As the door closed behind the two women, Charles Xavier turned to the rest of the group. "Before dinner, we shall call a school assembly, and explain to everyone what is going on, what changes will be taking place over the next few weeks. It would be helpful if you were to speak to them as well, Erik, and lay the foundations of trust."
"As you wish. A united front."
As they went over the main points they would cover, Jean and Grace were making their way through the halls of the school. Grace stopped, her arms full of lamb and monkey. "Can we swing by wherever my things are? I salvaged some clothing and toiletries from the wreckage, and I'd rather not wear these for a third day."
"I would have thought you'd be set for life, with all that knitwear." commented Jean.
"It's things like underwear, a robe, and a nightgown that I want—although I imagine I can assemble an outfit for tomorrow from my knits."
"If there's anything you need, you only have to ask—we keep stuff on hand for those students who arrive with only the clothes on their backs."
"Thank you. I'll remember that, but I don't suppose you have maternity bras on hand."
"No, there you have me. The hangar's down this way…"
Jean helped her carry her bags up to a fresh, crisp guest room which smelled of dried lavender. It had its own bathroom, and Grace took a shower before slipping into her nightgown, and then into bed. What's happened to me? she wondered, as she looked up at the ceiling. Too much in too short a time. I hope tomorrow is quieter.
Down in the rec room, rumors seethed. Grace had been introduced to every student they met as they went over the mansion from cellar to attic and back again, and now the room buzzed like a hive.
"She's a—how do you say it?" Kurt Wagner said. "A serious babe. An older babe, but a babe nonetheless."
"Yeah, well, she's Magneto's babe." Jubilee said. "Rogue! Tell Kurt what you told Kitty and me earlier. About what she was doing in the kitchen."
"All raht." she said in her drawl. "I was there gettin' some juice after Danger Room practice, and I saw them making themselves some sandwiches. I stopped in my tracks, cause I couldn't believe it, I mean, Magneto, raht there in the kitchen. And he says 'Hello, Rogue', like he was almost apologizing. And she all of a sudden looks back behind her like somebody said something, only there wasn't anybody there.
"'No!' she whispered. "I can't go up and hug her, no matter what you say. She looks like she's going to cut and run already.' I looked at where she was looking, and there were the fish potholders. She was talking to the potholders. 'No. I can't.' she said to them. Then she turns to me. 'You don't need a hug, do you?'
"I was just that surprised, I nearly spilled the juice. 'No, not right now.' I told her.
"She turned back to them and said. 'See? She doesn't want a hug. Let me eat in peace.'
"I can tell you I put the juice away and backed out of there real quick."
"What was Magneto doing while she was talking to the potholders?"
"Looking for the fancy mustard. He looked over at her and said, 'They won't even let you have a sandwich, will they?' Like he was taking her seriously. Like she wasn't talking to things that don't talk!"
"I think it makes perfect sense." Kitty said. "I mean, everybody knows Mystique is poison, so the only way he could get somebody nicer is if she has mental problems."
"Shhh—the Prof's coming!" Jubilee said.
He was not alone. Magneto was right behind him, followed by the Beast, trailed by Scott, Ororo, and finally, Dr. Grey.
"Good evening," Professor Xavier said, as the other five adults arranged themselves beside and behind him. "Before we go in to dinner, I want to share with you some momentous news, news which can make all the difference in our lives we hope for.
"You know that Dr. McCoy asked us, on behalf of the President of the United States, to go in and rescue Ms. Engstrom from a threatening situation this morning.
"Unbeknownst to any of us, Ms. Engstrom's mutation was discovered during a screening for the genes which indicate a greater risk for breast cancer. That discovery was made illegally, and in violation of both the Genetic Privacy Laws and the regulations in the Mutant Registration Act.
"This means she can, and will, sue the persons and corporation responsible. You will wonder how this affects us. It affects us because she will, at the same time, challenge the Mutant Registration Act for causing her harm.
"I will tell you now that should Ms. Engstrom succeed, the Act will be repealed, and anti-discrimination laws drawn up. We will enjoy the same rights, protections and privileges as any other minority group.
"However, this cannot happen without our help, and by our help, I mean the help of all the mutants who we can enlist in this fight. For the sake of the greater good, we are joining forces with Magneto and his followers."
The ensuing hubbub drowned out his next sentence. "Please! I ask you to wait until later to discuss this amongst yourselves. We need their help because there is too much involved here, too much for us to handle on our own, or for them to handle on their own.
" Ms. Engstrom is the only person who can take this case to court, and it will be a long and grueling fight. We must support and assist her in every way we can. That help ranges from making her feel welcome and valued here, to defending her life and limb. She is doubly vulnerable because she is expecting a child.
"More than that, we will have to watch and safeguard her family, the witnesses and their families, those of her lawyer, and possibly those of the jury as well—anyone who might be in danger, anyone who could be used as a hostage. There will very likely be attempts to destroy important evidence—we shall have to keep computer records from being erased, offices from being burned or bombed. This will be a round-the-clock effort, carried out from several locations, and it will last for months.
"We may need to call on the powers and skills of those still in training to help directly in this effort, while others will find themselves providing support in other ways—organizing meals, manning phones and taking messages, making up kits for those in the field. We are all in this together.
"That means there will be a lot of unfamiliar faces around, and the faces of those who were adversaries not so long ago—Magneto and the Brotherhood for a start. He and I have put aside our differences that we might work together effectively, and we expect every one of you to do the same. Erik, I believe you have a few words for them also."
"Yes. Let me begin by saying I am not the enemy. I understand you may have misgivings about having me in your midst and following my orders. You need not fear. I will not order you to kill anyone, I will not ask you to participate in any acts of terrorism, and I will not harm or endanger you unnecessarily. Necessarily, in this case, means that you will be called upon to defend the lives of others—first and foremost, Ms. Engstrom—at risk of your own.
"Your Professor and I have always agreed over our goal—the survival of mutantkind. Our differences have been over how to achieve that goal, and we have let it create a divide amongst our own.
"Now we know we cannot do that any longer. If we are to survive, we must compromise and work together. So must you. In the time between now and when Ms. Engstrom files her complaint in court, my followers will be coming here so that you might learn to work together and get along. I will be actively seeking out and recruiting other mutants as well, who will join you here.
"That will be the time to resolve your personal differences or learn to set them aside for the duration, without any sort of fighting. When you are in the field, whatever your role or task, conflict among you will not be tolerated, by your teachers, the Professor, or myself. This is deadly serious. You will face severe punishment if you violate that rule, if you are insubordinate, inattentive, or incompetent by way of retaliating for being forced to work together.
"If a key witness comes to harm or important evidence lost because carrying on your own petty squabbles is more important to you, it will go hard with you. If Ms. Engstrom comes to harm as a result—I promise you they'll have difficulty finding enough of you to identify using DNA. Without her, there is no case. Without her, there is no future."
"There will be more to follow in the next few days." The Beast stepped in. "In the meantime, everything that is going on is to be kept in strictest confidence. Tell no one outside the school, not even rumors or gossip. Ms. Engstrom's success—and ours---will depend on it."
"And now let's go in to dinner." concluded the professor.
