RETURN OF SPIDER-X
CHAPTER 41: MUTANTS ON CAPITAL HILL
They had just left Bayville behind them as the X-Jet now held a few more people in it. The Connors were there with Billy with Jamie and Spyder all excited about being in a real live jet plane. Plus he had missed his two best friends, and he wanted to help out if he could. There was also Paul who just like Scott said was totally thrilled to just see the X-Jet and Velocity.
Amanda was there since she wanted to be there for Kurt as well. Although she wished she could see him in the helicopter but they had no more room. But it was nice as well, she had told her parents that she was going out and would be back later that night. Xavier told them they would fly them back by tonight and since school was still out at the moment she had no real curfew.
Taryn was also there as she had told her mother she was going to see some friends which she knew was technically true. Paul had to say something similar and Peter had gotten in touch with Hobbie and had a long talk with him about the whole mutant thing. It was nice that he said that he had no beef with mutants and would still be their friend.
Unfortunately he had to stay home and look after his younger brother so he couldn't help out like he wanted to. Peter called up Mary Jane and Harry but Harry said he couldn't because his dad was around and he couldn't figure out a way to sneak off. Mary Jane was actually grounded. Turns out her mother called up Liz's home to check up on her, so when Liz's mom had no idea that Mary Jane was supposed to be over there the red head got in major trouble.
She was grounded for a week at least, so she just wished Peter and the others the best of luck. Peter was a bit disappointed but it was still nice to know that he had friends out there wishing them on. Scott was on the line with the others in the jet since in the Velocity it was X-Men only with Logan flying.
"So how are you guys enjoying the trip?" He asked through the radio in his hand.
In the back of the jet Paul was grinning and Taryn was a bit nervous she never did like flying much. "Well I'm going great but Taryn looks a little green." Paul laughed as she shot him a glare. "This thing has barf bags right?"
"Yeah they do just in case." Scott told them. "And thanks again for doing this even though you didn't have to."
"Trust me after everything you guys had gone through it's the least we could do," Taryn told him it had been strange to learn that her best friend was different but she had come to accept that. After hearing what happened to Jean with her being kidnapped and put in some tank to be experimented on she just didn't know how to deal with something like that.
She couldn't believe there were people that sick and twisted in the world. Jean kept saying she was fine but she knew her well enough to know that it did bother her she was just not letting it show. Although there was something else as well, she had noticed something else about Jean. There was something else going on but it was more positive Jean had this smile in her eyes that she had never seen before. She was interested to know what exactly but she would have to get her alone later.
"Guys can't you just use Jean's power to talk?" Kurt asked behind them, "I haven't talked to Amanda and vhen I do she has to go zhe jet."
Jean smiled and touched Scott's shoulder, "Come on let him talk to his girlfriend."
Scott sighed and handed Kurt the radio as he happily started talking to her. Jean leaned back and closed her eyes and took Scott's hand to help keep in contact since touching helped. 'Guys can you hear me?'
"Jean?" Taryn asked looking around.
'Just think it.'
'Like this?' She asked and started to feel a new presence in her mind it was strange like that feeling you get of someone looking over your shoulder only closer. Then she felt not just Jean but Scott and she thought Paul as well. She looked at him as Paul looked back as the two could feel each other there. It was strange and yet it was oddly comforting.
'Wow this is…Man I don't have the words for it.' Paul thought and there was laughter heard and they noticed it was Jean. 'Is this what it's always like?'
'Pretty much.' Scott told him.
Little did they know that not too far away on a freeway going to the New York area was the foster brother of Professor Xavier. Cain Marko also known as The Juggernaut, the massive man in the brown armour was a nearly unstoppable force. He had no idea how he got out of that prison tube, maybe the system caught a virus and he caught a lucky break. Well he was never one to over look a lucky break.
After trashing the prison he was making a direct line to his 'brother's' place, as well as causing as much mayhem as he could on the way there since he was extremely pissed at not only being put back in that prison. A prison where he couldn't feel his body, where he felt like he was trapped in an endless voice, his mind fogged up from all the drugs they pumped him up with to keep him asleep.
Oh yes he was very angry at that, but he was also furious that he was beaten by kids. Kids! Him the unstoppable Juggernaut was taken out by a bunch of punk teenagers. Last time it took over a dozen special SHIELD units to take him down with Xavier's help. This time he was going to break every one of this kids and make Charles watch as he did it too before he finished off Charles.
He was always the favourite, the one his father liked more then his own flesh and blood son. The one that was the son of that stupid woman he married only for her money. At least she had the good graces to die soon after.
The only problem with his powers was trying to get from place to place, trains were the best way but there were no trains going to Bayville he would have to cut across this small town. There was a dame there if he remembered right. He smiled as he got an idea, maybe he could lure them to him as well.
He was walking the freeway, a car came at him and he just swatted it aside. It slammed into the railing but he didn't care about the person or people in there. Why should he? No one had ever cared about him so he owned the world nothing. But he was denied what was his, Charles got everyone handed to him, the home, the money, his father never beat him like he had to himself.
"I'm coming for you 'brother' and this time I'm going to take everything you care about." He said to himself kicking another car aside. He noticed this had been a state trooper one and grinned. Good the more mess he made the more attention and he just knew his dear brother Charles just couldn't sit back and do nothing.
Back with the others Xavier was trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He was thinking of all the possible ways to work what he had to do, what kind of reactions and questions that would be asked of him. He had a lot to do but he hoped that this would be enough. There was a meeting in Congress at the moment that they were flying to and it would be there that he would make their case.
He was pulled out of his thoughts though when something caught his attention. "Charles wake up," Came Beast's voice from up in front, "We have a serious problem old friend."
"What is it?" He asked him.
"I was scanning the news and police bands to see how things were in the area when I came across a report of a large armoured man that was damaging cars and buildings." Hank told him and Xavier felt a chill run down his spin. He didn't want to believe it at first but that could only be one person.
"This is bad for us all Henry," Xavier sighed this could ruin everything they had planned. They had to stop him but they also had to make their voices heard. If they were at the congressional hearing then how would they deal with Juggernaut? He would ruin any chance of someone listening to them.
If they just fought him then it would only show mutants as dangerous.
"Charles?" May's voice called him out of his thoughts and even though she wasn't sure who this Juggernaut was she had a feeling that he was a danger and he was.
Xavier had to make a choice and when you had two options and none of them were any good there was only one thing left for you to do and that was to make yourself a third option. "Hank patch me through to Logan and the X-Men. I have something for them that they'll need to do while we are in Washington."
-Osborn Manor-
Norman Osborn was in his personal room again, it was a large area where he worked that was just like a lot like the other rooms, only this had windows that went from the floor to the ceiling so he could look outside to the city. But he wasn't looking at the city but he was looking at the large TV screen.
He had been watching the Congress meeting when they started up on a mutant attack, a large man in armour terrorizing the local area in the New York State area. He frowned wondering why this mutant person was doing this? Maybe with the exposure he didn't want to hide but at any rate the sheer power he seemed to have was immense.
He was throwing trucks around like they were just toys to him. Such power put to suck petty waste. It was so disappointing to see this man use his abilities like this. If only he had gotten some of his DNA for his experiments, could you imagine the price for a troop of soldiers with that kind of ability? Anyone would pay through the nose for that.
But there was another thought that occurred to him and that was if this was blasted all over the news who else was watching. And he had a feeling that if anyone was those mutants that broke into his facility would be. His blood just boiled, all those months and expenses were now gone. More loss for his company and he was getting sick of this!
His fists clenched into balls the knuckles were white as his fists were shaking in rage. Thos mutants had cost him so much and he still had to make a profit. At this rate those mutants will drive him into bankruptcy. He wanted to get even with them, to show them that he wouldn't just take this.
But what could he do? It was too late to hire someone and the thought of just sitting back while those people most likely will swoop down and stop this renegade most likely looking like heroes really fuelled his rage. He wanted revenge he wanted to hurt them he wanted to make them suffer.
He felt dizzy for a moment like the world was spinning. "Maybe all this stress isn't good for me…I'll just take a moment to rest and calm myself." He said to himself rubbing his head. He walked off to his room to rest up.
He went to his bedroom and he lay himself onto his bed resting his eyes. Before he knew it he was fast asleep but it didn't last long. While he slept his mouth twisted up into a smile that was anything but friendly.
His eyes popped open and they were the same eyes but there was only cruelness in them. They were hard, with a hint of madness and looking into them now you'd know that it wasn't Norman Osborn but something else much more sinister.
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
-Washing DC-
In the congress building a congressional hearing was in full session, everyone was in attendance and that was a rare thing since usually there were a few there couldn't show up but this time everyone was there and everyone was walking about the mutant issue. Everyone had their opinion on it as it was also being tapped by several cameras for the public to view.
It wasn't normal but then with this issue many felt the people needed to know that they were doing something. Of the main speakers a Congressman Owens currently had the floor, "We have to do something, things are getting totally out of hand. These things have been walking around for who knows how long doing god knows what. We need to know who they are and contain them. We've seen just a few of them can do we need action to save our children, our families."
There were many voices talking after that and there was an air of fear in the room.
Just when he was about to speak up again the doors in the back opened up as several people started to walk in though, with Xavier there in the lead. "I would like to say a few words."
"Who the hell are you?" Owens said angrily he really didn't like to be interrupted his speech people had worked hard on this after all.
"My name if Professor Charles Xavier," He noticed the reactions he got, "Yes the same one that ran the School for Gifted Youngsters. I wish to speak out for mutants for our voices to be heard as well as the voices of others."
"Why would we let any of you speak we saw what you did in New York," Owens shot back at him, "And what about that so called school of yours? We found all sorts of things that no real school should have like those secret lower levels."
"That is precisely why I want to speak to explain and to tell our side of things." Xavier said calmly to him. There was some controversy but eventually they decided to let them speak. Xavier took center stage Ororo and Hank there. The Connors were there as well was May, Taryn, Paul and Amanda as they were obviously nervous.
"Thank you all for letting us talk. I want to start off by saying that we're not monsters or something you need to be afraid of. Yes we are different some more then others but we are people all the same. We live, we love, we fear. We do all the things you do, have the same dreams and nightmares."
"We were lured to New York because a man captured one of our own, we went to rescue them and fell into a trap," He didn't bring up Magneto at the moment since it was still unclear what totally was going on. He had this theories but he didn't want to voice them. "We had to defend ourselves and also trying to protect any innocent people as well."
"When we returned home we were attacked by an unknown party as you most likely seen of our home. We aren't sure how and we fear we haven't seen the last or that this person will be alone. All we want is to live our lives as everyone else."
"Well that was all well and good Mr. Xavier," Owen said clearly not impressed with Xavier's little speech. "But I think the human population would like some reassurance so they don't have to worry about your kind."
"Then why not ask them?" Dr. Connors stood forward, "My name is Dr. Curt Connors and I teach at Bayville High, and I'm not a mutant. In fact my family is totally human," This got several surprised reactions out of everyone there.
"I'm telling you as a fellow human being that these people are not a threat, my family is close to them. I teach their students and they are bright and good kids. My own son plays with two of them who are his best friends. My wife is good friends with Miss Ororo on my right here." He gestured to Storm.
"And I myself have many entertaining talks with Hank McCoy here," He gestured to Beast, "In fact Mr. McCoy was a teacher and when his mutant changed him as you see now he had to flee. He had to give up his life as a teacher something he loved and the kids loved him as well. He was a very popular teacher and when I took over all I heard was how well the students liked him and missed him."
Hank smiled he was touched by his friend's words and he did miss teaching at Bayville and it was nice to hear his absences was missed.
"We also have others where, friends of the students as well." Connor told them all as Taryn, Paul and Amanda stepped up to show that they were humans that stood with the mutants.
Connor wasn't sure what to say but May stepped up and touched his arm and he let her take it from there. "Now I know nothing of politics, I'm not a fancy public speaker my name if May Parker and I'm pretty much the most ordinary person you could meet. I go to church, pay my taxes and I've barely left the New York State area."
"I raise my nephew Peter now, his parents died and my husband and myself took him in and raised him like a son. Not long ago my husband died and that left us being on our own. Our family was just the two of us then. My nephew is one of the most decent and kind people I have ever known. He has a heart larger then most people and he cares about those around him even strangers."
May smiled a bit knowing just how much Peter cared for people, "When I learned that he was different that he had powers well I was surprised and shocked. But you know what? He was still my nephew nothing had changed and I still loved him. In fact when Xavier offered him a place he would only go if I could go too. At first I thought I wouldn't fit in because I am the only human there all the time."
"But as I started to care for the children they started to become like an extended family. I've seen them laugh, cry, get into trouble, do amazing things. They are just like every other child out there. Some of them don't even have homes anymore, some come from broken homes or some had their parents throw them out because they were different." Her face took on a note of sadness at the pain she had seen in some of them.
"But these are good children at heart, and I believe in them. They shouldn't be punished because of what they are. I've seen this before, I've lived through the time when blacks in this country couldn't use the same fountains or eat in certain places or even vote." She sighed remembering those dark times.
"Those were not pleasant times and I fear that we could be moving back into that. And some don't even know they are mutants, you yourselves could have a mutant in your family and not even know it, they may not even know it and if they are then what? Do you cut them out of your life? If it was your child could you throw them away?"
May let that hang there in the air as everyone started to think on her words, some just didn't listen or care, some of the older ones knew that period because they had lived through it as well. Some were actually moved while others just didn't know what to think anymore.
Then an aid to Congressman Owen and handed him a remote and whispered something into his hear. "Well now that is all well and good but if mutants aren't a threat then maybe you all can please explain this to me?" He clicked on the remote and a screen used for various means came alive.
It was a live news coverage of the Juggernaut as he was trashing a dame, one that if he broke would flood a small town. Owen looked back at them daring them to give an explanation about all of this to him.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 42: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE