Michelle "MJ" Jones

I was about to go to bed when I got a text from Kitty telling me that she'll be picking me up early in the morning so I could eat breakfast with the X-Men. It was a bit odd, but I wasn't going to turn down a free meal from those close to me. Fast forward to next morning, and I was in Kitty's car, riding shotgun. Much to my surprise, Ned and Betty were in the backseat when I got in the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Home," Kitty explained. "And then we're going to have Ned port us over to another place."

"…Why?" Ned questioned.

"We're meeting Kaine at that other place."

"Kaine?" Betty spoke up from the back seat. "I thought he wasn't helping you guys." I turned to look at Kitty, who smirked.

"Circumstances changed. While I still think what Peter did was stupid, he probably did us all a huge favor. It turns out Kaine and the X-Men have a common foe now."

I raised an eyebrow. I was wondering who this common foe was that made Kaine to reconsider things. Did he also have a run-in with Kraven? I didn't say anything, though I figured we'd get answers soon enough.

When we got to the X-Men's apartment, Peter was there with Joanna, Craig, and Carmilla. Craig and Joanna were carrying quite a few bags. After Kitty showed Ned an address in Oregon, Ned opened up a portal that led us to the inside of a cabin, fireplace and all. It was pretty spacious, having two stories. Peter, Carmilla, and Craig were in the kitchen cooking. The walls were wooden. Overall, it was pretty cozy. It wasn't long before I smelled the scent of spices as I waited in the living room with the others. Kitty went about firing up the fireplace, using an Enviro-Log that was in stock for tinder. Some time later, there was scratching at the front door. Joanna reached under her coat as she stood up, ready to draw. However, Kitty waved her off as she smiled before she stood up and walked up to the door.

"Hold on guys!" Kitty said before she opened the door. In came two wolves. I almost panicked before I saw that both of them had a collar on. Kitty kneeled down and fiddled with the collars. I was a bit confused. But the wolves shimmered a bit before they disappeared. In their places were two dragon-like creatures – one purple, one green.

"Is that Lockheed and Puff?" Ned asked as he stood up.

"The very same," Kitty replied as she petted the two dragons on the head, causing both of them to make noises of what I assumed to be delight. "We couldn't keep them in New York, so we placed them here in the forest around this cabin, which is also a safe house." She patted the two dragons on their necks before she stood up. I watched as Puff moved into the kitchen and nudged at Craig. I was then startled when Lockheed walked up to me. I smiled nervously, resisting the urge to back away when he placed his head on my lap.

"I think he likes you," Betty commented.

I gave Betty a glance before I looked back at Lockheed. Slowly, I brought my hand over and rubbed it gently back and forth on his head. The dragon closed his eyes as it gave off a noise that reminded me of a purr. I smiled again, this time out of amusement. I had to admit, Lockheed was rather cute for a creature that could shapeshift in size and become a deadly war beast.

Duality, folks – isn't it fun?

Eventually, breakfast was ready. As Craig, Carmilla, Betty, and Peter set the table, I was standing with Kitty, Joanna, and Ned some feet away.

"Okay, bring our guest here," Kitty told Ned.

"Got it," Ned said as he put his sling ring onto this right hand. He lifted his arms up, looking ready to do his thing. He then paused. He looked over his shoulder at the dining room area. "Hey, Sweetie, do you happen to know how to spell Kaine's name?"

"I believe it is spelled K-A-I-N-E, Buttercup," Betty called back.

"Thanks, Mahal ko!" He turned his attention forward. With his left hand out forward, he made a circular motion with his right hand. "Okay, show me Kaine!" Swirling sparks appeared before they expanded into a whole portal. It opened up on Kaine, who was standing in a warehouse. He was dressed in all black, sporting jeans, a pair of sneakers, and a turtleneck under a trench coat. He eyed us for a bit before he slowly walked in. He looked over his shoulder after the portal closed before he looked back at us.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning, Kaine," Kitty greeted back. "Did you have a Matrix convention to go to later on today?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know what that means."

"The Matrix," Ned spoke up. "It's this sci-fi movie. It was part of a whole trilogy, and spawned a couple of video games and –"

"Ned," I interrupted as I looked at him. "I don't think now's a good time to impart movie knowledge."

"The food is about ready," Kitty said. I looked back at her she addressed Kaine. "Please, have a seat. But, before you do, remove your shoes and leave them by the door."

"…Okay," Kaine replied quietly. As he used his feet to take off his shoes, he looked over at Lockheed and Puff, who stared at him curiously. "…Am I looking at two dragons right now?"

"Yeah, you are," Peter said from the dining table. "It's a long story."

Kaine glanced over at Peter before he looked back at the two dragons. "I see."

We all got situated at the table. On one side of the table were Betty, Ned, Peter, and Me. On the other side were Craig, Carmilla, Joanna, and Kaine. Curiously, Kitty sat at the head of the table adjacent to Kaine. I furrowed up my eyebrows and looked at Peter. Peter shrugged. He was about confused as I am. Soon after, we went about distributing the food. And there was a lot of it. There were scrambled eggs, wheat cakes, hash browns, bacon, waffles, fresh berries, orange juices, and coffee. Kaine, took quite a bit of everything. No one else batted an eye when I looked around, so I didn't say anything. We ate in silence for a bit. After a few minutes, Kitty spoke, getting everyone's attention.

"Enjoying the food, Kaine?" Kitty asked.

"…I am," Kaine replied after he swallowed the piece of bacon he was eating. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kitty smiled at him. Her smile then faded. "…I hate to do this while we're eating, but… I believe you owe us a long story."

"Kitty," Craig said. "Maybe we should wait a bit."

"…It's fine, Craig," Kaine replied. He took in a breath. "The Jackal, the guy you came across? He's the one who created me."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Peter leaned forward. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Who's Jackal?" I asked as I faced Peter.

"He's the man in the mask I saw at that abandoned theatre when I tailed that guy to it." I mouthed an 'oh' as I nodded. Peter and I both looked back at Kaine. "But how did that happen?"

Kaine scoffed. "I don't know," he replied. "I guess he found a bit of Peter's DNA somewhere. Considering how often he's injured himself, I'm sure he had plenty of chances to do so."

"Tell me about it," I quipped as I gave Peter the side-eye. I then smirked when he slumped down in his seat.

"So, how'd you end up in New York?" Craig spoke up. "Betty told us you weren't in the city for all that long."

"Like I told Peter and Kitty yesterday, it's a long story," Kaine said. He set his fork down as he leaned back in his seat. "When I was born… created… The Jackal's face was the first face I saw. He introduced himself as Professor Guarinus. He told me what my purpose was. I was basically supposed to be the government's answer to Spider-Man. Apparently, ever since that fight between Avengers at Germany, his handlers wanted a spider hero of their own. I didn't mind it at first. He taught me the basics – the ABCs, math, the countries of the world, you name it. He also put me through tests. I didn't mind it so much at first. I basically saw him as my father. That proved to be a big mistake."

"Why's that?" Betty asked.

Kaine frowned. For a moment, I saw hurt in his eyes. "Somewhere along the line, I was deemed imperfect… a failure." He waved his right hand at his red eyes. "My eyes aren't normal. Plus…" He trailed off. He looked down at the table. I narrowed my eyes. Something told me that he was weighing something on his mind. He then stood up and walked a few steps away. We all looked at him as he removed his trench coat, leaving him in his just sweater. As he dumped his trench coat on the floor, I saw his shoulder raise a bit as he took in a breath. Then they came out. Four spider legs came through the back of his shirt. They were large and covered in black hairs, reminding me of the legs of a tarantula. I couldn't help but stare. I never saw anything like it before. It was almost creepy to me… but also quite cool. He turned around and faced us. The spider legs flexed a few times. "…I ended up growing these."

"…Dude," Ned whispered out.

"Needless to say, him and I have been on bad terms ever since," Kaine continued. "He pretty much confined me to a cell, only taking me out to run me through his tests and experiments. I practically went through two years of that."

"So how did you get out?" Peter asked.

"The Snap… or The Dusting, as some people call it, happened. I was out of my cell, being taken to another experiment when it happened. All around me, the guards were breaking down into dust. I didn't know what was happening at the time." Kaine scoffed as he tilted his head briefly. "Then again, a lot of people didn't know what was happening at the time. Anyway, I didn't dwell on it. With no guards around me, I took the time to escape. I ended up topside in a desert – the Sonora desert, to be exact. I took one of the vehicles into Palm Springs. With everyone panicking in the streets, I looted a few stores – mostly clothes and food – before I drove away.

"I stayed in California for a bit. I then moved along the southern border, ending up in El Paso, Texas. When I was there, I ended up running into a gang that was terrorizing an old woman. I felt compelled to help, so I did. I ended up killing them – not because I wanted to, but they didn't leave me much of a choice. It turned out that that woman was a mother of a high ranking gangster and trafficker in a drug cartel. That cartel took me in. I became one of their hitman. I was sent to kill members of rival gangs and cartels on both sides of the border. I didn't mind it at first. The people I went after weren't exactly nice people, and the money they paid was a lot. Over time, I became one of their more celebrated members."

"So why'd you stop?" Kitty asked. "A change of heart?"

Kaine frowned. "Something like that. I started to question things when they had me go after politicians. Don't get me wrong, a half of the politicians were the type of people who'd talk about family values from behind the podium then turn around and cheat on their spouses while doing the same kind of drugs the cartel trafficked. But it still rubbed me the wrong way. What really made me turn on them was when they asked me to kill a politician's daughter to send a message. I refused. So they gave the job to a kill squad of theirs. Once again, I felt compelled to intervene. So, I arrived at the politician's home and told him to grab his family and leave. When the kill squad reached his home, they found me waiting for them, and…" He trailed off. It was during this time I was swallowing a lump in my throat. I've heard some intense stories before, but I was almost uncomfortable.

Almost.

"…I stuck around in El Paso for a bit," Kaine continued. "Reluctantly, I looked over the city and its people, if only the cartel was going after me hard and they often terrorized other people as they did so. Even when The Blip happened, I was still doing what I can – on both sides of the border. Eventually, I was forced out. The politician whose daughter I saved? He told me I had to go since Damage Control was targeting me and he could only do so much to delay it. So, I left. Eventually, I drove across the country with nothing but the clothes on my back and the duffel bags or money in the back of the van I was driving. I eventually settled down in New York. It's supposed to be the place where those with powers could hide. And so, here I am." He paused. "Well, not here but… you know."

We all went quiet. I looked back and forth between Peter and Kaine, thinking about how different their lives were. I didn't say it out loud, but, compared to Kaine, Peter was lucky. Granted, he lost multiple father figures in his life, but at least he knew they cared about him and had his best interests in mind. Kaine was treated like shit the moment he started showing "defects" and ended up finding a home among monsters.

"Fuck The Jackal," I whispered.

"Does it like run through the family for you guys to go through turmoil in your lives?" Joanna commented as she looked back and forth between Peter and Kaine.

As Peter sidghed, Kaine shrugged. "Maybe," Kaine replied.

But why did it have to be that way?

It was at this point that Kitty stood up. We all looked at her as she walked up to Kaine.

"Kaine," Kitty said. I was barely able to hear her. She gestured behind her. "Peter ended up finding The Jackal at an abandoned theatre. He actually ended up spying on a meeting and getting some rather pertinent info. Because of that info, we have reason to believe that The Jackal is working with Kraven. And with Peter's road to normalcy being a bit slow, we could definitely use your help."

"But how can we find him?" Kaine asked.

"I can reach out to my people at SHIELD to see what they can get from the laptop our sticky fingered blondie lifted," Carmilla suggested, ignoring Betty when she flipped her off. "Other than that, well…"

"Do that," Kitty said. "In the meantime, we'll think of something and…"

She trailed off as Peter stood up. I looked up at him as he started looking around. He then faced a direction and walked forward a few steps.

"Peter, what's wrong?" I asked. As I said this, Lockheed and Puff, who were resting in the living room, started to make some noises and moved to Peter's sides.

"I hear something," he said.

"I hear it, too," Kaine stated.

"Everyone back away!" Joanna barked as she stood up. She reached underneath her jacket and pulled out a pistol. I quickly stood up and grabbed Peter by the hand before I moved us out of Joanna's line of sight. A few seconds later I saw a swirling mass of sparks. I narrowed my eyes – was there another portal opening up? Sure enough, there was. Out of the portal came Clea. I sighed as Joanna put away her gun.

"Sorry to interrupt everyone," Clea said with a slight bow of her head. "I came here to…" She trailed off as Lockheed and Puff walked up to her and started sniffing at her stomach. She stared at them for some moments with a stoic expression. She then looked back at us. "I came here to see MJ. It's about what we discussed the last time we talked."

My eyebrows shot up. "You found a way?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Clea smiled. "If you're not short on time, we can leave now."

"I um…" I looked over at Kitty, checking to see if she needed me for anything else.

"You can go," Kitty stated. "I'm assuming it's something important."

"It really is." I turned towards Peter and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Um… you can explain everything to them." With that, I walked around the table and up to Clea. "Shall we?"