The frigid air nips at my skin as we huddle outside the U-Women's base, the concrete building behind us now just another tomb of horrors we've left behind. My breath forms little clouds that vanish almost as soon as they appear, like ghosts escaping my lungs.
Xorna stands beside me, her massive helmet catching the late afternoon sun. The metal contraption looks even more skull-like out here in the natural light, and those eerie blue eye-slits that seem to stare right through me. She's dressed now, thanks to Magik's quick spellwork.
"How's the air out here?" I ask, trying to make conversation while Mystique, Firestar, and Kitty finish scouring the base for evidence.
Xorna turns toward me, the helmet moving with deliberate slowness like it weighs a ton. "I don't breathe," she says, her voice coming through the vents with that strange metallic echo. "But, I haven't felt wind in... I don't know how long."
I nod, unsure what to say to someone who's been imprisoned for most of their life. What do you talk about? The weather? Current events she's missed? Instead, I just stand there awkwardly, scuffing my boot against the frozen ground.
"Jack," Xorna says suddenly, her head tilting slightly as she examines me. "Jack is a beautiful name."
The compliment catches me off guard. "Oh, uh, thank you," I manage, feeling weirdly flattered.
She takes a step closer, her tall frame almost intimidating. Even with that mask hiding her face, there's something intense about her presence that makes my skin tingle.
"What does it mean?" she asks, genuine curiosity in her voice.
I scratch the back of my neck, embarrassed. "I don't think Jack means anything, actually."
Magik, who's been keeping watch a few feet away, lets out a sharp laugh. "It's a crank you use to lift up a car," she says with that mocking edge she gets sometimes, her Russian accent making the joke sound even harsher.
"Alright," I mutter, shooting her a look.
Xorna's metal face shifts toward Magik, then back to me. "Names don't need meanings to be beautiful," she says, her voice softer now.
I can't help noticing how the clothes Magik conjured strain across Xorna's chest. Like most female mutants I've met, she's stacked in a way that defies normal human proportions. It makes me wonder if the X-gene somehow affects secondary sex characteristics. Not that I'm complaining, just an observation I've made since joining the X-Women.
"So," Xorna says, taking another step closer, her imposing frame casting a long shadow over me in the fading light. "Where will we go after this?"
"Back to our apartment in New York," I say without hesitation, though it feels weird calling it 'our' apartment when I've barely gotten used to it being mine. "We've got this building in Mutant Town. That's a neighborhood where, you know, people like us can be a bit more ourselves."
"Interesting," she replies, the blue glow from her eye-slits intensifying briefly. "New York."
"Wait, do you know what New York is?" I ask, suddenly realizing how little I know about her life experience. For all I know, she's never seen anything beyond laboratory walls.
"Yes. I've overheard my old guards talk about it. The tall buildings that scrape the sky. The millions of people. The yellow taxis."
"It's pretty cool," I nod, relieved she has some concept of where we're going. "Though I should warn you, some of the humans there are super racist against mutants. They might be... afraid of your mask."
Xorna tilts her helmet toward me, that eerie blue glow unwavering. "If I take this off, my star will collapse into a black hole."
I blink rapidly, processing what she just said. "That sounds super dangerous."
"The scientists told me it might only impact the size of a city block, or it could destroy the whole planet. They were unsure, and no one wanted to test it out."
My mouth goes dry. "Then we definitely won't take it off," I say quickly, trying to sound casual about the fact that I'm standing next to someone who could potentially wipe out Manhattan with one wardrobe adjustment.
"For the bes."
I study the contraption more closely now.
"It honestly looks pretty cool," I say, trying to find some silver lining to her situation. "Like something out of a sci-fi movie."
"You... you like my visage?" Xorna asks, her helmet tilting slightly to one side. There's something almost shy in the way she shifts her weight from one foot to the other.
I feel heat rush to my cheeks, suddenly realizing how my compliment must have sounded. "Yeah, I mean, it's intimidating but in a cool way. Like a space warrior or something."
The blue glow from her eye-slits pulses slightly brighter. "I've never had anyone say something positive about... this." She gestures toward her helmet with a hesitant hand. "The scientists only saw it as a necessary containment device."
"Well, they don't sound very nice," I reply, watching as she steps even closer to me. Despite the chill in the air, I can feel warmth radiating from her. "If you're stuck with it, might as well embrace it, right?"
"Exactly," Xorna says, her voice dropping to a lower register that somehow sounds more intimate despite the metallic filter. She reaches out, her fingers brushing against my arm with surprising gentleness. "I think I'm going to like having you show me around this new world, Jack."
I feel a weird tingle where her fingers touch my arm, not unpleasant but definitely strange. It's like a gentle electric current passing between us. Before I can comment on it, Mystique's voice cuts through the moment, sharp as a knife.
"Hey, why the fuck is the new girl rubbing Jack like that?" She stalks toward us, her crimson skin almost glowing in the fading light. "Buzz off, tin can. He's not a petting zoo."
"Mystique, stop," I hiss, stepping slightly between them. "You're going to make her mad." The last thing we need is Xorna collapsing her star again because someone pissed her off.
Xorna's mask turns toward Mystique, those blue eye-slits flaring briefly. But instead of the cosmic meltdown I'm bracing for, her voice comes out surprisingly calm.
"I'm not going to end it all now, Jack," she says, her voice somehow carrying a hint of amusement. "I have something to live for now."
"What's that?"
"Paying back your kindness," she says simply.
"I just want you to be happy," I reply, feeling awkward with everyone's eyes on us.
"See?" Xorna's head dips. "So kind."
Magik approaches, her sword now sheathed but her eyes still sharp with suspicion. "Hey, Xorna, what are your powers anyway?" she asks, getting right to the point. "Besides the whole... star thing."
"I heal."
Magik narrows her eyes. "Anything else?"
"Yes." The answer hangs in the air, but Xorna offers nothing more.
An awkward silence stretches between us until Mystique breaks it with an exaggerated sigh.
"What foods do you eat?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. "We can make Firestar get you stuff when we get back to New York."
"I don't eat food," Xorna states matter-of-factly.
"Damn," I say, genuinely disappointed. "So that means you can't have pizza." I'd been looking forward to showing her that one in particular.
She turns back toward me, and I swear I can hear a smile in her voice when she responds. "I'm sure there are plenty of other things you can show me, Jack."