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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Truth Be Told

Chapter 5: Angelo’s Story (updated)

Angelo had just pulled Yvette to were he and Jono were standing, when he noticed that Rich had disappeared. He thought that Rich had been knocked out when all of a sudden as the tendrils were waving about, one fell to pieces. He heard Black Tom exclaim, "What in Sam Hein?" The other root fell to pieces, and then Angelo saw the movement of a black shadow in the darkness. It must have been Rich. He had made his skin so sharp that the light seemed to be reflected into him.

Sean had started to come to from what had happened. "What's going on? Where's Skitz."

Angelo was about to answer when Yvette finally said, "His temper. He must lost control when I was hit." She was rubbing her side, where the tendril had hit her.

Angelo then continued, "And I don't think he plans on letting your cousin succeed, judging by how then tendrils are being taken out." All of a sudden, it appeared that Black Tom had made himself florescent, and that a shadow appeared to be standing a few feet from him. That had to be Rich.

He saw the shadow had shielded it's eyes, which appeared as a glowing bluish-brown. Black Tom reached for Rich and said, "So, there is the problem. I shall take care of you." A glow was forming from Black Tom's hand and Rich had finally adjusted to the light.

Sean yelled to Rich, "Watch out, lad." Angelo watched as Rich waved his hand and scream of agony filled the air. The living shadow that Rich was could now be seen easier, due to the red outlined hand. He also saw Black Tom holding his arm in agony.

Angelo could only watch, as did the rest of them, at the sight they were witnessing. He had seen many scenes like this before, but this was totally unlike Rich to do that. He heard Yvette said, "My God."

Angelo saw Black Tom was about to try and strike Rich, when Rich swung his left hand, then his right, following with backwards somersault. <Bloody hell!> Jono exclaimed as the nearly shredded form of Black Tom fell to his knees.

Rich had just landed and lunged forward with a head butt. Angelo only winced, as everyone else averted their eyes. Finally, there was two thuds as Angelo watched the two parts of Black Tom's body hit the ground. Just as quickly as the pieces hit the ground, Rich's claws went through them so quick that the pieces dissolved. The shadow that was Rich had finally stopped moving, covered almost head to toe in the blood of Black Tom Cassidy. They all watched as Rich returned to his normal look, as Yvette's ability had finally left him.

Angelo and everyone approached him slowly. Rich looked around, as if he was in a daze. Angelo knew the look on Rich's face. It was the face of a person whose loyalty was so strong to something that one would kill for it. He saw that look many times in L.A. He was about to say something when Rich's face changed and went from no remorse into a fit of sadness. They all heard in Rich's sobs, "What have I done?" Rich collapsed to the ground right near what was left of Tom Cassidy's face.

Sean looked at Rich and said, "You might have done the world a favor, and saved all of our lives."

Rich looked about and said, "But, I-I-I killed him. I didn't have to kill him, but I did. I didn't want to kill him, but I did."

Angelo looked at Rich and thought he understood why Rich acted the way he did. "He threatened your life. You fought in self-defense."

"No, I fought in rage. I lost control of my temper, and that man suffered for it. I didn't want to kill him." Rich almost broke into a fit again when Yvette walked over to him.

"You were worried about me. You were protecting me. When you thought that he injured me, you reacted just as I would have if he hurt you." She helped Rich up and he seemed to lean on her support. Angelo could tell that Rich was shaken up.

For the first time since they were all outside, Jono finally spoke up. "I think you might want to get cleaned off. I don't think you want to be covered in Tom's blood for too long." Rich nodded and Yvette helped him to the dorms. Angelo always wondered how bad Rich's temper was, and now he had seen it.

As they headed back to main building, Sean asked him, "Angelo, you've seen that back in L.A., does the pain ever go away?" Angelo didn't know how to answer that. He had never taken anyone's life. He shrugged and continued back to the dorms.

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Jubilee was still comforting Penny when Angelo finished telling everyone what had happened. To hear about it once was bad enough, but to her about Rich's temper and rage taking control a second time made it more unpleasant. She wondered what would have happened if Rich had her abilities and personality at the time. He probably would have leveled the school in one pyrotechnic blast. She snapped out of that thought when Jean said, "If the act was in self-defense, it shouldn't plague him so."

Emma said to Jean, "Rich is a very emotional person, and the last thing he wants to do is harm, let alone kill. He was very upset when Emplate forced him to attack Jubilee." Jubilee remembered that day. She had been the med center for about a day. She was the first one who saw Rich awaken from the coma he had been in, when he used Emplate's own devices and weaknesses against him. She saw the look of regret in his eyes when he remember what he had done.

Scott just said, "It can be very painful to do something that you don't want to do. Even more painful if you can't control what your doing."

Emma then continued, "But he recovered from that, and during the days after the attack and when we returned from Monet's home, he was recovering mentally. He did his best to cope with the killing."

She noticed Sean sighing as he said, "He went to same spot every day and put a flower there, as if he was trying to make peace with me cousin." Jubilee had wondered what that was about on the day of the attack, and now she knew.

"But something happened before he had fully recovered, correct?" Jean said as if knowing. Jubilee remembered what happened during the second attack. She felt it was time to speak up.

"From what we all discovered, Rich's family had a skeleton in their closet that they were hiding from him. I found out about it when Rich confronted it," Jubilee stated. She still remembered that day.

"Aye," Sean said, "the scary thing is that we all knew about it, because Rich's father informed us about it." Jubilee was amazed, but then the day Rich's father was here, she was half with it.

"Was this the relative that he thought was dead?" Scott asked.

"Yes, and I remember the look on Rich's face that day." Jubilee finally said as she started telling everyone of the second attack, and how Rich's breakdown had started.

Bump....for reasons that will be revealed later in the week.