Chaos:  Yay!  I am!  Lol.

Snoob:  Thanks.  And there is plenty more to come.

Blix:  Lol.  Why won't she listen to you?!  The stupid girl!

Blue:  Thanks.  I'm producing chapters as fast as I can!  Thanks for being patient.

Wapps:  I'm glad for that because I know that was too short of a chapter even for my standards.

Hip-Ban:  Yeah, I can die after I finish this story, right?  Lol.

Jupiter:  Thanks.  This chapter – as promised – will be much longer.

Dutch:  1-12 in one sitting?  Wow.  You deserve another chapter!  So…here it is!

Cassandra:  I checked it out as suggested.  It seems pretty cool.  Maybe I will join.  Have you?

Anonymous:  Thanks.  You'll know a lot more soon enough.

Veronica:  Yeah, but I'm hoping since I didn't get flamed for The Clash of Two Worlds that I won't get flamed with this one either.  What can I say?  Death makes for a more powerful story.  Eek!

Jo:  Australians have all the luck.  Hugh Jackman, Will Snow, Sam Neill (though born in New Zealand I believe)…Anyway, thank you so much for the compliments.  It really does mean a lot to me.

NOTE:  Cat, Shadow, and Stone belong to me.

Chapter Thirteen

Separated

She raced up the metal steps of the Blackbird, pulling her auburn hair up into a tight ponytail as she scrambled around the X-men.  Logan, already strapped into his seat, glared up at her disapprovingly as she settled into the seat across the aisle from him.  Rogue arched her eyebrows, daring him teasingly to make a deal of it.  He grunted, opting to lean back into his chair and stare straight ahead, glowering at the back of Gambit's seat.  Moments later, they were rising up into the night sky, silent as a tomb.

Rogue inhaled deeply, attempting to soothe her anxious nerves.  This was her first mission and she'd never fought another mutant in her life.  She glanced over at the solemn man beside her, studying his hardened profile.  He felt her gaze and, slightly turning his head, flicked his hazel orbs towards her.  "Will he be there," Rogue whispered.

"I doubt it, kid," he responded softly.  He sighed and looked away, murmuring nearly inaudibly: "I hope not."

Rogue peered at him quizzically, leaning further over the arm of her seat.  "What," she asked quietly, stunned.  "Why not?"

She was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer when he finally looked over at her, his eyes gazing almost heart achingly at her.  "You'll get yourself killed.  You're not ready for this mission."

"What," she gasped, shaking her head.  "We don't know that.  Besides," she perked up, "you're probably counting down the days to when I'll be permanently out of your hair."

"Not true, kid."

Rogue snorted.  "Yeah, ok.  Since I've arrived you've been hot and cold with me the entire time.  One minute, you seem to genuinely not mind my presence.  And then the next?  You're a cruel, spiteful bastard."

Jean, in the seat in front of Rogue, released a laugh and glanced back behind her shoulder.  "Don't take it personally, Rogue.  He's only like that with people he likes."

"Well then it's a good thing I'm not on his hit list."

Gambit guffawed.  "Like Gambit?"

Rogue frowned.  "Poor Remy: rejected by women and men."

"Hey," Gambit defended.  "Gambit no mean it that way, chere.  And Gambit has plenty of female friends."

"Barbies don't count, swamp rat," Logan grumbled.

"Children," Scott scolded.  "Could we please?"  Under his breath, he added: "They're worse than Jubilee."

"Watch it, One-Eye," Logan barked.

A while later, they were at a desolate dam in the snowy region of Canada.  Unloading, Rogue looked around the crumbling compound, confused.  "This place looks abandoned."

"Never trust your eyes," Logan growled, swiftly extracting his claws as he sniffed the cool air.  "Scooter, keep your eye open," he said casually as he walked away from the group.

"Logan," Scott admonished as he and the others followed the Wolverine.

Logan led them passed a couple of rusted doors, taking a reverent moment to rub his gloved hand across the aging plaque.  He then snorted angrily and marched on.  Rogue paused while walking passed the sign in order to read the engraved words: ALKALI LAKE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. 

Rogue, baffled, looked amongst the others.  She'd heard that they were going to be facing Stryker's men, but she was at a loss as to why.  And she had no idea why they were at an apparently abandoned dam.  She hadn't asked too many questions earlier, too eager to meet up with her former employer.  Yet, now, she was afraid of looking inattentive, so she remained quiet.

"How do you expect us to get in," Scott hissed.

"Ringing the doorbell," Logan deadpanned.

Jean rolled her eyes. 

"They've got to know we're here by now," Storm stated, scanning the area for any sense of trouble.

"So what are they waiting for," Gambit voiced the question that was on all their minds.

Rogue looked from one X-man to another, her eyes settling on Logan's back as he hovered away from the group, sniffing the air.  "What are we waiting for?"

Something from the corner of her eye caught her attention and Rogue whirled around to see a shadow fall across the ground.  She darted her eyes around, but was unable to see anyone.  "Hey, guys, we're not alone."

"I know," Logan answered.  "I can smell them.  I just can't…" He roared as something unseen slammed into him, embracing him in a thin layer of darkness.  Logan struck back, slamming his claws into whatever was attacking him.

The mutant cried out, eventually forming into something solid.

"Shadow," Storm exclaimed.

Shadow vanished into the scenery, blending in with the many shadows caused from the looming complex.

In a flash, someone pounced on Rogue, sending the unexpected woman slamming into the frigid ground.  Her assailant was agile with sharp fangs and claws.  Rogue struggled to keep the razors from slashing her throat.

Scott blasted Cat off of Rogue with his laser eyes, sending the woman sailing back and crashing into an opposite wall.

Rogue scrambled to her feet and gulped.  She looked frantically to her rescuer.  "Thanks."

Scott raced to her side.  "Thank me later.  First, let's try and keep you alive."

"I've got no problem with that," Rogue replied.

An explosion ignited near her and Rogue whipped around to see Gambit chucking his playing cards at a mutant with a hard, gray outer skin.  He looked sort of like a rock, and apparently as durable as one for the charged cards was barely throwing him off.

Soldiers began to pour into the yard, weapons eager to fire.

The X-men were thrown into an all-out battle and along the way Rogue got separated, pushed deeper into the enclosed area.

Damn it, she thought.  Why couldn't I have a more useful mutation?

She found herself backed against a wall and she quickly looked around in search of an escape.  Her eyes fell on a door and – without a second thought – she rushed inside.

End Chapter Thirteen

See?  I promised it would be longer.