Rachael and Kurt streaked through the night's sky courtesy of Rachael's mutation.

"You look worried." Kurt told her through the wind.

Rachael changed the shape of the telekinetic field she was creating so as to divert the breeze so they could talk. "I am. About Forge."

Kurt studied her for a long moment. "Vhy?"

She swallowed. "My parents had a psychic link." She admitted. "A lot of people think that… Breaking it drove my father insane."

"Oh." Kurt reeled slightly as though struck by the idea.

"And I know for a fact…" She looked hesitant. "I know when she died… She broke her link with her new husband… And he went insane."

"Lovely." Kurt sneered.

Rachael's eyes betrayed her and Kurt pounced on the insight. "What? There's something more, isn't there?"

Rachael dropped her eyes. "She was with my world's Logan. And when he snapped…"

Kurt swallowed. "Right, I get it." He shook his head. "They're both in trouble." And so is the world if Lucy goes indiscriminately violent.

And they shifted their weight and began slowly descending to the street below.

"Alistaire?" Forge took several large gasps of air and strained, twisting oddly in his seat.

"Yes, what?" Alistaire began to panic.

"Something's… wrong." Forge said between gasps. "I cant…. Breathe. Right."

Alistaire slammed the gas pedal down and shot along the back alleyway. "Hospital, few more blocks." Alistaire nodded.

"Goo…ood." Forge caressed his throat slowly knowing something was definitely wrong.

Lucy gasped again. No! Please!

The liquid was slowly filling her stone enclosure.

"You will not die." The voice told her. "It's an oxygenated solution. You will breathe normally after a moment or two."

Of drowning… If you're telling me the truth… She gasped again and took a deep breath as the chamber filled all the way.

The little car skidded to a halt and Alistaire burst out. "You two!" He called out. "Help me!"

And the two giant orderlies leapt forward to help him.

"This is Forge of Excalibur." Alistaire told the head nurse. "Do what you can. We don't know what's wrong."

She made a dour face and Forge spasmed out of their arms.

Alistaire whipped around to watch.

One of the orderlies rolled him over and Forge stared wide-eyed to the sky.

"Hey…. HEY!" The orderly began to panic. "He ain't breathin'!"

And suddenly Alistaire was lost amid a sea of people rushing Forge in to the building.

"No response!" One called out.

Alistaire began walking towards his car.

"Defib now or call it."

He got in and started the engine. It purred in comforting familiarity.

"Clear!" Someone yelled.

Alistaire set his jaw and drove away.

"NO GOOD!"

A heavy feeling settled over Alistaire Stuart.

"Clear!"

He couldn't place it at first.

"Clear!"

But then… He had the worst feeling he could imagine.

"Call it."

And he knew what had just happened without ever having to be told.

"DOA. (Dead on arrival) Nothing we could do."

Lucy felt herself floating, suspended in the fluid. What…

"You had us worried." The voice told her. "Your heart actually stopped when your breathing kicked over to processing the fluid. Were you less of a god… You'd be dead now… Or… Still, as it were."

Yeah… She breathed in the salty, nasty, murky fluid. Lucky me.

And Lucy closed her eyes… And found herself immediately propelled to the astral plane of existence.

"What the…" She looked around.

Until she heard someone crack their knuckles. And when she turned to look…

There stood a dark reflection of herself. One with ashen skin and sullen cheeks. She wore some form of Egyptian adornments and the simple clothes of a forgotten time.

Lucy immediately crouched low and let loose her claws.

The other her just smiled.

And suddenly Lucy could sense in this duplicate an innate darkness. The power it was seeking could destroy her. She knew it.

"Well then…" Lucy smirked. "I'd better make this quick."

And Lucy dove headlong in to her attack while...

Forge's soul rolled through the ether.

Somewhere inside he was humming The Beatles 'Across the Universe' as he tumbled and soared down the tunnel headed for the big, bright light.

Wow. He thought. Edgy.

They really picked the right color for that light. I should mention it to…

Lucy…

And Forge turned, halting his forward progress all together. The cosmos swirled around him, ushering all manner of souls and energies around him and through the tunnel.

Forge looked again at the light.

Then he looked back to the earth.

And then…

A small smile crept across his face and she shivered in the delight of innovation.

Maybe…

But there was no maybe about it.

Forge had an idea.

Kitty kick-started her motorcycle and looked up from the curb.

What? She shook her head. I mean… Watts!

And sure enough, there went Mildred Watts in to the hotel across the street, headed for the lobby.

Damn! Kitty swore. Lucy… I …

And she jumped off the motorcycle, running for the large glass doors of the hotel across the street.

She'd never forgive me for letting him go. She realized. I need to score this one for the team.

She phased and tore right through the doors and in to the lounge. The men's room door was slowly closing and Watts was nowhere to be seen.

She took several strides towards the door before she heard a familiar southern giggle from somewhere in the room that called her up short.

"Rogue?"