Chapter 1: Unexpected Strategic Complications

The young girl looked older than she was. At five foot five inches, she was very tall for her age of eleven, but fit in as only average here at the Bayville High school football game. She was sitting down at the end of the field near a closed snack bar, looking for this 'destined event' that she had been sent to this place by her mother.

She was not even sure how she had been transported here, which was adding up to the fact that she may have been sent on a wild goose chase so that she could not interfere for her own safety. The fact that she had been given one of Zeus's lightning bolts, along with a few other Relics had her worried. She tapped the bracelet on her belt, wondering at it. It seemed unusual, but Hades and Poseidon had promise her that it would protect her.

It was the shouting under the bleachers that she barely heard over the roar of the students. Some of the jocks appeared to be beating up a spindly, ugly kid and another older teen had stepped in. While she was not adverse to interfering with the fight, it did not look... serious!

The bolt of red lightning knocked out one of the football player (that a part of her mind noted was the quarterback of the team) and then tore a furrow and hit the building right next to her. It shattered bricks, wiring and a propane tank. She felt blistering heat before chilling water sheathed her body for just a second.

And then she knew no more.

"I'm sorry, professor," Scott Summer said as he set his ruby-quartz gaze down towards the ground.

Professor Xavier accepted that. "You were just attempting to help, though you should always be mindful of your powers. Sadly, it looks like two of the students were injured. Duncan should pull through, thanks to his helmet, but there is a girl who was right next to the propane tank." He sighed at the delay in getting to the train station. "The sheriff now thinks that she might have been playing with fire there."

"Is there anything we can do?" Jean Gray asked.

"Not right now. I'll stay here a few minutes to nudge things to make people forget your involvement." Professor Xavier nudged a few thoughts, but for the most part and in their own minds, they thought it was just a juvenile prank.

Duncan was already confused and had lost his short-term memories of the event. The sheriff was suspicious for a bit and thought to call in the forensics team, but a not-so subtle nudge had him worry more about the fire and the injured. A cursory scan of Duncan's mind showed his injured brain, so he was loathe to mess with it.

His next scan took him to the blonde girl that had been found at nearly ground zero. Her mind was blank from a deep coma as the paramedics taped wounds closed on her head and back. He dared not mess with an injured person's mind.

With a sigh, he rolled up the window of his car. "Ororo, we should get to the train station. We are late for picking up our newest student." He would have to visit the girl later.

"Of course, sir." The white-haired African-American nodded as she put the car in drive.

Scott Summers had not been able to get the girl he had injured out of his head. He felt he had to at least apologize, even if he couldn't explain why he was sorry. So early that morning, he drove to the hospital in his small red and white sportscar. Walking into the main entrance, he looked around and then stood in front of the nearly empty nurse's station.

"Um, excuse me ma'am? I understand there was a girl brought here from that explosion at the Bayville Highschool game?" the brown-haired teen asked, his eyes hidden behind his ruby-red glasses.

"Our Jane Doe? Do you know her?" Nurse McGilligan asked eagerly.

Scott's mouth dropped open. "What? Um, no. I just saw her there and that she got hurt," he explained quickly.

"Ah, that's sad. Though the police do want to ask her some questions, but she unconscious right now. Though her wounds are healing very rapidly. It's a miracle," the nurse said, clasping her hand around her crucifix on a necklace.

"Oh, um, really? Well, do you mind if I make a phone call?" Scott asked inanely.

Thirty minutes later, Professor Xavier was rolled in by Ororo Monroe and Logan, all hurriedly dressed in business dress.

"Professor!" Scott called out as he walked over from the waiting area. "I've been hearing even more things since I called you."

"Oh? I take it our young Jane Doe is a bit different?" the bald man asked from his wheelchair.

"Yeah, you could say that. I guess they tried to draw some blood this morning, just in case. They broke the needle on her skin," he whispered excitedly. "Do you think she is a mutant?"

"Chuck, she's here," Logan called out. "Him, at the door." His nostrils were flared out, sniffing heavily.

"Ah, Mystique, how pleasant," Professor X called out from near the nurses station.

The blond haired man with a mustache frowned. "Charles. Your sources of information are very good. But once I've talked to her, I'm sure this girl will join our Brotherhood."

"I'm afraid neither of us are going to talk to her right now. She's currently unconscious in a coma," the bald telepath explained.

The stranger snarled. "Fine. Don't think this is over." He turned and stomped back out in a fit.

Xavier shook his head, even as Ororo looked down at him in curiousity. "What are you going to do, Professor?"

"I'm not sure quite yet," he admitted.

The double-swinging door that kept the waiting room partitioned off from the patients slammed open. A big black man turned back to another nurse. "I won't come back until that freak is gone, Judy."

"Rudy! Try to be reasonable. She injured and no one has filed a missing person's report for her," an older woman called out.

"I'll sue if you try to force me back to work around that thing. It can't be safe." With that, the nurse named Rudy turned and walked off.

In the waiting room, the family and some patients waiting for help started to talk.

"Judy Oliver? My name is Professor Xavier," the bald man said as he wheeled up. "I run the Xaviers Institute for Gifted Children. I would like to offer my assistance and perhaps help you with your problem."

The nursing administrator looked confused, but nodded carefully.

Blue-green eyes blinked open as she was slid carefully into a bed. "Uhn?" she mumbled.

"Professor Xavier, she's waking up," the red-head called as she finished using her telekinesis to slide the girl into the bed. "Hello, my name is Jean Gray."

"Hi?" she replied back in confusion as she took in the room.

"You've been injured, but you seem to be recovering. Do you need anything?" Jean asked as the professor and Ororo entered. "This is Professor Xavier and Mrs. Monroe, the faculty here at Xaviers Institute for the Gifted."

"Bathroom," the girl replied muzzily. She slipped out of the bed and let herself be guided to the bathroom.

Professor X watched them leave the room to go to the hall where the bathroom lay. "Remarkable. Only a few hours and already back on her feet. And her wounds have already started scarring over."

"She was very steady on her feet, too," the weather manipulator noted.

Jean guided her back a few minutes later. "It would probably be better for you to stay awake for a bit. So your name is Sheila?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed in shorts and a T-shirt the girl looked at them in confusion. "It is?"

"They said your memory might be confused for a while. So it is nothing to be worried about," Ororo explained in a soothing tone as she looked through some of the papers that Judy Oliver had written them up. "The nurse Judy Oliver said she would stop by and do a check up on her way home."

"Okay. My head hurts, if that helps," Sheila explained while examining everyone in the room.

"Are you up to taking these pain relievers? You were involved in an accident and sustained a head injury and some cuts on your back, but they are supposed to be healing well," Xaviers said with a warm smile. "The nurses were wondering how you got hurt if you are so tough. They could not even stitch you up."

"Huh?" she looked totally confused at the comment while dry swallowing the pain pills.

"Well, we can go over it later," Jean said to interrupt the girl getting upset.

All three of them left the girl to rest in bed, the drone of the TV keeping her awake and conscious.

"Nothing, professor?" Jean asked. "All I feel from her is some confusion." They were walking (or rolling in the professor's case) towards his office.

"No, whatever happened to hurt her scrambled her memories quite severely. She really didn't recognize that name as her own." He rolled behind his desk, leaning forward in thought. "We shall just have to see how she heals and I may contract a specialist if needed."

Other than an intruder that made a racket, it was a quiet few days. Sheila was actually able to get up and visit the bathroom after a few days, much to the delight of the staff and students. On the fifth day, she woke up feeling much better. The wounds on her back only bothered her a bit, but she actually felt good enough to go for a walk and to go clean up herself in the bathroom

"Why, hello!" a blue-furred boy said as he opened the door to the upstairs bathroom. "You were the girl that was hurt. I'm Kurt!"

"I'm... Sheila, I think. Accent?" she asked curiously.

"Ja! I am German," he said while point his thumb at his chest.

"Wunderbar! Ich kann meine die praxis aussprache anzuhören," she replied brightly.

"Ihnen sprechen deutsche? That is... AWESOME!" the teleporter declared. "You have a bad American accent though."

Scott Summers climbed up the stairs to see Kurt and the blonde-haired girl. "Uh, hi."

"Hello! I just found out I speak German," she said in a happy tone.

"That's really good, I suppose. Breakfast is served," he replied awkwardly.

Sheila smiled at Jean and Ororo at the table, then looked at the brutish looking Logan in confusion. "Hello."

"Sheila, huh? I heard you don't remember much," he asked gruffly.

She was busy chewing a forkful of pancakes. "Umhm."

Professor X rolled into the dining room. "Scott, it's time for you three to head to school. Sheila, how are you feeling?"

Scott led Kurt and Jean out, all of them waving goodbye as they walked to the garage.

"Still quite a bit of pain," she admitted. "But I'd like to get out and at least go for a walk. Then maybe find something to read."

"A lot of people would still be in bed with those sort of wounds," Ororo reminded her. "As it is, Judy actually thinks you will be recovered in a week or so."

"Great!" she said crabbily as her back ached. "I wish my powers had saved me from getting hurt before the accident."

That got a chuckle out of all three. "Why don't we go down to the Danger Room?" Professor X suggested. "We can use it in workout mode."

Sheila looked around the circular room. The flat metal floor looked uncomfortable.

Up in the central control room up above, Professor X manipulated the computerized controls to have a weight lifting bench appear. The lifting bar was attached to the ground with a hydraulic system. "I've noticed you seem a little stronger than normal. Let's see how much you can lift," he said over a speaker system.

With a shrug, the young girl sat on the bench and lifted the bar easily. Then she lifted it with one hand. "Yeah, I think you are right. Can we increase the weights?"

"Just keeping lifting and we'll slowly increase it," Ororo promised. "But do tell us if you feel any real pain."

Logan was studying the girl as she slowly did a set of reps with the slowly increasing weights. "She's got some athletic training," he noted.

"Interesting. So perhaps we could narrow our search to missing athletes?" the African-American woman asked.

"Five hundred pounds? That girl can't weigh one hundred pounds sopping weight," the Canadian said incredulously.

"She's not showing any strain yet," Professor X noted as he slowly increased it again.

At eight hundred pounds, Sheila stopped lifting. "I think that is getting close to hurting me," she admitted. "How did I do?"

"Great, kid. We'll have to do this again when you are feeling better," Logan called out. "How about jog around the track. Just don't push yourself too hard."

"Right!" she called back. She took off at a jog, building up her speed. She was soon running at a respectable rate.

"That's good, Sheila. We don't want you hurting yourself." Xavier noted that she was not quite at Olympic level of running. Of course, she was still injured. "How about a long jump?"

"Sure!" she replied as she bunched her leg muscles. With a mighty leap, she flung herself across the room in a single bound over fifty feet away. "Whoa! That was neat."

"Lots of things here aren't adding up, Chuck," Logan said with a disgruntled look on his craggy features.

"Sheila, I think it's time to stop. Did you hurt your back again?" Ororo called out across the overhead.

"A little, sorry."

"Logan, she is just a young woman that needs our help. We must do everything to find her family. After that, if she wants, she can stay here at the school," Xavier said to his old friend.

"I guess."

Sheila was reading a book in her bed two days later, very bored out of her mind. "Are you sure there isn't something I can do?"

"Not until you are fully healed," Jean said. Behind her and leaning up against a wall, Scott stood silently. She removed the bandage from Sheila's forehead. "That's barely a scar. I've heard that Logan is like that, but you are the first mutant I've seen do it."

"Any, uh, luck with your memory?" the teen boy asked. Guilt was still gnawing at his heart.

"No, sorry. I have been reading up on it. Everything I've read seems to think I should put myself in a familiar environment. I wonder if I could go to school like you. Staying here at the mansion is boring," she admitted.

"That's probably an excellent idea. I'll have Storm take you to Bayville High for a placement test, even if it is just for a little while," Professor X said at the doorway. "Let me make some calls."

The next morning, Sheila was nearly dancing in readiness. She was in some clothes that Jean had outgrown, but had added the the owl necklace and strange armband adorned with tridents and skulls that had a glass bulb in the center. "Come on, Scott! Kurt, we are going to be late!"

The drive to school was quick and the young blonde spent the morning taking tests.

Scott looked up as the door to his math class opened up. Sheila stuck her head in. "Hi. You are Mr. Thomasia, right?" she asked the old man.

"Yes?" he asked, not looking too thrilled.

"I just got admitted to class here a Bayville today," she said with a grin. She quickly took a seat, ready to stimulate her brain.

Ten minutes later, she wanted to scream her head off. This was... boring.

Todd Tolansky looked at the new girl that was talking to Scott Summers. "Hey, Scott," the slightly deformed boy called out.

"That smell is you?" the girl asked. "Did you fall in something?"

"Hey, it's a skin condition," he snapped back.

"Todd, how is it? Decided against breaking into the mansion?" the brown-haired boy.

"She staying at your place then?" Todd asked carefully. Mystique wanted some more information about the girl.

"Yes," she replied. "Oh, there's Jean and Kurt. Hungry again?" She directed this comment to the hologram-covered boy.

"Ja! I'm always so hungry," he said with a happy smile.

"What's your mutant stitch? Or is it just a hitch?" the Toad asked in his nasal way.

"Um, I'm strong, jump and I can't be hurt now. Though I'm not supposed to depend on it, in case it is something that turns itself off and back on."

"Well, you can't jump better than the Toad!" Todd boasted while pointing at himself with his thumb.

"Why not?"

That actually got Kurt laughing a lot. "That is so funny! Why don't ve go to the track and have you race?"

"We could use the Danger Room," Scott supplied helpfully.

"No way, yo. Not going into that freaking death trap, nope." Todd looked very upset. "Nearly getting killed by that place once was enough."

Five minutes later, they were at the football field, which also had a track racing track round it. Toad actually bounced along in thirty foot hops. Scott looked around, not seeing anyone so it was clear.

"All right," Jean called out. "Start!" She dropped her hand like a starter's flag.

Todd immediately leaped forward in three quick hops. "I'm going to win this!"

So he was quite surprised when Sheila leaped to land next to him in one hop. "Ribbit!" she cat-called.

"Hey, that's my thing you are being," Todd complained as he valiantly tried to keep up. Pushing himself, he was still slowly losing ground. In desperation, he lashed out with his tongue and tripped her heavily

"Oooph! Hey! You attacked me!" the girl said as she spat a couple pieces of gravel from the track.

"Hey yo, I'm going to win this!" Todd shouted as he continued on down the track.

With a growl, she pushed herself back up and then leaped forward, almost catching up with him.

"Dammit, got to slam it!" the boy shouted, pushing himself even harder.

They both leaped past Jean and the boys, so close that they really couldn't tell which was first.

"That was actually fun," Sheila said with a laugh. "Ribbit!"

Todd's mouth dropped as he realized that the other mutants were laughing with him, not at him. "Yo, that's still my thing!"

"Well, as much fun as it was, we really do have to get back to the Institute," Scott called out. "See you around, Todd?"

"Sure, man!"

As the kids departed, a woman stepped out of the shadows. She had almost interrupted them, but wanted to see what they were up to. Nothing but a small bit competition. The new girl was able to leap quite far, but it was not quite as natural of a movement, if that made sense. All strength, essentially.

"What are you up to, Xavier?" the dark-blue mutant asked.

Chapter 2: Instincts and Impulses

It had been a quiet few days. Sheila was starting to get a few flashes of coherent memory. She was able to confirm that her name was actually Sheila Henderson (like they had found sewn on her clothes) and small things like her mother's name, which was Athena. But progress had been slow. She could not remember her home, though she thought it was near Chicago.

Currently she was in a Danger Room session with Jean, Scott and Kurt.

"How does she make that look easy?" Jean Gray complained as she deflected some saws that had been flung at her.

'She' was Sheila, who had just taken it as a challenge to flip, spin and roll under or over the attacks at her instead of depending on her invulnerability. She was more than happy, as it really let her stretch and run fast.

"Look out, Nightcrawler!" Cyclops called out.

Jean Gray reacted instantly, pushing him right out of the way of a large cannon even as Sheila's speed double, allowing her to blur over there and try to grab him out of the way.

"Good reaction time," Wolverine called out from the control room. "Sheila, you really moved there. That was easily twice as fast as your top speed."

"She was already breaking Olympic records," Cyclops said as he blasted out with his optic shot, breaking another cannon.

"But ju you have advmit that zhe did not get any cool powers like teleporting," Nightcrawler called out as he ported behind an attacking cannon. "Or optic blasts or even telekenisis!"

Cyclops gave them a tight smile. "True, but even without something flashy, she is keeping up perfectly fine."

"I think I'm happy not being 'flashy'," she grumbled, giving lie to that fact. She would love to be able to do something cool and flashy.

"I would take being invulnerable. These Danger Room sessions always leave me bruised and sore," Jean complained as she blocked several mechanical arms from smacking her down.

Up in the control room, Professor X and Ororo entered from the elevator. "Logan, how goes it?"

"Not too bad. Elf nearly messed up, but his team mates were there for him," the short, muscular man said. "But I get the feeling that ain't why you are here."

"Yes, you are right. I need to talk to Sheila before they head off to school." Xavier looked uncommonly serious.

Logan picked up on that tone. "We're just about done anyways." He walked back to the control panel and hit the cancel switch. "X-Men, hit the showers. Sheila, the professor would like to talk to you before you head out to school."

She showed up at the professor's office. "Professor?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. Come in and sit down." The bald man looked up from his paperwork. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down your family in Illinois. Can you remember anything more that would help us?"

"I... think I was raised by Erwin and Lisa Henderson. I've got a younger brother named Anton. But they are my adopted parents?" Sheila sounded a bit confused.

"I thought you said your mother was named Athena," Xavier asked with a frown on his face. "I've checked the entire list of missing children for Illinois, Wisconsin and the surrounding states without coming across your picture."

"I think my mother had me raised by the Hendersons." Her forehead was beaded in sweat as she thought hard.

"Ah. Do you remember her last name?" He grabbed a pen.

"She doesn't have one. I don't know why I'm that positive of that fact, but I am." Her mind was confused as she realized that Athena had more names, but those were not last names, but names out of books. Mythological names.

But that should be impossible.

"Hmm. Well, as your temporary guardian, I received your placement exam paperwork. They think you should just get caught up this year in high school, but recommend that you be placed in pre-college classes. It seems you caught a few people's attention with your math and science scores." Professor Xavier smiled at that. "You other scores were very high, but you missed enough that you should definitely fit into a normal class."

She frowned at that, too. She must have really flubbed those tests. That... irked her a lot.

Scott, Kurt and Sheila were returning to the Institute after school without Jean, as she had been asked by the professor to help approach a new potential mutant in Illinois. It was as they were walking to the main building that they heard a bassy roar of a motorcycle taking off with a peal of burning rubber.

"Whoa! Iz that Wolverine?" Kurt asked as the masked mutant drove off like a maniac. He still had his hologram on.

"It was," Sheila confirmed.

"Well, you want to see where he was off to in such a rush?" the red-glasses wearing teen asked with a grin. He suddenly took off back to the garage where he headed to a rounded, red, open-top sportscar with white racing stripes over the hood and trunk.

"Not the X-Van?" Kurt asked pointing at the big, black and heavily armored vehicle.

Scott hopped into the driver's side and shook his head. "This is lower profile."

"Well, it is shorter at least," the blonde-haired girl said as she landed in the passenger side.

"Where will I sit?" the teleporting mutant asked.

Sheila gave him a grin. "You can sit on my lap. It's not like you can hurt me, you know!"

The red coupe spun out, heading into town and following the motorcycle into town.

"He went left on Parker Street," Sheila said helpfully about ten minutes later.

"Thanks," Scott replied as he followed.

"We lost him," Kut complained as he shifted uncomfortably. The girl's lap was uncomfortable.

Sheila was listening as she looked around. She closed her eyes for a long second as she heard a motorcycle cut off. "He went into that parking garage."

Scott's eyes widened at that as he looked at his passenger through ruby-quartz in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"The motorcycle's engine is echoing around in there. We could probably just wait down here," she noted as the coupe was pulled into a street parking spot.

"Ooh! Escape from discomfort!" Kurt exclaimed as he hopped off her lap and rubbed his buttocks. He started walking up and down the sidewalk.

The older male teen just chuckled at the teleporter's antics. So he was quite surprised when Sheila suddenly pushed him hard, sending him skidding onto the ground.

With a crash, Logan's motorcycle landed on the sports coupe... and Sheila!

"Hey!" she yelled out as she lifted the motorcycle off her head. "That could have killed someone." The only sign of injury was her ripped sleeve on her T-shirt.

"Um, nice save there, Sheila. But it's showtime," Scott said as he slipped on his visor and half-hood.

Just a minute later, the three of them made it to the grudge fight between the shorter Wolverine and another animalistic mutant wearing a trenchcoat. The bigger mutant had Wolverine pinned to a concrete support pillar with a sedan.

Cyclops blasted Sabertooth away, bouncing him off a van to free Wolverine. "The X-Men got your back, Wolverine! Nightcrawler! Aegis! Go!"

Sheila, know known as Aegis in her black and white outfit, charged right behind the teleporter, who had bounced off the huge mutant's chest. "Hey, who put the wall there!" the blue-furred mutant complained lamely.

"Kya!" Aegis shouted as she put her full force into a punch into stomach. It felt like hitting a tree.

"A little spitfire, ain't ya?" the blond giant asked as he slashed out, missing the lithe girl.

Wolverine was pissed as hell by the three kids interfering with his man to man fight and decided to take it out on Sabertooth. "Rawhr!" he screamed as he tackled him.

They slid across the concrete ground of the parking garage and into an elevator. Wolverine extended his claws with two metal shings, but was kicked back out of the elevator before he could chop up Sabertooth. The elevator dinged and started to go down.

In a near frenzy, Wolverine started slicing up the door. "Sabertooth!" he yelled down the elevator shaft.

"This is just the beginning taste of our feud," Sabertooth shouted back.

"Coming through!" Aegis called out she dived down the shaft.

Sabertooth was just exiting the elevator when the blonde girl smashed right through the access hatch of the elevator roof. "Going somewhere?"

"You are gutsy," the huge mutant admitted. "But you should have let me pull back. This fight is between the runt and I." His clawed hand snatched out very fast, grabbing her by the neck. "Now its going to cost you."

"Um, nope." She kicked both feet into his stomach, hard. "I'm called Aegis for a reason. They haven't figured out something that can hurt me."

Sabertooth tried to squeeze her neck harder to get a reaction and all she did was kick his face, knocking a tooth loose.

That was when a bolt of red energy smashed into him again even as Wolverine threw himself at the much larger man "This is my fight, kids. Stay out."

"Good job teleporting us, Nightcrawler," Cyclops called out, even as they both ducked their female teammate that got tossed at them and through a concrete wall.

"Man that's tough on my outfit," Aegis complained as she pushed a large piece of concrete off of her and then leaped back to her feet. "Guess we'll watch them?"

"Whvat?" Nightcrawler asked.

"No, she's right. We'll back him up if it gets too hairy, but its his fight," the brown-haired teen concurred, narrowing his eyes behind his visors.

They watched the fight for another five minutes as they ripped into each other with the ferocity of wild animals before they heard police sirens in the distance.

"Next time, runt. And don't bring your cubs," the bigger mutant said even as his mutant healing factor cured the brusing and cuts on his face.

"I'll send you packing next time, too," Wolverine promised through the ruins of his mask.

The shorter mutant walked over. "At least you had the good sense to leave the fight mostly to me. But listen closely, brats. I don't fight your fights, you don't fight mine. Got it?"

"Aye aye, Kapitän!" Nightcrawler said with a jaunty salute.

"Nightcrawler, you probably better teleport Cyclops out of here before the police arrive. I'll just do a roof-run," Aegis said with a grin.

"What about him?" the blue mutant asked, pointing his large thumb at Wolverine.

"If he wants help, I'm sure he'll ask. But I get the feeling he can handle this situation on his own," the older teen said to the newer members of the X-Men.

"You got that right, kids. Now get out of here," the surly Canadian grumbled. He turned and slunk off into a shadow.

With a bamph of sulpher, Nightcrawler and Cyclops disappeared on their way back to the mansion in several long hops. The last member of the X-Men took off at a sprint, running to the roof of the parking garage and ten leaping over seventy-five feet to the next building.

The police, when they arrived were a bit dumbfounded about the utter carnage that they found and the reports of savage animals attacking each other.

"Whoa, you are blue!" Kitty Pride exclaimed in a preppy tone.

"Ja, I am!" Kurt said, hiding his hurt feeling behind a go lucky facade.

"That's pretty cool, actually," the new girl said with a warm smile. "Do you have a power, too?"

With that, he poofed up to the top of a chandelier near the ceiling of the main entrance. "I can teleport!"

"So we always ask Kurt to dust that?" Sheila asked Scott.

"Sounds like a good idea," he replied with a grin.

"Hey!"

"What about you two? I know Jean can do the telekinesis thing and the mind-reading thing," the shortest girl asked of them.

"I have an uncontrolled mutation of concussion blasts from my eyes," Scott explained. "Hence the shades."

"And you? Other than being skinny enough for the both of us," Kitty asked.

"A lot of physical bonuses. Strong, fast, invulnerable-" she started to explain.

"Oh, please oh please don't say you have heat vision and flight. That would be way to close to that comic book character from that DC company." Kitty had a wide smile on her face as she almost laughed aloud.

Ororo, Jean and Xavier were watching the new students interact.

"Um, I don't think I have heat vision." She glared at the window, trying to will any powers into functioning. So she was quite surprised when the light changed and she could suddenly see the patterns of heat overlaying things. "Whoa. I do have heat vision. That's a really funky way of seeing things."

"But you didn't melt anything," Kitty said in confusion.

"Oh, I thought you meant see heat. Like thermal imaging. Oh, hey! Ultraviolet light." She focused on her hearing. "Ultrasonic hearing, too."

"Professor?" Ororo asked curiously. "Sheila is definitely an above-average mutant with all of these powers."

"Perhaps. They might still just be a matter of magnifying her body's potential. A very interesting expansion of one ability, much like Logan's enhanced senses," the bald man said as he leaned forward a bit in his wheelchair.

"I hadn't thought of that," Jean admitted carefully. "So like my telepathic and telekinetic abilities."

"Hey, you might be precognitive and able to pick up psychic impressions from objects; psychometry. And your telepathy really includes empathy, too," Sheila noted as she went over options. "You may also be able to start fires or make things cold through molecular motion. Pyrokinesis and cryokinesis."

"Hmm. I had not even thought of that. We might be limiting your abilities by not even attempting these other skills," the professor noted aloud.

"Oh, great. Now I'm going to be doing extra tests," Jean said in muted horror.

Later, in fact, Jean would discover she did have very minor talents in pyrokinesis and psychometry.

"Hey, Todd!" Sheila called out. Everyone around the front entrance of Bayville High School gave her an odd look, as the hunch-backed mutant was most definitely an outcast for the most part.

He looked a bit surprised but slunk over. "What?" he complained.

"Your back bothering you?" she asked curiously even as she held out a shopping bag.

"It's not too bad," he admitted. "Just can't stand straight. What's this?"

"Special supplies for helping you with your physiology. I talked to a nurse and then Professor Xavier to look at some medically suggested help." She gave him a winning smile. "Just a little help and you'll be beating off the girls with a stick," Sheila said while sticking her tongue out at him with a laugh. "I wrote down some instructions for why you would use them, just in case I made a mistake."

"Why are you helping me?" he asked suspiciously, his yellow eyes glaring at her in a beady, dark manner.

"It's not a huge deal. I just asked some questions and then had the professor order some things. No one likes being shunned," she noted as she shrugged. "It may not even work."

"Um, sure. Why not," the stooped-over mutant muttered. "Uh, thanks." With that he hopped off with his bag of skin care products.

Sheila followed him into the building sedately, feeling a bit of satisfaction at her success. She stopped off at her locker to drop off some of her books. Not because they were heavy, but because the other girls had given her an odd look at carrying them all around.

"Oh, it's beanpole. She probably hasn't even been asked out," Wendy called out snidely from about four lockers away.

"I'm elev- eleven?" Blue-green eyes blinked at that. "I am eleven years old, you know. So I've still got some growing to do."

Wendy frowned, her pale face blotching up in anger that highlighted her freckles. She fluffed her dark-brown hair over her shoulder. "You are way too tall to be eleven. Though its a good excuse. You wouldn't be in high school if you were so young."

Sheila had her eyes closed as she held her head down, thinking furiously. "A-actually... I think I remember graduating high school. I've been taking college classes for over six months."

"What are you, some kind of genius?" Jennifer Secruz said snidely, backing up her friend.

"Yes. Even before... yes. I had an I.Q. over two hundred." Sheila was finally remembering, things starting to fall into place. Being raised by her adopted parents, tutors and graduating high school at ten years old. She kept her eyes closed as she kept remembering. "I need to talk to my guardian. I'm remembering everything."

"Gifted, huh? Must mean touched in the head," Wendy said with a cruel laugh. With that, the clique of girls headed off.

A she walked along in daze, she spotted a pair of red sunglasses. "Scott! Scott!" she called out, moving over with her supernatural grace, weaving between the students with an absolute surety of ability. "I just had a breakthrough. I'm remembering a lot more."

"That's great," he said with a true smile. He was still feeling a bit of guilt over her injury.

"I-" Sheila stopped for a second. "I need to talk to Professor Xavier. It's really important."

"It can't wait until after school?" he asked in surprise. The first bell suddenly range.

"No, I don't think it can. I may not even be able to stay at the Institute. I'll see you later." She turned and headed to the main office.

Walking into the school office, she stood in line with a family and the two students in front of her. After five minutes she was at the front of the line.

"Can I help you?" the secretary asked, giving a winning smile on her handsome features. He looked like he should be in a commercial for teeth products.

"Yes, I need to check out to see my guardian. You know I was injured and have some problems with my memory?" She continued after he nodded. "Well, I'm remembering a lot more and its important that I talk to him."

"Do you need to call him for a pickup?" he asked carefully.

"I probably should, but I may just walk back to the Institute," Sheila explained. She walked over a phone at the end of the counter and called the professor. She was not looking forward to this conversation.

'Come to my office,' Proffesor Xavier called out telepathically.

She nodded to acknowledge his request and opened the front door. She dropped her backpack on a couch and then walked to the professors office. It looked like he and Ororo were going over some paperwork. "Hello, professor. Miss Monroe. I, ah, had a breakthrough in my memory. I'm actually remembering everything now. Just like I normally would with my eidetic memory."

"Eidetic? Ah, the injury had scrambled your memories a bit. Now you are better? That's wonderful news. We should contact your parents immediately," he said with a smile.

"That's a great idea, just a little hard in implementation. I was sent here by my natural mother to this alternate reality for some reason. I don't even know how to get back." In fact, her mother had told her she would come for her. Or send Hermes to summon her home.

"That's rather unbelievable," Ororo said in a confused tone. "You aren't from our reality? That's something out of science fiction."

"So are mutants," Sheila replied a bit tartly. She laughed nervously. "Sorry, where I come from, mutants are just people with a few strange physical deformities. Like six fingers on their hands. Not super-powers."

"Yet you have powers. Even ignoring your invulnerability, you are physically above even top athletes," Xavier said.

"Um, that's hard to explain," she said sitting down in a seat across from the desk. "I get my super-powers, as we've called them, from my mother. But she's not exactly human."

"She's not human?" Xavier asked in a quite surprised tone.

"Well, she was all cryptic and such, but on my Earth... it isn't science and mutations, but gods and monsters." At their dubious expression, she looked uncertain. "I've actually fought against a Japanese demon; an Oni. He nearly flattened me with his club. And had to run away from a werewolf. The zombies really sucked."

"Do you have any proof of this?" Xavier asked, wondering if they had shattered the poor girls mind. Though the mystic was not totally unknown, he had always ascribed himself to it being just an unknown branch of physics they had not figured out yet.

"I think so. I have certain items that have powers. Like my amulet allows me to use healing powers." She reached into into somewhere else and pulled out a large pistol, silver and enscribed with words of power in ancient Greek. With a bit of effort, she then made it disappear. "I will have to think over why I'm invulnerable. That's actually a new thing."

"Who is your mother?" Ororo finally asked.

"Athena, goddess of wisdom and just war," she replied immediately. "And no, I don't know how that works with her being a virgin goddess. She didn't bother to explain that and I didn't think to ask the two times I've met her." She saw their skeptic looks and swallowed. "If you want, Professor Xavier, you can read my mind."

"I think that would be best. Try to relax and not think of anything in particular," the powerful telepath said in a calming voice.

Sheila closed her eyes and then brought herself to a meditative level when she felt the professor slip into her mind. Between one moment and another, she went from sitting in a chair to standing in a dark forest as the wind howled and rain splattered around. Next to her stood Professor X, who took in the scene.

"Ah, my fight with the zombies. They came from that way," the girl said, pointing deeper into the woods. She quickly pulled her pistol out.

"You are aware of my presence. That's quite interesting," Xavier said in bemusement.

"This might require a bit of adjustment, Professor, but most of my 'powers' are actually mental in nature. I'm athletic, but compared to some of my companions... I'm kind of a wimp."

The first zombies shambled out of the dusk, even as Sheila started shooting rapidly while keeping her distance. The pistol seemed to be inflicting damage far above what its caliber would suggest.

Then suddenly the scene change and the young girl was forced to dive out of the landrover as the nine foot tall monster swung his iron club at her, smashing the car into wreckage under the blazing sun of the Sahara desert. Then a tall, unknown teen, over six feet, grabbed the land rover and shattered it over the monster that looked exactly like a mythical Japanese Oni.

Sheila was snapping shots off as quickly as she could with her pistol, sending sprays of purple blood as the demon screamed invectives in ancient Japanese.

Then the scene blinked and she was suddenly inside a creepy house, full of cobwebs and soft moonlight. "Uh oh."

A girl stepped out of the shadows. "You are all alone." Her blood-red hair stuck out against her stark black leather outfit. "No silver and the Moon is rising."

"I never did find out why you worked for the Titans. Murdering people and reveling in the power of your 'monster' form," Sheila said to the mental apparition.

Her face started to shift and stretch as her eyes burned golden-brown. The werewolf started to snarl as her teeth grew longer and fur sprouted all over her body. With a suddenness that was shocking, the monster charged at her.

With a flick of change, they were all back in the real world as Sheila threw herself out of the chair and through a plaster wall with a smash and a cloud of dust. "YAAAAAAH!"

Ororo jumped up from her own seat at the sudden action and was following through the hole in the wall with remarkable speed. "Are you all right?

"Oh, sorry about that. The trip through my memories was a little startling. As a plus, my invulnerability is still working fine," she replied with wide eyes what were looking around carefully for the werewolf.

"Those were some amazing memories," Xavier said as he exited his office... through the door and in his wheelchair. "You do seem quite convinced of your story and it does explain some of your abilities."

Sheila brushed the dust and plaster out of her hair as she hopped to her feet. "So, um, I'm all good if you don't want me here. Since I'm not actually a mutant and all."

The white-haired mutant gasped at that. "What?"

"While you are not a mutant, you are a bit stranded and lost. Let's get you cleaned up and back to school," the professor said with a smile.

"Do I have to? I've already graduated high school and I was working on my university degree," she complained.

"Ah, that's right." Professor Xavier blinked. "University? What were you majoring in?"

"Internal Medicine, Mechanical Engineering, History with a couple of subs in Poly-Science and History," she explained happily.

"But aren't you a bit young for college? There is the socialization aspect that has to be taken into consideration," Xavier said as he led them to Ororo's office.

"Ah, about that? I'm actually younger than you think." She laughed a bit nervously. "I'm, um, only eleven, almost twelve. Please don't send me to middle school."

"You were in college at eleven?" Ororo asked carefully with a bit of surprise.

"Heck, that was before I was visited and got super-intelligence." Sheila gave them a shrug. "Though I will admit that I noticed my increased strength first when I broke the door to my bedroom."

"Hmm. What would you rate your intelligence at on the I.Q. scale?" Xavier asked as he leaned forward to put his elbows on the desk.

"It really doesn't work right. I'd have to have a tougher test made."

"Well, maybe I can look into it. I'd still suggest that you stay at Bayville High right now."

Sheila just groaned at his pronouncement.

Chapter 3: The Rogue

The ninja was sneaking out of a ventilation shaft when he ended up being confronted by Storm in her full combat outfit. "Impressive, you got past the automated defenses by using the air vents," she said stepped out of the shadows in the attic.

The ninja leaped back up in the air vents and Storm had to up her power and control, swirling a typhoon through a vent to flush the muscular ninja down into the Danger Room. Storm followed him down, but took over the control room. A blast of freezing rain did not do much more than inconvience him.

The ninja revealed himself to be Wolverine, using his claws to destroy two of the Danger Room's test weapons with pinpoint precisions.

"I think that's enough. After all, we don't need to break the entire Danger Room," Charles Xavier called out from the back of the control room.

"You were the one that wanted the demo," Wolverine remined.

"Demo? As in demolition or as in demonstration?" Scott Summers asked.

"Are you done messing with the weather?" Sheila asked Storm. "I can feel you still moving the winds around."

"Yes, I'm restoring the weather to its proper place. If I do not, I can cause inadvertent flooding or storms," she admitted while evincing a little curiosity. "I'm surprised you can tell."

"It's a bit of something that I get from my grandfather. My mother is the only one he allows to use his lightning bolts," Sheila explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What do you mean, Sheila?" Jean asked in confusion. Kurt was behind her, hanging from a pipe in the ceiling while the newest girl Kitty Pride looked on with a bit of pout.

"Well, my grandfather is known for throwing lightning bolts. He did pass that down to my mother, in a complicated way. I'm not that good at it, but I can get a sense for weather at times. Miss Monroe can really scramble that sense though," Sheila explained.

"Let's add some poison gas here, maybe some electrical contacts to zap intruders," Logan was saying as he messed with the computers as it showed him bypassing the defenses.

"Logan," Ororo said in a warning tone as her attention was brought back to him.

"Oh, all right. We'll use knock-out gas," he continued in a huff.

"Yeah, because that will only have a chance of sending them into a coma," Sheila groused at him.

Kitty suddenly stood up, startling them all. "Doesn't all this freak you guys out?" Looking between them, she realized it really did not. "I guess not."

"It is odd, isn't it? And I didn't even wonder why this place has a security system that out-shines banks..." The taller girl frowned at that and then looked at the two adults. "Why do we need such an extreme security system?"

Logan and Ororo shared a concerned look, as they had not discussed the X-Men's enemies before.

That was when Professor Xavier rolled into the control room. "X-Men, assemble immediately for an urgent mission!" He looked quite serious.

"What's going on, professor?" Scott asked, suddenly all business.

"Cerebro has picked up a new mutant in Mississippi. It appears her mutant power may be out of control. A rogue mutant!"

"And then I vill level off at ten thousand feet," Kurt is saying as he pilots the SR-77 Blackbird.

"Very good, Kurt!" Cyclops tells him from the co-pilot's seat. "We'll make a pilot of you yet."

Aegis was sitting in the back with Shadowcat. "The engines on this plane must be super-efficient," Sheila muttered as she took in the spacious cabin area.

"What do you mean, Sheila?" the older, if shorter, girl asked.

"The SR-71 was a reconnaissance plane that was mostly fuel tank. I think this plane is really, really advanced. I didn't think you could do that and go so fast still." Faster, stealthier and a far larger payload. It was like something out of a science-fiction novel.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that. That's really cool, actually." The brunette scrunched up her face at Nighcrawler's antics up front. "Please tell me you are taking piloting lessons too?"

"I'm not even old enough for a learner's permit. Professor X isn't letting me learn, even if I am more mature than Kurt," the younger girl complained.

"How old are you?" Shadowcat asked in confusion.

"Um, almost twelve." Sheila winced at the stunned expression.

That was when Nightcrawler reappeared back inside the jet after an impromptu flying lesson. Only Aegis's quick reaction saved him from running into her. "Kurt! Just because I'm invulnerable doesn't mean you should smash into me!"

"Ah, sorry! I really didn't mean to," he apologized.

"Just stay away from us!" Kitty shouted as she stood up and then walked to the front of the plane.

"Be a bit more carefully, Kurt. You could have killed yourself teleporting outside like that," Sheila said as she settled back down.

They were on the streets of Jackson, on the trail of the rogue mutant. They were just coming down the street of a rural neighborhood with the guidance of Professor X when they saw two women talking. The younger was wearing all green and pulled away from the older woman who was wearing sunglasses and carrying cane for the blind. The old woman tried to hold on, but only kept a glove.

"There she is," Wolverine rumbled out.

"They are here!" the girl shouted in fear at the sight of the orange and black wearing mutant. "Run, Irene! Run!" And with that, she took off with her own advice.

"Wow, she's freaking out a lot. She seems terrified of you, Wolverine," Nightcrawler called out at he, Shadowcat, Wolverine and Aegis followed. "Why don't let me approach her instead."

"I suggest you put your best face forward, Elf," Logan said while suppressing a snarl.

"Good idea," Sheila interjected carefully. "But why don't you let me do the first contact. One, I'm a girl and two, I don't have to worry about an image inducer. Let's not tempt Murphy."

"She's right," Shadowcat said with a nod. "I'll follow along." And prove that she was just as useful as either of the younger mutants!

"Good point. Go for it, fräulein," the blue-furred mutant said with a thumb's up.

"Ja, Herr Wagner!" she called out, zipping forward far faster than the other mutants, leaping over a low house.

"She still has a horrible American accent," Nightcrawler complained.

Aegis landed about ten feet away from the girl in green who was huffing and puffing away as she leaned foward with her hands on her knees, her striped-hair hanging in her face. "Hello, I mean you no harm." She held up her hands and smiled. "I'm Sheila. But I'm supposed to go by Aegis when I'm in costume."

"Hu huf," Rogue gasped out. "You aren't going to attack me?"

"Why would I do that? I'm here to help you. But that will work better if you calm down a little bit," the blonde said as she sat down.

"You are wearing a weird outfit like that guy that attacked me earlier. And you were with him," the distressed girl almost shouted.

"Him? The blue one or the older guy in orange and black? And when did he attack you?" Sheila asked in confusion. "I know he's grumpy all the time, but he's not really mean."

"He attacked me just twenty minute ago-!" the striped-haired girl started to exclaim as she stood up angrily when Shadowcat charged in by phasing through a fence.

"I've got her!" the smaller girl called out, tackling Rogue to the ground.

Rogue suddenly had a flash of memory, knowing instantly how to counter this with a wrestling move of Cody's. With a twist and a roll, she flipped Shadowcat across the ground none too gently.

"Shadowcat!" Sheila hissed. "We were talking it out!" Oh well, time to clamp her down physically. "Please calm down. I really don't-" Aegis had been planning on using her superior strength, but the rogue mutant's bare left hand slapped into her invulnerable face because Sheila had been totally unworried about the move. "W-Wha-!"

They struggled, Aegis getting weaker by the second while Rogue became stronger. With an adrenaline surge, Rogue suddenly flung the unconscious blonde through a fence and into a parked car.

"What's going on?" Rogue cried out. "Have to get away. Run away... fast!" And suddenly the green-garbed took off in a sprint, as fast as Sheila ever had and leaped over a short, one story house. She was ducking through traffic and suddenly realized she was passing the cars fairly easily on the main road. An unbidden smile crept up on her face. "Wahooo!" she shouted, running even faster much to the consternation of the drivers of the cars she was passing.

Shadowcat rolled over. "That wasn't smart, Kitty," she grumbled. Looking around, she did not see anyone. She stood up, spotting the damaged fence. "Sheila?"

That was when Nightcrawler appeared in a puff of sulfurous smoke. "Vhat happened?" he asked.

"I did, unfortunately. I think Sheila was calming her and then I jumped in and tackled her. To like show I could be useful," she babbled as she scrambled over to the broken fence. "Uh, oh. Mr. Wolverine! I think Sheila is hurt!"

"How the hell did Miss Invulnerable get hurt?" he growled as he ran up. Seeing the crumpled form laying half in the windshield, he frowned. "No blood. In fact..." He suddenly extended a single blade and swung a light cut. "Not even a scratch. She's still invulnerable, but unconscious."

"Maybe it is some sort of mental attack? Ja, that would make sense," Nightcrawler said, slapping his fist in the palm of his other hand.

"Chuck, we got a problem," Wolverine thought loudly.

Rogue stopped about fifteen minutes later in a park. She looked around, a bit confused. "Where am ah?" she asked in confusion. It only took her a moment to retrace her run mentally. "I crossed the Pearl River? Well, ah bet they can't track me down that fast."

She frowned as she sat on the grass under the moonlit night, going over her memories. "Something ain't ahdding up. Wolverine was with the me that is Sheila and had been for the last three hours. So how come ah remember him attacking me. And mah Sheila memories say that Wolverine wouldn't act like that."

She suddenly slapped her fist into her palm. "Ah got it. Someone is framing him. Ah guess that answers the of why the Institute has such extreme security. The X-Men have some enemies. But how do ah figure into this? At least ah got this super-intelligence to help figure it out." She reached for her pocket communicator before realizing that was something Sheila had, not herself. "Ah got to figure out a way to protect mahself. Wait, Professor X is a telepath. Ah can think out to him." 'Professor? Can you hear me?'

The telepath was quite startled by the clear mental voice that was a near match for Sheila. 'Aegis? Are you all right?' he mentally asked.

'This ain't Sheila, just us using her super-brain,' Rogue thought back. 'Ah figured out someone is trying to frame you guys. Unless Wolverine suddenly has the power to be in multiple places?'

At least she was talking. 'No, he does not. That must mean Mystique is about. She's a shapeshifter. Are you aware that you are sending people into comas?'

'Ah am? Is Cody going to be all right?' she asked in concern as she suddenly worried about the boy.

'It appears he is recovering now that you have mentally knocked out Aegis,' he sent back. 'Your powers are out of control and I would like to help you.'

'Ah don't know. Irene said ah shouldn't trust you X-Men, but mah memories from Sheila have showed how you helped Kurt and her.'

'Of course. That is one of the major reasons I formed my institute, to help mutants better themselves with their powers.' The professor smiled as the van drove to pick up his X-Men.

That was when Storm stepped out of the shadows under some trees. "There you are. You are really causing a problem," the African-America snapped out angrily. "You are coming with us. Or else!"

Rogue looked confused. "This ain't lahk you, Storm." Then it suddenly dawned on her. 'Professor? You still there? Where is Storm?'

'She's with me. Which means if you see her, then you are looking at Mystique.' He looked over at the real Storm, getting a quick true sense for her mind to make sure that she had not switched places here.

"Ah think ah don't like my mind being messed with," the girl wearing green angrily as she charged forward in an almost blur.

The fake storm had just a moment to realize her disguise had been seen through when the punch connected to her jaw with more than human force, sending her to skid into the mud. "How?" she said in confusion.

"Why are you pretending to attack me as X-Men?" the girl demanded. "Ah know you ain't the real Storm... your voice ain't quahte rahght."

"You are confused and the X-Men are going to take you down," Mystique tried to bluff.

"What did you have for supper, Storm? Ah bet you can't tell me, because you ain't her," Rogue demanded as she kicked out, slamming a kick onto the ground where the fake Storm's head had been. Rogue then narrowed her eyes as she charged forward, grabbing the shape-shifter by the neck... and with skin touching. She felt Mystique's memories flooding her even as she felt her power bleeding off the previous, stolen memories and enhanced intelligence. She suddenly felt very stupid in comparison.

Mystique collapsed back in to her real form with a groan as Rogue gained her powers and memories.

"Ah was being used. All ah I'm to her is a pawn. Irene, ah trusted you," the girl realized as she got the memories of the two's earlier conversation. She had no idea who to trust for sure.

"This was where I sensed your mind, Aegis," Xavier said as the van drove to the edge of the park across the Pearl River. "But that faded as you woke up."

"I don't see her, professor," Cyclops called out, looking around the dark park next to a stream.

"Wolverine?" Storm asked her team mate.

"On it," he grumbled as he hopped out of the van. Sheila was right behind him, scanning around with her enhanced vision. She settled on something similar to 'low-light' vision and looked around. "Over there." She took off at a run the half mile where Rogue was at the edge of the trees and a stream. "Hello," she called out to the green-wearing girl. "You know, I just noticed you really like green."

Rogue snorted in laughter. "Hi, Sheila. Mystique is going to be out for a bit. She was trying to trick me. Ah don't like that, so ah'm willing to go with you to hear what Professor Xaiver offers. But that's only 'cause ah know he won't force me to stay."

"Sounds good," the blonde replied. "So what does your powers do other than knock people out by touch?"

That was when Nightcrawler popped in behind Rogue.

"Uh, ah can absorb people's powers and minds. Ah loved being able to run like you do. Are you really able to see all that all the tahme?" Rogue asked. "And are you really the daughter of Athena?"

"Ah... yeah. That's pretty much me." Sheila was blinking as she realized what Rogue was saying and who was hearing it. "How does that even work beyond 'it's magic'?"

The van drove up with Scott in the driver's seat as Wolverine ran up. "Is everyone all right?"

"I think we are all fine, now," Sheila said as she looked over to Rogue who nodded.

"Ah don't wanna be here any more. Can we leave before Mystique wakes up?" the Southern Belle asked impatiently.

"Will she recover?" Xavier asked from the back of the van.

"That kid Cody did and so did I. I don't even really feel weak, so I think her drain is just temporary," Sheila posited aloud.

Everyone piled in for the drive to the airport.

"Um, Sheila, I'm really sorry. I just wanted to prove that I'm not useless," Kitty blurted out in the cramped van.

"I know. Just try not to let it happen again. I'm sure we'll get lots of practice in the Danger Room," the youngest girl said with a grin.

"How come ah'm a little worried about this Danger Room?" Rogue asked with a little worry. She actually knew a little bit, as not all of Sheila's memories had faded.

Jean answered with adroitness, "Because you must have good instincts."

That got a bunch of laughter out of everyone.

"Thanks for letting me stay in yer room," Rogue said the next day.

"Well, supposedly the Institute is going to get busy soon, so we are going to have to double up on rooms," Sheila admitted as she flopped onto her separate twin bed.

"Ah'm just surprised you weren't freaked out about me drainin' ya," the stripe-haired girl said. She frowned at her limited clothing options.

"It didn't really hurt and it was a good lesson in humility. Just because I can't be hurt physically, doesn't mean I can't be affected. I bet Jean or Professor X could put a mind whammy on me," she continued, staring at the ceiling.

The new girl looked at Sheila for a long moment. "Ah can still remember a lot from you. Ah think it has to do with your mind and all. When are you goin' to tell them you may never go home?" Rogue asked her suddenly.

"I don't know that. I just... suspect that I was sent here beyond the reach of the Titans." Sheila pulled her knees up to her chest. "Athena could just be being careful, but..." She rolled onto her side. "...she could be planning that their battle against the Titans will destroy my world."

Rogue gulped at that. "Well, like you said, it mahght just be a precaution."

And if Sheila kept saying it, she might even believe it.

Chapter 4: Big Time Rumble

"Ah don't get why we are messing with my powers," Rogue complained in the Danger Room a few days later. Like Shadowcat and Aegis, she was wearing a fairly standard 'uniform' that had the center stripe as green, compared to Aegis's white and Shadowcat's pale blue. She was much more adult in her build, though even the young mutant that could phase was more developed than the non-mutant.

"It's actually better for you if we have some idea of how your power works. Why is it touch and not who you look at? How do you learn to control it?" Aegis was saying. "So let's do some very basic tests. Rogue, I would like you to lightly touch Shadowcat with one finger for only a brief moment." The blonde was already adjusting her eyes to function like super-sensitive Kirlian cameras.

"Why does it have to be me?" the brown-haired (and shortest) girl complained.

"I'm looking with my 'super-senses' of course. Kurt has fur which might hamper the test, Scott has an uncontrolled power and Jean is with Logan meeting a new mutant," Sheila listed off. "And the rest of the adults are watching us from the control room. I'm not sure Rogue would want to absorb Wolverine and I guess Storm's powers might be very volatile."

"Are you really eleven? You talk lahke you are an adult," the newest X-Men complained.

Aegis rolled her eyes at the pair. "Today, team?"

Rogue barely touched Shadowcat. "Ah can feel ah got something, even with that."

"Yes, your aura latched on and pulled it out. Try to release the part you pulled into your own aura now," the younger and much more blonde girl said.

After ten minutes, all that they had succeeded in doing was just annoying Rogue and Shadowcat.

"Okay, we need a change of plan. Rogue, you said that you gained my senses? That might allow you to 'feel' how this works. Just don't leave me knocked out too long, okay?" And with that, Sheila took Rogue's hand with her own bare hand and held on as long as she could while trying and failing to resist. She thumped to the floor unconscious.

"Ah see what she wants me to try," Rogue said in realization. "Sheila really is weirdly smart." She reached out and touched Shadowcat's face with a fingertip. "She's right. I can 'feel' it pulling your aura. And being able to see it really helps. Ah will try again." And she did, while watching the Kirlian aura and the feel. For just a second, she could feel Shadowcat's skin before the sensation of her power draining her aura kicked in. "I... I stopped it for just a second!" She had pulled her finger back immediately upon the sensation of draining.

"Really? You aren't just joking?" Kitty asked with a happy smile.

"But only for a second," she complained. Rogue frowned in deep thought as she went and tried to think of a solution. "Ah guess ah can do meditation. Sheila knows several types, though she's never practiced any. Tibetan could work."

"That's great to hear, Rogue. I think we shall call this a success," Professor Xavier said from the Danger Room control console up above. "Why don't you carry Sheila back to your room?"

"Ah think ah might be able to..." Rogue said, trying to push back the power with the feeling letting her release the aura. "That worked, too!"

"Whoa, woozy," Aegis said from the ground.

"So you just need lots of practice and meditation?" Kitty asked with a not too pleased look.

"Chi kung meditation will be best." The youngest X-Men sat up, looking confused. "That's strange, I'm pretty sure I didn't think that up."

"No, that was me, using your knowledge. How can you remember that?" Rogue asked.

Up in the control room, Xavier and Storm shared a surprised look.

"That's... a really good question." Sheila was frowning at that.

Sheila looked over at the huge kid with the blond mohawk as he walked by their seat in the high school cafeteria with an incredibly large pile of food on his tray. "I guess he's a big eater."

"He's the mutant we tried to meet yesterday. I guess that was why he was meeting with Principal Darkholme," Jean said as she put her her milk box down on her tray of food. "He's the one that broke the lockers by the office."

"I'm sorry, what?" the youngest girl said in confusion.

Rogue and Kitty shared a wince at that.

"He appears to have a strong measure of super-strength," the red-head admitted.

"No, the part about Darkholme meeting a mutant student way outside of Bayville. Because that sounds very suspicious," Sheila asked as she corrected Jean's mistake about what she was asking about.

"So she was meeting with a new student?" Kurt asked in confusion.

Rogue suddenly realized what Sheila was saying. She knew who Principal Darkholme actually was, after all. She was Mystique, as her fading memories from draining the shapeshifter revealed.

"You don't think that is weird-!" Sheila was starting to say when there was a crash and the huge kid from earlier had sent some of his food flying to hit Duncan's table. "The hell?"

Duncan looked ready to murder the huge new kid. Fred Dukes was having a really bad time of it after breaking his chair (by sitting on it) and smashing his table. Unfortunately, he was quite klutzy due to his weight and kept falling down. This was proving very humorous to the surrounding kids who started laughing at him.

"Guess I better help him back up," Sheila said as she stood up, shaking her head.

Fred suddenly started throwing food into the crowd. His face was quite flushed and he looked extremely angry. "Quit- laughing- at- me!" he yelled out, punctuating each word with move food being thrown.

"Food fight!" one of the younger freshmen yelled out.

Kurt ducked the food fight by teleporting outside, Jean started to block things with her telekinisis. Kitty, unfortunately was not nearly so lucky, getting a facefull of casserole.

"Ewww," the valley-girl from Chicago screeched out, phasing through the ground.

Rogue had lowered herself behind table as Scott ducked and rolled. "Where's boy scout going?"

"Just getting more room to duck," Sheila said with a sigh as let a burger fly past her ear. She twisted to the side as someone threw their milk box at her from behind.

"Fred?" Jean called out, trying to reach the childish brute. "This isn't helping anything."

Sheila and Rogue were both keeping an eye out on the red-head as she tried to reach the huge teen. Currently, he was swinging a table wildly around.

"They shouldn't laugh at me!" he yelled out like a child, smashing the table to kindling.

Sheila noted that Rogue was leaving and that Scott was keeping an eye out for Jean. "I'm going to head out, okay Scott?" With that, she threaded her way out of the very messy cafeteria. "Hey, Rogue! Are you still up for practice on McBeth later?"

Rogue rolled her eyes as she closed her locker. "Ah'm sure. Did you want to practice at the Institute or somewhere else?"

"Somehow, I don't think you are a big nature lover, so we can do it back home," the blonde said, then looked over Rogue's shoulder as a woman stepped out. "Mrs. Darkholme?"

"What are you two doing?" the principal asked in a scathing voice.

"Look, Mystique, we are just talking about meeting up after school to study. Ah don't take kindly to threats," Rogue shot right back. "So back off of I let everyone know about you."

"Ah, suddenly it makes better sense. So subversion, hm. Somehow I don't think you want to be here. You sure don't act like it, so that means you have to be here. Which means you're a flunky," Sheila suddenly deduced.

"Get to class before I give you detention for life," Darkholme demanded. "You don't know anything, girl. So keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Come on, Rogue."

"Rogue! Sheila! Jean has been kidnapped by that kid from school," Kurt cried out as he appeared next to them on the back porch of the Institute.

"Ah was afraid that was going to happen," the striped-haired girl said in complaint.

"They are already on their way. I think Scott is very angry against this Blob," the blue-furred mutant said. "I'm supposed to teleport you to the abandoned warehouse."

In five minutes we were in our X-Men uniforms, green-accented for Rogue, white for Aegis.

They split up, using Scott's sportscar, the X-Van and one of the spare sedans to search the area. Rogue was driving her and Aegis in an industrial section of town when they got the call that Wolverine had found Jean. They drove over there, only to find a battle going on.

"Cyclops?" Aegis called out, running over to the unconscious teen. His face was exposed and he looked quite normal. Wolverine was laid out under his motorcycle.

"Here's his vahsor," Rogue called out.

"Sounds like this blob is a tough customers." Sheila looked over at Cyclops and surprised herself when she could feel her legend awaken at her command and heal him of most of his bruises. She quickly did the same with Wolverine to verify that she could. "I- I guess I've gotten more powerful."

"What happened?" Wolverine asked as he woke up feeling better than he thought he should.

"We found you knocked out here. Ah thought you weren't supposed to lead with your chin?" Rogue said with an easy grin.

"Well, that didn't work so well. And I'm still seeing double. Rogue," Cyclops called out, "Absorb my power." He closed his eyes and took off his visor.

"Ah got you," Rogue said, impressed with his thinking and bravery.

Aegis and Wolverine moved into the warehouse and were finding that the Blob was just nearly indestructible.

"Great," Wolverine complained as his claws failed to cut the huge man.

"You shoulda stayed away," Fred shouted as he swatted at Wolverine. He finally got lucky and sent the feral-looking mutant flying through a wall.

Rogue tried to send a blast out with Cyclops powers, but fumbled the use of the visor and only blasted a hole in the wall. "How does Cyclops see in this thang?" she complained.

"Rogue! Move!" Aegis shouted as she saw the Blob jump into the air. Moving faster than she thought she could, she managed to push the green-loving girl out of the way.

WHOOOMP!

"Ha! That'll show you!" Fred shouted gleefully. He felt someone under him trying to lift him up. "You can't move me if I don't wanna be moved."

"Sheila!" Rogue called out. Her glowing eyes were visible, as her spill had knocked Cyclop's visors off.

The young blonde was under the Blob. She kept trying lift him up, but all she was doing was breaking up the concrete under her. "This- is- embarrassing!" she complained as she failed to lift him up, even with her strength.

"Get off mah friend," Rogue shouted, launching a heavy concussive bolt of red at Fred, knocking him off her room-mate.

"Thanks, Rogue! He wasn't exactly hurting me, but I have having trouble breathing," Aegis said as she hopped to her feet. "Hey? You don't need Cyclop's visor? That means you can control his power better than he can. That doesn't make sense-"

"Quite ignoring me!" Fred shouted as he charged Aegis, only to see her hop over his head. "Hey!" He was staggered as Rogue blasted him with Cyclop's power again.

"Why can't ah knock him over?" Rogue asked in worry as the huge teen started moving towards her.

"Because I'm the strongest and toughest!" Fred shouted out as he struggled towards Rogue.

"Hey, bub. You need to learn how to treat a lady right," the feral mutant said. Wolverine landed on his back, distracting him for a second before being thrown through another wall.

"So we need to quite fighting you head on. Hey, Fred, do you know how you fight against a sumo?" Aegis asked as she zipped in front of him. "You attack his weak points." She grabbed his pinky, ducked and then twisted. With a pop, the finger dislocated.

"Agh! That hurts!" he screamed, closing his eyes. That actually saved his sight as Aegis jabbed two fingers in his eyes.

She kicked his ankle hard, spraining it. "What? It isn't fun kidnapping people with friends that fight back?" she said nastily.

"You're just like everyone else! You're always laughing at me!" he shouted out as he tried to grab Aegis. But she was way too quick, ducking under the simple grab.

Rogue reached their melee, her hands uncovered. "Ah can take your power for mah own," she informed, starting to drain his strength.

"I'm too powerful for that," he shouted right back, swinging a massive punch at Rogue. So he was quite surprised when it was blocked by Aegis.

"My turn," Aegis called out as she grabbed Fred's hand and twisted it painfully while tripping him onto his face. "Rogue! Go make sure Jean is free."

"Let go! Quit hurting me!" Fred shouted at the painful joint-lock, his arm levered behind his back.

"Fred, just stop it," Jean called out. "I'm leaving. You aren't my friend. Friends don't kidnap each other. Just stay away."

Of course given Sheila would be close by was very good reason in Fred's mind to stay away from Jean. He never realized someone could hurt him like that. "I'll stay away."

Outside, Rogue was putting Cyclop's visor on his face for when he woke up. "Ah'm glad we got this fixed up. That Blob was a right pain. Ah couldn't believe it when he walked through Cyclop's blasts."

"He sat on me," Aegis complained. "And he was too heavy to lift off."

"I'm sure you'll survive," Jean said as she held out her hand and picked up Cyclops with her telekinesis.

That was when Nightcrawler and Shadowcat arrived in the X-Van

Rogue was sitting on her bed in her green t-shirt and cut-off sweat pants (both green, naturally), trying to meditate before bed. With her face scrubbed clean, she looked a lot more innocent. Across the room, Sheila was sitting on her bed, rapidly reading as she sat on her bed in shorts and a cut-off T-shirt.

"Ah still feel odd doing this," Rogue grumbled.

"Er, well I should be doing some of it, too. Some of my powers are pretty ooohm-ooohm sensitive." Sheila rolled on her back to stare at the ceiling. "Did you know I can actually just see what's wrong with a body? Illness or wounds, I can just see it. Makes learning medical terms half-useless. I can't heal much more than bruises or cuts yet."

"Yet? So you think you can do more than heal eventually?" the other girl asked curiously.

"From what I remember, I should be able to control reproduction or the viability of a child. I think I'm very close to being able to cure diseases and poisons. Eventually I should be able to regenerate limbs or even slow down aging. And that's just the 'healing' sort of powers I have. I've inherited some powers of War and dominion over the sky, though I think Storm is way more powerful than I can hope to be in that regard."

Rogue tilted her head at the other girl as she thought it over. "So you can see why Professor Xavier can't walk?"

"And that you are developing a cavity on one of your teeth and... you have light sensitivity eczema caused by a drug," Sheila said, looking over at girl on her bed.

"What are you talking about?" Rogue asked in confusion.

"You skin is artificially sensitive to sunlight due to an overdose of a antihistamine that has a side-effect of making you fairly sensitive. If you are taking any pills or cremes, I would suggest stopping."

Rogue looked devastated. "Irene even went that far?"

"I'm sorry, Rogue-!" the young heroine was saying when a spark of light appeared in the middle of the room.

In a single moment, it turned into a bubble, making the walls and roof disappear. What was visible outside was... nightmare. They were high above the lands. A shattered, scarlet Moon hung in the sky as a massive man wearing a lion's skin hammered at a giantess that dwarfed mountains. His fists rang with the power to shatter mountains.

Pallas Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War appeared before the two of them. "Sheila, my daughter, heed my words and bear witness to the last legacy. At this time, the Earth dies as we fight Gaia. She will not see reason and only bears hate in her children."

The ground grew up beneath the massive Hercules, vines entangling him even as his club rained blows down upon the personification of Earth itself.

"Hercules weakens her. Now it comes done to the final moves. With my death, youngest daughter, you become the final Dodekathon. Never falter and may you find greatness in your future." Athena turned her helmeted head and readied her spear. Lightning sparked across the tip as she suddenly grew greater than even a goddess; becoming the personification of War: The General. More terrible than even the guttering red stars in the sky, she threw a bolt at a perfect weakness.

Gaia saw the bolt coming at her, but the bolt of nova-white energy slammed into the greater titan before she could move the Earth to block the attack.

Rogue's eyes were wide open as Gaia exploded, her death-throes traveling into the Earth below her. Great cracks appeared in the ground as plumes of lava shot hundreds of feet into the air, barely reaching the Gaia's ankles. "Too- immense-!" she said, clutching her head, but unable to cover her eyes.

"MOTHER!" Sheila screamed out, trying vainly to reach out into the mystical image.

Their deaths unleashed opposed, uncontrolled Avatars. The Green tried to overtake the Arbiter, even as their essences ripped mountains apart, blasted seas into massive waves. Massive islands of land started to float into the sky on jets of lava as the world ripped itself apart... as the concept of Earth become damaged... lessened... and something new.

The Green gave way to the Shaper, even as the Beast clawed into the maker of land and earth. Wounded Gigantes, collapsed on the ground due to their injuries screamed as their mile tall bodies fell into lava filled cracks. Plumes of fire and lava roared into the skies, hundreds of miles tall.

Finally Gaia's green essence burned with the power of the Scourge, even as Athena's soul burned with the power of the Savior, heedless of the fact there was no one to heal or harm.

The vision faded as the General appeared again, uncontrollable and unstoppable, smiting the dispersing essence of Gaia into the black, soot-stained firmament.

All that was left was a comatose Rogue, her mind teetering on the edge as she tried to imagine the immensity of a reality destroyed by its gods and their ancestors and the weeping daughter of the last goddess of the Dodekathon.

Scott slammed open the door in a panic, trying to see what could cause such a heart-rending cry. "Sheila! Rogue! What's going on?" He walked up to Rogue, but her brown eyes were unseeing and grabbed her clad shoulder.

Sobbing drew his attention to the other girl.

That was when Jean ran into the room. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Gone. A whole world... gone," Rogue muttered in shock.

"What do you mean, Rogue?" Scott demanded.

Jean closed her eyes and tried to get a read from Rogue. The images almost overwhelmed her, causing her to stagger. The anguish coming from the other girl hurt her to even hear the edge of it. "Professor! I need your help!"

"Jean, join with my mind. We need to put them into a dreamless sleep," the professor said as he rolled up to the door; Ororo, Logan, Kitty and Kurt right behind him.

"What happened, professor?" the African-American woman asked.

As the two girls collapsed asleep, he bowed his head. "Something horrible, I fear."

Scott and Jean were walking together, talking quietly as they entered the school. They didn't even realize that they passed by Lance Alvers and a new girl.

"Those are two of Xavier's dweebs?" the girl with long, blonde hair asked.

"Right, Regan. I don't see that other girl, but she's usually with Kitty and that skunk-head girl."

"Well, it sounds like I've got my work cut out for me here as Lady Mastermind," the new girl said. "You'll have to introduce me to your friend sometime."

"Sure. Kitty's a smart girl. I'm sure that we can show her the truth of the lies behind Xavier. Humans and mutants coexisting?" Lance just shook his head as if to remove some cobwebs in his head.

From around the corner behind them, another of the mutants at the high school frowned. He wasn't sure he liked the new girl, Regan Wyngarde. She gave him the heebie-jeebies. He hopped along, finally spotting Rogue and a very distraught looking Sheila. "Hey, yo! What's the stitch?"

"Hey, Todd. I just found out my mother died last night," Sheila said slowly. She really just wanted to head back to bed, but Rogue had dragged her out of bed. Literally.

"Oh, um, sorry to hear that. I just, uh, wanted to say thanks. That stuff you gave me helped a lot. Not perfect, you know, but much better." He visibly brightened. "I even got complimented on not stinking!"

"T-That's great," Sheila managed to get out before she started crying.

"Ah, dammit. Ah just got her to stop," Rogue said in a plaintive tone. She was uncomfortably patting the blonde on her back with gloved hands as Todd looked on.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Um, I hope you get feeling better," the hunchbacked mutant said uncomfortably as he started to move away. Being an unwanted orphan, he had no concept on how to feel in this situation.

"Thanks, Todd." Sheila was rubbing at the tears in her eyes. "Sorry, Rogue. I'm being really stupid right now."

"Ah I think would be said too, so that's not stupid. Come on."

"Jean!" Kitty called out as she dashed up to a red-headed girl in the halls at Bayville High. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"That doesn't happen often," the new girl said said with a grin.

"I'm Kitty Pryde. And actually, my friend has red hair, so that's why I mistook you. Are you new?" the younger girl asked as she held her books to her chest.

"Yeah, I just transferred in today. My names Julia. Julia Carpenter. Well, I have to get to class. See you around, Kitty!" the new girl called out as he trotted off.

The young mutant looked at the other girl as she moved off with grace, ducking between a group of jocks. "Huh. That's odd. Why does she remind me of Sheila when she does that?" She had to get to class herself.

After school, the X-Men were in a training exercise on the grounds. It was a game of team-tag, using their powers to the best affect. Kitty, Rogue, Jean, Scott and Kurt were all quite in it, while Sheila was gamely trying to play but was really distracted. She had so far managed to not run anyone over, but she had almost smacked into a tree or two.

The youngest person suddenly felt a something in the air, grabbing onto a tree branch before a wind that Storm whipped up suddenly set the rest of students rolling into the grass.

"Ah, are you sure you want to just hold on there?" Storm asked as she riled up the wind even further.

Sheila just responded by digging her fingers into the tree even harder.

"I think that's enough, Storm. She responded quite quickly to the unexpected attack," Xavier called mentally as he rolled out from the main building.

Sheila stuck out her tongue at the older woman and then launched herself into the air with a massive bound, landing over a hundred feet away and right next to Kitty. "Upsey-Daisey!" she said with a forced grin, helping the girl to her feet.

"Ow, that hurt," the brunette complained.

"It was supposed to," Logan almost growled as he trotted over while Storm landed on the grass next to him. "Better a little pain to make you more aware than you getting seriously hurt later."

"That's Wolverine's version of tough love," Scott said with a rueful grin as he stretched his aching back. "He's not really a sadist."

"Mah butt says otherwise," Rogue replied as she rubbed her rear while she stood up gingerly.

Kurt stared for just a second before he looked away. "I need to learn how to teleport better, I'm afraid."

Sheila hopped about three feet, while she tried to get the wind to swirl around her like it had Storm. "Hmm. Not quite that simple."

"The cape makes it easier," the white-haired woman said in explanation.

"But capes are normally bad. Especially for someone that doesn't throw lightning bolts," she complained. She held out her hands in concentration, forcing the wind into a concentrated updraft that swirled right around her tightly.

"Is she trying to fly?" Jean asked as she floated over. Unlike the rest of the X-Men, she had not been sent tumbling thanks to her telekinisis.

"And not succeeding," the girl in question responded. She was sure she was very close, but really could just not bother to push herself right then. She just slouched a bit and looked off into the distance.

"All right then, I want you to run until you get tired," Logan called out, pointing around the institute. "And no slacking off."

Sheila started running with the rest around the Institute, but it was fairly obvious after one track that she was not really straining. "Sorry guys. Guess I need to run alone." That seemed to match her dark mood as she knuckled down and started to really run. She passed them easily at the halfway point, then pulled on her legend, speeding up dramatically.

"The hell?" Logan called out as she buzzed past him at well over one-hundred miles an hour... and accelerating. "Chuck, you getting this on the cameras?" he asked the telepath with a a loud 'mental voice'.

"Yes, Sheila is starting to worry Rogue. I had no idea that she could go so fast." He was rolling towards the main control room of the Danger Room, which had the best computer consoles to review the security systems.

With tears streaming into her hair, she suddenly realized she was going to need to run a lot longer. And she wanted to feel the burn of a really good run. Abruptly, she kept going straight instead of circling the institute. A single bound had her over the stone boundary wall in less than three seconds. Her eyes were narrowed as she left tears in her wake.

The SR-77 Blackbird's engines whined as they shifted to VTOL to land in a field next to a convenience store in the valley. Sheila was shivering a little bit as she sat on the barbwire fence as it swayed. Mini-spotlights were illuminating the ground in the dark, making it look almost like a UFO from popular fiction.

"Come on, kid." Logan's voice was gruff, but not really that gruff from the open ramp as it lowered.

"Um, thanks for coming and picking me up. I could have just run back later," the young girl said as she walked in. "I guess I took your words a bit too literally to keep running until I got tired."

"Over twelve hours? You made it to Oregon," he replied with a snort. "Chuck might want to talk to you about the fuel bill, but I think he was happy to see you test your limits. You really improved there on your physical endurance."

"Yeah, I'm becoming less and less human all the time," she admitted with a strained tone. "Do I have to go to school in two hours?"

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"I'm worn, but not sleepy." She stared out into the night sky as the Blackbird screamed into the air, higher and higher.

"You want to talk, String-bean?" Logan asked from the pilots seat as he set the autopilot to fly back to New York, only an hour away.

"Do you have any family?" she asked morbidly as she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her hands around them.

"No idea." He tapped his forehead. "Might have, but I can't remember. It's what Chuck is helping me with. Kind of wish I did, even if they were dead. At least I'd know."

She nodded as she thought about it. "It's not like I really want to forget them. I mean... I only met my real mother twice. I guess I'll never learn how I'm her daughter when she's a virgin goddess."

"I wondered at that, but I figured it wasn't my business," he replied with a chuckle as he checked the controls.

"She could have just molded me from clay, like Prometheus did humanity. She is a goddess of wisdom and craft, so I might be some sort of test-tube baby. Or I could be just adopted. And those are just the 'pleasant' options. She was nearly raped by Hephaestus, though that was a bit of a miscommunication. I wonder if she ever forgave him?"

"Sheesh, Bean, you sure are morbid." Logan reached over and scruffed her head.

"I'm not sure I shouldn't be. But I'm not going into obscurity." Sheila clenched her fist. "I owe it to them all to raise to the highest pinnacle of my ability and Legend. And maybe I can do some good for human and mutant relations at the same time."

"Stephen, it has been a long time," Professor Xavier said to the astrally projecting sorcerer as he rolled into his office and felt the presence.

'Xavier? You are correct, it's been a few years,' the Master of the Mystic Arts as he floated along. 'I sensed a massive disruption in the ley lines here in Bayville. To be truthful, I had forgotten that this is where your family estates were. Did one of your students tamper with forces they should not have?'

"A disruption in the ley lines? As of a day ago?" the bald mutant asked.

'I take it you know what happened then,' the astral-ghost said on that far yet so close plane.

"I know something happened, though she did not cause it, she was merely the recipient of the message." Xavier looked very serious.

'A message? Who could send a message of that power that actually shifted the axis-mundi of the Earth?' Dr. Strange asked worriedly.

"Athena, goddess of wisdom, from what I gather. But probably a little further afield than you are expecting," the bald mutant replied, feeling oddly elated for knowing more about a mystical event than his acquaintance.

'Athena? The Greek Gods have not bothered with this world for ages. Even Hercules only wanders around getting drunk in bars,' the master of mysticism expounded.

"This Athena is not of our world, but a far off alternate reality. She was sending a last missive to her daughter who was sent to this place and time. And yes, I know she's a virgin goddess. Her daughter wondered exactly how that worked given it was the same on her former world. One that is now gone."

'A whole world gone? No, I sense that you mean that reality is destroyed or damaged,' Dr. Strange said as he felt out the eddies of the situation.

"That is the impression I got as I muted the memories in one of the witnesses." Xavier actually shuddered slightly. "I am glad Rogue is a very strong personality."

That was when there was a knock at the door. "Chuck, we're back. You wanted to talk to Sheila before school, right?" Logan asked as he opened the door.

"Hello, sir. Sorry for causing a fuss." Sheila suddenly frowned and started looking around the room.

"Of course. I understand you have some stress right now, but try not to run across the United States again on a whim." Xavier noticed her looking around. "Is there a problem?"

"Sorry, I just feel like there is something here, but not something I can quite see. If that makes sense?"

Wolverine was now sniffing around himself. "Ain't nothing here, kid."

"Ah, you must be sensing my astral visitor. Dr. Strange, if you could let them see you?" Xavier asked the air to the left of him and up in the air.

The ghostly from of Dr. Strange appeared, his billowing, arcane cape swirling in an unseen wind. "Greetings, daughter of Athena."

"That's kinda cool," she said with wide eyes. "Is that Tibetan iconography? But the needlework on the edge of the cape is proto-Indian, while that amulet looks very Gaulic."

The mustached, mystical hero smiled. "Well, you've got quite the discerning eye. I need to determine if you are a mystical threat to this world."

"What does that entail?" the demigoddess asked.

"Just bathing you in the all-seeing eye of Agamoto," the sorceror replied.

"It just reveals truths?"

"It goes a bit beyond that, piercing all illusions and falsehoods." On his neck, the amulet's eye opened, bathing her in the brilliant light. After a long moment, the eye closed. "Well, you do not lie about your divinity, young demigoddess. I can also tell you are from an alien realm with items of great power bound to you. Now it is a matter of how to deal with you."

Sheila's eyes narrowed at that as Wolverine sensed she was ready to fight or flee. "What do you mean?"

"Your power could disrupt the mystical balance. I may need to bind your powers-"

"Do you always seek to maim refugees to your world, sorcerer? Because I will not be bound in such a way," she interrupted him with her harsh-toned words.

"Indeed, she is a student here and is just learning how to use her powers. While she is quite powerful, she is no danger. In fact, she seems to have a very good heart and a deep understanding of heroism," Xavier said. "I would defend any of my students that were threatened so without just cause."

Strange frowned at that. While he was sure that he could defeat her and possibly even Xavier, making an enemy of his old colleague was no part of his plans. "Yet I can not just allow you to run around unchecked," he noted.

"Why?" she countered. "I might be willing to curtail some of my actions, but I need more than just 'you need to'. I am more than capable of reasoning to figure this out with the proper information and frame of reference."

"It is not something so simple. I would have to explain in depth. In fact, I would have to teach you quite a bit about the mystical arts," he explained.

"I'm very smart, so I'm sure I can learn. I would be willing to listen to you and give weight to your words." Her blue-green eyes met his in challenge.

"I think that is very doable. Charles, you still have my address in New York?" Strange smiled at Xavier's nod. "Then how about this evening we take tea and discuss matters?"

"Okay. But I guess I have to go to school still," she said, giving Xavier a slightly frustrated look.

"Yes, I think its good for your socialization. Unless you are too tired from your cross country run?" the professor asked with a tilted head.

Sheila gave Logan a quick look. "No, I'm not sleepy and just a bit worn out from the run."

Chapter 4: Speed, Spyke and More Speed.

Sheila wandered down to breakfast a week later, giving a wave to the newest house guest and student. "Hello Evan," she mumbled. She sat down at the breakfast table as Kurt teleported in, waving her hand under her nose to ward off the stench of brimstone. "Kurt!" At least Xavier laid out a decent spread, being quite high class in quality.

"Sorry!" the blue-furred mutant said unrepentantly with a grin on his face.

"Hey, are we up for that Danger Room practice? You really are fast. Just like- Well, never mind," the skater 'dude' said. "I just need to train against you."

"Sure. Still don't want to talk about that guy that set you up?" Sheila had heard about this from Jean and Scott yesterday. Somehow Evan Daniels had been caught by the police for breaking into all the lockers at his school, even though his powers shouldn't have allowed for it.

It was only fifteen minutes later that they were all in the Danger Room in their uniforms, though Kitty was pulling on her gloves as she dashed in through the door.

"Sorry I'm late," the brunette said with a bit of blush. "Someone didn't wake me up until the last moment." She glared at Rogue.

"Not mah fault that you broke your alarm," Rogue replied without a trace of shame in her voice.

"Ladies, if you are ready. Now Rogue, you are going first. We'll have you do it unpowered and then we'll have you use a random drain to see how well you do," Logan called out from the control room up top of the bare metal room.

The green-loving girl scowled at going first, but she understood. Her powers really didn't work unless she had someone else. She did smile to herself as she hoped that she would get the chance to use Aegis's powers again. It would help with her history test. "Ah'm ready."

This was a fairly standard Danger Room obstacle course where it tried its best to pound, knock over or blast each of them. Rogue's first attempt was quite good, but the judicious use of powers allowed everyone to get to the end of the obstacle course faster. Even Spyke's run where he perforated several of the devices outdid her by thirty second. Aegis went last, as it had been discovered that her time typically deflated everyone else's efforts and they would not try as hard. Even working under her own self-imposed conditions, she made the whole course in only twenty seconds.

"Man, she gets some vertical movement with her speed. That's pretty wicked. She doesn't play sports at school?" Spky asked the rest of the team.

"That would so not be fair to everyone else," Aegis replied as she landed back at the starting line.

"Rogue, random chance says you get to have Aegis and Shadowcat's powers for your second run," Xavier called out as they reset the obstacle course.

Rogue grinned at that. "Ah'm ready, Professor." She pulled off her gloves must to her two target's apprehension.

"Hey, yo!" Todd called out as he hopped over to Sheila and Kitty.

"Hi, Todd. What are you up to?" the blonde asked.

He shrugged his hunched over shoulders. "Not much, just wanted you to know that things are heating up."

"Mystique getting antsy?" Sheila tilted her head towards the Principal's office.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kitty asked in confusion.

"Our principal is the shapeshifter Mystique, who seems to be gathering a group of mutants for her own purpose. Probably as some sort of counter to Xavier's Institute. Other than that, I don't know a whole lot. Your friend Lance along with Todd and Fred have been approached by her and transferred to Bayville High. Her motives are kinda obtuse," the Scion explained.

"I didn't know that," the girl from Illinois said, looking confused.

"Sheila's a buddy, she got no grief with me. But Mystique, she's really interested in Xavier and you guys," Todd said helpfully.

"I don't want you getting in trouble, but I appreciate you letting us know that something is up. Thanks, Todd." Sheila gave him a sunny smile. "See you around?"

"Sure, yo!" With that, he hopped off again.

"When were you going to tell us about Mystique?" Kitty demanded.

"I'm pretty sure I tried to. But you kinda blew Rogue and I off while you were listening to your tunes. Scott still isn't sure he believes us." Sheila shrugged at that. "And speak of the devil..."

Principal Darkholme looked like she was on the warpath. "What are you two doing here?"

"Explaining about your situation, Mystique. So you have three people that you've gathered?" Sheila asked, fishing for information.

Darkholme just smiled as she adjusted her glasses, looking quite normal and human in her guise. "You think you are so smart, don't you. Why don't you get to class before we see how many detentions I can fit in a day."

"Hey! No fair! We are just talking before class," the brunette girl said, sounding quite childish.

"We're leaving. See you around, Mystique." Sheila grabbed Kitty and started dragging her off. "I guess she knows to not tell Todd everything. She must have recruited more mutants for her cause. Perhaps that red-head in Mrs. Chalmers AP History class and that blonde that was hanging out with Lance the other day."

"Why do you suspect them?" Kitty asked as she shrugged out of Sheila grasp.

"They are new students," she replied simply.

"Hmm. Good point. Those are the only two new students. And coming in mid-year..." the mutant phaser thought as she started to engage her very bright brain. "I'll let Scott know."

"Me, too." Sheila moved quickly to Mrs. Chalmers class, giving the new girl Julia an unobtrusive close look while she sat down in the middle of the class. This was actually a class she had to read the book again, as certain details in history were different, as she was sure there had not been Captain America, the Human Torch, Namor, the Angel, Spitfire, Namora, and Union Jack in her World War Two history before.

At the end of class, everyone was standing up. Sheila just 'happened' to bump into Julia. "Oh, you're the new girl. Principal Darkholme recruited you?"

The red-head glared. "Real subtle, X-Man. She didn't recruit me, she rescued me."

"That doesn't sound good. She rescued you?" Sheila asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, from flat-scan bigots wanting to make a human super-weapon," the girl said with a snarl, now that the room was mostly empty.

"Like Captain America?" The blonde tilted her head to give her a steady look. "Of course, he decided he was going to be a hero, didn't he?"

"Don't you dare judge me," the girl shouted, flinging out her hand to release a wide spray of psychic webbing that wrapped around her.

"I'm not the one attacking someone for being curious," Sheila noted as she shifted a bit. She should have probably dodge it, but she was getting too used to her invulnerability.

"You're a brat."

"I'm eleven. It goes with the territory or so I hear." Sheila suddenly flexed her muscles as hard as she could, snapping one of the webs.

Julia Carpenter just stormed out of the, letting the webbing fade, hiding how unnerved that anyone could affect her webbing.

"Way to make a good impression. But theory tested. Anyone new is likely recruited," Sheila muttered to herself as she headed to her next class.

Sheila sat cross-legged on an oriental rug in front of the master of mysticism who was also sitting cross-legged, but a foot in the air.

"You've improved a bit here, Sheila. You are still set on your public path of heroism?" the mystic hero asked.

"I have to have a legend to reach my apotheosis, doctor. And this is what my mother bade me to do as her last desire. I might not have been raised by her, but she did shape me." She had her eyes closed, trying to become even more at home with her supernatural senses. She could now, with a bit of effort, actually see astral projections.

"Yes, but that can disrupt the natural mystical balance," he said as he continued floating above the carpet.

"Which is fine, within reason. I have no intention of exerting an undue influence upon governments or businesses. Well, no more influence than any other hero or individual," she continued. "I don't intend to unleash armies of supernaturals to conquer reality or to bring back magic to the masses. That's not my style anyways."

"Yes, but even those actions will change things. Humanity is not ready to be reminded of magic and the supernatural to the degree you will force them to," Strange replied, continuing their debate even as they meditated.

"I'm sorry, humanity needs to pull its head out of the sand. Just because they've conveniently forgotten about the boogieman doesn't mean that he's forgotten about them. Willful ignorance is a cardinal sin, in my opinion. Humanity was quite able to exist in a world of supernatural wonders back when they could forge bronze."

The center sanctum of Doctor Strange looked something like an exotic library mixed with the back room of a museum. Wong opened the door. "Tea?" he asked as he carefully walked in with his platter.

"I'm fine. In fact, I should really be heading back. If you hadn't insisted on my being here, I was going to be at this game that has Spyke all riled up," the young demigoddess explained as she stood up as lithely as a panther. "Give the mansion a call when you want to have our next discussion?"

"Certainly," the master of the mystic arts said as he bowed his head slightly. Once she was out of the room and Wong had returned, he turned to his confidant. "I'm worried, Wong."

"What is the problem, master?" his servant and some-time apprentice of the arts asked.

"She is growing rapidly. From my research into myriad of tomes, she is gaining personal power almost as quickly as Hercules did at his height. Perhaps even faster, as this is a more active time of heroes. And with those items that she holds as her inheritance from her family, she carries nearly the power of a god already. She could disrupt the mystical balance of our Earth quite severely if she chose to." He floated up a little higher until he could easily stand up.

"Yes, but the same could be said of yourself, master. You hold the power to defend our realm, which means you could destroy it yourself. But we trust in you, for you have a strong heart that knows the truth," Wong said philosophically.

"Yes, well... and I don't want to cripple someone for merely being a refugee..." Strange said softly. Those words had cut him when she had accused him of wanting to cripple her for only being a threat.

Sheila slowed down as she hit the main streets of Bayville, finding a whole street of overturned cars. It looked like a disaster right out of a movie. Looking around, she shook her head (in a totally meaningless gesture) and shook her hair out to black and darkened her eyes to brown as her skin tanned. She then walked over to a policeman. "What happened?"

"Mutie scum, we think," the younger officer said, her mouth down-turned in a scowl.

"Now we don't know this was a mutant, though we've got a perp in jail," the older officer said with a hard look to his subordinate. "Now unless you can help us right these cars, you should move along."

"Um, actually, I should be able to help with the lighter vehicles." She gave them a wink and then picked up a sub-compact and carefully set it back up.

"Are you a... mutie- I mean, mutant?" the female officer asked in terror.

"Actually, nope, not a mutant. I'm more old school. Greek hero-type," the black-haired girl said as she moved over to the next car and tried to pick it up and carefully turn it over. It had been a larger vehicle, but still within her weight, though it was obvious it was a strain.

"So exactly where were you approximately an hour again?" the older, mustached officer named Robbins asked.

"New York, at a meditation class. I can give you the phone number for my teacher, if that helps," she replied promptly. Sheila looked dubiously at a SUV. It took a much greater effort to lift it and she could feel she had to expend some of her legendary essence to lift it. "That's probably about my limit. I hope their aren't any semi-truck tractors."

"Well, if you can get the cars back on their tires, the owners can at least get them towed to get repaired," the police detective said. "I appreciate your help, even if it is a bit unorthodox."

"No problem. Being a hero isn't just hitting the badguys," she said with a bright smile as she moved to the third vehicle.

"Who is dis good Samaritan that helped the police last night?" Kurt asked as he happened to see the newspaper's front page as the professor read the paper.

"I'm actually interested in that myself," the professor asked as he continued to read the article where it spanned onto page A-10. "I'm not aware of any dark-haired girls with super-strength."

"Oh, that was me," Sheila said as between spoonfulls of cereal. "I just changed my hair color."

"Um, wig?" Scott asked, sharing a surprised look with Jean.

"I doubt it," the red-head said. "Her grandfather was known to be creative in shape-changing. Usually in his, uh, pursuits." Jean at least had the decency to blush there.

"Ja! That's right! So can you turn into animals, too?" the blue-furred mutant exclaimed as he popped over to grab a biscuit and then back to his seat.

"No, not yet. Of course, I'm just tapping the beginning of that power." She gave them a shrug, the rolled her eyes. She ran her left hand through her hair, turning it red. "This is fairly easy stuff, if you think about it."

"That could be useful at some point. It could be used for infiltration." Professor Xavier felt a twinge of jealousy, but squashed it quite easily. "So you were the one helping the police?"

"Someone left a lot of cars overturned. Insurance rates locally are going to be raising, I think."

"Yeah, that guy was a real pain," Scott admitted. "Luckily, Evan got the confession on tape that he was the thief and then we left him for the police."

"Unfortunately, it looks like he was broken out and all records pertaining to his capture were destroyed," Professor Xavier said with a frown as he put down the paper.

"You got that from the newspaper?" Kitty asked.

"No, Chief Robbins called him this morning with some veiled accusations," Ororo explained as she spread jam on her toast.

"He didn't have anything, but he was fishing," Logan said as he stabbed a few sausages from the plate with his claws instead of using his fork.

"Could be worse," Sheila said as she filled her plate. "Though I do worry about the new mutants that Mystique is recruiting. Julia said she was rescued from people that were trying to make super-human weapons."

"Yes, you mentioned that. I've put out some queries. If someone is out there trying to create mutants as weapons, we need to know about it." Xavier looked very frustrated and worried.

A limo drove past the Bayville Brotherhood Boarding House, slowing down only long enough for Mystique to step in. "Destiny. What was so important that it required you to break your cover to come to Bayville."

The older woman looked worried. "The futures I am seeing are becoming fragmented, especially with regards to the Rogue. There is something... no someone that is guiding her to her full potential. This is distorting everything. She can become a threat that the world can not deal with. Even Magneto will not be able to stand against the Rogue then."

"Who is this threat?" the shape-shifter demanded.

"The one known as Aegis. Her mind is allowing Rogue to learn how to handle her power far, far in advance of what should be. But beware, I don't see how you can destroy her. Something about this Aegis allows her to twist fate to her whims, so I can barely even see her." The blind woman shrugged helplessly in the back of the limo.

"Well then we will have to deal with in an aggressive manner. Driver, drop me off back at the Boarding House," Mystique called out to the driver.

She walked back up to the front door and slammed it open. "Brotherhood assemble!"

The ground almost seemed to shake as Fred Dukes came out of the kitchen from where he was doing dishes (at everyone else's insistence because he made so many dishes. "Oh, uh, Mystique? What's up?"

"Hey, yo! I'm here!" Todd Tolansky said as he bounded off three walls and landed like a toad would.

"Slow as always," Pietro Maximoff said with a smirk, appearing a second before in a blur.

Lance Alvers thumped down the stairs like any other teenager, taking in the identity of the shape-shifter.

Julia Carpenter nearly duplicated Todd's entrance actually, thought looking slightly less toad-like in her actions. The final mutant of the household wandered down the stairs, flipping her long, blonde hair over her shoulder; Regan Wyngarde.

"Good, you are all here. I have your first mission as the Brotherhood of Mutants," Mystique called out. "This will be a test to see how far you have come since I gathered you all here."

"Are we going to pound some flat-scans?" the red-headed girl asked, clenching her fists in anticipation.

"Even worse, apologists that want us to live and be part of humanity's cruelty against mutants. I'm sure you've seen the mutants that Xavier has gathered?" The shape-shifter knew they were not killers yet, but in the mass confusion she should be able to strike and remove the threat to her plans. "So we are going to draw them out by causing a disturbance at the junkyard."

"X-Men, to me!" Professor X called out from where he was working in his office at the Cerebro console. In moments all of his current students and teachers arrived.

Cyclops, Jean Gray, Nightcrawler, Aegis, Shadowcat, the Rogue, Spyke, Wolverine and Storm all showed up within five minutes.

"What's going on, Chuck?" Wovlerine almost growled.

"Cerebro has detected a disturbance. Multiple mutant signatures at the junk yard. It appears the Brotherhood is in motion at this point and I fear that we need to know what is going on. Wolverine, you are tactical leader."

Everyone quickly trooped down to the X-Van, though Wolverine actually took his motorcycle, Storm was going to just fly and Sheila was going to keep pace on foot.

"I wvish I had a better idea of the area, then I could teleport us all," Nightcrawler complained.

"Nothing wrong with the X-Van," Rogue countered.

"Other than it is getting a bit crowded," Shadowcat complained.

"We should probably look at a second X-Van if we keep expanding the team," Jean faux-whispered to the driver.

Cyclops nodded as he pulled out of the garage. "I know what you mean. It was just us for so long and now the whole mansion seems to be full."

The X-Men arrived to discover that the Brotherhood was busy smashing junked cars and generally causing a mess.

"Oh, hey! The X-Losers are finally here. Man, they are as slow as you and Toad are, Blob." Quicksilver zipped around. "They brought just about everyone, just like the boss lady said. You know what to do, team! Let's take them out!"

Spyke narrowed his dark eyes in anger as he hopped out of the back seat of the X-Van. "I'm going to take you down again!"

"Too slow," Quicksilver cat-called he zipped behind Spyke and rabbit punched him. "And this time I have a team to back me up, too!" He zipped around to the front and dodged several spikes.

Aegis's heart dropped as she realized that the speedster was far faster than she was. But perhaps she was fast enough if he wasn't expecting it. She leap-kicked at the Toad as a feint to move into position. "Sorry, changing partners." With that she suddenly charged at full speed behind the speed Quicksilver. With inhuman timing, she tripped him face-first into the dirt and before he could stand up, stomped his ankle. "Time out, Quicksilver."

Toad blinked as he realized what he saw. "Huh? When did she sprout super-speed?"

The Blob did a belly-bounce to knock Spyke away from him and into a wreck of a car. "I thought she had super-strength and toughness?" He winced as Cyclops blasted him with his concussion beam. "Hey!"

Wolverine was trying to claw at Arachne. The black and white spider-garbed girl was just as quick as the berserker was, but caught a kick as Nightcrawler appeared behind her.

Jean was pelting small debris at Avalanche, but he had managed to start shacking the earth, sending waves through the earth and a column of cars over at her, which Storm managed to blow out of the way with a gust of air.

A yard dog leaped silently from the shadows, transforming into Mystique and trying to hit Aegis in the back, but was tossed into a car with stunning force.

"A dog would have actually run at all the powers or if its training was good, would have started barking," the blonde demigoddess noted aloud.

"Very observant," the shape-shifter had to admit.

"Ahm going to stop you cold," Rogue promised as she ran up with one of her gloved hands uncovered.

Mystique just side-stepped and then with a complicated trip that turned into a throw, tossed the power-draining mutant right into an open window of a junked car. "Stay there, little girl. I have something to do." She charged at the blonde.

Aegis for her part was ready, almost bouncing on her feet when a burst of red energy hit her dead on. She was actually plowed right through two rusted and dented SUVs. She ended up under a car that toppled on top of her.

"I got her!" Cyclops called out. "Stay down, Mystique."

"Scott, why did you blast Aegis?" Jean called from overhead.

"What are you talking about? I blasted Mystique!" Cyclops called out.

The red-headed telepath realized instantly what was going on. "There's an enemy telepath controlling you. Cyclops, fight it off like the professor taught you." Jean then started cautiously feeling out the enemy even as she enacted her own mental defenses. "There!" With a wave of telekinetic force she knocked the hidden Lady Mastermind off her feet. Mud splattered over her black and purple bodysuit and into her blonde hair.

"Too late, X-Men," Mystique crowed as she slid a square, metal package under the shaking car that was lifting up. She dove behind another car as a huge explosion let off, making a twenty foot crater and sent the car flying over fifty feet into the air. She smiled cruelly. "Brotherhood, we are done here."

"Sheila!" the Toad shouted, bounding over. "I thought we were just smacking these X-jerks around!" He looked very upset.

"I appreciate that you didn't know her plan, Todd," Aegis said as she shot out of the smoke, holding a hand over her mouth. "But that level of force just can't work as it didn't hurt at all. I don't take kindly to people trying kill me though." Her leg shot out in a kick at super-speed, barely blocked by Mystique even as the bones creaked under the hit.

"Whoa! That was cool," Avalanche called out as he knocked Wolverine and Cyclops over with a shock-wave through the ground.

The shape-shifter was thinking furiously. That had been her heaviest trap. And Cyclops eye-beams where nothing to sneeze at either. "Brotherhood, retreat! I have to rethink this attack."

"I think I want to have a chat about why you want me dead," Aegis called out as she charged over at shape-shifter.

"Kitty!" Spyke shouted. "She's hit hard!" He was checking her for head wounds.

"Oh no!" Jean called out, getting distracted from her mental duel with Lady Mastermind.

The young demigoddess skidded over to Kitty's side. "Just a concussion and a light scalp wound. She'll be fine."

"Vwhoa! Fast diagnosis," the blue-furred mutant exclaimed as he almost jumped backwards.

"She'll be out for a bit, but she is not in any danger." Aegis looked around, frowning. "And most of the Brotherhood have disappeared already."

"Well, it's not like we don't know where they live or where they are," Cyclops said as he walked up, holding his right arm.

"Just a sprained shoulders and a bone-bruise... and brain damage?" Aegis exclaimed as she gave him a quick look her supernatural ability to sense physical ailments.

"But I didn't get hit in the head," he countered.

"Or its a really old head wound. Nerve damage doesn't heal as well as other wounds," Sheila replied as she thought things through. "That may give us a clue on how to help your optic blast control."

"Oh, Scott! Maybe we can finally figure out a way for you to control your optic blasts," Jean said as she gave him a quick hug.