Hello everyone! This is Operation Repartee ^.^ Co-written with my very good friend Tempest Wind. She helped out a lot with this first part. And by help I mean I vaguely described what I wanted to happen and she helped me map out and write what really happened. So, all my love to her. She made this chapter possible.

I hope you all enjoy it. I think this story is going to be about three maybe four chapters, and then I'm going right into chapter seven of Taunting Repartee.

For those people who haven't read Taunting Repartee, this is a prequel so please don't stop reading. You don't need to read that story to enjoy this one… I think. Hopefully, you'll like this story and go on to read my other one. ^.^

P.S. I Lost The Game…

So that's all I have to say.

Enjoy!

The plane hummed around Rogue as she stared out the window, watching clouds scurry past.

"Katherine, there's a problem," Christopher Summer's voice called out from the cockpit. The plane tilted sharply to the left. Red lights flooded the cabin. Alarms wailed in Rogue's ears.

"Mommy, Daddy-" Alex cried. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Shh, baby, it's going to be okay," Katherine said, wrapping her arms around Alex. Christopher rushed into the cabin.

"The plane's going down," he said, putting his hand on Katherine's shoulder. His face looked gray, ashen. "There are only two parachutes." Rogue saw tears streak down Katherine's face, painting it a similar gray hue. Katherine's arms slipped around Rogue's tiny frame as Christopher slid the backpack-like straps onto her and Alex's arms.

"We love you so much," Katherine said, trying to smile.

"Take care of your brother," Christopher warned her. Rogue bit her lip and nodded, feeling the muscles in her neck clench as if to fight against her. Rogue and Alex came to the edge of the doorway. The wind whipped their clothing and Rogue felt her throat tighten as black smoke stung her eyes. She slipped out, feeling wind sail through her hair and roar in her ears. She could barely keep her eyes open as she watched her brother fall beside her. She reached over to grab his hand and give it a squeeze, fighting to reassure him as she struggled for breath.

Reaching over, she pulled the ripcord, feeling the parachute snatch Alex from her hand. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tugged her own ripcord. Her neck jerked forward as she was hefted upwards. However, a burning smell stung her nose, and moments later, she was shooting downwards. She glanced up to see a flaming hole in her parachute.

She felt scraps of metal push down on her body, making her fall faster. All the breath was robbed from her lungs as she felt her body hit the ground like a rag doll. The parachute fell down around her, blanketing her in flames.

Everything started to go black, but she grappled the edges of her consciousness as she forced herself to open her eyes. When her eyelids fluttered open, she saw herself surrounded by a wall of debris. Rubble closed in around her, digging her into the ground. With her face pressed hard against the bloodstained carpet, she raised her eyes to see the bleeding form of her mother. Rogue gagged on the ash-speckled air as embers singed her lungs. Forcing herself to numb knees, she crawled across the carpet, and brushed the white hair from her mother's glazed blue eyes.

"Mommy," she choked, touching her face. The dark skin moved so easily beneath her fingers. "Wake up," she cried as pressed at her mom's face. The house around them creaked and groaned before the wall crashed on top of her. Rogue pressed herself to the ground, but the impact against her back left her helpless. She clawed at the rubble, watching her fingers bleed as her mother lay limply beside her. Flames rose around her, choking her. "Let me out," she gagged as she kicked the floor. "Let me out." Her legs slid out beneath her several times as her eyes closed and she fought to rise beneath the weight of the wall.

She opened her eyes as she clutched the body in her arms. She turned and pushed it into the flames. She watches flesh crisp and flake off as ash stung her eyes. She turned to the next body on the conveyer belt, when suddenly an emaciated hand grabbed her wrist. Her entire body went rigid as the starved corpse's mouth moved.

"Please… save me," it rasped, sounding like an echo down a hollow chamber.

"Max," shouted a voice warned from behind her. She turned in time to feel a bullet whizzing past, scraping her cheek before it landed in the body beside her. The dying man slumped.

"Eisenhardt, back to work," a guard commanded. She unclenched her arms from her side. With numb hands, she lifted the corpse into her arms, feeling her heart rattle in her chest. As she neared the fire, her skin felt like it was boiling, sliding off of her.

In a flurry of blankets, Rogue sat bolt upright. Her pajama top clung to her, fused to her soaked skin. She struggled with her shirt as she fought for breath. Her heart pounded in her throat as she gagged on clean air. It took several long moments of forced steady breathing for her to finally catch her breath. The early morning air chilled her, slowly drying her top. She glanced over at her still sleeping roommate.

'Good,' she thought in relief. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain whose nightmares she was having now. She looked over at the clock on her night stand. The red light of her alarm clock reminded her of the airplane cabin and the flames. Skin took only moments to turn to ash. Rogue's stomach tightened and she felt her throat clench. 'Stop thinking about it,' she told herself. 'You're gonna make yourself sick.' She felt herself losing the battle, and rushed down the hallway to the bathroom. She threw open the door as she found the toilet seat, and gave in to her body's desire.

A few minutes later she washed out her mouth, trying to remove the taste of bile.

'Eric,' she called out to the fragment of him within her mind as she headed back to her room. There was no answer. She slipped quietly back into her room. She turned back to the clock, and focused on the time. It read 5:37 am. She didn't have time to go back to sleep. With a sigh she headed for her dresser. 'Max?' she thought slightly louder as she pulled out clean clothes. As quietly as she could, she slipped out the door.

'I prefer Eric,' Magneto informed her.

'I know, just wanted to get your attention,' she thought as she shut the bathroom door behind her. She turned on the shower, and undressed.

'You realized you're just going to have to take another after that morning session Charles is so fond of,' he informed her.

'I can't stand that sticky feeling,' she thought with a sigh as she stepped into the shower. She let the hot water run over her body, washing away the filth and her uneasiness. 'They're getting worse,' she thought.

'The nightmares?' he asked concerned.

'At first I would have just have one. Scott plane crash one night, Ororo's mother dying another, and your time in the camps…" She quickly pushed the images back. 'They're merging,' she yelled at him. 'All into one long nightmare. I know I've asked before, but are you sure? Is there anything you can do stop them?' she asked. He sighed.

'I apologize, my dear, but my answer today is the same as it was yesterday. Your subconscious is simply beyond my reach. However, your tolerance of the dreams should improve over time,' he offered.

'Great,' she thought sarcastically. 'So, I'm gonna get used to seeing people die in front of me every night?' she answered angrily.

'Yes,' he answered dryly.

'Eric, I don't know if I can live like that.'

'What choice do you have, Anna?'

'None,' she thought bitterly.

Later on the same day Rogue walked into her world history class. She took the same seat she always did in the back. She sighed as she heard Mrs. Ginos call for the classes' attention.

"Quiet down now," she screamed for the fourth time. "So, who can tell me with what act did the U.S. enter World War Two?" she asked clearly frustrated. No one responded. Miss Ginos sighed. "I know it's the last period of the day, people, but you're going to be tested on this." Still no response. "Now, you're going to be tested on it now," she screamed. "We're having a pop-quiz. Everyone clear off your desks," she commanded. With many sighs and groans the students did just that.

'What crawled up her ass and died?' Rogue thought as she pulled her books on the floor.

'A rather peculiar choice of phrase, Anna,' Magneto commented with a chuckle. She ignored him as she took the paper that was handed to her. It was a ten point quiz. All short answer.

'Pop-quiz my ass,' she thought in anger. 'She had these typed out and everything. She was just waiting for a reason to give it to us.'

'As your teacher, she has that right,' Magneto said.

'Yeah, yeah,' she sighed as she read over the questions. 'I don't know any of this,' she thought aggravated.

'The subject is World War Two?' he asked.

'Yeah…'

'Anna, I can assure you I know everything you could ever need to know, and most definitely more than you will ever want to know about that subject,' he informed her.

'You know it. Not me,' she exasperated.

'Now that I am in your mind, the knowledge is yours to do with as you please.'

'Only if I look.'

'Then, by all means, do so.'

'That's cheating,' she told him yet again.

'How?' he asked.

'That's like Jean reading the teacher's mind for the answers. It's abusing my power.'

'I disagree,' he said.

'Well that's good for you,' she thought fuming as she started to write something for the first question. 'Why didn't I read last night?' she asked herself annoyed.

'If memory serves I believe, you didn't have enough time to complete the reading as well as your English essay. You choose to write the essay.'

'My teachers assign much too school work,' she thought riled.

'Charles assigns too much non-school work,' he voiced. She sighed.

'This argument, again?' she asked anxiously.

'I will continue to initiate this discussion until you are willing to see it through to its rightful conclusion,' he told her.

'And what conclusion is that?' she asked.

'We have to have the actual debate before a conclusion can be drawn.'

'I'm supposed to be taking a quiz right now,' she said annoyed.

'You have avoided this conversation for far too long, my dear.'

'Look, if I promise to argue with you after school will you let me take the quiz?' she asked.

'The moment you are outside these school walls I'll expect-'

'The moment I'm in my room we can talk all you want,' she yelled interrupting him. 'Do you know how many weird looks I get when I talk to you in front of other people? Apparently, I make faces,' she said. He responded with a dark chuckle. 'It's not funny. I look like a freak. I ain't talking until I'm home.'

'You promise to have this conversation in its entirety, and in exchange I will remain silent until you enter your bedroom. Do I have your word, Anna?' he asked.

'I swear sometimes you're more annoying than all the other fragments put together.'

'If you would prefer to deal with them I can allow them to resurface,' he threatened.

'No,' she said quickly. 'I'd…I'd rather deal with you,'

'Then I have your word?' he asked again.

'Yes, I promise. Now, please shut up,' she said as she tried to read what was on the quiz. She put her pen to her paper and started to write an answer to the second question.

"Pens down, pass the papers up," Miss Ginos ordered.

'What?' she yelled in her head as she saw students passing their papers to the front of the class room. 'No, no, no, no, no no,' she thought in a frenzy as she tried to get down one more answer. She finished that one and started to write something for the third question.

"Miss Creed, pen down," Miss Ginos said firmly. Rogue glanced up to see that she was the only one who hadn't handed in her paper.

"But-"

"Now," Miss Ginos said. With a heavy sigh Rogue handed the paper to her. Miss Ginos took one look at the paper and then back to Rogue. "For those of you who felt you didn't need to read for this class I expect that the failure mark of this quiz should act a reminder of what you should do for now on," she said staring at Rogue. "For the rest of the period read the chapter you were supposed to finish last night," said Miss Ginos said as she walked back to her desk. Rogue sighed as she picked her books up off of the floor.

'Eric,' she yelled. There was no response. 'Eric answer me,' she said as she opened her text book to chapter seven. He still didn't respond. 'You wanna have an argument right?' she asked. 'Well I'm ready to have one, so say something,' she commanded. She waited for a respond but it never came. She leaned back in the chair as she sulked. 'Jackass,' she thought as she turned the page.

An hour or so later Rogue was walking down the halls of the Xavier Institute alone. She came up to her bedroom door. Her hand landed on the doorknob. Just as she was about to turn it his word replayed in her mind.

'You promise to have this conversation in its entirety, and in exchange I will remain silent until you enter your bedroom.'

She smirked as she let go of the doorknob, and sauntered down the hall.

'I think I'll go do the rest of my home work in the library,' she thought satisfied.

So that's it for this chapter. I know it shorter than what I usually write, but I couldn't imagine skipping a line and writing more after that point. I'm about half way done with the next chapter, but I have a six page paper due next Wednesday. So, as soon as I'm done with that, or more realistically, when I'm about three pages into my paper, I'll take a break from it and write a little more of chapter two. Hopefully, I'll have it out within the next two weeks.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! I look forward to any and all comments!