X-Knights: The First Month Chapter 15 (A Generation X Based Fic)

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

Chapter 15: Welcome Retreats

Lady Yvette Cassidy Cale clawed her way out of the rubble, and she wasn’t happy. This outing was supposed to be relaxing, and she had taken precautions to make sure they wouldn’t be bothered. She had blocked their images from all the Paparazzi, made sure that she and Jubilation would not be bothered when they came to the store they were now in. It was supposed to be a quiet day out.

However, that wasn’t the case at all. Now, her jacket and some other articles of clothing was buried in what was left of the fitting room. Luckily, all the clothing she now wore could handle the ultra sharp skin of the mutant known as Penance. When she saw who had caused the problems, her blood momentarily froze, and then was hit with a flush of anger. “Aura,” was all she said, and she heard the hatred she had for the woman in every syllable of the word.

She noticed at that time that Aura seemed a bit scared, but saw the look of fear fade into one of confidence. “Yes, it’s me Penance. I’m surprised you came out of the rubble. I’m aware of your self-consciousness issues, and figured you’d be too scared to come out. I guess I should have known you would had on specially made clothing.”

She smirked at Aura. She wasn’t about to let the evil mutant know that if the attack had come seconds sooner, her plan would have worked. She then said, “It’s been five years since you personally got involved in a battle with us. We’ve learned a lot of new tricks since then.” She glanced over at Jubilation, and saw the girl nod slightly. It was a bluff, and they had to hope Aura was buying it. Ever since the battle that preceded the closing of the school, not many of the Generation X members saw battles. In fact the only serious battle they had was back when the ‘Rippers’ had attacked the school over a week ago.

It was then she noticed Aura was now smirking. “Oh yes, the great Lady Penance has learned a new trick. Hiding behind closed doors until her hubby says it’s safe to come out. Your cousin, D.O.A. told me how you had gone into hiding when the ‘Rippers’ attacked. He had been watching the whole thing.”

She felt a rage building in her, and she lunged at Aura. She was stunned when Aura pushed slightly in the air, and she was knocked back towards the wrecked fitting rooms. She paused for a moment, and then said, “I knew Emplate was behind the ‘Rippers’. When this is over, I’m going to ......”

Penance stopped speaking as a psychic scream ripped through her mind. She reached up and held her head as she staggered for a moment. There was only one thing that could affect her like that. Her husband, Richard, was in pain. She could even tell the source of the pain, because it was a pain she was familiar with. Emplate was supping on her husband, and it felt as if her husband was also dying.

Elane Bonstien grinned evilly when Penance collapsed. She could tell that her lover, the mutant known as Emplate, had attacked her adopted cousin. The look of pain that crossed Penance’s face was priceless. It was also the distraction she needed. She quickly thrust her hand out, and her aura pushed Penance toward the wrecked fitting rooms. She then smiled at her adversary and said, “Sounds like my lover has met with your husband.”

She had been so focused on Penance that she forgot about Jubilee, or as she called herself now, Lightshow. She suddenly remembered the other mutant, when she was suddenly blinded. It had been a bright flash of light that had done it, and she screamed. “I may have forgotten briefly about you, ‘Lightshow’, but you won’t get drop on me this easily.”

Aura listened for a moment, and heard something flying at her. She moved her other hand in front of her, and let her aura act as a shield. With that one in place, she heard something bounce off and fly in another direction. As more items bounced, she heard Lightshow say, “You can’t fend off everything I throw at you, Aura.”

She let a wide smile cross her lips. “Of course I can. I may not be able to see you at the moment, but I can keep your attacks at bay. Can’t you figure out that if Penance is in pain, then her beloved Skitz is in pain. That means that my lover is winning.” She kept blocking the attacks, and focusing on pushing Penance into the rubble.

Aura was surprised when someone kicked her in the back, and she went flying. She landed just as her sight recovered and saw she was just inside the door of the store. She turned just in time to see Lightshow was creating a large plasma orb. She also saw the woman who had been behind the register standing there, and she realized that it must have been the salesgirl who had kicked her.

Aura quickly got up, and said, “That was a mistake, girl. You have no idea of who are you are dealing with.”

She then saw Lightshow throw the orb in her direction. She wasn’t going to get blasted by another blinding flash and held up her hands. However, by the time she put her hands up, the orb exploded, and sent her flying out of the store. As she flew, she heard the mutant say, “And so was that, Aura. I was expecting you to do that. It may have been years, but you still fall for the unexpected.”

When she landed, she got up, and looked at the store. She then glanced out at a bunch of Paparazzi. She wasn’t sure why they were there, but a new plan was forming. She could use their presence to her advantage. She may have failed in capturing Yvette and Jubilation, but she could slow them down from trying to get out of the place.

The fight in the store had gotten the attention of some of the Paparazzi, but as of yet, none of them had come down to see the source. Of course, they wouldn’t since they didn’t know Yvette was down here. Aura had wondered how they had gotten past them, but realized that Yvette must have blocked them from view in the minds of the Paparazzi. Now all that was going to change. She got up, and shouted at the top of her lungs. “You may have won this one, Yvette Cale, but it isn’t over.” She then ran away from the Paparazzi, letting her aura conceal her from sight. She may have failed in her task, but Yvette and Jubilation would not escape without being noticed by the Paparazzi, and starting a media frenzy.

Jubilation Thomas was glad when Aura had fled. What had started as a nice day out had become a threat on their lives. However, they had survived, but the way Aura had talked, the others were under attack, which included those at the school. In fact, Aura’s words when she ran were a bit comforting. She had run away, and things were in the clear. She then turned to tell Yvette that it looked like things were in the clear, but was surprised when Yvette dived behind the counter. She also noticed a concerned look cross Monique’s face.

It was then she remembered all the people they had passed on the way to the store. She quickly ran to the counter and looked behind it. Before, when they had entered, Yvette carried herself as confident and outgoing. Now, she appeared to be the same girl she had known when they were in Xavier’s School, timid and shy. She looked at Yvette and said, “You’re worried about the Paparazzi, aren’t you?”

She watched as Yvette nodded. “Yes. Those vultures would have a field day if they got a picture of me like this in the ruined store.” She understood Yvette’s point, and then realized it would effect the school as well.

She turned to Monique, who had helped them in the battle with Aura. “Do you have some way of helping us? We didn’t intend for this to happen.” She saw the girl smile, and then nod. “Thank you.”

Monique walked behind the desk, and pulled out a jacket, which she handed to Yvette. “Not a problem. Lady Cale isn’t the only big name to use the store. Besides, I know how she thinks. I had brought a spare jacket just in case. I know it’s not exactly Lady Cale’s favorite style, but it will allow her to keep her dignity. Now, I’ll keep the Paparazzi at bay. You two can duck out the back entrance. Luckily, I can see the wrecked fitting rooms aren’t blocking it.”

Jubilation nodded at Monique, and then helped Yvette get up. “Come on. It might be the only way we can keep this from turning into a media fiasco.” She led Yvette out the rear door, and down the hallway that was behind the stores.

As they walked, she noticed Yvette was putting on the jacket. “Monique was right I would never wear this jacket. It reminds me of that outfit Emplate had me wear.” She then looked at her friend, and saw that Yvette had the jacket almost closed. “If it wasn’t a January afternoon, I wouldn’t have even bothered fastening it all the way up.”

Soon, her friend brought them back to the reality of the situation. “We need to get back to the school. Emplate had attacked the school, and he’s hurting Richard. I hope that they are able to fend off Emplate.”

Jubilation looked at her and said, “Now Yvette, you know Darrett would not let....” She stopped in mid-sentence as the thought crossed her mind. Darrett still hadn’t fully recovered from the ‘Ripper’ attack, and there were the kids, which were most likely in the secret room in the castle. She then looked at Yvette and said, “You’re right, we need to get back. And let’s hope the kids are as resourceful as we were in our Generation X days.”

She watched as a smile of hope crossed Yvette’s face, and they neared the end of the hall, to a door that would lead back into the mall. As they neared, she heard Yvette say “Everyone, we need to get back to the car, and head back to school. I hope you can all get there soon. Emplate is attacking.” She then hoped that no one else was under attack, but deep down, she knew that was a long shot. Jubilation then hoped her husband was all right.

**************************************

Amy Johnson couldn’t believe what had happened when they went over to Monet St. Croix and Davis Skinur. Only minutes earlier, they had entered one of many branches of HMV in the country. Now, the numerous shelves of music were turning into a battle field.

She had a feeling this was coming when she had seen the arrival of the strange girl wearing the equally strange gloves, and the man who was with her. He looked like an average person, until she caught a glimpse of his hands. From what she had heard about them, the hands had the tell-tale marks of him being part of the ‘Rippers.’ This was something new, and she wanted to tell both the teachers about it, but when she and Kevin started talking, it had appeared that Davis had stopped moving.

She quickly turned to Monet, and said, “Monet, I mean, Ms. St Croix. What is happening?”

She was almost startled when Monet said, “Get behind something, both of you. Don’t come out until I tell you to. If anything happens to me, get out of here.” She then watched her one teacher start to advance on the newcomers. “So, Britney, it was true. You helped Emplate all along, and both of you are part of his ‘Rippers’.”

Amy felt Kevin pull her behind a nearby rack of CD’s as he said, “We better do as Monet wants. Something tells me she fought them before. I just wish I knew why Davis isn’t doing anything.” She had wondered about that too. Even from her first class with Davis, she learned his power was music based. In this store, with all the music playing on the speakers, he should be doing something more than standing there like a statue.

When they were safely behind the rack, she saw the girl push her hands forward, and was stunned to see Monet flying backwards through the store, as if she had been pushed. She wondered what had happened, and then heard the stranger girl say, “Surprise, Monet. I may not have mutant powers like you, but these gloves let me use any powers that have been used on me. Aura helped test them out. And as you can guess, Freeze Frame has your friend stopped cold.”

She quickly ducked down, and turned to Kevin. “Kevin, do you think that means he put Davis into a real life pause?” She watched as he nodded and then looked at the scene. It didn’t look good at all. The woman with the gloves, who Monet had called Britney, kept pushing Monet back, and she could see Monet was tiring. Now, they needed to figure out how to stop the attack.

As she thought, she looked down at the floor, and remembered that almost every store in the mall had a carpeting of sorts. Just that quick, a plan came to her mind. She also understood what Lord Cale had been thinking when he said they should pick out codenames. She looked at Kevin again. “I have a plan, Switchover. Can you change the whole rug into a sheet of ice, or something frictionless.”

She watched as he placed his hands on the rug, and watched as they started to glow. Soon she saw the rug slowly start to change. As it did so, she heard him say, “I’ve never changed anything this large before, Voice. Mr. Thomas always had me stick with small items. I may not be able to switch the whole floor.”

She smiled at him and said, “As long as the change effects the floor under the two attackers, it’ll be fine.” She then looked around the corner of the rack they were hiding behind, and watched as the floor slowly changed, and soon saw that both the attackers were on the new slick floor. She quickly motioned her friend to stop, and set the next part of her plan into motion.

Britney could not believe how well the plan was working. When Emplate had told them of the plan to divide and conquer the former Generation X team, she had her doubts. However, now that they had almost captured their targets, it wouldn’t be long until she and Freeze Frame would be joining Aura and the others after they got their targets.

She was almost upset that Monet St. Croix, the sister of her master, Emplate, would be unconscious for her defeat. She knew Monet was tough, but she had thought things out. She set it up that the aura from one glove would act as a brace for when she pushed the mutant into the far wall. She’d then use the pushing hand to push all the air out of Monet. Of course, the resulting damage to the store was a fringe benefit, especially since the store had started playing Spice Girls on the speakers.

Just as she managed to get Monet slammed against the back wall, she was started when a voice said, “I think you forgot about the two kids, Voice and Switchback.” She tried to pinpoint the voice, but not turn her attention away from Monet. She even thought that with Monet’s psi powers, that it was a last ditch effort to distract her. She stole a quick glance to see if Freeze Frame was still holding Davis Skinur, who she knew was Soundwave, still, and saw he was.

Soon she heard the voice again, and now she could tell it was coming from behind her. “You’re so focused on her, you forget others can sneak up behind you.” She didn’t want to let up on Monet, but saw that her victim was having a hard time breathing. It would take her a few moments to recover, and Britney knew she had time to strike out at the person behind her.

She quickly spun around, and when she was sure she was facing the one taunter, she slipped. The floor under her was now ice. What was even worse, was the fact that she saw no one. Of course, she didn’t have time to ponder this point, since she realized she was now sliding right towards Freeze Frame. She needed to stop the slide, and went to try to use one of the powers her gloves had.

She knew Aura’s power would be no help, and that left Jubilee’s power. She didn’t want to aim straight ahead, because if she did, she would hit Freeze Frame. She thought to aim in another direction, but it might make her spin as well. However she didn’t have enough time to pick, and she realized that as she rammed into Freeze Frame, and he landed on top of her.

In another time and place, she wouldn’t have minded this, but now it was a bad thing. It was mainly because she now saw that Davis Skinur had started to move, and recover from being frozen. With the fact that the music in the store was still playing, despite the chaos of the battle, she knew that soon they would lose their part of the plan. She just inwardly hoped that Aura and Vincentte would be successful in their parts of the plan, while the master was attacking the Cale residence and new school.

Davis Skinur blinked twice when he realized something wasn’t right. It seemed only a second ago, Monet St Croix had been standing next to him, as he explained something that meant a lot to his family. Now she wasn’t at his side, and the two students were hiding behind one of the racks nearby. He glanced to his left, and saw Monet was now against the far wall, gasping for breath.

He quickly turned to his right, and saw that the floor in front of him was now ice, and two figures were sprawled on the floor. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt they were linked to whatever had happened.

Those thoughts were confirmed when Kevin Mitchel ran over to him, with Amy Johnson, and said, “Harmonic, those two had attacked you and Lady X. The guy somehow held you frozen, while the woman attacked Lady X.”

He nodded that he understood, and looked at the two as they tried to get up. “Voice, Switchover, run back and help Lady X up. She’ll be fine in a moment or two, but I want you two with her.”

He waited until the kids had done as told, before he looked straight at the two attackers. He knew exactly who they were. The woman, whose name was Britney, he had heard had been a normal girl who had betrayed her friends when they had gone to the Xavier School in Massachusetts for help. The man, however, was a mutant whose name was Freeze Frame. It was his power to freeze anyone for five minutes.

He looked at the two, and let a wide grin cross his face. “So you two Emplate ‘wannabe’s thought you could stop us. Too bad you didn’t even think of what the kids’ powers might be. Well, you’ve learned the effects of their powers, even if you don’t know them. Now it’s time to find out what I can do.”

He met their gaze, and knew then he had them. He could see that Freeze Frame was still trying to get up, and that Britney was trying to do the same. He could feel the malice in their gaze, but it wouldn’t help them any. He then smiled and let the music from the Spice Girls song course through his body. He remembered the video that went with that song, and focused on the fighting kicks some of the girls did.

Almost instantly, he saw the two attackers go flying through the store, as if they had been kicked. When they landed, just inside the door of the store, he saw Freeze Frame get up, and say, “This isn’t over, Generation X. And I won’t forget about you either, Sound....”

Davis choose that moment to focus on the two attackers. He made the sound waves give each of them an ear splitting headache. It wouldn’t cripple them, but they wouldn’t be able to talk. They also wouldn’t be able to say the old name he went by, when he had been manipulated and controlled by Apocalypse. He was turning his life around, and didn’t want anyone to think of that.

When the two foes had left the store, and ran out of sight, he started to refocus his powers. He knew that once word got out about the attacks, any damage would be linked to the school, and people might even trace him to his past. He needed to make sure that nothing seemed out of place. He had never done this on a large scale like this, but he was going to use his powers to restore the floor, and all the damaged displays.

The last time he used his powers this way was to fix one of the displays at Godiva’s museum. It had been taxing, but he pulled it off without much drain on himself. This time, there was more to fix, and each item he restored drained him more and more.

Soon, the store was back to the way it was before the attack. He felt himself start to collapse, the music playing doing a little bit of restoration on his powers. He was thankful when someone grabbed him. He glanced to his left to see Kevin on his one side, and Amy on his other side. They were both smiling at him, and soon Amy said, “You did it, Davis. I mean Mr. Skinur. I mean Harmonic.” He could tell she was excited. She wasn’t sure which name to use.

He then felt someone else help him stand up, and noticed it was Monet. “Yes you did. Thank you, for all you did.” He glanced at her, and saw something before he was sure he hadn’t seen earlier. It was admiration. He wanted to say something then, but she stopped him. “We need to get going. Yvette just contacted us psionically, but I think you might not have noticed. This attack was one of many. Apparently Emplate sent his forces to catch us while he attacked the school. We need to get back, hopefully, before it’s too late.”

He weakly nodded, and then said to her, “I understand. Maybe you can set up some sort of psionic blind so no one notices us leaving.” He saw her nod, and then felt everyone help him out of the store. He then started to hope that everyone else was surviving their fights.

*********************************

Thomas Jacobs did a double take when he realized what had happened. At first, he had seen the attackers as they started their attack. Then there was a purple glow, and all the bookshelves had changed. It was as if they were in another part of the store. It was farther from the store exit, but it was also farther from their attackers. They needed the space and time to figure out what to do.

He then chanced a glance around one shelf and saw that both of the attackers were puzzled for a moment. He was glad his luck powers were kicking in, because neither dared to look in his direction, even though he was glancing at them from what would appear plain sight for them. He then looked back at both teachers, and his friend, Anne Smith, and said, “Who are those two?”

He was stunned when Everett Thomas, his one teacher, said, “Two foes of ours from years ago. The big brute with the German accent is Bulwark. His strength is his power, but if you take it away, he’s a skinny weakling.”

He then heard Clarice Furgeson Thomas say, “The purple one is called Vincentte. He can transform his body into a gas. If he wanted to, he could transform and knock out everyone in the building. However, the more he transforms and spreads his body out, the harder it gets to control and recombine. They are both minions of Emplate, who lives for only on purpose.”

For a moment, he heard a gasp of fear come from Anne. He looked at her, and saw that a look of fear had crossed her face for a moment, just before she had collected her wits. He was worried for her, although he knew she would never worry in the same way about him. He knew she was still in love with a guy who had disappeared from their home town. Of course, they also knew he was one of the ‘Rippers’, but he was sure she thought Jack could be saved from them.

He knew Anne was back to her normal self when she finally said, “We need to come up with a plan while they think we have disappeared. There has to be a way to get past them.” He glanced out again when she said that, and noticed a purple mist slowly nearing their spot. He glanced over at another customer who had been closer to the attack than they were at the moment, and saw the mist surround them.

In a moment, he saw the customer collapse, and he realized what was happening. The one known as Vincentte must be knocking out everyone in the store just to catch them. He looked back at everyone and said, “I think they know we are still here. That Vincentte guy is filling the whole store with a purple mist, and knocking out people.”

He then heard Clarice say, “I know of a way to take care of Bulwark. The same trick I used on Juggernaut years ago. However, we need to get rid of Vincentte, and I can’t think of how to do that now.”

All of a sudden, an idea came to him. He looked at Clarice and said, “I think I might have an idea. However, it will require Guildmaster’s abilities.”

He watched as Everett glanced at Clarice and then back at him. “Alright, Chance, what’s the plan, and tell us quick. Blink, I’ll synch up with your powers to take care of Bulwark. You seem a bit flushed after the group blink.” He then realized that the other teacher did look a bit drained. He then nodded and started to quickly tell the plan that came to him. As he told it, he saw his teachers smile, and nod in approval. Soon, they would put the plan in action.

Vincentte continued spreading his gaseous form throughout the store. He had already found and knocked out a few people in the store. He wasn’t sure if it was the targets, but he didn’t care. Maybe in the process, he’d catch a few more mutants for them. Ever since the master had left years ago, they had to struggle a bit to get by. Things even got worse when the ‘Rippers’ had shown up. Not only were they after mutants, they had killed one of his friends, Murmur. It was as if the ‘Rippers’ had an extreme hatred for his master, but he wasn’t sure why.

He put his mind back on the task at hand, capturing the members of Generation X, and their new students. Right now, he was trying to incapacitate them, but the big problem was he didn’t know where in the store they were. He had heard them, but he couldn’t pinpoint them. He glanced over at Bulwark, and noticed the big brute was trying to topple a bookshelf. He wondered why that was, and then saw the purple bolt fly up from behind it, and then come down on the muscular mutant.

He watched as his ally glowed in a purple light, and then disappeared with a blinking sound. That made him mad. It meant that after he knocked out the group, he would need to get help to get them back to the bosses hideout. He started to disperse his form more, saying while he could, “That was a mistake, Generation X. Now I’ll make sure no one can breathe here. I’ll will capture you all.”

Soon, he felt his form dispersing more. He could sense more of the bookshelves. He could also see more, even though he had no visible eyes. As he let his gaseous form consume the store, he knocked out more and more people. The more he knocked out, the more likely he had knocked out all the people he intended to capture.

It was then he noticed something. It appeared a portal had formed to someplace else. There was no purple haze around it, and it appeared to look like a forest setting. It had to be an illusion. If it was one of Blink’s portals, or like hers, the purple haze would be there. This was obviously an illusion. Once he entered into it, it would disappear revealing the bookstore again.

When he started to enter it, he realized something was wrong. He could feel a cool chill, as if he had ventured outside. It really was a portal, and part of him had started to pass through it. He started to pull himself back, but it was too late. He felt the portal close, and when that happened, he quickly pulled himself together. He had never felt pain like this before. He had done many things before that could have caused pain if he solidified in a hurry, but this was different. What had happened, a part of him was transported far away. There was no way he could reclaim that part. What made it worse was the fact that he was holding his head in pain now.

Everett Thomas froze when he started hearing Vincentte scream in pain. He looked over at the mutant, who was lying on the floor, in a fetal position, holding his head. He then heard Anne say, “Did Chance’s plan work?”

He glanced back at the kids, and saw that Anne was looking at Vincentte and could tell she seemed concerned about him. He then looked at Thomas, who was helping Clarice. “Yes. I think it did. I’m guessing that the portal you opened sent part of him far away, and by the way he’s holding his head, I’m guessing he’s missing part of his brain.”

He heard Anne gasp, and then he heard Thomas ask, “Should we help him?” Part of him wanted to say yes, but the simple truth was that he didn’t know if they could help. There was no way of telling where Anne’s portal had opened up to.

He then froze when he suddenly heard a voice in his head say, “Everyone, we need to get back to the car, and head back to school. I hope you can all get there soon. Emplate is attacking.” He looked at the others and realized that everyone heard the same thing.

He looked over at Anne as she said, “Do you want me to open a portal to the school? I can get us there as fast as possible.”

He considered saying yes, but then he saw Clarice shake her head. “It’s a bad idea, Guildmaster. I’m the one who drove us all here, and I’m sure we need the drive to recover from the attacks. The way Yvette had said it, I’m sure none of us managed to avoid attack.”

He saw her look crestfallen, and then had an idea. “Why don’t you open a portal to the parking lot. It will allow us to get there faster.” He saw her smile at that idea, and then watched as she made a portal form. As it formed, he nodded his approval, and they all stepped through.

The first thing he noticed was the cool air, which was a sudden change from the air in the mall. The second thing he noticed was that the others were already coming. He could tell each had been in a battle, and that Yvette didn’t have on the same jacket that she wore when they arrived. He looked at his wife, who had been with Yvette, and said, “Jubilation, what happened?”

As they all got in the vehicle, he heard her say, “Aura attacked us. Let’s say no more than that.” He then saw her look at Monet and Davis. “Who attacked you guys?”

He listened as Monet said, “Freeze Frame and that Britney girl. You remember, the one who turned those girls over to Emplate back when...” He heard her trail off, and realized what she was trying to say. It was back when she was being controlled by her sister, Claudette. She had only head about it when she had returned. It was also the time her father had been killed. He also noticed that she was looking at Davis.

He then heard Davis say, “Anyhow, if it wasn’t for the kids, those two would have been successful. They had frozen me, but the kids distracted them long enough to make them screw up. If they hadn’t done it when they did, I think Monet would have been seriously injured.”

It was then he noticed two things. The first was that Clarice had started the vehicle and was already pulling out of the parking space. The second was that Monet was giving Davis looks of admiration. He wondered if Davis’s actions had cause Monet to change her view on him, and even if Monet was starting to have feelings for the former foe.

As the vehicle accelerated, he was both relieved and concerned. He was relieved because everyone who had gone to Lakeside Mall was all right. He was concern for the ones at the school, because the school was still under attack. He then hoped they would get there in time.

******************************

Kiana Asahara had made her way up to Tasha Lewis’s room, with Grimore at her side. With all that was going on, and the concern that Lord Cale had mentioned worried her. She had been glad when the cat had been in the hallway of Tasha’s room, and looked at him. Before she knocked on the door, she thought about what Lord Cale had said. She looked at that cat and said, “Was Lord Cale correct in saying you can talk?”

She was stunned when the cat looked at her and said, “Now is not the time to be concerned about that. I take it that Emplate is about. I thought I had sensed him earlier this week.”

She glanced down at the feline as she processed the words. It was amazing that the feline could talk, but she found it more amazing that he knew this monster had been here. “You knew this Emplate was sneaking around. Why didn’t you tell anyone earlier?”

When they reached the door, she noticed the cat had stopped, sat, and looked at her. “Emplate is not your average force of evil. He has the powers that his family possessed to fight evil. Since gaining those powers, he has learned how to mask who he is. What makes it harder to detect him is the fact that his scent is close to his sister’s scent.”

She froze when she heard that. “His sister. You mean his sister is here. Does Lord Cale known about this?”

She watched as Grimore nodded. “Of course he does. Emplate’s sister is nothing like him. Monet is a good natured person, who works to find a way to permanently stop him. I know you have met her, and you realize that.” She nodded, and realized that the feline was right. Although she hadn’t seen Emplate, she knew Monet wasn’t a monster. She had even shared some books and information about the supernatural world with her.

Kiana then returned her mind to the task at hand, and knocked on Tasha’s door. “Tasha, please be awake. We need to get you down to the secret room.” She listened for a moment, and was about to knock on the door again when she heard movement.

When the door finally opened, she was startled when Tasha was there wearing a tightly tied robe. “I don’t think I can. I don’t feel well at all.” She then saw a strange mark on Tasha’s shoulder, and stared at it. She realized that Tasha had noticed the stare, and pulled the robe to cover the mark. “Please. I don’t know what’s been happening, but I noticed that mark other places. I might have the Cale’s call for an exterminator. I don’t know what’s happening.”

It was then she heard Grimore speak. “Tasha, I fear you have been victim of Emplate. It is not the first time he’s done this. You need to get down to the med-center, but first we need to get you to safety before it’s...” She watched as the feline turned his head, and then bolted down the hall.

She looked at Tasha, and said “I’ll support you. Just put your arm around me.” She was glad when Tasha complied, and she started to follow Grimore.” She didn’t want to move too fast, but she hoped that she could keep up with Grimore.

It took her a little bit to catch up with Grimore, but when she did, he was staring down a hallway. His back was arched, his fur tufted up, and his tail stuck straight up. Grimore was poised for attack. She then looked down the hall, and saw the scene the cat saw. A tall man of African decent was standing, and holding Lord Cale against the wall. She could also see a look of pain crossing Lord Cale’s face. She then glanced at Tasha, and something about the look on her face told her that Tasha must realize what was happening.

Kiana glanced over, and saw a chair nearby, and placed Tasha in it. “Wait here. I think I know how to help.” She then reached into a pocket, which held a couple of parchments, each one with some symbols on them. If this was to work, she hoped her aim was true. She then stood next to Grimore, and took aim.

Marius St. Croix, the mutant menace known as Emplate, was happy. His plan was working like a charm. Using Tasha’s power, as well as his magic, he had hidden himself from all, even the magical feline Grimore. Now, he held one of the biggest thorns in his side in his grip. It was a perfect time to gloat. “I bet you are wondering how I pulled it off, Skitz.”

He watched as Skitz looked at him and said, “Let me guess, when your minions attacked last week, it was to spy on us.” Marius laughed at that, and then started to sup on his captive, enjoying as Skitz screamed in pain.

When he stopped feeding for a moment, he looked right in Skitz’s eyes. “No. I doubt you’d believe this, but the ‘Rippers’ aren’t mine. They are no more mine than this is a school like Xavier’s. I have found a way to sneak in, and during my spyings, I found out about Yvette’s plan to head to the mall. It was a perfect opportunity. I set things up, to have my minions attack the others at the mall. Even if they get away, when they return here, I’ll have control of the school.”

He could tell his enemy was doing his best to appear strong, even though he was on the wrong end of things. “You forget, Marius, Yvette and I have a mental link. We can let each other know what is happening.” He started to sup again on Skitz, and enjoyed the screams of pain that was coming out of his foe.

When he stopped, he just said, “Face it, Skitz, over large distances, you two can only transmit extreme emotions. I know that Penance psi-abilities have gotten better, but you have been too busy to make yours stronger. However, that won’t be a problem for much longer.”

Marius then tensed up his hand, turning it into a claw like Penance’s. He pulled his arm back, still holding his adversary with his other hand. He was ready to do something he had wanted to do ever since he was sent away five years ago. He was going to kill Richard Cale, and reclaim his favorite feast.

He forgot about his plans when a burning sensation hit his arm. He dropped his victim and grasped the arm, seeing the odd papers now sticking on it. He quickly ripped them off, and yelled as each one burned. He then glanced down in the direction they came from, and saw the girl standing there. He could tell she had no mutant powers, but he could sense her mystical power, and could also see Grimore standing next to her. He smiled, and started to head down the hall towards them. He wasn’t worried about Skitz now, and this minor annoyance would be easy to take care off.

Lord Richard Cale dared a moment to glance up after Emplate had dropped him. He wasn’t sure what had bought him this second chance, but when he saw what was happening, he knew what it was. He saw Grimore and Kiana at the end of the hall, and Emplate was advancing on them. He was also sure that Tasha was also near by. He had told Kiana to get Tasha down to the others, and now the girl was disobeying him.

He was also inwardly grateful for it. The Asian girl’s actions were enough to keep Emplate from killing him. He started to get up, but he quickly lost his footing. Emplate’s attack had left him drained. It would take him a few days to recover full strength, even with Yvette’s healing factor.

It was almost at that moment that he remembered his powers. Emplate had been in close contact with him, which meant he was within the normal five foot radius of his power’s range. He glanced at his hand, and saw that he did have Emplate’s powers, as well as the tell tale marks on his hands. This also meant he had Emplate’s magical powers as well.

He started to get up, using his sword as a crutch, and got to his feet. Marius was still nearing Kiana, and he knew he had only one good shot at this. He quickly raised his free hand, and uttered the one spell Marius was fond of using. Soon, he saw a green orb emerges from his hand, and fly right at Emplate. He saw Emplate turn, with a surprised look on his face, just as the orb hit him and slammed him into the wall. He noticed a relieved look cross Kiana’s face, and then looked at Emplate. “It’s over, Emplate. You won’t win this time.” He was still using the sword as a crutch, but he also started to cast another spell.

He watched as Emplate stood, and started to fade from sight. “So it would seem. Apparently I should have killed you before turning my attention to the Asian whelp. I’ll have to make sure that next time you can’t recover. However, just because I failed here, doesn’t mean my minions have failed.” Soon Emplate had disappeared from sight.

He waited for a moment, and then fell forward. The battle had drained him, in more ways than one. He was aware that someone was running towards him. Before he hit the ground, he felt someone struggle to hold him up. “Lord Cale, are you alright?”

He used his sword as a crutch again, and nodded. “In time I will be. That just took a lot out of me.” He noticed Kiana was staring at his hands, and he knew what she must be thinking. “Don’t worry. Those will disappear in time.” He glanced down at his hands, and noticed that the mouths that were the signs of Emplate’s influence were starting to disappear.

As she helped him, he heard Grimore say, “I should have picked up on him earlier, sir. However, Kiana was able to help. Now, I do believe you and Tasha should be taken to the med-room. I think Forge gave us a better one.”

He nodded, and followed Grimore and Kiana to the end of the hall, were Tasha was sitting by a phone. He also noticed that Tasha must have been sleeping when Kiana had gotten her, since the dark-skinned girl was wearing a bathrobe. He watched as Kiana helped Tasha up, and was about to head to the med-room. Richard realized though, that he had one thing left to do. He leaned on the table, and picked up the phone. “Before we go there, I need to make a call.”

He watched as the girls paused, and then he dialed for the police. When the officer picked up on the other end, Richard just said, “This is Lord Cale. There is a group of protesters on my front lawn. I want them removed before someone is hurt.” He heard the officer say they would send out people in a moment, and then hung up the phone.

He then continued walking to the med-room, and as he walked, he looked at Kiana. “Once we get to the med-room. I want you to go get Darrett and the others. Hopefully, the Knights of Humanity will be gone by the time the others are back from Lakeside Mall.” He saw her nod, and then quietly walked to the med room.

***********************************

Henry Meier had everything set up for his way to ruin Lord Cale’s school, and to make the King renounce the man who had advised him. He was ready, taking action the same way the group in America did. He had his group set up a protest right on the front lawn of the school. He also had the Lewis’s, who said their daughter was kidnapped by the Cale’s, prepared to take pictures.

However, his orders for the pictures were to be when the mutants in the school come out. Once they start using their powers, they were to take pictures, making the mutants look like the attackers. He then looked at the others and said, “Remember, my people, when the mutants come out, they will attack us. They are evil and will do anything to silence our voice of truth.”

He wanted to continue his speech, but stopped when he heard sirens. He looked towards the gate, and was stunned when the police came in. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. The mutants were supposed to come out and attack. He was supposed to prove them as the menace he said they were.

Henry had to think quick. He had to do something to provoke an attack. He quickly turned towards the school, and started to run at the front door. He heard a few others start to run with him, and felt certain that one of the mutant’s would come out.

His plan was cut short when he heard sirens again. He froze, and turned around as the police said, “Don’t make us fire, because we won’t miss. Now you will all leave the premises, or we will be escorting you all to jail.”

He knew his plan wouldn’t work now. The fact the police had come to escort them off told him that claiming a peaceful demonstration wouldn’t work. Even though right now the police were doing the wrong thing, he knew his people respected them. He looked at the others, nodded, and then walked over to the police force. As he neared the officer, he just said, “You know you’re betraying our kind.”

Henry watched as the cops started escorting everyone out, with the lead cop saying, “I hear that from all the other hate groups. Next time you want to do something like this, keep off private property, or you will be enjoying a stay in the jail.”

The leader of the Knights of Humanity nodded, but he was thinking. Next time they would do this, they would be sure to have more people. The police weren’t about to jail a small town.

Once everyone was outside of the gates, and heading away from the school, he glanced back just in time to see a vehicle pulling into the gate. As he glanced at it, he saw Lady Cale through one of the windows, and he started to wonder how many people had been in the school when they were there.

******************************************

Darrett Xavier Thomas ran down the castle halls back to the entry hall. When Kiana had come to get him, and told him of the state of both Richard and Tasha, he wanted to make sure both were recovering. He had even gotten Sean and the kids out of the game room, and informed them about Richard’s state. He knew both Richard III and Ashley would be upset, but Sean was keeping them calm.

It had been at that time that he heard the police arrive outside. That meant that the cops would be getting the Knights of Humanity off the school grounds. That would be a plus, and he hoped they would be gone before the others returned. Richard hadn’t told him about the attack, but he knew that Emplate had done a number on his friend and employer.

When he reached the main hall, he saw Kiana, Prince James, and the two new students staring out the window. He walked over to them, and glanced out on the large front yard of the castle. He saw that all the people were almost out of the gate. He breathed a sigh of relief as he said, “At least that was handled the right way.”

He wasn’t surprised when all the kids turned to face him, and Samantha Cain said, “What do you mean? How was having the cops escort them off the grounds the right way?”

He looked down at the girl, who had long auburn hair. He could swear that if it wasn’t for the hair, she would be like Rose in the current Doctor Who series. “Well, Samantha, those people are like a group in America called the Friends of Humanity. They have been known to antagonize mutants into attacking, and then they make it look like the mutants are attacking them first. It’s how they get power.” He watched as she nodded.

It looked like she was about to ask another question, when Kiana looked out the window again and said, “The others just pulled in, and something tells me that their mall trip also was eventful.”

He quickly glanced over at the window, and saw everyone coming towards the door. Some of them looked drained, and he could swear that Yvette wasn’t wearing a jacket she owned. He started to wonder if they had been attacked as well.

Before he could even head towards the door, he saw it open, and saw everyone rush in. The first one was his wife, Clarice. When she glanced in his direction, he could see she was happy to see him, especially when she wrapped her lavender arms around him and said, “I’m so glad you are alright. When Yvette said the school was being attacked, I was worried. You won’t believe it, but we were all attacked at the mall.”

Soon, she was telling him everything that had happened to her, and some of the others were giving their bits as well. The only one who remained quiet was Yvette, who still had the jacket on, but was staring at the two new students. Soon, everyone got quiet, and noticed how she was acting. Before she could say anything, he decided to break the silence. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you two our two new students. The girl is Samantha Cain, and the one that looks like it’s in battle armor is Allen Arron.” He watched as everyone stared at the two, and he hoped they weren’t all thinking that they had said too much.

Alex watched as everyone stared at them, but she was sure they were mostly staring at Allen. She still felt unnerved looking at him. That was mainly because of the form he had taken, which was of the character Samus Aran. Soon, the redhead who she knew was Lady Yvette Cale said, “Well, I knew one student was arriving. The second is a surprise. Can you both introduce yourselves, and explain your powers briefly?”

Alex decided to go first, since she was sure she would be finding some things out that Graylon might be able to use. “Well, my name is Samantha Cain, and my power is remote hearing. I think it only works on a short range.” She watched as everyone looked at one another. She wondered if they were thinking if she could be using that power minutes ago, or even when they were away. She could have, but she wasn’t trying to. If she had said anything about what she had heard, it would tip them off that she was spying on them, and had for a long time.

She then watched as Allen stepped forward and said, “My name is Allan Arron. I have the ability to shape shift my body into that of any video game character. I tend to use this form since it protects me from a rare disorder. If I don’t use my powers like this, my skin is burned by the light.” She watched the group that had arrived, and could see concern on their faces.

She then watched as Lady Cale stepped over to Allan and said, “I think some of us can sympathize with that.” She then watched as everyone introduced themselves, and their powers. As each one spoke, she made note of their powers, and names.

When she heard the name, Monet St. Croix, she looked at the African woman. She had remembered hearing years ago that her father, Ambassador Cartier St. Croix, had died in America. The details weren’t released, but she knew that Monet ended up with a family friend in Germany. Alex wondered how Lord Cale had gotten her at the school.

She then took notice of the African man, and realized his last name was the same as the Cale’s bodyguards. She wondered if the two were related. She could see some similar features, but she wasn’t sure if there was a relationship between them.

It was just as the one man, who had been standing next to Monet, and heard that his first name was Davis when all of a sudden, she heard Graylon Walsh say, “Alex, I need to talk with you soon. I think something happened at Lakeside Mall.” She realized what he wanted to know. She blinked twice, and hoped no one noticed that she had been using her powers. The only down side to Graylon’s timing was that she missed Davis’s last name and his powers.

When the explanations were done, she saw Lady Cale smile at her. “Now I’m sure we have rooms set up for each of you. Allen, you will have a room in the boy’s wing. Samantha, you’ll have a room in the girl’s wing. We will talk with you a little later. Right now, some of us need to check on our fellow teacher’s and students here. If anyone want’s to join me, you can come with me.”

Alex watched as the people dispersed, and then she went to a room off of the main hall. She pulled out her cell phone, and quickly dialed Graylon’s number. He was her boss, and she knew what he was looking for. Soon, he picked up and said, “Did you hear anything at all?”

She quickly relayed what she had heard. “It appears that some of them were at Lakeside Mall, which included Lady Cale. However, it seems like it was linked to something that happened here.”

She eagerly listened as Graylon spoke. “I wish I had more to go on. Two of the stores are in shambles, and the one store worker says that the attacker said Lady Cale was there only to cause problems, and that Lady Cale wasn’t there at all. Someone said two people ran out of HMV, but that store wasn’t in any disarray. Others say they saw Lady Cale, but some of the Paparazzi I know say they never saw her. No one can verify any of those at the school were here. If something happened here, no one can tell if they are linked to it. Anything else?”

She went to say, when she heard the door of the room open. She turned and saw a cat at the door. It must have pushed opened the door. She glanced at it, and for a moment she thought it was examining her. She wasn’t sure why, but there seemed to be some intelligence in the eyes. She then started to tell Graylon about the Knights Of Humanity. As she spoke, she saw the cat turn away and leave the door. She stopped talking and hung up the phone, wondering if the cat had been Allen, and if her cover had been blown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grimore sat on a chair in the med-center that Forge had set up. He had remained in the room watching over Richard and Tasha. They were both laying down, recovering from the attacks they had suffered. He wasn’t sure which one had it worse. His master had engaged in a battle with Marius, while Tasha was his prey as she slept. One of the marks, which had to be the most recent, was on her shoulder, but barely covered by the robe she had been wearing. Richard’s scar was obvious, right where it had been last time, in the middle of the forehead.

He turned his head just as the med room door opened. He watched as Yvette, James, and Kiana came into the room. He looked at Yvette, and he realized that something seemed different. As she neared her husband, Grimore just said, “He might not respond, Yvette. His fight with Emplate took a lot out of him.”

He watched as Yvette took her husband’s hand and sat down next to his bed. “I understand. Where are Sean and the children?”

Grimore noticed that Prince James had gone to Tasha’s side, and he could see concern in the young man’s eyes. He then glanced at Yvette. “He took them to their rooms just a few seconds ago. Both were upset about it. I take it you met the new students.”

He watched as she nodded, and then said, “It was awkward, but I had thought we were only getting one student. As you can guess, things didn’t go well at the mall.” Grimore nodded, realizing Yvette was still wearing a jacket that he knew wasn’t hers. “If I would have known they were waiting in the main hall, I would have told the others not to mention the mall incident. However, I think we managed to make them forget if they heard.”

He leapt down from the chair and headed for the door. Before he left, he said, “Kiana, you did very well. If it had not been for your intervention, this might have ended up worse.” He glanced back, and saw Yvette had been looking right at Kiana, and Kiana blushed. “You did the right thing, and took the risk at the right time.”

He then left the room, and made his way to the main hall. As he walked, he heard various students say hello to him. Only the new students were unaware he could talk, and he was sure the students weren’t going to say anything. At least not yet. If he were to tell, it would be in his own time.

When he reached the main hall, his feline ears picked up on someone talking. He made his way to a door that was almost closed and looked at it. Being a cat meant not being able to open doors like a human could, but he had his own ways. He walked up to the door, put his front paws on it, and let his weight push the door open. As he looked in, he saw the one new student, and heard her talking on a cell phone. He wasn’t sure who she was talking too, but something told him there was something odd about the call. He watched her for a moment, and heard about one of the incidents from the day. He got up and walked away from the door, thinking that something was odd about her. Maybe he would have to tell people not to reveal his secret to her just yet.

As he made his way back up to the Cale’s room, he wondered how the events of this Saturday would effect everyone in the castle. Would the students realize there is more to being a mutant than controlling their powers? Would the teachers be able to get by their own personal demons? As he entered the room, he realized that something was about to change, but if it was for the better was yet to be determined.