Consciousness returned and with it came pain. Pain! Pain was good. Pain meant she was still alive.
Kara opened her eyes…slowly, squinting against the harsh overhead lights.
“Reed, she’s waking up.” Sue’s face swam into view, leaning over her, though creased with worry; she was trying hard to smile reassuringly. “Keep this up, honey, and we’re going to have to start charging you hospital fees.”
“What…” Kara stopped cleared her throat and started over. “What happened?”
“From what we can piece together,” Reed’s voice came from somewhere out of her line of sight. Sue pressed her back down when she started to rise. “Rogue had activated her absorption and you grabbed her hands.” His face appeared on her other side as he bent over her. “Johnny was on his way back to the HQ when he caught your final act.”
“The Juggernaut?”
“Gone. When you grabbed Rogue and headed up, you got away from him and fell some distance away. “ His face disappeared. “Now hush and try to get some rest while I run some test.” Kara let her eyes slide shut and then forced them open again.
“Rogue?”
“Right next to you.” Was Sue’s soft reply. “She’s still out. Now don’t worry. You just rest.” This last was said even as Kara slipped once again into unconsciousness.
“She back out.” Sue announced, straightening.
“Good.” Reed took the needle he had been holding and deftly inserted it into a vein, drawing blood. “Had I done this while she was awake she would have known something was wrong.” He placed a drop of blood on a slide and bent to his microscope. For a long moment he studied the sample and then, straightening, he did some quick mental calculations.
“Well, there’s some good news.” He turned to Sue. “Within two hours she should be restored. Her genetic make-up, under the influence of this sun is already working to restore her. In fact….” He stood and took another needle out and jabbed it at Kara’s arm. The tip of the needle entered and then stopped. The needle bent as Reed applied more pressure. “Her invulnerability is almost completely restored as it is.”
“And the bad news?” Sue asked, turning from Kara to the stretcher that held the writhing form of Rogue. Reed stood over Rogue and shook his head.
“All I have is a guess, at this point.” He said. “I have no idea how long they were connected. But I would have to say that Rogue absorbed Kara’s Kryptonian powers, her memories, everything. Including her restorative powers.”
“Then why isn’t she improving like Kara?”
“Because Rogue isn’t a Kryptonian.” Reed answered, his face bleak.
“Which means what?”
“That the restorative powers see that as a problem, and are working to correct it.”
“Oh my god.” Sue put her hand to her mouth. “But won’t the powers fade after a bit?” She tossed out as an after thought. Reed shook his head.
“Ordinarily, they would. But again the Kryptonian restorative powers are interfering. As the powers fade, the Restorative replenishes them.” He sighed and stepped back to the microscope. “The way I see it, there are three alternatives. “One, we find a way to nullify the Kryptonian powers with out endangering Rogue. Two, The Restorative completes its task and we end up with not one but two Supergirls. There is a third possibility….” He paused.
“Yes?” Sue prompted.
“Rogue dies.” Reed summed it up bluntly.
The Rebirth
“You knew she was going to do this?” Logan confronted Prof. Xavier outside the Fantastic Four headquarters.
“Yes.” The professor responded calmly. “She contacted me and informed me of her decision. I then talked with Reed Richards and Dr. Strange to get the details.” He raised an eyebrow towards Wolverine. “She is a grown woman, Logan. She has the right to choose. And she chose this as a possible way to lead a near normal life. Do you begrudge her that opportunity?”
“Hell no.” Logan grumbled. He then paced back and forth. “Damn foolish girl. “ He muttered. “Kara wouldn’t know any better, but Rogue should have known that she couldn’t take out the Juggernaut. Not alone.”
“So what has you upset is not Rogue’s decision to have her absorption powers place under her direct, voluntary control, but her confrontation later with the Juggernaut. “
“If she hadn’t been off with this Kara she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” Gambit put in his two cents worth. Xavier fixed him with a cold stare.
“I think, Gambit that you best be prepared. “ He said. “I am almost positive that, should she live through this, Rogue will be leaving the X-men.”
“What?” Logan snarled, turning back to the professor. “She can’t. You will have to stop her!”
“No.” Xavier shook his head. “In fact, I will probably encourage her. It is time for her to grow and I believe that, for a time, anyway, she would do that best on her own.’
“Or with Kara.” Gambit spat.
“Or with Kara.” Xavier agreed, nodding.
“Bah. Gambit be going back to the School.” He spun on his heel and stalked away. Xavier looked at Logan who was staring at Gambit’s retreating back, thoughtfully.
“Perhaps you are right, Prof.” he said, finally. He turned his eyes back to the FF HQ. “Perhaps you’re right.”
The Rebirth
“How are they doing?”
Xavier and Logan had joined Jennifer Walters, Jean Grey, and Scott Summers in the waiting room. Sue and Reed were still with Kara and Rogue.
“Kara is going to be okay.” Jenny answered Xavier’s question. She looked around the room. “I am really beginning to hate this room.”
“What about Rogue?” Logan growled in Jean’s direction.
“She’s still out.” Jean replied as she put a hand to her forehead. “She is dreaming, in a fashion. “ She shook her head. “It’s all jumbled, though. A mixture of her own memories and Kara’s.” She looked up at Xavier. “Though there is absolutely no trace of Carol Danvers.”
“I was afraid of that.” Xavier sighed. “I received a call before coming here. It seems that Carol’s problems with her fluctuating powers are over. It seems she has regained the powers she had as Miss Marvel.”
“Damn.” Scott swore. He shook his head. “Not that I wish Carol ill, but that means that Rogue has lost those abilities.”
“I am afraid so.”
“And I am afraid it is much worse than that.” All eyes turned to the door as Reed and Sue entered. Both looked extremely worried. Reed explained to them what he had explained to Sue.
“I was able to develop a method of nullifying the Kryptonian powers.” He concluded. “Yet I dare not use them.”
“Why not?” Logan growled, stepping forward.
“Because it is too late.” Sue answered for her husband.
“It was too late from the beginning.” Reed exclaimed, slamming a fist on the doorframe. “I developed a way to simulate the effects of a red sun on a Kryptonian. I tested it on Kara successfully. Yet when I tested it on Rogue, her vital signs began failing. She would have died had I continued. So I took a blood sample while she was under the influence since Kryptonians are not invulnerable under a red sun and then returned her to a normal setting. Her statistics instantly returned to the level they were before the test.” He stretched his hands out and snagged a couple of chairs, holding one for Sue while he positioned the other for himself.
“I studied the blood sample I had taken and was forced to conclude that we have no choice but to let things run their course. There’s nothing we can do but hope, and pray, for the best, at this point.”
“What did the blood sample show you?” Jenny questioned, her voice subdued.
“It showed me that Rogue is no longer fully a terrestrial human.” Reed sighed. “The Restorative powers she absorbed from Kara are changing her, correcting what it sees as damage. She is being changed into a Kryptonian.” Reed stood and turned away from everyone. “Damn Access for getting us involved in this.”
“Reed!” Sue exclaimed.
“Reed Richards, do not blame Access nor yourself for this.” Xavier cut in. “Access did what he thought best to right what he considered a wrong. You did what you thought was right. Were it not for you, that young woman in there would not be alive.”
“And Rogue would not be close to death.” Reed snapped back.
“And if you could see the result of all your actions for good, knowing that someday, some one might be inadvertently harmed, would you stop doing good?”
“No.” Reed shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t.” He smiled and shook his head, looking at Xavier. “Thank you professor. “ He started to say something else when Jean held up a hand.
“Rogue is waking up.” She exclaimed. “She is a bit disoriented but…” She looked around at the others. “There is no hint of Kara’s memories.”
The Rebirth
“Unnngh!” Rogue groaned, putting a hand to her head. Her head was splitting, yet, like Kara, she took the pain as a good sign. At least she was alive.
“Rogue.” It was Sue’s voice, soft and full of emotion. “How are you feeling?”
“Like Jubilee has been playing in my skull.” She rasped. Some one chuckled, nervously it seemed, and she started to open her eyes.
“No, Honey. Leave your eyes closed for a bit. Just lay there and relax.” The voice was not Sue’s.
“Jean?”
“I’m here, Rogue. So is the Professor, Scott, and Logan.”
“I’m here, too.” Rogue recognized Jenny’s voice. She felt a soft, reassuring touch on her shoulder.
“Rogue,” That was Reed Richards. “The headache is no surprise and should be fading soon. Other than that, how do you feel?” Rogue relaxed and gave that some thought.
“I feel fine.” She finally concluded. “A bit strange, though. As if I were floating.” She felt a light tap on her arm and then nothing. “What is it?” She demanded.
“Just hold on a moment.” Reed instructed, holding up the bent needle that he had just used to try to draw blood. “I am going to try something then I want you to tell me if that floating feeling goes away.”
Rogue lay still and waited. Faintly she heard a humming and, though her eyes were closed, she could see the light that filtered through change color. Instantly the floating feeling left.
“It’s gone. “ She said.
“And all vital signs are normal.” Reed declared. He took another needle and drew some blood.
“Ouch! Hey!” Rogue complained. “Warn me when….” Her voice trailed off. “You just drew blood.” She exclaimed. Her eyes flew open and she looked around at the people ringing her stretcher. “What’s going on?” She demanded. The entire room was bathed in a reddish light.
“Reed has artificially recreated the effects of a red sun on Kryptonians.” Everyone turned to see Kara sitting up on her stretcher, rubbing her eyes. She shakily got to her feet, leaning on a reluctant Logan.
“Kara?” Instantly memory returned. “Oh my god, Kara. You grabbed my hands!”
“Exactly.” Reed confirmed. He flipped a switch and the reddish light faded. Rogue felt the lightness return and felt the last of the headache fade. She watched in stunned silence as, using no gloves, he picked up her arm. Skin to skin. There was no absorption. In one hand he held a needle. “Remind me to get a new supply of these,” he said in an aside to Sue. The, to Rogue, “Watch.” He jabbed the needle down. Rogue stared as the needle turned and bent as it impacted with her skin.
“But you just drew blood!” She exclaimed. “I don’t understand.”
“But I do.” Kara announced. She looked over at Reed for confirmation as she explained. “He drew blood while you were under the influence of a red sun.” She waited until Reed nodded and then looked to Rogue. “Kryptonians loose their powers under a red sun.”
“But I’m not Kryptonian.” Rogue shook her head, clearly confused. Reed inserted a sample of the blood he had just drawn into the microscope and compared it to samples he had drawn earlier and to samples he had taken from Kara.
“Correction.” He said, straightening. “You WEREN’T Kryptonian. That is no longer true.” He turned back to the group and continued. “The process is complete. Had we gotten her under the red sun influence instantly, we might have been able to catch it in time. However, as it stands, the Restorative has changed her.” He paused for a moment, aware that he was dealing with people that would not understand the length scientific explanations. “Simply put, she is still Rogue, but she has physically been altered. She no longer has the mutant gene she was born with. I suppose the Restorative saw that as a defect and corrected it as it altered her very genetic makeup. “ He indicated the microscope. “According to that, the only difference between Rogue and Kara are those differences that are normal between two members of the same race, genetically speaking.” He looked over at a thoughtful Kara. She was floating a few inches above the floor, as if testing for herself that she still retained her powers.
She allowed herself to settle and stepped closer to Rogue, putting a hand on her arm and smiling.
“It’s not that bad.” She said, smiling. “Look at it this way. New clothes.”
Rogue looked at her as though she had suddenly gone mad and then, despite herself, began giggling.