Chapter 10- Outfits for Kids

Chicago Illinois, up the street from Sister Margaret’s, March 18, 2008 (Evening)

Anna Marie ‘Rogue’ Hopewell

"I can't believe that you haven't told them your real name," Exodus said while floating above her.

"You all haven't told us your real name." Anna pointed out. While she crumpled up the burger wrapper, the burger had been too greasy for her tastes, but she wasn’t about to complain while on the run.

“That’s because that man I was, is dead. I am only Exodus now. While they are your family.” He argued.

“Well maybe the old me is dead too, and I am only Rogue now, you ever think that?” She snapped, before trying to draw a little more soda out of the cup in her hand. Mama Raven stopped and got them some fast food, since no one remembered to pack anything easy to travel with.

Then she left again, like she usually does, but told them she would be back and when she did, then they would go to the bar.

Anna shook her head again. Apparently, this 'Sister Margaret's' was once a boarding school for girls back in the day, but it got closed down, and someone thought to convert it into a bar and lounge. ‘Of all the things.’ She thought.

“Why a bar?” she asked not expecting an answer.

"It doubles as a mercenary hang out. Also, many of the old dorm rooms serve as private meeting rooms, for the clients and mercs to make a deal in. While the main rooms serve as the typical bar room atmosphere, and then the cafeteria serves as a restaurant of sorts.” The floating mutant answered.

“Been here before I take it.” She asked him seriously.

"No, but where there is light I can see, and despite its sad external appearance, the inside's very functional and well-lit. Of course, some of those dorm rooms are being used for other types of meetings as well." Exodus explained.

"What other types of meetings are there?" she asked again seriously.

He floated back down to the street before answering. While he stared at their target he said. “The carnal kind.”

“Eww, gross," Anna muttered, more as a shield. Since she really didn’t feel any disgust on the topic, but since she knew that she would never be able to enjoy those types of encounters, she would rather the others think her not interested. ‘Not while I have my powers.’ she thought.

“Why are you smiling? You see something?” Exodus asked suddenly.

Anna knew he wasn’t talking about her, so she looked around. Only to notice that Mama Irene had at some point, quietly walked over to where the two of them waited.

“How do you know that I am smiling?” Her day-to-day mother asked through her helmet.

Exodus explained. “You have light inside your helmet, I assume for some sort of display. Why, since you can’t see, I would not be willing to guess, but it is there and…”

"Yes, yes you made your point, and yes I saw what Mystique went out to buy while we waited," Destiny answered his first question.

Mama Irene didn't elaborate on what she saw. Only that she had seen something with her power, and from the knight's comment it made her smile. So after a moment of silence, she tossed the empty cup into an already open garbage can.

That she had noticed the can and made that shot made her frown. ‘Did I keep something from Mama Raven from the Estate? I normally wouldn’t have made that toss without aiming.’ As the teen stared at the cup and pondered that. Eventually, the sound of a suitcase rolling along made her look up the street.

An Asian woman with a brown trench coat pulled along a suitcase like she wasn’t in the shithole part of the city. Then the teen corrected herself thinking. ‘Well no one has shot at anyone else yet, so maybe this isn’t that bad of an area, for Chicago anyway. Then again maybe the merc bar just up the block deters that kind of thing.’

Once she entered the mouth of the alley, the Asian woman shifted and turned back into Mama Raven. Exodus then complained, saying. “Like I am not carrying enough stuff for you and your family.”

“We can ditch the suitcase. It’s only the things inside that are important.” Mystique said as she continued to walk into the alley. The man said nothing else on the topic before returning his gaze towards the target building.

Kurt just teleported to be near his mother, while both Anna and Arlette walked over to her, from different directions but still, the two teens got there about the same time. Of course the first thing out of her sister’s mouth was a complaint.

“I am going to ave to deep clean everything in my bags, when we get to wherever thees new home is.” The oldest kid of them said before crossing her arms in frustration.

"Well, hopefully, this will pick up your mood dear." Mama Raven said before collapsing the handle of the suitcase and turning it around, so the suitcase was aimed to face the three of them. Once stopped, she opened it. Seeing what was inside made each of the kids smile in surprise.

Inside were three sets of spandex suits, similar to something the other members of the Brotherhood wore.

While they imagined what they would look like in them, Mama Raven reminded them. "These are just to get you through the next few days. I can assure you that Magneto will have better ideas than what I came up with for you once you officially join."

The first she pulled out of the case was a green suit, with a white section along the zipper. Once in her hands, Mama Raven threw it towards her. Anna then noticed that it came with a hood. Beneath where the top was in the case was a matching set of green pants and heavy green leather boots, poking passed the bottom of the pants.

Before Anna could get closer and grab the other items, her mother pulled a pair of white gloves from her pocket. "These gloves use Velcro instead of buttons and clasps. So they should be easier to get off than those work gloves. Saving you time to remove them in combat if you need to save someone’s life.”

Anna didn’t care about the risk for a moment and rushed Mama Raven to hug her. Her mom rubbed her back as she whispered. “Go get changed in the alley, no one should see you.”

Anna smiled and nodded at her mother, before grabbing the other things for her outfit and running around the corner of the alleyway. She looked around to make sure no homeless or other stragglers were about, before pulling her jacket off. As she did a small room of light materialized around her, including a shelf part way down to store her new and old clothes. Better than some garbage can.

She did take a moment to think that the man might be watching her change, but in the end, she just got changed. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time someone saw her in her underwear. Her desire to wear her first ‘costume’ for the Brotherhood, won out over her sense of decency.

Despite the nature of the material, Anna learned the outfit was baggier than she expected, and it didn’t hug her like the way her mama’s outfits did. Or the more breathable set of attire, that Exodus wore. Likewise, the gloves would have been very loose if not for the Velcro straps, so using these would easily cut the time needed to remove them in half from the work gloves she usually bought with her.

Once fully dressed she noticed notches on her belt, making her think that the pants were meant to have holster attachments if she wanted them. ‘So I don’t have to rely on stealing people’s powers or fighting skills if I don’t want to. Thanks mama.’ She thought while gathering up her old clothes.

She pulled the hood up to conceal her face, but threw back on the bomber jacket with the hidden revolver. Something about the old thing, made her feel safe.

Then she walked back to the pile of bags. Once there she knelt and put away her old set of clothes. Then she shifted over to the stash of guns and equipment Mama Raven stole from the attackers in the middle of the night.

She pulled out a holster for both a pistol and a machine pistol, but had to remove the suppressors to get them holstered. Then she attached the automatic weapon to the small of her back, before covering it with her coat, and adding the pistol to her hip. Before taking a couple of spare clips of ammo and putting them in various pockets of the jacket.

By the time she was armed and ready, Kurt had returned from wherever he had ported away to. ‘Probably the roof, knowing him.’ She thought.

His costume was mostly black instead of her green, and had a red seam to her white. Anna noticed that his outfit had an unprofessional hole cut into it for his tail. And while she was sporting a pistol and sub-machine gun, he had a pair of knives and a curved sword. A saber, she thought it was called.

When he saw her staring at his groin, he assumed correctly that it was his weapon, as he said. "You got new gloves, I got a blade." He smiled wide enough to show his fangs, before adding. "Exodus even promised to give me some lessons once we get to our new home."

As he spoke and bragged, Anna noticed that unlike hers, his hugged him tight. She could see his abs, biceps, and forearms. And since his feet were unique with their third back toe, his boots weren't boots but some custom gloves.

“Good for you Jumper.” She said to tease him.

“That is not my name.” He snapped, and he shook his fist at her, but did nothing else as she chuckled.

As she had her fun Exodus asked. “This is good and all, but were you planning on taking them in there with us? It will be hard enough to get the information we need, while being surrounded by dozens of armed mercenaries.”

Mama Raven crossed her arms in thought after hearing him.

Mama Irene added before the other could answer. “Rogue’s presence and powers will expedite things.”

Anna blinked at that, and then asked. “If we just need info, why can’t Arlette just make him tell us?”

The woman in a blue cape shot that idea down when she revealed. "I saw us try that, and in that attempt, it was revealed that he has an implant to resist psychics. Only your powers will get us the information we need quickly and without a fight."

“I am all for us winning without fighting.” Kurt seconded her going on the mission.

“Speaking of Arlette, where is that girl?” Mama Raven asked. Anna guessed from her tone, she was actually upset to have been basically forced into her going on the mission.

"Touching up her make-up," Exodus reported.

‘So he did watch us.’ Anna noted. ‘Wonder if he liked what he saw? What are you thinking, Anna Marie? You can’t be with him or any man for that matter.’

“Ugh, that girl, her timing can be so terrible.” Mama Raven muttered. Then she looked over at the veteran mutant’s back and asked. “So we stash our things somewhere near, and all of us go in?”

“Start strong, and be quick, it might work. What about the bouncer?” Exodus replied.

The shape-shifter just shrugged and didn't seem too concerned when she said. "Once we mention to him who we are after, he should let us pass. That man has a beef with Copycat's ex."

Then the sound of someone in high heels made Anna look back over where she had come from when she changed. Out of the doorway, was her sister Arlette in her costume. Which Mama Raven clearly picked out with her in mind.

Her outfit came in three parts. The centerpiece was a red suit that hugged her sister's body tightly showing off all of the woman's curves, but the item didn't cover her arms. Instead, she had on a matching pair of blue elbow gloves, like her mama's, and knee-high high-heel boots. Both the gloves and boots seemed reinforced with metal.

“Took you long enough Arlette," Anna muttered as her sister opened one of her bags and put her old clothes away. Before doing the same with her makeup kit, although that went into a different bag.

“Murmur.” Her sister corrected.

“What?” Kurt asked.

“If it is our place to join Brotherhood, then we vill need a name and an outfit. Now I have both.” Her sister held up her hands like it was the most obvious thing.

“Murmur?” Anna asked to be sure.

The other teen smiled before saying. “Because it is all zeel need, once ze’ve tagged someone.”

Anna grumbled but didn't say anything. Instead, she thought about her own name. ‘Since I didn’t really even pick mine. It was just what the people who ran into me after I ran away called me, but I didn't want word getting back to the people that I ran from hear about me so I embraced it. After all, a rogue can be anything, and with my powers, so can I.’

‘Not that I am going to explain that to her’

"Are we already then?" Mama Raven asked after she checked the ammo in her pistols.

Kurt quickly started teleporting bags away. Anna and Arlette were both going to urge him to use caution with their things, but before they could he had already jumped them all away.

Then he jumped back and dusted his hands before saying. “Yep.”

“Then let’s go.” The mutant veteran said before floating out of the alley.

Anna looked at her mothers and saw Mama Irene nod at her. Then they all joined the flying man, by leaving the alley. There wasn't a line or anything at the old school, but still, a tall muscular man with very pale skin was leaning against the building. On his back was the handle of a two-handed sword sticking out over his shoulder. The bouncer's long blond hair was bound up in a standing ponytail.

“You all came to the wrong place, mister one of the biggest bounties on their head in the world.” The bouncer said with a mellower voice than Anna was expecting.

“Just need to some intel," Exodus said as he floated closer towards the ground.

“Yeah, and? There are over a hundred mercs in there, and many of them would love to cash in your head.” The bouncer reminded them.

Mama Raven then walked up and leaned in, pressing her body into his. “Yeah, but our target is someone that we both hate. A Mr. Wade Wilson, and with you being bound by your contract with your employer, maybe we can get you a jab or two into him for you. If, we get this intel.”

The bouncer hemmed and hawed for a moment. Then he busted a smile and said. “You know what, ok. Anything that fucks that guy over is kind of worth it… But should a fighting break out, I only ask that you keep your shots away from the booze. I hate mopping up good alcohol.” Then he reached back and opened the door and added. “Welcome to the Hellhouse.”