Chapter 85 - Part 3/5

  Arc 7 - Ch 2: Opening Day

  Date: Monday, August 29, 2011.

  Loidtown, Manhattan, New York

  Jessica began to reveal her truth. "I know the story from here, but Tyson hadn't met 'me' before today because I'm a e," she blurted out. "A e with all the memories from the person I was created from."

  Jean gasped in realization. "Spiderman?"

  Jessica turo Tyson, her eyes fshing with accusation. "You told her?" she demanded, feelirayed.

  Tyson shook his head. "No," he said softly. "Remember when I said everyone has a unique psionic signature, and you don't? Well, Jean was searg with me to find the imposter."

  "Saying you were a e immediately let me know who you were," she expined. "The only other es I've entered were the Stepford Cuckoos."

  Jubilee chimed in, "The Spice Girls!"

  Tyson looked at her questioningly. Jubilee rattled off the names. "Sophie, Phoebe, Irma, Celeste, and Esme. SPICE."

  "Nice," he remarked appreciatively with a ugh. "Hey, whatever happeo them anyway?"

  Jean answered, "They came back with us from Alkali Lake after… well, you know. A few weeks ter, Professor X decided it was best for them to trao a school in Massachusetts. The school for mutants there was better suited to haheir unique e and powers."

  "Huh, iing," Tyson mused thoughtfully. After a brief pause, he turned his attention back to Jessica. "Sorry for the ta, Jessica," he apologized. "Please tinue if you feel fortable sharing more."

  Jessica realized she wasn't the first e they had entered, which was somewhat f yet also uling and raised questions of its own. "I was ed from a student at Midtown High School," she expined. "He met Tyson on the first day of school this year."

  "Wait, He?" Jubilee interrupted in disbelief.

  "Like Jean pointed out, I was ed from Spider-MAN," she admitted, emphasizing the man.

  Jubilee gasped. "So you have a guy's memories?" she asked, "Like a whole life of being a boy, then suddenly you wake up a girl?"

  Jessiodded, her eyes downcast. "Yeah, it's been a tough transition," she said softly.

  In an instant, Jubilee was at Jessica's side, ing her in a tight hug. Jean joihem a moment ter.

  "I'm so sorry that happeo you. I 't imagine how hard it is for you." But Jeahat if she removed the colr Tyson had given her, she'd kly what Jessica had felt and experienced.

  The girls settled into a more intimate versation as the initial shock wore off. Jubilee pulled her chair closer. "So, like, how does it feel? I mean, do you still feel like... him? Or…"

  Jessica ran a hand through her hair, a gesture that still felt fn to her. "I have all his memories, his feelings, his experiences. But I'm also... me. It's like I'm two people at once, and sometimes I don't know whie I'm supposed to be," she admitted.

  "That must be so fusing," Jean said softly. "Do you... do you still feel attracted to the same people? Or has that ged too?"

  Jessica felt her cheeks flush. "That's one of the most fusing parts," she fessed. Her voice lowered to a whisper for only the girls to hear. But Tyson had enhanced senses, so he heard regardless. "I still find girls attractive, but now I also notice guys like I never did before. It's like my brain and body are stantly at odds with each other."

  Jubilee squeezed Jessica's hand. "That sounds tough. But you know whether you're a guy irl, you're still the same person."

  Jessica felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Thanks," she whispered. "It's just... I feel so alone sometimes. Like I don't belong anywhere. I'm not the person I was ed from, but I'm not my own persoher. I'm just... lost."

  "You're not lost or alone, Jessica," Jean said firmly. "You have us now."

  The aroma of perfectly cooked meat filled the air as the waiter arrived with their food. The versation lulled as everyouro the delicious spread before them.

  As the meal wound down, the others turo her expetly as Jessica began to share her story. "On the first day of school, I didn't eve a ce to ehe building before Fsh Thompson found me. I'm not sure why, but Fsh has had it out for me sihe start of high school."

  As Jessica spoke, the world around them shifted. The cozy interior of the steakhouse melted away, repced by the parking lot of Midtown High. Students milled about, chatting before csses started.

  Jessica's voice trailed off as Tyson's illusion took hold. She drew in a sharp breath, transfixed by the sight yet intrinsically uled. These were Peter Parker's memories, given form, not her own.

  Jubilee gnced around in fusion, uo perceive the illusion. "Jess, you okay?" she asked, gently toug Jessica's arm.

  Jessica let out a shaky breath. "It's just...strange, seeing myself here when I know these aren't my memories," she fessed. "It reminds me that it wasn't me. I'm just..." She trailed off feeling like a spectator peering through a window to another life.

  Then Tyson adjusted the se slightly, substituting Jessica for Peter. It was a minor ge, but its impact struck Jessica to her core.

  "You put me in his pce," she uttered softly. "With just that tiny shift, this se suddenly feels like it could be my memory," she tinued. "Like maybe I belong here."

  Her brows furrowed as she studied him with newfound curiosity. Tyson could alter perceptions. Could he not also reshape her own? The possibilities left her reeling.

  "Your power... you might be able to help me accept these memories as my own. As a woman's," Jessica said slowly. "Your body produces a mind-trol serum. Could you shift my memories so I remember always being female instead of..." She faltered, unwilling to utter the name of her inal self. Inwardly, her thoughts roiled like gathering storm clouds. For better or worse, she had to know.

  Tyson inhaled slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I'm no therapist, but my illusions have helped people adjust their perspectives before. I'll be straight. This is unfamiliar territory, and I'm unsure how I feel about it." He looked at Jessica. "I wouldn't want to ge you. But..." His voice dropped, flicted. "I likely could reshape your identity if you wished it."

  "That's an immense decision," Jean said. "Are you certain you could do this safely?"

  Tyson gave a solemn nod. "I've pulled off simir feats in the past. Not this kind of sario, but close enough."

  Jubilee jumped in. "Wouldn't that, like, erase huge ks of yourself? Those memories belong to you, even if they're from another life. They're still yours."

  "That's my struggle. Those recolles define me. As fusing as they feel now, they're all I have of my ins." She bit her lip, flicted. "Without them, am I even me anymore?"

  "Believe me, I uand the struggle. If anyone knows what it's like to have memories that aren't their own lurking in their mind, it's me. It took me months to separate the lives and experiences of the people I absorbed from my sense of self. Even now, on rare occasions, their influences uedly bleed through. Reshaping your identity could provide relief if these memories are too heavy a burden. But I urge you not to rush to alter something so fual to yourself."

  Jea a lock of red hair behind her ear, lines of worry creasing her brow. "What would it mean long-term?" she questioned ily. "Would the ge be perma? Or could Jessica's inal memories resurface?"

  "If I'm being ho, my power doesn't have such rigid rules. Its effects are... suggestive but fade over time, often needing reinfort before taking sting hold. It also vary based on the person's mental fortitude and other factors."

  Jubilee gave Jessica's hand a bolstering squeeze. "But is abandoning who you are really what you want?" she asked gently.

  Jessica shut her eyes against the welling tears. "I just don't know," she whispered raggedly. She took a shuddering breath. "Some days, starting fresh seems easier than struggling with these memories…" She trailed off, utterly flicted, only able to shake her head mutely.

  "It's okay to be unsure," Jean said softly. "This isn't a decision you have to make right now or ever if you don't want to."

  "You're right. This isn't something I o decide now." Jessica worriedly bit her lower lip betweeeeth. "It's just...some days the memories are so heavy. Like s, I 't break free from."

  "Why don't we try something small first? Tell your story, and I proje illusion to apany your tale. No manipution of your mind, just a visual aid. Perhaps it will help give you crity."

  "That's perfect!" Jubilee excimed, g her hands together eagerly. "Like, you'd be able to see your story, just... a more you-ish you, you know?"

  Jessica couldn't help but ugh at Jubilee's description, feeling some tension leave her body. "I... I'd like that," she admitted.

  She turo Tyson. "Thank you," she said softly. "For uanding. I'm not ready to take that step yet, but... knowing it's an option, that there might be a way to make peace with my past and present... it means more than I say."

  As Jessica looked around at her newfound friends, she felt a sense of belonging. Maybe with these extraordinary individuals by her side, she could learn to be herself; not just an echo of who she used to be, but a whole new person, fed from the best parts of her past and present.

  She huffed a small ugh, the ay in her chest loosening its grip. "Alright, let's give it a try."

  "Like I was saying, as I was walking up to school, Fsh Thompson shoved me to the ground. But then I heard the growl of a motorcycle pulling up. A crowd gathered to watch Fsh's antics, but they parted when a big guy walked up. Unlike any of them, the new guy was willing to stand up to Fsh."

  Tyson fronted Fsh, who backed down, caught off guard by the newer's fidend intimidating size.

  "He helped me up," Jessica expined with a small, fond smile. "And in exge, I showed him to his first css. That afternoon, I invited him to my house for a meal to say thanks a my Aunt and… Uncle." Jessica's voice caught, a flicker of sadness crossing her face. She shook her head, pushing the emotion aside as she tinued her tale. "That Friday, we had a field trip to Oscorp," Jessica said, the illusion shifting to show the modern interior of the research facility. "And I got bit by a… unique spider. Then I got sick. Tyson took me home." She watched the se py out through the illusion. As she did, it was almost like her narration shifted to sider the ges of her being in the se ier's pce. "He was such a gentleman. He carried me up the stairs, ensured I had water and medie, and was taken care of before leaving. When I woke up the m, everything had ged."

  "I didn't need gsses anymore. I felt stronger and could run faster and for longer. I looked damn good in the mirror. I eve Fsh and Tyson in basketball in gym css that day, which might have been the weirdest part. Before that, PE was my weakest css, the only reason Gwen was ahead of me in css rankings." At mentioning Gwen, Jessica frowned but pushed aside her flicted feelings, tinuing, "At lunch, I actally used my webs for the first time, pulling on a lunch tray and c Fsh in food."

  The se unfolded before them, Fsh's ed expression causing Jubilee to stifle a giggle. "He tried to start a fight with me, but I dodged every punch like on instinct."

  Jessica's movements were a blur as she gracefully evaded Fsh's wild swings, her body twisting and bending in ways that seemed to defy physics.

  "It was like... like everything was moving in slow motion," she expined, her eyes distant as she relived the memory. "I could see every move Fsh would make almost before he k himself. It was exhirating."

  Jean leaned forward, her green eyes wide with fasation. "That must have been quite a shock," she said softly. "To suddenly have all these new abilities thrust upon you."

  "Yeah, one day, I'm just a normal kid trying to survive high school. The , I'm dodging punches like I'm irix or something."

  "That's so cool!" Jubilee excimed, miming pung, bobbing, and weaving. "I mean, not the getting attacked part, but the whole superherin story. It's like, bam! Instant badass! I've been training to be a ninja, and you just got it right off the bat. I'm a little jelly. We were there for the House of M: Spider-Man opening night, so we know the story, but it's cool hearing you tell it yourself."

  "It was amazing, don't get me wrong. But it was also kinda scary. I didn't know what was happening to me or why. I felt like a freak. We had detention, but afterward, I spent hours just... testing myself," she expined. "Climbing walls, lifting impossibly heavy objects, shooting webbing from my wrist. It was like disc a whole new me, and I had no idea what to do with it all."

  Jubilee quipped, "Just like Tyson. The first thing you do after getting powers is you start pying with yourself." Jessica barked out a surprised ugh. But Jubilee wasn't finished, "In your case, it's even worse, shooting white stuff all over the pce."

  While the joke could've been offensive, given the text of Jessica's unusual situation, she didn't take it as such. Her ughter grew, and she held her side and wiped away a tear.

  Tyson poi Jubilee, saying, "And thank you for proving my earlier innoce."

  Jubilee shot back, "Don't act all modest now, Tyson. The only reason you weren't shooting, too, is because you were afraid Jean was snooping on you."

  "That was supposed to be a secret!" Tyson accused. Jean blushed but ughed. Jubilee and Jessica devolved into a fit of giggles.

  As they calmed down, Jean said, "All jokes aside. That must have been so overwhelming. To have your whole world turned upside down in an instant."

  "It was," she admitted. "And the worst part was, I couldn't tell anyone. I was afraid they'd think I was a monster or turn me in to be used in some b experiment."

  "You've got us now. And trust me, we've all been there. The whole 'oh crap, I'm a mutant' freak-out? Totally normal." Jubilee said firmly.

  "It's o know I'm not the only one who's been through something like this," she said before turning to Tyson and suggesting, "Since you tell this story so often at House of M, why don't you take over?"

  "It all started with the Unity Day parade," he began, his voice taking on a storyteller's ce. "That's when the Green Goblin first appeared, cag and hurling pumpkin bombs into the crowd."

  Spider-Woman and Mirage worked in tao protect civilians and front the goblin.

  "Then came the Lizard," Tyson tihe illusion morphing to show a massive, reptilian figure rampaging across a bridge. "I fought him first on the bridge. Then you fought him in the sewers."

  The se shifted again, showing Spider-Woman and Mirage fag off against the Green Goblin. "We worked together to take down the Goblin," Tyson expined, repg Peter's part in the fights with Jessica. "It was easy with teamwork and illusions. Kraven the Huried to ambush us that night, but I handled him easily."

  "The Lizard attacked Midtown High on Valentine's Day but we mao stop him before a seriously hurt."

  As Tyson finished his recap, Jessica's expression grew distant. A flicker of sadness crossed her face. She took a deep breath, steeling herself to tihe story.

  "That's the st part I remember… well, as Spider-Man anyway," Jessica said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm guessing that whatever they used of his to e came from that fight. The details of that one are hazy for me, and I don't remember how it ended or what came afterward. The first memory, truly my own, is waking up in a b in Brooklyn. They kept me there under observation with the other Spider-Man e. His name is Kaine, by the way, since you keep calling him 'imposter'."

  Tyson nodded gravely. It was the first real bit of information he'd gotten on the imposter since he didn't have metaknowledge of the character.

  "That must have been terrifying to wake up in a strange pce, with no idea how you got there and as a woman heless," Jean said softly.

  Jessica's eyes were distant as she recalled those first fusing moments. "It was like waking up from a dream, only to find yourself in another one," she expined. Everythi familiar and fn all at once. I had all these memories, but they didn't fit with what I saw a."

  "How long did they keep you there?"

  "A few weeks, I think. It's all a bit of a blur. They ras, asked questions, and tried to figure out just how much of Spider-Man's abilities and memories I retained. But I pretended I had no enhanced abilities and acted as normal as possible. They thought I was just a female e with no powers. They let us out one day. So, I registered for csses at Empire State Uy."

  "That's damned clever. You mao hide your abilities and figure things out before making your move," Tyson ented, "I wouldn't have thought to do something like that."

  Jubilee patted Tyson's hand in sotion. "We know, sweetie. We all knew you weren't the best strategist after you told us you robbed the Federal Reserve."

  "I figured it out after he left the institute." Jessica joked, and they all slipped bato fits of ughter.

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