Chapter 32: A Deal With the Devil

                Two guards ran down the hall and stopped in front of Rogue's cell as she attacked the bars. They laughed together and watched as a man in a lab coat jogged up from the opposite direction.

                "What happened?" he asked the guards. They replied with a simple shrug before one asked, "Are her powers dangerous to use out here?"

                The man in the lab coat just shook his head and flipped a few pieces of paper on the clipboard he held. "No... She requires touch... Not a candidate for conditioning like her friend over there. He's more the kind we need."

                The guards nodded and soon the man in the lab coat departed and left them there. One grinned and got a bit closer, just out of reach.

                "Well, girly, looks like you're gonna be here for a loooong time. Might as well settle down."

                Rogue spit at the man's face, taking a step back from the bars. Her shoulders squared, and her chest puffed out slightly in a challenging stance.

                "You talk big from out there, but why don't you come in here? You're just cowards. You can't even stand up to a girl, can you?"

                She spit again, face curling into a snarl. She threw a vicious kick to the bars, causing them to rattle loudly again, making it clear she wasn't going to 'settle down' anytime soon.

                The guard frowned and wiped the spit from his face with his sleeve, then grabbed what looked like a cattle prod from his belt.

                "Open it up, I'm gonna have to sedate her..." The other one chuckled and moved to a panel on the wall next to her cell. He typed in an access code and a section of bars slid into the floor. The guard moved into her cell and electricity jumped at the end of the cattle prod. "All right, girly, let's go..."

                Rogue took a few steps back, waiting before she threw a calculated kick. Her foot struck the tip of the prod. The jolt sent a vibration up her spine, but the tip cracked and shorted out. The guard sneered.

                "Fine, we'll just have to do this the hard way!"

                He moved forward, and Rogue allowed him to grab her roughly by the collar, receiving a direct punch to her jaw. She fell onto her back, unmoving as the man stepped over and proceeded to throw several kicks to her torso. She waited as he lifted her to her feet, continuing to strike her and determined to render her unconscious - she would need quite a store of power. The break out would have to be quick and forceful.

                No longer flinching, Rogue's arm shot out to grasp the man by the neck, crushing his throat instantly. As he crumpled, the other guard started in shock, not having enough time to cry out before he was sent crashing back into Remy's cell bars. Rogue followed, twisting the man's neck with a loud *snap!*. Looking up and down the hall, Rogue reached forward and snapped the lock on Remy's bars, sliding the door back as she approached the table.

                It wasn't really in her interest to save him, but she knew she'd pay the price later if she didn't keep to her word. Her hand grasped the IVs in his arm and ripped them out unceremoniously, and then pried the metal bands off.

                When he didn't wake up, Rogue sneered and pulled herself away. He'd eventually come to and take care of himself, or he'd be found. She hadn't killed him, and that was enough.

                Covertly, she made her way out of the cell block and into the rest of the facility. The people she came across had no time to realize she was even there before their necks were broken, or she used a carefully placed kinetic charge to their clothing (thanks to Remy's previously borrowed powers) to blow them apart. Revenge was sweet.

                Remy came to soon enough, the drugs not meant to keep him under long, just to be pumped in continuously. As he got to his feet he stumbled out into the hall and followed the destruction and dead bodies... He'd find a way out eventually, or whoever was doing this could surely help get him out so he could continue his mission.

                Rogue's path of death lead to the main foyer of the holding facility. Those who hadn't been killed had fled the building upon witnessing the killing, and she reveled in the blood that covered her face and hands, ungloved. A tall blonde man emerged from one of the offices, having watched for some time. His voice was calm and confident.

                "You show great courage in attacking defenseless humans, my dear."

                Rogue watched him with an icy blue gaze.

                "And you are?"

                "Donald Pierce, but I won't be insulted if you don't remember my name." He held his fist in his palm.

                That was all the challenge she needed, and with blurring speed, she rushed him.

                Remy walked in at that moment, not having been slowed by guards like Rogue had. Rogue was there, she'd been caught too... and was she responsible for all this? She was obviously not going to stop yet, one more person stood in her way. What was the guy doing? He didn't even have any weapons. He was about to get slaughtered.

                They parried for a few moments before Rogue felt the strength fading a bit. Her guard dropped, and she took the punishment he dealt out. It was easy to tell that he wasn't human, and his strength, speed, and stamina were all enhanced. However, he was still no match.

                Rogue fell onto her back as he kicked her square in the chest. He backed up a bit, standing straight and calm, showing no signs of fatigue. She could feel the power coursing through her body once more, and she flipped back onto her feet. With an enraged cry, she stepped forward and thrust her fist at his heart.

                The hands that came up to block her punch snapped backward, a mess of metal and wires spilling out. Her fist drove on, thrusting impossibly through his chest and burying itself in the cyborg's shorting circuits. Its body jerked for a moment, blood seeping profusely down her arm. His heart throbbed once, twice in her grip, and then stopped. He fell back to the ground, smoke seeping forth with steam from the hot blood. Rogue stood back, hand red and gory.

                Remy approached slowly and looked down at the man.

                "Gee, chere, dat was... somet'in..." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at her.. at her blue eyes. He stepped back and frowned. "Wha' yo' do wit Remy's p'tite?" He backed up against the reception desk and quickly grabbed a pen in case he needed to defend himself.

                She turned to face him, grinning morbidly.

                "I didn't do anything with her, she let me have this body." She watched as he backed away, elated at his fear. "You should be more grateful, if it weren't for me you'd still be sedated in a cell."

                She started to walk towards him slowly.

                "They've got to you, haven't they? You'll want to join me now, surely, for real this time. Join me, and we'll see much more blood than this."

                She gestured, in Rogue's body, gleefully at the bodies around her, and the gore that covered her head to toe.

                He arched a brow and frowned.

                "Yo' lyin'... Gonna try an' kill Remy... He can't be bothahed by dat now, he got homo sapiens ta kill. Dey need ta be put in deir place." He inched away from her a little. "He don' need ta make further conflict by gettin' in fights with othah mutants."

                Carol smirked. He was clearly brainwashed.

                "I couldn't agree more. If I wanted to kill you, however, you'd be dead by now. Join me, help me hide from Xavier's mutants, and I will show you the location of several very high ranking homo sapiens.. The higher your aim, the more destruction you cause."

                Her blue eyes flashed with excitement. She'd well forgotten about her agreement with the girl, by now. This was her chance.

                Remy grinned at that and stopped. Was she serious? Was she going to help him? What about Rogue, though? Carol said Rogue had given her the body... Why? So she could help him? To escape? He couldn't let Carol keep Rogue's body... But clearly he couldn't stop her either... A dilemma. First priority was getting out of here before reinforcements showed up, though.

                "Prove it ta Remy, chere. Prove dat yo' ain' gonna double-cross him."

                Remy paused as he thought of a way for her to prove it. Then inspiration struck. "Let Remy speak wit' p'tite."

                She paused, then shrugged. She was in control of this body now, and without Xavier around, Carol had no fear of being repressed after letting Rogue resurface.

                "Very well."

                She froze up as her eyes blinked, darkening to their usual green color. Rogue gasped, the pain shooting through her body causing her to knees to buckle. Her first thought went to her pockets, where her hand instantly grasped her earrings.

                As if sensing her thought, Carol raged against her mind again, not having enough time before Rogue brought the tiny devices to her forehead. She could almost hear Carol's screams as she faded back into nothing.

                Shaking from the abuse her body had taken during Carol's escapade, and from the mental effort, Rogue sank to her knees. The first sight when she opened her eyes was the blood that covered her hands, and the bodies sprawled out around her. She looked up.

                "Remy..?"

                Remy knelt down in front of her. He tore a strip from the white detention facility shirt and took the earrings from her, then gently put them back into her ears.

                "Dere, p'tite... We need ta go now... De police be here soon..."

                There was a low chuckle from the doors and the sounds of footsteps.

                "Well the police are too late, Gumbo. We're here first, and Chuck has state permission to rehab both of you. The Friends of Humanity just lost all their funding."

                Remy looked up and saw Wolverine approaching, the Blackbird in the parking lot outside.

                "But... How dey know all ready? And how yo' know?"

                Wolverine smiled and shrugged. "I have connections. Come on."

                Remy helped Rogue up then shook his head. "Remy got a mission ta finish."

                Wolverine chuckled and before Remy knew what hit him... Well, Wolverine's fist did.

                "Get some sense, Cajun. I could shred you right here. Just come along peaceful like."