Bobby sat up and rubbed his head. Okay, so maybe a direct frontal attack hadn't been the best plan after all.
"This is Iceman reporting," he said loudly. "Team, check in! Sunspot?"
"Over here," said a voice somewhere to his left.
"Cannonball?"
"I'm here. I've been better."
"Berzerker?"
"Quit it with the protocol, Bobby. Nobody cares."
Bobby sighed. "Amara?"
"I'm lodging a complaint," she said. "These cells are unlawfully small."
Bobby looked around. His cubicle was big enough to walk in a small circle, and there was a sort of a cot along the back wall. Truthfully, it was about the size of his bedroom at home, which he'd often whined about. "Jubilee?"
"Hi!"
"Rahne?"
A sharp bark echoed through the stone passageway.
"Jamie?"
No answer.
"Yo, Jamie!"
"I don't believe it," Sam said after another pause. "The kid got away."
"No he didn't," Ray scoffed. "He just fell asleep."
There was general snickering.
Bobby inspected his cell again. The walls were made of stone, and the door was solid brick. There was a small window in it, barred, and allowing a view only of the door opposite. "Roberto, can you get out?"
"No go. Used all my energy in the fight."
Bobby carefully reviewed his teammates' abilities. "Sam?"
There were some footsteps, and a dull thump. "Ow. Sorry. Not enough room."
"In that case," Bobby said. "We'll just...sit and think."
"Shoulda done that back on the field," Sam grumbled.
*****
An almost disturbingly normal-looking Kurt was walking through the Institute, an unabridged Webster's Dictionary under his arm.
"Salutations, Kitty!" he said, upon meeting the person of that name. "It is pleasing to espy your personage."
"Hi, Kurt," Kitty smiled warmly.
"Ah, Kitty," Kurt dropped the book and drew her into an embrace. "You fail to be cognizant of the temporal duration for which I have yearned for you to requite even an ambsace of my affections."
"What?" Kitty said. "I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear."
Kurt looked down to discover that Kitty had turned into a giant banana and was melting through the floor.
"No!" he cried, dropping to his knees. "Desist! Refrain from deserting me!"
"I'm right here," Jubilee's voice came from somewhere in front of him. "Can you see me?"
Kurt looked up the empty hallway.
"We're right here," said the disembodied voices of the New Mutants. "Can you see us? Help..."
Kurt jerked awake.
'How did I get in this room?' he wondered. 'Where am I?'
There was a soft whooshing noise as a vent in the ceiling released sweet-smelling chloroform vapors.
Kurt struggled briefly for lucidity, then drifted back into unconsciousness.
*****
Rogue was sure she looked like a mess. This was besides the fact that she was wearing a strait-jacket. If Kitty had been there, she would have said that it was, like, a total fashion disaster.
She was in a room with very solid metal walls. It seemed that there had recently been a door, but it was now welded shut.
She didn't seem to have any borrowed powers at the moment.
At about this time, Mystique melted out of the floor.
"How'd you do that?" Rogue demanded.
"Shape-shifting has many uses," Mystique smiled humorlessly.
"Let me guess," Rogue sighed. "This is another attempt to bring me back to the Brotherhood?"
"No," Mystique replied. "This is another attempt to bring you back to me."
"So you kidnapped Kurt too."
"Of course."
"What about the kids?"
"I have no interest in your friends," Mystique leaned against the far wall. "But it doesn't do to chase only the king and queen. The pawns are also dangerous if left running around."
Rogue got her feet under her and slid up the wall. "Me and Kurt don't like you," she spat. "Leave us alone."
"I love you," Mystique stepped forward.
"No, you don't," Rogue narrowed her eyes. "You just want my powers. Kurt, you'd probably sell him to science as soon as you need some money."
Mystique came nearer. "It isn't true," she whispered. Her outline blurred and shifted to that of Risty Wilde. "I've tried to be close to you..."
"You're...Risty?" Rogue said disbelievingly.
Mystique nodded.
"No!" Rogue squeezed her eyes shut. "It isn't true! You're tricking me again!"
It was then that Rogue did something she never thought she would.
She kissed her mother.
"This is Iceman reporting," he said loudly. "Team, check in! Sunspot?"
"Over here," said a voice somewhere to his left.
"Cannonball?"
"I'm here. I've been better."
"Berzerker?"
"Quit it with the protocol, Bobby. Nobody cares."
Bobby sighed. "Amara?"
"I'm lodging a complaint," she said. "These cells are unlawfully small."
Bobby looked around. His cubicle was big enough to walk in a small circle, and there was a sort of a cot along the back wall. Truthfully, it was about the size of his bedroom at home, which he'd often whined about. "Jubilee?"
"Hi!"
"Rahne?"
A sharp bark echoed through the stone passageway.
"Jamie?"
No answer.
"Yo, Jamie!"
"I don't believe it," Sam said after another pause. "The kid got away."
"No he didn't," Ray scoffed. "He just fell asleep."
There was general snickering.
Bobby inspected his cell again. The walls were made of stone, and the door was solid brick. There was a small window in it, barred, and allowing a view only of the door opposite. "Roberto, can you get out?"
"No go. Used all my energy in the fight."
Bobby carefully reviewed his teammates' abilities. "Sam?"
There were some footsteps, and a dull thump. "Ow. Sorry. Not enough room."
"In that case," Bobby said. "We'll just...sit and think."
"Shoulda done that back on the field," Sam grumbled.
*****
An almost disturbingly normal-looking Kurt was walking through the Institute, an unabridged Webster's Dictionary under his arm.
"Salutations, Kitty!" he said, upon meeting the person of that name. "It is pleasing to espy your personage."
"Hi, Kurt," Kitty smiled warmly.
"Ah, Kitty," Kurt dropped the book and drew her into an embrace. "You fail to be cognizant of the temporal duration for which I have yearned for you to requite even an ambsace of my affections."
"What?" Kitty said. "I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear."
Kurt looked down to discover that Kitty had turned into a giant banana and was melting through the floor.
"No!" he cried, dropping to his knees. "Desist! Refrain from deserting me!"
"I'm right here," Jubilee's voice came from somewhere in front of him. "Can you see me?"
Kurt looked up the empty hallway.
"We're right here," said the disembodied voices of the New Mutants. "Can you see us? Help..."
Kurt jerked awake.
'How did I get in this room?' he wondered. 'Where am I?'
There was a soft whooshing noise as a vent in the ceiling released sweet-smelling chloroform vapors.
Kurt struggled briefly for lucidity, then drifted back into unconsciousness.
*****
Rogue was sure she looked like a mess. This was besides the fact that she was wearing a strait-jacket. If Kitty had been there, she would have said that it was, like, a total fashion disaster.
She was in a room with very solid metal walls. It seemed that there had recently been a door, but it was now welded shut.
She didn't seem to have any borrowed powers at the moment.
At about this time, Mystique melted out of the floor.
"How'd you do that?" Rogue demanded.
"Shape-shifting has many uses," Mystique smiled humorlessly.
"Let me guess," Rogue sighed. "This is another attempt to bring me back to the Brotherhood?"
"No," Mystique replied. "This is another attempt to bring you back to me."
"So you kidnapped Kurt too."
"Of course."
"What about the kids?"
"I have no interest in your friends," Mystique leaned against the far wall. "But it doesn't do to chase only the king and queen. The pawns are also dangerous if left running around."
Rogue got her feet under her and slid up the wall. "Me and Kurt don't like you," she spat. "Leave us alone."
"I love you," Mystique stepped forward.
"No, you don't," Rogue narrowed her eyes. "You just want my powers. Kurt, you'd probably sell him to science as soon as you need some money."
Mystique came nearer. "It isn't true," she whispered. Her outline blurred and shifted to that of Risty Wilde. "I've tried to be close to you..."
"You're...Risty?" Rogue said disbelievingly.
Mystique nodded.
"No!" Rogue squeezed her eyes shut. "It isn't true! You're tricking me again!"
It was then that Rogue did something she never thought she would.
She kissed her mother.