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Title: The New Mutants II, Volume XI
Author: kanedax
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse, plus various other Marvel characters
Spoilers: X3, New Mutants I & II (see above)
Rating: R for language, nudity, and sexual discussion by a cocky pervert
Summary: Sean's van returns to the Academy, and the students discover the extent of the damage
Notes: Not much to say about this chapter, actually, except to say that the next one's going to be REALLY funky. As usual, I don't own the X-Men, 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics. But I do own a new icon. Oooooh, pretty.
Previous Chapter (Showtime) / Next Chapter (Metaphysical Shtuff)
“They are here,” Shiro said from the window as he watched a pair of headlights pull up the drive.
“Oh, thank God,” Moira said, standing up from the sofa and joining Shiro at the window. Like Shiro, Jono, and Kurt, she had spent the last hour glued to the television set, watching anxiously as news cameras scanned across the outside of Radio City Music Hall, news of the events coming to the public in fits and starts.
“They’re back?” Ororo said, walking back into the room. A phone was clutched in her hand; she had been attempting to call Forge since the news first broke that there was an incident downtown. Her first call to Sean had been answered by a ringing from the coffee table, his cell phone buzzing and ringing in its forgotten state.
“One of the vans,” Moira said as it pulled to a stop and opened its doors. “The other one must not be too far behind.” She turned to Ororo to continue her thought, but saw that Ororo had already left the room and was running outside to greet the group.
“Is everyone okay?” Kurt asked from the couch.
“There’s Sean,” Moira said anxiously. “Theresa. Remy, Cecelia, Paige. They all seem okay. Peter looks okay, too. He’s carrying someone.” At the sight of Peter carrying the wrapped body in his arms, Moira pulled away from the window and ran to the front door.
“Who is it?” Kurt yelled, following her outside.
“I don’t know,” she said back, her mindset switching back to the days when she was just a simple ER doctor. “Go downstairs, make sure the lab table’s cleared off.”
Kurt nodded and turned back toward the elevator as Moira ran outside.
“What happened?” she asked as she ran towards Peter.
“It’s Rogue,” he said nervously. “She absorbed one of them.”
“One of who?”
“Project Defender,” Remy replied. “The fire guy. Johnny.”
“What happened?” Ororo repeated Moira’s question, grabbing Sean. “The news has been vague, all they know is that there was an explosion.”
“Theresa, get the door,” Moira said. “How long was the contact?”
“I don’t know,” Peter asked. “They were both unconscious when Ben and I found them.”
“Who’s Ben?”
“The big rock guy.”
As Peter walked through the door and toward the elevator, Moira had to keep herself from following her instinct of peeling open Rogue’s eyelid to check the pupil dilation.
“Holy crap, is that Rogue?” a creaking voice said from the stairs, and Ororo looked up to see Jones and Franklin leaning on the railing.
Ignoring them, as well as ignoring Shiro and Jono, who had both joined the group as it traveled down the hall, Moira continued. “Symptoms? Anything strange beyond the knocked out?”
“Well, she was just dead out for a while,” Peter said. “I guess the collision broke her neck, I did my best to keep it straight while her healing factor did its work.”
Grunting in frustration, Moira turned to Paige and Cecelia. “Anyone have a pair of gloves?”
“I will go look,” Cecelia said, and Paige, who still looked somewhat pale and in shock, slowly followed her. The rest of the group stopped at the elevator, and waited for it to open.
“What’s taking it so long?” Remy asked.
“I sent Kurt down to get the lab ready,” Moira said. “The elevator followed him.” Turning to Peter, she continued. “You said she was dead out for a while?”
“Da.”
Yes, the computerized voice from the wall maddeningly translated.
“Which means she wasn’t dead out the whole time.”
“She was twitching for a while,” Peter said, looking down Rogue’s calm face. “Seizuring. I had to hold her down a few times. And she was rambling a bunch of strange stuff, too.”
“Like what?” Ororo asked.
“She said some stuff in Russian,” he continued, “and in what I think was German.”
“Here,” Cecelia said, handing a pair of gloves to Moira.
“Oven mitts?”
“I do not know the place yet,” Cecelia replied. “I knew the cocina.”
“Kitchen will have to do,” Moira said, pulling on the awkward mittens and lifting Rogue’s head. “Did she say anything else?”
Peter shook his head. “Other stuff, nothing that made much sense. She mentioned Charles. And Stryker. Mutant High. I don’t know, it was all a jumble.”
Moira’s brow furrowed, just as the elevator door opened. “I think I know what’s going on. Come on.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Ororo asked as Moira and Peter stepped in.
“I can’t wait, Ororo,” Moira said. “You guys will have to wait for the next elevator.”
Ororo looked into the box, which was becoming crowded, and nodded. “Go, I’ll be down in a minute.”
“We’ll take the other elevator,” Remy said, and he and Theresa turned to walk down the far end of the hall.
“I’m coming, too,” Jones said, the weakness from his flu disappearing as the adrenaline started to flow.
“No, you’re not,” Ororo said.
“But…”
“Sean’s coming with me. Remy and Theresa can tell me everything that happened that Sean and Peter can’t. But the med lab’s only so big, and Moira’s going to need room to work.”
“But it’s Rogue,” Jones persisted.
“The best thing you all can do for her is to keep out of the way,” Ororo said. “We’ll take care of her.”
Jones sighed. “Fine,” he said as the elevator door opened. Ororo and Sean stepped in, and the door closed, leaving the six students standing in silence.
“So what do we do now?” Shiro asked.
“Have a seat,” Jones said, limping down the stairs. “We’ll watch a show.”
“Tell me everything that happened,” Ororo said as she and Sean met Remy and Theresa in the metal basement hallway.
“Things got out of hand at the concert,” Theresa said as they walked towards the lab. “There was a fight between a human and a mutant. The mutant lost control of his powers, hurt some people around him. Started a riot.”
“Then the Defenders showed up,” Remy continued. “They got things under control for a while, then things started getting bad again.”
“Bad enough to blow a hole in the roof?” Ororo asked, thinking of the footage from the news.
Remy and Theresa looked at each other uncomfortably. “The big green guy went kind of unhinged, I guess,” Theresa said. “Don’t know how or why, but he started swinging.”
“Peter said that he and Jimmy went back to try to stop him,” Remy said. “But Jimmy’s power didn’t work on it.”
“So, again, hole in the roof,” Ororo persisted.
Theresa sighed. “That was Sam.”
“Damn it,” Ororo groaned.
“I didn’t see much of it,” she said. “I saw a streak across the crowd that was aimed at the big green one. I guess he missed…”
“Christ,” Ororo said, rubbing her face with her hands as they walked into the lab. “And the other hole? The one in the wall?”
Theresa raised her hand, embarrassed. “Me and Lucas.”
Ororo greeted it with an exasperated look. “Why?”
“The back exits were blocked by the collapsed balcony and by the fight with the green guy,” Theresa explained. “We needed to get people out of there.”
Ororo nodded. “Good thinking, but still…” At this, she turned her attention to Moira. “How is she?”
“Calm,” Moira said. She was now wearing surgical gloves, the oven mitts from the kitchen thrown onto her desk. Rogue lay on the table, a white sheet replacing the coat Peter had wrapped her in.
“Any injuries?”
“Nothing physical,” Moira said, looking at a sonogram readout. “Peter did a good job keeping her head in place long enough for the neck to heal. She had fractured her skull, as well, but that closed up clean, too.”
“Good,” Ororo said, turning to Peter. “What happened to her?”
“Like I already told the doctor, I don’t know. Ben and I were too busy dealing with Bruce, we didn’t even see them there until Sue saw them from one of the balconies.”
“And what happened to Johnny?”
“Ben took him,” Peter replied. “He was covered in those blue veins that show up whenever she absorbs someone, but they didn’t disappear when I pulled him away.”
“Ow!”
The group turned to Moira, who had pulled back from Rogue, clutching her fingers.
“What is it?” Kurt asked.
“She’s cold,” Moira asked. “Really cold.”
As she said this, Rogue began to tremble again. The metal table on which she was laying began to steam, the legs and platform turning white with frost.
“What is going on?” Kurt said. Remy heard a rattling behind him, and turned around to see a layout of surgical instruments vibrating on a cart.
“Moira…” Ororo breathed. Rogue bucked on the table, and Remy dove on top of Theresa as the medical instruments flew through the air and towards Rogue. Instead of penetrating Rogue’s skin, they clanged harmlessly on her now metal flesh, sticking to her like refrigerator magnets.
“Remy, Theresa, out!” Moira screamed as Rogue began wildly flailing on the table. “Sean, Peter, help me hold her down!”
“Professor…” Theresa said, her voice drowned out by a humming noise that seemed to be coming from the cabinets around the room. The computer monitor faded into a pink and purple color before blinking out completely, and the desk itself began slowly dragging its way across the room towards the table.
“Out!” Ororo yelled at them, then ran to the box of surgical gloves. She threw a pair at Peter and Sean, and then pulled a pair on her own hands.
“There’s straps underneath the table!” Moira said.
“Ah!” Sean said, pulling away. “Watch her hands, they’re sparking.”
“Please don’t phase, please don’t phase, please don’t phase,” Peter was chanting under his breath.
“We have to get her out of here,” Moira said. “She’s going to destroy the lab and get us killed.”
“Where’s Jimmy?” Ororo yelled to Remy and Theresa, and then realized she had told them to leave the lab. However, they were both standing in the hallway, watching anxiously.
“I don’t know,” Remy said. “He should be with the others.”
“Get her to the Danger Room,” Moira said, pushing the wheeled cart towards door. “There’s not as much for her to destroy down there, and I can get some readings from the control room.”
“What’s happening to her?” Kurt asked as Moira and Peter pulled the table down the hall.
“I can’t say for sure,” Moira replied. “Every case of mutation is unique, so every reaction is unique.”
“Guess,” Ororo interjected.
“Guess is she absorbed more than she could handle,” Moira said. “Peter says he wasn’t sure how long she was absorbing this Johnny Storm character, but the fact that he was still showing the signs of absorption after he was pulled away hints that it was a long time. I think she might have gotten too much, and her mind’s trying to reject it.”
“Where am I?” a wavering voice came from the bed. They looked down to see Rogue staring up at them, the tremors gone, her metal skin returned to its pale hue.
“She’s back,” Moira said, cracking a smile. “She’s talking.”
“What are you doing to me?” Rogue asked, a twinge of fear entering her voice. She tried to lift her hands, but they were strapped down. “Where am I?”
“It’s going to be okay,” Sean said from over Moira’s shoulder as they entered the Danger Room. “You had a little bit of a shock, but you’re fine now.”
“Is this some kind of hospital?” Rogue asked, looking around frantically. “Some big metal hospital?”
“It’s the Danger Room, Rogue,” Moira said. “We’re in the Danger Room because you were having some… interesting reactions back in the lab.”
“Danger Room?” Rogue said. “What is that? Sounds like some kind of comic book shit. Who are you people? Why am I strapped down?”
“Amnesia?” Ororo asked Moira.
“It appears so,” Moira replied nervously. “I’ll have to get some of the psychic equipment on her to see what the extent is.”
“Psychic equipment?” Rogue yelled. “You’re going to do some fucking mind experiments on me? And why do you keep saying ‘she’? I’m not a…” She looked down at herself. “Holy shit, I have tits.”
“Get the equipment,” Moira said anxiously to Sean, “now!”
“You turned me into a chick?” Rogue screamed. “Where the fuck am I? Where’s Sue? Where’s Reed?”
As Sean ran out the door, he collided with Franklin, who had been entering.
“Richards,” he said. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be upstairs.”
“We were watching everything,” Franklin replied. “Jones hooked up the security cameras to the television. I heard you guys talking about Johnny and Ben, and I thought I’d come down and…”
“Franklin, I…” Sean said, looking nervously back into the room.
“Frank?” Rogue yelled, her head twisting around to look to the door. “Is that you?”
“Is that Rogue?” Franklin asked, stepping into the room.
“Frankie Boy?” Rogue said.
“Yeah, Rogue, it’s me,” Franklin replied nervously, walking to her. “Why are you calling me ‘Frankie Boy’?”
“That’s what I always call you,” Rogue said, smiling nervously. “And why are you calling me ‘Rogue’? It’s me. Uncle Johnny.”
“What?”
“Oh, God,” Ororo breathed.
“Sean!” Moira yelled. “Equipment!”
“I’m on it!”
“Did they get you, too?” Rogue asked, her eyes glued to Franklin’s. “Where are your mom and dad?”
“I…” Franklin’s eyes bugged, and he looked around the group, his eyes begging for some kind of assistance.
“We were fighting some muties,” Rogue continued. “And I was fighting with some chick. And then I woke up here, and they gave me tits, and they might have chopped off my dick, and I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I… I don’t…”
“Frankie,” Rogue said. “Frankie, something’s trying to get into my head. Make them stop, make them…”
Rogue’s head whipped back and forth, and her body arched on the table as though being hit with an electric shock. She screamed in pain, and then fell back down again. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around.
“Peter?” she said weakly, seeing him in the corner. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, walking up to her and taking her strapped hand. “Is that you?”
Rogue smiled. “Of course it’s me, silly. Who else would it be?”
Peter looked to Moira, who was gazing on the whole scene rather helplessly.
“We thought,” Theresa said, walking up to her, “You thought you were someone else for a minute there.”
“What are you talking about?” Rogue asked. “What’s happening? Why am I strapped down?”
“Long story,” Peter said, smiling.
“Can’t wait to…” Rogue replied, then bucked wildly again.
“What the fuck just happened?” she yelled after she had calmed down. “Let go of my hand, queerboy.”
Peter pulled away, gasping.
“Well, at least I get a cute nurse,” Rogue continued, looking at Theresa. “Hey, baby.”
“Why does she think she’s Uncle Johnny?” Franklin asked Moira.
“Don’t let these boobs fool ya, Red,” Rogue continued. “I’m all man.”
“It’s her mutant power,” Moira explained. “She absorbs the powers of everyone she touches. She also absorbs some of their memories.”
“But she’s never acted like this before,” Franklin said. “I mean, I haven’t talked to her much since I got here, but she’s always been herself, right?”
“She’s never absorbed this much before,” Moira replied. “Right now we’re kinda treading in new water.”
“If you could talk your bosses into letting me out,” Rogue continued to purr to Theresa, “and turning me back into a guy, I promise I can show you the real meaning of firecroaaaaAAH!”
“What’s happening?” Rogue screamed. “There’s someone in my head, and I can’t get…”
“Frank!” Rogue yelled. “Go find your dad! He can get me…”
“Peter!” Rogue pleaded. “Where are you going? You all keep disappearing, I don’t know what’s…”
“AAAUUUGHH!”
Rogue screamed in agony as her body burst into flame. Peter, Theresa, Franklin and Moira all pulled back from the intense heat. The cushion beneath her bubbled and charred, and the metal frame of the cot turned a bright glowing red, squealing as it expanded.
“Everybody out!” Ororo yelled, sweat pouring profusely from her face. As the group ran from the room, she turned back to see Rogue floating two feet off the flaming cot, the leather straps burned away from her hands and feet.
“Storm,” Moira yelled. “A little chill might be in order.”
“Already there, Doc,” Ororo replied, raising her hands. A dark cloud grew under the roof of the Danger Room, and the floor was instantly covered with a slick sheet of rain and sleet. As the water fell, Rogue became enveloped in a curtain of steam.
“Is it doing anything?” Remy asked.
“I don’t know,” Peter said. “It seems to be.”
Seconds later, they heard a sharp crash as Rogue fell down onto the smoking bed. Moira pushed Ororo aside and ran back into the room, skidding and nearly slipping on the icy surface.
“Watch your step,” Ororo warned after the fact.
“Thanks,” Moira grunted, bending down to examine Rogue. She noticed that the cuts caused by landing on the now completely warped and useless bed were fading from her now bare skin. The flames had not only scorched the bed, but had also reduced her favorite party outfit to nothing. Moira sighed as she brushed away the last remaining ashes, and realized the unconscious girl was shivering.
“Damn,” she said. “Someone go get a blanket.”
“Isn’t she just going to burn that one away, too?” Franklin asked as Peter ran down the hall.
“She might,” Moira replied. “But right now she’s naked and laying on a sheet of ice. I’ll take my chances.”
“Do you think it could happen again?” Kurt asked. “Are you sure you should be getting that close?”
“We might need to put her under until Jimmy shows up,” she replied.
“Umm, Jimmy’s not coming,” a voice echoed through the room. Moira and the others jerked in surprise, and looked around for the source.”
“Jones?”
“Sorry,” Jones replied from the speakers built into the ceiling, “I’m kinda patched into the Danger Room right now. Hell of a show.”
“What do you mean, ‘Jimmy’s not coming’?” Peter asked. “Forge stayed to look after them, they said they’d be coming back soon.”
“I…” Jones said, then stopped. “I guess you guys should probably just watch. It just came on the news. Monitor up, Channel 47.”
A holographic projection appeared ten feet off the Danger Room floor. It was a twenty-foot tall image of MSNBC’s broadcast from Radio City. The mouth of the newscaster moved in silence.
“Sound,” Ororo said, and the Danger Room responded by turning on the volume.
“…Once again,” the anchor said, “The names of some of those arrested for the incident at Radio City Music Hall, which has so far claimed the lives of ten people and caused injuries to hundreds of others, have begun to surface. Among the names are mutants the government has confirmed are connected with the vigilante group known as the X-Men.”
The anchor’s face disappeared, and was replaced by what appeared to a grainy, still photograph of a woman in black leather.
“Katherine Pryde, also known as Shadowcat, was one of the arrests. This photograph was taken during the mutant assault on Worthington Labs about two years ago, and the government confirms that she was at the scene of that attack as well as the one tonight…”
“Mein Gott,” Kurt breathed as Kitty’s face was replaced by another, also from Alcatraz.
“Robert Drake, aka Iceman, was also at the Alcatraz battle, and was also involved in a police assault at the home of his parents, William and Madeline Drake, three years ago. The incident left three policemen in the hospital. There is also an unconfirmed report that both he and Pryde were at the scene of a bus crash in suburban New York just weeks ago, but both that information, as well as their role in that event, remains speculation at this time.”
Bobby’s image was replaced with a picture that Ororo remembered seeing in Hank’s file two years ago.
“James Cameron’s detailed information remains classified at this time, but both the government and Worthington Labs have confirmed to MSNBC that he was, at one time, involved in Worthington’s Cure Program before joining the X-Men in recent months. Along with Cameron, three more mutants with ties to the X-Men have been taken into custody, but their names have not yet been released as they are under age at the time of their arrest.”
“Damn it,” Ororo said, leaving the room.
“Where are you going?” Moira asked, taking the blanket from Peter and covering Rogue’s naked body.
“I’m calling Hank,” Ororo replied, and entered the elevator.
“Much information still remains unclear at this time,” the reporter continued, “Including the whereabouts of Alison Blaire, the pop star who was performing at the time of the riot. Police are saying that, at this time, she is wanted for questioning in the incident. In addition, multiple witnesses confirmed the presence of Project Defender at Radio City, but with no cameras or audio equipment still functioning from the scene, at this time there has been no word as to… wait…”
The anchor pressed her fingers against her ear. “I guess at this time we will be taking a live feed from Anthony Stark, who many consider the leader of Project Defender. I guess that… well, here he is now…”
“Good evening,” the face of Tony Stark appeared on the screen. His metal combat suit had been replaced by a blue suit coat with a red tie, and his face was pale and bandaged. “With Reed and Susan Richards watching over Susan’s brother, Jonathan, and with Bruce Banner and Benjamin Grimm recovering from injuries sustained in the Radio City riot, it has fallen to me to speak for Project Defender.
“Let me get right to the point. Project Defender had been called in on standby at the outset of tonight’s concert. Fearing the potential for disruptive behavior on the part of unruly anti-mutant protest groups, the government and the city of New York both requested that we prepare for any unruliness.
“When the call came for us to arrive, what we saw was more than we could have ever expected. I have decided, at the agreement of the rest of Project Defender, to release footage to the general public as to what was occurred after we arrived. All cameras and video equipment were rendered unusable before our arrival, due to what we believe was an electromagnetic pulse emitted from one of the mutants. This footage that I am about to show, which was recorded by internal cameras placed in my power suit, may contain graphic images which some will find disturbing.”
What followed was a montage of images that left Peter, Remy, and Theresa shaking their heads in anger. There was a clip of Peter wrestling with Bruce, punching the green giant in the face. One from the ground of Theresa and Bishop blasting a hole into the wall of the Hall. A shot of Sam plowing through the balcony and out the back as dozens of spectators ran in terror.
The final footage was of Alison throwing her hands up. The screen was engulfed with multi-colored flashing lights, and then a purple gleam streaked into the screen, the film going to static.
“That’s bullshit!” Theresa yelled.
“This message is for the X-Men,” Tony continued after the footage ended. “As you are well aware, many of your group have already been arrested for their roles in tonight’s events. Many others, shown in this footage, have the evidence mounting against them, and are wanted for questioning or for arrest.
“I am somewhat new to the world of government affairs,” he continued. “And I have been told by many that the X-Men’s assistance in previous mutant-related affairs has been well received. However, those who matter agree with me that what happened tonight, your members’ assault on both Project Defender and the American public, will not stand.
“Therefore, I am giving you an ultimatum. The X-Men have twenty-four hours in which to turn themselves in peacefully, or else we will arrest you ourselves. By force, if necessary. As you know, we know where you live, and we’re not afraid to hunt you down.
“In conclusion, I speak for all of Project Defender when I speak my condolences to those affected by the events of tonight. I know you have suffered greatly, and Project Defender shares in your grief and suffering.
“Thank you, and good night.”
“Well,” the anchor said after Tony left the screen, “That was Anthony Stark, of Project…”
“Television off,” Moira said, her voice shaking.
“What the hell did you do?” Franklin yelled.
“We didn’t do anything!” Theresa yelled. “Well, we did, but…”
“Not like that.”
They turned to the door to see Alison standing there, Rick Jones leaning on her with his arm around her shoulder. Forge and Ororo stood beside them.
“What do you mean, not like that?” Franklin yelled, turning to the door. “He said you guys hurt them. I saw it!”
“The shot of me with Bruce was short,” Peter said calmly. “It was pretty much the only time I was fighting him without Ben. For the most part, it was the two of us ganging up on him, after he had already gone crazy.”
“Stark was firing at Banner from the air,” Remy said. “The bullets were bouncing of him and Peter, and he wasn’t caring too much about who else he was hitting.”
“The shots of me and Cajun were when we were trying to get him to stop,” Alison said. “Remy threw my microphone at him.”
“And Sam actually hit Bruce,” Peter said. “But deflected off of him. That’s how he flew into the balcony.”
“What are you doing back?” Sean asked Forge. “I thought you were…”
“I was,” Forge replied. “I went to check on Sam, but he was already in an ambulance. I searched everywhere for Bobby and the others, but I guess they were already taken into custody. I was lucky enough to find Alison and Rick before they were taken in.”
“So what happens?” Theresa asked.
“What did Hank say?” Moira asked Ororo.
Ororo shook her head. “His hands are tied. He said we’re lucky enough to get the twenty-four hour notice, but this is past him.”
“So, what, we’re just going to have to turn ourselves in?” Remy asked.
“Of course you are!” Franklin yelled.
“I don’t know,” Ororo said, pacing. “If we can just talk to them, talk to Project Defender.”
“What good is that going to do?” Theresa replied.
“They’ve already made up their minds about our guilt,” Peter said. “They’ve doctored the footage to make their point clear.”
“If they just turn themselves in, there’s no reason to believe that the Defenders are going to give them a fair shake,” Forge continued.
“Frankie Boy?” a weak voice muttered from the floor. Rogue raised her hand, the blanket pulling aside. “You there, buddy?”
“She’s awake,” Moira said, backing away. “Everybody stand back, in case she blows again.”
“I had the fucking strangest nightmare,” she continued, sitting up from the floor. “I dreamt that I was in this weird room and…” She looked down at her bare breasts, the blanket pooling at her waist. “Godammit.”
“I don’t care what you did or didn’t do,” Franklin said, averting his eyes away. “She did something to my uncle. For all I know he’s in a coma. Or dead.”
“This wasn’t her fault,” Theresa said. “I’ve known her since she first showed up at the Academy, and she’s always been self-conscious about the absorbing thing. She would never use it unless she had to.”
“So if we’re not going to the authorities,” Forge said. “Then what are we doing? Are we going to go somewhere?”
Rogue screamed and pulled the sheets up to cover her chest. “What are you all doing here?” she yelled. “Where are my clothes? Why am I on the floor? Peter?”
“We can’t leave,” Moira replied, “not with her in this condition. Put her on the Jet, or in a car, and there’s no chance it’ll make it to wherever it’s going.”
“Well, we can’t stay,” Sean said. “We’ve had two fights here, and students have died. I’ll be damned if I’m going to put them in danger again.”
“Do they even know where we are?” Moira asked.
“They’ve been here,” Peter replied. “Stryker attacked the school a few years ago, and S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up after John and the others attacked.”
“Ah, damn it,” Rogue said, pulling the sheet away completely. “You gave me a pussy, too. Fuck.”
“Could someone please make her, him, whatever, stop doing that?” Kurt said, covering his eyes.
Alison shrugged. “At least she’s nice to look at.”
“You couldn’t have at least made me a D-cup?” Rogue asked, then, looking down farther, “or made me a blonde?”
“We have to do something,” Moira said to Ororo, who had remained silent throughout. “We have twenty-four hours, and part of me really doubts that they’re going to wait that long.”
“How long till you can get her stable?” Ororo asked. “And ready to move?”
“I don’t know,” Moira replied.
“How about coherent enough to remember who she is?”
“Peter?” Rogue said, reaching out to him. “I’m scared. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“It’s okay,” he said quietly, pulling the covers back over her. He took her hand in his, his hands still covered by the surgical gloves. “We’re going to figure out what’s wrong with you.”
“That might take longer,” Moira replied nervously.
“I know where we can go that’s safe,” Ororo said. “But I need her to remember in order to get there.”
“I have some equipment in order to figure out what the specific problem is,” Moira said. “But it may take weeks in order to get it all…”
“God, you people are useless,” Franklin said angrily. He walked over to Rogue and Peter and shoved Peter aside.
“What are you doing?” Ororo yelled.
“Helping,” he said. “Lay down, Rogue.”
“You keep saying ‘Rogue’, Frankie,” she replied, but lay her head down, anyway.
“Don’t touch her,” Ororo said.
“Don’t worry,” Franklin replied, laying his hands on either side of Rogue’s head. “I have her head stabilized with my mind. I won’t let her touch my hands or my head.”
“What are you doing, Frank?” Rogue asked. “Are you going to make me a boy again?”
Franklin smiled. “Something like that.”
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Title: The New Mutants II, Volume XI
Author: kanedax
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse, plus various other Marvel characters
Spoilers: X3, New Mutants I & II (see above)
Rating: R for language, nudity, and sexual discussion by a cocky pervert
Summary: Sean's van returns to the Academy, and the students discover the extent of the damage
Notes: Not much to say about this chapter, actually, except to say that the next one's going to be REALLY funky. As usual, I don't own the X-Men, 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics. But I do own a new icon. Oooooh, pretty.
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“They are here,” Shiro said from the window as he watched a pair of headlights pull up the drive.
“Oh, thank God,” Moira said, standing up from the sofa and joining Shiro at the window. Like Shiro, Jono, and Kurt, she had spent the last hour glued to the television set, watching anxiously as news cameras scanned across the outside of Radio City Music Hall, news of the events coming to the public in fits and starts.
“They’re back?” Ororo said, walking back into the room. A phone was clutched in her hand; she had been attempting to call Forge since the news first broke that there was an incident downtown. Her first call to Sean had been answered by a ringing from the coffee table, his cell phone buzzing and ringing in its forgotten state.
“One of the vans,” Moira said as it pulled to a stop and opened its doors. “The other one must not be too far behind.” She turned to Ororo to continue her thought, but saw that Ororo had already left the room and was running outside to greet the group.
“Is everyone okay?” Kurt asked from the couch.
“There’s Sean,” Moira said anxiously. “Theresa. Remy, Cecelia, Paige. They all seem okay. Peter looks okay, too. He’s carrying someone.” At the sight of Peter carrying the wrapped body in his arms, Moira pulled away from the window and ran to the front door.
“Who is it?” Kurt yelled, following her outside.
“I don’t know,” she said back, her mindset switching back to the days when she was just a simple ER doctor. “Go downstairs, make sure the lab table’s cleared off.”
Kurt nodded and turned back toward the elevator as Moira ran outside.
“What happened?” she asked as she ran towards Peter.
“It’s Rogue,” he said nervously. “She absorbed one of them.”
“One of who?”
“Project Defender,” Remy replied. “The fire guy. Johnny.”
“What happened?” Ororo repeated Moira’s question, grabbing Sean. “The news has been vague, all they know is that there was an explosion.”
“Theresa, get the door,” Moira said. “How long was the contact?”
“I don’t know,” Peter asked. “They were both unconscious when Ben and I found them.”
“Who’s Ben?”
“The big rock guy.”
As Peter walked through the door and toward the elevator, Moira had to keep herself from following her instinct of peeling open Rogue’s eyelid to check the pupil dilation.
“Holy crap, is that Rogue?” a creaking voice said from the stairs, and Ororo looked up to see Jones and Franklin leaning on the railing.
Ignoring them, as well as ignoring Shiro and Jono, who had both joined the group as it traveled down the hall, Moira continued. “Symptoms? Anything strange beyond the knocked out?”
“Well, she was just dead out for a while,” Peter said. “I guess the collision broke her neck, I did my best to keep it straight while her healing factor did its work.”
Grunting in frustration, Moira turned to Paige and Cecelia. “Anyone have a pair of gloves?”
“I will go look,” Cecelia said, and Paige, who still looked somewhat pale and in shock, slowly followed her. The rest of the group stopped at the elevator, and waited for it to open.
“What’s taking it so long?” Remy asked.
“I sent Kurt down to get the lab ready,” Moira said. “The elevator followed him.” Turning to Peter, she continued. “You said she was dead out for a while?”
“Da.”
Yes, the computerized voice from the wall maddeningly translated.
“Which means she wasn’t dead out the whole time.”
“She was twitching for a while,” Peter said, looking down Rogue’s calm face. “Seizuring. I had to hold her down a few times. And she was rambling a bunch of strange stuff, too.”
“Like what?” Ororo asked.
“She said some stuff in Russian,” he continued, “and in what I think was German.”
“Here,” Cecelia said, handing a pair of gloves to Moira.
“Oven mitts?”
“I do not know the place yet,” Cecelia replied. “I knew the cocina.”
“Kitchen will have to do,” Moira said, pulling on the awkward mittens and lifting Rogue’s head. “Did she say anything else?”
Peter shook his head. “Other stuff, nothing that made much sense. She mentioned Charles. And Stryker. Mutant High. I don’t know, it was all a jumble.”
Moira’s brow furrowed, just as the elevator door opened. “I think I know what’s going on. Come on.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Ororo asked as Moira and Peter stepped in.
“I can’t wait, Ororo,” Moira said. “You guys will have to wait for the next elevator.”
Ororo looked into the box, which was becoming crowded, and nodded. “Go, I’ll be down in a minute.”
“We’ll take the other elevator,” Remy said, and he and Theresa turned to walk down the far end of the hall.
“I’m coming, too,” Jones said, the weakness from his flu disappearing as the adrenaline started to flow.
“No, you’re not,” Ororo said.
“But…”
“Sean’s coming with me. Remy and Theresa can tell me everything that happened that Sean and Peter can’t. But the med lab’s only so big, and Moira’s going to need room to work.”
“But it’s Rogue,” Jones persisted.
“The best thing you all can do for her is to keep out of the way,” Ororo said. “We’ll take care of her.”
Jones sighed. “Fine,” he said as the elevator door opened. Ororo and Sean stepped in, and the door closed, leaving the six students standing in silence.
“So what do we do now?” Shiro asked.
“Have a seat,” Jones said, limping down the stairs. “We’ll watch a show.”
“Tell me everything that happened,” Ororo said as she and Sean met Remy and Theresa in the metal basement hallway.
“Things got out of hand at the concert,” Theresa said as they walked towards the lab. “There was a fight between a human and a mutant. The mutant lost control of his powers, hurt some people around him. Started a riot.”
“Then the Defenders showed up,” Remy continued. “They got things under control for a while, then things started getting bad again.”
“Bad enough to blow a hole in the roof?” Ororo asked, thinking of the footage from the news.
Remy and Theresa looked at each other uncomfortably. “The big green guy went kind of unhinged, I guess,” Theresa said. “Don’t know how or why, but he started swinging.”
“Peter said that he and Jimmy went back to try to stop him,” Remy said. “But Jimmy’s power didn’t work on it.”
“So, again, hole in the roof,” Ororo persisted.
Theresa sighed. “That was Sam.”
“Damn it,” Ororo groaned.
“I didn’t see much of it,” she said. “I saw a streak across the crowd that was aimed at the big green one. I guess he missed…”
“Christ,” Ororo said, rubbing her face with her hands as they walked into the lab. “And the other hole? The one in the wall?”
Theresa raised her hand, embarrassed. “Me and Lucas.”
Ororo greeted it with an exasperated look. “Why?”
“The back exits were blocked by the collapsed balcony and by the fight with the green guy,” Theresa explained. “We needed to get people out of there.”
Ororo nodded. “Good thinking, but still…” At this, she turned her attention to Moira. “How is she?”
“Calm,” Moira said. She was now wearing surgical gloves, the oven mitts from the kitchen thrown onto her desk. Rogue lay on the table, a white sheet replacing the coat Peter had wrapped her in.
“Any injuries?”
“Nothing physical,” Moira said, looking at a sonogram readout. “Peter did a good job keeping her head in place long enough for the neck to heal. She had fractured her skull, as well, but that closed up clean, too.”
“Good,” Ororo said, turning to Peter. “What happened to her?”
“Like I already told the doctor, I don’t know. Ben and I were too busy dealing with Bruce, we didn’t even see them there until Sue saw them from one of the balconies.”
“And what happened to Johnny?”
“Ben took him,” Peter replied. “He was covered in those blue veins that show up whenever she absorbs someone, but they didn’t disappear when I pulled him away.”
“Ow!”
The group turned to Moira, who had pulled back from Rogue, clutching her fingers.
“What is it?” Kurt asked.
“She’s cold,” Moira asked. “Really cold.”
As she said this, Rogue began to tremble again. The metal table on which she was laying began to steam, the legs and platform turning white with frost.
“What is going on?” Kurt said. Remy heard a rattling behind him, and turned around to see a layout of surgical instruments vibrating on a cart.
“Moira…” Ororo breathed. Rogue bucked on the table, and Remy dove on top of Theresa as the medical instruments flew through the air and towards Rogue. Instead of penetrating Rogue’s skin, they clanged harmlessly on her now metal flesh, sticking to her like refrigerator magnets.
“Remy, Theresa, out!” Moira screamed as Rogue began wildly flailing on the table. “Sean, Peter, help me hold her down!”
“Professor…” Theresa said, her voice drowned out by a humming noise that seemed to be coming from the cabinets around the room. The computer monitor faded into a pink and purple color before blinking out completely, and the desk itself began slowly dragging its way across the room towards the table.
“Out!” Ororo yelled at them, then ran to the box of surgical gloves. She threw a pair at Peter and Sean, and then pulled a pair on her own hands.
“There’s straps underneath the table!” Moira said.
“Ah!” Sean said, pulling away. “Watch her hands, they’re sparking.”
“Please don’t phase, please don’t phase, please don’t phase,” Peter was chanting under his breath.
“We have to get her out of here,” Moira said. “She’s going to destroy the lab and get us killed.”
“Where’s Jimmy?” Ororo yelled to Remy and Theresa, and then realized she had told them to leave the lab. However, they were both standing in the hallway, watching anxiously.
“I don’t know,” Remy said. “He should be with the others.”
“Get her to the Danger Room,” Moira said, pushing the wheeled cart towards door. “There’s not as much for her to destroy down there, and I can get some readings from the control room.”
“What’s happening to her?” Kurt asked as Moira and Peter pulled the table down the hall.
“I can’t say for sure,” Moira replied. “Every case of mutation is unique, so every reaction is unique.”
“Guess,” Ororo interjected.
“Guess is she absorbed more than she could handle,” Moira said. “Peter says he wasn’t sure how long she was absorbing this Johnny Storm character, but the fact that he was still showing the signs of absorption after he was pulled away hints that it was a long time. I think she might have gotten too much, and her mind’s trying to reject it.”
“Where am I?” a wavering voice came from the bed. They looked down to see Rogue staring up at them, the tremors gone, her metal skin returned to its pale hue.
“She’s back,” Moira said, cracking a smile. “She’s talking.”
“What are you doing to me?” Rogue asked, a twinge of fear entering her voice. She tried to lift her hands, but they were strapped down. “Where am I?”
“It’s going to be okay,” Sean said from over Moira’s shoulder as they entered the Danger Room. “You had a little bit of a shock, but you’re fine now.”
“Is this some kind of hospital?” Rogue asked, looking around frantically. “Some big metal hospital?”
“It’s the Danger Room, Rogue,” Moira said. “We’re in the Danger Room because you were having some… interesting reactions back in the lab.”
“Danger Room?” Rogue said. “What is that? Sounds like some kind of comic book shit. Who are you people? Why am I strapped down?”
“Amnesia?” Ororo asked Moira.
“It appears so,” Moira replied nervously. “I’ll have to get some of the psychic equipment on her to see what the extent is.”
“Psychic equipment?” Rogue yelled. “You’re going to do some fucking mind experiments on me? And why do you keep saying ‘she’? I’m not a…” She looked down at herself. “Holy shit, I have tits.”
“Get the equipment,” Moira said anxiously to Sean, “now!”
“You turned me into a chick?” Rogue screamed. “Where the fuck am I? Where’s Sue? Where’s Reed?”
As Sean ran out the door, he collided with Franklin, who had been entering.
“Richards,” he said. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be upstairs.”
“We were watching everything,” Franklin replied. “Jones hooked up the security cameras to the television. I heard you guys talking about Johnny and Ben, and I thought I’d come down and…”
“Franklin, I…” Sean said, looking nervously back into the room.
“Frank?” Rogue yelled, her head twisting around to look to the door. “Is that you?”
“Is that Rogue?” Franklin asked, stepping into the room.
“Frankie Boy?” Rogue said.
“Yeah, Rogue, it’s me,” Franklin replied nervously, walking to her. “Why are you calling me ‘Frankie Boy’?”
“That’s what I always call you,” Rogue said, smiling nervously. “And why are you calling me ‘Rogue’? It’s me. Uncle Johnny.”
“What?”
“Oh, God,” Ororo breathed.
“Sean!” Moira yelled. “Equipment!”
“I’m on it!”
“Did they get you, too?” Rogue asked, her eyes glued to Franklin’s. “Where are your mom and dad?”
“I…” Franklin’s eyes bugged, and he looked around the group, his eyes begging for some kind of assistance.
“We were fighting some muties,” Rogue continued. “And I was fighting with some chick. And then I woke up here, and they gave me tits, and they might have chopped off my dick, and I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I… I don’t…”
“Frankie,” Rogue said. “Frankie, something’s trying to get into my head. Make them stop, make them…”
Rogue’s head whipped back and forth, and her body arched on the table as though being hit with an electric shock. She screamed in pain, and then fell back down again. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around.
“Peter?” she said weakly, seeing him in the corner. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, walking up to her and taking her strapped hand. “Is that you?”
Rogue smiled. “Of course it’s me, silly. Who else would it be?”
Peter looked to Moira, who was gazing on the whole scene rather helplessly.
“We thought,” Theresa said, walking up to her, “You thought you were someone else for a minute there.”
“What are you talking about?” Rogue asked. “What’s happening? Why am I strapped down?”
“Long story,” Peter said, smiling.
“Can’t wait to…” Rogue replied, then bucked wildly again.
“What the fuck just happened?” she yelled after she had calmed down. “Let go of my hand, queerboy.”
Peter pulled away, gasping.
“Well, at least I get a cute nurse,” Rogue continued, looking at Theresa. “Hey, baby.”
“Why does she think she’s Uncle Johnny?” Franklin asked Moira.
“Don’t let these boobs fool ya, Red,” Rogue continued. “I’m all man.”
“It’s her mutant power,” Moira explained. “She absorbs the powers of everyone she touches. She also absorbs some of their memories.”
“But she’s never acted like this before,” Franklin said. “I mean, I haven’t talked to her much since I got here, but she’s always been herself, right?”
“She’s never absorbed this much before,” Moira replied. “Right now we’re kinda treading in new water.”
“If you could talk your bosses into letting me out,” Rogue continued to purr to Theresa, “and turning me back into a guy, I promise I can show you the real meaning of firecroaaaaAAH!”
“What’s happening?” Rogue screamed. “There’s someone in my head, and I can’t get…”
“Frank!” Rogue yelled. “Go find your dad! He can get me…”
“Peter!” Rogue pleaded. “Where are you going? You all keep disappearing, I don’t know what’s…”
“AAAUUUGHH!”
Rogue screamed in agony as her body burst into flame. Peter, Theresa, Franklin and Moira all pulled back from the intense heat. The cushion beneath her bubbled and charred, and the metal frame of the cot turned a bright glowing red, squealing as it expanded.
“Everybody out!” Ororo yelled, sweat pouring profusely from her face. As the group ran from the room, she turned back to see Rogue floating two feet off the flaming cot, the leather straps burned away from her hands and feet.
“Storm,” Moira yelled. “A little chill might be in order.”
“Already there, Doc,” Ororo replied, raising her hands. A dark cloud grew under the roof of the Danger Room, and the floor was instantly covered with a slick sheet of rain and sleet. As the water fell, Rogue became enveloped in a curtain of steam.
“Is it doing anything?” Remy asked.
“I don’t know,” Peter said. “It seems to be.”
Seconds later, they heard a sharp crash as Rogue fell down onto the smoking bed. Moira pushed Ororo aside and ran back into the room, skidding and nearly slipping on the icy surface.
“Watch your step,” Ororo warned after the fact.
“Thanks,” Moira grunted, bending down to examine Rogue. She noticed that the cuts caused by landing on the now completely warped and useless bed were fading from her now bare skin. The flames had not only scorched the bed, but had also reduced her favorite party outfit to nothing. Moira sighed as she brushed away the last remaining ashes, and realized the unconscious girl was shivering.
“Damn,” she said. “Someone go get a blanket.”
“Isn’t she just going to burn that one away, too?” Franklin asked as Peter ran down the hall.
“She might,” Moira replied. “But right now she’s naked and laying on a sheet of ice. I’ll take my chances.”
“Do you think it could happen again?” Kurt asked. “Are you sure you should be getting that close?”
“We might need to put her under until Jimmy shows up,” she replied.
“Umm, Jimmy’s not coming,” a voice echoed through the room. Moira and the others jerked in surprise, and looked around for the source.”
“Jones?”
“Sorry,” Jones replied from the speakers built into the ceiling, “I’m kinda patched into the Danger Room right now. Hell of a show.”
“What do you mean, ‘Jimmy’s not coming’?” Peter asked. “Forge stayed to look after them, they said they’d be coming back soon.”
“I…” Jones said, then stopped. “I guess you guys should probably just watch. It just came on the news. Monitor up, Channel 47.”
A holographic projection appeared ten feet off the Danger Room floor. It was a twenty-foot tall image of MSNBC’s broadcast from Radio City. The mouth of the newscaster moved in silence.
“Sound,” Ororo said, and the Danger Room responded by turning on the volume.
“…Once again,” the anchor said, “The names of some of those arrested for the incident at Radio City Music Hall, which has so far claimed the lives of ten people and caused injuries to hundreds of others, have begun to surface. Among the names are mutants the government has confirmed are connected with the vigilante group known as the X-Men.”
The anchor’s face disappeared, and was replaced by what appeared to a grainy, still photograph of a woman in black leather.
“Katherine Pryde, also known as Shadowcat, was one of the arrests. This photograph was taken during the mutant assault on Worthington Labs about two years ago, and the government confirms that she was at the scene of that attack as well as the one tonight…”
“Mein Gott,” Kurt breathed as Kitty’s face was replaced by another, also from Alcatraz.
“Robert Drake, aka Iceman, was also at the Alcatraz battle, and was also involved in a police assault at the home of his parents, William and Madeline Drake, three years ago. The incident left three policemen in the hospital. There is also an unconfirmed report that both he and Pryde were at the scene of a bus crash in suburban New York just weeks ago, but both that information, as well as their role in that event, remains speculation at this time.”
Bobby’s image was replaced with a picture that Ororo remembered seeing in Hank’s file two years ago.
“James Cameron’s detailed information remains classified at this time, but both the government and Worthington Labs have confirmed to MSNBC that he was, at one time, involved in Worthington’s Cure Program before joining the X-Men in recent months. Along with Cameron, three more mutants with ties to the X-Men have been taken into custody, but their names have not yet been released as they are under age at the time of their arrest.”
“Damn it,” Ororo said, leaving the room.
“Where are you going?” Moira asked, taking the blanket from Peter and covering Rogue’s naked body.
“I’m calling Hank,” Ororo replied, and entered the elevator.
“Much information still remains unclear at this time,” the reporter continued, “Including the whereabouts of Alison Blaire, the pop star who was performing at the time of the riot. Police are saying that, at this time, she is wanted for questioning in the incident. In addition, multiple witnesses confirmed the presence of Project Defender at Radio City, but with no cameras or audio equipment still functioning from the scene, at this time there has been no word as to… wait…”
The anchor pressed her fingers against her ear. “I guess at this time we will be taking a live feed from Anthony Stark, who many consider the leader of Project Defender. I guess that… well, here he is now…”
“Good evening,” the face of Tony Stark appeared on the screen. His metal combat suit had been replaced by a blue suit coat with a red tie, and his face was pale and bandaged. “With Reed and Susan Richards watching over Susan’s brother, Jonathan, and with Bruce Banner and Benjamin Grimm recovering from injuries sustained in the Radio City riot, it has fallen to me to speak for Project Defender.
“Let me get right to the point. Project Defender had been called in on standby at the outset of tonight’s concert. Fearing the potential for disruptive behavior on the part of unruly anti-mutant protest groups, the government and the city of New York both requested that we prepare for any unruliness.
“When the call came for us to arrive, what we saw was more than we could have ever expected. I have decided, at the agreement of the rest of Project Defender, to release footage to the general public as to what was occurred after we arrived. All cameras and video equipment were rendered unusable before our arrival, due to what we believe was an electromagnetic pulse emitted from one of the mutants. This footage that I am about to show, which was recorded by internal cameras placed in my power suit, may contain graphic images which some will find disturbing.”
What followed was a montage of images that left Peter, Remy, and Theresa shaking their heads in anger. There was a clip of Peter wrestling with Bruce, punching the green giant in the face. One from the ground of Theresa and Bishop blasting a hole into the wall of the Hall. A shot of Sam plowing through the balcony and out the back as dozens of spectators ran in terror.
The final footage was of Alison throwing her hands up. The screen was engulfed with multi-colored flashing lights, and then a purple gleam streaked into the screen, the film going to static.
“That’s bullshit!” Theresa yelled.
“This message is for the X-Men,” Tony continued after the footage ended. “As you are well aware, many of your group have already been arrested for their roles in tonight’s events. Many others, shown in this footage, have the evidence mounting against them, and are wanted for questioning or for arrest.
“I am somewhat new to the world of government affairs,” he continued. “And I have been told by many that the X-Men’s assistance in previous mutant-related affairs has been well received. However, those who matter agree with me that what happened tonight, your members’ assault on both Project Defender and the American public, will not stand.
“Therefore, I am giving you an ultimatum. The X-Men have twenty-four hours in which to turn themselves in peacefully, or else we will arrest you ourselves. By force, if necessary. As you know, we know where you live, and we’re not afraid to hunt you down.
“In conclusion, I speak for all of Project Defender when I speak my condolences to those affected by the events of tonight. I know you have suffered greatly, and Project Defender shares in your grief and suffering.
“Thank you, and good night.”
“Well,” the anchor said after Tony left the screen, “That was Anthony Stark, of Project…”
“Television off,” Moira said, her voice shaking.
“What the hell did you do?” Franklin yelled.
“We didn’t do anything!” Theresa yelled. “Well, we did, but…”
“Not like that.”
They turned to the door to see Alison standing there, Rick Jones leaning on her with his arm around her shoulder. Forge and Ororo stood beside them.
“What do you mean, not like that?” Franklin yelled, turning to the door. “He said you guys hurt them. I saw it!”
“The shot of me with Bruce was short,” Peter said calmly. “It was pretty much the only time I was fighting him without Ben. For the most part, it was the two of us ganging up on him, after he had already gone crazy.”
“Stark was firing at Banner from the air,” Remy said. “The bullets were bouncing of him and Peter, and he wasn’t caring too much about who else he was hitting.”
“The shots of me and Cajun were when we were trying to get him to stop,” Alison said. “Remy threw my microphone at him.”
“And Sam actually hit Bruce,” Peter said. “But deflected off of him. That’s how he flew into the balcony.”
“What are you doing back?” Sean asked Forge. “I thought you were…”
“I was,” Forge replied. “I went to check on Sam, but he was already in an ambulance. I searched everywhere for Bobby and the others, but I guess they were already taken into custody. I was lucky enough to find Alison and Rick before they were taken in.”
“So what happens?” Theresa asked.
“What did Hank say?” Moira asked Ororo.
Ororo shook her head. “His hands are tied. He said we’re lucky enough to get the twenty-four hour notice, but this is past him.”
“So, what, we’re just going to have to turn ourselves in?” Remy asked.
“Of course you are!” Franklin yelled.
“I don’t know,” Ororo said, pacing. “If we can just talk to them, talk to Project Defender.”
“What good is that going to do?” Theresa replied.
“They’ve already made up their minds about our guilt,” Peter said. “They’ve doctored the footage to make their point clear.”
“If they just turn themselves in, there’s no reason to believe that the Defenders are going to give them a fair shake,” Forge continued.
“Frankie Boy?” a weak voice muttered from the floor. Rogue raised her hand, the blanket pulling aside. “You there, buddy?”
“She’s awake,” Moira said, backing away. “Everybody stand back, in case she blows again.”
“I had the fucking strangest nightmare,” she continued, sitting up from the floor. “I dreamt that I was in this weird room and…” She looked down at her bare breasts, the blanket pooling at her waist. “Godammit.”
“I don’t care what you did or didn’t do,” Franklin said, averting his eyes away. “She did something to my uncle. For all I know he’s in a coma. Or dead.”
“This wasn’t her fault,” Theresa said. “I’ve known her since she first showed up at the Academy, and she’s always been self-conscious about the absorbing thing. She would never use it unless she had to.”
“So if we’re not going to the authorities,” Forge said. “Then what are we doing? Are we going to go somewhere?”
Rogue screamed and pulled the sheets up to cover her chest. “What are you all doing here?” she yelled. “Where are my clothes? Why am I on the floor? Peter?”
“We can’t leave,” Moira replied, “not with her in this condition. Put her on the Jet, or in a car, and there’s no chance it’ll make it to wherever it’s going.”
“Well, we can’t stay,” Sean said. “We’ve had two fights here, and students have died. I’ll be damned if I’m going to put them in danger again.”
“Do they even know where we are?” Moira asked.
“They’ve been here,” Peter replied. “Stryker attacked the school a few years ago, and S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up after John and the others attacked.”
“Ah, damn it,” Rogue said, pulling the sheet away completely. “You gave me a pussy, too. Fuck.”
“Could someone please make her, him, whatever, stop doing that?” Kurt said, covering his eyes.
Alison shrugged. “At least she’s nice to look at.”
“You couldn’t have at least made me a D-cup?” Rogue asked, then, looking down farther, “or made me a blonde?”
“We have to do something,” Moira said to Ororo, who had remained silent throughout. “We have twenty-four hours, and part of me really doubts that they’re going to wait that long.”
“How long till you can get her stable?” Ororo asked. “And ready to move?”
“I don’t know,” Moira replied.
“How about coherent enough to remember who she is?”
“Peter?” Rogue said, reaching out to him. “I’m scared. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“It’s okay,” he said quietly, pulling the covers back over her. He took her hand in his, his hands still covered by the surgical gloves. “We’re going to figure out what’s wrong with you.”
“That might take longer,” Moira replied nervously.
“I know where we can go that’s safe,” Ororo said. “But I need her to remember in order to get there.”
“I have some equipment in order to figure out what the specific problem is,” Moira said. “But it may take weeks in order to get it all…”
“God, you people are useless,” Franklin said angrily. He walked over to Rogue and Peter and shoved Peter aside.
“What are you doing?” Ororo yelled.
“Helping,” he said. “Lay down, Rogue.”
“You keep saying ‘Rogue’, Frankie,” she replied, but lay her head down, anyway.
“Don’t touch her,” Ororo said.
“Don’t worry,” Franklin replied, laying his hands on either side of Rogue’s head. “I have her head stabilized with my mind. I won’t let her touch my hands or my head.”
“What are you doing, Frank?” Rogue asked. “Are you going to make me a boy again?”
Franklin smiled. “Something like that.”
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