Before I begin let me just say that I'm really, really sorry about the lengthy time between updates. But sometimes these things happen.
Roguehobbit – I suppose the Professor could move. But think of all the money he'd lose by rebuilding all the extra stuff. I'd rather just loose a few students. But that's just me.
Ezrajade- Glad you liked the fight. Enjoy the chapter.
Caliente – Amazingly Fantasmorfically wonderful, eh? I like the sound of that. Congratulations on finding out all of the cameos except for one. And I didn't add Tessa because I have no idea who she is.
Novia – Your comments were most appreciated.
Winter Fire – Superb. Just rolls off the tongue. Like indubitably or world domination. Fantastic word.
Roguechere – Um. Yeah. It was supposed to be one of those two. I'll make you a deal. You pretend I wrote it correctly and I'll pretend it never happened. We're all good.
Ishandahalf – You have an idea about the secret, eh? That's good 'cause I'm clueless. I'll figure something out. Forge's outfit reminded you of you? I'm going go that way now…
Two quick notes before we begin.
All the cameos made last chapter were done by: Angel, Psylocke, Emma Frost, Sebastian Shaw, Shinobi Shaw, Amanda, and Evan. Did you catch them all?
Also, and this is just in case no one noticed since there was no comment made about it, the Phantom's outfit for the ball was his typical costume from the play, book, movie, etc. Although if no one got that it may have been my fault. No biggie.
Thanks to spiffythefaery for all the beta work she provides. Even if she has better things to do with her time. What, I'm not sure.
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"This is lunacy!
Well, you know my views…
But we daren't refuse."
- Firmin
The thick manuscript lay on the polished wood of Professor Xavier's desk. The teachers had gathered in the old man's study shortly after the guests from the ball had hastily rushed for the exits. Five pairs of eyes stared at the document with concern and fear. Memories of the Phantom's last appearance were dominating their thoughts, their recollection of his latest appearance inspiring fear.
The solemn silence that dominated the old fashioned study was broken as the oak door opened to a loud squeal. Professor Xavier wheeled himself into the room, his tired gaze falling upon the papers on his desk. Releasing a loud sigh, he wheeled himself over to the instructors.
The five pairs of eyes looked from the desk to Xavier expectantly.
"It seems that we have a decision to make," he said resignedly.
"There doesn't seem to be much of a choice Charles. I see no alternative but to meet these demands," Raven replied quietly, her voice not carrying her normal tone. Xavier looked at Raven as she spoke and saw the sadness on her features.
"But if we agree then we give up everything the Institute was meant to do," Ororo protested half-heartily. She too seemed to realize what the rest of the teachers did.
"We can not put the students at risk. That must be our first priority. There might ways to get around with this 'War on Humanity' that our specter calls for. But we need time that we do not have," Hank added with a cold tone. Xavier nodded in agreement, barely inclining his head to show his agreement.
"Charles I can't do this. I can't do what this madman calls for," Logan protested.
"Logan I understand that but…"
"You don't understand! We both know that I was supposed to do things like this. I can tolerate that. You can't ask me to train the kids to do it. I can't. I won't."
"Logan, by not instructing the students you place their lives in jeopardy. Is that worth the risk?" Ororo asked in a defeated tone. It was clear that she wanted to side with Logan but was unable to.
"I don't know. You want to see these kids killing people in simulations? You want me to teach them over ten ways to kill a person by just using their hands?"
"Nobody wants that. But sometimes we must do as we are asked," Xavier added. Logan shook his head vigorously.
"Charles, I can kill. I have killed. But I won't teach the kids how to do it. I won't turn them into monsters. I won't turn them into killers. I won't…"
"Turn them into you? The choice is no longer yours Logan. If they want to survive, if we want them to survive, then we have no alternative. Besides they will only be fighting simulations. Holograms are different than people."
"You'd be surprised how similar they get after a while."
"But will it end with simulations? Won't this ghost nut demand more than just training the students?" Forge asked, speaking up for the first time.
"We can only hope it won't."
Logan snarled as he slammed his hands down on the desk. "Of course it won't end with simulations! Are you so naïve? Why the hell would he want us to train them if he didn't intend to use them?"
Xavier coldly stared down his teacher.
"I am quite aware of what is likely to happen, Logan. And if you have any ideas on how we cannot follow these instructions I would be most glad to hear them." Logan shifted uncomfortably and sank back into his seat.
"I thought so. None of us like what we're being told to do, but there is no option. We must do as asked. We cannot put the students in danger."
"Are we so certain that agreeing to these demands will guarantee the students' safety?" Hank queried.
"We have no reason to believe otherwise, Hank. We must hope that it will."
"Or we could fight back. Take the fight to him," Logan said. Raven shot a dark look at Logan.
"He tossed you across the living room with a glance. Do you really think we have any chance of standing up to him?"
"If anyone else had acted maybe we wouldn't be talking about giving into psychotic demands," Logan returned.
"I assure you Logan. There is no way of turning this tide. If anyone else acted the results would have been the same," Raven spat through clenched teeth. Logan said nothing, merely staring at the shape shifter with a blank face. He cocked his head to the side and turned to face Xavier.
"All right."
"I feel that we have reached a unanimous decision. Unfortunate as it may be, we will follow these new instructions," Xavier spat acidly. The others nodded their heads in agreement, albeit reluctant agreement. There was the shuffling of chairs as the instructors began to stand. Hank, however, remained in his seat.
"I was wondering if anyone else noticed the interaction between Rogue and our mysterious visitor."
"You're referring to his conversation with her?" Forge asked.
"No. He touched her. His bare hand caressed her cheek."
"By the Goddess. I remember seeing that. Does that mean…" Ororo trailed off, her thoughts being shared by everyone else in the room.
"I doubt Rogue can control her powers. If anyone would know it would be Remy. And he seemed as surprised by it by the rest of us. It appears that this Phantom is capable of negating her powers somehow. Although I have no idea how," Hank stated.
"Speaking of Remy, where is he?"
"He is currently with Rogue. I felt it best that he stayed with her instead of coming here, given her present state."
"Poor girl. I can't imagine what she's going through."
"I've got an idea that we're going to find out pretty soon," Logan grimly predicted.
***
While the teachers were discussing the demands of the Phantom, the students huddled together to discuss the same thing. The only two absent from the conversation were Remy and Rogue, the latter having rushed off after the ball ended. To a slight satisfaction of most of the students Jean was pale as she spoke.
"I can't believe it. Everything she said was true. And I was mean to her about it. Oh my god, I feel so horrible," the red head lamented. There were cynical grins on the faces of the Trio. It seemed that Jean's apology would only go so far in their minds.
"So everything is true. There really is a ghost," Kitty mused as she shot a semi-triumphant look in Lance's direction. Lance, however, overlooked the glance.
"But what does he want with us?" Scott shook his head.
"I don't know. I'm not sure anyone does. But whatever he gave to the Professor holds some answers."
"He wants us to be trained into mutant terrorists, fighting for the freedom and superiority of our kind," Bobby quickly replied, earning him a few raised eyebrows. The boy shrugged slightly. "So I looked at the papers when Professor Xavier wasn't looking."
"Mutant terrorists? But that goes against everything that Professor Xavier believes in."
"It does. There's no way that the Professor will follow those demands if they go against the purpose of the school."
"Can you be so sure of that Scott? Ve've already seen vhat this ghost is capable of. He's villing to do it again. How can the Professor not give in?"
"Besides that mate, this nutty bloke killed Creed. What's to say he won't do it again? Too much of a risk, I'd say. No choice for the Prof, really."
"This from a guy that plays with fire," Scott replied tiredly. It seemed that he was only fighting for show.
"I might be a bit nutty at times but I'm not stupid. Neither is the Prof. He'll do what the creepy dude wants," John replied while effortlessly twirling his lighter along his fingers, completely oblivious to a few nasty glances that were sent in his direction.
"He wouldn't. He couldn't. Could he?" Kitty asked, the prospect of the Professor giving in to the demands appalling to the young girl.
"The Professor may not have any other choice," Lance replied darkly. There was a low murmur of agreement that greeted Lance's words.
"And if he does go along with it?"
"Then so do we. We do whatever the Professor says, and if we don't we place everyone in jeopardy."
"But – But that seems so…" Kitty trailed off, looking for the right word to express her sentiments. But words weren't needed. Everyone understood exactly what Kitty meant, and they whole heartedly agreed with it. Even the normally jovial Trio wore somber expressions as they nodded in agreement with Kitty's unspoken thoughts.
"Of course, no matter how bad things are going to be for us, they'll be a thousand times worse for Rogue."
***
While the instructors and students mulled over the fate of the mansion at the hands of the Phantom, the girl most affected by the sudden return of the mysterious man had slinked away from the voluminous mansion – away from the rest of the occupants, away from the prying and questioning eyes.
Despite the cold wind that blew across the vast grounds of the estate, the girl remained on the roof of the mansion as if defying nature by her very presence. Silently she sat on the roof, her emerald eyes gazing into the darkness, searching for answers that would not come.
Although Rogue had come to this place of solitude, this hiding spot from the world, to avoid the rest of the mansion, she was not alone. Sitting besides the brooding girl was Remy LeBeau, his burning eyes locked on her motionless body. Despite the images that had been burned onto his mind that evening, despite the overwhelming desire to ask questions, Remy had remained silent since fleeing with Rogue to this spot. He shivered as the wind began to pick up, howling fiercely as it blew. Rogue may not be affected by the cold, but Remy drew his trench coat tightly around his body. He didn't understand what Rogue was going through but he wasn't going to leave her until she had worked out whatever was on her mind.
The two mutants sat on the cold roof for what seemed like an eternity, with only the wind making any noise. Silently, Rogue stared into the darkness enveloping the grounds. Silently, Remy watched Rogue. Rogue was aware of this, even though she never turned to face him.
"Remy?" she whispered quietly, her voice almost lost in the howling wind.
"Chere," Remy quickly replied, secretly hoping that he would finally find out the answers to the questions that had been plaguing his mind.
Rogue shifted in her position to turn her head to face the Cajun. Despite the darkness that enveloped them, Remy could make out the tiredness, the sadness, and the fear on Rogue's features.
"Remy, Ah want to you to take me away from here."
"What?"
"We decided that after Ah graduated from the Institute that we'd go to New Orleans. Ah'm asking you to take me now." Remy frowned deeply, unsure if Rogue could even see his gesture through the darkness.
"Rogue, I can't do dat. Don't ask me to."
"Why not?" Rogue snapped viciously. "Ah thought you loved me!"
"I do! But you can't ask Remy to take you away from here. You can't."
"Why not? Why can't Ah ask you to take me away from the horrors of this place? From the cage that Ah'm trapped in?"
"You really trapped here, Rogue? Didn't this place free you from de life you had before you came here? From the life where everything went wrong, where everyone judged you simply because of what you were?" Remy returned.
"My life wasn't great before. Ah know that. But it's turning into hell now. If you love me you'll do as Ah ask and take me away from here. Take me away from all this misery. All this pain. All this death."
"And if Remy did dat, what den? You gonna run whenever life gets difficult? When t'ings don't go de way you want? Besides dat Rogue, you like it here. You need to be here. You have friends, you have family. You can't leave dem and you can't ask Remy to take you away from dem," Remy replied harshly. Rogue winced at his response, secretly knowing that his words were truthful. Remy finished his tirade as Rogue locked eyes with him. Guilt spilled out from his fiery eyes while fear gushed from her emerald irises.
"Remy, Ah can't stay here anymore. Ah wish Ah could. Ah love it here. Ah love the people here. But Ah can't. Not when my fate is in the hands of others. Not when there is someone making demands for me. Ah can't do it. Ah can't stay here."
"Chere, whatever is going on you'll get through. Remy knows it. And everyone here will be with you for the journey. Dey won't let anyone control your fate. And Remy won't let any harm come to you."
Rogue turned away as Remy spoke, her eyes turning back towards the darkness.
"Ah wish Ah could believe you Remy. Ah really do. But Ah can't. Something tells me that it just won't happen that way."
"Why not chere?"
Rogue wrapped her arms around her legs as she spoke.
"Because as long as Ah'm here, he'll be there. And as long as Ah do what he wants, then he'll control me. It won't ever change."
"Rogue there's no reason to think that…"
"Ah know how this will turn out Remy. The Professor will do what he wants. What choice is there? And once that happens Ah'll be his. His slave, his puppet, anything he wants. That's why Ah can't stay. That's why Ah need to leave."
"Rogue, t'ink about that. If you go and dis Phantom is still here den what state will de rest of the mansion be in? What will happen to your friends? You t'ink he'd spare dem if you left?" Remy began, his mind firing on all cylinders. "And if you stay den he'll be more willing to be lenient with de Professor. Plus he'll keep a closer eye and show up to de training sessions. And if he does dat…" Remy trailed off as an idea came together. Rogue turned her head as Remy trailed off, waiting for him to finish the thought. Remy saw Rogue's movement and made his way over to her, wrapping his arm around her.
"Listen Rogue. What is gonna happen isn't gonna be pleasant. Remy knows that. But you have to stick it out. At least for a little while. If you put up with this for a couple of months and still want to leave den Remy take you anywhere you want to go."
"Promise?"
"Chere, Remy always keep his word to a belle femme like you." Rogue tried to fight a slight grin but failed. Throwing her arms around Remy, she embraced him warmly.
"Ah love you Cajun."
"Same here chere. Same here."
***
"So there are going to be some changes from now on," a disgruntled Logan told the students gathered in the Danger Room. This announcement was no surprise to the students. They had been expecting it since the events the night before. Logan looked over the group with a critical eye, and seeing nothing but beleaguered faces with grudging acceptance staring back at him, he continued informing them of the changes.
"Danger Room sessions will continue on the normal schedule for the mornings, but there will also be a session at five every evening. The New Mutants will now be required to be present for all training sessions and will be fully integrated into the team within the next few weeks. We're dividing all the students into two teams: a Blue team and a Gold team. Scott will lead the Blue team and Rogue will do the same for the Gold. The rosters are subject to change but at the moment the Blue team will consist of Scott, Jean, Kurt, Lance, Jubilee, Ray, and Roberto. If the situation ever warrants it then Hank and I will also be members of the Blue team. The rest are on the Gold team with Remy and Ororo being the instructor additions if necessary.
"Also the directive of the training is going to change. The new missions are going to be slightly different from what you're used to. We'll also be practicing on unarmed combat more and Hank will be teaching you all human anatomy. And I'll – I'll be teaching you effective methods for – killing.
"Before anyone says anything, I know that this isn't something you want to do. It isn't something we want to put you through. But the ways things are right now gives us little choice about it. Just do as you're told and hopefully we'll get through this. Understand?" Logan stated coolly. The tone in his voice wasn't as harsh as it normally was when he gave orders. It was his way of telling the students that he was sorry for what they were about to be put through.
Seeing that there were no comments from the students Logan nodded. "I guess we'd better get this underway."
***
While the students fought for their lives against the new and improved Danger Room simulations, the rest of the instructors gathered in Professor Xavier's study to discuss business as usual. Their eyes were bloodshot, their eyelids heavy from lack of sleep. Forge had fallen sound asleep in the corner, his mechanical arm whirring as it responded his dreams. Ororo and Hank greedily gulped down large mugs of coffee, hoping that the warm liquid would do something to dispel their grogginess. Remy lazily flipped a card along his fingers, his eyes unfocused, his mind lost in thought. As for the Professor, he was thumbing through the large manuscript again, making sure that he had not missed any instructions.
The door crashed open, the noise bringing everyone out of their reveries, and Raven walked in. With quick, determined steps the shape shifter marched to Xavier's desk where she slammed down a small white envelope, identical to the ones that had been received so many weeks ago.
"Looks like he forgot to tell us something last night," Raven hissed as she pushed the letter to the stunned Xavier. Tension filled the room as Xavier slowly grabbed the envelope and slit it open, tension at the new requests from the Phantom. Turning the envelope over, Xavier had a small, yellow parchment flutter to his desk.
"I wonder what he wants now," Xavier muttered as he picked up the paper and began to read out loud to his students.
"Greetings. I hope that the night has given you time to respond to my requests. Since you are reading this, I can only assume that you have complied. A most wise decision. However, the purpose of this note is not to discuss the new regiment but rather to serve as a reminder.
"In case you had forgotten amidst the recent festivities, the students' school reconvenes within a few days. Despite my desire for them to become a well oiled team I am not so blind to neglect their education. It is most necessary for the children to not become incompetent boobs if they are to be successful in my designs. Therefore you will allow for the students to return to their schooling and encourage that they make an attempt to excel in it.
"Keep in mind that this does not give you leeway to escape from the training. I am not an unreasonable person and understand that training must be diminish somewhat. I still expect to see a full fledged session every afternoon. As always, I will watch over the performance. And Cerebro will be kept empty.
"I will be in contact with further instructions. Yours in brotherhood, the Phantom."
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