Institutionalized

INSTITUTIONALIZED CHAPTER FORTY THREE (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies and BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), so where is Dodo anyway? InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are all kinds of sparkled for archiving. :) Readers/Reviewers: Does anyone else find it vaguely odd that animals without hair are putting on a production of HAIR? One of the Killer Kitties (tm) has made himself producer and I swear, it's turning into a Mel Brooks movie now...

It was not as hard as she had expected to find Empath. She just followed the taunts, the signal, as it were, growing stronger the closer she got to him. Rogue and Rahne hung back as Kurt followed Jean closely, disappearing into the shadows and giving the impression that the older girl was quite alone despite the occasional flicker of yellow eyes near her shoulder. The study was near the back of the complex (it was too big in Jean's mind to call it a house, sprawling to twice the size of the Institute and towering at five stories, not counting the sublevels beneath their feet), the door open without a care to who might come in. Empath sat on the back of the couch in the middle of the room like some telepathic version of the Caterpillar from _Alice in Wonderland. _ All around him, in various stages of distress, were the other members of the group and Roulette, still caked with slime, rendered silent by the patch of brown goo across her mouth. "I thought," Empath said softly, as if it took him a great deal of effort to speak, "it was best to keep her damned mouth shut...the bitching and whining w onl only make this all the more tedious."
Jean was hit by wave after wave of distress; Empath was imposing varied emotions on the others, making Todd cry uncontrollably, Scott curl into a ball and groan in what seemed to be sorrow, Sam giggle madly, Bobby bite his nails to the quick in overt nervousness and St John and Jamie coo over each other. No matter what their exterior emotions seemed to be, Jean could feel that underneath, they were afraid, struggling against whatever it was that Empath was doing to them. "Empath," she said stridently, "let them all go and I won't hurt you like I did earlier." She forced herself not to add "I'll do it worse," but she was fairly certain he knew what she was going to say anyway.
"I'm sure," he said. "If I let them go, what reason would you have to stay around? Now, the others may have shirked their duties to Emma but I won't. She is going far, Emma is, and I intend to be her right hand when she takes over the Brotherhood."
Roulette managed a suffocated snort at that and Kurt growled, but Jean waved him down. Behind her, she felt Rogue itching to fight and Rahne as well. _Let me do this without bloodshed _, she begged whichever god deigned to listen in just then. "What duties would those be, Empath?"
_*Anyone ever tell you that you're cute when you try to psychoanalyze people? _ *
Jean glared. Refusing to bow to his whim, she said aloud, "That wasn't psychoanalysis. That was an honest question."
Empath rolled his eyes, the strain of controlling so many emotions at once showing clearly on his face. "I suppose this is where we have a Scooby Doo moment and I tell you all the details of the master plan then try to hold you captive only to have one of you rip my mask off and reveal Old Man Henderson." He paused. "If it weren't for you meddling kids..."1
Kurt had enough. "Klappe! Empath, you haven't gone too far, not yet...Help us get out of here and come back with us. The Professor can help you..."
"Help me what?" Empath asked with a tinge of dry humor. "Help me assimilate into human society? Be a norm?"
"You're already human," Rogue pointed out, stripping off her gloves as nonchalantly as she could.
"I am a_ metahuman _, thank you very much. Homo superior."
Kurt made a strangled noise somewhere between a guffaw and a groan. "Magneto...his signature's all over this."
Jean felt a stab of pain behind one eye and knew that Empath was renewing his efforts against her. With a softy growl of determination, she reflected the pain back at him and he gasped, his control wavering. Todd looked up sharply and met Jean's eyes. ""What..." The clarity didn't last long. Todd was on his feet, as were the others under Empath's control, their faces all frighteningly blank.
"Shit," Rogue said over Rahne's growling whimper. "Y'all ever see _The Mummy _ and that scene with the dead guards or whatever, right before they started in after Anck-Su-Namun?"2
Kurt favored her with a harried glance before saying sotto voce to Jean, "This won't go well, you know."
Jean nodded grimly. "Defend yourself, try not to hurt them, but don't let them hurt you. They're under his control..." As she trailed off, it began.
Empath's expression eased somewhat, the burden of controlling multiple emotions lessening as he instilled the same anger and hate and bloodlust into all of his captives. If anything, his control improved since he could focus on one single feeling. He settled on the back of the couch, crossing his legs in an absurd yogi pose as the first strike sent Rahne yelping and sprawling. Sinking deeper into the semi-trance state he entered when using his powers to a large extent, Empath tuned out the cries of surprise and pain sounding around the room.
Kurt sucked in a deep breath as Sam made a move towards him. He had seen what the older mutant could do and did not want to be in his way or be his target should Empath's influence encourage such a thing. Kurt managed to duck the punch Sam threw his way but did not miss getting his tail stepped on by Rogue as she darted to avoid a spray of slime from Todd. Yelping in pain, Kurt was distracted enough to miss the second strike from Sam and felt pain explode in his jaw as the fist connected to bone.
"Kurt!" Jean cried, seeing him slump towards the floor. He was conscious but dizzy and in pain, but she could not help him then. She was too focused on forcing Scott to keep his eyes closed by sheer willpower on her part and fighting off one of Jamie's multiples by shoving him away, only to damn herself when he hit the floor and two more popped up.
Kicking St John squarely in the stomach, Rogue hatched a plan. She glanced over and saw Kurt get to his feet and maneuvered closer, dodging away from St John's wild punch and nearly colliding with Bobby, who seemed to be at a loss despite Empath's influence. Instead of attacking anyone in particular, he was sending random sprays of ice into the room, patches showing up on the floor, the furniture and in one rapidly melting case, the ceiling. She was almost tempted to find it funny but decided she wouldn't be able to laugh about this for at least a year. Leaning back, away from Todd's lunge, Rogue sidled up to Kurt who was busy trying to get close enough to Sam so that he could help Rahne. "Kurt, do you think you can be all Nightcrawlery?"
"I'm always Nightcrawlery," he said, feeling the rush of adrenaline kick in.
"No," Rogue said, picking up a table lamp and using it to hit Todd over the head when he came towards her again. "Sorry, baby," she said as an afterthought, nudging his prone form aside with the toe of her boot. " You know what I mean, Kurt...all teeth and jumping and growling..."
"I don't know if I can..."
"Try," she said sternly. "I need a distraction. I'm gonna get close to Empath and see if I can get him to break this nasty habit he has of fucking with people's emotions."
Kurt was tempted to warn her of the danger of such a thing but decided that they were way past that sort of warning now. Instead, he sighed and, taking another deep breath, dropped into a crouch and bared his teeth, looking like a demented gargoyle for the moment before he lunged at Empath.
Jean had to hand it to him. For someone as worn out and as in need of care as Kurt was at that moment, he put on a good show. He somersaulted through the air and planted his feet squarely on Empath's chest, sending the teenager careening to the floor. All activity in the room stopped for a moment as the Hellixperxperienced disorientation, blinking up at Kurt as if he had just awakened. Kurt lashed his tail from side to side and, squatting on Empath's chest, smiled in a very feral manner. "You have been quite the pain in our collective ass, Empath."
With a curse, Empath pushed Kurt off his chest and rolled to his feet, only to come face to face with Rogue. She wiggled her bare fingers at him in an almost obscene wave and said, "Anyone ever tell you that you need to share?" With a sudden, grasping movement, she clapped her hands onto his face, grabbing his ears so that he could not pull away. She felt him fight the pull as it began but it was too strong for him; the moment before she became lost in the miasma of emotions and thoughts and memories and power rushing from Empath, she had the delight of seeing him arch in pain because of her.
The change was instant. Empath's control over everyone was gone and they were disoriented. Roulette, stashed in the corner during all of the brouhaha, was still struggling against the coating of slime over her mouth and the bindings at her wrists. "Someone get her loose," Jean snapped. "Rouge, let him go!" Both Rogue and Empath were disturbing shades of gray, veins clearly visible and throbbing as Empath tried to drop to his knees but unable to because of Rogue's grip on his head. Rogue was gasping for air, her body shaking so hard that Jean feared she was having a seizure. Kurt was closest to the Goth girl and saw Jean's pleading look.
"Rogue!" Kurt shouted, tackling her about the waist and dragging her away from Empath. Rogue's body bowed as if wracked by pain and Kurt scrambled back hastily, mindful of all the deadly skin exposed to his touch should she move an inch to either side. "Something's wrong," he said to the room at large. Rogue's eyes were glassy and half rolled back in her head and she was actually foaming a little at the corners of her mouth.3
"Rogue," Todd said breathlessly, shoving himself in between Jean and Kurt. He fretted over her, wanting to take her hand or touch her but unsure how to proceed without her gloves. Finally, he tore off his shirt and used it to cover her arm so he could grasp at it in desperation. "Jean, help her!"
The room had fallen silent as Rogue began to thrash, albeit weakly. "I don't know..." Jean began, but quickly schooled her mind to composure. "Get me a pillow off the sofa," she ordered and one was in her hand before she could blink. Carefully, she raised Rogue's head and slid the pillow beneath it, making sure to turn her to one side so that she could not choke. "If this lasts for more than five minutes..." she trailed off.
Rogue flailed again and made a gurgling noise as if trying to talk, then went limp. Todd reached for her but Jean pushed his hand away as Rogue slowly regained a normal hue, her breathing returning to normal from the hitching, sucking pattering it had been. Slowly, she rolled onto her back and began coughing as she choked on the saliva pooled in her throat. "Sit her up," Kurt said to no one in particular, then moving to do so himself.
"No," Rogue managed between gasps. "Skin!" She shrugged as if taking off a heavy coat and Kurt backed off. Regaining control of her swallowing, her coughing spell past, Rogue said, "What the Hell was that?"
"Who's the president, Rogue?" Jean asked in a clipped tone, her worry making her terse.
"That dumb frat guy."
Scott snorted. "Close enough."
Jean frowned and continued, "What's my name?"
"The Marvelous Mad Madame Mim."4
"Rogue, be serious!" Jean snapped, exasperated.
"Jean Grey," Rogue sighed. "It's either Wednesday or Thursday and we don'ow wow where we are."
Kurt groaned. Rogue had inadvertently reminded him that it was his and Kitty's anniversary. _Not like there's anything I can do about it from here anyway... _
"I can see that I'm not needed," a voice said from the doorway with a tinge of an Irish accent.
Sam was on his feet and tensed to strike out in an instant. "Who the hell are you?"
"Sean Cassidy and I'd thank you not to talk that way to a teacher..." Banshee walked a few steps into the room. "What's going on in here?"
Bobby asked on a breath, "Can you get us out of here?"
"That's what I'm here for..." Something on the floor caught his eye. "He, however, will have to stay."
"Empath?" Kurt shook his head, meeting Banshee's quirked expression. "The Professor needs information out of him."
'Lad, Professor Xavier is good, but not even he can get information from a dead man."
1 Ever notice that an inordinate number of Scooby Doo, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Bobsie Twins stories ended that way? Maybe I just need to get out more...
2 Kinda specific, huh?
3 If you've never seen anyone have a seizure, this sometimes happens.
4 The Sword and the Stone. My favorite character...she was Merlin's nemesis and a purple witch at that, lol.