A/N: I'm trying to keep this story as Rogan-centered as I can while still moving the plot along. Happy Reading! Thanks to Mezza999, starlite22, DarkFairy207, Crystalove09, TrickyBusiness, Guest, and Sarah Victoria Cullen for their reviews! Review this chapter and I'll send you a preview of the next chapter!
And I've dropped out, I've burned up,
I've fought my way back from the dead. I've tuned in,
I've turned on, remembered the things that you said.
"I'll Be"by Edwin McCain
Jean Grey stood on a cliff overlooking a crowd of Magneto's followers. Tents had been set up on the forest floor to house the different mutants of various talents. Tall trees towered over them, providing the perfect shelter as they gathered their forces. The woman's bright red hair contrasted startlingly against the natural colors of the forest, seeming to almost boast the fact that she was different. Even among the other mutants she stood out, and that was precisely why Erik needed her. He watched her with a careful eye, knowing that she wasn't stable; that she could turn on him at any minute. But, Erik was confident in his ability to persuade people to see things his way. He hadn't had a mutant this powerful at his disposal since he captured the poison-skinned girl, Rogue. But she was just a child then, unable to fathom the possibilities her power gave her. As Erik stared at his new toy, he felt that victory was imminent. With Phoenix, he was unstoppable.
"She shouldn't be here with us." Callisto said warningly, walking next to their leader. "Her powers are unreliable."
"How do we know she's not with them." Pyro scowled, sending a glare over his shoulder at the red-head in question. Even though he hadn't been with the X-Men long, he knew something was up with Jean Grey. She was the self-important, teacher type; not the sort of person you expect to betray their team.
"How do we know you're not with them? Don't think I don't know about the run-in you had with one of them in New Orleans." Magneto quipped, not bothering to look at either of them. He knew his plan was full-proof; he just had to make sure Phoenix remained on their side. This wouldn't happen if these two kept instilling doubts in his followers' minds. His thought drifted to his former right-hand disciple, Mystique. She would have listened to his orders without question. It's a real shame the humans got her with the cure. But unfortunately, she was just another casualty in the war for mutants everywhere.
"You know I'm not with them." The blonde insisted, "I would have killed Charles Xavier if you would have let me."
At this Erik turned to the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Then Erik spoke, his voice harsh "Charles Xavier did more for mutants than you'll ever know. And our single greatest regret is that he had to die so that our dream could live." Then Erik continued walking, leaving a shell-shocked mutant behind him.
Pyro stared at the elder man's retreating back in surprise. He had always thought that the two men hated each other; they were on opposing sides after all. Maybe there was more to that relationship than he knew, than anyone knew. Shaking his head, the blonde's thoughts flashed to Rogue. When he spoke with her in New Orleans she told him that there was always a place for him with the X-Men. But, he had left them in search of a more fulfilling future. He didn't want to sit idly in class while mutants everywhere suffered at the hands of humans. Magneto's plan was to go to Alcatraz Island and destroy Worthington Labs and the cure. And sure, following Magneto around and gathering an army of mutants was thrilling…but he couldn't shake the feeling of misplacement. As if he didn't really belong here with all these angry people so ready to do whatever it took to achieve their goal.
Shaking his head, Pyro cursed in frustration. He had let Rogue get into his head, confusing him. Of course he chose the right side. He just had a weak spot for Rogue, always had. Then Bobby swept in, stealing her attention. He never thought the two of them were a good match. Rogue was too independent and exciting for a guy like Bobby. But, he had gotten over that. Pyro thought he and the Southern girl had something in common; their crappy family lives. Both of them had been thrown out onto the streets at an early age, forcing them to grow up just a bit quicker than the other students in their class. It allowed them to develop a sort of unacknowledged understanding and empathy for each other. Two stray dogs trapped in a cage full of pure-breeds and house pets. Despite his connection to Rogue, he knew their similar situations didn't hold a candle to the one she had with Wolverine. That was like comparing a tiny flame to a roaring fire.
Rogue and Colossus dodged the red lasers that were shot in their direction. The concrete wall they ran past crumbled as their enemy pulverized it with another laser beam. Dodging the flaming rubble and explosions, the two young mutants took cover behind what looked to be the remains of a car. Then, a huge piece of concrete debris came flying at the two. Quickly, Piotr wrapped his arms around the brunette kneeling next to him and activated his powers, making her own skin morph into metal like his. The concrete was knocked away by the blonde's invincible arm, sending the debris flying in the other direction where it hit a miffed Logan in the face. The cuts on the older man's face healed automatically, the brief sting of pain barely slowing him down.
Rogue released a relieved sigh, her dark eyes darting up to meet Logan's. Their eyes met briefly, before he returned to his cigar; unaffected by the chaos surrounding the Junior X-Men team and Storm. Marie narrowed her eyes at the feral mutant, conveying her overwhelming wish for him to keep her lack of powers a secret. It had been three days since the Professor's untimely death, and with Rogue's persuasion, the Junior X-Men team had begun training with Storm, Logan, and herself. The Professor had made Rogue a part of the team soon after she had returned from the recruiting mission in New Orleans. This was her first Danger Room exercise as an official member of the team, and she didn't even have her freaking powers. Much to her chagrin, the abilities she had picked up from others had begun to return…but her skin remained remarkably touchable. The usual hum that she felt around her skin was gone…as was her mutation. But, with Carol's powers slowly returning she could easily hide the fact that her mutation had mysteriously disappeared.
Rogue and Colossus immediately continued moving; knowing that standing still for just a moment too long could be the difference between life and death. Rogue looked around just in time to see Bobby decide to play hero, jumping in front of Shadowcat and blasting an incoming flaming object with ice, sending it crashing harmlessly to the ground. Kitty looked up at Bobby shyly, her face pink with embarrassment. He smiled knowingly, stepping closer to the short girl.
"Ice cube, stop flirting and get moving!" Logan barked, glaring at the younger couple for losing focus during the stimulated mission. Immediately, the two broke apart nervously, returning their attention to the task at hand.
Logan met Marie's eyes and sent her a wink before returning his attention to observing the Junior Team. He knew that Marie could handle herself in a fight, but with her mutation mysteriously disappearing he was worried that something was seriously wrong. At that moment he wished that Professor Xavier was there to guide Marie. He knew that Wheels knew pretty much everything there was to know about, well, everything. Logan had attempted to persuade Marie into talking to the new doctor, Hank McCoy, but so far she had refused. She had assured him that she was slowly getting her mutation back…he just wasn't sure if he believed her.
"We're getting killed out here." Storm said, interrupting the feral's thoughts.
"I noticed." He replied dryly, shaking his head at the amateurs.
Their brief conversation was interrupted by a bright light that flashed across the area, loud crashing sounds accompanying it. Suddenly, the ground shook and a laser was shot in his direction, forcing him to duck to avoid being fried.
"That was my last cigar." He growled, moving his eyes from where he dropped it to the entity responsible. A bus exploded right next to him, illuminating the faces of the Junior Team, who were all taking cover in various places around the dilapidated building.
"It's getting closer!" Kitty squeaked nervously, her eyes huge with fear.
Then, Rogue was flying above Logan, her face fierce with determination. "Need a lift?" She called, holding out her hand. Immediately catching on to her plan, he reached up and felt her effortlessly lift him from the ground before taking off towards the enemy.
"Not too heavy for ya, huh kid?"
"Light as a feather." She teased, her Southern accent barely audible over the wind in his ears.
Then, he was dropping down on top of the giant machine, his adamantium claws outstretched. With a growl, he tore the head clean off the machine. He threw it behind him, where it landed directly in front of where the team stood. The silence was heavy as he walked out from behind the beheaded enemy. Rogue landed on her feet a few steps behind him.
"Class dismissed." He announced smirking and ignoring Storm's irritated eye roll. With that, the stimulated scene faded away, leaving them in an empty, panel-covered room.
"Nice thinking Rogue." Logan commented as they all vacated the room exhaustedly. She nodded at him in response, holding in her ecstatic smile. She had proven herself to be more than capable in battle, even without all of her powers.
The group of mutants walked down the brightly lit hallway towards the elevators. Storm kept her pace brisk, as she questioned the feral, "What was that?!"
"A danger room session."
"You know what I mean. You can't just change the rules; I was trying to teach them something."
"Well I did teach them something."
"But it was a defensive exercise." The white-haired mutant insisted.
"Well, the best defense is a good offense." Logan replied carelessly, moving past the other mutant. "And I have a feeling we are going to need every fighter we can get."
"Two minutes to rendez-vous Mr. President."
An elder man in a suit turned around, walking around the crowded room towards the speaker.
"We have a clear satellite feed of Magneto's base of operations." The man continued, motioning towards a huge screen that showed the image of a large gathering of people in the middle of a forest. There were several blinking dots, one for each mutant in that area.
"How did we get this information?" The President asked.
"Raven gave us everything we wanted and more." The suited man replied, looking at another screen. On the second screen was a woman with short jet black hair and dark blue eyes. She was dressed in a tight suit and heels as she spoke to a man behind a fancy desk.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." The President commented wryly, before turning to discuss a plan of attack.
"The men are moving out now." The Secretary of Defense announced, as they watched their armed forces converge on the location of Magneto's followers via the screen. Then, the satellite image went fuzzy before all the dots, symbolizing mutants, vanished except for one.
"What the hell is happening out there?!" The Secretary yelled into his headset that kept him in contact with the men who were on location where Magneto was reported to be.
"Sir, there's only one mutant here. It seems like he can make multiple copies of himself so it looks like there's more than one per-"
"Well, if Magneto's not there then where the hell is he?!" The President asked angrily, storming out of the room.
A small group of mutants gathered in the Professor's study. Storm sat in a chair next to Hank McCoy. Bobby, Kitty, and Jubilee occupied the small sofa across from the other two mutants. Logan stood by the window, lost in thought. Piotr and Rogue sat in two other chairs that were next to the unlit fireplace. They had assembled there to decide on, not just the X-Men's next move, but the fate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
"So what now?" Jubilee asked curiously.
"Professor Xavier started this school, perhaps its best if it ends with him." The blue-skinned mutant suggested reluctantly. "We'll have to tell the students to return home."
"Most of us have nowhere to go." Bobby said honestly, his eyes on Rogue. Despite his growing interest in Kitty, the blonde still cared about his ex-girlfriend. And he knew that she was one of the students with a rougher and more difficult past. Sure, his parents sent him to this school, but at least he knew they still loved him. Rogue had been kicked out and told never to come back. She had basically been disowned for being different. His mind flashed to a brief first kiss in his parents' house. That was when their relationship started to fall apart.
"So, that's it? We're not going to fight back?" Rogue stated incredulously, her arms crossed over her chest.
The conversation was interrupted when a tall, blonde man walked into the room. "I'm sorry. I know this is a bad time, but I heard this was a safe place for mutants." Seven pairs of eyes turned to him, taking in his disheveled appearance and the hopeful expression on his face.
"It was." Hank said regretfully.
"And it still is." Storm announced resolutely, standing up from her seat. "We'll find you a room. Hank, tell all the students that the school stays open." A smile broke out on Dr. McCoy's face as he left the room, Ororo and the newcomer following right behind him. Logan nodded in agreement before returning his gaze back outside the window.
Then, a startling news broadcast appeared on the television. Marie's eyes hardened and she stood up from her seat, fists clenched. "Turn the volume up."
Kitty quickly grabbed the remote next to her, alarmed at the familiar face on the screen. Magneto.
The room quieted, as the metal-wielding mutant spoke. "Our attack on the New York lab was only the first of many. As long as the cure exists our war will rage. Your cities will not be safe, your streets will not be safe, you will not be safe. And to my fellow mutants, join us or stay out of the way."
"That bastard is just making everything worse." Rogue growled, her inner wolverine coming through.
"The government will not just sit back while Magneto gathers his army. We need a plan." Piotr insisted.
"A plan for what exactly?" Kitty questioned confusedly.
"To kick Magneto's egotistical ass." Marie replied, her eyes flashing dangerously.
A/N: Well there was a little Rogan interaction in there. This danger room scene was at the beginning of the movie, but I thought it fit nicely here with some minor adjustments. Also if you didn't catch it, Mystique was the one who told them about Magneto's hiding place…too bad he moved before they could get him. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and I'll send an excerpt of the next chapter!