A Time Forgotten

AN. I got three reviews! Yeah! Thank you so much! And thanks to the east coast balmy weather, I am given a whole day to write so, here I go! Thanks for the support! Keep reading, and I'll keep writing.

Bry

PS IM me anytime at Sumerstormes

Chapter 2

Letting Go

            Bobby walked down the master stairway, not sure how many more times he would have the opportunity. The main entrance way was lit up, but the feeling of grief clouded the school. Classes had been put off, and the students who had no where else to go just sat around, scared out of their minds. Not only did the man who promised them the world died, but also the world where they lived was openly hostile to mutants now. Mutant Registration was legal now, and the older generation of the X-Men where trying to find away to protect them.

            Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted was an open mutant institution, and pretty soon everyone knew that they were going to be invaded again. But unlike the last time where William Stryker's men were sent under pretense, this time it would be under the Act's law.

            Bobby placed one of his hands against the old wooden paneling, and pressed the concealed button. An elevator door popped open, and he stepped inside. He pushed the button marked with an arrow pointing down, and he leaned his wide shoulders against the white wall, waiting to be transported into the world of the X-Men.

            The metallic based walls were painted a shimmering blue, and the over head light illuminated the hallways. Bobby's scuffed up sneakers squeaked against the blue tile. He popped his head into one of the rooms, and noticed he was the last to enter.

            Around the steel gray table sat the remains of the X-Men. Scott Summers stared at him through his ruby red sunglasses. With one of his pale hands, he motioned Bobby to join them. Ororo Munroe sat beside him. Her blue eyes were without their luster, her white hair not as bright. The staff doctor Hank McCoy sat up straight in his chair. His brown eyes met with Bobby's and Bobby knew the doctor was suffering.

            The last person sitting at the table was Marie. She had whacked off her shoulder length brown hair just a few nights prior, but left her long white streaks alone. The brown strands fell at her chin, accenting her too hollow cheeks. He knew she hadn't been eating properly.

            Bobby sat down next to her and reached for her gloved hand under the table. She rejected the invitation.

            Scott leaned in, his jaw flexing nervously. "Now that we are all here, we have to talk about the disbanding of the X-Men."

            "Scott, Xavier wouldn't have wanted it to end this way." Ororo's African accent blurred in anger, "We can't run away from our problems."

            "Damn it, 'Ro. What do you want me to do? Xavier might have left us the money to run this operation, but how can we survive? The school has to close down. The government will be here any day just waiting to start writing down names. We need to dismantle the base while there is still time."

            Ororo slammed her dark hands against the table and stood up. "So we should just pretend the last 15 years of our lives didn't happen? Should I dye my hair? Should I put black contacts into my eyes so I look normal? What will you have us do? Go into hiding?" She jutted her chin out, "None of us can ignore what we are just because the government wishes that we do. When the government comes find me, I might be lucky enough to be deported back to Africa. But what about you? Are you going to go back to Nebraska and hide out? Pretend nothing happened? Pretend the life that gave you Jean never happened? How can you do this to us, Scott? We need to stand up strong. We need to keep up the fight for equality."

            Scott stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I don't want to hide. But for now that's all we can do. We take apart the technology and move. They know we are here. Can't you see that? We will stand strong, but just not yet. We need to hide those children up there. I am already trying to secure some property in Canada, but it will take time. The school is done, and for now so are the X-Men."

            Bobby couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were really over. Dr. McCoy stood up. "I agree with Mr. Summers. Ms. Munroe, we shouldn't think of this as a retreat, but as a repositioning. We can set up a new base, and still protect the mutant community from the new force. But we need time. And for a time we need to shut down."

            Ororo sat back down. "Fine. I guess we have to do what we have to do. But we need to help the children now. How are we going to get them away?"

            Bobby sneaked a peak at Rogue out of the corner of his eye. She was staring down at the table, fidgeting with her gloves.

            "Bobby?"

            He looked up at Hank. "What?"

            His brown eyes were filled with unending patience. "Do you agree to deal with the filing system? All the papers need to be destroyed, and the computer files put to discs, and the hard drive destroyed."

            "I can handle it." His mind was blank. The talks about taking apart the mansion continued. Lame ideas for a new base of operations were talked about, but nothing decided upon. Scott and Ororo agreed to start shipping the children to safe houses as the rest of them took apart the X-Men base. Everything that couldn't be carried out was to be destroyed.

            The meeting was adjourned, and everyone separated. Hank started to take apart the med lab, while Bobby went into the filing room. He was surprised to find Rogue sitting at the computer station, typing away. The printer beside her was going.

            "What are you doing?"

            Her wide green eyes looked up at him. "I am taking what I need."

            He sat down at the station. "What?"

            Her fingers clicked against the board. "You know as well as I do that the X-Men will not be regrouping. I need to access the data while I still have the chance."

            "We will get back together…"

            "No." She said simply. "Scott wants to fade into oblivion. He hasn't been the same without Jean, and the death of Xavier had just about killed him. He has nothing left to fight for. Ororo is going to cause a scene before to much longer, and I have a feeling she is going to be the protector of mutants everywhere. And you know Hank. He will set himself off into some medical lab somewhere and write fabulous papers about the mutant gene."

            He grabbed her hand, the clicking was annoying him. "And what about me? What about us? Are we too just supposed to fade away? Or are we going to stand up for ourselves?"

            She yanked her hand away. "I am going to finish some business, and you are going to follow Scott's lead. You are not a mutant activist. You would rather be normal, and with your mutation you can even fake it. I can't." She stared at the computer screen. "There is no longer a we."

            "But there is. We have gone through so much together, we can't stop now. I love you, and we are going to make this work out."

            She threw the key board away, the cord snapping it against the stand. "Don't you get it Bobby? There is nothing to work out. I am a mutant. I can't hide it. I am going to be branded and sent into some camp somewhere, where I am going to DIE! I won't let that happen. I am going to make sure this injustice isn't allowed to fad into the background." She looked up at him. "I will not allow you to suffer my fate. You can have a life with someone you can touch. You can have a life."

            "But…"

            "I am cursed. I have unfinished business to take care of, and then I am gone."

            He walked over to her, and grabbed her shoulders. "I am not letting you go. I am not hiding myself so I can protect myself. I want to be with you and I am going to be with you, no matter what."

            She allowed herself to be hugged. But she had made up her mind. "You don't have it in you. You are no Logan. You are no John. You're a boy scout." She whispered the words but they pierced his heart.

            He let her go. "Your right Marie. I have yet to abandon you." And then he did.

            She watched him walk away, and finally allowed the tears to fall.

AN. Tell me what you think! Puweeasse? Lol, I might be out tomorrow too, so be looking for an update.

Bry

Sumerstormes@aol.com

HIT THE BLUE/PURPLE BUTTON!