Title: The prophecies Chapter: 5 Disclaimer: I don't own the theme I only own original characters and some original concepts. Used some lyrics from Evanescence's songs, which I again do not own.
N.B. to the reader This story is set after the second X men film and uses the characters as portrayed in the film, although they some times differ from the original cartoon version.
Rouge sat back in horror
"But why?"
"Oh! That's easy enough" replied Nia in a matter of fact way "There was some really important information and I thought given time Striker would find a way of making me confess. Only trouble is ... I can't remember what was so important." She giggled.
"How could you lock your mind away?"
"I don't know ... just anytime I go to remember anything it's not there."
"But aren't you curious?"
Her face transforming into one of painful sorrow "sometimes it might be better that way."
"I should probably go"
Nia reached out and grabbed her hand "Please don't! I don't want to be alone"
Before Rogue could answer Nia sat up rigid and whispered urgently.
"Someone's coming!"
"Who?" cried Rouge trying to think where on earth she could hide.
"The Nurse go into the bathroom, she has no reason to go there. Do not come out until I tell you."
Rogue flung herself at her escape as the door opened. Nia who had retained a face of stone swung her head round on her pillow staring blankly as she always did.
Heidi stopped silently as she entered the room. "I could have sworn I heard talking. She must be getting lonely and bored up here by now I must remember to mention her being moved to the professor when he comes up." She thought resuming her usual chores.
"Well my dove, how are we feeling?" she asked out loud to her patient, waiting a few seconds in case she wished to answer
"The professor is coming to see you in a minute and he's bringing a friend. Now his appearance might shock you a little but I assure you he is a man of God and wouldn't harm a fly."
Nia although terribly intrigued was more concerned at that time how she would remove Rouge without anyone's notice. As she didn't want her to be punished and also wished everyone to carry on believing she couldn't talk, therefore avoiding unanswerable questions.
The sound of the elevator entered the room announcing the arrival of the professor.
"I'll be back in just a minute and I want that tonic finished by the time I get back.
Heidi handed her the drink and walk from the room.
"Rogue" she called out quietly "Stay where you are, the professors on his way"
Sticking her head round the door Rogue stared at her in disbelief.
"But he'll sense me with his mind"
"No, he won't I can stop him sensing you with my powers, just stay still I can't stop him hearing you!"
Turning Nia tipped the tonic into the potted plant beside her bed.
"Don't do that!" squeaked Rogue "You'll get sick"
"I sincerely doubt it" replied Nia giving her friend a cynical gaze. "As I've never drunk it"
Before Rogue could disapprove verbally she was forced into hiding as the handle of the door began to turn. The professor entered the room being followed by Heidi and one of the strangest men she had ever seen. He was blue all over with holy markings engraved over his face and a tail.
"This is Kurt Wagner, I believe you've seen him before even if you don't remember him" commented the professor calmly.
She looked at the new comer with interest, wondering why he had been brought. When an image of a merry go round filled with laughing smiling people flashed before her eyes. Shaking her head slightly she re focused.
"Hello Mistress" spoke the new comer in Russian giving her a low bow.
Astonished that she could not only understand him but knew how to form the words for her reply she felt her curiosity overcome her.
"Hello Moonchild".
"Of course!" cried Heidi overjoyed "She can only speak Russian that's why she hasn't replied!"
"Moonchild? Why the hell did I say that?" thought Nia confused.
"Kurt" interjected the professor "as our new guest seems to have taken a shine to you. Ask her why so many were intent on catching her at the prison?"
Kurt reverting to his mother tongue he related the message and in return received an answer. The professor seeing the dagger looks being thrown at him knew this was an unwelcome question.
"Kurt, what did she say?"
"She says ..." replied Kurt with an apologetic look "That shouldn't you know as you yourself we the victor of that conquest."
The professor sighed smiling slightly, "Oh this ones a pistol".
"She also says that if you believe her presence is a danger to your intuition, she would be more than happy to leave this musty attic and ... and..."
"And Kurt?" raising his eyebrow
"And that maybe you should think more carefully before taking in people who are quiet capable of destroying your entire establishment."
"Is that all?"
"Yes"
"Well it seems that our little patient has quite a spirit and doesn't like to give a lot about her self away?"
Nia let out a burst of laughter and mumbled something in Russian.
"Kurt, would you mind translating?" asked the professor calmly
"Umm..." said Kurt looking at his feet "I don't believe I heard that"
"Kurt" pushed the professor sternly
"Basically she said, those who live in a glass house shouldn't throw stones"
Xavier smiled to himself "So you can understand English?" staring straight into her cold blank eyes. She replied slowly to Kurt not taking her unblinking eyes off the professor.
"She says every word"
Heidi complained loudly in Dutch.
"She is so rude!"
Replying in the same language the professor turned.
"Her bark is probably worst than her bite"
A voice cut through their conversation
"I being to tire of this game and I advise you not to provoke me to biting. You might be suprised"
"She talked" exclaimed Heidi
"You speak Dutch." Said Xavier amused
"I speak many languages, can you? Or do you just enter everyone's mind?" she replied coldly
The bathroom door crashed open.
"Nia! You can't talk like that to the professor."
Nia reached out her arm with a sigh protectively pulling her friend to sit on the bed.
"Rogue, how did you get up here?" exclaimed Heidi
Rogue looked nervously down at Nia who shrugged as if the whole conversation bored her.
"Well she was all alone and I thought she could use some company."
"Why didn't you ask my permission. I would have allowed you a visit?
"Would you?" interjected Nia
The professor faced her
"Of course, you are not a prisoner. We brought you here for medical attention"
"And what do you want in return?"
"Nia" soothed Rogue "The professor's only trying to help. That's what he does! He helped me."
Nia quieten at this, she knew that Rogue wasn't lying. She sighed heavily.
"I am sorry"
The professor smiled.
"I am intrigued on how you were able to shield Rogue from my mind."
Nia sat sucking her upper lip and was then encourage by a gentle nudge from Rogue.
"I placed a force field around her that neutralised the area she occupied"
"Fascinating!" exclaimed the professor "I also hear that you have the ability to overcome Rogue's powers."
"Yes, but I am unable to tell you how I did it"
"That's alright, this is not an interrogation you know, you may ask question too." He said smiling.
"When may I leave this attic?"
"You are unhappy?"
"She's lonely" explained Rouge "She could be moved to my dormitory, there's a spare bed and I am alone too as everyone gone for Christmas"
"We'll see" replied the professor
Loud footsteps echoed down the broad underground stone corridor leading to the concealed headquarters of the infamous Nihilism. The younger of the two men was rubbing his hands over one another in an effort to wipe the sweat away.
"They say he can smell fear!"
The older man turned towards him revealing a gruesome scar running from the corner of his mouth to his absent ear.
"Why? You scared kid." He replied in a gravely voice.
The younger raised his head arrogantly.
"Of course not"
"Don't LIE!" rumbled the other grabbing his collar "More than anything he cannot abide lies and remember no one is able to lie to a deity"
Realising his companion they continued their journey.
"Will he punish us? I mean we did fail."
"We've been failing for nearly eight years without a trace. Now at least we have had a sighting. It will be fine, only say what is relevant and talk slowly and evenly with no sudden movements."
Turning to straighten the collar of the younger he attempted to sooth his nerves.
"I know you'll do me proud, for the country, for our king and for me my son."
At this he called out the pass words and the two men reattached their black cloth head gowns leaving only eyes exposed and enter through the large doors.
The room beyond was form by the carving out of an existing limestone cavern. The ceiling reached up to a massive height curving as if made from a canopy of bowing trees. The bright and extravagant colours of gold's, reds and purples emitted a sense of integrity and royalty converging in a pinnacle of wonder as a granite throne rose from the floor.
The two men knelt before the foundations of their sovereign's mighty throne.
"All hail the Czar who should be and will be!"
"Rise!" commanded the voice imperially
"Majesty, for the first time in nearly eight years I have done what none else have yet achieved. I have found the girl and seen her with my own eyes. She is alive."
"And yet" whispered the man in a low malevolent voice "You return empty handed." continued the voice rising to a deafening boom.
The figure rose from his commanding position allowing the light to reveal his form more and more as he descended the stone walk way.
"Your highness, she is immensely powerful!" the younger man pleaded.
The don snapped his head round to face him revealing a face cover with a mask of pure white marble. The eyes the colour of sinking sand bore into the messenger's skull as he stood paralysed in fear. Turning his attention back to his captain the don spoke in a voice full of sweetness and pain.
"Perhaps, after all these years you have lost your hunger for the kill. Perhaps ... you no longer see the purpose of your mission?"
"Sire, my family has served you loyally for many generations."
"And yet that obviously wasn't enough."
The general became stricken with panic as he saw the body of his son contorted into a series of unnatural proportions amidst screams of agony.
"Your highness not my son, I beg you!"
The emperor held his hand signalling to someone concealed within the shadows of the dais and the younger man regained his natural form to lie weeping on the ground.
"I will keep your son imprisoned until you have completed your task. That should wet your appetite" he snarled out as the son was dragged away by two guards.
The general struggled to retain his composure as he watched his beloved son's carcass removed from his grasp. He snapped his feet together giving a short bow before moving determinedly towards the door. A chilling voice called out
"Oh and do not fail me again!" as the doors shut firmly behind him.
Rogue woke and stretched herself out in bed before propping herself on her elbows to throw a sock at Nia's sleeping head in the bed beside her.
"Uhh!" groaned the disoriented Nia
"Morning to you too sunshine!"
"What time is it?"
"About ten – thirty"
Nia slipped out of bed into a pair of borrowed jeans and a t – shirt. She was feeling good as yesterday on finding she could stand for a reasonable period of time had indulged her self within the confines of a power shower to wash off long kept grime and dirt.
Rouge knocked her friends shoulder to grab her attention
"Do you want the wheelchair or what?"
"Nah! I'm feeling quite energetic today"
"Good! Because this morning I'm taking you swimming"
Nia stood in a state of shock with her mouth hanging open.
"What's wrong? Heidi said a bit of light exercise would do you good, and it'll be just us, I made sure, I know how modest you are, always making me turn round when you get dressed in the morning."
"It's a nice thought but ..."
"You're scared that I might hurt you aren't you? It's O.K. most people are"
"No its not that it's just I don't remember if I can swim. It's a kind of hit or miss thing I can't remember if I can do something unless I try it. Like the other day when you brought me up that guitar, I had no idea I could play it until you asked me to hold it and then I just sort of knew what to do..."
"Well that's O.K. I don't swim much either and they'll be no one but you and me. So it doesn't matter you can stay in the kiddie pool for all I care" exclaimed the excited Rogue dragging her friend by the hand.
"But I don't have a swimming costume!" Nia pleaded
"You can borrow one of mine"
"You're a crazy woman!" Nia joked and laughed as they made their way down to breakfast.
"Quick" cried Rogue when they reached the ground floor corridor "pretend to be really weak, lean on my shoulders!"
Nia obeying her friends request with a comical salute imitated that of a feeble invalid unable of supporting it's self, whilst passing a group of boys heading to the tennis courts.
"You know your going to have to talk to Bobby sometime."
Rogue looked at the floor, unable to see her friend upset Nia grabbed her arms and set off at a fast pace "Race you!"
They collapsed at the kitchen table a few minutes later.
"Well, well, well aren't we looking well!" commented Heidi who was drinking her daily cup of coffee. "You watch those stitches" she chided lightly as the girls greeted her with big smiles.
On walking out of the room she ran straight into Hank.
"Oh excuse me" he said graciously
"Not at all Hank"
"I saw young Nia the other day she's really perking up under your treatment"
"You know Hank I personally think it's all down to Nia's relocation into Rogue's dormitory. Ever since she's been talking, eating and recovering much faster, and Rogue's become quite attached to her, they're never out of each others sight. It's quite a little miracle."
The conversation was interrupted by the approach of the professor.
"Ah I'm glad I've found you, everyone's to meet down in the war room. It seems Storm has discovered some anomalies connected with the Canadian mission a few weeks back.
When they were all assembled Storm stood up to being the briefing.
"I've been monitoring the area where we found Nia as the professor instructed and I've found some interesting data"
"Yes" continued Scott "It seems that there have been numerous unidentified or unscheduled flights to, from and within that area, but the more important fact is that these flights seem to be steadily headed towards us in the methodical pattern.
"We believe that someone is searching for Nia and wants to find her pretty badly" Storm
The professor thought deeply "I will use cerebro to see if I can uncover any further information"
"Professor I think it's about time she explained herself" Scott
"You may be right"
The professor entered the pool side accompanied by Scott and Logan to find Nia and Rogue splashing around happily in a pool. Rogue looked up.
"Logan!" Professor?" and swam over to the side.
Nia on discovering that Rogue owned only bikinis as she had bought them before her mutant powers emerged had insisted on wearing a t – shirt over the top and was therefore slower in her movements due to the extra weight. However this did not hide Nia's begrudging face at their arrival from the professor's critical eye.
It always intrigued Xavier that whenever Logan appeared Nia would shut up like a clam moving herself into a sort of fight or flight position, which happened quite a lot as Rouge was incredibly attached to him.
"We've just come to have a short talk with Nia" replied the professor reassuringly
They received a suspicious look from her as she rose from the water nonchalantly donning a towel and rapping it around her shoulders to sit on a deck chair, whilst the professor filled her in on Storm's findings.
"So you see we believe these people are searching for you" Professor "Do you have any idea why?"
"No" replied Nia half truthfully.
"I may not be able to enter your mind but I am still capable of distinguishing whether someone is not telling me the whole truth."
"That makes two of us" she replied giving a piercing glare
The silence was broken by a disgruntle Scott
"We cannot defend ourselves unless you tell us everything you know"
"Oh! I see because YOU obviously are one of out standing personal qualities eh! Sparky" she replied sarcastically giving him a scathing glance
Logan could barely keep himself from bursting into hysterics and let out a snort on seeing Scott's face. At this Nia whipped round her head to give him a vicious piercing look then dropped her glance to stare at his knuckles. Logan feeling her eyes on his hands rubbed them and concealed them behind his back.
"Logan worries you doesn't he?"
"I am NOT afraid!" Nia stated unconvincingly in a forceful tone.
"It is a metal called Adimantium and it was welded to the entire of his skeleton by the very man who imprisoned you in that sunless cell."
"Really?" she replied giving an insolent stare "Is that so"
"Don't you see?" Rouge pleaded desperately "You were both instruments in Strikers plan."
"Nia, Logan's on your side", professor.
"And exactly which side am I on? Yours? Do I OWE you that?"
Scott stepped forward aggressively "You should show more respect!"
Nia turned to him as if she hadn't noticed he was there.
"You ort to be careful it's slippery" and with a flick of her hand caused him to fall backwards into the pool fully clothed.
At the sight of Scott's face as he splashed his way to the edge spluttering and coughing Logan couldn't help his laughter. She turned to enter the changing rooms.
"You can't run forever!" Professor
"You'll forgive me if I keep trying"
The professor sighed.