32.
Warning: Emotional trauma and canon events.
Logan and Charles spent the next few days monitoring Rogue.
They'd spent a long time convincing her that they weren't Mystique and they weren't trying to fool her or lead her into a trap. It hurt both men to see her so stripped of faith and confidence. In them. In herself. She was a wounded animal caught in a trap and it was dawn before her body surrendered to exhaustion.
When she awoke in the med-bay, she was confused. The machine's bleeps were triggering and she'd chosen flight. Both Hank and Logan were on hand to secure her once more. Hank administered a sedative and they were all on edge to see what her response would be.
Her eyes held dim recognition but nothing that registered on an emotional level. Her body was present but her mind was clear. She ate when instructed, choosing to feign sleep when company was offered.
Meanwhile, Hank, Logan and Charles dissected every word of the confrontation, replaying what she'd told them. They sympathised and empathised. They gave assurances that Mystique wasn't among them.
"How can you be so sure? She's too advanced." Hey eyes scanned to room she was in, checking for new additions. Mystique could be anywhere...
Charles remained calm and firm. "There's still Cerebro. He would indicate if there was any unwanted presence here."
Rogue neither agreed nor disagreed.
XxX
Logan found Rogue's disinterest difficult to handle. He was a man of action and it had served him well.
One of her main fears derived from the night of the confrontation, was what had happened to Carole. With the new information about Mystique and her suspected involvement, Logan had a new cause to fight. Carole's sudden disappearance and the recent intevention from Nick Fury gave him cause to wonder if there was a link between the two. Fury wasn't a man to give favours to just anyone. There would of had to be something major connecting them.
Logan recalled Rogue saying that in the few weeks after her mother's death and her subsequent adoption, she'd thought Carole had a 'second job', though what that was she didn't know.
Having worked with Fury before, Logan wondered just what the 'second job' involved...
However, as he was about to start the search, there were a few obstacles in their way. Someone was watching the mansion and stalking Logan. They discovered that someone had continued to develop the 'Weapon X' project and one of the survivors, known as X23 had come hunting.
After a heart-to-heart with Logan, following major destruction, the girl had gone into hiding and continued to be hunted.
During this, it had been arranged for some of the team to go on an all expenses paid cruise. The intention was to be able to blow off steam in a non-power way. The result was the students outing themselves and abandoning the ship to visit an island that welcomed their presence when they accidentally saved them from an active volcano.
They returned in high spirits, rejuvenated and ready to tackle any crisis that chose to present itself.
They didn't have to wait long.
XxX
Rogue had returned to the room she shared with Kitty.
She was mentally exhausted and barely had the energy for anything more taxing than school and homework. But still, there was training that required her participation and housework to do.
She was always exhausted by the time she went to bed and was barely able to communicate with others.
They left her alone for the most part, which she was grateful for.
These days, her dreams were filled with memories, not all belonging to her. Sometimes, she left her room, deliberately touching others skin to skin. She never knew why it happened and in the mornings, could never remember her dreams. It wasn't every night. There were times though that she'd be heading to one location, then apparently change her mind and 'wake-up' elsewhere, without any conscious explanation as to why.
She was unaware that her movements were being monitored and controlled, though things would all soon become clear.
XxX
It was the weekend when the alarms sounded at the Mansion. The full team were primed for an attack as both the Acolytes and Brotherhood made their move.
Rogue was isolated from the others. Her strength still wasn't what it was but Pietro used the distance to his advantage, by increasing the physical distance from the rest of the team.
"What's this about Magnus?" Charles asked of his old friend.
"Your daughter attacked us for our powers."
"Impossible."
"You're out of line Magneto." Logan was as ever, ready to defend his protegee. Never more than now when she remained vulnerable.
He looked to her for confirmation but there remained only emptiness in her eyes.
"My surveillance cameras prove it is possible. But she's not behaving of her own free will. Someone else is at play. "
All eyes turned to Rogue, who stared blankly at them. It was witThey said she'd broken in to steal their powers?
There was surveillance footage documenting this, at least at the Acolytes. Without that they had neglected her. She'd been left in her darkness and someone had taken advantage of her isolation.
Then, Rogue's body began to levitate, unaided. All eyes followed the same pattern, looking for the cause but seeing none. Those that could, tried to reach her but found she was protected by an invisible shield that made them bounce back and almost crash to the ground.
Finally, without a word, she vanished...
XxX
Logan was sent to track her along with Sabertooth and Gambit. Neither were too happy about the insistence.
Everyone else was set to discovering what was happening. After the events of the earlier mind-control, they were able to piece together what was happening. The stolen rings to make a key, the spider thought to be an enemy but was actually a guardian?
Mesmero's abilities? It all led to an ancient mutant known to the world as Apocalypse. Mesmero was his disciple and facilitator. Now all they had to do was find the tomb.
XxX
The three teams worked as one as Logan reported Mystique's involvement. He'd tracked them to Tibet but was too late to stop Rogue from being used as a pawn to awaken Apocalypse and now they were all facing an indefinite future.