Memories
Maison de Marie
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She breathed in and out, gazing out over the skyline. The nightmares were back, and worse. She pressed her hand to the window.
"I thought I'd find you here."
"Why are you bothering me…Eva?"
They spoke in English, to deter eavesdroppers. Eva went to stand beside her.
"Paris is beautiful."
"That it is."
"You're brooding Marie. You have to stop."
"Did you hear about it?"
"What?"
"Etana Rogers died last night."
"What…? She was old though. I mean, of course she was going to die at some point."
"She was frozen at thirty, as you well know and I think it is highly suspicious she died three hours after she agreed to meet with me. And the cause of death was given as a stroke."
"You think Magnus organized it?"
"I don't think. I know Magnus killed her."
"Why?"
"Etana Rogers trusts very few people. Every meeting place must be scouted out. But she trusts Magneto. He murdered her and I am partially responsible."
"Marie, you have to stop blaming yourself. You should get some sleep. I know you haven't been sleeping for the last few days."
"Everything's spiralling out of control Eva. I can't control all this."
"Look, you're the French President. Give yourself some time off or something."
"I can't. Not with the summit coming up. Did you hear about the assassin Magneto sent after me last week?"
"Yes. I must say, putting his mind in a tomato?"
"It was the first thing I could get my hands on. I think Jacques ate it… At any rate, I sent a tomato to Magneto."
"Get back to bed Marie."
She sighed and turned away.
"Tell Eloise I want to meet her tomorrow."
"Of course."
"Eva, you do know I'd be lost without you?"
"Yep."
They hugged and Marie walked down the hall.
"You know… I might just go to Genosha this year…"
"Bad idea Marie. You know Magnus hates you."
"I wonder why?"
"Maybe it's the fact you threw him out of France, stole his helmet and placed a power dampener on him until he listened to you has something to do with it."
"Well, maybe."
"Or was it the fact you turned France into a haven of equality."
"If we downtread the humans, then we're no better than them."
"Take a peace offering then."
"Do you think he'd like his helmet back?"
"Marie… You're about to plan a calculated insult aren't you?"
She span around and gave her a huge grin, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Finally! Something I can do that's a little dangerous!"
"You'd have never thought she'd be a politician."
"It was out a need to protect that caused that to happen. She didn't ask for it."
The conversation was strictly off record. She leant forward to her two co-conspirators.
"Ororo. T'Challa. Magnus has gone too far this time. He tried to have all three of us assassinated within the space of an hour. He also sent an assassin to Britain, after Brian."
"What happened?"
"He never got there. My…associate Wolf saw to that."
Eva glanced up from her corner. She shouldn't really be there but they had soon realised she was the only one who could control an "over-excited" Marie.
"Marie, I assume everything is ready?"
"Une momente. I'll check with the others…"
She faltered then screamed. Eva was instantly at her side.
"Ma amie, what is wrong?"
"They've gone… There's no one there! I'm alone! I'm alone!"
Her claws were out and she screamed again. Gouges were ripped out of the table.
"Marie! Marie, are you alright?"
She grabbed at Eva, trying to steady herself.
"They've gone! They've all gone!"
"Who Marie? Who?"
"The link. The chain is broken. The others have gone! I'm alone!"
And then realisation dawned. The thing they were relying on –Marie's ability to see between universes –had gone. She'd lost her power.
"Stupid reality warps."
"They always hurt her mind. Any of the others would instantly notice the change so the warper had to mess around with her mind."
The Red Guard shifted as they waited for their leader to leave Shaw's office. He'd been in there for over an hour. That meant their target would be a difficult one. When Mystique left, Rogue was the only one to dare ask the questions.
"How many bodyguards?"
"None."
"Where?"
"Genosha."
"Will it be difficult?"
"£&$ yeah."
"Who is it?"
"Marie Circen."
They exchanged glances. She never came within a hundred miles of Genosha if she could help herself.
"Why'll she be on Genosha?"
"She's agreed to come to the talks this year."
"Surely Circen wouldn't be so stupid…?"
"No Drew. The question should be 'What's she planning?'"
"Planning…?"
"Circen is a military genius. She goes deep into enemy territory? She's got a plan."
"You don't know that…"
"She spends her entire life avoiding Genosha then suddenly decides to go to peace talks, right after she sent Nord home in a vegetable?"
"It was a fruit."
"What?"
"A tomato is actually a fruit. It's a common mistake."
"Just shut up."
"Typical. She goes into an alternate reality and instantly someone tries to assassinate her."
"Well, she did like stirring things up."