Learning To Live Again
Revised Edition Chapter 2, "Unknown Evil"




"Rogue?!" Gambit was up and ready to do whatever he was told to do to help his Rogue. Storm, Beast and Logan where there in a moment as well. "Remy? Ah...owwwww...." she grimaced, holding her stomach. "Get her to the med lab NOW" Beast ordered, and Gambit didn't even bother to nod before he had picked her up and headed downstairs.




"So what's wrong with her Hank?" Cyclops asked.
"Well...from the look of it, the blast hurt Rogue more than we originally thought. Something is causing the acid in her stomach to act up. I'm guessing whatever she's had since she left here this afternoon didn't help..." He sighed. "But for it to be so acidic is highly unusual..."
"Would my healing factor help the kid?" Logan asked.
"I'm supposing it might, but something has caused an overall change in her body...I'm guessing the blast...and until I find a way to reverse the effects, anything would only slow the acid down."
The X-men, mainly Jean, noticed Joseph's look of confusion as Beast stopped speaking. "But... My blast wouldn't do that. I control magnetism, not that sort of thing. Not to mention that it wasn't strong enough to do anything but knock her out temporarily...which it did. So something else has to be wrong...or was already wrong when I hit her."
"Why do you say that?" Hank asked in curiousity as a blue furry eyebrow raised. Any other comments were cut off by a distinctive Southern drawl behind them.
"Hank?" Rogue's voice was weak, but loud enough for them to hear her for the most part. Hank walked over to her.
"Yes Rogue?"
"Ah...Ah think maybe Ah know what's causin' it. Ah know Ah ain't no rocket scientist or nothin, but...Ya know when ya had that Genoshan collar on me?"
"Yes?"
"Ah kinda felt weird. Ah was thinkin it was th' meds ya gave me, but it didn't go 'way..."
"Why didn't ya say somethin' sooner Roguey?" Gambit moved towards her, unable to hide the concern in his eyes.
"Like Ah said...Ah thought it was th' medication." She sighed, and lowered her gaze. "Guess Ah was wrong..."
Hank stood there for a minute, his blue face furrowed in concentration as he thought about the situtation. "It is possible someone or something tampered with the collar, but the question is how? The collar's radiation wouldn't have such an effect on its own."
"But who or what could do it?" Bobby asked, not liking that one of his best friends was hurting.
Gambit's eyes narrowed. "I got a good guess..."