Chapter 2 - Friend Or Foe

Attention:  Generation X andtheir villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, isproperty of Marvel Comics.  The character Richard Cale is named afterfamily relations.  Any other reference to anything copywrighted isa chance happening.
====================================================
Reflections On The Emplate War
Friend or Foe
               Sean was grateful when he saw Emma comming down the hall with Jean. He knew that Jean was probably the only mutant that could break throughPenance’s psyonic blocks, but Rich’s ability needed to wear off. That was why the two were placed in seperate rooms after Emma managed tomake them sleep.  However, they didn’t expect that they would be soviolent when they awoke, but he figured that this should have been theexpected reaction.  He almost jumped when he heard the two simultaniouscrashs.  At that time Emma said, “Did they wake up?”
              He was surprised at the plain dumbness in the question, but he didn’t wantto make a snap remarks.  He just said, “No doubt about it, and theyaren’t to thrilled.  They came close to being captured by Emplate.”
              There was another crash at the door he was at and Jean said, “I think rightnow they only feel safe together.”  Sean had figured that much outalready.  “I honestly don’t know if seperating them is a good thing. For all they know, they could have been abducted by Emplate, or they mayfear everyone.”
              Emma nodded and said, “It would explain their reactions.  They areacting just like Yvette did when we first found her.”  Sean rememberedall that.  He also remembered how cut up his hands got that day.
              With another loud crash, Jean said, “Do you think they know their safe?”
              Sean shruged and said, “I don’t think they feel safe.  Those two haverelied on each other for that feeling of safety.  Also, they are goingto be worse to handle when Rich’s ability wears off.”
              When there was another crash at the doors, Sean heard the unmistakablevoice of Hank McCoy.  “It appears that our two guests aren’t thrilledthat they are seperated.”
              Sean looked at him and said, “What did ye find out about their rescuer?”
              Hank looked at the boy, then back at him and said, “The boy comes froma very grim timeline.  In his timeline, Richard and Penance are evilEmplate’s much worse than the original.” Sean felt like he shouldn’t haveasked the question.  Hank then said, “But apparently, something happenedand both Richard and Penance let the boy go rescue them.”  Sean wasabout to say something when Hank said, “Right now, though, I think it mightbe best to get him and Richard to talk.  Richard might be able tolet us know some stuff.  Darrett, the boy in question, never revealedhis ability, nor did he mention his parents, but something tells me thatthey are some of the kids in Generation X.”  Sean noticed that Hankhad said this softly, which meant that it could possibly create a problemamonst the students.
              Sean looked at his friend and said, “Hank, do ye have any idea on how tocalm those two down.”  There was another crash at the door to punctuatehis sentance.  He glanced over at the door that the girls were at. The last crash had knocked Jubilee and Paige down, but Monet and Dariawere still standing.
              Hank just looked at Jean as she said, “I can calm Yvette down psyonically,but I’ll have to block their link.  It might take some more strengthto stop Rich.  I’m surprised at all the strength he’s exhibiting now.”
              Sean heard Angelo say, “You never saw him when he let loose on Sean’s cousin.” Sean shuddered at that.  That was a show of Rich’s full fury, andthat was what was going on now.
              “Maybe I could help in that department,” said a gruff voice.  Seanturned and saw Logan standing there.  He looked at the door of theroom Rich was in and said, “Sounds like the boy is going to throw somethingbig.  Better brace yourselves.”  Sure enough, Sean heard a loudcrash, and saw all but Mondo fall.
              Mondo grunted and said, “If I hadn’t of taken on the qualities of thisdoor, I think we would have had a problem.”
              Sean noticed that everyone nodded and said, “Logan, do you think you cancalm Rich down.  Ye aren’t always the level thinker of this bunch.”
              Logan looked at him and said, “Irish, I’m the one with a healing factor. If I get injured, I can recover faster than anyone else here can.” Sean had to admit that Logan was right.
              Sean noticed that Jubilee was getting up, as she said, “I think you cando it Wolvie, just don’t hurt him too much.”  Sean knew that in Jubilee’seyes, at times, Logan was like a father.
              With another crash at the doors, Logan just said, “I don’t think you haveto worry about him getting hurt too much.”  There was a quiet bitof laugther from the group.
              Jean then said, “Ok, I’m going to try to calm Yvette down.  Loganbe ready to go in.” Sean just watched as Jean went into a psyonic trance.

              All she wanted was to be safe.  That was all Yvette wanted after theattack at the museum, and now she only felt safe with her boyfriend, Rich. They were rescued at the last second by a mysterious person, but why, andwho had he been.  They were terrified, was this a new Emplate, someonefrom Rich’s past.  He looked at them with a sort of hatred. Then, Emma had put them to sleep.  Rich had thought it was Emma’sdoing, but she could only convince them to sleep.  When she woke up,Yvette saw she was in a room, with furniture, and Rich wasn’t there. She didn’t know where Rich was, or if she was a prisoner somewhere. She called out, {Rich, where are you?}
              There was an answer.  {Yvette, I’m locked in a room, somewhere. I don’t know where we are, but I don’t feel safe.  Maybe we can breakthe doors down, and find each other.}
              She reached over and grabbed a chair and said {Agreed, I feel safe whenI’m with you.}
              His voice sound like a reassurance already, {As do I, my love.}  Shehad flung the chair at the door, and the door didn’t give.  She reachedfor another chair when she heard him say, {This was too close at the museum. I think I’d rather keep one ability, and I’d want it to be yours.}
              She felt honored that Rich would sacrifice his ability just for their safety. She just called back and said {I’d be honored by that, my love.} She then continued to break down the door to the room she was in. She truely felt that she wasn’t safe unless she was with Rich.  Asshe went to grab something heavy to break the door down, she felt strange,as if she was out of her body.
              When she blinked her eyes, she wasn’t in the room anymore, but what lookedlike outerspace.  She couldn’t believe she was there and breathing. She started to wonder how she was out there and went to call to Rich whena voice said, [He won’t hear you, Yvette.]  She turned to see theform of Jean Grey floating no more than a few feet in front of her.
              She looked furiously at Jean and said, [What did you do to him?] She couldn’t believe that the woman who helped them earlier, would turnon them.
              Jean held up her hands and said, [Nothing, Yvette.  We’re talkingon the Astral Plane, something Rich and you can’t reach unless you getsome training.  The reason behind this is to get Rich to calm down,and maybe allow you two to be less afraid.]
              [Less afraid, you want us to be less afraid after what happened to us?] Yvette shook her head in pure disbelief.  [You don’t know what itis like to be a servant of that maniac.  I’d rather that Rich andI disappear to someplace Emplate would never find us.]
              Jean slowly moved closer to her.  [Are you sure that’s what you bothwant, Yvette? Wouldn’t you both miss your friends here?  And whatabout the next time, if someone that you two can’t handle attacks?]
              Yvette stopped for a moment and realized what Jean was saying.  Shewas still scared, but she had calmed down.  [We weren’t thinking straight,were we?]  She saw Jean nodded and she then said,
              Jean took her hand and said, [Yvette, he needs to know he’s safe with GenerationX. You can help in that, but he needs to develop his skill.  He won’tbe developing it if he holds your ability all the time.  Now, someoneis trying to help Rich right now, but I think Rich is angry.]
              Yvette’s eyes widens.  She could tell that in Rich’s voice that hewas upset.  [You got to stop them.  Rich might hurt them.]
              Jean smiled and said, [We figured on that, and one of Jubilee’s friendsis going in.]
              Yvette looked at Jean and said, [‘Sister’s’ friend.  You mean ‘Wolvie’.] As Jean nodded, Yvette started to worry about Rich, and then started toworry about ‘Wolvie’.

              Rich had lost contact with Yvette.  What happened to her?  Wasshe ok?  This only increased his fury to get out of the room he wasin.  He picked up a large chair and said {Yvette, I’m coming to saveyou.}  He didn’t know if she was hurt, or if something bad was happeningto her.
              Rich flung the chair at the door, but he could tell that it shattered beforeit hit the door. When he glanced, he saw a figure there.  It musthave entered when he was picking up the chair and throwing it.  Helooked at the figure with a curious fury.  He didn’t know who it was,but the gruff voice didn’t sooth his nerves any.  The man just said,“Wouldn’t want you to try that again, might hurt someone.”
              Rich glanced at the figure and said, “Where is Yvette?”  Somethingabout the person seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
              The figure said, “She’s talking with Jean, now calm down.”  Jean,was that Jean Grey this figure spoke of, but if so, why couldn’t she speakto him, and vice versa.
              He glanced at the figure standing in front of him and said, “Let me seeher.”  It was more a demand, but he could tell that the figure wasn’tscared.
              The figure shook his head and said, “Sorry, Rich, but I can’t let you dothat.  You need to calm down a bit before you see her.”  Thisman was telling him when he would calm down. This man didn’t know how muchbetter he would feel when he saw Yvette.
              Rich grabbed another chair and heived it at the figure.  “I want tobe sure she’s safe.  I don’t want to lose her.”  He saw the threeclaws come out of each hand.  The chair was cut in half before hecould blink.  Now he knew who this was.  He looked at the figureand said, “Wolverine, right.”
              The figure moved forward abit and said, “Yep, and you must be the one theycall Skitz.”  He backed away from the figure, instinctavely. He was afraid, but right now he was afraid of everything.
              He looked at the figure and said, “Listen Wolverine, let me see Yvette. I don’t want to hurt you.”  That was the honest truth.  All hewanted was to be safe, and he only felt safe with Yvette.
              Wolverine just moved forward again and said, “Calm down.  Beside,some of what you can dish out, I can take.  What if it was Sean, orone of your school mates?”  Wolverine had hit home.  Wolverinecould take what he might dish out, but he had a healing factor, no onein Gen X had that healing factor.  Wolverine then said, “It doesn’tfeel good when you kill, does it.”
              He looked at Wolverine and said, “H-h-how d-d-did y-y-you kn-n-now?” He shook from the memory of that day.
              Wolverine said, “You’re looking at someone who has done that.  Itstill haunts me.”
              Rich looked at Wolverine and asked the question, “How do you cope withthat?  I keep hearing Black Tom Cassidy’s voice, taunting me overwhat I did.  It’s like his spirit won’t let me forget.”  Richthen noticed for the first time that Yvette’s ability was leaving him.
              Wolverine looked at him and said, “Listen, I don’t know if this will helpyou, but try using your ability on me.  Maybe that will help you finda way to cope with that pain.”  Wolverine must have noticed him losingYvette’s ability.  Rich decided to try.  He slowly move towardWolverine.  As he neared the mutant, he felt something growing inhis hands.  It was painful, especially when the claws shot out. Then, he started to feel all of Logan’s memories find a place in his mind. He staggered back, from all the confusion that entered his mind from Logan’s. He couldn’t sort it all out.  It overwhelmed him so that he staggeredbackward.  He felt the link go, but he fell back and passed out fromthe confusion.

              Emma could only watch as she saw Jean open the door to the room that Penancewas in.  As Jean did so, Emma watched Yvette walk out of the room. She appeared less afraid then before, but she was still was scared. Emma walked over to the girl and said, “How are you, Yvette?”
              Yvette looked at her with her blue eyes and said, “Fine, but how is Rich?” Emma could now, more than ever, see the love for Rich in Yvette’s eyes.
              She was about to say something when she heard the door to the room Richwas in open. Out came Logan, carring Rich.  “He’ll be fine. Just give him a moment to come too.”
              Emma could tell that Yvette was getting upset, due to the fact that herhair started to spike.  “What did you do to him?”
              Emma was about to do something when Jubilee stepped up and said, “Penny,Wolvie wouldn’t hurt Rich.  If anything, Rich might have passed outon his own.”  Emma swore that Jubilee was taking a big risk there,but then that might have been the only way to get through to Yvette.
              Emma then looked at Logan and said, “What did happen?”  She was concernedfor Rich as well.  She hoped that Logan didn’t causing any major damage.
              Logan placed Rich on the floor and said, “He linked with my ability, foundout alot about me.  He mind just couldn’t cope with all the info,I guess.”  He started to walk down the hall.  Emma then noticedthat the new boy stood next the figure.  She watched with fasination.That was very interesting, there were no visible signs or Rich acceptingthe boy’s abilities.  Could the link with Logan might have done something.
              She walked over to Hank and said, “Could you do an EEG on Rich?  Ithink his linking with Logan might have affected him in a benoficial way?”
              Hank nodded and picked up Rich.  As he walked away, Sean walked overto her and said, “Emma, why did ye ask him that?”
              She decided to let everyone know her suspicions.  She gathered everyonearound and said, “When Rich joined us, he said he was an epileptic. We all saw what happened when he accepted an ability unwillingling.” Every nodded, and then she continued, pointing at the new kid, “When heapproached, there was nothing.  No reaction at all.”
              Jubilee’s eyes went wide as it appeared that she was getting what Emmasaid.  “You think that while Rich had Wolvie’s ability, it healedhis Epilepsy.”
              Emma nodded and said, “Exactly, but we can’t be sure until Hank is donewith the EEG.  If that worked, it could mean alot to Rich.” She knew that Rich excepted the fact he was epileptic, but it might makethings easier for him if it was cured.
*************************************************

              Yvette paced through the room.  She was worried about this test Emmawanted done on Rich.  She didn’t know how he would be after it. How much of an affect would this have on him?  Soon, Jubilee said,“I think you should calm down Penny.”
              Yvette looked at her surigate sister and said, “I can’t help it. I’m worried about him. Besides, if it would be Everett in there, you’dbe pacing.”  She watched Jubilee nod.  Jubilee knew she was right. She then notice the new kid.  He looked a bit pained.  She wonderedif she should thank him for saving them back there, but she feared him. It was something in his eyes.
              Soon a door opened.  She half expected it to be Rich, but it was HankMcCoy.  He looked at everyone and then said, “All is the same as itwas before.  Logan’s healing factor failed to correct the problem. As for why Richard didn’t react to Darrett’s proximy is due to the factthat he is unconscious.  He will awaken soon, though, so all willbe well.”
              Yvette stepped forward and said, “May I wait by his side?”
              His face was kind as he said, “You may, but I wish to speak with you.” As she walked in, she notice that he motioned Emma and Sean in.  Whenhe closed the door, he then said, “I wanted to talk mainly to all of youabout Darrett.  He might will be disorientated for a while, and hewill be on edge.”
              Sean then said, “Why is it, Hank?  Is it about what you said earlier?”
              She noticed Hank nodded and then said to her, “I don’t want this to alarmyou, but in the time Darrett grew up in, Emplate’s composed the planet,and they were led by Richard and you.”
              Yvette nearly gasped.  She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “What do you mean?”
              Emma put a hand on her shoulder and said, “In another timeline, you andRich didn’t get rescued.  That could have been the outcome.”
              Yvette, a little shook up, said, “Then who sent him back?”  She wasafraid that it would be Emplate.  Having lost his control, he mightdo such a thing.
              Hank then said, “Your future selves.  They allowed him to rescue youtwo.  I figure it must have been the last action of what was leftof your conscience and sanity in that timeline.”
              Yvette heard a quiet voice say, “Or destiny.”  She turned to see Richhad started to wake up.  She ran over and kissed him.  As shestopped, he said, “I saw his face in a dream, just before Emplate attackedus.  Maybe we knew he could save us, and sent him back.”
              She watched as Hank thought about that.  “It is an intreguing possibility. Well, I figure you all will want to go back to the school.”  He startedto leave then turned and said, “By the way, Sean, here are the documentsyou wanted.”  She watched as he handed some papers to Sean.
              Her own curiosity got the best of her.  She want to know what theywere.  “What are those papers for?”
              Emma smiled and said, “Sean had set up a legal adoption form.  Nowit’s official.”
              She wondered about that as Sean showed her the paper.  It had hername on it.  As she looked over it, she heard Rich say to her in hermind {My love.  Sean has legally made you his daughter.}
              She glance at him and asked, “Is this true?  I’m your daughter now.” There was a tear in her eyes.  She couldn’t remember her father anymore.
              Sean then said, “Aye lass, it’s true.”  She was so happy.  Shehad her boyfriend, her freedom, and now a father.  Maybe now, shecould have a normal life.
 

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment