AN: I don't normally do this but XOXheartAmy's review deserves to be quoted:
"We're taking a jet." is Remy-speak for: "There's a big massive plane in the hangar and I've got full access to it since the owners are far, far away. Let's steal it."
So, so true.
Chapter 10
Gambit sat in the pilots seat and grinned at Rogue.
"You want to fly, huh?" she asked.
Gambit nodded eagerly.
"Are you checked out on military jets?"
"I don't know chére. I've never been on one with female air force personnel before," Gambit replied with a straight face. "However, I imagine that even they wouldn't be able to resist checking me out. I am a fine specimen of a man."
Logan grunted as the ramp lifted up and he checked that the motorcycles were secure.
"Have you ever flown a military jet before, she means," Logan said. "And you know that perfectly well."
"Relax mon ami," Gambit said cheerfully as he started the Blackbird. "I've been flying for years."
"Ever landed intact?"
"I'm here aren't I?" Gambit said, waited a moment, then added teasingly: "And you know what they say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one."
"I may regret this," Logan muttered.
Rogue laughed as they took off.
A couple of hours later, Rogue, Gambit and Logan arrived at a small cafe where they had arranged to meet with their friends. At first they didn't see them, then a orange-haired figure stood and yelled "Rogue!" loud enough for everyone to hear. He jumped over the barricade and would have tackled Rogue to the ground had she not been able to keep her footing.
"What the... John?" she exclaimed.
"Hi Randy Roguey!" John said cheerfully.
"Hi. What on earth have you done to your hair?"
"Aww, you're not gonna pick on me too 'cause I grew it out are you?"
"Actually I was wondering why you dyed it orange."
"It brings out the colour in my flames."
"Well I suppose I can't argue with that."
"John!" called a blonde man at the table. "Stop making a scene and get back here."
Gambit chuckled and John lead the three to the table. Along with the blonde man, there was also a black-haired man with a tanned complexion and a black-haired woman dressed provocatively in red.
"Well, you're Anna, right?" said the woman.
"Uh huh. You're Wanda."
"Got it in one," Wanda grinned.
"Dom," said the black-haired man.
"Pietro," said the blonde.
"I'm Remy," said Gambit. "And this is Logan. We haven't discussed WoW with him yet, but he doesn't strike me as the type of guy who's into MMORPGs."
"MM-whats?" Logan asked.
"See?" Gambit grinned at them. "MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game."
Logan grunted in response.
"This is so cool," John said merrily. "You know if it weren't for this whole Sentinel business I'd be all for a WoW-party right now."
"Speaking of which," said Rogue. "Where's Kitty?"
"She's back in the hotel room," said Wanda. "She got quite a blow to the back of the head, the poor thing. I wonder she was able to use her powers at all to get out."
"Apparently Storm managed to escape too, but she stayed in there to get the others out," John added. "Told Kitty to get help."
"So where is this place?" Logan asked.
Pietro told them and pulled out a rough sketch.
"I did some checking. There's locks on all the doors - leading in anyway - and guards on all the doors.
"What kind of locks?" Gambit asked. "How many guards and how spread out are they?"
"Electronic swipe cards and codes. Two guards on all doors and they're within... two or three metres of each other? I didn't stop to count."
"Did Kitty say what the inside was like? Did you get inside?"
"No I didn't. They would have seen me if I'd taken the time to try and get in."
"Okay well we need to know what security is like, and a floor plan," Gambit said.
"Then we go in, rescue the X-men - and any other prisoners they might have and take down the factory," John said gleefully.
"Oh I can take down the factory," Dominic said confidently.
"You can't wait, can you Avalanche?" John teased him. "Just so long as I get to burn the remains!"
"Sounds like a plan, Pyro."
"Should I absorb one of the guards?" Rogue asked. "Or should we aim higher up?"
"Higher up," Gambit said. "The lackeys are expendable and may not have the in depth knowledge we need. Trask himself."
"You won't get to Trask."
Everyone looked up at the dark-haired woman who had taken it upon herself to join the conversation.
"He practically lives in the Compound," she went on, taking the further liberty of pulling up a chair. "Your best bet is Simon Brown. He's head of security."
"That would have been the next choice," Gambit said. "And just who are you?"
"Mystique," Logan said with a snarl.
Mystique smirked, and allowed her eye colour to briefly change to yellow before shifting back again.
"Got it in one," she said.
"Why should we trust a single word you say?" Rogue demanded.
"Because we all have something in common, dear," Mystique said calmly. "We all want to bring down the Sentinels before they cause any more trouble. Incidentally, I know for a fact that Erik is in there."
"Oh so that's what happened to old Buckethead," John said.
"Indeed. A lot of 'cured' mutants started disappearing around the time it started wearing off," Mystique said. "I tracked them down here, and I've been attempting to get a foothold inside ever since. Incidentally, they have DNA scanners at all entrances."
"So your ability to impersonate can't get you inside, huh?" Rogue sneered at her.
"Oh it can get me inside all right, just not without a dozen guards jumping me as soon as the alarm goes off. They're very good at being closed mouthed with their employees too," Mystique said with a glance at Gambit. "So you're right about the lackeys. As I said, Simon Brown. Of course, he usually has a few guards with him too, but like all men, he has his vices, and certain vices require a little... privacy."
"He's into whores, isn't he?" John said.
"If only it were that simple. Actually he's into twins."
Wanda and Pietro looked at each other.
"Identical, female twins," Mystique clarified and shifted into a perfect copy of Rogue. "You and me, sugar. I can get us in there. You can absorb him, get what he knows and we can shut this place down."
"My name's Rogue," Rogue practically spat. "And I don't play 'whore'."
"That's the only way you're going to get close enough to read his mind," Mystique replied calmly. "Unless you've got a telepath tucked away in there."
"I wonder if it's too late to go back and borrow Psylocke's powers," Rogue muttered. "Fine, but I want to absorb you."
"You don't need to, sugar. I can impersonate you just fine."
"But I can't impersonate you. I don't play the whore - at all. I wouldn't even know where to start - but evidently you do. And if we're supposed to be identical, and no doubt have done this before, don't you think it might throw him off if one twin is experienced and the other is uncomfortable and fumbling?"
Mystique was silent.
"Or... could it be that you're not really on the level with us?" Rogue asked dangerously.
"I'm not a fool. I know that you've recently joined the Thieves Guild," Mystique replied calmly. "Very well, you may absorb my powers and sexual experiences. But if anything should happen to any of my money before I've had a chance to change accounts, I will come after you."
"You joined the Thieves Guild?" John asked the same time Wanda said: "There's a Thieves Guild?"
"Oh, you didn't tell them?" Mystique asked with mock-innocence. "Yes, children. Marie and Remy are both members of the Thieves Guild, based in New Orleans. In fact, Remy would be the 'heir to the throne' if it weren't for the fact that he murdered the 'heir to the throne' of the rival Assassins Guild."
"It was a duel to the death," Gambit corrected coolly. "And it was Julien who demanded it, not moi, so I hardly think that counts as murder."
"Dead is dead," Mystique said and held her hand out to Rogue. "Let's get this over with. We can take care of this business tonight."
"Focus on... what experiences you want to share with me," Rogue told her. "If I don't have to go digging, I don't have to hold on as long."
Mystique gave a nod and Rogue reached out for her hand. Lines spider-webbed across her skin, which turned blue before their eyes.
"Perhaps doing this in public wasn't the best idea," Wanda said.
"We'll get her back to the hotel room," Pietro said. "I'll just get the car. Be right back."
In a flash he was gone. A moment later, Rogue practically threw Mystique's hand away like it was diseased and shuddered.
"Oh hell that was nasty!" Rogue proclaimed. "Man oh man oh man... I think I'm gonna be scarred for life."
"Why? What does she do?" John asked.
Rogue shook her head.
"You don't want to know."
"Yes I do."
"No... you really don't."
"But I do! Really. In graphic detail."
"I don't even want to know about it in any detail."
"He just wants to know so he can put it in his next book," Dominic teased him.
"Book?" Logan asked.
"Uhh..."
"Next book?" Rogue repeated, her eyes lighting up (both with excitement and relief at the change of subject). "John! Did you finally get one of your stories published?"
"Uhh, well, yeah... How'd you... oh right you absorbed me," John replied and then his bashful expression turned to panic. "You didn't tell anyone did you?"
"No," Rogue giggled. "But they're good stories, John. In fact, I'd love to read what you have published."
"Yeah? Great," John said, then asked tentatively: "Not even Bobby?"
"Not even Bobby."
"Oh good. He'd never let me hear the end of it."
"John, you're not even in contact with him now."
"Oh you know he would Rogue. The moment he found out I wrote romance novels he'd track me down for the sole purpose of making fun of me."
"Romance novels?" Logan repeated.
"Crap," John sighed, burying his head in his hands.
Rogue laughed and Pietro showed up with the car.
"All aboard," he said.
They stopped to pay the bill. Pietro, Wanda, John and Dominic piled into the car with Mystique, while Rogue, Gambit and Logan picked up their motorcycles and followed them back to the hotel where their friends were staying. They got Mystique settled on one of the beds and checked up on Kitty - she was asleep but fine.
"By the way, chére," Gambit said. "Congratulations on fulfilling your quest to absorb a shapeshifter. I like the way you talked her into it."
"Why thank you. What's my reward?" Rogue asked.
"Learning a new spell: shapeshifting."
"Hey, you even got experience points," Wanda joked.
"I think in this case, I would have preferred my XP to be measured in actual numbers, rather than memories," Rogue replied, but not without a smile. "I wonder when I level up?"
"You just did," Gambit said. "You levelled up to 22 a few weeks ago."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"Hey that makes me level 22 as well," John said merrily.
"Hmm, by that logic I'm going to ding 25 next month," Dominic said.
"And we're only half way to 24," Pietro said on behalf of himself and Wanda, a big silly grin on his face. "What about you, Remy, when are you going to ding?"
"Level 39 in June," Gambit replied.
"You can't be serious," Wanda said. "There's no way you're turning 39. 29, maybe, at an absolute stretch."
"No, I am. I just look young for my age. It's my metabolism. Plus, I refuse to grow up."
Two identical blonde women, scantily dressed, walked hand in hand into the bar. Rogue did not like this plan, not one bit. This was worse than the Tilling. With the Tilling she knew what the score was. She knew she was more or less in control: it was an ambush and she knew just how far things were going to go. But with this? Judging from Mystique's memories it was entirely possible that they could end up doing a whole bunch of... those kinds of things without touching the mark. It was equally possible that she could have plenty of opportunities for touching - all in public when absorbing the mark would not be an option. Not when she would need sustained contact to find what information she needed to know.
While Mystique had been asleep they had discussed alternatives, even made tentative plans for when the time for attack arrived. However, Gambit had been adamant that they needed all the information they could get before they stepped in, and Wanda, Dominic, Pietro and Rogue all agreed. John was too busy playing with flame people. Logan hated the whole idea and tried to talk Rogue out of it.
"I hate it too," she said. "But we walk in now then we're walking in blind. Somehow these people have managed to restrain Storm and the other X-men, Magneto and any other mutants that may be in there. We walk in blind, we may well be just setting ourselves to be captured too."
So here she was, wearing clothes she never would have considered wearing (at least not in public where someone other than Gambit might see her), trying to act 'sexy' with her adopted mother. This whole situation was nasty, demeaning and creepy on so many levels it wasn't funny. Eventually Rogue just gave up trying and pushed Mystique's mind further to the fore, letting her take control. Mystique knew what she was doing, and she didn't. Those words she used to persuade Mystique to let her absorb her were truer than she knew.
Before long, Mystique managed to get the attention of the mark, Simon Brown.
"Hello my pretties," he said.
"Hello yourself," Mystique and Rogue said together.
Simon's eyes lit up.
"Come sit by me."
"What's in it for us?" they said in perfect unison.
"Wow, do you two do everything together?"
"Perhaps," they said, each moving to either side of him. "It's going to cost you to find out."
Simon relaxed and slung an arm around each of them.
"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."
Rogue found then that letting Mystique have so much control actually worked in their favour. Simon simply couldn't resist their perfect coordination. Then too, it was easier when things started getting hands on and risque - Rogue could simply pretend that she had nothing to do with it, as if she was a passenger in her own body. As she had been worried, they were touching, but it was far too public for her to risk absorbing him, so Rogue sat back and waited for the moment.
The longer Rogue allowed Mystique the reins, however, the more disconnected she became. She heard someone hiss "Marie" and abruptly realised that she was no longer in the bar, but on a queen bed in a cheap little room, all but completely naked. Only herself, Mystique and Simon were there and, now back to her senses, Rogue activated her power.
Once she got past the flood of erotic thoughts that immediately flowed into her mind, Rogue went looking for what she was really after: the security setup of the Sentinel compound. Along with that, passwords, passcodes, floor plans, how much he knew about the Sentinels themselves, how much he knew about the captured mutants, people who worked there. And then, just because she was feeling vindictive, Rogue pulled out bank account and credit card details.
At last, satisfied she found everything they needed, Rogue let go. Simon slumped down and Rogue got off the bed, looking around for the clothes - or what passed as them.
"How long will he be asleep for?" Mystique asked.
"He'll wake up about midday tomorrow with a lousy 'hangover', Rogue reported briskly. "Let's get out of here."
"Roguey? What happened?" Gambit asked.
He shot to her side before the door had even closed and held her arms, his face full of concern.
"Plan worked is what happened," Rogue replied.
"Yeah, but... look at you!"
It was only then that Rogue became aware of the bruising down her body. Rogue rubbed her head and made a mental note never to let one of her psyches have that much control again. She brought forth Logan's psyche and let his healing factor take care of it.
"See? All better now."
"Rogue, if he hurt you -"
"Oh don't you worry sugar," Rogue said sweetly. "Mr Brown is going to have a very bad week. First he's going to lose his job and then he's going to discover that he didn't have quite as much money saved up as he thought."
Gambit's smile didn't quite remove the worry from his face, but he kissed her fondly. Mystique rolled her eyes.
"If you're quite done," she said. "I think we'd all like to know what you found out, Marie."
"My name's Rogue," Rogue snapped at her. "And that is the only name you may address me as. Do we have any paper? Pen?"
"It's a bit late," said Wanda. "We don't have to do it now, or is there a time limit on how long a memory is fresh for?"
"No time limit, I'd just like to get this guy firmly tucked away. Perverted bastard. You're not much better either, Mystique," Rogue said then added under her breath: "Deserve each other."
"We do what we have to," Mystique replied coolly.
"Rogue? That you?" Kitty asked, rubbing her head as she stepped into the room.
Rogue and Kitty's eyes met.
"Do we have pen and paper or not?" Rogue asked, turning away from Kitty.
"Here," Pietro said, handing them to her.
"Thanks," Rogue replied.
She sat down at the nearby table and got to work, pulling out Simon's memories and committing them to ink.
"Rogue?" Kitty tried again.
"Trying to concentrate here."
"How are you feeling Kitty?" Wanda asked.
"Much better, thanks."
"Just what happened?" asked Logan.
"Logan?" Kitty said brightly, then surprised him with a hug. "It was awful, just awful. They were on top of us all of a sudden. We barely had time to get out there. Storm managed to fry one before they did something, gas I think. It all happened so quickly I..."
Logan patted her back awkwardly.
"Well, you're uhh, safe now. We're working on getting everyone else out, and taking out these Sentinels for good."
"That's the trick though, isn't it mon ami?" Gambit said, shuffling a deck of cards absently. "The taking them out for good."