Rogue woke suddenly, the loud beeping of the base's alarm system jolting her from her dreamless sleep. "That's the alarm," Paige told her, dutifully rising from her spot on the floor. "We have to get to the passage."
Rogue watched the girl move towards the door, slowly opening it and using a mirror to check if the hallway was clear. "Come on," Paige whispered before entering the corridor, Rogue following close behind.
The other young mutants exited their bedrooms, followed by a sleepy looking Bobby. Rogue watched as the children grouped together, carefully looking back over their shoulders for some kind of sign. Their training with Callisto is definitely paying off. She rolled her shoulders, trying to stretch her aching muscles. Too bad I can't say the same for my exercises.
"This way," Rusty said, his voice low as he pushed on a piece of the wall.
They watched as a secret doorway opened and they filed inside, shutting it behind the last of them. "Two minutes and thirteen seconds," Callisto informed them and they turned towards the older mutant. "That was better than last time but still not good enough."
"We'll do better next time," Sam promised and the other children nodded.
"I know you will," Callisto answered, smiling briefly at them. "Back to bed everyone."
Slowly the doorway opened and Callisto led the way out, the sleepy children making their way slowly back to their rooms. Rogue glanced at Bobby, sighing when he deliberately looked away from her. She watched him slip back into his room, her gaze remaining on the steel of the shut door until Paige tugged on her sleeve.
Rogue turned her attention to the child, smiling as the little girl yawned. No longer vigilant, the drowsy girl made her way down the hallway. "Sleep," Rogue told Paige and watched the girl pull the covers over her body, her eyes closing as soon as her head touched the pillow.
After a few minutes, she could hear Paige's soft snores drift throughout the room. Closing her eyes, Rogue sighed, missing her previous dreamless sleep. Eventually, she fell back to sleep but this time she was bombarded by Magneto's memories. Ash fell from the air coating everything with a fine dust, and she watched as throngs of people were led towards the gas chambers. Guards gave genteel smiles, telling the people they would be disinfected. Her eyes widened in horror, a silent scream bursting from her mouth as she watched Paige, Rusty and the other children walking amongst the people, Bobby's brother becoming one of the guards.
She awoke and pushed the covers off of her and moved to the edge of the bed. She glanced at Paige's sleeping form, and left the room. Quietly, she walked with bare feet through the hallways, passing by the gym, slowly making her way to the kitchen. She flicked the lights on as she entered, pulling on of the chairs to the island before turning towards the freezer and removed the carton of Neapolitan ice cream.
"Late night snack?" Pyro asked and she nearly dropped the carton at the sound of his voice.
"Yeah," Rogue replied and closed the fridge. "Want some?"
Pyro nodded and removed spoons from the drawer before pulling another stool over. The two dug into the ice cream, scooping the flavor of choice into their bowl. Rogue watched him as they ate, a comfortable silence between them. Looking back at her bowl, she smiled as she remembered the last time she had eaten ice cream with him. Images of Bobby creating intricate sculptures with vanilla ice cream rose to her mind. Pyro behind him, sending bursts of small flames to melt it every so often before looking innocently back at his own bowl.
Twirling the chocolate around in the bowl, she grinned as images of the three of them sitting behind the pool house flickered before her, two empty six packs of beer that Pyro had snuck in laying empty at their feet. "What are you grinning at?" Pyro asked, breaking her reverie.
"Pool house," she replied, looking back at him. "Bobby was wasted."
"He doesn't know how to hold his liquor at all," Pyro replied, smirking.
"He did that impression of Mr. Summers," Rogue recalled, giggling.
The two laughed at the mental image of Bobby. She looked up at Pyro and tilted her head in contemplation. "You're nice to me now," she stated. "Why?"
"Would you rather me still be an asshole?" he asked, before shoveling more ice cream into his mouth.
"No," she replied, sticking out her tongue. "You weren't nice before, when we first came here."
Pyro shrugged and looked down at the bowl before him. "I know what you guys thought," he answered. "I'm the bad guy now."
"I'm not, you know," he continued looking back at her. "No one here is. The only bad guys are the people locking up mutants."
"I know," Rogue whispered in reply.
"I know you do," Pyro said. "That's why I'm being…err…"
"It's called nice," she said, smirking at him.
"Whatever," he replied. "You aren't like Bobby, stuck back at Xavier's."
"I don't think humans are evil," Rogue said quickly.
"Neither do we," Pyro countered. "We just don't think that they're…they don't need to be protected from us, we need to protect ourselves from them. From their fears and prejudices."
"I don't think I could kill any of them," she said honestly, looking down at her bare hands.
"I don't know if I could either," Pyro told her.
Rogue looked back at him and smiled, seeing the vulnerability of her old friend shining through his eyes, finding comfort. It quickly disappeared and he was once again Pyro. "He missed you a lot," she whispered, her thoughts turning to Bobby.
"Oh yeah," Pyro snorted, " I can tell he was really broken by my leaving."
She shook her head. "He wouldn't take a new roommate, wouldn't get rid of your clothes," she told him, trying to make him understand, "he left it all exactly the same as when you left."
Pyro looked back at the bowl. "I'm going to bed," he said and rose, placing his bowl in the sink. She watched as he rinsed it and placed it out to dry. "Night."
"Night," she said and watched him leave before turning her attention back to the ice cream that was almost gone.
She smiled as images of Bobby and Pyro, no, John, playing around during a chemistry experiment sprang to her mind. Her smile widened as she remembered the mixture they were working on bursting into flames, surprising the two of them before John was able to control the fire. Jubilee and I laughed so hard at them.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Magneto enter the room. "Can't sleep?" he asked and she shrugged, barely acknowledging his presence behind her. "I don't believe sugar will help you sleep."
"Probably not," she replied, eating another spoonful. She looked quizzically at him. "Why are you up?"
"I saw Pyro on his way back to his room and he informed me of your whereabouts," Magneto said.
"That wasn't an answer to my question," she told him, waving the spoon as she spoke.
"I suppose it wasn't," he replied, an irritating smirk on his face.
She looked at him for a few more seconds before rolling her eyes and turning her attention to the bowl. "You and Pyro appear to have settled whatever differences you had," Magneto stated and she shrugged again.
"He doesn't want to be seen as the 'bad guy'," she said, making air quotes as she spoke.
"That is because he is not," Magneto replied, sitting in the stool Pyro had vacated. "Nor are any of the Brotherhood."
Rogue stirred the milky ice cream, not quite able to agree with him as she had with Pyro. She moved to the sink and silently rinsed out the bowl, placing it next to Pyro's to dry. "Night," she said, walking past Magneto.
"Good night, Rogue," he replied.
Stopping at the threshold she turned back to him. "Is there a trick?" she asked softly.
"Trick?" he asked, rising from the stool.
"To making the nightmares go away?" she asked, looking down at her feet.
He stopped in front of her, lifting her chin so he could see her eyes. "Not that I know of," he said sincerely. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes suddenly becoming heavy.
"I didn't think so," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper before backing away from his touch and walking towards her room.
Rogue watched Paige breathe in and out and pulled the covers over her, closing her eyes. After an hour of changing positions and trying different counting strategies she gave up and curled on her side, trying to erase the feel of his bare hand on her chin.
xxx
"Do we have to listen to this?" Rogue groaned as the boy band's melodies echoed throughout the gym. She finished stretching and then set off.
Pyro chuckled as he joined her. "Avalanche loves them," he informed her.
"Really?" she slowed down her pace, glancing back at the older mutant. Turning back, she tried to suppress her laughter as she caught up to Pyro. "But they suck."
"He says they help him run," Pyro said, shrugging. "Something about his rage making his energy pump up and run faster."
Rogue snorted. "I don't see any rage," she snickered, glancing once again to see Avalanche lip sing along with the lyrics.
"Don't let him here you joke about them," Pyro warned and she looked back at him. "The one time he caught me, I came back and my room looked like it had been in an earthquake."
"Gotcha," she replied and the two of them fell silent as they ran side by side.
The door to the gym opened and Bobby walked in, a grim expression taking over his face when he spotted them. "I didn't know he used the gym," Rogue said, watching as her former boyfriend began stretching.
"Avalanche told me he uses it when he knows we aren't around," Pyro said, glaring as they passed by. "Apparently he only goes where we aren't."
She glanced back at Bobby, watching as he joined in the jog. He quickly approached them and she offered him a smile. It disappeared when he didn't acknowledge her and jogged past. She watched as Pyro sped up, keeping his pace with Bobby's, neither boy looking at the other. She sighed, remembering when they used to race, both of them had a natural competitive streak
She slowed her pace, moving off of the gym floor and towards the door. Looking back at the two of them silently challenging one another she shook her head. The door opened, revealing Rusty and Sam. The boys halted before running into her. "Mystique's back!" Sam exclaimed.
"We saw her," Rusty added.
"Where was she going?" Rogue asked and saw Bobby and Pyro approach from the corner of her eye.
"Uh…towards the staircase," Rusty said.
"What's up there?" Sam asked. "We don't get to go up there."
"Thanks boys," Rogue told them and exited the room, Pyro and Bobby close on her heels. She could hear Rusty mutter something about grownups.
The three of them walked through the hallways, using all of their restraint not to run The hurried up the staircase and saw Mystique and Magneto standing outside his study. Magneto gave them all cursory glance before walking in and shutting the door.
Rogue looked at the two boys before coming to a mutual decision to stay. They sank against the wall that was opposite to the study, silently waiting for any information. The minutes went by slowly, an uncomfortable feeling stirring through Rogue. The last time they had sat quietly like this together had been on the Blackbird. And then John left, Rogue thought looking over at him, and became Pyro.
"You come up here a lot, Rogue," Bobby said, breaking the silence and causing her and Pyro to look at him.
"Huh?" Rogue asked, not liking what he was insinuating.
"You come up here a lot," he reiterated.
"He's teaching me," she said, shrugged.
Bobby scoffed. "What could he possibly be teaching you?" he asked. "No one else gets taught one on one."
She saw Pyro glance at her curiously. "To control my power," she replied, tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear.
"That's great, Rogue," Pyro said, nudging her lightly with his elbow.
"How's he teaching you?" Bobby asked, barely able to control his anger.
"Why does it matter?' she asked, turning to look at him. "Why can't you just be happy like Pyro that I'm learning?"
"Magneto's the enemy, Rogue," Bobby replied, shaking his head, reminding her of Mr. Summers.
"No, he's not," Rogue replied. "The Professor, Mr. Summers… they were wrong. He isn't the enemy. The people who attacked the school, who are keeping mutants in camps, they're the enemy."
"Precisely, my dear," Magneto said and all three turned their attention to the doorway.
Rogue cringed. He was not supposed to hear that. Mystique slipped past him, smiling wickedly at them before disappearing down the stairs. "Pyro, gather the rest of the Brotherhood. We will meet in the briefing room," Magneto said. "Iceman, gather the children."
Bobby glanced at her and then back at Magneto before shaking his head and walking away. Rogue watched him go, waiting until he disappeared before turning her attention to him. She did not like the pleased look on his face. "What?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Magneto smiled in response before turning away from her. "Come, Rogue," he said and walked away.
Reluctantly, Rogue trailed after him, hugging herself as they descended the stairs.
xxx
As they entered the room, Rogue didn't even bother trying to sit on the children's side. She sank into the chair nearest Magneto, avoiding eye contact with Bobby and offering reassuring smiles to the younger mutants. She tapped her fingers against the table, stopping only when Magneto stilled her movements with his power. Folding her arms at her chest, she turned her attention to the table. She knew she looked like a petulant child. And I don't care.
Pyro entered the room. "Everyone's on their way," he informed Magneto.
"Good," Magneto replied, hardly paying any attention to the young man, his focus on the papers in front of him. He frowned and stood, walking out of the room without a word.
"Welcome to the dark side," Pyro joked, nudging Rogue as he sat.
She glared at him before looking back at the table. "Not funny, John," she snapped, brushing back an errant strand of hair.
"Don't let the popsicle—" he nodded towards Bobby—"make you feel bad for finally seeing the truth."
"Who's a popsicle?" Paige asked, looking at her brother. "Are we going to have popsicles?"
"Shh," Rusty and Sam said and she frowned at them.
"Drop it," Rogue said, resting her hands on the table.
"The truth?" Bobby asked. "What truth? That she's being attracted by his deranged vision."
"You're blind," Pyro replied, shaking his head. "Your own brother turned on you and you still see humans as, what? As our equals?"
"You are human!" Bobby yelled, slamming his fists down on the table and causing Rogue and the others to jump.
"Maybe you are," Pyro declared. "But I'm not like them."
Bobby shook his head, eyes wide with disbelief. "How can you even think that?" he asked and turned his attention to Rogue. "Is that what you think? That you are superior?"
Rogue looked down at her hands, tracing tiny paths along the metallic surface, before looking up at him. "I think that there are a lot of bad things happening to mutants right now," she told him before looking down at the table, "and Magneto is the only one who is trying to change that."
"Why didn't you tell me there is a new recruit?" Mystique asked and all eyes turned to the doorway. The members of the Brotherhood stood in it and began filing into the room.
"I'm not a new recruit," Rogue said, glaring at the smile on the woman's face.
Bobby snorted. "Then what are you?" he asked as Magneto sat down.
"A mutant," she replied, crossing her arms at her chest. "Just like you. Or have you forgotten that?"
Bobby glared at her in answer. "See, unlike you," Rogue said, pointing at him, "some of us can't ever forget that."
"Nor should you ever wish to," Magneto said and she looked at him. "We are the future. Homo sapiens, had their time. It is time we took our place as rulers of this planet."
"Do you have any idea how insane you sound?" Bobby asked.
"Hold your tongue, X-brat," Callisto demanded, quickly rising from her chair.
"Sit," Magneto told her before directing his attention to Bobby. "You are free to walk out of this building and see for yourself what horrors await mutantkind."
"I'm not leaving the children here with you," Bobby said. "You've already corrupted one of us."
"I am not corrupted!" Rogue yelled, hitting the table. "Stop saying that I am."
"She's finally seeing clearly," Pyro defended. "She finally realized all that stuff Xavier spouted was crap."
"And you stop badmouthing the Professor!" Rogue demanded, looking at him. Shaking her head, she rose and turned her attention towards the children. "All of you up."
"Now," she added when they hesitated. Satisfied when they rose, Rogue turned her attention to Magneto. "Punish me however you want, they aren't staying for this conversation. They've experienced enough death and destruction."
She looked back at the children and pointed towards the doorway. "Out," she told them.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Rusty asked, crossing his arms in anger, reminding her of Pyro. She did not like the association.
"Television," Rogue told him, utilizing Logan's 'don't mess with me' voice.
Reluctantly the children left the room and she sat back down in the chair. "Are we finished?" Magneto asked and she looked at him, flinching at the coldness in his eyes before nodding.
"Mystique," Magneto said, waving at the blue mutant to begin.
Rogue turned her attention towards the woman, biting back a gasp as the links on her gloves became tighter, biting into her skin. She listened as Mystique told them of the camps and the lab, going over the information Blob had provided. "The lab is now fully operational," Mystique informed them. "On Friday, the first transport of mutants will be arriving at its doors."
She flicked a button on the table and the television screen turned on, showing footage of the outside of a large white building. "The government plans to send small groups to the facility over the next few months," she continued.
"Smart plan," Caliban stated. "If only a few mutants are taken at a time, there is less of a chance of anyone realizing what is occurring."
"But wouldn't those in the camps wonder what was happening?" Rogue asked.
"What can they do?" Callisto asked.
"Tell someone," Bobby answered.
"Oh?" Mystique asked. "Who would they tell, Iceman? The guards? The families who abandoned them?"
Bobby glared in answer, leaning back into his chair. Mystique turned back to the screen. "The first transport will be arriving in one of four nondescript vans," she said and pushed a button. The image on the screen changed to a metallic collar. "The mutants on the transport, and many of the mutants in the camps, will be wearing this."
"What is it?" Pyro asked, leaning on the table to get a better look.
"A power inhibitor," Mystique replied and looked at Magneto, "designed after the one Stryker used on Xavier. Any mutant that the guards deem may be planning a revolt, or is simply too dangerous, is forced into one of these."
Rogue looked at the collar, her hand touching her throat, wondering what it would be like to not fear skin to skin contact with others. The links tightened and she looked back at Magneto, eyes watering in pain. His steely gaze told her that he knew what she had been thinking. She bowed her head in shame.
"This transport will be guarded more heavily because of the occupants of the van." Mystique continued, looking back at Magneto. "They are moving Xavier."
"The Professor?" Rogue and Bobby asked, looking at each other.
"What about Mr. Summers?" Bobby inquired.
"I do not know," Mystique replied, turning back to the screen.
"So, we're going to stop the van?" Pyro asked.
"That is one of our goals," Magneto replied. "The other is to destroy the lab."
"Destroy it?" Bobby asked.
Pyro smiled, flicking his lighter open and looking affectionately at the flame. "Destroy it," he whispered.
"The lab had been built to experiment on mutants, Iceman," Magneto replied. "I see no reason for it to remain standing."
"But there are people in there," Bobby argued. "Aren't there? Scientists, and lab technicians, and custodians. People with families."
"They should have chosen a different place of employment," Magneto replied, fixing a steely glare on Bobby and ending the discussion.
Rogue looked down at her hands, her mind a mixture of emotions, ranging from guilt for what would happen to the employees to exhilaration for being able to stop the experiments from being performed. She looked back at Mystique, listening intently as she described what they would be doing, and the roles each of them would play. When Bobby's name was mentioned in the plan, she cast a surprised look at him and then Magneto, not quite able to believe that Magneto would trust the younger man.
The conversation continued for an hour and Rogue was unsure she knew exactly what they would be doing. Thank god we're going to be practicing for this, she told herself as Bobby and the Brotherhood members stood and began leaving the room. Slowly, she turned towards Magneto, wondering what her punishment would be.
There was a grim expression on his face as he stared at the screen, though she believed he was actually focusing on something in his mind. He blinked and looked at her, his face once again showing no emotion. With a wave of his hand he dismissed her. She quietly stood and walked to the doorway, took one more glance back at him before slipping into the hallway, the links on her arms loosening as she walked.
xxx
Rogue laid her head down on the pillow, smiling as she watched Paige drift into a peaceful sleep, hoping that she would soon follow. Closing her eyes, she tried to erase all thoughts from her mind, not wanting any of the events of the day to cloud her sleep. Slowly she drifted off, not quite able to leave that day's experiences behind her.
Images of the lab whirled around her, glimpses of the Professor and Mr. Summer's face passing by, as her mother and father strapped her to a table, telling her to be calm as a man in a lab coat approached her, a large needle in his hand. She screamed but no sound escaped. Instead, those around her yelled as the table was ripped from the floor and floated into the air.
Everything became black and she closed her eyes, thankful for the images to be gone. Her eyes opened as she felt a hand caress her hair. Fingertips lightly traced her collarbone and she moaned as the touch moved lower, feather light across her chest. She whimpered as the hem of her shirt inched its way up, allowing for the torturous caress to continue its path, this time on bare skin. "Beautiful," Magneto whispered against her ear.
Rogue bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath, her eyes wide with shame, feeling flushed and desperately aroused. She cast a quick glance towards Paige, thankful the girl was still asleep, before looking down at her traitorous body. You did not just dream that, she told herself, shaking her head as she pulled her legs up to her chest, and buried her head in her knees. Oh god.
Paige rolled in her sleep, muttering to herself, and Rogue froze, not wanting to wake her up. Once she was convinced that girl was sleeping, Rogue got out of the bed and left the room. Slowly, she walked down the hallway, shaking as images from her dreams enveloped her. "No," she said vehemently, her steps becoming faster as she tried to erase the feel of his hands on her.
She went into the gym and began running, her feet pounding into the floor with each step, desperate to forget. Each footstep echoed throughout the room, sounding louder the more she ran. She tried to focus on the walls as she moved, but their silvery shine reminded her of his steely voice. There was nowhere she could look and not see metal; every inch of the room reminded her of him.
Her hair fell into her face, her eyes only seeing the white strands. My constant reminder, she said, tugging hard on a strand. His legacy. Her muscles ached, begging for her to stop, but she needed to feel the pain. Make it go away, she begged, forcing herself to run harder.
Eventually, she staggered and allowed herself to fall to her knees, bracing her hands against the floor as the tears streamed down her face. She hiccupped, crying loudly, as her body shook with emotion. The floor was smooth against her fingers, cooling the desire that raged through her body. Her nightgown rubbed against her and she cried out in frustration at the way the coarse fabric scratched her skin. She wanted to tear it off of her and lay against the sleek surface, to press her body against the steel, anything to make the fire burning in her diminish.
She froze as she heard Bobby say her name. "You okay?" he asked and she made a sound that was part laugh, part sob.
"I'm fine," she said, pushing herself up, wiping at her face before she turned to look at him. There was concern in his eyes and she looked down at her feet, knowing that if he knew why she was crying it would quickly disappear.
"You don't look okay," he said, offering her one of his smiles.
She hiccupped, remembering when she'd seen them more often. The tears started again, and she wrapped her arms around her body. He stepped towards her, arms out, ready to offer comfort. She looked at him, wanting to accept the peace she would find in his arms. It would be a lie. When he finds out, he'll hate you more than he does now.
Taking a step back, she shook her head, before running past him, ignoring his call for her. She exited the gym and raced through the hallway, hoping that no one would see her, praying that she did not run into Magneto. Eventually, she came to a stop at the doorway to the hanger. she walked inside and pushed the button that opened the hanger door.
Her feet touched the rocky shore and she tried to keep walking, to leave it all behind, but her feet wouldn't cooperate. She watched the waves crash into the shore, listening to them break against the rocks. Looking out into the moonless sky, she tried again to gather the courage to walk. Images of Paige and the other young mutants rose to her mind. You can't leave them behind.
She stepped back, feeling the hard steel of the building underneath her feet and pushed the button again, watching as the world disappeared, closed off by the icy metal door.
Slowly, she made her way back to her room, sinking onto the bed. All she could hear was his voice in her mind, repeating the word 'Beautiful'. She closed her eyes, her hand absently caressing her stomach as a slow, pleased smile spread across her face.
