Beyond Evolution

Getting Nate's psyche out of Rogue's body had not proved to be a simple thing. For months now, Madelyne had spent hours at a time with the girl down in the medlabs, simply sitting face to face with her, vitals and brain activity monitored by machines while Madelyne drew herself a better mental picture of what was going on inside that pretty little skull. She had theories. Rogue's powers were incredibly mysterious, and it had taken her a while to decipher what exactly she was even looking at when she attempted to observe. Some days, it was difficult to get past Rogue's own formidable psychic defenses, thanks to her borrowed powers. The process was frustrating, slow, headache-inducing, and deeply anxiety-provoking, especially on the days when Rachel hovered distrustfully close or Val watched from a corner, and Madelyne was more than aware that time was running out.

The effects of Nate's incredibly strong presence on Rogue's body were easy for her to sense at first, but at some point, it had begun to show on the monitors, and then to the naked eye. Exhaustion. Sallow skin, cracked lips, dark bruises underneath her eyes and the sharp angles of bones almost visible below the surface of her body. She listened to the other girl talk to the air and felt that psychic presence inside of Rogue stirring, and in turn, she felt the subtle connection within herself reach out as though trying to connect with her other half. Nate Grey needed to be freed.

Rogue's collapse had been a long time coming, but Madelyne was still not prepared when she got notice of Johnny's message on the journals. She could feel some of what was happening, and she clung to that telepathic connection to Nate as strongly as she could as she rushed around the medlabs, grabbing the monitors and electrodes that she would need to make sure that Rogue was still with them. As soon as the stable hand brought Rogue in and settled her on a bed, she ordered him away and got to work. Hooking the girl to the machines only took a moment with the help of her telekinesis, and she laid her two fingers against the pulsing vein at her throat even as she turned on the monitors. Thready, but there. Breathing shallowly. There was no telling when she'd come to, if she had enough strength to regain consciousness.

So Madelyne turned within herself. Reaching for that thread of a link that tied her to Rogue -- and by extension, the comatose body of Nate Grey himself lying only one bed over, wrapped up in wires and tubes to keep his shell alive through this experience -- Madelyne focused. If only she could find a way to pull Nate free without destroying them all...

[ Open to Rogue & Nate ]