Becky Veverka
"x Jubilee x"
baqy81a@prodigy.com


Caverns

(this takes place just before issue 25!)


        He crouched low to the ground, smelling the dirt beneath him. 
Dang... now he had to sneeze. He held his breath. He couldn't sneeze... 
they'd find him! He couldn't be found now... he'd lose it all.
        A sudden weight dropped down upon his back. "Gotcha!" The attacker 
erupted into giggles. "You're 'It!'"
        Angelo sneezed and lifted Franklin off him. "I don't like 
Hide-and-Go-Seek. I quit."
        Franklin smiled. "You can't quit! You're 'It!'"
        Angelo Espinosa, also known as Skin, muttered a few Spanish cuss 
words under his breath. He'd lost a bet with Jubilee, and now had to play 
with these children.
        "Why don't we play something else, like, let's see how long we can 
leave Tío Angelo alone!"
        Franklin groaned. "No, we have to find Artie and Leech still!"
        "We?"
        "That's the way you play."
        "When we find them, can we stop?"
        "Okay."
        Angelo nodded thankfully and extended a whip of his prehensile skin 
towards a tree branch in the bio-dome and pulled himself up. Scanning over 
the large room used in training himself and other students, he saw no sign 
of the two other children. He glanced across to the empty observation room. 
Maybe the computer could find them, and he could quit.
        "Molly molly oxy free!"
        "No, olly olly oxen free."
        "What's olly?"
        Skin turned his head. Leech had run back to the base. Now only Artie 
was to be found. Skin swung from tree to tree, looking around. He supposed 
this was good training, hunting someone down. 
        Another whip of skin grabbed a branch, and as Skin swung his weight 
under it, it snapped, and Skin tumbled to the ground.
        Artie landed on top of him, having hidden in the tree. Skin grunted and 
pushed him off. What was with little kids and jumping on him? "You okay, 
niño?"
        Artie nodded and stood. 
        "Okay, we're done." Angelo lifted Artie onto his shoulders and 
carried him back to the tree house.
        "We're done," he repeated before Franklin and Leech, "so 
gooood-bye."
        "Please stay and keep playing with us, Angelo!" Franklin pleaded, 
grabbing an arm.
        "Hey! Leggo!"
        Leech grabbed his other arm and tugged. 
        "Stop it, I'm warning you..."
        The trio laughed, tugging on Angelo's arms, causing them to stretch.
        "Alright, you asked for it." Skin wrapped his arms around the two 
of them, then, when they were well and tied up, he hung them upside-down. 
The two of them squealed with laughter and fright. "Give up?" Skin asked 
with a grin.
        "ANGELO," a sudden voice boomed.
        He nearly dropped the two of them in surprise. He carefully lowered 
them to the ground and released them, turning around.
        Sean Cassidy was in the observation deck, speaking through the 
intercom. "Come here. Now."
        'Aw crap, what did I do now?' Angelo frowned. "Uh, Mr. Cassidy, we 
were just playing, I wasn't going to-"
        "It's not that, Angelo. All you out of the bio-dome, immediately!!"
        Skin motioned for the trio to follow, and they headed out.
        "The lot of you to the basement right away," Banshee said. There 
was fear in his voice that he was obviously trying to mask, so as not to 
scare the boys. 
        "Yes, sir," Skin said and pushed them along, sensing the urgency.
        Sean Cassidy scanned the bio-dome before following.

        "Yo, teach, what's up?"
        The rest of the team known as Generation X was huddled together in 
the basement, confused and afraid. 
        "Jubilee, please," Monet said in her haughty tone. "Use respect in 
talking to Mr. Cassidy. Referring to him as 'teach' does not-"
        "Security's been breached. Ms. Frost is scanning the perimeter now. 
I'm going to look around too. I wanted you down here as a precaution. None 
of ye move until I get back." He disappeared back up the stairs.
        Jubilee frowned and headed up the stairs after him. Synch grabbed 
her by the end of her yellow coat. "If Mr. Cassidy wants us to stay down 
here, I think it's best if we do, J."
        "Puh-lease, people. If there is somebody like Magneto out there, 
don't you think it'd be good if we helped out?"
        {{If they need help, they'll come get us,}} Jonothan Starsmore 
said after doing the closest thing to a sigh he could manage.
        "Unless they're prisoner already or something!"
        "Jubilee, just sit tight and be calm. I'm sure it was just the 
paperboy or somethin'!" Paige insisted.
        "Well, when I was with the X-Men, we-"
        She was cut off by a simultaneous groan.
        "Aw... shaddap."
        "Paige, what's going on?" Franklin asked, mildly worried.
        "Nothin, sweetie, just a little drill, that's all."
        "Well, I'm going up, even if you misfits ain't!" She ran up the 
stairs before Synch could grab her coat again. 
        She was met at the top by Monet. She had flown up the stairs over 
Jubilee's head.
        "We are not to leave. And that's-"
        M was cut off by a sudden shaking. An earthquake! In Massachusetts? 
        Jubilee and M were knocked to the ground as the shaking increased. 
'Jeez, must be an eight at least!' Jubilee thought. 'Does it go higher than 
that?!'
        The girls could hear things crashing as they fell off shelves. 
Jubilee looked up, to see the light fixture swinging drunkenly above them. 
She grabbed M and pulled her to the closest door frame as the light came 
crashing down.
        Finally, the shaking ceased. Jubilee let out a wild whoop. "Yeah! 
That was awesome!"
        "Awesome!?" Monet stood, looking at Jubilee incredulously. "That 
was an earthquake!"
        "M, I'm from California, I'm used to 'um."
        "Yes, but California lies on the San Andreas Fault. The American 
east coast is in the middle of a tectonic plate. An earthquake of this 
magnitude could not have happened."
        "Well duh, Ms. Wizard. It's whoever breached security!"
        "We should make sure the others are alright."

        Paige sat up slowly, holding her head. Wow. What was that?! She 
looked around, seeing only inky darkness. Maybe she could husk into some 
sort of illuminating element.
        A sudden bright light nearly blinded her. She put her hands to her 
eyes.
        {{Sorry, sunshine. Just thought it was a bit dark in 'ere.}}
        Paige pulled her hands away, seeing Jono, having taken off his 
bandages, and letting his pure bio energy light the room. Paige looked 
around.
        It was a cave in. That earthquake or whatever it was brought the 
ceiling down, trapping her and Jono in this tiny cavern. 'Cripes,' she 
thought, 'of all the people to be trapped with...'
        {{Where's everyone else?}}
        "Good lord, the children!" Paige leapt up and ran to one of the 
walls. "Leech! Artie! Franklin! Can you hear me!?" All that came back was 
silence. "Oh no...."

        Skin awoke to someone hugging him. "What the he-" He pushed off 
whoever it was, but they held tight. "Leggo!"
        "Leech is afraid."
        Angelo sighed. "Leech. You startled me, niño." He squinted in the 
darkness. The whole place had started shaking, the ceiling must have caved 
in, and something hit him on the head. Even now his head was throbbing. 
"Where's everyone else?"
        "Leech does not know. Leech is afraid."
        "Yeah, you said that. You haven't got a flashlight, or anything?"
        "No."
        "Wait. I got a lighter." Angelo sat up, digging into his pocket. 
"Leech, you got to let go so I can get it."
        "No."
        "Everything's fine. The earthquake's over. And when I get my 
lighter, we can see, and find everyone else."
        "Leech no like underground."
        It occurred to him then. This poor kid was in the Morlock tunnels 
his whole life. Abused, mistreated. Then he was taken out into the sunlight, 
out of the clutches of Gene Nation. No wonder this kid was so scared.
        "Leech, no one is going to hurt you, okay?"
        "Leech scared." Leech looked up at Skin. "Skin no scared?"
        "I'm not afraid of anything."
        Leech let go, and Skin pulled out his lighter. The small flame gave 
off a minimal amount of light, and in the corner, Angelo could see Franklin 
curled up in a ball. Skin crawled over to the boy and shook him. "Franklin, 
wake up. You okay?"
        The child groaned. "My leg... hurts."
        "Everything's going to be just fine, kiddo," Angelo said softly, 
not knowing if he was trying to convince Franklin, or himself.

        Synch groaned. He pushed a large piece of rubble off his chest and 
rolled over. In the dim light he could see he was alone in a tiny cavern 
made by the earthquake's destruction.
        At least he thought he was alone. He could faintly hear a scratching 
sound.
        Where was everyone? He extended his aura, hoping to synch with 
someone nearby, and then be able to find them. 
        They were close. He could sense Paige and Jono a few yards to the 
side, and Skin, Franklin, and Leech ahead a ways. There seemed to be couple 
above him, too, but he was too tired to bother and find out who they were. 
        He moved his aura behind him, and was shocked at how close this 
mutant was. He concentrated, zoning in on exactly what the power was, and 
figuring out who was in here with him.
        "Penance?"
        Everett knew this silent team member wouldn't answer. But his aura 
told him she was in one piece at least.
        There was the clicking of her claws on the floor as Penance 
approached him. 
        "You know how to burrow, right? Get us out of here so we can help 
everyone else, okay, Penny?"
        Before Everett could even finish his sentence, Penance was breaking 
through the concrete floor.

        "Ugh..." Mondo moaned. He should have absorbed that. He'd be lucky 
if he hadn't broken anything. He got up the energy to absorb the rubble he 
was buried under and work his way up.

        Banshee landed, seeing part of the building in ruins. What 
happened? Where was Emma?!
        {{Sean. They're hurt.}}
        'Eh?' Banshee looked around. 'Who is, woman? Where are they?'
        {{Angelo, Franklin, Mondo, Everett and Artie. I can sense their 
pain. Everyone's alive, though. They're buried under the basement, Sean.}}
        Banshee zoomed to the school. 'Maybe I can sonically scream an 
opening-'
        {{Don't even try it,}} came the White Queen's voice. {{You could 
have it cave in even more, and crush them. I'm already digging. But some 
help would be nice.}}
        Banshee smiled in spite of the situation. He swiftly headed to the 
basement door and stopped. What caused this? Or more appropriately, who 
caused this? 'I'll be there soon... I want to take one last look around.'

        "Whaugh!"
        "You unbalanced clumsy-"
        "Don't let go!"
        "I'm not going to let you go." Monet pulled Jubilee out of the 
crevice she had managed to slip into. "You seem to have forgotten the fact 
I have super strength and can fly."
        Jubilee dusted herself off. "I wasn't worried about you letting go 
on accident. I was worried about you letting go on purpose."
        Monet sighed. "The entire floor has caved in to the basement below 
it seems."
        "Aren't we observant today?" Jubilee grabbed hold of the railing 
and leaned over to look into the hole. "Everybody was down in the basement! 
They could've been crushed!"
        "I'm sure they're fine."
        "We have to go down and find them!"
        Monet took Jubilee's hand and floated her down into the cavern. 
        "Can anybody hear me?"
        No answer.
        "Well, we just gotta blow a tunnel, don't we?" Jubilee aimed her 
hands.
        "NO!"
        Jubilee's pyrotechnic powers shot from her hands, blowing away 
part of the wall made by the cave in. There was a rumbling as some more 
rubble slid down. 
        "You idiot! That was keeping the rest of the ceiling up!"
        "Oops."
        
        "What was that?"
        {{What?}}
        "That sound."
        {{I didn't hear anything.}}
        The rumbling grew, and Paige could feel bits of gravel hit her 
head. "Another cave in!" she screamed, kneeling down. She quickly husked 
into... a rubber something... Yes, that was good, the rocks would bounce 
right off. 
        Jono knelt beside her, looking up. Paige put an arm around him. 
"Stay under me!" she shouted as the ceiling moved. Jono nodded wordlessly 
and crouched under her.
        The ceiling slid slightly, then buckled. Then there was silence.
        Jono paused. {{Uh... false alarm.}}
        "Must be the after shocks," Paige said. "Will it hold?"
        {{I sure hope so.}}
        Paige stood, and Jono sat up. They looked at each other for a 
moment then turned away.
        "We've got to get out of here."

        Mondo reached the first floor and returned to his flesh form with 
a heavy sigh. Oog, he hurt all over.
        {{Can anybody hear me?}}
        Mondo sat up and looked around. He was alone in the kitchen, and 
yet-
        {{I'm digging for you, children, just hang on.}}
        Ah, it was Miss Frost. Mondo hadn't even thought to look for 
anyone else. He felt too weak to do it now. His arm hurt. His head hurt. 
He hurt all over. He cussed at himself for not absorbing those stupid rocks 
when they first fell. He just wasn't paying attention. 
        "Miss Frost!"
        Mondo saw her blonde head poke out from behind the wall into the 
next room. "Mondo! Are you alright?!"
        "No."
        {{Sean, where are you?! I need help! The floor was starting to 
fall, but it held up. I found Mondo. He doesn't look good.}}
        
        'I'm looking around, woman. Something caused that earthquake, and 
I doubt it was natural.'
        But the premises were empty. Not a soul in sight. Banshee sighed. 
Oh well. Finding whoever caused this wasn't important. He had to help the 
kids. He turned around and headed back to the school.

        Synch groaned. Penance turned around to look at him.
        His whole insides hurt. That rock that landed on his chest. It 
didn't hurt at first, but now it did. He was feeling quite weak. He didn't 
think he could keep crawling through this tunnel Penance was digging.
        Penance stopped tunneling to hop back over to him. She looked at 
him, her head tilted to the side, curious.
        "Pen, I don't feel so hot. That rock must bashed up my insides."
        Penance touched him gingerly on the arm. She frowned, concerned. 
She hopped backward and waited for him to follow.
        Everett crawled slowly, and stopped to rest. "Ugh. I can't keep 
going, Penance."
        Penance frowned again, and began to tunnel strait up. She was 
getting him out of here, no matter what they were under.

        Franklin moaned in his sleep. Leech looked at Skin with a worried 
face. "Will Franklin be fine?"
        "I already promised you, Leech. When they come and get us out, 
they'll take off the splint and put a cast on his leg, and you can sign it!"
        "Where's Artie?"
        "I don't know."
        "When will they find us?"
        "Soon. Real soon."
        Skin laid back, putting a hand to his head. 'At least they better, 
I could sure use an Advil.'

        Jubilee sat up. She'd hit the dirt when the ceiling started again. 
But it buckled, and they were safe. "Awright, M. Don't want to admit it, 
but you were right."
        She looked at M, standing in a corner. 'This had better not be 
what I think it be.'
        "Monet, if you're going autistic on me, I'll knock your lights out."
        No answer. The girl known as M stared blankly into space. Jubilee 
growled. "How are we supposed to get out of this hole now?!"

        Banshee lifted a rock and heaved it to the side. There had to be 
an easier faster way to do this.
        Emma had taken Mondo to the infirmary. He had a shattered arm, and 
a bruised head. He had been completely buried under the rubble. 
        Now as Sean Cassidy dug, he feared worse for the other students.
        
        Everett felt fresh cool air hit his face, and hard hands gently 
take him under the arms and drag him towards it.
        There was light, and Everett felt dirt as he was stopped dragging. 
He opened his eyes. He was in the bio dome. Well, that was good. He closed 
his eyes and slipped back into unconsciousness.
        Penance tapped his cheek carefully. She had to find the one with 
the red beard. He would help this boy with the brown skin. She looked about, 
then ran from the room.

        Sean furiously threw away stones. If only Mondo wasn't 
incapacitated. He could get down there quicker. Or if Penance were up here. 
She could dig-
        He heard someone approaching. He spun around to see Penance running 
towards him. "Penny! Saints preserve us, thank goodness you're alright!"
        Penance grabbed his arm and dragged him off towards the bio-dome. 
"Penance, wait, we've got to dig down, child, get them out!" Sean said, 
pulling his arm away
        She huffed, pulling harder. He just didn't understand. If only she 
could communicate with him!
        "Penance, what is it? I need you to dig!" He pointed down, making 
digging motions. Penance reached out a claw and pinched him. "Ow!"
        She grabbed his arm and started tugging him again. "Alright, 
alright, I'm coming!"

        Emma had hooked Mondo up to various machines. She'd braced his arm 
and given him some pain killers. Now he slept peacefully.
        What could have caused this? 
        The door flew open as she was about to leave and help Sean dig. 
She was nearly ran into by him carrying Everett. "Wha-! What happened?"
        "I don't know. I think Penny dragged him out. Looks like a couple 
bashed ribs and internal bleeding."
        "Quick lay him over here!"
        Penance watched as the red beard man and the white woman put the 
brown boy down and look over him. They would help now. Penance ran back 
out to dig the others free.

        {{I'm sorry.}}
        Paige looked at him. "What?"
        {{I'm sorry I acted like a jerk.}}
        Paige frowned and turned away again.
        {{I guess... I guess I can be...}} Jono stopped, giving up trying 
to find the right words.
        "Jono, we'll have a discussion later. Right now, we should 
concentrate on getting out of here and helping everyone else."
        {{I was just being sorry-}}
        "Be sorry later."

        Jubilee gripped the rock, pulling herself up. She guessed she had 
about four more feet to the top and out of here. Stupid M. Of all the 
times to go off into her little world. 
        Jubilee put her foot on another stone, pushing on it for support. 
        It fell away under her foot. Jubilee let out a short scream before 
falling with it.        
        This was gonna hurt.
        The air rushed out of Jubilee's lungs as she impacted, back first. 
But it seemed she didn't hit the ground.
        "You really must learn to be patient."
        "M! I'm gonna kill you!"
        "Later." Monet flew up and out of the hole. She placed Jubilee 
softly on the ground and landed beside her. "That was for getting me out 
from under the light."
        Jubilee paused. Was this some kind of sick thank you from this girl? 
"Well... thank you."
        Monet nodded with a slight smile. "Now, it is best recommended we 
dig down, rather than across. Let's look over the floor, and see if anyone 
else has surfaced."
        Jubilee nodded curtly, running to the living room. There was the 
most damage here. And... Penance was digging down already!
        "Penny!"
        The girl did not turn. Either she didn't hear, or was to absorbed 
in her digging.
        Jubilee ran to her. Penny turned now and smiled. She turned back 
and continued digging. "I get it. We got to get the others out now, right? 
Okay." Jubilee bent down beside Penance, and dug with her hands.

        Paige sat up. Did she hear voices? She looked over at Chamber. He 
was just sitting there, leaning up against the wall, looking down at his 
hands.
        For a moment she felt a pang of guilt. Sure, he acted like a jerk. 
But, he apologized. That was very unjerk-like of him. Now she was acting 
asinine, refusing it. She liked him. Still. "Jono-"
        "Paige! Jono! you two okay?!"
        Paige looked up into the sudden light. Jubilee and Penance were 
looking down at them through a small hole. Jubes was waving. 
        {{We're fine.}}
        "Great! I got a rope, hang on." Jubilee's silhouetted head 
disappeared for a moment, followed by Penance's. Jono looked to Paige.
        {{What were you saying?}}
        Paige shook her head. "Nevermind."
        A rope appeared from above and Paige climbed up.

        Skin really didn't feel good. He wanted to sleep, but every time 
he put his pounding head down, Leech would nudge him in the ribs. Now he 
leaned against a rock, Franklin to one side, Leech in his lap.
        Angelo could feel the round bump that had formed on the back of 
it's head, and with each heartbeat it would pulsate painfully.
        It was now to the point he couldn't stay awake no matter how hard 
Leech would jab him. He lolled his head back, the world slipping into a 
pleasing black.
        "Skin wake up. Leech no be all alone."
        "My head hurts, Leech, just let me rest my eyes."
        "No! You stay awake, protect Leech."
        Skin sighed, forcing his eyes open. "I'm trying Leech, honest. 
They're going to find us soon."
        A rock dropped from their ceiling. Leech jumped with surprise, 
hugging Skin tighter. Then a few more before light spilled down on them.
        "Hello! Anybody down here?!"
        "Banshee!" Leech jumped up and ran under the opening. "Leech and 
Skin and Franklin is down here!"
        "Are ye all alright?"
        "No. Franklin broke his leg. Skin's head hurts. Leech is fine."
        Banshee floated down, scooping Leech up in his arms. "Let's get the
lot of ye out of here."
        Monet followed, gingerly lifting Franklin. "Angelo...?"
        "I'm fine," he said weakly. Boy, did his head hurt. He could tend 
to it later. "Where are the others?"
        "I think we got everybody."
        "Where's Artie?"
        
        "He's alive, but he's hurt."
        "Everyone who can dig, do so immediately. We've got to find the 
lad." The ones not stretched out on beds in the infirmary took off.
        Sean ran to the hole Penance had dug. Maybe he could use his sonic 
scream to tunnel some more towards-
        Monet's arm shot out and grabbed his arm. "Mr. Cassidy-"
        "M, we have to find Artie."
        "I found our intruder."

        "Artie! Answer somehow if you can hear us, kiddo!" Dang. Two mutes 
on the team, and Skin had to find one of them. Plus his head was still 
pounding. That didn't matter. They had to find Artie. "Just give us a 
picture where you are, okay?" 
        "Ah hope he's not unconscious. He can't give us a signal that way." 
Paige noticed she wasn't bothering to try and control her accent anymore. 
Who cared. Finding Artie was important.
        It first appeared as a misty cloud, but soon it took form. Angelo 
looked up, trying to recognize the shape. "It looks like... an arrow!" 
Artie was awake alright, with an arrow pointing to him. Angelo jumped up 
and ran to where it was pointing, followed by Paige. Soon the arrow 
flipped, pointing strait down. "Hang on Artie, we're coming! You okay down 
there?" The pink arrow darkened to red, and took the shape of a cross. 
"You're hurt? Well, we'll get you out and make you all better, okay?"
        The two worked, shoving rubble aside. "Somebody help us! We found 
him!" Paige shouted.
        Jono turned the corner, followed by Penance, and soon Jubilee. 
Without a word, the three knelt down beside them, and dug.
        Soon, a bruised hand appeared. The three pink fingers waved 
weakly. {{He's completely buried!}}
        Jubilee pushed the stone away carefully now, as Paige patted the 
small hand. In moments, Artie's little pink face emerged from the rubble, 
with a black eye and a broken nose. Skin put his hands in Artie's armpits 
and lifted him free.
        "Oh, he looks terrible..."
        Skin was already running back, cradling the battered Artie in his 
arms.

        "There." Monet pointed at the flickering screen.
        "I don't see anything."
        Monet hit the rewind button and played the security tape again. 
"Keep your eyes on the bars behind the bushes to the far left."
        Sean Cassidy squinted his eyes, staring at the monitor, and saw her.
        A little dark girl was gripping the bars of the outer gate, staring 
in. She stood there for awhile, before slipping through the bars and under 
the hedges. "That's what caused the silent alarm to go off."
        "Who is it?"
        "I thought no one, just a snoopy child. Yet watch. A few moments 
later, she obviously gets scared," Monet said, as the girl looked up, 
shocked, then the view began to shake, then snow, and finally the picture 
returned, tilted and unfocused, but you could see the girl slipping through 
the bars, back the way she came.
        "What are you saying, M?"
        "I think she caused the earthquake. A little mutant girl, who got 
scared, and made the earth move. She must have seen you making your 
perimeter check."
        "Aye, I did go back that way. But who is she?"
        M turned in the swivel chair, tapping at a keyboard. "Well, no one 
in the computer files matches her description, eight to twelve years old, 
Indian girl. Not even a single possible parent match."
        "So this is someone new, eh?" Banshee rewound the tape to watch 
again. "I doubt she's dangerous."
        "And yet, look at the damage. Sir."

        March 10

        It was difficult to find crutches Franklin's size, and he at first 
refused to use them, as he couldn't climb to the tree house for a month. 
But with Artie in a wheel chair for a month longer, Franklin reluctantly 
accepted. Skin and Synch quickly built an elevator of sorts to lift them 
up when you tug on the rope. I could have come up with something better, 
but it is just a child's tree house, after all.
        Skin had just a mild concussion, by the way. He just had to rest 
in bed for a few days, and Paige often visited him to play Scrabble.
        Synch healed up real fast. After the internal bleeding stopped, 
that is. He had only one broken rib, luckily. So he was up and about again 
in no time at all.
        Mondo is well again, also. Same story, bed rest and T.L.C. and he 
was mended miraculously.
        As for the girl I spotted outside? Well, we've seen no sign of her 
since.
        Well, Jubilee is insistent I help with repairs. It would take 
forever, if not I evaluated the situation, and came up with several time 
saving tips to repair the first floor, or the basement ceiling, 
depending on how you look at it.
        In closing, dear diary, everything is as back to normal as things 
can get around here.

                                                        Monet