Chapter Five: Out of Control
And here's Chapter Five! Anyone remember when I said in the past that I had written a scene about Rogue being bad-ass that surprised/scared me? Well, it's in this chapter! I have no clue where it came from, it just showed up as I was typing, lol. I hope y'all like it!
Thewriternextdoor: Well, I did write "a heartbreaking loss" in the summary for a reason... :(
genbo: Thanks!
0001234: I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, poor Scott and Rogue getting cock-blocked by Phoenix, XD. And yes, someone had to call Charles out! (Well, Logan already did, but whatever) This chapter's gonna be crazy! And no, I didn't see Dark Phoenix. At some point, I was a tiny bit interested, but then that interest imploded when I kept seeing video titles saying how bad it was, so I was like, "Yep, not gonna see it."
Sam: Hey, we have the same name! Don't worry, Scott and Rogue will have plenty of "screen time" together in the chapters to come! (Most of them, at least)
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.
Ororo parked the car across the street from the Grey house. She, Scott (who now wore his visor, just in case), Rogue (who left her gloves behind), Logan, and Charles stepped out and headed for the house. Rogue had insisted on joining them, the only reason she gave being that she was involved as much as the rest of them. Charles didn't want to have to deal with her anger towards him, but at the same time, he didn't want to make her even angrier by telling her no, so he reluctantly agreed.
"Wait for me here," Charles ordered them.
"What?" Logan questioned.
"I need to see Jean alone," said Charles.
"So no one can watch you try to correct your mistake?" Rogue sneered.
"Marie," Scott scolded her. He pulled her aside and whispered, "I know you're angry, and I'm not saying you shouldn't be, but we can't turn on each other. Not now."
She rolled her eyes, but whispered back, "Fine."
Then the group noticed that they weren't the only visitors.
"You were right, Charles. This one is special." Magneto stood before them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Logan demanded.
Magneto smirked. "The same as the professor. Visiting an old friend."
Rogue was the only one to realize that a certain someone who always hung around this man was missing.
"Where's my mother?" she questioned him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Mystique? I'm afraid she's no longer of use to me. Or any mutant for that matter."
Rogue put two and two together. On the way to Jean's old house, the others had informed her of the new mutant cure. During that time, she couldn't help remembering her first day at the mansion, asking Ororo if the professor could cure her. Now that she had those private sessions with him, and trained with her peers, though, she would never dream of throwing away her gift.
Especially now that she got control.
"She got cured?"
"She took the fall for me," said Magneto nonchalantly, lifting his helmet without a care to allow her and Charles to see what happened. "But now she's paying the price."
The southern belle caught a glimpse of the humanized Mystique begging for Magneto to help her. She shook her head as he placed his helmet back on. "So, that's it? She takes a hit for you, and you just turn your back on her like that?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You must be here to recruit Jean, to replace my dear mama."
"That won't happen, Rogue," Charles tried to assure her, but stopped when she turned her glare back at him. He addressed Magneto, "I don't want trouble here."
"Nor do I, Charles," Magneto agreed seriously. "So, shall we go inside?"
The two old friends headed for the house together. The X-Men saw four mutants they've never seen before standing in front of the house, as if they were guarding it.
These four mutants had been recruited into Magneto's growing Brotherhood army against the humans: Juggernaut, gifted with super strength and durability; Callisto, gifted with super speed, enhanced hearing, and the ability to read other mutants' power; Arclight, who had the ability to create shock waves; and Quill, who could extend porcupine-like spikes from his skin.
"I came to bring Jean home," said Charles firmly. "Don't interfere, Erik."
Magneto chuckled. "Just like old times, huh?"
"She needs help," Charles insisted. "Jean is not well."
"Funny," said Magneto. "You sound just like her parents." He stopped and said to Juggernaut, "Nobody gets inside."
Approaching the door, he magnetically turned the door knob, and the door swung open. He and Charles entered the house, keeping their guard up as they looked for Jean. They passed by a water cooler, in which the water was rapidly moving as if it were boiling. A ceiling light was swinging, framed pictures were quaking on the walls, and a teapot was whistling on the stove. They ignored all of it.
They found Jean sitting on a chair in a library-like room, with furniture floating about a foot in the air. She had chosen to wear red and black: red off the shoulder sweater, red pants, and black boots. She let everything drop as a sign of her acknowledging their presence. Charles wheeled himself in front of her.
"I knew you'd come," she said quietly.
"Of course," he said, nodding slowly. He had to be cautious, for he was unsure whether this was Jean influenced by Phoenix, or Phoenix herself. "I've come to bring you home."
"I have no home," she growled.
"Yes, you do," he said patiently. "You have a home and a family."
"You know," Magneto spoke up, moving to stand beside Charles, "he thinks your power is too great for you to control."
"Erik..." Charles warned him.
"I don't believe your mind games are going to work anymore, Charles," Magneto sneered.
"So you want to control me?" Jean whispered, narrowing her eyes.
"No," said Charles quickly.
"He does," Magneto smirked.
"No," Charles said again, glaring at Magneto. "I want to help you."
"Help me?" she repeated. "What's wrong with me?"
"Absolutely nothing," Magneto insisted.
"Erik, stop!" Charles snapped.
"No, Charles! Not this time!" Magneto shot back. "You've always held her back!"
Charles looked back at Jean. "For your own good, Jean."
A lamp was flung from a side table and smashed against the wall.
"Stay out of my head!" Jean snarled.
Outside the house, the wooden gate swung shut and the mailbox was quivering, confusing the mutants.
The X-Men were still standing by the car.
"I'm goin' in," said Logan, but Ororo stopped him.
"The professor said he'd handle this," she said.
Rogue snorted. "He also said Logan was the one Magneto was after six years ago, and guess who it REALLY was?"
"Marie," Scott groaned, not wanting to be reminded of the Statue of Liberty incident.
"And we have a winner!" she shouted sarcastically, drawing strange looks from the Brotherhood.
By now, every door in the house had swung shut, and more objects and furniture were hovering in the air. Jean was shaking.
"Look at me, Jean," said Charles. "I can help you. Look at me!"
"No," she objected, an angry tear slipping. "Get out of my head!"
His wheelchair was violently pushed back.
"Perhaps you should listen to her, Charles," Magneto suggested.
Charles ignored him. "You must trust me. You're a danger to everyone and yourself! But I can help you!"
"I think you want to give her the cure!" Magneto accused.
They could see that Jean was trying to hold back sobs.
"Look what happened with Scott and Rogue!" Charles shouted, effectively pouring salt on the wound. "You nearly killed your closest friends because you couldn't control your power!"
"NO! STOP IT!"
The window behind her exploded, Charles was pushed back again, and Magneto was sent flying back into the kitchen. Wind was swirling in and out of the house, and everything was flying around them.
Juggernaut stepped forward, sneering at Logan.
"I heard your claws can cut through anything," he said. "Wanna take a shot?"
"That's it," Logan snapped, drawing his claws. He headed for Juggernaut.
"Finally!" Rogue yelled impatiently, clearly itching for a fight. She and Scott ran towards the house to fight with the new members of the Brotherhood as Ororo flew into the air, wind swirling around her and her eyes glowing white.
Juggernaut made a run towards Logan, the impact sending him flying over his shoulder. Then he picked him up and threw him through a window of the house.
"You're not a very good bodyguard!" Rogue taunted Juggernaut as she threw punches at Arclight.
Ororo rapidly spun in the air, spiraling towards the house and smacking Callisto and Quill about. She landed and shot bolts of lightning at Callisto, sending her smashing right through the front door.
Soon, they were all fighting inside: Rogue was fighting Arclight, Scott was fighting Quill, Ororo was fighting Callisto, and Logan was fighting Juggernaut. All the tussling was further destroying the house.
Jean was staring hard into Charles' eyes, who stared back. Neither of them paid any attention to the flying objects, or the fighting that had begun in various parts of the house.
I can help you control it, Charles said telepathically.
Leave me alone, Charles, she said back. I won't let you do this to me again!
"Jean, let me in!" he shouted desperately.
Stay out of my head, she said. It sounded like a warning. You're just making it worse!
In the living room, Callisto was mercilessly beating Ororo, using her super speed to zip around and bashing her head into the glass coffee table. In the kitchen, Magneto had fallen in front of the sink, from which water was flooding the ceiling. He had a clear view of the two telepaths.
Charles continued to stare deep into Jean's eyes. You will destroy everything you love if you don't let me help you!
You're slipping, Professor, she whispered.
He watched fearfully as her eyes blackened and her face darkened a sickly purplish-gray. He knew now that it wasn't Jean this time...
Phoenix, I want you to stop this!
I am more powerful than you. She stood up. I have always been more powerful than you.
The Phoenix had arisen.
Scott was having a hard time firing precise optic blasts at Quill, who was fairly agile, so he resorted to physical fighting, narrowly avoiding his spikes. Rogue, yelling angrily, wasn't even giving Arclight any chances to fight back, for she was furiously bashing her all over the place, not even stopping to catch her breath. Callisto kept throwing Ororo around, and Logan was trading punches with Juggernaut.
Soon, Ororo finally caught her breath, her eyes glowing white again, and threw lightning at Callisto. Logan held Juggernaut in a headlock, lodging his claws into his helmet, and extended his other claws in Ororo's direction.
"Storm!" he yelled.
She shot lightning at his claws, which flowed through him and out his other claws. Juggernaut was then electrocuted and knocked out.
Arclight was lying on the floor, having been painfully beaten. Rogue didn't hesitate to choke her and purposely drain her.
"Rogue!" Scott shouted, running to pull her away from the suffocating mutant. "Don't let your anger control you! You could kill her!"
It took a few agonizing seconds, but Rogue eventually pulled away, leaving Arclight to writhe on the floor in pain and gasp for air.
To Magneto's horror, Phoenix had lifted Charles out of his wheelchair.
You always knew this day would come, she said. I won't let you do this to me again!
Let me in! Charles ordered. He remained completely still as he hovered in the air. Bring Jean back or suffer the consequences!
But Phoenix wouldn't listen. She accused him of abandoning her and Jean, as well as wanting to destroy her.
Let Jean be herself again! he commanded.
You set in motion the chain of events.
Along with Charles, the house began to lift into the air, and the fighting mutants were all flung to the ceiling.
I AM power! Phoenix declared.
You can't control your power! Charles felt the skin on his hands and pieces of his suit peel away, but he never tore his eyes off of her.
Now and forever!
"No, Jean!" Magneto shouted. "JEAN!"
I am Phoenix!
The X-Men and the Brotherhood (except for Arclight, who was severely weakened) tried to move along the ceilings, but to no avail. Only Logan had a chance, sticking his claws in the ceiling to crawl to the doors of the room Phoenix and Charles were in. Soon, he managed to reach the doors and pried them open. He peered in to see what was happening.
Everything in the library had slowed down, as if time had frozen. Phoenix raised her arms, like her namesake would raise its wings, her glare forever fixed on her former mentor.
Charles looked at her sadly. "Don't let it control you," were his last words. Then he locked eyes with Logan. The smile he gave him said it all: he forgave him and Rogue for their harsh words towards him, and held nothing against them.
Logan yelled out in anguish, unable to find words.
"CHARLES!" Magneto screamed.
Charles Xavier was suddenly obliterated. The X-Men and the Brotherhood were flung outside of the house as it crashed back onto the ground.
Magneto slowly stood up, not believing what he had seen. He walked over to Jean (or was it still Phoenix?), giving Charles' wheelchair a brief, sad glance.
"My dear," he said gently to her, "come with me." He helped her up. Phoenix (or Jean?) said nothing, but allowed him to lead her away.
Logan, Ororo, Scott, and Rogue quickly ran back into the house. Magneto, Jean, and the rest of the Brotherhood were gone, and all that was left was Charles Xavier's empty wheelchair.
"Oh, God! No!" Logan shouted, falling to his knees in despair. He let out hard sobs.
Ororo began crying as well, throwing her arms around Logan's back. Rogue and Scott held each other as they too began shedding tears. Logan and Rogue seemed to be sobbing the hardest, for the last conversations they each had with the professor were an argument and a harsh accusation. And Rogue nearly killed someone out of her anger towards him! But he had forgiven them in the end...
The X-Men mourned the death of their leader in the destroyed house of their transformed teammate.
And there's Chapter Five. What do you think of my portrayal of Rogue in this particular chapter? Do you think her anger at the professor was justified? How did you like her fight scene? One thing's for sure: don't mess with the Rogue! I imagine that she was taking all her anger for both the professor and Magneto out on Arclight. I say Magneto, too, because even though her relationship with Mystique is rather toxic, not even she would've wished for her to be cured and left behind.
I used the extended version of the fight in and around Jean's house, or at least most of it. I also included the telepathic fight between Charles and Phoenix, but it was a bit hard to understand everything that they said, even with headphones. I just wrote the words I could hear clearly. This scene is on the DVD, but it only played their telepathic dialogue (everything else was completely silent). Some people have uploaded it on YouTube, but one person cleverly combined the audio of the original scene AND the telepathic battle. This one is my personal favorite, and makes me further wish it was that way in the original cut. The video is called "X-Men: The Last Stand, Phoenix VS Xavier EXTENDED", uploaded by Jo Jo.
And yes, the X-Men and the Brotherhood were really flung out of the house when it crashed back down. I know, it was hard for me to notice at first.