This new adventure began at a student party. A girl could be seen alone outside. Just then, two guys came out of the building, chatting.
"Like in 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. It's the only explanation." Says one before they notice the girl. "Cody's been invaded by a big, slimy alien. He's an empty shell with no personality! Nurse, his vital signs, quick. Revive him!"
"Stop! I'm waiting for the right moment. I'm taking my time." Said the second boy, Cody.
"Cody, I've seen glaciers move faster! She's right in front of you. The girl you've been dreaming about for weeks. At least tell me you know what her name is." Said the boy, those to which Cody shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "What an idiot! That's enough of that, come on, bring it on."
The boy then pushed his friend towards the girl, who turned around.
"Huh? Can I help you?" She asked.
"Er... Dance... if you feel like it, of course. With me, I mean. Just the two of us." Cody offered shyly.
"I'd rather stay out by myself and..." She said before seeing the hurt expression on Cody's face, "And then, why not? After all, a little dance is harmless."
She then entered the building with Cody.
In a house not far away, a blind lady can be seen sitting on a chair. She gasped, having visions of what was about to happen at the party.
"No! Don't touch him! Oh, my poor child." She says.
Back with Cody and the girl. You could see them having fun dancing.
"Get closer. Get in on the action." Cody's friend whispered, pushing a little too hard and Cody knocked the girl to the ground.
Cody freed himself and tried to help the girl up.
"I'm sorry." Cody apologized.
He grabbed her wrist to help her up but something happened and they both screamed. Cody let go of the girl and fell unconscious. She then began to have flashes of Cody's memories.
"My head. Oh, those images." She said, rubbing her head before standing up. "What's happening to me? What am I? Who am I?"
The boy checked his friend's condition, then turned his gaze to her. "What have you done to him?"
She rushed to the door. The boy, wanting answers, stood in front of the door to prevent her from leaving. She then had a memory flash of Cody playing soccer and he shoved the player out of the way. She then used the same move on the boy to get him out of the way and it worked.
"Wow. I thought only Cody had moves like that." He says.
Back at the blind lady's house, she could be seen on the phone talking to someone.
"No, that's not what I said. I have hunches, I see probabilities. I was able to predict what his power would be, not when it would manifest itself. Yes, I had taken precautions. Between her supposed skin problems and her weird looks. She's a teenager. I can't isolate her any longer. Of course you're coming. I know you will. And the others, Xavier's team, they're coming too!"
At the Xavier Institute, we can see someone breaking in as he was coming out of the vents and then dropping into a room. Just so Storm would be there.
"You foiled the automated defenses by going through the vents. But with me, it's a different story." Storm said.
This ninja jumped into the vents as Storm used his powers.
"It's understood. You'll soon understand... why they call me Storm!"
Storm then used his powers to conjure up a large storm cloud which began to inject water into the ducts where the ninja was. The water then pushed the ninja out of the ducts and into the danger room.
"After the torrential rains, the weather forecast announces a windstorm!"
The ninja tried to jump on Storm, but was thrown against the wall by ice. The ninja took cover with ice.
"That was cold." Said the Ninja as he broke the ice covering him.
"Then let's warm you up."
Storm pressed a button and a laser pistol shot out of the wall. The Ninja jumped over the laser being fired at him and leapt into the air, then pulled his claws out of his hands and as he landed on the laser gun, he stabbed it and electrocuted himself in the process. But the gun exploded as he moved the weapon away from it.
"We have to connect first. Got any other party tricks?" Ninja asked.
More obstacles appeared and he began stabbing at them until Xavier stopped him.
"Stop it! That is, for the moment, all we can afford, Wolverine."
"Hey, when I do a demo, I go all out." Says Logan, lifting his mask.
"Is it a demo as in 'demolish' or 'demonstrate'? What was the point?" Scott asked.
"I think the point was to teach us how to find weak points in security systems.
"That's right, my boy. And I'd say ours deserves a little updating." Says Logan as he steps out of the elevator.
"That was tight. I give it two thumbs up." Says Kurt, as he hangs upside down and eats popcorn.
"The air ducts were easily punctured. We'll have to fix that. Maybe electrify them or install toxic gas sprayers." Said Logan, laying out his suggestion.
"Wolverine..." Storm said reprovingly.
"Very well, very well. Stun gas, then." Said Logan, crossing his arms.
"Yuck." Kitty shuddered. "Is it just me, or is anyone else seriously freaked out by this?"
No one said anything.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Is it just me? Great." She groans.
"Relax Kitty, I'm sure you'll get used to all this craziness in no time. And believe me, there's plenty weirder in the universe." Says Deker to put things into perspective.
"X-Men, we have an emergency. Scott, prepare the Blackbird for launch. Deker's going on a mission and you'll accompany him as pilot, and Jean and I are coming to provide him with an assisstance." Says Charles as he enters the room.
"Yes, sir. What's the mission?" Scott asked.
"Cerebro has detected a new mutant in Caldecott County, Mississippi. My mental impressions of the scene indicate that this is a very disturbed individual. Our mutant is a danger to herself and perhaps to others as well." Charles explained.
"Then why send Deker?" Jean asked.
"Let's just say the time has come for me to keep a promise. And Deker seems to be the right man for the job." Charles replied.
"Uh... if she's troubled, do you really think it's a good idea to put her up against a mini-Wolverine?" Kurt asked, pointing to my Deker, who playfully flicked his middle claw at him.
"Believe me, Kurt, he's more suited to the mission than you might imagine." Charles declared.
Later, in the Blackbird, Scott was flying with Deker in the passenger seat, with Jean and the Professor in the back seat. Scott and Jean were in their X-Men outfits, while Deker wore jeans, a white T-shirt and a long black coat.
"So, what's this promise the professor was talking about?" Scott asked.
"Basically, he'd help me find someone, and in exchange I'd limit my displays of power to the claw and the self-healing factor." he explained.
"What, you've got more than that?" Scott asked, surprised.
"Is it... complicated?"
"Does it have anything to do with Sabertooth?"
"Yeah..." Deker replied.
"Seeing as you don't like talking about it, I'll change the subject. Why isn't there an X on your uniform?"
"Are you doing an interrogation?" Deker asked, smiling slightly.
"Let's just say that since we hardly ever do missions together, and talking about it at school isn't a good idea, I'm taking advantage of it." Scott says playfully.
"Logical." Says Deker, looking ahead. "Actually, I'm not wearing an X, because I don't think I've earned it yet."
"Why's that?" Scott asked, genuinely intrigued. "You're a mutant. You live at the institute. You're part of the team, even if you don't take part in practically any missions, according to the professor, to keep a low profile. In short, you're an X-Men. You deserve that X as much as the rest of us."
"Sorry, Scott. But I don't really want to give the reason." Deker sighed.
Scott understood that the subject also concerned what his friend was keeping under wraps and didn't insist any further.
As for Jean and Charles, they watched the conversation in silence. Jean was more and more intrigued by the past Deker kept hidden, but out of respect for him and her desire to apply the professor's teachings, she never delved into his mind.
Charles, for his part, smiled as he watched Deker blurt out bits of information. For him, it was a sign that Deker was becoming more and more open.
A plane landed at an airport right next to a limousine. Principal Darkholm got out of the plane and into the limousine, where she sat down next to the blind woman.
"That was quick work, Raven." Said the blind woman.
"The mysterious founder of our organization has certain resources, Irene." Explained Principal Darkholm before changing into her true appearance, Mystique. "So, what happened? I entrusted the girl to you. You were to watch over her day and night."
"Her mutant power manifested itself at a school party. She inadvertently made physical contact with a young boy." Irene explained.
"So she absorbed his memory as well as his physical abilities. We've been hiding her away for five years in this godforsaken village... and now, in the space of five minutes, all our plans have come to nothing! We can't lose her. We can't afford to let Xavier take her on. She has the potential for almost limitless power! You read the future, Irène. Where is she?" Mystique asked.
"The house. Or what she thinks is home."
Later, outside the local hospital, Scott was in a Van with the professor in the back.
"Is this really necessary?" He asked, finding this mission rather strange.
Usually they'd go straight to the mutant or his relatives. But here, not only did only one of them have to get close to him, but he also had to play taxi-driver.
"Yes, Scott. The boy, Cody, is the key to finding our mutant. But he's unconscious and his mind is elusive. To isolate his memory patterns, I need someone on the inside. Then I'll have what information I need to guide Deker to her." Explained the professor.
Inside the hospital, Cody was in a bad way in a room where his mother, father and friend were. A nurse approached Cody and placed her hand on his forehead.
"He's going to be okay, isn't he? Are you going to help him?" Cody's friend asked the nurse, who turned out to be Jean.
The nurse turned out to be Jean.
"Yes, we'll help him."
The limousine Mystique was in pulled up in front of Cody's house.
"Now what? You're worrying me. You're not going to hurt her, are you? Raven, she's your..." Irene said before being interrupted by Mystique.
"I know, Irene. I know you do. Just trust me on this. She'll join us of her own free will, with a little push." She said, before transforming into Wolverine.
The girl could be seen inside Cody's room looking at pictures.
"This is all, uh... Me? Mine? But which me am I?" she asked herself before beginning to ransack the room in frustration.
Just then, the door is kicked open and Mystique, as Wolverine, is the one who kicked in the door.
"Who-Who are you? What do you want?" Asked the girl.
"You, my pretty. It's you I want!" Mystique-Wolverine replied.
Mystique pulled out her claws and jumped straight at the girl. But she stepped aside.
"It'll be quick and painless. You're dealing with the X-men, so I might as well tell you you don't stand a chance!"
"X-men? I don't understand a thing. All I want is to be left alone!" Says the girl before hitting Mystique with a piece of wood and heading out of the room and down the stairs.
"One or two more encounters like that... and you'll be running into my arms." Says Mystique-Wolverine, then transforms into Storm.
But unbeknownst to Mystique, she was beaten to the punch.
During her escape, the girl was stopped when a motorcycle braked in front of her. The driver threw her a helmet.
"Come with me, if you want to live." Deker said from under his motorcycle helmet.
The girl hesitated, but remembering that she was being pursued, she put on the helmet, climbed onto the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around Deker's waist before he set off again.
"Don't worry Rogue... I'll protect you..." Deker thought as he kept his eyes on the road, glad that after all this time, he'd finally found him.
Later, the two teenagers were on a hill a few minutes from where they fled.
"Are you okay?" Deker asked Rogue as she sat curled up.
"I... I don't know." Rogue replied, lowering his eyes. "Yes, but I don't know where I stand anymore. I'm having very strange visions. People are after me!"
"I see..." Deker sighed, sitting down beside her. "These people call themselves the X-Men, right?"
"Yes! Is that why you helped me, to escape them?" Rogue asked, looking up at him.
"A little. I heard they found a mutant who was pretty messed up, so I came to help you." Deker lied.
"Why are they after me?" Rogue asked.
"It's complicated..." Deker replied. "The X-Men were originally a group of mutants who recruited others to help them master their power.
"So why did this guy attack me?" Rogue asked.
"No idea. Maybe the one after you is rougher, maybe there's dissonance in the group. Or maybe the group has become radicalized. Unless someone is pretending to be them in order to frighten people. I can see that happening." Deker explained, before catching himself laughing a little.
"What are you laughing at?" Rogue asked, frowning at this reaction.
"I'm sorry. I just realized we haven't said our names yet." Deker said, looking up at the night sky.
This made Rogue smile, realizing he was right. With the motorcycle getaway and their chat, they hadn't introduced themselves yet.
"Yeah... uh..." Rogue said reflectively, trying to find his name among all the foreign thoughts in his mind. "My name's Rogue."
"Pleased to meet you, Rogue." Deker smiled, extending a friendly hand. "I'm Deker. Deker Lazarus."
Rogue hesitated to shake his hand, but finally shook it and smiled at this friendly person who was helping him to be more composed and to see more clearly what was happening to her.
Not far from where Rogue and Deker were, Mystique, still disguised as Storm walked towards them.
"So this is where you've been hiding." Mystique-Storm said, making them aware of his presence.
Rogue jumped to her feet when Deker stood up and raised an arm protectively in front of her.
"A simple, well-placed thunder-grenade... and goodbye mutant!" Mystique-Storm said, then hurled something at Rogue.
It would have exploded in her face if Deker hadn't picked her up and placed himself in the trajectory of the object, which exploded directly on her back.
"Deker!" Snape said worriedly as he let go of her, causing one of his gloves to slip off.
"... Take this... If you need help in the future, just call me." Deker whispered, handing her a communicator in his gloved hand. "Run!"
Rogue hesitated for a moment, worried for him, as he deliberately and discreetly touched Rogue's ungloved hand. He hoped that Rogue's power would enable him to see her memories and realize who the attackers were, despite the risk of her temporarily disposing of her powers...
... But nothing happened. He felt nothing, like when he touched a normal person. Or someone who didn't have the power to suck the vitality out of anyone who touched him.
Rogue hesitated for a moment, concerned for him, but she nodded and walked away without realizing he'd touched her.
"What a waste." Mystique-Storm said as she regained her true appearance in front of Deker. "You could have been an excellent member of our Brotherhood. But you had to join Charles' team."
Deker struggled to his feet in pain as his back healed, removing shards of the object that had stuck in it.
"All I want is for her to be okay. Stop tormenting her and let me help her." He asked, wincing slightly in pain.
"Then let her come with us. We'll use her powers properly." Mystique said before taking on Deker's appearance. "If not, you'll be the next to hunt her."
Deker simply lowered his head, a defeatist expression on his face. He knew that even if he was alone on this mission, he'd lost.
Mystique resumed her original appearance and changed back into Storm before setting off in pursuit of Rogue.
Deker climbed onto his motorcycle and set off to join the rest of the X-Men in town.
When he arrived at the Blackburn, Charles, Scott and Jean were waiting for him, and they could see the disappointment on his face.
"Didn't she want to come?" Jean asked.
"Yes, she did." sighed Deker. "She's lost and scared. There's nothing more we can do at this stage."
He then sat down in the seat next to Charles.
"Jean, would you join Scott? I'd like to talk to Deker alone." Charles asked his pupil telepathically, which she did. "You didn't manage to get him away from Mystique, did you?"
"Yes." Deker nodded, looking at one of the sides of the plane. "I even took a grenade of sorts to protect her. And I asked her to run away. So at least I was able to take a step in the right direction. But I couldn't go any further, otherwise Mystique threatened to take on my appearance to pursue her and motivate her to join them."
"I understand. She was upset and with Mystique chasing her, she couldn't have time to make the right choice. But the time will come when she'll join us. You know that as well as I do." Charles said benevolently.
"Yeah. But I'm still worried about her." Said Deker before looking down at his hand. "But there's something else."
"What's that?"
"When I touched her, hoping she'd see my memories, nothing happened."
"Hmm? That's interesting. We'll see about that later for now. Time to go home." Said the professor before the jet took off.
In Bayville High School, Mystique as Headmistress Darkholme welcomed Rogue to the school.
"Welcome to Bayville High School. You'll be very happy with us. You'll be happy and safe." Darkholme said to reassure Rogue.
"I'm sure I will. Thank you." She said shyly before stepping out of the office and the pins on the desk began to move.
"This girl has great power, and young Deker seems to care a lot about her. She'll be an excellent asset to our team." Said Magneto, revealing the presence
"Yes. We were lucky to get to her first, despite that boy's intervention."
"Indeed. Are you sure she won't join the X-men?"
"I'm certain of it." Mystique nodded.
Rogue, meanwhile, had just come out of the office and looked down at her hand to see that she still had the communicator Deker had given her.