Chapter 37

Detroit...

"Aw man," Impulse complains at the sight of Cyborg. "First night meeting the new guy and he gets brain-jacked. This has to be a record," he declares.

"Stop stealing my lines. I do the jokes," Superman moans at him.

"Too slow tortoise-man," Impulse quips.

Superman rolls his eyes before refocusing on the important task at hand. Saving Victor. "I don't know why you've done this but I'm asking you nicely to release my friend. I only ask nicely once," he addresses the...Metaleks as they seem to call themselves.

"...Organic..."

"...Machine..."

"...Combination..."

"...Required..." the voice of the Metaleks reply from each robotic creation.

"He's a living being with a mind of his own and you've violated him," Superman says, anger creeping into his tone.

"He/it is useful," they speak through Cyborg. "To aid us in the task our Master/Saviour assigned us."

"They're here because someone ordered them?" Impulse queries he's understood that correctly.

"What task?" Superman asks.

"Preparing Earth."

"For what?"

"Salvation...preservation...like was done for Metaleks."

"And Lex Luthor? What does he have to do with this?" Superman asks, not wishing to prolong Victor's suffering but trying to get answers and understand what is happening.

"Response to query...reply forbidden."

"Oh helpful," Impulse mocks. "I think they've answered all they're going to," he offers his opinion.

"Release Cyborg, now," Superman states. Usually Clark's humorous but not when his friend is being used as a puppet. He's been there. He's experienced that and that is why it royally angers him.

"...Request..."

"..."

"...Denied..."

"Why do they always want to do it the hard way?" Superman asks with a sad resignation in his tone.

"Suckers for punishment?" Impulse suggests in his forever cheeky tone.

Superman reluctantly smiles but it fades quickly because he faces the dilemma of how to free Victor. With him under the control of these Metaleks they may end up having to fight and disable their friend. Clark hates that thought.

"Join us Son of Krypton," Cyborg says on behalf of the Metaleks. "You are like us."

"I don't join with anyone, mechanical or organic, who hijack my friend's body...and I am nothing like you."

"Incorrect. Krypton destroyed just like home of Metalek."

"You're...homeless?" Superman queries, that statement making him pause momentarily. If their world is lost just like his then maybe they do have one thing at least in common.

"...Saved..."

"...Given..."

"...New..."

"...Purpose..."

"So can you have by joining us," Cyborg finishes.

"I have a purpose and there is nothing I will discuss with you until you release my friend...and you're making me repeat myself when I said you only get one warning. That alone puts you on my bad side. Since I'm a super generous guy I will give you one final chance. Comply with my demand or face the consequences."

Cyborg raises his right arm which transforms into his sonic cannon and points it at them. The many varying robots begin to move in on Superman and Impulse.

"Your request is unacceptable. Your interference in Metalek task cannot be allowed," Cyborg states on behalf of the Metaleks in what could be interpreted as menacing words except there's no emotive inflection in the tone. Only a flat machine like logic. He fires off his weapon which Superman and Impulse dodge at superspeed. This means they impact some of the other robots tearing them to pieces.

"Got a plan, Stretch?" Impulse inquires.

"Yes, actually," Superman says looking at the damage done. "Get Cyborg to do the work for us."

Impulse grins under his hoodie. "Got it," he says, understanding what Clark wants.

"Keep him distracted. I do have an idea," Superman requests for a diversion.

Impulse nods and zips in between the slow moving, to both him and Clark, hodgepodge looking constructions. "Here Cyborgie, Cyborgie, Cyborgie, hit me if you can!" Impulse shouts, waving his arms about and leaping up and down trying to get the attention focussed on him.

Cyborg moves...albeit with slow jerky movements towards Impulse.

Meanwhile Clark unleashes a powerful blast of heat vision, carving out a path for himself through the robotic hordes. Not that he thinks anything here can actually hurt him. In a burst of superspeed he is soon near where all the parts that these Metaleks must have been making their robotic forms are kept.

He scans through them and tears into the ones he needs. See he does have a plan. He has talked to Victor enough, knows enough about the cybernetics inside his friend to disable him without badly damaging him...well Clark hopes so anyway.

He starts constructing what he needs, using his heat vision to weld things together. He just needs Bart to keep Victor and the Metaleks busy a little longer.

Back with Impulse Cyborg's forced, jerky slow movements make it easy enough for the speedy young teen to avoid the blasts. More than that he is getting Cyborg to do the work of wrecking the robots for him.

"Seriously dude. No-one has caught me ever...well almost," Impulse corrects because Andrea managed it briefly. Ok so he's been caught once. Not that he'll ever just come right out and admit it. He has a reputation to keep.

Bart continues to weave in and out of the robots. At least they weren't packing heat. The most they seemed to be able to do was produce electrical discharges, like a tazer blast. Bart could dodge most of them and any one that did hit him stung more than hurt.

"...Human..."

"...Aberration..."

"Hey! Who are you calling an aberration pal?!" Impulse yells offended.

"...Does..."

"...Not..."

"...Conform..."

"...To..."

"...Known..."

"...Subspecies..."

"Actually I don't think Impulse does any sort of conforming," Superman remarks as he returns, his mostly cylindrical creation with a few sticking out bits and wires in hand. He then breathes in deep and unleashes his superbreath blowing the smaller, lighter robots away before turning to Cyborg and cooling his breath down and freezing the air and Victor...but it won't hold him for very long.

Doesn't need to as Clark zips in and sticks his little device to Victor's chest.

There is a cry of pain...Clark really hopes it's the Metaleks more than Victor.

The glowing green eye flares bright before blinking several times and going dark.

Superman tilts Victor's head up. "Come on Vic," he mutters. "Wake up," he requests.

Bart zips next to him. Clark has frozen a good deal of the robots solid giving them a breather. "What did you do?"

"Activated the fail-safe built into his cybernetics. If there is a power surge that threatens to overload his system, it shuts down, resets and reboots."

"So that thing you built?"

"Delivered a massive charge into his power systems."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"I talk to Victor from time to time," Clark gives all the explanation he feels he needs to. "Come on Vic," he speaks to the cybernetic man.

Victor's organic right eye starts to flicker open and he groans. "My head," he complains.

Clark smiles briefly but they don't have a lot of time. "Vic, I've only reset your cybernetics. I won't have driven the Metaleks out. We have about 30 seconds. What do we do?"

Victor snaps to. Without his cybernetics he's actually, technically dying but he'll be alright once they fire up again...except from being enslaved. He thinks hard. "The mainframe I was accessing. I can dump the extraneous data back into them."

"Extraneous what hoo has?" Impulse queries.

"The Metaleks," Superman explains it. "I'm guessing they're like some sort of sentient computer program. Think Agent Smith in the Matrix," he gives Bart something to work from.

"Oh," Bart says, gaining a little understanding.

Superman breaks Victor out of the icy prison he created and carries him in a blur back to the mainframe. He is just plugging Victor back in when his cybernetic eye starts flickering back to life. "We're running out of time. Come on Victor. You can do this. They can't control you. You're a man, not a machine."

Inside Victor he is fighting the Metaleks. He always was from the moment they infected his systems like a virus but they were so strange and different to anything he has ever seen.

"We..."

"I..."

"Are..."

"Am..."

"Metalek..."

"Victor Stone..."

It's like the 2 halves of Victor verbally expressing they're at war with each other.

"Can't we do anything?" Impulse asks.

"No," Superman has to sadly say. "It's up to Cyborg. He has to win this fight...and he can. You can beat them Victor because you possess everything they don't. They're emotionless machines but you have real feelings. You're a human being. You had a family. I know they're gone now in body but never in spirit. They're always with you. Use their strength and reclaim who you are."

Victor digs deep inside himself and grits his teeth. The program that are the Metalek resists but he does what Superman was saying. He remembers his family. He lost them. If he lets these creatures control him how many other families could be destroyed. He won't allow that.

"I...AM...VICTOR STONE!" he shouts and with an effort expels the Metaleks back where he found them.

Superman catches Cyborg just as he is about to topple over. "Yes, you are," he remarks.

"Hate to break up this bromance but we still have got problems," Impulse points out as he jerks his thumb at the advancing robots. They hadn't given up the ghost yet.

"So we do," Superman says as if just remembering it. "Can you fight?" he asks Cyborg.

Cyborg grins savagely. "Try and keep up," he jokes.

Impulse and Superman chuckle and then the 3 young heroes turn to face their enemies...

Bayville...

What does a good friend do when you see one your best friends going through a very rough patch in their relationship.

3 words.

Girls' Night Out.

And that is exactly what Kitty organised for Jean. Kitty thought round up a few girls and take Jean partying to forget her troubles for a few hours. The world, after all, doesn't revolve around Scott Summers...though Kitty was pretty certain some days Scott thought it did.

Jerk.

So anyway Kitty got most of the female residents of the mansion to come along and cheer Jean up. There was almost everyone. Domino, Terry, Betsy, Tabby(who needed a good night out herself to forget her hurt over Amara's defection), Marie, Claire, Rahne and even Wanda agreed to come along and Jubilee would never miss any excuse to party and she dragged her roommate Paige along.

By the way Jubilee and Paige...best double act ever. Those two should take it on the road. They were just hilarious with their clashing personalities...though they were genuinely friends.

Oh yeah plus Jean's friend Taryn. Can't forget her.

Storm was out doing something with Logan. Kitty wasn't sure if it was a date or some X-Men related thing but bottom line is she wasn't here...and Sooraya politely declined the invitation and Penance never or rarely leaves Dust's side.

Rahne too needed a sort of cheering up. Ever since the Hellions played them she had had a bit of a cooling of her friendship with Catseye. It's hard to just overlook Sharon was part of it so they hadn't talked much as of late. Rahne wasn't quite sure how they could pick their friendship back up so she was kinda depressed about it.

Betsy is in a similar position in regards to Ali...though she really isn't that surprised Ali would do it. Ali wasn't that great at seeing beyond where her next break for stardom was coming from. She has tunnel vision and sort of forgets the world around her has real people in it.

As soon as that DR session earlier was finished the group got dressed up to the nines and out into Bayville and to its night life they came. Now some hours later the gang of female mutants were walking along the street, chatting and laughing and having a really great time. Terry was singing some Irish Ballard. She had a terrific voice. They were in fact just about to head home for the night.

Jean had to smile because the aim was to make her feel better and it worked. She was feeling better. You know despite all their troubles, internal and external, and any occasional falling out they have Jean has to say she has some really great friends.

Taryn puts her arm across Jean's shoulder. "Having fun?" she asks.

"Yeah. I am," Jean confirms.

"Good," Taryn says triumphantly. "So screw Scott Summers?" she proposes.

"She's already done that!" Domino laughs.

Jean blushes.

The gaggle of girls giggle.

Taryn snorts with laughter.

Jean throws Dom a dirty look.

"I meant the other sort of screw," Taryn says, even know Dom knows perfectly well what she meant.

"Oh really?" Dom asks innocently...with a shit eating grin. "Well that can be fun too."

"The other one's funner, though," Kitty ends up saying...before she realises what she said and clamps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in embarrassment and shock.

Tabby bends over with laughter. "Welly, will you look at that. Our little Kitten's enjoying being a woman now. So tell us Kits, how is he in bed?" Tabby wants to know. "Do anything kinky like say tie you up?" she asks, knowing Peter is Spider-Man and well the webbing and stuff.

Kitty blushes deep red. Though he is pretty...well amazing in bed if she does say so herself.

"Tabby, under-age teenagers," Jean points out what company they have.

Tabby waves her off. "They have to learn the facts of life sometime, Red. Relax."

"No. Have to be grown up here and say Jean's right," Domino steps in. Paige and Rahne are a little too young to hear stuff like this.

"Ok, ok," Tabby admits defeat. She leans in next to Kitty. "We'll talk later," she promises because Tabby has a pretty wild imagination and therefore a guy with super-stamina and incredible agility and flexibility...she can just imagine some pretty wild stuff Kitty could be getting up to. Damn she's horny. She cannot wait till she hits the big 1-7 and can legally have her wicked way with Sammie.

Wanda rolls her eyes at her friend's antics.

"I know you're rolling your eyes at me, Wanda" Tabby says. "Just goes to prove we need to get you a boyfriend."

Wanda groans. "I don't need a boyfriend," she argues. "I don't want a boyfriend," she states.

"Girlfriend?" Betsy suggests cheekily.

Tabby laughs. "Yeah. Absolutely because you know, no judgement here."

"I'm going to hex the both of you I swear to the Goddess," Wanda warns them. She has no interest in 'hooking up'. Goddess who would want her? Do any of them realise what a mess spending close to half her life in an Asylum have turned her into? She wouldn't even know where to start with forming that sort of relationship with anyone.

"Oh Wanda, darling, you really need to try it," Betsy sing-songs merrily.

"Like you and the winged hunk?" Jubilee mischievously suggests. Everyone knows Betsy's been seeing Angel since the last time he was at the mansion. Betsy isn't shy in talking about it. "What are you doing with him?"

"It's more what am I doing to him, luv," Betsy replies suggestively with a wink.

"Weren't we suppose tae be getting Jean's mind off boyfriends?" Rahne reminds them about why they are all here and therefore all this talk must be difficult for Jean to hear.

"It's fine, Rahne," Jean assures them, smiling softly that the Scottish girl is being thoughtful.

Or it was fine until they see Scott's car flash by up ahead crossing the intersection. They are close enough to see he wasn't alone.

"That boy has some nerve I'm tellin ye," Terry mutters.

"I know," Claire says in agreement. "I mean I know Frost's hot and all..."

Marie coughs to interrupt. "Excuse me?! Who's hot?!" she asks, feeling insulted. Ok, sure she doesn't possess Emma's assets but who the hell does? And you know how much Emma paid for those? Marie on the other hand, all natural.

"Uh...you honey?" Claire offers sheepishly.

"You are so sleeping on the couch," Marie swears, folding her arms across her chest in a huff.

"But sweetie..." Claire tries.

"Don't sweetie me," Marie gives her the cold shoulder.

Taryn, meanwhile, has her hand on Jean's shoulder, rubbing it supportively. "If you want to scream no-one will blame you," she says.

Jean is more sad than angry. "I know I may not have been my best when it comes to Emma and I might have been partly to blame for Amara leaving," she says, feeling guilty over the fact just about the last words she had with Amara were in raised tones as they exchanged insults. Frankly Tabby did chew Jean out over that shortly after Amara left but it was in anger and upset and Tabby got over it or she wouldn't be here tonight would she?

"I'm not sure that's, like, accurate," Kitty argues.

"But you know what that just proves I was right about one thing. When it comes to Emma he just refuses to see her as she is. He's blinkered...and I'm tried of arguing with him about it so let him do what he wants. I don't care. I guess our break just became a break-up."

They all know Jean's lying to herself. Of course she cares. Betsy can tell you as a telepath Jean still loves the moron very, very much. Betsy should fry his brain.

"Lets go home," Jean says, very, very quietly, her heart breaking all over again.

Magneto's base...

A pool table isn't the comfiest place in the world to have sex, even when you're extra durable like Rogue.

Though she has to admit Gambit had some skill when it came to finding his way around a woman.

He lies beneath her, their bodies joined as she just finishes riding him to completion. She collapses down on top of him, both breathing hard.

"Oh Cher," Gambit says, breathlessly.

Rogue grins and her fingers gently trace his face...gently absorbing his energy as she has been since the moment they started. Drained to the point of exhaustion Gambit's head lolls to the side as he passes out.

Rogue kisses him on the cheek. "Thanks sugah. Ah needed that."

Rogue disentangles herself from him, hops off the table and starts to pick up her clothes and put them back on. Once dressed she takes one last moment to look at Gambit lying there. "Ya know at least mah last boyfriend could stay awake for 10 seconds after sex," she criticises with a dirty smirk. "Well if ah'm being honest he actually nevah fell asleep. Just kept drilling meh till ah passed out." She lets out a blissful sigh. "That part of our relationship ah must confess ah do miss. Well anyway have ta go Swamp Rat. Sweet dreams!" she bids him adieu.

Rogue makes her way to the exit of the base without being spotted and out into the remote countryside where it is situated.

Once she is far enough away she waits...and waits...and there is what she is waiting for.

The green mist as Haze appears...alongside Mesmero under whose power she is now enslaved.

"You're late," Mesmero chastises Rogue.

Rogue rolls her eyes. "Ah had ta shake Gambit off. He's been watching meh lahke a hawk lately."

Mesmero glares at her. "Don't think I do not know what you did."

"Voyeur," Rogue insults him.

"Don't forget who you serve and what you're purpose is," Mesmero reminds her.

Rogue gets into his face. "Ah remember!" she snaps. "But for as long ah accomplish mah task for our Lord Apocalypse tell meh what's wrong with meh having a little fun in tha meantime? Ah mean ah know for a fact ya got plenty of jollies when ya were mind fucking with mah former friends and mah boytoy. Ah dare ya ta deny it."

Mesmero's face sets hard. He can't actually deny it.

Rogue's lips curl up into a triumphant smile. "Frankly ya should beh congratulating meh on mah brilliance. If ah just sneaked off Gambit would know and alert Magneto. This way he was too lost in the pleasure ta realise ah was slowly draining him. All he will know is that he just fell asleep. Men do that. They're not very good at the whole cuddling part afterwards. Well most men," she critiques. "Besides do ya know how long it's been since ah had a chance ta get mah rocks off?" she asks him.

Mesmero shakes his head. "I do not need to know."

"Why not? It was with our Lord's beloved Star Child. Let meh tell ya he can make more than a few stars explode, believe ya meh," Rogue informs Mesmero as she remembers fondly her time with Clark.

"Focus," Mesmero orders.

Rogue rolls her eyes again. Look she's all on-board for Apocalypse's plans and all but really Mesmero's way too uptight about it. She turns her attentions to Haze. She snaps her fingers in front of the blond girl's face but there's no change in the vacant expression. "So ah'm curious how aware is she of all this?" she asks Mesmero. "Ah mean will it be lahke she doesn't know it happened or is she in there watching it all but helpless ta do anything about it."

In fact enslaving the teleporter had been Rogue's idea because it was a means with which to use as leverage with Mystique...who was necessary if Rogue and Mesmero were to free their Master. Plus it makes it easier and quicker to get around.

"She can hear and see everything but has no control," Mesmero answers Rogue's question.

"Really," Rogue says. This delights her. She stares down into Alicia's eyes. "Hey there, sis," she greets her because in a weird way they were sisters. Mystique adopted both of them. Previously Rogue hadn't seen any reason to bond since she associated Alicia with her hated mother. "Newsflash for ya. Ah just rode your boyfriend lahke a stallion," she says, taking great joy in rubbing it in. "But ah can definitely say ah wasn't tha first since ya hooked up." Rogue taps on the side of her head. "Got it all in here. Lets see now, there was Live Wire and ugh," she makes a face of revulsion, "makes meh queasy ta think ah followed that witch. There was also Plastique...and Joanna so has been holding out on meh. Shall ah continue?"

"No," Mesmero tells her. "I think you have had enough fun," he cuts her off from continuing or they'll never get their glorious work done.

"Ya can nevah have too much fun, baldy."

"Our Master's plan," he reminds her.

"Ah live ta serve him," Rogue says with a mock over the top theatrical bow.

"Do you know where Mystique is?" Mesmero asks, frustrated at her rebellious nature that irritates him no end. It's not his place to question his Lord Apocalypse but he has to ask why at least they just didn't enslave this girl's mind. He won't get an answer but the question remains. His spoken question comes from the fact that that was the main reason Rogue has remained with Magneto all this time. To find out where Mystique is.

"Sure do," Rogue assures him she hasn't wasted the last month. Using her many skills, particularly her ability to absorb memories from people, she has discovered what Magneto sent Mystique to do but more importantly where. She thinks it real loud to Mesmero.

"Excellent," Mesmero says as he receives what he requires. "Lets us depart," he commands and Alicia holds her hand out in Rogue's direction at his telepathic command.

Rogue takes the hand and Alicia teleports the two loyal servants of Apocalypse away.

They soon arrive outside a fairly nondescript house in a nondescript street in suburban America. This was where Mystique was carrying out her assignment to infiltrate the Friends of Humanity and act as a spy on it for Magneto.

It's the dead of night so also dead quiet. Besides even if there was anyone to see them Mesmero would simply project an illusion into their minds of what he wanted them to see.

The 3 walk up to the door and knock. Since the lights are off they are no doubt waking the person inside up.

Sure enough the light turns on and grumbling can be heard from behind the door.

The door opens to reveal a rather unremarkable brown-haired woman, dressed in a blue robe with bed head. Her eyes widen in shock at seeing who is on her doorstep.

"Hi Mama!" Rogue greets her in a way overboard cheer at who she knows this woman to really be. She then instantly sobers. "We need ta talk," she says deadly serious, as if something...or someone say she is linked to just gave her a mental talking to to get on with it. She lives to serve Him.

Mystique looks from one person to another to another. From her daughter to the bald tattooed man to her other daughter. She doesn't know what is going on but something must be and since she doesn't want to draw attention she invites her 3 unexpected guests in and closes the door.

Author's Note: I didn't say this in my last note but when I was thinking of the Metaleks and their robotic bodies I had the movie Virus in my head. Sure it's not a very good movie but you take inspiration from wherever you can I think. For now this is the end of Jean and Scott as a couple. Even though Rogue is now serving Apocalypse I saw no reason not to keep her rebellious spirit intact. Thanks to everyone who wrote review. Next up; Boys' Night Out part 3.