The Blackbird's engines whine down to a mechanical purr as we touch down in a natural clearing. Jungle foliage surrounds us like a living wall of green, stretching as far as I can see in every direction. The air that rushes in when the ramp lowers hits me like a wet blanket, hot, heavy, and so humid it feels like I'm trying to breathe through a soaked sponge.
"Holy shit, it's hot," I mutter, already feeling sweat beading along my hairline. I step down the ramp, my boots sinking slightly into the soft earth. "I thought December was supposed to be cold."
Emma glides past me with that effortless grace of hers, not a single hair out of place despite the oppressive humidity. She looks back at me over her shoulder, those ice-blue eyes glinting with amusement.
"Summer starts in December down here, darling," she says, her British accent somehow making the statement sound condescending. "We're in the southern hemisphere."
"Oh yeah," I say, feeling like an idiot. "I forgot."
Jubilee bounds down the ramp behind me, practically vibrating with excitement. Her yellow coat is tied around her waist now, concession to the heat that I should probably make myself. "This is so cool! Look at all the birds!"
She's right. The jungle around us is alive with sound, a cacophony of calls, squawks, and chirps that create a constant background noise I can already tell is going to drive me insane after a few hours.
Morgan emerges last, sniffing the air like a predator assessing new territory. Her wild hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she's wearing a tank top that shows off arms that look like they were carved from granite. "Smells like rain's coming," she grunts, scanning the dense treeline. "Let's move."
Emma pulls out her phone. "The signal Xavier detected is approximately one mile northeast from here," she announces, gesturing toward a barely visible path cutting through the underbrush.
We fall into formation without discussing it, Morgan taking point with her enhanced senses, Emma following close behind, then me, with Jubilee bringing up the rear. The jungle closes around us immediately, a living, breathing entity that seems determined to swallow us whole.
"You okay?" Jubilee whispers from behind me as we push through a particularly dense patch of foliage. "You seem tense."
"Yeah," I say, adjusting the collar of my shirt that's already sticking to my skin. "I just really don't want to get a mosquito bite."
Morgan scoffs without breaking her stride, pushing a massive fern out of her path. "Kid, I'm pretty sure your body will just heal them out if you get them."
"Oh." I pause, considering this. "That counts as a wound?"
She slows her pace slightly, her brow furrowing as she thinks for a moment. "I don't know..."
"Do you ever get them?" I ask, curious now
"No," Morgan replies gruffly, machete slicing through a tangle of vines.
"But you heal faster than me, so that could be why."
"Yeah..." she acknowledges, sounding thoughtful. "Hmmm."
I duck under a low-hanging branch, my mind racing with questions about our similar but different abilities. "Hey Morgan, is there anything that can hurt you? Like, actually hurt you?"
She stops so suddenly I almost crash into Emma. She turns, fixing me with a suspicious glare. "Why are you asking such an ominous question?"
"No, I'm just..." I gesture vaguely at our surroundings, the dense jungle with its thousand unknown threats. "Walking... and I don't know you that well, and I figure if there's something that can hurt you, it could probably hurt me too."
Morgan studies me for a long moment, her eyes narrowed as if trying to determine if I have some hidden agenda. Finally, she grunts and starts walking again.
"There's some stuff," she admits reluctantly.
"Well, can you tell me about it later?" I press, jogging a little to keep up with her relentless pace. "So I know what to look out for?"
"Yeah... you're trustworthy enough, I suppose."
Morgan gives me a small nod, which from her seems like a major concession. Then she turns and continues slashing through the dense foliage, creating a path for us to follow.
The conversation dies after that. We trudge silently through the muggy jungle, each lost in our own thoughts. The sounds of exotic birds and insects create a constant backdrop of noise that somehow makes the silence between us feel even heavier.
After what feels like hours of trekking through the endless green maze, Morgan suddenly raises her fist, signaling us to stop. I freeze mid-step, nearly stumbling into Emma's back.
"Water," Morgan whispers, tilting her head slightly. "River's close."
She motions for us to follow, moving more cautiously now. The vegetation thins as we approach, and suddenly the jungle opens up to reveal a wide, slow-moving river cutting through the landscape. The sight of clear water makes my parched throat ache.
But it's not the river that catches my attention, it's the small campsite set up near the bank. A weathered canvas tent stands beneath the shade of a massive tree, with a small fire pit nearby and what looks like scientific equipment scattered around.
Morgan's nostrils flare as she takes a deep breath. She turns to Emma, her expression tense.
"I can smell someone in there," she says quietly, nodding toward the tent. "Human. Alone."
Emma straightens her already perfect posture, her eyes narrowing with focus. Before she can respond, the tent flap rustles and a man emerges into the clearing.
My breath catches in my throat as I take in the stranger. He's a slight man, bald and frail-looking, with skin that's seen too much sun and not enough nutrition. He almost looks like a sickly Xavier.
Despite his wiry frame, there's something about his eyes that puts me on edge immediately, they're too sharp, too calculating for someone supposedly alone in the jungle.
"Hello there," he calls out, his voice surprisingly strong for someone who looks like a stiff breeze might knock him over.
"Hello," Emma responds, stepping forward with that regal confidence she always carries.
The man's gaze sweeps over our little group, lingering a bit too long on each of us before he speaks again. "I don't get many strangers out here." He gestures vaguely at his modest camp setup. "How can I help you?"
Emma offers her most diplomatic smile. "We're from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," she explains smoothly. "And we saw something interesting was happening here, so we decided to take a look."
The man reaches up and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I see," he says slowly. "You're with Xavier."
And then it happens, his mouth stretches into a wide grin that doesn't reach his eyes. There's something deeply unsettling about it, like watching a snake bare its fangs before striking.
"You're the X-Women?" he asks, his voice taking on an edge I don't like. His eyes dart to Morgan, who's tensed beside me like a coiled spring. "I don't see any of the more famous ones besides Wolverine though."
Morgan lets out a low growl at that, her hands flexing at her sides. I can practically feel the metal claws itching to spring from her knuckles.
"And who might you be?" Emma asks, her voice cooling several degrees.
The bald man steps forward, and I notice how he moves, too fluid, too graceful for someone with his build.
"Just a humble researcher," he replies, spreading his hands in a gesture of innocence that feels anything but. "Looking for something important."
Emma takes a step forward, her posture shifting into something more intimidating. I can tell she's about to dig into this guy's mind, and honestly, I'm all for it. Something about him makes my skin crawl.
The bald man's smile widens, becoming something grotesque and unnatural. "Big mistake, telepath."
Emma suddenly screams, a raw, primal sound I've never heard from her before. Her body goes rigid, back arching at an impossible angle before she collapses to the ground like a marionette with cut strings.
"Emma?" I cry out, lunging toward her crumpled form.
Morgan doesn't hesitate. With a feral roar, she launches herself at the man, adamantium claws extended and ready to tear him apart. But before she can reach him, the stranger lazily raises one hand. Morgan freezes mid-air, suspended by some invisible force, her face contorted with rage and surprise.
The man laughs, the sound echoing unnaturally through the clearing. "Wolverine. Predictable."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he sends Morgan's body flying. She crashes through several trees before disappearing into the dense foliage, her body going limp before she even lands.
Jubilee and I exchange terrified glances. We're outmatched and we both know it.
"Who the fuck are you?" I manage to ask, my voice embarrassingly shaky.
"Cassian Nova," he replies with a slight bow, as if we're at some fancy dinner party instead of in the middle of a jungle with two of our teammates down.
Before I can respond, Jubilee steps forward, her hands igniting with crackling pink energy. "Eat this, baldy!" she shouts, unleashing a barrage of plasma fireworks straight at his chest.
The explosions hit dead center, tearing through his shirt and into his flesh. Blood gushes from the gaping wound, and for a split second, I think we might actually have a chance.
Cassian grunts in anger, looking down at the mess of his chest with something like annoyance. While he's distracted, I dive for Emma's unconscious body, grabbing her under the arms and trying to get her away from this nightmare.
"Come on, Emma," I mutter, struggling with her dead weight. "Wake up."
I don't make it three steps before a weightless hands grab my ankles, yanking my feet out from under me. I hit the ground hard, still clutching Emma's limp form.
Nova looms over me, blood still seeping from his chest wound, which is visibly closing before my eyes. His healing factor works far faster than mine.
"Such a young man to be on this kind of mission," Nova says, shaking his head with mock disappointment as he stares down at me. "Shame on Xavier. Always sending her child soldiers to do her work."
I try to crawl backward, still clutching Emma's unconscious form, but Nova's telekinetic grip is unyielding. My heart hammers against my ribcage as I watch Jubilee launch another volley of fireworks at him, but this time they dissipate harmlessly against some kind of telekinetic shield.
"That last one hurt, girl," Nova says, his voice eerily calm despite the fact that his chest wound has already completely healed. He flicks his wrist again, and suddenly Jubilee is floating in the air, her limbs spread-eagled as if she's been pinned to a wall.
She struggles against the invisible force, her face contorted with effort and fear. "Let me go, you freak!"
Nova ignores her protests, stepping closer to her suspended form with that unnatural grace that makes my skin crawl. He raises his hand toward her face, pale fingers splayed like spider legs.
"No!" I shout, fighting against the telekinetic restraints with everything I have.
Nova's fingers sink into Jubilee's forehead, not physically breaking the skin, but somehow phasing through it like a ghost. Her body goes rigid, eyes widening in silent horror as her mouth opens in a silent scream.
"Ohhhhh," Nova coos, his voice dripping with malicious delight. "I see you like him. How sweet. Young love."
Jubilee's eyes dart to mine, filled with terror . Tears stream down her cheeks as Nova continues to rifle through her mind like it's an open book.
"Get out of her head!" I scream, my voice breaking with rage and helplessness.
Nova suddenly turns toward me, his unnerving pale eyes locking with mine. With Jubilee still suspended in the air, he steps closer to where I'm pinned.
"Don't forget this moment, boy," he says, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carries perfectly across the clearing. "This is what happens when Xavier meddles in my affairs too early."
He turns back to Jubilee, leaning in close to her ear. I can't hear what he whispers, but Jubilee's reaction is immediate and horrifying. Her eyes widen, pupils dilating with pure terror as she begins to scream.
"Please no," she whimpers, her voice high and broken. "No, no, please don't make me…"
Cassian lowers his hand, and Jubilee drops to the ground.
Her hands are shaking violently as they move toward her face, fingers pushing into her mouth like they belong to someone else. I strain against Nova's invisible restraints, every muscle burning with the effort.
"Jubilee!" I scream. "Fight it! You can fight him!"
Her eyes find mine, wide with horror.
"I can't… I can't stop it, Jack," she sobs around her own fingers, her powers beginning to crackle at her fingertips.
Pink energy builds between her lips, glowing brighter and brighter. Our eyes lock one final time. The silent goodbye in her gaze hits me worse than any physical blow ever could.
"JUBILEE!"
The explosion is deafening. Pink plasma erupts from her mouth, instantly vaporizing her jaw, then her face, then the back of her skull in a violent burst of gore and bone fragments. Blood and brain matter sprays in a wide arc, spattering the ground, the trees, my face. What's left of her body crumples to the ground, twitching once before going still forever.
"No… no… Jubilee…"
My stomach heaves. I can't process what I just saw. Jubilee's headless corpse lies mere feet away, the yellow coat around her waist now drenched in crimson. The smell of her burned flesh and copper fills the air.