"There, didn't sting too much, now, did it?" Dr. Adler asked, kindly, plugging shut the mouth of some kind of shining silver orb inside an otherwise empty test tube.

"It stung as much as bein' blasted point-blank with a nuclear bomb." Rogue replied, her body drenched with sweat and her face covered with tears from the pain.

"I'm sorry for the discomfort." Dr. Adler replied, sincerely. "Please, catch your breath and Miss. Campbell will show you the way out – maybe get you a glass of water before you leave?"

"Wait a minute." Rogue said, suspiciously. "How do Ah know this worked?"

"Touch me." Miss Campbell answered, immediately, rolling her sleeve up.

Nervously and hesitantly, Rogue removed her glove and stretched out naked, shaking fingers. Miss Campbell's skin was as white as snow, pale blonde hairs standing on end from the coldness the room was filled with. Slowly Rogue's fingers came in contact with Campbell's skin. Rogue winced as soon as her fingers touched Campbell's flesh – but nothing happened. Rogue didn't have a chunk of Campbell's mind in her brain and Campbell wasn't reduced into an unconscious, semi-lifeless heap on the operation room floor. Her powers were gone.

"Oh mah gosh!" Rogue squealed, gripping onto Campbell's arm, a huge beaming smile spread across her face. "They're gone!"

"That was the intention of this operation." Dr. Adler smiled. "But, you do realise you can't fly anymore, you don't have the strength you once possessed, not to mention you can touch people. Like that young Cajun man you came here with."

"And Ah can't wait to touch that young Cajun man. Ah can't wait to kiss him!" Rogue giggled, every inch of her being tingling with excitement and ecstasy. "Woah!" She suddenly gasped, her head spinning. "Ah shouldn't o' got up so fast."

"Stay seated," Campbell soothed, making Rogue lie back on the chair, taking the glowing orb in the tube from Adler and pocketing it as soon as Rogue's eyelids had fluttered closed. "Dr. Adler will do some basic checkups – your pulse, your heart beat, etc. I'll fetch you a drink of water."

"Thanks, Miss." Rogue replied, dizzily, watching the blonde woman leave the room.

*

"We're finally here!" Storm announced, looking out for the beaming lights Moira was waving about, showing the X-Team where they were to land.

"How about you clean up the weather a bit so we can land safely?" Cyclops requested, trying to peer through the dark night clouds and spy the lights.

"Of course," Storm replied, flying out of the sky window of the Blackbird, and into the terrible night air. "I call upon the winds and the rain! Cease your tempest so we may land!" Storm commanded, her eyes glowing icy blue and her outstretched arms exerting blue lightening from her palms.

The storm cleared up around the landing spot and the Blackbird so Cyclops could land the plane properly and safely. Through the clearing skies all the X-Men inside the Blackbird could see a small mountain in the centre of Muir Island with a large white castle perched upon it.

"Have you arrived yet?" Xavier asked each of them through telekinesis.

"Yeah, an' about time, too," Wolverine growled. "With the way shades flies you'd think this wasn't an emergency or something."

Cyclops threw Wolverine a furious, insulted glare, to which Wolverine replied with one of his own.

"Okay, get going. Storm, stay with the Blackbird. I want you to be ready in case anything goes wrong. Jean, keep telepathically in contact with Storm in case you need help, weather wise. In the mean time, I need the weather to stay as it was before – I don't want anyone to know you're there." Xavier explained, Jean and Storm nodding in agreement after receiving their commands.

"Professor, you're acting as though you know who's behind it." Shadowcat said.

"I have an inkling but I'm not sure if it's right. Of course, whoever is behind it will know the X-Men aren't far behind when three members of our team are missing. Make your way to Moira, now. She'll lead you to the laboratory in the quickest way she knows. She'll be able to get you through the security. Now, go. I'll stay in touch." Xavier replied.

"Alright, kids, ya ready?" Wolverine barked, quickly exiting the Blackbird and into the darkness.

Jubilee, Shadowcat, Jean and Cyclops followed, hastily.

"Evenin' X-Men," a red-haired Scotswoman in a long white jacket and glasses said, as soon as the whole team was before her. "I'm Moira MacTaggert, Xavier told you, o' course. I'm here to take ya the quickest way in. Follo' me."

Moira turned on her heel as Storm commanded the skies once more.

"Tempest! Continue with your raging ways and quail only for the path of my team!" Storm ordered and the weather obeyed – a sliver of dry path appeared, big enough only for the X-Men and Moira to walk through.

Storm returned to the Blackbird and Moira quickly led them to the castle.

"Argh! Isn't there a quicker way to the lab?" Wolverine roared, growing ever more impatient as the minutes ticked by.

"Not if we wan' ta sneak ya's in withou' bein' no'iced – the only way ta get ta this place withou' the securi'y bein' aler'ed is with me." Moira explained.

"I've got a better idea." Jean said, bringing her fingers to her temples.

She raised herself and her five comrades into the air, sheltered from the terrifying weather inside a bubble of her mind power. In a matter of minutes, the X-Men and Moira were floating over the forests, unnoticed by the security, halfway towards the castle. Suddenly, though, the windows of the castle blew up with the brightest of white lights and Rogue's screams ricocheted through the air. Jean had stopped floating them towards the castle, the light being so bright and so sudden, she didn't want them to get closer in case it was a bomb or something. The six stared at the castle, Rogue's screams echoing through their minds. Within a few minutes the light disappeared, as did Rogue's screams.

"We're too late." Jubilee whispered, everyone else thinking the same thing.

"No we're not! We just need to get her powers and force that stinkin' Adler to put Rogue's powers back in her. Let's go!" Wolverine snarled.

*

"Rogue? Rogue! What the hell just happened? Rogue be hurt?!" Gambit cried out, Rogue's screams waking him from his unconscious state.

"Vhat is Mystique doing? Vhy is she hurting Rogue?" Kurt questioned, so many thoughts running through his mind. "Vhat is happening vith Rogue?!"

"I don' know, mon ami, but what I do know is Mystique won' be living any longer as soon as I get outta here!" Gambit spat, his eyes flashing, dangerously, red – like the siren of a police light.

He pulled a card out of his jacket and shoved it into the hinges of his cell door. He covered his face as the card exploded, but nothing happened to the metal.

"Wha'?!" Gambit demanded, hurling more cards at the door.

"Let me see if I can get out of here." Kurt said, attempting to teleport.

Luckily, he managed to get out of the cell, just as soon as Mystique, in her Campbell guise, came through the door.

"Kurt, get out of here, now." Mystique said as she changed to her original form. "Rogue' coming out of the surgery, now. I want you to take her and leave – tell her that he," she shot a filthy look at Gambit, "Had left already."

"Vhat? Vhy?" Kurt demanded, glaring hurt and confusedly at his mother. "Vhy are you doing this? Vhat have you done to Rogue?"

"You need to get out of here before he comes. He'll want your power, too – it's bad enough he has Rogues ... I need you to take her as far away as possible, and as soon as possible." Mystique explained, hurriedly. "When I recited those bible passages to you in the church, it wasn't for no reason at all – I need you to forgive me, Kurt. I've taken Rogue's powers for a reason, and I promise you that it is worth it – I'm trying to create a world where we mutants can live peacefully, but there are sacrifices that must be made."

"Rogue's a sacrifice to y'?!" Gambit roared, but Mystique ignored him.

"You vere at the church?" Kurt asked.

Mystique answered by changing into the monk.

"Remember the fifth commandment." Mystique said, before transforming into herself again. "I need you to forgive me for what will happen – especially for three days time. I need you to, please."

"Vhat'll happen in three days time?" Kurt demanded.

"Please, let Rogue know that I always loved her ... there were just things that I had to do." Mystique replied, mysteriously.

"What do you mean? Is Rogue – is Rogue going to die?!" Kurt gasped.

"Please, just take Rogue as far as you can and go.

"But – but –"

"Go!"

"Vhy can't Gambit come?" Kurt questioned, completely lost for words.

"Because," Mystique said, a dark glare appearing on her face like a mask covering the motherly one she viewed Kurt with. "I've some business I have to deal with him. Now, just take your sister and go – now! He'll be here soon."

"No –"

"Go, mon ami!" Gambit ordered, his eyes glowing scarlet and hatred filling them like puddles of blood. "I can handle her. Take Rogue to safety. If Gambit got business to take care of, he takes care of it now. Who else gonna punish the bitch who kills her own daughter? Gambit gonna save Rogue's life."

Mystique shoved Kurt out of the room, returning to Campbell's guise.

"Hey Kurt." Rogue beamed, leaping towards him with arms outstretched, her gloves visible in her coat pocket. "Look!" She cried, touching his face with her fingers.

Kurt winced at first, before noticing nothing had happened.

"It vorked!" Kurt gasped.

"Yeah it did! Now, where's Gambit?" Rogue gushed. "Ah need to show him!"

"Ah ..." Kurt replied, glancing at Campbell, before looking at Rogue again, her face dropping. "He went back to the Institute – he said he had business to take care of. He wants to see you soon, thought."

Rogue's face brightened a little.

"Then back to the Institute we go," Rogue smiled. "Let's go – oh, an' thanks, Miss. Campbell, Ah really appreciate everything ya've done for me."

"No problem, Rogue," Campbell replied, her voice filled with sorrow. "Now, go, quickly. I'm sure you don't want to keep Gambit waiting."

Rogue grinned and Kurt teleported them back to the Institute.

"Professor! Quickly!" Kurt gasped, leaving Rogue alone in the foyer as he teleported to the professor, who was sat at Cerebro with Hank. "Mystique is the one who is behind this – she says Rogue's going to die in three days – she's going to do something and she needs Rogue's powers to do it – Gambit's still there, she says she has 'unfinished business' – what's happening?!"

"Where's Rogue?" Xavier questioned.

"Ah'm here. Walking up those darn stairs takes a lot longer than flyin' – but Ah'll get used to it." Rogue said, standing at the doorway, a smile falling from her face when she saw the grave looks on everyone else's faces. "What's goin' on? Someone die or somethin'?"

"The surgery worked?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah, it did." Rogue grinned, proudly, striding towards Xavier and touching his hand with her bare fingers.

"Then the countdown begins." Xavier replied. "Whatever Mystique is up to, we have less than three days to stop it and return Rogue's powers to her."

"What? What's Mystique gotta do with anythin'? Why three days? What if Ah don' want mah powers back?" Rogue demanded.

"Mystique is the one behind this 'cure' along with Dr. Adler." Hank explained. "We have less than three days to stop whatever Mystique has planned to do with your powers – and less than three days to have your powers returned to you, otherwise you'll die"