Disclaimer: Currently achieving intermediate status in hacking… rest of information classified…

A/N: … Well, I know it's been a while, but at least it hasn't been 6 full months... Life has been irrevocably insane on my end; this has been done for months but I just hadn't found time to update this until now… Hope you like this chapter as we see more mutants being rescued and more interaction between those already found. Enjoy!

"…"- conversation

'…'- thoughts

(…)- extra facts/actions (some)

((…))- author's/my own thoughts

'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally

Chapter 60: Rogue's Chronicles: Rescues, Part 4

Hallway #26, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 3:00 am

Rogue's group, now fifteen strong, ran into hallway #26, ready to save the next batch of prisoners. Lorna's hands moved quickly and effortlessly, pulling the metal bars off the cells without hesitation, anxious to find her boyfriend and reassure herself that he was safe. She was also looking for Wanda, hoping that she could find her for Pietro. In the short time that he had known about their familial ties he had already done so much, including accepting her without argument or disbelief; something she thought he'd never do. She had to repay that favor.

Once the bars were off the cells, Lucid, who had been prowling down the hallway looking for other Morlocks gasped and raced towards the second cell, Torpid on his heels.

"It's Caliban!" he exclaimed, Torpid nodding in agreement. They ran inside and both winced when they heard him screaming in pain; they didn't know that Caliban could scream and, for that matter, that he could do so as loudly as he sounded now.

Rogue and Pietro, accompanied by Ross, ran into the cell and as Rogue knelt in front of Caliban she recognized him from descriptions X-Factor had given her of the mutant who had saved them when Mystique had set the mansion to self-destruct almost nine years ago. She figured that by Lucid and Torpid's reactions this mutant was a Morlock. "Pietro, go help keep guard. Ross and Ah'll handle this."

Pietro opened his mouth to protest, but abruptly closed it when Ross glared at him with a look that chilled him to the bones. Saluting Rogue, he ran out the cell, thinking, 'Damn, that kid's got a glare that could rival Wanda's.'

Rogue motioned Lucid over and told him to help her hold Caliban still so that Ross could free him from the collar around his neck. Lucid nodded and, kneeling in front of Caliban, grabbed his arms while Rogue grabbed his shoulders and neck, doing her best to keep his head still so that Ross could slice the collar off.

Ross, at a telepathic command from Rogue, closed his eyes and concentrated on turning his right hand into a small dagger. Ignoring the pain that went through his hand when he changed the bone structure a small silver dagger soon took the place of his right hand. Ross let out a relieved sigh when he felt the small healing factor that Moira had discovered he had when was examining him take effect. He opened his eyes and, concentrating, held the collar with his left hand and carefully sliced through the circuitry of the collar, being sure not to harm Caliban.

Once he was done, he changed his dagger back into his right hand and took the collar, throwing it behind him as he did so. He nodded to Rogue, who took that as her signal to heal Caliban, being careful to control her powers. Once she was done she retracted her hand and got to her feet, signaling to Lucid that he and Torpid had to convince Caliban to help them in the upcoming battle.

She and Ross then left the cell to go and help the other rescuers with the other cell, which was proving quite difficult to break through as another shield had seemingly sprung up from out of nowhere. After a few moments, Caliban opened his eyes, and on seeing Lucid got to his feet and gave him a quick hug, along with patting Torpid on the head.

"What'ssss going on?" Caliban asked, slate gray eyes showing their black tint as he looked back and forth between the two Morlocks.

Lucid looked to Torpid, who nodded her head in encouragement and said, "Well, you remember Evan telling us about that ancient Egyptian mutant Apocalypse that he battled a while ago?" When Caliban nodded, Lucid continued, "He's back and we've all teamed up to bring him down once and for all and Rogue, from the X-Men, has asked if we could help convince the other Morlocks to help them in the fight. Torpid and I are already in and now we have to ask: are you in, Caliban?"

Caliban stared at his friends, not believing what he was hearing.

"No," he said after a moment then made to exit the cell but Torpid blocked his way, forcing him to stop to prevent from running into her outstretched hands… which were not covered in their typical gloves. He watched Torpid signal something to him and, shaking his hand, answered, "No, Caliban will not involve himssself in ssssomething that could end up in hiss death. Even if Callisto and Evan have already agreed to help them Caliban will not."

Torpid stamped her foot once more and this time reached out and froze Caliban in place. She then signaled to him again, hoping to get him to agree. Caliban couldn't move any part of his body except for his mouth and eyes, the latter of which was interpreting Torpid's hand movements in an effort to understand them.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, Caliban will help defeat this Apocalypssse. But firssst, Torpid, could you unfreeze Caliban so he can move?" Torpid eagerly nodded and released Caliban from her touch, making sure to put her gloves back on when she went to hug him. Caliban sighed and, as he hugged the younger Morlock back, thought, 'How doesss Caliban get himssself involved in thesssse thingssss?'

Torpid and Lucid brought Caliban out into the hallway where they were met with a sight that might be called laughable if not for the circumstances. The second shield had been banished but now Rogue, Pietro, Ross, Laura, Mark, and Opal were desperately trying to hold the other prisoner – Fred – still so Lucas could get rid of the collar. Nothing was working; Rogue didn't want to use her powers for fear of hurting him and her super-strength didn't do a thing against Fred when he was angry and thrashing around like he was presently doing.

The three Morlocks watched the scene for a few minutes until Torpid had had enough of watching him suffer and marched towards him, taking off both gloves and tossing them on the ground as she went. Lucas saw her coming and, grinning, said something to Rogue, who looked over her shoulder and grinned as well. She told all those who were trying to hold Fred still to make room. Pietro, who was the fastest, raced away to Lucas' side, to try to hold him from the back, giving Torpid the room she needed.

Torpid signaled with her hands to Rogue that they were all to let go of Fred just before she touched him, so that they wouldn't be paralyzed as well. Rogue communicated this to the rest of the mutants, who nodded in agreement. Torpid lifted her hands and just as she was about to touch Fred the others let go and as her hands made contact, Fred froze instantly, his body now stock-still. Everyone sighed in relief, Lucas especially, as he could now take over Fred's collar quickly and safely.

Lucas came over after taking Fred's collar off, followed by Rogue. Torpid let go of Fred, allowing the large mutant to move, and while putting back on her gloves, Rogue gave her a hug, thanking her telepathically for her actions, to which Torpid responded enthusiastically. Lucid and Caliban watched the exchange wordlessly, amazed at the bond of friendship that existed between the two mutants who hadn't even known each other's names before now.

Fred brought a hand to scratch his head, his blue eyes showing confusion as he took in the metal hallway where he had been held prisoner.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around for something or someone he knew. His eyes alighted on Pietro and walking over placed his hand on the speed demon's shoulder, causing him to jump into the air in surprise.

Pietro spun around and on seeing Fred grinned and said, "Well, if it ain't Freddy! How you doin' buddy?" Pietro slapped Fred on the shoulder, earning him a grin in return.

"Fine, but what in the hell was up with the torture devices?" Fred asked, scratching his head once more in confusion. Moira stepped forward and as soon as Fred saw her he exclaimed, "Hey, I know you! You came and helped me out when I was sick a few years ago!"

Moira grinned and said, "Yes, Ay did. It's good tae see ye, Freddy. I believe that Ay'm tae blame for the collars; Ay was forced tae make them by Apocalypse." Moira's smile was rueful and not as guilt-laden as it had been in the past, no doubt thanks to the efforts of both Rogue and Sean in convincing her that she wasn't at fault.

Rogue took over and after telling Fred what was going on he instantly agreed to help, knowing that he could trust what Rogue said since she was friends with Wanda and Lance, both of whom didn't trust just anyone. Rogue and her group then took off for the next hallway, Fred bringing up the end of the pack, Pietro right beside him.

Hallway #27, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy- May 17, 3:20 am

When the group entered hallway #27, they were met with screams of pain and sorrow from the cells' occupants, unfortunately normal for those who played the role of rescuer. Fred, Pietro, and Opal's ears pricked up when they heard one scream in particular heads swinging towards the cell from which the sound emanated.

Opal growled and spat, "I hear Toad's voice in here!" She didn't catch the nasty glare Fred sent her way, not appreciating the acidic remarks aimed at his best friend.

"She's right, Fred. I know Todd's in here because I'd recognize his scream of pain anywhere," Pietro commented, his tone serious. "I also think Piotr's in here; the other scream sounds too low and deep to be anyone else's."

Fred nodded and took off for Todd's cell, not hearing Rogue's warning about the bars being electrocuted. However, Rogue had forgotten that Fred was nearly invulnerable when he put his mind to a task; so when Fred reached for the bars she was shocked to see that he merely ripped the bars off without a second thought. On remembering she slapped a hand to her forehead, muttering, "Of course; Fred's invincible when he focuses on a task."

Pietro motioned to Opal to come with him to free Todd but when she vehemently shook his head no he glared at her, normally handsome face set in a look that reminded Opal too much of Wanda's patented glare. Still, she didn't feel it right that she back down and so glared right back at him. While the two of them participated in the slightly unorthodox glaring contest Lucas, Aaron, and Lorna went to the other cell, where they found Pietro's hypothesis to be dead-on. Inside the cell, Piotr was screaming in pain, holding his head in an attempt to rid himself of the painful images in his mind.

Lorna stepped up to the plate and, using her powers ripped off the bars from the cell, Lucas making sure that any stray electricity didn't hit them. Once the bars were off, they rushed inside to free Piotr, who was now moaning in pain. Lorna and Aaron held him still while Lucas took off the collar gently, noting that a giant "A" was on the back of Piotr's uniform. Frowning, he made a mental note to try to get Lorna to remove it once Piotr had been healed.

Lucas nodded to Aaron, who activated his powers and made sure to heal any damaged part of the mutant in front of him – physical and mental – as thoroughly as he could. Once done, Aaron got to his feet and watched as Lorna and Lucas hefted Piotr to his feet, each putting one of his arms over their shoulders.

"Damn… Ay did nae know tha' he was so heavy," Lucas complained, not at all used to the kind of weight that seemed to consume Piotr.

Once out of the cell, Piotr groaned and opened his eyes, only to find himself staring into Rogue's eyes.

"Rogue," Piotr muttered blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining the sight in front of him. However, a thought came to him that caused him to exclaim, "Where's Katchya?!"

Rogue frowned, wondering how she should put what she wanted to say into words. "Well, Piotr, she's with Lance and tha others, rescuing tha other prisoners on this asteroid. If yah're askin' whether or not she's okay, she's fahne but…" Here Rogue trailed off, not sure if Piotr knew what she had been about to say.

Piotr took his weight off Lorna and Lucas, causing them to breathe a small sigh of relief at not having to carry Piotr around anymore and asked, "Does Katchya still look like a monster?"

Rogue stepped back, never having heard Piotr talk about Kitty in the manner he just had. Rogue decided, just for that comment to tell Piotr what he didn't want to hear. "Kitty is not a monster! She and Lance just have new looks; they're no more a monster than yah are, Colossus! Ah know she may have looked strange when yah first saw her but she's tha same as she was before! If yah ever want to speak ta her again yah have to apologize and show some respect ta her and Lance!" Rogue then shot a glare at Piotr and turned on her heel to go and help Pietro, Fred, and Opal with Todd, who had been brought out of his cell in Fred's arms.

Piotr stood there, feeling like he had just failed his family again. 'I let my fear take over. I was so stupid; how can I face my family?' After a few moments, he felt a hand touch his shoulder and looking down he saw Lucas, who, while tall in his own right barely reached Piotr's chin.

"Do nae worry 'bout yer Kitty; Ay know for a fact tha' she's fine," Lucas reassured Piotr, telling him a white lie to make him feel better. "Now Ay have a question for ye, mate. How would ye like it if Lorna here removed tha' disgustin' letter from yer back?" Piotr merely stared at Lucas then at Lorna, who was standing beside Lucas, patiently waiting for Piotr's answer.

Piotr replied, "Dere would be nothing else I desire." He placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder in thanks and hugged Lorna, being careful to not crush her. He then turned around, trusting Lorna to remove the letter. Lorna concentrated and in less than a minute Piotr felt the metal disk that the "A" rested on leave his uniform, taking off what felt like a literal weight from his shoulders. He sighed in happiness and then turned around once more, his eyes thanking the two mutants before him for helping him get rid of the "A" and the bad luck it brought with it.

"May I have disk?" Piotr asked, earning him a startled glance from the two mutants. Lorna shrugged and handed him the disk, not quite sure what he wanted it for. Piotr took it and, armoring up he threw the disk in the air and smashed it to pieces with his fist, small metal pieces flying around the hallway. He then powered down and grinned, happy to be free. Lucas and Lorna brought him over to the other mutants to help stand guard.

Meanwhile, Rogue had called Aaron over to help her, as Todd had more injuries than she had seen so far, most old wounds that he had never gotten treated properly for various reasons. Rogue, due to her short-lived status as a Brotherhood gal knew that some were from his run-ins with the Bayville football team, but others looked worn and cracked, signs that they had occurred years before. Aaron and Rogue had combined their powers at least five times but so far Todd hadn't woken up. Fred and Pietro were starting to get worried; after all, Todd had been with them through it all and always cheered them up when they were down. Opal was even getting a bit worried; not that she'd admit it.

"One more time, Aaron," Rogue commanded, and, closing her eyes, gave Todd more of her energy, Aaron doing the same. This time, they heard a groan issue from Todd and both sighed in relief, glad that they had managed to save Todd.

Todd opened his eyes and said, "Man, what truck came and hit me, yo?" He didn't get a response as Fred hugged him, leaving him unable to breathe for a moment. When Fred let him go, he placed Todd on his feet and Todd was then enveloped in a quick but bone-crushing hug from Pietro.

After Todd had freed himself from the hug, he turned to look at his savior and his eyes widened on seeing Rogue. "Rogue! What's going on, yo?"

Rogue explained about Apocalypse and on hearing the name Todd's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Damn, yo! He's back?! We don't even have all of the extended Brotherhood and Lance's a traitor… he's the most powerful of us, yo!" Todd began to hyperventilate until Opal did something unexpected to those who lived with her; she gave Todd a quick hug then backed off. Todd merely stared at her, not knowing how to respond to the hug.

Opal, tired of being stared at, snapped, "Listen to me, Toad. Lance isn't a traitor; Magneto lied to us! Apocaypse is back but if what I remember from Wanda is true you guys defeated him once before and you weren't that much older than Leon and me! You're older now, more powerful, and you have us to help you; so stop hyperventilating and concentrate on helping us find the others and win!" Opal then marched off and went back to guard duty, her moves followed by an amused Rogue and admiring Mark.

Todd stared after her and, gulping, asked, "Did Opal just hug me and tell me to stop actin' like an idiot, yo?" On getting nods from Fred and Pietro he groaned, covered his face and asked, "Man, what kind of Twilight Zone did I step into?"

Rogue chuckled and on asking Todd whether he was with them or not he nodded yes, saying with pride that he was ready to prove to Wanda that he was the mutant for her. Rogue felt bad; she knew from Lance and Kitty that Wanda had chosen John and knew that when Todd found out he'd be heart-broken. She then told Piotr and Todd how to travel the halls and the large group left, ready to rescue more of their mutant compatriots.

Hallway #20, Asteroid Evolution, Orbit of the Moon, Milky Way Galaxy – May 17, 3:35 am

Rogue's group, now numbering nineteen strong, entered hallway #20 only to be greeted with the usual sights and sounds they had come to expect: prisoners were in their cells, screaming in pain due to the collars around their necks. Rogue was getting sick and tired of seeing all her friends in pain; she knew something had to be done. She decided to try a new tactic that she hadn't used before, if only to stir up things up a bit.

Lorna raised her arms to take off the bars from the cells but Rogue stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tha' won't be necessary, Lorna. Ah'll go get 'em myself." Rogue winked and in a flash of light and smoke teleported into the two cells, first grabbing Erica and then Devon. She then teleported back in front of the group of mutants, who were trying to clear the smoke from in front of them.

"Damn, Rogue, even the smoke smells like the elf's!" Todd exclaimed, not at all pleased to be reminded of his archenemy. Pietro agreed, not liking the fact that the smoke's particles were starting to go into his nose, giving him the urge to sneeze.

Rogue shrugged and said, "Sorry guys; guess when Ah use Kurt's powers Ah get the smoke and smell too." She then motioned to Lucas and Pietro to come and take off the mutants' collars. Lucas and Pietro, used by now to taking off the collars quickly and harmlessly did so in a span of two minutes, with the result being two dismantled collars lying pieces on the floor. Aaron then stepped forward and, with Rogue next to him they healed Devon and Erica respectively.

Devon was the first to wake, turquoise eyes fluttering with the effort of having to open after being forced to stay closed for a long period of time. He brought a hand to his head and asked, "What's goin' on?"

Aaron said, "I've just healed you, Devon, so you'll be a bit dizzy for a moment. You were forced to endure images of horror for a long time and you have to give your mind time to heal; that's all." Aaron looked into Devon's eyes, willing him to heed his advice and not do something foolish. However, as Devon usually did, he ignored the advice given to him and tried to stand up but instantly lost his balance and fell forward, Aaron catching him.

"Told you that you had to wait a moment, Dev," Aaron chided, knowing that his friend would do that. Devon lifted his head and grinned at Aaron, causing him to chuckle. After a few minutes, Aaron helped Devon to stand, after which he was welcomed back to his team with laughs and slaps on the back.

Meanwhile, Rogue had healed Erica and she, like Devon, had tried to stand as soon as she woke up. Rogue had caught her, earning her a scathing glare from Erica, telling her that she didn't appreciate being helped. Rogue rolled her eyes, used to this attitude from Erica.

A few minutes later, Erica tried standing again and this time accepted Rogue's help; reluctantly, that is. Once on her feet Erica rubbed her head and, cursing, asked, "Damn, what happened?"

Rogue explained what was going on and when both Devon and Erica heard what was going on they started and stared at each other. Erica spoke and she asked, "You mean to tell us that Apocalypse, whom we battled against in a DR simulation and lost to spectacularly is back??! We don't stand a fuckin' chance!" Erica crossed her arms and glared at Rogue, daring the Southern mutant to rebuke her.

Rogue opened her mouth to do just that but Devon took the words out of Rogue's mouth. "Listen, Rogue and the older mutants defeated this guy ten years ago; what makes you think that we can't do it?" Erica stared at Devon, her mouth open in shock. She opened her mouth to respond but once more Devon interrupted her, continuing, "We can do this, Erica. We have the power to do this! With everyone's help, we can defeat this guy and save the world! It's what we've been trainin' for every minute we've been at the school! Are you with us or not?!" Devon stared at Erica, willing her to say that she was with them, even if they had to struggle to reach their goal. Erica was too speechless to answer; she just nodded her head, which caused a large grin to break out upon Devon's face.

Rogue interrupted them by saying, "Good work, Devon. Now, when we travel in tha hallways we only talk usin' our minds; not a sound, understand?" When Devon and Erica nodded yes Rogue said, "All right guys; we have only two more hallways left 'fore we meet up with tha other group; let's move!" With these words, they all moved out and made their way towards the second-to-last hallway.