Persistence of Memory
folder
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
57
Views:
7,428
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
57
Views:
7,428
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.
6
Persistence of Memory Chapter Six (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta….I’m glad I’m not having
to make a nameplate for your office door now! Glad that there’s another Living
Dead Girl out there. *G * InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are loverly
for archiving. J ProPhile is inspiring smut at an alarming
rate. Hm. That might not bode well should
S.O. find out about that. ;) Readers/Reviewers: *happy naked pagan dance *
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tday day
was quickly becoming one of the ones high on Rogue’s “Craptacular[1]”
list. “But I don’t have parents!”
she snarled at Mrs. McKenzie, the new history teacher.
“Surely you
have some form of family,” the teacher tried to reason. “Grandparents? Adoptive parents?”
“No one,”
Rogue said firmly, crumpling the assignment sheet in her hand.
“Rogue,” Todd
muttered beside her, “c’mon. We’re
gonna be late for third.”
“Come by
after lunch and we can discuss this…”
Rogue shook
her head vehemently. “I leave here at
half past one. Second lunch ain’t over
till then an’ I’m not gonna waste time waitin’.”
Todd tugged
her elbow urgently. “Leave it…we’ll
figure something out.”
Mrs.
McKenzie frowned, her face pulling into lines of severe displeasure. “Watch your tone with me. Just because you reside at the Xavier
Institute does not give you free license to throw a tantrum when an assignment
is not to your liking.”
“Look, Mrs.
McKenzie,” Rogue began in a more reasonable tone, though Todd could feel the
anger radiating off her. “This
assignment is unfair to those of us with painful pasts and probably violates
some district policy on personal information.”
“I am not
asking for your social security number.
This is a simple family tree project.
Not rocket science.” Mrs.
McKenzie glanced at the clock as the next class trickled in. “Unless you’re willing to arrange a meeting
to discuss this further, the assignment is due Friday, no exceptions.”
Rogue
barely restrained shooting her teacher the double eagle as Todd practically
dragged her from the room. “What was
all that about?” he demanded.
“What’s got
you so worried about school work all of a sudden?” Rogue asked sullenly,
trudging towards her locker with Todd close by her side. “Usually you’re the first one copyin’ offa
Kitty.”
Todd sighed
and leaned against the locker adjacent to hers. “Maybe because I don’t wanna have to support your ass after high
school?” he suggested blandly.
Rogue
snorted and raised a brow at him. “The
day I let that happen is the day I run naked through Times Square proclaiming
undying love for Cheez Whiz.”[2]
“I always
knew you’d leave me for a spray cheese,” Todd sighed. “Look, I just don’t want you to get into trouble. I mean, right now we’re all kinda on the
verge, ya know? What with all that crap
last year…I really don’t want to get kicked outta Bayville.”
“We can
always go to school full time at the Institute,” she said neutrally. Part of her decision to take her academic load
at Bayville rather than at the newly minted Institute school was because Todd
had wanted to keep going to the public school.
“No.”
“Why not?”
she asked suddenly for the first time since they had even discussed where to
go. “I know why Jubes wanted to stay
here but why you?”
“Lance is
here.”
That’s
Amara’s problem, she fought the urge to proclaim. Instead, she responded with, “If I stayed at the Institute, would
you have, too?”
Todd could
not meet her direct gaze. He became
very interested in the paint chipping off the locker beside him, hoping Rogue
would develop a lapse in her memory and forget she ever asked the question. When she tapped her foot impatiently, he
knew he had no choice. “I wanted to
feel normal, okay?”
“Pardon?”
“Here, I’m
the freaky kid who people pick on. I
can be a little snot nosed prick and stir up shit now and again, but I’m
treated like about a third of the high school kids out there, ya know? At the Institute…I’m a freak, but I’m
surrounded by ‘em too. Can’t get away
from it there…”
Rogue felt
her jaw drop before she could stop herself.
It had never occurred to her that Todd would feel out of place anywhere,
so used to his bravado and loud mouthedness was she. “Todd,” she began, but the claxon of the school bell sounded,
cutting her off. “Look, we’ll talk
later, okay? I mean…if you want to.” He nodded a little glumly. “It’s a safe night tonight,” she added as
she slammed her locker.
His eyes
widened and his expression brightened. “I
know. I keep track.”
Rogue could
not help the blush that crept up her cheeks under her pale makeup. The idea of Todd knowing something so
personal about her made her feel very exposed.
“Um…good,” she managed to blurt somewhat lamely. “See you later!”
Todd shook
his head as she disappeared into the surge of students, her black-clad form
disappearing around the corner. At
least she’ll never think I’m a freak. I
hope.
“I have it.”
“Bring it
here.” Magneto held out his hand
impatiently. He was once again hooked
to an intravenous drip, a more common occurrence since Incubus had taken to
wandering for greater periods of time. “Ah…yes. This is just what I needed.” He turned the smooth metal over in his hands
and smiled faintly. “Did you replace
it?”
“Just like
you asked,” Pietro replied. “There’s so
many of ‘em running around now they didn’t even notice me.”
“A lapse in
security. Interesting. Tell me, was he about?”
“I didn’t
see him, but I didn’t really go looking…”
Pietro shrugged, not able to entirely block out thoughts of Tarot
waiting for him back at the Boardinghouse.
“Um, before I go, I wanted to know if you’ve thought anymore about us
getting some work done on the place…the floor’s getting kinda creaky and stuff.”
Magneto
looked up sharply, his expression blank for a moment before he realized what
Pietro was referring to. “You’ve done well for me today, Pietro. I’ll send someone over this afternoon to fix
the roof.”
Pietro
smiled tightly. The roof was a start,
but the huge hole in the floor where Blob had fallen into the basement was more
of a concern. Instead of protesting,
though, he nodded. “Thank you, father.”
“I
understand I’m a grandfather?”
Kitty
flitted across Pietro’s mind but he quickly realized Magneto was referring to
Lucas. Kitty was scarcely more than a
blip on the old man’s radar unless he decided he needed her biological matter
again. “Ah…Tabby had a baby, yeah.”
“Yours?”
“She says
so…”
“Yours?” he
said with more fire in his voice.
“Yes, sir,”
Pietro responded, slightly cowed. “Mine.”
“Interesting.”
He seemed to capture an idea and abandon it in spa space of a mere moment. “Since you have done so well these past few
weeks, I have another task for you, Pietro,” he said by way of changing the
topic. “I want you to bring me something
from Xavier’s personal study.”
“How the…How
am I supposed to get in there?”
“That isn’t
my problem. There’s a picture I
need. You’ll know it when you see
it. Bring it to me by tomorrow.”
“A picture?”
“Yes. It
has…great value…for me. Tomorrow, after
seven, say. We’ll have dinner here in
my office and discuss further matters pertaining to the Brotherhood.”
Pietro
could not quell a thrill of excitement at the idea that his father, that Magneto,
was grooming him for leadership within the Brotherhood, real leadership, he
thought to himself, not this pennyante stuff.
“Yes, sir.”
Magneto
made a negligent gesture, dismissing Pietro silently. After an interminable amount of time, he pressed a button set
into the wood grain of the desk. “Mystique.”
She
appeared silently, her face set grimly as she strode across the room from a
door secreted in the paneling of the wall.
“Is it done?”
“It’s in
progress,” Magneto responded shortly. “Have
you been able to discover anything…useful?”
“Xavier is
in that hospital he bought. He’s in
some sort of a coma.” She came to a sort of parade rest in front of the desk
and stared over Magneto’s head at some spot on the wall. “I wasn’t able to find out much else before
the missing nurse was found in the laundry room. I had to leave quickly…they had a shapeshifter on my trail.”
Magneto
smiled. “Charles is smarter than I give
him credit for sometimes. I’ve
forgotten how irritating his streak of common sense can be. Putting shapeshifter with their enhanced
senses in charge of security…genius, almost.”
He stood carefully, mindful of the plastic tubing leading from his arm,
and forced Mystique to make eye contact.
“St Dymphna’s?”
“Yes…the ward reserved for
psychics and such. He’s all by
himself. And,” she added after a brief
pause, “Emma Frost is there as well, in the long-term care facility. She made the transition from mental hospital
to psychic ward seamlessly, it seems, and they are considering releasing her
soon.”
Magneto’s
smiled widened. “Curiouser and
curiouser…”[3]
[1] An episode
of The Simpsons had Bart et al looking at Homer’s Xmas light display, which
Bart declared to be craptacular.
[2] Don’t know
if everyone knows what that is…rather vile spray cheese-like-product in a
can. If you really try, you can make a
weird ruffle shape with it and then promptly clog your arteries.
[3] ..said
Alice. I love those books. Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the
Looking Glass are sooooooo good.
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta….I’m glad I’m not having
to make a nameplate for your office door now! Glad that there’s another Living
Dead Girl out there. *G * InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are loverly
for archiving. J ProPhile is inspiring smut at an alarming
rate. Hm. That might not bode well should
S.O. find out about that. ;) Readers/Reviewers: *happy naked pagan dance *
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tday day
was quickly becoming one of the ones high on Rogue’s “Craptacular[1]”
list. “But I don’t have parents!”
she snarled at Mrs. McKenzie, the new history teacher.
“Surely you
have some form of family,” the teacher tried to reason. “Grandparents? Adoptive parents?”
“No one,”
Rogue said firmly, crumpling the assignment sheet in her hand.
“Rogue,” Todd
muttered beside her, “c’mon. We’re
gonna be late for third.”
“Come by
after lunch and we can discuss this…”
Rogue shook
her head vehemently. “I leave here at
half past one. Second lunch ain’t over
till then an’ I’m not gonna waste time waitin’.”
Todd tugged
her elbow urgently. “Leave it…we’ll
figure something out.”
Mrs.
McKenzie frowned, her face pulling into lines of severe displeasure. “Watch your tone with me. Just because you reside at the Xavier
Institute does not give you free license to throw a tantrum when an assignment
is not to your liking.”
“Look, Mrs.
McKenzie,” Rogue began in a more reasonable tone, though Todd could feel the
anger radiating off her. “This
assignment is unfair to those of us with painful pasts and probably violates
some district policy on personal information.”
“I am not
asking for your social security number.
This is a simple family tree project.
Not rocket science.” Mrs.
McKenzie glanced at the clock as the next class trickled in. “Unless you’re willing to arrange a meeting
to discuss this further, the assignment is due Friday, no exceptions.”
Rogue
barely restrained shooting her teacher the double eagle as Todd practically
dragged her from the room. “What was
all that about?” he demanded.
“What’s got
you so worried about school work all of a sudden?” Rogue asked sullenly,
trudging towards her locker with Todd close by her side. “Usually you’re the first one copyin’ offa
Kitty.”
Todd sighed
and leaned against the locker adjacent to hers. “Maybe because I don’t wanna have to support your ass after high
school?” he suggested blandly.
Rogue
snorted and raised a brow at him. “The
day I let that happen is the day I run naked through Times Square proclaiming
undying love for Cheez Whiz.”[2]
“I always
knew you’d leave me for a spray cheese,” Todd sighed. “Look, I just don’t want you to get into trouble. I mean, right now we’re all kinda on the
verge, ya know? What with all that crap
last year…I really don’t want to get kicked outta Bayville.”
“We can
always go to school full time at the Institute,” she said neutrally. Part of her decision to take her academic load
at Bayville rather than at the newly minted Institute school was because Todd
had wanted to keep going to the public school.
“No.”
“Why not?”
she asked suddenly for the first time since they had even discussed where to
go. “I know why Jubes wanted to stay
here but why you?”
“Lance is
here.”
That’s
Amara’s problem, she fought the urge to proclaim. Instead, she responded with, “If I stayed at the Institute, would
you have, too?”
Todd could
not meet her direct gaze. He became
very interested in the paint chipping off the locker beside him, hoping Rogue
would develop a lapse in her memory and forget she ever asked the question. When she tapped her foot impatiently, he
knew he had no choice. “I wanted to
feel normal, okay?”
“Pardon?”
“Here, I’m
the freaky kid who people pick on. I
can be a little snot nosed prick and stir up shit now and again, but I’m
treated like about a third of the high school kids out there, ya know? At the Institute…I’m a freak, but I’m
surrounded by ‘em too. Can’t get away
from it there…”
Rogue felt
her jaw drop before she could stop herself.
It had never occurred to her that Todd would feel out of place anywhere,
so used to his bravado and loud mouthedness was she. “Todd,” she began, but the claxon of the school bell sounded,
cutting her off. “Look, we’ll talk
later, okay? I mean…if you want to.” He nodded a little glumly. “It’s a safe night tonight,” she added as
she slammed her locker.
His eyes
widened and his expression brightened. “I
know. I keep track.”
Rogue could
not help the blush that crept up her cheeks under her pale makeup. The idea of Todd knowing something so
personal about her made her feel very exposed.
“Um…good,” she managed to blurt somewhat lamely. “See you later!”
Todd shook
his head as she disappeared into the surge of students, her black-clad form
disappearing around the corner. At
least she’ll never think I’m a freak. I
hope.
“I have it.”
“Bring it
here.” Magneto held out his hand
impatiently. He was once again hooked
to an intravenous drip, a more common occurrence since Incubus had taken to
wandering for greater periods of time. “Ah…yes. This is just what I needed.” He turned the smooth metal over in his hands
and smiled faintly. “Did you replace
it?”
“Just like
you asked,” Pietro replied. “There’s so
many of ‘em running around now they didn’t even notice me.”
“A lapse in
security. Interesting. Tell me, was he about?”
“I didn’t
see him, but I didn’t really go looking…”
Pietro shrugged, not able to entirely block out thoughts of Tarot
waiting for him back at the Boardinghouse.
“Um, before I go, I wanted to know if you’ve thought anymore about us
getting some work done on the place…the floor’s getting kinda creaky and stuff.”
Magneto
looked up sharply, his expression blank for a moment before he realized what
Pietro was referring to. “You’ve done well for me today, Pietro. I’ll send someone over this afternoon to fix
the roof.”
Pietro
smiled tightly. The roof was a start,
but the huge hole in the floor where Blob had fallen into the basement was more
of a concern. Instead of protesting,
though, he nodded. “Thank you, father.”
“I
understand I’m a grandfather?”
Kitty
flitted across Pietro’s mind but he quickly realized Magneto was referring to
Lucas. Kitty was scarcely more than a
blip on the old man’s radar unless he decided he needed her biological matter
again. “Ah…Tabby had a baby, yeah.”
“Yours?”
“She says
so…”
“Yours?” he
said with more fire in his voice.
“Yes, sir,”
Pietro responded, slightly cowed. “Mine.”
“Interesting.”
He seemed to capture an idea and abandon it in spa space of a mere moment. “Since you have done so well these past few
weeks, I have another task for you, Pietro,” he said by way of changing the
topic. “I want you to bring me something
from Xavier’s personal study.”
“How the…How
am I supposed to get in there?”
“That isn’t
my problem. There’s a picture I
need. You’ll know it when you see
it. Bring it to me by tomorrow.”
“A picture?”
“Yes. It
has…great value…for me. Tomorrow, after
seven, say. We’ll have dinner here in
my office and discuss further matters pertaining to the Brotherhood.”
Pietro
could not quell a thrill of excitement at the idea that his father, that Magneto,
was grooming him for leadership within the Brotherhood, real leadership, he
thought to himself, not this pennyante stuff.
“Yes, sir.”
Magneto
made a negligent gesture, dismissing Pietro silently. After an interminable amount of time, he pressed a button set
into the wood grain of the desk. “Mystique.”
She
appeared silently, her face set grimly as she strode across the room from a
door secreted in the paneling of the wall.
“Is it done?”
“It’s in
progress,” Magneto responded shortly. “Have
you been able to discover anything…useful?”
“Xavier is
in that hospital he bought. He’s in
some sort of a coma.” She came to a sort of parade rest in front of the desk
and stared over Magneto’s head at some spot on the wall. “I wasn’t able to find out much else before
the missing nurse was found in the laundry room. I had to leave quickly…they had a shapeshifter on my trail.”
Magneto
smiled. “Charles is smarter than I give
him credit for sometimes. I’ve
forgotten how irritating his streak of common sense can be. Putting shapeshifter with their enhanced
senses in charge of security…genius, almost.”
He stood carefully, mindful of the plastic tubing leading from his arm,
and forced Mystique to make eye contact.
“St Dymphna’s?”
“Yes…the ward reserved for
psychics and such. He’s all by
himself. And,” she added after a brief
pause, “Emma Frost is there as well, in the long-term care facility. She made the transition from mental hospital
to psychic ward seamlessly, it seems, and they are considering releasing her
soon.”
Magneto’s
smiled widened. “Curiouser and
curiouser…”[3]
[1] An episode
of The Simpsons had Bart et al looking at Homer’s Xmas light display, which
Bart declared to be craptacular.
[2] Don’t know
if everyone knows what that is…rather vile spray cheese-like-product in a
can. If you really try, you can make a
weird ruffle shape with it and then promptly clog your arteries.
[3] ..said
Alice. I love those books. Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the
Looking Glass are sooooooo good.