Disclaimer: What you recognize belongs to Marvel. What you don't belongs to me.

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The Year 2028

There was a flash of metal, a mess of blood and a whole lot of pain.

But that was nothing new and there certainly wasn't any time to pause and fuss over it.

Instead she merely let out a short gasp of pain before silencing herself and stumbling backwards.

It was the things damn metal left arm, large and heavy with weaponry.

It was a shame the thing was still attached to the body. One arm down would be some real progress.

Pressing her hand against the wound in her right shoulder, Bekka leapt up into the air, flying high above the ground but not high enough to surpass the giant Sentinel that stood as her opponent over the ruins of this small town in New York. This small town had once been called Brushton and had a population of around 480, give or take. But that was before The Mutant Control Act. Before Superhumans were robbed of their secret identities and put under near-constant monitoring and made to do what the Government wanted, robbed of free will. This was before Mutant concentration camps and before Dr. Bolivar Trask created the Sentinels in what he saw as an attempt to protect the human race against the threat of Mutants. This was before all hell broke loose.

Now Brushton was nothing more than a destroyed town. Broken down buildings, debris and dead rotting carcasses. Just like the rest of New York, and most of the rest of the world. There was perhaps still hope for other countries. Like Australia, who were one step behind and the small Islands littering the oceans that no one had bothered with yet. Perhaps, they could be prepared. They could stop the end of the human race; find a way to end all this terror. Somehow.

As for everywhere else, thinking like that was just unrealistic optimism. Even if it all stopped now, they were already too far-gone. But they had to do something. They had to pretend they still had faith left.

As Bekka soared toward the sky, she could feel herself stalling. She was weak and tired but she couldn't just stop. This was escape or die. There was no winning in this fight. And even any escape routes were looking less and less likely.

She was luckier than some though. This Sentinel was just a basic one, the Mark I generation and it was alone. Had there been more or she was facing a more advanced Sentinel, or an X-Sentinel she'd be a dead woman.

The Sentinel was quick to launch into flight right after her. Of course, due to its heaviness, it was slower than Bekka. She rose ahead and spun around, quickly releasing a blinding flash of light that illuminated the entire area. She felt drained but there was no time to pause. Flinging herself forward, she sped onwards, praying she could get far enough away before the light diminished so that even the Sentinels tracking system couldn't reach her. However she was knocked back out of the air by a flash of red energy that stung at her every muscle. She caught herself before she hit the ground and managed to lower herself gently. Her breath was short and suffocating and fear gripped at her like a heart attack. But this had all happened before. Too many times. In fact, this wasn't even the worst situation. But it could still be the one that finally killed her.

The Sentinel stood tall in front of her; it's leg only a movement away from shattering her bones.

This was when another idea struck her and within two milliseconds she'd already thought it all through and was terrified. Could she pull it off? She had to. Fighting was useless and running was going to get her nowhere at this rate. She had to try it.

It wasn't a completely new concept. In fact, the first time she'd ever explored her power in this way had almost brought her down too. She'd been lucky.

But this time it was different. She'd done this before and knew the drill. However, she was drained too and not having enough energy could ruin the whole plan.

Was it foolproof? No way. Would it work? She was definitely in doubt. Did she have any other ideas? Not one.

This was it. She had to try.

Another energy blast swept past her ear and she ducked her head before gathering all the strength and courage she had and darting forward, straight for the Sentinel's left leg. Leaping from the ground, she attached herself to the leg, wrapping her legs and arms tightly around it, feeling herself slowly slipping down. She had to act fast. Already, the Sentinel had lifted its leg, shaking it in an effort to get her away so he could finish her off. He was getting mad.

But she clung on for dear life and, with one deep breath, began pouring all of the kinetic energy she held inside her right into the leg of the machine. She could already feel the exhaustion setting into her but she could also see the slight illumination that was brightening around the leg. She concentrated, making sure that it was all focused onto the one limb and didn't spread further. She slid further down and her eyes dropped shut. She was so tired, but still she went on.

The Sentinel was getting crazy but she persisted until the entire leg was lit up a bright pink colour. This would be the tricky part. She had to act fast, even in her current state. Taking a deep breath and concentrating the rest of energy into herself she leapt away from the leg and landed clumsily onto the ground, rolling onto her back before scrambling back to her feet and running, stumbling, as quick as she could in the other direction. The Sentinel shot at her again, but luckily he missed perhaps distracted by what she was doing. Diving behind a half-crumbled down wall that had once been someone's house, Bekka flattened herself to the cold floor, sharp stones digging into her skin. Oh, how she wanted to close her eyes and lie there forever…but she couldn't and throwing her arms over her own head, she mentally activated her powers like a time bomb.

The Sentinels illuminated left leg exploded, bringing him crashing down. Chunks of metal soared across the air, cutting through burnt up trees and flipping over hills of debris. Short rays of light, tinted pink, seemed to illuminate slightly in the air and Bekka quickly focused on absorbing them back into herself. She'd need this energy for her great escape. After all, she'd seen Sentinels re-form limbs in mere minutes and she didn't want to stick around and see if this one would. After she was sure she couldn't absorb any more of her energy from the air, she got back to her feet and pushed herself into flight, shooting off into the distance, trying to put as much space between her and her enemy as possible. The wind stung her tired eyes but she kept going until she felt she no longer could and tumbled to the ground, rolling and spinning until, finally, she landed on her stomach behind what seemed to be a giant mountain of debris. She took a deep breath in only to inhale dust and stones and coughed it back up again. Propping herself up on her sore and bloody hands, she threw her head forward, sweaty hair sticking to her forehead. She was sure that she was far enough away that the Sentinel could no longer track her. And if he could, he would've caught up with by now and taken her out. After all, there wasn't much fight left in her.

Trying to remain calm and get her breathing under control she took short and focused breaths of air before her stomach roared and vomit poured violently out of her mouth. She emptied the contents of her stomach and threw her head back taking a gasping breath of dusty air before it started up again. Tears poured down her cheeks and her abdomen constricted tightly, making her feel even more short of breath. Finally, it stopped and she rolled onto her back and cried.

She lay there for what felt like hours until she finally felt like her breathing was settled and enough of her energy had returned. She pulled herself into the sitting position and used her bloody fingers to comb her hair from her face. No doubt, she looked as bad as she felt. But there was never any time for vanity. Not in this world.

Carefully getting to her feet, she blinked several times and looked around. In the distance she saw what could be the sunrise. She didn't really know any more. It could also be pollution, sticking to the horizon brightly in an array of what could normally be beautiful colours. All she knew was that it meant she'd better be returning to the others, especially if it was the sun rising. Daylight was no safer the darkness, only there was a lot less coverage.

Her current location was familiar so she knew where to go. Headquarters wasn't very far at all so she decided to save her energy and walk. Her feet and joints ached. She felt half-dead. But still she continued on, dragging her feet and stumbling through wreckage.

After what seemed like miles, she finally reached her destination. Casting a wary eye toward her surroundings to make sure no one had followed her she approached a large cave-like entrance. Dark and hardly inconspicuous, she drew nearer. However, instead of entering its depths, she only walked roughly a metre in until everything went pitch black. Then, mustering up the strength only to create a small orb, which lit her way ever so slightly, like a dull torch, she saw her entrance, a very narrow crack in the rock, barely noticeable. Turning to her side and tightening all her muscles so she was as small as she could possibly be, she tried to slide through. Jagged bits of rock dug into her skin, worsening her fresh cuts, until finally she squeezed out into a very small opening, big enough to fit about 2 and ½ average sized people a lit by one dull light. Pressing herself against the back wall, she crouched down and felt around the dirt at her feet until she felt a very slight step in the ground. Digging her nails under it, she very slowly lifted it, moving it as far to the side as she could, revealing a hole big enough for just one person. Lowering herself down until she felt a surface at her feet, she pulled the opening back over her head until all was dark again. Treading her left foot in the air below her, she found herself another 'step' to jump too. She repeated this three more times before taking one more leap and landing on very hard ground, her feet stinging worse than ever. Finally, fumbling forward in the darkness, she found something that faintly resembled a ships steering wheel, with several large bits of wood sticking out from a circle. She moved the wheel in a full circle, then back again halfway, forward three quarters, and the whole way back around twice. She heard a muffled 'click' and pushed all her weight against the door, which was heavy and chunky, until it was open just enough for her to slip through into the dimly lit room.

Relief settled into her, her hopes of some water and a warm bed tickling the back of her mind, until a furious face belonging to a rogue blonde man covered her vision.

"NOVA! Where have you been?" The voice of one, Alex Summers, seethed at her. Her heart plummeted down and she took a step back. Before she had the chance to utter a sound, he was rambling angrily

"You think you can just wonder off like that! Just get up and leave whenever it suits you! Well you can't! None of us knew where you were, we were worried crazy!" He roared at her, "Anything could have happened to you out there! Don't you get it? Haven't you learned anything yet? Where's your common sense? You could have died!! You're lucky you didn't! When are you going to grow up and stop acting like some stupid kid!"

Bekka stepped back, hurt flashing across her face only momentarily. Alex looked as though he wanted to continue but she didn't want to hear it.

"How dare you," She whispered, her voice hushed and livid, "Don't you dare look at me like I'm some crazy teenager who just wanted some fun. Do you have any idea what it's like to be me? To have you guys go off to do your secret plans and leave me here without a clue of how many of you, if any, are going to be coming back?"

Rage was building inside her now. Her hands clenched into fists and her entire body was trembling.

"You have no idea what it's been like for me! Do you know how many of my friends, my family, I've had to watch die? That world, that world out there is what I've grown up in! I've known nothing else! And I've been here long before you ever turned up from the dark, Alex! So don't you dare talk to me like I have no idea what's going on! Like I can't handle myself! I can't just sit here and wait for you to tell me 'who's died this time' or what new weapon they've got to kill us! And I won't!"

Alex stood there, his face twitching, his lips daring to say more but before he had the chance, Jubilee was already at his side. Putting a hand on his shoulder, her eyes defiant as she spoke

"Leave her be, Havok. Can't you see the state she's in? She's had enough for today. Just let her get cleaned up, we can all talk tomorrow." Her tone was unwavering and finally, although looking very reluctant, Havok turned and walked off. Faking a smile, Jubilee took Bekka's arm

"C'mon, hun, let's get you cleaned up" She said, leading her past the rest of the group who seemed to agree with Jubilation rather than Havok.

Jubilee led her to the narrow creek the cut right against the back wall from one side to the other. The water was the clearest around, and it was usually used just to drink, however, as Jubilee pulled Bekka into a sitting position in front of it, she took a small cloth and wet it, shoving it towards Bekka.

"You're a mess." She said, motioning for her young friend to press it against her face "What on Earth happened to you?"

It was then that Bekka knew she must've looked like hell. The Creek Water was hardly ever used in this way, unless things got really bad. Like she said, there was no time for vanity in this world.

Pushing her face into the damp washcloth, she answered in a slightly muffled voice "Ran into a Sentinel"

Jubilee didn't push any further questions on her.

Instead she helped scrub the blood and dirt off her face and did as much as she could for her hair until Bekka finally pushed the cloth away, deciding that it was enough. Glancing in the surface of the water, she could only see a dark shadow of her face, all colour and features blurred away into nothing. Bekka couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her reflection. And even if she had, she probably wouldn't recognise it as herself. Her own face was a stranger. Even her hair colour was a mystery to her as it was so muddy and stained that the shade was hidden.

All she knew about was her eyes and that was because she was always reminded of them. She'd heard so many times of their vibrant red hue that never seemed to grow dim in any situation, the iris identical to her fathers.

Jubilee fetched the med kit and began tending to her scars and sores. Bekka felt cleaner but still ached in her every part. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, she spoke

"So, do you want to tell me about what you got up to today?" She asked her mentor, who did not look away from the scar she was cleaning on Bekka's forehead as though unaware of the piercing stare she was receiving. She pursed her lips, as though pondering whether to answer or not, before replying.

"We…we raided Base Five," She said calmly, however Bekka's eyes widened and she pulled away from the Asian woman

"What?" she said, shrilly because committing to any kind of raid was pretty much suicidal. Jubilee finally looked her in the eyes.

"Relax. Base Five is much more cut-off than the rest. It's a fair distance and security is much looser. We had a plan." She took a deep breath, the kind you take before a long story. "We had very strong reason to believe that they were holding a hostage there. Someone who could be very valuable to both sides. An old friend of the X-Men in fact. Have you heard of Forge?"

Bekka shook her head no

"Well, he used to be a great help to the X-men. He was an inventor of sorts, this relating to his mutant powers, he could create amazing things. Weapons, electronic devices, items of defence… anyway, discovering that the enemy had hold of him couldn't be good so Havok devised a plan to get him out. After all, we could do with his help. So we agreed. We had a carefully sought plan, and when we finally decided we could nothing more to prepare ourselves we went ahead with it. Things went smoothly at first, we got in and found Forge just as we had planned. However, getting him out was the problem.

Bekka could sense bad news coming but didn't interrupt.

"On our way out, someone must've set off a sensor or something. I don't know. All I know is that all of a sudden, from nowhere, we were surrounded. Things got pretty crazy then…I won't go into details, you don't want to hear it, but in the end the whole group was split and Meltdown wasn't looking so good the last I'd seen of her. Don't worry, she's fine now. But I'd just finished off a couple of Sentinels when I found Forge again, alone after he'd lost Cannonball in the dark. Only he hadn't been as lucky as me. There was a large shard of metal embedded in his stomach. He was barely breathing. He died minutes later, but not before passing on…some valuable information…"

Jubilee hesitated and Bekka leaned forward eagerly "What did he say?" She whispered, no time to mourn for the death of this stranger. Just like vanity, some emotions had to be spared to keep sane in this war zone. But Jubilee quickly straightened up and looked her straight in the eye, a very serious look on her features

"That's enough for today," She said sharply, and before Bekka could protest she continued "You've been through a lot already- we all have. You need to rest. We can finish this off tomorrow."

"But…Jubilee, please…" Bekka pleaded, desperation clawing at her insides.

"No," Jubilee clearly wasn't going to change her mind, "I need to discuss this with the others before I discuss it with you. I'm sorry, Bekka, but this conversation is done. You need your sleep"

Bekka badly wanted to hear more but knew there was no swaying Jubilee. Plus, she was exhausted and knew that some rest would be good for her. So she allowed herself to be led to the uncomfortable camper bed that she always slept in. Clambering in and pulling the sheets close around herself, the two girls bid each other good night, gripping hands momentarily as a friendly gesture before Jubilee departed and Bekka shut her eyes, drifting off within minutes.

She felt like she'd barely laid down when she was being shaken violently back to consciousness. She opened her eyes to find herself staring directly into Jubilee fear-ridden face. It took a moment or two for her senses to return but when they did, all the pain and exhaustion from a few hours ago came rushing back, this time accompanied by the feeling that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

She sat up immediately, suddenly not tired at all. The panic is Jubilee's face was a huge danger sign. And when the noise filling the ear around her hit her, so did the dread.

She could hear crashing, and the sound of a fight going on toward the entrance. She heard a scream the piercing yell of Cannonball calling for Siryn to duck.

Her heart leapt to her throat.

"Jubilee…" She choked out, tears pressing against the back of her eyes, her hands shaking but the rest of her completely rigid. "They…they're not here…are they?"

The look on her mentors face answered her question.

Inadvertently making a small petrified groan from the back of her throat, she reached out and gripped Jubilee's arm as tightly as she could. This was it. They were doomed, and they both knew it. This time there was no escape; they'd been found and cornered. Even if a few of them survived, it was no use. There was nowhere to go and they'd never last. This place had been their only haven; their last hope and now they were done for.

"Bekka, I need you to calm down for one moment and listen to me," Jubilee whispered, voice quivering but determined nonetheless. "I have something for you…"

She held something up and it glistened in the darkness. It was made of metal and looked similar to handcuffs only they were thicker and would reach further down the arm. And instead of being connected by a chain, it was just a slab of steal. They were also riddled with buttons and switches

"You know how I told you that Forge gave me some valuable information? Well this is it. This is the reason he was captured in the first place, but he managed to keep it hidden for the whole time." Jubilee's voice shook and she didn't pull away from the tight grip that Bekka still had her in.

"What is it?" Bekka finally asked after a short pause. Jubilee leaned forward so that their faces were centimetres apart and whispered significantly into the young girls ear

"It's a time travelling device." Bekka's eyes widened to the size of coins.

"Jubilee…like… like a… a time machine?" It didn't look like what you'd imagine a time machine to look like. Words like those always brought giant bits of machinery to mind. Like a tiny room big enough for one person with a metallic door that would zap you to another timeline when you walked through it.

'I don't understand" She added, her breathing shallow from the clouds of dust that fluttered around the room. As though from a great distance she heard a piercing scream and felt her heart slam against her ribcage.

"Don't you see, Becky?" Jubilee's tone wasn't like one that Bekka had ever heard from her before. Edged with desperation and fear and sounding like she was inches away from breaking down "This is the end. There's nothing we can do to get out of this one, we just weren't ready for it! We can't save ourselves so we just have to find a way to save the future!"

Bekka still didn't get it. Or at least she didn't want to get it. Something in her mind knew that this was strange but she just couldn't connect the dots. Sounding frantic, Jubilee continued

"And the only way to save the future is to stop all of this from ever happening…."

Finally, it clicked and realisation hit. But no. No, it couldn't be. Jubilee couldn't seriously be saying what she thought she was saying… It all made sense and yet it could never work…it could never work…

"And the only way to do that," Jubilee didn't dare falter their eye contact "is for someone to go back to when it began and change it."

"No…" Bekka choked on her own words "No…Jubilee…you can't possibly ask me to…you can't expect me to do that…please, no…please…"

There was another shout and explosion from the fight and Jubilee closed her eyes and turned her head to the side as though every fibre of her being was screaming in pain. When she moved, Bekka saw the tears glisten against her face and felt her own began to fall coolly down her cheeks.

"Jubilee…" she forced the words out of her voice box, this one conversation beginning to feel as exhausting as her earlier fight with the Sentinel. A million questions scrolled through her mind, more than she could keep up with but she narrowed it down to one.

"How?"

"Forge taught me how to work it. Or, at least, everything I'd have to know to do this. He briefed me on the risks, warned me about the dangers and ever since that conversation I've thought it all through, every detail, every flaw. And the more I think, the more I doubt. I was going to store it away, hoping I'd never have to use it. But… but Bekka, there is nothing else!" Suddenly, Jubilee had erupted into full-blown sobbing. Burying her face in her hands, she bawled, gasping for air. Bekka didn't know what to do, especially because she felt like doing the same thing, so she just pat her friend softly on the back.

She's never seen Jubilee like this before.

"Death was something we always had to deal with," Jubilee continued between breaths of air. "We all always knew we could die any day now and we grew to accept it. I made peace with the idea that I might not return with the rest of the group after a mission. But this…" Suddenly, she reached out, and gripped tightly onto Bekka's clothing "this is different. Look around, look at what the world has become. That's what I can't deal with, giving up on the future. But if there is the smallest chance for salvation- a chance to turn it all around- I have to take it!"

Bekka stared at the contraption, disbelief circuiting her veins. How could this be piled on her so suddenly? She felt like she was in shock, she couldn't handle it. Yes, she wanted to take whatever chance they got but was this really the only way? And, just as importantly…

"Why me?" She whispered, petrified. "Why can't you do it? Or- or Havok? You both would know what you were doing much better than me. You're stronger, you're wiser, and you know what you're doing! It could be anyone but me"

"No, Bekka, it has to be you" Jubilee said, as strictly as she could make herself be in this state. "Forge warned me about this risks of Time Travel. We don't want to cause a paradox, and me or Havok being there while our past selves already were could create a mess. The year you'd be going to would be before you were born.." She took a deep breath. She was calmer now, no longer sobbing, but her voice still shook. "But there's more to it than that. You're smarter than you think, and you're determined. Sometimes I think you're more determined than anyone else here. And that's the most important thing" She took one more deep breath and closed her eyes. Explosions and shouts and the sound of invasion continued but it was just background noise now. All Bekka was focusing on was Jubilee's words. The woman took the hands of the younger girl into her own.

"Bekka… don't underestimate yourself. You have the skills and cleverness of both your parents," a small smile fluttered across her lips "And the sass and adventure of them too. You may think they're gone but they live on in you. I can see it. I know what you're capable of and you can do this. I believe in you."

They were the deciding words, and as pathetic as it was Bekka felt compelled to listen to her. She pushed away the sound of doom that was happening to her team, her friends. She pushed away her doubt, her fear and all of the other emotions she felt. She could do this.

And she would.

She raised her head, clenched her jaw and stared her mentor boldly in the eyes.

"Okay." And that's all she said.

Suddenly, they forgot everything else and leapt into business. Jubilee pulled a large, stained piece of paper from her pocket, folded up neatly but slightly torn. She pressed it into Bekka's hand.

"It's not much, but it has some dates to remember, a little bit of information, anything I could gather to help you. I don't know how much use it will be, but it'll have to do."

Bekka pocketed it.

"What you do once you're there is up to you. You should arrive right in Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters, and immediately ask to speak to the Headmaster. That's Storm. Tell her what you think you must, remembering that you need for them to know enough to help you but also keep in mind that some secrets are for the better, don't tell them everything unless you deem it necessary. Try to keep as many details about people's personal futures secret too. Oh, that reminds me…"

She reached under Bekka's bed and searched around for a moment before pulling out a pair of slightly dusted and worn but other than that in good condition sunglasses. Bekka remembered that she used to wear them when her eyes made her self-conscious but she'd ditched them long ago. However, now Jubilee was pushing them onto her face.

"No doubt who you are won't be a secret forever, but there's no reason to parade it from the beginning. And you're eyes are your biggest giveaway" Jubilee forced a small smile "Just like Gambits."

Bekka didn't know what to say to that so instead she asked something that was on her mind.

"What if they don't trust me? What if they don't believe me?" She said, biting hard on her lip. Things would be bad right from the beginning if they thought she was an intruder. But it seems Jubilee had already thought of that. Reaching into the same pocket as the piece of paper, she came out with something silver, just smaller than her palm. She held it out. It was a silver X surrounded by a circle, the sign of the X-Men that was found on their uniforms. Bekka took it and held it tight.

"If they need some convincing just give them that. They'll know what to do with it, and it should erase their doubt."

Bekka knew her time to go was drawing nearer but she had one more question.

"And Jubilee? How long will this go for? How will I get back? If I do at all… I mean, the timelines will be all messed up. Even if I found a way to go back into the future, it would be a different place with a different Bekka Lebeau and this world would be unreachable and…and…" She stopped. The thoughts of what would happen to her if she did succeed were perhaps as terrifying as what would happen if she didn't. And what if she stayed long enough to witness her own birth? Would it cause a paradox? What would she become?

Jubilee looked down. She didn't have an answer, and it was then that Bekka realised just how uncertain this all was. It wasn't just a few kinks to sort through- there could be serious consequences if she went. But it didn't matter. The consequences would be even worse if she stayed.

There was a lot more things she could ask but she knew none of it would get an answer. It was up to her from now. Sliding the metal X into her pocket, she stood up.

"I'm ready," She said, trying to ignore the robotic roar that had shaken the atmosphere from the fight not so far away. Jubilee stood up to, and stared at her with a mix of terror and pride. Suddenly, she threw her arms around Bekka, pulling her into a sisterly hug. Bekka responded immediately, clinging to her for dear life. Finally, the two split, wiping tears from their eyes and stood defiantly facing each other for their final farewells.

Bekka held out her arms and Jubilee fitted the Time-travelling contraption over each limb. It really was like wearing some kind of high-tech handcuffs. She fiddled with a few switches and buttons and glaring brightly from the display screen was 4 digits. 2008. 20 years in the past, 3 years before Bekka was born. Her knees quivered.

Suddenly, Jubilee was done messing with the controls. She stood back and took one last look at the girl she'd watched grow up.

"Be brave, Bekka Lebeau." She said "and Good luck"

Both girls were crying but Bekka still managed to force a smile

"Yeah, I'll need it." She faked a laugh "Thank you, Jubilee. For everything."

Jubilee leant forward a flicked a small white switch on the side of the contraption. They stared at each other as though taking in every detail to remember forever.

"Goodbye, Bekka." Jubilee said, finally. It was all she could say.

The device beeped once.

"Goodbye. Tell everyone I love them." Bekka replied, her voice whispery.

These were their final words, before the device gave another beep and several lights started flashing. Just as they did, there was a deafening crash and the roof of the cave shook and crumbled as though about to collapse. Jubilee spun around, sparks already flickering at the hands in preparation.

The last thing Bekka saw was her mentor leaping into action towards the large metal monster that had just crashed into view, one arm missing and Tabitha Smith- or Meltdown as she was better known when in action- running after it. Looking intimidating and perhaps even a little spirited, the two girls prepared for a battle. Then she felt as though she was being pulled away, everything going blurry and suddenly there was one more beep and she felt suddenly yanked away completely, with one last look at the lively looks etched into her friends' faces.

And then there was nothing.

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LadyHandGrenade