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Tradition
Search for the Truth
Rich sat at one end of the table in the library, while Yvette sat next to him. Each of them were reading one of the many books that was in the library. He was learning so much about his family, and the past of his family and friends. He knew that Yvette was looking through one of the more current books, most likely writen by his father, but he was looking through one of the oldest tomes in the library. Finally, he had found something very important. He put his hand on Yvette's and said, "Look at this, Yvette."
She looked up and looked at the book he was reading. As she looked at it, she asked "What did you find?"
He pointed to the page and said, "This passage is from sometime in the 990's. It states that for some reason, my ancestor, as well as the ancestors of my father's friends met and had an enlightening experience. The three were bound that day to fight for the betterment of mankind, as well as for what is right and just." He almost froze when he saw the next line.
He felt Yvette squeeze his hand slightly. "What's wrong?"
Rich's forced the words out. "I-i-it appears that my ancestor, the first Paladin, was given the task to fight one of the major forces of evil on our planet. He was to fight a being that dubbed himself the one thing man feared most. It says that the being dubbed himself 'End Times'. He saw the puzzled looked in her eyes. He then said the word he knew it meant. "Apocalypse."
He heard her gasp as she asked a very serious question. "Has anyone ever survived it?"
He didn't know how to answer it. The mutant that dubbed himself that had existed for a long time. He just sat back, almost exausted just by thinking about the unthinkable scenario and said, "I don't know. I'm guessing not."
Another voice then spoke, and it was Grimore. "The fact of the matter is that none of your ancestors lived long afterword. In fact, I think that is why this happened now."
Rich looked at Grimore, as well as Yvette, and said, "What do you mean?"
The cat jumped onto the table and said, "Every one of your ancestors died not to soon after the fight with Apocalypse. It took a tool on both sides, but it just weakened Apocalypse. He keeps a close eye on your family."
Yvette just said, "You mean that Rich is going to fight Apocalypse and die?" He understood her fear.
He watched as Grimore looked at him and said, "I don't know. You see, Apocalypse has been watching the Cales for a long time. He knew it was a matter of time before a mutant was born into the family, and that could seriously complicate his agenda. However, Rich's abilities I think made him panic. He went to great lengths to try and eliminate you."
Rich had an idea what Grimore was hinting at, but didn't press it. He then said, "How long until this fight, and why would he want me to hold the title now?"
He watched as the cat said, "If we are lucky, it can be held off for a few years, but worse case scenario would be before the end of the year. As for why, it's obvious. You are inexperenced with the title. And you have been denying your family past for a good many years now."
Rich understood what Grimore meant. He sighed and said, "You're right. Grimore, is their anything else that we should know?" It was an honest question. They have had a good deal of surprises this week so far.
The cat just jumped of the table and said, "Yes, but I can't tell you just now. I can only tell the both of you that tomorrow will change your lives." Rich sat back as Grimore left the room.
He was slightly stunned by what he had learned. He never knew that his existance could be so important. What happened to just living a normal life? Yes, he was a mutant and he could make that normal. Yes, he was rich, but he wanted a normal pay. Yes, he had a girlfriend that was a mutant, and he loved her a great deal, and that he always wanted. Now, he had much more to deal with. He was one of the few people that could make a difference in the world, although most people wouldn't know it. He was not a person trying to make a small part of the world his home. To one being, he was a problem that needed to be snuffed out. He was scared. He then felt Yvette hug him. He looked at her and she smiled and kissed him. As they kissed, she just said, {I believe in you my love. I also know that you will not die, because I won't let you. You're too important to all of your friends to die, and I know that you can fight Apocalypse. He's scared of you.} He felt a bit better as she spoke. He felt better about his situation.
Yvette didn't want to end the kiss, but she felt that he needed to see what she found in the book she was reading. It had alot to do with how his father, and Monet's father knew each other. When she stopped the kiss, she just said, "You need to see this."
He looked at the book she was ready and said, "What did you find?"
She held his hand, to comfort him, as she said, "It appears that a few years back, your father, and his two friends, fought a creature in Algeria. It was a strange combination exhibiting traits of both male and female. It called itself M-Plate."
Rich looked at her, and she could see the shock in his eyes. "You meant Monet and Emplate merged, and this was the result." She then noticed as he corrected himself. "Claudette, she was included."
She nodded and said, "Your father states that it took them a few hours to subdue the creature and seperated the three. Emplate was forced to the respirator he wears, and he disappeared from sight. Monet was put in charge of keeping Claudette under control."
Rich gasped as he came to a similar conclusion that she had reached. "Monet is suppose to keep Claudette repressed, but Claudette must be breaking through at times, and even communicating with Emplate." She hadn't taken it that far, but she didn't want to believe that much.
She looked at him and said, "How can you be sure of that much?" She noticed that he looked like he had some doubts about it. She didn't want to believe that one of their best friends would turn them over to Emplate if they got the chance.
Rich then sighed. She could tell that the thought was heavy on his mind. "Ok, let me think this out. Monet is told to keep Claudette in check, but she has these attacks. What if the twins are fighting, and those times are when Claudette can assert control and contact Emplate."
She knew what Rich was getting to, and then said, "Rich, maybe we have seen her in control. Those times when Monet doesn't act like herself. What if it is Claudette?" She started to worry about that. How many times did Claudette have the oppurtunity to betray them? She felt a little bit of comfort when Rich squeezed her hand.
Rich sat back and said, "There is one person who we can ask, and that is Cartier. Maybe we should give him a call." She watched as he stood up, and then followed him out of the room. They were going to get an answer to this question.
Grimore was laying on the bed when he saw Rich and Yvette enter. He could clearly tell that his new master was bothered by something. He watched as Rich headed for the phone, and he had a feeling that the boy was going to try and call someone. He stood up and said, "The phone won't work until after the lawyer visits tomorrow."
He watched as Rich spun around and said, "What lawyer? You never mentioned anything about a lawyer." The boy was shocked, however, the boy was no longer his former self.
Grimore just said, "Simple. There are some legal matters to take care, like the ownership of the business, and other customary things. As well, you have some new aspects of your power to get use too. The way I figure, the two of you have the same ability now." He noticed as he saw Rich smile, as well as Yvette.
He then heard Yvette say, "Emplate can't try to control you anymore." Apparently, Rich had claimed the attention of Marius, but he didn't understand his condition fully.
Grimore walked to the edge of the bed and said, "Not true. Rich, he can still force his ability on you, but it would take longer for it to surface and stick. Yvette's ability is your primary ability. You still could hold other abilities." He saw a bit of a crest fallen look on his master's face.
He watched as Rich kneeled down to look at him and said, "You mean that I might still become a victim to Emplate?" As he nodded, he heard Rich say, "What about Claudette, is she a threat to us as well?"
Grimore didn't want to talk about that. He had seen what the three St. Croix children had become, and a majority of their abilities came from Claudette's symbiotic magnification. He just said, "As long as Monet can surpress Claudette, she is no threat, but if Claudette can assert control, there is no telling what might happen. I take it you want to talk to Cartier." When Rich nodded, he just said, "Well, the lawyer will arrive around 9 a.m, so you can call him afterwords." He saw the relief on the faces of the two. He then headed up to the pillow and said, "Now, if I were you two, I'd get ready for bed, and climb into bed. It will be a very eventful day tomorrow." He watched as the two just nodded and started to prepare for bed. He knew what was coming. Rich and Yvette were about to have a major change in their lives, but it was coming much sooner than either would have guessed.
Darrett sat with Monet on the couch in the lounge. Heading off campus was not allowed since their company had arrived. While they were being shown to their rooms, Monet had lead him to the lounge. He wasn't exactly sure how a first date was suppose to go, but something in him told him that this wasn't exactly it. As they sat there, Monet said to him, "You know Darrett, I've admired you since you arrived here. There is something about you that appeals to me."
He didn't know what to say. Deep down, he didn't know what it could be. He wasn't totally attracted to Monet. He decided it might be best to find out. He just said, "What might that be?"
She gave a giggle and moved closer to him. He started to feel a bit unconfortable due to her proximity. He thought that she seemed a little too close for a first date. She looked into his eyes and said, "Everything. You're handsome, strong, smart, and have one cool ability."
When she said that, he knew for a moment who was talking. He was sure of it. He started to back away. "You're not Monet, you're Claudette." The thought bothered him greatly.
The more he tried to back away, she got closer. "How can you say I'm not Monet?" She was so close now, that their lips almost touched.
As he tried to back up some more, he fell off the couch and onto the floor. It wasn't long before she had him pinned down. He just said, "Monet wouldn't act so aggressive. She's more passive, and more attractive."
He noticed that the face on 'Monet' changed as she said, "Figures you'd be the one who could tell the difference between us, but I doubt you have the strength to stop me." She was right, since if he tried to summon something strong enough to stop her, it might rebel. However he didn't need to. He noticed that she seemed to freeze. She was in one of her states. Did that mean that Monet was trying to assert control.
His thoughts were cut short as he heard running. He glance at the door as Sean appeared with Emma, and the two other teachers from the other school. His first words were those of shock. "What the hell happened 'ere?"
Darrett just said, "Could you please help me up. I think Claudette tried to take advantage of me."
As they all came over to help get 'Monet' off of him, he heard Emma say, "You mean Claudette was in control all this time." He nodded, as she continued, "So, we might have two opposites in Monet after all."
Sean just said, "That ain't good." Darrett felt he could agree with that.
He then heard the male teacher from the other school saying, "How bad could it be?"
When he could finally get up, he heard Sean say, "John, do ye remember when we encountered that Trance fellow and he teamed up with Emplate." As he watched the other teacher nodded, Sean said, "Well, if Monet hates Emplate, and Claudette is the opposite of Monet.."
Darrett felt he could finish the though, "Claudette will do anything to help Emplate." He watched as Sean and Emma nodded and then said, "Which would mean that Claudette would do anything she could if she felt it helped Emplate." The thought sickened him.
He heard Emma say, "It's too late to call her father, but I think for right now, we might want to restrain her in the med center and tell all the rest about this. This might be a big problem if Darrett's right." He started to hope he was wrong.
John Lynch remember his first encounter with Emplate when his students and Sean's students first met. Now he was strugling to lift up the form of Monet. Even Anna, his robotic helper, had problems lifting the member of Sean Cassidy's students named Monet. "Is she always this difficult to move?"
Sean stood up and said, "When the lass is like this, she's almost impossible to move?" He watched as Sean turned to the boy who had been pinned by Monet and said, "Darrett, do ye think you could get us a little help?"
He have expected the boy to leave the room, but heard something coming their way. He heard the boy say, "Hope this thing can lift her." John had seen some strange things in his career, but nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see. He almost reacted to the beast that entered as if it would attack, but the beetle-like creature approached Monet and picked her up.
John looked at it and said, "What is that thing?" He had never seen anything like that before, but he didn't wholy trust it.
The boy just said, "It's called a Garthim. I saw it in one of Rich's movies." John had remembering meeting all of Sean's students, or so he thought. As the student moved forward, following the creature, he and Anna stayed with Sean and Emma.
He said to Sean, "I take it Darrett is new to the school as well as this Rich fellow."
Sean nodded and said, "Well, ye didn't meet all of our student the last time we met. We have a boy named Mondo, as well as a lass named Yvette. I adopted her and made her my daughter recently."
He then heard Emma say, "And we have three new students, Darrett being the latest. There is Daria, and Richard."
He had remembered the boy named Darrett mentioning Rich's name. "Is Rich the boy's only name?"
Sean just said, "No, his full name is Richard Cale, Jr. Ye might meet him a few days from now." The name range a bell to him, but he couldn't place it right away.
He then heard Anna say, "You mean the son of the head of Paladin Technologies. Would we be correct in assuming he is a mutant?" He placed the name right away.
He stopped Sean and Emma and said, "Let me get this straight. One of your students is Richard Cale, Jr. Then we aren't going to have a relaxing visit."
He noticed the look on Sean's face. It had a good trace of worry in it. "What is it?"
He had to tell Sean this news. He had just heard it himself, before they left to visit the school. "Not to long before we left for here, I got a call telling me that Trance was spotted and almost caught, however he escaped. As he got away, he said that he was going to help an old friend capture the son of the president of Paladin Technologies. That was one of the records that Trance had broken into."
He heard Emma say, "This Trance and Emplate working together. Sean, they'll be after both Rich and Penance." He was almost puzzled by this when Emma said, "That is Yvette's codename. She's been the main target of attacks Emplate has made on the school. I'll summon the kids together, I just hope it doesn't get worse." He wondered how it could get worse, then though it would be better not to ask.
Paige and the others were busy showing Caitlin, Roxy and Sarah to their rooms. Each girl was getting a room in the girls dorm. As they were telling them where everyone would be staying, she saw Roxy stopped at one door in particular. The girl just said, "Who's room is this?"
Jubilee was first to answer. "That's Penny's room. She's been at the school for a long time, the only reason you didn't meet her last time was that she was a lot different. Her mutant gift wasn't easy to hide back then."
Caitlin just asked the simple question. "What is her ability?"
It was a simple question and Paige thought it was only right to give them and answer. "Well, Yvette, or as some of us call her, Penny, can make her skin so sharp that she can cut even the hardest material. Also, her skin can absorb light if she makes it tense enough."
She heard Sarah say, "But she's controlled this?" As she nodded, she then heard Sarah say, "I bet she's cute." Paige knew what the member of the group called Gen 13 was thinking.
She then heard Daria say, "Well, you have two problems on what your thinking. One is that she not here, she's in England right now, and two, she's with her boyfriend." She saw the disappointed look cross Sarah's face.
Paige watched as Caitlin said, "Will we see them tonight?" Paige wondered how she was suppose to answer that question. She figured it might seen unusual for two students to be alone, someplace that none of them knew where.
She figured she better answer the question. "No. Yuh see, Yvette and her boyfriend are away from the school right now, and probably won't be back until the day after tomorrow."
Roxy had spoken the question she didn't know how to properly answer. "Why are they gone, and are they alone?"
Jubilee immediately answered the question, "Well, Rich, who is Penny's boyfriend, had to leave since his parents were killed, due to some family tradition. Penny went with him, for moral support, but they left about 5 days ago."
Before any of them could ask another question, Paige heard Emma's voice in her head. [Students, we need everyone down in the med center. This is an emergency situation.]
This worried Paige, but she just said, "We all have to get to the med center, and something tells me that it means all of us." She watched as everyone nodded and they all ran out of the girl's dorm.
Jono saw as the girls had run into the main building. He and the other guys had just come out of the guy's dorm. It was not a good sign when Emma felt the need to psionically summon all of them. He heard Bobby say, "What's going on?"
Jono just said, Let's just say that there is major trouble afoot.> He had to admit that Bobby's ability to manifest flames was like his own, however the boy never lost his body in the process. Jono envied that small fact.
As they entered the building, Grunge said, "So, do you think it might be that Emplate fellow again."
He heard Angelo say, "I'd bet 20 bucks it is Emplate." Jono wouldn't take that bet. Usually a matter of this urgency meant Emplate.
As they made their way down the hall, he heard Everett say, "Don't take him up on that bet. He's probably right." Jono felt like he should have nodded in agreement, but they were soon at the med lab.
When they entered, he was surprised at what he saw, and he wasn't the only one. He heard Mondo ask the question that was on his mind. "Why is Monet strapped down onto the table?"
He watched as Sean said, "Cause, for right now, we don't know if it will be Monet when she comes to, or Claudette, and that's the problem."
Jono was not alone in noticing the odd habits that Monet had picked up and he said, Sean, you mean Monet might be a regular split personality?>
Emma answered the question by saying, "The closest we can figure is that Monet and Claudette are both in there, and Claudette wants to cause havoc. She had Darrett pinned to the floor. She almost an exact opposite of Monet, which means..."
He heard Angelo say, "Emplate is coming soon."
He then heard Jubilee in her sarcastic way say, "Thank you, Captain Obvious. We can handle Emplate and Aura."
Jono then realized something. Sean, Emplate won't attack us tomorrow.> It was one thing he felt he could count on.
He watch as Sean said, "Right Jono, cause if what we think is right, during this little spell, Claudette is probably telling Emplate about when Rich and Yvette will return. That's when he try his attack."
Jono watched as Caitlin said, "Mr. Lynch, why are we in on this?" He had wondered about that as well.
He watched as the man with a scar over his eye said, "Simple, Emplate has a familiar ally on his side. Trance." He listen as all of the Gen 13 team gasped. The man then said, "And from what Sean told me about Aura, we might have our work cut out for us."
He noticed as Daria just stood quiet and said, "Sean, I just had a though that might be bad or good. I'm not sure."
Jono think he knew what Daria was talking about. He just said, Daria, your not thinking about Soundwave, are you?> She nodded, and he immediately said, He's a lunatic. He'll kill us just to get to Rich.>
Daria then said, "But, I think he'll have to fight Emplate first. Remember the two have different agendas. They might end up weakening each other."
He watched Sean shake his head. "No lass, that is a terrible risk. Mr. Lynch and I have discussed it. Tomorrow, we will all train for the attack. Emma will try and find out the truth about Monet and Cluadette, and hopefully, we will only have to deal with Emplate, Trance and Aura." He nodded with that though. They were going to be busy, until Rich and Yvette were safe back at the school.
Emplate sat in his chair as his guests had finally arrived. It had taken some time for them to get there, but it was worth the wait. As his guests entered the room, he stood and said, "It has been a long time, Trance."
The langly man nodded and said, "So it has. I did some research on your quarry, this Richard Cale, and found some interesting facts about his family."
Emplate stopped Trance in mid sentance. "I know that his parents are dead, and that he is out of the country right now. We have to strike before he arrives back, on the day of his arrival. I think that some of your groups abilities might help in his capture."
He noticed that Trance glance over his should and said, "And who is that?" He knew who Trance was talking about. He motioned Elane forward.
As she stepped up, he heard her say, "All you need to know is that I'm Aura, and I'm by Emplate's side."
He then said, "Aura would also like to see Richard suffer at my hands." He then said, "Besides, your part in this maybe more so than I had expected."
He watched as Trance raised an eyebrow and said, "Why is that?"
Emplate just said, "Your foes, that Gen 13 group, are visiting, but, I'm sure my beloved will give them a surprise." He saw Trance smile at that. He then said, "We must plan our attack. If all goes well, we might both have a trophy to our names." The two laughed in unison as they went to plan their attack.