THE VENGEANCE OF EMPLATE

Part I: Consecration

By Mike Rudden

The medical lab of Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters. It originated, as the Massachusetts Academy, over a hundred years ago as a prestigious boarding school to those with hefty wallets. It was when it was purchased by Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club that it was enabled with alien technology and specialized in mutant students. The tradition holds true today.

“I told you guys, I feel fine!” yelled Alex Roberts, laying in a hospital bed, wearing a blue gown over his clothes. He’d been in the bed for hours, running tests given to him by his two headmasters, the aforementioned Emma Frost, and her associate Sean Cassidy.

“What happened to ye yesterday was hardly ‘fine’, Alex. It was quite frightening, to tell ye the truth,” said Banshee as he watched a computer monitor.

“Yes, and our medical skills will not cut it,” joined in Emma, finally putting down her cellular phone, “and the few doctors that are keen to this school’s… specialties… aren’t exactly accessible.”

“Which means we’ll have to wait to find you the proper medical care,” sighed Cassidy. “But don’t ye worry, we’ll find it.”

“I’m telling you guys, I feel fine…” persuaded Nuclear.

“Well, it does look like your condition has finally stabilized…” Emma’s statement was cut off by the entrance of Monet St. Croix into the room.

“I hate to interrupt, but the others have collected in the main hall and are ready to leave,” said Monet, making a beeline to Alex’s bed, “You feeling okay?”

“D’oh!” yelled Sean, smacking himself on his forehead, “I completely forgot, I promised to take the children to the park. Ye know, to blow off the events of the last couple weeks.”

“Well, we can’t go back on your promise,” said Emma, “but someone has to stay here with Alex.” Three pairs of eyes led to Monet.

“I’ll gladly stay here,” said M with a sarcastic smile, “Not that I wouldn’t love an experience in the great outdoors during mosquito season.”

“Okay… ye two are not to leave the campus, understood?” said Banshee, placing his sun glasses on his face. Emma tossed Monet her cell phone.

“That has a speed dial to the one I’m carrying. Call immediately if Alex so much as coughs. Do you understand me?”

“Ye know what to do in the meantime, if anything happens, right?” asked Banshee.

“I know everything,” replied M. Alex chuckled.

“Er… let’s lay off the modesty for now, hey, Monet?” said Emma. She and Banshee then exited the room.

Alex looked at Monet slyly. “Get ready to have some fun!” he said.

“This is not about having fun!” yelled the dark, hideous figure.

He had red eyes, gray spiked hair, and tattered clothes. His name was Emplate, and at this moment, like many others, he was yelling at his servant, D.O.A.

“Of course not, sir,” said D.O.A., adjusting Emplate’s respirator. “This is about business, sir. And the master approved… sir?”

“The master is of no mind to know what goes on today. You understand me, D? I’m on a short rope with him, and this isn’t the thing he wants me to be using my ‘breaks’ with.”

“Of course, sir. He won’t hear a thing from me, sir.”

“Because if he does, I will have your head before he has mine. Understood?” Emplate asked with a snarl. “He thinks I’m worthless, and this expedition won’t make me look any better.”

“And this trip to the States is to prove him wrong, sir?”

“This trip is to prove them all wrong, D.”

“Of course, sir,” D.O.A. said with his maniacal laughter. “Shall I open the portal?”

“Sorry, D, but you’re staying home on this one. This is between myself and my sisters.”

“Yes, sir,” said D, his evil smile never fading.

Emplate opened a teleportation rift. “My revenge on Generation X has begun!”

{It’s not as if I want revenge on either of them,} explained the young telepath known as Chamber. {They’re both my good friends. I like them a lot. Especially Paige… did you ever notice the way ‘er hair shines in the sunlight? And the way ‘er eyes light up when she says ‘hi’? God, it makes me bloody crazy! And Angelo… my best friend, Angelo. He’s the only one that can really relate to me. I should be happy that my two best friends are together. But I’m not. He should have known better than to poach on my territory. God, not I’m talkin’ like Paige is a prize. Am I makin’ any sense, guys?}

As a reply, a holograph appeared in the air of a huge question mark, courtesy of the young mutant Artie Maddocks.

“Leech agrees with Artie. Leech thinks Paige has cooties. Leech thinks Jon’thin should push Leech and Artie higher,” said the former Morlock named Leech. He and his best friend, Artie, were sitting in front of Jono on a swing set.

{You got it,} said Chamber with a telepathic sigh, as he continued to push the pair.

“That’ll be two bucks, ma’am,” said the man behind the icecream vendor.

“You got it,” said Clarice Ferguson, with an image inducer on her wrist, handing the man two bills and picking up two icecream cones. She then glanced over her shoulder to the lone figure sitting on a picnic table. Blink smiled to herself.

“That you for your business, ma’am,” said the vendor as he turned around to put the money into the cash register. When he turned back, the girl was gone. “Kids today…”

“Ice cream?” asked Blink. Jubilee shook her head to decline, wrapped her yellow raincoat tighter around her body and stared at the ground. “Come on, I wasted a dollar on this. You aren’t just gonna let it melt, are you?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Clarice took a seat next to Jubilee.

“So… what you thinking?” asked Blink, taking the image inducer off of her wrist. Her complexion returned to that of a lavender-skinned girl.

“I’m wondering why you’re making such at obvious attempt to be friends.”

“Maybe that’s because I don’t have many of my own,” replied Clarice, taking a lick of her ice cream. “And from what I can tell, your only one left yesterday.”

“So… what of it?”

“I just thought it would be a lot easier… on both of us… if we kinda filled the void.”

“I don’t know anything about you…”

“And I plan on changing that,” Clarice said with a smile. “So… would you like some icecream now?”

“Sure,” said Jubilee, returning the smile.

Back at the academy. The commons, to be precise.

“Sure, I think we should take advantage of this rare moment of having the campus to ourselves. But I really doubt you should be out of bed in your condition, Alex,” said Monet.

“Nonsense. I told you, I feel better than fine! And I feel like having a picnic,” Nuclear said as he laid a blanket down on the ground. He then placed a basket full of sandwiches and cans of soda on it, also.

“If Sean and Emma catch us out of the med lab, they’ll give us both detention.”

“I can’t leave the campus anyway. Plus, you can just wipe their minds,” said Alex. “You can do that… right?”

“Sean would be no problem, but Emma would be a trick,” Monet laughed as she sat down on the blanket.

“But I bet you could do it.” Alex joined her on the blanket. “After all, you’re…” Alex was cut off by a rumble in the bushes next him. “What the heck?!”

“It’s okay, Alex,” said M as she parted the bushes to reveal the figure of Penance. The diamond-hard body containing the consciousness of two girls jumped onto the blanket, frantically looking around the commons.

“Hush, girls, hush,” Monet tried to calm the figure. “I’m sorry, Alex, these are my younger twin sisters – Nicole and Claudette – it’s a long story. They’re not usually like this.”

“Um, well… I’d be happy if your… sisters would join us.”

“What’s wrong, guys?” asked M. She looked into the creature’s eyes. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s back, isn’t he?”

“Who’s ‘him’?!” asked Alex. At that moment, thunder screeched in the sky. A drift in the air appeared, and out of that drift came a villainous figure. Nuclear knew this had to be ‘him’.

“How good of you to ask, boy. Her brother, of course,” spoke Emplate. “And all of my sisters collected in one place. How convenient…”

“How convenient…”

Back at Ludington Park, Angelo Espinosa searched frantically through his pockets. “A whole pack of cigarettes, and no lighter. I know I had it when I left!”

“Ah know you had it, too,” said Paige Guthrie, sitting on a bench across from Skin.

“Don’t be playin’ games with me, chica… gimme my lighter!”

“Nope,” said Husk with a loose smile. “As long as you and Ah are together, there have to be a few changes. And the smoking thing is not attractive… at all!”

“Well, then I suppose it’s my turn to make a change. This husking in front of anyone? Without any clothes on? Mucho embarrassing!”

“Fine,” Paige sighed, tossing him the lighter, “Have fun… purge… just don’t come to me when you need a lung!”

“This is what I love about you, chica… you’re so positive!”

“Sean, I’m positive it’s going to rain. I know these things,” stated Emma Frost, while watching the sky. “Don’t tell me you didn’t here that thunder!”

“Nonsense, Emma,” Sean Cassidy said, taking a bite of his hot dog. “Let the kids have their fun. I’ll buy you a dog.”

“We really should get back to Monet and Alex. I’m really worried about him.”

“That’s just yuir natural mothering instinct shining though,” Banshee chuckled.

“There! I just felt a raindrop!”

“Ye’re paranoid, woman.” Emma gave him a look that could break glass. “All right, let’s go…”

“C’mon, you ugly excuse for an over-grown porcupine, let’s go!” yelled Nuclear, making himself a shield between Emplate and his sisters. “You wanna piece o’ me?!”

“No, Alex, don’t!” yelled M.

“Why, is that any way to say hello to your big brother, Monet?” said Emplate through his heavy breathing. “I’m so happy to see that you’ve finally broken out of that shell. It’s too bad our little sisters are trapped in there instead!”

“Um… Monet?” Alex whispered.

“What?”

“You have a really weird family!”

“Tell me about it…”

Alex then morphed into a green-clad figure, which he had only done once before. “I wholluped a guy twice your size with this, man!”

Alex then flew straight at Emplate, attempting to hit him. Emplate instead caught Nuclear, and threw him against a tree.

“Well, that was amusing!” Emplate laughed.

“I’ll give ye amusement, ye bloody vampire!” yelled an Irish figure from the doorway. The statement was followed by an ear-piercing scream that sent Emplate to the other side of the commons.

“Hmmm… finally found a frequency that he couldn’t absorb!” said Banshee, as he and the remainder of Generation X approached M, Nuclear, and Penance.

“Artie, Leech… get in the attic. Penny, get to yuir room!” ordered Sean, and the children followed their orders.

“Anybody mind filling us in here?” asked Emma, staring at Emplate.

NEXT ISSUE: The Vengeance of Emplate continues! At long last… the stunning origin of Emplate! Plus: a mystery villain that you will never believe!