Chapter Eight: Shifting Gears
The hall was dimly lit as Rogue took careful steps into the room, hugging her body against the wall. Something snapped, and she wheeled around to face the source of the noise. Apparently despite her calculated stealth someone had her right where they wanted her. Not able to see the stranger she called out into the darkness. "Who's there?"
Footsteps sounded all around. She looked in every direction, but could not see past the small space she was circled into. "Who's there?" she asked again, her voice sharp. It cut into the blackness like a sharp razorblade, but there was still no answer.
It moved. The stranger stepped forward; the light illuminated a tall blonde who smiled sadistically. "Good morning, Rogue. Training, I see."
She couldn't believe her eyes. "Carol?"
She nodded, the grin spreading even more frightening upon her face. "I'm glad we can finally have this talk- face to face- just you and me. I'm glad we'll have some time to sort things out."
"Carol, Ah didn't mean- it was an accident."
"An accident..." she repeated, the phrase dripping like honey from a kitchen knife. Sweet, with a definite edge.
"An accident. Carol, if Ah could take it back Ah never would have put mah hands on you."
Her blue eyes narrowed. "But you did lay your hands on me..." she hissed. "And now it's about damn time I get to lay my hands on you!"
The wind flew past Rogue's face as the girl took flight. Tentatively, she hovered up to Carol's level, not wanting this confrontation, but knowing that it had to come sometime. She was just so happy that the girl woke up from her coma. However, she was frightened that she might not be able to take on Carol, even with her powers.
In one swift motion Carol grabbed Rogue and swung her into a pile of crates. Each box broke and each splinter of wood pierced her skin. The back of her head collided with the wall and she realized that despite her invulnerability it hurt like hell. Barely even having time to breathe, Carol was upon her again. Rogue shoved her off roughly, sending her into the opposite wall.
"Nice to see you've mastered my powers," she sneered. "Mastered everything about me, except of course, that one little detail: being me."
"Havin' you in mah head has not been a breeze," Rogue spat through gritted teeth, blocking a punch.
She swung at Rogue again, this time connecting fist to cheekbone. Carol grabbed her bare skin and smiled. "But, see, you won't have my powers any longer." Suddenly, the transfer of power reversed and Rogue felt the sickening feeling of Carol sucking the prowess from her. "I've been waiting for the moment that I take from you everything you stole from me."
Another blow hit Rogue, and, without Carol's powers, she felt the weight of the attack. She distinctly felt two of her ribs snapping like matchsticks. "Wha- how is that possible?" she gasped.
Carol pointed to the silver chain around her neck smugly. "It's Magneto's new invention. It allows me to steal your powers like you stole mine."
Rogue's heart dropped to her stomach. "How'd you get a hold of it?"
"You really didn't think Magneto wanted you to benefit from separating us?" She laughed. "He kindly gave me the power for revenge. And without my powers, he doesn't need you anymore." Carol's right arm snaked around Rogue's neck. Rogue tried to struggle, but she was too weak against her opponent. "So allow me to bid you farewell..."
"Computer!" a voice barked. "Terminate current application."
Carol dropped like a limp rag doll. Rogue coughed, drinking the air greedily that she had been denied. Her hands traveled down to the spot that Carol had hit her. The ribs were amazingly intact, but still sore.
"It's my father's new training application," Wanda explained. "It feeds from our fears. I must have left the program on when you came down here to train."
"Thank you," Rogue sighed gratefully.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't want to have you murdered."
"Funny, but on any other day I doubt you'd be against that."
Wanda smiled. "Huh- that may be so."
"Still hate me?" Rogue inquired.
"Yep."
"I'll let you borrow The Vampire Lestat," she bargained.
"Nice try, but you can't buy my friendship like everyone else you know."
"Mornin', chere," Gambit greeted her as she passed him in the hallway. Rogue was still in sorry shape from her training session earlier, and it must have shown, because he added, "Doin' okay?"
She rubbed her left side gingerly. "Just almost got mah ass handed to me in the training room, that's all."
"Wanna play some basketball?"
"Eh... I'm not so sure Ah'm up t' it."
"Already admittin' t' defeat?" he questioned smugly.
She placed her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"
He grinned. "Well, me an' Colossus be a force t' be reckoned with."
"Ah'm sure Ah could take both of you single-handedly," she shot back.
"Brave, chere, brave."
"Well, are you gonna accept mah challenge or not?"
Remy opened the door to the backyard. "After you, mon petite."
Peter was waiting in boredom for the two, dribbling the ball back and forth. "Hey, just you two?"
"Pyro is busy playin' wit' matches, Pietro is way too fast t' play fair, an' you know how fond Wanda is of me," he replied with a shrug. "Roguey says she'll take on both o' us."
"Pretty bold."
"Well, that just shows how bad y'all will get y'r asses handed t' ya," she said with a sly smile. "Ah'm a lot more athletic than anybody gives me credit f'r."
Gambit scanned her body. "Well, Remy coulda told ya wit' a body like dat you'd have t' be at the gym a lot."
She folded her arms across her chest. "Pervert."
"If we win, you owe Gambit a date," he said with a smile.
Colossus rolled his eyes and passed the ball to Remy, who shot it in the basket. "That's one to zero."
Rogue's brows furrowed into one. "Hey! That's not fair! Ah wasn't even ready!"
He shrugged and passed the ball to her. She bounced it back. "You'll just have to keep up."
Immediately Rogue was in front of Gambit, blocking any chance of Peter passing the ball. That suited him fine, for Colossus dribbled up to the basket and got ready to shoot. Rogue jumped in front of him quickly and knocked the ball out of the path.
"That sure was a pretty high jump, chere," Gambit commented, skeptical that she made it without using her powers.
"Well they say white boys can't jump, not white girls," she replied with a shrug. She shot in a perfect three-pointer before either boys lifted a finger in protest.
"Guess it's our ball," Gambit said, bouncing the ball to her. She bounced it back.
Colossus stood in front of the hoop, but Rogue intercepted the ball. Gambit was there in a flash and knocked the ball out of her hands. He shot it in the basket, making a delicious swoosh.
"That was pretty fast for a mutant even," she accused.
Remy just shrugged. "Not my superpower, chere."
Rogue dribbled the ball past him and jumped far over Colossus's head to slam dunk it into place. By this time all three teammates agreed that it was anything goes. Colossus suited up into his organic metal form and Gambit charged up his hands menacingly. Gambit blocked Rogue's path and she not so accidentally knocked him out of the way- even out of the court. She tried the same to Colossus, but his strength overpowered her own, and he grabbed possession of the ball quick enough to alley-oop it into the basket.
"Yoh ball, chere," he said, catching her eyes. She blinked, averting her gaze, but looked again, not able to see past his piercing gaze. She dribbled the ball in the same position, dumbly. "Thanks." She nodded, watching him sink the ball into the hoop.
"Hey!" she shouted once the charm wore off.
Colossus slam-dunked the ball into the basket. Rogue quickly grabbed it and flew up to the basket, neatly depositing the ball.
Remy grabbed it and shot in a three-pointer. The game quickly went back and forth as a display of powers until Colossus and Gambit magically bagged point number 15. They high-fived while Rogue silently stewed on the court. Gambit shot her a Cheshire grin. "Looks like we goin' on a date, petite."
She didn't answer and flounced inside of the house. "Guess I'll pick you up at six!" he called after her.
Peter shook his head. "She really doesn't like you, comrade."
He shrugged. "Give it time. She'll warm up t' me like lobster butter."
"I'm not so sure of that."
"Has Remy ever struck out wit de ladies?"
"Well..."
Gambit glared at his friend. "Wanda doesn't count. She's a lesbian."
Rogue lay in her bed, head resting on her palms and her elbows resting on the mattress, reading her latest vampire novel when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in," she beckoned. Magneto stood at the door smiling strangely. She looked up at him, surprised. "What's up?"
He laid a silver collar on her bed. "I have a present for you, my dear."
She backed away from it like it was going to bite her. "Thanks but no thanks," she said. "That thing only brings back bad memories."
He put a hand on her shoulder to reaffirm her. "It's not that collar," he explained. "It's the new one Dr. Moreau and I just finished. I don't know if it will control Carol Danvers, but I do know it will keep your powers in check, at least your original one." He paused. "Do you want to try it on?"
"Sure," she said with a weak smile and a lump in her throat.
Fastening it gently around her neck, he looked down at her. She felt sick suddenly, and then the feeling was replaced with so much adrenaline she thought her heart was going to explode. "You're the second to wear this," he said, pointing to his own neck, "though it didn't do me very much good. I relatively have complete control of my powers already. You, dear, I believe have only tapped into a fifth of your potential."
Suffering a huge head rush, Rogue felt faint. She sucked in a huge breath. "Ah don't feel so good," she whispered.
"Try to think about someone you've absorbed," he encouraged.
Magneto. Suddenly, she remember everything about him and before she knew it, paperclips were levitating off her desk. She shot Magneto a confused look. "Are you doin' that?"
He shook his head. "No. I believe you are."
She stared at her gloved hands in amazement. The paperclips rotated to form a circle, then a star. She let them drop, then raised the metal chair by her bed. She blinked, letting Magneto go and it fall with a loud clang. Her wide green eyes met Magneto's cool blue ones. "Ah don't know how Ah just did that."
"Try someone else," he encouraged, pleased to see that the collar had its expected affect.
Mystique. She remembered her foster mother's cool blue skin and the cat eyes that crinkled when she laughed. She remembered her teenage persona, Risty Wilde, who she used to spy on the X-Men. Before her eyes, her skin contorted into her shape. Magneto watched in amusement as she assumed several identities ranging from Scott Summers to Pyro.
"Whoa," she breathed, changing back into her normal self. She felt her face timidly to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"I was expecting something like that," he chuckled. "Why don't you go test it out some more?" he suggested, walking towards the door.
She nodded. "Thanks," she replied, not sure what else to say. He nodded in return and stalked off. Rogue pulled off her gloves and thought for a moment. Remy chose that opportunity to poke his head in. "Ready to go?"
"Ya were actually serious?" she questioned. He nodded. "Well, no, then. Give me a minute to change."
He shut the door, but left it open a tiny crack to peer at Rogue slip out of her shirt and jeans and into a black cocktail dress. His eyes widened at the sight of her in lacy black underwear. She opened the door to find him oogling at her hourglass figure. She adjusted herself with a smile. He grinned back goofily. Biting her lip, not actually believing she was going to do something so sickening, but wanting to know what it felt like and neurotically and especially what it felt like with him, she leaned in and placed her lips against his.
"Oomph!" he gasped, surprised, trying to pull away. Rogue wrapped her arms around him to hold him into place. Nothing happened. Then, she concentrated on absorbing him. Slowly, his thoughts and powers began to siphon into her head. She broke the kiss abruptly.
"What de hell-" he protested, then saw that her eyes were glowing black and red.
She giggled, something he had never heard her do before and replied, "Thanks for the compliment, Gambit."
He blushed. "But what-"
She placed a bare finger on his lips. "Shh... don't say nothin'." She blinked and the cat eyes were gone.
Gambit followed her silently. She turned around. "Where are we going?"
"On my bike t' de bistro downtown," he said with a smile.
"After you, then," she said, shoving him to the front.
He smiled a smile of humungous proportions. "Sure thing, petite."
And there you have it folks: the romance begins!
