Disclaimer: as always, I do not own X-Men!

«I'm soooo sorry for my spelling mistakes, but English is not my native language»

Chapter 7 – Genosha's War

Charles woke up worried, he could sense them coming, four of them, no, they were five. They were almost there. It seemed they didn't intend to fight; however, they had to be careful. The Professor decided to wake up Jean first, just to make sure, when he contact her telepathically, she was already waiting for him in his office.

"You can sense them too?" asked the Professor.

Jean nodded with a worried expression. "And they're almost here, Charles, though they're not enough to fight us."

"I believe this people don't want to fight, at least not now. I'll wake up the others, and we meet in 5 min. downstairs."

Jean walked out of the room hasty. Passing by the mansion's library she saw Mystique choosing some books, the red hair woman entered the room and called "Mystique!"

"I know, Charles just contact me, I'm in the entry hall in 5min.."

"Ok." Jean stared at the books the other woman was taking for brief moments and Mystique raised an eyebrow:

"What? Can't I read?"

"Oh, of course! I...huh…I see you downstairs." Embarrassed, she walked out of the room.

In her way to her room, to save the books, the shape shifter passed by some of the youngest and, although she tried to avoid them, John held her, "Hey, we have to go to the hall, Professor said…"

"I know what Charles said! I'll be there in 2 minutes." She interrupted him.

"What do you got there?" Pietro asked before she could move.

"Some books, why?"

"You like to reed?" Kitty asked with a surprised tone, witch bothered the blue woman.

"Is that a problem?"

"I didn't even know you knew how to read." Murmured Rogue with a malicious smile.

"Ah, ah, ah! Very funny, young woman! Now, don't you have anywhere to be?"

The group went to the hall laughing a little, and Magneto noticed how the Brotherhood and the X-Men were getting along. That wouldn't be a problem, magneto tried to convince himself, the brotherhood will fight them when he orders to.

However, Magneto couldn't stop notice how X-23 smiled shyly to the Wolverine; how Pietro and Wanda were getting along with Bobby, Kitty and Jubilee; how John looked at Rogue. He watched Charles arriving to the hall and thought about joining forces with his old friend, be with him in the future…The man sighed and pushed the thought away, that would not happen, he had different ideals and he would fight for them.

It didn't take long. "They are here." Warned the Professor.

The X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants went outside. The beautiful morning was contrastive with the tension between them; the day was warm and quiet, the only noise came from the opening gates and the steps of the five Lightening People that stopped right in front of them.

In the front was a little girl, with white hair and her eyes and skin were grey. She couldn't be older than 12, to everyone's surprise. Beside her was a young man, in his early 20s, with black hair, green eyes and he was really pale. The three behind them, they already knew, a red hair woman, who fought against Logan before, with her wild hair moving everywhere like snakes; a little woman who looked like a fox or some animal of that type, with her pointy ears, brown tale and claws instead of finger nails; and, finally, a black skinned man, in his 40s, and pierced ears.

The little girl smiled, she appeared to be so sweet and pure, thought Ororo, cuddling her belly and her baby.

"Hello. Are you the X-Men?" asked the girl.

"We are." Charles could feel a great power and warned the others telepathically. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier and this," he pointed to Eric, "is Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, which are here with us."

A pause; where they watched each other cautiously.

"What can I do for you?" asked finally Charles.

"Well, Professor," she smiled even more, as she enjoyed saying that word. "I'll go straight to the point. I'm here to ask if you and your X-Men…" she paused to think "…and the brotherhood of mutants, why not, wish to join my people, the Lightening People."

The X-Men murmured between them, that was an odd request.

"I can't decide that without knowing anything about you, can I child?" The Professor maintained a calm appearance. "The only thing I know doesn't appeal to me or the X-Men: you destroy everything around you. I don't even know what's your name, child."

"You'r right!" the grey girl clapped her hand in her head with a disappointed air "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners, I'm Sarah Bright, Queen of the Lightening People."

"Aren't you a little too young to be a queen?" asked Mystique.

The girl stared at her for a while, but then she gave her attention back to Xavier. "So, you are absolutely right when you affirm you don't know anything about me and my people."

"Expect that we are really strong." Interrupted the red hair woman, without taking her eyes from Logan, who kept staring too.

The little Queen looked to the woman behind her, annoyed, but said nothing and continued, "So, I purpose you welcome my friends here to enjoy two weeks in your company."

The X-Men, linked to the Professor telepathically, pointed the pros and contrast in Charles' mind. The members of the Lightening People looked chocked to their queen, except for the pale, dark-haired, young man beside her, who was analysing everyone.

Sarah raised her hand and said "They will respect all of you, and you will respect them. They will have the opportunity to explain all about us, our origin, our power, our beliefs… And in two week I will come back to know your choice." With this speech she wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a true Queen, serious and firm. Charles felt he couldn't say "no" to such argument.

"I accept your suggestion." Charles Xavier announced, ignoring the protests of the X-Men. "In one condition; your people have to assist my lectures and participate in the X-Men missions."

Sarah looked to the man at her side, who smiled, his green eyes shinning, "Perfect." Said the girl when she saw him smiling.

When Queen Sarah flew away, the tension was constant and dangerous. The Professor settled a time to the Lightning People members present themselves to the X-Men, but in the meanwhile Charles asked Bobby, Ororo, Jean and Rogue to take the guests to the proper rooms and to let them know where are the things they may need.

Rogue took the young man, with pale skin, dark hair and green eyes upstairs. They didn't speak until she opened a door, "Ok, I think you can stay here. It was my room once." Rogue looked to the man that kept staring at her in a weird, uncomfortable way. She stepped away, "So…hmmm…the bathroom is that way, down the hall, last door…hmm…and I think you have everything here."

The young man looked inside the room for the first time and back at her. Taking a deep breath, Rogue said "If you're hungry, the kitchen is on the left of the entry hall…" he kept staring and so she left, saying she would be in the kitchen if he needed her.

Rogue was all alone in the kitchen, trying to make a cake. She enjoyed to cook cakes or deserts when she was feeling stressed or nervous.

And she was nervous, oh she was. Everyone was with this reckless decision of Charles. Bobby and Kitty were closed in one room; the brotherhood was fighting in the danger room; Jean, Logan, Ororo and Magneto were discussing with Charles; Jubilee and some of the youngest students were spying on the Lightening People; and she was baking! Not that she was a great cook, her cakes would always come out a disaster, but she liked to cook when she was stress anyway.

The young woman didn't hear him walking behind her. Lost in her own thoughts, she felt a strong chill all over her body when his wet black hair touched her face.

"You know, you should take off those gloves and mix the ingredients with your bare hands. Believe me, it makes all the difference." His pale skin was so close to her, she could actually feel his warm breath. Rogue stepped away from him, quickly and asked:

"What are you doing here!" she didn't mean to ask it with a hysterical voice, but she was still to nervous, he almost touched her.

The young man looked at her with an incredulous stare "I thought you said I could come here to bite something."

"Oh..sure…yeah…" Rogue stood there, confused, and he extended his hand to the ingredients on the table. "Can I?"

"Oh sure…" she handed him the wood spoon but he refused it. She watched him mixing the ingredients with naked hands; he was quick, like he had practice in cooking.

After a while, she sat in silence, watching his serenity.

"I like to bake when I'm worried." He broke the silence, startling her a little.

"Me too…"she said softly. And then she added "Although my cooking is horrible."

He continued in silence, focus on what he was doing, and Rogue watched him joining ingredients she never thought of in the cake. When he finally putted it in the oven, he looked at her with is serious, calm face and said "Ok, 45 min. and it's ready." Silence "Now…shouldn't we be in the garden with the others?"

Rogue looked at the time and jumped from the chair "Shit!" she cursed without bothering to excuse herself "We're 20 minutes late! Why didn't Professor warned me?"

The man with green eyes, that she still didn't know the name, helped her taking off the apron she was wearing and said, "Actually he warned us, telepathically , but you said nothing so I…"

"C'mon!" She ran out the kitchen, not letting him finish what he was saying.

In the garden, they were divided in groups and the tension was notable. The Lightening People was little further away from the others, murmuring with each others; Charles was discussing with Beast, Magneto and Ororo the best way to deal with the situation under a tree; the others were chatting and glancing to the "guests" once in a while.

All the chatting ceased when Rogue and the man appeared in quick steps. They all went chocked when noticing they both had flour and butter in the face and clothes/gloves.

Rogue stopped next to Logan and Angel, under a tree, and the first one groaned something about time and punctuality. She ignored him and looked back at the young man with the pale skin. Mystique had just stopped in front of him, hindering him to reach his friends. She couldn't hear what was the metamorphose woman saying.

When mystique saw Rogue showing up late with one of those LP, she couldn't avoid being worried and…mad at the same time. She approached the man with her dangerous look and said with a menace voice "You better stay away from Rogue. For your own good."

The young man said nothing and went next to his people.

"What the hell were you doing?" the red hair woman, whose hair was flying around, reaching the tree where Rogue was standing, asked pointing out to his dirty hands.

He quickly watched Rogue and then back to the woman in front of him "Nothing."

"So you know dirty secrets already, Dave?" the same woman asked.

"A few." Dave kept the same calm expression, while the woman was anxious.

"A few! What are you waiting for to read this stupid mutants?"

"Are you sure that's what Sarah wants? If we want to gain their trust we shouldn't invade their mind without asking permission. Be patient, Anna."

"Patient? If I were you…"

"You aren't me!" Dave said that with a more serious and cold tone, which made Anna quiet for a while.

"He's calling for us." The black man warned them and the four approached the mutants.

"I promised your Queen I would receive you for two weeks and treat you like one of us, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm giving you now the chance to present yourselves and then I'll divide you in groups to a mission.

The woman with the killer hair stepped forward, "I'm Anna Sullivan, aka Medusa." She fell silent, not sure how to go on. "I control lightening bolts like every one of my people and my special power is my hair, it stretches, longer or shorter, its evil, and you can't cut it." The woman was preparing to step away, but Charles had a surprise question.

"Medusa, how is it like to be part of the Lightening People?"

The woman felt uncomfortable, but she never looked away from Charles. "It's to be powerful." She plainly said.

"My name is Catja Rubio, aka Fox. I think you can see why I am called Fox, I look like one and I can also call them with my mind." In a matter of seconds, two foxes appeared from the shrubs and some of the x-men praised Catja, who smiled proudly. "And LP is a family, the only one I have."

Then it was Dave's turn and Rogue felt kind of anxious to know more about him.

"My name is Dave Dylan, some call me Truth, because I can see your true self. Your deepest secrets, which you share with no one; your true desires… Even when you don't know what you really want, I know." He then stared to Rogue's eyes, "Just by looking into your eyes."

Maybe it was his calm, cold voice, or maybe it really was his power, but everyone felt a chill.

"Also," he continued, "I can manipulate how you feel. For example," he looked to Kurt and the blue elf started to laugh. "like that."

Everyone started to laugh when Kurt couldn't stop his funny laugher "Ok, ok…I don't wanna laugh anymore….pleaaase!" he screamed and so Dave made Nightcrawler feel serene.

"For me, being part of the Lightening People is the same you feel being part of the x-men…or the brotherhood. It's a family, where you feel appreciated, where you have friends, where you can be who you really are. With no fears." He sad that looking to the floor, the trees or the sky, never to someone and Rogue felt he was lying. She knew that Joe, the one she absorbed the super strength didn't agreed with many points of the Lightening People. Yes, it was a family, but only because he hadn't any other.

The last man spoke quickly, "I'm Gerard. I can be invisible, so they also call me, The Invisible Man. I'm with the LP all my life and I swore to protect our new Queen. That's my job."

They didn't know if they should felt fear from the big black man or feel sorry for his distant way of talk.

The Professor broke the silence, "There's a war going on in Genosha and I need three teams there."

"A team to built shelters: Gerard (Invisible Man); Bobby (Iceman); Jubilee; Wanda; Kurt (Nightcrawler); Rogue; Remy (Gambit); X-23

A team to treat the wounded: Anna (Medusa); Catja (Fox); Pietro (Quicksilver); Warren (angel); Hank (Beast); Jean Grey; Todd (Toad); Kitty (Shadowcat)

And a team to be in the war: Dave (Truth); Logan (Wolverine); Ororo (Storm); Peter (Colossus); Raven (Mystique); John (Pyro); Sabretooth

I want you all ready in the base in 15 minutes. I want to select the team leaders."

With the teams formed they all went to dress their uniforms, but Dave approached the Professor. "Xavier, can I ask a small change?"

"I'm hearing you."

"Can you put Rogue in my team?"

Charles stared at him, confused.

"She's the only one I feel a little more comfortable with at this point." Dave explained. Charles agreed, contacting Rogue telepathically to warn her, but he was sure there was something more. Men like Dave, so young, but already so mature, with such a great power wouldn't gain trust or wouldn't feel comfortable, as he said, in such short time.

"Rogue is going to be in Logan's tem now. Logan's the leader and you'll obey at him. Your team is putted in critical dangerous, you'll be right in the middle of a war; everything Logan decides is to be followed." Charles said and the team flew in a jet.

"Bobby, this is the first time you're going to be a team leader. Do not disappoint me."

"You can count on me, Professor. Let's move!" Bobby felt eager with the responsibility Charles gave him and his team went in the other jet.

"Finally, Jean you're the leader of the medical team, but I want you to keep an eye on Bobby. Help him if he needs it, Hank covers you on your team. Agree?"

"Yes, we'll keep in touch."

Genosha was true chaos. The X-Men black Jet stopped right above the centre of the war. It was Genosha against the sentinels. Genosha had been a country to mutants for some time now, but the human kind didn't accept that and send Sentinels to destroy mutants and, also, people that didn't mind living with mutants.

Still inside the jet, the mutants watched in disgust the cruel deaths, the inhuman thirst to kill of the Sentinels and the pain on the eyes of the brave who fought to defend their lives.

Pyro hold Rogue's hand to calm her down and she gave him a silent thank you. Then she saw Dave, who was standing still a meter behind John, watching her. Only John's words made her ignore the constant stare of the other man "If…if you need any help…I…just call me, okay?"

Rogue nodded and squeezed his hand a little harder. And they went to the war, Genosha's war.

Not very far from there, Jean was trying to get some space to lay down the wounded. She wished she had cleaner spaces, she wished she had beds, clean water, food, blankets. But all they could find were small dirty spaces on the floor. The telepath and Beast tried to heal the best they could the wounded, while the rest of their team was bringing more and more injured people.

"Their cuts will get infected this way Jean!" yelled Beast.

The female doctor looked up from a woman with a pool of blood in her chest and waist; she was also vomiting because of the pain. "I know…" Jean then saw Warren and Kitty trying to hold still an old man " We need a quiet and cleaner place…"

"Why don't you try contact Bobby? Maybe his team has finished some shelter."

Jean nodded and contacted the Iceman telepathically Bobby! Do you have any shelter clean enough to the wounded?

We have two you can use; one of the shelters has water. You can ask your team to bring some to the other shelter. I have Kurt teleporting to the mansion to bring some blankets, if you need anything else ask him. And take all the survivors you find that aren't to much hurt to the shelter with a big red list, please!

Got it, Bobby! Kurt, I need you to bring me more aid kits from the lab. Hurry please.

They could hear the war right where they were, and they could feel the floor trembling. Jean asked her team to run to the shelters and to take everyone they could. Catja, or Fox, was quick and helped the children being together and safe until they arrive the shelter with the red list.

"Mamma! Mammaaa!" A little girl ran away from the group Fox was joining, tears in her eyes, screaming loudly and painfully for her mother. Fox saw her disappearing behind rocks and dead bodies; she started to run after the little girl, but someone grabbed her arm.

"There's no time!" yelled Jean.

"But…"

Jean didn't let her finish the protest and pointed the group of children "Help them!"

Catja looked at her confused and hurt, but a tremor in the floor, which made Jean fall on the floor and the children screaming, moved her to help them.

The shelters weren't hospitals, but Bobby and his team were doing a good job keeping all of it from ruins. "How are you?" Jean asked Fox.

The fox-woman couldn't control the tears, "The little girl…I…"

"We can't save them all. You save all of them." Jean said softly mentioning the children behind them.

"I've been doing this…I've been killing mothers, fathers, sons and daughters…and I didn't realize….the pain…is…"

Jean wanted to calm her down, but she hadn't time for that and Catja was right, the Lightening People provoked many suffering. So she gave her a sad look and went next to the wounded.

It was everything so intense in the battle. The smell of sweat, urine, blood, death. They stepped over bodies and blood. The screaming were so loud, screams of anger, fear and pain. And what you see in a war…indescribable.

Rogue's head was in a incredible pain and she felt she was right in Hell. She punched the Sentinels so hard they broke. Her strength was unbelievable; she could actually grab a Sentinel with 4.5meters and throw it away.

She didn't know who she was anymore, because she had absorb some people by accident, she could only hear and feel the war, loosing the notion of everything else, Rogue was feeling stronger and stronger and she was enjoying it.

The taste of blood in her mouth was good; the flavour of vengeance (probably from one mutant in the war she accidently touched) was amazing; and killing was a pleasure.

In the middle of a huge, loudly war no one noticed that Rogue was not only destroying the big Sentinel machines but also murdering other mutants; no one heard her screams of pleasure; no one saw her eyes were vivid red.

Genosha's war lasted hours and hours; it only ended when Charles and Magneto were able to convince the USA to call back the Sentinels. And that only happened when Magneto bought the land.

Now Magneto own Genosha.

In Genosha, the animalistic Rogue only snapped out of her trance when a yell of victory filled the country. All mutants and non-mutants, that had survived, were screaming in joy and Rogue, with a dizzy head and a weak body, fell on the ground unconscious.