Evening:
"So how did you get on?" asked Gemini. "How did your speech go?"
Melody gave a sigh, then a shrug, "About as well as I expected, really. Mine wasn't a popular viewpoint. A lot of people still aren't ready to think about peace."
The duplicator frowned, "I thought you said we were getting somewhere…"
"Oh, we are. A few months ago we couldn't even have organised this conference. The fact that people have agreed to come to it – even people who say they're completely opposed to peace – means we've gotten somewhere. It's going to be a long and slow process, but we're definitely seeing progress."
"I guess."
"How did you get on?" said Melody. "Any problems?"
"Well, yes and no, I guess. We were attacked by a mob."
"No! What happened? You didn't get hurt, did you? Is everyone OK?"
"Yeah, we're fine. It wasn't anything we couldn't handle. But – "
"But what?" the woman prompted.
"I dunno, it's just that they shouldn't even have been able to get near us in the first place. It's almost as if the cops let them through."
"Why would they do that?"
"Dunno. Vertigo says because the cops want us dead just as much as the mob who attacked us."
"Do you believe that?"
"I don't know what to believe. Chris said they – the cops, I mean – were testing us to see how good we are. But I dunno…hey, what's the schedule for tomorrow?"
"The morning will be a discussion of whether mutants should be permitted to serve in the armed forces. The afternoon focuses on the presence of mutants in schools."
"Are you speaking?"
"Not tomorrow, but I'll be hearing the arguments from both sides, and I can enter into a debate if I wish. Will you be there?"
"In the afternoon, yeah."
"Alexandra? Can I see you for a second?" came another woman's voice from the doorway.
Gemini looked round, to see Shock standing in the door.
"Go ahead," said Melody. "I need to go check on Athena anyway."
"OK."
They left the room, Melody heading upstairs to the room she was sharing with her little daughter.
"What's up, Fliss?" asked Gemini
"We've got a new student," said Shock. "I take it you haven't met her yet?"
"Nope. Who is she?"
"Well, it's complicated. She's having some trouble settling in. You'll understand why when you meet her."
"She's a mutant?"
"We think so. We're running a blood test to make sure. We've put her in your dorm just now, because she looks about your age, and we'd like you to spend some time with her and help her feel at home."
"Sure thing."
"Great. Thanks, Alex. Hey, Chris tells me you gave a good account of yourself today."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good work! You'll be an X-Woman in no time! If that's what you want, of course! I'll catch you later, Scott's called a meeting."
Gemini headed upstairs to her dorm, to find the new girl. She smiled. She'd be glad to have another girl for company. It was a pain sometimes having just the guys to hang around with. It hadn't always been like this. There had been four of them in that dorm once. But Aqua had moved out after marrying Gladiator three years ago, and neither of them had been seen or heard from since. Cassandra had moved into Helios' flat in London when the two of them got engaged. Helios jokingly called it the X-Men's London office. Crusader was still around, but she had never been much fun to hang around with, and was now entirely consumed by her duties. Gemini hoped the new girl would turn out to be a good friend.
She pushed open the door of the girls' dormitory, and stepped inside. Sitting on the bed nearest the window was a tall blonde girl, who looked over as she heard the door open.
"Hi," she said, a little uncertainly.
"Hey," the duplicator smiled. "I'm Gemini, or Alexandra. What's your name?"
"I don't know. Look, to cut a long story short, I've lost my memory, OK?"
Gemini blinked, "OK…"
"Sorry, that was a bit abrupt, I know, but I've gone through this exact same exchange with at least three people now."
"Right, I understand."
"Thanks."
"So – what do you want me to call you? I mean, until you remember."
"Dunno. I overheard some of the young kids referring to me as Amnesia."
Gemini made a face, "That's cruel."
"It'll do for now."
On the bed beside her was a small shoulder bag. Gemini pointed to it and said, "I'm guessing somebody's already asked what's in your bag…"
"Yeah. There's nothing much inside. Nothing that tells me who I am."
"And that's all you have?"
"Yup. The last thing I remember was getting off the train at the station. I don't know why I came here or where I came from, or why I didn't bring anything else with me. I don't even have a change of clothes!"
"Well, you can borrow mine, if they'll fit. You're a bit taller than me."
"Thanks. This is driving me crazy."
The girl known as Amnesia lifted her hand, and Gemini saw she was holding a piece of paper.
"What's that?" she asked.
"It's a flyer for some conference that's in town," said Amnesia. "I was holding on to it when I got off the train."
Gemini looked closer, "Hey, it's the UN conference. The one about mutant rights. You know, it's been on the news…oh, I'm sorry. I guess you don't remember."
"No."
"It's been set up to discuss the inclusion of mutants in the UN's Charter for Human Rights. I was there this afternoon."
"The professors here think I'm a mutant. They're running tests to find out."
"Yeah, they told me that too. Hey, wait a minute," said Gemini suddenly. "Do you think that's why you're here?"
"What?"
"The conference. Maybe you came to New York for the conference."
"I think it's more likely I was coming here to the school. The address of this place is written on the back."
She turned the flier over, and Gemini read the school's address. Amnesia said, "I'm waiting for your professors to get back to me with the results of the blood test. Once I know whether I'm a mutant or not, I'll try and decide what I should do. They said I could stay here until my memory comes back."
"OK. Do you want the guided tour?"
"Sure."
They left the dorm and Gemini showed the other girl around the building. When they got to the ground floor, they bumped into Vertigo and Chronos going the opposite direction.
"Hey, look who it is," Vertigo said lazily. "Remember us?"
"Very funny," Amnesia glared at him.
"Ignore them, they're creeps," said Gemini.
"Yeah, I noticed."
The guys and the girls went their separate ways, and Gemini and Amnesia walked past the door to the elevator that led down to the X-Men's base.
"OK, through here is the games room – " Gemini began, when she realised the other girl was no longer by her side.
She turned to see Amnesia still standing in front of the elevator door.
"What's up?" asked the duplicator in confusion.
"This door…" the blonde girl said slowly. "Where does it go?"
"Downstairs. There's an elevator."
"What's down there?"
"All sorts of stuff. We're not really allowed down there unless we're on a mission."
"A mission? You mean, like a church? Is this a religious school?"
"No, no," said Gemini. "I meant a mission as in – oh, forget it. Sorry! Bad choice of words. Don't worry about it just now. They'll tell you about it themselves better than I can."
"OK. It's just…"
She reached out and ran her hand across the door.
"What is it?" said Gemini.
"I'm not sure. I think – I dunno – it's almost as if…"
Gemini said nothing, and waited.
"…I think I remember this door," Amnesia said finally.
"Huh?"
"It just came to me as we went past. I remember this door. I know where it goes."
"You do?"
"Yeah. There's a – a base or something down there. Some machine. Something you fit over your head, and – and – it amplifies – "
"That's right!" Gemini exclaimed. "Xavier's telepathic amplifier! But how did you know that?"
"I don't know. I just remember it. As we walked past, it just came back to me…"
"But that means – "
"Yeah," said Amnesia, turning to face the smaller girl. "It means I've been here before."