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Everett walked into the lounge with Jubilee, Monet and Paige to see Rich, fast asleep on
the sofa, and Penny sitting near him. He always figured that after the impression Rich made on
her, that the two could never be seperated. She looked up at them and motioned for quiet.
Obviously, Rich had given in to the need to sleep. Of course, the way that everyone had said he
was yawning, it wouldn't be too long. He whispered to Penny, "Do you think he'll wake up soon?"
She stood up and walked over to them. "Not in time to go to the airport. I'm worried
about him. I don't want to leave him alone to face someone who wants to kill him, but his dream
said that both of us would be captured, or worse." Everett noticed that she was going to cry.
Jubilee then said, "Don't worry, Penny. If you stay behind, someone else will stay to
help." He noticed that Penny started to calm down. Everett wondered if that would be true if he
and Jubilee would be put into that situation.
It wasn't too long until Sean, Emma, and the others entered the room. Everett knew it
was time to leave for the airport, but everybody had heard about Rich's nightmare. He noticed
that Sean looked at the couch and asked Penny, "Do ye want to try and wake him?" Penny
shook her head and he continued, "Well, I figure that ye will want to stay with Rich, but I want
someone to volunteer to stay with them." Everett wondered how much help he could be. The
ability was unknown, and apparently by how things appeared, Rich had an idea of who it was.
It didn't take too long for a response, because Paige said, "Ah'll stay behind, sir.
Besides, Ah want to talk to Yvette a bit." He had to admit, there was a look of confusion in
Penny's eyes, but he wondered how long it would take Paige to sort things out with Jono. He
could also tell by the look in Jono's eyes that he was worried about her facing an unknown
attacker.
"Alright, but be careful, lass." Sean responded to her volunteering, and then said,
"Alright everybody, let's head to the airport." Sean then motioned them all to the school van.
Everett thought they were all taking a chance by leaving Yvette, Rich and Paige behind, but what
could they do.
As they got into the van, Jubilee said to him, "Hey, Ev, do you think that they will be
alright? I mean, we don't know a thing about Rich's family, and we got a shock when we found
out about Bastion." He remembered how close Jubilee had been to being Bastion's prisoner.
"Don't worry. I don't think that anything could be worse in Rich's family than Bastion," he
told her, but he didn't believe what he had said. There was just something about it that seemed
wrong.
Paige watched as the van pulled away. Deep down, she thought of how hurt Jono had
been. She couldn't keep this anger up forever, she still loved Jono, and Rich was always trying
to get her and Jono back together. She knew that in her anger at Jono, she took his intrests in
her life as and mistook for affection, but she had to admit that Rich had a charm all his own.
That was part of the reason she wanted to talk to Yvette about. Rich was the best thing to ever
happen to Yvette, and she didn't want Yvette to think that she was trying to take him from her.
She went back to the lounge and Yvette was sitting next to Rich. He had started to toss
and turn. He must have been dreaming again. Yvette must have been trying to wake him
psionicly. Yvette then saw Paige standing there and said, "Paige, I appreciate that you are
staying behind to help, but why did you want to talk to me?"
Paige knew Yvette was confused about that, so she decided to tell her. "Yvette, Ah don't
want you to worry about me trying to take Rich from you anymore. When everyone gets back,
Ah'm going to patch things up with Jono. Ah just hope Ah get the time to think about it." She
saw a smile cross Yvette's face.
"Paige, even when I didn't talk, I thought you would make a nice couple. Sometimes,
what one doesn't say is the loudest thing they communicate." Paige had to admit that Yvette
was right on the nose. A loud chash shattered the quietness of the moment, and Yvette's eyes
went wide. "What was that?"
Paige knew what it was. It was the mystery attacker. She quickly husked her skin,
revealing a skin of iron. She turned to Yvette and said, "Wake Rich and find someplace to hide,
until Ah call you. Ah think that the mystery attacker has finally arrived." She ran out of the
lounge and to the main hall. The door had been smashed open. She looked around and saw no
one. She was about to look outside when she felt someone punch her whole body in one shot.
She hit the back wall and almost collapsed.
"Gee, and I was hoping for a challenge." Paige looked up and saw a blond girl, about 18
standing there, with an evil grin on her face. "I guess this will be a quick visit."
Paige stood and said to the attacker, "Ah will guarantee you that. Ah plan to throw you
out of here." She started to run at the girl. The girl just looked at her and laughed. When Paige
was halfway to the girl, the girl did a kick at her. Paige thought it was strange, since she was to
far away to be hit, until she felt the kick to her stomach. She fell to the ground gasping for
breath.
The girl looked at her and said sarcasticly, "Poor little hick girl, did I hurt you? Maybe
you need to tighten your gut abit." Paige watched as the girl clenched her left hand. As the girl's
hand tightened into a fist, she could feel a forced crushing her waist. She screamed in pain and
the girl released her grip. "Hurt like hell, didn't it, Hick?" Paige couldn't move, but she had to try
and husk again. She went to start the process, but her wrists seemed to be held together. As
she struggled to seperated her wrists, the girl walked over to her head and said, "I am Aura, your
worst nightmare." With that, the girl's foot hit her square in the face, and everything went dark.
Rich awoke as Yvette was shaking him and screaming at him. He looked at her and
said, "What's wrong?" He looked around and saw nobody around. No. The nightmare was
coming true. He then said, "Yvette, love, where is everybody?"
She looked at him with a slight panic in her eyes. She then said, "You were asleep, and
Sean had asked if anyone would stay behind with us. Paige volunteered and..."
"Oh no! The nightmare is coming true."
"Rich, that's not the worst of it. The attacker is here. Paige told us to hide until she
came and get us. I then heard a scream out in the hall." Rich knew what that meant. Paige was
out of commision.
Rich looked around the room. In the corner, he saw a vent. "Yvette, the vents might be
our only way to safety. I don't think Paige can help us right now." He started to tense up, so he
could cut the screws in the vent.
She did the same and said {What's wrong? Why did you say that?} She was scared
now, and he couldn't blame her.
{In my dream, someone stayed here. By the time of the chase, they were in no shape to
help us.} The screw were cut and the vent cover was open.
{But who could be attacking?} He motioned for her to go into the vent first. He hoped
that they would get in and moving before the attacker arrived.
As he followed her into the vent, Rich heard a familiar voice say, "Come out where ever
you are, Rich?" It was who he feared it would be. They were in deep trouble. He closed the
vent and motioned Yvette to move until they were out of sight of the vent, and in a cross vent.
As they stopped, Rich looked at Yvette and said, {Remember that I was telling you about
that girl my uncle adopted.}
She seemed to grasped the concept quickly. {You mean that the attacker is her. Oh my
God, what can she do?}
{She has the ability to extend her aura, to manipulate it to do things. Defensive
measures are useless, for her defense is her offense. That was why we must stay out of her
sight. I don't know what she can do with her abilities. But, that leaves one question.}
{How did she find out you were here?} He nodded. He told nobody of the school. And
there was no way that she could have found out.
He was about to say something when a voice echoed through the vents. "Rich, I don't
care how, but I will find you, and I will ruin your life. I hope you have a girlfriend, cause I will give
her the same treatment I gave the hick that tried to stop me, only worse."
Rich looked at Yvette and saw she was trembling. He decided to try and comfort her.
{Well, I guess there is some good news.} She looked at him in shock and he said, {At least we
know that she isn't working with Emplate, because if she was, she would have known that we
were an item.}
Yvette let a small smile cross her face. {I guess your right, but I think we should try and
do something.}
He had to agree. {Something tells me that she beat up Paige pretty bad. We better try
and get Paige to the Med-Unit, and soon.} Yvette nodded, and they worked their way through
the vents.
*******************************************
Daria looked out at the crowd. It was surprising to find out she was a mutant. Bastion
had told her that mutants were freaks, and now she was one. She was confused. When Zero
Tolerance ended, everyone was shuttled away, except for Daria. She had been handed a letter
with a photo, and some money. The letter was from Bastion. He said that his nephew would
help her more that he could have. The photo was obvious that of Bastion's nephew. The boy
appeared about twenty-one, with brown hair, and brown eyes, other than that, he appeared to
look like Bastion. The fact that he wore glasses was the only real difference that Daria could tell
between the faces, other than the age. She thought about how Bastion would have tried to help
her, maybe by removing the mutant factor, but then what would she be. She had some bad
fears although. She remembered the video tape that she had seen, and how the creature called
Emplate had attacked Jonothan Starsmore. What if this creature would try and attack her?
"Daria?" said a voice in the crowd. Daria turned in the direction of the voice and saw an Asian
American girl beconning her. The girl was about her age. Amongst the group of people, she
regonized a few faces from the files that Bastion had. She recognized the blond haired woman
as Emma Frost, head of Frost Enterprises, and it was obvious that the boy whose face was half
covered was Jonothan Starsmore.
She walked over to the group. She was nervious. How would these people except her,
knowing that she had worked with Bastion? She decided to finally speak up. "Hello, I guess you
are from the school?" She looked through the people in the group and failed to find the face of
Bastion's nephew. She then asked, "I was just wondering where Richard was?"
A man with a goatee answered the question. "Rich is back at the school with two of the
other students, and we should be gettin back there."
A little bit confussed by this, Daria asked, "Is something wrong with him?"
It was Emma Frost that answered this time. "It appears that Rich has a unique gift for
fortelling the future. We don't want to be gone too long, in fear that when we return, he might be
dead, as well as the students with him."
"Is it the Emplate creature?"
This time, a girl of African descent spoke. "How did you find out about Emplate?" There
was shock in her eyes.
"It was part of the tape from the security cameras that Bastion had 'obtained' when he
was searching for mutants. Nobody there knew how to clasify it." The look the Africans face had
that of distaste when she said the word 'it'.
The Asian girl spoke again. "You have to forgive Monet, she's abit touchy about family."
"Jubilee," Monet had said, "I don't think this should be discussed until at the school."
Daria remembered seeing that name before. She was part of the X-Men at one time.
Daria then remembered what had happened to Jonothan Starsmore and said, "Could you
tell me on the way to the school? I don't think that I want to meet this Emplate person right now."
The man with the goatee then said, "Of course. Along the way, we shall tell ye abit more
about ourselves, but I hope that you have changed since your employment with Bastion."
Daria thought back to some of the things she saw Bastion do to the prisoners he had. A
shiver ran up her spine. "I hope no one ever goes through what I have seen him do, Mr."
"Cassidy, Sean Cassidy. And ye can call me Sean." Daria had the strangest feeling that
her life was going to get a new start.
*******************************************
Rich and Yvette had spent the past half hour manuvering through the vents. Every time
he heard the voice of his former cousin, they switched paths. Eventually, they made their way to
a vent that lead to the Main Hall. When they left the vents, Yvette said, {You were right, Paige
isn't going to be of any help.} Rich saw what Yvette meant. Lying on the floor of the hall was
Paige. It was obvious that she tried to use her ability, but was unsuccessful. She was now back
to normal flesh and blood, and she was unconscious. The air coming in from the broken front
door would not be good for her.
{We better get Paige covered up, before she catches a cold, besides I don't think she
would appreciate someone seeing her like this.} He said, due to the lack of clothing on her body.
Yvette nodded and they worked quickly, cutting down a curtain, and covering Paige so she
wouldn't freeze, and that she wouldn't be embaressed when she came to.
{Apparently, your cousin doesn't intend to let anyone stop her,} Yvette said in a worried
tone. He completely understood her concern.
{I hate to think what she has planned for me if she does catch us. She'll probably make
me watch you suffer and die, but then, who knows?}
{She'll have to find us first, and let's hope we can keep her guessing until everyone
returns.}
"That's it." Rich shouted it, forgetting that his former cousin could be anywhere. He then
continued, {That is why the attack happened when hardly anybody was around. She hated
crowds. It is harder to manipulate a crowd of people with an aura, because of the size. If we can
hold out until Sean and the others return. We'll be safe.} He noticed movement. He and Yvette
backed towards the hallway behind them, because the movement was in front of the vent that
they had come out of. There was nothing there, but then, she appeared.
"Well, I should have known you would try and help the Hick, but judging how you and
that one act, she must be your girlfriend. Get ready to die, you two." She acted as she was
going to grab something.
{Bolt.} Instantaniously, Rich and Yvette ran down the hallway. They had to find a vent
to hide in. They needed all the time they could get. There was no telling how soon everyone
would get back.
As they approached a side hall, Yvette pointed and said, {There is a vent. If we can
reach it, we're home free.} He nodded and they made a dive for the vent. In mid air, he felt the
pain of hitting the wall, but he knew what they hit. As he and Yvette started to fall to the ground,
he felt as if he was hovering.
He and Yvette were soon in an upright position floating in the air, but immobile. They
were facing his former cousin, as she walked down the hall toward them. He noticed that her
hands were clenched, as if she was holding something in them. "You know," she said, "I always
wondered how the hell you found out about my ability. Now, I found out how." She continued to
put pressure on them, more on him than on Yvette. Rich didn't know why she was doing that.
He started to wonder how she knew he was here. He looked at her and said "Elane, how
did you find out that I was here?" He was starting to have trouble breathing.
She continued putting pressure on him and said, "I hacked into Ms. Frost's computers."
Rich, even on the little consciousness he had left, could tell that must have been a lie, but who
would help her. He didn't have long to think on it, for everything went to black.
Yvette looked at Rich. The one person who helped her communicate with Generation X,
and the one person who loved her, was hanging in mid air, apparently lifeless. She turned to
face the attacker, who he had called Elane and said, "Why are you doing this?" She was scared,
not because of what she would do to her, but what she would do to Rich. Rich tried never to hurt
anyone, with the exception of Black Tom Cassidy.
Elane brought Yvette face to face with her and said, "Because, he ruined my plans. I
was going to control the world. Strike fear into everyone, and how could anyone stop me. I
could become invisible. I could force anyone to do anything. I could even force you to kill him if
I wanted to." Yvette shuddered. This girl sounded exactly like Emplate, but she didn't want to
feed off them. No wonder Rich was afraid of her. "All I want is to see him suffer, maybe die.
After all I do to you, he will be in tears." She felt the pressure as Elane started to constrict her
breathing as well.
"You won't succeed. Our friends will stop you." She hoped that this would be true, but
something told her that once Elane had them, they wouldn't see the school ever again.
"Who said that we would be here?" At that Yvette couldn't breathe anymore. She
slipped into unconsciousness. She sensed the darkness of sleep surrounding her, with one
difference. There was a high pitched sound.
When Sean pulled the van up to the main building of the school, a feeling of dread hit
his entire soul. The door was in pieces. Everyone ran out of the van, including Daria, who still
hadn't told them about her ability. She had spent most of the time asking questions, and
assuring them that she was no longer part of Zero Tolerance, although everyone knew that the
organization had been destroyed. In the main hall of the building, Sean saw a sight he didn't
want to see, and it was obvious that Jono was upset as well.
Sean watched as Jono ran over to Paige's side. He kneeled down to her face and said,
{I should have stayed here as well. Maybe, you wouldn't have ended up like this.}
Sean walked over to Jono's side. "Lad, we didnae know what would happen. But if the
attacker was this powerful, then we have to find Rich and Yvette, before it's too late."
They were almost taken by surprise when Paige spoke. Her voice was weak, but she got
one word out. "Aura." Sean started to wonder what it meant, but then noticed something else.
Paige had been covered up, and by the sight of the curtains in the room, Rich and Yvette were
the ones that did it.
Sean got up and said, "Jono, you and Mondo get Paige to the med-unit. Everett, try to
track down where the attacker is. Jubilee, I want ye to get Daria to a safe place." For once, he
hoped that Jubilee would listen to an order.
Sean got a surprise when Daria spoke up. "Sir, I think I might be able to help." He didn't
want her to see some of the evils they worked to stop, at least not yet.
"Daria, I don't think that would be wise. We don't know what we're dealing with."
He was about to continue when Everett said, "I think I found her, if Rich's dream is
correct." He went off down the hall and everyone followed him. Eventually, Sean saw the sight
that Emma had seen in Rich's mind. Rich and Yvette were held in the air, and the attacker was
standing in front of them. She had blond hair, and probably was too focused on Rich and Yvette
to see them attack her. Sean watched as Everett seamed to launch his aura at her. Just as it
would have made contact. She spun around, with a foot sweep. Even though nobody was close
to her, everyone seem to fall, as if tripped. The only person who avoided the attack was Jubilee,
due to her gymnastic training.
As Sean got up, the girl just said, "Pitiful. Just wimps at this place." The girl was cocky
and Sean was going to make her release the students that she held captive. He let loose a sonic
scream, capable of knocking her unconscious, but much to his surprise, she acted as she
switched hands and held her right hand up. The sonic scream doubled back and canceled itself
out. He then felt a punch hit his midsection. He finally understood what Paige had said. The
attacker must call herself Aura, for she controls her aura like Angelo controls his skin.
Elane looked at the mutants that called themselves Generation X. What was she afraid of? The teacher's sonic scream was easy to counter, and the one who had the glowing aura must have figure out her ability, which is why she knocked everyone down. The girl with the yellow raincoat had to be a show-off. The only one who dodged the foot sweep. She tried to think of what to do next. She had to get out, but not tip off that she was working with Emplate. She hated crowds, for they were harder to control with her ability. She also had to maintain a grip on Richard and Yvette. She was almost startled when the African-American girl came flying at her. Elane formed a fist in her free hand and swung. Her aura complied by enlarging the fists aura and knocking the girl down to the ground and knocking over the teacher, a woman in white, and the african-american boy with the aura. "I am starting to wonder if anyone here is a treat. All of you rely on abilities that I can counter."
