MUTANTS, LIES, & POLITICS

By Ryan Krupienski

The Xavier Institute; Cerebro

Four individuals stand on the narrow platform that leads to the center of the large, spherical room that’s recently been constructed on the second sub-basement level of the lavish mansion that sits above ground. The room – if the massive space can even be classified as such – is dim, with silver-blue metal lining walls that seem to expand outward non-stop, and a ceiling and floor that appear to be so far away that they can’t be seen but rather are shrouded in darkness. Save for the red-headed woman, namely Jean Grey, none of those presently in the room have seen it before now.

“Incredible,” is the only word Ororo Munroe can muster as her eyes move all around the room. Henry McCoy shares in the amazement and wears an expression of shock similar to her’s on his face. The fourth mutant, known only as Logan, simply cocks both his eyebrows as he gazes around. He’s impressed, most definitely, but to say he’s not particularly an expressive person would be putting it lightly.

“Took me a few months but I finally got it all put together,” Jean informs her friends and teammates, as she turns around to face them from her position on the rounded-out platform at the center of the room. “Charles has had this design locked away for years, and with all the changes that’ve been occurring lately, I thought it was about time to update some of our more important devices. The old one’s still up, but I’m working on converting it into the main station for our new emergency railway system I mentioned earlier.”

“And you did this all by yourself?” Hank asks as his yellow, cat-like eyes move to focus on Jean. “All the intricacies… the design, the wiring, the connections the the rest of the mansion’s systems… how did you manage to pull this off?”

“They say that human beings only use ten percent of their actual cerebral potential. Telepaths use around forty.” Jean pauses as a small grin crosses her face. “I’ve just been tapping into that other sixty.”

“This is big, Jean,” Hank says, trying to push his point further. “You’ve never demonstrated power like this before.”

“Except when she reconstructed the entire front wall of the mansion,” Ororo interjects, flashing the furry blue man a knowing look. “We all know her powers have been expanding for a while, Henry. I don’t know why you act so suprised.”

“Give her a break, McCoy,” Logan finally chimes in, “she did good. Can’t deny that.”

“Of course, and I’m not,” Hank replies. “It’s just taking some getting used to is all.”

Jean returns from the center of the platform to its other end at the circular doorway, the tail of her long, black trenchcoat following behind her. “If it’ll help you sleep better at night, Hank, you can run some more scans on me.”

Hank nods. “I suppose I can live with that.”

“Alright then,” Jean says, gently clasping her hands together in front of her. “That takes care of that. I don’t have the time right now to go through how the new Cerebro actually works, but I wanted you all to at least see it, so I decided to toss it into our little makeshift meeting. Now it’s down to business.”

Jean shuffles past her teammates and leads them out of Cerebro and into the sterile metal hallways outside. The door slides shut and locks with a resounding ‘clink’ as the four X-Men gather around each other.

“I didn’t get a chance to really update you on all the recent events since you’ve all been away or busy with this or that,” Jean explains, “and you might have heard things from the others but I wanted you to hear them from me as well. First off – our new headmistress, Cassandra. She’s going to be handling the academic side of things here, which will allow me to focus more on our operations, and you, Hank,” she continues, briefly gazing at Henry, “to focus more on the medical aspect of things. With Cecilia’s condition, we’re going to be short one doctor.” She looks at her friend once more, this time locking her eyes in place. “For a little while.”

Hank says nothing but sighs inwardly; it’s still sinking in, but Cecilia’s being strong, which helps him be strong himself. They’ve only gotten around to telling a mere handful of people about the cancer, those currently in Hank’s presence included, but it gets a little easier each time when another friends professes their utmost support. In the meantime, though, he must carry on with his work as much as possible, as Cecilia’s not the only one who needs him.

“I haven’t even met this ‘Cassandra’ yet,” Logan mentions, “but I don’t like her.”

“Give her a chance and I’m sure you will. Ororo and Warren were apprehensive at first but they let her get her word in, and they’ve seen how remarkable she is.” Jean turns to Ororo and the white-haired woman gives an affirming nod. Jean turns back to Logan and continues, “I know it’s a bit far-fetched… but I can assure you she’s not playing us.”

“We’ll see,” is the only reply Logan offers. Complete with a grunt, of course.

“In addition to Cassandra’s arrival, Jubilee and Bishop are also back,” Jean says. “I’m sure you all knew that already, but I’m attempting to contact Lilandra to let her know about her sister’s whereabouts. And as for…”

“That bitch who messed with Jubilee,” Logan growls, his anger contorting the sharp wrinkles on his face.

“…Emma Frost,” Jean says, picking up where she left off, “I’ve done an initial scan in an attempt to locate her, nothing so far. But I’m on it, Logan.”

“Any luck finding the children?” Ororo asks, referring to the former students of the Massachussets Academy. After Jubilee’s initial declaration of their demise, many of the X-Men felt a great swell of guilt; of course there were many extenuating circumstances, but the general consesus is that they all could have put forth more of an effort to be in the lives of the students at their sister school.

“No.” Jean sighs. “I’m not giving up hope, though. I’m actually going to be taking a few of you over to the site of the accident and see what we can dig up. After that, we’re going after Emma.”

Logan simply nods, satisfied for the moment. He knows Jean is determined, and that she won’t let him down.

“Last but certainly not least, I’ve been in contact with an old ‘friend’,” Jean says, exerting a bit more of a hold on the last word. “Robert Kelly… it seems like he’s interested in helping promote the Mutant Rights Charter.”

Three sets of stunned eyes fall on Jean as she continues, “In fact, I’m meeting with him and Cassandra in about ten minutes to start planning our campaign.”

“Senator Robert Kelly? As in the one who – simply put – hates our guts?” Hank says, eyebrows still raised.

“As in the one who helped shut down Operation: Zero Tolerance? Yes,” Jean retorts cooly.

No one can argue with Jean’s last point, because it’s true. They all feel justified in their concern, though, as the man is notorious for his wavering views towards mutants; one minute he’s with them, the next he’s against them. Who’s to say he won’t turn on them mid-campaign?

“So if you’ll all excuse me now,” Jean says, “I’ve got to be on my way. I’ll be in my office.”

With that, the woman called Phoenix turns and makes her way down to the other end of the hallway, towards the elevator shaft. Her three cohorts remain where they are for a moment, assessing what they’ve just heard. After today, there will truly be nothing that will cease to amaze them.

“So,” Logan says nonchalantly as he looks at Hank and Ororo, “who else wants a beer?”

The Danger Room

Peter Valentino sits alone in the control booth, watching the incredible workout going on in the seeming desolate wasteland below. Except to him, it’s not all that incredible, at least not anymore. He’s gotten a bit tired of the Danger Room, watching others train and doing training himself. He’d much rather be doing something more productive… like watching TV, or playing Xbox. He makes a mental note to ask if it would be possible to hook up the video game console down here – it could certainly breathe new life into the place.

However, down below in the Danger Room itself, Chris Bradley is anything but bored, pushing himself to his limits, battling enemies on every side of him. The mutant also called Bolt ducks down as a rabid female zombie leaps over him, and he counter-attacks by running up behind her and pushing her to the ground. Another zombie, this one a man, comes at him from the side, but a swift elbow in the face puts the creature down.

Bolt backs away from the group of zombie-people, seven in all, and prepares himself as they regain their composure and ready themselves for a more brutal attack. They snarl and hiss at him, and then they charge forward, planning to surround him on all sides. Bolt’s eyes narrow and fade to white as electric static begins to spark inside of them. His entire body then charges up, and he presses both of his hands together in front of him, and slowly moves them apart until each one is spread to either side of him. As he does this, a glacier of electric blue energy errupts from him, engulfing all of his opponents.

Seven fried bodies drop to the ground of the war-torn environment, and Bolt relaxes himself, his arms dropping to his sides. He lefts out a sigh of relief and surveys his work, then glances up at the ever-present control booth. “I’m done,” he announces, “you can shut it down.”

“About time,” Peter mumbles. He watches as the plain metal walls of the Danger Room fade back into view, and everything below save for his friend disappears into thin air.

Bolt heads for the exit door and picks up his towel that he left on the floor right next to it. He leaves the room and walks several steps down the hallway to his right, then gets on a round metal platform and presses a button that rests on one end of its tubular rail. The platform rises up into the control booth, where Peter stands with his arms crossed, tapping a foot on the floor.

“Was that really necessary?” Peter asks him.

“Oh come on,” Chris answers, “it was only an hour… not even. Forty-five minutes!”

“And you just had to ask me to supervise you.”

“Come on, you know the rules, no one’s allowed to use the Danger Room without someone watching in here… I didn’t make it up.”

“And I was the only one available? What about Cameron?”

“He’s out.”

“Angelo?”

“Visiting his friend.”

“Booty?”

“Out.”

“Mister Wagner?”

“Busy.”

Peter’s brow furrows in frusteration; he knows he could stand here all day and go through the whole list of the mansion’s residents, and Chris wouldn’t be able to account for at least a few people’s whereabouts, but he doesn’t have the patience. Instead, his lips curl into a mischevious grin as he decides how to finish off his list.

“Jean?”

Chris just rolls his eyes. “Don’t even start… please… I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re always in the mood,” Peter jokes; his friend does not laugh. “Who knows, maybe you could have asked her to do the exercise with you… and then afterwards, when you’re both all tired and hot and sweaty…!”

Chris just glares at the other young man. He knows that Peter is just teasing him and doesn’t mean any harm, but his feelings for Jean are not a joke. Besides once having the Legacy Virus, he can’t think of anything that’s been so serious to him ever before in his life.

“Look who’s talking,” Chris retorts, “Mister ‘I Would Need To Be A Woman To Actually Seduce Cyclops’.”

“HEY!”

“Well it’s true,” Chris says, a small smirk apparent on his face.

“Well you know, I am a shape-shifter…”

“Dude, that’s just wrong…”

“Okay, okay,” Peter says defeatedly, “I’ll stop. But I am not in love with anybody, you know.”

Chris chooses not to respond, instead he just shakes it off. “I’m going to go clean up… see you later?”

“Alright,” Peter says, “later.”

Chris turns and walks out of the room, leaving Peter by himself. The young man gets to work shutting down the Danger Room’s power, thankful that there’s only one button to push. When he’s done, he starts towards the door, and almost reaches it when a ringing noise begins to emanate from his pants pocket. He reaches inside and takes out a cell phone, and looks on the caller ID. It’s not a number, not even an area code, that he recognizes.

He presses the talk button and says, “Hello?”

“Peter? Is that really you?” comes a woman’s voice from the other end of the line.

“Who is this?” he asks.

“How can you not know my voice?” she asks rhetorically. “Earth to Peter… this is your mother.”

Jean Grey’s Office

Jean Grey strides into her office, using telekinesis to close the double doors behind her. “Sorry I’m a little late,” she says, directing the apology at her guest, Senator Robert Kelly. Jean smiles warmly at him, and he rises from his seat next to Cassandra. Robert gets within a foot of Jean and they both stop, each extending a hand to the other.

“Jean,” Robert says as he shakes her hand. “Thank you for having me.”

“Thank you for coming,” Jean responds. She breaks the handshake and moves to take a seat behind her desk, facing Robert and Cassandra on the other side. “You can’t imagine how surprised I was when you contacted me.”

“As I mentioned on the phone, I’ve been through a lot this past year. I’m a changed man,” Robert explains. “When I caught wind of your plans, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

Curious, but not enough so as to invade the man’s mind, Jean simply asks him, “What happened?”

“A lot.” Jean can tell from his tone and his facial expression that he doesn’t care to elaborate. “It’s not important. And if you don’t trust me, I’m sure you can just read my mind and find out anyway.”

“I’m sure you’re only here because you know that’s not how we operate,” Jean informs him. “Your reasons are your own. I’ll respect that.”

“Perhaps at some point, where you’re more comfortable with us on… say… a more personal level, Mister Kelly,” Cassandra says, turning her head to look at the man beside her, “you might be willing to share.”

Robert cocks an eyebrow at the woman, not entirely sure what to make of her. “Maybe.”

“Getting down to business,” Jean says, interrupting the uncomfortable interaction between her cohorts, “I really think that with you onboard, Robert, that this campaign is going to be easier. Showing humans and mutants working together, on something so monumental – it’ll help serve as an example of exactly what it is we’re trying to accomplish.”

“Or make people think I’ve had a mutant brainwashing.” Robert lets out a sigh before he continues, “As someone who’s been in politics for years, Jean, let me tell you that these types of things are never easy. I don’t mean to sound condescending, but there are certain things you need to understand if you truly intend to go through with this campaign. The way you’ve got it set up right now…”

“Are you here to join our campaign or tear it apart?” Cassandra asks, becoming a bit aggravated with the man.

Robert looks her right in the eyes and answers, “I’m here to help.”

“I understand that there’s always going to be people who hate and oppose us,” Jean says with a nod, “but how can we ever hope to change that if we don’t try? Yes, the X-Men have saved the world a hundred times over, but the general population still thinks that we’re some kind of terrorist group. They still think that all mutants are a threat. I want to change that.”

“Especially now,” Cassandra adds, “with people feeling more sympathetic towards mutants after what Graydon Creed and his Friends Of Humanity did… now is the time to act. Not to mention the marvelous ideas that Worthington International has in mind for its new cooperative human/mutant initiative. If there’s ever a perfect time for a movement like this, it’s now.”

“Good points, Miss Xavier, and very true,” the senator agrees, “but you ladies are missing the bigger picture here – it’s not just mutants fighting for their rights out there. We live in a country where racism and homophobia still run rampant. It was only forty years ago that people of color secured their civil rights – forty years! Gays can’t marry or serve openly in the military, atheists and pagans – such as your teammate Storm – aren’t considered ‘true Americans’, and we’re nowhere near having a female in the White House. I am fully supportive of what you want to do here, Jean, but not even the slaughter of a few hundred innocent mutants is going to make this campaign enough of a success.”

Robert goes silent as Jean and Cassandra absorb his words; he’s right, and they know it. Jean thinks back to years ago, when Senator Kelly was one of mutantkind’s most vocal opponents; he was actually so conservative to the point of being right-wing. A few years ago he helped to shut down the mutant-hunting Operation Zero Tolerance, but even then he wasn’t exactly pro-mutant. Now here he is, pointing out the many minorities still persecuted in the world today, and also willing to join their campaign for mutantrights. Jean again wonders – what could have happened to change his views so drastically?

Robert’s assessment fully hits Jean, and she sighs, seeming a bit down. “I never really thought of it that way,” she confesses, looking down at her desk. “I guess I wasn’t thinking outside of the box as much as I thought I was. Humanity really does have a long way to go…”

“You have a good starting foundation for a strong campaign, Jean,” Robert assures her, “but the problem is, there’s already so many just like it. Another minority with another proposal.”

“I know what you mean, but…”

“Excuse me, Senator, but how many of these other minorities are being rounded up for mass executions?” Cassandra says, agitated with the man once more. “We’re talking about what could be a whole new species of humanity here, people who can do dangerous things… people who might one day replace humanity as the dominant species of the Earth.”

“And that’s exactly what scares people the most.” Robert locks eyes with Cassandra. “Even myself.”

“Well you’re certainly not afraid of us, or you wouldn’t be here,” Jean says. “And you’re right again. But I just don’t see how we can get around that, especially since it may be the reality of things. It’s not like we’re doing it on purpose – it’s nature at work.”

“Of course you can get around it,” Robert says matter-of-factly. “You just need to scrap this whole ‘mutant rights’ schpiel.”

Jean’s eyes widen with a touch of shock. “Excuse me?”

“Mutants are human, correct?” Robert asks rhetorically. “Well, drive that home. Don’t just stand up for mutants – stand up for everyone. Man or woman, black, white, Asian, hispanic, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, gay, straight, transgendered, young, old, poor, rich, mutant or non-mutant – we all have lives, we all go to school, go to work, have families, do good and do bad, have goals and dreams, celebrate, suffer, eat, drink, sleep, and all other basic human functions. Bring everyone together, and show them how glorious our one race can be if we stand united.”

For a few moments, there is only silence. Once again, Jean and Cassandra let the senator’s words sink in, stunned yet greatly inspired. They both can now fully realize why the man has had such a long, successful career in politics – he really knows how to get to people.

Cassandra is the one to break the silence. A smile forms on her lips, and she turns to look at Robert. “My dear Senator Kelly,” she says, “I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head.”

Jubilee’s Bedroom

Bobby Drake approaches the closed wooden door tentatively, unsure of how his old teammate is going to react to him. It’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other, and a lot has changed, particularly after this mess with Emma Frost. Bobby can’t help but get angry at the thought of the woman; after every nasty deed she’s done in the past, and after seemingly being ‘redeemed’… it’s enough to make his blood boil.

That’s not what he wants to focus on now, though. He’s got flowers and small teddy bear for Jubilee, and he’s hoping she’ll be happy to see him. Though they used to get on each other’s nerves quite a bit back in the good old days, he’s always considered her as a younger sister of sorts; she was always the one person who would pull pranks with him. Well, besides Hank… but Hank’s thirty-something and a doctor. Big difference there.

He takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. He follows up with, “Jubilee? You awake in there?”

“Come in,” she responds from inside the room.

Bobby opens the door and sees Jubilee laying in bed, with another of her ex-teammates, Angelo Espinosa, sitting at her side. They both turn to look at him as he enters the room. He smiles at Jubilee and says, “Hey stranger.”

“Bobby… long time no see,” Jubilee says back. Her tone is friendly and her demeanor is calm and happy, which Bobby wasn’t expecting, given what she’s just been through. “So what chick was desperate enough to go out with you that you decided to go buy her flowers?”

“Uh,” Bobby says with a shy chuckle as he approaches Jubilee, “these are actually for you.” He holds the flowers and teddy bear out to Jubilee, and she accepts them with a surprised look on her face. Angelo is also a bit shocked and cocks an eyebrow.

“Thanks,” Jubilee says appreciatively. “I’ll add them to my collection.” She turns to her side and looks at the abundance of flowers she’s received.

“Well,” Angelo says as he rises from his seat on the bed, “I actually gotta get going, chicos. I’ll come see you again later, Jubes.”

“Alright, adios dude,” Jubilee responds.

Angelo walks past Bobby and quietly says to him, “Little young for you, man, but hey, go for it.”

Bobby’s jaw drops as the words penetrate his ears; he’s embarassed by Angelo’s complete misreading of his intentions. However, he quickly turns his attention back to Jubilee as Angelo exits the room and closes the door behind him.

“Thanks for coming to visit me, I’m so tired of being cooped up in here,” Jubilee sighs. “I’m not allowed to get out of bed until tomorrow, can you believe that?”

“Well Scott roughed you up pretty good, so yeah,” Bobby says with a playful smile. “How are you doing, though?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just anxious, because I want to get back out there and find Emma.” Jubilee shakes her head in disgust. “I can’t believe her. I so totally thought she’d reformed… she had us fooled this whole time! That bitch…”

“Yeah, she really did a number on us… on you and… and everyone else at the Massachusetts Academy.” Bobby doesn’t know what else to say regarding that particular topic. He doesn’t want to upset Jubilee anymore than she already is.

“They’re alive, you know.”

Bobby gives Jubilee a curious look. “I thought you told Scott that they were killed? Some kind of lab explosion?”

“Yeah,” Jubilee says with an affirmative nod, “that’s what Emma wants me to think. But I got her number… it’s all a game. She’s trying to break me down. It’s not gonna work.”

“Well,” Bobby says, crafting his words carefully, “I think we all want to believe they’re alive. And yeah, there were no bodies recovered, so it’s possible. I just don’t want you to set yourself up for a fall… we don’t know for sure what happened.”

“Yeah.” Jubilee looks away and lets out another sigh, this time more sad than bored. “But I can’t believe Logan’s dying…”

Bobby takes Jubilee’s hand and gently caresses it; it’s all he seems to be able to do to console her. She’s been through so much, and more is surely to come, but he wants to make it easier if he can, even if it’s just in his own small way. He knows how close she is to Logan, and losing him is going to hurt a lot.

“I know,” Bobby says, “I know. It sucks. But he’s not dead yet… and, hey, you know, you found your cousin, that’s gotta count for something.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jubilee says, a little perkier now, as she turns back to Bobby. “It’s been great having Anna around again… to know I have some blood relative still alive out there. Oh, and you can let go of my hand now.”

Jubilee smiles teasingly as Bobby looks down and notices that he’s still gripping her hand; he promptly withdraws it. “Sorry,” he says. He moves his gaze back up to her face and suddenly sees what he never saw before.

A woman. A young woman, not the girl he used to know. He can see it on her face, in her eyes, hear it in the sound of her voice… she’s grown up. What is she now, he wonders, eighteen, nineteen? She’s aged well; in fact, she’s gorgeous now. Her silky black hair, her dark blue eyes, her full lips, and, yes, her chest has filled out too… Bobby can’t help but admire her beauty.

Jubilee finds herself in similar thoughts; she always used to think of Bobby as a big dork who might occassionally make her laugh. She’s surprised at this moment to find herself thinking that Bobby’s actually rather attractive. She doesn’t usually find herself drawn to the clean-cut guys, but there’s more to it than that, something underlying what she can see. A connection, a sense of kindredness with him. It’s a feeling she can’t quite put into words.

“Well,” Jubilee says as she suddenly throws off her covers and practically jumps out of the bed, revealing her yellow t-shirt and gray pajama pants, “pardon my French, but fuck this. I need to walk, okay?”

Bobby just holds his hands up defensively and says, “Hey, I’m not gonna say anything… though I bet Hank’s going to be a little miffed.”

“Oh I’ll just give him a Twinkie and it’ll be all good.” Bobby enjoys a good laugh at the comment as Jubilee puts on her slippers. She then walks around to the other side of the bed and plops down next to her old friend.

“So will you walk with me?” Jubilee asks, trying to make her request sound as innocent as possible. “I think I need a refresher tour on this place. Especially with that new wing that’s being built on.”

Bobby laughs again. “Oh alright,” he sighs, feigning annoyance. He takes her hand as they both stand up. “Let’s go, Missy.”

Jubilee smiles as she and Bobby walk towards the door. As they leave the room she asks him, “So tell me, what’s up with this Cassandra chick…?”

Salem Center; Harry’s Hideaway

Two individuals sit across from each other in one of the dimly-lit restaurant’s many booths, each enjoying a beverage as they wait for their server to return. The man is in his early thirties, caucasian, brown hair and eyes, your typical clean-cut all-American guy; the woman is a good decade older – though she doesn’t necessarily look it – and is Asian, with long black hair and penetrating black eyes. They are teammates, both X-Men, and do not known each other terribly well, but certain situations have caused them to become closer in recent times. Tonight they are here as friends in an attempt to break down any remaining wall of formality between them.

Scott Summers takes a couple sips of his drink, then asks his ‘date’, “So, what do you think so far?”

Anna – no last name yet – gives a nod of approval. “It’s nice. Not too congested, relaxing… but we’ll see how the food is,” she teases. “This is where you and Jean and everyone used to spend time together?”

“So much that Charles may as well have bought the place,” Scott tells her. “He never really came here himself, though.”

“Any word on his whereabouts?”

Scott’s face hardens as thoughts of his former teacher and surrogate father envelope his mind; it’s been frusterating not being able to locate the man. Considering that arguably the most powerful telepath in the world is scouring everywhere for him, it shouldn’t be difficult at all. Scott can’t help but wonder, what is Charles Xavier up to? Is he even alive?

“None that I’ve heard,” Scott finally answers. “Personally, I’m in no rush to see him again.”

“Because of what he did… making you think your newborn son was still alive,” Anna says.

“I know… I know he meant well. I’ve had a lot of time to think about the whole situation, and I don’t hate him. I just…” Scott sighs as his gaze moves down to the table. “He should have known that it wouldn’t last. Whether he died or was cured of the Legacy Virus, he should have known that his illusion would have worn off the moment his powers either leveled out or shut down. That it would have hurt more to lose my son a second time. He should have known better…”

“If he’s as wise as everyone says he is, yes, he should have,” Anna says in agreement. “I doubt he meant it to be… but it was cruel.”

More than anxious to get off the subject, Scott strategically segues into a related topic; he can’t talk about Xavier anymore, it upsets him too much. “It’s frusterating… there are a lot of people we’re having trouble locating. Magneto’s been in hiding for a long time, for all we know he could be orchestrating some master plan and waiting for the perfect moment to put it in motion. Then there’s people like Mystique, and the Juggernaut… even my son seems to be missing.”

“I thought your son…?”

“The other one, Nathan,” Scott informs her. “He’s from the future… sort of.”

Anna just gives Scott a blank stare.

“Don’t ask,” is his recommendation.

Anna obliges and moves the conversation elsewhere. “What do you think of Cassandra?” She mentally kicks herself for bringing up a topic relating to Xavier – she could tell a minute ago that talking about the man was making Scott uncomfortable. Too late now, though.

“I’m not sure,” Scott says. “She seems nice… I just don’t like how she’s got her hooks so deep into Jean, and so quickly. She’s already been appointed as the newheadmistress for goodness sakes.”

“I suppose Jean must really trust her,” Anna says. “And she seems very capable of doing the job.”

“I know, I’m not contesting that,” Scott says, “I’m just not so sure I buy this ‘long-lost twin’ BS. A little too convenient if you ask me.”

“Do you think your Professor knows about her?” Anna asks.

Scott narrows his eyes, his expression growing a bit tired. “Honestly, I don’t know. After the past couple years, I don’t feel like I really know him anymore. He’s capable of anything… for all I know Cassandra is Charles and is just messing with us for some insane reason.”

Scott goes silent and takes the opportunity to finish off the rest of his drink. He looks over Anna’s shoulder and finds the server who’s waiting on them, and signals that he needs a refill. He then turns his attention back to Anna and asks, “How’s Jubilee doing?”

Anna smiles at the mention of her cousin. “She’s doing well, all things considered,” she responds. “Still a little weak, but she’s in good spirits.”

“When was the last time you saw her before all of this?” Scott asks.

“Oh my goodness,” Anna says, seeming a bit exasperated as her thoughts travel back in time. “At least ten or eleven years. Not since before her parents were killed. I never even knew about that, I just didn’t hear from them for a while, and then with everything that happened…”

Anna stops herself, and Scott can see that the road she’s on the verge of retreading is a painful one. There have been several things that have come to his attention recently, things he’s curious about, all pertaining to the woman before him. More than anything, he’s curious about her son… the boy they rescued in Utah made mention of him, but Anna’s not said a word. Scott knows all too well the pain of losing a child, as he’s inferring that Anna has. If not for his ability to truly empathize with her, he may not have the nerve to ask about it.

“Was Andrew your son?” Scott asks, trying to sound sympathetic but casual at the same time. “Jubilee mentioned his name, Ivan saw that you lost a child when he looked into our minds… I’m sort of putting things together here.”

For a brief moment, Anna can feel tears start to well up in her eyes; they quickly subside, as she remembers the promise she made to herself – to be strong and carry on with her life, and always smile when thinking of her boy. However, she’s never talked about him with anyone since the accident, for fear of not being able to control her emotions. She feels differently with Scott, though… there’s an understanding, a true knowledge of the pain. It’s comforting to have such a person to connect with.

“Yes, Andrew was my son,” Anna finally replies. “He died almost four years ago.”

“What happened?” Scott asks, this time speaking a bit more delicately.

“A car accident.” Anna pauses and takes a deep breath. “It was his eighteenth birthday,” she says solemnly.

“You must have been young when you had him,” Scott comments.

“I was only nineteen, I was living in Hong Kong where I grew up. My mother was trying to force me to have an abortion, but I…” Anna stops herselfs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t talk about these things much, I tend to just run my mouth off.”

Scott smiles warmly at her, sincerely interested in what she has to say. “No, please,” he tells her, “I want to know. Anything you feel comfortable sharing.”

Anna nods. “Alright,” she agrees. Her tone becomes a bit more playful as she adds in, “But only if you tell me all about your time-traveling son.”

Scott simply grins at the negotiation. “Deal.”

Jean Grey’s Office

“So, Jean, what do you think?”

The red-headed woman does not reply to Cassandra’s inquiry right away, instead she remains silent for a moment and considers her answer. Of course Senator Kelly’s idea is incredible – she can’t deny that. It’s rather unprecedented in a world where each minority group seems to just be looking out for themselves. However, Jean can’t help but feel uncertain and even inadequate – she’s new at the political game, after all.

“Was I a bit too sensationalistic?” Robert asks with a small laugh.

“Not at all,” Jean responds. “You made an excellent point, and I agree. Your idea is really… ambitious. I like it.”

“But?”

Jean lets out a sigh, then explains, “I don’t think I’m the right person for this, Robert. I feel confident when it comes to pushing the mutant issues, but for everyone else… I don’t know. It’s too much, too soon.”

“It is daunting, yes,” Robert agrees. “It’s also something that’s long overdue, as well.”

“I can see where Jean is coming from,” Cassandra says, “and I actually do think she’s right – it’s too much. At least to start. The idea is wonderful, though, Mister Kelly. Absolutely wonderful.”

“Well I guess I’m a little confused where you stand on this with me, then,” Robert confesses. “What’s your plan?”

“Our plan, because I want – I need – your help,” Jean tells him. “I know you’re the one with all the experience here, but I’m thinking we should start small. Let’s focus on mutant issues at first, and once the campaign’s in motion, we can meet with other organizations dealing with other issues who would be willing to work with us… and build a bigger campaign out of that.”

Robert nods, impressed. “Just the answer I wanted to hear.”

Jean eyes him curiously. “You were quizzing me?”

“You’re an intelligent woman, Jean,” Robert says, “of that I have no doubt. I just wanted to see how you’d react to different ideas and mold them to better fit your capabilities.”

“Well, she has my vote,” Cassandra says, nodding at Robert then turning to smile at Jean.

“Mine too,” Robert says as he rises from his seat. Jean does the same, and the senator extends his hand to her. “It’d be my honor to work with you on this campaign.”

Jean smiles and takes Robert’s hand. “Likewise. Welcome aboard.”

An Undisclosed Location

The cold, steel doors leading into the massive laboratory slide apart, and the handful of men and women dressed in standard white lab coats turn to see three individuals walk into the room. They all shake off the impending wild nerves and compose themselves, though, as the woman at the head of the trio – who also happens to be their new boss – makes her way over to one of the head scientists who stands at what would appear to be the main control console. Her escorts follow behind and they stop when she does; she extends her arm to shake the scientist’s hand.

“Miss Frost,” he says a bit excitedly as he shakes the blonde woman’s hand, “what an unexpected surprise!” There is a hint of a Russian accent in his voice when he speaks.

“I do own the place, I’m free to come and go as I please,” Emma reminds him, cocking an eyebrow. “And it’s not like you’re doing anything you’re not supposed to be doing. Are you, Doctor Perevko?”

The doctor shakes his head. “No, no, of course not,” he insists. He looks over Emma’s shoulder for a minute and his eyes widen behind his round glasses as he inspects the two individuals behind her.

“A security precaution, until you have that device ready, the one to enable my telepathy in this compound,” Emma informs him. “Surely you understand.” She turns to her left, toward a young man – or woman? – who is nothing more than a charred skeleton engulfed completely in flames. “This is Feverpitch.” Emma then turns to her other side, on which a young man with short, silvery-white hair stands. “And this is Nocturne.”

“Hello,” Doctor Perevko says, nodding at each of them. They do not respond to his words at all.

“Miss Frost,” comes a woman’s voice from behind. Emma turns to see an Indian woman walking towards her, looking more serious and eager to get down to business than the male doctor.

“Doctor Roy,” Emma says. “What do you have for me?”

The female doctor motions for Emma to turn towards the long wall opposite the one occupied by the main computers. Doctor Roy looks at Perevko and he knows instantly what to do. He types in an access code and the computer acknowledges it with a light beeping noise. Suddenly, the wall Emma is looking at seems to dissolve, and six large, glass incubation chambers come into view. They’re all embedded into the wall itself, and five of them are filled to the brim with a milky pink fluid. Although Emma knows exactly what’s contained within the chambers, she can’t see anything past the thick liquid.

“I’ve seen this before,” Emma says, sighing somewhat impatiently. She looks at Doctor Roy and continues, “What exactly have you done?”

“We’re ahead of schedule, the conditioning process is almost complete,” Doctor Roy informs her. “With the exception of our absent subject number six, they’ll be ready in no time.”

Emma smiles, satisfied for the time being. Her gaze moves to the one empty chamber, and her smile grows wider as she contemplates the addition of its intended occupant. She can’t help feeling nostalgic as the anticipation builds inside of her.

What a glorious reunion it shall be.

NEXT: Uncanny X-Men goes on a short hiatus and makes way for a special event – X-Men: Generations, an all-new limited series celebrating the release of X2! Join Cyclops and Phoenix as they lead a small squad of X-Men in search of Emma Frost and race to uncover the true fate of Generation X. X-Men and X-villains, new and old, come together for this story which will put one X-Man to the ultimate test – and potentially leave the entire team more vulnerable than ever before!