The Cale Storyline Story 15 Chapter 1

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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Destiny

Chapter 1: Unexpected Surprises (updated)

Claudette St. Croix entered the location as she had been instructed. Normally, she wouldn’t go though all this, but she needed to. She didn’t want to run the risk of being trapped in her sister’s mind again. She now had a clone body to put her sister’s mind in, all she needed was the science to get it there. That’s why she contacted the Dark Beast. He could get her and her sister separated. In exchange, she promised Monet as a test subject, and to help his employer. She had a feeling who that was, but wasn’t about to tell her minions. As they looked for the Dark Beast, she heard Q. T. say, “Where is our contact?”

Claudette looked around and said, “He will be here. He is probably telling the others of our arrival. If it is who I think it is, we will have to do whatever they want.” She could see Q. T. was upset with that, but too much was at stake. She noticed Golden had the same upset look on his face. She gave him a devilish smile, and soon he perked up. They had worked out a system with that smile. It was a sign that his best behavior would be rewarded.

When she faced forward again, she saw the form of the Dark Beast heading towards them. She had to admit, if this was the first time she had seen him, the beast form was intimidating. She watched as she walked over to the clone and said, "So this is the future test subject. She looks acceptable. However, before we begin the process, some things need to be worked out."

She knew what was about to happen. She was expecting to see one person enter. She saw one figure at the door the Dark Beast came in at. The figure didn't move, but she had a feeling who it was as music entered the room. As the music played, she heard Q.T. say "What a minute, what the hell more do you need?" She knew someone would blast Q.T. for that one.

Soon, a blast came from the door as a figure she didn't expect to see entered. It was Soundwave. The mutant madman just looked at her and said, "Don't lash out again. The boss doesn't like it." She noticed a shocked look cross Golden's face, as well as Q.T.'s face. None of them had seen their host before, but they knew of him. She watched as Soundwave said, "Sorry, boss. That one got very uppity. She needed to be stopped."

Claudette heard the man behind Soundwave say, "It's alright. I shall ask this." She then saw Apocalypse enter the room. She was scared as well, but kept her bravery. She watched as he walked over to her and said, "Before you begin you new freedom. I need you to get Cale here. Once he's on his way, you can get separated from your sister. Do you have any questions?"

Claudette looked at Apocalypse and said, "My brother wants Yvette. I'll help you if you allow me to get Yvette to my brother. You can kill Rich, but I want Yvette for him." It was a bold move, but not too bold.

She watched as the Apocalypse smiled and said, "You're brother can have her, but only if she does not sire Richard and heir. If she does, she stays until either she is dead, or the heir is dead. Now, I hope you have a plan to get Cale here."

She let a smile cross her face. "I believe I do, and a way to capture him. However, it will take some doing. All we need to do is have Soundwave do a little terrorizing. Using his power, he can change his appearance, and we will call Cale here to stop Soundwave. I'll even have Q.T. call them, and disguise her voice."

She watched everyone smile and heard Dark Beast say, "I may have something ready for them. Now, if you set that in motion, I will help you with your problem." Claudette smiled and nodded to Q.T. who picked up a cell phone.

As Q.T. dialed, Claudette said, "Hide your voice. We don't want them to know its a trap." She then walked to the Dark Beast and said, "Let's get her out of my head." Very soon, Claudette would be rid of Monet, and never be trapped again.

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Yvette got up when she heard the phone ring. It was the one thing that managed to wake her up this morning. She had awoken earlier, but she didn't feel well. Rich had told her to stay in bed, but she didn't know if it would help. There was only one thing that really bothered her now. The phone that was ringing was a special line. Very few people knew the number, and if they did call, something was up that only someone in Rich's position could handle. She went over the phone, picked it up and said, "Hello."

Soon a voice answered by saying, "Are you the wife of the Paladin?"

Yvette knew enough not to say her name. With the shaky ground they stood on, it was best not to say much. "This is she."

Before she could say anything else, the voice frantically said, "There is a monster in our town. It's destroying everything our town holds dear. We need help, immediately." Yvette started to wonder one thing. How did they know to call Rich, especially on that phone line. That number was only given out to those who needed it.

After a moment, Yvette wondered another thing, but she had to follow through. She just said, "Where are you located, ma'am?"

The voice seemed to hesitate. "I don't know if you'll know our town’s name. We are about 50 miles north of Snow Valley, Massachusetts. I hope that is a help."

Yvette wrote down the directions, but thought about the voice. It sounded very familiar to her. Before she could respond, the person hung up. She hung up the phone and thought about the call. It did need immediate attention. All she needed to do was tell Rich. However, her stomach started to get upset again. It was starting to become an everyday occurrence. This was starting to worry her. Was she getting sick? It couldn't be with her healing factor. What was wrong with her. She had to think past it, and finally focused on the mind link. "Rich, I think we have a problem."

Rich stood in front of the class. He looked out at the class and said, "Now, let's look at the assignment. I had asked each one of you to come up with a solution to a question. I made it cryptic, so you would have to think. The question was, 'How do you view nothing?'" He watched as many of them milled it over.

Soon, Jono spoke and said, "I would think that what you are saying is like what happened to my face. Nothing is there."

Rich looked at Jono and said, "OK Jono, let me ask you this. If there is nothing there, then explain the fire?" He watched as Jono started to say something, then stopped. "That fire is something. I asked for you to view nothing."

Soon, Everett said, "You mean like a hole. Is that what you mean?"

Rich shook his head and said, “Remember, a hole is something. What I asked is for you to describe nothing.” It was a difficult question, but it challenged one to think. However, there was one right answer to the question.

Soon he heard Clarice say, “So what you are describing is a void. It has no air, color or substance.” He watched as she smiled. He had a feeling she thought she had a right answer.

Rich then looked at her and said, “So this void, as you call it, would be nothing.” He watched as she nodded, and then he said, “But if there is a void, wouldn’t that be something?’ Rich watched as the smile faded. He then said, “So far, we have heard many answers, all that took some thought. Can anyone give the most correct answer?”

He waited for about a minute until Mondo looked at him and said, “Rich, I tried looking at every idea, but I can’t figure it out. I don’t know how to describe it.” Rich finally smiled, and Mondo looked at him and said, “You mean I’m right.”

Rich nodded and said, “Exactly. This assignment was to get you all to think. Not think of the good answer, but think of a good answer, and why it can’t be that.” He saw a shocked look cross all the faces. Apparently, none realize the point of the assignment. Rich then said, "Let me guess, some of you stopped at the first idea that hit your minds. Remember, this is Creative Thinking. Don't stop at the first guess. Think about it, just in case there might be more. The faster you can think in these cases, think of how fast you can come up with plans in battle."

He was about to continue when he heard Yvette say, "Rich, I think we have a problem." That wasn't good. Before he could prompt her for more, she said, "Hun, someone called asking for the Paladin. There is a creature 50 miles north of here. She was frantic, but I think she was familiar. I think we have to leave right away."

Rich inwardly cursed and then said, “OK class. For next time, I want you to think about this. Since we worked with describing nothing, how would you describe an illusion, in terms of all senses, not just sight. Then, figure out which sense will help you the most in that case. Class dismissed.” He quickly grabbed his stuff and ran out the door. He didn’t want anyone to know they had to leave, especially Clarice. After her, and Darrett's stunt in Japan, they were grounded, unless it was a group mission. He was still trying to determine the best punishment. As he ran down the hall, his ability told him that Sean was close, but it wasn't until he ran into him that he knew how close.

Sean almost fell back when Rich ran into him, but stopped himself. He looked at Rich and said, “Lad, where are ye off to in such a hurry?” He knew that Rich would never run like that unless there was a problem. He was hoping that what ever the problems was, it was not an attack on the school.

He saw Rich look up at him and said, “Sorry sir, something came up.”

He quickly grabbed Rich and said, “Lad, what is it? It must be something big that ye cut yur class short.” He noticed a worried look cross Rich’s face, and they he lowered his voice, “Is this something that affects the school?”

Sean watched as Rich calmed himself down and said, “Sorry Sean. It appears some sort of creature has appeared north of here. Yvette took the call, since they need my help as a Paladin. It must not be a big problem yet, but it is something I must do.”

Sean looked at Rich and started to worry more. He looked at Rich and said, "Lad, I know ye have to do this, but ye should take someone with ye. I know this is one of yur duties, but since the whole incident with Cartier, do ye want to chance it being an encounter with Emplate?" He saw Rich shiver at the thought. He could tell that ever since Cartier's death, Rich was hoping that next encounter would never happen.

He watched as Rich had a grim expression cross his face as he said, "No Sean. I can't do that. The only person I'd take along is Clarice, and she's grounded right now. I'm still not sure on the final punishment." Now Sean saw the problem. The people most likely to go would be the people Rich grounded. When he heard of the stunt, he wasn't too pleased. He figured Rich would handle it well, but he himself wasn't sure. He watched as Rich said, "I don't want to toss them out of the school. They don't have anywhere else to go."

Sean stood their for a moment and handed Rich a small communicator. He then said, "If ye can't take anyone with you, at least take a comm unit with ye. I think everyone would feel better if we could keep in touch." He watched as Rich looked at him for a moment.

Soon, he saw the lad take the comm unit and say, "Ok Sean, but they better keep quiet, or have their end muted. I don't think we need people wondering about mysterious voices. Tell Emma where I had to go in a hurry." He watched as Rich run down the hall. He knew Emma would not be thrilled by this, but this was something Rich and Yvette had to do. He then headed over to Emma's office.

Emma sat in her office with many thoughts running through her mind. First there was the fact that Rich and Yvette might be leaving the school. Even now, the job he was offered was still on the table. Emma wasn't sure if he was going to go, and if so, when. Another was the threat of Emplate still being out there. That wasn't bad, but what made it worse was that they didn't know how powerful he had become. Of course, the fates of the students was also on her mind. If Rich were to leave, the school would have to close. This lead to the last of her worries. What to do about Clarice and Darrett? Their actions were inexcusable. She knew Rich had the final say, but she didn't know what he would do. Her thoughts were finally cut short when the phone rang. She picked up the phone and said, "Xavier's, Emma speaking."

Emma was almost startled when she heard Charles Xavier on the phone. "Hello Emma. I have some news for you. I would have told you telepathically, but this might be the better way. You've done well with Jonothan and Paige. When ever you feel they are ready, they can join the X-men."

It was good news. She smiled and said, "That is good news, Charles. I wish I could say it eases some of my worries, but it doesn't." She sighed and said, "In fact, we may be losing some students. Rich and Yvette may be leaving for England, and Clarice and Darrett might have to leave, period. They were caught breaking one of our most important rules."

She heard Charles sigh on the other end and say, "I see. I know you mean well Emma, but I hope you make the right choice."

She calmly said, "It's not wholly my choice, Charles. Rich is the one who caught them, and he is the one milling it over. He put them on suspended duties for a while, until he makes his final choice. I just hope he makes the right one." That was her deepest hope. The worse thing about the situation was the two had no home. No family to go to. No one they could call parents.

There was a moment of silence until she heard Charles say, "He will make the right decision. Richard does not seem like a man to let his friends high and dry. Whatever he decides will be best for all. Now, I must go. My only advice is to talk it over with Sean. He may know what might be best. Take care, Emma." She heard him hang up, and she put the phone down. It was then she noticed Sean standing at the door.

She looked over at Sean and said, “How long have you been standing there, Sean?” She didn’t know if he overheard the phone conversation. It did bother her that she hadn’t even realized he was there.

She watched as Sean looked at her and said, “A few minute. I heard ye were talking with Charles. Did I hear right about Jono and Paige?” She nodded and she saw him smile. “Well, that takes care of two of the students when Rich and Yvette leave for England. As for right now, however, I think duty called for the two of them.”

Emma looked at Sean a bit puzzled. She said, “If this is something the whole should know about, they should be there.” She watched as Sean shook his head, and she realized it was something Rich had to handle with his title. She then said, “Do you know what happened, and if he made any choices with Darrett and Clarice?”

She watched as Sean shook his head and said, “Nae. Rich and Yvette had to leave very quickly. ‘E took a comm unit with him, so we should have some of the kids monitor the comm lines.”

Before Emma could ask how soon they would leave, she heard a car speed out of the driveway. She looked out to see Rich’s car speed off. She hoped the two would be alright, but something worried her. A nagging fear in the back of her mind. She looked at Sean and said, “Maybe we should get the kids down there soon. Just let’s not let Darrett and Clarice do the task together.” Before he could say anything, she said, “I know they have been behaving, but there future is still up in the air. Rich makes the final choice.” She watched him nod as he headed out.. She followed and silently thought to herself, ‘I hope they have a chance to make that choice.’

Jubilee looked out the room window when it happened. She saw Rich’s car tear out of the school driveway. As it sped out, she said, “What made them fly out of here? I know Rich ended class early, but was this a link?”

She heard Everett say, “Maybe Rich had to go to his company. Maybe something needed his attention there.” Jubilee realized that could very well be it.

It wasn’t until Angelo said, “If that was the case, why is Yvette going?” Angelo had a point. If Rich had been called to his company, he’d go alone. This was different. It was something Yvette had to go with on.

Soon, she heard Paige say, “Maybe they went to the doctor. Yah know she wasn’t feeling well this morning.”

Jubilee was about to agree when Mondo said, “You know. She didn’t seem to be sick. Wonder if it was just temporary.”

Jubilee started to wonder about that. She then said, “Are you suggesting ‘Penny’ has morning sickness, Mondo?” The thought was almost dismissed from her mind when she realized it could be possible. She wondered how often Yvette had dreamed about something like that. She may have dreamed of it before Rich came to the school.

She heard Daria say, “If that was true, that would mean Rich and Yvette are going to be parents in the near future. I hope that’s true.” Jubilee looked over at Daria and noticed a tear in her eye. She wondered if what Daria went through in Zero Tolerance made her unable to have kids.

Before anyone could say anything else, she heard Emma say, “Rich and Yvette had to leave on a mission. One that only Rich can deal with.” She saw a look of surprise on everyone’s face.

She then heard Sean say, “That’s why he dismissed class early today. We are all hoping this doesn’t take long. However, Rich gave ye assiments, didn’t he?” Jubilee wondered why Sean changed the topic and then looked at Clarice. Clarice was upset, and she felt that Clarice was about to protest.

Clarice was furious. They shouldn’t have left with out her. She was supposed to protect them. What if Apocalypse was waiting? She couldn’t hold it in anymore and said, “I can’t believe they left without me. I’m supposed to protect them.”

She heard Jono say, "Clarice. Calm down. You can’t be with them every second. They can handle things themselves. They did it long before you showed up." She just glared at Jono. He didn't understand how she felt. She had seen what had happened to them in her timeline.

She just looked at him and shouted, "If you had seen what had happened to them in my timeline, you'd understand. I have to go to their aid." She got up and headed to the door.

Before she realized it, she felt something push her into the chair. She looked up to see Emma's eyes were glowing. She was using her psi-abilities on her. As she tried to get up, Emma said, "Clarice. Have you forgotten that you are under probation. If not for your little stunt in Japan, you would not be under probation. Right now, you and Darrett are not allowed to leave the school unless we all go. Is that understood?"

Clarice had no choice, and she didn't want to admit it. After a moment, she reluctantly said, "Alright. I'll stay, but is there anything we can do at the moment." She hated being helpless, especially like that. She then thought about the whole time she was here. Never had Emma done something like this to keep her in line. She knew both she and Darrett were in hot water, but until now, she didn't know how bad. Now she had a good idea that she had done something very wrong.

She finally heard Sean say, "Aye lass, there is something to be done. We need two volunteers to monitor the comm line. You'll keep your ears open and listen. If something goes wrong, we'll have to head up there, but until then, just listen. Now, who wants the first watch. Just remember, it's either two lads, or two lasses. We want ye paying attention to the comm line, not each other." Clarice knew what Sean was saying. She and Darrett would not have the duty of working together.

Darrett looked over at Sean and just said, "I'd like to work on the first watch. I feel like I got to make it up to them for Japan." He watched as Sean nodded. He then said, "Can I ask Everett to work with me. I'd also like to speak with him for a moment."

He watched as both Sean and Emma nodded. He was glad for that. He knew Emma didn't want to go into his mind. He knew she feared what she might see. The deaths of all of Generation X. It was probably the only thing that kept her out of his head, as well as Rich not grabbing his abilities. He was half in the thought when Sean said, "Ev, you go with him. Until anything happens to the worse, keep silent. I don't think Rich and Yvette would have an easy time explaining strange voices."

He stood at that time, just as Everett did. He had something serious to discuss with Everett. It was something that might affect the team. As they entered the hall, he looked at Everett and said, "Hey Ev, I needed to talk to you about something important."

As they progressed to the com room, he heard Everett say, "Is it about what happened in Japan?" Ev had been there, and knew what had happened, to a degree. Everett still didn't know that Darrett was his son, and Darrett still didn't know if he should tell him.

Finally, Darrett said, "Yes and no. It stems from that. You see, I think Rich might make us leave and we have no homes to go to." That had been the honest truth. He was afraid that they would be kicked out of the school, and in turn, have nowhere to go. He honestly didn't want that to happen.

He then heard Everett say, "Don't worry, Darrett. I don't think Rich will kick you out of the school, nor would he do that to Clarice. He knows you two have nowhere you can go. It's Emma you might have to worry about. You saw what she did to keep Clarice here. She can be strict on disapline." Darrett knew that was true. Even after his first few days there, she had them keep a close eye on Rich and Yvette.

He then thought about what he was considering. It may solve part of their problem, but not all of it. Darrett sighed and said, "You know, ever since she arrived here, I've fallen for her. After what happened in Japan, I figured I might have to do this sooner than I would have planned."

He saw Everett look at him and say, "Darrett, are you thinking what I think you are thinking." He knew Everett couldn't synch with him, but Darrett knew that sometimes, they thought alike. When he nodded, he didn't know how Everett would react, but he knew it would be how his own father would have reacted, since they were one in the same.

Everett was in shock. He figured that Darrett might do something like this, but he didn't expect it so soon. He looked at Darrett and said, "Are you serious about this? How many people know about this choice." At this time they were just entering the com room.

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "Yea, I'm serious. She means alot to me. I don't think I'd be able to settle with anyone else. We are sort of in the same boat. We wouldn't fit well with anyone out there."

Now Everett totally understood where Darrett was going with this. Neither had a home to go to. They were two orphins in time. The school was literally their home. He then thought about the whole situation. Maybe that alone would be enough to insure they would be at the school. He looked over at Darrett and said, “Listen, the school is the only place you can call home. I don’t think anyone is about to toss you out of it. I think you might be on a continued probation. I also think he won’t force you two apart.”

He saw Darrett smile as he said, “Thanks, Everett. It means alot to me.” As they sat down at the unit in the room, he heard Darrett say, “Now, I guess we need to listen in on them.” He watched as he turned on the unit, and soon they heard the sound of a car, and heard Rich and Yvette talking about it.

Everett listened finally said, “Sounds like they are talking about what they might encounter. Sounds like it might be some kind of monster. After I first heard about what Rich's family had done, I didn't believe it at first."

Everett could tell Darrett was a bit puzzled, especially when he said, "It was the same when I found out. Except, I found out in my timeline. It seemed totally unbelievable, but now I'm not to sure."

He watched Darrett for a moment and finally said, "True. I think it's even stranger that Rich's family has been doing this for over a thousand years." He saw Darrett nod and he said, "You think something like this would only be in legends."

They were both surprised when a voice came over the com line and said, "What's stranger still is that you two haven't turned off the microphone over there. Yvette and I have been hearing your entire conversation in the background."

He could see Darrett was shocked, as he relized the mic was on and tried to be calm as he said, "How much have you heard?"

The response came from Yvette, "Everything, including that Darrett's little speech."

He saw Darrett pale as the boy said, "Is this going to affect my punishment?"

Everett saw a bit of relief cross Darrett's face as Rich said, "Don't worry, Darrett, I'm not going to have you two be seperated. I'll let you know when I get back. Now, turn off the mic. If someone hears you two, we have problems to explain."

Everett didn't heasitate. He just said, "Alright, Rich, but we will be listening. If we say anything, it will be very important." He then turned off the mike, and sighed. He looked at Darrett and said, "Next time we talk in here, let's make sure no one can here us."

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "I agree. That was a bit embarassing." With that, they both kept their ears to the com.

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