Attention: The following story is based off Generation X, and the timeline that is known as the Cale Storyline. It takes place approximately two months after the events of X-Knights: The First Month.

Chapter 1: A Force To Be Reckoned With

I. Arisa

Arisa Shimanouchi paced in the jail cell that was now her prison. The cell had been specially made for her while the city's police station was rebuilt. Much to her dismay, it had been given wards to prevent her from summoning any of the demons she had enslaved. Had she been able to, she could have summoned one to break her out, but that was out of the question, thanks to both her cousin, Kiana, and the mutant paladin, Richard Cale.

Thinking about the later also made her fume, since it was in an effort to get him that she had joined the woman known as Claudette St. Croix. That mutant had promised her great things if she helped her take care of her enemies. During one fateful attack, her favorite demon, Sen, had been destroyed. She had then been caught by those they had attacked, and incarcerated. She hadn't thought it would be possible, since most people didn't believe in demons. Misfortune for the police, and the Cale's helping in efforts to restore the police station, led to the special cells in the place.

She kicked the wall, cursing first at the pain in her foot, and then at the callousness of her former allies. She was certain Quinn Taylor, the mutant with the life draining kiss, would have come to rescue her, but no doubt Claudette nixed it. Most likely, she was more expendable to the team than the mutants. She had even been replaced by a mutant that could do something similar to her. Arisa then sat down on the cot in her cell, and said mainly to herself, "When I get out of here, I'm getting my revenge on them."

She almost jumped in surprise when a cool voice said, "A very reasonable notion, if you ask me." She turned to face the direction of the voice, and was taken back by who she saw. It was a well dressed man of Asian descent, but under the clothes, at least at the cuffs, she saw a special outfit underneath. She then got a good look at his face, and she recognized it right away. Before she could respond, he just nodded, and said, "Yes, it is me. How did you end up here?"

Arisa stood up, and walked to the door of the cell, looking the man right in the eyes. "I had joined up with a group of mutants, and they wanted my demons to attack an enemy of theirs. Turned out that enemy was no stranger to fighting demons. Then my goody-goody cousin got involved. After one attack, they ended up catching me, and that group of mutants left me to rot." She then looked at the man, and she could tell he was appraising the situation.

After a moment or two, she saw the man nod at what he saw. "So the others knew about magic to contain your abilities. Not many would have thought of that. Who exactly were these foes?" She knew the man well enough to know that he was formulating. He was probably going to capture those he thought would be valuable to him, and leave the rest to whatever fate they deserve.

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Get me out of here, and I'll tell you. Heck, I'll even assist you. I have some scores to settle."

For a brief moment, she couldn't tell if he would or not, since his face remained neutral, but then it happened. A blade of energy shot out from his hand, and he cut the cell door off its hinges. He stepped aside as the cell door fell, and smiled coldly. "My dear, Arisa. A demon summoner like you is always an asset. Besides, if the ones who put you here wonder how you got out, they will be looking for someone else. It will make our attack a greater surprise."

She stepped out of the ruined cell, and glanced in the direction of her rescuer. She then noticed that he had three other individuals with him. Two of them looked almost identical, but the third looked like he was almost feral. She smiled an evil smile, and then said to her rescuer. "The place they are all at is called The Cale Institute. It is run by Lord and Lady Cale. They even have links to the King of England, Dio."

She noticed that Dio raised an eyebrow at that bit of info, but a growl from the feral looking one made her think that Dio might have been setting his sight on them as well. She saw Dio turn his gaze to the man, and calmly say, "Yes, they will definitely be surprised. I've been doing a little research into the Cale's, and their friends. We have a specialist who is ready to settle a score." She then saw Dio turn, and lead the way out of the place that had been her prison for the past two months.

II. Jubilation

Jubilation Thomas sat at the table in one of the lounges. It was one of the few rooms that had been fully transformed into a teacher's lounge at the estate of Lord and Lady Cale, which was now The Cale Institute. She was not alone. Sitting with her was all the female teachers, and all were excited about her and Everett's future baby. She was, herself, nervous about it, but she was glad her friends were there.

Sitting next to her was Lady Yvette Cale, who was smiling. Out of all the lady teachers at the school, Yvette had been the first of them to have a child, and was even the one who suggested Jubilation go to the doctor. "You are going to be a fine mother, 'Sis'." Jubilation smiled at that, especially since Yvette still looked at her as a sister. Yvette even insisted that her children call Jubilation 'Auntie Jubilee'.

The next affirmation that she would be a fine mother came from Monet St. Croix. "Indeed. I know we didn't see eye to eye much back in school, but you always acted the part when you were in charge. Besides, I could have sworn sometimes that you took a motherly stance when it came to Yvette." She wanted to blush at that, but was surprised when Yvette beat her to it.

Jubilation sighed, and said, "I know, but I'm still nervous. Besides, it will be our first. How are we going to handle things, especially since our home is still in the States?" That was one of her biggest concerns. She and Everett were still United States citizens. They were still undecided about if they wanted to permanently move to England. Sure, the school had tons of rooms, and they could live there, but was it the choice they wanted to make.

She heard a little bit of laughter come from Clarice Ferguson-Thomas. It was almost infectious, especially coming from the lavender-skinned mutant. "Geez, and I thought you'd be more concerned about the hormones and body changes you are going to go through. Add to it the complications of being away from baby when they are hungry." She stopped laughing when she heard that. That would make for very awkward situations.

She felt a hand on her wrist, and she looked at Paige Guthrie, who just said, "Ah'm sure you'll handle it. Besides, for most of us here, that change is temporary. Look at what Yvette has to deal with now." She follow Paige's gaze, and then saw Yvette starting to blush. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn Yvette was tensing up, activating her power.

Jubilation let out a little chuckle, which caused Yvette to stop blushing for a moment. "Paige does have a point, Yvette." This only made the blush return, but she then asked her friend. "In all honesty, though, we all know you have that healing factor. Did it adjust for your pregnacies, or did it figure the change was normal for you?"

She saw the blush disappear, and Yvette sighed. "In all honesty, for a few days, I had back pain, but it was worth it in the end." As if on cue, Jubilation saw Yvette's two children, Richard Cale III and Ashlee Cale, come running in. She watched in admiration as the redhead hugged each of the children, and talked with them. That was the enduring love, which would make it all worth it. Any time she saw Yvette and Richard interact with their kids, she saw a love greater than anything else.

That moment came to an end when a phone in the room started to ring. The sound of it made everyone go silent, and Jubilation, like everyone else in the room, turned their gaze to it. Something deep down in her made her worry, like a sixth sense. This had only been heightened due to her time with the X-Men and Generation X. She could even tell that all the others in the room also sensed it. Something about this call made her think something bad was coming.

Finally, it was Yvette who walked over to the phone. As her friend did that, she noticed a slight blue glow in her friend's eye, and then she heard Yvette's voice in her head. "One bit of advice, 'sis'. After your little one is born, and able to travel, I don't suggest going to a beach." She looked at Yvette, and noticed a slight wry smile on her friend's face. "Let's just say when we first got to go away, to a private beach house, my new swimsuit never got outside the place." In a instant, she felt a wry smile cross her face as well. No doubt, Everett might be the same, when the time came. She quickly placed a calm look on her face as Yvette picked up the phone, and she noticed someone was looking at her. No need to share that private bit of girl talk.

III. Yvette

Yvette answered the phone, wondering what the call was about. So many grim possibilities ran through her mind that not once did she think it was benign. At least she was able to alleviate some of the tension when she shared that little tidbit with Jubilation. Now, she just hoped this phone call wasn't going to undo that. "Cale Institute, Lady Cale speaking."

She almost felt relieved when she heard the voice on the other end. "Yvette, it's Graylon." It was Graylon Walsh, a reporter they found out was a mutant. Since the events of the first month of the school, he had become an ally of theirs, and occasionally taught a class. She didn't totally relax, however, since she realized he sounded upset. "Richard isn't available, is he?"

A chill ran down her spine as she realized that this was something very serious. She quickly projected a calm feeling, hoping that no one else would pick up on her concern. She didn't doubt, though, that Jubilation wouldn't pick up on that concern. She then kept her voice calm as she answered the question. "No, he's working with Kiana now. Is it something I can handle, or is it something that you need him for?"

She heard some hesitation on the line, and then Graylon answered her. "I think everyone is going to need to hear this. Remember when Richard had Forge help them rebuild the police station." All of sudden, she started feeling like things were going to go very bad. The police station had been rebuilt after Mr. Sinister had it blown up, to cover up his abduction of her.

She then remembered on of the provisions of the rebuild. Richard had felt it unwise to keep Arisa, Kiana's demon summoning cousin, at the school. A majority of people in the world would most likely think she needed to be institutionalize, since they did not believe in demons. Richard had asked the police if a special section could be made to hold people who attacked the school, ones who could also not be incarcerated by the known legal system. They had agreed, as long as Richard had gotten permissions to do so. It didn't take her long to figure out what had happened. "How did it happen?"

She heard Graylon take a deep breath. "I don't know how, yet. All that is known is that the few guards assigned to monitor the area, per Lord Cale's request, were found mutilated. The items that were supposed to keep Arisa from summoning anything were torn down. The police are still trying to figure out how it was done, since the video feed to the cells were cut. The only video feed left was the one watching the only way in and out of that area."

Yvette felt a bit of hope when she heard that, even though she was certain who might have broke Arisa out."Have you seen the video? I mean I'm certain who will be on it, but we could confirm the discovery." She was certain it was Monet's sister, Claudette, who orchestrated this. It was the only ally that Arisa had.

There was a long pause, and that worried her. She didn't need to hear the answer, but she realized she needed to hear the reason. "Sadly, no. I wasn't the first reporter here. Amelia was." She knew who that was. Amelia was Graylon's biggest rival in the news business. No doubt, she was the first on the scene, and claimed the rights to air the video. The police were probably butting heads with her to keep the video from being made public.

Yvette sighed, and automatically spoke the next phrase. "Alright, Graylon. We'll keep an eye on the news. I'm guessing you are going to try to get a hold of the video, or just try to see it before hand. The second you figure out who broke Arisa out, let us know." She heard him acknowledge that, and then hung up the phone.

When she had done so, she felt the stares of everyone in the room on her. She turned to face them, crossing her arms in front of her, and said, "We need to get everyone together. Arisa was broken out of the new jail. No doubt, Claudette is planning something." She saw them all nod, and then go to leave the room. No doubt, they would all head to the meeting room, with a possible stop to pass news to her adopted father. She, however, now had to break the news to Richard. She focused on the mental link between her and her husband, and hoped he would be able to react swiftly.

IV. Kiana

Kiana Asahara sat in the arcane library that served as the source of knowledge for the Paladin. This was the place she normally had her lessons from the mystic warrior, and title held by Lord Richard Cale. He had been going through some of the books, pulling some out from time to time, as new age music played in the background. Her current studies was of summoning, since understanding it could mean understanding the powers her cousin had.

She had currently read how some summonings were merely used as a way of communicating, or gathering information, and she had wondered about it. She looked over at Richard, who was getting another book from the shelf. "Sir," she said tentatively, "have you ever summoned anything?" She noticed that he had paused at that question. Was it one he could answer, at least in a way she'd recognize.

She watched then as he approached the table, and placed the latest book down. "I'd have to say yes, and no." Before she could ask him to explain, he continued. "The only summoning I've done is on those rare times I have had Darrett's powers." She nodded, understanding his statement. She had seen the mutant who was teacher, and bodyguard primarily to Lady Yvette Cale, summon creatures in the time she had been at the school. Most times, the creatures were big beetle like things that everyone called Garthims. She was unsure of where they came from, and the summoning seemed commonplace, yet unnerving to some.

Kiana blinked, bringing herself out of the memory, and then asked, "You mean what he does isn't the same as what my cousin does?" She had already seen Arisa summon demons, and those Garthims didn't seem like they were demons. They had to be the something similar, except there was no need for magic.

She watched as Richard sat down at the table, opposite her, and shook his head. "Darrett had somehow been born with the power to summon things that are evil, however they are bound to him, unless they rebel. He can also summon them from across distances, time, and possibly other dimensions and timelines. The amount of control he has over them also varies with how evil they appear to be. The Garthim are mostly mindless minions. He has summoned some human like entities, which when compared to some other things we have imagined in literature, are minor evils. That is not the same as what your cousin does, which is far riskier."

This bit of information surprised her, especially with what she had read so far about summoning circles. Some of the books even stated that some things that were summoned were done so for information purposes. "Surely, it can't be that much riskier. All these books state about summoning circles for protective purposes. Also, how bad can it be to summon just to get information."

Much to her surprised, Richard had responded to her statement with what had to be an odd answer. "Well, for information, you may think it is safe, but it is not. Depending on what you summon, you run into different perils for information. Some beings have a nature that won't let them lie, but that doesn't mean they tell you the whole truth. Others may have a price for the information which at first sounds small, or insignificant, but in actuality, it's too high. Also, the circle may not offer the protection you think it will."

After hearing all he said, she was surprised. She had never thought of the nature of beings summoned. Beings could be honest and malevolent at the same time. That was part of the dangers of prophecies. The words given could influence the choices the person made, but at the same time, lead to a more devastating outcome then if not known, or interpreted differently. At the same time, you could be told to go someplace to find what you need, and then get there only to be gravely wounded, and find the item that will keep you from dying, which was not what you needed when you asked, but what you needed at the moment.

Still, she didn't understand what he meant about the circle not offering the protection. She was about to ask when he held up a hand, and his eyes started to glow. If she hadn't know what it meant, she might have been scared. Lord Richard Cale was receiving a message from his wife, and it was obviously important. She had heard once before that husbands and wives have a special bond. One could feel where the other was, or if something was wrong. Somehow, mutants could also connect on the psychic level. Of course, Lord Cale once told her that for him and his wife, it happened when his powers fully took on hers.

After a few more moments of silence, she saw the glow fade. The solid brown was replaced by the man's normal brown eyes. Once that happened, he frowned and said, "Lessons are over, Kiana. We have to head up to the meeting room." She watched as he started gathering up the books, and she started to help. Given the contents of some of the books, it was best that they remain in this room, and on their shelves.

Once they were done, she saw Richard grab his sword, and she knew something bad was coming. She had grabbed her own sword, and followed him out of the room. "What did Lady Cale tell you? Are we under attack?" She had a feeling they weren't, at least not yet, but she felt something bad was coming.

Her feelings were confirmed when Richard responded to the question. "We aren't under attack, but it will be coming. Someone broke Arisa out, and I have no doubt who it is." She quickly picked up her pace. She remembered who her cousin had teamed up with, and realized that a battle was coming. At least she was certain of one thing; she knew who would be coming to fight, and how to handle them.

V. Davis

Davis Skinur stood in front of the students, finishing up his lesson on music. Given how his mutant powers of reality manipulation revolved around music, it was the perfect class for him to teach. Even the students of the school loved how animated he made the lessons. Of course, it was his use of his powers that helped, but some, like Alexandra Cain, seemed inclined to studying music.

He also attributed this to what the students did not know about him. All the teachers kept his past secret, since the parents of most of the students would raise hell if they knew that Davis had been one of the bad guys. Luckily, Richard Cale made sure that was where it belonged, in the past. Every once in a while, however, Davis felt the occasional question wanted to come forward. In fact, he felt it now, and noticed that while most of the students were packing up, Alexandra had her hand raised.

She worried him, and for good reason. While she was a good student when it came to music, her powers, as well as her association with the reporter, Graylon Walsh, kept him thinking she was trying to find out something about him. In fact, she tried it at least once a week. Still, he could just be a tad bit paranoid. He kept himself calm as he looked at her, and said, "You have a question, Alex."

He was not surprised when the question was as he expected. "Mr. Skinur, I was wondering again how you came to know everyone." That is what made keeping his background quiet so tricky. While everyone found out he had been a criminal, back when Jonothan and Paige had arrived, the exact details had been kept quiet. In fact, most of the Generation X-er's had forgiven him, and he was now in a relationship with Monet St. Croix.

Davis then thought about the pasts of various members of the X-men. A good portion of them had moments of bad judgment. Even Emma Frost, who had been one of the teachers of Generation X had been one of the bad guys. Maybe the best he could do was air the bad things he had done, during the time he had been influenced by Apocalypse. Besides, it would probably come up when they started learning about the world's oldest mutant.

He was about to answer the question, when Sean Cassidy appeared at the door. "Sorry to interrupt, lad, but Richard and Yvette wants everyone to the meeting room. Seems like big trouble is brewing." Inwardly, Davis said a silent thank you, but as everyone filed out of the room, the Irishman stopped Davis. "Lad, were they asking about yur past again?"

Davis nodded, and waited until the last one was out of sight before he spoke, hoping that also meant Alexandra wasn't focusing her mutant hearing on him. "Yes. I know we can't keep the fact that when I first met Generation X, I was hell bent on killing Richard a secret much longer. When the topic of you know who comes up, however, it is going to be known. Besides, not every person who has been members of an X team has been on the side of the angels."

To his surprise, he saw Sean Cassidy nod in agreement. "Aye, your right on that one, lad. I, myself, was a noted thief for a time." It was the first time Davis had ever heard that on the mutant who was formally known as Banshee. He had respected the man, especially since after Davis had joined the side of the angels, he could see Sean's powers had been one of the perfect counters to his own ability.

He gave the man a dubious look, and then shook his head. "I honestly can't see you on the wrong side of the law, Mr. Cassidy. The way you look after those kids, and even how you adopted Yvette as your own, I can't see you as a bad guy."

He heard an almost hearty laugh come out of Sean Cassidy. "Lad, then you didn't hear about what I did after the school closed its door. I called in a few so-called reformed mutants. Turns out one of them was Mystique, and she slit my throat. Had it not been for Yvette and Richard, I would have died instead of losing my mutant power."

He blinked at that, and then nodded in understanding. Richard had managed to get his own sentence reduced for being a minion of Apocalypse. He then nodded at Sean, and said, "Guess we all get blinded by things from time to time." He saw the older man nod, and then they both headed after the students to the meeting.

VI. James

Prince James walked quietly down the hall with the rest of the students of the Cale Institute. Something had obviously happened to cause this meeting, and he felt it wasn't good. The past two months since that over eventful first month had been relatively quiet, as if all the other forces that caused them grief during that time had gone into hiding. Those had been good things, since they all had a chance to really develop their powers, as well as learn more about typical school subjects. Looking back, however, James wondered if it had also been a bad thing. None of those foes were eliminated, just put at a disadvantage.

Of course, there were other good things the quiet times had helped to come about. He had been allowed to form a relationship with Tasha Lewis, a lovely girl of African decent. The fact that she could also leave the grounds of the school allowed them to go to town on chaperoned dates. Now, he could see that she looked worried. He got side by side with her, and said, "Is something wrong? Are you picking up on something about the situation?"

He noticed that she had nodded, ever so slightly. Tasha was an extremely powerful psychic, and he was learning how to read her as easily as she could read others. At least she didn't actively read the minds of the others. She then said, "I've only picked up on two names. Arisa and Claudette."

All of a sudden, James understood the concern Tasha was feeling. Both those names meant bad things. In the months following the first month, they learned more about the latter name. He kept his voice low, not wanting to panic any of the others. "Kiana's demon summoning cousin, and Monet St. Croix evil twin sister. If it is those two, we will have to be ready for the rest of her group, including that beast of a bloke you know."

He watched as she shuddered. The brutish Henry Edwards was a vile person, and when his power was active, he was much worse. With Claudette directing him, it made him much worse, especially when they considered the things Claudette had done. Still, the whole situation was worrisome. "I can sense a lot of concern for safety. I just have this odd feeling that something unexpected is coming. Something we won't be ready for."

James almost stopped walking as another disturbing thought hit him. There was only two people that would cause Tasha to worry this much. Her manipulative, and mutant hating parents. He could honestly believe that they would try to even overthrow his father, even if they knew she was dating the Prince of England. He kept his tone quiet as he asked, "Do you think it's your parents? I mean, Arisa isn't a mutant. Would they chance busting the girl out of jail?"

He was surprised when she shook her head. "No. I mean I think we may be dealing with something we aren't expecting. I don't know why, but I have a feeling someone is near that we've never encountered before. I just can't be sure." He understood now what the girl he loved was saying. Lately, Tasha's power was picking up on minds outside of the school. It was only momentary, but for one to linger meant that either they were staying near the school for an extended amount of time out of coincidence, or they were spying on the school. The problem had been discussed before, but was this something to worry the teachers over, especially if there was a threat already coming.

VII. Richard

Richard watched as the last of the students and teachers entered the room they were using to hold group meetings in. He started to mentally count and match up faces and names in his mind. All the students were present, which was a good thing to note. He was still matching up all the teachers when he started speaking. "If you haven't heard by now, Arisa has been broken out of the special cell she was put in. It happened earlier today, and while we still haven't received confirmation of the fact, we believe that Claudette is behind this."

He was still doing the mental count when Everett spoke up. "How do you think she did it? Did she have that brute break her out, or have Golden mute the sound, confusing all of them?" He had to admit that both were plausible. With the new talents shown by new arrivals to her gang, however, Richard wasn't entirely sure what had happened.

He finally realized who wasn't around, but answered the question. "I honestly don't know how they did it. Graylon is still trying to get access to the tape, but his rival is giving him the run around." He then paused in his thoughts about the problem, and address the one he finally realized. "Where is Kevin and Christy? They should be here as well."

Everyone just shrugged, and it was the voice of Grimore, his family's feline familiar, that answered the question. "I do believe that they are still in their room. I do think he is still upset with you." Richard inwardly groaned at that. Grimore had advised him once before about telling them about the dealings with Canon to help the man reform. Unfortunately, he had not heeded that advice, at least not until after the events of two months ago. As it turned out, he had to tell Christy after Kevin died, and before the resurrecting mutant came back to life.

He looked at the familiar, and calmly said, "Try to get them down here. We are going to need all the help we can get on this." He watched as the feline nodded, and then dashed out of the room. He then turned his attention to all the others, and looked them all in the eye. "I'm not going to lie to you about this. Claudette is already a tough customer to begin with. Thanks to her background, she's an equal to Monet. She is also very gifted in using her powers to misdirect. Couple that with the mutants we know in her employ, and her team is dangerous. I don't think we fully told the students about all of them yet."

He watched as the students shook their head, confirming what he was thinking. He looked up, and was thankful when Yvette spoke first. "One of her team once infiltrated Generation X. I never combated Q.T. face to face back then, but she has a kiss that steals life. Mutants go unconscious, while normal people die. If she kisses a female mutant, however, she gains certain physical attributes."

He was not surprised when Davis spoke up. "Another member of their team has the ability to nullify sound in any enclosed area. You get caught with him in an enclosed space, you need to keep an eye on him, and knock him out fast. Imagine fighting a foe out of your line of sight, and he can make sure you hear nothing. He could be behind you, and you won't hear him coming, not even wind moving." As he suspected, the students' eyes went wide.

The only eyes that hadn't gone wide was Aaron's, but that was because the young man was in the form of one the characters who kept their face covered, as well as all their skin. The young mutant had been given an ability that was hampered by his condition, that any light would burn his sensitive skin. "Do you think someone who is could see sound waves might have an advantage?"

Richard had to think about that for a moment. "I suppose it could. It could even be an edge, since the mutant in question is deaf. I'm guessing that his power creates cancelling sound waves." For a minute, a feeling of dread came over him, causing him to pause in his comment. He started to think that something wasn't right. With Golden's ability alone, he was certain that Claudette would have managed to have broken Arisa out of jail. Why would she wait any length of time? Still she was the only ally Arisa had, wasn't she?

He pushed the nagging thought out of his mind, and looked at Tasha. "Tasha, why don't you give everyone a recap on Henry?" He watched as the young girl shuddered, and was not surprised when Prince James put a comforting arm around her. He had just started seeing the young man mature in his behaviors. It was a definite change from seeing the young man occasionally trying to hit someone with a water gun, and given James water manipulation abilities, direct hits were sure things. Still, as Tasha spoke, Richard was certain something wasn't quite right. Almost instinctively, he discretely glanced at the window.

VIII. Dio

Dio watched the school through special binoculars he had acquired. With them, he could see that apparently everyone had congregated in one room. That would be perfect for his plan. With everyone in the same room, they couldn't fight their best. In fact, he was certain that an attack would force them to move to a room that had more space, and that would be another benefit for his plan.

While he watched, he said to Arisa, "I want you to send some of those little demons in. It will cause them to be distracted, and no doubt, they will not suspect the true identity of their attackers."

He didn't hear a confirmation from the girl, but as he watched, little flying creatures started to fly towards the school. Soon enough, some of the small things had gotten in, breaking some of the windows to the room they were all in. The reactions were as he suspected. The ones who could fight started fighting the creatures off.

Dio put down his binoculars and turned to face the group he had with him. It was only four people, but they would be a very tough team. He knew three of them because he had worked with them before, but the newest member was a dangerous man. He had taken that one on because that one had encountered some of the mutants he was going to encounter now.

He cleared his throat, and spoke. "Listen up. This first attack is informational, and will establish that we are dangerous, and that they are better off giving in to my demands. I am aware that some of them have very powerful abilities, or abilities that don't seem powerful, but are. I want a minimal amount of injury." A majority of the group nodded, and the new guy was the only one who didn't. He knew it would be tough for the new guy, but he could allow one exception.

He walked over to the hulking, almost feral looking man, and said, "I know your concerns. You have a grudge against a few there. You may have your kill, as long as it isn't the leader of this school. Is that understood?"

There were a few tense moments, and finally the newest member of the group growled. "Fine. As long as I can kill the twerp. I can kill Cale later." That bothered Dio a bit, but he had time to make sure the newest member of his group didn't cross the line. Dio was the most dangerous member of the team. He had killed others who had thought they didn't have to listen to him. He'd kill this one too, if they kept acting up.

He returned his attention to the other members of his group, and said, "We will be attacking in fifteen minutes. Again, this attack is to gather information. No deaths, unless it is unavoidable." He saw all of them nod, the latest member of the group doing so reluctantly. Dio then turned around, and started to casually walk towards the school.

IX. Grimore

Grimore made his way through the halls of the Cale Institute, knowing which room he was headed to. It wasn't the first time he was at the room, since he found talks with the feline girl known as Chrissy, or Balam, very pleasant. It was the man who was her companion, Kevin Dallas, that made the situation tense. Given the past of the man, that was understandable.

It also made the sounds he heard as he approached the door to their room expected. Kevin's voice was raised, and still agitated, even after all this time. "I don't care if he's asking for our help now. He was working with Cannon this whole time. Why wasn't he helping us stop him?"

He heard Chrissy's kind voice responding, obviously raised in pitch, but not edged with anger. "As I've said multiple times, Kevin, he had seen the good in Cannon that we never thought existed. You remember the girl I pointed out to you. She's Cannon's long lost daughter. It had been her disappearance that prompted him to turn to evil." Grimore had been with them when Chrissy pointed out Eloise. The girl was doing well, but she still had a way to go.

There was silence for a moment. Inwardly, he hoped that Kevin was finally seeing reason. He had heard this argument many times, and it always played out the same. The young man wouldn't storm out of the place, but his anger was still making the situation tense. Even the psychic students were sensing the unease. Then he heard something that made him think the resurrecting mutant had finally crossed the line. "If she's his daughter, he probably had her disappear for years so he could cause problems. He's is just crazy enough to…"

Grimore slammed the door open, an action that one would not figure came from what looked like a cat. "This stops now, Mr. Dallas." He felt some pride when the mutant looked at him in shock, and he continued. "Lord Cale was fully aware of how you would feel when you found out about the situation with Cannon. When Lord Cale fought him, he learned that your foe was not the evil man you though him to be. Their paths only crossed because someone managed to make a fool of him. Once that was discovered, Cannon started changing his tune. He learned about what his followers were doing, and Richard helped him get back on the right path. Now, if you can finally get off this kick of mistrust, which even Lord Cale's knows is hard to get off of, your help in the matters at hand is greatly requested."

He watched as Kevin finally regained his composure. The mutant shook his head for a moment, frowning, and crossed his arms in front of him. "You know, Grimore, I'm still not sure if I want to help Cale. How can I be sure he's not going to show me up, or even stab me in the back? He's aware I'll just come back in a week if he does that."

Grimore wanted to claw the obnoxious mutant, but froze when he heard a sound. It was an almost feral growl, and it was one he heard many years ago. At that time, he remember some people getting injured, which included Lady Cale and Everett Thomas. The hairs on his back rose up in alarm, and he noticed that Chrissy seemed to react the same. He was also aware that the presence of this growl meant that Lord Cale was dealing with something unknown, since what he knew about the one they suspected was behind the events today would not have employed the source of that growl. He started towards the door, saying, "Because, Mr. Dallas, I think you know a bit more about the foe they are about to face than Lord Cale does." Those words seemed to urge the young mutant to move, as he followed them through the door.

X. Monet

Monet St. Croix struck at each of the little demons that was now swarming around them. She was familiar with what they were, since during her time in Germany, working with a family friend of both her father and Richard's family, she had encountered them. "I believe they are one of the various imps from the beyond. These little things aren't so tough to fight. It's just the sheer number of them."

As she hit another one, making it shatter apart, she heard Kiana say, "No doubt Arisa is sending them. Imps are one of the few things she can summon without being threatened by them. The more powerful demons she has to best in the process." Those words accompanied, as Monet chanced a glance at the only non-mutant in their group, several swings of a sword, almost like a katana blade.

She heard Richard slice through another one of the little creatures, hearing it squeal a death cry. "What is Claudette thinking, sending these little things? A majority of us are picking these things off with no problem." She dared a momentary glance, and saw that was the truth. Jubilation's signature pafs were destroying each one quickly. Jonothan was using controlled blasts with pinpoint accuracy. Yvette was slashing each one of the creatures with her hands, turned into the dangerous weapons they were when her friend's powers were activated. Even the students were having no problems handling the creatures, especially as the students double teamed the creatures with their powers.

At that moment, Monet had a disturbing thought. Claudette wouldn't send in these little creatures as a diversion. Her attack would either be sneaky, or all out. The attack that happened when Arisa was first captured involved huge feline beasts, and the huge demon known as Sen. The imps were keeping them occupied, almost as a distraction.

Monet gasped, just as another imp managed to fly at her. She managed to punch that one out of the air as well, and started to voice her thoughts. "Richard. This isn't Claudette's operation. She wouldn't be doing this. Someone else is behind this attack."

At that moment, she felt fear coming from everyone. It felt more intense from some of them as a new sound entered the mix. Amidst the squeals of the dying imps, there was a growing growl. She remember hearing that growl several years ago, back at the time when she and Claudette were joined in one body. The growl had accompanied an attack on Everett and Yvette. She could sense the fear had increased from them, but the overwhelming fear came from Jubilation.

A quick glance at her pregnant teammate told her the worse. The woman had frozen in place, as the growl seemed to awaken every nightmare at once. It had to be intensified by her current state. Still, it didn't answer the key question, which Monet feared they were all going to get an answer to soon.

Just then, she heard a cracking sound, and she turned to see the front door of the place burst apart. She ducked as parts of the door flew, and noticed that everyone dove for cover. Even Thomas Jacobs, whose codename was Chance, ducked, but at the last moment before a big piece of the door narrowly missed his head. As she saw the figures now entering the door, she wondered if Thomas's luck might have failed him, since she knew the one figure had murder on his mind.

From the Author

To my loyal readers:

I'd like to apologize for my long silence in postings. After my last posting to one of my other stories on November 2nd, my family and I moved into a new location. On that day, I had also suffered a loss in employment, so I had been spending time trying various ways to use my writing skills to bring in money, as well as starting a job that caused me to work several hours overtime in December. Coupled with my work in another fic writing group, and my working on epublications, my free work has gotten a bit back logged. This is my first new story since the move, and to all the readers, please check my writing report, and you can get the link to my publications. Purchasing one would help me out, and since you've been enjoying this work, you know the quality I put into my work.

From now on, I'll have a weekly blog you can check out to see how things are progressing. You can find the link in my profile.