Mind games

I awoke laying on a couch, with a blue furred face staring at me. "Are you alright?" it asked.

"I am. Is Rogue?"

"No, she isn't. She seems to be experiencing traumatic shock. What exactly did you do to her?"

I sat up. "Has the professor filled you in on my powers?"

McCoy nodded.

"Good, that saves time. She thinks that she was attacked by a school of sharks. She'll need to be convinced that she's still intact when she recovers."

"How long should that take?"

"I don't know. How long was I out?"

"Five or six minutes."

I frowned. "Are you sure? She should have recovered by now. The effects of my touch take at most a minute to wear off."

A thought occurred to me. "Wait a second. Rogue absorbed my power involuntarily while I was attacking her with it. Maybe my power maintained its last target: her."

McCoy looked thoughtful. "It's possible. Your pain-touch is similar to her own power. But if what you suggest is the case, what do you propose we do?"

I stood up. "I propose that you show me where Rogue is, and you tell the professor to meet us there."

McCoy looked startled. "Why?" He asked.

"Simple. I have lived through almost every single painful experience known to humanity. I learned how to handle them. Rogue, however, has not, and she wasn't in contact with me long enough to acquire that skill. And if she is in being made to live through every painful experience that I've had in my 2,957 years of life..."

McCoy was bounding toward the door.

I raced after him, mentally shouting Professor! as I did so.

I'm here. What is it, Eternal?

McCoy and I are on our way to see Rogue. I need you to meet us there. I think I know what happened to her, but I'll need your help to fix it.

I'm on my way.

Rogue's room was half-way across the institute. Xavier was waiting for us when we arrived. I quickly filled him in on my theory.

"That makes sense." He said when I finished. "And it does explain why she hasn't woken, but what do you intend to do about it?"

"I'm going to get inside her head and help her get out. After all, I know what she's going through."

"How do you intend to do that? You're not a telepath."

"No, I'm not. But you are."

There was a pause.

"I see what you mean. But it's too dangerous. I can't allow it."

For the first time in a hundred and fifty years I lost my temper. "Look, I've done this before with less powerful telepaths. If they can do it so can you. If I don't try she may well never awake, or worse, go insane. I'm the reason she's like this, and you will let me correct that mistake."

Xavier looked taken aback. I waited for him to say something. Finally he did.

"Alright, I'll help you. Though I still think that there are better alternatives."

"This is not a democracy. We need action, and my plan is our best chance of success. So stop stalling and get me into her head while she is still saveable."

Xavier closed his eyes. He placed one hand on my forehead, and held the other just over Rogue's blank face.

There was a rush of something other than light and sound. I looked around the dark landscape I was standing in. I'm in her head. I thought. Now all I need to do is find her.