Author's Note: On some public sites, Arc 7 marks the start ue Redemption. I didn't do this on Scribble Hub since Rogue is iop 5 of Marvel fanfics. But we're over half a million words into this story, so I try to recap everything that happened within the first feters of this arc. Please excuse the excessive exposition in the first feters, as I had a lot of ground to cover.

  Chapter 84 - Part 1

  Arc 7 - Ch 1: Opening M Part 1

  Date: Monday, August 29, 2011.

  Location: House of M, Manhattan, New York

  The early m air in Manhattan was crisp and cool, a perfect trast to the steady burn in Jean Grey's muscles. She matched her breaths to her strides, trying to find a rhythm. The city was waking up, and the streets were retively empty, save for a few joggers and early uters. Ahead of her, Tyson maintained a relentless pace. Beside her, Jubilee moved with supernatural grad speed that made Jean envious and slightly annoyed. As a vampire, Jubilee no longer knew fatigue. Tyson, whose superpower was abs others through touch, had permaly gained superhuman strength, endurance, reflexes, and an incredible healing factor by abs the vilin, Sabertooth, st year.

  "e on, Jean! You're doing great!" Tyson called back as he slowed down just enough to let her catch up.

  "Easy for you to say," she panted, pushing herself harder. "You're not the oh burning legs."

  "Trust me, Red. You're doing awesome." Jubilee enced.

  Jean couldn't help but ugh, albeit breathlessly. She had to admit her fitness had improved signifitly since moving in with Tyson and Jubilee at the end of the school year. They had bee her trainers, and their positivity and support made it hard for her to refuse their early m runs. The workouts weren't the best part of living with them. It was Tyson’s unique ability to mute her psionioise. His presence was like a soothing balm, quieting the stant hum of thoughts that usually surrounded her. It was a relief, especially in the crowded city. Last year, Tyson had arrived at the institute, but he'd only stayed a few months before it was attacked. After finishing high school, they were once again living uhe same roof. But this time, it was in his swanky downtown suite. She was also sure he was muting more than just the psionioise. Despite their room being just across the hall, Jean hadn't heard a thing. her Tyson nor Jubilee needed sleep, and she was grateful the sounds of their nightly activities didn't keep her up, too.

  Tyson's feet slowed to a stop. "Alright, let's take a quick breather here."

  Jean doubled over, brag her hands against her knees as she gasped for breath, trying to slow the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Jubilee stopped beside her, not tired in the slightest.

  "Alright," he said, "until we reach the Ftiron Armory, we're w powers. Jean, you're flying as fast as you . I'm c us with illusions. Jubilee, you're on attack. Try to nd a hit on me as we move."

  Jean closed her eyes for a brief moment to ter herself, drawing oelekiic abilities. Then, with a soft exhation, her feet lifted lightly off the ground on an invisible wave of psychic force. She shot ahead swiftly, cutting through the air as she pushed herself to move at maximum speed. Unfortunately, her top speed wasn't much faster than a run.

  Tyson summoned his illusions, cloaking the trio as they moved. To any early m pedestrians nearby, it would seem the three were jogging at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk. But Tyson's tration lit between maintaining the facade around them and trag Jubilee's rapid assaults.

  Jubilee unched herself at Tyson over and over. Though her attacks had ferocity, they still cked the finesse of a seasoned fighter. Her vampiric strength made her a formidable oppo, but Tyson's months of intense martial arts training gave him the edge. He dodged her first jab with a swift sidestep.

  "Keep at it, Jubes," Tyson enced as he narrowly avoided arike, his voice calm despite her relentless attacks. "Yetting faster."

  Above them, Jean soared effortlessly along, levitating a few feet over the crete. She kept her gaze focused ahead, trying to maintain her tration.

  Jubilee's expression was frustrated as she pressed her attack. With a grunt, she twisted her lithe body mid-air, her foot shing out in a powerful kick aimed at his ribs. Tyson saw the blow and angled his body, effortlessly defleg her leg with a sweeping block of his forearm. Though Jubilee's attacks came hard and fast, Tyson tered her every move. After leaving the institute, he spent the summer, then nearly every day after school for months, in intense martial arts training under Colleen Wing, a member of the Hand. His experience gave him an edge, allowing him to redirect her strikes while maintaining the illusions around them.

  As the Ftiron Armory came into view up ahead, Jean poured on a burst of speed, propelling herself forward on a wave of telekiiergy. The building served as Tyson's base of operations. Within, he ran his illusion show, House of M. She nded lightly at the entrance, her feet barely kissing the crete before her teammates joined her. The group's rush to the Ftiron Armory had only been the first part of their training, a for what was to e.

  Maki Matsumoto was waiting ihe arena, ready to lead that day's session. Maki, also known as Lady Bullseye, was a member of the Hand and Hydra. The Hand was a cabal of ninjas. Months earlier, one of the Hand leaders had ambushed Tyson and deemed him a 'Bck Sky' didate. That same night, Maki had reported to Hydra. Unfortunately for her, Tyson had been at the meeting under illusion. Through subtle manipution of his illusions, he had vinced Hydra that he romising new recruit, and they had eagerly brought him into the fold. Maki now served as his bodyguard despite having no real superpowers beyond her extraordinary skill with ons. She also led a martial arts css for House of M employees daily.

  Dr. Curt ors arrived shortly after Tyson's group. The brilliant stist had formerly worked at Oscorp, where he had experimented on himself trow his missing arm, transf himself into the Lizard. He'd attacked Midtown High School, where Tyson was attending at the time. Together with Spider-Man, Tyson had defeated the rampaging Lizard, but unbeknownst to the other hero, he'd brought ors back to House of M. Using his illusory abilities, Tyson had coerced him int himself of the Lizard transformation and tinuing to work on perfeg the fwed Lizard formu. Once fully cured aored to human form by the improved Lizard formu, ors happily tinued his research as the lead stist at House of M.

  Ivan Vanko was o shuffle into the arena, bleary-eyed and scowling. The burly Russian physicist was decidedly not a m person. His muscur frame was covered in faded tattoos, but his appearance was far more presentable than it had been initially. Vanko had made headlines months earlier wheacked Tony Stark at the Monaco Grand Prix, seeking vengeance against the billionaire ior. Later, wheacked at the Stark Expo, Tyson intervened, using his illusions to coerce him into abandoning his vea. Now, the stist lived at House of M, and his siderable talents turo more structive ends. Though not quite a match for the genius of Tony Stark, Vanko was the only other person oh to successfully miniaturize arc reactor teology.

  "Alright, everyone," Maki called out. "Let's start with some basic stretg."

  The motley crew followed her lead, moving through a series of stretches. Once she judged they were suffitly warmed up, she transitioned into drills. "Pair up," she instructed, demonstrating a series of teiques.

  As the group partnered off to practice the drills, the door to the arena opened and in glided Agatha Harkness, Tyson's magic tutor. Like Tyson, Agatha lived in the Four Seasons, though her suite was one floor below his. She'd ftly denied joining their m run, attending the martial arts css more out of obligation than ination. a leopard print tank bodysuit yered over lurid purple tights. Tyson still had no idea why the witch looked decades youhen he remembered from his metaknowledge.

  "Vanko, did you i a time mae and send us back to the 1980s?" Tyson quipped, elig a chuckle from Dr. ors.

  Ever fashion-forward, Jubilee interjected, "80s chiever goes out of style! Don't listen to the haters, Agatha. You look fab." She atuated the pliment with ahusiastic high-five.

  "You know it, girl!" Agatha returned, clearly buoyed by the support.

  Before she could get too fortable, Maki interjected, "Good of you to join us, Agatha. You'll be partnering with me today."

  Agatha's exaggerated groan elicited mhter from the group. "Again? e on..." resigo her fate, she began her .

  Every m, Agatha was the st to arrive.

  But not today.

  Today, Felicia Hardy strolled in st.

  She was usually one of the first to arrive, and it struck Tyson as odd. Felicia managed all of House of M's operations held withiiron Armory, including Tyson's illusionist show and any other produs atherings hosted in the venue. Earlier in the year, the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, had forced Felicia into his employ, pellio steal for him in order to pay off debts incurred by her father. Under his hero guise, Mirage, Tyson had intervened, ving the Kingpin to release the cat burgr into his servi exge for a non-interference agreement. In truth, Tyson had covertly used his illusions to bend the Kingpin to his own will.

  Felicia arriving unusually te was enough of a deviation from her norm for Tyson to take notice.

  Jubilee paired with Tyson for their training session. He was the only one who could teract her vampiric abilities if she used too much strength. Meanwhile, Jean partnered with Felicia. There ronounced gap betweewo women in terms of fighting experiend skill. However, the charming and affable Felicia had befriended Jean. Across the training room, Ivan paired off with Dr. ors for their own sparring session.

  Maki moved among the students. Her keen eyes darted from stao teique, posture to form. "Remember, true mastery is about efficy," she remihem, gently nudging Jean's leading foot angle. "A single well-pced strike end a fight just as well as brute force."

  The drills steadily pushed each student to improve. Finally, Maki called ao the css, allowing the students a moment to catch their breath and rehydrate. "Excellent work today, everyone," she praised.

  Despite how well the training session had goyson's unease lihe source of his disfort was easy to identify.

  Felicia.

  Not only had she arrived te, but her st was off. Seeking answers, Tyson approached her casually. "Hey, Felicia," he began, "Are you ready for csses today?"

  "Nah, I'll have to skip the first day," she replied breezily. "There's too much to prep for the show tonight. I'll just email my professors ter to expin."

  Tyson hoped his smile appeared gehat's real dedication. I appreciate all the hard work you're putting in."

  Felicia turned away, stretg her lithe body. But it wasn't her usual post-workout routine. Instead, she struck sensual poses inteo draw Tyson's eye.

  He reized she was trying to distract him from her slightly-off behavior.

  His uensified. He had seen Felicia act this way before when they first met and she was disguised as Bck Cat. At the time, he had been w as a night guard intern at Oscorp. Felicia had infiltrated the building and tried to win him over with alluring poses and flirtatious banter. It had been months since she directed that kind of behavior toward him, especially with his girlfriend, Jubilee, nearby. Until now, Felicia had respected their retionship despite their past trysts. Sure, Felicia was naturally flirty, but she'd directed her more amorous habits toward Jubilee more than Tyson himself sihey'd started dating.

  He inhaled slowly. It might have appeared he was taking in a sharp breath in appreciation of her curves. But in truth, Tyson was focused on her st. After months of being intimate and w closely with Felicia, he knew her natural fragraimately, an alluring blend of white jasmine, amber, aher.

  But now, the aroma was distorted.

  The notes of jasmine and amber were present but faint and diluted. The leather remained but smelled syic. This st was wrong. Like a failed attempt to mimic Felicia's esseyson had entered such a disturbing st discrepance before, over a year ago, at the Xavier Institute. Professor Ororo Muorm, had a simirly off-kilter st when she'd offered him tickets to the NBA finals. Tyson realized the truth ter when he'd fallen into their trap. It wasn't Storm at all, but the shape-shifting mutant Mystique in disguise.

  With chilliainty, Tyson realized the truth.

  This was not Felicia.

  This was Mystique. The Brotherhood had e for him again.

  Tyson forced himself to remain outwardly calm. He spoke carefully, ensuring his voice betrayed none of his mounting suspis. "I'll take plenty of notes so you don't fall behind," he said.

  The osing as Felicia replied smoothly, "Thanks. It's just opening day jitters, you know how it is."

  Tonight was the premier of the new show at House of M. Felicia had been preparing for weeks, but at this point, most of the work was done. All that was left was for Tyson to put on the show, something she wouldn't have a hand in.

  But he reized it for what it was. A ve excuse to set a trap.

  "Of course, don't stress yourself too much. You've been doing such a phenomenal job these past few months. I couldn't manage all this without you," he said, ying it on thick. "We'll probably just be going over the sylbus in the first csses anyway. o worry about emailing the professors. Since we have all the same csses today, I proje illusion of you being there."

  "Thanks, Tyson. I really appreciate it. Today will be the only css I miss, I promise," she replied.

  She'd just given him more evideyson and Felicia's schedules didn't match today. Felicia would know this since she was the master pnner around here and had arrayson's schedule as well.

  His thoughts raced ahead, already focused on how to hahe Brotherhood without tipping off Mystique. If she was here impersonating Felicia, it meant the Brotherhood had to be pnning something. She'd said that today would be the only css she missed, meaning they were likely pnning something today or, if he was readiween the lines correctly, tonight.

  Normally, Tyson would simply touch her briefly to learn their pn, but Mystique had an i resistao psionics, including his illusions. She knew how his powers worked, and if he touched her, she'd know they'd been discovered.

  Knowing they were setting a trap gave him an opportunity to set one of his own.

  Tyson refused to let them catch him off-guard again. But it also meant...

  The Brotherhood had captured Felicia.

  As the false Felicia turned and walked away, Tysnized how obvious it was to him that it was Mystique and not Felicia herself. He wondered how he could have been fooled by her act the st time. It might be because Tyson knew Felicia better than Ororo. Perhaps it was because he had learned from their st enter.

  Or maybe because he had been anticipating Mystique's return.

  After graduation, when Jubilee had been bitten by the vampire, Tyson inteo attack Mystique. But the X-Men intervened and warned her he was ing. After that, she had vanished... Until now.

  Mago and The Brotherhood were ing, but Tyson would not face them unprepared again.

  — Rogue Redemption —

  Author’s Note

  This chapter should be posted on Christmas, aligning with the final chapter of Arc 6. I’ll update every weekday for the first two weeks of Arc 7 starting the day after Christmas.

  Happy Holidays!

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