Rogue squared off at the far side of the room, regarding the Fury, sizing her up. It helped greatly to think of her that way. It made it easier to fight... what was essentially herself. All her psychological struggling made flesh, it would seem. Still, all she had to do was knock the Fury out and she could hurry on her way. Maybe she could even help the Fury, remove the chip she knew was in her head.
Was their even a chip? Rogue hesitated... was she capable of something like this? Even in a world as horrible as this. She shuddered fearfully... she didn't know.
The Fury watched Rogue, sizing her up as well, her stance widening as she held out her arms in a fighting position. Her eyes were the same green Rogue saw every day in the mirror, but they were cold, they were dull. It was like some machine. Some terrible sentinel machine.
Still, Rogue did have a distinct advantage over her dark self. Carol's powers still filled her, and Rogue was still essentially a template as long as she hadn't managed to absorb anyone...
The hope died as birth as Rogue saw the Fury grow, her body developing perhaps an additional half-foot as metal plates formed along her skin, encasing her as they had moments ago Colossus. Great, though Rogue, more to worry about.
Reluctantly Rogue took up a fighting stance, waiting for the Fury to make the first move.
She wasn't disappointed.
The Fury launched herself as Rogue, fist flying. Rogue caught it... barely, and staggered backwards, digging her foot into the ground to keep from moving. Colossus's powers made him a lot stronger than Ms. Marvel had been. Thus, they would be the same when echoed in the two Rogues.
Rogue pushed the Fury's fist aside and launched one of her own, catching the dark counterpart on the chin and sending her reeling... barely. Rogue winced, wringing her hand as the Fury smirked, regaining her feet. Another important difference... Rogue could still feel pain. Her sense of pain and pleasure had not been affected by her invulnerability. Knowing firsthand what it was like being encased in iron skin, Rogue knew that the Fury could not feel any sort of sensation other than extreme pressure. She couldn't smell or taste either, but that really wasn't vital information right now.
The Fury lashed out again, and Rogue back-flipped this time to avoid being hit, dodging the Fury's blows as they came in rapid, one-two attacks, trying to catch her off guard. So far, Rogue was proving the faster of the two. She spun around, lashing out her leg to try and trip the Fury, but she'd seen it coming and leapt up and over the kick, slamming her fist into the ground and narrowly missing Rogue as she rolled out of the way and flew up into the air, trying to regain some ground. She needed a moment or two to regain her thoughts.
The Fury didn't plan on giving her any, grabbing her leg as she tried to escape and slamming her down hard against the ground, cracking the granite in a perfect indent around her body. Hurt like hell, but the pain passed quickly as Rogue realized she was for the most part undamaged. She lashed out with her foot, spinning in mid-air in a move that could only be described as Matrix-esque, twirling like a cyclone and slamming her foot into the Fury's jaw, sending her staggering back once again.
Rogue quickly regained her feet as the Fury regained hers. There had to be some deciding factor. Rogue needed to get around that armor plating. She would never be able to render the Fury unconscious... or, in the worse of scenarios, kill her... with her protected so. She wasn't powerful enough.
If it was Colossus himself, I'd just touch him and render him unconscious... she thought.
Wait, would that even work? Could Rogue's power work on... Rogue herself?
Not the best time to find out, she reminder herself, as the Fury rushed at her again, grabbing Rogue by the front of the uniform and slamming her hard against the wall. Rogue growled, pushing away, but the Fury grabbed the back of her head and slammed her down hard again... and again... and again. Rogue moaned painfully. The Fury growled, throwing her hard, using all her strength to send Rogue crashing through the wall. Huge chunks of granite started to fall onto her body, and she barely felt them... she'd been pushed past her threshold of pain. Soon she'd be past the limits of her invulnerability, and then she'd be dead.
No! she thought. I can't give up now! I was gonna go home!
Rogue grunted, pushing up the chunks of stone that had half-buried her, rising to her feet. Her arms drooped, her breath came in quick gasps as she managed to stand. And then to fly again. She launched herself forward with a vicious flying kick, catching the Fury full in the chest and sending her flying straight into the opposite wall with only slightly less force than she'd been. Rogue dropped to her feet, then to one knee, barely able to keep her focus. She was exhausted.
Don't get up, she thought. Please don't get up.
Seems today decided to be especially cruel to Rogue (as if the past two weeks hadn't been sheer hell already) as the Fury staggered to her feet. But she seemed dazed, holding her head, shaking it. Perhaps... maybe Rogue had managed to damage her. All the jostling around was shaking her brain up. No matter how tough her skin was, she was vulnerable on the inside. Hit her enough, and she'd lose consciousness.
That is, if Rogue didn't first. Already she felt her vision blur. It was getting harder to breath. She needed to rest... instead, she pushed through the pain and stood, waiting for her dark counterparts next move.
Both of them regarded one another for a moment, panting for breath, giving each other a chance to rest while they re-evaluated their opinions of one another, as well as took in each other's damage. Rogue's uniform was slashed and torn along her shoulder and torso, but still functional and covered all it needed to. She was unmarked, of course... she couldn't get a cut or bruise with Marvel's invulnerability. But her hair was frizzled and shot out in every direction, and she was covered in dust. The Fury didn't look much better. Some of her black armor had broken off, and her chest plate was cracked from Rogue's vicious kick. Despite this, her eyes were just as cold as ever.
Then she totally surprised Rogue, reaching down and deliberately stripping off her gloves, tossing them both aside. Has she come to the same conclusion as Rogue? To try and absorb her... but... was that even possible?
Seems I'm about to get a crash course, thought Rogue, stripping off her own gloves and sliding them into her belt. Just hope I don't crash and burn.
Now both of them bare-fisted, they squared off again. The Fury charged forward, swinging her iron fist, and Rogue arched her back, dodging it while still maintaining her balance, and bouncing back little a spring, slamming her counterpart in her unprotected gut, doubling her over. But the Fury lashed out, and grabbed Rogue's face with her bare hands.
Rogue had heard recounts of the experience of having their life drained. From Kurt, from Scott, from Kitty, from just about anyone she'd touched. They'd told her, because she'd asked. She wanted to know what it was like. But she'd never imagined how painful it had felt, until the day she'd finally had it used upon herself by Apocalypse. He'd used his powers to absorb hers, as well as everyone else's, and she felt, for once in her life, the pain of having her life drawn out of her.
Now she felt that pain again. Both of them did. Both of them had contact with each other's skin. Rogue screamed in pain, and Fury echoed with a low moan... like an animal. But she kept her death-lock on Rogue's face, even as Rogue grabbed her arms, trying to pry her off. It was no good.
Memories flashed across both their minds, as their brains absorbed all the knowledge the other had. Rogue saw glimpses of her other selves life... it was so intense and powerful it was as if she herself had led it. For a long moment both of them screamed, overwhelmed by each other's memories. They couldn't tell who they were anymore. All they knew was that the other had to perish.
Suddenly the power increased, and Rogue screamed more deeply, as her counterpart grinned, gritting her teeth against the pain. She was focusing her power, using it to draw out Rogue's life energy. She wanted to kill her... like she'd nearly killed Cody, Kurt, and countless others. Draw her life out and leave her a helpless husk.
No! I don't want to die! I want to go home... I want to live!
"I want to live!" shouted Rogue.
She roared, lunging forward and grabbed at her dark counterpart's face. The two titans locked their grips, as Rogue also began to focus her power. She'd never done it before. She'd never had to. All she needed to do was touch someone, that was usually enough to activate her powers. But she knew how instinctively, and she focused it... concentrating... to overpower the darker version of herself and win. There was no turning back now.
Both Rogue's strength and power vanished, lost in the maelstrom of their life-force as they locked in an epic struggle, trying to over power the other. It was quite literally good versus evil. And only one could emerge from the battle.
Suddenly there was a flash, and the battle was over.
But who had won?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rogue?" came a soft voice. "Rogue... wake up..."
"Mmmm... not now Kitty, just a few more minutes," she grumbled, her eyes shut tightly. God, her head hurt...
"Kitty?"
"Scott... Scott!" she shouted, sitting upright. Cyclops caught her shoulder gently. But not her Cyclops... the other Cyclops. No... wait...
He -was- her Cyclops. Her Scott. And he wasn't. This was her world... no... she didn't belong here. Slowly, gradually, the second thoughts began to replace the first... and Rogue realized who had won.
She had.
The Fury that had been Rogue lay on the ground, utterly drained of life. Yet her expression was not one of rage... but one of peace. She had finally found peace. Rogue sighed, looking away from her, and felt sick to her stomach. She'd seen her thoughts... she knew what'd happened to the other Rogue. She'd be happier as she was now... at peace. But Rogue could not feel so calm about seeing a body that was, in all essence, herself. She might herself look like that someday. She shuddered again.
"Be at peace," she whispered softly. Then she turned and saw Cyclops. He had a mixture of emotions painted across his features. Anger, confusion, love, hatred. He was just as confused as she was. He offered her a hand up, and she accepted, still woozy.
"There was nothing else you could've done," he said. It was phrased more as a question than a statement.
"No. I'm sorry Scott," she whispered.
"Come on," he said, his voice choked with emotion. He couldn't deal with this now... he had to deal with it later. Right now he had important things to do. "We have to find Magneto..."
Suddenly a hum penetrated the building. Deeper than before. Louder.
It had begun.
Author's Notes:
Rogue vs. AU Rogue? My best frickin' fight ever, I think. I love fights best when I have only two people to write. And better, two people of equal levels of power and ability. Those always make for the biggest slugfests. Obviously, the AU Rogue was referred to as the Fury to keep it easier than the audience reading and going 'which Rogue?' every time something happened. And Rogue absorbed herself... does that not boggle your mind? Blame RoguesKnight's 'Losing Control and Finding your Heart.' If you read that, you also know what other things I have in store for poor Rogue. Oh no, I ain't done with her yet... not by a long shot.
Nessie6: Possibilities indeed. I know there would be many when I decided to include Kitty among the Fury roster. Ironic how most of the core X-Men are bad guys in this universe, is it not? And Rogue vs. Rogue. Was it good? I hope it was.
X00001: Shocking. Excellent. I love to surprise the audience. Surprise after surprise until they don't know what's coming. And then big happy, sappy endings, followed by lunch.
Princess Myra: We'll see. After all, Sandoz would have my head if I hurt precious Lance and Kitty too much. And you're exactly right about how Rogue and her alter self were on even ground. More or less, at least. I wanted to draw out the fight.
Son of Logan and Ororo: Gotcha, Punisher not worth it. I kinda figured that when they made Travolta into the villain. Meh. I'll go see Hellboy instead, when I get the chance.
ViciousAssassin: Was the Rogue fight everything you had hoped it would be? Did the victor surprise you? (of course not). Back to the plot, back to the tie-ins and Rogue's growth before she goes home. The war goes on.
Star-of-chaos: Rejoicing? Rogue just killed herself! How mind boggling is that?! It is the opposite of rejoicing. Inner demons nothing, this is real and physical and smackin' Rogue around like she's a redheaded stepchild. Oh wait…
Spectra2: Her, Spectra2. Comet-hime is a woman. And any cookie is fine, as long as you continue to read and review my stories. Mmmm… delicious reviews. How I crave them *scarfs down reviews.*
Risty: I'm very glad I explained it then, before I got barraged by questions as to why David not Jean. No telepathy, brain surgery ruined her by accident. Poor Jean. Rogue vs. Rogue fight? Hell yeah… always fun to see two power houses go for an all out slug fest.
Universalanimegirl: My, that's a mouthful. Huzzah, I can reply mucho to your extra big review! And you did know, it was so uncanny I swore you had telepathy. Definitely Fubar. Glad you enjoyed the dramatic and meaningful deaths. As for Magneto, you shall indeed see.
Sandoz: You're so anti-Jean sometimes it's scary. And yes, Kitty and Jean are all still alive. Rescue? Well maybe. Did the Rogue vs. Rogue fight look good? You did a great Lance vs. Avalanche fight. Character fights can be the absolute best.
Dark_serpeant89: Well I hope I wrote it well, is all I can say.