Chapter 5
Eight months ago: Sinister's Fortress
The screaming had stopped for only a brief time. Jubilee's eyes felt like sandpaper as she tried to open them again. The machines had not been kind to her body. Every inch of it felt like it had been poked with thousands of needles. Everything was dark and wet, as if she was sitting in an underwater cavern.
Her spirit was dwindling and she could feel herself slipping slowly away. No, I have to hold on. They'll come for me. Wolvie won't abandon me, he'll ride to the rescue, just like he always does. The X-Men don't leave their wounded behind. They'll come for me, they will come. She held on to that thought as much as she could. Her body hurt too much for her to move and she didn't want to.
"Dinner, girlie," the tray was pushed in through a slot under the door, the way a dog would be fed. "Eat it up while you still can."
She didn't respond to the ugly man. This would mark the third day she's not eaten anything. Her arms refused to comply and she was simply too tired to crawl the short distance to the tray. With dispassionate amusement, she watched the rats crawl slowly toward the dry bread and bowl of soup. Well, at least the rats are enjoying themselves.
There was no doubt in her mind that Sinister was performing some sort of experiment on her. The machines, the testing, the DNA counting, the amnion tank, and those charts on the computers. Yup, looks like she's made the next list of human subjects on the blue-faced punk's experimentation.
"How are you feeling?" The question came from a voice that was soft and gentle.
"Like hell had trampled me over with cleats." Jubilee said with more amusement than she felt.
"I'm sorry." Her voice held the meaning more than the words.
"Don't be." Jubilee still couldn't find any energy to move yet. "You never told me your name?" They've been having short quiet conversations since Jubilee was brought in almost a month ago. As far as Jubilee could tell, it was a girl, probably no older than herself.
"I'm Lexi."
"Name's Jubilee. I wish I can say it's nice to meet you."
There was silence as the girl crawled to the air vent the connected their cells. "Me too. I'm sorry you got caught up in all this."
"Not your fault." Jubilee turned her head and looked a pair of green eyes. "How long have you been here?"
"Five years."
Nothing could have described the shock to Jubee's system after hearing that little piece of news. "Five?"
The girl almost smiled at Jubilee's disbelief. "Yeah, but I've gotten use to it."
Jubilee felt like crying on Lexi's behalf. "I'm sorry."
She did smiled then. "Not your fault."
"Yeah, but I felt like I should say something." Jubilee groaned as she slowly got to her hands and knees, her body ached deep. "Have you ever..."
"Yes but there's no way out. These cells are underground, near the ocean walls. Breaking through would mean we drown. The entire complex in ten miles under solid granite and locked down every night by a key around Sinister's wrist."
Jubilee groaned again as she sat on her hind legs. "Sounds like something out of a bad movie."
"It does, doesn't it?"
Looking around, Jubilee noticed that the girl was trying to move something into her cell. A small handkerchief had been tied together to gather something in the middle.
"Something for you to eat. Looks like the rats got your dinner."
"Thanks." She opened the small piece of cloth to revealed a chunk of break and some crackers. "And don't worry, my friends will come. And then, we'll both get out."
The girl smiled encouragingly but said nothing. No light had gone on in those green eyes. She had lost hope long ago but realize that Jubilee needed hope to go on, to hold on to her sanity in those long nights. "Tell me about your friends."
Jubilee looked over. "Well, there's a man name Logan but I call him Wolverine. He's big and strong, and wonderful. He's not going to stop until he's found me and freed me. Then there's a man name Scott, he's...."
Lexi sat there and listened in silence. Jubilee needed to believe and to hope. Without anything else in the world to offer, she could only listen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Logan?" Sean's voice was soft in the darkness. "Don't you think you and the lass should get some sleep?"
"Yeah." The man moved up slowly, carrying Jubilee in his arms. "Where's her room?"
"Follow me." Banchee's led the way into the girls' wing. The night had settled in heavily and they the big mansion turned school held all the wonders of an ancient gothic castle.
"I'd like to stay near her for the night if that's possible." Logan whispered.
"Well....." Sean frowned. It was against policy for a man to stay in the girls' wing. But for the life of him, he didn't really see why not.
"I'll sleep on her floor. If she needs me...."
"I'll get you some blankets."
"Thanks, Irish."
"Thank you, Logan." He turned with a father's eyes toward the sleeping girl. "Thank goodness for you."
Eight months ago: Sinister's Fortress
The screaming had stopped for only a brief time. Jubilee's eyes felt like sandpaper as she tried to open them again. The machines had not been kind to her body. Every inch of it felt like it had been poked with thousands of needles. Everything was dark and wet, as if she was sitting in an underwater cavern.
Her spirit was dwindling and she could feel herself slipping slowly away. No, I have to hold on. They'll come for me. Wolvie won't abandon me, he'll ride to the rescue, just like he always does. The X-Men don't leave their wounded behind. They'll come for me, they will come. She held on to that thought as much as she could. Her body hurt too much for her to move and she didn't want to.
"Dinner, girlie," the tray was pushed in through a slot under the door, the way a dog would be fed. "Eat it up while you still can."
She didn't respond to the ugly man. This would mark the third day she's not eaten anything. Her arms refused to comply and she was simply too tired to crawl the short distance to the tray. With dispassionate amusement, she watched the rats crawl slowly toward the dry bread and bowl of soup. Well, at least the rats are enjoying themselves.
There was no doubt in her mind that Sinister was performing some sort of experiment on her. The machines, the testing, the DNA counting, the amnion tank, and those charts on the computers. Yup, looks like she's made the next list of human subjects on the blue-faced punk's experimentation.
"How are you feeling?" The question came from a voice that was soft and gentle.
"Like hell had trampled me over with cleats." Jubilee said with more amusement than she felt.
"I'm sorry." Her voice held the meaning more than the words.
"Don't be." Jubilee still couldn't find any energy to move yet. "You never told me your name?" They've been having short quiet conversations since Jubilee was brought in almost a month ago. As far as Jubilee could tell, it was a girl, probably no older than herself.
"I'm Lexi."
"Name's Jubilee. I wish I can say it's nice to meet you."
There was silence as the girl crawled to the air vent the connected their cells. "Me too. I'm sorry you got caught up in all this."
"Not your fault." Jubilee turned her head and looked a pair of green eyes. "How long have you been here?"
"Five years."
Nothing could have described the shock to Jubee's system after hearing that little piece of news. "Five?"
The girl almost smiled at Jubilee's disbelief. "Yeah, but I've gotten use to it."
Jubilee felt like crying on Lexi's behalf. "I'm sorry."
She did smiled then. "Not your fault."
"Yeah, but I felt like I should say something." Jubilee groaned as she slowly got to her hands and knees, her body ached deep. "Have you ever..."
"Yes but there's no way out. These cells are underground, near the ocean walls. Breaking through would mean we drown. The entire complex in ten miles under solid granite and locked down every night by a key around Sinister's wrist."
Jubilee groaned again as she sat on her hind legs. "Sounds like something out of a bad movie."
"It does, doesn't it?"
Looking around, Jubilee noticed that the girl was trying to move something into her cell. A small handkerchief had been tied together to gather something in the middle.
"Something for you to eat. Looks like the rats got your dinner."
"Thanks." She opened the small piece of cloth to revealed a chunk of break and some crackers. "And don't worry, my friends will come. And then, we'll both get out."
The girl smiled encouragingly but said nothing. No light had gone on in those green eyes. She had lost hope long ago but realize that Jubilee needed hope to go on, to hold on to her sanity in those long nights. "Tell me about your friends."
Jubilee looked over. "Well, there's a man name Logan but I call him Wolverine. He's big and strong, and wonderful. He's not going to stop until he's found me and freed me. Then there's a man name Scott, he's...."
Lexi sat there and listened in silence. Jubilee needed to believe and to hope. Without anything else in the world to offer, she could only listen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Logan?" Sean's voice was soft in the darkness. "Don't you think you and the lass should get some sleep?"
"Yeah." The man moved up slowly, carrying Jubilee in his arms. "Where's her room?"
"Follow me." Banchee's led the way into the girls' wing. The night had settled in heavily and they the big mansion turned school held all the wonders of an ancient gothic castle.
"I'd like to stay near her for the night if that's possible." Logan whispered.
"Well....." Sean frowned. It was against policy for a man to stay in the girls' wing. But for the life of him, he didn't really see why not.
"I'll sleep on her floor. If she needs me...."
"I'll get you some blankets."
"Thanks, Irish."
"Thank you, Logan." He turned with a father's eyes toward the sleeping girl. "Thank goodness for you."