Professor Xavier sat in his office contemplating the weight of Rogue’s words and wondered how much she actually knew. Being a psychic, The Professor could relate to the disturbing extents of one‘s mutation, but the problem remained; unlike himself, Rogue possessed no moral or ethical constraints. Attempting to tear Jean and Scott apart was only the beginning; Rogue would use every one of Logan’s memories to her advantage in order to destroy the X-Men. It had seemed in the beginning that capturing her would be the hardest task, but evidently, the difficulty would lie in presenting a united front in the face of this young assassin.
A knock on the door took The Professor out of his musings; it was Hank.
“I’m not disturbing you am I Charles?” He asked.
“No Hank, not at all. In fact I could use your counsel.” Xavier replied.
“Concerning Rogue?”
“Yes, it seems that she has more talents than were previously accounted for.”
Hank furrowed his brows, “Pardon?”
An uncomfortable silence shrouded the room as The Professor decided how best to approach the oncoming conversation, “Are you familiar with touch memory?”
“Well, yes… in theory.” Hank asserted.
Professor Xavier clasped his hands together, “Rogue posses such a mutation; working in kind with her poisonous skin.”
Hank mused, “I suppose it was only a matter of time…”
“Quite. She has an intimate knowledge of the X-Men and is unafraid to use it as was indicated in her plot the destroy the relationship between Scott and Jean.”
“With all due respect Charles, I do not believe you can solely blame Rogue for the damage there. Yes, her intent was malicious, but Jean is the only one responsible for her own actions.”
“You‘re right Hank. Jean is like a daughter to me, but I must admit when she is at fault.”
“That is incredibly noble of you Charles.”
“Thank you Hank, but I’m afraid that we‘ve strayed from the matter at hand.”
“Of course.”
“Should I allow the X-Men to face Rogue knowing that she will divulge information they may have wanted to keep hidden? I would much rather go unaided, but frankly, I don‘t know that my presence alone would be enough.”
Hank ran a hand over his face, “It doesn’t seem as though you have much of a choice Charles. Allowing the team to continue investigating Rogue may be much like throwing them to a pack of wolves, but as you said yourself, going in alone would be an exercise in futility, not to mention what the X-Men might see this as a lack of your faith in them.” Hank paused before smiling toothily, “Or you can just ask them what they wish to do.”
The Professor smiled in kind at Hank’s attempt to lighten the mood, “A simple answer from an exceptionally complex individual.”
“Well I do try.”
The Professor frowned suddenly, realizing which team member he had to ask first.
“What about you Hank? What will you do?”
Seeming to think it over, Hank answered honestly, “I have nothing to hide Charles. Yes, Logan is someone I consider a good friend and in whom I confide, but I have nothing to be ashamed of. Embarrassed? Yes. Ashamed? No.”
“I will take your advice and let The X-Men decide.” Wheeling toward Hank, Professor Xavier extended his hand, “Thank you.”
A few hours later The Professor addressed the X-Men, “As all of you have most likely heard, Rogue’s mutation is more powerful than I originally thought.”
“Hank mentioned touch telepathy.” Ro’ said.
“Yes, it seems that when Rogue touches someone she gets their life energy. In a mutant’s cases, she borrows their mutation. In addition to this, she also gets their memories. Therefore, when she touched Logan, she garnered all that he knows about the school, the team and each individual member.”
Logan leaned back in his chair, “I know it’s a shot in the dark, but ya’ think she’s got my old memories?”
Looking at the team before turning his attention to Logan, Professor Xavier felt a wave of guilt as he answered, “No. If you are unable to remember, there isn’t much chance that Rogue holds the key to what was lost. I‘m sorry.”
Logan shrugged, betraying how he really felt, “Don’t worry bout’ it Chuck.”
Professor Xavier continued, “Rogue knows things that she shouldn‘t and is not adverse to using them to her advantage,” he paused looking to a somber Jean and Scott before continuing, “So I am leaving you with a decision to make: withdraw from this mission of sorts or face Rogue in an attempt to get information. I will think less of no one for wanting to retain their privacy. Nevertheless, if you do decide to go against her, you should be prepared. She can be quite ruthless, vicious; she does not hold back her punches, so to speak. She will try to tear you apart.”
Silence filled Professor Xavier’s office as The X-Men thought over his words. All of them wondering, how much damage Rogue could inflict on them and their teammates. Each of them thinking about the lives they had led and the information Logan knew about them. They looked to Jean and Scott, their once strong relationship crumbling around them, due in part to Rogue.
Ro’ spoke first, “I will not hide from her. There are things we are all are sorry about, mistakes we have made, but someone who kills for a living will not judge me. Nothing I’ve ever done is equal to that.”
“I agree.” Kurt added.
“Yep, I’m in.” Logan said, “She’s already seen me with my pants round’ my ankles, what left?”
“I’ve already stated my unwillingness to let her prevail.” Hank chimed in with Kitty, Bobby and Jubilee thoroughly behind him.
“I’ll talk to her again,” Scott said, causing the others to stare at him dumbfounded, but he paid them no mind, “Of all the things that Rogue is, one of them is honest. Yes, she uses that trait in the worst possible way, but at least they’ll be no more lies amongst us; no more secrets.” He answered, giving a sideways glance to Jean.
Jean nodded her consent weakly.
Lastly and nervously, Remy complied, “Oui, Remy wan’ be in dis’ too.”
“Are you all sure?” The Professor asked and was immediately answered by a chorus of ‘yes’.
Sitting in her cell, Rogue looked up as she heard several footsteps. After a few moments the entire X-Men team came into view.
Staring back at the woman who had been causing them so much trouble, each team member saw something different.
To Logan, Rogue was somewhat of sex goddess that may have made him stick around for more than a night or two had they met in a different time and place.
To The Professor, she was raw power, both terrifying an exciting.
To Hank, she was the woman with ageless eyes who he knew had seen far more than would ever be let on.
To Ro’, she was a lost soul, too overcome by shadow to see any light.
To Kurt, she was an enigma, with a slim chance of redemption.
To Kitty, Rogue was a nightmare, the kind that one never woke up from.
To Jubilee, it was a shame because of what Rogue could’ve been had The Professor found her first.
To Bobby, Rogue was just a pinup, a real live image for his midnight fantasies.
To Scott, she was the enemy, but the only one worth believing.
To Jean, Rogue was a killer, of both lives and livelihoods.
To Remy, she was simply Rogue; his old love.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks go once again to Fage for the beta.