Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. I do own Rose and all other OCs.
A/N: Welcome to the EIGHTH chapter of The Next Generation where we will follow young Rose and see how our heroes' efforts have affected the world as they are forced to face a new enemy. So without further ado, I turn it over to my silver cheetah. Enjoy!
"Did it work?" asked Rose after Hank finished typing. Beast turned to look at her and nodded, smiling. The silver cheetah sighed with relief and spun around to tell Logan but the wolverine had disappeared. Where'd he-
Do not fret, dear Rose, Xavier advised her. Logan has returned to his time but I promise you we will see him again.
Okay, professor, the young X-Man replied, surprised to find she would miss the grumpy brute of a man. She shook her head and took a deep breath. So, what now?
Now we see what our efforts bring us as we face a new and uncertain world, Charles told her.
Does this mean I'm officially an X-Man and can live in the Institute with Jean, Scott, and the others? Silver Cheetah inquired.
Of course, confirmed Charles. You are one of us and will always have a place at the Institute where you can learn and grow.
Rose felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders as a grin spread across her face. Let's go home.
~ Four Years Later ~
"Someone's on fire today," noted Scott as Rose jumped from one machine to the next, destroying them with a touch of her hand and a burst of her vibration power. She completed the simulation in seconds before landing in front of her captive audience. Cyclops whistled. "Damn, Rose. You made a level 9 Danger Room session look easy."
The 18 year old silver cheetah shrugged, running a gloved hand through her chin length hair. "Guess I just felt really motivated today."
Cyclops cocked a dark eyebrow but let it go as Hank set up his exercises which mostly consisted of shooting targets.
Rose watched for a few moments then blurred to her room and took a hot shower. The nightmares she had had the night before flashed across her golden eyes. There had been blood everywhere and the sound of people screaming in terror. She had envisioned Magneto and Mystique on skeleton horses accompanied by a young man and a girl about her age riding beside them while a pair of enormous red eyes hung in the sky above them.
I have to talk to the professor about my nightmares, the silver cheetah decided as the hot water ran through her hair. They could mean nothing but they felt so real. I hope I'm just going crazy.
Rose turned off the water and stepped out of her shower, drying herself off with a towel. She then put her clothes back on and brushed her hair before picking something off the counter. It was Logan's dog tags that he must have lost during the battle with the Sentinels. For some reason, she had kept them as if a part of her secretly wished the wolverine would come back for them and she'd be able to see him again.
For all I know, he'll never return, she thought, donning the necklace. The silver cheetah then headed for Xavier's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," called Charles, smiling at the young mutant as she entered his office and strode towards his desk. "Good morning, Rose."
"Good morning, professor," she replied, not smiling back.
Xavier looked at her with concern. "Something is troubling you."
Rose nodded. "Last night, I had these two really vivid nightmares that keep plaguing me even now when I'm awake. I was hoping…"
Charles motioned for her to take a seat in the chair facing him. The professor propped his arms on his desk and clasped his hands together, entwining his fingers. "Now, describe to me everything you saw."
"In the first nightmare, there was blood and death," Rose told him, shivering slightly. "Flayed bodies of men, women, and children were everywhere I looked. The ground was saturated with their blood. Those who weren't dead were screaming, begging for an end to their misery, to their suffering."
"Were any of the bodies people you know?" Charles inquired gently.
Rose inclined her head. "Two were my parents who that pompous bastard had me kill a year after he found me. Another was you, professor, as well as Scott, Jean, and Hank. You were all piled together. Past all of you was…"
The young mutant broke off as tears began to stream down her cheeks. She subconsciously touched Logan's dog tags. "I've never felt so alone and helpless. It was horrible."
"And your second nightmare?" asked Xavier after a few moments.
"In my second nightmare, I saw Magneto and Mystique on skeletal horses. There was a young man and a girl about my age riding on their own horses beside them. In the sky above, there was a pair of large red eyes," Rose told him. "I know I sound crazy but they felt so real. Something horrible is about to happen."
Charles frowned in thought. "Unfortunately we won't know until these events take place, if they do take place."
"By then it will be too late," argued Rose.
The professor shook his head. "We will prepare in case your dreams truly are visions."
Rose nodded. "I hope they're not."
Xavier smiled kindly at her. "Even if they are, we have proven how the future can be changed because we are X-Men."
"And X-Men never give up," Silver Cheetah murmured with a smile. "Thanks, professor."
~ The Next Generation ~
"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" guessed a familiar voice causing Rose to cock her head to look behind her. She had been staring out one of the large windows of the library when she should have been working on her homework. Now the young mutant watched as Jean Grey walked over to her. The telepath sat down next to her and stared at her friend with knowing eyes. "Wolverine."
"Yes," Rose admitted quietly. "Four years ago when he arrived to help us, I got this strange feeling I already knew him."
"It's probably because you know each other in the future," figured Jean, running a hand through her long red hair.
"That's what Logan said," the silver cheetah replied, playing with his tags. "I just felt this connection that was…I don't know, special. It hasn't been the same since he's been gone. I feel like something's missing. Is that weird?"
"Yeah," said Jean making both of the girls laugh. "Honestly though, you're most likely not going to understand those feelings until you meet him again."
My only wish is when I do see him, he's alive, Rose thought as her dreams once again flashed in her mind. My heart felt as if it was shattering into a million pieces when I saw his corpse. I've never cried so much in my life and I have no clue why I feel the way I do.
"In the meantime, can you help me with the Shakespeare essay we have due tomorrow?" Jean asked her imploringly.
Rose rolled her cat-like eyes teasingly. "You are hopeless, Grey."
Jean grinned. "I know but that's what I have you for."
Unfortunately your homework assignments are going to have to wait, Charles informed them. I need both of you to come to the main entryway.
Is something the matter, Professor? asked Jean.
We have a new arrival, he told them.
Jean glanced at Rose who shrugged before leaving the library and heading for the main entryway where Xavier and Beast stood with a young woman who forced Rose to come to an abrupt halt.
It was the girl from her nightmares.
~ The Next Generation ~
"Ah, Jean, Rose, there you two are," said Charles with his usual kind smile. "I'd like you both to meet the newest member of our family, Ororo Munroe or Storm."
"It's nice to meet you," murmured Storm. She had dark skin, white hair, and brown eyes.
"You too. Welcome to the school for the gifted," greeted Jean. "My name's Jean Grey and this is Rose Silverstone or Silver Cheetah."
Rose inclined her head in acknowledgment before glancing sideways at Charles. Professor, this is the girl who I saw in my nightmares. This can't be a coincidence.
Charles frowned. Indeed. I fear your concerns may be warranted.
I need to figure out what the rest of the images I saw mean, the silver cheetah realized. Maybe doing some research in the library will help.
It's as good a place to start as any, Xavier agreed. Until we find out more, I suggest we keep your nightmares between the two of us.
Rose nodded. We wouldn't want to cause a panic. I'll start researching right away.
~ The Next Generation ~
Later that night after supper, Rose went into the library and collected all the books she could find containing myths about skeleton horses. According to one encyclopedia, horses have often represented war, power, and domination.
Great, another war, thought the silver cheetah bitterly, reading on. Further down the page was a paragraph describing horses as symbols of life and the four elements. The same number as the riders I saw in my nightmares. Maybe what I really should be looking for are tales regarding four horsemen.
The young woman gasped as she recalled a story her mother had told her when she was a child, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse located in the Book of Revelation.
Rose jumped out of her chair and sped to the section of the library where they kept the Bible propped open on a stand. She gently flipped through its pages until she reached the final book of the New Testament.
The silver cheetah then found the story of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in which the Horsemen were dubbed Conquest (or Pestilence), War, Famine, and Death.
Rose grimaced, wondering if the images she witnessed signified Magneto, Mystique, Storm, and whoever the second man was were going to attack the mansion. If so, does this mean Storm is really an enemy who came here to hurt us? And what about those red eyes? What do they mean?
The silver cheetah yawned loudly and glanced at the clock on the wall. It's almost midnight. I should probably get some sleep and look into this more tomorrow.
Rose flashed back to the desk she had been working at, jotted down some notes in a purple journal, put the books back on their shelves, and headed for bed.
~ The Next Generation ~
A young woman with golden blonde hair was running down an alleyway when someone appeared in front of her causing her breath to catch. 'You actually came back.'
Wolverine smiled at her. 'I forgot my tags.'
Silver Cheetah rolled her eyes. 'Of course, that's what you returned for. I should have known. You really are…Look out!'
Logan spun around but it was too late. A hulking mass of black shadows had walked up behind him and stabbed him through the chest with a strange looking blade. Black lines covered the wolverine from head to toe as he turned to look at her and the light left his blue eyes. Rose screamed as his body hit the ground and Four Horsemen laughed in the distance.
~ The Next Generation ~
"Rose, Rose!" shouted a familiar voice, snapping her awake. Jean was leaning over her with both hands on the silver cheetah's shoulders.
"Jean," Rose murmured. "What happened?"
"You were screaming in your sleep," the red head informed her. "And shaking the room with your vibration power. You must have been having a really bad nightmare."
"Yeah," Silver Cheetah confirmed. "'A really bad nightmare'."
"Are you okay now?" inquired her friend as she watched her worriedly. "You look like you lost someone important to you."
"Something like that," murmured Rose as the image of the hulking shadows striking Wolverine played in her mind over and over again. This nightmare felt more real than the last one. I need to figure out what they mean before…
The institute's security system suddenly went off causing the girls to jump to their feet and pull on their socks and shoes. They rushed out into the hallway and were immediately swallowed up by a sea of panicking students.
I can't get through to the professor, Jean communicated to Rose telepathically. Her green eyes shone with fear. Rose, what do we do?
First, we're going to find out what's going on, she replied as they spotted Cyclops making his way to them.
"Scott!" called Jean, waving a hand at her boyfriend as Cyclops reached them. She hugged him tightly. "Thank God! Do you know what's going on?"
"Magneto and Mystique are attacking the Institute, aren't they?" guessed Rose as the crowd around them began to thin.
"How'd you know?" asked Scott as someone appeared behind them in the otherwise empty hallway.
"Storm," murmured Silver Cheetah as Scott and Jean turned to face their new teammate.
Jean smiled at the fellow mutant and began to walk towards her. "Storm, I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Jean, stop!" warned Rose, holding out an arm to stop her while never taking her eyes off of Storm. "Ororo isn't what she pretends to be."
"What do you mean?" demanded Jean.
"Think about it," said Rose. "The only way Magneto and Mystique could have attacked the mansion under our noses is by having someone on the inside. It's not a coincidence this happened the night after she arrived here."
"So, what? The three of them are working together?" murmured Scott.
"Not exactly," a new voice replied causing Scott's eyes to widen behind his visor. A tall man with blond hair and blue eyes strode up behind Storm, like her he wore a strange black outfit. He smirked at Scott. "Hello, baby brother."
"Alex," whispered Cyclops as tears ran down his cheeks. "You're alive."
The man from my nightmare is Scott's brother?! thought Rose, feeling as if an icy hand was gripping her stomach. The silver cheetah took a deep breath to stay focused. "What do you want and who do you work for? Tell me now and I won't hurt you too badly."
Alex laughed. "You are going to hurt us? You are a bold one."
"Alex, please, let me help you," begged Scott. "Whatever's going on, we'll get through it together."
Alex glared at him. "My name is Havok and the only thing that's 'going on' it the making of a new world where mutants can live in peace."
"Which you are going to accomplish by burning the old world down, right?" muttered Rose.
Havok grinned. "Exactly. This 'school for the gifted' will be the first to go."
Silver Cheetah's cat-like eyes widened in horror as Scott's brother emanated a tremendous amount of energy and shot it out in the form of concentric circles around them, setting the mansion on fire. Havok then laughed and escaped out a nearby window with Storm before destroying that exit as well.
"What do we do?!" yelled Jean.
Rose glanced at Scott who was clearly still in shock. Guess it's up to me.
Silver Cheetah held out her hand. "Jean, take my hand and hold onto Scott, we're getting out of here."
Jean nodded and took their hands.
"Hold on," said Rose, utilizing her speed and getting them out of the mansion and onto the front lawn with some of the other students who had been able to get out. She let go of Jean and Scott who collapsed onto the grass. "I'm going back in to get whoever is still inside. Stay here!"
"Be careful!" shouted Jean as Silver Cheetah headed back into the inferno and managed to save everyone else.
Rose then dropped to the ground in exhaustion as the Institute continued to burn.
"Rose," she glanced up at Jean whose eyes shone with tears. "Professor Xavier is gone. They took him."
"What? Why?!" exclaimed Rose.
Jean shook her head. "I don't know. Hank said they told him were going to take him to their master, Apocalypse."
A/N: And there you have it! Until next time, read review and show the love!
