Chapter 25
"I wouldn't do that Rogue." Said Jean Grey in a cold, lay back voice.
Both Rogue, and Sinister, were startled. Sinister always expected Rogue, but never this woman. He'd seen her before on TV doing presetations for mutant rights, but the way she was speaking now. Both Rogue and Sinister put it together that something was amis.
"J-Jean? What are ya doin' here!" Rogue demanded.
Jean just slowly stepped forwards, looking unmoved and rather bored, yet there was also a little of fiest determination in her eye.
"If you take out the head then you will ruin any chance of regathering control as all the Sentianl robots will go into an automatic mode where they will continue, non stop to capture, lock up and kill mutants and humans alive." said Jean Grey.
Rogue was stund. But refocused and reenforced her grip on her gun and bettered her aim at Sinister. "Your on his side now!" Rogue yelled, demanding. She was scared, riding off the adrening rush she had and not thinking straight. Apart of her did take in Jean's point though and she knew what she had said was just a reaction to do with her mood.
Jean Grey looked very dissapointed. She stopped where she was. "I thought you were smarter than that." Said Jean. Her head tilted to the side as she took in Rogue from a different angle. "From all the trickery, plots and sneakiness you've done over the past year." Jean's eyes glowed a dangerous black with a ring of blood red around the iris. Both Sinister and Rogue were on edge.
Then, in a struggle, the eyes changed back to Jean Grey's normal calm brown eyes; but there was great fear and panic in them. "Rogue." She breathed.
Rogue's breathing was ragided. What was happening to Jean? Why wasn't she shooting Sinister? Nothing should be stopping her!
"Rogue." Breathed Jean again, sounding tired and as if she was fighting against her own body. "Run."
"What?" Rogue asked confused.
"Rogue you have to run. I don't..." Jean's body shuck as Jean kelded over as if she was about to be sick. Both Sinister and Rogue took a step back in fear it would be something else. "I don't know... how long...I can control it." Breathed Jean.
"Con-Control what?" Questioned Jean.
"You have to run Rogue...! It...It wants to destory you... To destory... threat." Jean let out a little yell of pain as her body shuck.
"Jean?" Rogue breathed, now dropping her aim at Sinister. Rogue didn't know if to go to Jean or to run in the other direction or shot Sinister. Everything was going wrong. "What? What the hell are you talking about? Who wants to destory me? What-"
Jean's bad straightened and those cold distent eyes were back. "Stupid girl. You still have not figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Yelled Rogue in her anger.
"It wasn't Charles Xavier who wiped their memories of you." Said Jean Grey, as she slowly began walking around the room; walking on the other side of the table that had the mutant still on it. Jean looked down at the mutant, not having much sympathy for the boy what so ever.
Rogue was completely bathled. "What? H-He, yes, yes he did!-"
"Stupid girl!" Snapped Jean Grey, now glaring at Rogue. "He wasn't the only psychic in the house!"
Slowly, Rogue began to put piece and piece together, not sure if she could believe it or not after so long of blaming and believing so hardly and harshly that it was the Professor who had done this to her. "J-Jean... It was you."
Something sparked behind Jean's eyes. A flicker of the sorrfow Jean grey.
"I-I'm sorry. But it was the only w-'
Something else snapped in Jean. "Yes, it was Jean Grey!" Snapped Jean whom began pacesting with rage. "Jean Grey used her psychic abilities to control those perfetic mortals in that mansion and bend them to her will; manipulating them into doing as she please which was to remove you away from me!" Rogue and Sinister began to back slowly away as Jean progressed towards Rogue. Sinister slipped away from both of them and hid in the shadows. Rogue, with her mind completely flipped on her didn't realise Sinister had vanished. Her focus was on Jean. A thousand questions coming to mind, but Rogue not having a clue what any of them were. It was all too much too soon and she was so confused.
"But...But why?" Stuttered Rogue, that being the only thing she could thing of.
Jean's eyes darkened again, but this time there was a wicked smile pulling at her features. "Why? Oh little girl you are very slow."
Rogue stared horrified into Jean's eyes, another question burning on her tongue. "Jean... W-What's w-wrong with your eyes? W-what's wrong with you?" Stuttered Rogue.
Jean chuckled."Very slow indeed." Jean raised her arms out wide and a very strong guest of wind appeared, knocking both Rogue and Sinister back into the wall. Rogue lost sight of Jean for the time, but she heard a crack of lighting. Was Storm here? Rogue though. But as she looked up, tears in her eyes from the wind, Rogue saw that Jean had risen from the ground and was flying in the air, laughing evily and looking down at Rogue. "I am Phionex!" Said Jean.
Rogue watched in terror at the powers Jean (or Phoinex) was showing. Strong air whipped her red hair wildly, making it look like fire. Her eyes burned dark and deep like an abyss and her facial features almost looked demonised as she smiled wickly. Then, it stopped. Jean throw back her head, moaning in pain then dropped to the floor, clasping, it seemed. Rogue was frozen to the spot.; too scared to get any closer to Jean.
Both her and Sinister just watched Jean from the shadows. Till, finally, Jean began to move. Jean turned onto her stomach, rolling around, moaning in pain as she tried to sit up with a dizzy head and sight. Jean appeared to be gazing around, unsure where she was or what she was doing. Then she saw Rogue and she remembered.
'Rogue.' Breathed Jean. And, to Rogue's utter shock and suprize which she never thought she would see, Jean began to cry. "Rogue, I'm-I'm sorry. I... I can't keep control. I-I...' Jean cringed in pain.
"Jean." Breathed Rogue, hearing how quiet she had gone from utter shock. "Jean." Rogue spoke louder. "What the hells going on!" Demanded Rogue.
Jean looked back up to Rogue, tears filling her eyes more. Jean was really struggling to do anything. Rogue straightened up, not seeing much threat in this weak Jean, but still really cauious of her. 'You...You took away their memories of me? Why?'
That was something easier for Jean to explain. Jean gluped down her hard breath, then began saying, 'You-You have a chance... At defeating the Phionx...At least. For Now... With your powers... Powers of absotion... Rogue it wants to kill you! Play with you. Toy with you. Then kill you. To get rid of you, so you can't, won't, stand in it's way. Won't stop it from being free.'
'What want's to kill me Jean? What?'
'It's-It's names the Phionx...I...I-' Jean cringed in pain again. 'I'm so sorry Rogue. I didn't mean to...to make them abandon you.' Another yelp and cringe of pain. 'I was just trying to protect you.'
'Protect me? Protect me from what?' Yelled Rogue.
But Jean was gone. And Phionx had appeared. Jean wrapped her long strong fingers around Rogue's neck, stopping Rogue from breathing instantly. Rogue gasped as The darkness came back to Jean's eyes and her breath was taken away from her. 'Me,' said Jean.
Then, Rogue was thrown back. Backwards and out of the building. Busting through wall after wall Rogue hit the garden outside hard as she landed. Jean had thrown Rogue away with so much strength that she bearly had to move her wrist. Rogue cried out on the ground. Her ribs and other bones were broken and her cut open head was the least of what to worry about as Rogue saw black spots clouding her vision as the impact was killing her brain.
Rogue was focused on her pain for her last moments, but in the faint background she hurried the yells of,
'Rogue.' and 'Jean.'
...
Next thing Rogue knew there were bright flashes of memories. Familiar painful memories. Memories of fighting Sabretooth and bar fights, and being experimented on and saving a girl with a newly white strip in her hair. Rogue's eyes shot open as she felt the pull and invation of another person's power and energy. Sitting up, all her injuries gone, Rogue saw Wolverine passed out on the grass besides her.
Having just recovered from near death, Rogue had missed the part where the Phoenix had begun toying with the X-Men. Now, however, it realised the Rogue was alive again and free to move as she pleased. The Phoenix's attention shifted and was now aimed at Rogue. Luckily for Rogue, she was grabbed harshly by Magneto and pulled to the side where Phoenix's fire ball missed her. Magneto tried to put up a magnetic field to protect them, but Rogue, in her short yet quick intake, saw him about to collapse from the power of the phoenix. Rogue's instincts set into gear as she stood up, a little dizzy (but pushed that to the side) and tackled Magneto to the ground, out of the way of the Phoenix's attack.
Rogue, began dragging the limp body of Magneto towards a half destoried brick wall for shelter, although it wasn't very good shelter. While she did this, the X-Men began another assult on the Phoenix, temperaily slowling it down. It wasn't long enough to really help the two, but in that time Magneto had gotten a little more of his strength back and dodged out of the next attack of the phoenix.
Rogue hid more behind the brick wall, trying to take cover and get her head together and in the looked around, seeing even the X-Men attacking the Phoenix. Something wasn't right with Jean Grey. Rogue remembered normal Jean (or whatever that was) telling her that the phoenix was scared of her powers. Well it didn't take a genious to figure out what that meant. Just needed a plan to get up close to Jean without getting thrown aside again and possibly dieing.
Rogue managed to get out from the collapsing rubble wall as the X-Men attacked Jean Grey again. Rogue ran back into the building, having some idea how to stop Jean. The loud bangs from outside did scare Rogue a little and have her questioning what was going on, but she was focusing on one thing. Rogue came back into the room she had confronted Sinister in. Moving into the shadows, Rogue attempted to hide.
A hand with sharp claws for finger nails wrapped around Rogue's neck. From behind her se felt, rather than saw the body who had come up behind her. 'My dear Rogue.' Sinister. Rogue began kicking and thrusting, trying to escape, when she felt Sinster press something bunt and stiff into her back. Thsound of a gun reloading was hurred. Sinister bega making shushing noses in Rogue's ear as he moved them backwards, futher into the darkness. Rogue's heart leaped with fright. She was terrified. Terrified she'd been captured again and was going to end up going back there. she didn't care if she lived or died, she would never go back to Sinister's hell. Rogue kept struggling and struggling against Sinister. Either, due to their own struggles, hurried or paid attention to Jean Grey when she came into the room, covered in large flames.
Both Sinister and Rogue were thrown back by the power of the force Jean was vibrating off of her. Both stared with large open eyes at Jean who looked beautifully enraged in the middle of that fire. Jean Grey had had enough. She raise her arm, and fire raised with it. Rogue and Sinister, not being stupid enough to not understand what was happening, both jumped out of the blasted. The blast of fire, made the building shaky and ready to collapse as Jean Grey took out another wall (or few) and set heavy fire to the building.
Rogue saw her chance she had been originally planning and waiting for. While Jean was busy looking at Sinister to find where abouts Rogue was, Rogue pulled off her glove while running and jumping at Jean, outstreaching her arm and grabbing onto Jean for dear life.
Jean Grey screamed in agony and went mad. Swinging her arms around, trying to get Rogue off her back, only set more fire to the building surrounding them and knocked down more walls, making it less safe. While she did this, Jean's energy slowly slipped away and Jean's thoughts slowly began entering Rogue's mind..