Chapter Three: Strange Encounters
Rogue walked down the street, trying not to gape at the spectacle she was witnessing. ^ No wonder Mystique and Irene did not want me out at night. These people are acting crazy. ^ She had seen men cajoling women to flash their breasts, bribing them with crappy beads. The amazing thing was women were agreeing to it. Rogue rolled her eyes and continued on to her destination.
On her way to the area that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was located, Rogue spied a boy, not much older than her, out in the crowd. He was casually walking around the throng of people in the street, and occasionally he would seem to pause beside certain spectators. Rogue halted her journey to see him work the crowd. ^ He is a pickpocket, and a pretty good one at that. I would not have noticed him if I hadn't seen him exactly when his hand was in the process of removing money from a wallet. ^ Another useful thing Mystique had told her was that if one picked pockets, it was best to just remove the money and put the wallet back in place, if possible. People were less likely to realize their pocket had been picked and alert the authorities if their wallet was still in their possession. Once someone realizes their pocket had been picked and their money gone, but their driver's license, credit cards, ATM cards, etc. were still there, they were more likely to shrug it off as bad, but not as bad as it could have been. They are just grateful it was only their money that had been stolen. They realize it would be useless to report the theft, as it is virtually impossible to track down cash. The downside to only taking money was that you had to be really good and fast, in order to take the wallet, remove the money, and then replace the wallet without the person becoming aware of the fact.
Rogue watched the pickpocket work for the next few minutes, before she decided to approach him. ^ Maybe he can help me out a little. I don't feel quite as brave as when I left the motel and another person with me might be smarter. I don't know if I can trust him, he is a thief after all, but he isn't hurting anyone and I won't be able to tell if he is reliable until I actually meet him. It is not like I have to have someone with me, after all. ^
She quietly stalked up to the boy and waited until he was clear of his latest victim and was looking for his next when she made her move. "Hu-huh." The young thief turned to her and smiled charmingly. He surreptitiously trying to back away as he asked, "All you all alone here, cher? Do you need some help finding your mama?"
"No, I am not lost. I just saw you in the crowd, and you are the only one close to my age here and I wanted to ask you a question," Rogue replied.
The boy stopped trying to leave and really looked at the girl. She was kinda cute in her baseball cap and overalls. He was young, but his father had said that no man was too young to appreciate the ladies. You could respect the woman that raised you, his Tante in his case, and that respect should spill over to all of the ladies that one came in contact with. They could be relatives, friends, or even enemies, but you always were a gentleman when women were present. He looked up to his father, the man who had rescued him from the streets where he had grown up, and taken him into his home. His father was the only man that he would listen to with respect. He didn't always like what his father had to say, but he always paid attention and tried to live up to his father's faith in him.
"The name is Remy. Remy LeBeau. What is your name, cher?"
"Who do you think you are, Bond, James Bond?" Rogue asked while rolling her eyes. "My name is Rogue."
"Rogue? Nothing else after that? What kind of name is Rogue?" Remy asked, slightly irritated by how she had made fun of the delivery of his name. ^ Most girls like when I lay on the charm. ^
"Rogue is the name of the girl who isn't impressed by you. I happened to see you picking some people's pockets and I don't think you should do that. What you did before you met me, and what you do after I am gone is your own business. When you are with me, however, don't steal."
^ This girl is crazy. Who does she think she is dealing with, her pet? And what makes her think that I am going to hang out with her at all? ^ "You are pretty sure of yourself. What makes you think I am going to be around in the next second? Your attitude is not winning me over here, Rogue."
She was silent for so long, Remy was getting ready to leave when she said; "I have got a proposition for you. I am off to the French Quarter. I need to go to a club called Liaison. If you want, you can come with me."
"What is in it for me? I could easily get a few hundred dollars in the time it would take you to get to the Quarter, let alone the time it would take while you were there and to get back."
Rogue silently breathed a sigh of relief, her instincts had been right. Before Remy had turned to leave, she was trying to get a feel for him. While she could plan and strategize thanks to Mystique, she still relied most heavily on her emotions to guide her. Remy seemed like an okay guy, but she wasn't sure until he had replied to her offer. He was thinking of waiting for her and walking her back, not just of accompanying her to her destination.
"Well, I could just find a policeman and report you to him. You're what, 5'6" or so? Your hair is auburn, I wasn't sure until I got closer to you. Plus, you are not just from New Orleans you seem to be Cajun. Your accent is faint, but you called me cher, which is a Cajun way to say Cherie. I don't see any distinguishing marks or tattoos, but you are wearing a trench coat that covers you up a bit." Fast as a snake striking, Rogue's arm shot out and took off the sunglasses Remy was wearing. "And your eyes are red on black, which I would say is a bit unusual. Wouldn't you agree that my description of you is accurate? Now I could forget what I saw, but it would require you to come with me to the club. You won't have to do anything after we return here."
He retrieved the glasses Rogue had snatched off his face. The girl impressed Remy, as did her speed. She also had a good head for details. In addition, she hadn't reacted to his eyes, which most people did. After almost thirteen years, only three people had not recoiled in horror or surprise after seeing his eyes. They were his father, Jean-Luc; his Tante Mattie; and his brother, Henri. Rogue made it four. Plus, he liked girls who were sassy, which Rogue certainly was.
"What makes you think I don't have friends in high places, who turn a blind eye to my activities? Besides, I don't think you really want to talk to the police. If you did, the police would already be over here. I believe you are in over your head and hope that my presence will alleviate your worry. Alright, fine, I will go with you. However, remember I am doing this for your own good, not because you threatened me."
Rogue said, "Whatever. Are you ready to go?" ^ I don't know who has the upper hand here. I can't go to the police, because Irene and Mystique will know that I went out if I report his thefts. He seems to be kind of chivalrous, but irritating nonetheless. I cannot tell if he will be a help, or a hindrance. Regardless, at least I have someone with me in this town. Besides, if he ditches me, it is not like I cannot find my way back to the motel, but God help him if he pulls any crap on me. ^
^ I don't know what the petite is thinking about, but if it puts a scowl like that on her face, I wouldn't want to be the responsible party. I wonder why she is going to Liaison? That is a notorious hangout for mutants. ^ Remy knew about mutants because he was one. Although his powers were just developing with the onset of puberty, he had always had strange eyes. So far, mutants had been able to keep under the radar. Parents of mutant children tended to hide the children with visible mutations for the kid's own protection, or teach their children to hide their powers if the mutation was not discernable. Mutants themselves knew that if the public discovered mutants among them, the backlash would not be pretty. However, people were a social animal and mutants were still people. They liked to be around other mutants and to be free of masks. Remy might have gone to Liaison more often if his family and friends did not know of his gift and accept it. Mutants were not unknown in the Guilds, just rare. He didn't have to act ashamed of himself when he was at home. It was only in public where he had to hide his eyes.
Rogue was deep in reflection. Now that she was so close to contacting Fury's agent, she was having second thoughts. ^ What have Mystique and Irene really done that was so bad? I don't know for sure that they are performing illegal or amoral activities. They have been my family for years; they took me off of the streets and gave me a home. Is it right to betray them? Should I just ignore this and hope for the best? ^ Rogue shook her head. ^ I am someone who listens to their feelings, and mine are telling me that Mystique and Irene are up to no good. I have to have faith in myself and listen to my conscience. It is the only way I can get through this. ^
It took them 30 minutes to arrive at the French Quarter. The streets were still crowded, but there was enough space between people for Rogue and Remy to slip through the cracks and get to Liaison fairly quickly.
"How do you plan on getting into the club, Rogue?"
"Well, I had planned on your thieving skills to help me sneak in. However, with your eyes, I think you can get me in through the front door."
Remy rolled said eyes beneath his sunglasses. At least he knew that Rogue was aware of this place as a mutant hang out. "Even though this is where certain people like to get together, this is still a club and last I checked, we are both too young to get in. If it was during the day, walking through the front door might be feasible, but at night, not a chance. Besides, I liked the first suggestion better; it has more potential for fun. How about we go with that?"
"Fine, I don't care. Just get me inside."
Remy grinned and grabbed her hand. Rogue wasn't used to people touching her, she had discouraged contact for so long that touch was almost alien to her. Even though Remy was wearing tipless gloves and she was wearing motorcycle gloves, it was the most physical connection she had with anyone in a long time.
Remy guided her to a side alley with a window that looked to be almost 7 feet off the ground. "This club is two stories. The first floor is the bar, the kitchen, and the dance floor. The tables are located upstairs, both inside and out. However, in the winter the outside is closed due to the cold. The window leads to a storage room in the club, so no one will see us sneak in. Once we are in the room, I can pick the lock on the door that leads to the club. I hope you know where you are going once you are in there."
"Don't worry, I know what I am doing," Rogue tried to sound more confident than she felt. She had a plan, she didn't know if it was a very good one. She knew what the agent looked like based on Mystique's description. Mystique had been regaling Irene with how incompetent S.H.I.E.L.D. must be based on the agent's appearance. It seemed he was overweight and had brown hair that was turning grey. He also had a nervous tick in his left eye. It wouldn't be hard to find him, if he was there. However, the plan hinged on the fact that he was there and that she could remain hidden until she reached him.
Remy nodded and reached into his trench coat and pulled out an object. He fiddled with it for a second and suddenly, Rogue was looking at a small crossbow. Remy fitted an arrow into the string, aimed the bow at the outside patio above their location, and depressed the trigger. The arrow shot up and imbedded itself in the wooden flooring. Trailing from the arrow was a thin line. Remy then placed an item at the bottom of the line. He attached two poles with rubber tips to the item. The poles extended to reach the base of the building on either side of the alley and locked in place. He stung the line into base, turning the item into an anchor and drawing the line taught. Remy then removed two sets of hand clamps from his trench coat, handing a pair to Rogue. "I hope you have strong arms. If I had known I would have company with me when I am breaking and entering, I would have brought a mechanized pulley system that could just zip us up. Since I didn't, we will just have to make do with what I have."
Remy quickly showed Rogue how to work the clamps. He went up first so he could help her over to the window. Once he was on the window ledge, he waved Rogue up. ^ I am glad that Mystique started me on endurance and weight training. If I did not have almost six months of strength building under my belt, I don't think I would be able to do this. I am also grateful my gloves have leather grips, so my hands don't slip from sweat. ^ Even with her preparation, Rogue's arms were beginning to shake under the strain of pulling her body the line with only the muscles in her arms and shoulders. When climbing a rope you wrapped your legs around the rope and used your feet to lock yourself in place. You also used your legs to help lift yourself along the rope. With the thinness of the line, that was not possible. She had to let her body dangle free. She used her left arm as the lead arm, and her right as the anchor. Once you put the clamp around the line, it stayed on the line the whole time. She kept her body tight to her right arm, which she used to keep her self in place while she stretched up her left as high as it would go. Once her left arm was in place, she hung from it while she rolled her right clamp to just below the left clamp's position. She then pulled herself up until her face was just above the upper clamp. It was almost like doing chin-ups to the top of the line. Once she was opposite Remy, he leaned out and wrapped an arm around her waist. He used his other arm to anchor himself to a hole in the wall. ^ Apparently, he had managed to open the window while I was creeping up the line. ^ Remy then helped Rogue get to the window. As soon as Rogue was on the ledge, Remy slipped into the room and Rogue followed him down.
Remy took off his sunglasses as soon as he reached the bottom. His eyes were just unusual looking, they served an added purpose. He had excellent night vision, better than humans and almost as good as a cat's. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the room and when Rogue landed beside him, he grabbed her hand and led her to the door.
"Look here Swamp Rat, you might be able to see in the dark, but I can't, so slow down. I don't wanna bump into anything and have someone hear us and investigate." If Remy slowed down, Rogue couldn't tell, but suddenly they stopped and Remy dropped Rogue's hand. She heard him crouch down and then heard the almost silent sounds of metal scratching against metal. There was a click and then Remy stood up. ^ He really is good at this stuff. I am glad I asked him along. ^
Just then, Remy placed a finger against her lips, signaling silence. He reached for the doorknob and quietly turned the handle. Once the door was open a bit, he put his eye to the crack and peered out. No one was in the immediate vicinity, so he opened the door wide enough so Rogue could slip through. "I will wait for 30 minutes. If you are not back by then, I will leave, understand?"
"Yeah, I get it. Don't worry if I am not back by then, it might take me a while to find who I am looking for. If you leave before I return, I just want to thank you. I know I wasn't very nice to you when we first met, but you really helped me tonight, so thanks."
^ Merde, Rogue just had to say something decent at the very end. I guess I will be staying until she gets back, but I don't have to like it. Also, it would be best if she didn't know, that way she might hurry up if she thinks she will be on her own in a half-hour. ^
"You're welcome. It is 9 o'clock so I will leave at 9:30 if you are keeping track. Good luck."
Rogue nodded and exited the storage room. As she was slinking along the dimly lit hallway toward the main room, she spied an overweight man talking on the phone in the in an alcove off of the hallway. He had his back to her, but she could see that his hair was light in some places and dark in others. Her heart began to beat in anticipation. This couldn't be the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; it would be too much of a lucky break. As Rogue approached the phone bank the man was at, she began to try to hear his end of the conversation.
"Yes, sir, I understand. I too believe that there is not much to be gained by my continued presence at this location. Although this is a mutant hang out, not much intrigue goes on here. This is mostly a social gathering place, not a den of plotting and insurgence. I stayed here as long as I have because occasionally a bit of intelligence is heard, which usually turns out to be false. I think my allegiance has been discovered and someone is using me to send misleading information to you. Either another agent should take over surveillance here, or we should just drop this place altogether. In any case, I will be flying back to base sometime tomorrow. I will talk in more detail then."
Rogue couldn't believe it. This seemed to be the man she was looking for, and it was good that she was able to locate him tonight. He was leaving tomorrow, so this was the only chance she would get.
She walked up behind the agent and said, "Excuse me, sir. I think you may be whom I am searching for. I have some information that I think Nick Fury might be interested in."
Vaughan slowly turned to face the girl that just propositioned him. He couldn't believe it when he saw her. She looked to be about 10 years old, and wearing overalls and a baseball hat, she looked cute-as-a-button. Where did a kid get the gumption to approach a stranger and offer information to aid Nick Fury? How did a kid even know who Nick Fury was? As Nichols continued to contemplate the girl, he responded, "Kid, are you even supposed to be in here? And who is this Nick Fury you speak of? Do I need to call the police so they can help you out?"
When the man faced Rogue, she knew for sure it was him. The light showed his brown hair turning to grey, as well as revealed the slight twitch of his left eye. "I think you know who I am referring to. Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and your boss. Tell Mr. Fury that I want to meet him in person. I will be at the Old City Cemetery at the Rearing Horse statue at 2:00 pm tomorrow. It is in his best interest to appear. Tell him I look forward to making his acquaintance."
Rogue then turned and walked away. She quickly ducked into the storage room. As it was only 9:27, Remy was still there. She told him to hurry, and he grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the window. She linked her hands together to give him a shelf for one of his feet, the other he placed on her shoulder. She then stood up, using the wall as a support. Her added height placed him close to the window, which he climbed into. He anchored his feet somehow, then leaned down and reached his hands out. She stepped back so she could take a running leap, and grasped his outstretched hands. He hoisted her up to the window, then leaned out and grabbed hold of the clamps Rogue had left on the line.
"Come on, grab a hold of me and we'll get down together. Think of it like a piggyback ride."
Rogue didn't have that far to stretch out to reach the line on her own, but her arms were kinda tired and she didn't know if she could hold on to the clamps by herself for as long as it would take to get to the bottom. Rogue nodded her head and wrapped her arms over Remy's shoulders. "Should I let my legs dangle?"
"Yes, that way when we reach the bottom you can take your own weight immediately. It also allows me to get closer to the line. Are you ready to go?"
As soon as Rogue said yes, Remy edged off the window ledge and released the handle on the clamp. They zipped down the line, with Remy only applying the brakes at the very bottom. Once they were both on the ground, Remy did something to the line that freed the shaft from the arrowhead embedded in the wooden patio. He gathered his equipment and put it back in his pockets, then looked to Rogue to see if she was ready to go.
Rogue had taken off her cap to try to straighten out the tangles in her hair. She had gathered her white streaks into a braid, and wrapped that braid under her hat. That way, people only saw her brown hair, which was much less noticeable without the glaringly white streaks that framed her face. When Remy had climbed on her shoulder, he had used her head to stabilize himself. That action had dislodged some of the clips she used to secure her braid and the clips were tugging painfully at her scalp. She had unclasped the clips and was trying to get it all back together when Remy turned to face her.
"I guess I am not the only one with a distinguishing characteristic. How long have you had that streak, Rogue?" Remy asked while she was tucking her hair back under her cap.
"Since I was born. How about you?"
"Yeah, my eyes have been with me since birth as well. I guess we have something in common."
Rogue remained silent, as she didn't know what to say. They quickly made their way back to where Rogue first encountered Remy.
"I guess this is it. Again, thanks for helping me out. Don't worry about me telling on you. Just watch yourself, okay. I don't think it is right to just steal from anyone. How do you know that you are not taking the last of their money? But since what I say doesn't mean much to you, at least try to steal from people who you know can afford it. You don't want to have putting someone out their home or of taking grocery money intended to feed a family for a week on your conscience, do you?
Remy pretended to be unaffected, but he was slightly touched by Rogue's concern, not only of the welfare of his victims, but also of his principles. He flicked the bill of her cap and said, "Thanks for worrying, but the state of my conscience is fine. Anyway, I had fun, so I guess I'll forgive you for being a brat. See ya around." He then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Rogue began her journey back to the hotel. She arrived shortly after 10:30 and quickly got ready for bed. Ten minutes after she turned out the lights, Destiny and Mystique returned. They opened the door to her room in the suite, and checked on her. She pretended to sleep until they closed the door.
^ I wonder if Fury will be at the meeting place? Crap, I should have remembered to ask Remy if he would like to hang out tomorrow. Maybe I can make contact with him when Mystique and I go out tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll tell Mystique and Irene that I want to explore on my own a bit. They might even buy it. I might have to pay someone to pretend to invite me somewhere so I can slip away to meet Fury. ^ Rogue's thoughts wound down and she slowly drifted to sleep.
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Remy had only pretended to leave Rogue. He wouldn't be a gentleman if he had left and not escorted her home. Besides, he wanted to know more about her and why she went to Liaison. He would have one of his father's people watch the hotel, and alert him when she left the next day. Hopefully, when she saw him hanging around wherever she happened to be, she would want to have a conversation, even if it was to ask him why he was there, and he could have some of his questions answered.
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A/N: For those of you were actually looking forward to an update last week, I am sorry that it took me so long. School is kicking my ass this semester. Why is it that instructors decide to have their tests on the same week? It never fails, every semester I go to school, the first tests of all my class are always the same week. It is just my luck that I am taking classes that I don't really want to, I just need them for the credits, and so my interest is very low. Studying really sucks when you don't like the classes you are in.
Okay, I am not going to tell you everything I have planned for next chapter. Each time I do, I never actually write it all. For the next chapter, I will include Rogue's meeting with Fury and anything else I actually get to. Anyway, I will be updating Chapter Three sometime this week, so ignore that update. I noticed some grammatical errors in the story that I am too tired to fix now. That is what I get for writing at 2:00 in the morning.
Thanks for those of you who have replied with how many diaries you think Destiny has. I am going with an even dozen, even if it is wrong. In case you were wondering, I am not going to have much accents in this story. I am not really good at them and I find them distracting to write, and read.
Until next week.