AN: Just for clarification, because I've gotten a few PM's about it: The 'Supers' are from Pixar's The Incredibles. And as always, those who trademark, own. Since I've never trademarked anything in my life, I don't own.

As he stepped off the jet into the intense heat of the Egyptian desert Logan winced and looked over towards the Libyan border, sliding a pair of sunglasses onto his nose. Behind him, Hank sighed, already feeling lethargic from the heat, his blue fur hidden by a long traditional robe and the headdress that wound around his head and face. Storm, however, eyed the sand dunes warily.

"We should seek out the settlement and try to resolve this as swiftly as possible." She announced, descending the steps regally. "There will be a sandstorm soon."

Logan nodded, but Apogee frowned.

"I thought she was a weather witch?" She asked curiously as the wind whipped at her robes, and Storm sighed.

"I am able to control the elements; however, controlling the Saharan desert is something completely different. It would be like trying to stop the tides. It would destroy me before I'd even had a chance to take a breath." Not stopping to hear a reply, she began to make her way through the sands, Hank not far behind her.

"Storm grew up in Egypt." Logan grunted, nodding to Remy who had been volunteered to stay behind and mind the jet. "She knows better 'n anyone here what to do."

The red-head nodded, dragging the hood of her robe over her head, and fell into step beside him. "So if she tells me to do something, I do it, right?"

Logan glanced down at her and shrugged. "She's the team leader so if she says to do something, you do it no matter where we are. Guthrie, move your ass!"

Paige rolled her eyes but hurried to shut the ramp of the jet and catch up. By the time she reached Logan, Storm and Bishop had already disappeared over the nearest dune. "There's a man with a rifle just over the dune to the right." Paige murmured quietly, and Logan nodded, pleased to see that the blonde didn't look at him as she spoke, but rather on their surroundings.

"Man with a rifle crouched just over the ridge to our left."

Paige nodded, and the wind picked up slightly. "I see him. We should have brought a telepath." She muttered, and Logan nodded, walking faster.

"If there's two, there's more. Apogee, can you trot on and let the others know. I don't want to draw attention to them. Husk, don't look at him."

Paige nodded, flexing her fingers slightly as she summoned her powers and changed underneath her top layer of skin, leaving enough that she appeared normal and could strip away the outer layer of skin in a second to reveal it. "So, Adamantium is quite good for repelling bullets, right?"

Logan smirked slightly and nodded, keeping his attention on the dune to his left. From the way Paige was walking, he knew the blonde was keeping her attention on their other side. It wasn't long before they caught up with the others just before reaching the small cluster of tents. Logan could hear the shouting long before everyone else, but was unable to understand the Arabic words. Storm on the other hand could, and she broke into a run, her robe flapping in the rising wind.

In the centre of the cluster of huts, a group of men in traditional dress were clustered around Barry Kranmer who was kneeling on the ground, his hands tightly bound behind his back, while another, much older man in western clothing was pleading angrily in Arabic for them to let him go.

Spotting Storm and Bishop, the man broke off, standing defensively in front of Kranmer, his hand resting on the young Agent's shoulder.

"Peace!" Storm called out, holding up both her hands. "Peace. What is going on?"

"They believe he is working for the Devil." The older man announced in clipped English.

Standing behind Storm, Logan let his claws slide out of his knuckles a few inches, letting his robe conceal them, and the wind seemed to pick up slightly more.

"Why do they think that?"

The old man sighed, his fingers tightening on the man's shoulder. "He attacked his partner and the man has since disappeared. They wish to carry out Tribe Law and execute him. They do not believe the other man was trying to hurt him."

Logan frowned, stepping past Storm. "Barry, who was with you?"

"Source. He went odd; started saying that Xavier was trying to destroy the world; that he was amassing an army that would kill all mutants not on his side. I don't know what he was going on about...then he had his knife in his hand and said that either I join with them, or I face the consequences. I went for him, but the villagers stopped me; they couldn't understand what I was saying...I managed to break away and chased him behind a tent...but he was gone. There was a full moon out, but I couldn't see him on the dunes...he completely disappeared. We've only been here a couple of days. I don't know-"

Storm approached the village elder, drawing him to the side as Logan stared Kranmer in the eye. "Did he mention Shadows?"

Kranmer shook his head. "No. He said something about someone called Ehecatl. I don't know, Wolverine, I wasn't really listening. I was concentrating more on the knife in his hand."

Paige and Apogee shared a side-long look, and everyone missed the shocked expression on the face of the man that had been trying to help Kranmer. "Why didn't he try to use his powers on you?" She asked softly, and Kranmer looked at her curiously.

"She's a Newbie?" When Logan nodded, he looked at her kindly. "It's kind of hard to manipulate water in the middle of a desert, isn't it? That's why we were here; Xavier heard that the water holes were drying up around here, and wanted to see if we could find anything underneath the sand that might help the locals. We didn't."

Off to the side, Storm was gesturing to the group, and Logan watched as the Headman's righteousness seemed to wane and he looked more thoughtful than murderous. Finally, Storm shook the man's hand and returned, gesturing for Kranmer to get to his feet. "You are free to go. I have explained what has been happening to him. He understands that you are a mutant, not a demon, and has asked that you continue to help his people find water. They will help to protect you if Source returns."

Kranmer stood with Bishops help and nodded, brushing the sand from his cargo pants. "Tell me what is going on, and I'll tell him what I'll do." Kranmer demanded, and the elderly man nodded.

"I too wish to know what the Mayan God Ehecatl has to do with this." He announced, his voice tinged with concern.

"He's an archaeologist...travelling with the tribe until they reach an old stone building they found last year." Kranmer supplied helpfully.

"Edwin Fielding." The man introduced himself with an incline of his head. "Now, what is going on?"

The Headman began to speak to Storm again, and she nodded, pointing to one of the tents. "He has offered us the use of his home to speak in." She murmured, already making her way towards it. "The sandstorm should reach us in about ten minutes or so. Paige, contact the Jet and tell them where we are."

Around them, the Bedouin were already beginning to secure their tents and livestock, and Paige hung back as the others went inside, taking out a small radio from the pocket of her robe. /Remy, do you read me?/

As she relayed what had just happened, she kept her eyes on the surrounding dunes as several men half-slid down them, rifles held carefully as they kept their eyes on their footing. Inside the Jet, Remy finished securing it for the oncoming sandstorm.

/Oh, and Remy, there's an Englishman here; goes by the name of Edwin Fielding. Can you contact the mansion and get them to start looking him up? He knew about Ehecatl...knew he's an Mayan God; since we've only found that out, it's a bit strange he happened to be here...and knows about it./

Remy nodded, already opening the frequency to the Mansion. /Understood./

/We're in one of the tents while Storm explains everything to Kranmer and Fielding. She says the sandstorm will hit in the next ten minutes or so/

Remy nodded and closed off the channel, quickly shutting all the vents and covered the engines before retreating back inside to call home.

XXXxxxXXX

Kitty closed the leather journal with a frown, setting it on the small stack in front of her. "Nothing." She shrugged and pushed them away from her. "How could one man write so much, and yet…nothing!"

Across the table from her, Heather shrugged, turning the last page on hers. "I don't know, but he's sure led one hell of an interesting life. He says here he got thrown in jail in Columbia for eight weeks because they thought he was a CIA agent…"

Kitty reached into her pile of journals and flicked through the front pages. "It turned out he wasn't the CIA agent, but one of the palaeontologists in the group was."

The clairvoyant's eyebrows shot up and she eagerly took the journal from Kitty, settling down to read. "His wife should publish these." She mused as she read the last notation on the ill-fated trip to Columbia. "It's like Indiana Jones…only real."

Kitty smiled and picked up the Journals, bringing them to where the boxes containing the artefacts sat. "I know what you mean; he could really write. It's a shame though; all that, and we got nothing."

"A lot of interesting stories about people…I guess our best bet would be to find one of the guys from the original expedition and question them…right? I mean, how hard can that be?" Heather stretched in her seat and yawned.

"Finding a bunch of men from an expedition that took place when Xavier was just a child; not hard at all!" Kitty replied with a false brightness, hoping against hope that that task would not be handed down to her. "After all, they could have moved fifteen times, decided to drop off the face of the planet, or even worse; died."

Heather winced. "Point taken."

Kitty murmured 'good' underneath her breath and gathered up the last of the journals, putting them back into order. They were just about to leave the room when Scott appeared, looking harried. A look that seemed to be more and more the norm for him.

"Kitty – oh good, you've finished, have you? Can you tell me if there's anything in there about Edwin Fielding?"

Kitty looked at him with disbelief, but Heather sighed. "Edwin Fielding; present on three of the digs I read about. Old friend, known DeNare a long time…went on his first dig. Why?"

Scott turned on his heel, calling over his shoulder "Kitty, would you start looking him up? I want a complete history. I have to get the jet ready to drop Jubilee and Violet off to Fury in Nevada." With that, he was gone, but Kitty stayed staring at the space where he'd been the disbelief not disappearing from her face.

"Why the hell is it always me?" She squeaked finally. "What am I? Some kind of tracker? Do I look like a blood hound?"

Heather picked up the old coffee cups and headed out the open door. "Maybe a little around the ears...You know what they say; get good at something and you make a name for yourself!"

XXXxxxXXX

Edwin listened to the wind howl around the tent, his mind not quite fully in the present. Storm's explanation had dredged up memories he had long buried, and he gripped the top of his walking stick tightly, twisting his hands around the heavy ebony and round cap. "And how do you know of the Orbs?" He asked finally when silence finally reigned.

"A man named Edward DeNare-" Storm began, but fell silent when Edwin looked up sharply.

"You have talked to him? He told you of this? Of our time in the Temples?" he sounded shocked, and Logan shook his head.

"He didn't talk to us about nuthin'. He sent the Orb to us for safe keeping. What we've learned, we've learned by reading the journals that his wife Esther gave us."

Eyes rheumy with age turned to stare at him. "Why on earth would he do that? Why would she give you his journals? Does he know?"

As Logan went to reply, Storm beat him to it. "Mr. Fielding…Mr. DeNare…Edward has passed away. He was killed by someone looking for the Orbs."

"My dear," Edwin began quietly, taking on an air of arrogance, "if Edward were dead, I would know. His wife would have told me. I have known Edward since we were eleven years old; we went through school together, and then later to University. Esther would have told me immediately."

"He was murdered." Logan growled, though not unkindly. "Slaughtered. The lady had enough on her plate tryin' ta deal with him dyin' without havin' to track you through a couple of million miles of desert. Now, are you gonna accept that, or do we have to run around in circles until the storm's over?"

Edwin drew up his chin in defiance, but firmed his lips and nodded. "If you say that Edward is dead, then I suppose for now I am forced to accept your word on the matter; but as soon as the storm dies down, I shall use my satellite telephone to contact Esther and sort this mess out."

Storm nodded, trying to restore peace to the already fragile atmosphere inside the tent. "Mr. Fielding…please, it may be very important; what happened inside the temple?"

"Lord Fielding." Edward snapped angrily. "And I swore a blood oath never to speak of what occurred in either temple. A man died because-"

"And more are dying now, and will continue to die if we do not get an answer." Apogee snapped, suddenly just as angry. "We are losing our friends and colleagues, and to be honest, I'm not going to stand by and listen to you spout on about oaths if you could help stop the killings. Got it?"

"And just what would you do to make me?" Fielding snapped childishly, and Apogee clambered to her feet, shedding her robe.

"I will bounce your goddamned bones around in your body until you gain some sense!"

Paige grabbed at her arm and yanked her back down onto the ground. "Easy, everybody. Lord Fielding; please, it may be very important; what happened inside the temple?"

"Death." The old man turned to stare into the fire, moisture dampening his cheeks as his resolve never to speak of it waned. "In the first temple…death happened. I'd almost managed to convince myself it wasn't real. Almost. But how can you forget the first time you meet the devil itself? No one talked of it afterwards…Not even Edward and myself. I do not know if he saw what I saw, or if he felt what I felt…but none of us were inclined to speak of it again. We buried a friend that day…some of us buried our innocence with him. Even the hardest of our lot was shaken."

They waited for him to continue, and to the side, the Headman of the Village was listening intently as Storm quietly translated what was being said.

"Was it really devil-like?" Hank asked quietly when it appeared that Edwin wasn't going to speak again, and the elderly man shook his head.

"I suppose not. The only things I can really tell you about that first temple were feelings. We were enveloped in utter darkness; a whispering sound rose up around us and raised the hackles on the back of my neck. Intense pressure pushed me down to my knees, and a violent wind struck up; inside, you understand; we were inside a sealed building. There was no way on earth that that could happen. All the lights we carried went out, and something spoke in our minds...without the benefit of using our ears. I felt His words in my bones. Charlie either did not hear it, or chose to ignore it. He proceeded to walk further into the darkness." Edwin closed his eyes as his knuckles turned white around the top of his walking stick. "It...He, Ehecatl, told us to get out. Then Charlie began to scream...we lost courage and ran. But I suppose you already know all of this if you read Edward's Journal?"

Hank nodded his eyes distant. "You sound as if you have done some research into this 'God'." He murmured, and Edwin nodded sharply.

"It may not have been the Devil, but it felt like it. I looked into everything I could find on the name Ehecatl when we returned to civilisation. I spent some time in South America in the 1960s researching him, and the Myths surrounding his name. Everything in general South American Mythology points to him being a benevolent God; associated with the wind; his breath makes the sun and the moon move through the sky...nothing untoward. However..." He drew in a deep breath, "Some years later, I was in Belize and my guide got us terribly lost in the jungle. We found a cave system to shelter in during a storm, and I found text carved into the rock. To pass the time until the storm abated I translated it. The synopsis is; He went bad. In fact, he may be the reason why the Mayan Empire fell. He turned on his fellow gods; took their worshipers from under their noses, turned them to his will; they were only a shadow of themselves...partly themselves and partly the Ehectl's puppets...so many wars were fought under his banner against those he could not turn. Their populations were decimated. In the end, he was forced by the gods that remained into his own temple, and a second was built around it, sealing him in place, covered in runes and symbols designed to keep him bound into his prison. Those that had opposed him hid, abandoning the humans that worshiped them so they could lick their own wounds and recover. The Mayans prayed to their gods, but their gods no longer answered. They continued to believe, but their reason to believe was gone. And in time, their mighty empire fell, and the Aztec empire, praying to the same forms of Gods as their ancestors rose in their place, the dream of the power that once was fuelling their beliefs."

"And when you went into the inner temple, you freed him." Paige murmured softly, a shiver running down her back.

"That is what we were told in Chalchiuhtlicue's temple, yes. She...where Ehecatl was darkness, she was light. In hindsight, it may not have been the best of ideas to enter yet another damned temple, but we did. And we were taken to task for our actions; innocent though they were."

"She gave you the orbs." Storm murmured, and he nodded.

"Yes; she gave us the orbs to take care of until the right time came. She told us that we would know when that would be."

"Why didn't they just put him back into his prison?" Apogee asked curiously, and Edwin smiled wryly.

"It took all of them to put him there in the first place. She was the strongest, and even then she was almost destroyed by him. They didn't have the power to destroy him. And he has had had a millennia to rest. She and the others were not resting; they were and still are continuing to heal."

"How come we're only seeing all this now?" Apogee wondered aloud, and Edwin sighed, tension seeming to drain away as he gave in to the inevitable. It had taken a lifetime for someone to talk to him about it, and he realised that now might be the time for their mistakes to be fixed.

"The world has changed a great deal since he was imprisoned. I believe he was biding his time until he knew exactly what he was going to do. And from what you have told us; he has worked out his plan and has put it into action. This world must be a goldmine to him now. Before he just had normal humans; now, he has mutants to take over and do his work. More power...more control...more to gain. He will enslave the entire earth before he is done."

"Do you know what the orbs are?" Paige asked quietly, her eyes wide with worry.

Edwin shook his head. "I do not; I know only that we were sworn never to lose them, or sell them or speak of them. When the time was right, they would come into their power."

Logan stayed quiet during this exchange, and finally looked at Storm. "The temple that Jubes an' Chuck an' Jono got lost in was Chalchiuhtlicue's place." He growled softly. "The display that Esther had up had pictures of the two temples. One was the one they were in. The second one was near where me 'n Jubes crashed the jet. She was ahead of me an' next thing was, she got real spooked. I heard nuthin' but she said somethin' told her to leave. Scared the life out of her. I never saw her so afraid before; wouldn't let us stay there a minute longer."

"She has good instincts then." Edwin murmured. "Better than ours were."

"Better than mine." Paige muttered under her breath. Logan heard her and snorted.

"Kids instincts are better than most at times."

The sand howled around them for a time as the tent went eerily silent; all lost in their own thoughts. Even the village elders were silent, wondering what was happening in the world outside their isolated existence.

"Do you think I'll be needed?" Barry asked finally, and Storm shook her head.

"I do not know."

Barry nodded slowly. "Tell the village elders that I'll stay then. I'm not a strong mutant, Storm. You know that. I can produce some water…not enough to make a difference in a fight. And I can sense water. Enough to make a difference here. If they'll promise not to kill me, I'll help them find new watering holes."

Storm nodded with a faint smile. "I will tell him you will stay. I believe they will be relieved. Ed…Lord Fielding, I know you are here looking for a recently discovered ancient structure…but you know so much about what we are facing. Aside from the fact you were actually there when this happened, you have done so much research on the matter-"

Edwin sighed and nodded. "I know what you are going to ask. I will come with you." He looked thoughtful and finally hefted his walking stick. "You will be going up against the devil himself. You may need this."

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "We got more things to beat him with than a piece of wood, Edwin."

The elderly man smiled queerly and placed his hand on the handle and twisted, removing the top of the stick. "She told us never to lose or sell it. I preferred to carry mine with me at all times." He held it out to her on the palm of his hand. "And I believe I am relieved to be handing care of it over to someone else. I never had children; I have no one else to pass it to. And I will repeat her words to me; Do not lose it, sell it or damage it."

XXXXXX

"Sell it? Who on earth would want to buy it?"

Scott snorted and glanced around the small, heavily shielded room and then back to the table in front of them where the orbs sat. Both were marbled stone; one was a muddy brown - the one Jubilee had found. The second was light grey, and was slightly smaller than the first.

"Jubilee owns a few ornaments like them…" Scott murmured quietly, ignoring the pointed look he got from Magneto.

"Any ideas?" Hank asked quietly, and Magneto shook his head.

"None. I feel nothing from them. For all the talk, they just appear to be small stone…balls."

"And yet, they have caused two deaths that we know of. And much, much more if they are truly linked to what is going on." The furry blue feral sighed and picked up Edwin's contribution. "I have a friend coming to look at them; analyse them properly. He is a geologist with the University of Cambridge."

Magneto glanced at him. "And you trust him?"

"With my life." Hank murmured softly, placing the orb onto its stand with a quiet click. "I trust Clifford Bellamy more than I trust you, Magneto. I do not say that to be harsh; but…I trust him. He is a gentle man. I cannot see him doing as others have done."

"And that is-?"

"From speaking with Logan regarding the dreams he has had, and your earlier description of Mystique's dream, they were all entreated to join the Shadow; that he knew the darkness in their hearts and souls; we have surmised that it is that darkness in their souls that drew him to them and gave him the ability to take them over. Clifford has never had a shred of darkness in his soul. Because of his mutation, he was brought up hidden from the world; his parents ensured he had a happy childhood, filled with love and he had friends that did not ridicule him for his appearance. I have seen him mourn the death of a fly." Hank smiled softly at the memory. "I do not believe there is anything for a shadow to grasp. And Charles and Jean will both scan his mind to see if there is anything amiss before we even tell him what is happening."

Magneto seemed to accept that and put his hand on the door handle. "Emma too?"

"Why?" Scott asked sharply.

"Charles and Jean are both…soft. Emma does not have qualms about rifling through someone's mind. She should be present."

Hank nodded in agreement. "I will put it to Charles. Vesper should be here in a few hours; we must be prepared for his arrival. I wish for the tests to begin immediately."

"Vesper?" Magneto frowned, trying to remember where he'd heard that name before. "Isn't that the man who went in front of the British Parliament and spoke for Mutant Freedom?"

Hank nodded with a wry twist to his lips. "And eventually persuaded them to change their laws concerning Mutant Rights. That Vesper was christened Clifford Bellamy."

XXXXX

Jubilee wasn't bored; she was more than bored. The mansion seemed empty. They'd come back to new guests on the run from friends and family, and the Mansion had never been so full. There were more than 50 newcomers, and they'd been packed two or three to a room. And then, just as suddenly, it was empty. As soon as darkness had fallen, Bobby had suggested that he and a few of the others go to Harry's Bar. And as soon as a 'few' had gone, others had followed. Including Paige, Violet, Monet, Logan…everyone.

Seated on a window seat, she closed her eyes and rested her head against the window frame.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Jean's voice broke her out of her daydreams and she stared up at the red-head guiltily. "They aren't worth a penny, Jean." She murmured, drawing her legs up so that the older woman could sit.

"Jubilee, sometimes I think your thoughts are worth your weight in gold. Now; what caused the heavy sigh I just heard?"

Jubilee smiled wanly, letting her head droop back onto the wooden frame. "Too many thoughts to name, Jean, along with extreme boredom. I'd go train, but Scott's declared that we can only train if there's more than one of us."

Jean's eyebrows narrowed. "Jubilee, that's always been the rule."

The teenager smirked. "For lesser mortals, maybe. It's always been more of a guideline for me. And you know that already. No, Scott's really put his foot down now. He doesn't want anyone in shadowy corners out of the way on their own; which I totally dig, you know, it's just…it doesn't help when you're bored and grounded, and everyone else is happily getting drunk down in Harry's. They didn't even…" She trailed off softly, her eyes going misty. "Never mind."

"Never checked to see if you were ok or wanted company for the night?" Jean guessed what was preying on Jubilee's mind and hit the nail on the head.

"Yeah. I guess. Don't mind me, Jean. I'm just being…selfish. The world doesn't revolve around me. And they're right to go off and have a little bit of fun. They're probably going to need it."

Jean screwed up her face sympathetically and sat down, looking out at the moonlit lawn. "I know what you mean. I don't think that this is going to end well."

Jubilee sighed again. "Yeah. So what did the new old guy have to say?"

"We're thinking about sending a team out to find the cave he was talking about. He seems to have a pretty good grasp of where it is."

Jubilee nodded. "Fair enough. Permission to not be on that team?"

Jean couldn't help the look of surprise that erupted. "Really? You're usually the one clambering for places on missions."

Jubilee shrugged and began to pick lint from her jeans. "To tell you the truth, I'm a little bit fed up with temples and jungles and things that go "I'm going to suck out your soul out with a bendy straw"in the dark."

Jean tugged her to her feet. "I think we need some hot chocolate. Storm's expecting me back with some soon. C'mon. We'll go up to her loft, have some girlie chat. We haven't done that in a long time."

Jubilee allowed herself to be propelled along to the kitchen, and soon found herself ensconced on a bed of pillows in front of the large floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the woods. Storm eagerly took the mug that Jean offered her, and looked at Jean expectantly. /What's wrong?/

/She needs some company./ Jean explained telepathically and took a sip from her mug. /Everyone left and didn't bother to see if she needed company./

"It's a pity that you don't want to go to the Jungle. We were hoping to put you on the team." She murmured as Jubilee settled back and the teen dropped her gaze down onto the cushions.

"Why me?"

"Because you are a valued member of the teams, Jubilee." Storm retorted, suddenly seeing why Jean had brought Jubilee along.

Jubilee snorted but smiled faintly. "Thanks guys. Like I said downstairs, Jean, don't mind me. I'm having a 'mopey' moment."

Storm smiled and took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I feel like we haven't sat down like this in forever." She murmured softly.

"How was Egypt?" Jubilee asked, enjoying the cool night breeze flowing in through the open windows.

"Hot; dry; dusty." Storm smiled. "But let's not talk about work. How long are you planning on keeping your hair long?"

Jubilee's nose scrunched up as she grinned and let out a gurgled laugh. "I don't know; thinking of chopping it off; what do you think?"

"I liked it short." Storm declared and Jean nodded.

"Me too. It's nice long, but it suits you short too. But not spiked like you used to have it…maybe circa Jubilee aged 16. I know you grew it to show you were getting older, but…it's nicer short."

They all laughed and as Storm moved her mug to her lips, a violent shock-wave rocked the mansion. Jean's eyes went distant for a moment, and she shot to her feet, her mug spilling its contents onto the ground.

"Jean?"

"I can't reach anyone. Charles and the others were in the room with the Orbs examining them." The red-head began to run for the door. The three of them ran for the lower levels; choosing to take the emergency stairwell instead of the lift, and emerged into the empty hall. Jean took point and Jubilee's eyes darted to and fro as she took in their surroundings, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that the lights above them were intact and still shining brightly. "Storm?"

Jean and Jubilee looked to the Weather Goddess for instruction and the Team Leader nodded.

"We stick together. Be wary. Jean; can you contact any of them yet?"

Jean nodded. "Warren is still in the control room; he's just regained consciousness. All of the monitors are down." They walked cautiously down the hall, Jubilee moving to take point as they approached the control room. The door was wide open and Warren was waiting for them, battle ready. He relaxed slightly when Jubilee walked in; hands blazing.

"What happened?"

Warren shook his head. "I don't know. Some kind of an explosion; a shockwave…it knocked me out briefly. The explosion took out the security cameras; the system is still up and running and we have audio alerts, but I can't use the screens. It's going through a start-up re-boot…it'll be five minutes before we have access again."

"Stay here." Storm ordered. "Lock the door. We will find out what happened."

Warren nodded and Jubilee continued down the hall, ready for trouble. Approaching a corner, she knelt down and sneaked a look, sucking in a breath when she saw the door at the end of the corridor had been blown out and was lying in the middle of the floor. "Jean…?"

/Proceed with caution./ Jubilee nodded and padded noiselessly down the hall, keeping close to the wall, enveloped in a telekinetic bubble of protection. Reaching the room, she looked inside and gaped.

"Jean! They're all still in here; unconscious!" She felt the bubble dissipate and hurried to Hank's side, her fingers digging through the fur on his neck in an effort to get to skin so she could feel for a pulse. Giving up, she pressed her ear against his chest and relaxed when she heard a reassuring thud. Leaving him where he was, she moved on to Emma as Jean crouched beside her husband and Storm checked Charles. Finding another pulse on Magneto, Jubilee moved on to Vesper who was lying by the wall and blinked at the sheer size of him; he was even bigger than Hank. Shaking her head to get rid of the image, she began her quest for a pulse, using his wrist instead of his neck as the fur was thinner there. She blew out a breath when she felt it and turned to look at Jean.

"Are Scott and the Professor ok?"

Jean nodded, stroking her husband's cheek as he moaned softly and tried to open his eyes behind his visor. "They're breathing. They were knocked out."

Seeing Magneto begin to rouse, Jubilee moved to stand but as she did, there was a flash of fur beside her and something closed tightly around her neck and began to shake her violently.

"Vesper!" Hank was barely conscious but his shout drew everyone's attention, and startled Vesper into looking at him. The Doctor was relieved to see that his friend's eyes were still their normal brown hue, and the hulking Feral looked down at his hand as if seeing it for the first time; his eyes widening as he saw that it was wrapped around a young girls neck.

"Henry?"

"Put her down." Hank warned worriedly. "Carefully, Clifford; she is not a threat."

Vesper gently placed her onto the tiles, his massive paws suddenly incredibly gentle. "I did not mean to…I was startled…" He stammered, well aware that the others were looking at him as if they were about to attack. Or rather; he was about to attack.

"Clifford…"

"You tell me that the world has gone insane; people are attacking each other for no reason; something blows up and I find a stranger standing over me; what would you have done!" He protested loudly as Hank struggled to stand, only to have to settle for crawling to Jubilee who had rolled over and was attempting to sit up; her hand gingerly touching the skin on her neck.

"Thanks for not smacking my head against the wall while you were at it." She grated out sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry..." Massive hands closed around her shoulders and pulled her up until she was sitting, her head only barely higher than his chest. "I truly did not mean to hurt you...I was disorientated." Big, liquid brown eyes shone with sincerity, and she found herself nose-to-snout with someone whose head was easily twice the size of hers.

"It's ok." She murmured, even though her head was still spinning from being shaken. "Uh...you can let go now."

Vesper blinked and let her go, murmuring another apology.

"What happened?" Jean asked, supporting Scott as he attempted to sit up.

Vesper cleared his throat. "We were attempting to take a sample of the stone. Then something...there was some type of a shock wave."

Behind him, Emma rolled onto her side and pushed herself into a sitting position, touching her fingertips to her temple as if she had a headache, her eyes screwed shut. Out of the corner of her eye, Jubilee watched her use the table to pull herself to her feet and followed suit.

"Ms. Frost, are you ok?"

Emma didn't answer, and Jubilee frowned, getting to her feet. "Emma?"

For years, Logan had been drilling into her how important it was to trust her gut, and to go with her feelings, and the second she saw Emma's hand reach for the orbs, she knew something wasn't right. "Emma?"

In the split second it took for Mystique's form to change from that of Emma to Sean, Jubilee was already running, but so was the shape-changer, and the facsimile of Sean's legs were longer and faster than hers as they sped out the door and down the hall. Jean and Storm were right behind her, leaving the others behind. As Mystique reached the elevator doors, she turned, and Jubilee slid into an open doorway just as a sonic wave passed, the air around her vibrating. It hit Jean and Storm dead on, and the two women fell to the floor, clutching at their heads as disorientation overwhelmed them. Jubilee left her hiding spot as the mind-numbing wave finished, just in time to see the elevator doors close, and she wrenched the door to the stairs open, taking them two at a time.

Bursting out into the main floor of the mansion, she spotted familiar blue skin headed towards the front door and put on a burst of speed, emerging out into the normally lit entrance of the mansion as the bulbs in the large, Victorian globe lights that lined the steps began to shatter, plunging the area in to darkness.

Unwilling to let the Taken disappear into the shadows with her prize, paffs flew from her hands to surround them, bathing the area with bright white light and hopefully cutting off her avenue of retreat. As their surroundings lit up, a pit opened in her stomach when she saw the mutants ranged around the steps, seemingly waiting for them.

Using her newfound powers, she sent orbs of crackling white light towards them and jumped for Mystique, landing on the woman's back sending them both crashing onto the steps.

As she drew her fist back to strike the blue skinned woman in the face she was happy to hear Bobby's familiar shout in the distance, and a vicious grin teased at her lips as her knuckles met with bone, producing a satisfying crunch as the shape-shifter's nose crumpled.

Hands closed on her shoulders and attempted to drag her off, only to be blasted back by a paff exploding. She barely managed to avoid having the bigger woman head butt her, and took a fistful of hair, using it to smack Mystique's head against the step. With the older woman suitably dazed, she grabbed the orbs out of her unresisting grip and finally took a look around.

It seemed that Bobby's first group to reach the bar were also the first crew to call it a night, and had seen Jubilee's paffs above the trees as they walked up the drive. Breaking into a run, Bobby let out another shout as he rounded the corner to find Jean, Storm and Warren pouring out of the front door, while Jubilee was being repeatedly run into the balustrade of the steps as she attempted to hold a struggling Mystique in a combination head and arm lock.

It was Warren that disentangled Jubilee from her quarry, and he took off with the struggling shape shifter, his wings beating powerfully at the night sky until he reached what he judged to be a sufficient height. Tackling the problem with clinical thoroughness, he let go and watched her fall towards the mansion lawn, knowing that she had the ability to save herself if she were that way inclined. He kept an eye on her as her form rippled, and grimaced as a Southern whoop rang in the air, and Rogue joined the fight, making a beeline for the woman who was now her doppelganger.

Back on the steps, having knocked him out easily, Jubilee perched on top of Thunderhead's back, crouching on the balls of her feet, one hand resting on one of the orbs she had stuffed in her pockets. Her eyes ranged around the ever-expanding group of fighters, noting the squeal of tyres as more of the drinkers from Harry's arrived, bringing with them welcome relief from the increasing tide of Taken.

A quiet curse crossed her lips as she saw Mystique point towards her and Ben Grim set out towards her. /Jean? I got the orbs back and they know it!/

The telepath gave a curt nod and looked to the front door where Scott and Beast were emerging, Magneto barely able to keep on his feet behind them.

/Pass them off to Bobby/

Jubilee nodded and used Thunderbird as a spring board to sail over Tigra's head, taking off down the lawn as if the hounds of hell were after her. Behind her, Tigra dragged Thunderhead to his feet and pushed him towards the steps, pointing up into the air to where Storm had taken position, searching for the sky for unwanted airborne guests. Above them all, the starry night sky began to darken and cloud over, obscuring the bright moon, and soon it was only the flashes of powers and Jubilee's light paffs that lit the area.

She had to concentrate to keep the area lit, and it was only because she knew what was going on that she could keep track of where the orbs were going. She'd managed to pass them to Bobby before being chased by Ben Grim, but lost him when Vesper waded into the fight and picked him up, tossing him into a bush. He gave Jubilee a quick wink before letting out a roar that would strike fear into a lesser man. His bright eyes spotted Sabretooth and marked him as a worthy adversary and he tore into the fight with a happy glint in his eye. For a gentle man, he did like to let loose every once in a while.

Bobby ended up passing the orbs to Scott, who in turn had to pass them to Rogue when Blazestone targeted him. Rogue passed them to Hank, and soon Remy found himself slipping them into Jubilee's pocket as he brushed past her, and she growled when she felt the orbs weigh down her jeans.

Sliding beneath Ben Grim's legs, she turned and blasted him hard; sending him crashing into the ornamental fountain, hoping Charles would forgive her as it broke into pieces. As she clambered to her feet, she allowed the plasma of her powers to engulf her body, judging that if no one could touch her, then they couldn't get the orbs.

Above them, Storm and Thunderhead grappled with each other as the air around them swirled with currents, making it difficult for the other aerials to stay airborne. Lightning crackled around them and finally a bolt broke loose, headed for the ground. Jubilee looked up as her hair stood on end and the air around her charged with electricity. The bolt lanced towards her and as Logan, Sean and Bob arrived on the scene, it seemed to connect with her head, throwing arcs of electricity and plasma around her like a crackling storm, her scream that of raw emotion as she became a conduit for the power the elements were now channelling through her. The split second that a normal bolt of lightning would take to strike and dissipate elongated and turned into seconds, and then what felt like minutes as the storm borne of two mutants powers continued to pour its fury into her. When the realisation hit her, she opened her eyes and saw the electricity running through her veins, and looking up, she realised that everything was faintly outlined by a minute trace of electricity; from blades of grass to the tallest trees, each leaf visible as a skeleton; the veins and threads of fibres each earning their own lines of faint white light.

Closing her eyes again, she gritted her teeth as her head felt like it was going to implode from the pressure, and realised that she could do more than see the electricity; she could feel it too, and more than that, it seemed to connect her to every living thing around her. It ebbed and flowed with the movements of those fighting; a contaminated feel from those who were Taken, making her skin crawl.

Logan stood helpless at the tree line as Jubilee was overwhelmed by the lightning, momentarily obscuring her from his sight before it vanished, and she slowly crumpled to her knees, breathing hard. She disappeared from view for a moment, and when the tide of battling mutants moved, she had vanished.

Trotting through the fighting, he struggled to find her scent, throwing people aside, not caring if they were Taken or not. When he reached the scorched earth where she had been, he was rebuffed by an invisible force, and frowned, ignoring the fighting around him as he rubbed his hand over the surface.

"Stop that!" A voice hissed, and he realised it was Violet. "She's got them and she's not exactly with it right now!"

Logan nodded curtly, realising that Violet had used her powers to turn them both invisible, and turned his back on her. "Keep her safe, Parr." He growled, and spotted Sabretooth grappling with Vesper in the distance. Trusting her to keep them both out of harms way, he left them, and Violet looked down at the shaking girl she was touching as she blinked rapidly, looking as if she was about to throw up, while tears streaked down her face.

"Jubilee?"

There was no answer, and she came to a decision, half dragging the younger teenager to her feet and guiding her towards the mansion itself. The terrace in front of the Mansion was clear of fighting, and she let Jubilee sink back down onto the ground once they were between two of the large decorative flower urns that ringed the front of the house. "Jubilee are you ok?"

She'd seen the girl get hit by lightning, which had scared the life out of her, and had been surprised to find her still alive when she'd reached her. A quick check to see if she was injured had revealed one of the orbs in her pocket, and tentatively reached out for a telepath to ask what to do. Jean hadn't even let her finish her sentence or mention the orbs, and had ordered her to keep them both hidden and protected. And that was what she was going to do.

From her vantage point, she could see the battle raging, and she sank down beside Jubilee, pulling the shaking girl into her arms. She worried even more when Jubilee turned into her, hiding her face against Violet's jacket.

Violet increased her grip, looking around to see how things were going. The ratio of Taken to non-Taken seemed quite even, especially now that the rest of those staying at the mansion were arriving, and she began to try to find those she knew, spotting Dash easily as he zipped around between the fighters, helping where he could. Her father was grappling with The Thing, while a Feral Mutant with tan fur that she didn't know was pinning Sabretooth to the ground as Logan hurried towards them.

"Just keep the lights on, ok Jubilee?" She asked quietly, and Jubilee's grip tightened on the fabric of her jacket. She was reassured slightly when the light of the orbs, which had been steadily fading since the lightning strike, began to increase again and she sighed, biting at her lip.

Finally, the Shadow Taken began to retreat, leaving their dead behind them. Jean looked around wildly as the last of them disappeared, and squinted in the dim light of the paffs, looking for any of their own that were lying on the ground unmoving. Some were on the ground, but were sitting up, or moaning softly. She quickly found Scott, who gave a solemn nod to tell her he was alright as he checked the dead to see who had been killed.

"Jubilee!" She called out, and beckoned to Storm and Rogue. "Find Jubilee. She has the orbs, and I think Violet is with her. I need to help Hank." Rolling up her sleeves, she began to help those that were injured; though none seemed too serious.

"Jubilee? Sugah, where are you?" Rogue called out loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Jubes? Violet?"

Violet had buried her head into Jubilee's hair tuning out the sounds of the battle, but hearing her name being called, realised that the Shadow Taken had fled, and with a heavy sigh, she let the shields and their invisibility drop.

"We're here!"

Storm shared a look with Rogue, and the invulnerable mutant took to the air, heading straight for them as Storm turned her attention to helping with the wounded. "Everything alright?" She asked in her Southern drawl, and Violet shook her head.

"No. Really no!"

Rogue frowned and knelt, reaching out with gloved hands to palm Jubilee's head. "Jubilee? Sugar, can you hear me?" When she got no answer, she looked up at Violet sharply. "What happened?"

"She got hit by lightning; look." She tilted Jubilee's head towards her, showing the reddened area of skin underneath the hair. Rogue nodded, seeing the damage, but the effect of the lightning strike on the seventeen year old's hair had worried her more. The raven's wing sheen was still there, but strands of white were mingled with it.

"What's her heartbeat like?" Rogue was suddenly all business, and Violet blinked, suddenly remembering that the woman in front of her couldn't touch anyone with her skin for fear of killing them. Pressing two fingers against Jubilee's neck she was reassured by the beat.

"It's pretty fast, but it's regular. She could stand and walk with help. I dunno, she's pretty out of it."

Rogue looked over her shoulder, spotting that all the qualified medics were busy with more seriously injured people. "Listen sugah, I'm gonna get someone to come up here and sit with you, ok? I can't do anything to help her. She don't seem hurt, so you'll be fine. Just stay put until someone can take a look at her."

Violet sighed as Rogue took to the sky again, and turned Jubilee's head again until she was snuggled into her jacket. "Just keep the light going, Jubilee. There's people hurting out there and they need to see what's going on to help."

She got no reply, but the light increased, and by the tree line, Logan looked up at the nearest one and felt a weight lift off his shoulders. "Logan?"

"Nuthin'." He grunted, tearing another strip from Bobby's donated shirt. He wrapped it around Bob's arm, stemming the flow of blood. "Jubes an' Vi are together. The lights are shining brighter is all; the Kid's are fine."

Dash sighed and looked around, searching for Violet. "Go find her, Dash; tell her we're ok." His father ordered, and it was all he needed to zip off, looking for his big sister.

He found her wrapped around Jubilee on the terrace and slowed to a walk as he approached them. "Vi?"

"It's ok, Dash. She's just a little…" Violet swallowed and looked up at him worriedly. "I dunno. Weird."

"We've know that since we met her." He quipped, sitting down tiredly beside her. Together, they settled down to wait for someone to come get them, and Dash finally let his eyes close, giving in to exhaustion born from the run of his life.

XXXXX

She drifted….the pain, the sorrow, it buffeted her from all sides, but still, she drifted. Her mind felt like a leaf in a hurricane as the connection to the world around her pulsed. Since the lightning had stopped, she could no longer see the electricity, but the connection was still there. There was Remy, his head hurting, his arm hurting…there was Logan, cuts and bruises and damaged internal organs knitting themselves back together as he bandaged Bob Parr…there was Bobby, bent over a woman she didn't know, his back aching and his calf screaming in agony from a misstep over a rabbit hole…there was a woman she couldn't identify with half her leg missing, crying as Bobby bent over her, holding her hand as her last few moments sped by…there was Hank, tears streaming down his face as he closed the eyes of the last person he had fought; eyes that were finally clear yellow and not black…there was Sean, helping Paige stand…on and on her mind identified people and injuries, feeling the electrical forces ebb and flow, flare and fade out as people passed on to the next life, and all the while she felt Violet's comforting hold; the only thing anchoring her in place.

It felt like a lifetime before another, more familiar presence replaced Violet's, and she turned into it, shuddering at the touch that seemed to electrify her.

"Violet; get Jean or Charles." Emma ordered sharply, not knowing what was wrong with the girl, but the shudder that ran through the tiny body at her touch worried her. Violet shot to her feet and ran away, leaving her alone with Dash who was still sleeping soundly. Seizing the opportunity, she removed the orbs from Jubilee's pockets, slipping them into her own for safekeeping, and tried again to get through her mental shields.

She was frowning when Charles arrived with Violet in tow, and his expression immediately mirrored her own. "Emma?"

"I don't know, Charles. Help me get inside her mind."

Charles's eyebrows shot up at the demand, but he reached out with his mind and together they sought a chink in the unyielding shields. Finally, he found the weakest place and struck at it, drawing away as it made no impression. Feeling Emma join him, they struck together and felt the shield waver.

/Jean, help us./ he ordered, and across the lawn, Jean put down a bandage, blindly obeying the urgent request. As one, the three of them struck and were suddenly drawn into her mind like a leaf in a whirlpool.

Violet stepped back as Emma gasped in shock and Charles stumbled to his knees, his hand clutched to his head. Already kneeling, Jean bent in two, her arms wrapped around her middle as she was assaulted by the pain around her. She pulled herself out of Jubilee's mind with difficulty, and stayed as she was, gasping for breath.

Charles followed her out; unable to take the pain any longer, but Emma tightened her grip and fought against the tide, intent on helping her.

"Professor?" Violet asked worriedly as Charles gathered himself together and wiped the sheen of sweat from his face.

"She can feel everyone's pain…she is connected in some way to everyone…" He murmured softly, his eyes troubled. "Even the rabbits in their burrows."

"The lightning?"

Charles looked at her curiously as the nausea began to fade away. "Lightning?"

"She got hit by lightning. Jean told me to hide her after that 'cos she has the orbs."

/Emma?/

/I heard her/ came the short reply, and Charles stood, his attention already back on the others.

"Emma will help her. Stay with them in case she needs anything."

Violet looked as if she were about to cry, but knelt back down beside them as Emma slowly drew away, her face troubled.

"Jubilee!" The sudden shout made the Super jump back, and she opened her mouth in outrage as Emma slapped Jubilee's cheek hard enough to leave a red imprint. She gripped Jubilee's face, placing her lips beside Jubilee's ear to shout her name again.

"I don't think-"

"She's stuck in there." Emma snapped, her eyes flashing angrily. "I need to break her attention away from what's going on around us. Telepathy is hurting her. The longer I stayed in her mind, the more it hurt her. She is connected to everything, and I can't get her attention long enough to help her turn whatever the hell is going on off!"

"Dump her in the fountain?"

She got a scathing look in reply and shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what else would help."

Emma unconsciously began to rock Jubilee in her arms as she racked her brains for a way to shock the girl, and finally as people began to trickle back to the mansion, she got awkwardly to her feet, still holding Jubilee.

Walking past the others, she kept her head held high until she reached the shattered remnants of the fountain and unceremoniously dumped the catatonic girl into it. After a long few seconds, she grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to the surface when she realised Jubilee was in danger of drowning. Across the lawn, Logan shot to his feet when he saw the rough treatment Jubilee was getting, and hurried towards them, murder in his eyes. He slowed to a stop when Emma gently laid her onto the grass and started shouting and shaking her shoulder.

"Frost, you better have a damned good reason-" He began angrily, but stopped when the scent of fear and worry hit his sensitive senses. Though Emma looked blithely unconcerned, she was actually probably more upset than he was.

She clinically laid out the problem to him, and he winced, his jaw hanging slack as he stared down at her. "Can't you do anything?"

Emma shook her head. "Going into her mind brings her even more pain than this is causing her. Besides, I would not be able to enter again without at least Charles and Jean assisting."

Logan looked around; Violet and Dash were standing a few feet away, watching the proceedings worriedly. The lawn was now practically empty of people as those who weren't injured assisted those that were off the grass and into the relative safety of the Mansion.

"Hank and Jean are helping with Tigra. She's badly injured, and the Shadow seems to have left her eyes." Logan announced gruffly. "I dunno where Chuck is."

"What happened to Tigra?" Emma asked curiously, and Logan crouched down to pick Jubilee up.

"She tried to claw out my eyes..." He grumbled, and set off across the lawn, holding his soaking wet protégé against his chest. At the top of the steps, he hesitated and looked around before called out to Emma; "The lights?"

"Do you want to be sitting in the dark tonight?" Emma answered acerbically.

"If it's hurtin' her to keep it up, then yeah." He shot back, and Emma shook her head.

"I don't know if we can get through to her to turn them off."

Logan lifted Jubilee slightly higher, and placed his lips beside her ear. "Darlin', it's Logan; if you need to let go of the lights, let go."

The paffs surrounding the lawn exploded, and he turned his back on the riot of colour they emitted, making his way into the large reception room just past the front door. It was filled with people, and he judged that most of the uninjured had gathered there. A glare at those sitting on a couch made them move, and he gently placed her onto the cushions, using his fingers to sweep her hair away from her face, frowning at the white strands.

"What's happened to her?" Tradewind asked curiously, and Logan sighed as Violet tried to explain.

"What's wrong with her?" A woman in a black leather cat-suit asked. Around them, as if looking for a distraction against what had happened, the others began to turn their attention towards them.

"Girl got hit by lightning." A black woman with an afro announced, taking out her earrings. "I saw it; girl just stood there and took it. Probably stopped it hitting everybody else. I seen programmes on the TV where if lightning hits, it takes out everything around it. I seen it take out all the players on a football field."

Emma stood behind the couch so she could look down at Jubilee. The teenager was staring at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused. "She can feel every bit of pain around her." She announced, wondering if someone in the room would be able to come up with an idea to help. "We think the lightning activated a part of her powers that makes her more aware than usual. We can't turn it off."

"Can't you just..." Tradewind wiggled his fingers at her to indicate the use of her powers, but Emma shook her head.

"She has powerful mind-shields. It took myself, Xavier and Jean Grey to break through them earlier. I cannot get her attention long enough to help her."

"Is it because of the lightning, or is it telepathic?" A voice announced from the doorway, and Logan looked up to see Magneto watching them curiously.

"I think it is because of the lightning. Not quite telepathically based, but it is tapping into that ability. I dread to think what would have happened if she were more talented in that area." Emma mused, turning her attention back to Jubilee.

"Try her in a Faraday Cage. It is designed to stop electromagnetic pulses. It may help."

"Would it hurt her?" Violet asked carefully, and Magneto shook his head.

"It is just a simple metal mesh cage."

Tradewind stood up and straightened his torn shirt. "Any volunteers to look around and find wire mesh?"

A couple of men nodded and followed him out the door, headed for the sheds and outhouses behind the mansion. "We'll get back as quickly as we can."

"We'll be down in the base." Emma advised him, indicating to Logan to pick her up again.

"Mags, you know how to build one of these cage things?" Logan asked as he picked her up again, and the white haired man nodded, turning to lead the way downstairs.

XXXXX

It was the sound of hammering that drew Charles away from the observation window to the operating theatre. He followed it down the hall and found Logan sitting on the floor holding Jubilee in his arms, watching Tradewind hammer two long pieces of wood together, while Magneto and a man that looked oddly like Sam Guthrie were examining the wire mesh from several screen doors.

"What's going on?"

"We're building a cage to see if we can block out..." Logan frowned and looked at Magneto.

"Electromagnetic forces. It is worth a try." Magneto supplied, handing the wood back to Sam Guthrie's cousin.

Charles looked torn for a moment, but Emma pointed back to the door. "It can wait if this works. If it doesn't then we will have to try to sedate her, but I don't think that will help."

Charles was about to answer when Bishop called out to him with his mind, telling him that Nick Fury was on his way in. "Let me know." He called out over his shoulder as he hurried away.

Logan held Jubilee close as if his life depended on it. He didn't like the way things were turning. Everything that was happening seemed to be hitting her, either directly or indirectly, and as the sound of sawing filled the room, he idly wondered if it was because she'd been in the temple.

/If that were so, then Charles and Chamber would also be exhibiting the same tendencies to get injured/ Emma dragged a stool over and sat beside him, reaching out to touch her hair. /I think she just attracts trouble. She likes to be held, doesn't she?/

Logan didn't blink at the change of topic, and nodded slowly. /Always has; since I've known her, anyhow. Used to go to sleep in the desert with her in my arms. Then later, when we got back here, I'd wake up every once in a while to find her asleep on top of my blankets, her arms wrapped around me. She likes hugs/

/You thought I was going to hurt her outside, didn't you/

Again, Logan nodded. /Only fer a minute. Sometimes I forget you care about the kids that much. You don't show it; it's easy to miss. But I know you'd never purposely hurt her/

/She's mine/ Emma stated, her chin raising. Across the room, Magneto realised there was a silent conversation taking place, and rolled his eyes. /She, Angelo and Jonothan. They are all mine. Paige, Monet and Everett have their own families to varying degrees. They are my students. But Jubilation...she has nobody/

/She's got me an' every other X-Man/ Logan shot back angrily, his eyes narrowing as a smile curled her lips.

/I understand that. But she has no blood claim on her. Therefore, she is my charge, and she is mine. And yours, and Gambit's and everyone elses. But she is also mine. Do you understand?/

It almost surprised him, but he did. They fell silent as the frame was quickly completed, and Magneto made sure that all of the metal screens were completely covering it. Emma placed salvaged rubber bath mats on the base and slid Jubilee into it; there was just enough space for someone to sit upright or lie lengthways. "I will stay in here with her." She announced, flicking her hand at Magneto to seal them in. There was barely enough room for both of them, and Logan began to growl.

"Can you contact her telepathically? No? I thought not." Emma snapped back, though it was more through habit than aggression or malice. "Magneto, seal us in."

Using his powers, Magneto closed up all the edges, effectively sealing them in and completing the make-shift Faraday Cage. The moment the last edge melded together, Jubilee collapsed against Emma limply, gasping for breath.

"Jubilee?"

"It's quieter..." Came the grateful whimper, and she grabbed fistfuls of Emma's jacket as the world slowly began to fade away to a quiet throb in the background. "Oh god, I never want to go through that again..." She blinked rapidly and finally lifted her head, looking around her. "What...?"

"It's shielding you from what's happening. What is happening, Jubilee?" Emma put a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face upwards.

"... I could feel everybody's pain..." She closed her eyes and paled as she remembered the initial agony. "People are dying an' I can feel it...Emma, it hurts..."

"Jubilee, do you know how to turn it on again?"

"It's not off..."

"Well then, let's see if we can turn it off."

Emma closed her eyes and brushed against her mind, silently asking to be let in. The moment she broached Jubilee's shields, the teenager cringed, tears coming to her eyes as pain assaulted her. Emma moved to pull out again, but Jubilee clamped her hands around the older woman's wrists, silently telling her it had to be done.

Outside the cage, Logan drew in a long, troubled breath and leant against the wall as he settled down for the wait. Magneto left after a few minutes to find Charles and Fury, and having nothing better to do, Thunderhead and Mike Guthrie settled down on the far side of the cage.