When he heard the warning, Rich stopped kissing Yvette and surveyed
the room. Immediately he saw the camera. He stood and walked over to the
camera and with a claw, disabled it beyond repair. Yvette walked over to him
and said, "What's going on?"
Rich glanced at his watch and confirmed his suspicion. "Emplate must
be at the security controls, and if Aura is here, that gives them an
advantage. They know where we are, and they have isolated everyone else. I
figure that Emplate knows Godiva's password, so now we have to pull a trump
card to counter this."
He walked over to a table in the corner of the room. In his mind,
Yvette said to him, {Rich, you know that the second Emplate grabs us, he is
going to take us back to his lair. What could you have thought up that could
stop that?} Rich found what he was looking for on the table. He opened the
secret drawer and found a pair of wrist manacles.
He closed the drawer and walked over to Yvette. {I think this is one
time that we can be thankful for these devices working.} He placed a cuff on
Yvette's left wrist, and the other on his right wrist. {Try and break them.}
He knew that this probably reminded her of her life as Emplate's
prisoner, and she would do almost anything to get free. She start slashing
at the chain and the shackle, and she stopped and said, {I can't break them.}
She was upset at this.
{Relax. They are made out of the same metal that 'The Rack' is made
out of. This stuff has to be strong to stand up to Godiva's hair. I've seen
her break a steel girder in half with it. When I ran a claw over the chains,
it didn't cut them. The only way to separate us is to unlock the manacles.
Now to add more difficulty to that task.} He led them over to a life-size
electric chair. He threw the key so it fell behind the chair, in such a way
that one had to lean on the chair just to see it. He then pulled the switch
to the chair, jamming it to the on position. He figured that the museum had
its own generator. He noticed a wall panel and went to it. He found a
control that adjusted the voltage in the chair. He switched it to the
maximum setting and destroyed the controls, keeping it set on that setting.
He turned to Yvette and said, {What do you think will happen when either
Emplate or Aura leans on that chair?}
She had a look of fear in her eyes when she responded. {They will
die.}
{No, just get knocked unconscious, giving everyone sometime to find
us, and get in here. Now, we need a place to hide.}
Yvette pointed in a direction and said, {How about under there?} He
looked and saw the Gallows. He nodded, and they ran over to it. They
climbed to the top and opened the trapdoor in the floor. Quickly, they
climbed into the structure and had very little view of the room. Rich closed
the door. Yvette looked at him and said, {Now, what?}
Rich just said, {We wait, my love. We wait.} It was cramped in the
hiding place. Even sitting was uncomfortable. Eventually, he started to lay
down.
Yvette laid down right in front of him and said, {Hold me, please.}
Rich got a little closer and said, {Alright, but it might take a few
seconds.} He worked his right arm around her and then placed his left arm
under her side and took her hands. {Is that alright?}
Yvette just squeezed his hands and said, {Yes.} They just lay in
their hiding spot, waiting for what would happen. Rich felt himself nodding
off to dreamland, and he could tell that Yvette was in the same state. He
thought of all the precautions he had made. He figured that they would allow
them both to be at ease. Rich then fell asleep.
Cartier was confused by what was going on, but he had no doubt that
his son was behind it. He knew that there was a trigger in the room
somewhere, but the only trick was finding it. He started to examine the
statues in the room as he said, "Monet, help me find the trigger to the
secret door. We have to stop Marius."
He was caught off guard by the answer he received. "Why should I
stop the one I support?" He turned and saw Monet looking at him, with an
evil smile on her face.
He knew who was talking instantly. "Claudia." He knew that the
entity that Monet called Mentor was trying to help her repress Claudia, and
that the 'autistic' attacks were struggles with Claudia. He had also figured
that it was then that Claudia talked with Emplate.
"You're not as dumb as you look, Pop." He and Claudia never got
along, but then, she always supported Marius' deeds. "I just wish that
Marius hadn't left me out of his plans. I guess that's my fault for being
stuck with Little Goodie Two Shoes."
He looked her square in the eye and said, "I doubt he will help you
now. He's probably hunting Rich down, and Monet's friends will stop him."
She laughed a menacing laugh and said, "I have helped him so many
times that you have no idea of what happened. When I talk to Marius, Monet
tries to stop me. She has to mentally freeze 'our' body. Back in the center
of the museum, I told him that Rich went into the museum." His fears were
confirmed. "He was at the security console, and he knows where Rich is, as
well as all of us."
Cartier wanted to strike his daughter, but he knew that he would hurt
Monet. He also wondered what else Claudia had done. "I am beginning to wish
that I didn't have you as a daughter."
"Because I help Marius. I told him where Yvette was. I told him
about Yvette in the first place. Remember our trip to Yugoslavia. I noticed
Yvette and told Marius about her. I plan to do one last thing and finally
stay in control of this..." Her words trailed of as Cartier heard her
scream. When the screaming stopped, Monet looked stunned and said, "I won't
let you win Claudia. You have caused enough danger."
Cartier ran to his daughter's side. He saw that she was drained, due
to her experience. He said, "Are you alright, Monet?"
His daughter hugged him and said, "Father. I don't know how I lost
control. She seemed to gain strength. I don't know if I can hold her back
anymore."
Cartier just held her and said, "Remember what happened last time she
took control and Marius was around." He felt her shudder. He had to
separate the three of them, and Marius was forced to wear a respirator after
that day. He was about to continue when the communicator made a sound.
Monet activated it and he then heard the boy named Leech tell some unsettling
news.
Emplate had opened the door to the chamber on Inner Earth. He
glanced around the room, before closing the door behind him. If he guessed
right, the two mutant children, Artie and Leech, would hide and contact the
others. This meant that everyone would find out where Rich and Penance were,
and by the time they got in, it would be too late. He heard the faint beep
of the communicator. The kids were smart enough not to challenge him. To
him, they would be a mere snack. He thought about supping on them, but then
thought it best to wait. He approached the door to the Inhumanities exhibit
and typed in the password.
Once inside, he shut the door and changed the password. When he
changed it, he choose a random set of numbers and letters. This would keep
everyone guessing. He smiled inwardly and looked at the room. He knew Rich
and Penance were hiding in there. He just said, "I know you're in here, so
make it easy on yourselves and give up." He reached into every shadow,
hoping to grab them, only to find nothing. He heard a crackle, and spun to
grab his prey. All he saw was the remnants of the camera.
He growled in frustration. He knew that those two were in here. He
had the strength to hold out for a few days, after supping constantly on
Godiva Cale. He then noticed something he hadn't seen before. He turned to
one of the displays and saw the auras of Rich and Penance.
"Found you. Now it's time to take you home." He moved to the top of the
display and opened the trapdoor. He had to admit that Penance's attire was
very appealing, but it would suit him better to have her in restraints, much
stronger than he had on her before. And Rich would become a second Emplate,
willing or not. The first thing was to separate the two. No problem, he
thought as he climbed down into the little area.
He noticed that Rich was holding Penance in a tender, loving way.
Emplate inwardly laughed as he thought that the next time that Rich would
hold her was as a feast. He started to pull them out of the area when he
noticed something. "No!!!" was all he shouted, but the two didn't wake up.
What he saw ruined his plans for a quick escape. Rich and Penance were
manacled together. He looked frantically for the key, but couldn't find it.
This must have been Rich's idea. The key wouldn't be on them, so it must be
somewhere in the room. The longer he searched for it, the more time he gave
Gen X to find them. He knew that everything in this room was made to
withstand Godiva's hair, and had figured that Rich and Penance put on the
manacles because they couldn't cut them. He had to find out where the key
was. He then noticed something in the room. He glanced at the happy couple
and said, "You will tell me where the key is, and then we will leave here."
He dragged the sleeping pair to the device he would use.
Emma Frost listened to the communication of Emplate's movement and
wondered why he went into the Inhumanities room, until Godiva said, "Somebody
hit me. I should have thought of that."
Emma shot a glare at Rich's cousin, who she got paired with in the
search and said, "Thought of what?"
Godiva was blushing, due to embarrassment, when she said, "Since
Kyuukai and I had that room isolated, and everything specially built."
Emma felt she could complete the thought and said, "Rich thought that
room would be the safest." Godiva nodded. "But, if Emplate had fed off you,
he knows your password for the room."
Godiva nodded and said, "Yes, but everything is built so my hair
can't break it. You remember what Rich's claws couldn't do to the chains."
Emma did remember that.
"So, that must mean that Rich must have figured a way to throw some
trump cards to counter Emplate. I wonder if it was planned out when he went
in there."
"Knowing Rich, it was. Emma?"
Emma turned to face Godiva, "Yes?"
"I was wondering. What happened when Elane attacked the school?"
Emma thought how to phrase it best, and then said, "All but Rich,
Yvette, and Paige were away from the school. Rich was asleep, after having a
nightmare."
"That's a bad sign."
"It was. That was how we knew that Elane was going to attack. She
managed to crush Paige's waist, and almost had taken Rich and Yvette. They
were unconscious when we got there, but we had stopped Elane from taking
them." Emma started to feel a bit lightheaded.
"Who stopped Elane?"
Emma said, "I think it was a joint effort by Jubilee and Daria." All
of a sudden, her mind was on fire and all she heard were screams. She could
tell there were two tones in the screams and realized what must be happening.
She looked at Godiva and said, "I fear that Rich and Yvette are being
tortured." She saw Godiva's eyes go wide, and then Godiva scurried around
the room, looking for a trigger.
Emma moved over to a display and leaned on it. She bumped the item
and a door opened. Godiva glanced over and said, "The door was triggered to
the bear. Good going." Emma looked at the bear and saw what it was. She
figured that she would rather not know what an old Teddy Ruxbin talking bear
was doing in there. She entered the tunnel and almost ran into Jubilee and
Everett.
Daria was startled when Emma and Godiva came through the wall. She
was half expecting Aura to attack. She slowly thought back to how much her
life had changed since she was pulled into Zero Tolerance. Now, she was in
a mission to stop Emplate and Aura. She saw Emma glance at all the people
there, which had included herself and Mondo, Jubilee and Everett, and Monet
and her father. Daria was impressed how Cartier got them out of the rooms.
Emma then said, "Is everybody alright?"
Jubilee looked at her and said, "Just a bit shook up by events, but
we can get through this and save Penny and Rich, right?"
Godiva spoke up and said, "If Rich is using that crazy mind of his,
yes. Rich loved to think things out. He picked that room because of all the
things in it."
It was Everett who then said, "But we all saw Yvette's reaction, and
Rich wouldn't go there."
Godiva replied, "Exactly, the last place one would look. That's how
he thinks, sometimes. Remember this, Rich loves to be unpredictable. He has
scared me many a time like that. It's no wonder my little brother always
adored him."
Emma said, "Because of your father's death."
Godiva looked stunned and said, "How did you know about that?"
Monet then said, "Rich's parents told us about that." She started
walking toward the next room and got to the trapdoor. "Daria, do you think
you can force the door open. I think Jono might be in trouble." She had an
idea of what that might be. She walked over to the door and saw a box of
pegs on the floor. At the door were ten holes, each with a different pattern
in it. It was obvious that the holes changed forms each night. Daria
manipulated her fingers so that each was right in front of a hole. She then
used her ability to form the pegs for each hole.
When the door opened, Daria saw a sight that scared her. Jono was on
the ground, with the fire in his chest very dim. They all ran into the room
and she asked Paige, "What happened?"
Paige just looked at them, with tears in her eyes, and said, "He just
screamed in agony. He said he couldn't take their screams. What's happened
to him?"
Emma then said, "Paige, Mondo, get Jono to the Mythology room. Rich
and Yvette's psionic screams must have cause him severe injury." Daria
watched as Paige and Mondo picked up Jono and carted him off to the passage.
Once they cleared the door, Emma turned to Godiva and said, "Ok, Godiva, open
the door."
Godiva just looked at her and said, "Sorry Ms. Frost, but this door
has Kyuukai's password on it. Mine is on the door in the Inner Earth Room."
Daria watched as Emma started to say, "Then we...." She collapsed to
the ground. Daria ran over and saw the look in her eyes. She was unconscious.
The psionic scream must have knocked her out.
She stood up and said, "I have an idea. I can try to break this door
down, while you get the others to the other door." She knew she was taking
a risk, but it was worth it. Rich was her legal guardian.
Monet walked over to her and said, "You can't stand alone here."
"If your brother is in there, then the only problem is Aura. And
Emma can't stop her, just try to get to the other door. I'll do my job by
trying to get in, and keeping an eye on Emma." Her arms transformed into two
metal sledgehammers. Monet led the others out and Daria started to force her
way into the room.
Rich saw himself in a tuxedo. He hated the suit, but he swore that
there would only be two times in his life that he would wear one, on his
wedding day, and his funeral. He was in a church. He turned to face the
back of the building. His family was on one side, and on the other side was
all of Gen X. He then saw the bride coming down the isle, escorted by Sean
Cassidy. When the bride reached his side, he saw Yvette's face under the veil.
She just looked at him and said, "Are we dreaming the same thing?"
He then realized that they were asleep. "We must be. But our
subconscious must allow us to stay with each other in our dreams."
"I hope that this scene is in our future." He had to agree with her
on that. For once, he hoped that a good dream would come true.
He was startled by the next voice heard, "Dearly beloved, we are
gathered here to see these two joined together in their destined path." They
both turned and saw Emplate standing where the minister was. He felt a pain
seize his body. Instantly, he collapsed to the floor.
He turned his head to see Yvette had done the same, but her black
restraints were back, except they were different. She looked at him, scared
and said, "What happened to the dream?"
He looked around and saw everyone was dead. He faced front,
expecting Emplate to be gloating over them. He was shocked to see that even
Emplate was dead. He stood up and looked at where the cross had been, but
now a person that he didn't ever see before was there. He then looked at
himself. The tux was replaced by a leather jacket and what he had been
wearing. What had happened to this dream, and then it slowly hit him. He
glanced at his hands. It confirmed his fears, this was the worse nightmare
he could have. Slowly, he finally realized it and said, "It can't be."
He saw Yvette stand up and glance at her hands in fear as well. "No.
It can't be, it can't be." He felt another bolt of pain seize his body. He
closed his eyes as he and Yvette both screamed.
When he opened his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling in the
Inhumanities room. He glanced to his right to see Yvette laying next to him,
her eyes still closed with tears coming out. He then saw that they were lying
on a table. It took him less then a second to realize that they were on the
'Rack'. Soon, Emplate walked into view. He knew what Emplate wanted right
now, and Emplate just said, "The location of the key, Richard, and this pain
will stop."
"I'd rather take this pain, then suffer the pain of being like you."
He hoped that he put up enough bravado up to fool Emplate.
Emplate just looked at them and said, "And what about Penance? Do
you care for her so much to end this pain she is suffering." Emplate was
starting to make him want to tell him the key. He couldn't bare to see
Yvette in pain.
"It's better than having you feed on me, Emplate." He felt proud
knowing that Yvette would endure this. She knew that they had to hold out
until help arrived. She then said to him {Listen in the background.}
He listened to the background noise and heard a steady metallic beat.
{It must be Daria, trying to break one of the doors down. Why doesn't she
get Kyuukai?}
He noticed that Emplate heard the sound as well and started to laugh.
"You know, Richard, I doubt that Daria will break down the door. And since
Kyuukai and Godiva are on the wrong sides of the building, we have some time
to talk." Emplate turned a crank on the table and he and Yvette screamed in
pain, this time verbally. "Where is the key to those manacles?"
"Up yours," he shouted at Emplate. Emplate stepped back from the
device for a moment. He was sure that they could hold out until help arrived.
Emplate just walked over and looked at them. "Maybe a rest is in
order. Maybe my beloved, Elane, can find a way to persuade you to talk. As
for now..."
Yvette panickally said, {He going to grab us.} Rich then saw
Emplate's hand coming straight for him, and he noticed one over Yvette's head.
All of a sudden, there was a pain similar to many knifes. He felt Emplate
feeding off him. It was painful. It was an attempt to weaken his will.
When Emplate stopped, Yvette said to him, {I managed to stay strong. I
didn't give in.}
He glance over at Emplate, who had walked away from them. {But for
how long until we tell him were the key is?} He felt her shudder through the
manacles. He then said, {I'm afraid that we might not be leaving with
Gen X.}
Angelo looked about the room. He was stuck in the one on the Bermuda
Triangle with Franklin. He was half afraid that the boy's abilities might
bring the displays to life. It had been a while since they heard that
Emplate entered the Inhumanities room. Now all they had to do was find the
trigger mechanism to open the door. He saw that the boy was scared. He
wasn't to sure on how to comfort the boy, but he would need Franklin's help
to get them out of the room. He turned to Franklin and said, "Are you
alright?"
Franklin just looked at him and said, "I'm scared." Angelo didn't
want to admit it, but he was scared as well.
He went over to Franklin and said, "Well, you have to put your fears
aside. Rich and Yvette are depending on us. They are trapped by Emplate,
and if we don't get to them soon, we may never see them again." Franklin
shivered. It was obvious that the boy was scared.
"I don't want Penny to be taken, and neither Rich." Angelo knew that
the couple always spent time with the kids, playing games and such. Angelo
remembered one time that everyone there had a campout right at the treehouse.
He remembered as Rich told them a tale about monsters, and heroes. Franklin
broke his thought when he said, "Why don't we just use the trigger from
before?"
"I don't think it would work. They were reset when the announcement
went off." He then let a smile cross his face. He had thought of a way to
get out of the room, and quickly. He faced Franklin and said, "Do you think
you can alter reality in this room?"
Franklin looked abit stunned at this request. "Why?"
"If you can alter reality so that it is like it was before the
trigger was changed, we can open the door. Right now, this won't open the
door." Angelo worked at the UFO display and notice that no doors opened in
the room. "Understand."
Franklin nodded and started to concentrate. Soon, everything was
glowing and then, the glow subsided. Franklin looked drained as he said,
"I think I did it."
