Shine must have sat in that cold place for the better part of an hour...to her. Though it was hard to get any sense of time at all.

The switching panels made it feel like it took seconds, but then she found her feet were asleep, and she had imprints of her clothes in her hands. Meaning she'd sat still for some time.

Singing songs wasn't doing much to alleviate her fear.

And worse...she was so tired.

The panels that hovered in front of her were not, necessarily, in the order that the others experienced them. Out of time, they could have been happening at any random moment.

Shine didn't even try to piece it together, it was beyond her at this moment.

But at some point, she suddenly got a cold feeling...and a horrible sense of misgiving.

She looked up. She didn't see any panel in front of her.

The feeling contained...and Emma was coming to her mind.

Shine stood up. "Emma?" She said aloud.

A panel flashed in front of her, Emma was walking into one of the tears...and then it shifted and she was with Sinister.

Of course not hearing anything, Shine didn't know how to interpret what she saw...but it looked bad, in the few seconds before it changed again. And then it was gone.

Furiously, Shine slammed her sword at the space, but she only hit empty space.

Where was this anyway? She was just on some kind of flat floor, looked like an old dungeon or castle...

Probably just a mental construct, like her own hallway between worlds.

She could last in one of those forever, she'd fall asleep or die...or fade away.

"Well," she said aloud. "She's in trouble...and...come, Lord...I've...tried so hard, to shepherd them all...is it really so necessary for me to be separated like this? And not help? To abandon them? And Wally...he's out there still..."

Silence.

Shine wiped tears away. "I know it may happen...losing everything...like Job...but then, he got it all again...how do I make sense of this? Is there a reason I'm here? Am I supposed to see something."

A cold wind moved behind her.

Shine raised her sword in the air. "Get away from me." She said savagely.

At this moment, she could see the dark forces of this place moew than she could see God.

But then, that was always the way, if that was all you were looking for.

Drawing a deep breath, Shine told herself to get a grip.

"Show me the way..." she mumbled, over and over again. "Show me..."

After a long pause of nothing, suddenly, the only answer she got was that a crack appeared in the floor.

Shine stepped back from it.

The crack snaked up the hall, and stopped suddenly.

Shine frowned a little.

"Maybe a crack in this place is a good sign?" she muttered. "It's nothing but a prison anyway."

She followed it.

The wall the crack ended at looked like stone, but Shine touched it and it turned into smoke and faded away.

Things were weird in this pocket dimension.

The panels along this wall were also displaying the present events...but some of them seemed to show the past also.

Shine watched them carefully...and then she saw something that shocked her.

"Oh no..." she muttered. "So...from the beginning...We were played, weren't we?"

She looked again. 

There...one panel was showing something new.

It looked like a doorway, but it led into a void...or...perhaps it led into another dimension...

It had strange, and not good markings all over it...

Next to it, a different panel with a similar doorway was hovering, but that one had a different coloring and was made of different material.

Shine stared at them.

"The Merging?" She mused finally. "Is this it? Is this where it begins...the doorways...somewhere in the Temple?"

As soon as she said that, the crack under her suddenly opened and she plunged into the floor.

But part of the way doen, the hole turned into shadow and then the shadow gave way to light that seemed solid, like the portals...but it was more like a tunnel.

Shine fell down this, but it seem almost to cushion her, as gently as a hand would, and she more of slid then fell, and so she was phasing through more light, this one shaped like a doorway.

Gasping she found herself sitting on a cold floor...and ther were walkways around her, and she seemed to be inside a pyramid...

One of the floating ones, she realized.

She looked back.

The doorway was closing and she thought she heard enraged hissing from inside it.

Shuddering at how close that had been, Shine got up.

"Thank you," she said.

Her eyes lit up.

"Let's do this."

She took off down the walkway, hardly even pausing to check her direction.

***

But Shine's appearance and disappearance were not known to any of them team who'd been split up.

And before any of them could learn it, they were being surrounded by Sinister's Failsafe plan.

But one member of the team who had no idea what was going on period, was Kurt, still in his cell.

He was startled by someone coming in again.

More like sneaking in.

Peer8nh at them, he said suddenly "Mother"

Mystique it was.

"Kurt?" She looked up. "Oh...what are you doing here?"

"Vhat are you doing here? I thought you were captured," Kurt said.

"I was..." Mystique said, looking puzzled. "But then, they just...let me go. After torturing me first." She shuddered. "Something about a Failsafe...I never expected to find you in here also."

"Yes, well...I von't be staying long. I recieved a visit not long ago, I was told they want to take me to this thing called an Arena," Kurt said. "While it wasn't said clearly, I think it might mean like a Roman Arena."

"You'd be right about that," Mystique pulled out a gun and shot through the controls to the cell.

The door clicked open.

"How did you know that would vork?" Kurt asked.

"Experience," Mystique said, she managed to get him out of the restraints.

"And they just let you go?" Kurt said.

"I'm sure they have a sick reason for it, but, perha if we work together, we can get away anyway," Mystique said. "So far, no one seems to have followed me. I impersonated one of the guards to get in here...I was told they've got the others here, or they will. If we find them, we might still be able to stop this."

"Ja," Kurt rubbed his arms. "I'm a little numb still. I vas told that you vere here, but I was not sure vhat to believe...I saw Selene...and there vas another version of you."

"Yes...so I saw," Mystique said. "She paid me a visit too...I take it she made as poor an impression on you as me."

"I felt sorry for her," Kurt said. "She seemed to be afraid of the other vomam...not that I blame her...I've never met anyone who so reminded me of an actual devil as Selene. Though I pity her also, in a way. How lost must someone be to do these things."

"Perhaps she is less lost than just enjoying making other people suffer," Mystique said. "But as long as she's not here."

"I'm sorry to hear they tortured you," Kurt said, as they were running. "Are you all right."

"Other than I have a headache, yes, I think I am," Mystique said. "Maybe the nightmares will stop...in a few years."

"Humor at such a time?" Kurt said. "I believe our friend has rubbed off on you...Did...did they all get away?"

"They must have, or they'd be here..." Mystique asid.

"I vas surprised when you gave yourself up," Kurt said. "That was a brave thing to do."

"I bought you time," Mystique said. "I wonder if it was enough."

"I vas vorried about you, though," Kurt said. "I did not think Apocalypse vould take it easy on you, after vhat you did before."

"I don't know if I'd call this easy," Mystique said.

"No, I suppose not," Kurt said. "But ve had feared the vorst. That they vould attempt to brainvash you."

"Perhaps it was considered useless," Mystique said. "I'm not good enough for that."

"Gut has nothing to do vith that," Kurt mused. "Careful." he teleported ahead and around the corner.

"Strange, I see no guards."

"Perhaps they've left their posts to go after someone sle," Mystique said. "Id only they had security cameras set up around here."

"I think I hear footsteps," Kurt said.

They both pressed around a corner.

But when Kurt saw who it was, he was relieved instead.

"Herr Morph!" He poofed out.

Morph almost hit him with his laser gun.

"Ah!...Kurt?" he said, stopping. "Oh geez, don't do that, I've got these metallic freaks on my tail, I thought you were one of them, almost blasted you."

"I'm sorry, I was relieved to see you in one piece," Kurt said.

"You were?" Morph sa
id. "I was relieved!"

"It's all right," Kurt called to Mystique.

She stepped out from around the corner. 

"Mystique!" Morph cried, happily.

"Wait a moment!" She said, before he could rush her. "How do we know you're actually real? There's another shapeshifter around here. And we just happen to run into you now? Prove it."

Morph stopped. "How am I supposed to prove I'm not a different shapeshifter?"

"I vill ask you a question," Kurt said. "Vhat did we talk about right before my mother was captured?"

"Oh...uh...you know, we just talked about what it would be like to be fail now," Morph said sheepishly. "You had to pick something embarrassing."

"Off the top of my head it was all I could think of," Kurt said.

"You talked about that?" Mystique said in disbelief. "Are you for real? In the middle of being hunted?"

"You'd be shocked at how many personal conversations you can have in the middle of saving th world, sweetheart," Morph said.

"Vell, he is right," Kurt said. "It is the real Morph."

"Well good," Mystique said. "But there's no time for niceties. If you're here, that means the rest of the team is also. We have to hurry. You have no idea what Sinister has in store for them. And there's not a lot of time."

"Well yeah, but are you okay?" Morph said.

"I'm all right, for now," Mystique said.

"She is doing her usual thing of pretending to be okay," Kurt hissed to Morph. "But we have no time now."

"I guess not," Morph looked a little deflated. "Though you could at least be a little happy to see us...after we came all this way."

"I'm not exactly one to get all happy at a time like this," Mystique said. "I think that's you, actually. Let's go."

She moved back up the hall.

Morph frowned to himself.

"Vhat?" Kurt said.

Morph shook his head. "Tha'ts you? Isn't that kind of mean."

"Vell...it might be," Kurt said. "But she's been through alot...I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"Yeah, sure," Morph said. "There are times I almost wonder..." he trailed off.

"I did think it was odd that she was that cold," Kurt said. "But then, she often is...but is not the time for hurt feelings."

"I guess not," Morph said. 

They caught up to her.

"How did you escape?" Morph asked.

"They let me go," Mystique answered. "I think it's a trick."

"For what?" Morph said. "You're just walking around, they didn't even put a tracker in you or something? like with Forge."

"No," Mystique said. "I guess they don't do that with special prisoners."

"I have bad news," Morph said. "Hank disappeared. Not sure how or when, but we noticed it earlier...before the robots showed up to chase us...and some other mutants too. I had to run one way, the other went another way, but I'm sure Wally will find us soon."

"Or James will," Mystique said.

"Or who will?" Morph said.

Mystique looked up. "Logan--what did I say?"

"You said James," Kurt said. "That's odd...I heard that vas his real name, but no one calls him that. It doesn't fit him, does it? Though it's a gut bible name."

He suddenly poofed in front of Mystique.

"Und I thought something vas off," he said.

"Yeah," Morph said. "It was bugging me before, but now I'm sure of it."

He pointed his blaster at her.

"What are you doing?" Mystique said.

"You're are not my mother," Kurt said. "Are you."

Mystique frowned. "What? that's...can't you tell?"

"Uh, no," Morph said. "How would we be able to tell that? Either you prove it right now, or..."

"I'm not going to stand here and play 20 questions with you," Mystique said. "How would I prove it anyway, as you say--"

Morph suddenly slammed her into the wall.

Kurt gasped.

"I'm fairly certain you're not our Mystique," Morph said. "And you can either tell us right now, the easy way, or we can see if shooting you will make you break character."

Kurt winced. "Vhile I vould not have done it that vay, he is correct...there's something about you that's off, I can sense it...I don't understand how you vould know to say all those things, or vhy ou would turn me loose. But I have a gut idea it's not to help us."

Mystique glanced at him nervously. "Kurt, please..."

"I'm going to count to three," Morph said. "1...2..--"

Mystique flinched.

Then she frowned, and with an expression they knew a litlte too well, but still didn't seem quite like her, she shifted.

She stay blue, but her outfit turned into a shirt and pants, and her hair got shorter, and she got thinner and leaner...and...she looked a little sadder.

"Well...so you called my bluff," she spoke in a voice that was higher and smoother than Mystique's was.

"I knew it," Kurt said. "Iy's you...but vhy? And vhere is my mother?"

"Where you'll never get her out of," the Alt Mystique said.

"Oh really?" Morph shovef her again. "Maybe you could help us...what was the deal with that? Are you trying o follow us to the rest of the team...why would you do that, Logan would know who you were...or were you going to lead us into a trap."

"Actually, I was trying to lead you out," Alt Mystique said.

"Sure you were," Morph said. 

"All that you said about my mother, that vas just a story right?" Kurt said. "She's not actually in trouble."

"You mother is fine," Alt Mystique said. "I don't know why you care so much, Monk...all our files on you said you haven't has the best relationship with her."

"Actually Kurt has the best relationship with her of any of her kids," Morph said.

Kurt smiled thinly. "That is not so funny as it's true...Morph, we cannot go back to the others...she must be looking for them."

"Yeah. You're right," Morph said. "So, how about you take us to where the Rral-- I mean our Mystique is. And she better be okay."

"Or you'll do what?" Alt Mystique said. "Shoot me? that's not even lethal. And even if it was, you're a hero."

She made a face at him. "I can imagine what she sees in you. You're not even remotely my type. This is just uncomfortable."

"Hey it's bizarre for me too," Morph clapped back. "Luckily, I'm kind of used to meeting people who look earily like someone I actually like, but are total jerks, so I think I'll get over it."

Al Mystique stared at him.

"Vell...that was harsh," Kurt said.

"I'm a little angry right now" Morph said. "And this whole situation brings back several bad memories...there was this one time Nocture....but then agian, maybe I shouldn't bring that up to her grandmother."

Mystique stared at him.

"Vhat?" Kurt said.

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't bring it up to you either," Morph said.

Kurt was puzzled. "Does Rogue have a child in one of your other vorlds?"

"Well uh, yeah, but...you know let's not talk about it," Morph said. "Now where is she?"

"Just because you caught me doesn't mean I have to tell you," Alt Mystique said.

"What is this?" Morph said. "Why would you do this to yourself? I mean...I know it's not you technically, but...Raven's been through all this horrible stuff already, and you of all people should know that, and you'd put her through more? Even for yourself, don't you have any pity woman?"

Alt MSty looked angry at that. "And did anyone ever care if I was in trouble? I've always looked out for myself...the one time anyone even tried to help me, it was much much worse than if theyd hadn't. And I think that my alternate self will feel the same thing before long, if she hasn't already. Besides...have you met Sinister? No one escapes him, it was either this, or be turned into a puppet against my will."

"You know...different Mystique, same story," Morph said.

"It's uncanny," Kurt agreed. "I believe she is not all bad, though. She is...cuaght...just as my mother once was...and considering that she has had no one to help her, like we have helped my mother, perhaps we cannot blame her too much."

"Uh...after seeing the world out there, I think I can blame her a little," Morph said. "Sorry, Elf, but I'm just not as forgiving as you. But I'll try to be magnanimous here. I don't like to beat up a girl anyway, it's not right, so I really hope you don't make us fight you."

Alt Mystique looked from one to the other.

She thought she could take Morph--not fully knowing his power yet--but Kurt was too fast...she'd never land a hit on him without taking him off guard.

That thought in mind, she decided to bide her time.

"If you really want me to take you to you friend, I can," she said. "Sinister won't care...but you'd be heading right for him."

"Well good, I'd like a chance to blast this one too," Morph said, he was still angry.

"It is vhere we vill find the problem," Kurt said. "I am not at full strength, but there is no time to vait. Ve must go."

"And while we're at it, you can fill us in on what he's planning," Morph said.

"I'm not stupid enough to talk," Alt Mystique said. "They'll do worse to me than you ever could come up with, if I do."

"I don't know, I've been told I'm pretty annoying," Morph said.

"Let us not provoke her," Kurt said. "I only hope we can trust her to actually take us there."

Alt Mystique frowned. "Well if you're going to use it, then it's your own fault if I trick you. You know what I am."

"Yeah..." Morph sighed. "And she was worried about us thinking she was like you...I mean there's just no comparison."

Alt Mystique was pretty sure that was the most insulted she'd even been in her life.

"There is a difference, somewhere," Kurt was less harsh. "I think...though, it's more...I've even My mother develop a softness, despite her hard edge, that tells me deep down, perhaps she was learning to be all right with the kind of grace we believe in...I do not see that here. But that is sad, not really something to be angry about."

"Preach it, Kurt," Morph said. "Someone has to. Let's go find your mom.

***

Emma came a little to herself and realized she was shut inside another incubator like tube. 

It felt like an iron maiden.

She had sensors on her head and other areas, she could feel it.

She couldn't see much out of it, there was just a small window.

Sinister was visible, looked like he was adjusting some dials.

Emma struggled...but she was strapped down.

"So far, so good," Sinister said. "But the subject is weaker then I thought...somehow her resistance is higher than it should be however. Blasted emotions...always charging. You must try harder."

Another voice, a woman's, answered. "This is not as easy as it looks. Even with my powers...getting inside a human body, completely, is not something I've ever done. I'm not sure it can be done."

"I assure you it can," Sinister said. "I've already accomplished it, and I'm not even a telepath."

"And what was that like?" the Woman said. "Did if feel like getting stuffed into a synthetic casing like a piece of sausage?"

"To me it felt more like swallowing smoke...there wasn't much of him left...but with his added knowledge and power, I am stronger than ever. And I have even more ideas...that was how learned about this chip. Before I had to install mine visibly...and you didn't hear, but one of them got removed. One of the Worldlings got cheeky. Can you imagine that? Doing it inside...that was a stroke of genius."

"Not that you're not modest about it," the woman sneered. "She's awake now...I can't work as quickly this way. What's the big rush anyway?"

"They'll be here soon and we have to be ready. Try harder...I'll use a sedative...a weak one, it can't last for longer than a few minutes, but, should be enough."

Emma felt something prick her arm.

"No..." she muttered.

She was still unclear on what was happened, her mind was fuzzy from before, but she remembered enough of what Sinsiter said to know this had to be a very bad thing, whatever it was.

But the sedative made her woozier tnha ever, and she lost sense of what they were saying.

Inside her mind, Emma retained some of the alertness of a telepath, however.

The machine put her under and she saw the inside of her mind.

At the moment it took the shape of a house...something like a palace, something like a mansion.

She was in a main living room, in front of a window...

And she was looking at her reflection.

It was as clear as a mirror, for some reason.

Emma still knew it was a mindscape, and she knew this meant something.

She frowned at her reflection.

Then it changed...

Became different.

Older? Differently attired, differently shaped in some ways...but it was her...she thought.

It was kind of uncertain.

"What are you?" she backed up real fast.

"You, in a way," the reflection answered, and it had the voice she'd heard before.

Then it jumped out of the window and latched onto her arm. "Sorry, dear, but, you're too weak to be useful right now. I'm going to have to take over."

"Not if I can help it!" Emma yanked herself away.

"Well you can try, but there's no way you're stronger than me," the other woman answered. "And you won't last long."

She raised her hand and the house turned into a cold dark room.

Emma looked around, the floor was falling away under her.

Struggling she fought back and some of the floor stayed under her.

"Why do you even bother?" the other woman said. "After everything that happened...all you did to help bring down your allies, why should you be in control here? Just surrender it to me."

"I may not have had the best success--" Emma dodged a falling tile. "But...I know better than to think you would do any better. Who are you? Really?"

"I told you, I'm you," the woman said. "Or you're me...or we're us."

https://youtu.be/ivEm-Tjo6GM

"What?" Emma said blankly.

"Just sit tight," suddenly the woman shoved her and Emma fell back, and into a chair that was more like a prison chair.

Clamps lashed around her wrists and feet and torso, holding her in place.

"There," the other woman said. "That wasn't so tough. Before long, I'll have you out of here completely...but for now, this is close enough."

She turned. "All right, Sinister. I have control."

***

"Very good," Sinister said. "Now we have the cast." he opened up the Synergizer. "My White Queen."

Emma stepped out, looking annoyed.

"That was harder than it should have been," she said, speaking in a different kind of tone than before. "And great gatsby, Sinister...she's all frail and worn out. I can hardly stand in this form."

"Oh don't worry," Sinister said. "I had thought of this already. And he just got in, while you were under."

Apocalypse stepped into the room.

"You shook that Worldling I see," Sinister said.

"She's where she'll never reach us from," Apocalypse said. "Until the end anyway."

Inside her in somewhere, Emma heard that.

"What?" She cried.

"Oh shut up"! The other woman said, and something choked Emma's voice.

"Excellent," Sinister said. "Now, I believe it's time to restore Our Queen to her full power."

"I can do better than that," Apocalypse said.

He raised his hands. "For such an unwilling vessel, that Cortez proved to have a very useful power. It should be more than adequate to this."

Energy flowed into Frost out of his hands.

It felt like life energy itself.

Her ppwer became sharper.

"I can smother her now," she spoke. "Shall I?"

"By all means," Sinister said. "But...we may be out of time. Perhaps you'll have to do it on the way. She can use all her powers now?"

"Of course," Apocalypse said. "It was this that healed her to begin with, did you forget?"

"Well, you helped, but I really think it was my painstaking work and device that did it," Sinister said.

"Without my power, they would have been but playthings," Apocalypse said.

"Oh for the love of all things," Frost spoke. "Thank you both, I'm at your service...may we go stop those heroes now?"

"Of course," Sinister said, with a barely controlled smile.

"Brilliant," Frost walked away.

[Uh oh...

Not good.

On a side note: Cannot believe I just did the dark self dream cliche, I've never used that before that I can recall, but it seemed to fit here.]