Sins of the Father

Sins of the Father Chapter Sixty Four (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta... ONE MONTH! InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are wondermous for archiving/hosting! ProPhile no longer has his knickers in a knot. Morgan: *glomp * Readers/Reviewers: Almost there, lol... Bear with me!



"Get. Off. My. Hand." The rumbling which had plunged them into the depths had since stopped. Emma was not amused.
"That isn't me!"
"OW!"
"Sorry. Guess it was me..." Jubilee scooted back quickly, blushing a bit in the dark. "Did I break it?"
"No," Emma snarled. "Not for lack of trying though. Must you wear those boots?" She got to her feet, wobbling only slightly on broken stiletto heels. "Damn it," she hissed, kicking her shoes off. "This floor is dirt. And wet."
Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Duh. We're underground. I think it's a cellar...it's cold." She rubbed her dirty hands on the seam of her jeans. "Emma, are you SURE this is some super secret entrance?"
"I just know it was on the map. Now shut up and let me work!" She could see Jubilee in the light which spilled in the open door above but she could not discern her expression clearly. And honestly, she did not care. "No one... I can't detect anyone nearby... either my powers are off or..."
Jubilee leaned forward. "Or...? Or what?"
"I can't even sense you. This is odd." Her cool tone hid her trembling fear, hot and sick in her chest. "Come on then. There's a passage directly to my left. It will lead us to the main part of the facility."
Jubilee followed the white shape that was Emma as she veered into a darker section of the shadows surrounding them. After a moment, the teenager let her powers come, a plasma glow covering her hand and illuminating the narrow hall. At Emma's backwards glance, she muttered, "Use it or lose it."
"I don't think it quite works that way, but yes, good idea." Emma walked carefully in the path of Jubilee's light, grateful that, according to the map, it was a straight shot to the main part of the facility. The hall was so cold she could see her breath in front of her face but she did not let it get to her. She blocked out the feelings of chill and ache in her bones and quickened her steps, Jubilee's booted footfalls behind her keeping pace. After nearly five minutes of walking, they reached a smooth metal door with no obvious entrance mechanism. "Well, hell."
Jubilee pressed closer, partially an unconscious move to seek warmth, but also to examine the door. She held her right hand out to the side, her elbow bent to her waist, as she peered at the metal surface. The glow from her extended hand reflected off the highly polished door and made them both squint. "You can't just... I dunno...move it?"
"I tried," she growled. "I can't seem to get my powers to work here..." Emma's eyes flicked to Jubilee's hand. "You seem to be functioning just fine, though ... "
Jubilee nodded. "Right. Stand back." Her heart was hammering in her chest, making it a little hard to breathe. She had been working on controlling her powers for months now and so far had managed to keep the plasma state indefinitely so long as it was just around her, like on her hand or once even in little balls circling her like Christmas lights. Getting the plasma to stick to something other than her was less certain... She stood on her toes and pressed her fingers to the spot where the metal disappeared into the earthen walls, deceptively fragile-looking but to the touch, like cold rock. She heard Emma mutter impatiently behind her and tried to tune her out, concentrating instead on letting the power flow. _Extend your awareness, _ she reminded herself. _This is all part of you, not something you can't control... _
Emma shifted as she tried not to rush the girl. Time was of the essence and she did not want to waste any of it waiting for Jubilee figure out a new way to use her powers. Even as she opened her mouth to express concern, a sharp report shook the door in the wall. Jubilee stumbled backwards and gasped, turning on her heels to fling herself at Emma. The older woman grabbed her automatically, staggering backwards. Jubilee's hand shot up and shoved Emma's head down towards her own chest, forcing her to her knees. "What the fuck are you doing?" Emma shouted, grabbing her student's wrist and pulling her down with her.
"Cover your head!" she cried, flinging herself face-first to the floor and covering the back of her head and neck. Emma followed suite, all within the space of a few seconds. The teeth-jarring explosions from Jubilee's charges rent the air and send the metal door tumbling inward, warped and bent beyond recognition.
Emma looked up as the last of the creaking noises faded. "Overkill," she sighed. "Now they'll know we're here, whenever they come looking for us."
Jubilee rose to her feet and dusted her clothes off. "Now what did the map say?" she panted, staring into the open space beyond the twisted metal doors. "Can you remember?"
"Yes," Emma snapped. "I can remember! I'm not that old!" She hobbled forward, her feet not used to being bare of rough surfaces. "We go left," she nodded, pushing Jubilee ahead of her. "Go through the doors and turn left at the forked hallway."
"Right."
"No, left."
"Right as in correct."
"I know...I'm trying to break you of saying that." Emma tugged at the hem of her skirt and nodded. "Right. English lessons can wait. We go left and then for several hundred yards before we get to another door."
"Another one...will that one go boom, too?" She rubbed her hands idly, the tingling sensation that came with the release of her powers already fading.
"Maybe," Emma allowed, shrugging.
Jubilee felt like smiling but instead found herself ducking again, covering her head. Above them, a deep and resonating explosion shook the ceiling, raining dirt and pebbles onto their heads. A second explosion, then a third, sounded one right after the other. "Remy," she breathed, grinning suddenly. "Remy!"