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Chapter Fifteen of
Taunting Repartee- RM'd
Sail Away Sweet Sister
Unfortunately, for Rogue, the Professor and Logan were both absent from dinner. The question had been asked by Kitty and answered by Storm that they were busy working on something. Only she and Kurt knew what. Though, Jean's face read with recognition as the question was asked. Once she knew that, she regretted coming down at all. She could've kept training. It's not like she was even hungry. Their large lunch had held her for most of the day and would've until the morning had she skipped the meal. She almost considered asking to be excused, but thought better of it. Storm seemed to have less patience for her than the Professor did. It would draw too much attention to herself. She had already managed to spend time in Magneto's old bedroom once today without notice and she needed to again. No, restless as she was, she would have to wait for dinner to be over.
Thirty agonizing minutes later they were dismissed and Rogue hightailed it for the hallway, marching as quickly as possible through the main lobby toward the staircase.
"Rogue," Jean called out, just as she got to the stairs. Rogue's hand had just taken hold of the bannister, as she took a deep breath.
'Don't show it, don't show it,' she told herself as she held in a sigh. Instead, she turned to look as Jean caught up to her. "Yeah?" she asked, her tone was far from pleasant. She just wanted to get back upstairs.
"The Professor asked me to speak with you," she explained. And now she couldn't say no, great.
"Yeah, okay," she sighed before Jean gestured with her head. Rogue understood to follow her, wondering if she was being led to the Professor's office. However, a quick left into one of the common areas told her otherwise. As dinner had just wrapped up, the large room adored with couches, chairs and bookshelves was devoid of any others, granting them some privacy. And as Rogue ventured further into the room, to glance out of the window at the setting sun, Jean closed the door behind them, making it clear that's what the other girl was after; privacy.
"Have you found out anything about Kurt's past?" she asked.
"No, not yet," she answered while shaking her head.
"If you do find anything, the Professor wants you to go to him before telling Kurt," she said.
"Why?" she asked, as turned back to look at the other girl.
"Remember when we found out Mystique is Kurt's mother?" she asked.
"Yeah," she said dryly.
"Well, that's not the only thing the Professor found," she said.
"What?" she exclaimed as she took a step closer to Jean. "What else did he find?" she asked, before she felt her mind tug at her, wanting to pull her into a memory. Eager for answers, after an afternoon of no progress, she ignored Jean's questioning glance as she rushed over to a chair and sat down. She closed her eyes and felt her consciousness slip inwards, sailing toward an unknown memory, as she disregarded the physical world entirely.
Rogue felt herself sitting on a couch. As she looked down at her feet, and saw Jean's brown sandals, she knew who's memory she was in. Out of the corner of Jean's eye, Rogue could see the fireplace and realized they were in the small library.
"So, the dreams Rogue was having were actually Mystique's," Logan summarized. Jean had glanced up and now Rogue could see Logan sitting on the arm of the couch and Scott on the couch cushion next to Jean.
"I'm afraid so," the Professor confirmed. "Rogue must have picked them up when she touched her. Mystique may very well be the boy's mother but we may never know the truth now," he said. "There was nothing left of the lab?" he asked.
"Nothing," Logan grunted. "Whoever was running it didn't want us finding anything. But before it went kablooey it looked like the kind of place Dr. Frankenstein might've been comfortable in."
"Genetic experimentation on mutants," he said before pausing, looking down at his hands solemnly. "I hadn't realized that he was willing to go that far," he lamented. "And poor Kurt," he added while Jean and Scott looked at one another. Rogue saw Logan get off of the arm of the couch and walk toward the wall with his hands in his pockets. She felt confusion from Jean. She didn't know what the Professor was talking about.
Rogue paused the memory as she considered that. Right, the Professor hadn't told the rest of the X-Men about Magneto. She knew about Erik from her time in the Brotherhood and the others had only learned who he was on Asteroid M, when he revealed himself.
Rogue continued the memory, watching as Scott traded a look with Jean. Since she knew so little, she could only shrug at him.
"So," Scott said as he leaned forward, addressing the Professor. "When are you going to tell Kurt about all this?" he asked as the Professor averted his gaze.
"I'm not sure the elf needs to know," Logan answered instead. "At least, not yet. Some of this stuff could be pretty damaging," he said. Rogue felt as Jean lifted her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself.
Rogue paused the memory again as she asked herself, 'what lab?'
She felt her mind pulling at her, tugging her toward another memory, she relaxed as she allowed it to happen.
Rogue was now walking towards a large monitor and control display, surrounded by stone and metal. Between the cape that flared around her body and the helmet she felt upon her head, it only took a moment to realize whose memory she was in. She allowed herself to slip further into his consciousness, reliving the memory fully from Magneto's point of view.
The castle Magneto stood within, which appeared quite primitive, was actually a technical marvel. At least, it had been nearly twenty years ago when he had retrofitted the structure with its advancements. Compared to his more recently built bases, the standards of the instruments present were rather outdated. An acceptable loss, but more importantly another 'victory' for Charles' X-Men.
'A little sooner than expected, perhaps, but let the great pantomime begin,' he thought as he saw the X-Jet making its approach a few miles away from his current location. He didn't need the monitor to know who its sole occupant was. The metal that lined Wolverine's skeletal structure rendered any covert mission impossible. Not that the X-Men was truly aware of that. A fallacy, of theirs, he had no intention of correcting.
He saw a call coming though and smirked as his son's current cell phone number popped up on the screen. Using magnetism, he answered the call without moving a muscle.
"Excellent timing, as always, Pietro."
"Hey, Dad," his son's voice emanated out of a speaker.
"What did you find?" he asked.
"If you want to know the truth, come to the new mall construction site at sundown. Come alone," he said, he could tell his son was reading from his tone. "That's what the note said, I'm tellin' ya. She's going to meet that little blue creep tonight. And that Wolverine guy and the Blackbird were gone, just like you said."
As he suspected, the similarities between the boy born in this castle and Kurt Wagner weren't coincidental afterall. The notion had come to mind upon the boy's arrival in Bayville. But given the nature of mutation, his coloring was circumstantial at best. Kurt's German heritage had added more weight. He had been tempted to take a genetic sample to confirm his suspicions but other priorities kept his attention elsewhere. Wolverine's arrival and Mystique's engagement were enough to confirm it now.
The real question was, how had Charles, of all people, pieced it together? A deep dive into the Nightcrawler's mind? Or Mystique's, perhaps? But what would have prompted his search?
Questions for another day. Presently, he had a situation to contend with.
"Hmm, as I feared," Magneto said. "Good work, Pietro," he praised his son. "Now, I need you to do something further for me. Get the others and intercept Nightcrawler before he gets to Mystique," he said as he took a step closer to the monitor. "She must not tell him what he wants to know," he said 'Not until, I deem it appropriate,' he thought vindictively.
The Brotherhood intercepting Mystique's little rendezvous should be enough of a deterrent for her to know that further action would not be tolerated. He would discuss it with her in private, once he was back in Bayville, to solidify his stance on the matter.
Rogue pulled back from the memory as she knew exactly what she wanted to see next. She felt another tug and sailed swiftly into a new memory. There was no regard to anything in reality, she didn't notice if Jean had reacted to her inward focus. There she felt the same cape covering her body and helmet lined her vision as before, as she stood in Mystique's office at Bayville High School. She relaxed as she allowed herself to slip fully into his consciousness.
Magneto stood in the far left-hand corner of the room, where he had rendered himself invisible and was now merely waiting for Mystique's return. During the hustle of the school day Principal Darkholme entered her office frequently. Though, she was often accompanied by members of the teaching staff. Better to keep to the shadows and choose the right moment.
Rogue paused the memory before speeding it up. She didn't need to wait in real-time as Magneto had. She just needed to wait until she saw…
"Magneto," Mystique cried out in alarm as he emerged from the shadows making himself visible to her. She quickly shifted from her principal Darkholme persona to her natural blue state.
"Mystique," he said, his voice dry and cold.
He was rather skilled at reading his subordinates, an emotional intelligence developed over decades of diligent practice. Mystique's anger and frustrations made her motivations painfully clear. She planned to use this revelation as a catalyst for her son's long awaited return to her side and blamed him for her failure.
"Let's not forget, Raven, who dropped the boy in the river and left him for dead. Those were your decisions to grieve, not mine," he pointed out. He stood a moment and watched as her anger failed to diminish. A thought came to mind. "Or were they Irene's, perhaps?" he guessed.
The way her expression dropped, all but confirmed his suspicions.
"It doesn't matter," she bit back, though her words were empty, they both knew it.
"It'll matter a great deal to the boy you abandoned," he chided.
She let out a frustrated yelp as she held tension in her arms, her hands forming into fists. Had this argument been with another it would've already come to blows. As it stood, she knew better than to challenge him to combat. Still perhaps a reminder was in order.
"I was trying to explain it to him—" she said as he raised his hand, "before you sent—" she said, her voice trailing off as the few metal objects she had on her desk were lifted into the air; her name plate, a stapler, a few paper clips and pens. Harmless items really. Unless wielded by one who could turn the mundane lethal. He watched her eyes widen with fear as she stood a step away from him. Her hands released their tension and her head bowed slightly as she remembered her place.
"Magneto," she said, her tone much more reserved than a moment ago. He almost felt pity for her, but dismissed it as quickly as the notion stirred. This tragedy was one of her own making. "It was my one chance to get him back," she said with a desperation begging to explode.
"There'll be others," he assured her as he saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Patience," he said as with a wave of his hand the metal objects returned to their positions on her desk. "And in time," he said as he took a step toward her, as he placed his hands behind his back, "Perhaps, both of your wayward children may be returned to you," he said. His promise was vague but effective. He watched her stand up straight. She was pliable once more.
"Sir," she said.
"Ensure the Brotherhood is prepared for the Crucible," he ordered.
"They will be," she said.
"Good," he said.
Rogue pulled herself out of his memory as she needed to consider what she knew now and where to look next.
"Rogue, Rogue," she heard the Professor's voice calling to her and a hand shaking her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open to see him sitting in front of her as a sigh of relief left him. She blinked as she tried to regain her bearings. "Are you alright?" he asked as he pulled his hand back.
She nodded before scanning the room. Her eye's briefly looked out the window to see it was pitch black out. She had only looked at a few memories. How long had she sequestered herself inside her mind? She shook her head as she saw Logan was standing next to Jean; both of them had concerned looks cast in her direction. It took half a beat to realize that Jean had moved around the room while she had receded into herself.
"I'm sorry," Rogue said, looking up at her Uncle. "I didn't mean ta interrupt y'all. I just- I was trying to find some answers for Kurt," she said.
"Kid, we know you're just tryin' ta help," Logan said.
"Speaking of," he said, looking at Logan before he turned his gaze back to her. "Did you find anything?" the Professor asked.
"Mystique left Kurt in Germany because Irene told her to," she explained.
"Your foster mother?" the Professor asked.
"Ah-huh," she answered.
"And what was Irene's reasoning?" he asked.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just watched Magneto figure it out," she said as she watched his eyes widen with fear.
"You were in Magneto's memories," he stated as she nodded before he looked away from her. She saw a conflicted expression on his face.
"Ya really think he experimented on Kurt as a baby?" she asked as his eyes flashed to hers.
"Given the limited information available, it was the only logical conclusion to be drawn," he answered, the conflicted expression still prominent. "Have you found anything to contradict that?" he asked, his tone tentative.
"Not yet," she said as she sat back fully, preparing herself to re-enter her mind. "But I can,"
"Rogue, please, wait," the Professor said as he held up his hand. "While I appreciate your willingness to take the initiative, I must advise against it. Now that the real Magneto is aware of your knowledge, we must be cautious," he said.
She blinked.
Right, the Professor didn't know that Erik was the fragment, that he was fully aware of her knowledge. Magneto expected her to keep that to herself. But should she? If she told the Professor, what would happen?
She glanced around the room at those present; Jean had gained a massive migraine from her attack on Magneto, Logan hadn't been allowed close enough to even try and do what he did best. Add to all of that to the fact that the Professor was unaware any of it had truly happened. Even though she had directly told him about it. Magneto had-
She felt her breath catch in her throat, as that fact truly set in. She shook her head as she felt a violent shiver run down her spine.
"Rogue, it's alright," the Professor gently, pulling her from her thoughts. "I won't put your safety at risk. We'll find another way," he said gently.
She wasn't concerned about herself. Erik cared about her, she knew that. No, it was everyone else she was worried about.
"Kurt deserves to know the truth and what if I'm the only one who can give it to him?" she asked. The Professor held his hands in front of him as she watched him consider her question.
"Do you have any other avenue to search for answers within your mind? Any that don't involve an exploration of Magneto's memories?" he asked.
"My mom's being stubborn. I'm having trouble getting inta her memories," she explained. "But I can keep trying. I just- I don't know how long that's gonna take," she said.
"That's alright," the Professor said before he turned to Jean.
Did she have any other avenues to search for answers? That didn't necessarily have to mean within her mind. What else could they-
"Jean, could you please have Kurt report to my office-" he said.
"Wait," Rogue interrupted.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Logan's related to my dad, right?" she asked. She watched her Uncle and the Professor share a glance as she watched Jean blinked with confusion.
"We're still working to confirm that," the Professor said.
"Okay and there's a chance, right?" she asked, as she looked between them. "And my dad might be Kurt's biological dad, right?" she asked as she watched the Professor's eyes lit up with interest.
"Yes, Sabertooth very well may be Kurt's father," he said with a nod before looking up at her Uncle. "And if both you and Kurt are indeed related to him, we can test for that. Without corporation or communication from anyone outside of the X-Men," he said, looking at Logan.
"Right," he grunted.
"Unless you object?" the Professor asked. There was a pause, as both she and the Professor gave Logan a moment to process.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "If me and the elf are related, I wanna know."
"That's settled then," the Professor said with a decisive nod. "Jean, bring Kurt to the infirmary," he amended. "We'll meet you there shortly," he ordered.
"Of course, Professor," Jean said as she swiftly walked toward the door.
"Rogue, that was an excellent suggestion. Thank you," the Professor said as Jean closed the door behind her.
"I'm just trying ta help anyway I can," Rogue said.
"And that is appreciated," he repeated. "However, I still need your word that you won't seek additional knowledge from Magneto's mind. It's far too dangerous," he said.
"He's right," Logan said.
Rogue sighed.
She really couldn't explain why none of that mattered anymore. Erik was well aware of her knowledge. He didn't care, as long as she kept any information about him to herself and with the Professor's request there was no longer any pressure to supply information to the X-Men. That was good, a relief, actually.
"Prof, you don't have a problem with me trying to get answers from my parents, right?" she asked. It was almost ironic how she had free reign to explore Erik's memories, while her own parents fought so hard to keep theirs guarded.
"As long as you're referring to their Fragments, then, no," he answered.
"I'm gonna keep trying then," she said with a nod. "I need to control their Fragments by myself, or I'm always gonna be dependent on Erik's help," she said.
"Agreed," he said with a solemn nod. "This hurdle is one you've struggled with some time. Perhaps the motivation to help Kurt is what you've needed to surpass it," he suggested.
'In a battle of wills, motivation is paramount,' Erik's words repeated in her mind from their past training session.
"Yeah," she said thoughtfully before looking up at the Professor. "I'm gonna go back to training," she said. She blinked. "I do have to finish my math homework, though," she commented, recalling she had procrastinated on the task in favor of helping her brother.
"Yes, you should," the Professor said, his tone not exactly stern. More like, he was on the cusp of diving into a lecture about the importance of balancing school-work and training. She took a breath, bracing herself for the coming speech. Instead she watched him sigh. "We'll see you at breakfast then," he said.
"Thanks," she said, giving him a slight smile before heading toward the door. She glanced back a moment at her Uncle. "Good night," she said, refraining from calling him by the title that was on the tip of tongue, which would, no doubt, enrage him.
"Night, kid," he said. A bit of tension leaked from her shoulders.
With a breath, she opened the door and exited. Once freed from the restraints of the Professor's scrutinizing glance, she allowed herself to relax. Only for an immediate thought to pop into her head.
'What time is it?' she thought, alarmed. She was supposed to be upstairs at 9:30pm. That's when Erik was returning and he was expecting to speak with her. If she wasn't where she was supposed to be-
It couldn't be that late yet, right?
As Rogue entered the threshold of Magneto's bedroom, she let out a sigh of relief to see he wasn't there yet and another once she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand by the bed which read: 8:22pm. She had over an hour before Erik would arrive.
'Should be enough time to finish my math homework,' she thought before she set herself to focus on the task.
Rogue closed her notebook with a contented sigh as she'd just finished the last of the math problems she had to turn in on Monday. Another glance at the clock told her it was 8:57pm. She stood and stretched her arms over her head as she debated what to do with the time she had left.
She considered pulling at her Mother's Fragment again but didn't think she'd make much progress. Not in such a short period. No, better to wait till tomorrow afternoon when she could devote a few hours to her attempts. Besides, she had already built up a sweat from earlier.
So, what should she do? A shower, maybe?
'Yeah, I can shower in less than a half hour,' she thought confidently.
