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Chapter 17: Physical Fatigue and Collapsing Buildings
A/N: Yes, I am aware how long I took. Sorry, sorry, sorry( Thank you for reviewing and reminding me. Sorry this is short. I'm just warming up!
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"So are you in mon ami?" Gambit asked as he pushed his deck of cards into his coat pocket. "…Yes," Piotr replied apprehensively. Gambit sighed. "Gambit knows what you got riding on this Piotr, but it's time that we stood up to that Buckethead," he said, placing a comforting hand on Piotr's shoulder. John sighed and propped his feet up on the coffee table next to the old sofa he was sitting on.
" So what's got you fired up to rebel all the sudden, mate?" John asked Gambit. "I mean, you've never talked about defying Magneto before." Gambit shook his head. "Believe me, mon ami. You don't want to know." "Oh no. Don't tell me that this is because of a girl," John asked, seeing the all too familiar glint in Gambit's eye.
"Gambit had better check on our prisoner," Gambit said as he got off the couch and exited the room as quickly as possible.
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It had gotten much easier to walk; so much easier that she had stopped using the wall to support her. Rogue carefully took slow steps down another metal hallway. It was impossible for her to tell where she was or where she needed to be to get out of the place. Plus it was only a matter of time before Magneto or one of his Acolytes found out that she was not in her cell anymore, and she was positive that they could all move faster than her. The thought of being thrown back to where she started began to make her move faster, and before she knew it, she was walking at her normal speed. The immense physical fatigue and stiffness that she had felt only an hour ago was long gone, and she was feeling a little bit better about her situation. At least she could move normally now.
Suddenly, the hallway she was walking down came to a dead end. Resisting the impulse to scream at the top of her lungs, she tried to focus on the good feelings she had just felt a moment ago. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. "Where are you off to, petite?" came a familiar Cajun voice. At first, Rogue thought that it was one of her psyches, but then the voice was accompanied by the thump of boots on a metal floor. Rogue opened her eyes and quickly narrowed them. "Ah'm not going to let you take me back," she growled. Gambit put both of his hands up. "Gambit surrenders; he promises not to do anything to you," he said with a suggestive grin. Rogue rolled her eyes.
"Where's that master of yours?" she asked suspiciously. Gambit shrugged. "Who knows? But ol' Buckethead isn't my 'master' , as you so charmingly put it, anymore. That's why I came to find you, petite. Piotr, John, and Remy have decided to blow this place up. It'll be a nice present for Mags to come home to." Rogue scowled. "Who's Remy?" she asked. Gambit smiled. "He's standing right in front of you." He watched the surprised look on Rogue's face. "Oh, come on now, petite. Did you really think dat Remy's real name was Gambit?" he asked. "Well, whichever name is your real one, it doesn't matter. You're still Swamp Rat to me." Gambit laughed. "That's nice to know. Say, Remy heard Magneto call you Marie. Is that yo' real name?" he asked. Rogue's gaze dropped down to the ground. "Uh…yeah. That was my name. She quickly looked up and narrowed her eyes. "But I don't want to hear it coming out of your mouth ever again, understand?" she ordered. "I promise, just as long as de Rogue don't toss around the 'Swamp Rat's' real name either. Not many people know him as Remy." "Fine," Rogue said. "Now where exactly are you three going after you blow this place up?" Gambit smiled even more widely.
"Why, the Institute, of course. De River Rat did not think that Gambit could be away from her too long?"
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The loud sound of a building collapsing was heard even as far away as the Institute. Professor Xavier paused in his talk with Scott and Jean to glance out the window towards the city.
"Professor?" Scott said, questioning the disturbance. "I don't know," he said, shaking his head softly. "Probably just a demolition of an old building." He turned around to face Jean and Scott again. "So what do you need to talk to me about?" the Professor asked. "Well, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Gambit, Piotr, and St. John have been missing for almost a day now. Do you know where they are?" Jean asked, looking at the signs of sleep depravation on the Professor's face. "I used to," he muttered softly. He was silent for a moment, but then his face changed, and the determination that he suddenly possessed changed his tired demeanor. "Jean, Scott. There's something I need to tell you." pqý÷ýñýí>CJ 6