Chapter 04

A Vain Attempt

Charles Xavier emerged from the infirmary the following morning towards the examination room separated only by a thin curtain of clear plastic. After taking a long nap for two hours, it has been nearly twelve hours since the incident as he remained in the medical room to keep an eye on Derek Vane. Sitting on his lap were various printout readings he has taken from the young fashion designer as he guided his chair towards the desk. Some of the members from last night were already waiting for him at the end of the room as he heaved a sigh and took his place behind the desk.

Jean was the first to speak when she noticed the deep marks drooping under the professor's eyes.

"Professor, I think you should head back up in the mansion and get some sleep. It seems you've been up all night." Jean said as she poured some hot coffee into Charles's favorite mug.

"Thank you for your concern, Jean." Charles smiled as he accepts the mug. "But I feel that my presence in the medical room is much needed in order to try and identify what kind of powers Derek Vane might have."

After taking several gulps of coffee, the professor averts his attention to Rogue. To her it was a strange feeling to be stared at by a telepath as Rogue shifted her eyes left to right and wondering what sort of questions the professor had in mind to ask her.

"When you managed to touch Mr. Vane's skin to absorb his powers, did you feel anything at that time or could you determine what sort of powers he has?"

Rogue shrugged, "Not really, professor." She lowered her head slightly to keep from staring back at the eyes of others staring at her. "I guess we're all pretty shocked including me when he started ripping out a mini Grand Canyon in the middle of Manhattan."

The professor nodded thoughtfully as he picked the folder off his lap and began thumbing through its contents. Everyone remained silent for the next few minutes until Charles placed the folder on the desk and heaved another long sigh. Though some of the readings and charts appear normal, it was exactly the main reason that made Charles deep with concern that clearly showed in his face as he scowled slightly. The reports in his DNA structure have located Derek's X gene but it was the likes he has never seen before. Weighing the words he could use to explain his findings to his students, Charles began his report, though still doubting his theory.

"I believe that Mr. Vane's mutant power may almost be similar to Rogue's. There is a slight difference though." The professor paused for a minute as if trying to stir the thoughts of everyone in the medical room. Rogue, however, remained in the far corner of the room near the doors and refusing to take part of the discussion. "Imagine that every mutant emits a field of aura, regardless of the magnitude of it, that represent their innate mutant power." The professor raised 1his hands and drew an oval-like gesture in the air for emphasis. "Vane's ability to 'attract' the aura into him and to use it as his own is indeed a unique ability without so much as touching any part of his host."

A cluster of murmurs broke out as Charles waited for them to pay attention. Finally it was Rogue's turn to cut them off.

"It's no wonder his name's Vane without an 'I'." Rogue blurted out. "The guy's more smug than a wild stallion that he thinks the whole universe revolves around him."

"That may be it, Rogue." Charles chuckled as if he actually read her mind. "But you are missing the point. Even in his unconscious state he continues to attract our powers into him. Somehow, the more powers that his body absorbs almost like an involuntary action such as breathing or one's heartbeat, there is a possibility that his body might not be able to handle so much of that accumulated power that his body tends to shut down from the strain. How he managed to increase or intensify the power he absorbs is something I have to find out as well. At least that is my preliminary analysis for now."

There was a moment's silence as the professor gave them time to ponder upon his words. After about five minutes, Scott was the first to break the silence.

"So, do you think that he could be against us?"

"I don't think so, Scott." Charles shook his head slightly and cocks his head towards where Derek is sleeping. "Derek Vane is trying to live his life among humans in a normal, yet very lucrative way. I don't know if he would want to join us if the time comes and I am guessing that he would refuse the offer. His genetic makeup as well as his power is triggered only when there is a mutant nearby. In other words, as long as there are no other mutants present, he could lead a normal life."

It was an answer that never seems to satisfy Scott's curiosity. He pondered on a possibility for a minute and asked again.

"Couldn't you try to see if he…"

"Scott, I'm a telepath, not a fortune teller." Charles scolded in his soft and calm voice followed by a short smile.

"Well," Scott continued and looking as if the warmth rising over his cheeks were the result of the glow from his ruby quartz shades or his embarrassment. "If what you said about his continued absorbing of our powers is true even in his state then we should call Wolverine back from his patrol and try to revive him. Maybe he could also attract Wolverine's healing factor as well."

Scott was interrupted when he was shoved aside by Rogue and parted the plastic curtains aside. With her outstretched and exposed hand, everyone followed her as Charles tried to stop Rogue.

"Rogue! What are you trying to do?" He said as he guided his chair in the examination room.

"If you can't read his mind in his knocked-out state then maybe I can yank off what's left of his pea-sized brain." Rogue fumed.

No one seems to want to try stopping her the moment her exposed hand reaches over Vane. Everyone watched intently as the tip of Rogue's four fingers and her thumb touched Vane's forehead. For nearly ten seconds, no one seemed to try and attempt to stop Rogue as some of them watched with their mouths open.

"What do you feel, Rogue?" The professor frowned yet his curiosity also sided with Rogue's rash action.

As if some indescribable force began to shower upon Rogue's entire being, she begins to quiver uncontrollably. Something was definitely twisting inside Rogue's body that felt like fire and ice lashing at her mind and skin. Every inch of her veins could almost freeze in the twisting sensation as Rogue's entire hand joins the tips of her four fingers that it was now covering most of Vane's forehead.

"Rogue. What do you feel right now?" The professor asked.

Rogue slowly turned towards the professor, and he was surprised to see tears brimming over her eyes.

"Pain, sadness, anger…" She sobbed.

"What do you mean?" The professor asked, though dumbfounded.

"I… I don't know." Rogue shook yet her hand is still placed on top of his forehead. "I could only tell what he's feeling right now."

Turning his chair on the scanners a few steps from Derek's bed, his eyes watched furiously, checking to see if there are any strange changes happening in his body. "Amazing." The professor rubbed his chin with his right hand as he observed the various scanner readouts being fed into the computer on his desk. "No body trauma, brain activity normal, his organs still functioning properly."

The sharp hiss at the end of the room opened the sliding doors as Logan came in. Everyone watched when Logan stood to a halt as if he felt uncomfortable to see so many eyes staring at him for no particular reason.

"What're you all starin' at?" Logan grunted.

An invisible jolt of energy surged through Charles's mind as he slowly turned his sights back at Rogue and Vane. This time, Vane was holding Rogue's exposed hand.

"Such soft skin from someone who has never had the pleasure of having to touch another living being without slipping into a coma." He drawled contentedly.

Rogue wanted to slap her hand away from Vane with disgust. But for every second, she begins to feel something that she has hoped to experience one of these days: the touch of another from someone without so much as sapping them of their powers and cringing in pain.

"Sorry if I read your mind for a moment." Vane smiled as he sat up from his bed. And he did something that shocked even the professor as Vane moved Rogue's hand near his lips and kissed the top.

"Such soft, beautiful skin almost like glowing ivory." Derek sighed.

Though her longing to hold his hand for much longer undermined Vane's blatant ego, Rogue pulled her hand away from Vane's. She glared at Derek's eyes that seemed unclouded before slapping him across the face as she bolted out the door.

"That's the first for me." Vane chuckled half-heartedly as he rubbed his stinging left jaw. "I think I'm seeing stars."

The professor along with Jean Grey remained in the medical room and requested the rest of the team to wait in his office to later discuss more about Vane. After some twenty minutes, Jean and Professor Xavier entered the office.

"I apologize for making you all wait for me," the professor began as he rolled at the middle of the room, "but I wanted to discuss further of what we are going to do with Derek Vane while he is under our care."

As the responsible one of the group, Scott Summers was always the first one to speak his mind ever since he developed the same kind of disgust when he recently saw what kind of person Derek Vane really is.

"Professor, I would suggest that Derek would be allowed to go back home after his treatment." He fought to keep the ice in his voice to a bare minimum yet retaining his 'leadership-like' qualities.

The professor only took a second to understand the gist in Scott's suggestion concerning Vane's behavior and the way he watched him make a pass at Rogue.

"I have considered that thought, Scott, but it would be unwise for the time being. After all, Magneto somehow wanted him for the very power that Derek has. It would be best for him to stay in the mansion for as long as until the whole situation is resolved."

Scott frowned for a bit, then looks around and pointed out that Rogue was missing.

"It seems that she went out to gather her thoughts." The professor answered then rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. After a few brief moments, the professor popped his head upright again and shifted his sights at the door and spoke.

"Come in, Derek." The professor spoke out as he turned his wheelchair around to face the doors.

The brass handles of the heavy double doors of his office begins to turn and swings open, revealing Derek Vane in his patient's robe. Just behind him are some of the female students whispering excitedly to each other and pointing at him.

"Mr. Vane." The professor greeted as he extends his hand at him. "I'm glad that you managed to find your way to my office. Welcome to my Institute for the Gifted."

"Please, call me Derek, Professor Xavier." Derek took the hand as the professor offered one of the chairs in front of his desk for Derek to sit in.

"Anyway, the last thing I read in Rogue's mind after the little…" the professor looked at Derek for a moment and continued, though embarrassed to say it out loud, "incident some minutes ago, I think she's headed at the Bayville Shopping Mall. Scott, why don't you take Jean, Logan and two more others to look for her."

Scott nods and picked up his jacket hanging over the backrest of the leather sofa. Just then, the professor suddenly turned his eyes towards Derek. They seem to stare at each other longer than usual until the professor reluctantly nods.

"Take Derek with you as well."

Scott's jaw drops opened and lets out an exasperated scoff. "Professor!"

"That's an order, Scott." The professor finally answered. "Besides, he agrees to move in here for a couple of days. So before you begin your search, I want you to lend him some clothes."

Scott was glad that his glasses were heavily tinted that allows the piercing stare to remain hidden towards the professor. Everyone shuffled through the door and Jean was the last one to leave when Charles called her back.

"You know, Jean," the professor began as he chose his words carefully, "I was hoping that you would help Rogue out of the confusion that seems to cloud her emotions even as of now. I mean, I don't know how to tell you this but…"

Jean raised her index finger at mouth level that interrupted the professor. She somehow understood what he meant.

"I'm a woman too. Back when Rogue decided to join us, she has developed hidden feelings for Scott, and there are two things that kept blocking the way to express them. I would say that she chose the second one, knowing that she was doing this because she's my friend."

The professor smiled and gave Jean a paternal pat on her hand before leaving the room. Silence once again returned in the professor's office, thinking about the analysis that was taken from Derek Vane. But the only mystery that keeps hanging over his thoughts like a little black cloud is the fact that Rogue's powers never seem to affect Derek for some unknown reason.

Author's Note:

One of the interestings things when writing a story is that there is little to do when it's already finished. But there are times when you look back and recall the crazy things I have to go through (that includes a poker game, beer bongs, and other adult stuff), it does feel nice to go home to something that you enjoy (with my girlfriend. Hi Corrien! and the things I write about).

For now, here are today's sponsors:

emma134:Thanks for reading! Actually the story's been finished over a year ago but if I get at least enough hits then I'll keep posting.

Nettlez:A totally wicked thanks to ya! Why wait when I just post the story at least four times a week!

Synisterfate: I thanks thee for the kind words : ) and I hope you stick around for more!