Spider-Man 0X

Ch: 155 [A request from Professor X]

Ch: 155 [A request from Professor X]

Rogue was a special case. She made quite the headlines when she first awakened her mutation. It was before I came to this reality. She nearly killed her first boyfriend when they were kissing. Poor guy is now lying in the hospital bed and he'll be there for the rest of his life. Her touch drained his life force and gave him permanent brain damage. She then ran away from home and the cops were after her as they suspected her to be connected with a murder case where the victim was in the same condition as her boyfriend.

It was a mess.

But later, it was discovered that the murder was related to another mutant who drains victims' blood, slowly before killing them and making it look like anemia or other diseases. That guy was a medical student and knew ways to make the victims die a natural death without leaving any trace of foul play. And Rogue was just a teenager back then. She happens to be there where that guy dumped the dead body, so, the cops mistook her for being involved.

After a lot of chaos, Professor X stepped in and found the real killer. Then, he took Rogue in and tried to help her control her powers. But it was difficult to control her power. She can absorb other's life force, memories, and abilities through contact. Even a little skin-to-skin touch is enough to drain someone's life. And the worst thing about her mutation is, she can't turn it off. So, she wears gloves and full-sleeved clothes and avoids others.

And so, here we are...

"Take off your gloves," I said as I retracted the nanites from my right hand. Rogue's eyes widened as she saw my bare hand. She quickly pulled her hand back and glanced at me and then at the professor with confusion and fear.

"It's okay," Professor assured her.

"You want me to..." Rogue hesitated as she looked at me.

"Yeah! Don't worry, I got this," I stretched my hand toward her, smiling under my mask.

"What if I hurt him? I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. Last time was enough... I almost killed Logan," Rogue muttered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Just like you, I too have special power. I call it Immunity. I'm immune to almost anything, so, think of this as an experiment or a test to see if our power works when in contact with each other. Your always active power vs my always active power," I explained.

Rogue glanced at Professor, and after receiving a nod from him, she hesitantly took off her right glove, "Only a finger then..." She muttered as she raised her finger and slowly approached my palm.

"Go on," I nodded.

With a nod of her own, she gently touched my palm with her bare finger. And...Nothing! Nothing happened at all. When the Professor saw nothing happened, he relaxed. Rogue pulled her finger back as we stared at my right hand and at each other in silence. She touched my palm once more and quickly pulled back. Still, nothing. Not a single effect of her mutation. Not a single bit of life drained away. And Rogue has her hand pressed against her chest, clearly feeling in awe.

"Well, anything?" She asked with a hint of excitement in her tone.

"Nope. Nothing." I flexed my hand. It didn't hurt at all. I don't think I'm suffering from any kind of pain at all. "So, I guess, now we can do that handshake without any worries," I once again extended my hand toward Rogue with a smile. She smiled and shook my hand vigorously, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," She wiped her tears.

Human touch... How long has she avoided human touch because of her power? Professor X nodded toward me, conveying his gratitude. Ah! She's crying... I'm not good with this type of situation. I gave her a little hug.

"Hey, it's alright," I patted her head as she hugged me back tightly while crying loudly. Professor smiled as he watched the scene. After a moment, Rogue calmed down and released me.

"Sorry... I was just... Happy. I'm sorry," She apologized.

"Nah! It's alright. I had the chance to hug a beautiful girl, so, let's call it even," I joked and Rogue giggled, her cheeks flushing.

After that the Professor told Rogue to rest for now, then we left her room. As soon as we exited, the Professor closed the door and turned toward me. He was happy.

"It's been nearly four years since Rogue arrived here. Since then, she has never removed her gloves. She is afraid of herself and doesn't want to hurt others. She only takes them off when she's alone or gardening," He explained as we began to walk again in another direction. "Surprisingly, her power doesn't affect the plants, so, she enjoys gardening to some extent," He added.

We walked toward the backyard where a massive open field lies surrounded by trees. There were many students practicing their powers in different ways. Some were lifting boulders, others were shooting beams of energy, etc... All of them stopped and greeted the Professor when they saw him.

"Last week, she stumbled on a rock, Logan was near and he caught her, but came in contact with her exposed arms. As you know, Rogue can absorb others' life force, memories, and abilities through contact. Logan was gravely injured due to Rogue's power. If it weren't for his healing factor, he would have died. Rogue almost went into depression after that incident. She felt guilty for hurting Logan." He continued to explain.

"You could have used your power to make her forget that incident?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, but for how long? Accidents occur and the same situation might occur in the future. I can erase her memory about that incident for now, but I can't guarantee about the future. She needs to learn to accept her power. She needs to get rid of her fear."

"Fair point," I agreed.

"Four days ago, Mystique was after me nagging me to talk to the Ancient One and ask her for a solution to Rogue's pain. So, I went to her to seek a solution. I thought maybe, a magic artifact or spell could help Rogue control her power. Instead, the Ancient One told me about you. She said you might be able to help Rogue get past her fear and depression. She said you are immune to Rogue's power," Professor X paused to look at me.

"I see. Now what?" I asked.

"Now... It's up to you. Maybe drop by every now and then and spend time with Rogue. Talk to her about her problems. Her life. Make her feel that she isn't alone. Make her feel that there are people who care about her. And... Try to solve her problem if you can," Professor X replied.

"Well, I don't mind spending time with her, but I'm no mutant expert, so I don't think I can do anything regarding her power," I said as we stopped under a big oak tree.

"That's fine. Just being there for her will suffice," The Professor smiled.

"Fine. I can't turn a blind eye to someone suffering from depression and pain. I know how it feels to be in that kind of pain. Haaa... Anyway, I'll try to help her as much as I can," I sighed.

Professor's smile widened upon hearing my answer.

"Well, I'll leave Frank in your care then. That guy might act all grumpy and serious, but he's a good person. Oh, and a word of advice, don't go after Kraven. Iron Man and I will take care of him," I opened a portal outside on a random building's rooftop, "Oh, by the way. If a day comes when you have to shut down Magneto's mind, don't."

"What are you-" Before he could speak, I interrupted...

"You'll know when that time comes. It will be hard and you might be blinded by rage... But, don't... Call it a foresight and keep it a secret. Well, see ya..." I jumped into the portal and closed it.

Well, spending time with Rogue, huh?! YAY! I want to jump up like a kid... Ahem! Never mind that. It's time to go to the Stark Tower. Kraven got Carnage. Tony must know. Let's see, how he planned to capture that thing...

----['favorite' if you liked it.]-----

Support Link: www.pat /XcaliburXc

?Read 17 advance Chapters?

[New billing system. No double billing. You get 1 month regardless of the date you join.] [15% DISCOUNT on annual billing]
---
Next, Ch: 156: Symbiote hunt begins

Ch: 157: Venom
------