Author's Note: Lieutenant Peter Lyman is the soldier from X-Men 2 played by Peter Wingfield. Peter Wingfield is also known for role as the Immortal "Methos" on the T.V. program "Highlander".
"War Drums"
{1 day after the events in X2: X-Men United}
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, is one of the world's largest office buildings. It is twice the size of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, and has three times the floor space of the Empire State Building in New York. The National Capitol could fit into any one of the five wedge-shaped sections. There are very few people throughout the United States who do not have some knowledge of the Pentagon. Many have followed news stories emanating from the defense establishment housed in this building. However, relatively few people have had the opportunity to visit.
The Pentagon is virtually a city in itself. Approximately 23,000 employees, both military and civilian, contribute to the planning and execution of the defense of our country. These people arrive daily from Washington, D.C. and its suburbs. They ride past 200 acres of lawn to park approximately 8,770 cars in 16 parking lots; climb 131 stairways or ride 19 escalators to reach offices that occupy 3,705,793 square feet.
Yet none of these people had any clue as to the meeting that was taking place in a sealed chamber, some 250 feet below the lowest basements of the Pentagon. The chamber was part of an underground installation that spanned the entire 583-acres of land the Pentagon sits on. This was the REAL war-room, built just after construction of the Pentagon completed in 1943. It was a nuclear weapons shelter, chemical and biological weapons shelter, a state of the art command center, elite research facility, and home to the world's finest psionic and magnetic shielding technology. These technologies were deployed years earlier, when they were considered almost paranoid precautions. But now, noone in the war-room chamber would consider ANY anti-mutant technology the result of paranoia, or lunacy.
Seated around a large oaken round table were twelve men. Each man had a flat panel LCD screen in front of him, as well as optical mouse and keyboard. Behind them, and encircling the room, were vertical columns of Plasma monitors. The monitors were linked to the LCD screens, and could display anything the operators wanted to show the rest of the distinguished gathering. The roster for this urgent meeting was made up of: President John Armstrong McKenna, Vice President Richard Beatty, Defense Secretary Ronald Dryer, the Joint Chiefs of Staff – General Kevin Foley Jr. (Chairman), General Peter Lacey (Vice Chairman), Lieutenant General Tom Spacek (Director), General Bruce Schoomaker (Chief of Staff of the Army), Admiral Clarence Stark (Chief of Naval Operations), General Phillip Gage (Commandant of the Marine Corp), and General Stephen Cumberland (Chief of Staff of the Airforce). The other two men seated were Lieutenant Peter Lyman, formerly an operative implanted within Weapon X to monitor and possibly execute William Stryker, and Dr. D.B. Banner, Head of the Mutant Investigations Bureau (M.I.B.).
"Lieutenant Lyman", said President McKenna, "good to see you back from Aikili Lake. You have our deepest regrets for your men."
"Thank You sir", responded Lyman, "it's too bad that my men weren't wearing their KAM sweaters. They'd still be alive as well."
"The what?" asked the Vice President.
"KAM Mr. Vice President", interrupted Dr. Banner. "KAM stands for Kevlar-Adamantium Mesh. It's a thin undergarment made up of a kevlar-adamantium composite weave. It's the same material we use for the inner lining of the Iron-Man armor."
"And how is that coming along?" asked the Naval Chief.
"Nothing new to report, Admiral", answered Banner. "The preliminary tests are going well. We were able to integrate the psi-scanning technology adapted from the Cerebro designs, but full production of the unit won't start for six-months. Meanwhile, the last trials are on schedule to conti…"
"Thank you doctor… but frankly…" asked Commandant Gage, "when is this thing gonna be ready to kick some mutant ass?"
"And how many will we initially deploy?" piped in Defense Secretary Dryer.
"About 200 units will be online and combat-ready within a year", said Dr. Banner.
"Well, that's a start. How about the Project War-Machine upgrades?" asked the Vice President.
"That will take some more time… the weapons on the War-Machine design still put off too much heat for the heat-syncs to properly vent. Anybody inside the armor will be dead in a matter of minutes. Until we solve that problem, the War-Machine upgrades are off the table." The group collectively grumbled. "But gentlemen, the Iron-Man is still going to be THE premier combat exoskeleton body suit. Its assault weapons are unmatched, its sensors now include heat, radar, sonar, GPS, and psionic-aided tracking. The vibranium armor is virtually impenetrable – more stable than adamantium and better able to defuse heat and protect the wearer from extreme temperatures. And it's completely EMP shielded."
"Sounds promising", said the President, "but what else do we have? We can't wait a year to start deploying the Iron-Men. People are dead gentlemen! Thousands died from the attack, and thousands more due to injuries and the riots. What's the world reporting?"
"It's pretty bad in the Third World, Mr. President", said General Lacey. "Our best estimates put the Southern Hemisphere and Asian death toll at over a million."
"The Euros aren't doing either", added Director Spacek. "England, France, Germany, and Italy are looking at least 5,000 dead apiece. In Spain and Greece there are maybe 2 or 3 thousand more. Eastern Europe and the Middle East have yet to put together any kind of tally."
"And the Russians?" asked Commandant Gage.
"They're estimating between 20 and 25 thousand deaths, including those from collateral damage – and those numbers may go up."
President McKenna could only shake his head as he processed the magnitude of the numbers of dead. "We're going to have a global hysterical witch-hunt on our hands if we don't act now. Our NATO allies are deferring to us to take the lead, because they're aware of our Mutant Protocol research… but they're all asking for fast results… or they're looking at another round of global rioting. Gentlemen, we need to strike back… fast and decisively… and VERY publicly."
"Exactly", added Chairman Foley. "Pin-pointing mutant terrorists and eliminating them is now priority one. In previous years we had to rely on surveillance and informants to find mutant groups, but now, thanks to the Cerebro technology, we've been able to more accurately estimate the number of mutants in the world. Are you ready for this? Less than 250,000. Worldwide. And only some 10,000 have abilities that would be considered 'super-powers'."
"How's that possible?" asked Defense Secretary Dryer. "Last year the NSA estimated at least 1 million mutants worldwide."
"Perhaps I can shed some light on this gentlemen", spoke up Dr. Banner. "Look at your monitors or the wall screens– you'll see a map of the world. (While typing) Now, you see these red dots? Those are mutants. Notice their dispersion."
"What?" gasped the Vice President.
"This can't be accurate", said an incredulous Admiral Stark. "Most of those dots are…"
"Here in the U.S., then in Europe, Russia, a few in Japan, and China", interrupted Dr. Banner. "The rest are pretty widely dispersed throughout the world. In fact, if you'll notice this.. (he typed some more) take a look at the purple dots – they're the super-powered mutants. Notice how WE have the lion's share."
"But how?" asked the President.
"Doctor", asked General Cumberland, "Why would the mutant gene be so prevalent in these places, but not in other parts of the world?"
"Because, my good General", quipped Dr. Banner, "there IS NO mutant gene. There is no known X-gene. That is mutant-rights propaganda!"
"Impossible", said the Vice President.
"That's incredible… but what about the data?" said Admiral Stark.
"You're full of shit!" barked Commandant Gage.
"No he is not Commandant", said General Foley, "unlike you, he is informed. Dr. Banner, continue with the presentation."
"Err… thank you Mr. Chairman. As I was saying, there is no X-gene. That is, there is no naturally mutated DNA present in mutants. All the cumulative data just tracks the biochemical and molecular traits of the mutations, but in two and half decades of study, and even after mapping the human genome, there have been no differences found in the DNA of mutant and non-mutant humans."
"Then what the hell causes these freaks to exist, doctor?" asked the Commandant.
"Yes, Dr. Banner", asked the Defense Secretary smiling, and adjusting his glasses. "What are little mutant boys and girls made of?" There was some scattered laughter among the other men.
"Radioactive pollution and nuclear contamination, Mr. Secretary", said a straight-faced Dr. Banner. "Look at your screens gentlemen. (While typing) You see here the most industrialized nations in the world. Now look what happens when we super-impose nuclear testing data, weather patterns, solar flare activities, and even EMF concentrations over the last 60 years…"
"Remarkable!" gasped General Schoomaker. "You mean to say that mutants are here because of the environment?"
"Not quite sir", said Dr. Banner, "But these contaminating factors, along with high concentrations of some unique industrial pollutants in their places of conception, are the real culprits. We've also been tracking the age ranges of mutants… and we found a birth boom in the decades following the initial nuclear tests of the post World War II era. Since then, there has been a severely STEEP drop-off in mutant births. Basically, we estimate that within 3 decades, there will be virtually no super-powered mutants being born."
"Chalk up another good reason for Non-Proliferation", said Admiral Stark.
"And another good reason to turn North Korea into a parking lot", added Commandant Gage.
President McKenna pondered the information. It made winning this conflict all the more important – since future surviving generations would not have to face the same threat levels they now face. He stared at the screen in front of him, then looked up and met the gazes of his assembled National Security team with weary eyes. "So… what measures have we taken so far?"
Chairman Foley was the first to speak, "Operation Avenger is on schedule sir. Every member of the Joint Chiefs is responsible for equipping their military bases, both locally and abroad, with psi-dampening shields and psionic mutant detection grids – much like we already have here at the Pentagon. How are the preparations coming along gentlemen?"
"Ahead of schedule…" said Admiral Stark. "In fact, in the last twelve hours, we only have a few naval bases abroad that aren't fully protected.
"Same here", said Commandant Gage (in his southern drawl). "We're pretty much done, considering we had less bases to work on. But you know, people will work extra hard after watching their children cry in pain."
"And the rest of you?" asked Chairman Foley.
"The Army is a go, as of 0-700 hours this morning", said General Schoomaker. "In fact, we're already beginning to help with the civilian deployment."
"All airbases were already equipped with the technology", said General Cumberland, "So we're working with the FAA on setting up the nation's airports. Also, we're deploying triple the number of Awacs (Airborne Warning And Control System) to provide immediate command and control support for any theater."
Dr. Banner chimed in, "40 new GPS satellites are scheduled to launch in four missions between now and next month. They're all equipped with cerebro-level tech, so we can pinpoint mutants on a global scale. The conversion of civilian phone network centers and commercial satellites is on schedule to be completed by next month as well, thanks to the Army's help. Since we're already deploying this stuff since last year, we just needed to pick up the pace. Like Gage said, people are EXTRA motivated."
"Mr. President", said Chairman Foley, "The new technology is already fully integrated with existing command and control technology. We're live. The M.I.B. is coordinating all mutant investigation through the NSA, FBI, CIA, ATF, and FEMA."
"Then Operation Avenger is a go", said the President. "You have the green light to find, capture, or kill all mutant terrorists. Terminate with EXTREME prejudice."
"Lieutenant Lyman", said the Vice Chairman, "Are your squads ready to deploy?"
"Ready and waiting sir", replied Lyman, grinning at the opportunity to get back into action.
"Gentlemen, take note of the screens", said Doctor Banner (while typing). "As you can see, Lyman's squads will be equipped with a stripped down variant of the Iron-Man designs. It doesn't have a lot of the outer shell or the advanced weaponry, but the Land Warrior sensors, full KAM armor, and adamantium ammunition will compensate for now. Also, the helmets are made of the same alloy as Erik Lehnsherr's, thus blocking psychic attack. These men will act in conjunction with full logistic and strategic support from every branch of the military."
"I like it", said Commandant Gage, "Especially the flag-lookin' design on the chest. Nice touch. What's the unit's official name?"
Chairman Foley answered, "The strike team is codenamed Captain America."
"Then Gentlemen", the President finally said, "It's done. Captain America will lead the fight against mutant terrorists. I hope history remembers what we did here today with fondness…"
~~~~~~~
In Westchester, at Xavier's mansion, another meeting is taking place deep below the surface. The X-Men have assembled in the Ready-Room, and are heatedly discussing their current circumstances.
"We can't turn over Kurt!" shouted Storm. "He wasn't acting of his own free-will!"
"Storm, I wasn't saying we should definitely do that…", answered Scott, "but given the mood right now, having Kurt here is a serious risk. The man tried to kill the President…"
"But it wasn't him. Professor, don't you understand that Kurt is a victim in all this?"
"Yes Storm I do", answered Xavier. "But Scott presents a good point. If it weren't for my mentally 'assisting' the local population that this is just a school for Gifted students, we'd have had yesterdays rioters at our footsteps."
"How's that coming along?" asked Logan.
"Well, all I have to do is affect the local area, so we are safe for now. That's why we have delayed plans to evacuate and relocate the school, at least for now. Anyone who comes within 2 miles of here just forgets that we're mutants. It's all rather simple."
"But why don'tcha use Cerebro to make EVERYBODY forget?" asked Rogue.
Professor Xavier looked at Scott grimly. Scott put a hand on his shoulder, as if to reassure him, and Xavier spoke. "I tried that. It was my first plan. Make the world forget the cause of their pain, and then go from there… but I was blocked by something! It was as if Cerebro was experiencing some kind of interference."
The others looked aghast. "Professor, do you think that Cerebro is damaged?" asked Storm.
"No Ororo", said Xavier. "The interference came from an OUTSIDE source."
"Anozer mutant, perhapz?" asked Kurt.
"No Kurt", answered Scott. "The source was not a person. It was like radio static, or a bad TV signal. The source was definitely artificial."
"Wait a minute", growled Logan, "You tellin' me that they can scramble Chuck's powers like cable?"
"Not at the local level, or in the immediate vicinity", said Xavier – clearly troubled, "but on a wider scale, yes. In fact, Cerebro has been inoperative since we came back from Canada. It appears that the world is beginning to react." The words sunk into the X-Men, like knives. Stryker already demonstrated that he could block Xavier's powers with a head-worn device – but apparently that was the tip of the iceberg. The world suddenly became a scarier place.
"Hopefully not OVER-react", said Bobby (aka Iceman). "I plan to live a long happy life, thank-you-very-much."
"As do we all Mr. Drake", added Professor Xavier, "As do we all."
Author's Note: I know there weren't much of the X-Men in the last two chapters, but setting up a good premise takes time. I promise, the rest of the story is about the the X-MEN, not anybody else (well, maybe Lyman will get a bit of attention too).