Author's Intro |
Generation X Cale Storyline Disclaimer |
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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X-Knights: The First Month
Previous Stories and Chapters |
Previous Entry | Unexplained Occurrences |
Chapter 11: Hidden Devils
Arisa Shimanouchi stood by the abandoned warehouse, wearing a long overcoat, and a hat that hid her face. She had to keep her face hidden, or one of the people in the town would connect her with the recent creature sightings. When she first received the letter requesting her help, she was surprised by it. Only certain people knew about her mystical gift, and not many could afford her fee. However, this person was promising her more than money. This person was promising her a chance at finding more demons for her to control. To her, it was a dream come true.
She was almost lost in thinking about those dreams when she noticed two people approaching. The way they approached, she could tell they were a couple, however her attention was drawn to the African woman. While the man, apparently blond, looked like he dressed like every other person in the town, the woman stood out. Her blouse looked like it had belonged in a science fiction movie that she had caught part of. When they were close enough, Arisa looked at them and said, “I take it you are the ones who called for my services.”
She watched as the woman nodded and replied, “Yes, Ms. Shimanouchi.” She noticed the guy hadn’t nodded, but the woman said, “He’s deaf and mute. The only way he can communicate is by sign language or by psi. You’ll get to experience that a lot since both Golden and I are mutants.”
She was a bit stunned by that news, but not surprised. She had never worked with mutants before, but decided this was best. She was aware that her cousin was following her, and she knew her cousin wasn’t totally accepting of mutants. She then looked at Golden, and said to the woman, “I take it Golden isn’t his real name.”
Arisa waited until the woman responded, “No. If you must know, his real name is Sean Rogers. My name is Claudette St. Croix, however for as long as you are with us, you may call me Chani. There are others in our little group, and you will meet them later. Now, how soon will our targets be arriving?”
She smiled and said, “They will be arriving in a short while. I take it this is the building you want them to encounter Sen in. If you don’t mind me asking, how did they get in your way?”
She watched as Claudette smiled and said, “I will explain that later. Right now, we need to get everything ready. I don’t want them arriving and realizing this is a trap. Now, can you get Sen here?”
She nodded and said, “Yes I can. Please stand back.” She watched as they did so, and then pulled out a slip of rectangular paper, and drew a symbol on it. She tossed it to the ground, and started chanting the invocation to summon Sen to her side.
Claudette St. Croix stood and watched as the paper started to have a blackish smoke come out of it. As the smoke continued to billow out, she glanced over at Arisa and saw the look in the girl’s eyes. When she had first found out about the girl’s mystical abilities, she knew the girl would be one to help her. In fact, ever since her defeat five years ago, her underground activities and spies allowed her to find out about many potential allies. She was glad she was going to make Arisa one of her allies, especially when the demon came into view. When she saw it, it looked almost like a man, except it had four tentacles sprouting from it’s back. She then watched as it turned towards Arisa and said, “What is your wish, Mistress?”
She watched as Arisa looked at it and said, “Sen, it’s time for you to do the thing we’ve been leading up to. Soon, someone will be here to fight with you. I take it you know what must be done.” She watched as the demon nodded, and then heard Arisa say, “I’ll be out here. You are to follow Chani in and listen to her orders. Is that understood?”
She watched as the demon nodded and said, “Understood. Am I dismissed when the task is done?” She wondered why the creature asked Arisa that, and then realized that Arisa might not be willing to give her full control of the demon.
Claudette then heard Arisa say, “You are dismissed when Chani leaves the building, or if things go terribly wrong. Now go with her, and listen to her orders.” She watched as the demon nodded and then followed her and Golden into the warehouse.
When they were in the main part of the warehouse, she said, “Listen Sen. Golden and I will be in the one room in the back. When our quarry enters the warehouse, the place will go silent. That will disorient our foe, and make it easier for you to destroy them.”
She saw Sen smile at those words, especially as the demon said, “It is an honor I’m looking forward to. My kind tells many tales of the Vanquisher. I would like to be the one that ends their line, especially after my past encounters.”
She was surprised by that news, but decided not to press on about it. She then said, “Fine, Sen. Just remember, you remain until I leave the warehouse, or something happens. When I leave, you are dismissed.” She watched as the demon nodded at that. She then said, “Golden and I are heading for the back room. One more thing, I want Lady Cale alive, understood.” She watched as the demon nodded.
She then lead the way back to the back room, and as they walked, she heard Sean say psionically, “Are you sure about trusting that demon, Claudette? What if it tries to violate her?”
She smiled as they stepped into the back room and said, “I did find out some things before I recruited Arisa. That demon isn’t like how your videos portray them. It won’t violate her in that way.” She then closed the door and turned to him, with a slightly devilish smile and said, “Are you ready to hear what you must do, my lover?” She watched as a grin crossed his face. She knew he would like to hear this part of the plan, and even what they would do while they waited.
Sean Rogers smiled as he thought of what Claudette had in mind, but it also worried him. Ever since the incident over five years ago, Claudette had to wear that special outfit, or else the formula that was injected into her would permanently rob her of her powers. The only downside he knew was that while she wore it, the suit caused pain to maintain her power and figure. He looked at her, and psionically said, “Claudette, what do you have planned?”
He watched as she looked at him, and smiled the smile he liked most. He then heard her say, “Very simple. You notice the little mail slot in the door. Prop it open. That way when you activate your powers, the whole place will be silent.”
He understood what she aimed for by doing that. The silence would be thought of as part of the demon’s powers. He then thought for a moment, and remembered what he had read in the demon’s lips as it spoke, and said to Claudette, “Skitz might be aware that the demon can’t do that. The demon even said that it had past encounters with his family. They probably took notes, and would realize it.”
He noticed that she physically sighed. He realized that it was something she hadn’t taken into account. He watched as she started to pace, saying “That means Yvette will probably be scanning the area, and she’ll focus on us. I’m going to have to make sure there is a mind block in place.” He then watched as a frown crossed her face as she looked at him. “Looks like we won’t have any fun while we wait for them.”
Sean nodded and responded, “It’s probably for the best, my love. Besides, we can’t risk you being with out your ability right now. If something were to happen to me, like my power being exposed to a boundary break, you would have to help get me out of here.” As he finished communication that, Sean started to panic, and began pacing. Those times the limits of his sound cancelling field had been forced to extend to a limitless area, he was doubled over in pain.
He then felt Claudette’s arm around him, as she said “Don’t worry, my love. Remember that in case anything goes wrong, we have two aces waiting and watching. Quinn and our new man, Henry, is waiting in case something goes wrong, and we need to escape.” He took a calming breath when she told him that. He knew that she tried to always have a back-up plan, just in case something went wrong. That had always been the case, except for what had happened over five years ago. He then heard her say, “You better start getting ready. I can sense Skitz and Penance approaching. I’ll mask our minds from her probing, but I think we have another thing working in our favor. There is another person hiding in the warehouse. They snuck in after we came in the room here.”
He smiled when he heard that. If the person was an innocent, Skitz and Penance might work to protect the person. He then said, “It might keep them distracted from destroying that Sen thing. However, let’s just hope it’s not another who is hunting demons.” He glanced back to see Claudette give him a discouraging look. He then wondered if his suggestion was jinxing this task. He then prepared for when they needed the sounds to stop.
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Richard Cale pulled the car into a parking lot near the warehouse, where the person who called them said the creature would be. When he had finally parked the car, he looked out at the place, noticing the door was open a crack, and seeing a young Asian girl pacing the lot. He then shut down the car, and said to Yvette, “Anything from Monet, hun?”
He watched as Yvette shook her head and said, “I can’t keep a link with her. We are too far away from the castle. If I try to keep in touch with her, I won’t be able to do anything else. I didn’t realize we’d be so far from the castle.”
He nodded and said, “When we get back, maybe you should work on extending your psi-powers range. I know we can be this far apart and still close to each other with our psi-link.” He then opened the car door and said, “Well, let’s take care of this creature.” He then got out of the car, followed by his wife, and walked over to the Asian girl. When he was facing her, he said, “Are you the one who called for the Paladin?”
He watched as she nodded and said, “Yes, my name is Arisa. I was the one who saw it when the first people were attacked. It was horrible. The thing lashed out with several tentacles. It looked a bit humanoid, until the tentacles appeared. I think the people it attacked thought it was a person.” He then noticed as the girl shuddered as she said that. However, something bothered him about that shudder, like it was forced.
Richard then heard his wife say, “Don’t worry, Arisa. You also said the demon would be in this warehouse. Was that correct?” He watched as Arisa nodded, and then heard Yvette say, “So the demon is in there? Do you know if there is any hostages in there, or if the demon has enslaved anyone?”
He watched as Arisa shook her head. That was a relief. Having innocent lives in the situations made doing this stuff harder. He then nodded and said, “Arisa, my wife and I are about to head in. When we head in, close this door. It should limit the ways the demon can escape.” He did a quick glance then to see that the only windows were small enough to let light in, and high enough not let anyone climb in them. He then turned to his wife and mentally said “Do you want to go in with claws ready?”
He heard her respond, “No. We should keep some surprises in store. If your family has encountered this demon before, it shouldn’t be aware that we are mutants.” He knew his wife had a point. They figured the demon was one his family had encountered before, and that it’s name was Sen. They also knew that he was the first mutant in his family to hold the title of Paladin.
He then headed into the warehouse, with Yvette following, and turned back to the girl and said, “If we do not exit in fifteen minutes, call for help. We have friends who can help us.” He then turned and started deeper into the warehouse. As they slowly moved, he heard the door closed, and then motioned to his wife for silence.
Soon, he saw the demon, and was surprised when the demon just smiled at them. He then saw as four tentacles appeared as if from the creatures back. Before he could think of a response to the threat, he saw one of the tentacle smash a crate, and realized there was no sound. He felt his eyes go wide, and glanced at Yvette who just looked at him in shock. He then heard her say in their mind link, “There’s no sound. This was a trap.” He nodded and realized that everything that happened was to lure them into a trap, and that Claudette St. Croix was behind it.
Kiana Asahara watched from her hiding spot. She had snuck inside after she saw the demon entering the warehouse, following two people. She had been sure one of them was Arisa, but realized she was mistake when she heard the man who had just entered speaking with her. She had been closer to the door than the other two were, and heard it close and lock. Just after it locked, she noticed all noise in the place had disappeared. She started to wonder if Sen was doing this, but then she noticed the look on the two peoples’ faces. They had some clue to what was happening. She also realized that their moment of panic left them wide open for an attack from Sen. She watched as one of Sen’s tentacles came down at the two. She held her breath as she saw the two dive off to separate sides. When they both recovered, she saw the man’s sword go ablaze in a red fire. She realized that this man must be the Paladin that one of the townspeople spoke of.
It was then that Sen started a sweeping attack with his tentacles. She watched in awe as the Paladin jumped the one tentacle, but looked in horror as one of the other ones smacked into the woman, and watched her fall. She noticed a brief look of grief on his face, and then relief. She dared a quick glance back and saw the woman get up, and briefly rub her side. She also noticed that Sen was surprised at that. She then saw Sen raise his tentacle up to whip down on the woman again.
Kiana knew what she had to do. She leapt out of her hiding spot, and threw one of her throwing knives at the tentacle. She smiled as blade struck the tentacle and caused it to move away. By the time Sen had pulled it back to check it out, she had landed in front of the woman. She glanced back at the woman, and saw a surprised look on her face. She then glanced over at the Paladin, who motioned at her and then pointed to his head. Before she could figure out the meaning of the action, she heard a woman’s voice say, “Who are you?” She went to say something, but heard the voice speak again. “Don’t speak it, think it. I’ve set up a psi-link between you, myself and my husband.”
Kiana didn’t know what to think of that, but started to worry. The only time she had heard the word psi was usually in reference to mutants. When it came to mutants, she tried to avoid encountering them. It wasn’t that she hated them. She just didn’t trust them. Now she knew that the woman was a mutant, and she started to wonder if the Paladin was one as well. If this was the case, she might have to rethink her views. She then said, “My name is Kiana Asahara. That demon, Sen, killed my father. It’s controlled by my cousin, who lured you into this attack.”
She then heard a man’s voice, and figured it was the Paladin, as he said, “It makes sense. My name is Richard Cale, and the woman is my wife, Yvette. We were called here to fight this demon, and we figured this silence wasn’t part of its powers. Your cousin is working with some old foes of ours. The only way we can get out of this is to drop the area of silence.”
She then heard the woman, Yvette, say, “You know, Richard, if this is Golden’s work, Claudette has to be near by. She might be masking their minds from my own powers.”
Kiana was now a bit confused and said, “Can you quickly elaborate on this?” She quickly jumped to the side as another tentacle came at them. “Who are Golden and Claudette?”
She then heard Richard say, “Golden is a mutant who can cancel out sound in a confined area. The only way to cancel his powers are to knock him out, or to expand the area infinitely, like busting a window. As for Claudette, her powers range from super-strength, flying, psi-abilities, and many others. However, how she’s regained her powers is a mystery. Right now, Kiana, can one of your knives shatter one of the high windows?”
She nodded and said, “Yes, and I think I understand your plan.” She then threw her one knife and watched as it destroyed the window. As it did so, she started to hear footsteps, and saw that everyone was running to dodge Sen’s attacks. She also noticed that Sen had not realized everything had changed.
Sen smiled as thoughts of the Vanquisher’s death ran through it’s mind. For many years, Sen tried to eliminate the Vanquisher, but every time, they sent Sen back to the demon world. Sen knew that now that someone was controlling it, that it ran the risk of being destroyed permanently. However, now with the silence and the new person appearing, the victory would be much sweeter. Sen decided now would be the best time to taunt his latest kill, however the only regret would be that the taunt would go unheard. “Now, Vanquisher, it will be your turn to die, not mine.” Sen then chuckled inwardly as it thought about how odd the silence can play tricks on anything.
Sen was surprised as it heard the Vanquisher say, “Not likely Sen, since you’ve lost your own advantage.” Sen felt it’s eyes go wide as it realized what had happened. Sen was now hearing sound, and that meant they knew what was happening, and how to stop it.
Sen then smiled and lashed at the woman who had been with the Vanquisher as he entered. Sen knew the woman would not be able to avoid the attack, but Sen was surprised that she had survive the earlier strike like she did. Sen then said, “You may hear me now, but your woman won’t for much longer.” Sen was sure the attack would connect, and then yowled in pain. Sen looked at it’s target, and saw the tip of its tentacle was now a bloody stump, and the woman now had red claws and her hair was now a darker red than it was before. Sen also noticed that her eyes were now all blue. She had to be what the humans called a mutant.
Sen yowled again in pain as another tentacle was cut, this time by the Asian girl with a glowing Katana blade. It was at that moment that Sen remembered seeing that blade before. Sen smiled and said, “I never imagined seeing that blade again. It was nice watching the former owner of that blade die. Of course, I look forward to killing the new owner of that blade, as well as the Vanquisher.”
Sen let out another yowl and turned in the direction of his pain. It was then that Sen saw that the one tentacle was cut and burned. It was then that Sen heard the Vanquisher say, “It’s over Sen, and you know it. Once I destroy you, you will never exist again. It’s the end of the line, demon.”
Those words scared Sen. Sen had to think quick, and strike again at the Vanquisher’s wife. Before Sen could lash out again, Sen saw the woman slash at the door that the mistress’ allies ran into, and saw it fall. Sen then saw the one man doubled over in pain, and hear the Vanquisher’s wife say, “It’s over, Claudette.” This puzzled Sen, wondering who Claudette was when the woman in the room was named Chani.
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Henry Edwards watched the warehouse with Quinn Taylor. It had been a little over a week since he was asked into Claudette’s group, and now he was going to see one of her plans succeed. Of course, he was aware that the people they had trapped were the same ones who started the school that now protected Tasha Lewis. He still wanted to get a bit of vengeance on her, since she had apparently warned the others of his attack. However, now he was content to watch the demon, that this Arisa girl conjured, kill them. As they watched, he just said to Quinn, “Do you think the plan is working, especially after we saw that other girl sneak in before the Cale’s arrived?”
He watched as Quinn nodded and said, “Indeed. There has been no sign that anything has gone wrong. The odds are that the girl has made the Cale’s wary of what they do next, which means they can’t do their best. In fact, I’m sure that soon the demon that Arisa conjured will have the two killed.”
He was glad she was so confident. Of course, he remembered she was also confident that they would win at the airport last week. He was also aware that Claudette was keeping a mental link with Quinn, a privilege that he hadn’t yet earned. He then said to Quinn, “Quinn, if we are sure the plan will work, why are we keeping watch?”
Just as he saw Quinn about to answer, he heard the sound of glass breaking. He glanced down at the warehouse, and saw one of the side windows were now broken. In his gut, he knew something had happened to change the event inside, especially as Quinn said, “Transform, Henry, because Claudette and Sean are going to need our help.” He then watched as she started to run down to the warehouse.
He started to follow her, moving slowing because he activated the transformation to the beast within him. He felt his body bulk up to almost inhuman sizes. He felt himself growing stronger, and also felt his sight and hearing change. He also felt the bloodlust growing. He was ready to take on anything in his path. As he came up to the warehouse, he said in a powerful growling voice, “Ready to bust some heads, Quinn.”
He watched as she motioned toward the one wall, but heard her say to Arisa, “Listen Arisa. Dismiss the demon if you can. We are about to pull Chani and Golden out of there. Do you remember where I told you our lair was?” He watched as the girl nodded, and heard Quinn continue. “Good. Head there, and we will begin a new plan, if needed. You can dismiss that demon, right?”
He wasn’t startled when he heard a low rumble in the building, and heard Arisa say, “It’s already done. However, I think Sen lost a few tentacles, but they should grow back. Good luck on the rescue.” He then watched as Arisa ran off, and away from the warehouse.
As Arisa ran off, he hear Quinn shout, “Alright, Henry, bust down the wall. We need to rescue our boss.” He nodded and then slammed his fist into the wall, shattering it. As the dust cleared, he saw into the warehouse and saw all three people advancing on Claudette and Sean. He was also sure that no one had seen or even noticed that they had just knocked the wall down. Maybe they would have an element of surprise, and he knew that would make him enjoy the attack that much more.
Quinn Taylor looked on the scene as they entered the warehouse, and she could tell it wasn’t good. Skitz and Penance were advancing on Claudette and Sean, and Quinn knew that Claudette was using all her powers to help Sean after his powers overloaded. Quinn didn’t understand why Claudette liked Sean so much, but she knew that it was crippling any escape they might have. She also noticed the odd girl that was in the room. She didn’t look like a mutant, nor did she seem to exhibit any mutant powers. Quinn started to think how she might be able to use this to her advantage. If she could distract the Cales, then Claudette could escape. There was also the fringe benefit of taking out someone who might have ended up ruining the plans in the first place. She then said to Henry, “Alright Henry, it’s time to keep the Cale’s busy. Run right at them, and make sure they don’t catch Claudette. I’ll take care of the little interloper.”
She watched as Henry nodded and said, “Right. I’ll flatten them with just one punch.” She watched as he rushed at Skitz and Penance and smiled as they appear to be startled at the sound.
She also started to advance on the Asian girl, when she heard the girl shout, “Look out. There’s...” Quinn quickly jump kicked the girl, sending her to the floor sliding. She quickly chanced a glance at Henry, and saw Skitz dive to the left, however, she didn’t see Penance at all.
That worried her. She knew that Penance had many advantages, one of which was her ability would allow her to become a living shadow. She also knew that Penance’s claws had another purpose. They helped the woman climb on ceilings and walls. Quinn then pinned the girl as she started to recover, and shouted to Claudette. “Chani, get Golden out of here. Henry, don’t get to close to Skitz. I’ll take care of our little interloper.”
Quinn turned to face the girl, and saw the girl was trying to break free. As the girl struggled, she heard the girl say to her, “Whoever you are, you won’t stop me. If you are working with my cousin, I will stop you.”
She smiled as she realized that this girl was the cousin of Arisa. She then said, “Little girl, to be honest, your cousin is working for us. As for you stopping us, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Now let’s find out if you are a mutant or just a normal girl.” She then stated to kiss the girl.
As she was kissing, she felt the girl struggle more, but also noticed that the girl had a look of fear in her eyes. It was then she start to feel the girl’s life force entering into her. She felt the girl’s struggles start to slow, and realized this girl was nothing more than a normal human. She knew that soon the girl would pass out, and then go into a coma, and finally die. She then watched as the girls eyes started to close. However, just as the eyes were about to close, she felt a ripping pain go right through her back, and she yowled in pain. She quickly got off the girl, and saw herself facing Penance. She also noticed that Penance fingers were apparently dripping red, and realized that she had slashed her back. She hoped the cuts weren’t bad, and heard Penance say, “Time to give up, Q.T. You won’t hurt Kiana anymore.” Quinn frown, and then noticed that Skitz had taken on Henry’s powers. Their only hope now was to be able to escape.
Yvette Cale kept her eyes on Quinn. She didn’t want the murdering mutant to kiss anyone else. She knew first hand what that kiss did to mutants, and Richard had told her what the kiss did to non mutants. She also knew that Kiana would recover in a few minutes. She then said in her mind link with her husband, “Hun, I stopped Q.T. How are you dealing with the brute?”
She didn’t turn to glance anywhere else, but she was thankful when her husband said, “This brute is very tough. I took on his power, but I’m not sure it will be enough. I’ve also lost track of Claudette and Golden.” That didn’t set well with her. If they couldn’t find Claudette, that meant she already got away, or she was up to something.
Yvette got her answer when she felt a stabbing pain in her mind, and heard Claudette say, “Actually, I was waiting until both of you were busy. I would like to kill you, but too many of my troop are in danger. Don’t worry, I’m just making sure you two stay out of my way as we leave. However, Penance, you better be ready to catch your husband.” She quickly turned, and saw the brute slug her husband and saw him coming towards her. She untensed and managed to grab him, but was knocked to the floor.
She quickly moved and saw the brute was now picking up Claudette who was holding Golden, and then saw the brute walk over and pick up Q.T. As she watched, she heard Claudette verbally shout, “Isn’t Henry a dear. Remember this Penance, because you know I’m back.” It was then she noticed that Claudette wore an outfit that was similar to something from one of the science-fiction films they had seen.
When they had left, she slowly moved over to Kiana, and tried to wake the girl. She was glad when the girl finally opened her eyes and said, “What did that woman do to me?”
Yvette helped her sit up, and said, “It’s her power. Quinn Taylor, or Q.T. as we know her, has a kiss that saps the life out of people. It kills humans, but only knocks out mutants for a day. If I had been any later in stopping her, you might not still be with us.”
She saw Kiana shudder at that, and then saw Kiana looking at her as the girl said, “Thank you, Mrs. Cale. I owe you my life.”
Yvette smiled and said, “It’s alright. I take it your father fought demons as well.” She saw the girl nod, and then noticed that Richard was starting to get up. She noticed that her husband was back to normal. She then said to Kiana, “Kiana, you helped us out, and we helped you. Let us continue to help you. My husband’s family has been fighting creatures and demons for centuries. They have tons of information at their disposal. If you’d like, we can help you learn more about those things.”
She then heard Richard say, “I was just thinking that, Yvette. Kiana, I don’t want to see anyone die before their time. If you decide to come with us, we can both help you. Of course, you’d also be at a school full of mutants who are your age. I know you might not be comfortable with that.” She could see that Kiana was thinking about their offer. She remembered sensing Kiana’s reaction to the fact they were mutants. She wasn’t comfortable with it, but something about the event in the warehouse had an impact on her.
She felt thankful when Kiana looked that them both and said, “I shall go with you. I’m indebted to Yvette for saving my life, and after all that occurred, I know you aren’t evil. It may take me some time, but I’ll slowly get used to other mutants. I just hope that we also catch Asira. She killed my father, and I must avenge his death.” She watched then as Kiana got up and walked over to them.
As they walked out, however, Yvette remembered one thing, and quickly said to her husband, “Hun, maybe we should tell her about Monet on the way home.” She saw him nod, and realized he had thought of the same thing. They didn’t want Kiana to think that Monet was the same as Claudette. She also started to wonder how the other students would react to the newest person at the school.
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