Southern Cooking

25

A Change of Plans

Logan had ran back as fast as he could to the institute. He nearly broke the doors open to get to her. He touched her but for once in her life it didn't work. She could not heal. Charles tried to tell him that she was too weak and to give her a day or two to recuperate. Logan was angry. He wanted to blame Mystique, he wanted to blame Gambit, he wanted to blame Beast, but even he knew pointing fingers would not help. He had found out with Gambit did for her to keep her alive this long and he was thankful.

At present he sat outside. Outside you ask? He wanted to be at her side but he was far too angry to settle himself down. As upset as he was for letting Mystique trick him he was most upset at Rogue. Upset that even when she was about to die she wouldn't let no one help her. He knew that her present condition wasn't her fault that her powers weren't her fault, but once again he found himself utterly useless. And to add insulyty to injury Gambit wasn't so consumed in his anger that he couldn't help her for he as the one in there comforting her when it should had been him.

"Half pint?" Logan had smelled Kitty's scent for nearly three hours now.

"Are you like ok ?" Kitty timidly asked him at a safe distance away from his claws. Logan could smell the fear rippling off of her. It wasn't like she didn't have a reason. He even attacked the Professor after he found out that he couldn't help Rogue so it was smart of her to keep her guard up.

"Im fine kid. Get some rest."

"No I can't leave Kurt and you alone not to like mention everyone else. By the way who's Deathstrike?"

"An X-girlfriend." He growled causing her to run back to the others. Then he smelled Gumbo.

"I thought I'd take a break," he mentioned pulling out his pack of cigarettes, "Why don't ya go in there an see her an don't break anything."

OUTSIDE

"Hey Payton I need a favor." He asked his friend over the phone while tossing his unused cancer sticks to the ground.

"Oh now you want my help."

"This is serious," he said plunging into the story of how Rogue had gotten injured.

"I cant believe your country ass did not see fit to tell me sooner!"

"Look I need ya help I thank I know who's behind all this and you'd be te one person tat no one'll see comin."

"What do you need?"

"I figure Mags wanted ta stop me seein Rogue by permanently dealin wit te problem. It only makes since tat it could be him. Sure tis Deathstrike chick may had wanted revenge, but how did she get past all of us ta find out not only te day we were leavin, but also which chopper e were takin, and by what time we'd be arriving in Egypt."

"Makes since."

"Also, coincidentally te one person who could had smelled her out so happinly didn't make it on te plane. Now tat I thank bout it Mags could had did a better job. He shoulda known tat using Mystique as a diversion for Logan would only lead people ta question him."

"So … how do I fit into all this?"

"Deathstrike's gonna come back an your gonna stop her."

"By what cross dressing as Logan?"

"Im quite sure ya can be … creative when te time calls for it. Ya can hide out in te beach caves under te mansion. If she sniffs ya out I bet she'd jus mistake you as another student here."

"Oh I see what you're doing. If I keep her out of the loop than if Magneto wants Rogue dead he has to do it himself. I assume she's being guarded."

"By Logan no less."

"Logan?"

"He's made of metal an Magneto can manipulate metal."

"Gotcha, so should I come over now."

"Now would be good see te way I think it it'll take her from now bout three hours ta get here. When she does your job'll be to distract her. All te fire will draw everyone outside except for Logan an Mags of course. I also will keep watch with a few choice others."

"I'll be there."

"Thanks."

Gambit looked down at his watch as he talked to her. He knew the trip from Egypt would be about thirteen hours at best which left him little time to put the rest of his plan together. He hated to leave Rogue, but if he didn't there was a chance that he'd never see her eyes open again. Besides he had already asked Peter to cover for him so that no one would find his disappearance strange.

Logan

He had held onto her bare hand for about an hour now. Its result being the same as it was the first time he tried. He hated the cold feel of her soft pale hands. He wished he could do something to help but it was just so hard to see past his own grief. He knew he had to but he couldn't. He knew if she died today that he sure as hell would make sure she wasn't the only one dead by the sunset.

Finally lifting his eyes he saw Kurt asleep on a chair and Kitty leaning against the wall half asleep. Beast and Magneto were talking in detail about her diagnoses. But he could not hear them. All he heard was the monitor since he had a funny feeling that that would be the last noise he ever heard from Rogue again.

Payton

She did as as instructed landing inside one of the empty caverns. She thought walking around in a blaze of fire might be a dead giveaway so she climbed up from there and scouted the premises. It was funny how she could walk right pass students and they didn't recognize that she didn't belong. It was nearly three in the morning and everyone looked exhausted. Half laden eyed X-Men were outside on guard duty which made her shake her head side to side.

She decided not to talk to them. Instead she focused on any weak points an intruder might enter through. There were tons of trees so all one had to do was hop from one to another. The front gate could be hopped over, but other than that it didn't have any cracks or parts here one could climb over. The main problem she noticed was that the mansion was simply a big area and if she could walk around undetected so could this Deathstrike person.

"This might be harder than I thought." She huffed slightly comforted by the fact that she knew the assailants target.

Magneto

Eric was pissed as he talked to Beast with a stoic mask. How could Ikokoru not complete her task! It was simple. He even handed her target over to her. His plan was fools proof. It even made Mystique and Ikokoru look like the bad guys so he was not to blame. He left Beast after a while to be left alone with his thoughts when his phone rang.

"You failed."

"I do not fail! I stabbed her lethally; the wound that I inflicted on her would have caused anyone to bleed to death."

"Lethal or not she is still alive and you have a job to finish."

"And so it shall be. Tell me where the girl is."

"She is at the mansion I mentioned to you in the med bay."

"Good, I was going to pay a visit to Logan anyway. I shall see you soon."

"I trust you remember Ikokoru that once you are here we do not know each other."

"Typical male always willing to get his hands dirty, but never willing to pay for his actions."

"The job needs to be finished a soon as possible. By Beast's estimates she shall be well enough to absorb Logan's healing powers within a few hours."

"That will be more than enough time. Good bye."

Rogue

The Professor pulled her up and disappeared. The infinite black path was gone, divided into thick walls, into a maze. The eclipsed sun still reined high above her left side with a little more sun peaking out of its right half. Then she heard him.

"Rogue!"

He called her name like an invisible rope to guide her through the labyrinth. As she went she saw people whom she faintly recognized either laying curled in a ball or breathing hard against the wall. Most of them were starting to fade into the walls of the maze too weak to fight back and free their selves. Others were ghost breezing through the paths whispering to softly for her to hear to themselves.

"Rogue!"

She heard Remy's voice again and kept going turning right, left, frontwards, backwards, diagonally, upwards, downwards, and any other direction you can think of. It was quickly frustrating. It seemed that the maze was meant to trap her here. Every which way she turned was another path or fading person.

Eventually his voice faded till she heard nothing. Her guide lost she continued on her own before taking a break. As she caught her breath a ghost like figure came to her.

"Who are ya?"

"That does not matter now."

"What doesn't matter?"

"You are not supposed to be here. The middleverse is not for one such as you."

"Such as me." Rogue asked the ghost. As she sat still Rogue saw her long curly hair and on her dress were various graphics.

There was silence. The ghost didn't answer at first then turned to Rogue quickly, "The middleverse is for memories such as myself and parts of the minds that you have trapped here."

"Wat ya talkin? I aint trap anyone."

"Those who looks whole, those who start to fade, are miniscule pieces of the person you took them from. They are weak when you are weak and strong when you are strong."

"So tis is a world of my doin?"

She nodded, "But this is the time that if anyone wanted to poses your body then they can."

"Poses me?"

"You will be stuck here until your bodies dying day as is the fate of all of us. I am just a memory. You may forever forget me and I would vanish, but the faders will not go. Even when you cannot use their power they will still torment you."

"It's not like I did all tis on purpose." She motioned to the high ceilings and her.

"In a way you did. You are not learning control. The eclipsed sun is representing the strength of your life. The dark sky means that there is much conflict in your soul. However the Labyrinth is the Fader's doing. Their hatred for you keeping them here manifests. Everyone of their hates, pains, problems, all thrown in one person is a very chaotic world. Since you are weak we are weak. Even I have lost my color and conciseness. You probably do not know who I am?"

"No I … I don't know."

"I suppose me wanting to help you is a characteristic of my other self."

"How come tis damn place want end."

"They block the exit. Outside it waits the red eyed man."

"They?"

"We are all weaker, but many are still strong enough to dethrone you. Be careful." She warned before disappearing.

"Wait! Come back don leave me lone."

"This is a world of your making. Only you and your living friends can free you from your binds." The ghost voice sang before the quietness returned. Rogue had a feeling that she needed to get out of here and fast before they caught up with her.

Ikokoru

She was making her way towards the mansion. She had no qualms about killing those who got in her way. All she knew was that she was deliciously close to hurting Logan the very way he had hurt her. To long his crimes against her had went by unpunished. It was by pure accident that she ran into Gambit at the electronics factory. She had followed him home ready to kill him, but instead she ran into Magneto. Since then the two had been plotting. The girl should had died Ikokoru knew. Curling her lips she was elated at the idea to kill her again this time for real. She could only imagine his heartbreak. The pain he felt would stimulate her far more than sex could, would, and ever will.

Till the day she died she would hold on to the precious memory of today. Quickening her already fast pace the mansion came into view when she smelled … ash? Smoke? She whipped around to be confronted with what appeared to be a floating woman on fire. Deathstrike lunged at her but she just dodged, remaining in the sky. Then Ikokoru was met with a fire blast. Her opponent was untouchable in every since of the word. She could climb the trees, but her enemy could just burn them. The same could be said of the telephone pole.

Ikokoru knew that this was going to be a tough battle. The two had fought for several minutes before Xmen poured into the scene. That gave her the idea. She glanced at all of them judging their experience. She saw one girl who'd dare throw harmless skittle colored fire crackers at her. Yes she was the one that she'd use for a hostage…

xXx ….

Hey guys im trying to get like 100 reviews for this story so type away :] Also my 23 chpt was missing parts and I fixed that so please read it! I know that the chapters are a little mislabeled meaning Chpt.24 is actually 23 sorry for the mishap.

Also will Rogue survive? What the heck was I thinking when I wrote Rogue's portion? Will Gambit take his shirt off? All these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter …. Maybe

Have a good day and yes my 'W' key is still whack