Shout outs:

Mark C: Don't worry Kurt and Wanda will work out eventually, and Tessa has something this chapter that will help them all too.

Lil Jean: Yeah you're right about Jean and it's Red Queen.

Episodic: Kind of one of the characteristics of villains is treachery so go figure. Yep and there's more relationships later on too. Given how the Club operates most likely a lot of people would consider it an urban myth.

IvyZoe: They'll get much more soon too. No Purple and Red is an actual color just not used that much. There's much more Romy and Jott on the way this is most likely only nearly 1/3 of the way done, there's much more in store.

X0001: Number 6 didn't show up at all I have no idea what your talking about, but Sinister is planned. Yeah Emma and Vince are getting closer.

The Uncanny R-Man: I didn't know any characters that Harry could have been unfortunately. Yeah I always figured under that cold exterior she always had a heart.

coldqueen: you're welcome and I'm glad you asked. Well there's no romance inside the club for her, I really don't see that happening.

Thanks to: X2P3, Wen1, Chica De Los Ojos Café

CHAPTER 14: TURING POINTS

-Hellfire Club, Prisoner Room-

Jean was asleep for the time being and the other three were sitting on one of the beds looking at her. Vince had his back propped up on the headboard and Emma was sitting next to him. Betsy was at the foot of the bed and all three were watching her. "She's not going to last any longer is she?" Betsy asked them. She pretty much knew the answer to that, but hoped she was wrong.

"Not likely," Emma said flatly, "When they do turn her, we're finished…We'll no longer be ourselves since I doubt you or I could use our powers to fight her off and Jason may not be in our league, but given enough time he can break through any mental defenses."

"Well that's just bloody fantastic," Betsy muttered and for the thousandth time wish she had listened to Warren. She wanted to see him again, not wanting the last moment of their lives together to end over a stupid argument. She just wished that she could see him or tell him one last time that she loved him. Anything was better than those last angry words she had said to him before she stormed out into this nightmare.

Betsy sighed then looked to Emma. "You know of any way out of this place?"

"No I don't," Emma snapped, "Believe me, I knew of only one way out and I already tried that. They made sure I couldn't try it again…We're all stuck here."

Emma turned to Vince, so far this was the first break in his torture sessions in some time and his body was finally getting a chance to heal. His was nearly naked except for his tattered jeans and the bandages she could see cuts scabbing over, caked with blood in a few areas while some of his injuries like the burns would permanently scar like the line on his face, not to mention the all the bruising. He looked like hell and must have felt like it too.

"How are you holding up?" She gently asked him.

He gave out a long tired sigh. "Well…I could definitely be better. At least we're alive."

"I think I would rather be dead then go through what they got planned for me," Betsy muttered.

"Where there's life, there's hope," Vincent said to her, "A day will never come when I will not fight, claw, bite, and spit against death. There's no way I'm going to make this easy…If I did, I would have told them what they wanted to know on the first day."

Betsy considered his words and Emma, despite herself, felt a small smile on her lips. "You really think there's hope?" Emma asked him seriously.

He considered it. "I have to…Otherwise what's the point?" Before anyone could say anything more the door opened and guards walked in. The three of them wondered if Jean would still be herself after this, but to everyone's surprise they took Vince again. "Oh come on guys, I was told no playing with the bitch again because she doesn't play nice."

They didn't respond to that just dragged him out. He could have walked a bit but he didn't see in making anything easy for these people. "Why are you taking him again?!" Emma demanded. "He already told them everything!" But she didn't get any answers. They just left them there wondering what was going to happen to him this time.

Xavier Institute – Guest Room

Upon returning to the institute, Gambit reported what he had discovered from Harry to the Professor. It wasn't much, but it had somewhat confirmed Warren's initial worries about the club when he came to the institute in hopes of finding Betsy. But Harry had only said that the Hellfire Club was dangerous…Really dangerous. To rank them in the same league as the Kingpin was a bold statement, but Remy knew that Harry would never say something like that without meaning it. This did not sit well with the Cajun because it only added onto his fears about Rogue. Harry said that people who got abducted by the Hellfire Club were never seen again…Alive anyways. But he knew Rogue…During that fateful time when he kidnapped her and took her to New Orleans, he had seen just how strong she was. And while the prospects of going up against the Hellfire Club didn't sound very promising, the Cajun held onto the fragile hope that he would see Rogue again to finish what he had come here to do.

Upon his return, Gambit once again felt his injuries catch up with him as dizziness and lightheadedness once again took hold of him. Beast had tried to get him to return to the infirmary, but the Cajun had just about had all he could take of the cold, sterile environment of the lower levels. He didn't care of the rest of the institute still shot him nervous looks, he was sick of that place and wanted to stay in a place where sunlight actually penetrated.

At the moment, Gambit was resting in the darkness of a guest room that the Professor had set up for him since it was clear that he didn't want to go back to the infirmary. It was past dinnertime, but the Cajun wasn't hungry. He had too much on his mind to think about food. Now, he simply laid back in the soft, warm bed and stared motionlessly at the ceiling, contemplating what was going to happen next. Was he going to stay here and help? Or was he going to go at it alone? Normally, he would have done the latter, being the independent he was…But then again, he hadn't even expected to live this long. After his fight with Deathstrike, he thought he was dead. However, the X-men saved him…So what was he going to do now?

'Why am I still alive?' thought Gambit as he ran his hands over the scars left by Deathstrike, 'I should be dead. I shouldn't be here. Dis is no place for a thief, dis is a school. But why? Why am I even bothering these people? Why did dey save Remy's life anyway?'

No answers came…Only more questions. It was not the easiest thing to contemplate as he remained stuck between his purpose and his future. What was a guy like him going to do if he wasn't going to be a thief anymore? What else is there?

While Gambit pondered these questions, Kurt Wagner dragged himself down the hall towards the Cajun's room. He was not in the best of moods to say the least. This day had been downright crappy in every way imaginable. First Kitty barges in on him and Wanda…Then, just as he feared, she spread the word and now the whole school knew. After Wanda found out, she fell into a very irritable state and few dared to go near her. However, that didn't stop others from bugging Kurt about it. Tabitha, Kitty, and Bobby were by far the worst. Now, not only did he have his sister to worry about…He also had rumors circulating around about his love life.

Even though he had denied it to most anybody who bugged him about it, part of him wasn't so sure. Last night had been a very trying ordeal for him and Wanda had really helped. It was because of her he got the first decent night sleep in weeks. Talking to her had kept him strong because they both came from such similar worlds. Even though Amanda was still a major issue for him, a part of him couldn't help but entertain the idea of seeing something between him and Wanda grow. She could relate to him in ways that even Amanda couldn't. He could talk to her about things that he couldn't talk about with anybody else. But he knew that now was not the time to be thinking about his love life…Not with his sister still missing.

As he passed the slightly ajar door of the normally empty guest room, his eyes caught a glimpse of the occupant inside. A faint feeling of bitterness soon arose within the normally peaceful mutant as he saw the man who once kidnapped Rogue. Yet he remembered how he had come here…On the verge of death and for the sole purpose of telling them about Rogue. A major part of him still felt apprehensive about him and he sure as hell didn't like a thief and former Acolyte of Magneto involved with his sister.

Knowing that he had gone out earlier with Logan and had been talking to the Professor, he had to admit he was suspicious. After all…He had been the last person to see Rogue before she had disappeared. Kurt had to know…And he had to find out from this man.

"Gambit…" said the blue mutant as he walked into the guest room.

Remy, suddenly broken out of his daze, turned to face Kurt.

"Nightcrawler I presume," said the Cajun.

"Kurt Vagner…" said the blue mutant.

"Yeah…I know," said Remy, "Ol' habit I guess."

"Cut ze crap Gambit…" said Kurt somewhat harshly, still remembering that this was the man that had once kidnapped Rogue himself, "Vhy are you still here?"

"Funny…Remy was just askin' himself de same thing," grinned the Cajun.

"Vill you stop joking around!" said Kurt in annoyance.

"Dat was no joke homme."

"Then answer me this…Vhy did you go out today? And vhy did Logan come vith you?" asked Kurt.

"Gambit just went to find out what he could about the pricks who attacked yo' sister from an ol' friend," answered Remy simply, not feeling any real hospitality on Kurt's part…But for that he could hardly blame him.

"And? Vhat did you find?"

"Not a whole lot…Just more questions," said Remy.

A disappointed look fell upon Kurt's face. Like it had since the beginning, he was no closer to finding his sister. It was all the more frustrating for him and it didn't help that he was in the presence of somebody he did not at all trust.

"Then ve're no closer to finding Rogue than before…" he said with a sigh.

"No…We ain't," said Remy, sounding equally disappointed.

Upon hearing Remy's tone, Kurt grew somewhat suspicious. He remembered how Rogue talked about Gambit after she had returned from her kidnapping run with him. He recalled in her voice a subtle hint of fondness for the guy even though he was still an enemy and the one who had abducted her. It did not sit well with Kurt…Not in the slightest.

"That brings me to another thing…Vhy vere you vith my sister earlier?" asked Kurt.

Gambit hesitated briefly. He knew that this was Rogue's brother and if he had told him the full truth, which he himself wasn't even sure of, he would probably throw a tantrum almost as bad as Wolverine.

"I had something I needed to tell her…Something very important because I wasn't sure if I would ever get the chance to."

"And vhat might that be?" asked Kurt.

Gambit then let out a sigh, his wounds from earlier starting to sting once more at the recollection of that fateful moment that had been stopped all too soon.

"Dat's personal homme…"

"Not vhen it involves Rogue, Gambit," said Kurt.

"What does it even matter now blue boy?" said the Cajun, starting to get annoyed by Kurt's interrogation-like tone.

"You vere there vhen she vas captured!" shot Kurt in response, "It means plenty! I don't know vhy you insist on hanging around her even after you KIDNAPPED her."

"You wouldn't understand…" quipped Remy.

However, that just seemed to make Kurt angrier. He did not like Gambit's attitude, nor did he like being kept in the dark by a thief…Especially not one that seemed so involved with Rogue.

"I don't have to understand!" said Kurt sharply, "Rogue's my sister! Anybody involved vith her is my business!"

"Well aren't you a the overbearin' one…" smirked Remy in a snide tone, knowing that no matter what he said, Kurt wasn't going to take it any less as a threat simply because of who he was and the history he had with the X-men.

"Vell I think I'm a little justified vhen I'm looking at a thief and one of Magneto's henchmen!"

"Remy quit both those things…" he quickly responded, "And yellin' at me ain't gonna bring Rogue back any sooner. If I wanted dis, I'd talk to Wolverine…But with him, at least he's too caught up in hell knows what to care. Now I know yo' not happy about some crazy mercs takin' Rogue…But you can either fight them, or fight me."

Kurt didn't say anything in response. No matter how much he disliked the Cajun for his past indiscretions, he could not escape the truth of his words. While he still didn't believe him when he said he had changed, he knew he wasn't accomplishing anything here other than making himself angrier. His missing sister in a addition to the incident with Wanda was beginning to take its toll and he didn't want to add any more to his problems, so he decided to leave with one last warning.

"Just don't get any more involved with my sister than you have to…"

And with that, Kurt made his leave and retreated to his room. For Remy, he simply let his body collapse back onto his bed and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Damn…Dey sure are friendly 'round here," scoffed Remy, "De things I do to say I'm sorry…"

As unwelcome as he was here at the institute, Remy Lebeau still had no intentions of leaving. He knew he had to have survived that ordeal for a reason. Maybe it was because he still hadn't told Rogue what he meant to…Maybe it meant he was supposed to tell Rogue more and if they managed to rescue her, he would get that chance. For whatever reason, he was not going to let irrational animosity stop him from making good of the time he now had to let Rogue know before it was too late.

-Location, Unknown-

Vince didn't know where he was. He couldn't even remember how he got there. He was sitting on his knees in an uncomfortable position and there was a bar behind his back and his hands were fastened to it somehow. He tried to stand, but was held down by a chain form the sound of it and figured the bar was fastened to the ground. "Well aren't you pathetic." At first he couldn't really dicern the voice, but it did sound familiar and he soon heard footsteps.

He was surrounded by darkness and was in a spotlight. He couldn't see the floor, but the footsteps were coming closer then from the darkness, a figure came out of it and he was shocked to see it was himself. Only he was all in black and looked down at him with contempt. It was also why he didn't recognize the voice since a person rarely ever heard their own voice from outside their body.

"You really are a pathetic loser…Look at you!" The other him taunted while walking around him. "You let yourself be captured and you broke?! And for what? The blond?! You crushing on her or something and think maybe if you play the hero you'll get lucky?" He laughed at him then. "We both know you don't consider yourself the white knight, being all virtuous and all that shit." He leaned down to face him. "I know all your secrets…I know you inside and out…And I know that you're not so innocent. You would fit in well here if you just let that part of you that you keep locked up out."

"And just who the hell are you supposed to be anyway?" Vince asked his doppelganger glaring at him with his icy cold stare of his light blue eyes.

"I'm you stupid!" the person with his face said. "I'm that dark part of you that you always fight against and keep locked up. I'm the voice that whispers to you to go all out and to show this world what you can really do."

"I won't go there…" Vince replied.

"Why not?" The other him asked him angrily. "Look at you…" Images assaulted Vincent's mind, of the experiments, living on the streets, eating out of garbage, the beatings and experimentation, seeing a few of the other children die, how he was treated when his mutant statues was revealed, the death of Father Michaels in slow motion, and all the horrors he had seen here. All of them played in his mind over and over again until he was weeping with his head on resting on the floor. "Look at what you had to endure for your entire life? Don't you think the world owes you something? Let me take over! What are you afraid of? Losing your honor? Honor is just something a few men around a campfire came up with! Is it God? That's just a fantasy to give people something to hold on to…To give them someone to blame."

Vince breathed slowly, listening to his phantom try and pick him apart at his core and slowly looked up at him with rage in his eyes. "If you were a part of me…Then you would know that I never think that." His eyes took on an eerie crimson glow as he faced this imposter. "And in my training, I had to learn not only what I was capable of, but to also learn about myself. And you are NOT me!" He ripped through his bonds and surprising the other him as he grabbed his throat tightly.

"You want to see the dark side I have? Let me show you!" he said in a cold and dark manner. Then, everything shifted. When he focused, he was strapped to a steel chair and Jason was swaying away from Vince holding his head. The strange thing was Vince swore he saw Jason's face shift, or blur, or something for a moment. But he just ignored it thinking it was his mind.

Jason looked angrily at Vince and turned to a guard. "Take this one back to the cell and get the red head!"

In Tessa's room, Tessa was downloading everything onto a CD form her personal PC. She couldn't wait any longer, for one of the girls had turned already. Rogue was mainly in her room trying to learn control over her new powers and the other one, Jean, wasn't far behind. Tessa knew that she didn't have as much inside information that her superior would need, but it would have to be enough. She had sat back long enough as it was. She wanted to strengthen their minds with her powers, but Jason would have sensed the increased protection and as the only other telepath, Tessa would be the first and only suspect.

The information finished copying itself to the CD and she took it out and placed it into a thin plastic case. She was dressing in more appropriate outdoor clothing, mainly a dark female style business suit. She placed the CD into her purse and got up to leave. She walked through the building like she normally would, not too fast and not too slow. She didn't show any signs of nervousness, but then again she was trained not to show anything. She walked to the entrance were there was a large lobby.

It looked like a fancy lobby of a hote,l but in realty was a well-hidden guard station. The large mirrors on each hall were two way with guards in those rooms and had hidden doors that would open into the lobby. There were security cameras both in plain sight and hidden. She walked to the front desk to sign out. She didn't talk to anyone or to the man on duty at the front desk. She wasn't supposed to go, but Inner Circle never acknowledged those that worked for them anyways.

She walked out the front door, never seeing the man at the front desk make a phone call to the security stations. It was just something he was told to do, that when any of the high-ranking members of the Club left, especially alone, the person at the front desk was to call that in.

Tessa walked into the busy streets of New York and hailed a cab. She took it for fifteen minutes then took a subway and then another cab. She didn't go to her drop point right away. She needed to be sure that no one was following her and she had to ditch at least one tail on the way. That was simple enough for her and she finally stepped out in front of a cyber café. She walked into the place and ordered a coffee. She wasn't particularly thirsty, but it was what people did and she didn't want to stand out.

She went to one of the computers one that faced the wall and one that was not too close to a window. She pulled up the internet and went to a special web site. It was a forum site about nothing in particular and she went to one that was about movies. She found a small icon in the lower left hand corner and held the Ctrl and Alt buttons then clicked on it. A password and username window popped up. She typed in her name and password and then her screen changed. Now it was a database that was for her use only. She clicked on the report function and put the CD into the computer. She downloaded all the information on the CD and typed up a small report. She needed to get back as soon as possible.

She told him that they needed to shut down the Hellfire Club now and she filled her boss in on everything that was currently going on. When all the information was finished she sent it she then logged off the secret site and the final image before it returned back to the sight she had been on was that of SHIELD.

But across the street was part of the vast network of spies that Shaw had emplaced. That and the tracking device Shaw had put in articles of clothing of all the members without their knowledge, not an easy feet, had made it easy for them to follow her from a distance. That tail she had lost was just a distraction and when she left the man walked into the place. He asked where the tall dark haired lady had sat flashing a fake police badge. The manager, who was just a teen, was more then eager to help. Especially when he thought that the lady was a terrorist. After 9/11, everyone in New York helped out anyone in authority when you used the T word.

He sat down and ran a retrieval program. Unfortunately, it stopped at one point and he found a link hidden in a website, but the firewall was pretty good, in fact he was sure he wouldn't be able to hack his way through it. He sighed and pulled out a cell phone and called in to report.

-Hellfire Club-

Jean hadn't been allowed to rest since her arrival and she could no longer decipher dreams from memories. Her mind was in constant conflict, as strange flashes in her head continued to weaken her will to resist. She had no idea what were memories and what were nightmares. It had gotten to the point where she assumed that they were both. One set of memories struggled for dominance over the other and Jean Grey was fighting her own inner war and the old part of her that was struggling to resist was quickly losing.

"Jean…Please…Stay strong…I don't want to lose you…" said a very weak version of the light Scott Summers as he reached out to her while confined by a strange, dark barrier in the fading image of the Xavier Institute.

"Scott…" said Jean weakly as she struggled to hold onto the fading memories of this man.

Just then, a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and held her firmly in place.

"Do not listen to him my dear…" said the dark version of Scott as he stood beside her and watched the weakening light Scott with amusement, "He is almost gone for good. And once he finally fades from your consciousness…All your pain will stop and you will be forever stronger."

Jean was torn between both versions of the man she loved, but her body and mind had been weakened to the point of uselessness from unending assaults and incessant confusion. Part of her wanted to hold onto whatever was left of this light Scott. This dark Scott…The way he touched her and the way he spoke to her just felt so…Wrong. But thoughts like that were quickly fading along with the light Scott as she tried to walk over to the light Scott and help him in his time of need. But as she tried, a strange rumbling shook the earth around them and deep ravine formed between her and the light Scott.

"Jean…No…" said the light Scott, his voice getting weaker by the second.

Jean felt the world around her began to swirl as her mind and body verged on the brink of complete and utter collapse. She just couldn't fight it anymore. Whatever was pushing her…She just couldn't do it. She couldn't even manage to remind herself of her name. Soon…The life she had known before was becoming just obscure, yet familiar at the same time.

"Jean…" said the light Scott as a tear fell from his eyes, "Please…Never forget…Never forget that…I love…"

But before he could finish…His body faded away into dust and fell into the bottomless pit that was growing around him. For Jean…Tears were streaming down her face as her control over her mind was finally beginning to crack under all the strain.

"That's it my dear…It's okay," said the dark Scott in a sinister tone, "It's all over now. The pest that has been holding you back is finally gone. Now…Nothing will stand in your way. Nothing will hold you back. Now…You are mine…You are my queen…Now and forever."

Her original memories were becoming hazy and the new ones, in which her Scott, the Black King of the Hellfire Club was her love, lord ,and master. She remembered how they had taken her and trained her to use her powers and how she had risen through the ranks to Red Queen. These newer memories were taking over.

In Shaw's office, he was sitting behind his desk. He was looking over the reports on Tessa's actions and he wasn't pleased. In the years that she had been in his service she had always done her job and never done anything out of the ordinary…That is until today. He had hoped that she might have been the one person he could have some trust in, but apparently he had been wrong.

'What shall I do with you now my dear?' He thought to himself. He had already called in all the other members of the Inner Circle for a meeting where they would confront her and what she had done. The current operation was too delicate to let it be ruined now, not when he was so close to having them all under his control.

One by one the members came in, all except one. Tessa came in last and they all took their seats. "Well first off I like for you all to meet someone," Shaw said and he buzzed in someone and the doors automatically opened. "Let me all introduce you to Jean Grey, the Red Queen."

Jean walked out in the same red leather outfit and also had a cape. Rogue smirked a bit at seeing her there. Shaw saw the other expressions, but studied Tessa closest of all of them. She showed no sign of feeling one way or the other about it like usual.

"Now then there's one more thing I want to address," Shaw said as he got up and faced Tessa with a cold stare. On the outside she showed no emotion, but on the inside her guts had twisted into a knot the thought that he knew something. He cupped her chin with his hand and coldly asked her one question. "Who do you work for?"

She felt someone entering her mind, scanning her thoughts and saw Jean there smirking. If she said she worked for Shaw, then Jean would know that she was lying…If she shut her out, it was an admission of guilt. She was trapped and she knew it. She looked around and saw the other members slowly getting up and circling her until they completely surrounding her. There was no way out of this and she knew it, she only hoped that back-up would come for her because if they didn't…She was most likely either dead…Or worse…She would go through what the others had gone through and be twisted around inside and that was even a worse fate in her opinion.

Shaw increased his hold until it hurt her. "I asked you a question Tessa," he said his anger rising. "Who…Do…You…Serve?"

NEXT UP CHAPTER 15: SECRETS REVEALVED