Chapter 1 - Decisions

Attention:  Generation X and theirvillians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is propertyof Marvel Comics.  The character Richard Cale is named after familyrelations.  Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chancehappening.
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Stranger And Stranger
Decisions
                Godiva walked to the door of her museum when the bell rang.  She wasnot expecting anyone to enter yet, since the opening date was not for amonth yet.  When she opened the door, a large crate was there withan envelope on it.  She grabbed the envelope and read its contents.
               "Dear Miss Cale,  I heard about your museum for the unusual and foundsomething that might be of interest.  This is a statue of a demonknown as the Emplate.  The creature fed off the living, making morelike it.  I figured it would be a great addition to your museum. Your contributor, -E"  Godiva was excited at the prospect of this. Something to add to her gallery of demons and evils.  She decidedit was time to carry the crate over to the gallery.  One thing shealways prided herself on was her mutant ability.  Her ability allowedher to use her hair as a weapon, to let it grow as short, or long, as needed. It was an extra limb, and with the strength to support a building. Her hair grabbed the crate and she carried it through the museum to theGallery of Demons.
               She placed the crate down and opened it up.  She looked at the thing. It appeared that the demon had an elephant's nose, and mouths on its hands. "What a hideous creature.  No wonder it's a demon.  Looks likesomething Giger would have dreamed up.  When the museum opens, I'llhave to show this to Rich."  She checked her watch and notice thatit was near lunch time.  She decided to get the statue out of thecrate after she got her lunch in.  She and Kyuukai were having lunchtogether today.

               Cartier St. Croix had to admit that Miss Cale had a unique idea for a museum,and her intentions were good.  Ever since Onslaught, this town, thesole safehaven for mutants, was losing financially.  Godiva Cale saidthat she was going to donate half the money the museum made to the town'sdefense fund.  He was just heading to one of the exhibits, the oneon Extraterrestrial Life, when Godiva ran up to him and said, "Mr. St.Croix, I would like to show you the recent addition I just received."
               "I guess there is no harm in seeing it."  He had to admit that hiscuriosity was peaked when he first found out about this museum.  Hehad found out about it on the Internet, and decided to contribute to thebuilding.  He followed Godiva through the exhibits until they reachedthe Gallery of Demons.  This was one of her favorite exhibits, dueto the statues.
               She opened the doors and said, "Are you sure you haven't seen it, becausethe crate has been removed."  He noticed that she ran down the halland stopped at a statue.  When he finally saw what the statue was,his blood ran cold.  It wasn't a statue, but all too real.  Shelooked at him and said, "What do you think?"
               He turned to her.  He knew what this was.  He said, "Godiva,I want you to make a call to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They have to get down here, and quickly."
               She looked at him, puzzlingly, and said, "Why?  And you know if theydo come, I need to send pendants for their security in the area." He remembered that it had taken some time to receive his pendant. The town protected it's people with the pendants.  They allowed allmutants, and pro-mutant activists to have protection by the law. He hoped that it would not take too long, because he knew what was wrong.
               He looked at her and said, "Just call and tell them that I told you tocall.  Tell them there is a family problem down here.  They willunderstand, and mention my name."  She nodded and ran off, probablyto a secret passage that led to her office.  Cartier St. Croix lookedat the statue and said, "Son, if you kill any mutant here, I will makesure that you can't feed off another mutant ever again."  He turnedand left the room.  He could swear that he could hear Marius laughingat him.
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               Sean Cassidy was in his office at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He had asked Rich to help him with finding information of anything similarto Monet.  "I hope ye know what ye are looking for?"
               Richard Cale, the oldest student, when it came to age, was always willingto help.  "No problem, Sean.  It is rare, although, that I amin a neutral state like this."
               Sean let a small laugh out and said, "Lad, ye and Yvette have been inseparable. Rich, I was also wondering, do ye have any other things ye should tellus about your family.  I mean, it has been a week since Aura attacked."
               Rich replied, "I am on no ill terms with any of my cousins.  Thereis only one other mutant cousin that I have and that is.."  The ringingon Sean's vid phone cut the sentence short.
               Sean walked over to his vid phone, and hit the receive button.  Onthe screen appeared a brunette, about eighteen years of age.  Thegirl said, "Excuse me, is this the Xavier School?" There was a look ofconcern in her eyes, but it had the look of confusion with it.
               "Aye, this is the Xavier School.  I'm Sean Cassidy, headmaster ofthe school."
               "My name is Godiva Cale, and I was told to contact you."
               Sean was about to say something, when he noticed Rich waving his arms. Sean realized that Godiva had no knowledge that Rich was at the school. He then said, "What do ye need?"
               "Mr. Cassidy, a recent arrival at my museum has caused one of my benefactorsto urge me to call you.  His name is Cartier St. Croix."
               Sean realized that that must be were Monet's father had disappeared to,but why the call.  Sean decided to ask why Godiva Cale was callingthe school.  "Miss Cale, why call for us?"
               "Mr. St. Croix said it was a family problem."
               Sean had an idea what was going on.  "We'll be there immediately."
               "I'm afraid that is not possible.  Easton has some laws about mutants. To ensure the safety of mutants, all mutants, and pro-mutant supportershave to wear a pendant.  Easton is the only mutant safehaven in theworld, and we hate anyone who is anti-mutant.   How many pendantswill you need?"
               Sean thought it out in his head, one for him and Emma.  One for eachstudent.  He looked at Rich, and Rich shook his head.  Of courseRich wouldn't need a pendant, he was a citizen of Easton.  He thensaid, "Fourteen, but you might want to rush them here.  We will getthere as soon as we can."
               "Thank you, sir.  I shall send them out immediately."  The linewas disconnected, and Sean was looking at Rich.

               Rich watched as the call ended.  What has Godiva gotten herself into,but she didn't know about Emplate. His line of thought was cut short whenSean said, "Is Godiva a relation, or am I dreaming."
               Rich looked at Sean and said, "Godiva is my cousin.  She is also Bastion'sbiological daughter, which means that Daria's past is hush hush."
               "But lad, how could she afford a museum?"
               Rich knew he had to explain that much.  "The Cale family is a verywell off family. When our grandfather passed away, each child and grandchildgot a share of the inheritance.  At the time, there were only fourbenefactors, my father, myself, Godiva, and her brother.  This wasall after Bastion faked his death, so he cheated himself out of a niceamount of money.  Godiva said she was going to build a museum of stuffshe loved in life."
               "But what about her, in general.  Is she a mutant?"
               "Godiva is a mutant.  Her ability is to manipulate her hair like Angelomanipulates his skin. Since we are relatives, she cannot use her hair onme.  I once put my hand near her hair, and it just formed a pocketaround it.  I could not touch her hair."
               Sean then asked the question that Rich didn't want to hear.  "Do youthink that Emplate is at her museum?"
               Rich knew the answer to that.  "If Emplate is there, which I believehe is, he is trying to capture me, and where I go, he knows that Yvettewill follow."  Rich knew that the way he said it, it sounded likea death sentence.
               Sean walked over to him, stopping just outside the radius that was thelimits of Rich's powers.  "What do you think will happen if we don'tgo?"
               Rich looked at Sean and said, "We should talk with Emma.  This issomething we need to talk about with her."  Rich then went out thedoor and headed to her office, with Sean following him.

               Emma Frost had been in a mad search for a while.  She was trying tolocate Cartier St. Croix.  She called his Algerian residence, butthey said he wasn't there.   She tried all her connections andstill couldn't locate him.  She called Monet in, in the hopes thatMonet could enlighten her on the location of her father.  She lookedat her secretive student and said, "Now, Monet, could you give me any ideaon the location of your father?"
               Monet looked at her and said, "I don't know how to answer that, Ms. Frost. The truth is that when my father finds out about a project for a good cause,he tend to donate and help in person.  I guess you want to ask himabout the deal with 'us'."  Monet was always a smart girl, but then,she had the minds of two girls.
               "Monet, it was almost a week since we have found out about you and Claudia. You hid the fact that you and Emplate were related.  I want to knowif there are any more surprises that your family has?"
               Emma knew Monet was about to continue when Sean and Rich entered the room. Rich walked over to the corner, but the way he carried himself suggestedthat something had happened in the family.  She asked "Rich, whatis wrong?  Is something wrong in the family?"
               Instead of Rich answering, Sean answered by saying, "We just got a callfrom Godiva Cale."
               "Is that Rich's mother?"
               Rich spoke up for the first time since he entered the room.  "Godivais my cousin.  This appears to be a big family problem."
               Emma was surprised by this, "Rich, did your parents tell her to call?"
               The answer surprised her, as well as Monet.  "No.  Besides, thefamily problem isn't a Cale problem, it's a St. Croix problem."

               Monet realized what Rich was talking about.  Ever since Rich joinedthe school, and started to date Yvette, her brother has made it part ofhis mission to get Yvette back, and in the process, capture Rich. Her mind was thinking quick and she said, "He must be using this to lureyou into a trap, Rich."
               Rich glanced at her and said "I know.  Emplate is trying to drag meoff campus, away from the school grounds."
               "Then, we should get to the museum right away."
               She was surprised by what Rich said next.  "Unfortunately, we can'tgo down to the museum until the pendants arrive."  Why would Richput his cousin at an unnecessary risk?
               "Rich, we could save her life before Emplate can try anything."
               Rich shook his head and said, "No, you don't understand the situation. If we left now, only I would be able to enter the town."  He pulledout a pendant that she had never seen before. He then said, "You see thispendant.  It is a pendant that every one in Easton wears.  Itis the symbol of the town, interlaced with the symbol of mutants. These pendants are worn to safeguard the good mutants of the town, as wellas the people who support mutants.  People who want to move therego through a screening process, to insure mutant safety.  Touristhave to sign an agreement if they stay for longer than a day.  Thattown is proud to be pro mutant, mainly because of it's four founding familieshave mutants in them.  Any one of them can obtain pendants for guestsat any time.  I, as well as Godiva, am part of those families. I don't have the sway, and I don't want my family to know about Emplate,so we have to wait."
               Monet was totally appalled by the way he was thinking.  He was willingto let his cousin become a meal for Emplate.  She looked at him andsaid, "You can't be serious about that.  He'll kill her, and you knowthat."
               "Listen 'girls',"  he shouted, and she shut up.  "I don't carewhat you think we should do, but remember this, if your brother is afterme, he knows that killing Godiva is one way to insure him his death." Rich walked out of the room, but he said, "I don't know how much he iswilling to do, but he has a smorgishboard in Easton.  I hope thatshe sends those pendants immediately."
               As Rich left the room, Sean walked over to her and said, "If ye ask melass, he treated ye a bit harshly."  She knew what he was referringto, the girls comment.
               "It's alright.  I just hope that those pendants arrive soon." Deep in thought, she knew that Rich must have a reason for his choice. She knew he must be right about Emplate, but how could her brother surviveso long without supping.
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