Notes: Sorry for the long wait, my inspiration has been fixed on my other fics for reasons unknown to me, you'll have to ask my muse. Also, I'm sorry that my scene breaks keep changing but ffnet keeps deleting the ones I used to use.

Chapter Thirty Five

The first thing the Roses saw when they stepped off the plane was a small, thin man dressed in grubby beige shorts and a tank top that had, at some point, been white. He was barefoot and drinking beer from a can, grinning at them with a look that was not entirely trustful. Ivy glanced at Rogue, not liking the air of wickedness that hung around their host like smoke.

"Cathy said you guys would be serious but, God, could one of you crack a smile?" the guy asked, walking forward and offering his free hand to Rogue. Rogue just looked at him until he dropped the hand and shrugged. "Suit yerself, ain't no skin off my nose if'n ya wanna be all serious-like. Yer jets are over there and the house is this way, follow me."

They all glanced at the three jets waiting at the far end of the hanger and then followed the man outside into the oppressive heat. They all squinted in the sunlight, looking around at the very empty landscape. The only thing that they could see was a small wooden shack that looked like a strong gust of wind might cause it to collapse. Ivy snorted, not needing to actually say anything, and Rogue frowned, wondering just how they were all supposed to fit in there when it looked to be no bigger than a toilet.

"Me name's Mark, by the way," their host called over his shoulder, taking another glug of his beer and belching. "I know a couple o' your names but ain't interested, really. Jus' don't gimme too much hassle and you can do what you want 'til you leave. Well, welcome to ma humble abode."

The Roses stepped inside the shack and gaped. They were standing in an impressive lobby with a black-and-white marble floor and a large staircase before them. To the right was an archway leading into some sort of lounge area, and to the left was a dining room that looked like it could fit fifty people for dinner and still have room left over.

Mark chuckled at their reaction and when they turned to look at him, he was not the same person he'd been outside. He was taller and more lean, dressed in clean jeans and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A silver chain caught the light from the crystal chandelier above them, as did the stud in his left earlobe. His hair was a soft shade of brown with a little grey at the temples that made him look more distinguished than old. He tossed the beer can into the bin by the door and smiled at them cheerfully, making little laugh lines appear near his eyes and mouth.

"You're a mutant," Selene said, looking around at their surroundings. "You… bend reality or create illusions or something."

"Mixture of both, actually," Mark replied and his voice was a little deeper than before with no hint of an accent. "Sorry about the little ruse outside, it wasn't anything personal, just standard business. When you live as close as I do to such bad guys you have to take certain steps to protect yourself. And before you ask, no, they didn't see your jets arrive or their pilots leave, I took care of that. Jamie, the security room is upstairs and the first door on the left, you can plug your laptop in and check things out. Michelle, aspirin is in the kitchen which is through there, cupboard next to the fridge, top shelf. Anything else?"

"Food," Kar said. "I'm starving."

"If you can find it, you can eat it. Now, I'm tired, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning, or not." He raised his hand in a sketchy wave and walked up the stairs, humming quietly under his breath and leaving his guests standing in the lobby in various stages of confusion, amusement and surprise.

"Cathryn does know the most interesting people," Alistor murmured after a minute and Selene snorted.

"That's certainly true. C'mon, let's check out the kitchen."

Most of the Roses went in search of food, or aspirin in Michelle's case, whilst Jamie went up to the security room, leaving Rogue on her own. She stood in the lobby, arms folded across her stomach, fingers brushing the butt of her gun, and tried to shift mental gears. It was harder than she thought it would be, to adjust to the fact that she was here, in Australia, just thirty miles from the Agency. All the months of hard work, the fighting and the struggles, the blood and the pain, it was all reaching its apex. This was what she had been working so hard for, what she had been aching and hurting for.

One way or the other, it would all be over in a couple of days. The mission could go two ways: she could get killed, in which case everything would most definitely be over, or she would win, she would destroy that Agency and then convince the President and then… then what? This had been her life for so long, ever since the war had first started, she had lived and breathed this mission. To have it suddenly be over… she didn't know what she'd do. She remembered her decision to rest after she had one, to finally lay down her sword and sleep, but she knew now that she couldn't do that. She couldn't abandon her family. But that still left the question of just what the hell she was going to do. Of course, that was presuming she lived through the week, which was doubtful. That was oddly comforting.

(0)

Rogue easily found a bedroom and set her bag on the bed, not bothering to unpack. She rolled her neck, shrugging her shoulders, trying to ease the tension building there. She thought about a shower but first wanted to know that the place was secure before allowing herself to be so vulnerable so decided to check with Jamie first. As if on cue, Jamie walked into the room with a slightly worried expression. Rogue didn't like that and knew instinctively that it was bad so she sighed and gestured for the girl to speak.

"The Agency have a large camera network monitoring the area around the base. If we fly the jets within ten miles of the place, they'll shoot us down. Our plan just got shot through with holes."

"Shit! How did you not see them before we arrived?"

"I suspected that they were there, as I told you, but couldn't locate them. I was planning to hack the system and take them out, but I can't, they are tied directly into the Agency's main system and I can't hack it. I'm sorry."

Rogue sighed heavily, biting her lip against more useless ranting and swearing, although she did allow herself one more 'shit' before forcing herself to think like she was supposed to. "Do you have a Plan B?"

"Well… maybe."

Rogue frowned at the hesitation, Jamie was not a person to speak when she was unsure. She either spoke with confidence, or she remained silent. In all the time she'd known the young mutant, she couldn't remember a single time when Jamie had hesitated in her speaking. Even at the beginning, when she had first found introduced Jamie to the Roses, she had been calm, a bit shy but still confident.

"What is it, Jamie?" she asked, surprised by the soft tones in her voice. Jamie sighed and sat down on the bed, not looking at Rogue.

"The only way I can think of to do accomplish this mission is if we walk there, in a time bubble. Then, I can gather the prisoners and take them out in another bubble. If I take Selene with me, she can fly a jet there and pick you all up. I'll be exhausted, especially creating a bubble around so many, but I should be able to drop it after fifteen or so miles. If we take enough provisions and supplies, it's feasible."

"You can't expect those mutants to walk thirty miles."

"We can take it slow and, speaking in real time, I can hold the bubble for about a week. If we average five miles a day and have Mark pick up some of the younger mutants in a car and drive them the rest of the way, it is manageable. We'll all be tired, and I doubt I'll be able to use my powers for a couple of days afterwards, but I just can't see another way. Besides, I've been wanting to test my limits for a while now and this is a good opportunity to do that."

Rogue was silent for a long time, thinking about that plan. She wasn't concerned so much with the other mutants, but for her team-mate's safety. Jamie had never tried to maintain so large a bubble over such a long period. She was worried that it would be too hard, that the girl wouldn't be able to handle it. She had seen what happened to some mutants who over-used their powers. The lucky ones had, eventually, been able to live as normal lives. The unlucky ones… well, it was either cardiac arrest or a life-long coma and breathing with the aid of several machines. She didn't want that to be Jamie's fate.

"I can handle it, Rogue," Jamie said quietly, perhaps guessing what fears were running through her leader's mind. Rogue looked at her, biting her lower lip.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then okay. Tell the others."