Disclaimer: Not mine, still! Although I have learned that crying will not get me any closer to it. Next attempt, prayer.
Author's note: It shocked me today when I looked at the word document to this fan fiction and found it to be 100 pages long... We're at roughly page 86 of what I have written. Let's just say, this is going to be a long one. I'm hoping that this chapter is at LEAST the half way point. Really, really, hoping. I want to finish this so I can work on the sequal... and maybe even a pre-qual. We'll see.
Chapter 25
Kurt was amazed; the onetime attic of the mansion had been transformed into a jungle paradise. It was warm and moist, holding plants that he had never dreamed of before. His reason for being there was momentarily forgotten as he walked along, looking at the plants, inhaling the mixing fragrances and feeling a peace in the small sanctuary that he only ever had in church.
"Ororo made it," a quiet voice said from behind him, "When she first arrived. It helped her not to be so homesick for her native African skies."
Kurt turned in the dim light to where Moira stood, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, looking at him. "It is beautiful."
"It's closed off from the students, in case the plants get destroyed. But I've always found comfort here. It's a world within itself."
He stepped closer to her, "And you need comfort Fräulein?"
She sighed as she moved to a bench situated directly under a skylight. Above her the moon, strong and silent, watched from its place in the cloudless sky. "Don't we all?"
He teleported beside her, smiling apologetically when she jumped. "Sorry. Is there anything that I can help you with? I know something about seeking comfort, and forgiveness."
She studied him a moment, "Ororo told me about you, about your faith and how strong it is."
"Do you not have faith?"
"I did, when I was younger. And then I did again when I had David. But more than I had faith in a God, did I have faith in myself."
"And now that is gone?"
She looked down, "I'm a doctor Mr. Wagner. I dedicated my life to helping mutants, and here I am now, risking the life of a mutant, one who has willingly put her life into my hands, for my own reasons."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Rogue has survived thus far, and I have faith that she will survive further still. If she did not feel the same about the necessity of what was asked of her, then I feel that she would not do it. Take heart in that Doctor. It is her own will that makes her follow this path, just as your will is guiding you both. You are stronger and wiser than you feel yourself to be at this moment."
"I'm changing the very DNA of mutants; I've made two very near fatal mistakes so far. What if I make another?"
"Then you will only continue to prove that you are human. That is what makes you who you are, and who we need you to be."
Inhaling deeply she reached out a quivering hand, and grasped his, "Is that enough?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand in his own, "It has to be, or else, there would be no point, no plan."
"And there is?"
"Always."
"Good."
--
Gambit looked from Storm to the door when he felt anger from outside the door, coming
closer, fast. He looked to Kitty, "You better do it quickly Petite, we won't be alone for long."
Nodding, now hearing the nearing footsteps, Kitty stood, and leapt into the consul.
Sparks met the guards as they entered the room at the same time as the automated gas and defenses came to life.
Storm and Gambit quickly followed suit. In the same moment that Gambit released his first round of charged cards, lightning hit the first of the wall mounted guns and a wind took care of the worse of the deadly gas.
For her part, Kitty swam through the consul, deep into the circuits, trying to ignore the sparking around her, reminding herself that as long as she stayed intangible, there really was nothing to fear from the flying voltage. Now, there was only the problem of breathing.
She would have gasped, had she the ability to hold the air, when she noticed something, far too late, as she swam through it… the automatic controls for the defenses.
"Oh no…"
--
Storm look to the door where yet more guards were coming in. Gambit had abandoned his powers in favour of a hand-to-hand battle. Despite the odds, he seemed to be holding his own, at least for the moment. Satisfied she once again turned her attention to the defenses that followed her everywhere she tried to fly. Probably set to track mutant DNA she mused after noticing that none of the guards seemed to fear the shifting armory in the walls. While trying to keep up the wind to clear the almond tasting air, she struck out in all directions, lightning hitting the walls, getting lucky as three wall mounts exploded, the guns smoldering.
She didn't have time to relax, however, when she saw Kitty exit the consul, panting. "Storm," she yelled, "I accidently phased through the defense controls, they're not going to stop, not until we do."
Nodding she landed, and instantly, her winds shifted. "Gambit," she yelled, "Hold onto something."
Waiting just a second for him to comply, she sent the full force of her wind towards the guards, sending the unlucky souls into the hall. Then, before the remaining guns could re-aim and the guards could regroup, Kitty grabbed onto both of them and phased them through the floor.
--
Bobby was surprised to find Scott in the med lab, surprised more by the sight of him laughing with Emma and Hank; talking about old times. He looked embarrassed when they saw him.
"Bobby," Scott greeted, "What is it?"
He swallowed hard, remembering what had brought him searching for their leader in the first place, "You better come and see this." He then turned and led the way along the cold hallways, his pace rushed, leading those behind him to fear the worse. "They've been like this for almost an hour." He explained leading them into the Danger room's control center, where Moira, Peter, Kurt and Warren were all standing, watching through the window.
Warren was the first to turn to the newcomers. When he did, he looked almost white, "It's disgusting."
"The rate of healing is astonishing," Moira commented as Scott stepped beside her.
Looking down Scott's jaw dropped at the scene before him, and from his side Hank too saw what had absorbed the attentions of the group so entirely, "Oh my Stars and garters."
Three stories below, on the cold metallic floor of the danger room, no simulation was playing. Rather there were only two individuals, surrounded by music and blood and pieces of flesh, having the time of their lives, tearing, with matching sets of claws, each others to pieces.
"She's absorbed him too many times," Scott mumbled, unable, like the rest of them, to look away.
--
"Our audience is growing," Logan called as he dodged Rogue's attack.
He had to admit, that despite the training that came naturally to him, Rogue was doing pretty good. In fact, he hadn't had that kind of fun since Sabertooth or Deathstrike. There was something about sharing the strengths of your opposition that really pushed your limits, and kept you on your toes. And it looked as though, once she had gotten used to the sting of injury and healing factor, Rogue was having just as much fun too.
"Then we better give them a good show," she called as she charged. Her invulnerability and strength seemed to make up at least a little bit for her lack of fighting experience, and she thought that she was getting more agile than she ever was before. Maybe, she thought as she brought invulnerable bone claws up in defense against unbreakable metal ones, I picked something useful up from Remy. If only she had mastered flying, then she felt that she could really give Logan a run for his money.
She almost laughed as she got her claws past his defenses and into his right shoulder up to her fist. "I've wanted to pay you back for that so badly," she said, using her leg against his as leverage to pull her blood covered claws free.
He dropped to his knees for a minute, overcome by the pain. She had clipped an artery. That would take a moment to heal. Jesus, he thought as dizziness surrounded him despite the feel of his healing factor kicking in, this sucks...
--
Gambit quivered as they became tangible once again on the other side of the building. He inhaled deeply looking around the dark alley way.
Kitty, breathing hard beside him, smiled at his obvious discomfort, "You okay?"
"Oui Petite, mais Gambit never want to do that again."
Storm looked over her shoulder, "Did the data survive the phasing?"
Kitty nodded, "I sent it straight to the X-Jet memory banks, destroyed the transporter with the phase."
"Good job, let's get out of here." They followed her lead and rushed towards the waiting jet. It was only once it was again in the air did any of them sigh in relief. Storm then looked at Kitty, "Go and check what we got."
"Right," the teenager said, vacating the co-pilot's seat, smiling to Remy as he moved to take her place.
Storm smiled as he started to shuffle a deck of cards, "You handled yourself better than I would have expected."
He shared her smile, "You too Stormy, pretty good for an X-Man."
"You know, I don't know what Scott has said to you, and I don't know why you're fighting with us, but there is a place for you with us, after this is over. You could have a home here."
He shook his head, focusing on his cards, "Some people ain't meant to play well with others."
She laughed, "I heard something similar from Wolverine, and look at him now."
"From the word on campus, he kept coming back because of Jean. What's keeping him here now Stormy?"
She shot him a look, not liking the implications held within his tone, "I've also heard word on campus Gambit, and I thought you had found a similar reason to stay on here."
"Rogue?"
"Rogue."
Sighing he looked out the window. A long moment passed before he again spoke. "Have you ever found yourself one day looking at where you were the day before and find yourself living a completely different life?"
"The day I left Africa to join the X-Men. The first day I took a life, the first day I realized that I was in love, the day after my parents died. Life is full of those moments Gambit, they're called turning points; and they're what make life worth living."
"All the files are here and they're being organized as we speak." Kitty called from where she sat behind them, "There is more here than we ever dreamed, but there have been no signs so far that the database had doubles. I think we did good."
"I'm glad." Storm simply told them, "We're coming to the mansion, Kitty, radio in; get them to prep for landing."
The youth nodded and after a moment she turned her head towards the cockpit, "The hanger is prepped; but I had to do it manually. No one is answering my pages."
"Let's hope that there is no trouble; and if there is," Storm said, hoping that Onslaught had not come after them, "Let us hope that we are not too late."
--
Next up: a medical emergency, 2 face-offs and realization of just what they're up against.