Washington DC, Bethesda Naval Hospital
Later that day.
Jean and the Professor dropped Marc off at the main entrance of Bethesda Naval Hospital, and he went inside, hands deep in his pockets. Military police and nurses hurried around purposefully, and Marc made his way to the reception desk.
"Excuse me," he said. The receptionist looked up, and raised her eyebrow.
"Can ah help yew?"
"Yes, uh, I've come to see Marie Duchaine. She was brought in sometime this morning after the attack on the Embassy?"
"And who are yew?"
"I'm her son."
The receptionist's demeanour suddenly changed, from indolence to attentiveness. She called over a doctor who had been chatting with her colleague.
"Dr. Taylor, ah've got Marc Duchaine here, to see Mrs. Duchaine in th' isolation ward."
Marc stopped breathing. Isolation ward?
The doctor approached, a tall, leggy blonde in a mid-length skirt and blue blouse, covered by a white jacket. She looked him over, then switched into compassionate doctor mode.
"You must be Marc, right? Come with me, I'll take you to her." They began walking down a corridor.
"What did she mean, Isolation ward? How is she?"
"We're using the Isolation ward for your mother because she's then wife of a diplomat, and because of the nature of the attack on the Embassy. She's being cared for by the best staff we have, and we also have the Navy to provide security."
They had reached the ward by this time, and a burly man stepped forward, blocking the way. "The doctor can go through, but I can't let you pass," he rumbled.
"Northstar, this is Marc, her son," said Dr. Taylor. She turned to him. "Northstar came down from Ottawa this morning. He was sent down here by the Government, on secondment from Alpha Flight. He's backing up the Marines and the Navy security."
"I think you mean replacing," he muttered. Marc smiled to himself. Northstar saw. "What, you think this is funny, boy?"
Marc's smile dropped. He extended his mind. Northstar had impressive mental shields, but Marc slipped through them easily, and had a quick peek round. Listen, Jean-Paul Beaubier, Alpha Flight or not, I'm going in there to see my mother. And nothing you, or anyone else in this hospital, is going to stop me. Let me in. He folded his arms.
Northstar glared at him. "Neat trick, Marc."
Marc just raised his eyebrow. "You going to let me see my mother?"
"Not yet. I need to see some ID."
Marc's face darkened, and he set his jaw. "You know what my mutant abilities are, Northstar?"
He nodded.
Marc lifted him off his feet with a wave of his hand, and held him against a wall. Walking past him, he opened the door to his mother's room, and stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, he released Northstar, who gently floated to the floor. Marc held the door in place with his mind, preventing a furious Jean-Paul from entering.
There were two people in the room. His mother lay in a bed, wired up to an ECG and blood pressure monitor. Her face was bandaged, and he could see the unnatural bulges on both her legs that signified plaster casts. Her one good eye was blackened. His father was asleep in a chair next to the bed. He was still wearing the slacks and shirt he had worn yesterday, for Marc's birthday. Their hands were linked. Marc just stood there, not wanting to intrude.
His mother had heard the commotion outside, and raised her head as far as she was able to. "Marc?" Her voice was a husky whisper.
"It's me, Mom," he said, and moved to her bedside. He took her other hand in his. There was a cannula attached to her hand, and he moulded his fingers round it.
"Where's Northstar?"
"He's outside, trying to get in. He wouldn't let me see you. I got past him anyway. Just like I'll get whoever did this to you."
"Marc, we don't even know why this happened. They were telling me earlier that the explosion was caused by a homemade mortar aimed at your window. They think that it maybe because you're a mutant."
"Well, the day I left, I did get involved with some kids from school, but none of them would have the brass to do that!"
"It doesn't matter. Your father's been on the phone to Ottawa, and they sent Northstar down here. A team from Alpha Flight is coming down here as well, just to be on the safe side. The FBI's examining evidence, and we'll let you know of anything that happens. Just go back to Xavier's, where you'll be safe."
"But what are Ottawa going to do about this? You know they've never had anything like this happen before!"
"I don't know that at the moment, Marc, and neither does your father. Now, go. Don't worry about me, I'll get better. You concentrate on your schooling, and your powers."
"Thanks, Mom. I love you. Tell Dad I stopped by, will you?"
"I will. Good luck."
Marc left the room, and was stopped by a fuming Jean-Paul Beaubier. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, mister, I'll put you through a wall, and in the bed next to her. The whole point of me being here is to stop people getting in there."
Marc glared at him. "You want to stop me from visiting, fine. I'll get in there anyway. You might as well make the exception now. I will continue to see her, until she's out of there and back on her feet. Try and stop me, and you won't like the consequences."
Beaubier's eyes flashed. He left it, and allowed Marc to walk away. He'd be a fine prospect for the Alpha Flight, he thought.
And if you think I'm joining that, you've got another think coming! Was Marc's parting shot.
--------------------
Jean had just wound up her presentation to the Mutant Affairs Committee, and the screens behind her slowly closed. The final graphic of a strand of DNA faded into darkness. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now beginning to see a new stage in human evolution. These mutations manifest at puberty, and are often triggered by periods of heightened emotional stress."
"Thank you, Miss Grey," called Senator Kelly, from the centre of the chamber. His seat was right next to the open floor, giving him the opportunity to grandstand. "It was… quite educational. However it fails to address the issue that is the focus of this hearing, three words, Are Mutants Dangerous?"
Jean closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the next few minutes. It wasn't going to be pretty, she knew. "I'm afraid that's an unfair question, Senator Kelly. After all, the wrong person behind the wheel of a car can be dangerous."
"Well, we do licence people to drive," he replied, scratching his head.
"Yes, but not to live," said Jean, shaking her head. "Senator, it is a fact that mutants who've come forward and revealed themselves publicly have been met with fear, hostility, even violence."
Kelly was interrupted from his debate by an aide who handed him a piece of paper and whispered in his ear. Jean pretended not to notice.
"It is because of that ever-present hostility that I am urging the Senate to vote against mutant registration." Kelly's aide was still whispering, and Jean finally turned to look at them. "To force mutants to expose themselves will only-"
"Expose themselves?" asked Kelly, interrupting. "What is it the mutant community has to hide, I wonder, that makes them so afraid to identify themselves?"
"I didn't say they were hiding."
"Well let me show you what is being hidden, Miss Grey. I have here a list of names of identified mutants living right here in the United States." He stood up, and triumphantly gestured with some papers. Beginning to pace, he started to look through the papers. Jean just stared, unable to believe what she was seeing. She hadn't been born when the Communism witch-hunts conducted by Senator McCarthy in the 1950's took place but she had read about them in college. This was the scene that had played out, many years ago. She tried to interrupt. "Senator Kelly…"
"Now, here's a… Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls!" His voice was full of self-righteousness as he turned to address Jean. "Now what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault, or into the White House, or into their houses?" He turned to gesture at the public gallery behind him. Jean removed her glasses and tried again.
"Senator Kelly-"
"-And even rumours, Miss Grey, of mutants so powerful they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now, I think the American people deserve to decide whether they want their children to be in school with mutants, to be taught by mutants." Applause had broken out at the Senator's words, and Jean just stood there, unable to say, or do anything. She had never felt this helpless. The applause died down as Kelly turned to face the rest of the Committee, and the gallery.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the truth is, they're very real. And they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all we must know what they can do." The applause was back, this time twice as loud. Kelly stood for a moment, basking in the glory, then returned to his seat.
Jean, I won't be a moment. I've just spotted an… old friend. I'll be just a minute.
--------------------
At that moment, a truck rolled to a stop in Alberta, Canada. The truck driver and the girl he'd given a lift to exchanged a few words, and then he went to the bar. The girl followed at a slower pace, and sat down on an empty seat. The bar looked to have been set up like an amphitheatre, with a cage in the middle. A man was just getting dragged out by his feet. She wondered where the hell she was.