Rogue had decided to visit the space station. And what's more, she decided to take 'the scenic route' to Houston. Well, what fun is travelling if you always go the fastest way?
Thus, on this particular day, Rogue was in a diner for breakfast. She was eating her pancakes with maple syrup when she noticed that all activity in the diner had ceased, and were looking in her direction. Frowning curiously, she turned her head and saw what they were all staring at. Or rather, who.
For a man who could only possibly be a mutant had entered. Y'know, what with the lightly scaled green skin and the tail. He looked ragged and half staved, and staggered to the counter.
"Please..." he said in failing voice. "Please..."
"We don't serve your kind here," was the response.
"Oh c'mon Ross," said one of Rogue's fellow patrons. "Can't you see the guy's half starved?"
She was rewarded with a few suspicious and dirty glares.
"Please..." the mutant tried again.
"Get out mutie," Ross snarled. "You're not wanted here."
"Please..."
"You heard the man, get out!"
The mutant started, looked at the other employees and patrons who weren't so considerate as Rogue or the woman who had spoken up before, and decided to get out while he could. Rogue called over a waitress and order some food to go while she finished off her breakfast. It was finished when she was, and she collected the order with the intension of giving it to the mutant - assuming she could find him. She half wished she had spoken up before, but she wouldn't have been able to hold them off - at least not without having to use certain mutant abilities that she preferred not to use on mutant haters. It was rather disconcerting to have voice that hated her in her head. Like some kind of artificial self loathing.
Rogue had only taken ten steps out of the diner when she found him. And about six other guys violently beating him up. Well, one thing was certain, she was not going to sand by for that.
"What the hell do you think ya'll doin'?" she demanded.
"Mind your own business, sweetheart."
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she closed the distance between them, dropping the food on the ground (but carefully enough to that it wouldn't splatter everywhere, of course). She reached out and used her atom manipulation on one of the men, giving him an atomic shock. He yelped.
"What in..." he glared at her. "You're one of them too. Mutie!"
"Yeah, well, at least I don't beat up helpless humans," was Rogue's retort. "That's all so brave of you - beating up an obviously half starved mutant who isn't capable of defending himself."
One of the men moved menacingly towards her, and another put a hand out to stop him.
"I don't hit girls," he said.
"Really?" Rogue asked with raised eyebrows. "But you're willin' to beat a mutant to death? Just leave him alone. He's done nothin' to you."
"That doesn't mean he hadn't hurt other people," one of the others said. "You muties are all alike! We're just defending ourselves."
He lunged at Rogue who prompty tripped him up with a technique she learnt at school. She beamed at the others as he landed flat on his face, scraping his hands and face on the gravel.
"Martial arts," she said, smiling. "Ah didn't even have to use muh powers."
"Bitch."
Rogue wasn't silly. Even with the intensive training at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, she knew she couldn't handle these six guys at once without mixing her powers in with the martial arts. She threw in her use of atom manipulation liberally but avoided using her more parasitic abilities.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the guys decided this was turning out to be more effort than they were willing to put in, and fled. Rogue knelt down by the mutant and peered at him anxiously.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Only rasping breath was her response. She retrived the food, which included a bottle of water. She took off the lid of the bottle and attempted to help him to drink.
"Thank... you..." he said, his voice still raspy.
"You didn't deserve to be treated like that."
He gave her a weak smile.
"There... are... worse... The...Caretakers."
"The Caretakers?" Rogue frowned. "What are..."
She trailed off, for the mutant could say no more as the last of his life seeped away.
"Is he okay?" a voice said behind her.
Rogue looked to see the woman who had spoken up in the diner.
"He's dead," Rogue replied.
"Damn it."
"Why do you care?"
The two women locked eyes.
"Not every human hates mutants."
Rogue's expression softened.
"True," she conceeded, thinking briefly of Julie.
"Listen, you'd better go. I don't want to see another mutant get into trouble. I'll take care of things."
Rogue almost flinched at hearing the words 'take care' so soon after a warning about 'The Caretakers' - whoever they were. The woman misinterpretted her hesitation.
"I promise I shan't tell them a thing about you. Just... go. Go quickly. I cover for you and help throw them off your sent. You know these people. Probably try and make it look like you killed him."
Rogue chewed her lip and nodded.
"Thanks," she said.
She took one last look at the dead mutant, and fled to her car.