May 15, 1960

Christopher walked out onto the training grounds. All around him the Hellions were doing morning exercises, getting ready to be briefed that afternoon. He sat down, knowing that if he didn't catch some rest then then he never would. He knew that his eyes had dark circles under them and his face was drawn. Christopher hadn't been well-rested in a while.

It was hard for him to be. News had spread like wildfire amongst the Genoshan human population of the new law. He'd heard it first from Katherine, who'd heard it from Moira. It had been accompanied by her fervent promises that Charles was fighting it, but Christopher knew better than to put all his eggs in one basket.

He'd known for a while that there were sapien and superior hostilities. Christopher wasn't stupid. He'd seen it in the malice of aides or a few people walking in the street. It was harder to recognize on a day-to-day basis since most mutants were indistinguishable from humans. However, it was still there.

It had existed on such a small level that he'd been able to ignore it. Most of his friends were mutants, although a few others were the human parents of mutants. Alex's best friend, Sean, had human parents that they were close to. All of them would have to go in a few years if the law was passed to an uncertain life in the States.

Already some of their mutant neighbors were letting their hostilities be known. He'd heard rumors of signing a petition to ask the humans to leave their community. He couldn't see it going through; the humans in their particular neighborhood outnumbered the mutants. However, if the law was passed things would be different. They would be, in effect, second-class citizens. He didn't think that their desire to stay in the same area would have much clout.

There were exceptions for people like him who held government jobs. He could stay, as could Moira and, ironically, the Queen. He snorted at the thought. Moira and the Queen were protected in more areas though since they were married to mutants with mutant children. Thier spouses were mutants. So yes, all of them could stay as one big, happy family.

The same thing wouldn't apply for the Summers. Katherine had little protection. Staying until the last of their children turned eighteen was the slender protection that the law allowed parents, and the human children of mutants too. As soon as they were eighteen they were scheduled for deportation.

He felt sick just thinking about it. If it turned out Scott wasn't a mutant, and he had until fourteen to show his powers, then he'd have to go too. That was when Katherine would have to go. He might stay for Alex, children didn't make the switch to adults as soon as they hit eighteen, but either way it wouldn't be good.

The problem of explaining their situation was also going to come up. Scott was old enough to continue in ignorance, but already Alex's sharp mind was figuring things out. He was thirteen, no longer young enough to be coddled into a false sense of security. Soon he'd have to explain their precarious situation before he found out about it himself.

Of course he would have to stay behind. There was no question of it. Knowing Alex he'd try to argue to stay with his family no matter what happened, but Christopher couldn't allow that. He'd already seen what happened to mutants alone, outside of Genosha. No matter what happened, if the law was passed then their family could no longer stay together.

Christopher bowed his head, feeling the weight of impending defeat. Already he saw the thread s of his family unraveling before him.

"Sir?"

Christopher looked up. Calvin was standing in front of him, his eyes concerned. Christopher had long ago given up on thinking of his soldiers by their last names. Too much had happened since they had come under his command for that. Feeling tired he rubbed his temples and nodded.

"Yes Captain?" he asked.

Calvin shifted from one foot to the other.

"Are Alex and Scott going to be coming in today sir?" he asked.

Christopher shook his head. He'd started to bring his sons in with him every now and then. It gave Katherine a break, and he figured that every child should have a decent idea of what their father did. As long as they were kept away from the offices it was alright. The two of them, Alex in particular, had started wandering onto the training grounds.

At thirteen Alex's powers were developing well, nurtured along by the school that Xavier had set up. He was starting to become more precise and enjoyed sending out bolts of energy at targets. Scott loved watching his brother at practice, following the bright red lights with his eyes. It was just another thing that the new law might ruin.

He wasn't sure if it was the natural fondness for children in some of his soldiers or nostalgia that led them to show kindness to his children. Several had even begun helping Alex with his aim or chatting with Scott. Heather was particularly good at storytelling, editing their exploits of the blood and the majority of the violence. He'd been surprised at her talent for that; she was, after all, the chief medical officer.

Overall his sons had been accepted with open arms into the fold. Alex moved about freely, calling them all by their codenames since that was how they had to introduce themselves. His brother was picking up on it too. They really looked up to the Hellions, and it was good to ahve positive heroes. The only negative side effect was that he'd seen Alex and Scott eying the motorcycles that most of the Hellions drove a little too closely. He'd have to keep an eye on that.

In no time at all they'd been adopted as the Hellions' unofficial mascots, an event that made Christopher smile. Katherine had just sighed when she'd heard it, muttering about having a family full of soldiers. At the time he'd been impressed with the openness of Genosha though, allowing children onto a military compound. Now it was just another bitter reminder of what was being taken from them.

"No, Alex and Scott are in school," Christopher said, "Do you have your briefing ready for this afternoon?"

"Yes sir," said Calvin.

"Any trouble?"

"No sir."

There was a slight pause.

"Something bothering you Captain?" asked Christopher.

Calvin hesitated before nodding.

"Yes sir."

There was another pause. Christopher sighed in frustration.

"Go on," he said, "Spit it out."

Calvin swallowed.

"I've been talking with the other Hellions," he said, "Well…you see…it's about that new law that's being presented to parliament sir."

Inwardly Christopher deflated. After everything that had happened, not this too. Not this last, final betrayal. He swallowed hard and fixed his eyes on Calvin.

"What about it?" he asked, his voice harsh.

To his credit Calvin didn't so much as bat an eye.

"I know that, as a member of the Genoshan military, I'm not really allowed to talk too much about politics," he said, "But I can assure you that no one in this troop supports the new law. All of us are going to go to that protest rally in a few days."

Christopher swallowed again, but for an entirely different reason. Calvin managed a small smile.

"Off duty of course," he added.

Christopher nodded and looked out over the other Hellions. Their united support wasn't something he'd been expecting. Sure he'd trained them all from their first day, had watched as they played with his children. At the same time they'd seen the brunt of what was happening to mutants because of the MRD, because of the intolerance of some humans. They'd been the ones to rescue the children from that damned facility in Italy.

If they could learn to see past that, then maybe the situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed. Maybe they had a fighting chance.

"Thank you Calvin," Christopher said, somehow managing to find his voice.

Calvin blinked in surprise. It had been the first time Christopher had called him by his first name.

"Now," Christopher said, struggling to let his position take over, "Back to your post."

Calvin's expressions softened.

"Sir yes sir," he said.

"Hank, we're going to need to talk," Norton said.

Hank adjusted his glasses and put away his textbook. The Xavier Institute, as it was coming to be known despite its founders' wishes, had been the ideal school. His son was already well on his way to graduating college. Norton had been astounded at how Hank had been allowed to bloom under the care of Genosha, how good the country had been to the father and son pair.

It was why what was happening hurt so much.

"Is this about the new immigration law?" asked Hank, his voice uneasy.

Norton nodded, taking a seat.

"As you know, the government has used me for some consultations in the past," Norton said, "Not very many, but I'm the foremost scientist on Genosha."

Hank pushed up his glasses again. Norton breathed out. After everything he'd been through with his son it was a wonder why this, of all things, was so difficult to talk about.

"But I wouldn't be protected under the new law," he said, "I'd have to go."

There was silence. Norton swallowed. He'd never been particularly brave. He'd been widowed when Hank was fairly young and had raised his son between working. Norton had always been paid well, so life was never really a struggle for them. It was only when Hank's mutation became apparent that things became difficult.

At first he'd delighted in his son's cleverness. Norton knew that once every few generations child prodigies were born, and it seemed like the lottery had fallen to Hank. So he'd nourished his son's education and put him into private schools. Gifts like Hank's weren't something that should be wasted.

Then his son's feet had changed and Norton had known. He'd heard whispers of mutants, and as a scientist he'd dismissed them. Norton was an outstanding medical doctor, so he knew that something like that was possible, some day. He just didn't think that it was going to be happening any time in his lifetime.

However, he knew now that it was true. This was something he had the feeling that the rest of the world wouldn't appreciate. So he'd done his best to keep Hank hidden, even advising him to tone down on his scientific mind from time to time. It couldn't hurt to be safe, even though he felt like he was holding his son back.

All the while Norton had been gaining fame as a doctor. He'd used several experimental medical procedures to great effect, saving lives. Norton had been proud of his work and of what he could do. It had never occurred to him that his procedures, which he'd always seen as a tool to save lives, would attract unsavory attention.

He hadn't known until members of the MRD had approached him to work in one of their labs. Norton wasn't stupid. He read between the lines of their offer and knew that the experiments he'd be performing would be neither life-saving or on willing participants. He'd turned them down, citing that he was too busy. Then he'd contacted a few friends who were in law enforcement who said they'd look into it.

The next day three of his labs had burned down. One of his friends in the police force showed up dead a few days later. The MRD had come again, all sharp smiles that made Norton shudder. He realized that he didn't have a choice. Even so he'd told them that he'd give them their answer in a week. Norton had called off his police friends, making sure that none of them would get hurt because of him. He'd then taken his son and left the city.

He'd travelled with Hank for two months before Genosha was announced. He'd gone immediately with his son and asked to speak to an official. Norton had told them all he'd known about the MRD's offer, hoping that they'd believe that he'd never worked for them. Luckily for him they read between the lines too and saw a man who believed in working for the common, as opposed to the greater, good.

And so the brief period of panic in their lives had ended and things had settled down. He'd just started to believe that everything would be alright.

"I want to make sure that you're going to be okay if it's passed," Norton said.

Hank drew himself up.

"I'd go with you," Hank said.

Norton shook his head.

"No," he said, "What happens if the MRD tries to 'hire' me again? They didn't know you were a mutant, but I won't let you run that risk."

"It's just feet!" Hank protested, "I can hide it-"

Norton shook his head, putting his hand on his son's shoulder.

"No," he said, "No. I've held you back for long enough Hank. I shouldn't be the reason you have to hide any longer. Not when you don't have to."

Hank's face set, his jaw clenched.

"Then I'll have to make sure this doesn't pass," he said, "There's going to be a rally-"

"Which is a perfect place for the people who've had violent anti-sapien rallies to hurt people," said Norton.

"I can't do nothing!"

"We'll figure something out," Norton said.

Hank shook his head, his face angry.

"They can't do this," he said.

"We'll figure something out," Norton repeated.