-

"I thought we agreed not to strike the mutants until we had at least a hundred sentinels, Gurich?" an older, salt-and-pepper haired man protested, rubbing the crow's feet on his eyes. "Ten, even twenty is hardly enough to--"

"Well, that means you're building them too slowly, doesn't it, Trask!" Gurich replied. "God, what am I even paying you for? Your men couldn't even bring him in when we sealed the building down at his last heist—and he even got away with the gems! At least now we actually have obtained the mutant.'"

"Sir," a soldier said, popping his head into his superior's office. "Sir, they got the mutant. They're on their way back as we speak."

The redheaded old man beamed with deep pleasure.

"Good. Bring him in as soon as possible."

"Right away, sir," the soldier said with a nod, then closed the door after himself.

"See there, Trask?" Gurich went on, straightening the tie on his green three-piece suit. "I guess it is like they say: 'if you want something done right--"

"Sir," the soldier popped into the room again, opening the door just enough to let his head in. "The president is on the phone for you. Line one."

"Weren't you just leaving, Trask?"

"Mark my words, Gurich," he said as he walked to the door. The soldier held it open for them without any reaction to the present conversation they had.

"I still don't feel comfortable with such rash actions."

"Well, I'm not paying you to get comfortable," Gurich replied. "Now go get the machine ready for when the mutant gets here. As you can see--" he said as he picked up the phone and put his finger to the blinking line one button. "I don't have any more time to waste."

When he pushed the button, Trask saw that the discussion had just ended. He left to the sound of Gurich's phony, more charming voice, as he spoke to the president with the guile of a salesman.

"Mr. President! How are you? And the misses? Ah, good, very good…"

-

"He's so weak…" Ororo said to Moira, rubbing the strange man's forehead. In that mind was her professor. She could feel it, a connection between them. He was as alive in spirit as he had ever been, but this shell of a man wasn't. He could barely speak without a considerable effort.

Then Ororo's hip began to ring, and she apologized to them to take the call on the silver communicator.

"Kinda busy," she greeted when she put it to her ear.

"Miss Ororo," Hank's voice was heard on the other end. "We have a bit of a situation here."

-

"I told you that guy wasn't very bright," Angel said, setting off to fly over and save Gambit from turning himself in to the sentinels, but Carol quickly grabbed his arm.

"No, let him," she commanded.

"Let him?" Rogue exclaimed. "But--"

"Better him than all of us," Bobby agreed. Rogue shot him a harsh glare.

"I didn't know that power of yours made your heart ice too, Bobby," Rogue commented.

"Let's just say it wasn't my chill that froze it, Rogue," he retorted back.

They could only watch as the sentinel leaned over and picked up Gambit in its metal hand, and Gambit didn't object to being taken.

There were no mistakes this time. The sentinel put his other hand over Gambit and sprayed him with sleeping gas to prevent any further attempts of resistance from him.

"Mutant apprehended," the sentinel announced, and at last they turned to leave. Gambit's plan had worked. Now the school and the students were safe. Or, more specifically, she was safe, for Rogue knew that she was the biggest reason Gambit had done this. Maybe even the only reason. She wouldn't be surprised. That Cajun was crazy as hell. And, she now realized, crazy about her.

"Are we seriously going to do nothing?" Rogue asked them in desperation. She looked to each of them for an answer, but found none.

"Well, I'm not going to do nothing," she said bravely, turning to march over to the machines.

"Rogue, don't!" Carol shouted, grabbing Rogue's wrist. Suddenly a light flashed from their connection, like a spark from two rocks striking one another. A familiar feeling began to surge through her like electricity, and a familiar sight appeared on Carol as her veins bulged and her eyes grew wide.

Rogue powers had returned to her at last, at full force and at the worst time.

Rogue couldn't scream through the knot in her throat, though she would have very much liked to. Warren rushed to them, trying hard to pry Carol's hand off of Rogue, but Carol mysteriously held firm with her super strength, which Warren was no match for. It was like she couldn't let go, like her body had lost its ability to move on her command. Carol began to shake with convulsions, then screamed in a high-pitched squeal at the top of her lungs. Warren put his hand up to shield himself from the light, and Bobby clamped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.

Then, at last, the light faded, and Carol dropped limply to the ground, her hand finally slipping off of Rogue's wrist. Rogue gasped at the release of contact, and panted in order to catch her breath.

Bobby was afraid to go to her, but Warren pulled Rogue away from Carol's unconscious body, his eyes fixed upon it as if he had just witnessed some unimaginable horror.

Beyond Rogue's control, she burst into frightened tears. She hadn't been this afraid of herself since her powers had first manifested back at her home in Mississippi.

Piotr came rushing back out with Beast at his side.

"What happened?" Beast said in confusion when he saw that scene that laid before them. "Did those sentinels injure her?"

"No," Rogue said, shoving Warren aside, making him fall rather roughly to the ground. Rogue had forgotten she now possessed Carol's super-strength. It only upset her more that she had hurt him too.

"I did," she finished through a choking voice, then headed for the house feeling extremely upset.

"Rogue," Beast tried to console the young girl, but Rogue jumped away from his outstretched hand as if it held a bag of mealworms.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled at him, then took off running for the house before she could do further damage.

-

Sorry this one was so short, but as you can see, it is very eventful. Please review.
Signed,
--RedRogue