Stranger and Stranger
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.
Stranger and Stranger
Chapter 2: Godiva's Museum.
I. Yvette
Luckily, it had taken less than two days for the package to arrive, which meant that the team was on one of Emma's private jets down to Richard's hometown early that morning. Yvette looked out one of the windows of the plane, marveling at being high above the world. The last time she had been in a plane was when the team had to go to Ireland, but that time had been different. While it had been longer, she didn't have Richard in her life. Of course, at that time, the reason for the trip had been a lot different than this trip.
She turned to look at Richard, who sat next to her, and took his hand. She could tell he was still worried and was doing his best not to let it show. She could even sense how much he was trying to keep her powers from acting up since he had them while they remained close to one another. She was doing the same thing since she knew Emplate was the reason for this trip. Still, she had a feeling she had to do something to distract him from his worry. She had a feeling she already knew the answer to this question, but she decided she would ask it anyhow. "Rich, will we be meeting any more of your family?" She hoped that using the shortened form of his name that he preferred hearing from her made him feel a little better.
It obviously had the effect she had wanted it to have as he turned to face her and answered her. "No. We'll just be seeing Godiva. To be honest, I'd rather not have to risk explaining Emplate to my family, or the threat he represents."
For a moment, Yvette bit her lip, and looked back to the window as she said, "Well, he knows that Emplate attacked the school shortly after you arrived. He had arrived shortly after Emplate fled." She looked back at Richard and saw his eyes wide in shock. He must have thought that they didn't tell his father about Emplate. She quickly explained it to him. "They didn't tell him much, but that you were key in beating him."
She saw him relax a bit at that. He also let out a sigh at that seemed to say more than he was letting on. There was more bothering him than he was telling anyone just yet. She lowered her voice, hoping she had picked up on the right thing, and said, "You're worried about Godiva. Were you that close?"
She noticed he leaned in when he answered, hoping to keep this conversation between them, but not venturing into the psi-speech they used sometimes when together. "She's like a sibling to me. She was the closest to me in age and helped fueled my interests in things like science-fiction and the paranormal. I mean, the interest was there before my grandfather passed away, but after he did, and everyone thought Bastion was dead, we sort of gravitated towards one another."
Yvette nodded in understanding after hearing that. It made sense in a way, with two losses in the family of two figures that had an impact on both of them. She also noticed something else in his voice when he said all that. There was something else that was on his mind, something that he hasn't voiced yet. She focused on that connection they shared when he held her powers and asked "What are you afraid of, Rich?"
She watched as a slightly sad look crossed his face. It was almost as if he was ashamed that he felt he could only confide the thought with her. "I can't shake this feeling that Emplate isn't alone down there. I have the strangest feeling that Elane is with him."
That did make her worry. It was a comfort to her that they were still holding hands. She still recalled the close call both she and Richard had had at the hands of his twisted cousin who was going by the moniker of Aura. It had been less than a month ago. If the situation was that Aura was down there as well, it could be a bigger trap than they initially thought. Another thought crossed her mind then, one that had to be very likely if what Richard feared was true. "Do you think that Emplate has enthralled her?"
To her surprise, she saw him shake his head, and even saw him start to tense up a little bit more. It was obvious to her that what worried him was worse than what she had thought, and she realized he might be right when he said it to her. "I wish that was the case, but I can't shake the feeling that with the evil in her, they might have fallen in love with each other."
In that moment, horrible possibilities started running through her head. Two horrid individuals who would love to see both of them broken, miserable, and enslaved. She felt herself tensing up, most likely her flowing red hair turning into red spikes. She quickly hugged Richard, and said, "Please don't let them capture me."
She felt him return the hug, and heard him respond in that mental link, "Promise me the same, Yvette." She didn't want to end the hug. If their free lives could be coming to an end, they didn't want to waste a moment. While they hugged, she noticed how some of the others were looking at them right now. It wasn't a secret at the school that the two of them were in love, but she understood how it looked to them when they were tensed up like they were. No doubt, it might even make them worry about what they were heading into. She just closed her eyes and prayed while she hugged the guy she loved.
II. Jubilation
Jubilation Lee was sure she wasn't the only one who had noticed Yvette in that moment. Of course, she still liked to call Yvette 'Penny', and as far as she knew, she was the only one allowed to do that. Still, seeing the girl's eyes pure blue, and her skin taking on the reddish hue it had when her powers were active was a worrying sight. When Yvette had closed her eyes, Jubilation had noticed that Richard's own hair was starting to spike up, and that told her everything. The two were obviously worried about the situation they were heading into, and she couldn't blame them.
Everyone knew that Richard had been a key part in helping Yvette overcome her fear of Emplate, and gaining full control of her powers. That had put a target on Richard's back, probably bigger than it already was. Just the fact that Generation X's worst foe had found someone else who was a threat to Richard had shown how much Emplate considered Richard a threat.
Now that they were heading to Richard's hometown, Jubilation wondered if something else had dawned on him that he hadn't fully considered. If that was the case, it was real bad since both of them were tensing up, and neither had voiced it yet. That made her worry about both Richard, and the girl she viewed as a surrogate sister. She turned back to the group she was sitting with, and quietly said, "Something has the happy couple over there spooked."
She watched as her boyfriend, Everett Thomas, discretely glanced back. "It does look that way." He then turned back to face the group, and she saw concern on his face as well. "I think this might be more than the typical Emplate is up to something concern." She had to agree with that, and that also made her worry a bit about Everett. While he didn't end up enthralled in the last confrontation with Emplate, that still remained in her mind that it could happen again.
Jubilation noticed that Angelo Espanosa seemed to be giving it some thought as looked at the two. After a moment, he said something she had to admit she hadn't taken into account. "You don't think it might have anything to do with Aura?" She hadn't even given that any thought. The way Richard had spoken after her attack a few weeks ago, he was all but certain she was dead. Of course, if she weren't dead, she was probably one of Emplate's thralls now.
She thought about that for a moment and considered an even more disturbing thought. "So we might be dealing with an enthralled Aura, or worse, one helping Emplate of her own free will. They could be worried that they won't be coming back from this trip." It was a very disturbing thought that instead of one threat, they were going to be taking on two threats.
After a moment of silence as the group considered this, Monet St. Croix responded in almost a lazy tone. "I highly doubt we would have to worry about Aura." Jubilation bit her tongue, since she was still trying to cope with the idea that Monet wasn't a sixteen year old girl, but two eight year old girls in the body of a sixteen year old girl. They still had a lot to learn about social interactions, even if they acted like they knew more than everyone else. Still, before anyone could ask what she meant, Jubilation heard Monet continue her statement. "My brother isn't much of the forgiving type."
For a moment, she had to admit that Monet might have a point about that. She always had a feeling that Emplate made Yvette a special case but would not be so forgiving to others who had broken free of his control. It was then that Jonothan Starsmore hit upon a point she had forgotten about Emplate. "Monet might have a point on that. He does have that knowledge on sight power. Could be he picked up on it from Aura, or even from Richard himself." She looked over at him, who right now had one of his outfits that kept the visible sign of his powers, the flaming hole that was his codename's sake, covered.
Paige Guthrie, who was sitting next to him, nodded in agreement. "Jono's right. It is very possible that Emplate picked up on Godiva from Richard himself. None of us have a full idea of what information Emplate has picked up from any of us." She had to give a small point of agreement to that statement, and it had nothing to do with the facts that Paige had almost recovered from her injuries from Aura, or that she got back together with Jono. She just wondered how deep the knowledge had to be. If Emplate's knowledge on sight did work that way, her plan all that time ago would have never worked. He would have realized what she had been doing, and either flat out killed her, or not supped on her.
Still, she sighed, and turned her attention to the other problem that had to be Richard's mind. As she did so, she looked over to the only other figure who appeared to be in a smaller group, the new girl Daria. Her past needed to be explained, or covered up, and right now a cover up was probably best. As she glanced at Daria, she said, "I don't know, but we have to figure out the other issue. Remember that Bastion was Richard's uncle, and Godiva's father. So we will all have to figure out what we know about her, if Sean and Emma don't think of something before we get there."
This caused everyone to nod, and then come together. While she didn't doubt the headmasters were thinking about this as well, it wouldn't hurt to have an idea as well. Ironically, it was Monet who brought up a good idea. "Remember those others we met when Sean insisted on going on that mission without telling Emma. It was something linked to his Interpol days." Jubilation did remember that odd mission, and it could give them a perfect cover story for Daria, if they needed it. They just needed to get up to the headmasters to discuss it before the plane landed.
III. Mondo
Mondo had been sitting outside the conversation, deciding to use the flight to relax. He was already figuring that when they finally got to the museum, things would be stressful. He did, however, take notice of how Daria was sitting alone, and he could tell she was very stressed.
He got up from his seat, and walked over to her, noticing she was looking out the window. There was a look of deep thought on her face, and it worried him. He sat down, and calmly asked, "Daria, what is troubling you?" He saw her turn to face him, and he saw the full look on her face. While she looked worried, it did nothing to change her natural beauty.
He saw her give him a smile, and then saw her lean back in the chair before she answered. "I'm a bit nervous about this. I mean, I still don't know how I should address her, or even how to explain how I came to the school."
Mondo gave her a smile, and then pointed to the others. "Well, I think the others are already trying to figure that one out, if our teachers haven't figured out a cover story in this short notice." He hoped that hearing that might relax her as well. With all they knew they were walking into, her worries should not be consuming her now.
To his relief, she did seem to relax a little. "I suppose that could help with my worries. I really didn't know how to explain to her that Richard is technically my legal guardian. I also don't know how she would take the news that her father hadn't really killed himself. I heard Richard took it kind of hard."
He nodded, recalling what Richard went through after all those events. "He did, but he also went through a lot prior. I think he still hurts from it, since everyone seems to think he subconsciously avoids that area since then." For a moment, he scratched his chin, before continuing, "Come to think of it, I think Jubilee avoids it too."
Mondo heard a sigh come from Darla after hearing that. "So it would definitely be a bad idea to mention that we might have a sister-like relationship. Well, I hope they come up with a good cover story for me. Also, what will happen if it is discovered that I am part Sentinel. Is that going to be a problem? "
He placed his arm around her, more in a friendly, comforting way, and said, "I don't think you have anything to worry about there. You have a heart, which means you can't be an unfeeling machine. Even Bastion wasn't fully machine, since he was able to see the error of his ways. He even kept you from under going the full process."
He watched as she nodded in agreement. She then turned to look at him, and he felt like they were making a connection at that moment. She gave him a smile, and he heard her say, "Mondo, either you can read minds, or you know the right things to say. That pretty much helped with all my worries. Let's just hope nothing happens to expose the truth about me."
He smiled and rested one of his hands on hers. It amazed him a little how much they differed in size, but he didn't think about it for long as he said, "Given how we only know a little about your actual past, I think the odds of the full truth coming out is very slim." To that, he got another smile from Daria, and it made him feel happier than he thought he could feel.
IV. Sean
Sean looked back from the cockpit of the plan. While it was currently on autopilot, he had opted to remain in there to think over the situation they were heading into. He could be discrete when he looked back and noticed how everyone had pretty much gotten into groups. The main bulk of the students were huddled in discussion about something, and the young ones, Artie Maddocks, Franklin Richards, and Leech, were more focused on the windows, probably marveling at this trip. He hated bringing them into this possibly dangerous situation, but there was a part of him that felt that they weren't in the most danger in this situation.
He then shifted his attention to the two small groups that worried him most. Off by one window was Daria, who had been looking worried for most of the trip. He saw that Mondo had somehow brought a smile to her face, but Sean had an idea what she must be going through. He still needed a good cover story for her.
He turned his attention to the other small group, that of Richard and Yvette. He still couldn't shake the feeling that this whole trip was an elaborate trap for them. Something also told him that there was something bothering them that wasn't being shared with the rest of the group. He did, however, have something in the works that might help with some of those future worries.
He got broken out of his thoughts when Emma who had been sitting in the cockpit with him said "Worried about Richard and Yvette?" For a moment, he wondered if she had read his mind. While she was now on the side of good, he always wondered if she sometimes did the occasional mind scan of her allies.
Of course, given what they were flying into, he would be more surprised if someone wasn't worried about the two. He glanced over at Emma, and asked, "Is it that obvious, or are you worried about them as well?"
To his surprise, he heard her sigh before responding. "It's a bit overwhelming at the moment, to be honest. Everyone is focused on it at different levels, and the general thought is almost overwhelming. It doesn't help that it is even at the front of my mind." He then saw an utterly defeated look cross her face as she seemed to slump in her seat. "The thought of Yvette's nightmare from after Aura's attack keeping running through my head."
Sean turned to face Emma and hearing her fear about that nightmare had him concerned. "Ye mean the one where Yvette thought you would hand her over to Emplate. Seeing how it is bothering you, I honestly think you wouldn't do it, even if you were desperate. Even still, do you honestly feel that nightmare could be coming true. That we are delivering them into the hands of Emplate?"
She nodded, and then responded. "Yes. Emplate has shown to be a crafty opponent in the past. He plans his attacks out. He did this to lure Richard down, most likely alone at first, and then us down to make sure he got Yvette as well. Besides, haven't you noticed how tense they are?"
Sean glanced back out at the cabin and did notice that they were getting tense. It spoke of something that they suspected but might not be sure of. A deeper fear, and given what had happened recently, he quietly said to Emma, "I wonder if they suspect Aura might be down there as well. We didn't rule out that possibility." If he were to be honest, he didn't consider it because he thought the girl might be dead by now.
Thankfully, it was the kind of thing that made Emma react by sitting up, and letting her tactical mind address it. Many people tended to overlook Emma's mind by judging her by her body. It was always a mistake they made with her. After a moment, she spoke. "If she is, we have to factor her in as a most likely thrall. That would mean we could have a small body count to take into account." It was a very grim thing to take into account. For a moment, he started to wish that they had consulted Bishop before embarking on this trip.
He then had another disturbing thought cross his mind. He voiced it even before he started considering all the things it could mean. "Emma, what if Aura isn't a thrall?" He could tell already that the question worried her as much as it worried him. Aura as a thrall was something they were possibly expecting, Aura acting of her own free will was quite another thing.
Before either of them could address that concern, Jubilation had come into the cockpit. She seemed to have a look on her face that offered hope, and Sean couldn't deny that it was a bit of a welcome sight at the moment. Before he could ask, she immediately spoke up, but kept her voice down so it wouldn't leave the cockpit. "Sean, Emma, we were talking, and we think we came up with a good back story for Daria."
It had the desired effect, as both he and Emma looked at Jubilation. For many, it was easy to underestimate her. She was technically still the youngest at the school, but she had the most experience of all of the students, and in the field would be an effective team leader. He knew this, and so did Emma. It was after a moment that Emma asked with more curiosity than condescendence, "And what is this back story idea?"
He saw the teen smile, and then respond. "Well, just before Richard came to the school, and after the trip to Canada, we had that little run in with that group Sean knew." Sean noticed that Emma glanced at him, since he hadn't fully brought her up to speed on that, due in part to the nature of that particular Interpol mission. Regardless, Jubilation continued with her idea, "Basically, we figured that if a question about Daria arises, we can say we only got limited information on her from Sean's associate."
Sean could already tell that it was perfect. They could say that because of that, they weren't sure how she got there, or what her past was. It could save on a lot of hard to answer questions. He gave Jubilation a big grin. "Lass, that's brilliant. I want you and the others to get everyone up to speed on it before we land. I think that will be soon." He watched as she nodded, and then left the cockpit, apparently to spread the word.
Once she was clear of the cockpit, Sean could swear he felt Emma's focus on him. No doubt she wanted to ask him about the others, and she didn't want to pry mentally. He did, however, have a good sense of time, and realized how close they were getting to the airport. He turned to the controls and said to Emma, "Emma, I will explain about what Jubilee meant later, after this situation is all over. Also, I've been getting some help from Hank regarding Yvette. I've asked the X-Men to see about getting some paperwork together for me to legally adopt her."
He heard her gasp, no doubt realizing what the paperwork would mean. "That would definitely make her feel safer at the school, and more secure." It was part of the reason that he was doing it. There was more to it, since her never really had a chance to raise his own daughter. Also, with how tense both Yvette and Richard looked, he hoped that things would go well, and he could deliver the good news to Yvette.
V. Richard
It wasn't until the plane touched down on the tarmac that Richard had overcome his fear. Yvette had stayed by his side as they all walked through the terminal. They had all put on the pendants before they got off the plane, and since it was a private jet, they didn't have to bother with all the usual hassles of luggage trolleys. The only hassle they had to deal with was getting vehicles, since Emma's company didn't have any contacts in the area. This had to be where he came in.
He took a slight lead, thankful Yvette stayed with him. It meant that people who were locals would possibly not look at him right away. He was also hoping the airport might have been a bit busier than it was, as more people might have been a bit better for a distraction. Still, he could tell people were already taking notice of him. Some might even be taking notice of Yvette as well, and he had a feeling she was starting to notice that as well.
He final got to the rental desk, and he saw the clerk there. He hoped that it was someone who wouldn't associate him with one of the founding families, but given all the attention he had already gotten, he figured that would be a lost cause. He kept his cool and just said, "I would like to rent a van, one capable of seating fifteen or sixteen."
The person behind the counter nodded and started typing the details in the computer. As they did so, they tried to make small talk. "It's nice to know you are back in the area. Word said you left the area to go to school." Inwardly, Richard was groaning, and hoping no one was taking note of the person's words. The last thing he needed now was a reporter or paparazzi spotting him.
It was then the person said something that made him react in surprise. "Are you here to see the museum Lady Godiva is putting together?" Those words took him by surprise, and not because he didn't know about the museum. He didn't know she started using that moniker, especially as it had been a joke between them to break up an awkward moment.
He finally got his wits together but kept his voice on the low side. "Yes, I am actually here to do so, but I'd prefer no one knows I'm here." It was then an idea came to him, and he leaned in close. "This visit is a bit of a surprise. My family doesn't know I was coming to the area. I want the surprise to remain a surprise."
For a moment, he could have sworn the person was about to protest. Thankfully, they nodded and finished their task. "I understand. I won't say a word." They then hand him the paperwork, and the keys, and said, "Here you go, sir. We'll even mark it special so anyone can return it. Will that be alright with you?"
A brief chill ran through Richard after hearing that. He had thought he had shaken the fear that had been plaguing his mind on the trip down. He was sure that Yvette picked up on it as well, since he noticed her hair was starting to tense up. He took a calming breath before nodding and took the keys.
As they walked towards the door out of the place, he hoped that the conversation with the agent hadn't been overheard. There were certain questions he didn't want to explain the answers to. He did, however, want to give the keys to Sean. He had no doubt that the vehicle would be bigger than he felt comfortable driving, especially as he was getting a greater feeling of dread.
When he handed the keys to Sean, he noticed that both Sean and Emma were looking at him. He figured that they heard the discussion. It was only verified when Emma said, "That's a curious moniker that your cousin has. I'm hoping she didn't do anything like the actual Lady Godiva."
Richard wasn't surprised when a majority of their group all looked at him. Most of them had looks of wide-eyed shock on their faces. The young kids, as well as Mondo and Yvette, had looks on their faces of mild curiosity. He sighed, deciding it was best to explain how this name came about. "No. She's definitely not like the figure from legend. I called her that when I caught her skinny-dipping. It was a shock to both of us, and my defense was to crack a joke."
He could tell some of them had some questions about that. He had no doubt some of them were wondering how Godiva looked. It had been Paige who responded with what he figured was the most appropriate response. "Ah bet she was shocked about being discovered like that." He noticed the words she hadn't said, but was unsure if she was trying to avoid certain stereotypes or not.
Richard simply nodded, and said, "Imagine being in my shoes. I don't think anybody wants to catch their own cousin skinny-dipping. At least nobody thinking reasonably. To this day, she's the only woman I've seen in that state." He wasn't about to admit that he would hope that would change when the time is right with Yvette.
While everyone else nodded and got in the van, Richard noticed that Angelo was hanging back. He had a feeling that his mischievous teammate must have had something on his mind. After Yvette had gotten in the van, Angelo said to him, "Out of curiosity, since none of us have met her, could you give an idea on how she looks?"
Richard already had a feeling why Angelo was asking. Since he had gotten to the school, most of the others there had gotten into couples. He had even noticed that Angelo had occasionally glanced at Monet, until her secret had been revealed. He was certain Angelo was going to hit on Godiva. He wasn't sure if he had told everyone about her love life, but he also didn't feel it was something he should share. Besides, he wasn't sure Godiva was still seeing Kyuukai.
Then he recalled the little prank Angelo had pulled a few days ago. Richard had decided to have a nice picnic in the Biosphere with Yvette. Angelo had decided to surprise them with some water balloons, except Angelo had struck Yvette in the back. He had figured that Angelo hadn't intended to hit her, and had apologized to Yvette, but he figured Angelo could use a humbling moment. He shrugged, and responded, "I'm sure some guys wouldn't mind seeing her like that. I don't think she'd like the looks she would find on their faces though."
He saw Angelo shrug. He imagined Angelo was already coming up with a smooth response. He knew Angelo could be a smooth talker sometimes. "You might be right. I, however, would have turned my head, while offering something to help cover herself up with. No doubt she would have appreciated the gentlemanly action." Richard had no doubt on what Angelo thought some of that appreciation would be.
Richard placed his luggage in the back of the van, and pulled out a hat he had brought along, and then said, "Well, I think she might see through your gentlemanly actions, Angelo. You can try to prove me wrong when you meet her, but I doubt you will."
He watched as Angelo raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really. And what do I get when I prove you wrong? Are you going to part with some of those animated movies in your library?" Richard already knew what movies Angelo was refering to. He had been going through a phase when he got them, and he was already debating giving them to Angelo.
Still, this was going to be funny, so he held out his hand to Angelo. "An unusual prize for what you wish to prove, Angelo, but why not?" In all honesty, he figured Angelo might prove he is a nice guy, but that would be as far as it got. Richard kept a neutral look on his face though as Angelo smiled a grin that was hinting that he just won the bet.
Before anything more could be said, he heard Sean say, "Alright, ye two. Get in the van, as we need to get to Godiva's before it is too late to do anything today." Richard had to agree with that and got in the van just before Angelo. Once he was in, he saw that Yvette was motioning to a seat right next to her. In all honesty, it was the only seat he wanted in the van. The more time he spent next to Yvette meant he kept her power for a longer time, and that was a level of safety.
VI. Monet
Monet had remained quiet the whole time they headed to the van. A portion of that had been because she was trying to keep a mental eye on Claudette. She had no doubt her sister might try something. Now that the van was moving, she took a moment to take everything in. Everyone had either gone quiet, or were watching the scenery as they drove, not there was much in her opinion.
She took a moment to look at Richard, who had now put on a hat, and had it pulled down to help obscure his eyes. It blended in with the coat he had chosen to wear, and also noticed he had now pulled out a pair of clip-on sunglasses. She had a feeling she knew why he was doing it but found it odd he would go to such lengths. She broke the silence in the vehicle by asking, "Richard, why are you wearing that outfit?"
She watched as he finished putting on the sunglasses before he answered. "Well, Monet, when we get there, Godiva will notice that our numbers won't match the number of pendants sent. She is going to wonder why the numbers don't match, so she'll focus on the odd man out. I figured I'd make it easier to focus on me, dressing like a Man in Black."
She tried to process that information. She knew it had to have some sort of importance, but she couldn't place it. She did figure it had to do with something paranormal, and that might even fit in with this place Richard's cousin had. Still, she couldn't place what it was, and she hated to admit there was something she didn't know. Almost as if they were going to pour salt in the wound, she heard her sister say in her mind, "It's not going to matter how he dresses. Our dear brother is going to see him. He has that power."
She knew what her sister meant. Marius had an ability that gave him knowledge on sight. She knew there had to be some limitations to it, since Jubilation had outsmarted him. While she would have to admit her sister had a point, she knew it wouldn't be wise to bring that up. It could lead to questions she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. With that in mind, she decided now would be a good time to admit there was something she didn't know. "And what exactly is a Man In Black?"
She could tell some of the people in the van were looking at them. She was certain part of it was because she admitted something that she didn't now. She hoped it was that, or that they were interested to hear about the topic. She heard Richard sigh as he answered. "According to what others have claimed, which apparently includes my cousin, The Men In Black are a shadowy group, usually dressing all in black, usually black suits. They apparently show up after a UFO sighting, and tend to intimidate witnesses, and remove all evidence."
Given what they were all familiar with, Monet wondered if such a claim could actually exist. A few of them already knew the truth about extraterrestrial life, recalling their encounter with the Phalanx. Still, with his cousin believing such a tale, it made her wonder if her own dysfunctional family was less strange than Richard's family.
Of course, there was still something she considered eerie about him. The fact that he had detected what she really was, and that even after Claudette had mentioned to her his familiarity, she started to feel that sense as well. Was it possible he had locked away some of his own memories from himself? It was something she wanted to ask but didn't know how to. She had a feeling, however, that Claudette would broach the subject if she could.
Before she could even think more on the topic, she heard Sean say from the front seat, "Richard, which exit should we take for Godiva's museum? I've seen some signs, but I'd like to know for certain. This is ye hometown." She had noticed the signs as well as the van went down the highway. They had even mentioned something for Crayola, but she was unsure about that.
She watched as he sat back in his seat, almost thankful for a change in topic as he answered Sean's question. "It's the last exit in Easton, just past Cemetery Curve. I also recommend that you slow down for the curve. There had been too many accidents on that stretch that only helped add to the ill feeling of its name." She watched as he closed his eyes, and soon she felt the van start to take the curves.
She looked out the windows, especially as others gasped at the sight. She took it in, and as she did, she heard Claudette pipe up in their mind. "Oh, how nice and prophetic. The curve goes around an actual cemetery. I wonder how many people our dear brother will add to this place." Monet hoped the number would be zero.
Soon, they were past the unsettling stretch of highway, and they were entering the downtown part of Easton. They followed signs that led them to where all the cultural and historic spots of the town were. She saw the place for Crayola, which apparently was headquartered in the city. The directions they took even passed a place for someone who signed the Declaration of Independence. She had managed to get that from the sign as they passed it to go to the parking garage in town. Apparently, Godiva's Museum wasn't too far from the garage.
Once the vehicle was parked, they all got out, and Monet noticed that Richard was staying very close to Yvette. It was obvious to her that Richard was doing it to so that he would hold Yvette's powers for longer. She had to commend him for his precautions, but also wondered if it was wise doing that. She then noticed how Richard was also trying to maneuver himself to be concealed in the group. This confused her, unless this was supposed to be part of his plan to surprise his cousin.
When they reached the door that was to be their entrance in the building, she saw Sean push a button, most likely signaling someone inside that someone was there. After a few moments, the door opened, and a brunette, who had to be around eighteen, was standing there. If she were to judge by the brunette's figure, she'd be close to model status, but it tended that if mutants looked like normal people, they tended to have figures that always caught eyes. She also had a smile on her face as she said, "I'm guessing you are all from the Xavier School." Before anyone could respond, Monet saw a puzzled look cross the woman's face. She even shifted her stance a little, signally that she noticed something was off. She had a feeling that what was about to play out was exactly what Richard had figured.
VII. Godiva
Godiva Cale looked over the people that were in front of her and did a head count. Something was odd about this group, and she was certain that there was an odd person there. She had only sent fourteen pendants to the school, and she saw fifteen. What was even more out of place was that one of the people in the group looked like they were a Man In Black and kept their head down. She kept her eyes on that odd man but addressed the man whom she addressed the other day. "Mr. Cassidy I presume." When he nodded, she said, "I know I sent you only fourteen pendants, but I'm counting fifteen. Did you hire a guide to help you around our city?"
She watched as he glanced at the group, and if he was aware his group was larger than expected, or miscounted, he didn't show it when he responded. "No, we didn't need a guide. We were able to find the place with no problem."
She nodded, and moved her way to the group, towards the obvious odd man out. Everyone else had looked at her, and while she could tell some of them were checking her out, this one kept looking down. She was even about to rip the hat off the man, especially after that one encounter she had in her past. She didn't, however, since she wasn't fully ready to explain her power, nor start a fight. She just got close enough, and said, "Then you seem to have an intruder in your midst, or someone is up to something." She knew it was possible that some mutants and individuals could hide themselves in a group and block their presence from others.
Before she could say anything more, the figure spoke, and she heard a very familiar voice. "Now is that any way to greet your cousin." She then watched as the figure raised his head, and it was in fact her cousin, Richard.
She quickly hugged him. As she did so, she felt her hair reacting to her cousin's odd powers, literally trying to stay away from him. She had been upset when she heard from her aunt and uncle that he had remained at his school for the holidays. At first, she thought he was home for an early spring break, and asked, "Rick, what are you doing here? Did they contact you at college, or are you home on break, and offered to guide them around? I mean it is the kind of thing you'd offer to do, especially for anything linked to Xavier."
She watched as he shook his head for a moment, especially after he ended the hug. He then made a gesture, seeming to indicate he was referring to the group. "Well, I've kept a bit of a secret from the family. After Thanksgiving, I decide to transfer to the Xavier School. I'm a student there, and you could say they are all my classmates." She gasped in shock and saw a sheepish smile on his face.
She scowled at him for a moment, and then recalled something she briefly noticed during the video call. "Rick, were you in the room when I called the school?" She watched as he hesitated, and before he spoke, she just smacked his arm. "You shmuck. Why didn't you say anything then?" She wasn't overly upset, but she had a feeling that if he had wanted to keep it secret, he'd go to great lengths, especially with all that had happened.
He was obviously taking it in stride. She watched as he just rubbed his arm, and said, "Well, I can introduce you to everyone, but maybe we should do that inside." In all honesty, it was a very sound idea. She wasn't entirely sure how long it took them to get there, but she did know it was on the cool side out. Besides, the longer they were outside, the more attention it could draw to the place, and she wasn't ready to open the place.
She quickly moved, and motioned them in. As they all entered, she watched as each one of them passed her. She could tell who the obvious teachers were and could even tell that some of them might be an item. Personally, she thought that was a shame since some of them caught her eye. A small part of her wished she wasn't in a serious relationship with Kyuukai. She even noticed one of the guys obviously checking her out. Once everyone was in, she closed the door, and went to the center of the museum's foyer.
She noticed the group lined up nicely, almost into couples. She noticed that Sean Cassidy, the man she spoke to on the video phone was at one end of the group. So she glanced at her cousin, who had stayed a little in front of the group and said, "Well, cousin, I've meet Mr. Cassidy, and I obviously know you, so why don't you introduce me to the others."
Godiva watched as her cousin looked at her for a moment, and said, "Oh, did he tell you his power at all?" She opened her mouth to respond, and realized he never told her his powers on the line. She closed her mouth right away, especially when her cousin reminded her. "I said I was in the room at the time of the call. Sean has the power to generate sonic screams. He can literally use them to fly."
She gave the man another look, recalling his accent, and raised an eyebrow as a word came to mind. She just looked at him and said, "Let me guess. Banshee." She wanted to say something else, but thought better of it, given her birth name and powers.
She then turned her attention to the woman next to Sean Cassidy and took in the sight. She held herself with confidence, and her outfit appeared to be a mix of professional, and intimate. It was clear to her that this was a woman who would get what she wanted in any relationship.
As she took in the sight, she heard her cousin say, "That's Emma Frost, owner of the school grounds, as well as headmistress of the school." With those words, she realized who the woman was. Even though she was just starting in the path of adulthood, she had already looked into the family's company. She was aware of other companies, and one that she took notice of was Frost Enterprises. She was fully aware of the woman in charge but had never seen her. She felt she shouldn't have been surprised by the idea that she had to be a mutant. It was then she heard Richard say, "Emma is a very gifted telepath."
For a moment, she nodded, and then couldn't help herself and commented, "With an account at Fredrick's of Hollywood, I'm guessing." Once those words were out of her mouth, she could tell she struck a nerve. The look she got from Emma Frost was almost cold, but it said not to challenge her.
To Emma's credit, Godiva heard that her voice was calm when she said, "A word of advice to you, child. Be very careful who you aim your sarcasm at. Someone who isn't as nice as I am might lash out before you finish your quip." Godiva just nodded, but she wasn't going to be scared by some blonde with a killer bod. Besides, she was ready just in case she had to fight. Yes, she was feeling a little drained, but she was sure she could handle Emma Frost if it came to that.
Godiva turned her attention to what had to be the first of the various couples amongst the students. The couple consisted of a guy who had the lower half of his face covered, while the girl was a blonde who appeared to be a few years younger than him. If she were to judge by appearance, she figured the guy was probably close to her cousin's age.
She then wondered why the guy's face was half covered when her cousin introduced them. "This happy couple is Paige Guthrie and Jonothan Evan Starsmore." They both nodded when Richard said their names, and Richard continued. "Paige has the ability to rip her skin off, revealing a new form underneath. She has the codename of Husk. Jono has a bio-psionic force that keeps him alive. When his powers manifested, the blast literally destroyed half his chest and face, hence the chamber the force is in, and his code name, Chamber."
She had noticed her cousin had twitched a little when he mentioned that. She was aware of how her cousin's mutant power worked, having seen it in action at certain times. That twitch indicated to her that Richard had experienced the power manifestation, possibly multiple times. It was enough to make her realize it had to have been a very painful experience. She nodded, and said, "I can only imagine what you must have went through when that happened." She saw Jonothan nod and realized that it might still be a sore spot. Something made her wonder if that manifestation affected others in the process.
Godiva turned to face what had to be another couple, or if they weren't a couple, they looked like they could be. That aside, she could see a drastic difference in their general disposition. The guy looked like he was laid back in life, while the girl looked like she was a bit worried. The guy also had what looked like a laid-back hair style, while the girl seemed to completely lack hair.
She let her cousin introduce them. "These two are Mondo and Daria. The best way to describe Mondo is that he's an omni-morph. He can take on the qualities of anything he touches. It's kind of a cool ability that can also allow him to move through materials unnoticed. Daria has an ability that allows her to morph into things. She's even been able to split apart into a swarm of bugs. I think she's even able to use her ability to give herself a hairstyle as well." In that moment, Godiva saw a surprised look on Daria's face, and watched as the girl closed her eyes and concentrated.
That quickly, she watched as Daria sprouted hair on her head. It was short, and if she had a guess, had an almost metallic gleam to it. She had to admit that it had a certain flair to it. She then saw that Richard appeared to be hesitating about something and was looking over to Sean as if looking for an answer. That puzzled her, but before she could ask, Sean responded to the look. "She's new to the school. She arrived at a very active time at the school. An associate of mine whom some of the students met sent her our way. Seems her home had been attacked by Sentinels."
She nodded and noted the look of relief that crossed both Daria and Richard's face. She looked at Daria and smiled. "Well, that's something you won't have to worry about here. Easton has a defense system that will not only detect one of those things in a fifty-mile radius, but also scramble their circuits." For a moment, she thought she saw a wide-eyed look on Daria's face, but turned her attention to the next apparent couple.
This couple was another nice couple. The boy was of African descent, while the girl was obviously of an Asian background. He didn't look like he had any hair, while the Asian girl had jet black hair. She also sported a yellow raincoat. They also looked like they were close in age.
Before her cousin could say anything, the Asian girl stepped forward and said, "I'm Jubilation Lee, Jubilee to my friends." She then motioned to the boy next to her, "And this is my boyfriend, Everett Thomas." Godiva noticed two tones in the girl's voice as she said it. One was that she was proud to be able to say that, and the other was a bit more subtle, but it was a warning.
She glanced at her cousin, and Richard calmly said, "Jubilee has the ability to generate plasmid fireworks from her hands." She saw him look at Jubilee, but she noticed something in it. He wasn't going to say how powerful those fireworks could be, but it was understood to mean that was the tip of the iceberg. She then heard Richard say, "Everett is known as Synch amongst the team, and he has an aura that can mimic mutant abilities to a degree. He's also found some other clever uses for it."
That last statement just made Godiva nod. It was something she could respect. There were a few mutants in the city that had found clever positive ways to use their powers. Even she had found ways to utilize her powers. Not every mutant in the world could go someplace like Xavier's. Of course, not even the Xavier's school was as safe as her hometown was.
She wanted to ask her cousin if Everett could use his ability on him but thought better of it. For one, she wondered if such an aura could capture all the possible things her cousin's powers could do. She then took notice of Everett's lack of hair and wondered if he could fully replicate her own power. There had to be some limitation to Everett's power.
She turned her attention to the next group of individual and was a little surprised. There were three boys, and while two looked like they would belong in one of her exhibits, the last one who looked normal seemed oddly familiar. As that thought ran through her head, she heard her cousin introduce the three. "The green one is Leech. He actually has the power to suppress mutant powers, but like myself, has been learning some control over the power's radius. The pink one is Artie Maddocks. He has the unique ability to communicate through images. The last one is Franklin Richards, who can literally alter reality."
In that moment, Godiva realized why that one boy looked familiar. He was the son of two of the members of the Fantastic Four. She could also imagine how he ended up at the school, but she wasn't about to ask about that. No doubt the kid had dealt with all sorts of questions relating to what happened to his parents during the whole Onslaught incident.
Deciding it would be best to not bring that up, she turned her gaze to the next person, and it was someone she was certain she needed no introduction for. She just nodded to the African girl and said, "You must be Monet, Cartier's daughter. After I called the school, he said you were a student there. I gather you must have some special abilities."
She watched as the girl as she answered. "Yes, I have a few abilities. I won't go into them right now, but I was surprised to hear my father was here." As Monet answered, Godiva noticed that Richard was paying attention to what the girl was saying. Part of her wondered if Richard had feelings for Monet, but if she were to be honest with herself, she wouldn't be surprised by that. It would just be expected given the current situation. There was also the fact that Monet looked closest to him in age, in her opinion.
Godiva turned her attention to the last two in the group. The girl was a redhead, and in her opinion a knock-out. The guy wasn't bad looking, but his grayish skin was obviously linked to his mutation. She even noticed that he was trying to give her the eye. It was something that made her think that her cousin didn't tell them everything about her.
She saw her cousin then motion to both of them. "Lastly, I would like to introduce you to Yvette and Angelo. Yvette has an ability to tense up her skin and make it one of the sharpest things in existence, as well as absorb light. Angelo has the ability to control his skin, sort of like the way you control your hair." That made her pause. She was sure she had heard of others having a power similar to hers, but never one whose skin was like that.
She nodded to the group, and motioned to the building they were now in. "Well, I'm glad we've been introduced, but I should tell you a bit about this place. This is a museum dedicated to the strange and unusual things in the world. Stuff like Extraterrestrials, Lost Civilizations, and Supernatural Creatures." She noticed that some of the group didn't looked shocked at all, no doubt due to encounters they may have had. To be honest, she wasn't surprised by that fact. She smiled, and then said, "Well I must also tell you that I've also included rooms for staff and special guests to stay in. They are accessed by carefully hidden secret doors, which also allows us to have swift movement through the museum."
As she was saying all that, she had noticed two things. The first was that Richard had moved over to be right between Monet and Yvette. She couldn't be sure, since where he stood appeared to be right between the two, but it confirmed in her mind that Richard must have some sort of feelings for Monet. The other thing she noticed was that the one named Angelo was trying to get her attention. In fact, his attempts were starting to get distracting, and not in a good way. Eventually, she decided to address it. "Angelo, are you trying to get my attention?"
The way he smiled told her everything. He obviously thought he had a chance with her. She gave a quick glance to her cousin, and while he was keeping a straight face, she could see the signs of stifled laughter. She then heard Angelo say, "Godiva, I have to admire that you have an ability similar to mine. I'd love to discuss the difficulties of controlling such a power, especially over dinner." She knew she was going to have to shut this down, and she had a good idea on how to do so, possibly with the best comedic results.
VIII. Emma
Emma Frost watched Angelo's attempts to catch Godiva's eye, and was doing her best to control her temper. She did pick up on Richard's attempt to stifle his laughter and sensed it on the psychic level. She was unsure why this was so funny, unless it was something that Richard had neglected to tell everyone. She was aware of the bet the two had made before they got in the van, and now realized that this bet was one Angelo was going to lose.
She watched as Godiva shot down Angelo's attempt rather tactfully. "While I would be glad to discuss my ability more, I would wager you would want to talk about more than my ability, and I must say in all honesty, Angelo, you are not my type." She then noticed that Godiva looked over in Richard's direction, as if she knew her cousin had set this up.
While Godiva was looking in Richard's direction, Emma heard Angelo respond to the statement. It was obvious in his tone, however, that he wasn't giving up on his attempts to try and get with Godiva. "Well, Godiva, you might be wrong about that, but what is exactly your type?"
The answer she saw Godiva give was a slight smirk, and then saw her start to approach Richard. Now Emma did think that it was possible that Godiva might like someone like her cousin. In fact, Emma wouldn't be surprised if most women who might get to know the young man would say he would be someone they would marry. She was open minded enough, however, to think that Godiva might not be walking over to Richard. This thought was confirmed when Richard started to move in front of Yvette. As he did so, she heard Richard say, "Remember our agreement, Godiva."
She noticed a puzzled look on Godiva's face when he said that. She was even confused by that unless something had happened in their own past to warrant some sort of agreement. Before she could say anything more, she heard Richard make one other comment. "Besides, what would Kai say about you doing this?"
She saw Godiva put her hands on her hips and responded. "First, Kai knows how I feel about her. Besides, she lets her eyes wander from time to time, and you know what that can cause. Second, I didn't realize that you were with her. I honestly thought you were with Monet. I never knew you had a thing for redheads."
The following exchange had caused a bit of laughter, and maybe a bit of awkwardness. Emma had to stifle some laughter herself, which she was very good at. In part, this was actually a good thing, given the very serious reason they were here. She actually hoped it would relieve some of the tension she had been picking up from both Richard and Yvette, which had to be of serious levels for her to detect it. The laughter finally stopped, at least for a moment when Angelo said, "Wait a minute. Richard, you knew she was a lesbian, and made that bet with me knowing I'd lose? And who is Kai? And what's this agreement?"
Almost everyone laughed for a moment, but Emma kept a straight face, thankful she looked more business and less casual, or even dressed like she had in her Hellfire days. She calmly asked, "Yes, Richard. You did conveniently leave that detail out. I will, however, commend you on your conning our groups confidence man." That caused a slight chuckle, and she swore Angelo blushed for a moment in embarrassment. "So how about answering those last two questions Angelo asked."
She noticed that Richard started to turn red, possible due to a bit of embarrassment. She then heard Godiva answer the questions. "It happened when Richard was in his senior year of high school. He had finally worked the nerve up to ask a girl out. They were still in the early phases of the relationship. I was still in the early stages of discovering who I was, and I sort of came on a bit too strongly to her. He was understandably upset, and from that point on we agreed that we would not hit on anyone the other is with." Emma saw Godiva glance at Richard as she said, "Of course, it would have been nice to know you were dating Yvette."
Emma almost nodded in agreement but decided not to. While she didn't like the withholding of information, she couldn't fully fault Richard for it. Sometimes someone had to make Angelo aware that he couldn't get away with his pranks and schemes all the time. She was also certain that Richard hadn't fully explained about Godiva to Yvette, as she seemed a bit bewildered about the whole scene. Inward she wondered if Yvette might be chewing Richard out about that later.
She then addressed Godiva, more as a protector of her charges than anything else. "Godiva, while I have no objections to your sexuality, just know that I won't allow you to manipulate them in anyway." She wanted to say more, but she saw something in her peripheral vision. She saw Richard's hand immediately tense up. A part of her was surprised by this, but a part of her expected him to react that way.
Before she could say anything, she saw Yvette grab Richard's hand. Obviously, she had noticed the action, or she sensed it. With them staying so close during the flight down, as well as on the way here, there was no doubt she could pick up on his thoughts. She then said, "Miss Frost, he was starting to fear you meant Godiva harm. He just was trying to send a message, but I told him to reign it in. You know he doesn't want to do anything near what he did to Black Tom."
Emma nodded, and then said to Richard, "I'm sorry, Richard. I know you would want to protect Godiva. I just wanted her to understand that I am protecting all of you when I can." She watched as he closed his eyes and nodded. She should have realized he would react in some way like that, especially with the reason they were down here.
She glanced back at Godiva and noticed a look of puzzlement on the young woman's face. After a moment, Emma saw Godiva glancing over at her cousin. She realized what had caused it and knew she couldn't answer the question. "Excuse me, but who exactly is this Black Tom, and what happened?" This was going to be tricky, since they couldn't mention the whole affair due to it involving Bastion.
She was thankful that Sean answered the question. "I can answer that, lass. Ye see. A few months ago, my cousin, who is a mutant terrorist, attacked the school. We had discovered what he was up to, but in the conflict, yur cousin had to take…" She could tell Sean was trying to find a tactful way of saying what had happened.
Emma heard Yvette finish the statement, as the girl wrapped her arms around Richard. "He had gone into a bit of rage after Black Tom hit me. He had been afraid I'd been seriously hurt." She then saw Yvette muss up Richard's hair, most likely to help calm Richard down. "It hit him kind of hard, since…"
Godiva nodded, as if she knew and understood. She had to give the young woman credit for deducing what had happened, especially when Godiva spoke. "He took rather extreme actions. I can understand that. Hell, I don't want to think what I might do if my significant other got hurt." She then saw Godiva look over at another door and saw the brunette smile. "And speak of the devil, here she is now."
Emma noticed an Asian-American girl entering the room. In Emma had to describe her, she would have sworn she might have been an older Jubilation, except the girl didn't look like she could do gymnastics and might be a bit more petite than Jubilation was. As the new arrival looked around, she heard Godiva introduce her. "This is Kyuukai Hisui. As you may have guessed, she is also a mutant. She has also helped in setting up the museum."
Emma was about to ask about the new arrival's powers, but she noticed that the girl was looking over the students. During that action, she noticed that Paige was starting to get a bit passionately aggressive with Jono. She hadn't heard what Paige said, but she could hear Jono's response loud and clear. "Paige, we can't really do anything like that here, especially now."
Emma managed to catch a glimpse and Paige's eyes, and was shocked. She had seen it a few other times in her life, in other's eyes. In fact, she had even seen it in Sabretooth's eyes, always lurking just on the surface. As she noticed it, she heard Paige respond to Jono's protests. "Ah don't care." Just in that moment, she had a feeling this was somehow related to the newcomer's abilities.
As if it were an obvious conclusion to Godiva, Emma watched as some of the girl's hair lashed out like a whip. It was a perfect strike right to the new girl's butt, causing her to yelp as Godiva said, "Kai. Remember that we are an item. Besides, they are all friends of Richard, and I'm sure he might not be too keen on your powers affecting them." Emma took a chance to look at Richard and saw a puzzled look on his face. Whatever Kyuukai's power was a mystery to him. That was just going to be another oddity to this whole situation, but one that might be rectified soon.
IX. Kyuukai
Kyuukai rubbed where Godiva had struck her, while she looked away from the blonde girl. She should have been careful, but she thought the girl had looked familiar. She had focused a bit too much, since her powers affected the girl. She glanced at Godiva, and calmly said "You didn't have to do that."
She saw Godiva answer, but also point at another person in the group. "Yes, I did. If I hadn't, I'm sure Richard would have." That made Kyuukai glance at the person Godiva was pointing at. She couldn't recall having ever met Godiva's cousin, but she had seen images, and was aware of his powers. Godiva then said, "At least they know both of our abilities."
During that moment, the blonde girl was now turning red with embarrassment as she looked around, and said, "Did Ah just say that aloud?" When everyone just nodded in agreement, she saw the blonde shrink back, almost as if she were trying to hide behind the guy she was next to.
Kyuukai lowered her head for a moment, ashamed she had caused embarrassment in the girl. "I'm truly sorry about that. I'm still working on keeping my powers in check. You see, my ability tends to make someone act on their desires, or in better terms, it causes them to drop their inhibitions." She noticed the wide-eyed looks on everyone present, most likely trying to determine how much chaos her power could cause. She wondered that too, which was why she was trying to control it better.
After a moment, the blonde girl nodded and responded, "Ah accept your apology. Besides, Ah shouldn't get upset about something that was an accident." Kyuukai was a bit glad about that, even though she was still a little ashamed it happened. She was even sure the blonde was a bit ashamed now.
Godiva took time to introduce each and every one of the people to her, pointing out the couples. She had been a little surprised to hear Richard was at the school, and a little bit more surprised to see he had managed to have found himself a girlfriend. She decided not to focus on her too much. When Godiva mentioned Monet St. Croix, Kyuukai wasn't surprised because she had figured something like that was the case.
Once all the introductions were complete, Kyuukai motioned for everyone to follow her. "I'm guessing Godiva didn't give you information on what the museum is, or how it is set up. Off to the right of the entrance here is a presentation theater. It is where visitors can get some basic information on what the museum is about, and a little bit on each of the exhibits. There is a projection room set up above and behind the seating area, and through a secret passage close to there is our security room."
At that moment, she heard the man named Sean Cassidy ask a question. "Do you have a cameras and other security measures in place that can be accessed from there?" She nodded and saw a look of relief cross everyone's faces. She wished she could share that relief, but lately some odd things had started with the cameras. They had been placed in ways that everything could be seen in the rooms they were in, but lately, some of the rooms, if not all, had developed blind spots.
They entered the next room, and when she looked at the group, she saw a look of awe on Richard's face. Godiva had said a few times that Richard would love this exhibit. "This room is devoted to the myths and legends of many cultures. Most of us are only familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, but we have stuff from other cultures as well."
She heard the awe in Richard's voice as he looked at the various objects in the room, with the redhead Yvette by his side. "This is beyond amazing. Where did you get some of this stuff?"
She looked at Godiva, who had a smile of pride on her face. Godiva was always glad to surprise her cousin. "Let's just say I have my sources." She then watched as Godiva led the way into the next exhibit, and she helped usher them on.
Once they were in the next room, she noticed the Asian girl named Jubilee looking around, taking in all the creatures exhibited in the room. "Is this an exhibit for monsters?"
Kyuukai responded to the question the best way she could. "Yes, and no. This room is devoted to the strange creatures in the world. I believe the proper term would be cryptids. Let's face it. Myths do have some basis in reality. Plus, some species have been found thanks to the legends."
She noticed that one of the exhibits had caught the attention of the young man named Jonothan. She even heard his strange psychic voice when he asked, "Is that supposed to be Nessie?" She figured he would figure it was the most famous of the supposed sea monsters in the world.
She responded by walking over to the sea monster exhibit, and saying, "Yes, and no. While Nessie is the most famous one, the plaque acknowledges other similar creatures like Champ, and Ogopogo." She then motioned to some of the other items in the room. "We have a model of a Yeti, a Thunderbird, and even a stuffed version of the bird-eating spider." She noticed that Richard was looking at it, who she thought would be freaking out right now, but to her surprise, he was remarkably calm.
She watched as Godiva walked over to him, and said, "Cousin, you have me a bit concerned. I figured you would have freaked looking at that. Something happen to your arachnophobia?" She remembered saying that the sight of that thing would make anyone jump, especially if they had a fear of spiders.
To her amazement, she heard him calmly say, "Let's just say I've found something far worse to fear." She noticed that the redhead had also gotten close to Richard at the time, as if it was a fear they had in common. She also noticed that her lover's face took on a look of grave concern. It was enough to tell her that whatever this thing was, there was a right to be concerned. It takes a lot to make someone drop a phobia like that.
Kyuukai took a deep breath and motioned to the door of the next room. "Let's continue, shall we." She then led them into the room. Deep down, she figured this exhibit would end up being a favorite of many visitors. As then all moved into the room, she explained the theme. "This room is devoted to UFO's and all related phenomena. We have exhibits for Men In Black, the main types of aliens encountered in close encounters, and other things." She then gestured to the one for the Men In Black. "Godiva even donated to a movie that is being made so she could use their likenesses for the exhibit."
It was Emma Frost who responded to that statement. "That is a very business savvy move, Godiva." Kyuukai looked at Emma, and saw a slight smile on her face, as if she approved of the idea.
They all moved to the next room, and Kyuukai said, "This next room is very close to all of us here. This exhibit is dedicated to Ghosts and Haunted Locations. We even have it set up to have a Banshee wail go off when a group enters the room. Sadly, it's not working properly at the moment."
She could have sworn she heard a collective sigh come from the group. She didn't want to ask, but she had to believe it had to be linked to one of the groups powers. As the moved about, she did hear a few gasps. She wasn't surprised by that, since most people were not aware of all the ghost stories linked with places like the Tower Of London. She did see the African American boy known as Everett looking in surprise at the Amityville exhibit. She heard him even say, "I thought that was a hoax."
She heard Godiva respond to that statement. "It's still being debated. If it is ever proven to be a hoax, we'll just remove the exhibit." She then saw her motion to other exhibits in the room. "A few of the exhibits have been featured on Unsolved Mysteries." She noticed a few wide eyes at the mention of that show.
Kyuukai chuckled, and then motioned to the next exhibit. "A good number of our exhibits have shown up on Unsolved Mysteries, especially in the next exhibit room." She then led them into the room, where a bunch of figures were all around the room. All of them were of known figures. "This room is devoted to people with mystery surrounding their name. People like Billy the Kid, Jimmy Hoffa, and even the Kennedy's."
As she had expected when she saw the kids in the group, they all flocked to the exhibit for Billy The Kid. There was always something about the figures of the Wild West that drew children to them. After a moment, she saw the one identified as Franklin Richards turn to look at her. She figured who he was related to after hearing his name, but she hadn't fully expected him to ask what he did. "Will my parents get an exhibit here as well?"
It was a very awkward question to answer. While all the figures presented in this room were dead, or most likely dead, it was difficult to say that about a child's parents. Instead of answering it, she moved to the door to the next room, and motioned for the group to move on. As they neared the door, however, she said, "Just a warning, this next room might be a bit disturbing."
She opened the door and saw the reactions of the others in the group. It had been designed that way. Ironic that that particular sound file was working, and not the one for the Ghosts and Haunting exhibit room. She'd have to double check that later. As they all entered the room, she said "This room is devoted to the Inhumanities that people have inflicted on each other. Stuff like the Rack, the use of Gallows, and other such devices." Once she was looking at the group, she had noticed something.
The girl named Yvette had turned red, and not in the way of someone embarrassed. Her whole body was starting to turn red, and her hands were transforming into long claws. She watched as Richard wrapped his arms around her, and heard him say, "Relax. These are just props. None of them actually work. These are just exhibits." Apparently, it was enough to relax the girl, as her hands started to change back to normal.
It was at that point that she swore that Godiva's occasional bad timing had to kick in. "That's not actually true. We sort of got them from one of those alternative lifestyle clubs." She noticed the raised eyebrows from everyone, and she was sure Godiva noticed them as well. Her lover then back pedaled, adding to it, "Of course, they haven't been used recently."
Kyuukai hoped that would be the end of any more questions. She had hoped that it meant they could move on. She then watched as Richard eyed them for a moment. She wondered if he suspected anything. Thankfully, she saw him turn away from the replica of the rack. Still, she figured he suspected the truth of the room. She then caught a look on Emma Frost's face, and she had a feeling the woman also suspected some things about the room.
After a moment, she heard Richard say, "I'm sure any questions we may have about this room can wait for later. Can we move on? Yvette is not very comfortable in here." This made Kyuukai raise an eyebrow, but she figured it was something he was picking up on due to her reactions, or something in her past.
She nodded, and led them out of the room, and into the next exhibit room. Compared to the previous room, one could call the red glow in the room rather comforting. It was Godiva who explained the theme of the exhibits. "This room is dedicated to the theories that the Earth is hollow. You know, a lot of people gave it some serious thought over the years. We even threw in some nods to Jules Verne, if you look around."
She watched as they looked around, some even noticing the mark that pointed to the next room. They had done that on purpose, hoping people caught on to it. She also saw the young man named Mondo gently touch some of the rocks in the room. For a brief moment, she even saw his hand take on the same properties of the rock. She then walked over to the door, and opened it, revealing how well it blended in with the room. "Shall we head to the next room."
The next room gave off a feel like they were on a ship. It wasn't a cruise ship, or even a yacht, but more a military ship. The only odd thing was clocks all over, as well as other things that would mix in well. Kyuukai waited until they were all in the room before speaking. "This room is devoted to the Philadelphia Experiment and other items related to time travel. There are still some conspiracy theories saying that it worked."
To her surprise, Jubilee looked at the main part and said, "Well, we know the time travel part of it is true." This made her raise and eyebrow, and before she could ask, the young Asian girl continued. "Long story short, since whenever I talk about my X-Men days, everyone groans, but the X-Men have had a few encounters with time travelers, including their one member, Bishop."
Such a revelation took a bit of the wind out of Kyuukai's sails, so to speak. She had been certain this exhibit would be a mind blower. To hear something like that made her feel like the exhibit wouldn't be as she hoped. She then thought about it for a moment and wondered if the future was set in stone.
Instead of inquiring on that, she decided it would be best to move on. She led them into the next room, and said, "This next exhibit is dedicated to the lost and mysterious civilizations. You will see many replicas from many civilizations that have passed." She pointed out things representing Ancient Egypt, as well as the Mayans and the Incas.
As she pointed, she heard the girl named Monet St. Croix exclaim, "Mon Dieu, the statues from Easter Island, and Stonehenge are here as well. I didn't realize both were from lost civilizations." Kyuukai inwardly chuckled, since she figured that would be the usual reaction to the latter.
She then heard the boy named Angelo say, "Someone mark that down. Our resident know-it-all didn't know something." That statement caused a bit of laughter from what had been the students. Monet, however, looked a bit flustered at the statement.
Kyuukai smiled, and said, "It is very surprising that your reaction is a bit of the norm, even amongst scholars, Monet. The statues on Easter Island have been long wondered about, and they are still speculating on the origins and meanings of Stonehenge. We even have speculations on the location of Atlantis, and the lost civilization of Mu." She also noticed that the girl named Daria was studying the models of the pyramids of Egypt and the Mayans. No doubt she was pondering the possibilities of the two with so much in common.
It was then when Godiva motioned to the door to the next room and opened it. "Speaking of Atlantis, since one of the locations is supposed to be in the Bermuda Triangle, our next exhibit room is for that mysterious part of the ocean." With that, they entered a room with various exhibits devoted to lost airplanes, ships and even individuals.
Once they were all in the room, she noticed that Cartier St. Croix was also in the room. It had been him who had urged them to get in touch with the school. No doubt he wanted to be here before they entered the final exhibit room. When he turned to face them, she heard him say, "Ahh, I see you all got here…" She heard him trail off when he saw the group. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a look of panic or shock on his face, but he seemed to recover quickly as he looked at his daughter. "Hello Monet. I hope you are doing well."
She watched as Monet nodded, and even she seemed to notice his momentary shock. "I am, Father. Has something about the situation changed?" Inwardly, she wondered if Monet had an idea of what was going on in the place in the short amount of time since the statue arrived.
To his credit, she heard Cartier keep some of the details about events under wraps. She heard him say, "To my knowledge, I don't think things have gotten too bad yet." She then watched as Cartier looked towards Godiva, and said, "Maybe you should show them the reason why they were called down." For a moment, she saw Cartier look at the group, as if his attention was drawn to something in the group. It was obvious that there were more people there than he expected, and she wondered if it was one of the additional people that caused the man some anxiety.
At that moment, she watched as Godiva nodded, and then headed over to the door for the final exhibit room. Godiva opened the door, and briefly described the room as they entered it. "The reason I called for you was because of a new statue we got for the Demons exhibit. This room is to have statues, or other representations of demons from all cultures. The latest one we received, however, is the one we called about. It is said to be called…"
Kyuukai noticed Godiva had trailed off and saw her eyes had gone wide. She turned to where Godiva was looking, as did everyone, and saw what had caught everyone's attention. Both the girl named Yvette and Godiva's cousin had both stopped moving, and the two were turning red with their hair spiking, and their hands turning into red claws. She even noticed that their skin was getting a deeper shade of red.
She then saw the man named Sean turn to look from the two to the location of the new statue. It was like he didn't need to be told where it was placed. He looked right at the statue of the demon apparently called Emplate, and said, "It's as we feared." At that moment, Kyuukai felt things were going to get a lot worse, and from her brief glance at all the people, she saw the most worry briefly show up on Cartier's face.
X. Darrett
In the future, Darrett and his mother had made their way closer to the structure they were heading to. Everything he heard growing up made him believe this was the heart of evil. If others were to be believed, the evil ones had once been good, and somewhere in their home was the key to undoing things.
The only thing they had seen was an increase in Emplates. To make things worse, he had seen some of the rumored higher ups wandering around the old structure. He wasn't sure if coming to this place was going to be worth the risk. Still, they moved closer to the building, making sure they weren't seen.
As they neared it, he heard his mother say, "Back then, I still didn't fully believe so many of the old civilizations had been linked in some way. Hell, I was fascinated by the pyramids in that one exhibit. However, I do recall that all structures like that were built with hidden passages. Even the ancestral home of His family had them. It would be no doubt that they would be used for even hiding what we seek in there. A last resort should something like this happen." He then saw her point in a certain direction.
He looked that way and noticed that it was the one area with a lack of guards around it. He wasn't entirely sure it was the case, but he wasn't sure if they could make it there without being seen. He looked back at his mother, and said, "Do you think I should set up a distraction, just to be safe?"
He watched as his mother looked in the direction of the other guards and nodded. "Yes, it might be best. But don't use anything they can use." He nodded, and they stepped back so he could successfully use his power to set up the distraction they needed to get into the building.