Note : Characters aren't mine, you already know. Wish they were, it'd help me pay my university bills… Ishandahalf : You don't worry, dear, I'm working on it, we'll get him back, promise. Told ya it'll have a happy ending, if it has one (an endless story, wouldn't that be cool? Would take a lot of time, though…) Yasei Raiden : Thanks for the notice, I appreciate a lot! And in general, thanks for the reviews. You guys are loyal, it's great! Review again! S'il vous plaît!
Enjoy.
Chapter 26
Locked from the inside
It was almost 7 o'clock by the time I returned to the mansion. I drove the motorcycle into the garage, and came into the house through the kitchen door. Logan was sitting at the table, an empty plate in front of him, sitting next to Jubilee, who was driking a glass of orange juice. Sitting on the other side of the table were Scott and Jean, a bowl filled with cereals in front of them. Hank was walking to the table, a plate filled with peanut buttered toasts in his paw. All of them stopped talking and moving as I entered the kitchen, and I stopped in the doorframe to look at them. "What?"
"You were out, Rogue?" Jean asked. It was hard saying no, since they had probably heard the motorcycle coming towards the garage.
"Remy'll throttle you if he finds out you've been riding his Harley…" Logan said, a smirk on his lips. Remy had threatened him often enough, daring him to stick one single finger on the motorcycle.
"He already knows" I just said, and I took off the coat to put it on one of the chairs, and I sat on it, grimacing slithly as pain grew in my bottom and my back. Motorcyling is a sweet way of locomotion, but it isn't meant for long rides, especially when you're tired, and not used to it. I put my elbows on the table and my face in my hands, but slowly straightened back up, looking back at my friends. Silence had fell again on the kitchen, and everyone was looking at me again, but this time with more than surprise, and a little worry.
"What do you mean, he already knows?" Asked Scott, his spoonful of cereal stopped in mid-air as he cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Ah… saw him, in a park. He… he's despaired, to put it lightly…" Scott frowned and I sighed, guessing the preaching was coming.
"He was normal? I mean…"
"He didn't try to kill me, if that's what yah mean… Sinister's in his mind, controling him… but sometimes he's conscious, himself, for a short time. Ah left in time, though." Something stuck in my throath as I remembered the sight of Remy crouched in the grass, fighting with something he couldn't control inside his head. "We have to do something… Ah told him to go back to the park, once he's himself again… We'll find something, won't we?" For some reason, my eyes searched for Jean's. For a medical manner, I would have turned to Hank, but Sinister was messing with Remy's mind, and Jean was the specialist in that kind of stuff. She pursed her lips, thinking, and looked back at her plate.
"There must be some way, but I can't see how we can go through his mental shields, especially now that Sinister has upgraded his powers. His telepathic powers must be more powerful, too…"
"He won't block yah, he needs our help, Jean!" I interrupted her. She looked up and her eyes met mine.
"Maybe he won't block my entrance, or the Professor's… But you did say it yourself, Rogue. He is not the one who's in control of himself right now, let alone of his mind. But we better get him first. We'll find something then."
***************
He opened his eyes to find himself in the woods again. He hurt everywhere, a burning feeling in his veins as his newly reinforced powers ran in his blood. He didn't remember a thing since Rogue had left and darkness had filled his mind. He clenched his fists. How long had it been? The first times he woke up, he thought it had only been a few hours, so he had calculated a day, maybe two, since Sinister had taken control of his brain. But a week? It seemed to him it was only hours since Rogue had left him, but now he knew it could as well be days. He raised to his feet, remembering what Rogue had said. "The next time you're awake, yah come here, okay? We'll think of some way to get yah outta this, and we'll come for yah here. Okay?" His heart warmed a bit at the thought of her. She wasn't hurt, she didn't hate him for what he had become… or was becoming. She would help. His friends would help. He just had to find the park where she had left him.
***************
Logan paced in the grass next to the swings, alert to any noise. For three days the X-Men were relaying on staying in the small park, waiting for Remy to come up. Now it was Logan's turn, for the second time, and as important as this mission could be, it was boring like hell. The park was peaceful, though, and even his powerful hearing sense could appreciate the silence. Until…
Logan turned on his heels and stared at the woods, where he could see some movement. Soon a man appeared between the trees, and Logan gasped a little when he saw the wrecked state in wich Remy appeared. His jeans were covered with mud and teared up at many places. The t-shirt wasn't in a better state, and looked like it had been toasted over light fire before being handwashed in dirty water. His arms were on each side of his body, hanging down as if he didn't have the strengh to lift them. The red eyes glowed a bit as he squinted them to look at Logan, and his features relaxed when he recognized him. "Merci, Logan…" he murmured, before falling on his knees. Then he fainted and fell forward, his face burring in the wet grass, as Logan ran to him. He turned his friend's body on his back to check for damages, but he could see the man was probably only exhausted.
"Come on, boy, let's take you home."
***************
Okay, so we had found him. He had come back to the park like I had told him, and Logan had brough him into the mansion, half awake, and he layed now on a med bed again. This time we were all around him, watching him silently as he slowly woke up. He blinked a few times and slowly sat up. Then his eyes met mine and he smiled, and the tension on the room eased a bit.
The Professor hovered to the bed and put a hand on Remy's arms. Remy turned his gaze to the Professor, his eyes full of hope. "Ye're gonna be able to help me, Prof? 'Cause y'see, I'm getting' tired of dis. Physicaly and moraly." The Professor had a small smile.
"We are going to try entering your mind, Remy. I know you don't like it, but it's the only way we can ever help you." Remy didn't even hesitate and nodded. "Good. Betsy, Jean and me are going to enter your mind so we can see what's going on exactly. I want you to relax and close your eyes." Remy obeyed, and the three telepaths closed their eyes as well. They were around the bed, the Professor to the right, Jean on the left, and Psylocke at Remy's feet.
A few seconds hadn't passed before a banging sound came to my ears, bringing me to raise my hands up in an attempt to protect the fragile eardrum inside. I saw Remy's eyes squint tight and his shoulders shrug in reflex, and the three telepaths's head jerked back. Psylocke fell back only to be caught by Logan from falling to the floor, but Jean only took a step back, and the Professor's chair hovered a few feet back. All of them were blinking in misunderstanding. Remy's face was blank with shock and he was staring at his feet, gasping loudly.
"Whoa!" said Betsy, with feeling. "What the hell happened! I felt like hitting a wall on my way down a bungee jump!"
"Remy, what happened?" asked the Professor. "You were supposed to keep your mental shields down… It wasn't you, was it?"
Remy closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. He drew up his knees and put his arms around his legs, letting his forehead drop down to rest on his knees, eyes closed. "I didn't block anythin'… I tried hard to keep de door opened to you, but he was too strong fo'me." His voice was barely inaudible, but everyone could hear it in the silent room. My heart gave a squeeze to see him so despaired and helpless. To show his weakness in front of all the others meant a lot, and I saw Scott's brows draw together in a worried frown. Remy lifted his head again and turned it to the Professor. He was frowning, like if he was having a bad headache. I began to worry more as I recognized the symptoms on his face. "You're gonna have to find a way to put me in a cell, 'cause he's coming back." Hank caugh the message and leaped to his desk, grabbed something and stood in front of Remy, holding up what he had in his hands. A Genoshen Slave collar. I held my breath and heard Remy gasp. This thing was a mutant nightmare, but we didn't have any choice. He moaned as the pain in his head seemed to grow worse, and he nodded. Hank quikly step forward to put the collar on Remy's neck and swiftly locked it, the lock making a small klicking sound. I shivered, but Remy just blinked as his powers were drained by the collar, and sighed with relief.
"He's gone" he just said.
"Because there is no need to take control of your mind, since your powers are turned off by the collar" said the Professor. "This will give us some time to think of a way to help you, and for you to get some rest. And now that your telepathic abilities aren't working, we'll try to enter your mind again. But only tomorrow. It is late and we now have time. You sleep."
To be continued!
