"All right, Jean," Storm said confidently, "Do your stuff!"

Jean Grey took in a deep breath, then turned and smiled reassuringly back at Jubilee where the teenage girl sat strapped into her passenger seat behind the two older mutant women. "Hang on," she advised, then turned back to stare into space in front of herself as she concentrated. With a quick mental wrench, she ripped the end of the X-Jet's wing off, sending it hurtling seemingly out of control to the ground below. Storm's eyes frosted over white as she used her own power over the weather. She caused a supporting wind to rise up under that side of the plane, softening its landing -- a few short miles from where they had spotted two of Magneto's followers in the woods of Arkansas. Jean wondered briefly as her stomach did gymnastics what they were doing out in the middle of nowhere like that. She suspected nothing good.

Behind her, Jubilee let out a quiet scream just as the plane crashed. Jean and Storm, well-used to these kind of landings, grunted at the impact nonetheless. Jean quickly unfastened her seatbelt and jumped back to where Jubilee was sitting to check on her. Actually, she was impressed that Jubilee hadn't been screaming the entire way down. The kid had guts -- but she would need every bit of them to deal with Magneto. "You okay?" she asked in concern.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh....." Jubilee groaned. "Fine. Just a little airsick." Jubilee clicked the latch on her own seatbelt open and stood woozily up. "Let's go," she said, taking a steadying breath.

Storm nodded. "An excellent idea. Come, let us move quickly." As she spoke, she snatched up a backpack filled with survivor gear in one hand, and tucked an emergency first-aid-kit under her other arm. Taking her lead, Jean Grey and Jubilee also gathered up some basic survivor gear and followed her out of the X-Jet.

As they had expected, it was only a minute or two before the nearby mutants caught up to them. The first indication of this was a long tongue that flicked out from behind them and knocked Storm's med kit away. As they whirled around, Sabretooth quickly grasped Jean by the throat and threw her against a tree. Jean slumped to the forest floor and lay still on her side, knocked out.

Jubilee gasped. "How dare you!" she screamed in outrage, throwing sparks of color from her outstretched hands at Sabretooth. He was hit full in the chest and knocked backwards a step, but managed to stay on his feet.

Storm started to raise her hands, then hesitated for a moment. She glanced at Jean, then over at where the first aid kit was laying. It was all the time Toad needed to swing down out of the tree he'd been sitting in and fly at Storm's stomach feet first. He kicked her hard, and she fell down onto her back, choking for the air he'd knocked out of her.

A blue jay dived suddenly out of the air and landed on Storm's heaving chest. It grew quickly, but maintained its bright-blue color. Within moments, Mystique sat straddling her fallen enemy. She smiled predatorily down at Storm. "I see you recovered, as well," she observed before punching Storm hard in the face.

With a soft groan, Storm's head lolled back and she was as still as Jean.

Jubilee could only stand and tremble, staring in horror at the scene in front of her. Professor! she thought desperately. Storm -- Jean -- they're hurt! I didn't know that was going to happen!

Neither did we, Professor X mentally assured her, and Jubilee could tell from the touch of their minds that he was worried as well. This is a much more efficient attack than we expected. Try to stay calm! I will send Cyclops out to get them. They'll be fine. I know your position.

Jubilee just barely stopped herself in time from nodding, and took a deep breath. I understand, Professor. She backed up slowly to a tree, and stared at the three mutants who were still standing in fear that she didn't have to pretend she was feeling. They stared back at her, unmoving.

Mystique was the first to take action. She stood slowly up and stepped away from Storm, towards Jubilee. "Who are you?" she demanded cautiously. She flicked a glance at the other two, who instantly scurried to either side of Jubilee. She was now completely penned in.

Jubilee swallowed. "Jubilee," she said bravely. "I'm an X-Man, and I can take all of you!"

Good, Professor X encouraged her. But be careful not to provoke them too much. Especially Mystique. She is Magneto's right-hand woman. She is unlikely to take kindly to too much resistance.

Sabretooth grinned widely. "I'm the boogie-man, and I'll have you for supper."

Toad chuckled insanely as Jubilee stared angrily at Sabretooth. "You're just a bully! You don't scare me," she snarled. She was feeling almost as feral as him herself just then. After a moment, it occured to her to add, "I'm not scared of anybody! Not you, and not the normals who want to kill me."

Mystique gave her a look of amused surprise. "Are you sure you're on the right team? Professor X wants to help the normals," she said with an air of revealing a delicious piece of secret gossip.

Jubilee stared at her in disbelief. Luckily, Mystique seemed to take it as surprise at the Professor, rather than disbelief that she was expected to feel any surprise.

Mystique sauntered forward until she was right in front of Jubilee, then her right hand snaked out and caught Jubilee's left wrist. "Come with us," she murmured warmly. "I think Eric would like to meet you."

Jubilee forced herself not to pull away from Mystique's frighteningly vicelike grip, and stared up into the mutant woman's yellow eyes in unmasked curiousity. I'm in, Professor.