Moving On Chapter 12


This was a long time coming and it hasn't been beta'd. I hate that I left this for so long and didn't want to simply leave it unfinished. I never could figure out what to do with it and now that its been so long I suppose I have a fresh mind. Whether that mind comes up with good ideas is questionable considering its been so long since I've written fiction but I hope not to dissapoint and I also hope not to post and then leave it like this. Apologies to the readers and hopes that you'll still read this and enjoy it.

P.s. I have other stories in the works right now so keep a look out.


"What the hell was that?" Logan snapped, swiftly matching speed and stride with the fuming man who'd just stormed out of the meeting.

A hardened laugh followed the almost absurd question. "That is what civilized people call a meeting where in people gather together to have a discussion," Scott retorted, his pace picking up. "You know what a discussion is right? Or do I have to explain that too!"

Unnerved by the man's bitter sarcasm, Logan reached out a domineering hand, grabbing the man's arm. Before he could spin Scott around he jerked, the sudden motion sending Logan back a step. Regaining his balance he sent a damning glare towards the slighter man. Unfazed by the pure fury on Logan's face Scott matched the man in stance and glare. His once primly groomed jaw was coated in a thick layer of stubble, pensive and weary lines curving at the edges of his thinly drawn lips.

"Don't touch me," he smoothly warned, his thin lips parting to bare his bright teeth.

Taken aback, Logan almost gawked at the ferocity of this man, a complete contrast to what he knew Scott to be. He wanted to respond in kind, bite back, snarl, bitch and vent every frustration bubbling within him but he couldn't find the strength. Dawning the face of a man defeated he muttered, "You know damn well that wasn't what I was talking about."

For the briefest of moments Scott softened at the despondence but quickly found his anger again. "No, I don't know, I don't know anything, Logan. I thought I did but… I obviously don't know Marie any more! I don't know what the hell it is I'm doing or feeling! I don't know where to go from here or even if I should…"

"Scott, we're all a little confused, no one exactly has the answers," Logan offered.

"You don't get it, I don't know how I feel about her," Scott muttered with the hint of a quiver in his voice. "I used to, it was so clear. I wanted her, wanted to love her, give her something she's never had. Hell, maybe spend the rest of my life with her. But now… How can you spend the rest of your life with someone you don't trust? How can you love someone you don't even know? Confused? Yeah I'm confused, I don't know what I feel, I don't know if I hate her or if I hate the lies and the deceit of all this. It's effecting my decisions and it shouldn't."

"It's effecting all of us, Scott," Logan reasoned, silently trying to ignore the admission of love from his long time rival. His words only seemed to infuriate the younger man even more.

"It's not supposed to Logan!" he cried, arms waving about with his words. "We're the heroes! We have to keep level heads so we can do our job! If the abduction of one girl can compromise my integrity… what does that say about the kind of leader I am?" The question fell from his lips in the form of a desperate plea.

Sighing softly and running a tempered hand through his unruly locks, Logan muttered, "I don't know the answer to that. I'm just as lost as you."

"And that's okay for you but for me… I have responsibilities, I can't let it effect me like this but I can't stop it… I need to go, I need to get away," he muttered turning to do just that.

"That's just great Scooter, you preach about your responsibilities and then walk out on them. The Blackbird in being prepped for the recon mission, Charles is getting ready to use Cerebro, things have been set in motion and your just going to walk off like the pansy you really are."

Swallowing stiffly, Scott peered into Logan's face hoping for understanding as he returned, "I know, I just need to cool off."

"You don't have that luxury," Logan whispered, in the back of his mind wishing he had the freedom to disappear for awhile.

"Ten minutes," Scott begged, his depletion devouring his youthful form. "Just give me ten minutes."

Logan's chest heaved, broad breaths swelling from anger. Knowing that the jet took at least that long to be flight capable he sighed, "Fine."

Nodding his head in thanks, Scott swiftly walked away, disappearing around the corner and leaving a distraught man in his wake. A wave of resentment hit Logan and he had to clench his fists to keep from destroying the glistening metallic walls surrounding him. He wanted to be the one to walk off, to lick his wounds, to rebuild his strength. He wanted to be the one to confess his love for the untouchable. When was his turn to break down? When does he get to lie down, take a break?

"It's a sacrifice we make when we place others above ourselves." The words shocked the silent man, the distinct voice vibrating through him.

Closing his eyes to quell his emotions, he turned to the elderly man offering him a pensive grin. "Some of us obviously don't have to," he rebutted, his mind traveling back to Scott's impromptu exit.

"And you find that unfair?" The wise man questioned, wheeling closer to the foreboding man.

Letting out a scoffing breath, Logan stared directly into gentle eyes and retorted, "You're the mind reader, you tell me."

Pausing in deep thought the man responded, "His heart is breaking, much like yours is. He cares for her deeply, like you. It is an admirable trait to be able to keep yourself together under these circumstances."

"Admirable… right," he murmured, folding his arms along his chest. "You guys do this for a living, you deal with it all the time but this time it's different. There's more at steak here and if we fail…"

"The aftermath would be horrendous, I know, which is why we must allow Scott this time. If he's not fully with us than he's a danger to the mission. I'm sorry Logan but you'll simply have to let go of your jealousies," Charles softly murmured.

"I already have, there is only one thing that matters right now and it's not my ego," Logan responded before weaving his way around the wheel bound man and heading for the hanger deck to assist Storm and Kurt in the preflight analysis's.


A stale silence had befallen the only two conscious occupants of the brightly-lit room, accentuated by the electric crackles from the neon lights overhead. Smooth and agile fingers drew circles in oddly pale blue skin, smudging pools of crimson red, creating a violet hue on the woman's torn flesh. The woman hadn't stirred and Rogue started to suspect she wasn't going to for quite some time. The damage was extensive and Rogue cursed her mother's innate will to never give in. Her other hand had woven into the woman's tousled locks of red hair, stoking them softly, removing the knots and clumps of dried blood with each caress.

Slowly her fingers made their way through every strand of hair, reaching the base of her neck and brushing the encrusted blood away from the skin. Her pale green eyes widened when she felt a bulge with the tips of her gloved fingers. Stalling her breaths she tenderly grasped her mother's face and tilted her head to the side. Inch by inch the back of her neck was exposed to Rogue until the bare hint of something deathly black appeared before her. Inhaling sharply she titled Mystique face further away from her own. What she found caused sickly knots in her already queasy stomach.

A black plastic cap no wider then a penny and a centimeter in height lay glued to blue and scaly skin. A tiny red light flickered in the center indicating that it was doing its job, whatever that was. Reeling away from the protruding technology Rogue stood up, eyes wide and mouth gaping. The man behind her copied her, coming to an apprehensive stance. He'd been lost in thought and hadn't realized what it was Rogue had found.

"What's wrong?" he softly called out to her, weary of her fiery nature. The woman didn't answer as her hand slowly reached out and dipped in behind the unconscious woman's head. It dawned on him then and he stiffened. Cautiously he moved forward. "I was hoping you wouldn't find that."

Retracting her hand and pulling it against her chest she bit out, "What is it? What have yah done ta her?"

Swallowing the acidic lump forming in his throat, the man stopped a few feet behind the woman. "It's called an Inhibitor, it's attached to the brain stem of a mutant and when turned on it introduces a chemical into the brain that prevents the wearer from using their gifts."

"Like an off switch?" she snarled bitterly. "Yah treat us like objects, use us an' then discard us an' yah wonder why we hate yah an' fear yah…"

The man opened his mouth to respond but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he stood there, silently watching the woman roll through her thoughts.

The aspect of an instrument that could literally turn off a mutant's powers nearly sent Rogue into shock. It was barbaric, it denied a mutant the ability to be in control of their own powers, their identity in a sense. Yet she couldn't help but be tempted by the idea. It had the word normalcy sprawled along it, her chance at being normal.

Turning to stare the man in the eye, she muttered, "Why don't Ah have one?"

Hesitating, the young man adverted his gaze and told her point blank why. "Because it's what you want and the people in charge don't want you to have that luxury. They know you won't use your powers, they know you hate them… I'm sorry."

Rogue huffed hotly her piercingly maniacal glare baring down on the mysterious man. "Sorry?" she spat, taking a menacing step towards him. "Yah're sorry?"

The man finally allowed his eyes to meet hers, the pools pleading for understanding.

All Rogue could manage was a devastating scoff at his obvious show of weakness. Despite his attempts to woe her, to convince her of his integrity all she saw was a little man without strength of conviction or identity. "Yah're a pawn, a mindless, soulless pawn. Yah don't get ta say yah're sorry. Ah mean, look at yah, what happened to tha bastard who began all o' this? He neva existed, he was just a creation, an allusion of the sadistic bastards who pull yah're strings. Ah feared yah once but not anymore… Ah pity yah, Ah really do."

The man's essence shifted at her words, his entirety becoming callous and indifferent. Swallowing the space between them in three broad and merciless steps, he peered down at her, seething hot and moist breath along her colorless cheeks. "We're not so different you and me, the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be. Until then I hope that you're stronger then you say you are because what's coming your way is a hell of a lot worse then what I've done."

"Oh give me a break, yah don't scare me," she sneered back.

Grabbing her arm forcibly and pulling her battered form closer he scorned, "You don't know what fear is little girl and you have no idea what real pain feels like. But don't you worry you'll soon find out." Shoving her back into the metal table he swiveled around and stormed back to his shadowed corner.

For the first time since she'd woken up she finally felt the pangs of fear and the reality of her situation. This prison was going to be her living hell as well as her passageway to the true biblical hell she deserved above everything else. Grazing her slowly fogging eyes over the white walls and the stainless steal instruments, she swallowed hard knowing that her fate was that of testing and experimentation. This was a world she'd only ever known through the memories of one man and even then they had scared her thoroughly. What frightened her the most was her willingness to accept that fate. This was her providence, her destiny and her punishment.

Finding the man again she wheeled her chair a little closer. Through the shadows his oddly bright eyes found her, shooting a questioning glare her way.

Lacking the anger from before Rogue simply held the gaze, a blank look on her face. "Who are yah?" she softly queried.

"I'm the brainless lackey," he chided.

Letting the biting comment drift away from her, Rogue pondering for a pensive moment before speaking again. "Tha night o' tha prom… There was somethin' 'bout yah… Ah know yah. Ah don't know how but Ah do… don't Ah?"

The glare faltered and the man wheeled closer, breaking passed his shadowy barrier. He didn't speak at first, casting his glance to the concrete floor. "When they told me that you didn't remember… I didn't believe them. I couldn't grasp that you could forget it all, not when you had a picture perfect memory.

"But when you looked at me on that dance floor," he trailed off, his head shaking softly.

Confusion riddled the woman's face, amplified by the man's obvious despair at her not having recognized him. "How do Ah… how do we-"

"I can't," he interrupted, finally finding her tainted eyes with his own glowing orbs. "I told you already, the answers you want aren't mine to give."

Rogue let out a frustrated groan, wincing when the movement caused the slit on her lip to part even further. Lightly dabbing at the freshly bleeding wound she eyed her companion. "Can Ah at least know yah're name?"

The man hesitated, glancing uncertainly at a hidden camera in the corner of the room that Rogue had yet to notice. Slowly coming to a stand, forcing the woman to do the same he approached her. Rogue fought the need to step away from his advance, her eyes never leaving his.

With a gentle grace about him that Rogue couldn't deny, he jutting out a confident hand, grasping her clothed elbow in a firm but surprisingly non-hostile hold.

"You tell me," he whispered, wary of the camera watching him. When Rogue moved to refute him the man quickly silenced her, repeating the sentiment. "You already know."

She peered deeply into eyes that she swore she had seen before, eyes that could bore a hole in her soul and expose her secrets. Her bruised and weakened arm moved without her consent, reaching out to conform to his handsomely chiseled cheek. The man leaned into the hold, his eyes softening and it was in that moment that she just knew. The letters appeared within her mind, swirling in a deeply clouded haze until she could see each and every syllable with absolute certainty.

A smile broke out onto her battered and shallow features and she leaned into the man. He echoed her grin, leaning even further into the gloved hand.

"Kale," she murmured, her warm breath mingling with his own. A nod followed her declaration and with it her features drastically changed as images flowed through her. Stumbling back Kale was forced to grab hold of the frail woman, pulling her close to him. She gripped at him as visions of the same brilliantly lit eyes flowed through her. They were younger, filled with immense joy then suddenly incredible sorrow.

"We grew up togetha," Rogue murmured into his chest, barely understanding what she was saying.

"Yes," Kale breathed, relief flowing through him, his hold tightening.

Rogue struggled to breathe, her chest weighing down with the information as it came. An image of a cylinder filled with some sort of liquid, a child dangling within the ooze, a man, balding and well dressed glaring down at her. She let out a muted cry and stumbled in Kale's arms.

Wide eyed, Kale started to panic, his gaze falling to the camera and back to the woman in his arms. Covering his hand in his sleeve he grabbed at Rogue's face and forced her fogging eyes to his. All that he feared was plastered there.

"You're remembering everything," he cursed, holding the quivering woman at arm length.

"Oh god," Rogue gritted out. "Mama… she's not mah Mama…"

Realizing what he'd done Kale quickly forced Rogue to look at him. "We don't have much time, they have to be already on their way."

Withering in his arms Rogue fought the images long enough to stare up at the now fully distraught man. "What are yah talkin' 'bout?" she crooned.

"Please, listen to me!" Kale spat through clenched teeth.

Rogue could barely function ignoring the panicking man and concentrating on the overflow of pictures and memories. This complex, she knew it, she didn't know how but she did. Her parents, they weren't real, they'd known all along the possibility of her mutation. "They were agents…"

"Yes, your parents, they were plants, your whole life before you ran was a plant," he tried to explain, frantically glancing to the double doors, knowing that his time was truly running short.

Shoving him away Rogue reeled, stumbling deeper into the room. "Oh gawd!" she whimpered grabbing at her head. "Ah'm not real… how can that be!" she shrieked, bumping viciously into an empty metal table. Turning to the frantic man she shouted, "Answer me!"

"Rogue," Kale started, trying to grab at the flailing woman.

"ANSWER ME!" Rogue's shrill cry filled the entire room, echoing off the white walls.

With both his palms held out to the disoriented woman Kale edged closer. "You weren't birthed Rogue, you were created, like me."

"No, no, Ah would know…" Rogue muttered, barely making sense even to herself.

"Please just listen, they're coming, I won't be able to protect you once they do," Kale pleaded.

"Who! Whose comin'?"

Bridging the gap Rogue had created Kale took hold and pulled her close to him. Hearing the doors swing open he did the only thing he could think off. Spinning Rogue around he hugged her back to his chest, adeptly pulling his gun from its holster.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear.

"Wha-" she started but froze when the cool steel touched against her temple. It was all happening so fast that Rogue could barely grasp at reality. "Kale what are yah doin'!"

"Don't come any closer or I will shot her!" Kale cried, ignoring Rogue's question and directing his attention to the group of military men who now had their semi-automatics pointed in their direction.

"Put the gun down and back away from the girl," the lead soldier commanded, not hesitating to inch closer.

"Another step and I swear!" To prove his point Kale shoved the gun into Rogue's bruised hip getting the appropriate cry of pain. The soldier swiftly moved back, a palm raising to signal the others to do the same.

"There's no way out Peters, no matter what you do from this point on, you die. If you play your cards right, the girl lives."

Kale didn't need to hear the words because he already knew, he had sealed his fate but for the first time it was on his terms. He wasn't the brainless lackey, not anymore.

Gripping the thick arm imprisoning her to Kale's chest, Rogue squeaked, "Kale?"

Realizing that the crazed man wasn't going to listen to him, the lead soldier softly radioed for back up.

Thinking quickly Kale turned Rogue back around, still pressing the gun violently into her abdomen. Gazing into her betrayed and frightened eyes nearly killed him but Kale ignored it. Bending down till his face was just above hers he whispered, "I'm sorry, you were right, I was just a pawn but not anymore."

Through her tears she sputtered, "An' yah think this is gonna prove that?"

"I never should have started this and I wish I could fix it." With his free hand Kale gently brushed at the shattered woman's clammy hair.

Staring into his eyes Rogue saw the truth, this was his way out, his defiance and his punishment. He wanted to die and he couldn't think of a better way to do it then by telling her everything.

"You and me, test tube babies," he joked, glancing over Rogue's head to see more black encased men entering the room, guns pointing directly at him.

Placing a gentle hand on his chest Rogue whispered, "How?"

Shaking his head he answered, "I don't know, I'm not a science geek. What I do know is that we aren't the only one's. You've heard of Weapon X?"

"Ah live with him," Rogue answered, completely oblivious to the amassing force behind her.

Kale knew that should have shocked him but he didn't have time. "After that failure the government branch in charge realized that kidnapping and using an independent mutant had been their down fall. They commissioned this facility from a man named William Striker and began creating subjects with mutant DNA. Having no discernable way of detecting the x gene until it pronounced itself they kept the children here until the age of five and then had them placed in mock families."

"Why are yah tellin' me all this?"

Smiling warmly, Kale blinked back a round of fearful tears. "I knew a girl once with the spirit of a wild animal and a fire in her eyes," he murmured his hand chastely catching Rogue's tear and brushing it aside. "She knew no fear and she protected me from the realities of this place as long as she could. She got away, escaped and I'm not about to let her spirit succumb like mine has."

"Let the girl go Peters!" the soldier ordered as his men slowly branched along the sides of the room.

Kale ignored them, leading Rogue even deeper into the fold of the laboratory. "When I heard that you'd gotten away… you have no idea how happy I was… You have to know that your mother, she planted a tracking device in the jade necklace she gave you but not because she wanted you found. She loved you Rogue and she let you go, only mentioning the necklace when she knew you'd sold it to save face for herself so that she could find you later."

"Yah're wrong, she neva wanted ta find me Kale, Ah know Ah saw her, she'd moved on."

"Not by choice," Kale argued, moving back until he was nearly pressed into a wall of concrete. "She couldn't just quit, she had a job to do and it wasn't safe. It never was," he deadpanned.

"What do yah mean?"

Kale's pale lips curved slowly into a sad and despondent frown. "She's here Rogue, they knew and they locked her away. I don't know where but she's here."

Rogue lucidly became shell-shocked, trying to digest everything Kale was telling her.

"The man who run's this place, Kemelman, don't let him break you, don't you ever let him take that fire from your eyes. Promise me you will fight until your last breath, promise me," he breathed, his free hand grasping at the back of Rogue's neck.

"Ah swear, no one owns me," she declared, her voice lacking true conviction, crumbled by the knowledge that this was not going to end without bloodshed.

Giving the trembling woman a watery, depraved smile, completely drenched by his impending doom, Kale licked his drying lips and pulled the beauty to him. "Survive," he ordered, his voice a mere hush that only she could hear.

Trembling uncontrollably, Rogue clung to Kale, her tears drenching her ashen and marred face. As he leaned in she sobbed a tormented, "Thank yah."

Unable to speak Kale simply pressed his lips to hers, their tears present and mingling on the soft velvet flesh. The pull happened almost immediately and Kale quickly pulled away. For a moment Rogue was too dazed to realize what she'd seen. At his inhale Rogue's eyes snapped open and her stomach curdled at the determination painted on the now surrealistically calm man.

"No!" she cried, the bellow accentuated by a forceful push on her bruised hip. The cry continued as she crashed violently into the cold hard ground. Frantic eyes raced to find Kale's form just as a hail of bullets thrashed the stale air. Kale let out a barbaric cry as he fired shot after shot at the foreboding men in black. Rogue attempted to cry out again but suddenly became transfixed by the true, valid and guttural life that was flowing through the once spark-less man. For once in his agonizing life he was complete, full of a spirit he had lost far too long ago.

As he advanced he slowly emptied his clip until only a click, click, click could be heard in the sterile room. A different sort of clicking sounded, the safeties being removed from the automatics.

"KALE!" Rogue screamed, trying fruitlessly to reach the condemned man. His brilliant eyes found hers once more, a silent eternity passing in a single second and then reality hit the skies opening and a barrage of thunder deafening Rogue's scream. Time stood still as she painfully curled into a ball and watched as solid metal fragments logged into Kale's boasting chest, deflating the proud man and igniting a fury of red blood that cascaded back. Rogue kept on screaming, crimson stains forming deformed stains on her paper-like clothes. Horror stricken she watched Kale's body jerk and convulse as wave after wave thrashed him until he finally fell to his knees and then back thudding so soundlessly next to her fetal frame.

"NOO!" she sobbed, her stomach churning violently as her entire form heaved along with her forceful tears. "No…" she squealed, repeating the word over and over as she clumsily but desperately squirmed her way over to Kale's bloody side. Grabbing at his swiftly drenched suit with both hands she shrieked, "KALE!"

The leading soldier held out a hand as a subordinate attempted to grab at the crazed woman. The airman backed off allowing his commander to edge towards the hysterical woman shaking the lifeless body pleading with him to wake up, to just open his eyes. Moving to the other side of Kale's corpse the leader ignored Rogue's feral snarl and nudged the body with his foot.

"Get away from him!" Rogue demanded, slapping at the man's mental tipped boot. "GET AWAY!"

Indifferent to Rogue's pathetic display the soldier reached behind his ear and droned, "Subject has been eliminated, give the all clear."

TBC