"How long has it been…?" Jubilee whispered, staring up at the blinding white ceiling.
There was no clock in the room. No windows. Just the low hum of machines and the same silent guard standing by the wall—perfectly still, like a broken action figure.
She had no idea how long it had been since Dr. Cecilia left.
Back home, she would have shoved her earbuds in by now, cranked the music up loud enough to drown out her thoughts. Here? No music. No noise. Just her own brain spiraling.
All that stuff Cecilia said kept replaying in her head.
Gardens. Master. Flowers.
It sounded like something out of a bad cult documentary—and somehow, it was all real.
"…Guess Dinah was right," Jubilee muttered bitterly.
Thinking about Dinah made her think about the others.
About Tabitha. Rahne.
And Katrin.
Especially Katrin.
Her throat tightened. "Did… did she die because of me?" she whispered, her eyes burning.
She wiped at them hard, refusing to let the tears fall.
No. If Katrin had really died, then none of this made sense. That voice she heard earlier—that couldn't have been fake. Katrin had escaped. And if she escaped, then maybe—just maybe—she had brought help.
Which meant the X-Men were real.
"C'mon… hurry up already," Jubilee whispered, glancing at the knife gleaming on the nearby tray.
She didn't want to die.
She wanted to live.
Suddenly—
A translucent ripple shimmered into existence along the wall, like a glitch straight out of a video game.
"…Okay, that's new," Jubilee breathed.
FWOOM.
A figure burst out of the portal.
Wild black hair. Short, muscular build. A skintight black-and-yellow suit.
The guard snapped out of his trance. "Hey—!"
He barely had time to raise his gun.
"Too slow, bub," the woman snarled.
She was already on him.
SNIKT. SNIKT.
Jubilee's eyes went wide as the gun split cleanly in half—metal clattering uselessly to the floor.
"…Holy crap," she whispered.
"Now go to sleep, asshole," the woman growled.
BAM.
Her fist smashed straight into the guard's face. The visor cracked on impact, and his body flew sideways, slamming into the wall before sliding down in a limp heap.
The woman snorted, glancing at him. "Eh. He'll live."
Then her sharp blue eyes shifted to Jubilee.
"Wh–who are you?" Jubilee stammered, scrambling back instinctively, her heart pounding. This woman was… intense. Way too intense.
The stranger's expression softened—just a little.
"Name's Logan," she said, flashing a toothy grin that somehow felt both reassuring and dangerous. "I'm here to get you outta here, bub."
Jubilee blinked. "…W-wait. Were you the one who talked to me earlier?" she asked, swallowing hard. "The voice. The X-Men or… something?"
"Yeah," Logan said casually. "Somethin' like that."
With a sharp snikt, Logan slashed at Jubilee's restraints. The cuffs snapped apart like cheap plastic.
Jubilee stared at her suddenly free hands. "Whoa… that was awesome." Then her eyes dropped. "Uh—wait. Are those… real claws?"
She looked at the long, gleaming metal blades extending from Logan's knuckles. "…Because that is not normal."
"Later," Logan said gruffly. "Let's move."
She stalked over to the locked door.
"O-okay—wait!" Jubilee hurried after her on shaky legs. "That door's locked! The guard probably has the keyc—"
SNIKT.
The lock was sliced clean off. Logan kicked the door open like it had personally offended her.
Jubilee stared at the ruined door. "…Right. Or we could just do that," she muttered, managing a weak, crooked smile.
Logan paused in the hallway, sniffing the air slightly. "You know which way's out?" she asked. "Or where they're holdin' your friends?"
Jubilee looked around the dim corridor, fear creeping back in. She shook her head slowly.
"I… I don't know," she admitted softly. "Sorry, Ms. Logan."
Logan cracked her neck. "Figures. Don't sweat it, kid."
She glanced down the hallway, claws still out. A crooked smirk tugged at her lips. "Hmph. Then we'll just ask someone."
And with that, she turned left and started walking like she owned the place.
"Uh—Miss Logan? We really shouldn't be wandering around like this," Jubilee whispered, hurrying after her and glancing nervously at the cameras mounted along the walls. "There could be guards he—"
A guard stepped out from around the corner.
They locked eyes.
"Take cover, kid!" Logan barked.
She dropped low and burst forward in a blur.
"Oh frick—oh frick!" Jubilee yelped, diving behind the corner and peeking out with her heart pounding.
BANG! BANG!
Gunfire echoed through the corridor.
Logan charged straight through it, weaving instinctively between the shots. One bullet came too close—she snapped her claws up and split it clean in half midair before slicing straight through the gun.
"AAAH!" the guard screamed as the weapon fell apart in his hands.
"Oh, shut up," Logan snapped irritably. "It's just a few fingers."
She drove her fist into his gut.
WHAM.
The man doubled over, wheezing, blood already soaking his gloves from where his fingers had been severed.
Jubilee rushed over, eyes wide. "I-is it over?"
"Yeah," Logan said flatly. "Now let's have a nice little chat."
She grabbed the guard by the visor and yanked it off, then crushed it in her palm like it was paper.
"Alright, pal," Logan growled, gripping his collar. "Where's the exit?"
She leaned in, voice low and dangerous. "Start talkin', or your face ends up lookin' like that mask."
The man opened his mouth—
"Ah—ugh—!"
Suddenly, his eyes flared red.
Blood poured from his nose and ears as his body stiffened, then went limp, collapsing backward onto the floor with a sickening thud.
"Uh… wh-what did you do, Miss Logan?" Jubilee asked, staring at the body in shock.
"I didn't do a damn thing," Logan muttered, tossing the crushed visor aside and crouching to check the man's pulse. "He just dropped dead on his own."
"He's… he's dead," Jubilee whispered, panic creeping into her voice. She hugged herself, then looked up at Logan desperately. "Miss Logan—ha—can you please get me out of this? I-I think I can help too… with my powers." She tugged anxiously at the metal collar around her neck.
Logan snorted. "You try anything stupid, and you'll just get yourself killed."
With a sharp snikt, she slid one claw under the collar and sliced it clean through. The metal fell away in two pieces.
"There," Logan said flatly.
"Th-thank you…" Jubilee breathed.
Almost instantly, bright sparks crackled to life around her hands. She stared at them in awe as colorful fireworks danced across her fingers.
Getting her powers back felt like breathing again after being underwater for too long. The abilities she used to call annoying and even embarrassing, now felt like a part of her she had been missing. Jubilee swallowed hard, finally understanding something she had heard a thousand times before.
You don't know what you've lost… until it's gone.
"Hey," Logan snapped, already moving forward, nose twitching as she sniffed the air. "Quit daydreaming and stick close, bub."
She scowled down the corridor. "I really hate these damn labs."
"Coming, Miss Logan!" Jubilee said quickly, hurrying after her—grinning now as bright, colorful sparks popped eagerly from her fingertips.
Second Underground Floor
"So… this is the second underground floor, huh?" Kitty whispered, glancing around.
"Keep it down," Marie said sharply, her voice low and controlled. "Let's split up and look for the mutant kids. We'll cover more ground that way."
"Uh, hello?" Kitty shot back, pointing between them. "We're kids too, you know."
Marie shot her a look. "Quit yappin'. You take the left. Phase through the walls, check every room. If you hit trouble, you call me—fast."
Her eyes flashed red for a split second as she turned her head to the right, lips curling into a sharp grin. "I can already smell live blood over there."
Kitty took a cautious step back. "Okay, first of all—creepy. Second—maybe don't go full Bloody Marie on anyone?"
"Just focus on the mission," Marie said flatly.
And then she was gone—moving with vampiric speed down the corridor.
"…Who made her in charge?" Kitty muttered with a pout. "And since when do vampires get super-speed? That is such BS."
She phased through the nearest wall, slipping into a darkened room.
Her Focus flickered blue, illuminating the space instantly.
"Oh—infrared vision?" Kitty whispered, impressed. "Okay, that's actually really cool."
She looked around the empty room.
"Huh. Nothing here… next!"
She passed through several more rooms—most filled with strange equipment, humming consoles, and sealed crates—before her initial nerves started to fade.
"Like… how many rooms is this already?" Kitty muttered. "Don't these guys have, I dunno, a map or something? What if I'm just going in circles?"
She phased through the next wall—and stepped into a small, softly lit room.
"Who are you?"
The voice was sharp and alert.
A blonde girl in stark white patient clothes had risen from the bed, blue eyes locked onto Kitty. Her posture shifted instinctively into a guarded, combat-ready stance.
"Oh! I found one!" Kitty blurted out, instantly relieved.
"I asked who you are," the girl repeated, fists tightening slightly.
"Whoa—hey—don't freak out," Kitty said quickly, lifting her hands. "I'm here to like rescue you. Promise."
"…Rescue me?" The girl's eyes widened. "Did—did Katrin make it out?" she asked, hope slipping into her voice.
"Oh, yeah! The blue girl," Kitty nodded rapidly. "Marie kept calling her a devil, which I argued was totally inaccurate because like devils have red skin—"
"That's enough," the girl cut in, exhaling in relief. "Okay… this is good, no great even."
She studied Kitty more closely. "You can walk through walls. That means you're a mutant too, right? Did you come alone?"
"Nope. The whole X-Men rescue package is here," Kitty said with a grin. "My partner's even sweeping the other side of this floor. Oh—and I'm Kitty. Kitty Pryde."
"Dinah," the girl replied, offering a brief but genuine smile. "Dinah Lance."
Then her expression sharpened again. "But we should move. You still plan to rescue my other friends, don't you?"
"Yep. You're absolutely right," Kitty said, extending her hand. "Grab on—I can get us out of this room in, like, two seconds."
Dinah hesitated, glancing at the cameras in the corners. "They've probably already seen you. If guards are coming, we need to hurry."
Kitty smirked. "Relax. No one's catching me."
She corrected herself with a grin. "—I mean us."
And with that, she phased forward, pulling Dinah with her as they slipped cleanly through the wall and into the next room.
On the opposite side of the floor, Marie had already taken down three guards.
Thump.
She glanced down at the unconscious man, clicking her tongue. "Ah gotta remember ta dial it back," she muttered. "These fellas ain't nowhere near as tough as Luke."
She moved on without another look. The strength humming through her veins was intoxicating—vampiric power letting her glide through the corridor without a sound. And knowing the cameras couldn't see her? That made it even easier to move without fear.
Marie stopped in front of a sealed door labeled Patient 4.
Most of the rooms she had passed were empty—but behind this one, she could hear it clearly.
A heartbeat.
She drove her fist forward, shattering the lock in one clean blow. With a light push, the door swung open.
Inside stood a boy with brown skin and slick black hair, staring at her like she had stepped straight out of a nightmare.
"C'mon," Marie said firmly. "Ah'm here ta get ya outta here."
"Oh—yeah," he laughed nervously. "Sure. That… totally checks out."
"We don't have time fer jokes," she said, eyes narrowing. "Move. Now."
"Right, right," he said quickly, falling into step behind her. Then, as if he couldn't help himself, he added, "Y'know, this is the first time I've ever been rescued by a cute girl. Name's Roberto. Roberto da Costa. Guess my dad finally decided to send someone to get me out of here, huh?"
"Ah said keep quiet," Marie snapped, already moving faster down the corridor.
"C'mon, don't be like that, sweetheart," Roberto said, forcing a nervous smile as he hurried after her. "How'm I supposed to thank ya once we're outta here if I don't even know your name?"
Marie vanished from his side.
The next instant—
BAM!
She reappeared in front of a distant guard and drove her fist into his head. His body flew backward, slammed into the wall, and crumpled to the floor, motionless.
"I told ya not ta make noise," Marie growled, turning back toward Roberto. Her eyes glowed red in the dim light.
"Y-yes, ma'am," Roberto stammered, voice shaking as he scrambled after her. "I—uh—he's not… dead, right?"
"No," Marie said flatly as they passed the fallen guard. "His heart's still beatin'."
She paused, head tilting slightly, senses flaring. "Now hush. Ah gotta focus. Still need ta find more blood."
"B-blood?" Roberto echoed, his face draining of color as he stared at his beautiful but terrifying rescuer.
First Underground Floor
"How big is this place?" Jubilee muttered as they had been walking far longer than she liked.
Logan clicked her tongue. "Tch. I'm startin' to regret not askin' the kid for directions," she growled, fingers flexing as she remembered the Focus device Luke had given her.
Jubilee tried to laugh it off. "Y'know, if this were a video game, this'd totally be the part where we fight the boss to unlock the exit."
Logan stopped dead.
Snikt. Snikt.
Her claws slid out with a metallic hiss, her body dropping low as every instinct she had screamed danger.
"Uh—miss Logan?" Jubilee asked nervously. "D-did I just jinx us or something?"
Logan didn't answer. Her muscles coiled tight, eyes locked forward.
"Stay behind me," she snarled.
A deep, guttural growl echoed down the hallway.
From around the corner stepped a massive figure—so tall his head nearly brushed the ceiling. Chalk-white skin. Long blond hair tied back in a single ponytail. Glowing red eyes that burned with malice. Crimson armor wrapped around his hulking frame like a second skin.
Jubilee's blood ran cold.
"T-that's him," she whispered, backing away. "That's the monster…"
Logan bared her teeth. "Hmph. Seen uglier."
The giant's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Ohhh," he rumbled in a thick Russian accent. "Looks like Omega Red has been gifted not one… but two little meals."
With a sickening shhk, two long metal coils burst from his wrists, whipping through the air as he extended his arms toward them.
"I think," he continued with a wide toothy smile, red eyes gleaming, "I will enjoy this very much."