ii-15
Unfortunately for the X-Men vacation had come to an end and with heavy hearts they dragged themselves back to Bayville. Bobby only had a few more weeks before he could walk again, the snow in their Canadian Resort had been melting anyway and they did need to return to school. The arguments in Supreme Court were starting up again, from the looks of it Professor Xavier would be gone for a while, a few more weeks perhaps.
Rogue's Krav Mega training had slowly increased and improved according to Magneto she was getting deadlier by the day. Life at the mansion was returning to normal, repairs occurred daily when the spirits of the destructive New Mutants had finally been lifted.
Thankfully the X-Men had picked a good time to jump back into the action.
"Ladies an d gentlemen, the great inventor, Forge, had finally de-coded the stolen data from both the Sentinel Factory and Sinister's Lab!" Forge said enthusiastically.
"Bravo kid you want an award or something?" Wolverine asked the boasting mutant in front of him.
"Hey at the very least a round of applause would be nice, Sinister's was particularly difficult." Forge said as he clicked a series of buttons on the keyboard.
"Fordge we're very grateful o' course, now the information?" Rogue asked.
"Patience Rogue."
Forge continued to type until the flat screen TV clicked on and a series of pictures popped up.
"From what I can tell the new "Prowler Program" goes into effect sometime later this month, and it was created by the ambitious Senator Creed." Forge gestured to the screen, the same mechanical spider they'd seen designs of months ago popped up on screen. This one was more than a rough design though.
"This baby is equipped with some serious gadgets. First we got heat seeking missiles attached to what seems to be a tail, then we have mutant hunting software. You even get within 400 feet of this thing and it will know. Lastly though are the machine guns that lift out of the front legs, very accurate and very dangerous."
"This is going to be a problem." Rogue said as she rubbed her temples.
"Don't think of it like that Stripes." Wolverine disagreed. "This could be target practice for the New Mutants."
"Absolutely not!" Rogue shouted. "We are not going to be attacking these things before they attack us. If we move in on them now the government will see it as destroying their property. I don't want to give them a reason to attack us."
Magneto interjected. "Rogue the government is building weapons to hunt us; weapons are not built unless they intend to be used."
"Ummm….actually," Forge was cut short when Rogue stood up.
"We will not attack first, Professor Xavier wouldn't want it, and it goes against his philosophy."
Magneto stood up to. "Then what shall we do Rogue? Sit here idly twiddle our thumbs while we wait for Charles to find a diplomatic solution? Meanwhile our people will be hunted!"
Forge tried again. "Guys I think you're missing the-
"I'd bet my bike those Prowler's are going to be used when they introduce that Registration Act that senator's been pushing for." Logan interrupted Forge to give Magneto more ammo.
Forge nodded quickly. "Yes about him-
"Until they make the first move we will not attack!" Rogue said firmly.
"I believe we should attack now!" Magneto insisted.
"HELLO!" Forge yelled angrily. "What I've been trying to tell you people is that this Senator Creed does not have the authority to activate these Sentinels and Prowlers, and he did not obtain government money to fund this program, AND Creed never got the thumbs up from the government to even start this."
Silence echoed through the room, and tempers seemed to dies down…slightly. Though Forge's reveled information brought relief, both the arguing mutants still stood.
"Forge, are you saying the government knows nothing of this?" Rogue asked.
"Not that I can tell." He answered honestly as the pictures of the Prowlers disappeared into a folder on the giant screen.
"In that case, before jumping to conclusions maybe we should send a copy of this information to Professor Xavier where he can present this to congress." Rogue decided. Strom and Beast nodded in unison, good to know someone was on her side.
"And should the government do nothing?" Magneto asked.
Rogue sighed. Apparently he wasn't going to let this go easily.
"Right now the arguments in court are on live TV. The government has to do something, even if they don't care about mutants Creed is breaking the law by manufacturing deadly arms with intent to use said arms. If we can get the Professor to present this while it's live, the government won't have a choice but to hold Creed accountable for his actions."
"Should the government not shut down this mutant hunting manufacturing plant, what then will we do?" Magneto asked. Rogue sighed again. Damn him.
"We should wait first to see what course of action the government will take." Rogue stood firm.
"Have you considered that once this information is revealed to congress that all it takes is a phone call from Senator Creed to either speed up production and or activate these Sentinels?" Magneto asked.
"Then we should be monitoring the factory." Rogue reasoned. "And should production suddenly speed up we will have a really good reason to blow the place up."
'This isn't your decision to make alone girl. Professor Xavier's gone, and that means this decision belongs to all members of the cabinet, especially Prof.'s oldest friend.' Rogue reasoned with herself.
"We could lay low and wait for now while we at the same time monitor the factory."
"Do you agree with that plan?" Rogue asked.
Magneto pressed his lips together tightly.
"Yes, that is what we will do." He finally agreed. Both Rogue and Magneto sat back down, indicating that their argument was over.
"In other news I've also de-coded the data taken from Essex's Lab." Forge hit more buttons and documents popped up on screen.
"It's not much use to us unless the X-Men decide they want to make clones. What you took was basically a manual on how to make the perfect clones complete with their very own obey-my-every-command -gene."
Beast studied the data carefully. "This could be useful if we want to find their weaknesses." He offered.
"Of course this is what we ended up with. We couldn't have gotten his diary or his future plans." Rogue said pessimistically.
"It's something Rogue." Wolverine reminded her.
"You know speaking of his clones we never ran into them at Essex's Lab." Rogue brought up. "Even though Magneto could feel their bio-fluid."
"So?" Forge asked.
"If he sent them away the second he realized we were there that implies he didn't want us to know or destroy the clones." Rogue tapped her index finger against her chin.
"Which implies that he is planning to do something with these clones, something of a large magnitude." Magneto finished Rogue's thought.
Confusion took Forge's face. "How do you know it's going to be something big?"
"Well think about it Forge, Essex is a genius scientist that would have no problem creating other clones if we destroyed the ones at the factory." Rogue started to explain.
"Exactly." Magneto agreed. "He's planning something. We should take a closer look at the data on the clones."
"Agreed." Beast said. "I will get to work on that immediately."
"Well I think that just about wraps up this session." Wolverine said as he stood. "I'll be in the garage if anyone needs me, Ororo it's your turn to babysit tonight."
Rogue grinned as she watched Logan walk out, probably to get a six pack of beer before going down to the garage.
"I'd best prepare dinner before the children start to complain." Storm said as she also left the room.
Rogue's attention returned to Forge, who was packing up his equipment before he left to go home.
"Thanks for the help Forge." Rogue said as she handed him his laptop.
"Hm? Oh, yeah anytime Rogue." He said as he took it gratefully from her.
"How are things with your parents?" Rogue ventured.
"Things are going well, their older than I remember but still the same mom and dad."
"Good to hear. Are you going back to school anytime soon?"
"Nah. My parents declared me legally dead ten years ago, and if I suddenly popped up looking the same as I did the day I disappeared people would asked questions. Can you image if I told them the truth?"
"Yeah, somehow I don't think getting stuck in a pocket dimension would be a believable story, even if it is the truth."
"Well if you have all that free time on your hands, maybe you should consider joining the X-Men." Rogue smiled at him warmly. "Professor X would be glad to have you, and you would have unlimited access to the best gadgets and toys the X-Men own."
That took Forge by surprise. "Join the X-Men? Are you serious?" He asked.
"Yeah, you would be a valued member. Train with us in the danger room, you know be amongst other mutants more often. The whole reason the institute was build was to help young mutants gain control, why not further your knowledge and skills? You're a good inventor Forge, but with training and the help from the greatest telepath on the planet you could be a great one, you could accomplish great things." Rogue hoped she sounded convincing.
"And I'm sure the Prof. would find a way for you to go back to school." She added.
"Well…" Forge considered it for several moments. "It would be nice to be around other mutants more often and to learn again..."
"There's no rush Forge." Rogue assured him quickly. "Why don't you talk it over with your parents, maybe bring them down to the institute, but you don't have to make a decision right now."
"Okay, thanks." He seemed a little more relaxed. "I will talk to them about it." Forge said as he paused at the door. "See you soon Rogue." He said as he left.
Rogue watched the open door for a few moments before going over to the computer where she pulled up tomorrow's danger room plans. It was meant to be an attack plan where a speedy drone would be the target. The student's mission was to hit the drone with a hit to miss ratio of at least 1:3. It was a simple simulation, but it was meant to test their patience and accuracy.
"That was an impressive argument for one that has just acquired the title of leader." A commanding voice with the slightest hint of a German accent said as an arm encircled her waist.
Rogue grinned. "You think so?" She asked. "Well I have a pretty good teacher." She reminded him.
Magneto smirked at the compliment. "That you do." He agreed as used his free hand to play with her hair.
Rogue tried her best to focus on the simulation and not on what he was doing to her. Suddenly the simulation plans closed themselves and the computer shut off.
"Erik!" Rogue chastised. "I was working on that."
"You've reviewed the simulation plans multiple times today Rogue, it wouldn't hurt to have a break." Magneto tried to persuade her. "You deserve a little reward after you made the offer to Forge."
Magneto's skillful hands moved to her neck and shoulder blades, firmly rubbing.
"Thank you." Rogue mumbled. It had been such a long time since she experienced this, felt really nice.
"You seem tense." Magneto stated as he continued to rub. "Did you dream of memories that didn't belong to you?" He asked, concerned.
"No." Rogue answered. "I just couldn't sleep well with Scott and Kurt's fragments nagging me every time I dozed off."
"The fragments have started speaking again? "
"Mmmhmm. Your power doesn't keep them in check forever. Eventually it fades over time. Actually I've been meaning to ask you if I could absorb you again."
Magneto stopped rubbing and turned her around to face him. Rogue pressed against him, letting her hand craw up to rest on his shoulder. Magneto cupped her cheek and pulled her as close as he could before kissing her.
"You may absorb me anytime." His thoughts told her. "I would never deny you the use of your gift."
Magneto broke the kiss, but kept her body pressed against his. Rogue smiled as she felt his power. "Much better." She confirmed.
Magneto chuckled. "I'm glad. Rogue I was thinking and after our training session, one day, we could leave for the evening."
"Really?" Rogue asked as she let her hands move back and forth on his shoulders. "Where would we go?" She asked.
"I was considering taking you to see the Washington Memorial or the Statue of Liberty after I made you dinner."
"Sounds an awful lot like a date." She commented.
"Possibly because it will be."
"A date with Magneto doesn't sound so bad." Rogue grinned from ear to ear. "Maybe it'll actually be fun."
"Maybe?" He asked. "Yes and maybe I won't become too irritated with you, though that itself would be a miracle."
Rogue wacked Magneto's shoulder lightly. "I was just playin' round Erik, no need to get all grumpy."
"You mistake seriousness with "being grumpy"as you put it."
Rogue stuck her tongue out at him.
"I've never seen you this childish Rogue." Magneto said as he tangled his hand in her hair.
"I wonder what's gotten into you." He mused to himself. "Could it be that you're happy? Would it be too foolish of me to assume this happiness is because of me?"
"Whatever." Rogue scoffed. "I'll see you later." She said as she squirmed out of his arms. Rogue did pause at the door though.
"How does Saturday night sound? We could leave around seven."
"Perfect." He answered. Rogue turned back towards the door, fully intent on walking out.
Some persistent emotion though kept insisting she do something first. Quickly Rogue walked towards him and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. She barely absorbed him. Rogue turned slightly red at his knowing smirk before finally leaving.
Rogue had changed out of her uniform for dinner that was in less than ten minutes when Kitty walked knocked on her door.
"Come in." Rogue answered as she lay on her bed grinning, thinking of her scheduled date. 'I'm excited. I can't believe I'm actually excited. My reputation as the Ice Queen would take a nose dive if any of the New Mutants saw me like this.'
"There you are Rogue; I've been looking all over." Kitty said as she closed the door.
"What's up Kit?"
Kitty sat nervously on the edge of Rogue's bed. She fiddled with the cotton of her sweater. "Look Rogue I don't know how to say this, but lately there has been a lot of talk about how much time you spend with Magneto."
That snapped Rogue out of her happy state. She turned to glare at her closest friend. "So? He's helping me with my powers, Kitty."
"Well yeah I know that but a little while ago Jubilee said she was walking past the conference room and saw you two all over each other. Like touching to where you couldn't get any closer."
Rogue pressed her hand to her face and inhaled, trying to think of what to say to her friend. The whole truth could come out now, or she could lie her ass off, or simply choose not to tell her anything. It's not like its Kitty's business in the first place. Who cares if they were touching? Who cares if they were pressed together? It's none of her business. Or Jubilee's with her big mouth, which has probably already blabbed to half the mansion. Nosy assholes.
"Look Kitty…
Sorry about the cliff hanger! Thanks to everyone that told me my story wasn't going downhill, must just be paranoia getting to me, so nice to have support it really motivated me to write this chapter.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and will give me suggestions on what Rogue should tell Kitty.
RR Time:
Marigab: Thanks for your support! I'm having fun experimenting on Rogue and Erik's relationship but now I get to play with how other people will react to how close they've gotten, any suggestions?
Angelpaint07: Glad you liked the last chapter, Rogue did get what she deserved, and maybe she'll think twice next time.
Crystalstar1999: Thanks for your review!
Christa4ever: Thanks for your advice and reassurance it's really helped! I can't wait for your next update!
1983Sarah: Thanks for your review!
Ophelia193: Thanks for your support and I'll try to write Magneto as an arrogant bastard more often!