Note: Okay this took a bit longer than I had planned…But I was unavoidably detained by life. Thank you to my reviewers Bad-girl4 and Ishandahalf …teehee…who else would steal it? I will admit that I choose obscure music to say the least…but it all is worth checking out (Especially the Ben Harper song…). Here's some more cool beans…
Four
The three hour drive into New York City had been yawn inducing in its uneventfulness; only Rogue's iron self control had kept her from pumping Asli for details of her 'discussion' with Pitor. Rogue had taken one look at the conflict in the other girl's eyes before deciding to let the sleeping dog lie-it would be easier to call Kitty at the mansion to get the low down than to talk Asli into divulging her feelings.
Warren Worthington himself had been waiting to lead the girls to his penthouse when they arrived-a small indicator of how much this security breach affected him. Men hiding sixteen foot wings enjoyed their privacy. He had warmly welcomed them as he stalked through the lavish interior of his building; Asli had followed at his heels without a word.
Rogue had to hand it to Asli-the girl was a total social chameleon-gone was the biting sense of humor most often displayed by the hacker in favor of a quieter, thoughtful persona. Within the paneled walls of Warren Worthington's New York penthouse Asli was cool as a cucumber, her eyes flicking to measure the 'hidden' motion detectors. Her blank face gave nothing away to the casual observer. Asli's high heels clicked lightly on the parquet floor as she moved.
In contrast, Rogue was happy that living at Xavier's Mansion had immured her to opulence otherwise she would have stared open mouthed at the valuable antiques. And while her friend had opted to wear a fitted black suit and play adult, Rogue had clung to her jeans and sneakers. The Goth knew it wasn't intentional but next to Asli she felt like a great clomping elephant.
Dutifully, the young women followed the broad back of the winged mutant as he showed them around, "And here is your room," He turned and smiled apologetically, "I hope you don't mind sharing. Penthouses aren't what they used to be."
"Property taxes must be a real bitch around here," Rogue drawled; not even the Professor could afford to live in Warren's neighborhood to her knowledge.
Warren let out a loud belly laugh-bushing a stray lock of blonde hair out of his eyes, "It'd be cheaper to sleep in Central Park…"
"Even counting the muggings," Asli entered the spacious room and set her bag on the first twin bed but she didn't sit-she seemed too tightly wound to relax.
"Crime is down in the city," Warren's mouth quirked as if he was fighting a bigger smile than the one he already wore, "Not that you could tell here."
Rogue frowned at this serious note interrupting the agreeable time they had been beginning to have, "Warren, don't worry-We'll figure this out and find your box thing…and whoever took it."
"Speaking of," Asli pulled a note pad out of her bag and frowned at the page-right down to business, "I'll need your security tapes and the list of visitors to the building for that day and the five days previous. Did you find any clues or evidence when you discovered the break in?"
Warren put a hand to the back of his neck and looked almost sheepish, "You mean anything I didn't hand over to the police?"
Asli's eyebrow shot up but she didn't say anything she didn't have to-the censure in her eyes was all that was needed. Rogue shifted uncomfortably in the silence not sure what to make of the rapid personality change her partner was going through.
"I found this-I held it back because it seemed so trivial," Warren fumbled in his pocket and drew out a plastic bag and handed it to Asli, "Does it tell you anything?"
Rogue moved so she would have a better view of the package in the other girl's hand-sucking in a deep breath when she finally did. Both girls knew exactly who had broken in-and they had a good idea why he had done it as well. Rogue worried that Asli wouldn't be able to function with perfect detachment-hell; she worried that she wouldn't either. But looking down at the King of Hearts that Warren had so carefully preserved Rogue knew one thing for certain-Gambit was in New York and Magneto couldn't be far behind.
*******************
"Asli?" Rogue knocked softly on the bathroom door the next morning-her roommate had been in there for quite a while, in fact Asli hadn't spoken much since the night before. The calling card had been a shock.
No answer was forth coming and Rogue tried the handle with trepidation not wanting to invade the other girl's privacy but wanting to make sure nothing was wrong. The door slid open; Asli was sitting on the edge of the bathtub wrapped in a large fluffy towel staring at her arms in a trace. It's those arms that cause Rogue to suck in a deep breath-realization dawning that Asli's all covering clothing had been hiding something as dangerous as Rogue's own poison skin.
Scars-some thin and slivery, others thick and white run up the girl's pale skin from her calves to the tips of her fingers. Rogue shifted trying to comprehend the pain this hidden road map marks the motion allowed her a view of Asli's back-tears welled in her green eyes at the puckered angry mass peeking out from under the towel. It doesn't look like the hacker has an inch of skin unmarked.
Stumbling backwards sorry for intruding on the other girl's reflecting Rogue accidentally knocked a glass vase over; sending it crashing to the floor. Asli's head jerked up, her trance broken; taking in the younger girl's horrified expression she shrugged but didn't try to cover her skin. Most people wore that same disgusted and fascinated look when confronted with the extent of her injury-the physical expression of her emotional emptiness. "It's okay Rogue, take a good look. Logan would have them too if it wasn't for his healing factor."
Rogue nodded but didn't say anything-she had enough of Wolverine's memories in her head for it to ring true…she had known that the actions of the Program had been monstrous…but to do that to a child? It was a chilling reminder of what humans were capable of when they set their minds to cruelty. For a moment the young X-Man could empathize with Magneto, Mystique and those like them who fought to make mutants 'Homo Superior'-in a world like that Asli would never have had to suffer what she had to have suffered.
"Tell you what," Asli smiled sadly in the face of Rogue's pity-she decided to ignore it-that was always the best course of action, "Once I'm dressed why don't' we head out and do some shopping…Once it gets dark I want to ask a few people if Gambit's been making himself known in these parts," she shook her head at Rogue's jeans and sneakers, "And you won't be able to come if we can't at least make you look twenty one."
The unspoken plea for Rogue to put this demon back into its box was loud and clear-she could not ignore it, "Sure thing, I can't wait to put the Big Apple on its ear."
**********************
"Hey Cypher long time no see chica!" Rogue turned as a lean dark skinned woman called out to her companion self-consciously pulling her new black leather jacket tighter. They had finished their shopping hours ago-now it was time to visit all of Asli's old contacts and find Gambit.
Asli smiled to acknowledge the woman standing outside a dark doorway who was holding on to her cigarette for warmth. Her demeanor loosening in the same way that Rogue had noticed it icing up for Warren, "I've been busy Carmen, what the hell are you doing smoking out here in the middle of winter?"
Carmen pulled her fur coat closer to her body and frowned, "It's that Puto I work for-he says we can't smoke inside no more…it's a health code violation." She punctuated the disgust in her voice with a deep drag as if she did it out of spite.
"Speaking of," Asli continued, "Is the Bird Man in tonight or is he off 'attending to business'?"
"I wouldn't be out here if that rat wasn't here kid," Carmen tossed the cigarette, "Since when do you work with a partner?"
A small shrug lifted the hacker's shoulders, "Just doing my bit to corrupt the youth of America. Can I see him?"
Rogue noticed that Carmen's long nails had been painted a bright garish red as she waved a hand towards the door, "Go ahead girl, feel free to take a bite out of his ass. Somebody has to know that little weasel down a peg or two."
"I thought that was your job?" Asli quipped as she pulled on the heavy metal door and waved a hand to Rogue indicating that they had to enter, "This shouldn't take too long. Good seeing you Carmen."
Rogue tucked a flyaway piece of white hair behind her ear and ducked into the darkness of the stairwell ahead of Asli. Within the warm blackness Rogue could feel the pulsating music of the hidden club; slowly she began navigating the narrow steps downwards. When the girls reached the bottom of the stairs a door appeared pecked out in red light Asli grinned and rested her hand on the handle, "You ready for this?"
"Some good old fashioned teenaged rebellion?" Rogue lifted an eyebrow knowing exactly how the Professor and Wolverine would see her going to an underground club-even if it was X-Man related, "I'm always ready."
Asli swung the door open and Rogue walked through it crashing right into the person who had been about to exit. The deep, smoky sent of rolled tobacco mixed with cloves filled her nostrils as Rogue found her nose buried in a very muscular male chest. "Sorry," She muttered and backed away to regain her treasured personal space.
"No problem Chère," a familiar Cajun accent replied silkily.
Rogue's heart shot into her throat-they had found Gambit.