The cold of the winter day was long forgotten inside the Senate Hearing Room, as the packed bodies in the gallery and the heat from the television lights forced the temperature in the room up far above normal. Several of the senators, despite the intense media scrutiny of these hearings, had taken off their jackets. Many viewers in the balcony were fanning themselves with notebooks or loose paper. A two tailed fox known as Professor Miles Tails Xavier sat in his wheelchair near the center of the room, watching patiently.
He could tell that most of the crowd was a very hostile one. He didn't need to read their minds to sense that. Their hostility clearly emerged with every action of the hearings' chairman, the flamboyant peacock senator Robert Kelly. Kelly was a white-faced, white-haired peacock with feathers that had all the colours in the world, and he was clearly using the hearings on mutant registration to propel his own career closer to the White House. And it seemed as though he had other demons that were driving him, though it wasn't quite clear to Professor Xavier what those demons were. At least not yet. In front of the hot room, at the witness table, sat a green echidna known as Dr. Tikal Grey. Even alone at the long wooden table, she had a commanding presence.
A strong, good-looking echidna in her early thirties, she had been called upon to explain to the Senate Hearing the basic science behind the emergence of mutants. Professor Xavier had helped her extensively with the drafting of her presentation. They had gone over it time and again so that it would be clear not only to the senators, but to the audience on the other side of the television cameras. And considering the hot-button interest the public had taken in the mutant registration law, there was no doubt her presentation would make the news. To many, mutants had proved ripe for persecution based on the long-standing tradition of fearing anything unknown. So the best defence, Tikal and the professor had determined, was to help the regular people from middle America understand mutants and what they really were. The bigots like Senator Kelly would fold like wet tissue if public opinion shifted against them. However only 3 senators (New York, California and Washington State) were half-heartedly on their side, and at the moment the general public opinion was against mutants, the public was scared to death, and Senator Kelly is taking advantage of this, and is a master of playing that to the hilt.
"Light please?" Tikal said
A few people murmured something about that helping the heat, at least. As the lights dimmed around him, the professor didn't need to shift in his wheelchair to watch the show. Instead he focused his gaze straight ahead and opened up his mind to let the feelings of those around him flow in, not enough to read their thoughts, just enough to gauge how reaction to the presentation was going. He could feel boredom, uncertainty, empathy but the loudest was hostility. Tikal had a very deep hole to climb out of it seemed, they all did, if they were ever going to be accepted by society and defeat this ridiculous registration law.
"DNA" Tikal said, spacing each letter as she started her presentation. "It is the basic building block of evolution. Changes in our DNA are the reason we have evolved from single celled organisms to Homo Sapiens"
Diagrams and figures demonstrated the various stages of evolution, from the classic diagonal line showing the evolution of man to a complex diagram that can be found in college textbooks. One image took over the screen, focusing attention on the lowest order of humanoid, the Homo Habilis, a primitive apelike humanoid covered in thick fur.
Around him, Professor Miles Xavier could feel the crowds interest increase, ever so slightly. And some revulsion emerged as men and women were confronted with the images of what they were decented from.
"Within our DNA" Tikal said, explaining what was happening on the screen "are the genes that decide our physical characteristics. When these active genes mutate, we see changes in the body"
The image on the screen began to mutate to make it look more and more Mobian like. The professor could tell many of the Mobians around him were becoming fascinated. Perfect. It was just what he and Tikal had hoped would be their reaction at this point.
"These evolutionary changes are subtle, and normally take thousands of years." The image of the Mobian on the screen froze, and his body went transparent. Twenty percent of it was marked in white, representing moving, active genes. The remainder of the image of the man was marked in red, showing static, dormant genes.
Now the people around the professor were really caught up. The room fell silent, except for a few whispers coming from a couple of the senators who clearly were not paying any attention and didn't want to. One of them was Senator Kelly.
"Within each of us," Tikal said, "lie not only the millions of genes which dictate our physical makeup, but millions upon millions more whose purpose has been completely unknown to us." She paused for a breath, then went on. "These unused genes have traditionally been referred to as 'junk DNA.' In fact, over eighty percent of our genetic structure is made up of this so-called junk DNA."
The words 'Present day' appeared on the screen, as a number of the red dormant genes began to move, slowly at first, then faster and faster.
"In recent years" Tikal said "And for reasons that are still a mystery, we have seen this latent DNA in our bodies mutating. These mutations manifest at around puberty, and are typically trigged at periods of heightened emotional stress"
With a glow of pride the professor knew that at the moment, with the exception of a few closed minded senators, Tikal had her audience.
"The new DNA strands caused by the mutations are producing some admittedly startling results. In other words, this previously unused DNA is not 'Junk' DNA at all, but rather a vast storehouse which contains the almost limitless potential for human advancement."
Suddenly the graphic on the screen showed the Mobian preform amazing feats. First, he grew in size, then he moved an object with his mind, then he turned into an 80-year-old then a 12-year-old.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now at the dawn of a new age of human evolution, not a new race of creatures to be feared, but rather the opportunity to find advancement within us all"
The lights slowly brightened, scanning the room once again, the professor could tell that Tikal and the presentation had accomplished what they had hoped. With understanding, the perception of mutants seemed to have begun to shift ever so slightly. The professor began to pick up feelings of uncertainty, of people rethinking their positions, and the leval of hostility was clearly lower, but now came the hardest part. Tikal had to hold this hard won argument against Senator Kelly.
Kelly turned from the man he was debating with and smiled at Tikal like how a parent turns at their child who did something cute.
"Thank you for the wonderful cartoon, Ms. Grey" he said in a vaguely patronizing tone "It was quite – how should I say it? – Educational."
Some of the crowd snickered
"However" Kelly went on, fidiling with his feathers, "It had failed the larger issue which, I may add, is the focus and the entire point of this hearing. Are. Mutants, Dangerous?"
There was a low rumbling among the crowd, and the professor could feel new and increasing uncertainty flowing among the people
"Well Senator Kelly" Tikal said in a forced calm voice "Don't you think that is an unfair question? The wrong person behind a car can be dangerous, the wrong person with a gun can be dangerous"
"Both of whom requires a licence" Kelly said as if he found a loophole in Tikal's statement
The professor listened carefully to the murmurs of the crowd as Kelly's aid handed Kelly a large black file as if it was a bomb.
"But we don't give license people to live Senator" Tikal said
Kelly acted as if he had gone deaf and was flipping through the file as if looking in a book to prove a point.
"It is in fact Senator" Tikal said "That mutants who had revealed themselves publicly have been met with fear, hostility and even violence."
The professor can feel that things were beginning to go against Tikal. This time, though, as he scanned the crowd with his mind, he felt a new presence, a powerful and familiar one. He turned around in his wheelchair and studied the back of the room which rose above him.
There, by the door, in the shadows where he can't be seen stood an uninvited dark hedgehog shaped figure wearing a plain, expensive suit. It was his old ally, Scourge. What was he doing here? But there was no need to read his mind to get the answer, it was obvious enough. Both Scourge and Tails nodded at each other to acknowledge each other's presence.
"It is because of that ever-present hostility" Tikal continued "That I am urging the Senate to vote against mutant registration. To force mutants to expose themselves will only further subject them to unnecessary prejudice."
Senator Kelly smiled and at that moment the professor knew that Kelly is going to deliver a fatal blow.
"Expose themselves?" Kelly asked, his voice calm and strong over the silent crowd as he played to the television cameras "What is that the mutant community has to hide?"
"I didn't say that they had anything to hide!" Tikal said "What did I say…"
"Let me show you what is being hidden" Senator Kelly shouted, he had raised up a blown-up photo of a car on a freeway. The car appeared to have been melted "This was taken by a state police officer in Texas. A man in a minor altercation literally melted the car in front of him"
Professor Xavier set his jaw, the crowd was turning more and more fearful and hostile.
"May I see this photo, Senator Kelly?" Tikal asked calmly.
He ignored her question and spoke directly to the crowd and the cameras "This is not an isolated incident, Ms Grey"
Kelly picked up the folder overflowing with documents and held it up to the crowd to see as if it was a trophy that he had won. "I have a list here of names here! Identified mutants, living in the United States!"
"Mr. Kelly!" Tikal said in a forced calm voice
But Senator Kelly appeared to have gone deaf "A girl in Illinois who can walk through walls! What is to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the white house?" He turned to face the cameras "Or your house?"
Professor Xavier knew at that moment that they had lost. The crowd's anger and hostility were back in full force. Heated discussions and scattered debates erupted around the hall. Senator Kelly was getting them to ignore the facts and logic and to get them to focus at their own fears of the unknown
"And there are rumours Ms Grey" Kelly said turning to stare at her as if he had forgotten all about her "Of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds, control our thoughts, take away our own free will!"
A number of people gasped at this statement
"Ms Grey, some Americans deserve the right to decide whether they want their children to be in school with a mutant, to be taught by a mutant" Kelly said "You are a schoolteacher. I think that the rights of parents and students alike should be paramount importance to you."
"Yes" Tikal said firmly "But this is not the way to help them, I would like to see that folder"
"Why?" Kelly said, pounding the folder "All I am saying is that parents have the right to know the dangers to their children or what danger their children can bring. That is the purpose of the registration!"
"No it is not!" Tikal said finally losing her paishence "Your purpose is to discriminate and torture a group of citizens just because you are afraid of them! Now I would like to see your so called list and evidence!"
She held her hand out
Suddenly the folder flew from Kelly's grasp towards Tikal's open hand. Realization dawned across her face and she immediately closed her hand, but the professor knew that the damage has already been done. The folder fell to the floor, flooding the floor with paper.
Around him the professor can tell that everyone was uncertain what happened. And they were very afraid at the same time. It was clear to all of them that something unseen had come into play in this hearing, though none of them knew what it might be.
The professor sighed and closed down his mind, shutting out the sensations of the people around him. They had lost this battle, that much was clear. "Ladies and gentlemen," Senator Kelly said, now more than ever playing for the cameras. "The truth is that mutants are very real and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, we must know what they can do." The crowd broke into cheering around the professor as he turned and moved his wheelchair up the ramp toward the exit.
It had been a long shot, and he knew it. From the almost-empty hallway outside the Hearing Room, the professor could hear the debate continuing as the few friendly senators tried to jump in to help Tikal. But they were quickly overwhelmed. It was clear that this bill would leave this hearing and make its way to the main floor of the Senate. That would be the next point at which it might be stopped. But he was going to have to do better, if it was going to happen.
In front of the professor a green hedgehog walked towards the main entrance. Scourge Lehnsherr.
"What are you doing here?" The professor asked, just loud enough for Scourge to hear.
Scourge stopped and half turned, smiling.
"Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to?" Scourge asked.
The professor moved up closer, until they faced each other there in the high – ceilinged, tiled hallway. "Don't give up on them Scourge."
"What would you have me do, Tails?" He asked "I've heard all these arguments before ever since what we did in Cuba. Used very well, if I remember."
"That was a long time ago" The professor replied "They had evolved since then"
"yes" Scourge said. "Into us"
The professor paused for a moment, musing, then deciding to seek out what he decided to seek out what he wanted to know. Slowly and carefully, he reached out.
Scourge put a palm against the side of his head, then smiled. "Are you sneaking around in here Tails?" Scourge clenched his fist and the professor's chair lifted ever so slightly off the ground as if it was gripped by a giant hand, as if in a subtle warning. "Whatever you are looking for?" Scourge asked, still smiling, but adding a slight edge to his words.
"Hope, Scourge" The professor said calmly. "I am looking for hope"
The chair settled back to the tile floor as if the giant hand has released it.
"I will give you hope then" Scourge said "And I ask for one thing in return. Don't. Get. In. My. Way. Please"
Scourge turned and walked away, without looking back he said "We are the future of the world Tails! Not them. They no longer matter."
Behind him the professor can hear the debate continuing as his former ally pushed open the door and left. He hadn't responded to that last comment, because there was nothing left to be said. He didn't agree, and Scourge knew it.
Regular people did matter. Now more than ever.
"Prof?" A voice behind him said.
The professor turned to see a white bat, who was wearing so much clothes it seemed to make sure that no skin on her body can be touched by anyone, and she was looking at the door that Scourge went through as if it was the reason of all her pain and suffering.
"We have to be ready for war Rouge." The professor replied "not just with the senate, but with Magneto. Whatever he is planning, I don't like it. I don't like it at all"