Attention: Generation X and their villains, 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 copyrighted is a chance happening.

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Class Dismissed

Chapter 9: A Wedding Ends In Chaos

Rogue entered the hall with Ororo, Paige, and Jean. They had gotten all of Paige’s things together, and were ready for when they had to leave. Now, they were ready to attend the wedding. She noticed that Godiva and Kyuukai were sitting together in one row. Some of the boys hadn’t gotten there yet, but she knew part of the reason for that. They were helping Jono pack, and that was a task Jono had started on during the night. She had woken early that morning, so she could get ready and noticed movement in the room that Jono had in the school, from her room window. She then looked at Paige and said, “So, sugah, how long have you and Jono been together?”

As they headed to their seats, she heard Paige say, “Well, that’s hard to say, but Ah think our relationship started not to long after we started here. Ah think Rich had helped in one of our more rocky patches.”

Rogue nodded and then said, “Sounds like Rich helped you out a good deal then. I asked him for help yesterday.” She thought back to the information Rich had told her the other morning. It would mean a world of change for her. She could start having a normal life, and not be afraid to touch people.

She then heard Jean say, “So that was the real reason you came along. You wanted to learn more about yourself and your power. I didn’t totally believe Ororo when she told me.”

Rogue looked at Ororo and said, “Ah thought you’d keep it secret, Ororo.” She felt somewhat upset that her friend had shared her secret, but then her actions two days ago would have revealed much more. She then said, “You told her not long after Ah attempted to shake hands with Rich, correct?”

Ororo nodded and said, “I was concerned after that. I didn’t want something bad to happen, and no one know what had happened. So I told Jean to be on the safe side. I’m guessing you spoke with Rich before he left yesterday.”

She nodded and said, “That’s right. Ah was worried Ah wouldn’t get the chance to ask later. Now Ah know some things about myself, like my real name.”

She noticed Jean’s eyes went wide as she said, “He was able to find that out. What is it, Rogue?”

She was about to tell them when she heard Paige gasp and say “Oh my goodness. Is that Jono?” She turned to where everyone was looking, and saw all the guys come in, but the most amazing thing was Jono. The boy who had been lacking most of his face now had a face, and it was handsome. She saw Paige run up and kiss him right on the lips. When it was over, she heard Paige say, “How is this possible, Jono?”

She heard the boy say, “Professor Xavier is helping, but he said I can do this after enough practice. It’s wonderful, luv, and worth it after that kiss.” She watched as he gave Paige a smile and they went to their seats.

As Professor Xavier came over, he said, “It’s good to see those two happy. They will make fine X-men when we get back to the mansion. Is everyone ready for the wedding?”

She saw everyone nod and they all sat down. She then leaned over to Professor Xavier and said, “Professor, Ah was wondering if you could help me with something when we get back. Ah learned that I might be able to shut off my power at will.” When she finished that statement, she saw Professor look at her in complete surprise. Maybe she should have waited to mention this.

Professor Xavier was surprised by Rogue’s statement. He looked over at her and said, “Rogue, how did you find out you could turn off your powers?” He had an idea who helped her find out, and if he was right, he was worried.

He heard Ororo say, “She spoke with Richard about it yesterday. He was the one who found out that she could mentally turn off her powers. I admit that is a good thing to learn. She could live a normal life and interact with us better.”

His suspicions were just confirmed. He started to worry, and he could tell they could see he was worried. Soon, Jean asked him, “Professor Xavier, you are worried about something. What has you worried?”

He kept his voice low so he could talk with them, and made sure Paige and Jono weren’t listening. He then said, only to his X-Men, “I fear that Rich’s ability is too powerful. Look at the things he’s learning just from the first time taking on powers. It’s taken us years to find out things about Rogue’s powers, and now she knows her powers can be turned off. Now, Rogue, I know this isn’t a bad thing, but...”

He heard her say one word that stopped his train of thought. She looked at him and said, “Marie. That’s what my real name is. Rich said that he found that out. Ah finally have a name.”

While it was good that they now knew Rogue’s name, it only intensified his worry. “This is serious. If Rich can find out stuff even we can’t figure out, what is to stop him from finding out stuff we don’t want found out. If he were to fall into the hands of Sinister, or the Brotherhood, there would be no stopping him from finding out our secrets. Maybe we should ask him to consider allowing a branch of the X-Men to stay with him in England. It might be best for his safety.” He had a double reason for doing so. He was afraid that too much power might corrupt the boy, but he also wanted to keep an eye on him.

It was at that point he heard the wedding music start. The wedding was starting, and everyone took their seats. As the music started, he heard Jean say "Professor, are you sure that’s wise? Richard is very big on trust. This kind of action may make him stand against you, maybe not evil, but he might fear you as evil."

Xavier thought about it for a moment and said, "You may be right. I’ll keep it as a suggestion for later, but I won’t bring it up now. It would be better if he asks for the help instead of me forcing it on him. I just hope nothing happens to make him think otherwise. Last thing we need is him thinking the X-Men are against him." With that, he decided to focus on his mind, which was helping Jono and Kyuukai control their powers.

As Kyuukai sat there with Godiva, she glanced over at Professor Xavier and noticed how strained he appeared. It was obvious to her that his helping her was causing him great strain. It also appeared as if he had something on his mind. She turned to Godiva as the wedding progressed and said, “Godiva, does it look like Professor Xavier is under great strain?”

She watched as Godiva looked and said, “I think you are right. He seems to be under alot of pressure. I think you aren’t the only one he’s helping. Did you noticed that Jono had a face?”

She looked Godiva in the eyes and said, “I was watching your eyes, and that was just to start with.” She saw Godiva was blushing with that statement. She loved it when Godiva blushed. She then said, “You know, Godiva, you always look more beautiful when you blush. I should make you blush more often. I should even take a picture of it.”

She then heard her say, “I don’t mean that, Kyuukai. I mean now Jonothan has a face. I think Professor Xavier is helping with that. He’s helping you, he’s helping Jono. How much stress do you think he can take?”

Kyuukai said, “I don’t know, but if that’s the case, maybe I should also get a picture of Jonothan as well as a picture of you.” At that she reached into her purse to get our her camera.

Godiva then looked at her and said, “You should take a picture of the wedding. You did bring the camera in, right?” She paniced and looked into her purse. She had put it in there when they came to the school, and now she needed it. As she looked, she heard Godiva say, “Kyuukai, I can’t believe you took it out of your purse. We are going to miss getting pictures.”

Kyuukai quickly got up and said, “I’ll get it. I’ll be gone for only a minute. It probably fell out where I had set down my purse.” She then gave Godiva a short kiss and headed out of the room. All she needed to do was get her camera, and she saw it on the table where she had put her purse. She went over and picked it up. As she did so, one thing started to bother her. Her purse had been closed when she put it down. How had her camera gotten out?

She was almost lost in that thought when she heard a knocking on the door. She glanced over at the door and wondered for a moment who it could be. It couldn’t have been an attack, because they would not knock on the door. She walked over to the door and listened for a second. Soon she heard a familiar voice say, “Anyone there, please open the door. I need help.”

Kyuukai tried to look out the window to check, but couldn’t see in front of the door. She did know the voice however. She cautiously said, “Britney, is that you?” She hadn’t seen any of the four girls since they were sent to the school. The girls had disappeared, and Rich had said Emplate was to blame. Now, it seemed Britney had escaped.

She almost shouted when the voice said, “Yes it’s me. Kyuukai, let me in. I need help.” She quickly opened the door, and the look of Britney almost scared her. The girl looked like she was almost drained of life. The thought of what that monster did to her just sickened her. She knew what Emplate had done to Godiva, but this was worse. The girl had been a prisoner for months. Now she had to get Gen X to help her.

Britney knew the plan was working. D.O.A. had transported the camera out of the purse with one of his devices. Kyuukai was then the one to take the bait. She knew Kyuukai was also too motherly for her own good. That was a fact that Emplate planned to use to their advantage, a fact that she had told them, and now she was going to exploit it. She also knew what the next words out of Kyuukai’s mouth would be as she heard Kyuukai say, “Britney, what happened to you?”

Britney knew how to act this part out. She had fooled Kyuukai and Godiva into thinking that she was worried about the others. She hadn’t expected the double cross in the end, but that worked to her advantage. She looked at Kyuukai and said “It was horrible. That monster kidnapped us. He manipulated me and killed the others. He’s keeping Christina alive so he can capture more. It’s terrible what he’s done to her. She doesn’t even know her own name anymore. They’ve broken her, and that’s not the worse.”

She saw the look of concern cross Kyuukai’s face as she said, “Dear Lord, what happened then? Do I even want to know?”

She tried to hold in her own smile, and then looked at her and said, “They used me. They did unspeakable acts of.... I can’t even say. I thought it wouldn’t happen, but we couldn’t stop them. We were chained to the walls. Everyone took a turn, beating me up, and.. I don’t want to say what else. It was terrible. I don’t even want to mention it.”

She saw how concerned Kyuukai was. It was that concern she was hoping for as she said, “Listen, Britney. Let’s get you in here. They have an area where they can help you recoup, and then, maybe they can help rescue Christina. There are alot of people who can help. Just come inside now.”

Britney knew she has to act fast. She had to get Kyuukai to come outside. She started to stagger a bit and said, “Kyuukai, I don’t know if I can make it. I feel.....” She stopped speaking as she fell to the floor, in a fake faint. She hoped that Kyuukai would take the bait and step outside the door.

She was glad when Kyuukai took the bait and ran out the door. She heard Kyuukai kneel down to her level and say, “Oh my, Britney. Hang in there. I’ll try to get you inside, then we’ll get you help. It shouldn’t take too long. Then....” It was at that time Kyuukai’s words stopped. She knew what it meant. She got up and looked to see Emplate, Aura and Freeze Frame heading towards them. She smiled, knowing what it meant. Kyuukai was captured, and phase two was about to begin.

Freeze Frame advanced with the others after he had frozen Kyuukai. They had five minutes to get her ready before she unfroze. As they got close, he also noticed D.O.A running over to the porch. As they advanced, he heard Emplate say, “Good job, Freeze Frame. Same goes to you, Britney. You both did well.”

He kept his mind focused on Kyuukai, but said, “Thank you, sir. May I ask you one question?”

He watched as Emplate looked at him and said, “Wondering how phase two will work? I’ll tell you. Once I use Kyuukai’s powers, all the psi’s will be affected. More than likely, Rich will do the dirty work of subduing all of them”

It was then he understood the plan, but he also wondered why the psi attack wouldn’t affect all of them. He looked at Emplate and said, “Sir, why won’t it affect everyone? Why just the psi’s?”

Emplate smiled and said, “Very simple, Freeze Frame. Once I sup on Kyuukai, I will use her powers to affect all the psi’s. They are more vulnerable to her powers. As for who takes care of the situation, only three can possibly handle it; Skitz, Penance, or Synch. Now, while Synch can use any psi’s power, he will also fall victim to Kyuukai’s power when he uses his power. Penance will most likely not be able to preform the task, which will leave her husband to do it.”

He then noticed that D.O.A. had placed some sort of collar on Kyuukai as he said, “Everything is ready here, boss. She won’t be able to use her powers when the psi’s collapse. And these are for you, Britney.” He saw D.O.A. holding some gloves. He was puzzled by that.

He then saw Kyuukai float up as Aura moved her over to them. Aura then said, “Britney, you will guard Kyuukai out here while the rest of us head in. The collar will keep her powers down, and keep her from moving. The gloves will allow you to fight off anyone who might try to save her.” He watched as Aura then looked at Emplate and said, “Ready for your snack, my love.”

It was then that his power stopped, and Kyuukai tried to scream in fright. He just looked at her and said, “Don’t try to scream, Kyuukai. Aura is keeping your mouth shut.” He watched then as Emplate place his hands on her forehead. He was feeling a rush as Emplate fed on her, and wondered which of the people they would capture he would feast on first.

When Emplate was done, he heard him say, “We are ready. I’m already using Kyuukai’s power to bring down all the psychics. Hellions, let’s get to the door of the hall. It’s time to begin the attack.” He then saw Emplate look at him, and said, “Freeze Frame, since my sisters have seperated, if you want to take out some anger on Monet, feel free too.” He smiled with that thought. Emplate knew he didn’t like Claudette, but would not harm her. He decided now would be a good time to vent his frustration on Monet.

Jean sat with her husband and enjoyed the wedding. It even reminded her of their wedding. She turned to Scott and said, “Isn’t this lovely, dear? Everyone looks so nice. It seems so flawless for the fact that they had less than a month to get it all together.”

She saw Scott nod and say, “It is very nice, but I think Rich and Yvette is footing the bill for this. I think it’s their way of making up for their sudden marriage. Sort of a way to give Sean a wedding to see.”

She had to nod in agreement. She could sense alot of happiness coming from Sean. But there was some other emotions in the room. Some were of anxiety, mostly due the wedding. She sensed something else in some of the anxiety. She glanced over at Godiva, who was the source of the anxiety. She realized what was wrong just at first glance. Kyuukai was missing. This worried her. She said to Scott, “I think something is wrong. Kyuukai is not in the room.”

Scott glanced back and then said to her, “She’s probably in the bathroom. Nothing to be to concerned about. I don’t know why Godiva looks worried.”

Jean looked around and noticed that Monet seemed to be having a headache. At first, that’s how it looked to her, but she wasn’t entirely sure. She remembered Monet mentioning the headaches before. She didn’t think much of it until Emma apparently had a headache as well. She started to worry more, especially because of Kyuukai. She looked over at Scott and said, “I think we have a problem. I think Kyuukai’s power is going out of control.”

She saw Scott look at her and say, “I think you are right. Take a look at yourself.” She quickly pulled out a compact and looked in the small mirror. What she saw scared her. She started looking her own darker self.

She then dared a glance over at Professor Xavier. She almost gasped at what she saw. Professor Xavier was starting to gain the armor that made him Onslaught. She chanced another glance around and saw all the psychic were being affected. It was worse than she feared. Maybe the Professor had stretched his power out too much. Now, they may need a powerful psychic to stop this. She looked over at Rich and Yvette and realized they were the only two who could help. Their psychic abilities may be the only hope they had. She look over at Rich and yelled, “Richard, can you come over here!” She noticed Rich looked in her direction and hoped he understood.

Everett watched in confusion as he saw all the psychics in the room acting strange. All of the psychics were acting different. It was as if they were acting on something long repressed. He noticed that Monet was looking at him the same way a cat would look at a caught mouse. He then noticed that Jonothan was kissing Paige like there was no tomorrow. It was if their inhibitions were stripped away. That’s when he realized that Kyuukai was missing. He also heard Jean say something. He looked at Rich and said, “I think you are needed. I think Kyuukai’s power got loose.”

He saw Rich look around and said, “You’re right. I’m going to try and stop the chaos that is starting, just be ready for when we search for Kyuukai. It’s going to be up to us to find her.” As Rich started to move, Everett watched him face the pastor and said, “Finish the wedding, Pastor. I have to help some people here.”

He watched Rich head over to the X-Men, and then heard Yvette say, “What’s going on, Everett, and why did Jean call for Rich?”

Everett looked on and said, “I think whatever Professor X did to help Kyuukai is backfiring. Whatever is happening is hitting every psi in the building.” He noticed all the changes in the Emma, Monet, and even Jono. Then he saw the most disturbing change of all. He saw Professor Xavier was changing. “And now I see the biggest problem of them all. Xavier’s turning into Onslaught again.”

He noticed that Rich was talking with Jean. He wondered what the converstation was, but from the look on Rich’s face, he could tell Rich knew how severe the situation was. He then saw Rich looking at Professor Xavier. As he watched, he heard Yvette say “Rich just told me he’s going to take on Professor Xavier’s ability. It might be the only way to stop all that is happening here.”

Everett nodded in agreement and watched as Rich took on Professor Xavier’s powers. He noticed armor was starting to form on Rich, especially when a shocked look crossed Rich’s face. He also heard Yvette gasp at that time. He looked at her and saw a shocked look on her face as well. He looked at her and said, “What’s wrong?”

At that moment, Everett saw all the psychics collapse. He also saw a slight glow in Rich’s eyes. Apparently, Rich had knocked out all the psys. He could also see Rich was upset. Before he could even ask Rich what had happened, Rich just said, “Alright, Everett. Let’s find Kyuukai. I think something happened to her, and I don’t have a good feeling about it.” He nodded and waited for a moment as Rich took on his powers. He even noticed that the ceremony had ended. That was a good thing. He hoped the wedding hadn’t been ruined by the sudden psi problem.

He saw Rich nod, and then said, “Ok Rich, lets do the same thing as when we hunted down Darrett and Blink. At least we don’t have to worry about not being able to lock on to her.” He saw Rich smile at that, and then frown. He started to get the feeling something was very wrong.

Jubilee watched as Everett and Rich started to head over to the door out of the hall. As the two advanced, she heard Sean say, “Everyone, let’s get Jono, Emma, Monet, Jean and the Professor over here. It will be a bit easier to get them out of the room and down to the med center.”

She agreed with that, but before she could move, she saw Godiva’s hair lash out and grab everyone. Soon, everyone was all together where the alter was. Jubilee looked at Godiva and said, “Thanks for the help, Godiva.”

She saw that Godiva still looked worried as she said, “The least I could do, but I hope Rich can find Kai. I’d be lost without her.” She knew exactly what Godiva meant. She felt the same way about Everett.

She then heard Paige say, “Ah hope Jono will be alright. Whatever Rich did knocked every one of them for a loop.” She had to agree with that. Jono barely had any of his psychic fire flaring. Jubilee hoped Jono would be ok.

She then heard Gabe say, “I don’t think Rich would have hurt him, Paige. If there is one thing I’m sure of, he’s not about to hurt his friends.”

Jubilee nodded in agreement and said, “Look how long he’s been here with us. He trusts us. You know how much trust means to him. It’s not like anyone here doesn’t trust Rich.” It was then she hear Yvette make a noise and turn towards the door. Jubilee looked at Yvette and wondered for a moment if she knew something the others didn’t know.

She watched as Yvette kept looking at the door. It seemed obvious to her that something was amiss. At that moment, she heard Rogue say, “Yvette, what has you spooked? Did Rich mention something to you in yur mind link?”

Jubilee was almost startled when she heard Grimore hiss, and she saw the doors strain. Something wasn’t right, and Grimore knew it. Soon the door started to bulge, and as it did Rich shouted, “Look out!!!” Just then, the door shattered and flew inwards. Everyone dived either left or right. In all the chaos, she saw Everett jump over to the right side of the room, while Rich jumped left, and she saw Scott collide with him in mid jump.

Then she heard something that chilled her bones. She heard a slightly familiar voice say, “Oh, did I arrive too late for the wedding? No matter, I’m hear for the feast afterwords.” She glanced at the door and was scared by what she saw. It was Emplate, but without his respirator, and his hands were glowing. It was a very scary sight, and no one was ready for battle, especially with all the psi mutants out of action. She then saw his smile, and she realized what was happening. Emplate had planned it this way.