but what about her?" Pyro conjured a giant fireball and threw it at Rogue.

The world around Kal shifted, the seconds slowed down. He was running in a frozen world, just in time to cover Rogue. The globe of fire harmlessly bounced off his back.

It worked!

Pyro was raising hand to attack again. Kal moved on pure instinct, and appeared in front of Pyro.

"You can control fire, but you can't create it, can you?" Kal crushed John's flamethrower. "Not feeling Homo Superior anymore?" He raised his fist, enjoying the look of fear of Pyro's face.

"Kal..!"

Kal turned at Rogue and sighed, fighting his anger, "Don't want him to get what he deserved? Fine, I hope you won't regret this". Tap of the finger, and Pyro was unconscious too.


When he returned, he told her, "I left them on the steps of the local police precinct, tied by the steel rail. I'd like to see the faces of local cops when they figure out that their delivery is two of the America's Most Wanted".

"Ya knew dat ya're fireproof?" asked Rogue with a wide eyes.

"How? I had no idea that I was knifeproof, until I met you. It was a hunch. Today is very hot, I'm wearing black leather, but I wasn't sweating at all. If summer heat doesn't bother me..."

"A hunch? Don' do dis again ta Meh! Ah was so scared for ya, Ah almost died!"

"It's nice to see that you are so worried about me", Kal teased lightly, Rogue blushed.

He mused, "Strength, speed, invulnerability. If only I had an instruction manual to my powers. I made a cutting in the forest before I figured out how to slow down. So, what's your new plan?"

"Mah' plan was ta call X-Men, but now Ah know dat Magneto has plans for Meh', we can't wait more. Ya goin' ta take Meh ta Westchecter".

Kal noted, "I've never been there before. Superspeed can't help if we get lost".

"Ah've been hitchhikin' for two years. Ya'd never get lost wit' Meh on board".

"Superspeed… It's new to me. I don't want you to get hurt".

Rogue said sincerely, "Ah trust ye".

Kal awkwardly picked the girl up, bridal style. He noticed how extremely careful Rogue was. She didn't want him to be accidentally hurt by her powers. Kal appreciated it.

"Ready... Set... GO!"


(To be continued…)