Rogue started to groan, but for some reason her throat was to sore to continue the action as if she had been screaming or crying. She couldn't remember which. Why was it dark?

Oh… her eyes were closed. She didn't feel like remedying that quite yet.

Why was it so quite? There were no voices invading her thoughts…

Suddenly, everything came back to her.

-

She was screaming and crying, trying to get the voices to silence themselves long enough that she could get to Remy, to stop him from blowing himself up. But she couldn't struggle hard enough, she couldn't fight back with enough force.

"What's going on?" The Professor looked around frantically, an odd gesture for the usually calm and controlled man who prided himself in being able to disconcert people and victims with his cold smile.

"This." Remy spat, some of the blood from the back of his head pooled on the ground. His head hit the glowing floor, unconscious.

BOOM.

"NO!" Rogue screamed, becoming intangible on reflex, accidentally taking Deadpool with her so that he remained undamaged as well. The voices roared in her head, each wanting their own way.

Rogue compromised.

The debris froze mid flight, literally freezing over, as a feral growl escaped her lips.

Remy was gone.

The voices screamed. Each wanting their own justice. Each wanting revenge.

Her tears dried.

Destroy everything. She told the voices in her head. Make them pay.

Pietro stepped up first.

The rest of the world moved in slow motion as she ducked under Deadpool's arm and used the sword she had commandeered earlier to stab him through the chest into the ground, effectively neutralizing the man.

Juggernaut decided to be helpful.

Her fist balled up, knuckles turning white under the pair of gloves she was wearing. She struck out and the wall next to her came crashing down, exposing the metal skeleton of the building.

Eric smiled, happy, as usual, to help her.

The metal sprang to life. Her mirthless smile felt horribly delicious and unfamiliar on her lips as every support beam in the building collapsed, snapped like twigs.

The other mutants in the building finally showed up. Six of them strode forward, looking like they were prepared for an army, laughing when they saw only her.

They may have come prepared for an army. But nothing in the world could have prepared them for A Rogue.

Logan growled in her ear, eager.

Six bone claws snapped out of her fist. She wasted no time in using them, spilling blood for the first time in her life. One of the martial artists came forth, making her attacks more efficient than Wolverine's animal could ever make them.

Seconds later, they were dead, dying or unconscious.

It was quiet. The last of the pebbles of destruction clattered to the floor, leaving a slight trail of dust and the memory of things that were. It was quiet.

Her heartbeat slowly calmed.

The voices faded into oblivion, leaving her alone with it. All of them left her alone, except one.

Am I dead? He asked.

Yes. She responded, choking on her new tears.

Sucks to be Remy, no? He tried to make her smile. He hated it when she cried.

She didn't have anything to say to that. She wanted him back.

Was it worth it? He asked her, surveying the damage she had done along with her, eyes landing on the bodies.

Killing? She spat. I wish I could have done more.

Don' talk like that. He admonished and she painfully realized that she was never going to actually hear that voice again. I don't want you to be like me. …You're so much better than me…

In the middle of everything, the destruction and death, she crumpled to her knees, sobbing.

Please, cherie, please, He cooed to her. Don' cry.

She didn't miss the movement out of the corner of her eye, if she had wanted too, she could have reacted. Stopped it. She didn't.

If she had ever had any doubt, it was completely blown to bits now that she was kneeling in the aftermath of her own fury. She was a weapon.

She wasn't going to let herself be controlled and used.

For right now, she'd play their game, only long enough to escape it permanently.

Deadpool fired off a shot from a weapon he had been concealing (…somewhere…) and Rogue was struck by another dart.

-

Rogue opened her eyes for the first time, utterly positive that she was going to make good on her promise to play until she could get out. Forever.

Deadpool was standing guard outside of the cage Rogue had been placed in, standing as still as a statue. There were tears in his suit from where Rogue had stabbed him in the shoulder and chest, but other than that there was no sign of the trauma of the day earlier. The skin under the exposed parts of the suit was bumpy with scars, but other than that, completely unharmed.

"Ah, good." A voice snarled and Rogue jumped slightly when she saw The Professor walk in, very much worse for his wear. Unlike Deadpool, he looked exactly like he had just been in an explosion. Scabs and quickly forming bruises littered his frame.

Rogue hated him for living through that where Remy hadn't.

In fact, Rogue just hated him.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." He continued, his cold smile chilled her bones. "We can't have you asleep when we start experimenting."

Rogue chose not to respond with words, but let the hateful fire in her eyes do the talking.

The man smirked at her, enjoying her hate, before turning to Deadpool.

"Kill anyone who comes within three feet of that cage." He instructed firmly before walking away resolutely, his white coat trailing behind him slightly. Deadpool didn't move.

My, my… Rogue chuckled to herself. That was a very direct order, now wasn't it?

-

Am I dead? He asked himself.

No. Came the quick answer. If he were dead there would have been a lot more pain… probably fire too…

He tried to catalogue all of the pain he was feeling, but gave up after noticing the blaring pain concentrated on the back of his head.

What's my name? He tried to come up with answers. He could feel the answers bubbling right under the surface of his unconsciousness, blocked by the picture of a young woman with light brown and white hair, fiery green eyes, and the most beautiful face he could have imagined. He knew he could have found his answers if he broke that mental picture, shattered it in a favor of pain and information… He was quite content to enjoy the view for a while longer.

Something in the back of his pained mind nagged at him, told him he should get up, make things right.

He pushed it away roughly and decided however he ended up this way, he deserved a good rest for it.

-

Good lord, this is going to get really complicated really fast really soon. *scoffs* and you thought it was complicated before! Darlings, that was a warm up to what's going to happen next!