Dismal Angel 2010 – Episode 1
Chapter 4: Questioning Trust
Rogue stepped through the open doorway into Professor Charles Xavier's large luxurious office. Despite the warm calming colours of the office, it did nothing to soothe Rogue's anger. Her was blood still pumping through her veins with the kind of fury she hadn't known in a very long time. For the most part, she'd learned to control her anger years previous, but seeing Remy in that cell, seeing him look at her the way he used to, it had brought new demons in her to the surface she'd tried to suppress for the last seven years – and had succeeded in doing so up until that very moment.
It felt as if a massive explosion had let loose everything in her head all at once. She wasn't sure if she could hold back anything anymore. Rushes of emotions washing over her from every direction
Professor Xavier was sitting near the open fire in his hover chair, leaning forward and stoking it with a poker, his position so precarious Rogue was almost certain he'd topple over, but he didn't, instead, he succeeded in what he was doing, the flames rose slightly, and he placed the poker back on a stand by the large marble fireplace.
"What is Gambit doin' here?!" Rogue demanded, she hadn't meant to sound so incensed with the Professor, but she could barely hold back the ferocity that was building up inside her.
"The team ran across him last night," Professor Xavier stated, "as you know, he's still wanted for the murder of Jared Rickman," he already knew Rogue had a good idea of why Remy was here though, and he felt his explanation only made her all the more livid than she had been before, she was so angry she was shaking. "Please, Rogue, will you close the door?"
Rogue slammed the door shut with an air of malaise, her eyes darkening as she looked to the Professor, waiting for more than his vague explanation. "Why didn't you turn him into the police?! He deserves to rot in a Prison cell for eternity! Or better yet, he deserves the electric chair for what he did!" she hissed.
Professor Xavier watched her every movement, as she spoke, her hands gestured out in frustration, as always when her anger flared like this, her accent grew thicker with every word, and her voice grew all the more coarse.
Professor Xavier slowly moved over, "Rogue, before we can decide on Remy's fate…" he softened his expression, keeping his cool blue eyes upon hers, "we must confirm if he is at least guilty."
"Of course he's guilty! Didn't Jared's dead body prove that?!" Rogue was affronted, her mouth hanging open, her tan face becoming pale at the memory of Jared's crushed body as she'd found him that night.
"I understand what you're saying, to me, Rogue," he said, his voice become all the more caring, he tried to maintain a gentle approach to her in attempt to calm her from her vexation. "Something in the way of Remy's behaviour when he was captured and brought here suggests to me that there may be more to the situation than we were able to fathom from what little evidence was found."
Rogue looked away, fuming.
"He is not denying the murder of Jared completely, and yet…he is not admitting to the murder either. The police do not have the ability to find out the truth in the ways we can, Rogue," the Professor stated rationally.
Rogue's eyes fell to the floor, her cheeks flushing with rage, "if he weren't guilty he wouldn't have run, Professor, in my mind – and everyone else's – that's all the proof we need."
"This evening at seven I'm calling you all to the War Room, we'll discuss the situation – and then Remy will be brought in for questioning, so we can determine the truth."
"The police could do that you know," Rogue shot at him angrily, clenching her teeth, still trembling with rage.
"I realise this, of course, but he may well escape from the police before being questioned – and we cannot risk this," Professor Xavier reminded.
"He could escape from here, too, Professor, he's not stupid, he knows how to unlock almost any door…he's probably already figured out how to get out of that cell!" Rogue frowned, "And anyway, do you actually expect him to tell the truth? Or answer at all, you know he's a pathological liar," she folded her arms broodingly, looking away from him.
"If he refuses to answer our questions, we may have to dig in his mind telepathically," Professor Xavier added, quickly, before she could comment on it anymore.
Rogue took a deep breath, trying to swallow her anger, "I can't be in the same room as him, Professor…" she trailed off shaking her head, "I can't guarantee he'd live long enough to give his version of the story."
"We won't let you harm him, Rogue, however much you may think – at this point – he deserves it," the Professor gave a weary sigh, "in the meantime, I would advise to take some rest and try and calm yourself down."
"Calm myself down? While he's in this building?! Not a chance," Rogue pursed her lips together tightly. "Not…a…chance."
"Do you think he did it?" Kurt Wagner was hanging upside down from his tale – which was wrapped a steel pipe near the ceiling in the War Room. He glanced over to Kitty Pryde, who was sitting with a small screw driver and a soldering iron trying to repair her broken communicator.
"Really doesn't matter what I think, Kurt," Kitty gave a deep sigh, already growing weary of the subject that, even at this time of the day – four pm – was already the height of conversation in the mansion. "He basically gave us the indication he wasn't denying it, but he wasn't admitting it…and to be honest, I don't know what to think about this whole thing anymore," she said jadedly.
It was a scandal that no one could help discussing, even the young students who resided in the Mansion seemed to have somehow found out about Remy LeBeau, and what he'd done in the past, and when Kitty had been tutoring a small class of fourteen year old mutants on geometry, she'd heard them whispering to each other about it every time she'd turned her back to write something on the whiteboard in the library.
At lunch time the kitchen had been a buzz of commotion, rumours flying about things Remy LeBeau had supposedly done. And there was a lot of speculation on how Remy and Rogue could have even had a semi-romantic relationship considering Rogue's mutant abilities. Luckily, Ororo had overheard all the gossip and had handed out detentions freely for those who had passed rumours around, advising it was not their place to make judgements on matters that didn't concern them at all. Things had started to quiet down around two pm, thankfully.
"You were good friends with him," Kurt pointed out, "you even dated him for a short time, surely you must have made some verdict for what he did," his arms were folded as he hung upside down, his long raven-blue-black hair swaying with every slight movement he made.
Kitty had completely forgotten about having dated Remy fleetingly in a half-vague attempt to make Rogue jealous. Her friendship with Remy had never really been the same since he'd kissed her one night in front of Rogue. "We dated to make Rogue jealous," Kitty reminded, her blue eyes resting upon her blue-furred friend as he hung upside down like a large furry blue bat, "but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well you must have some rough idea if he's capable of murder," Kurt responded.
Kitty looked down at her communicator, which was now lying in pieces on the war room table, "he tried to kill someone before, Kurt, don't you remember?"
Kurt let himself down from the ceiling, his feet making a soft pat as he landed catlike upon the floor, "I'd nearly forgotten," he responded, "the nightclub?"
Kitty gave a curt nod, and tucked her hair behind her ears, "I have a feeling the question of that will be brought up tonight," she admitted sheepishly, "maybe Rogue shouldn't even be present for this trial thing…she's just gotten totally 'normal'…and now the Professor is gonna drag her through everything with Gambit again…it's gonna mess her up so bad, I'm so worried about her – this is the last thing she needs."
"Rogue is a fighter, she'll be fine," Kurt assured confidently, "She's grown a lot stronger since the days of Cajun caressing," Kurt smirked a little with a twinkle evident in his yellow eyes, his way of dealing with serious situations with humour had always been the thing Kitty admired about Kurt the most, especially when the rest of the team had grown so serious with age.
Kitty wished she could be as easy going as Kurt about this situation, but she found it difficult, already being torn between what had once been friendship and the way she was expected to react towards Remy because of his guilt for murder. "It's hard for me to know what to think, anymore, Kurt," she gave a deep doleful sigh, and she leaned back in her chair.
"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, he flicked a small piece of lint off of his shoulder.
"I mean…I was meant to be his friend – I should probably be supporting him or something…but Rogue is my friend too, and she believes he's really guilty…" Kitty explained, she rested her elbows upon the table, propping her chin in her hands, looking at Kurt who was now sitting folded legged upon the table, looking at her with the same keen interest.
Kurt gave an understanding nod, listening to her attentively.
Kitty let out a small wail of frustration, "God I wish I'd never made the assumption he was guilty when this all happened, I was the first to say 'maybe he did kill Jared', and now look what's happening…everyone believes he's a murderer…and maybe he is, who knows…" she shrugged, "But I feel like I'm caught in the middle of it all…" she added with a little groan. "I suppose I should just stay on Rogue's side, at least I know I can trust Rogue, where as Remy…? I can trust him just about as far as I can throw him…"