The Cale Storyline Redux Story 2 Chapter 6

Attention: Generation X and their villains, 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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Truth Be Told Redux

Chapter 6: Jubilee's Story (Audio)(Original)

I looked around for a moment, taking everything in. While I wasn't fully familiar with the woods outside the school grounds at the time, I could sense something was off. I wasn't sure if the woods looked darker, or if the place was quieter than usual, but something seemed off about the area. I calmly asked them, "Is this where it happened?"

Richard answered me as he removed his glasses. "Yes." It was all he had said, and I got a feeling why. He was wiping his eyes, and I could see that he had tears in his eyes. He then placed a flower on the ground, and remained kneeling for a moment.

As I watched him, Penny walked over to me, and quietly said, "He's done this everyday since the attack. Sean said that he thinks it is Richard's way of recovering from the attack, but I don't understand why he is doing it if it is."

To be honest, I sort of understood why. I could even imagine myself doing it myself, under the right circumstances. I haven't killed anyone, but I suppose I might have if Bishop hadn't stopped Sabertooth. Still, I had to explain why he thought that. "I think he's trying to ease his conscience. If you aren't used to fighting with lethal force, it is something you have to cope with."

It was at that time that Richard finally stood up. Penny nodded to me, thankful for what I said, and went over to his side. I watched as she took his hand for a moment, asking "Do you need some time alone?" I could hear the caring tones in her voice, and I could imagine her hoping the answer would be no. To be honest, I think Richard needed her company. It was helping him recover from the attack.

I was glad when he took her hand and smiled. It was a good sign in my book. I will admit that I felt awkward watching the moment, but with what had occurred on that spot before, I guess awkward scenes might have been a step up. Still, the good signs continued when he said to her, "No, Yvette. I need to find a way to relax, and I think a nice walk will be the thing, especially if you'd join me."

I knew what Richard was hoping to hear, and I figured Penny knew too. No doubt at that time Richard needed her company more than she needed his. I wasn't surprised when she looked him in the eyes and said, "I'd love to." I then watched them walk off into the woods.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. You probably figured I would tag after them a little, but I didn't. First off, I didn't want to be a third wheel. Second, everyone had pretty much come to the conclusion that Richard wouldn’t do anything ungentlemanly. It was just the vibe we got from him. So instead of following them, I decided to look around the site.

It was eerie to think that Black Tom had done so much in so little time. He had captured and replaced Mondo, and plotted to take over the school. I started to wonder how he was going to capture us all when my eyes landed on the remains of his face. As I looked at it, part of me thought it was still alive. All I thought would have needed was for me to get to close, and I would have captured.

I shook my head before the thought ran away with me. It couldn't still be alive. It was a separate piece, and one Richard was keeping as a reminder. I figured he kept it there as a reminder to keep himself from losing control again. While I understood the reasoning, it also made the site creepy as hell. That was only made worse when I noticed that the woods around the location had gone eerily quiet. I guess all my time with Wolvie made me more aware of my surroundings in situations like this.

After a moment, I heard movement, and I didn’t like the sound. It had come from behind me, which was the opposite direction that Richard and Penny had gone. Now I know Sean had told us that anytime we think something strange is happening, we were to contact him or Emma first, but we all know what I did. The same thing I do in any similar scenario. I checked it out for myself.

I moved towards where the sound had come from, but I held off on prepping any of my plasmoids. If it was a lost person, I didn’t want to freak them out, nor cause any hostilities to start. Besides, a stray plasmoid could even start a forest fire, and after the whole Black Tom thing, I didn’t think we needed that kind of attention.

Looking back on the situation, I’m sorry I didn’t do that. By the time I reached the spot where I thought I heard the sound, I didn’t see anything. That was because the person who caused the sound had somehow gotten behind me. Before I could react, he had grabbed me from behind, saying, “Strange. I did my best to hide, and still you found me, Ms. Lee.”

The fact that the strange man had known my name wasn’t lost on me. When you hang with the X-Men, people learn about you, even if you don’t say a word, or encounter the person. This guy was no different, except for a few details. My first reaction had been to scream, which didn’t make him flinch. I couldn’t fire sparks at him, mainly because he had already grabbed my wrists in one hand. He was strong, but I wasn’t about to give up. While I might not have been able to fight right away, I could still draw attention to the location.

While I struggled, he made me face him, and I could make out unnerving details. His hair was short and white, and he had features that were both familiar, and unknown. I couldn’t be sure why that was. He also noticed the eyes, and there was an unnatural glow in them. One that hinted at something mechanical or computerized at play. It was enough to make me ask the one key question. “Who are you?”

I saw a cold smile cross his face, and his grip tightened for a moment as he spoke. When he spoke, I swear I must have heard something else added to his voice. It was something subtle, but evil. “You may call me…”

The surprise on his eyes must have been in my own as well, since the voice who finished it was Richard’s. I dared a glance in the direction the voice came from, which was behind the man, and I saw tears in Richard’s eyes, and there was pain in his voice when he said the name. There had been a quiver in his voice when he said the name too, which punctuated the moment as everyone arrived at the scene. “Bastion.”

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Emma Frost was thankful that Scott hadn’t be drinking anything when he reacted to the last word Jubilation said as she finished her part. She really didn’t feel like being physically present for what they call ‘The Spit Take’. His reaction was to be expected though. “Bastion, head of Zero Tolerance, had attacked the school.” She had heard that two of the X-Men had managed to infiltrate the organization, finding out how dangerous the group had been.

She watched as Jean placed a hand on Sean’s arm in an attempt to calm him down. “Scott, I have a feeling that the events that happened here are what led to the end of Zero Tolerance.” That bit of information had surprised Emma. She had learned a little about Zero Tolerance prior to the trip to Monet’s home. She hadn’t realized that Bastion’s end at the school actually marked the end of the group.

She then saw Jean look at the group, and heard her ask the question she was sure was on both the X-Men’s minds. “How did Richard know who Bastion was?”

It had been a fair question, and she was glad Sean was answering it. “Remember how I said that Richard believed he lost a member of his family.” At the time of the confrontation, she hadn’t fully put all the pieces together, but after hearing about the groups end, the confrontation had a deeper impact that none of them knew, especially now.

It was Scott who drew the correct conclusion first. “Wait. You’re saying that Richard was related to Bastion. That’s not possible. Zero Tolerance was shown to be a group of advanced form of Sentinels.” More of that confrontation came back to her, and she knew she had to tell the next part of the story.

Emma kept her voice calm, knowing full well that the next part of the story could be very emotional for all, since not everyone knew what went on in the mind of the key person at that moment. In fact, she addressed the first key point then. “Yes, they were, but with human minds. Apparently, Bastion had joined the project and became what he was, almost losing the person he had been.”

She noticed that last statement had piqued Jean’s interest. “What do you mean by ‘Almost’?”

Emma leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table, and continued the story. “Bastion had been Bastion Cale, the uncle Richard had thought committed suicide. His family didn’t have the heart to tell him what his uncle had actually done, since Richard’s abilities had only started to manifest. Since Richard also adored his uncle, the truth would have been a nasty blow at the time. Turns out that it wasn’t the worst blow Richard could have received.” She then began telling the accounts of the confrontation.