Disclaimer: You know the drill. Don't own these characters.

A/N: Hello there!  Welcome to chapter six.  Got a few things to address before we begin the show.  I have gotten a few requests to list the ages of the Marauders.  Ask and ye shall receive.  Here is the official word on their ages in my story:

Sinister: Over 200

Rictor: 24

Mimic: 22

Polaris: 20

Banshee: 31

Psylocke: 19

Bishop: 26

Marrow: 15

Sauron: 23

Mandapanda: Bishop is indeed from the future.  How he got to be in my story will be explained in due time.

Etwa: More Pyro.  Check.

Jacombo: Where there is the Marauders, there will be the Morlocks.  That's all I'm gonna say.

Ethelyn: Sorry you're not a fan of Kitty and Lance. I always though they were kinda cute, so that's the way I made it. Thanks for the other suggestions though.

Viewer: I did not mean to neglect Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom, and Toad.  You must understand that I was quite exhausted by the end of that battle scene and was a bit anxious to end it.  They'll all get plenty of time in the spotlight soon enough.

Well, I think that's all.  On with the show. Enjoy!

Charles Xavier was in his study when Jean's cry slammed against his mind, hitting him like the proverbial ton of bricks.  He clutched his head, squeezing his eyes shut while he waited for the pain to subside.  When it finally did, Xavier maneuvered out from behind his desk and began making his way down to the med lab, calling to the Beast telepathically on the way.

          Hank, come to the infirmary as fast as you can, Jean's awake!

          When Xavier arrived, he found the Beast already hovering over Jean, who was holding her head in her hands, tears leaking out of her bright green eyes.

          "Jean, what's happened?"  Although Xavier thought he had a pretty good idea what was wrong.  Only one thing could affect her like this.

          "It's Scott."  She replied, confirming Xavier's fear.  "Something's happened.  I think…I think he may have been captured."

          "Was it the Marauders?"

          "I don't know, I think so."

          "Was Alex with him at the time?"

          "I do believe he was."  Hank answered.

          Xavier shut his eyes and sent out a telepathic summons to the X-Men to converge in the war room.  When he opened them again, he turned to the Beast.

          "Hank, please stay here with Jean."  He glanced across the room, where Amanda lay sprawled across Kurt's chest, sleeping.  "And see if you can't persuade Ms. Sefton to take a bed for a few hours."

          Hank nodded his understanding, and Xavier made his exit.

          When the X-Men were convened a short few minutes later, Xavier ran his gaze over everyone assembled, and raised an eyebrow in confusion.  "Where are Rogue and Gambit?"

          There was some muttering and shrugging of shoulders, until Storm spoke up.  "I believe she said she was going for a walk around the grounds."

          "And knowing the Cajun charmer, he prolly decided to follow her."  Wolverine added.

          Xavier sighed, and then tried to contact them each telepathically.  A frown crossed his face when he was unsuccessful.

          "I can't seem to raise them.  Logan, take Sunspot, Berserker, and Cannonball and search the grounds.  Storm, take the rest of the team and begin your search for Scott and Alex.  Start at their favorite haunts and go from there.  Understood?"

          "I want to help as well."

          All heads turned to see Colossus stride into the room, a determined look on his metallic face.

          "You needn't feel obligated, Piotr."  Xavier said.  "This is a search for X-Men, after all."

          "One of my comrades is missing as well.  I would like to offer my services to you in helping to locate him and the others."

          Xavier considered this, and then nodded slowly.  "As you wish, Piotr.  You may join Wolverine's group.  Is everyone clear on their assignments?"

          Everyone present nodded their heads, or muttered an affirmative, then split up to begin their respective searches.

          Cannonball streaked across the sky as he crisscrossed the mansion grounds, looking for any sign of his missing comrades.  The echoing booms of his kinetic blasting rang across the treetops, sending birds fleeing from their nests, shrieking in protest.

From his vantage point, he could catch brief glimpses of Wolverine, Berserker, and Colossus moving through the trees as they searched, and he occasionally spotted Sunspot as he flew his own reconnaissance mission.

          Sam turned his attention back to what he was supposed to be doing.  Having had no luck at his present location so far, he turned and shot across the grounds to the southern portion, closest to the main road.  He also happened to know for a fact that this isolated area was a favorite of Rogue's, and is she wasn't to be found here, then she wasn't anywhere on the grounds.

          As he approached his destination, he saw a sight that made his stomach clench up.  A small spot near the very edge of the property showed signs of a struggle.  Diving for a closer look, Sam took note of the broken branches, the upturned earth, and the black scorch marks on some of the trees.

"Hey, I think I got somethin' y'all."  He said into his communicator.  "Down in the southeast quadrant, near the perimeter."

"We read ya."  Wolverine growled back.  "Stay right where ya are."

Cannonball did just that, inspecting the general area until Wolverine and the rest arrived a few minutes later.  Wolverine immediately set about prowling the area, pausing to sniff every few steps.

"Rogue and the Cajun, definitely.  *sniffsniff*  Hmm…Bishop too.  *sniiiiiifff*  Yeah, Rictor and Mimic.  Definitely the Marauders handiwork."

"What are we to do about it?"  Colossus asked.

"Go back an' report to Charley.  Then we wait an' see what Storm an' the others round up?"

"That's it?"  Berserker asked, bolts of electricity dancing across his clenched fists.

"You got a better idea, Sparkplug?"  Wolverine asked, raising an eyebrow behind his mask.  "I'm all ears."

Berserker took a deep breath and opened his fists, the electricity dying away.

"Didn' think so."

          Across town, Storm, Shadowcat, Avalanche, Iceman, Wolfsbane, Magma, Jubilee, and Multiple had a far easier time finding the scene of their friends' abduction.  All they had to was follow the throng of people and the TV news vans to a small café they knew Scott liked to frequent.  Dressed in their civvies to avoid attention, the mutants elbowed their way to the front of the crowd, where they were stopped by a police barricade.

The scene before them left no doubt what had happened.  Tables were overturned or smashed, chairs were strewn about, and various bits of food clung to walls.  There was definitely a fight, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was between.

"It must've been the Marauders."  Kitty said in a low voice as the group moved away from the crowd again.  "Who else could've done this?"

"I agree."  Ororo said.  "Unfortunately, there is nothing more we can do here.  Let us return to the mansion, and see what Wolverine has discovered about the whereabouts of Rogue and Gambit.  I have no doubt the two incidents are related."

Rogue woke to total darkness.  At first, she feared something may have gone wrong with her eyes, but as time passed, she was slowly able to discern shapes in the darkness, which meant that wherever she was, there was simply no light to be had.

Rogue stretched, then groaned as a few dull pains throbbed across her body.  Those damn seismic waves of Rictor's hurt.  Sitting back against a wall, Rogue tried to discern exactly where she was being held.  The air was hot and had a stale, musty smell.  That suggested to Rogue that she was in a room with little to no circulation, but with no light, she couldn't tell anything beyond that.

"Hello?  Anybody there?"  She called, deciding to see of she was alone or not.  "Gambit?"

Silence answered her.

"Ain't that just terrific."  She huffed, drawing her knees up to her chest and laying her chin atop them.  "Lord only knows how long Ah've been out.  Wonder if the others are lookin' for me yet."  Another thought came to her then, and she was glad nobody was around to see her blush.

"Ah hope Remy's alright."

          Kurt slowly opened both eyes.  His vision was still blurry and unfocused, from not having used his eyes in a few days.  The light around him was dim, and he was most thankful for that.  He very much doubted he could handle any bright lights.

          Turning his head to one side, he made out the shape of something large and blue hovering over him.  That could only be one thing.

"Dr. McCoy."  He tried to say.  Of course, his throat was very dry, and the best he could manage was a hoarse croak.

Hank heard him, however, and turned to Kurt's bed with a surprised start.  "Kurt!  You're awake, wonderful.  How do you feel?"

Kurt gave him his best 'Are you serious?' expression.

Hank cleared his throat.  "Ah, yes, of course.  I figured as much.  Still, that you've finally awoken is a good sign.  I expect the others should be coming…"

He broke off as he was pushed aside (an amazing feat, given his size) by Amanda.  She knelt at Kurt's side, putting her face close to his.  "Kurt!  Oh, Kurt, you're finally awake, I was getting so worried about you!"

Kurt blinked hard and forced his eyes to focus more.  Amanda's face swam more clearly into view.  He could see her worried frown, although her eyes were alight with happiness.  Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her clothes had that wrinkled, slept-in look.

"A…Amanda?"  Kurt swallowed to wet his throat a bit, though he had little saliva to do it with.  Hank saw his dilemma and supplied him with a glass of water.  Kurt attempted to grasp it, but when his trembling hands failed to hold it, Amanda took hold of it and brought it to his lips.

"How long have I been out?"  Kurt asked, when he was able to speak again.

"Six days.  Sauron really did a number on you.  You're the first to wake up."  Hank gestured at the still sleeping forms of Magneto, Blob, and Pyro.

Kurt glanced at the three.  His yellow eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred to him.  "The others…?"

Hank was silent for a few moments, and then spoke slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.  "You all survived the battle.  Unfortunately, Jean here…"  He gestured towards Jean, who was now sleeping fitfully.  "…she felt that Scott was in trouble through the connection they share.  The other X-Men are looking into it now, but beyond that, I can't say anymore."

The Marauders again?"  Kurt asked, feeling his strength slowly begin to flow back into him.

"We think so."  Hank suddenly stared off into space, giving a look that suggested he was listening to something far away.  "The Professor has just summoned me.  You stay here and get some more rest Kurt."

Once Hank had left the med-lab, Kurt turned his attention back to Amanda, eyebrow rising as a thought occurred to him.  "Does your father know you're here?"

Amanda giggled as she stroked Kurt's cheek.  "I don't think he'd be very enthusiastic if he did, do you?"

"No, I suppose n…n…not."  The end of Kurt's sentence was punctuated by a wide yawn that revealed his fangs briefly.

Amanda smiled and leaned over to kiss his forehead.  "Get some more sleep Kurt, alright?"

Kurt could hardly protest, as he was already half out by the time Amanda finished her sentence.

Gambit grunted as he was shoved from behind.  He stumbled forward a few feet, and then regained his balance.

"Maybe Gambit walk faster if his ankles not tied together, non?"

Behind him, Mimic gave a smirk that clearly said he was enjoying this.  "The boss said we weren't to take any chances with you.  He knows how tricky you can be."

Gambit was currently being herded through the halls of the Marauder's stolen mansion.  His hands were fastened behind his back, and his legs had been bound at the ankles, allowing just enough movement for him to manage a shuffling walk.

Gambit tossed a look over his shoulder at the overconfident Mimic.  Remy knew a thousand and one ways to escape his current predicament, but he knew as soon as he made any move, a houseful of powerful mutants would be on top of him in no time flat.  Not to mention he didn't know what had become of Rogue, and he wasn't leaving without her.

"You ever gonna tell Gambit who de boss is?"

"Don't need to tell ya.  I'm taking you to see him right now."

The room Mimic led him to was kept dark.  The shades were drawn and the curtains closed, blocking out nearly all the light.  A voice issued from somewhere in the inky blackness.

"Thank you Calvin that will be all."

Mimic bowed his head, turned, and departed, leaving Remy alone with the 'boss' he had heard so much about.

"Welcome, Mr. LeBeau.  I hope you have not been treated unkindly."

"You seem ta have me at a bit o' a disadvantage, mon ami."

"Forgive me, where are my manners?  You may call me Sinister."

A single candle flared to life.  Though it did not cast much light, there was enough for Gambit to catch a glimpse of Sinister.

"Gambit think maybe you should go out in da sun more.  Maybe get a little color to da skin."

Sinister smiled humorlessly.  "Quaint.  I did not have you brought here to trade insults, however, so I will cut to the chase.  That you are here at all is a mistake.  My original plan did not call for your abduction.  When my Marauders brought you to me, my original inclination was to have you disposed of.  Then I though perhaps you could be of some use to me."

Gambit gave a derisive sniff.  "If you t'ink Gambit gonna work for you, den you can t'ink again."

Sinister grinned wickedly.  "Can I?  You are probably aware that I am also currently in the possession of the mutant called Rogue, yes?  Rictor tells me that you seem quite taken with this girl.  You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?"

Anger flared in Gambit's red-on-black eyes.  "You wouldn'."

"Wouldn't I?  I warn you, I only need her alive for the first stage of my plan.  After that, well…"  Sinister made a dismissive gesture with one hand, as if to say 'I won't be responsible for what happens'.

Gambit stared long and hard into Sinister's baleful red eyes.  Finally, Gambit heaved a large sigh and looked at his feet, defeated.

"Gambit…he do what you say."

"Excellent.  I knew you'd see things my way."

Heya!  Another short one, I know, but don't worry!  Next chapter promises some good ol' fashioned brawling.  Stay tuned.  Keep those reviews coming.  Cobra awayyyyy!