Get The Message Out
"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice Evan," Scott said to his former team mate.
"No problem," Evan nodded. "Anything to help. Come on in." He motioned to a large half built building.
"So you're really going to build some kind of entertainment business here?" Rogue asked. She and Rocker were with Scott.
"You could say that," Evan grinned. They entered a room filled with equipment.
"Not just some kind of entertainment business," Solomon O'Sullivan snorted. He was at a desk working on a computer. "The first in hopefully a boom of mutant owned entertainment providers."
"This is our management team," Evan pointed to Sharon (Solomon's bat winged girlfriend) and Starla. "Sharon is in charge of legal. Starla is in charge of promotional plus co charge for talent."
"Talent?" Rogue asked.
"We're putting together a talent agency slash PR firm slash studio," Solomon explained. "Mutant talent. Mutant films. Mutant pride all the way. It'll be called X-Static Studios. Our slogan is the Next Evolution in Entertainment. Already got a couple of independent film makers making a few documentaries about mutants."
"Translation we gave some people a camera to chronicle mutant lives," Evan grinned. "I made one myself already."
"You're kidding me?" Scott blinked.
"I'm serious. It's on the web right now," Evan said. "Under Me Tube. It's called Born Different, A Mutant's Eye View. It's mostly mutants telling stories about their manifestation, how their families reacted and how they survived on the streets during the war."
"When did you do this?" Rogue asked.
"I've always been interested in making movies since that project back in high school," Evan admitted. "And while we were up in Avalon I got bored one day and started talking to some folks and they agreed to tell their stories for the camera. It was just an idea puttering around."
"Long story short, he told me. We found the film which survived the crash. Added a couple more mutants. Did some shots after M-Day. Did a little editing in a friend of a friend of a friend's studio…" Solomon shrugged. "Bada bing we got over two million hits on the site. Bada Boom its opening doors with legitimate studios. Small studios but with a lot of independent cred."
"And let's face it, the entertainment industry usually helps local economies," Rocker said.
"We're also going to put together our own television station with mutant news and mutant programming," Starla said. "I'm planning on being a reporter for it. I guess my dream of being the next Barbra Walters or Oprah may come true after all."
"Oh well, as long as you become famous I suppose it will be worth it," Scott said sarcastically. He still didn't like Starla.
"We have to find other ways to do this Cyclops," Starla said, her voice had a hard edge to it. "So no more of us have do die on a battlefield or…" She choked for a moment. "Entertainment is the way of the future. It's the best, most peaceful way for mutants to prove that we're not a threat. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."
She left the room quickly. "I think I'd better help her…" Sharon sighed. "Come on Solomon." She and her boyfriend followed her.
"Well it's nice to see Starla bounced back on her feet so fast," Scott remarked.
"Scott…Don't be so judgmental of her," Evan said softly. "She's going through a hard time now. Her brother's death hit her harder than even she realized. And Roberto ain't exactly being all sympathetic."
"We're all having a hard time," Scott sighed. "Evan how are you holding up? I'm so sorry about Yvonne and your mother."
"Yeah well…I'm just getting through one day at a time for my kid," Evan sighed. "Ironically Starla's been a big help there."
"Starla with a baby?" Rogue scoffed.
"I have to admit I have a hard time seeing it too," Scott said.
"She's actually very good with him," Evan said. "It's hard to explain. There's a whole different side of her when it's just us. She's warm and giving…"
"For Starla to think of anybody but herself is different all right," Rogue snorted.
"Rogue she and I both lost people we cared about during the war," Evan said with a tone of anger. "I'm not saying anything is going on with us. I'm just saying we all need each other because we lost so much!"
"He's right. There's no time for petty bickering now," Rocker agreed. "Whatever problems we had are in the past. They don't matter anymore."
"What did you mean by the fact Roberto wasn't sympathetic to Starla?" Rogue thought of something.
"Well I shouldn't be telling you this but I suppose you'll hear about it sooner or later," Evan sighed. "For a while…Starla didn't believe her brother Static was dead. She was convinced that he was playing a practical joke on her and sooner or later he'd walk through the door and laugh at her."
"You're kidding?" Rogue was surprised.
"I wish I was," Evan sighed. "When she finally realized the truth it hit her hard."
"I didn't think Starla even cared about her brother," Rogue snorted. "Or anyone else besides herself."
"You're not exactly close to your mom but if she died…" Evan pointed out.
"If she died I'd throw a party," Rogue interrupted. "A big one."
"Okay maybe you're not the best example but family is family. And people react differently to death," Evan sighed. "Anyway long story short Roberto wasn't exactly patient with her even though she was more than patient and loyal to him. I mean with the whole experimented on by Factor One and brainwashing thing."
"I remember that," Scott frowned.
"They had a big fight and they both said stupid things and the next thing I know Roberto's heading off to his mother's and collect his inheritance," Evan sighed. "I gave Starla a job here and she threw herself into it. That and helping me out seems to have calmed her down."
"Roberto's mom is still alive?" Rogue asked.
"Apparently," Evan said. "He's still willing to fund our company even though Starla's a part of it now. I think there's some legitimate business his father owned so he's going to take over."
"Fine. Let Sunspot do something good for a change," Rogue grumbled. "I ain't exactly sorry to see that jerk go. And I knew there was no way in hell Starla was going to come back so…"
Just then Scott's phone rang. "Cyclops here," Scott answered it. It was a video phone and he could see Kitty's face. "What's new Kitty?"
"Bad news. I just got off the phone with SHIELD. They're not going to release Jean or Warren," Kitty told them. "They're saying they are going to keep them indefinitely because of security reasons."
"WHAT?" Scott shouted.
"Why does this not surprise me?" Rocker snarled.
"They can't do this! They promised those two would be released once…" Scott fumed.
"Calm down Scott," Rogue said. "This ain't over! I had a feeling those jerks would pull a stunt like this so I prepared for it. I'm gonna go make a call." She took out her cell phone and went off for some privacy.
"I'll call you back," Scott said. He shut the phone. "Damn it! I should have known Fury would try to double cross us!"
"If it isn't one damn thing it's another isn't it?" Rocker said to Scott. "If only humans would make half the effort to get along with us as we do with them."
"It's not just that," Scott said. "There are so many different factions between us mutants and heroes it's not funny. We have to figure out who is allied with who. Which group is in charge of what group? Which group is leaning towards Magneto? Who is on our side? Who is on someone else's side? And what the hell will SHIELD do for its advantage! It's insane!"
"Especially the fact that more criminals are willing to help us than so called heroes," Rocker nodded. "Trust is important to you isn't it Cyclops?"
"Of course it is. Without that we're nothing," Scott gave him a look.
Rocker gave him a calculated look. "I want this to work, Cyclops. I really do. That's why I think I am going to break one of my cardinal rules."
"What do you mean?" Scott frowned.
"Cyclops…" Rocker said. "You might want to go visit Fury today and talk about releasing Jean and Worthington. In fact you should go in half an hour."
"Why?" Scott asked.
"Because…" Rocker began. And he told Scott.
Scott was stunned. Then he realized he had a decision to make.
And he made it. _
"I want to thank you for coming with us today General," Scott spoke to General Whithalf as he flew the Velocity to SHIELD's floating headquarters.
"Well I am the Head of the Department of Mutant Affairs," Whithalf smirked. "The fate of two very powerful mutants does concern me as well."
"How can they keep Jean and Warren when they've been proven to be manipulated and are no longer under control?" Ororo asked. Rogue, Logan and Kitty were in the Velocity as well.
"SHIELD can make up a dozen half assed reasons to keep anybody locked up," Logan snarled. "Trust me, I know."
"There's nothing I can do for your friend Maddox," Whithalf sighed. "At least not yet. I tried to keep mutants being prosecuted for what happened during the war as much as possible."
"I know. There was just so much evidence against Multiple," Scott sighed. "Even you couldn't stop SHIELD from locking him up."
"They've taken him to a different facility than Phoenix and Archangel," Whithalf informed them.
"Don't you mean Angel?" Rogue asked.
"Apparently he changed his name to Archangel for some reason," Whithalf shrugged. "According to my files anyway. Anyway those two are being held directly on SHIELD's headquarters."
"Of course they are," Logan growled. "They're more important. Plus there's no way Fury is going to let any potential bargaining chips out of his sight."
"You don't think he would…" Ororo was shocked.
"I wouldn't put it past the man," Logan growled.
"Neither would I," Scott agreed. "Fury would love any leverage he has on us."
"Controlling the X-Men would be a real feather in his cap," Logan agreed.
"Really? Considering you lot are technically a feather in mine I find that rather rude," Whithalf frowned.
"I'd be insulted if I didn't know that you are the lesser between two…Well I wouldn't exactly call you evil, General," Rogue said. "Evil and…not really so evil."
"Oh I don't know, Rogue. I've done quite a few wicked things in my time," Whithalf remarked as they landed.
"Please, you're a freaking girl scout compared to Fury," Logan grunted.
"Cyclops, General Whithalf," Fury met them on the landing bay with two SHIELD Agents behind him. "Can't say I'm surprised. Wolverine what are you and the other X-Men doing here?"
"We're here for moral support," Logan quipped.
"Fury what's this I hear about Miss Grey not being released as well as Mr. Worthington?" Whithalf asked. "You do realize that as head of the Department of Mutant Affairs that I have the final say in these matters?"
"With all due respect General," Fury said. "There are extenuating circumstances."
"Such as?" Whithalf asked.
"For starters Worthington's involvement with Apocalypse," Fury said.
"Which was detailed in three different interviews conducted by three different parties and four different telepaths," Whithalf finished. "Two of which I know work for SHIELD and the others were Ms. Braddock and Ms. Frost. And all of them not only got all the information on Apocalypse they needed but confirmed without any doubt that the man was brainwashed. He was not responsible for what happened."
"And he was able to break his brainwashing and help out when the Sentinels attacked Washington DC on M-Day," Rogue spoke up.
"Those wings of his are also impressive technology," Fury said.
"Which you want to study like a lab rat," Logan growled. "As well as Jean."
"For crying out loud Wolverine, she has a cosmic force locked in her body!" Fury snapped. "You really think we're going to allow someone that powerful to run around loose?"
"Well if she really is so all powerful then why has she allowed herself to remain in custody?" Whithalf asked. "Think about it. If she wasn't on our side why doesn't she just break out?"
"Because she can't," Fury said. "In addition to the inhibitor collar she wears we placed her in a special cell."
"So technically she isn't all powerful," Kitty said. "Therefore she's not a threat."
"I didn't say that," Fury snapped.
"Well which is it Fury, it can't be both!" Scott snapped.
"Let's not beat around the bush. Those two mutants are extremely powerful. In the wrong hands they could be dangerous weapons as we saw on M-Day," Fury said.
"And you want them to be your weapons?" Ororo glared at him.
"This is nothing to do with if they're dangerous or not at all!" Rogue snapped. "You just want to use them for your own purposes!"
"The X-Men are now in charge of dealing with mutants, along with the Misfits," Scott said.
"Your department is barely functional as it is, never mind legal," Fury said. "I'm not so sure you have the facilities yet to deal with any problems. SHEILD however has more than adequate facilities and resources to handle any contingency. It's just common sense."
"Listen you one eyed weasel," Logan growled. "It's bad enough we had to hand over Multiple to you. But if you think that we're gonna let you take Jean and Wings too you've…"
Just then an alarm sounded. "What's going on?" Whithalf blinked.
Fury shrugged. "Nothing. Probably a drill."
Just then the entire helicarrier shook. "That don't feel like no drill," Rogue said.
"What the hell was that?" Logan was stunned.
"Nothing," Fury shrugged. "We're just testing some new equipment."
RRRRRURUMMMBBLLEEEEEEE!
The flying ship shook again, even more violently than last time. "What kind of equipment are you testing? A squadron of tanks?" Rogue shouted.
"It's nothing you need to be concerned about," Fury was unflappable. "As I was saying…"
RRRRUMMMBLEEEEE!
BOOOOOOOOM!
"If these shakes keep getting stronger I will be concerned!" Whithalf could barely stand. "Be concerned about staying in one piece!"
"Sir, we have…a problem," A SHIELD agent called in on Fury's communicator. "Our backup system S5 has malfunctioned!"
"What kind of malfunction?" Fury gritted his teeth.
"We don't know! They just started up for no reason and we can't…" The SHIELD Agent was cut off by a huge explosion.
That explosion created a huge hold in the SHIELD hangar bay. "What the hell…"
To Scott's horror he saw five giant robotic humanoid figures break out of the hold. Not as large as a usual Sentinel, because they could fit comfortably in the large hangar, but still big enough. "No…" He was shocked. "X-Men! Sentinels!"
"Oh crap," Fury winced. "This is not good."
"Sentinels? Are these the resources you were talking about?" Scott yelled at Fury.
"You son of a bitch!" Logan snarled as he shot out his claws. "I always knew you were a double crosser Fury! But this is too much even for you!"
"Deal with him later!" Kitty shouted as two of the Sentinels seemed to notice them. "Rogue! Toss and Slide! NOW!"
"Got ya Sugar!" Rogue grabbed Kitty by the arms and flew her to the closest Sentinel. "Get ready! Go!" She tossed Kitty straight to the Sentinel's head.
"Here I go!" Kitty phased into the head and slid downward, making sure she hit the vital circuitry areas.
While Kitty was using her phasing abilities to destroy one Sentinel, Scott and the others were using their powers on the other four. Logan hacked at one Sentinel's legs with his claws while Rogue used her super strength to punch it. Scott shot his optic blasts while dodging the laser blasts of the Sentinels. Ororo managed to grab Scott and flew him out of the way. While holding onto Scott Ororo sent some winds to topple the Sentinel back. Then Scott finished it off while it was off balance, cutting off its head with his optic blasts.
"Put me down you overgrown…" Logan growled as one Sentinel grabbed him and started to squeeze the life out of him. "ARRGGGH!"
Suddenly the Sentinel started to malfunction. It dropped Logan but he couldn't manage to get away from the falling body of the Sentinel. He prepared to be crushed to death, but found that he wasn't.
"Face it," Kitty grinned as she held onto Logan. "What would you do without me?" She helped him escape the fallen machine.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Tactical retreat engaged," One of the Sentinels intoned as it blew open the hangar doors. It and the other surviving Sentinel flew out of the hole.
"We got three but the other two are outside!" Rogue shouted as she flew after them. "Damn it! They're headed for New York City!"
As luck would have it SHIELD's floating headquarters was currently positioned just outside of New York City Harbor, safely hidden amid a mix of real and fake clouds created by a special funnels on the outside of the base.
"Of course this would happen!" Logan groaned. "GREAT! Why not have a whole bunch of civilian targets running around?"
"This is definitely not good," Fury gritted his teeth.
"No kidding!" Whithalf yelled.
"Storm! Create a huge waterspout to trap them in!" Scott ordered as Ororo dropped him. "Then fry them with your lighting!"
Ororo nodded and used her powers as she flew after the Sentinels. She created a huge waterspout using the ocean water and managed to catch the two Sentinels just before they reached the harbor. Then she created a large lightning bolt frying the systems of the machines.
"Nothing like a huge electrical short to take out a wet Sentinel," Rogue whooped.
"Yeah good thing they haven't made a waterproof Sentinel yet," Scott remarked as the Sentinels exploded and were destroyed. "Is that all of them?"
"All five. Ain't that enough?" Rogue grumbled as Ororo returned to the hangar.
"Hey it wouldn't be a day in the life of an X-Man if we didn't trash some tin cans before dinner," Kitty remarked.
"Yeah, and I'm gonna trash someone else!" Logan snarled. "A certain one eyed weasel!"
"Good job X-Men," Whithalf breathed a sigh of relief. "You stopped those things from attacking the city."
"Yes but not from being exposed to the public," Fury groaned as he could already see hundreds of people taking pictures of the wreckage with cameras and cell phones on the pier. "Our security has been compromised!"
"You're lucky your damn security is the only thing that was compromised!" Rogue shouted.
Scott whirled on Fury. "You had Sentinels? You were keeping Sentinels online?"
"Resources huh?" Rogue snarled. "This is how you were going to handle out of control mutants? You didn't learn a damn thing from M-Day at all didn't you?"
"I know how this must look," Fury let out a breath.
"Look? You're worried about how this looks?" Logan roared. "You have a lot more to worry about than looks Fury!"
"What the hell possessed you to keep Sentinels on your base in operating condition?" Scott yelled. "And don't give me any crap about national security or orders from above! What the hell were you thinking?"
"Are you mad?" Ororo yelled. "You saw for yourself the damage they did on M-Day! In San Francisco, New York and other attacks! How could you do that?"
"Tell us, Fury. Because I'd love to hear your explanation on this one!" Logan folded his arms. "I always knew you'd back your own interests instead of ours but even I didn't think you'd stoop this low! Not after what happened a few weeks ago!"
"Look we had orders from higher up," Fury said. "A lot of people aren't sure that this thing with the X-Men being in charge of the mutant registration will work so…"
"In other words you'd sooner trust a group of genocidal machines over mutants!" Scott threw up his arms. "That's so insane it's…Fury, if you think I am going to let this go you are…"
"I'm sorry Cyclops but you don't have a say in…." Fury began.
"The hell I don't!" Scott shouted. "What would have happened if we weren't here to stop them Fury? Well if you think you had a PR problem before that is nothing compared to what I will unleash if you don't cooperate!"
"You have no authority to force SHIELD to…" Fury began.
"I have the authority! Not only has head of the Department of Mutant Affairs but as a high ranking general! Quite frankly Fury, I'm with Cyclops on this!" General Whithalf snarled. "You, Cyclops and I are going straight to the office of the President of the United States where you will give a very detailed report to all of us who ordered those Sentinels and for what reason you decided to go along with it!"
"Busted," Kitty grinned and folded her arms.
"Big time," Logan smirked.
Whithalf stepped closer to Fury and glared at him. "You want to challenge that order Fury? Go ahead! See what happens if you do!"
"Who gave the order Fury? Tell us!" Scott barked. "It's the least you can do!"
"The very least," Logan grunted.
"It's not that simple," Fury was frustrated. "There are a lot of people that still don't trust…"
"You don't trust us?" Rogue shouted. "How many times do we have to save your stinking asses before you do?"
"I trust them a hell of a lot more than I trust you right now," Whithalf snarled at Fury.
"Sir I can't…" Fury tried to protest.
"Oh yes you can and you know it!" Whithalf snapped. "I'm not just some wet behind the ears colonel who just got his first star yesterday you know? You know who I work with. You know the people I know. And you know what power I possess both in the military and in other circles. And I am a high ranking member of many circles that not only have the authority to override you decisions but to cut SHIELD's budget so low you'd think you were getting your equipment from Wal-Mart! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," Fury let out a breath. "Extremely clear sir."
"Oh and one more thing," Whithalf said. "I am officially ordering you to release Jean Grey and Warren Worthington the Third from SHIELD custody! Immediately! Understand?"
"But…" Fury began.
"Now Fury," Whithalf growled. "I'm waiting!"
Fury let out a breath. "Fury here," He spoke in his communicator. "Jenkins I need you to start processing the release of Jean Grey and Warren Worthington the Third. AKA Phoenix and Archangel."
"But sir…" Jenkins could be heard. "You said…"
"I know what I said! That is an order Lieutenant!" Fury barked.
"Yes sir. Right away sir," Jenkins spoke.
"And get a cleanup crew to…" Fury began.
"Oh no," Whithalf said as he took out a Blackberry and quickly pushed some texts through. "There is no way in Hell I am allowing SHIELD to pick up its toys! I'm calling the Army and some friends in the Navy to pick up those things and dismantle them immediately! Then the three of us are going to go straight to the White House where you can explain to the President all about this little debacle!"
"Now?" Scott realized that he wasn't going to be there when Jean was released.
"We'll get Jean and Warren," Rogue said. "You take care of what you have to do."
"Totally got your back Scott," Kitty nodded.
"We will make sure that Jean and Warren will be safe and free," Ororo smiled.
"They'll be back home in Bayville before you," Logan nodded. "Right Fury?"
"Yes but first we have to secure the Sentinels and…" Fury began.
"Again my people will handle it," Whithalf told him. "Not to mention the spin we'll give the press."
"How are you going to explain Sentinels in New York City Harbor?" Rogue asked.
"Simple. We'll put out a statement saying that a rogue government agency was holding onto operational Sentinels against the orders of the President, which is technically the truth," Whithalf snorted. "We won't say which rogue agency of course but I'm pretty sure the media can put two and two together."
"And that the X-Men were assisting the government in tracking down and destroying these unauthorized Sentinels before any damage could be done," Scott added.
"To which we accomplished our mission rather successfully," Kitty smirked. "That will be mentioned in the papers, right General?"
"Many times Shadowcat," Whithalf smiled. "In fact I will personally go on television later praising the efficient job the X-Men have done today and state that this proves that the X-Men are an important and vital part of our new national security protocols."
Whithalf turned to Fury. "So if I were you Fury I would choose what words I would say to the President of the United States very carefully."
"I almost wish I could go too," Kitty said to Scott. "Just to see Fury get what's coming to him."
"Try to take pictures if you can," Logan smirked.
"I don't think they'll let me but I'll tell you all about it," Scott gave him a look. He then went with Whithalf and Fury into a SHIELD private jet to fly to Washington DC.
The meeting with the President of the United States had been interesting. Once Whithalf and Scott made their report on the incident, the Commander in Chief turned his wrath on Fury. It was all Scott could do to keep his self-control and not smile as he watched the leader of SHIELD get his ass handed to him. And when Fury tried to tell the President that some decisions outranked his, it just made matters worse.
"You outrank me? You outrank the President of the United States? I don't think so!" The President snapped.
"Sir when it comes to the safety of this country…" Fury began.
"Don't give me that crap, Fury. I am your Commander In Chief. Safety of the American People is my number one priority!" The President interrupted. "And quite frankly the fact that you had some of those killing machines in your possession and they were still operational does not make me feel like my country is any safer!"
The President glared at Fury. "Let me put it to you in the simplest terms possible, Fury. Either you cooperate with me or I will find someone else to run SHIELD. Or better yet, dismantle SHIELD completely! And trust me, I do have the authority to do that! I checked! Am I clear?"
"Very clear, Sir," Fury looked chastised.
"Now who authorized you to have those Sentinels?" The President asked.
"The Sub Committee on Superhuman Affairs," Fury admitted.
"We have a Sub Committee of Superhuman Affairs?" The President was stunned. "This is the first I've heard about it."
"I have heard rumors about it," Whithalf held up his hand. "There are rumors that some of the Jugglers and many Senators and a few businessmen have come together in a vested interest of studying both mutations and all other types of paranormal or superhuman activity. However I was never able to prove it existed, even with all my connections."
"So who is on this committee?" The President asked.
"I…don't know all of them sir," Fury said.
"But you know enough of them," Whithalf gave him a look. "Tell us!"
"I'll…look into my files and give you a list," Fury said hesitantly.
"Better yet I'll look in those files with you and make that list!" Whithalf snarled.
"Excellent. General I am giving you complete authority to investigate and uncover this little cover up," The President said. "You have all authority to check out any secret, top secret and ultra-secret files SHIELD has in order to get to the bottom of this. And you Fury will give him your complete co-operation. Is that clear?"
"Very clear sir," Fury nodded.
"If you don't mind I'd like to speak to Cyclops alone before I tear you a few more new ones Fury," The President said. "General Whithalf if you don't mind?"
"Of course Mister President," Whithalf saluted respectfully before escorting Fury into the hallways outside.
When they were alone the President sat down at his desk and sighed. "Cyclops…Mr. Summers. First I want to say that I am very grateful for what you and your team have done today."
"Just doing our jobs Mister President," Scott told him.
"It goes beyond that and we both know it. Even if many citizens of this country are not grateful for your work to bring peace between humans and mutants I am," The President said. "Tonight I am going to go live on television and state that this office had no idea about what happened and I will make it perfectly clear that the United States will no longer tolerate any type of Sentinel program whatsoever. Not just now, but in the future. I expect a bill putting that into law by the end of the week and I would appreciate it if you were there to watch me sign it."
"I would be honored to Mister President," Scott nodded.
The President sighed. "I am very sorry you had to go through that again Mr. Summers. God willing you never have to. After what happened at M-Day you and the X-Men and other mutants deserve better than that."
"I only wish it would be the last time," Scott sighed. "But history has taught me that is wishful thinking. I'm not saying our government would be behind future attacks but…"
"Yes I know," The President sighed. "I don't envy your job Mr. Summers."
"It isn't an easy one but I do believe it is worthwhile," Scott said. "Most mutants want peace Mr. President. They want to be contributing citizens of this country. They just don't want to be weapons."
"Like your Miss Grey?" The President asked.
"The Phoenix entity is completely sealed within her," Scott said. "It wasn't her fault that she was possessed."
"I'm not saying it was. As it turned out Miss Grey having the Phoenix inside her wasn't such a bad thing after all," The President said. "From what I understand this 'Dark Phoenix' is something like a separate personality."
"That's the gist of it," Scott said. "It emerged after Jean witnessed the brutal murder of her entire family."
"Yes, I suppose that could disturb anyone," The President sighed.
"Mr. President Jean isn't the Phoenix even though she still has that codename," Scott said. "We've had our best people working with her and with the X-Men around her we can make sure the Dark Phoenix never gets out again."
"But there is a chance it could?" The President asked.
"There's always a chance of anything happening," Scott said. "Like Sentinels attacking New York City again. But we stopped it. And we'll stop it again."
"That you did."
"As for the Dark Phoenix, you know that even if Jean was destroyed that wouldn't destroy the Phoenix Force. It would only set it free and cause more damage," Scott said. "But keeping her imprisoned is not an option. The Dark Phoenix personality feeds on negative emotions."
"And being locked up in a prison separated from you and her friends would definitely set it off," The President concluded.
"Even if you put her in stasis sooner or later the Dark Phoenix would break free," Scott said. "Probably sooner. Especially since one needs some conscious control in order to contain the…personality. Mr. President from what little I understand about cosmic forces is that only God can completely control them. But the X-Men can come pretty close."
"I've read some of your files on some of your…more unusual encounters," The President remarked.
"That's putting it mildly," Scott said. "Sometimes I think we're some kind of lightning rod absorbing all the insanity of the universe. On the up side, it's made us prepared for anything."
"I have no doubt," The President nodded. "You and your X-Men have certainly proven yourselves in the past few months to be trustworthy. More trustworthy than some of my own people."
"And you can count on us to take care of mutant related problems in this country," Scott said. "As we speak we're already rebuilding the Institute. Soon Cerebro will be fully operational. Once we all have the Institute rebuilt and the protocols in place we can start training the next batch of young mutants to use their powers responsibly."
"I have no doubt at all you will train mutants to use their powers responsibly," The President said. "However when it comes to the Phoenix…A lot of people are worried. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I was one of them."
"Sir, SHIELD's own psychological exams prove that Jean is herself again," Scott said. "Even when she was under Dark Phoenix's control…Jean was fighting to keep that power reigned in. We both know if it wasn't for her…Things would have gotten out of control a lot faster and much more damage could have been done."
"It says a lot about her character that she did as little damage as she could have," The President sighed.
"Technically it's not even Dark Phoenix anymore. It's been submerged and reprogrammed so to speak," Scott said. "Long story short we had our telepaths do a personality change. This new personality is a lot less destructive."
"Can't be hard to be less destructive than an all-powerful cosmic forced that can destroy everything," The President said. "The fact is it's still a powerful force, no matter what personality it has."
Scott knew he had another card to play. "It's also a fact that if it wasn't for the Phoenix Force we might be under attack by not just the Shi'ar Empire, but several others. She all but destroyed the Shi'ar Empress and their army. Put the fear of God into at least three other empires."
"In other words if any alien power decides to attack the Earth again we have a huge trump card," The President said. "I admit SHIELD hasn't given me half the information I requested about all these outer space aliens they've been trying to keep a lid on. But from what little I know most of them think the Phoenix is some kind of Boogeyman. Uh…Bogeywoman."
"Now that the Phoenix Personality has turned from the dark to the light side, the more that it experiences life on Earth the more likely it will protect it should the need arise," Scott told him.
"Well that's just common sense," The President nodded.
"I share your fears about the Dark Phoenix returning and getting out of control again. And so does Jean. And we along with the X-Men and Misfits will do all we can to make sure it never happens again," Scott told him. "Hopefully this time the psychic barriers we put in place will stick."
"I hope so too. Especially since according to what I've read Miss Grey is now immortal," The President groaned. "Mutants, vampires, were animals and aliens were weird enough. But now immortal mutants?"
"We prefer to call it a terminal healing factor," Scott coughed. "Sounds a lot more…"
"Believable?" The President gave Scott a look.
"Plausible," Scott admitted. "Same difference but still…"
"And this Apocalypse? Is he locked away for good?"
"Until he figures out how to break out of the dimension Benny Barumpbump locked him in," Scott said. "Which hopefully won't be for a long time. If ever."
"Well at least you managed to get rid of some major threats to the Earth," The President sighed. "Magneto is not gone but at the very least he's exiled himself to an island. And I know if and when he steps out of line your team will take care of him. Mr. Summers you and your X-Men have done more for this planet than anyone I can think of. Even the Avengers. You saved our lives several times over. So I think that entitles you to some trust by this government."
"Thank you sir. As we speak Jean and Warren are being released," Scott said. "If you don't mind I'd like to welcome them home."
"Of course," The President got up and shook Scott's hand. "Thank you again Mr. Summers for all the work that you and your X-Men do."
Scott felt like he could fly right there and then. The X-Men were finally valued by the government for their work. Jean was finally free and they could be together.
But first Scott had to make one more stop…
"I take it everything went well," Rocker said as Scott entered his tent.
"Interesting choice of words," Scott gave him a look. "How did you know about the Sentinels SHIELD had?"
"We have people on the inside too," Rocker smirked. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you everything but…"
"I'm getting real tired of hearing those excuses!" Scott interrupted with a growl. "I take it you used some kind of technopath?"
"Yes and no. A technopath helped start the operation but another mutant with different powers did most of the work. Technically the technopath assisted, but was not responsible. And all my technopaths have alibis for when it went down."
"Very convenient," Scott folded his arms.
"It had to be done Cyclops. You and I both know those things were going to malfunction sooner or later," Rocker said. "This way they were under our control and the only thing that got hurt was SHIELD's headquarters and Fury's pride."
"They felt pretty real while we were fighting them," Scott said.
"We had to make it look good, didn't we? Besides if worst came to worst we had a self-destruct sequence code planted," Rocker explained.
"Well you just thought of everything didn't you?" Scott remarked.
"Are you sorry that we did what we did?" Rocker asked calmly.
"No," Scott said without hesitation. "You're right. It would have happened sooner or later. At least this way we were able to control the outcome."
"I know this was difficult for you and I'm sorry that you were…" Rocker began.
"I'm not sorry and no it was not that difficult," Scott said. "I'm just angry right now. Not at you…At Fury. SHIELD. The Government…At one time I would have been but…Now I know you did what you had to do. At least you gave me some warning beforehand."
"I almost didn't," Rocker said. "But I want to trust you Cyclops. I want this partnership to work. There's too much at stake…"
"I know…But in the future…I don't want you or any of your people to ever pull a stunt like that again," Scott said.
"Hopefully we won't have to," Rocker said. "But face it. Even after M-Day the world still needed a wakeup call to how dangerous Sentinels are. Now that we've proven even SHIELD isn't invulnerable to them…"
"SHIELD was only looking out for their own interests!" Scott snarled. "As usual. They didn't even lift a finger until the Mardies threatened them. The only reason they suggested the mutant sanctuary in San Francisco was to undercut Wraith so SHIELD wouldn't be out of a job. We can't count on them to help us. They only help themselves and their own twisted agenda."
"Funny about that," Rocker said. "They say they do the things they do to protect the people but they seem to have a bad habit of hurting the majority of the people they are supposed to protect. They are way too eager to risk innocent civilian lives along with the guilty ones."
"That's a funny statement coming from the former head of the MLF," Scott said.
"I always made sure that any hits were done quietly and quickly with no unnecessary casualties and that they be made to look like an accident," Rocker pointed out. "I don't do mass murder for any cause. Besides after all the damage the X-Men have done over the years can you honestly say you have the right to judge me?"
"No, I don't," Scott admitted and looked away.
"We pulled off a major victory today," Rocker said. "As we speak Fury is being called on the carpet and you can bet your ass that no government official will ever make the mistake of voting for a project like that again. Especially after all the news reports we made sure were circulated on the net."
"Not to mention that the President is now aware of the Sub Committee of Superhuman Affairs," Scott said.
"I was wondering when they'd make a mistake and get called into the light," Rocker smirked. "Do you need a list?"
"You know who's on the committee?" Scott was stunned.
"Most of them," Rocker said. "A lot of them were members of the FOH and Purity. And the rest are part of something called Project Pegasus. It wasn't hard to figure out after we hacked into those groups' files."
"Yeah well…Maybe I might fill in some gaps. If you promise there won't be any more 'accidents' in the future," Scott told him.
"Of course not. However if their illegal activities were somehow leaked to the press…" Rocker shrugged.
"Okay. That I can live with," Scott said. "Just don't get caught."
"That won't be the problem. Now comes the hard part," Rocker let out a breath. "We need to prove to the world that mutants are the good guys. That's why I've been lobbying so hard to find good humans to move to Bayville. The only way this is going to work is if Bayville becomes a shining example of humans and mutants coexisting."
"Why do I have the feeling that the X-Men and Misfits will not have as many headaches in that department as you do?" Scott gave him a look.
"There's still some bad blood among my people who have been kicked in the teeth more than enough times by humans to just forget it," Rocker admitted. "But I'm pretty sure most of them will toe the line."
"Most of them?"
"Well most that wouldn't have already gone with Magneto so…" Rocker said. "They knew what they're getting into and I made sure they had an option so things would be smoother down the road. Then again you never know completely with mutants. Or humans. I've already had some lovely phone calls from mayors of nearby towns and cities."
"I can imagine," Scott sighed. "Little wonder half the town wants to rebuild the walls around Bayville."
"The walls on the east side aren't as damaged and I'm having some of my people fix those," Rocker said. "There's more populated towns on the other side so it might not be a bad idea for us to have some protection there."
"And you've got a host of other bureaucratic headaches, am I right?"
"And how. So many different factors and what ifs and…Well you get the idea," Rocker waved.
"All the loose ends and the lies…" Scott said. "Trying to keep the world together by using tricks and lies. We're no better than SHIELD and the Illuminati."
"We're nothing like those jokers," Rocker said. "We have no interest in ruling the world or fixing everything that's wrong with it. We just want to survive and have a decent life. It's not like we have some kind of secret society and we're guarding some kind of mystic rock with incredible power or anything like that…"
"No, we're not…" Scott said. Technically the Misfits are…He thought to himself.
"Taking out the Sentinels is our top priority," Rocker told him. "Even if we do convince the government to throw out their Sentinels who's to say some other government won't use 'em?"
"I'm just going to have to keep getting the message out," Scott said. "You worry about Bayville. Any more info your guys get on Sentinels I want you to give to me. Got it?"
"Got it," Rocker nodded. "Quite frankly it's a bit of a relief to pass this off. I got enough crap to deal with without worrying about Sentinels."
"Good," Scott nodded. "I just wanted to make sure we both know where we stand on this."
"Summers listen to me," Rocker said. "There are humans willing and worthy enough to be true allies. I know. I've met quite a few of them in my time. Some of them gave their lives to help us. But the majority of humans are still our enemies. We can't make the same mistakes Xavier made by blindly trusting them to do the right thing."
"That's true," Scott said. "But we also can't make the same mistakes Magneto made by making every human our enemy."
"There needs to be balance," Rocker agreed. "But from what I've seen with the exception of Whithalf and the Joes as far as I'm concerned every member of the military and the government is a potential enemy. Be careful of them."
"I'm not a fool, Rocker," Scott's eyes narrowed beneath his visor. "I remember the whole Power 8 debacle very clearly. If the Professor had just stayed on top of Spears and not just trusted him to do the right thing, everything that went down would never have happened. The murder. The trial. The riots. All the chaos and insanity that followed. I'm not going to make that same mistake. Any government or person, human or mutant that has a weapon that could potentially destroy us the X-Men are going to watch. Like a hawk."
"Like we did today," Rocker said. "We did what we had to do and no lives were lost because of it. And maybe we saved a lot more lives because of what we did. That is the important thing."
Scott gave him a look. "You really had a self-destruct code implanted in those Sentinels?"
"Of course we did," Rocker said. "I personally told our operative to put that in first before taking full control. But you were perfectly safe the whole time. The Sentinels were programmed to miss their targets by a fraction. Just enough to make it look real."
"How did you know…?" Scott asked. "You weren't there."
"Didn't have to be. Between satellite signals my crew hijacked and some very willing telepaths and our secret operative in SHIELD I knew everything that went on," Rocker said. "I suppose you'd want to know who is our operative in SHIELD?"
"Honestly…no…" Scott let out a breath.
"Deniability. Very good. You're learning. As I had to learn. My mutant powers may not be as great as Magneto's or Xavier's," Rocker said. "But when it comes to strategy those two are rank amateurs compared to me. The greatest power a mutant has is his brain, Cyclops. Never forget that."
"Magneto and Apocalypse could take lessons from you on how get things done," Scott admitted. "I'm glad you never joined them."
"Apocalypse may have been a genius in his time but this is our time now and he's just another blowhard bully looking for power," Rocker told him. "And let's face it, Magneto isn't that much better."
"Oh and you don't want power?" Scott gave him a look.
"And give up all this? Please!" Rocker snorted as he indicated the tent. "Besides, I have a vision of great things for Bayville. This town is going to become that beacon of hope if I have to stomp it down the throats of every person in this joint."
"Just don't stomp too hard," Scott warned. "Or you will end up like Magneto and Apocalypse."
"Sometimes Good and Evil need to go hand in hand," Rocker said. "The world operates in shades of gray. You know this."
"Yeah well there are all different shades of gray," Scott said. "Some darker than others. I don't want to get in too dark."
"Then keep remembering what we are fighting for," Rocker said. "Who knows? A couple hundred years from now mutant kids will look back on this time and think of us like the founding fathers. Building a new and better world."
"Or as the time where we screwed up royally," Scott pointed out.
"Hopefully it will be the former and not the latter," Rocker said. "But I feel optimistic about our chances. With the two of us working together things will be better."
"I can't help but be reminded of another partnership that started out with two mutants with very different ideologies worked together," Scott told him.
"Again we are neither Xavier nor Magneto," Rocker said. "For those two it was always all or nothing. No room for compromise. Fortunately for you my ego is not that great. Despite what some of my enemies will tell you."
"That's good to know," Scott remarked sarcastically.
"You don't want me or my people to kill anyone even if they deserve it fine," Rocker went on. "Keep the violence to a minimum. Done. Work hard to integrate into a world that fears and hates us, got ya. But I need you to share your power. I don't mean all that stuff with Cerebro and policing the mutants. I need to know you have my back as the authority in this town."
"What do you mean exactly?" Scott asked.
"Mutants need to get back into government as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong being Mayor has its perks but I'm not planning on staying here forever," Rocker said. "I have other ambitions in mind."
"Like what? You want to be president?"
"Maybe not that far. A senator would be nice," Rocker said. "I get this town up and running it's not only good for mutant human relations, it'll be good for my campaign."
"You in government?" Scott groaned.
"Do you have anyone else in mind? A better candidate?" Rocker asked. "Shadowcat? Iceman? Shirley?"
"Oh God no…" Scott groaned. "I see what you mean."
"You could always run," Rocker said.
"Not in a million years," Scott said.
"Maybe we can convince Gambit? I mean Washington DC is full of crooks already. What's one more thief?" Rocker added. "Or Rogue. Or Avalanche or Toad or…Nightcrawler and Pyro have their citizenship right?"
"I get it! I get it!" Scott snapped. "There's not exactly that many candidates!"
"Not in this generation, no," Rocker sighed. "Maybe the next one we'll get lucky. Or you can teach them."
"I guess there's no choice is there?" Scott sighed. "We have to think of what's best for mutant kind in the long run. And like it or not, somebody in power who knows what they are doing is a good idea."
"And we have to work together," Rocker told him. "And we have to compromise. I'm willing if you are."
"All right," Scott let out a breath. "I'm going to try and trust you."
"And I'm going to try not to take advantage of that," Rocker smiled. "Well not too much anyway. Now go see that girlfriend of yours. You've earned it."
"We've all earned a little peace after all the madness we've been through," Scott let out a breath. "But that doesn't guarantee we'll get it."
"Then we're just going to have to make it won't we?" Rocker grinned.