This is Chapter 3. Uploaded and finally completed!!! I hope you like it! As before, all characters are the sole property of Marvel Comics and have been used without permission.
This was not the life he'd expected. His past was a blur, half formed images and pictures that would not solidify into authentic memories. What was important was the here and now. The past was gone forever and the future, an unopened book. Only the present mattered. Each transient moment counted.
Kurt had dreamt he would one day escape the circus. He never imagined it would be so soon. And it had always been the prospect of a life of rejection and poverty that awaited him. There was a bittersweet security in his enforced captivity.
Now, he found himself in a foriegn land. His home, a vast mansion. The first recruit to a cause of profound importance to the future of the world. On the surface, it seemed ideal. But Xavier had explained to Kurt the importance of his choice. This was not a free ticket to a dream of material wealth. There would be challenges ahead, an uncertain future. One in which Kurt would find himself on the frontline, forging a path ahead not just for mutants but for all mankind. The emphasis was on the collective importance of mankind, on unity rather than division.
Kurt pondered his decision, perhaps the most important he would ever make. One that would profoundly influence his future. Having woken from a deep sleep, he mulled over the events of the last few days. His rescue from the circus in Germany by Xavier. The trip in Stealth 1 across the Atlantic to the mansion in Westchester county. The tour of the mansion, his new home, and its grounds. The numerous discussions with Xavier of the purpose of his vision, and the stakes involved.
Kurt rose. He showered and then went down the staircase to the ground floor. He entered the kitchen. Xavier was already up, eating breakfast.
'Ah, Kurt. Nice to see you up so early. I trust you slept well?'
'Yes. Thank you Professor. It sure beats a pile of hay.'
Xavier laughed.
'So tell me Kurt, I know I've asked you this several times over the last day, but do you feel you've made the right decision? Is this the right choice for you?'
'It is Professor. I intend to stay. In fact, I feel better placed than many to assist you in the accomplishment of your dream.'
'Well that's good news' said Xavier. 'I appreciate how much you've suffered at the hands of prejudice and ignorance, Kurt. I'll be honest with you, the road ahead is long and hard, many sacrifices will be made, much hardship will be suffered, but my faith in you is paramount and I know you will make me proud.'
Kurt smiled and said 'That's a promise.'
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'Oh my God, look at that.' said the girl.
'I SO want that.' said her friend. 'It WILL be mine.'
'Will be mine first' said the girl.
'No, will be mine first.' said the friend.
They pushed each other and giggled.
The object in question was a funky outfit in the window display of a hip urban clothes store. The girl's name was Jubilation Lee and, like much of teen female America this Saturday, she was cruising the local shopping mall with her friend.
'OK, here's the deal' said Jubilee overconfidently.
Her friend, Janey, collapsed into fits of laughter.
'WHAT!' said Jubilee.
Janey laughed even more.
'SHUT UP AND LISTEN FART FACE!'
Janey regained an element of composure.
'Right,' said Jubilee.'The plan goes like this, we head downstairs to the ladies WC.'
Janey was rummaging through her bag.
'Are you listening or do I have to leave you here on your own looking terminally uncool and friendless?' declared Jubilee.
'OK. You have my undivided attention' said Janey.
'We duck into a cubicle and open secret weapon 'T'.
'What's secret weapon 'T'? asked Janey.
Jubilee hitched her bag from her shoulder and opened it. Janey looked inside. Beneath the lipsticks, CD's, powder compacts and teen mags lay a bottle of tequila.
Janey collapsed into more fits of giggles.
'Look at me J!' said Jubilee. 'I want one thing from you right now.'
'What?' asked Janey, almost crying with laughter.
'Composure. No one must suspect we are going to get drunk, OK? We can laugh all day once we've had this drink, but not before. We mustn't get caught.'
'OK' said Janey, fighting back the laughter with a bite to her lower lip.
'Lets go.' said Jubilee.
She grabbed Janey by the arm and they headed for the down escalator.
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INTERLUDE
South Central LA
The city was hot today. It was the hottest day of the year. When the temperature rises, so does the pressure. You have to be tough to survive here. This is not the suburban middle-American dream. This is the flip side. This is the nightmare.
This is a jungle. The urban jungle, and deep in the very core, the heart of darkness, competition is at its fiercest. Don't bother screaming, because no one is listening. Its dog eat dog and the only voice others hear is their own.
He hurried to the store. He wouldn't normally venture out in the daylight, but his Mom was sick, and he had to get her some medicine to ease the pain. She'd been getting worse overnight, but he hadn't dared leave the house, it would have been a suicide mission at that time of night. He hoped that in the daylight, he could avoid the gangs.
To save time, he ducked down a side alley as a shortcut. It was risky, but it would save valuable time. His priority was Mom. He ran a little, then walked, then ran a little more. He turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. A look of horror spread across his face at what lay before him....
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Jubilee and Janey raced down the escalator and hurried through the crowds. They rushed into
the ladies WC. Inside, they picked a cubicle and bolted the door.
Janey was nearly hysterical.
"Get a grip girlfriend!' said Jubilee.
Janey's chest heaved with surpressed laughter.
Jubilee pulled the bottle of Tequila from her bag. She deftly unscrewed the top and slugged back a large hit of alcohol. She passed the bottle to Janey.
'Composure please?' said Jubilee.
'OK' said Janey.
Janey took a hit of the Tequila. She gulped it down and immediately started to wheeze from the burning sensation in her throat.
'Wooooaaaggghhh' she coughed.
'I am SO not impressed!' said Jubilee.
They took several more hits each and then exited back to the mall concourse.
'Right', said Jubilee, 'secret weapon T activated, time to initiate secret plan T'.
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The Mansion
'Kurt, follow me to the basement.' said Xavier.
They headed down the hall and took the lift to the lower level.
They reached a door and a lazer scanner engaged.
'Subject: Charles Xavier. Retinal scan confirmed. Please enter Professor.'
'Subject: Kurt Wagner. Retinal scan confirmed. Please enter Kurt.'
A door swooshed open to reveal a large room with banks of desks, consoles and displays. The technology was astounding.
'Welcome to 'The Hub', Kurt.'
'Wow, this is something else Charles.'
Xavier chucked.
'It certainly is 'something else'.'
He turned and faced the blue elf.
'This is the main control room of our operations now, and in the future. The technology in here is the most advanced on the planet.'
'How did you manage to obtain all this?' asked Kurt.
'Lets just say it helps to have friends in high places, and mind control can be quite influential if you know what you want.'
'We have direct links to all the major news agencies, governments and socio-political groups across the globe. Whether legitimate or hacked, we know whats happening in the world as soon as the authorities know.'
They moved across to a large circular table.
'Kurt, I'd like you to think of anywhere in the world that you believe to be special. A part of the world that, in your view, is beautiful and represents peace on earth.'
'Sure' said Kurt. He closed his eyes and an image formed in his mind.
'Right.' said Xavier. 'Now watch the table'.
At that moment , the table came to life with a 3 dimensional image. Thousands of tiny filaments formed the outline of the cathedral at Notre Dame and the island on the Seinne in Paris. A perfect map of the church and its environs.
'By taking the image from your mind, we cross-reference it with our hyper-database on the server over there. A match is drawn from satellite images, cartographical data and photographs and artificial intelligence is used to build a seamless 3D match, represented on the table.' said Xavier.
'I can say that I'm impressed, Professor. This is wonderful.'
'Come, let's continue.'said Xavier.
They exited the room.
'At the bottom of the passageway is Cerebro, Kurt. It's what allowed me to locate you. Just a half an hour ago I detected two faint mutagenic signatures in the same locale. They may require further investigation...'
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'Let's do it!' said Jubilee.
The two girls had reached the upper level of the mall. The cheaper shop units screamed fashion, music and youth culture. They marched up to the tattoo parlour.
'Are you sure you wanna go through with this Jubes?' asked Janey.
'Do I look like a loser or something?' asked Jubilee.
'No, its just, you're my best friend and I don't want to see you making a mistake.'
'Look Janey, I am going to be the COOLEST girl in college when I get this done. Heck, I AM the coolest girl in college, this is gonna make me more COOLER than the Antartic. Now get with the program and chill. You wait here. I'll be back in 20 minutes.'
'OK. I'll stand guard. Missing you already.'
'Yeah, right!' said Jubilee as she marched toward the tattoo parlour.
On entering the shop, Jubilee walked up to the counter. The counter girl had a punk mohican, Goth make up and wild jewellery.
'Hi!' said Jubilee.
'What's up?' asked the girl.
'I'd like to get my tongue pierced.'
'How old are you?' asked the punk girl.
'Oh, I'm 18.'
'Do you have proof of ID?'
'No. Who do you think you are, the Kindergarten Cop?'
'If you drop the 'tude I might consider helping you. It'll cost you 40 dollars.'
'I'll pay it' said Jubilee, flashing her credit card.
'KAAARRLLL!' shouted the punk girl.
A man appeared from the back room.
'Yeah?'
'Karl. This girl would like a tongue piercing, can we do that for her?'
'Why sure.' said Karl. 'Come this way.'
Jubilee followed the man up some stairs and into a studio room. She was now getting a little nervous.
'OK pretty.' said the man. 'Take off your jacket and then put this gown on.'
'That's SO not me. Why do I have to wear that?'
'Because you might bleed a little.'
'Yeeeuuukk!'
'I also have some forms here for you to sign.'
'What're they for?'
'It just says that if anything goes wrong, we can't be sued.'
'Oh. OK.'
Jubilee scribbled her signature.
'If you'd like to sit in the chair, then we'll begin...'
For the first time in a long time, Jubilee felt scared.
The man moved across to a table, fiddled with something, and then turned to face Jubilee. He was holding a needle and slowly moved toward her.
Something wasn't right. Karl seemed strange, a little odd. Why was he smiling at her like that?
'What's that?' asked Jubilee.
'Oh, just a little anaesthetic to numb the pain.'
'I'm officially freaked out' said Jubilee. 'I don't think I can go through with this.'
'But why not?' asked Karl.
'I'm freaked out, I don't wanna go through with it right now.'
'It's a bit late to be saying that, come on, it won't take long, you won't feel a thing.'
'No. I'm leaving. I can't do it.'
As she got up and moved to leave the man blocked her path.
'Look, this isn't funny anymore. Please let me pass.'
'You're goin' nowhere honey!'
Karl lunged at Jubilee. She ducked and ran for the stairs. Karl turned and threw himself at her. They collapsed on the floor. Jubilee screamed at the top of her lungs.
'HEEELLLPPP!'
She turned and looked at the man. The syringe has smashed across the floor and could not be used. But something was wrong with Karl. His eyes seemed to glow and his skin tone was changing.
'OH MY GOD! GET OFF ME YOU FREAK!!'
He grabbed her head with both hands. His body started to shake and convulse.
Jubilee could feel the energy draining from her body. Karl was drawing her life force into him and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her head pounded and her body trembled with rage.
That's when it happened. A surge of energy pulsed through Jubilee's body and her fingers tingled. She freed her hands, managing to touch Karl's legs. Something was wrong with them, she looked, and they'd become green and slimy. His clothes had torn and he was now larger than before, stronger. She forced the tingling in her fingers out of her body. A pulse of light and energy hit Karl, throwing him off Jubilee and punching a large hole in the wall. The force of the blast took Karl with it.
From the outside the wall above the parlour exploded outwards, showering the concourse with debris. Janey ducked in panic.
'OH NO! OH MY GOD NO! JUBILEEE!'
She raced forward only to see movement in the pile of bricks and rubble. This was not Jubilee pulling herself free, it was something else entirely. A fusion of man and lizard. The coloring was dark green. Arms, body and torso were human. Although the creature had huge wings, its head was that of a pterodactyl, with bulging eyes and a long, extended beak.
Janey choked and felt dizzy. The alcohol set her head spinning and, half stumbling, she ran from the scene as fast as she could.
'AT LAST' shouted the creature. 'AT LAST SAURON IS FREE!!!'
He looked around. Most onlookers had fled, a few remained, mesmerised by what they saw, too terrified to run.
'Where is she?' he proclaimed. 'Where is the mutant girl that freed me from my slumber.'
His wings extended to their full capacity and he vaulted up to the hole that he'd fallen through.
In the corner of the room, Jubilee huddled. Terror gripped her. Fear at the transformation the man had gone through. Paranoia consumed her with the realisation that she was no longer human. She was consumed by panic at the realisation that she'd manifested latent mutant powers.
Her hands covered her face. She flicked open 2 fingers. Her eye wide open, she could see the silhouette of the creature that had been Karl. His strange beak opened and he spoke
'I was once known as the human - Karl Lykos. But now, I am released from my prison. From this moment forward, you will know me as....SAURON!!!'
He moved slowly forward.
'You girl. Your latent mutant power has allowed me to feed. You have freed me. However, I am still weak, and I require more sustenance. Please accept my apologies. To reach my full potential I will have to drain you of your life essence.'
Jubilee was shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She cursed herself for drinking the Tequila. She cursed herself for being so stupid. How could she have been so naive? But then, how could she have known it would lead to this?
Sauron approached. There was no way out of this, she stared death in the face.
Suddenly, almost imperceptibly, a voice passed through mind.
'Do not fear child. Have no fear. You will live to see another day. Trust me.'
Sauron was towering over her. He was truly horrifying in appearance. Jubilee's heart beat so fast and hard, it felt as though it would explode from her chest.
Then, in a blinding flash, a cloud of purple smoke exploded behind Sauron. He'd not seen, but Jubilee had. Kurt Wagner stood behind him, in a slightly quizzical pose.
He coughed and tapped Sauron on the back.
Sauron swung round.
'Excuse me.' asked Kurt. 'But don't you think you should maybe pick on someone your own size?'
Sauron swung for Kurt, but before his arm made contact, Kurt had teleported. Sauron looked around, puzzled. Kurt was stuck to the ceiling. His tale slowly dangled down and in a flash, wrapped around Sauron's neck. Kurt teleported outside and landed by the rubble. Xavier was to the side. Kurt teleported away again, to Xavier's position.
Sauron was disoriented. In front of him was a bald man in a wheelchair and a weird, blue elf with 3 fingers and toes.
A voice popped into Sauron's mind.
'Sauron. You will leave here now. I have opened the skylight above and you will fly through it. Do not come after us. I want you to fly to the nearest police precinct and hand yourself in. Once incarcerated, you will remember my name. I am Professor Charles Xavier. My mission, and the mission of my students, is to prevent mutants such as you from unleashing reckless crime and suffering. Remember this. In future, we will always be there, ready to stop you. Now go!'
With that, Sauron extended his wings and flew upward. He shot through the mall skylight and several hours later, awoke in a police cell, with no recollection of how he got there. He couldn't shake the memory of some powerful mutant bald guy who'd threatened him.
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Several hours later.
Onboard Stealth 1.
Jubilee sipped the hot cocoa.
'Thanks again for rescuing me.'
'That's quite alright Jubilee. I hope you realise we saved your life today.' said Xavier.
'I do. I was so stupid. Thank you so much.'
'No problem.' said Kurt. 'You sure you want to go through with this?'
'I'm sure' said Jubilee. 'Besides, if what you say is true, that I am a mutant, then I'm better off at your school Professor.'
'I know we can help you Jubilation. I am pleased that you have decided to return with us to the mansion. Your parents seem to think its the safest place for you, and I happen to agree.'
'Thanks Professor. Oh, can I ask a question?'
'Go ahead' said Xavier.
'Could you park this thing somewhere? I could kill for some Dunkin Donuts!'
Laughter filled the cabin as Stealth 1 roared toward the horizon.
End.
COMING SOON: In Chapter 4, our burgeoning group of mutants are plunged into the hostile world of gangland LA. Who is the mutant that is being persecuted by the Crips? And....a mysterious woman dabbles in the occult! Bet you can't wait to find out.....