Disclaimer: Marvel owns most of 'em, but what they don't belong to me. Please don't sue, I don't have any money to give you even if you do.
Thanks: To Spade who edited my last part, and my bud JL who's doing this one.
February 28, 1999.
Hope dreamt beautiful dreams. She dreamt that she was safe, in the arms of someone she trusted, and that no one would hurt her so long as she was there. She dreamt that she was free. As consciousness started to hit, she pushed it away, not wanting to lose the dream.
She focused on her surroundings, wanting to believe that perhaps it hadn't been a dream. Sounds of the beeps and buzzes of medical equipment dashed her hopes. She decided to open her eyes and discover what tortures the day would hold for her.
Imagine her surprise when she opened her eyes to find herself lying with no restraints in the arms of one of the best friends she had ever had. Slowly, so as not to disturb him, she looked up at his face. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at her. Mornin', he whispered over their link.
Her eyes filled with tears of joy, and she snuggled deeper into his protective embrace, as if afraid that something would pull her away. His arms tightened around her, almost like he was afraid she might disappear. She started to laugh with joy.
Finally she pulled away from him, and the two just sat there staring at each other. Finally Hope broke her silence. I thought we'd lost you... Again...
Remy smiled reassuringly. "Can' get rid o' me dat easily." There was laughter in his voice, but his eyes betrayed his emotions. He was aware of how close he had come to death.
"Ahem..." Remy and Hope broke their stare to notice that they weren't alone. They looked up at the bed next to them to notice that Allegra and Bull were sitting there watching them. "You two just gonna sit there staring at each other all day?" Bull jeered.
Hope glared at Allegra. Allegra held up her hands. "You don't need to bother, Hope. I already got a good lecture from Pix."
Hope's face softened. "Good, because I hate being mad at people."
"How y' feelin' Chere?"
Allegra shrugged. "I... I don't know. Mentally, I'm perfectly fine. Physically..." She looked down, fear showed in her eyes. "...they don't know what's wrong," she finished in a whisper.
"What happened?" Hope asked, leaning back with her legs in front of her and her arms back for balance.
"It's my powers. They're just... Gone."
"All o' dem?!?" Remy asked shocked.
"No, not all of them. Just... I can't heal things anymore, I can't feel that part anymore. It's like it was never there. The doctor says it might come back... but I don't think it will. I've never felt this lost," she replied, pulling her legs to her, wrapping her arms around them, and resting her chin on her knees.
Hope frowned. Allegra's powers had been the thing that she believed made her special. She lived to care for people, and it was all she had ever known. She didn't understand that it wasn't her powers that made her special, but the fact that she cared in the first place. "Whatever happens, we'll all be there for you..."
Allegra started to cry. "But not like you were before," she whispered to herself.
"What are you talking about? We'll always be there--"
"There's more." She spoke the words with such a resolution that it made Hope's skin crawl.
"Wh- what do y' mean?" Remy stammered. He too had noticed the tone of her voice.
Allegra's eyes were blank, and she stared at the floor with a vengeance. She looked scared out of her mind. "I'm alone," she whispered. "For the first time since that night... when you and Casey linked us all... for the first time since that night... I am alone..." Hope and Remy blinked, as realization hit. They couldn't sense her. "... and I'm afraid."
Bull took her hand in his, but Allegra didn't look into his eyes. She was afraid of what she would see there, or rather what she wouldn't. "When... when he used to take us... to do experiments on us... he would shut off our powers, but he couldn't turn off the link. When I was afraid, I would just tug on one of you, and you would make me feel safe." She paused. "I was safe, as long as I was with one of you." Tears spilled down her face, half in fear of what Sinister had done in the past, and half in fear of what might happen in the future. "I can't feel that anymore. I can't be that safe anymore." She continued to look at the floor, refusing to look at any of them.
Hope opened her mouth and then closed it. She had no idea what to say to make things better. Words had never been her strong suit. It didn't really matter though, because Allegra was in no mood to talk. She curled up on the bed and turned her back on them all.
Hope and Bull exchanged a look. "Just leave me alone," Allegra stated in resigned tone. Bull put his hand on her shoulder, but she smacked it back with certainty. "Get out!"
Bull backed up slowly, and then turned for the door. "If that's what you want," he stated, unable to keep the pain out of his voice. If Allegra noticed, she didn't let on. Remy and Hope exchanged a glance. Hope would go after Bull. Remy resolved to go find the others to see what might be done, and to get a little more information on Allegra's situation.
He still felt a little tipsy as he stood, but pushed it off. He had a friend who had given her all for him. She needed help, and he wasn't about to let her down, no matter how much the room spun.
Bull strode down the hall with a vengeance. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, but didn't really care. He pondered his past and where it had led him, and wondered if maybe things hadn't been better before he had left. So deep in thought was he that he didn't notice Jubilee coming down the hall towards him, and ran right into her.
"Excuse me," he clipped, more a formality than anything. "I didn't see you there."
"It's okay," Jubilee replied, rubbing her ribs where he had struck her. "You've been under a lot of pressure lately."
He huffed indignantly. "Tell me about it."
"You know sometimes being alone can just make the problem worse. Wanna go get somethin' ta eat?" He appeared less than enthusiastic. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but it's probably better if you do talk it out, than to just mope around."
Bull shrugged, figuring she was probably right. "Lead the way."
When they reached the kitchen, Bull took a seat quietly at the table where Chamber and Skin had been previously sitting. Jubilee grabbed an apple and sat across from him, as Hope came in the room and went to cupboards, looking for a glass. She got a glass of milk and sat beside Jubilee. It amazed her how the simple pleasure of drinking a glass of milk again would make her want to yell with joy. Not hungry? Hope asked Bull. He shook his head.
"So, where ya from?" Jubilee asked them. Bull didn't answer.
"I'm from Toronto, Canada." She paused to see if Bull would respond, before answering for him. "And Bull's from Africa."
"Africa? Cool, what part?"
Again silence on Bull's behalf. Hope sighed. "He was born in Madagascar, but grew up, for the most part, in Cape Town."
Jubilee cringed at the mention of Madagascar. Genosha was just off the coast of that island. She sat silently for a moment, remembering what had happened to the X- Men in Genosha.
"Are you all right?" Hope asked, worry in her tone.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her friends and mentors. "The X- Men faced everything and everyone that the galaxy could throw at them and came out on top. I just can't believe that they're gone."
Bull looked down. "What happened to them?" he asked, a little unsure, and more than a little embarrassed at the fact that he didn't know.
She looked at him. "You haven't heard?"
He shook his head. "No. I barely even know who they were. Strategy was not something Sinister cared to teach me." His face flushed a little with embarrassment.
Jubilee took pity on him. "The X- Men were the greatest super heroes that ever lived. They fought for a lot of things, but above all else, they fought for peace. They fought to protect those that would see them dead from their own persecutions. And in the end they were killed by those they tried to protect."
Bull made a halfhearted attempt at humour, smiling sadly. "Isn't that ironic."
Jubilee nodded in agreement. "There's more to it than that though." She looked intently at Bull. He stared back, intrigue written all over his expression. "Before they were heroes, before they were mutants, they were human beings, and they deserved better than to be slaughtered by the American Government."
Bull and Hope sat silently, waiting for her to continue. It appeared that they weren't the only ones with excess emotion.
"Everyone only saw them as either mutants and monsters, or saviors and heroes. No one ever saw them for what they really were." Tears poured out her eyes, as she continued to open up her heart to them. It didn't matter to her weather they listened or not, she just had to say what no one else had. "No one saw how much Jean and Scott, or Gambit and Rogue were in love. No one saw the respect Ororo had for nature. They didn't see how brilliant and loving Hank was, or how innocent Sam was. Nobody knew them, and now they're gone! And no one will ever have the chance to know them."
Bull stared into her eyes. She was pleading with him to try to make him understand, not knowing that he understood more than she could possibly imagine. "You're wrong."
She blinked. "Wh- what do you MEAN I'm wrong?!?"
"Just that. You're wrong. If I'm not mistaken, You came to the X- Men after they were already a family. You became a part of that family, as if a first nature. You saw them every day, and knew them inside and out. You saw their love and hate, the friendship and good times, that you say no one else did. What's more than that, you remember them. In the end that's all that matters. Who cares what millions of strangers think or thought about you and your friends? The only important thing is that when listening to others who DIDN'T know them like you did, you don't forget in the process. As long as you remember who they REALLY were, you'll be just fine. That's the only way you can keep their memory alive."
"But I just can't stand by, and let people, like, ignore who they really were."
Hope interceded. "Then don't. Tell them what you knew of them. And if that doesn't work, write it down. People don't always listen, because they're ignorant, and when working in masses, tend to be more easily manipulated into hating than loving. If you write it down, people will read it and form decisions of their own."
Jubilee blinked. "Even if I were to write it down, what makes you think people will read it?"
Hope smiled crookedly. It had been a long time since she had had the basis for an intelligent conversation, and she was more than ready for this one. She walked to the sink and put her glass there. She turned to Jubilee and spoke with nonchalance. "Controversy is the way to a philosopher's heart. Reach a philosopher's heart, and you appear on their lips. Words on the lips of philosophers are soon to become thoughts on the minds of common men. With all that room for the thoughts to move around, they grow. And the controversy grows. It enlightens the uneducated simpleton, so that he learns to understand and even to appreciate it." With that she turned and walked out the door, without waiting for a response.
Bull smiled. "I wonder how long she's been wanting to try that one out."
"What?"
He shook his head, still quietly laughing at his private joke. "Nothing. Hope just has a flare for the dramatic. When she says stuff like that, she's usually been thinking about for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah. After Casey linked us all, we would catch pieces of her thoughts. She actually rants in her mind. We all thought she was insane. Usually she's just debating.
"It's good for her though, because she does it when she's angry. Usually by the time she gets around to being in argument, she's over it. She'll say something along the lines of 'I wouldn't be so mad if they would just apologize.' Then when they do, she shrugs it off and says 'Don't worry about it.' Most times she's not upset anymore, because in her mind, she's already told them off. The trick is to just not be around when she's mad at you."
Jubilee took a bite of her apple. "Cool."
He sighed. "Doesn't always work though. There was this one time when her and StarDust got at each other. Boy, I didn't want to be within three miles of either of them."
"What were they fighting over?"
He thought for a moment, and then laughed, bemusedly, in a single syllable. "You know, I don't even remember. They fight a lot. It's because they're so strong willed. They love each other to death, they just fight like cats. Kinda like Star' and Kristine."
"'Kristine'?"
Bull's smile disappeared, and was replaced with a deep felt frown. "Yeah. You never met her, did you? She was a real sweetheart, once you got past the tough front she put on. She was Brian's girlfriend. Star's had a thing for Brian for as long as I can remember. The fighting was kinda like a jealousy thing."
Jubilee's face went soft and she looked down. "She was on of the ones that didn't make it?"
Bull nodded. "Yeah. I didn't see it, but I felt it. It was like something tore out of me, like it was ripped straight out of my heart, my mind." He looked her in her eyes. "We were so close knit, and she was so angry, and then... then the pain. It tore through me like nothing else. I wasn't expecting it. Then... then there was nothing. An emptiness that had once been one of my best friends." He stopped and looked down again, envisioning his words in his mind, replaying what he had felt. "It must have been horrible for Brian. They were interwoven... they were one." He took another pause for thought. "I would imagine it's something similar to what Allegra's going through."
There was a long uncomfortable silence. In an attempt to break it, Jubilee asked, "How did the two of you meet?"
His eyes went wide for an instant. "It's a LONG story."
"Oh," Jubilee replied, afraid another silence was about to follow.
"Basically, though, it goes like this: I grew up in Africa during the Apartheid. I was driven out of my home at a young age, and ended up wandering around alone and afraid. Allegra's father saved me, smuggled me out. I went with him to his home in England, determined to repay my debt. After Allegra's mother died she was sent to live with her father. I hadn't even been aware that he had been married. We fell in love, and were together until the day Sinister came for her.
"Apparently, he had been paying attention to her in America and lost her when she left. He decided to take her as his prisoner since she couldn't be expected to stay where he could watch her conveniently. Her father was killed in the struggle. I went after her, and Sinister decided that he could use me too." He grimaced as a memory was struck within him. "It's not enough for him to kill a person, he has to destroy them. Mentally and physically."
He looked up and noticed the caring expression on Jubilee's face. "That's how I met up with Remy. He was different then though." His eyes squinted, as if trying to see the exact words to describe his thoughts in his mind's eye. "He still cared about us, and tried to protect us, but... He did everything Sinister said, without question. I never understood it." He shrugged. "I just wish I knew what Sinister had been holding over him."
"Why do you think Sinister was holding something over him?"
"I knew Remy. It wasn't like him. He wouldn't have been there otherwise. Besides, he had such an affinity for all of us that we all had the impression that he was just as much of a prisoner as we were."
"What do you mean?"
Bull's face bunched in thought, as he tried to come up with the right words. He wasn't used to having to talk things out with anyone, but then, he figured, he would just have to get used to it. "He wouldn't let anything happen to us. Apart from Sinister, no one could get near us unless he wanted them to. And it was more than just his connection with Pix and Hope, he loved us all."
"What's his connection to them?"
"Pix is his cousin, and while I'm not really sure how the whole thing started, but Hope ended up growing up with them. She was almost adopted by Jean Luc, but Hope had said she didn't want to be. They were already a family; It didn't matter what some piece of paper said."
"They're family? And he never tried to rescue her?"
"Oh, he tried, but after he broke off with Sinister, he was led to believe that all of us were dead."
"What about all of them? How did they end up with Sinister? I don't know much about any of you really."
Bull took pity on her. They had all been thrown into working together, and had never been formally introduced. "Well, there's Donald. He's the oldest of us all, and probably the most sensible when it comes right down to it. He's the shapeshifter. I'm not really sure how he got mixed up with Sinister, but I know he lost his parents in the process." He stopped for a moment to think about that. "None of us have parents anymore. They all either disowned us or were killed because of us. In Hope's case, it's both."
Before Jubilee had the chance to react, Bull continued. "But, back to our other conversation. There's Casey. She's the mute little redhead. She has never really known any life but that of imprisonment. Her and Blaze, her brother, were taken from their parents when she was about three. It was just after Sinister had gone after Hope and Velosity--"
"You lost me."
"Velosity was Hope's brother." He took a deep breath. "Okay, this is where it gets a little confusing. Hope's parents were real jerks. They didn't want anything to do with mutants. Velosity had managed to keep the fact that he was a mutant a secret, but when Hope's powers surfaced, they caused a little more... commotion."
"What do you mean?"
"She had come very close to drowning. When the EMT tried to revive her she blew the poor soul out the back of the ambulance, into the middle of a downtown Toronto street. Velosity had been following behind them, or he was in the front of the ambulance or something like that. Anyway, my point is he was there. Hope had set the vehicle on fire, and the EMTs took off, leaving Hope to fend for herself. Velosity jumped into the back to try and get her out, and was met with an electric pulse that took off his face and most of his chest."
"Gross!"
"Yeah, tell me about it. You should have seen the scars."
He looked down, and Jubilee could see tears forming in his eyes. "Hey, look. If you don't want to talk about this--"
"No! I do. I want to talk about this. It's like I said, it's how we keep them alive. We talk about them, and don't let people forget about them." Jubilee nodded, and he continued with his story. "Hope was... I don't know the word for it. Sometimes when she absorbs too much energy, she gets in this state where she doesn't really know what's going on. She had taken in all the juice that the EMT had used to try to revive her, and the blast was huge. That was what had gotten Sinister's attention. He met them at the hospital, and tried to bait Velosity into giving up his sister."
"What about her parents? Didn't they try to stop him?"
"No. They basically disowned her. It was Velosity who would cause the trouble for him if he tried to take her. So instead of fighting, he decided to talk his way into getting Hope. I'm not really clear on what happened next, but Velosity took off from the hospital with Hope. All I know is that the government had gotten involved. He was afraid for her life or something, and wanted to get her out of the country."
"The Canadian government? Did they want her for Alpha Flight or something?"
"No. It was kinda like the Canadian equivalent of the Friends of Humanity. At the time, they had a big pull with what went on. They wanted to put her in some sort of... like, a concentration camp I guess. Velosity took off for the border, trying to get away from them. That's where he met up with Blaze and Casey."
"And Blaze is Casey's brother, right?"
Bull nodded. "He was a friend of Velosity. They had met up when Velosity's team had gone to Michigan. Velosity was a senior in high school and was boarding with Blaze's older brother. Blaze was probably only about two years older than Hope. He discovered his powers when Velosity had been there, and Velosity helped him through it."
"His powers being fire related it take it."
"Yeah. How'd ya know?"
"With a name like 'Blaze'?"
"Well, yeah, I guess that would be a big clue, but that's not how he got his nickname."
"It's not?"
Bull shook his head. "Velosity's team was called the 'Blaze'. He had given his jersey to him, and everyone at his school started calling him 'Blaze'. They kept in touch, and Velosity was close to the whole family. I don't know how they got over the border, but when they got there, he went to Blaze's house."
"Blaze's parents never said anything about him being there?"
Bull shrugged. "They didn't get much of a choice. Sinister came after them before they barely had their feet in the door. Of course, though, he didn't show up as himself. He was in the shape of some friendly doctor that was quote- unquote 'Only worried about their personal well being'." Bull scoffed. "Velosity wasn't taken in though. He was suspicious about the fact that some simple doctor had followed them across the border, and he wanted answers.
"It was about then that Blaze's big brother walked in. He recognized Sinister and tried to warn the others. In anger, Sinister killed him, without even blinking. It was supposed to be an example, but that just made Blaze's parents afraid and angry. They stood between Sinister and Velosity, Hope, and Blaze who was holding Casey. Sinister made quick work of their parents, and Velosity attacked him. While they were fighting, Blaze picked up Hope and got the three of them out of there."
"How did he get past Sinister?"
"He blasted through the roof... did I forget to mention that he flew?"
"Yes, you did."
"Oh. Well he did. His powers were kind of like the Human Torch's, but a little different. Anyway, he set Hope and Casey down and went back for Velosity, but Velosity wasn't there. When he got back to Casey and Hope, Hope was starting to come out of her daze. When she asked what had happened to her brother, he had said he didn't know, not wanting to tell her that he thought he was dead.
"A couple of days later Sinister went after Blaze and Casey. Somehow, Hope escaped again, and then went wandering off by herself, ending up in Mississippi. She was adopted, and got on with her life again. Her adopted parents ended up being lynched for accepting such a 'freak' into their home. Hope was lucky she wasn't there at the time. It was about this time that she met up with Remy, and his family. I don't know how or why, but she stayed with them, until again Sinister came for her, and took Pix in the process."
"So how long have you guys been prisoners?"
"In and around six years. Less than that for me, Hope and Pix."
Jubilee's eyes went wide. "That's a really long time."
Bull nodded. "Yeah." Tears flowed freely down his face now. "Blaze, Kristine and Velosity never got the chance to be free again." He shook his head. "Never again. I won't let it happen. I'll die first."
Pix stepped silently out of the shadows from behind Bull and put her arms around him from the back, setting her head on his shoulder. Jubilee jumped, startled, but Bull didn't even flinch. How long you been standing there?" He asked.
Standing up, she shrugged. You just haven't been paying very close attention.
"Practicing, Thief?" he asked aloud.
She smirked at him and sat down across from them. He smirked back. Great, now give me back my wallet.
You don't carry a wallet, Bull.
"Thief? Are you a member of the Guild?"
This shocked her. "How much you know about the Guild?"
Then what did you take?
"Enough to know that Gambit's father is the Guildmaster and that if you're family, then you're probably Guild material." Jubilee was amused by the shocked look on Pix's face. "The X- Men got involved in some Guild business a little while ago," she explained, oblivious to the telepathic conversation going on.
When you figure it out, I'll give it back.
Pix was amused at what Jubilee was saying. "Things have changed. But to answer your question, no, I'm not in the Guild. I should be though. I had the fastest trial time in the history of the Guild, but they just don't accept women." After a pause she added, "It's okay though. I only ran the trial to prove a point."
Bitch. Pix just smiled.
"Gloat, gloat, gloat," Remy teased, walking in the door. "Y' keep dat up an' y' gonna get a big 'ead... oh wait... look at who I'm talkin' to."
Pix glared at him, continuing with the joke. "What? What was that? I'm afraid I couldn't understand you. Something about a 'big' guy named 'Ed'...?" She baited, taunting him about his accent.
"Good t' see you too, cousin." She smiled at him. "Where's everyone else?"
"They went out for supplies, and clothes, and to just be normal people again," Pix replied.
"Why you still here?" he asked, referring to both her and Jubilee.
Jubilee shrugged. "Someone had to stay and babysit you."
Pix smiled, deciding that she liked Jubilee. Gambit leaned on the counter, making it appear to Jubilee and Bull that it was out of exasperation, but Pix knew better. You're not strong enough yet to be up and about. Gambit glared at her in response. Fine, but don't complain to me when you pass out.
"So de four of us, Allegra an' Hope are de only ones here."
Jubilee nodded. "And the Professor."
Gambit shook his head. "De Professor's not here."
"Yeah, well Hope's not here anymore either. They're probably just out for some air," Pix stated.
Gambit shrugged, letting it go. "Prob'ly. You contacted your brother yet?"
She shook her head. "I was waiting for you to be up and about. Didn't want him to think I wasn't for real. I mean how does he know I'm not one of Marius's --?"
Gambit frowned. "Not Marius," he stated, trying to convey that he was dead.
Pix's eyes went wide with horror. "So Julien is...?!?" Pix asked, worried that Julien was in charge of the Assassins Guild.
Remy shook his head. "Non, Belle."
Pix's entire stance changed, and she looked excited. "That's great! Bella's so cool!" She noticed Remy's look. "...That's not great?" She asked.
Remy sighed heavily. "Belle's not de same girl dat grew up teachin' you 'bout boys an' how t' do your hair, cousin."
"What do you mean?"
"It's a very long story. I tell you some time, but not now. Le's go call Lapin."
"I understand." She nodded, and the two left to go find a phone.
"That was weird."
"Those two are too friggin' cryptic," Bull stated.
Suddenly the back door opened. Husk, StarDust, and Donald came through toting big bags of groceries.
"Little help?" Husk asked from behind a towering paper bag of groceries.
Bull and Jubilee exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing. "We are little help, aren't we?" Bull stated, walking over to the bag she was carrying, and taking out a chocolate bar that was thrown on the top.
Husk thought a moment. "No, I meant could you GIVE us a little help."
Bull chuckled, taking the bag from Husk and setting it on the floating island(1). "I know, I was just teasing."
"Don't be so God damn rude," StarDust quipped, thrusting a bag into his arms.
"Ow! I was just joking Star, chill out!"
"Whatever," she stated, going out for a second trip.
Ignoring her, Bull started taking out groceries, and handing them off to Jubilee. "So tell me. What IS it like living in Grand Central?"
Jubilee laughed, but Donald and Husk looked confused. "What are you--" Husk started.
She was cut off by StarDust. "Holy shit!!!"
The four occupants of the kitchen ran out to where StarDust was. On the ground in front of her was the bag of groceries she had been carrying, a broken jar of apple juice leaking out over the pavement. She was standing with her hand shading her eyes, looking over the mansion.
"What is it?" Donald asked when he saw her.
She pointed to what she had been staring at. "That!"
They all turned and looked. Above the mansion, there was a gigantic metallic ship coming closer to them as they watched. "Oh, my God," Donald uttered.
"That thing's got to be, like, ten times bigger than the one that attacked Xavier's!" Jubilee exclaimed.
Gambit and Pix exited the mansion and came to look with them.
"We heard someone yell, and--" Pix cut herself off, turning around and seeing what they were all staring at.
"Everyone inside," Gambit ordered quietly.
"But--?" Husk started.
"Now!" Gambit yelled.
Jubilee grabbed his arm, as the others ran for the mansion. "Gambit, what is it?"
Gambit stared her in the eye. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D.," he stated.
To be continued...
1. Yes, I do know that this is a Marvel story, but that's not the type of floating island I meant. A floating island is a counter in the middle of the floor, which isn't attached to any other counters.
Crimson.
Oh, the suspense!! You've got me hooked now ... not like you didn't already, but you know ... I'm really anxious to see what you have planned ...
*cue booming voice*
Will the remaining X-Men survive??
Will does S.H.I.E.L.D. plan to do??
Does anyone understand what Remy's saying??
Why is the sky blue??
Tune in next week for another great chapter!
Same X-Time,
Same X-Channel!
Jelymo