Lies and deceit (are best served cold)
o
"I'm afraid that we're going to have to keep her on sedatives for the moment."
The words hung still in the air, crisp cold in Professor's Xavier office.
"I'm afraid that we're going to have to keep her on sedatives for the moment- for her own good."
His eyes looked sad in the dim light. He'd tossed and turned the possibilities in his head all day long, had taken time to reflect on the consequences of her actions, and ultimately his regarding her.
"-for her own good she will be retained here for a while, before I call the adequate authorities to take care of her."
It seemed he couldn't say her name. He'd cared so much for her, had hoped that he would remedy to her problems, bring her to the light so she would forget her past. How naive, he knew very well that no one could really forget what they were, what they had once done. Nor could they truly forgive. Not this time, he couldn't.
"-before I call the authorities to take care of her. I'll personally make sure that she will be treated well."
To who was he saying these things? His office was laid empty in front of him, the bookcases seemed to bring the walls closer to his desk, in an oppressing way, towering over his seated form.
He sighed.
oooooo
The screen fizzed loudly as it showed the grey and white snow that usually appeared when the aerial was out.
"I'v got it!" Kurt exclaimed from behind the TV, crouched down over the plugs and electric which were turning into what seemed like knots of spaghetti. The screen spluttered a couple of words, the image contorted, bright colours clashing horribly.
Rogue squinted at the screen, her brows knotted together in concentration. She titled her head to have a better look at it. It was a tiger! No, maybe a car… 'It's-' Rogue started, but was immediately cut off by Kitty as her friend shoved a large marker and a stack of paper on to her lap.
'You're meant to rest your voice Rogue, so no talking.' She wiggled her finger with what she thought was authority and a scowl.
Rogue gave the girl a piercing glare, before picking up the marker and scribbling something on the paper in thick black letters.
Rogue lifted the page up so Kitty could read. "It's giving me a damn headache!" She tossed the paper away and took another to write down something else. "For the last time, it's the right plug!" and then on another sheet: "It's the TV that doesn't work."
Kurt, stood up from behind the television, frustrated. 'Zis thing is hopeless!' And with another frustrated grunt, thumbed his blue fist on the top of the screen. A clear image suddenly came alive.
"Firemen and emergency ambulances came rushing to the scene. The fires were quickly put out, however, in this tragedy, seven people lost their lives, among them Gabriella White and her fourteen months old child, Reena, and twelve seriously wounded…."
Kurt had backed away next to Rogue's bed, looking solemn. He slowly turned his gaze towards his sister. 'Course, zey don't say we brought some of the wounded to ze Hospital.'
'They, totally don't talk about us,' Kitty added, looking quite down herself.
"Now more than forty eight hours after the attack, a commission has been set up to clear the mystery around Fern Street. For barely two months ago, Greldon's Bank was subject to an organised assault, involving series of explosions…"
'And we still don't know who the mutant was that attacked you…"
Rogue had the marker clenched in her hand, about to write something more down, but she didn't know if she should. She'd been asking herself the question over and over again, but never dared voicing it, or in this case, writing it. Slowly she traced the words, finishing with a question mark. "How's Gambit?"
'Seems the same mutant got to him too,' Kitty explained, sitting on the edge of Rogue's medical bed. 'His state wasn't any worse than yours, but Mr Logan decided to knock him out. Must have been painful. But he left rather quickly, said it was for personal business.' Kitty voiced this with concern, a little sad that the Cajun had left so soon. "Xavier said that Gambit wasn't under his authority, so he couldn't stop him."
Kitty and Kurt exchanged knowing glances, they weren't telling her all the truth. Gambit had left, but not in such quiet way. Kitty could still remember the fright she'd had when she found Gambit looming over Rogue's sleeping form, just hours after they had been taken to the med-lab. Rogue's condition had been uncertain back then. He had simply nodded, and had left. Kurt had shared some information with her, about the professor who had wanted to keep Gambit in Mansion for a while, to keep an eye on him.
Kurt didn't linger on the subject, his sister being his prime centre of attention. 'With Mr Logan's healing factor, you're loads better.'
Rogue didn't need Kurt to tell her that she was better. She felt alive, for one, her neck had actually cauterised, jugular magically repaired and she wasn't agonising on the ground, which was good. Hank's only orders were to go easy on her vocal cords: reason why she was forced to use pen and paper to communicate, to her utmost frustration.
Rogue felt that she wouldn't get any more information from her two friends. She realised, to her disbelief, that she wanted to know where Gambit had gone, but no one seemed to be able to give her any more clues. Why had he left? More importantly, why had he left her? Weren't the nights they had passed together mean anything to him? He had the answers to her questions, but why so secretive? He had seemed genuine towards her, but now? She felt the solitude, the lack of his presence overbearing. He had his reasons, but didn't he owe her anything?
'How long are you going to have to stay in the med-bay anyway?' Kitty asked, finally changing the channel, pointing the remote at the television, randomly pressing the buttons. She finally settled down, to Rogue's horror, for a talk show. She tried to grab the remote from Kitty's clutches, but the freshman giggled, phasing right through Rogue's groping hand. 'No way, Rogue!'
With a yelp, Kitty found herself suddenly on the floor; Rogue had pushed her off from the side of the bed when she'd materialised back. 'That's, like, not fare!' she complained, her backside now aching. She looked up at the Goth, a little angry. Rogue had a smirk on her face, looking satisfied.
She scribbled something before showing the sheet of paper to Kitty. "Bite me."
'I will!' Kitty shot back!
'Kitty! Rogue! Shhh!" Kurt told them, his gaze still strained on the TV screen.
Rogue's smirk left, lifting another paper. "I'm not the one talking, fuzzball." She'd added some drawing next to the word "fuzball" that remotely looked like a face with a scowl and two horns on it's head. The meaning of such a drawing was lost to her friends. But her attention quickly went back to the screen, so did Kitty's, lifting herself up with the help of the edge of the bed.
"What made you decided to join the Friends of Humanity, George?" the elegant commentator asked a middle aged man which held traces of greying streaks in his light coloured hair.
He scratched his beard, his eyes intent on the camera. "Our neighbours had a daughter, she was turning sixteen." Rogue realised that his eyes looked deceivingly bright with the help of the spotlight that basked his face in blinding light. "They were very good friends of our family. My son was very close to their daughter, Emmy..." The memories he was putting into word seemed painful, but he gulped, pushed back his pride and continued to explain. "But when their daughter's mutation manifested, she brought the house down on their heads in the middle of the night." He shifted uncomfortably in his armchair. "All three were killed. Since then, I've decided to participate actively with the Friends of Humanity, to make sure no innocent lives aren't taken by mutants."
"What do you mean by actively?" the commentator asked, leaning slightly forward, notepad between perfectly red painted nails.
"They gave me a mobile phone, with a free number to call if I suspect a mutant of being dangerous. So, if I press 339, the Friends will locate my position, and send troops to take the mutant into custody. They present a danger to our everyday security, it's only normal, stopping a mutant from bringing harm... You see, if they can't control themselves, they could hurt their closest friends without meaning to do so."
"Aren't you afraid of mistaking a human for a mutant? Mutants can look like any normal human being… If you make this mistake, would it weight on your conscious?"
"No, Ma'am." He straightened up in his seat, as if he'd been stung personally by her comment. "If I go wrong, then, all the fault is mine and I will be willing to testify. And, as a respectable citizen, I feel like I'm doing the right thing, trying to keep my friends- and everyone..." applause started filling the stage. "...safe."
The TV was switched off, and static crisped as the screen turned to black. Kitty still had the remote. 'I think, like, we've seen enough,' Kitty mumbled, clearly shaken by the man's words.
'Ja,' Kurt agreed. His tail was twitching nervously.
Rogue was not of that opinion. As soon as her friends left, she grabbed the remote and turned it back on, her emerald green eyes furiously intent on the screen. Sparks seemed to glitter in her pupils.
"It's to be expected," Logan psyche commented.
"But why? Why do they…"
"We're all afraid of what we don't know, Stripes, of what we can't control. An' when ya're afraid, ya're easy to manipulate. Remember that, kiddo. Ya know what I'm talking about."
Rogue looked around, she wished she could leave the med.lab, hadn't Kurt mentioned it was snowing? But she felt that Logan psyche was right- right not only about the man she'd just seen confessing on television, but about herself. Hadn't she been afraid before? Wasn't she still afraid right now? Fear about her powers had brought her to Sinister. Fear for Remy, making her jump into a trap just a couple of days before. How she had feared Remy's unanswered questions... she had tried to get closer to him, only to have nothing unravelled. Everything was still a mystery, and she knew now, that if she didn't have answers soon, someone would be taking advantage of her.
She wished Logan was still here, but had needed to leave on an urgent errand for the professor. "Alaska's waiting for me, Stripes. Wheels is using me as some errand boy. But no worry, I'll be back soon, make sure ya rest, or they'll be hell to pay if I hear ya're out of bed, wandering the corridors still injured."
For only answer to Logan's words, she'd grabbed her pen and wrote this down: "Logan an errand boy? What's the world coming to?"
Logan had chuckled at that, ruffled Rogue's hair, and left.
oooooo
It was late at night when Hank came to check up on Rogue. He held the syringe carefully between his large hands as he watched Rogue sleep quietly, head resting directly on the cot, neck and stilled into place by a large minerve. He had to do this, he thought to himself.
Hank had been a man proud to know that he could easily distinguish good from evil, even when appearances were sometimes misleading. This had followed him after his mutant gene had manifested. And what he had seen, what he had retrieved these last months, tape records, sightings, genetic samples, confirmed that what Rogue had done was wrong... was intolerable. All those men, even if they'd been soldiers, had been killed- no, slaughtered ruthlessly. He had met up with a couple of traumatised lads that were tended at the Flower Sun Hospice, an Asylum. He had decided, that who ever had did this had to be evil. His shock when he found out that it was this sour, but kind looking young girl.
Rogue could barely open her eyelids, and decided that she really didn't want that searing headache to return, so she left her attempts for another time, letting her mind cool down in the black folds semi-consciousness.
Mhhh...
She was sure that she'd been the one to moan. It had come out as a reflex, for she didn't feel the needle puncture the soft skin of the interior of her arm, her mind too foggy to register what was happening on the other side of the world, a bright, full of pain and despair world. Let it stay on the other side, Ah'm feeling just fahne where Ah am. Dont bothe' comin' t' fetch meh.
As if her prayers were answered, she felt the small grasp she had left on consciousness fall away from her, like sand through open fingers. She didn't resist its pull, and accepted it with a smile on her face.
ooooo
"How is it going?" the dark voice spoke out clearly, waiting expectantly for an answer from the young looking man, his black hair tousled over his face.
"Fine, Nathaniel," Death answered, a smirk discreet on his face; "Things couldn't be better." There was no indication for whom things were going well, but Sinister did not add any comment to Death's declaration.
"Is Mr Bradson co-operating?"
Death titled his head to the side, looking past the open door towards the mutant that was seated at a desk, his back facing him. Sheets of paper littered the floor, twisted faces full of pain and anguish looking up from them. "Yes, he is. Rather effective, I can tell you." Death held out one drawing. A girl, no, a woman maybe, was sleeping, while a large form hovered over her- a form he recognised as Hank McCoy. Tom Bradson had confirmed the mutant's identity. He quickly distinguished the needle that had been plunged into Rogue's arm. "Proof is that our dear Rogue is now taking up her role of sleeping beauty perfectly," he said, letting the sheet fall back to his side, aristocratic voice clipped with humour.
"All is well. Take care of Mr Bradson when he is finished." Death eyes flickered towards the man in the next room, whose shoulders suddenly stiffened.
"Yes, of course." The secured line went dead, Death placed the receiver down, stretching his legs out with satisfaction.
Tom Bradson looked back towards the seated Death, turning his head away from his work. "De old thing told ya t' get rid of me, huh?" His eyes fell menacingly on Death's pale face, fingers pinching a yellow and black pencil, which had been earlier scrawling across the paper on the desk that rested in front of him.
Death cocked his head slightly to his left before placing his hand under it so support the small weight. His black eyes glowed faintly. "Why ask me, Tom, when you can answer your own questions?" A smile played on his lips, his eyes flirting with the discarded sheets of paper. Surely, he knew what was to occur.
Tom grinned, shook his head and went back to work.
Sorry, my good old friend Nathaniel. However, I can not dispose of such a talented being. You have always took the real thing for granted, these mistakes aren't mine, though..
"It will be our little secret, Tom, won't it?"
"Count on me, buddy!" came Tom's reply.
Death squirmed slightly at the name the other mutant had used. "If we really must be familiar, please call me..." The cold mutant's eyes looked steadily away, out the window where thick grey clouds were claiming the sky. "... Robin."
Strange interactions are growing, and I'm blurring the lines between Sinister's side, Xavier's dream, Remy's actions, and Rogue's dealings. Who gets the benefits? I'm still wondering...
Well, as you might have noticed, I've updated. Amazing. But well, holidays are here, and I can't miss such an opportunity to laze around on the computer. I usually have a spurt of inspiration around this time of year! (Call the blame on the nice weather and lack of work!)
Thanks again for the reviews, it always gets my head bobbing with excitement. However, if you have any details about some bad grammar, nonsense writing, be my guest, flame me to hell! (you can also add constructive criticism).
WILL: sorry about the confusing part, but I'm currently working on updating every chapter...
Angstwolf: exams, huh? Good luck then, I've about finished mine! (It explains the update.)
Enchantedlight: here goes chapter 27.
Sunspotmisery: sorry about that. I feel that my writing skills have improved since first chapter, however I feel they still need sharpening- a lot.
Ishandahalf: it's always nice having you grace me with the longest review! Talking about original characters, I'm so glad you like them! Death stays my favourite, he's soooo got a hidden agenda!