Rogue stared at herself in the mirror, looking every inch the morose teenager who couldn't touch or be loved the way she wanted to. She sighed once.

Her head lifted after a moment and a smile broke over her face. It turned into chuckling which she quickly smothered with a hand. It wouldn't do for anyone to hear her and become suspicious.

It wouldn't do for Charles or that whiny redhead to discover that their precious runaway they went to so much trouble for was locked away deep inside her own head. Never to be heard from again. She fell so easily for his ruse it was almost laughable. He wished he could've seen her face when she realized it had all been a trick to get her out of the way.

Had he not quieted the Wolverine it would've been impossible. Rogue hadn't even mastered her own mind. She hadn't realized that inside she was the master and everyone else her slaves. He'd been able to make Wolverine see what he wanted to, just like he had with Rogue.

If only she'd listened to Sabretooth. Only he had remained unmoved by Magneto's attempts to fool him. Mostly.

Magneto smiled at Rogue's reflection in the mirror. It was almost time for his plans to be put in motion. For his release from that interminable plastic prison. For his dreams of the eradication of humans to be seen to fruition.

I know you're secret.

Rogue, or rather Magneto, spun around in the bathroom but saw no one.

You can't see me.

Magneto calmed down and took a deep breath. A telepath. God, he hated them. "Katrina, I suppose?" He paused when nothing more came. "Was there something you wanted?"

Is she gone forever?

He really didn't know the answer to that question. He hoped so but the mind was a fragile thing. Rogue could spring free the minute she realized her own power. "I hadn't been made aware that the two of you were friends."

We're not.

Magneto took in the dark tone and a slow smile spread across his face. "With a little of your help, I believe she won't ever return."

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor woke up to the sounds of screaming. Instinctively, his claws came out and he snarled into the darkness. His head jerked toward the door and he sniffed.

Fear, blood, rage.

He smiled. Jimmy was loose.

His door flew open on its own. The girl stood there.

"Come. He's killing people."

Victor grinned and leapt out of bed, walking over until he towered over her. She didn't move. He leaned down into her face. "If I was you, frail, I'd go hide myself somewhere good. Somewhere my brother and I can't smell you. Maybe you'll live."

He pushed past her, already not caring if she lived or died. He followed Jimmy's scent and the sounds of screaming until he rounded the corner of the living room and saw Jimmy with his hand wrapped around the throat of some kid.

Victor's eyes glinted when he realized it was the kid Rogue was trying to bang. Iceman. He snorted at the stupid name and flexed his hand, aching to dig it into the boy's chest.

Then he stopped. One person he hadn't smelled since waking up so deliciously was the girl. Rogue. His lips curved. What was she doing right now? Cowering in her bed?

He grabbed Jimmy's arm and his brother snarled, jerking his head around to face him. His eyes were glazed over and Victor squinted at them. Something wasn't right. Something nagged at him through the blood haze and heat.

He shrugged it off and grinned up at the struggling boy. "Have at it."

He walked away, slowly, toward the stairs, making his way up to Rogue's room. He smelled it was empty before he opened it. Frowning, he stalked his way down the hall, throwing open each door he passed. Sometimes the kids inside would scream and he itched to stop and play for a bit. But he kept going. His purpose was single minded. Find Rogue.

Would she be as receptive as last time? He thought not. Finding ways to make her scream without getting the life sucked out of him was going to be fun.

"She's not here."

He stopped and turned. The tiresome brat he rescued stood in the hallway. "Care to tell me where she is?"

"Why?"

Victor blinked and started toward her. "Come again?"

"Why do you want her? She doesn't like you."

He came up until he stood so close his arm brushed her shoulder. Then he bent over to stick his face right in hers. The kid was so transparent. Had a little crush. He smiled so that his fangs glinted and was pleased when she swallowed hard, not from desire but fear.

"Do you maybe want to rethink your questions and answer mine?" His voice was low and soft and intimidating as hell. "Otherwise, I might rethink my position on letting you live." He raised one clawed hand up to inspect the sharp nails protruding from it.

The kid smiled which slightly unnerved him. He'd never seen her do that. Actually, she didn't do a lot of normal stuff. "I saw her walk out the front door."

"Where'd she go?"

Katrina shrugged.

Victor scowled and stood up. Suddenly, Jimmy howled and he bolted down the hall and over the stairs, landing on his feet like a cat. Professor Xavier had Jimmy on the floor unconscious. Kids were cowering in the corners and hallways like terrified little meat sacks.

Suddenly, to his shock, one of the little bastards stood up and flung something sharp and spiky right at the Professor's face. The man stopped it before it embedded itself in his eye and let it drop onto the floor.

"Ben, stop. This isn't you."

Instead another kid stood up and opened her mouth. A godawful sound filled the air like a siren, only worse. Victor's hissed in pain and fell to his knees, covering his ears. It did no good. The pain and shrieking noise wasn't muted.

Then it stopped and he opened his eyes. That kid had dropped to the floor unconscious. There was a moment's respite.

Then all hell broke loose.

The last thing Victor saw before Jean Grey turned on him and raised her hand was Katrina standing at the top of the stairs looking over the mess.

Jean's eyes snapped yellow for just a moment as she started choking the life out him.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning the chaos was over and Jean, Storm, Logan, and Scott stood looking over the mess that was left in the mansion.

"How could this have happened?" Storm asked.

"I still don't understand it," Scott admitted, nudging a bit of debris with his foot.

"It was a telepath. Someone did this to us. Made Logan go crazy, made me…" Jean swallowed and shook her head. "Not even know myself anymore."

"Whoever it was, I'm going to find 'em and rip their hearts out," Logan fumed.

"Oh that's nice, Logan," Scott said sarcastically.

Logan growled but a noise stopped him from starting a fight. The television had turned on. The Professor wheeled into the room.

"I'm afraid something terrible has happened while we were otherwise occupied." His voice was grave.

They all turned their attention to a newscaster on channel four.

"... appears to be the work of a single individual. Eyewitnesses describe a female between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, wearing a green hooded cloak, who entered the government facility and broke out the mutant terrorist Erik Lensherr, known also by his alias Magneto. Six people were killed in the process. As of right now, authorities have no leads and no suspects…"

The television abruptly turned off and they all stared at Xavier. Logan swallowed hard and Xavier closed his eyes.

"Does anyone happen to know where Rogue is?"