Authors note: Woohoo ohohoh! Wow been a while eh chickies?
My bad. I was working in Wisconsin in a special needs camp for the last 3 and a half months, with hardly any computer access. Sorry for the HUGE MASSIVE delay. Things are starting to come together in the story I think/hope. Anyways much love to everyone for sticking with me...
Chapter 29
Hank had, as usual been correct in his assessment, Charles and Rogue both awoke fairly quickly
Hank had, as usual been correct in his assessment, Charles and Rogue both awoke fairly quickly.
Charles was the first awake. He blinked slowly and owlishly and smiled his gentle, warm smile.
"Charles how are you feeling my good man?" Hank asked quietly.
"Good. Thank you Henry." Charles said croakily, his voice hoarse from disuse.
"How is An- Rogue?" Charles asked.
"She has not yet awoken." Hank said quietly.
"I'm awake." Rogue called croakily and all eyes shot to her.
"How are you Rogue?" Charles asked.
"I'm good. I'm ready." Rogue replied seriously.
"Ready f' what chere?" Remy asked.
Rogue didn't respond, she just pulled herself into a seated position and swung her legs off of the bed.
Logan walked into the med-bay just as Rogue was making her way – on shaky legs towards Professor Xavier.
She wasn't on shaky legs for long, Logan had thrown himself across the room and tackled her to the ground, his hand wrapped tightly around her throat, the gloves he was wearing protecting him from her skin.
"Logan!" Jean cried, worried about the violence that was sure to occur.
"Glad you've woken up bitch. Now I can finish you off!" Logan roared into her wide-eyed face.
"Logan! Mon ami – stop!" Remy shouted and grabbed Logan's arm, only to be swatted off as if he were a fly.
"Logan enough!" Charles roared and it was more than enough to stop everyone in their tracks.
"Everyone get out – get out now!" Charles shouted and everyone left quickly, even Logan.
Rogue stayed on the floor curled into a fetal position.
"It's ok Anna-Marie – get up." Charles said softly.
"I don't wanna do it anymore." Rogue whimpered.
"Anna-Marie, I am sorry that Logan manhandled you in such a way, but you know that we must act, and we must act now." Charles said seriously and after a sniffle Rogue got to her feet and shuffled over to the professor.
"Ok now one brief touch should do it, and shield exactly as I showed you." Charles said patiently.
Rogue took a deep shuddering breath and slowly brushed her fingertips along Charles' hand.
Both shuddered, Rogue pulled away and then collapsed.
Once Charles had recovered he called for Hank's assistance, Hank walked into the lab and saw Rogue unconscious on the floor.
Hank carefully scooped Rouge off of the floor and put her back into her bed, he then put the professor in his wheelchair.
"Thank you Henry, now, I am going to go to my room and freshen up. If you could please make sure that everyone meets me in my study in half an hour and also please ensure that no-one can get in here to Rogue, she must be protected at all times." Charles stated grimly.
Half an hour later everyone was gathered in the study awaiting Charles' arrival.
Remy was perched on the armchair gingerly rubbing his jaw where Logan had inadvertently hit him.
Scott and Jean were seated on one of the sofa's holding hands and looking anxious.
Ororo was sitting stiffly on one of the armchairs.
Bobby was sitting on the floor, his eyes darting backwards and forwards the tension in the room becoming unbearable.
Hank and Logan were standing, Hank was standing so that he could control Logan if the need arose.
Finally the professor arrived, he entered the room looking pale and drawn but also determined. Scott was glad to see him up and about, he didn't even really notice the strain on his face.
"Thank you for coming, all of you. Now I know that the last couple of weeks must have been hard for you, but some things need to be cleared up." Charles stated and the group noticed that his demeanor was decidedly frosty.
"Perhaps it would be best if I started from the beginning, Amara was kidnapped on purpose, he knew that we would go to help rescue her and he also knew that Carol, Rogue and I would remain behind." Charles stated.
"Who knew?" Jean asked looking bewildered.
"Mesmero," Charles stated coldly.
"Who's Mesmero?" Scott asked.
"As I said Scott, I will start at the true beginning." Charles explained.
"When Erik and I were first researching mutants we found record of one other powerful telepath known only as 'The Shadow King' a telepath so powerful he no longer had a body, he lived solely on the astral plane. He is not so much of a mutant as he is an entity,"
"I am sorry Charles, but what does that have to do with what happened?" Ororo asked bewildered.
"I'm just getting to that, you see the Shadow King is tired of being non-corporeal, and he can take control of other peoples bodies for a time – if they are a telepath, although he eventually gets ejected. Well it seems that the Shadow Kind has heard of me, and my team." Charles stated and the group all looked at him wide-eyed.
"You see Rogue was a pawn to the Shadow King, to get to me. She developed her powers several years back when she had her first kiss, she drained the boy and he was in a coma for several months. Rogue ran away from her home town and lived alone in solitude for 2 years, but she was found by Mesmero, a mutant who can hypnotise. He planted several 'suggestions' in her head and when he was done he gave her to the F.O.H and made her think that she had amnesia. After she had been rescued Mesmero continued to control her, from a distance. When all of the males were suffering from fatigue it was a result of her using her powers. When Amara was kidnapped it was down to a tip-off from Memero. Whilst you were gone Rogue changed, because of the way her powers worked it somehow allowed for the Shadow King to briefly take over her body. His intention was for Rogue to drain me and as soon as all of my personality was in her mind leaving my body on the brink of death he was going to take over me and as there wouldn't be enough of my mind to fight him off. However Carol was familiar with the Shadow King, the Avengers had apparently had run-ins with him. Carol had grabbed Rogue, but the Shadow King used Rogue as a weapon to kill Carol." Charles got choked up at this point, Jean and Ororo were crying quietly.
"I couldn't stop her, but I knew that it had nothing to do with Rogue and because of Carol, the Shadow King had spent as much time as he could in Rogue's mind and was banished back to the astral plane. I sent myself into Rogue's mind. What I found there was a mass of confusion, but underneath it all I found the real Rogue. A confused, vulnerable seventeen year old." Whilst in her mind I could find the 'suggestions' and mental blocks that Mesmero had put in her mind. He is powerful to a degree but I knew how to correct the damage he had done to Rogue's mind, the only thing I couldn't do was shut the mental door to the Shadow King, if I had done that, I would have locked myself in Rogue's mind." Charles explained.
"The days we were in a coma, I spent teaching her how to shield and how to 'contain' the personalities in her mind. Carol helped Rogue in her mind, she understood that it was not her fault, however Rogue does not see things this way, she blames herself." Charles said sadly.
Logan stood stock still barely even breathing.
"When we both awoke, I got Rogue to touch me, so that she could shut the door to the Shadow King, she could be out for days, but when she does awaken, she will need our full support. Let me reiterate – none of what happened was Rogue's fault. She was used as a weapon." Charles stated grimly.
Ororo sat completely still, as she absorbed what Charles had said and how she had treated the poor child, she knew that Rogue would now need all of their love and support.
Jean sat in shock and felt tears course down her cheeks, the ordeal Rogue had gone through, the death of her friend Carol, and the threat of the Shadow King, it all felt too much for her, she took a deep shuddering breath and squeezed Scott's hand.
Scott frowned, he felt incredibly guilty, how had he not known what was going on. And he had shot Rogue, hurt her badly. He also knew that there was nothing else he could have done in that situation. He was also worried about the threat of the Shadow King, he didn't like the idea that someone so powerful was still a threat to them.
Hank sat in silence, wondering what could be done to protect the people of the mansion from the threat of this 'Shadow King'.
Hank also felt for the poor girl who was, at this moment lying comatose in the med-bay.
So there we have it, another chapter in the caper of Xmen TRS.
I wasn't totally happy with this chapter, so I'm sorry if it sucked. I'm a little rusty, things'll be getting good soon! xx