Ah've had mah powers since Ah was a teenager, an' Ah'll tell ya, the few times Ah've lost them since were bad. Real bad. So ya can guess Ah was startin' ta get a real bad feelin' about all this. All of us were down ta minimal powers, so Ah wasn't real happy when Cyclops suggested we split up. Still, he's the leader, so Ah did as he asked when we reached a junction in the spaceship. Me an' Remy took the right fork, Logan an' Hank took the left, an' Scott an' Jean went straight ahead. Everythin' about the spaceship looked the same ta me. All the same blue-gray walls an' real high ceilings. Either these people were claustrophobic or they were real tall.

"We alone at last, chere," Remy said, breakin' the otherwise companionable silence. The look he gave me was suspicious-Ah mean, more suspicious than usual. He was standin' right next ta me an' started ta reach a hand out. "I got a theory t' test."

Ah had a feelin' Ah knew what his theory was, an' Ah wasn't as sure about his hypothesis. Ah started backin' away, but Remy kept followin'.

"C'mon, chere, Remy ain't gon' hurt ya."

Lookin' back, Ah think Ah may have overreacted, but as Ah said, not havin' mah powers makes me more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full o' rockin' chairs.* They may be the bane of mah existence at times, but those powers are part of who Ah am. Anyway, Ah kept backin' up until mah backside hit the solid metal wall. Remy placed his hands against the wall, leanin' in towards me. His face was just inches from mine. Ah placed mah hands against his shoulders an' shoved hard enough ta send him flyin' backwards if Ah'd had mah usual strength. But Ah didn't. Ah had almost no effect at all on him. He was taller an' stronger than me, so Ah did the best Ah could. Ah punched him in the jaw an' ducked under his arm.

"What in hell d'ya think you're doin', Gambit?" Ah yelled at him. Ah think he finally realized Ah was panickin', 'cause his lascivious grin suddenly disappeared. Normally when he starts actin' like this, Ah just toss him across the room an' that ends it.

"I sorry, chere. Didn't mean t' frighten you." He sounded sincere an' kept a polite distance away. "I jus' wan' t' touch you."

Ah bit back a sassy comment ta that. Most likely all mah powers had been neutralized, meanin' it was safe for mah bare skin ta touch another human bein'. Still, with so many years of isolation, Ah was wary an' even a bit uncomfortable.

Remy held out a hand as a gesture of truce. Ah took it, placin' mah pearl-white gloved hand in his. Then Ah heard the most awful screechin' sound in mah whole life. Ah looked at Remy, who was starin' over mah shoulder, his eyes unnaturally light. Ah turned mah back ta Remy, tryin' ta find the source of all the racket an' saw a glowing pale blue light down the hall that hadn't been there before.

"Mah gawd." The light was startin' ta coalesce an' take shape.

"D' we go to it, or 'way from it?" Gambit pulled out a card, purely outta habit, but nothin' happened. He frowned an' stared at the card. Still nothing, not even a faint shimmer of energy.

"Looks like it's comin' ta us."

The light had taken a humaniod shape, an' very slowly, features were startin' ta form, like watchin' a sculptor at work. The creature was at least eight feet tall, with sky-blue skin an' a suit that somehow reminded me of one of Santa's elves done in black an' royal blue. The effect was more regal than silly, howevah. Lastly, the alien developed some wild locks of hair in deep violet, like a purple pansy. To mah amusement, as a final touch she (Ah'm assuming she by the stature, clothes, an' hair-so 'cuse me for puttin' mah Terran values on the poor li'l alien) developed a blood-red streak in the right side of her hair.

Ah thought she was kinda pretty, wild colorin' an' all. She had high cheekbones an' blue eyes with white irises. Her eyes were big, like one of those Japanese anime characters, which is the only way Ah could see them from this distance. She really didn't seem all that scary anymore. Still, Ah guess Ah was distracted enough ta not notice when Remy had put his arms around me protectively. Ah also had failed ta note until that moment that she'd stopped shrieking. She was about ten feet away an' starin' quietly.

"Hi," Ah said rather stupidly. Ah could feel Remy frownin' at me without any psychic rapport. She jus' cocked her head ta one side, causin' waves of hair ta float every which way.

"What are you doing?"

Ah swear Ah heard her say that, in a bland accent that Ah couldn't place anywhere, but Ah can also swear Ah didn't see her lips move. The voice was very calm an' curious; analytical, like an android.

"Remy?" Ah said as quietly as possible. Ah wanted ta make sure he heard her, too.

"We jus' wan' t' find a way off dis ship," he replied, answerin' both our questions.

"No. That." Her white lips still didn't move. She pointed a four-fingered hand with long, white nails Ah was tempted ta call claws. She was gesturin' at me an' Remy, but Ah still didn't get what she wanted ta know. Remy an' Ah was jus' standin' there. 'Course, he had his hands on mah shoulders . . . his bare hands on mah bare shoulders, Ah suddenly realized. But if anythin' was gonna happen, it would've by now, so there was no point in worryin' about it. Ah took a step away from him anyway.

The alien's face didn't change, but the bright red stripe faded to a shade of blue that almost blended with the rest of her hair. Ah don't know why, but Ah get the feelin' that the alien was relieved. "Do you often violate others' spacial proximity?"

Ah wasn't sure if that was directed at me or Remy; Ah also had ta think for a moment ta understand what she meant. "Ya mean invadin' other people's personal space?"

The alien raised her hands, palms (or what passed for palms) up. "Yes."

"Ah don't. He does." Ah poked a thumb in Remy's direction. The alien girl's hair blushed pink. Mah stripe, alas, is always jus' white.

"And you let him do this?"

"Why shouldn't she?" Remy asked, miffed.

"Such things are socially unacceptable to my people," she replied.

"Who exactly are your people, sugah?"

"Our language is beyond human vocal and hearing ranges."

"Well, if ya like bein' alone so much, how 'bout we jus' call ya Solitaire."

The alien cocked her head ta one side, then held her hands out palms-up again. "Acceptable."

"What your people doin' here anyway?" Gambit asked, making a conscious effort ta stay away from me an' Solitaire. "You did blow up de White House."

"We will eradicate this planet's government headquarters and rule the civilian population."

She said it so matter-a-fact, Ah almost didn't think she was serious at first. Ah guess that's jus' what these people did. "But why?"

"We will utilize this planet's natural and cultural resources. Its industrial productivity is inferior to our technology."

"You're jus' gonna take over?"

"You find this unacceptable?"

Ah was dumbstruck. Remy, howevah, wasn't. "Oui. Inferior or non, it's our home. Dis ain't gon' be easy for you. We won' let it."

"Our rule is benevolent. We wish no harm upon civilians."

"If y'all are so benevolent, why don't ya jus' pack your bags an' go home?"

"A decision of such paramount importance is not in my designation."

"Den whose is it?" Remy was gettin' impatient, an' so was Ah.

"The Council."

"So how 'bout lettin' us meet this Council?"

"Agreed."

"Chere!" Remy wasn't happy with mah idea, but little did he know, Ah had a plan.

*Rogue actually said this in "Night of the Sentinels" of the animated series

From Manuscript X:

Wolverine sniffed the air. "I don't like this, Hank." He sneezed abruptly. "And you're starting to shed all over."

"A trail of breadcrumbs, indeed," Henry McCoy noted, as his thick blue fur was leaving a light dusting in the hallway. Beast's fur was almost coming out in clumps, to his dismay. He was still unable to comprehend what about the alien craft dampened their mutant abilities. The excessive shedding made him wonder if the ship was somehow undoing the effects of the x-factor in their DNA.

Logan was growing impatient with the near-mile of nothingness they'd encountered already. "What do you say we make our own shortcut?"

Beast moved with a speed that belied his bulk. "No! Logan, has it escaped your notice that our powers are not applicable in this situation? Without your quick healing, using your claws will produce rather painful puncture wounds in your hands and may cause other damage, as well. Might I also add that as we do not know where we're going, a shortcut to nowhere is not very helpful."

Logan growled indignantly but lowered his hands. The two X-Men continued down the endless barren corridor.

Ah think Ah really would've preferred flyin' through the hallways of the ship instead of all this walkin', an' Ah'm sure Gambit an' Ah were slowin' Solitaire down. She sorta floated through the ship, surrounded by a faint glow. These people must've been telepaths with a side of telekinesis ta boot.

After a few twists an' turns, Ah saw a magnificent golden glow that looked almost as big as the mansion. Ah got the feelin' that there were other people there, but 'cause of the light, Ah couldn't see them. It was like bein' on stage with brights lights shinin' on ya so ya cain't see the audience.

"This is the Council Chamber," Solitaire announced. Ah wasn't surprised. Ah looked at Remy, who was standin' next ta me (although not too close, so as ta not offend their alien sensibilities).

"Dis all yours, chere," he said glibly. If Ah were in a better mood, Ah might've socked him.

"Council members," Ah started, tryin' not ta let mah voice crack. Ah wasn't that loud in the huge chamber, but considerin' they were telepaths, maybe it didn't matter. "As an inhabitant of Earth, Ah think y'all ought ta know that we're not willing ta let y'all take over. Solitaire here has told us that y'all are benevolent rulers an' all, but we'd rather stay the way we are. There's no reason our peoples cain't share. Our planet ain't perfect, an' our governments ain't either, but that doesn't mean y'all can come in here an' take over the world."

Ah kinda regretted the phrasin' of that last sentence, considerin' it sounded like some James Bond parody. Oh well, maybe it'd get lost in translation. Ah looked at Solitaire, tryin' ta get some sort of reaction, but Ah wasn't reassured by the fact that the stripe in her hair had gone as white as mine.

"Unacceptable," replied a disembodied voice.

"Hey!" Remy shouted as he suddenly levitated. Not bein' used ta flyin', he flailed about, tryin' ta get back down. A moment later, Ah was airborne, too, an' without warnin', we started movin' faster than Ah've ever flown under mah own power. It was exhilaratin' an' terrifyin' at the same time. Jus' when Ah was startin' ta get used ta the speed, Ah went hurtlin' ta the ground, hittin' hard an' at an awkward angle. Mah leg was practically wrenched outta joint, an' it hurt like nothin' Ah've felt in a long time.

Remy was a few feet away from me, shaken, but otherwise in better shape than Ah was at the moment. He lept ta his feet an' wa by mah side in about the time it took for the pain ta register.

"What happen? What'd dey do t' you, chere?"

Ah gritted mah teeth an' scrunched mah eyes closed against the pain. "Ah think mah knee's dislocated." Ah had a painful grip on mah left leg.

Remy gently pried mah fingers away an' rather gently felt around the injury. He looked at me with solemn concern. "Dis gon' hurt." As soon as he said it, without warnin', he popped mah knee back inta place. "Now don' be offended," he added as he ripped a long piece from the full cotton slip underneath mah dress. He pushed the skirt up just past mah knee and wrapped it tightly with the piece of cloth. Sitting on the hard floor of the cell, he tenderly pulled me inta his lap, bein' very careful of mah leg, an' placed his jacket over mah bare shoulders. Ah rested mah head on his shoulder an' got mah first look at the room. It wasn't a room in the traditional sense, meanin' walls an' all. There was a kind of haziness surroundin' the area that reminded me of snow on a TV. Ah couldn't see anything past the haziness, even though it wasn't opaque.

Ah wrapped mah arms around Remy's neck an' looked up at him, then quickly yanked mahself back. Ah just kept starin' at his face, mah eyes round an' mah jaw dropped. "What's wrong, chere?" he asked quickly.

"Y'got brown eyes," was all Ah could say. This couldn't really be Remy. His eyes were normal brown. On second look they were a reddish-brown; the whites of his eyes weren't quite white, but they weren't their normal black, either. Like they hadn't faded completely yet.

Ah don't think Remy was exactly payin' attention, 'cause he was leanin' down towards me, not at all bothered by the fact that not only did this ship inhibit his powers, it was makin' him look different, too. 'Course, a moment later, Ah wasn't carin' anymore either. Remy's a man who knows how to kiss . . . not that Ah have a lot of experience.

From Manuscript X:

A horrible screeching nearly caused Jean Grey to jump. Instead, she moved closer to Scott, but if anything, the screeching grew louder. They had traversed the barren hallways of the ship for hours, encountering no one and nothing, just expanses of blue-grey metal. Jean wasn't sure if she wanted to know what caused all the racket.

"Scott?" she whispered, clutching her husband's hand tightly. The next moment, they were no longer on the ground. Cyclops looked at her, silently asking if this was her doing, which it wasn't.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Scott echoed the famous line of Han Solo. The halls began to speed by in a blur like the stars streaking by at warp speed. It was a disconcerting feeling, as if his stomach were several yards behind the rest of him.

With a shattering abruptness, they came to a halt. Scott half expected to find skidmarks somewhere from the rapid deceleration. Instead they found-

"Rogue and Gambit?!" Jean exclaimed. It wasn't so much the sight of them that surprised her . . . no, it was the sight of them, or rather of what they were doing.

The couple in question broke apart like a couple of guilty teenagers, though Rogue was still sitting on his lap. Rogue had to remind herself that she hadn't done anything wrong; all she'd done was kiss him. It was the situation itself that had unnerved Jean. Then Rogue realized the continuing racket she heard wasn't Jean, it was the aliens.

Considering how violently opposed to physical closeness the aliens were, it was no wonder that the sight of Remy and Rogue in a romantic embrace threw them into hysterics. To make it worse, now Scott and Jean were also in their view, standing arm in arm. The aliens were repulsed and revolted.

"There is no hope for this planet," Solitaire announced (telepathically) to her crewmates. She clacked her white claws together in annoyance, and her hair had gone neon pink. "Four of the six terrans on our ship are-" she couldn't even think the words, they were so abominable to her. "We have observed unacceptable conditions. How can we submit our people to this?" She could sense the agreement among her people and relaxed slightly.

"We could keep these aliens on board for observation," one suggested.

"Inadvisable," another replied.

"A long distance observation of this planet?"

They all paused to consider the idea.

"With minor external modifications, the observers could pass for terrans if necessary."

A silent positive consensus was reached. Two were chosen for the orbiting outpost that would be constructed prior to departure.

"What of the terrans on board?" Solitaire asked.

"Return them to their ship and release them immediately."

The shrieking had ceased for several minutes now, and Jean had to wonder if that was a good thing. She had the impression the aliens were discussing something, but whether that was the last shreds of her telepathy still functioning or just intuition, she couldn't tell. Watching them was somewhat eerie, the way they stood silently, staring blankly, yet communicating all the same. Some agreement must have been reached, because one of them turned and bowed to the X-Men. She raised a hand and they levitated once again, but this time the journey went considerably slower than mach one. The fast, efficient means of travel brought them back to the Blackbird in minutes, while they'd spent hours exploring the alien vessel.

Logan never thought he'd be so glad to see the swamp rat Cajun as when the team was reunited in the same bay that held the Blackbird. As far as aliens went, the species was rather boring in his book, but Hank's shedding was starting to get on his nerves . . . and his clothes . . . and he was starting to sneeze. The Beast was a rather sorry-looking sight at the moment, like a big blue dog with mange. Logan figured he'd lost more fur than what was still left on him. That was the others' first concern when they touched the ground.

"I assure you, my friends, that I look far worse than I actually feel," Hank said calmly. He didn't let on how disturbing the situation was. He was grateful for the formal clothes which covered his increasingly numerous bald spots. "I suggest we first find our way back to terra firma."

"Are they jus' gonna let us go?" Rogue asked from the awkward position of being carried by Gambit. She would've been more comfortable on the ground, but she knew she couldn't walk at the moment.

"I hope so," Scott answered. "Let's get the Blackbird fired up."

Gettin' outta there was easy. Too easy. They really did jus' let us go, which of course made us all suspicious. Ah wasn't real happy havin' mah knee busted up, but Ah was sure glad ta get outta there. 'Course, Ah also figured Ah'd be able ta fly again once we got home.

Ah was sittin' with mah braced an' propped up in front of me. The others sat tensely around the room. "What d'ya mean mah powers ain't returnin'?" Ah asked Beast, who'd taken ta wearin' a sweater an' jeans ta cover his lack of fur. In fact, he'd become more skin than fur.

"Some property of the alien vessel has essentially deleted the x-factor from all six of us. Technically, we are no longer mutants, although not all of the transformation is quite complete."

"Is this permanent?" Scott asked. Ah still wasn't used ta him without his glasses, but there he was, eyes as brown as . . . Remy's.

"I'm afraid I do not know. Perhaps if we can contact the aliens, we might discover why their technology has such a side-effect."

"Dey seem in a hurry t' get rid of us las' time. Why you t'ink dey'll listen now?" Remy sounded skeptical, an' Ah couldn't blame him.

"Cajun's got a point," Logan scowled.

"Hope springs eternal, my friends," Beast said with as much levity as he could muster.

For all the times Ah cursed mah powers, Ah'd like ta say Ah'm sorry. Over the years Ah've started ta learn how ta accept it all as part of me, even if it does keep me from livin' a normal life. Now Ah've got the chance ta be like everyone else, but it feels like somethin's missin'. It's scary, havin' ta live a certain way for so long, an' then, in a few moments time, havin' everythin' change. Ah kinda feel like Ah've gotten something Ah've always wanted, but now Ah'm not so sure Ah want it anymore.