Hotel: Regency

[xavier]

Xavier had taken the largest room the hotel had to offer, for now it would be his temporary base of operations. Hopefully with enough careful negotiations he could delay the MRA for a few more months, therebye buying himself enough time to once again appeal to congress.

Already the computer technicians had arrived, unloading the varous componets that his team would need. Xavier would have preferred Hank the one to be doing the computer work, but these installers from a private firm seem to be doing the job quite well.

His driver should be back any moment with Scott and Jean, then they could be began the study needed to produce acceptable results, acceptable for peace that is. Charles knew some sacrifices may have to made on his part, but he didn't have time to thank about that right now.

The crew having finished their work did some last minute checks before exiting the room.

[xavier]

Sensing the approach of Scott and Jean, Xavier picked up his cell phone and dialed Ricardo in the Limo.

"Ricardo, bring them through the back way, I want this kept discreet.", with his message sent Xavier made his way down to the service entrance on the rear of the hotel.

The coldness of the air immediately struck him in the face, as he left the confines of the service elevator, but Charles wasn't here for the weather. Pulling his scarf tight around his neck charles steadied the fur hat he was wearing to prevent heat loss from his cranium.

The limo pulled around back just as Charles made his way onto the parking lot. Rolling up to the door he quickly greeted Jean and Scott as they exited the vehicle, "Don't worry about your luggage, Ricardo will take care of it. Its good to see you both, though I apologize for interrupting your time together. Come, this way. We have much to discuss, and very little time."

Xavier made his way back to the service elevator...

[Cyclops]

The ride to the hotel was quiet and tense, but not because of any tension between the Scott and Jean. He was worried and it was obvious, even under his staid, neutral expression. He squeezed her hand gently back, returning her reassurance. Even without her telepathy, his wife could probably still read him like a book, her powers just gave her insight into why he was so concerned. Besides, she was probably worried about the same things he was.

The Regency Hotel was more than a step up from the motel they had ended up in after leaving the airport. The building was designed in a classic gothic style, complete with stone lions perched on either side of the front walkway. Richardo drove the car around the back and entered the parking garage. More cloak and dagger, great. Scottfrowned, wondering what the secrecy was for. He sighed heavily as he spotted the professor already waiting for them, wrapped up heavily against the chilly weather. What ever Charles needed to see them about must be serious and most likely very bad for all this sneaking around. He turned to looked at Jean. "Are you are worried as I am?" he joked awkwardly.

Xavier's greeting was hardly encouraging either. "Don't worry about your luggage, Ricardo will take care of it. Its good to see you both, though I apologize for interrupting your time together. Come, this way. We have much to discuss, and very little time." He turned his wheelchair and started wheeling towards the service elevator.

Cyclops let out another heavy sigh and shook his head. He held out his hand to Jean as he moved to follow the professor to the service elevator. "It's good to see you too, Charles," he greeted quietly. "But what's this all about? You wouldn't have called us if something bad wasn't happening or about to happen."

[havok]

Alex stepped up to the front desk asked the woman behind the counter for a room. The costly room was on the third floor and the elevators were full. Alex had to lug his luggage up the steps, but he didn't mind. Manual labor was never a big deal to him.

When he finally reached his room, number 305, Alex used the magnetic key card to get in. The room was spacious for a single occupant. It seemed clean enough for him to deal with. Alex put his luggage on the single bed in the center of the room. He picked out a few things from the bag and placed them on the bed.

After a quick shower to freshen up after a long plane ride, Alex put his clothes back on over the containment suit. The suit was basically concealed completely by the clothing. Now it was time to find something to do before the convention started that night. Alex left his room and made sure the door was securely closed behind him before walking casually down the hall.

[Phoenix]

The car didn’t stop at the front, as Jean had expected. Instead it went around the back towards the parking garage. Whatever the Professor had called them for had to be of importance. Jean could sense the Professor waiting for them a second before they saw him.

"Are you are worried as I am?" Scott glanced at her from the corner of his shades, joking uncomfortably. Not that she blamed him. This situation didn’t look the best.

“Just a little.” Jean offered him a small smile, hugging her coat tight around her to keel out the chill as they slipped out of the car and greeted the Professor. Knowing Scott, he was worried enough for the both of them. It was one of the things he did best.

"Don't worry about your luggage, Ricardo will take care of it. Its good to see you both, though I apologize for interrupting your time together. Come, this way. We have much to discuss, and very little time." The Professor wheeled towards the service elevator, his face set.

"It's good to see you too, Charles," Scott spoke quietly, offering Jean his hand as they moved forward. Accepting it her hand slipped into his and she stepped into the elevator. "But what's this all about? You wouldn't have called us if something bad wasn't happening or about to happen."

“Or something important.” As the elevator doors closed slowly, Jean relaxed a little bit. The air was much warmer inside. Charles wouldn’t just interrupt their vacation unless he really needed them. He knew how vital it was to just get away sometimes.

Jean tried to read the look on the Professor’s face. The air about the small space was tense and anxious. She and Scott barely turned on the television or read any newspapers while they were on vacation. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.. Jean focused on Charles, wondering just what this could be about.

[xavier]

Xavier said nothing, as they continued up the elevator, to the penthouse area of the hotel. Exiting the his ride to the top, Xavier put up a hand to stop Scott and Jean from entering.

"One moment...", pulling out a device that resembled a car alarm remote, Xavier pushed a series of button, then waited until he heard the clicking of the door being released.

Entering the room he spoke a simple query "Area Secure?", a voice droned back from some computer synthesized female voice pattern, "Area Secure, Enter when ready."

Charles turned to the other members of his party, beckoning them to enter the exquisite penthouse. However where there should have been furniture was nothing more then a replication of sorts, of the war room back at the mansion. Xavier immediately secured the door and rolled over to a computer console. Entering a few commands caused a large plasma screen monitor to be released from some hidden alcove behind the computer.

Charles began, "As your probably aware the possibility of the MRA going into effect has grown more and more likely as more homo-sapiens rally to its cause. What has been kept hidden however, is the program that will be put in effect for the control of mutants everywhere.", Xavier pushed a few more buttons on the console brining up the image of man that the entire group was familiar with. "Colonel Steven Hampire, is the cause of our woes, and the reason we are here now. I believe he was responsible for the attack on mansion, he is also an advocate of the new M.C.A.R. (Mutant Control and Removal) laws that could be put into effect. It gets worse I'm afraid, the new MCAR laws would also allow the creation of series of machines capable of capturing any mutant. As you can see the seriousness of this goes beyond anything we have dealt with yet, as a team."

Xavier rubbed the back of his head as the information washed over Jean and Scott. He didn't feel it necessary to tell them about the possible arrival of Emma. Jean would be better off if left out of the loop concerning her.

[Cyclops]

Xavier led them into a large suite, which turned out to be a near replica of the war room back at the X-mansion. This only increased his worry. Scott stayed silent for now, but squeezed Jean's hand, her presence there comforting him. With her at his side, there was nothing he could not face. Still, this did not bode well. He watched as Charles brought up a picture on the computer screen and began to explain what was going on.

The man on the screen was called Colonel Steven Hampire. The fact that Xavier thought he was responsible for the attack on the mansion made Scott very concerned about the safety of the students with himself, Jean and the Professor here in Washington. He wondered who'd been left in charge.

He pushed the thought aside and let go of Jean's hand, placing both hands on the panel and leaning forward to examine the man's face through his red tinted glasses. The Mutant Registration Act meant trouble for all of them and these M.C.A.R. laws sound worse, especially with the thought of mutant capturing machines. He looked over at Xavier. "What are bill's chances of passing?" he asked frankly. He was concerned again about the students, with less than the whole team to protect them, especially since the two strongest telepaths in the world were here.

He sighed heavily and carefully adjusted his glasses. "This is bad, Charles," he agreed. "This bill could put every mutant in the country's life in danger. The school is especially vulnerable." He paused and then looked between Jean and Xavier. "Who is looking after the students?"

He straightened and shook his head, trying to figure out what he and Jean could do to be of use here. As a telepath, Jean could be useful in politicking, but Cyclops' area of expertise was field tactics. He looked over at Xavier again. "So what do you need us to do, Professor?"

[Phoenix]

It was like walking through a portal or teleporting with Kurt to the War Room of the mansion, minus the sulfuric odor. The sheer size of the room was impressive. For a moment as the large panel screen came into view, Jean wondered what other surprises the Professor had up his sleeve.

What he relayed to them was not a pleasant surprise. Far from it. The now free hand that had held Scott’s moved to rest on the back the Professor’s wheelchair as he spoke. Was this man, Colonel Steven Hampire, really responsible for the attack on the mansion? From the sounds of it, he was their prime candidate. And machines able to capture any mutant. Just the thought made her shudder silently.

Suddenly the room seemed a bit too cold for her liking. Frowning Jean stuck her hand in her coat pocket and kicked up her TK, willing away the icy bite of uncertainty.

"What are bill's chances of passing?" Scott asked, straight to the point. “This is bad, Charles. This bill could put every mutant in the country's life in danger. The school is especially vulnerable." Scott paused, glancing between them both. "Who is looking after the students?"

That was a good question. One Jean had been curious about as well.
“Betsy is there, isn’t she?” Jean asked. At least there would be one responsible adult at the school. Since they had gone on vacation the couple didn’t have contact with the mansion until now. Even going one day without seeing how everything was fairing in New York was amazing. Jean could scarcely believe neither she nor Scott tried to call the school, but somehow they managed.

"So what do you need us to do, Professor?" Behind his shades Scott locked eyes with the Professor, standing upright.

“Will there be a Senate or House meeting soon? They can’t just pass the bill without holding a meeting to vote on it.” Even if passed by the President, either party could veto it. That is, if they chose to. Jean tucked a lock of fire red behind her ear that had escaped. If that was the case and this bill was passed, they would be in more trouble than she wanted to realize.

[havok]

Alex walked back down to the front lobby of the hotel. The room was large with the front desk directly near the main entrance to the building. Employees were busy checking people in and there were customers checking out. Their attention was occuppied.

Alex looked around the lobby for what else the hotel had to offer. Off to the side of the main entrance was the entrance to the restaurant. Right before the restaurant entrance was a plasma television mounted on the wall. Multiple people were around the television watching CNN as they discussed something in smaller groups. Alex walked over to see what all the commotion was about. After a brief time of reading the smaller print scroll to the side at the bottom of the screen, Alex noticed a brief message about the M.R.A. The Mutant Registration Act. Alex wasn't familiar with it but by the name alone, it didn't sound good. This could be bad, Alex thought.

His thought process of the possible situation the MRA would bring to Alex a patron of the hotel that was comfortably sitting alone on the couch turned to him and asked of his thoughts on the MRA. Alex was stuck for an answer but showed no visable sign of it.

"I hope they round up all those muties and get them out of this country," Alex said biting down on his pride. It took all of his strength to not blast the television off of the wall and create an absolute mess in the lobby. The racial tension in the room was more than he could handle.

[xavier]

Cyclops:"What are bill's chances of passing?"

Xavier rubbed his chin as the answer to the question was now even more real to him, "Scott you have to understand, the bill is closer to passing then it has ever been. They have gathered a special committee, simply for this. I don't think that in this case the law of due process will help us in any way. I have a feeling that this is being done behind closed doors. More sinister plans are at work here then the simple passing of this bill."

Cyclops:"Who is looking after the students?"

"Wolverine and Beast, as well as Psylocke are present, I'm sure they will take good care of the students."

Cyclops:"So what do you need us to do, Professor?"

Xavier looked at Scott for a brief second, his pride in him had never wavered, but at this moment he feared what he was sending his best team leader into what could very well cost all of them their lives. Xavier sighed, rubbing his forehead as a stress headache tried to begin.

"Scott, Jean; This is perhaps the most dangerous mission I have ever sent you on. I want you to understand that, first. There is a compound not far from here", Xavier tapped a few buttons on the keyboard bringing a CAD image of a building, " I believe it is a mutant holding facility. I must know what is going on there, and why it is tied to all this. I fear that if Magneto finds out what is happening we could be looking at civil war between mutant and man."

Xavier rolled his chair back, then turned it to face both of them, "I cannot emphasize the danger you will face, enough... I will be contacting Logan and Betsy soon to join you, although for now, I simply need you spy on this compound, collect whatever information you can, if necessary we will send a strike force. Though I pray it does not come to that."

Phoenix:“Will there be a Senate or House meeting soon? They can’t just pass the bill without holding a meeting to vote on it.”

Charles would also liked to have trusted in his government to make the right choice, but deep down inside he knew that the possibility of that happening was remote to none. Outside influences and the recent events at the PMCF had altered any chance of the bill being vetoed.

"The Senate meeting takes place tomorrow at 08:00, but I fear this is only a ruse to give the appearance of proper procedure, however we will be attending to state our case."

Reaching into his desk, Xavier pulled out two computer disk filled with information on Bill 7207. He handed the disks to Scott and Jean. "Study these, they contain all the information you need about the bill. I'm going to rest for a while, Ricardo will take care of anything that you need."

Xavier rolled off into a side bedroom and shut the door behind him. He planted his face in the palm of his hands, and wept for his children and what they were about to face...

[havok]

The commotion only escilated as more and more people gathered around the television as CNN showed a protest on the streets of Washington DC. Alex just figured that it would have happened. Alex didn't like watching television much or sitting around and discussing politics with strangers so he headed out to his rented car.

He thought for a second on where to go before starting his vehicle. The protest was at a location that he didn't know about but he intended to avoid it. There was no need in getting caught up in that kind of arguement. It was a losing one. If the MRA goes through then it would mean trouble for him but Alex had no doubt that it would pass. This was a dangerous situation and he didn't think his participation in it would help matters in favor of mutants.

After starting his car, Alex drove in a random direction. He had no idea where to go so if he found something interesting, then he would pull over and check it out. Ironically, he headed straight for the protest without even knowing it.

((Havok exits to the streets))

[Cyclops]

Scott listened grimly to Xavier's explanation. He examined the building on the screen through his red tinted glasses, frowning as the professor described it as a possible mutant containment facility. If it was anything like the Paul Martin Containment Facility, the mutants there would be in trouble. He sighed heavily as Charles asked them to spy on it for now. He would be bringing in Psylocke and Wolverine to help them if they needed.

Cyclops took the discs from Xavier with a brief nod, still studying the building on the screen. Charles told them to study them, they were the details of the Mutant Registration Act and the Mutant Control and Removal Acts that would be up for vote soon. He didn't know if the professor meant all of them when he said 'we' would be attending the hearings, but he assumed so. He let out another long breath. The vacation was definitely over.

He nodded to Charles as he wheeled into his room, then leaned over the console. "I wonder if this has a map of the area around the building," he mused out loud, his tone all business. They had a job to do, not enough time to do it in, and they had to use every minute productively. "I'd like to see what hidden vantage points we might be able to exploit, which might also contain surveillance cameras for the facility." He glanced over at Jean and cracked a brief smile. "So what do you want to do first, case the facility or read through page after page of mind numbing legal jargon?"

[Phoenix]

Small indentations marked over her brows as Jean frowned, following the explanation the Professor gave them. Her eyes flicked to the image of the potential mutant holding facility. If it was as such, they would find out a way to dismantle it.

At least there was someone to watch the students, and Psylocke and Wolverine would be joining them. Knowing the students were safe was a comfort, and Jean pushed it out of her mind for now. They would be attending the Senate meeting tomorrow, and that was something. Jean had no problems speaking in public, especially for something so important. At least they’d get to speak their truths.

As Scott accepted the disks she didn’t bother masking the concern on her features. Watching the Professor leave, she sighed, turning back to her husband.

"I wonder if this has a map of the area around the building. I'd like to see what hidden vantage points we might be able to exploit, which might also contain surveillance cameras for the facility." Scott was all business, as usual when it came to the X-Men. He glanced up from the console at Jean with a quick smile, "So what do you want to do first, case the facility or read through page after page of mind numbing legal jargon?"

Jean was about to reply. ‘Charles.’ His grief was overwhelming. Turning to the door the Professor had exited, Jean held her breath. He was crying. The Professor, the man with the dream, their mentor.. ...was crying.

Her heart dropped.

Being so close, like a family, it wasn’t hard to pick up on emotions, especially having abilities so finely linked with them. Jean’s features changed for a moment, her inside weeping for the man who was like a father to her.

As quickly as her features changed they returned to their slightly worrisome state. She didn’t want to worry Scott any more than he probably already was. Moving over to the console Jean’s lips quirked to the side, keeping her eyes on the information on the screen.

"How about we case the facility first for a bit, before starting on the legal jargon?" Jean stood next to Scott and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand. "And when we start the legalities of the Bill, we can split it and ‘share’ the information." Jean tapped the side of her head, giving Scott a small smile, glancing over at him behind troubled eyes. "It’ll be quicker that way."

It would probably take them the rest of the day and into the night until they had to leave in the morning, but it would still save some time. Morning was quickly turning into afternoon and time was of the essence.

[Cyclops]

Scott glanced over at Jean, sensing her deep sorrow and hearing her say the professor's name in her mind through their link. He decided to leave it alone for now. He didn't want to assume anything and certainly not if it would upset anyone more. Her suggestion was a good one. He sometimes forgot she could easily share information with him and vice versa through their telepathic link. If all went well, they might even get some sleep before the hearings began tomorrow. That was if they could sleep for all the worrying.

"Richardo, can you call us a cab?" Cyclops asked as he began to rebutton his coat. "We can take a cab to the nearest car rental shop, rent a car, and check out the facility. Hopefully, we won't need Logan and Betsy yet. Then we'll come back here and read over as much of the information on those disks as we can get." He let out a heavy sigh. "Who knows, we might even get some sleep tonight."

A few minutes later, Richardo informed them the taxi had arrived. As they headed out, Scott remembered her deep sorrow and her thinking 'Charles'. Opening the taxi door for her, he debated about bringing up the subject. The pain he'd felt, the heartache, it was as worrying as this situation with the Mutant Registration Act. He climbed into the cab after her.

Scott gave the taxi driver instructions to take them to the nearest car rental shop, then leaned back against the seat. Closing his eyes behind the ruby quartz sunglasses, he debated about how to broach the subject. He looked over at her, concern in his expression and his mental 'voice'. < Honey, what's wrong? > he asked. < Is it Charles? >

(( Exit Cyclops and Phoenix to the Streets of Washington ))

[emmafrost]

Emma received the key card from the receptionist and walked to her suite. It wasn't the largest room but as long as she had space to spread all her materials out, she was fine with that. Opening the door, Emma smiled. It was perfect.

The bell hop behind her brought her belongings in and after a stern warning from Emma, he was extra gentle with the concealed packages. She didn't want anything happening to the information or technology that Forge had bestowed upon her before leaving New York.

Tipping the boy, she closed the door and set to work setting up her own personal work station. Some time later, she had her laptop complete with the chip that Forge had given her, hooked up and her other “party favors” laid out on the bed. Emma took a glass of wine and sat down, preparing to fully invade any personal files she could get her hands on in Congress.