Chapter 16


With a grunt, Wolverine swung the nearest panel and lifted it vertically. Sweat poured and soaked through his shirt as he shoved it into place. Jubilee pointed her finger and directed a thin stream of superheated plasma to weld from top to bottom. He mopped off his sweaty forehead, glad for the partial shade of some of the taller palm trees overhead. Sparks flew from her fingertips as Jubilee welded the latest panel to their makeshift hut. Not a bad few hour's work, despite the tingling in her head that signaled exhaustion.

"So, they already probably know we're here, an' watching us… why don't they just come and knock us off while we're sleeping?"

"Cause they figure the wildlife here will do it for us," Wolverine chuckled.

"HEY!" she protested. "You said…"

"I said there weren't any mutants or humans, darlin'…"

"What KIND of animals? Bears, lions, tigers?" Jubilee mumbled. "So… we're gonna be watching THEM while keeping ourselves from getting munched by wild beasts, NOW you tell me!"

"Did ya forget that any of 'em will be more scared of me than you are of them?" Wolverine grunted, lifting yet another corrugated panel to shift onto the top of the three walls they had erected.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, dude," Jubilee mumbled. "But what can WE do? If we're so busy just trying to stop from getting eaten… how can we do what we're supposed to?"

"Plain an' simple… I've got some of the binoculars an' stuff here… an' we can watch aircraft or other things comin' an' going from the beach, or from the cover of the trees."

"Also, there's a bunch of those miniature cameras we can hide later on an' watch in the comfort of that laptop…" Jubilee interrupted, pointing to one of the bags in the shelter of the hut. "So there!"

"Yeah, yeah, take all the FUN out of it," Wolverine stuck his tongue out.

"Mr. Technophobe… don't forget I hate computers more than you," she stuck her tongue out in return. "But anything's better than risking having them come bopping over here and chasing AFTER us… since we just only CRASHED in a big blaze…"

"They ain't interested in us, cause they figure we'll just be fighting to survive," said Wolverine, slicing cleanly through another set of palm fronts. He tossed them over the metal roof they'd erected, mainly with his recovering strength, and spot welding courtesy of Jubilee.

"You said there weren't any things to worry about except animals," Jubilee said accusingly. She tugged her yellow coat off and tossed it into the trees where the day glow yellow would prevent her from being seen.

"Except for THIS animal," Logan joked

"Um, how bad IS it? What kinda animals? Other then the two legged kind… with adamantium claws?" she joked.

"Mmm, well, I got a whiff of a few wildcats, jaguar type. An' there are monkeys, which ain't too much of a threat except they sneak in an' steal food. Then there are your basic feral pigs an' goats some dimwit let loose on the island… rabbits, sloths… an' of course the sharks in the water… so swimming they figure's out…"

"So… what's gonna keep them from snackin' on us, other than you, Wolvie?" she asked.

"Good question…" he said.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, kicking something out of the way and grunted. Fuming she hopped on one leg, rubbing her toe. "Oww, hey!"

"Easy darlin'… time for a breather," he urged, moving over to steady her as she clutched her toe with one hand.

"Stupidmachotrip… hejustGOES an forgetsto tellmeaboutthe animals," she mumbled.

"C'mere an' sit down, darlin'… ya don't have to convince me twice that you can pull yer weight," he urged, grabbing her foot. She shoved him away with a snort, still in pain.

"You jerk, you just HAD to try an' freak me out," she mumbled back. "I'm annoyed at you! An' I got sand in my boot…"

Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he sat down on the partially rotted log of a downed tree. "Jubes, sit down here will ya, or I'll grab ya an' plant ya here myself..."

"You aren't the boss of me," she said, sticking out her tongue, but he knew she was trying to keep her courage up by busting his chops.

He extended his hand and caught hers while she stumbled over and sat next to him. She yanked at her boots and pulled one off, letting a heap of sand pour onto the forest floor, while Logan shed the remains of his tattered shirt, and used it to wipe the coating of sweat from his body. Jubilee tossed both boots tot he side, and shoved her hair back with the sunglasses like she had so many times before. Her shorts and shirt were soaked through with patches of sweat, and she didn't protest as he reached down and pulled her foot onto his lap to rub it.

"This one, or the other one, or yer pride?" he joked.

"Was wondering when you'd lose the shirt," she mumbled.

"Just got caught up in setting up shelter I figured it wasn't a big deal. Besides, had to keep it on to let those burns heal. Sun's pretty harsh an' tropical at this latitude…you doin' okay?"

"Hey, I'm from sunny LA, what do you think? A little sun's gonna phase me?" she joked. "Get a clue!"

"Still, hate for you to get a sunburn, even with your complexion, Jubilee," he mumbled, grabbing one of the bottles of potable water and handing it to her. She sipped it eagerly, and then passed it to him. He was aware of her distinct sweat and her eyes watching him in that extremely pleasing way as he swallowed half, before giving it back.

"I'll be fine," she said quickly, sipping only a bit of the remainder. "But you can't watch me EVERY minute, Wolvie…"

"True, but can't stop me from trying…" Wolverine shrugged. He reached over and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"There some kinda job description to this relationship thing?" she asked. "Some Victorian kinda thing?"

"Gimmie a break," he groaned. "Most of its common sense, darlin'. Protectin' takes all forms. An' one of them that's the top of the list is makin' sure everyone close t' me's a-ok. An' that doesn't just mean makin' sure you're safe, it means all the other good stuff."

"Even the touchy feely mushy stuff you don't really like too much?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands. He loved the feel of her fingers scratching through his hair and sideburns.

"Even THAT," he joked. "Though it's kinda… a pain in the butt to admit sometimes people NEED to 'talk' and stuff… that shouldn't stop ya from speakin' yer mind. Never did before."

"It's just that I don't want you to like overreact an' stuff," Jubilee snorted. "And be the protective guy from hell…"

"Protectin' ya don't mean I'm gonna OWN ya," he snorted. "It ain't bein' a possessive pain in the ass. Don't get that wrong… you afraid I'm gonna go berserk if ya say something wrong, don't even worry about that. Nothing ya do is gonna make me HURT you in any way… got it?"

"I know you're not gonna hurt me, I just don't want to screw this up…"

"That's why we're takin' things SLOW like," he reassured her. "Includin' an' especially when ya need PDA's…"


She was enfolded in his arms, and closed her eyes automatically. Tension melted away with his warmth and body pressed to hers. That icy dread seemed to evaporate, and she welcomed his gentle touch on her back and shoulders. He met her lips with a firm kiss that banished the fear. Her small body relaxed into his, and sighed with pleasure at his ministrations. She returned his kiss, learning quickly what he liked, and causing his own body to respond by rubbing and kneading the muscles along her spine, which caused shivers to erupt all over her skin.

"That's more like it, Jube…" he chuckled.

"More like WHAT?" she scrunched her nose at him.

"More like someone who's actually lettin' herself get spoiled with some attention, an' letting me take care of her for a change… not in THAT way…" he cautioned when she rolled her eyes.

"Gimmie a break! That's the dumbest, most lame-oid piece of male chauvinist junk you've said yet," she groaned. "Hope you've got some good reason for a line like THAT!"

"Cripes no that's NOT what I meant! What do ya think I'm tryin' to pull? I mean taking care of you in a going steady kind of way," he snorted, struggling to think of what on earth her generation would understand.

"That sounds lame, but I get it now," Jubilee laughed. "First thing I'm gonna haveta do is give you some kinda lessons in Jubespeak…"

"Heaven help me… by the way what's with the Wolvie stuff, I told ya its Logan, darlin'," he teased lightly, nudging her.

"Well you ARE still in your uniform," she chuckled. "And technically this IS an X man mission…"

"True, kiddo," he retorted.

"You are gonna be SO dead," she snorted. "You know I HATE that…"

"And you're going to do WHAT about it?" he asked, with a clear smirk on his face. Cold water, the rest from the bottle splashed right on his face, and she threw herself into him, grabbing his ribs to try tickling him, or at least wrestling him.

"Ugh, that ground's all WET!" she squealed.

"Shoulda thought of THAT before ya attacked me," he grinned.

"This!" she cried, her fingers digging into his bare ribs to try and elicit a response. However the light finger sliding into his neck provoked enough of a response that she wriggled and twisted her body. That left him partly on his side, and his back was smeared in the dust of the campground. She let out a shrieking gasp when he drew his fingers over her ribs and she accidentally kicked him in his shins.

"That don't count!" he grunted.

"Sorry!" she gasped.

"Ohh, you're gonna be sorry," he growled playfully. Jubilee whooped with the sensation of his fingers brushing lightly with feather touches down her bare legs and up her sensitive ribs and arms. He knew every sensitive spot curse him, but her retaliations of fingers sliding in other places along his bare sides and back caused him to gasp and flinch also.

"Eww! It's WET an' GROSS!" Jubilee squealed as he rolled her over and pinned her down between his knees.

"Darlin' I hope yer not talking about yours truly…"

"No way, I mean the GROUND…" she wrinkled her nose.

"Well you shoulda thought of that before you attacked me with the tickle monster!" he laughed, his smile rare and truly a strange sight to behold. Caught up in the moment she seized the back of his neck and leaned up to kiss him. Arms enfolded her, sliding between her body and the damp ground. Through her T-shirt his sweat soaked, his musk impregnating the air around her. While she had only a fraction of his smell, she was affected all the same. Sliding his hand down her slender back he felt the dampness and realized she DID have a legitimate complaint. This wouldn't do at all, he figured, and straightened up, pulling her body onto his lap while he knelt there.

"Awesome," she mumbled, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Not that I'm complaining… but aren't we supposed to be on a mission?"

"We are, darlin'," he murmured back. "I'm markin' ya with my scent so's the other animals won't make the mistake of messing with ya…"

"Lame," she giggled.

"Hey, work with me," he groaned overdramatically.

"I don't wanna distract you from the mission…"

"You aren't. Cause remember I can hear anything comin'. An' the flamin' mission can wait a few hours, considering they probably think we're being chewed up by wild beasts by now…"

"Mmm, I can think of one I'd like to nibble on me some more," Jubilee returned, and saw the smolder in his blue eyes that shivered her all over.

"Now yer talkin," he whispered throatily, and lay back, taking her with him so she was awkwardly laying on top of his chest while he kissed her slowly. Taking his time to caress her back and each bone of her spine while moving his lips over hers and tasting her sweet mouth like a drowning man.


After a few minutes, Logan stiffened and removed his lips from hers his entire body tensed. Jubilee shivered, not questioning why he had stopped. That way in which he flared his nostrils and slightly bared his teeth resembled predatory wolves picking up a distant scent. "It was only a matter of time," he mumbled.

"How many?" Jubilee asked.

"Not sure. But I hear a boat, even though those idiots are tryin' to mask it. We gotta make tracks an' find another place, or stand an' fight 'em…"

"Who… are they Genoshan?"

"Shh, get some stuff together. I'm gonna get a look see…"

Jubilee grasped his arm. Glancing sidelong at the tattered remains of his uniform, inspiration hit her.

"I got an idea… we could really lead those dorks on a wild goose chase with your uniform, an' mine…"

"Hmm, tell me more…" he said, and she whispered in his ear. He gave a wicked conspiratorial grin, and rolled her over onto her back.

Jubilee held still, eyes shut as his claws rasped only inches from her face, and traced down. "At least this will get rid of this grody uniform…" she chuckled.

"Hold still, I don't wanna slice into YOU," he scolded.

"Well open your EYES, dude! I'm not gonna make you go BLIND…" Jubilee snickered. "After all, you're already topless an' I've got more on then YOU do right now!"

"Shh they're on the beach now… I can smell it," Wolverine whispered. He held her mouth lightly with one hand, and drew back his upper lip in what looked like a snarl. Yet she had a feeling he was doing what many animals with superior senses of smell did. Inhaling those whiffs of some elusive tracker. Jubilee shivered under him as he clutched her close, and cocked his head.

"Who…" she whispered when he released her mouth.

"Quietly, don't make a sound. I can sense someone comin' close. Heard the motor of a boat. They DO know we're here… so let's get moving…"

"Oh crap…"

"Just follow my lead… we've got ten minutes till they get here…" he shushed her, slowly taking her hand and leading her along with him towards the bags of food.

"Wait, we gotta hear what they're saying," she hissed, grabbing the laptop with the monitor. Wolverine pointed to various items and she started to round them up while he prepared things at the campsite.


"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jubilee whispered ten minutes later as they retreated from the campsight.

"Believe it darlin'… just stick close to the ol' canucklehead an' learn…" Wolverine grinned.

"Okay mate," she snickered, and he snorted with the lame reference to Crocodile Dundee.

"Shh, there they come," Wolverine whispered, and then reached down to boost Jubilee up the tree. She stood on his broad shoulders and let him lift her up. Then he scampered up next to her. Rather than just palm trees, other native species with gnarled roots and branches were available to get a more bird's eye view of the beach.

"You sure this branch is gonna hold us both?" she whispered.

"Shh," he whispered, his lips tickling her ear. "Down there…"

Jubilee suppressed a gasp when she glanced down to see several costumed mutants walking around the boat. Wolverine's nose twitched, and Jubilee glanced at the palmtop computer screen. With Wolverine's arm around her waist steadying her, she had it open on one knee to see the surveillance footage. She put the earpiece in her ear, which enabled her to pick up the sounds to the same level as Wolverine's hearing. A grin spread over her face when she was able to hear them as well as see them in the tiny LCD display on the device that was part cell phone, part communicator and now spy camera.

Jubilee muffled a giggle as she pointed to the screen. On the miniature LCD surface they saw the campsite they had left minutes before. Pieces of pink and yellow cloth lay scattered on the beach, and in the trees. Drops of blood and charred bits of other items were also floating in the ocean. Branches crackled as something moved in the woods, away towards the clearing.

Two pairs of boots crunched branches underfoot. They followed drops of blood towards a large clearing, and saw the remains of a fire crackling. The female motioned to the other, and she shifted into were form. "They were here… two of them. But there seems to have been a fight…"

"I sense nothing telepathically," muttered the other.

"This way," said the tracker mutate. "Trail leads to…"

Undergrowth crackled, and the squad emerged in the clearing. The three mutants exchanged glances. One shifted out of her feline form, and snorted. "There… a shelter…"

"A fire… food still hot," muttered their leader, a white skinned female with violet eyes. "Strange… judging from the description, I expected better from an X man…"

"I smell a female, and something that is almost wild," said Catseye.

"True," Domino muttered. "Whoever these two are, they left in quite a hurry… and judging from the mess, there seems to be a struggle. Yet… still…"

"They're dead, D. Let's get the hell outta here before we're next," shivered the third. "I'd rather face the Master then whatever on this island get US…"

"What's so bad about this island, Rictor?" Domino snorted, peering at the corrugated metal, and the charred remains of packing material. She prodded a red belt with a gold X buckle on it that was lying around. Yellow and black scraps of cloth made her widen her eyes.

"You know, D," Rictor mumbled. "HE put some of his creations here. Mr. S. The master made him do it… I don't wanna come near one of 'em…"

"How bad could it be?" Domino asked, clicking her gun and peering through her scouter. "Unless…"

"Trail's hot, but it runs into the forest," said Catseye as she let out a low growl. "They're probably either deeper in the woods, or already dead…"

Domino's eyes widened, as she found something in shreds. "Look at this… It appears we know who our two x men were…"

"That's Wolverine's mask… and these sunglasses and coat… belonged to a child member," muttered Richter. "If something chased that animal off…"

"I find it highly unlikely. Wolverine is one of the best at what he does… surely he could handle anything on this island?"

"Not if he's half dead trying to heal himself. That blast War hit him with was pretty explosive. We saw the bits of the craft… don't you see the blood?" Catseye mumbled, sniffing the ground. "No, I smell another animal… one of the mutates let loose…"

"Mutates?"

"One of the LARGE ones. Courtesy of Mr. S…" Rictor shivered.


Wolverine could pick up the distant sounds of their conversation, but something else was unnerving him as well. Minute vibrations on the earth that were indications of footsteps far larger then three mutant humans. Distant branches crashing and scents that were of things far larger than he had anticipated. Something else, very large and very different smelling was moving quickly in their direction. However he did not want to startle Jubilee because he had a feeling it might be the answer to their situation. Apparently he wasn't the ONLY wild creature with claws and a nasty attitude. Whatever he smelled had hints of other huge animals mixed in with odd scents that were out of some laboratory. Inaudibly he growled.

A loud growling and crackling of branches made them turn their heads.

Domino clicked her gun, and aimed towards the noise. Catseye shifted to her feline form, while Richter aimed at the ground. Waves of sound pummeled the dirt, shaking it like Jell-O. A hairy shape crashed out of the trees, and Domino fired. Her shot deflected off glittering plates, resembling fish scales. She somersaulted out when a clawed hand slammed down in the very spot she'd been standing.

An orange haired bulk snarled, swatting her like a rag doll as it bared its long tusks. A loud trumpeting sounded, as the wooly mammoth stood there and barged ahead. Its trunk swung out and swept Richter aside. Catseye leapt up on it, snarling. Trumpeting in rage, the mutated mammoth bucked and charged through the trees. Catseye let go, rolling over to nurse her bruises.

"Get out of here!" Richter yelled, grabbing her and backing away.

"What the…" Domino got out when she saw the hulking shapes. One of them had gleaming spectral scales covering its entire body, and shot out several long tentacles that encircled her legs. She gasped, and something whipped the gun from her hand.

"Go!" Catseye hissed. "Those are what face whoever is stupid enough to come here! They're DEAD I tell you!"

"Let's leave before WE'RE dead," Richter panted. He helped Domino to limp along with him. Both the mammoth and the reptilian creature stopped on the beach, then retreated into the trees.

Overhead, Wolverine and Jubilee were high enough out of range to see the entire scene, looking with mock horror and fascination as their adversaries thundered past.

"Holy moley what IS that?" Jubilee whispered as Wolverine held onto her. The trees vibrated then stopped when they heard the loud trumpet of the elephant like creature.

"Whatever poor suckers were stuck here," Wolverine mumbled. "This is the island of Dr. Moreau… except these creatures were just poor animals who got a few genes spliced into them…"

"God Wolvie… what's to stop US from getting smashed?"

"Exactly why I marked ya with my scent…"

"Excuse me, but they're three times YOUR size!"

"Yeah, but I got claws that'll cut right through either one of 'em. They may be beasts, but they aren't dumb… that jumbo sized mammoth has a memory all right…"

"You were HERE before?"

"Yeah. Years ago. An' it ain't a pretty place to be. But when they know who's at the top of the food chain, they'll back off…"

"What ELSE is on this island?" she shivered.

"They're the biggest. But the other things are a little nastier. Ya got yer basic crocodiles, an' a few dozen little brothers of that overgrown iguana…"

"Who spits acid salt?" Jubilee shivered.

"They're some mistake of that bum Sinister, let loose. Morph told me all about 'em… an' how he let 'em lose in this particular island, to deter any people stupid enough to think they could sneak up usin' this island…"

"Ugh, lucky us…"

"This island's used for natural resources. Animals here protect the real goods… there's several mines chock full of diamonds an' other stuff… which is lucky for us…"

"Yeah… unless we run into vampire BATS," she shivered.

"Well, that ain't the case. We'd better gather what's left an' make for the hills… before dark," Wolverine urged.

He dropped out of the tree with a grunt, and caught Jubilee carefully as she leapt out behind him. Wearing his oversized yellow flannel shirt and a pair of her uniform shorts; she tied the tails of the shirt around her waist so they wouldn't flop. Wolverine had torn most of the leggings off and dumped his boots, while donning one of the dark T-shirts out of his bag, along with a pair of clean bluejeans. Jubilee followed him, at a distance; her fingers raised to paff anything that moved in a threatening manner.