Before He Forgot Us: Chapter 9 Saying Hello For the First Time
I walked with a purposeful gait into the luxurious study of one Charles Xavier. Shaded lamps that gave off a comfortable glow dimly lighted it. A small collection of books lined the shelves of two ornate bookcases to the right of the study. On the left large ceiling to floor length windows simply adorned opened the study with a delicacy and elegance few could capture. Maroon-Red leather sofa’s, chairs and matching loveseats completed the elaborate décor of the scene before me.
Headmaster of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters sat as always in his high-backed silver electric wheelchair. He seemed to be immersed in deep thought as he looked pensively out his large ceiling to floor length windows.
“Sit Rogue, over here,” he said to me with a simple gesture of his right hand, never allowing his eyes to leave the great expansion of his property.
I walked unhurriedly as if with caution to be he had indicated with the gesture of his right hand. I sat quietly on one of those maroon-red leather chairs. Looking upon the Professors facial appearance, the shaded lamps glow giving him a much more aged and tired exterior. I could see the deep creases of crow’s feet; laugh lines and most of all the worry lines that marred his once young features.
“I know why you are here Rogue. Your suspicions are regrettably correct. The man you search for isn’t here nor has he ever been. I have as I have promised you, been searching for him, this mutant you have described to me. However I must admit I have been unfortunate in finding his location,” he said to me with a deep sigh, “It is as if he had never existed. There are no official government documents, no birth certificate, no driver’s license, not even a credit card, nothing but speculations and outlandish rumors. A feral man with six, eight-inch metal claws that can do more damage to any one person if he has half the mind to. Morocco, Japan, Germany, and half the states of America I have searched. Yet not even the best trackers, machineries, bounty hunters or private detectives can get a single lead on this fellow of yours. This Wolverine.”
The Professor said all of this to me with such vindictiveness that I could no longer be angry with him or even agitated. I however continued my unwavering stance of silence as he looked continuously upon his green acres.
“You have to understand my dear Rogue. I am forever in your debt. You brought to me the greatest gift I have ever been known to receive. Scott is one of the brightest joys of my long life and it is only with my greatest regret that I was unable to do this one thing you have requested of me. It breaks my heart daily to know that not even I, Charles Xavier, have the means in which to find this ghost man,” Charles apologized to me.
He said this to me with such emotion and conviction that my earlier frustrations seemed to evaporate. They seemed to disappear just as easily as my love has apparently done.
“Do not worry Charles,” I finally spoke to him, a forest green glove raised to rest upon his paralyzed knee, “we will find him. I am not disappointed in you. It is my fear that has caused me to be this way. For Logan is lost in this world without the knowledge that I am still alive. He could still be searching for me, unaware that I am safe and finally happy. Or worse yet, he could believe, like Slim that I have finally moved on from this place of the living and now six feet below Earth’s surface. It is that fear that has me frazzled Charles, not your inability to find him.”
I stood then from my maroon-red leather chair to stand, with arms crossed over my chest, in front of those ceiling to floor length windows. To stare, like the Professor, across the great expansion of this mutant haven.
“When I arrived here I had undisclosed documents in my possession. I do not know if they will be of any use but-,” I paused as I pulled out the wrinkled, blood stained documents from my new black and forest green leather uniform. I handed them to Charles with a sigh, almost as if a giant weight was being lifted from my thin shoulders.
He read each page with that furrowed brow he had on when I entered this elaborate room. His eyebrows rising up his forehead like furry caterpillars as he flipped through the pages.
“This-This,”
“This is going to be the beginning of a war Charles. Magneto already knows of this, for that I am sure of. How many others besides him? I am not positive, but if I had to guess not many. Nevertheless as you might have noticed we have time to figure out a plan of action. This is obviously still in the trail phase. Personally I give it another three years before if will be introduced to the FDA and by then who knows what might happen. Mutant acceptance? Mutant rebellion? Mutant genocide? No one knows at this point…”
“Yes Rogue you are accurate on that. But it is a marvelous discovery. However I am guessing that this mutant cure is not why you have given this to me.”
“No Professor, it is Wolverine’s file that has me concerned. But it is a mutant lab facility and who knows who is funding this outfit.” I said to him turning once again to look out those glorious windows. Bobby Drake passed by then making his security rounds. He looked all the James Bond as he pointed his forefinger out, squirting bits of ice jets out on to Ororo’s geraniums.
“We will need to locate him as soon as possible. I will send Storm and Cyclops out immediately to go and collect him. I will also fax these documents to Hank in Washington. He might find these documents more than interesting,” said he as he wheeled out of his lush study, with me close behind.
It didn’t take but minutes for the team to be awaken and ready for departure. The whirl of the SR-17 Blackbirds Pratt and Whitney J58-P4 engines could be heard in the distance as Storm and Cyclops headed for the snow-covered terrain of Canada. Xavier then escorted me to my new room were my new roommates awaited already asleep inside. We said our polite goodnights as we parted ways, him I believe back to his lofty study to continue his deep thinking and I off to bed. To sleep restlessly I am sure for the return of my love.
As I entered my room I was filled with both excited hungry and total exhaustion. Falling with a ‘humph’ on top of my green sheets, I began to stare at the bright moonlight filtering in through my half-closed curtains. Allowing for the first time in so many years the hope to rise within me. I felt fifteen again in that moment until Jubilee’s heavy breathing soon lured me into perpetual sleep.
I woke early the next morning. The sun shinning menacingly through my half closed curtains now replaced the bright moon. Waking with a heavy groan and the repeated open and closing of my eyes, I finally was able to budge my still leather clad body up off my bed. Walking like the dead I soon found the connecting bathroom. I shut the door tightly behind me as I moved about the small space. Pushing open the hot pink and sunshine yellow shower curtain, I soon relished in the showers warm curtain of hot steam.
Stepping in with excited anticipation into my own hot, warm abyss I felt the nights built up tension leave. Using what I assumed was Kitty’s respectable shampoo I washed and lathered my head and body. Finishing quickly I toweled off my now pink flesh and dressed in a hurried fashion in my leather uniform.
Taking what I guessed was Jubilee’s bright yellow hairbrush I quickly worked out the few tangles in my long tress of hair. I quickly did my hair in a low braid that swung like dead weight against my back. Once I was finished with my normal routine of getting prepared for my day, I quietly eased myself out of the bedroom. It took only the silent click of the door closing before I was sprinting off in search of the man I knew that would be waiting for me.
Basically running down the various hallways and eventually taking the staircase two at a time, it was then after the last jump that I ran into Slim. He caught me as I tried to catch myself. However our efforts to stay up right were for nothing for we both still landed with a thud onto the finely polished hardwood floors.
“Sorry Slim,” said I.
“What’s the rush?” He asked me with a smile. I just huffed at him like I used to when we were kids.
“I swear you’re rotten. You know why I am rushing,” I said to him slightly agitated.
He however thought it rather funny and his silly smile turned into a rather toothy grin. He helped me up from my fallen awkward position on the floor smiling that rather annoying smile as we stood in the front entrance of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
“Is he here? Did you find him? Where is he? Is he alright?” I questioned him in a rush. He just laughed at me at as I stood there looking rather flustered.
“Yes your mystery man is here. Now I am not at liberty to say that he is downstairs in the Med-Lab so if you please could go and talk to the Professor, I have a class I have to teach in an hour,” he said to me with a serious face. I couldn’t help but break out into a wide tooth smile that matched Slim’s early one. I didn’t let him speak anymore as I started to walk briskly towards Xavier’s office.
I didn’t wait for him to invite me in as I busted through those handcrafted wooden doors. He however seemed to be expecting me, as he sat quite patiently behind his oak desk just like he always does.
“I take it that you ran into Scott already. Please take a seat Rogue,” he said almost solemnly as he gestured towards one of those maroon-leather chairs. I like always sat cautiously down with a silent hesitation of what the Professor was going to say next.
“I am sure you are already aware that the team’s mission was a success and Logan is in our custody. However I have come to find some interesting facts about our newest resident,” he told me as he placed the ends of his fingers together.
“It seems that Logan has some sort of amnesia. All that he remembers are the events that have taken place in his life for the last fifteen years. Anything before that is just bits and pieces of flashed memories. I found nothing really coherent. It is all a jumbled mess and he can only remember pieces as if it was a horrible nightmare. Logan has no idea who you are or what your connection with him is,” The Professor told me with as much delicacy as he could muster.
I however couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t breath. I just clung almost desperately to that maroon-leather chair like a lifeline. In that moment my world seemed to crash and dissolve into oblivion like a piece of paper in a fire. My life seemed to just turn to ash and blow away like it was nothing.
“I think it would be best not to rush Logan into anything at this time. I believe it would be best to not mention your connection with him until he can fully grasp what is happening at the moment,” Xavier requested of me and all I could make myself do was nod my head as I stood up form my chair.
“I am truly sorry Rogue, I know what it feels like to lose someone you hold close to you and watch as they lead a life without you by their side. It is even harder still to think that the life they are living was never meant to have you in it. That they or you were meant for something greater than the life you could have shared. I understand that pain all to well,” Xavier confided to me and I did everything in my power to not let the tears that were forming fall. I was too old to cry over a broken heart and misguided dreams. I was to old to believe in fair tales.
I walked the halls with a rigid stiffness, my mind blank and my feet having their own purpose as I strolled with no real direction around the various hallways and rooms. Eventually I found myself in the observatory tower of the Danger Room. I watched as Storm sat on the sidelines directing the scenario below. It only took me ten minutes before I got frustrated enough to intervene with Ororo’s teaching skills. She wasn’t really concentrating on what the team was doing. She seemed tired and distracted. I watched as the team huddled together in the center of the large holographic battlefield, a Sentinel leering menacingly down upon his soon to be captives. That is if this scenario was taking captives.
I pushed the large red button that would access the lift that would take me down to the training session below. It didn’t take long before I was at Storms side watching the Junior X-Men make mistake after simple mistake.
“They’re dieing out there Storm. Their formation is all wrong, all they are is just an easy target. They’re just waiting to be killed, all it takes is one good plasma shot and they’re all dead, ” I said to her as Kitty once again fazes four people out of the line of fire.
“I know,” she said with slight frustration.
“Do you mind?” I asked her with a nod of my head towards the helpless team.
“Be my guest,” she said with an exhausted smile and made her way towards the lift to take her up into the observatory tower. I however began to make my way through fallen debris and small fires to the team that was huddled together underneath the looming figure of their soon to be grim keeper.
“Hey Rogue!” Jubilee called out to me in an almost relived voice.
“Jubilee,” I replied to her as I turned to the whole team, “what are ya’ll doing? Ya’ll are dying out here!”
“Aren’t we stating the obvious?” Pyro said to me sarcastically as he shot a large blast of fire towards the coming titan.
“Staying together like this will get you all killed, you need to split into pairs and attack this behemoth from all sides. Pyro, Jubilee ya’ll take the west side and give it all you’ve got. Iceman and shadowcat you got from the east. Colossus you’re with me and we’re going for a frontal attack. I want a full attack people, everything you got. So let lose people,” I commanded as everyone paired up and scattered like rats towards the directions I had told them.
Jubilee and Pyro were amazing as they both unleashed a wave of fireworks and small explosions. It was Shadowcat and Iceman that had me worried. Iceman seemed to take over the pair as he and Shadowcat hesitated over every move. Iceman made to many mistakes in the end because he couldn’t make up his mind. And Shadowcat ended up having to keep not only her but also him fazed the entire time just so Iceman wouldn’t get injured and ruin the mission. A waste of a useful talent if every seen before.
“All right Colossus I need a hit from you,” I said as he looked at me with confusion as I slipped off one of my leather gloves. I touched his face lightly with the tip of my bare finger and immediately the side effects from my mutation were seen. Light blue and purple veins began to form across the side of his face as his life force and mutation began to transfer to me. After I released him, he shook away the drowsiness and watched with fascination, as my body became a metal replica of my former self.
“Okay tin man suite up cause it’s clobbering time,” I said as we both rushed towards the half melted half frozen creature before us. It didn’t take us long to turn this once gigantic metal force into scrap metal. And tired as we were the Junior X-Men still seemed happy with the way the situation was handled.
“Clobbering time?” Pete asked me as we walked sluggishly towards to lift to take us up to the observation tower. I let out a small laugh at the small phrase.
“I used to know a fellow who used to say that all the time. Ugly fellow too, but the nicest one you’ll probably ever meet either,” I concluded to my metal friend, as we all gathered inside the tower. I argued within my head if I should comment on the images I had seen when I touched Pete. But I decided that, that conversation should wait for another time.
“I will have to admit that I am surprised,” Storm said as we gathered around her, “I did not believe that you all could accomplish the mission. Of course you did have some help.”
“I agree with you Storm, the team is not ready for a session like that. They have no structure and no leadership. Someone better step up and lead the team or you’ll end up on the wrong end of a plasma ray,” I added.
“Exactly,” Storm agreed as she crossed her arms and looked almost disappointedly at the group before her.
“If I may suggest Ororo,” I asked as she nodded in approval, “ ya’ll need extra sessions period. Ya’ll are all sloppy and indecisive and those are two factors you cannot have on the field. I think more conditioning and some one on one training should be added immediately if they are to ever advance quickly and effectively.”
“As good idea as that is Rogue, we are to short handed to do that,” Storm said almost defeated.
“Yes you are right, but before we discuss that situation I think you should dismiss the team,” I said and she just looked at me skeptically but did as I suggested and released the team until further notice.
“You’re to over worked Storm and with the recent events that have been playing out the Junior Team will be needed,” I said to her as she sat down in one of the few chairs in the tower.
“What would you have me do Rogue? Every teacher is at their maximum limit with teaching and the team we barely have times for ourselves let alone schedule extra training sessions,” Storm told me almost with desperation.
“Has Xavier talked to you?” I asked her and she shook her head.
“It’s imperative that they further their training. I want to take over the Junior Team. I understand that you’re second ranking with team decisions. But I have a feeling that the team won’t always be your main priority. If I take over the Junior Team responsibilities you would have extra time to plan lessons, grade papers, spend more time out of these four walls,” I suggested and I saw the interest peak within her at the mention of being outside in the open air. She was quite for a moment, I believe thinking it all over, her hand placed delicately underneath her chin as she thought it over.
“Yes I think maybe you are right, I haven’t really been outside in ages,” she said as she stood up, “I will inform both Scott and the Professor of you taking over the Junior Team.”
“Thanks Storm I really do believe it will benefit everyone involved,” I said to her as she nodded in approval and made her way to her room to finish her lesson plans for tomorrow. However she barely made it out the door before we were both called telepathically to the Professor’s study. I looked a little taken aback by it however Ororo reassured me.
“You do get used to it, I promise.”
We walked together and eventually met up with both Slim and Jean on the way. And together we four entered the comfortable office. It was then that I nearly dropped dead.
“This is Scott Summers or as the students have coined him Cyclops, Ororo Monroe or Storm and you’ve already met Jean Grey and this is Rogue,” Xavier said as he introduced us all to the flannel covered man before us.
“Logan,” I whispered just below my breath as I stared star-crossed at him.
He looked exactly the same, just a lot cleaner and better dressed. I nearly burst into tears when he made the wise crack about the Professor and us having weird names. Luckily for me he never picked up my quickening heart beat or the salty beginnings of unshed tears as he talked to us.
“It’s been fifteen years Logan. I can help you reclaim those memories, those that you’ve lost,” Xavier told him, “if you stay Logan we can help.”
“What is this place?” he asked and that’s when I lost all my courage and excused myself from the room. I was unable to stand him being in the same room with me and not recognize me, not knowing what we had together or me. It was all too much to take in.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000