Christmas in France
To mattb3671: Hey there matt! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I had to use a bit of imagination to create Marie-Claire's background, considering my version of her is significantly different from your version of hers. I'm also glad you liked the Kelly torture. I have been trying to find a way to put in more Kelly torture for the story. Here's a new chapter for you! Enjoy!
To RogueFanKC: Hey there RogueFan! Yeah, I think that's what Theresa's trying to do. She's trying to show Marie-Claire that she's not as great as she thinks she is. Theresa, like Marie-Claire, grew up in a single-parent family, and so she knows what it's like to not have a parent in her life. Marie-Claire used this arrogance she has to hide the fact that she never really got over her mother's death. Marie-Claire's view of her mom's death isn't exactly accurate. Marie-Claire likes to say that her mother used death as an excuse to abandon her because it's easier for her to take. Enjoy the new chapter!
To Red Witch: Hey there Red Witch! I read your new one-shot "No Class", and I loved it! Poor old Storm. She gets no respect. Shipwreck only tries to help, but he never gets it quite right. Yeah, here comes another catfight. Enjoy the new chapter!
To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Well, Americans have a very different point of view about the world. We started out as a bunch of English colonies, and we eventually grew tired of it when England started giving us unfair treatment. The colonies rebelled and America was born. Ever since then, Americans developed a fiercely independent attitude. Compared to many countries, like FranceEngland, and ItalyAmerica is very young. Americans don't like the thought of being ruled over, or being told what to do, and that has caused residents of other countries to think of Americans as arrogant and way too proud for their own good. American culture is derived technically from English culture, so we really have none of our own, and as people of various other countries came over to live in the US, elements of their own cultures blended together. For example, it's not uncommon to see Irish bars in Boston, and my hometown has a couple Chinese restaurants and an Italian pizzeria. So yeah, we got a little bit of everything. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Kelly being thrown off on purpose? Well, I would not be surprised. Enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: "Omarosa should've been spanked as a kid." - Me
Chapter 14: Escape Attempt!
A warehouse in Paris
"Unh…oh…" Marie-Ange Colbert moaned as she opened her green eyes. "Where…am…I?" She found herself in a cell of some kind. A futuristic cell, kid of like from Star Trek, with a forcefield for a door. "What is this? Where am I?! And where is Ace?! If you have hurt him, I will…"
"Relax, Card-Girl." Ace waved from another cell. "I tried to bust out of here, but no luck. My claw lasers are useless."
"Why?" Tarot blinked.
"Check out your neck, babe. You got a collar around it that I didn't give you." Ace replied. Tarot felt around her neck. She felt a metal collar around her neck.
"What is this?"
"It's called a power inhibitor." Jester replied. "I've heard about these things. They're supposed to turn off a mutant's abilities. Like your ability to animate pictures, Tarot." The redhead blinked.
"How do you know the extent of my powers, flatscan?" Tarot looked suspiciously at the Joe. Jester chuckled.
"Elementary, my dear Tarot. You use tarot cards, right?" Jester smirked. "As well as a set of battle cards. Well, if you could animate the pictures on those cards, then chances are you can animate any picture on any surface."
"Once, when Tarot was depressed, she brought to life one of those Yu-Gi-Oh things and cuddled it." Ace chuckled.
"ACE!!!" Tarot whined with a blush.
"Where are we?" Dial-Up asked as she, Longshot, Wolfsbane, and X23 returned from being knocked out.
"Welcome to the brig, Dial-Up. Not the romantic vacation spot, but it's got a great view of the underground." Jester joked.
"Ugh. They can invent a collar to shut off mutant powers, but they cannot invent anything to stop bad comedians from trying to be humorous." Dial-Up grumbled.
"Where are we?!" Rahne exclaimed.
"Looks like some kind of cell." Longshot looked around.
"Way to go, Sherlock Longshot." X23 rolled her eyes. "And what do your amazing detective skills say about how we get out of here. I know, let's get a key and put it in the keyhole." Longshot pouted.
"Just trying to help." The extradimensional pouted. "Man, these look like the cells on 'Star Trek'."
"You like that show?" Tarot giggled. "A kid I know back in Massachusetts loves all that sci-fi stuff." Ace knew who she was talking about.
"I cannae transform!" Rahne exclaimed.
"Power inhibitor." X23 felt the collar around her neck. "Overkill and his cyber-boys must've put them in to prevent us from using our special powers."
"Luckily, we Joes always have some extra tools." Dial-Up's eyes took on a knowing gleam. The Japanese woman put her hand in her hair and pulled out a metal hair pin. "Metal conducts electricity. If I can find a way to access the wires that provide power to the forcefields, I can place this hair pin in between them and short them out."
"The panels should run under the ground." Jester said as he examined the floor of his cell.
"Too bad I can't really do anything." Longshot sighed, slumping to the floor. "Those B.A.Ts took my daggers."
"And my cards." Tarot sighed. "My powers are useless without something to animate."
"Ahh. Found it." Dial-Up lifted a panel.
"Wait a minute…Dial-Up, stop!" Jester said. "Doesn't anyone here notice something fishy?"
"Yeah. No guards." Ace blinked.
"Which means they may have something nasty waiting for us if we try to escape." X23 growled. "Just our luck."
"You West Coast Misfits go through stuff like this a lot?" Tarot blinked.
"All the time, Card-Girl." Ace laughed. "All the time."
Well, well, well! Looks like the insanity will continue! Can our heroes escape? What's going on back in the Parisian ballroom? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!