Exit to Eden: Parts 6-9

by Gemz

Part 6

She strode slowly towards them, her footsteps thumping softly on the polished floor. Logan watched her with amazement. He couldn¡¦t believe it was she. He couldn¡¦t believe that she was here, standing in front of him after being away for so long. And how beautiful she looked! The years had certainly been kind to her. At twenty-three, Jubilation Lee was indeed a spectacle of beauty. She smiled as she approached them and as she stopped beside Zion, she smiled sweetly. She never said a word, just looked at her old friends one by one. The X-Men stared back. They couldn¡¦t believe it was she.

"Y..you¡¦re Eve?!" said Cyclops, his voice almost a whisper with the shock at seeing her. Jubilee nodded and spoke;

"It¡¦s good to see you all again. It¡¦s been a long time."

A tear rolled softly down Jean¡¦s cheek. It had been so long since she¡¦d seen Jubilee.

"Oh Jubilee!" she said, rising out of her chair and running to her, hugging her tight. Jubilee held on back.

"I know Jean. I¡¦m sorry."

As the other X-Men gathered around Jubilee, Logan remained isolated in the corner. He¡¦d probably be the last person she¡¦d want to see, after what happened between them. But that was so long ago. Could the emotional wounds he had inflicted on her have healed as the physical ones had? Five years could change a person. He certainly had changed. It was the whole case of ¡¦you don¡¦t know what you¡¦ve got until it¡¦s gone¡¦ scenario with him. He didn¡¦t realise how much his former protege meant to him until she had gone. He looked on as the reunion took place. He felt out of place and uncomfortable, especially now. Amidst the celebration, Jubilee looked out to see him standing alone. She moved gracefully towards him. Logan noticed her coming and his heart beat faster than ever.

"It¡¦s good to see you too, Logan." She said. Logan looked sheepishly at the floor. Jubilee put a finger under his chin and tilted his head back up to look into his face. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Jubilee hugged him close. Logan wasn¡¦t expecting this but held her back despite himself. Feeling her in his arms a gain was something he thought he would never experience again. Pulling her small form towards his and feeling the softness of her skin. It felt totally unreal. When she released herself from him, she smiled and walked back towards Zion and stood, once again by his side. Logan looked and smiled at her. She smiled back as she sat down at the table next to Zion. The X-Men gathered around the table once more. It looked like the two of them had something to say.

The meeting had lasted for two hours. Several more members of the resistance had entered the small command chamber as the X-Men listened to Zion and Jubilee (or Eve, as she was now called) explain the situation. Logan had marvelled at the way she had composed herself during the meeting. She never failed to get her point across and listened with the diplomacy of a true leader.

She and Zion explained their plan to enter the Faculty using an entranceway that was located in an old subway tunnel under the city. From there, Eve, Genesis and one of the X-Men would journey to the centre of the Faculty using the maintenance tunnels built underground. Zion, Exodus and the rest of the team would act as a distraction to draw out the Eden City Police. Eve would then deal with Reb Tanaka and get on with the primary objective of the mission- re-programming the system and stopping Project Sky. It seemed like a simple enough plan, but would the X-Men help?

"If what you say is true, then there is no question about it. We must help." Said Storm. Cyclops nodded.

"I agree with Storm. Jubilee, whatever help you need you know you can count on us."

Eve smiled at this; "Thank you." She stood and addressed the group one last time.

"Very well. Tomorrow at dawn we get to work. Beast, you¡¦re with Genesis and myself when we go into the Faculty. The rest of you have to keep the Police Department busy. I¡¦ll handle Tanaka. Zion, you and Jean will take control here in the terminal, OK?" All nodded at her, agreeing to the tasks she had assigned them. "Very well. You are all dismissed. Get some rest. We¡¦ve got a big day ahead of us." She turned to leave, but stopped suddenly.

"Genesis," she said, "show the X-Men to a place where they can rest. I¡¦ll be here if you need me." Then she walked towards the computer terminal and began working again.

Genesis nodded "Sure thing, Eve". He led the X-Men out the door from which they came in. Logan stayed a few more seconds and watched Jubilee working.

Jubilee¡¦

The room in the upstairs of the club wasn¡¦t brilliant but there was enough space for all of the team to get a decent night¡¦s sleep. It was after midnight and the moon could be seen rising full over the city. The X-men were still wide-awake, talking about everything they had heard and of course, Jubilee.

"I still can¡¦t believe how beautiful she has become. I always knew that she would be an attractive young lady, but looking at her now, I feel nothing but pride." Said Storm.

"What ah can¡¦t get over is the fact that she¡¦s bin here so long an¡¦ not called to say she was OK." Rogue said.

"She has her own life now, Rogue. She¡¦s supposed to be the saviour of this city, in the eyes of that Zion character. It must be a great burden on her. But I must admit, she does give me a great sense of pride seeing what she has become." Replied Jean. Logan lay awake on his bed listening to what the women were saying. Every they had said about her was true. She was everything they¡¦d hope she¡¦d be. But Logan couldn¡¦t help but feel empty inside. So little had been said between them since they came here. She had done nothing but work on that computer since the meeting finished. He wanted to go down to see her, to talk to her and perhaps even apologise for driving her away. He felt so lonely right about now. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Soon he was¡¦

Logan woke up suddenly in the upstairs room of Point Zero. The others were fast asleep. He wondered if Jubilee was still awake. Only one way to find out¡¦

He left the room and went quietly down the stairs. He looked around to see Genesis snoring loudly in one of the chairs, while Exodus slept silently on the floor. He crept past them and went through the side door, down to the command room. He opened the door using the same technique as Genesis had earlier. Normally he would have preferred to smash the door open with his claws, but this time he was willing to make an exception. He entered the room as the door slid open, and was greeted by the illuminated giant screen and the sound of someone typing at a keyboard. He approached the terminal to see Jubilee working hard on whatever it was she was doing. She didn¡¦t even notice him come and jumped when she finally did.

"Honest to goodness, Logan! You scared the living daylights outta me!" she said.

"Sorry darlin¡¦. Didn¡¦t think I was that bad." He answered. She flashed a smile at him and then continued working. "Don¡¦t you ever sleep?" he asked. Jubilee stopped and smiled again a little embarrassed this time.

"Occasionally. Actually, I¡¦m only just playing. See all these lines of code on screen?" she said, pointing to the console¡¦s screen. Logan nodded and she continued, "Well, these are the networks codes that control the city. Thousands upon thousands of them. Sometimes when I can¡¦t sleep I come down here and I like to watch them. I guess it kinda relaxes me." Logan was silent, staring at the lines of code flashing on the screen. Computers, he could never understand them.

"Did you heard me singing earlier?" she asked, changing the subjects. Logan nodded, his thoughts distant.

"Yeah I did. You were great. I didn¡¦t know you were a singer as well."

"It¡¦s more of a front thing. The Eden City Police don¡¦t know who Eve is and, well, I needed to do something with myself to keep them from figuring out that our base was located under Point Zero, so I sing. Sometimes the best place to hide is right in the public¡¦s eye- at least that¡¦s what Zion says." She explained, fiddling with the keyboard. There was a long silence.

"There¡¦s one thing I need to know," started Logan, breaking the silence. Jubilee listened attentively as he continued, "Why the hell do they keep calling you Eve?"

Jubilee laughed.

"It¡¦s just a handle. All of us in the Resistance took handles to stop the Eden City Police from finding out who we really are. We decided to use names from the Bible because, well, Eden was the paradise created by God in the book of Genesis. It¡¦s silly I know but it was for protection really." She paused, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "And these guys have only ever known me as Eve. I first started using the name when I originally came to Eden four years ago. I guess it kinda stuck with me. I saw no point in telling them my real name so¡¦" she stopped there. Her sudden silence led to another lengthy and awkward silence.

"I¡¦m sorry..." Logan whispered suddenly. Jubilee spun round in her chair. She didn¡¦t exactly catch what he had said, but it sounded like he was apologising.

"What did you say?" she asked, her voice as quiet as his.

"I said that I¡¦m sorry... for everything that happened. It was my fault... it was all my fault." He answered, hanging his head. Jubilee left her chair and walked right up to him. She took his hand and said very softly;

"Logan... it wasn¡¦t your fault. I should never have said those things about you. I was mean and I crossed the line. No wonder you blew up at me like you did!" Logan stared at the hand Jubilee now held, not saying a word. She continued, "I have never blamed you for what happened in the Danger Room. It wasn¡¦t your fault, Logan. If anyone were to blame, it would be me. I should have known better than to sneak up behind you like that. It was a stupid mistake, and I¡¦m sorry it happened." Logan continued to stare at her hand. It felt soft and warm inside his own hand.

"No, darlin¡¦. I can¡¦t let you take the rap for this. It¡¦s my mistake and I have to live with it. " He released his soft grip on her hand and turned to leave, but Jubilee still held on, stopping him. He turned to look into her face. Those crystal eyes of hers sparkled like diamonds in the dim light. He¡¦d almost forgotten what they looked like. In her eyes he could see her pleading with him to stay and talk to her. But he didn¡¦t feel up to it. "No kid. Let me go."

Then it dawned on him. Jubilee wasn¡¦t a kid anymore. She was a beautiful, intelligent woman who was standing right in front of him, begging him not to leave her. He couldn¡¦t deny his feelings for her any longer. Five years was a long time to spend thinking about the woman you love and how things should have been between them. He had his chance to show his affection and it was here and now while she was still listening. He¡¦d lost her once; he couldn¡¦t let it happen again.

He came closer to her, moving slowly; a shy look on his face. Shy was a word Jubilee wouldn¡¦t usually associate with him, but at this moment she sensed a great deal of emotion swelling up in him and if he didn¡¦t release it, he was going to explode. She felt her heart beating rapidly as he drew closer, his face only inches from hers. His eyes were drawn to the scar on her right shoulder- a permanent reminder of that terrible accident. His eyes moved again, locking into a gaze with Jubilee¡¦s eyes. They looked at each and Jubilee reached her hand up to stroke his face like a long lost lover embracing her first true love¡¦

"Eve!" shouted Zion¡¦s voice from the doorway across the room.

'Damn it!' Logan thought. 'That damn Zion! Thanks bub for interrupting the single most romantic moment of my life!'

"What¡¦s wrong?" she answered back, moving slightly away from Logan.

"It¡¦s Solomon. He¡¦s returned from his scouting assignment... and he¡¦s hurt!" He replied.

"I¡¦m coming!" Jubilee said, running towards the door. She stopped and turned to look back at Logan. "Are you coming?" she asked. He nodded and followed her, still reeling from their romantic encounter. He was that close to telling her how he felt. It would have to wait.

They climbed the stairway leading from the command room to the bar. On one of the benches, Logan could see a young man- a kid of about seventeen- lying down. He was bleeding heavily from a gash in his side. He writhed in agony as Exodus tried to tend to the wound. Every time she tried to clean it, he flinched and fidgeted.

Upon seeing him, Jubilee ran over to his side and grabbed his hand, hoping to transfer a little strength into him while Exodus tried to clean the wound. Logan watched her as she made gentle and soothing noises, trying to comfort Solomon. She handed the situation like any good leader would- with strength and compassion. He had to admire her for that. The X-Men had obviously taught her well.

Suddenly, she turned to address him, "Logan, get Hank! Quickly!" she said, still holding her injured comrades hand. Logan nodded and ran upstairs to wake Hank and the others.

By the time Hank arrived, Solomon was losing conscientiousness. Hank tended the young patient, but Zion felt he had to question Solomon. It looked like he wasn¡¦t going to make it. He knelt down beside Hank and spoke softly to him,

"Solomon, what happened? Who did this to you?"

Solomon took deep breaths and tried to speak. He managed to croak out,

"Eden Police... Project Sky... Reb Tanaka plans to... launch... tomorrow..."

"What?!" exclaimed Genesis, "He can¡¦t be serious." Zion ignored him and continued speaking to Solomon, despite Hank¡¦s insistence that the patient was too weak to answer his questioning.

"Are you sure about this, Solomon?"

Solomon nodded slowly and seriously. It was clear that he knew that he wasn¡¦t going to live much longer. He knew that he¡¦d lost a lot of blood and he knew that Hank couldn¡¦t do much for him. He waved Hank away, signalling that he knew that there wasn¡¦t much to be done. He beckoned Jubilee, who had moved away to let Hank work, towards him feebly with his index finger. She knelt down beside him and held his hand.

"E-Eve... you¡¦re the only one who can stop Project Sky. If there is ever to be peace in this world between mutants and humans, Eden must exist as an example to all people," he croaked, his breath ragged. He paused for a few seconds before speaking again. Jubilee stroked his face and looked on him with compassion. "You are the last of the creators of the Faculty. You are the only one with the knowledge to return it to it¡¦s true programming. Please do one thing for me¡¦"

"What do you want me to do?" Jubilee asked, a tear rolling down her cheek and landing on Solomon¡¦s hand.

"Eve, p-please save Eden..." Solomon drew his last breath. He closed his eyes to sleep forever. Jubilee, Zion and the others hung their heads in respect for their lost comrade.

Jubilee rose to her feet and turned to address the room. The look of anger on her face told them that this time it was personal.

"Tomorrow, we end this! Reb Tanaka¡¦s not gonna get away with this! We will stop Project Sky and we will liberate Eden once and for all!" Part 7

No one could have felt as rough as Jubilee felt the next morning. The pang of guilt she felt about the death of Solomon left her full of doubt. Were things going to go as smoothly as she had thought the day before? Could they really stop Project Sky? As she pondered these thoughts the X-Men, Zion and the others entered the command room. Seeing them enter, she rose from her seat and walked gracefully towards them. She was dressed differently that morning. She¡¦d taken off her ¡¦stage clothes¡¦ and replaced them with a uniform that consisted mainly of black leather. It was similar to the X-Men uniform she had started wearing in the months leading up to her departure, minus the black leather coat. Her hair was tied back in a long ponytail that swung back and forth as she walked. Wolverine couldn¡¦t help noticing how good she looked despite what had happened last night. The thoughts of their romantic moment and the death of Solomon were still fresh in his head. He couldn¡¦t stop thinking about the moment that they almost kissed.

"OK, guys. This is it, and there¡¦s no going back. While Eve, Genesis and Beast are making their way to the Faculty, we will pay a little visit to the Eden City Police Department. We draw their attention away from protecting the Faculty and allow Eve enough time to get in. She¡¦ll take it from there. Everyone clear on the plan."

The X-Men nodded, as did the members of the Resistance- Genesis, Exodus and a few others that had not been seen before. Genesis and Beast walked with Jubilee towards a door concealed next to the terminal (not the door leading up to the bar). Wolverine called after her.

"Jub... Eve," he said, correcting himself in the middle of his sentence. The Resistance guys called her that and he felt that he should too. Eve turned around to see him. "Take care of yourself kid." Eve smiled at him before turning to walk through the door. He watched her go, wondering if he would ever see her again.

The X-Men, accompanied by Zion, Exodus and the other Resistance members, left Point Zero and made their way towards the Eden City Police Department. Cyclops felt uneasy about this- it wasn¡¦t usual for the team to start things. They were usually the one¡¦s to finish things, but he couldn¡¦t have the team back out now. Jubilee was counting on them to help provide a distraction while she stopped this Project Sky. Feeling the need to learn more about what they were walking into, Cyclops approached Zion.

"Zion, there¡¦s a few things I want to know¡¦" Cyclops started to say.

"You want to know why we¡¦re doing this, and how many innocent people might get hurt or killed today?" Zion said. Cyclops nodded.

"I know how you feel about this, Cyclops. I don¡¦t like seeing the innocent getting hurt any more than you do. But if we don¡¦t do something, Eden will be destroyed, and how many innocent lives will end because Reb Tanaka claims that for a city such as Eden to exist is wrong?" He took a breath and continued. "I have every confidence in Eve. She can stop Project Sky, I just know she can. She¡¦s a creator. If anyone knows the Faculty, she does."

Cyclops looked at him a little confused. "You keep referring to her as a creator. What exactly does that mean?"

"Eve was one of the first people to come to Genosha when the rumours that a city for mutants and humans to live together in peace first came about. I myself was one of the first people to arrive, although I am not a creator. Eve is a creator because she helped create the Faculty. She was one of a team of five who built, programmed and set up the Faculty."

Jean had overheard the conversation between Zion and Cyclops and posed her own question, "But if she¡¦s a creator, then how come this Reb Tanaka guy became the System Operator. Wouldn¡¦t it have been more logical to elect someone who helped create it?" Zion nodded, agreeing with her.

"That is true, but something happened to change that. When Reb Tanaka first appeared on the scene, he claimed that the Faculty had out grown its creators. It should be the people that controlled it, not the creators. All of those things he said were nothing but lies, but the people of Eden found the uprising of Tanaka invigorating, and Tanaka was then elected as the new Systems Operator. Since then, everything¡¦s changed. That¡¦s why Eve must take back the Faculty or Eden is finished."

Jean and Cyclops listened to what he had said with interest. Could things have got that bad?

They approached the towering building that was the nerve centre of the city of Eden. They gathered at the glass doors at the front of the building. Wolverine looked up. It must have been at least 50 storeys high, if that. Zion stepped forward towards the building.

"Let¡¦s make a scene." He said, pulling a gun from his coat and walking towards the door.

Meanwhile, under their feet, Eve, Genesis and Beast made their way through the dark tunnels of the underground system leading to the heart of the Faculty. There only light was that of a spark coming from Eve¡¦s finger. They walked in silence, with their footsteps echoing in the cavernous tunnels.

"Boy, I sure do hate these dark passages. The thought of rats and things lurking around by our feet. Just don¡¦t like it¡¦ not one bit." Genesis complained.

"We should be near the maintenance tunnel that¡¦ll take me directly into the heart of the Faculty." Eve said, leading them through the darkness. Beast couldn¡¦t help but notice how she had used the word ¡¦me¡¦ rather than ¡¦we¡¦ in her last sentence. He didn¡¦t like the sound of that. It seemed almost as if she meant she was going to do this alone.

"Eve, pardon my questioning, but am I to assume that you are going to go this alone?"

Eve nodded, "Yes Hank. I¡¦m going to need all my concentration when I re-programme the Faculty. You guys will just hinder me. I¡¦m sorry, but I have to this alone."

"Then why are we here?" asked Beast.

"My protection, and a little assistance for when I open the door to the centre of the Faculty." She explained, still walking ahead of them. Beast didn¡¦t like this, not one bit. It wasn¡¦t what she said; it was how she said. Her tone told him that she had a feeling that she wasn¡¦t coming back. They kept walking, in silence again, towards Eve¡¦s destiny.

Within another tens minutes, they reached the doorway which would open to the maintenance tunnel that would take Eve to the centre of the Faculty. There was a computer terminal beside the closed metallic door, and two key card locks on the actual door. Eve approached the terminal and switched it on. The screen came to life. A computer voice said;

"Hand print identification please. Place your right hand on the screen." Eve obeyed and the screen began to glow bright white as the computer scanned her hand.

"Identification accepted. Welcome Eve." The computer voice said when it was finished. Eve took her hand off the screen and took two key cards out of her pocket. She gave one to Beast and one to Genesis.

"OK guys, these cards have to turned one click to the right simultaneously for the door to open. So on my mark, turn them. Got it?" Eve explained, as she gave them the key cards. Beast positioned himself on the right, and Genesis positioned himself on the left. They each slid their key cards in and waited for Eve¡¦s signal to turn them. "Remember, one click to the right. Ready?" The two men nodded. "On the count of three¡¦ One¡¦.two¡¦three!" Beast and Genesis turned the key cards in the locks. Suddenly there was a loud click and the door slid open.

Eve approached the door and lingered in it as Genesis made a bumbled attempt to wish her good luck:

"Good luck Eve. Err... thanks for all your help... and take care of yourself." Eve smiled a kissed him on the cheek. She then turned to Beast. Beast looked concerned. He wondered if he would ever see her again. Eve went over to him, hugged him and said:

"I¡¦ll be all right. Tell Logan, I¡¦ll be all right. This isn¡¦t goodbye forever."

That was the last thing she said before leaving Beast and Genesis and walking into the maintenance tunnel. The door slid shut behind her with a loud clang. Beast took a last glimpse of her face as the door separated them.

The Eden City Police had their hands full with the X-Men and the Resistance. Humans and mutants fighting together on opposite sides in a battle to save the city of Eden. Was this how it was all ways going to be? With humans and mutants united but fighting on the side of separate factions? These were the thoughts running through Jean¡¦s head as she fought bravely against some of the police officers. She wondered how Jubilee¡¦ Eve was doing. Hopefully she¡¦d got to the centre of the Faculty by now and this distraction would stop.

Further away from her, Wolverine battled against a couple of police officers in a tank. He loved ripping it up with those claws of his, especially today. He really needed to release some tension after last night. He hoped she was OK.

The fighting had gone on for well over an hour with the Resistance taking it to the Eden City Police Department. The Resistance had the upper hand as the Eden City Police¡¦s numbers were dwindled. Citizens had been advised to stay in their homes by the Eden Network News until the Police had the Resistance under control. There had been no sign of Reb Tanaka at all during the battle- Zion did not like that. If Tanaka wasn¡¦t out there then he must be in the Faculty somewhere. What if he knew where Eve was she might be in trouble. He had to make sure. Suddenly his radio communicator bleeped. He switched it on. It was Genesis.

"Zion... Eve is in the Faculty. We¡¦re coming up to help you." His voice cracked over the radio.

"OK Genesis. Zion out." Zion replied, firing another volley of bullets at some police officers that were hiding behind a pillar in the great hall of the building. But now, in actual fact, the great hall had become a battleground. There were splinters of plaster everywhere, smashed glass and pottery, pieces of wood, not to mention empty rounds of ammunition lying on the floor.

Suddenly the police officers started evacuating the building, as if by order from a superior. The entire building began to shake like there was an earthquake.

"Let¡¦s get outta here!" yelled Wolverine, running for the door. The other X-Men and the Resistance followed them. They gathered outside and had to back away as the building began to collapse.

"What in blazes is goin¡¦ on?!" exclaimed Rogue.

"Project Sky... it¡¦s starting." Said Zion, distantly.

The Eden City Police, along with the rest of the personnel who were in the building had evacuated and now stood outside with the Resistance and the X-Men. The fighting stopped as allies and enemies stood together to watch what was happening. Citizens came out of their homes to see what was going on.

The towering building which once stood over Eden in all it¡¦s glory collapsed and fell into itself. In a matter of minutes, the building was nothing more than a pile of rubble. There was a deadly silence as the shaking stopped. Everyone looked at each other for answers that no one knew.

The shaking started again, but this time it was the entire city.

"This is the end of Eden..." a voice boomed over the quivering city.

"Tanaka... you bastard!" Zion said in a low growl.

Wolverine looked around.

'It¡¦s up to you kid. Good luck!'   Part 8

She made it. She was now at the centre of the Faculty. From here she would re-programme it back to its original format. All she needed was a little time. As she walked along a ramp leading towards the central mainframe, she thought about her friends. She hoped they were OK. She thought about Logan and their romantic moment the previous night. A couple of more seconds and they would have kissed.

So near and yet so far, is that how that saying goes? She thought to herself. But the time to examine her feelings for Logan would have to wait. Right now, she had a job to do.

She approached the mainframe. A giant construction it was. Eve had almost forgotten how big it was. The mainframe flowed with the essence of Eden. The Faculty was Eden. As Eve pressed her hand against it, she felt its pain. The Faculty must be healed, she thought, Project Sky is starting. I must warn the citizens! Without making a sound, Eve flipped a switch on the control panel in front of her and prepared herself for the most important moment in her life.

Above her, the X-Men and the Resistance gathered together, deciding what to do. Beast and Genesis came running up.

"It appears we have missed all the fun. Does anyone know what¡¦s happening?" said Beast, panting.

"Tanaka¡¦s started up Project Sky. Only Eve can stop it. There¡¦s nothing we can do- from out here anyway."

Wolverine looked down at the shaking ground. Jubilee was in there. He had to get to her somehow. He wasn¡¦t going to just let her do this alone. He turned to walk towards the ruined building. He remembered one of the Resistance members saying that it was built directly above the Faculty. If there were still a way to get down there, he would find it. Cyclops saw him moving towards the rubble and shouted after him.

"Where do you you¡¦re going?"

"Look, Cyc! Jubilee¡¦s still in there! I¡¦m not gonna let her do this on her own... and I¡¦m not gonna lose her again. You don¡¦t like it. Just try and stop me!" he growled at the leader of the X-Men. He was prepared to fight back if Cyclops disagreed with him, but he wasn¡¦t prepared for Cyclops to do the opposite.

"I¡¦m coming too." Wolverine stopped and frowned at him, confused. He asked Cyclops to repeat what he had just said in case he had heard him wrong.

"I said I¡¦m coming with you. You¡¦re right Logan. We lost her once, we can¡¦t let that happen again." Cyclops said. The sincerity in his voice told Wolverine that he meant every word he said. Wolverine smiled at Cyclops despite himself. Jean and Storm stepped forward.

"We¡¦re coming too." Jean started.

"Yes. Jubilation is still one of us no matter what has happened in the past, or what is happening now." Storm finished.

"We made a promise to her at the start of all this and we¡¦re going to keep it no matter what." Jean added. Beast, Gambit and Rogue joined the group, agreeing with everything said by their colleagues. Zion approached them, smiling.

"Eve is lucky to have friends as loyal as you. The Resistance will stay above ground and try to evacuate the citizens from the city. We¡¦ll try to save as many lives as possible. If Eve has failed, I recommend that you bring her with you when you leave the city."

Wolverine placed his hand on Zion¡¦s shoulder, "She won¡¦t fail you. I know her and she never breaks her promises." Zion nodded.

Suddenly, the large screens around the city began to turn on. All of them turned to look at the one closest to them to see what was happening. In homes all over the city of Eden, television shows were interrupted as the following message was broadcast:

"Citizens of Eden... this is Eve." Eve¡¦s voice called softly over the city, "Please pay attention. I am speaking to you from the centre of the Faculty. The city of Eden is in great danger. Reb Tanaka, the System Operator, plans to destroy Eden by launching the city and its entire population into outer space. I ask you to please evacuate the city immediately for your own protection. I repeat, evacuate the city! Eden is in danger!"

Wolverine watched her, anxiety building up inside of him. Jubilee¡¦

"...And Zion, please help the citizens. They need you."

That was the last thing she said before all the screens went blank.

"Whatta we waitin¡¦ for? An invitation?" yelled Wolverine, racing over to the ruins of the building. Amongst them, he found a doorway that lead downwards. It must be a way into the Faculty. The X-Men followed him, while Zion, Genesis and Exodus along with the Eden City Police Department went to help the citizens evacuate.

As Wolverine and the others racing down the stairway and along the blackened corridor, Wolverine kept saying in his head, hold on Jubilee, I¡¦m coming, in the hope that somehow he would hear him.

Eve worked quickly at the control panel of the mainframe. She typed in command after command, trying to over ride Project Sky. So far, nothing was working. She didn¡¦t have much time left.

'C¡¦mon, think Jubilee!' She told herself angrily. 'There has to be a way to stop this.'

She kept going. She wasn¡¦t going to give up, not now. Millions of people were counting on her to stop this. An entire city could be destroyed if she didn¡¦t figure this out. She typed furiously, not letting anything stop her. Not doubt; not fear; not even the silence that surrounded her. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn¡¦t here the sound of footsteps behind her¡¦

"Hello Eve," a man¡¦s voice said behind her. Eve stopped and looked behind her. She gasped in fright.

"Reb Tanaka..."

"I see you¡¦re trying to stop Project Sky. I¡¦m afraid you¡¦re too late. Project Sky is well underway. In fact the only way you could stop it would be to cut off the mainframe of the Faculty and let that launch on its own. But that would be impossible." He said, matter-of-factly. Eve glared at him.

"What right do you have to decide an entire city¡¦s fate?" she asked. Reb Tanaka came closer to her.

"It was not I who decided that Eden was inappropriate to exist. It was the Faculty¡¦s choice not mine. I am but a servant to the Faculty." He said. Then he turned around to reveal a set of three cybernetic plugs connected to his neck. Eve was shocked. She knew the technology to hook one¡¦s mind into a computer was possible but she had never actually seen it done.

.Could the Faculty be controlling him, rather than what we originally thought?. She asked herself. She decided to press him, in the hope of getting some more information out of him. Maybe this could buy her some more time to figure out what to do. But what if what he had said about stopping Project Sky by disconnecting the mainframe was true? It wasn¡¦t impossible. It was just a difficult thing to do. She could do it if only Reb would get out of her way.

"Have you given up your humanity and become a prisoner of the Faculty? The truth is Reb you¡¦re nothing but a fraud. You know that I¡¦m the true System Operator. Or have you forgotten that I am one of the creators of the Faculty?" she said, her eyes following him as he circled her like a vulture.

"The Faculty has out grown its creators. You have no place here. Your usefulness is over, Eve."

"That may be your opinion."

"You still don¡¦t understand, do you? A city such as Eden has no place in this world. Humans and mutants are not destined to live together in peace. It is a foolish dream that must be ended as soon as possible."

"End a dream? You mean kill it off!" Wolverine voice boomed through the centre of the Faculty. Reb and Eve turned to see him and the X-Men coming towards them. "What you say about humans and mutants in conflict maybe true for the rest of the world, but this city is an example which all people should know about."

'Careful Logan,' Jubilee/Eve thought, 'this guy is more dangerous than you think!'

The X-Men and Eve stood either side of Reb Tanaka. Reb was trapped. It was intimidating to be caught in the middle of such a group but Reb didn¡¦t care. Before they knew what was happening, the X-Men found themselves trapped behind a glass screen that suddenly shot up in front of them.

"Jubilee!" yelled Wolverine, slashing at the thick glass, trying to get to her.

Reb turned his attention Eve and shot a bolt of electricity at her. Eve dodged it, just barely.

'It can¡¦t be! Reb¡¦s a human not a mutant!' As these thoughts flashed through her head, she dodged more bolts. The X-Men couldn¡¦t help her now. They were trapped behind that thick glass wall. 'Think, Jubilee, think or die!' She leapt into the air to dodge another bolt.

"You¡¦ll learn your place, lowly System Operator!" Reb said, sarcastically, "The Faculty knows how to deal with you."

'He is a puppet of the Faculty! How can that be possible! It wasn¡¦t he doing this, it was the computer. Somehow it must have taken over his mind and used his body to enforce its will.' She thought to herself. 'That¡¦s why everything¡¦s been controlled. That¡¦s why Reb initiated Project Sky. He was bowing to the will of the Faculty. The Faculty is the problem here, not Reb. If I can disconnect the cyber plugs, maybe he¡¦ll snap out of it.'

It was a desperate course of action, but Eve had no choice. She fired a bright paff of her own mutant power. It blinded Reb temporarily but it gave her enough time to tackle him to the floor and pull out the three cyber plugs. Reb gave out a loud scream of pain as he was disconnected from the Faculty. The glass wall shattered into a thousand pieces and the X-Men came running towards Eve as she cradled a weakened Reb in her arms.

"You alright petite?" asked Gambit. Eve nodded.

"I¡¦m OK."

"What about him?" asked Cyclops. Wolverine knelt down opposite Eve and took Reb from her. Reb slowly regained conscientiousness. When he woke, he looked upon Eve with a great deal of respect and emotion.

"Eve? Is that really you?" he croaked, his voice soft with heavy gasps for air. "I¡¦ve been waiting for you for such a long time. Y¡¦see you¡¦re to be my replacement. The new System Operator." He took another gasp of air as Eve looked at him in silence.

"Eve, you freed me from the Faculty. Could you now sever the connection for good?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Disconnect the mainframe and stop Project Sky. The Faculty can be re-programmed but you¡¦ll have to make a big sacrifice if this city is ever going to be free again. Please Eve, make the right decision. Save Eden." Reb closed his eyes, and stopped breathing. He was gone. The X-Men were silent around him. They had no idea what he meant by his last words.

Eve rose to her feet. Wolverine rested Reb¡¦s body on the floor and watched her. Eve knew what he meant and knew it was her responsibility. She walked towards the mainframe and flipped a switch on the control panel. What looked like a doorway in the mainframe opened up and Eve stepped towards it. Wolverine realised what she was doing and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No!" he said, firmly but pleading with her at the same time.

"It¡¦s thanks to you all. I couldn¡¦t have done this without you. The city of Eden will return to normal and the people will be able to enjoy a life of freedom. Just like it was all ways meant to be." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. A great sadness swelled in her heart as she said this.

"You¡¦re coming back with us, aren¡¦t you?" asked Wolverine, the same sadness overtaking him.

"It¡¦s my duty to remain here. I have to re-programme the Faculty so that it will accept and abide by the choices of the people of Eden. It¡¦s my responsibility as a creator and as an X-Man." She explained, with more tears welling up in her crystalline eyes.

"But you can¡¦t stay." Wolverine argued. He couldn¡¦t believe he was going to lose her again after having just got her back.

"I¡¦ll be here," Eve started. Wolverine looked into her eyes. Those words sounded familiar. "If you come here, I¡¦ll be waiting for you, I promise." She stepped into the door and a glass panel slid across sealing her in. Wolverine pressed his hand against the glass panel. Eve did the same. He felt her sliding away from him as a rumbling noise beneath the mainframe made it shoot upwards, through the earth into the sky.

"Logan!" she called.

"Jubilee, wait!" he shouted back. She¡¦d gone out of his life again, except this time it might be forever.

The X-men watched the mainframe move further and further away from them. A melancholy settled upon them, along with a sense of pride. Jubilee/Eve was everything they had hoped her to be. A leader, a courageous being, an X-Man.   Part 9: Epilogue

THREE DAYS LATER...

Back at the mansion, Logan stood alone at the back door, watching the sun setting over the horizon. He sipped a cool beer and wished to be alone with his thoughts. He thought of her and that last promise she made before she left him again.

*I figured you might be here* Jean¡¦s voice said in his head.

*Yeah red.* he answered her, sipping her beer. *D¡¦you think we¡¦ll ever see her again?*

*We can only hope, Logan. We can only hope.*

Logan smiled; looking at the new star that shone brightly on the horizon. He would see her again. She promised him, and Jubilee¡¦s word was her bond. Some day soon, they would be together again¡¦ forever.

THE END... (for now)