"Star," Beast said. She turned her head slightly to look at him.

"I am going to give you something that will make you sleep. While you are sleeping, I will do what I can for you, all right?" She shook her head, no.

"Don't be afraid, dear. We will take care of you."

"No," she insisted. "Can't ... sleep. Can't ... hold ... asleep."

"Star," Xavier spoke quietly. "I will maintain your shields. Let Hank do what he must." She stared at him for a long moment, then said,

"All ... right." Hank took Star's hand from Wolverine, straightened her arm, and injected the anesthetic. She watched as he withdrew the needle, then looked up at Wolverine. She smiled again, then closed her eyes. Xavier gasped.

"What is it, Charles?" Beast asked.

"She had a much stronger hold on her powers than I believed. Wolverine, please tell Jean that I need her." Wolverine nodded, then looked down at Star once more. He looked up, to find Storm watching him as Hank prepared to operate.

"Storm, you an' Hank take good care o' that kid. She's got more guts 'n anybody I've seen in a long time."

"We will do our best." Wolverine left the med lab to find Jean.


Wolverine sat on the front steps, a cigar clamped between his teeth, the ember glowing redly in the darkness. Jubilee came out and sat next to him. After several minutes of silence, she said,

"Wolvie?" He took the cigar out of his mouth and turned to look at her.

"Is she gonna be okay? I mean, she isn't hurt that bad, is she?"

"Yeah, she is. I don' know why she was alive when I found her." He held his arm out to Jubilee and she moved closer to him, accepting the friendship and protection that was implied in his embrace.

"Did anybody tell you what happened?"

"Yeah," he looked down at her with a sudden grin. "Mebbe flyin' ain't all its cut out to be."

"Maybe not," Jubilee reluctantly agreed.

Scott opened the door behind them and they both turned.

"She's out of surgery. Hank says its still touch and go, but he thinks she'll make it. We've got a couple of other problems, though."

"What's up?" Jubilee asked.

"Jean and the Professor are both exhausted from keeping her powers under control. She's awake right now, but Hank wants her to sleep. Problem is, when she's asleep or unconscious, she has no control. Charles says its a survival trait that she has to consciously override."

"What about that doohickey Hank and Jubilee brought back from the lab where we got her in the first place? Hank's had plenty o' time to figure it out."

"Good idea, Wolverine."

"Think I'll go see him about it." Wolverine put his cigar out, then went to the med lab.

"You said we had a couple of problems, Cyke." Jubilee said.

"Yeah. They've issued an arrest warrant for Star, for assault and battery."

"Oh, man."

"When the police called, Rogue told them Star'd been in an accident on the way home, and had been hospitalized."

"We're not gonna let 'em arrest her, are we?"

"No, Jubilee. It would be far too dangerous, among other things."

"'Among other things'? Like 'its not right'?"

"Don't worry. We'll think of something."

"Yeah." Jubilee muttered. "I bet they'll let those goons that attacked Star off, too."

"They have."

"What?"

"The Defense attorney changed the plea from not guilty, to self defense. The DA dropped the charges."

"That's just great. What else can go wrong around here?"


Wolverine found Beast in the hall outside the room Star had occupied on her first night in the mansion.

"How's the kid, Hank?"

"Truthfully, Wolverine, she is doing much better than I expected. Which, unfortunately, is still not very well. She is awake, if you wish to see her." Beast shook his head. "That child throws off an anesthetic nearly as quickly as you do. She awakened twice during surgery. I only wish she had some of your healing abilities."

"Cyke said Jean and Chuck were having trouble keepin' her powers shut down."

"Yes, indeed. While conscious she seems to have the ability to successfully block her capacity for energy consumption, dependent, of course, upon our ability to keep her from becoming overloaded. However, when she is not conscious, her body recognizes her need for the energy input, and seeks that energy out, where ever it can be found."

"What about the circuit board you brought outta that lab?"

"Charles believes that to subject her to such an artificial suppression would be too traumatic."

"More traumatic than knowin' that if ya take a nap, you could wake up surrounded by corpses?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Anybody ask her?"

"Uh, no."

"After you." Wolverine intoned, opening the door to Star's room.

"Quite."


Star lay on the hospital bed, the head raised so she could breath more easily. Her right leg was supported at the knee by several pillows, her skin nearly as white at the bandaging. Her left arm was completely surrounded by a cage like device which kept her broken bones from shifting, while still allowing a certain amount of mobility in the limb. The bandages on her abdomen and chest were hidden beneath the gown she wore. She looked up as they entered and shuddered as Beast's thoughts reached her.

"How soon?" she asked them.

"What?"

"How soon can you set up the field?"

"Blabbermouth." Wolverine grumbled.

"Not his fault, Wolverine. I have difficulty closing out your thoughts, and you are the quietest person I've ever listened too."

"Star, we don't have to do this." Beast said, looking kindly down at her.

"Yes, we do. I sensed the growing exhaustion in both Jean and the Professor. If you won't turn on the field, I will have to leave."

"You can't leave, dear. It would kill you."

"I know."

"Ya'd try it anyway, wouldn't ya, kid." She didn't answer. Beast sighed.

"I should be able to set it up in about fifteen minutes."

"Please," she said quietly. Beast nodded and turned for the door.

"I'll be back in a minute, kid." Wolverine said, following Beast.

"How big a field can you set up?" he asked after closing the door behind him.

"I don't know. The original equipment was for an area of only about six cubic feet."

"Yeah. The size o' that glass coffin we found her in."

"What did you have in mind?"

"How 'bout somethin' the size o' that room she's in."

"Hmm. We should have sufficient power for that. I'll get started."

"Thanks, Hank." Wolverine opened the door and went back in to Star's room.

"How ya doin', kid?"

"Fine."

"I don't think so. Ya wanna try again?"

"I...I..."

"C'mon, darlin'. Give."

"I'm scared," she whispered, refusing to look at him.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that." He took her chin and turned her head toward him.

"I hurt all over."

"That's no surprise. Ya tried ta make a door in the roof."

"And my arm feels funny."

"Funny how?"

"Just funny."

"We'll get Hank ta look at it when he comes back." She looked away, reminded of what Beast was doing.

"Hey, its gonna be okay, darlin'. Ya ain't gonna be left alone.

"This is just so ya c'n sleep. When yer awake, it don' even have ta be turned on."

"I know. It's just so ... alone inside the field. I still dream about the first time I couldn't control my powers."

"It's all right. Ya got the X-Men ta take care o' ya this time."

She was staring at her hands, "When the police come tomorrow, they'll lock me up, won't they?" She was trembling.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"I can hear everybody in the house. Scott and the Professor are talking about what to tell the police when they get here in the morning. Scott thinks they'll try to take me away from here, put me in a cage again."

"We ain't gonna let that happen." He wanted to take her in his arms, comfort her, as he had so often held Jubilee, but she was too badly injured. He settled for holding her hand. "The X-Men take care o' their own."

"Xavier does not think of me as an X-Man. He considers me a patient, nothing more. A troublesome patient." She finally looked up at him. "He doesn't know if he can help me. He thinks he may have to permanently block my powers."

"He won't have to, darlin'," he told her. "I got a place up in the mountains. Ain't nobody around for miles. If you an' Chuck can't figure a way around this, I'll take ya up there."

A short time later Beast opened the door and entered quietly. Star looked over at him and fear flickered across her face. Beast smiled reassuringly. She clung weakly to Wolverine's hand.

"Everything is set up, Star. Are you ready?" She nodded sharply. "We're going to have to adjust the equipment once its turned on. You will need to help us with that, all right?"

"All right."

"Good." He turned to the intercom, "Storm? Go ahead."

Nothing happened for several moments, then Star gasped.

"Star?" Beast asked. She looked up at Wolverine, startled.

"It's like an echo," she said. "I can hear you hear Beast, but I can't hear him myself."

"Storm, expand the field, please. Star, tell me when you can see me again." Star turned toward Beast,

"Now."

"That's good, Storm. Lock the controls there, please."

"Done." Storm's voice came back over the intercom. "Henry, when you have finished there, the Professor would like to speak with you." Beast shook his head, smiling ruefully,

"I will be there in a few minutes." He moved back to the side of the bed.

"Star, I want you to sleep now. Give your body a chance to heal. Do not worry, the field will not fail while you sleep." He carefully smoothed the hair away from her forehead. "Rest, little one. The intercom is within the field." He place a call button on the bed, in easy reach, "If you need anything, press this, and someone will answer you. All right?" She nodded. Beast smiled at her.

"Good night, then." He turned and left the room. To Star, it appeared as if he ceased to exist just before he reached to doorway. Wolverine squeezed her hand gently, then released it.

"Get some shuteye, kid. I'll check on ya later." He left the room, leaving the lights on behind him. Star looked around the room after he left. It wasn't as bad as she had expected. She could see most of the room. She could see the boundaries of the field, as well, as a sharp, silvery wall. She relaxed at last, closing her eyes, and trying to close her mind to the pain. Soon, she slept.


"Charles, my patient required more care than you were capable of providing. After considering the situation, and consulting with the patient, I made the decision that this course of action was necessary.

Please do not presume to tell me what is best for the girl. At this point, her physical condition requires that she rest a considerable portion of the time."

"Henry, after I had dealt with the police, I was going to return to her side to reinforce her shields."

"For how long, Charles? Jean was clearly exhausted after the surgery. How long could you have maintained her defenses? An hour? Perhaps two? Then what, awaken Jean and have her try to take over? I think not." He sighed. "The child was terrified of falling asleep. She values other's lives above her own. I believe her capable of willing her own death rather than endanger anyone again. She has come dangerously close to doing just that." He rubbed his forehead wearily. "There is a very real possibility that we could lose her even now. If using that abomination increases her chances of survival even slightly, then I am willing to use it." Xavier was silent for a moment, then he said,

"I apologize. I believed I had her best interests at heart. I should have realized that you have the same goal," he paused. "I sometimes feel that I am growing too old to manage the challenges this world keeps throwing at us. I truly do not know how to help Star."

"The first thing ya gotta do is stop treatin' her like a piece o' furniture." Wolverine said from the doorway, leaning on the frame, his arms crossed.

"Wolverine, we have not.."

"Yeah, ya have. Yer actin' like she ain't got no brains of her own. Yer makin' decisions for her, and it ain't even occurred ta ya ta ask her what she wants."

"Wolverine, she is a child. It is our responsibility..."

"I don' know what else she is or isn't, but she ain't no child. She was in there wonderin' just how long yer gonna wait to shut her down."

He moved away from the door frame, "Ya really think you could turn her off if she didn't want ya too? But ya know what?" He shook his head, angry, "She ain't gonna resist. She'll accept whatever you decide. 'Cause she still thinks of herself as just an experiment. I ain't gonna let ya do that to her, Chuck. Would a' been kinder ta leave her where we found her. Least they'd o' killed her quick."

"Wolverine, there may be no choice."

"There's always a choice. Ya just gotta look for it." He glared at Xavier, "An' sometimes ya gotta ask." He stormed from the room.

"Charles," Xavier looked toward Beast. "Are you actually considering destroying her powers?"

"Yes."

"But, without them,.."

"She would be completely isolated. I know." He rubbed his forehead in an unconscious imitation of Beast's earlier gesture. "I'm going to bed, Henry. Call me if anything ... changes."

"Of course."


Wolverine slammed the Danger Room door behind him, then activated the program. Here he had found an outlet for his anger. After an hour or so of destroying simulated enemies, he thought it would be safe to check on Star. He showered and changed into a clean shirt and jeans. He almost knocked on the door to her room, but realized that she would be unable to hear him. He opened the door and went in. She slept. He watched her for a few minutes, then, satisfied that she would be all right at least for a while, he left, closing the door behind him.

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