Chapter 4

"Ok, we're just going to go in, get Stripes, and leave," Wolverine stated clearly as they all crept out of the X-jet. Remy nodded in agreement. The two of them were out front, followed by Storm, with Jean and Scott bringing up the rear. Magneto's fortress was huge and there was something terrifying about it. It was large and frightening and all Remy was thinking about was the amount of rooms that they could have Rogue in...

Storm quietly told Remy and Wolverine to go together and she would go with Queen Jean and Scott. Wolverine and Remy tried not to laugh while Jean and Scott glared at her.

As an angry Jean and Scott followed Storm around the front of the castle, Wolverine and Remy crept over to the back gate. Remy hovered his hand over the silver plate by the door. Slowly it began to crackle and fizz. Beads of perspiration slid down Gambit's forehead. Careful, careful! The plate exploded and Gambit pushed the gate open with ease. "Dieu merci," Remy whispered to himself as he followed Wolverine inside the institution. There was a surprising lack of guards.

"This isn't right..." Wolverine's claws protruded from his knuckles. He turned around and sliced the thin air, just missing a man's eyes. The man in the navy uniform had crept up out of nowhere and his buddies were quickly following. About twenty-one men ran out towards them from all directions. Remy gave himself some space from Wolverine. He faced half the crowd of men and waited.

Remy grinned at them. "Hmm...." he began to count out loud with his finger, pointing to each man in turn. "Alright, so 'dere is twelve of you, and one of little ol' me. That hardly seems fair... I'll tell you what; I'll fight you with one hand behind my back..."

The first man attacked, running straight for Remy. He was fast, but he had no plan. Remy outstretched his hand and rammed his fist right into his left eye. The man stumbled back and threw off the second attacker. Three more attacked after that, two of which went to Remy's left. Remy flipped around and took out one with the other. He then turned to face the other man. Determined to keep his promise, his right arm remained behind his back. He faced the man head on. Again, Magneto's minion advanced first. He ran towards Remy's right arm, so Remy shot out with his right leg. He tripped over the man, then caught him midway and used his body as a shield to the next man's attack. He dropped the man at his feet and carelessly stepped over him.

The remaining six men went straight for him, but they were silly and had no methods. They all came for him in the one direction and he charged their faces easily. All six men clutched their heads and fell to their knees.

Wolverine was faced with nine men, all a little older than Remy's lot. They all attacked at once. Wolverine did a double flip and jumped right over half the group. He turned and crashed down, driving his claws right into a man's arm. He lashed out low and took the feet from under three men. He was left with five men, but they were no threat to him compared to the others. Wolverine charged right through them and separated each of them. He easily knocked over the first man, sliding him along the floor knocking over the two others like bowling pins. He grabbed another man and threw him into the next man, knocking them both over onto the pile of men that he and Remy had created.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying: 'La meilleure attaque, c'est une bonne défense'?" There was a long moment of silence. Wolverine looked at him densely. Remy sighed. "'The best offence is a good defence.'"

"Oh," sighed Wolverine. "Speak in freakin' English, would 'ya?" Remy rolled his eyes and followed Wolverine through some more corridors. Then, all of a sudden, everything went black...

Kitty was amazed at how openly they gave her accommodation. She was trying to sleep but she couldn't. Honestly, she was afraid of her dreams. She had been having the strangest dreams ever since she was five-years-old. She peered at her alarm clock. 12:03. she clambered out of bed and put on a dressing gown. She snuck into the hallway and crept downstairs. No one seemed to notice her as she morphed through a wall and entered the kitchen. She looked around but didn't feel very hungry. She missed Kayla, but she tried not to think about her. She walked around for a little bit and wasn't surprised to find that she was lost. To be fair, it was a pretty big mansion. She found herself in the ward which she remembered Bobby mentioning when he showed her around. She walked through but saw no one. She morphed through another wall. She stood frozen to the spot when she saw the blue boy in the bed. She walked closer to him and looked at the neatly written chart on the end of his bed. Kurt Wagner. She wasn't surprised because he was blue, or because of how injured he was. She was surprised because she had seen this boy before. This boy was the reason she couldn't get to sleep.

Remy rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. He saw Storm, Jean, Scott and Wolverine slowly waking up across from him. They were all lying on a marble floor in the middle of what seemed to be a hall. It was lit with hazy purple lights so it was hard to see over six feet in front of yourself.

"Ah, the X-men... next time you drop in, would you mind using my front door?" Magneto flew down and appeared in front of them. At this point they had all regained consciousness and were on their feet. Magneto's three children stepped out from behind him. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Lorna, who had yet to gain powers, all appeared out of the darkness. The Scarlet Witch, Wanda, and Quicksilver, Pietro, had been up against the X-men before, but none of them had ever met Lorna. She stood on the left of her father while the other two were on his right looking snidely at the X-men.

"Where's Rogue?" Wolverine asked through gritted teeth. Magneto smirked.

"Excuse me but I believe this is my home and I will not be interrogated in front of my children. Or, my guest of honours," Melissa Howard and Wilbur Reese stepped out and stood on either side of Lorna. "And of course, you wouldn't want to be rude in front of your friend..."

Remy's eye's clouded as Rogue stepped up and stood beside Magneto and, to the annoyance of Quicksilver and Wanda, in front of his two children. She was wearing a long black robe and her auburn hair tumbled down below her shoulders. "Rogue, would you like to say hello to your friends?"

Storm noticed the look on Melissa Howard's face. Was that...pride?

"Hello..." Rogue sounded so different; there was something about her voice that Remy couldn't place. Storm, Jean and Scott focused on Magneto, never once breaking eye contact, but Wolverine and Remy were looking at something completely different. They couldn't help notice that Rogue's ring started to glow at every word she said. She said more, but neither of them heard. Every single word: sparkle. They looked up and caught Melissa's eye. A noticeable flash of fear appeared in Melissa's eyes. She stepped forward and clasped her hand around Rogue. Together they stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

"Rogue!" Remy shouted, and ran forward. Wolverine grabbed him and held him back. Magneto shook his head and smiled.

"Control your friend, Wolverine," Magneto told him quietly, and with that, he stepped back into the shadows. It took a moment before the gas was exposed to the X-men, and as Remy collapsed onto the floor, only one word sprung to mind.

Rogue...