BEGIN PART TWO
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New York City
January 14, 21:09 EST
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Kitty and Piotr had just left a movie and were walking along the streets of New York, absorbing the night air. The two had thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie, but it had started itching at the back of Piotr's mind that something was wrong with Kitty. Now they were both silent and walking. Piotr finally stopped and turned to Kitty.
"What is wrong, Kitty?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"You haven't said a word since we left the theater, what is wrong?"
"Nothing, I was just…thinking." Kitty replied.
"About what?"
Kitty leaned her head to one side and looked at the ground.
"Kitty, whatever it is, you can tell me." Piotr said, placing her hand in his.
Kitty sighed. "You know how we're both mutants?"
"Yes." Piotr replied, quietly, pulling her gently near an alleyway.
"Well, I haven't been completely honest with you." Kitty said.
Piotr remained silent and indicated she continue.
"I haven't been alone in my mutation. There's a reason you've never been to my house. I don't have one."
"You live on the streets?" Piotr asked.
"No, no!" Kitty replied. "I—I live at a place for mutants, sort of a school." She took a deep breath and continued. "There's this guy, Professor Xavier, he's founded an Institute where mutants can stay safe and train with their powers and other mutants. I—I didn't tell you about this because…"
Piotr looked at her expectantly.
"…because I wanted you all to myself." Kitty sighed, looking at him with those sad blue eyes. "When I met you, I just needed someone to be with who wasn't part of the Xavier Institute, because that place reminded me of so many bad things that had happened, I just wanted to be free of it. I know I should have told you and I'm sorry. You deserved to know. I—I just didn't want anyone else to have you."
Piotr looked at her and she at him.
"Are you mad at me?"
Piotr sighed and hugged her tightly. "No, no my kitty cat." He replied. "I love you too much to be angry at you."
Kitty's heart fluttered. "So what are you going to do?"
Piotr pulled away and looked at her. "I will stay with you, Kitty, because you need me more than this Professor Xavier does."
Kitty smiled and kissed him.
-
Fagan's Bar & Grill
New Orleans, Lousiana
January 14, 20:08 CDT
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"Rogue, this is like the fourth bar we've hit. Are we even sure he's down here anymore?"
"Well if he wasn't at the casino, best guess is he's at some bar gettin' drunk. You look around an' I'll grab a drink."
"You're not supposed to drink on mission." Emma called.
"If I have to keep listenin' to you, I am." Rogue replied.
The red-head strode up to the bar and sat down, ordering a beer. She took a sip out of it as someone slid in next to her.
"I ain't in a chattin' mood, so don't bother." Rogue said before the new arrival could open their mouth.
"Now, why would you go and treat me like that, Cherie?" the voice replied.
Rogue almost choked on her beer, her eyes widening. She turned and looked at the cocky Cajun.
"Gambit?" she asked. "What the hell are you doin' here?"
"This is my neck o' the woods." Gambit responded, leaning on one arm. "What're you doin' here?"
"Trackin' a breakout." Rogue replied.
"Still workin' for Uncle Sam." Gambit said, slightly disappointed. "Surprised you ain't whipped the cuffs on me yet."
"Naw, I don't work for them anymore. I'm with another interested party."
"Who?" Gambit asked.
"The Xavier Institute." Rogue replied.
"I 'member you tellin' me bout them." Gambit said. "Some sorta school for mutants?"
"Yeah, they're the good guys."
Gambit smiled.
"What?" Rogue demanded.
"Nothin'" Gambit responded. "I just like seein' you again."
Rogue smiled.
"Fagan!" Gambit called. "This here's my friend Rogue. Get her somethin' strong. She needs it."
Fagan nodded and started mixing a drink. Rogue turned to Gambit.
"You tryin' t' get meh drunk?" she asked.
"Naw, I just figured you needed somethin' after being stuck with her." Gambit replied, throwing a thumb in Emma's direction. She was watching them carefully. Rogue laughed and turned back around. "s'pose yo're right."
Fagan set down two drinks in front of the couple. He pulled the towel of his shoulder and leaned down. "Y'know, I got a few rooms upstairs if ya want it." He tossed them a key and went back to servin' drinks. Rogue turned to Gambit and looked like she was about to burst out laughing. Gambit was intensely amused as well.
"Go on, try it." He suggested.
Rogue took a deep sip of the drink and swallowed. "Pretty good." She said.
Gambit looked a little upset.
"What?" she asked. "Expectin' me to choke?"
"A li'l." he replied.
"Now you drink yo'rs." Rogue said. Gambit looked at his and then her.
"Come'on." Rogue said. "Don't tell me Gambit can't hold 'is liquor."
Gambit stared at her and took a deep sip of his drink. He cleared his throat.
"Yo'r eyes are waterin'." Rogue pointed out.
"Thanks for that." Gambit replied, wiping his eyes.
'Rogue, who's your friend?' Emma asked telepathically.
'Noneya.' Rogue replied. 'Go check out another bar, I got this 'un.'
'We're supposed to be working together. Who's your friend?'
'Emma, go to another bar, I've got this 'un.' Rogue repeated with a little more force. Emma sighed and departed.
"Now that yo'r friend's gone, what do you want to do?" Gambit asked.
Rogue glanced at him mischievously.
-
Lower Levels
Xavier Institute
January 14, 22:56 EST
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Lorna dug through the files in Cerebro. Somewhere in here was her information and she was going to find it. She had scanned through her X-Man file, but it had shed no new light on the situation, so now she was scanning for Magneto's file.
"Error: Lenscherr, Erik moved to "Enemies"." The computer shouted loudly. "Would you like to open the "Enemies" folder?"
Lorna glanced over her shoulder in case someone had heard the computer and turned the volume down.
"Yes." She replied. The computer loaded up the "Enemies" folder revealing an excessive number of files. She raised her eyebrows and scanned for Erik's. She found it. She opened it. Identity, powers, affiliation, a few sealed files, known relatives.
Maximoff, Wanda
Maximoff, Pietro
Maximoff, Magda [Deceased]
Dane, Lorna
"I knew it!" Lorna whisper-exclaimed. She glanced over her shoulder again and rapidly began closing files. She started closing files when the computer rang out. "Error: Alpha-level passcode required to access this file."
"What file?" Lorna muttered.
"Lorna!"
The lights flickered on and Lorna turned abruptly. Charles was in the doorway along with Storm. Both were in their pajamas. Lorna backed up against the computer console.
"Professor! I—um—"
"Lorna, return to your room at once and remain there until tomorrow morning. Your access to this room has been effectively terminated and any attempt to get in will render you unconscious."
Lorna nodded and flew out of the room. Charles rolled over to the computer and typed quickly, seeing what files she had accessed.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh, Charles?" Storm asked.
"Perhaps a little," Charles responded. "She needs to know, however, that disobedience will not be tolerated. Ah hah!"
"What's that?" Storm asked, leaning over the computer console.
"The list of files accessed in the past hour." Charles responded. "It appears she now knows the truth about Magneto and—oh my."
"What?" Storm asked.
Charles opened the times that file had been opened and read it. Lorna had attempted to open the file, but had been unsuccessful.
"Charles? What is the "Hand"?"
Charles didn't respond. He typed in a few commands.
"File sealed. Would you like to restrict access?"
Charles typed in a few more commands.
"Confirmed: Xavier, Charles is now the only authorized user allowed to open this file."
"Charles?" Storm asked.
Charles kept ignoring her and closed the computer down, turning and rolling out.
"Charles!" Storm called, flying after him. "What was that file?"
"Don't worry about it, Storm." Charles replied.
"I kind of have to." Storm replied. "What is in that file that only you can see it?"
"If it was of any importance to you, Storm," Charles said, wheeling into his room. "I would have authorized you to open it."
"Charles—"
"Good night, Ororo." Charles said, closing his door.
Storm was puzzled. It was unlike Charles to act like this. She had never known Charles to hold secrets unless it was to help protect someone, like her past as a thief in Cairo. What could be so important that he would seal the file like that?
-
New Orleans
January 14, 23:09 CDT
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Rogue made a slight "mmph" as her back hit the wall. She leaned into Gambit's kiss, wrapping her legs even tighter around his waist, her arms tightening around his neck. Gambit's strong hands slipped around to her back and slid over the smooth skin. His tongue pressed harder in her mouth and she grinned as his hand undid that little strap on the back of her shirt and he pulled it off, tossing it onto the floor revealing a full bra.
"Like what you see, Gumbo?" she asked.
Gambit smirked and pressed his lips to the underside of her chin, kissing strongly, his tongue rolling over her skin. She laughed, letting his mouth explore down her neck to the start of her chest. She reached over and tugged his loose shirt out of his pants, tossing it off, running her hands over his hairy chest.
"You like what you see, chere?" he asked.
She grinned and slipped to her knees.
The morning light filtered in through the dirty window, shining on the couple. The thick comforter was thrown over the two, as if by another party. Gambit's strong arm wrapped around Rogue's slim waist. Her hair was splayed across the pillow. The two slept in peace until Rogue's phone rang.
It rang all the way through once and the room went back to silence before it rang again, this time waking the red-head. Rogue glanced at the alarm-clock through one eye and then at her phone. It was Emma. She sighed and sat up, clutching the sheets over her bare chest.
"What?" she demanded. "It's like four in the mornin', Emma. Go t' sleep."
"It's actually nine thirty." Emma replied. "Where the bloody hell are you?"
Rouge glanced at Gambit, who was stirring.
"Noneya." She replied.
"You're with that guy, aren't you?" Emma asked accusingly. "You little whore!"
"Why don't you refrain from judgin' what you don't know nothin' bout?" Rogue snapped. "I'll meet you for breakfast at Fagan's. Hour an' a half."
"Lunch." Emma corrected.
Rogue made a sound that indicated her disgust and hung up the phone on her partner.
"That the Yankee girl from last night?" Gambit asked.
"Mmhmm" Rogue replied, turning over to look at him. He smiled at her.
"What'd she want?"
"Nothin' that can't wait." Rogue replied, smirking and kissing Gambit on the lips gently. He smiled and pulled her closer, pressing their naked bodies together.
"So what do you wanna do for the rest of the day, Cherie?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, we can't sleep in, Gumbo." She replied.
"Why not?" Gambit asked.
"For starters, this ain't our room." Rogue said, an air of smart-ass and cockiness coming into her voice. "Second, I'm still here on a miss'n."
"Ah, screw the miss'n." Gambit replied.
"Can't." Rogue said, moving to stand up. "Unlike you, I gotta sense of responsibility bout me."
"I could be responsible fir you." Gambit said, watching her as she stood up. She dropped the sheets and he shut his mouth as she slowly slid on his shirt, glancing at him mischievously over her shoulder.
"I'd love t' see it." She responded.
"Where ya goin'?" he asked.
"Shower," Rogue responded, walking into the bathroom. "You comin'?"
"This is absolutely disgusting." Emma said, pushing the bowl of gumbo away.
"Now that's just insultin'!" Gambit exclaimed. "That there is the best bowl of gumbo you can find in New Orleans!"
"Orleans, not Orleens." Rogue corrected with a giggle. "Maybe she'd like the red-beans and rice?"
"Too spicy for 'er." Gambit responded. The two delved into their own conversation about southern food and what Emma might like.
"Are there no proper food establishments around here?"
"I just had an idea!" Rogue exclaimed. "She needs a beignet!"
"Oui!" Gambit exclaimed. "That and a cup of hot chocolate, might make her appreciate us southern fo'k a li'l more."
"What is a beignet?" Emma asked curiously.
"It's sorta cross 'tween a biscuit and a donut, covered in powdered sugar. It's much more yo'r style of food." Rogue responded.
Emma sighed. "I'll try it." She raised her hand to signal a waiter, but Gambit put it down and waved them off. "No, no. Fagan's good, but not at that! We're takin' you to the rivah!"
Emma took a deep breath. "Well while you two play with each other, I'm going to go find something a little more interesting to do."
Gambit looked at Rogue in mock hurt and she giggled. "Aie! Right through da heart!"
-
Xavier Institute
January 15, 9:08 EST
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Charles knocked gently on Lorna's door and rolled inside. The green-haired mutant was lying on her bed, one arm beneath her head, the other preoccupied with a ball of metal, moving it around the room. When Xavier entered, she glanced at him and continued to move the ball with her mind.
"Lorna, we need to talk."
"We do." Lorna said, releasing the ball and catching it before sitting up and facing the Professor. "Why didn't you tell me Magneto was my father?"
"You were not allowed to access any files in the Dark Room, Lorna. You have breached my trust and—"
"Stop avoiding the question." Lorna said, clenching her fists. "First you lie to me, then when I learn the truth, you still lie!"
"Lorna, I was only—"
"Keeping me in the dark, for what, to "protect me"? To keep me from running back to my father?"
"No, Lorna, I—"
"Stop lying to me!" Lorna exclaimed green fire leaping from her eyes, her voice echoing.
"Lorna!" Charles yelled. "Put down the knife!"
Lorna paused, looking at the metal ball in her hand. It had transformed itself into a knife and she was clutching it, the blade pointed at Charles.
"I—I'm sorry, Professor." Lorna said, morphing the knife back into a ball and dropping it onto the bed.
"I think it is fairly obvious we need to start sessions again." Charles said.
"Yes, Professor. I'm sorry, I just lost myself to the rage again…"
"I know, Lorna. It is alright." Charles said, relaxing into his chair. "I came up here to tell you why I kept your parentage a secret from you."
Lorna sat back down on her bed, pulling a few paperclips from her desk and levitating them around her hand. Charles sighed and wheeled a little closer to her.
"Lorna, I kept your parentage a secret because I was afraid of how it would affect you. Erik was unaware you were his daughter. I thought that if you were to grow up with a father who was unaware of you, it would damage you more than it would were I to keep the truth from you. That was my error in judgment. I should have trusted you with the truth."
Lorna nodded.
"This does not excuse you breaking into the Dark Room last night." Charles continued. "That was completely unacceptable and irresponsible of you. Your privileges regarding that level of the Institute have been restricted and you will serve your punishment in an extra Danger Room session a day."
Lorna nodded again.
"I hope this enlightens you as to the fact that some secrets are best left buried, and that some secrets are best left for another time."
Charles headed towards the door.
"Professor!" Lorna called.
"Yes?" Charles asked, turning in the doorway.
"I'm not going to rejoin him." She said. "Why should I pay my allegiance to a man who did not know of me for half of my life?"
"He is your father, Lorna." Charles said. "Don't wave him off completely. There is a fuller story to this, one that I will leave to you to investigate…when you are ready."
Lorna nodded.
"Now then! Danger Room!"
-
Choctaw Casino
January 15, 17:08 CDT
-
"So you'd be willin' to come back to the Xavier Institute?" Rogue asked. She batted her eyelashes a few times. "With me?" she added sweetly.
"You might have to take anothe' night t' convince me." Gambit smirked.
"I could deal with that…" Rogue replied, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She kissed him and it lasted longer than it should have. She stood up with a smirk on her face. "Let's go look around an' find this mutant so I can send Emma home."
Gambit stood up and started to follow her when someone shouted from behind him:
"Remy LeBeau!"
Rogue and Gambit turned to see a tall, skinny, pale woman storming towards them. She had dark blue hair and was dressed in matching skin-tight clothes with a window on her chest. What was especially peculiar about her, besides the handguns on her hips, was the blue spot over one eye.
"Domino, look, I know what yo'r thinkin'…" Gambit started, holding up his hands in defense. Domino ignored him and slapped him, hard. Rogue giggled a little until Domino grabbed his face and pulled it to hers, kissing him fierce. Gambit pushed her away, but Rogue stormed over anyway.
"What the hell?" she demanded.
"Just kissin' my boyfriend, if ya don't mind." Domino responded.
"That's my boyfriend." Rogue responded. "You little slut."
"How dare you!" Domino exclaimed. Her hand reached for a pistol and brought it up. Rogue grabbed her wrist, twisted it sharply causing her to drop the gun, kicked her right leg out from under her, grabbed the wrist she had a firm grip on and flipped over her back, pinning it to the back of her skull, placing the barrel of the gun to her head.
"Wanna try that ag'in?" Rogue demanded.
"Hey!" Gambit exclaimed, grabbing Rogue's hand. "Don't kill anybody."
Rogue glared at him and back at Domino. She increased the way the pale girl's wrist was bent to the point she yelled out in pain before dropping her and her weapon.
"What the hell was that?" Rogue demanded, getting up close to Gambit.
Gambit remained silent, looking between the two girls.
'Rogue' Emma called telepathically.
'Not now!' Rogue responded harshly.
'I've got the breakout and he's in danger. We need to move now!'
Rogue sighed and grabbed Gambit. "C'mon you worthless piece uh shit."
-
Washington, D.C.
January 15, 12:00 EST
-
Secretary of Defense Bolivar Trask adjusted his neck-tie in an attempt to make it looser around his neck. His formal uniform was stiff and tight. The medals on his chest pricked him through the uniform. His necktie was too tight. He felt like a robot in this thing. A thousand more complaints buzzed around his head.
"Careful now, Trask." Kelly said with a sly smile. "Wouldn't want to rip that nice uniform."
"I'd rather go out in a suit, and I despise suits." Trask replied.
"Well, not to add any pressure, but the fate of the human race and that of the world lies in you speaking these words just right." Kelly said, shifting his feet.
"Yeah, no pressure at all." Trask replied. "I don't see why you couldn't give this speech."
"Because I'm not supposed to be in contact with you about the mutant problem." Kelly replied. "Besides, I like to see you sweat."
"Some friend." Trask muttered. "You're going to take credit for this if it succeeds though."
"When" Kelly corrected. "And yes, naturally."
"Well why not give the damn speech?"
"I'm not sticking my neck out for something that might not work." Kelly responded, hands clasped behind his gray suit.
"But you'll stick out mine?" Trask demanded.
"It's not like that, Bolivar." Kelly responded.
"Sure, it's not." Trask replied. "You just hold up your end of the bargain and I'll get the public to demand these."
Kelly nodded. Something echoed in the distance.
"That would be your cue." Kelly whispered slyly. Trask glared at him before tucking the notecards in his breast pocket and walking on stage. He walked to the podium, looking at the group of reporters, almost fifty, gathered in the small arena here. His invention stood silent and still to the side of him, covered by a royal purple drape. The press was obviously intrigued at what could be under the curtain. What was that size? Was it a new rocket? A new drone?
Trask stepped up to the podium and set his cards down on the lectern. He tapped the microphone and a resounding boom echoed around the arena.
"At least that works." He said.
The press laughed.
Trask took a brief moment to compose himself before starting his speech.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, thank you for attending this press conference. I understand it was a last-minute scheduling, but this event had to remain classified until the absolute last minute."
Whispers ran through the crowd.
"A year and a half ago, the existence of a superior species was discovered. Persons with extraordinary powers lived among us. Most of these mutants looked like us, and it was especially hard to discover who was mutant, and who was human."
This was all familiar. Now Trask was entering the exciting stuff.
"I am now allowed to de-classify a program we have been calling Project Sentinel."
Frantic scurrying of pens. A secret government program? This was huge!
"Project Sentinel, formed by President Hank McCoy, has a single goal: the tracking and evaluation of mutant breakouts. The Sentinel Project sends undercover agents to assess a new mutant's powers and threat level. This was enough until recently."
"After the Christmas Rally Massacre by the mutant terrorist Magneto and his Brotherhood, the United States government felt it was time to unveil a second classified project that we have been working on since the first day mutants were revealed."
"Mutants have a distinct advantage over humans in combat in that they have extraordinary abilities that may render normal weapons or skills…obsolete."
"This second project, which we have labeled Project Heracles, was to build a weapon for the human race that could battle mutant criminals like Magneto without endangering human lives. We, as the human race, need a defense mechanism against terrorists and criminals whose powers far exceed our own."
Trask was getting emotional, letting his anger and fierce determination power his voice. It moved something in the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you: the savior of the human race…"
Trask gestured and the curtain fell.
"The Sentinel!"
The crowd gasped and many took a step backwards.
Behind the curtain was a giant metallic humanoid figure. Standing almost twenty feet tall and fifteen wide, the Sentinel resembled the outline of a fit human male. Its legs were half of its height, covered in large purple armor plates and other red armor plates that covered gaps left by the purple ones. The arms draped to the start of its thighs, made of the same design as the legs and featuring a fully functioning hand. The chest sat in the middle of this and was much larger. Almost the size of a recycling truck, the chest was made of several overlapping purple plates. Red armor plates sloped down and created a hole in the chest that was dark. The head was the size of a small car and looked like a tin can sold in stores. Made mostly of a single red armor plate, the Sentinel featured two eyes, which were dark, and a slit for a mouth. All of the armor pieces overlapped and made the connection of the arms and feet to the body look seamless. Trask gave the reporters time to catch their breath, take a few notes, and snap a few photos before turning back to them.
"Impressive, is it not?" he asked, a broad smile on his face. His work was coming together. "I have also been authorized to…"
Trask pressed a button and a very loud boom echoed around the arena, causing the reporters to stumble backwards. With a loud groan the Sentinel came online. The core in its chest began to hum and glow a faint green, glowing to a pulsating green circle of energy. The eyes blinked on, their green orbs taking in the environment and scanning the crowd.
"Relax, the Sentinel program for combat has not been activated." Trask reassured the crowd. "It is merely scanning its surroundings."
"The Sentinel runs on a form of Artificial Intelligence. It scans an adversary's powers and weaknesses and alters its battle strategy to counter. This AI is under full control of the United States government."
Trask gave the reporters almost an entire minute to stare the Sentinel over.
"I will send the Sentinel on a walk around the grounds while you ask questions." Trask said. He pressed a third button and the Sentinel turned with a loud groan and clanked off into the distance. Reporters clamored around the podium.
"You in the green." Trask said.
"Secretary Trask, how many mutants can the Sentinel handle at once?"
"As many as are thrown its way." Trask replied.
"Secretary! What danger does this Sentinel pose to non-mutants?"
"The Sentinel only targets mutants."
"Mr. Trask! Do you believe this imposes on the freedom of mutants assigned to them in the Constitution?"
Trask smiled almost sinister-like. "Mutants who are cleared by the Sentinel Project as non-hostiles will appear as such to the Sentinel and they will be ignored as if they did not exist at all."
"So what gives the government the right to decide who is a villain and who is not?"
"Only one question." Trask replied with a smile.
"Have you run combat simulations?"
"No," Trask smiled. "This is the first time a Sentinel was ever activated. You have just watched history being made."
-
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
January 15, 12:15 EST
-
Fury watched the announcement with a scowl on his face.
"Hill!" he called, summoning the Assistant Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. to his side. She jogged over. Maria Hill was a young African-American woman in her thirties. She wore the same skin-tight black leather suit that was uniform for all other S.H.I.E.L.D. members. She had short black hair that came three-quarters of the way down her ear and was cut clean and straight all of the way around.
"Yes, Director?" she asked.
"I want our resources tracking this new "Sentinel", I want a line to the President and no one else, and I want the Council summoned for an emergency meeting. We need a way of deactivating these things. In the hands of Trask and Kelly, they're a threat to everyone."
"Yes, sir." Hill said. "Anything else, sir?"
"Yes, get me a new pack of cigarettes."
"Sir, your wife said you needed to quit."
Fury rolled his eyes and sighed. "Then get me some damn gum, somethin' so I don't turn around and shoot everybody on this bridge!"
"Yes, sir." Hill replied.
-
New Orleans, Lousiana
January 15, 17:13 EST
-
The streets were dark and fairly empty. The pavement was made of bricks, soaked from a recent rainfall. Few streetlights lit the road and several cars were parked up and down the street. Miscellaneous shops were on either side of the road. It was almost dark outside, the sun was almost beneath the horizon. It glistened off of the puddles on the road and shined into Rogue's eyes.
The red-head was wearing a black sweater and dark jeans. Her leather jacket waved behind her in the wind. Her combat boots splashed the water as she darted down the street, Gambit following her.
"Chere!" He called. "Wait up!"
"Don't you call me that!" Rogue exclaimed.
"C'mon, I pushed 'er away!"
"Shore…"
"Oh c'mon! That ain't fair!"
"You wanna talk about fair?" Rogue demanded, rounding a corner and coming to a stop. "You ain't never done anything in yo'r life 'less it's for the betterment of Gambit!"
"That ain't true!"
"Shore it is! Lord knows how many women you screwed before me! You used me at the Project just to escape! Now yo're probably just usin' me to get this mutant an' help Magneto!"
"I haven't ever used you, chere!" Gambit exclaimed. He stopped. "Well, maybe a li'l at the Project…"
Rogue grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. "You little slime!" she exclaimed.
"I really care for you, Rogue! I do!" Gambit exclaimed. "I was s'ppos'd t' marry Domino as a merger between my clan and hers. She liked me, but that girl is a bitch."
Rogue kept him pinned.
"Yo're the only one I've ever been with! I would ne'er hurt you, Cherie." He exclaimed, then softer. "Yo're the only one I've ever loved like dis."
Rogue's grip softened a bit before she finally released him.
"Ya still got some hell t' pay." She informed him.
"Wouldn't expect any less from you, chere." He said.
Rogue smirked.
'Rogue! Gambit! Look out!'
Bullets sprayed in their area and the two ducked behind a 1990 Chevrolet pick-up. Glass shattered and Rogue cringed.
"You know these fellas?" Rogue asked.
"Naw, don't recognize 'em." Gambit replied. "Then again, that don't mean they don't recognize me…"
'They're not shooting at the two of you, they're shooting at the breakout.' Emma said telepathically. 'He's won a lot of money from them and they think he's cheating. In a way he is, his mutant ability is altering chance.'
"Any moron knows not to win too big at a casino." Rogue exclaimed. "What a dumbass!"
'There are five men with automatic rifles directly ahead of you.' Emma said.
'How tall and how far apart?' Rogue asked.
'What?'
'Just answer the question!'
Emma glanced. 'They're about a foot apart, six feet average. Thirty feet away.'
Rogue grinned and pulled a gun out of the back of her jeans.
"Where'd you get that?" Gambit exclaimed.
Rogue smirked and leaned around the edge of the car.
'Where's the breakout?'
'He's in front of your car.'
Rogue stood up and fired three shots, ducking back behind the car.
'Three for three.' Emma noted, obviously impressed. 'Knee shots, they're down.'
Rogue smirked and rolled into the middle of the street, firing three more rounds at the men and downing them. There were now six heavily armed men in the middle of the street clutching their knees.
Rogue walked up to the breakout and held out her hand. He looked at her nervously and took it.
He was short, probably four feet, and looked like a fat, drunk elf. His hair was sandy-brown and messy. His black shirt had holes in it, most from knife blades and bullet-holes. His jeans were ripped and stained. He wore a black trench-coat that miraculously fit him. Rogue had no idea where he had found it.
"What's yo'r name?" Rogue asked, bending down.
"You aren't here to kill me too?" the breakout asked nervously, fiddling with his hands.
"Naw," Rogue smiled.
The man looked at her nervously. "Longshot," he finally replied.
"Nice t' meet ya, Longshot." Rogue said. "I'm Rogue. This is Gamb—"
"Remy LeBeau, Gambit, I know." The man said. He walked over and shook Gambit's hand. "So honored to meet you, sir. You are truly a legend in the Underworld."
"I think ya got a fanboy, Gambit." Rogue said snarkily.
Gambit scowled.
Somewhere in the distance an engine revved. A black Mustang rounded the corner and sped towards the three mutants. Gambit and Rogue reacted, darting to the side. Longshot froze in the face of danger, however, with a deer-in-headlights look on his face. Gambit growled and leapt out at him, picking him up, bouncing off the hood of the car and rolling onto the pavement next to Rogue.
"Nice moves, Slick." Rogue smirked.
"Oh hell, I'd like t' see you do somethin' like that!" Gambit gasped out.
Rogue laughed.
'Guys, they're coming around for a second pass!'
Rogue pulled out her pistol and dropped her empty clip on the ground. She went to pull out a spare clip, but remembered she didn't have any. The muzzle of a tommy gun leaned out of the window and started spraying. Gambit leapt at Rogue this time and tackled her to the ground. The car disappeared into the distance. Gambit rolled off of Rogue and grasped his side in pain.
"Ah, mother—" Gambit cursed.
Rogue gasped breathlessly, sitting on the pile of garbage they had landed on. She looked over at him.
"Dumbest person on the face of the Earth." She cried out. "Are you tryin' to get yo'rself killed?"
"Oh, yes, well, don't be thankful!" Gambit exclaimed. "It ain't like I took a—unn—bullet for ya or anyth'ng!"
"Honestly," Emma said, descending down into the alleyway. "You two sound like an old married couple!"
"I ain't old." Rogue replied.
"You might want to thank him." Emma said, bending down and opening the medical kit. "He did save yo'r life."
"Yeah, listen to Yankee girl." Gambit said. He promptly received a smack from Emma.
"What?" he demaned.
Rogue smirked and kissed him gently as Emma looked at the wound.
"Through-and-through." She said. "You'll be fine."
"I will now." Gambit replied dreamily.
-
Xavier Institute
January 15, 21:54 EST
-
The temperature was dropping rapidly, yet Jean remained on the bench. The mutant was dressed in a thick white parka and jeans. She had snow-boots and gloves on her feet and hands. She had left her hat off, allowing her brilliant red hair to flow in the wind.
She had been sitting out here for almost two solid hours, thinking on what Charles had advised her to do. Just telling someone that she had an entity inside of her that liked to wipe out those who dared touch its host was kind of hard. What made it even worse was that Jean had no clue what it was, what it wanted, or how to control it. What if this made Scott want to leave her? What if Scott was too afraid to be around her? He had stuck with her through a lot, but this?
As if reading her thoughts, Scott walked up and sat down next to her.
The two sat in silence for a minute.
"What's wrong, Jean?" Scott asked.
"What?" Jean asked, taken aback.
"You've been acting strange ever since we got back from Scotland. I thought maybe it was Rahne or what happened to her, but it's not. At least not entirely…"
Jean turned and looked at him. The two just stared at each other for a moment before Jean sighed and looked away.
"Jean, what is it?" Scott asked, his concern obvious even through his red shades.
"It's nothing, Scott, I don't want to bother you—"
"Hey," Scott said softly, placing his hand on hers. "We're getting married, Jean, we can't keep secrets from one another."
Jean looked at him and sighed again, her eyes drifting to their hands.
"There—There's this thing—"
Something buzzed overhead and Jean looked up. The Blackbird was landing on the front lawn of the Xavier Institute.
"Hey! Rogue and Emma are back!" Jean exclaimed. She got up and darted off before Scott could say anything. He sighed and sat for a moment on the bench before following.
The Blackbird's boarding ramp lowered and the two girls disembarked. Emma's clothes were still muddy and she looked disgusted, heading inside immediately. Rogue seemed very happy. Her clothes, too, were muddied and slightly damp, but she looked happier than she had been in years. She had changed on the return trip into a dark green sweater and yellow leather jacket. Her other shirt had blood on it.
Charles rolled out of the house and greeted her with a smile. She returned it and disembarked.
"Hello!" she exclaimed.
"You look very happy, Rogue." Charles noted.
Rogue beamed. "Yep! Haven't felt this good in a while! Wait 'til ya hear what happen'd! Emma was so funny, always—"
"Rogue, perhaps we had better debrief in private?" Charles asked, his eyebrow raising in the tell-tail signal that something was up. Rogue nodded and followed him inside the house. Bobby passed her on the way out with Amara by his side.
"Unload." Rogue ordered, pointing at the jet.
"What is it?" she asked, the heavy doors of the Dark Room closing behind her.
"Lorna had a little…excursion last night." Charles said. "She broke into the Dark Room and hacked our systems."
"Was she a spy sent by Magneto?" Rogue asked. Her eyes narrowed. "What did she find?"
"Fortunately for us, she only discovered the truth about her connection to Magneto. She did, however, stumble across that file and try to access it. I stopped it and sealed it. I am now the only person who has the authority to access the file."
"Did she question about it?" Rogue asked, still concerned.
"No, but Storm was with me. She saw me seal it and was…ruthless in her interrogation. She has since laid off."
Rogue nodded, thinking to herself. Her eyes seemed to focus on something farther than the wall, something much more distant. Charles watched her intently. Finally she spoke.
"Copy the file onto a thumb-drive, then delete it, permanently."
"Rogue!" This was clearly not the answer the elderly man was expecting.
"Charles, it's too dangerous! There's too much inf'rmati'n on there that would harm a lotta people. Give me the file and delete it."
"Rogue, you gave me this file and entrusted me with it. I've never opened it and so far nothing has come to it." Charles said, wheeling closer to the red-head.
"So far," Rogue pointed out.
"You don't trust me anymore?"
"No, I trust ya, Charles. This is too dangerous though." Rogue looked at him and made her voice as commanding as possible, pronouncing each word quietly and as if it were its own statement. "Give me the file. Delete it."
Charles looked at her for a moment before letting out a cry of exclamation and clutching his head.
"Ne'er have, ne'er will." Rogue smirked, tapping her head. "I ain't got Erik's helmet, but ya still ain't gettin' in here."
Charles sighed and turned around. He transferred the file to the thumb-drive and handed that to Rogue.
"Now delete it."
Charles clicked the file and hit "Delete".
"Thanks," Rogue replied, tucking the thumb-drive into her bra.
Charles didn't seem especially pleased with the predicament.
"So what of the mutant you were sent to recruit?" Charles asked, rolling his chair around.
"He's a gambler, got powers similar to Wanda's. He decided to stay in New Orleans."
"So a failure?" Charles asked.
"Not entirely…" Rogue responded with a clever smile. "I met an old…friend down there, he was workin' for Magneto. Not anymore!"
"Well, that is certainly something. Will he be joining us at the Institute?"
"Naw," Rogue responded. "Besides he ain't the type of person you'd want here, Professor, trust me."
Before either of them could say another word, Kitty phased her head through the doorway and Rogue almost jumped out of her skin. "Guys! You have to come see this!"
All of the mutants were gathered in the main living room in front of the television. As soon as Rogue and Xavier entered the room, Emma pressed play on the remote and the news conference about the Sentinel played back on-screen.
No one spoke for a full minute afterwards. This was huge. While Trask may have proclaimed he was only creating these Sentinels for the purpose of detaining criminals, everyone knew that he was preparing for a human-mutant war.
"So what do we do, Professor?" Bobby asked, glancing at the old man.
Charles remained fixated on the image of the Sentinel, frozen on-screen.
"Well isn't it obvious?" Amara asked. "We crush it!" She slammed her fist into her palm and sparks flew.
"No, that is the last thing we can do." Charles responded. "Such an act would do nothing but start a war."
"So what then?" Lorna asked.
Everyone remained silent until Rogue spoke.
"Train, an' fight." She said. "There's a war comin' and we best all be ready for it."
With that said, the Belle departed for her room.
Rogue bent down and pulled the thumb-drive from its safe place and tucked it into the box underneath her floorboards, burying it deep even there. She pulled out the silver chimes again and looked at them. Rogue weighed the options and risks. She finally pulled the chimes out and replaced everything as it had been. She walked over to the balcony and hung the chimes up carefully. On a spur-of-the-moment decision, Rogue pulled off her scarf and wrapped it around the chimes. She rang them gently in the darkening night and went back inside, disrobing and crawling into her bed.
Things would be better in the morning.
X-Men: Standing Guard will return shortly
i
AN: Alright! That was one hell of an episode! So many secrets revealed and so many more to come! Next episode is a huge one! For you fans of the Young Avengers comic series, you'll be happy to know that Episode Ten is Part Two of the backdoor pilot to the series "Bishop" which will star Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) and Elijah Bradley (Patriot)! The next episode will also shed some light on the "Hand" file, Rogue's true past and present, and what those white stripes in her hair mean! As always, please leave a review if you enjoyed the story so I know to keep writing it! So spread the word to your friends! Also, if you enjoy the series and want to know more, including upcoming episode synopsis, titles, and production details, check out my profile! For updates around the clock, follow me on Twitter! (Link on Profile).
Thanks for reading! Check back this Sunday for an exclusive preview at the next episode!