* * *
"Rogue, please try to sit still." Mr. McCoy had fastened a cuff around my upper arm ta take my blood pressure. He hadn't warmed the stethoscope first, and Ah'd jumped when the cold metal touched my skin.
"Sorry," Ah apologized automatically.
He sighed. "It's understandable. You've been through a lot in the past few months, haven't you?"
Ah shrugged. "It's definitely been an adjustment."
"Mmm hmm," he answered, checkin' my pulse.
"Sometimes Ah just feel like Ah need a minute, ya know? When everything's calm so Ah could figure stuff out. Ah feel like there's so much stuff Ah could do after that."
"Lie down," Mr. McCoy said. Ah lay down. "We all feel that way sometimes. It's the human condition. 'When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions.'" His fingers probed my neck.
"Othello?" Ah asked, tryin' ta keep the panic away.
"Hamlet," he answered. "What are they teaching you in school these days?"
"Not so much as before ya left."
"Ah, well, we shall all muddle through eventually, I suppose." Ah could tell what Ah'd said made him happy.
Ah smiled, but it faded when Mr. McCoy took out a needle an' a bottle full o' somethin'. "What's that?" Ah asked, my throat suddenly dry.
"This is just a local anesthetic to numb the area."
"But Ah thought...Ah mean, aren't ya just gonna put me out all the way?"
Mr. McCoy shook his head. "Can't risk it. I'd need another person here at least, just to make sure you were okay."
"Oh. Well. Can Ah turn my head before..."
"You don't have to look," he said kindly.
"Thank you."
Ah felt a prick when th' needle went in, but it didn't take long for the anesthetic ta take effect. When Mr. McCoy set his scalpel on my skin, Ah couldn't feel anythin' more than a dull weight. Then the tuggin' sensation as he slid it across. It was so much like that time in Genosha, with Tam an' Trask standin' over me, cuttin' me. Ah squeezed my eyes shut tighter. There was moisture in my eyelashes an' they clung ta my cheeks. Ah wouldn't cry. Ah wouldn't.
Mr. McCoy made a "hm" noise in the back o' his throat.
"What is it?" Ah gasped.
"Shh," he soothed. "Try not to talk. The metal's one I've never seen before. I'm trying to collect a sample." Ah felt pressure on my neck. Ah heard Mr. McCoy breathin'. "There."
"Cain't ya get it out?" Ah asked, my heart sinkin'.
"It seems to have fused into one solid band. We don't dare risk it. I wonder...you're sure those spikes you told me about weren't there at first?"
"Ah...Ah'm pretty sure."
"Hmm. Let's get you stitched up. I have to give this some thought."
As much as Ah liked an' respected Mr. McCoy, there were times when he'd look at ya as if ya were only some problem ta be solved.
He covered the spot on my neck with a gauze bandage, wrapping it around until Ah felt more like a war victim than a victim o' my own foolishness.
Somewhere above us, Ah could hear an alarm bell ringin'.
"That sounds like our cue," Mr. McCoy said.
The intercom buzzed. "Hank." The Professor.
"Yes, Charles?"
"I think you'd better bring Rogue and come up here as soon as you're finished."
Ah wiped my eyes on my sleeve.
"Sure thing. We're just wrapping up here." Mr. McCoy turned ta me an' smiled. "You heard the man." He gave no sign that he knew Ah was upset, but mebbe he was just bein' kind.
"Yeah," Ah said. "Battalions, right?"
"Right."
Funny thing about the elevators at the Institute, they weren't like the ones in other places. Each one ya took came out in a different spot--the second floor linen closet, the kitchen, out in the gazebo. There was even one that took ya up into the middle o' a fountain way at the back o' the house, right near the woods, for emergencies only. O' course, first Kurt an' then Bobby had a helluva time comin' up with ways ta trick people into that particular elevator. Mr. McCoy an' Ah took the one that came out in the Professor's office.
Ororo was there too, but neither of 'em bothered with a greetin'.
"Kurt is gone," she said.
"We presume he and Mr. LeBeau are together."
Remy, what on earth are ya doin'? Ah thought. Ah doubted that even Lance on his best day could cause so much trouble.
"What did you discover about the necklace?" the Professor asked.
"I'll have to analyze the metal to be sure of a few things, but the most pressing matter is that I can't safely remove it."
The Professor rubbed his temples. "I see."
It was then that Kitty raced through the door. She skidded ta a stop in front o' us. She was breathin' heavily, hair messy, red face; there were grass stains on th' knees o' her jeans, as if she'd slipped several times an' landed hard.
"I...outside...there was..." She took several gulpin' breaths o' air an' continued. "Magneto's coming this way."
The Professor's eyebrows twitched, but otherwise he showed no sign o' emotion. "Are you sure?"
Kitty's face was pure irritation. "Why would I, like, be making this up?"
The Professor looked at Ororo. "I want you to get all the others into the basement, now. Kitty, I want you to help her."
"But..."
"Help her. Please."
"What about Logan?" Ororo asked.
"By now he is sure to be too far away to do any good."
"Yes, but if Kurt and Remy are together, he could track them using the homing signal from Kurt's communicator."
"You're right, of course, Ororo. I don't know how I could've forgotten." The Professor closed his eyes. Th' air in the room got real heavy, charged, like right before an electrical storm. Ah felt the tiny hairs on the back o' my neck prick up. Th' Professor reopened his eyes.
"Logan knows?" Ororo asked. The Professor only nodded.
Kitty caught my eye an' mouthed, "Spooky."
"Come, Kitty. Quickly." Ororo led her outta the room.
"Hank, I want you to perform the necessary tests on that metal."
"But..."
"I will be fine here. I sense that Magnus only wishes to talk."
Mr. McCoy looked dubious, but reentered the elevator without protestin' again. When Ah started ta follow him, the Professor stopped me. "I'd like you to stay, Rogue."
"What can Ah do? Ah'm in no condition ta go up against Magneto."
"No," the Professor agreed, "but I think you might like to hear what Magnus has to say."
Ah went cold all over. Out in th' hall, Ah heard Kitty urgin' people into th' elevator. "No, Amara, don't push Jamie...Now look what you've done! God. Okay. Jamie, try to, like, pull yourself together or we won't all fit." Ah smiled grimly. There was a knock at the front door--poundin' more like since Magneto never did anythin' by halves. A bang as the doors flew open an' his voice in the house. In my house. Ah curled my hands into fists at my sides.
"Come out, Charles! I have business with you."
"Open the door please, Rogue." An' then we were out in th' hall with him. He was flanked on either side by Piotr an' John. Sabretooth an' Mystique were nowhere ta be seen.
"I thought you might be hiding from me, Charles."
"You know me better than that, though you pretend not to," th' Professor said calmly. "I'm not afraid of you, Magnus."
"More's the pity then."
"What do you want?"
"Two of your students have incited an anti-mutant riot and abducted a scientist in my employ."
"Abducted," Ah whispered, tryin' ta make sense of what Magneto was sayin'.
"I know exactly what kind of 'science' Dr. Moreau practices." The Professor's voice was laced with disgust.
"Nevertheless, given our past...association, I thought to give you fair warning. I'm prepared to use any means necessary to free the good doctor."
"An' what happens if they fight back?" Ah asked.
Magneto didn't answer, he just opened his hand an' closed it quickly. Behind me, the doorknob on th' Professor's office door crumpled like it was made outta paper.
* * *
"Zere must be something about diners," Kurt mused when we walked t'rough de door. He had a point. Dere was little difference but de music. "Back in de USSR" was playing on de jukebox.
"Mebbe dis is your chance t' get a nice piece of banana cream pie?" I suggested.
"Maybe I just vant to sit and wait for ze doctor," he said shortly. Wondered if he was still upset 'bout de joke me and John pulled on him.
We didn't have de time t' argue. "Pick us out somewhere nice t' sit. I'll be back." Headed t' de bathroom. I washed my hands and splashed water on my face. Was just drying off when another man came in.
He was broad and tall, filling de space. He had a military-style haircut and a square jaw dat seemed made t' be set in a permanent scowl. He met my eyes briefly in de mirror, den looked away. Turned around, only t' find my nose practically in his chest. He was wearing a small red, white and blue button wit' de letters "FOH" on it. Briefly wondered what dey stood for before I stepped left and right only t' have him mirror my movements.
Laughed. "Dis my first slow dance in awhile, mon ami."
At first I t'ought he was just ignoring me, but den one of his hands snapped out and caught me around de neck. He lifted me into de air so only de tips of my shoes were brushing against de floor. His eyes were a heavy gray and dey gleamed dully. "Fuck you, you fucking mutant," he said distinctly. Was getting hard t' breathe. My lungs rattled for air and my eyes rolled. His breath was hot on my face. "You'll get exactly what's comin' to ya."
He raised me up farther and for a terrifying moment my feet left de ground completely. Den, as slowly as he'd picked me up, de man set me down. My knees collapsed under me. When I raised my head he was gone.
De doctor had arrived by de time I felt steady enough t' leave de bathroom. I squeezed in beside him.
"Vhat took you so long?"
"Not'ing." Rubbed my neck. "Sorry." I was still shaken. Not dat I was naïve 'bout de state of mutant-human relations, but at least in Nawlins everyone knew t' stay away from Jean-Luc's mutant son. How had de man known 'bout me? I wasn't like Kurt or Scott. I didn't carry my difference on de surface. Realized wit' a start dat Kurt had been saying somet'ing.
"I'm not ze best one to ask about zis. I'm sure Remy wants to add something."
"Non. I t'ink you've got it covered," I said hastily.
De man from de bathroom was at de cash register in de front of de diner. He had on his coat t' leave. Could still feel de ghost of his hand around my throat. He saw me and started heading over t' where we were sitting.
Kurt looked confused. "Remy, vhat...?"
"Now's not de time."
De man came at us quicker dan I would have t'ought possible, given his size. I stood t' face him. He reached into an inner pocket in his coat. "Fucking trash!" he screamed. All de conversations going on around us ground to a stop. Everyone was looking. I knew what would happen next. De gun was smaller and uglier dat I t'ought it would be.
"Get down!" I yelled, pulling Moreau under de table. "Putain (fucking hell)." Kurt nimbly rolled across de floor, de image inducer flickered off and his tail snaked out t' trip de man up. Cursing, de man went down heavy. De gun skittered across de floor and hit de far wall wit' a thud.
"Vhat was zat?" Kurt asked me, wide-eyed.
De man struggled t' his feet. "Goddamn muties!" he roared.
Scrambled out from under de table, yanking Moreau along wit' me. "We get de hell out of here now, dat's sure."
"Right." Kurt put one of his hands on each of us. Dere was a lurching sensation and somet'ing dat smelled like ozone. We were suddenly out in de parking lot, den at de side of de building, den out back.
"Stop," I managed weakly. My stomach was jumping. T'ought dat I'd be sick right den.
"Sorry," Kurt said. "Sightline teleportation sometimes does zat."
"Good t'inking," I said, holding my stomach. Felt like I was flying apart.
"Friend of yours?" Kurt asked Moreau darkly.
De doctor had de good sense t' look horrified. "No! I...I've never seen him before." He ran shaking fingers back t'rough his hair.
"You picked zis place. How do we know you're telling ze truth?"
Moreau's eyes narrowed den. "Look, whether or not you believe me, you wanted my help."
"Dat's right. We do." Led dem further away from de diner, out of sight inside a thin line of trees.
"John didn't say what this was all about," Moreau prompted.
"A necklace."
"Necklace?"
"A friend of mine is in bad trouble. She has a necklace dat I've good reason t' believe came from your lab. It...it's stuck under her skin."
Moreau's eyes widened fractionally. "I take it your friend is a mutant as well?" I nodded. "And you want from me...?"
"A way t' remove it."
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
"What?" My hands were balled so tight dey ached.
"If your friend's necklace is the one I'm thinking of, it's a prototype. One of two. I developed them in Genosha, but never got a chance to test either. They were both stolen." He looked at me sharply.
"Wasn't me, mec (man)."
"I have even less reason to trust you than you have to trust me," Moreau pointed out.
"I can vouch for him," Kurt offered. "And you'll just have to take our words." In de silence after he spoke, we could hear shouting from de direction of de diner. Sounded like de man from inside had found some backup. "Or maybe we should just leave you here with zem."
Moreau looked dubious. "You say the necklace is inside your friend's skin?"
"Yeah."
"Interesting. The latent organic properties in the metal must be more dominant than I realized."
"Organic properties?" Kurt gulped.
"Yes. I was able to extract the metal from rocks I discovered in an expedition on Genosha. It seemed to me to be something completely revolutionary."
Tried t' ignore de fact dat de metal most likely been mined and purified wit' mutant slave labor. "And so you and Magneto decided t' do dis..."
"Magneto provided further funding for my research. After Trask's operation failed..."
"Trask was a butcher!" Kurt shouted angrily.
Moreau's shoulders fell. "I suppose there's no arguing with that. But, Magneto..."
"Magneto's crazy. He'd kill de entire human race if it suited his plans. You should find better friends," I said.
De shouting voices came closer. We withdrew further into de shadows. De cover felt transparent.
"Perhaps you should too," Moreau suggested dryly.
"You're coming wit' us."
"What! Why? That wasn't part of the deal!"
"Y' stay wit' us until y' find a way t' remove dat t'ing from my friend's neck."
"Look," Moreau rubbed de bridge of his nose, "I've told you all I know. Without the necklace, I..."
"Dis necklace?" Pulled it out and dangled it in front of Moreau's eyes. I'd slipped it from Rogue's pocket back at de Institute t'inking dat it might come in handy.
"Okay," Moreau agreed. "But I'm going to need a subject."
"Fine," I said.
"Remy! You can't!" Kurt burst out. "Ze Professor wouldn't..."
"I saw something there! Back in the trees!" a voice called. Dere was a dull pounding of feet coming nearer.
"De Professor isn't here. He doesn't understand de situation." I grabbed Kurt and Moreau and pulled dem close.
"Magneto will come after us, you know. He won't let you do this," Moreau said. He sounded tired.
"Let him come." Looked at Kurt. "Get us out of here." De mob burst into de trees. Caught a sketchy impression of angry faces. Dey bled into one, snarling wit' hate, before fading completely.
* * *
Let me just preface this by saying that I'm glad so many of you liked Kitty's rant. Even though I felt like it was something she SHOULD want to get off her chest, I also realized that it was risky because it had the potential to be pretty OOC. It's hard for me to tell if I'm pulling things off or not and I appreciate everyone's feedback.
ishandahalf: Yeah, the Professor's eyebrows are kinda weird, huh? Between that and the baldness I think I'd have difficulties talking to him too. I think if Kitty and Rogue could look past their surface appearances they'd find that they're startlingly alike. But the superficial details are what make them seem so different. I'm happy to help with the swearing. Every German swear word I ever needed to know I learned from watching "Run Lola Run." Seriously. ;-)
Randi: You're probably right about not needing the tag line at the end of the last part. I flip-flopped back and forth about that. Like, I thought maybe it would seem too callous of Remy to just say it without qualifying it since I wanted to convey that he hadn't really been dwelling on the subject, or contemplating it at all really. It was just one of those things that sometimes pops out. Ah, I probably just need an editor, but then I'd have to delay my satisfaction in having another part written. Eh? Sometimes I wish I were busier, but this story definitely hijacks my brain at times and I can't imagine how I'd get anything done but the writing.
samson: Thanks! It's so energizing to me to write this. I feel like the characters and events are just clicking in all the right ways.
Panther Nesmith: I'm flattered that I'd produce anything quote-worthy. Cool beans. I like writing St. John as a kooky loon, but with a more serious side that he doesn't show often (for all you anime-watchers out there I was thinking Vash from "Trigun" only slightly less kooky). You're right about everyone having a different take on him though. The Professor scenes are where I try to work out my own problems with the character (perfect, holier-than-thou, etc.) and, yeah, although I like Evo Scott more than any other Scott, he's still an ass.
Sujakata: Yeah, the boyfriend rattled the depths of my un-romantic soul. Not that I don't appreciate someone who's considerate, just that EVERYTHING shouldn't have to be about love and fate and blah blah blah. I do appreciate ultra-romance every once in a while, sure (hey, I own a copy of "Heathers," and what's more romantic than being Bonnie to somebody's Clyde, I ask you?) And I need my Romy fix since a) Evo's not even airing on my WB affiliate anymore and b) they've completely dropped off the pages of Xtreme. Blah. As for the anti-Xavier, yeah it is kind of, although if you see it drifting into the realm of the Xavier-is-an-evil-Nazi fic please feel free to give me a big ol' virtual smack upside the head.
starlightz6: I'm glad you found the rant surprising but not uncalled for. That's the goal I was trying to reach. I wouldn't give up on Hank's ingenuity just yet and Dr. Moreau's kind of a dark horse in the running now too.
RogueBHS: Wow. Color me impressed, because the series is...sizable. Maybe when this story de-hijacks my brain I'll have some energy for...y'know, READING again. I think the characterizations thing is just practice and dumb luck. Like I didn't start out this little journey with more than a glancing idea about any of the characters. In fact, if you'll believe it, I never meant for it to go on this long. Not that I regret it, just that, originally, "Une Danse Ronde" ended with the destruction of Magneto's house and uncertainty about Remy's future. All that Genosha stuff? Didn't expect to write it at all. Totally ad libbed.
Lucky439: Well, here it was. I couldn't resist doing something with the Friends of Humanity.
Lace123: Honestly? (being a ginormous Billy Corgan fan, I promptly got the Zwan song of the same name stuck in my head) I didn't know Kitty had it in her until I wrote it. Because of the way she talks and acts and dresses I think it's easy to underestimate Kitty. Comic book Kitty is an interesting character, although I think Claremount (*cough*pasthisprime*cough*) has a tendency to Mary Sue her a bit, but I prefer competence to good-natured compliance any day.
Seven Sunningdale: Look at you, all complimentary and reading everything too! Sniff. You guys are so great! I'd be kind of interested to know what the series looks like to someone as a whole. Since I'm, like, the writer and junk and I'm writing it in pieces it's hard to get the entire picture. But dissertation or no, I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself. :- D
Christy S: Thank god! I was afraid that I was being too mean to the Professor. I want to be fair. While I think the concept of Evo is a great one (catch all the x-men before they develop the uber-angst of their later years? Fantastic!) it's also problematic in that they are very young. Maybe too young. Rogue's questions about college are mine as well. I mean, how do you choose between having a career and being a superhero? That makes the Professor's role a bit difficult. He's like those parents who push their children to become ice skaters or gymnasts or whatever. You always have to wonder if, when they're a little older, the kids would make the same choice freely. I agree with you about Rogue and Kurt having a strong friendship. Finding out that they're (adoptive) brother and sister might strengthen that connection a bit, but I think people's affections for each other are kind of independent of family ties.
vagabond: No problem. It's all just encouragement for me to keep going and to keep the momentum up. I appreciate every little bit. Especially now that I've figured out where I want to end up and (pretty much) how I want to get there. [does happy dance]
Niteflight: Hee. You and Flyby are hi-larious. I think that, of all superpowers, mind reading would be the crappiest to have. We may say we want to know what people REALLY think, but we are, alas, big, fat, dirty, rotten, pants-on-fire liars. Now super speed or flying or a supersonic scream or something... Or maybe I just want to be Leeloo from "The Fifth Element." Possibly would wear more clothes though.
Lady MR: I thought it was about time too. All I had to write was the "bullshit" and the rest just flowed from there. Maybe I was just channeling my inner Kitty. Y'know, that girl we all have inside who dresses in pink and...er...nevermind. And the Remy/John scene? Well, that was just plain fun to write.
Bunny Angel: Whew. I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows guys who do that. I was halfway through writing it and I was all, "wait, what if my friends are just weird?" The best thing about my two guy friend who do this is that one's this short, punk kid and the other is this kind of arty looking kid with meticulously spiked hair (he used to dye it pink). They're like the odd couple and it's funny as hell whenever they pretend like they're in love. ;-)
Neurotic Temptress: I can never tell if I'm actually being humorous or not. It's much easier in person because you can always rescue a lame joke with a facial contortion or a pratfall or something. On paper? Not so much. The one thing I'm having difficulty deciding on for the ending I'm working out in my head is the Fate of Gambit. He's got reasons to stay at the Institute and reasons to go. But if he left, where would he go? I can't see him back in New Orleans. Should he stay or should he go? I suppose it sort of depends on how the others treat him when all this is over. But if you've got any ideas...help me Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Flyby Stardancer: FF.net is puzzling in its ways. Some days things appear immediately and some days not so much. And I've promised to do my best to end this happily (by my standards, naturally, which have a tendency toward the bittersweet). I was quite pleased with the ending to "April Witch," so maybe I'll try for something like that. Of course, all this is somewhat arbitrary. Writing just wouldn't be fun if you didn't feel like you were the driver of an out-of-control stagecoach. Like, I've got the reins, for what good that does. I encourage, but I can't dictate.
Whew! Someday, my responses to feedback will actually be longer than the story. Eek.
"Rogue, please try to sit still." Mr. McCoy had fastened a cuff around my upper arm ta take my blood pressure. He hadn't warmed the stethoscope first, and Ah'd jumped when the cold metal touched my skin.
"Sorry," Ah apologized automatically.
He sighed. "It's understandable. You've been through a lot in the past few months, haven't you?"
Ah shrugged. "It's definitely been an adjustment."
"Mmm hmm," he answered, checkin' my pulse.
"Sometimes Ah just feel like Ah need a minute, ya know? When everything's calm so Ah could figure stuff out. Ah feel like there's so much stuff Ah could do after that."
"Lie down," Mr. McCoy said. Ah lay down. "We all feel that way sometimes. It's the human condition. 'When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions.'" His fingers probed my neck.
"Othello?" Ah asked, tryin' ta keep the panic away.
"Hamlet," he answered. "What are they teaching you in school these days?"
"Not so much as before ya left."
"Ah, well, we shall all muddle through eventually, I suppose." Ah could tell what Ah'd said made him happy.
Ah smiled, but it faded when Mr. McCoy took out a needle an' a bottle full o' somethin'. "What's that?" Ah asked, my throat suddenly dry.
"This is just a local anesthetic to numb the area."
"But Ah thought...Ah mean, aren't ya just gonna put me out all the way?"
Mr. McCoy shook his head. "Can't risk it. I'd need another person here at least, just to make sure you were okay."
"Oh. Well. Can Ah turn my head before..."
"You don't have to look," he said kindly.
"Thank you."
Ah felt a prick when th' needle went in, but it didn't take long for the anesthetic ta take effect. When Mr. McCoy set his scalpel on my skin, Ah couldn't feel anythin' more than a dull weight. Then the tuggin' sensation as he slid it across. It was so much like that time in Genosha, with Tam an' Trask standin' over me, cuttin' me. Ah squeezed my eyes shut tighter. There was moisture in my eyelashes an' they clung ta my cheeks. Ah wouldn't cry. Ah wouldn't.
Mr. McCoy made a "hm" noise in the back o' his throat.
"What is it?" Ah gasped.
"Shh," he soothed. "Try not to talk. The metal's one I've never seen before. I'm trying to collect a sample." Ah felt pressure on my neck. Ah heard Mr. McCoy breathin'. "There."
"Cain't ya get it out?" Ah asked, my heart sinkin'.
"It seems to have fused into one solid band. We don't dare risk it. I wonder...you're sure those spikes you told me about weren't there at first?"
"Ah...Ah'm pretty sure."
"Hmm. Let's get you stitched up. I have to give this some thought."
As much as Ah liked an' respected Mr. McCoy, there were times when he'd look at ya as if ya were only some problem ta be solved.
He covered the spot on my neck with a gauze bandage, wrapping it around until Ah felt more like a war victim than a victim o' my own foolishness.
Somewhere above us, Ah could hear an alarm bell ringin'.
"That sounds like our cue," Mr. McCoy said.
The intercom buzzed. "Hank." The Professor.
"Yes, Charles?"
"I think you'd better bring Rogue and come up here as soon as you're finished."
Ah wiped my eyes on my sleeve.
"Sure thing. We're just wrapping up here." Mr. McCoy turned ta me an' smiled. "You heard the man." He gave no sign that he knew Ah was upset, but mebbe he was just bein' kind.
"Yeah," Ah said. "Battalions, right?"
"Right."
Funny thing about the elevators at the Institute, they weren't like the ones in other places. Each one ya took came out in a different spot--the second floor linen closet, the kitchen, out in the gazebo. There was even one that took ya up into the middle o' a fountain way at the back o' the house, right near the woods, for emergencies only. O' course, first Kurt an' then Bobby had a helluva time comin' up with ways ta trick people into that particular elevator. Mr. McCoy an' Ah took the one that came out in the Professor's office.
Ororo was there too, but neither of 'em bothered with a greetin'.
"Kurt is gone," she said.
"We presume he and Mr. LeBeau are together."
Remy, what on earth are ya doin'? Ah thought. Ah doubted that even Lance on his best day could cause so much trouble.
"What did you discover about the necklace?" the Professor asked.
"I'll have to analyze the metal to be sure of a few things, but the most pressing matter is that I can't safely remove it."
The Professor rubbed his temples. "I see."
It was then that Kitty raced through the door. She skidded ta a stop in front o' us. She was breathin' heavily, hair messy, red face; there were grass stains on th' knees o' her jeans, as if she'd slipped several times an' landed hard.
"I...outside...there was..." She took several gulpin' breaths o' air an' continued. "Magneto's coming this way."
The Professor's eyebrows twitched, but otherwise he showed no sign o' emotion. "Are you sure?"
Kitty's face was pure irritation. "Why would I, like, be making this up?"
The Professor looked at Ororo. "I want you to get all the others into the basement, now. Kitty, I want you to help her."
"But..."
"Help her. Please."
"What about Logan?" Ororo asked.
"By now he is sure to be too far away to do any good."
"Yes, but if Kurt and Remy are together, he could track them using the homing signal from Kurt's communicator."
"You're right, of course, Ororo. I don't know how I could've forgotten." The Professor closed his eyes. Th' air in the room got real heavy, charged, like right before an electrical storm. Ah felt the tiny hairs on the back o' my neck prick up. Th' Professor reopened his eyes.
"Logan knows?" Ororo asked. The Professor only nodded.
Kitty caught my eye an' mouthed, "Spooky."
"Come, Kitty. Quickly." Ororo led her outta the room.
"Hank, I want you to perform the necessary tests on that metal."
"But..."
"I will be fine here. I sense that Magnus only wishes to talk."
Mr. McCoy looked dubious, but reentered the elevator without protestin' again. When Ah started ta follow him, the Professor stopped me. "I'd like you to stay, Rogue."
"What can Ah do? Ah'm in no condition ta go up against Magneto."
"No," the Professor agreed, "but I think you might like to hear what Magnus has to say."
Ah went cold all over. Out in th' hall, Ah heard Kitty urgin' people into th' elevator. "No, Amara, don't push Jamie...Now look what you've done! God. Okay. Jamie, try to, like, pull yourself together or we won't all fit." Ah smiled grimly. There was a knock at the front door--poundin' more like since Magneto never did anythin' by halves. A bang as the doors flew open an' his voice in the house. In my house. Ah curled my hands into fists at my sides.
"Come out, Charles! I have business with you."
"Open the door please, Rogue." An' then we were out in th' hall with him. He was flanked on either side by Piotr an' John. Sabretooth an' Mystique were nowhere ta be seen.
"I thought you might be hiding from me, Charles."
"You know me better than that, though you pretend not to," th' Professor said calmly. "I'm not afraid of you, Magnus."
"More's the pity then."
"What do you want?"
"Two of your students have incited an anti-mutant riot and abducted a scientist in my employ."
"Abducted," Ah whispered, tryin' ta make sense of what Magneto was sayin'.
"I know exactly what kind of 'science' Dr. Moreau practices." The Professor's voice was laced with disgust.
"Nevertheless, given our past...association, I thought to give you fair warning. I'm prepared to use any means necessary to free the good doctor."
"An' what happens if they fight back?" Ah asked.
Magneto didn't answer, he just opened his hand an' closed it quickly. Behind me, the doorknob on th' Professor's office door crumpled like it was made outta paper.
* * *
"Zere must be something about diners," Kurt mused when we walked t'rough de door. He had a point. Dere was little difference but de music. "Back in de USSR" was playing on de jukebox.
"Mebbe dis is your chance t' get a nice piece of banana cream pie?" I suggested.
"Maybe I just vant to sit and wait for ze doctor," he said shortly. Wondered if he was still upset 'bout de joke me and John pulled on him.
We didn't have de time t' argue. "Pick us out somewhere nice t' sit. I'll be back." Headed t' de bathroom. I washed my hands and splashed water on my face. Was just drying off when another man came in.
He was broad and tall, filling de space. He had a military-style haircut and a square jaw dat seemed made t' be set in a permanent scowl. He met my eyes briefly in de mirror, den looked away. Turned around, only t' find my nose practically in his chest. He was wearing a small red, white and blue button wit' de letters "FOH" on it. Briefly wondered what dey stood for before I stepped left and right only t' have him mirror my movements.
Laughed. "Dis my first slow dance in awhile, mon ami."
At first I t'ought he was just ignoring me, but den one of his hands snapped out and caught me around de neck. He lifted me into de air so only de tips of my shoes were brushing against de floor. His eyes were a heavy gray and dey gleamed dully. "Fuck you, you fucking mutant," he said distinctly. Was getting hard t' breathe. My lungs rattled for air and my eyes rolled. His breath was hot on my face. "You'll get exactly what's comin' to ya."
He raised me up farther and for a terrifying moment my feet left de ground completely. Den, as slowly as he'd picked me up, de man set me down. My knees collapsed under me. When I raised my head he was gone.
De doctor had arrived by de time I felt steady enough t' leave de bathroom. I squeezed in beside him.
"Vhat took you so long?"
"Not'ing." Rubbed my neck. "Sorry." I was still shaken. Not dat I was naïve 'bout de state of mutant-human relations, but at least in Nawlins everyone knew t' stay away from Jean-Luc's mutant son. How had de man known 'bout me? I wasn't like Kurt or Scott. I didn't carry my difference on de surface. Realized wit' a start dat Kurt had been saying somet'ing.
"I'm not ze best one to ask about zis. I'm sure Remy wants to add something."
"Non. I t'ink you've got it covered," I said hastily.
De man from de bathroom was at de cash register in de front of de diner. He had on his coat t' leave. Could still feel de ghost of his hand around my throat. He saw me and started heading over t' where we were sitting.
Kurt looked confused. "Remy, vhat...?"
"Now's not de time."
De man came at us quicker dan I would have t'ought possible, given his size. I stood t' face him. He reached into an inner pocket in his coat. "Fucking trash!" he screamed. All de conversations going on around us ground to a stop. Everyone was looking. I knew what would happen next. De gun was smaller and uglier dat I t'ought it would be.
"Get down!" I yelled, pulling Moreau under de table. "Putain (fucking hell)." Kurt nimbly rolled across de floor, de image inducer flickered off and his tail snaked out t' trip de man up. Cursing, de man went down heavy. De gun skittered across de floor and hit de far wall wit' a thud.
"Vhat was zat?" Kurt asked me, wide-eyed.
De man struggled t' his feet. "Goddamn muties!" he roared.
Scrambled out from under de table, yanking Moreau along wit' me. "We get de hell out of here now, dat's sure."
"Right." Kurt put one of his hands on each of us. Dere was a lurching sensation and somet'ing dat smelled like ozone. We were suddenly out in de parking lot, den at de side of de building, den out back.
"Stop," I managed weakly. My stomach was jumping. T'ought dat I'd be sick right den.
"Sorry," Kurt said. "Sightline teleportation sometimes does zat."
"Good t'inking," I said, holding my stomach. Felt like I was flying apart.
"Friend of yours?" Kurt asked Moreau darkly.
De doctor had de good sense t' look horrified. "No! I...I've never seen him before." He ran shaking fingers back t'rough his hair.
"You picked zis place. How do we know you're telling ze truth?"
Moreau's eyes narrowed den. "Look, whether or not you believe me, you wanted my help."
"Dat's right. We do." Led dem further away from de diner, out of sight inside a thin line of trees.
"John didn't say what this was all about," Moreau prompted.
"A necklace."
"Necklace?"
"A friend of mine is in bad trouble. She has a necklace dat I've good reason t' believe came from your lab. It...it's stuck under her skin."
Moreau's eyes widened fractionally. "I take it your friend is a mutant as well?" I nodded. "And you want from me...?"
"A way t' remove it."
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
"What?" My hands were balled so tight dey ached.
"If your friend's necklace is the one I'm thinking of, it's a prototype. One of two. I developed them in Genosha, but never got a chance to test either. They were both stolen." He looked at me sharply.
"Wasn't me, mec (man)."
"I have even less reason to trust you than you have to trust me," Moreau pointed out.
"I can vouch for him," Kurt offered. "And you'll just have to take our words." In de silence after he spoke, we could hear shouting from de direction of de diner. Sounded like de man from inside had found some backup. "Or maybe we should just leave you here with zem."
Moreau looked dubious. "You say the necklace is inside your friend's skin?"
"Yeah."
"Interesting. The latent organic properties in the metal must be more dominant than I realized."
"Organic properties?" Kurt gulped.
"Yes. I was able to extract the metal from rocks I discovered in an expedition on Genosha. It seemed to me to be something completely revolutionary."
Tried t' ignore de fact dat de metal most likely been mined and purified wit' mutant slave labor. "And so you and Magneto decided t' do dis..."
"Magneto provided further funding for my research. After Trask's operation failed..."
"Trask was a butcher!" Kurt shouted angrily.
Moreau's shoulders fell. "I suppose there's no arguing with that. But, Magneto..."
"Magneto's crazy. He'd kill de entire human race if it suited his plans. You should find better friends," I said.
De shouting voices came closer. We withdrew further into de shadows. De cover felt transparent.
"Perhaps you should too," Moreau suggested dryly.
"You're coming wit' us."
"What! Why? That wasn't part of the deal!"
"Y' stay wit' us until y' find a way t' remove dat t'ing from my friend's neck."
"Look," Moreau rubbed de bridge of his nose, "I've told you all I know. Without the necklace, I..."
"Dis necklace?" Pulled it out and dangled it in front of Moreau's eyes. I'd slipped it from Rogue's pocket back at de Institute t'inking dat it might come in handy.
"Okay," Moreau agreed. "But I'm going to need a subject."
"Fine," I said.
"Remy! You can't!" Kurt burst out. "Ze Professor wouldn't..."
"I saw something there! Back in the trees!" a voice called. Dere was a dull pounding of feet coming nearer.
"De Professor isn't here. He doesn't understand de situation." I grabbed Kurt and Moreau and pulled dem close.
"Magneto will come after us, you know. He won't let you do this," Moreau said. He sounded tired.
"Let him come." Looked at Kurt. "Get us out of here." De mob burst into de trees. Caught a sketchy impression of angry faces. Dey bled into one, snarling wit' hate, before fading completely.
* * *
Let me just preface this by saying that I'm glad so many of you liked Kitty's rant. Even though I felt like it was something she SHOULD want to get off her chest, I also realized that it was risky because it had the potential to be pretty OOC. It's hard for me to tell if I'm pulling things off or not and I appreciate everyone's feedback.
ishandahalf: Yeah, the Professor's eyebrows are kinda weird, huh? Between that and the baldness I think I'd have difficulties talking to him too. I think if Kitty and Rogue could look past their surface appearances they'd find that they're startlingly alike. But the superficial details are what make them seem so different. I'm happy to help with the swearing. Every German swear word I ever needed to know I learned from watching "Run Lola Run." Seriously. ;-)
Randi: You're probably right about not needing the tag line at the end of the last part. I flip-flopped back and forth about that. Like, I thought maybe it would seem too callous of Remy to just say it without qualifying it since I wanted to convey that he hadn't really been dwelling on the subject, or contemplating it at all really. It was just one of those things that sometimes pops out. Ah, I probably just need an editor, but then I'd have to delay my satisfaction in having another part written. Eh? Sometimes I wish I were busier, but this story definitely hijacks my brain at times and I can't imagine how I'd get anything done but the writing.
samson: Thanks! It's so energizing to me to write this. I feel like the characters and events are just clicking in all the right ways.
Panther Nesmith: I'm flattered that I'd produce anything quote-worthy. Cool beans. I like writing St. John as a kooky loon, but with a more serious side that he doesn't show often (for all you anime-watchers out there I was thinking Vash from "Trigun" only slightly less kooky). You're right about everyone having a different take on him though. The Professor scenes are where I try to work out my own problems with the character (perfect, holier-than-thou, etc.) and, yeah, although I like Evo Scott more than any other Scott, he's still an ass.
Sujakata: Yeah, the boyfriend rattled the depths of my un-romantic soul. Not that I don't appreciate someone who's considerate, just that EVERYTHING shouldn't have to be about love and fate and blah blah blah. I do appreciate ultra-romance every once in a while, sure (hey, I own a copy of "Heathers," and what's more romantic than being Bonnie to somebody's Clyde, I ask you?) And I need my Romy fix since a) Evo's not even airing on my WB affiliate anymore and b) they've completely dropped off the pages of Xtreme. Blah. As for the anti-Xavier, yeah it is kind of, although if you see it drifting into the realm of the Xavier-is-an-evil-Nazi fic please feel free to give me a big ol' virtual smack upside the head.
starlightz6: I'm glad you found the rant surprising but not uncalled for. That's the goal I was trying to reach. I wouldn't give up on Hank's ingenuity just yet and Dr. Moreau's kind of a dark horse in the running now too.
RogueBHS: Wow. Color me impressed, because the series is...sizable. Maybe when this story de-hijacks my brain I'll have some energy for...y'know, READING again. I think the characterizations thing is just practice and dumb luck. Like I didn't start out this little journey with more than a glancing idea about any of the characters. In fact, if you'll believe it, I never meant for it to go on this long. Not that I regret it, just that, originally, "Une Danse Ronde" ended with the destruction of Magneto's house and uncertainty about Remy's future. All that Genosha stuff? Didn't expect to write it at all. Totally ad libbed.
Lucky439: Well, here it was. I couldn't resist doing something with the Friends of Humanity.
Lace123: Honestly? (being a ginormous Billy Corgan fan, I promptly got the Zwan song of the same name stuck in my head) I didn't know Kitty had it in her until I wrote it. Because of the way she talks and acts and dresses I think it's easy to underestimate Kitty. Comic book Kitty is an interesting character, although I think Claremount (*cough*pasthisprime*cough*) has a tendency to Mary Sue her a bit, but I prefer competence to good-natured compliance any day.
Seven Sunningdale: Look at you, all complimentary and reading everything too! Sniff. You guys are so great! I'd be kind of interested to know what the series looks like to someone as a whole. Since I'm, like, the writer and junk and I'm writing it in pieces it's hard to get the entire picture. But dissertation or no, I'm just glad you're enjoying yourself. :- D
Christy S: Thank god! I was afraid that I was being too mean to the Professor. I want to be fair. While I think the concept of Evo is a great one (catch all the x-men before they develop the uber-angst of their later years? Fantastic!) it's also problematic in that they are very young. Maybe too young. Rogue's questions about college are mine as well. I mean, how do you choose between having a career and being a superhero? That makes the Professor's role a bit difficult. He's like those parents who push their children to become ice skaters or gymnasts or whatever. You always have to wonder if, when they're a little older, the kids would make the same choice freely. I agree with you about Rogue and Kurt having a strong friendship. Finding out that they're (adoptive) brother and sister might strengthen that connection a bit, but I think people's affections for each other are kind of independent of family ties.
vagabond: No problem. It's all just encouragement for me to keep going and to keep the momentum up. I appreciate every little bit. Especially now that I've figured out where I want to end up and (pretty much) how I want to get there. [does happy dance]
Niteflight: Hee. You and Flyby are hi-larious. I think that, of all superpowers, mind reading would be the crappiest to have. We may say we want to know what people REALLY think, but we are, alas, big, fat, dirty, rotten, pants-on-fire liars. Now super speed or flying or a supersonic scream or something... Or maybe I just want to be Leeloo from "The Fifth Element." Possibly would wear more clothes though.
Lady MR: I thought it was about time too. All I had to write was the "bullshit" and the rest just flowed from there. Maybe I was just channeling my inner Kitty. Y'know, that girl we all have inside who dresses in pink and...er...nevermind. And the Remy/John scene? Well, that was just plain fun to write.
Bunny Angel: Whew. I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows guys who do that. I was halfway through writing it and I was all, "wait, what if my friends are just weird?" The best thing about my two guy friend who do this is that one's this short, punk kid and the other is this kind of arty looking kid with meticulously spiked hair (he used to dye it pink). They're like the odd couple and it's funny as hell whenever they pretend like they're in love. ;-)
Neurotic Temptress: I can never tell if I'm actually being humorous or not. It's much easier in person because you can always rescue a lame joke with a facial contortion or a pratfall or something. On paper? Not so much. The one thing I'm having difficulty deciding on for the ending I'm working out in my head is the Fate of Gambit. He's got reasons to stay at the Institute and reasons to go. But if he left, where would he go? I can't see him back in New Orleans. Should he stay or should he go? I suppose it sort of depends on how the others treat him when all this is over. But if you've got any ideas...help me Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Flyby Stardancer: FF.net is puzzling in its ways. Some days things appear immediately and some days not so much. And I've promised to do my best to end this happily (by my standards, naturally, which have a tendency toward the bittersweet). I was quite pleased with the ending to "April Witch," so maybe I'll try for something like that. Of course, all this is somewhat arbitrary. Writing just wouldn't be fun if you didn't feel like you were the driver of an out-of-control stagecoach. Like, I've got the reins, for what good that does. I encourage, but I can't dictate.
Whew! Someday, my responses to feedback will actually be longer than the story. Eek.