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Last Issue- Everyone gets settled into the new location for the school, and they learn more about the mysterious figure that saved them. Unfortunately, after they welcome in the new figure, a discovery is made that makes some suspect that the new location isn't the blessing it seems.
Previous issue: Many New Things
Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this work, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is one of my own development. There will be changes to some of the characters background, as this work is part of Marvel Mayhem on ComicVine.com.
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Issue 6: Tension Building
Monet St. Croix sat quietly in her seat in the new classroom. For the past few days, she had a new appreciation for the people teaching her and the other students. While the teacher in front of her, Richard Cale, was only slightly older than her, he seemed to be quite the capable teacher, as well as very skilled at using his mutant powers. Monet knew that it was because of constantly fleeing and fighting her brother, Emplate, but still it was impressive.
She was brought back to the moment when Richard cleared his throat, and said, “That wraps things up for this lesson. You have your assignments, and I want you to all prepare yourselves for tomorrow. We will be having a special training session in the simulator. Remember that Emplate is still out there, and we may have to deal with this Mojo character in the future. It is best we prepare, just in case one of those two decides to darken our doorstep.” Inwardly, she agreed on preparing for Emplate, but she doubted the threat that this Mojo posed.
That came from her growing distrust of the new Asian girl, Abi. The girl had arrived in their midst during the events in Seattle. She had spent the days following that unconscious; and when she finally came to, she claimed to be from another timeline, and said they existed in that timeline as well. Of course, she also included that her encounter with them didn‘t include Monet.
She glanced over at Abi, and noticed that the girl was looking over at Everett. What was worse, Monet realized, was that Abi wasn't just looking at Everett, but the girl was flirting with him. The girl had said that in that other timeline, her counterpart and Everett were an item. Monet, honestly, could not believe that would happen. It was probably part of a lie to steal away the man she liked.
She realized she was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that everyone was leaving. That would be perfect, since she needed to set Abi straight. She got up from her desk, and headed out the classroom door. Her gaze immediately focused on Abi, who was heading around a corner. She noticed that she didn't see Everett, but without a doubt, he must be around that corner as well. She would confront Abi, and if need be, use a little bit of her own talents to get her point across.
Before she could move, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Her first thought was to tell them to let her go, and maybe even strike them. She didn't since she also realized that it could be one of the teachers, or even Headmistress Frost. All three had seemed gifted in psychic abilities, but the two teachers had use of Yvette's ability to make their skin razor sharp. That was not something she wished to experience, especially as the result of misdirected anger.
She took a deep breath, turned, and was stunned to see that it was Clarice who had put her hand there. She sighed, and looked at the lavender skinned girl. "Yes, Clarice, what did you want?" After experiencing the extent of the girl's powers, she really didn't want to tempt fate with her either. She was certain she could fly back from where ever the girl teleported her to, but why have to waste that time.
She noticed that there was a bit of concern in her friend's eyes, as if the girl was going through the same dilemma that she was in. Even the words the girl said echoed that concern. "Monet, you don't need to do it. If there is possibly something to be between you and Everett, it will happen."
Deep down, Monet knew Clarice was right. Still, to hear those words come from someone who had a crush on someone who was obviously taken seemed almost hypocritical. For a moment, her anger swelled up again, and she had to snap. "You do realize that won't happen with you. Richard obviously loves Yvette." Before her friend could respond, she spun around and headed off in the direction of her room.
As she did, she also realized she had started to hover. Not having to touch the floor allowed her to move faster through the halls. It also allowed her to think. She could not believe how hostile she was feeling. Of course, having everyone know about her brother, coupled with this rival for Everett's affections was preying on her. Maybe she just needed some time to herself. She looked out one of the windows, seeing the stretch of beach, and decided there was only one thing to do. She would sunbathe, letting the solitude and sun allow her some time to think.
Clarice Ferguson watched as Monet stormed off, figuring the girl was also hovering at the same time. The reaction caused her to sigh, figuring the words said before storming off were due to anger. She knew that while Monet still thought herself as a bit superior, the girl had a lot of things dumped on her. No doubt, the anger still came from the fear that people would not trust her now. Angelo had helped break that wall down, but it still seemed to be there.
She heard someone approach her from behind. She didn't feel threatened, even though her feelings were hurt by Monet's words. Maybe she should have never mentioned the feelings she had for Richard. She was trying to get over them, since it was unlikely he and Yvette would ever split. Her words to Monet, however, had not been her own, but ones told to her by others who had similar situations. She thought by telling Monet them, it would calm the girl down.
She sighed, and then turned around to see Jonothan Starsmore coming up to her. As usual, his attire included the wrappings to cover his psychic fire from the hole that consumed half his face and chest. He also seemed to resonate an air of melancholy. For a moment, she recalled the feelings he had been developing for Paige Guthrie. She wondered if the girl had had similar feelings, or had just been leading him on. She looked at him and decided to ask, "How are you doing, Jono?"
Much to her surprise, she saw a slight twinkle in the mutant's eyes. "Funny, I was just going to ask you that. Monet did strike below the belt on her retort, but you were right. I think Everett is going to have a tough choice ahead of him." She had to nod in agreement at that statement, and then Jono said, “So, how have you been handling the fact that your crush won't have feelings for you?"
She started to walk, noticing that Jonothan was keeping stride with her. For someone who couldn't actually talk, he could express his thoughts better than most people could. As she walked, she crossed her arms in front of her. "I've been handling it alright. It's not like I've sent him any notes or anything. I've done what I did for years, even when helping keep tract of him for his father. I write my feelings in notes, just never send them, or leave them for him." She found she could handle the fact that the two teachers were perfect for one another if she got her feelings out in notes. She had started doing that again after the Seattle Incident, and she had admitted the truth to him.
Clarice glanced at Jonothan, and after a moment, he psychically said, "I should try that. It still hurts that Paige was a traitor to everyone. For some reason, I think we made a connection. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I write my feelings out on notes, it could help me get over it. The guilt I have for when my powers manifested like this is already more than enough."
She remembered what he had shared back at the old location of the school; how that when his chest and face exploded, he had injured the girl he had been seeing at the time. She looked at him, knowing Jonothan had left her, for fear of hurting her again. "Do you ever talk to her, or communicate in any way with her?" She saw him shake his head, and in that moment, she gave felt like giving him a hug. Maybe, in some way, she could have a relationship with Jonothan.
She watched as he looked at her, and for the briefest of moments, she saw in Jonothan's eyes that he was considering the possibility as well. Then the moment ended, and Jonothan calmly said, "I better get going. I think the assignment Richard gave us is going to take some time." She nodded in agreement, and then headed off to her quarters as well.
As she entered the area where all the rooms were, she was surprised to see Yvette emerging from the room that had been designated for the two teachers. Earlier that day, they had a class with Yvette, and she watched as the teacher headed out. She was obviously dressed in the attire of one going sunbathing. She had always heard it was something not advisable for redheads, but something told her that it seemed to be a non-issue for the woman.
As Yvette passed her, however, it seemed that the woman's cover-up seemed to open for a moment, and she got a better appreciation for the figure the teacher had. Yvette had been blessed with a figure. When she had seen Yvette use her powers in battle, the teacher seemed slimmer, more athletic in figure. Without that super sharp skin active, she looked more curvaceous. She wondered if that had played a part in how Richard fell in love with Yvette. She sighed, and then entered her quarters to work on her assignment.
Yvette made her way down to the beach, getting more comfortable with the idea. She still would choose areas that had some level of seclusion, which is why she had found a spot near a tree line. It allowed her to enjoy the sun, yet have a modicum of cover. While they had defeated Emplate in Seattle, she felt he, or someone else was watching her. If it was Richard, she'd be fine with it. It was part of the reason why she had gotten a bikini after they arrived here. She had accepted that the students and headmistress would see it as well, but that she could live with. Others, however, was not acceptable.
As she laid the towel on the sand, and laid down on it, she enjoyed the warmth of the sun. It allowed her to relax from the class and training session earlier today. She had held a small training session, trying to show them more about their own powers, and how one could use them in ways that would be helpful, and not thought as threatening. Some had an easier time than others. Tomorrow, there would be a group session in preparation for an encounter with either Emplate, or the threat Mojo might be.
Thinking about Mojo made her wonder more about the school. They had been told that the place was provided by a friend of one of the other groups, and that the X-Men knew about it. She started to really wonder about that after that shirt had appeared. Since then, other strange things seemed to appear out of nowhere. Sometimes, something they wanted appeared. Other things also seemed to happen, which included some rising tensions, mainly due to Abi looking at Everett. She started wondering if Abi had really escaped from this Mojo character, or was helping him.
If that was the case, it would explain the note that appeared at their door one day. She had picked it up, and was surprised by it. It had been a love note, and it was obviously directed to Richard. She even recognized who had written it, after seeing the handwriting several times already. It had been penned by Clarice. She had learned that the girl had a crush on Richard, but Clarice seemed to give the impression that she had been over those feelings. Did this note mean that if Clarice had the opportunity, she would have only rescued Richard, and would have left Yvette to what ever fate would befall her?
She tried to shake that thought out of her head. She and Richard had a mental link, since his own power had fully locked onto hers. There would be no way to hide a betrayal from him, since she could always tell him. Still, she could recall what Abi had told her, Richard, and Miss Frost in private. In the group Abi had encountered, a similar Blink, the code name they were now adopting for Clarice, existed, and was a de facto bodyguard to Richard. Abi never said why, but Yvette wondered about the reasons.
Her musings were cut short when she heard a rustle in the nearby tree line. She got up, and looked at it. A majority of the sounds she normally heard from the tree line had been that of animals, and insects. Neither of those ever worried her, since both Richard and herself had spent the occasional night roughing it. At this moment, however, she heard no signs of any animal life. Something was not right in the woods.
She cautiously moved towards the woods, grabbing a nearby item in hopes of scaring away what ever might be lurking in the woods. She didn't want to engage her power, since she wasn't wearing any of the special outfits that had been designed to survive the use of her powers. It would not look good if she ran through the school naked.
Just as she reached the tree line, she was surprised when a figure lunged out at her. She swung what she had in her hands, and it connected with the figure. She watched as the figure gracefully landed on the ground, a look of anger in their eyes. A quick look at the figure told Yvette that what she was dealing with wasn't natural, but that was something she was already aware of. She also knew that she needed help. She focused on her mind link, and while she kept her attacker at bay, called for help. "Richard, I need help out here."
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Richard Cale sat at his desk in the office he and Yvette shared. The office was new to both he and Yvette, but it helped keep them in a professional sense of mind. The only down side was that the classes had been arranged to give them very little time in the office together. Having her sitting across from him when he worked would have been nice, but he knew the reasoning was to minimize distractions. Still, when they had to plan a joint class, it was difficult to plan out.
He also knew that Yvette, like himself, was stressing out about the school. There had been various strange things popping up. No one else had thought the things had been overly strange, just a bit of good fortune. It was possible that the arrival of Abi, and the existence of the threat of Mojo was coloring his thinking. It made him look at everything in a more sinister tone. Still, the arrival of Yvette's shirt was one of the more troublesome aspects.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a knocking at the office door. He looked up and noticed that Everett Thomas was standing at the door. He was actually glad the young man was at the school. The African American boy always seemed optimistic about things. He motioned him in, noticing that the boy had the look of someone with some serious issues on his mind. "Come in, Everett. Is there something on your mind?"
Richard watched the young man enter, and sat down at the chair he kept near his desk. Obviously, what ever was on Everett's mind was a serious matter. Richard noticed that the door was still open, and went over and closed it as Everett responded to his question. "I have some questions about relationships, and was hoping you could help advise, since you and Yvette...well, you know."
Richard could already hear the innuendo put in the words. It was obvious that the students thought they were more intimate than they had been. Still, he felt it had to be addressed. He sat down at his desk, and looked at Everett. "First off, just to set the record straight, Yvette and I haven't been that intimate. We love one another, but we haven't been overly physical. Let's face it, I'm over legal age in most civilized countries, and Yvette is, at this moment, a few weeks shy of eighteen. If you use that analogy Americans seem fond of, we've only reached second base." He noticed Everett blink at that, and Richard sat back, a bit red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. We've just been aware of how some perceive us, and I figured I should at least set that record straight. Yvette and I love one another, and held back on our intimacy. What is your problem, however?"
He watched as Everett leaned forward and quietly said, "Well, as you might be aware, I was developing some feelings for Monet, and that was before we found out she was Emplate's sister." Richard nodded, having picked up on some of the subtle signs. He actually thought it had been a good grounder for the Algerian girl. Everett then continued, "Well, since that Abi girl arrived, I've found myself looking at her, and even thinking about her. I've also noticed Angelo looking at Abi, and I'm not sure now how I feel."
Richard chuckled a little, understanding the big dilemma now. "I think I see the problem now. You find yourself having feelings for two girls, and can't figure out which one is meant for you. Unfortunately, the only answer I can give you is time will tell. At first, Yvette and I had a purely platonic relationship. I rescued her from Emplate, and we went to a place I knew we could hide. It was one of my father's corporate apartments. We stayed there long enough to get Yvette cleaned up, and fresh clothing. She had been a mess, but I didn't let it bother me as I bathed her." He saw Everett raise an eyebrow at that, and Richard just shrugged. "It was only right. She had been a prisoner for a while. Besides, she was in special leather straps, which would have stuck out any day and age. She noticed that and thanked me. The longer we were on the run, and as my own mutant power latched onto hers, our love grew. We just kept the intimate part at bay as best we could."
He noticed Everett nodded and asked, "How hard was it? I mean I see how you act around each other. Even Monet noticed how Yvette seems a bit more provocative when around you?" He had to give the boy credit for the fact that as he said it, he kept a straight face, and looked almost calm.
Richard nodded, and said, "Well, when you live with a threat of little or no security, and a monster pursuing you, that stays in the back of the mind. It is a more sobering thought than Horror movies let on." He noticed a slight chuckle come from Everett, and he just smiled. "You have to remember that true love is not just a physical relationship. The heart knows which person is right for you. Besides, when someone is in trouble, it is the heart that tells you to go back for them, no matter the risk." He noticed that Everett nodded as if understanding. He then asked the key question. "Is there one that you heart is telling you is right?"
He saw Everett think for a moment, but before the boy could answer, he held up his hand as he heard the mental cry. "Richard, I need help out here. Abi is attacking me at the spot I sunbathe at." In that moment, Richard got up and every concern he had went into overdrive. He had been worried that things were sinister at the new school. Something like this even confirmed that Absicca was still in the employ of Mojo.
He went to the door, noticing Everett's puzzled look, and briefly explained. "Yvette just called from the beach, she's being attacked." He was about to say by who, but when he opened the door, he found himself facing two individuals he did not expect at the door. The first was Emma Frost, who looked as if she were about to knock. The second, much to his surprise, was Abi. Something didn't make sense, but he would have to talk about it with everyone later. Right now, they needed to rescue Yvette.
Emma Frost had been surprised when Richard Cale opened the office door. She wasn‘t completely surprised by it, since she had detected the rise in Richard‘s anxiety. She had to give herself credit for that, since the two teachers seemed to have psychic powers on a different level than most psychics. She stepped in the path of the two, and said, “What‘s the emergency? I had just headed off Abi to talk to you about the training session tomorrow.”
She watched as Richard momentarily paused, a slight confused look on his face. “Yvette just contacted me. She had gone down to the beach to relax for a bit, and told me she was being attacked.” She watched as he glanced at Abi. “She seems to think it was you, but I have a sneaky suspicion on who it actually is.”
She was about to question him on who he thought it was, and then remember what they knew about Abi‘s counterpart. The person Abi actually was in the world was a mutant turned vampire. If that really was the attacker, she was wondering how big of a threat she was, but then recalled that the team they had been part off was last heard to be on a mission somewhere else. The team had not been heard from, or at least not all of the members had shown up. She looked at Abi, and said, “Let‘s go. We will need you to help.” She watched as Richard nodded, and Everett activated his aura.
She watched as Richard motioned Everett to step back for a moment, and beckoned Abi to be near him. She knew it wasn‘t some sort of preference, but Richard optimizing what they could do. Richard had wanted to have Abi‘s powers instead of Everett‘s, and she knew that meant he suspected the ability would be a better fit for what was about to happen.
As they all ran out the door to the beach, she quickly sent out a psychic message. “Generation X, we need all of you to head down to the beach. Yvette is down there and under attack.” She did not wait for any acknowledgement, but knowing that very few of the students could communicate on a psychic level, she had to hope they would be there.
They rushed down, and as they did, Abi started speaking. “Miss Frost, I‘m betting that if this is your version of myself, her psychic defenses are as developed as mine. They might be enough to break her free of any main vampire, but not enough to be immune to a psychic attack. We use the trademark ‘pafs’ to blind and distract her, and you knock her out with a psychic attack.”
Emma almost did a double take when she heard that, but then responded, “That‘s a very good idea.” She looked at Richard, who just nodded in agreement. No doubt, the girl‘s years of experience as Mojo‘s slave and star meant she had a chance to develop many skills that this version didn‘t necessarily have the chance to develop. They made their way down the path to the beach, not seeing Yvette anywhere on the beach.
As they neared, she saw Richard turn, and realized that maybe Yvette, who seemed so well at displaying signal of sexuality, preferred a bit of solitude at times, since Richard was the sole object of her advances, and that Emplate might still be searching for her. She knew a secluded spot would be a perfect spot for Yvette to sunbathe in.
As they neared the spot, she saw Yvette, not transformed into the lethal weapon her body was when her powers were active, but fighting like a normal person. Her attacker, as they saw, was obviously not limited by that. She had seen a few flashes of light which momentarily dazed Yvette, but just as the attack moved in to attack again, Yvette swung. She even figured why Yvette hadn’t activated her power, but wasn’t going to chastise the teacher.
In that moment, she saw the trio with her advance. Richard, Abi, and Everett all launched similar attacks, making the attacker pause in complete surprise. No doubt, she didn‘t expect that kind of attack. It even caused Yvette to pause in confusion. No doubt, Richard had not relayed the truth of the matter to the young woman. Of course, he might not have had time to do so.
That pause was also what Emma needed. She gathered her psychic powers together, and launched a psychic bolt at the attacker. Most people would not see the attack, but anyone who was psychically inclined would see the bolt launch from her head, and strike the target. To those with no defenses, they would collapse in a heap. Those with strong defenses, the could have deflected the attack back on her. This person had some defenses, but thanks to a lack of development, they folded in a moment. The attacker then collapsed to the ground.
As Emma expected, Richard was quick to run to Yvette‘s side, holding the redhead, and comforting her. Everett just looked on in amazement, and she could have sworn she sensed more confusion from the boy. Abi, however, looked like she was about to lash out at the attacker.
She quickly put her hand on Abi‘s shoulder, and the girl relaxed. Then Emma started to scan the woman‘s mind, and to her surprise, she had detected some similarities to Abi‘s mind, especially the memories. The key divergence happened after the encounter the one had with Mojo. Where Abi had been made into a slave, this one had turned it down, but after the incident, ended up transported into a vampire‘s, she paused for a moment before the word came to her, scourge. She didn‘t want to pursue it, but she said in a matter of fact tone to all around, including the arriving others. “It looks like Miss Jubilation Lee has somehow made her way to the school.” As she said the words, she heard a few people gasp in surprise. She also sensed a bit of hostility, and to her surprised, it was from multiple people. For some reason, that made her worry more, since she had been sensing a lot of hostility and anxiety lately.
Jubilation Lee blinked for a moment as her mind processed what just happened to her. The last thing she could recall was preparing to attack one of the rogue attackers from her last mission. Now, as she came to, she noticed that the attackers were gone, and she was surrounded by many that looked to be her own age. Of course, that was before she had gotten vamped.
After a moment, she locked her eyes on the one that had caught her off guard. The appearance of that figure made her pause, allowing the blonde woman to psychically attack her. Now, the figure stood there, an almost happy look on her face. She would have lunged at the girl, but noticing all the others there made her realize two things. The first was that she was no longer on the mission that she had been on. The second was that where ever it was, it was away from the X-Force team.
She turned her focus on to the figure that gave off the most commanding presence, the blonde woman, and said, “Don‘t tell me you are one of Mojo‘s enforcers. I thought I was done with him after I had caused her to cease to exist.” She finished the comment by pointing at the figure that had surprised her.
The blonde shook her head and said, “We are not with this Mojo being. We do know about him thanks to your doppelganger, Miss Lee.” That surprised her, and she wondered if the alternate version of herself had broken free or not. While she wondered that, she heard the blonde continue. “I would like to know, however, how you got here, and why you attacked one of my teachers.”
That statement caught Jubilation further off guard, and then looked at the woman she had attacked. She had heard back at the X-Force headquarters that Emma Frost had been given a chance to run another school, and had been given two young teachers to help handle a growing menace. The woman hadn‘t shown the power they were reported to have, but then if she was wearing that swimsuit, she might not use the power. She also had heard of the man, remembering something she heard about a few years ago. It had to be them.
She rolled her eyes and inwardly cursed, as well as breathed a sigh of relief. She was reluctant to get up, but she decided to voice her relief. “Sorry about that, but I‘m glad to be away from that group. We had been on a mission to stop a plan of Arcade‘s. I had voiced a concern, hoping to not have to kill them all.” She noticed a look of puzzlement on everybody‘s face. “After I got vamped, I managed to join a group called the Forgiven. They don‘t feed on human blood, and because of that, we are more able to walk around in daylight. Anyhow, after the disagreement, I continued my own part, but ended up in some strange glowing portal.”
The mention of the portal prompted a response from the girl with lavender skin. “You mean someone generated a teleportation portal.” When she nodded, she saw the girl look at one of the others. “I didn‘t know someone else had that ability here.”
Jubilation was about to respond, but her doppelganger responded, “A few mutants have the ability to generate portals. Some need an object to do so, and others need to take a life to do so.” The last words caused Miss Frost to shudder. It mad her wonder if Miss Frost had lost her previous charges to that particular mutant.
She sat up, and was thankful that no one thought she was attacking. “Yes, there are a few. Anyhow, when I entered that portal, strange things seemed to happen. I got disoriented, nauseated, saw some strange sights too. I saw a giant blue box with a man hanging on to the outside, shouting something. I saw a group of people traveling in a group between what looked like two different Earths. I even thought I saw that hideous fat blob‘s face. After it was all over, I was in the woods here. Until you stopped me, I thought it was one of Arcade‘s traps.”
She watched as the blonde looked at the man then, and he just shook his head, saying, “I‘m not chancing it at the moment. I know how my power works with mutants, and I‘m still getting the shivers from having Emplate‘s ability. I‘m not ready to chance a vampire yet.” She realized what the woman wanted to know from the man. It was actually a good idea. While she conversed, the man, whose power she didn‘t fully know, but had heard of, would have locked on to her with his power, and learned a lot. As it turned out, her vampirism made him leery.
No doubt, they must have wanted to know when exactly she became a vampire, or to verify she was who she claimed to be. She couldn‘t blame them. She just stood up, causing a few to step back for a moment, but she said, “I understand. You’re jumpy. Frankly, I‘m glad to be away from X-Force. If it helps, when I first saw ‘her‘,” she made sure to point at her counterpart, “I had been in the same area as that Wolverine guy. Mojo abducted me, and Wolverine was coming to the rescue, as well as stop this Mojo guy. All of a sudden, that Mojo guy is trying to convince me that I‘m Wolverine‘s sidekick or something, and that the only way to save Wolverine is to serve Mojo, and he knew I‘d accept. After I refused, I saw her flicker out of existence.” She paused in her narrative, remembering that just before her counterpart disappeared, something odd happened. It had been like two were there for a moment. Could that explain why that girl still existed? “Anyhow, then all hell broke loose, and I escaped through another portal. I remember collapsing through it. I think something about that portal messed with my mind, because I was thinking it was a police station or something that I had arrived at, but it ended up being a scourge of vampires. I guess the leader saw I was better as a thrall or something, but I managed to break free. Does that help verify who I am?”
She watched everyone look at her. Emma Frost seemed to be thinking about it. The couple she had deemed were the two teachers looked at her, but she noticed that their eyes had a glow to them. The redheaded girl‘s eyes were a pure blue, while the man‘s eyes were a deep brown. The girl of African descent seemed to be frowning, like seeing Jubilation was something that made things worse. Most likely, Jubilation thought, she didn‘t trust the vampire. The lavender skinned girl and the boy of African descent seemed genuinely puzzled. The others, a gray skinned young man, and Caucasian male whose face was half covered seemed impassive, but the gray one was nodding slightly. Overall, she couldn‘t get a good read on the lot.
Finally, Emma Frost spoke, but Jubilation knew the question wasn‘t directed at her. “I‘m inclined to let you stay, but what do the teachers think, as well as our new specialist student?” That puzzled Jubilation, since she had not been aware of this specialist, unless it happened when the mission started.
She glanced over at the teachers, and noticed the redhead was the one who spoke first. “Personally, after she attacked me, I‘m not one hundred percent certain she should stay. At least not without a probationary period.” While it stung, she could understand the woman‘s point. She had attacked the redhead.
She then watched as the man nodded. “I would have to agree. It‘s not the same situation as with Abi. Besides, if this school is supposed to be secluded in this new location, how did she manage to find her way here? I could buy it if she stumbled upon the school. This portal worries me. It means someone knows where we are, and if they aren‘t one of the X-Men or one of the other hero groups, who is it?” That statement made her take notice. Where she was now was not the original school‘s location, and to make matters worse, if she figured right, her counterpart was the new student, and had joined at a time that made a better impression than she had.
She turned to her counterpart, and she saw a smile on her face. That worried her, until she heard her double speak. “I guess I‘d have to agree with them. And just a warning, ‘lucky one‘, Mojo has given me a lot of practice at taking care of vampires.” Jubilation shivered at that statement, but realized that this school was now her home, but she had to be on her guard. If she gave in to the vampire urges, she‘d be killed.
She shrugged and stood up. “Fair enough.” She then looked at her double, and gave the woman an identical smile. “And I know I‘ll be on my best behavior. I‘d just love to deny you the opportunity of staking me.” She then started following Miss Frost, who was heading back up, noticing the looks on the other students‘ faces. She could see mixed emotions, but one of complete anger at the situation was the African girl. Jubilation knew she was going to have a hard time with that one.
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Spiral watched the monitors as everything played out. The introduction of that timeline‘s version of Jubilee had played out almost perfectly. At least, if she knew Mojo’s plan for introducing her to that group. She also saw the ratings come in as the scene played out. She shook her head, again marveling at Mojo’s latest obsession, and then turned towards the huge form that was Mojo. “Sir, I have the reports for this moment.”
She watched as the massive form rotated on the mechanical legs that allowed Mojo to move. Like always, his eyes were wired open, giving him an extra maniacal stare. “Good, good. Tell me how high the ratings are.” She thought it was a bit of a presumption for him to make, but he had been right about the appeal of the group.
She brought over the clipboard that held all the information about the scenes that brought in the biggest ratings so far, and compared it to the others. “Well, it was better received then when Abcissa arrived there, and almost ranked up there with Yvette finding the note. Of course, the beginning of the scene had more watchers, since Yvette was in that bikini.” She mentally noted that the first version of Yvette they had encountered would most likely not wear that. “They did seem to give high approval of the disgust Monet St. Croix had when Jubilation was allowed at the school.”
Spiral watched as Mojo laughed and turned to the screen. “Of course they did. Love triangles always bring in the ratings. Come to think of it, so do those swimsuit moments. We will need to orchestrate more of those.” She watched as he moved over to another console, the very device he had used to provide the school with the items they needed at the moment they needed it. “What do the viewers want to see happen next?”
She looked at a clipboard that was in one of her right hands. It had a listing of the top things viewers wanted to see. Ironically, a majority of them wanted to see some mature things. “They want to see some action with the star couple. They are getting tired of seeing, as he put it, ‘second base‘. Of course, we can‘t modify his thinking too much.” From what they saw, the limitation was in part fear, and in part concern about Yvette‘s age.
She watched as Mojo nodded. “Well, maybe we can help things along. I‘ve been dying to try the dream modifier. I‘m sure they both have had some juicy dreams. What are they saying about the crushes and such? Maybe I can use it to make them do something rash.” She noticed Mojo‘s smile became a bit more manic.
She looked down at the clip board, and nodded. “The viewers don‘t have any reaction on most of the crushes, except one. Jonothan Starsmore‘s crush on the traitor, Paige Guthrie. Some viewers think he can get her free of Emplate‘s control.” She could tell by the look on Mojo‘s face that he didn‘t like that idea. Of course, while her master was very powerful, he was also a slave to those ratings.
Spiral watched as he paced around a bit. “I don‘t want to try that yet. Even Emplate doesn‘t know about the school, and all I‘ve done to make it undetectable will keep it that way. I suppose we can set something up to make that psychic fireball leave the school to find her. Would be risky though. This one has more thralls than most of his counterparts.”
She had to agree with Mojo on that. Of course, like all the other Emplates, this one had an obsession with the redhead. If Emplate caught her, it would be a disaster for that timeline, especially if it also involved the mutant named Richard Cale. Those two as Emplates, no matter what led to it, resulted in that timeline being decimated.
She was about to suggest possibly doing something to remove Emplate as a threat when Mojo raised a hand in the air. “I‘ve got it. I think I‘ll mess with Frost‘s sisters. I know you already knocked the one out, but they are going nuts trying to find the school. Maybe I should give them a hand, or better yet, some sort of clue to make them force information out of a person. Emma‘s been a bit too fortunate after her big misfortune. Let‘s work on braking her, so I can bring our future stars here.” She noticed he started laughing again, and for a moment, remember how she ended up in the Mojoverse.
She stopped thinking about it, remembering how the current timelines Jubilation Lee remarked about Abcissa. “Sir, one thing I‘m wondering about. I thought no one from here knew about us. How did their Jubilation know about you?” She watched as he stopped for a moment, and then watched him look around, as if someone was watching them.
He then motioned her closer, and answered the question. “Simple. Long ago, I tried to check the potential for them here. I pulled the same stunt, except Wolverine and Jubilee weren‘t this hero and sidekick thing. Once the scene started playing out, I tried to convince her it was how it always was. She didn‘t by it, but once they escaped, my portals messed up their minds. I‘m guessing that it didn‘t destroy her latent resistance to telepathy, but hindered it a great deal. No doubt, it was damage that Wolverine‘s healing factor couldn‘t repair.” She watched as he started to walk off, and then looked back at her. “No matter. Besides, from what I‘m seeing, there are more problems approaching for all the teams. It will keep our viewers happy for a long time.” She then watched as Mojo left the control room for a bit. Spiral needed the peace, since she knew soon she‘d be making some dangerous deliveries. Deliveries made in the name of higher ratings.
Next issue: Birthday Backlash
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