"Why not?  Give them a phone and a drop off location for stuff, They live in their house, they go to the drop off location once a week for stuff, and then go home.  Nobody is getting killed, and nobody is getting drugged forever, and nobody is getting experimented on.  It would be lonely but they would have phones and maybe the internet to talk to people right?  How is that worse than locking them up in a place like camp x?"  Kate simply doesn't seem to understand the problems involved.  "It sounds like you just need some people to look at individual cases instead of trying to fit everybody into the same cell.  And I bet if even one of them figured out how to use their powers safely they could pay back the government like, ten times if given the chance once they have control over them."

"Because Citric own power would have melted any shelter you would put him in.  If he goes to pick up food or water, he'll bring the storm with him.  Hannaby would have burned to death in his own house.  There was this kid down in Pinedale.  I forgot how they called him on the news, but everyone around him started getting depressed to the point they didn't want to go on living anymore.  And we had no idea how far his powers could reach.  This isn't a science experiment.  We can't put people spaced a hundred feet away from each other and check what happens, like when they first tested the atomic bomb.  If we get things wrong, people die.

"Um... but isn't that exactly what ended up happening anyway?  Just a different experiment?  By putting them all together weren't you risking that one persons power would negate the drugs in everyone else, or that the drugs won't work on just one person so then everything else goes wrong, or that someone's power works even if they are drugged?  I mean, it seems like all those same kinds of problems still exist only now when something goes wrong with a single one everybody there suffers."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Fri 11 Feb 2022.

"Agent Messer is correct, director Cooper. There is no way of knowing what mutations could happen, or how to control them. However, the best people to handle such situations are mutants themselves.

That is why you created Freedom Force, right?" John pointed out.

Ana Sofía has been listening to where things have gone since her original outburst, contemplating. "I understand there are no perfect answers, but mass-murder cannot be the automatic response to problems. We have seen that too many times in the past. One intermediate solution I would propose is reading the minds of prisoners. This could be done with their consent, as it would be better for them to consent. Then we can discover if someone just lost control and needs a safe place to gain control, or if someone really is a criminal and intends on using their powers to harm others. Professor Xavier has been able to give mutants a place to learn to control their powers, so we know this can be one, probably in the vast majority of cases."

"I wonder if Professor Xavier sneezes every time someone mentions him," Gwenyth muses aloud, idly twirling a lock of iridescent hair around her pinky finger. "He's some kind of mega-psychic after all."

"Professor Xavier? He's the leading expert on mutation, right? Are you saying he's...also a mutant!?" He paused. "Wait...he runs a private school. Is that also full of mutants!?"

He looks like he is about to jump for joy. Six turns then end of its tendril into a lightbulb, that turns on.

"So...what I have been suggesting the entire time was already been going on and NO ONE SAID ANYTHING!?" He was really trying not to yell.

He smacked his own forehead, and then Six looks like it is about to smack him as well in the forehead, only with a much bigger open palm. The other arms make a mini wall, blocking Six's action. Six resumes a tendril shape and seems to silently 'stare', minus any eyes, at the other arms, which also do the same.

"Just ignore them!" John says, causing the energy limbs to retract into his back. "This is amazing news! My plan is gonna work! All Professor Xavier needs is full govement backing and resources!" He jumps up and nearly breaks into dance. Six comes out, and holds up its palm to Gwyneth for a high five.

"Yes, Charles Xavier is a telepath," Frank said, eyeing Gwenyth with mild irritation. Legion had outed Xavier as a mutant earlier, but she didn't need to spread that news around. But in for a penny, in for a pound, he just continued on, confirming John's mental leap. "And, yes, his school is full of mutants. A couple of us were students there for a while.

"We were there for Camp-X. They had washed their hands of it. It's why we quit."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Sat 12 Feb 2022.

In reply to Tank (msg # 71):

"Look, I understand that mutants will not want to expose themselves even if they are not worried about national imprisonment. I...am well aware of the fanatics among the human population that will go after publicly known mutants. However, mutants like Charles Xavier can still do plenty more good even if we need to keep his ID a national security secret. If he trained all of you, then it proves mutants can teach control to other mutants. The next logical step for Xavier would be a nation wide program using resources he never had access to before."

He turned to Tank. "I am sure one of the reasons he supported Camp X was due to the lack of help he was getting. That's not the case now. The whole country needs his methods to save ourselves from Magneto's war."

"I agree, Ana; we never had a 'kill-switch' at Camp-X.  The Mutants there would still be alive if it wasn't for Miss. Fujino..."

She quieted down once the discussion turned toward Xavier.  She was a lot less optimistic than Shiva about securing his help, and she had a reason to.  He never did return her calls...

Kate quiets down as the conversation turns to Xavier.  It was a complex subject, and she was very ambivalent about talking about him.  Valerie's words about Zoey didn't help, because Kate didn't want to think poorly of her, but also... well, didn't like what had happened.

"So, um, what are we going to do going forward?  There aren't any more prisons are there?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Sat 12 Feb 2022.

"No, there aren't, and it's a big problem.  There's nothing we can do with violent Mutants right now.  Stark might have facilities that can hold them, but he refuses to open them up to us.  I practically begged him to"

The corner of her mouth twitches with annoyance

"I have a meeting about it with Nielsen later today.  Maybe she can think of something..."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:47, Sat 12 Feb 2022.

"I'm sorry; who is Nielsen?" Frank was wondering if he had missed a name drop at some point.

"Kirstjen Nielsen, the current Secretary of Homeland Security.  She's responsible for our department as well"

The press conference went rather smoothly, which was to be expected when all the questions, and their answers, were written beforehand by Freedom Force's PR team.
Hardly any time at all was spent talking about the terrorist events of the previous day; any information they would have provided could only have raised additional questions.  Difficult questions, that even if left unasked by the 'reporters', would have been on the minds of the viewers.

So instead, Valerie had each of them step forward to talk about their gifts, and how they would use said gifts to 'keep America safe'.  It was a concoction of flag-waving and self-adulation.  A hard pill to swallow for the cynics of the new age.   But they did have the pictures.  Running on the monitors behind them were the proof that Freedom Force weren't making empty boasts.   There was the one of the Basilisk evacuated on a stretcher after he was knocked out by Tank.   Phantazia, Shocker and the Legion being brought into custody. People being safely evacuated from the UN headquarters.

At the end of the day, The Brotherhood WERE arrested.   There was only the one that remained at large, and as the press conference drew to a close it was Tank that came out with a very public challenge Magneto, inviting him back to Liberty Island to settle things 'Like Men'.

An hour later they were all on their way to their meeting in the White house. By that time, Frank's, Ana's and Gwenyth's phone exploded with dozens of missed calls and thousands of text messages.  It wasn't only from people that knew them.  Somehow, their private phone numbers were leaked to the general public, and for every identified call they had ten from numbers they couldn't place.  Most of the messages were benign, but laced between the suggestive texts and business propositions from African Princes were more than a few vitriolic hate texts.  And death threats.

There wasn't too much time to worry about it now.  Their convoy was stopped at the gates of the White House by the secret service.  The men in black suits and shades only peaked inside to identify them – patting them down, or searching for weapons, was pointless, when Tank alone was the equivalent of an armored brigade.  They let them through, and soon enough they were all escorted straight into the oval office where the President's closet advisors, and one Captain America, were already waiting for them.

"God, am I happy to see you all in one piece.  Stark told me it was a bit rough last night"  the Captain approached to greet them while they were waiting for President Davis to enter the room.  He was very much in the way of the guides who wanted everyone to line up, and to stand exactly where they were supposed to.  But none of them dared reproach the Captain; he was held at awe even more so than the President.

"Wow! That's what happens when you're public about things huh?" Ana Sofía looks at Frank mostly. Then she asks Gwenyth, "Has your IMDB ranking shot toward 1 already? You're probably the most searched person on Google right now." She shares some of the funniest, oddest, most suggestive, and most threatening of the messages with the rest of Freedom Force in the car.

As they get close to the White House she says, "Wow! This is exciting, isn't it? We actually get to meet the president!"

"It was like that when I was first outed as a mutant at ESU," Frank agreed. "But this was about a thousand times worse."


Not long after, they were in the White House, meeting the President. Frank stood in line, and smiled and shook her hand when it was offered. The election had been before he turned eighteen, but he supposed he would have voted for her if he'd been able. But vote for her or not, this was an auspicious moment in his life, and he silently drank it in. This was a story to tell the grandkids.

John had stuck to the back of the group during the press conference. The original members of the team took center stage, which was fitting. If it where up to him, he would have said nothing and just hid behind his mask. He did not trust the human public at all, which was unfair. Though given his past experience, it was a predictable emotional response.

Even as Windtalker expressed her excitement about meeting the president, he was a bit more star struck meeting Captain America. He was sure it was old hat to rest of the team, but having researched the man like he researched every public figure, it made him wish he could believe in people like the Captain inspired others to. The problem with seeing the whole picture is seeing the negatives too. It was almost like the Captain came from another dimension even farther removed than Thor.

"Its...ah...honor to meet you...sir." He offerd a hand, but six offered up one as well. "Dammit, Six..." he grumbled.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:18, Wed 16 Feb 2022.

For the most part Kate thought the press meeting was a big waste of time and mostly lies.  Thankfully she hadn't kept quiet about that while they were going over the questions so any awkward answers she might have given were sidestepped and they even managed to get her to be both charming and honest when she talked about wanting to use her own powers to help everyone as best as she could which was why she did what she could to help.  The footage of her inside the United Nations was carefully chosen to avoid the bloodiest bits, and to help support the narrative of the simple American mutant who stepped up to help her government, country, and the world when given the chance.

Kate could tell she was being used, but it seemed to her like that was okay.  Better that everyone she was likely to meet like her than hate her.  Still smiling that much was hard work, even in her furry cat/fox girl form.

In the car she was confused and a little disturbed by some of the things Ana shared, which made her wonder if her own basically unlisted number had been leaked too.  Not that she might ever find out unless Zoe got a new sim card delivered.  Probably for the best to just get a new number all together.

She was nervous when they got to the white house, the seriousness starting to get to her.  She was going to meet the president.  THE PRESIDENT, she had seen her win the election and been thrilled.  The first woman president in history.  She was almost bouncing with excitement by the time they got to the oval office.  When they got inside to see Steve Rodgers waiting for them her focus abandoned her.  Honestly he was still dreamy enough that Kate completely forgot that there were important things she had intended to do or say.  This being the first time she could actually talk with him without a mission looming or being an absolute disaster.  So she managed to get out"It's really nice to see you again, I hope you're well?"

At which point she was immensely grateful for having a furry face to hide her embarrassed blush at just how dumb that had sounded even to herself, though her body language and ears largely gave away the game to anyone paying her much attention.  So much for being cool, Zoey would never let her live it down, and so must never ever know.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:49, Tue 15 Feb 2022.

Gwenyth had seemed so normal up until the final hour before the presentation, and then a... change had overcome her. "Does this make me look fat?" "Are you sure this blouse doesn't clash with this jacket?" "This skirt length is fine? right You don't think it's a little too, 'fuck me?'"

And if she was stressing about her own outfit (which was perfectly adequate), it was nothing compared to how much she fussed and worried about Ana and Kate. Especially Kate. After almost ten minutes of minor adjustments to the young woman's outfit she gives up and just hugs her tight. "Don't let anyone take advantage of you, okay?" she murmurs into the girl's ear.

And then, all too soon, it seemed like it was already time for the conference. Gwenyth straightens herself and fidgets with her perfectly perfect hair and steps out on stage, delivering her memorized lines with the flawless precision of a professional actress. She knew to fade into the background when the videos of their deeds came into view; she didn't have the strength of a god, she couldn't fly or control thoughts, turn into fearsome predators, or control arms made of force fields. She fidgeted behind her back, feeling very much like an imposter. Someone to plays a hero on TV in a room filled with real heroes.

She let out a long sigh when it was over, releasing tension. Then her phone blows up. She and Ana bond over making fun of some of the most eccentric messages they get. Has your IMDB ranking shot toward 1 already? "Oh! Let me check!" She excitedly beepboops on her phone. "I'm going to have to hire someone to manage my social media... and get a new phone."

"The president, wow... I can hardly believe this is really happening. I feel like a fake."

The Captain shook John's hand.  And six's too.

He was mildly uncomfortable to hear the 'it was an honor to meet you, sir'. Despite all his heroics, he never truly believed himself worthy of that much respect.  He nodded at the young man, and again at Kate, whose words brought a tight-lipped smile to his face:

"I am.  And I'm sorry I couldn't join you when you went to stop Magneto.  I had no way to make it there in time…" it probably wouldn't have made much difference if he WAS there, but at least he would be fighting with them, shoulder-to-shoulder.

"I do want to catch up with all of you.  After meeting with President Davis, perhaps, if time allows"

At that point one of the young social aides finally mustered her courage to approach the dreamy Captain and direct him toward his spot, behind the sofa.  The President was about to make her entrance, and she couldn't have America's favorite superhero stand with his back facing the door.

Amanda Lee, President Davis' Chief of Staff, moved to stand by the entrance just as the President stepped into the room, two other women in tow.   One had to be living under a rock to not instantly recognize the current President of the United States.  The woman had that natural poise and confident look about her though, that even if you never did saw her face on the evening news, you could naturally assume her to be the leader among the bunch.


There was a moment of tension as Davis stopped at the doorframe to inspect the room.  Secret Service.  Social aids.  Valerie, and even Captain America, all stopped to look at her, waiting in attention in a show of respect.

"Good afternoon, everyone" she was quick to break the silence as she entered the room proper

" - And thank you for coming here on such short notice.  Captain, and our heroes of the hour" She quickly eyed each of the heroes, her gaze reflexively staying on the furry Kate a little longer than the rest.

"I'm sure you know Miss Taylor, our secretary of defense" she nodded at the shorter, heavyset African-American woman by her side, " and Miss. Nielsen; Secretary of Homeland Security.  Both wanted to be here today, to meet with you personally"

Kate had to work not to bounce a little given how giddy she was feeling.  He acknowledged her and she was about the meet the president!  So she was already grinning when President Davis came into the room, a smile that only got bigger under that worthy's regard.  It felt like she was being singled out and it felt great!

Of course the introductions just about flew over her head, and also she hadn't had a clue who the two other women had been, only that they didn't walk like any secretaries she had ever seen.  An idle thought that she quickly banished after remembering that this was a different kind of secretary, the important kind and tried to remember their names before they slipped out of mind.

She did however have just enough presence of mind not to say any of that aloud, or even think it especially hard so that only Ana might really have been able to follow her thoughts.

In reply to President Davis (msg # 86):

Shiva made sure to be standing when the President came in. Nobody sits when the Prez shows up, he knew that from the West Wing. He makes sure to acknowledge all the various secretaries of defense and homeland security.

"Thank you for seeing us, President Davis." He said. While not standing at attention, he did stand with formality. After all, Freedom Force was not technically a branch of the military, but was under the direct control of the office of the President.

It was a weird situation. He had gone from basically a glorified IT guy for his parents to a personal meeting with the President of the united states after only 8 months. He reviewed his notes on his unseen HUD, making sure his statement would not waste anyone's time. He was pretty sure the people in this room where very busy.