Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The X-Men Or Anything Related To The X-Men.
Thank you to everyone who read the previous chapter. I appreciate you guys and gals taking time out of your busy lives to look at and read this chapter and story. Seems weird to publish stuff so quickly, but the other one was a tad bit shorter, so I added this chapter too.
The sights of Meridan were something Mystique never expected to witness again. She escaped the Lenox dimension so long ago, that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to walk through streets filled with banners and billboards promoting the Interdimensional Games. Normally, there would have been people all over the streets, happily displaying their team shirts and vendors struggling to keep up with the demand for their products. Even she knew the barren streets and vacant stores they passed were a very bad sign.
Lenox had been a hard place to grow up, to say the least, but she had actually enjoyed those rare occasions she could sneak out of the Morph lands and watch the games with other Lenoxians. Part of her once dreamed of being able to compete in a few of the events, despite the anti-Morph rules. It was one of the nicest memories from her youth. Granted, there were not exactly a lot of them fighting for spots on that list.
As Logan and Jude marched her towards the back entrance of the duke's home, she let out a sigh and braced herself for what would be a very interesting, if not unproductive, talk with the woman she couldn't believe was alive. Sunil's original plan, as Raven knew it, had been to start testing his machine on the kids, before moving on to the queen, and eventually Rogue and her father.
If the queen was alive after all of the visits she was bound to have had with the machine, Mystique could admit she was a little impressed by how strong the woman's drive to live must be. What kept Lydia going in that place after everything she saw and lived through? The question genuinely bothered her to the point, that she half considered asking the queen.
Raven knew exactly what it felt like to be hooked up to that machine. One of the cruelest things Sunil decided to do was test the earlier versions of the machine on his own family. The ones he could reasonably make do without, at least. She had been a receiver the first time. Her grandfather told her it was a great honor, but the feeling of someone else's thoughts and powers flowing into her was one of the most painful things she ever experienced.
Emotionally, it hurt to watch the man they selected as a giver be dragged to the machine and it was even worse to hear him scream as the device absorbed him. Physically, the sudden flood of energy racing into her body felt like a blistering fire spreading through her every nerve. Trying to think with someone else's terrified thoughts and powers mixing with her own had been maddening. For days afterward, she couldn't be sure if what she thought or said was actually from her or that poor man. Thankfully, the aftereffects seemed to have lessened over the years, to the point she no longer sensed another human inside of her head. It was part of the reason, deep down, she felt that she could understand Rogue's head better than most of the others.
The guards watched the group with suspicious stares, silently questioning whom the dark haired woman between Logan and Jude was. They hadn't seen her before and with the high-security orders, they were not going to tolerate strangers. Quickly after climbing into the X-men's car, Mystique altered her look to attract less attention from any passersby. Rogue's old betrothed, who surprisingly, to her, grew up to be a tall, muscular man, had watched her the entire time she spent changing her appearance.
Raven knew he probably had no idea who she really was, but he was smart enough to know she was a Morph. No, the way he watched her was more like he somehow remembered her. But that was nearly impossible since her interactions had only been with Rogue and Griffin that night. He couldn't have known how many times she had walked past him and Rogue in disguise all those years ago.
Both men vouched for her and the guards reluctantly let them inside the extravagant home. As they walked down the long hallway, to what she assumed was some type of office area or study, Logan grumbled out a threat about her staying in line or being turned to confetti. It appeared the gruff man truly thought his words would scare her. Logan could lay down a serious threat, she'd give him that much, but she wasn't going to pay him any mind. He knew as well as she did, that she had information important to stopping Rogue and Sunil. As long as she was a valuable player in this strategy, then no one would hurt her.
"Logan," The professor was the first person to address the group as they entered the large study. He gently tapped Lydia's shoulder and the woman looked up from the papers in her hands to see that they were not only missing members, but they somehow gained a new team member as well.
"Where are the others? Where is Alex?" She questioned the three of them with growing concern.
"Somewhere in the Morphs' land," Logan nudged Mystique forward and received a glare in the process, "Stripes found a collar, but after she showed up Sunil started acting up and Rogue teleported out with Kurt. Remy is still looking for them, but we came back to get reinforcements and drop her off."
Lydia walked closer to the strange woman and tried her hardest to remember where she might have seen that face before. Her heart was already beating faster than she thought possible at the idea of her daughter and friends out in the Morph land with Alex's mind so unstable, but she managed to focus on the new woman. What was it about this strange lady that set Sunil off?
"Who are you?" She finally asked and watched with a wide pair of eyes as Mystique suddenly dropped her disguise. "What… Who are you? Tell me, now."
Mystique wasn't surprised by the queen's sudden demands when she actually saw whom she was talking to. The royals hadn't been too fond of Morphs back in the day, so why should they be any different now? She really didn't expect anything from the Lenox family. Even without her grandfather and great-grandfather's views on Lenox royals being shoved at her over-and-over again through her youth, she just didn't have a high opinion of them. The only reason she agreed to be this close to Lydia was because of the only Lenox family member she did care about; Rogue.
"You can call me Mystique, Lydia."
Unlike everyone else in the dimension, there was no sign of respect or wonderment in the woman's tone. Lydia didn't expect people to love her automatically because she was wealthy and from a regal family, but she hadn't expected such bitterness to come out of Mystique's mouth. The tone almost sounded like the other woman was blaming Lydia for something when it probably should have been the other way around.
"You were the one that took her that night," Lydia said so softly the group almost missed hearing it.
Through many long, late night discussions, within both women wept multiple times, Alex had slowly explained her life story to Lydia. She had listened quietly to every word and held Alex tightly in her warm arms when the memories threatened to overwhelm the girl. A lot of those stories involved Mystique in her various roles as foster mother, fake best friend, and multiple others. This woman had hurt her daughter deeply, whether Alex would outwardly admit it or not, but she had also saved her life. It was a strange feeling racing through Lydia's heart as she questioned whether to thank the woman or attack her where she stood.
"Yes." Mystique answered suddenly. She knew Lydia was most likely aware of Raven's past where Rogue was involved, but she was not going to let that change her confident demeanor. They had more important things to talk about than those past events anyway. "And I have information about Rogue and Sunil."
Without waiting for anyone to invite her to the table, she strode past Lydia and took a seat. The motion was performed so casually that Jude and the others found themselves lost in surprise for a moment. He stared at Lydia with a confused expression, before following the queen over to the table. It was obvious from the way Ororo, Professor Xavier, Jude, and Lydia sat on one side while Mystique sat on the other, what team everyone was on. Logan, unable to relax in Mystique's presence, leaned against the door and watched the proceedings with a frown.
"What happened to the collar?" Lydia asked keeping her posture as straight as possible to appear more confident.
"That won't work." Mystique shook her head firmly and kept the stare strong as she watched Lydia's blue eyes. "Those collars can stop certain powers, but Sunil was the only one who could control them. With that on, he could find new ways to hurt her, until she either listens to him or is too tired to fight back."
Lydia broke their stare to take note of the expressions on Jude and Logan's faces. Jude was outwardly saddened, as he appeared to be picturing the collar experience again. He sighed softly and rubbed his temple, somehow managing to avoid her gaze. Logan, who she knew was better at hiding his feelings, took a slow breath and adjusted his position against the doorway. The mere idea that he was acting slightly uncomfortable at the thought of what happened in the Morphs' land sent a cold shiver down her back.
She looked back to Mystique and tried to remember every detail Alex told her. Lydia knew about the great escape, the fostering, and the Earth issues, but it didn't explain why Mystique would have such detailed information about the collars. From what her daughter said, Mystique had been a random member of the group Griffin planned to kill once they transformed into the royal family. If she were so sickeningly disposable to the Morphs, why would she be told such big information? Was she more than just Kurt's mother and the woman that happened to be at the right time and place to help Alex?
"Logan," Lydia spoke up once again and spared only a short glance in the rugged man's direction, before looking back to Mystique, "You said that Sunil reacted when Alex saw Mystique, right?" Logan grunted a quick yes and watched the scene with growing interest, "Why would Sunil react that strongly to seeing you?"
"Because" Mystique never lost her balanced tone, "He was my family once."
Everyone grew silent as the idea settled over the room. Professor Xavier gently rubbed his chin and wondered just how much he didn't know about Mystique. He wanted to believe there was good in every person, and he knew Mystique loved her children, even if she hadn't been the world's best mother, but he never realized that she went against her family to save Rogue. Obviously, her heart had not been so hardened by years of anti-Lenox teachings that she was willing to ignore a scared Rogue. She was willing to risk her own life to try and save another; a noble gesture in anyone's book.
"Look," Mystique added quickly, not planning on discussing her ex-family with Lydia, "We don't have time for this. Every second we wait, Sunil is growing stronger."
Despite her desperate need for more information, Lydia agreed and pressed onward, "What information do you have for us?"
"My sources claim that if she isn't stopped soon, Sunil will use Rogue's abilities to destroy the entire dimension. The future for this place is death unless we can find a way to curb Sunil."
"Why would he go through all the trouble to start a war if that is his plan?" Storm asked from her spot beside the professor.
"It isn't what Sunil wants, the only people he wants to be rid of are the Lenox royals. The rest he needs to feed his overinflated ego." Mystique explained, "The information is not exact, but I am almost certain it has to do with Rogue's refusal to give into him. If she fights to the end, it is possible her boost of power could create a blast felt all over Lenox. As it stands right now," Mystique sighed as she relayed the story told to her only a month earlier, "Rogue has her power and her father's through Sunil. As strong as she is, she is nowhere near the strength her father was at his death."
Lydia bit her lip, thinking painfully of her lost love, but pushed herself to stay on topic for the sake of their daughter, "And she can't control something that big if Sunil unleashes it?"
"Exactly," Mystique nodded her head firmly, "We must stop Sunil, while Rogue still has enough strength to fight and keep her mind together. If they both unleash their full power reserves, then everything and everyone will be destroyed."
"So what's in it for you?" Logan finally grumbled out. He knew she would not have appeared without another agenda. It would be nice to think she just cared enough about Kurt and Stripes to help them out, but that was not Mystique. There was something she was not telling them, "Why are you suddenly so helpful?"
"Logan," Storm gave him a disapproving stare from across the room. She knew the same things he did about the woman before them, but she didn't see how badgering the only person with helpful information could be beneficial.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Mystique snapped at him, her nerves beginning to fray, "I am not going to let my daughter die. Someone has to be there to help her."
"Take that back," The words were vocalized with such an irate tone, it was hard to believe Lydia had been the one to utter them. "Take that back, right now."
"What? Take back the fact that I saved Anna's life and your idiotic dimension sent her to face that monster alone?" She refused to use the name Alex. No, that little girl had been left alone by her so-called family to try and escape Sunil. Anna Marie was the strong, tough-skinned woman Mystique helped raise. It was her Anna and Kurt that she was going to save from this horrible place.
"Or do you expect me to ignore that it was because of you she absorbed the creature that will torture her until her last breath?"
Mystique only knew snippets of information from her various sources, but she had been told that Rogue finding her mother was a giant part of why the battle with Sunil happened. She didn't believe it was a sudden burst of love for the Lenox dimension that convinced Rogue to face that challenge. No, she was almost certain it was seeing Lydia that convinced her to stay and fight. If Lydia had any real concern for the girl, in Mystique's bitter opinion, she would have forced Rogue to leave the moment she saw her.
The room grew extremely cold as Lydia glared at Mystique with such ferocity, that it was almost hard for the others to watch. There was no sign of ice or snow on the ground, but each of the X-Men could see their breath as the uncomfortable scene staggered forward. Lydia's face wrinkled into an expression of pure disgust, they had seen only once before, when she dared to slap Sunil. Even though her attention was directed at Mystique, the entire group felt their moods plummet into something so severe it was physically sickening.
"The only reason you are still standing, is because you once saved the life of my daughter," Lydia stood up from her chair and planted her hands firmly on the table in front of her, "And you may have information you haven't told us yet. Still, this is my land, and you will not speak of events you have no knowledge of."
Lydia stood as rigidly as her body physically could and shot Mystique the scariest glare yet, "And if you ever claim to be Alexandria's mother again, I will get rid of you myself."