Rogue was having the time of her life.
As the battle continued to rage on, she learned what she was truly capable of. For years she had trained in intensive hand-to-hand combat with both Logan and Scott, learning various battle tactics during countless hours spent in the Danger Room, only using her skin as a last resort. The Professor had told her numerous times that the brain had an infinite capacity, thus allowing her to absorb as many personalities as she wanted, if she’d only learn the right way to filter them within her mind properly. However, Rogue had never picked up the knack, making her reluctant to use her power.
Until now.
With every bare-fisted punch she threw, with every savage head-butt she delivered, her opponents would weaken a bit more, while she grew stronger from their life-force and took on their powers for a time. Their minds were easily stored away in the vast warehouse of her brain, their thoughts barely causing a ripple in her own, and as the minutes ticked by mutants within Rgoue's vicinity dropped like flies. Somehow, it would seem that she had finally learned what Charles had always tried to instill in her: that she could do it, she just had to believe she could.
Currently she was grappling with a mutant whose main power seemed to lie in making her scalp itch slightly. Hearing a familiar growl to her left, Rogue quickly turned her head to observe Logan fighting a few feet away, viciously swinging his claws into a mutant who appeared to be composed of multiple regenerating tentacles; for every one Logan slashed off, a new one grew in it’s place almost instantaneously.
Feeling Rogue’s eyes on him, Logan spoke without looking at her. “Enjoyin’ the show, Kid?” he asked, taking another ineffectual swipe at his adversary.
Sweeping her leg out in a devastating round-house kick which connected solidly with her own sparring partner’s jaw, Rogue casually replied, “Well, ah thought about askin’ if ya needed a hand, but ah think your problem is that ya got too many.”
“Switch?” Logan asked hopefully, clearly tired of fighting tentacle-man.
“Deal,” she agreed, driving her opponent back with a flurry of punches. “But if ah touch him an’ start growin’ things, ah will hurt you.”
Grinning, Logan ducked, allowing Rogue to leap nimbly over his back before planting her feet firmly in front of the tentacle laden mutant. “Alright Squiggly,” she said grimly. “Let’s dance.”
Blinking at her stupidly, the mutant groped for her with his extra appendages which bounced harmlessly off of her. One of the last mutants she had absorbed had almost a rubber-ball exterior, which caused objects to deflect right off her body. It still didn’t stop the slime oozing off the tentacles from coating her uniform though.
No chance in Hell am ah touchin’ this guy, Rogue decided after a particularly large amount of gook splashed against her thigh. Time to bring out the big guns.
Accessing another power, Rogue opened her mouth and spat a great gout of fire at the creature, where it promptly burst into flames. With a horrid shriek, it turned tail and ran blindly to the edge of the island, searching frantically for the water.
Brushing her hands off, Rogue caught the eye of another of Magneto’s followers, who appeared to be debating on whether or not he should attack her. Still watching him, Rogue blew out several smoke rings from her mouth and smiled enticingly. However, after witnessing the fate of her last foe, this new mutant wasn’t about to be taken in. Instead he turned and leapt into the water, swimming for the shore at warp speed.
“HEY!” Rogue cried in disappointment. “Get back here!” Suddenly the ground beneath her trembled violently, and she looked around in confusion. Avalanche couldn’t be here, she told herself, ah put him down for a week, so who’s…
“Rogue!” Bobby’s voice called to her from his position atop an ice ramp. “Shadowcat’s going after the cure, you gotta help her!”
Looking towards the facility, Rogue saw Kitty literally going through the crowd as she made a beeline for the building. Meanwhile, Rogue located the source of the ‘earthquake’: Juggernaut had joined the fray and was sprinting after Kitty, his every step causing the earth to tremble beneath his bulk.
Jumping up, Rogue ricocheted back off the ground with her feet, launching herself into the air. With that one mighty leap, she soared over the heads of the swarm of mutants and hit the ground running next to Kitty just before the petite brunette had reached the building.
Gasping in surprise, Kitty stared at Rogue as she skidded to a stop. “Rogue, what-“
“Ya got a tail,” Rogue cut her off, pointing behind them to the massive shape of Juggernaut plowing through mutants in his determination to get to them. Reaching down, she clasped Kitty’s glove covered hand in her own and smiled. “Shall we?” with that, they both went through the wall and entered the facility.
“Any idea where the source of this cure is kept?” Rogue asked as they made their way through the corridors.
“Hank told us he’s in Observation Room 5, top floor,” Kitty replied breathlessly, still clutching Rogue’s hand as they ran through walls and various other objects in their path.
“’He’?”
Kitty was stopped from explaining when a massive smash was heard below them, followed by many more, each growing closer than the last.
Rogue released Kitty’s hand and shoved her forward. “Go on,” she urged her, “Ah’ll take care o’ Jughead.”
Kitty’s wide brown eyes looked at her nervously for an instant before she nodded and disappeared through the nearest wall.
A few moments later Juggernaut smashed into the room, halting in his tracks upon seeing Rogue with her back pressed against the opposite wall, her legs crossed delicately at the ankles while an insolent smirk played upon her face.
“Cain ya ol’ dog, it’s been too long! Ah ain’t seen ya since we got yo’ sorry ass carted off to prison!”
An expression of intense hatred blackened Juggernaut’s face at these words. The X-Men had indeed been responsible for his incarceration, but it had been Rogue who had been the one to take him down by touching him those years ago. Apparently his time in the big-house hadn’t improved his disposition, and he still bore a grudge towards the X-Men, Rogue in particular.
Now he stalked towards her slowly, grinning lasciviously. “I know your game now, love. No touching that pretty magnolia skin of yours. I'm just gonna squish you like a bug.”
Still not moving from her relaxed position against the wall, Rogue watched him with ill-disguised boredom as he suddenly froze in his tracks less than two feet away from her.
“Somethin’ wrong, sugah?” she asked sweetly, batting her long black eyelashes as Juggernaut remained motionless, an expression of confusion entering his eyes.
“You’re doing this!” he screamed at her, futilely trying to move as Rogue pushed herself away from the wall and prowled around him like a hungry leopard, watching him with interest. The mutant she had absorbed this power of paralysis from had been a pimply-faced man who had went down like a sack of grain after Rogue had pinched a nerve in his neck from behind him. Ah gotta thank Logan fo' teachin' me that little trick, Rogue mused.
Tired of toying with him now, she grasped one heavily muscled forearm and watched as Juggernaut struggled vainly to break free. She held on for a while longer before releasing him, wincing at the sharp cracking noise that accompanied his tumble to the floor.
“Nighty-night,” she told him gently, before smashing through the wall Kitty had went through earlier. Next stop: Observation Room 5, top floor.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: I own nothing from x-men. that honour goes to Marvel
so, we're back. this chapter is the result of listening to The Hives song "Tick Tick Boom" (which totally rocks) on repeat for several hours. I've always seen Rogue portrayed as a strong, independent woman, hence why from the time i was 9 and i stole my big brothers'comics she has always been my favorite heroine. also why i was so... irked with X3... but we won't get into that now, or this intro will be longer than the chapter itself. anyway, i've always liked Rogue to be a steel magnolia, and that's the way I'm trying to write this. i hope you like it too. reviews are my life-force, i thrive on them. any constructive critisism is welcome also.
so, we're back. this chapter is the result of listening to The Hives song "Tick Tick Boom" (which totally rocks) on repeat for several hours. I've always seen Rogue portrayed as a strong, independent woman, hence why from the time i was 9 and i stole my big brothers'comics she has always been my favorite heroine. also why i was so... irked with X3... but we won't get into that now, or this intro will be longer than the chapter itself. anyway, i've always liked Rogue to be a steel magnolia, and that's the way I'm trying to write this. i hope you like it too. reviews are my life-force, i thrive on them. any constructive critisism is welcome also.