It had been at least two hours since they left the contained psyches in level 3, yet Magneto and Rogue still had not reached her safely guarded memories. Instead they were wondering around aimlessly on a cracked blue road that seemed to lead them only to more doors and loose psyches. Beneath them and to the sides where the road ended was nothing but void space. Rogue counted her lucky blessings she wasn't scared of heights.
"Wait, stop." Rogue ordered, as she tugged back on Magneto's wrist.
"What is it? You're not feeling strained again are you?" He asked, concerned.
Rogue shook her head and stared into the bleak, open area they had yet to take on. "We're going in the wrong direction." She informed him. "And if we continue to do so, we could end up lost forever in my mind."
Magneto nodded in agreement, seeing the logic in her words. "What is our next move then?"
"How did you find my memories the first time?" Rogue asked, already knowing the answer.
"They stood out against the noise and chaos in your mind, they were different, organized."
Rogue sighed. "Exactly. And now that we've caged some psyches and memories it's left empty spaces that we're mistaking for my memories. With some of the noise gone it's going to make it more difficult to find my memories."
"Is there any other way to find your memories?" He asked.
Rogue bit her bottom lip. "Yeah. I can scan the contents of my mind and feel my own memories."
"Why do you appear reluctant to take that option?" Magneto said as he brought his hand to her shoulder.
"Because it takes a lot out of me, even more than locking up psyches would."
Magneto squeezed her shoulder unknowingly as he braced himself. "No." He told her firmly. "After your recent distress-
"My mini breakdown." Rogue corrected him and cut him off.
Magneto shook his head and continued. "Your distress, it's not a wise idea to attempt a scan." He stressed the words distress, and failed to refer to it as a break down. "But if we find a safer area where you can rest for a while, then maybe you could attempt a scan." He suggested.
Rogue noticed him ignoring her way of putting it and glared. "This is the safest place we're going to get." Rogue said as she gestured to the empty space and road.
Magneto arched an eyebrow. "You cannot be serious."
"I am." Rogue said firmly.
"We're open to any attack!" Magneto pointed out.
Rogue shook his hand off of her. "Yes, Erik. Thank you so much for stating the obvious. We are sitting ducks. I get it but it's still safer." She argued.
Magneto disagreed. "How is this safer?" He demanded. "I've seen your mind, I know there are better options!"
A snort came from Rogue. "You think you've seem my mind have you? Let me tell you something self proclaimed Master of Magnetism. You haven't seen jack shit! Sure you saw the New Mutants destroying things or Kitty's annoying memories, that's still nothing compared to what's on the surface. Usually it's a fucking war zone! The psyches screaming and attacking the memories completely uncontrolled and flowing as they damn well pleased. You haven't seen shit Erik! This is the safest place we're going to get!"
As Rogue finished yelling Erik seized the sides of her arms tightly. The bricks on the road where beginning to shake and some even disappear. It was no doubt due to Rogue's current state and anger.
"Calm down." He instructed her.
"Don't you tell me what to do!" She shouted at Magneto. "Don't touch me either!"
Rogue prepared herself to yell and scream some more when a crash interrupted her.
The pair of quarreling lovers turned just in time to see beams of light cracking through the top of what before had seemed like a never ending ceiling.
"The hell?" Rogue asked.
More pieces of rock tumbled down off the ceiling and down onto the road, knocking some of it clean off. Some rather large and dangerous looking. Before either of them had time to move a large chunk of the ceiling completely fell off the dome. When it landed it took out the road ahead of it, leaving Rogue and Magneto with now only one option.
"Run!" Rogue yelled as she shot past the empty spaces of where some road once was. Magneto didn't need to be told twice as he followed her lead back the way they had came.
A door was ahead of them, and deciding that was their best option Rogue turned for it. As they got closer and closer they stopped when shots where fired, aimed a few feet ahead of them. Someone didn't want them seeking shelter.
Homicidal laughter soon followed the gun shots. Turning back Rogue found herself faced with an armed Mystique, Pyro, and Wolverine.
"Aw, fuck." Rogue said as she spotted a rainbow colored aura emanating from behind her attackers
"What's the problem? None of these psyches are very powerful." Magneto pointed out.
Rogue shook her head. "No, but the combined might of their memories are." Rogue said as she pointed to the aura that was rapidly approaching.
"How many memories are we looking at?" Magneto demanded.
"Ohh, lets see. Mystique is in her fifties, Logan has a little less than thirteen years worth, and Pyro is 26. Given that each person has millions upon millions of memories per each year their alive you do the math!"
Magneto looked about and spied another road on the other side of the void. He grabbed Rogue's arm.
"If you can get us over there we cane escape."
"We're running?!" Rogue demanded.
Magneto sighed angrily. "We don't have time to argue and in your weakened state we cannot fight either!"
It was apparently the wrong choice of words, for now Rogue was enraged. "Weak? I'll show you how weak I am!"
Using all her strength she scanned the recess of her mind and found what she was looking for. She grasped her hand around all the loose psyches within range and hurled them through walls and other various memories.
Magneto ducked as they arrived to avoid being hit. A cold drop of sweat left Rogue's forehead as she concentrated harder and grasped the dazed psyches she had taken. Some of them became aware of their surroundings and started to wail and holler.
"What are you doing woman?!" Magneto demanded.
Rogue gritted her teeth as her head started to pound. The psyches where lifted of the ground and aimed directly at the oncoming memories of the offending team.
"Wait for it." Rogue told herself as the memories got closer. "Have to get it at just the right time." She reminded herself. The stress form holding the psyches was beginning to show on the outside as Rogue started to shake.
Mystique started firing her weapon at them again.
"Now!" Rogue screamed as she launched the psyches she had a hold on at the oncoming wave of memories. As she suspected the two going in opposite directions collided with each other. And as she knew it was only temporary. They would manage to untangle themselves eventually.
By this time Mystique was running up to Rogue, probobly with fighting in mind. Her path was intercepted by Magneto, who slammed her down against brick.
Rogue felt surges of anger again. "I have this!" She shouted as she grasped Mystique up by her black top and tossed her into the pile of psyches and memories. Rogue knew that probobly wasn't the best idea, Mystique would come out absolutely pissed. But hey so was she so it didn't really matter right now. At least that's what she told herself.
Magneto fended off Pyro and threw him into the pile as well.
"Rogue we must leave! We don't have much time the psyches will recover and continue their attack."
Rogue shook her head stubbornly. "No, I can do this, I can take them!"
"What has gotten you? Usually you have much more reason than this. We have to leave!"
"No, if we make a stand here we won't have to deal with them again!"
During their arguing a psych had found it's way to it's feet and launched itself at Rogue. Barley having time to deflect him Rogue hissed in pain. Determined to have her way she put her fingers to her temples.
Rogue felt the memories of her mother and her attackers, and she felt the angry psyches she had kidnapped a few minutes ago. Despite their confusion they seemed to be recovering. If she was going to do this it would have to be fast.
Rogue's shaking started again as she concentrated on building a small dome to enclose a portion of the dazed memories. Some of the psyches screamed when they realized what was happening, but it was too late to stop now. Rogue groaned in pain as she enclosed another portion of memories inside a box this time.
Now what was left of the psyches had finally come to and decided to retaliate.
One of the psyches, Roberto, lunched for Rogue. Thankfully she saw it coming this time and put a wall between them. She heard the crash as Roberto made contact with it. A small tear of pain rolled it's way down Rogue's cheek as she seized the wall with her mind and wrapped it around Roberto and what was left of the psyches.
It was then that Rogue realized Magneto was holding onto her from behind. "Rogue stop it, you've won. Your condition will only worsen if you do not cease."
Rogue, pain stricken and sore managed to shake her head. "No, one more thing." She whispered.
Using everything she had left Rogue forced her energy into the area itself. The void began to change to a forest, and the cylinders that housed the psyches where surrounded by first a brick, then metal walls. Effectively trapping them inside.
More tears fell as the forest landscape encompassed most of what Magneto could see. It would appear as though Rogue was giving them some sort of cover in case of further attacks.
Finally Rogue let her hands fall, exhausted. But the tears and the shaking did not stop.
Magneto let himself relax slightly, before he heard a sob.
"Anna?" He asked.
Rogue was choking on her tears, unable to speak. With her bangs in her face Magneto could not see her features clearly. Carefully brushing the hair wet by her tears away he was alarmed to find her in distress.
Swallowing Rogue managed to breath. "I'm sorry!" She cried out. "Sorry, sorry sorry. Such a bitch. I'm sorry."
Magneto groaned. "Not this again." He sighed and looked down at the girl babbling in his arms. She had overworked herself again and her body had gone into a state of distress.
Rogue continued to cry and choke out apologizes. Magneto let her rest against him, knowing she probobly had no idea what she was saying anymore.
"For the love of god Anna, you have nothing to be sorry for." He tried to reason with her. It was no use. He wasn't even sure she had heard him, she just continued on as she had.
Magneto frowned. This had been worse than the last time. Before Magneto had thought she was opening up to him by breaking down in front of him, now he realized that was not the case. This was not her opening herself up. She was probably not in control of herself, this time or the first time. Rogue herself had admitted last time that she didn't know what was wrong with her. Well at least last time she had been able to speak and respond, this time Magneto had no such luck.
Sinking to the ground, he let Rogue rest her head in his lap still shaking, sobbing, and babbling. It would probably take longer than last time but he had faith that she would recover. She had to.
Much thanks to everyone that reviewed! The feedback helps a lot. Are there any thoughts on this chapter?