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Inside the White House, far more officials than usual were coming and going.
The Secret Service presence was especially conspicuous. Not only had their numbers increased, but it was immediately obvious that many of them were carrying specialized equipment designed specifically for dealing with mutants.
All visitors had been escorted out. The White House's public tour program had been suspended, with no date yet set for reopening.
At that moment, a group of people approached with purposeful, echoing footsteps.
Every official and Secret Service agent they passed stepped aside and saluted or offered a greeting.
"Mr. Vice President."
Richard Bruce Cheney—the vice president who had run alongside George W. Bush and won the 2000 election.
He had entered politics in 1969, became Wyoming's representative in the House of Representatives in 1978, and was appointed Secretary of Defense in 1987, where he oversaw Operation Desert Storm.
Within the government, he was unmistakably a hawk.
He would later be regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in American history.
A man like that naturally carried an imposing presence.
Unlike many vice presidents in American history, who had largely existed as little more than presidents-in-waiting, Cheney was anything but a background figure.
The Secret Service naturally didn't dare obstruct the people accompanying him.
Dick Cheney walked straight into the Oval Office.
"George, are you all right?"
George W. Bush had moved well away from the desk made from timber salvaged from the hull of the British Royal Navy ship HMS Resolute. Still shaken, he managed only an ugly smile when he saw the vice president he trusted enter the room.
"I thought we were supposed to maintain the principle of dispersal, so that the center of power couldn't be crippled all at once."
Cheney waved for the unnecessary personnel to leave.
"How could I not be concerned after something like this happened to you? Besides, I've brought an expert."
As Cheney approached the president's desk, he immediately noticed the obvious slash mark across its surface.
"What happened to that mark on your desk? Did Clinton and Lewinsky have a sword fight on it? I don't remember seeing it before."
"That mutant assassin left it with that ceremonial sword. He almost stabbed me with it."
George Bush pointed toward a short sword nearby, which Secret Service personnel had sealed inside an evidence bag.
"And—what did you mean by an expert? I'm also waiting for the Office of Mutant Affairs to give me an explanation from that blue, furry fellow."
The person President Bush was referring to was Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, a former member of the X-Men who served as director of the Office of Mutant Affairs.
Unfortunately, the rare genius among mutants was already so busy mediating disputes between mutants and state governments that he was practically impossible to find on ordinary days.
Even with the White House summoning him, he wouldn't be arriving anytime soon.
In fact, Cheney hadn't even needed to deliberately delay him.
The mutant director was currently in Georgia, the state with some of the strongest anti-mutant sentiment, negotiating with the state government.
Cheney pushed forward the broad-shouldered man behind him, who was dressed in a neat dark-gray suit.
"Forget that fellow. He'll only speak from the mutants' perspective. The man I've brought is a real expert—Colonel William Stryker."
The man stepped forward and stood at attention.
"Mr. President, I'm William Stryker. Since the Vietnam War, I've represented the United States Army in matters involving mutants. I've already identified the assassin based on the photographs provided by the Secret Service."
"Good. Finally, an answer other than 'I don't know.' Tell me, Colonel. What organization was responsible for trying to assassinate the President of the United States?"
Standing at the back of the group was a young Japanese-American woman wearing a fitted dark-gray skirt suit. She was just about to take some documents from her briefcase when a knock sounded at the Oval Office door.
"Who is it?" George Bush called.
The president's secretary opened the door and stood at the entrance.
"Mr. President, Senator Robert Kelly is here regarding the mutant issue."
"Let him in."
"Yes, sir."
The secretary stepped aside.
Robert Kelly, a Republican senator from the same party as the president, and someone with a fairly close personal relationship with Bush, entered the Oval Office.
"Mr. President, I'm very glad to see you're safe and sound. And Mr. Vice President, good to see you as well."
"Robert Kelly," William Stryker said, "I recall that you once supported the Mutant Registration Act, but later abandoned it. Why?"
The unfamiliar face left Kelly puzzled.
"Who is this?"
Dick Cheney introduced him.
"Colonel William Stryker, the Army's expert on mutant affairs."
Although Stryker's tone was somewhat confrontational, anyone who had made it to the Senate naturally knew how to navigate political relationships.
Kelly didn't take offense.
Instead, he extended his hand.
Seeing the hand held out to him, Stryker knew it would be impolite to refuse. Kelly was, after all, a member of the same party as the president and vice president.
So he shook it.
Kelly took the opportunity to explain.
"I abandoned support for the Registration Act because I came to believe mutant affairs should be handled more discreetly. You should understand as well that, because of what Nazi Germany did, they've closed off many of the avenues we might otherwise have used."
"That's true."
Stryker was dissatisfied with the answer, but he couldn't deny the point.
George Bush, however, was becoming impatient.
"Forget all that, unless you're planning to revive the bill. Stryker, didn't you have something you wanted to show me?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
Stryker took documents from his secretary's briefcase and placed them in front of the president, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Based on the footage provided by the Secret Service, and judging from the mutant's abilities and physical characteristics, I believe the assassin was Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, a member of the X-Men.
"Although he had painted his face white, the identification is highly probable."
"The X-Men? How dare they?"
Dick Cheney leaned forward to examine the documents spread across the table.
"Are you certain he's a member of the X-Men?"
"Based on X-Men operations documented between 1983 and 1997, this particular mutant can repeatedly be seen among their ranks.
"Although he wasn't present in the records of the 2000 Liberty Island battle, it's impossible for there to be no connection between the two incidents, wouldn't you agree?"
William Stryker opened several old files.
A considerable portion consisted of operational reports submitted by the X-Men themselves, including the names of participating members.
"Furthermore, it's extremely rare for two mutants to possess identical abilities. The ability profile displayed by Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler, matches the abilities of the mutant who infiltrated the White House perfectly.
"I find it difficult to imagine that we could find a second suspect with exactly the same combination of abilities."
Some of the photographs had been secretly taken by overseas agents.
They weren't particularly clear, but they had been included in the report because they captured the details that mattered.
George Bush studied the documents spread across the table, comparing the "Nightcrawler" in the photographs with the assassin who had attacked him.
The X-Men had always enjoyed a relatively good reputation. From the government's perspective, they had been on the same side in opposing the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Unfortunately, the more Bush studied the photographs, the more closely the man in them seemed to match his attacker.
The realization made George W. Bush angry.
Continue the White House confrontation
Cut to the X-Men reacting
Show Stryker framing the X-Men
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