Chapter 08

Critical Emotions

Deep in the back of Rogue's mind is a faint and distant voice calling out her name. She saw herself in a world full of emptiness yet only her naked figure could be seen as she floated aimlessly through the void in a fetal position. Her entire body hang almost lifeless, unable to pull even a single muscle. Somehow she still has control of her hearing as she closes her eyes and concentrates, straining her ears to pinpoint where exactly the voice was coming from. Somehow it feels like it was coming straight into her mind. Just when she was about to accept the fact that she must have left the realm of mortals when a distant bright glow pierces through the darkness. Though she could not move, her body was somehow attracted towards the light, growing brighter with each passing second.

Rogue opens her eyes under the radiant glow that pierces through her eyelids. She raised her hand over her eyes to try to rub the sleep out of them. Her vision blurred for a few moments when she noticed several eyes coming into focus, among them are the familiar ruby quartz glasses donned over his eyes. As soon as she regained consciousness her upper body pops up to a sitting position and she begins to shout.

"Derek! Someone kidnapped Derek!"

Professor Xavier raised his hands towards Rogue. "Calm down, Rogue. Calm down." He drew a short sigh and continued. "Now tell me what exactly happened."

Rogue was almost in the verge of hyperventilation as she struggled to pull back the tears that were already welling over her eyes. Jean notices this as she placed her hands over Rogue's shoulders from behind to calm her down. Her roommate Kitty also stood by her side.

"Rogue. What happened?" Jean spoke softly.

"We… we were sitting near the fountain at the Solarium. There was this man. Bald headed. I saw something shot in Derek's neck."

"We found the dart you just described." The professor said as he showed the one inch wooden dart that was held with a pair of forceps. Rogue stared at the small projectile as the color drained from her face when she saw it was covered in blood. "It was laced with a very potent sedative that causes drowsiness and rendering your muscles useless for an hour. You're fortunate that Scott managed to find you in the Solarium probably ten minutes since."

Rogue turns her head to the left where Scott was standing and questions began forming into her head. How in the world could Scott have known where they were?

"But we could get to that later." The professor continued as he sensed the words in Rogue's mind that radiated anger. "Right now you said that a bald headed man attacked you. What did he looked like?"

Rogue lowered her head as she searched her memories. "He's got a beard and mustache that's kinda looked boxy at the sides. And he also has this weird scar, I think. It was kinda like a bull's eye."

The professor hums a bit, trying to form the description of the man in his mind for a few moments. Guiding his wheelchair towards a computer near Rogue's bed he accessed the mutant databank that lists every known and potential mutant all over the world. Using the database's built-in search program he entered the words 'male', 'bald' and 'bull's eye' to reduce its search time and pressed enter. A small window appeared with the message that says 'Processing' and after a few seconds another message appeared that says '0 matches found'.

At the far corner of the medical room, Logan was also trying to match the description of the attacker in his mind. Recalling the numerous times that S.H.I.E.L.D. visited him to identify some criminals in their list, he once came across with one man who might fit the description.

"The man who attacked both you and Derek happens to be a contract killer, an assassin for hire." Logan began, recalling the dossier he read about the perpetrator. "He can make a projectile out anything as long as it's small and sharp to throw at his targets."

An eerie silence fills the room as Logan continued.

"His name happens to be Bullseye." Logan said as he closed his eyes.

Everyone's eyes were turned towards Logan and were surprised that he knows the man Rogue just described.

"Bullseye. Yeah, I remember that little rat." Logan grunted as he rubbed his unshaven chin with his fingers. "A blind lawyer named Matt Murdock once took care of him but obviously he's just harder to kill than a New York cockroach. This guy never misses his target. Not even once except when he targets Matt himself."

"A blind lawyer defeated Bullseye?" Kurt asked as everyone's eyes were zeroed in on Logan.

"His alias happens to be Daredevil. He's probably the only one who could hear Bullseye's attacks from fifty miles away."

The professor removed himself from Logan's profile on Bullseye as he closed his eyes and ran the scenario in his mind. If Magneto actually hired someone to kidnap Derek, why did he choose Bullseye? How could a man, if he is a mutant or not, able to capture Derek so easily? What kind of picture has Magneto seen in the mysterious puzzle concerning Derek's powers that he himself might have overlooked?

The professor continued for almost ten minutes until everyone in the room has already taken notice of his silence. Rogue, however, clenched her fists and seething with burning anger as the image of Bullseye flashed sharply across her mind.

"Right now our top priority is to find Magneto, hopefully would lead us to Derek as well." The professor said as he moved his chair around facing everyone. He switched his sights to Logan. "Wolverine, I want you, Storm and Beast to track down Magneto. The rest will be on standby until they are found."

Rogue's eyes widened in shock as she swings her legs over the edge of the bed and faced the professor.

"You can't put us all on standby! I have to be out there helping!"

"It's out of the question, Rogue." The professor said in a calm but firm voice. "This is my direct order."

Scott placed his hand over Rogue's left shoulder as she turned to face him.

"Listen, Rogue, the professor's right about this. You had a rough day and I suggest you take this time to rest up."

There was only a second to spare when Rogue slapped Scott's hand away from her shoulders and glared at him.

"I know you were following me and Derek in the mall. You have no right to interfere with what I do." She growled darkly.

"I wasn't following you!" Scott exclaimed as Rogue's words shook him to the core.

"You are such a liar." Rogue muttered when she suddenly grabbed Scott's left wrist with her bare hand. His face twists in pain for two seconds until Rogue finally released Scott from her grip.

In a trance, Rogue watched the ruby-tinted world being played, hidden in Scott's mind. His sight was obscured slightly by the branches of a thick tall bush when she and Derek were about to kiss before being ambushed by Bullseye. He remained where he was until Bullseye jumps into the metal capsule that Magneto uses to transport his men with Derek hanging over his shoulder. The ruby quartz glasses were lifted off his eyes and a clear view of the Solarium came to focus, followed by a bright red flash that ended her vision as she blinked her eyes back to reality.

Scott was clinging over the bed and clutching his head, slightly drained from Rogue's powers of absorption. With her gloved left hand she slaps Scott viciously across the face. Jean and Kitty held Rogue back as Scott continued to shake his head from the debilitating effects from Rogue's powers as well as the stinging in his right jaw.

"I hate you!" Rogue yelled as she tries to hitch herself forward while being restrained by Jean and Kitty from behind.

"Jean! Kitty! Take Rogue back to her room!" Professor Xavier barked as everyone froze in silence except Rogue who was still trying to attack Scott. It was rare for them to see the professor this angry.

Followed by Beast, Jean and Kitty hovered over Rogue out the door as everyone watched. Scott, however, kept his head lowered and too ashamed to face everyone especially to Professor Xavier.

"Scott," The professor called as he studies Scott. "I don't know if your actions not to help Rogue and Derek when they were attacked is strictly personal. But I want you to understand that I didn't found this institution to segregate the good apples from the bad. As of right now you are suspended from the mission."

Scott remained slouched over the bed and unable to say anything in his defense. The professor was right, he thought. It was almost the same thing when Alvers, also known as Avalanche, wanted to change himself for the better all because of his genuine feelings towards Kitty. For that one minute he has forgotten the true essence of the X-Men. Professor Xavier was too engrossed on the situation to wait for Scott to explain himself as he turns to Wolverine and Storm.

"You two better get going. For every second lost means victory for Magneto. Meanwhile, I'll be in Cerebro to help search for Derek as well."

The screams of anguish echoed loudly through the hollowed metal dome of Magneto's lair as he watched Derek strapped in a chair with his arms and feet bound tightly with clamps. Another mutant with bushy eyebrows, a sagging face and pointed chin was also in the room and hovering in front of Derek. Magneto was watching the brainwashing process behind the safety of the monitor, taking no chances if Derek were to absorb his powers and use it against him. Joined by Magneto was Bullseye sitting at the table and throwing darts at the dartboard backward over his shoulders without looking at the target from more than twenty feet away. Every dart has found its mark at the center while taking his drink with his left hand. The plan has succeeded, though Magneto knew he was risking a lot on an educated guess.

Magneto once used this process with the help of Mastermind to change the memories of his daughter Wanda, also known as The Scarlet Witch. Hopefully this would be a surefire way to sway Derek into his cause.

The last dart has split the plastic where the fins were inserted to allow the dart to be thrown smoothly, as always right at the bull's eye like Robin Hood splitting the Sheriff of Nottingham's arrow in the archery tournament.

"Ah've finished the job you want me to do." Bullseye said in his thick Irish accent and taking a swig of his drink. "How long do ah have to hang around? Ah have other jobs ta take care of, ye know?"

"Your capturing of Derek Vane has exceeded my every expectations, Bullseye." Magneto answered in a calm voice. "Until I am certain that Derek could be under my control, I will need you here for damage control. Of course there will be an additional one hundred fifty thousand dollars in your account. Will that be enough?"

Bullseye remained silent for one whole minute then walked towards the dartboard when he watched as the darts began to vibrate and was pulled off the board with the humming of magnetism. It floated across the room and hovered in front of Bullseye, his thoughts about the entire reward now on an even quarter of a million dollars as he grabbed the darts.

"Whatever ye say… boss." Bullseye answered and continued playing with the darts while Magneto lets out a small smile behind him.

The brainwashing process ceased as Magneto watched from the monitor. Mastermind was breathing heavily as he looked up towards the camera on a tripod and spoke, wiping the sweat off his bushy eyebrows.

"Magneto." Mastermind called. "It seems that Mr. Derek here is trying to resist my mind control. It will take a lot more time as long as he continues to absorb my powers and use it to shield his mind from me. I suggest that administering a sedative would break his concentration, probably something as potent as sodium pentothal." Sodium pentothal is known as the truth serum, used by the military in the field for interrogating people and answering everything once asked. The chemical composition could also be used for brainwashing due to its sedative-like aftereffects.

"Do what you must." Magneto answered as he held the microphone close to his mouth. "But remember, the X-Men are bound to find us sooner or later."

"As you wish, Magneto." Mastermind replied and disappeared from the camera's view for a few moments. He returned into view with a small black case cradled in his arms. Inside the black case he pulled out a small vial of clear liquid covered in a rubber top and two syringes and placed them on the small table.