Thanks to:
Raphaella – Jean awaking is the focus of this chapter!
Oceanbang – Tons of New Recruit goodness in this chapter!
Kurttyscogue – She's ba-ack! And she's pissed off…
Furygrrl – There will be further Pyro/Jean in later chapters. And yes, she's already causing trouble – that's the Evil Jean we know and love!
UniversalAnimeGirl – I loved writing the catfight! I hope to put in another one in the real world in a later chapter. I hadn't thought about Rogue zapping the pilots to fly the plane, but it would make more sense. There will be an 'Impact' chapter shortly and the horsemen will be different to the ones in the programme, but that's all I'm saying for now! On the subject of Rogue keeping or losing Jean's powers, I haven't actually decided yet! I might keep some of them and lose others. This fic will end with 'Dark Horizons 2' but I may write my own twisted version of Season Five, I haven't decided yet.
XX-Goth-Gal – You're right, it was a scarab but I was using a transcript site for the info on the episode and because it kept saying 'spider' I used it too. What will Jean do when she wakes up? You're about to find out…
Rogue14 – An update the same day as I got your review, how's that for fast? Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Author Note: This is another one of those chapters written straight on to the computer (I'm updating faster than I can write) so let me know what you think. And for everyone waiting for an update of 'When We Grow Up', I'm planning on sending out the next two chapters at the same time, but I've been really snowed under lately. I'm hoping to add them in the next couple of days. Also, I finally got around to updating the default chapter and adding all the thank you notes a couple of days ago, but I was drunk when I did it, so I hope they make sense.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my beloved X-Men encyclopaedia and Ultimate X-Men and the updated Ultimate X-Men…wow, I really need to get a life.
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Jean stared at the ceiling, her mind slowly recalling recent events. She could remember being in Tibet, entering the tomb, Mystique being turned to stone…but try as she might, the last thing she could recall were the ageless eyes of Apocalypse staring into her own. After that, there was nothing.
Maybe she'd passed out?
Turning her head, she could make out some machines that seemed to be hooked to her body. She was in a hospital? More likely the medical bay of the Institute. After all, with Rogue's 'no touching' problem, no one would risk taking her to a regular hospital.
So why was there no one here? She would have thought that Scott or one of the instructors would look in on her, stay with her while she was unconscious. Even if they knew she wasn't Rogue, they'd want answers. But she seemed to be all alone in the semi-darkness of the room.
She forced herself to sit up, alarmed at how weak she was. Had she been out longer than she thought? Her muscles felt like they hadn't been used for an age. She put her head forward, feeling her hair tickle the skin on her arms…
Rogue's hair wasn't long enough to reach her arms.
Hand shaking, Jean grabbed a strand of hair and looked at it. It hadn't been washed for a while and the room was dark, but she could still make out the colour. Red, not brown. The skin of her hands wasn't as pale as Rogue's and she could still see the scar she'd gotten at aged eight falling onto some broken glass, on the back of her hand where it met the wrist.
I'm back in my own body!
Part of her was relieved. She'd liked looking like she did and had never realised just how much she used her good looks to get her own way until she'd masqueraded as Rogue. Another part of her wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. She could have used Rogue to gain infinite power, all the mutant abilities she could have stolen – that option was gone. And if she could have kept Mystique's powers, she could have still looked like herself.
Jean took a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate on her current situation. Time enough to brood on her lost powers later on. For now, she had to work out where she was and who else was in the building. Then she could get to a safe place and work out what to do next.
A quick scan with her mind confirmed she was at the Xavier Institute. There were only a few people still in the mansion – Sam, Amara, Jamie, Roberto and Ray. They were all involved in a game of 'Grand Theft Auto 3' and had no idea that she was awake.
Good.
Jean climbed out of the bed, worried about how her muscles had atrophied. It wasn't as bad as it might have been thanks to the Beast doing some physiotherapy on her unconscious body, but she still felt shaky and weak. She hunted around the room until she found her Acolyte uniform on a shelf in her bedside table. She dragged it on, still not feeling strong. The only part of her that seemed the same was her mind.
Somebody is going to pay for this.
She chose to fly rather than force her shaky legs to walk. Out of her room, where her body had resided ever since Rogue had drained her. Down the corridor and up the stairs, toward where the New Recruits were playing on the computer.
Jean floated outside the door, hearing their laughter as Roberto's character was killed. She could send them all insane if she wanted to, have them kill each other or themselves. Or she could crush their minds and leave them all drooling vegetables. A nice surprise for the X-Men when they returned from dealing with Apocalypse.
Apocalypse…She chose not to harm them. Instead, she implanted a few psychic suggestions before escaping through a window.
Roberto hurled down his controller in disgust. "That wasn't fair!"
"You were outclassed," replied Ray. "Admit it!"
"I was not!" Roberto turned into his Sunspot form and blasted a wall, which disintegrated under the pressure.
"That looked like fun." Amara changed into her lava form and blew a large hole in the ceiling.
"Woo-hoo!" Ray made the television explode. "This is more fun than any computer game!"
The New Recruits laughed and began using their powers to destroy the mansion.
00000000000000000000000000
The Professor turned from the X-Jets controls. "Any change?"
"None." Logan glanced down at the unconscious Rogue. "But I can get her scent again. It's as if the enhancements have faded."
"They probably have," replied the Professor. "Apocalypse drained all the personalities out of her, including Jean's. It makes sense that she would not retain the enhancements."
"So…who is she?" asked Logan.
"I don't know yet," admitted the Professor. "But if she truly has reverted back to Rogue, then we need to make sure that Jean is still in the Med bay. If Apocalypse drained off the extra personalities, then she had to go somewhere. If she's still in Rogue's head, she may take over again. And if not…"
"Then she might be back in her own body," finished Logan. "Have you got a message to the kids yet?"
"They're choosing to ignore me," said the Professor. "I can only hope it's rebellion about being left behind."
"Unlikely." Logan had another look at Rogue. "We need to get to them before she does."
"Even if she awakes in her own body, it's doubtful that she would have the strength to leave the bed." The Beast tried to look reassuring. "Her body has been there a long time."
"I've never met anyone as determined as Jean," said Logan. "If she wakes up, she won't be just lying there waiting for us."
There was no answer to this, but privately they all knew he was right.
No sooner had the X-Jet landed in the Institute than Scott was getting out, running to Jean's room to check on her.
"I'll go with him," said Logan, jumping out of the plane and following him. It took him only seconds to catch up. Scott was staring at the walls, graffiti painted all over the few walls that were undamaged.
"I'd say she's up," said Scott grimly.
Logan growled. "This wasn't her. The kids did this. But I doubt they were acting on their own impulses."
"She's trying to distract us," realised Scott. "We have to check if she's still around!"
"Way ahead of ya bub." Logan began running in the direction of the Med bay, only to be stopped by a young man flying toward him.
Cannonball.
"I knew I could beat you!" Cannonball smashed Wolverine through the wall and onto the floor. The boy grinned down at Logan, apparently realising that the man would not use his claws.
"Not even on your best day kid." Logan threw Sam off him and leapt back to his feet.
"We don't have time for this!" Scott blasted Sam with an optic beam, causing the boy to fly backwards. "We need to go check on Jean. The Professor is the only one who can get into their minds."
Unfortunately for them, some one had turned the stairs into dust with a stream of lava. Logan leapt into the chasm and landed at the bottom, thankful that the lava had cooled. His healing factor would have taken care of injuries, but third degree burns were still a pain in the ass.
"Coast's clear," he called up to Scott and a moment later the boy landed beside him. They scanned the darkened corridor for signs of movement, but there was nothing.
Scott straightened up and took his hand from his visor. "I think we're…"
"GAAAAAHH!"
Scott glanced up in confusion only to be hit by twelve Jamie's. He went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Logan sniffed out the real boy and picked him up, throwing him to one side. The clones hurried over to protect the boy from any further attack.
Rubbing the back of his head, Scott got back to his feet. "Thanks."
The pair hurried in the direction of the Med bay, Scott considering all the torments he would inflict on Jean when he got hold of her.
But it was her that you fell for, not Rogue…He didn't want to consider that.
As they passed a wall with 'Roberto Rules!' graffitied on it, Sunspot attacked them, emerging suddenly from an open door. Scott saw him coming and blasted him before he could get too close to them.
Logan stopped, putting his arm out to stop Scott. "Ray and Amara are close. Don't let you're guard down."
They advanced cautiously, trying to spy the two remaining threats. For a moment it seemed like they would learn from their fallen teammates – then a blast of electricity shot toward them, forcing them to dive out of the way. Ray came into view, grinning at them.
"Make you jump?" he asked, his hands beginning to glow with energy.
Logan tackled the boy before he could blast them again, knocking him to the floor. When he got up Ray remained on the floor, temporarily stunned.
"Let's go," he said, knowing it wouldn't take long for the others to recover. Not to mention that there was still Amara to take care of…
As soon as he thought it, a stream of lava bubbled up in front of them, totally cutting them off from their destination. Amara emerged from the darkness ahead, turning into her Magma form as she approached them.
Scott turned to see Ray getting up, no longer seeming amused. Roberto was walking up behind him, followed by seventeen Jamie's. In the distance he could see Sam flying through the hole in the ceiling.
"We're screwed."
"We might have to hurt them," responded Logan, popping his claws.
As Amara formed another ball of lava, she suddenly paused and reverted back to human form, her eyes glassy. The other New Recruits also stopped their advance and Sam flew right over their heads and into a wall.
I have them contained The Professor's told Logan and Scott telepathically. I'll undo the damage that Jean did but you must ensure that she is still in the mansion
"Yeah," growled Logan. "I have a few questions to ask her."
The pair ran to the Med bay and Scott hit the lights of the room that Jean had resided in.
The bed was empty.
Scott punched the doorframe. "Oh shit!"
Logan checked the cupboard where her clothes had been and found it empty. "She's been gone a while. No way we'll catch up to her now."
"But we need to find out what Apocalypse is doing!"
"Looks like we'll find out the hard way." Logan sent a telepathic message to the Professor. "In the meantime, we need to look after Rogue. At least we know it really is her."
"How do we know for sure?" Scott turned his back on Logan and glanced up at the New Recruits, who were still entranced. "Maybe Jean's still controlling her somehow."
Logan decided that it wasn't the best time to lecture Scott. It had been obvious from the scene on the football pitch that something had been going on between him and Rogue, or Jean as it turned out, and he didn't think it was necessary to upset the boy any further.
"If Jean's not here, she must have her own consciousness back, which means that Rogue will be Rogue."
"Unless some of Jean stays in her. We were all still conscious when she was imitating us."
There was no way to counter that argument. Logan silently went back toward the gap in the ceiling, grabbing Sam as the boy emerged from the heap of rubble. "C'mon kid, I'm gonna need a lift."
"Uh…" Sam let himself be dragged along. "Did we really just attack you?"
"Yeah," said Logan. "And you've all got a training session in the morning, with me. I'll get back at you then."
Roberto heard him. "Oh great."
Logan snarled as he saw a badly drawn caricature of himself on the wall. "And get this place cleaned up!"
Miraculously, the elevator was still in service and Beast carried Rogue into the Med bay, placing her into a spare bed. Scott, Lance and Kitty watched as he did a few tests on her.
"She seems uninjured," he said finally. "But it may be some time before she regains consciousness. Scott, would you like to stay with her?"
"I…no. No, I can't." Scott shook his head emphatically and left.
"We'll stay Mr McCoy," said Kitty.
Lance and Kitty settled down in the hard chairs, preparing for a long night after a difficult day. The Beast left the room and Kitty took Lance's hand. "Poor Scott."
"Yeah." Lance rubbed Kitty's knuckles absently with a finger, his mind still on the images he'd seen when Jean entered his mind.
Without her, Kitty'd hate me.
He could still see himself attacking her, trying to get the trans-dimensional device from the X-Men. In their reality he'd saved her. If not for Jean, he'd have avalanched her through a wall.
"Lance!"
"Huh?"
"I was talking to you. Weren't you listening to me?"
"I guess I'm just tired." He managed a smile for Kitty, the person he'd joined the X-Men for. "What were you saying?"
"On the football pitch, when Jean went into your mind – what did she show you?"
"Can we talk about it another time?" Lance looked at the floor. "I don't really feel up to discussing it now and I'd like us to talk about it alone. Not in front of Rogue. She's unconscious, but she might still be able to hear us."
"Oh. OK." Kitty seemed a bit put out, but Lance knew he needed time to work out what he'd seen before he tried to explain it to her.
"Poor Scott," she said again. "He seemed so hurt."
"Wouldn't you be?" asked Lance. "Turns out his girlfriend was a fraud."
Just like you…"That's not very fair," said Kitty. "We don't know how long they were seeing each other."
"From what he said, it was since she was able to touch. That was after Jean took over."
"Do you think she'll still be able to touch?"
Lance shook his head. "I don't know."
In the lab, the Beast hooked Mystique up to some machines and tried to judge if she could still be alive in spite of being turned into stone. The Professor and Logan looked on.
"There doesn't seem to be any sign of life," concluded the Beast. "But I can't be 100 sure."
"And I can't get a telepathic reading on her mind," added the Professor.
"But with her enhancements, you couldn't get a read on her when she was walking and talking," pointed out Logan. "She could still be alive."
"That's a horrible thought," said Beast. "To still be conscious but unable to move…but she's not breathing. I can't find a heartbeat or any brain activity."
"Which doesn't mean that she's not alive," said the Professor. "We need to keep trying."
"Rogue's gonna love that," said Logan. "And speaking of Rogue…"
"She's fine, physically." Beast sighed and made his way over to them. "But mentally? I think she's going to have some problems."
"I haven't been into her mind yet," said the Professor. "I don't want to invade her psyche without her permission. But with her enhancements seemingly gone, I should be able to enter her mind and ensure that she has no trace of Jean remaining."
Logan gave the Professor a look. "And Scott?"
"Scott." The Professor steepled his fingers. "I had no idea that he and Rogue, or Jean, were involved. He seems to be taking this very badly. But only time will tell how much this will affect him."
"Your girlfriend turns out to be your enemy?" Logan folded his arms and leant against the wall. "I know how I'd take it."
"And we need to find Jean," added the Beast. "She could answer some of our questions."
"Yes." The Professor frowned. "Unfortunately, Cerebro cannot trace her thanks to her enhancements and unless she shows up, we have no way to find her."
"She's been unconscious for months, she's weak and tired and confused." Logan thought about it. "She's alienated everyone who might have helped her and she needs a place to lie low for a while. She's got no money and she's in uniform. She's gonna stand out. Where might she go?"
The others shook their heads. "I have no idea," admitted the Beast. "I would think she'd find a place to hide. An empty house maybe."
"I'm gonna go look for her," said Logan, walking toward the door. "I've gotta do something. Let me know if Rogue wakes up."
"We will." The Professor watched Logan leave, not liking the mans chances but knowing he had to do something.
Because Jean may be our only chance to find out what Apocalypse is planning – and she's gone.