Disclaimer: I've got one word for you...Marvel's.
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Gambit and Andrea had returned from their tour of the city and were coming back to the mansion. They seemed to be having a very interesting conversation when suddenly a very large blue paw grabbed Gambit by the colar and pulled him away. He looked up into Hank's bewildered face.
"Tell me you know where Rogue is," he panted.
"Last I saw of her Henri was in her room. What's all de fuss about?"
Hank dropped him and bounded up the stairs.
"What do you think all tha' was about?"
"No idea chere. You go on t' bed. Gambit'll do some investigatin', non?"
Hank slid to a halt outside Rogue's door and pounded on the wood. He heard someone rustling inside and something inside of him relaxed. He knocked again.
"Ah'm comin'! Gimme a minute will ya? Geez, yoah're gonna bust the door down if ya don' stop!"
A very bleary eyed Rogue opened the door. "Hank? What's the mattah sugah?"
He sighed, "I thought, oh nevermind. I need you to come down to the medbay."
"Sure thing."
"Why didn't you answer the comm?"
"Huh? Oh, Ah fell asleep an' Ah guess Ah didn't hear it."
He gave her a skeptical look and then nodded.
Gambit had followed Dr. McCoy up to Rogue's room and hid in the shadows. From his hiding spot he could see Rogue open the door and hear McCoy's desperate request. After they had rounded the corner, he followed them silently to the medbay. Not even Beast's feral senses could pick him up. They took the elevator and he took the stairs, listening intently for the stops and starts of the wires, it would do him no good to make it there before they did. He waited patiently at the base of the stairs for them to pass. He heard them walk by and opened the door slowly, shadowing them down the hallway and took a position right outside the room.
"Rogue, I want you to see something, look in here."
Sounds of shuffling.
"Okay, that's your blood on the right, this is Donnie's here on the left."
"Kay, what am Ah s'posed t' be seein', Beast?"
"Absolutely nothing my dear, your powers have no effect on her whatsoever."
"We knew that already, Hank. Now why in the blazes did you drag me down here in the middle of the night?"
"Alright, just a moment."
Sounds of clinking glass.
"Here, once again, that's your blood on the right. Now watch what happens when I put a sample of Logan's."
"Oh mah God, that's not s'posed t' happen right?"
"No, quite frankly, that shouldn't happen at all. Normally, the nerve cells of the other person are a bit drained and the blood loses a little oxygen, which is partially why they pass out when you touch them, but your cells should not whither like that or in fact be damaged in any way."
Gambit hissed.
"You hear somethin'?"
Silence.
"Nope, not a thing. I want to run some scans of your brain activity if that's alright with you."
"Sure, it won't hurt will it?"
"No, not at all," Beast chuckled, "it's a bit like lying down in a sunbed. Now if you'll just put this on and lie down over there, and we'll see what your brain has been up to."
After several long moments of what Gambit began to consider eternity, Hank spoke again.
"I'm afraid the news is not good, Rogue."
"What is it?"
"Your last encounter with Logan seems to have caused some minor nerve damage."
"Whaddya mean, Beast?"
"I mean that your last attempt to absorb someone's powers sent an excessive charge to your neural system and damaged some of your nerve cells."
"Is that why Ah passed out?"
"Yes, and I can only assume that Logan passed out due to the feedback, which is fortunate. Had he not absorbed some of the shock, I do not believe you and I would be having this conversation."
Gambit's jaw dropped.
"I'd be...dead?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. You might be in a very severe coma from what I can tell. What is clear is this, you cannot absorb anyone's powers without the risk of harming yourself or them. The least that can happen is what happened two days ago, you and the person in question become unconcious with minor nerve or brain damage, at the very worse, serious brain damage, a coma, or even death."
"But why, Hank?! Why is this happening to me?"
"From what I can gather, now keep in mind this is only a theory, you're mind is overloaded. You have absorbed more memories and abilities than it can hold and it is rejecting them. The pain you've been experiencing is a result of the nerve endings acting in conjunction with the brain to keep you from absorbing anything. Until I can find a way to reverse or slow the process, I'm going to ask you to refrain from any or as much physical contact as possible."
"Ah beg yoah pardon?"
"I'm sorry Rogue, this is the best solution that I can see. However, if you feel the need for company, Donnie is immune and Logan has his healing factor. They are the two safest people to be around right now."
"Fine, but what happens if Ah can't get this stuff outta mah head?"
"I'm not sure yet, I still need to speak to the Professor, but I felt you should be the first to know."
"Thanks. Can Ah go now?"
"Of course, you are probably very tired."
"Yeah."
Gambit heard her footsteps coming nearer and backed into the shadows. He waited until she had past and burst into the medbay.
"I was wondering if that was you, Gambit."
He ignored the comment, "How can you do dat t' her, homme? After everyt'ing she's done and been through?"
Beast sighed, "Believe me, Gambit, that's the last thing I wanted to tell her, but I believe it's safer this way, for everyone."
"She hadn't been able to touch no one wit out gloves since she was a kid , and now you gonna go an' take dat from her too?"
"Gambit, I know you care about her, we all care about her, but this is the best thing for her now, until I can figure out a way to help her more permanantely. What you should be trying to do is show your concern and try to talk to her, make things easier for her. She's going to need help to get through this. Hopefully, with the Professor's help, we can find a way to siphon off some of the excess from her mind and prevent a catastrophe."
He nodded, "Gambit do what he can, as long as you do what you can, non?"
"Agreed."
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I know, I know, I'm a bit sketchy on the medical stuff, but hey, I don't exactly have time to go research stuff right now. I did the best I can. Anyhoo, go review.
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Gambit and Andrea had returned from their tour of the city and were coming back to the mansion. They seemed to be having a very interesting conversation when suddenly a very large blue paw grabbed Gambit by the colar and pulled him away. He looked up into Hank's bewildered face.
"Tell me you know where Rogue is," he panted.
"Last I saw of her Henri was in her room. What's all de fuss about?"
Hank dropped him and bounded up the stairs.
"What do you think all tha' was about?"
"No idea chere. You go on t' bed. Gambit'll do some investigatin', non?"
Hank slid to a halt outside Rogue's door and pounded on the wood. He heard someone rustling inside and something inside of him relaxed. He knocked again.
"Ah'm comin'! Gimme a minute will ya? Geez, yoah're gonna bust the door down if ya don' stop!"
A very bleary eyed Rogue opened the door. "Hank? What's the mattah sugah?"
He sighed, "I thought, oh nevermind. I need you to come down to the medbay."
"Sure thing."
"Why didn't you answer the comm?"
"Huh? Oh, Ah fell asleep an' Ah guess Ah didn't hear it."
He gave her a skeptical look and then nodded.
Gambit had followed Dr. McCoy up to Rogue's room and hid in the shadows. From his hiding spot he could see Rogue open the door and hear McCoy's desperate request. After they had rounded the corner, he followed them silently to the medbay. Not even Beast's feral senses could pick him up. They took the elevator and he took the stairs, listening intently for the stops and starts of the wires, it would do him no good to make it there before they did. He waited patiently at the base of the stairs for them to pass. He heard them walk by and opened the door slowly, shadowing them down the hallway and took a position right outside the room.
"Rogue, I want you to see something, look in here."
Sounds of shuffling.
"Okay, that's your blood on the right, this is Donnie's here on the left."
"Kay, what am Ah s'posed t' be seein', Beast?"
"Absolutely nothing my dear, your powers have no effect on her whatsoever."
"We knew that already, Hank. Now why in the blazes did you drag me down here in the middle of the night?"
"Alright, just a moment."
Sounds of clinking glass.
"Here, once again, that's your blood on the right. Now watch what happens when I put a sample of Logan's."
"Oh mah God, that's not s'posed t' happen right?"
"No, quite frankly, that shouldn't happen at all. Normally, the nerve cells of the other person are a bit drained and the blood loses a little oxygen, which is partially why they pass out when you touch them, but your cells should not whither like that or in fact be damaged in any way."
Gambit hissed.
"You hear somethin'?"
Silence.
"Nope, not a thing. I want to run some scans of your brain activity if that's alright with you."
"Sure, it won't hurt will it?"
"No, not at all," Beast chuckled, "it's a bit like lying down in a sunbed. Now if you'll just put this on and lie down over there, and we'll see what your brain has been up to."
After several long moments of what Gambit began to consider eternity, Hank spoke again.
"I'm afraid the news is not good, Rogue."
"What is it?"
"Your last encounter with Logan seems to have caused some minor nerve damage."
"Whaddya mean, Beast?"
"I mean that your last attempt to absorb someone's powers sent an excessive charge to your neural system and damaged some of your nerve cells."
"Is that why Ah passed out?"
"Yes, and I can only assume that Logan passed out due to the feedback, which is fortunate. Had he not absorbed some of the shock, I do not believe you and I would be having this conversation."
Gambit's jaw dropped.
"I'd be...dead?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. You might be in a very severe coma from what I can tell. What is clear is this, you cannot absorb anyone's powers without the risk of harming yourself or them. The least that can happen is what happened two days ago, you and the person in question become unconcious with minor nerve or brain damage, at the very worse, serious brain damage, a coma, or even death."
"But why, Hank?! Why is this happening to me?"
"From what I can gather, now keep in mind this is only a theory, you're mind is overloaded. You have absorbed more memories and abilities than it can hold and it is rejecting them. The pain you've been experiencing is a result of the nerve endings acting in conjunction with the brain to keep you from absorbing anything. Until I can find a way to reverse or slow the process, I'm going to ask you to refrain from any or as much physical contact as possible."
"Ah beg yoah pardon?"
"I'm sorry Rogue, this is the best solution that I can see. However, if you feel the need for company, Donnie is immune and Logan has his healing factor. They are the two safest people to be around right now."
"Fine, but what happens if Ah can't get this stuff outta mah head?"
"I'm not sure yet, I still need to speak to the Professor, but I felt you should be the first to know."
"Thanks. Can Ah go now?"
"Of course, you are probably very tired."
"Yeah."
Gambit heard her footsteps coming nearer and backed into the shadows. He waited until she had past and burst into the medbay.
"I was wondering if that was you, Gambit."
He ignored the comment, "How can you do dat t' her, homme? After everyt'ing she's done and been through?"
Beast sighed, "Believe me, Gambit, that's the last thing I wanted to tell her, but I believe it's safer this way, for everyone."
"She hadn't been able to touch no one wit out gloves since she was a kid , and now you gonna go an' take dat from her too?"
"Gambit, I know you care about her, we all care about her, but this is the best thing for her now, until I can figure out a way to help her more permanantely. What you should be trying to do is show your concern and try to talk to her, make things easier for her. She's going to need help to get through this. Hopefully, with the Professor's help, we can find a way to siphon off some of the excess from her mind and prevent a catastrophe."
He nodded, "Gambit do what he can, as long as you do what you can, non?"
"Agreed."
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I know, I know, I'm a bit sketchy on the medical stuff, but hey, I don't exactly have time to go research stuff right now. I did the best I can. Anyhoo, go review.