X-Men Movieverse

Touted as the mutant capital of the world, New York City grapples with the mutant problem on a regular basis, in its city ordinances, in its community organizations, and most recently in its legal system. But as the date draws nearer for the inception of the state's new code of psionic crime, the question is whether it will do any good, or even if the State will be able to enforce it at all.

The trouble that has arisen, of course, is that in order to investigate telepathic crime what the State needs most is telepaths. The psionic crime law, which went into in effect as of January 1, 2009, provided for the creation of an experimental psionic crime investigation team. But who can the government trust on this team, and how are they to do their jobs?

Many mutants hide who they are out of fear of what will become of them if they don't, and few are more capable of hiding than telepaths. Even other powered mutants tend to fear telepathy as among the most insidious of human mutations. Further, although psionic mutations are among the most common, the fact remains that although the mutant populace continues to have a huge impact on New York City and, for that matter, on the shape of the global community, it's still a relatively small fraction of the population.

So how do you find a needle in a haystack? We've asked Dr. James Audley, criminologist and criminal psychologist expert, whose job it is to find and vet these people. The governor's office has vested him with the authority to access the mutant registration database, and he and his team are searching the database for legally registered mutants. Although there have been some concerns from mutant rights activist organizations about the confidentiality and safety of the information in the database, this is among the first notably public uses of it in New York State.

"We're being very careful, of course," he told us. "I want to assure the community that we will be vetting these people."

Apparently Dr. Audley and his team are only looking at registered telepaths because of the constriction of the statute. "At this time we're also only considering people without criminal records themselves." He went on to say, "I am optimistic that we will find community-minded individuals who are willing to join us in this. It is in the best interests of the mutant community to cooperate with us."

With the Presidential Inauguration less than two weeks away, there has been a harsh set-back in the transition. President-Elect Stockton, on returning to Washington in final preparation to assume power, went for a walk with President Richards. President-Elect Stockton's dog, a shelter mutt recently adopted by the First Family-to-be, reportedly took off chasing President Lowe's purebred spaniel when the two dogs failed to get along. Handlers eventually caught both animals, and kept them separated as the two men discussed things. Stockton later laughed the incident off, telling reporters, "If that's as rough as it gets, I think the transition should run pretty smoothly."

A female local news reporter stands in front of an alley, with presumably a young couple in their early thirties. I'm here in Brooklyn where this young couple is saying their /freezer/ full of first editions were stolen in the middle of the night. Can I ask what the estimated value of the books is, and why exactly they were in a freezer?

Well see, we-- the man starts, then the angry looking wife pushes him aside. /He/ had the bright idea to chain them up in a freezer outside, because he didn't want to get up in the morning and carry them to the moving truck! Those books combined were at /least/ ten thousand dollars in value!

The reporter gets an awkward look on her face, then smiles and walks up to the freezer with the camera zooming down to the chains. Yes, well, police are saying the chains were pulled apart with some sort of machine, since no signs of cutting could be found. If you have any information on where these books may be or who stole them, please contact the local police at the following number, and for a list of the books, visit the site below. Thank you, and we'll keep you updated.

A url to the site will appear below her on screen, right below the police number.

Throughout the past month and a half or so since the election, political news has been abuzz between rumors and announcements of President-Elect Stockton's cabinet. The names and faces appointed thus far are mostly familiar ones around Washington, strong opponents of Richards and his policies; some of them, notably Stockton's Secretary of State and his unconfirmed top pick for Homeland Security, competed strongly against Stockton in the Democratic primary.

Most of the President-Elect's plans have been couched in the vaguest of terms, aside from a clear dedication to the tackling the problems facing the nation's economy and a definite focus on domestic issues over foreign. But this morning's press conference held in Chicago brought political speculation to new heights.

The American people made it very clear that they don't want silence on the issues that matter most to them, said President-Elect Stockton. We're going to do our best to tackle those problems, including the mutant issue, that weigh on the public's mind.

Stockton went on to say that the genetically gifted are not the boogeyman, they are our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and our cousins. And they need our help.

This is similar rhetoric to that Stockton delivered during the course of the presidential campaign, with an emphasis on the need for education and support for mutant citizens. When the constitutional privacy issues surrounding mandatory mutant registration came up, Stockton answered, No, I would not say that X v. Oregon was wrongly decided. I am not here to cast doubt on any jurisprudence of the Supreme Court. But what my administration is going to do about the mutant question is, plainly, something. We plan to make it a central focus of our cabinet and we will be creating new positions specifically to handle it.

Beyond an acknowledgment that any mutant-specific department would require congressional approval, and that any new such positions would be somewhere between the Department of Education and Homeland Security, President-Elect Stockton offered nothing further on the mutant topic, and closed the press conference with no other startling announcements.

Although discussion grew heated at an open community forum held at NYU on Wednesday, organizers say that they were pleased with the dialog and felt that it had been a success.

The forum began with an acknowledgement that there are mutant-related problems that the city must face. Disagreement revolved around solutions to those problems. Although there seemed to be vast agreement that training is fundmental, the exact details are the subject of much controversy.

Several solutions, including a proposed Outreach Center and in-school training for all children of a certain age, as well as their teachers, were offered. A portion of the crowd pushed for a program which would include mandatory identification and training of mutants, while others felt that the privacy violation was too great, and that the government could not be trusted with such sensitive data.

After vigorous discussion, the evening ended on an up note, as organizers encouraged activists and concerned citizens to bring their ideas to the group, so that a proposal of several suggestsions could be written and presented to city officials.

I had an opportunity to speak with one of several transit workers who are remaining actively engaged with the current negotiations over public safety. Nancy Moyer has been a Field Operations Agent in the Systems Security Department of New York City Transit since 2003. In the past five years, she's formed many opinions on the subject of mutants and the rails, and she agreed to sit down with us to answer some questions.

Q: I understand that you're hoping for some changes to public transit regulations. What is it you'd like to see changed?

A: We're exploring many options. The main thing that we want to see is some sort of firm protection for both our passengers and our employees.

Q: And by protection you mean...?

A: A way to deal with the threat presented by hostile or out of control mutants. This city has spent far too many years pretending that the threat simply doesn't exist - last month, we saw the results of that. It's hardly the first mutant-related incident we've had in a crowded station, or on a subway car. It's simply the first fatal one, so it's the first anyone's paid attention to. But there are a hundred things, a thousand things that can go wrong. If you look around, you'll see that New York is starting to recognize this. Mutant Affairs has stuck around - they're expanding, even. We have the Sentinel armor. Clearly everyone understands that there's a problem here. So all we're saying is that New York City transit needs a piece of the solution. It's not just a matter of our safety - it's a matter of the city's safety. New York is a city based on public transportation. We /have/ to keep our passengers safe, or this city grinds to a halt. Last week's strike proved that.

Q: We've been hearing discussion about the possible use of Quik-ID. Is that something you support?

A: Absolutely. There are details to be worked out, of course. Privacy issues, and the possibility that simple testing could in some instances create problems rather than prevent them. But knowing who is riding our subway cars and buses is absolutely fundamental to a start. We're hopeful that the city can work out something that would use the wonder of the QuikID technology to make safety quick and painless. We can know in an instant what it would have taken us several weeks to know last year. That's phenomenal, and that's the sort of research we need in order to move forward in this world.

Q: And if identified as a mutants, these people would be unable to use public transit?

A: No, of course not - that's not the idea at all. There may be some who we'd request find other means of transportation if their mutations are such that they place public safety at risk - there's a precedent for laws of this nature with Sensitive Positions - but for most, it will simply be a matter of forewarned meaning forearmed. It's a way of preparing our workers, of preventing potential problems. Again, there are still many details to be worked out.

Q: Don't you think that's a bit unfair to the mutants in our city?

A: Well, let me say this: Public safety is not something we can abandon because a few people would rather keep a secret. Don't you think those injured, those /killed/, because a little girl had powers she didn't understand and couldn't control-- don't you think that was unfair to them? It's a shame that our government hasn't come up with a way to help those people get to a place where the rest of us don't have to be, to be scared of children who aren't trying to be harmful. But they haven't, and so we have to deal with what we have.

Q: Any last words?

A: I'd like to just encourage everyone to view the situation with an open mind, and to understand that this is not about persecuting anyone - it's about finding a way for our city to be the safest city it can be. We're looking at all options.

Transportation workers have resumed work as city officials have conceded to meet and discuss methods of controlling the mutant problem on public transport. The effects of the strike have yet to be fully calculated, but costs are expected to be astonishingly high. Initial reports show many still reluctant to use public transportation unless necessary, although polls indicate that people will be more willing to commute when they feel safe.

Possible solutions include incorporation of existing identification, such as the MRA database, in a screening process as well as imposing fines on mutants who use public transportation. At the moment, the city is simply asking that mutants stay off public transport, as a goodwill gesture to their community. Many have raised the issue of blood testing, and one spokesman for the city transportation department said that is an idea they are looking at quite seriously, after reading endorsements of it across the spectrum.

As expected following days of discussion, early this morning, the Transportation Workers Unions of New York City went on strike in protest of the lack of any plan to deal with mutants on subways, trains, and busses. Transportation in the city has slowed considerably as a result of the transit strike, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Traffic is expected to be heavy, and city planners have already begun to consider plans for dealing with the issue based on the 2005 strike. Citizens are strongly encouraged to walk or bike if possible, and bridges will be open to pedestrian traffic.

If you are interested in getting your fingers in this plot-pie, please grab one of staff and shake us. We're particularly looking for characters who are into the whole civil rights things and who have not had a lot of chance to play with that side of their characters. The strike raises a lot of issues, and we'll help you figure out how your character can effect them. Just let us know!

Following the recent subway tragedy, citizen groups and spokespeople for several Transportation Worker Unions have called for immediate measures to be taken to deal with the threat of mutant accidents. Some worry that the city might face a repeat of the 2005 strike, in which workers went on strike in violation of the law. Where public sentiment then weighed against the transportation workers, public support is behind them, this time.

The usual Black Friday bustle carried on regardless, with tragedy of its own in the trampling death of an employee at Walmart on Long Island. Still, some feel that if an agreement is not reached soon, we could be facing a transportation strike as early as tomorrow, casting a potential pall over the Holiday season.

Public concern over the safety of unidentified mutants spirals in the wake of a massive fire at Liberty Hills Junior High in Norman, OK. The Thespco (Thespian Company, the junior high drama club) Thanksgiving weekend play is a thirteen year tradition. This year, tradition turned catastrophic when a case of stage fright unleased the pyro-based powers of a young mutant in front of the student body who are treated to a private performance the afternoon before the official opening performance. No deaths occurred, though several students were treated for smoke inhalation.

"It was so scary. I thought I was going to die," sobbed one cast member, while the theater coach denied knowing of the young mutant's status.

The school auditorium, which doubles as the school gymnasium may be deemed a total loss, as well as the attached locker rooms and physical education staff offices.

"We move on. It's a blow, no doubt, and something that is going to haunt us for a very long time, but in the end, we move on. We didn't lose anyone, and in the end, that is the most important thing. It could have been much worse," says Principal Philip Markham.

No word yet on the status of the mutant thespian with stage fright.

23 people were seriously injured, two critically, and dozens more lightly wounded by a recently manifested mutant's use of her powers. Officials have not identified precisely what it is that the mutant does, and report that the incident seems to have been an accident triggered by stress and high emotions. Those on the scene report an unsettling vibration followed by explosions of varying size.

The blasts took out portions of the station's ceiling and floor as well as a large part of the wall. One particularly large blast took out the corner of a subway train car, with the shrapnel resulting from the explosion responsible for many of the injuries. The mutant herself was seriously injured in the last blast which took out a large portion of the station's wall, and remains in critical condition at this time. Law enforcement officials say that if she wakes, she could potentially face charges or fines. Citizen concern is high, and transportation workers are grumbling.

It was announced today that the dinosaur-like creatures causing attacks around the city were in fact normal dogs modified by a mutant. The identity of this mutant has yet to be released, but sources suggest that he was a recently manifested teen. With the mutant and most of his pets in custody, the search is on for any remaining creatures that may have escaped.

"We don't want people thinking that just because the animals used to be dogs they can approached safely," says animal control officer Harvey Collins. "Even dog attacks can be brutal when the dogs are victims of abuse or neglect, and these creatures are showing very similar patterns of aggression." Anyone seeing one is urged to call animal control immediately.

"We have captured one of the velociraptors alive," announced Dr. Jean Grey, noted researcher into X-Factor mutation, in a brief statement to the press released late Friday night.

Details on the capture are sketchy, although Dr. Grey also noted that she and the other scientists attached to Xavier's School will be sharing information with the authorities, but photographs and a short video still have been released, showing one of the animals alive and in apparent good health within some sort of isolation room. (( The video clip shows that someone has brought the feathery dinosaur a large dog bed to go with its cage and food, and there is something that might possibly be a rawhide chew toy. ))

Dr. Grey further stated that "We have it kept isolated in our lab spaces, and are conducting some preliminary genetic analyses -- we expect results within a few days. We -can- state that the animal is warm-blooded, and that it appears oddly responsive to the human voice for something predating homo sapiens by millions of years. We are currently attempting to make contact with the Bronx Zoo's conservation staff, as well as paleontologists."

While the living specimen is indeed a step forward in solving the mystery of the dinosaurs, it is hardly the first one. Necropsies of the specimens killed by law enforcement officers have revealed internal organ structures that appear to be mammalian in origin.

With repeated reports of MDC's (Maxwell Development Corporation) unethical practices, you'd think that would be the end of it, but sources have reported another shocking revelation; Alexander Maxwell is attempting to buy out the small businesses and commercially owned properties in Westchester's Salem Center Plaza, as well as some properties around the plaza, to build large apartments for the wealthy who wish for the quiet lifestyle of Westchester County.

As many know, Salem Center is a frequent refuge for the mostly mutant students of Xavier's School for the Gifted, but sources say Mister Maxwell could care less about mutant students, intending to pass ordinances once he owns the properties in order to keep all students from the school away from his buildings. Sources have given an alleged quote of Mister Maxwell saying, "I don't need dangerous mutants driving my property values into the ground, blowing things up and god knows what else. This is just business, they'll find a new place to blow each other up at."

No word yet on what students and teachers of the school have to say about this, but we'll definitely try to reach them for comment.

The news anchor is blond with very white teeth she shows a lot in a rather vacuous smile. "...and we are joined in our studio now with a number of experts who have offered explanations for the recent extraordinary dinosaur sightings. For those of you just joining us, there was another attack yesterday. Three of the creatures were killed, and two men were badly injured. The government states that the bodies are presently being studied, but no results have yet been released. Now, ladies and gentlemen. How do you explain these apparent monsters out of the past?"

The first to speak is in the studio with the anchor. He has a worn sport coat and glasses: professor. "Consider, please: the pace of human evolution has been rapidly changing, look at the mutants all around us. Why not for other species? Dinosaurs were enormously successful, so why shouldn't nature have returned to that form in later mutation?"

The other woman is in split screen, in some other studio, with the polished look of a lab scientist for a big company. "There has never been an evidence of the human mutant gene or any equivalent in animals, you know that. And why should it mimic an earlier form so precisely? That's not the way evolution works. It's clear to anyone not blind--Jurassic Park aside, these animals were cloned. The movie has made the technique an object of mockery, but we /have/ the technology. It is clear that someone has finally found a fossil in a sufficient state of preservation to take advantage of it."

A third man in the split screen jumps in, much more predatory in his smile. "Well, whatever they are, we can't know until we get a look at them, could we? And where are they? In the government's hands! Someone needs to capture one alive. It needs to be studied! And think about it. What millionaire wouldn't want to have a pet dinosaur of their very own? Imagine the kind of money someone could make!

The anchor gets the panicked I'm-supposed-to-cut-to-commercial-and-they-won't-shut-up smile. "I'm--not sure that's something we should recommend, but--there you have it. Stay tuned after the break for when we have an expert on reptile behavior to tell us what we might expect from these creatures..."

The recent announcement that President Richards has declared 11/9 to be a "day of memorialization for those who have been victims of mutant-caused violence, whether accidental or otherwise" has caused a stir in the mutant-heavy town of New York.

There are many who feel that such a day is long overdue, and who bitterly suggest that Richards was simply waiting until he had nothing left to lose before naming an official day of remembrance.

The chosen date has not gone without remark. New Yorkers remember the Purity Massacre of November 9, 2005 vividly. On that day, a protest by an activist group supporting the controversial Mutant Registration Act was attacked by the Brotherhood of Mutants, led by the now-pardoned Magneto. At the end of the day, 32 lay dead, including several members of the NYPD. The horror of the event became very public when video was leaked online.

The date remains charged with political sentiment, and while some feel it to be an appropriate choice, others are accusing Richards of polarizing the nation and attempting to portray all mutants, and all violence that has resulted from mutations, as equivalent to the terrorist Brotherhood.

Whatever the truth, there are surely those in New York who will wish to honor victims they have known personally. It is becoming increasingly difficult to claim residence in New York for any length of time and completely miss the results of the city's huge mutant population. Terrorist attacks, riots, violent manifestations of teenagers who don't know their own power - all are almost commonplace in the Big Apple today.

A public memorial service is already being planned for Sunday night. It will take place on Long Island just after sunset and will include, among other things, performances by several local musicians, speeches by a number of religious figures, and a candlelight vigil during which those who attend will be encouraged to take advantage of an open mic to speak about loved ones who have been lost to mutant violence.

Concerns about potential violent outbreaks have already been voiced, and the NYPD confirms that they will be on the scene and monitoring the situation to assure that everything remains safe for all involved.

Coming soon on the heels of author Michael Crichton's death, New York has had its very own dinosaur sighting. A busboy reported going to investigate screaming behind his employer's restaurant and seeing a raptor attacking a man and two women. Other residents of the building described seeing a couple of 'strange animals' flee the scene before the authorities arrived. One woman was treated for bite wounds.

Though some sources suggested escaped emus earlier this week, it seems more likely that it is a special effect publicity stunt gone wrong. Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg have denied rumors of another Jurassic Park sequel.

This year, some Halloween pranksters don't know when to quit. For about a week before, and now two days after, there have been multiple sightings in Central Park and around the city of aggressive creatures described as walking on two feet, with sharp teeth and feathers. Suggested explanations vary from kids in costumes to space aliens, but the most likely explanation seems to be that a pair of emu either escaped or were set loose to frighten neighbors for the holiday. Emu are not likely to attack, but can kick powerfully if cornered, so it is recommended that anyone encountering them should call animal control and not approach.

On the morning of November 5, America was still reeling from the historic results of Election Day. One of the most decisive victories in the history of presidential politics has led to dancing in the streets from the DNC, but things aren't so clear-cut in the House and Senate. While incumbent President Henry Richards suffered what has been widely touted as a humiliating loss, the worst loss for a sitting president in the history of the nation, the Republicans gained ground back in several key states in the Senate and House, narrowing the Democrats' lead in both houses to a narrow margin.

The Stockton Administration will be forced to broker bipartisan compromise and work for political unity in order to accomplish anything through the deadlock of an almost evenly divided legislature. Although the Senate races in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Alaska are still too close to call, the likeliest scenario in the Senate is a 51-49 split.

It seems clear from the lack of a Democratic mandate that Stockton supporters had hoped for that the landslide in the presidential election was a direct rejection of President Richards and his administration. Most commentators agree that what lost Richards the election was his lack of a coherent mutant regulation policy and his lax attitude towards terrorism.

In his concession speech last night, President Richards said that although he could not regret his service to his country, he could regret the mistakes that he personally had made as man and president, and that he was "tremendously proud of all that Senator Stockton and Senator Haley have accomplished in this campaign."

With the election of the Stockton-Haley ticket, eyes all over the nation are turned toward groundbreaking Vice President-Elect Jane Elizabeth Haley, the Iowa woman senator whose Native American roots and gender have made her the target of deeply divisive mudslinging tactics throughout all of her political career.

President-Elect John Hancock Stockton is already building a transition team to prepare him and Vice President-Elect Jane Haley for the White House.

The F.B.I. announced that they have established a positive link between the terrorist cell arrested in Nevada earlier this week and the group responsible for the Greenwich attacks, the theft from Stark Industries, and the murder of 5 of the companies' employees. "From the evidence we've found at the scene, we believe that the individuals responsible for the terrible attack of the Greenwich Apartments are indeed the individuals we now have in custody," a representative of the bureau informed reporters at a press conference early this morning.

While it is believed that the group may be linked to the anti-mutant organization, the Friends of Humanity, a representative from the organization was unavailable for comment.