AN: Ah Ha! In this chapter, all is revealed!
Chapter 15: Deceit
By The Sphinx Minx
When Rogue came to, she knew one thing. Well two things actually.
Mystique wouldn't live to see the next morning.
And there was no way in hell she was going under that light even if she had to kill every single person in the room.
She cautiously opened her eyes and quickly closed them as a harsh light suddenly blinded her. She heard Mystique/Fury speak to the scientists.
"How do you know she just won't become more powerful?"
"It depends on the distance the mutant is from the light. The closer they are,
the more the hormone that feeds their X-Gene is boosted, and the more their
power is boosted."
When Mystique/Fury nodded his understanding the scientist continued;
"We didn't know most of this until we placed the light in a satellite and planted it about a mile above the cabin we learned the X-Men vacation in. After they were struck, we were delighted with the results. We learned that generally, a mutated body, although defected, is balanced, like the human body. Too much of one hormone, or one overactive gland, and it has a detrimental effect on the body. In male mutants, the hormone attacks the part of the brain where control over the power is created. All mutants even those such as Rogue, have some degree of control over their powers. They are balanced, as I said. When the balance is disturbed, control in males is lost and the power consumes the body."
Mystique/Fury was now circling the table where Rogue was strapped, looking up at what was suspended above her. A Plexiglas box that was clouded, impossible to see through. The part facing down was different from the rest of the box, it had a flat metal cover, with a large, approximately, 4-foot hole in the center. It was impossible to see what was in the hole due to the Plexiglas. Mystique could take a guess, but she picked up the paperwork to be sure. The scientist continued talking.
"In female mutants, a slightly different effect is caused by the light. We suspect that the estrogen and the X-gene hormone are in a delicate balance in a female body. We also hypothesized that in a female mutant body, the mutant power is stressed to the breaking point. If the light is inflicted on them, the hormone keeps boosting the ability caused by the mutation until the psyche is lost in the power and the body is eventually consumed. That's the scientific explanation General, all you need to know is that the mutant freaks are destroyed by their mutation. Poetic huh?"
Mytique/Fury said nothing, only continued looking from the paperwork to the light. The scientist nervously waited for instructions.
Rogue tested the straps and found she could easily break out of them. Mystique had turned off the collar again without the SHIELD agents knowing. Although her eyes were closed, she could still sense Mystique/Fury circling her. It came as a surprise however when she felt Mystique/Fury's hand brush against her face.
The scientist looked up from the computers surrounding the X-Woman. "Vitals show the subject is waking up. We better leave the isolation room. Woah, General are you alright?"
Mystique/Fury had stumbled slightly after the brief power drain. It took all her concentration to maintain the illusion of the SHIELD General but it was a necessary risk. Mystique needed to communicate the plan to Rogue. She was to wait until the light was powered on, immediately break free, grab the light and escape through the roof. To avoid suspicion Mystique/Fury could then claim that the light overrode the collar and it wasn't his fault the scientists didn't restrain the mutant properly. In the chaos that would follow Rogue's escape, Mystique/Fury would pocket the paperwork on the light and hang around yelling at various people until it was safe to leave.
That was the plan.
It didn't work.
As soon as Mystique/Fury had turned their back on Rogue, she burst free from the restraints and hovered in the air.
The men spun around and it was impossible to tell who was more shocked. Fury grabbed the scientist and threw him toward the door. "Get out! And don't let anyone in!" he roared. At the same time, he grabbed the collar control in his pocket, but Rogue had already ripped it off. She was looking positively feral.
Rogue looked at the table she had been strapped to and grabbed it. She ripped the solid metal structure from the ground and hurled it at the light box they were about to use on her. Upon impact, there was a massive explosion. Mystique/Fury covered her head with her arms as the shards of glass and metal, some alight with fire, rained down on her. Rogue had destroyed the only light left. Directly against Xavier's orders.
Before Mystique could do anything, Rogue had grabbed her by the arm and taken off again, this time through the roof. As the SHIELD agents fired after her, she disappeared into the sky.
Rogue flew at top speed for a few minutes before landing in a forest. She threw Mystique on the ground, where she landed in a heap. She quickly regained her natural form and stood up. Furious, she shouted at Rogue "What the hell were you thinking!? You really fuc-ughk!" Rogue had pushed her into a tree and wrapped her fingers around her foster mother's throat.
"Do me a favor Mystique; when you finally die, can you close your eyes or something so I know for sure, because you're already blue so I can't really tell from your skin." With her teeth, she pulled off the glove on her other hand "or perhaps you'd like to see what it feels like to have your life drained from you?"
Mystique looked into Rogue's cold blue eyes and could form only one coherent though. She tried to speak, but couldn't.
Rogue tilted her head; "Oh, you have some last words? All right, lets hear them." She loosened her death grip slightly.
Mystique took a long deep slow breath, and coughed out what she had to say. "You…you're not Rogue."
Rogue's eyes narrowed and she backhanded Mystique with her bare hand.
"It's so ironic, this is all your fault. It's your fault Rogue has these powers. But they're mine and I'm about to kill the second person responsible for me losing them. Good-bye you evil manipulative bitch."
Mystique closed her eyes and focused. She needed to morph one last time; it was her only hope. Reluctantly, her body complied even as her thoughts began to fuzz. She opened her eyes to watch Rogue's face. Then Mystique stabbed her.
Rogue's eyes widened as she staggered back, three stab wounds in her abdomen, blood dripping. She tripped over a log as she backed up and crashed to the forest floor. Her blue eyes closed her as she fell to the ground. Mystique looked down at her before collapsing as well, still in midmorph to Wolverine's form.
In her mind, as she fell, she screamed to Xavier.
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Hundreds of miles away, Charles snapped his head up from Cerebro. He had been unable to maintain mental contact with either Mystique or Rogue in case there were detectors of psychic activity in the building they were infiltrating. But he decided to go to Cerebro so he could track any of Mystique's shape shifting in case anything went wrong.
It appeared something had gone wrong.
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The X-Men sat on the jet quietly. They knew it wasn't good when the Professor called to them to assemble at the jet. Their worst suspicions were confirmed. Mystique had called out to Xavier before she passed out…or died, which most likely meant they had been discovered and captured.
Unusually though, Cerebro had located the two women in the middle of the forest, not in some government facility. Because of this, the X-men had to be ready for anything; it could be a trap
But when they landed and spread out, they found no trap, only Mystique with bruises on her neck and blood on her claws, unconscious on her side. A few feet away lay Rogue unconscious on her back, three wounds in her abdomen. No one was sure what happened but that could be decided later. First priority was to get the injured back to the mansion.
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A few hours later, Xavier entered the medilab to talk to Henry McCoy.
"Hello Hank, how are the patients?"
"Well, both unconscious. Oh yes, there have been various attempts on Mystique's life since arrival. Lets see…Wolverine was first, said something along the lines of 'You like these claws huh? Lets see how you like them puncturing your liver!' A few minutes after I chased him out, Gambit burst in yelling in that Cajun dialect we've all become so fond of. I had to call in Colossus to help, but that didn't help. He managed to break free, and I fear Gambit would have indeed killed her if Kurt had not bamfed him away. When Kurt returned, he ranted at Mystique in German for a while and I suspect he didn't trust himself, for he quickly bamfed again. Psylocke entered then, but I managed to talk some sense into her before she permanently fried Mystique's brain. Lets see…Joseph popped in, but I sent him on his way. Yes it would appear people are not happy with my decision to treat Mystique."
Xavier put a hand on Beast's shoulder; "It's not easy doing what's right sometimes…now I think it's time I paid Mystique a little visit.
Professor Charles Xavier rolled over to Mystiques bedside. He closed his eyes and slid into her mind, where he was promptly assaulted
About time Xavier! What took you so long?!
We had to make sure you were stable, complicated by the numerous attempts on your life since you arrived.
WHAT!? Mystique screeched those little ungrateful snots! I got the information that you wanted and almost got killed by that psycho you morons thought was Rogue! An-
Wait Mystique, what do you mean? YOU tried to kill Rogue.
Mystique laughed humorlessly, her mental projection's face looked twisted. Rogue? ROGUE? Rogue is GONE Oh So Wise Professor or haven't you geniuses noticed that your resident Southern Belle had been acting a little stra-
Xavier blinked. He'd been forcefully pulled out of Mystique's mind. It was one of the many safety features he'd set up in his mind to prevent his body from being harmed while his mind was travelling. If his body were attacked, his mind would be recalled from the psionic plane. It was immediately clear why he had been recalled.
Rogue had kicked his wheelchair into the wall, and was advancing. He called out to the X-Men, fearing the worst.
Rogue bent down, grabbed Xavier by the shoulders, and pushed him against the wall. He looked into her blue eyes. "Hello Carol."
She grinned "Hello Charles, took you long enough."
"What do you want?"
"I have what I want; my life back. And you're not going to keep me here while your little friends rush to your rescue. Just know this. Rogue is gone. I am back. Stay the hell out of my way!"
Gambit arrived first into the lab. "Chere! What are you doing?!"
Carol turned and flung Xavier at the Cajun. They slammed into the wall and dropped to the ground. Carol grabbed Rogue's uniform from the chair and plowed through the ceiling, disappearing into the distance.
AN: Ohhhh 1900 words! Not bad! So some of you guessed what was going on with Rogue, kudos to you! Now that we know what is going on in the Southern Belle's head, what can the X-Men do to help?