Soaring through the sky for the first two hours, Rogue and Sage sat in a more or less awkward silence. Deciding to break the ice, Rogue broached the subject she's been dying to ask.
"Who are 'they' that were chasin' us?"
"'They' would happen to be the most dangerous people you will ever meet and I pray I can keep you away from them"
"Ya seem to have the uncanny ability to answer without answering, as if ah aint got enough of those in mah life."
"Well...is there anything else with which I can sate your thirst for knowledge?"
"Well, yeah. Earlier when yall were talkin' bout yer baby, ya had a Dixie accent."
"Good ear, actually I'm from North Carolina, but I moved up north and kind of lost my accent. Freakin' Yankee tongue, it's nice to hear a familiar twang."
"Nice to meet a fellow southern gal." The conversation ended abruptly, but fell into a comfortable silence.
One Hour Later
"So ahm like, why am ah wastin gas for a cup of Cocoa, when the gas ahm usin' could be used somewhere else. Lahke heatin' an ol' ladies home. And that is why ah stopped using gas for cookin'"
"I've gotta say, that is a genuine reason for not liking hot chocolate."
"Well, ah do lahke hot chocolate, ah just don' lahke usin' the gas to cook it. Over a campfire, ya get a feelin' of accomplishment for makin' something over an open fire"
"Ugh, a smoking fire, who wants smoky chocolate?"
"It's somethin' me an Logan would do when we were hitching for three months to get mah head straight, jus' the two of us, the stars and no dang mutant kids to annoy meh."
"Sounds like you two were close, same I never got to meet him. Were you two..."
"We are close, but not that much, he's one of mah closest friends, mah mentor. When ya do meet him, don't tell him ah told you this...or just don't mention it at all...but once called me his protégé."
"He sounds...OK I guess, you know when he's not maiming kids and binge drinking. You really know how to pick them."
"Whats that supposed to mean?"
"Weeeellll...Logan...Remy...Scott..."
"Ah never should'a told you 'bout them"
Before she could retort, California came into view and soon so did the absolute carnage of the area. Setting down upon a roof top a far enough distance away, they set out on foot across the roof tops and descended a fire escape, only to end up in the midst of cross fire (Sigh!). The Police had created a perimeter around the furthest point of action. Metal was being strewn across the street and police cars were hurtling through the air. Nearing the barricade, one of the officers held his hand out in front of them. He was sweating profusely and was covered in mud and dust; you were barely able to make out his formerly blue uniform.
"Sorry, can't pass beyond the line, we need to secure the area!"
"What happened here?" Rogue was first to speak up, but dreaded the answer she already knew was coming.
"Magneto happened, came in ripping up the place and is fighting against some other mutant. Special forces are coming in now to deal with the threat."
"That's all ah needed to know" with that she reached out with an un-gloved hand and placed him into a sleep. Replacing her glove, she and Tess crossed over discreetly. Ducking behind large debris, they avoided being crushed by flying metal. 'What in the hell is Buckethead doin' Rogue thought venomously as she avoided being ripped apart by flying metal. Using her mutant tracing ability, Tessa located Magneto at the epicenter of the turmoil, racing over they were met with shards of flying metal which bounced harmlessly off of her skin, but left holes that would need serious patching.
"Rogue, I must admit, finding you in the centre of a war zone does little to surprise me. Please save elaborations for another time, the game is afoot"
"GAME! WHAT THE HELL MAGNUS! Yall've ripped up downtown California and it's just a game to you"
"I would ask if you'd believe I am not behind this attack or the one who instigated it, but you already know that." His nonchalant nature caught Rogue off guard momentarily, only to regain her composure to access the situation.
"So, who've we got this time Magnus?"
"Her name is Elizabeth Braddock; she's a telepathic and telekinetic. Her mind exists in that of a fallen Ninja Assassin and she came here from Britain seeking assistance."
"No wonder I can't find her" interjected Sage who was scanning for her mind, "She's much too powerful and her telekinesis is moving everything and exists everywhere"
"Wait...a British, telepathic ninja mutant...and she's kicking your ass. What else can she do?" exclaimed a rather impressed Rogue.
"Well, she can also manipulate her telekinetic energy to manifest physical objects, most notably a Katana." Grumbled a non to amused Magneto
"OK, she is officially a badass. Where can ah find her so ah can get her autograph"
"Try right in front of us" warned Sage.
Turning to face their oppressor, Miss Braddock stood before them with a purple aura surrounding her, two glowing purple blades held in her hands of equally dangerous length and her beautiful black dress slightly torn and tattered from the battle. While possessing delicate features most would associate with a model, her body was toned to perfection, her legs and arms straining with sleek muscles and a well shaped chest that would make even the master of magnetism blush.
"Y'all aint wearin your helmet Magnus, no wonder you can't faght back."
"Do not assume I hide behind that metal my whole life, I will hold my own."
Whipping out two pistols tucked in her jacket, Sage shot off round after round in hopes of a distraction. Rogue moved into action and plucked a signpost from the ground, beginning to swing it like a mace. Soaring high into the air, she plunged downwards with her iron bar in hand and swung down. The telepath had no trouble keeping up with the bullets to this point, deflecting the bullets and diverting their course while Magneto caught the ricochets and hurled them back at her. She read Rogue's presence and swung up to deflect her blow. Sending out a Psi-blast, Rogue was thrown across the street by its force, landing painfully on her back. Her head ringing, Rogue sat up and saw Sage struggling to keep up with the mutant herself. Running out of bullets, the purple woman saw her opening and lunged forward, plunging the blade through her skull. This was soon followed by Magneto stepping into the fray.
Retrieving Rogue's fallen metal; he reshaped it into the form of a rapier, with a fine handle and guard. He blocked, thrust and parried with finesses and ferocity known only to trained fencers. He stood his ground as Braddock again and again lashed out against her opponent. That's when it clicked. 'She's not fighting us, the assassin is!' Quickly regaining her footing, she climbed the air higher and higher until she was overlooking the duelers at safe distance. Clearing her mind and quieting, to the best of her abilities, the psyches, she rebuilt and reinforced her walls to maximum strength. Gathering her bearings, she descended to a fallen street lamp and assembled the three feet of wire she found. Pulling out a five foot long bar of metal, she stamped and worked the metal until it was six long, half foot wide and as thin as it was going be. She coiled the wire tightly around the base and tightened the grip of her gloves, thankful they were insulated. Pulling a battery from a car, she connected the wire together in a makeshift electro-sword.
Magneto was having difficulty fending off the young woman. While he had experience and skill, she too bared similar abilities. He was not as young as he used to be, his energy dwindling. Her feign tricked him and a he moved in, she parried and disarmed him. The Metal now in her hands, she pushed him backwards and braced him to the ground with telekinesis. Raising the sword to trust it through his head, she was overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of voices in her head. Turning her head to locate the origin, she came face to face with a rather unusual sight.
"Remember me bright eyes!" Swinging her sword down as hard as she could, Braddock could only respond by bringing up the metal sword to block the blow. As soon as the two blades collided, the electric current of Rogues huge sword coursed through the metal, down into Braddock's arms to her heart. Shocked from the force and intensity of electrocution, she fell to her knees and braced herself on her arms, the smoking sword now lying before her. Rogue removed her gloves from her hands and brought them up to cup Braddocks face.
"GAIJIN DOG!" was the last thing she uttered before collapsing to the ground. Running over to check her fallen friend, she was taken aback to see no mark or entry wound. Magneto staggered over to her crouched position, looking over her shoulder at Sage.
"Her blades affect mental processing, cutting through 'spirit' as it were, not flesh and bone. She obviously did not want to hurt her. But she does seem to be detained. I believe I owe you my life Rogue, were it not for you..."
"Magnus, yah could have moulded that sword around her hands and bound them. You could have sealed her entirely in the metal and crushed her...what changed?"
"A great many things I hope. Her powers were too strong and I wished to see your opinions of me manifest. It seems you deem my life worthy."
"Same with everything Sugah, just don't like death, that's all. This would've gone a lot better if ya wore your helmet. Then again, it's a double edged sword. Ya look pretty damn scary with it on and you can't protect yourself if you took it off."
"Well, it was also a test of sorts. I was recruiting Miss Braddock for a little excursion I had planned, as part of my investigation. I would like you to join me, to look into this concept of...Genosha: Mutant Haven."
"Ahm flattered Magnus, really. But ah got mah own problems. I'll help ya out later maybeh, but ah make no promises. We better go, last thing ah need the Professah seein' is me runnin' away ta join the Brotherhood again."
"Very well. I wish you luck on your endeavor and hope you find the answers you seek."
With that said, Magneto ascended into the sky, carrying an unconscious Betsy behind him. "Magneto...Ya kno' ah can' let ya leave with her." With a heavy sigh, knowing that while in possession of Braddock's powers, he would be unable to fight her, he lowered the body to the ground and left without another word. Accessing Betsy's powers, Rogue blasted Sage awake.
"Thanks, it was dark in there!"
"'There' was your mind, so ahm kinda concerned of brain damage."
"No need, looks like you and Magnus took care of everything" she said with an impish grin.
"OK, tellin' you about mah love life is poison, from now on, yer off limits"
"Well...until I read your mind...Darlin'" she replied coyly
"That's it, ahm absorbin' you." She proceeded to drape the fallen mutant across her shoulder and chase after Sage. After getting tired and realising they would be accused of mass destruction, they escaped back to the chopper via Rogue's flight. Strapping down Braddock to a seat, they launched away from the site as Sage took the controls. After twenty minute of flying, the eventually settled down on a H pad in the back garden of a lavish mansion. Now, Rogue had seen four Mansions in her life; Xavier's, the Rippers, Irene's summer hideout and this. By far, this was the most modern looking mansion she had ever seen. It was sleek, stylish, and a stark Black and White, large enough to fit the entire mutant population of Xaviers. 'If only Xavier coulda modernised'. They were met by two personal bodyguard types with a gurney to the side and a tall, blond and elegant woman dressed in as little as possible and almost luminous white. Her blue eyes pierced Rogues sense of calm as she felt herself be analysed. The woman winced as though she caught air of something stinking. She tried to read her mind. The tell-tale signs still fresh from Braddock's probe earlier, she steeled herself for an onslaught of questions. They never came.
"Come inside, both of you, we have much to discuss. Especially you Tessa!" Her tone wasn't necessarily friendly, nor was it venomous. She was obviously irritated at the intrusion, and her accent was the same British mix North American dialect as the Professors. 'She was schooled abroad, Cambridge or Oxford judging by her wealth. Her suit, how little it was, obviously business studies or economics. And no doubt either she is telepathic or has access to one at her presence here.' Coming out of her reverie, she realised she was standing amongst lavish surroundings of the main hall.
And what a sight it was. While the mansion in Bayville was traditional with a mix of modern refurbishment, this was white marble, with white pillars and white drapes over the windows. 'She must have a white fetish'. Passing through the hall to the office, the two from earlier came strolling by with Braddock strapped to the table and hooked up to a sedative. No students were sneaking around and no whispering could be heard, the students were all asleep.
Nearing the office, a loud banging came from the front doors. Curious about more guests coming to her home, the blond woman gestured with her hand and two armed guards stepped to their post. The door was opened and in walked a filthy, sweaty and very frustrated sixteen year old. Looking at the three women, she uttered, barely past a whisper;
"I am looking for Rogue. Remy LeBeau is going to die!"
More adventures, more characters. Next chapter: Rogue and Psylocke confront one another, Emma and Sage have a little talk about secrets and Sage accompanies Rogue to the final resting place of her true mother, Irene. And how will Remy die, all will be revealed! (Sort of)
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