Pale moonlight filtered through the branches as a lone figure approached the small camp. His steps were quick, purposeful, and silent as he slid through the shadows to hunker down by the flames.
“Father? Chosen?”
“Safe for now. I woke that which Weapon put within her. We must not fail, must not that Monster win.”
“We won’t.”
“How has Weapon done in my absence?”
“She does not know us. She’s thought to escape us more than once but her body is too weak to allow her to run. Our sister has watched over her every day.”
“Seven days then we’ll leave. We must got to them, must protect at all costs.”
“Casualties?”
Slow, maniacal a grin crossed his face with a cruel twist of his features. “Only the young must survive. All others are expendable. I will not allow her to go unpunished.”
A quick nod and a shift of bodies and silence once more fell upon the forest.
Weapon shifted in her sleep, waking quickly as she realized that a warmth clung to her back. Wrinkling her nose she huffed at the familiar rumble that went through the body. A moment later she stared into the warmth of a friend’s gaze.
“Chosen?”
“Safe. Your gift is working to keep her safe. We will go to her soon.”
“The Monster?”
“Too close?”
“I’m healed, we go now!” Sitting up she growled at the pain and weakness that clung to her body making her sluggish and uncoordinated.
“The pack is on the hunt. We need food.”
“Pack?” For the first time since she’d awoken, she looked around. The others she’d seen earlier were absent but the air was still heavy with their scents. Indentations in the ground marked where they’d been sleeping and the fire still burned low, as though just waiting for a log to flare into life.
“You do not remember them?”
Weapon shook her head uneasily, fear warring within her. Rolling her shoulders she smothered a cry at the searing wash of fire from her back. Grabbing for her wings she stared in shocked horror at her litter mate. “My wings? Where are my wings?”
“Do you not know? They ripped them out. There was no way we could put them back.” He whispered softly, soothingly, a low pained growl rolling through his chest.
Weapon shook her head in desperation as her fingers traced over the still tender wounds on her upper back. She didn’t notice the tremble in her hands, as she felt the puckering, the twisted muscles where wings had once been. With a soft whimper she turned from the concerned gaze before her and curled into a ball.
“Rest now, sister Soon we’ll have to move on then we’ll get your vengeance.”
“I’m not whole anymore.” Soft, pitifully she whimpered as she inched away from him. Wrapping her arms around herself she stared out into the night, her mind racing with memories, with pain. The faint but distinct laughter from the guards slithered into her mind and she shook uncontrollably as the memories of what she’d endured washed over her.
With each new degrading act the monsters had done, her anger grew, pushing aside any caution, any compassion. Instead, her need for revenge, to inflict pain grew, oozing over her like a steady trail of her own blood.
The crackle of branches and feet on the underbrush drew her attention and she glanced once at the trees. She watched as five figures moved into the faint glow of the flames carrying a large deer. Closing her eyes she turned away from them. She had much more important things to think of, food would come later, much, much later. When her blood thirst had been quenched, when her desire to have justice, have revenge was satisfied.
“Eat.” The command drew a growl even as food was shoved into her hands and she sat up. Digging into the warm, juicy meat she ate quickly, her eyes glowing red with her emotions. Licking at the trailing fat she ate quickly, ingesting whatever her litter mate shoved into her hands.
“We’ll go soon.” Wrath declared easily his gaze on Weapon. There was so much concern and rage within her eyes that he knew they’d be hard pressed not to just kill the monster they were hunting.
Logan glanced up sharply at the knock on his bedroom door and growled. Rising to his feet he walked over and opened it a crack to meet the concerned blue eyes staring at him. “Yeah?”
“How’s Rogue?”
Logan growled at the question. It had been two weeks since that day the mask had made it’s reappearance and each day Rogue had sunk deeper into the world within her own mind. She didn’t interact with anyone other than himself, avoided Jean like she was the second coming of the plague. The one time Jean had pressed the issue Rogue had nearly ripped her face off.
“She’s okay.”
“Logan, she can’t keep this up. She needs to socialize with others.”
“She doesn’t want to deal with you and quite frankly I don’t either.”
“Logan? Who’s at the door?” Rogue called softly, appearing a moment later by Logan’s shoulder. A low, furious growl and a dark glare crossed her face. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Rogue, I’ve come to check up on you. Just wanted to make sure that you’re doing okay.”
“I’m doin’ just fine without your interference.”
Jean sighed softly as she watched Rogue’s usual pale skin washed over with shiny, living metal. If she didn’t know any better she’d have assumed that she’d absorbed some of Piotr, but the tall Russian was careful about respecting Rogue and Logan’s need for space. “Rogue, the presence in you is making you like this. It’s not your personality and you need to deal with it.”
“I don’t need to do squat, bitch. You sold her out, I know it, Logan knows it, you know it. And as soon as I can prove it I’m gonna make you pay for it. Now if you don’t mind, you’re interrupting us.”
“Rogue…” Jean started as Rogue stalked away. Turning her gaze to Logan she met his cold, hard gaze. “Please, Logan, talk to her. She doesn’t need to act like this. It’s not healthy.”
“Rogue’s just fine. Just because she doesn’t want to deal with you. Unlike you, she doesn’t see that girl as a threat, she sees her as a friend, an ally.” Logan ground out and stepped back, already moving to close the door.
“What do I have to do to make you see…”
“There isn’t anything you can do. We don’t see the same things when we look at each other. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got better things to do than stand here and talk to the likes of you.”
Jean jumped as Logan slammed the door in her face. Turning she caught Scott’s gaze and shrugged, there would be no reaching Rogue right now. She’d give it some time and then she’d try again, maybe after Logan had left the mansion on one of is rare excursions besides a mission.
“You better hope she don’t find something that links you.” Scott whispered softly. “Something tells me if she feels she’s got something to take to Charles, you’re gonna be wishing you were somewhere else.”
“You said it yourself, Scott that we had to put the needs of the children above anyone else’s. That mutant was a risk to the kids here, to all of us.”
“I know. And my opinion hasn’t changed, I’m just saying you’d better be careful. I won’t risk losing you to something or someone that’s bigger than all of us.”
Jean nodded slowly and watched as Scott walked away. She didn’t think it would ever get that far. As far as she knew, the army was doing the mental refurbishing of their weapon, and thus she would be out of the way…at least for now.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000