I want to thank everyone who is reviewing. Ya'll have no idea how happy I am when I get a little "review alert" in my mail box.
Anyways, a few quick notes:
ishandahalf, first off, you were my first reviewer. THANK YOU! :) As for your comments...I know, I hate the badness, too. But we have to have badness to really appreciate the goodness, right? :P I have bad news for you though, this is a pretty long fic, and there is much more badness to come before the 'happy ending'. But I promise it'll be worth it. And don't worry about Rogue. As soon as she gets the chance, you'll be feelin' more sorry for her enemies...
Remy Shall Kill Belladonna, first off, thanks for the tip about the anonymous reviews. Secondly, thanks for your reviews and thirdly..."Mater et pater improba et lectum/cibiculum." :)
T, I re-read that part about Logan...and I changed it. :P I didn't make it too clear exactly what happened, but it's all fixed now. Thanks for the heads-up and the reviews. Hope you enjoy what's comin'.
Fuego, MCLBLUE, VA-river-gal, TheWalrusWasPaul, xxFleurdelySxx, WarmerThanFire and kitti3g0Me0w, thank ya'll SO much for the reviews. I'm glad ya'll are enjoyin' the story and I hope that you continue to like what I've come up with for our fav couple.
I don't own Rogue, Gambit, Wolvie, Iceman, Xavier, Cyclops, Jean, Storm....
Somebody Else's Song - Chapter 7
Professor...
Charles looked up from where he was helping Hank finish up with Gambit's surgery.
Elizabeth? he questioned psychically.
Charles, Bobby is hurt. And they got away with Rogue...
One moment, child.
He spoke out loud to Hank, "Beast, Psylocke is contacting me telepathically. She and the others need help. Would the absence of Ororo and I hinder your progress with Gambit?"
"Jean and I can manage.. All that is left to do is repair the minor damage done to his head. His nose is broken, and he has a fairly serious concussion, but the hard part is over."
With a nod the Professor turned to Storm, "Ororo...?"
She nodded after a moment and after giving her dear friend one last look, she followed the Professor.
Psylocke? I am going to focus on your location psychically. We will be there as soon as we can.
"Hurry, Charles.
xxxx
After breaking contact with the Professor, Psylocke turned her entire attention back to Bobby. She probed him mentally, as she had been doing since he had been shot. It was the only thing she could do to keep him conscious, especially after the hit he took in the back of the head. If he passed out, they might never get him to wake up again.
He moaned quietly as she brushed his light hair away from his wet, blue eyes. Tears, sweat and dirt streaked his young face.
"Hang on, Bobby. Help is coming." He nodded to let her know that he was conscious enough to comprehend her words.
Behind them, Logan raised himself up on his knees. His healing factor had pulled him through yet another mortal injury. He smelled fresh blood. Rogue's, some of his own, several of their enemies...and Bobby's.
"What the hell happened?" He walked over to his friends and kneeled on the other side of Bobby.
She spoke without looking at him, "After you went down, I decided to use my telepathy to deceive the men into thinking that they had defeated us. But before I could make my plan known to Bobby...he was hit..." she took a breath, "I manipulated the minds of our adversaries to make them think that I was hit as well. I saved myself, but not him..."
She feels guilty that she's the only one o' us who ain't been shot, Logan thought, looking down at Bobby. Noting the pain in Bobby's features, Logan couldn't help but feel a little guilty himself.
"In their minds, they saw me fall," Betsy continued, "but as they were leaving, I read the mind of their leader...I know where they're taking Rogue.."
Logan looked up from Bobby's face, his eyes meeting his teammate's.
"...and I know what they want with her."
xxxx
Sitting aboard the helicopter, Rogue couldn't help but feel almost calm. Betsy had contacted her psychically; she had not been gunned down. It was all an illusion.
That means tha X-Men are on their way, she thought almost smiling, and Lord help ya'll when they get here...
Before long, though, Rogue's mind again drifted back to Gambit. Wolverine had not had a chance to answer her when she asked about him.
Obviously they had found him or they wouldn't have come looking for me...Please be okay, Remy...
"Alright," she heard the pilot over the intercom, "We're landing."
That didn't take long. She looked outside as the chopper prepared to land. They hadn't flown very far. In fact, in the distance, she could still see the mountains where, only hours before, she and Remy had shared a picnic supper.
The chopper landed and she was ushered painfully out of it and onto the ground.
Much as Ah hate havin' him in mah head, Ah sure could us some o' Wolvie's healin' right about now.
She couldn't recall ever being in such pain. She stayed conscious solely through an act of sheer will. But she was becoming weaker from the loss of blood. She needed a doctor badly, and none of these guys looked like they were going to help her with that. Not one of them had even said anything to give her any kind of hint as to who they were working for or what they wanted with her.
Well, we're here. Wherever 'here' is, so Ah guess Ah'm about to find out.
xxxx
"That ain't too far from here," Wolverine replied when Psylocke told him of Rogue's location.
She nodded, still monitoring Bobby.
"Jesus," Wolverine ran his hands through his hair, "This was supposed to be our vacation and look what's happened. Rogue's been kidnapped, Gambit's probably in surgery right now, fighting for his life, and now Iceman's layin' here bleedin' like a stuck pig!" He was becoming more and more frustrated and angry. He looked over at the bodies of their enemies, "And you said that they killed their own men?"
"Yes. Whoever couldn't walk on their own was a liability I guess. They slit their throats."
With a stream of curses, Wolverine unsheathed his claws. Psylocke watched as he stalked over to one of the bodies and drove his claws into the corpse repeatedly for a few moments.
"He's got Rogue's smell all over him," was the only explanation he offered.
"Wolverine, you're not helping anyone by carrying on that way."
Before he could respond, the Blackbird came into view.
"Bless you, Charles," Psylocke whispered, "They're here, Bobby. Now we can get you some help. Everything's going to be fine. I promise."
Warren was the first off the jet.
"Betsy! Thank god..." then he saw Bobby and his breath quickened, "Bobby?" he knelt beside his friend. He had grown up with Bobby. Well, almost. He was like a little brother. An annoying little brother, but family none the less. Bobby gave him a weak smile, but said nothing. It was taking all his energy and some of Psylocke's just to keep him conscious.
"We underestimated them," Betsy explained moments later as Warren and Kurt carefully placed Bobby in the Blackbird, "They have powerful weapons, though I don't think any of them were mutants. And they don't play fair." Wolverine grunted in agreement.
Storm and Kurt worked to slow Bobby's bleeding until Hank could rendezvous with them and administer the proper care.
"So what's the plan, Chuck?" Logan was becoming impatient.
"We are going to wait until Hank meets us here before we do anything Logan."
"What?!"
"Calm down, Wolverine. I am worried about Rouge as well, but we can't very well rush off after her with Bobby in the shape that he is in. He needs medical treatment."
"It could take hours for Hank and Jeannie to get here--"
"Or not," Jean interrupted as she and Hank entered the Blackbird.
"Beast," Storm asked, "Is Gambit---?"
"He is resting as comfortably as can be expected on the other jet, Ororo."
"Will he live?"
"I cannot say for certain. Though it is evident he is fighting fiercely to stay alive."
"That's because he wants to get up and go rip the heads off those bastards that have Rogue," Wolverine growled, "Which is what we should be doin' right now."
"Logan. Please calm down. Jean, move Bobby to the other jet. Beast, I want you and Jean to take Bobby and Gambit back to the mansion and stay there with them."
"You don't think you will need our help, Professor?" Jean asked, preparing to move Bobby.
"We can use all the help we can get, Jean. But someone should stay there with them. I'll contact you if we need you."
With a nod and a blown kiss to Scott, Jean left with Bobby. Hank followed.
"Storm, take one of the individual aircrafts from the Blackbird. Go back to the cabin and pick up Trish and Opal. They shouldn't be left out here alone. Take them back to the mansion. Opal will want to be with Bobby. Stay there and do what you can to help."
Without further instruction, Storm left. A few moments later, they heard her launching into the air and flying towards the cabin.
"Alright," the Professor addressed the remaining X-Men, "Psylocke, Logan, please come with me."
xxxx
They drugged me...Wasn't enough ta shoot me twice, they had ta drug me...? What tha hell is goin' on?
"She's waking up, sir."
"Good. Go get the boss-lady. The rest of you are dismissed for now."
Rogue heard several people leave the room. She looked over to her side and instantly regretted it. The pain in her head was intense, she cried out softly.
What have they done ta me?
"I wouldn't worry none about that headache girlie. It's the least of your worries right now."
Her eyes focused on the leader. He stood a few feet away from her.
"Where am Ah?"
"You really don't need to be concerning yourself with that," a new feminine voice answered. Rogue heard the door close, "What you should worry about...is me."
The woman stepped into view. She was almost pretty, except except for the constant sneer on her face. She was a few years older than Rogue and fairly tall. She had light hair and pale blue eyes.
"Do Ah know you?" Rogue asked her head slowly clearing. A new wave of alarm hit her, as she realized that she was strapped down to some sort of experimental table.
This looks like somthin' strait outta Sinister's lab...
She didn't have the energy or strength to test her bonds. She could barely keep hers eyes open.
It's okay. Tha X-Men are on the way. All Ah gotta do is keep her talkin' 'til they get here...
As if reading her mind, the woman replied, "Your friends will be too late, Rogue." She said her name with such hatred.
"Look lady, obviously there's some bad blood between us...But honestly, Ah don't know who you are or what your beef with me is..."
"You lying bitch, you killed my brother!" the woman shouted. In less time than it took for Rogue to blink, the woman drew the pistol that she wore on her hip and pressed it to her temple.
"Carly, no," the man placed a hand on her wrist, " We want the gene-trash to suffer. Don't make it quick for her."
Rogue kept her eyes shut and focused on the feel of the cold metal against her face. Then as suddenly as it had been pressed to her, it was gone. She opened her eyes to see the woman holstering it.
"Thank you, Colonel Greene. I apologize for my lack of control. You are right, of course. She must be made to suffer."
xxxx
"So you're tellin' me that this all goes back to somethin' Rogue did when she was a kid?"
"If I read his mind correctly, Logan, then yes."
"Son of a bitch," Logan stalked to the back of the Blackbird in a huff leaving Betsy and Charles alone.
"Well Professor?"
After a moment of deliberation, the Professor spoke, " Let us go tell the others what we know."
After gathering all the X-Men at the front of the Blackbird, Charles spoke to his team.
"The Montgomery family," He began, "Were the owners of a hardware store in northern Mississippi. Several years ago, Kenny Montgomery, the family's oldest child, was 'murdered' by a mutant girl. Kenny was closing the store one night, but never came home. Early that next morning, his father went looking for him. At the store, he found his son laying on the floor next to a young girl. When the girl saw him, she fled. When he described her to the police, he said she had a large white stripe through her hair."
"Rogue," Kurt spoke quietly, " But Professor, she would never intentionally kill someone---"
"I know Kurt. But she was young and her powers were wilder then than they are now. I have long suspected Rogue's involvement in the Montgomery case, but the specifics were always kept classified. The authorities were trying to avoid mass hysteria. It was one of the very first publicized mutant 'attacks'. When I asked her parents myself for details, they refused to disclose any information."
"So what does that have to do with her now?" Scott asked.
"Kenny had a sister, Carly. She is a mutant. One of the most powerful telepaths on the planet."
"She may even be stronger than the Professor," Betsy added quietly.
"Yes," Charles confirmed, "I got in touch with her parents when I sensed her powers developing across the astral plane. Her mother brought her to me a few weeks after her brother died. Her mutant powers were slowly driving her insane. She had an experience similar to that of Jean's. She actually shared the mind of her brother as he died. She was also able to talk to him. He told her how he had tried to help the young girl and how she had hurt him with her power."
"Carly blamed the mutant for her brother's death. She was very young, only fifteen, but she was so bitter..." the Professor continued, "I wasn't able to help her, with her powers or her bitterness."
"But Professor, there weren't any other telepath at the school when we were that young..." Warren stated, his arms wrapped around Betsy's waist.
"She came before any of you, Warren. She was my first attempt to help a young mutant with their power. My failure with her nearly caused me to give up my dream of the X-Men."
"Why haven't you ever told us of her before?" Scott asked.
"Honestly, Scott, because I am so ashamed of my failure with her. She left the school after only a few weeks, more bitter and determined to seek revenge on her brother's killer. But, I have always kept a close watch on her through a connection on the astral plane. In the last few months, however, she has disappeared. The only explanation I could come up with is that she has only grown more powerful and is able to conceal herself from me."
Before anyone could say anything further, Logan appeared from the back of the jet, "We're here."
"Alright," Cyclops nodded, "Land the plane, Kurt."
Scott.
Yes, Professor?
We must take great care. I fear for all of our safety where Carly is concerned.
Understood, sir.
xxxx
"Ah'm sorry." Rogue whispered weakly, knowing how empty and pathetic her words must sound to the woman she had hurt so deeply.
"Not half as sorry as you're gonna be."
"Look, sugar, ya have ta understand. Ah was barely twelve years old when that happened. Mah powers were outta control. When your brother touched me---"
"He didn't touch you, you attacked him! You killed him! He was only trying to help you!"
"He did help me. Gave me the first warm meal Ah'd had in weeks. But Ah swear to you, it was an accident---"
"Liar!"
"No, Ah'm not. Please, ya haveta understand---"
"No!" She hit Rogue hard across the face.
Tears stung Rogue's eyes. Didn't this woman understand? Guilt ate at her every day. Over her brother and Cody. Both of them deserved better. Neither deserved to have their lives sucked away from them.
"Sir!' A solider suddenly came through the door and addressed the Colonel, "They're here."
"Charles and his underlings are quicker than I expected," Carly smiled and turned to the solider, "You know what to do."
She turned back to Rogue, "After I finally found you, I spent months preparing for my revenge--"
"Was Remy part o' your revenge?" Rogue spat.
She ignored the questioned and continued, "It wasn't until I saw you at the diner that I decide how I would go about getting it..."
Several soldiers entered the room and stood all around Rogue. She regarded them apprehensively.
"Touch her," Carly commanded the six men, "Make sure her skin is in contact with yours."
"No," panicked as the realization hit her, "No, please, no!"
Grinning, Carly reached down and turned the collar off.
