Rob continues on his rampage!

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Chapter 17!

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Storm had no idea what she, or any of the other X-Men, could do in a situation like this. They were running out, prepared to fight a mutant who had the power to prevent any other mutant from using their own power. It would be the first time that she would have to fight someone without relying on her powers, and the thought of that made her unsure of herself.

The problem was that she, Cyclops, and Wolverine were right now trying to find Rob. He could be just about anywhere and they would not have been able to see him. The only one of them that had any advantage was Logan - he had senses that the other two did not, but would those powers be useless if Rob knew that they were looking for him?

Suddenly, all three of them stopped dead in their tracks. Panic rose in Storm's heart as she realized that she couldn't breath. There wasn't any air in the whole room. She struggled against it as best as she could.

" He's just convincing us," Logan mumbled in a growl, struggling against the power that was being thrust upon him.

But there is very little one can do if one is convinced that there isn't any air.

In a matter of moments, all three X-Men passed out. Which made Rob smile to himself as he released his powers and became visible. He looked down at the fallen mutants slowly, as if soaking up the feeling of victory. This was going to be far too easy.

Before Rob could move on, he heard a voice in his head. Xavier was attempting to breach the mind control and get a message through to the real Rob.

" Rob, you must listen to me," Xavier was saying, " You are being controlled. You must stop what you are doing."

Rob chose to ignore it.

He continued to walk down the hall, using his own memory of the Institute to make his way towards the Professor's office. He met no one, no opposition, not a single person at all - the other students had taken heed to Xavier's warning and were giving Rob all the room that he needed.

Everyone except for Rogue.

She saw Rob walking down the hall and made her way to him as if she was in this hallway purposely to meet him. Rob didn't even bother to use his powers against her - as if he already knew what she was intending to do. Both of the teens stopped walking - they were only a few feet apart. Rob smiled at her in a scheming sort of way.

Rogue took off one of the opera gloves that Bobby had given her just the other day, and offered her bare hand to Rob. Rob did nothing - the silence was deafening.

" Go on!," Rogue shouted at him as if he should have known what she wanted, " Take my powers!"

Rob's smile only deepened.

At that moment, Bobby turned the corner and entered the hallway. Once he realized that Rogue was missing, he knew what she was intending to do - but if she went through with it, then she would no longer be a mutant. He didn't know if Rob could hurt her if he used his powers against her, and he couldn't risk anything happening to Rogue - no matter what such possibilities could mean.

" Rogue, don't!," Bobby said.

Rob only slightly turned his head in Bobby's direction. Bobby made a few more steps and then he stumbled to the ground with a terrorized scream. Rob had convinced him that both of his legs had snapped and were broken. Bobby could no longer do anything to help Rogue - he was in an agonizing pain that clouded his mind from his previous purpose.

There was a look of real alarm on Rogue's face as Bobby's helpless wail reached her ears, but she knew that it was not real. She had to tell herself that it was not real, because Rob had now turned his attention back to Rogue.

" Take my powers!," she shouted again, now more desperately than before, hoping that if he did so he would release his hold on Bobby.

Rob paused for a moment as he considered the request with silence. Only the smirk on his face told of any emotion in his stance, and then he reached out his hand and grabbed Rogue's bare skin.

A new scream penetrated the hallway - but it wasn't Rogue. There was nothing that she could do to subdue her own power, and Rob had grabbed her. Instantly, Rob lost concentration over his powers - Bobby no longer thought that his legs were horribly broken and the X-Men down the hall awoke from unconsciousness.

Rob continued to scream - for the pain was unbearable. The control that he had over his powers were being torn away from him, and he was helpless to do anything about it. The agony brought him to his knees. Rogue did not struggle to get away from him. Rather, she was hoping that Rob's power would imprint upon her so that she could use them against herself. Rob tried to break away from her hold, but she refused to allow him. In his own anger, Rob concentrated on blocking his powers from Rogue's control.

" Take my powers!," she shouted at him once again, her voice clearly revealing her extreme frustration as she realized that she had gained nothing. She used what she had gotten from Rob - his convincibility - in hopes that it would influence him to take away her powers as she made him think that he was on fire.

Bobby rose to his feet, looking at the situation with fear. He knew that Rogue had taken Rob's powers, and were now using those against him, but Bobby still could not believe what he was seeing. Rob was on fire - and Rogue made sure Rob realized that it was an illusion by making the fire's color change. One moment it was green, the next it was blue. Rob continued to scream in agony as he frantically tried to get away from her grip.

Bobby knew that Rogue would be in danger when she finally realized that she could no longer do this and released Rob. If she didn't kill him first. Bobby was already on his feet, and he began to run to her, just as the other X-Men descended upon the situation.

" Rogue, stop!," Bobby shouted, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her away. The two of them fell to the ground.

" No, Bobby," she said as she struggled against him, " Please. Let him take my powers."

Storm, Cyclops, and Wolverine ran up to Rob. He was struggling against what had just happened - he was in terrible pain, not from being convinced he was burning for that had gone away once Rogue broke contact with him. He was in pain because Rogue had nearly killed him.

" Stop him!," Storm said.

" This won't be hard," Logan said, as if delighted with that news, " Rogue just nearly got him down."

Rob looked up at the X-Men - they were all ready to attack, running up to him as if in a battle - even Wolverine's dangerous clawed were drawn. For a moment, he did nothing but look at them, as if bewildered.

Immediately, Rob was gone.

He had used what was left of his strength to make everyone in the room think he was no longer there. The X-Men stopped where they were.

" He could be anywhere now," Cyclops said.

" I'll go protect Xavier," Storm said, knowing that was where Rob was heading in the first place.

" Are you two okay?," Logan asked, walking up to Bobby and Rogue.

" Yeah," Rogue said silently, her breathing coming difficultly.

" You shouldn't have trusted him," Logan said, but there was more important things to take care of. He left Rogue to continue on his mission - to find Rob. When he was gone, Bobby turned to Rogue.

" Rogue, are you sure you are okay?," Bobby asked her warmly, " What did he do to you?"

Rogue said nothing - she was far too ashamed to answer, for she had failed.

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Yes, I know, another short one. Next chapter will be up in a few days, and deal with Rob.

please review!

deke