The dagger slipped from her numb fingers as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror above the bed. She was young, only 17, but older beyond her years. Never having had a normal life, death had become her calling card. It was what she did, and in the secret corners of her soul, she knew she was damned for it.
The dagger silently landed on the carpeted floor, but some sixth sense had alerted her prey to her presence. She saw him tense, and reach for the weapon under his pillow. She knew she wouldn't have time to kill him with the dagger if he used a gun, so she did the only thing she could. A concentrated beam of iridescent light burst from her fingers. The force of it cleanly taking off the man's head.
She preferred to use a weapon. That way, at least she could distance herself from the kill. But if she used her power, then she had to accept that in her body, mind, and soul she was a killer.
Quickly, she picked up the dagger, and left through the balcony. Luckily, the noise from her pyrotechnic beam hadn't awakened any of the others in the house. Jumping down, she grabbed on to the rope she'd used to climb up, and slid to the ground. She ran to the east wall and climbed over to the safety of the road beyond. Another hundred yards led her to the car parked on the shoulder. She hurriedly got in and drove off. "Never leave a trace, or you'll be the next one to die." The words of her mentor echoed in her head.
She drove to her apartment, hoping he wouldn't be there, but she knew that was useless, he never left her alone after a kill. He always wanted to know the details, it had become a ritual for him. She saw him as soon as she entered. He was sitting at the computer terminal, "probably hacking into the defense department," she thought.
"It's done Nate. Any word from Father?" Nathan Essex, her "brother" and one of the many demons she had yet to conquer. He had been her partner for years, but lately he'd been wanting her to go on solo missions. At first she thought he had lost his passion for killing. But then after she got back he always wanted to know. He made her relive the experience. Sometimes, he went into her head, and peeked at the scenes.
"No, he hasn't contacted me yet, but I don't think you'll have to worry about another assignment soon. Something else has come up that will probably keep us busy, Xavier's on the move!" The excitement in his voice was tangible. He turned around from the computer console to look at his sister expecting her to have a similar reaction. But instead he saw her shake with terror and fall to the floor.
"Jubilee, what's wrong?" He quickly ran to his sister, picked her up from the floor, and set her on the sofa. "Are you OK? Did something happen during the kill? Were you hurt?" He flooded her with questions, but she couldn't answer him. All she could think about was that it was time.
"I'm fine. You just startled me. Is it true? Who told you that Xavier has reappeared? Can you trust the source?" All she had were more questions. Her whole life suspended, awaiting the answers. She hadn't expected this. It was too soon. According to their father Xavier hadn't been heard from in a decade, and most people thought he was dead.
"It's definitely true. Ariel called to say the X-Men had been spotted in Seattle. They were looking for Father's main laboratory. It all happened tonight, while you were gone. I know they haven't gotten Father, but he's their target. The most important thing is that Xavier is with them. Once again he's at the helm, and this time we won't let him get away."
Nate was ready for action. Jubilee could see it in the way he paced the length of the small living room. They had been living at the apartment, because their Father felt it would be better for them to be separated from him. "He knew they were coming. We never should have left him," she told Nate.
"He wouldn't have let us stay. You know him. He's already separated the whole team. Ariel said that Chamber and the others were going to LA. They'll stay underground until they get their orders. We have to stay here until Father makes his move. I'm sure he'll contact us. There's no one else."
--To Be Continued--