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"Nothing?" Scott stared at the two men wearing twin expressions of dread. "How is that possible? Didn't you try Cerebro?"
Hank and the Professor exchanged glances before they both turned away. "I did," the Professor replied. "I couldn't trace her."
"But Cerebro found her before. Hank, you sure this thing is really fixed?"
Hank eyed him solemnly. "One hundred percent functional."
"Why isn't it picking up on Rogue?"
The Professor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Scott felt a twinge of pity for him, knowing his own behavior wasn't helping. But he couldn't help the panic inside him.
He'd gone into Rogue's room earlier and found it empty, the windows shut and locked. Aside from the rumpled bed, everything was in order. He'd gone downstairs, expecting to find her in the kitchen. But that was empty, too. He'd then went on to all the other rooms, including the attic, before going up to the roof. Then he'd checked the sub-basement, trying the Danger Room and the hangar. Nothing.
After waking Hank and the Professor, whose initial mindscan came up empty on Rogue, they'd watched the surveillance tapes, which had shown everything as usual, up to 10:51 p.m. After that, static.
Scott had gone outside to check the cameras. They'd been destroyed, smashed beyond repair.
Now he stood in the Ready Room, trying to understand how an intruder could've managed to enter the grounds, avoid setting off the alarms, smash all the cameras, avoid setting off more alarms, enter the mansion, avoid setting off the mansion's alarms, kidnap Rogue, avoid messing up her room, and just carry her out the mansion.
"It's not a teleporter," he reasoned aloud. "Why would a teleporter bother with ground cameras? And it can't be Magneto. He'd smash the cameras, but he'd also trigger the alarms."
The other two men shared another look. Scott spun on them. "Whatever it is," he said, trying to contain his frustration, "I can handle it. I'll have to. So just tell me already so we can go find Rogue."
"This isn't about our faith in your judgment, Scott." Professor Xavier sighed, putting his hands on his lap, bringing their fingertips together. "But now I see I should quit doubting Rogue's."
"Charles," Hank began.
"She was right, Hank," the Professor cut in. "She knew something was wrong. I thought she was only suffering the after effects of her nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Scott asked.
Hank turned to him. "Last night she dreamed of Magneto."
Alarmed, Scott looked at them in anger. Why hadn't he known?
"She woke only Charles last night," Hank said before Scott could say anything himself. "I knew nothing until after breakfast this morning. Charles consulted me about it."
"Rogue's become rather reluctant to share her nightmares," the Professor explained. "Those she had of Mystique weren't her first. And since then she's had several others."
Scott ran his hand roughly over his face. Rogue hadn't mentioned anything about more nightmares.
"I've scheduled regular sessions with her," the Professor continued, "to maintain stability in her psyche."
"Maintain stability? She's having problems…staying sane?"
"On the contrary. She's progressing steadily. So far she's learned to detach herself, to keep those absorbed personalities both separate and recessive to her own."
"You're saying she has MPD?"
"No, Scott. These personalities are real, after all. Although, yes, to a certain extent, they're also creations of her mind." At Scott's confused face, the Professor sighed again. "I have yet to fully understand it myself."
"And what about her nightmares last night?" Scott pressed. "You said she knew there was something wrong."
The Professor grimaced. Scott waited, even as his brain raced to answer his own question. But just as the Professor started to reply, the phone rang.
Hank, being nearest, picked up. Scott squelched the urge to grab the phone to check if it was Rogue, or someone demanding ransom for her return. He watched Hank cut off his own "Xavier Institute" greeting and furrow his brows ominously at whatever the caller was saying.
"Oh, my," Hank said presently, his voice troubled. "Of course. Give us ten minutes."
Then he hung up and faced them. "That was Warren Worthington. He was fighting Magneto earlier, and now Rogue's with him."
"Is she okay?" Scott asked, even as he moved to prep the X-Jet. "Are they okay? Where's Magneto?"
Hank's face took on a strange expression. "We might need back-up."
