Author's note:  Wow, book 4.  Thanks to everyone who is following along with this madness.  I wasn't really sure where to begin this one.  And then I realized I'd forgotten one of the key players in X2.  The President.  I'm sure he was not idle after the attacks in X2.  I imagine after his discussion with the X-Men, he would want to quiet things down a bit.  Which, in my eight months later storyline, I'm sure he has.  Will go into the hows and wherefores later.  Of course, a mountain did just blow up, so I think I kind of ruined the 'quiet down' plan for him… oops…

Disclaimer:  I own nothing in regards the Marvel universe or any other previously produced or published work.  I'm just glad I have some interesting characters to play with while I'm sitting at work.  (Especially on a night like tonight where it's snowing and icing and no one in their right mind would be on the road except…of course…me).

***

Book 4:

Prologue:

            The President of the United States sat behind his desk in the Oval Office and scribbled quickly into the day planner in front of him.  He supposed there was no real reason to have it.  He had dozens of people around him all the time constantly reminding him of his daily schedule, but it was a habit he started in college and one that had stuck with him for his entire political career.

            And days like today were his primary motivator in continuing the practice.

            For remembering meetings the general staff did not necessarily know about.

            George McKenna sighed and slumped back in his chair.  Eight months ago, he had made the most important address of his career to an anxious nation.  The original plan had been to blame mutants, prepare for the reinstitution of the Mutant Registration Act. 

            Yet, after his brief, surprise meeting with Charles Xavier and his X-Men, McKenna ignored the teleprompter and instead gave a rousing speech on unity and cooperation in discovering the cause of the attacks.  He laid no blame, and could not truthfully have done so.  The source of the attacks had never been identified, which his critics frequently reminded the public.

            Following his later, more private, conversations with Charles Xavier, McKenna did believe the man's ultimate goal was peace.  However, he also suspected Xavier's interaction with William Stryker had played a part in the global attacks.  He had, after all, given Stryker permission to assume control of Xavier's school.

            McKenna hated to think that he, the President of the United States, had set those events into play. 

            The intercom on his phone buzzed and the familiar voice of his secretary spoke.

            "Excuse me, sir?," she said.  Jackie sounded rather irritated, and her tone made McKenna smile with amusement.

            "Yes, Jackie," he responded and the intercom buzzed again.

            "There's a Captain Flannery here to see you," Jackie said, "Were you expecting him?"

            Unfortunately, McKenna thought and took a deep breath before responding.

            "Yes, thank you, please send him in," he replied and rubbed his temple with a sigh.

            The office door opened and a solitary man in military garb marched up before him.  The Captain looked tired, but remained at full attention until McKenna offered him a seat.  Captain Flannery sat rigidly, removing his hat and placing it in his lap.

            McKenna folded his hands on his desk and regarded the Captain gravely.

            "I trust you have a full report from Chicago for me," he asked and Flannery nodded.

            "Yes, sir," he said, opening the folder he had under his arm and passing several papers across the President's desk.

            "As you can see," Flannery began, "There are photos, as well as reports, from a neighborhood just outside of city.  Eyewitness reports told of several disturbances, including a wave of fire, disruption to magnetic devices and...well, a..."

"A 'giant killer robot,'" the President continued with dismay, reading from the papers before him, "Which destroyed one home entirely, before lifting into the air and speeding off into the night..."

McKenna looked up at the man slowly, his face washed with no-so-disbelieving disbelief. 

"Don't tell me the press has gotten a hold of this," he said without humor and the Captain sighed audibly.

"Well..." he said, pulling a piece of newsprint from the folder, "Just the World Weekly News.  Apparently, most witnesses called in the event as a UFO sighting."

The President still looked serious, but inwardly was relieved.  The front cover of the 'newspaper' showed robots from a bad 1950s horror movie attacking the Sears Tower while pedestrians ran off in fear.

Thank God for the tabloids, he thought.

"So..." he said, "I assume we have an explanation that doesn't involve Martian invaders."

"Well, there are still those who believe a mutant terrorist group was involved," the Captain said, and this time McKenna actually did laugh.

"I seriously doubt mutant terrorists would be using robot UFOs to attack a single home in Illinois," the President said, cynically.

"As do most of our analysts..." the Captain said, and McKenna raised a curious eyebrow when the man said 'most,' "However, there was another event last night which may be connected to the Chicago incident."

"The explosion in West Virginia," the President said without question and the Captain nodded.

"Yes, sir," he continued, "Special ops forces located a rogue band of mercenaries retreating from the blast area.  They claimed to be U.S. soldiers returning from Chicago to their home base.  However, they were not currently enlisted men and claimed they were under the command of a...General Stryker, who does not exist in any..."

"Who?" McKenna said with surprise.

The Captain checked his notes again and reread the name, "A General Stryker, sir."

"General Stryker?" McKenna repeated and the Captain frowned at him.

"You don't think they mean William Stryker, do you, sir?"

McKenna sat back and shook his head slowly, "It couldn't be...Colonel William Stryker died eight months ago when his lab at Alkalai Lake was destroyed.  The dam broke...dozens of men were killed..."

His voice was becoming soft as he continued, and his right hand absently tapped the place on his desk blotter that covered the small cut mark in the wooden finish below. 

"I'm sorry, sir," the Captain said, "I...I don't know the details beyond that.  The men we found also claimed they saw their leader, that General Stryker, killed by unknown assailants before they fled the explosion."

McKenna relaxed visibly, and the Captain regarded his commander-in-chief curiously.

I have to call Xavier, was the next thought that passed through the President's mind.  He quickly composed himself and returned the photos and papers to the Captain.

"Very well..." he said slowly, "Have the mercenaries and eyewitnesses questioned and prepare a full report.  Luckily, the media is saying the explosion was a disruption of a central gas line passing through the area.  I, however, would like to know the true cause of that 'accident.'  If, by chance, terrorists are involved, I want to know who they are, mutant or not."

"Yes, sir," the Captain said, and then shifted nervously, "What...what about the reports from Chicago, sir?"

McKenna shrugged and grinned, "Let's support the UFO theory until we figure out what really happened.  It will give the 'unexplained phenomena' department of the FBI something else to do besides investigate mutants..."