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tm_rogue, gartersandstars and daughter_of_m. The next chapter in the big huge giant-size special. Follows this RP with Sinister and Beast.
Inside the headmasters' office at the Xavier Institute, the curtains were drawn tight, the computers shut off and the lights were off, but Scott Summers was at his desk. His eyes shut tight, he massaged his temples with his fingertips and did his best to keep his breathing slow and even. It was something Scott did rarely, considering the little amount of time he tended to have where he could manage to stop everything, but it seemed like if he didn't this time, his head might just literally explode. As if Emma's current unpredictable and not-exactly-stable state of mind wasn't enough, it was clear that he must have pissed off some deity out there, considering the extreme dissatisfaction-- now that was a gentle euphemism, Scott mused-- coming to him from what seemed all corners. Rachel and he had lapsed back into resentful silence, Jean (who had taught him this relaxation technique in the first place, ironically) was taking any opportunities to bite his head off, and now even Lorna had felt it necessary to paint him quite possibly the worst father, husband, friend, brother and leader in recorded history.
The only thing that would really cap off the current state of affairs, as far as Scott was concerned, was for Logan to burst into the office to beat the crap out of him, and then arrest him on behalf of SHIELD.
A booming sound echoed from outside the office door, followed by a hard, scraping knock. Scott didn't even need to check. "Office hours are canceled for today, Santo," he called. "Sorry, Professor Summers, but a package arrived for you and it looks really important." Shaking his head wearily, since the meditation hadn't worked, despite him trying for the past two hours, Scott crossed to the door, opened it, and took the manila envelope from the rocky hand of the student. Back at his desk, Scott turned the envelope over, to find it marked "REALLY IMPORTANT", with a return address of Jamie Madrox's X-Factor Investigations. Inside was only a note, written in bold, block letters:
Confused, and not a little angry, Scott turned the note over and re-read it twice. It still made no sense, but he'd heard and knew first-hand enough about Layla Miller to take it deathly seriously. What it implied, though, was insane. Rogue was Brotherhood, now, and had made her choice about her loyalties. If she were foolish enough to come to the mansion, he'd make sure she didn't escape its defenses. And how in the hell could their newest student be involved with all of it?
Slumping into his chair, Scott started rubbing his temples again.
Sinister's words echoed in Rogue's mind and she pushed them away. Not needing the worry to mess with her focus. Sure she had the mad scientist's power but his signature along with every other enemy the X-Men had was integrated into the Mansion's security systems. Allowed them to decipher friend from foe and take appropriate action. And now she most definitely fell into the foe category and the mansion and its inhabitants would react accordingly.
Rogue had no desire to fight any of the students or the staff. But she needed to get to Scott and somehow explain about Sinister and Rachel being in danger without the man trying to blow her head off. Not to mention helping him believe a single thing she said. Maybe I can just teleport in an' knock him out an' drag him ta SHIELD. That way would definitely cause less of a headache for the moment. She had a feeling it wouldn't endear her towards any of her former teammates.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated, stumbling as she tried scanning the mansion for Scott's location, eventually locking onto his whereabouts. She teleported towards the mansion, internally readying herself for whatever the X-Men threw at her. She appeared in the middle of the headmaster's office and didn't waste a moment, quickly and loudly exclaiming the reason for her arrival, "Rachel's in danger!"
The hairs on the back of Scott's neck rose a moment before it happened, but even that experience-honed sixth sense wasn't enough to warn him of the incoming teleportation. There was a whooshing sound of displaced air, and at it, Scott shoved his chair back from his desk and allowed himself to roll to the floor, putting the heavy wood between him and the intruder. Making a mental note to have the mansion's security sensors checked, his hand shot out for the panic button mounted on the underside of the desk. Rogue's shout stayed his hand.
Still behind the cover of the desk, Scott drew one of his ruby quartz visors from a drawer and slipped it into place. "Rogue?!" he shouted back. "What in the hell do you think you're doing here?" It was becoming a challenge to keep his voice and breathing calm. Scott had felt the loss of every one of the X-Men that had decided to leave the team in recent days, and the loss of the ones who'd found their way to the other side worst of all. Finally, he stood, feet planted firmly but his body turned to present a smaller target. He had no idea what might have become of Rogue's powers since she joined the Brotherhood, and he wasn't taking any chances, particularly given Rogue's choice of white flags to wave. "Now's when you need to tell me why I should believe you about Rachel," he said through gritted teeth.
Rogue glared, magnetic energy rippling around her. Causing numerous metallic objects in the room to rise and spin. "Don't really care what ya think, Cyclops," she growled back, and shook her head. Forcing herself to gain control of her emotions. "Really don't think you're one to be pullin' those kinda punches with how you've been treatin' you're daughter." Rogue took a deep breath, sensing things could become out of control quickly if both parties were unable to control their tempers. "Ain't here ta fight ya. Here cause Ray is in trouble. Ya can help or not. Let me know you're answer an' I'm gone."
He felt his hands tighten into fists. Rogue had been a friend, but Lorna and Jean were family. At least when they took him to task about Rachel, there was at least a little right to do so. This, though, was both out of line and beside the point. "If you're in such a hurry," he answered, "I won't ask you how not trusting a member of the Brotherhood has anything at all to do with my family business." This was getting them absolutely nowhere, Scott chided himself, and he wrenched his attention back to the supposed matter at hand. "Now what's going on with Rachel? And I'd better--"
Scott almost jumped when he heard the ring of his cell phone. It was the tone that indicated an important call from someone close, so chanced a glance down at his desk. The outside display read "Hank McCoy". Keeping his eyes up on Rogue, Scott flipped the phone open and hit the speaker button. "Hank?" he answered, then responded to his concerned-sounding friend, "Got a bit of a situation here myself. Rogue is paying me a visit, so I'm guessing the two are related?"
If Scott's harried voice was any indication, his reaction to Rogue's visit had been pretty much what Hank had predicted. "Indeed. I realize that Rogue is not exactly our most trusted ally at the moment, but whatever she's told you is the truth. Rachel, and maybe Lorna as well, appear to be in some danger. Their last known location was SHIELD headquarters in Atlanta."
Hank was careful not to mention how he'd gotten the information. If Scott knew that Mr. Sinister's telepathy was the reason they were going on a mission, the chances that he'd actually come were slim to none.
The heat of anger and annoyance faded for Scott, replaced with the kind of cool calm that always preceded a battle. It was a whole new ballgame with one of his oldest friends corroborating Rogue's story. Scott listened to Hank's information in silence, absorbing every detail possible. "Rachel and Lorna? I'm not going to ask how this happened... yet... but if Lorna's there, then we have to assume Alex isn't far behind. If he hasn't made contact, he's either with them now or incapacitated." His mind began ticking through the facts he had about SHIELD, about who he might have on hand to assist, and how he was going to manage to work with Rogue, who'd joined the side of the team's enemies. "Thanks, Hank. Keep your phone on and I'll track the signal to you. If anything changes, let me know."
Scott snapped the phone closed. He was about to start gathering a few basic pieces of equipment from his desk when he saw Layla Miller's note again. Picking up his desk phone, Scott dialed an extension and waited. "Yes, this is Professor Summers. Please send Wanda up to the headmaster's office, please?" Hanging up, he headed off Rogue's almost inevitable question by sliding the note towards her. "You remember Layla, I'm assuming. I don't think I want to take the chance of not listening to her."
Rogue quickly read the note and nodded. Layla was definitely someone that shouldn't be ignored. She pushed the note away and crossed her arms. Waiting for Wanda to make her appearance. A bit miffed that Scott hadn't believed her, that it had taken Hank's call to have Scott see reason. She schooled her features. Not wanting to give away any of the hurt over that realization. She could never go back. She understood that now. Everything had changed. Not that it mattered. She was here for Rachel and she'd do what she needed to get her friend out of trouble.
Wanda had arrived the day before; Scott had reluctantly agreed to taking her on, thanks in most part to Cable. She knew she there on everyone's good graces and determined to cause no trouble. So far, she'd kept to herself, observing everyone interacting but waiting for them to make a move. She'd been expecting to see her sister, but Lorna had been gone before she arrived. Wanda had unpacked and then repacked and then unpacked all her things three times already. She didn't know what else to do with herself. She was biding her time, waiting to be noticed. So far, no one had said more than two words to her...and that was Scott, welcoming her and giving her a room assignment, and then washing his hands of her as far as she could tell. Thus, she was a bit surprised when a young boy showed up to tell her to go to the headmaster's office. Even if Scott was having second thoughts about her being here, at least he would talk to her. She made her way to the office.
Wanda knocked once on the door, then pushed it in. "Hello? Mr. Summers?" She stood, quietly, in the doorway. She was the picture of good manners, her hair pulled back in a wide headband, her hands clasped before her. She might have been any young girl at his school rather than one of the most dangerous mutants alive.
The wait for the young woman had gone in silence, which Scott for his part filled with pulling on one of his leather jackets-- there was no way he was leaving Rogue alone inside the mansion for as long as it would take him to change into uniform-- and quickly calling Warren to have him keep a surreptitious eye on Emma while he was gone. When Wanda arrived, Scott beckoned her into the office and closed the door behind her. "Wanda, I'm afraid a real explanation will have to wait for a bit. Your sister's in trouble. We're going to help, and I want you along." He sighed. Every bit of this situation had the potential to go wrong, and yet he was still jumping in with both feet. "Keep yourself safe," he admonished Wanda, "and follow orders, and we'll bring everybody back okay."
He turned back to Rogue. "Let's go."
tm_rogue, gartersandstars and daughter_of_m. The next chapter in the big huge giant-size special. Follows this RP with Sinister and Beast.Inside the headmasters' office at the Xavier Institute, the curtains were drawn tight, the computers shut off and the lights were off, but Scott Summers was at his desk. His eyes shut tight, he massaged his temples with his fingertips and did his best to keep his breathing slow and even. It was something Scott did rarely, considering the little amount of time he tended to have where he could manage to stop everything, but it seemed like if he didn't this time, his head might just literally explode. As if Emma's current unpredictable and not-exactly-stable state of mind wasn't enough, it was clear that he must have pissed off some deity out there, considering the extreme dissatisfaction-- now that was a gentle euphemism, Scott mused-- coming to him from what seemed all corners. Rachel and he had lapsed back into resentful silence, Jean (who had taught him this relaxation technique in the first place, ironically) was taking any opportunities to bite his head off, and now even Lorna had felt it necessary to paint him quite possibly the worst father, husband, friend, brother and leader in recorded history.
The only thing that would really cap off the current state of affairs, as far as Scott was concerned, was for Logan to burst into the office to beat the crap out of him, and then arrest him on behalf of SHIELD.
A booming sound echoed from outside the office door, followed by a hard, scraping knock. Scott didn't even need to check. "Office hours are canceled for today, Santo," he called. "Sorry, Professor Summers, but a package arrived for you and it looks really important." Shaking his head wearily, since the meditation hadn't worked, despite him trying for the past two hours, Scott crossed to the door, opened it, and took the manila envelope from the rocky hand of the student. Back at his desk, Scott turned the envelope over, to find it marked "REALLY IMPORTANT", with a return address of Jamie Madrox's X-Factor Investigations. Inside was only a note, written in bold, block letters:
Don't be dumb. Go with Rogue. They need you.
P.S. Bring Wanda, but keep an eye on her.
Layla Miller
Confused, and not a little angry, Scott turned the note over and re-read it twice. It still made no sense, but he'd heard and knew first-hand enough about Layla Miller to take it deathly seriously. What it implied, though, was insane. Rogue was Brotherhood, now, and had made her choice about her loyalties. If she were foolish enough to come to the mansion, he'd make sure she didn't escape its defenses. And how in the hell could their newest student be involved with all of it?
Slumping into his chair, Scott started rubbing his temples again.
Sinister's words echoed in Rogue's mind and she pushed them away. Not needing the worry to mess with her focus. Sure she had the mad scientist's power but his signature along with every other enemy the X-Men had was integrated into the Mansion's security systems. Allowed them to decipher friend from foe and take appropriate action. And now she most definitely fell into the foe category and the mansion and its inhabitants would react accordingly.
Rogue had no desire to fight any of the students or the staff. But she needed to get to Scott and somehow explain about Sinister and Rachel being in danger without the man trying to blow her head off. Not to mention helping him believe a single thing she said. Maybe I can just teleport in an' knock him out an' drag him ta SHIELD. That way would definitely cause less of a headache for the moment. She had a feeling it wouldn't endear her towards any of her former teammates.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated, stumbling as she tried scanning the mansion for Scott's location, eventually locking onto his whereabouts. She teleported towards the mansion, internally readying herself for whatever the X-Men threw at her. She appeared in the middle of the headmaster's office and didn't waste a moment, quickly and loudly exclaiming the reason for her arrival, "Rachel's in danger!"
The hairs on the back of Scott's neck rose a moment before it happened, but even that experience-honed sixth sense wasn't enough to warn him of the incoming teleportation. There was a whooshing sound of displaced air, and at it, Scott shoved his chair back from his desk and allowed himself to roll to the floor, putting the heavy wood between him and the intruder. Making a mental note to have the mansion's security sensors checked, his hand shot out for the panic button mounted on the underside of the desk. Rogue's shout stayed his hand.
Still behind the cover of the desk, Scott drew one of his ruby quartz visors from a drawer and slipped it into place. "Rogue?!" he shouted back. "What in the hell do you think you're doing here?" It was becoming a challenge to keep his voice and breathing calm. Scott had felt the loss of every one of the X-Men that had decided to leave the team in recent days, and the loss of the ones who'd found their way to the other side worst of all. Finally, he stood, feet planted firmly but his body turned to present a smaller target. He had no idea what might have become of Rogue's powers since she joined the Brotherhood, and he wasn't taking any chances, particularly given Rogue's choice of white flags to wave. "Now's when you need to tell me why I should believe you about Rachel," he said through gritted teeth.
Rogue glared, magnetic energy rippling around her. Causing numerous metallic objects in the room to rise and spin. "Don't really care what ya think, Cyclops," she growled back, and shook her head. Forcing herself to gain control of her emotions. "Really don't think you're one to be pullin' those kinda punches with how you've been treatin' you're daughter." Rogue took a deep breath, sensing things could become out of control quickly if both parties were unable to control their tempers. "Ain't here ta fight ya. Here cause Ray is in trouble. Ya can help or not. Let me know you're answer an' I'm gone."
He felt his hands tighten into fists. Rogue had been a friend, but Lorna and Jean were family. At least when they took him to task about Rachel, there was at least a little right to do so. This, though, was both out of line and beside the point. "If you're in such a hurry," he answered, "I won't ask you how not trusting a member of the Brotherhood has anything at all to do with my family business." This was getting them absolutely nowhere, Scott chided himself, and he wrenched his attention back to the supposed matter at hand. "Now what's going on with Rachel? And I'd better--"
Scott almost jumped when he heard the ring of his cell phone. It was the tone that indicated an important call from someone close, so chanced a glance down at his desk. The outside display read "Hank McCoy". Keeping his eyes up on Rogue, Scott flipped the phone open and hit the speaker button. "Hank?" he answered, then responded to his concerned-sounding friend, "Got a bit of a situation here myself. Rogue is paying me a visit, so I'm guessing the two are related?"
If Scott's harried voice was any indication, his reaction to Rogue's visit had been pretty much what Hank had predicted. "Indeed. I realize that Rogue is not exactly our most trusted ally at the moment, but whatever she's told you is the truth. Rachel, and maybe Lorna as well, appear to be in some danger. Their last known location was SHIELD headquarters in Atlanta."
Hank was careful not to mention how he'd gotten the information. If Scott knew that Mr. Sinister's telepathy was the reason they were going on a mission, the chances that he'd actually come were slim to none.
The heat of anger and annoyance faded for Scott, replaced with the kind of cool calm that always preceded a battle. It was a whole new ballgame with one of his oldest friends corroborating Rogue's story. Scott listened to Hank's information in silence, absorbing every detail possible. "Rachel and Lorna? I'm not going to ask how this happened... yet... but if Lorna's there, then we have to assume Alex isn't far behind. If he hasn't made contact, he's either with them now or incapacitated." His mind began ticking through the facts he had about SHIELD, about who he might have on hand to assist, and how he was going to manage to work with Rogue, who'd joined the side of the team's enemies. "Thanks, Hank. Keep your phone on and I'll track the signal to you. If anything changes, let me know."
Scott snapped the phone closed. He was about to start gathering a few basic pieces of equipment from his desk when he saw Layla Miller's note again. Picking up his desk phone, Scott dialed an extension and waited. "Yes, this is Professor Summers. Please send Wanda up to the headmaster's office, please?" Hanging up, he headed off Rogue's almost inevitable question by sliding the note towards her. "You remember Layla, I'm assuming. I don't think I want to take the chance of not listening to her."
Rogue quickly read the note and nodded. Layla was definitely someone that shouldn't be ignored. She pushed the note away and crossed her arms. Waiting for Wanda to make her appearance. A bit miffed that Scott hadn't believed her, that it had taken Hank's call to have Scott see reason. She schooled her features. Not wanting to give away any of the hurt over that realization. She could never go back. She understood that now. Everything had changed. Not that it mattered. She was here for Rachel and she'd do what she needed to get her friend out of trouble.
Wanda had arrived the day before; Scott had reluctantly agreed to taking her on, thanks in most part to Cable. She knew she there on everyone's good graces and determined to cause no trouble. So far, she'd kept to herself, observing everyone interacting but waiting for them to make a move. She'd been expecting to see her sister, but Lorna had been gone before she arrived. Wanda had unpacked and then repacked and then unpacked all her things three times already. She didn't know what else to do with herself. She was biding her time, waiting to be noticed. So far, no one had said more than two words to her...and that was Scott, welcoming her and giving her a room assignment, and then washing his hands of her as far as she could tell. Thus, she was a bit surprised when a young boy showed up to tell her to go to the headmaster's office. Even if Scott was having second thoughts about her being here, at least he would talk to her. She made her way to the office.
Wanda knocked once on the door, then pushed it in. "Hello? Mr. Summers?" She stood, quietly, in the doorway. She was the picture of good manners, her hair pulled back in a wide headband, her hands clasped before her. She might have been any young girl at his school rather than one of the most dangerous mutants alive.
The wait for the young woman had gone in silence, which Scott for his part filled with pulling on one of his leather jackets-- there was no way he was leaving Rogue alone inside the mansion for as long as it would take him to change into uniform-- and quickly calling Warren to have him keep a surreptitious eye on Emma while he was gone. When Wanda arrived, Scott beckoned her into the office and closed the door behind her. "Wanda, I'm afraid a real explanation will have to wait for a bit. Your sister's in trouble. We're going to help, and I want you along." He sighed. Every bit of this situation had the potential to go wrong, and yet he was still jumping in with both feet. "Keep yourself safe," he admonished Wanda, "and follow orders, and we'll bring everybody back okay."
He turned back to Rogue. "Let's go."
