Beep....Beep....Beep...The infirmary equipment reasured the shaken group that
this was indeed their fallen comrade.
The small group was huddled around the unconscious girl, trying to
comprehend what force had brought her back to them.
Clarice had remained unconsious the whole time Banshee had carried her to
the infirmary. He hadn't flown, he had simply picked her up and marched along
the path with the students trailing behind him. No one questioned why Sean
hadn't flown her with his banshee wail, it would have been faster, but they
all felt the same way; absolutely speechless.
When they laid her on the bed they saw the scars and the burns on her.
The ones that were harmful, Emma wrapped up. Everyone remained silent except
for Leech and Franklin who were asking questions about the mysterious girl
who had appeared out of nowhere. When no one answered their questions, they
became quite and filled with awe.
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...
"Banshee? What could have happened to her?" Paige looked at her mentor.
The man who had slowly began to replace her father in Paige's mind. There was
an uncertainess in her eyes as she stared at him. She was at the foot at the
bed. Switching her gaze between Banshee and Clarice.
Banshee, who had been unable to reach Blink when she died just stared at
Paige. "I don't know girl. But we'll find out our answers soon enough, she's
waking up."
Sure enough a small groan escaped from Blink's lips. Reassesing the fact
that she was here, alive.
Chamber took a step back from the bed feeling intrusive. I didn't know
this girl, he thought. I've never seen her before. He didn't finish his
thoughts before their patient let out a loud, painful groan and began to
open her eyes.
She blinked her eyes once or twice to focus them. Seeing the figure at
he foot of her bed made her close them tightly. The girl was still there when
Blink opened her eyes again. It was Paige Guthrie.
"Paige?" Blinked managed to whisper out. "Is it really you?" she gasped
out with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Oh God, Paige, your alive, your
OK."
Paige couldn't move. This girl was talking to her! Paige didn't know what
to do, what to say. She was afraid to do anything for fear of waking up from
this dream. Paige needn't have worried, the one to break this trance wa the
dream itself, not the dreamer.
Blink cupped her face in her hands and cried. "Oh Paige, Paige! T-they
told us you were d-dead! Kitty said that they had to leave you. Peter said
there weren't any of you left. You were the last one he'd seen before the
doors closed on hem...oh God your alive!"
"Of course I'm alive." Paige whispered "We all thought..." before she
could finish her sentance, Blink was on her next target.
"Skin, you too? What happened to you guys? We all thought you were dead?"
"Well as you can see were not. Only what's this 'we' your talking about?"
Blink twisted around to look at the other side of the room were Jubilee
and Everett were sitting. "I'm sorry, do I know you...?"
"Aye lass, you saw more than met, Everett and Jubilee. They were with us
on the ship before we lost ye, before ye vanished."
Blink turned around with new tears forming in her eyes. "Banshee?"
"Aye lass, 'tis me."
"Pietro said you died. He said you'd sacrificed yourself and killed
Abyss. There's no way you could have survived!"
Jubilee and Everett exchanged a glance. They might not have gotten to
know Blink very well but she must have been knocked around quite a bit to
associate Sean with Pietro.
"Is she talking about Quicksilver?"
"Must be Ev, but who's Abyss?"
"I have no clue, but no one else is even listining to what she's saying
really. There still caught up in her being alive."
Indeed, Paige, Skin, and Sean were crowded around Clarice with huge
lopsided grins on their faces, not really listining to her just the sound
of her voice.
"Why did you dye your hair blond? I thought Jono like it red?"
Jubilee's head came whipping around with a snap to stare at blink. "When
did you meet Chamber?"
Blink either didn't hear her or choose not to answer. Jubilee took it for
the later. Marching up to the bed she twisted her around until they were
looking each other in the eye.
"Maybe you didn't hear me, when did you meet Chamber?"
"What are you talking about. I've always known Chamber. Paige was with
me when we first met. Hey where is Jono, and Vincenti and Mondo?"
"Who's Vin-"
"Mondo? How did you ever meet-"
\\I'm right here love, but I'm sure we've never met.\\
Blink turned around to face her old friend. To her credit, she manages
to keep her face from showing her shock. The boy facing her was not the same
boy she remembered. For one thing he was missing the lower half of his face
and the upper half of his chest. Their was more, there was a sadness about
him she'd never seen before. The boy she knew had a sadness about him
but they all did. If you lived were death was an every day thing the sadness
stayed with you. It was like another layer on your shoulders, eventually you
were used to it. But this sadness was like a cancer. She could almost see it
eating away at him. This wasn't Jonothan Starsmore. This wasn't the boy
called Chamber. This wasn't her friend, whom she had teasingly called Jono.
This was a boy she didn't know, and for the first time in months, Clarice
Ferguson was scared.
She turned to look at the blond Paige, the hostile Jubilee, and the
resurected Sean. Suddenly the familiarity she had experiened only moments
before had vanished. She didn't know these people, they were strangers
wearing her friends' faces.
"Who are you?" she whispered. Slowly she drew out a knife that her mentor
had given her. She was to tired to Blink away but not enogh so that she
couldn't defend herself.
"Blink, ye obviously have been through a stressful, traumatic event. It's
only natural that you might be feeling disoriented."
"Shut up you imposter! I don't know who you are, but you Apocolapse
serving boot lickers didn't do your homework very well. Generation next died!
They died rescuing Illyana Rasputin from the mine in Seattle. I might not
like Kitty or Peter, but they would never lie, and they wouldn't have left
unless they were sure they couldn't have rescued them! Sean Cassidy died
destroying Abyss. Pietro was there! He saw it happen! He would never make a
mistake like that and he would never lie. Banshee was his friend! Your
idiots if you think you could ever trick this X-Man!"
Without warning a psychic bolt sent Blink crumbling to the floor and
once again unconsious.
"Emma! What are ye thinkin' woman? Ye had no idea what a psychic
attack like that could do to the lass!" Banshee glared up from the
crumbled body of Blink. He lifted her carefully back to the bed.
"Oh cool it Sean! I used the amount of force that was necessary to stop
her. I was reading her thoughts. She was panicked and irrational. She truly
believed that you were imposters. If I hadn't stopped her she wouldn't have
paused at the prospect of killing all of us!"
"So what do ye want Emma? A medal?"
"I don't want anything from you Cassidy! I just don't want you
undermining my authority everytime I take action!"
"Action? Ye call that action? I call it treachery!"
"Oh give me a break! Treachery looks nothing like that, and who even uses
that word anymore?"
While Emma and Sean continued arguing Paige was next to the bed hooking
up the confinement straps.
"Jono, Jubilee, can you give me a hand?"
\\Sure sunshine\\
"Ya hayseed, we'll help."
The trio began fastening buckles around her wrists and ankles. As an
afterthought Jubilee put a strap around her midsection.
Everett came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You Ok Jubilee?"
"Na, not really. That was really kinda freaky, ya know? I mean all that
stuff she said about us and then all the 'I'm an X-Man' crap. She seemed
like she believed everything she was saying. Then there's the stuff about
her knowing Jonothan. He joined after she was dead. What could she mean?"
"Hey Jube's," Everett turned her to face him. "We have no idea what kind
of trauma she's been through. She could be delusional, or traumatized, or-"
"Or she could have gone to the future and come back again! She mentioned
Apocalapse Ev. That guy-, well, that guy scares me! His whole Darwinism
dogma-survival of the fittest? If his world came to pass what kind of hope
do I have? I'm a sparkler, a firecraker. To survive in that world i'd have
to be an atom bomb!" With a sob she burried her face in his chest. Everett
was careful to turn his back to the group. He knew Jubilee would hate for
the others to see her cry, she tried so hard to be tough and mature she
didn't want anyone to see how scared and fragile she was. Everyone but him.
His heart soared as he looked down at her. He knew he should say
something comforting, but his tongue was tied. All he could do was hold her
and look at her head burried in his chest. This trust she was showing him
gave him new courage and his tongue became loose. Everett felt that this was
the time for honesty.
"Jubilee, I wanted to tell you something."
Her brown, red-rimmed eyes looked up at him. She still looked strong even
through her fear.
"What is it Ev?"Her voice sounded strong and didn't fit with the way she
looked.
"Jubilee, I-"
"Enough of this Sean!" Emma's voice grew loud and in her anger she began
projecting their argument psychicly as well as verbaly catching everyone's
attention. "We have a child who needs help! Did I act quickly? Yes. Did I
act before consulting you? Yes. Did I have a more evil intent? NO! Now we
can stand here and argue, or we can find a way to help our student!" With
that Emma strode over to the bed and began to tighten the restraining straps.
Sean stood staring at her and then came to stand next to her. "What do
you suggest Emma?" His voice was very low and the students almost didn't hear
him.
"I'm going to conduct a psychic probe of her mind. Maybe I'll be able to
make sense of her ramblings."
Sean nodded his consent. As if he could have stopped her. Recently Emma
had been more quick to pick a fight and Sean had been preoccupied enough to
let her win. Something had happened between these two that made their
personalitites switch along with their teaching roles.
Emma had been there for the kids, she listened to them and tore down her
icy exterior. Sean had been moody and represed. He had quickly withdrawn his
fatherly presence from the kids. Something had happened to these two.
Something big and something private that they weren't planning on sharing.
Emma Frost closed her eyes and put her hands on either side of Blinks
temple. She then began her exploration of Blink's mind.
The mental barriers in her mind were simple to pass through, especialy
for an experienced telepath like Emma. She swftly unlocked the barriers and
stepped into her mind. Instantly she regretted the decision.
Floods of images invaded her consiousness. Scenes of dead bodies in
piles. War and pestulance. A child of hope. A man in red fighting for a
dream in honor of a friend long dead. An enemy so great he destroyed
everyhting held dear. A father figure who cared, saved and protected her
from all harm. Another enemy, greater, conquering North America. A final
solution for frightened humans. The heat of the nuclear weapons, someone
telling her to escape, to blink somewhere and not to look back. An icon long
dead, a symbol of hope that was killed long ago. Magneto promising to cary
out his dream, no matter what the cost.
Generation X and all other comic book characters featured on this page
are (C) & TM MARVEL COMICS. This is a non profit page and I hope it
does respect to these characters in the way that Marvel wrote them. This
is my own story. Please don't steal it. Thanks!
