Shout outs:

Mark C: Yeah there will be a little more of Vince in this and you'll see who turns and it won't be the last either. Xavier just can't attack someplace without reason. The X-Men would have to face the law if they did, which is why he must be sure.

Lil Jean: Well you'll have to read on to see.

Episodic: Maybe it's just one of those things with what happened with Kurt or something. I think we're keeping with a more Evo version of Storm, but you'll see more of a kick ass attitude in a fight with Deathstrike.

Aaron: Yeah the aftermath will be hard on everyone. Betsy is too new, but it will be one of the others that turn.

The Uncanny R-Man: How would he find them? He didn't know who hired him and Xavier wouldn't know now to hire him anyway.

coldqueen: Tessa is, but she's undercover for someone else. Emma never met Xavier but once she does she might realize that his place is much better to be then anywhere else she's been.

Thanks to: X0001, Wen1, TheLegendaryManHimself, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Xc00lcomic, The Uncanny R-Man

CHAPTER 12: BREAKING POINT PART 2

-Hellfire Club-

"Well now," Selene said grinning, "Why don't we start at the beginning?" She told Vincent who she left hanging there.

He took a deep breath, for he didn't like to talk about this. It brought back too many bad memories, but he didn't have a choice. The she-bitch could do whatever she wanted to him, he didn't care. But he couldn't stand to watch others suffer, especially because of him.

"It all started when I was three. I remember my mother going to the kitchen, and the next thing I knew soldiers in black uniforms stormed the place. My mother tried to get me…But…They shot her in front of me." He went on after that. He told her how he was taken from the house crying over the body of his own mother with her dead eyes looking into nothingness.

He told them how he spent the next three years, as did eleven other children, all of whom were also experimented on. There was also a man named Simons who 'trained' the kids. He was also the one that would punish them for not doing as well as he thought and he never thought they did well enough. So they all got beaten on a regular basis.

They were drugged up, beaten, debased, and experimented on for three years. They asked him about everything, names of the scientists, the drugs they used, and how many of the children were killed in the training or from the experiments.

Back then he had no name…Just a number. He was named Prodigy Seven and he had nothing, he was nothing. They took his life, his humanity, and his identity. He told them of the attack on the facility and that caused him to escape from his cell and in order to escape the facility he jumped out of a hole in the wall. He fell out of a cliff to a dark river below and he had tried to kill himself and go back to that hell.

But all those experiments caused some of his mutations to come out early and the intensity caused him to use them. He survived that fall and spent that year on the streets alone and wondering.

Emma listened to all of this. She had thought the scars were from a foster home o of being abused as a child, but nothing as horrific as the things he had described. She at least had a happy childhood before everything went wrong with her life. Selene and Jason weren't interested in what happened after that and went back to the Project Prodigy as Vince remembered someone call the experiment.

They kept on questioning him for a few hours until they were satisfied that they had learned everything of value. Selene un-cuffed him and he fell to the ground. He groaned as he hit and the two members of the Inner Circle left them there. Vince felt empty inside, having to relieve all of those memories he tried to push away. It was times like this that having a photographic memory was pure hell, since he could relieve all his memories like they had just happened. Going over and over all of that forced him to face things he never wanted to face.

He remembered all the beatings and the needles. He remembered how the drugs would do things from making him hallucinate, to making every nerve in his body burn with pain. He would be so sick he would throw up until he started to dry heave. He would feel like his skin was on fire, yet his insides were frozen. A few of the kids weren't strong enough and they died from the drugs.

But he survived every torturous moment when minutes stretched into infinity.

He wasn't aware of anything for a while lost in the memories. He tried to shut them away to push them back to the depths of his mind. Then he felt the arms of someone and the soft touch of skin on his own. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Emma was holding him gently trying not to touch the sore and painful parts of his body.

Emma saw how much in pain he was in and she couldn't just let him suffer there. He had given in after everything just because of her. She did the only thing she could do. After some time she felt an arm wrap around her waist and he laid his head against her. She softly stroked his short dark hair. There were no words she could think of to say so she said nothing…She just let her action speak for themselves.

Xavier Institute – Dormitories

As dawn settled over the Xavier Institute, some of the residents began to wake. For Kitty, she preferred to get out up early, less she be caught up in a long line of disgruntled young mutants. Like all mornings since Jean and Rogue's abduction, everybody awaited Ororo's report on the ongoing search, but so far her reports never changed. And with each passing day, it was getting increasingly hopeless.

But that's not to say that some new developments came about. Since his unexpected arrival, Warren had chosen to stay at the institute in order to assist in any way he could in hopes of finding Betsy. His mood had been rather sour and many stayed away from him. He had become nearly as restless as the Professor or Logan. But as long as he was here, his help was greatly appreciated even though leads were few and far between.

It was around 7:30 AM as Kitty groggily made her way down the halls towards the one of the main bathrooms. She was still half asleep, but a nice long hot shower should wake her up. But as she passed down the hall near Wanda's room, something curious caught her eye.

'Huh…I thought Wanda always slept past 8 on Saturdays,' she thought as she noticed that her bed was empty through the open door.

Kitty, however, shrugged it off and continued to make her way down the hall. She made her way into the girl's bathroom and closed the door behind her. However, as she did, she noticed that the towel rack was empty. With so much turmoil going on in the mansion, it seemed that everybody had negated laundry. With a tired grumble, Kitty rubbed the back of her neck as she walked out the door again.

'I know Kurt probably has some towels. He's probably up by now,' she thought to herself as she dragged herself down towards Kurt's room.

Kurt, being the fuzzy man he was, always kept extra towels for dealing with his fur. For some reason, he was kind of vain about keeping it from getting scruffy, especially after he started dating Amanda. Then, when they broke up he kind of let that habit go. But as of lately, he had gotten back into his old routine again. It relieved Kitty somewhat because it showed that he was finally moving on without her. But at the same time, she sort of felt sorry for him because she knew how he felt about Amanda. She only hoped that he would find someone else out there that would love him for who he was the way she had.

Normally, regular logic would have told somebody to knock first before entering one's room. But for Kitty, she was still groggy and disoriented. She still assumed that Kurt was up already because he hadn't slept much since Rogue's kidnapping. So…She simply phased through his door and into his room only to be met with a most unexpected sight.

'Oh…My…God!' her mind screamed as she looked at Kurt's bed to find Wanda snuggled up close to him with their arms draped around each other.

Kitty froze as her brain struggled processed this information. She just stood there with her mouth hanging open, not daring to say a single word. She knew that Kurt and Wanda had really become good friends since her arrival and were pretty close, but she never knew that they were getting THAT close. Then again, she was usually too distracted with Piotr lately to observe them as much as she hated to admit it. But seeing them both like this, so peaceful and serene together…It just blew her mind.

As the young valley girl's mind finally caught up with her, she quickly grabbed a towel that was on a rack near his door and ran out of the room as if it was on fire. But once she was out, she couldn't shake the image of what she had seen. Part of her couldn't believe it…But another part of her was somewhat happy at what she had just witnessed. Since her arrival, Kitty had known that Kurt and Wanda had a lot in common. Kurt was the son of Mystique and Wanda was the daughter of Magneto. They both had major issues with their parents and they both had been through some very rough times. Each of them had once been in their own prison, figuratively for Kurt, literally for Wanda. And the more she thought about it, the more right it seemed.

As the shock wore off, Kitty let herself smile as she looked back at Kurt's door and one thing went through her mind.

'Way to go fuzzy…Way to go.'

-Hellfire Club-

Rogue was in her own personal Hell for who know how long. She was lost in a sea of voices, memories, and personalities. She couldn't think straight and for the last twelve hours had been trapped in her own mind. Her body was weak from lack of activity and food. Her mind was also feeling the effects. She was huddled in a corner of her mind with hands pressed against her ears trying to drown out the noises.

She didn't know how much she could take, all the thoughts, memories, and feelings. She was losing what was her and what wasn't. It was her greatest fear. She was losing herself and she didn't know how to stop it. Ever since that day when all her personalities tried to take over, this was what she was scared off. That in the end…She would cease to exist.

'Make it stop, please God make it stop.' She silently prayed to herself.

She hear a mocking laughter and saw the other her again, laughing at her. She walked over to her and smiled. "So…Did ya rethink your decision on my help?"

Rogue wanted to tell her to go to hell, but she couldn't muster the strength. The other her knelt down and looked her in the eyes. "Come on…Take my hand, let me help you to be strong. You don't ever have to worry about losing yourself again if you do. You'll never hear the voices again and a whole new world will be opened to you too. Think about it."

Rogue did. She didn't want to, but so help her she did think about it. She saw the hand being offered and just stared at it.

Jean wasn't doing so better. She was on the bed huddled up.

'My name is Jean Grey. My name is Jean Grey. My name is Jean Grey…' She kept saying in her mind. Her memories were getting more and more hazy and conflicted. Plus, she wasn't sure…But it seemed like she had memories that she didn't know. She was having trouble remembering what was real and what wasn't. She felt like she was losing herself and that she was forgetting something important.

Jean no longer knew how long she was here, and didn't care. She was forgetting her old life and what it was like. She was tired and she was sore in some places for some reason. She didn't really remember, but some times when she got back from…From…She couldn't remember…Sometimes they took her she thought, but she wasn't sure. She was sure they took her…Well…Partially sure…But then things got hazy.

She would wake up at times. Sometimes Rogue was there and sometimes she wasn't. The new girl with the strange hair whose name she never could remember was always there and kept asking her questions she had no answers too. She wished she would leave her alone. Emma was also there, but she seemed more in helping the dark haired boy with his injuries. That was fine with her.

But in those waking times, her body felt sore in a few places that she didn't remember before. But she always dreamed. She dreamed of Scott…At least…That's what she thought it was. They were dreams on him and her, but they always seemed different. At first they were at the Institute then things changed. At first it was the location.

She was now dreaming of Scott in some Victorian palace and now she was dressed as she was now only with a cape and her hair was done up. She was part of the Hellfire Club and she was their Red Queen, and Scott was her king. She served him and he would tell her that he loved her and he would take her.

But those were just dreams. She wasn't part of the Hellfire Club she was…Was…She couldn't remember what she was. She was sure she had been something else, but now…Now she wasn't sure. She heard footsteps and wondered if the guards were here for her again.

Xavier Institute – Infirmary

"Well Scott, your last scans are in and I'm glad to say that they came back very positive," said Hank McCoy as he helped Scott to his feet from the hospital bed that he had been confined to for quite a while now.

"Great…" said Scott, but in a tone that seemed far from enthusiastic.

Hank expected a bit more of a response than that, but he quickly remembered that he was still very concerned about Jean. The feeling of failure for not being able to protect her when she really needed it still hung strong over Scott's mind, that much he couldn't deny. Years ago, before their romance had bloomed, Scott made a promise to himself as Jean's friend that he would protect her. Jean had been the first true friend he had after she joined the institute. The years in between the plane crash and Xavier's recruitment were times that he would rather forget, but when he met Jean he finally found the strength to move beyond those dark times. For that, he owed her a lot…And because of that he couldn't fight the overwhelming guilt he felt because of his failure.

"Come on Scott," said Hank, trying to get the young man to buck up despite the situation, "You came really close to dying, yet you lived and now you're back in full swing. That's something to be thankful for."

"Yeah…I know," replied Scott in the same melancholy tone.

Hank let out a defeated sigh, knowing that it was going to be a while before he was going to come out of this little rut he had dug himself into. At least…Until Jean was back safe and sound. But given the Professor's luck so far, he didn't have the highest of hopes at the moment.

"Well I guess there's no more reason for you to be in the infirmary Scott," said Hank as he prepared to leave, "But take it easy for a while before you get back to leading level 8 danger room sessions my friend."

"No promises there…" muttered Scott, but Hank chose to ignore that.

"And I would also urge you to find some way to get some sleep. You've been confined to a bed for weeks, yet you look as though you haven't gotten a single wink of rest."

"I've given up on sleep for now," said Scott rubbing his sore temples, "As long as Jean's gone, I can't rest…It's as simple as that."

"But still…You need to keep your strength up so that when we do find her you'll be ready!" said Hank speaking as both his doctor and his friend.

"I know…I know," admitted Scott, "And I can't promise you anything, but I'll try."

"Well if you need something to help you, I'd be more than happy to give you some…"

"No." said Scott, not letting him finish, "I don't like taking those things, maybe if things get really bad but not now."

With one last exasperated sigh, Hank McCoy finally decided to make his exit and leave Scott be for the time being.

"Well…Okay then," said Hank, "Just take it easy for now. We'll get Jean back, I'm sure of it."

Finally, Hank left and Scott found himself sitting on the edge of the hospital bed once again with his head resting on his hands. It would not be so simple for him to 'take it easy' as Hank put it. The whole ordeal with Jean's abduction kept playing over in his head again and again and he kept on looking at it, thinking of all the other things he could have done so that she wouldn't be missing right now. The more he thought about it, the worse it felt…But it was hard to push it into the back of his mind.

Sleep was another thing altogether. Even under the influence of drugs, he still had vivid, painful nightmares. These nightmares always concerned Jean, and mysteriously enough, another strange version of himself. It was like being stuck in a maze of horror and Jean's screams and pleas for help were all that he could hear. Sometimes, the darker version of himself would laugh and taunt him and at times actually caused physical pain. It made no sense, but nightmares seldom ever did. No amount of sleep could protect him from these awful nightmares. He had them whether he liked it or not. But through these dreams he could still ascertain one thing…Jean was in serious trouble and he had to be there for her and save her. All he wanted was for this horrible ordeal to go away so that he could hold her in his arms again. But if these nightmares were any indication, he would have to fight with all his heart and soul to bring her back safe and sound.

Xavier Institute – Logan's Room

Logan had once again confined himself to his room. Like before, he sat motionless on his bed with all the lights turned off and only the faint morning sun to illuminate his room. After what happened with Ororo last night, Logan had given up venting his frustration over his strange memories in the danger room. As long as he stayed in his room, the chances were least likely that anybody would bother him. And right now, he felt at his absolute worst.

Ororo Munroe was his best friend. He had known her longer than anybody else here at the institute excluding the Professor. For years, she had been the only one that could see past the animal that was so great a part of his mind. Where others saw him as a monster and a killer, she saw him as a man. Xavier may have helped him take control, but Ororo helped him find something worth living for. And what did he do to thank her? He yelled at her for trying to help him.

"Ah shit…Like I don't have enough on my plate as it is," mumbled Logan to himself as he thought about the situation with Ororo along with whatever was causing his memory relapses, "Now how am I gonna fix this?"

It was a question that had no easy answers. The memories that had been haunting him since this whole ordeal started were compounded now and they temporarily took a back seat to the situation that he had gotten himself into. He had been stupid, that much he couldn't deny. Ororo was concerned, she tried to help him, and he just pushed her away. Other students had come to him with concerns, but they didn't go beyond simply asking him. Only Ororo had dared to persist because she knew him better than anybody else. But he still lashed out at her.

Of course part of him was angry that she had looked at his files, but what other choices did she leave him? Twice she came to him and twice he had pushed her away. He knew Ororo and he knew that she was never afraid to go beyond normal boundaries to help others. It was one of the qualities about her that he and many others throughout the institute admired. His reaction had been pure impulse, like most of his reactions were…But this time he had hurt somebody who didn't deserve it.

He didn't know how he was going to face Ororo after how he treated her. He was never good with words. Before now, he had never realized how much Ororo's friendship meant to him. Now that it was in question, it actually began to worry him that what he had done would have consequences much further reaching than he could have anticipated. And the more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

"God…I'm such a fucking idiot!" he said, running his hands through his thick hair, repeatedly kicking himself mentally, "When am I gonna stop doing this kind of shit to myself…Or worse, my friends."

Despite the current situation with Rogue, Jean, and his memories, he was determined to mend things with Ororo. Like everything else in his life, it would be by no means easy. But if he was going to salvage the friendship that he so sorely treasured, he would have to do whatever it takes or risk losing her…Something he did not even want to begin to contemplate.

-Hellfire Club-

The Inner Circle had been gathered in Shaw's lavish office. The four members sat there waiting impatiently for whatever Shaw wanted of them. "Does anyone know what's going on?" Harry Leland asked from his seat.

"I have no idea." Pierce said in his white suit with his arms crossed. He looked over at Jason's smirk. "You know what this is all about don't you." He said narrowing his eyes. Jason only smirked a little more and took a drink.

"Come on my good man." Harry said cheerfully. "You can tell us."

"What about you?" Selene asked Tessa who was standing by Shaw's desk. "Surely you of all people must know?"

Tessa merely shook her head. "I know as much as you do. Shaw doesn't tell me everything." She said in an even tone.

At that moment Shaw came through the doors with a huge smile on his face. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I had to make our new member presentable."

"New member?" Pierce asked then it dawned on him. "You don't mean…"

Shaw just smiled proudly. "Ladies and gentlemen…Let me introduce to you our newest member." Shaw stepped back from the door and they heard the sound of high-heel boots on the marble floor casually strolling towards them.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the form passed through the doorway. There, strolling in like she owned the place all in green with a cape kissing the surface of the floor, green lipstick on her lips, and eye shadow was Rogue. Only her face was more stern and there was a coldness to her eyes as she regarded them all. She smiled at them all and there was something about it that reminded them a little of Selene.

Selene herself nodded in improvement. The others also seemed to grin at this, Tessa remained impassive as ever, but on the inside she felt like an icicle had pierced her heart. It was now that she knew she couldn't wait any longer and made plans in her mind on what to do next.

Shaw saw the looks in their faces and was glad that he showed him that his plan not only could work, but was already working. "Let me introduce to you Rogue, The Green Knight of the Hellfire Club." Rogue nodded her head in a bow to them all and the Inner Circle clapped their hands.

To Rogue, she wasn't the Rogue she had been. In order to silence the voices and to stop remembering the past she had given in, she had been so tired of fighting. What she didn't know was that now a darker personality was in control while the real her was in the back of there mind. This new Rogue was a creation of Jason. She was loyal to the Hellfire Club mainly because that's all that she really knew. Her past was a haze mainly, most of it blocked, and new memories were there to replace the old ones.

She knew of her old friends, but she didn't remember them and to her, she really didn't care. She was a Knight of the Hellfire Club, one of their enforcers, and that's what she would do.

UP NEXT CHAPTER 13: INFORMATION