"S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up Carol's body," Jean said as she entered the kitchen with a sigh. "There's some top secret procedure... Anyways, they are... Hopeful." She tried to sound hopeful as well, but her intuition as a psychic made that difficult. She smoothed out a striped t-shirt with an 'X' on it. Rogue had so many hurdles ahead of her, if she made it that far. Kitty was sitting with disinterest in front of a bowl of cereal, Scott was trying to distract himself with the newspaper. And failing.
"What was that, Jean?" He mumbled, looking at the latest news column trashing mutants. She sighed again as Logan entered, his face sagging from stress. Carol had been an ally, a colleague at one time. He'd fought alongside her before he found his place at the institute. She wasn't everybody's cup of tea, but she didn't deserve this. Now, Magneto's trespasses had hurt her dearly. She knew he blamed himself, she didn't need to read his mind to be able to tell that.
He stopped at the counter and froze, forgetting what he even wandered in there for. He wasn't sure why he did much of anything these days. It was going on a month since Rogue had been gone, and it was anyone's guess what else she'd been put through. "Take some more bites of the cereal, Katherine." He ordered without sparing her a look. It was soggy, but she had no energy to complain. So, she obeyed.
"When was the last time you slept?" Jean worried. She knew he was up at all hours of the night worrying. Just worrying. Trying to think of how he'd ever smooth over their relations with S.H.I.E.L.D. He grunted in response, waiting to start making coffee when Kitty grudgingly ate a spoonful.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead, Jeannie." He answered, staring into the coffee beans. She placed a hand on his broad shoulder.
"We're all thinking about her. She feels us, Logan. She'll find her way home." He tried to smile but his facial muscles were just too heavy. He patted her hand awkwardly and continued making the coffee. 'What's home to her, anymore?'
"She barely fuckin' stable, an' he-"
"Piotr knows, Remy." The Russian admitted quietly. Rogue was becoming increasingly fragile and Magneto had been scarce. He was often off base or locked in his lab, constructing something. Blindspot's work seemed to have finally dissolved Rogue of any lingering aggression or instability. She was as calm, stable, and sweet as before. Until someone else touched her, that is.
She also found herself invulnerable and able to fly without conjuring up an ability. A degree of Carol Danvers' inhuman strength, flight, and armored skin were as natural as Rogue's leech mutation. She seemed to have no conflicting issues with Ms. Marvel's memories. With Magneto so busy, Remy found himself responsible for the mutant.
Piotr could tell he didn't mind, he just didn't want to get anymore hopelessly involved than he already was. And Magneto's behavior was distressing. He'd gone from being borderline obsessed with Rogue to avoiding her like the plague. He was up to something, something that made him want to stay away from her. That made Remy nervous, real nervous. He tried not to let his mind wander, but the man's words about his own daughter rang in his head.
As he watched her lay peacefully, more peaceful than she had been in days, felt his stomach sink. He had half a mind to barge in and ask Magneto himself. As if he was owed an answer. 'Rogue certainly is.' He can't shake the tortured, haunted look in her eyes when she had those moments of lucidity. Know she had killed, carried out Magneto's plans... 'It's no different than Apocalypse.' They would haunt him like a lot of other things. She sighed in her sleep, a sight that tugged at Remy's hidden heart strings. How was she so endearing? It was that no matter what, she was a fighter. Rogue never gave up.
He supposed it was good, considering the hell she'd already been through. Kids her age should be at college parties, she was risking her life for the world. Being used to start wars. He reached out hesitantly and touched silver hairs. Piotr watched in discomfort. It was so obvious how much he cared, but he refused to acknowledge it. To do something, no matter how bleak it was.
'Sad enough to be Russian love poem,' He thought, trying not to get caught staring.
He had no choice. Her instability could be a result of Blindspot's work, his tampering, for the rest of her life. She was now as dangerous as Wanda was. Perhaps way more. No, he knew so. He just didn't want to believe it. And he'd locked up his own daughter for far less. Why did god mock him, punish him like this? Give him the opportunity to create this ideal object of his affections and then make him strike her down? It didn't matter, he loved a ghost. An echo that wasn't the real Rogue.
He could love the real Rogue, too. If not for her tenacity. But she already despised the man, now she would hate him until her dying breath. And she had every right. Love was never part of the plan. He was never supposed to fall for the side effects of Blindspot's memory manipulation. He was supposed to know better, always. With a scream he threw his arm.
The metal tools and parts clattered against the wall, falling to the floor. A mess was all over the floor of his lab. He covered his head in fear, tendrils of white hair falling through his fingers. What is it called when you become a monster while trying not to be one? It didn't matter, now. His transformation was complete.
He was the monster, Magneto. And it was up to him alone to stop Rogue. He stared at the scraps of the REBIRTH machine. He knew he had to do this, but why didn't he want to?
"What is that for?" He turned to see Mystique standing there. She was looking skeptically at his creation and the mess of his lab. "That... Rebirth crap? You're not putting Rogue in there, I hope. Because if you think so, you have another thing coming." She wagged a finger at him. He levitated the tools from the ground.
"Raven," He said, his voice flat. "I'm glad you are here." She watched the scrap metal rise behind him. "We need to talk." She began to feel defensive.
"About what?" She spat, she didn't want to talk to the man. She'd been thinking about taking Rogue and running for a while, now. 'His antics are going to get her killed...' She thought, thinking of the man's failing mental health.
"About my plans." The metal angled at her. "It appears I've made a mistake. A grave... Mistake." Fear flashed in the blue mutant's eyes. "My plan... To expect her to withstand... I was a fool. And my decisions must be dealt with." He sounded like a madman, driven mad by grief. She didn't like the way the conversation was going, it sounded final. Like he regretted what he had to do.
"Speak clearly, what is it you mean?" She demanded, backing away slowly. A metal slab flew towards her but she kicked it out of the way. "Damn it, Erik! You bastard!" She was slammed with a rod and held to the wall.
"I predict you not supporting my plan." She watched as she was encased in a metal cell.
"What the-"
"Forgive me." With that, he hovered away.
"ERIK!"
Remy and Piotr watched as he shut the door, silencing Mystique's cries. They had plenty of questions but they both knew better than to ask. He flew past them both without so much as a glance and right to Rogue. He was up to something. They both knew that, and they didn't like it. He stooped down to Rogue's bedside, his hair cropped short like it used to be.
"Legacy?" He called softly. Her eyes fluttered open. She smiled and he exhaled. 'She's herself...'
"Your hair..." She whispered. He tried to smile.
"I'm glad you are feeling alright."
"I don't want any S.H.I.E.L.D agents... Any Avengers involved. We'll get Rogue back, we'll take care of her. We'll stop Magneto." Scott insisted, his glasses glinting pink. He was starting to grow a stubble on his chin. Jean secretly liked it. He had just been neglecting to shave as things devolved into more and more chaos. Two close calls triggering Gabbi into violence over perfume, Kitty stress phasing, Kurt's refusal to teleport to name a few things. It hadn't been a peaceful month, and they didn't need strangers poking around.
Logan scoffed. "Rogue inadvertently took out one of their own. We're lucky they haven't sieged the institute, yet." Something about his voice worried Jean and Scott, like they still might. "I'll parlay with them, keep them satisfied with progress so they won't be sniffin' around us." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We just gotta make some serious progress. If Magneto is the cause of this, they want it taken care of. Now. I'm talkin' hours to get Magneto apprehended and Rogue safe in our care. I don't want them looking at her as a threat."
Both the younger mutants' faces became grim. "Just, you let me worry about them. I'll handle S.H.I.E.L.D-"
"Hey," Kitty interrupted, phasing her head through a nearby wall. "I think I've found something! There's an emergency meeting on Ellis Island in two days, all the United Nations leaders will be present." Her eyes looked brighter than they had all month. That, alone, gave Logan a little hope. They all three exchanged glances.
"Exactly the kind of place Erik would crash." Logan deduced darkly. Kitty nodded furiously.
"Good thinking, Kitty." Scott, congratulated as his mind worked.
"We'll start running simulations. We'll be there." Jean said firmly, looking to Scott. Logan nodded, feeling a rush of determination. They would overcome this and get their friend back.
"What do ya mean strange?" He watched her curiously as she levitated metal spheres around her. Remy still found himself amazed by how Rogue could control so many powers. She seemed okay since absorbing Carol. She hadn't asked any questions, so he didn't have to think of explanations. He was grateful for that. She turned and looked at him with those eyes, so close to green.
She stared at him, a white scarf tied decadently around her neck. She was so beautiful. And terrifying. He dropped his stare like he was a modest man. She pulled her growing locks into a low ponytail. "Jus', I dunno... A lil strange. Stress, prolly." He looked back up at her. "Jus', be careful." Rogue shrugged, a smile replacing her features.
"Ah'm safest with you n'Joseph." His stare darkened and she tried not to notice. She hoped it wasn't competition, jealousy. They both occupied irreplaceable parts of her heart. One couldn't compete with the other. She didn't expect men to understand that, though. She wasn't just a woman. She was Legacy. She couldn't have children, that would keep her from fighting the fight Joseph has told her about all her life.
She felt the same about relationships, even if she had a lot of feeling for both men. Her devotion was to her cause, for mutantkind. For a dream she couldn't remember.
Remy frowned as he approached them, standing at the opening of the training room. Rogue smiled, but the cajun spoke first. "Boss, forgive me. Could Remy ask ya somethin'?" He was clearly annoyed by the request, but Rogue was already hovering towards the door.
"Talk! Ah'll go inside." She disappeared before Magneto could protest.
"Gambit?" Said Magneto when she had cleared the room. He wasn't sure what they had to discuss. Remy frowned.
"Yeah, Remy wanted to ask... What's goin' on?" Magneto's scowl deepened.
"Excuse me?" Remy squirmed.
"Yeah, Ah mean... Ya been different lately. Treatin' me and Piotr differently. Treatin' Legacy differently." His eyes narrowed even further.
"Differently?" He pressed. Remy steeled his face.
"Oui," Magneto pressed his lips into a grim line.
"I suppose I should've known you'd notice. Come with me." Remy was shocked the man had invited him to his chambers and lab. He hadn't paid the southerner much mind at all, and certainly not since Rogue had come. 'Why he spillin to me now?' He followed after silently, growing more and more suspicious along the way. What he revealed was a strangely shaped machine, one Remy wouldn't step into.
"This is a modified REBIRTH machine." Magneto explained flatly. Remy nodded slowly. "I've reworked it to harness the X-Gene of the user, amplify it into wave. A wave that does what?" He gave Remy a chilling look. "One that transforms non X-Gene carriers into one." The southerner's blood went cold. 'Isn't dis what Apocalypse wanted?' He thought, the irony like on him. 'He lost it.'
"So ya gonna complete Apocalypse's plan by hoppin' in dat machine?" He crossed his arms. "Don' sound like you." Magneto was silent for a long moment. "Wait," Remy's face paled ten shades lighter. "Non, ya wouldn't... You-"
"She's too powerful, Remy. I have made her too powerful..." Remy's heart began to beat faster. "She has to be dealt with-"
"Non, you need t'be dealt with!" Remy screamed, finally flying off the handle after standing by and watching Magneto make a mess. "You did dis!" Rage rose inside him like flames. If anyone deserved to die, he was looking at them.
"If she lapses out of control do you have any idea what she could do?" He was silent. Rogue was extremely dangerous, and she may never be stable thanks to his and Blindspot's alterations. "Do you think I want to do this to her? Her? She is the one, I mean every single word I say about her. She is everything." He snarled, his eyes black. Remy could hear the 'To me' hanging off the end of the statement. "She is the lifeblood of mutantkind. She is all of us, and I was careless. I made her unstable to stroke my ego..."
Remy shook his head in shock. He never thought Magneto would admit any of this out loud. "Ya wrong, she not beyond help. You are." Magneto shook his head.
"I have been searching for a way to undo what I did. To fix it... If there was I would do it, if only to keep Legacy with me." Both men were silent. "She poses a threat to the world, maybe this universe. She cannot..." He cut himself off. "I should have known." His face steeled over suddenly. "Everything I touch dies, but from these ashes will rise Charles' dream." He rose, powering the machine on as Remy watched, speechless.
"Legacy's use will render her power neutralized." He continued. Remy balled his hands into fists, fed up with Magneto's bullshit.
"Ya mean it'll kill her, ya bitch. Runnin' away from da mess ya started! Ya not a real man, Magneto. She more of a man than you." The metal in the room faced him, and he whipped out his staff. As expected, it was wrenched from his grasp.
"Does this get in the way of our agreement?" Remy scoffed.
"Consider it canceled." He said, a sneer upon his face. Magneto's eyes glowed yellow.
"Then you should go, Remy LeBeau." He didn't need to be told twice. He hit the ground running. He had to get to the X-Men. Now. And he had to get Rogue there. He sped out of Magneto's lab and up the stairs. Piotr paled. He'd never seen Remy move so fast and deliberately in his life. He tore through every room but she was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Blindspot. 'What? Where are dey?'
"Rem-" Piotr followed after him, his confusion growing. "What is-"
"C'mon Pete," He gasped, bypassing his things. "It's time to go. To dat school." He dropped some plates with a clatter. 'She not here,' He thought desperately.
"Bozhe moy..." He breathed, forgetting his items and following Remy right out the door.
The scent woke him from a dead sleep. After some pleading from Kitty, Logan had settled into a cat nap. But his nose alerted him to something. Something important. "Acolytes," He breathed, flinging the blanket Jean had placed over him on the floor. He tore, faster than anyone expected him to be able to move on so little rest. His claws were flung out, Laura falling in line beside him on the way.
Jean noticed him rush past, her and Scott following after him. "Wolverine," Scott began in a warning tone.
"Logan?" Jean tried, hovering slightly. Kitty poked her head through a wall, phasing through when she saw that something was clearly up. Logan ripped the front door open so hard he was surprised it didn't come off. Laura let out a hellish growl that attracted Gabbi from deep within the mansion. Logan held her back with a broad arm, homicide in his eyes as he glared at the cajun and the Russian.
Piotr immediately fell to his knees, ready to beg for forgiveness. Remy froze, waiting to meet Wolverine's steel claws. He couldn't say he didn't deserve it for what he allowed to happen. He flinched, closing his eyes and waiting to be disemboweled. When nothing happened, Piotr spoke.
"Please, forgive us." Logan wasn't sure what he wanted to say or do as Kitty, Jean, and Scott met at his back.
"Ohmygod," He heard the former valley girl exclaim. Scott opened his mouth to complain but Jean held up a hand. Piotr shuddered.
"Only reason Piotr allow, Piotr become Acolyte... Piotr has sick sister. Sick sister in Russia, Magneto paid bills." He felt very embarrassed as he was close to tears thinking of Illyana. He would rip apart anyone who did things half as bad to her as what Magneto had did to Rogue. 'They should hate us both, very much.' He thought bitterly, waiting to be turned away.
Kitty stooped down with a kind smile. "We kind of figured as much, I tracked his financials." She told him, a small hand on his shoulders. "Large sums being sent monthly to Siberia."
"Don't see you drivin' any mustangs." Logan scoffed, but his eyes were soft. "Stand up, Peter." He grumbled, his arms folded.
"The professor left... A considerable amount of money for occasions like this!" Jean explained, drunk off having good news in a sea of very bad. "We can... We can help you and your sister with that, she could even come here. We'll keep you safe from Magneto, we promise." She said, unable to hide her grin. Scott smiled sheepishly beside her, she was much better at these things.
Logan's hard stare landed on the southerner. He had no sob story, no big reason for why he was a piece of shit. He simply had no better employment opportunities. No reason he watched Rogue suffer. "What about you, Gumbo? Wizard of Oz grant you a heart?" Ouch. Logan's words stung the New Orleans native. Because he did care about Rogue, and he would never see that, now. "Tired of watching Magneto pick on a little gir-"
He moved towards him but Jean held him back. "Easy, Logan. I'm an empath. He feels bad." She sent him her own disappointed look. "We need all the help we can get." Scott sniffed sharply.
"I don't like it either." Blackmail he could forgive, understand. But Remy was a mercenary. He had taken Rogue before, and he stood by while Magneto violated her. He wouldn't soon forget it. Remy burned under their gazes, wondering if he had the nerve to see helping her through. He thought about her face, trapped in an endless dream of fake memories. He sighed. Some hazing was long overdue.
"Remy want to make amends." Now Logan snorted, but a glare from Kitty and Jean silenced him. They all knew Rogue would pass that judgement when the time came. And that helped Logan sleep at night.
"Just come in." Logan growled. "You're gonna talk. You're gonna spill everything you know." Both former Acolyte's swallowed. "Kitty, get Kurt, Ororo, and the rest of the team." They watched as she took off running through walls to find them. Piotr and Remy settled on a maroon couch as more and more mutants gathered. Some familiar, some not. The Russian cleared his throat awkwardly.
"What has Magneto done?" Scott asked slowly. Both men paled.
"He's..." Piotr thought carefully of his words.
"De girl," Remy cut in. "Petite les yeux, she change Rogue memories. As far as she concerned..." His red and black eyes floated to the ground. "Her name is Legacy. She... It is her purpose, her cause to unite de mutant race." Logan's snarl interrupted him.
"No matter what." Piotr added glumly.
"He made her believe he was her mentor, like Xavier was to h-" Remy paused when he heard Logan's claws come out. His eyes were black. They knew Magneto would try to justify this hair-brained scheme with Charles' memory, but this had gone too far. To try to replace him to the girl was unforgivable. Logan was shaking, his eyes dark too. The team burst into murmurs amongst themselves.
"So anything Magneto ask, Anna will do." Piotr explained earnestly. Jean and Kurt looked at each other.
"That's... That's not good." Kurt said, feeling frustrated a he clenched his fists. The telepath offered a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay, so do either of you know of any plans? What Magneto wants to do next?" She asked. Now Remy went a little green as he remembered the mutant's crazed eyes. Logan noticed the expression.
"What is it," He breathed. Remy sighed.
"Ever heard of a REBIRTH machin-" Kurt grabbed him by the trench coat before he'd finished speak.
"Vhat is he planning to do vith it! Tell us!" He cried, his eyes wild. Logan and Scott gently peeled him off Remy, who didn't seem to mind the outburst.
"Easy," Logan sighed. Remy's face darkened.
"He, he said... He said some crazy stuff." He mumbled, strangely reluctant. "He changed it. It don' amplify X-Gene's anymore. It make dem a ray, a ray that kin transform non X-Gene carriers... To..." Kurt released his iron grip on his coat and fell back into Logan's arm. Scott stared at them, tried to discern if this was some sort of trick or trap.
"What? Are you serious?" Kitty asked, forcing her way to the front of the crowd. Bobby frowned beneath a crop of yellow hair.
"Isn't this exactly what we stopped Apocalypse from doing?" He groaned, his arms crossed. None of this made any sense. Remy sighed.
"He said..." He looked at Piotr. "He made her too powerful. Dat..." He squirmed, working Logan's last nerve. "Dat de machine would kill her, neutralizing de threat he created when he unlocked all her powers..." Logan tore away with a snarl, angry tears behind dark eyes. 'He's gonna steal her away from us, change her, and then kill her?'
"Who the fuck does he think he is?" Remy's face steeled.
"Remy dunno." He sniffed sharply. "Remy should've done somet'in a long time ago. Piotr had a family to think about, Remy only thought of himself. Dat it wouldn't get dis bad. It did. Remy's sorry." Logan stared at him with an unreadable expression..
"I bet he wants to test that technology at the summit on Ellis island." Scott said, throwing a few papers on the table, already feeling defeated.
"Let's not panic," Jean tried, seeing the worry on everyone's faces.
"We're past panic, Red." Logan responded, his claws still out. They had to think of a plan. And fast.