Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The X-Men Or Anything Related To The X-Men.

Thank you guys and gals for reading the previous chapter. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy days to read this chapter. Thank you again and here it is:

As Kurt packed a bag for the newest X-men mission, he tried to keep his mind from traveling back to the hospital conference room. He'd known his sister was emotionally unstable before the attack on the game, but he never thought she would announce that she was willing to get rid of herself if it came down to it. The memory still made him shudder as he zipped up his small bag of supplies and headed downstairs to meet the rest of his team.

The first person he spotted in the sitting room was Remy. The boy had a lightweight backpack slung over his broad shoulder and seemed to be zoning out as he stared at one of the cards from his deck. After watching the look of rage overcome his normally calm face, Kurt had found a strange respect for Remy. He had never been too thrilled with the idea of his sister dating a thief, but the scene in the conference room proved to him that Remy really did care for her deeper than any of them could imagine.

Remy had been the first one to respond to Rogue's statement. Unlike Kurt, who had been unable to form a sentence through the surprise of such an announcement, Remy had jumped up immediately and demanded that she stop thinking about anything even resembling that idea. Rogue fought him tooth and nail, stating that if it came to it, this was her choice and she refused to give Sunil the chance to use her as a weapon ever again. Unscathed by the ferocity of her words, Remy never detoured from his attempts to beat some sense into the girl's head. Kurt could only pray that Rogue took some of the things Remy told her to heart. If she didn't have faith that they could find a solution as a team, then half of the battle was already lost.

It had been Jude who momentarily settled the fight, by offering the first possible solution to their problems; Morph collars. Sunil had been able to create a device that kept Rogue from flying, so the group agreed it was possible they might be able to find a way to use the collar to stop any attempts by her psyches to use her. It was a bit far-fetched, in Kurt's head, since they had no idea how the Morph technology worked, but he was willing to cling to any chance to stop Sunil from using his sister.

"Vhere is everyone else?" Kurt ventured as he took a seat on one of the couches.

Remy kept his eyes trained on the card and only said something that sounded like they were still packing. The mission team, consisting of Kurt, Remy, Jude, Logan, and Rogue, had been warned about the lack of any basic supplies in the Morphs' old land. After the chaos of the battle and the subsequent removal of the Morphs from the barren land, most of their underground city had been left to rot. A good deal of the high ranking Morphs' hideouts and storage sheds had been completely destroyed by fires or other various measures in an attempt to keep their plans out of the hands of Lenox invaders. The whole place was now a maze of dangerous rubble and charred materials, making their trip into the deeper parts of the land so tricky.

If it been up to Kurt, Rogue would not have been allowed on the trip. The doctors had let her out of the hospital only a day ago and she had been free from any strange behaviors or yellow eyes for at least forty-eight hours. Despite her good progress, Kurt wondered how she would react going back into Sunil's territory. Even Logan had argued that it wouldn't be a good idea to put Rogue in a place that could aggravate Sunil, but she wouldn't hear of staying behind.

"I am the only person in the group who knows anything about the inside of that place." Rogue told them when they planned the search party, "Staying here is not going to fix anything. If I go with you, I can at least try the collars when we find them. It would be safer to test them in a deserted area than Meridan anyway."

Remy looked up from his card as Kurt fell silent. He knew they were both worried about Rogue's announcement, but Remy couldn't bring himself to talk to Kurt about it. Actually, he couldn't talk to anyone about it. The idea that Rogue would rather die than live with Sunil in her head had cut him like a razorblade. The cold and unfeeling way she had been able to make such a statement infuriated him. He was not going to let her curl up and give Sunil the satisfaction of winning! No, he had promised her with his whole heart that they would fix this and he would make sure that she fought for her own survival just as hard.

"Alright," Logan entered the room, with Jude and Rogue at his heels, "Let's get this thing going."

As they rode in silence to the edge of the Morphs' land, Rogue tried to keep her mind focused on the idea of the collars. She had kept herself awake as long as she could since their hospital conference and was not going to let her mind drift for a moment. If she couldn't figure out the signs of Sunil jumping into the driver's seat, then she would just keep herself going all the time. If she didn't sleep, then she couldn't release her mental hold. If she continued to think one idea over and over again, she wouldn't give her head any free room to slack off.

They left their vehicle back a mile or two from the entrance, on the off chance a radical Morph might be hanging around. Since the big attack on the games, the anger between the two sides had sent some Morphs back into the old land to avoid mingling with the even angrier Lenoxians. Stories of the princess' supposed plan to get rid of everyone and join the Morphs' side were flooding Meridan, causing the other Lenoxians to grow more frightened by the hour.

Some remained by the side of the Lenox family, taking Victoria and Lydia's statements that the princess still believed in equal treatment for all and was only suffering from a small malady, as the real story. Others had already started to fill their shelves with food and water in case the Morph attack the princess screamed about started.

It was still hard for Rogue to believe her cousin had been willing to stand up in front of a crowd, with her ribs still bandaged from Rogue's attack, and tell them that the princess was not promoting a war between the two sides. How Lydia and her cousin handled the entire explanation of her freak out? She didn't know. There was too much going on in her life to keep track of the statements, so she continued her focus exercises and left the public to her family.

"When we get down there," Logan told her as they approached the same stone Rogue had once used to sneak into Sunil's underground city, "Lead the way to his building but stay low. There is no telling what will be waiting."

She silently agreed and led them down into the depths of the Morph's city.

The once semi-impressive building that Sunil had considered his fortress had been badly damaged. The inside walls were stained with black dust and most of the rooms were filled with nothing but piles of burnt furniture. As the group quietly explored the various rooms, they found little sign that the Morph leaders left any of their projects to be found by future generations. By the time they located two rooms that somewhat resembled testing facilities; their hopes began to rise slightly.

After agreeing to split into two groups, Logan, Kurt, and Jude took the room to the left giving Rogue and Remy the other one. Had it not been close enough to easily hear a scream for help or escape if they needed to, Logan would never have agreed to split them up. He didn't trust Rogue to be left alone when her mind was so mixed up, but breaking into different groups quickened the search for a cure.

Along the shelves covering the walls of the room, were various pieces of scrap paper and metal gadgets that looked more like cooking utensils then anything dangerous. Somewhere in the maze of a building, Rogue knew the Morphs had a machine capable of sucking out your powers, memories, and energy. She wondered if Lydia would have been willing to tell her where that machine was located, so they could explore it, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to ask the woman. Ever since Rogue's blunt decision had been shared with the group, Lydia had been somewhat overwhelmed and seemed to have trouble even talking to her daughter.

It wasn't like Rogue was completely oblivious to the pain she had caused her mother with those words, but it couldn't be helped. What was the point in fighting so hard to save the people she loved if she could turn around and murder them herself with no warning? If they couldn't get a grip on this thing, then she had to make tough choices. That might be the only way to stop Sunil once and for all.

"Find anything?" She spoke up suddenly to Remy. After yelling at each other quite loudly, they had yet to talk again. Neither of them could figure out what to tell the other, so it seemed that an awkward silence was becoming the annoying third wheel.

"Non," He kicked a pile of ashes with the toe of his boot and watched them scatter around the floor. "You?"

"Just some crazy kitchen utensils. Think the Morphs were planning a breakfast of doom?"

Her small, bland icebreaker fell flat when he snapped his head back to her and offered a small glare. She stepped back, surprised to see him show such anger, before he let out a long sigh, "Can you take this seriously?"

"I am taking this seriously,"

For the first time, she started to notice the bags under Remy's eyes. As she studied his expression for more clues to what was going on in his head, she realized how tired he looked. Instead of the normal shine in his eyes, he now seemed like he was just trying to keep himself moving. She hoped to catch sight of his normal grin to give herself a breath of relief, but he was not going to smile at her now.

"Then keep looking. We have to find one." His tone was rough as if he was growing more desperate, but still fighting to hide his feelings, "We will find one."

She looked away from his side of the room, unable to watch him kneel down and dig through the rubble. Watching the confident Remy start to crack and show his inner anxieties had shaken her. It was her fault he was like this and she wanted desperately to hug him and tell him that she was sorry for everything and that they could run off into the sunset. But that was not possible.

She had hurt Remy. She hadn't been able to protect him from her, and she would never forgive herself for that. The biggest fear in her mind was that the people she loved would be injured by her own hands. No matter how much she loved Remy, she wasn't going to let him get hurt by her again. She wasn't going to let any of them get hurt, no matter what she had to do to save them.

As she moved a box in the corner of her side of the room, she spotted the black collar instantly. With a tentative hand, she reached out and picked it up. The weight and coldness of the metal were as familiar as it had been in her memories. It was hard to wrap her mind around the idea that she had once been so terrified of these devices. Watching them shock her dad and having been attacked by them as well, she knew how much power they could bring. Still, the sight of a real collar made her heart swell in a strange relief.

"I found something." She said it so softly to Remy that she wasn't sure if he heard her.

Only seconds later, though, his shadow appeared over her and the earthy smell of him overcame her. She stood slowly and showed him the device, but kept a firm hold on it so he could not take it out of her hands. She trusted Remy, but with the current emotional charge between them, she doubted if he would be willing to stick to their plan.

Seeing the black collar both angered and appeased Remy. It was so strange to feel such intense emotions towards a simple necklace, but he couldn't put the memory of watching Rogue be electrocuted out of his mind. Even if the collar somehow worked and they could keep Sunil down, the idea that she would have to go through life chained like a wild animal deeply bothered him. Rogue deserved so much better than a future where she was constantly shackled. What made him even angrier was his belief that Rogue didn't share this view with him.

"We should tell the others." He spoke slowly, never letting his eyes leave the collar.

"Do you really think it will work…" Her voice came out quietly again, forcing him to finally spot hints of her true anxiety. She held the item up to her green eyes and let the collar drift towards her neck.

"Drop it!"

The sudden, unfamiliar yell scared Rogue enough, that she literally dropped the collar to the dirty floor and almost fell over when she spun around to see who had yelled.

Both mutants watched with slightly agape mouths as they took in the sight of Mystique standing in the doorway. Remy broke the shocked expression first and whipped out a charged card before the woman could take a step closer to them. Within minutes, the telltale sound of Kurt's teleportation joined their room and left the other team members beside the two southerners. Logan's claws shot out instantly and a large growl escaped his mouth. Jude, unsure who the woman actually was, took a moment to watch the faces of his X-men teammates in hopes they would tell him something.

"Vhat are you doing here?" Kurt, the only one not in an attack position, spoke up from beside Rogue.

"You can't use that collar." Mystique seemed to ignore the question and kept her eyes trained on Rogue as if she knew just how dangerous the girl was at the moment. "Do not put it on."

"Better start explaining yourself," Logan snarled out in an even deeper voice and took a step forward.

"I am here to help Rog-" She started to slowly talk to them until she noted the quick flash on Rogue's face.

"You!" Rogue snarled out so ferociously that even Logan took a small step back from her. "How dare you show step foot on thi-" Rogue clutched her head and bent forward as if she had been punched in the gut, "No!"

"Rogue!" Mystique tried to take a step closer to her adopted daughter, but the pain stricken woman dropped to her knees and continued to yell.

"Don't come closer!" The voice was closer to Rogue's own, but it was not completely clear. "Just stay back from me!"

The X-men watched her with nervous expressions as she started to pull at her white bangs with enough force to possibly tear the strands right out of her head. She shook her face violently and kept her eyes closed, offering them no clue to who was currently winning the battle. Logan dropped his claws for a moment and tried to talk her down with a few calm words, but it didn't seem to make any difference.

"Rogue," Mystique's voice filtered through the room and forced another growl to escape the woman's throat.

Desperate for something, anything, to stop the onslaught of feelings and pain, Rogue reached out and grabbed hold of the collar. She could hear Mystique demanding she not put the device on her neck, but it was too late. All of their voices had become lost whispers to her as she quickly snapped the necklace around her neck.

The electric shock that filled her body was almost instant. The moment she let out a simple breath, the charge began to race through her body. She screamed in agony and started to claw wildly at the collar, but couldn't unhook the device through the pain and challenge from Sunil. Somewhere in the madness of the moment, she felt a pair of hands grab her neck roughly and pry the collar off of her.

When the device let go of her neck, she fell to the floor desperate for a chance to breathe normally again. As her chest heaved uncontrollably, her wide green eyes stared straight ahead to see Remy LeBeau sitting on the floor with his hands twitching uncontrollably. His eyes met hers and she knew instantly that he had been the one willing to electrocute himself to save her. He had gotten hurt because of her actions once again, and she found herself too ashamed to even look at his caring eyes. He deserved so much better than all of this. He deserved so much better than her.

"Rogue?" Kurt's voice came to her as he helped her sit up from the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I think…" She took a shaky breath and tried to stand up on her feet. When she wobbled slightly, Kurt propped her arm over his shoulders and kept an arm around her waist. "I don't know…"

"Those collars are built to attack anyone who isn't a Morph." Mystique stood still in the doorway and showed a little relief on her face that her two children were at least standing like they were not too injured. "If you put that on it will only help his cause."

With her defenses down from the strong attack, Rogue couldn't stop the sudden flash that took hold of her. Something in the words Mystique calmly offered had set Sunil off into a new rampage. Logan shouted for Kurt to take a step away from Rogue, but the mutant refused to leave his sister's side. He watched in quiet horror as the girl's back straightened immediately and her eyes took the scary yellow glow.

"My cause?!" Rogue cackled out in a deep, almost male sounding voice, "You tried to stop me all those years ago, but you would never be able to outsmart the proud Morph revolution!" Kurt tried to edge away from Rogue, but she grabbed hold of his arm with a death grip, "Did you think your little band of rejects could stop me, granddaughter?!"

"Granddaughter?" Kurt whimpered out in confusion as his arm was squeezed harder than he ever felt before.

"I am not your family." Mystique took a moment and let her anger fuel a biting statement, before re-focusing on helping Rogue snap back. "I warn you now, let go of my children or I will kill you."

Rogue laughed crazily and pulled Kurt in front of her face, "This?! This is what has become of our proud bloodline?!"

"Let him go." Mystique's eyebrows dipped lower on her face and she let out a growl that made even Wolverine take a little notice. "You can't win against the Lenox. Either let go now or suffer the consequences, Sunil."

"Give up?" Rogue let go of Kurt's arm for a second, and the boy tried to jump away from her but was stopped by her sudden grab of his tail. "We are only getting started!"

Kurt let out a scream as Rogue suddenly dropped her control and zapped him. She laughed at the sound of the pain, and gave Mystique a cruel smile, before teleporting right out of the room.

Panic set in almost immediately as the group fanned out around the building in desperate search for Kurt and Rogue. Logan knew the elf had a distance limit on his powers, and he prayed that Rogue/Sunil would have to follow that limit. If she was able to send them someplace Kurt had never seen and over two miles away, then they would be almost impossible to track down.

After hours of searching the building and surrounding area came up empty, Logan nervously agreed to let Mystique lead them through the hidden tunnels she knew of in the area. She had lived under Sunil's thumb long enough to see a few of his hiding places. At one point, she had even been considered his eventual right-hand man, but she'd fallen from his positive side through multiple confrontations. Which placed her on the team who were forced to give their lives for the cause.

She would never forget the look in her grandfather's eyes when she refused to turn into the smallest princess. It had been a blow to her, despite their already extremely strained relationship. The only thing that had kept her going that night, was the terrified look in Rogue's eyes. She had seen the princess from a distance multiple times, but that night Alex had looked into Mystique's eyes with the expression that finally broke her heart and convinced her that she had to take the girl away from all of this.

"You said they'd be here!" Remy snapped at Mystique, as they exited the last tunnel and stood in front of the original building once again. He stared at her with sizzling eyes; as his own nerves began to overtake his normally calm exterior. "Where are they, Mystique?"

"How do we know that you aren't part of this whole plan?" Jude added, though he didn't know the entire story of Mystique, he had already decided that he didn't trust her. None of the other people in their group seemed to be happy to see her, and he doubted Remy would have looked at anyone who was helpful like that.

"I told you, that I am here to help my children!" She glared at the boys and didn't let Remy's or any of their stares intimidate her, "If we don't stop Sunil then the entire dimension is going to pay the price."