His claws were out and ready when the young woman passed his hiding place. It was obvious from her presence out here in the middle of the night so close to his position that she was looking for him. Somehow, he must have given himself away. However, she was the only person outside the mansion, so she must not be certain why or even if he was there. There was still a chance to fulfill his mission undetected. To be successful, however, she would have to die.

Even as he lunged at her, a part of him balked at the idea of her death and his claws instantly retracted. Her scent. She'd approached upwind of him, and he'd only caught her smell just now after she'd passed. It only took one whiff to know he couldn't harm her.

'Kill her,' a mental command echoed through his brain.

'Yes, the mission. Protect the mission,' he thought as he grasped her vulnerable neck.

Even as he got a hold of her, his fingers relaxed. He couldn't break her neck. She had to live. It was important. She was everything.

'The mission is everything. She threatens the mission. Eliminate the threat,' the commanding, interior voice said, demanding compliance.

He wrestled her to the ground, using his body to trap her as she attempted to fight back. His fingers tightened around her throat, and she weakened under his grip.

He looked down into her eyes as he choked the life from her. The panicked, chocolate orbs changed in an instant, softening in recognition and then widening in terror.

'Kill her!'

'No!'

'Do it!'

'I CAN'T!'

There had to be another option. Wracking his shattered mind for a solution, he finally realized that if she was restrained, she couldn't stop the mission. His objective would be met and she would still be alive.

Immediately, he released his grip and checked her vital signs. She was still alive and breathing again, having barely fallen unconscious. Pulling the long gloves and scarf from her limp body, he flipped her onto her back and tied her hands behind her with one of the gloves. He tied the other glove around her head, gagging her. Using the scarf, he knotted her ankles together and brought them up to her hands, hog-tying her with the remainder of its length.

After checking to see that she could still breathe around the gag and positioning her so she was as comfortable as possible in the restraints, he left her lying at the edge of the woods on the cool grass. Running for the mansion, he resumed the primary mission.

"Rogue!" Jean sat straight up in bed, yelling into the night. Something was wrong. She had thrown off the covers and was stumbling for the door before she was even completely awake.

"Jean?" Scott's confused, sleep-addled voice floated to her from the bed she'd just abandoned.

"Scott. It's Rogue, she's..."

~Jean?~ the professor's mental call interrupted her thoughts, ~did you feel that?~

"Jean?" Scott asked, concern filling his voice. Jean held up a hand, begging him to wait just a second as she started a conversation with the Professor.

~I felt Rogue. She was frightened, but now I don't get anything. Can you sense her?~

She waited as the professor mentally searched for Rogue.

~No. It's almost as if she's unconscious. Go check on her. I'll be there shortly.~

Jean nodded and then opened her eyes. Her husband was standing before her, his hands grasping her arms in worry. He'd put on his battle visor while she'd been psychically communicating, sensing from her behavior that it might be needed.

"There's something wrong with Rogue," she explained as she opened the door and jogged into the hallway. "I felt her fear and now I can't feel anything."

Taking the stairs, they ran up a flight to Rogue's level and burst out into the empty corridor. Pounding down the hardwood floors, they finally made it to the correct door. However, Scott grasped her arm before she could enter. Shaking his head, he put a hand to his visor and then signaled to Jean to open the door.

She did and he burst into the room, flipping on the light, ready for battle. The room was empty, and Rogue's bed was neatly made. It was obvious that she hadn't been to sleep yet.

"Where could she be?" Jean asked, worry filling her voice.

As soon as Scott saw that Rogue wasn't in her room, he remembered where she was, feeling stupid for wasting precious seconds.

"She's in the security room," he said with a frustrated sigh. "She had guard duty tonight."

The ding of the elevator sent them into defensive positions again until they saw the Professor emerge, concern on his features.

"She's downstairs, Professor." Jean said, waving him back into the lift as she and Scott hurried to join him.

They rode in silence, each consumed with their own fears for Rogue. When they finally reached the lower levels, they were shocked by what they heard. They'd been expecting silence or alarms or even screams. They weren't expecting rock music blasting down the corridor. As they neared the security room, not only did the music get louder, but they could also hear off-key voices singing along.

Jean could tell that Scott was in full, righteous-indignation mode when they finally entered the doorway of the cramped monitor room to find Jubilee and Kitty jamming to the music.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Scott screamed over the blasting tunes. "Where is Rogue?"

Jubilee jumped and lurched for the volume control while Kitty phased through her chair in surprise.

"We... um... she..." Kitty stuttered after the CD player was off.

"She thought she saw something outside," Jubilee provided. "We were just watching the place while she checked it out."

"Outside?" Jean asked. If Rogue had seen someone then the mansion was under attack. She was about to voice her concerns when she heard the screeching sound of metal on metal echoing down the hallway, coming from the elevator they'd just left.

The killer approached the front door of the mansion cautiously, checking for any traps. He couldn't hear the hum of an active security sensor on the door. Also, there were no heart beats or breathing sounds coming from the other side, and he couldn't smell anyone but the girl he'd just left, so he decided it was safe.

Surprisingly enough, she'd left the door unlocked in her haste so it was easy for him to slip quietly inside. As soon as he entered the foyer, he could smell one of his targets: Xavier. The man's scent hinted at stress mixed with fear and it lead to a bare, wooden panel in the hallway. He must know that something was wrong. The entire school wasn't on alert, yet, but the killer couldn't waste time with subtle tactics any longer.

Releasing his claws, he dug into the wooden panel, cutting through the wood and the steel behind it to reveal an elevator shaft. Sheathing his claws, he grasped the elevator's guide wires and, wrapping his legs around them as well, lowered himself down the shaft.

Once he reached the lift compartment, he opened the access door and dropped into it. Then with a *SNIKT*, he cut through the doors, knocking out a hole and emerging into the metal hallway.

Breathing deeply of the air in this new area, he immediately detected both targets and turned with a growl to see the woman standing and the man sitting in front of an open door not more than 30 yards away. Claws out and ready, he attacked.