Chapter 85 - Part 4/5

  Arc 7 - Ch 2: Opening Day

  Date: Monday, August 29, 2011.

  Loidtown, Manhattan, New York

  Jessica's voice grew softer, a note of sadness creeping in. "That day they let us out… It was the same day that Gwen's father was killed. I saw it on the news."

  Tyson's eyes widened as uanding dawned on his face. Jessica had been released the same day as the imposter, Kaine. She would have ied memories of being with Gwen. Knowing what happened must weigh on her just as much as it did him.

  Jessica firmed Tyson's suspis, "When I went tister, Kaio Gwen's apartment. I wao attend the funeral, offer dolences, and do something. But how could I? I wasn't the person they knew or who knew Gwen."

  Jean reached out, pg a f hand on Jessica's arm. "That must have been incredibly difficult," she said softly. "To have all those memories, those feelings, but to know you couldn't a them."

  Jessiodded, blinking back tears. "It was like... like watg a movie of someone else's life, but feeling every emotion as if it were my own," she expined. "I grieved fwen, for her father, but I felt like an imposter. Like I didn't have the right to those feelings."

  "You shouldn't feel guilty for g, for feeling that loss," he said softly.

  She took a deep breath before tinuing. "The ime they let us out, I went to pick up school supplies," she said. "But when I came back, the b was abandoned. I don't even knoas behind making the es. The only person I know was Dr. Warren, the lead stist."

  "Dr. Warren," Tysoed, trying to pce the drawing up a bnk. "I'll look into it. Maybe we find some answers."

  "I'd like that," she admitted. "But at the same time... I'm scared of what we might find. What if knowing the truth makes everything more plicated?"

  "Even if the truth is difficult, it's better than uainty. And whatever we find out, you won't have to face it alone." Jean offered.

  As Jessica looked around at her newfound friends, she felt like she finally had people in her er, people who uood the plexity of her situation and accepted her for who she was and whoever that turned out to be.

  "Thank you. For listening and not treating me like some freak or imposter."

  "Hey, we're all freaks here," Jubilee said, "That's what makes us awesome."

  "She's n. Normal is overrated anyway." Tyson added.

  Jubilee's eyes lit up with mischief as she interjected, "But that's not the whole story! You left out the part about dating Felicia, who you caught robbing Oscorp as the Bck Cat, then started dating. And the hot teacher superspy, House of M, and the ninjas!"

  "Felicia did what? And the hot teacher..." Jessica mumbled, her voice trailing off as realization dawned on her face. "Miss Rushman? Has to be Miss Rushman."

  "Definitely Miss Rushman," Tyson firmed.

  Jubilee pyfully spped his arm, rolling her eyes at their apparent shared appreciation. Tyson shrugged sheepishly.

  "So, what's the story with Miss Rushman?" Jessica asked.

  "She wasn't really a teacher. She y, sent to Midtown to keep an eye on me because I robbed the Federal Reserve. She was there the night we took down the Green Goblin and took him into custody."

  Jessiodded slowly, trying to recile this new information with her ied memories.

  "And House of M?" she prompted, remembering Jubilee's earlier ent.

  "House of M is where I run my illusion shows. It used to be an old armory uhe trol of a mob boss who was c Felicia int for him as his own personal cat burgr. I coopted the property and Felicia from his trol. We've tur into something pretty special."

  "And the ninjas?" Jessica asked skeptically.

  "Well, when I was training martial arts, the instructor art of a sect of ninjas," he expined casually. "A whole pack of them tried jumpier css. It was a good time. One of them is my personal bodyguard and teaches martial arts lessons at House of M now."

  Jessica fixed Tyson with a deadpan stare, trying to gauge if he was joking. But his expression remained ear, if a bit amused. It was strao hear about events she should have known about but didn't.

  He seemed to sense her unease. "I didn't know about your existeil graduation," he said. "J. Jonah Jameson told me, of all people."

  Jessiorted, the absurdity cutting through her mencholy. "So, let me get this straight. While I was... well, while Spider-Man was swinging around New York, you were robbing banks, dating cat burgrs, fending off ninja attacks, and putting on eborate illusion shows?"

  Tyson grinned, spreading his hands in a gesture of monoce. "Teically, I robbed the Fed before you became Spider-Man."

  Jubilee chimed in. "Don't fet about the hot spy teacher. We met her at the opening of House of M ba April. The only reason I'm not mad at him about it is because I 't bme him, she retty hot."

  Jean rolled her eyes, but there was fondness in her expression. "I think we all agree that Tyson's high school experience was... unventional," she said diplomatically.

  Jessica shook her head. "And here I thought being bitten by a radioactive spider was exg."

  Sparkles danced around Jubilee's fingers as she excitedly took over the storytelling. "Since you left off on graduation, I'll pick it up from there. So, I went to the graduation ceremony. That girl, Gwen, gave a sweet speech. That night, we went out to an underground club I found online." Jessica leaned forward as the young mutant's voice dropped to a dramatic whisper. "Everything was going well until blood started raining from the sprinklers!"

  Jessica raised an eyebrow. She was skeptical, but she'd seen Jublee's fangs, so why not?

  "Turned out everyone in the club was vampires," Jubilee expined, her hands gestig wildly. "They attacked us, but I used my bsts, and Tyson fought with his cws. It was super scary aing!" Her voice grew softer. "But I got bit," she admitted. "Then a vampire hunter showed up with a sword and gun and was all slice slice, bang bang. Tyson distracted him, and I escaped but hid my bite."

  "The m, I realized Jubilee had been bitten," he added. "We went to see the sorcerers. They said they could cure her if I got the blood of a goddess."

  "And Tysohere was a goddess oh!" she excimed. "She has a thing for Tyson, so we went looking for her."

  Jessica held up a hand, halting the story. "None of that makes sense," she said, "Well, the vampires are somewhat believable. But a goddess? When did you meet a goddess?"

  "Jubes jumped ahead in her excitement. I guess I should talk about what happened during the week of the Stark Expo."

  Jessica had an idea of the events from watg the news when she first awoke in the b but was eager to get first-hand ating.

  "Justin Hammer, CEO of Hammer Industries, broke out Ivan Vanko from jail. That's the guy you probably saw on the hat attacked Tony Stark during the Monaco Grand Prix."

  Jubilee interjected excitedly, "We were there!"

  Jean frowned. "I wasn't."

  "Sorry about that. And for Illyana stealing your bathing suit." Tyson apologetically smiled before tinuing, "So, Hammer had Vanko make all those drohat attacked Iron Man. It wasn't just me at the expo either. Iron Man was there, obviously, but so was War Mae, his partner or military terpart. And I brought Spider-Man, too."

  Jessica felt a strange disect when she heard about events she should have participated in but had no memory of. She pushed the feeling aside, fog on Tyson's words.

  "I had been w with SHIELD sihe Green Goblin i. After the Stark Expo, they found something strange in New Mexico, so I went down there. Turns out it was Thor's Hammer. Like the mythiod, Thor. He's real, a bao Earth and stripped of his powers. I helped him regain his hammer, the back to their world, Asgard, with him and his friends to help fight his brother Loki, the God of Mischief. We battled, I lost, but I got his magically ented dagger."

  Tyson pulled it out and held it up for Jessica to see. Jubilee proudly decred, "I Muse!"

  Tyson rolled his eyes affeately before tinuing. "There was anardian there. Her name was Amora. She's a magic user. While we were on Asgard, the mae they used to transport to Earth was destroyed, and only Amora and myself returned. So she's the 'goddess' I knew about."

  Jessica's mind reeled as she tried to process this influx of information. Gods, alies, and magical daggers seemed so far removed from the life she thought she knew. She was just a friendly neighborhood Spider… Woman.

  Tyson, seemingly oblivious to Jessica's iurmoil, added casually, "Oh yeah, and after that, I fought that Abomination in Harlem."

  "So, back to the story!" Jubilee excimed, caught up in reting her adventure.

  Jean held up a slender hand, the motion cutting off Jubilee's impending tale. "Jubes, we have to head back for our css soon."

  "Wait, just this st part, then we'll go," she insisted.

  Jean sighed, knowing how single-minded her friend could be onvested in a story. She could py games all day long to finish a questline. Jean rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. "Fi part."

  Jubilee grinned, happy to have a few more mio finish her at. She unched bato the tale, describing the tinuing quest to find the Asgardian goddess.

  "We knew Amora was oh but didn't know where. So we went to the Institute. The Professor has a mae that helps enhance psychic powers, like the o Alkali Lake. So he used it to try to find Amora." She stopped and poi her friend. "Jean expin what happened ."

  Jean looked up, slightly startled at being put on the spot. She hadn't tributed much to the story yet. She knew Jubilee was dragging her in to the story to distract her from their uping css, but she pyed along and began reting the events within Cerebro.

  "Amora had some prote blog us from log her, but she was willing to speak with Tyson. But Tyson's psionic power is illusion-based. He's strong but not versatile as far as psionics go. It's unsuitable for using Cerebro in that manner, so he o link with someone else to unicate with Amora. her Tyson nor the Professor could work together like that after Alkali Lake. So I stepped in."

  "We linked psionically, and it was an experience…" It was clear she recalled the events fondly, but after a moment, she tinued, "Amora accepted our 'call'. She said she wao see Tyson grow stronger and that Jubilee would be stronger as a vampire. So she demahat if we wanted her blood for the cure, Tyson himself would o get stroo pay the 'cost'."

  Jessica gasped in uanding. "She wanted you to kill someoo save Jubilee?"

  Tyson nodded solemnly. Jubilee chimed in, "So Tyso and did something dumb."

  "You didn't." Jessica accused.

  "He asked me to locate some people for him," Jean expined with a sigh.

  Tyson picked up the thread. "One of the people was the imposter. That was wheiced you all shared the same psionic signature. Then I went after them. That was the day I ambushed you. I was looking for the imposter, err, for Kaine."

  "I get it now," Jessica said softly. "You said you o help a friend." She looked to Jubilee, her expression filled with sadness and uanding.

  "I couldn't find him, so I went after a superpowered rapist in Nevada."

  Jean tinued, "But we stopped him. Jubilee didn't want Tyson killing anyone for her. And none of us wayson abs a personality he'd have to wrestle with. So we fought."

  Tyson's lips quirked into a rueful smile. "And I was doing alright, too. Holding off the whole team," he said with a hint of pride. "Until Jean stopped me. Like you said earlier, she's scary."

  Jean rolled her eyes but still smiled.

  Jubilee took over the storytelling once more, her voice growing somber. "We went back to the Institute and got married… But Tyson hadn't given up yet."

  "You're married!" Jessica blurted out.

  Jubilee fshed her fangs, reminding Jess she was a vampire. "Had a ring and everything. But it was made by one of the other students from really slow-melting ice; it only finished melting earlier today. Remember how marriage works. Till death do us part."

  Jessica sobered. Turning to Tyson, she asked, "You didn't sneak out to try killing someone, did you?"

  Tyson held his hands up in a pg gesture. "No. I looked up a magic tutor on Google and vinced her to traihen I tacted Amora and expined how I'd takeo get stronger. It wasn't how she wanted, but I made the case it met her requirements. And she accepted. She gave me her blood."

  Jessica huffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I admit, that might be your most clever move yet. But you probably should've started with that one," she ented dryly.

  "I'm still learning magic, but i and w matters. Amora's requirements were specifid she warned me that the alternative she accepted did not truly meet her mandate, and she gave me her blood as a favor," he admitted. "She also helped me when I was on Asgard. If I go to her for help again iure, it might e back to bite me, or I may be in her debt. And I doubt she takes cash or debit."

  Jubilee tinued, her voice taking on a wistful tone. "But it was too te. In the car, on the way to the sorcerers, I died. Tysht me back to House of M and locked himself in a room with me until I rose."

  Jessica was fully ied iory now. "What happened ?"

  Jubilee's eyes took on a dreamy quality. "It was like a vampire romanovel. I awoke, and Tyson bravely offered himself to me. And I drank my fill. Then seduced him." Jessid Jean furiously blushed while Tyson groaned, burying his fa his hands. But Jubilee didn't stop, "When I touched him, and his power didn't work on me, I crawled into his p and…"

  "Whoa, okay, I think they get it." Tyson quickly jumped in, eager to move the versation along. "But that vampire hunter from the club came to House of M looking for help. Jubilee and I assisted him in stopping a ritual that would've resurrected a blood god named La Magra."

  "It was badass," she decred. "The ritual was plete, and this one drop of blood was falling from the ceiling. If it hit the bad guy, he would've turned into a god. But Tyson threw his on and hit the drop, trapping the blood god in the dagger! So now Muse is twited. It's definitely a gold or purple quality legendary item now." She nodded sagely. "Oh. And Tyson's blood is special. It lets me walk around in the day."

  "That pretty much covers everything," Tyson said

  Jean spoke up. "Up until this m, anyway. But we've got to get to css."

  As Jean and Jubilee stood to leave, Jessica's curiosity got the better of her. "What happehis m?" she asked, her eyes dartiween Tyson and the others.

  Jubilee's expression turned serious, and a hint of frustratio into her voice. "I know Tyson." Her voice dropped to a stage whisper. "He's not going to tell you because he doesn't want to put you at risk. He did the same thing to me."

  Tyson groaned, his exasperation evident. "Jubes, really?"

  Jubilee smiled smugly. "During this whole versation, we've been talking about how Jessica is her own person, and I'm proud of you as my boyfriend for not being judgemental and supp her. So tell her what's going on a her make her own decisions. And stop being too proud to ask for help."

  As Jubilee and Jean said their goodbyes a, Jessica turo Tyson with an expet look. He shifted in his seat under her focused iy.

  "After everything I've heard today, I'm pretty sure I handle whatever you throw at me," she said challengingly.

  "Fair enough," he ceded. "This m, I noticed something... off about Felicia. She didn't smell like herself. Instead, her st was that of Mystique. The shapeshifter who, along with Mago, tried to kidnap me st year. I believe the real Felicia has been captured and repced. They're ing for me again, likely tonight."

  Jessica sat back sharply, her mind reeling as she absorbed this revetion. "And you weren't going to tell me about this?" she demanded, accusation creeping into her tone. "We've been in here for hours having lunch. Why weren't you going after her aing Felicia back?"

  Tyson had the grace to drop his gaze briefly. "Jubilee was right. I wao protect you. You've already been through so much, and I didn't want to burden you with this. Plus, I didn't know how this versation would go. This is my fight." He admitted quietly. "You heard the story. Mago is my perfect ter. But I've been preparing for him. I have a trap set at House of M… It's the only way I'll be able to win. I want to get Felicia back, but if I went after Mystique now, I might lose my ce to save her.

  Jessica spoke her thoughts aloud, her voice tinged with frustration and uanding. "You didn't tell me because you don't know me and aren't trying to burdeh your problems. But you never asked Peter for help either. I, rather, he didn't even know all that other stuff was happening."

  Tyson objected, "I called him during the Stark Expo. He was there when the Hammer drotacked."

  Jessica pressed on. "Did you ask Peter to help tonight?" she demanded, her eyes searg his face for answers.

  "No."

  "Why not?" she asked, softening slightly but still challenging.

  "Pete's been having a hard time retly," he expined, "He's been searg for Kaine, and he broke up with Gwen. Spider-Man's reputation has been tanking, and the only saving grace has been that he doesn't have to worry about money because I pay him royalties for House of M's shows."

  Jessica mumbled under her breath, "That makes one of us."

  Tyson's enhanced hearing caught her words. "Where do you live?" he asked, suddenly ed. "I know you're not staying with Aunt May."

  She shifted unfortably in her seat, avoiding his gaze. "I have a p Brooklyn," she said. Tyson tio stare at her, his silence promptio eborate. "It's a studio iuy."

  "If money is a…" he began, but Jessica cut him off sharply.

  "No, thank you," she said firmly.

  "And stop defleg. We were talking about you." Her eyes locked onto Tyson's, unwavering in their iy. "So you're not going to ask Peter to e help you?"

  Tyson remained silent, his internal struggle pying out across his face. Jessica's expression hardened. "Yoing to call him, and yoing to ask him to e help because I know that he'd want you to. You 't deny this. I was him."

  She crossed her arms defiantly, the a atuating her bust. Tyson's eyes were drawn to the movement, trailing down before quickly snapping back to her face. Jessica raised an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of amusement and challenge, uurbed by his stare.

  "Well..."

  Her tone was expet as she waited for Tyson to pull out his phoysoated for a moment. Finally, with a resigned sigh, Tyson pulled out his phone. He dialed Peter's he ph owice, three times before heading to voicemail.

  "He didn't pick up. I'll call ba a few minutes."

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