AN: I am so sorry about how long it has taken me to post this chapter. without getting to far into it i have been going through some serious financial issues and it has taken a lot of my time.
Happy New Year
Rogue awoke with a splitting headache she carefully opened her eyes and was assaulted brutally by the light surrounding her. She quickly closed her eyes and tossed over covering her head with the pillow trying to block out the pain pounding within her head.
"Oh look who's awake!" Rogue heard a voice speak. She lifted the pillow off her face and listened once again for the voice. "Now what have we said about absorbing people without their consent young lady?" The voice was clearly female that much Rogue could make out and then it slowly crept into her head who was speaking to her.
"Mrs. Parker is that you?" Rogue's hoarse voice spoke sounding less like her southern lilt and more like a 40 year old lounge singer who had smoked a pack of cigarettes every day since she was 14.
"Yes it is dear." May said cheerily, Rogue groaned and dropped the pillow back on to her face. May just smiled and walked over and sat on her bed. "Having a bad day are we?" May asked slightly playfully but mostly out of concern.
"The murst" Rogue said her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Yeah Peter said that he had to give you a very dose of his stinger toxin in order to stop you. He said that you might have a headache and a strong sensitivity to light." Rogue stuck her hand in the air giving an enthusiastic thumb up telling her she was right on all accounts. May just smiled and handed Rogue a pair of really dark glasses. "Here Anna put these on." Rogue removed the pillow from her face and quickly put the glasses on and opened her eyes.
"Ugh… Ah think this is worse than the time Cassidy kidnapped meh. Peter needs to warn people before he shoots them with those darts of his." Rogue complained as her headache raged in her skull. May reached over to the table beside her bed and handed her a couple aspirin and a large glass of water.
"Here drink all of this." May instructed and Rogue hungrily drank the glass down. "Peter said the headache is from dehydration an unfortunate side effect of the toxin, he said it's the equivalent of having a really bad hangover."
"Where is Peter anyway?" Rogue asked wondering why he wasn't there to greet her when she woke up.
"He's with the professor and the others informing them of what was taken and starting up the new computer system." May explained.
"All that work done in a day?" Rogue asked.
"Rogue you have been asleep for 6 days." May explained once more, Rogue glared at the kind lady sitting beside her. "It's new year's eve." Rogue pulled the covers off of her and stormed out of the room to the elevator on the hunt for her soon to be dead boyfriend.
In the professor's office, or what was left of it, Peter and the senior members were discussing what had happened over the last few weeks.
"So you are telling me that in the time that I was gone Rogue was kidnapped drugged and nearly killed, there is a madman who is creating weapons of mass destruction designed to hunt and kill mutants, Mystique was impersonating me, and the government has access to your nullifier technology."
"In a nut shell yes." Scott said feeling very stupid for not seeing Mystique sooner. The professor was deep in thought never had it occurred to him to train his X-men to expect that he would betray them this was something he would need to discuss with Logan in the future. Then at that moment a ring at the front gate alerted them that they had guests. Charles answered it.
"Yes how may I help you?" Charles said into the speaker phone.
"Hello Professor Xavier?" the male voice spoke.
"Yes this is he."
"This is the New York State Police may we be let in?"
"What is this regarding?" Charles asked fear in his voice evident.
"Well sir it is in regards to a one Cletus Cassidy. He escaped from custody this afternoon. Also there are some other people here who are waiting to see you as well." The officer said as he looked behind his shoulder at the small group of people forming at the gate. Charles sent Peter and Scott to open the gate as the electrical system to the gate was still being repaired. Peter and Scott nodded and left just as they opened the door a very pissed off Rogue was standing on the other side. Peter was glad to see his girlfriend out of bed and moving around and he was totally oblivious to her mood.
"Rogue oh man it so good to see you awake I was really beginning to worry…." But before Peter could finish his statement Rogue balled up a fist and clocked him square in the jaw sending Peter sailing across the office and getting embedded in the professor's cabinet of rare books. Rogue then turned away and stormed back to her room.
"I think I'll go answer the door alone." Scott said as he took in the sight before him.
"Good…call" Peter groaned out. The professor called for Hank and Logan to come get Peter out of the bookcase and wheeled out after Rogue.
A few minutes later the professor was waiting at the door for the crowd of people to enter the house. Scott opened the door and stepped inside followed by two detectives from the police, Tony Stark and Kitty's Parents.
"I wasn't expecting you to be here Tony is there a problem?" Charles asked his financial partner.
"I think it's best if the police explain first and it would be best if we did in private." Tony said as he saw Rogue running out from her bed room dressed in her usual gothic clothing and heavy make-up.
"Follow me." Charles led them to his office and had them take seats wherever they could.
"Professor Xavier as I said over the intercom Cletus Cassidy has escaped custody." The Officer explained once more. Though Charles had not been there physically he was able to scan the minds of a few students and staff to understand what had happened with Rogue and this Cassidy person.
"How did he escape officer?" Charles asked.
"We were transporting the prisoner from the county lockup to Rikers Island for his court date when the driver of another truck collided with the prison transport when the officers arrived on scene they found all the guards dead their throats had been cut the driver of the other truck survived but his story is somewhat unreliable as he was found under the influence of alcohol but from what we gathered he believes that spider-man must have set the prisoner free because he saw a figure swing away on a web like substance." The officer finished explaining. Charles grew very concerned. Never in a million years would Peter ever set that lunatic free especially after what he did to Rogue.
"Thank you for the update detective but why are you informing us of this?" Charles asked.
"Well there is two reasons one we know that one of your students was at one time kidnapped and held hostage by the accused so we will need her to testify if we catch him again and 2 this was left at the scene." The Detective handed Charles a picture of the scene inside and written on the wall of the transport written in the blood of the guards "I am coming for you my Eris."
"Eris?" Charles said aloud confused.
"According to the doctor who evaluated Cassidy Eris is the name he gave to his last victim. The one who got away." The other detective spoke for the first time. Charles was confused as he was playing catch up then it dawned on him who this Eris was. "You think he is coming here for Rogue?"
"Yes we believe so. Now I understand given the volatile nature of things right now between Mutants and Humans however we can provide her protection until we apprehend the fugitive." The Detective offered. Charles being the ever polite host graciously declined the offer especially since he knew Rogue would be safer at the mansion. He then turned his chair and faced Tony wondering why he was there at all.
"So why exactly are you here Tony?" Charles asked.
"The other truck that caused the accident belonged to my company. He was transporting some 'hazardous goods'." Tony placed enough emphasis on the term hazardous goods to make Charles even more nervous than he already was.
"What was in the truck Tony?" Charles asked telepathically to his partner.
"It was the symbiote we used to turn Peter back into a human after he became the man-spider." Tony answered back. Charles face took a noticeably different color as if all the blood in his body had been sucked out and turned back to the officers in the room.
"Thank you for informing us of this matter Officers, and please do not take this the wrong way but I must ask you to leave so I may inform my students of this." Charles said and the officers nodded their understanding handed him their card and left. Charles then turned back toward Tony with a very serious look.
"What were you doing with that thing in a truck I thought it would have been destroyed by now?" Charles said barely containing his anger.
"We tried Charles but the symbiote was very resilient. Frighteningly so we were shipping it to my new facility across town to place it under the strictest of quarantines when this whole thing happened. Charles put his hand to his head and called Peter and Rogue to his office. A moment later Rogue came storming in with Peter following close behind her.
"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry Rogue but it was necessary at the time and we didn't exactly have a lot of options." Peter said ignoring the professor and Tony.
"Oh really so what happens the next time I do something out of character what will you do then drug me with something more powerful hell maybe next time you will that shit Cassidy used on me it certainly worked for him didn't it." Rogue argued further, and Peter was about to press further when Charles interrupted.
"That's enough you two we have much more serious problems." Charles said and told them to take a seat. Peter sat on a two person couch and motioned for Rogue to sit by him. She just sneered and took a seat in a lounger by the professor.
"Rogue I just had a meeting with a couple of officers from the state police. They have informed me that they will need your testimony about the man who kidnapped and drugged you."
Rogue's face went pale she thought she was done with Cassidy but fate had other ideas.
"When is the trial?" Rogue asked coldly trying to wrap her head around what the professor just said.
"At the moment the trail has been postponed. Cassidy has escaped custody and the police believe he could be on his way to find you." Rogues face went beyond pale but then she relaxed a little knowing he could never find his way into the mansion. "Don't feel too comfortable Rogue there is something else and this involves Peter." Charles said as he turned to Peter. "We think Cassidy may have bonded with the symbiote suit that they used to turn you back into a human after your whole spider mutation event." Then it was Peters turn to freak out.
"Are you saying he merged with the venom suit?!" Peter yelled and shot up to his feet.
"We are not sure Peter all we do know is that the driver of the Stark truck said he saw a figure like spider-man swing away on what looked like webs." Charles explained, but Peter was furious and turned toward Stark.
"I trusted you, I thought that you would have destroyed that suit long ago what in the hell were you thinking keeping that thing alive."
"Peter please calm down Tony informed me that he tried to destroy it but nothing he did was effective so they were transporting it to a secure facility." Charles explained but it fell on deaf ears. Peter was livid and decided that he would go and find it himself when Charles spoke once again.
"HAVEN'T YOU LEARNED ANYTHING YET?" Charles said loudly getting Peter's attention. "We need to act as a team Peter only do we have a chance of catching him didn't that whole thing with Brock teach you anything." Peter hung his head in shame and fear part of wished he had just stayed a spider.
"So what do we do just sit around here and hope to god he doesn't show up." Peter said with his back to the room. "Because let me tell you something about that suit and Cassidy that Suit has all my memories all of my skills all of my abilities. It was bad enough when it was on Brock, now it's merged with someone so completely insane who knows what it will do to him. But I will say this much, I guarantee you he will be coming and he will know everything about us how to beat us how to get around your defences and he will not stop until he has what he wants, whatever that is?" Peter said defiantly when he heard Rogue squeak out a quiet response.
"Meh"
"What" Peter said looking at his girlfriend.
"He wants Meh, Suit or no suit I am all he wants, he thinks of me as some sort of conduit to some imagined higher power. He believes he can ascend to a higher level of insanity through meh by either screwing meh…or killing meh." Rogue said as she got up and left.
"He won't get the chance if he comes within 20 feet of you…" Peter said protesting.
"That's enough you two now we don't know when he will show up or even if he will." Tony shot out.
"Oh if I know the tendencies of that suit he won't rest until he gets what he wants. Once he does it won't be pretty." Peter said warning Tony.
"Just how bad are we talking here?" Tony asked.
"Imagine the most evil, vile, twisted, destructive force known to man. Then amplify it to Hiroshima levels and you won't even scratch the surface of how bad it could be." Peter said exaggerating his position.
"Gotcha… then it looks like you guys could use some help." Tony said and pressed a button on his wrist watch and about 30 seconds later a large rocket landed in the yard of the mansion.
"What is that?" Rogue asked in bewilderment.
"That my dear is my newest armour." The group left the office and went to explore this device. As they approached they were marveled at the sheer size of the delivery vehicle.
"Jeeze is that an armour a whole manufacturing plant in there?" Peter weakly quipped as he stood there in awe. Tony just smiled and activated the system. A door began to open in the side of the casing and inside was a huge robotic suit; Tony walked up a ramp and climbed inside.
"Gentlemen and lady I give you the Hulk buster armour mark 1." Tony said with a small measure of pride.
"Did you say Hulk buster." Peter questioned.
"Man we could have used that about 6 days ago." Rogue said still feeling the remnants of the headache pounding away inside her skull. Tony pressed a few buttons and then climbed out and the suit followed on its own.
"Jarvis, maximum security measures" Tony said to his AI.
"Yes sir, Hulk buster at full alert." The robot responded.
"Now that is settled, let's get the house ready for tonight." Tony said as he pressed another button on his watch and a fleet of robo cleaners started marching out from other compartments on the rocket.
"What do you mean get ready for tonight?" Rogue asked confused.
"It's new year's eve. Surely you haven't forgotten." Tony responded.
"Ah have been asleep for since Christmas you egotistical narcissist." Rogue said loudly and instantly regretted it as she felt her headache grow causing her to vomit in the Professors prize rosebush.
"Yeah I think she'll be taking it easy for tonight." Peter quipped and helped Rogue back inside.
Meanwhile Kitty was busy showing her parents around the mansion, wondering what prompted the visit.
"…and finally we have the pool but it's a little cold for a swim right now." Kitty said getting a small chuckle from her parents. "So care to tell me why you are visiting me and don't tell me because you missed me I could see through it the moment you stepped through the front door now what is wrong."
Kitty's mom looked at her husband proud that her daughter has grown so much.
"Your father lost his job with Lockheed and the government seized our house and everything in It." her Mother explained. "All we have is the car and the clothes on our back." Kitty stood flabbergasted and a small pit formed in her stomach.
"What happened? I mean like, why did lose your job?" Kitty asked.
"Oh long story short I refused to help the government in creating something to hunt and capture dangerous mutants. So they declared me a security threat and took everything trying to "Convince" me rethink my stance." Kitty felt the pit in her stomach change from guilt to anger but she calmed herself and began trying to think of ways to help her dad.
"Come on. Let's get you guys some food and then we will find you a place to sleep you must be tired." Kitty took her parents and lead them to the kitchen and began making her parents some sandwiches with some of May's chicken salad. When Kitty handed them their food she saw the look of worry and concern on her parents face and knew they didn't trust their daughter in the kitchen they were still feeling the after effects of their daughters attempt at making fish soup.
"Relax guys its only chicken salad." Kitty said encouraging her parents to eat.
"Sorry kitten but after the whole fish soup incident…" Her dad trailed off.
"Oh come on, I mean are you like going to hold that over my head forever. Ok I admit it wasn't my best attempt at cooking…" Kitty's, mom nodded with great enthusiasm. "…It doesn't mean I am a bad cook!" Kitty said loud enough that everyone in ear shot heard her and in unison everyone yelled back.
"YES IT DOES!" Kitty slumped in to a nearby chair and sulked and nearly cried when May came walking in and saw the scene in front of her.
"Kitty have your parents tried your chicken salad yet?" May said with a wink that only Kitty could see, telling her to take credit for the salad and that May would not be upset.
"No they haven't yet, they seem to think that I am like going to poison them or something." Kitty responded playing along with Mays playful rouse.
"Oh I assure you Kitty has been taking lessons from me and that sandwich you are about to eat will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she has improved." Kitty's parents shared a curious look and decided to trust the kind old lay. They each picked up their food and took a small tentative bite. Mr. and Mrs. Pryde let the food glide over their palate and instead of instant repulsion they were met with a very pleasant tasting meal and in response took another bite and another gradually working their way till there was nothing left.
"Oh my Kitty that was delicious, it appears that you have learned quite a lot in your time here." Mrs. Pryde said as she showered her daughter with praise and hugged her daughter out of relief that she didn't have to go get her stomach pumped. Kitty looked at May and mouthed silently thank you. May just held up her hand in silent modesty expressing that she was welcome.
"Now we have you fed, let's see about getting you somewhere to sleep till tonight apparently Mr. Stark is planning a big New Year's party here for the older students and a few others from his staff tonight." Kitty explained.
"You mean you know Tony Stark?" Mr. Pryde questioned his daughter.
"Yes he is one the chief financial backers of the institute." Kitty answered.
"I don't suppose you could introduce me could you." Mr. Pryde asked.
"I don't see why not follow me I think he is outside with Rogue and Peter." Kitty led her father away and Mrs. Pryde stayed behind with May to help put away some of the new dishes that the professor had purchased to replace the damaged and broken ones left behind by the military's occupation of the mansion.
Outside Peter was admiring the Hulk buster armour when Kitty and her father came up behind him.
"Hey Pete, like what you got there?" Kitty asked
"It's Tony's new toy the Hulk buster armour." Pete replied.
"Hulk buster boy we could have sure used that 6 days ago." Kitty said repeating what Rogue said earlier.
"Yeah Rogue said the same thing before she ralphed all over the Professors rose bush over there and another thing while I am thinking about it. As I was told the only reason we had to duke it out with the Hulk as I am told was because you got involved in a fight with the wrong scientist." Peter teased.
"How was I supposed to know he was the Hulk? It's not like he was wearing a sign that said don't piss me off." Kitty replied "Speaking of Rogue Where is she?"
"OH she is in your room looking for something to wear for the party tonight. Hopefully we don't have uninvited guests." Peter said much to Kitty's confusion.
Mr. Pryde walked up to the giant machine and began marveling at the technology. Mostly it was a welcome distraction from the bickering of Peter and Kitty.
"Amazing" Mr. Pryde said aloud. "How does he manage to keep this much weight in flight, without draining his fuel source?"
"I use a self-renewing radioactive isotope to power an arc pulse reactor. Thus allowing for a nearly limitless fuel supply." Tony said as he stepped out from behind his latest armour.
"Oh Mr. Stark… you startled me. Now you said a self-renewing radioactive isotope." Kitty's dad said as he offered his hand to the billionaire philanthropist.
"That's right I created it I call it Starktanium, Patent pending." Tony said as he took the hand and shook it in response. "So tell me Mr.?"
"Pryde, Carey Pryde I am the father of one of the students here." Mr. Pryde said with a little admiration in his voice.
"Mr. Pryde do you know a lot about robotic engineering."
"To be honest Mr. stark I don't it's not my forte…" he said as he saw Tony smirking. "But I am very fluent in your repulsor engine technology the company I used to work for tried replicating the engine for a new fighter jet but we couldn't replicate your fuel source. However we did figure out that you could increase your thrust to weight ratio by running your expended thrust through a hydrogen recycler allowing for greater thrust in a clinch. I estimate that you could reach Mach 6 in less than 20 seconds by doing so." Mr. Pryde looked and saw a perturbed looking man staring back at him.
"A hydrogen recycler, tell me you're not serious? I want to be able to come back from a mission not turn my suit into a kamikaze weapon..." Tony responded. But was cut off as Jarvis spoke up.
"Actually Sir Mr. Pryde is quite right." Tony looked at his suit and kicked it in the shin.
"If I were human I believe the appropriate response would be…ouch." Jarvis replied.
"Jarvis?"
"Yes sir?" the AI responded.
"Shut up."
"As you wish sir."
"Ok how do you know so much about my engine systems?" Tony questioned harshly.
"Oh I used to work for Lockheed and someone from your company sent us a damaged prototype after the fight you had with your former CEO Obadiah Stain."
"You said formerly of Lockheed, where are you now?" Tony asked, his suspicious behaviour coming to a head.
"Nowhere at the moment. I was fired from Lockheed for refusing to take part in a mutant superweapon program." Mr. Pryde explained.
"Really… come let's talk." Tony said and the two walked off.
In the mansions medical room Beast worked furiously to stabilize Morph he had gotten his heart beating again but he was not out of the woods. Bobby was doing everything he could to bring Morphs body heat down but the length of time that he held the shape of the professor had taken a serious toll on his body and his condition had worsened.
"Damn it he keeps getting hotter if this keeps up I may have to place him in a whole block of ice." Bobby said showing signs of tiring. Beast quickly grabbed a vid link and called up Moira, the call was answered after the second page and Moira came up on the screen.
"Moira thank the powers that be." Hank said openly praying to the universe.
"What's wrong Hank?" she replied.
"It's Morph he held the shape of the professor longer then we wanted him to. His heart stopped beating and his body temp is rising faster than bobby can cool him." Hank explained.
"Did you give him adrenaline for his heart?" Moira said with a level concern in her voice.
"Yes I did why?"
"BOBBY, ENCASE HIS TORSO IN A BLOCK OF ICE AND PLACE AN IV OF WARM SALINE STAT." Moira yelled over the vid link and the two complied. Within moments Morphs vitals began to return to normal.
"How did you know that would work?" Hank asked his friend.
"It's happened before we were testing his abilities and he went into a transformative shock for lack of a better term when we tried cooling him it seemed to make it work and we found we were causing him to undergo a unique form of hypothermia which caused his body to heat up further rather than cool down, he should be fine in about 10 minutes." Moira explained.
"Thank you Moira for your continued assistance." Hank said, Moira just smiled and cut the vid link leaving Beast staring at a black screen. A few seconds later Jessica came walking in to the infirmary.
"Oh hello Jessica what can I do for you?" Beast said to the young addition to the team.
"Oh nothing really I just came down for a refill on my pheromone spray." Jessica said.
"Oh sure, give me a second." Beast left his table to go to the chemical supply closet. While he was gone Jessica noticed Morph encased in ice.
"Will he be alright?" Jessica asked Bobby as she got closer to the bed.
"Yeah he should be fine. It was close though we almost lost him." Bobby said showing genuine concern for his best friend.
"Yeah I heard he really saved our bacon." Jessica said as she discreetly powered up her venom blast.
"Yeah he did… AWWWWWWWWWWWWW" Bobby said as he writhed around on the floor from Jessica's blast.
"That is for trying to get naked pictures of me you arrogant little asshole, and as long as you stay here you will never do anything like that again to anyone or I will blast you so hard the next time you will wish I killed you. You got it?" Jessica said to Bobby as he slowly stopped convulsing on the floor.
"Ok I got it."
"I told you Bobby boy one of these days someone was going to make you pay for your pranks." Morph said weakly as the ice quickly melted away.
"Welcome back. So what was it like on the other side?" Jessica said trying to be friendly after all it was the least she could do.
"Oh same old same old black and empty. So what have I missed?" Jessica filled Morph in on the fight with the Hulk and the escape of Cassidy and how Tony was throwing a New Year's party upstairs.
"Ah a party why didn't anyone say so Morph closed his eyes and concentrated turning his clothes into an Armani tux.
"Hey should you be using your powers so soon after nearly dying?" Jessica admonished the young shape shifter.
"Relax my body can handle simple shapes like clothes if it couldn't then I would be walking around here wearing nothing but a smile." Morph said with a layer of devilish delight in his voice.
"You mean…"
"That I am laying here naked as a jaybird… you betcha." Morph said interrupting her.
"Well I don't know what to say about that." Jessica said feeling a small blush come over her cheeks.
"Say you will let me be your escort to the party." Morph said blatantly.
"Oh no… I mean… I couldn't." Jessica stammered out.
"Is it because of Forge?" Morph asked feeling a little disappointed.
"No I mean Forge and I we are friends." Jessica said feeling like she made a slight mistake in saying that.
"Great so there is no reason why we shouldn't go. Tell you what I am going to be in this hospital bed for a while when I get out I will meet you upstairs alright." Jessica tried to protest but no words were coming out. "I tell ya I can't wait to see what you are going to wear."
"Alright Jessica here is your spray now if you please I have a lot of work to do with this patient and I need some space alright." Hank said as he ushered the girl out of the infirmary.
Jessica stood there in mild shock as the words Morph spoke played over in her mind "I can't wait to see what you're going to wear" Jessica ran at top speed trying to find the girls she needed there help.
Somewhere between Bayville and New York a dark and evil mind stalks its way to the institute.
"Here I come my dear Eris your humble servant is on his way to set you free, and no one not even Spider-man will stop me…Laughing maniacally… if he does I will reign such carnage down upon them. Hmm Carnage I like the sound of that for now on that is who I shall be Cassidy is dead long live Carnage."