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Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening.
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It had been a quiet day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. At least that was how it
had started. Rich still wished that some of the others had stayed behind. He couldn't remember
who had stayed behind with him and Yvette, but now they were in no shape to move. Yvette and
he had been running from an unknown attacker, one that was after him. It wasn't Emplate, so he
was thanking God for that small favor. Yvette and he had turned a corner, and even though
there was an open hallway to run down, they ran into an invisible wall. As they recovered from
the collision, Rich felt the wall close around them. Both he and Yvette were having trouble
breathing, as a female voice said to him, "Your life is over."
Richard Cale awoke and sat straight up in his bed. He was gasping for breath. He hated
nightmares, especially like this. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep anytime soon. He
glanced at the clock in his room. 3 AM. This was a bad one, and a bad sign. The last time he
had these nightmares, Emplate had attacked the school. Rich decided that it would be best to
get dressed and walk around. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his flute and left the guy's
dorm.
*******************************************
Elane looked back at the letter she had received weeks ago. She knew she had a
powerful mutant ability, and the first plan she had to use it was halted by one person. Until now,
she never knew how he knew, and now a gentleman who had met him had offered her a chance
at revenge. She walked through Logan airport and watched for the person that would meet her.
It was hard to think how she could easily find a man about 3 to 4 foot tall in the sea of people. It
wasn't until she heard someone say, "Ms. Elane," that she turned and saw the person she was
looking for.
"Are you the one who sent me the letter?" she asked him, noticing that on his chauferr's
hat, there was a card with the letters DOA on it.
Without the grin ever leaving his face, the man said, "No. That was the master. He is
most eager to meet you. He feels that he can offer you the one thing you desire most." He was
right, and Elane smiled. As if reading her mind, he then said, "The master is waiting at his
house, and I will take you there."
Immediately, the man had taken her to a black limo, slightly beat-up, and started it on its
way. As he drove, Elane saw a gate and sign that read, "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
She turned to the man and said, "Is that.."
"Yes, that is were he is. The master has a plan for you that will get you in and out in no
time." Elane was never one who enjoyed many people, but then the larger a group, the harder to
control things with her powers. Eventually the car pulled to a stop at a lighthouse. He took her
inside and led her up the steps. Halfway up, Elane noticed an empty cell, with many cuts in the
walls. The man who had wanted to meet her was evil, and she loved it. At the top of the stairs,
the man disappeared through a door and talked with someone. A second later, the man came
out and said, "The master is ready to see you." She followed the man into the room and was
shocked at what she saw.
Emplate knew what he was doing. He wanted this girl to know what would happen to her
if she failed him. The look on her face showed him that he had receive the desired effect. He
looked at the girl. She was a blond, about eighteen, and she had a very powerful mutant ability.
>From what he could see, it had a great deal to do with aura manipulation. He then said to her,
"Welcome to my home, Ms. Bonstein. I take it that you enjoyed your trip."
She appeared to get her wits together and ask, "Who are you who can offer me
vengence on the one who ruined my plans?" She jumped right to the root of the meeting.
"My name is Emplate. I have met with the target of your fury before. When he first
arrived at the airport, I tried to capture him, but he knew I was waiting. Later I attacked the
school and he used my own abilities against me. He is a mimic, who can even mimic
personalities and thoughts. That is how he ruined your plans. I offer you the chance to ruin his
life."
"How do you know that my ex-cousin ruined my plans. I never said anything about my
plans, and how my power could help me do that."
"My unique abilities has earned me knowledge on sight. I know how much you hate your
ex-cousin. I know of the plans that you had, and how they were ruined."
"Alright, but how does that help me in ruining his life?"
"Do you know that he fears me the most? He fears that I will use his abilities to turn him
into another being like me. He also fears for the safety of the girl he has fallen in love with, a
former prisoner of mine. Your vengence would be to bring them to me and watching him suffer."
He watched Elane Bonstein smile. There was something unique in the smile. "And what
if I fail?" There was a tone of defiance in her voice. She had something up her sleeve and he
couldn't tell what.
"Then, I will have to sup on you." He held up his hands and let the mouths on them
show. Instead of recoiling back as he would have expected, Elane walked over to him.
"Then, you will lose a chance at a woman who can offer you love. I can allow you to
breathe without that respirator." His eyes went wide. Could this girl's abilities allow him to
breathe without his respirator. He watched her and noticed that her right hand had formed a cup.
He felt something like a helmet on his shoulders. She approached him and said, "Remove the
mask." It was said so sweet that he felt he had to try.
He heard D.O.A., his valet, yell, "Sir, it's a trick. She's going to kill you." He understood
the concern, but this girl was so evil that she was in love with him. He removed his respirator
and breathed the air. It was the same as what went through his repirator.
He let a smile cross his now visible face and said to Elane. "I believe you have proven
to be worthy of not being my meal."
She smiled and said, "I can do this at any time for you. It is in thanks for giving me the
chance to wipe out Richard. You might want to get the respirartor back on, for I will return my
aura to it's normal form soon." He was almost distracted when she kissed him, but he quickly did
so.
He gazed at her and said, "Together we can destory Generation X. Now, I will transport
you to the school at the time when everyone, except Richard and Yvette, will be gone. At that
time, you will capture them and bring them here, understand."
"Perfectly. Rich will never know what hit him." She laughed very visiously and Emplate
took delight in hearing it.
He turned to his valet and said, "D., take Elane to her quarters." D.O.A. escorted Elane
out of the room and Emplate returned to his chair and sat down. Quietly he said, "Now, Richard
and Yvette, I shall have both of you in my power." He started to laugh aloud.
*******************************************
Emma Frost awoke in her bed when she heard a crash outside her window. She put a
robe on and ran to the window. She opened the window and looked out. She heard a voice say,
"Cripes, this is not going to be a good day. I walked into Emma's home and fell into the shrubs.
The way this day is going it should be about now when..." It was Richard Cale. For the past two
months, Rich had been the newest student. In a day's time, although, the ward of Rich's former
uncle was going to be a student here. But Rich was never up this early, unless he had a
nightmare.
She looked down at Rich and said, "I hope you haven't had another nightmare, but
judging by your mood, that is a long shot." She knew about the secret of Rich's nightmares, and
she knew that last time, he was right.
He looked up at her and said, "I'm sorry I woke you up. I figured that you got woken up,
and yes, I did have a nightmare." Emma watched as Rich got up and brushed off his clothes.
She noticed that he was very upset.
"Rich, would you like to talk about it, or maybe let me try and figure out what is bothering
you about this nightmare?" She knew that Rich did not like having her psionicly probing his
mind, but she hoped he would agree.
It was a complete surprise to her when he said, "Maybe you can find something that I
can't" After what she did his second day at the school, Rich had told her, in his actions, that this
nightmare had something that worried him.
"Rich, I will be down in a moment. Wait for me at the door." She watched as he nodded
and headed toward the front door of her home. She quickly got dressed, and headed down to
open the door. She did not know how long Rich had been outside, but it was cold that Feburary
night. She was wearing her white sweater as well as her usual winter outfit. She opened the
door and stepped back, allowing Rich to get through without his mutant ability latching onto hers.
She closed the door and motioned to a couch, "Would you like to sit down and tell me about it?"
He sat down on the couch and said, "I can explain it, but it will not lead me to the
solution to my problem. I would appreciate any help you can give, by going into my nightmare."
This was what she least suspected he would ask, for her to mentally look at his nightmare. She
noticed that he relaxed himself so he would not be knocked out like the last time. She then
focused on Rich's mind and enter that part where all his dreams were stored. She first saw the
one where Emplate had attacked Rich. That one was when she discovered that his nightmares
were usually omens of things to happen. She then found the recent nightmare. She watched as
Rich and Yvette were running from something. The attacker seemed to be focused on Rich, but
didn't mind catching Yvette as well. The attacker took more of a form as she watched.
Eventually, Emma could determine that the attacker was a female, with the voice of evil.
Emma wondered if Rich's psychic energy had generated this image of an enemy that he might
have made in his past. She noticed that Rich and Yvette had gone unconscious, while floating in
the air, but the dream was starting to fade out. She had to act quick. She psionic said to the
female form, [Who are you?]
The form looked at her and said, [I am relativly dangerous to all of you.] With that
Emma was knocked out of the confines of the dream by an unknown force. She floated out of
Rich's mind in bewilderment, not knowing what to say.
As she recovered from the occurance, Rich said, "Are you alright?" Rich always
behaved like a gentleman, at least when he was calm. She noticed that there was a look of
worry in his eyes.
"I will be fine, Rich. I am going to contact Sean, but first I want to ask you, the female
attacker said she was relativly dangerous, do you have any idea what that means?" He shook
his head and Emma realized that this might be a possible problem. "Rich, I am going to talk to
Sean about this, alright." He nodded and Emma gave Sean a psionic call.
Sean didn't like being awakened by Emma, but he remembered the last time Rich had a
nightmare. If this was any indication of another attack by Emplate, they had all the right in the
world to worry. A new mutant was going to join the school soon. When Rich received the letter
from his former uncle, Rich said it was his last act from the grave. It was this day that Daria, a
female mutant about Jubilee's age, was arriving at the school. When he arrive at Emma's home
on the campus, Emma was waiting at the door. "So Rich had a nightmare. Is Emplate going to
attack?"
Emma looked at him and shook her head. She then said softly, "The attacker in Rich's
dream was female, and someone that Rich knows. The thing is, Rich can't think of who it is.
The person must be planning to attack when Rich and Yvette are here, according to Rich's
dream, but Rich appeared to be the center of the attacker's focus." Sean didn't know if this was
worse or better. Knowing that it wasn't Emplate was a plus, but an unknown attacker was a
minus.
"Do ye think that it is someone who Rich had wronged?"
"I'm not sure. I think we should ask him." Sean couldn't argue with that and the two
walked over to the room where Rich was waiting. The noticed that Rich was laying on the couch.
Rich looked at them and looked as if he was sorry for putting his feet on the couch. He
quickly sat back up and then said, "More questions?"
"Aye. Emma told me about the dream and I was wondering if there is anyone in yur
family or ye have met that ye have wronged." He knew he had regreted not telling the students
about his cousin, but he hoped that Rich didn't have a skeleton in his closet like that.
Rich looked at them and said, "I had given my parents strict instructions that they had to
contact me, if and only if, someone had an urgent problem to talk to me about. I would contact
them if I wanted to say 'Hello' to someone I had meet. None of the people who got on my bad
side, or who I had gotten on the bad side of, knows where I am."
"I hope yur right, lad." He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Rich, how long
have ye been up?"
"Since 3 AM, Sean."
"You've been awake for two and a half hours now. What was the earliest that ye have
woken from these nightmares?"
"3 AM."
Sean didn't need to hear that. It might be a clue to how soon this might happen. "What
was the second earliest?"
"4 AM, when I had the nightmare with Emplate in it." The last time it was a day that
passed since the nightmare and the event. Maybe there was a link between the amount of time
he slept and the time between the dream and event.
"Rich, do ye think there might be a link between the time you slept and the time til the
attack?" He watched as Rich shuddered. Something about what he had just asked scared Rich.
"Sean, I sometimes don't fall asleep until after midnight. The night I had the nightmare
about Emplate was on about four hours sleep. This one was after two hours sleep." Sean
realized what his theory meant. The attack would happen sometime today. If anything, they
could not leave Rich and Yvette alone at the school. He knew that Rich and Yvette always spent
alot of time together.
"I hope yur dream doesn't come true when we pick up Daria today."
Rich's eyes widened in shock. "Omigosh, that's right. Today is the day that Daria
arrives. The attack seemed to take place when you were all gone. Then all I have to do is go to
the airport, and everything will be fine." He yawned with his last word. Sean wondered if Rich
would be awake by the time they had to leave for the airport.
*******************************************
Yvette had woken up early today. She wanted to help out in preparing a room for this
new student. Nobody was up yet, so she decided to go get breakfast for herself. Since Rich had
arrived, she had started to live a new life, different from her life in Yugoslavia, and much
different than her imprisonment by Emplate. She went to the main building and went to the
kitchen. Yvette figured that she would have a quiet breakfast of Apple Jacks and a glass of
apple juice. She did enjoy apples, even back when her mother used to give them to her. She was
quite surprised to see Sean Cassidy, one of the teachers, awake and in the kitchen. "Sean, I'm
surprised you're up."
He looked at her and said, "I'm not the only one up." He motioned to some people in the
room. At the counter, Emma was making a cup of coffee, and from what Jubilee and some of
the others said, it was the only thing she could make safely. She glanced over at the table and
saw Rich sitting there, and it was obvious that he didn't sleep well.
She watched as he looked at her and said, "Hi, love. I think I have bad news." She
realized what that meant. Rich had had another nightmare. She decided to approach him, for
when his powers latched onto hers, they could mentally talk in her native tounge, and that was
usually how he told her most of his secrets. As she approached, Rich said {I think someone from
my past is coming after me.}
She was confused by this. Rich never said much about anyone who he made mad. {Is it
Emplate? If he is coming, then we have to hide.} She was still afraid of Emplate, and she felt
safe attacking him only when he was weak, so weak he would disappear.
{No, but for some reason that I cannot explain, I wish it was.} He was more worried then
ever, but luckily, he was not mad at it.
{Who could scare you that much, enough to make you wish Emplate was attacking?}
She could tell she asked the wrong question when Rich instantly tensed up. She pulled back so
he wouldn't cut her. She watched as his claws made cuts into the table. Sean and Emma ran
over and she decided not to press any further. Rich would tell her when he was ready. She then
turned to face Sean and Emma.
"What did ye say to the lad, Yvette?" Sean was worried by how fast that Rich had
tensed up.
"I think I asked him a very sensitive question that he is not ready to answer yet," she
replied honestly.
"Yvette," Emma said, "you know Rich better than any of us. Is there anything he might
have done that made someone mad at him."
She thought about it for a moment, and all she could remember was just the little
rivalries he had growing up. "Most that I remember is the guys he never got along with in
school."
"That could be a problem, because the attacker in Rich's dream is female." Yvette
started to worry about this. She wondered if it might be a girl who might have loved him, but he
didn't feel love for them.
Yvette started to voice her thought when she heard Paige Guthrie gasp. "Omigosh, what
happened to Rich?" Paige was apparently shocked by the fact that Rich was mimicking her
abilities.
Yvette looked at her and said, "Rich had another nightmare, and something about it
appears to have hit a sensitive spot in his past." She hoped that would satisfy Paige's curiousity.
She sometimes wondered if Rich's attempts to patch things up between Paige and Jono were
mistaken as intrest.
Paige swallowed and asked the same question that everyone would probably ask, "Is
Emplate going to attack?" The look of worry was evident. Everyone was told about the dream
after Emplate's attack, and everyone had a fear that Rich would have another nightmare like
that.
Emma looked at Paige and said, "I don't believe it is. Rich allowed me to mentally
examine his dream." Yvette finally realized that this nightmare had really scared him, for him to
allow Emma to go into his mind. Emma then said, "The attacker in Rich's dream was female,
which could mean anything."
Yvette decided to voice her opinion. "Emma, I think it might be a girl that who might
have had feelings for him."
Paige looked at her and said, "If that is the case, Yvette, you better be careful, because
it might be something like the movie, 'The Crush'. Your life might be in danger."
Yvette was just about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She
looked back to see Rich standing there and saying, "I wonder if that is it. A girl that had feelings
for me, but I didn't have feelings for. That would be better than what I was thinking." She looked
somewhat relieved when he said that. "I'll tell you about the worse fear later." He then mentally
said to her, {Give me some time alone to think of how to tell you about that, Okay, love.}
Yvette smiled at the love in her life and said, "Okay, I'll see you later." She watched as
he left the kitchen. She looked at everyone and said, "I think he is going to tell me something
later, should I ask him if I can tell you about it." Sean and Emma nodded and Yvette went to get
her breakfast.
Monet St. Croix had just woken up and looked out on the day. It was a nice day,
especially for the new student to arrive on. She had gotten dressed in one of her nicer outfits,
but then all her outfits were nice. She left the girl's dorm and walked towards the main building.
On her way, she saw Rich walking in her direction. He looked as if he was lost in thought. She
walked over to him and said, "Is there something troubling you, Rich?"
He noticed her and stopped moving, so that he would not latch on to her mutant ability.
He then said, "Nothing you can help me with. In fact, you are the last person to ask for help in
this matter."
She was shocked at what he said. She argued about what he said, "How can you be
sure about that? I can probably help with your problem."
"Have you told them the truth of Marius? The truth of your abilities, or even your
sisters?" He had hit a nerve, but then he seemed to be good when it came to arguing with
someone. He continue, "In the two months I've been here, what they know about you and what I
know differs by such a leap that Neil Armstrong wouldn't try and take a shot at making it." Monet
couldn't deny that he most likely knew the truth about the first two, but the truth about the twins
was almost impossible.
"Rich, I don't think the time is right to tell them about everything. You found out about
my brother by misfortune. As for the truth of my abilities, that I had to tell you. When it comes
to my younger sisters, I cannot yet tell anyone about them." She hoped that he hadn't latched
onto her abilities, but due to her distance from him, he probably had.
"I offer my sympathies to that little family secret, but I must find the right way to tell
Yvette about one person I fear as much as Emplate." Monet finally realized that Rich harbored a
skeleton in his closet that must have haunted him for most his life.
"Is something bothering you, Rich?" She noticed the worried look on his face and
remembered seeing it before.
Just as he was about to say something, the unmistakable voice of Jubilee said, "From
what Paige just told me, he had another nightmare." She turned to face Jubilee. Jubilee was
obviously ready for the day, and she was not alone. Everett was right by her side. The two had
become as close as Rich and Penny had been. Monet wouldn't admit it, but she had feelings for
Everett.
She was just about to say something when Rich said, "Too many cooks spoiling the
broth." She knew it was an old cliche, and Rich usually talked in old cliches. She turned and
saw Rich fly off. Maybe he needed to be alone to think about this.
When Everett and Jubilee were close enough, Everett said, "I think this one really has
him scared. From what Paige said, Penny asked him a question about it and he tensed up. He
put a couple nasty cuts in the table." Everett watched as Rich flew behind one of the buildings.
"I hope he remembers that he won't have my ability for long. But where could he go to
be alone." Monet had wondered about that. She usually had her autism to pull her out this world
and into her own fantasy realm.
"Well, since Beast took Artie, Franklin and Leech to the X-Men's temporary home, he
might disappear to the treehouse. He might get at least an hour of peace. Angelo, Jono, and
Mondo are going to work on their abilities today." Jubilee finished off. Monet realized that Rich
was not going to get the peace and quiet he needed to think. She then went with them to get
breakfest.
Jono looked around the Biosphere. Skin, Mondo and himself felt that they had to train
their abilities more. After Mondo's experence being captured by Black Tom, all of them had
been training. Today, the three of them were practicing using their abilities to stop a threat.
Emma always thought that the best way was to practice against each other. Jono figured that
Angelo would probably take high ground, but it was Mondo that was more dangerous, for he had
the best cover. Mondo's mutant ability could allow him to become anything organic. Jono
looked around for Mondo. It was unnerving, because Mondo could be right underneath his feet.
Jono looked up around the trees. He was near the tree house, and odds were that Angelo
wouldn't hide there, but then last place to look was the place something you were looking for
was. As Jono started to approach the treehouse, what looked like vines almost hit him. He
looked up and saw a figure in the trees. It was Angelo. He said to his teammate, {Good try, but
the timing was off.} With that, Jono let a blast loose and knocked Angelo from the tree.
Angelo stood up and said, "You got me, but I think we might both get caught now." Then
Angelo lost his balance, and Jono realized that the ground was moving. They were standing
right on top of Mondo.
As Mondo knocked them in two directions, Angelo off in the direction of the control room,
him in the direction of the treehouse, Mondo said, "Did I do well with waiting?" Mondo returned
to his normal form.
"Not bad. You probably would have surprised half the guys I use to hang with."
{Very good. You waited for a moment to catch us off guard. That is a good offensive
manuver.} Mondo smiled knowing that he did well. {I think we have all learned that surprise is
a good weapon.}
Surprise was also a bad thing. When his ability manifested, it took him and Gayle by
surprise, and left both of them with wounds. He was about to say about the cons of surprise
when all of a sudden, a familiar voice went, "Oh Sh..," and an explosion took out the wall of the
treehouse, as Rich came flying out, looking like Jono did. It was with good reflexes that Angelo
used his abilities to bring Rich to the ground before Rich hit a tree. Rich looked around, and
since he was near Jono, he psionicly said, {I think I should have asked someone about this,
huh?}
Mondo walked over and said, "Something wrong, my friend. You can tell me" Mondo
always treated Rich as a friend for life, due to the fact that Rich was the one that saved him from
Black Tom. Almost everyone else was treated as a friend.
{I was just thinking about something. I had a nightmare last night.} Jono remember
what had happened last time, but now was a time to be ready in case this one came true. He
then noticed that Rich looked very tired.
{Is there anything we should worry about with this nightmare?} Jono hoped that it could
be dismissed, and he was hoping that Paige was not going to be hurt, although he still hadn't told
her he was sorry about Thanksgiving.
{Not that I can think of right now. Although, I think I have finally decided about what I
was thinking about.} Jono watched as Rich made a motion as if he was yawning. Rich then
looked at his hand and said, {Forgot that like this, I have no mouth. Right now, I think our
biggest worry will be explaining to Artie, Franklin and Leech why their treehouse has a wall
missing.}
Angelo responded to that by saying, "Don't worry. Everett and I can get it patched up
before the kids return." Jono was somewhat relaxed at knowing that he was not included on that
project. He decided that soon, he would try to patch things up with Paige.
Mondo then said to Rich, "What do we know about this new student that will be arriving
today." Jono figured that Mondo asked the question to change the mood of the situation.
Rich then reached into a pocket and pulled out the letter he had receive a few weeks
ago. {According to what Bastion had said in the letter, she is about Jubilee's age. Her name is
Daria. As for her ability, that is a mystery. Other than that, we have to wait and see what Daria
says when she gets here. Does that answer any questions?}
Jono then said, {Any idea why we are all going to meet her?} He thought it was unusual
for everyone to be going to meet her.
{All the letter said was that it would be best for her protection.}
{Maybe Emplate will be less likely to attack if we are all there.}
"That sounds right," Angelo said in agreement. Jono remembered that Emplate had
attacked him the moment he got off the plane. That was an experience he wished no one to
share.
{Well, I think I better be going. There is something I must talk to Yvette about before we
have to leave for the airport.} With that Rich headed out of the Biosphere. Jono figured it might
be a while before Rich decided to talk to anyone, knowing that Rich had to let his ability leave
him.
Jono turned back to Angelo and Mondo and said, {Do you think we should continue with
training?}
Angelo turned to him and said, "Si, I still have to catch the both of you off guard." With
that, the trio returned to practicing.
