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Standing In The Shadows: Part 1 by Bounce Standing In The Shadows. Story type: Adventure/Angst. Rated PG Summery: Jubilee is kidnapped and forced to become an asssassin. She escapes eight years later and finds her way back to the X-Men. By Bounce ([email protected]) Disclaimer: I don・t own any of these characters. They all belong to Marvel. Horrible isn・t it? Note: This is my second ever piece of fanfic so I・d like to remind you that feedback is good. I prefer it in the form of non-sequential $50 notes but I will settle for emails. Part 1 They made you watch, if it was someone you cared about. She shut her ears, refused to let John・s screams affect her. It wasn・t so hard these days. Suddenly his screams stopped and smoke began to pour out of the mindwipe tech. John・s eyes snapped open and the inhibitor collar around her neck stopped working, the dull buzz it generated against her neck disappearing and it became so much useless metal. ・Kill me・ he whispered, forced it out past pain and a shattered mind. She strode forward, gripped John・s head, twisted sharply. In the moment before he died he whispered ・Love you Lee.・ ・I loved you too John.・ Lee murmured. It had been the only thing she could do for him. Lee wanted to cry for him. Would cry someday. When it was safe to do so. Lee turned to the door using the sparks she generated as he mutant power to blow up the lock. Another set of carefully placed sparks killed the guard stationed outside the door. Lee paused a moment to tug on his armor and grab his weapons. She couldn・t count on the broken collar to remain inactive. She・d seen them still working after they had been virtually destroyed. Once she would have been revolted by the thought of wearing the armor that a man she・d just killed was wearing, these days Lee went for any advantage she could get. She began to run down the corridor, intending to escape the place or bring as much of it down with her as she could. All right. I・ve got to get out of here. I・ve got five minutes tops before the alarms start going off. She paused, tucking herself into a small alcove just off the corridor. This is the Meds wing so the control center and teleporters are two levels up. Destination decided Lee began to run down the hall. A moment later she stopped, scooting back against the wall at the sound of footsteps. That guard must have had a life alert on him incase any of us escaped. Either that or it was the collar shorting. She aimed and fired quickly taking out the three guards with shots to the neck and face. Armor didn・t cover those areas. ・Unh・ A bullet glanced off the back of her armor. Whirling she saw a single guard aiming to take a second shot. A moment late he joined the other bodies on the floor. Lee stooped snatching up two pistols, a second plasma rifle and a holster belt. She slung the spare rifle over her shoulder and buckled the belt around her waist and slid the pistols into their holsters. You were lucky Lee. Don・t count on them being that easy next time. Lee continued on down the corridor looking for an access into the floor above. Rounding a corner she walked straight into a second patrol of guards. Uh oh. A burst of plasma fireworks made the head of the guard nearest to her explode. Grinning crazily she leapt into a spinning kick that took out another guard. Bullets ricochet off the walls and her armor as the guards shot at her. She blew up their guns. A laser blast found a gap in her armor and cut into Lee・s arm. ・Ahh!・ All right you bastards. That・s it. I・m not playing nice anymore. Two of the guards screamed as Lee sent streams of ・fireworks・ from one outstretched hand detonating them once they surrounded the guards arms and faces. She leapt again spinning away from the sole remaining guard・s shot. Landing Lee advanced on him, coldly shooting him. Oww. This really hurts. I gotta find someplace to hole up and see how bad my arm is.Lee quickly jimmied the lock on a small storage room. She carefully removed the shoulder pad of her stolen armor and twisted looking at the deep cut on the fleshy muscle at the back of her arm. She・d have to bandage it as it still bled sluggishly. Lee scanned the room quickly seeing nothing that could be used as a bandage. Eventually she settled for ripping the bottoms of the sleeves on her coveralls off and improvised bandages out of them. She took a quick drink from the basin in the corner of the room and sank down against the shelves. She needed a quick rest before she could go on. I should try the airshafts. They・re likely to be safer than either the lifts or stairs. Besides those bastards are all too big to fit in there. Destination decided she closed her eyes, leaning back against the shelves full of cleaning products and tried to relax. Several minutes later Lee opened her eyes and shot to her feet at the sound of another patrol. She looked up at the ceiling carefully judging the size of the vent in the storage closet. She・d fit. Just. Lee disappeared into the vent an instant before the guards checked the room she・d just been in. That was too close. * * * * * * * * Lee stared down into the room below. A dozen guards surrounded a teleportation device. She・d used it before, more than once, though she・d never seen how it was programmed. They・d known better than to let them see that. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain from the numerous cuts and bruises she had acquired so far. Lee pulled a gun from the holster on her right thigh. The stolen armor was damaged and wouldn・t survive another drawn out firefight. Bracing her injured right arm against the wall of the air duct she aimed and fired quickly, taking out all of the guards surrounding the teleporter before they could get more than a few shots off. Lee only wounded the last guard, shooting him in the knee. * * * *. * * * * Lee grimaced as she activated the teleporter. She・d had to hurt that guard before he told her how it worked. Swallowing she stepped through the glowing portal in front of her. Lee had set the co-ordinates for the kitchen of the X-Men・s mansion where she・d disappeared years ago. Lee stared around the kitchen amazed. It looked exactly the same as it had when she・d gone. Go on Lee. Say it like it is. You were kidnapped. Same towering piles of dishes in the sink, same moldy cabbage on the end of the bench, same newspapers scattered across the table. She・d left the milk out. It was still there, knocked onto its side and slowly soaking into the newspapers and dripping onto the floor under the table. She・d expected this. Five, no closer to six, years ago when she still cared about those things Lee・d bribed one of the guards into telling her why, whenever she went out to play executioner, the year didn・t make sense. Sometimes it・d be five years in the past, others it would be a dozen years into the future. He・d told her that the complex was situated inside a Dimensional Warp. That any time within about fifty years of when it had opened was accessible from inside it. The teleporter just added a degree of control to the process. Without it you would find yourself anywhere anywhen, within a hundred years. Still, even knowing what to expect it was a shock. Suddenly a yell rang out across the mansion. ・Wha・ do ye mean ye・ve lost Jubilee?!・ Lee slipped down a hall and into the mansion's living room. Sean Cassidy, Emma Frost and most of the X-Men were in there and it looked as though they were freaking out. ・I・m right here Cassidy・ Lee said, every head in the room turning to stare at her. ・Jean d・ya think you could get this fucking collar off me?・ Jean stared at the broken collar for a moment before snapping the locking mechanism with her telekinesis. ・Thanks・. Lee stared around the room, face a cold mask. Spotting Logan in a corner she walked over to him. ・What happened darlin・?・ he asked softly. Lee grimaced. ・I・ll tell you later Wolvie. I promise・. She turned to head up the stairs to her old room. She still kept some clothing in it. Happy as she was to see the X-Men and GenX again she just couldn・t face them in the blood stained armor and filthy blue coveralls she was currently wearing. Hank stepped in front of her. ・Where are you going Jubilee?・ ・To get changed.・ She snapped. ・I・m sorry Jubilee but considering your mysterious disappearance and subsequent reappearance and current medical condition, I feel that allowing such actions on your part, without first giving you a medical examination would be both dangerous and extremely irresponsible.・ ・Nothing so bad it can・t wait Hank?・ Lee・s voice held a dangerous edge as she spoke. He didn・t move. ・Come down ta the medlab darlin・・ Logan said. She nodded mutely and followed the two men downstairs. Hank gestured for her to sit down on one of the examining tables in the infirmary. Lee obeyed him, watching his every move with the intensity of a hawk. She really didn・t trust doctors or places that looked like surgeries anymore. She swallowed convulsively, forcing down memories of that morning, of John dying, of scalpels slicing into her flesh, tied down so she couldn・t move. With a start she broke the chain of memories and tried to focus only on the here and now. The blue furred man carefully cut away the bandage Lee・d wrapped around her right arm, before snipping away what remained of her sleeve. Lee didn・t make a sound as Hank removed the bandages, her face an icy expressionless mask. Logan was hovering nearby, his face as difficult to read as hers. Hank removed the last of the bandages. ・Oh my stars and garters・ he gasped looking at the bloody wound. Lee shook her head. ・It ain・t so bad Hank. Las cuts always look bad.・ Logan had popped his claws and looked as mad as she・d ever seen him. ・Who did this to you darlin・・ he grated. ・Zit really matter Wolvie? He・s dead・ Logan stared at her for a moment. Somehow in the short time she・d been gone Jubilee had changed. The brash, loud face the girl had always presented to the world was gone, replaced by cold, hard self-control that he knew was more than skin deep. Somewhere she・d learnt to be afraid of doctors and to kill. He・d smelt death in the blood that covered the girls・ ill-fitting armor and coveralls. ・What happened to you Jubilee?・ he asked, voice thick with emotion. ・Lee. It・s Lee now. I haven・t been Jubilee for a long time now・ Hank was shaken a few more times as he completed her examination, stunned by the sheer number of scars she・d acquired. ・What happened Ju ・sorry ・Lee?・ he finally asked. ・I・ll tell you later Hank. I promise・ there were shadows in her eyes as she spoke. ・It・s good to see you two again. Real good・ Lee fastened the last button on her coveralls and hurried out of the room. ・I・m worried about her Logan・ Hank said looking at Jubilee・s departing back. ・So・m I Hank. She・s older and far more dangerous than she was.・ ・My friend, loath as I am to do so I feel that I must state the obvious. Jubilee is no older than she was this morning.・ Logan shook his head. ・No Hank. For all she looks the same she・s older. And it isn・t just in experience. Jubilee moves, talks, is years older now.・ Hank stared at his long time friend, seeing the pain and confusion on his face. Lee opened a cupboard in her old room and tugged on the first clothes that came to hand. She・d forgotten in her haste to get back to the X-Mansion, to escape. The fact that she still looked the same after all these years was just something she・d accepted and like so many other things she couldn・t change she・d done her best not to think about it. The drugs had done that, kept her looking like a fifteen-year-old. And Sinister couldn・t have done better himself. People with her skills were worth a whole lot more if they still looked like kids. She snarled softly and curled up on the bed. She began to cry, thinking about John. Wolverine entered Lee・s room and sat down holding his adoptive daughter as she cried. ・Do want to talk about it darlin・?・ ・I killed my friend today.・ She whispered. ・They tried to mindwipe him today. Something went wrong. The machines broke. So did my collar. He asked me to kill him. I had to. I couldn・t leave him there. I had to・ her voice cracked. ・I had to. I killed all my friends. ・ Lee gave a gasping sob. Jazz, Allie, Dean, Tim, Jam, Daniel. She forced the litany of names to stop. Lee got to her feet, moving away from the bed. ・Its been eight years Logan! And I spent the first four waiting for you to come and rescue me. And you never came!・ He jerked back as though he・d been hit then found himself unable to look at her. She was so different to the happy bubbly girl he・d known only that morning. The body was the same except for the scars, but she was colder now, warier. The child who was still, despite everything she・d seen so innocent was replaced by a hardened adult. He wished with all his heart that there was something he could do or say to bring back the child he・d known and knew that there wasn・t. And it hurt. Lee wiped away the last traces of her tears and grinned at Logan, a smile that didn・t reach her eyes. ・We・d better go downstairs Wolvie. I want to see the others again. It・s been a long time.・ He nodded and followed his daughter out the door. Generation X and their teachers were sitting in the lounge room in a general state of shock. Lee stood uncertainly in the door for a moment. Suddenly Paige spotted her. ・Jubilee!・ ・Jubilee!・ ・What happened?・ ・Where did you ・・ ・Go?・ All talking at once, so happy to see her. Lee stepped back away from them, face an icy mask. ・Its so good to see you all again・ she whispered. ・What happened Jubilee? Where did you go?・ Emma・s icy tones cut through the babble of voices. ・I・d rather not talk about that Frost. I・m sure you can relate・ her voice was as cold as Emma・s had ever been. Emma reached out with a telepathic probe, fully intending to rip the truth of where Lee・d been from her mind. Lee reacted as fast as years of training and experience could make her. The mental shields she・d learnt to build became as strong as her latent telepathy could make them blocking Emma from her mind. Two knives appeared in her hands pinning the collar of Emma・s white silk shirt to the couch she sat on. ・Don・t. Ever. Do. That Again. Bitch. If you ever try to read my mind again I will kill you. Understand?・ Lee snarled a third knife held in her hand. Some lessons had been ground in too deeply to ever be forgotten. Emma touched one of the knives at her neck, shocked. A hair closer and it would have drawn blood. Lee turned to see GenX backing towards the door. They looked very young and scared. ・Jubes, chica why・d you try to kill Miss Frost?・ ::Yeah luv. What・s wrong?:: ・And where did ya learn ta throw knives?・ She shook her head. To GenX she was still the annoying brat she・d always been. Lee realized she couldn・t blame them though. They hadn・t lived the years in-between. ・I didn・t try to kill her Angelo. If I wanted her dead she・d be dead.・ The flat, steely look in her eyes stopped GenX from arguing with that last statement. There was another uneasy silence. Sean, wearing an almost desperate look suddenly blurted ・Jubilee! We・re all going to see a movie tonight, to celebrate your being back safe and sound.・ ・All right. But one thing. I go by Lee these days. OK?・ * * * * * * * * They went to some hamburger place, after. Lee managed to get the one seat that left her sitting with her back to the wall, something she was very grateful for. She didn・t like the thought of strangers behind her. The conversation as they ate their burgers was ・ strained. GenX tried to reconcile the older harder Lee with the girl they・d known only that morning. Lee meanwhile was trying to place herself within the group again, and finding that she・d changed far too much to ever be a part of GenX again. She was relived when they got back to the mansion and could plead exhaustion and retreat to her room. She didn・t go to bed though. Instead she sat in the chair under her window and thought. Do I still have a place here? I・ve changed a lot over the years. Do I still want to be here? Or fighting for a dream that・ll never come true? Lee sat there, curled in on herself thoughts running in circles. GenX are kids. Inexperienced kids. I never thought I・d be thinking about them that way. An hour went by, then two. Lee snarled silently and headed for the door. Tired and injured as she was she knew one thing that would stop her thoughts long enough for her to get to sleep. A moment later she keyed in the Danger Room codes that she・d seen Logan use so many times. These were his programs, where you had to work to stay alive. * * * * * * * * Domino stood in the control booth watching Jubilee train. She・d been bored and had decided that a late night training session really couldn・t hurt. But someone else was already using the Danger Room and at a very high level. It looked like Jubilee, except the girl had never had anything approaching that level of skill. Whoever it was damned good. The girls sim ended and she headed out the door to the control booth. Domino turned to see her enter the room. Where the hell did that kid learn those moves? She blinked at the way Jubilee・s face suddenly slid into a smooth blank mask. She wasn・t expecting to see me here. ・Bit late isn・t it Jubilee?・ Lee shrugged in answer. ・Whaddya want Domino?・ All of a sudden her bearing shifted over into dangerous, though her face didn・t loose the cold blank expression. Oh the hell with it. It・ll be bugging me all night if I don・t ask. ・Where did you learn those moves?・ Lee started. ・What you don・t know yet?・ the girl paused for a moment. ・Xavier・ll want a full debriefing in the morning. You and Cable are welcome to tag along and listen then.・ With that she turned and left. Domino sat down in one of the Danger Rooms chairs, training session forgotten. If I didn・t know better I・d swear that she was an assassin. I・ve only ever seen that sort of control on one of them. Leaning forward she accessed the recording of the training session. ::Nate? You awake? There・s something you should see.:: * * * * * * * * Lee woke slowly, her customary wariness gone. Somewhere deep inside she still thought of the mansion as a safe place where she could let down her guard. Stupid Lee. That・s how you get killed. Twisting she turned and peered at the clock. 10.36. Sighing she pulled herself out of bed and tugged on some clothes. Yawning she headed out the door, towards the kitchen. ・Good morning Jubilee・ ・Storm・ Lee gave Storm a nod in greeting. ・Would you like a cup of herbal tea Jubilee? I made it myself・ ・Ah. Not really. And my name・s Lee not Jubilee・ reaching up to a shelf she grabbed the first cup available and poured herself a coffee. Opening the fridge she scanned the contents quickly and settled for the plate of pizza in the back. Nope nuthin・ growing on it. ・Why ever did you feel the need to change you name Jubilee?・ Lee sat down at the table, food in front of her. ・Because I・m really not the same kid I used to be. And Storm, it isn・t any of you business what I choose to call myself・ I changed it because I couldn・t face being Jubilee any more. Not like I am now. Storm opened her mouth to ask another question and seemed to change gears mid sentence. ・Ah Nathan, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the nursery today. I heard they just got in some new strains of roses that I・m particularly interested in・ Lee・s mouth twitched into a tiny smile at Cable・s suddenly nervous expression. He reached for the coffee. Domino who had entered the room with Nate had a small smile on her lips. She looked as though she was enjoying his discomfort. Lee glanced over at the large gun he placed on the floor beside his chair. ・Hey that・s one of the new high powered plasma rifles A.I.M・s just developing. How the hell did you get one? I didn・t know they were past the prototype stage・ Nate gave her a startled look. Dom said she・d changed. ・They・re not.・ Scott walked into the Kitchen. ・Ah, good. You・re finally up. The Professor wants to talk to you about what happened yesterday.・ He motioned for Lee and Storm to follow him out. Lee glanced over at Nate and Domino. ・Coming?・ X-Forces two leaders didn・t waste any time dropping in right behind her. Scott frowned. ・This is X-men business. I・ll give the two of you a report once we・re finished.・ ・No. Actually it・s Generation X business. Remember I was a part of GenX? Cable and Domino can come too.・ Lee said quietly. ・All right・ Lee blinked at the scene in the Professors office. Banshee and Emma stood beside one of the windows. Logan sat on the couch up against he far wall, with Jean beside him. Xavier sat behind a spotless desk with two chairs to one side of it, plainly for Scott and Storm. A single chair sat in front of the desk. This place looks like a court. She sat down in her chair. Cable and Domino stood opposite Sean and Emma. Xavier spoke first. ・I would like you tell us what happened to you during your disappearance.・ Great opening that. What is this, the witness box? ・Go on darlin・・ Lee gave a humorless smile. ・Sure thing baldy. I got up to get some breakfast, was in the kitchen eating Froot Loops and a half dozen Spectrum mercs kidnapped me. They took me back to their base trained me and then I escaped. The end.・ Cable, Domino and Logan all looked surprised. ・No-one escapes from Spectrum bases. ・ Cable said. Lee shrugged. ・I did.・ Sean and the other X-Men all plainly didn・t have a clue what she was talking about. ・Jubilee, lass, could you give us a bit more detail.・ ・Fine. Spectrum creates assassins. The best in the business. We never miss targets.・ She paused, face and voice expresionless. ・I was one of the best.・ Ororo spoke up. ・How could this be possible Jubilation? Clearly there has not been nearly enough time passed for you to have become an assassin.・ ・Spectrum base was inside a Dimensional Warp. Time is different there.・ ・A Dimensional Warp?・ Cable answered this time. ・Back in my time they were used as a form of limited time travel.・ ・Yeah. They used it like that.・ ・But lass, you don・t look any older.・ Sean・s tone clearly stating that it couldn・t be possible. Lee gave a small forced grin. ・Who・d think a kid like me・d be so dangerous huh Irish?・ At Scott・s questioning glance she explained. ・They had us on courses of drugs to keep us looking like we always did. And no, I don・t know what the drugs were. They didn・t tell us that kinda stuff. Fact is I don・t even know for certain it was drugs. They gave us these pills but it was probably some mutant・s power. ・ Emma spoke for the first time since Lee had entered the room. ・Why did they kidnap you? Surely there would be more than enough willing volunteers.・ ・I don・t know.・ And I don・t want to talk about that. Logan was very quiet. The professor asked the next question. ・Life there must not have been very pleasant. Why didn・t you try to escape sooner?・ Lee shook her head. They would have to ask that question. ・I couldn・t・ ・Whyever not?・ You don・t want to know Storm. You really don・t. ・They didn・t like it if we tried to escape. They ・discouraged it.・ Lee・s voice was flat. She looked down horrified to see her hands shaking. Allie, Dean and Tim tried. Don・t think about what happened to them. Don・t She forced herself to focus on here and now not the old, bad memories. It was six years ago. I tried to stop them. I really did. Lee made herself listen to what Domino was saying. She couldn・t change the past. ・But you escaped・ Domino was curious. ・Yeah, well I was the best Spectrum ever trained.・ There was a long pause before Xavier spoke. ・If it・s all right with you Jubilation, I would like to have Jean and myself give you a thorough mind scan. It・s a sensible precaution, given what you・ve been through.・ I can・t let those two poke around in here. They couldn・t handle it and I don・t like telepaths. ・No I・d rather you didn・t. My head isn・t all that nice a place to visit. The only ・path I・d let in there is Cable and that・s because he・s seen worse than what I・ve got in here. And ya think ya could call me Lee not Jubilee?・ Cable was frowning. He looked to be deep in thought. After a moment he said ・All right. I・ll give Lee a mind scan to make sure Spectrum haven・t left anything in there.・
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