Disclaimer: Marvel characters belong to Marvel. Mine belong to me. Any use
of my characters without my permission and you will be severely spanked.
A/N: I'll try to make this as brief as possible. It really does help if you read Of Infinity and Chaos first, because this would make a lot more sense, although I tried to make this stand on its own as much as possible. The Prologue takes place right after Jubilee freed the slaves-trust me it explains a lot of stuff that will happen. Ciele is a sort of trusted advisor of sorts to Jubilee that was entrusted to keeping the treaty enforced.
I am so sorry about the first posting of this chapter...all of my alien dialogue bit the dust so here is the fixed version. Hope you like it! :)
telepathic thought
[alien language]
Prologue
Time: Just after the freedom of the slaves.
Place: Intergalactic council
"[I will not tolerate this.]"
The Kyln's voice reverberated across the immense hall, stopping the assembled aliens' arguments. The oval room currently housed several thousand representatives from various planets, all of whom had turned to look at the speaker, situated in a balcony above the scene. The young woman was simply dressed in pants and a vest that hung on her thin frame. Her hair was shorn close the scalp and the start of a dark scar trailed down from the indentation on her neck to her chest. Beside her stood two aliens, Ciele and Bob, one tall and sinewy and the other short and lean.
"[They,]" She pointed at the accused that were sitting confined in the middle of the room, "[Have murdered your younglings, your mates, your families. Are we agreed on that point?]"
Murmured assent came from the floor. "[They have kidnapped, tortured and killed generations of your people. They also did this with the knowledge and support of their governing planet. Are we agreed on this as well?]"
A rumble emerged from the crowd as each alien motioned their agreement. Jubilee nodded in satisfaction. After weeks of debate over what to do with the slavers that had imprisoned her as well as countless others, they seemed to be finally getting somewhere. Clutching the rail in front of her, she held on for dear life as the room blurred and then cleared. Unwilling to rest, Jubilee had pushed herself to the point of exhaustion day after day until she had finally reached the point where she was functioning on sheer willpower. Forcing herself upright, she looked out at the gathered creatures.
It had seemed so simple to free herself and then free the slaves while she was at it. However, achieving that freedom when no one else had, meant that the aliens regarded her as a hero, a savior of sorts. And now, within three weeks of being free, she had helped the aliens return home, and used the opportunity to create a treaty ensuring peace. Unable to ignore the call put upon her, she had put off returning home so that she could help them. And now they called her the Kyln, a creature from legends that would bring justice to the weak and caretaker of the homeless.
Jubilee's weary blue eyes glanced at her friends, who moved closer as if to support her physically. As she stood before the immense crowd all she could think was that she was just a kid. What did she know about this? Hell, she had flunked out of debate, why should she be any better at intergalactic councils?
Holding up her hand for silence, Jubilee paused a moment before speaking. "[You all have asked me to determine a suitable punishment for the accused and this is what I have decided. An old friend once told me that killing, no matter what the cause never ended with peace. With each death came more violence, more hurt, more pain and I believe that we all have suffered long enough without bringing more onto ourselves. So let me say this; genocide, no matter what the crime, is not acceptable in any form. If nothing else comes from this, let this be an era of peace. You all stand on common ground, so do not waste the opportunity.]"
Gesturing to the brutish creatures that were restrained, she called them forward. "[Ji'in stand before me and hear your fate. From this day forward you will be shunned. You will be pariahs, forever scorned by others and accepted nowhere. This is your punishment for living off the misery of others. You will also sign this.]" Jubilee waved to a thin parchment. "[It is an alliance that ensures you will no longer keep slaves or maintain any such practice. If you should break this then your lives, which I have spared, are given to the planets here. And trust me, you will not survive their punishments.]"
Bowing slightly to the assembly, she turned to leave. It was taking every last ounce of strength left to remain upright and her blood pounded in her ears, with tiny stars swimming in her eyes. Facing the floor once more, she looked at them in dead seriousness. "[Know this, I will now what happens when you leave here. Break this and I will return to ensure your punishment.]"
Shaking, she walked off the balcony past the heavy drapes into a dark hallway. Once concealed, Jubilee collapsed into the arms of Ciele, who gently lifted the small woman up and carried her to their quarters. As they walked down the sleek hallway, the crowd roared to life, shouting. "[Kyln! Kyln! Kyln!]"
-in-
Chapter 1
Time: Three and a half years later.
Place: Space, 5 billion light years away from Earth-
"[When will we arrive?]"
"[In approximately 4 cycles. Tell the crew to prepare.]"
"[The Kyln is expecting us?]"
"[No, but we have means of communicating with the Kyln. She will be aware of our arrival.]"
"[I am... excited to meet her. What is she like?]"
"[Just and brutal. Her soul is troubled but I believe she will help us. Go now and prepare.]"
The creature bowed once and left the bay, leaving the captain staring at the stars streaking by. Rubbing worriedly at her nodes, she returned to the calculations on the terminal.
"[We are coming, Kyln. As I vowed to you, I will keep my oath.]"
-in-
Academy for Gifted Children
Danger Room
Jubilee circled her opponent warily, her eyes narrowed and she ducked just in time to miss a punch. Deciding to end it, she gave a spinning kick to the man's stomach. He doubled over and she tapped the back of his neck sharply. The body slumped to the floor and his eyes rolled grotesquely to the back of his head. Satisfied, Jubilee retied her ponytail that had come loose during the fight.
Breathing hard, Jubilee wiped her face with her shirt and turned to her audience of about ten students, all standing open mouthed. "That is what a real fight looks like, no holds barred, without your powers. Eventually each and every one of you will end up powerless and in a fight. I'm here to teach you how to defend yourself. Any questions?"
The assembled group of freshman shuffled awkwardly, and Leech put up his hand. "Ms. Lee?"
Jubilee nodded. "Yes?"
"Would that guy have been dead?"
She walked over to the prone figure on the ground and flipped him over unceremoniously on his back. "No, I merely disabled him. Life, class, no matter whom it belongs to, is precious and we do not take anyone's life. We will learn how to protect ourselves without fatalities."
Artie shook his head, in argument. *What if it's them or us? What then, is it still right to kill?"
Jubilee smiled slightly and called up to Paige who was operating the booth. "Paige run Beta 24."
Instantly a gruesome looking alien appeared and within seconds had Jubilee in a vice grip, choking her. With a slight twist she got free and managed to get a chokehold around its neck and was slowly applying pressure. Giving a slight nod to Paige, the program froze.
"So here we are, Artie. It's obviously me against him, we're about evenly matched and since you so eloquently put it I have the right to kill him. So let's do it." Another nod unfroze the sim, restarting its struggle once more. The alien started screaming a high wailing noise, which Jubilee paid no regard. "As long as we're going to kill him, let's torture him as well. That way the bastard can pay for what he tried to do to me."
Artie shrugged uneasily.
"Come on now, its only one life in the grand scheme of things. Here, it's easy. Just apply the slightest pressure here and then twist…" The creature's neck snapped slowly, the crack echoing through the silent room. A few of the students paled and one ran from the room. "There, that didn't take too long and now I don't have to worry about him coming to get me."
*That's not what I meant!*
Jubilee shrugged indifferently. "Dead is dead." She looked out at what was left of her class, and pointed to the dead alien at her feet. "We can kill, but we don't. It's the only thing that separates us from terrorists, tyrants, and those that would kill us. If we do it, no matter what the justification, we have already lost. Keep that in mind. Class dismissed. Leech go check on Julie and Pete okay?"
The kids filed out and with a sigh Jubilee walked to the observation room where Paige was looking slightly green.
"Was that really necessary?" Paige grimaced, and ran a protective hand over her swollen belly. The fact that she was pregnant at all had come as surprise to everyone, especially to the expectant father, Jono who had practically fainted when he had found out.
"Yes, it was. They need to learn that death isn't some pretend video game that they can start over and over again. Life isn't cheap and I don't want them to treat it that way."
"Well you certainly got their attention. I wondered why you wanted me manning the room today."
"It's a lot more effective if they don't have time to prepare for it. Besides in a couple of years I'll be teaching your kid a thing or two about hand to hand combat." Jubilee patted Paige's stomach gently.
Her face lit up as she felt a small kick in return. "Jubes, are you able to tell what my baby is? Can you hear it?"
Jubilee smiled softly and knelt so that she was looking at the Paige's stomach. "I can if you want." At Paige's nod Jubilee closed her eyes and gently let her mind touch the forming consciousness within. "It's a girl, and she's very happy right now. She's all warm and cozy and very comfortable." She paused and looked up at Paige who had a silly grin on her face. "When was the last time Hank check you?"
"About a month or so ago, he said we'd be able to listen to the baby this month. Why? Is anything wrong?"
Shaking her head Jubilee just lightly touched her stomach and concentrated. The sensation of touching a new mind was incredible, in Jubilee's mind's eye it looked like a tiny ball of light that pulsed with the infant's thoughts. After a few minutes she looked up with a grin. "Got a bit of a surprise for ya actually Paige."
"I have twins?!?" Paige squealed jumping up and down.
"No, actually it's more like triplets. Two girls and a boy. What have you been doing Hayseed?"
Paige blushed a beet red and mumbled, "Well, I do come from a large family."
Jubilee smiled and gave her a hug. "I just want to see Jono's face when you tell him."
"I'm going to let him know right now!" Paige gave Jubilee one more hug and then dashed from the room, waddling slightly. Jubilee watched her go fondly, Paige and Jono had been through enough problems in their lives to deserve this tiny bit of happiness. As for Angelo and herself, Jubilee gazed out into the now empty room, the two of them had remained together for the past three years without any mention of marriage or children. Now, as Jubilee saw her best friend the happiest she had ever seen her, she was beginning to wonder if she was missing out.
When Jubilee had finally graduated at the top of her class two years previously, Emma and Sean had finally decided to get the team a 'headquarters' of sorts. Basically it was just a huge mansion, tucked in a forest away from the mainstream public, only a few minutes from the school. The mansion, complete with an underground complex of two Danger Rooms, X- wing, and computer center, had been divided up into apartments for the older members of the team. Paige and Jono shared one, as did Jubilee and Angelo, and, to the surprise of many only six months ago, so did Sean and Emma who had gotten married in a quiet ceremony with only the team present. The ten younger members all shared rooms on the lower floors. M, Jono, Paige and Jubilee had stayed behind to become teachers at the school; all of them focusing the areas that they were best at. M had gotten the majority of the Calculus and Biogenetic classes, Paige taught English and Computer classes, Jono took care of the power training and Jubilee had been in charge of regular training. Angelo was the only one of them that was often called in to the X-men as back up for missions.
Jubilee activated the computer and punched a few keys. The Danger room scene shifted slightly and a faceless figure stood motionless. Sean entered the room, and he looked up to where Jubilee was. "Ready for training lass?"
"Yep." Seconds later she was beside him and he nodded at the figure. "Feeling like some hand to hand today?"
"You know it Sean. Let's do this." Centering herself, she got into a fighting stance, going instantly on guard as the fighter flexed its shoulders.
Sean watched with interest as Jubilee and the fighter sparred. He had made them almost equally balanced, giving the sim just the slightest advantage in speed and strength. Jubilee's fighting technique had been almost totally defensive in the entire time he had known her, and today it was odd…she was actively aggressive. Her blows were not meant to defend but lethal. Sean moved a couple of steps back, and watched her narrowly miss shattering its ribcage with a well placed kick.
"Die asshole!!" A gloved fist smacked solidly into her face, throwing Jubilee onto the floor. Jubilee sniffed, trying to clear the blood and sweat from her face before her opponent could gain an advantage. Her waist long hair was drenched from her exertions and before long she was sporting a swollen jaw that would be black before the day was out. The fighter shook himself out and circled the girl warily, his pace thoughtful as he looked at her. Angry, a tiny ball of plasma formed in her hand and her fingers clenched around the sphere.
Sean frowned as he watched the two. "Jubilee, think you're way through. This exercise is to help your hand-to-hand skills, without your powers. Get rid of it."
Flinging the ball against the wall, she didn't bother to answer and blew the Irish man a kiss before slamming a roundhouse kick to the fighter's neck, snapping it with a sickening crunch. The figure slumped to the floor, his head hanging at an odd angle. Jubilee turned to look at Sean (who had turned a pale green), to see if he would call up another sim.
Sean glanced at his watch and then held up his hand, signaling that the fight was over. He walked over to her, handing her a towel before looking at the simulated fighter on the floor. "Lass, the point is to disable, not kill. That," he poked the body experimentally with his toe, "is very much dead."
Shrugging, she wiped her face with the towel and looked at the body with distaste. "I don't know why. I've been on edge lately."
"Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just so weird, being on the other end of this teaching thing. I never figured it would be so hard."
Sean looked faintly amused. "Did you think that we teachers had it easy all this time?"
Jubilee shrugged. "More than the students. And then Leech asks me today whether it's justified to kill someone if our life depends on it."
"What did you say?" Sean tossed the basketball at her and took up the defensive position.
Jubilee slowly dribbled the ball and ducked past him and did a lay-up. "What was I supposed to say? None of us are ones to talk, I mean you, Emma, and I all have killed someone in the name of the greater good. It would be kind of hypocritical for me to stand and say that we shouldn't do it."
"But you did."
"Yeah." Sighing she bounced the ball to Sean. "I always thought that by the time I got this old I would at least have some answers."
"Yer only twenty lass, the world hasn't even begun for you yet." Sean smiled and sank a hook shot straight into the net. "As for us old folk…" Putting his arm around her shoulders, he gave her a light squeeze. "Don't loose faith yet lass, life's too precious for that."
The basketball lay forgotten as the two walked off in silence, each lost in their thoughts of the past and the skeletons that lay there.
-in-
A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for the better part of two years now. I decided it was time to see the light of day. Please let me know what you think.
A/N: I'll try to make this as brief as possible. It really does help if you read Of Infinity and Chaos first, because this would make a lot more sense, although I tried to make this stand on its own as much as possible. The Prologue takes place right after Jubilee freed the slaves-trust me it explains a lot of stuff that will happen. Ciele is a sort of trusted advisor of sorts to Jubilee that was entrusted to keeping the treaty enforced.
I am so sorry about the first posting of this chapter...all of my alien dialogue bit the dust so here is the fixed version. Hope you like it! :)
telepathic thought
[alien language]
Prologue
Time: Just after the freedom of the slaves.
Place: Intergalactic council
"[I will not tolerate this.]"
The Kyln's voice reverberated across the immense hall, stopping the assembled aliens' arguments. The oval room currently housed several thousand representatives from various planets, all of whom had turned to look at the speaker, situated in a balcony above the scene. The young woman was simply dressed in pants and a vest that hung on her thin frame. Her hair was shorn close the scalp and the start of a dark scar trailed down from the indentation on her neck to her chest. Beside her stood two aliens, Ciele and Bob, one tall and sinewy and the other short and lean.
"[They,]" She pointed at the accused that were sitting confined in the middle of the room, "[Have murdered your younglings, your mates, your families. Are we agreed on that point?]"
Murmured assent came from the floor. "[They have kidnapped, tortured and killed generations of your people. They also did this with the knowledge and support of their governing planet. Are we agreed on this as well?]"
A rumble emerged from the crowd as each alien motioned their agreement. Jubilee nodded in satisfaction. After weeks of debate over what to do with the slavers that had imprisoned her as well as countless others, they seemed to be finally getting somewhere. Clutching the rail in front of her, she held on for dear life as the room blurred and then cleared. Unwilling to rest, Jubilee had pushed herself to the point of exhaustion day after day until she had finally reached the point where she was functioning on sheer willpower. Forcing herself upright, she looked out at the gathered creatures.
It had seemed so simple to free herself and then free the slaves while she was at it. However, achieving that freedom when no one else had, meant that the aliens regarded her as a hero, a savior of sorts. And now, within three weeks of being free, she had helped the aliens return home, and used the opportunity to create a treaty ensuring peace. Unable to ignore the call put upon her, she had put off returning home so that she could help them. And now they called her the Kyln, a creature from legends that would bring justice to the weak and caretaker of the homeless.
Jubilee's weary blue eyes glanced at her friends, who moved closer as if to support her physically. As she stood before the immense crowd all she could think was that she was just a kid. What did she know about this? Hell, she had flunked out of debate, why should she be any better at intergalactic councils?
Holding up her hand for silence, Jubilee paused a moment before speaking. "[You all have asked me to determine a suitable punishment for the accused and this is what I have decided. An old friend once told me that killing, no matter what the cause never ended with peace. With each death came more violence, more hurt, more pain and I believe that we all have suffered long enough without bringing more onto ourselves. So let me say this; genocide, no matter what the crime, is not acceptable in any form. If nothing else comes from this, let this be an era of peace. You all stand on common ground, so do not waste the opportunity.]"
Gesturing to the brutish creatures that were restrained, she called them forward. "[Ji'in stand before me and hear your fate. From this day forward you will be shunned. You will be pariahs, forever scorned by others and accepted nowhere. This is your punishment for living off the misery of others. You will also sign this.]" Jubilee waved to a thin parchment. "[It is an alliance that ensures you will no longer keep slaves or maintain any such practice. If you should break this then your lives, which I have spared, are given to the planets here. And trust me, you will not survive their punishments.]"
Bowing slightly to the assembly, she turned to leave. It was taking every last ounce of strength left to remain upright and her blood pounded in her ears, with tiny stars swimming in her eyes. Facing the floor once more, she looked at them in dead seriousness. "[Know this, I will now what happens when you leave here. Break this and I will return to ensure your punishment.]"
Shaking, she walked off the balcony past the heavy drapes into a dark hallway. Once concealed, Jubilee collapsed into the arms of Ciele, who gently lifted the small woman up and carried her to their quarters. As they walked down the sleek hallway, the crowd roared to life, shouting. "[Kyln! Kyln! Kyln!]"
-in-
Chapter 1
Time: Three and a half years later.
Place: Space, 5 billion light years away from Earth-
"[When will we arrive?]"
"[In approximately 4 cycles. Tell the crew to prepare.]"
"[The Kyln is expecting us?]"
"[No, but we have means of communicating with the Kyln. She will be aware of our arrival.]"
"[I am... excited to meet her. What is she like?]"
"[Just and brutal. Her soul is troubled but I believe she will help us. Go now and prepare.]"
The creature bowed once and left the bay, leaving the captain staring at the stars streaking by. Rubbing worriedly at her nodes, she returned to the calculations on the terminal.
"[We are coming, Kyln. As I vowed to you, I will keep my oath.]"
-in-
Academy for Gifted Children
Danger Room
Jubilee circled her opponent warily, her eyes narrowed and she ducked just in time to miss a punch. Deciding to end it, she gave a spinning kick to the man's stomach. He doubled over and she tapped the back of his neck sharply. The body slumped to the floor and his eyes rolled grotesquely to the back of his head. Satisfied, Jubilee retied her ponytail that had come loose during the fight.
Breathing hard, Jubilee wiped her face with her shirt and turned to her audience of about ten students, all standing open mouthed. "That is what a real fight looks like, no holds barred, without your powers. Eventually each and every one of you will end up powerless and in a fight. I'm here to teach you how to defend yourself. Any questions?"
The assembled group of freshman shuffled awkwardly, and Leech put up his hand. "Ms. Lee?"
Jubilee nodded. "Yes?"
"Would that guy have been dead?"
She walked over to the prone figure on the ground and flipped him over unceremoniously on his back. "No, I merely disabled him. Life, class, no matter whom it belongs to, is precious and we do not take anyone's life. We will learn how to protect ourselves without fatalities."
Artie shook his head, in argument. *What if it's them or us? What then, is it still right to kill?"
Jubilee smiled slightly and called up to Paige who was operating the booth. "Paige run Beta 24."
Instantly a gruesome looking alien appeared and within seconds had Jubilee in a vice grip, choking her. With a slight twist she got free and managed to get a chokehold around its neck and was slowly applying pressure. Giving a slight nod to Paige, the program froze.
"So here we are, Artie. It's obviously me against him, we're about evenly matched and since you so eloquently put it I have the right to kill him. So let's do it." Another nod unfroze the sim, restarting its struggle once more. The alien started screaming a high wailing noise, which Jubilee paid no regard. "As long as we're going to kill him, let's torture him as well. That way the bastard can pay for what he tried to do to me."
Artie shrugged uneasily.
"Come on now, its only one life in the grand scheme of things. Here, it's easy. Just apply the slightest pressure here and then twist…" The creature's neck snapped slowly, the crack echoing through the silent room. A few of the students paled and one ran from the room. "There, that didn't take too long and now I don't have to worry about him coming to get me."
*That's not what I meant!*
Jubilee shrugged indifferently. "Dead is dead." She looked out at what was left of her class, and pointed to the dead alien at her feet. "We can kill, but we don't. It's the only thing that separates us from terrorists, tyrants, and those that would kill us. If we do it, no matter what the justification, we have already lost. Keep that in mind. Class dismissed. Leech go check on Julie and Pete okay?"
The kids filed out and with a sigh Jubilee walked to the observation room where Paige was looking slightly green.
"Was that really necessary?" Paige grimaced, and ran a protective hand over her swollen belly. The fact that she was pregnant at all had come as surprise to everyone, especially to the expectant father, Jono who had practically fainted when he had found out.
"Yes, it was. They need to learn that death isn't some pretend video game that they can start over and over again. Life isn't cheap and I don't want them to treat it that way."
"Well you certainly got their attention. I wondered why you wanted me manning the room today."
"It's a lot more effective if they don't have time to prepare for it. Besides in a couple of years I'll be teaching your kid a thing or two about hand to hand combat." Jubilee patted Paige's stomach gently.
Her face lit up as she felt a small kick in return. "Jubes, are you able to tell what my baby is? Can you hear it?"
Jubilee smiled softly and knelt so that she was looking at the Paige's stomach. "I can if you want." At Paige's nod Jubilee closed her eyes and gently let her mind touch the forming consciousness within. "It's a girl, and she's very happy right now. She's all warm and cozy and very comfortable." She paused and looked up at Paige who had a silly grin on her face. "When was the last time Hank check you?"
"About a month or so ago, he said we'd be able to listen to the baby this month. Why? Is anything wrong?"
Shaking her head Jubilee just lightly touched her stomach and concentrated. The sensation of touching a new mind was incredible, in Jubilee's mind's eye it looked like a tiny ball of light that pulsed with the infant's thoughts. After a few minutes she looked up with a grin. "Got a bit of a surprise for ya actually Paige."
"I have twins?!?" Paige squealed jumping up and down.
"No, actually it's more like triplets. Two girls and a boy. What have you been doing Hayseed?"
Paige blushed a beet red and mumbled, "Well, I do come from a large family."
Jubilee smiled and gave her a hug. "I just want to see Jono's face when you tell him."
"I'm going to let him know right now!" Paige gave Jubilee one more hug and then dashed from the room, waddling slightly. Jubilee watched her go fondly, Paige and Jono had been through enough problems in their lives to deserve this tiny bit of happiness. As for Angelo and herself, Jubilee gazed out into the now empty room, the two of them had remained together for the past three years without any mention of marriage or children. Now, as Jubilee saw her best friend the happiest she had ever seen her, she was beginning to wonder if she was missing out.
When Jubilee had finally graduated at the top of her class two years previously, Emma and Sean had finally decided to get the team a 'headquarters' of sorts. Basically it was just a huge mansion, tucked in a forest away from the mainstream public, only a few minutes from the school. The mansion, complete with an underground complex of two Danger Rooms, X- wing, and computer center, had been divided up into apartments for the older members of the team. Paige and Jono shared one, as did Jubilee and Angelo, and, to the surprise of many only six months ago, so did Sean and Emma who had gotten married in a quiet ceremony with only the team present. The ten younger members all shared rooms on the lower floors. M, Jono, Paige and Jubilee had stayed behind to become teachers at the school; all of them focusing the areas that they were best at. M had gotten the majority of the Calculus and Biogenetic classes, Paige taught English and Computer classes, Jono took care of the power training and Jubilee had been in charge of regular training. Angelo was the only one of them that was often called in to the X-men as back up for missions.
Jubilee activated the computer and punched a few keys. The Danger room scene shifted slightly and a faceless figure stood motionless. Sean entered the room, and he looked up to where Jubilee was. "Ready for training lass?"
"Yep." Seconds later she was beside him and he nodded at the figure. "Feeling like some hand to hand today?"
"You know it Sean. Let's do this." Centering herself, she got into a fighting stance, going instantly on guard as the fighter flexed its shoulders.
Sean watched with interest as Jubilee and the fighter sparred. He had made them almost equally balanced, giving the sim just the slightest advantage in speed and strength. Jubilee's fighting technique had been almost totally defensive in the entire time he had known her, and today it was odd…she was actively aggressive. Her blows were not meant to defend but lethal. Sean moved a couple of steps back, and watched her narrowly miss shattering its ribcage with a well placed kick.
"Die asshole!!" A gloved fist smacked solidly into her face, throwing Jubilee onto the floor. Jubilee sniffed, trying to clear the blood and sweat from her face before her opponent could gain an advantage. Her waist long hair was drenched from her exertions and before long she was sporting a swollen jaw that would be black before the day was out. The fighter shook himself out and circled the girl warily, his pace thoughtful as he looked at her. Angry, a tiny ball of plasma formed in her hand and her fingers clenched around the sphere.
Sean frowned as he watched the two. "Jubilee, think you're way through. This exercise is to help your hand-to-hand skills, without your powers. Get rid of it."
Flinging the ball against the wall, she didn't bother to answer and blew the Irish man a kiss before slamming a roundhouse kick to the fighter's neck, snapping it with a sickening crunch. The figure slumped to the floor, his head hanging at an odd angle. Jubilee turned to look at Sean (who had turned a pale green), to see if he would call up another sim.
Sean glanced at his watch and then held up his hand, signaling that the fight was over. He walked over to her, handing her a towel before looking at the simulated fighter on the floor. "Lass, the point is to disable, not kill. That," he poked the body experimentally with his toe, "is very much dead."
Shrugging, she wiped her face with the towel and looked at the body with distaste. "I don't know why. I've been on edge lately."
"Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just so weird, being on the other end of this teaching thing. I never figured it would be so hard."
Sean looked faintly amused. "Did you think that we teachers had it easy all this time?"
Jubilee shrugged. "More than the students. And then Leech asks me today whether it's justified to kill someone if our life depends on it."
"What did you say?" Sean tossed the basketball at her and took up the defensive position.
Jubilee slowly dribbled the ball and ducked past him and did a lay-up. "What was I supposed to say? None of us are ones to talk, I mean you, Emma, and I all have killed someone in the name of the greater good. It would be kind of hypocritical for me to stand and say that we shouldn't do it."
"But you did."
"Yeah." Sighing she bounced the ball to Sean. "I always thought that by the time I got this old I would at least have some answers."
"Yer only twenty lass, the world hasn't even begun for you yet." Sean smiled and sank a hook shot straight into the net. "As for us old folk…" Putting his arm around her shoulders, he gave her a light squeeze. "Don't loose faith yet lass, life's too precious for that."
The basketball lay forgotten as the two walked off in silence, each lost in their thoughts of the past and the skeletons that lay there.
-in-
A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for the better part of two years now. I decided it was time to see the light of day. Please let me know what you think.