InsaneJournal

The turnout for the student forum had been remarkable. Sure, it had been because of pressure from teachers to go rather than a sudden desire on the students' part to get involved and be interested in the 'mutant issue', but it was something. They'd taken over the north gym and filled it with chairs, and still there were people standing around the edges, leaning up against walls and generally causing a fire hazard. There was a makeshift podium at the top of the hall, where a few seats had been set out for the principal and his guests. A bald man in a suit sat in one of them, listening to the chatter of a well-built younger man with long curly hair as he surveyed the crowd.

Once the students were all seated, the principal took to the podium, pronouncing his delight in having everyone arrive and his sorrow about the events that had led to this date. He mentioned the students still in hospital before turning to introduce their first speaker - a Mister Hank McCoy, UCLA graduate student who had been researching genetic mutation. There were some cheers in the audience when he came to the podium - and if the ringleader happened to be a short redhead, who could tell?

Hank gave the kids a basic overview of the scientific side of genetic mutation, both in terms of the actual biological facts and some of the theories on the development of mutants as a species. He was actually a very good public speaker, and kept things as lighthearted and entertaining as possible, despite the sensitive subject matter and the fact that it was Boring Science. He had an assortment of materials, including overhead projections, slideshows, and interlocking atom pieces to visually represent a DNA strain. He very carefully tiptoed around the actual issues of evolution or Darwinistic competition, trying to keep his portion of the talk strictly genetic. At no point did he directly refer to himself as a mutant, but those paying attention would notice the occasional 'we' and 'us' rather than 'they' and 'them'. When a student in the crowd yelled a question asking him if he was one of them, he did reply in the positive, but upon being pressed, refused to demonstrate his powers - all the while juggling a few of his atom pieces with his feet.

After Hank's speech, Professor Xavier took the podium, after a ridiculously long and boring introduction about his academic record and some of the work he'd published, including a recent paper about the fear of superpowered individuals. He opened with a joke, also doing his part to be entertaining despite the serious subject manner. While he wasn't quite the funster that Hank was, he still managed to capture the audience's attention with his discussion about the advent of mutant powers, and what these powers could do to benefit mankind. He also pressed the importance of not considering mutants freaks, or somehow something alien from yourself - a quirk of genetics didn't change their basic make-up, their humanity. He would occasionally make oblique references to the fact they had mutants amoung them, but when asked himself if he was one of them, he demured.

At the end of the speech, he called for any questions for him or for Hank.

[ OPEN TO SAMOHI STUDENTS ]