Chapter 8. - Trading places

The warm soapy water gurgled and swirled down the drain; taking with it her aches, pains and long washed-out streams of old blood with it. Relishing the sensation of the water beating down on the tense muscles on her shoulders, streaming down her back; she leaned into it and closed her eyes a pleasurable sigh escaping between her lips, finding even the slight stinging of the shower gel in various cuts couldn't detract from the wonderful feeling of herself relaxing drowsily at last. A slight tap upon the bathroom door roused her attention. Slightly muffled, rogue called out

"Hey, everythin' okay in there?"

: Yeah ... : Realising she'd totally lost track of the time, somewhat reluctantly, she added : Guess I'll be out in a minute :

" Kay "

Hearing the faint murmerings of a conversation continue on in the room beyond, rogue's soft footfalls moved away from the door. Rinsing the last of the fragrant shampoo from her hair, she hesitated for a few seconds more, enjoying the last fleeting moments of the water running over her scalp and sliding across her skin, before switching off the shower and grabbing a towel. Feeling invigorated and refreshed, she quickly set about drying herself off; padding lightly over and lifting some of the clothes Rogue had picked out for her - settling on long black jeans and a dark green t-shirt, slit daringly up either side and held together with laces which trailed down either hip, slightly longer than the shirts length. Pulling them on, she ran a brush through her mangled mane of hair, teasing out the knots, leaving it to hang loose down her back to dry, before surveying herself once more in the mirror.

The pale eyes that faced her back - the reflection of her own - regarded her with frank curiousity, looking up and down her form, turning aside so she could view her profile. Hoping at the back of her mind, something would seem familar, that it would trigger off a sudden rush of recognition - but nothing happened. Her reflection gazed back, mockingly

What ? you think I know all the answers? As if ...

Slowly, she began to inspect every inch of herself, finding each injury and yet frustratingly unable to comprehend just how she could have came by them. Her hair, even when wet, now appeared to be a remarkably different colour to her now that it wasnt coated in dried blood and mud. Spotting something which confused her even more she ran her fingers over her neck, brushing over the vivid dark blue-ish purple bruise which seemed to spiderweb across her throat. As she tilted her head to get a better look, the light caught and reflected back off something - a slim, circular, silver metallic band which apparently nestled against her skin. Jewellery? something that belonged to her ? wrapping her fingers around it, she could see the light had caught the point that had been created as it twisted away from contacting her skin. Carefully trying not to put anymore pressure on the injury, the odd discolouration to her throat, she circumnavigated the band as best as she could when she discovered something.

: Rogue : she called, feeling uneasy. Whether that translated itself to rogue or not, she found the conversation going on in the adjoining room abruptly ceasing, the bathroom door hesitantly being pushed open. Turning around, fingers still wrapped around the offending object, she asked : why do I have needles in me:

Rogue sidled up cautiously, like a bomb expert casing his next job; eyeing the silver band warily. Unwilling to place her hands on it, she leaned in close - the twisted section of the choker was balanced on the edge of the strangers thumb held away from her throat. Marie could just make out, on the inside of the band, an intensely concentrated patch of nasty-looking needles which appeared to correlate up to the violent bruise. Looking up, she quietly asked

" have y' tried to take it off ? "

: No :

" Can ah take ah look ? do y'mind ? "

When she indicated not, Rogue gently lifted her wet hair up off her shoulders moving around behind her, searching for a way to remove the silver device. The newcomer reached her other hand back, and took over holding her hair securely out of the way to free up both of rogue's hands to work with. With some trepidation, she waited patiently for rogue's diagnosis.

"Ah dont see any clasp - wait here a second, kay? dont move. Ah've gotta idea"
Poking her head around the door frame, Rogue directed her question at the person in the room beyond "Umm ... can y' come here a minute? Ah think y'better have ah look at this"

Standing still, just out of the perpherial of her vision she caught sight of a shadow looming in the doorway just as the queerest feeling suddenly assaulted her senses - feeling her skin flush all the way from the tips of her toes to the roots of hair, a shiver running the length of her spine; a mixture of shock, anger, denial, curiosity, even a vague stirring of thinly disguised want.

what the hell ?

She twisted her top half around, one hand still tangled in her wet hair, the other still still holding the metal from her throat; finding herself, with a jolt of shock, meeting a pair of piercing hazel eyes.

" So " Logan growled quietly after a moment " What am I meant to be looking at ?"
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"Bring him in"

The two orderlies dragged the shackled broken-looking blond prisoner roughtly into the main lab, shrinking away under the bright lights, arms twisted harshly up his back; bare feet feebly attempting to gain purchase on the floor and support himself.

"Over there"

Jerking him abruptly from his feet once more, he was purposefully hauled towards the cold metal operating table. Realising what was coming - he gathered his strength and took a deep breath, before gritting his teeth even as the word slipped out

"No !"

Ignoring the pain it brought him, he dug his heels hard into the floor, stopping his forward momentum and throwing all three off balance. Twisting in their grasp; with all the force he could muster he kicked out and downwards on the back of one of his captor's knees and barrelled his shoulder into his ribs. The orderly buckled, even as he twisted back to the other, head flung back, and smashed his head into his face as hard as he could. Seeing stars himself, he enjoyed the fleeting moment, a grin of satisfaction at being free - seeing the man fall away from him with a cry, blood pouring between his shaking fingers, nose cartilage splattered across his face. It didn't last long.

With an agonising scream, the now familiar pain arched through his body and he fell heavily to the floor. Even as the shocks continued, his body writhing uncontrollably, he could just make out the mocking tinkle of her laughter, the sharp staccato of her heels on the cold hard floor; seeing them coming into view and stop, even as he heard the click as she switched off the torture, his seizures gradually abating.
"Honestly" she laughed " you never cease to amuse me" aside to the two orderlies, she demanded snidely "Will you get on with it"

God, how he hated her. Furious tears pricked the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall

I wont give them the satisfaction

Rough hands grabbed him, dragged him upwards. Carried over to the dreaded operating table, they separated his restraints; slapping his back against the metal slab, they secured his arms and legs down, leaving him staring at the featureless ceiling. Slowly, the whirr of the machinery tilted the table upright, and a view of the lab and its despised occupants swam into view. Suspended as he was from the metal cuffs holding his arms outstretched, he could only watch as the object of his fear and hatred sauntered up to him, stopping a mere arms length away. With a smile, Dr. Carruthers stepped closer, a coy look on her face.

"So ... who taught you that little trick, then? hmm? you're friends? the infamous wolverine ? "
He simply glared at her, ignoring her lab assistants in the background opening the perspex cage in the center of the room, drawing the mutant within out, compliant like a robot under their command. He focussed his hatred instead on her, picking his battles carefully, using the burn of it to keep his soul alive

You can't break me

"Not talkative today? Aww. How very noble of you. How very brave." she spoke sarcastically. A grin of amusement curving her lips, she lifted her hand and trailed a gloved, latex-covered finger down his bare chest, the bruised side, the broken ribs. "Wonder how brave you'll be when you see I have your family, your friends, your repulsive x-men; even you're pitiful little excuse of a girlfriend down here, all screaming one after the other on my table..."

He flinched away from her touch as best as he could, teeth bared at her and snapped " Don't touch me "

" Bless. Listen to how the little dog barks. Pity its not half as useful as some of the information I've dragged out of you ... under the right drugs and duress, you can be quite entertaining, you know..."
She grinned wickedly, and tapped the center of his chest. "Won't it be nice to know, that all their pain and suffering - it was only possible, all because of you ? "

Unable to do anything else, furious, he spat at her.

Carruthers eyes narrowed, and she drew back her arm and hit him across the face with surprising force, making his head snap round, stars clouding his vision once more. Her hand closed around his jaw, drew his face back to the front. " Aw, stay with me ... stay with me. It's all so much more fun when you're awake "
Stepping away once she was sure he was fully conscious, she moved leisurely over to an instrument panel, leaving him seething.

"Go to hell"

"All in time " she chuckled, looking up at him "... but lets see you go first, shall we ?"
Carruthers continued to tap away at the control panel, ignoring him. The futility of the situation began to engulf him, her words - dripping poisons in his ear - began to play on his mind. This was all his fault. He should have been more careful. They were all going to be hurt, all because of him.

No ... not hurt. Killed. She's going to kill them. Kill them all. And its all going to be my fault.

Who was he kidding? she'd already won. It was useless. He let his shoulders sag against the restraints, feeling the whole world coming crashing down around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her glance upwards for a second and smile. Bitch. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it hardened his resolve. A fury erupted within him, berating himself for doubting, for doubting them. Get a godamned grip !
Straightening up, he glared at her. Hotly, he declared "They're going to come looking for me, you know"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. They are. They'll be tracking this place down right now"

She rose to her feet at that, taking carefully-placed deliberate footsteps towards him. "I wouldn't assume things if I were you"

Uncaring, he raged back at her "You underestimate them. That's your problem. You underestimate what we're capable of. And when they do come, when I'm free ..."

Carruthers stepped close to him, stopping inches from his face, close enough for him to smell her perfume, feel her breath on his skin. Cupping his cheek gently in her palm she enquired softly, beseechingly
" When you are free? "
He pulled sharply away from the slab, coming as close to her as he could physically reach. " When I'm free, I promise you this - I'm going to watch you die"

The pair of them stared at each other unmoving in silence for a moment. Chillingly, she smiled.

Raising her hand from his cheek Carruthers, almost lovingly, brushed a stray lock of his hair from his eyes. "Really. If that's the best revelation you could come up with, after your time here, I'm truly disappointed. I thought'd you'd at least have some originality" Leaning in close, red lips just beside his ear, she let her hand drop unnoticed to his side
" And besides - somehow, my dear..." she twisted her thumb deep in against his broken ribs, enjoying as he threw back his head and screamed in pain. " ... I severely doubt it "

Leaning away from him, she looked him straight in the eye with a twisted little grin "I can prove it to you, if you want - I have a demonstration -and a little present. Call it my gift to you, if you will."
Waving the other lab attendants and their mutant specimen over, Dr. Carruthers moved around behind him out of his field of vision. Frantically attempting to locate her, he turned his head this way and that, but she stood directly behind him, orchestrating the scene. Focussing on the people now directly infront of him, he could only listen as her voice floated over.

"You see, if you are counting on your precious little X-team to come charging in here to aid your rescue, then you are wasting your time... "

Carruthers nodded to the attendant, who whispered something aside to the skinny pale dark-haired mutant, who's only adornment since kept embarrassingly naked, was a simple silver choker; he watched her take a step forward and look him straight back in the eye, unconcernedly.

"... because, what you really have to consider is ... "

With growing horror, constricting both his throat and his chest, he watched as the woman's dark eyes shone yellow before mimicking his own blue.

" ... why would anyone go searching ..."

Her skin, on a dark-blue edged ripple, changed slowly from that of the womanly dark-haired appearance of before; arms, legs, chest, face ... all slowly moulded and changed until his own face, a clean, unblemished version, stared back at him mockingly, emotionlessly. A perfect robot.

" ... for a person, who is not missing ?"

Oh god ...

Carruthers stepped into view, laughing lightly at his crushed horrified expression. Looking from one mutant to another, she exclaimed in feigned surprise "What ? no happy reunion?" Moving next to the eerily vacant shapeshifter, she looked directly back at him "Oh dear ... and there I was under the impression you knew Miss Darkholme"

"Mystique ..." the word escaped, issued as a low moan.

"Now, now. There's no point in talking to her..." Carruthers shook her head at him, dismissing him as if stupid "...she can't hear you"

"Can't or won't ?" he bit out

The doctor shrugged unconcernedly "As if that's of any importance ... admit it, what you are really asking is why she just standing there like that. Well, child, simply put - I've had far longer to rewire this specimen than I have had to work with you. Mystique does what I want, when I want, how I want - with none of those messy 'individual' thought processes thrown in." Carruthers looked at her, proudly "For the moment, the perfect soldier for the jobs I have in mind. For the moment"

Her chilling smile was back, making his head swim. Stammering now, his heart thudding loudly in his ears "But, but ... h'how ... the cure ... she was cured ... s'she was ..."

Cruel laughter echoed around the lab, rebounding off the walls, making his insides knot. Her smile was too wide, too sickening; making her look like a predator eyeing her next meal
"You weren't honestly still living under the presumption the so-called 'cure' actually worked permanently, did you? good grief. And I thought you animals liked to call yourself 'gifted'."

Shaking her head derisively, with a wave of her hand she dismissed their audience; motioning the lab assistants to take Mystique away and continue on with what she had previously ordered. With a swish the door closed behind the retreating forms, leaving the two of them - prisoner and captor - alone. The ensuing silence grated on his already frayed nerves, muscles tensed awaiting the next round.

"So ... " her back was to him; fingers tapping away at the controls, locating the information she was after with a insidious glint in her eye. Carruthers turned, slowly, perched herself on the edge of the workstation, regarding him with crossed arms and a tilted head. " ... Aren't you wondering what your present is ?"

Mouth dry, he could only stare at her uncomprehendingly, before managing to hiss vehemently "Drop dead"

"Hmm, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? Sorry to disappoint " She shifted slightly, resting the fingers of one hand on the keyboard next to her

"However. Back to the present. Well, one of the main reasons I let you observe Mystique copying your form is simple - I needed her to have a memory of you, as you are now, freshly embedded within her mind should she ever be captured. After all, a trap is useless without some live bait" she winked at him, cheerfully, before continuing on

"Another is, I wanted to share this little nugget of information with you. You see, its not the first time we've used your image nor, I imagine, shall it be the last. As you no doubt can understand, your doppelganger is proving to be quite ... useful, in some respects. For example, infiltrating your precious Institute... so much for your wondrous all-seeing professor, can't even pick up on the discrepancies right under his own nose" she let her words hang, saw the meaning dawn across his already tortured features. Smiling now, she dramatically added "In fact, I've even been nice enough to arrange a special viewing of some of the footage she's obtained recently for us ..."

With a tap of her hand on the keys, she motioned to the large screen hanging on the wall, above her head. Heart in his mouth he felt frozen, inside and out, barely taking in her continuing words as the scenes played themselves out infront of them

".. now, you must excuse the slightly poor quality of the audio - unfortunately, I had to be quite inventive with the insertion of the devices ... quite pretty, that girl of yours, bit of a screamer though, doesn't like to play rough ..."

His world had stopped. There, on the screen. It was her.

Rogue

Tears streamed down his face, as her terrified, pained face screamed and thrashed around on the grass "No, bobby, no ! get off ah me ! please stop ... stop ... "
Vivid red marks left on her arms as the hands - his hands - held her down, hurt her, struck her; hitting her across the face so hard it made her gasp rather than cry out. Pulling, tearing at her clothes, beating her... desperately wishing to tear his eyes away but finding himself unable to, he could only sob as he watched the attack played out for him, all the while, the knife in his heart twisting knowing she thought it was him. Abruptly, the feed stopped. "Rogue ..." he dropped his head and unabashedly sobbed her name, tears staining his cheeks.

The finger curled under his chin forced him to look up, into dark steely dead-looking eyes; the accompanying voice, equally as precise, evil and cold

"I hold your life by a thread, Mr Drake. So, the next time you bark at me, little dog, remember who it is that holds your leash. Because I wont take it out on you ... I'll take it out on them. I'm using you to weaken them, to take them apart, piece by piece, and I thought you should know ... I intend to enjoy every minute of it "

She turned to leave, when he found his voice "Why don't you just kill me? "

"Is that an offer ?" Carruthers turned on her heel, curiously, waiting on his response.

Suddenly, still crying, he strengthened and straightened up, his voice clear as a bell "No. Its a trade. I'll offer it - My life for theirs. My life for hers"

"I'll consider it"

It was an angry scream "WHY NOT ! we've done nothing to you ... let her go .."

"You REALLY think so ?"
The first real emotion he'd witnessed from her, shocked him into silence. Finally, he'd pushed her for once. Stepping back in his direction, eyes narrowed in fury, she flung back at him

"You really are naive enough to still think, that all this, is for nothing? I'll tell you why. Those animals are your family, your friends, you life. I'm going to destroy them. I'm going to take the greatest pleasure in eradicating you and your kind from the face of this planet because its what you all deserve "

Suddenly realising she'd lost face, perhaps said to much, Dr Carruthers again turned to leave when his soft but utterly determined voice halted her steps.

" I'm still going to watch you die "

She smiled at that, answering without looking round "We'll see"

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