Chapter Twenty Two

Envee flexed her hands, looking at the thick block of wood several feet in front of her. On it several empty soda cans were perched, glinting in the sunlight. She looked at the one on the very right and stared at it until it was all that existed. She gestured sharply and a small shot of wind hit it and knocked it to the ground. It was quickly followed by the other seven.

"Nice shooting, Tex," an amused voice said, and Envee grinned at Kar. "Can you do the stand?"

"What do I win?"

Kar rolled his eyes and patted his pockets, pulling out a crumpled note. "Five dollars."

"Deal."

Envee turned back to the wooden block and rubbed her hands together. She took a deep breath and let part of it out, stilling her body and focusing on the wood. She flung both hands forward, as if pushing something away, and sent out a large blast of wind.

Or, that's what she intended to do at any rate. What actually happened was that the wooden block remained upright and she was thrown backwards, slamming into the wall and crumpling to the ground.

"Envee!"

Kar's panicked shout brought the rest of the Roses, and Jamie quickly examined the other girl. Envee was unconscious, a small bump on the back of her head, but other than that completely healthy. Jamie healed the bump and waited a second for Envee to stop groaning and fully wake up.

"What happened?" Envee asked, her words slurred slightly.

"You tell us," Selene replied.

"How am I supposed to know? I tried to knock over the wood stand and got flung backwards and the next thing I know, I'm lying here looking up at you guys."

Jamie frowned, checking Envee's pulse and eyes. "You're completely healthy, and I didn't detect any problems when I was healing you. Try using your powers again."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Envee sighed and let Kar pull her to her feet. She looked at the stand again and shook out her limbs. She glanced back at Jamie, who nodded encouragingly, and then released a wave of compressed air at the stand.

Again, the stand remained upright and Envee was flung back to the house. Luckily for her, Kar and Alistor caught her before she hit the wall, and she sank to her knees.

"What the hell is going on with my powers?" she demanded, and Jamie wandered away for a moment, picking up one of the fallen soda cans and examining it. She looked back at Envee, then at the can, and finally walked back to the group.

"I'd like to do a little experiment, could you walk this way with me, Envee?"

Envee sighed and struggled to her feet. She felt tired, her muscles aching and her eyelids heavy. She followed Jamie to the middle of the garden and looked at the younger girl enquiringly.

"Could you release a couple of balls of air at the ground, please?"

Envee frowned, but nodded. She clenched her fists and then opened them quickly, shooting two blasts of air at the ground. A surprised shout fell from her lips as she was propelled upwards into the air, hovering for a second before falling back down. Only instinct made her land in a crouch, and she sat down heavily, her eyes wide with shock.

Jamie nodded as if she had expected this and said, "I'd like to have Adam run some tests on your blood, if that's alright."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, at least, I don't think so. I have a few suspicions but I don't want to say anything until I have confirmation. Come on, I need to get a sample and take it to the lab."

"Does that mean I have to get up?"

"Yes, Envee."

Grumbling a bit, Envee pushed herself up and followed Jamie into the house, sitting on one of the cold examination tables while Jamie drew some blood.

"I hate needles, you know," she said conversationally, watching the red liquid come out of her arm.

"I know." Jamie withdrew the needle and pressed a small piece of cotton wool over the tiny puncture mark.

Rogue walked in and noticed the small vial of blood Jamie held in her hand. "What's going on?"

"We're not sure, but Envee's powers aren't working properly."

"Will she still be able to help us with the mission tonight?"

"Probably not."

Rogue sighed. "Shit."

"Listen, can I go to bed now?" Envee asked, looking at Rogue with pleading eyes. "I feel half-dead."

Rogue frowned again, sweeping her gaze over Envee's body, which was trembling with exhaustion. "Sure, we'll wake you for dinner."

The thought of food made Envee's stomach churn, but she just nodded meekly and walked out, keeping one hand on the wall for balance. Rogue watched her go and then turned to Envee.

"You have a theory," she stated firmly. "What?"

"I think… she's mutating. I think her powers are evolving. She's showing all the classic symptoms-exhaustion, loss of appetite, I'll bet she'll start getting headaches soon."

"Shit! That could take days! Hell, her body might need up to two weeks to adjust! I do not want to postpone this mission!"

"If you want Envee to be included, then you're going to have to."

Mumbling angry curses under her breath, Rogue left the basement and stormed up to her room. Where Remy was waiting. Just what she needed. One look at his calm, arrogant smirk and she wanted to slug him.

"Why, cher, whatever is the matter?" he asked in a silky voice that usually made her knees weak. Today, it just infuriated her.

"Get out of my bloody room, swamp rat."

"But I got nowhere else to go."

"Not my problem. Get out before I shoot you."

Remy blinked. "Would you really shoot me, cher?"

Rogue hesitated and looked at him. She looked at his lean, muscled body, at his tousled hair, his dark eyes, his wicked smile…. "Yes, Remy. I'd shoot you."

If the answer surprised Remy in any way, he didn't show it. He just stood up gracefully and left, quietly closing the door behind him. Rogue sighed and flopped down on her bed, trying not to notice that it was still warm with his body heat.

Her body ached for his touch, for the comforting blanket of security he always managed to wrap around her. Her mind, however, refused to acknowledge such weakness and dismissed the desire.

If Jamie was right, and she usually was, then Envee would be nearly useless until her powers finished advancing. She'd have a fever, headaches, exhaustion, her body would be in agony if the mutation was serious enough… mutating was not an easy thing.

She could pick locks herself, of course, it was one of the many talents of her misspent youth, but she wasn't as good as Envee. And if they were to destroy the building as quickly as possible, she needed Envee to help plant the bombs. Still, if Envee wasn't there, she didn't have to worry about someone getting caught on camera so much.

So it was a tossup: did she want to plant bombs quicker, or diminish the risk of getting caught? With their assorted powers, they could pretty much fight their way out of any situation, but she didn't want it to come down to that unless absolutely necessary.

There was one other option, but she didn't really want to think about it. But then she realised that she was being selfish, petty and stupid, and forced herself to consider the option.

Remy was an expert at locks. He was probably better than Envee. He knew how to be stealthy, he had a formidable power and a vast array of weapons. He usually worked solo, but also knew how to work in a team. It wouldn't be a good idea to partner him with Ivy, his arrogant attitude would make her violent, but she wanted Ivy on assassin duty anyway, so….

Rogue sighed and closed her eyes. She'd postpone the mission for two days. If Envee wasn't functional and battle-ready by then, she'd substitute Remy in her place. She prayed Envee was ready in two days' time.