AN: my apologies for the last chapter I didn't realize that the text had kept repeating due to a computer glitch I will attempt to fix that as soon as I can. Please enjoy this next chapter.
Heartbroken
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Peter yelled furious at what he was just told.
"It was the only way Peter." Charles tried to explain.
"You have to undo it! She can't survive without any memory of who she is!" Peter argued back.
"Peter calm down." Hank tried to speak but Peter wasn't listening.
"I can't Peter, even if I could I don't know if I should. However I didn't erase her whole memory." Charles and Peter calmed enough hoping that there was still something of the Rogue he knew left behind. "I have only removed the memories starting from when her mutant abilities manifested."
"So you erased the last 4 years of her life. You had no rite." Peter began to cry and turned to leave when he felt the professor in his head keeping him from moving. "Get out of my mind."
"Not until you listen to me." Peter turned around reluctantly. "I haven't completely erased everything given the unique nature of Rogue's mind there could be residual traces of her life still locked away somewhere they may come back to her all at once or they may return gradually."
"Why don't I save you all the trouble and just have her absorb me I mean my memories of the past year should trigger a restart right?" Peter asked as he grasped at straws.
"I would advise against that. Her psyche is still recovering plus they wouldn't be her memories it would just confuse her and the likelihood that absorbing that much energy could cause her to relapse and shatter the fragile state she's in not to mention it would probably kill you." Charles explained.
"Can I see her?" Peter asked.
"Again I would advise against it, remember the last four years of her life are gone her knowledge of being a mutant, the X-men, your relationship it's all gone. No she needs to be integrated slowly so that her mind can heal. I'm sorry Peter but until further notice... You're not to see her." Charles turned around and went back into the room where Rogue was sleeping comfortably. Hank came over and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder trying to comfort him.
"I know its hard Peter but you must believe that it was the only way to help her, and as the wise man once said..." Peter turned violently towards Hank.
"Listen I don't want to hear any wise words. Just be grateful I have enough self control left not to punch your teeth in." Peter then stormed out of the infirmary and disappeared.
Meanwhile Storm was busy doing her nightly checks of the students when she heard crying coming from Jessica's room she opened the door and found her curled into a tight little ball and sobbing into her pillow.
"Jessica?" Storm said gently.
"Go away." Storm stepped in, walked over to the bed and sat down placing a hand on the young girls back.
"What's wrong?" Jessica didn't say a word and handed storm the letter from forge. "Oh Jessica I am so sorry."
"Save it I should never have come here." Jessica said feeling like a part of her soul had been ripped out.
"Jessica listen I know that it hurts right now and that you feel like you can't go on. Eventually it won't hurt so bad, especially with unrequited love trust me I know." Storm said as a stray thought entered her mind. "Come on how about we go and get some ice cream and Twinkies I know where Hank hides his personal stash." Storm said with a warm smile causing the teen to smile herself.
"Sure, but can you do something first." Jessica asked politely.
"Of course, name it."
"Could you just hold me? Please." Storm lifted Jessica to her and held tightly as she poured the last of her tears onto storms shoulder. Outside the room Morph stood listening and in that moment he knew he was being selfish and quickly turned around making to a silent promise to himself to never make Jessica cry like that again he made his way to one of the unused computer rooms and began typing away at personnel files he was on a mission and nothing short death would stop him.
Elsewhere Kitty had snuck out of her room and made her way to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The snow beneath her feet crunched as the chill of the night seeped into her body. She pulled her jacket tighter as she made her way to where her mother's ashes had been released. She looked down and saw the small plaque that read Mary's peak in honour of Mary Pryde loving wife and devoted mother. Kitty bent down and ran her hand over the stone brushing away the melting snow.
"Hi mom it's me, I am sorry I wasn't like there for your funeral from what I am told it was a very nice ceremony." Kitty began to feel tears falling from her eyes causing the cold to sting her face where the tracks were left. "I only hope you can forgive me mom. I AM SO SORRY." Kitty began to wail as all the emotions over the last few days finally broke inside her. She was so distraught that she didn't hear someone come up behind her until she heard the voice.
"Kitty, are you alright?" It was Peter and Kitty could tell he had a lot of pent up emotions himself at the moment.
"Peter!" Kitty said as she stood and wiped her face. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you like be with Rogue?"
"The professor won't let me; he said it could be too dangerous for her." Peter said as his anger poured out of every pore of his body. Peter then looked and saw the small headstone and realised he had intruded. "I'm sorry I should leave you, you were obviously saying goodbye."
"No stay please, I was just finishing anyway." Kitty said feeling very vulnerable at the moment. Kitty stood from her crouched position and stood next to Peter. The wind then began to pick up and Kitty felt very cold as she pulled her jacket tighter.
"Are you cold?" Peter asked. Kitty just nodded her head, Peter then took his own jacket off and wrapped Kitty in it.
"What are you doing? You will catch cold." Kitty objected.
"Don't worry about me my healing abilities will head off any virus or bacteria before it can do any real damage." Peter said as he zipped the jacket as it fit snuggly over her small frame.
"Thanks" Kitty settled in to Peter's coat and she noticed his scent radiating from the material every so gently and Kitty breathed it in deeply and in that moment a strange feeling began to wash over her.
"We never really like got to thank you did we Peter." Kitty said as she stood in front of Peter looking into his deep brown eyes.
"There's no need besides I wasn't able to save all of you did I." Peter said feeling the self pity he thought had been buried long ago began to envelop him.
"Peter you did what you could. If it wasn't for you none of us would be here now. You have saved us more times then we have saved you." Peter began to look away to go back to the house when Kitty grabbed the sides of his face forcing him to look into her eye's. In that moment be it emotions or chemical attraction the resolve either had built up began to melt away and the two teens moved closer and closer until finally their lips met. Kitty and Peter were apprehensive at first and they began to deepen the kiss. When the two broke apart Peter could see the look of shock on Kitty's face and then she ran off with tears stinging her face.
"Oh, shit." Peter said and ran back to the house himself.
Inside May Parker was busying herself in her room when the small computer she received from the future began to sound an alarm.
"Warning, warning, catastrophic timeline alteration in progress." The computer on her dresser said. May ran to the cube and held it in her hand.
"Ok computer show me the alteration." May commanded and the computer began showing a holographic display.
"Alteration of timeline located." May looked and saw a newspaper from the future with a picture of Peter dressed in a tuxedo standing next to woman dressed in a white wedding dress May looked closer and saw it wasn't Rogue but Kitty. The headline read "congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker."
"Continue." May commanded and the picture moved forward showing an obituary showing all the names of the X-men and at the bottom were the names Peter Parker and Kitty Pryde-Parker. The computer then changed showing Apocalypse ruling over the world with his four horsemen.
"Identify horsemen." May commanded and the computer spoke.
"Horseman pestilence identified Charles Xavier; Horseman war identified Eric "Magnus" Lenshire; Horsemen Famine identified Ororro Munroe X-men codename Storm; Horseman Death Identified Anna Marie Darkholm X-men codename Rogue."
May stood in utter shock and horror at the scene in front of her.
"Computer detailed explanation of causal event." May spoke and the computer began calculating.
"Timeline alteration beginning Feb 2 2012, due to a traumatic brain injury Professor Charles Xavier resorted to an aggressive memory revocation of mutant Rogue resulting in the separation of Spider-man and said individual. Spider-man being emotionally distraught over the loss of his love found comfort in the arms of one Katherine Pryde the two began a whirlwind romance beginning Feb 14 2012 resulting in their marriage two years later. However once Rogue regained her memory the resulting shock of finding out that the two people she had trusted the most began a relationship she took it as a great betrayal and left the X-men 2 months later Apocalypse was released from his prison though the X-men fought valiantly they had way of defeating the self imposed ruler of the world. Result total global devastation."
May was racking her brains she couldn't let this timeline happen and she only had one week to change it.
"Computer, options." May asked. The computer began a long series of calculations when it was finished it spoke again.
"Option, cerebral reprogramming of Rogue and recommend termination of the pairing of Katherine Pryde and Peter Parker."
"How do I accomplish this?" May asked.
"Take computer unit to Rogue." the computer said and shut down.
"That helps." May said then took off.
In the danger room Mysterio sat in a simulation of a jail cell alone trying to figure out where the last 2 months went to, when a door opened and in walked Logan and the professor.
"I see its visiting hours, what no cake with a file in it." Mysterio quipped which earned an eye roll and a grunt from Logan.
"Mr. Beck my name is Charles Xavier and I have been told you can't recall the past two months." Charles said.
"That's right the last thing I remember before being knocked out by Spider-Man was that I was in my jail cell then some guards grabbed me placed a bag over my head and then nothing." Beck said then started scratching the back of his neck.
"I see, if I may, I believe I can help you remember." Charles offered.
"How are you going to do that?" Beck said as he continued to scratch his neck.
"I am a mutant Mr. Beck I have the ability to see into your mind and your memories."
"Yeah I don't think I'd like that." Beck said as he vigorously began scratching the back of his neck.
"Is there a problem Mr. Beck?" Charles asked.
"I don't know but it itches like hell back there." Beck cursed.
"May I take a look?" Charles asked hoping to gain some trust.
"Why not." Beck said and sat on the floor with his back against the hard light projection of the bars.
Charles moved closer and notice a small indentation in the skin as he looked closer he noticed the dermal layers had been surgically scraped away revealing an exposed small nerve cluster.
"How long have you had this Mr. Beck?" Charles asked.
"I just noticed it about an hour ago." Beck responded.
Charles pulled away and reached for his head and summoned for Beast to come to the Danger room.
Hank was busy monitoring Rogue since she had returned she remained in a coma what saddened him was that there was no way to help his young pupil. He turned to pick up a clip board when he noticed May standing in the door way.
"How is she Hank?" May asked as she walked closer.
"There's been no change." Beast answered.
"Has Peter been to see her?" May asked knowing he hasn't.
"We felt it was best if Peter not see her for a while. We have no idea how extensive the damage was so we felt limiting the amount of exposure she gets from others until she has had some time to adjust." Beast explained then received a telepathic message telling him to come to the danger room with a blood sample kit.
"I have to go the Professor needs me would you stay with her for a while and let me know if there is any change." Beast asked.
"Of course" May said and 5 minutes later Beast was gone. May closed and locked the door to the room and reached into her pocket for the computer. "Computer, activate." May commanded. The computer began to power up.
"Place this unit on the top of subjects head." May followed the directions and the computer began to float over Rogue and a beam of light began to scan her. "Analysis complete; calculating results. Complication found."
"Explain." May asked.
"Multiple personalities located, required amount of power needed to reverse the damage exceeds this unit's power system."
"So you need more power." May paraphrased.
"Affirmative"
"Can you use the mansion power supply?" May asked.
"Negative, power system incompatible with this unit's circuitry." The computer spoke.
"Recommendations."
"Partial cerebral reset." The computer answered.
"Will she recover her memory?" May asked.
"Affirmative, however not at once but recovery time will be shortened. This unit upon completion of procedure will result in the permanent shut down of this Unit." The computer warned.
"Understood, begin procedure." May ordered. The computer began to float again and emit a high intensity light focused directly on Rogue's brain May watched Rogue began to twitch and shake violently then Rogue began to glow. The computer continued working.
"Warning unknown energy feedback attempting to compensate." The glow that Rogue emitted began to grow brighter and then it became absorbed by the computer.
"Procedure complete, system shut down." The computer started shutting down as its power supply dwindled away.
"Five shall rise to light the path." the computer said as its power system gave up leaving the computer a useless lump of technology.
May looked upon Rogue as she began to open her eyes and when Rogue looked upon May a look of fear and confusion feel upon her.
"It's alright your safe." May comforted.
"Where am Ah? Do Ah know you?" Rogue asked weakly.
"Don't worry about that right now, just know you are among friends. Now lay down and rest." May said and Rogue did as she was asked. "I have done all I can for now hopefully it's enough." May said openly to the mysterious force that guides their lives.
Across the globe on the island of Genosha a man dressed in army fatigues walked down a hallway and approached a heavy steel door he reached to his right and punched in a combination code followed by a loud buzzing noise and the door opened. He walked in to find a short man with glasses working away at his desk overseeing several projects at once.
"Dr. Trask!" he yelled out from the door.
"Yes Colonel Stryker." Trask said annoyed.
"I have some bad news, your infiltration agent failed." Stryker said as he walked up behind the Dr. and drew his pistol and held it to the Dr.'s head. "Never again." he said and just as he was about to pull the trigger he felt an enormous pain in his back as 10000 volts of electricity surged through his body until finally passing out. Trask looked from his desk slowly to reveal a blue skinned female mutant on the floor.
"Excellent timing Colonel." Trask said as he looked at the real man holding a Tazer in his hand.
"I have waited a long time to get my hands on this one. Take her to the drone room and have her prepped." The colonel ordered to one of his men and handed over the Tazer to him. "Don't be afraid to use that if she gives any trouble. Now Dr. She was right about one thing Mysterio failed in his mission we have to move on to plan B."
"I am afraid Colonel that Mastermould will not be ready for some time yet but May I suggest a different course." Trask suggested.
"BY all means." Stryker said.
"We now have the shape shifter what if we use her to get what we want."
"I am listening." Stryker said his interest peaked.
"I have been looking at the data we have on these X-men and I noticed one mutant who has a particular set of skills that we could use." Trask grabbed a folder and handed it to Stryker.
"Are you sure about this Dr. I mean..."
"Trust me Colonel, if things play out as I have planned you will have all the resources you need to exterminate these mutants." Trask said interrupting abruptly.
"Alright but I am moving this operation to one of our secure locations." Stryker said and handed the file back.
"Fine, but where are you...?"
"The less you know the better Dr. just continue on the Mastermould." Stryker turned and walked away. "And Dr. no slip ups this time."
