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Chapter Three of
A Simple Favor:
On February 14th, 2002, early in the morning before school, Rogue sat on a bed in one of the institute's vacant bedrooms. She had been hastily ushered there by Magneto for a private conversation. The fact that he had been able to sneak into the institute unnoticed wasn't a surprise. Neither was that he wished to speak with her. She had been expecting that since mid-January.
Though, when he hadn't reached out to her right away she had started to doubt whether she'd, actually, seen him. Was it all a figment of her imagination and paranoia? No, it couldn't be. She'd learned about the ambush from the thug she had absorbed. Those thieves had planned to be armed to the teeth and shot them all in the warehouse. But once they had gotten to the warehouse they only had chains and pipes, not a gun in sight. That couldn't be a coincidence, right? Magneto had to have helped her. Should she ask him?
No, that, felt like a bad idea. If she was right, if he had been there, and if he had helped her, acknowledging that might prompt him to count it as calling in her first favor.
Rogue took a breath as she fought to get out of her own head. She turned her attention back to the master of magnetism standing before her. This time he wore black pants, shoes and gloves, and a dark blue sweater, which somehow made his eyes more vibrant than blinked, confused by her thought, and seeking to dismiss it as quickly as it has popped into her head. Instead, she focused on his current request and the significantly fewer wrinkles on his face and hands.
"I'm sorry, now you want me to give Prof information about you?" she asked, confused. "Also, are you …younger than the last time I saw you?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I am, in fact. Thank you for noticing," he said nonchalantly. As if she had just commented on a new haircut rather than him managing to turn back the hands of time. "And not everything, my dear. I need you to relay a very specific piece of information to Charles," he said.
"Your base's location in the Sahara Desert?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Why?" she asked.
"I've stolen and replicated a machine from Shield's possession, which has allowed me to alter my age," he said as he gestured to his person.
"Yeah, I can see that," she said. In the hotel room, he looked about sixty-five years old. Looking at him today, she would've guessed he was in his late forties.
"Indeed. Now, however, I require Shield to consider the matter resolved. Director Fury is going to ask for Wolverine's help due to his experience with the Rebirth Machine. Wolverine will ask Charles. Charles won't know where to look. Which is where you come in, my dear. You're going to provide Charles with my location which will allow everyone to get what they want out of the situation," he said.
"Which is?" she asked.
"Shield wants the matter resolved. Wolverine wants to destroy the machine. Charles wants to assist Wolverine and boast of another victory against myself. And I would like Charles to believe he's won," he said.
"And me?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious, dear? With this course of action, I'll owe you another favor, won't I?" he asked with a smile.
"Hmm," she said uneasily. She watched him raise an eyebrow as he reached out his hand and pulled a chair to his hand. He promptly placed the chair about five feet away from her seat on the bed and sat down.
"What's troubling you, Rogue?"
"This feels, I don't know- different than last time," she said.
"How so?" he asked.
"Well, I guess 'cause last time you asked me not to do something. I know things about you that I shouldn't, right? And choosing not to make your life harder- that wasn't a difficult decision, ya know?" she asked, looking up at him. She watched a smile grace his features and found herself unable to look away from the kind expression he was fixing her with.
"Thank you," he said earnestly.
Before she could tell herself not to, she found herself smiling in response. "You're welcome, but this is- you're asking me to lie to Prof," she said.
"Am I really?" he asked.
"Well," she said before she cut off her own statement. Something about his tone made her question her judgment. "Yes?" she asked.
"Where's the deception?" he asked.
"I-… hmm," she stalled as she tried to think, her foot tapped against the floor. "You're asking me to tell him where your base is?" she asked more herself than him. Which he seemed to understand as he simply nodded along, rather than verbally answering her. "And Logan's gonna blow it up, 'cause he wants to. Prof's gonna let him use the X-Jet 'cause he'll want to help Logan and Shield," she thought aloud.
She took a moment to pull up an image of the base he was referring to in her mind. Like most of his bases, it was a large metal dome. They were usually hidden using the local terrain. But the sheer vastness of the Sahara Desert made that unnecessary for this one.
"Wait," she said, her eyes darting to his. "How are they supposed to get in?" she asked before she cocked her head to the side. "What are you gonna do? Leave the dome open for visitors?" she asked with a slight smile. He let out a chuckle in response.
"As entertaining as that thought might be, my girl, Charles will have to assign an asset to his field team to gain entry," he answered.
"Who?" she asked as she ran through the roster in her mind. "No," she muttered, her expression turning more serious as she realized his intentions.
"No one will be harmed. You have my word," he said firmly.
"Kurt ain't going to your base without me," she demanded.
"Then by all means, my girl, you're welcome to accompany him," he said simply.
"Logan's never gonna agree to it. Not unless," she said.
"Unless you ensure your presence is essential," he finished.
"How?" she asked.
"You could point out landmarks, perhaps," he suggested.
"...Maybe," she said.
The more they talked about it, the more likely she would have to do him this favor. Not that she wanted to. Though, given how he must have helped her in the warehouse, she wasn't sure she should say no.
"So, you would owe me two favors after this, right?" she asked, a little too tentatively.
"Indeed," he said with a raised eyebrow in response to her tone.
"Okay, good," she said.
"You seem surprised by this. Curious. Whatever could be the reason?" he asked.
"Hmm," she blinked, fighting to keep her face neutral. Her instincts were correct: even hinting about the car thieves was a mistake. She sat there and watched as a chuckle escaped him.
"Don't suppose you'll tell me how you manage it?" he asked.
Manage what? Seeing him? Wait, Magneto didn't know how she could see him when he was invisible? These were his powers. How could he not know? Could he be testing her?
"Manage what, sir?" she asked, feigning ignorance. Though, his question had been vague enough, that even if he did clarify, she didn't think he could accuse her of outright lying to him.
He held her gaze for a prolonged moment. Neither of them spoke as they studied the other's reaction.
"Rogue, why don't you tell me what's troubling you about today's request?" he ordered, changing the subject.
"I- hmm, I think I need a minute to figure that out," she told him.
"Understood," he said with a nod.
She cast her eyes downwards as she tried to think, focusing on her discomfort. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what was bothering her.
"If I do this for you, I'll be betraying the X-Men," she said, voicing her concern aloud, as she met his eyes again.
He raised an eyebrow before asking, "And what makes you say that, my dear?"
She felt her face contort with exhausted confusion before she said, "because, while we blow up the Rebirth Machine, I'll know full well that you've made a backup."
"Hence the betrayal stems from withholding information from Charles?" he asked.
"I-I," she muttered as her eyes widened, instantly aware of where the direction his argument was taking. Something in her expression must have given her away, as he fixed her with a knowing look. His eyebrow cocked with amusement and his lips curved up into the slightest of smirks. She had barely uttered a word and had already lost the debate.
"Either the second favor is not betrayal or they both are," he stated. "Which is it, Rogue?" he asked. She sighed as she broke eye contact with him, hanging her head low. "Rogue?" he pressed, demanding a response from her.
"Fine," she said, slowly giving in. "I'll do it," she said as she lifted her head to see his satisfied expression. "But is this- are you gonna show up a lot?" she asked.
"Does my presence upset you?" he asked.
"I mean, it depends," she answered vaguely.
"It depends?" he repeated.
"On what you're asking me to do and… how often," she explained. She watched his eyes shift before he nodded.
"You're attempting to establish expectations," he stated.
"Is that okay?" she asked tentatively. His eyes flashed to hers.
"It's a reasonable request," he said. "That I'll require time to fully consider," he said as he sat back in his seat and tapped his thumb against his knee briefly. "I do need you to tell Charles where my base is," he said.
"Yeah, okay," she sighed, she had already said she'd do it. There was no backing out of that. Not with him.
"Good," he said with a nod before he stood. He used his powers to return the chair to its place. "Then, I'll see you this afternoon, Rogue," he said.
"Today?" she asked, alarmed.
"Yes, when did you believe this was going to happen?" he asked.
"I- …right, you did say you already stole it," she softly muttered to herself. "Wait," she said, glancing up at him again. "You put this whole thing in motion before even talking to me? What were you gonna do if I said no?" she asked.
She watched his eyebrow arch upwards before he said, "it was hardly a possibility worth exploring, Rogue. I knew you would be reasonable."
As she held his gaze, she shivered under the intensity of his conviction.
"Magneto," she said as she stood up, "I know today you convinced me to say yes. And yeah, I'll do it. But in the future, am I allowed to say no to you?" she asked. She watched his eyes widen slightly, she had seemingly caught him off guard with that question. His expression softened, raked a hand through his hair.
"If not, then I can no longer claim this arrangement is to our mutual benefit, can I? Rather, we may as well call it blackmail," he said. She sucked in a breath as he took a step towards her, closing the distance between them. He leaned in, his eyes boring into hers. "But that isn't the agreement we've made, is it Rogue?" he asked.
"No, sir," she answered immediately as her stomach somersaulted.
"No, indeed," he agreed.
"Hmm," she said. "Can I ask you something else? But I-I don't want you saying yes if it counts as using a favor," she said.
"Go on," he said encouragingly.
"Can I borrow a dose of your powers today?" she asked. She watched him raise an eyebrow.
"For what purpose?" he asked.
Well, she wanted to know, without a doubt, that he had helped her in the warehouse.
"I thought it'd be easy to make up landmarks if I can sense where your base is," she said, stating her other reason aloud.
"A sensible request," he nodded. "And no, asking for a tool to utilize in service of completing the favor you're agreed to, most certainly does not count as calling in a favor. Assuming, my powers will last that long?" he asked.
"Yeah, definitely. Last time, they didn't fade until the next afternoon. I had 'em for almost a day," she said.
"Has that ever happened before?" he asked.
"No, never," she said shaking her head. "I think it's cause I held onto your face for so long. I usually knock someone out after like, three seconds. I looked back at the memory," she started to explain as he nodded along. "And I held on to you for eighteen seconds and you weren't even hurt. Honestly, I've never absorbed someone as powerful as you," she explained. She watched a gratified expression cross his face.
"Are you stroking my ego, girl, hoping it will sway me to acquiesce to your requisition?" he asked with a smirk.
"No, sir," she said, shaking her head, not understanding why she felt her face heating up. "I'm just stating a fact," she said with shrug. He responded with a chuckle that made her stomach do yet another somersault.
"Very well. Glove off, Rogue," he ordered. She reached down, suddenly nervous, peeling the glove off of her right hand and tossing it towards the bed. She took a breath before she lifted her hand up and towards his face. "Nearly a day?" he asked.
The question caught her off guard and she stopped her hand in mid-air before answering him. "Yes, sir."
"Interesting," he commented. "This time, take a twenty-four seconds dose. No more, no less. And I'd like you to agree to report back to me precisely how long my powers remained in your possession," he stipulated. "Understood, Rogue?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she promised instantaneously.
"Good girl," he said with a nod. "You may proceed," he commanded. She swallowed before she resumed her movement. As she got closer to his face, her eyes widened as she felt, not his skin, but rather metal.
'Huh?' she asked confused as she tapped on the metal with her finger. It took her a moment to realize she was touching his helmet. 'He's wearing an image inducer?' she asked herself.
Without much thought, she reached down, with her left hand, towards his wrist and there she felt the invisible inducer. She ran her finger along the edge of it until she felt a button and then promptly pressed it in. Her eyes flashed back up to his as his appearance changed. He was now standing before her in his full uniform; cape, helmet, and all. Though, his skin still had fewer wrinkles. He had definitely de-aged himself.
"Hmm," she said, as he glanced down at her. His facial features were now somewhat obscured from her view thanks to his helmet but she could still tell he was fixing her with a curious expression, his eyebrow prominently raised in response to her exploration. "Oh, you're wearing your helmet so Prof doesn't sense you here, right?" she asked.
"That is correct," he answered.
"But, why to bother with the image inducer?" she asked.
"I had your comfort in mind. I thought you might find me less intimidating out of uniform," he said.
"Hmm... thank you," she said, not knowing what else to say.
"Was I mistaken?" he asked.
"I mean- It doesn't really matter what you're wearing. You're still the master of magnetism," she said with a shrug. "But I appreciate that you want me to not be uncomfortable around you," she said. He smiled down at her before an amused huff escaped him.
"Go on then girl, we both have places to be," he ordered, reminding her of the task at her. She nodded as she slipped her ungloved hand underneath his helmet and placed it against his cheek.
'One, two, three,' she began to count, as his powers flowed into her. She closed her eyes, needing a brief respite from his gaze.
She felt herself levitating in the corner of a darkened warehouse. Her arms crossed over her chest as she felt the sting of contempt.
"How's the shipment?" a male, in his late fifties, wearing a grey suit, asked.
"Check it out, boss," another male, in his early twenties, wearing jeans and a white shirt, replied as he dropped a box in front of the man. Drawing upon her senses, she knew the cargo contained in the box was several firearms, mostly Glocks. The ammo, from what she could sense, was still being loaded into the warehouse. The thug picked up a crowbar and moved in front of the box. "Bye-bye Bayville Sirens," he commented gleefully as his boss chuckled along.
'I think not,' she heard Magneto declare as she called upon magnetism and melted the interior components of the weapons together. Each Glock would be visually the same, but upon further inspection would be utterly useless as a firearm. 'Next to deal with the ammo.'
Her eyes flashed open as she felt a hand encase her wrist.
"Rogue," Magneto called out as she blinked several times. "Rogue," he said as her eyes refocused on him.
"Sorry," she said as he released her wrist.
"Did you see another of my memories? he asked.
"Yes, sir," she answered as she took a step away from him.
"Tell me," he ordered.
"I- Thank you for what you did at the warehouse," she said.
"You're quite welcome," he said. "And the count is still at two favors, my dear," he informed.
"Really?" she asked him.
"Yes, for there was a secondary reason I decided to enlist your aid today," he said. "I thought perhaps you might consider the boon at your disposal less precious should you have a second one to take advantage of," he said.
"That's generous of you," she said.
"Hence in the future, should you ever find yourself in over your head, I do hope you'll summon me for aid," he said.
"It is reassuring to have that option," she admitted, by-passing agreeing to his statement. He chuckled again.
"Then my intentions have had the desired effect," he said, as he gestured toward the door and she understood their conversation had finished.
She made her way toward the exit before she turned back to look at him and said, "thank you, Magneto."
"You're welcome, Rogue," he said, an air of amusement in his voice.