It had been a week. Seven days of classes, homework, training in the Danger Room and catching Bobby staring at her. Life like normal, except that Logan was back and Rogue kept waiting for everything to change because of it.
They'd had lunch his first full day there. Nothing special, just sandwiches with soda and one well-concealed beer, but it was nice to bond again. And for the last three nights they'd wandered down to the kitchen about the same time and stayed up for a couple of hours, snacking and chatting until Rogue could barely keep her eyes open. Truth was, after the first night she kept herself awake until one or so. Logan was more relaxed at night, in the dark, quiet rooms downstairs, and she was the only one he seemed willing -eager, even - to have around.
These were little changes and Rogue welcomed them, but at the same time she kept catching herself waiting for more. Life was going on as always, but it didn't feel as though things were changing quickly enough. She felt stuck in some sort of limbo, and while her behavior and occasional off-hand comment hinted at this there was nothing upfront for Logan to pinpoint.
On the seventh day, Xavier beckoned her telepathically and she slipped out as soon as Storm's class ended and went to his office. He greeted with the same warm smile but his eyes were a little wary and Rogue knew she wouldn't be getting much homework done tonight. "Another late dinner?"
"I'm afraid so. We'll all meet after classes end, but I wanted to inform you ahead of time. I know you have a lot of work, Rogue, I don't want you caught off guard." In the beginning, Scott had suggested that they give her extended deadlines that year, but the last thing she wanted was to stand out even more. Besides, she wouldn't get special treatment in college - why get used to it now?
"Thanks. I'll cancel my shopping trip with Kitty and finish my paper for Storm this afternoon."
"I know how difficult it is to find free time for your friends these days. I wouldn't ask on a weekday if I didn't expect so many opponents tonight."
"It's fine," she insisted with a smile. "I'll be ready. See you at the meeting."
"Four o'clock sharp."
"Sure," she waved as she headed back out. "Thanks again."
It hadn't been as easy to be nonchalant with Kitty. She had really been eager to have Rogue's opinion, but the trip had already been postponed once and there was a deadline: Kitty was going to a formal with a boy she'd met in Westchester. Somebody needed to have a life, Rogue thought with a sigh. If Magneto was up to new trouble, her workload was only going to get worse from here on. No point in keeping everyone on hold because of her double life. Everyone knew that Rogue was a full-fledged X-Man these days, and it actually helped matters. At the very least, people weren't questioning her busy, distant behavior.
Logan had come into the library at the end of this conversation, only catching Rogue's apology for something and Kitty's understanding acceptance. He could tell Rogue was disappointed and trying to hide it for her friend's sake. Something to cheer her up was definitely in order.
An hour later he stood in her open bedroom doorway and knocked on the wall. She looked up from her school books with a smile that broadened on sight and she asked him in. The Professor had told him just minutes ago that a mission was coming up that afternoon, giving Logan an idea on how to make Rogue happy.
He closed the door behind him and produced his dogtags. "I figure it's tradition." Instead of passing them on every time he decided to run for the Canadian mountains, why not something more frequent? Missions seemed perfect. Hell, the dogtags felt more like hers than his anyhow.
"You're giving them to me?"
"For safe keeping. I'll be back for them by tomorrow."
She didn't seem as pleased as he had expected, and Logan realized that he may have been misinterpreting everything. "Look, kid, it's no big deal. If you don't want 'em--"
"No! I mean, it's not that." She frowned. "It's the mission."
Logan's features relaxed. "Oh. Hey, I'm coming back."
"But I may not." She seemed annoyed by his puzzled look. "Last week wasn't some one-time thing, Logan. I go on all the missions now." She glanced at the dogtags. "If something happens, I don't want you to lose them because of me." And that was that. Logan opened his mouth to respond, then shut it when he couldn't think of anything. She couldn't quite read the look on his face.
"Alright," he finally managed gruffly, turning and walking out the door.
"I didn't mean to upset you," she called out.
"I'm not mad," he replied, shutting the door and stalking down the hallway. "Not with you."
- - -
He didn't bother to knock, but Xavier was a telepath - he should expect the stomping fury coming his way, right?
He came in and shut the door and, as always, got right to the point. "When did you decide to make her one of you?"
Xavier looked up with calm blue eyes. "It was Alkali Lake, actually. If she hadn't taken the initiative and flown the jet to us, we would all be dead."
"That was nearly a year ago."
"The decision itself came later, of course. But her potential was made very clear that day, and I've always hoped that Rogue would benefit from being on the team as much as we did. She needed something promising in her life." He didn't add, 'after you left', but they both knew it was insinuated. Logan had an itching feeling this was yet another hint at this summer's events, but now wasn't the time. There were more pressing matters. "Is something in particular the matter?"
"You mean aside from no one bothering to tell me?"
"We assumed Rogue would announce it to you."
"She didn't," he snapped.
"Perhaps she gives your expectations more credit. You were teamed up your first day back, after all."
"Look, it's not the missions that bother me, it's what they're doing to her."
Xavier frowned. "Rogue is young and relatively new to the team. If she's having trouble accepting the potential dangers--"
"It ain't that," Logan growled. "It's the fact that she isn't. We were just upstairs, and she's talking about her own death without a twinge."
"Her ability has forced Rogue to mature faster than most people her age. Loss of innocence is an unfortunate fact, but she seems to be handling everything quite well these days." Xavier gave Logan a knowing look. "You've been a fertive protector in the past, Logan. Perhaps the real issue is your own need to save a young woman who may not need saving anymore."
Logan considered that idea for a moment then pushed it away. "If something happens to her--"
"The situation isn't as dire as you're picturing, Logan. We wouldn't place her in a role she wasn't prepared for, no matter how much she may need it. And you'll still be a team, after all - protect her just as you would protect anyone else on a mission, and there shouldn't be a threat."
- - -
A secret military project was in progress, discovering protections from mutants. To prevent sabotage, a copy of all information and prototypes was being kept in a secure box that was constantly on the move, the entourage only stopping for updates every two months. During its last stop, Magneto's team had confiscated the container. Today, using Cerebro, Xavier located what he believed to be the box's current location.
Inside the warehouse, the above-ground floors were empty and the basement was a complex maze of halls and dead ends that weren't in the building's schematics. The group split up, with Logan reluctantly leaving Rogue when their section divided into two endless hallways. "Be careful," he warned before walking away. "Call if you need help." She silently nodded and headed off on her own.
The turns and empty rooms left her dizzy after awhile, and it didn't help that the complete silence was occasionally interrupted by the muffled sounds of fighting off in some direction she couldn't determine. No one was asking for help on the comm yet, so she tried to keep the knots in her stomach to a minimum.
After yet another turn, her hallway met another. Up ahead a pile of rubble, still a little dusty, partially blocked the hallway. To her left the other hallway continued. She was debating which way to go when footsteps to her left startled. She peeked around the corner and found herself saying in surprise, "John!"
He hadn't expected her sudden smile. "Miss me?"
"Hell yeah!" Her smile quickly faded. "I didn't expected you to be here."
"Someone's gotta get the job done," he replied casually. "...You here to kill the boss?"
She gulped. "John--"
"It's Pyro now."
"John," she said determinedly, "you can come back with us. We'd all love it."
He shook his head. "This is where I belong." A metal click made her jump, and she realized that he had flicked open his lighter.
"I-I don't wanna fight you."
He studied her for a moment. "It's gonna come up eventually, you know."
"It still sucks," she pointed out vehemently.
"Yeah. Yeah, it does." He glanced pointedly at the pile of debris ahead of them. "Thought I heard something - guess it was just you." The lighter flicked shut. "Do yourself a favor and leave. I gotta get back." He turned around and headed back the way he came. "And say hey to Bobby for me." He left Rogue even more unsure than before. She eyed the rubble before her but Logan called out from behind before she could think straight again.
"Any luck?"
"Um, John." He glanced at her, surprised. "He went that way. I think there's something down there."
Logan nodded. "Okay, I'll check it out. Why don't you stay here, look around some more." She nodded in agreement and he hurried away. Once he was out of earshot she walked closer to the rubble, and realized just how fresh the pile was. Dust was still rising from the fractured clumps of cement that were once the ceiling above. More importantly, there was something sticking out of the pile just around the corner.
She snuck around the debris to the other side and found herself staring at the arm and head of an unconscious girl. Possibly dead. She wasn't moving anytime soon, that was for sure. After a moment of consideration, she looked back up to the ceiling. Scott had probably run into her and blown a chunk of the ceiling to end a fight. But why had John pointed her out?
Rogue thought for a moment, and realized that something about the mission had been bothering her all day. She thought over her team and theirs, the details of the mission, the contents of the box--
There, that was it. Magneto and the box. The fit hadn't made sense, and now she knew why. So many gadgets and a computer full of information, all one of a kind except for in some heavily secured hidden military base that even the X-Men couldn't find. She knew enough about Magneto from what was left in her mind, and familiarity told her that he wouldn't risk losing anything. If something were to go wrong and he used his power, who was to say that the magnetic pull wouldn't mess with one of their new-found toys. No, he would be more cautious than that.
Which meant that Magneto was someplace other than where ever the others were headed, and she could be dead before any of them would reach her in this maze. Gazing at the girl before her, she realized the potential and silently thanked John. She'd known there was still hope for him and this attempt to protect her was proof.
The girl was already unconscious and she would be careful to control how much she took. Still, even as she felt herself justifying it, Rogue's hand shook a little as she slipped it from the glove and touched the girl's forehead. For a moment, there was nothing, then her body found its target and the sudden burst of energy nearly knocked her back. Even unconscious and half-dead, this girl was powerful, and Rogue pulled back almost immediately, dizzy from the new powers racing through her system and the knowledge and feelings of this girl, Wanda, the daughter of Magneto.
"Wow." Not a good wow, but wow nonetheless. The only word she could mutter, and somehow the one that made the most sense. Nothing else short of 'oh, shit' would suffice, really. She was facing multiple powers for the first time, all completely new to her, and the fact that she quite possibly just lengthened the coma of Magneto's only daughter. Even with powers, if Magneto found out while she was still down here, Rogue knew she would be more screwed than before. "Better find him first," she mumbled. No way she could take him down right now, not with the unexpected powers exhausting more than energizing her body, but a distraction was all she needed. She had to buy the others all the time they needed.
She continued down the hall, slipping her glove back on.
- - -
The deep murmur of a voice was her first guide. Then, the first lighted room in ages came into view around a corner. She could hear Magneto conferring over a radio, speaking of images that were apparently appearing on a laptop. Taking her time sneaking up to avoid any unnecessary noise, she finally made it to the open doorway and peered in, and was relieved to find his back momentarily turned as he pulled a file from a small stack. She pressed herself against the wall before he turned back around and thought on what to do. She couldn't risk calling for help, and with radio silence since she and Logan had parted Rogue figured that the others probably had their hands full at the moment. It was all on her.
Magneto suddenly stopped speaking and Rogue knew that he somehow sensed her presence. With a deep breath she stepped into the doorway. The light was aimed at the back of the room, leaving her dimly lit.
For a moment he only watched her, then finally stood and advanced a step. Still, she couldn't bring herself to move forward. All she could remember was Liberty Island and the pain and power he had controlled. But even as she felt panic, the tingle of energy in her fingertips calmed her. He didn't know yet that she was using Wanda's powers. Unlike her, who had him in her head to this day, he didn't know anything about her. She was still just the girl he'd kidnapped more than a year ago.
Magneto wanted to laugh. He had expected the Wolverine or perhaps that lovely Storm, someone worthy of his time. Instead, they had sent this slip of a girl back to him. Aside from the occasional mocking, she had outgrown any usefulness to him. Fighting her was nearly an insult.
Rogue advanced slowly, her face shadowed.
"Be serious, little girl. There's no one left to save you this time."
She stopped and lifted her chin, revealing dark eyes and a sly smile. "I'm all grown up." She thrust her hands forward, hitting Magneto with a pulse of energy. He slammed into the brick wall behind and slumped to the ground, leaving a crumbling indent.
She walked out the entrance without a second look back. "I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me anymore."
- - -
Still radio silence. It was a nasty blow she had given Magneto - he wasn't getting up anytime soon. The only thing left to do now was join the others and finish the mission. Already Wanda's powers were leaving her, and after such a sudden burst of use she was feeling a little disoriented.
The corner up ahead was the debris and Wanda, and further up the turn to head towards Logan and the others. She thought momentarily of John and what could be happening even now, but she shoved that thought aside and turned the corner.
And stopped short at the sight of young man, barely older than herself, standing next to the rubble. The rubble where Wanda no longer was.
Rogue struggled to keep her pulse calm. The loss of power was making her feel bad enough, but Wanda's emotions were still in her head and struggling with her own. How could she win a fight when it was hard to even concentrate? And there was no question this man was one of Magneto's - the fresh gray streaks of dust on his black clothes were proof enough that he had pulled Wanda free. Yet all he did was watch her as she watched him, a cocky grin appearing, his curious all-black eyes with red pupils looking her up and down. Her headache was getting worse. Best to just get this over with quickly.
"And who might you be?" She actually sounded confident. That was a good start.
"I'm an employee of your enemy."
"I believe the term is 'henchman'."
"Either way, I believe that makes me one of the bad guys."
"And I'm not." She pushed back a loose strand of hair and he eyed the white streaks.
"So you're the lovely one Pyro keeps mentioning." He stepped closer with a playful grin. "If your teammates are as beautiful, Remy may have to change sides, no?" He produced a card from somewhere, flipping it forward between two fingers.
She glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "King of Hearts?"
"You have no idea, chere."
"So you're a lover and a fighter, is that it?"
Gambit shrugged. "I'm really just in this for the fun."
"Fun?" She shook her head in disgust. "Look, either fight me or back off. I don't have time for bored playboys."
He eyed her again, more carefully this time. "You don't look well."
"Better than you'll look if you don't move."
He grinned and started to reply when a low moan from ahead stopped him. He held the card up. "We'll continue this another time." The card lit up with flames and he flung it down the hall she'd just left, exploding on contact with the floor. She shielded her eyes from the blast, and when she looked back he was gone. So was Wanda.
- - -
She could barely sense the powers, so why the hell wouldn't these emotions go away as well? She was still heading towards the group, one hand on the wall for support. She could barely walk with all the confusion in her head. And her knees were threatening to buckle underneath her. She wasn't using the fading powers, so why the exhaustion?
"Rogue, that you?" Scott, from somewhere up ahead. It took her a moment to realize that it was pitch black. The lights had gone out and she didn't even notice.
"Yeah." She cleared her throat, spoke louder. "I'm over here."
She forced herself to straighten up, and soon heard a long confident stride come up to her. A warm hand gripped her upper arm. Scott's voice came from the dark, "You'll be able to see up ahead. I'll guide you - just try to watch your step. There may be some debris in your way." She nodded, only to realize that he couldn't see it and managed to say, "Okay." She didn't say anything else and tried to pool her energy as light slowly appeared ahead until they turned a corner and found themselves in a large, nearly empty room. The floor was covered in huge slabs of broken concrete and above, Rogue could see a large metal box disappearing through a hole that used to be a wall on the first floor.
"I added a sunroof," Scott said with a grin. "Using the jet's cables seemed the only way to get it out of here."
She nodded, knowing he could see her this time, and concentrated on watching Storm and Logan double-check all the cables' latches. She felt a surge of relief at seeing them unharmed, and tried hard not think of where John was in all of this. Probably with Remy, whoever the hell he was. Rogue wondered if Xavier would recognize him by name or description.
Logan looked down at her from the first floor and smiled, and Rogue decided it was worth what little energy she had left to smile back.
They'd had lunch his first full day there. Nothing special, just sandwiches with soda and one well-concealed beer, but it was nice to bond again. And for the last three nights they'd wandered down to the kitchen about the same time and stayed up for a couple of hours, snacking and chatting until Rogue could barely keep her eyes open. Truth was, after the first night she kept herself awake until one or so. Logan was more relaxed at night, in the dark, quiet rooms downstairs, and she was the only one he seemed willing -eager, even - to have around.
These were little changes and Rogue welcomed them, but at the same time she kept catching herself waiting for more. Life was going on as always, but it didn't feel as though things were changing quickly enough. She felt stuck in some sort of limbo, and while her behavior and occasional off-hand comment hinted at this there was nothing upfront for Logan to pinpoint.
On the seventh day, Xavier beckoned her telepathically and she slipped out as soon as Storm's class ended and went to his office. He greeted with the same warm smile but his eyes were a little wary and Rogue knew she wouldn't be getting much homework done tonight. "Another late dinner?"
"I'm afraid so. We'll all meet after classes end, but I wanted to inform you ahead of time. I know you have a lot of work, Rogue, I don't want you caught off guard." In the beginning, Scott had suggested that they give her extended deadlines that year, but the last thing she wanted was to stand out even more. Besides, she wouldn't get special treatment in college - why get used to it now?
"Thanks. I'll cancel my shopping trip with Kitty and finish my paper for Storm this afternoon."
"I know how difficult it is to find free time for your friends these days. I wouldn't ask on a weekday if I didn't expect so many opponents tonight."
"It's fine," she insisted with a smile. "I'll be ready. See you at the meeting."
"Four o'clock sharp."
"Sure," she waved as she headed back out. "Thanks again."
It hadn't been as easy to be nonchalant with Kitty. She had really been eager to have Rogue's opinion, but the trip had already been postponed once and there was a deadline: Kitty was going to a formal with a boy she'd met in Westchester. Somebody needed to have a life, Rogue thought with a sigh. If Magneto was up to new trouble, her workload was only going to get worse from here on. No point in keeping everyone on hold because of her double life. Everyone knew that Rogue was a full-fledged X-Man these days, and it actually helped matters. At the very least, people weren't questioning her busy, distant behavior.
Logan had come into the library at the end of this conversation, only catching Rogue's apology for something and Kitty's understanding acceptance. He could tell Rogue was disappointed and trying to hide it for her friend's sake. Something to cheer her up was definitely in order.
An hour later he stood in her open bedroom doorway and knocked on the wall. She looked up from her school books with a smile that broadened on sight and she asked him in. The Professor had told him just minutes ago that a mission was coming up that afternoon, giving Logan an idea on how to make Rogue happy.
He closed the door behind him and produced his dogtags. "I figure it's tradition." Instead of passing them on every time he decided to run for the Canadian mountains, why not something more frequent? Missions seemed perfect. Hell, the dogtags felt more like hers than his anyhow.
"You're giving them to me?"
"For safe keeping. I'll be back for them by tomorrow."
She didn't seem as pleased as he had expected, and Logan realized that he may have been misinterpreting everything. "Look, kid, it's no big deal. If you don't want 'em--"
"No! I mean, it's not that." She frowned. "It's the mission."
Logan's features relaxed. "Oh. Hey, I'm coming back."
"But I may not." She seemed annoyed by his puzzled look. "Last week wasn't some one-time thing, Logan. I go on all the missions now." She glanced at the dogtags. "If something happens, I don't want you to lose them because of me." And that was that. Logan opened his mouth to respond, then shut it when he couldn't think of anything. She couldn't quite read the look on his face.
"Alright," he finally managed gruffly, turning and walking out the door.
"I didn't mean to upset you," she called out.
"I'm not mad," he replied, shutting the door and stalking down the hallway. "Not with you."
- - -
He didn't bother to knock, but Xavier was a telepath - he should expect the stomping fury coming his way, right?
He came in and shut the door and, as always, got right to the point. "When did you decide to make her one of you?"
Xavier looked up with calm blue eyes. "It was Alkali Lake, actually. If she hadn't taken the initiative and flown the jet to us, we would all be dead."
"That was nearly a year ago."
"The decision itself came later, of course. But her potential was made very clear that day, and I've always hoped that Rogue would benefit from being on the team as much as we did. She needed something promising in her life." He didn't add, 'after you left', but they both knew it was insinuated. Logan had an itching feeling this was yet another hint at this summer's events, but now wasn't the time. There were more pressing matters. "Is something in particular the matter?"
"You mean aside from no one bothering to tell me?"
"We assumed Rogue would announce it to you."
"She didn't," he snapped.
"Perhaps she gives your expectations more credit. You were teamed up your first day back, after all."
"Look, it's not the missions that bother me, it's what they're doing to her."
Xavier frowned. "Rogue is young and relatively new to the team. If she's having trouble accepting the potential dangers--"
"It ain't that," Logan growled. "It's the fact that she isn't. We were just upstairs, and she's talking about her own death without a twinge."
"Her ability has forced Rogue to mature faster than most people her age. Loss of innocence is an unfortunate fact, but she seems to be handling everything quite well these days." Xavier gave Logan a knowing look. "You've been a fertive protector in the past, Logan. Perhaps the real issue is your own need to save a young woman who may not need saving anymore."
Logan considered that idea for a moment then pushed it away. "If something happens to her--"
"The situation isn't as dire as you're picturing, Logan. We wouldn't place her in a role she wasn't prepared for, no matter how much she may need it. And you'll still be a team, after all - protect her just as you would protect anyone else on a mission, and there shouldn't be a threat."
- - -
A secret military project was in progress, discovering protections from mutants. To prevent sabotage, a copy of all information and prototypes was being kept in a secure box that was constantly on the move, the entourage only stopping for updates every two months. During its last stop, Magneto's team had confiscated the container. Today, using Cerebro, Xavier located what he believed to be the box's current location.
Inside the warehouse, the above-ground floors were empty and the basement was a complex maze of halls and dead ends that weren't in the building's schematics. The group split up, with Logan reluctantly leaving Rogue when their section divided into two endless hallways. "Be careful," he warned before walking away. "Call if you need help." She silently nodded and headed off on her own.
The turns and empty rooms left her dizzy after awhile, and it didn't help that the complete silence was occasionally interrupted by the muffled sounds of fighting off in some direction she couldn't determine. No one was asking for help on the comm yet, so she tried to keep the knots in her stomach to a minimum.
After yet another turn, her hallway met another. Up ahead a pile of rubble, still a little dusty, partially blocked the hallway. To her left the other hallway continued. She was debating which way to go when footsteps to her left startled. She peeked around the corner and found herself saying in surprise, "John!"
He hadn't expected her sudden smile. "Miss me?"
"Hell yeah!" Her smile quickly faded. "I didn't expected you to be here."
"Someone's gotta get the job done," he replied casually. "...You here to kill the boss?"
She gulped. "John--"
"It's Pyro now."
"John," she said determinedly, "you can come back with us. We'd all love it."
He shook his head. "This is where I belong." A metal click made her jump, and she realized that he had flicked open his lighter.
"I-I don't wanna fight you."
He studied her for a moment. "It's gonna come up eventually, you know."
"It still sucks," she pointed out vehemently.
"Yeah. Yeah, it does." He glanced pointedly at the pile of debris ahead of them. "Thought I heard something - guess it was just you." The lighter flicked shut. "Do yourself a favor and leave. I gotta get back." He turned around and headed back the way he came. "And say hey to Bobby for me." He left Rogue even more unsure than before. She eyed the rubble before her but Logan called out from behind before she could think straight again.
"Any luck?"
"Um, John." He glanced at her, surprised. "He went that way. I think there's something down there."
Logan nodded. "Okay, I'll check it out. Why don't you stay here, look around some more." She nodded in agreement and he hurried away. Once he was out of earshot she walked closer to the rubble, and realized just how fresh the pile was. Dust was still rising from the fractured clumps of cement that were once the ceiling above. More importantly, there was something sticking out of the pile just around the corner.
She snuck around the debris to the other side and found herself staring at the arm and head of an unconscious girl. Possibly dead. She wasn't moving anytime soon, that was for sure. After a moment of consideration, she looked back up to the ceiling. Scott had probably run into her and blown a chunk of the ceiling to end a fight. But why had John pointed her out?
Rogue thought for a moment, and realized that something about the mission had been bothering her all day. She thought over her team and theirs, the details of the mission, the contents of the box--
There, that was it. Magneto and the box. The fit hadn't made sense, and now she knew why. So many gadgets and a computer full of information, all one of a kind except for in some heavily secured hidden military base that even the X-Men couldn't find. She knew enough about Magneto from what was left in her mind, and familiarity told her that he wouldn't risk losing anything. If something were to go wrong and he used his power, who was to say that the magnetic pull wouldn't mess with one of their new-found toys. No, he would be more cautious than that.
Which meant that Magneto was someplace other than where ever the others were headed, and she could be dead before any of them would reach her in this maze. Gazing at the girl before her, she realized the potential and silently thanked John. She'd known there was still hope for him and this attempt to protect her was proof.
The girl was already unconscious and she would be careful to control how much she took. Still, even as she felt herself justifying it, Rogue's hand shook a little as she slipped it from the glove and touched the girl's forehead. For a moment, there was nothing, then her body found its target and the sudden burst of energy nearly knocked her back. Even unconscious and half-dead, this girl was powerful, and Rogue pulled back almost immediately, dizzy from the new powers racing through her system and the knowledge and feelings of this girl, Wanda, the daughter of Magneto.
"Wow." Not a good wow, but wow nonetheless. The only word she could mutter, and somehow the one that made the most sense. Nothing else short of 'oh, shit' would suffice, really. She was facing multiple powers for the first time, all completely new to her, and the fact that she quite possibly just lengthened the coma of Magneto's only daughter. Even with powers, if Magneto found out while she was still down here, Rogue knew she would be more screwed than before. "Better find him first," she mumbled. No way she could take him down right now, not with the unexpected powers exhausting more than energizing her body, but a distraction was all she needed. She had to buy the others all the time they needed.
She continued down the hall, slipping her glove back on.
- - -
The deep murmur of a voice was her first guide. Then, the first lighted room in ages came into view around a corner. She could hear Magneto conferring over a radio, speaking of images that were apparently appearing on a laptop. Taking her time sneaking up to avoid any unnecessary noise, she finally made it to the open doorway and peered in, and was relieved to find his back momentarily turned as he pulled a file from a small stack. She pressed herself against the wall before he turned back around and thought on what to do. She couldn't risk calling for help, and with radio silence since she and Logan had parted Rogue figured that the others probably had their hands full at the moment. It was all on her.
Magneto suddenly stopped speaking and Rogue knew that he somehow sensed her presence. With a deep breath she stepped into the doorway. The light was aimed at the back of the room, leaving her dimly lit.
For a moment he only watched her, then finally stood and advanced a step. Still, she couldn't bring herself to move forward. All she could remember was Liberty Island and the pain and power he had controlled. But even as she felt panic, the tingle of energy in her fingertips calmed her. He didn't know yet that she was using Wanda's powers. Unlike her, who had him in her head to this day, he didn't know anything about her. She was still just the girl he'd kidnapped more than a year ago.
Magneto wanted to laugh. He had expected the Wolverine or perhaps that lovely Storm, someone worthy of his time. Instead, they had sent this slip of a girl back to him. Aside from the occasional mocking, she had outgrown any usefulness to him. Fighting her was nearly an insult.
Rogue advanced slowly, her face shadowed.
"Be serious, little girl. There's no one left to save you this time."
She stopped and lifted her chin, revealing dark eyes and a sly smile. "I'm all grown up." She thrust her hands forward, hitting Magneto with a pulse of energy. He slammed into the brick wall behind and slumped to the ground, leaving a crumbling indent.
She walked out the entrance without a second look back. "I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me anymore."
- - -
Still radio silence. It was a nasty blow she had given Magneto - he wasn't getting up anytime soon. The only thing left to do now was join the others and finish the mission. Already Wanda's powers were leaving her, and after such a sudden burst of use she was feeling a little disoriented.
The corner up ahead was the debris and Wanda, and further up the turn to head towards Logan and the others. She thought momentarily of John and what could be happening even now, but she shoved that thought aside and turned the corner.
And stopped short at the sight of young man, barely older than herself, standing next to the rubble. The rubble where Wanda no longer was.
Rogue struggled to keep her pulse calm. The loss of power was making her feel bad enough, but Wanda's emotions were still in her head and struggling with her own. How could she win a fight when it was hard to even concentrate? And there was no question this man was one of Magneto's - the fresh gray streaks of dust on his black clothes were proof enough that he had pulled Wanda free. Yet all he did was watch her as she watched him, a cocky grin appearing, his curious all-black eyes with red pupils looking her up and down. Her headache was getting worse. Best to just get this over with quickly.
"And who might you be?" She actually sounded confident. That was a good start.
"I'm an employee of your enemy."
"I believe the term is 'henchman'."
"Either way, I believe that makes me one of the bad guys."
"And I'm not." She pushed back a loose strand of hair and he eyed the white streaks.
"So you're the lovely one Pyro keeps mentioning." He stepped closer with a playful grin. "If your teammates are as beautiful, Remy may have to change sides, no?" He produced a card from somewhere, flipping it forward between two fingers.
She glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "King of Hearts?"
"You have no idea, chere."
"So you're a lover and a fighter, is that it?"
Gambit shrugged. "I'm really just in this for the fun."
"Fun?" She shook her head in disgust. "Look, either fight me or back off. I don't have time for bored playboys."
He eyed her again, more carefully this time. "You don't look well."
"Better than you'll look if you don't move."
He grinned and started to reply when a low moan from ahead stopped him. He held the card up. "We'll continue this another time." The card lit up with flames and he flung it down the hall she'd just left, exploding on contact with the floor. She shielded her eyes from the blast, and when she looked back he was gone. So was Wanda.
- - -
She could barely sense the powers, so why the hell wouldn't these emotions go away as well? She was still heading towards the group, one hand on the wall for support. She could barely walk with all the confusion in her head. And her knees were threatening to buckle underneath her. She wasn't using the fading powers, so why the exhaustion?
"Rogue, that you?" Scott, from somewhere up ahead. It took her a moment to realize that it was pitch black. The lights had gone out and she didn't even notice.
"Yeah." She cleared her throat, spoke louder. "I'm over here."
She forced herself to straighten up, and soon heard a long confident stride come up to her. A warm hand gripped her upper arm. Scott's voice came from the dark, "You'll be able to see up ahead. I'll guide you - just try to watch your step. There may be some debris in your way." She nodded, only to realize that he couldn't see it and managed to say, "Okay." She didn't say anything else and tried to pool her energy as light slowly appeared ahead until they turned a corner and found themselves in a large, nearly empty room. The floor was covered in huge slabs of broken concrete and above, Rogue could see a large metal box disappearing through a hole that used to be a wall on the first floor.
"I added a sunroof," Scott said with a grin. "Using the jet's cables seemed the only way to get it out of here."
She nodded, knowing he could see her this time, and concentrated on watching Storm and Logan double-check all the cables' latches. She felt a surge of relief at seeing them unharmed, and tried hard not think of where John was in all of this. Probably with Remy, whoever the hell he was. Rogue wondered if Xavier would recognize him by name or description.
Logan looked down at her from the first floor and smiled, and Rogue decided it was worth what little energy she had left to smile back.