Make a Stand for the Future

"So let me get this straight," Lance panted as they ran looking for Kelly. "This guy's from the future where mutants are killed and put into concentration camps because a mutant killed Kelly? And they thought that mutant was Gambit?"

"That's basically it in a nutshell," Scott grunted.

"And if Mystique and the others kill him the Mutant Registration Act will pass?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Scott told him.

"On the other hand if we save Kelly's butt, there's a good chance this Mutant Registration stuff is gonna happen anyway right?" Lance continued.

"That is a possibility," Bishop told them.

"So in other words we're all doomed no matter what we do!" Todd groaned. "It figures!"

"Not necessarily," Bishop gave him a strange look. "A wise mutant once told me that the future is never written in stone, but always written in the wind."

"What the heck does that mean?" Todd asked.

"He means the future can change in an instant," Althea shouted. "You can never depend on anything."

"Oh," Todd remarked. "I knew that."

"No you didn't!" Lance shouted.

"Quit fighting and keep looking!" Jean told them.

"Hey you're the telepath," Todd snapped at her. "Can't you sense him or something?"

"I'm trying!" Jean snapped back. "It's not exactly easy with so many thoughts around me."

"Split up!" Scott ordered. "We'll find them somehow!"

Meanwhile Kelly (rather stupidly) had run away from the hotel to a deserted alley. As he turned the corner he bumped into a woman. "Oh pardon me," He sat up and noticed she was blind. "I didn't see you." He helped her up.

"You seem to be in a hurry young man," Irene spoke.

"You'd better get out of here! There are mutants terrorizing the place!" Kelly gasped. Then he saw her take a gun out of her purse. "Uh…I don't think that will work on them."

"No but it will work on you. You see Senator I too am a mutant," Irene told him as she pointed the gun at him. "I may be blind but I can see into the future. And I know what you will do to us if we let you live. For what it's worth, I'm sorry it had to come to this. But I won't let you hurt the people I love." She fired the gun.

Kelly closed his eyes and screamed, waiting for the bullet to hit him. Then after a few seconds he realized he hadn't been shot. He opened his eyes and saw the reason he wasn't shot was that Rogue was now standing in front of him. She had taken the bullet in the nick of time. Fortunately she possessed invulnerable skin so the bullet did not hurt her.

"Good thing I borrowed some of Pietro's power just in case," Rogue grunted. "Irene! Why are you doing this? You hate Magneto and what he stands for? Why?"

"Because I have seen the damage this man will do," Irene told her. "I will not allow him to hurt you or any other mutant ever again! Step aside Rogue."

"No!" Rogue stood in front of Kelly. "He may be a jerk but that's no excuse to kill him! Please Irene, don't do this!"

"I'm sorry Rogue but I have to," Irene held the gun steadily.

"You can't hurt me with that gun," Rogue told her.

"And you can't hurt me either Rogue," Irene said.

"No but I can!" Althea ran in and kicked the gun out of Irene's hand. Another kick knocked her unconscious. "Sorry Rogue," Althea sighed. "I had to…"

"I know," Rogue said sadly. "You didn't have a choice. She was like a mother to me."

"Hell of a family reunion," Althea started to tie up the unconscious Irene.

"My thoughts exactly," Mystique walked up to them holding a large gun.

"Geeze with all the guns waving around you're more worried about mutant powers?" Althea asked Kelly.

"Move out of the way Rogue," Mystique warned. "Or I'll shoot the Little Mermaid here as well."

"Go ahead and try," Althea shouted. "I'm faster than you think!"

"Oh really," Mystique aimed her weapon at her.

"Don't do it Rogue!" Althea shouted. "We all know Mystique can't hit the side of a barn!"

"Wanna bet?" Mystique growled as she pulled the trigger.

The next few seconds were a blur. Rogue tried to use Pietro's power to grab the gun away, but Mystique turned at the last second to fire the weapon at an unprotected Kelly. The bullet was about to hit him when it was stopped in mid air.

"What?" Mystique whirled around and saw that Jean had used her telekinesis to stop the bullet. The X-Men and the Misfits were there. "I should have known!" She tried to run away but Bobby froze her feet solid. "WHAT? LET ME GO! LET ME…"

"Ah shaddap!" Althea punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious. She looked rather funny being asleep standing up.

"Those fools have no idea how close they came to nearly destroying the Mutant race," Bishop growled as he aimed his weapon at them.

"Hold it!" Kurt teleported in front of him. "We don't need to do that! We got the bad guys! They're going to jail! Isn't that enough?"

"I suppose it will have to be," Bishop holstered his weapon. "For now."

"Good. By the way Rogue as much as I appreciate the thought of you saving my hide, you know Mystique was counting on you to move to save me," Althea told her.

"Well I know that now," Rogue spat.

"Well now both Destiny and Mystique are on ice maybe things will quiet down for a bit," Bobby grinned.

"There can never be any peace and quiet as long as you mutants are around!" Kelly shouted.

"Dude in case you didn't notice, we just saved your life," Bobby folded his arms. "We're not all like them."

"Perhaps if people like you actually listened to us instead of condemning us they wouldn't have had to resort to measures like this," Bishop growled at him.

"Remember Senator," Ororo looked at him. "Mutants are people, both good and bad. You cannot condemn all for the actions of a few. Most mutants wish to help humans, not harm them."

"You're still a menace no matter what your intentions!" Kelly shouted. "This has convinced me more than ever that mutants need to be controlled! All of you!"

"Talk about gratitude," Fred folded his arms.

"You mutants' days are numbered!" Kelly shouted. "That's a promise! I'll see all of you locked up if it's the last thing I ever do!"

"Oh really?" Pietro made a smirk and produced a videotape cassette. "Well if saving your life and pretty speeches won't change your mind, maybe this will!"

"Do the words, 'Snuggly Bunny Wunny Honeykins' ring a bell?" Todd grinned.

"Where did you get that?" Kelly gasped and turned pale. "HOW…?"

"Let's just say we have a very extensive collection of tapes we made when we were in the Brotherhood," Lance grinned.

"But I think some of our most recent work in the Misfits is better," Wanda smirked. "More polished. By the way you look quite fetching in that polka dotted thong."

"Oh god no…" Kelly shrank back.

"Oh yes," Althea said. "We thought these things would come in handy. We were gonna show 'em to you before this mess started but this will do."

"That's not the worst of it," Pietro grinned. "Remember the Double Helix Ranch? If mutants are exposed so will Madame Marlena and her friends. And all their clients."

"But that was a one time thing!" Kelly shouted.

"Still I don't think your friends at the FOH will be very receptive to the idea of you going to a mutant brothel," Remy folded his arms. "No matter how many times."

"Not to mention your constituents," Scott said.

"And I'm sure the committee will love to learn exactly how and where you are getting some of your re-election funds," Jean told him.

"You have no proof of that!" Kelly shouted.

Jean walked up to him and stared him straight in the eye. "I can get it. Very easily."

"Face it Kelly you're screwed. But I'm in a good mood today. Let's play one more game before the hearings start," Althea grinned. "It's called 'Let's Make A Deal'…"