CHAPTER 7: Decisions
Guest starring:
Warren Worthington III: Alexander Ludwig
Uriel Worthington: Charles Melton
Malakai Winters
Chaos filled the foyer.
Lyla pulled on her restraints and pushed Rogue back into the thrall of things. Her grip tightened on the chains, pulling her sister back from the white princess, Malakai Winters. She doesn't know much about the girl except that she plays the game well and has a mean left hook.
Piotr grabbed Pietro by the collar of his shirt, removing him from the chaos. He showed him down the hall toward the infirmary waiting area for news on Wanda. After the craziness dies down, Rogue will also check up on her. Her promise holds: If Wanda dies, she will kill Lyla without hesitation.
Ororo stepped forward, controlling the rage.
" 'Ro," Lyla pleaded, "p-please y—"
Her harsh gaze stopped Lyla from speaking, "No, I don't have to do anything for you." Nodding at Logan to take her to the newly refurbished jail in the basement, she focused on Warren.
"I'll see you in my office in ten minutes."
Warren studied her retreat, then leaned on the banister to the staircase leading to the dormitories.
On nights like tonight, Rogue's glad she lives in an apartment across town. It gives her the quiet she deserves, the pleasure of coming and going as she pleases, and time to think.
"Why are yah here?" Rogue blurted toward Warren.
"Came to check in on a friend." He hummed.
"Then why not follow Piotr?"
Warren's eyes danced playfully, "Not that friend. Wands and I have never been that close, but my condolences."
Rogue and Warren never had bad blood. Regrettably, she and he had a few sexual stands after the break-up between her and Remy. He wasn't the worst, but compared to what she's used to, no, thank you.
"Cody's not goi—"
Warren shook his head, "Lance."
He stepped around her and walked down the hall toward Storm's office.
Why? Why Lance? They aren't friends. She doesn't even remember them meeting other than the Apocalypse season. God, what a time that was. Cody makes more sense. This is the prime opportunity to move through with the black king's promises. Why not take him?
Warren, inside the office, sat on the couch. Stahr and Uriel guarded the door on the outside, with no one in or out.
Ororo rounded her desk, sighing, "What does the Circle want?"
Crossing his legs, Warren shrugged. The Bishops of the Circle are the next in line of the hierarchy. If the King and Queen are absent, the bishops act in their absence. Making them diplomats.
Just because they're diplomats doesn't mean they aren't as ruthless, "Cody and Lance."
Dammit.
What a fucking liar.
Not playing ball, Ororo shook her head, "They are people, not bargaining chips in this game."
"You know I am the nicest one they sent 'Ro." He sighed, watching Rogue walk around the desk to back up Ororo. "But that's fine. We will take Lance and Lyla off your hands. Besides, she is the Black Rook."
Malakai stepped forward, ready to speak, but his hand raised and stopped her. Rogue rubbed her face, confused. If they want all three, then why pretend Lance is the only prize? She understands Cody and Lyla slightly, even though they called them to arrest her, but Lance is a mystery.
"Y'all called us to take Lyla off yer hands. Now yah want us to give her back? Why?"
Warren walked over to them, "I wasn't aware you cared so much about your sister."
Rogue was stunned into silence.
"Didn't she kill your adopted mother? Your older brother? And might succeed in murdering your best friend slash stepsister? I thought you'd give her up for free, but we can discuss a price."
"Why so high for all three?" Ororo brought the conversation back to her.
Rogue too pent up with anger to make the right choice.
Warren did not answer.
Cryptic, as always.
He glanced at Malakai and hummed, "You have 48 hours to choose. Or we will make it for you."
Threats. Cute.
On his way out, he patted Malakai on the shoulder, then left. She did not move to follow.
"Yer still here 'cause…why?"
Malakai glanced between the two of them but didn't answer.
Great.
Once the door clicked shut behind Malakai, Rogue slumped into Ororo's chair. Fatigue was starting to take over. "They're up to something," she said.
"Of course they are," Ororo said matter of factly, "they're the Inner Circle."
Rogue rested her head on the chair, feeling tiredness sweep over her. She hadn't even showered yet.
"He's on his way." Ororo hummed.
"Who?" Rogue's eyes snapped open.
Ororo rolled her eyes as she left the office. "Goodnight, Rogue. Leave your sister alone for the rest of the night."
Rogue snorted. There's no worry there. She will not speak to her ever again.
As the lights dimmed in her cell, a rather comfortable mattress waited for her to sleep. She opted against comfort and stayed on the ground. Her cheek pressed against the cold floor while the blanket covered her head and shoulders, hoping to hide her shame.
"I don't know why you insist on lying on the floor when you have the perfect bed."
Ahh, yay! Malakai has returned from her meeting with the Assassin's Guild masters and their Queen.
I don't know the main points but it's all about building more and more strength and power. Bella Donna, even though she's a major bitch, and a psycho, she'd fit in at the Circle's table. She's, well, a bitch, psycho, and beautifully powerful. A wonderful Rook. If she joins, it'll bring Lyla some joy since she will make Rogue pissed. A win-win in my book.
I didn't bother to remove the cover from my face.
"And you're listening to this?"
I could hear the judgment in her voice, and I could see the scrunch of her nose in disapproval. She shuffled beside me and threw the covers over her face. "I don't know how you can see the beauty in angry music."
Snorting, I shrugged, "There's beauty in anger."
12:59:23.36
"There's beauty in anger," Lyla hummed, her body reacting to the next day. The lights, still dimmed, made her think otherwise. Beauty in anger, yes, but rage kills all beauty.
"Way to go, kid," Cody's familiar voice made Lyla throw the blanket off her face. Her eyes narrowed as he was on the ground, rolling his ankle in thought. "Yah found the clone. Brainless, but still good on yah."
Lyla sat up and leaned herself against the wall, "Clone?"
Cody moved his gaze to the other occupied cell. Lance stood, chest rising and falling, but his eyes were forward, unwavering. His arm stub wrapped thanks to Dr. McCoy, no less. Something about his eyes was soulless.
"His masters haven't finished patching his mind to prepare him for the outside world." Cody shrugged, "Y'all interrupted that."
"Why are yah tellin' me and not yah dearest possum?"
Cody laughed, "Cause she gonna give us up to the Circle."
Not understanding, Lyla tilted her head to the side, "Why Lance?"
He and the voice that plagues her mind every night laughed, but neither answered her. She had something to ask: " Did you know Malakai was alive?"
Cody sobered, shrugging, "Ah did. But be careful around this one kid. She's more groomed than the other."
"Then the other? What the fuck are yah talkin' 'bout?" The main door to the cell slid open. Dr. McCoy smiled at everyone, checked Lance's wound, and then talked to Cody.
What the fuck is going on?
24:33:15.23
Rogue's tired, crusted eyes struggled to open. Feeling around her sheets, she found her phone. The clock, in bold black numbers, read 1:33 pm. Lovely. Twelve hours after her inability to fall asleep, she still couldn't move a muscle. Fatigued.
Throwing her phone to the side, an all too familiar voice grumbled, "Owe!"
Stumbling out of, ungracefully, Rogue landed on her butt. A bruise forming already. Her teeth gritted as she pushed herself up, glaring at Gambit's playfully appraising grin.
"What the hell Remy," She swatted his bare chest, "yah almost gave me a heart attack."
He held back a snicker by biting down on his lip, "désolé, mon chér."
Rogue refused to return to the bed when her brain truly comprehended that Remy wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes zoned in on a mockingbird tattoo on his pec. A reminder of his niece, Marilia, who passed through a thieving accident. His cousin Etienne is still in his grieving process.
Her gaze traveled up to his body to meet his haunting stare.
Shit.
Focus on anything other than him.
Phone. Where is her…the green-cased phone lay beside him while he moved to his side to study her some more.
"Why are yah here?" Distracting herself with conversation should work.
"See y', of course."
Yeah, fucking right, she snorted.
Gambit's secondary job is being a professional liar. He's here to get information on what she saw and obtained from Cody. First, he'll exploit her vulnerability, then hand it over to his lovely, sadistic wife, Bella Donna Boudreaux.
It won't work.
"Quoi? I'm bein' honest."
Rogue scoffed again, "And Ah'm the queen of England." She rolled her eyes, leaning against her bedside dresser, "Yah ain' nevah been truthful a day in yah life? Why start now."
Remy stared at her. Taken aback by her harsh words, he grabbed his dark blue shirt hanging at the end of the bed, "Y' believe that?"
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, face a mask, "Oui." She mocked, "Ah do. So let's do us both a favor and forget the games yah gonna try and play and get it out in the air as to why yah really here." Her eyes narrowed, "Save me the heartache."
His shoulders slumped. "John told me about what Lyla did to Wands. I thought I'd come and check on y'."
She thanked God the bed kept them separate. She feared she'd do something dumb, and he'd walk away again.
"Y're asleep," he hummed, scratching his a few months of facial hair. I thought I'd lay there with you. Keep you company." Remy didn't wait for her to speak when the door slammed behind his exit.
She huffed at the door, wanting to collapse in bed and let sleep consume her again. It would help her forget about the chaos awaiting her. Running from her responsibilities wouldn't help the chaos any more than showing her face. But she could postpone her appearance by taking an hour-long shower.
Yeah, that'll do work.
30:47:10.09
Dr. McCoy said Wanda wouldn't fake for some time. Her body needed to heal and get its energy back. John and Pietro said they wouldn't leave her side until she woke up. He snickered and wasn't surprised, so he made two beds on either side of Wanda's bed for this moment.
However, only family were allowed to come and see her. He didn't want people to distract him or feel pity. Laura snuck into the room and sat in a chair near Wanda's bed. Her feet on the mattress, eyes closed as Pierce the Veil played loudly in her ear.
"I drank the poison then passed the fuck out—" Wanda hoarsely sang, making Laura spring to her feet. "You should turn your music down. It'll damage your hearing." She tried joking but went into a coughing fit.
Laura dashed across the porcelain white room, poured Wanda a glass of water and then helped her drink it by holding the cup.
Thanking her, Wanda sighed, "What's the damage?"
Laura went on to explain her nose had multiple hairline fractures that reached her cheeks. The main concern was swelling in the brain but thanks to Dr. McCoy and Jean, all was good on that front, but they continued to monitor. In case. They're surprised her jaw stayed intact but can't say the same for her sprained ankle, shattered wrists, and collapsed lung thanks to a few broken ribs.
"You look better than you did when we found you."
Wanda tried smiling but winced, "Rogue's beating herself up for this, isn't she?"
Laura shook her head, "More so, Lyla."
"Shocker, she's always blaming Lyla."
"I mean, she did do this to you." Laura pointed out. It was a blood bath. Lance's arm was ripped from his body, leaving barely enough tissue to put it back on. She wasn't sure if Dr. McCoy opted to put it back on. He was on the floor, passed out, and Wanda. How can Laura tell her best friend she was dead if it wasn't for her performing CPR?
Rogue took over and fought Lyla, who was a rabid animal. As if she were a completely different p—
"Wands, can you tell me everything that happened when you entered that room?"
45:45:59.58
Fifteen minutes from now, she and her fellow X-Men must make a choice. Storm wanted to stay comfortable instead of meeting in her office, not to rile anyone up. Therefore, some members of the team, who weren't on a mission, splintered around the Rec-Room, arguing. Logan thinks they should keep Lyla. Jean thinks what Scott thinks, as their link is up, to get rid of Lyla. Rogue agrees. Lyla is a menace since the first day she arrived, and its time for her to get gone.
Evan Daniels, Ororo's nephew, showed up from the Morlock tunnels. He's still an honorary member of the team. His voice holds weight. Parked on the couch between Kurt and Piotr, chose for Lyla to go and Cody. Two strangers, Lance, is the obvious choice.
Kurt wasn't sure who to pick. Cody was out but thought he had to keep his family together. He also had loyalty toward Lance, a history that was unbreakable.
Jean peered behind her shoulder toward Rogue, "You're being quiet."
Logan snorted, "It 'cause she made up her mind."
Assholes.
Rogue pushed off the wall near the room's open-concept window. "Ah don't care who you choose to keep here as long as Lyla ain' here."
"That's our schwester!" Kurt snapped.
Rogue tilts her head, "Then pick her." She rubbed the headache forming at her temples, "All Ah'm sayin' is Lyla ain' been nothin' but a pain—"
Laura Lex and Kitty stumbled into the room, both out of breath. "Wait! I have something to tell you!" they said in unison. They glanced at each other and then turned to Ororo. The weather goddess stood against the fireplace, nursing a coffee in her hands.
"Mine is urgent," Kitty said, tears staining her cheeks.
"So is mine."
All present waited for at least one of them to say something. Neither said a word, caught up in a staring contest, trying to see whose news was more important.
"Out with it then, please," Ororo said, not in the mood to be kept in the dark.
Kitty stepped forward, swallowing her ferocious tears. Her eyes landed on Rogue, searching for the words, "L-Lance is dead."
Kurt laughed, shaking his head, "Did you hit your head on something, Kitty? Lance is alive and well downstairs." He paused, "Well, not perfectly healthy. Mein Schwester did rip his arm off—" His words trailed off, seeing as no one else laughed.
Kitty ripped her gaze from Rogue to Kurt, "Lance is dead. The one downstairs is a clone."
If the room had a heartbeat, it would've stopped beating. Everyone held their breath. One thing the X-Men never had the pleasure of meeting, are clones. It's an annoying game trying to figure out who's who.
No one had the words to console Kitty. And even if they did, their conversation was cut off when the intercom system to the front door made them panic.
Lance is a clone.
Great.
Ororo went to answer the door when Lex pushed forward. "Lyla wasn't in her right mind when she attacked Wanda. But she was beforehand." She pleaded with Rogue. She didn't want to hear it. Her sister had lost her mind way too many times for her to care. Laura pressed forward, taking Rogue's hand in hers and squeezing. She pleaded, "Trust me. Don't send Lyla with them."
Rogue's unsure what to do when she heard heels approaching the rec room.
The Red Queen.
Great.