Chapter 8: Meetings and Changes
"Logan, Storm, Scott and Jean, could you please come to my office," the professor called to them.
"Be right there." Logan replied as he left the kitchen with his coffee.
"On my way Charles." Ororo replied as she finished watering her plants.
"We're on our way." Scott replied as he and Jean were getting out of his car after their Sunday drive.
Once they were all there Jean was the first to ask, "What's the matter professor? Is everything alright?"
The professor smiled. "Everything is fine jean, thank you for your concern."
"So why are we here Chuck?"
Storm had on a patient small smile. "Always impatient Wolverine." She shook her head slightly.
Logan just grunted.
The professor cleared his throat, "Hum, well as you all are aware the FOH have come out with a new drug to stop the X-Gene from functioning properly in mutants. This has caused several deaths of mutants. Jean gasped. The professor carried on, "Yes Jean I know that this is very upsetting for us all. As we have seen from our own personal experience with Rogue, suppressing the X-Gene is fatal. Although some of us do not see eye to eye with Raven and Erik, she gave Rogue comfort and he saved her life.
They knew he was referring to when Rogue had the collar on and had no use of her powers and she had almost died. They then thought of the time Gambit and Rogue had gone on a mission and had been ambushed and been given the serum and again had no use of their abilities. Beast had been able to test that liquid and Rogue had been a willing guinea pig.
Logan was pissed. "Why didn't ya tell us sooner Chuck! We could have stopped those lunatics before we had a pile of dead bodies!"
The professor closed his eyes and sighed. Then he opened them and looked around the room and addressed them all again. "The reason, Logan, is that we didn't know where it was or what it was."
"We?" Storm questioned. "Who are we talking about Charles?"
The professor took in a deep breath and Logan shot out his claws. "You have to be kidding me Charles! You've been working with Bucket Head and didn't tell us!"
"Yes Logan. I have been working with Magneto and Mystique. Magneto has been working with Sabertooth to try and get as much info as he can."
Logan growled and slammed his fists on the desk looking Xavier in the eyes. "So you choose to go behind our backs. You're working with the enemy but ya won't give us the time of day. What else are you hiding from us Charles?"
"Logan! Please calm down." Storm pleaded fear and anger in her eyes. "I am not happy about this either but there must be reason behind all or this."
"Oh there better be "Ro', there better be a good one, really good one."
The professor waited until the room was once again calm. He then brought out a card and placed it on the table. Jean read it aloud. "Tired of being sick all the time? Do you hide in shame due to your condition? Let The Friends Of Humanity help you. We have what you need to cure your illness. Try Kicking the X, now available by order.
Call (945)886-7592 ext. 222 The Friends Of Humanity are here to help."
The people in the room looked at one another. Then Charles took out a box.
Kicking the X. Directions: Take one pill twice daily for one week. "We had looked at all the bases Wolverine, both above and below ground. We couldn't find anything until they started advertising it."
"Rogue, you may come in now."
"Chuck, where did you get that?" Before Logan could say any more Rogue walked in.
"Ah got it for him. Ah…" She was cut off.
"STRIPES! You are not taking this crap! Do ya hear me! You could die!"
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Logan, Ah ain't taking it. Ah just ordered it to help out. Ah had it mailed t' Irene who told Mystique when it arrived, who then dropped it off here. Gawd, Ah ain't taking it. Ah'm not that stupid."
"Wait, Rogue was in on this? Professor if Rogue was in on it why couldn't we know? We are a team and there shouldn't be secrets amongst the team. At least every one of us that you called here should have known."
"We didn't tell ya 'cause we knew this is how ya'll would react. I ain't thrilled with havin' t' work with Magneto and Ah hate workin' with Mystique, but Ah learned somethin'."
"Oh, and what's that Stripes?"
"That there ain't no sides amongst mutants no more! Remy moved in and he used t' work for Bucket Head." She looked around and her eyes met Storms. Storm nodded and encouraged her to continue. "Look, Ah know ya'll hate me for the no powers practice and now ya hate me fer getting' this drug, and ya'll are gonna hate me even more in a second."
"Rogue, I told you that I don't hate you about the no powers practice," Jean said.
"Ah know. Professor?" Rogue looked at the man behind the desk. All eyes turned to him. "Professor please tell 'em the new plans."
"Alright Rogue, you do know that we are both going to pay a harsh price here."
"Hey! It was your idea! Ah don't recall volunteering fer the position. Ya dumped it on meh, or did ya forget that?"
The professor cleared his throat, "Hum, Scott and Jean. You were my first students and you have come a long way and I am very proud of you. However I believe it is time for fresh eyes to take a leaders role. You have been fighting battles for so long that you automatically step into certain positions even if they are not the best positions at the time. You do it because it is automatic." Eyes narrowed and Rogue knew she was getting the evil eye even though Scott and Jean were behind her.
"Before you say anything I want you to know that I asked Rogue to lead and she said no. I continued to watch her train with you, Jamie and the odd time the other new recruits. I had to ask her several times before she agreed"
"Well I did say you might make a better leader than Scott and I one day, I didn't mean right away," Jean said.
"Jean, Ah kept tellin' him no."
"So then Rogue, what made you say yes?" asked Scott.
Rogue looked at the floor and then burst out, "He wouldn't take no fer an answer!"
Storm shook her head, Logan let out a grunt, and Scott and Jean's eyes bugged out of their heads looking back and fourth between the professor and Rogue.
Rogue sighed, "Look, Ah don't wanna knock ya out o' your positions, Ah'll jus' be there as an extra set of eyes fer now. Oh and as an extra co-leader it is meh duty to inform ya of a mission." 'Oh gawd, dagger eyes from Jean and fists from Scott. Ah'm so dead. Why'd Ah let him talk meh into this again?' She cleared her throat, "Hum, can we please have the rest o' the team here. Ah think it is important that they know what we are doing and why."
"Kitty, Kurt, Bobby and Gambit, could you please join everyone else in my office. Thank you."
"Like, on my way." Kitty phased through her floor to the main hall and walked to the big oak doors.
"Vright away professor." Kurt ported landing beside Kitty who beat away some of the brimstone smelling smoke with her hand.
"Yeah ok." Bobby seemed grouchy.
"Am I disturbing you Bobby?" asked the professor.
"No, I can beat Jamie and Jubilee at this video game later." Jubilee was in the lead followed by Jamie with Bobby in last place. He left the Rec. Room to head for the professors office.
"Gambit 'ear ya an' is on 'is way!" Gambit stashed his cards in the pocket of his trench coat and proceeded down the stairs to the office.
Once they were there the professor told them they could come in.
"Vat's up professor?" an eager Kurt asked.
"I would like to introduce you to your new co-leader who will; I hope become a leader of one of the X-Men teams."
They looked around and their eyes all hit Rogue at the same time and she felt like she had been hit by a few bricks.
"Rogue?" Kurt questioned.
"Like that was fast! Congratulations!" squealed Kitty.
"Tre's bien Rogue! (Very good Rogue)
"Thank you Kitty." "Merci Cajun." Rogue looked at Kurt and Bobby. "What Kurt, no good job sister?" She laughed.
Kurt snapped out of his daze. "Ja Rogue, vell done!"
Rogue rolled her eyes at his delayed reaction due to minor shock. She ignored Bobby who was getting board so she took the moment to tell them what they knew. "Alright here's the scoop. The FOH have a drug out that suppresses the X Gene." There were groans and gasps from the new comers. "Ah know, Ah know. We all know what happens if it's suppressed too long or too much is taken, mutants die."
"What is it?" Kitty asked.
"Well here ya go Kit Kat," Rogue handed her the box. "Kicking the X. So far we have the name of the drug and the phone number. Kitty, we will need your expert computer skills. We need ya t' look up the phone number an' tell us if it is a landline, cell phone, or disposable cell. Ah think we can all hope for option A. If not..."
"It is a cell phone connected to a computer. Most likely Apple brand." Kitty had grabbed the professors lap top and was already punching in numbers, hacking through passwords and tracing the phone on a map. "It is located in Hawaii on the island, wait one sec guys." Kitty zoomed in. "Got ya! It is on Maui on the East side. It looks it stopping in Hana."
"Way to go Half-Pint." Logan gave his full approval. Kitty gave a quick smile and then went back to serious mode.
"Kit, in the computer can ya see orders that may have been placed?"
Kitty searched through some various files. "Um let's see, supplier who is Creed head of the FOH, orders here we go. Oh God!"
"What is it Kitty? Scott asked.
Kitty looked at the group. "Well it's just like there are hundreds of them. I can try to like cancel some or like re-route them. See this?" Kitty showed them a chart with names, addresses phone numbers and a choice of two boxes, Shipped / Awaiting Shipping. "What do you like want me to do?"
Everyone looked to Rogue. "Ah want a print off of all the names, numbers an' addresses of people who have had the drug shipped to 'em already. We need t' break in t' small groups. Ah think for this mission it would be wise to have the younger recruits join us for the door t' door part."
"What! Are you crazy? They are uncontrollable. You have to be out of your mind to bring them along." Bobby spoke for the first time.
Rogue turned to him. "So Ah should leave ya behind too than Ice Boy."
"It's Ice Man and, wait, what?"
"Stripes is right Ice Boy. You need to stop thinking of yourself so high and mighty or however you think of yourself. Remember you used to be one of the younger recruits Now Stripes, what is your plan?"
"We each take part o' the list an' one senior t' one junior. We call and go door to door. Jubilee and Scott, Sam and Jean, Amara and Gambit, Kurt and Jamie. We want to stop them from takin' the drug when they get it. Remember, we don' know what dose is lethal. All we know is that it kills mutants. Any questions for the people Ah jus' called?" No one said anything. "All right' then, find ya buddy and break that list into four sections. Hopefully we can get t' the homes before people start dying'."
She then turned to Logan, Storm, Kitty and Bobby. "We need t' pick someone up."
"You better not be talking about who I think you are Stripes because we will need Scott and Jean for back-up."
"Yes we are getting' Mystique, no Ah'm not happy 'bout it but we need to scope the place out. We need t' see what is in the buildin' and what is in the computer system and download it on the drive. D' ya think ya can deal with that?"
As much as they hated the idea they knew she had a point so they nodded. "Bobby, ya can freeze any guard ya want, Logan y' can provide an alternate exit should we need one and take care o' the unfrozen guards an' any extra security. Storm, it's an island so any cover y' wanna give us would be greatly appreciated."
"What about you kid?"
"Ah'm goin' in as bait, that's why we need Mystique. Take out a few security guards an' then have 'er take meh in. That gives us time t' scope out the buildin' before sendin' Kitty in. We all have communicators and if we need help the group closest t' home can take the X-chopper an' inform the other groups along the way. Kurt can grab the kids and port them home."
They were impressed. Not too happy that four of their team members were going to be away playing 'don't take the drug', but impressed on how she had thought through all of these steps.
"Any questions?"
"Stripes, what about Bucket Head? I doubt he would want to miss this party."
"Don't worry Logan, Ah got it worked out. Ah jus' hope he cooperates." She gave a nod.
"Ok then, anyone else?" No one said anything. "Then let's move out!"