Get Rogue

Chapter Three

"Any sign." Logan asked through his communicator as he searched the outside of the mansion. About an hour ago Deathstrike and her people had managed to escape along with Deadpool, the Brotherhood, and Mystique. To say he was angry would be an understatement, he was absolutely livid.

"Sorry Logan, but there's no sign of Mystique or the Brotherhood and we have no idea on how to track down Lady Deathstrike or Deadpool. Forge is doing his best studying the technology one of the Reavers left behind." Jean responded from her spot in the room where Cerebro was housed.

"Whichever one of them did take her knew what they were doing."

"Keep trying."

"Logan, Bobby's waking up. Maybe he'll be able to tell us something," Hank suggested, cutting into their conversation.

Instantly Logan was on his way to the med lab. Five minutes later he was pacing around the room as Bobby got his bearings, waiting for him to become lucid enough to answer.

Not five seconds later, he demanded, "What do you remember?"

"Not much." Bobby groaned, cradling his head in his hands.

"Deadpool got in somehow and knocked me out first but I do remember waking up when Rogue was confronting Mystique. I think I heard her telling Rogue about a hit and that she wanted to help her… Musta been some blow to the head," he tried to joke, letting out a hallow laugh before continuing, "Anyway, we managed to get away from the two and make it to the hanger. But after getting outside, I don't, I don't really remember much."

"You sure? There has to be something, anything. A strange smell, weird lights, come on ice cube," Logan grilled, pressing for any little detail.

"No…wait. Strangest thing, I faintly remember seeing two small red orbs, almost like a pair of eyes."

Rogue had always been a light sleeper. Everybody in the mansion knew that after she had absorbed Bobby who had been trying to pull a prank on her when she was sleeping once. So when she sensed somebody hovering over her she automatically knew something was off. There was that smell again also, that strange combination of bourbon, tobacco, and spices.

Timing her actions just right, Rogue suddenly head-butted her stalker, when he least expected it. Jumping to her feet when she saw him go down, she noticed for the first time that her hands were bound in front of her body. Not only that but she become aware of where exactly she was, on a plane.

"Where are we headed?" She questioned, glaring at her stalker who was now standing upright. For the first time she was able to get a good look at him. She recognized him instantly. His red on black eyes was a dead giveaway as to who he was. Logan had been constantly warning them of the Cajun thief with the devil's eyes.

"Gambit," She snarled out.

She had heard the stories. She had heard about how he had attempted to steal the power inhibitor Forge had built for Kelly, and then how he had left Logan for dead. She had listened to Kurt rant about how he had used the Scarlet Witch's sister and blown up half of Genosha, all for Kelly. All for mutant haters. He disgusted her.

He gave her a cocky smirk in response. "Glad to y' have heard of me mon cherie. Shame we haven't been properly introduced."

"The name's Rogue, Gumbo. Got it?" She scowled.

Giving her a slow once over he said, "Why y' wanna call yourself that petite? Y' certainly don't look like no rogue I've ever seen before."

Eyes narrowing, Rogue made a swing at him even though her hands were still handcuffed; completely forgetting about her injured arm. When he successfully managed to dodge every attack she threw at him, Rogue started to become irate. His cocky smirk had not once left his face and seeing it only fueled her temper.

"Now come on cherie," Gambit said, ducking a kick aimed at his head. Since he had started following her, he couldn't help but to start noticing all her little habits particularly how easy it was to get a rise out of her and he liked that. The angrier she was getting, the wilder her swings became. She was definitely unlike any girl he had ever met before. It was a true shame she was untouchable.

"That ain't too nice of y'."

"Well neither was yah abducting meh," She retorted, lunging at him. At that exact moment the plane gave a lurch causing both Gambit and Rogue to lose their balance ending up with the two landing in a heap with Rogue on top, straddling him. If it weren't for her anger, she probably would've been deeply embarrassed at the whole situation.

Gambit arched an eyebrow at their position, his smirk not only remaining but widening. "Already mon cherie? Didn't quite peg y' for the type to move so fast. But that's okay. I like 'em aggressive."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as if to emphasize his point. He seemed in complete control of his emotions but his mind was a whirl. Her glare bothered him. They reminded him of someone, and surprisingly it wasn't the Wolverine.

Logan, Hank, and Jean had warned her against using her powers especially with the trouble it had been currently giving her, but for Gambit she was willing to make an exception. Lowering her head closer to his, she whispered in his ear, completely catching him off guard, "You like 'em aggressive sugh? Well ah don't think you're man enough to handle this."

But before she could absorb him the plane lurched again and this time Gambit ended up on top. Opening his mouth to say spurt out some innuendo Gambit instead let out a grunt as he rolled off Rogue. She had kneed in the one place no guy ever wants to be kneed in.

Getting to her feet, Rogue was about to finish him when a wave of dizziness hit her and she found herself passing out, again.

"Can't even handle an injured girl LeBeau," Vertigo inquired as she prodded Rogue with her foot, making sure she was out.

Gambit's whole demeanor instantly changed. His playful smirk gone, replaced with a cold mask of indifference. Ignoring Vertigo he picked the passed out mutant up, and gently placed Rogue back on the couch she had been on before attacking him, mindful of any bare skin. Noticing a stray piece of white hair in her face, Gambit couldn't stop himself from moving the piece of hair out of her face. Some days he really hated himself.

Logan thought about all that had been going on around the mansion. He still wasn't sure if everything that had happened last night had been one huge distraction or one big coincidence. He highly doubted that any of them had been working together like they had originally assumed them to be. With the reputations the three had, Logan would bet that S.H.I.E.L.D. had something on them, but he wanted to save that for a last resort. Fury couldn't always be trusted, and their main priority at the moment was finding Rogue and making sure she was alright.

He had sent Kurt to Genosha to drop off the Scarlet Witch, who had been helpful in their fight, to see if he could learn anything about the Brotherhood and their reasons for attacking. Kitty had been on her computer, trying to find out if the government or any rogue agency had been behind the attack and Forge was still working on one of the Reavers. He hadn't been able to get a hold of Xavier yet and he hoped things in the future weren't too bad. After giving up on finding the Brotherhood, Jean had focused on pinpointing Rogue or…Gambit. Just thinking about the treacherous Cajun mutant set his blood boiling. He still didn't know how he had gotten on the mansion's grounds undetected.

"Logan."

Kurt's face appeared on one of the communication screens in the war room. "I've talked with Wanda and she has no clue as to where Mystique could be or why she would attack us. Apparently she disappeared before Magneto was banished and she is unsure if she is even still working with him."

"What about the Brotherhood elf?"

Sighing, Kurt solemnly replied, "You got to understand, that even after all he's done, Magneto is still her father, Logan and Quicksilver is her twin. She never went near him last night. She only focused on the Reavers."

"Fine but stick around a bit longer. See if they let anything slip," He ordered.

Nodding his head in compliance, Kurt signed off unaware that someone had been behind him for the entire conversation.

"I'm not going to let anything slip Nightcrawler," The Scarlet Witch seethed as she glared, trying to hide the hurt she felt that he would actually spy on her like that. She didn't like to think that he would willingly spy, especially on her after all the two had been through, but she had to constantly remind herself that he was an X-Man. Though her father was no longer around that didn't mean their problems had left also. They didn't exactly see eye to eye when it came to their views over mutant politics.

Kurt was immediately able to see through her glare. Logan's order had already made him feel guilty but now he felt even worse. "Wanda."

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses Kurt. You came here for help and I've helped all the best I can," Wanda interrupted dropping her glare, refusing to meet his gaze any longer.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Kurt gently spoke, "Please just hear me out."

When she gave no indication of listening or interrupting again, Kurt decided to continue, "The Brotherhood was one of the many people who attacked us last night and maybe they know something or why they attacked that specific night. Rogue is like a sister to me and I hate thinking about her in Gambit's grasp. You told me how he used you sister before and I don't want the same thing to happen to mine."

That did it. Furniture began to rattle, and the Scarlet Witch's clenched fists were glowing with traces of her red, probability energy. Stepping away from Kurt, Wanda gave herself a second to cool down before answering him. She still blamed herself for Lorna's broken heart. She knew the guy was no good and she should've done more to keep him away from her.

Sensing her anger, Kurt placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "You did everything you could Wanda. What happened wasn't your fault."

Instantly Wanda felt better. No matter how many times she had been around him she still found it odd how Kurt could always make her feel better about herself and just help her generally be a better person.

"Magneto has gone off the grid after his latest botched plan. I suspect he's working on some new, major project but no one quite knows where he went. Pietro's been running the Brotherhood. I doubt Magneto told him where he went but you may find out something useful. They're hiding out in an abandoned car factory just outside of New York."

"Thank you." Catching her off guard Kurt kissed her on the lips before disappearing in a cloud of red smoke.

"Have you found anything yet?" Sam asked, nervously pacing around the medical bay.

"You asked me that five seconds ago and five seconds ago before that."

Kitty took a second to look up from her laptop screen to glare at the lanky blond. "My answer's still the same and if you ask me that one more time I'll phase you through the floor and leave you there."

"I can't believe I said I wanted company. I would've been better off if Hank had stayed in here reading Shakespeare to me." Bobby sardonically mumbled from his spot on the white bed, used only for those that were injured.

Kitty responded, though her gaze was still concentrated on her laptop, "Unlike you two, Hank's actually being helpful assisting Forge in his research."

"Hey I'd be very helpful if I weren't confined to this bed," He shot back.

"Yeah and Hank kicked me out of Forge's lab," Sam tried to defend himself.

Kitty sarcastically muttered,"Gee I wonder why."

Bobby rolled his eyes.

"At least he tried to help unlike Colossus who's not really doing anything." Kitty started a glaring match with Bobby.

"Hey he is doing something; he's keeping Tildie and the others busy."

"And here Logan thought you would have killed each other by now." Colossus warily spoke up, smiling as he stepped into the room, being closely followed by Tildie, Paige, and Gwen.

"Speak of the devil," Bobby muttered under his breath, as he gave Colossus the evil eye. He didn't get it. He had returned when the X-Men needed him, Piotr had not.

"Have you found anything out Katya," Piotr inquired, pulling up a chair next to her.

Both Sam and Bobby anxiously awaited the angry tirade Kitty was sure to give. Both were shocked and in Bobby's case dismayed when Kitty did not do this but sigh rather loudly.

"I haven't found a single thing and I've been on this thing for over five hours."

Piotr placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure you will find something." Kitty smiled at him.

"Thanks Petey."

"Why don't you try hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm sure they've gotta have something," Bobby suggested, hoping to distract her from the metal coated mutant.

"Hey that's actually a pretty good idea," Kitty commented, turning her smile at him.

Beaming, Bobby was about to say something else when Kurt suddenly ported into the room, bringing with him the smell of brimstone and a puff of red smoke.

"Kurt," Kitty stressed his name, coughing as she tried to wave the smoke away.

"Sorry but Logan wants everyone to get suited up. I know where the Brotherhood is," He announced.

The next time Rogue awoke she was being carried over someone's back, and by the trails of the trench coat she caught site of she could correctly assume who exactly was carrying her. Fuming, she kept herself from doing anything brash. She didn't know how she had knocked out, and she suspected Gambit had a partner. Instead she decided to take in her surroundings. From what she could tell they were walking or rather she was being carried down a long, dimly lit hallway. The walls were an ugly shade of grey, and they reminded her of a hospital or rather a hospital in a scary movie.

Her suspicions about Gambit having a partner was confirmed when a girl in green and white stripes and green hair approached the two. Rogue was able to recognize her like she had Gambit. Logan had warned them about Sinister and his Marauders enough times. Time after time he had grilled the team about them and their powers. This one in particular wasn't as much of a threat as some of the others but her powers were a nuisance. Her current position was proof of that. She struggled to hear what they were talking about.

"I've got another mission Gambit. You think you can handle her on your own in case she does wake up," Vertigo mockingly spoke, bringing up the incident on the plane.

"I should be asking y' that very question. How many times has it been now that y've screwed up?" He spared her a taunting look.

Vertigo didn't even bother to respond. She simply strode off in silence though there was no masking her anger.

When Rogue was sure she was far away enough, she figured now would be a good time to act. Careful so he wouldn't sense what she was doing, Rogue was able to slide off one of her gloves. Luckily for him from where she was angled there was no way she could absorb him even if he didn't have all that body gear on. She opted to go for plan b then. Rogue elbowed him, hard, in the middle of his back. The impact startled him and he ended up dropping her.

Landing on her butt, Rogue hastily got to her feet. Falling into a defensive stance, she waited for him to make the first move. There was no way she was going to let him bait her like last time. She needed to keep a level head and be aware of her surroundings.

"C'mon petite, we can do this the easy way or the hard way and I'd really rather not harm that beautiful body of yours," Gambit spoke as he slowly started to circle her. Rogue's eyes followed every movement he made.

"What does Sinister want with me?" Rogue questioned. For a second he faltered in his step and she could've sworn she saw something flash in his eyes. Contempt maybe?

As if nothing had happened, Gambit pulled out his bo-staff and gave it a showy twirl.

"Now why y' wanna do this the hard way cherie? But if you insist, I will force my hand." He smirked, lazily flicking a charged card at her.

Getting out of the way before it exploded, Rogue tried to approach Gambit, only to be blocked every time by a few more charged cards. Thinking quick she decided to do what Logan would've done, she decided to rush him. Right after his latest cards had exploded she ran through the smoke and managed to catch him off guard. Delivering a swift kick to his gut, Rogue was able to take his bo-staff from him.

Prepared to start attacking him with his own weapon, Rogue suddenly ducked dropping the bo-staff in the process of avoiding the huge hand that was aiming for her. Dodging the mutant she could now positively identify as Blockbuster, Rogue attempted to absorb him. Anticipating her move, Blockbuster grabbed her roughly by her injured arm.

Rogue never showed weakness in front of her enemies (another thing she picked up from Logan) not even when she was having trouble with the psyches in her head, but had Wolverine been in her place even he would have let out a scream. Her arm felt as if it were on fire. The pain was so much worse than when she had actually gotten the wound.

Smiling in a cruel manor, Blockbuster remembered his latest defeat at the hands of the X-Men and the humiliation he had gone through. He decided to take his anger out on her. A world with one less X-Man was a better one. Like a rag doll he flung her at the nearest wall.

Rogue probably would've found herself with a concussion or worse had it not been for Gambit's athleticism and quick reflexes. Catching her before she could make a nasty hole in the wall, he gently placed her on the floor. Standing protectively in front of her, he drew a few cards, each blazing with the telltale magenta energy of his kinetic powers, and glared at Blockbuster as if daring him to make a move.

Rogue was thoroughly confused. The guy who had kidnapped her, made lurid comments to her, and fought against her had just saved her from a rather unpleasant meeting with the wall. And now he stood as a shield between her and Blockbuster, about ready to fight someone who was supposed to be his teammate. What was this guy's deal?

"I knew Sinister shouldn't have sent you Gambit. Always going soft for a piece of ass," Blockbuster scoffed, clenching his huge fists.

"Are you questioning my decision Blockbuster," A new voice entered the conversation. Instantly all the mutants in the corridor stiffened.

Turning to the source of the voice, Rogue saw him, Mr. Sinister. It hadn't been Logan who had described the mad scientist but Forge. He had claimed than the man, if you could call him that, looked like a demon, more so than Kurt. She hadn't really believed him then.

He turned his head towards her and looked her straight in the eye and smiled. A shiver ran down her spine. Forge had been right.

"Gambit, it seems you've delivered as guaranteed." Sinister directed his attention to the thief as Multiple appeared seconds later behind him.

Gambit nodded his head. "My debt, it be squared, non?"

"As promised you debt is cleared," Sinister replied.

"Madrox, why don't you show our guest to her new corridors?"

Rogue was cornered; they knew that she knew that. Reluctantly she let Multiple lead her away. She would need to save her strength if she was going to escape. Though Logan's motto was to go down fighting, she needed to be smart about this, she was after all surrounded. Not everything needed to be solved by violence anyway. Sinister was not someone you could fool easily and it would take more than a half-assed plan to escape this place.

Instead Rogue concentrated on mesmerizing the place. There were no windows and hardly any doors. Everything was patterned the same way. Every three windows a door appeared, and they each had the same grey coloring. Escaping this place would not be easy and for once she was glad she had the powers she did.

Seeing an open door, Rogue snuck a look inside only for Multiple to roughly push her forward.

"Eyes in front."

Rogue didn't really pay him much attention though, not even to glare at him. Her head was still reeling with who she saw. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her.

TBC