Resistance is Futile

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Jubilee, Angelo, Emma and Sean all belong to Marvel comics. Star Trek belongs to someone else, as does Barbed Wire. This is not earning me any money.

Rating: G

Note - This story is completely unrelated to 'Times Change and we With Time'.
This story was written before Generation X #75 was published.

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She was sitting on a rock at the edge of a pond when he saw her. Not moving, not speaking but gazing steadily at the stagnant water. So still and silent, a state that he would have thought to be foreign to her. And she'd been uncharacteristically calm when the decision came, she just looked at them and nodded. No one else noticed it. Too busy protesting, arguing. But she accepted it straight away and he wondered why.

"You gonna stand there all day Espinosa or what?" She didn't turn around to look at him when she spoke.

He grinned, dropped his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his heel before walking over to her, "How'd you know was me?"

She reached out and pulled his packet of cigarettes out of his back pocket, waving it in front of his face, "You stink dude."

"Thanks a bunch chica." He retrieved the packet.

"My pleasure." She turned her gaze back to the pond.

He hunkered down next to her, pulling at the blades of grass around him and occasionally glancing at her profile.

"So what are you doing here exactly?"

"Contemplatin' my place in the universe… what does it look like I'm doin'?" She replied impatiently.

"Looks like you're staring at this muddy puddle."

"Then that's what I'm doing."

He inclined his head and started to rise.

She sighed and smiled penitently at him, "Sorry Ange. Wanna sit?"

"Sure, no problem."

She shuffled over on the rock to allow him space. He sat down next to her and together they gazed at the puddle…pond.

He drew out a cigarette, "You mind?"

She opened her mouth to protest but shut it again and shook her head, "No. Go ahead. Take ten years off your life."

"Gracias." He lit up.

She wrinkled her nose, "Why do you smoke anyways? You do know that smelling like a chimney is a complete turnoff."

"So that's what I've been doin' wrong with the ladies all these years."

She giggled and leaned back, resting on her elbows, "Seriously. Can't you just like quit?"

"Jubecita, I never thought I'd make it this far. Always thought that if any of us were to die," he exhaled slowly, the smoke dissipating into the air around them, "that it'd be me. Honestly, who has got the dumbest mutant ability on the team?"

"Angelo," she put an arm around his waist, "just cuz you can't, like, demolish a building with your powers doesn't mean they're dumb. I mean look at my powers, I'm Miss Sparkles for cryin' out loud. That'll really help me in my future career."

"Yeah, well…at least your power looks good," he muttered.

She shoved him off the rock.

"Hey! What the hell was that about?" He stood up and faced her angrily.

"Ange, you remember Penance? Girl who can't touch another person because her skin is too sharp," she slipped off the rock, and stood opposite him, "or how about Beast? The guy is covered in blue fur. Not to mention Nightcrawler, who has a tail, or Marrow, who has bones sticking out of her skin, or our friend Jono, who hasn't got a chest or jaw, as well as…"

"Okay, okay," he cut her off sullenly, "I get the idea."

"Good, so shut up." She plonked herself down on the grass and folded her legs under her. She looked up at him questioningly, "Aren't you going to sit down?"

"Right." He cautiously sat next to her and stubbed out his cigarette.

"So what you're saying is," she looked up at the canopy of trees above them, "that you think you'll be dead before you get, like, any of the side effects of smoking. Well," she amended, "besides the bad smell and stained teeth. Already got those."

"Hey! I do not have stained teeth chica. I brush with Caffree after every meal…" he trailed off and looked over to see Jubilee grinning at him.

"So much for your tough gangsta' rep Angelo. You're just a big soft upper middle class boy now, aren't ya?"

"Shaddup." He replied without rancour.

"Hmm." She turned her attention back to the trees.

"The answer to your question is yes. About the smoking and dying before the effects kick in."

She turned to look at him, "That's really sad."

"Thanks."

"No, not sad as in pathetic but, y'know, sad."

"No it's not. 'S just reality, Jubecita."

"Yeah, well," she rolled onto her stomach and began to pluck the daisies surrounding her, "not in the superhero biz anymore barrio boy, so maybe you should think about getting those nicotine patches soon."

"Still a mutant. Shorter life expectancy anyway."

She had no reply for that and began to make a daisy chain with the flowers she had plucked.

"You weren't surprised."

She looked up at him in confusion, "What?"

"When they told us they were closing this place down," he explained, "you didn't seem surprised."

She gave him a little half-smile and shrugged.

He stared at her for a moment, "You knew already."

She smiled again.

"How?"

"Logan rang me this morning. Just before the meeting."

"Oh yeah. Wolvie."

Her head shot up, "Don't make fun of him!"

"It's your nickname for him, chica." He reminded her.

"Yeah but you," she replied accusingly, "made it sound like an insult."

"Whatever you say." He looked at their surroundings, "what are you doing out here?"

She glowered at him for a moment before replying, "Clearing my head. Looking at the pond. Why are you out here?"

"Clearing my head, looking at the pond."

"Funny."

"I know. Don't seem too cut up about it."

"About the Academy closing?" She shrugged and draped her daisy chain over Angelo's head, "It was kinda inevitable if you ask me." She studied her handiwork for a moment, "Oh you look bee-oo-ti-ful."

He grinned crookedly back at her, "Thank you. How's it inevitable?" Part of the daisy chain slipped down over one eye.

She reached out and rearranged it, "Think about it. How many teams outside the X-Men actually survive? X-Factor and Excalibur bit the dust."

"X-Force is still around." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but they've shifted focus so many times I've lost track. First they're like the teen mutants, then they're like Cable's gun toting students, then they're all black ops with Pete Wisdom and now," she wrinkled her brow in thought, "now I don't know what the hell they're meant to be doing."

"So what you're saying is we shouldn't bother to try to get them to keep this place running?"

"Can if you want. Won't do you any good," she looked at the ground, "it's all over. Finished. Finito. Comprende?"

"So… 'Resistance is Futile'."

She glanced up at him and smiled, "Isn't that…?"

"…Star Trek…"

"…the Borg…"

They burst out laughing.

"Can't you just see Frosty with all those cyborgy bits?"

Angelo's eyes glazed over. Jubilee whacked him on the head.

"Perv."

He had the decency to blush.

She shook her head "What about you, Angelo? What will you do now?"

"Emma and Sean are gonna talk to me about it later, after they're done with Jono." He saw a strange look pass over her face, "What?"

"What?"

"You looked all weird there."

Propping herself up on her elbows she gazed up at him and sighed, "Guess you'll be finding out soon enough anyway." She sighed again, "Our friend Sparky and the delightful Ms. Frost have a chance to move onto the big leagues."

He stared at her, uncomprehending, for a moment and then, "You mean…they…and we…" she nodded, "but what about the rest of us?"

"I'm afraid Angelo," she patted his hand consolingly, "that all we get is the reject pile of life."

"Oooh, deep Jubilee." He told her mockingly.

"Yes well, I've been thinking." She replied airily.

"Don't hurt yourself."

This time he was able to dodge the hand.

"Aren't you pissed? Chica, you're always telling us about your days with the X-Men."

"Yep," she nodded, "I'm pissed. Actually pissed doesn't even begin to describe it."

"But there's no explosion…no big boom."

"Yeah well, I'm just saving it up for when they arrive…" seeing his shocked expression she added, "relax Angelo, I'm kidding. Paige was usin' the Danger Room, I'll go back later and just work it off."

"Oh." He breathed a sigh of relief, "so what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know," she clenched her fists, "Logan's gonna be stayin' with the X-Men and they don't seem to want me. Frost might dish out for an expensive boarding school or…or…I don't know. What about you?"

"Same as you I guess, boarding school. Maybe I'll just leave…" He trailed

She looked back up at him, "Maybe Sean will take you. You two have been kinda tight lately, haven't you?"

"I don't know," he lay back on the grass, folding his arms behind his head, "I mean, yeah, we've gotten closer lately but I don't know if he'd be too into the idea of living with a seventeen year old. For all I know, he could be going to live with Terry. Y'know, do the whole father/daughter bonding thing."

"I guess."

"So Jono goes to the X-Men, Paige gets to go back to Kentucky and M returns to her castle, or whatever, in Monaco. And what do we get?"

"Squat."

"Think we can guilt trip them?"

"Prob'ly. Later."

"Yeah." He closed his eyes.

"Ange?" She reached over and started to tickle the tip of his nose with a blade of grass.

"What?" He swatted at her hand.

"What if they want Ambassador St. Croix to take us?"

His eyes opened and he sat up, "They wouldn't."

"They might," she replied woefully.

"Dios," he lay back down, "maybe I should just run away, huh?"

She laughed, "Can I come?"

"Sure chica. Let's see," he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "where could we go?"

"Not New York anyway."

"Or Boston."

"Or LA."

"Hmm."

They mused quietly for a few minutes.

"Got it!" Jubilee sat up.

"Where?"

"Florida. It's totally perfect. Disney World and everythin'."

"Jubecita, you're a genius." He clapped his hands.

She jumped to her feet and began bowing to an imaginary audience, "Thank you, thank you." She collapsed down on the grass next to him again.

"Could be nice." He said softly.

"Yeah…could be."

Silence fell over them. It was nearly sunset when a voice cut through Angelo's thoughts.

* Angelo? Have you seen Jubilee? I cannot sense her on school grounds. *

He glanced over at his companion, * She's right here Emma. I'm sitting next to her. *

* Are you sure it's her? *

He grinned, * I'll just ask. *

"Hey chica."

"Uh huh?"

"Emma's in my head and she wants to know if you're really you."

A knowing smile spread over her face, "One sec." She closed her eyes momentarily and a frown of concentration spread over her face. * Hey Emma, you there? *

* Jubilation, what happened? *

* Just, uh, zoned out for a sec. Put my shields up. Sorry. *

* Yes well…you and Angelo should return to the school now. We have another announcement to make."

* 'Bout you and Jono? We already know. *

* Oh…I see. Return to the school anyway, we have important matters to discuss. *

Emma severed the connection, leaving the two teens to stare at each other.

"Great." Jubilee grumbled as she stood up and brushed the grass off of her shorts. She offered a hand to Angelo, helping him stand up.

"What's up?" He picked some grass off her back.

She looked up at him, giggled and reached up to take the daisy chain out of his hair, "Emma wants us back so we can discuss important matters."

"Translation - they'll tell us where we're going and what we're meant to do," he took the daisy chain back from her and placed it on his head once more, "I like this, it makes me feel…pretty." He batted his eyes at her.

Laughing she linked arms with him and they began to walk through the woods, back to the main school building.

"Y'know, Florida is sounding better and better," she sighed and kicked a pebble.

"Yeah, sun, sea, sand, babe-" Jubilee trod on his toe, "ouch. I said babe, not babes. Babe."

She viewed him with narrowed eyes, "Don't. Call. Me. Babe."

He grinned, "Ah, Pamela Anderson. Barbed Wire. Classy movie…" he backed off, his hands up as she began to stalk towards him with murderous intent written on her face, "Ok. Ok. I give. No babe. No need to get violent on me chica."

"Good boy." She gave him a perky smile.

They walked on in silence some more.

"Jubicita…" Angelo slowed to halt.

"Yeah?"

"You want to go to Florida?"

"Sure." She gave him a confused look, "Why?"

He took a step closer to her, "No, I mean, do you want to go now?"

Her eyes widened, "As in now-now? Right now?"

"Why not?"

"There is no way they'd let us."

"They might."

"How'd you figure that?" She looked up at him questioningly.

"Sean and Emma know we can take care of ourselves."

She nodded her head in agreement, "I s'pose so…" She began to pace, becoming enthusiastic about the idea, "When do we tell them?"

He shrugged, "Now?"

She stopped in front of him, "OK, I've made up my mind. Let's go."

His face broke into a grin, "You sure? Don' wanna pressure you or anything chica."

"Hey, no worries Ange. You're not pressuring me. I want to go. It'll be fun."

"Great."

As they walked the remainder of the way back to the school, they discussed how they'd make the journey, what they'd need on the way and what they'd do once they arrived. They stopped once they reached the entrance hall.

"Kay, we go our rooms, pack our stuff and meet back here in like…uh," she glanced at her watch, "half an hour? Then we can break the news to Sean and Emma."

"Sounds good to me."

They waved to each other before heading towards their separate dormitories.

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Thirty - five minutes later.

"You want to WHAT?"

"Whoa, deep breaths Frosty."

"And we're going to do this Emma. It's what we want to do."

Emma opened her mouth to reply but Sean put a hand on her shoulder, restraining her.

"I think what Emma is trying to say is that we wouldn't feel comfortable with the idea of the two of you being alone out there."

Jubilee crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her chin slightly, "We've been alone before guys. We know what it's like."

Emma replied icily, "We are aware that you two are very capable of taking care of yourselves -"

"So what's the problem here?"

"You are both under our guardianship until you reach the age of eighteen." Sean looked at them both steadily, "neither of you are eighteen."

"Couple of months, man."

"And what about Jubilee?"

"C'mon, it's only like," she mentally counted, "fifteen months."

Emma stood up, "Neither of you are leaving. That is final."

"So where are we going then?" Emma seated herself again, a somewhat smug smile on her face.

Sean answered, "Emma and I have found a very prestigious co-ed boarding school right outside of…"

"No way," Jubilee pushed her chair back and stood up, "there is no way I am going to some little rich kid's school. I'd run away. You know I would."

"Me too." Angelo chimed in.

Sean and Emma looked at each other and seemed to be carrying on a telepathic conversation. The other two watched them warily and Jubilee reached out to take Angelo's hand in hers, causing him to glance at her in surprise. Her attention was focused entirely on the two adults silently conversing. Finally Sean and Emma returned their attention to the two teens.

"Sean and I have decided that since you have made it quite clear that you are intent on, uh, striking out on your own that we would prefer if you did so with our full knowledge and consent. Now," she pulled a chequebook out of a drawer, "I'll have the jet ready and you can stay in my condo in Fort Lauderdale."

"No."

She looked up in surprise, "Pardon?"

Angelo looked at Jubilee for encouragement and she squeezed his hand supportively, "We're gonna do this on our own. We'll make our own way there and find a place to live ourselves. No jets, no condos."

"We'll let you know, like, when we get there," Jubilee continued, "and we'll stay in regular contact. If we really need help we know to ask you, but we just want to do this on our own."

Emma gazed at them blankly, as did Sean. Clearly another telepathic conversation was taking place. They eventually snapped out of it and Emma shut her chequebook.

"When are you leaving?"

"Now." Angelo hefted his large backpack onto one shoulder.

Sean regarded them closely, "You don't want to say goodbye to the others?"

Jubilee bent down, pulled some envelopes out of her backpack and placed them on the desk, "Letters for them, from both me and Ange."

"And Logan?" He asked.

"There's a letter for him too as well as the Prof, Popsicle and Gumbo."

Emma smiled wryly, "You seem to have covered all the bases."

"Hopefully." Angelo helped Jubilee lift her backpack onto her shoulders.

Sean lifted two objects off a shelf near him and placed them on the desk, "Take these."

"Cell phones?"

"We'll pay the bills. Just keep them with you at all times."

"But we -" Angelo began to protest.

"Please."

Angelo looked at Jubilee enquiringly and she shrugged in response, "Ok. Thanks."

They were both ready now and looked at their former teachers nervously.

"So…we'll see ya." Jubilee smiled tremulously up at them.

"Of course."

Sean was standing stiffly by the window, arms folded across his chest, a muscle twitching at the corner of his mouth. Emma was particularly expressionless, her face akin to a marble statue. Suddenly Jubilee rushed over to Sean and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I'll miss you," she whispered. He stood motionless for a moment before hugging her back.

"I'll miss yeh too," his voice was thick with emotion. Eventually Jubilee disengaged herself and smiled at her former headmistress.

"Bet ya never thought you'd see the back of me Frosty."

"Can't say that I did."

Jubilee grinned, "I'm gonna hug you now Ice Queen, so brace yourself." And without further ado she was at the other woman's side and was hugging her. Emma responded to the embrace tentatively, patting the girl's back awkwardly.

"Take care of him," she murmured, indicating Angelo before kissing Jubilee on the forehead. Jubilee nodded dumbly, stood up unsteadily and gave them a rather pathetic smile before leaving the room.

Angelo was now alone with two adults. He grinned crookedly at them, "Don't expect any teary goodbyes from me." He held out a hand and Sean grasped it tightly, shaking it.

"You'll keep in touch?" Sean asked anxiously.

"Promise."

Sean released his hand and he turned towards Emma. Walking towards him she kissed him chastely on the cheek, "Take care of her, Angelo."

"Si."

Angelo walked to the door, opened it halfway before stopping and looking back at them, "Uh, I'll miss you guys." Then he was gone.

Emma sat down slowly onto her chair once more while Sean regarded her apprehensively.

"Emma?"

She turned her head and looked at him, smiling wryly, "My babies are all grown up Sean."

He gave a laugh that quickly dwindled into silence. Grabbing a chair, he sat down beside her and took her hand in his. She stiffened at the contact but made no move to disengage her hand as she stared blankly at the door.

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Angelo found Jubilee at the gate to the Academy, blowing her nose furiously into a tattered handkerchief.

"Wanna change your mind chica?"

Shaking her head emphatically she quickly stuffed the tissue in a pocket before raising her tear streaked face to look at him, "I'm fine. You alright?"

He shrugged, "I'm ok."

After studying his face intently for a moment she linked arms with him, "We should go then."

"Yeah," he gazed bleakly down the road in front of them.

"Hey," she tugged gently at his arm, "It's okay to be scared. This is a big deal."

"I'm not scared." Came the indignant reply.

The corner of her lips quivered, "Then c'mon muchacho, let's get a move on."

Slowly they began to walk further and further away from the Academy, often pausing for another glimpse of their former home. Eventually, however, the building drew out of sight and they had only the road ahead to concentrate on.

"Ange?"

"Si Jubecita?"

"My bag's kinda heavy…"

"And?"

"Could you help me carry it?"

"Nice try chica."

"Ahh c'mon…please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeease?"

"Forget it."

"Hate you."

"Uh huh."

"…rassum-frassum…"

(End)

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