Author's Note: Just so no one can complain that I didn't give them fair warning, I'm continuing the movieverse tradition of grabbing random characters from comic canon and using them where I see fit. Hopefully I don't butcher anyone's character too horribly in the process.
"You understand, Dr. McCoy, how much this administration is risking in letting you set these terms." The President of the United States templed his fingers on the desk in front of him, trying to conceal the anxiety that had been trying to suffocate him for the last two weeks.
"I do indeed, Mr. President." Resisting the urge to backflip with joy over his success, Dr. Henry McCoy instead adjusted his reading glasses and began to browse through the inches-deep pile of documents in front of him outlining the conditions of the Xavier Institute's internment of St. John Allerdyce. "There's a lot at risk for everyone involved. Have you released a statement to the public yet?"
"No, we've kept a tight cover on this. If the public knew we had in our custody one of the higher ranking members of the Brotherhood, they'd be screaming for blood."
"Which is exactly the reason I've asked for these terms. It is imperative that young Mr. Allerdyce's fate be decided by his peers. Allowing the public to influence this process would set mutant rights back three decades."
"The people want justice, Hank."
"The people want a scapegoat, Mr. President. And your scapegoat could be Magneto's martyr."
"According to your people, Magneto's been neutralized."
"He's been cured, yes." Hank flinched at his own casual usage of the term. "But do you really think that will keep him quiet for long? If anything, it may make him more determined in his crusade."
"Then I hope your boy can give us something before that happens." The leader of the free world fixed a stern gaze on him. "We're playing by your rules on this one, but make no mistake, we're playing to win."
"With all due respect, sir, I would appreciate it if you refrained from referring to this situation as a game." They locked eyes, Hank feeling a small surge of satisfaction when the president nodded.
"My apologies, Dr. McCoy. I didn't intend to sound as though I were making light of things." The words were stiff but sincere.
"Apology accepted. Have you determined who will be handling the investigation?"
"We had intended to have Executive Director Fury handle the case personally, but the backlash from the Cure Weapon scandal was greater than we expected. He'll be announcing his resignation tomorrow."
"Fury, resigning?" Hank's blue brow crinkled in concern. "Who's been appointed to succeed him?"
"Agent Hill. You're familiar with her, I'm sure."
"Yes, I am." He tried to keep his voice neutral, but a sinister note snuck its way past.
Hearing what Hank wasn't saying, the president tried to reassure him. "She's been an integral part of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the last ten years, Hank. We've all heard the rumors, but there isn't a scrap of evidence to support them."
"Rumors aside, I'm not certain this isn't a ploy to pry S.H.I.E.L.D loose from Fury's iron reign, and in turn, from Fury's previous allies," Hank said quietly. "Allies like myself and the X-Men."
"It's not about loyalties," he replied. "First and foremost my duty lies with the country. I am not going to let playground politics interfere with a fair investigation and, if needed, trial by jury. I thought you of all people would agree with the sentiment that if mutants are to become an accepted part of society, they must adhere to the same laws as any other American citizen."
"And I do agree. But in looking at the big picture, we can't ignore the fact that we are setting a precedent here." Hank took off his glasses and looked the president directly in the eye. "I hope you realize that a second Civil War is a very real possibility."
"If I hadn't, I would be unfit for this position, Hank."
After a somber silence, Hank reluctantly changed the subject. "Now, there is the matter of a mental assessment. I've already got someone in mind."
XXXX
This time when Kitty phased through the ceiling, John didn't tell her to get out. In fact, he didn't talk to her at all, instead keeping his back to her as he lay on his side on the cot. She might even have thought him asleep if the slight irregularity of his breathing hadn't given him away.
"I have good news, John. Dr. McCoy got you a fair shake." As expected, she got no response. "As fair a shake as you're going to get, anyway. We get to keep a close eye on the whole process, and they're doing the assessment first-"
"To see if I'm mentally sound?" Finally he rolled towards her to rest on his elbows, his eyes openly hostile. "So I'm either evil incarnate or a fucking loon. Which would you rather I be?"
"Do you really care that much about what I think of you?" Last night had been the first good night's sleep in weeks, and it gave her the strength to return his attack.
"No, but you keep telling me, so I might as well take an interest." His words cut deep, and Kitty actually flinched before she iced over again.
"I'm actually down here to ask what you'd like for lunch," she said frostily. "I get to play waitress for you, since I'm the only one who can get in and out of here without having to take twenty minutes to reset all the locks."
"You mean I get to see you every day?" His smirk was harder than she remembered it, sharper. "It's a dream come true."
"Shut up, John," she said wearily, and something like hurt flashed in his irises. "D'you want a burger or pasta?"
At the mention of food, his stomach let out an audible growl. "A burger," he mumbled. She continued to stare him down. "Please," he ground out from between gritted teeth.
"I'll be down with that in twenty minutes," Kitty said haughtily, and exited the same way she had entered.
"I think your real mutant power is being really fucking annoying," he shouted through the ceiling after her.
XXXX
With John's burger being prepared in the kitchen, Kitty made her way to the headmistresses' office to plead for a break from their surly charge. She could hear the fierce bite in Storm's voice before she even made it down the hall-the office was soundproof, but all the sound dampening in the world wouldn't help with the door left open. "…most irresponsible, rash decision Hank's ever-" Her words were cut off with the sharp slam of the door. Sliding silently down the hall, Kitty phased her head just deep enough into the wall that her ear was against the wood paneling on the other side of the Acoustiblok.
"Relax, Ororo. Hank says she's the best in her field." There was something that just didn't sound right about Logan's voice, until Kitty realized he was trying to be the voice of reason. Now that's something I thought I'd never hear, she thought dryly to herself.
"Best in her field? Only if the field you're referring to is being a manipulative bitch." There was a sharp thump that Kitty could only guess was the headmistress rearranging her desk in frustration. "You have no idea what that woman's done, Logan! Not just to me, but to some of these students! To Kitty!"
At the mention of her name, Kitty's blood ran cold. There were not many instances in her young life that Storm could be referring to, and the thought of one in particular twisted her stomach into violent knots.
"Hank gave me some background info. It's not pretty, but according to the furball she's a changed woman. She's got family ties to this place. If anything he's hoping her past will debunk any talk that it's all just a big X-Men cover-up."
"She could be controlling everything he's saying, Logan! She's a telepath, for god's sake!"
Kitty could take it no longer-she burst through the wall completely, to the astonishment of Ororo and the amusement of Logan. "I was wondering when you were finally going to interrupt us," the latter remarked.
"She's not coming here." Kitty's cheeks were flushed, her hands clenched in fists at her sides. "Storm, you can't let that woman come here."
Storm looked a bit lost for a moment, unsure of whether she should present a unified front with the other designated grownup on the team and feel like a hypocrite, or assure the younger girl that she would keep the creature of her nightmares a safe distance away. "Kitty-you know I feel the same way, but I don't know if I can do anything about it- "
"You'd be endangering everyone at this school! I swear to god, if you let her through those doors I will poison her tea-"
She was interrupted by a knock at the door, and then Bobby poked his head in. Kitty and Ororo whipped their heads around to glare at him. "What?" they snapped in unison.
"Um-burger's ready?" Looking back and forth between the occupants of the room, Bobby decided a quick escape was probably his best option. "I'll come back later."
Kitty gave Storm one last dirty look before leaving the room. "I'm going to go give John his lunch and, oh yeah, warn him that his brain's about to be probed by a sociopath," she muttered, phasing through the floor before either adult could reprimand her behavior.
Storm looked almost ready to cry, but a glance at Logan revealed his true feelings about the situation. "I thought I was the one with the claws."1
1 Astonishing X-Men #3