Cyclops and Storm entered the conference room where the other X-Men waited.

"Jean will be all right," Cyclops announced before anyone could ask the question that was on all their minds. "She's sleeping."

"And our 'guest'?" Wolverine growled.

"We have her under heavy sedation, and intend to keep her that way until Professor Xavier returns," Storm answered.

"Beast, were you able to find out what that equipment was for?" Cyclops asked as he took a seat at the table.

"The technicians at the laboratory confirmed that it was a sensory deprivation tank, but with a twist," he paused and help up an electronic circuit board the size of a note pad. "This is a psi-dampener."

"A what?" Wolverine asked.

"It blocks a telepath. If you had one of these set up, a telepath couldn't see into, or out of, the area you had defined by the field. In this case, the field surrounded the sensory dep. tank."

"We examined the girl we brought back," Storm began. "As you suggested, Beast, she did not respond, physically, to either light or sound. Not having the patient's cooperation makes it more difficult to determine for certain, but I believe that she is both deaf and blind."

"It was Jubilee's suggestion, actually," Beast put in. Jubilee shrugged, beaming at being included.

"So, they took this kid, who's main inputs are touch and ESP, and locked her in a tank that took both away," Wolverine snarled. "No wonder she went nuts."

"Why'd they go and do a thing like that for?" Rogue put in, "What'd they think was gonna happen?"

"Apparently pretty much what did happen, just not on the scale they were expecting," Beast answered. "I ... persuaded the technicians to brief me on their experiment. They were trying to force her to develop stronger telepathic powers. When they shut down the field the first time, she had been locked in for over a week already. She blew nearly every breaker in the place, knocked out several of their people. Of course, they had battery back-up for the important equipment." He looked at the circuit board with disgust. "They didn't waste a lot of time turning the dampener back on."

"Who do dis t'ing?" Gambit asked.

"The head man split right after they opened the field the first time," Jubilee put in. "Those geeks don't even know his name. They just called him 'The Doctor'," she giggled. "Pretty lame, huh?"

"They were about to, as they put it, 'terminate the experiment' when we arrived."

"'Terminate..'" Jubilee whispered, questioningly.

"They was gonna kill her, Chere." Jubilee looked horrified.

"That was one o' our options, too," Wolverine said quietly. "Might still be the only option." Jubilee stared at him.

"If Charles cannot help her, Jubilee, we may have no choice. At present, she is very dangerous."

"Well, we are going after this 'Doctor' creep, aren't we? I mean, what if he gets his hands on another mutant? Won't he do the same thing again?" Jubilee was almost shrill.

"Almost certainly," Beast answered. "The technicians were under orders not the damage the equipment or the, umm, specimen."

"Specimen!" Wolverine snarled quietly, his fists clenched, his claws extended. "I always hated that word."

"Easy, Wolverine," Cyclops said from the head of the table. "We'll find this 'Doctor'."

"Yeah, mon amie. Den we show him what 'specimen' mean, no?"


The X-Men parted after the meeting, Beast and Storm going to the laboratory to look over the captured circuit board. Rogue looked after them, thoughtfully.

"I wonder if it can 'dampen' anything else."

"We find out, Chere," Gambit assured her.

Cyclops returned to Jean's side. Jubilee shrugged, then went to her own room.

"Wolverine watched them go their separate ways, then turned quietly toward the dispensary, where their 'guest' lay sleeping.


The girl lay motionless on the hospital style bed, her dark hair framing her pale face. Wolverine stood watching her, wondering if he would be forced to kill her. He knew he could, but he hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Are you to kill me now?" Wolverine started at the girl's words, spoken so quietly he had barely heard them. She turned her head slowly and looked up at him, her silver eyes dull.

"You in a hurry ta die?" Wolverine glowered down at her, his arms across his chest.

"No," she whispered. "But failed experiments are always terminated." Her eyes grew sad. "And I hurt your friend. I'm sorry." She turned her face away, but he could see enough to know she was crying.

"What's yer name, kid?"

"What?" she turned to face him again, tears visible on her cheeks.

"Yer name. You know, what do people call you?"

"I ... I am called TP36."

"TP36? What kind o' name is that?"

"It ... it is my designation. It indicates telepath number 36." She leaned back suddenly, beginning to breath faster. "Please. Don't wait too long." She closed her eyes, gasping now, her hands clutched the blankets on the bed. Wolverine pushed the intercom button.

"Storm."

"Yes, Wolverine?" the answer came quickly.

"Our 'guest' is awake."

"That should not be possible. Is she all right?"

"I don't think so."

"We are on our way. Wolverine, be careful. She is very powerful and could hurt you badly."

Wolverine moved quickly back to the bed. He took the girl by her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes flew open, but did not focus on him.

"C'mon, kid. Look at me." He shook her again. "Look at me!" She whimpered, the sound setting his teeth on edge.

"C'mon, now. You gotta hang on. Help's comin'." Her eyes abruptly focused, locked on his. She reached up and grabbed his arms with more strength than he had thought possible for a woman of her size. She clung to him as he continued to speak softly to her.


Storm burst in through the door to the dispensary, followed by Beast, Rogue, and Gambit. They were momentarily frozen by the tableau before them. Wolverine stood next to girl, their arms locked on one another.

"Wolverine?" He didn't turn at the sound of his name, instead he said quietly, "Storm, she's hangin' on, but not for much longer. You'd better knock her out."

Storm quickly prepared a syringe, then approached the pair, ready to inject the girl. When she touched her, however, the girl's gaze, previously locked with Wolverine's, snapped toward her. Storm recoiled as if from a physical blow, dropping the syringe as she fell backwards.

"No!" Wolverine shouted, and then slapped the girl, drawing her attention back to him. Beast scooped up the syringe and drove it home as Wolverine was hurled away from the girl and into the nearby wall. The tranquillizer only took a moment to take effect. Wolverine slid down the wall and lay in a heap on the floor as the girl slowly collapsed. Rogue helped Storm to her feet and Gambit hurried to the motionless Wolverine.

"Wolverine? You okay, mon amie?" Gambit asked. Wolverine opened his eyes and groaned.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Cajun."

"Yeah, you be okay." He offered his hand to his friend and Wolverine accepted the assistance. The five X-Men turned to the again unconscious girl with a collective sigh.


In the hall outside the girl's room, Storm turned to Wolverine.

"Was she awake when you went in?"

"I don't think so. I'd been there a while before she said anything. Then she asked me if I was gonna kill her."

"But she was rational?"

"Yeah. We talked for a couple of minutes before she started to lose it. She told me not to wait too long to kill her."

"That gal's got a death wish," Rogue put in. Wolverine shook his head.

"No. She just don't want to hurt nobody else. She knows she hurt Jean."

"Someone needs to stay with her until Charles returns."

"She needs a name, too," Wolverine added.

"What?"

"The kid don't even have a name. They called her some number."

"That's awful!" Rogue said, "Anybody got an idea?"

"Well," drawled Gambit, "I'm partial to Belle, myself." Rogue elbowed him in the ribs.

"Just kiddin', Chere. No need to get physical."

"Wolverine, do you have any suggestions?" Storm asked.

"Yeah. I say we call her 'Star'."

"That because she make you see mor'n you share o' stars, mon amie?" Wolverine glared at Gambit.

"Will you two cut it out?" Rogue demanded. "I'll sit with her for a while, Storm." She put her hands on her hips and glared at Gambit and Wolverine. "And if she wakes up, I'll ask her if she likes it or not, okay?"

"Rogue, if she even begins to stir, give her another shot, then call me."

"All right, Storm. Don't worry. 'Sides, she's a little bitty thing, I should be able to handle her."

"Rogue, do not take any chances. She could still be very dangerous," Storm cautioned.

"Okay, okay," Rogue threw her hands up in surrender. "I'll be careful. Now, you guys run along."

Storm, nursing sore ribs, went back into the girl's room to prepare a syringe, should Rogue need it. Beast went with her.

"She looks like a child."

"Yes." Storm sighed, "But a very dangerous child. The first tranquilized we gave her should have kept her quiet for eight hours, not less than two. The second dose would have knocked you out." She sighed again. "I hope Charles hurries. We cannot continue giving her this much medication without causing her harm." She smoothed the girl's hair away from her face.

"When is he coming back?"

"Tomorrow morning at the earliest. More likely, tomorrow evening."

"I hope we've got that long."

"So do I."


"Chere..." Gambit said uncertainly.

"Don't worry, Remy. I'll be careful," Rogue answered him seriously. "No, you go after Wolverine. If I know him at all, he's gone to the kitchen for a beer. He could probably use some company, too. Even it if is your's." Gambit caught her up in his arms and spun her around.

"Okay, Chere. But you call if you need anyt'ing, no?"

"I promise. Now put me down." Grinning, Gambit put her feet back on the floor. He blew her a kiss as he turned toward the kitchen. She shook her head, then went into the girl's room.

"Ah, Rogue," Storm said, turning away from the bed. "Here is the syringe if you need it. I am going to check on Jean. Someone will relieve you before too long."

"If you need me, I'll be in the lab, looking at the application we discussed."

"Thanks, Beast. Got it, Storm." Storm and Beast left, going their separate ways. Rogue pulled up a chair and began leafing through a book left in the room by a previous patient. The girl didn't move.


"Here you be, mon amie, just like Rogue say," Gambit said, as he took a beer out of the refrigerator and joined Wolverine at the kitchen table.

"What d'ya want, Cajun," Wolverine growled.

"Not a t'ing, mon amie, not a t'ing." Gambit sipped his drink. "Don' worry 'bout de little femme, Wolverine. De Professor, he be back soon. He take care o' her."

"I hope so, Cajun. I sure do hope so."


At a quiet tap on the door, Cyclops rose from his seat beside Jean's bed and, moving silently, opened the door. It was Storm.

"How is she?"

"Sleeping. Is everything all right?" He stepped through the door into the hall and closed it behind him, so that he and Storm could speak without disturbing Jean.

"After giving her enough sedatives to kill a horse, the young lady is sleeping again."

"'Again'?"

"Yes. Wolverine stopped in to check on her, and she awakened. They spoke for a few minutes, the she started to slip and Wolverine called for me. We sedated her, and now she is sleeping. Again."

"That sounds too easy."

"Yes, it does, does it not," Storm sighed. "It was not that easy, of course. If it had been anyone other than Wolverine, he would probably have been badly injured. She seems to have, um, localized her strikes. Wolverine said she was rational for several minutes before, as he put it, she started to lose it."

"What have we gotten ourselves into, Storm?"

"Hopefully, nothing we can not handle," she answered. "Well, I just wanted to check on Jean, to make sure she had not been disturbed."

"She's fine. Sleeping like a baby."

"I will leave you to your own rest then. Good night."

"Good night, Storm."

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