Simple Submission
Chapter 14
That night Rogue's dreams were in turmoil. They crashed into each other with a force that wasn't her own. Memories of someone's time in a horrible place flashed through her mind. Where they were always hungry and feared a small circular room at the back of the field and sometimes longed for it, feeling that going in and never coming out would be the answer to their suffering.
Then a perfect family came into mind. A family where there was always diner on the table and always hugs and kisses from mom or dad. But in this place he was different. No-one else was like him. And that scared him to no end. What if dad was to find he was a mutant? What would he do then?
More memories passed her. Some joyous, some horrific. But one made her wake up. The one memory that she hated more than anything. Cody. She held her head in her hands as she banished the memory from her mind. She had been through this with the Professor. He said he had locked the memory away. Then why was she thinking of it now?
A terrible thought came into her head that she pushed away from her own thoughts quickly. How could she think that? After all the Professor has done for her. But the thought still lingered as she shut her eyes again, praying for sleep. The thought of telepaths stayed with her until she finally gave in and built up her mental shields. Slowly, so there were no cracks.
She rubbed her head afterwards angry at herself for doing it. Though the shields gave no pain they often made her head feel crowded and annoyed her to no end. But it was worth it to get a little sleep. She tightened her hold on Gambit, who was snoring comfortably and tried to get back to sleep.
Expecting that her shields were not strong enough, Rogue expected the weird dreams to come back. But there was only pain. Real, solid pain. The kind that made her scream out loud and pull at the bonds that were holding her. CRACK Pain exploded in her back, first in a long strip at the top of it, then spreading through her entire body.
CRACK She screamed again. In pain and outrage. She was being whipped! She pulled on her arms which caused more pain. She was bound by chains and the hard metal had rubbed on her wrists so they were raw red and bleeding.
CRACK She screamed in pain and heard a loud cackle from somewhere in front of her. "That's enough Mystique. If you whip him anymore we'll see the colour of his spine." Rogue stiffened as she recognized the voice. "Magneto." She whispered turning to look at him.
He stood on a ledge in front of her, without his stupid helmet but equipped with his maroon cape. Rogue knew from his memories that it made him feel superior. Better than the fools around him. Almost regal in his twisted mind.
She felt overpowering hatred bubble to the surface and struggles against her bonds trying to get to him. To hurt him. To cause him pain. Surprise passed across his face and he tightened the bonds that held her. "It appears this experience has strengthened out little Firebug Mystique. My, my. Is this a good thing?"
Firebug? Rogue felt a small twinge at the back of her head and she looked around her surprised. She was in John's body. He was being punished for...for helping her. Oh John! She thought desperately and fought to stay in his mind. If she had caused this, she was going to ride it out.
Magneto glided towards her and Rogue leaned forward waiting for his arrival. Maybe she could bite him. "Well Pyro. Have you learnt your lesson?" Swallowing the spit she had gathered in order to aim it at his face, Rogue felt that, if John was to be saved from more punishment, she would have to play the weakling.
"Yes Magneto. I have learnt my lesson." He lifted her chin and looked at her unconvinced. "Pyro, my boy. Since when have your eyes been green?" Rogue starred at him and tried to think of an excuse. "I……My eyes." "It appears we have an intruder Mystique. And I believe we have met before."
Rogue dropped her pretence and flung herself at him, but the bonds held her steady. "You son of a bitch! Why are you doing this?" Magneto laughed and looked down at her. "My, my Rogue. How you have changed. Why you were just a stupid little wimp when we last saw you. Obviously Charles has been employing new tactics to teach his children. By the way how is the Wolverine?"
Rogue spat at him and then glared. Daring him to punish her. Wiping the spit off his face he looked at her with distaste. "Maybe a little too much backbone on this one." He smirked at her and then back-handed her across the face. Rogue whimpered as the stinging feeling appeared.
"Rogue my dear. I would love for you to stay. But you see you've caught us a t a bad time. You see, one of my boys let me down so Mystique has decided to punish him." He smiled at his blue whore behind Rogue and then said, "So if you would be so kind as to leave I would-"But he stopped, looking at her sharply.
"If you are here, then where is Pyro?" Rogue blinked and thinking that it was a rather good question searched at the back on her mind. John? I soft presence filled her head and she could almost hear his thoughts. He was scared. Scared for himself, but mostly scared for her. He fought at her, trying to gain control of his mind again. But Rogue pushed him back. If you'd had stayed at school you would have learnt how to do that.
She was brought back to reality with a soft tap on her head. She growled at Magneto who slapped her again. Just as hard as the last time. "Well? Where is he?" He demanded, almost as if he was worried. The great Magneto, caring for someone other than himself? Impossible!
"He's here." She said quietly, trying not to concentrate on the pain coming form her open wounds. But the hot blood falling down her back was hard to forget. "Here, where?" He demanded, and again Rogue questioned how much he cared for John.
"He's trapped in my mind." She snarled at him, risking another smack. "And once you leave?" He asked. "He'll regain control." He recovered his composure and glanced at her again. "Good." How could he hurt John like this and still care abut his well-being?
"Rogue I grow tired of our meeting." He said, walking around her and feeling the cuts in her back. "I'm not leaving John." She said through gasps as the pain filled her. "But my dear, your not really here." "That's not the point." She said through clenched teeth as he continued.
He walked round her and wiped the blood on her face. "Well if you won't leave on your own accord, we'll just have to force you to." He nodded at Mystique and the whipping started again. "I hope you understand Rogue," she heard him say through her screams. "I can't have you accidentally hearing something and running off to tell my old friend Charles. A matter of business you see. Not pleasure. Never pleasure."
It was then the pain consumed her that John pushed her out of his mind.
She clawed at the bonds holding her. Magneto won't hurt John! I won't let him! I'll run away! I'll- She screamed as she felt someone's presence in her mind. Someone other than John. "No! You can't have him. You can't have him!" It was one of Magneto's tricks. Something to make her give him up. She tugged at the bonds and let out frustrated growls. If only her powers weren't so useless!
"Let go of me!" She screamed, but the struggle to hold her continued. "Shut up Rogue!" A familiar voice shouted. "Can't you see we're trying to help you?" Rogue hesitated and opened her eyes. She was back in the mansion, but how? Just two seconds ago Mystique had been whipping her. Logan and Peter to her right, Gambit and Cyclops to her left. The Professor was at the bottom of the bed with Bobby hovering behind him.
"I don't understand!" She whispered. She looked around at her scared and saw little pieces of ice everywhere. She tried to move but the four men around her were holding her down. "Let go of me!" she shouted, scared of their touch. "We'll let go when you calm down a little Rogue." Cyclops said in a dull voice. He was trying to keep his emotions from showing.
"Get off me!" She hissed dangerously, focusing on Peter who she believed was the weakest of the four, even though he was the one in metal casing. "Rogue. We only want to help you." He said nervously, looking around for support. "Rogue please stop struggling. As Peter said, we are here to help." "Then why are you holding me?"
The Professor sighed and rubbed his head. "As much as it pains me to do so, I must keep you still. You are a danger to yourself as much as you are to others." She growled at him and kicked out which landed Peter one in the gut. He grunted and turned away for a second. That's what brought Rogue back to her senses. She looked around her and saw sweat on the foreheads on each of the men. Logan especially. And she had just hurt Peter when he was in his steel casing. What was going on?
"I-I don't understand." She said shrinking away from everyone in the room. "What's wrong with me?" Logan looked agonized with having to hold her down, as did Scott. But Remy looked calm and it was to him she pleaded with her eyes. Help me. Tell me what's happening. But he just stared back at her. Sweating slightly and holding her upper body.
"Rogue," The Professor said, bringing her attention back to him. "Your powers are growing rather rapidly. I'm sure you've been experiencing it with these strange dreams and the knowledge and whereabouts of the people you have absorbed. But they are growing in such a way that you are finding it hard to control them. They come and go at will and you can barely control them when you use them."
If I had Johns powers right now I'd burn you alive. She thought angrily, but keeping still. If she could convince him that she was calm they would let her go. Then she'd do something about it herself. What did he mean she can't control her powers? Look how powerful she was getting! She was always just boring old Rogue, who found out she was a mutant. Then things changed for worse when she couldn't touch. And they just kept on getting worse until now!
Now she can touch her friends without hurting them! Now she can control people in her dreams! Think of how powerful she would be if she could do it when she was conscious of what she was doing! And this is exactly why you need to control them Rogue. The Professor spoke to her through telepathy. "How did you get past my shields?" She shouted, raising an inch or two off the bed before the four men pushed her back down.
He looked at her directly, as if she was some dense child. "Give me some credit Rogue. I do happen to be one of the most powerful telepaths in the world. I can certainly break through the shields of my own student." She growled at him and lay back on the bed, breathing heavily. Actually Rogue thought there might be something to what he was saying. Not about the controlling people, because that would be way cool. It was her own thoughts that scared her. Did she just threaten to burn them all?
Good Rogue. The Professor said nodding. This is exactly what I want to hear. She breathed in deeply to calm herself, shuddering involuntary. She wanted to defy him. But she wouldn't. Not if he was trying to help her. "If my powers are going to get worse then I really do need your help. Especially if Magneto is after me."
"Magneto is after you?" Bobby squeaked, turning white. As usual everyone ignored him. He wasn't here to help with thinking. He was here to supply muscle like the other four. Or ice in his case, since the only thing he's been able to do is freeze her arms and upper legs down. Nice one Bobby. Now I'm gonna get pneumonia. Though she had to admit, the ice was rather effective.
"What do you want me to do?" She said, diverting her thoughts from her ex. "I want you to attend the danger room sessions that I have set for you.And I want you to stay in the mansion until I tell you." At this point Rogue shouted "What?" And noticed that Gambit's head turned directly to stare at the Professor. "That is so unfair!" The Professor shrugged. "C'est la vie."
"Life sucks Rogue. Get over it." Logan added from the side grinning at her. Thinking about how much fun he was going to have in the danger room with the kid. It's always fun to watch people fall on their faces. Rogue stuck her tongue out at him and then smiled sweetly. "Fine." She said, turning away from Logan's freaked out face. "I promise I won't try to sneak out or anything as long as Logan gets to be my watcher."
"Agreed." The Professor said immediately, laughing with her telepathically. "What?" Logan screamed, letting go of Rogue who scratched her nose before he realized what he had done. "Logan, you are as much a danger to ordinary people as Rogue is. Besides, you have been away a long time and I think you and Rogue could benefit from some time together. You have not seen each other in a long time."
"Ever think maybe I didn't want to?" Logan said which earned him a punch in the guts from Rogues' free hand. "Alright. You can let her go now." The Professor said, wheeling towards the door. "Rogue I will be keeping you under constant watch. There will be an adult round all them time and of coarse Logan." "You mean I have to be around all the time?" Logan said groaning.
"But that's not fair!" Rogue said, just as annoyed as Logan. "The other kids at school are going to think I'm some kind of freak." She said, straining against the ice. Then correcting herself, "Well a bigger freak than I already am anyway. Everyone will avoid me all the time." Bobby laughed and said, "It's not like everyone doesn't already avoid you Rogue."
She glared at him and opened her mouth to comment when Logan beat her to it. "If you don't have anything nice to say," "Schlitz His right three claws came out. "Don't say anything at all." Bobby stepped back slightly and then straightened up. "Logan." The Professor said looking sounding strained, "Please don't threaten the students. They've come here for safety, not to be scared witless by an overgrown monster.
Logan shrugged and retracted the claws, but not before dragging one across his throat in a decapitating fashion. Rogue laughed as she saw Bobby's hand ice up but stopped she caught Gambit leaving quietly when no-one was looking. "Gambit." She said, trying to sit up but falling back with the ice still on her.
"Logan," she said, suddenly in a rush to find Gambit. "Would you be so kind?" Logan smirked and shrugged. "I dunno Rogue. Chuck said you were pretty dangerous. Maybe we should keep you here until morning." "Logan." Rogue growled. "When I get out of here-"
"Precisely Rogue." He said, walking around the bed towards the door. "When you get out of here." She could hear him laughing all the way down the hallway. "Idiot." She muttered and then saw Peter. "Colossus. You couldn't help an old friend out could you?" He starred at her, scandalized. "Yeah," she said turning slightly red. "Sorry about-erm-kicking you. I was actually aiming for the Professor." He cocked an eyebrow at her and walked out of the room.
"Fine." She shouted after him. "Be an ass." She starred at the door for a long time, not wanting to believe he was left alone in the room with Bobby. "I can't believe I'm gonna say this." She muttered turning to him. "Bobby. Could you please remove your ice from me so I can at least sit up?" He smiled and walked round the bed. "Of coarse I can." She beamed at him. Maybe he wasn't such an asshole after all. "But I want to get a few things straightened up before hand." Or maybe he was just a dick.
"Please don't get up." He said closing the door and pulling a chair over. "There are quite a few things a want to clear up and it might take a while. I want you to be ass comfortable as possible." He smiled at her and started. "Right, first of all. Remember that time you told me that I had stubby fingers-" "Bobby." Rogue said her voice low and dangerous. "Don't worry Rogue, this won't take long.
Actually it took two hours and twenty minutes. A very long time for a very agitated young woman, hearing about how she was hurtful and shouldn't have called his little man small. A very, very long time.