'What happened to me?' By Samman
Disclaimer: I don't own the x-men.
Author's Notes: I know you're pissed off at me for not uploading it soon—again…but then again it is not a story that people would wait for..but Thanks a lot for reading it and a lot more thanks for reviewing it too! Write more if you like. :) This chapter is very important for you guys to understand the story, so don't skim through it please. Warning: Some major cursing used in this chapter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 9: Not a Boring Party after all…
In an instant after the sound of the bullet and scream, the lights clicked off and the room became pitch black dark. The deafening screams of Girls and Boys were echoing through the ball room.
Thunderous thud of shoes and heels running on the hard wood floor was making the people nervous as they crashed and tripped over one and other. The fear of being defenseless against the terrorists in dark was in everyone's body. Among them were the fearless mutants too who were nothing but alarmed and confused by being trapped in the stampede.
In there somewhere were mutants who tried to step away but if they struggled, they would create more panic instead of calming everything down.
Scott had grabbed Jean the moment after the gun shot and pulled her down. The both crawled on their arms and legs trying to get into the farthest corner of the ball…which was nearly impossible in the crowd.
"Jean..We've got a problem- serious one!" Scott yelled out to Jean in the already noisy place. A crashing sound broke out as the glass from the only two windows in the hall was heard from the top floors of the hotel and Scott suddenly kept a hand on Jean's head to duck her lower.
"Yes I can see that Scott!!" Jean shouted back. "I mean I can hear that." She said, trying to make sense.
Scott lowered his head somebody fell and screamed. "I'm trying to shoot off my glasses but I can't---we've lost our powers!"
"I know Scott!! I couldn't either when I first tried." Jean tried to somehow look here and there but it was all black…not a single thing could be seen.
As Scott moved his head upwards, he knocked it into something above his head and put his head down again. "OW!"
"Oh my god you alright Scott?" Jean asked, her voice full of nervousness and concern.
"Yeah ugh..I'm fine…don't move. We're under a table." Scott frowned in the dark.
As stupid as it sounded, Jean got to understand what location they were currently in. "Okay Scott. Now I know where we are. We take a left…no- right from here and there goes the bar." Her voice becoming raspy from shouting.
"Where goes the bar?" Scott's voice told Jean that he was frustrated as well.
"Umm that way." Jean replied hastily.
Scott cursed under his breath and continued. "Which way?! I can't see your hand!"
"Would you please calm down?! Because we're not the only one in danger here!" Jean shouted out as Scott asked her to repeat several times.
"Follow me." Without another word, grasping her hand in his, Cyclops dragged her crawling to the other corner they seemed to find by touching their hands to the wall.
"Don't let go of my hand Jean okay? No matter what happens? Get it?" As soon as Cyclops asked her, Jean's hands slipped away and her muffled shouts came from behind.
Cyclops slid sideways and banged his side in a corner that he realized was the corner of the wall. He snapped his head left and right, somehow is mind telling him that Jean wasn't there with him anymore.
"Jean? Jean..What's the matter..Damn it Jean answer me?!" After useless effort of trying to find Jean, Scott remained crouched in the corner and took a minute to breathe in and out rapidly.
Their powers had stripped off, that was for sure, he thought. There was no point yelling in the heavy flock of people who were running in every direction. He forced himself to stop worrying about Jean for a second and concentrate on getting out of there-somehow. But he had to get to the power switch first.
Sounds of glass shattering once again shattered on the people from the top floor of the hotel. Without thinking, he got up and became one of the people in the crowd who were roaring at each other for help and getting out of the hall.
****
Beads of sweat ran down Bobby's forehead and down his neck. He had thrown off the coat and was now pushing people through to somehow find any one of the x-men but among a thousand people, it seemed rather difficult.
He knew Remy would take care of Jubilee so his concern for her had lightened. But the one with the major super-strength and flying powers, Rogue was completely vulnerable and was now stuck among the people, he hoped that she wasn't among the several people who were falling and tripping over each other.
Gotta find Cyke…gotta find Cyke gotta find Cyke. The phrase replayed in his mind for several times as he tried to avoid the kicks, fists, shoulders and heads of people who were trying to run out of the building. This is messed up—this is real messed up. He thought as he remembered that the hotel was no less than a 14 floor tower. F**k you Friends of humanity. Can't leave us alone, can you?
****
Rogue's hand had slipped out of Bobby's as they had ducked and now he was nowhere in sight—or nowhere near her in the utter darkness. The instant Bobby was lost among the mob, She had backed herself against the walls. Quickly and cautiously, she was moving sideways with her hands pressed against the wall.
She tried to squint her eyes to make out something but she could not make out a single figure. Heck, there wasn't even a single light that could come from the parking lot that she had seen earlier against the huge windows draped with curtains.
As Rogue took another step sideways, another body clashed against her and a cry escaped her lips, her voice raised automatically as the pain shot through her gut. She clutched her stomach with both hands and almost bent over until…the voice of someone familiar alerted her.
"Rogue was that you? Rogue was that you?! Please tell me it's you." A hand came up to her waist and Rogue caught it pushing him backwards against the wall too.
"Scott! Oh mah-Scott it's you! What happened?! Is anyone hurt--"
Cyclops clasped a firm hand against her lips and held one of her arms with his other hand.
"Rogue let me talk. It's the Foh's and the lights are off. We have no time to talk more except that they're probably waiting for all the humans to escape and I don't know what happens next..so we have to find the power switch first. Got it?!" He shouted out loud and jerked his hand as another running person accidentally hit his shoulder.
Panting loudly, Rogue nodded and continued, "Cycke---Jean was with you." She held her breath, scared to find the answer.
"Somebody took her Rogue-somebody took her, she was with me but then I just heard her muffled reply and that was it. She was dragged away." He said, his breathing hard and fast.
"Okay let's go. Ah know where the power switch is. Y'know where we are?" Scott's grip was tight on her hand and she knew he was too scared to let her go that he might loose her too.
"Yeah we're on the opposite-left side of the bar. We want to go straight and then make a right. Get it?" He shook her and their bodies became closer.
Rogue shook her head confidently and panicked…the back of her mind horrified with the thought about where Remy was. Bobby had already gone missing earlier.
"Perfect. Once we get there, we go straight…forward an' run until we reach the end point-the othuh end of the wall..That's where it is."
"Okay. Just don't let go of my hand." Scott's gripped tightened on her arm painfully and he dragged her more rather than letting her run through the crowd.
****
"Oh god Remy, I'm so scared what the hell is going on here. I can't see a thing." Jubilee chanted as Remy's hand covered her shoulder firmly and secured there as they walked through the mob together.
"Easy petite, Remy's right here wit' you. Listen, I c'n see t'ings almost clearly. Remember m' vision? Now all we gotta do is find de rest of de x-men. Kay. Jus' hold on. I know it's our friends-friends o' humanity but don' panic, kay?" He said as he looked at her several times and then back in the front where he was going.
"Okay." Jubilee said as Remy dragged her along, it was not very easy for her to quicken her pace in the long dress and then with everybody running their heels over with loud thuds.
She knew she was going to fall one minute or the other. "Remy wait please! You can see perfectly but I can't!"
"I'm here wit' you. So run, we gotta make it quick t' de ot'er x-men..they be-huh..in danger." He pulled her arm more forcefully.
"Is it Rogue you're worried about or what cuz last time I remember Jean was with-ugh-Scott and Storm was talking to Warren and 'lizabeth!" She yelled at the top of lungs, her voice now being able to reach within Remy's range of hearing.
"Jus' shut up and keep up wit' me." Remy's tone was filled with anger and tension and he thought that it would just shut her up for a while.
When Jubilee mentioned her name, Remy's tension didn't get any better. The last thing he wanted to happen was anyone getting hurt…especially Rogue. She did not have her powers, he repeated it in his mind over and over.
'Don' worry y' bastards, I'm comin' to blow up your bodies. Remy thought with gritted teeth, and he felt proud that his light-sensitive eye sight was really handy sometimes-times like these.
****
"Okay Rogue, we're almost there." Cyclops whispered to Rogue, his hand snugly fit with her small one as they to their destination.
Cyclops slowed in his track causing Rogue to stop too. "Rogue..wait."
"We've got company there?" Asked Rogue, obviously knowing that the Friends of Humanity were scattered all around the hotel building.
"Yes. I can't see but I know for sure somebody's there. They've got to be there-of course, probably guards. We can take them down, if we try." Cyclops lowered his voice with expert skill, his message clearly going to Rogue.
"Got it, what do we gotta do? No time for plans raght now though." She said as she drew up her lips closer to his ear.
Her leader, Cyclops knew Rogue knew how to take care of such situations as she had learned training from Mystique in her childhood with the Brotherhood. He nodded, believing in her. "Okay But we gotta go slow. They've got guns Rogue, guns. We have to be real careful." He shook her shoulder scaring her even more.
Rogue wiped off the sweat on her forehead and quickly, she pulled off her satin gloves throwing them on the floor.
"So we can jus' go straight and turn on the powuh switch…then Ah can handle anyone who comes neah me…ahem if they don' have guns." She tied her hair tightly in a messy bun and took a breath to relax herself.
It had been exactly twenty minutes since the power failure. Cyclops had a little hint in his mind that they would be off to somewhere else rather than guarding on the power area. But then again, they were the friends of humanity. Anything could be expected from them.
"What's the mattuh Cyke?" Rogue whispered. "Worried 'bout Jean?"
To Rogue's amazment, Cyclops murmered reply was not filled with as much worry. "Yeah I am but I've taught you guys at least in a way that you can take care of yourself. She's capable of taking care of herself. But before things get worse we gotta move."
He patted her on the shoulder lightly, their movements very cautious, low and quick.
"That's our Cyke." Rogue let a slight twitch appear on the corner of her maroon lips, she forced herself not to think about Bobby and Storm because the last time she had seen them, Storm was with Warren and Betsy and Bobby had already been jerked away from her arms due to the pressure of the people pushing through.
"We're very close." Cyclops voice interrupted her thoughts as they moved forward.
"Yeah don' worry. Ah'm raght behind ya." Rogue's hand was tight against Cyclops's who was in the front leading Rogue with him, he was just too alert to let themselves walk in the middle of the hallway leading to the power-switches as he knew the friends of humanity were wandering around with guns.
They came very close and their speed increased once they reached the end of the hallway to the power switch. They surety they had about the power switch direction was they had passed the men's restroom on the left hand of the hallway.
"Rogue." Cyclops nudged her with the elbow and as fast as they could, they separated and lunged at the wall checking for the switches.
"Ugh." Rogue pushed up one of the levers down on the boards with effort and then quickly went to the other one when the electricity did not come back. Cyclops who was at a distance did the same, neither of them knowing they were not close to each other, and they had a legitimate risk of being dragged or taken away by the friends of humanity.
Cyclops turned on another red lever, his sight still not clear but he acted as if he had closed his eyes and was operating something without knowing the consequences of the action.
Everything was based on chance here. Any switch would turn out to be the one for electricity, so Cyclops pulled down the levers one after another expecting every one to be the power switch but their luck was just not good tonight.
Rogue's ungloved hand rested on a big handle that she clasped on very hard and pushed up but did not succeed. Not having her powers had to have some effect on her.
"Shit Rogue. I turned on all the switches on the right side. None of them seems to work. Do you have any more on that siiiide?"
Cyclops's raised his voice, making sure it reached Rogue. Right now it didn't matter if somebody came behind them from no where in the darkness, they were too close to the place to miss it now so he took a big step risking both their lives by calling out to her like that.
Rogue tried to push up the lever but the stubborn switch refused to help. "Ugh-Cyke Ah think Ah got it." She said as she almost pulled it down. She waited for a second and her ears sensed something.
"Scott…Ah can' hear anybody else. Gawd Ah'm scared Cyke Ah can't hear othuhs!" She yelled as she heard only a few voices down the far corner of the hall.
"Neither can I Rogue but just-wait a few more minutes Rogue. C'mon." He quickly turned the easy switches that he felt were small. His hands shook as he looked for more switches on the board.
"I got one Rogue!" Some lights turned on the side of the other hallway and he assumed that one section was already on.
Rogue's sight became a little clear from the small amount of light coming from the other portion. She widened her eyes and looked at the small words printed underneath each switch. Her eyes rest on a specific one. Heating and Air-conditioning-Push downwards to shut down.
'Nope'. Rogue quickly moved to the next one, her breathing becoming faster and faster as she thought of the people. Why was it empty so quickly? Where did the people go?
Her body shook with fear as she thought of the Friends of Humanity getting a hold of the rest of the x-men.
Her eyes came to third one and she peered to read the small letters in the dimmest of lights. Main power-push downwards for complete shut down. Read below for details. 'Gotcha!' Rogue pulled the huge lever up and with strange mechanical sounds, the lights around her began to flicker and then turned on lightning the whole area as it was before…
"Got 'em Cyke!" Rogue yelled even though Cyclops was aware of the lights around them. His head snapped towards her and he yelled.
Not being able to here what he said as she was already panicked, she turned around to see her attacker. A soldier came towards her his hand at the gun in his hoister. Rogue ducked down as lunged forward with two strong arms throwing towards her.
She tripped over his leg and was very close to falling down but she held the edge of the huge window beside her and steadied herself.
She looked at Scott who was now fight hand to hand with two soldiers as well. The soldier who had been trying to attack Rogue was on the floor now and grabbed her tiny ankle in his hand.
"Oh yeah?!" Rogue found the courage to actually kick him in the private and the most sensitive area of his body but ended up hurting her toe, the bastard had been wearing armor that prevented him from any injury. Even though Rogue tried to run but his hand was wrapped around her ankle as he tried to get up.
Taking benefit from the opportunity, Rogue swung and kicked him in the mouth as hard as she could, the long and sharp heel attached with his jaw and his eyes snapped closed. The blood splashed from his mouth and on the floor around him.
"Yeah!" After pushing him aside with her legs, she pulled on her long maxi and ran to help Cyclops who had taken two down already and was attacked by a fresh pair.
"Uumph…" A hand pressed over Rogue from the back and pulled her sideways and dragged her all the way near men's restroom. She kicked and punched as hard as she could but the effort was useless against the broad arms that easily took her sliding against the floor.
"It seems as if you're very fond of being killed and thrown off in the corner of a party hall. Stop jumpin' you fuckin' mutie before I do somethin' that you're not even gonna get a chance to regret over." The soldier said gruffly as he dragged her mercilessly, her fawn dress sliding all the way across the floor.
Rogue winced and tears escaped her eyes as the hand pressed tightly over her mouth and made it harder for her to breath. The torment lasted only a moment and in an instant, Rogue was thrown off in the middle together with the soldier off into the side…away from her.
"Now how 'bout Gambit show y' somet'ing dat you're not goin' t' get a chance to even t'ink 'bout eh?"
Remy stood without his trench coat, his sleeves open and rolled up to the elbow in a messy style, and the shirt-obviously was half dangling in and out of his pants, like a school kid fighting in a play ground.
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Note: I hope that wasn't so difficult and confusing to understand. Thanks a lot for the great feedback, it's just awesome. I know it was small but- Next chapter coming up tomorrow. (I already have it done! ^_^)
