"Next on Global News Network: a plane in Warsaw lands i vertically /i on a runway in Warsaw, Poland after the tail was blown off by terrorists." The TV screen in the kitchen of the Xavier Institute showed a large 767 floating down to the pavement. The reporter continued: "It is believed that this heroic act is attributable to a mutant passenger with tremendous amount of electromagnetic control. Witnesses claim that the man fled soon after the plane had landed. Grayson Creed, who was on the plane, has his own opinion about this incident." Grayson appears on the screen.
"We have no evidence that this mutant actually saved the plane and its passengers. For all we know, he could have staged this entire incident to gain more pro-mutant support. Whether this act was genuine or not, it proves that mutants are extremely dangerous if they have this kind of potential power. What if a one with similar abilities got hold of some nuclear missiles? I for one-" Scott turned off the TV with disgust.
"Well, we know were Mr. Lehnsherr is," Kurt noted, "although, this situation does further prove that he really has turned over a new leaf."
"But what would he be doing in Poland?" Jean asked. She looked at Xavier, who was obviously hiding something. The professor sighed and gave in.
"Perhaps he is visiting his past," he suggested. The X-men gave him confused looks.
"What kind of past?" Kitty asked and then added: "but then, if it's like Logan's, maybe we don't want to know."
"Erik is a Holocaust survivor," the professor said. The "light" went on in his students' heads. A chorus of "ahhhs" could be heard.
"That explains a lot," Scott agreed.
"It was in the concentration camp of Birkenau that he began to lose faith in humanity."
"That makes sense," Kurt thought out loud. "If I saw millions of people murdered in front of my eyes, I would too. That would really stink."
"So, I guess he's not behind Rogue's kidnapping," Jean assessed.
"I still think he is," Scott disagreed. "He must have some plan up his sleeves…"
"Personally," Kurt added, "I have my money on Gambit."
"Who was one of Magneto's henchmen, remember?" Scott was still sure that Erik had something to do with this.
"If only Logan were here," Rahne sighed.
"Which reminds me," said the professor, "Logan is coming back a bit earlier than planned."
"How much earlier?" Kitty asked.
"He should return tonight."
"Chere, wakeup." Gambit gently shook Rogue's shoulder. It was early Friday morning. Rogue slowly got up and yawned.
"What is it?" she asked sleepily.
"Da coast guard," Gambit whispered, "is on da way. We gotta get going." Rogue's eyes popped open and she stood up.
"What's the plan?" she asked, now fully alert.
"Da plan is simple," he told her. "Jus' follow me."
"Good enough," she sighed. She did not like trusting someone in this way, but somehow, she was okay with relying on Gambit.
Gambit grabbed Rogue's arm and ran up the stairs. It was twilight-ish and very misty. A breeze blew over them as Rogue smelled the salty ocean water.
"Now all we have t'do is find a life raft, an' motor away. " Gambit dashed across the deck, searching for a boat. They found a small white Barnett with big blue sails hanging over the starboard side of the boat. Looking at the port side, they spotted a light in the distance, coming closer.
"The coast guard," Rogue whispered. "Hurry!"
When they turned around, they came face to face with two big sailors.
"It seems ta me that we have stowaways," one of them said.
"We'll see what the cap'n has ta say about this," said the other. He pointed to Gambit. "I know you," he realized, "you're the one that jipped all that money at that poker game. I don't like being cheated on." He clenched his fists and advanced towards him. Gambit pulled out his cool retractable pole and extended it. He swiped it under the sailors feet, tripping them.
"Run!" he yelled at Rogue. They dashed for the ship but Rogue was caught at by one of the fallen sailors. She pulled off her glove and touched his face. The sailor went cold and released his grip. The other sailor, who had gotten up, crouched over his friend, trying to wake him up.
The two made it to the boat and jumped it. They hastily untied the ropes and let the boat down. It hit the water with a smack and began to drift away. Gambit was at the tiller, looking around.
"Sapriste! Dis thing ain' got no motor!" he exclaimed. Rogue paid no attention to him and began releasing the sails.
"An' what da heck is a sailboat doing 'ere anyway?" Gambit continued.
"Then well just have to sail, Gambit," she said. She herself had never sailed in her life, but she got enough of a dose of the sailor's memories to gain the skill. She grabbed the mainstream and tiller. Pushing the boom out, she turned them out of irons and led them on a reach. She skillfully leaned to the starboard side as the boat tilted sideways and zipped through the mist.
Erik looked out the train window at the beautiful country. It was an almost three hour train ride to Krakow, and every minute of it reminded him of a different train. Fifty people were crammed in a cattle car, on a journey that took days, without food or water…
He had managed to slip out of the airport in the confusion. Taking a few metros and busses, he had made his way to the train station and boarded the train that he was currently on.
He looked around the spacious cabin that he was sitting in it. Five other people sat with him, two to the left and three across from him. They were either reading or sleeping. Tourists, he thought to himself. Krakow was known for its market place; a huge one it was. Erik sighed. He was not interested the shopping attractions of the area.
"Gambit," Logan confirmed. He and the X-men were standing in Rogue's room as Logan sniffed around.
"I knew it!" cried Kurt. Logan growled. He never liked the Cajun and probably never would.
"This time," he vowed, "I'm running him through. Whether Rogue likes it or not."
Continuing his tracking, he followed the same path Rahne had led them on days earlier. They marched in and out of the kitchen and out the door. When they ended up on the beach, Logan stopped.
"What?" Bobby asked.
"Something's just bugging me," Logan answered, "I'll tell you guys later." He continued up to the woods and stopped on the dirt road, where Rahne had stopped earlier.
"Why, Rogue?" he asked. "I don't get it." He turned to the others. "There was no struggle. Our friend wasn't kidnapped, Gambit took her off, willingly." The X-men looked at him, astounded.
"But why would she do that?" Kitty asked.
"I don't know," Logan admitted.
"X-men, I need you back at the institute," Xavier's voice spoke in their heads. All the X-men ran back to the mansion.
"Cerebro has located Rogue," Xavier said. "She used her powers in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of France."
"France," Scott mused, "Might be on her way to Poland…"
"Will you knock if off!" Rahne barked. Everyone looked at her. It was completely out of her character to jump in like that. "I mean," she looked down, "I know Mr. Lehnsherr isn't the must honorable person, but you don't have to blame him for everything bad that happens. Plus, Rogue went off with Gambit willingly, remember?"
"It's just-" Scott started.
"It's no matter Scott," the professor settled. "I do trust the Erik has nothing to do with this, but we need to keep an open mind,"-he looked at Scott-"all of us."
"Let me go ready the X-Jet," Logan muttered. "I have a feeling that we'll be going after her."
"Yes, Logan," Xavier agreed. "I've set the coordinates in the X-Jet's computer already. Scott, Kurt, you will accompany Logan on this mission." He looked at the remaining X-men. "The rest of you are expected to attend school tomorrow." The group marched off to bed with their head hung, complaining.
"Rahne?" the professor called. Rahne walked up.
"Yes, Prof?" she answered.
"I would like you to accompany the Logan, Scott and Kurt on this mission."
"Why me?" she asked. She had never been allowed on a mission before.
"Because you have given a great deal of aid already." He raised his eyebrow. "I also would like to see you hone your tracking skills. I'm sure Logan could help you with that."
"Okay," Rahne accepted. She didn't know what to think. Sure, her first real mission, but she didn't really know Scott and Kurt, and nobody really knew Logan. All of her friends, the New Mutants, besides Bobby, had left the institute. Maybe she would too, if only she had a place to go.
She ran to her room and got suited with her uniform. Morphing to her wolf form she ran out her door and down to the X-Jet's runway. Scott and Kurt were waiting for her there as Logan prepped the plane. They ran inside and closed the door. Within seconds, the jet was off.
Erik was working in the crematory, as usual. What a terrible position; he had to check the gassed bodies for any valuables that the SS could use. Well, at least it kept him alive.
He sighed, looking at the ahead of him for today. This time the monsters had gassed another load of children. Children. If he ever made it out of this alive, he would do everything in his power to prevent such prejudice rule the world again.
Erik made his way over to the fresh corpses and opened a young girl's mouth. (Doing this everyday has a way of hardening you.) No fillings. He proceeded to the next victim, which was a younger boy, probably seven or eight years old. Children typically didn't have fillings, so his work would be light today.
He proceeding to the next cadaver and stopped. It was Shard. And for a first time he felt an emotion so rare to him, he hadn't felt it for years. He was sorrowful for his friend. She of course had predicted her death, and was right. Erik scolded himself; he couldn't believe he had let such sentiments get to him. But still, she was the closest thing he had had to a friend…
Sadly, he proceeded in opening her mouth to check for fillings. As soon as he touched her skin, her eyes popped open.
"Don't even think about it," she said, jokingly. Erik looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
"How the heck-" Shard quickly got up and put a hand over his mouth.
"Shhhh!" She looked around. "I don't let anyone hear you." She sat Erik down. He looked extremely dumbfounded.
"I managed to fake my own death; and it worked," she whispered. "Healing abilities help a lot when you're inhaling cyanide." Erik, who was regaining his composure, managed to speak.
"So what now?" he asked.
"Well…" she started, "look what I can do." Erik watched as Shard's skin began to change and twist. She grew leaner and her hair shortened. After she finished morphing Erik stared at a mirror image of himself.
"My block is full of 'different' people with 'abilities.' That would be why they were in Auschwitz I, right? I managed to sap this power with a couple others."
"Whoa," he said, "freaky." Shard changed back into her normal self.
"I can, apparently, have more than one. And just think…" she started, "if some SS soldier were to walk out of here…"
"With a 'prisoner' with him…" Erik continued. He was really liking this girl now.
"No one would stop him…" her voice faded off.
"But when?" Erik asked.
"As soon as possible. But after I break into the records and mark 14780 as 'dead.'"'
"Why?"
"Because," Shard answered, "your entire block gets punished if you go missing."
"So?"
"So!" she exclaimed in a whisper, "Did you consider the human cost? It wouldn't be right…"
"Shard," he implored, "morals don't exist in places like this. Who cares about the next person? It's everyone for yourself free-for-all."
"Is it really?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Then why am I risking my life to save you?" she inquired. Erik wisely shut up at that point. Shard continued, "I should be ready in a couple days. I'll find you right after roll. Be ready to leave." She began to walk away but then turned back.
"And here," she handed him a metal chain. "I get bored sometimes." Erik took the necklace with large chain links ending at a spiky star-like thing. It was… beautiful.
"For friendship," she said, showing Erik an identical one around her neck. "Fused some bits and pieces of scrap together. It took me a while to carve out the star until I realized that I could use your power to help me. So thanks." Erik put his on and tucked it under his shir . There is no way the SS was seeing this.
"Thank you," he expressed.
"I'll be going." She transformed into a fully uniformed SS officer. "I have some business to attend to." And with that, she marched out of the crematory, leaving Erik to resume his job. He stood, staring for a few seconds, glad to have been reminded on such humanly things. Friend, he thought, haven't heard that word in ages…
Erik woke up as the train pulled to a halt. He must have been dreaming again…
He walked out of the train station in Krakow and walked to a large parking lot with giant tour-buses parked in it. There he purchased a ticket to Oswiechim. Finding the right bus he boarded it and waited for it to depart. After a few minutes as other people (mostly tourists) boarded the bus was off on its long country drive.
"There's the shore!" Rogue exclaimed. She loosened the mainsheet and slowed the small Barnett down.
Gambit was amazed a how fast the little sailboat had traveled. Not what he was expecting. And he really enjoyed sailing with Rogue… He looked up at her. She was standing up with the tiller in one hand and the mainsheet in the other. What a girl. Someone he could easily fall in love with…
Rogue guided them to the beach. It was deserted, as most beaches are early in the morning. The keel began to scrape the sand, so Rogue pulled the dagger board out and jumped out of the boat. Taking the cord attached to the bow of the boat, she pulled it ashore and found large rock to tie it to.
"I guess we'll just leave it here," she said. "I can't think of anything else to do with it."
"I think you be right, chere," Gambit agreed. The two walked away from the beach and onto a road.
"Do you have any idea as to where we are?" Rogue asked.
"Uhhhh…" He looked at the nearest road sign. "Some coastal city in France. Now we jus' need t'catch da next bus t'Paris."
They walked down the road into the busy city. French speaking people were chatting, even at this waking hour, and going about their business. Rogue looked around in confusion, having never been in immersed in a foreign country that spoke a different language. On the other hand, Gambit was enjoying it.
"Now dis be my language."