The facility erupted with defenses—automated turrets, barriers, energy fields. Emma had turned it into a fortress.
"Marcus!" Felicia's voice crackled through comms. "Reinforcements moving in from the north. At least twenty enhanced soldiers, military grade."
"Where did she get that backup?"
"Unknown, but they're between us and entry points."
Through my link with Rogue, I felt her fighting the device's influence, struggling to maintain mental control. She was strong, but the technology was designed specifically to overwhelm telepathic resistance.
We were running out of time.
"Jessica, call in SHIELD," I ordered. "Full tactical team. We need support NOW."
"Already done. ETA twelve minutes."
Twelve minutes might as well be forever. By then, Rogue would be lost, transformed into an uncontrollable weapon.
"Elektra, Maya—find me an entrance they're not defending."
While they searched, I focused on the mental link with Rogue, strengthening it, pouring my own discipline into her mind. Dangerous—if the device overwhelmed her completely, it might affect me through our connection. But I couldn't let Emma win.
*Hold on,* I sent. *We're coming. Just hold on.*
Her response was weak, strained: *Hurts... can't... control...*
*You can. Remember what I taught you. Your mind is a fortress. Pull the walls in, lock the gates. Don't let anything in or out.*
I felt her trying, fighting with every ounce of will. It was working—barely. The device's influence slowed, contained by her mental barriers.
"Found something," Maya signed through camera feed. "Old maintenance tunnel. Looks unmonitored. We can get in through subbasement."
"Do it. Felicia, keep those soldiers busy. Non-lethal if possible—they might be mind-controlled."
Sniper rounds cracked through the night, targeting equipment rather than bodies. Smoke grenades and flashbangs disrupted formation. Felicia had gotten very good at creating chaos.
Maya, Elektra, and I disappeared into the tunnel. The passage was narrow and cramped but led directly under the facility. We emerged in an old storage area.
I reached out telepathically, mapping minds above—Emma on the third floor with Rogue. No other minds nearby; she'd dismissed guards.
Arrogant. But in character.
We moved through the facility like ghosts, my powers clearing the way by misdirecting any guards we encountered. Most were hired security, easily confused.
But as we approached the medical bay, I felt Emma's presence lock onto mine.
*Marcus Cole. How predictable.*
Her mental voice was smooth, controlled.
*Let Rogue go, Emma. This doesn't have to get ugly.*
*But ugly is so much more interesting. Besides, you should thank me. I've proven your training method works. Rogue is resisting beautifully. Almost as if someone taught her proper mental discipline.*
*That's the point, isn't it? You want to prove telepaths are superior. That only we can help or harm mutants with problematic powers.*
*Exactly! I knew you'd understand.* Her presence tested my shields. *You and I aren't so different, Marcus. We both see the truth—that power is what matters. The only difference is you're still pretending to be a hero.*
*I'm not pretending anything. I'm trying to help people.*
*By controlling them? By rewriting their minds? Please. You're as much a manipulator as I am. You just have better PR.*
We reached the medical bay door. Inside, I sensed Rogue's pain, Emma's cold satisfaction, and beneath it all, a third presence. Someone hidden, shielded even from my enhanced senses.
*You're not alone in there,* I sent to Emma.
*Very perceptive. Perhaps I should introduce you to my partner.*
The door exploded outward as Elektra kicked it open. We rushed in, weapons ready—
And stopped cold.
Emma stood beside Rogue's medical chair, diamond form gleaming. But next to her, shimmering with barely contained power, stood someone I'd hoped never to meet.
Jean Grey.
Or rather, Jean Grey with eyes burning with cosmic fire. The Phoenix Force, awakened and angry.
"Hello, Marcus," Jean said, her voice echoing with power. "Emma told me all about you. How you manipulated her students, threatened the school, tried to use Rogue as bait. Quite villainous of you."
"That's not—" I started, but Emma interrupted.
"Don't bother denying it. I've shown Jean the 'truth.' She knows you're a threat to all mutants."
"Jean, listen," I said carefully, aware the woman before me could destroy the planet if she wanted. "Emma is lying. I've been working with Xavier. Ask him. He'll confirm everything."
"I did ask him," Jean replied. "He said you were complicated. That you walked a fine line between hero and villain. Emma showed me which side of that line you've fallen on."
False memories. Emma had implanted false memories in Jean, twisted events to make me look villainous. And with the Phoenix Force influencing Jean's judgment, she'd believed them.
We were in serious trouble.
---
"Stand down," Jean commanded, Phoenix fire flickering around her hands. "You're coming with me to face Xavier and the X-Men for your crimes."
"What crimes?" I demanded, stalling. "Emma's manipulating you, Jean. Everything she showed you is a lie."
"Is it? Did you or did you not use your powers to infiltrate Kingpin's organization? To control his people?"
"Yes, but—"
"Did you or did you not mentally dominate a Hand ninja to the point of catatonia?"
"Elektra? That was self-defense, and I fixed—"
"Did you or did you not manipulate Rogue into working with you against her better judgment?"
"I helped her! I taught her control!"
"Or did you teach her just enough to make her dependent? Just enough that she'd feel obligated to help your schemes?"
Every accusation was technically true but stripped of context, twisted to look villainous. Emma had been very clever. And with the Phoenix Force backing her, there was no way I could fight back with force.
Not with force, anyway.
"Jean," I said quietly, lowering my weapons. Maya and Elektra did the same, though reluctantly. "You've known me for six months. We worked together against Clan Akkaba. We saved those telepaths. Does that sound like something a villain would do?"
"Even villains do good deeds when it serves purposes."
"Then look at my mind. Scan me. You'll see the truth."
"Your mental shields are too strong. I can't read you without forcing in, and I won't violate your mind that way."
Perfect. Emma had planned this perfectly. Jean's morals prevented forcibly scanning me, and my shields prevented casual reading. I was trapped.
Unless I lowered my shields voluntarily.
Which could be exactly what Emma wanted—a chance to attack my undefended mind.
"What if I lower my shields?" I offered. "Let you see everything. The real memories, not Emma's edited versions."
Jean hesitated. "That would leave you vulnerable."
"I know. But I'm willing to risk it if it means you see the truth." I looked at Emma. "Unless someone's afraid of what you'll find?"
Emma's smile didn't waver, but I felt her mental presence tense. She hadn't expected this.
"Very well," Jean said. "Lower your shields. Slowly. If I sense any deception, any attempt to manipulate, this ends badly for you."
I took a deep breath and began dismantling my mental defenses. Layer after layer fell away, each leaving me more exposed, more vulnerable. Emma watched like a hawk, waiting for an opening.
Jean's presence entered my mind gently. Phoenix fire flickered at consciousness edges, ready to burn away lies.
I showed her everything. My training with Rogue, the real version where I'd helped her purely to help her. My work with SHIELD, motivated by genuine desire to do good. The Kingpin situation, where I'd stopped attacks without killing. Even the Elektra incident, including remorse and efforts to make amends.
And I showed her Emma—the real Emma. Her betrayal, her manipulation of Clan Akkaba, her distribution of dangerous technology, her plan to use Rogue as a weapon.
Jean saw it all, truth laid bare without filter or spin.
When she withdrew, her eyes were blazing—but not with anger at me.
"Emma." Jean's voice was cold. "You lied to me."
"I merely showed you an interpretation that—"
"YOU LIED TO ME!"
Phoenix fire exploded outward. Emma barely shifted to diamond form before the blast would have incinerated her. She flew backward, crashing through the wall.
"Jean, wait!" I called, but she was already pursuing Emma, cosmic fire trailing.
I rushed to Rogue's side, examining the device attached to her head. It was sophisticated—far beyond anything I'd seen. Disconnecting carelessly could cause permanent damage.
"Felicia, I need you," I said into comms. "Medical bay, third floor. Bring tools."
While waiting, I used telepathy to bolster Rogue's mental defenses, keeping the device's influence at bay. She was exhausted, trembling, but still fighting.
"Ah'm sorry," she whispered. "Should have known it was a trap."
"Not your fault. Emma's had decades to perfect manipulation. Even I almost fell for it."
Felicia arrived with Maya, taking one look at the device and whistling low. "This is AIM technology. High-end stuff. Give me five minutes."
She worked quickly, fingers flying. I continued shielding Rogue mentally, maintaining barriers between her mind and the device's influence.
"Got it," Felicia announced, carefully removing the last connection. The device powered down, its malevolent hum fading.
Rogue slumped in the chair, free at last. "Is it over?"
"Almost."
An explosion rocked the building. Jean and Emma were still fighting, and from the feel of it, Emma was losing badly. The Phoenix Force was too much even for the White Queen.
We needed to end this before someone got killed—or worse, before Jean lost control and the Phoenix Force did something catastrophic.
I reached out carefully, touching Jean's mind. *Jean, you need to stop. Emma's defeated. If you push harder, the Phoenix could take over.*
*She tried to manipulate me. Use me as a weapon against you.*
*I know. But killing her won't solve anything. And you don't want to go down that path. You've fought too hard to control the Phoenix to let Emma push you into losing that control.*
I felt Jean's rage war with reason. The Phoenix wanted vengeance, wanted to burn Emma to ash. But Jean—the real Jean—was stronger.
Slowly, the Phoenix fire dimmed.
"You're right," Jean said aloud, lowering her hands. Emma lay in rubble, diamond form cracked and bleeding. "But Marcus, she can't go free. She's too dangerous."
"Agreed. Which is why I'm going to make sure she can never hurt anyone again."
I approached Emma, kneeling beside her broken form. She glared with undisguised hatred.
"Go ahead," she spat. "Kill me. Prove you're no better than I am."
"I'm not going to kill you," I replied. "But I am going to make sure you understand the harm you've caused. Really understand it."
I placed my hand on her forehead, telepathy diving into her mind. I showed her every person she'd hurt, every manipulation, every life damaged. But more than that, I made her feel it. The pain, the fear, the betrayal. Everything her victims experienced, I reflected back.
It wasn't mind control. It wasn't rewriting. It was simply showing her the truth of her actions, unfiltered by arrogance and rationalization.
When I pulled back, Emma was crying. Not from pain, but from understanding—perhaps for the first time—the true cost of her manipulations.
"I..." she started, then stopped. "I never meant..."
"Intent doesn't matter," I said quietly. "Results do. You need to face what you've done."
SHIELD arrived minutes later, taking Emma into custody. This time, she didn't resist. The fight had gone out of her, replaced by something I'd never seen in her: genuine remorse.
As they led her away, she looked back. "Thank you," she said. "For not destroying me. For showing me the truth instead."
"Don't thank me yet," I replied. "You've got a long road ahead. But it's a road you need to walk."
---
The aftermath took days to sort through.
Emma's facility was dismantled, stored technology confiscated by SHIELD. The enhanced soldiers turned out to be hired mercenaries, not mind-controlled innocents, so their arrests were straightforward.
Rogue stayed with us during recovery, continuing training and growing more confident daily. She could now touch people for minutes without losing control—a miracle compared to where she'd started.
"Ah'm heading back to the school tomorrow," she told me one evening. "Professor Xavier wants to see me, and Ah need to tell the team what happened. But Marcus... thank you. You gave me something Ah never thought Ah'd have again. The ability to touch another person without fear."
"You did the hard work," I replied. "I just showed you the way."
"Still." She hesitated, then pulled me into a hug—a long, tight embrace. When she pulled back, she was crying again, but happy tears. "If you ever need anything, you call me. Ah owe you everything."
"Actually," I said carefully, "there might be something. How would you feel about joining our team? Not full-time necessarily, but as an ally. Someone we can call when we need help, and who can call us when you need help."
She considered that. "You mean like a partnership?"
"Exactly. You'd maintain your connection to the X-Men, but also have a connection to us. Best of both worlds."
"Ah'd like that. But Marcus... there's something else Ah need to tell you."
"What's that?"
"Ah've been thinking about what you said. About how we're building something different from the X-Men or Avengers. Something that operates in grey areas, handles things heroes can't." She took a deep breath. "Ah want to be part of that. Really part of it. Not just an ally, but family. Like Felicia, Maya, Jessica, and Elektra."
My heart rate picked up. "Are you saying...?"
"Ah'm saying Ah want in. All the way. If you'll have me."
I pulled her close again. "Of course we will. Welcome to the family, Rogue."
---
That night, we officially welcomed Rogue into our family in the most intimate way possible.
All six of us gathered in the master bedroom—me, Felicia, Maya, Jessica, Elektra, and now Rogue. There was nervous energy in the air, excitement mixed with anticipation.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked Rogue. "There's no pressure. We can take it slow."
"Ah'm sure. For the first time in years, Ah can actually touch someone. Ah want to experience everything Ah've been missing."
Felicia moved to her first, taking Rogue's face gently in her hands. "Then let's show you what you've been missing."
She kissed Rogue softly, and I felt through our mental link Rogue's wonder and desire. To be kissed without fear, without gloves or barriers—it was overwhelming for her.
Maya joined them, her hands gentle on Rogue's body. Then Jessica. Then Elektra. All of us touching her, showing her she was safe, that she was wanted.
When I finally kissed her, Rogue was trembling with need.
"Please," she whispered. "Ah need... Ah need to feel everything."
We undressed her slowly, revealing her body inch by inch. She was beautiful—strong and curved, her skin unmarked by the scars that covered the rest of us.
I established the mental link carefully, connecting all six of us. Through it, Rogue could feel not just her own pleasure, but all of ours—a web of shared sensation that amplified everything.
"Oh my God," she gasped as the connection solidified. "Ah can feel... everyone..."
"That's right," I said, my hands exploring her body. "Every touch, every sensation, shared among all of us."
I made love to her slowly, carefully, letting her experience everything for the first time. Through our link, she felt my desire, my affection, my respect for her strength. And I felt her joy, her wonder, her overwhelming gratitude at finally being able to touch and be touched.
When she came, crying out in pleasure, all of us felt it through the link—her first orgasm experienced not alone, but shared with her new family.
Afterward, as we lay tangled together, Rogue cried again. But these were tears of joy.
"Thank you," she said to all of us. "For making me feel whole again."
"You were always whole," Felicia assured her. "We just helped you see it."
---
My team—my family—had grown. Six of us now, each bringing unique skills and perspectives. We were becoming something formidable, something that could actually make a difference.
But Emma's words still echoed in my mind. Cosmic threats are coming. Big ones.
We'd proven we could handle telepaths and technology. Now we needed to prepare for what came next.
"We've proven we can handle street-level threats and enhanced individuals," I said to the team during our debrief. "Now we need to prepare for cosmic threats. Aliens, entities, gods. The kind that make Kingpin look like a street thug."
"That's a tall order," Felicia pointed out.
"Good thing we like a challenge." I smiled. "Let's get to work."