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Catch A Sound Wave
Bonds of Trust
It was quiet at the Xavier School. A while ago, Yvette Cassidy, as her name was now since Sean adopted her, would have enjoyed a movie with her boyfriend. Of course that was before the museum, before their near abduction. Now they had started to live for the day. A few times, someone one had caught them kissing for too long. They were still scared to be apart, but Sean and Emma took precautions. Now it was a Friday night. She knew that Rich was hoping to treat her to a movie. She had hoped it would have been one they could watch alone, no one from the school around. That was then. Now they were sitting at a table, playing Clue with Jubilee, Everett, Monet, and Darrett, the new boy. The only advantage they had was that they still had their mental link. {My love, any ideas?} She asked through the link they shared.
Although Rich wore a poker face, his mental voice said it all. {Monet is to blame. She killed Tim Curry, in the place to eat, with the weapon that killed the Telegram Girl.} She had watched the film with Rich twice already, and knew what the answer was.
Monet looked at her and said, "Well Penny, what are you going to do?" She just smiled at her former captor's sister.
She stood up and in a proud voice said, "I accuse Ms. Scarlett in the Dining Room, with the Revolver."
A voice came from the back of the room. It was Emma Frost's. "Very good, Yvette, now I want you to solve it without Richard's help." Yvette was shocked that Emma knew. She watched as Emma took the cards and started to shuffle them, picking out a Person, Place and Thing. When she finished, she beckoned Rich to the couch. Yvette watched as her boyfriend moved away from the table and sat on the couch. She knew it was best for him, but she wanted to be with him.
She heard Darrett comment, "Should have know they'd cheat."
She was about to hit the boy as Angelo sat down and said, "Don't judge them for what they had done in your past. Rich and Yvette are some of the best mutants here." She nodded with what Angelo said. She turned and saw Rich had reached for his Gameboy. She had gotten him a Color one for Christmas. She could tell by the red cartridge in it that he was continuing his Pokemon game.
The same game played out, but it was interrupted when she saw Sean enter with the rest. On her adoptted fathers face, she saw a look of urgency. She listened as he said, "Hank just called. E' said we might want to see the news."
She had a little fear in her voice as she said, "What's wrong?"
She noticed that his look was grim as he said, "Hank just said we had better turn it on." She watched as he picked up the remote and activated the TV. It was as if no one was playing the game. The picture on screen had a prison on it.
She noticed that everyone listen with intense intrest as the voice on the TV said, "What you see is the prison outside the city of Easton. The rescent upset here was caused by a prison break. The escapee, like most of the prisoners here, is an evil mutant. Easton is a known safe haven for mutants. An FBI agent reporting here at the time gave this statement." The image switch to that of a man with dark hair and what looked to be a young face.
Yvette watched intensly, but heard Rich say in their mental link, {No, it can't be.} She looked in his direction and could see it in his form that he was scared. He was shaking like a leaf.
The man said, "The FBI believes that Soundwave, as he likes to call himself, is nowhere in the area at the time. The key witness that helped in his apprehension and gave the testimony that sent him to prison is not in Easton at this time. We ask that all law enforcers help us apprehend Soundwave. If you see him, approach him with Hard Rock music. He hates noise. He can't use it. All that we can reveal about the witness' location is that he is up in the New England area." Yvette heard a door slam. She turned to see Rich had left the room.
Sean just said, "I think Hank suspected as much. Remember after Elane's attack that Hank interviewed Rich for his files. I think it has something to do with that breakout."
A mocking voice in the room said, "It has everything to do with it." Yvette, as well as the others, turned to face Darrett. "In my time, Soundwave was one of the worse in the army." Everyone knew that Darrett had saved her and Rich, but they also knew that Darrett was from a future where she and Rich were evil Emplates. It sent a chill through her body everytime she thought of it.
Emma looked at Darrett and said, "What do you know of this Soundwave character?"
The boy just said, "Enough. He was one of the worse in their army. He qualified as second in command. He resented his spot and situation, but he knew he didn't dare chance a conflict. You see, according to story, Rich and Soundwave were at one time friends, but Soundwave attempted to frame Rich for his own crimes. Rich helped in the apprehension of Soundwave and testified at the trial. Soundwave was put away for life."
Yvette realized what that meant. Rich was afraid for his life. She knew now why Rich disappeared. She looked at Darrett and said, "How crazy is he?"
Darrett looked at her and said, "He's been in prison, without interaction with anyone. He's probably demented by now. When he was broken out in my time line, he was an affective enforcer, but was mentally out of it." The boy started to leave the room and said, "He was also very 'lonely', if you catch my drift." The boy had left and Yvette could have sweared that everyone had shuddered when he said that. She didn't like the tone that word carried.
She heard Everett say, "That boy freaks me out. Sean, did Hank say who his father was?" She had to admit that she knew very little about the future boy, and she didn't trust him.
Her father said, "Hank never said. He had his reasons." She looked at him and wondered what secrets her father was hiding from them. She then wondered where her love had gone into hiding. She decided to check his room in the boy's door.
Jubilee noticed as Yvette started out the door. They all had been instructed to pay close attention to where both Yvette and Rich were. There was still an underlying fear that Rich would try and keep Penny's abilities. She motioned to the others at the table, "I think we better follow her." Jubilee had once walked in on one of their long kisses. She at times wished that Ev would kiss her like that, but she knew that would probably wait. Lately, both Rich and Yvette were trying to live for the moment. She had caught a glimse of them looking over the movie section of the paper. They were trying to pick a movie to watch. That's why she decided on the Clue game. Stop them before they leave. Now, the news of this Soundwave character freaked Rich out.
She noticed Sean was behind her, Everett, Monet and Angelo. He said, "Think she's going to try to find out something." She noticed the look on Sean's face. It was touched with worry. A worry that one might have about a teenage daughter.
She just nodded, not knowing what to say. Monet then said, "I hope that Darrett is wrong about how viscious this Soundwave is. Something tells me the way he put it, that Soundwave has no regard for others."
Everett just said, "He's been in jail for a while. I'm more worried what he might due to certain people here." Jubilee realized what he meant. She shuddered at the thought.
She just said to Everett, "That scares me to blazes." She looked up at Sean and noticed that his face had gone pale. She then said, "I think Penny might have gone to talk to Rich. He looked pretty shook up."
As they entered the boy's dorm, Jubilee noticed Penny was standing at the door to Rich's room. As they approached, Jubilee looked in to see a sight she had never seen. She just heard Penny go, "He's terrified. I don't want to go near him. He's had that all his life, a piece of his youth, his innocence." Jubilee saw that Rich was sitting on his bed, indian style, and clutching what looked like a blanket.
She noticed that Sean stepped forwards and said, "Let me talk to the lad, alone." She noticed that everyone left the door, except Penny. She didn't want to pressure her into leaving. She just stepped back and allow everything to play out.
He knew they were there, but he didn't care. He was too scared to care. Davis was loose. The courts assured him that Davis wouldn't escape, but he did. He still remembered that day in court. Davis telling him that he would kill him when he got free. He was scared for his own life, more scared than he had been of Emplate and Aura. Then it hit him, Yvette was in trouble, too. Davis would kill her too, and maybe even Gen X. He shuddered as the thought crept through his mind. He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was so focused on his fears that he hadn't noticed Sean's ability had kicked in on him until the Irishman put a hand on his shoulder. He also saw Yvette still in the doorway. She was worried, and he could tell. Sean just said, "What happened, lad? Darrett told us a tale, but what's true about it?"
Rich looked at his teacher, and as of recently, his girlfriend's father and told him the truth. "He was at one time my friend, at least I thought he was. Soundwave, or as his real name Davis Skinur, was a high school friend of mine. I never knew what he was until the day at the bank, due to the amount of mutants at our school. You see, the news mentioned Soundwave everyday, and no place had a clear picture of him. He had pulled off robbery after robbery, and crime after crime. To Davis, it was a daily game. The FBI was called in. One day they managed to corner him, at the main branch of a local bank. I was there, running an errand for my parents. I was surprised when I saw who Soundwave was. Davis had me taken aside and planned to send me out in his place. He wanted to frame me for his crimes."
Sean just looked at him, "What happened lad? How did ye stop him?"
Rich swallowed and said, "I learned about my ability a bit more than I had known. I used his own ability against him. I manipulated him and his gang out in to the police's hands. The FBI man rushed in and I almost collapsed. It was a great strain on me. The trial happened a few days later."
He saw his beloved walk over to him and say, "What happened?" She was concerned, and she had right to be.
"When I testified, Davis had no chance of an innocent verdict. He vowwed vengence on me. He said that he'd kill me. He actted crazy, for he said that someone named Big Blue wanted it that way. I was scared, that's why I left Easton, but the FBI always tried to protect me." He sighed. "It's going to do no good now. Davis is going to find me. He's going to kill me. He's a mad man, and I can't imagine what incarceration has done to him."
He felt Yvette hug him as she whispered in his ear, "Protect me, please." She was afraid of Davis, too. He went to return the hug, but was afraid of what Sean would say. He lightly hugged her and looked at Sean.
He saw Sean look back and say, "It's alright, but don't get carried away. I don't want to force you two to break up." He nodded and hugged his beloved a little tighter. He noticed as Sean left the room. He sighed a bit in relief. He always worried about how Sean would treat their relationship now that Yvette was his legal daughter. His thought was cut short when Yvette kissed him on the lips.
When she stopped, he said, "How about that movie?" That was their original plans for the evening. Something nice, they were going to try and see a film with Matthew Broderick in it, but Jubilee waylaid them with Clue.
She smiled and said, "We were going to go see that Matthew Broderick film. Any suggestions?" He smiled as he went over to a shelf and pulled out a tape.
He put the tape in and said, "Well, he's a scientist in this one." He kissed her, knowing that Sean trusted their judgement enough to let them be alone for a while, as the film started. They just watched the film as they laid on the top of his bed.
Davis stood at the front of store in Easton appalled at what he heard. The one who put him prison was far away. He was furious. Knowing Rich, the boy would only entrust the info with his family, but they would never tell anyone else where he was. Davis turned and faced the street. This was not going to be easy. He had to find a way to narrow down the search. He then heard a deep voice say "I heard you escaped. Can I trust you to get the job done this time?"
He spun around and saw a blue face one of the TV's. It was Big Blue, the one who wanted him to frame and then kill Rich. He never understood why this man, or was he a mutant, wanted Rich killed. "If I can find him? He left town."
The face just looked at him and said, "I'll give you some assistance, Davis, but you better not fail me." Davis nodded. He wanted to find Rich and get vengence. He didn't care why Big Blue wanted all of this done, but he did wonder about it. Big Blue then said to him, "You can find information at the residence of the X-Men. I trust you can get past their security."
Davis had heard of the X-Men. He knew that they were mutants, but he was willing to fight them just to get the info he needed. "I'll do it. I'm sure they'll be no trouble at all for me." He didn't want to disappoint his boss again, although he knew almost nothing about Big Blue.
The face smiled, and he felt a shiver. "See that you don't, or I may just have to reconsider your usefulness to me." The image disappeared and Davis sighed. He couldn't believe what he was going to do. It might be interesting to see how he can handle the X-Men. He let and evil smile cross his lips as he contemplated what to do to them if they tried to stop him. He took out a tape that he swiped, put it in 'his' walkman and flew off in the direction of New York, making a brief stop at his old hideout to get something.
Emma walked with Sean down the hall of the boys dorm. "I can't believe how this is affecting Rich." She was worried that all this would turn around the slow progress that was made when they were rescued from Emplate. She also then thought about what Sean told her. That he had left Rich and Yvette alone. "I also can't believe that you left Rich and Yvette alone. You and I both know that they have been living for the day lately. You know what could happen."
Sean looked at her and said, "True, but I trust them not to do anything stupid. I know that they love each other, and I know that Rich nor Yvette want to jeopardize that." She wished that she had the same faith that he had in the two.
Emma listened as they headed down the hall. She heard a movie playing. "Are they watching a movie?" She remembered that Jubilee mentioned that they were planning that. She had a thought run through her head. What some couples do in movie theaters. "Oh no." She broke off into a run down the hall. Sean was closely on her tail.
She heard him say, "What's wrong?"
She just said, "Did you ever take a date to a movie, Sean?" She heard him pick up his pace. That idea had worried him. When they neared the door to Rich's room, they saw it was still open. She wondered why the door was open. She looked into the room and couldn't believe her eyes. On the TV, a movie was playing, but the two people in the room were fast asleep, on top of the bed. She stepped into the room and said, "I'm surprised."
Sean followed her in and said, "I'm not. I trust the lad's judgement, and I trust me 'daughters' judgement. But I think that we should take Yvette back to her room." She watched as he went down to pick her up. She then thought about it what it might mean to the two.
She stopped Sean and said, "No, I think for tonight, they should stay together. Let's just leave them a note." She saw the look he gave her and said, "We take her out of the room now, and Rich might panic. Last thing we want is for Rich to panic, especially since Davis escaped."
Sean nodded and said, "Yur right. I just hope that they don't try to live for the moment." She looked as Sean picked up a patchwork quilt. He then said, "With all that is running through his mind, Rich probably feels his only escape is to be a kid again. Maybe it'll help calm him down, hope it does right now." She watched as Sean covered the two sleeping forms with it. She couldn't help but view them both as her own children. It was very unusual, but it fit. She turned off the TV and VCR, and they left the room, but not without posting a special psionic note in their brains. Only recently was she able to break through their language barrier.
As they left the room and closed the door, she listened for a moment. She heard a different voice. One she never heard before. Before she mentioned it to Sean, she heard a second voice. She turned to Sean and said, "Darrett is talking to someone." This worried her. What if Davis, or this Soundwave as his name was now, was on the school grounds, and Darrett was helping him.
Sean just nodded and said, "Let's see the boy." For once, she could have sworn that he read her mind. They headed off in the direction of his room.
Darrett just laid on his bed. He had company, but he knew who it was. He just said, "I don't think I can get use to this time line, Henry. I mean, it's too weird. Our savior in our time line is a madman in this time line. Skitz and Penance are good guys. There are too many things to mention." He sat up and looked at the figure sitting in the chair. He was, as usual, tinkering with a toy.
The man was wearing the garb of a 1930's man of high wealth and almost renaissance taste. "Well, look at me. Where I came from, my victory turned into my failure. You change an event in time, and time rewrites itself. Some things remain the same, others change greatly." The man stop tinkering with the toy and threw it to Darrett. As he caught it, the man said, "It's like that little puzzle. There are many solutions, but with each choice the path is different."
He fiddled with the puzzle and said, "Yes, I suppose that is true. I just wish I could use my knowledge to help more. I mean, now Soundwave is free. Any ideas on how to stop him. I mean you should know."
The figure let out a slight cackle and said, "You have to do like I did. Manipulate him into defeating himself. That can help you, but I don't think you can. You see, Skitz and Penance aren't your enemies this time. They are your allies. All these people are."
Darrett just looked at the figure and said, "Henry, it's hard to except. My father is dating one person, and my mother is interested in another. I don't know what to think." The figure walked over to him and put his hands on his shoulders.
"Don't think about it. Remember you met Bishop. His timeline might be gone now. He's outside it. He's here and now. You're here and now. You are this timeline now. Adjust. Remember some the best plans need some adjusting." Darrett noticed that Henry stopped talking and looked at the door. He turned around to see who was at the door. It was Sean and Emma.
Emma Frost looked at him sternly and said, "Who is that, Darrett?" Darrett lost his train of thought and the figure disappeared. "Where did he go?"
Darrett figured he had to explain that much. "I brought him here. It's my ability. I summon certain beings. While I have them here, I control them. It only works on some beings." He hoped that they would understand.
Sean Cassidy looked at him and said, "Alright, but who was that man? Was he someone you could summon?"
Darrett nodded and said, "That was Henry. He is a toy maker. He's like a confidant I can keep. I summon him when I need to talk to someone about my problems." He noticed that Emma looked at him with hurt eyes.
She walked over to him and said, "You can talk to us about your problems. Remember, we are all here to help you." He knew they wanted to help, but it was difficult to explain to them why.
"Emma, I understand what you are saying, but there are so many things different I have to try and think them through. Just give me time." He watched as they nodded and left the room. He closed the door, locked it, and went to his bed. Maybe he need to sleep on the whole mess.
Everett had decided to spend some time with Jubilee. This whole upset with the idea of this Soundwave character had her a little upset. It had him worried as well. From what Darrett said, it had him very worried. That boy made him feel uneasy. It was as if the boy was judging him. He was lost on this thought when he heard Jubilee say, "Ya know Ev, I always thought I would have to worry about Sabertooth doing me in. Now, I don't know."
Everett knew how scared Jubilee was of Sabertooth. Even back during the attack by the Phalanx, she didn't trust him. "Jubes, you don't have to worry about this Soundwave character. I'll protect you from him." That was true. He would protect her from anything. He'd risk his life to protect her from Emplate, Sabertooth and all the others that would harm her.
Jubilee smiled at him. That was a good sign. She looked at him and said, "Ya mean it, Ev."
He put his arms around her and said, "I'll protect you no matter what the risk." That was the truest statement he ever said. He looked deep in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, and something told him that she was hoping he'd do the same. He decided to kiss her.
It seemed that that thought attracted attention. He almost jumped when there was a knock at the door. On the other side came the voice of Paige, "Jubes, can Ah talk to you for a second."
He looked at her and saw a heartbroken look on her face. She just sighed and said, "Yea, come on in." He let go of her as Paige walked in the door.
He heard Paige gasp as she said, "Did Ah walk in on something?" He felt a little embarrassed by what she implied.
Everett then said, "No. We weren't getting into that at all. I was trying to comfort Jubes about the threat of Soundwave." It was the truth.
Paige sighed and he saw another person behind her. It was Jono. "She was worried about that too. She was worried about what he might do to her, Jubilee, and all the other gels here." Everett watched as a look of fear washed over both girls faces.
Everett just sighed and said, "We were just getting past all that Jono. I think we have to face facts that we have a real problem to deal with. I know that we don't have to worry much about what he might do to all of us. We have to worry what he might do to Rich and Yvette. They are going to get the full force of Soundwave's fury."
He heard Paige gasp as she said, "My Gawd, you're right. Rich is the real target, and Yvette will be in the line of fire."
Jubilee looked up and said, "And we are just consolation prizes in Soundwave's little game of vengence." Everett watched as they all nodded in agreement. "This is not good. We have to help them, and it puts us in a great risk area. We don't even know much about Soundwave. We don't have a photo or anything."
Everett smiled and said, "I think we might. Yvette will know because of the memories she and Rich have shared, but I remember seeing a high school yearbook in Rich's room. We might have an answer there."
They were all surprised when they heard Emma Frost say, "Good thinking, Everett. I wish I had thought of it while Sean and I were in there."
Paige was first to say, "Why were you in his room?"
Emma just said, "His TV was on. He and Yvette got to see part of a movie. They weren't paying attention to it as much as they were earlier."
He swore that the same thought was running through everyone else's mind that was running through his. "You mean they were...." He didn't want to say what he suspected, but they all knew what he meant.
Emma just said, "No. They were laying on top of his bed, fast asleep. We left them together because if they woke up seperated, Rich might fear that Soundwave is here. I planted a mental note in their minds saying what Sean and I did."
Everett looked at her and said, "What about making sure he doesn't try to keep her ability?"
He notice that Emma gave him a nasty glance as she said, "Which do you want to deal with, Everett, Rich trying to hold an ability, or Rich scared out of his wits because Yvette isn't around when she was around?' He understood what she meant. She then said, "Now, I think it is all time for you to go to bed." She left the room and everyone followed.
Everett stopped and turned around to face Jubilee. "Sleep well. I won't let anything happen to you." When she smiled, he turned and left. Next time, he figured, they might get a chance to kiss goodnight.
She looked at the clock. 2 AM. She had been laying in this room since she went to bed. The thought about this Davis fellow kept preoccuping her mind. Monet St. Croix wondered if it had anything to do with Claudette, her 'twin' sister that inhabited the form with her. She didn't want to say anything to anyone about it. No one here needed to know that her sister would help Marius at any chance she got. She couldn't help but wonder if Claudette was thinking of informing Marius of this, or even helping Soundwave. She was thinking about this when she heard the voice of her sister pipe up in her head [Wondering who'd I help, dear sister?]
Monet hated how her sister would do that. [That has been racking my mind, Claudette. I would not be surprised if you informed Marius to meet this Soundwave character.] She hated how her sister admired Marius.
Her sister just laughed and said, [You think you're so brilliant, yet you are so blasted stupid. Marius and his beloved wants Rich and Yvette alive, they don't want two corpses. If anything, I'd ask them for help to stop Soundwave, although I'd like to see what chaos this guy can cause.]
She couldn't belief what Claudette just said to her. [Do you know what he might do to all of Gen X? He might kill us, or worse.]
She heard her sister laugh again. [You're terrified of this aren't you. I hope he does do something mean to you. Let's see, he's been in prison for a few years and is crazy and demented. I like the sound of that.]
Monet hated that and then realized something. [If he does anything to me, he's doing it to you too.] Her sister stopped laughing. Now there was a different feeling all together. Her sister was scared, and she was now happy at that. She was happy that her sister finally realized the trouble they were in. At that moment, she finally got to sleep.