Disclaimer: I don't own no character, no singer, no song used in this fic.
A/N:
Yet another rip-off of the Impact episode, but I altered the order a bit.
Plus, there is a reason why this is a romance fic. I suck at describing action and adventure.
RockStar
Chapter 11: My Immortal
"So, Gumbo," Wolverine snarled as he seized up the relaxed teen before him. "You're saying that Magneto's gone now,"
"Oui," Gambit replied as he shuffled his cards repeatedly.
Ororo threw a worried glance at the professor. She knew of the friendship between Eric and Xavier, though now strained due to the two men's differing ideology. Heaven only knows how deep this news had cut the professor.
"And how did you know this, bub?" Wolverine glared suspiciously at Gambit.
Gambit grinned. "From mon ami."
"How did it happen, Remy?" The professor asked quietly.
Gambit quickly wiped the smile off his face. "Remy learned it from Piotr, monsieur," he replied seriously.
"Piotr?" Hank interrupted.
"Oui," Remy replied, throwing a charming grin at the weather goddess. "But you know him better as Colossus."
Wolverine frowned. "Where is he? He said that Magneto's been blackmailing him,"
Gambit nodded. "Remy's been helping him out," he replied. "He's now staying at one of Remy's apartments. He needs to get back to his home and be with his family,"
"I see," the professor nodded. "If the two of you need further assistance, don't hesitate to come forward."
"Merci,"
"Back to the story, bub,"
"Mags left Pyro and Colossus at the base to stop Apocalypse weeks ago. The two never heard from him since,"
The professor wheeled himself to the windows. "Gather a team, Logan. We're going on a fact-finding mission."
His four companions were about to leave when the professor suddenly clutched his head.
"What is it, professor?" Hank asked worriedly as he was suddenly by the professor's side.
"Grief," Remy winced, his empathy working overtime as the strong emotion threaten to overwhelm him.
Wolverine snuck a look at him before turning his attention to the professor.
"It's Kurt," the professor murmured as his hands massaged his temple. "And Rogue,"
Gambit was out of the room in a second.
I'm so tired of being here
Supressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
Meanwhile, in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, an ancient ship hovered over a primordial Mayan temple. A moment later, the earth trembled, causing the temple to slowly crumble. All is not lost, however, as a pyramid slowly materializes amidst the residue.
The ship began its slow descent. Finally, it settled at the top of the pyramid.
Apocalypse slowly stirred, his energy slowly waking up the slumbering infrastructure.
A force surrounds the pyramid.
Suddenly, Apocalypse screamed.
"It is not enough! I need more!"
Beside him, Mersmero, who is down on his knees, bent his head. "She is coming, master," he assured him. "She will bring us more power."
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time can not erase
"I cannot locate him, Hank," Xavier quietly told Beast. "There is no sign of him."
Hank and the Professor had stayed behind to monitor the Apocalypse problem as Storm went to Kurt while Wolverine and Gambit had gone to look for Rogue who was reported as missing.
"He's gone?" Hank, who was near him doing research, asked with a raised eyebrow.
Xavier shook his head. "No. He's still here. His presence, in fact, had awakened a multitude of latent mutant powers. But I am not powerful enough to locate him." He sighed as he rubbed his weary head. "Any progress on your side?"
Hank shook his head as his big, blue, furry fingers continued to work on the keyboards in a furious pace. "I found a lot of mysterious events but nothing conclusive."
Xavier rubbed at his eyes. "Then I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do as of the moment."
A momentary silence reigned over the two, each lost in his own thoughts.
Until, "Rogue!" The professor's eyes opened wide in shock as his mind was ensnared with pure psychic energy.
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
"Leavin' Remy behind, chere?"
Rogue whirled around when she heard the sound of a motorcycle engine dying. She looked at him but didn't say anything.
"Where are you going?" Remy had found Rogue about twenty miles from the Institute.
"Away," Rogue replied coolly.
"Then Remy's coming with," he said as he motioned her to ride with him.
"I don't need you," Rogue told him, her face devoid of emotion. "I don't need any of you," she turned back towards the darkness.
One by one, the X-Men stepped from the darkness into the light. Wolverine. Cyclops. Jean Grey. So Rogue did notice the X Van that had stopped behind Gambit's motorcycle.
"Stripes,"
"Save it." Rogue turned around and once again began her departure.
"Wait." Jean said as she placed a telekinetic field around Rogue to keep the younger girl from leaving.
You used to captivate me by your resonating mind
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
"What is it, professor?"
"I am sensing a dark presence about her," he said.
"Mersmero?"
"No." The professor said. "Something darker. Apocalypse."
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time can not erase
"Make me," Rogue snarled as she pivoted towards them and thrust her right arm forward. A similar, but much stronger telekinetic force hit Jean Grey.
The redhead lost her concentration as she was launched backwards. She slammed into a tree and was rendered unconscious.
"Jean!" Cyclops called out. Acting on pure instinct, he let out an optic blast.
"Slim!" Wolverine growled.
The beam hit Rogue's shoulder. She crumpled on the ground, the skin on her shoulder tearing off. Blood started to flow.
"Chere!" Remy made a move towards Rogue.
Suddenly, Rogue laughed. "That all you can do, boy?" She asked as she stood up.
They all watched in morbid fascination as the wound in Rogue shoulder healed.
"What's going on?" Wolverine demanded.
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
The professor, who was trying to read Rogue, opened his eyes in shock. "The psyches in her head, they're back,"
Hank chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. "Perhaps they never left,"
The professor nodded. "That is a possibility. Apocalypse merely absorbed their energy, causing them to weaken enough not to be detected by psychic sweeps."
"And now they're back,"
"I was afraid of this," the professor muttered.
Hank looked at him in curiosity.
"I suspected that Rogue's powers taken effect when Apocalypse touched her."
"The blackouts and the voice in her head,"
Xavier nodded. "I hypothesized that he was the reason for Rogue's episodes. However, I was never too sure."
"And now,"
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
"Let me go and nobody gets hurt."
"Can't do that, Stripes." Wolverine unsheathed his claws.
"What are you going to do?" Rogue sneered. "Cut me into little pieces?"
Gambit was leaning towards a tree, watching the scene unfold before him, uncertain whether to help Rogue or the X-Men.
Jean slowly came to. The first thing she saw was the worried face of Scott.
"Jean? Thank God you're alright."
"What happened?" Jean groaned.
"It's Rogue. Her powers are going insane again," he gestured helplessly towards Rogue and Wolverine who were having a face-off.
Jean tried to move, but winced in pain.
"Easy, Jean. I think you broke something. If you move, you might make it worse," Scott told her, throwing a nervous glance at Rogue. "Let's just hope that Wolverine and Gambit can at least calm her down,"
"I'll try and contact the professor. He knew what to do the last time," Jean said as she shut her eyes and concentrated.
Professor.
Jean. What is going on?
It's Rogue. Something's wrong with her!
I know. Apocalypse is within her. He's controlling her from the inside.
You mean she's absorbed him?
Hank and I theorize that Apocalypse's psyche is overpowering Rogue's. That is the reason for her episodes.
She's manifesting powers of the people she absorbed before.
We know. When she absorbed Apocalypse, his psyche had tried to absorb those in her head too in order to regain strength to overcome Rogue's own. And now, all are under his control, even her.
You mean—
Yes. Rogue is under the control of Apocalypse.
What could we do?
Try to draw the real Rogue out. We'll be there as soon as we can.
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
"I don't want to hurt you, Stripes," Wolverine told her.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the same reservation, old man," Rogue snarled as she adopted an offensive stance.
"Now, now, chere," Gambit interjected as he lazily shuffled his cards. "Be nice to the elderly." He then held out a card. Queen of Hearts.
Rogue extended her hand towards Gambit. Volts of energy emanated from her fingers. Berserker's powers.
Gambit easily dodged the deadly electricity while Rogue lunged forward to attack Wolverine.
Snikt
Rogue barely winced as the bone claws extended from her hands.
Wolverine easily deflected it with his own.
"Logan! She's not herself!" Jean called out. "Apocalypse has her under her control!"
"Rogue," Logan called out to her. "Snap out of it."
Bones clashed with ademantium. Rogue was roughly shoved backwards.
A charged card was dropped on Rogue's feet. Not enough to seriously hurt, just to stun. But Rogue had executed a back flip that had taken her away from the card before it exploded.
Rogue's eyes then turned white as the winds lifted her off the ground. Lightning lined the sky as she extended both hands. Suddenly, the ground started shaking violently.
The trees that were lining the highway shook and started to fall.
Jean was about to be crushed by one when Cyclops blasted it to smithereens.
Wolverine easily sliced a tree.
Gambit jumped out of the trees' path with relative ease.
When they looked up at Rogue, she was now wrapped in magma. She then threw out her arms as if embracing all of them.
A ring of fire had enclosed the four.
"Stripes," Wolverine called out once again. "Rogue. Fight him. You're much more stronger than this."
For a moment, the flame surrounding the Goth flickered. But in a moment, it was back in full force.
"Logan, you're getting through her," Jean encouraged him as she felt the tug of Rogue's mind momentarily.
"That so?" Rogue taunted. She then launched herself like a cannonball towards her mentor.
Wolverine easily dodged her. "I thought I taught you better than that, Stripes. You're still too slow."
"Speed, eh?" Rogue asked as she became a blur to those around her.
A second later, a groaning Wolverine was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. "I better stop giving the kid a few ideas,"
"She has all our powers, non?" Gambit asked as his eyes kept pace with her movements.
"Yes." Cyclops nodded.
"Jeannie, can you slow her down?"
Jean nodded as she closed her eyes and concentrated. Rogue was lifted off the ground.
"Hey!"
Gambit grinned as he took off a running start. He then grabbed Rogue who was in midair.
A pair of strong arms enveloped Rogue.
"Let go of me." Rogue snarled.
"Not yet, chere." He said huskily. "Not until you learn what Remy has to say."
"No!" Rogue was about to use Fred's super strength when she felt something stir within her. "What are you doing to me?"
"Shh, petite. Just feel."
"No!" But tears had started to fall from her eyes.
Scott and Jean watched in fascination as Rogue slowly ceased her struggles. She then buried her face in the Cajun's chest.
Gambit combed his gloved fingers through Rogue's hair, soothing her.
"Gumbo," Wolverine hissed quietly. He saw Rogue's shoulders heaving up and down and realized that she was crying.
"Don't worry none, cher. Remy's gonna take care of ya." Gambit said in his calm, hypnotic voice.
Moments later, Rogue went still.
"Chere?"
And suddenly, Gambit was flying backwards. Wolverine tried to break the thief's fall, only to be knocked down himself.
Scott saw that Rogue was crackling with magnetic energy.
"That'll teach you to bewitch me," Rogue said, her eyes blazing.
Scott took advantage of the girl's preoccupation with the Cajun as he adjusted his eye piece to stun her.
However, Rogue quickly turned to him and easily deflected his optic blast with a hex bolt. Though the beam changed its direction, it had increased its energy.
"Rogue?" A tiny uncertain voice asked.
Rogue's eyes widened as she saw the blast turn towards the path of—
"Jaime!"
"What is he doing here?" Wolverine snarled as he got up and moved to push Jaime out of the way, but he knew that he would be too late.
The smell of brimstone permeated the air as Rogue ported directly in front of Jaime. She then erected a telekinetic shield. The blast hit the shield and dispersed.
Rogue fell to her knees. "What have I done?" She cried out as she bowed her head, tears once again streaming down her creamy cheeks. "What have I done?"
"Rogue," Jaime whispered as he took a tentative step forward.
Rogue sobbed and Jaime felt his heart break.
Slowly, unsurely, he moved towards her teacher and wrapped both of his arms around her.
~tbc
P.S.
The song is My Immortal by Evanescence. Yeah. And that's what Rogue's got in her head. An Immortal.
Oh, and guys, if you want to request a song, I would really appreciate it if you could send in the lyrics and the artist. I was really overwhelmed with the outpour of requests and I really don't have time to surf the net to search for the lyrics since finals is just around the corner and all my professors are working us double-time to finish the course syllabus. It's crazy! Plus, I'm also in the process of writing another fic aside for this one. Barely had time to sleep. sigh
A shout-out to Holy-Psychic-Vulpix (thanks. Ooh. Fire. Nice. cackles), Millenium mutant (Well technically, in this story, you lost one parent in last chapter and only one in this. So, you should only feel half as bad.), Destiny Phoeniz (Well, technically, this is another one of Impact, but significantly less though), ladyjadegreen/jewelz (well, the first thing I thought off when I read your name was the color of Rogue's eyes. Pretty. Hmm…Remy the rapper? I'll see what I can do. No promises, though.), ishandahalf (see, sometimes fear is a good thing. Anyway, Remy tried, he really did! But what did he do? See posters for print ads and details…I mean, elaboration on the next chap!), Taineyah (You're welcome. ^^ and here's more), Denial (hmm. Hope that I answered some of your questions. But I guess in my attempt to write in the episodes I kinda lost my original story line. Oh, well. No one's complaining—yet. I'll try to make some semblance of a plot after my mind restarts itself), Ellie s.g. (thanks. I really enjoy your emails. Sorry I don't check as often as I ought to), Yumiko (sorry for the confusion. I hope I cleared stuff up. But if I didn't, feel free to email me to ask questions), Aro (it took me a week, but can I still have a cookie? Anyway, I haven't watched Impact yet so I had to write my own version from what I read about it so far. And now you've got me excited. I now have to watch Cajun Spice, which I'm guessing is a new episode from the newest season of X-men. Oh, the horror of the wait!), UnknownSource (I've got another thing men are good for! Providing the transportation! And yeah, I'll get back to Kurt in the next chapter, but I'm thinking as far as the rest of the characters are concerned, Rogue merely broke a statue. I think Wolverine said something about nothing more can be done for Mystique), jskullguy (I was originally leaning towards your idea about making Rogue Apocalypse's queen, but my brother told me that Apocalypse has his four horsemen and not a queen. That and the fact that I tried that part, but it didn't work. Sorry), Caliente (So it is revealed that he is none other that Apocalypse's psyche.), Thunderfox 150 (did you just ask for My Immortal? You did! Yey! How's that for fast service? I'll see what I can do for the Beatles bit), Silver12 (Thank you for taking the time to review. I really appreciate it.), penguin walk (I just had to ask—why are you dizzy? Is it because of the story, or because of the walk? ^^;; well, virtual hugs to you too!), and Raliena (thanks. And do you have any song in particular in mind?).