Chapter 7: Telepathic Assault

Sying was grateful that they had gone to Hala for the holidays, because as it turned out, working with his mom on his mental defenses went much more swimmingly when they were physically close to the source of his issues. Yes, the voice of the Kree mind control in his head was louder than usual, but on the other hand, that made it easier to identify and isolate.

As he and his mom walked the perimeter of the section of his mind that looked like a city on Hala, he couldn't help but smile over his good work. He couldn't dismantle the city itself, but he could build a wall around it, for a start. And his mom had a brilliant suggestion for how to lessen its impact, too: fill the city with Terran things or memories of his Terran family.

So, that's what they were doing at the moment: going through the city in his mind and finding places where he could assign memories that would tether him to the Terran side of his family and help fight off Kree brainwashing.

It helped, too, that he and his budding family were on Hala and actively making memories, so he and Krissy had 'ported around until they found spots like the ones in his mind and played with Ariel or made out on the spot, depending on what kind of place it was and how much privacy they had.

Sure, they were probably starting rumors that way, and Melody wasn't going to be too pleased with them over those kinds of rumors, but neither of them cared about that kind of thing as much as they cared about making sure Sying was never subjugated again. He still had nightmares, and he didn't think he could handle another incident.

Jubilee was totally entertained by their methods, too, and ended up laughing when she saw a memory of him and Krissy tangled up down a side street. "That's one way to keep the Kree on their toes."

"Seems to work for Melody," Sying said with a smirk.

"It's completely different for your sister, and you know it."

"Yeah, but it's fun to watch the Kree around her; they totally don't know what to do with her," Sying said, grinning widely and putting his hands behind his head.

"Says the proud big brother."

"Says the mom who taught us how to give Kree grief."

"True." Jubilee brushed her knuckles off on her shirt. "I am pretty awesome."

"You're amazing, Mom, and you know it," Sying laughed. "But you don't need me or anyone else to tell you that."

"Also true. You're such a smart boy." Jubilee kissed his forehead. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. It's a mystery. I must have good genes or something?" Sying feigned innocence, his eyes wide as he blinked slowly.

"Something like that," Jubilee agreed, laughing along with him.

Sying smiled, leaning against the wall of a nearby building — but he nearly startled sideways when, at that exact moment, someone tried to break through the defenses he and Jubilee had been building. The attack looked like a Kree weapon, bursting across the energy shield he'd built for himself in blues and greens. Another attack came screaming down at them, shrieking its displeasure when it hit the shield as well.

"Mom," Sying whispered, staring at the attack in wide-eyed shock. "Mom, is it just me they're attacking?"

Jubilee's eyes were just as wide as her son's, but at the question, she broke out of her shock and shook her head. He was right; Sying's mind wasn't the only one at risk. "Are you going to be alright if I check on your father and your sisters really quick?"

Sying nodded, gesturing at the energy shield. "Seems to be holding up okay so far."

"Project to me the second that's not the case anymore, you got that?"

"Got it," he promised quickly, knowing better than to say anything else when his mom sounded that stressed.

"Good. I'll be back to check on you," Jubilee said and then left Sying's mind, immediately reaching out for the rest of her family to check on them. Everyone okay?

Not really, Celeste said, the first to respond. Can't talk right now. Someone's trying to get in.

Jubilee bit her lip and glanced toward Sying, who was sitting on the couch where she'd left him but who had the same blank expression that Jubilee had seen Noh wear when the Kree had wanted to use him for something or other and he was throwing every bit of concentration in his arsenal into stopping them.

She had seen Sying's defenses and knew they were holding, and her girls were powerful, even if they had bad self-control. But her husband…

Well, she knew he had a history of getting used up, and as strong as he was, he had never been good at this kind of thing. Not just telepathy but standing up for himself against orders from someone he saw as an authority. Depending on what kind of attack was going on, Noh was the weak link in the chain, and she had to get to him as soon as possible.

She took off at a run and skidded around the corner, nearly colliding into Ael, whose eyes were wide. "Mom," he said in a tone that had her worried already. "Something's wrong with Dad."

"I know," she said, trying to sound like she was in better control of the situation than she was. "I know, baby. I'm dealing with it. Can you please tell Krissy to watch her husband and then go find your sisters for me?"

Ael nodded quickly, worrying his hands in front of him. He wasn't a member of any team, and he wasn't used to being part of the crisis response. And she had her mind open, so she could hear the tenor of his thoughts. She could hear that he was half convinced that Hala was too dangerous for him.

She definitely didn't like coming and being dragged into crap like this, but she didn't want Ael to think his ancestral home was that bad either. So she had to figure this out, and fast.

She sprinted into the next room and saw what Ael had seen: Noh was frozen where he had been standing at the window, staring at nothing and obviously locked into a battle. Considering the number of attacks going on, Jubilee decided not to ask for permission before she jumped into his mind, prepared to help him buttress his defenses.

She wasn't a minute too late, either. By the time she got there, she could hear exactly what was going on in Noh's mind. She could hear the vitriol being directed at her husband, and she could see him standing firm against the mental image of the Supremor itself, though his back was straight and his jaw was locked and she could see his hands shaking where he had them balled into fists. He was deeply, irrevocably upset.

And for good reason.

After everything the Kree have given you, after the home we offered to you, after the generations upon generations of research your own people poured into you to give you the advantages you now use against us, you think your people are satisfied with your service? Your title is nothing but an honorific, one that you use as an excuse to stay with your Terran plaything and claim that you are following orders. You are soft, Noh-Varr. You have become too Terran to be worthy of any power among the Kree.

Jubilee let out a soft sound, wondering how long Noh had been listening to this kind of thing. She knew him too well to think that he would be turned against the family that he loved, but it still had to be hard for him, listening to the god of his people berating him and calling him unworthy of the title he was so proud of.

"Yeah, but here's the thing," Jubilee said, announcing her presence as she strolled forward to take her husband's arm. "See, you're so caught up in the fact that he married me that you're forgetting why." She grinned crookedly. "Because I'm fabulous. Not some weak little Terran. And, for the record, Terrans are way better than you losers anyway. If we're keeping score, we haven't been taken over…"

To her annoyance, the Supremor in Noh's mind ignored her entirely and kept its focus on Noh. It's not too late for you to salvage your honor. The Kree will welcome you back if you root out the infestation of Terran philosophy you yourself helped to plant.

Jubilee glanced up at Noh, who seemed to be doing better now that he had her with him, thankfully. When he saw her look his way, he relaxed slightly, let out the breath it seemed like he had been holding since she got there, and then put his arm around Jubilee. "I see no honor in being an insurrectionist," he said, and she smiled up at him, glad to see him standing up for himself.

This is not a request, Noh-Varr.

"I know," Noh said, his grip on Jubilee slightly tighter than she was comfortable with, even if everything was happening mentally. He was grasping onto her telepathic strength, and that translated in their minds to an overly tight hand on her shoulder. But she wasn't going to complain if her simply being there meant he had more confidence to fight back. "But if you had the power to enact your orders, you would have done so rather than attempt to recruit me. That tells me my wife's good work in my mind has held up. You have no power here."

If that were true, you would be able to expel me.

Noh gestured around the landscape of his mind, which was composed of sharp edges and clean roads that reminded him of the Hala he had left behind when he landed in this reality. "It is no fault of mine that my people left themselves a way to get into my mind. You want to scream into the void left behind by a Supremor much more powerful than you."

How dare you-

"My people were far more powerful than the Kree I have met here," Noh continued, drawing himself up. "They had their faults, yes, but they did not bloviate in powerlessness."

The image of the Supremor wavered in the first indication that it was losing its fight for supremacy in Noh's mind. The Kree will regain their true power, and the Terrans will kneel before us.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, you big ugly face," Jubilee said, her arm around Noh's waist.

Don't presume to speak to me with any degree of authority, Terran, the Supremor replied.

"Don't speak to her that way," Noh said, his tone the sharpest he had yet taken. Jubilee didn't miss that he was better at sticking up for her than for himself, but then, that had been the case since they were first dating. It was darling and stupid and one of the few things that had always bothered her about him and that reminded her too much of Wolvie. "She is my wife. She has far more authority to speak for me than you do."

The Supreme Intelligence-

"The Supremor may speak for all Kree, but you are nothing but a shadow of it," Noh replied. "I don't know who managed to find a piece of the Intelligence, but you are nothing out of your rightful place, and you are less than nothing when you are but a tool for those with nefarious intent." Noh turned on his heel, taking Jubilee with him as they started to walk away from the image of the Supremor. "I'd be interested to find your physical hiding place. I wonder what it is that these Accusers think they have."

Jubilee could hear the Supremor calling Noh every name that the Kree had in their extensive language of insults, but to her delight, he had completely blocked the Supremor out and had his full focus on her as they turned a corner and he pulled her into a long and gentle kiss. "Hey, handsome," she said when the kiss broke. "Thought I'd come and check on you."

"And I appreciate your concern," Noh agreed. "I have to admit, I was struggling to hold my own."

"I noticed." Jubilee reached up to run her hand down the side of his face. "When are you going to stop doubting your worth, sweetheart?"

"I only need to see you to remember that being your husband is of more worth than any title the Kree could give me," he promised and kissed her again.

"Aww, there's the flatterer I know and love."

"I only tell you things that you deserve to know," Noh defended himself.

"You tell me things that you think will earn you kisses, but that's okay. I like kissing you," she teased him and then stood up on her toes to steal a kiss. Seeing the smile on his face, she finally started to relax — but not entirely. "We have to check on our other kids."

"Right," Noh agreed. "If you need me to come with you into the telepathic mindscape…"

"I'll let you know," Jubilee promised and then sat down, closing her eyes to reach out for the minds of her other kids.

Celeste was the first one to respond to Jubilee's call for a check-in, and she sounded out of breath in her mental voice. Hey, Mom. Sorry about that.

Baby girl, I was just helping your father with the same problem. I know it's bad. Do you want some backup?

Umm… I think I'm okay, actually. I've got the Supremor trapped in a memory of running laps around the house with Grampa Wolvie.

Jubilee nearly snorted, because the mental image even without seeing what Celeste could see was hilarious. Poetic justice, huh?

Hey, those memories have got to be good for something.

They were supposed to teach you control.

I've got the Supremor trapped in a loop; I think that's pretty good control, Celeste shot back.

Jubilee smiled even wider. It is, and when I have a minute, I'm going to take you somewhere nice, because, sweetheart, that is impressive.

Really?

Really.

Well, I've been practicing, Celeste said, and it was a mark of how much of her mental energy was being devoted to keeping the Supremor contained that Jubilee could hear the rest of it: that she had been working hard because she knew Jayce was going to be a Guardian of the Galaxy and she wanted to be good enough to keep up with him.

Baby, you have a lot of natural talent, and you always have. But you're finally using your head when you use those powers, and that's what makes me proud, Jubilee told her.

Celeste's blush was practically tangible even in her mental voice. Thanks, Mom.

Okay, I need to check on the others. Keep making that big-faced idiot run laps, and if it doesn't leave you alone after a while, we'll find something more permanent, okay?

Thanks, Mom.

Jubilee smiled and then reached out again, losing her smile entirely when she realized that the others weren't reaching out. A quick peek in Ael's mind told her that he was okay, if only because he didn't have the built-in door for the Supremor, so he was just annoyed at a telepathic buzz knocking on his mental doors. But the other two…?

Considering how well Celeste had handled things, Jubilee decided to check on Sying first — and was glad when she did. Although he hadn't succumbed to the Supermor's taunts, he was in absolute tears as the Supremor tore him to pieces.

You have been running your whole life from what you are meant to be. Even the Shi'ar could see a weapon when they saw one, the Supremor was saying as Jubilee arrived — and to Jubilee's alarm, she could see a memory swirling into form close to where Sying had once had a memory stashed of himself and Krissy. But this memory was of Sying and Andri'i, and Jubilee watched in horror.

The Shi'ar had one hand on the wall on either side of Sying's face, and she gave him absolutely no space to move. He was wearing a collar, so this must have been when her family had complete control over him — which would explain why he was only looking away from her instead of pushing her back. The words in the memory were too soft for Jubilee to hear over the sound of the Supremor insisting that Sying was ripe for the Kree's use, but the smug, triumphant smile on Andri'i's face was disgusting alone.

She didn't hesitate to rush to her little boy and simply sit down with him where he was crumpled in tears. And she wasn't surprised when he latched on and cried, the same way he had done each time he escaped being enslaved.

But that was the thing about crying; as long as he had someone for support, it was actually good for him to cry. Strengthening. Empowering.

Weapons don't have families like mine, Sying thought, too emotionally drained to do more than let the thought echo his mind. But along with that thought came images of his family — particularly the times he had been rescued. The time K had come to get him from the Shi'ar holding cell. The time Jubilee and Noh had spent nursing him back to health after Apocalypse. The months Krissy had poured into him while she was herself pregnant.

The Supremor wasn't quiet — it was still spewing hateful things all over the place — but Sying held tight to Jubilee's hand as he pushed it back until it was confined to a single building. And then, he closed the door.

Sure, they could still hear it. But it was muffled and easy to ignore.

That would work as a solution for now.

Okay, Jubilee thought, nodding to herself. Three down, one to go.