A/N: Wow. Got rammed by inspiration this morning. Got to watch the first X-Men movie last night, so now I have it for reference! Yeah, it's a little longer than most chapters by far as well- almost 1,800 words. Sweet. By the way, just wanted to point out: italics indicate flashbacks or thought.
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"My fellow Americans, in this time of adversity we are being offered a moment, a moment to recognize a growing threat within our own population and take a unique role in the shape of human events. Today I have been given an opportunity to shed light on recent occurrences from the attack that ended in this office, to the unexplained phenomenon that swept the earth, nearly annihilating our way of life…"
As the President of the United States began his address to the nation once again, his feeling of unease refused to disappear as his speech was broadcasted to millions of viewers across America. The emotion wasn't one fault of his nerves…no he was used to giving appearances and public announcements such as this. But one of his previous encounters with a group of mutants that had just made their appearance in the Oval Office had shaken him out of his comfort zone.
"These files were taken from the private offices of William Stryker," the man that had formally introduced himself as Charles Xavier began as he motioned for a young girl beside him, abruptly placing a dark colored folder in front of him.
He glanced down at the file before he could find his voice again after losing due to the unscheduled visit of several mutants now standing in various spots of the Oval Office. "Where did you get these?" he asked, beginning to browse through its contents.
"Well…let's just say I know a little girl who can walk through walls," the man in front of him chuckled lightly.
"I've never seen these before," the president answered him as the figures around him watched his movements intently.
"I know."
"Then you also know that I don't respond well to threats," he answered quickly
"Mr. President, this is not a threat. This is an opportunity. There are forces in this world, both human and mutant alike that believe that a war is coming. You will see from those files that some have already tried to start one…and there have been casualties; losses on both sides… Mr. President, what you are about to tell the world is true: this is a moment, a moment to repeat the mistakes of the past…or to work together for a better future. We're here to stay, Mr. President; the next move is yours."
"We'll be watching." Another mutant said as their conversation drew to a close. The storm outside immediately faded just as soon as it had brewed. The power in the room returned, along with the consciousness of every other human present, now staring at a speechless leader of America on a now live television feed.
"Mr. President?" a camera assistant whispered as the silence dragged on, "Mr. President, are you alright sir?"
And so he began his address with a fresh perspective…one he would hope would help lead the nations out of a war that could be avoided.
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"I don't think our visit will change anything, professor. As much as I hate to admit it…Magneto's right."
"I know Scott, but as I've said before, circumstances being what they are, we need to prolong this upcoming war as long as we possibly can. America's must already deal with one threat overseas. The last thing we want is another threat hitting innocent lives here- closer to home. There are so many humans that are oblivious to the dangers that exist in this world, and we aren't the only ones who want to keep it that way…"
"So what about Angel? It's only a matter of time before she's hunted down again, and we can't exactly hide her from her own parents."
"No, but we can keep her away. They think she's dead. Her father doesn't even know what she looks like, at the very least he hasn't even met her, and her mother knows little to nothing about her daughter after she ran away. It's been some time since Angel has last seen her real family, and I don't think it's the best idea to make their introductions after so long a time…"
Scott stayed silent as Xavier continued to think. Part of him was against keeping Angel locked up here, but at the same time, he couldn't argue. He knew all too well what could happen to the poor girl if she returned with her mother, and God only knew how warped her mind could become after recovering from such a fragile state.
"I'll see what she has to say about all this. With our luck, she probably doesn't remember much with that injury she took to her head," Xavier stated as he turned to exit his office, "and Scott?"
"Yes professor?"
"I'll see what she knows about Jean,"
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"So what now? The president doesn't seem too shaken about the attack, and it's not like we can lead our own investigation into all this," Mikaela quipped as the Address to the nation finally ended.
"As a matter of fact, we can," Optimus replied, "We just have to ensure than we remain hidden."
"The location in Westchester, New York seems promising. There were quite a few news reports last week of it being an 'underground mutant movement' as it was put." Ratchet stated, "It seems promising."
"Yeah, I remember that. A few of my guys were called in to do damage control. Apparently, a military scientist who had looked into it and was leading the assault authorized it. Haven't heard any reports of him or the operation since then though." Will said thinking back to when he first got a call to take part on the mission.
"Good evening, Major Lennox. This is Colonel William Stryker. I'm calling to ask if you and your team would be able to assist me in an operation I'll be leading this following evening."
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm unable to help you. However if you wanted the means to contact other members of my team, they might say otherwise."
"Then may I request permission for aide from a select few of your team, Major?"
"Yes sir."
"Excellent. Thank you for your time, Major Lennox."
"What was the reason behind the assault?"
"No idea. He didn't say. I can guarantee it wasn't for the mutants' benefit though."
"Why do you say that?" Sam asked, his attention slowly returning from the somewhat boring television broadcast.
"Well think about- most of the world either fears or hates mutants…or both… and right now back in Washington, the Supreme Court is trying to pass a Mutant Registration Act that makes every mutant in America practically placed into custody and registered so that the government can keep tabs on them. Obviously that's gonna create tension. With that conflict going on, and the first vote to pass the Registration Act failed, some groups are probably going to do everything in their power to ensure that this Act becomes reality."
"What does this have to do with that military scientist? As far as I see it, it's political. It's too far out of this guy's way to be involved in anything that big." Mikaela said confused.
"While that's true, it still won't stop him from being involved. Stryker's main study as a scientist was to help reverse or stop the mutation phenomenon. He spent his whole life trying to solve the mutant problem. I'm sure he wasn't exactly ecstatic when he found out the Registration Act failed. I have no doubt that he was leading that attack. The thing that scares me is what happened to the mutants he captured once he got into the place. Stryker isn't really known for his discretion of resentment toward mutants."
"What happened to the mansion's residents then?" Ratchet asked, his concern as a medic bleeding into his tone.
"I don't know. I'm guessing everything's back to normal now. According to Fig, the soldiers coordinating the operation left quickly after his wave of teams arrived. From what he told me, they took a lot of equipment with them. He said it looked like some kind of advanced electrical, but knowing the men that were there, it was probably something else. I'll contact the Secretary of Defense tomorrow and see if I can get in touch with Stryker." Will said as his mind continued to think on what happened between that night of the assault and attack.
"Optimus, I'd like to investigate the location for myself if possible. I feel there may be more of a story behind all of this then we know." Ratchet put in as the conversation began to close
"Granted, but I'd like to you to assemble a team to go along, both human and Autobot. Given the lack of Decepticon activity lately, it seems we can afford this. I want reports of anything you may find." Optimus answered, "Perhaps it would be best if we headed to Washington regardless. You said that when you last talked to the Secretary that he wanted to meet with us correct, Will? This may be a good opportunity to do so."
"Road trip?" Sam asked excitedly. 'If getting involved in politics means this sorta stuff' Sam thought, 'I'll become a freakin' Daughter of America if I have to.'
"Yeah. I'll put a word in to him when I speak with him tomorrow." Will stated.
"Good. Would it be possible for you and your team to accompany us? They by far have had the most experience with us." Optimus asked.
"I don't see why not. We haven't been called in too much lately. Might be good to see a little action."
"For our sakes, I hope we don't. The last thing we need I conducting repairs in a location where we won't be properly equipped to do so." Ratchet quipped rather irritably.
Optimus inwardly smirked at Ratchet's comment. However, he was right. The last thing that they needed was the act for repairs, and taking into consideration of how quiet things had been since Mission City, it fed the fear even more. Nothing good ever came from the Decepticons- even if they weren't doing anything. It was a bad sign. If there was no activity, it meant they were planning, and whatever they were planning it couldn't possibly be good, especially now that Starscream was commanding their forces…
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A/N: Next up, we find out what conspiracy lies within Xavier's school, the Autobots have their first glimpse of what mutants are capable of, and we finally get to see what the evil side has been up to. Dear God, that's gonna be a headache to write…
