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.

====================================================

Truth Be Told

Chapter 9: Recovery (Updated)

Everett had kept an eye on Rich since everyone left. He understood to a point what Rich was going through, but still didn't understand why Rich had cheered up. He had to admit that after being controlled by Emplate, that he didn't want company. It was a terrible struggle for him to keep control, and still he couldn't keep control. Emplate had manipulated him like a puppet. Those few times he broke free, he tried to stop Emplate by sacrificing his own life. When Monet helped him break free, he was totally depressed, much like how Rich was. It was that Jubilee that helped him cope with it.

The time had passed when everyone left. He kept a careful eye on Rich, knowing that if Rich did something rash, Penny might blame him. Everyone had been told about what Rich did to Black Tom while upset and having Penny's abilities. After a while, he heard music playing in Rich's room. Rich's taste in music was varied from New Age to Oldies. It was hard to tell what mood he was in when he put on music, because the music rarely reflected his mood. Everett was trying to figure out if the music reflected Rich's mood, when he heard a voice behind him ask, "How is Rich?" He spun around and saw Penny standing there with Monet, Scott and Jean.

He told her the truth. "I don't know if it a good sign or a bad sign. He put on some music, and I have never heard it before." He watched as Penny walked to the door and listened to the music. He felt relieved when she smiled.

"It's a soundtrack. I think it is from a movie he showed me once. It is probably a good sign." She then faced him and said, "Monet thinks she has figured out what is wrong with Rich."

Now that was a good sign, because maybe they could snap him out of it. "So what is the problem, Monet?"

"Rich feels like he was betrayed by Bastion. Bastion was Rich's uncle who Rich thought was dead." Everett remembered hearing that when Rich's father had stopped by to drop off his stuff. He was about to ask about why only those for were there when he noticed something. The music was gone.

He looked in the door, and didn't see Rich. He used his aura to get in synch with Rich. He was still in the room, but he could figure out where. Penny rushed in the room, shouting his name. He had stayed focused on Rich's ability, when all of a sudden, he heard Penny shouting something he couldn't understand. It was in his mind. He yelled to Penny, "You must be near him, because my aura has somehow picked up your psionic call." He then saw Monet levitate just a bit a point Rich out.

Rich heard everyone outside the door. He didn't want company. He didn't even feel alone with everyone constantly keeping an eye on him. He just wanted to escape, all of his problem, all of his life. He put the music on to see if he could do that, but when he heard everybody at the door, he put his earphones on and sat on the floor, out of sight of the door. He listened to the song that was play.

"Don't tell me truth hurts," the song sang as Rich thought, I know it hurts. He never had a problem with what was true before, but that was all lies. As he listened, he thought to himself that he would love to be someplace where nothing ever hurt again, as the song said it. His thoughts were interrupted by Yvette yelling his name, vocally psionicly. It was then he realized that she was close enough that he latched onto her abilities.

In a few seconds, he saw Monet hovering in the room and looking straight him. The music in his earphone was soft enough for him to hear her say to Yvette, "He's over her, Penny." The last thing he wanted was company. After all that happened, he still wanted to end it all. No one left him alone, no one gave him peace, and no one could understand what he was dealing with.

Yvette, the one girl who ever had feelings for him, looked at him and said, "Rich, there are people here who can help you." She motioned to a red-haired woman and a man with red sunglasses.

He didn't care. They couldn't understand what he was dealing with. "I don't want any company. The only help I need is in leaving the life." He didn't want to say that to Yvette, but nothing was going right. He didn't even know what was true anymore. He turned and reached for his CD Player.

Yvette looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Rich, we know what is bothering you." How could they know what was bothering him. No one could understand what was plaguing him. His hand was almost to the volume control of the CD Player when he felt someone holding his hand in a restraining grip.

Rich turned to face Monet. Apparently, she was part of this group that thought they figured out what was bothering him. He knew that she could understand how Yvette and he spoke psyonicly, so he vocally said, "Let go."

Monet responded to what he said totally differently that what he expected. "The only way your going to do anything to prevent us from helping you, is to kill us." He didn't want to do that. He already taken one life, and he didn't want to take any more. He looked in Yvette's direction and she nodded in agreement. He didn't want to take her life. She meant to much to him. She comforted him when he went killed Black Tom Cassidy.

He started to cry, something he didn't do often. "You can't possibly understand what I'm going through."

The red-haired woman walked over to him and said, "I think we can. Let me introduce myself and my husband." He noticed that the man in the red sunglasses walked over to her side. "This is Scott Summers, and I am his wife Jean. We are members of the X-Men, and former students of Charles Xavier." He realized something at that moment. These two had suffer the same pain he was dealing with now. They had been betrayed, but it wasn't the same, or was it?

Rich looked up at them and said, "What was Professor Xavier like before Onslaught?"

Scott Summers said, "He was always working on peace between humans and mutants. He always believed it was possible."

Jean continued by saying, "And he still does. He hoped that by serving time for what Onslaught did, he can rebuild that dream." It wasn't totally the same, at least Xavier still cared for his students.

"But, that’s not my problem. The one that I trusted was family and went against everything he said."

It was Monet who then said, "Like I used to trust my brother." He looked over at Monet, a bit shocked. He knew that those two never got along, at least right now. "Rich, when I was younger, I trusted my brother to help me, protect me, and he did, until his abilities manifested. I tried to help in finding a cure, but it all changed that day." He knew what she was talking about when she said that day, the day he first attacked her. It still wasn't the same, thou.

Yvette then said, "Rich, when I lost my family and I was without a home, Emplate took me, saying he would take care of me." Between the four of them, Rich realized that they did understand what he was going through.

Rich finally started to get out of his depression, "If Bastion killed himself to try and protect me, it was probably useless. There is probably another of those Sentinels coming to attack the school."

Jean looked at him and said, "Do know what Bastion did when he killed himself?" He shook his head, because when it happened, he had his eyes closed. "Bastion sent a signal that destroyed every Sentinel and all existence of Zero Tolerance." He looked up at her in shock. "A group of Sentinels were about to attack our plane, when the robots self-destructed. A government official, who is good friends of the X-Men, told us of what had happened."

Rich realized what she was saying. Bastion didn't just kill himself. Bastion destroyed all of Zero Tolerance to protect him. It was Bastion's last attempt to renew the faith Rich had place in him. Rich now understood that his uncle, the former leader of Zero Tolerance, still cared for him. "I still wished that he hadn't killed himself, but you can't change the past." He looked at all of them and said, "Thank you. I guess I was just hit to hard in the emotion department."

Yvette just hugged him and said, "At least you are feeling better." It wasn't going to take long, but he would return to his 'normal' life. He just wondered if Bastion's last attempt to make peace would have lasting affects.

**************************************************************

"January 31"

"Dear Diary,"

"It has been two weeks since Rich had started to recover from all the events of his first month here. He and Penny have returned to there normal lives, as well as everyone else had. I know that Rich told me that Marius is still fighting to stop the madness and hunger that controls him, and that there is still hope to rescue him. As for Bastion, Rich still hopes that all that Bastion did was not for nothing. If Bastion had any reason for what he did, Rich said that anything left would appear soon. Rich doesn't sound pessimistic, but I hope he doesn't regret what he..."

There was a knocking at Monet's door. She replied, "Yes."

The voice from outside the door was that of Rich. "Monet, I think something is up."

She ran and open the door, "What is, Rich?" He handed her a piece of paper and she read it. She was amazed at what was on it.

"I should have known. Regardless of what he said, Bastion considered mutants as equals. He said he protected that girl. His last wish is that Ms. Frost makes her a member of the school."

"I hope this works out." He nodded and left to tell everyone else. He had probably already told Penny, but she knew that she still had doubt of his belief. Monet returned to her diary.

"said. I hope more that we all benefit by it."

"Monet."

Finis?

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