Ten-year old Rogue cautiously crept down the stairs. Irene's strange friend had come to visit again. Irene called her Mystique. Rogue had known Mystique for so long, the first time they meet had faded into a vague, half-remembered memory. However, that did not mean that Rogue felt comfortable around Mystique. Whenever Mystique visited Irene and Rogue, she always inexplicably stared hard into Rogue's eyes, searching for who knew what. It always made Rogue uneasy when Mystique visited. However, she didn't want to say anything to Irene about it, as Irene was nice enough to let Rogue live with her. They had lived in Caldecott County since Rogue first moved in with Irene, about six years ago.
Rogue was trying to stealthily approach Irene and Mystique, not to say hello but to eavesdrop on their conversation. Something was different about this visit. Mystique seemed agitated, which was unusual because normally she did not show much emotion. She was usually quite controlled; calculating some might say. When Mystique had arrived, she immediately pulled Irene to the side and started a whispered conversation with Irene. Irene had listened for a few minutes, and then asked Rogue to go outside to play, or up to her room to finish her homework. Rogue had elected to go upstairs, as she still had a History paper to complete. Besides, Fourth Grade was almost over, and summer would be here soon enough. She would have plenty of time to play outside then.
When Rogue had finished, she listlessly roamed her room. She was bored, and a little hungry. Maybe she could sneak downstairs into the kitchen and grab a snack. Rogue convinced herself that was all she was going to do downstairs, really, and headed out of her room.
So here she was, crouched down behind the kitchen island. She steadily made her way forward, to where the sink and the dishwasher shared space along the far kitchen wall. Although the kitchen and the living room were separated from each other the wall, there was an opening above the sink that overlooked the living room. Irene had some of her ivy plants that did not need much sunlight along the opening. The ivy absorbed some of the sound from the living room, but not all. Rogue was still able to hear most of the conversation.
"Destiny, have you had any indication of when Rogue's powers will appear? I have laid the preliminary groundwork of ours plans. I have targeted those mutants I think will be most likely to join our cause. There is a young orphan around Chicago, Lance Alvers. You remember him, right? He was the one whom you envisioned that was able to manipulate seismic waves. Then, of course, there is Todd Tolinksy. He does have the outward appearance of a mutant, with his long tongue and toad-like physique. However, his legs have yet to develop the power you expect him to have once he hits puberty. I have already begun to make arrangements for him to be transferred to Bayville. It is always best to have someone already in place, as too many new arrivals, just when Professor Xavier begins his mutant recruitment would cause suspicion. Fred is still living in Texas, growing larger by the day. He has almost bankrupted his parents because of the cost to feed him. He consumes in one hour what most people eat in one day. I would like to wait until we need him to invite him in the fold, for that same reason. Pietro is the only unknown. It would be nice to have a mutant of his caliber as a part of our group. He already has tremendous control of his powers, which one would expect, as Magneto is his father. However, the potential for us having a person who could keep us apprised of Magneto's plans is negated by the fact that he could be in our group, doing the same thing for his father. With Rogue and her prophesized powers in play, we could be a force to rival Magneto or Xavier."
"Mystique, do not be so impatient. I have seen Rogue in the future, and she does not get her powers immediately after puberty. I cannot give you an exact time, but it seemed she was older than most when her powers appeared. I have taken the precaution of telling her that she has a skin condition that calls for her to wear clothes to completely cover her skin, just in case my vision is inaccurate. However, I truly believe she will be a High Schooler when it happens. I cannot be more precise than that."
Rogue felt light-headed. She could not believe that Mystique and Irene were talking about her becoming a mutant. Wait, no she was already a mutant whose powers had not yet come. Maybe this was why Mystique had first approached Rogue, and taken her to live with Irene. Rogue had a memory or two of living on the streets, but she didn't think it had been for long. She just remembered her mother dying, and her father yelling at her all the time, blaming her for her mother's death. He always smelled bad, like stale cigarettes and whiskey. He had recently escalated from yelling at her to hitting her, when Rogue decided to run away. After he had gone to sleep, Rogue had sneaked out of the house with her Care Bear backpack filled with a couple of changes of clothing, some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and as much money she could find in her father's wallet. It was summertime in Mississippi, so staying at a children's park would not draw much attention to her. She made sure to leave in the afternoon, pretending that she was going home. She knew adults wouldn't understand that her Daddy was a bad man now, and they would try to make her go back. Rogue vaguely remember her time at the park, mostly she played on the jungle gym and after her dwindling supply of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with water from the drinking fountain. She had just eaten her last sandwich when a lady appeared in front of her. The lady said her name was Mystique, and would Rogue like to come live with a friend of her's named Irene. Rogue wasn't a stupid little girl, no matter what her Daddy said, so she had politely turned Mystique down. It wasn't until a couple days with no food that Rogue agreed to meet Irene and decide if she wanted to live with her. Rogue didn't have a bad feeling about Irene when she met her, so she agreed to live with her.
Rogue came out of her memories in time to hear Irene tell Mystique about some guy named Professor Xavier, and how he was getting his first student soon.
"Scott Summers has appeared in my dreams for three nights straight, so I believe that he will soon reside at the institute. As Ororo Munro already lives there, and Wolverine occasionally stops by, this means that my vision of Xavier's role is just beginning. After Scott has lived there for a couple of years, Jean Grey should move in. It will not be until they are juniors in High School that any of the other students should arrive. I remember that the school year just started and Kurt arrives while the school has its Homecoming Game. It is the when Kurt first appears that the events we have been planning for commence. Rogue will be a featured character, one way or another."
"Do you still have visions of Rogue as an one of Professor's X-Men? We need Rogue on our side in order to defeat them. With her absorption power, she will be almost unbeatable. Once we get her to completely absorb Carol Danvers, and obtain her flight ability, strength, and invulnerability, she will be a force to be reckoned with/"
"Yes, Mystique. Rogue's path is as divided as ever. I have always told you that Rogue can go to either side. Not even I can see clearly which team she will join permanently. There are almost too many factors to see. Lance, Todd, Fred, even Pietro are known components. Their life is such that they will welcome the invitation to join a group that will not be heroes. They are more suited to villains. Rogue, however, is not villain material. She is hot-tempered and sarcastic, but at her core, she has the morals instilled into her by her mother. She knows right and wrong, and she will invariably be on the side of right. Our task is to convince her that ours is the right side, and not Xavier's."
Rogue had listened to Mystique and Irene long enough. She knew now what she had to do.
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Later that night, Rogue silently opened the door to her room and stepped out into the hallway. She sneaked along the hallway and like a ghost, crept into Irene's bedroom and walked up to her bed. Irene was sleeping peacefully. Rogue quietly opened the top drawer of her desk, which was beside the bed. There she found what she was looking for. It was the old-fashioned skeleton key to the writing cabinet located downstairs in the den. Beside it laid the key to the den. She grabbed both keys and left the room as silently as she had entered.
The den was downstairs, attached to side of the staircase. It was originally the footman's waiting area and had doubled as a cloakroom when needed. When a footman was on duty, he didn't have to stand at attention at the front door. He could wait in the room on the main floor. That way he could hear the knocker at the front door if it sounded, and still have an area to perform the work that the butler had assigned. As this was the 20th centaury, there hadn't been a reason to keep the footman's waiting area as it had originally been. When Rogue and Irene had moved into the house, Irene had immediately claimed that room as her own. Rogue could have the loft, which had been the servant's quarters, as a playroom. The upstairs floor was for the bedchambers. The master's suite was Irene's. Rogue's was the second largest room upstairs. Mystique had the third bedroom for her use when she visited, and the fourth was used as a media room. There was a television, a stereo/tape/record/CD player, a VCR and a computer. There had recently been the addition of a DVD player in the room. Mostly only Rogue hung out in the room, but occasionally Irene would listen to her opera's or her old radio programs in there. As Irene was blind, TV was not one of her passions. Downstairs, there was the living room and kitchen to the right of the main staircase, on to the left was the dining room and study. The study was filled with Irene's collection of books, which was odd since she couldn't read most of them, as they were not in Braille. She did have a collection of books in Braille, and she had started to collect audio books. Irene had one told Rogue that she wasn't born blind, and didn't become blind until she was almost twenty. Her collection of books was a family inheritance. Irene's father was an avid reader, and Irene had shared that passion.
Rogue had always wondered why Irene had chosen the footman's waiting room, or as Irene called it, her den, as the room in which Irene would inhabit the most. It was by no means a large space. There was only enough room for a chair, an ottoman, and an old-fashioned writing cabinet. The cabinet's legs were spindly and seemed almost too fragile to hold up the cabinet, which was about 42 inches wide. The writing surface was about 18 inches off of the floor. Above the surface perched the cabinet. The left hand side was open and held envelopes, stationary, and pens. The right hand side had the locked cabinet. Rogue had only once glimpsed what was locked inside, and it had intrigued her ever since. Rogue unlocked the door to the den and stepped inside. Before she had entered the room, she had grabbed a flashlight from the junk drawer in the kitchen, used by Rogue in case the electricity went out.
Rogue inserted the key into the lock and turned it clockwise. There was a second, hidden lock located on the right face of the cabinet, which also used the same key. After she had unlocked both places, she opened the door. Inside were diaries. Rogue knew Irene had written these diaries before she had lost her sight. When Rogue overheard Irene and Mystique's conversation, she knew that she would need to read the diaries. She wasn't sure what they contained, they could be diaries from Irene's young adulthood, filled with gossip and crushes, but as much as Irene guarded them, Rogue didn't think so. Irene kept them in her locked den, in a double-locked cabinet. Rogue believed that what was written in the diaries held some significance to not only her, but others as well.
Rogue took the first diary down, and began to read it in the illumination provided by her flashlight.
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Mystique gave Irene and Rogue a hug before she departed the next morning. Rogue stifled a yawn as she waved good-by to Mystique. She had been up until almost 3:00 am reading the first diary. She had only gotten a third of the way through, and already her head was filled with Irene's visions. She was going to have to continue the ritual every night until she completed the diaries. She was going to also have to organize the visions in some semblance of order. Irene had seemed possessed when she wrote all of her visions down. The first diary began with Irene talking about the visions that would not leave her alone, and she hoped by writing them down while she was having the vision would allow her some peace. Because of this, the writing was erratic and sometimes almost illegible. They would jump from person to person or topic to topic, with no connection or sense of continuity. Rogue needed to get a notebook for each person mentioned and each event that was foreseen to happen. That way, when the person was brought up in Destiny's Diaries, Rogue could locate the notebook for that person and write down the vision. Once she had gone through all of the diaries, she could then put each vision in each notebook in chronological order, and then combine the all the notebooks into a timeline. This would give her a greater scope of understanding and allow her to see the big picture.
Throughout her tenth summer, Rogue compiled a comprehensive documentation of Irene's visions. She noticed the prominent presence of a man named Xavier, or as Destiny referred to him as, X. Scott Summers, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Ororo Munro, Kurt, and other names were mentioned frequently in conjunction with X. There was also a man named Eric Magnus, or Magneto, that seemed to be at cross-purposes with Xavier. He had lackeys, but none seemed to have that distinct a presence, they were unnamed or vaguely referred to by Irene by images, and not names that Rogue could discern. There were also humans that played a part in Destiny's visions. One was called Fury, and he was a leader of a government program that was supposed to protect humans from mutants. What was odd about Fury was that he had mutants that reported to him. He seemed to be a fair man, and treated mutants as individuals. Some mutants were good, and others were bad, he was here to protect humans from the bad mutants. Another was Reverend Stryker, a televangelist who called mutants an abomination before God. Occasionally, a man named Trask appeared, as did a woman named Valerie Cooper. They seemed to have different political and bureaucratic jobs that somehow involved mutants. In some of Irene's visions, mutants were the dominant species and had humanity as captives and slaves. In other possible realities, mutants were a despised and feared race that was persecuted by humans into near extinction. In all of the visions of a future, Fury played some role. Irene often referred to him as the shield of America.
Once Rogue had finished the task of reading Destiny's Diaries, she wanted a better understanding of Mystique and Irene's place in this. The diaries were just visions of possible futures or events, they did not convey which ones Irene and Mystique wanted to come true, and which ones they did not want to come to pass. Obviously, Mystique and Irene opposed Xavier, but why? What did they want to happen, that the presence of Xavier would thwart? Did they want to rule humanity, because Rogue didn't? Irene had called the boys Mystique mentioned villains. Rogue didn't want to be a villain, but neither did she want to be a hero. She just wanted to go back to when life was simple and she was ignorant of mutants, and the inevitable emergence of her powers. She had no wish to absorb people. Rogue had seen herself mentioned quite often in the diaries. She knew what would happen eventually, she would not be able to touch anyone without hurting them. Rogue would take their life force, their memories, and in the case of mutants, their powers. Irene had said this would probably start when Rogue was in high school, but she wasn't 100% sure. Rogue couldn't take the chance that her powers wouldn't come earlier, so she had to be on high alert. She couldn't afford to touch anyone, ever. Rogue already felt like a freak, with white streaks in the front of her hair. Now she was not going to be able to have any friends, not like she had that many to begin with. She was always a bit shy and she tended to act sarcastic, even mean, in order to keep people from getting too close. Even at the age of ten, Rogue was a loner who liked her music better than most people. Not being able to touch did not seem to be a huge deal now, but Rogue knew that one day it would really matter that she couldn't touch. ^ Oh well. What is that saying? Life sucks, then you die. About sums up my future. ^
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Rogue and Irene did not see Mystique again until Fifth Grade had just started. One fall day, Mystique arrived at the front door. She was waiting for Rogue when she got home from school. Irene and Mystique were having tea in the library when Rogue walked through the front door. Irene heard Rogue, and invited her in to the library.
When Rogue saw Mystique, she became excited. ^ Finally, I can find out some more information about what these two are up two. I better leave them alone as soon as I can, that way they will talk to each other about their plans, and I can listen in. ^
"Rogue, Mystique has come to stay for awhile. She will be here for a few months, instead of a few days or weeks, as she has in the past. We wanted to begin teaching you some special skills," Irene said.
"What skills?" Rogue asked.
"Physical education, " replied Mystique. "We will began by increasing your endurance and strength. Then I will start to teach you some martial arts. Irene will assist you with maximizing your mental capabilities. She will help you develop memory techniques and mental clarity. Just some things that you will not learn from regular school. We want you to have a well-rounded education."
"Cool, " Rogue exclaimed. She really was excited. She knew that Mystique was a martial artist. Rogue had seen her practice every morning whenever Mystique stayed with them. She was looking forward to learning to kick ass. Rogue was not much of a talker, she was more of a doer. She wasn't going to bully anyone with her fighting abilities, just stand up for herself if she needed to. The memory techniques and stuff didn't sound too bad, but learning to fight held potential. This would also mean that Rogue would more opportunities to learn what Mystique and Irene had planned. This was shaping up to be a good year. Now, if only Rogue could convince Mystique and Irene that she didn't need school. That would be great. ^ Yeah right. The one thing that I have always known that Mystique and Irene had in common, even before the whole mutant-plotting thing, was a love of learning. Mystique and Irene always talk about literature and politics and science. They are both really smart. I am sure they want me to continue my education. Too bad, because it looks like school is going to suck this year, like always. ^
For the rest of the year, Rogue worked with Mystique after she got home from school. They would go running for 3 miles, then lift weights for a half hour. One day in early November, Mystique began to train Rogue in judo. Mystique told Rogue that judo was the best martial art to begin with. After a few years, Mystique would begin to teach Rogue jujitsu, which Mystique described as no holds barred, dirty wrestling. This could hurt people, a lot. Judo was more of a defensive style that was used, if necessary, to defeat an opponent as quickly as possible. Jujitsu was about inflicting damage and subduing an opponent, as well as defending oneself. Mystique also wanted to teach Rogue kickboxing, which Mystique said, seemed to suit her personality the most. Rogue knew she was going to enjoy learning all of it.
That year, they all celebrated Christmas together. Mystique seemed a little melancholy, and Rogue went to Irene and asked why.
"Mystique once had a son, but he is gone from her now. Every once in awhile, she reflects on her past, and the journey she has taken to get where she is today. Do not worry child, Mystique will come out of it soon."
Rogue couldn't help but feel sad for Mystique. She didn't hate Mystique, or Destiny. She didn't know what, exactly, she felt towards them, but they were the closest thing to a family she had. They had yet to do anything that would hurt her, but Rogue knew that they weren't the best people. Just how bad they were, she had yet to determine.
January passed, as did half of February, before Rogue knew enough of Irene and Mystique's plans to act. She first had to learn more of the Xavier, Magneto, and Fury. Xavier and Magneto were mentioned often, but Fury was not talked about frequently. Whenever he was spoken of, Rogue wrote down as much clues as she could remember. Who Fury was, what was his position in the government, where was his base of operations. As much as Xavier seemed like a nice guy, it did not appear that he was who Rogue needed to contact. Xavier put mutant rights above all others, as did Magneto. Their opinion differed as to the role of humanity. Xavier wanted peace and harmony between mutants and humans, while Magneto wanted to separate mutants from humans. It was like the difference of philosophies between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They both wanted mutant rights, they just had differing opinions about how those right should come about, and what the rights should be. They both had valid points that Rogue agreed with. She sided with Magneto on how humanity would react to mutants. She didn't believe that humans would treat mutants very well. However, she did not think that mutants were necessarily better than humans. She agreed with Xavier that humans and mutants needed to work toward a peaceful, coexistence. However, Rogue believed that Xavier was a bit naïve in his belief in the nature of humanity. Some people were nice, some weren't. If mutants were ever exposed, they would not be embraced with open arms. More like bombarded by rotten apples, or worse.
Oddly enough, Fury seemed the happy medium. He was a human who knew of the existence of mutants. He liked some, didn't like others. His job was to keep the peace, by any means necessary. He was there to police the mutants, and humans, who rocked the boat. From the organizations that Mystique had mentioned, the Hellfire Club, Weapon X, her eventual Brotherhood, Magneto's Acolytes, and Xavier's men, his job was going to be difficult. And that was just the mutants. There was no telling how many human organizations would develop if or, more likely, when mutants were discovered. Rogue wanted to meet Fury, and judge him for herself.
Once she had the needed information on how to contact Fury, she set her plan in motion. She knew that an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was stationed in New Orleans. Mystique used him to misdirect Fury on occasion. She would appear in one of the underground meeting places of mutants, and let some false information leak out. The agent would then report this to Fury, and he would have some of his people look into it. In the meantime, Mystique would perform some clandestine task while Fury was otherwise occupied.
Rogue begged Irene and Mystique to take her to Mardi gras. The festival was during Rogue's Spring Break from school. Finally, Irene and Mystique agreed to take Rogue to Mardi gras. They warned her that she would only see the daytime parade, as the evening was for adults. It was also stated that Rogue was not allowed in certain parts of the city, as these parts were also for adults. Otherwise, it would the first family outing they ever had, and Irene and Mystique were starting to look forward to it.
They arrived in New Orleans on Sunday morning. They had passed through some of the bayou that Louisiana was famous for. Rogue looked around her, in awe. The Cypress and Willow trees that blanketed the city were beautiful, not as nice as those by the Natchez River where she lived, but nice enough. The buildings were impressive, though. They seemed to have their own personalities and presence. Some downright fascinated Rogue. She wanted to come back at a later time, maybe when she was a bit older. That way, she could go exploring on her own, and not draw as much attention to herself as a lone ten-year old.
Mystique drove up to a hotel in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Rogue realized it was going to be somewhat difficult to sneak out of such an area, but she was determined to try. They checked into their rooms, and unpacked their luggage. Irene was a bit tired from the trip, so she stayed to take a nap. Mystique and Rogue decided to do the tourist thing, so armed with a map, they hit New Orleans like a storm. They took pictures of everything they found of interest. Some nice people took pictures of the two of them together, so they could commemorate their first day in New Orleans. Mystique and Rogue decided to be brave, and try some Cajun food.
"Mythique, I weawy thin' I bumed my tung. Loo', ith dere a bwister on my tung?" Rogue asked, sticking out her tongue for Mystique to take a look at.
Mystique chuckled and said, "No, Rogue. There is no blister on your tongue. Here is a piece of bread. Take it and keep it on your tongue. It should absorb some of the spices."
"Cajun food isn't that bad, it's just really hot. I think I'll stick with my hush puppies, fried catfish, greens, and grits. Some people complain about Southern cookin', but we haven't burned the taste buds off of anyone's tongue before, Mystique," Rogue said after they left they Cajun restaurant. Mystique chuckled for the second time that day.
They headed back to the hotel to meet with Irene. The three of them decided to hang out in Irene's room and listen to an opera. In deference to Rogue not being an opera aficionado, they watched and listened to an opera that Irene had on VHS, called The Mikado. The opera was light enough to keep Rogue interested, and drool enough to amuse Irene and Mystique. Once that was finished, they ate supper in the dining room, and then turned in early.
The next day, Irene came with Rogue and Mystique to tour New Orleans, With Irene there to point out different smells and sounds, Mystique and Rogue added another layer to the visual extravaganza that was Mardi gras. They ate lunch and had some ice cream from a street vendor, then continued on their tour. That afternoon, Mystique took Rogue to a national gym that Mystique had membership in, so they could continue their training. Overall, it was a great day.
The next day was actually Mardi gras, since Mardi gras was French for Fat Tuesday, and today was Tuesday. Rogue, Irene and Mystique went to watch the all ages parade intended for family's to enjoy. Later that evening, Mystique asked Rogue is she would mind if Irene and Mystique went out for an adult night.
"That is fine, Mystique. You and Irene deserve a night off from me. I'll just stay here and watch some TV or something. You guys have fun."
^ This fits in perfectly with my plans. While Mystique and Irene are off doing whatever, I'll make contact with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. ^ When her two guardians left, Rogue retrieved the map from her room. She had managed to gain possession of it during their tour of New Orleans. She quickly mapped out the route she was going to take, then prepared for her night out. She did not want to draw too much attention to herself, so she pulled on a baseball cap to cover her white streaks. She also pulled on a pair of dark gray overalls with the silver clasps blackened out, as well as a dark gray shirt. Not many things were truly black, so black clothing tended to stand out. It was better to wear dark clothing, like gray or brown, to blend in, rather that black. Just one of the useful tidbits that she had learned from Mystique. Rogue pulled on her motorcycle gloves, grabbed her money and door key and put it in one of her many pockets, then left.
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A/N: Okay, it is 2:00 in the morning and I am capote, so I am stopping this chapter now. The next chapter will be about how Rogue meets Fury and becomes an informant/spy. We will advance a few years, and see what the real story was when she first meet the X-Men. I am going to try to update one chapter every week, but it depends on work and school.
Thanks for all of the reviews. Caliente, good suggestions about the summary. I will try to update it soon, but really, I am kinda bad at it, so that is something I'll put off until I feel up to it.
Hey guys, can you help me out? Did Destiny have 12 or 13 diaries? I tried to find my copies of X-treme X-Men that had the information in it, but I just cleaned my apartment so I won't find anything anytime soon. (Why is it that I can locate things when my apartment is all messy, but the minute I clean it up, I forget where I put everything? The wonderful life of a lazy slob is revealed, in all its glory.) If you guys can answer me in a review, that would be great. Thanks in advance.