Return of the Firecracker
The next day was a bit trying for all the X-Men. Beast went back to Salem Center to oversee the care of the recovered students. Storm, Wolverine, and Bishop returned to Davis with Jubilee. Jubilee slept the entire day – waking up for an occasional sip of juice then quickly falling back to sleep. Beast told everyone it would take awhile for the anesthesia to wear off, but it was still tough to see the little firecracker asleep for so long. During one of her few waking moments, Storm brought her some hot soup and a sandwich, but she fell asleep shortly after the first bite. The rest of her food sat there the entire day. Even Bishop became a bit worried.
The next morning the whole house was awoken abruptly at 4:17am by a very familiar voice. "Where are the Coco Puffs! Where is the pizza?" Jubilee yelled from the kitchen. "I've been asleep for 2 days, cold soup and a sandwich ain't gonna cut it! I need some serious junk food!"
As the house came awake with activity, the atmosphere lightened to a familiar joy that only Jubilee could bring. With Jubilee recovered, things started returning to normal, the mood of all the X-Men lightened tremendously.
"Bottom cabinet on the left child." Storm said with a motherly, appreciative smile.
"Score!" Jubilee yelled as she spotted 2 boxes of Coco Puffs in the back of the cabinet.
"Logan thought you might like something familiar when you woke up so he bought those for you last night. Would you like anything else?"
"Yeah, I'd kill for a chili dog – or perhaps a pepperoni and sausage pizza; and some lasagna!"
"For breakfast?"
"I haven't eaten in 2 days – I need to catch up on 6 meals…plus snacks!"
"Pepperoni sounds good ta me." Logan smirked as he walked into the kitchen. "But ain't no pizzerias open this time o' mornin' Darlin. Howzabout I fire up the grill and cue up a mess o' meat?"
"Great! We can do shiska-bob too Wolvie!"
It was definitely an X-morning. Things were far outside the norm but had a very familial touch to them – especially when Logan donned his "Kiss the chef's ASS!" BBQ apron and cranked up the grill.
*****This is my HOUSE – not a hotel!
Back at Salem Center, things were a lot busier – and more serious. The X-men were tending to all of the recovered mutants and making sure everything was okay. Every available X-man had something to keep them busy, from Professor X all the way down to Gambit – who would have preferred to help Beast with examinations but was instead assigned to shopping and locating family members.
"What is this Beast?" Professor Xavier said as he looked at his financial statements. "A $4,871.26 charge at Gap? Here's another for $2,134 at Old Navy and one for $1,915 at Banana Republic. What are all these charges for?"
"I'm sorry Professor, it gets a bit expensive providing clothes for nearly 60 people."
"Yes I imagine it does, but couldn't you have gone shopping at K-Mart or something?"
"These are the perils of benevolence Professor. I suggest you have a talk with Rogue and Gambit – They are responsible for all the shopping." Beast replied with a slight snicker.
"When I started this endeavor, I had no idea I would end up providing for every wayward child that came through our door. " he sighed. "In any case, how is everything going?"
"I just finished the last physical. Everyone checks out fine – no long-term or permanent injuries. They're all still a bit dazed, but that's to be expected…they'll probably be back to normal in a day or two when the anesthetic wears off. We were very fortunate. I was afraid that being immobile for so long would create a significant amount of muscular atrophy but it was kept to a minimum. Apparently Benson and the other scientists involved were afraid that atrophy would degrade their mutant abilities so they kept muscular decay very low.
It's also a good thing Storm had everyone brought back her before they woke up. Your psi link really prepared them for what to expect. I imagine waking up and seeing my pretty blue face after being kidnapped might be a little hard to explain; and with all that latent mutant energy, there most definitely would have been a 'situation.'"
"Yes, a 'situation' is a good way of putting it, and I'm sure there would have been a much more sizable credit card bill to 'fix' that situation."
Rogue and Gambit had contacted all but 6 families, and several parents had already made the journey out to Salem Center to be reunited with their children. Beast told them that he wanted to keep the students there for a few more days just to make sure everyone fully recovered. Though they were very appreciative of the effort, they really wanted to take their children back home. Professor Xavier convinced them it was for their own good though, selling them on the point that they probably wouldn't find medical care as good as Beast anywhere else in the US. All in all, it went rather smoothly.
He seemed to really enjoy the satisfaction of a completed mission – especially one like this. He was especially pleased to see the tearful and joyous reunions of the families and their missing children. He knew several of the parents had shunned their mutant kids before the kidnappings; but the tragedy of the kidnappings made them realize how fragile life really was and how important it was to love each other. It was indeed the only good thing to come out of the whole ordeal. It was just unfortunate that it took a tragedy like that to bring people to their senses.
Naturally the parents and students had a lot of questions; unfortunately Professor Xavier was short on answers. He wished he could give them the answers they sought, but there just wasn't enough information. He promised to keep in close contact with everyone as information became available.
With the reunification of the mutants slowly but surely progressing, it was time to focus on other matters – the mission. Beast was put in charge of the scientific side of all the data they collected, and his orders were simple – figure out what had been done to the mutants, see if any of that data pointed the finger at any other scientists or organizations, then destroy all the data. Storm had the more difficult task – she had to search through all the non-scientific data and try to ascertain the identities of everyone involved. With an operation as well-planned as this one, she knew it would be difficult.
She also had plans to visit Lisa Johnston – something Wolverine really wanted her to do. It was a meeting she looked forward to but also dreaded. Lisa's physical injuries healed easily; but the psychological damage would have serious repercussions and Storm knew she would have a long and bumpy road ahead.
*****A new friend
"Hi Lisa, my name is Ororo; Ororo Munroe. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too Miss Munroe." Lisa eagerly said. "Mr. Jacobs told me all about you. I've really been looking forward to seeing you two. Where is he? I thought you two would be coming together."
"Logan? He's spending some time with another special young lady that went through something very similar. He'll visit you as soon as he gets a chance – he promises."
"Someone else went through something similar? You mean he found others?"
"Yes Lisa, we found quite a few others. Thanks in large to you and your bravery; a lot of other young men and women are now being reunited with their families and friends. You know, you remind me a lot of Jubilee – the young lady Logan is with right now. I was told you two resembled each other, but you two could be sisters. You even have a similar demeanor."
"Someone looks like me? Interesting. She must be pretty!" she giggled. "I'd like to meet her someday."
"That would be a very good idea Lisa."
"When you found the others, did you find out who was responsible for the kidnappings and…the other stuff?"
"We're still looking for everyone responsible, but we've made quite a bit of progress. Your kidnapping was part of a very large operation. Rounding up everyone involved will take time, but rest assured – they will all be brought to justice. Logan will see to that personally"
"Are you a cop Miss Munroe?"
"No Lisa, I am not a cop." Storm said with a very empathetic voice. "I'm just someone who watches out for special people and makes sure nobody takes advantage of their unique gifts – of YOUR unique gift."
"You mean my mutant powers don't you?"
"Yes, your mutant abilities - something we both share."
"Really? You're a mutant?"
"Yes I am."
"What kind of power do you have?"
"My gift is rather complex. I can control certain aspects of nature's elements."
"Really?"
"Yes – I can manipulate weather - creating precipitation and generating storms upon demand; but there'll be plenty of time to talk about me later - let's talk about you Lisa."
"You don't like too many people knowing you're a mutant?"
"I don't like the wrong people knowing. If it's the right person, it doesn't matter. That's why I shared my secret with you. When you're among friends and family who love you and accept you for who you are, you can be yourself – that's when you see what a truly wonderful gift your mutant abilities are. It is also when you learn the most about yourself."
"You think so?"
"I know so, That is also why Logan also shared his secret with you – so we can all develop a special bond and talk more intimately about our lives. Soon, you'll know more people you can talk to – people who are going through the same thing you're going through. You'll feel better about yourself and you'll feel better about where your life is headed."
"Really? You know of other mutants that speak freely about their lives?"
"Yes child, many people. You're in for quite a surprise. But we'll talk more about them in due time. Right now I want to talk to you about the circumstances surrounding your kidnapping. I also want to learn more about you and how you've been doing since then."
They sat and chatted for a while. Storm told Lisa all the details about the warehouse and everything they found there. Lisa had difficulty listening to some of the details, but it was information she needed to hear. A big part of the healing process was knowing all the circumstances surrounding the event, and Storm knew that. It really helped her come to terms with what had happened. Every step of the way, Storm gave her reassuring touches to let her know everything would be okay.
"You know Miss Munroe, at first I didn't want to talk about it. I was looking forward to your visit, but wasn't looking forward to discussing the whole ordeal. But I feel better now. There is something really genuine about you – you're very easy to trust and open up to. You seem to really understand what I'm going through.
"Thank you Lisa."
"Before, I thought if I ignored what happened to me, it wouldn't bother me. But whenever I lay in bed, I start thinking about it then I start crying. I think I really do need to talk about some of the frightening thoughts that have been going through my mind – if you really don't mind."
"I don't mind at all."
It took awhile for Lisa to really open up and let her emotions out, but Storm's calm disposition and caring touch really helped ease her mind. Once she let her guard down, the tears and emotions really came forward.
"WHY did they do this to me?"
"That is a question many mutants ask every day Lisa. There are as many answers as there are people."
"But I never did anything to them. I didn't even know them. I didn't even use my mutant powers. I tried to hide them."
"You did NOTHING wrong Lisa. People often fear what they don't understand. That fear drives them to hatred. Hatred drives them to do bad things and try to control other people's lives."
"But I wouldn't have hurt them…I would never have done anything to hurt them."
"I know Lisa, I know. That's what makes crimes like these so bad. We'll get through this – you, me, your family…all of us together. It will take time, but we'll get through this. I promise."
"The doctor Mr. Jacobs brought to see me…Henry…he told me I had been pregnant before. Have you found anything else about the…my baby?"
"I'm sorry Lisa, we have not. It appears several of the women were impregnated, but all the children were taken to another site. We're still trying to find that site."
"Do you think the baby is still alive?"
"I think that based on the evidence, all babies born at the warehouse are probably still alive."
"I never thought about being a mother before – except when I was a little girl. When I got to college, I concentrated on completing my classes, that was it. But to think that somewhere out there is my own baby – a living, breathing part of me!"
"I know child…it's a horrible thought. But we won't rest until we've found everyone and these experiments have been stopped."
Storm and Lisa sat and talked for 2 and a half hours. It did Lisa a lot of good to be able to talk openly about being a mutant and about some of the things that went through her mind when she started seeing how mutants were treated. She never talked with her parents about it because she knew it bothered them, but it really depressed her not having someone to talk to about the things she was going through. This was a long-overdue conversation for her. She did a lot of crying and Storm did a lot of listening and hugging. Storm then took her for a nice long ride up the coast. Highway 1 ran right along the coast and provided some beautiful and very secluded scenery.
"Why are we here Miss Munroe? I mean it's beautiful, but why so far away from the city?"
"There's something I want to show you. Actually – it's something I want you to experience." She said as they exited the car and started walking up the beach.
"What?"
"Take my hand child."
As soon as she took Storm's hand, a gust of wind lifted both of them off the ground. Lisa was completely caught by surprise, but Storm's demeanor and control over the wind quickly calmed her. Before Lisa knew it, the two of them were flying over the ocean enjoying the crisp sea air. To Storm, it was a natural homecoming; but to Lisa, the experience really opened her eyes about being a mutant – and about living life to it's fullest. She never experienced being totally free like that. Storm took her on several loops and gave her a real bird's eye view of the planet that few humans ever saw. They flew for about 15 minutes – 15 wonderful minutes. When they landed, Lisa had a wide-eyed liberated look on her face.
"That was GREAT!" she yelled. "You can do that anytime you want? You must have so much fun!"
"It has its advantages." she chuckled.
"I can't believe it! It was so exciting! I felt like a bird!" It felt good to see Lisa smile. Storm knew this was something she hadn't done in awhile and it felt good to bring it out of her. "I feel GREAT!" Lisa yelled as she took off running up the beach. She took off so fast Storm almost didn't see her. Before Lisa knew it, she was a quarter mile away. She turned around and headed back toward Storm. "WEEEEEEEEEE!" she yelled as she blew past Storm and ran about a quarter mile in the other direction. For the next 10 minutes, she ran up and down the beach – exploring the full potential of her mutant powers. When she finally stopped to rest, she had a completely content smile on her face.
"I never knew being a mutant could be so fun!"
"That's what happens when you EMBRACE your mutant powers, instead of suppressing them. Your gift is as much a part of you as your arm or your leg. Suppressing it only suppresses your own feelings…your very essence."
"Miss Munroe – this is so wonderful."
"Yes it is."
"I felt so FREE! I've never felt that before!"
They wrapped up the evening with a good talk on the drive back to Lisa's house. Storm planned to meet with her several more times, but it was clear that Lisa felt a lot better even though this was their first meeting. She also invited Lisa to come visit her and Logan in Davis for a couple days – something she readily accepted. They then hugged and Storm headed back to Davis.
Meanwhile, in Sacramento…
"Thank you for taking me shopping Wolvie. Those creeps that kidnapped me dumped my stuff who knows where! It's a good thing I didn't bring ALL my clothes from the academy! It took like a zillion trips to second-hand stores to get that authentic retro look! But you know what, I really miss my leather jacket the most."
"You mean MY leather jacket?"
"You know what I mean!"
"Yah Jubes, I know…" Logan said as they put the rest of her shopping bags in his truck and headed for the nearest Outback Steakhouse. After they settled into their dinner Logan began to talk.
"Anything you wanna talk about Jubes?"
"Yeah, the Gap is having a sale tomorrow. Can we come back?"
"I mean about what happened to you. Is there anything you want to talk about what happened in Atwater?"
"No not really."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"You alright?"
"Yeah Wolvie, I'm okay. I knew you and Storm would find me. I wasn't worried at all. I kinda feel bad that some creep got the better of me in the locker room. You taught me better than that – he shouldn't have been able to sneak up on my like that. But other than that, I'm fine."
"Sometimes I don't give you enough credit Jubes."
"Yeah, you practically raised me…and when you're raised by the toughest guy around, you become pretty tough yourself!"
"Ain't that the truth!"
"I hear YOU got all weirded out when I was missing."
"I didn't get "WEIRDED OUT." I was just a little concerned – that's all."
"Concerned? Yeah right – I heard you almost took Professor Ballister's head off."
"I did not – I just roughed him up a little."
"I heard you were close to one of your berserker rages. He didn't deserve that you know. I hear he helped find me."
"Yeah, he did…and I apologized for roughing him up…sorta."
"What'd you do? Offer him a beer?"
"Um…"
"Wolvie!"
"He knows…" Logan spouted as he gnawed on a piece of steak. "Alright already – I'll send 'em a Hallmark…they got somethin' for every occasion right? So I went a little crazy. Excuse me! You may not be my own flesh and blood, but you're every bit a part of me little girl!"
"Thanks Wolvie, that's really sweet." She especially liked hearing him call her his little girl.
She let him finish his steak before asking him her next question. "You and Storm gonna stick around for awhile?"
"Yeah – until the quarter ends…Storm really wants to finish up with the kids. She also needs ta recuperate – she had 3 broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung."
"Yeah, she told me. You couldn't tell by the way she acts though."
"Whaddya mean?"
"Every time I see her, she gives me a huge hug. She hugs me so tightly I can barely breathe! She doesn't get all weepy-eyed or anything, but she's definitely different."
"Well, that's expected. Just because she doesn't fly off the handle like I do doesn't mean she doesn't care. She loves you every bit as much as I do, and just because she hasn't said it; she thinks of you as her daughter – her own flesh and blood. The thought of losing you must have been pretty frightening for her."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
"But she faces death all the time – all of you do. I've never seen her change like this before."
"Its different Jubes. You don't expect yer kids ta go before you. Its the worse thing a parent can go through – especially in this case."
"Why? What's so special about THIS case?"
"She chose you for the mission. It was her job ta protect you. When you disappeared, she thought she failed as a parent AND as a field commander."
"I never thought of it that way."
"You also didn't see her blast through that wall. I think she woulda taken on Apocalypse bare-handed if she had to."
"Wow!"
"Wow is right kid! There was sumpn' stirrin' in her that I ain't ever seen the likes of. People fear me when I get angry, but from what I saw in her eyes, I ain't the one ta fear! Hell hath no fury like the woman Storm! Oh, she expects you to be in class bright and early Monday morning!"
"Sheesh – you'd think she'd give me a break considering all I've been through!"
"She said 3 days is enough – its time ta get back on the saddle…besides, she doesn't want you ta miss her midterm. Here's the study list." he smirked as he gave Jubilee a steno pad full of things to study.
"Geez!"
They finished their dinner and sat back and relaxed for a while; Logan then excused himself from the table.
"Gotta see a man about a horse…" he said as he walked out. He returned a few minutes later with a large nicely wrapped box.
"What's this?" Jubilee asked as he handed it to her.
"A box…open it."
"Wolvie!!!!!!!!!!!!" she squealed as she opened her gift and saw a brand new leather jacket.
"Figured you might be needin' a new one." he said with a smirk.
She hugged him tightly and happily put on her knew jacket. They then happily headed back to Davis. Even Logan had a smile on his face.
Epilogue coming soon – I promise!