Slowly the facts of the case were laid out for the public to digest. But eventually it came down to one question.
"Are the people responsible for this manipulation in jail?"
"No." Alistaire laughed. "But we've a contact within the organization responsible. I've no doubt that we'll remedy the immediate situation very quickly."
"What?" Sebastian spit the word out as a low and distasteful hiss. Someone within the club…
Emma shivered Don't mention my name, don't mention my name, don't …
Kurt leaned in close to Brain's ear. "Don't be afraid of how fast you can go. Experiment some, get comfortable with it."
And Brian indeed found more speed at his disposal. I can't believe it… I – AM – FLYING!
And he found yet another untapped reserve causing him to shoot recklessly forward, Kurt held on for dear life and whooped in amazement.
"What? Why?" The reporter asked as they shoved him out on to the stage again.
"We lost the segue pieces. You'll have to introduce them live."
"They were fine last night!" He complained. "We were up forever getting that done!"
"Well, we cut them out to feed them individually so that we could cut for commercials."
"Commercials." He looked at them in disbelief. "Commercials? Bloody frickin' commercials!" He kicked over a tray of pastries for the crew. "Commercials!" He shook with rage. "This is IT MAN! We just went to war – and won! And you're editing for commercials!"
The crew looked lost as for how to deal with their star.
"Ummm… Ten seconds." Someone said as everyone retreated.
Okay… Alistaire's explanation. Then… He settled quietly in to the right mindset.
And the camera's light came on.
"Ladies and gentleman, what you've just seen is the explanation of events from Mr. Stuart. The Mutant Liaison . But now, we know that you're probably all quite interested to see who is behind the story, meet the people involved, and see what they have to say about the elusive Mister Wagner."
He smiled, thinking about how his smile must be echoing on televisions across the globe.
"And we'll begin with the young woman you've all seen in the commercial advertisements for this program. A very forthright young woman named Lucy Logan."
Logan sat in the common room with everyone else, his eyes downcast as he stroked his forehead. A low profile… What was wrong with keeping a low profile?
The screen cut away to Lucy sitting on the steps of the lighthouse. It wasn't the footage from when they had arrived, but from later, when they had the story strait and knew enough to ask intelligent questions.
"You said earlier that Kurt wasn't like the woman at the party says he was… Can you tell us what Kurt is like?" The reporter smiled at her and she smiled back.
She dropped her eyes. "I'm not sure how to say it…"
"Does the camera make you a little shy?"
"A little." She admitted.
"Well, just say it however you can…" He prodded.
She swallowed and looked down. "I'm ahhh… I'm a dangerous mutant." She admitted with a shrug. "I met Kurt… by attacking him. A few years ago." She smiled, kind of sadly in to the camera. "I was real confused back then… About a lot of things."
"Go on." The reporter said softly.
"And… I didn't see him again until I showed up here, earlier this week." She swallowed, but looked very nearly on the verge of tears.
"What did he say?" The reporter asked in a hush.
"He told me I was welcome here." She said just as softly, the emotion robbing her voice of tone.
"Had anyone ever told you that before?" The reporter asked, his voice full of emotion.
"Only one person… Family." She said with an exhausted shrug. "And … I didn't believe him… Because…" A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "I didn't know… what it meant before."
She wiped it hastily away and sniffed.
Logan did a remarkably similar move of his own.
The reporter nodded. "Can I ask … you said you were dangerous… How so?"
She swallowed. "I'm trained in twelve forms of martial arts." She looked away as though composing herself. "I have the ability to heal very quickly, and I can punch through concrete."
"What did you do before you came here?" He smiled at her. "It's okay if you don't want to share that, I know. I found out earlier."
She shrugged. "I was raised to be an assassin. Trained since birth." She shrugged.
"And have you ever killed anyone?"
A small, guilty smile flashed across her face. "Since I've been on my own… I've never killed anyone who didn't deserve it."
Somewhere a second-mate with finger stitches fainted dead away.
"And when you met Mr. Wagner… Were you an assassin then? Were you going to kill him?"
She laughed. "No, I wasn't going to kill Kurt." She giggled a bit, looking like the little girl that just took off her fathers armor. "I was going to kill his friend. Kurt was just a hostage." She shrugged in admission. "Kitty too."
The tape jumped to Kitty's interview.
"Hello." She smiled and waved at the camera. "I'm Katherine Pryde. But most people call me Kitty."
The reporter nodded. "Kitty, could you tell us about the first time you met Lucy?"
Kitty laughed. "I… um… think it was a real turning point for her. I think she came to realize that… she didn't need to live like she had been, and I'd like to think that ... we helped her materialize that afterwards."
The reporter nodded. "What did you think when you saw her get off the boat?"
Kitty laughed. "I thought we had a real problem on our hands." She shrugged. "But she's really proven me wrong. And I'm glad. I honestly can't imagine what England would have been like for me without her."
The reporter smiled. "It sounds like she's really found a home here."
Kitty smiled. "I think a lot of us have. I can't imagine being anywhere else. I know that it would have been easier for Kurt to just quit and go back to Bayville, but … he's still here too. I think that this is home now. And I think that they feel it too."
"Even Kurt?" He prodded. "He's been a little insulted lately, hasn't he?"
"Well, yes…" She shrugged. "But still… I've never seen him so happy. He loves being able to walk around as himself. And I know that was a concern for him when we first arrived. He really wanted to put his best foot forward and he was so used to accommodating people by being disguised."
"And it's this 'disguised' picture that we've seen… You know .. it appears that he's grabbing this young woman…"
Kitty hopped up and stood before the camera. "Here, come here. I want to show you something…"
And the reporter stepped up hesitantly.
"Here…" Kitty put up her hands. "Like we're dancing…"
The reporter put up his arms, she stepped in…
And used her elbow to maneuver his hand on to her backside.
"Oh!" The man jumped away. "I see…" The reported faced that camera. "Honey, that wasn't my idea."
Kitty blushed slightly and regained her seat. "That's what the woman did to Kurt. I was there and I watched her."
"It's very incriminating." The man said. "I must say, with the proper editing, that could look like it was my idea."
"Exactly." Kitty smiled.
"So… If Kurt Wagner isn't a womanizer and a cad… Who is he?"
Kitty smiled. "He … ahhh… " She smiled. "He's the person everybody trusts. He's had such a hard life that he understands almost anything you're going through… And at the same time… He's not bitter about it." She dropped her eyes. "I know… I've learned a lot from Kurt. First about acceptance… and lately…" She smiled, staring at the ground. "Lately … about forgiveness."
She took a deep breath. "Can I say something to a friend?" She asked.
"Sure." The reporter nodded, indicating toward the camera.
Kitty cocked her head. "Hello Professor Xavier."
Professor Xavier sat alone in his study facing the TV. "Hello Kitty." He whispered.
"I'm sorry we argued. And for the way I acted. I was way out of line." She waved. "Just … please… Have a happy birthday!" And she laughed, a little teary eyed.
Xavier took a long, slow inhale of breath. "Thank you." He smiled. "I will."
