A meeting of the X-minds

[Loa]

Alani had rushed in with the majority of the students and now sat in rapt attention. She couldn't believe Storm was telling them all this openly - it made her feel really grown up!

And if all the teachers are going to Baltimore...Party at Xaviers. Alani didn't know whether or not that idea made her more excited or scared, but she looked around at her fellow students, wondering if she would be spending more time with them now. She glanced over as Kitty flicked a piece of paper into Bobby's face and the two exchanged smiles.

Cal, another student who Alani had shared a few classes with, came in late and sat down next to her. Alani had never talked to her, and maybe now wasn't the best time, but she decided to give it a shot regardless.

"Hey, Cal," she whispered. "Check out the newlyweds." She nodded towards the flirting mutants.

[Animaux]

Cal wasn't sure whether the social atmosphere of the room before Storm started speaking was fun or uncomfortable; she shifted in her seat and looked over at the tattooed girl next to her. She recognized her from classes, but they had never spoken.

"L-Lani?" she tried whispering the other girl's name, and then followed her line of sight. There was the girl Animaux had played fetch with! And someone else, a strange man...

"Who are they?" asked the confused Cal.

[Admin]

Sy was beginning to understand what the group was so concerned about. This NovaTeX company had figured out a way to take away the god-like powers of his kind, and they were blatantly publicizing it. Not having been within a thousand miles of a news broadcast during the Alcatraz incident, that part of the conversation made no sense to him, and Sy could only assume this was the first time anyone would be hearing of this cure. And of course gods were apt to get a little antsy when there was a convienient way to make them mortal.

Whoever this Pyro fellow was, he seemed to be a god who'd pissed off Mount Xavier royally, and Sy could only agree wholeheartedly with Forge that there should be no mercy taken upon him. He recognized that it was not his place to say these things aloud, however, and instead focused on the 'technology' before him that kept making pictures out of thin air.

[Loa]

Alani giggled. "Wow, you must get out of your room even less than I do." She leaned in closer and put her hand to the side of her mouth. "That's Kitty Pryde and Bobby Drake. They've actually been on missions with the X-Men, like Wolverine! And I heard that Bobby beat up Pyro by himself at Alcatraz, so I don't even see what all this worry is about. And even Kitty beat Juggernaut, so these Brotherhood guys must be pretty lolo."

[Animaux]

Cal couldn't help but laugh. "Not them, they're my fr-" she wasn't sure about that. "well, I know them. What about those two?" and she pointed towards the older Bandero and Rayen, whom she was unfamiliar with, and whom she thought Alani had been talking about.

"Yeah, but Alcatraz was really ugly, and they all used to be friend with Pyro, so... I guess it's complicated." Cal wrinkled her nose like a rabbit.

[Iceman]

(ooc: I <3 Loa! Lol!)

"If Pyro - John - is now their leader, the same may apply. If he is orchestrating their movements, then eliminating him from the equation early must be a priority."

Bobby listened to Piotr speak with a hard tone that he very rarely used. Bobby kept his eyes trained on the floor, but he was struck by how familiar Piotr's feelings about John were--Because he'd thought the same thing himself, to a certain degree, many times.

When Storm welcomed someone named 'Jono', Bobby turned to see who the newcomer was. He didn't look for long before turning back to face front again, the fact that his face was mostly covered making Bobby curious. And the fact that he didn't respond to Storm. He seemed like he was in a bad mood, but really, he could be polite. Bobby turned his attention to Forge as he spoke.

"I don't think anyone can forget the news footage of him blowing up that clinic, which was filled with innocent mutants and humans like, including children. He's a brutal murderer. He burned children alive. Intentionally. In my honest opinion, if anyone has the chance to make sure he can do that no longer, they should take their shot. I assure you, my phasers won't be set for stun.”

Rather than be glad that someone felt the same way he did, Bobby found himself feeling a little sick. It hurt that someone who had at one time been so close to him had done such terrible things. He found a small piece of himself not wanting John to die--He'd never really wanted John dead. He wanted John to realize his mistake. But if that would never happen, it was better that John die than the people he had killed, and the countless he would kill if he wasn't stopped.

Bobby glanced sideways at Kitty, trying to be inconspicuous. He knew it must hurt her even more than it hurt him to hear Forge speak like that. She was more...well, innocent. And the end to her friendship with John hadn't been so final as it had with Bobby.

Storm began to speak of a presidential press conference, played the news clip, and then turned on the hologram to show a sentinel. Bobby leaned forward as the sentinel appeared in mid-air, his mouth a bit agape. "Are you kidding?" he said woodenly. "They can't handle mutants, so they build some Robocops to do it for them?"

After a second, he leaned back against the back of his seat and asked a serious question. "If we go to Baltimore, and The Brotherhood goes too--Can these things tell the difference between us?"

[Nightcrawler]

"I assure you, my phasers won't be set for stun.”

Kurt was sitting calmly in his chair, listening to the varied voices crossing the room, when Bandero's harsh words struck his ears. He spun around, yellow eyes falling on Forge in with surprising ferocity. "Herr Tandaka, I do not know what you thought when you arrived here, but we are the X-Men, not the Executioners. Killing should be used as a last resort only."

His tail lashed behind him irritably. "Anyone who goes out there with the plan on wiping out their enemies without thought to any other methods does a disservice to the man who founded this school. And I for one am here because he stood for something I believe in."

[forge]

Forge raised his eyebrows, but didn’t back down. Instead he met yellow eyes with his own dark ones, and shook his head.

“You know, I’m going to have to disagree. Well, maybe not about the Xavier part, as I didn’t know him very well… I would say that he was likely a pacifist, in that fashion, but as to say the X-Men are not executioners. Tell me: How many mutants did Wolverine kill at Alcatraz? From what I’ve heard, it was at least in the double digits.”

He held up his hands, staving off a direct response, and continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t think we should up and go vigilante like that ex-cop guy down in Florida, but we’re talking about people who kill and kill and kill, and every second they breathe, is another second they can take more innocent lives. Magneto proved that prison was a bad idea. Then Mystique proved it. How many times are we going to capture these guys only to have them escape time and time again? Additionally, can you sleep at night knowing that you could’ve put an end to the killing spree early on?”

[Storm]

[I'm giving y'all time to slug it out over the last bit I posted, before I go on to the next. I would have Storm react to Nightcrawler and Forge, but I don't want to backtrack, so uh... pretend she took the middle ground ; ).]

[conduit]

Rayen watched her brother quietly with a hint of a frown. Every minute she was hear things seemed to get heavier and heavier. She'd read the papers, she'd seen the news reports; she really had no idea Xavier's school housed the people involved in all those events.

Much less her own brother.

She looked at him, then to Bobby and Kitty, Cal and Alani. She had felt their eyes on her. They probably heard about what she'd done to Bandero. Her eyes scanned the room. It hadn't really occurred to her she might get in trouble for blasting her brother across the room.

[angel]

The clips that Storm played were no doubt familiar to all of them, unless they hadn't seen the news this morning. Still, it wasn't only the Brotherhood who were against the cure - most of them were just a bit less extreme in their reaction to it. Not that any of them were innocent - Warren had seen Alcatraz from the sky, he knew what they were capable of.

The discussion was tense, and moving forward quickly. Angel frowned at what was happening and decided that it was time to speak. He stood, waiting for a gap that he could jump into. "Iceman, I don't think that the Sentinels can tell us apart - I think to them, any mutant will be a target. They're designed to combat mutant terrorists... And if we're going to be going in looking to kill, isn't that what we are? Are we any different from the Brotherhood? There's a difference between self defense and between going out looking to kill - and I think it's an important distinction. I never got to know the Professor, but I know I was given a place to stay because of his ideals. If we compromise those, can we still call ourselves X-Men?"

His piece said, Warren sat back down again. It wasn't going to be an easy issue to settle, and he wondered if they would ever even make it to Baltimore. Storm was the leader now, in the end it would fall at her feet to settle thing down, but sometimes it was best to let things run their course. Unless the course involved time that they didn't have.

[Storm]

Storm stepped in after Angel finished speaking. Some things needed to be cleared up.

"If anyone thinks I have called this meeting in order to organize a killing spree, then they are seriously wrong. You all know that I have vowed never to take a life unless absolutely necessary, and I would venture to say that anyone who calls himself an X-Man feels the same way - including Wolverine." She looked at Forge.

"So let me clear this up. We are not going into this situation looking to kill. In fact, I have seriously considered not going in at all. Where the Brotherhood attacks, it is expected that we will be there. The unveiling of the Sentinels is not a coincidence. And I do not want to put this team in that kind of danger. Things will get very ugly in Baltimore."

She took a deep breath. "Because things will get ugly, I think we should go.

"There will be protestors there, humans and mutants. There will be pedestrians; there will be tourists; there will be people who are not only innocent, but completely oblivious to the danger they will be in. I do not advocate another face-off like at Alcatraz; we do not support either side in this battle. But I feel that because we are well-informed, we have the responsibility to save as many lives as we can.

"The issue is not assassinating the leadership of the Brotherhood - we have incapacitated one of their leaders and they have returned, so I think it is a moot point. We are not here to compromise any of Professor Xavier's ideals by mindlessly killing. I believe we are here to make the world a more peaceful place, are we not? And whenever we can help it, to keep both humans and mutants alive and well?"

[Nightcrawler]

Kurt sighed at Forge's words sadly, sitting back down. "Logan did what he had to in self-defense. If you can't tell the difference between that and what you suggest, this discussion will go nowhere, and unfortunately there is not the time now to try and explain it to you." Turning in his chair, he focused back on Storm as she continued to speak.

[conduit]

Rayen frowned and looked at Kurt. It was obvious by her tone she was trying to be polite, knowing her place but unable to sit quiet on the issue. Storm had said what needed to be said, what a leader should say. But Kurt's words stung and threw everything back into question.

"You know, just because someone's opinion differs from yours, doesn't mean you have the right to speak to them like a criminal. I think more people were thinking what Bandero said than were willing to say it out loud. Isn't it better it was addressed?"

She looked around a bit, getting a strange feeling. Being the good guys. Did it mean shutting your mouth and following the leader without question?

[phase]

Unable to sleep, Hannah drifted around the house in her ghostly astral form. It felt more relaxing than tiring this time, as she hadn't gone very far from her body and wasn't after anything in particular.

The voices behind the door caught her attention, and when she heard Bobby's voice, she smiled.

Slipping through the wall like a spectre, Hannah very quietly edged around the room until she found Bobby. Reaching up a hand, her translucent milk-white hand tugged on his sleeve. She lifted her arms a bit to indicate she wanted up on his lap.

[Storm]

Storm's voice gained a sharp edge. "Nightcrawler, Conduit.

"No one is talking about senseless killing, nor are we taking a completely pacifist approach. I think all of us are somewhere in the middle ground, even if not exactly the same place. Now we should not be afraid to discuss any of these issues, but arguing will only tear us apart."

She was surprised at Kurt's rudeness; she didn't exactly agree with Forge, but understood the tactical edge behind his words, and was surprised that Kurt would treat a different opinion with such condescension. It seemed a rivalry was brewing and that could not be a good thing, particularly since now was not the time for a knock-down-drag-out. However, she didn't say anything to Kurt, only met his eyes slightly reproachfully.

At that moment, a familiar little girl crept into the room. A little girl? But no, it was only partly a little girl...

Storm couldn't help but laugh as Hannah tugged on Bobby's sleeve. "Iceman, I see someone wants to join your team." This was a much-needed tension breaker.

[Iceman]

(ooc: I. Love. This. Child. -melts-)

Bobby glanced over as he felt a tug on his shirt, a tug which was quickly growing to be familiar. He was still surprised to see Hannah, though, this being the War Room and all. She broke all of the tension in his mind as a wide grin covered his face, and he lifted her onto his lap. "Hey Banana," he whispered to her.

"Iceman, I see someone wants to join your team."

Bobby looked up and laughed whole-heartedly with Storm. Hopefully Hannah's appearance had softened everybody's nerves. But not only was it not a place for a child to be, especially not a child who could feel others' emotions. With the quarrelling Kurt and Forge had been doing, it was likely to make her uncomfortable. But Bobby didn't really want her to leave--After all, he was much happier when the little ray of sunshine was around.

His arms around Hannah, he sat forward as though ready to stand. "She, uh...Probably shouldn't be here, though?" he asked, giving Ororo a hopeful look.

[forge]

Forge held up his hands, not in an ‘I give up’ fashion, but more in a ‘easy, easy’ fashion. He looked around the room, nodding particularly to Angel and Nightcrawler.

“Okay guys, I don’t mean to get all keyed up. I agree with both of you, I really do. Killing should be, absolutely, a last resort. We shouldn’t execute anyone. I wasn’t suggesting that at all. I’m not proposing I take a crow’s nest somewhere with a sniper rifle in case Pyro showed up, just expressing that he’s a walking kill-box, with the intent to do exactly that. If we don’t stop him, more innocent people will die. So as to avoid further conflict, I’ll only take life in Baltimore if my own is in direct threat… though to me, it feels evil not to stand up and do something about Pyro. In that ‘indifference of good men’ kind of way.”

As if that were the final word, and it probably would be, he turned on other subjects at hand… but then he noticed Hannah. He decided it’d be best to wait a moment until Storm decided what to say about the little girl before he continued.

Inside, he was angry, and chewed his words short instead of taking to further argument. Though what he spoke was very true, he did definitely understand. Worst case scenario was the term he’d put to killing another person. Scumbags like Pyro? Worst case scenario.

[tingrin]

Piotr, who had remained silent during the altercation and debate on killing looked noticeably shocked as he spoke again.

"I must be honest," he said in his slow, easy voice. "Perhaps I spoke in haste and in anger, both of which are foolish. When I suggested eliminating the leader, I did not mean 'execute'. Much as I am filled with anger at Pyro and his actions, I would not consider myself to stoop to his level and commit unnecessary murder."

He flushed slightly.

"I apologise for setting off such a heated debate, Storm," he said, politely.

[Shadowcat]

Kitty felt almost as if she was being sucked into quicksand. She'd had nightmares about that as a kid. Or snow sand, actually. Like in The Princess Bride. Just stepping down and suddenly being unable to breathe or think, with little soft grains filling her up until she was completely immobile, and she just sort of fell asleep forever.

Except she could still hear this time. And it wasn't nearly as pleasant a death as the book had made it out to be, or even the movie, when everyone had come up all dishevelled and screaming and hysterical.

She'd forgotten about the clinic, really. Pushed it away from her mind. (She was good at that.) She'd forgotten that he'd set children on fire. You really couldn't get around that, could you? Oh G-d...

She tried to remember the Kaddish and couldn't. It wasn't Yom Kippur anyway.

Her head ducked further and further forward until all she could see was some table and the floor and the legs of her jeans and her hands twisting on top of them, and a little bit of Bobby's leg and chair.

I'm fine, she said sternly. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fiiine.

Why could she yell at Bobby online but not at Mr. Doughnut Cannons in real life? And how could he imagine himself so able to decide who lived and died?

The LORD has a plan, her mother would always say. We leave it to Him to unfold it to us. The LORD has a plan...

I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine.

Kitty lifted a hand, her first motion in the last few minutes, and swept her hair off her face, catching sight of Hannah, who'd been hidden behind it. Why did she like Bobby so much? Why did boys get to be naturally good with kids without even trying?

At least she wasn't thinking about John anymore.

"I must be honest," Peter rumbled comfortingly from somewhere to one side. "Perhaps I spoke in haste and in anger, both of which are foolish. When I suggested eliminating the leader, I did not mean 'execute'. Much as I am filled with anger at Pyro and his actions, I would not consider myself to stoop to his level and commit unnecessary murder."

Yes. The voice of reason. Or at least temperence. How, though, was another question. What way was there to contain someone like John without killing him? Prisons had worked so well on the last few Brotherhood leaders...