Sic Semper Mutandis

Posted on Mon Feb 26th, 2024 @ 5:07pm by Charles Xavier & Kennedy Kelly

Mission: Episode 4: The Savage ConneXion
Location: War Room - Mansion
Timeline: August 29, 1990 - Afternoon

Down in the War Room, the recessed television monitor featured a live news broadcast with the audio muted. Professor Xavier had notified Kennedy that her father’s office had scheduled a press conference for that afternoon, just after the lunch hour. Politically speaking, it would ensure that all contiguous 48 states had ample opportunity to view it live and for punditry to chew it up well into the evening hours. So far, nothing of note had happened. The scrolling ticker across the bottom of the screen simply repeated what was known: Senator Kelly would be giving an address at the stroke of noon.

Kennedy made her way down to the War Room while the rest of the school returned to their regular routine of classes and studying. The idea of watching any type of political event was the farthest thing from their minds, leaving Kennedy as the only student interested in the press conference. Her whole life she had been exposed to elections and caucuses, pundits and campaigning. Even though her relationship with her father was nonexistent, she couldn’t help but watch his political career continue.

“Hello, Professor.” Kennedy greeted him before taking a seat at the table and looking up at the screen.

Xavier smiled and returned her greeting, then unmuted the broadcast once the camera began to pan toward the podium. The sound of murmurs filled the air as journalists, supporters, and a few protestors gathered in the spacious hall. Patriotic banners and flags hung from every visible surface. The podium showcased the insignia of Senator Robert Kelly's campaign logo.

Once the clock struck the hour, the murmurs began to subside. A well-dressed spokesperson steps up to the podium, clearing their throat before addressing the assembled crowd.

The man with the overly oiled side-part smiled directly into the camera. “Good day, ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, distinguished guests, and citizens from across this great nation who are watching us live. Today marks a momentous occasion in the history of our country—a day when we take another significant step toward a future defined by security, prosperity, and unity."

The room fell into a respectful silence, all eyes fixed on the podium.

"In these times of uncertainty and change, it's imperative that we choose a leader with the vision to guide us, the strength to protect us, and the integrity to unite us.” He paused to express solemnity that almost felt genuine. “A leader who understands the challenges we face and has the courage to address them head-on. A leader who believes in the promise of America and is dedicated to ensuring that promise extends to every citizen."

A pregnant pause followed, allowing the weight of the words to settle among the audience.

He broke into a polished smile. "It is therefore my great honor to introduce to you a man who embodies these principles. A man who has served our country with distinction in the Senate, fighting tirelessly for the safety and well-being of every American. A man who is ready to lead us into a new era of leadership and excellence."

The crowd began to stir, a sense of expectation hanging in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present to you a true patriot, a visionary leader, and the next President of the United States—Senator Robert Kelly!"

Kennedy tensed a little at the mention of her father’s name. The sudden realization that it was going to be painful to look at him again.

The room erupted in applause as Senator Kelly stepped up to the podium, ready to share his vision for America and formally announce his candidacy for president. Poised with confidence and determination, he prepared to address the nation and outline his campaign's pillars of security, prosperity, and unity against the backdrop of a deeply divided country.

Kennedy shook her head in disbelief as her father made his way up to the podium, a handful of questions suddenly answered. This was why she had been sent away, this is why the stakes had been so high.

“He never told me.” Kennedy responded to the news “I had been busy with my internship over the summer and we didn’t see each other a lot but still, I feel like he would have told me this was coming. Why didn’t he?”

It was a very loaded question, one which has no easy answers. What's more was that speculation would be painful. Still, Xavier felt she was owed at least some solace in the form of an answer.

“Perhaps he was conflicted over the decision,” the Professor offered before adding, “perhaps you gave him the perspective and incentive he needed to commit to this path. There is nothing like the future staring at a man through the face of his own kin to force him to realize hard truths.”

Senator Kelly began addressing the crowd.

“Thank you,” he said, returning a few waves to his more ardent supporters. “Thank you, Boston! As always, it is my great honor and privilege to give an address from these hallowed streets, whose struggles birthed the liberty movement which took shape elsewhere in this great land, ultimately forging a mighty nation, this Great Experiment, these United States of America!”

Xavier raised an eyebrow. “He is certainly going for gusto, isn't he?”

Kennedy laughed through her nose at the comment before she replied with something once said by one of his campaign advisers. “A patriot wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values and standards by which he judges his nation.” Her tone grew a little darker as she continued and she expressed her own opinion. “Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.”

“Every trap requires good bait,” the Professor agreed. The years of debate he had held with Erik over whose philosophy was true echoed in his ears. “But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Love for one’s country cannot lead to hatred for one’s countrymen. There simply must be something else at work.”

The uproarious applause died down enough for the senator to continue his remarks. “It is not only for our homes that we labor and strive. We stand for more than just family and community and general principles. No, my friends, today we must make a stand for survival. For if this wonderful land is to endure, for the promises and prosperity of freedom to remain for the next generation…”

He paused to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, though the camera didn’t show one.

“... if we are to have any hope of handing our children any kind of world to live in, we must rise to the call of this day and hour to say, without equivocation, that we will not shrink back! We will not let yesterday’s mistakes be forgotten! No, we will remember them for the lessons of tomorrow that they are! We will build on our hard-won foundation to secure a better future for those we love!”

More applause, this time with cheering added to it. Xavier didn’t have to read minds to know how difficult listening to this was for Kennedy. It’s one thing never to hear loving affirmation from one’s own father. Hearing it and feeling like an exception was entirely another. “I’m so sorry, Kennedy. I can review this later if that would be better…”

She shook her head. “It’s okay Professor, what he is saying is nothing new. He’s built his entire career on this platform…” Kennedy sighed in defeat “I’m the one who changed, not him. But I’ve come to terms with my ‘other’ status, at least as much as possible. To see and speak with mutants, to know how bad it really is for them in the real world, I can’t just walk away from all of this.”

It was a brave front despite how much this hurt her, but there was enough tenacity in Kennedy to face her monsters, even when they were her own family. An act of perseverance that showed her true grit.

“His words just mean something different to me now, I see the wolf hiding in plain sight. I can’t ignore what’s happening in our country because it’s uncomfortable for me. If my father gets his way, life will be unbearable for all of us.”

The Professor nodded his understanding. “There is always hope, Kennedy. It costs us nothing except the pain that would otherwise embitter us into becoming the very people who first brought us harm. Don’t look at your father as an enemy, but rather try to see the victim of the ideas that made him who he is. You might not be able to save him, yet doing so will prevent you from becoming him.”

Kennedy nodded her head in agreement with his words, she had been born into a legacy and the expectations and values that had come with it were never her own. She just didn’t realize it until she had become an outsider. “Thank you sir, I appreciate your perspective, it’s one of tolerance that I haven’t heard before. I think if my mother really knew what this place was, she wouldn’t have sent me here. But I’m glad she did, these past couple weeks have been really intense and trying but they’ve provided me with a lot of insight that I don’t think I would have ever experienced on my own. I lived in a bubble in Boston, one that obscured reality to me.”

Those words warmed his heart. There was no feeling more exhilarating than seeing the light of new realizations and horizons in the eyes of a young adult. Charles couldn’t help but give her a broad smile. “I’m glad she sent you here as well. When I look into your face, Kennedy, I see the future.”

“... and for all those reasons, I am proud to announce my intentions to run for the office of President of the United States of America!”

The cheering fanfare was so loud that the reality of what happened next took several seconds before any action was taken. At first it appeared that Senator Kelly had dropped his glasses. A second glance would realize his box frames were split in half. Final realization would set in with the fact that his entire head was split like a banana down to his neck. There was a gunshot whose echo could just barely be heard through the tumult of screaming. At last, the live feed cut out and was replaced by the network’s digital rainbow with a block text message: PLEASE STAND BY.

Senator Robert Kelly had been assassinated on live television. Leaning back in his chair, Charles was stunned by what he had just seen. It took great force of will for him to pull himself back into the moment.

“Kennedy…” he said softly. “... I am so sorry.”

Kennedy remained stunned and still as the reality of what had just happened sunk in. The Professor’s words fell on deaf ears as her thoughts tunneled and darkened. Her father had been murdered, right in front of her, in front of America, in front of the world. The awful, violent gore of his assassination was enough to turn anyone’s stomach but the fact that it was her father, it made the event so much worse.

For a moment she thought she was going to be sick. Her stomach rolled and churned just like it had when she had accidentally detonated the Purifier attacking her. Kennedy stood up suddenly and began to take a few hurried steps towards the door.

Then the reality of it being her father consumed her. While their relationship had soured and turned into one of cruel abandonment there was still a part of her that loved him because he had once loved her too. That crushing sensation of lost love took over and suddenly Kennedy couldn’t breathe. Her whole body began to shake as she hyperventilated. The nausea left her and she abandoned her departure.

Her legs stopped working as the grief took over and Kennedy crumbled to the ground as tears filled her eyes and the searing pain of loss cut through her. She curled up into herself as she began to sob, a harsh reminder that she really was on her own for all of this. No one at this school would mourn the loss of Senator Robert Kelly except for her.

The waves of grief rolling off of Kennedy were painfully familiar to Xavier. Feelings of loss and regret never went away. They only faded to a dull ache until joy could once more grow over the hollowed out void.

Eyes closed, Professor Xavier reached out with his mind to touch Kennedy. He showed her memories of his own father’s death in a research accident at the Alamogordo Nuclear Research Facility. His father’s research partner, Dr. Kurt Marco, had wooed his grieving mother and soon married her for her wealth. A montage of painful memories followed where, having realized the gravity of the situation, Xavier’s mother had died of a broken heart. Terrible memories followed even that, with his stepbrother, Cain, terrorizing him even before his transformation into the Juggernaut.

The chief memory of interest was from the night that Dr. Marko died. There had been a terrible argument between Cain and his father. It had been over Charles himself. When Charles overheard, he confronted them both. Violence escalated, leading to history repeating itself with a destructive accident in Dr. Marko’s basement lab.

In that moment, Dr. Mark had chosen to save Charles over his own son. Kurt Marko would not survive the evening. His lungs were desiccated by toxic inhalation. His dying words, though, confessed his failure not saving Brian Xavier, for not loving Sharon Xavier as a man should love his wife, and for not loving Charles as a son.

Cain had managed to crawl himself to safety, and it led to him hating Charles more than ever. Those precious seconds, though, spoken in Dr. Marko’s last breath, were forever etched into Charles’ heart. He would never forget how the years of suffering, of loss, abandonment, and rejection, were all redeemed in an act of selfless sacrifice.

~The pain will pass~ Like a ghostly whisper, like a distant baby’s laugh and cry rolled together, the Professor’s voice brushed against the corners of Kennedy’s mind. ~But the hole will remain. Your cleansing tears will wash away the stain of what was. Hope is the only thing that can fill it. Keep up hope, Kennedy. I will be here, as long as it takes, to help you find your way~

Kennedy’s violent sobs calmed to simple tears as she watched Xavier’s memory and the message he provided with it. Tragedy seemed to plague everyone’s past at this school, scaring and marking them forever.

But Kennedy also experienced a level of optimism and solace amongst many of the people living here. It wasn’t just Xavier’s own memories that made her believe his words, it was the testimony and behavior of everyone living here.

“I will try.” Kennedy answered his telepathic words out loud, her voice gravely and raw from her jag of sobbing. “I don’t know if I can muster that hope right now, but I will look for it.”

She collected herself enough to stand, wobbly knees like those of a fawn. But it was a physical and symbolic step in the right direction. There was such stubborn resolve inside of Kennedy, Xavier had felt it the moment she arrived. A desire to continue, to want things, to live, he felt that drive inside of her even now when her heart was so broken.

“Thank you for being here for me. I don’t have a lot of people to depend on anymore. Knowing someone is there to catch me if I fall, it’s comforting.”

"We'll all be here for you, Kennedy," said the Professor. "Don't be afraid to grieve with any of the others. You may find a new family lying in store."