X-Knights: The First Month Chapter 21 (A Generation X Based Fic)

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RichGenX

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Author's Intro

It is December 17th, and after a busy work day. Chapter Twenty-One of X-Knights: The First Month is getting posted now. In this chapter, various individuals arrive, and while some come to the school as friends, another arrives to join forces with one of the school's foes. Enjoy.

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 EntrySurprise, Surprise

Chapter 21: Flirting With Disaster

Kevin Dallas stayed in his seat on the plane as it began it arrival at Heathrow Airport. He was staying calm, which was difficult as he thought about the jump he was finally getting on Canon. For the past five years, thanks in part to having places to stay at Paladin Technologies, he had been tracking down Canon, trying to finally catch him and end his villainy. However, shortly after the incident in Japan, he discovered he might not be the only one waging a war on Canon. Someone else was shutting down all of the villain’s operations. While he was never able to meet up with this ally, he did have to deal with those of Canon’s minions that were still around.

When the plane finally stopped, he was broken out of his musing, especially when he looked at Christina Laine, and noticed she seemed tense. Something was bothering her more than the confrontation he knew was coming. Her ears were perked up, like she was alerted that something bad was in the area. He looked around for a brief moment, not knowing if attention was drawn to her, or not. He had been with her so long, he ceased to notice how everyone looked at her, since cat ears and a tail usually drew attention. Before they got up, he quietly said, “What’s wrong? You seemed a bit tense there.”

As they started to leave the plane, she started to relax and he felt better when she spoke. “Someone on the plane stank like they were many different creatures all at once. Some of those scents were familiar, and I’ll tell you this. They aren’t nice creatures.” Just hearing those words made him worry a bit. Although Christina never spoke of her early years that much, he knew that part was growing up in the jungle, which meant she saw things that others never got to see.

He put that out of his mind, letting it return to the real reason they were there. He took a deep breath, and said, “Well, I don’t think it’s one of Canon’s followers. We’ve been extra cautious to make sure he’s not aware of our movements. And this time, we have a jump on him. He has no clue that we know he’s making his way here to England. Plus, being allowed to stay at our friend’s school will keep him from find us if he does find out we are waiting.”

He heard her sigh for a moment, before she spoke. “I just hope this is finally the end. Tell you what, why don’t you get the luggage together, I need to use the WC, as they call it here in England.” He then watched as she headed over to the very place she had mentioned, noticing her tail swishing behind her. He always wondered if her cat-like looks were due to her mutant power, or something else entirely. If it was linked to the cat-like persona, it also made sense to her loyalty to him, however he didn’t think it was because she loved him.

He then walked over to the baggage carousel, and watched for their suitcases, well her suitcase. She was the one who had a few extra clothes. He never fully understood why, since he could keep all his stuff in a special duffel bag. However, as he was watching for the baggage, he became distracted by a dark-skinned vision of perfection. He didn’t remember seeing her on the plane, and he was upset that he had missed seeing her on the plane. However, he was sure that she had noticed him, especially as she sauntered up to him, with an almost seductive look in her eyes. However, it wasn’t just her eyes that spoke to him. Her outfit also spoke to him, especially the low-cut blouse that gave him a very captivating view. He returned his gaze to her face, gave a wry smile, and said, “Good luck smuggling those things through customs.”

He felt good when she smiled, giggled, and glanced down as she answered. “You might be right. they may search me, and I don’t want that.“ She then looked at him and continued her statement, “unless you're the customs officer. So what brings you to England?” Something in her words just made him melt inside, and he smiled back at her and answered.

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Claudette St. Croix was pleased that her powers still had the power she needed to do what she wanted. She had managed to sneak into Heathrow Airport, keep herself hidden from all, and was scanning for her new recruit. During that scan, she discover the man she was looking at now, and was using all her powers to make him spill his guts to her. Of course, she wasn’t relying solely on her power, since she wasn’t limited to the special suit she had to wear for the past few years. Now, she could rely on her figure.

In this case, it was working wonders, especially as the man finally spoke to her, “Not much, just trying to find someone who wronged me long ago.” In part she understood that, but she was also wondering if it was the same people she had a vengeance for. She had found weeks ago that Lord Richard Cale, who long ago realized how big a danger she was, had taken in the man who cost her her powers for five long years.

She glanced at the man, and leaned forward for a moment, which she knew would distract him even more as she mentally probed his mind. “I bet he’s someone high up, like a British Lord.”

She was a bit surprised when he shook his head. “Nah, actually I owe Richard and Yvette big time, for giving us a place to stay.” Instantly Claudette had a dislike for the guy, but she still had a use for information. Soon, she had him talking a bit about what had happened. “A few years back, I came closest to catching my adversary, in Japan, when he ending up trying to kidnap one of Richard’s friends. From what I remember, Richard fought him, and my foe unfortunately escaped. Mind you, I don’t remember all the details, since my fight didn’t end in my favor.”

There was something Claudette couldn’t access about that whole event, and hoped a deep breath would distract the man long enough to make him spill the beans. “What happen, did you get knocked out for the rest of the fight?”

His next words caught her off guard. “Nope. I died.” He said it so casually that it stunned her. She couldn’t believe what he said, but she sensed it was the truth. She quickly stopped scanning his mind, but focused on her passive scan, and the real reason she was here. She did notice that the guy still was focused on her, which she was sure was due to the slightly low cut top she was wearing.

She passively listened as he said, “Sorry to scare you like that, but that’s my mutant power. I resurrect every time I die, each time with a different secondary power.” As he said that, she realized she would have to tell her brother about him. She was sure Marius would enjoy a meal like this guy. She then noticed him looking back towards the direction of the restrooms, and she saw a woman with cat ears and a tail coming from there. She had seen her walking away from the guy in the first place, and knew it was time to disappear.

She also noticed the person she was truly looking for. In a blink, she blocked herself from everyone’s minds, as well the person she was looking for. The person she was looking for was dressed very nicely, however, his hair was oily black, and slick as well. She walked over to him, and he just looked at her, and in that look, she could see a distain for anything human. She watched as he glanced around the room for a moment, noticing that everyone seemed oblivious to them, and then he addressed her. “I take it you are Claudette.”

She nodded, noticing the commanding tone in his voice, but she knew how to keep her minions in their place. “I am, and remember that I am in charge.” She watched as he nodded, but noticed that he looked over at the girl with cat ears and a tail. She then firmly said, “You will come with me, since I’m sure Customs would take an extra long time with you.” She glanced at his bag, and while he didn’t look, she knew instantly what had put in there, and she knew she was right about them being noticed by customs. She even wondered how he had gotten them onto the plane in the first place. She then lead him out of Heathrow. “I’m sure you’re going to enjoy the task I’ve set up for you. You and a few others of my colleagues will be part of an attack. At least those you control will be doing the attacking.” She then started to tell him her plan, as they entered a waiting car, and it sped out to her base.

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Kiana Asahara held her own sword up as Lord Richard Cale swung his sword, causing the two to clang loudly. In that instant, she realized that she had done the right thing, and watched as he pulled back, and went to swing again. However as she raised her sword again, she noticed that he was pulling his left leg back, and with it, the rug she was standing on. Before she could move, she felt her feet go out from under her, causing her to fall back, and drop her own sword.

As her sword hit the floor, she saw Lord Richard Cale stop moving, and put his own sword down on a shelf. “Remember to always be aware of your surroundings. Surprises can come from anywhere. You can’t be ready for every attack when it happens, but if you can be aware of where an attack might come from, you can minimize it’s effects.”

She got up, and frowned slightly. “I suppose that’s where mind reading can help.” She quickly closed her mouth, and shook her head, realizing what she had said. Her remark was anti-mutant, which wasn’t good when she was staying with a bunch of mutants. She bowed apologetically. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to say that.”

She was surprised when he just smiled. “It is all right. Those mutants that have that power could use it to fight, but most likely in a defensive way. Think about it for a moment. If I read your mind, to know how you were going to strike, I would parry. However, if I read your mind, to know how you would counter, the only way I would know is when I am in mid-strike. Mind reading is a defensive tactic.”

She did think about it for a moment, and his words made sense. She then picked up her sword, and placed it on the same shelf that Lord Cale had placed his. When she had done that, she noticed something else on that shelf. It looked like a fang of some sort, like from a big cat. She picked it up for a moment, and studied it. The more she looked at it, the more it looked like a fang from a big cat. “I hate to ask this, but what is this thing?”

Kiana watched as her mentor took the fang and placed it back on the shelf. He did answer the question. “That is a fang from the Black Beast of Exmoor. A few years ago, one was attacking a town, and they called in the Paladin to help. That particular cryptid is very cat like, almost panther like.”

She blinked for a moment when she heard the odd word. She thought about it a moment, and then looked at him again, “You mean it’s an animal of some sort?” When he nodded, she looked at the fang again. “I thought animals were just that, and not something we would worry about.”

Before she could hear how he would reply to her statements about cryptids, she heard the door to the secret study open, and saw Monet St. Croix entering, and from the look on her face, she could see the woman was troubled. The African woman closed the door, saying, “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I needed to talk with you about...”

Kiana noticed that Richard smiled, and spoke, surprising her. “Not at all. We were just having a discussion on cryptids, and there seems to be some concern on the nature of them. Maybe you can explain about it a bit, given the family history.” Kiana then looked at Monet, and was again made aware of how much Monet looked like the woman who her cousin had teamed up with, and she wondered how this would explain why the Cale’s had to keep an eye on cryptids.

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Monet took a deep breath, especially as she felt on the spot with a very difficult issue to speak about. Deep down, she knew her family held a lot of dark secrets, and the fact that out of all her siblings, she was the good one didn’t make things easier. She also wondered what this had to do with cryptids, which she did have a chance to study during her years working with Gabe. She glanced at Kiana, and calmly asked, “And what do you need explained, Kiana?”

She watched as the young girl didn’t back down, which she had to admire, when the girl spoke. “We were talking about how some cryptids seem to be inherently evil, and other are just as nature intended, but if they are animals, that shouldn’t be the case? Can animals be born good or evil, or is it learned as in people?”

Monet sighed, knowing this would somehow get steered towards her own relatives, which for many years, she tried to disavow any knowledge of. She paced for a moment, considering her answer long and hard. “I personally think that good and evil is in all creature, man and beast, and it is not always balanced out. All creatures can have the preference to do evil, like my brother and sister. However, there are the odd chances that one can be confused if they are good or evil.”

She noticed a confused look on Kiana’s face, but was glad when Richard chimed in. “There are many things that could be viewed as evil, but is in fact very neutral, or misinterpreted. Some devices which people have constructed for good, ended up being used for evil, and vice versa. It’s hard to believe that nothing is innocent when it comes to being aligned to good and evil, but it’s possible.”

Monet then remembered one simple fact, and turned to face Kiana. “What about your own cousin, Kiana. Would you say she is evil, or confused, and was she always that way?”

She watched as the girl nodded, and then looked at her. “She was always mean.” As the girl spoke, Monet could feel a sense of hatred coming from the girl. “Growing up, she always tormented me, and her evil escalated. The final straw was when she had one of the demons she controls kill my father.” Monet understood all to well what Kiana felt, knowing that her own sister killed their own father.

Monet started to focus on sending out some calming thoughts, and she could see Kiana was starting to calm down. “Now you can understand that people, animals and cryptids, can be neutral, good or evil.” She watched as the young lady nodded, obviously understanding their point.

When Kiana started to go back to looking over things, Monet remember why she had rushed down to the secret room in the first place. She looked at Richard and calmly spoke, “Richard, some of the students are using the training room with one of the games you had loaded in. I don’t know if you want them in there yet.”

She watched as Richard started to place his sword on a special sword rack in the room. She knew that over the years, Richard could summon the sword to his side in an instant, but wondered how well he used the power, if the room was locked. As he did that, she heard him respond to her news. “There is only one game I would not want them testing their skills in at the moment, mainly because it was being set as a test of when their powers would be a hindrance. Do you know which game it was?”

Monet thought about it for a moment, but could not remember the title. However, from the special viewing screen, she did remember one detail. “It was set in a museum similar to what Godiva has, if that’s a help.” In an instant she saw that he knew which title it was, and that it was the very one he didn’t want them in yet. Before he could even move, she had glanced in his mind to know what he wanted. She turned to Kiana, and pointed to a shelf. “Kiana, grab those replicas over there. If I remember right, Richard had those specially made years ago, more or less as props for training. They may be handy where we are going.” She watched as the girl did so, and then they both ran out of the room, following Richard to where the training room was.

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Allan Arron was amazed at the capabilities of the training room. The first thing that amazed him when he had entered with Kevin Mitchel , Thomas Jacobs , and Anne Smith, was the fact that a core of it’s simulations were pulled from various video games. This was good since it worked well with his powers, to shape shift into various characters from game. The second thing that impressed him was how obscure some of the titles were, which included the one that featured the museum they were in right now. It had been from a title that came out in the mid 1990’s.

However, the most amazing thing was that in here, he would walk around in his normal form. Something about the mechanics in the room protected him from the harmful effects light had on his skin. This allowed him to walk through the fictitious museum devoted to strange things like a normal teenaged boy. Of course, the others had been surprised when he became the average sized blonde with hazel eyes. They were also surprised by the glasses he had to wear in that form. Other than that, they had to admit he was a good looking individual.

When they all stopped at one spot, which was a huge room with a mummy case, wax snake, and a music box featuring a spider, he remembered something about this title, that all this time he had forgotten. While still studying the music box, he just said, “Hey, I think I remember this title now. If I remember right, there are a bunch of supernatural creatures running around, but since we didn’t have to deal with the puzzles, I’m guessing they aren’t around.”

He glanced over as Thomas walked close to the wax snake, but moved over to the mummy case instead, saying “You mean to say one could go through the game with out encountering the creatures. Doesn’t sound like much fun.”

He stepped away from the music box, and smiled. “It was a reward for beating the game. There aren’t that many museums in the world that’s devoted to the unusual.” As he thought about, the only ones he could even think of were over in America.

He was a bit surprised when Anne spoke up, “Lord Cale’s cousin owns one in America. I didn’t get to see much of it, but it was a sight to see. This place is kind of like it, even with the weird statue making an odd sound.”

The second he heard her mention the odd sound, his mind raced back to times he had played the old game. An odd sound usually preceded an attack by the creatures in the game. He looked at Anne, and shouted, “Move quick, something is going to attack soon.” He watched as all of a sudden, she stepped into a haze that appeared next to her, only to appear next to a structure that looked like a lion. In that instant, something that looked like an oozing pile of wax with limbs came out of the snake, only to disappear back into the statue.

He then watched as Kevin rushed forward, and quickly touched the statue and the stand, turning them both in to metal. “Let’s see that creature get out of the statue now that it’s metal.” In that moment, he heard the sound had changed, and he could tell Kevin realized it too. He quickly back stepped, only to stumble and start turning the floor to metal as well.

In that moment, another creature lunged out of the statue, looking like a living statue. This one was one he remembered from the game, since it had gotten the jump on him before in the game. As Kevin backed away, he quickly transformed into the creature, and noticed it appeared confused, and hoped that the confusion would buy the others some time to get out of the room.

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Thomas looked at the scene, stunned at how passively his power worked sometimes. He had been about to look at the statue that the monster came out of, but at the last second didn’t. However, he wasn’t sure how his power would help in this situation. Anne had manage to ‘step’ away, and Kevin’s own power just made the situation worse. He had to admit that Allen had a good idea to distract the creature, but it wasn’t going to last long.

He also knew he had to help Kevin, and quickly ran over to him and started helping him up. “Come on, Kevin, we need to get out of here before my luck decides to stop.”

He was glad when Kevin got up quickly. “You won’t hear any argument from me, Thomas. Did I change the creature when I changed the statue?” To be honest, Thomas wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t eager to find out. All he knew was that this one didn’t seem in a hurry to disappear, and had more area to move about, due to Kevin’s actions.

As they backed away, he heard Allen say, “No. It’s a different one with a similar attack pattern. Instead of wax objects, this one is bound to metal. We need to get out of this room, and fast.” He then saw Allen shift formed, returning to his normal form, which could be out due to something in the training room. This ended up being a mistake, since the creature’s attention was now drawn back to him, not out of confusion, but out of hunger.

He saw Anne had joined them, and said, “Well, what is that thing, and how do we stop it?”

When Thomas heard the next voice speak, he wasn’t sure if his power was still working to help them or not. “According to the game, it is called an Ixupi, and the only way to capture it is with the vessel it is bound to.” He glanced to behind Allen, and saw that Richard, Kiana, and Monet had all entered.

He looked over at Richard, and went to ask him if he had anything that could stop the creature, and saw his teacher hold up a ancient looking pot, with an animal like lid. Soon the creature roared, and started acting as if it was fighting a black hole. Soon the thing had been sucked in to the pot, and he could tell his teacher wasn’t happy. Deep down, he was hoping to see something cheer up his teacher.

His luck held out again, as he saw Lord Cale, and the others focus their eyes on Allen, who were now seeing the shape-shifting mutant in his real form for the first time. It had been Kiana who finally spoke. “I didn’t know you looked like that, Allen.” He watched as a slight smile crossed the girl’s face, and he realized she thought the shape-shifter looked cute.

The brief moment of shock soon passed when Lord Cale spoke, but his anger had cooled down a bit. “I must say that it is good that the technology in this room allows you to be in your normal form, Allen, but I must ask you all to leave. Once we are in the ante-room, I’ll explain this a bit better, and you’ll all realize why I did not want you to venture into this one yet.”

He fell in line with the rest of his classmate, and headed for the exit that now appeared. As they walked, he noticed that Allen took on the form of a blue boy like robot. As they left, he noticed he was next to Anne, and he said to her, “Well, at least we finally got to see what Allen looks like.”

He watched as she nodded, and then responded. “Yea, but I’m sure we are going to be punished for this.” He nodded in agreement, but hoped the punishment wouldn’t be too harsh. Personally, as they entered the ante-room, he had a feeling that discovering a way that Allen could appear normal would lighten whatever punishment they would get.

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Kevin sighed when they all stood in the ante-room. Deep down, he had hoped they could just try walking around one of the areas loaded into one of the devices. They all knew the training area used areas from games from any of the devices, and the only times they had been in one was during a training session. No one had even thought that something would be set up to test their abilities.

He was still thinking about that when Richard finally spoke, “In part, I am a bit disappointed that you would go in there unsupervised. However, I will take part of the blame since the testing protocols were still on. That little scenario was designed, and based off, an old game, to test you on one aspect of your powers you may have to deal with.”

Kevin looked at his teacher, and wondered about a thought that had crossed his mind as they stood there. “Sir, was that being designed to test us on not using our abilities?” When he saw Richard nod, he really felt bad about going in there. When he used his powers, he ended up setting them up for an attack and giving the attacker more room to work from.

He was startled when Monet St. Croix spoke. “It’s been something we have been working on a bit this past week. All of the teachers were putting their thought in on how to test each one’s talents in there. As you saw, Kevin, the nature of the creatures in that game sets up the danger in using your power.”

He nodded when he realized what they were telling them. Of the four of them that had entered the room, it was his that was the most dangerous to use. He then looked over at Allan, when the boy, who now looked a famous video-game robot, spoke. “Was one set up for my power in there, one that allowed me to not use my power?” He nodded as the others noticed that as well.

He watched as Richard shook his head. “To be honest, no. I don’t even think that scenario was even considered. With your condition, I’m surprised you can be in there and in your normal form. However, since the simulations work differently than reality, maybe the room blocked out all natural light, or what ever is in the light that hurts you.” He then watched as Lord Cale looked at all of them, and said, “Since you are all fine, and we learned something of how that room will work with Allen, by the end of the week, I want a paper on how dangerous one’s abilities can be if they are used as a weakness.

He nodded, like everyone else, and went to leave, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. As the others left, he glanced at his teacher, and realized there was more to his punishment. He realized it was also linked to his new role as team leader. “I know, I did something foolish, and took my team into a dangerous situation.”

He was surprised when his teacher nodded, and said, “Indeed, and you realized it, and tried to protect them. A good leader tries to weigh up all the options, and in a moment, has to act as they see best to protect their team. Sometimes, we will make mistakes that cost us.” He noticed a pained look go through his teacher’s eye, and at the same time, Monet looked like she might cry for a moment, and then his teacher continued. “Being in a leadership position is not easy. I want you to include that in your paper, and really think about it.”

Kevin nodded and then walked out of the room. As he headed back for his room, he wondered what cost Richard might have been referring to. Judging by the reaction from Monet, it had to be something that effected the both of them, and it made him want to find out more. However, at the same time he wanted to find out more, he was wondering if he did want to know the costs of being a leader, and if he might be ready for them.

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Everett Thomas was ready for the big dinner. With all the events that happened in the past week, they all needed this. Of course, as he walked with his beautiful wife, Jubilation, they both knew they had a big announcement to make known to all. So far, the only ones they had told were Richard and Yvette, and Darrett and Clarice. The former couple knew mainly since the doctor that Jubilation saw was Yvette’s doctor. The later had been informed because of the unique bond that he and Darrett had. Even if one would think about it logically, the fact was that Darrett was Everett’s son, from a future that never happened. It had been kept secret until the last few days of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.

When they entered the main dining hall, he watched as both Clarice and Darrett Thomas-Ferguson came over. Both had smiles on their face, especially as Clarice put a hand on Jubilation’s shoulder, and said, “Welcome to the club. It is going to be the longest ride of your life, but it’s well worth it.”

He then felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw that it was Darrett. He watched as the mutant master of summoning looked in his eyes. In that moment, Everett could see in Darrett’s eyes a bit of himself. Darrett had obviously been thinking about this for a while. “Listen, I know it may be early to be thinking about this, but maybe when the time comes, you shouldn’t tell them I’m their uncle.”

Everett smiled, knowing just what Darrett was talking about. “I know. I bet they would just look at you and us and go ‘Huh’. I know the same thought went through my mind when you told me.” It was the honest truth. The past weekend, he was trying to figure out what to tell the others, but he was sure that Richard was going to say something at the dinner tonight.

This dinner was going to end up being a big celebration, especially as all the students started coming in. As they came in, he noticed that some of the students seemed to be coupling. The first he noticed was Kevin and Amy Johnson. That one was no big surprise, since they had known each other before the school was formed. The next one that didn’t surprise him was Prince James and Tasha Lewis. He had noticed that the prince seemed infatuated with the psi-mutant, but this past week, those feelings must been made known.

What did surprise him was that Kiana was walking in and talking with Allen, who now appeared like and old Nintendo character. He wondered what had prompted the mystical student of Richard’s to become interested with them. However, that coupling was not as surprising when he saw the teachers starting to enter. He did see it coming, but it was still a shock to see Davis Skinur and Monet St. Croix walking in together.

Soon, everyone else was coming into the room, and as they all sat down at the table, Jubilation quietly said to him, “Yvette just told me that Richard may ask you to announce our news to everyone. They both think it would be best if we say it.”

As some of the new people there came in, including Jonothan Starsmore and Paige Guthrie, and the mysterious Eloise, who looked a lot like Yvette years ago, he nodded as he agreed with his wife. “Indeed. I can’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces when we tell them.”

They then walked over to their seats, and sat down just as the food was brought in, and Richard and Yvette entered the room. Those who were bringing the food to the table quickly left, and Richard and Yvette walked over to their spots. Yvette sat down, but Richard remained standing. At that moment, he knew Richard was going to announce the big new, not only theirs, but about other things, since that was another reason for this meal. Everett decided to just sit back, until it was time to tell his news.

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Richard Cale Jr. waited until everyone was silent so he could tell the big news. Due to all the events of the past week, including the attack the previous weekend, a lot of things didn’t get done. Of course, with all the things that had happened over the course of the week, some of those things would have needed to be redone.

Once everyone quieted down, he spoke. “This past week has been a very big week for the school, many good and bad things had happened. Instead of dwelling on those bad things, let us focus on the good things. One of those things is the arrival of three new faces to our halls. The most recent one being Eloise Leveque.”

He watched as the redhead, who as he looked at her, reminded him of Yvette before she learned to control her powers, stood and greeted everyone. “Bon soir.” Just as the young girl spoke, and looking at her, he could sense the same charisma that her father had.

He put that thought in the back of his mind as he continued. “Her father will be stopping by later this week, and he may decide to let her remain here. If you think he last name is familiar, that is because she is the daughter of the French Ambassador.” He saw stunned looks come from all around, and then continued. “Also arriving this past week are Arron Allen,” who stood up and appeared to look like Megaman, “and Alexandra McNeal.” He watched as the young lady formerly known as Samantha stood up and nodded.

When she sat down, Richard continued, “With her officially enrolled under her real name, it marks the end of some problems, since Graylon Walsh has decided to lay off the bad publicity. He will even be helping out from time to time, as well as our new teachers here, Paige Guthrie and Jonothan Evans Starsmore. “ He watched as his former Generation X teammates stood up and waved hello again to the students.

He then glanced over to where Everett and Jubilation were sitting and nodded as he said, “Now before we eat, I believe the Thomas’s have a little announcement they need to make.”

He watched as everyone glanced at the two, who then stood up, and Everett spoke as Jubilation started to blush. “We would like to announce that as of right now, we are expecting our first child.” Richard smiled as cheers came from all around the table, especially from the little children. He knew it would be a while, but he noticed that his own children, Richard Cale III and Ashley Cale, as well as Joleen Thomas-Ferguson were starting to feel a little left out of things.

When the cheers finally settled, Richard motioned towards the food, and calmly said, “That is it for the good news, now enjoy. Tomorrow we will get back to our regular classes and studies. This past week has told us we may need to be more on our toes.” At that moment, the sound of a knock on the main door echoed through the building. He glanced at Yvette, and noticed she was already heading out to get the door. Deep down, they both knew who it might be, but they were both hoping they were wrong, especially as Eloise’s father was coming this week.

There were other things it could be, including a crazy plan by Emplate and his ‘Rippers’, even thought he was sure Emplate was lying about them not being his. There was also the fear that the knock might be Sinister in some kind of disguise, or one of Claudette’s minions. He was also hoping that it wasn’t the Knights of Humanity, who had started targeting his school. He was sure they only started this because of his school, but he didn’t want a confrontation.

After he heard nothing bad from Yvette, he started to get some food together. It was comforting that nothing appeared to be wrong, and that all was well. It wasn’t until his wife finally returned, and when he saw who was with her, that he almost dropped his plate. In that moment, he knew it would take a miracle to avoid a major confrontation.

No Caption Provided

Christina looked around the room they had entered, and realized that both she and Kevin had interrupted dinner. Deep down, she had a feeling they would, but was being optimistic. She could also sense a bit of worry coming from both Richard and Yvette Cale, however she had sensed the concern when Yvette had answered the door. Before she could even ask about what was worrying them, Yvette announced their arrival to everyone. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to two old friends of ours. Ms. Christina Laine and Kevin Dallas. We had met then a few years ago, and they stopped by for a visit.”

She politely waved her hand, knowing that her tail swishing was getting all the students attention. She smiled, and said, “Hello. I wish we could say we are here for a social visit, but I’m afraid our visit isn’t just social.”

She started to feel nervous when Kevin just spoke up, glancing over those who had to be the teachers at the school. “You could say we are here to get the jump on a very evil man. One that has cause a lot of grief, but I wouldn‘t want you to get involved.” As Kevin spoke, she saw him start to walk around the room, being the typical showman. She could have sworn he was acting like a great hero, about to finally defeat his foe.

She watched as Richard looked at Kevin, a bit upset, and said, “Kevin, I want you to remember something. This is a school, and they are students. They also know nothing about your lives mission. Those statement are like an open invitation to join you.” She watched as Kevin looked right at Richard, and she knew that Richard had chosen his words to stun Kevin.

She walked over to Kevin, and calmly said, “He is right, Kevin. This is your crusade, and it’s not right to get these kids involved.” As she said those words, she noticed everyone was now looking about both of them, and she was certain the students were wondering about what Kevin had said.

Eventually, her eyes locked with one student. She looked at the student, and as they looked at each other, she could see something familiar in the girl. The girl looked a bit like Yvette when she used her powers, but there was something else that was familiar that she couldn’t place at the moment.

Her thoughts were broken when Kevin then said, “I can respect that, but it would have been nice if his teacher here,” and she noticed he was pointing at a dark-skinned teacher, whom she never met from their first time meeting Richard and Yvette, “had offered us a ride here, instead of trying to flirt with me.”

She watched as the teacher got up, with a very disapproving look in her face. “How dare you accuse me of something like that. I would never flirt with someone like you.” In part, she could tell from the way the woman was dressed, and how it contrasted so differently from Kevin’s usual biker image, that they were of two different worlds.

However, she gasped when Kevin said, “Well, you could have fooled me, with how you were dressed. Hell, you're actually wearing something this time. Maybe earlier, you were entertaining your wild side.” When those words left Kevin’s mouth, she was sure that Kevin would be tossed out. Then she noticed a worried look on the woman’s face. She realized that something was wrong, but her friend took the look the wrong way. “I guess I exposed your little secret.”

She watched as somehow, every teacher reacted as if they were talking on a telepathic level. Soon, Richard had walked over to Kevin, and placed his hands on Kevin’s shoulders. She also noticed a extra troubled look cross his face, which if she remembered Richard Cale’s power correctly, meant he saw more of what Kevin had been through. “Kevin, did you mention where you were going to that lady?”

She heard Kevin react in a slightly upset tone. “What do you mean? Didn’t she tell you that she ran into us?” In that moment, she saw a panicked look start to cross all the teachers. She also noticed a familiar odor in the air, one that she had smelled on the plane. She hadn’t told Kevin everything about that odor, but it was a mixture of several scents, some of which she had smelled when in the jungles. In fact one was linked to what could only be described as a spider as big as a man.

In that moment, she then heard a growl coming from outside. She turned to look at the window, and heard Richard say, “We need to get everyone out of this room.” Soon, she realized what was happening. The woman that Kevin had seen wasn’t the woman here, but a twin will ill intentions. In an instant, the window exploded as a huge cat creature came in. From the creature, Balam could detect a wave of malevolence, and was stunned when Richard said, “The Black Beast of Exmoor. Everyone out of the room now.”

Part of her wanted to use her powers and grow in size, but the sudden appearance of a second cat, as well as a hulking brute, and some thing that could not be human at all stopped her from doing so. While it looked humanoid in general appearance, many tentacles came from the creatures back, as if they were a natural part of the thing. Everyone was heading out the door, and she was the last one out when the tendriled thing just said, “Surprise, surprise, Vanquisher.” She closed the door, and quickly followed the group, knowing they needed to form a plan, and feeling a bit guilty that their arrival invited this attack. She even wondered if their attackers were linked to Canon, but she was certain they weren’t, since they made sure never to leave any trace that they received help from Lord and Lady Cale. However, she was sure that this night would be an interesting one.

Next ChapterDangerous Party Crashers
Future Chapters and Stories

Chapter 23Complications
Chapter 24The Person We Know
Chapter 25Bogus Bobbies
Chapter 26Sinister Effects
Last Chapter (Chapter 27)Darkness Revealed

Future Stories (All Links go to the first chapter)
The Wrath Of Dio

Library PageRichGenX's Library - X Knights 1 - The First Month