Present day

Remy couldn't stop searching the glass for a weakness, even though he knew he couldn't break through. He never thought it would be Rogue who was targeted. He couldn't believe how self-centered he'd been, thinking he had been Sinister's top target. He looked up at his teammates, also stuck in their containment chambers. He had sworn to himself that he would keep Rogue from getting hurt, and now she was gone.

He could hear the others shouting, Kitty and Kurt the loudest. Wolverine looked murderous, pulling his adamantium chains as hard as he could.

"Ah, well, I thought she would last longer," Sinister said wistfully. "And she had shown such promise with Ms. Marvel, too."

"The fuck you know 'bout Ms. Marvel, Essex?" Remy demanded.

"My dear boy, don't be so naive as to think I don't know every single thing about each and every one of you. Especially a specimen like Rogue. I had to see what she was capable of, didn't I?"

Remy pounded on the glass again, furious. Rogue had barely maintained her sanity after her clash with Carol Danvers. And no one knew what would happen to Carol's corporeal form, even months later.

Four months earlier

It was supposed to be a show of good faith. Mutants and humans coming together for a big talk on a big stage so all these big plans could be announced. Remy thought they were a big waste of time but if it meant mutants could feel safer walking around the city, he would do what Xavier had asked of him.

It wasn't just the X-Men who were invited to speak. Unaffiliated mutants also arrived, and a few who were on their own smaller teams. Remy had heard about these Avengers but didn't know there were any actual mutants on their roster. Carol Danvers had been their representative. Several speeches had been spoken, with most orators droning on and on about how peace was possible if everyone could just "see what they all had in common." Yawn. Remy heard some agitated whispering from the crowd when Magneto walked to the podium but assumed it was because of Magneto's past crimes against humans and their unwillingness to forgive or forget. Completely justified, Remy thought.

Suddenly, several objects were thrown at the stage at once, splintering the stage upon impact. A combination of smoke bombs, flash bombs, and hand grenades had made it impossible to see, even for the mutants with advanced senses. Everyone ran off the stage, rushing into each other in confusion. The X-Men sprang into action, helping people through the smoke and debris. A young voice called for help, saying they were being taken.

Rogue and Carol both ran toward the voice but couldn't see anything due to the billowing smoke. As they got closer they could hear a girl's voice, screaming that Rogue was taking her. Rogue thought she was right next to the voice but felt her limbs grow heavy, then start to tingle, then go totally numb. She was paralyzed. She panicked, trying to think of which mutant had that power. Eventually she thought of the Morlock, Torpid, and her ability to paralyze others. But Rogue couldn't imagine why the girl would be here. She had thought the Morlocks hadn't come. They never did.

Carol also ran through the smoke, only able to see blurry figures streaming past her. She heard the girl screaming, "Stop it Rogue, get off of me!" Carol was confused, knowing that Rogue was an X-Man and should be one of the "good guys," but she had to rescue first and ask questions later.

Rogue gritted her teeth, trying to move any part of her. She knew that this was a trap, but didn't know why she and Ms. Marvel were the targets. She saw Carol running toward her and fruitlessly tried to brace her frozen body for impact.

"Stop, Rogue!" Carol yelled and reached out her hand to restrain her.

At that moment Carol was also paralyzed, though she was stopped abruptly, her momentum keeping her body moving. She fell into Rogue, knocking them into the ground together. Rogue felt Carol's bare forehead press onto her cheek and the absorption began immediately.

Rogue tried to scream but couldn't due to her paralyzed vocal cords. She tried desperately to slow down her absorption but was overwhelmed by Carol's powers. Carol wasn't a mutant, she was an alien, and Rogue didn't know what the absorption could do to her.

Rogue's vision was tunneling while she took in all of Carol's life force. She had never had a transfer like this. She didn't know how long a person could be sucked dry until there was nothing of them left. Would Carol survive this? Would she?

Finally Rogue felt her body back under her own control and could move again. She tried to push Carol off of her but only managed a weak, jerky movement. Rogue tried her voice again and let out a muffled scream. Soon (yet an eternity for Rogue) her teammates found her and pulled Carol off of her body but it was too late. Rogue could feel a complete Carol in her mind, a solid presence she had never felt before. Ms. Marvel was trapped in Rogue's mind, and she already wasn't happy about her containment.

Cyclops checked Carol for a pulse while making sure she was out of arm's reach of Rogue. Her pulse was thready but still there, and he waved for Iceman and Sunspot to take Carol to the X-Jet so she could be helped at the Institute.

Remy slid to a stop and slammed his knees on the ground, having been the first to reach Rogue, but there was nothing he could do for her until a telepath arrived. He gathered Rogue and held her on his lap, talking to her to keep her alert. Her breathing was ragged and she had Remy's shirt grasped loosely in her fist. Moments later her body jerked and she fell out of Remy's grip. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body went rigid. Remy knew she was having a seizure and tried to keep her from hurting herself while her body trembled. He held her head in his lap so it wouldn't slam against the ground.

"Where the hell is Jean?" Remy shouted.

"I'm here, but I can't get into Rogue's head," she answered. Remy looked up and saw she had her eyes shut, right hand pointed toward Rogue's head and left hand on her own temple. "I need the Professor to help, I'm afraid of hurting her even more."

Remy was unsure how Rogue could possibly be more hurt than she was right now. Tears were falling down her face and he prayed that she could hear him right now.

"Chere, if you can hear me," Remy said, bending down near Rogue's ear. "I'll do anything you need to help you, but I need you to make your way back to us. We can't reach you where you are. I need you to come back to me."

Rogue continued seizing for nearly a minute until her body relaxed and she was motionless on the ground. Cyclops alerted Remy that the X-Jet was ready to leave for the Institute. Remy gathered Rogue in his arms and hurried behind Jean to the jet.

Remy strapped Rogue into the gurney across from Ms. Marvel in the back of the jet, then glanced around and noticed there were members of the team missing.

"They're staying behind to help," Jean answered his unspoken question. "The Professor said to bring Carol and Rogue back immediately. He and Beast will do everything they can…."

Remy said nothing, just stared at Rogue as they flew back to the Institute. When they landed, Beast was the first on the jet, attending to Rogue while Professor Xavier followed and went to Carol. Remy noticed that Rogue's breaths were getting shallower. Beast asked him how long her seizure lasted, and Remy could only guess a few minutes. As Beast readied the gurney to transport Rogue he lifted one of her eyelids to shine his penlight into it.

"Rogue has greyish-green eyes, does she not?" Beast asked.

"Oui, but that's the most important question right now?" Remy asked incredulously.

Beast looked at Remy and Xavier. "Her eyes are now blue."