ROGUE SILENCE
WHAT IF...
Rogue had died after attacking Ms. Marvel?
I am Uatu -- known to most as The Watcher. It is my job to do just that -- and watch, I do.
...
Many know the story of the X-Man known as Rogue. Of the story which ultimately led to her redemption... the events which spiraled into her culmination not only as a young woman, as a hero, but as an X-Man.
Of her battle with Carol Danvers, your earth's Ms. Marvel.
Still, many do not. As in one world, one instance, where Rogue's redemption never saw fruition.
A world where Rogue was never given the chance to prove herself as an X-Man, never given the chance to find true love, true happiness, true leadership...
Instead, a world where Rogue's attack on Carol Danvers resulted not only in Ms. Marvel's coma, in her loss of self, but in the young mutant's very life.
This is the story of that world -- a story of what could have, might have, been...
The answer to a question dared not asked in your world:
What if Rogue had died after claiming the power of Ms. Marvel?
"You're doing it again," Irene Adler took a seat across from Raven Darkholme.
Mystique stared blankly ahead, eyes fixated in the mirror, the young face of her fallen daughter -- Rogue -- staring back at her.
"You can't see me."
"I don't need to," Adler took a sip of tea from her mug.
Mystique turned back, taking a seat opposite Adler in their quaint upstate New York cottage living room. She shifted out of Rogue's form and back into her own as she did so.
"She took my daughter, Irene," Mystique gritted her teeth. "Our daughter. And I'm going to make her pay."
"You know how I feel about that."
"And you know how I feel," Raven spat. "If they hadn't shown up, everything would've gone exactly as planned..."
"No, Raven," Destiny leaned forward, giving Raven that feeling which -- even after all these years together -- still sent a shiver down her spine. It was like she was looking at her; feeling her. Invading her. "It went exactly as I'd cautioned you it could."
"Then you should have done more, Irene," Mystique threw herself away from the chair, turning and heading to the door. "You should have stopped it."
Mystique grabbed at a leather coat on the rack beside the door.
"You know it doesn't work that way, my love," Destiny sat back comfortably. "I knew, one way or another, the result of the mission would mean a loss of Rogue."
Mystique said nothing.
"Take the longer jacket," Destiny added. "You're never warm enough in that one."
Raven grabbed the longer trench coat bitterly. One way or another, Irene was always right -- and she was beginning to hate her for it.
The bitter wind pounded into Mystique's face as she moved outside -- Darkholme concentrating long enough to shift an extra layer of skin or two atop her own. She thought about Rogue, about Destiny -- and about how Irene had been out of jail for only a week and was nearly driving her insane.
She loved Irene -- but Rogue, Rogue was her one chance... to do something right for someone who couldn't do for themselves...
She'd given up other children. Rogue was going to be her redemption, her maternal strengths shining through. They would forge an age of acceptance for mutants. She, Irene, Rogue...
It would've meant everything. But now, now it had been taken from her. Ms. Marvel had taken it from her.
If the rumblings were true, Ms. Marvel was being held, comatose, at the Xavier Institute. Darkholme had finally gained the Intel on the whereabouts of the X-Men's base -- and they'd be sorry they'd involved themselves.
Charles Xavier crept slowly through the mind of Carol Danvers. It was littered with holes, with vast emptiness -- bits and pieces of Carol's psyche muddled in chaos with that of the young mutant known as Rogue's.
It had been years since he'd dealt with such a fragile mind, such a decaying state of existence. He'd seen many things in his day -- but the effects of this young mutant's mutation on the Avenger before him... it was frightening.
He felt guilt. Almost rage. Had he gotten to the young woman first, before Mystique -- before her innocence could have been twisted and exploited... things could have gone very differently. He knew it.
He felt it in his gut and in his heart as he explored what was left of Danvers.
"Focus, Charles," he cautioned himself. Losing his train of thought while inside another person's mind was nothing short of dangerous -- for both of them. He'd already felt guilty for not finding Rogue before Mystique could have... and now he felt even guiltier, focusing on her instead of the task at hand: saving Carol Danvers.
Charles pulled back, finding himself not in Danvers' mind but in a small medical lab within his school. Henry McCoy, one of his founding X-Men, awaited him eagerly with Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman at his side.
"How's it going, Professor?" Drew spoke first.
Charles wiped the sweat from his brow. "Not well, I'm afraid. From your autopsy, Hank, you were able to determine the young mutant's powers were to drain another's psyche -- and in the case of someone of... extra talent, their powers, correct?"
"Yes, Charles," McCoy nodded. "A terrifying thought."
"Indeed," Xavier mirrored Beast's nod. "The mutant's powers were so unstable, so... primal, untrained, that Carol's overwhelmed her. Devoured her. But the transition of power, of psyche, had to go somewhere when Rogue's body could not withstand the trauma."
"Are you saying what I think you are, Professor?"
"Indeed," Charles wheeled himself backward. "Carol Danvers is not only host to her memories, to the physical and mental abuse which placed her in the coma -- but to Rogue's. That young mutant's raw energy, raw emotion, attached itself to Carol's body -- it had nowhere else to go."
"We should contact the rest of the Avengers," Drew turned to McCoy. She looked horrified; heartbroken.
"I'd prefer you didn't," Charles answered abruptly. "At least not yet. I want to try and separate the two -- to help Ms. Marvel reclaim her body."
"What will happen to Rogue?"
Xavier said nothing.
"Charles, you have a chance to save this young woman..."
"Henry, I'm not sure there's enough to save. The girl's body is gone -- annihilated. Whatever's left of her, whatever's attached itself to Danvers, may not be enough to sustain her life in any capacity."
"Which is why I should contact Captain America. One of the other Avengers may be able to..."
"This is a mutant affair," Charles interrupted Spider-Woman. "At least for the moment. There is no science that can help either of these women, Jessica. You entrusted Danvers to my care -- continue to extend that trust."
Spider-Woman nodded solemnly. "Of course."
"I'm going to go back in -- see what I can find. It may not be the young mutant -- merely echoes of her."
"Can I get you anything, Professor?"
"No, Henry. Thank you. I'll keep the two of you updated."
Charles brought his fingertips to his temples, projecting himself into Danvers' mind once more. McCoy turned, grabbing Spider-Woman's arm tenderly and taking the woman with him away from the lab.
"I understand your concern, Jessica," The Beast led the woman through the halls of the Institute. "But the Professor will do his best to sort this out. He'll bring Carol out of this. And save what's left of Rogue if he can."
"I'm not worried about this... Rogue," Spider-Woman looked away. "A villain is a villain, Hank. Mutant or not."
"Perhaps you're right," McCoy said thoughtfully. "But if Charles were to simply erase Rogue's consciousness from Ms. Marvel's, well, there's no telling what harm it would do to Carol. Matters of the mind are his forte. Not to worry."
Kitty Pryde waited patiently outside of the gates of the Institute for the first fifteen minutes. She'd waved goodbye to Beast and Spider-Woman. She'd counted the cars that had passed. She'd thought a long time about Colossus.
The pizza was supposed to be there what seemed like days ago -- and she certainly wasn't any less hungry.
Besides, with Logan's insatiable hunger, Kurt's newfound fondness for pizza and her knack at making sure she handed the final piece to Peter -- she wasn't likely to get as much pizza as she'd like to. She at least deserved to walk it into the mansion; to tease her senses with the smell of that perfectly-melted cheese...
"You ordered a pizza?"
Katharine snapped back to life. She wasn't sure if she was thinking about Colossus' smile or the cheese when the pizza man announced his arrival -- but either way she was sure she looked ridiculous. And he was cute, too.
"Yeah, sorry," Kitty beamed. "You can keep the change." Pryde forked over a twenty and some singles, grabbing the pizza with glee.
Her mood quickly changed, however, when the pizza delivery man did as well: into Mystique.
Raven's foot slammed hard against Kitty's diaphragm, sending the young mutant to the ground and the pizza to the wind. "You're young," Mystique pulled the mutant up by her collar. "Get out of this while you can."
Mystique's skull slammed hard against Kitty's, Pryde hitting the ground once more before Darkholme picked her up and threw her into the back of the dead pizza delivery man's car.
Darkholme picked up the pizza, wiped off the sides of the box, and shifted into Pryde's young frame.
"Carol," Charles called. "I know you're here... I can feel you. Battered, alone, frightened... but everything is going to be alright. Just come out."
Xavier could feel Danvers -- or at least what was left of her. He tiptoed through her thoughts, siphoned through her memories -- one "room" at a time, step by step, until Danvers' frame finally materialized in the corner. A type of spotlight beamed down upon her.
Danvers pushed her blonde locks away from her face. "What's... happening... to me?"
"You were assaulted," Charles extended his hand. Danvers ignored the offer. "In the worst way -- your consciousness invaded, taken from you... and then replaced. I want to help you put it back into order. To help you rebuild."
"Mystique," Danvers stood. "That girl of hers... I... remember. My momma. Irene told me not t'go," Carol's voice changed, her appearance remaining the same. "Ah told her ah'd be fine, that ah wanted t'do what ah could... ah can be strong, ah can make a difference. Ah can make everything better for both of 'em."
"Carol?"
"Who's Carol?" Danvers stared blankly. "Carol. Ms. Marvel. She hates momma. She's in the way. Ah'm gonna get rid of her."
"Listen to me," Charles winced. "You do not belong here, Rogue."
"Rogue?" Danvers whimpered. "She's here... don't let her touch me... who are you? What are you doing here? Where am I?"
"My name is Charles Xavier, Carol. We've met befor--"
Xavier screamed as two young hands planted themselves across his cheeks from behind. He'd let Rogue sneak up on him, too focused on Danvers...
Carol lunged forward, pushing Charles aside and tackling Rogue to the ground. "Leave him alone -- he wants to help us!"
"Help us?!" Rogue's elbow slammed into Danvers' neck. Carol fell back, too weak in this state -- her powers were gone, her mind was fractured... "Help you, maybe! Ah dunno who this guy is but ah can tell ya he ain't here t'help me!"
Xavier pulled himself up from the ground, his hand across his forehead. "Rogue, you have to... stop this..."
"Ah'm tired a'bein' told what t'do!" Rogue barked. "This is mah home now -- and ah want both of you ta..."
"GET OUT!" Xavier screamed as his eyes opened in the medlab. He was alone -- but felt anything but. He moved quickly, placing his hands over Ms. Marvel's temples this time, ready to go back in and fight for Danvers.
But something was different -- he could feel it... he could feel... Rogue?
Carol's eyes flashed open as she brought her hands up, grabbing at Charles' wrists. Xavier let out a deafening howl as he felt his own psyche being pulled from him, ripped from his body -- transferring itself into the woman who lay on the table before him.
The woman was no longer Danvers -- she was Rogue. And Rogue had just taken Charles' mind from his body, adding it to the collective.
Danvers' battered frame began to convulse, her body jolting upward; downward; upward; downward, until... nothing.
Rogue opened her eyes a moment later, Charles Xavier's raw power flowing through her mind as she gazed down at his broken body. She felt her stomach turn before she vomited.
There was a new understanding inside of her -- inside of... them? -- that Xavier's mind, his memories, had helped the young mutant grasp. Just as her body was lost to her, her mind melding with Ms. Marvel's, she'd just done the same with Xavier's. Her thoughts, her mind; Carol's thoughts, Carol's mind; Xavier's... they all belonged to Rogue.
And now, so did his body.
She stared at Carol's limp frame, reaching out and grabbing it with her bare hand. If she were stuck in someone else's flesh she didn't want to be in a wheelchair.
Rogue vomited again, falling from Xavier's chair. There was nothing inside of Danvers -- she truly was dead. Had Xavier died inside of her, trapped in her dying body along with her mind?
The young mutant winced as she pulled herself back into the old man's chair.
What had she done to herself?
"Kurt's been waiting, Kitten," Ororo smiled down at Kitty as she made her way back into the Institute. "I hope you've saved him some of your pizza."
"Of course," Raven replied in Pryde's form. She had no desire to entertain any of the X-Men longer than she had to. Mystique was here to get to Danvers, then deal with them. "Why don't you take it to him?"
"Let's go together, shall we?"
Mystique forced a smile, walking beside Munroe into the kitchen where Nightcrawler and Colossus had already taken their respective seats at the kitchen table.
"We thought you would never come, frauelein," Kurt grinned, teleporting over to her, snatching the pizza and returning with a final BAMF! to the table. He lifted the pizza top, finding several pieces missing and the rest littered with what looked like grass. "Couldn't wait?"
Mystique surveyed Nightcrawler intently, forgetting to speak as Pryde. "How is this possible?"
Was she truly looking at the son she'd abandoned so long ago?
"I would gather that you ate some, Katya," Piotr teased as he grabbed a slice. "What... kind of... pizza is this?"
Colossus picked off some of the greens off. "Is this lettuce? Is lettuce often on your 'wonderful' pizza?"
"I cautioned you, my friends," Storm laughed to herself, "not to let our young friend do the ordering."
"Children," Kurt mused.
"I'll... be back," Mystique turned away, heading back through the mansion in search of Danvers. She'd deal with her son -- could it have really been him? -- later.
"Katya," Colossus called, "we were only kidding!"
But "Kitty" did not answer, instead moving through the mansion uneasily. She had to find Danvers, had to get her revenge... it had been all she'd thought about. She'd lost her daughter. She'd make her pay.
Mystique didn't get far -- letting out a scream as a door slammed open in front of her. She hit the ground at the psychic backlash and reverted to her true form.
Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus all made their way into the room to find Xavier gazing down at Mystique.
"Charles? What is going on...?"
Peter armored up. "Has she harmed you, Professor? Where is Kitty?"
"I was Kitty, you moron," Mystique stood. "Where's Danvers, Xavier?!"
"What have you done with Kitty?" Storm glared, her eyes turning white as she began to move toward Mystique.
Raven pulled a gun from her waist, turning instantly to fire a bullet at Storm. It slammed into her neck, the mutant tumbling backwards as Nightcrawler leapt forward and Colossus fell to his knees to assist Storm.
"NO!" Xavier screamed, Nightcrawler slamming into a telekinetic wall before he could reach Mystique. "Momma?"
Mystique took her eyes away from Nightcrawler, her eyes meeting with Xavier's -- and she knew...
"Rogue?"
"Momma, ah dunno what's happenin'..."
"But... how?"
"Somethin' ain't right, momma... things went so bad... ah should've listened t'Irene, what were you thinkin'..."
"Rogue, you went out on your own..."
Nightcrawler teleported next to Mystique, the pink cloud blurring her vision long enough for Kurt to bring his fists into her stomach. Darkholme doubled over. "Professor, we have to help Ororo -- she --"
Kurt went silent, his eyes rolling back into his head. Rogue had only wanted him to stop talking -- but she couldn't feel his mind anymore...
Nightcrawler's limp body fell to the ground beside Mystique, Darkholme watching in horror. If that had been her son...
"Rogue, you have to stop this -- I don't know how you've gotten yourself into Xavier's body... but you have to..."
"Ah can't... can't think straight, momma... gotta... everyone's so loud..."
Irene Adler gasped as she grabbed at the diary before her. She began to scribble, to draw...
But she knew.
She knew it was all over.
Mystique felt a sharp pain in her mind -- and judging from the scream the metallic X-Man was letting out from beside her, he was feeling it too.
Charles Xavier's wheelchair buckled as raw psionic energy poured from his -- from Rogue's -- mind. She couldn't control it -- couldn't contain it...
Darkholme pulled her gun once again, aiming it at her daughter -- no, at Charles Xavier... she wouldn't be killing Rogue, she'd be killing him...
"ROGUE?!" Mystique began to weep.
"Ah can't help it, momma...! AH NEED EVERYONE T'STOP... AH NEED 'EM ALL TO STOP TALKIN'... STOP... THINKIN'..."
Mystique fell to her knees.
And the Xavier Institute was quiet once more.
The world went silent after that -- and I could but watch.
Life is a series of stepping stones, of choices; a series of questions. What could have been? What if...?
Had Rogue's body died, had the poor, misguided mutant's mind attached itself to the body of Carol Danvers -- had Rogue invaded Charles Xavier's mind upon his attempts to heal Ms. Marvel... this is what would have been.
Chaos, destruction; death.
This was one chapter closed, one question answered... and I simply watched.
For I am The Watcher.