Disclaimer: Marvel owns them...I just play with them.
A/N: I hope you're enjoying this...I sure am.
Chapter 4
-Excerpt from Paige's diary-
In every person's life there comes a time to choose, to decide what they'll be doing. It's the course that sets their destiny and for ill or good, they are bound to it. That's why, in bright sunlight of this morning, we split up. I never thought that I would see the day when it would happen, but I guess that was going to happen sooner or later. As soon as the aliens found out that Jubilee had been taken, they made plans to leave almost immediately. The big thing was, who was going to go?
I would have followed them to the farthest reaches of space, but my pregnancy kicked me out of going. Apparently long space travel isn't good for the unborn. Jono didn't want to leave me alone, so he stayed. A sweet gesture since I knew that he wanted to be there for his best friend. Angelo of course was going; I don't think there was a force here on Earth that could have stopped him, and Emma joined him. She said something about losing Jubilee once and it not happening again. Seems as if we all have got guilt issues about that. God only knows what they're doing to her now.
Sean eventually stayed behind with us, and not surprisingly Monet decided she didn't want to go. She and Jubilee were never the best of friends, but perhaps she didn't want to leave her students behind. Personally, I think she's not going because she feels Jubes won't want her to, but maybe I'm not giving her enough credit. We all care about Jubes...I really hope she's all right.
So in the space of an hour, Ange and Emma left on the ship and head off to God knows where and I remember they had the oddest looks on their faces. It was like they didn't know what they were going to find out there. So, Jubes, keep in mind that I only have six months left of this pregnancy so I want you home before then. I can't have my babies without my best friend holding my hand, can I? Just be safe, be safe.
-End excerpt-
The meeting room on the ship was rather simple, a round black table with ten seats surrounding it. A view screen was on one wall, and a silver ball floated in the middle of the table, a meditating device used to focus thoughts. The table, used for everything to discussing times of peace, to what it was used for now, times of war, currently housed Ciele, Angelo, Emma and a short alien called Bob. The latter creature had been called in to get information about what had happened to Jubilee, and he had returned only a few hours later with news.
"We have learnt that the Ji'in were able to get a hold of a power inhibitor, which they used to contain the Kyln. Apparently the devices are able to control the mutant powers of your species, thus leaving the child helpless." Ciele clicked worriedly. "We can not rely on their generous nature to keep her alive or return her. We need to get her back soon."
Emma looked thoughtfully at the alien. "Are these inhibitors like the ones on Earth? There, they can control the power that they are specifically designed for."
Chugging back a tall glass of what looked like ale, Bob burped unceremoniously. "That is what my informants tell me."
"Then at least we have some hope. Right after Jubilee's return, she underwent another manifestation of her powers. She gained telepathy and it created a mind-link with Angelo in the process. If that hasn't been contained then there may be a way we can find her."
Excited, Ciele's nodes trembled. "We didn't know of this at all, and we can be almost certain that the Ji'in did not either. If we can use this to trace her and she doesn't give it away, we should be able to track her down."
Holding up his hand, Angelo stood up. "Wait a second. What I want to know is, before all of this happened you were coming to pick Jubilee up anyway. Why?"
Ciele walked up over to the screen and touched it. A star chart appeared and she indicated one in the far corner. "Rumors have been circulating for years that the slavers had started taking beings again, but we have been unable to find any verification until a few months ago. A number of my scouts reported that a deserted moon in one of the far sectors of the quadrant had been getting an unusual amount of traffic."
Angelo ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "So what does this moon have to make it valuable to the slavers?"
"The moon is extremely rich in resources of various metals and organic materials found nowhere else in the sector."
He frowned. "So why was it deserted if it was so valuable?"
"An expedition was sent out to the moon, very early in our exploration but because of the harsh conditions, almost the entire team was lost. Most companies found the loss of life too high to justify mining there. The Ji'in have no such compulsions."
"And what was Jubes going to do? Lead you all against a war with the Ji'in?" Angelo asked sarcastically.
"Yes." Ciele replied, her tone neutral. The angry boy in front of her was upset, and she understood why. They had come, out of the blue and told her friends that not only was Jubilee a part of something billions of miles away, but she was a leader to them. "The intergalactic council is meeting in two weeks and we must have Jubilee back before then. If word gets out that she has been captured, the chaos would reach epic proportions." She tapped the screen a few times and pulled up a document. "See this? Nothing more than a piece of paper signed by various planets and still it managed to bring together a sector when nothing else had. The Kyln was the primary force behind this and the main reason why it was adhered to all this time. To you she may be just a girl, a friend, but to us she is the Kyln."
Emotions warred in Angelo's face as he looked at the alien. There was no doubting her sincerity. "Fine, how long do you think she has?"
Bob gazed at the young man, assessing him, before deciding to tell the truth. There was no sense in giving him false hope. "Depends on how long they're willing to keep her alive and pump her for information. If she isn't dead yet then she will be by the end of the week. I say we have about 120 hours of your time. They can't risk having such a powerful political figure in the their possession any longer than that. As long as she shuts up and complies with them, she should be fine for the moment."
Ange sank his head on the table and groaned.
"What is it?" Bob growled.
Emma shook her head. "Our Jubilation is not known for her ability to "shut up and comply" as you so aptly put it. She's been kidnapped several times and she seems to deliberately antagonize her captors. It's the oddest thing really, even when she was a child she used to bait the kidnapper until they were ready to kill her just to shut her..." Emma trailed off at the look on Angelo's face. "Which is more the reason to find her."
"Are you certain?" Ciele asked anxiously.
Angelo looked up at the blue alien, his gray eyes tired. "This is Jubilee we're talking about."
Comprehension lit in her face. "Oh, dear."
-in-
On a Ji'in ship
98 hours remaining
"[Yeah that's right slugman, I'm talking to you. Did you fall in crap on your way over here or do you normally look like that?]" Chained with every conceivable restraining device, Jubilee still managed to assert her freedom. Jubilee had woken to find herself stripped of her clothing, weapons and belongings and was wearing a simple black shift that felt uncomfortably like an examination gown. To add insult, she had been given a drug that disoriented her thoughts and speech so she couldn't think clearly. Collared around her neck was the power inhibitor, her arms and legs strapped in shackles and a thick coil of metal around her waist.
"[Nanananananananana slugman! Where's your evil archenemy Slimeboss?]" Jubilee swung from her chains and twisted her neck so that she could see the guard.
The Ji'in captor sighed tiredly. He hadn't wanted the job, but gamble your workshift for one lousy game and he had gotten stuck spending the entire rotation watching her. Shuddering, he thought of the twenty more cycles he had left. "[Can you please SHUT UP?!?]" He screamed at her, peering through the little window in the door of her cell. Really, he wasn't ugly was he? He worked out and tried his best to eat well and exercise. It was if she wanted to hurt his feelings, and he'd end up with a complex before long.
"[Nope. Sorry slugman, you got me now you have to put up with me. Puhlease, you guys are so pathetic, first you kidnap me and then you spend two days deciding what to do? A monkey's ass has a bigger brain than you do. Know what? You are so ugly that...]" Jubilee's sentence was cut off as the door slid open. Three aliens walked in, regarding her with barely concealed malice. Jubilee eyed them as they walked towards her, two of which she recognized from her time in the mines. The tallest one, a species she didn't recognize, strode over to where she was standing and stroked her face curiously.
Jubilee shook her head violently and spat in his face. "[Don't you dare touch me!]"
The creature just chuckled and wiped the spittle of his brow. "[Rather puny for this Kyln everyone claims it to be.]" Its voice was thick and the words were hard to make out even with Jubilee's translator. "[Still this should be interesting. I haven't seen a human before, I will enjoy learning from her.]"
One of the shorter ones that were draped in a green toga just stared at her in disgust. "[Amazing how ugly it is. It's a wonder the procreate within the species.]"
"Fantastic, I'm going to be an experimental toy for an alien. If only Mulder were here." Jubilee muttered. At her voice, the doctor extended two eyes towards her, examining her closely.
"[Interesting, but expected. Some intelligence was required for the escape from the mine.]" Walking around her, he continued to talk to himself, ignoring her completely. Finally after a few minutes of peering, poking, and the occasional prodding, he instructed the guard to strap her down to a table that emerged from the wall. "[Now for some fun.]" Practically humming, he prepped by her shaving her scalp bare, not paying attention to Jubilee's moan of disgust as the long locks fell to the floor.
"[That took me years to grow moron!]"
He ran a hand lovingly over the instruments his assistant had brought in and picked up a long needle. Thoughtfully inserting it into her head, he slowly pushed through the flesh and then bone. Jubilee bit her lip, dark beads of blood oozing out as she forced herself not to scream. Clearing her mind, she systematically retreated into her head, bringing back memories of Angelo; his smile, the way he laughed, the tiny dimple no one else knew about. It was only after the drill entered her vertebrae that she finally gave in and screamed.
-in-
Angelo dropped to his knees, holding his head in his hands. He had been sitting with Emma, trying to concentrate on their psi-link when and intense pain it him. As he hit the floor, he knew that it was Jubilee.
"God, they're torturing her. She's in so much pain. Oh God."
Together, Ciele and Emma, managed to get Angelo to a couch in the quarters he had been given. Emma stroked his forehead, and entered his mind, dulling the pain so he could think. His gray eyes cleared and glanced around the room.
"Apparently our question is answered, Jubilee still has her telepathic abilities. However, they seem to be torturing her." Emma's face paled in rage and it took her a moment to get her emotions in check. "She must have been drugged otherwise she would have tried contacting us by now. Angelo, I want you to grab onto that link and think of about a time when you were both happy. Try to calm her with it. I've shut off the pain so you'll be okay."
"What about her pain?"
Emma's eyes flickered sadly for a second before answering. "I can't take the chance of her captors finding out about her powers. Now quickly concentrate."
His face cleared as he envisioned a golden thread, and he delicately touched it sending tiny ripples down its length into the darkness. Images began to form as his mind wandered back to the time just after Jubilee had graduated. After the ceremony, the two had driven off to a remote part of the Rocky mountains and spent three weeks camping there. It had been beautiful, spending day after day lying in the sun, in huge fields of flowers that were intense bursts of color along the foothills of the range.
Ange sank even deeper into the memory as his hold on the link tightened.
-in-
It was so gorgeous, the utter calm and peace as the two of them lay in the valley. They were basking in sun, reveling in the warmth as Angelo traced an idle hand over Jubilee's smooth skin. Jubilee smiled, stretching like a cat under the attention and she rolled over onto her stomach to look at him, her sapphire eyes shimmering with unsaid emotion.
Neither was willing to speak what they were feeling, both having suffered from too many things in their lives to risk losing each other. It was if nobody said anything, then nothing could be taken away. That, however, didin't prevent Angelo from holding her close whenever it was possible.
"Angie.." Jubilee placed her head on his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heart and the pulse of his blood.
"Yeah?" He fingered the silver necklace that he had given her, a silver chain with a sapphire pendant, an X emblazened across the front of it. Everytime he had seen the stone in the store, it had reminded him of her eyes.
He could barely hear her, but felt her on a much deeper level. *I'm not afraid when I'm with you.*
*Me either, Amante.*
-in-
Emma's breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the memory, the utter power of emotion behind it. While she had been aware of the bond between the two of her students, she had no idea that the bond was that deep. Besides Angelo, she was th eonly who truly knew what Jubilee had gone through, perhaps even better than Angelo and in her heart of hearts she was almost certain that they wouldn't find Jubilee alive.
-in-
Tears had long ago ceased to be effective in releasing Jubilee from her pain. All that she had now was a soft sobbing that choked her breathing. she had been left alone after hours of torture, and now was curled against the wall, trying to think of anything but the pain. And the horrible feeling of knowing almost certainly that any life inside of her was a mere memory. All she wanted to do was give up and die. She almost laughed as she pictured what Angelo would say. When she had spent that year training and studying to graduate, Sean and Wolverine had pushed her to the breaking point time and time again.
Sean would force her in hand to hand combat to where she was so exhausted and then push her further. "Life doesn't give ye breaks lass, I sure as hell ain't going to do the same."
Jubilee had struggled to her feet, her body aching in so many places that she didn't want to even think about how much she would hurt the next day. Her eyes flickered to where Angelo was watching from the sidelines. He had been everything to her from a lover, to a sparring partner and in times like those, someone who supported her. she could hear his voice in her head, *Amante, you can kick his ass, I've seen you do it a million times in the sims. Block out the pain, and focus on yourself. Besides if you can eat the five alarm chilli without blinking, you can do this.*
Surpressing a laugh, she rolled her neck. *That's because the first bite killed off my tastebuds.*
Shaking off her aches she faced Sean with a smirk. "I spent four years eating alien crap that I can't even name and you think I expect breaks? Better dig out your four leaf clover, Irish because you're gonna need it."
Her techniques, enhanced by alien defence methods, had beaten Sean only twenty minutes later. So, as she sat, bruised and battered almost beyone recognition, she closed her eyes and thought of her lover, of his face, and his voice. "Angie..." Her voice was hoarse from the screams, and could barely be heard. She could almost hear his voice in her head. *Get angry. They have no right to touch you, to violate you. You've kicked the collective asses of dozens of people. You've leveled buildings just becuase you've been pissed off.*
Jubilee could feel the blood pulse in her viens as she heard the hiss of the door opening and the locks sliding out. She could hear the footsteps of the doctors walking in. The smell of them curled her lips and very slowly she rose to her feet.
"You are going to die." Her face was expressionless as she stared at the aliens in front of her. "You aren't going to hurt me anymore." She could feel a hard, hot pulse of power surge inside of her, tapping the inner core that she had only accessed once in her life. A huge pulse radiated out from Jubilee, detonating things in it's wake. Beings fell to the ground in agony, the heat burning their flesh as the wave of plasma washed over them.
Her eyes glittered and she strode forward ignoring the debris littering the floor. Sirens pierced the air and she ducked into the hallway into the complicated maze of halls and rooms. It was only when she felt safe that she paused long enough to see where she was. Glancing around she found herself in the private quarters of what looked like the guards, judging from the mess that had been left behind. Dull blue modules lined the walls, and after rummaging around in one, she found a jumpsuit that she quickly put on. The rough folds hung on her small figure, the fabric chafing her wounds, but she prefered the covering that the clothing provided. Walking out into the hall she searched for an exit, her mind quickly scanning the surrounding rooms, landing on what looked like a transport room.
Not bothering with the tiresome maze of cooridors and rooms, Jubilee began systematically blasting a path in it's general direction. Tired and drained, Jubilee was fueled by anger and the intense desire to leave. Her muscles strained against each step and her heart pounded at each blast.
"Focus." She muttered to herself. The room swayed and Jubilee looked around in surprise. "Huh, look at that." Her feet seemed surprisingly light as she stepped over broken chunks of wall. The smoke cleared and found herself in another lab. Strapped to the wall was a young alien and Jubilee winced to see the scars on its body. Whoever had been doing had obviously been stopped in the middle, with IV's dangling half in it's arm.
Without thinking, Jubilee caressed the soft brow of the child. *You'll be safe.*
Wide, clear eyes blinked at her and relaxed under Jubilee's hand. The small being couldn't have been more than four feet tall, with pale yellow skin that had fine scales over it and webbed feet. Jubilee snapped off the shackles and it collapsed in her arms, clutching her possesively with fierce hands.
*shhh* Jubilee whispered. *I'll take care of you.*
One arm held the child as the other was outstretched to fire blasts, as Jubilee finally made it to the transport room. Aliens looked at her startled as dust crumbled around their heads, pausing just long enough for her to slam them against the wall. Her hands shook as she scanned the computers, looking for the coordinates to someplace that she was familiar with. After ten long minutes, she finally came across something that looked close to what she was seeking and after a moment's hesitation, she stepped through the portal .
A/N: More is acomin'.Just not that soon...sorry folks I'll be in the hospital so I won't be updating for at least a few weeks/ a month. The bright side is that when I come back I will be finished with all of the series that I've been dragging on!
Review please!!
A/N: I hope you're enjoying this...I sure am.
Chapter 4
-Excerpt from Paige's diary-
In every person's life there comes a time to choose, to decide what they'll be doing. It's the course that sets their destiny and for ill or good, they are bound to it. That's why, in bright sunlight of this morning, we split up. I never thought that I would see the day when it would happen, but I guess that was going to happen sooner or later. As soon as the aliens found out that Jubilee had been taken, they made plans to leave almost immediately. The big thing was, who was going to go?
I would have followed them to the farthest reaches of space, but my pregnancy kicked me out of going. Apparently long space travel isn't good for the unborn. Jono didn't want to leave me alone, so he stayed. A sweet gesture since I knew that he wanted to be there for his best friend. Angelo of course was going; I don't think there was a force here on Earth that could have stopped him, and Emma joined him. She said something about losing Jubilee once and it not happening again. Seems as if we all have got guilt issues about that. God only knows what they're doing to her now.
Sean eventually stayed behind with us, and not surprisingly Monet decided she didn't want to go. She and Jubilee were never the best of friends, but perhaps she didn't want to leave her students behind. Personally, I think she's not going because she feels Jubes won't want her to, but maybe I'm not giving her enough credit. We all care about Jubes...I really hope she's all right.
So in the space of an hour, Ange and Emma left on the ship and head off to God knows where and I remember they had the oddest looks on their faces. It was like they didn't know what they were going to find out there. So, Jubes, keep in mind that I only have six months left of this pregnancy so I want you home before then. I can't have my babies without my best friend holding my hand, can I? Just be safe, be safe.
-End excerpt-
The meeting room on the ship was rather simple, a round black table with ten seats surrounding it. A view screen was on one wall, and a silver ball floated in the middle of the table, a meditating device used to focus thoughts. The table, used for everything to discussing times of peace, to what it was used for now, times of war, currently housed Ciele, Angelo, Emma and a short alien called Bob. The latter creature had been called in to get information about what had happened to Jubilee, and he had returned only a few hours later with news.
"We have learnt that the Ji'in were able to get a hold of a power inhibitor, which they used to contain the Kyln. Apparently the devices are able to control the mutant powers of your species, thus leaving the child helpless." Ciele clicked worriedly. "We can not rely on their generous nature to keep her alive or return her. We need to get her back soon."
Emma looked thoughtfully at the alien. "Are these inhibitors like the ones on Earth? There, they can control the power that they are specifically designed for."
Chugging back a tall glass of what looked like ale, Bob burped unceremoniously. "That is what my informants tell me."
"Then at least we have some hope. Right after Jubilee's return, she underwent another manifestation of her powers. She gained telepathy and it created a mind-link with Angelo in the process. If that hasn't been contained then there may be a way we can find her."
Excited, Ciele's nodes trembled. "We didn't know of this at all, and we can be almost certain that the Ji'in did not either. If we can use this to trace her and she doesn't give it away, we should be able to track her down."
Holding up his hand, Angelo stood up. "Wait a second. What I want to know is, before all of this happened you were coming to pick Jubilee up anyway. Why?"
Ciele walked up over to the screen and touched it. A star chart appeared and she indicated one in the far corner. "Rumors have been circulating for years that the slavers had started taking beings again, but we have been unable to find any verification until a few months ago. A number of my scouts reported that a deserted moon in one of the far sectors of the quadrant had been getting an unusual amount of traffic."
Angelo ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "So what does this moon have to make it valuable to the slavers?"
"The moon is extremely rich in resources of various metals and organic materials found nowhere else in the sector."
He frowned. "So why was it deserted if it was so valuable?"
"An expedition was sent out to the moon, very early in our exploration but because of the harsh conditions, almost the entire team was lost. Most companies found the loss of life too high to justify mining there. The Ji'in have no such compulsions."
"And what was Jubes going to do? Lead you all against a war with the Ji'in?" Angelo asked sarcastically.
"Yes." Ciele replied, her tone neutral. The angry boy in front of her was upset, and she understood why. They had come, out of the blue and told her friends that not only was Jubilee a part of something billions of miles away, but she was a leader to them. "The intergalactic council is meeting in two weeks and we must have Jubilee back before then. If word gets out that she has been captured, the chaos would reach epic proportions." She tapped the screen a few times and pulled up a document. "See this? Nothing more than a piece of paper signed by various planets and still it managed to bring together a sector when nothing else had. The Kyln was the primary force behind this and the main reason why it was adhered to all this time. To you she may be just a girl, a friend, but to us she is the Kyln."
Emotions warred in Angelo's face as he looked at the alien. There was no doubting her sincerity. "Fine, how long do you think she has?"
Bob gazed at the young man, assessing him, before deciding to tell the truth. There was no sense in giving him false hope. "Depends on how long they're willing to keep her alive and pump her for information. If she isn't dead yet then she will be by the end of the week. I say we have about 120 hours of your time. They can't risk having such a powerful political figure in the their possession any longer than that. As long as she shuts up and complies with them, she should be fine for the moment."
Ange sank his head on the table and groaned.
"What is it?" Bob growled.
Emma shook her head. "Our Jubilation is not known for her ability to "shut up and comply" as you so aptly put it. She's been kidnapped several times and she seems to deliberately antagonize her captors. It's the oddest thing really, even when she was a child she used to bait the kidnapper until they were ready to kill her just to shut her..." Emma trailed off at the look on Angelo's face. "Which is more the reason to find her."
"Are you certain?" Ciele asked anxiously.
Angelo looked up at the blue alien, his gray eyes tired. "This is Jubilee we're talking about."
Comprehension lit in her face. "Oh, dear."
-in-
On a Ji'in ship
98 hours remaining
"[Yeah that's right slugman, I'm talking to you. Did you fall in crap on your way over here or do you normally look like that?]" Chained with every conceivable restraining device, Jubilee still managed to assert her freedom. Jubilee had woken to find herself stripped of her clothing, weapons and belongings and was wearing a simple black shift that felt uncomfortably like an examination gown. To add insult, she had been given a drug that disoriented her thoughts and speech so she couldn't think clearly. Collared around her neck was the power inhibitor, her arms and legs strapped in shackles and a thick coil of metal around her waist.
"[Nanananananananana slugman! Where's your evil archenemy Slimeboss?]" Jubilee swung from her chains and twisted her neck so that she could see the guard.
The Ji'in captor sighed tiredly. He hadn't wanted the job, but gamble your workshift for one lousy game and he had gotten stuck spending the entire rotation watching her. Shuddering, he thought of the twenty more cycles he had left. "[Can you please SHUT UP?!?]" He screamed at her, peering through the little window in the door of her cell. Really, he wasn't ugly was he? He worked out and tried his best to eat well and exercise. It was if she wanted to hurt his feelings, and he'd end up with a complex before long.
"[Nope. Sorry slugman, you got me now you have to put up with me. Puhlease, you guys are so pathetic, first you kidnap me and then you spend two days deciding what to do? A monkey's ass has a bigger brain than you do. Know what? You are so ugly that...]" Jubilee's sentence was cut off as the door slid open. Three aliens walked in, regarding her with barely concealed malice. Jubilee eyed them as they walked towards her, two of which she recognized from her time in the mines. The tallest one, a species she didn't recognize, strode over to where she was standing and stroked her face curiously.
Jubilee shook her head violently and spat in his face. "[Don't you dare touch me!]"
The creature just chuckled and wiped the spittle of his brow. "[Rather puny for this Kyln everyone claims it to be.]" Its voice was thick and the words were hard to make out even with Jubilee's translator. "[Still this should be interesting. I haven't seen a human before, I will enjoy learning from her.]"
One of the shorter ones that were draped in a green toga just stared at her in disgust. "[Amazing how ugly it is. It's a wonder the procreate within the species.]"
"Fantastic, I'm going to be an experimental toy for an alien. If only Mulder were here." Jubilee muttered. At her voice, the doctor extended two eyes towards her, examining her closely.
"[Interesting, but expected. Some intelligence was required for the escape from the mine.]" Walking around her, he continued to talk to himself, ignoring her completely. Finally after a few minutes of peering, poking, and the occasional prodding, he instructed the guard to strap her down to a table that emerged from the wall. "[Now for some fun.]" Practically humming, he prepped by her shaving her scalp bare, not paying attention to Jubilee's moan of disgust as the long locks fell to the floor.
"[That took me years to grow moron!]"
He ran a hand lovingly over the instruments his assistant had brought in and picked up a long needle. Thoughtfully inserting it into her head, he slowly pushed through the flesh and then bone. Jubilee bit her lip, dark beads of blood oozing out as she forced herself not to scream. Clearing her mind, she systematically retreated into her head, bringing back memories of Angelo; his smile, the way he laughed, the tiny dimple no one else knew about. It was only after the drill entered her vertebrae that she finally gave in and screamed.
-in-
Angelo dropped to his knees, holding his head in his hands. He had been sitting with Emma, trying to concentrate on their psi-link when and intense pain it him. As he hit the floor, he knew that it was Jubilee.
"God, they're torturing her. She's in so much pain. Oh God."
Together, Ciele and Emma, managed to get Angelo to a couch in the quarters he had been given. Emma stroked his forehead, and entered his mind, dulling the pain so he could think. His gray eyes cleared and glanced around the room.
"Apparently our question is answered, Jubilee still has her telepathic abilities. However, they seem to be torturing her." Emma's face paled in rage and it took her a moment to get her emotions in check. "She must have been drugged otherwise she would have tried contacting us by now. Angelo, I want you to grab onto that link and think of about a time when you were both happy. Try to calm her with it. I've shut off the pain so you'll be okay."
"What about her pain?"
Emma's eyes flickered sadly for a second before answering. "I can't take the chance of her captors finding out about her powers. Now quickly concentrate."
His face cleared as he envisioned a golden thread, and he delicately touched it sending tiny ripples down its length into the darkness. Images began to form as his mind wandered back to the time just after Jubilee had graduated. After the ceremony, the two had driven off to a remote part of the Rocky mountains and spent three weeks camping there. It had been beautiful, spending day after day lying in the sun, in huge fields of flowers that were intense bursts of color along the foothills of the range.
Ange sank even deeper into the memory as his hold on the link tightened.
-in-
It was so gorgeous, the utter calm and peace as the two of them lay in the valley. They were basking in sun, reveling in the warmth as Angelo traced an idle hand over Jubilee's smooth skin. Jubilee smiled, stretching like a cat under the attention and she rolled over onto her stomach to look at him, her sapphire eyes shimmering with unsaid emotion.
Neither was willing to speak what they were feeling, both having suffered from too many things in their lives to risk losing each other. It was if nobody said anything, then nothing could be taken away. That, however, didin't prevent Angelo from holding her close whenever it was possible.
"Angie.." Jubilee placed her head on his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heart and the pulse of his blood.
"Yeah?" He fingered the silver necklace that he had given her, a silver chain with a sapphire pendant, an X emblazened across the front of it. Everytime he had seen the stone in the store, it had reminded him of her eyes.
He could barely hear her, but felt her on a much deeper level. *I'm not afraid when I'm with you.*
*Me either, Amante.*
-in-
Emma's breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the memory, the utter power of emotion behind it. While she had been aware of the bond between the two of her students, she had no idea that the bond was that deep. Besides Angelo, she was th eonly who truly knew what Jubilee had gone through, perhaps even better than Angelo and in her heart of hearts she was almost certain that they wouldn't find Jubilee alive.
-in-
Tears had long ago ceased to be effective in releasing Jubilee from her pain. All that she had now was a soft sobbing that choked her breathing. she had been left alone after hours of torture, and now was curled against the wall, trying to think of anything but the pain. And the horrible feeling of knowing almost certainly that any life inside of her was a mere memory. All she wanted to do was give up and die. She almost laughed as she pictured what Angelo would say. When she had spent that year training and studying to graduate, Sean and Wolverine had pushed her to the breaking point time and time again.
Sean would force her in hand to hand combat to where she was so exhausted and then push her further. "Life doesn't give ye breaks lass, I sure as hell ain't going to do the same."
Jubilee had struggled to her feet, her body aching in so many places that she didn't want to even think about how much she would hurt the next day. Her eyes flickered to where Angelo was watching from the sidelines. He had been everything to her from a lover, to a sparring partner and in times like those, someone who supported her. she could hear his voice in her head, *Amante, you can kick his ass, I've seen you do it a million times in the sims. Block out the pain, and focus on yourself. Besides if you can eat the five alarm chilli without blinking, you can do this.*
Surpressing a laugh, she rolled her neck. *That's because the first bite killed off my tastebuds.*
Shaking off her aches she faced Sean with a smirk. "I spent four years eating alien crap that I can't even name and you think I expect breaks? Better dig out your four leaf clover, Irish because you're gonna need it."
Her techniques, enhanced by alien defence methods, had beaten Sean only twenty minutes later. So, as she sat, bruised and battered almost beyone recognition, she closed her eyes and thought of her lover, of his face, and his voice. "Angie..." Her voice was hoarse from the screams, and could barely be heard. She could almost hear his voice in her head. *Get angry. They have no right to touch you, to violate you. You've kicked the collective asses of dozens of people. You've leveled buildings just becuase you've been pissed off.*
Jubilee could feel the blood pulse in her viens as she heard the hiss of the door opening and the locks sliding out. She could hear the footsteps of the doctors walking in. The smell of them curled her lips and very slowly she rose to her feet.
"You are going to die." Her face was expressionless as she stared at the aliens in front of her. "You aren't going to hurt me anymore." She could feel a hard, hot pulse of power surge inside of her, tapping the inner core that she had only accessed once in her life. A huge pulse radiated out from Jubilee, detonating things in it's wake. Beings fell to the ground in agony, the heat burning their flesh as the wave of plasma washed over them.
Her eyes glittered and she strode forward ignoring the debris littering the floor. Sirens pierced the air and she ducked into the hallway into the complicated maze of halls and rooms. It was only when she felt safe that she paused long enough to see where she was. Glancing around she found herself in the private quarters of what looked like the guards, judging from the mess that had been left behind. Dull blue modules lined the walls, and after rummaging around in one, she found a jumpsuit that she quickly put on. The rough folds hung on her small figure, the fabric chafing her wounds, but she prefered the covering that the clothing provided. Walking out into the hall she searched for an exit, her mind quickly scanning the surrounding rooms, landing on what looked like a transport room.
Not bothering with the tiresome maze of cooridors and rooms, Jubilee began systematically blasting a path in it's general direction. Tired and drained, Jubilee was fueled by anger and the intense desire to leave. Her muscles strained against each step and her heart pounded at each blast.
"Focus." She muttered to herself. The room swayed and Jubilee looked around in surprise. "Huh, look at that." Her feet seemed surprisingly light as she stepped over broken chunks of wall. The smoke cleared and found herself in another lab. Strapped to the wall was a young alien and Jubilee winced to see the scars on its body. Whoever had been doing had obviously been stopped in the middle, with IV's dangling half in it's arm.
Without thinking, Jubilee caressed the soft brow of the child. *You'll be safe.*
Wide, clear eyes blinked at her and relaxed under Jubilee's hand. The small being couldn't have been more than four feet tall, with pale yellow skin that had fine scales over it and webbed feet. Jubilee snapped off the shackles and it collapsed in her arms, clutching her possesively with fierce hands.
*shhh* Jubilee whispered. *I'll take care of you.*
One arm held the child as the other was outstretched to fire blasts, as Jubilee finally made it to the transport room. Aliens looked at her startled as dust crumbled around their heads, pausing just long enough for her to slam them against the wall. Her hands shook as she scanned the computers, looking for the coordinates to someplace that she was familiar with. After ten long minutes, she finally came across something that looked close to what she was seeking and after a moment's hesitation, she stepped through the portal .
A/N: More is acomin'.Just not that soon...sorry folks I'll be in the hospital so I won't be updating for at least a few weeks/ a month. The bright side is that when I come back I will be finished with all of the series that I've been dragging on!
Review please!!