Ch7: never cross Mystique
Scott looked at his watch. Taryn had only been at the mansion for 20 minutes and they hadn't even started their group assignment. And now, everyone was clearing out to go fight the arcolytes.
Taryn finished off her milk and put the glass back down. She could hear some of the students running around outside the kitchen. "What's going on out there?" she asked.
"Er.. an old friend of ours just came back to Bayville and everyone's getting ready to.. go visit," Scott lied.
"Don't you want to go with them?" Taryn asked.
"Nah. I'll catch up later," Scott explained. He really wanted to join the group but he didn't want to kick Taryn out.
"Are you sure, because we can just do the assignment tomorrow if you want," she assured Scott.
"Are you sure? Coz tomorrow might be better for me," Scott replied. Taryn smiled at Scott and left her seat to pick up her bag. She looked inside it, "Hmm.. that's funny, my history book isn't in here," She commented as she looked up at Scott. "I don't remember taking it out of my bag.." Taryn put on her best pout. "Scott, could you be a sweetie and check if I left it in the front hallway?"
"Sure," Scott replied before heading out the kitchen door. Taryn grinned as she watched Scott exit the room. As soon as he was out of sight, she quickly reached for Scott's schoolbag. She unzipped it and pulled out his address book. She flicked down to her own name and quickly wrote the phone number on her palm.
She quickly put the address book back in his bag and grabbed her own bag. "Don't worry Scott, I found it!" Taryn called out from the kitchen. She quickly reached into the front pocket of Scott's bag and quietly took his house keys. She then left the kitchen and joined Scott in the front hallway.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to start the assignment," Scott apologised as he held the front door open for her.
"Nah, that's okay," Taryn held her fingers under Scott's chin. Scott blushed. "We'll get around to it tomorrow, k?" She smiled before heading out the door. Scott waited until she got on her vesper and out of the grounds before running to join the other students.
Taryn sped around the corner and stopped at the first phone booth she could find. She morphed into Scott before pulling the phone off the hook. Scott dialled Taryn's number, which was written on his palm.
"Hello?"
"Taryn! Hi!"
"Scott?" Taryn asked angrily.
"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to say sorry for forgetting to meet up with you for our assignment today. How about tomorrow?" He asked.
"Fine," Taryn sighed.
"Okay, tomorrow then. See ya."
Scott hung up the phone and smiled. He then morphed into Mystique and she smiled evilly. "So Magneto's finally back in town, eh? Looks like it's the distraction I've been looking for."
Wolverine unfastened his seatbelt as soon as Kurt landed the Blackbird in the construction yard. "Okay gang. You know the drill," Logan explained. He then turned to Nightcrawler. "Go check it out, Elf," Wolverine instructed. Kurt nodded then ported out of the jet. Everyone stood up and waited for Kurt to report back.
Wolverine looked at Jean and Rogue who were sitting next to each other. "You two stay here. We'll radio in if we need a quick exit."
The two girls knew not to argue with Logan, and so they didn't. They sat at the cockpit and watched their peers fight the arcolytes through the windshield. Jean and Rogue remained silent, except for whispered comments barracking for their friends.
Mystique perched herself up on the rooftop of a nearby building, watching the entire thing. 'Everyone's busy fighting each other. This is my chance.'
Rogue kept watching Remy as he fought Colossus. It was the first time Remy had had to fight the arcolytes since he left the group. Remy dropped out of the arcolytes just before they left Bayville to go to Russia, when he realised just how much of a magalomaniac Magneto was. But Remy wasn't able to convince the others to leave with him.
Colossus had Remy pinned to the ground. All the other students were too busy with Pyro, Quicksilver, Sabertooth and Magneto to help Gambit.
"Remy!" Rogue called out. She got out of the pilot's chair and headed for the ramp to leave the jet.
"Rogue, Logan said we can't leave!" Jean yelled.
"He's in trouble! Don't worry ah can take care of mahself!" Rogue yelled back. Jean nodded and opened the hatch so Rogue could leave. What the girls didn't know was that Mystique was waiting at the bottom of the ramp. Rogue ran down the ramp and headed for her boyfriend. But before Rogue could set foot a foot towards Remy's direction, Mystique came up behind her and knocked her out with a wooden plank. Mystique felt a little remorseful for knocking out her adopted daughter, but as usual, her own interests always came first.
Mystique morphed into Rogue's new form and headed back into the Blackbird. Jean heard someone coming into the Blackbird and turned around. "Rogue? I thought you were going to help Gambit?"
"Remy'll be fine," Mystique replied in a cold voice. "There's something more important ah need to do," She said, still moving closer to Jean.
"Like what?" Jean eyed her friend suspiciously.
Mystique walked up to Jean and grabbed the cuff of her uniform. She then morphed back into her natural form, catching Jean by surprise. "Where is the device!" She yelled.
"Mystique!?" Jean muttered. She was too surprised to respond.
Mystique got frustrated and punched Jean in the face. "Where is it! How did you know I had it!" She yelled. "Tell me and I'll stop hurting you, Red!"
"I don't have it! I heard your thoughts in the school a month ago.. that's how I found out about it!" Jean cried.
"So you stole it from me!?" Mystique replied angrily. She punched Jean in the gut and watched Jean keel over in pain. "Where is it now!"
"I don't know!" Jean croaked. The punch winded her, and she was still trying to get her breath back. By reflex, Jean tried to bring up a mental shield, but then remembered that she was now in Rogue's body. Jean quickly pulled off one of her gloves and grabbed Mystique's arm with her bare hand.
"Let.. me.. g.." Mystique mumbled as she lost consciousness. For the first time, Jean truly knew how bad it was for Rogue when she absorbed people. She could hear Mystiques thoughts, but she herself wasn't Mystique. She was still Jean Gray, x-man.
"You can't get rid of me!" she could hear Mystique's voice in her head.
"NO!" Jean yelled out loud. "Get out!" Jean looked at the unconscious Mystique on the floor and kicked her in the stomach. Jean was surprised to see that it was a white boot that kicked Mystique. Jean had morphed into Mystique's form without knowing it. She forced Mystique's voice into the back of her mind and composed herself.
'Okay, I can morph!' Jean assured herself. She then thought about her normal looks and then morphed into the usual redhead she was one month ago. She slid her glove back on and then grabbed Mystique's hand and pulled her down the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp Jean found Rogue unconscious on the ground.
Jean ran back into the jet and grabbed some rope. She tied up Mystique and left her at the base of the ramp. Jean tapped Rogue's cheek. "Rogue!" she called out. "Rogue! Can you hear me?" But Rogue didn't answer.
"Red! We're heading for the jet! We need a quick getaway NOW!" Wolverine radioed in. Jean ran back into the jet and started up the engines. She then ran back outside the ship to try drag Rogue up the ramp. Kurt teleported Remy and himself to the jet. They were both surprised to see Jean in her natural redhead form. They saw Rogue and Mystique both unconscious on the ground and looked back at Jean.
"Don't ask," She said. "I'm gonna start up the jet, bring Rogue aboard!" Jean commanded.
"Remy got her," Remy told Kurt. "You help Jean get the jet ready." Remy heard Kurt bamph into the jet, and he bent down to pick up Rogue. He also took a hit to the head and even though he was feeling dizzy, he forced himself to keep steady as he carried Rogue into the jet. Kitty and Hank had reached the jet as he sat Rogue into one of the seats and fastened her seatbelt. Hank ran to Rogue's side and checked her pulse. He examined the wound on the base of her neck.
"This looks bad. We need to get to the mansion immediately."
As soon as Logan got to the jet, Kurt started up the engines and the jet headed for the mansion, leaving Mystique tied up at the construction site.
A dark shadow loomed over Mystique, who was still unconscious on the dirt. Magneto seemed to be floating above her body, his eyes barely visible though his helmet. "Now what is it that brought you to this battle?" Magneto clicked his fingers and in the blink of an eye, Quicksilver swooped in and took Mystique to the arcolyte's safehouse.
The professor wheeled towards the infirmary. Logan was leaning on the wall just outside the door. His had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"Logan," The professor said to get Logan's attention. Logan looked up at the professor with a tired face. "Get some rest. You've been here for hours."
"Honestly Chuck, I feel more useful here incase I'm needed." Logan ran his hand through his hair.
The professor nodded and continued his way into the infirmary. Logan followed. The room smelt like the disinfectant that Hank used to clean up everyone's wounds. Hank was bandaging up a cut on Kurt's forehead when the professor and Logan entered.
"What's been the damage so far?" The professor asked. He looked at the bed across the room with a white screen in front of it. The professor couldn't see who it was, but he already knew who lay on that bed.
"Unfortunately the arcolytes proved to be quite a match today. Magneto seems to have trained them to fight a lot dirtier than before," Hank explained. He finished with Kurt and Kurt made his way to the bed behind the screen. "Spyke's got a broken arm, Scott has massive bruising. Remy has a concussion again. He tried to stay with Rogue, but I had to have Logan escort him to his room to rest. Jean keeps morphing uncontrollably, and besides the cuts and bruises everyone else has, the only one we need to really worry about is Rogue." Hank led the professor to the bed across the room, and moved the screen out of the way.
Rogue lay unconscious on the bed. Kurt was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Rogue's hand. "Mr Macoy. Vill Rogue vake up soon?" Kurt asked. There was a bandage wrapped around Rogue's neck and there was dirt on her face. Hank didn't have time to clean off the dirt that covered her face from when she fell to the ground. Logan went to the sink and wet a cloth. He then returned to Rogue's side and held it in Kurts direction.
"Here," Logan said. "Her face is dirty." Kurt took the cloth and began to gently wash her face.
"She's taken a massive blow to the back of the head and neck," Hank explained. Everyone kept their eyes on Kurt cleaning Rogue's face. "Honestly I'm surprised her spinal cord didn't fracture from the blow. She's got swelling in her brain, and-" Hank stopped when he realised his medical explanation was worrying everyone, so he stopped and got straight to the point.
"Rogue's in a coma."
-author's notes: okay I rote this so quikly I cant even remember what I rote.. and I have no idea where this story is going.. but im hoping I explained a lot in this chapter.. incase u dodo's don't know- Taryn was really mystique (I think I just spoilt a future chapter there.. ah well!) REVIEW! Also.. incase u guys r reading "old habits die hard' by peace215, I gota admit I got an idea FROM the story.. but im not copying it k! just lettn u ppl no!.. now wat r u waiting 4! REVIEW!-