"The identity of one changes with how one perceives reality."
[xxxxx]
Chapter 18: The Identities
"This is a really, really bad idea. Ah mean, Jake... do you even have your license yet?"
Rogue had always heard rumors about all the crazy stuff the Snake Gang did, but she never imagined those rumors were real. How they would steal Professor McCoy's car to go late-night clubbing, secretly sneak on to the Blackbird when the X-Men went on their missions, or how they would sometimes take those missions into their own hands — like tonight.
"I agree with Rogue. Seriously." Amy complained from the back seat, where she always sat, right behind the driver's seat.
"I don't like this either." Tabitha said dryly. "Amy talks too much. I think we should vote her out."
"I second that." Evan said perkily.
"Hey! No fair!"
"Will all of you just shut up? I'm trying to remember which way to go."
The night was clear and cold, with a clean white moon that hung motionless in the starless black sky. It was Sunday night, but the streets of Manhattan were bustling with all kinds of people, including four mutant teenagers getting in over their heads.
As usual, Jake didn't exactly have a plan. Right now, all he was concerned about was remembering how to get to that warehouse they had seen the Superiors at before. When they got there, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Call the X-Men, maybe, but he doubted that Wolverine or Storm pocketed their cell while on missions. Not that he knew their numbers.
"Hey! Jake isn't this the stop sign you ran last time?" Evan said, pointing to a stop sign across the street as they stopped at an intersection.
Jake groaned. "Don't remind me."
Evan laughed. "Dude, you shoulda seen the look on your face when that cop pulled you over. Oh, man! You were terrified."
Jake clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Tabitha joined in with Evan's laughs. "What was that you said? I'm so sorry about this, officer! You thought he was gonna shoot you or something!"
"That's it!" Jake yelled sternly, stopping the car. "All three of you — out of the car." Using his powers, Jake willed the back doors to fling open.
"Oh... Jake, c'mon."
"Out."
"Jake—"
"Out!" Giving them a telekinetic nudge, Evan, Tabitha and Amy scooted out of the car, slightly afraid of their friend's temper. The doors shut quickly behind them.
"Why me?" Amy complained through the open driver's window. "I wasn't even doing anything!"
Jake dug his wallet out of his pocket and handed her a twenty-dollar bill. "Go catch a ride back to the mansion. Tell my mom that we know where Control is." Not waiting for a response, he pressed down on the gas pedal and sped away, leaving his three friends out on the lonely street, their only companion the brilliant moon high above their heads.
[xxxxx]
If there was one thing Rogue hated, it was being left alone with strangers. Jake Barrington wasn't exactly a stranger, but he was close enough. She didn't know him well enough to feel comfortable being alone with him, especially roaming the dark streets of Mutant Town on a freezing cold Sunday night. Besides, she was missing Sunday Night Smackdown.
"That's it — over there." Jake said, pointing across the street. They should be in there."
"Why... Ah mean... We're not goin' in there, are we?" Rogue asked, looking at Jake with concern.
He let out a stiff sigh. "You got a better idea?" He didn't bother trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice.
"Um... how about not goin' in? Maybe we should call Logan up. Oh, Ah got it! Why don't we go get a pizza or somethin'? That sounds much better than walkin' into a death-trap!"
Jake rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a wuss, Rogue. If we're gonna be superheroes, we've gotta take the initiative."
"Whoever said Ah wanted to be a superhero?"
He turned to her, and shrugged. "Sorry, I just kinda assumed you would. You train with the X-Men all the time... at least you used to. And you're more cut out to be part of the team than half the kids at the institute. You, Bobby, Pete Rasputin, Kitty Pryde... everybody kind of assumes that you guys'll all join the team when you graduate."
Rogue shivered and wrapped her coat tighter around herself. "Them, maybe... not me. Fightin' bad guys isn't exactly what Ah dreamt of as a kid."
"Oh, c'mon." Jake groaned in doubt. "You never wanted to be a superhero when you were a kid? Did you ever read Batman?"
She shrugged. "Sure. Ah kinda liked Wonder Woman. But Ah'd never want to be here. I just wanna to be Marie. Ah don't wanna be Rogue all my life."
"You don't have to be a superhero all the time."
"But Ah have to be Rogue all the time." She tore off one of her gloves and showed her bare hand to him. "This never goes away. Ah can't just take off a mask and call it quits. You guys — you, Evan, Bobby, Kitty... you guys can stop usin' your powers any time. But me... Ah can't. Ah'll always be Rogue, no matter what." Quietly, she pulled her glove back on and shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat.
"Then what's the point?" Jake asked after a moment of silence.
"Of what?"
"Of trying to be Marie. If you're always going to be Rogue, no matter what, then what's the point of trying to be anything different?"
It took her a moment to think about this. "Ah dunno... Ah guess Ah can't stop trying. Ah know it's impossible, but Ah can't give up being Marie."
"But you aren't. You aren't Marie. You're Rogue. You'll always be Rogue." Jake said firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "And that's just the way I like it."
She smiled shyly. "Thanks, Jake. You're a peach."
Abruptly, he grabbed her by the hand and they ducked behind a car, squatting low enough to see through the car windows to the other side of the street. Rogue was about to yell at him for almost dislocating her shoulder, but then she saw why he had grabbed her so quickly — across the street, emerging from a narrow alley beside the Superiors' Warehouse, were two women, both who looked to be in their early thirties. The first woman was short in comparison to her towering companion with spiky black hair that contrasted the long, pure white hair of her friend's.
They appeared to be having a bit of a fight, but the short dark-haired one was doing the most talking. She placed a finger at the taller one, yelling so loud that they could almost begin to hear what she was saying.
"Sisters." Rogue whispered.
"How do can you tell?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes you can just tell."
There were a few moments of more bickering from the two women before stomped back down the alley, disappearing into the shadows.
"That's our cue." Jake said, standing up.
Rogue pulled him back down. "You're not serious about this, are you? We should go back to the mansion and find some way to get to Storm. This is her job."
He rolled his eyes. "You're either coming or you're not coming. Either way, I'm going." He stood up and straightened his jacket. "If I don't make it back, tell my mom that it was me who ate her birthday cake that one year, not Sparky. Tell her it was really good, too." He swiftly turned and crossed the street.
"Christ almighty..." Rogue grumbled before standing up and following after him.
[xxxxx]
Piotr had never been in a bar before, even back in Russia. He was always too busy working on the farm and never felt the need to join the other farmers after work when they would head down to Czar's, a small pub not too far from the farm.
But Wolverine felt right at home as soon as they stepped through the threshold. Inside, it was warm and full of people. The overpowering smell of smoke and alcohol stained the air, a scent that was not at all unfamiliar to him.
"Logan!" A young blond woman greeted them as they entered the bar. She smiled and laid a hand on Wolverine's chest casually. "I haven't seen you in forever. I missed you. Did you miss me, Logan?" She asked, her smooth voice soaked in false admiration.
"Drop the act, Mary." Logan grumbled, pushing the woman away from him. "We're here on business."
Mary pouted and her eyes quickly turned to Piotr. "How about your friend, then? He looks like he could use a little fun." She gave him a suggestive smile, then a wink.
"Go find yourself some white-collar bastard that could use your services. Now where's Jerry?"
Mary narrowed her gaze. "He's in his office."
Logan laid a hand on her shoulder and gave her an approving nod. "You're a good girl, Miriam. You shouldn't be here."
"Asshole." She pushed his hands off of her and disappeared back into the crowd.
"C'mon, Pete." Logan said with a sigh.
They made their way past the bar to a narrow back stairway. Ignoring the Employees Only! notice, they climbed the stairs to a locked door, where Logan ungraciously pounded against the hard metal. "Jer, open up!"
"Go away!" The raspy voice of a middle-aged man called from inside. "I'm busy!"
"It's Logan."
"Logan who?"
Frustrated, he stepped back and slammed his body against the door, but his efforts were useless — it didn't budge.
"Nice try!" The man inside called out with a laugh. "I have this thing locked down solid! You aren't getting in anytime soon, buddy!"
Logan growled and rubbed his shoulder. "Looks like it's your turn, Russkie."
Piotr shut his eyes, and the air around him crackled with the energy of his exertion. With only a will, his flesh turned to metal and his colossal physique grew even more massive, and Piotr was instantly transformed into something more — Colossus. "I advise you to move away from the door." He called to the man inside, hoping that he would take heed. He took a breath before grasping the doorknob, then slamming his weight against the heavy door. Without an effort, it fell to the ground.
Logan stepped through the now open doorway and into a room just as cigarette and alcohol-scented as the bar downstairs. The office was small, with only a desk, filing cabinet, and a small television and couch to take up room. A short, plump man stood near the desk, a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a half-empty beer bottle in his hand.
"Logan!" He said in the same New York accent that had yelled at them through the door just moments before. "You shoulda told me it was you! I woulda let you in!"
He snarled. "Save your shit for somebody who'll listen to it. We're here for information."
Jer sighed. "Whaddya want to know?" He said, plopping back down at his desk.
Wolverine stood next to him, looking down at the desk and try to make some sense of the mess of papers spread in front of him. "Anything you got on the Superiors, or what happened to the Brotherhood after Alcatraz."
Jer laughed heartily. "You really think somebody like me's got intel like that? The Brotherhood disappeared without a trace after Alcatraz, and the Superiors — those pathetic excuses for mutants — have only been on the charts for a few weeks. You've got more of a chance of finding Jimmy Hoffa than the Superiors."
"You've gotta have something on them." Wolverine growled.
He took a deep breath and retrieved a folder from the filing cabinet behind his desk. He handed the folder to Wolverine. "This is all I got. It's just some basic info on some guy named Will Cole. He's got some kinda contact with the Superiors."
"Thanks." Wolverine said insincerely, taking the file from him and beginning to flip through the papers.
"It was my pleasure." He replied dryly. "And you can keep that file. It's only been collecting dust. Now beat it, you prick."
Gesturing for Piotr to follow him, Wolverine tucked the folder inside his jacket and stepped over the broken-down door.
[xxxxx]
When Jake had telekinetically kicked them out of the car, Tabitha was furious. She was always the favorite, always the one who sat in the front seat and the one that was first to find out about the latest of Jake's schemes. But apparently, now Rogue came first and she was left standing in a smelly bar with two of her least favorite people in the world.
"She's not even pretty." Tabitha blurted out.
"Oh, would you get over yourself?" Evan whined. "She's not even pretty, she doesn't even talk to him, she's already got a boyfriend, blah, blah, blah."
She gave him an angry glare, which he didn't seem to notice.
"I'm scared." Amy whined, clinging to Evan's arm. "What if somebody tries to mug us?" She looked around her across the crowd of prostitutes and middle-aged men cautiously.
"We're mutants. If any of these guys try to mess with us, they'll be the ones in trouble." Evan reassured her with a smirk. "Trust me, we'll be fine. Just follow my lead." He led the two girls over to the bar and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "I'll have a Bloody Bull, and two chocolate martinis for the ladies."
The barmaid looked him over once. "You got an ID, sweetcakes?"
Evan frowned. "Uh... three root beers, please." He said quietly.
The woman smiled. "Comin' right up."
"Good job, slick." Tabitha smirked.
"Ohmigod! Look!" Amy yelled, tugging on Tabitha's sleeve and gathering awareness from a few other patrons. "Isn't that Pete? Pete!" She said, calling across the room and waving her arms around.
"Amy!" Evan scolded, grabbing her wrist and pulling it out of the air. "Stop that! We don't want any more attention."
"But that's Piotr Rasputin!" She said, stretching up on her toes to see over the crowd."
"Don't be an idiot—"
"No, Evan... that's really him. And it looks like he's with Wolverine, too." Tabitha said, pointing across the room to their tall and muscular classmate, accompanied by a short and husky man.
"I told you." Amy whined. "Wolverine!" She called.
In response, Wolverine's head snapped in their direction, a snarl on his face.
"Now look what you did."
His eyes locked in on them and narrowed angrily. He changed his direction and unenthusiastically made his way through the crowd and over to the bar, Piotr following. "What the hell are you three doing here?" He demanded once he reached them.
None of them answered — only stood there, blinking in fear. Tabitha nudged Evan with her elbow, and he stepped forward.
"Well, uh, ya see... it's like this..." Evan gulped. "Well, y'know how we followed Control before?"
Wolverine gave him a blank stare.
"Yes, well... of course ya do. Anywho, Rogue told us how the X-Men were going after the Brotherhood... well, actually, she told Jake... but that doesn't matter..."
"Get on with it." He growled, making Evan jump.
"Anyway, Jake decided that we should go along to help you guys, but the problem was that we didn't know where you were, so we just went there alone. Then Jake got mad and kicked us out of the car, so we came here."
"That is the stupidest idea anyone could have ever thought of in their whole fucking life." Wolverine had to restrain himself from grabbing Evan by the neck and throwing him through the window. Instead, he settled for grabbing both Evan and Tabitha by the arm and pulling them outside, Amy and Piotr following.
"It was Jake's idea." Evan mumbled.
"I don't care whose fucking idea it was." He growled. "You could've gotten yourselves fucking killed. Then we would've had to waste even more money on those fucking gravestones."
Amy raised her hand. "Uh, Mr. Wolverine sir? You know that Jake and Rogue are still going after them, right?"
Wolverine could feel seething anger begin to boil inside him. This anger was one that he was well acquainted with. He had felt it whenever he fought in battle, when Stryker destroyed the peace of his new home, and most recently when Rogue was stupid enough to be persuaded by that little shit, Jake Barrington, to prance into an outnumbered battle.
"Why the fuck did you let them go?" He finally burst out, attracting the short-lived attention of a couple passing by.
"Let's see..." Evan said, a bit angrily. "Tabitha makes gum balls that go bang, Amy talks to flowers, and I can make my bones pop out of my skin, whereas Jake can move things with his mind and Rogue can kill people with a touch. I don't think any of us would want to go against either of them."
"Just get in the damn car." Wolverine said, taking a ring of keys out of his pocket and pointing to a large black van a few yards down the street. "We're going after them."