Attention: Generation X and their villians, 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 copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

Foe To Friend

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I. Darrett
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Darrett had returned to the site of the lair entrance. He and Everett had searched all over for another entrance, or the fields power source, but had no success. When they finally arrive, the others were waiting. Darrett felt all eyes on them as Sean said, "Mancer, Synch, did ye find anything?"

Darrett listened as Everett said, "Not a thing." He had to admit, Everett kept it simple. Same way he liked to keep things. More and more, Darrett saw traits that proved he was Everett's son.

He then said, "Looks like we have to go with a frontal assult. The only problem is, by the time we realize we are in the no sound zone, it may be too late." He had given some thought to the problem. There had to be a barrier in the room that allowed stuff to go in, but not out.

He then heard Emma say, "We could try psyonic communication. It would be the best way."

He then heard Jono say, "What if that barrier is ready for psyonics? If it wasn't, we would have heard something from inside. I can't even detect Skitz or Penance."

He head Jubilee say, "Chamber's got a point. If they could have called us, they would have. Even the communicators aren't working." He remembered hearing that the communicators went dead. He had heard that this timelines Apocolypse was dangerous, but this only proved the point. Whatever he had planned was thought out, and even he couldn't believe that it was this way. In his timeline, Apocalypse tried to save the world. Now what choice did they have. They had to break into Apocalypse's and stop him.

Darrett looked at the cave, somewhat upset at the whole situation and looked at Golden. The boy looked like he was doubled over in pain. Before the boy was alright, but now, something was different. He focused on his ability. and soon, next to him was Melodia. He looked at the woman and said, "Melodia, go in the cave and use you weapon to ensnare the boy in there."

He watched as she nodded and stepped into the cave. He heard her footsteps, and soon the music that came from her weapon filled the air as Golden looked to be ensnared in it. As the noise continued, he heard Clarice say, "What's that racket?"

Darrett turned to see everyone looking at him as he said, "The barriers down. Someone must have took it out in there."

As the team started to head in, he heard Angelo say, "How did you know, Mancer?":

It was a good question, that he answered simply. "Golden was doubled over in pain. I guessed the barrier fell, and he tried to kill the sound in the entire world, unknowningly."

He head Banshee say, "Good going, lad. Now it's time to end Apocalypse's fun." He nodded and soon, they were heading into the lair.

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II. Rich
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Rich looked out of the cage when the noise started. He heard an explosion somewhere nearby, but soon, more noise followed. Noise of a fight. He quickly sent out a psionic message and said, "Is anyone there?"

Soon, his question was answered as Emma said, "Skitz, it's Emma. Where are you?"

He was thankful he heard an answer, but he couldn't give her an answer. "All i know is that I'm in a cage. Be careful, Claudette is here, as well as the Dark Beast."

He was almost surprised when Emma said, "I know how to handle the Dark Beast. However, Claudette may be another problem. What about Soundwave?"

Rich didn't know what to say on that one. Soundwave seemed different. He didn't want to see him get hurt. He just said, "I don't know where he is, but he might be helping us. I don't know, but something tells me..." His thought was cut short when he heard the trapdoor open up. Soon, he was falling through a long chute. He had grabbed his sword, which was still in his possesion.

His slide ended when he fell into a large room. As he got to his feet, he heard a loud voice say, "So we finally are face to face, Cale." He turned to face the form of Apocalypse. He felt a slight fear build up in him, but he forced it back down and stared at his opponent. He said nothing, but Apocalypse said, "You will have honor as the last Cale to ever face me."

Rich just looked at him and said, "I won't be the last, Apocalypse, and you know it."

He was almost stunned when Apocolypse laughed and said, "I believe you will be. Your family can't keep going on, especially if you don't have an heir. Your own cousin is a lesbian. She's not going to have an heir. Besides, once I finish with you, your wife will be sent to Emplate. Now, let's end this." He saw Apocolypse's arm start to morph into a gun, and knew the battle was on. Rich waited until the blast was fired to jump. Now, he was in a life or death struggle, and he wasn't sure he could win.

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III. Davis
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Davis walked through the lair as all hell was going on. He knew why all hell was breaking loose. Generation X had gotten past Golden. He smiled at that thought. He was the one who shut off the barrier generator. Now, he had another task to preform. He knew where he was headed. He knew what he had to do. He had to make things right. Before, he had asked for a sign to let him know what to do, and he had received it. He thought back to his school days. To the very day he first met 'Big Blue'.

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IV. Davis ... past
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Class had just ended. Everyone was getting up to head out. He looked as the girl that sat in front of him started out. He looked at her and said, "See you tomorrow, Kay."

He watched as she just looked at him, and said, "Alright, but watch those hands, Davis. I know that massage trick now." He inwardly giggled at that remark, especially as she headed out.

He then heard Rich say, "Don't worry, Kay. I'll keep an eye on him. He won't lay a hand on you."

He heard Kay say, "Good. Maybe then he'll keep his hands to himself."

As he watched her leave, he heard Rich say, "Of course, I didn't say anything about fingers." They both started to laugh. While Rich was shy, and quiet, he was more outgoing. He knew Rich tried to date once in high school, but that got ruined by his cousin.

Davis looked at Rich, and thought about Rich's cousin for a moment and said, "Hey Rich, do you think I'd ever have a chance with Godiva." He watched as Rich shook his head. "Bummer, I've seen her around school, and she is fine."

He watched as Rich got up and said, "Davis, do you ever think you'll settle down." He shook his head and Rich said, "I bet you are right."

Davis looked at Rich for a moment and said, "What do you want when you are older, I mean, ten years down the line."

He watched Rich as he thought for a moment and said, "In ten years, I hope to have an honest job, have a lovely wife, and hopefully, a child." Davis admired that about Rich. Rich's parents were wealthy, but he knew Rich never wanted the wealth. He knew Rich loved some of the simple things. He knew Rich never played sports, but Rich enjoyed reading, and playing games. He also didn't know if Rich was a mutant. Rich kept to himself, but he hung out with other people, some being mutants. He then heard Rich say, "Hey Davis, I have to head to a Key Club meeting. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He watched as Rich ran out the door and headed off.

Davis got out of the room, and out of the building. He knew he'd see Rich tomorrow. Right now, he had to worry about what to do. What was he gonna do when summer came? He walked down the sidewalk when he saw a man beckon him over. He approached the man and said, "Did you want to talk to me?"

The man was blue, and said, "Yes, I did, Davis. I want to make you as rich as your friend. In fact, even more powerful than him." Something in those words were intoxicating. He felt as if he was being pulled in, pulled in by this big blue man.

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V. Davis .... present
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Davis remembered that day, the day he lost his soul to evil. Now, he was regaining it. As he headed down the hall, he just said, "It may not be enough, but I'm not going to let 'Big Blue' ruin that. The family is all Rich ever wanted, and I'm gonna make sure his wife doesn't lose that baby." He ran at breakneck speed to the lab where Yvette was kept. He just hoped he wasn't to late.

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VI. Monet
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Monet was still strapped to the wall of the room when she saw the Dark Beast re-enter the room. He was holding another syringe. She saw him looking over at her, and then over at Yvette. When he gaze came back to her, Monet couldn't hide he fear as she asked, "What are you up to with that?"

She watched as the Dark Beast approached her and said, "Nothing much, just a controlled test. I need to be sure of the reason it didn't work on Mrs. Cale. Don't worry, it won't hurt much. As for the sudden loss of your powers, that's only part of the effects."

She then heard Yvette say, "What do you mean when you said it didn't work on me? Are you saying that something happened to make it not work." Monet started to wonder why Yvette was asking questions, and then realized it. Yvette was buying her sometime, maybe in hopes rescue would so arrive.

She watched as the Dark Beast stopped and looked at Yvette. He just calmly said, "Let's just say there are some physiological differences between you and Monet. If this works on Monet, I know what to do to correct the problem."

Monet didn't like the sound of that. He was being vague about the difference. She wondered if it was the fact that she was a joined form, at least she had been. She then noticed that he was getting closer to her. She started to panic. She just said, "Generation X will stop you."

She watched an evil smile cross his face as he said, "Your sister will detain them long enough. Now it's time for your medicine." Monet felt tears well up in her eyes as the syringe got closer. She braced herself for the pinch of the needle going in, when a sonic blast sent the Dark Beast flying, and the syringe just hovered in the air. She looked to see Soundwave enter the room. She was thankful, but confused. Why was he helping?

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VII. Yvette
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Yvette was almost in shock when she saw Soundwave knock the Dark Beast flying. She then saw the syringe float into his hand. She didn't understand why it was happening, but was confused even more by his following actions. He ran over to the cage she was in and openned it. What was even more confusing was when he said, "I'm sorry for all this. You need to get out of here."

She looked at him, in surprise, and said, "Thank you, but why? What made you change your mind?" It was a question they deserved an answer to.

She was stunned when he said his next words. "I got a sign that told me I was making a mistake being evil. Now you better help Monet down, I'll make sure this little mixture gets put to a good use." She watched as he started to run out of the lab.

Before he could exit, she said, "What was the sign, Davis?" She knew of his real name, and if he was really changing sides, she wanted him to feel accepted. Besides, she wanted to know what had made him change his mind.

As she approached Monet, she heard him say, "Rich always wanted a family." She stopped and saw a surprised look on Monet's face. She was a little unclear what he meant, but when she turned to ask, he had disappeared.

She turned back to Monet, only to see Monet crying. She started to free her friend as she said, "Monet, what's wrong?"

She was almost stunned when Monet said the next words. "Yvette. You're going to be a mother. That was the difference. You're pregnant, and that saved you." Then it made sense. She knew when it had happened. They were in Japan and they started thinking about having kids. All the other times, they never thought about having kids. Something had heard their prayers, and answered them. No, all they had to do was find Rich and save him.

As she got Monet down, she psionicly said "Davis, help Rich, while we try to get out." She hoped he heard the message, and then she said, "Come on, Monet. We need to get out of here before anyone comes to." She held her friend, and they started to look for any of Gen X's mind patterns. They needed to get out of there.

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VIII. Emma
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Emma watched as her students fought their way further into Apocolypse's lair. She had expeceted more of a resistance, but Apocolypse must have had nothing but robots there. She also saw Q.T. in the back. None of the students were trying to attack her, but Emma knew why. While Q.T. was proving she was a fighter, she also had a lethal kiss. What bothered her most right now was that she hadn't seen some of the people she expected to see, like Soundwave, Claudette or the Dark Beast. She hoped that the Dark Beast wasn't experimenting on Yvette. Soon she said psioncally, "Try to find the others, and be careful. Synch, you keep Q.T. at bay. You can synch wiht her powers."

She watched as the others started to spread out, but felt a blast from behind. She fell to the floor, but caught herself. As she was about to get up, she herself getting lifted off the floor an straight into the wall. She was finally able to see her attacker. It was Claudette. As Claudette approached her, Claudette said, "You know, Emma, it's easy for me to take you on. With the freedom I've had, I can control these powers better than Monet ever could. I can even kill you before they can save you."

Emma felt the pressure on her body as it felt like it was being crushed. She looked at Claudette and said, "You think you can win, but Generation X will stop you." She then saw Sean trying to get to her, and realize that Claudette had an ace up her sleave. Claudette had put up a barrier.

She then heard Claudette say, "Emma, I have you pinned down, and out powered. The only thing that can help you now is a miracle. To be honest, I don't think that will happen." She felt Claudette's power push on her more and more.

She then saw Soundwave appear behind Claudette. That was not good. She saw a syringe in his hand. She didn't know what it was, but she suspected it was one of the Dark Beast's concoctions. Soon she heard Soundwave say, "It's time for your shot."

Soon she heard a scream and she felt herself fall to the floor. She wasn't sure what had happened, however, she heard a familiar voice in her head say, "Emma, it's Yvette. Are you alright?"

She looked at Soundwave standing away from Claudette who was clutching her arm and said, "I think so, but I think I have Soundwave to thank. Are you on your way to us?"

She heard Yvette say, "Yes we are, but I hope Davis helps Rich. He's fighting with Apocalypse." Now she knew something had happened. And she could see Claudette was angry.

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IX. Claudette
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Claudette felt the burning sensation go through her body. She turned her attention away from Emma Frost to the person who hurt her. It was Soundwave, and then she saw the syringe. He had injected her with the same formula that was meant for Yvette and Monet. She just glared at Soundwave and said, "You turncoat. How dare you go against your master."

She watched as Soundwave backed away and said, "Let's just say I finally realized the mistake I made. Now, I must help my friend, and I suggest you make a hasty withdrawl. You aren't going to be the mutant you used to be." She watched as he ran away.

She went to blast him with a psi-bolt, but failed to do so. The formula was going into full affect. Soon, she'd be with out powers. She quickly psi-linked and shouted, "Quinn, Golden, we have to leave now. Meet me in the lab." She got up and looked at Emma, who was somewhat recovering from her attack and said, "This is not over, Emma. We will meet again, once I'm back to normal." She quickly ran off, not knowning how much time she had until the formula stripped her of her mutant powers.

As they ran towards the lab, she heard Q.T. say, "What happened back there? What did that bastard do to you?" She knew of Q.T.'s animosity towards men, but this time it was well deserved.

When they entered the room, she saw that both Monet and Yvette were gone, and the Dark Beast was starting to recover. She went over to him and said, "Alright, you better tell me how to restore my powers, or do you have an antidote ready?"

She watched as the Dark Beast looked at her with an evil smile and said, "There is no antidote at the current time. However I did wonder about if the powers could be restored. I guess you'll have to be the test subject for that task."

She saw Golden enter the room and sign that their getaway vehicle was ready. She looked at the Dark Beast and said, "Do you have any files ready about this?" She grimaced in pain as she felt her body adjusting to the new changes.

She saw him nodded and point to his computer. She quickly checked it out as he said, "The only thing I have is a model of an outfit. That's all. It may be painful to wear, but it will prolong your time. The formula's effects are lethal if not kept in check."

She looked at the file, and grimace in pain again. The thought of the pain was not part of what she wanted, but she had no choice. She just said, "Thank you, Dark Beast. I'll appriciate it when you construct this device for me. Q,T., show him our appreciation."

Claudette heard Q.T. go, "With pleasure," only to be followed by the sound of a kiss. After it ended, she hear Q.T. ask her, "Where to now, boss?"

Claudette said, "We will have to stop someplace and procure something to ease my discomfort. I have a feeling that everything we tried to set in place is about to come crashing down." As they started to head out, she said "Maybe we should have warned Apocalypse that Soundwave's loyalty had changed." As they headed out, she inwardly cursed herself for not factoring Soundwave fully into the plan. Soundwave was not someone she was going to misjudge again.