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CHAPTER THREE: LIFE FIGHT
"That's a good girl." The pale man let go of Husk and backed away. He slowly turned and looked at the rest of the team, who were still fighting the assassins.
Jubilee turned to help her friends, but for a moment her mind blanked out as her exhaustion hit her with a vengeance at the worst possible moment.
Then the next few minutes seemed to go into hyper speed for Jubilee. Even as it registered that the pale man had Husk in his grasp, she was free. She hurried towards Husk, intent on helping her friend out.
Husk turned and looked at Jubilee in confusion for a second, then leaned back swung at Jubilee, hitting her square in the middle.
Jubilee stumbled back and fell to the ground. "P..p..paige? Why'd you do that?"
"Because Ah never liked ya. You always take over, when Ah'm supposed to be in charge. Ah'm smarter than you, and better than ya, but you always ruin it for me." Husk's face was contorted into a gleeful mask of brutality.
The rest of Generation X turned and gaped at Husk, shocked by the change that came over her. The remaining three assassins tried to get the jump on them, but M, almost negligently, knocked them out.
"Chica, what's the matter with you?" Skin started towards Husk.
"She's totally gone, be careful, Skin." M's warning came too late, as Husk swung at Skin, hitting him on the head. He went down and stayed down.
Unnoticed by the team, Viper woke up and circled the group, heading towards Synch. Synch saw her peripherally two seconds too late. He tried to jump away, but wasn't fast enough. He felt a prick as her knife grazed his right arm. He prepared to phi-strike her, but his vision blurred and he blacked out.
M turned in time to see Synch fall over and became very angry. "Why don't you try to take me out." M smiled haughtily, and started towards Viper.
Viper pulled out a small sticky patch and slapped it on M's arm. M delicately removed the patch, and smiled down at Viper. "I'm invulnerable. That was a rather useless gesture."
Viper smiled and stood her ground, "Not to this. I did do my homework." M drew back her fist, preparing to knock Viper out when the drug hit her system. M fell silently to the ground.
Jubilee finally regained her feet and started toward Husk again. "Why are you doing this, Paige. You're our friend."
"Things change. Trance here has shown me how much more I can be." Paige gave the pale man a shiny insipid smile.
Before Jubilee could say anymore, Viper confronted her. "Its back to you and me. This time I won't go so easily on you."
Jubilee snorted, "You weren't trying for easy before."
Jubilee quickly backed out of knife range. She became so involved in avoiding Viper's knife she stopped paying attention to what was happening on the other side of the field.
Chamber turned towards Trance and let out a focused blast at the pale man, but at the last second Husk moved to intercept the blast. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. She sat, dazed, for a moment before trying to get up.
The pale man leaned over and helped her up. "Thank you, my dear."
"Your welcome, Trance." Husk beamed up at him.
Chamber stepped back in horror. Husk turned and began advancing on him. *Paige, it's me.*
"Yes, Ah know." A cruel smile lit up Husk's face. She shredded her steel skin and revealed a crystalline skin underneath. The shifting light briefly illuminated Husk, a spray of rainbows hitting the ground in front of Chamber. Gleaming claws had replaced her hands.
Chamber was afraid to hurt Husk again so he did nothing to stop her. He started backing away, trying everything he knew to break the mental hold Trance held on her, but Husk was on him too quickly. She began pummeling him with razor fists.
Meanwhile, Jubilee had managed to back Viper in a corner with her pyrotechnics. Viper lifted her dagger, but Jubilee exploded several sparks on it, making the poison on it burn. Viper yelped and let the knife fall to the ground.
Viper pulled out another knife, but Jubilee showered sparks in her face, once again blinding her. Before Jubilee could do anymore, Viper stepped back, stumbled over a tree stump and fell, hitting her head on a rock.
Jubilee turned back to the last standing group in time to see Chamber's bandaged face begin to tear apart under the Husk's glass fists. Jono was in trouble and no one was conscience helping him. Another wave of dizziness hit Jubilee. Determinedly, Jubilee bit her lip. The pain cleared her vision and the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth.
Suddenly, Husk backed off and turned towards Jubilee. As she stepped away from Chamber, Trance reached down and looked into Chamber's eyes. Chamber tried to struggle, but a burning pain erupted in his head, effectively immobilizing him. "The more you resist me, the worse the pain will get. Keep it up and you will die." Chamber shook his head, refusing to give in and the pain worsened.
Jubilee tried to skirt around Husk intent on helping Chamber, but Husk move to intercept. Husk swung a deadly fist at Jubilee. Jubilee barely missed being hit.
"Look, Paige, you're my friend and I don't want to have to hurt ya or nuthin', but you keep this up and I'll have ta."
Husk ignored her. Jubilee let loose a spray of pyrotechnics in Husk's face, careful not to hurt her. Husk simple plowed through the burst and slashed Jubilee's arm.
Jubilee fell hard, blood poring out of several cuts on her arm. Husk's arm came swinging back, hitting Jubilee on the temple with the back of her hand. Jubilee's vision swam for a moment.
When she came to, the first thing she saw was the gleam of Husk's claws heading for her head.
Jubilee lashed out instinctively, too bewildered by the blow to realize who she fighting, only that she was in danger. The pyrotechnics exploded with a deafening eruption.