At the Pentagon, Henry Peter Gyrich holds a meeting
concerning Rogue. He details her powers and her history with the Brotherhood
and the X-Men and theorizes that the two groups may have joined forces or they
always secretly were working together. Gyrich showcases Forge’s neutralizer,
with plans to use it to de-power Rogue. Mystique, in her Raven Darkholme guise,
storms into the meeting, protesting that Gyrich even knows about the weapon,
much less has the only prototype. Valerie Cooper points out that this is as
good a time as any to field test the weapon and reveals that the order to use
it on Rogue came directly from the Oval Office! Meanwhile, Storm interrupts a
therapy session between Professor Xavier and Rachel to tell Xavier that Rogue
has gone missing! Storm had noticed that Rogue was becoming increasingly
distressed and worries that her powers are causing her to backslide, after all
the progress she’s made.
Rachel decides to test something for herself, as her
memories from the past she remembers don’t align with this present. She calls
the number she finds for Scott Summers, confused that he’s in Alaska, wanting
to hear his voice and talk to him. When Scott answers, however, Rachel finds
she can’t say anything, leading Scott and Madelyne to think it’s a wrong
number, while Rachel breaks down in tears at hearing her parents’ (or so she
thinks) voices. Back at the Pentagon, in their secret quarters, Mystique talks
with Destiny about the situation regarding Rogue. Mystique is unsure what the
right course of action is. If she lets Rogue get de-powered, it’ll give her the
shot at a normal life that she’s always wanted and might possibly drive Rogue
to return to her. However, Destiny points out that the choice must be Rogue’s
and shouldn’t be made for her. Mystique asks Destiny what she sees in the
future and Destiny admits that her visions are currently muddled due to some
interference with the timestream (unknown to them, a result of Rachel’s
re-emergence), and tells Mystique that she must follow her heart on the matter.
While Gyrich, Cooper, and their men fly out to locate
Rogue with the scanner the Avengers used when they last fought her, Mystique
calls Forge to let him know about the situation. Forge is angry that his weapon
is being used before he’s had a chance to test it and officially release it. He
has no idea what effects it will have; whether the de-powering is temporary or
permanent, or whether or not it could be lethal. Forge flies out in his private
jet to try and intercept Gyrich. Meanwhile, we find Rogue going for a dip in
the Mississippi River at a spot where she grew up. She basks in the
peacefulness of being by herself until she’s found by a concerned Storm. Rogue
tells her that this is where she first discovered her powers, having
accidentally absorbed the energy and memories of a boy named Cody Robbins that
she had kissed. She ran to escape the voices and realizes that she’s
essentially been running ever since. Storm offers to help any way she can, as
Rogue’s friend, which Rogue gets a kick out of, seeing as they were bitter
enemies not too long ago. While Storm tries to point out that Rogue is nobler
than she realizes, Rogue lashes out, feeling anger and resentment for her lot
in life. This reveals to Storm the magnitude of Rogue’s trust issues and wonders
if anyone has ever willingly offered Rogue their power. Rogue tells her about
the time Wolverine did in Japan and Storm offers the same.
Rogue absorbs Storm and revels in the new sights,
sensations, and powers she feels through Storm’s eyes. Just as she’s done
testing out Storm’s powers, Rogue is shot in the back by Gyrich with the
neutralizer gun. Her powers now feeling off, Rogue uses Storm’s powers to fight
back until the weather soon surges out of control and she realizes she can no
longer contain it, worried for a nearby tugboat. Storm flies up to help, having
regained consciousness and her powers now back with her, making Rogue realize
that the concerned thoughts for innocent people she just had were truly her
own. Storm and Rogue attempt to rescue the tugboat, while Gyrich switches the
neutralizer to full power. He fires once again, and when Storm pushes Rogue out
of the way, hits Storm instead! The intense power discharge from Storm utterly
destroys the boat and sends Rogue flying out to sea. Having recently arrived,
Forge drags Storm out of the water and lashes out at Gyrich, saying he’s as
much as condemned an innocent woman! Meanwhile, all of this is being watched by
the Dire Wraiths, who decide that due to his inventive prowess, Forge must die!
To be continued!