Chapter 55
Shallow world
At the Institute
The Professor was minding his own business when he heard Jean's voice in his head, 'Professor we need you! We've been capt—'
'Jean? Where are you? Jean?!' Charles spoke telepathically. He didn't know what happened but he had to act quickly, 'Everyone suit up and assemble in the war room immediately!' he announced.
They all gathered within minutes.
"What's the issue Chuck?" Logan asked.
"I received a telepathic distress call from Jean moments ago, I believe she and Scott have been captured by unknown individuals" Charles said.
Dean tensed and lightning sparked around him for a moment, "Do we know where they are?"
Charles brought up a display of a map of Bayville in the center of the room. There was a blinking red light on the map.
"This is as close as I can pinpoint their location based on their communicators" Charles said.
"Then let's get a move on" Logan said.
The X-men arrived at the location, in the empty streets of Bayville.
"We're gonna have to go underground" Logan said not sounding happy.
"Underground? You mean the sewer?" Evan asked.
"Think we'll find the Ninja Turtles?" Dean quipped.
That made Kurt and Evan laugh.
Rogue rolled her eyes, he always found a way to be funny at the toughest times.
Storm looked nervous, "You better go on without me, I won't be much use to you down there"
Dean raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"I'm claustrophobic" Storm said awkwardly.
Dean never knew that, Storm was easily one of the more powerful X-men, but to have such a trivial weakness must suck.
Logan lifted the manhole cover, "Let's go"
Kitty looked down and almost vomited in disgust, "I'm not gonna go down there"
"You better unless you want something bad to happen to Jean" Logan said as he went down the ladder.
Kitty felt bad after hearing that, "I better not stink tomorrow" she went down the ladder.
They all went down.
Dean went down last and when he did his nostrils flared from the potent aroma of feces, "Oh god, it's horrible"
"Yeah, having a super sense of smell down here is painful" Logan said speaking from experience.
As they walked they passed by what looked like graphiti. It was a rainbow-colored girl with a big body of hair.
When the X-men were far enough the rainbow-colored girl came off the wall. She was flat, like 2-dimensional. She followed the X-men.
"This is one hell of a way to spend a birthday" Rogue muttered.
Dean frowned, "I know it sucks, if anything we'll do something tomorrow"
"Hey Dean last time I checked you had a girlfriend" Kurt joked.
"Last time I checked I sleep a couple of doors down from you friend" Dean reminded him.
"Shut up" Logan said sniffing ahead, "I'm getting a scent"
As he said that Dean smelled another scent behind them, "Someone might be tracking us"
Logan raised his hand signaling them to stop, "Hold it"
They all stood still as Logan listened carefully.
"Spread out!" Logan shouted.
The X-men spread out just as Sunder, who was waiting above them, jumped down.
Dean punched Sunder in the chest but it had no effect, "Crap"
Sunder chuckled and went to bash Dean in the head.
Dean rolled in between Sunder's leg's, pushed off the ground with his hands, and kicked Sunder in the back.
Sunder was knocked forward into Logan's fist that knocked him down.
"Roaches grow big down here" Rogue said amazed at his size.
Tarbaby came out of the shadows and threw a big pile of tar that stuck Evan and Logan to the wall.
Kurt teleported in front of Tarbaby and drop kicked him in the chest knocking him back.
Sunder grabbed Rogue and ran off with her, "Leader like another pretty girl"
"Hey!" Rogue started hitting him and struggling but he was too strong for her.
Dean ran after him, "Get back here!"
"Sticky situation" Evan said struggling to move with the tar covering their bodies..
Snikt! Logan extended his claws which cut through the tar, "Not for long"
As Dean was running after Sunder he threw a lightning bolt that struck him, making him fall and drop Rogue.
Dean helped her up, "You ok?" he asked sounding concerned.
Rogue got on her feet, "Yeah, I'm—look out!"
Sunder knocked into Dean sending him flying into a wall, 'That's what I get for caring'
Sunder heard the others catching up so he made a ran for it.
Logan and the others caught up to them, "Where'd he go?"
Dean got up and dusted himself off, "That way" he pointed, "Where's the other one?"
"He got away" Logan said looking at Kitty.
"He was disgusting" Kitty said, there was no way she was going to touch him.
"Either way, we lost him. This place is like a maze so we better stick together" Logan said.
They continued the way Sunder went in hopes of finding their lost comrades.
Logan suddenly smelled Scott's scent, "I think shades is around here somewhere"
They followed his nose until they came across a thick metal door.
Logan slashed the door hinges and opened the door.
Annalee was sitting with Scott across from her with a bright smile on his face.
When they saw the X-men Scott hugged Annalee, "Mommy who are these bad people?" he said in a childish manner.
When he said mommy, they were all surprised.
"This dude just said mommy?" Evan asked.
"Leave me alone with my son" Annalee said protectively as if she'd grown fond of brainwashing Scott into thinking he was her son.
"Make them go away, please mommy" Scott wined.
Dean, Evan, and Kurt bursted out laughing.
Rogue shook her head, "I can't believe this"
"Can we please leave him like this?" Dean joked.
Logan growled, "Lady, you picked the wrong boy to adopt!"
Annalee clutched Scott, "Please no" she then entered Logan's mind and began giving him a hypnotic suggestion, "Covered with scorpions, oh covered with scorpions"
Logan began to hallucinate. His mind imagined hundreds of scorpions crawling on his body, "Eh! Get them off me. What are you doing to my head?!" he extended his claws and stabbed the wall above her head.
Annalee became so frightened that she ran away.
Without her hypnotic suggestion, Scott fainted but Logan caught him.
"That was unbelievable" Kitty admitted.
Logan smacked Scott, "Wake up shades"
Scott woke up, "Where am I? What's happ—" he paused as he remembered, "Jean, we've got to help her"
"You're too late X-men" They heard behind them.
They looked back and saw Masque, guarded by Brute & Hump, along with the Morlocks, "No one can help her now"
Logan cracked his knuckles, "Looks like we're gonna have to persuade them to give her back"
"Fools! You can't fight us here, this is our domain" Masque said before the Morlocks attacked. Well some did, most of them stayed back, they weren't all fighters.
Tarbaby threw a pile of tar at them.
Dean threw a lightning bolt that evaporated the tar.
They split up and each of them took on a different Morlock.
Rogue eyed Sunder and took off her gloves, "Alright big boy, let's dance" she jumped on him and grabbed his face absorbing his power.
Callisto tackled Dean and they rolled across the floor trying to outwrestle the other.
Erg lifted his eyepatch and shot an energy beam at Scott.
Scott lifted his visor and overwhelmed Erg's energy beam with his own optic beam that knocked him out with a single hit.
Evan shot a couple of spikes at Blowhard.
Blowhard exhaled a strong wind that blew the spikes back towards Evan, the power is in the name.
Sunder grabbed a metal pipe, ripped it off the wall, and swung at Rogue with it.
"Ya'll need to brush up on ya hospitality" Rogue said dodging the swings with a hint of sassiness.
Wolverine dodged a slash from Scaleface and knocked her back with a kick to the face, "Stay together! Don't let them divide us!"
Dean ducked underneath a kick from Callisto and hit her with a back handed fist that knocker her a few steps back.
Caliban came from behind Dean and knocked him down with a double axe-handle.
Dean happened to fall on a puddle of tar, which Tarbaby made it wrap around Dean in a sphere trapping him inside.
The sphere bursted with a flash of golden lightning as Dean freed himself.
Kurt teleported on Tarbaby's back and teleported him high up and let him fall. Right before he hit the ground Kurt teleported underneath Tarbaby and kneed him in the stomach knocking the wind out of him.
Sunder was still chasing Rogue around with the metal pipe, "Come here and fight me fair!"
Rogue jumped over a low swing and punched him in the face sending him flying back, "That fair enough!"
Blowhard exhaled a strong wind towards Evan preventing him from advancing.
Scott shot an optic beam at Blowhard knocking him out.
"Thanks" Evan said.
Tarbaby then threw a pile of tar at Scott knocking his glasses off his face and glueing them to the floor.
"Damnit, I can't see" Scott said keeping his eyes closed.
Tarbaby then threw another pile of tar at Evan.
Evan shot a couple of spikes at the tar ripping it apart before it could get to him
Dean dodged a punch from Callisto, "C'mon lady! You can do better than—"
Callisto then ducked and elbowed him in the chest knocking him down.
"That's more like it" Dean said with excitement.
Rogue rolled underneath Sunder.
Sunder turned around but couldn't spot Rogue anywhere, "Where'd she go?"
Rogue hopped on his back put him in a headlock, "Don't tell me you missed me"
"Hey get off of me!" Sunder struggled to get her off.
"Sure" Rogue flipped over him and threw him into a wall cracking it.
Dean jumped over Callisto who went for a leg sweep. He felt someone touch him behind him and turned around with a readied fist but stopped at the sight of an old lady.
"Stay back old woman before you get hurt" Dean warned. As he said that he started sweating and felt dizzy.
Plague smirked, "I'm feeling fine dear, but you don't look so good what's wrong?" she touched his face with both of her hands, "Got a touch of the plague?!"
Dean tried his best to resist whatever she was doing to him but it was like his body was weakening. He threw a lightning bolt at her which shocked her off, "What the hell did you to do me?" his body temperature rose rapidly but he felt frozen cold, like a disease or better yet a plague like she said.
Caliban and Callisto grabbed Dean from behind and held him in place, "This one is strong, give him everything you have"
Plague put her hands on his face again and subjected him to her full power.
Dean fell to one knee and cried out in pain, black spots started growing around his body like cancer.
Logan held Scaleface and Feral in the air by their throats. They both struggled to free themselves but couldn't break his grip.
Logan looked back and saw Dean was in trouble, "Quickly get her off him!"
Kurt teleported behind Plague and kicked her off Dean.
Rogue then ran behind Caliban and Callisto and tackled them.
Dean fell on his back, his body felt frail and weak, his vision blurry and seeing triple.
Rogue ran over to Dean and helped him sit upright, "That old gal got you bad"
Logan threw Feral and Scaleface away from him, "Get him back to the mansion!"
Rogue went to help him up but Dean stopped her, "N—No, they…need you here…I'll be fine"
Rogue pressed her arm against his head, "Dean you're burning up, I can't just leave you here"
Dean coughed hard and a little bit of blood came out of his mouth, "If anything…happens to Jean" he coughed again, "I would never forgive myself, y—you need to stay and help"
Rogue knew she was going to regret this decision. She rejoined the fight.
Masque noticed his numbers were dwindling, "Callisto! Guard my future queen!"
Callisto nodded, "Yes leader" she said reluctantly as she ran.
"Stay together, I'm going to get Jean" Logan said chasing after her.
Masque noticed their leader following Callisto, "Brute, Hump, dispose of the rest"
Brute and Hump went after Rogue since she was clearly the biggest threat at the moment.
Logan followed Callisto's scent, "Run all ya like lady, I like to hunt"
As he followed her Logan caught a whiff of Jean's scent that was very close.
'Wasn't she supposed to guard Jean? Something's going on here' Logan thought. He followed the scent to another metal door. He kicked down the door to find Jean strapped to a chair with Dreamer.
Fearing what she might be doing to her, Logan pushed Dreamer away from Jean.
Jean breathed heavily and was sweating a little, "Thanks, I don't know how much longer I could last"
Logan cut her restraints, "What was she trying to do?"
"Change my memories, make me think I was someone else" Jean said.
"Well It's good thing I got here when I did, now let's blow these slugs off and bust out of this puke hole" Logan said running back towards where he left the group.
When they got there the only one left standing was Rogue, and she was getting her ass kicked by Brute, Hump, and Sunder.
Rogue was bruised and bloodied, not overwhelmingly so but enough to show that she took a beating.
Brute kneed her in the stomach and Hump sent her crashing down to the floor with a double axe handle.
Rogue struggled to get back up but then they both stomped on her back.
Logan and Jean went to help but stopped when they saw Masque hold a knife to her throat, "Anyone moves and she dies"
They stayed still out of fear.
Masque stared at Jean, "Your friends are beaten my dear, there's no one left to save you"
Jean frowned, she didn't want to end up down here.
"There's no way we're gonna let you keep her" Logan said.
"At my order destroy the X-men, one at a time, until their leader agrees to my terms" Masque said.
Jean clenched her fists, "I don't understand, why are you doing this?" she asked aloud looking at the group of Morlocks, "Why do you listen to him?"
The Morlocks stayed silent for moment.
"Because he is our leader" Sunder said.
"Why is he your leader?" Jean asked.
Sunder scratched his head as if he had no clue.
"He protects us from those who would treat us like animals they see us as" Tarbaby said defending his leader.
"You wanna know why doesn't he fix you?" Jean asked.
That question caught everyone's attention.
"So he can keep you down here with him!" Jean pointed at Masque, "He alters your faces and bodies to make you look worse than him!"
"That's right" Ape said realizing the truth.
"Don't believe a word she says, she's an outsider who doesn't know the struggles we've been through" Masque said trying to steer them away from rebellious thoughts.
"You all blindly follow him without question, have you ever wondered why?" Jean asked.
"Quit wasting time and seize her!" Masque ordered.
But no one moved a muscle, they were all preoccupied with their internal conflict.
"He's brainwashed all of you!" Jean said, "Made you believe there was nothing better than living down here with him"
"Don't listen to her! It's all lies!" Masque shouted in frustration.
"It's all true" They heard someone say.
Everyone looked towards where the voice came from and saw Callisto with Caliban, Annalee, and Dreamer.
"Tell them" Callisto said to Annalee and Dreamer.
Annalee stepped forward, "He said he would have changed my face if I didn't make everyone obey him"
"He made me change everyone's memories to think that they always had deformed faces so they would never suspect anything" Dreamer said.
They all looked upon Masque with hatred.
"You lied to us!" Tarbaby approached him.
Sunder also approached him, "You shouldn't have done that"
Masque backed away in fear, "What're doing?" The Morlocks surrounded him, "I am your leader!"
"Get him" Callisto said with a vengeful look.
The Morlocks ran at him, looking for blood, and tore him apart.
Masque screams echoed through the sewers.
When they were done with him they left his lifeless corpse on the ground for all to see.
"We shall dispose of the body later" Callisto said, "For we are in need of leadership, I am willing to carry the burden. Does anyone challenge?"
None of them did, Callisto was Masque's second in command and always exhibited good leader traits.
Dean grabbed Rogue and pulled her close to whisper in her ear, "Challenge her"
"What? Why?" Rogue whispered back.
"Prof said he needed more people right? You become their leader and you'll have a small army" Dean pointed out. If he wasn't in his weakened state Dean would have fought Callisto himself.
Rogue thought about it, if numbers was all the professor needed then gaining the Morlocks' support would be beneficial.
"I challenge" Rogue said loud enough for everyone to hear and turn their heads to look at her, "You and I, Callisto. Right now, for the leadership of the Morlocks"
"Rogue are you nuts?" Jean asked looking dumbfounded.
"Shut up!" Rogue shouted at Jean.
Jean was taken back by her aggressive tone.
"I got my ass kicked by a robot, I smell like shit because I'm in a sewer, and on top of that I didn't get to go out because you let yourself get caught by homeless people. So if you got a problem with me your ass is next!" Rogue finally snapped from her pent up emotions.
"Sorry to interrupt, but you're not one of us, you cannot challenge" Callisto said not recognizing her as eligible.
Rogue smirked, "Are you afraid you'll lose?"
Some of the Morlocks looked at Callisto in worry. One thing they didn't want was a leader who wasn't willing to stand up for their people.
Callisto saw the worrisome looks and felt pressured.
"Refuse me and lose the respect of your tribe" Rogue said putting even more pressure on her.
Logan stayed silent, he realized what Rogue was doing.
Callisto clenched a fist, "Fine, I accept your challenge" she said hesitantly, "If anyone interferes, my Morlocks will kill your people "
"Agreed" Rogue said knowing her teammates will honor that agreement.
"And no powers, that goes for both of us" Callisto said, she witnessed her absorbing Sunder.
Rogue gulped, the power she absorbed before was almost gone, this might be harder than she thought.
The Morlocks backed away and gave the two of them some space.
They both raised their hands in preparation.
"Let's see what you got" Callisto said throwing the first punch and hitting Rogue in the face.
Callisto was lucky she wore fingerless gloves or she would have made direct contact with Rogue's skin.
Rogue threw a side kick aimed for her midsection.
Callisto ducked and swept her leg.
Rogue fell on her back.
Callisto then came down on Rogue with an elbow aimed at her forehead.
Rogue caught her elbow and then kneed Callisto in the gut before flipping her overhead and going on top of her.
Rogue then proceeded to beat on her.
Callisto grabbed her hands and head-butted Rogue knocking her off.
Rogue shook off the hit and went to get back up.
Callisto, who had risen first, threw a kick aimed at her face.
Rogue managed to block but was knocked back from the force of the kick.
Callisto charged at her to keep up her aggressive tactics.
Rogue rolled onto her feet just in time to be kicked in the chest.
Rogue countered with two consecutive punches.
Callisto dodged both punches and hit Rogue in the face with a right hook.
Rogue's head turned from the force of it.
Callisto chuckled, "You're slow, surface life make you soft?"
Rogue's head returned to it's original position, glaring at Callisto, and a trickle of blood dripping down her chin. She kneed Callisto in the gut knocking the wind out of her.
Callisto hit her in the chest with an open palm knocking Rogue back a few feet.
'I don't have time for this' Rogue counter attacked with fast rapid punches.
Callisto stayed on the defensive, allowing herself to take some punishment, but in the process letting her opponent use up all her energy.
Rogue began pushing her back, overwhelming Callisto.
As she slowly retreated, Callisto could tell Rogue's punches were getting weaker and weaker.
Rogue suddenly backed away when she realized the last of her energy was used up. Beads of sweat were trickling down her brow as she panted from exhaustion.
Callisto rubbed the bruises on her arms and approached, "All burnt out?"
Rogue threw a punch in response and Callisto simply grabbed her wrist.
Callisto held her wrist in amusement, "So you absorb other people's powers"
Rogue punched with her free hand and Callisto caught that as well.
"But without that you're not much" Callisto forcefully pushed Rogue back without much effort. Callisto then headbutted Rogue, opening a gash on her forehead and knocking her on her back.
Rogue grasped her head, it felt like her skull was cracked.
"You don't have the will to endure pain" Callisto kicked Rogue's ribcage sending her tumbling a few feet away.
Rogue stopped on her chest, too overwhelmed from the pain to move.
Logan clenched his fists, he couldn't stand to watch much more of this.
Callisto then placed her heel on the back of Rogue's head and applied some pressure, "You're just a weak little girl"
Rogue cried out in pain.
Logan was about intervene when something stopped him.
"Rogue" Dean said as loud as he could muster.
Rogue looked at Dean who was staring intently at her.
"You're the toughest goth I've ever met, you never gave up on anything, so don't you dare start going soft on me now" Dean said trying stir up something in her.
Callisto grabbed Rogue's hair and pulled it, "Give up girly, know when you're beat"
Rogue grit her teeth, "I'm not...beaten…yet" she slowly pushed off the floor.
Callisto tried to push her back down but was unable to move her.
Rogue pushed Callisto off of her and faced her once more. Her glowing green irises glared at Callisto with purpose.
Callisto felt intimidated by the look in her eyes.
Rogue took a deep breath and focused herself. Last time she tried this she was facing an opponent with a ton of fat to absorb most of the damage.
Callisto saw Rogue pull back her fist, in preparation for a heavy punch.
As Rogue began rotating, signaling her incoming attack, Callisto ducked.
However the pulled back fist was a ruse. Rogue put all her energy into her side kick and struck her opponent in the head, catching Callisto completely off guard, and sending her flying into a wall making a mini crater in it in the process.
Callisto sat there, completely still, looking like someone just knocked her block off.
Rogue looked at the effect her attack had and was shocked. That was more power than she should have been able to muster.
Callisto slowly stepped out of the crater and then fell to her knees.
Rogue walked over to her and knocked her on her back. "You've lost" She said as she stood over Callisto.
Dean smiled, he knew she could do it.
Rogue turned around to face the Morlocks, "Morlocks, you no longer need to live in darkness. As your leader I offer you safe haven at the mansion with the X-men, you're outcasts no more"
However the Morlocks didn't seem as ecstatic as she thought they would be, in fact they seemed upset.
"We can't live on the surface" Sunder said knowing that full well, it just wouldn't work.
Rogue looked confused, "Why?"
"We would be trapped inside your mansion, hiding just like we are now. What's the difference?" Tarbaby asked.
"But with us you'd be able to almost live like regular people, not degrade yourselves to the sewers" Jean said.
Caliban approached Callisto, "Listen girl, our place is down here, we can't live among normal humans. Not the way we all look" he helped her up, "We would still have to hide what we are, whereas down here we're free to be who we truly are"
Rogue frowned, they had some valid points.
"We've learned to survive down here so don't be concerned for our well being" Caliban said, "When humanity accepts mutant kind then we will come to the surface"
Logan walked over to Rogue and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You tried your best, now I think it's best to count our loses"
Rogue sighed, that was too bad. She looked at Callisto in admiration, she was willing to fight for her people, and she did so very well.
"When the world knows and accepts mutants into society, I'll be back. Until then Callisto will rule in my place" Rogue declared.
Callisto looked at her with a puzzled face, why would she do such a thing?
Rogue walked up to her, and held het hand out, "Will you keep them safe?"
Callisto shook her hand, "With my life"
"Then good luck" Rogue with a friendly smile.
At the Institute
After a long day the X-men finally returned and most collapsed in their beds from exhaustion. They had a busy day.
Rogue made her way to the infirmary where the Professor was running some tests on Dean.
"How's he doing?" Rogue asked.
Charles looked up from the microscope and smiled, "Recuperating nicely" he rolled towards her, "You performed quite the deed today"
"I was only trying to help you Professor, it wasn't even my idea" Rogue admitted.
Charles nodded, "I see, well at the very least we've gained some potential allies for the future"
"I guess so" Rogue said before eyeing the microscope, "What're you looking at?"
Charles turned around to face the microscope again, "I was analyzing Dean's blood, it seems that this mutant he encountered infected his body with dozens of diseases. His body was so weak cancer cells started growing randomly around his body"
Rogue looked shocked, "He has cancer?!"
Charles cleared his throat, "He had cancer"
At first she was relieved but then Rogue did a double take, "It's gone?"
"Dean's white blood cells have developed antibodies for the cancer" Charles said in amazement.
"Wow" Rogue said plainly, "Where is he?"
"I just sent him upstairs, he's still feeling under the weather" Charles said.
"I'll go pay him a visit" Rogue said before she left with a little skip in her step.
Charles looked at Dean's blood sample again.
Rogue knocked on Dean's door.
"Come in" She heard from a low voice.
Rogue walked in and saw Dean covered in blankets drinking hot tea. He was slightly paler than usual and had a runny nose.
"I've never seen you sick before" Rogue said starring at him.
"I haven't been sick in years— achew!" Dean sneezed and green flem flew out of his nose.
Rogue covered her face.
Dean then grabbed a tissue and blew his nose, "I hate it"
"Aww, poor thing" Rogue teased him.
Dean frowned and looked away, "I get you a great birthday gift and this is the thanks I get?"
Rogue felt bad, "I'm sorry. Tell you what, why don't we get some Chinese takeout and watch a movie?"
Dean thought about it, "I could go for some wonton soup"
Rogue smiled, "Good, I'll go get the menu" she hurried to go find it.
Dean smirked, it was strange, he started feeling better already. Weird how Rogue has that effect on him.
Author's note: And this little arc comes to an end, would have been too easy if they came to the institute but at least they're another piece on the chessboard. Hopefully I'll have the next one done by next week, until then read and review!
