Chica De Los Ojos Café: Irene can only see the future and I think she went into hiding in the show, plus it's kind of hard to find someone who knows when you'll be coming.
GothikStrawberry: Well worse is coming, but mainly more dangerous people will show up.
Sparky Genocide: The Brotherhood was disbanded remember from earlier? Yeah I wanted a different Emma and Jean interaction in this, and what can I say I like Ororo/Logan and Hank needs a decent love life for once. As for Rogue's personalities and stuff, what can I say I love going into a person's mind like that.
Coldqueen: Actually she doesn't when she wakes up she'll know what really happened but she will be a bit traumatized like everyone else. That was just something the Dark Rogue did to help weaken her mind and that false memory won't be that strong.
Mark C: Well their bond is just starting to form so it's not as strong as the one Jean/Scott have. And you'll see Logan/Ororo's feelings will come out eventually.
Aaron: Well their bond will be like Jean and Scott's, maybe a bit different too, glad you like it so far too.
The Uncanny R-Man: Well we kind of going a new way with them but you'll see a friendly rivalry show up later, and I wanted to give Sage a personality since she did use to have one.
Silver Warrior: Rogue's absorption powers aren't on, if you read a bit more closely you would see that they were touching her. Hank has had a love life in the comics just not a very successful one.
Episodic: Sage did once have a personality in the old days before the Hellfire Club in the comics so I wanted to do that. Emma isn't that much but she will be more free spirited then that. Not sure if it was your suggestion or that we planned that out in advanced, kind of hard for me to remember.
Thanks to: X00001, Silver Warrior, Wen1, rolofreak1990
Hellfire and BrimstoneCHAPTER 23: MALLS AND AWAKENINGS
Warren's Apartment
It had been a bittersweet return to Warren's apartment after all the trauma and complications caused by the Hellfire Club. The argument that had divided them now seemed utterly meaningless after what they had been through. Upon their return, they had both spent the better part of two hours simply lying in bed, thankful that they were both still alive. Betsy, as strong a woman she was, couldn't help but feel sorry over all the worry she caused him by not heeding his warnings. Her stubborn nature had gotten them both in a truly horrific situation and after all the horrible things she saw from the horrid looks on Jean and Rogue's faces to Vincent's mangled body as a result of Selene's torture, she knew she that it could have been much worse for her than it had been.
The night was spent simply absorbing the feel of freedom once again and she was kept warm in her sleep by Warren's soft, feathery wings. Even though Betsy was a strong, staunch woman…She did at one point cry upon thinking about just how much Warren had warned her and how she threw it back at him even though he was right in the end. But Warren, being the man he was, forgave her and simply slept by her side…Assuring her that it was okay and nothing else mattered other than her being alive and safe.
After they awoke to the next morning to the glowing sunrise, it seemed to be the true end of a nightmare that had come so close to destroyed what they both held so dear. Neither of them talked much about the previous incident, wanting to put it behind them and move on with their lives and their relationship. However, for Warren there was something else eating at his mind as he awoke with Betsy and returned the lives they had been living before all this had happened…Something he had actually been thinking about for a while now.
As Betsy took a long relaxing shower, Warren stood on the picturesque balcony overlooking the crowded streets far below. Last night had been the third time he had been involved with helping the X-men, the first time being against Magneto and the second being against Apocalypse. Even though he wasn't a full fledged member, they still allowed him to be a part of them…And be a member of a group where he actually felt as though he wasn't a freak or monstrosity. Being a young rich man with so many things he could do with his life, he couldn't help but wonder…Was the X-men a place where he could actually belong after being shunned from so many others?
Such thoughts continued to run through his mind as he stood in a trance, overlooking the city skyline with the sunrise in the distance. Then suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Penny for your thoughts luv?" asked Betsy, wearing one of Warren's expensive, soft bathrobes with her hair still slightly wet.
"I was just thinking…" he said, not tearing his gaze away from the distance.
"About what?" she asked as she leaned against the rail and stood next to him.
"About the X-men…" he responded, "Last night…I came very close to losing you Betsy. But because with the help of Professor Xavier and his students gave me, I managed to get you back."
"I know, we do owe them a lot for helping us," she responded, not wanting to even think about what the Hellfire Club would have done to her had she not been rescued.
"Yeah…That's kind of what's been bugging me," he mused as he turned away from view of the city and back towards Betsy, "We're both mutants Betsy…You know as well as I do that there aren't many people in this world who would readily accept us…Especially someone looking like me."
"Hey come on now," said purple haired telepath as she moved in closer to him and ran her hand gently down his face, "Don't think of yourself like that. You are beautiful…You're not a freak."
"I know you think that," said Warren, his troubled expression not changing much by her sentiment, "But there are so many others who would think otherwise. And for the longest time, I always thought I was alone in dealing with this. But after hanging around Xavier's and seeing just how many more there are like you and me…It felt as though…I don't know, like it was where I belonged."
A new look of hope then appeared on the young man's face as he thought about his past dealings with Xavier and his X-men. There was so much they had done to help him, yet there was so little he had ever done in return. He had been thinking about this for a long time now…And now after everything that had just happened, he felt he had made a decision about it.
"Anyways, I guess what I'm saying is…I think I want to join the X-men," said Warren, sounding very serious about this choice, "I want to be in a place where I actually feel like I belong. I don't want to have to worry about hiding myself 24/7 from every other person I encounter. I want to at least put these wings to some good use…Otherwise it sure would seem like a waste of a good gift."
"Gift you say?" said Betsy as she ran her hands along the soft, feathery wings that she loved so much, "You know Warren…I think that's the first time I ever heard you refer to your wings as a gift rather than a curse."
Upon thinking about that, Warren couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah…Come to think of it…It is."
"Maybe Xavier's school has already had an effect on you," she said, thinking that this was a good step for him in terms of learning from this whole experience.
"I know it has…" he responded, "And that's why I'm sure of this. I want to at least give it a try…I want to see if it's something I can really be a part of. And above all…I want you to come with me."
Betsy thought about it for a moment. The thought of being an X-man hadn't really entered her mind. Ever since she had become stuck in this new body of hers, she had been more preoccupied with rebuilding her life. But Xavier had helped rescue her and the rest of the X-men had shown their strength. There were many things she had struggled with since she found out she was a mutant and maybe being at Xavier's Institute would help her combat those lingering insecurities she felt about her life. And in addition, she could actually make a difference in the world.
In the end, she didn't have to think too hard about her choice as she simply moved in closer to her winged Angel and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hmm…Trade a life full of luxury, pampering, and tranquility for a life full of danger, excitement, and thrills?" she said playfully with an enticing grin, "Sounds like fun."
Warren simply laughed at the ever exciting woman before him as he embraced her with his arms and his wings and shared with her a deep kiss. This was his decision, but he wanted Betsy to be a part of it. She was now one of the most important things in his life now and if he was going to survive the rigors of this dramatic new change…He was going to need her now more than ever. And for Betsy, she had no intentions of leaving at this point, for she was in this for the long haul.
"I knew you'd love the chance to put those ninja skills to good use," smiled Warren as they parted from the kiss, "Plus…I think those uniforms would look pretty hot on you."
"Warren Worthington III…Are you trying to seduce me right here on this balcony?" she grinned, soaking up his embrace.
"I thought you were a telepath Betsy…" he smirked back in a deep, intimate tone, "I think you already know the answer to that."
Betsy let out another laugh as she kissed him again, this time with more passion. And as they began to soak up the feeling together, it wasn't long before Betsy's robe fell to the floor and they manuvered themselves back into the bedroom.
-Infirmary-
Xavier was wheeling himself back into the infirmary. He had to take a few hours to mentally prepare himself for this and he was now completely resolved to help Rogue out of her mind. He wasn't surprised to see both Kurt and Remy there waiting for him. He had to admit that she did have support even if she didn't know it at the time.
"Professor, you think d'at you can help her dis time?" Gambit asked him seriously. He wasn't an expert in this kind of stuff, but he knew that this might be her only way of waking up sooner then later.
"I'm sure I can…I just need to reach her core self and then hopefully she can take it from there," he explained to the young man.
"Professor," Kurt said, apparent that he was about to ask something…In fact he had been thinking about this and he was hoping it would be possible. "Do you think you could take me in zhere vith you? I vant to help her and maybe since we are family I can help you to reach her."
Xavier thought about it. Having extra minds would be difficult to bring, but it was not impossible and having another face from her life might help. "Gambit would like to try too…I owe her a lot."
He looked at the both of them and thought hard about it. Having Gambit and Kurt while trying to get into Rogue's mind would be something he had never tried. If Rogue was awake it would be much easier, but to do this in a mind in her current condition it would be far tougher. He knew Kurt would be able to reach Rogue better since he was family, but he could see that Remy felt something for Rogue and he didn't need his telepathy to know that either.
How close Rogue felt to him was another matter, but he needed to reach Rogue and bring her back in order to help her heal from her experience. "Alright, I want you to take certain positions." The bed was moved back from the wall slightly so Xavier could be behind her while the boys were on either side. They held the Professor's hands as he concentrated to bring them all into her mind.
Soon all three found themselves back inside the dark version of the mansion. "Mon dieu," Gambit said looking around at the place, "Dis is what her mind is like now?"
Xavier nodded grimly. "Yes, this is a reflection of the state of her mind and I must warn you, the other personalities are running lose as well and you might see other sides of more negative sides of Rogue, but her true self should still be up in her room."
"Zhen vhat are ve vaiting for?" Kurt asked him and went off to the stairs for the upper level. The others followed close behind him, but there sitting on the steps was what looked like Rogue. Only her hair was cut up a bit at the edges and a bit wild, while her clothing had red and orange colors. She looked like she was going to a rave or something. "Rogue?" Kurt gently asked her.
She glared at him and then at the others, her face was a mask of anger. "What do you all want?" She snapped at them. Kurt was taken aback by this and wondered what was going on.
Gambit stepped forward. "Chere it's me, Gambit. We're here to help."
She only gave a small dark laugh. "Help? Ya were a big help all right!" She stood up and faced him. "You let them take meh! Do you have any idea what they did to meh? Do ya?" Then she turned to Xavier, "You were supposed to look after us…To help us! Where were ya? Why did you take so long to get to meh?"
"But sis…Ve tried, ve really did and ve got you out," Kurt pleaded with her.
"Just leave meh alone! Ah don't need you or anyone!" She stormed off and Kurt was going to go after her but Xavier stopped him.
"Kurt, that wasn't the real Rogue. That was just the manifestation of her anger. That person would have been angry at us no matter what," he tried to explain to him. Kurt nodded, but that didn't mean her words didn't hurt him. Even Gambit felt the sting of those words, but chose not to show it. They all traveled up the stairs and there huddled on the ground was another Rogue, only this one was in torn white clothing. When they got close to her, her eyes widened and she withdrew from them.
"Please…Don't hurt me…" She whimpered.
"Let Gambit guess…Her inner fear?" he asked Xavier who nodded.
Kurt knelt down to her. "Do you know who I am?" the girl shook her, "I'm your brozher…Kurt….Ve won't hurt you…Ve're here to help…Do you know where the real Rogue is?" he asked her gently. At first she seemed too scared to say anything and was trembling, but she pointed to Rogue's door with a shaking hand. "Thank you sister."
They got up and left her there and went to the door. It was the only one shut as usual and Xavier tried the doorknob, but it didn't turn. Xavier felt a mental barrier there. Thankfully, it wasn't strong and so he easily 'unlocked' the door and opened it. The three of them entered the dark room, seeing dingy walls painted black, a broken mirror, and frames with no photos in them. On the bed was the real Rogue just sitting against the headboard, staring blankly into space.
"Rogue!" Kurt jumped onto the bed next to her, she slowly turned her head…Showing him the vacant look in her eyes. "Sis…It's me…Kurt," he begged, hoping that she would see him and know who he was. She blinked a few times as her eyes came into focus.
"K…Kurt?" Rogue asked seeing him for the first time.
Suddenly, Kurt was yanked off the bed and thrown against a wall. The others went to him and picked him up. "This is my body now!" said a booming voice as they looked up to see the false persona of the Green Knight looking down on them. "I will not hand it over to you!"
"Oh no, not dis again," Gambit muttered and reached for his deck. He pulled a card out, charged it, and threw it, but it stopped in mid air and the glow ended and floated into her hand and she smiled at him.
"This isn't your mind swamp rat," the dark Rogue smirked, but then felt a kick on her back. The real Rogue had seen all of this and it had snapped her out of her state, seeing her friends and family in trouble. The dark version of her had thought she had her under control. "That's it kid, You asked for it!"
The room shifted and they all found themselves in a nasty looking room. Rogue had been here before…It was the room Selene had taken her too. "No…Not here…Not again," she whimpered as the dark version of herself sent images of that horrible time surging into her mind. The whipping, the rape, her screams…All of it. Rogue backed away against one of the walls covering her ears and shutting her eyes tightly, trying to block out what she was experiencing.
"Leave her alone!" Kurt screamed leaped at the false Rogue. She flung him back with powers like Jean's and sent them all back against a wall and chained them all up. They tried to struggle and called out to the real Rogue, but she couldn't hear them. The evil false personality smiled and went to the wall and examined several sharp instruments there.
Xavier saw Rogue and tried to reach her. He managed to block out the images to some extent, but she needed more…So he tried one last thing, he tried to call on the other personalities she had to give her the strength she needed.
Rogue was sitting on the floor as the images and sounds seemed to be fading, but she was still shaken from it. "Rogue," a soft voice called to her and she looked up and saw in front of her everyone at the Institute. Kurt was there and smiled at her. "Sis…You have to get up, you have to fight. You're not alone…You have all of us behind you."
Kitty stepped forward. "Rogue, you're like my best friend and one of the toughest people I know…You can do this…You've never let anyone push you around before."
Jean was up next. "I know we've had our problems in the past…But I consider you one of my best friends Rogue…Don't give up."
Scott smiled down at her. "Rogue, I was the first one here to see the good in you…I was one of the first ones to see that you were more then what you seemed to be." Others were there too…The New Mutants, Xavier, Ororo, Logan all of them gave her encouragements.
Then to her surprise Remy stepped up to her and knelt down next to her and caressed her cheek. "Chere…Remy believes in you…And he cares for you…You can do dis." She reached to his hand on her face and gave a small smile. She felt their strength flowing into her, felt their love and care for her. She rose up off the ground and saw that Green Knight moving towards the real versions of Kurt, Remy, and Xavier…Now, she was going to stop this.
The evil Rogue had a knife and was about to start cutting Remy when someone grabbed her from behind and flung her away. "Get away from them!" The real Rogue screamed at her in rage and got into a fighting stance.
"You can't beat me…I'm stronger than you…" The dark version said coldly as she got up.
Rogue just glared at her. "No…You're not, because you're all alone and no matter what ah've been through…Ah know ah'm not alone. You're just a pale imitation of meh and this is my mind and my body and ah don't want you here anymore!" Rogue focused all her mind as best she could. Gathered up all her inner strength and focused on this personality and tried to wipe it out.
The other one fought back and the room filled with violent winds and the whole place shook. The walls were torn apart as they fought for dominance. Rogue was tired of being the victim and she wanted someone, anything to fight, to punish and she poured all of her hate, anger and rage onto this fake version of herself and she could see her evil counterpart flicker and fade before her eyes. Then…The fake her screamed out as she vanished.
Tired Rogue fell to her knees as the room changed back into her room again, only now it looked like how her room really did and the light outside finally came into it. Kurt, Remy, and Xavier were now free and went over to her. She looked up at them and smiled. "Thank you…" she said with a small smile.
Then they all come out of it. They were back in reality and Remy and Kurt shook their heads, not used to that kind of trip. They all heard a moaning and looked down to see Rogue opening her eyes. "Rogue!" Kurt said smiling, tears starting to form on his face seeing her wake up.
"Hey Kurt…How long have ah been out this time?" She asked with a little joke, for she realized she was in the damn infirmary again. But to be honest after being in the Hellfire Club, she was never so glad to see these walls again, because it meant she was home. Kurt hugged her and she was afraid she was going to hurt him, but nothing happened. She wasn't absorbing him, and it took a moment, but she returned the hug. She had always wondered what his fur felt like and now she finally knew.
She felt a set of hands on each shoulder and saw both Xavier and Remy there as well. She felt a bit uncomfortable with all the touching for a few reasons, but she pushed those aside. She was home, she was safe, and she wanted to just enjoy this moment.
-Bayville Mall-
"Oh! Emma, come here! You have to check this dress out!" chirped Kitty in excitement as she and Emma continued their shopping spree at Bayville Mall.
"Calm down Kitty," said Emma with a humoured grin as she made her way over to the energetic young woman, "Don't ware yourself out too soon. There's still plenty more in this mall I want to enjoy."
"Well trust me…You haven't seen half of the good stuff yet!" said Kitty, "Come on, I'll show you where they keep the high end stuff."
"Now we're talking my style," said Emma as she followed the rather energetic Kitty Pryde through the maze of clothes down towards the more expensive apparel.
Following a safe distance behind, Vince and Piotr were already carrying a several rather bulky bags of merchandise, mainly replacement clothes for Emma and a few things Kitty saw that she just had to buy. One of the bags were also for Vincent for a few extra spare clothing before he could get his stuff out of Canada. He mainly got black clothing and a few jeans.
It was times like this that both men valued the fact that they had enhanced strength, otherwise they doubted that they would be able to keep up with the two enthused women. But it was a welcome sight to see the two girls out of the stupor that they had been in since their return from the Hellfire Club. In addition, such activities helped to alleviate continued concerns about Rogue. However, that didn't stop them feeling somewhat exasperated by the seemingly endless appetite the two young women had for shopping.
Seeing Vince looking at another black shirt she couldn't help but smile. "Are you sure you didn't turn into the Black Knight with all that clothing you got there?"
"No more then you're the White Queen with all that white clothing," he said with a hint of a smile. He knew she was being playful with that Knight comment and just trying to lighten the mood a bit in her own way.
"I guess so, besides I look good in white anyway," she said as she flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder, kind of looking like a runway model doing it. The group had already noticing that Emma had been turning heads since they got there. "Can you boys wait here while I get some more personal items?" Emma said to them outside of Victoria's Secret store. Both men didn't have a problem with it and Emma dragged in a blushing Kitty as well.
"Emma, I'm not exactly the kind of girl that, uh, goes here," she said knowing she didn't exactly have someone to wear that kind of clothing for.
"Oh please, live a little." Emma said and picked out a white satin bra and thong bottom. "Oooh…This would look nice on me, and there's a robe I would need, and there's a nice night gown too." Kitty smiled as the older girl went for all the white clothing. Kitty for her part was mainly just looking, but she did see a few pink numbers, but sighed to herself.
Emma saw this and rolled her eyes and walked over to her. "Look, just get a few things just in case you find that special guy…Or he gets off his large ass and actually does something about it." Kitty's eyes widened, for she knew who Emma was refereeing too and she was actually telling her to get some sexy things for the future…In fact, Emma ended up helping her out.
She was blushing madly at a few of the things Emma picked out for her, but the older woman wasn't phased in the least. It was then that she was just getting the full idea of just how outgoing Emma was. After that, the girls left and were on their way to another shop.
"Oye…What is it with American women and shopping?" groaned Colossus, finding it difficult to keep up with the two young women.
Vince couldn't help but laugh at the Russian's perceptions, "Obviously, you haven't been in this country long enough. And one of the key things you'll have to understand about girls is that many of them love to shop, no matter where they are from, and keep in mind they're not that much different in Canada either."
"So it seems," said Piotr as they watched Kitty and Emma go through some of the top quality merchandise, "But I must admit…It certainly is a relief to see Katya smile again. After how distraught she was after seeing…Well, you know…I was greatly concerned."
"Well trust me Peter…Stuff like that is hard to get out of your head," said Vincent, speaking from a lifetime of experience, "It can either completely utterly destroy you or you can survive and become hardened from it. But from the looks of it, I think your girlfriend is plenty strong enough to work through it."
The Russian mutant was relieved by Vince's words, but he also couldn't help but blush slightly upon him referring to Kitty as his girlfriend. It was not something he expected, for he was still sorting many things out in his mind in wake of the Hellfire incident. He didn't know why, but it brought him a strange sense of anxiety upon hearing someone thinking that he and Kitty could truly be 'involved.'
"Uh, thank you comrade, but Katya is not my girlfriend," he said, noticeably stammering in his words.
Vincent looked back at him somewhat skeptically, "Really? I mean…Sorry if I got the wrong idea, but…You both just acted like it and I assumed that you were."
"No…We're just friends," he said simply, not going into any more detail at the risk of sounding any more uncertain than he was already letting on.
Vincent still didn't look convinced for some reason. He may not have been an expert on love, but Piotr definitely seemed a little nervous when he implied that Kitty was his girlfriend. Never the less, he chose not to say anything more, thinking it was none of his business. He had enough problems to deal with and he didn't want to add to them by butting into other people's business. But still…It looked painfully obvious when he thought about it.
"Hey Vincent, what do you think of this dress?" asked Emma as she walked up to him and showed a rather revealing and elegant dress in a pure snow white color that blended well with her skin tone.
Vincent was not an expert on women's fashion, but part of his mind did in fact picture what Emma would look like in that dress and he had to admit…It wasn't something he would have minded seeing, he was sure she would look incredible in it.
"Um…" he stammered, "I don't think I'm the best guy to answer that."
"Oh come on," coaxed Emma, inwardly giggling at his somewhat cute look on his face when he saw how low cut it was, she also picked up a little mental image he had and was glad that he had the good grace and tastes not to picture her naked unlike a few of the others boys at the mansion, "What good is spending all this money on a single garment if I don't know it looks good to those that matter? Do you think I should try it on?"
"Well I thought you were always one to not care what others thought," argued Vince, using what he knew about her to respond without having to put himself in an awkward position.
"Touché…" she responded as she put the dress back on the rack, "But still…Is it a crime to look good for others?"
"Well…I think you look fine right now," said Vincent, "Why would you need a 600 dollar dress to show it?"
"Aww…You're sweet," said Emma with a smile, even blushing somewhat, "But I'll need something to look good on…Special occasions don't you think?"
"Whatever works for you," said Vincent, catching the somewhat sultry undertone in her voice, but shaking it off as simply her being playful. A girl like that who could have any man she wanted would never be interested in a scarred, emotionally troubled guy like him, hell he was a real mess in his head alone and what girl would be interested in him, no way…Would she?
Emma heard Kitty giggling as she watched the way she talked to Vincent, but a rather unamused glare helped silence her even if she didn't wipe the goofy grin off her face. Then she noticed a stand for selling cosmetics and decided to get some. She found some good eyeliner, blush, and other stuff. She also saw a nice white lipstick. "Excuse me, but does this stay on?" She asked the woman at the counter.
"Oh yes, it won't leave any marks."
Emma smirked and called Vincent over. He saw the lipstick on her and wondered what she had planned. "Vince be a dear and let me try something." Then, much to Vincent's surprise, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. Luckily they were about the same height and it was an easy reach. She took a step back and looked. There wasn't a mark other then the red on his face, and she couldn't help but grin. "Just consider that a thank you for helping me carry all of those."
He tried to answer but couldn't really find his voice so he just nodded and went back to the others.
The employee couldn't help but give a small laugh. "You're boyfriend there seems the shy type." Emma arched an eyebrow at her choice of words, but just shrugged. She didn't need to know the truth anyways. "He seems very nice, not to mention kind of cute…But what happened to his face? I mean that looks like a nasty scar and he doesn't seem to be the fighting type."
Emma nearly snorted at that remark at just how little she knew about a person. "A slight accident," was all she said and paid for her purchases and went back to the others.
"Come on, I think we've spent enough time in this part of the mall," said Emma as she took a few new dresses off the rack that she intended to get and gathered one Kitty had been drooling over, "Let's pay for these and head somewhere else. There are still a lot of places I haven't seen."
"Good idea!" chirped Kitty as she followed Emma and the other two boys to the cash register to pay for their purchases, "There's this great shoe store near the movie theatre that you just HAVE to see!"
Upon buying the garments, Emma handed yet another bag for Vincent to carry. They were beginning to get rather bulky, but thanks to his enhanced strength they weren't too much of a strain. The four mutants then made their way out into the central part of the mall and made their way down to the first floor and towards the shoe store. However, unknown to them, the civilian disguised Slayer was following them closely, keeping his unblinking eye on them as they went about their business at the mall.
In watching them, part of his hopes for them as being the force necessary to fight off the most darkest of evils felt somewhat uncertain. In seeing the way they interacted, he could see that they were all somewhat conflicted. Maybe they didn't show it on the surface, but he could clearly see it with his all seeing eye. Such inner conflict wouldn't be helpful in the long run and he couldn't help but wonder just how much this would affect them when the time came.
'They hide their inner conflicts well,' he thought as he continued to follow them as a nameless speck in the crowd from a distance, 'Even under the guise of normalcy and care free innocence, they are all unsure. I hope they can get over it…They'll have to if they're to face what's to come.'
The mutant warrior kept following them, taking note of how they went about intermingling in a large area as mutants that looked completely human to everybody else that saw them. Despite his inherent need to know them all on a deeper level for the events to come, he still wanted to stay in the shadows. He had never been good at interaction with others. Anybody he ever got close to ended up dead anyways, so why mess with logic? This was the way it had always been for him. No matter what happened or how many foes he faced, he had always worked alone. He wasn't always successful, but at least he didn't have to worry about getting others involved. He may not have believed in luck or fate, but he did believe in keeping things simple. And for now…They did not need to know about him and they wouldn't have to for a while now…At least he hoped so.
He kept following them as they neared the west end, which included the movie theater and several high end stores. This part tended to be less crowded when people weren't waiting in line for movie tickets, and luckily it was a rather slow time of day for the cinemas. Emma's face lit up as she saw the shoe store that Kitty had been talking about and wasted no time in going in.
"Ah shoes…What new wardrobe would be complete without them?" she said as she entered fully prepared to spent with no limit on only the best shoes she could find.
"What's so special about these shoes?" asked Colossus under his breath to Vincent.
"Just another one of those female traits that men will never understand," replied Vincent, "It's just like shopping…You'll get use to it."
Colossus simply rolled his eyes in a somewhat defeated manner as he followed Vince and Emma into the store, but as Kitty followed close behind…Something caught her eye in the store adjacent to the shoe store. It was a very nice jewelry outlet that she had always loved to look at, but never had the money to get a whole lot. But what caught her eye most was beautiful necklace that stood in a beautiful display in a window right outside the store. Her eyes practically sparkled at the sight of the beautiful piece, made of solid 24 karat gold chain and a beautiful, highly polished diamond in the center. It was quite pricey…But Kitty just loved dreaming about having something like it. The display proudly advertised it as the Tsarina necklace…An appealing name to Kitty for obvious reasons.
'It's so pretty…' she thought as she placed her hand on the glass, tempted to just phase through it in order to simply touch the flawless piece, 'Someday…'
The price kept staring her back in the face, which somewhat blew the fantasy for her. But despite this, she still daydreamed about having something as beautiful as that…Worthy of a Tsarina. Maybe some day a special someone…Namely the one specific special someone…Would give her something like this and be her Tsar while she was his Tsarina. It seemed like a bit too much like a fairy tale…But it was still couldn't help but entertain such a notion.
Then, with a sigh, she began to back away from the glass display case. Her eyes remain fixated on the beautiful necklace. However, her inherent distraction proved to be a mistake as she didn't notice herself backing directly into the path of a rather large young man. Then, as she turned around, she was suddenly startled by the sudden close approximation of the man and fazed right through him as he too became equally surprised by her sudden intrusion into his path.
"What the fuck!" said the man as he took a moment to comprehend what had just happened.
Nearly half a dozen others had seen this in plain sight and were equally shocked by this. Kitty had lost her balance and was now stammering back to her feet, but she knew what she had done and tried not to panic. But as she soon found herself surrounded by nearly a dozen other startled looking men, some of which she recognized as old seniors from Bayville High, she quickly began to feel a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.
"Did you see that?" said one of the men as he took a step closer to her, making her feel all the more nervous, "She walked right through him!"
"I saw it…But I don't believe it," said another.
"Well believe it!" said one of the men who looked rather as he walked towards her with a look of intent, "I remember this girl, she goes to my old high school! She's one of those mutant freaks from that school!"
"A mutant huh…" said the man who she had bumped into as he took a step closer and pulled out a pocket knife from his coat, "Well that makes things a little more interesting."
Kitty felt a sudden surge of anxiety paralyze her as she backed all the way up against the wall to the jewelry store, her legs nearly buckling under the strain. Normally, she wouldn't have hesitated in fighting back…But being surrounded like this brought back fresh memories of being surrounded by Hellfire guards and seeing all the horrible things they did to her friends. Such memories only worsened her predicament as she tried not to hyperventilate or show fear, but her mind had practically frozen as a result of this predicament and she began to get nervous as to where all this would lead.
"You know…My dad tells me that all you mutie freaks should be locked away in a shit hole so dark that even hell couldn't find you," said the man with the knife as he slowly approached the anxious young girl, "And frankly…I agree with him. You freaks fucking disgust me and I'd be happy to give this planet one less mutant to worry about!"
"Well don't be to quick man…" said the man next to the guy with the knife, "You gotta admit…She is kind of a cute one."
The insidious grin on the man's face sent shivers up and down Kitty's spine as it reminded her of the heinous look on Selene's face before she raped and ravaged Kurt. She wanted to just run past them all and faze through their bodies, but her mind was just paralyzed with anxiety as the fresh memories of the Hellfire club worked to inebriate her mind and body.
"You're gonna wish you stayed in whatever hell-hole you came from bitch!" said the man with the knife as he walked in closer.
Then suddenly, a deep, intimidating voice from outside the crowd stopped the man from getting an inch closer.
"Hey pal…Lay off."
The twelve men turned to see Slayer standing before them with a look devoid of fear or uncertainty. He looked deathly serious in his stance before them. In his normal street clothes, he didn't look anywhere near as imposing as he did when he was in his armor. But Slayer didn't dress to intimidate…He would let his actions do that if necessary.
"Oh really…And who might you be?" said the man with the knife as he walked over towards Slayer, unthreatened by the stern look in his face, "Are you some kind of mutie lover?"
"I'm warning you…Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be," said Slayer as all eyes were now on him, "This doesn't have to get nasty. Just walk away and get on with your lives. The girl bumped into you by accident so just leave it at that."
"Hey, I don't give a fuck if she bumped into me! The girls a fucking mutant!" shot the angry man in response, "And I don't like freaks hanging around a mall that is made for humans. And unless you want to get fucked up yourself…I suggest you leave and go jerk off somewhere else!"
Some of the other guys laughed, but Slayer didn't even crack a smile. He hadn't wanted to do this. He wanted to keep things simple and not have to come out of the shadows of ambiguity, thus taking the risk of exposing himself and complicating things more then he wanted them to be.
"Look…There's no reason for this to get ugly," said Slayer in a calm voice, "Just put the knife away and don't try to take out the gun in your left pocket and no harm will come to you."
The man stood somewhat shocked upon hearing that this stranger knew he had a gun on him, but that seemed only to make him even madder.
"How'd you know about that!" said the man, as everybody else surrounding him pretty much forgot about Kitty and were focusing on the stoic man before them.
"He must be a fucking mutie too!" said the guy next to him.
"Well…You'd be only half right about that," answered Slayer cryptically, only serving to make the man even more frustrated over this guy's smart mouthed remarks.
"Hey, fuck you man! Part or not, a mutie is still a mutie! And just for that I'm gonna fuck you up!"
"Fine…Have it you're way. But remember that for any pain you feel…I gave you fair warning…"
The man then lunged forward. Then, with an annoyed sigh, Slayer quickly grabbed his hand and crunched his bones in his strong grip, causing the man to yell out in agony. This prompted more attention from inside the shoe store as Vincent, Emma, and Piotr came rushing out and joined Kitty as they watched the spectacle unfold before their eyes.
Three more guys came forward and tried to throw a punch, but with lightning fast reflexes, Slayer easily dodge them and karate chopped one man to the ground while delivering two powerful blows to the stomach that sent the two men keeling over in agony, one of them actually throwing up. Three others then surrounded him, trying to overwhelm the mutant warrior…But he knew what they were going to do. He could see their actions written in their stance and as they each lunged forward, he countered with powerful roundhouse kick to one of the guys while using a single sweep kick to knock the other two to the ground. When one tried to get up, he was met with a karate chop to the neck, directly on a nerve cluster that sent a paralyzing pain through his body. Four more lunged forward, but without breaking a sweat Slayer pulled off a double punch combo on two while back kicking another one and uppercutting the last guy there.
The last man left knew the odds were stacked against him after he saw how he took down the others. In fit of nervousness, he pulled a small gun and pointed back at the mutant warrior with a shaky hand.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" said the man.
"Don't be stupid man…Just put the gun down," said Slayer calmly as he walked forward to the obviously nervous man.
Piotr was about to step forward and assist the situation, but Vincent held him back. The four X-men were now fixated on the mysterious young man that had so skillfully taken down these intimidating men, but tension still hung strong as the last weary aggressor kept his gun pointed at Slayer.
"I swear! I'll shoot!" he threatened.
"No you won't…" said Slayer, "You don't have enough time."
Then…In a blur of speed that seemed beyond anything human, Slayer suddenly was within inches of the weary man and firmly grasped the small black automatic handgun and ripped it from his hand easily and delivered a single, devastating kick to the stomach that sent him collapsing to the ground in a pained heap. "I warned you…" said Slayer as he used his strength to crush the metal gun with his bear hands into an unrecognizable hunk of scrap metal.
Turning back to the rest of the pained men he had just fought off, he said only one word, "Leave…"
Nobody stayed to fight. The twelve men that had been hassling Kitty were out of sight as fast as their pained bodies could take them. But as they looked back at the lone stranger, a sudden mark appeared over his left eye and flashed ominously towards them…Making them not look back again as they disappeared from sight.
Not looking too enthused about having to fight off twelve thugs in broad daylight even in a mall that wasn't too crowded for this time of day, Slayer walked over towards Kitty and the others.
"Are you alright?" asked Slayer in a deep voice.
Kitty, feeling somewhat strange under the young man's penetrating gaze managed to collect herself after a few moments of collecting her thoughts.
"Yeah…I'm fine," she answered, "Thanks for your help. Those were some moves back there."
"Indeed they were," said Vincent, sounding somewhat more intrigued by what he had seen, "That fighting style had elements of judo in it, but there was definitely a mixture of kung fu because it relied more on actual blows in addition to countering rushes. Just what kind of style is that?"
Slayer looked back at the young man with somewhat of a grin, seeing in him a wide knowledge of the ideology that he so vehemently followed. There were many things he wanted to tell them, but at the moment he wasn't sure if they were ready to know.
"A style all it's own…" said Slayer, "It's not one, but many."
"Where did you learn it?" asked Piotr, "And…Who are you? Are you a mutant?"
"Yeah that speed and strength back there didn't look too human," commented Emma, trying to get a telepathic reading off of him, but coming up with absolutely nothing…Almost as if he wasn't even there.
"I had hoped this wouldn't happen…But it has," said Slayer cryptically, "You all did well surviving the Hellfire Club…But you did it by the skin of your teeth."
"Wait! How'd you know about that?" demanded Vincent.
"I saw it…" said Slayer as the symbol on his eye glowed a mysterious golden color, "I see a lot of things. You guys survived that challenge…But there are far more difficult and darker ones that await you. And if you can't even get over it enough to fight off a dozen ill mannered thugs…Then I suggest you get to work on your training. Because rest assured…You'll need it for what's to come."
Slayer then turned away and began walked down an empty path that led to an emergency exit between the movie theatre and the shoe store.
"Wait!" said Vincent, "Who are you?"
The mutant warrior turned back only briefly.
"Call me…Slayer," he said in a deep serious tone, "And don't worry…You'll see me again soon enough."
"Wait!" said Vincent as he ran after him.
Slayer then turned a corner and entered the narrow hallway. Then…As soon as Vincent turned as well…He was gone. Only a strange purple mist remained as it soon faded into nothing while the young man stood bewildered by what had just happened.
He was soon joined by the others as they looked down the empty path that the stranger calling himself Slayer had taken. He had come out of nowhere and now he was gone again. But what hung strongest in the minds of the four mutants was the cryptic message he had given them just before he left.
"Dude…Weird," said Kitty, "Am I the only one not, like, totally freaked out by what just happened?"
"Consider yourself not alone Kitty," said Emma, "That guy was weird…I couldn't even sense a trace of his mind."
"What do you think he meant by 'more difficult and darker challenges?'" asked Piotr.
"I don't know…" said Vincent, "And something tells me I don't want to know."
Vincent remained in somewhat of a daze at what he had just seen. This guy bore the fighting skill he had been surrounded by for years…Only it seemed somewhat more complex and mysterious. He knew how to judge fighters and this guy was definitely no stranger to combat…He could clearly see that. But what stuck out more were the unanswered questions that he had left. What did they mean? Vincent, Emma, and everybody else had hoped that all the nightmares concerning the darkness of the Hellfire Club were over. But were they truly over…Or had something far greater just begun?
-Later-
Sage had heard that Rogue was awake and that Hank wanted to see her about her powers. She found her way into the Infirmary. She walked in through the double doors and could smell the disinfectant and other smells that you would find in a hospital. Even on her first time here after they had gotten back, she had noticed the high quality of sterilization of this place and the cleanliness.
Although after seeing Hank and his looks, she guessed he preferred to stay inside and make sure this place was clean and always ready. She had calculated that it would take several hours for just one person to clean this place. Sometimes having a computer like mind was a bit…Odd. Although to be fair, she always had a mind that she knew wasn't like others. She could always think faster, remember things easily and recall them too, just like a computer. Then, her other mutant powers had kicked in.
Her shoes echoed off the hard floor as she saw a sleeping form on one of the beds and heard some noise through an open door. She looked through and saw Hank there in a lab coat looking over readings apparently. She walked up to him and she could hear him singing some classical music. "That's Johannes Brahms' Ballades, opus 10 correct?"
Beast jumped a bit and turned around to see Sage there. She was in simple black jeans and a dark blouse with her hair now down to her shoulders. "Why yes, I didn't know you liked classical music."
"I love it," she said with a hint of a smile. "So I heard you wanted to see me?"
"Ah yes that." He put aside his glasses in his lab coat. "You see, even though Rogue is now awake and Xavier is helping her make sure her other personalities are still locked up, she no longer is able to call up any of the powers she could have."
That took Sage by surprise. She still should have been able to do that. Then again, Rogue's powers were so unique that it was hard to say what exactly their full capabilities are. Not to mention her jumpstarting her powers like that had unknown factors. She was trying to run through the different simulations she had ran in her mind about her since she had used her powers on her and this scenario never came up. "What about her absorption powers?" she asked him figuring that maybe her powers had somehow reverted back to their original state.
"She seems to have that under control actually," he told her as he thought about it. "Even though she has been through a lot, her mind is still a bit fragmented, mostly likely because her own mind trying to bury those experiences and from her mind losing containment…She's also understandably a bit…Reclusive…At least to touch." Hank couldn't blame her, for the one power that she had thought of as a curse would have been the only things to have protected her from someone like Selene. She was most likely a bit confused on some level and she was definitely hurting, although she did seem somewhat happier to be back home. He remembered seeing Rogue cry her heart out to be free and back where she belonged, but also after that she just wanted to be left alone for a moment. And she even flinched a few times when he touched her in order to examine her a bit. She tried to hide it, but he knew that she was still getting used to everything.
"Perhaps her mental breakdown has altered her mind in some way? You said that she could consciously call upon all those other powers correct?"
Sage nodded her head. "Yes, but she also brought with her the minds of those powers…That might have been a factor that led to her breakdown…The fake personality losing control and Rogue's immediate recollection of all the events she went through must have caused whatever barriers to control her personalities to also effect how she calls on her powers…Or we're just missing something…"
Hank sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Rogue's powers had always been the most troublesome of all the kids. There was just so much of it that was unknown. "I suppose we just have to wait and see with her."
"You looked tired Hank. When was the last time you got some decent sleep?" Sage said as she looked at him, normally with all that fur it was hard to tell, but she had been studying his body movement and found it a bit slow and sluggish.
"My dear, I believe we are all having trouble sleeping for various reasons."
"That's not an answer," she said with a small smirk and took his arm and picked him up. "Come on, you are no good to anyone like this. You need to be at optimal effectiveness to do any good and that means sleep and a decent meal in the morning. So please show me where your room is, or do I have to use telepathy on you?"
Hank chuckled a bit. "No need my dear, I can take a hint."
"That's good to know. These kids look up to you and need you now," she told him, for she had sensed the true extent of his personality and had heard the kids talk about him in high regard. "You must have been a good teacher."
Hank smiled sadly as they walked down the halls. "I might have been…But that life is over now. Besides who want to be taught by someone that looks like me? At least in public schools, plus I think my appearance isn't that desirable to look at."
Sage looked sadly at him…She didn't need to be a telepath to see the sadness in him. From what she had read on his file and from what she had learned he was an intelligent and caring man. It was a shame that the world couldn't see past that. "You don't give yourself enough credit Mr. McCoy," she told him, causing him to respond with a curious look, but put it aside, for he was tired and he didn't feel that he was thinking straight.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 24: PERSONAL MUSINGS