Summary: A new mutant arrives at the Academy an decides to help Rogue with her isolation from her powers. (Chapter 3)
Disclaimer: I guess I should say this again, just in case someone didn't hear. I DO NOT OWN XMEN:EVOLUTION! There, I think everyone heard me. BUT I DO OWN JORDAN/RENEGADE! Okay, that's everything, now, on to the story.
Note: '...' is thinking and italics is telepathic communications.
Reviews: Thank you to those who reviewed! This is amazing, this story had as many reviews as my other highest story, and that's been up for over three months!
Tenpi Shojo: Yeah, I do have a favor to ask. But you were offline. And thanks! I wrote some romance and action in. More action will come once I think some more.
Post: I agree with you on that. I have an idea for her possible evolution, well, a slight advancement.
Bluefirez: Lol. You'll find out soon enough. Sooner, if I cant think of a major bad person to use...
SR: Thanks! I was hoping some would suport it once I began using that pairing!
Lucky439: I liked the name too. Well, thanks, I hope you come up with some ideas!
Finding Out If Things Work
"Ah can't believe Ah actually passed that quiz!" Rogue exclaimed, walking back to the institute with Jordan after school. "Thanks for helping, Jordan."
"No problem," Jordan replied. 'But actually, there is' he thought to himself. 'The idea I had for helping Rogue might actually keep her from using her power at all. If I can think of a way around that problem, Rogue could touch people again and use her powers.'
"Hey Rogue," Jordan started.
"Yeah?"
"If you could, say, touch people again, but you would lose your powers, would you do it?" he asked.
Rogue looked thoughtful for a moment. She glanced at Jordan, an inner battle raging inside.
"Ah really don't know," she finally answered. "Mah powers are as much a part of me now as everything else. Ah don't think Ah could give them up, even to be able to touch someone."
"Yes, I see your point," Jordan stated. 'Should I bring it up now? Or should I wait? Dang it! I'm just not sure! Okay, ask her now, before you lose whatever nerve you have.'
"Hey, ummm... Rogue."
"What is it this time, Jordan?" Rogue asked, joking around. "More questions?"
"Actually, yeah," Jordan replied. Summing up his courage, he asked, "Would you like to go out somehwere tonight?"
Rogue's smile faded. She looked slightly shocked.
"Wha... wha... wha? What did you say?" She stuttered.
"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go somewher tonight. You know, go to eat somewhere, then whatever," Jordan explained.
"I uh.... don't know. Let me think about it," Rogue replied.
"Sure, no hurry. Take your time," Jordan said. "Come on, better get back to the Institute."
Rogue nodded and the two continued walking, the conversation continuing, the tension set aside.
Rogue finished her homework and set it aside. Laying back, her mind drifted back to what Jordan had said.
'Ah can't believe he asked me out!' Rogue thought to herself. 'What should I say? Well, of course I could be a big jerk and be mean to him. Or I could just say yes. Okay, I can do that. Maybe I'll figure out how I feel toward him tonight...'
Rogue walked into the hall and toward Jordan's room. She hesitated a moment before knocking on the door.
"Come in!"
Rogue opened the door and saw Jordan quickly write something down in a notepad before closing it. He looked triumphant.
"What? Do you know what I'm going to say?" Rogue asked, thinking that Jordan somehow knew her answer.
"Huh? About what? I just figured out something I've been working on," Jordan replied. "What did you want?"
"Oh, Ah came to say Ah'd go with ya tonight," Rogue answered. "It's much better than hanging around here."
"Thanks, Rogue."
"So, where do you want to go?" Jordan asked a little while later. Jordan had visited the Professor to tell him what was going on, and to talk to him about an idea. Then they had just left the Institute. Of course, they had only told the Professor what they were doing. They didn't want some of the other students poking jokes at them for "going out on a date," when they were only going as friends. So far.
"How about this one place I saw?" Rogue answered.
"And that would be?" Jordan lead.
"Ah can't remember the name," Rogue replied. "It serves almost every kind of food. And it isn't that expensive."
"Sounds good to me," Jordan replied. "You paying?"
"What?" Rogue exclaimed.
"Just kidding," Jordan said, laughing. "I'll pay, no problem."
"Ya better," Rogue responded, also laughing. "Come on, it's this way."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the restaraunt. It did actually serve almost every type of food. Jordan sat down with a plate of chinese general taoi chicken, several egg rolls and some fried rice. Rogue set down her plate of a cajun food Jordan didn't recognize.
"So, what do we want to talk about?" Jordan began.
"Ah really don't know," Rogue replied. "Ah've never been on a date of any sort."
"Neither have I," Jordan stated. "So, like I said, 'what do we want to talk about?'"
Rogue laughed at the small joke, then began eating. Jordan followed suit. They didn't talk until after they had finished eating, both of them being hungry.
They paid for their meal and left, deciding to just walk back to the Institute as they talked. They took the longer way, as the restaraunt was only a few blocks from the school for the gifted.
"Hey, ummm... Rogue, can I ask a question?" Jordan asked as they passed an alleyway.
"Sure."
"I mean, just don't get angry or anything when I ask, okay?"
"Alright, I won't get angry," Rogue replied. 'I think I know what he's going to ask. But the question is... what will be my answer?'
"Okay, Then... Rogue, do you li-"
"Come here you!"
"Wha-? Hey!"
Jordan was interrupted as he was tackled by a charging Blob, who was soon followed by three others of his group. Blob picked up Jordan by his feet before he could react.
"You're coming wit' us, yo," Toad stated, hopping up next to the Blob, looking up at the hanging mutant. "Mystique wants to talk to you."
"Hey,where'sRogue?" Quicksilver asked, running around quickly, looking for the gothic girl. "Hey!Theresheis!HeyFred!Lookout!"
Fred dropped Jordan and turned around, and collapsed a moment later, his power and memories drained by Rogue. Jordan landed in a handstand then propeled himself next to his rescuer, landing on his feet."
"Oh, really?" He asked. "The Ultimate Schitzophrenic wants to talk to me?"
"Get him!" Avalanche ordered. Quicksilver charged head on while Toad leaped onto a nearby telephone pole, preparing for a better assault.
Jordan ran over to toward the telephone pole at a dead run. Enhancing his skull, neck, and backbone with reinforced steel, he rammed the pole, bending it and sending Toad flying. Turning around, Jordan ran back toward Rogue was, knowing Toad was temporarily out of the fight, if only for a moment. Avalanche sent a wave of concrete toward the metal mutant. Jordan responded by creating a strong layer of metal around him and diving into the wave. He broke through the other side and hurled himself at Lance. After a few quick punches, Avalanche was out of the fight. Toad got back up from his fall a short distance away and jumped toward Rogue, who was doing her best to dodge the speed demon attacking her.
"Thanks Toad, just what Ah needed!" Rogue exclaimed, jumping to meet the mutant in mid-air.
"Huh? What the?" Todd yelled as he impacted with Rogue. He fell to the ground, landing on Blob. Rogue landed in a toad-like fashion before springing back up into the air, using Fred's strength and Todd's jumping ability. She landed on top of a nearby building, stopping to think for a moment. Quicksilver, momentarily still to watch what Rogue had meant when she jumped at Toad, suddenly found himself picked up and thrown in Rogue's direction. She jumped by him, absorbing his abilities before catching him and falling to the ground.
"Well," she said as she layed him on the ground next to the others. "This has been quite a night."
"Yes, it has," Jordan replied. "But we'd better get moving. I think I hear sirens coming. Someone must have seen the battle."
Sure enough, the sound of police cars could be heard, becoming louder with each moment.
"Ah agree, let's move."
The two ran into the alley the attackers had come from, Rogue picking up Jordan to jump them both to top of a three-story building to escape. They ran off toward the Institute, jumping over the gaps between the buildings until they went a safe distance. Back on the ground, they continued walking.
"Why would Mystique want to talk to me, anyway?"Jordan asked, listening to the sirens in the distance fade as they walked away. "I'm already with you guys, right?"
"Ah'm not sure," Rogue answered. "They usually just gave up after one of them joined us. Except Scott. They tricked him into joining them when we were on Asteroid M. They told him they were working to protect mutants without harming the humans."
"Hmmm... well, it's something to assk the Professor when we get back," Jordan stated. They walked for a few moments in silence, each to their own thoughts, which just happened to be each other.
'Now I know I love her' Jordan thought. 'But how does she feel about me? I don't want to ask and insult her. But I want to know!'
'What does Jordan mean to me?' Rogue thought. 'Is he just a friend? Do Ah like him? Or is it something else?'
'Well, I might as well give her the "gift" I thought up' Jordan decided.
"Rogue?" he began.
She didn't answer.
"Rogue?" Jordan repeated. "Hello?"
"Oh, huh? What?" Rogue responded, snapping out of her thoughts.
"I just thoguht I'd give you a gift," Jordan answered.
"What is it?" Rogue asked, surprised for the second time that day.
"I don't know if I'd call it an "it"," Jordan replied. "It's more like an option."
"Okay, so what is this "option"?" Rogue asked.
"I was talking with Professor Xavier," Jordan explained. "And he allowed me to work on an idea to help control your power. Because your power involves memory and mutant abilities, we decided it was centered on the brainwaves of you and the other person. So, we searched for a metal known to block mental abilities, probes, and hide thoughts. We found it, then discovered that you probably wouldn't be able to use your power at all. We were stuck, but then I thought about what you told me about your past. You said your guardian told you that you had a skin condition that would affect others if and when you touched them. So, your power was activated by you subconsciously when you were first touched. Then, it was so imbeded in you that it continued to be subconscious."
"What do ya mean?" Rogue asked, looking slightly confused.
"It means that, everytime you touch someone, you subconsciously activate your power, because you think it will happen no matter what you do. So, we can put just enough metal to block subconscious commands from working," Jordan explained. "In short, you'll have to conscioucly think to absorb someone's power."
"Wow," Rogue said, amazed. "That's a lot of technical stuff, huh? So Ah'll be able to control mah power?"
"If everything we assumed is correct, is correct," Jordan stated. "You can decide to try doing this. We can reverse it if it doesn't work."
Rogue thought for a moment before asking, "How will we put this metal in mah body?"
Jordan sighed slightly. "You'll have to absorb a small portion of my powers and create the metal under your skin. We can do it sections at a time, so you don't get tired out from the concentration."
Rogue sat down on the nearby fountain in the Xavier Institute thinking. They had walked onto the ground during Jordan's explanation.
"Is this alright with you?" she finally asked.
"Of course," Jordan answered. "It'll help you, so that's it."
Rogue sighed.
"Okay, so how do Ah create this metal layer thing?" Rogue asked. Jordan smiled and explained all the details. Jorda told Rogue how he learned how to make the metlas through studying them, and how this metal hadn't taken that long. Something like adamantium, however, would take quite a while.
"So, that's it, just try it now," Jordan said.
Rogue nodded and reached out, touching Jordan's hand with her's. After a short shock, they seperated.
"Okay, do it fast, before you lose it," Jordan said, slighlty dizzy. He sat down as Rogue concentrated. A moment later, Rogue opened her eyes back up and looked at Jordan, who had fully recovered from the short loss of power.
"I think it worked," Rogue stated.
"Only one way to try it," Jordan replied, holding out his hand again.
Rogue nodded and touched Jordan's hand again.
Nothing happened.
"Okay, don't be happy yet," Jordan said. "We still have to see if you can use your power."
Rogue nodded. She touched Jordan's hand again and thought of draining Jordan's strnegth and memory.
"Yikes!" Jordan exclaimed, almost falling over. "Okay, I think it worked."
"Yeah," Rogue replied, overwhelmed by her new strength over her power.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Jordan asked.
Rogue's reply was quick and to the point.
She kissed Jordan on the lips, then ran into the Institute.
"Wow, what an answer," Jordan said aloud to himself. "Guess she likes me too."
Like it? Was that explanation too technical or something? I actually thought of all that stuff to explain why it would work. I just had to explain it, otherwise it'd turn into one of those things where the explanation's just "it works." Anyway, please R&R! This story's not over yet! I have an idea for the next chapter or two. Oh, and when I mentioned Mystique as the Ultimate Schitzophrenic, I hope I didn't insult anyone with that. I didn't mean to, It's just how I think of her. Okay, I'm done blabbing now.