X-Men: Shadow of a Doubt

FADE IN:

EXT. XAVIER’S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS - DAY

We focus in on that famous sign outside an expansive mansion, the one that reads: Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

JUBILEE (v.o)
“Gifted” is the watch-word.

INT. XAVIER’S SCHOOL – CONT’D

The camera roams the hallways, passing an open classroom door. Inside, Dr. HANK MCCOY/BEAST teaches a chemistry class. A small explosion from a glass beaker singes his blue fur.

Moving along, in the next classroom ORORO MONROE/STORM teaches a class about weather. BOBBY DRAKE/ICEMAN assists her in demonstrating what happens when a cold front collides with precipitation.

JUBILEE (v.o) (cont’d)
I mean, have you ever heard a parent tell someone “my kid is a total freak”? No way. Instead they use words like “gifted” and “special,” when the truth is …

EXT. XAVIER’S SCHOOL – CONT’D

WARREN WORTHINGTON/ANGEL flies out a window, soaring over exercises out on the lawn, run by LOGAN/WOLVERINE. It’s a beautiful sunny day as mutants practice their powers.

INT. XAVIER’S SCHOOL – CONT’D

JUBILEE (cont’d)
“Gifted” doesn’t even cover the half of it.

Wandering the mansion’s hallway is JUBILEE, a trendy and outlandish Asian-American teenager. She’s giving new student PAIGE GUTHRIE the official tour. Paige is a tall blonde country girl trying really hard not to convey the impression of an overwhelmed country girl.

PAIGE
I thought you said you’re an orphan.

JUBILEE
Keep up, new girl. You’re missing the point.

As they pass in front of a large portrait of Professor Xavier, Paige stops. She points to the painting.

PAIGE
Is that Charles Xavier? The professor who started the school? I would love to meet him.

JUBILEE
I’m sure you would, new girl, but unless your mutant ability is to communicate with the Beyond, you’re gonna have a hard time with that one. He died eight months ago.

PAIGE
Oh. He must have been a great man.

JUBILEE
Yeah, he was cool. He was always going on about how mutants and regular humans should get along.

Paige looks away from the portrait to regard Jubilee.

PAIGE
Well, why shouldn’t we?

JUBILEE
You are new, aren’t you?

Jubilee pushes open a set of double doors and the two proceed outside.

EXT. XAVIER’S SCHOOL – CONT’D

The camera swoops down from above, past the headstones of Charles Xavier, Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Jubilee and Paige walk along to the training yard – a large lawn – where Wolverine teaches a class on using powers. In the background, COLOSSUS and SHADOWCAT lead another group of students in exercises.

Wolverine faces off against a MUTANT STUDENT, a towering mountain eight feet tall and seemingly made of stone. The student swings a mountainous fist in a crushing blow to the face.

Wolverine takes the hit. His jaw audibly dislocates the force of the blow carries him down. Behind him the man-mountain turns to the other students in premature celebration. Wolverine pops his claws and sweeps his arm low across the student’s legs, knocking him on his rocky rumpus.

As the other students look on in awe, Wolverine shoves his jaw back in place and lights up a cigar.

WOLVERINE
Who’s up next?

PAIGE
Wow.

JUBILEE
I know, right? Wolvie’s, like, a complete bamf. He and I are totally BFFs. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

A shadows falls across the girls, then Angel alights on the training yard. His wings fan in a large V over his head before he tucks them away.

PAIGE
(impressed)
Who’s that?

JUBILEE
Don’t even think about it, hayseed. That’s Warren Worthington. Major millionaire player. Way out of your league. And he’s one of them.

PAIGE
Them?

JUBILEE
(exasperated)
The X-Men. Duh.

PAIGE
He is? I would love to meet-

JUBILEE
Way. Out. Of. Your. League. C’mon, let’s go.

Angel grins and winks at Paige. Paige blushes.

PAIGE
Maybe just-

Cannonball zooms between Paige and Angel on a jet of flame, pinballing wildly around the yard, HOOTING loudly.

JUBILEE
Hey, isn’t that your brother?

PAIGE
Maybe we should move on.

They turn and start to walk away from the class.

PAIGE (cont’d)
So what are your powers?

Jubilee holds up her hands, shooting mini fireworks from her fingers. Paige oohs and aahs appreciatively. Jubilee clenches her fist and the sparks extinguish.

JUBILEE
What can you do?

PAIGE
I, uh, can husk my skin like an ear of corn and be whatever substance I want underneath.

JUBILEE
Ew.

ROGUE approaches, on her way out of the mansion.

JUBILEE (cont’d)
Hey, Rogue, this is Paige. Paige, Rogue.

The two girls shake hands. Rogue’s hands are ungloved. She seems a little bit harder, a little edgier than the girl we saw last movie.

ROGUE
Nice to meet you.

PAIGE
Likewise.

Rogue begins to walk over to Wolverine, who is just dismissing his students from their training session.

PAIGE (cont’d)
(to Jubilee)
What does she do?

JUBILEE
Nothing.

PAIGE
Nothing?

JUBILEE
Nothing. Zilch, zero, zip, nada. Bupkis.

PAIGE
So why is she here?

ANGLE ON:

Rogue’s face. Still walking away, Rogue has overheard them talking about her. She looks pissed as she approaches Wolverine, who has handed off his class to Angel.

WOLVERINE
You ready for a fight?

ROGUE
Oh yeah.

The two begin to practice hand-to-hand fighting maneuvers as we camera back to Jubilee and Paige.

JUBILEE
She used to have powers but she totally dumped them a few months back. Remember that mutant “cure”?

Jubilee’s voice fades out as the two continue on their walk.

INT. XAVIER’S OFFICE - NIGHT

Storm, Wolverine and Beast are in the headmaster’s office, listening to a news report on the television.

TELEVISION
Reports of individuals who took the so-called “cure” regaining their mutant abilities have tripled since last month. Lawsuits against Worthington Industries are beginning to surface as it quickly becomes apparent that the “cure” was only a temporary relief . . .

Storm flips the tv off and looks at the others expectantly.

BEAST
What does this mean? Do you think Magneto has regained his powers? They never found him after the Alcatraz incident.

WOLVERINE
(mutters)
I ever find that bastard I’m launching his ass to the nearest asteroid.

STORM
We have to assume it’s a possibility that Magneto is no longer depowered. We should be ready for anything.

An ASTRAL PROJECTION lurks outside the window, vaguely human shaped but more of a shadowy phantasm, indistinct and menacing.

ASTRAL PROJECTION
(whispers)
Trust me, weather witch, Magneto should be the least of your concerns.

The Astral Projection evaporates in an ominous wisp.

INT. X-MANSION - NIGHT

BOBBY/ICEMAN enters the X-Gym, a very large room with a variety of exercise equipment. All lights are off save one above a punching bag, which Rogue energetically strikes. Her hands wrapped but not gloved. Bobby approaches and hands her a cold drink.

ROGUE
Thanks, sugar.

She takes a quick swallow and gives the glass back to Bobby, then continues to work the bag.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
Rogue, are you okay?

ROGUE
(still punching)
You tell me.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
These last few months you’re not the same person you used to be. You’ve changed.

ROGUE
Well, who should Ah be, Bobby?

BOBBY/ICEMAN
Why can’t you just be yourself?

ROGUE
Maybe for the first time Ah am being myself.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
C’mon, Marie. Tell me what’s bothering you.

Rogue finally stops hitting the bag. She sighs, puts her fists down and turns to face Bobby.

ROGUE
Bobby, before my powers, Ah was going to do things, visit places, see the world. Then Ah was with the X-Men, helping save the world. Now … Ah don’t know. Ah just don’t know where Ah belong anymore.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
Is this about your parents?

ROGUE
Ah went back home thinking everything could be like it was before. But mah dad’s gone and mah mom just acts all weird. Cody was in a coma for three weeks and everyone knows it was because of me. They’re afraid of me, all of them, even without mah powers.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
I wish I knew what to tell you, Rogue. Maybe I can’t do anything about your parents and your neighbors, but I can tell you you’ll always have a place with here, with your friends, with me. Whatever happens, I’m not afraid of you.

Rogue tosses him one of those skeptical, intimidating girl Looks.

BOBBY/ICEMAN(cont’d)
Much.

EXT. X-MANSION - NIGHT

The mansion’s lit windows are a beacon in the darkness. A lanky figure, seen from behind, slowly emerges from the shadows, heading toward the mansion. Voices carry from inside, but all is silent outside.

The figure staggers as it approaches. It reaches the door of the mansion and knocks. As if that knock has exhausted all its energy, the figure collapses, leaving a bloodstain on the door.

INT. X-MANSION MED-BAY - NIGHT

The mutant is CALIBAN. He’s ugly, in a lanky, gray kinda way. His feet hang six inches off the bed of the examination table as Beast disinfects jagged wounds that cover his arms and torso. Caliban is unconscious and raving. Wolverine, Storm and Colossus are there as well.

CALIBAN
(slow and rasping)
Help Morlocks. Help Morlocks.

BEAST
In a more lucid moment he was able to tell me his name is Caliban.

CALIBAN
Help. Help Morlocks.

WOLVERINE
What’s he saying? Morlocks?

BEAST
They are a community of mutants who are too deformed to live a peaceful existence among normal humans. Like the outcast monsters living beneath their civilized brethren in the classic H.G. Wells story, they live in the sewers beneath the city.

STORM
One of Charles’ great dreams was a world where mutants like the Morlocks could live in the sunlight.

COLOSSUS
Who would want to hurt them?

STORM
I don’t know, but if they’re coming to us for help, they’re desperate.

WOLVERINE
Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.

INT. X-MANSION READY ROOM – CONT’D                                                                       

The X-Men are suited up and ready for action. A door slides open and Rogue runs out, in uniform.

ROGUE
Ah’m coming too.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
No you’re not.

ROGUE
Just because Ah don’t have powers anymore doesn’t mean Ah can’t help.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
It’s too dangerous. You’re not coming. I mean it.

The look of determination on Rogue’s face deepens into a glare. Wolverine puts a hand on Bobby’s shoulder.

WOLVERINE
At this point, Ice-cube, I think it’d be too dangerous to stop her. C’mon, then.

Colossus smirks. Bobby frowns, but says nothing as he follows everyone into the hanger.

EXT. ENTRANCE TO SEWERS – NIGHT

The X-Men stand before the end a large storm water drainage pipe, half buried under a hill just outside of the city. The criss-cross grate covering the entrance is bent outward, like someone – or something – of incredible strength pulled it back.

The X-Men exchange glances, no need to state the obvious.

WOLVERINE
Looking ain’t doing. Let’s go.

Wolverine enters the sewers, followed by Colossus and Shadowcat. Rogue moves forward to enter, but Iceman puts his arm in front of her and goes first. She scowls and follows. Beast notices Storm hangs back a little, reluctant to enter the cavernous pipe.

BEAST
(to Storm)
Are you sure you can handle this?

ANGEL
What’s wrong?

BEAST
Our lovely wind wizard has an aversion to enclosed spaces.

ANGEL
I don’t blame her. Something feels very … wrong about this.

STORM
(squaring shoulders & taking a breath)
I shall endure. Let’s go.

Storm leads Beast and Angel into the tunnels.

INT. SEWER TUNNEL – CONT’D

It is dank and dank in the oversized tunnel, punctuated by dim light from the occasional manhole or storm drain. The drip of water, like Chinese water torture, echoes from some unknown distance.

WOLVERINE
(to Beast, disgusted)
How can anyone live like this?

BEAST
Charles approached them once, offered them haven at the school. They refused. There is a lot of fear and resentment that festers in the Morlock community. It blinded them to the opportunity the Professor was offering.

At the rear, Shadowcat leans in to whisper to Rogue, who is glaring at Iceman’s back.

SHADOWCAT
Why are you so angry at him? He’s only trying to protect you.

ROGUE
He wouldn’t have worried if Ah’d still had mah powers.

SHADOWCAT
You’re the one who wanted to get rid of them. Are you sorry you did?

ROGUE
It’s not that. It’s just . . . he doesn’t want me to leave, but what use can Ah be if Ah stay? Ah don’t know what he wants me to be. Hell, Ah don’t even know what Ah want me to be.

Shadowcat says nothing.

STORM
By the goddess.

INT. SEWER TUNNEL JUNCTION – CONT’D

The X-Men come upon the Morlock Massacre. Bodies are strewn about, some torn limb from limb. The Morlock’s grotesque deformities add to the hideousness of the scene: bestial faces are frozen and twisted in pain; clawed hands grip empty air, separated from their bodies; a bat-winged mutant hangs askew from a spike on the wall; the small, scaled body of a Morlock child lays crumpled in a corner. The X-Men stare in horror.

STORM (cont’d)
We should … search for survivors.

WOLVERINE
Stay alert. Whoever did this could still be around.

In silence the X-Men fan out into the wreck of bodies, stooping occasionally to check a body for life signs.

Storm moves ahead of the group. She breathes deeply and slowly, her eyes tight.

A hissing sound ahead draws Storm to a lone Morlock survivor. Storm cradles the scaled, snake-featured creature, which seems to be crying.

Something pierces Storm’s hands and she drops the Morlock.  The crying turns to a malevolent laughter. Storm stares in astonishment as the Morlock transforms, growing spikes along its arms and on its face, which twists into an expression of blind anger and hatred.

From out of the shadows, the voice of the SHADOW KING, same as the Astral Projection from earlier, speaks.

SHADOW KING (o.s.)
Long time, weather witch.

STORM
You!

SHADOW KING (o.s.)
How gratifying you remember my voice after all these years.

STORM
But it can’t be! The Professor –

SHADOW KING (o.s.)
I escaped from the astral prison Xavier held me captive in some months ago. I have since been waiting to challenge him, but it seems he is in hiding. My patience, abundant as it is, was wearing thin.

STORM
This . . . You did all this to draw out the Professor?

SHADOW KING (o.s.)
Now you’ve got the idea.

Suddenly a group of the Shadow King’s HOUNDS emerge from the shadows, Morlocks who have been warped and twisted by the Shadow King’s evil influence.

SHADOWCAT
Um, I’m guessing these aren’t the Morlocks?

BEAST
They are, and yet they aren’t. They’ve been twisted, transformed into something ... evil.

The Morlock hounds masse around the X-Men.

WOLVERINE
(to Angel)
Not much room for flying down here. You got a more useful power hidden in those feathers?

Angel glares.

WOLVERINE
Could try paying them off. How many hundred are you carrying?

Battle ensues. The X-Men fight for their lives against hideous, deformed mutants.

Angel turns out to be a decent hand-to-hand fighter, especially teamed with Wolverine.

Beast is with Iceman, separated from Rogue by the field of battle.

Rogue is having a bit of a tough time, but Colossus is near to lend a hand.

Amid the fighting, Storm pins a Hound to the wall with a gust of air. It speaks to her with the Shadow King’s voice.

HOUND/SHADOW KING
Do you like my pets, Ororo? The Morlocks welcomed my hounds into their midsts because they assumed their deformities were like their own.

STORM
What have you done to them?

HOUND/SHADOW KING
It is amazing how even the most ordinary and banal of people can change when I summon forth the shadow in their souls.

STORM
You wasted their lives for nothing. Charles Xavier is dead!

HOUND/SHADOW KING
You are wrong, Ororo. Xavier lives. I can feel his presence on the astral plane, but he is shielding his location from me.

STORM
You lie.

HOUND/SHADOW KING
I see I am not the only one from whom he is hiding. Very well. I shall have to try harder. Farewell, weather witch.

STORM
You are not going anywhere. You must pay for this atrocity.

SHADOW KING (o.s.)
You think to keep me here? How are you going to stop me, dear Storm, when you cannot even control yourself?

The ground shakes and chunks begin falling from the ceiling. Storm screams and begins to panic, lashing out, but it is all in her head.

The other X-Men, having defeated the Hounds that did not flee, try to reach her. She is beyond hearing them.

Lighting strikes and opens a hole in the ground behind Colossus. The resulting THUNDERCLAP shakes him into the sinkhole, a seemingly bottomless cavern below.

Rogue grabs Colossus’ hand. Even in human form he is heavy.

On the other side of the sinkhole, Angel and Iceman are pinned against the wall by the funnel cloud Storm is generating. The wind HOWLS and SHRIEKS in the confined space.

Beast tries to get past but is forced to dodge shrapnel and debris flying every which way.

Wolverine uses his claws to shred his way toward Storm, calling her name, but she cannot hear him through her panic.

BEAST
We can’t take much more of this!

Colossus begins to slip from Rogue’s grasp.

Wolverine reaches Storm at the eye of the funnel and shakes her by the shoulders, but she is unresponsive.

WOLVERINE
Sorry, Storm.

Wolverine cracks Storm over the head and she falls to the ground, unconscious.

ANGLE ON:

Colossus’ arm is slipping out of Rogue’s grip. Suddenly her hands turn to metal. She pulls him up easily.

Colossus collapses on the ground, unconscious, as Rogue stands over him in full metal form.

INT. X-MANSION MEDBAY - NIGHT

Back at the mansion, the mood is quiet and gloomy. Colossus lays on a steel table with sensors hooked up to his temples. Bobby and Kitty sit at his bedside. Bobby should be talking to Rogue right now, not comforting Kitty. He knows it, too.

Beast pulls Wolverine aside.

BEAST
I’ve done all I can for now. His vitals are good, but he is in a deep coma. Times like this I really miss Jean Grey and the Professor. I could really use a telepath right now, find out what’s going on in there.

WOLVERINE
Yeah, well he’s not the only casualty of this mission.

BEAST
I know it. Do you wish to handle the metal maiden while I check on our claustrophobic African queen?

INT. X-MANSION GYM – CONT’D

Wolverine comes upon Rogue as she is again working the bag, wearing boxing gloves now. Her feet are planted and her punches are slower than the last time, but more powerful. The bag swings back and forth on its chain.

WOLVERINE
Hey.

Rogue doesn’t answer. Wolverine goes around and steadies the bag as she punches, each strike landing with a dull THUD.

WOLVERINE(cont’d)
You wanna talk?

ROGUE
What’s there to talk about? Mah powers coming back or how Ah put Pete in a coma?

WOLVERINE
You didn’t know that was going to happen. You were trying to help him.

ROGUE
Is that supposed to make me feel better? Even when Ah’m trying to do something good Ah end up hurting people.

She punctuates the statement with a hard hit. Wolverine glances at the bag, starting to notice how powerful her punches are.

WOLVERINE
Look, you can’t beat yourself up over this.

ROGUE
You’re one to talk.

WOLVERINE
Yeah, I am. I know what you’re going through.

ROGUE
Do you? Have you ever had someone else’s personality running through your head so you can’t even tell which thoughts are yours and which are theirs? Do you know what it’s like to be afraid to hug someone ‘cause you might accidentally touch them? Not to be able to kiss someone ‘cause at best you put them in a coma and at worst you kill them!

Rogue suddenly punches straight through the bag. Metal fist connects to metal rib with a muffled CLINK and Wolverine flies backwards. Rogue runs out of the room.

INT. X-MANSION CONSERVATORY – CONT’D

The conservatory is filled with flowers and greenery. There is a built-in bench beneath two large square-paned windows that stretch up like a very large sunroom. Storm sits in the corner, looking up at the night sky as Beast enters.

BEAST
Feeling better?

STORM
I’m not about to drop a wall on you anymore.

Beast takes a seat across from her.

STORM (cont’d)
But I am still unsettled. The Shadow King is a liar, right?

BEAST
He is a warped, twisted soul.

STORM
Yet to what end would he lie about Xavier being alive? I was there when Jean disintegrated him. It’s not possible he survived.

Beast is conspicuously silent. Storm casts a look at him.

STORM (cont’d)
Or is it?

Beast stands, paces a couple of steps, preoccupied with a thought.

BEAST
The Professor was doing research on Muir Island. There was a patient. Charles had speculated …

Beast trails off at Storm’s skeptical glance. He shrugs.

BEAST
You asked if it was possible. To that I can only answer, perhaps.

Storm turns back to gazing out the window.

STORM
That leads to another disturbing question. If Professor Xavier is alive, why hasn’t he come back?

INT. PROFESSOR XAVIER’S STUDY - DAY

Storm stands behind Beast as he sits before the computer on Xavier’s desk, bent over the keyboard, typing one-fingered. The monitor displays the Professor’s Muir Island research, including a photograph of the subject.

Bobby bursts into the room, agitated.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
Rogue is gone.

STORM
Gone?

BOBBY/ICEMAN
I went to her room to talk to her. She wasn’t there. Her stuff’s gone too.

BEAST
She’s having a bit of an identity crisis, did you check Pete’s room?

Wolverine enters, coming in on the conversation as if he’d heard it from down the hall.

WOLVERINE
Yeah, I thought of that too. I found this. It’s in Rogue’s handwriting.

He hands Beast a note written in Russian. Beast reads it.

BEAST
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me. Dasvedanya.”

BOBBY/ICEMAN
We have to go after her.

WOLVERINE
I think Rogue might need some time to herself. We should give her some space.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
Are you kidding? She’s in no shape to handle this alone.

WOLVERINE
She’s tougher than you give her credit for.

BOBBY/ICEMAN
I can’t believe-

BEAST
I’m going to have to side with Logan on this one. Give her time. She’ll be back.

Speechless, Bobby storms off. Wolverine exchanges looks with Beast and heads off in another direction.

Storm places a hand on Beast’s shoulder.

STORM
I am going to Muir Island.

BEAST
Is this the best time for that?

STORM
Colossus is in a coma, Rogue has run off and the Shadow King is on the loose. The X-Men have no more telepaths. If Professor X really is alive, we need him.

INT. CARGO SHIP – DAY

In the hold of a cargo ship, four men play cards at a wooden table set up among piles of boxes and crates. A single lamp hangs above, emitting a yellowish light. One of the men, with his back to the wall, is wearing fingerless gloves. He deals the cards.

The camera pans up to his face. He is wearing sunglasses. In their reflection we see a figure move from box to box.

REMY LEBEAU/GAMBIT’s eyes behind the shades are red. Remy speaks with a Cajun accent.

The men play poker, five card draw.

REMY
Call and raise.

NERVOUS CARDPLAYER
He’s bluffing. He’s gotta be bluffing.

SMOOTH CARDPLAYER
He’s taken you for all of what little you’ve got.

NERVOUS CARDPLAYER
He’s gotta be bluffing. You’re bluffing, aren’t you?

REMY
Poker is like a magic trick, homme. It ain’t just about bluffing. It’s about deception, misdirection.

SMOOTH CARDPLAYER
Does that mean there’s a rabbit in your pocket?

Remy smiles.


NERVOUS CARDPLAYER
I fold.

The silent cardplayer tosses his cards on the table, shaking his head.

REMY
What about you, mon ami? You gonna walk outta the theatre wit’out seeing de prestige?

SMOOTH CARDPLAYER
Call.

Smooth cardplayer throws a wad of cash on the table, followed by his hand: full house, ten over nines.

Remy lays his cards down one at a time: ten, jack, queen, king. The other men hold their breaths as Remy holds his last card. The camera spins around and we see that Remy is holding the ace. It seems to crackle lightly with kinetic energy for a moment. Then Remy sets the card on the table – face down.

REMY
Well, you can’t win dem all.

NERVOUS CARDPLAYER
See! I told you he was bluffing.

SMOOTH CARDPLAYER
You had me going, Cajun.

REMY
(standing)
What can I say? I’m all flash and no substance. And now dat you’ve made all my money disappear, I’m goin’ up t’ get some of dat air.

The other three men continue to play as he walks away; and the ace sits facedown on the table, a mystery.

INT. CARGO SHIP HOLD – CONT’D

Rogue examines the boxes and crates in the cargo hold, her back to the entrance. Two rough-looking deckhands approach.

BURLY TOUGH
Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?

ROGUE
Um, nobody. Nothing. Go about your business. Don’t mind me.

LEERING TOUGH
Woo-hoo! What a cutie.

BURLY TOUGH
If you’re not a package or a paying passenger, you’ve gotta beat it.

ROGUE
Look, Ah’m sorry. Ah needed to get away fast. Couldn’t you just look the other way?

BURLY TOUGH
Beat it. Or get beat.

ROGUE
Hey, no need to be a brute. You want me off, fine. Soon as this tub stops Ah’m outta here.

BURLY TOUGH
(flexing)
Sorry sweetheart. Off means off. Now.

ROGUE
Good. I was fixin’ for a fight.

LEERING TOUGH
I can think of a couple ways she could pay for passage.

REMY
(from the entrance)
Dat’s no way t’ treat a lady.

ROGUE
Go away. Ah don’t need your help.

REMY
Doesn’t look dat way.

ROGUE
Looks can be deceiving.

As the leering tough lunges at her, she turns to metal and smashes him in the face. He reels backward, clutching a broken nose. Colossus’ power suddenly fades and she returns to normal.

The burly tough runs at her. She flips him over her shoulder, a la Wolverine’s training.

He lands at Remy’s feet, shaking his head, stunned and astonished, but a glance at the Cajun has him scrambling up and prepared to fight. Remy throws a rather casual straight punch toward the burly tough’s face. The tough throws up both hands for an easy boxing block, but the punch was only to distract from Remy’s foot to the tough’s knee followed by a swift, high kick to the head, French Savate style.

As the burly tough goes down, the leering tough, nose bleeding, regains his feet and grabs Rogue, pinning her arms. Remy moves in for the assist … and the man collapses from the touch Rogue’s bare arms. Remy gives her a nod, some awe and respect in his eyes.

REMY
Deceiving and mysterious, chere. I like dat.

ROGUE
I could’ve handled them.

REMY
I see dat. But when someone is willing to help, why turn dem down, neh?

Yeah, well, okay, Rogue’s body language implies.

REMY
I’m Remy. Remy Lebeau.

ROGUE
Rogue.

Approaching voices indicate the commotion has been heard.

REMY
It seems we’ve worn out our welcome. C’est la vie. Dis was my stop anyway. Time t’ get a move on.

He takes a card from the game he had been playing earlier and uses it to blow a hole in the upper deck.

REMY (cont’d)
But not wit’out what I came for first.

He comes toward Rogue like she’s his target, but instead he reaches around her and picks up a small box covered in Egyptian markings. Remy grins.

REMY (cont’d)
Let’s go.

Remy and Rogue escape out of the new exit in the ceiling.

EXT. MUIR ISLAND – DAY

The Blackbird comes down in a fog of jetwash, landing on the grass on the coast of Muir Island. The ramp descends and Storm’s heeled boots come striding down to the lawn. From behind, we see Storm regard a big, secure-looking building standing by itself on cliff overlooking the shore: Muir Island Research Center.

INT. MUIR ISLAND RESEARCH CENTER – DAY

A man in a lab coat leads Storm into an observation room, where MOIRA MACTAGGERT makes adjustments on some kind of switchboard in front of a glass partition that looks out on an enormous white room. Inside the room a blonde female mutant, CAROL DANVERS, soars, wingless, around DAVID HALLER. He stands in the middle of the room watching Carol fly as he mutters to himself.

MAN IN LAB COAT
Dr. MacTaggert, you have a visitor.
         
MOIRA
Ororo! What a pleasant surprise.

STORM
It is good to see you, Moira.

Moira and Storm exchange a friendly embrace.

MOIRA
What brings you all the way out here? Is everything alright at the school?

STORM
I’m afraid not. I came to learn about a patient here that the Professor had been researching.

Moira turns uncomfortably back to her monitors and readouts and begins messing around with some buttons.

MOIRA
I, uh, I don’t think there’s much I can tell you.

In the observation room, David’s hands shoot out and pyrotechnic fire blasts Carol midflight. She throws an arm up to protect her face before she is completely engulfed in white-hot flame. When the inferno clears, Carol hovers in the air completely unharmed. She nosedives at David and pins him against a wall.

STORM
She is incredible.

MOIRA
She is. We’ve been testing her limits. Besides flight and strength, Carol is nearly indestructible as well.

Hands pinned at his side, David mutters furiously to himself and panels begin to peel themselves off the wall to bombard Carol in the head.

STORM
Who is that?

MOIRA
David Haller. He also seems to have a legion of abilities: telepathy, telekinesis and pyrokinesis, just to name a few. Unfortunately his mental unbalance makes it difficult for him to control his powers.

Moira frowns at her readouts, but she appears to have something else on her mind.

MOIRA
This trouble at the school, it’s pretty serious is it?

STORM
The school may be about to face the most dire threat it has ever encountered. Moira, do you know of the man Xavier was researching?

MOIRA
He … he’s not here anymore.

STORM
He has been moved?

MOIRA
(conflicted)
Yes. Um, no.

STORM
Moira, what aren’t you telling me?

Dr. MacTaggert pauses a long moment, considering. Finally she seems to make a decision and looks up at Storm.

MOIRA
I do have something to tell you. But not here. My house is not far. Wait for me there.

EXT. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI – DAY

Remy and Rogue, dripping wet, walk alongside the river, heading toward some town, the tops of whose buildings they can see rising above the trees. Rogue wrings out her hair as they walk; Remy is carrying the box he took from the ship under one arm.

REMY
What next, chere? You gonna keep headin’ towards N’Awlins?

ROGUE
New Orleans? Is that were that tub was going? Ah just jumped on the first ship heading out.

REMY
Which means you’re runnin’ from someone. I swear, Rogue, you become more fascinatin’ by de moment.

ROGUE
Not someone, more like something. Ah was at a school for … people like us.

REMY
Dey have a school for de exceptionally charming and good-looking? Guess for some of us it jus’ comes naturally.

ROGUE
(flatly unamused)
Mutants. It was a school for mutants.

REMY
Ah. Dat come naturally too.

ROGUE
There’s nothing “natural” about what Ah do. Ah shouldn’t have these powers. Ah don’t want them.

REMY
Gotta take life as it comes, chere.

ROGUE
Easy for you to say. You blow stuff up. What guy wouldn’t want that ability?

REMY
“Blow stuff up?” You trying to hurt ol’ Remy’s feelings?

With his free hand Remy whips out a playing card from seemingly nowhere, holding it between two fingers as he explains:

REMY
I tap into de potential energy wit’in an object and transform it into kinetic energy. I charge de cards, I throw de cards, dey go boom.

ROGUE
(unimpressed)
So what’s that? A fancy way of saying, “Ah blow stuff up”?

REMY
(BIG smile)
Pretty much.

He throws the charged card at a pile of debris on the riverbank. It goes KA-BOOM and debris goes flying. Rogue just rolls her eyes, then nods at the box Remy is carrying, the one he took from the cargo ship.

ROGUE
So you’re a thief.

REMY
You say dat like it’s a bad t’ing, chere.

ROGUE
It is. Ah know, because Ah’m a thief too. Except Ah don’t steal people’s things. Ah steal their powers and their memories. Ah guess that makes me worse than you.

REMY
You t’ink dat makes you a bad person?

ROGUE
Don’t you?

REMY
I’ve met a lot of bad people in my day, chere. You don’t even come close.

Rogue crosses her arms, still unconvinced, but the barest hint of a smile teases her lips. The pair continue walking toward town.

EXT. MUIR ISLAND – DAY

Storm strolls up a hill through a field of rolling meadow. With the sun shining high, the ocean lapping serenely against the beach below, verdant green grass stretching far and wide, the word for this place is idyllic. Moira’s house can be seen atop the next hill over, facing the beach. Storm appears deep in thought as she crests the hill, but is surprised by someone else approaching from the other side.

Sunlight flashes off a bald head, which is followed by the upper body, followed by the rest of the man who Storm – in open-mouthed amazement – recognizes as the patient from Xavier’s research.

XAVIER
Hello, Ororo.

STORM
Charles?

An unfamiliar Xavier smiles familiarly at her.

...

[You can read the next part of the script at http://wottwin.deviantart.com/art/My-Uncanny-X-Men-Movie-part-3-420515039. Standard fanfic disclaimers apply. I don't own them, just having fun. Some dialogue excerpted from various comic issues.]