*Part of this story is pulled directly from the "Ultimate X-Men Annual #1" comic where Gambit stops Juggernaut by dropping a building on them both. The verbiage is almost verbatim with a few additions or pet name substitutions.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Shattered: Part 8

By Wiccamage

~X~X~X~X~X~

"You ready?" Ms. Marvel asked her counterpart, who was biting her lip nervously.

Hazel-green eyes flashed gratefully at Carol, and Rogue smiled lightly. "Ready as Ah'll ever be," she nodded. "Let's do this."

Together, they erected a pair of tall, glowing yellow double doors that maintained its shape and purpose this time. each reached for a handle on the shimmering double doors. Before they could pull them open, however, Rogue turned back to Ms. Marvel. "Hey Carol?"

"Yes?" The blonde turned her attention to the woman who was technically 15 years her younger, although they were practically the same age now. She smiled at Rogue, noting that the X-Man's tattered red dress looked a little less dirty and torn than it had just minutes ago.

"Ah just wanted ta say thanks. Ah couldn't - Ah couldn't have gotten through all this without ya."

Ms. Marvel smiled lightly. "Thank me later," she replied with an easy, yet expectant tone, and she watched as Rogue's face fell and the X-Man turned her gaze back toward the door.

A soft, gentle hand squeeze Rogue's shoulder, forcing her attention back to Carol. "But you're welcome. Thanks for letting me stick around."

This time Rogue grinned lightly and nodded before both women turned their focus to the doors and pulled them open simultaneously.

The darkened landscape flooded with light, and suddenly three figures appeared. Psylocke's astral form shimmered purple, Emma was bathed with white light, and Jean glowed blue as they stepped through the doors simultaneously.

Jean smiled brightly at the two women standing side by side while Emma and Psylocke looked around the desolate landscape, aghast.

"Well, this is depressing," Emma commented drolly while Psylocke's eyes brimmed with tears. The carnage of the scene flashed in red and black hues and Rogue wrapped her arms around herself nervously.

"Where do we begin, Jean?" Carol asked, hands on her black clad hips. She'd grown accustomed to the dreadful backdrop of Rogue's mind, but could tell the three telepaths were struggling to make sense of the scene.

The five women glanced around, trying to ascertain a starting point. Finally, the redhead pointed to the shadowy figures that lurked behind the desolate crater nearby.

"There. I think I see some of Sinister's men. Perhaps if we can apprehend them and probe their memories together, we can find something of use." In a line, the five walked toward the outskirts of the foggy crater, trying to make their way toward the psychic remnants. The bottom of the hole was obscured by thick gray clouds of smoke, and Jean led the way around it, followed by Carol, Emma, Psylocke, and finally Rogue.

The path between destroyed buildings and the massive hole in the ground started with a solid five feet of space on which to walk, but as they inched closer to the halfway point of the crater, the path began to narrow. Emma, Psylocke, and Jean snuck peaks toward the pit, but all they could see was the darkening billows of smoke that obscured the bottom. With Rogue in the back of the group, no one noticed how her breath quickened as she kept her eyes trained on her feet and refused to look down toward the all-too-familiar maw of the pit.

She hugged herself tighter and closed her eyes for a moment, but a moment was all it took for the ground to crumble slightly beneath her feet and she slipped, nearly falling into the caldera-like formation. With a screech, she jumped away, pressing her back against the precarious structure behind her as the pathway crumbled a little more.

The other four women stumbled on the path as the ground gave way and they finally looked back to Rogue, who was frozen in place, eyes wide and terrified as she panted and trembled.

"Rogue," Jean called as she and the others steadied themselves and moved farther from the crater toward the opposite side with its safe, solid ground. "Come on, move!"

All four of the women had made it the final 30 feet past the center point, yet Rogue was still rooted to the unstable ground. As they watched, the gray fog became black, angry swirls that twisted and began shrieking, as if screaming and crying. Rogue's eyes screwed shut, and she gripped the concrete behind her desperately as the waves of black smoke lightened to dark red and liquified into an image of boiling blood.

"Rogue! Fly!" Jean called, and she reached forward with her telekinesis to stabilize the ground under her friend's feet.

"Ah can't! Ah can't fly! Ah can't MOVE!" the southerner cried out desperately, her eyes still shut tight against the image before her.

Carol, who had remained largely quiet, rolled her eyes and flew over the crater in an attempt to "rescue" Rogue. Before she could reach her counterpart, however, the dark red fluid suddenly solidified and a viscous tendril shot out from the center of the crater to wrap around Carol's leg.

The blonde was pulled down toward the crater with its pool of boiling red liquid and she gave a shout of surprise as she tried to break free. The tentacle-like appendage only turned to jello with every punch and pull, however, and did not release her.

The three telepaths joined the fight, with Emma sending lances of telepathic diamond shards at the lower half of the tendril from the safety of the opposite side. Jean lifted into the air near Carol and tried to cut down the limb with a blue astral sword while Psylocke created a glowing purple katana and joined her.

Meanwhile, Rogue was simply clinging to the wall along the crumbling pathway, quivering and refusing to open her eyes.

"Rogue!" Carol cried as she was pulled down further toward the boiling pool within the crater. "Do something! This is YOUR mind! Fight back! Help us!"

"What IS this ruddy thing?!" Psylocke cried, her high British soprano voice moving an octave higher as another tentacle reached out and grabbed her ankle. She sliced at it with her purple katana, but it had little effect and merely slowed their descent.

"It's got to be her mind's defense mechanism trying to keep us out!" Jean barely managed to block a third and fourth tentacle from grabbing her, but her telekinetic grip on Carol and Psylocke slipped, and the two were pulled ever closer to the boiling caldera. "Rogue!" The redhead yelled. "Help us! We NEED you!"

"Ah CAN'T," Rogue wailed piteously, shaking her head from side to side without ever opening her eyes. The panic and terror that gripped her heart made all thought and movement impossible. She felt only the suffocating effects of her fear as her heart clenched and lungs heaved.

From the sidelines, Emma's diamond shards abruptly ceased as she studied her surroundings and sighed. "It isn't a DEFENSE mechanism, it's a MEMORY," she slowly explained to the others, who were still struggling against the viscous red creature. With more casualness than the chaotic scene warranted, the White Queen strode down the crumbling path toward the terrified X-Man in her white high heels.

When another tendril reached for the immaculately dressed woman, she simply shooed it away as if it were a fly. "You forget, darling, I was here, too. I may not have experienced everything you did, Rogue, but I know what this is." By the time Emma reached Rogue's side, the X-Man had finally opened her eyes, terrified hazel irises searching the telepath's face.

"Emma, if you have a plan, now would be a good time!" Carol shouted as she and the other two women struggled from mere inches above the boiling red liquid.

The White Queen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Must I do EVERYTHING?" she asked, exasperated, and put a hand on Rogue's trembling shoulder as the X-Man practically hyperventilated. "Darling," she smiled sympathetically at the southerner, whose hazel eyes never left her bright blue ones. "I'm truly sorry about this," she explained, before throwing the woman forward off the path.

Rogue shrieked as she fell headlong into the pool of crimson and was swallowed up by it. Simultaneously, the tentacles released the other three women, who gasped and flew to the safety of the solid ground at the edge of the crater.

"Emma!" Jean cried, her face awash in outrage. "What have you DONE?!"

"Saved us all, obviously," the White Queen replied arrogantly, a small smile toying at the edge of her lips.

"But, what about Rogue?!" Carol demanded as she hovered above the edge of the churning mass of now frothing red liquid.

Emma simply studied her fingernails and glanced down at the pink foam that was slowly replacing the rapidly evaporating liquid. "She'll either be fine, or she won't. Either way, she had to confront this some time."

"Confront what?" Jean asked, her face a mask of confusion as she studied both Emma and the changing caldera in front of them.

The only reply was a short, barked sob from the bottom of the crater as the liquid transmogrified completely to pink foam and fog. The fog slowly dissipated and the only thing left in the bottom of the gaping maw was Rogue, awash in red just like a scene from Carrie, as she rocked and hugged herself, crying desperately. Lying a few yards in front of her was a large pile of debris in the middle of the crater.

With a gasp, the other four women watched as a second version of Rogue, dressed in the same tattered red dress with her face, arms and legs scratched and bleeding, carefully alighted nearby, screaming.

"REMY!" Rogue's memory screamed as her real counterpart, still covered in blood, stared in horror at the scene.

* "Where are you!? Ah know you're here! Ah can FEEL you!" She picked up and tossed away huge chunks of concrete and metal, desperately flinging them away from the crater until she uncovered Remy's burned and mangled body.

"Oh gawd, sugah…" she cried, dropping to her knees. But her hands were still bare, and she didn't dare touch him. Part of his suit coat still hung off one shoulder, but the other half, as well as most of his pants, had been burned away. What was left of his clothing was quickly being saturated with blood from his wounds. Even from the top of the crater, Carol and the telepaths could see the horrified, heartbroken expression on the face of Rogue's memory.

"Did - Did I get him?" Remy's voice was subdued and pained as he coughed lightly, but his signature smirk still lit up his face as he opened his one good eye to gaze at Rogue.

"Yeah, yeah you got 'em, sugah." Rogue laugh-sobbed as she looked over his wounds and tried to keep her chin from quivering.

"Just hang on, ya hear? Sounds like the cavalry's comin'. Day late and a dollar short, like always," the memory of Rogue comforted him as the other four astral forms watched in morbid fascination. Rogue's real persona was still on her knees, hands covering her face as she sobbed silently and watched her own memory through the slats of her fingers.

"Lissen," Remy wheezed, unable to move. "I - I ain't long for dis world, chère. How…" he coughed lightly, wincing through the burns that covered the whole left side of his face and body. "How 'bout lettin' dis scoundrel steal one … las' kiss?" He smiled, but a single tear dripped from his right eye even while Rogue sobbed and wiped her own tears from her cheeks.

Still, she restrained herself from touching his skin. "Hush up with that!" she demanded, tone flaring to anger as she gently stroked back what was left of his hair. "Ya can't die, Remy! D'ya hear me!? Don't you dare leave me!"

"Rogue…" he whispered as another tear trekked down his cheek, mixing with the blood that cascaded from dozens of cuts across his cheeks and face. "… Please? Mon coeur…"

With a heart wrenching sob and more gentleness than seemed possible, Rogue's bare hand snaked under the covered part of Remy's head, his hair protecting him from her powers for just long enough for her to lean in and kiss him softly. *

The others couldn't see it, but the astral form of Rogue remembered the tingle of energy against her mouth when she had pressed her lips to his, the short flicker of his powers licking at her skin before everything went still and silent.

"Remy…?" The memory's voice cracked as she pulled his body against hers, cradling him softly in her lap as she squeezed her eyes shut tight and sobbed. "Sugah…"

"Ah - Ah can't FEEL you…"

A sudden wind kicked up inside the memory and the scene before them turned to ash, whisking away the memory of Rogue, Gambit, and the crater, leaving only black nothingness in its wake.

"Oh my god, Rogue…" Jean consoled her friend, who had tucked her head into her knees as she sat on her shins. She was no longer covered in blood, but she still wore the same burgundy dress from the memory. The red head pressed a hand against Rogue's covered back, careful not to touch her skin. "I'm - I'm so sorry. I had no idea…"

"No one did, darling." Emma spoke softly from the sidelines. "No wonder that memory was so vicious. Keeping something that traumatic locked up inside you only makes it stronger and more dangerous."

Rogue said nothing as she took deep, shaky breaths and exhaled into long, shuddering sobs. Psylocke and Carol came to stand next to the other woman, and together, the three of them bent down, wrapping the southerner in a comforting hug while being careful of her skin.

After a few moments, Carol broke away and stood in front of Rogue, holding her black-gloved hand out to the X-Man. "Come on. We still need to find out what Sinister is planning so we can get Gambit's body back."

Biting her lip, Rogue finally looked up as the two telepaths stepped away as well, giving her some space. With a short nod, the X-Man took Carol's gloved hand with her own bare one. When Rogue got to her feet again, her yellow gloves were in place once more, and her fancy black shoes had been replaced with her tall yellow boots. The tops of the boots disappeared beneath the long red skirt, but her dirty, tear streaked face was clear, as if her tears had somehow washed it clean.

"Th - thanks. Ah think." Rogue gave Emma a small grin with a skeptical look. "Let's …" she swallowed hard as she took in the blackened landscape. "Let's get goin'."

~X~

The rest of the foray into Rogue's mind went in much the same way as they slowly collected and examined the various psyches the X-Man had absorbed with Carol. Occasionally, they would be hindered by another of Rogue - or even Carol's - memories. The vision of Rogue absorbing Carol all those years ago was another particularly traumatic event, and took quite some time to navigate. The benefit, however, was that by the end of it, Carol had MOSTLY forgiven Rogue for the unfortunate incident, and in the end, they had reclaimed vital information about Sinister, his bases, and a hint about his potential partner - the one who had created the Godzilla-like Tri-Sentinel.

Although the journey felt like days, it had, in fact, only taken a couple of hours to sort through all the thoughts and memories contained in Rogue and Carol's consciousness.

At long last, the telepaths and Rogue/Carol opened their eyes, blinking in the fluorescent lights of the conference room. Beast and Kurt were seated alongside Rogue's prone form, both watching the screen projector. In the far doorway, Wolverine stood unseen in the shadows with his arms folded and face twisted into a mask of disturbed empathy.

The three telepaths stood wearily as Rogue sat up and rubbed her temples. "Well, that was about as much fun as a jaunt in a septic tank," she quipped, and the other women chuckled lightly.

"I think we got what we needed, at least," Beast smiled sympathetically as he held up a notepad. "Between all the personalities you absorbed, we have four general locations to investigate where Sinister may be hiding out and conducting his experiments. Not to mention evidence of Trask and Gyrich's involvement."

"We'll call the team together and review what we've learned - create an action plan."

Rogue nodded, but rubbed her arms uncomfortably as she looked down at the long sleeved american flag shirt and blue jeans she was still wearing. "We'll meet ya back here in 5," she commented to the others with a small, tired smile and a wink. "We gotta go change."

Jean, Kurt, and Hank smiled widely, and even Logan grinned lightly as he sequestered himself in the darkened corner.

~X~X~X~

The entire team, plus the Captain America and Iron Man, gathered once more in the conference room, where the telepaths and Beast isolated a few of the images they'd pulled from Rogue's mind. Some of the blurry still frames included men wearing OZT uniforms, a base in Mexico City to where Gyrich had been moved, and the creation of the Tri-Sentinel - the Godzilla-like creature that had destroyed Genosha and killed so many. There were images of vats of green goo, much like the ones Nathan had been rescued from, as well as machines and slabs where Sinister was conducting his genetic experiments.

Yet, they only had vague locations of several of the mad scientist's labs within various terrains of sand, snow, marsh, and jungle. They were at least able to pinpoint a few clues within the muddled memories, with churches, businesses, or airports lingering in the background images, and Morph, who had patched into the meeting from the Blackbird, had been able to recall his own jumbled memories to get a better idea of a few locations. Once they were closer to the general areas, they would hopefully be able to use the clues from Rogue's mind to pinpoint exact coordinates.

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark spent a few minutes explaining what they'd found in the abandoned military base in the Canadian wilderness, and confirmed the appearance of the OZT logo, which no one recognized. Rogue's gleaned memories included visions of Apocalypse, and another key player, but all the Marauders or Nasty Boys knew of this other accomplice was that he worked exclusively with Sinister. None of the others had ever met the other villain, nor did they have his name or location.

"It sounds like we have a starting plan, at least." Cyclops announced after the debriefing of what the telepaths had found in Rogue's mind. "Morph's already on the Blackbird and prepping for takeoff. Thanks to Rogue, we know Sinister and the Nasty Boys helped transfer Gyrich to Mexico City yesterday, and it's likely Gyrich and Trask have valuable information about Sinister's next move, maybe even his final location and his partner. From there, we'll break into teams to investigate the bases Rogue and Carol were able to pull from the memories they absorbed."

Carol's blue eyes smiled at Steve as she picked up his shield off the conference table and walked forward, holding it gently while Tony sat nearby in his jeans and t-shirt, making small adjustments to his Iron Man suit while Beast watched with fascination.

"That's fine, Summers," Captain America announced, "We're happy to assist in his arrest, but it'll take a few days. If we show up bashing heads with you in Mexico, it sends a message."

"Damn right it sends a message!" Rogue's hazel eyes flashed in her face, tamping down on Carol's personality once more. "That you stand with mutants." Rogue's grip on his shield tightened as the head of the Avengers put a hand on the edge and pulled it toward him slightly. "Unless you DON'T now," she finished, eyes narrowed

"I'm sorry, Rogue - all of you," Steve lamented. "Until we get our plans submitted and approved, our hands are tied." Captain America looked to Tony first before resolutely meeting each of the X-Men's disgruntled gazes. No one was happy about it, but no one said a word.

Except for Rogue.

* "Well if your hands are TIED, Ah guess you won't be needing THIS!" She pulled the shield from his hands abruptly and flew out the window and several yards into the air before spinning and launching Captain America's infamous 'weapon' into the ocean. She remained hovering as her teammates stared at her in surprise.

"Ah'm going after Gyrich, NOW," Rogue yelled to the teams below, "before those boys move him again!"

Without even waiting for a reply from the X-Men, Rogue flew off at top speed, leaving a small sonic boom in her wake. Kurt, at least, tried to teleport after her, yelling for her to wait, but she was gone - halfway to the bay before anyone could even move.

From his chair next to Steve, Tony rolled his eyes. "At least the mood swings make it easy to tell who's in control."

In the corner, Emma snorted in amusement. "Indeed."

Cyclops pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Alright people, lets…" He was cut off by Morph's voice coming through his communicator.

"X-Men - get to the Blackbird! It's Trask!"

~X~X~X~

After the brief warning from Trask, the X-Men headed off to Mexico City to find Gyrich and Rogue. Everyone else was left behind in Genosha to assist with mission prep and survivors until they returned with more information and transportation for the various teams. Thankfully they had the coordinates for Gyrich's location from both Rogue's mind and Captain America's findings.

Kurt was the first off the plane, not even waiting for the jet to land on a nearby building before he was teleporting into the Mexico City mansion. The evidence of Rogue's arrival was everywhere, with unconscious men laying half-dead over fences and fountains. Kurt gasped when he heard her shrill screams echo through the courtyard, bouncing off the walls.

When he found her, she was a mess, crying and writhing on the floor as she held her head in her hands. Nearby, Gyrich lay twitching, his eyes rolled up in his head and black veins criss crossing his face as he gasped and wheezed. Kurt ignored the possibly dying man, however, and focused on his sister, who's eyes were rapidly changing from blue to hazel as she held her head and shrieked.

"Rogue!" The blue furred mutant teleported across the room, scooping her up into his arms as she twitched. "Rogue? Carol? Vhat is wrong!? Vhat is happening!?" He held her close as she seized, arms and legs spasming as her head jerked on a boneless neck. Thankfully Wolverine and Jean were close behind him, and Jean touched her temple as she tried to enter Rogue's mind.

"I can't - I can't get through to them. But I think I can help put up a barrier of some kind." She spent a few moments trying to erect some kind of protection within Rogue and Carol's mind while Wolverine checked on Gyrich and a few of the guards outside the door. Beast and Cyclops weren't far behind, and the team leader gasped at the sight of Rogue twitching sporadically. Gratefully, her screams had at least died down into moans even though she still had no control of her body.

"What happened?" Scott asked, surveying the damage to the room and the courtyard outside.

Jean grunted as she placed the last few barriers in Rogue's mind, and the other woman stilled, her breathing coming in shallow pants despite her unconscious state.

"I can't reach Rogue or Carol. It looks like she - they - absorbed Gyrich, but something went wrong."

Cyclops looked around again, grimacing. The guards outside were either dead or unconscious, and bodies were strewn about like marbles. Some of them had clearly shot their own comrades in their attempts to stop Rogue. "I think something went wrong BEFORE she absorbed him," he growled.

"Guys!" Morph called on the com links - We've got company! 'Bout two dozen of 'em. Local police and these OZT guys. And they've got helicopters!"

Jean's eyes widened while Wolverine growled and Beast continued checking Gyrich's vitals.

"Morph, get the Blackbird out of sight. Park it somewhere safe. We'll handle things here. Jean, start mind-wiping the rest of these guards. We don't need them I.D.'ing the X-Men in this. Nightcrawler," the leader turned to the furry teleporter who was still cradling Rogue's unconscious form in his arms. "Get Rogue out of here. We'll meet you at the church, over there." He pointed out the window to a tall cathedral looming above the skyline.

Kurt nodded once, then scooped Rogue up in his arms, carefully adjusting her head to rest against his chest as he stood and teleported away.

~X~

Nightcrawler made a few jumps through quiet alleys and back streets, thankful for the late hour and the cover of night. Once he was close to the church, he stopped short, ducking into a secluded stairwell. Ahead of him was a small cemetery, with a handful of people dressed in their Dia de los Muertos attire and face paint. The sight of small children with faces painted to resemble skeletons threw him for a moment, and his heart fluttered with panic-filled memories of the literal skeletons he had seen over the last few days.

He pulled into the alcove just far enough to watch the mourners place their gifts and drop to their knees in prayer, and he spared a glance at his sister, whose face was contorted in pain as her eyes shifted behind fluttering lids. Sitting on the steps, he helped Rogue sit up against the wall as she struggled back to consciousness.

Hazel eyes blinked once, then flew open as she lurched forward. "Oh! Oh, Kurt!"

"Indeed," he grinned down at her, his fangs glinting in the moonlight, illuminating his soft, concerned smile. "It is I, sister. How do you feel now?" His brows furrowed in concern. He wanted so much to reach out to her, comfort her, but he refrained, letting her come back to herself.

"Well, bit of a headache," she started, leaning forward with a grimace as she touched her forehead, face tipped forward so she didn't have to meet his eyes. "But," her voice was pained, but grateful, "Ah'll live."

~X~

Carol was gratefully quiet, allowing Rogue some privacy with her adopted brother. After the southerner's emotional breakdown in Kurt's arms, the team headed off to Madripor to confront Trask. Carol allowed her counterpart to take point, opting instead to take a back seat and allow Rogue her quiet introspection. After the debacle in Mexico City with Gyrich, Carol couldn't tell if the carnage had been solely Rogue's doing, or if she had played a small role as well, letting her own anger and disgust over the Genosha genocide cloud her better judgement.

When Rogue had reached out and 'saved' Trask from jumping, she had once more locked the Avenger all the way into the back of her mind, an unexpected slight against their newfound 'truce.' But when the X-Man had replied to the scientists admission of, "I have nothing," Carol was so shocked by the woman's murderous rage and vengeful tone that she hadn't realized what was happening until it was too late.

"Same, suga'." Rogue's serpentine hiss and disturbing twist of her mouth was the only warning as the X-Man dropped Trask.

Her team had expected a feint. Had expected her to scare Trask into a real confession by swooping down and 'saving' him again at the last second. They hadn't intervened in her interrogation as they had never presumed she would actually let him hit the ground. But when she didn't move, and the sound of his body hitting the pavement was accompanied by a symphony of screams, the X-Men could only stare in shock.

Drenched with rain, eyes wild with pain and fury they had thought she'd conquered, Rogue railed on her teammates - her family - only to be interrupted by 'Trask Prime' in his new Sentinel form as he knocked her out cold with one punch.

~X~X~X~X~X~

The next chapter will focus on Rogue's 'preparation' for confronting Sinister, and chapter 10 will detail their battle and the introduction of "Deathbit" (totally borrowed this moniker from another author, UnderWanderingStars, who wrote "Red Roses in the Graveyard").