Chapter 10

'Marie, what the hell have ya got yourself into?'

Rogue had always possessed a tendency to question herself, thoughts bouncing around in the caverns of her mind like echoes. It was her secret misfortune - the unpredictable Southerner who was never completely certain of her actions.

She was even less sure of this.

She'd known for some time that Mystique had been planning something, some mission of some kind. She'd been hell-bent on keeping out of the woman's way, refusing to get drawn into her madness. Lately, however, she'd found herself drawn to the older woman's missions, fascinated by the way Mystique's mind worked.

When she'd first been invited to go along on a mission with the others, Rogue had refused, sticking to the morals she'd been taught all her lives. Destiny had said nothing, sitting on the couch beside Mystique, staring ahead with a small smile on her face. Irene herself was not particularly inclined towards destruction, however she had consented to go along purely for defensive reasons. Pietro was there, fidgeting and pacing the room impatiently. Fred too stood there, munching on some snack food or the other.

It wasn't their presence that had surprised Rogue. Rather, it was St. John's presence on the couch beside Destiny that shocked her.

"What kinda mission is this?" Rogue asked suspiciously, peering at Mystique, who currently rested in her natural form.

"A relatively non-violent one," Mystique replied with some boredom. "With any luck, there will be no civilian casualties."

"Ya haven't answered my question," Rogue said.

"We're getting my dad," Pietro said, looking out the window. All eyes turned to him, save Destiny, who kept her gaze forward. "We're going to break my dad out of jail. We're going to free Magneto."

"Are ya crazy?" Rogue asked. "That man hurts people! If you let him out, he'll kill people."

The shapeshifter's yellow eyes flashed. "That 'man' you refer to is not the villain you think him to be," she replied casually. "He merely set out to level the playing field. Any fatalities that occurred were simply casualties of war, and therefore inconsequential."

"He tried to murder me."

"Are you still fixated on that?" Mystique snapped sharply. "Your friend with the hair stabbed me through the chest, and yet you do not see me constantly bemoaning the incident. The wounds healed and with them, my anger. Really child, don't be so self-absorbed."

"Ah can't believe ya can go with this woman, Johnny," Rogue said, turning her attention to St. John, who didn't meet her glance.

"Leave him alone," Mystique said. "He has allowed himself to keep an open mind. He's lived under Xavier's dream, and now he learns of ours. There is no shame in that."

"No shame in killin'?"

"As I have stated, our objective is not to kill. We are simply releasing a political prisoner." Rogue was silent, and so Mystique pressed on. "You can be there for purely defensive purposes, if you so choose. You can stay with Irene during the entire thing."

And that was how Rogue found herself accompanying the rest of them to the facility. Mystique, Destiny, Quicksilver, the Blob, Rogue, and St. John, who'd named himself "Pyro" for the mission, all heading out to release the one person Rogue feared most in this world.

-----

Stealthily, she crept among the brush, her large eyes glancing around furtively.

"Leech tired," a child-like voice said from behind her. She did not turn towards the small green-skinned boy, nor make any hint that she'd heard him. In fact, she had not spoken a word in years.

She was Penance, a member of the Morlock Nation. The Morlocks were a group of mutants whose mutations were more physically obvious than others. These physical mutations had driven them underground, where they were forced to live out of fear for their lives.

Penance, for example, had rose-colored skin that appeared soft and lovely at first glance. Should you try to touch it, however, you would find that it was every bit as sharp as a razor, perhaps more so. To protect those around her, black leather bindings had been wrapped tightly around her body.

Despite her physical mutation, one could almost describe her as beautiful. Her eyes were a solid turquoise color, no whites peeking out from the corners. Her fingers were elongated, and came to a point not unlike a talon. Her hair had the same tinting as her skin, and curved straight out behind her head in a waterfall of deathly sharp pieces. Though she was capable of walking in a vertical position, she preferred to creep along the ground, fixing her large eyes on anything that moved. She was quite aware of her surroundings, and she watched everything.

Curiously enough, Penance seemed to be mute, which puzzled the other Morlocks. There was no real reason her mutation should have this sort of side-effect, and yet there was hardly any other explanation. She had shown up in the subway tunnels one day, seeking shelter from the rain. A Morlock had found her and tried to speak to her. Though she stared right at him curiously, she didn't speak a word. This had never changed through the years she'd been with them.

Her companion, Leech, had a somewhat alien appearance. In fact, before he'd gone underground, humans had mistaken him for one of the little green men they read about in tabloids. His picture was featured on various internet sites devoted to the paranormal. Leech had the ability to emit a radius around his body that would cancel out any mutant powers in it's immediate vicinity. This power was mostly defensive and had kept him safe for a good period of time.

Penance stopped and glanced around nervously. Some shift in the immediate vicinity had tripped her mental alarms, and she backed up, slightly. Seconds later, a wolf-like creature shot through the brush and landed on Penance, knocking her backwards.

The wolf in question was Rahne Sinclair, who was immediately followed by the rest of the Generation X kids. The group had been outside with Ororo, listening to a lecture she gave, when Monet picked up on the presence of Penance and Leech. "We are not alone," she'd said.

Immediately, the kids, anxious for some sort of action, sprung into action and ran in the direction Monet pointed, oblivious to Ororo's calls to settle down. Storm, upon seeing their reckless behavior, shook her head and slowly walked after them.

Rahne, after picking up on the two new scents via her enhanced nose, had stalked softly until they were in sight. By their peculiar appearance, she recognized them immediately as mutants not of the school. Unsure of whether they were friend or foe, she jumped out, intending to pin the larger of the two - Penance - down until this could be ascertained. The pounce had not been an attack, and Rahne kept her paws on the bindings, attempting to hold the girl down.

Penance, however, did not recognize this as a defensive measure, and lashed out wildly with her claw, catching Rahne in the side. The lycanthrope let out a howl and fell to the side, blood dripping from the wound in her side. The shock sent her back into human form, and she Scottish girl sat, clutching her side and crying.

Seeing their companion hurt, the rest of the students jumped into action against the intruders. Jubilee let off a few rounds of light blasts that terrified Leech, while Penance shielded her eyes. Iceman, shifting into the ice form he was learning to control, attempted to encase the two darting figures in ice unsuccessfully. Husk, who had shed her skin to reveal a stone body underneath, grabbed at Leech, only to drop him when his radius forced the stone body to shed, returning her to her human form. This distraction had been long enough, however, to allow Iceman to grab the small boy in a circle of ice.

Shadowcat kept to the side, trying to stay out of the action, Penance, however, incorrectly perceived this as a threat, and lunged toward her, claws extended. Kitty, however, managed to phase in time, and a very confused Penance slipped right through her.

Penance's momentary pause of confusion was enough time for Monet to drop down right on top of her.

A crack of lightning stopped everyone. "That is enough," Ororo said. "We never attack first," she said sternly. "That is your first lesson. Take a look. These two are no older than you."

Ororo looked at Penance curiously, but the blue eyed Morlock merely glanced back, not saying a word. "Penance not speak," Leech piped up. "Leech only one who can speak."

"I take it you are Leech," Ororo said, addressing the small green boy, who Jubilee freed with a few pops. "I am Storm. Forgive my students, they are easily excited. What brings you to our home?"

"Leech like playing in fields," the boy said. "Better than tunnels. Penance tag along, since Leech only friend she has."

"I see," Ororo said. "It is nearly lunchtime. Perhaps the two of you would join us at the mansion?"

"Penance not like people." Ororo turned to look at the rose-skinned girl, who looked about, skittishly. "Leech surprised she not running now."

"Perhaps she would be comfortable in our solarium. She would be welcome to wait in there, if she would like."

Leech nodded. "Okay, but if Penance runs, it's not Leech's fault."

The windrider nodded knowingly. "That is fine. Perhaps you could tell us more about yourselves over lunch. I know someone who would be quite interested in meeting you."

-----

The time had arrived. Vertigo was finished. The team was assembled. It was time for the Marauders to move.

Though he usually stayed behind, Sinister had insisted on being present for this mission. "This is your single most important attack," he told them. "I will be present when you wipe out the Morlocks."

Though mutancy fascinated Sinister, he looked on the Morlocks with something akin to disgust. They were not telepaths like Xavier. They were not magnetic marvels like Polaris. They were genetic abnormalities, the lowest class of a race already doomed to prejudice. In short, they were worthless to him.

That which did not interest him did not deserve to live, in his mind. With the Morlocks gone, Sinister hoped to perfect mutant kind, paving the way for an army of genetic marvels. They would be beautiful and powerful. They would rise to their rightful place as rulers. They would not hide in the sewers, never taking back what they had lost.

"It is time," he told the team as they stood, ready to move. Silently, they filed out of the laboratories, on their way to the Morlock tunnels.

-----

"Fascinating," the Professor said, leaning forward to get a better look at Leech.

Penance had refused to go any farther to the house than Ororo's garden, despite their cajoling. Instead, she backed up against one of the trees and kept her eyes on the people around her.

The Professor, as well as some of the X-Men, had come outside at Ororo's request. "I've never heard of your civilization," he told Leech, folding his hands on his lap.

"Morlock society a big secret," Leech told him in his broken English. "Callisto say upworlders not allowed in Morlock tunnels."

"Is Callisto your leader?" Scott asked from his position beside the Professor.

Leech nodded. "Leech and Penance not supposed to leave tunnels."

"Why does your leader not want you to communicate with the surface?" Jean asked curiously. She had managed to keep her silence during most of the interview. She was tempted to peek just a bit in Leech's mind, curious at what kind of society he lived it. Knowing it was wrong, she kept her telepathy turned off. The temptation remained.

"Morlocks scared," Leech responded. "Might get rooted out if people know of tunnels."

There was a sound from the direction of the tree. The X-Men turned to see Penance standing alert, claws extended. She had backed even farther up against the tree, one leg bent against it as if she might push forward and jump any moment. Snarling, her eyes were fixed on the door where Alison Blaire had just entered.

Leech also seemed to share Penance's concern. "Leech know you," he said, pointing at the surprised girl.

"What?" Alison asked, blinking in confusion.

"Saw you in tunnels," Leech said, an expression of fright falling on his face. "When Leech greet you, you made tunnels explode with light. Scared Leech away. All Morlocks seen you roaming them."

Alison shook her head in confusion and looked at the Professor. "I have no clue what he's talking about. I don't think I've ever been in any tunnels, except maybe in those dreams."

"Perhaps those dreams you recall aren't really dreams," the Professor said. "All that time you say you can't remember. Perhaps you were in the tunnels then."

"I guess it's possible," Alison said. "But why wouldn't I remember?"

"Could there have been a telepath using you?" Jean asked with some curiosity.

"Yeah, but why would anyone want to go in my head?" Alison asked. "I don't know any secrets or anything."

"Perhaps you might allow me to enter your mind," the Professor said. "To help you unlock what you seem unable to remember."

"That is not going to happen," Alison said, a note of harshness in her voice. The truth was, Alison had begun to have some recollection of the time she'd lost, though it appeared only in dreamlike fragments. She did indeed recall images of tunnels and strange looking mutants. What she was doing in those tunnels was a mystery to even her. She wasn't sure she was quite ready for her, or anyone else, to find out.

"Nothing personal," she said. "I just don't like people in my mind." The Professor nodded in understanding, but glanced at her curiously.

The answer didn't seem to satisfy Penance, who took off in the direction of the brush. "Penance going back to tunnels," the little green boy said. "Leech have to follow. Maybe see you again sometime." With a start, he took off running towards the brush into which the rosy skinned girl had disappeared, leaving the X-Men behind.

-----

'Starsmore, you plonker, can't yer get the chords right?'

In the privacy of his room, the dark-haired boy fiddled with his guitar, his deft fingers plucking the strings in an attempt to replicate a punk song he'd heard off one of his records. Jonothan Starsmore, Jono to those who knew him, was a student at the Massachusetts Academy. Unlike most of the students, who came from wealthy New England families, Jono had been recruited from his native England by none other than Emma Frost, the headmistress herself.

He never spoke to most of the other students, who'd come to the conclusion that he was mute. The precious few students he spoke to were, like him, privately recruited by the headmasters. Wild rumors flew about him, mostly stemming from the black scarf he always kept wrapped tightly around his mouth and neck. It was whispered that he was a burn victim, which accounted for the scarf and muteness. Nonetheless, a good chunk of the female population found him attractive, though he never acknowledged the eyes that sometimes fell on him.

It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to them, but rather he felt they wouldn't be attracted to him if they knew why he really wore the scarf. In fact, were they to remove the scarf, they wouldn't find any burns marks at all. They wouldn't find a thing, save flaring bursts of psionic energy that resembled flames.

When he was 16, his powers manifested in a particularly violent way, blowing off his lower jaw and part of his upper chest. The burst had also managed to paralyzed his then-girlfriend Gayle. With the scarf off, he appeared monstrous and dangerous to most people. With it on, he managed to pass as almost human. His powers had earned him the moniker of Chamber among the few who had been allowed to learn his secret.

As a result of his powers, he could not speak in the normal manner. He did not need to drink or eat, nor breathe like normal humans. He seemed, instead, to feed off the psionic energy. Curiously, the energy gave him somewhat telepathic gifts. He could not read minds, per se, but he could speak in the minds of others. This had become his primary means of communication, with which he used to speak with the headmasters and a select few students like him.

These other students, also hand-picked, possessed mutant gifts as well. Marie-Ange Cobert, Jono's best friend of a sort, was one of these students. The red-haired French girl kept mostly to herself, and was virtually always seen playing with a deck of Tarot cards. Most of the student body derogatorily called her Tarot, in honor of her cards, but she would just smile at their ridicule, her eyes never leaving her cards.

In fact, Tarot's powers were derived from her cards. Using just her mind, she could bring to life any image on one of the cards. The images became real people, capable of wandering the premises, interacting with the life. One of her favorite pranks of late had been to bring to life the Death card, and then unleash it on some of the drunken students who wandered back to campus. Without tying the incidents to her, she'd managed to convince half the campus that the school was haunted.

At the moment, Tarot was standing at Jono's door. "You should leave your room more often, Starsmore," she said in her thick French lilt. "M'sieur Shaw would not approve of you setting yourself apart."

"But he'd approve of your little pranks on the student body?" The grin on Tarot's face let him know the point had been taken. "So you going to tell me my fortune, gel?"

"Non," she said, plopping down next to him, her fingers deftly shuffling the deck. "You do not believe in the cards."

"I don't believe in anything," he responded psionically, plucking at the strings again, "But humor me anyway." He watched with vague interest as she played with the cards, the tattered deck gliding beneath her manicured fingers.

"I do not need the cards to tell me about you," she told him. "I see clearly without them."

If he could have snorted aloud, he would have. "And what do yer see, gel?"

She smiled coyly. "But that is for me to know, non? First rule of life, Starsmore, never tell all you know. But perhaps I tell you something more interesting. Mam'selle Frost has her eyes on another school."

Jono cocked an eyebrow curiously. "A mutant school," Marie-Ange continued, purring slightly. "Up in New York."

"How do yer know this?" he asked, barely containing his curiosity.

"Precious little I do not know." Upon his wry look, she shrugged. "Roulette told me. She broke into Shaw's office again."

"More freaks, eh?" Jono mused. "What are they, building an army of little hellions?"

Tarot shrugged. "Could be interesting, others like us. Perhaps we find an amour for Jono." She grinned mischievously, pulling a card from the deck. "Perhaps your card is l'Amoureaux - the Lovers."

"I think yer finally lost it, gel," he said, shaking his head at her laughter. "If yer teased me anymore, people would think yer were attracted to me."

"You are neither the type I go for, nor the gender," she said, her eyes dancing. "Perhaps if you resembled Amara Aquila, I would be interested."

Jono made a face. "Magma? She's a pretty gel, but that personality..."

Tarot shrugged and then smiled again. "Not all of us revel in our solitude, Starsmore."

A knock at the door broke up the discussion. "Shaw would like to see all of you in his office," Tessa said, her hands clasped in front of her neatly.

Jono and Tarot followed Tessa down the hall towards the Headmaster's office. They were the last of the students to arrive. Magma, Roulette, Catseye all sat in the office, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Amara Aquila, Magma to her friends, had the mutant ability to control the Earth's lava and fire. In her human state, she was quite lovely, with blonde curls that were the envy of the other students. In her mutant form, however, she resembled living lava, with flames where her hair should have been. She sat quietly, observing her freshly painted nails and generally ignoring everyone else.

Jennifer Stavros, known as Roulette, was raised the daughter of a casino dealer in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She had the ability to change a person's luck. She focused her power by throwing small colored disks to symbolize which way their luck would go. Red was for good luck, black for bad luck. Jono had learned long ago to never play cards with the girl, lest she use her power to make things go her way. The blonde Lady Luck grinned at Tarot and Jono playfully before going back to the disks she was fiddling with.

Catseye was the last of them. A shapeshifter who could switch into feline form, Sharon Smith had spent most of her life in her feline form, rather than her human form. If she had a family, she didn't seem to know them, instead preferring to believe she was more cat than human. She had little patience with those around her, and was prone to taking off by herself for periods of time, a habit which had begun to wear on Miss Frost's nerves. She sat on the floor, her legs tucked neatly under her as her omnipresent tail swished lightly behind her. She glanced up when they entered the room, but her interest waned, and she turned her attention back to the Headmaster.

"Glad the two of you could join us," Shaw said, standing in front of his desk. "I've called you all here to discuss something quite important, but I will wait until Miss Frost arrives."

The group sat in silence for a couple minutes until Emma arrived, her expensive white shoes clicking on the floor. "Let's begin," she said simply, shutting the door behind her. She took her place standing behind Shaw, her hand resting on his shoulder in a sign of companionship. Jono had often wondered if something more than friendship was going on between the two, but as far as he could discern, they shared nothing but a deep kinship.

"It has come to our attention," Shaw said, his hulky form imposing even as he sat, "That there is a school populated entirely by mutants in upstate New York. The school is privately funded by an extremely rich old man, who we believe may be a telepath himself. I'm sure this news doesn't come as a surprise to some of you." He gave a pointed look to Roulette, who just smirked.

"For obvious reasons, we have some interest in this school," Emma said, continuing where Shaw had left off. "As you know, we at the Massachusetts Academy have a vested interest in mutant affairs."

Jono zoned out as Emma launched into one of her famous speeches. He'd heard it before, when she first recruited him, and countless times since. The headmasters of the Massachusetts Academy had gone around the globe, seeking out mutant students. The students had been informed that it was on a trial basis, to see if mutants could be integrated into a normal human school. They were performing it in support of mutant rights, or so they claimed.

Jono was far more skeptical. Though Emma and Shaw had never directly declared themselves to be mutants, he held some suspicions that one or both of them may have mutant powers. Only this seemed to explain their interest.

Marie-Ange seemed to have other ideas. She'd once whispered to Jono that the two were affiliated with some secret society known as the Hellfire Club. This, like all of her gossip, came from Roulette, whose authority was sketchy at best. Tarot had attempted some research into the subject, only to find very little.

The research revealed that there was, indeed a Hellfire Club, though it seemed to be little more than an elite social society. It originated in London, though a chapter was also established in New York. Originally founded as a way to get away from the strictness of society, the Club operated by invitation only. Unless you were born or married into a family that had ownership, it seemed unlikely you would be able to join. They held annual balls. On the surface, everything seemed to be on the up and up.

While it would not surprise Jono to find out that his instructors held membership, he failed to see how this was as sinister as Marie-Ange made it out to be.

"You ever read Fitzgerald, Jono?" she'd asked him, when he voiced his opinion. "I have read much of his work. Her wrote a story entitled 'The Rich Boy,' which you are perhaps familiar with, non?" When he'd shaken his head no, she launched into a quote from the story. "Fitzgerald wrote - 'Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand.' Do you understand? You should know this. They have things that we do not and they know things that we do not. They have their reasons. Whether they are mutants are not is irrelevant. They have an interest in us. We are little more than puppets to them, Jono. That should be reason enough for some concern."

"So why do you stay?" he had countered to her. "If you distrust them, why are you here?"

She had grinned at that. "I never said we couldn't use them back."

-----

There was a soft knock at the Professor's door. "Come in, Miss Blaire," he told her. A moment later, the petite blonde poked her head in. "Have a seat."

Alison took a seat in the plush chair in front of the desk. "I thought about your offer," she said. "I still don't like the idea of you going in my head and seeing everything. But maybe there is some way you can help me remember."

"It would be relatively noninvasive," the Professor told her. "I can set it so that I won't see your memories. I can remove whatever blocks are there and allow them to return to you. I caution you that you will have to deal with them alone. I won't be able to help you if you're overwhelmed."

"I understand," Alison said. "Let's do it."

The Professor wheeled himself over until he was right in front of Alison. Reaching his hands out, he placed them on either side of her head. "Relax," he told her, shutting his eyes and letting his own mind reach out.

Her mind was in chaos, immediately telling him that something had been tampered with. It didn't seem to be telepathically induced, as a telepath would have been far more meticulous and neat. Rather the blocks were haphazardly placed around, as if they had perhaps been violently placed by other means. One by one, he moved the various blocks, placing them in a neat, unobtrusive stack. Softly, the gates opened and Xavier felt the memories begin to rush forward. He quickly tuned them out, focusing on the task at hand. He felt Alison mentally shudder as they hit her, telling him that these memories were perhaps less than pleasant.

When he was done, he slipped out quietly and observed the shaking girl in front of him. Her eyes were still closed, though she seemed alert. "Are you alright?" he asked her curiously.

There was a pause, then she opened her eyes. "I'm fine. I think I need to lie down." The Professor nodded and wheeled himself back to his desk.

Alison took off down the hall in a sprint, intent on reaching the room assigned to her. "She had anticipated disturbing memories, but nothing like she had seen. She remembered everything now.

It was a possession, that much she knew. She had a distinct memory of being a prisoner in her own mind to some other force that held her down. This entity had taken her to some hidden building where vicious mutants lived, plotting out what destruction they could do next. There was a large man, a scientist, who was behind everything, giving orders. He'd sent Alison, or whoever was in control of her body, into the tunnels to map them out and find out what was down there.

When the report came back, telling him that the tunnels were inhabited by a group of mutants with grotesque physical abnormalities, the scientist was less than pleased. "The Morlocks," he'd said, surveying the report prepared. "Have they anything useful to contribute to my work?" When the response was in the negative, he'd frowned. "How unfortunate. We will have to take care of this."

They were going to massacre the Morlocks.

She knew she had to say something, but repeating information like this was easier said than done. What would they think of her, a girl who'd been party to such plans?

"Rest now," she said to herself. "A nap will help clear your mind."

As soon as her head hit the pillow, Jean rushed in through the door. "The Brotherhood is releasing Magneto," she said. "We have to go. Will you be alright by yourself?" Alison nodded, and Jean ran back out through the door, leaving Alison behind with the memories she was forced to face alone.

-----

The rush was incredible. When she was younger, Rogue and her friends would scale junkyard fences to go play amongst the metal heaps. They would jump from car to car, their pudgy legs sometimes scraping the rusted metal. It was thrilling then to stand on top of a 20 foot heap, looking over an acre of metal, glinting like dull treasure in the twilight.

The junkyard memories just couldn't compare. They'd entered the detention center with a destructive blast, dispensing with any covertness Mystique might have preferred. This was no time for secret missions.

After neutralizing the guards, they'd placed Destiny behind the desk, shielding her from any harm. She was kept connected to Mystique via a communicator through which they shared strategy.

It was decided that Quicksilver and the Blob would be sent ahead to free Magneto. Rogue would guard Destiny and the front of the detention center. St. John, armed with a flame-thrower that Mystique had, rather curiously, managed to procure, fidgeted nervously by the shapeshifting terrorist. They were to roam the center, taking care of any potential threats.

The first few minutes went quietly. Rogue and Destiny sat in silence as the others took off in their respective directions. Occasionally the sound of gunfire and yelling erupted, but an eerie silence always followed shortly.

After a moment, Destiny turned to Rogue and placed one shriveled hand on the girl's shoulder. Applying a friendly squeeze, she spoke. "Brace yourself. Your friends have arrived."

Rogue stiffened and shot up from the ground. Surely she wasn't surprised. She'd been aware the X-Men might show up, but the actuality of the situation was far more shocking than the mere thought.

Jean, Storm, and Beast arrived first. The shock and disappointment on their faces sliced through Rogue as she stared back at their wide eyes. Storm stepped forward as if to speak, but Jean pushed her forward, towards the sound of gunfire. With a couple glances back, they continued, leaving her alone once more.

Wolverine and Cyclops were next. "MARIE?!" Logan bellowed. Stalking over to her, he continued. "What do you think you're doing?"

Before he made it over, a powerful red beam slammed into Rogue, slamming her against the wall. The blast didn't hurt her. In fact, it rather tickled her invulnerable skin. Cyclops' hand rested on the side of his visor, from which the beam had just shot.

"You son of a bitch," Logan growled, claws popping from his hands. "That's Marie you just shot at, pal."

"Not our Marie," Scott relied. "And I was protecting you. You are aware she's not here to fight on our side, aren't you?"

That stung. With hurt, she watched the two men bicker. "My Marie wouldn't hurt me," Logan growled. "You had no reason to shoot at her."

"No, your Marie wouldn't hurt you," Scott said sardonically. "Your Marie also wouldn't be breaking into a detention center to free a dangerous terrorist."

Before Logan could reply, Mystique shot out from a doorway, landing on Logan. Instantly launching into berserker mode, Logan slashed one claw out, throwing the shapeshifter off. Mystique tumbled, then jumped back to her feet deftly. Spinning out of the room, the blue metamorph drew Logan out of the room where Rogue and Destiny rested. With what probably was a stern glance behind his ruby visor, Scott followed, leaving Rogue alone yet again.

She thought she might cry, but the sound of cards being shuffled grabbed her attention, stopping that idea short. "We gotta stop meeting like dis, chere."

"Meeting like what?" she asked, barely concealing her annoyance at having been caught at a weak moment. Turning her eyes to the door, she caught sight of the boy from the record store. He was without his glasses now, and his startling eyes sparkled at her. Red on black. The boy glided forward, the tails of his faded trenchcoat lightly brushing the concrete floor.

"In dese places where y' might get in trouble, chere. Not fond of de cops, m'self."

"Ah'm not in the mood to flirt with some Swamp Rat," she said, her gloved hands curling into a ball.

"Den we do somet'ing else," he said, a coy smile playing at his lips. "Perhaps a River Rat like y' is familiar wit' catch."

Rogue started to release another snappish comment when a glowing red card shot out of the boy's hand at lightning fast speed. With a blast, it hit her shoulder, burning a hole in the thin material of her burgundy shirt. "Hope dat shirt wasn't expensive," he said, his eyes twinkling. "T'ough de t'ought of y' wit'out clothing isn't so bad."

She didn't know whether to laugh or scream. "Alright Cajun," she said, lifting a chair. "Let me show ya how we do things in Mississippi." With a shove, she threw the chair at him, the boy jumping aside easily.

"Y' Mississippi girls don' have de moves of us Bayou dwellers," he said, charging another handful of cards to throw. "Perhaps I teach y' m' moves sometime."

Rogue let out a short laugh, her green eyes sparkling as she lifted into the air. "Ah've seen better moves from a cow."

"Y' probably know better than I," he told her, releasing a few cards that exploded around the beautiful Southern girl. T'ough y' mère might take exception at being called a cow."

"Ah've beat up lesser men for such comments," Rogue said, knocking over a few bookshelves in an attempt to hit the Cajun boy.

"Den y' must like me, petite," Remy said, dodging the falling shelves. "Y' ain't hit me once."

"If'n ya would hold still for more than a minute, maybe ah'd give ya a proper Southern howdy," she said, enthralled with the battle at hand. Something about the boy enticed her and repelled her. Mystique might tell her she was enjoying the battle more than she should.

"Ah, but I don' like t' stay in one place too long," he said, his trenchcoat dancing along with his feline movements. "Y' have to give me good reason t' stay."

"Ah'll give ya a reason." Utilizing all her speed, Rogue shot forward, grabbing the surprised boy by the arms, rendering him unable to throw a card. Her face hovering dangerously close, she let her large green eyes meet his red-on-black ones. The boy was surprisingly silent, only his breathing audible.

"I win." With those words, Rogue pulled him closer, pressing her full lips against his, awaiting the sucking sensation that inevitably followed her deathly kiss.

-----

This is quite enough.

She'd viewed the attack with varying degrees of horror and anger. Watching the battle from her hidden position, Carol had been tempted to burst forward to stop the havoc around her.

But Rogue was still far too strong, and Carol knew she would be defeated. Silently, she watched, appraising the situation and waiting for the moment to strike.

It finally came. Carol felt the floodgates open as the absorption began. All of Rogue's strength strained under the onslaught, hovering dangerously near the breaking point.

As the boy, Remy, was pushed back, Carol pushed forward. With a shove, she surprised Rogue, knocking her back behind the gates Carol had been so long hidden behind. The gates sealed, stopping the absorption, and Carol found herself in control of Rogue's body.

She could feel Rogue angrily slamming at the barriers, demanding to be set free. Weary from the attack, she was too weak to break through, and thus Carol possessed the upper hand.

The world seemed different than she remembered. Three months behind the curtain of the Southern girl's psyche had tainted her memory, giving the world a yellowish tine. She saw clearly now, her senses at the level they once were at. The Cajun boy was out cold on the ground before her. From a distance, the sound of screaming, of pleas for help and cries of war reached her, filling her ears with the music of battle. And, most prevalent, the unseeing eyes of the old precognitive resting on her face.

Destiny said nothing, her shades disguising any glimmer that may have crossed her blind eyes. For a moment, Carol was sure she would be caught, unable to hide herself from a woman whose sight transgressed the understanding of human science.

"You'll not have long, as Rogue will take control again," the old woman finally said. "And you'll never stop Magneto. But go, have your moment, and rest assured it will not be the last you taste of freedom."

Thus moved, Carol gathered the unconscious boy in her arms and took off towards the exit, towards the direction of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

-----

The tunnels were dark and not very well lit. Lorna could see things abnormally clearly. Malice must have something occupying her attention, otherwise she wouldn't have relinquished control slightly.

'Do something, Lorna,' she told herself. But what could she do? A prisoner in her own mind, she could only watch the deadly procession of Marauders on their way to lead the lambs to their slaughter.

Though Lorna had never come in contact with a member of the Morlock nation, the thought of hundreds of her brethren about to be slaughtered at the hands of their own kind sickened her. 'Are they right?' she questioned herself. 'Is evil in our genes?'

The procession stopped. "There's one now," one Marauder hissed. From her position, Lorna observed a female mutant sitting on the ground just ahead. She was an obvious adolescent, with lovely rose colored skin and large turquoise eyes. In her clawed hands, she held a bright red apple, which seemed to hold her entire attention, leaving her unaware of the threat at hand.

"I've got her," Scalphunter said, quickly rigging a few attachments to the gun he'd specially prepared for the occasion. "I could use the warm-up."

'No.' The image of Vertigo's bloody body flashed in Lorna's head. Malice stirred slightly at the image, yet seemed to pay it no mind. Though the freshly cloned body of Vertigo stood just ahead, in the middle of Lorna's line of sight, the image of the previous namesake still haunted Lorna. 'No more blood.'

She lunged. For a brief moment, she had control, fleeting though she knew it would be. Wresting control from Malice, Lorna was able to contort her body so that she slammed Scalphunter just as he fired a round in the girl's direction. Almost as soon as she collided with the Marauder, Malice snatched control back from Lorna, forcefully shoving her back in her prison.

Too little, too late. The girl had been hit. Yet with some satisfaction, Lorna observed that the very surprised Morlock was not dead, although she had sustained a nasty wound to the side. Recovering from the blast, the girl took off down a tunnel, dodging the fire that followed her. She had escaped.

The Marauders grumbled angrily at the lost kill, threats and curses escaping their snarling lips. A gesture from Sinister silenced them all. "We've merely lost one. Others await. Please try to control your charge, Malice."

Someone snickered, and Lorna could feel Malice's anger at having been embarrassed. 'I'll caution you to behave,' Malice told her captive in no uncertain terms. 'Though we are trapped together in this body, it is only a matter of time before I find away to free myself to another host. I will not hesitate to destroy you if you anger me further.'

The idle threats meant nothing to Lorna, who felt a depression overtake her. She had barely managed to save one. How could she help the others who, doubtless, lay ahead?

-----

Logan and Scott fought the entire way back to the mansion. "It didn't hurt her," Scott said. "And she didn't seem to be upset. I was taking precautions. If you had gotten any closer, she could have easily reached out and knocked you out. It wouldn't be anything for her to do that, and you know it."

"She wasn't attacking me," Logan growled.

"No, but she was there as a terrorist. Whether or not she made the first move doesn't erase the fact that she was there, freeing Magneto."

"She was protecting some old broad," Logan growled as they made their way inside the mansion.

"Will the two of you stop?" Jean asked. "You're giving me a headache. I understand that you're upset, Logan, but with Magneto free, we have bigger problems than Rogue."

The team had arrived too late to stop them. Upon arriving, they'd found Magneto already loose, tearing down the building that had kept him imprisoned. Mystique had recruited others, making the battle even more difficult.

Though Jean had been disappointed to see Rogue there, it disappointed her even more to see St. John actually doing battle. He'd been in his element, destroying the building. Momentary embarrassment had crossed his face when he saw the X-Men, but with a few words of encouragement from Mystique, they quickly passed. He had changed so quickly.

Ororo had been silent since they had first taken off. When the doors to the Blackbird closed, she'd screamed that they couldn't leave behind Remy. Had they waited any longer, Magneto might have followed and knocked their plane out of the sky, killing them all.

"It's okay, darlin'," Logan had reassured her. "I didn't even see him in the battle. He probably left long ago. He's a smart kid."

This had appeased her little, and she sat the entire trip in stoic silence, her hands folded on her lap. She'd spoken to no one, and when they had arrived back at the mansion, she maintained her silence.

There was a knock at the door. Beast answered it, opening the door to reveal Rogue, holding Remy's unconscious body. "Rogue?"

The girl said nothing, yet entered. Logan surveyed the Southern girl, eyeing her movements curiously. The shift of her eyes, her gait, it all told him this was not his Marie. "Hi Carol," he said.

"Logan," she responded, a sideways grin on her face.

"Carol?" Jean asked, stepping forward. "How?"

"Things got out of control," Carol said, setting Remy down on a couch. "I took over right after she absorbed your little Don Juan here."

Storm immediately moved to Remy's side, resting his head on her lap and taking her unconscious friend's hand. "Thank you for bringing him back, Carol," she said.

"It was my pleasure. I probably don't have long," Carol said. "Just thought I'd come let you know what's going on. Rogue and St. John are both living with the Brotherhood, though St. John seems far more integrated than Rogue. I've only seen Rogue fight your little friend here, while St. John actually went off with Mystique."

"We came in contact with St. John, unfortunately," Jean said. "What else can you tell us?"

"Mystique lives with a blind woman named Irene, who also goes by the name Destiny. She can see the future. I'm guessing this is where Mystique gets most of her information. She has recruited two other team members. One of them is a large man named Fred Dukes. He goes by the Blob. The other is Magneto's son, Pietro, known as Quicksilver. He too seems unwilling to fully commit. I think he's a member out of obligation to his father."

"At least we know we're up against," Scott said.

Remy finally began to wake up, much to Ororo's relief. "Dat was one hell of a kiss, chere," he said, his eyes on Carol.

"That wasn't me, chere," Carol responded. The boy looked confused, but merely shook his head and muttered something about women in French. "I'm Carol. I also inhabit Rogue's mind. I'm sure they'll explain it to you later."

Professor X's voice boomed in all of their minds. X-Men, please come to my office now. Carol, you are welcome to join. This is of extreme importance.

The urgency of his words ushered them all to his office. Upon entering, they saw a very scared Penance cowering in the corner. Jubilee was attempting to soothe the terrified girl, while Alison stood in the corner, quietly watching. A further glance at Penance showed that she was bleeding from the side.

"Rogue?" Jubilee asked strangely, upon seeing the familiar her friend? Carol shook her head. "Carol." Jubilee's shoulders slumped slightly.

"Jubilee, please tell them what you saw," the Professor said, encouraging her with his words.

"I was in the back, launching some of my blasts. Nothing big," she said. "When Penance came shooting out of the brush. She came closer to me than I thought she might, so I knew something was wrong. Then I saw her bleeding, and I took her in here."

"She's told us nothing," the Professor said. "She seems unable to speak, and my mind probes cannot penetrate her. But it seems Alison here may have some clue as to why our friend is so scared."

All eyes turned to the silent blonde girl, who stood, arms crossed, with her eyes on the floor. "I remembered," she said softly.

"What did you remember?" Jean asked, somewhat encouragingly.

There was a pause, then Alison lifted her eyes. "There's a group of mutants... They call themselves the Marauders. I was with them... only it wasn't me. It's complicated."

She fell silent again. "It's okay, Alison," the Professor said. "No one's upset with you."

"I know," she said. There was another silence. "They used me to search the tunnels, to find out what was down there. They're going to kill the Morlocks."

There was a horrified pause, then Ororo spoke. "We have to go help them. Alison," she said, walking over and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Do you think you can remember where the tunnels are?" Alison nodded. "Then we have to go."

The already battle-weary team turned, ready to go face whatever battle lay before them. Even Remy, who'd only just awakened, followed along solemnly.

Carol turned to follow them, but doubled over almost as quickly as she'd turned. A brief mental struggle appeared to go on, judging from the way she held her head. After a moment, she straightened and looked around, dazed.

"Rogue," the Professor said. The X-Men had left, leaving her behind. Jubilee sat in the corner with Penance, looking on silently with curiosity.

Rogue turned to look at him, adjusting as she came back in control. "It's good to see you again," he said, fixing his eyes on her.

"Ah...." she said, the words not reaching her lips. The Professor tilted his head slightly, looking at her curiously. "Ah have to go," she said. She turned to take off, but before she left, she turned her head back. "Ah'll go get help, Professor. Ah won't leave them alone." With that, she took off out the mansion, back to the city.

-----

Jubilee led the frightened Penance down the hall, whispering words of support to the terrified girl. "It's okay," she said, her hands on the bindings Penance wore. "We're going to see friends."

Entering the room, Jubilee saw the rest of Generation X, sprawled out along the floor. "We heard Rogue was back," Kitty said. "Is it true?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't her, it was Carol," Jubilee responded. "But that's not what's important right now. Serious stuff is going down, guys."

Bobby sat forward. "Like what?" Jubilee turned to let her dark eyes fall on him.

"Serious stuff. A massacre and whatnot. The X-Men have already gone off to do battle." There was some murmuring. "Guys," she said, trying to quiet them down. "We can't let them go off alone. I mean, you remember what happened when the Marauders attacked last time. What if they've got more? We can't let them face this alone."

"What do ye suggest we do?" Rahne asked from her position on the floor.

"I'm saying we need to go help our teachers," Jubilee said. "All this training we're getting is no good if we don't use it."

"I doubt they'd be very happy if we tagged along, Jubilation," Monet said dryly. "I'm always willing to help, but we'd only be a hindrance."

"We're not kids, M," Jubilee said sarcastically. "Besides, they're already tired from fighting Mags. I, for one, am not going to stand by and watch them get slaughtered too."

"How are we going to find them?" Husk asked, curiously.

Jubilee turned to Penance, who'd been watching with wide eyes. "That's where you come in. I hope you understand what I'm saying," she said, addressing the Morlock. "Because right now, you're the only one who knows where to go. Show us the way, Penance."

Though she maintained her usual silence, Penance seemed to understand. Turning, she took off towards the direction of the exit, the team in hot pursuit.

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