The Blackbird, somewhere over the South Atlantic Ocean
19:44 (7:44 pm)
Day 3
"We're nearing the spot where the last signal was cut off."
Cyclops said from the pilot's seat.
"Jean, try a search, see if you can sense them in the proximity."
Jean closed her eyes and felt the psychic connection open.
Her eyes opened in surprise as she felt a blockage in the area directly ahead of them.
"Scott...." She said with an effort as the barrier began to reflect her own powers on her.
Cyclops turned around, his brow wrinkling in concern.
"What's wrong, Jean?"
She sunk to her knees , holding her head in her hands as she tried to erect mental blocks against the reflected power, but it was getting very difficult.
"Scott..." Her breathing was labored. "There's some kind of...block....I think...my powers...are reflecting...." Her eyes closed and she toppled to the floor.
"Jean!"
Cyclops rushed over to Jean's unconscious form.
" 'Ro, can you take the controls for a minute?"
Storm nodded and slipped into the pilot's seat.
"Jean...Jean..." He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her.
After a few moments, her eyes fluttered.
"Jean! Thank god. What happened?"
She took a deep breath and sat up, still holding her head in her hands.
"I encountered some sort of....block...during my search for Rogue and Logan. I think it somehow, well...reflected my own powers at me. It overloaded me for a moment."
She got to her feet unsteadily and grabbed onto a table for support.
"I'll be fine...don't worry about me. I'm concerned for Rogue and Logan, though. Whatever is doing this is incredibly powerful."
Cyclops frowned.
"It has to be Magneto." He said.
Jean nodded, taking her hand off her head.
"By the Goddess!" Came an exclamation from the front. "Come take a look at this!"
"What is it?" Cyclops called.
"Come!"
Their interest aroused, Jean and Cyclops made their way to the cockpit.
"Oh..." Jean covered her mouth with her hands.
Cyclops looked grim.
"I think we know what happened to them now."
Jean gazed out at the huge dark mass spread below them, as far as the eye could see.
"Magneto has his own continent..."
+++++++
Magneto's Head Quarters, The Heart of the Savage Lands
20:25 (8:25 pm)
Day 3
"Let me go!" Rogue screamed as strong hands gripped her by the wrists.
She struggled and kicked but the owner of the hands simply lifted her body off the ground.
"You heard the girl, bub."
Logan stuck one razor-sharp claw across his adversary's throat.
"Just put her down, nice n' easy, n' things'll come off better for ya."
The man holding Rogue grinned nastily and swung her over his head.
She hit Logan and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Stop playing with them, Sabertooth. The Master sent summons for them."
Logan moaned and rubbed his head.
"Who's 'The Master', Frog-boy?"
Toad hissed at Logan.
"The Master is the only Magneto, the ruler of these lands."
Logan snorted.
"Pretty primitive subjects he's got."
Toad had to place a restraining hand on Sabertooth's shoulder.
"The time has not come. Leave him be."
Rogue clutched her head.
"Rogue? You okay?" Logan whispered.
"Ah think..." She whispered back.
Logan tried to crawl to where Rogue sat, but Sabertooth saw him and alerted Toad with a snarl.
"Move an inch and I'll make you wish you hadn't."
Logan turned slowly to face Toad.
"Is that so, s'limey?"
"Logan..." Rogue pleaded softly.
He held up a fist in Toad's direction and released one long middle claw.
"Kiss my ass."
Logan didn't even have time to think as a large ball of slime hit him hard, making him stumble back into the wall.
"What the...." He gasped, struggling against the sticky bonds to no avail.
He was trapped.
"Do not try to resist, or you will reach the same fate as him."
Rogue nodded shakily and got to her feet, glancing back at the wall where Logan struggled.
"Tie her up."
Sabertooth stepped forward, holding a long link of chain, and bound Rogue's wrists and elbows together.
He picked up the loose end of the chain and gave it a sharp tug.
"Follow us." Toad started for the door.
With a last look at Logan, Rogue complied.
***********
Le do le le le le
Le do le le le le
At your feet
I'm at your feet
Whenever, Wherever
We're meant to be together
I'll be there and you'll be near
And that's the deal my dear
Thereover, Hereunder
You'll never have to wonder
We can always play by ear
And that's the deal my dear
Le do le le le le
Le do le le le le
Think out loud
Say it again
Le do le le le le
Tell me one more time
That'll you'll live
Lost in my eyes
**************
Rogue followed Toad and Sabertooth down a dark stone corridor, lit only by a few candles.
It was hard to keep up with Toad's irregular leaps, and twice she almost slipped in a puddle of slime left in his trail.
She kept thinking about Logan, left clinging to the wall, and what had been said.
~You think I want to hurt you? You're my best friend, Rogue.~
She stifled a sob.
~Best friend. That's all I ever was to him. That's all I'll ever be. And even less than that,~ she concluded, remembering his last words to her.
~But I guess not anymore if you think I wanted to use you!~
She bit her lip.
~I shouldn't blame him so much,~ She thought. ~After all, who could love an untouchable freak like me? Back home, he couldn't even kiss me.~
A thought struck her suddenly and raised an edge of panic in her mind.
~What if we never go back home? What if Magneto does us in?~
Toad stopped beside a large set of metal doors ahead of her.
"We're here." He announced as he punched in a code into the keypad.
The doors slid open silently.
"Bring her in."
Sabertooth tugged sharply on the chain and Rogue stumbled to follow.
She blinked as she entered the bright room, getting used to the light after the dark stone hallways.
They had entered a room full of machines and other lab-like equipment.
"We'll put her in one of those."
Toad pointed to a row of twelve large glass tubes, big enough to fit a Sabertooth-sized person into.
Seven were already occupied.
She blanched.
"What are you going to do to me?" She demanded.
Toad grinned maliciously.
"Magneto will tell you."
At a signal from Toad, Sabertooth picked Rogue up effortlessly and deposited her into one of the tubes.
Toad hopped over to one of the machines and pressed a button.
Rogue's scream was cut off as the lid slowly clamped down, sealing off her only chance of escape, while vapors began to seep out of the hose that gave ventilation.
She coughed and sank to her knees as the blackness overwhelmed her.
++++++
19:44 (7:44 pm)
Day 3
"We're nearing the spot where the last signal was cut off."
Cyclops said from the pilot's seat.
"Jean, try a search, see if you can sense them in the proximity."
Jean closed her eyes and felt the psychic connection open.
Her eyes opened in surprise as she felt a blockage in the area directly ahead of them.
"Scott...." She said with an effort as the barrier began to reflect her own powers on her.
Cyclops turned around, his brow wrinkling in concern.
"What's wrong, Jean?"
She sunk to her knees , holding her head in her hands as she tried to erect mental blocks against the reflected power, but it was getting very difficult.
"Scott..." Her breathing was labored. "There's some kind of...block....I think...my powers...are reflecting...." Her eyes closed and she toppled to the floor.
"Jean!"
Cyclops rushed over to Jean's unconscious form.
" 'Ro, can you take the controls for a minute?"
Storm nodded and slipped into the pilot's seat.
"Jean...Jean..." He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her.
After a few moments, her eyes fluttered.
"Jean! Thank god. What happened?"
She took a deep breath and sat up, still holding her head in her hands.
"I encountered some sort of....block...during my search for Rogue and Logan. I think it somehow, well...reflected my own powers at me. It overloaded me for a moment."
She got to her feet unsteadily and grabbed onto a table for support.
"I'll be fine...don't worry about me. I'm concerned for Rogue and Logan, though. Whatever is doing this is incredibly powerful."
Cyclops frowned.
"It has to be Magneto." He said.
Jean nodded, taking her hand off her head.
"By the Goddess!" Came an exclamation from the front. "Come take a look at this!"
"What is it?" Cyclops called.
"Come!"
Their interest aroused, Jean and Cyclops made their way to the cockpit.
"Oh..." Jean covered her mouth with her hands.
Cyclops looked grim.
"I think we know what happened to them now."
Jean gazed out at the huge dark mass spread below them, as far as the eye could see.
"Magneto has his own continent..."
+++++++
Magneto's Head Quarters, The Heart of the Savage Lands
20:25 (8:25 pm)
Day 3
"Let me go!" Rogue screamed as strong hands gripped her by the wrists.
She struggled and kicked but the owner of the hands simply lifted her body off the ground.
"You heard the girl, bub."
Logan stuck one razor-sharp claw across his adversary's throat.
"Just put her down, nice n' easy, n' things'll come off better for ya."
The man holding Rogue grinned nastily and swung her over his head.
She hit Logan and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Stop playing with them, Sabertooth. The Master sent summons for them."
Logan moaned and rubbed his head.
"Who's 'The Master', Frog-boy?"
Toad hissed at Logan.
"The Master is the only Magneto, the ruler of these lands."
Logan snorted.
"Pretty primitive subjects he's got."
Toad had to place a restraining hand on Sabertooth's shoulder.
"The time has not come. Leave him be."
Rogue clutched her head.
"Rogue? You okay?" Logan whispered.
"Ah think..." She whispered back.
Logan tried to crawl to where Rogue sat, but Sabertooth saw him and alerted Toad with a snarl.
"Move an inch and I'll make you wish you hadn't."
Logan turned slowly to face Toad.
"Is that so, s'limey?"
"Logan..." Rogue pleaded softly.
He held up a fist in Toad's direction and released one long middle claw.
"Kiss my ass."
Logan didn't even have time to think as a large ball of slime hit him hard, making him stumble back into the wall.
"What the...." He gasped, struggling against the sticky bonds to no avail.
He was trapped.
"Do not try to resist, or you will reach the same fate as him."
Rogue nodded shakily and got to her feet, glancing back at the wall where Logan struggled.
"Tie her up."
Sabertooth stepped forward, holding a long link of chain, and bound Rogue's wrists and elbows together.
He picked up the loose end of the chain and gave it a sharp tug.
"Follow us." Toad started for the door.
With a last look at Logan, Rogue complied.
***********
Le do le le le le
Le do le le le le
At your feet
I'm at your feet
Whenever, Wherever
We're meant to be together
I'll be there and you'll be near
And that's the deal my dear
Thereover, Hereunder
You'll never have to wonder
We can always play by ear
And that's the deal my dear
Le do le le le le
Le do le le le le
Think out loud
Say it again
Le do le le le le
Tell me one more time
That'll you'll live
Lost in my eyes
**************
Rogue followed Toad and Sabertooth down a dark stone corridor, lit only by a few candles.
It was hard to keep up with Toad's irregular leaps, and twice she almost slipped in a puddle of slime left in his trail.
She kept thinking about Logan, left clinging to the wall, and what had been said.
~You think I want to hurt you? You're my best friend, Rogue.~
She stifled a sob.
~Best friend. That's all I ever was to him. That's all I'll ever be. And even less than that,~ she concluded, remembering his last words to her.
~But I guess not anymore if you think I wanted to use you!~
She bit her lip.
~I shouldn't blame him so much,~ She thought. ~After all, who could love an untouchable freak like me? Back home, he couldn't even kiss me.~
A thought struck her suddenly and raised an edge of panic in her mind.
~What if we never go back home? What if Magneto does us in?~
Toad stopped beside a large set of metal doors ahead of her.
"We're here." He announced as he punched in a code into the keypad.
The doors slid open silently.
"Bring her in."
Sabertooth tugged sharply on the chain and Rogue stumbled to follow.
She blinked as she entered the bright room, getting used to the light after the dark stone hallways.
They had entered a room full of machines and other lab-like equipment.
"We'll put her in one of those."
Toad pointed to a row of twelve large glass tubes, big enough to fit a Sabertooth-sized person into.
Seven were already occupied.
She blanched.
"What are you going to do to me?" She demanded.
Toad grinned maliciously.
"Magneto will tell you."
At a signal from Toad, Sabertooth picked Rogue up effortlessly and deposited her into one of the tubes.
Toad hopped over to one of the machines and pressed a button.
Rogue's scream was cut off as the lid slowly clamped down, sealing off her only chance of escape, while vapors began to seep out of the hose that gave ventilation.
She coughed and sank to her knees as the blackness overwhelmed her.
++++++
