By Raven the Dark Angel
Chapter 3: Innocent Sovereign's Decline
God damn it! Rogue grit her teeth at what was about to occur. She didn't feel like going through this right now or ever. Didn't they realize anything? Why was he bothering to evaluate her mind when they should be evaluating her powers. She folded her arms. First she was stuck in the infirmary all this morning, then that stupid womanizing asshole saw her almost entirely naked and didn't get his face smashed in for it, and now she would have to endure a torture session of spilling her most sacred and personal guts onto the table. Oh yes today has turned out to be so much fun.
"Do Ah have ta?" she sighed pulling her gloves.
"I will not force you to do anything you don't want to, Rogue," the professor told her, "But I do recommend it. I think we can accomplish quite a bit if we figure out what is troubling you. Attempted suicide is not a thing to be taken lightly. If you wish not to undergo these sessions may I remind you I will have to have someone supervising you wherever you go at all times."
So that was just his nice little way of saying that she must or else we will torture you into doing it. To talk about how she longs to get physically intimate with someone or have a chaperone follow her everywhere but the bathroom. Choices. Oh how life just gets better and better. "It's just that it's really uncomfortable."
"Would you like it better if I were to leave?" Mr. McCoy questioned.
"Yes Ah think Ah'd like that, if y'all don't mind." The less people she would have to tell…
"That's perfectly alright, Rogue. I'll be in the other room evaluating these results," Hank responded pointing to his clip board and proceeded to the lab.
"Now that, that's settled shall we begin?" the professor inquired.
"Let's just get this ovah with."
"I believe we can gain more progress if I were to enter your mind. Let us start out with your childhood."
"Whatevah," Rogue sighed watching the telepath place his fingertips on his temples.
Remy shuffled the deck of cards as he relaxed in his employer's office. Things were looking even easier now that the X-men requested that they join up with them. He couldn't believe the world's strongest telepath could be so naïve at times. He was completely blinded by his ideals just like Magneto told the Acolytes long ago. Everything was falling according to plan… but so easy… no challenge at all. There was nothing Gambit hated more than things running smoothly.
"Charles Xavier is a fool," he remarked to the Cajun sitting before him. "How could he ever think he would be able to change the fate of mutants through such passive behavior? If we do not act now and strengthen our defenses, we will be annihilated."
"Should we join dem, t' have people on de inside?" he questioned plucking the ace of spades out of his deck.
"That will not be necessary," he responded, "I do not want you wasting your time with the X-men anymore than you must. Xavier has already placed enough trust to conclude you are no longer a threat. Continue to proceed with the plans I gave you."
Caldecott, Mississippi thirteen years ago:
"Destiny I need to know what's going to happen to her," Raven Darkholme pleaded with her friend as she stroked the crimson tresses of the little girl snuggled in her lap. The girl's eyes were closed as she lay so peacefully breathing so soft and slowly the two women talking assumed she was asleep.
"All possible paths with you in her life end hers shortly," Irene answered, "You can not keep her for her sake."
"But what am I going to do with her?" she panicked, "If what you say is true about her powers how can we possibly let her be raised by anyone else?"
The elder woman paused as she concentrated on her own abilities. "There is one way… If you leave her with me and never come back here, she will live."
Raven froze staring at the blind woman as she shifted in her chair. Was that really the only way? She'd do anything for the girl even if she had to part yet again with another child. There was no choice…
"Pack tonight. If you stay here any longer Magneto will find you and take the girl."
Charles' Xavier School of the Gifted, Infirmary present time:
The professor folded his hands in his lap and opened his eyes. "Strange."
"What's
strange?" Rogue questioned. She had completely forgotten how she ended up at
her foster mother's house. She hadn't been taken back to the adoption agency
like she assumed. Mystique stole her from her first adopted parent's house and
took her to Irene's… but why would she bother? "You're my daughter! Check the adoption records!" Mystique's voice
echoed. Rogue shook her head and pushed the psyche back. She and Magneto were
after her for something… but what and why?
"Your memories," Xavier
addressed, "They are two perspectives blended into one. It seems when you
absorbed Mystique's memories, any one you shared with hers are remembered in
the third person, almost as if you were looking through a camera lens."
"How is that odd?" Rogue wondered, "All mah memories are like that."
The professor raised and eyebrow and quickly scribbled into his notebook. "Interesting. This must have something to do with your powers."
"Ah really don't like to remembah much," she explained, "Everythang starts gettin' confusin' and Ah don't know who Ah am anymore. Their memories become mine. Whenevah Ah concentrate on thinkin' back they start to scream at meh."
"Hmm. Now is that what happened when you lost control?"
Rogue paused. Come to think of it he was right… When she absorbed Risty all she could think about was the time when she first discovered her powers…then Cody's voice started blaring in her brain along with Mystique coming on even stronger since the psyche just got a new charge. Everything just began blurring together… the crowd of people she tired to escape… the memories… all the voices inside her head and around her… everything… she couldn't think, couldn't gain control, she couldn't do anything. The psyches quickly caught on and blew her command out from under her. They soon began to all fight for full rein over her body, frightening and confusing her furthering the lapse of proper dominance.
"That's exactly what happened," she answered feeling her throat tighten. She could never delve back to the memories of when she was a child and able to touch…able to pet an animal without watching it die because of her…able to touch the leaves of a plant without it wilting nearly to ashes…able to play with the children without the worry of placing them into a comma.
"Rogue are you okay?" the professor questioned observing the sudden contortion upon her facial features.
Thinking about touching? Oh don't be silly little girl! That's all in the past!
No… oh god no… Rogue slammed her eyes shut clutching her temples as her nails clawed at her skull. A choked cry tore from her tightened throat shattering the silence as she staged backward out of bed and smashed her knees to the floor. She gasped leaving her lungs burning with the fire of her horror. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening… Not now…not ever…
We won't ever let you! You don't deserve love! You will be punished for stealing our souls!
"No! Stop it! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!" she pleaded.
Didn't mean to? Do you really think that changes anything?
"Please…" Tears shattered the barrier of her eyelashes as they ripped down her face.
You deserve to suffer for what you've done! Thief! Vampire! You're not human! You're a monster! A disgusting monster!
"Get out o' mah head!"
Get out? How can we? You trapped us here! We can't ever escape because of you!
"NO!" She screamed. Rogue shot to a stand prying at her head as if she could rip the infection of the voices from her mind. Sucking in breath after breath she positioned herself against the wall for balance and shifted towards the door. If she could just get out of here no one would get hurt…
No you don't! The psyches shrieked flooding her mind with each of their voices echoing in her ears. Every word sliced into her consciousness threatened her ability to hang on to the last strands of her control. Rogue screamed again extending a hand fighting to grip the doorknob causing the limb to violently shake and tremble.
"Rogue!" Xavier shouted as Hank rushed in the room, "Answer me!"
She had to stop this! This was her body! Her mind! No one else's! Rogue bit her lip abandoning the idea to run away. These were her powers!
"Back off!" she commanded them in her mind as the psyches stepped back in surprise. Yet they weren't about to be intimidated by their keeper if they all retaliated against her at once.
You back off bitch! It's our turn now!
Blood dripped from her chin as her teeth sunk deeper into the flesh. The shouts of the professor and Mr. McCoy seemed so far away as she stared the psyches in their ghost faces.
The professor placed his fingers on his temples and quickly entered her mind. The ghosts flew around, each screeching in excitement to be let free once again. They finally took noticed of the man that intruded their party and hissed at the telepath in disapproval. They stopped and began to line up in two rows on either side of Xavier to reveal Rogue standing in the center with her head fallen limp. Her eyes suddenly shot forward as she flung out her palm blasting him out of her head with the most powerful psychic jolt he had ever faced.
Charles cried out as he snapped his eyes open. He immediately called for Logan through his mind. If only they could somehow lead her into the danger room, she and everyone else would be safe until they figured out a way for her to gain control once again.
"Stripes?!"
"Hurry up and open the door Logan!"
"We must act as quickly as possible!"
The three voices swam into her mind as she barely registered the door splinter to pieces. Wolverine snatched her by her arms causing the girl to scream, her echoing cries smothered in a chorus of all the psyches'.
"C'mon darlin' fight 'em!" Logan urged her to resurface while Hank grabbed hold of her thrashing legs.
"NO! STOP!" she shrieked over and over whipping all her limbs in every direction possible. "STOP!"
You cannot command us! We're going to destroy your friends, you little fuck, then no one will be able to help you. You will be ours!
"NO!" Her voice ripped her throat, "Let go of me!"
Her body slid across the floor as the sound of a door slamming shut swam in her mind. Where was she? It didn't matter she couldn't see. She couldn't see through her eyes. All she could see was the inside of her mind.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded walking inside the pitch darkness as the psyches flew by her from all directions.
This is expiation!
"This is nothing!" Rogue spat at them, "Why are you doing this? I can't help that you're trapped in here!"
Yes you can! This is your fault!
You can control everything!
We are the ones trapped by your foolishness.
Release us!
"HOW?!" Rogue screamed,
"How?! I can't do anything! I don't know how!"
The psyches soon began to crowd around all unrecognizable. These were the souls of her friends and her enemy's alike but inside here they were all against her. Rogue folded her arms huddling herself as she took a long hard look at each of them. Tears…bared fangs…dilated pupils…yet all of them pleading… pleading for something she had no idea.
"Please…just leave me alone…" she begged.
Never! We won't ever leave you alone! You're going to pay! Just look…
Her vision snapped back into focus and out of her mind to reality. The reality of what the psyches were doing without her control, what they were doing to her friends.
Logan's mouth open and shut as if he were shouting but she couldn't hear him, she couldn't hear anything but the delicious venom of the ghosts' laughter. His face suddenly contorted as his knees buckled out from under him. He clutched the tops of his hands as he doubled over now gripping his ribcage… his claws unleashed yet blood quickly spattered across the danger room's floor. He coughed gagging and spitting up precocious red liquid.
"What the hell are ya doin' to him?!"
Magnetism is such a beautiful thing.
Magnetism… Her heart pounded over and over again as it's rhythmic beat throbbed inside her head blending with the excited shrieks of the psyches. They were killing him! Killing him by forcing out his very bone structure!
"Stop it! Stop it now!" she begged, "Don't hurt anyone! Take meh! Kill meh if ya have ta just leave them alone! Please!"
Cry all you want for your surrogantt father, but he will be ours. Sit back and listen to his cries all because of you!
"Stripes! Please! Snap out of it!" His voice clogged with sobs…Logan was actually in tears… because of the pain, because he couldn't defend himself, because his skeleton was slowly but surly shredding away at his muscles, because he couldn't save Rogue…
She had to do something! Anything! They were going to kill him… he had second's before the metal would inevitably – No! She wasn't going to think like that. It wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going to allow them to take her over like this. Logan had saved her! He saved her the other night from ending her own life, she wasn't going to repay him by just watching him die. They wanted her to see this. They wanted her to watch him suffer. She was going to save him the only way she knew how.
She touched his bare hand with hers.
Silence.
"Oh mah gawd!" she gasped kneeling before him and pinned her eyes shut as tight as possible, however it didn't even budge the flow of her sorrow pouring down her face, dripping off her chin. "Please be okay…please…"
He wasn't breathing. Rogue whirled around for anyone to help her as she quickly took in the sight of the mutant training center practically destroyed. Bits and pieces of walls charred while other corners dented inwards. Sheets of metal ripped off the floor and ceiling lay helter-skelter scattered across cement rubble and robotic bolts and parts. She glanced up at the control panel's now cracked window into the eyes of the X-men's horrified faces.
Author's Note: Okay maybe a bit too dramatic? I dunno what I was thinking when I wrote this… *sighs* I really wanted to portray how dangerous Rogue really is. *grumbles* Oh look here I go ready to put myself down again for the nine hundredth time. *holds breath* Okay guys what do you think of Remy? I know he really hasn't had too many appearances yet but is he bad? Is he good? Is he bad but will turn good? Or just the opposite? And who is that guy he's talking to? Magneto? Apocalypse? Or the evil tooth fairy? Who knows! More on the way guys… Meanwhile if you want more of the story please motivate me and give me a review! Because in my eyes everything I do is crap. Make me change! *shuts up and goes off to write now*