Into the Dark

Bogan sat in the high seat of the meeting room, his feet was casually rested on the table. He was waiting. Those other he had caught would be amusing to break to his will, but right now he was waiting for his dear Tessa.

While waiting for her he had taken control of one, her powers would be useful to take out the last member of the team, leaving Tessa to him.

t was only a matter of time before she would be under his control, and time was one of the things he had most of. Centuries had given him the patient to wait for the right opportunity.

In the shadows stood the girl with the withe streak in her hair. The darkness hid the black tears running down her cheeks. It had been impressive how good she had managed to fight him, but of course she had lost eventually.

When he had begun to break her she had snapped at him that it wouldn't work, no telepath could get into her mind. That had almost made him laugh. It was pleasing to see the fear in her eyes when he whispered to her in a velvet smooth voice: "But I am no telepath."

At first the mess her mind was had confused him, but he saw it as a challenge that he would win. Her powers was well worth the effort. The ability to absorb others powers ans memories through mere skin contact would be useful.

~o~

"So, how do you plan to find them?" asked Sage.

"Not really sure, but we have to start somewhere."

Tessa felt a slipping sensation inside her mind and yet an other time her telepathy flared out. With in the millisecond she grasped for it, but it slipped through her mental fingers and continued to spread through the building.

She felt where everyone was. Their thoughts were blocked for her but from some she felt strong emotions, anger, fear. Rogue's normally shattered signature was barely there, smothered under Bogan's.

Tessa calculated everyone's location and merged where their signatures came from with a three dimensional image of the mansion. Sage took a hold of Bishop's wrist with one hand.

"Bogan and Rogue are in the meeting room. She is under his control."

"And how would you know that?" Bishop asked her slightly hostile.

"I am a telepath."

"So you just forgot to mention that."

"I never forget anything. I just neglected to tell you."

"Like that is any better. You ain't going to win anyone's trust like this."

Sage shrugged. "Deal with Bogan first or get the others now?"

Bishop meet Sage's hard eyes. "Bogan." She smiled sourly at him and nodded her approval.

"Time to bring him down." Sage slipped the necklace into a pocket and took a firmer grip on her gun. This was it.

~o~

When they closed in on the room Sage had managed to pull the telepathy back, but still she wasn't surprised that Rogue stepped out and blocked their path, it had been the most likely scenario. As expected black tears ran down her cheeks, in the faint light it almost looked like blood. She didn't wear any gloves.

Sage and Bishop traded looks and made a silent deal. He would try to hold Rogue, or at least keep her occupied, whilst Sage went after Bogan. That battle was hers alone.

Rogue launched herself at them, aimed at Bishop. He avoided her easily and Sage slipped away, into the meeting room.

Again Rogue attacked, trying to get skin contact. Her fighting wasn't as good as it usually were. Her movements a bit clumsy and forced, like her body didn't want to do what it was told.

A gun went of. An other shot followed. Bishop ducked under a high kick and he glanced towards the meeting room. He blocked Rogue's arm, the bare hand had almost touched his skin.

"Rogue! Fight it!"

When he fought he had to hold back, so that he didn't hurt her. To him it was obvious that she was trying to get Bogan out of her head. Knowing Rogue, he knew that she was strong and he hoped that she could beat their enemy to regain control of her own body.

"The Rogue you know is lost." answered Rogue's mouth, but it was not her that spoke. She charged at him again. This time he avoider her hands and grabbed her wrists, holding her.

"I know that Rogue is in there, somewhere, trying to get out." Bishop hissed to her.

"You are wrong." She kicked him in the stomach. The force of th kick made him stumble back half a step. His grip loosened slightly, but it was all Bogan's pet needed to get free.

She punched at his face and was mere millimeters from hitting. In the very last second Bishop had bended his head backwards, but he leaned back to much and fell. A sinister smile spread across Rogue's face as she closed in. A third shot came from the meeting room.

"Say goodnight."

"Rogue, don't."

Her fingers hovered a bit over his forehead. If he moved the hand would be pushed down faster than a cobra strikes it's pray. Her fingers shook.

"No..." escaped Rogue's mouth.

Her fingertips moved closer and closer to his dark skin.

"No." she said again, stronger this time. The hand shook even more and the shakes spread through her entire body.

"I won't do it."

Rogue collapsed in a heap, hands clasping her head.

"GET OUT OF MHA HEAD!" she screamed. The dark tears faded and instead real tears streamed down.

"Rogue? Rogue, are you alright?" Bishop slowly sat up.

"No. Ah'm not alright. He was in ma head. It was like one of the psyches was controlling me, but he was stronger. Way stronger. It was if he was me and Ah was a psyche."

"Bogan is gone now. He ain't in your mind anymore."

"Ah don't want that to happen ever again."

"When we are rid of Bogan it won't."

Rogue wiped away the tears and nodded. It was first then that she noticed that Bishop was alone.

"Sage? Wasn't she supposed to be with ye?"

"She was. While I fought you she went after Bogan."

"We gotta help her. She is in way over her head."

Carefully Rogue tried to stand. She could, but barely. Her entire body was still shaking. Taking as step towards the door she wobbled. At last she found her balance. As she walked she had one hand against the wall for support. Bishop hadn't offered to support her because he knew that she wouldn't have accepted it. Her determination and pride would have gotten in the way.

Rogue was the first to enter, but Bishop wasn't far behind her. Rogue's emerald eyes took in the room. The only thing that had changed since she and Gambit had searched it was the two marks of bullets on the far wall, the third mark on the wall to the left and Tessa's gun laying on the floor.

"Gone. We're to late."

"I guess that Tessa is on her own again."

Rogue bit her lip. "Let's get the others. We can only hope that she can beat him. We has to trust her ability to take care of herself. Ah hate when there is nothing Ah can do."

"I know the feeling."

Rogue opened the secret passage slipped in.

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Author's Note: And here is chapter thirteen, hope you enjoyed it. Please Review!