F.K.N.M.S.            SONNY'S DESTINY


          Silent eyes watched as the unconscious mutant was dumped
in the room. The mutant was female, probably in her late teens. She
had short dark fair and wore a yellow jacket. The eyes took note
of her and then hurried back to her own room before she was
discovered missing.
     Jubilee woke up slowly. She had been washing her hands in the
bathroom at McDonald when she'd smelled something over sweet. When
she was awake enough she realized she had been drugged. She sat up.
She was in a tiny room with a tiny bed and a small light.
     She frowned and looked at the door. She held out her hands.
     "I wouldn't do that were I you." a voice from the ventilation
duct said. The screen popped off and a teenager jumped out. She had
blonde hair and bright green eyes. "I'm Madison." she said.
     Jubilee looked around. "Where am I?"
     The girl grinned. "Camelot Institute for the Mentally
Unstable, this is the youth wing." Her eyes sparkled. "Apparently,
I'm crazy." A bell reminiscent of a school bell rang. The girl
muttered something. "I have to get you out of here soon. Mutants
don't fare well here."
     Jubilee nodded. "How?" she asked.
     Madison shrugged. "I learned how to move around this building
years ago. Getting out isn't usually hard."
     "Then why are you still here?" Jubilee asked.
     Madison looked away, but Jubilee thought she saw a flash of
pain in the girl's expressive eyes. "I don't anywhere else to go.
Besides, I have fun." She looked at the camera in the corner. "I
have it set on a recording loop." Her smile returned. "I was taught
how to hack the system by a 'mad scientist' two years ago. They'll
get suspicious if they don't see you wake soon. When I'm gone, it
will record again. Act as if you just woke up but don't attack the
door. It won't work and you won't be allowed to mingle later if you
do. I hope to see you soon." Then she was gone.
                                  *
     Jubilee paced the room and was eventually led to a big room.
People ages four to eighteen walked around. Very few looked
"crazy". She saw Madison and walked over to her.
     The girl was playing air hockey with another girl. The other
girl had vacant eyes that didn't focus. She was obviously blind.
     Madison sighed. "It's sad when even a blind person can beat
me." she said.
     The other girl laughed. "You did better than last time." She
spoke in a lower tone. "They're culling us tomorrow. All mutants
are being sent somewhere else."
     Jubilee realized that the game was just a pretense for the
spreading of vital information. Madison muttered something. "Beth,
who's on duty tonight?"
     Beth shrugged. "Security has been more observant lately. My
contact was fired." Her voice became urgent. "When you and her get
out, don't come back. I'll be gone and you'll be caught for sure.
You are a mutant."
     Madison's eyes flashed with pain and anger. "Little good it
does me, someone had to die for it to surface."
     Beth's vacant eyes moved to approximately where Jubilee was.
"Make sure she doesn't come back here. It would be a death
sentence."
     Jubilee nodded. "I know some people she can stay with."
     Beth seemed relieved. "Good, start getting ready now. They'll
expect people to go over the wall tonight."
     Madison motioned for Jubilee to follow and they ended up in
a larger room than Jubilee had, but not by much. It was furnished
with a bed and a desk. On the desk was a lap top computer. Madison
talked as she worked. "I'm setting the cameras so they won't look
at us when we go. This means that we have to work on time or we'll
be caught."
     She sent Jubilee back to her room. "I'll be there tonight to
get you."
                                  *
     At eleven she was at the duct. She motioned for Jubilee to
climb in. They traveled silently through a maze and after awhile
emerged outside. They slowly moved towards the wall.
     Madison whispered, "If they expect us to go over the wall, we
won't. We'll go under it." At the edge of the wall was a sewer
drain. She opened it and motioned for Jubilee to go first. Jubilee
grimaced, but did as directed. Madison cursed as she was about to
follow, shut the sewer, and everything went dark.
     She decided to wait for her. Madison obviously perceived some
danger and Jubilee wouldn't go above. She waited for what seemed
an immeasurable amount of time and then Madison staggered through. 
     She motioned for Jubilee to follow. Jubilee could barely see
her. They came back up at the edge of a city. In the streetlight,
Jubilee could see that the girl was bleeding. Madison was a mutant,
so it wasn't safe to take her to a hospital, but she knew where she
could take her.
                                  *
     After a short phone call, all was in readiness. Momentarily
a car drove up. A woman stepped out. She had dark skin and white
hair. Jubilee hugged her. "Storm, it's so good to see you."
     The woman smiled. "You as well, where is the girl?"
     Jubilee gestured to the motel behind her. "She's in there;
she's hurt bad."
     A man covered in blue fur came out of the car. "Beast!" she
said in relief. If anyone could save her, it would be Beast. She
led the pair into the motel room.
     Beast examined the girl. He saw that her shirt was bloody and
pulled it up. A nasty bullet wound stared at him. "It is a miracle
she still lives." he said.
     Storm felt the girl's pulse. "Her heart is beating slowly."
she said.
     Beast was intrigued. "I can't do anything here, we'll have to
take her back to the mansion." He picked her up. Even with the
terrible pain, she was utterly silent.
     The trip was a short one and Beast was soon giving her a more
thorough examination.
                                  *
     She told what happened. "I was in a public bathroom and I was
gassed." She continued with her story about the institution. She
said quietly. "She has no home. Her friend Beth ordered me not to
let her go back." Jubilee looked confused. "Why would she want to
go back?"
     Storm, whose real name was Ororo, sighed. "Fear, Jubilee. If
she has lived there for years as she says, she probably knows of
nothing else."
     Beast came into the living room. "She is resting quietly." His
eyes were bright. "She is remarkable. To keep herself alive long
enough for us to arrive, she put herself in a kind of stasis." He
looked to Jubilee. "What happened for her to be injured so?"
     Jubilee shrugged. "I was in the sewer; I didn't see anything."
     He nodded and she could tell he was hiding something. He left
before she could ask.
                                  *
     Madison woke to Jubilee sitting beside her. She didn't feel
any pain, but she couldn't move either. "You made it." she said
with a trace of a smile.
     Jubilee nodded. "You saved me, but at cost to yourself. What
happened?"
     Madison stiffened and that caused pain, all over. "A guard saw
me. He hadn't seen you, so I faked him away from where you were.
He shot me, but I lost him."
     Jubilee smiled. "Thank you,".
     Madison nodded. "Where am I?"
     "You are at the School for the Gifted." Jubilee said. "There
are mutants here who will care for you. You can stay with them. I
don't live here anymore, but I'll visit when I can."
                                  *
     Storm stood outside with Beast. "There is something that you
are not telling us."
     Beast nodded slowly. "I did not think it would benefit Jubilee
to know. I feel it would make her feel more guilty." He looked at
Storm in the early morning light. "The guard that shot her, also
did some other things. When I asked her, discreetly of course, she
shut me out. She eventually told me this. He'd known her and had
known how to keep her helpless. He took advantage of that."
     Storm nodded. "I thought it would be something like that. How
is it affecting her?"
     "She seems to have many other painful memories. Jubilee
mentioned something about her mutant ability costing a life when
it surfaced." Beast said. "As far as I can tell, she trusts no one.
However, she doesn't judge a person quickly. I believe she will
stay awhile to watch us and then make her decision."
     The two headed towards their rooms to get some sleep for the
coming day.
                                 *2*
     The man watched the girl toss in her sleep. The movements
caused her pain, but she didn't wake. He noted the obvious
injuries.... and some of the less obvious ones.
     She began to talk in her sleep. "I didn't mean to Da!" she
said in what was barely not a scream. She moved more violently as
if trying to avoid being hit. "Mama! I didn't mean to hurt you!
Come back to me Mama! I'll never hurt you again!"
     The man reached out and held her still. He was worried she
would injure herself irreparably. She started to scream illegibly.
He shook her awake.
     Her eyes were cloudy as they opened. The man released her.
"You were having a bad dream, Kid." he said gruffly. She stared at
him. He had the look of a rough man, but she saw deeper than that.
She saw that he knew what happening to her. The memories, all
painful.
     She looked at the clock. It was eight in the morning. She
looked back at the man. "Thank you," she said.
     He nodded. "I'm Wolverine, who're you?"
     Madison noticed that he didn't use his real name. She
respected that. "My mother called me Sonny." she said.
     A woman with red hair ran in. "What's going on here?"
     "Hello, Jean." Wolverine said. "This here is Sonny, the girl
who rescued Jubilee night before last."
     Jean nodded, "Hello..... Sonny," she obviously been told about
her real name. "What happened? I sensed great turmoil."
     "Bad dream," Wolverine said as he walked out.
     Jean knew the girl needed more rest. Using her telepathic
abilities, she put her into a dreamless sleep.
                                  *
     Beast checked on her at noon. He was shocked at the result.
He woke Sonny to ask her. She was as surprised as he. He ran some
tests.
                                  *
     "She's not what I expected." Jean admitted.
     Storm smiled. "She took us all by surprise. I had imagined
someone older."
     Beast walked into the living room. "I have discovered
something about our remarkable guest."
     The two women stared as Sonny followed him in. "Hello," she
said nervously. 
     Wolverine surreptitiously appeared. "What's goin' on?"
     Beast grinned. "I have ascertained Sonny's mutant ability."
     "Healing?" Storm asked.
     Beast shook his head. "She has a talent that is much like
Rogue's, but not as destructive. When she touches someone, she
copies parts of their DNA and parts that are what make a mutant a
mutant. She can have several talents at a time. The person she
takes it from never knows."
     Storm was intrigued. "She copied Wolverine's healing power?"
she asked.
     Beast nodded. "I believe if she exerts enough control she can
decide what she wants and what she doesn't."
     "I touched her also." Storm said and turned to Sonny. "Try to
raise a wind." Sonny stiffened perceptibly. "Please," Storm said.
     "Leave her alone, 'Ro." Wolverine said protectively. Sonny
took that moment to slip outside. Wolverine squashed the idea of
going after her. "She's a big girl, I'll watch her and make sure
she doesn't get into trouble." Then he went out.
     "Fascinating," Beast said. "He is the last one I would expect
to feel protective of a teenage girl."
     "They have much in common." Storm said. "They have painful
pasts and memories. He was violated mentally and she physically."
                                  *
     In the woods beyond the mansion, Sonny stopped. She
desperately wanted to know if Beast was right, but she wouldn't
risk attempting with anyone nearby. It wouldn't happen again.
     She sat on the ground and concentrated. A gust of wind knocked
her onto her back. She struggled to control it.
     Wolverine watched her from his perch in a tree. His respect
for her grew. When she showed her ability, it would be strong. She
refused to be seen as weak. Slowly the wind bent to her command.
                                  *
     Beast grinned. "She has succeeded." he said and gestured to
the window. Rain steadily fell. Occasionally, there was thunder and
lightning. "All atmospheric factors were against rain."
     Storm smiled at Sonny's method of broadcasting her success.
"Wolverine and her are more alike than I previously thought."
                                  *
     Sonny sat in the down pour of her creation. She turned as she
heard someone coming. She smiled triumphantly at Wolverine, but
said nothing.
     "Very nice, but 'nuffs enough." he said. In response, the rain
ceased. He sat down on the wet grass. "You came out here to try,
because of your Ma?" he asked.
     She nodded slowly. "You learned that from the dream." she
stated. She sighed. "It's recurring, I have it every night."
     "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.
     She shrugged. "If you want to listen." she said. He nodded and
she started her tale slowly, with growing momentum.
     "I grew up in Washington. My father was one of the
Congressmen. He ignored me as a child, but my mother pampered me.
I loved her so much. I discovered that I could start flames with
my mind. I went to show my mother, but I lost control of it. The
house burned down around me and killed her. My father took me to
my grandparents house. While in a nightmare, the flames came again.
I destroyed the house. My grandparents lived, but everyone knew
what had happened. My father rejected me and left me at the
Institute. I was five then.
     I was raised by the guards and the inmates. Some were
abusive," her voice took on a strained element. "Others taught me
things. My father told me he would hunt me down if I ever left, as
was my due. The guard...., who shot me, had worked there since I
was little. My father paid him to keep an eye on me." She became
utterly quiet.
     Wolverine nodded understandingly, also quiet.
                    *Epilogue*
     They returned after dark. They'd spent the day talking and
teaching each other. Sonny made the decision to stay, with
Wolverine. She asked the others for help in searching for Beth, but
a year later still nothing had turned up.