Chapter 9: Flashes of Reality
(Xavier Institute)
It was around one in the morning Saturday at the Xavier Institute of the Gifted and everyone was sound asleep in their rooms. However, although everyone was asleep Rogue was tossing and turning in her bed. She was having flashes in her dream of previous times with the Brotherhood. She kept seeing herself glaring at the boys that she use to live with and Mystique barking around orders and the encounters with the X-Men. All these memories were familiar until she saw a new face that she doesn't recognize. It was the face of a woman in her late twenties maybe, with messy blonde hair and a mask covering her eyes.
Rogue woke up after seeing the face of the woman. The face was clear as day in her mind but something about that woman send chills to Rogue. The shirt of Rogue's shirt was drenched in sweat so she got up and walked over to the get some fresh air out at the balcony. She leans on the rail and looks out at the land surrounding her. Rogue steadies her breathing and was trying to relax and forget about the face that was hunting her. She turns and reached for the door handled to reenter her room but when she looks at the glass she sees the woman's face on her body, which frightened her as she backs up against the railing.
"You ruined me", the reflection says. "And I will get my revenge."
"This can't be happening", Rogue shields her yes so she wouldn't look at the reflection. "This can't be real." She shakes her head and looks back at the glass and sees only herself. Rogue slowly gets up and makes her way over to the door and enters her room, locking the door behind her. She goes back over to her and bed and lies down, holding her hands over her eyes sighing. All she keeps thinking about is the woman's words, 'I will get my revenge'.
(Mojoverse)
"Spiral!" yelled a man in what seems like a control room with computers and multiple televisions. The man was an alien with repulsing green skin and looked obese. He had buggy big eyes and long pointy fingers and his head had wires connected to it. The wires were also connected to a machine with four metal tentacles used as legs, which were underneath the alien allowing him to be mobile since he doesn't have a spine and can't move without the machine.
"Yes master Mojo?" a woman with grey hair and white eyes says. She had on a samurai helmet, a blue suit with grey fur on the lower leg portion. She also had four mechanical arms, two on each side, along with her two real arms.
"Pleassse tell me that you found something new for me?" Mojo pleads. "I needed a new show since yesterday after our ratings plumbed to the ground. After that now good brat of a gladiator quit and I couldn't force him to stay anymore we don't have any entertaining shows. So what do you have?"
"Well I did discover something pretty interesting." Spiral went over to one of the computer screen and started typing. When she was finished, footage of the X-Men fighting villains were shown.
"Who are they?" Mojo asked curiously with excitement in his voice.
"They are a group of earthlings that have advance genes which grants them the powers that they possess."
"How do I come across getting one of them to here?"
"None of them will come willingly", Spiral replied.
"I want them here", stated Mojo. "And even if you have to use force bring them to me and when they arrive they will have no choice but comply." Mojo smile evilly and starts laughing hysterically.
(Xavier Institute)
It was around noon at the institute and everyone was doing their own thing. Rahne, Alex, Jean, Sean, and Jamie were swimming in the pool. Roberto, Dani, and Sam were outside shooting hoops at the basketball court. Petra was in the rec. room reading a book and every once in a while she would glaze at Jubilee and Remy playing pool. Piotr was in his room drawing in his sketch book while Warren was working out in the weight room with Hank coaching him. Ororo was in the garden watering the plants, Logan was working on his motor cycle with the help of Forge, and Xavier was in his office working on papers.
Bobby was walking out of his room and as he was about to walk down the stairs he saw Rogue's door slightly open and enters it. Rogue was sitting on her bed with her legs up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, and her chin rested on her knees, staring into space.
"Uh Rogue?" Bobby walks closer to her bed and tries to get a clear view of his friend. "Are you okay? We haven't seen you all day. Are you avoiding everyone?" When Bobby reaches the bed he sees that Rogue has dry tears on her face and he quickly sits on the bed and wraps his arms around her to comfort her. "What's wrong?" he questions. "What happened?"
Rogue shakes her head not wanting to think about any of the hallucinations. Her mind starts to become overwhelmed again with all the images that appeared earlier. It's still the Brotherhood, Mystique, and then the woman. "There's something wrong with me and I don't know what it is", she says in a quiet voice and looks away from Bobby.
"Come on Rogue you can tell me anything", Bobby assures her. "You know that you can trust me right? And I will do my best to help in any way that I can."
"Okay", Rogue replies after hearing the sincerity in his voice. "Well it all started with this images that I see in my head. There like all my memories from the past when I was with the Brotherhood. I remember most of them but some are kind of unfamiliar and blurry. Like I don't remember it or like it's some kind of blocked memory." She pauses. "Then there's this face of a woman that I feel like I seen her before but I also don't know her at the same time."
"Maybe you saw her in school or around town or something."
"No", Rogue dismisses the suggestion. "She's some kind of connection from when I was with the Brotherhood but I don't know when, where, or what happened?"
"What makes you think you saw her when you were with the bandits?"
"Because it only images from that time and she said that I ruined her." Rogue looks over to the glass door that the event happened.
"Did she say that in the memory?"
"No it's like I actually saw her in my room." Rogue saw the funny look that Bobby was giving her so she told him about the events that happened last night. "So I don't know what to do", she says after explaining everything.
"How about we go to the source of it all?"
Rogue stares at Bobby in disbelief. "You don't mean…?" But Bobby nods his head before she could continue the sentence, knowing that they both knew that they should go confront Mystique.
(Bayville Mall)
Tabitha and Amara were in one of the shopping malls in the Bayville mall. The two girls had convinced Scott to drive them along with Kitty, Kurt, and Ray who all wanted to tag along.
"Hey how does this look?" Tabitha asked Amara trying on some black shades with purple around the edges.
"Cool", replied Amara holding a red shirt with the phrase I'm hot and you're not on it. She and Tabitha laughed looking at the shirt and then she looked at her watch. "Oh we're late Tabby."
"They'll be okay without us." Tabitha was looking at herself in a full body mirror, trying on a pink lip gloss. Amara pulled at her arm, dragging her best friend out of the store.
Scott, Ray, Kurt, and Kitty were sitting at a round table when Amara and Tabitha approached them. Kurt was hogging a chili dog down his mouth and holding a hamburger in his hand, Ray was munching nachos, and Kitty was eating a salad.
As the two girls sat down beside each other they seem to be avoiding the deadly glare that Scott was sending them through his ruby shades. "You two were supposed to be back here an hour ago."
"Sorry Scott", Amara said sheepishly.
Tabitha seems to be unfazed about whatever Scott was talking about. "Relax sailor boy, we were just having a little fun."
"Well fun time is over-I'm ready to leave." Scott folded his arms and the other saw his eyebrows furrowed, so they knew he was serious.
Everyone got up and headed for the nearest exit which means they had to pass the electronic department. They were walking with Scott in the lead with the others talking behind him. The electronic area was unworldly quiet with no one around. It was suspicious but none of them seemed to notice.
Scott had his head down and he bumped into something that felt hard and warm. Scott looked and saw an unfamiliar woman with unnatural features; Spiral.
"What are you?" Kurt asked looking at the woman's mechanical arms.
"The name's Spiral and you'll be coming with me."
"Sorry lady but you must not know who we are", Tabitha sneered. She begins to make a big time bomb and once she was finish she threw it towards Spiral. When the time bomb reached Spiral, it was only a few inches from her face before a blue swirl of a portal appeared in front of her and sucked in the bomb. The mutants were amazed at the power but snapped out of it when another portal returned the bomb in front of the teens, exploding and knocking them out.
Spiral pushed the intercom button in her ear. "I've got them", she opens up a portal below the teens on the ground and they all fell in and she jumps in afterwards.
(Brotherhood Boarding House)
Rogue and Bobby were at the front door of the Brotherhood's home. Bobby saw the anxious look on Rogue's face and took the opportunity to knock on the door before she decided to back out. Angelo opens the door with a surprised look on his face at seeing two members of the X-Men in front of him.
"What are you doing here?" Angelo snarled. "Are you here to terrorize us in our own home?"
"Yeah right", Rogue countered. "Even if we…"
"Actually we're here to speak to Mystique", Bobby interrupted Rogue before she pounded the boy into the ground.
"Let them in", a familiar voice said that belonged to none other the blue skin woman.
Angelo stepped aside and allowed for the two to enter the house. Rogue saw that the house looked way better than when she was staying here. The couch was neatly made and the curtains didn't have stains in them, and the rug looked freshly vacuumed.
"What is it that you want?" Mystique asked
"Can we talk in private?" Rogue asked glazing that Angelo, whose eyes were narrowed at her.
"Fine" Mystique leaded them to the top of the staircase and into her room. Her room was always the largest in the house and was always kept clean. Rogue often wondered how a woman like her could live with such messy boys before Wanda came along. Mystique sat at the edge of her bed while Rogue stood in front of her and Bobby leaned on the dresser beside the door. "We're alone, now talk."
"I wanted to know what happened here when I was with the Brotherhood."
Mystique gave her a confused look, "What do you mean? You already know everything."
"No I don't!" Rogue yelled losing her temper. "I need to know why I keep seeing this face of a woman every time I look into a mirror. Who is she? What does she want from me? I know that you know and you need to tell me right now."
Bobby saw that Mystique had a cross look of sympathy, horror, and achievement. He wondered which one dominated the others.
"The woman was Carol Danvers", Mystique replied with a sound of venomous anger in her voice. "She was a superhero by the name of Ms. Marvel."
"Wait, I've heard of her before", Bobby said. "She was a hero but no one has seen or heard from her for two years. Many believe that she's dead."
"She might as well be", Mystiques added.
"What did you do?" Rogue asked. "What did I do?"
"After I thought you had enough training with your powers I send you on a mission to attack Ms. Marvel. She just finished from fighting some villain and that's when I sent you in to attack her when she's low on power. She put up a fight with you but she was strong enough especially when I told you to drain every inch of life out of her. You were doing what I said for a while but then you let go saying 'It doesn't feel right'."
"Did I-did I kill her?" Rogue stuttered.
"No. But I surely wished you had. After the attack we hurried back to the house because you had that you were filling ill. After a few hours of resting in your room you ran to me panicking. You were babbling on about how your powers were out of control but I told you that you would have Carol's powers for a couple more hours or at least I thought so. The next day you still had her powers but then we thought that it would fade away whenever but it never did. We waited day after day after day but those powers never left and you were having delusions of Carol trying to get you. I told you that it was all in your head and that you were filling guilty but they only got worst. So then I called Agatha Harkness and she used magic to suppress the effects of Carol's presents in your mind but in order to do that she also had to suppress the powers of Ms. Marvel. Afterwards you were alright put also in the process it caused you to forget all about what happened so I let it go."
"So why has the magic stopped now after all this time?" Bobby asked curiously.
"I'm guessing that something has happened to Agatha and now Carol's self-conscious is now trying to take over yours."
"Where is Carol now?" Rogue asked.
"I don't know."
"Don't lie to me!" Rogue exclaimed. "I know that you keep tabs on everyone that you have ever faced. Now tell me, where do I find her?"
Mystique studies Rogue face, "She's at the St. Sinclair's hospital."
"Is she a nurse or something?" Bobby questions.
"No", Mystique masks her face as unreadable. "She's in a coma."
Rogue and Bobby stared at each other in disbelief.
(Mojoverse)
The six unconscious mutants were awoken by the getting drench with a pool of water. They all were coughing up the salty liquid and realized that they were trapped in glass box, enclosed in a glass room.
Scott was the first on his feet and walked over to the door handle of the glass box, and he was hoping that it would open. To his disbelief it actually did open and he walked out with the others following him. He noticed that the room was bare and seems to have no opening. "Guys check around the room and see if you can find a way out."
Everyone began to search around the room and checked every inch of it but couldn't find any exit what so ever. Scott huffed in disappointment and touched his visor to blast the wall open but when he did nothing happened. "Something's wrong I can't use my powers."
"What do you mean!?" Ray asked.
"His right I can't teleport", Kurt added.
"And I can't phase like at all", Kitty shrieked.
"What's going on?" Amara asked no one in particular. "Why can't we use our powers?"
"Because my dear", Mojo said entering the room with Spiral by his side. "The anti-power ankle bracelet device I put on you."
Ray rose up one of his pants leg and saw a device that looked like an ankle house arrest detector. The others looked at his and saw a red light signaled that it was activated.
"Give us back our power you disgusting lure of maggot", Tabitha glared at him but he only responded with a laugh.
"You'll get your powers back in due time", he replied. "But first we have to do a little test."
"Test?" Kurt questioned. "What tes-"
Before Kurt could finish one of Spiral's portals appeared and sucked in Kurt and Amara. The others stared in horror as their friends disappeared.
"What did you do to them!?" Scott yelled getting face to face with Mojo. "Where did they go?"
Mojo had a sinister smile on his face and only pointed towards a television in the room that none of the teens noticed at first. The television showed static at first put then Amara and Kurt appeared on screen in some kind of place like a desert.
Kurt and Amara looked puzzled at the surrounding area that was just sand on top of sand with nothing else.
"What are we doing here?" Kurt asked examining the area.
"Hmm, Kurt", Amara said backing into Kurt's back with fear in her eyes.
"Yeah what is it?" he said turning around and seeing two men with robotic arms that were plasma blasters. "Whoa!" Kurt said as the men began to blast at them and they quickly start running. "If only I could teleport right now."
Amara tripped in the sand and Kurt helped her up but when they were about to run again the two men were above them pointing their weapons at them. The two mutants closed their eyes ready for the impact but it never came. When they opened their eyes they saw that they were a greater distance away from the men, who were now pursuing them.
"I-I think you just teleported", Amara said.
"Yeah I just I did. Try to use your powers."
Amara held both of her hands in out together and a bright flame of fire appeared in them. She was smiling down at it but then one of the men blasted Kurt. She turned around and out of fear threw the flaming ball of fire at the man that blasted Kurt. Amara ran over to Kurt but was also feeling upset if she had killed that man. She looked over to the men and saw that one had a huge whole in the pit of his stomach but both where still pursuing them as if unfazed. When the men were closer; Amara saw that the man had a shiny and slivery inside.
"Kurt there robots"
Kurt looked over and saw that she was telling the truth and teleported behind the men. He grabbed one of their arms and teleported. When he reappeared he threw the man against the other, knocking them both down. They both were in the process of getting back up but Amara had a blast of burning lava melting them. After they were completely dissolved Amara stopped. Kurt and Amara smiled at their victory against the robotic men but before they could do anything they were back with the others in the metal room.
"You guys were just prefect", Mojo grinned as the others went over to make sure that Kurt and Amara were okay. "We received a larger numbers of views than any other show! I knew that this would be a big hit."
"Great you did you're experiment now let us go", Scott demanded.
"Sorry but you all are too valuable to be let go."
(St. Sinclair's Hospital)
Rogue and Bobby had just arrived at the hospital and were standing at the nursing counter. There was only one nurse working there and she was typing away on the computer. After she was finished she looked over to Rogue and Bobby.
"How may I help you?"
"We're looking for a woman by the name of Carol Danvers."
The woman starts typing in the computer again and shakes her head when she turned back to them. "I'm sorry miss but we don't have a Carol Danvers in this hospital."
"Are you sure because I was told she would be here."
"Sorry but no patient in the hospital has that name."
"Can you please could check again", Rogue urged on.
"Look", the nurse voice was final. "I've already told you she's not here. Maybe she's at a different hospital. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to get back to work."
The nurse turned her gaze back to the computer screen. Bobby puts his arm around Rogue to comfort her as they went to exit the building. Rogue suddenly got a filling to go a totally different direction from the door and deeper into the hospital. Rogue pulls on Bobby sleeves to lead him into the direction that she wanted to go. Bobby complied and they walked up to an elevator. Rogue pushed the up button and when the elevator came down they entered and she pushed the sixth floor.
"Rogue, where are we going?" Bobby questioned but before he got an answer, the elevator door opened to the sixth floor and Rogue exited it and went left. Bobby hurried to follow the girl and finally caught up with her when she stopped at a door, peering into the small square window. Bobby saw that Rogue looked like she was in a dazed state but when he glance into the room he saw a woman with dark blonde hair in a bed with tubes and wires connecting from her to the machine. "Is this…"
"Yes", Rogue answered before he could finish his question. "This is Carol Danvers."
Rogue turned the knob of the door and her and Bobby quickly filed into the room. They walk over to the bed and saw that the woman just looked like she was sleeping and not in a coma. Bobby grabbed her chart from the bed and read over it.
"It says her name is Jane Doe"
"So that's why the nurse said she wasn't here", Rogue said. "Because no one knows who she is." Rogue walked over to the edge of Carol's bed. Something was drawing her towards the woman and she couldn't help but to touch the woman's face. However once she touched the woman she began to fill queasy and it felt like something was pounding in her head and then Rogue quickly pulled her hand off the woman. Rogue was staring at her hands the front and back like it was foreign to her.
"Rogue, are you okay?"
Rogue had a smirk on her face. "Yeah I will be; once I get rid of her."
Bobby looked over to the woman on the bed and then at Rogue, whose voice sounded different. "Rogue is that you?" Rogue didn't answer the question so Bobby tried another question. "Carol?" Rogue looked at him with a grin.
"Yes I've finally gain control over the girl and now she will pay for what she has done." Carol was using Rogue's body to walk over to an open window in the room. "Your friend is about to go splat."
"No!" Bobby exclaimed. He tackled the girl and pinned her to the wall. "You're not going to hurt my friend.
The only response that Bobby received was an amusing laugh and then with unnatural strength Rogue slapped Bobby off her and into a wall. When Bobby got back on his feet he saw that Rogue was flying in the air.
"How are you doing that?" Bobby asked.
"She absorbed some of my powers, remember?" Rogue walk towards the window again but this time Bobby froze her feet to the ground. Rogue easily broke out of the frozen ice with an angry look on her face. "I'm really tired of you."
Rogue advanced on Bobby and quickly grabbed him by his throat and pinned him to the wall. "All you had to do was stay out of it." Rogue rose one of her fist and was about to punch Bobby.
"Rogue listen to me", Bobby pleaded. "I know you're in there and I know you can hear me. You're strong Rogue; you're the strongest girl that I know. You can fight this and bet Ms. Marvel. She just a person trying to harm you and I know you don't want that to happen. I believe in you Rogue. I believe that you can overcome anything that heads your way, so that means you can beat her. So please Rogue don't let her win."
Rogue's punch was heading in Bobby's direction but it only connected with the wall that now had a giant whole in it, to Bobby relief he was glad she hit the wall and not his face. Rogue held her head and steady her other hand on the wall to balance herself. Bobby grabbed her upper arms and helped her.
"I've got you", he said.
(Xavier Institute)
Forge was in the rec. room working on the television in the room. The Professor had asked him to fix it after Jubilee had accidently short-circuit it when she turned it on this morning. Jubilee and Ray were the main ones that destroy anything electrical along with Logan. He pulled the television plug into the socket after he was done. It was static until hit the side of it.
Forge decided to relax and watch some TV, so he was flipping from channel to channel until he came to a station he had never even heard of. The station was MoJoTV. The thing that Forge running up to the TV was six members of the X-Men in the show.
Forge was about to go get one of the other adults but then the doorbell rang. He went to the door and saw Doug.
"Hey is Kitty here?" Doug asked.
"N-no", Forge shook his head.
"Kay, tell her a stopped by then"
Doug was about to leave until Forge grabbed his sleeve. "Hey you're good with TV's right?"
Doug stared at Forge curiously but only nodded.
(Mojoverse)
The six mutants were running away from robotic dogs that were chasing them. They were running on ice that was surrounding the entire area in a place that seemed like Antarctica. All of them were shivering while they were trying to get away from the dogs, except for Amara.
"Ray", Scott turned to the spiked hair boy. "You, Kitty, and Amara handle them."
Ray nodded his head as he and the two girls stopped running. There were six dogs chasing them. Ray blasted one of the dogs causing it to short-circuit, Amara melted two of them with lava, and three dogs dogged piled on Kitty. She phased through them and they all shut downed. The three went to catch up with the others, who appeared at a huge mountain of ice that was placed as a wall trapping them. A piercing howl was heard and the group saw that it was more dogs. Scott took off his glasses and blasted at the ice in a straight line cutting off the ice and separating them from the ice. One of the dogs tried to jump onto their side but it was too far apart and it dropped into the water.
The mutants sighed in relief and looked around the ice. Scott was touching at the ice and pushing it but it didn't feel as cold as ice it actually felt warm.
"How do we get out of here?" Scott yelled.
"Scott? Scott can you hear me?"
Everyone was looking around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. It sound familiar but no one could figure it out. Forge and Doug's face appeared in the ice.
"Forge?" Scott said in disbelief. "But how?'
"It's a long story and I'll feel you in later but I've got to get you guys out of there. Where ever there is."
"We're in like another dimension", Kitty replied. "And what's Doug doing there?"
"I came to hang out with you", Doug answered. "But then Forge explained that you guys were in the TV, so he asked me to help."
"How do you plan of helping us?" Tabitha said.
"The ice that you're seeing isn't really ice." Forge explained. "But really like a TV screen so we were going to create a portal to bring you back, but the thing is were going to have to turn the TV on and off."
"Okay, get started then!" Ray urged.
"Doug, click the switch."
Forge and Doug's face leave from the TV but then a second later there was a portal. "Okay guys hurry", Scott said as he ran into it. They all ran into the portal and then it vanished.
Mojo was in the control room watching as the mutants escaped with Spiral by his side ranting. "Why are you not doing anything? You're just going to let them get away?"
"Oh Spiral you underestimate me", Mojo grinned and moved over to big tall glass tube with a person inside. "We the study of those mutants I was able to create my own mutant, who'll be the star of the new reality gladiator show."
(Xavier Institute)
Scott and the others explained to everyone at the institute about what had happen to them and Xavier told them that he would check it out more and that they should get some rest. Scott decided that he would get something to eat before heading to his room. He was getting out ingredients to make a sandwich when he saw Bobby and Rogue walk into the institute with Bobby keeping Rogue steady as they went upstairs. Scott was about to questioned them but decided against it.
Bobby helped Rogue all the way into her room and guided her to her bed. "Thanks Bobby."
"It's no problem", he smiled at her.
"Yes it is. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't even be here. So thank you. And I wanted to let you know that you a great friend my ultimately best friend."
"Well I'm always here to help my friends no matter how dangerous the mission", he replied. "You should get some rest it's been a long day."
"Yet it has, night."
"Good night."
(St. Sinclair's Hospital)
A nurse was walking into the hallway and entered the room were Carol Danvers was located. When she entered the room she saw that the woman was waking up looking around the room.
"Oh my-you're await"
"Hmm…where am I" Carol asked.
"You're in the hospital but it's going to be okay", the nurse said. "Stay here I'm going to go get the doctor."
The nurse quickly left out the room while Carol was holding her head. "I-I remember…Rogue."
Author's Note:
Yeah people I know that I had you scared like I wasn't going to finish up this story but I will. And I'll like to thank skyscraper25 for the encouragement to finish this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think you guys. Four episodes to go!