Disclaimer: No characters in this fanfic belong to me except this incarnation of Penance/Yvette. They are property of Marvel Comics. I’m not making any money off this story. It’s a rewrite of Generation X 41. I felt that was a really lousy place to have a filler issue with all that had been going on. You should probably read my version of Generation X 40 before reading this. Also since Generation X had so much happening I’m not sure it was possible for Jubilee to help Wolverine in Wolverine 125 at the appropriate times so I’m setting this about the time of that issue. Feedback would be appreciated.
Generation X 41
Everett Thomas was lying in bed in the Massachusetts’s Academy’s infirmary flipping through channels wishing he could be somewhere else. Sean, Paige, Jono, Yvette, and Angelo were searching for Gaia right now. Emma was working with the twins and Monet. Artie and Leech were in the Biosphere after visiting him briefly. The thing fighting for space in his head alongside his concern for Gaia was worry for his best friend Jubilee. He had just found out that Gateway had shown up and whisked her off somewhere.
"Hey Ev!" He’d never been happier hearing her voice. Then when she walked into the room with a purple thing on her shoulder he had to wonder if he was hallucinating. "How ya doin’?"
"As good as can be expected. I just wish I was out of here so I could be doing something."
"Well you’ll only be stuck in bed fer a few more days."
"How’re you doing Jubes? I heard about what happened with Gateway."
"I’m okay. Turns out Wolvie needed some major help." She proceeded to tell him about her, Kitty, and Lockheed helping Logan against Viper and six mind-controlled friends of his. Everett’s eyes practically bugged out of his head when she finished.
"He’s marrying Viper? I may not know much X-men history but I do know she’s a major terrorist and that that’s not the first time she tried to kill him."
"Yeah, I kinda wish I could be there but at the same time I don’t need ta watch him make the biggest mistake of his life."
"So, I guess this little fella is Lockheed?"
"Yep, cute little guy, huh? Pryde asked me ta watch him fer a while. So what’s happenin’ here?"
"Same as when you left. Ms. Frost is trying to learn more about Monet and the twins, the kids are playing, and everyone else is looking for Gaia."
"I guess I oughta head into town to help out."
Not that I wouldn’t appreciate it, but you look exhausted. Go get some rest."
"That’s probably a good idea. I’ll see ya later Ev." She and Lockheed left while Everett went back to flipping channels.
*******
Paige was doing the only thing the group had been able to think of, walking through town asking random people if they had seen anyone acting strange or any unusual events. Gaia was from an alien dimension, she wouldn’t no how to behave on Earth. So far she hadn’t had any luck. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone with pink hair walking out of a store. ‘Eww, what was that girl thinking?’
*******
Jono was doing the same in another part of town. Looking around he noticed a house that hadn’t been there when he had last been in town a few days ago. ‘That thing sure went up fast. Ugliest thing I ever seen.’ He didn’t notice a couple of girls across the street staring at him.
"Look at that cute guy, Ronee."
"Oh, you’re right he is cute. Why do you think he’s wearing a mask?"
"Maybe he’s someone famous."
"What would a famous person be doing in Snow Valley?"
"It’s a small town, not that many people to mob him, and he’s wearing the mask to keep people from recognizing him."
"Yeah, I bet you’re right."
*******
"Ye know ye did nae have te come with me lass," Sean told Yvette.
"I know, but you were always so nice to me. I want to do everything I can do to help out, Mr. Cassidy. I could go look someplace else to cover more ground."
"I appreciate the offer but ye dinnae know the area, Yvette. Ye’d be better off staying with me. And call me Sean, Mr. Cassidy was me father."
"Okay, Sean." The two of them continued what so far had been a fruitless search
*******
Back at the Massachusetts Acadamy Emma was working with Monet, Nicole and Claudette.
"All right, there was no effect when Nicole tried to merge with you alone, and the same is true for when Claudette tried alone. At least I’m taking your word that she tried. I’ve yet to even fully learn what her powers are."
"She tried, trust me. I can tell after being merged with her for so long," Nicole informed her.
"If you really want to know her powers are telepathy, enhanced senses and a photographic memory," Monet supplied helpfully.
"You said your enhanced senses came from one of your father’s employees. Also a photographic memory isn’t a mutant power."
"I did originally but my senses got better after I merged with her. And for her the photographic memory is one of her powers because I didn’t have one prior to that event but I do now."
"Oh. I suppose the next step would be for the twins to merge then attempt to merge with you."
"Come on Claudette, let’s be Monet again." Claudette took Nicole’s hand and glowing light surrounded them. When it cleared another Monet St. Croix stood in the twins place. Wide-eyed the real Monet walked around her taking in every inch of her double. "Unbelievable. You really are perfect copy of me."
"Naturally. Were you expecting anything less?"
"I didn’t know what to expect when I heard you had been impersonating me."
"And doing an excellent job of it, if I do say so."
"Well you did a fairly good job, but I’ve never slipped into a catatonic trance."
"Details, details. Now down to business. I believe we were attempting to learn the nature of the abilities that allow the twins to merge into me and how they extend to others."
"That’s right. Can we please continue with this experiment? I want you to attempt to merge with the real Monet."
"Now just wait a minute. I am every bit as much the real Monet St. Croix as she is," Monet/twins insisted. She/they didn’t notice the odd look that passed over the real Monet’s face.
" Very well then, will you please attempt to merge with the original Monet."
"Much better." Monet twins took the original Monet’s hand. Nothing happened for several minutes.
Emma sighed "Well that’s obviously another failure."
"So how Nicole and Claudette merged with Marius remains a mystery." Monet started to walk away from Monet/twins. However she/they wouldn’t let go of her hand."
"This is not a failure. I am quite certain that I can do this. I simply have to try harder as I have never done this before."
"You’ve been trying for several minutes. It’s obvious that you can’t do this."
"I can do anything you can do. I am you."
"Now that’s going a little to far. You’re an excellent copy of me but you’re just a copy."
Monet/twins had an angry scowl on her/their face. "How dare you!!" She/they swung a punch at Monet who fell backwards in shock.
Emma took control of the situation, telepathically stunning the aggressor. She had been studying Nicole and Claudette as they merged and now knew what to do to force a de-merge. The glow that was quickly becoming familiar enveloped her/them and when it faded the twins were once again separated into individuals. They ran up and hugged their older sister.
"We’re sorry. Monet," Nicole told her. "We couldn’t stop her. She’s a different person than us."
Monet looked over at Emma. "May I speak to my sisters alone for a moment?"
"Certainly," Emma nodded and left the room.
"Is she always like that?"
"No, but no one ever talked to her like that before. She and Jubilee used to get into a lot of fights but Jubilee never called her a fake. She didn’t have a reason to since she didn’t know that Monet was us merged."
"Do you have any idea why she behaved as she does?"
"Well we wanted to make her as perfect as you are when we first merged. After that she developed her own personality."
"I certainly hope that I’ve never acted like that."
"Don’t worry Monet you aren’t anything like her. I guess we just didn’t do a very good job of copying you," Nicole admitted a little sadly. "We wanted her to be perfect like you and we thought she was. But she thought she was too and she always acted like it."
"Girls, no one is perfect, though I’m very flattered that you thought I was. Now I want you to do something for me."
"What is it Monet?"
"Unless you think you can control her, I don’t want you to merge into her again. She seems to be a bit of a troublemaker. In fact if some situation forces you to merge, you should see if you can get rid of that personality and just start from scratch."
"Okay."
Monet proceeded to call Emma back into the room.
"While I was waiting I did some thinking. Nicole, Claudette I want you to merge again but don’t wait to be completely merged before attempting the merge with Monet."
"Actually Miss Frost, Monet told us not to merge again."
"Oh, really." Emma shot a glance at Monet who shrugged.
"I had assumed that the experiment was over. I suppose that it is all right for you to try one more time. Maybe you can even do as I suggested and erase the personality she had originally."
The twins once again began the merge but instead of waiting for it to complete itself they stepped towards Monet. When the light cleared the three of them were gone replaced by one person. She looked like a version of Monet or one of the twins in her early twenties with only a few inches of height being different really.
"Well, we finally know what the twins have to do to merge with another person. You can de-merge now."
"Why should I?"
*****************
Angelo was doing his own search at the moment. Although he hadn’t met Gaia, Emma had pulled an image of her from Everett’s memories and stuck it in his head. He decided to put his search on hold when he saw Dorian and Weasel walking out of the pizza place they worked in. Angelo did a quick check and seeing no one around he snaked out the skin on two fingers and wrapped them around their ankles. The two went sprawling to the ground, the pizzas they were carrying went flying.. The townie bullies pushed themselves up and then Angelo got in their faces.
"Hey guys. I just wanted to give you two a little warning. If you touch any of my amigos again, or even if you beat up on some little kid and I hear about it, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. I don’t like bullies. I’ve seen and gone up against people a whole lot tougher than the two of you. I could take you down in no time flat." Angelo turned and walked away leacing Dorian and Weasel staring at him in shock
*****************
"What?"
"Why should I de-merge."
"To start off there is the fact that if you remain as you are then you are depriving three people of their lives…"
"Claudia. Monet, Nicole, and Claudette are for the most part better of as me. As Monet stated no one is perfect but I come very close, especially compared to an insecure sixteen year old, one eight year old who idolizes the sixteen year old, and another who is presumed autistic. I’m extremely intelligent, have total control over all my mutant abilities and I won’t slip into the catatonic trance like the false Monet."
Emma laughed out loud at one thing Claudia said. "Monet, insecure?"
"You still don’t get it. The real Monet is nothing like the first Monet you met."
"Oh, really."
"She is the middle child in a family where the eldest child was mentally unstable and eventually turned out to be a mutant who has to feed off of other mutants to survive, and the younger are adorable twins, one of who is presumed autistic. Do you really think she could turm out that self-centered? As much as their parents, or their mother at least, tried to give each of them equal attention she got lost in the shuffle most of the time."
"I’m a middle child and I didn’t get lost in the shuffle that much. Although my younger sister is nine years younger than me, so I got a lot of attention till she was born and I got quite a lot until I was sent to the mental asylum because of my powers. I admit I didn’t have to deal with the other problems." But you’re simply trying to drive the subject away from yourself. I want you to de-merge and if you don’t I know how to force it, if you refuse."
"I am powerful enough to prevent you from doing it." She looked at Emma with a critical eye. "Though I suppose I’d probably have to keep my shields up at all times, never getting a moments rest. Very well, you win. I am intelligent enough to know when I’m beaten."
"Good, it’s a shame you didn’t agree to this in the first place. We could have avoided all this pointless arguing."
"Can you fault me for wanting to continue to exist? But I’ll probably be back. After all the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. With all the threats you face, you’ll need all the help you can get."
"As she started the process to de-merge something clicked in Emma’s mind. "Wait, what did you mean presumed autistic?" However by that time the process had completed itself and the three St. Croix’s stood as individuals again.
"I’m afraid we can’t answer that, Miss Frost. All the doctors Mother ever took Claudette to said she was autistic."
***********
A few hours later everyone was back and gathered in the infirmary.
"I’m sorry lad. We were nae able tae find Gaia."
"I appreciate you all trying, Sean. I just hope she’s all right, she doesn’t know a thing about Earth."
*************
Back in town Gaia was sitting in the house she had constructed for herself. It had been an abandoned mess but all she needed was matter to reshape. She’d also taken a wrecked vehicle and made a car for herself. She had to pick the brain of a mechanic to find out the particulars of how it worked, but Gaia had no problem doing that. Back home using telepathy to learn certain skills or how to fit into a certain society was a perfectly legitimate reason to use it. It was frowned on if you delved into a person’s personal memories as you did it though.
‘This really is a lovely world. I should probably try to find Everett and thank him for freeing me."