Chapter 1: Bad Beginnings
Disclaimer: Darn, they all belong to Marvel.
The bar, like most others, was smoky and dingy, bad lighting made worse by the smoke clogging the air. Everything had a grubby and unwashed feel to it, including the giant cage dominating the centre of the room. Bars of reinforced steel gleamed with the dull red of fresh blood from the loser of the last fight, whose entrails were currently being hosed off of the floor to join the rest of him in a corner.
A young man with a shock of prematurely white hair that made him look like a dandelion clock about to be blown away was pushing his way through the braying crowd to get a better view of the cage. He gagged a little as the smell of old blood, fresh blood and innards assaulted his nostrils in a stomach churning mix that overpowered the fug of stale beer and cigarette smoke that had seemed so powerful at first. Having finally managed to squeeze his way to the front without spilling the shot glass in his hand, he stared down the corridor that lead to the room of prize fighters, eyes fixed on what he could see of the door through the circular black glasses shielding his eyes from the casual observer.
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Knocking back a shot that someone had passed through the bars of the cage, Rogue winked and handed the glass back, turning to face her next opponent. Since the mutant registration act had been voted against five years ago, mutants had since then started to become accepted in some areas of society. In Canada, there were less mutant haters which meant more mutants. In many of the rougher bars in Canada, there were cages that had once been for mere mortals to fight in, but now were made of iron to withstand the beating they got from the mutant fighters. Although mutants had been reluctantly accepted, they were still looked down upon which meant that the punters didn't care if a man fought a woman - hey, they were muties, they could take it.
Glaring at her opponent, she circled him once, looking him over to assess his strengths and weaknesses, although she needn't have bothered - since absorbing Carol, her strength could knock out pretty much anyone, mutant or not. Rogue looked him over, pleased to see he looked tough enough to be a challenge, but not tough enough to beat her - in the year she had been fighting, no one had been able to. Bringing herself back to the fight with a grin on that last thought, she looked him over again - Long tail that looked like it had a spike on the end, green all over, odd round yellow eyes and a smell like dead skunk (the enhanced senses she had gotten from Victor came in handy sometimes, but at times like this it just gave her a headache). As she darted forward with a right hook to the jaw, he jumped back to whip his tail under her legs, almost catching her with it but a last minute hover/jump took her away from his tail and straight into his face where she threw all her strength into another punch, sending him reeling back, straight into the bars. With a feral smile that held no humor, she waited for him to recover a little before making him wish he hadn’t.
On the other side of the bar in a dingy booth, a group of five mutants watched Rogue with interest. One finally took her attention away from Rogue to crack her gum and turn to the others.
"Dude, that girl is one mean fighter - I'll bet she could take on Wolvie and come out with hardly a scratch. Shame about the fashion sense though, or rather lack of it - jeans and a flannel shirt just ain't gonna cut it if she is ever going to be seen in public with us.
Ruby tinted lenses turned in the direction of the girl's inane comments, and a man with chiseled features and a commanding air of authority, clearly the leader of the group, sighed in reply.
"Jubilee, firstly of course she will come out of a fight with hardly a scratch - she has invulnerable skin, or were you not listening when we were briefed? Secondly, I hardly think people are going to notice the fact she is wearing jeans and a shirt that just doesn’t happen to have any yellow in it.
The mutant he had called Jubilee huffed and turned back to the cage, cracking her gum again, muttering under her breath.
"Its alright for you, everything looks red anyway."
Shaking his head, Scott leveled a crimson-tinted look at the woman by his side, a dark-skinned beauty with startlingly white hair. Her calm, not- fashion-sense-based opinion would certainly be of more value than that expressed by the all-things-yellow bolt of energy snapping her gum at him.
"So what do you think about our chances of her agreeing to come with us?"
Looking away from the fight where Rogue had just knocked her opponent out with a kick to the gut and an uppercut that sent him flying, Ororo turned to him with a wry smile.
"Well considering she left the brotherhood without Magneto kicking up a fuss, I'm not sure she would be all too enthusiastic to join our cause but she may agree to at least come and see Charles. Although the fact that Mystique is possibly her mother makes me wonder at Charles' decision to ask her to join us. But he obviously sees something in her that is worth us coming up to ask her."
Nodding, he looked back up at the cage that Rogue had stepped out of, taking another shot glass that someone had ready for her and going to the back room, presumably to pick up her things. Standing up, he looked at Ororo, Bobby, Kitty and Jubilee, although focusing on Jubilee to make sure she understood - she was a good fighter and loyal, but sometimes failed to listen to simple orders such as 'Don't wear a bright yellow jacket when we are going out to pick up Rogue, we don't want to stand out too much.'
"Ok, now is our chance to talk to her but we don't want to be too threatening or over bearing and make her refuse instantly. Got that Jubilee?"
With a slight smile, he turned to the bar, walking over to the door and pretending not to hear Jubilee’s mutterings of 'Whatever dude.' as the others followed him.
Glancing at the door as someone knocked, Rogue ignored it, carrying on counting the wad of money she had earned beating up other mutants before folding it up and tucking it deep into the pocket of her jeans. Sighing as whoever it was knocked again she opened the door warily, taking in the five people stood at the door with one glance and focusing on the one with the weird shades lastly as he seemed to be the leader. Suddenly recognising him from Carol's and Vic's memories, she glared at him.
"Whaddya want, Cyclops? If it's to offer a round in the cage with you and your little X-buddies, I'm afraid its too late sugar."
Smiling sweetly, she then looked at Ororo, narrowing her eyes as Carol's memories surfaced again.
**Flying to attack one of the X men, a bolt of lightning knocking her out of the sky and onto the Wolverine's claws where she was injured for the first time since her mutation had manifested. Angry didn't begin to describe the surging hate she felt towards the woman who had hurt her pride more than her 'invulnerable' skin**
"But if ol' Stormy here is offering, them I'm sure I could find the time and energy to take her on."
Shifting slightly to stand a little in front of Ororo, feeling more protective of her than he had ever felt of Jean, Scott kept a carefully blank expression (made a lot easier by the fact his eyes were hidden) and shook his head.
"We're not here to fight you Rogue; we simply wanted to talk and to offer you a place at Charles Xavier's mansion until you find what it is you seem to be looking for."
Snorting, Rogue turned away to pick up her duffle and walk out of room as they moved apart to let her through - even Jubilee remembered the part of the briefing that had mentioned Rogue's skin being dangerous, despite the fact she hadn’t been listening at the ‘invulnerable’ point of the conversation.
"I ain't looking for anything, one-eye, and I certainly don't need your charity - I can look after myself just fine."
Turning to follow her, Scott motioned for the others to stay where they were as she stormed out into the parking lot.
"Rogue, the professor said he might be able to help you control your skin."
Pausing mid-stride, she smiled and turned slowly on one foot
"Do you really think that is going to make me come with you? I've had countless people promise they can help turn off my skin if I only go with them and help them fight this battle or that war. So you can keep your offer because I ain't gonna be used as a weapon for anyone again."
Before Scott could answer she leapt into the air, rapidly disappearing into the snowy night sky leaving only a whirlwind of snowflakes behind her.
"Dude, you seriously need to work on your people skills."
Sighing, Scott turned away from his contemplation of Rogue's bitter words and faced his companions, his visored gaze taking in the five of his best friends, his team mates, his mutant allies and his love. He Jubilee's comment and started to walk back in the direction of the Blackbird.
"We'll have to go back to the mansion, we can't track her in the air, and the professor said that the multiple personalities in her head makes it impossible for Cerebro to get a lock on her, so we'll just have to wait for Logan and Jean to come back and they can try, see if they do any better in trying to get her to come with us."
Boarding the jet that had been landed not too far away and hidden, Scott mentally contacted the professor to tell him everything that had happened and gave him their ETA before starting up the jet
"Ok, buckle up everybody. And no wise-ass comments about my flying, Jubilee."
Rogue arrived back at her motel in a more-than-pissed state of mind, storming around her room, furiously kicking at the wall and throwing the few items she had left there back into her duffle. Some time ago she had overheard a few other mutants talking about a huge annual fight in Calgary that paid out a ridiculous amount of prize money. When they had gone on to say, with audible awe in the voice, that a certain Wolverine had been the champion so many times and ‘gee, wasn’t he amazing?’ the speaker had then trailed off into silence at a rumbling growl from the corner Rogue was sat in. Remembering their stupidly over-awed voices talking about that troglodyte made her blood boil. She swore to herself that she would keep her champion status this time as she had every year since the Wolverine had disappeared off the fight circuit four years ago and she had first heard of the opportunity.
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