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xp_logsJenny and Phillipe delve further into Genosha with Sooraya and Jean-Phillipe.
For a school, the Americans certainly lived well, Phillip thought for at least the twentieth time since they arrived. It had been several days, and Xavier had mentioned that he though Jenny’s results would be back from Muir tomorrow. Once she was confirmed as a mutant, their request for asylum was all but assured until a UN Commission could study the situation in Genosha. The embassy had been strongly denying their claims, chalking it up to a hysterical girl on finding out her condition and a privileged boy in love and misusing his name to help his girlfriend. He had to admit, they made a lot of sense, especially when the tone wasn’t anger in the denials but sadness and disappointment. They oozed sincerity, to the point that a few doubts had even crept into his mind.
They were sitting in the rec room, Jenny idly flicking through the unfiltered channels, trying to shake off some of their anxiety over what tomorrow might bring.
Sooraya first didn’t notice their presence when she entered, lost as she was in the topmost sheet of the sheaf of papers she was carrying. She had to look up though to navigate to a seat and that was when she spotted the two teens suddenly appearing on the couch.
She started a little and frowned, not able to place their faces immediately. Things quickly cleared up through when she realized it had to be their two Genoshian guests. Sooraya smiled to herself and set down her papers and bag as she made her way over to them. As she came closer she could see how young and uneasy they were and her face softened even more. “Hi, I am Sooraya Qadir.” She introduced herself. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”
"Hi, not at all!" Jenny straightened in her seat, her channel surfing halted by the appearance of someone she hadn't met. She still sometimes couldn't believe just how many mutants lived here at the mansion.
"Nice to meet you, Sooraya." She glanced at the television quickly. "Did you want to use the TV? We weren't watching anything in particular."
“Oh no… I was just looking for a quiet place to look trough some paperwork.” Sooraya explained with a gesture to her things. “You are from Genosha, right?”
"Yes! I'm Jenny, this is Phillip." She glanced at her boyfriend with a smile, before returning her attention to Sooraya. "What sort of paperwork?"
"Jenny. We don't need to know that. It might be private." Phillip said. "We've been given so much information that it's kind of become second nature to ask about everything right now, Sooraya."
“I don’t mind. It are some documents I am translating and then summarizing for my work at Elpis.” Sooraya explained simply. “But if I may ask, how are you doing? It must be quite… different here at the school from what you are used to?”
Jenny just grinned at Phillip, not taking the rebuke to heart. People had been pretty good with answering her questions, and it looked like Sooraya wasn't any different.
"It is a lot different here, definitely. I still can't believe how big this place is, it's amazing. And all of the different things that you do here." Red X, HeliX, Elpis, the student training program... all of it designed for mutants to be able to help people. This was the way things should be, Jenny thought.
"Do you enjoy working for Elpis? I have heard a lot about it since I came here, it sounds like a really amazing organization."
Sooraya looked around her for a moment and quickly pulled over a chair before replying: “I enjoy working for Elpis very much. They do a lot of good work helping people in the Third World countries. And the work, it’s very challenging and varied… And we have a lot of chances to do good things with our powers here at the school. I have worked with Red X also a few times.”
She paused for a moment, trying to formulate the best way to ask. “Is there any way in Genosha for mutants to help others like that? I did a little reading, but I found it very difficult to get a clear picture of… well everything…”
Phillip shock his head. "In Genosha, mutants work for the government. About forty-five years ago, the British shut down the naval station at Hammer Bay, which pretty much destroyed our economy. See, Genosha actually sits on top of some of the richest oil and gas deposits outside of the Middle East. The problem is that they're down so deep and the currents are so dangerous that there was no way to extract them. Eight mutants volunteered to work with the government to establish some wells, using their powers to do what technology couldn't. Their success saved Genosha."
He leaned back, obviously having learned this history over and over as a child. "Since then, Genoshan mutants are drafted in government service when they manifest. They're responsible for a lot of our prosperity, and they get paid well. The problem is that over the last few years... I don't know. The mood has changed. Some people talk about mutants like they're a resource, and not Genoshan citizens. That's why Jenny and I fled when she tested positive as a mutant. She's willing to work for Genosha, but not as a slave."
"As a slave?” Sooraya’s eyes widened slightly and she shook her head sadly. “I wonder why so many people feel the need to enslave us.” She said softly. “I have seen it too much also with my work for Elpis… But still… getting drafted when you are just a child or a teen? That doesn’t give you much of a choice… What if you don’t wish to work for the government? What if you want to do something else, like becoming a teacher or even traveling around the world for a bit… Isn’t that a form of slavery also?”
"Well that's exactly it," Jenny chimed in. "The original eight mutants were volunteers. And no one is drafted until after their powers have properly manifested." Which was why Jenny hadn't been drafted as yet. They'd been watching her, but her powers hadn't fully manifested. "But as Phillip said, things have changed. I want to serve my country, to do what I can with my powers to help Genosha. Mutants have an important role to play in the prosperity of our country. But…" She frowned. "Not as slaves. Not as disposable commodities." Which is what the rumours she'd heard had started to suggest.
Sooraya frowned. Being drafted still didn’t seem to imply to much of a choice to her. Still, she didn’t know if she should continue with what was probably a pretty sensitive topic. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand, but I really would like to learn more…”
She paused for a moment, formulating her thoughts. “I understand the first eight were volunteers… and that you would like to volunteer… I can understand wanting to help your people… But what happens if you don’t wish to volunteer for the government? Being drafted does imply that have to, if you want to or not… And I know someone who manifested when she was seven years old… How can a child make a choice like that?”
"Children aren't pressed into work. You actually still have to finish high school, and there's university available." Phillip sighed. "I guess it's a little like Israel in a way. Everyone has to serve in the military for a time because there just aren't enough people to be able to depend on an all-volunteer army. Genosha's a little like that, only economically. It's a lovely place, but there's not enough land to support ourselves on agriculture or our natural resources, we're no longer on the major trade routes, and our technology base is still developing. The resources that we do have can't be tapped effectively without mutant workers. And those resources are what's supported all the other areas that Genosha is trying to build up so we are more than just an energy and ore exporter." It was like one of his father's lectures.
"Our system is different from, say, America's. But our challenges are different too. The reason that we're here is because people are distorting the system. Treat the mutants less like citizens and more like slaves, and you can do things faster and cheaper; make more money. Take away their voice and distract everyone else from what's happening, and you get to do it unopposed. We can't just let that happen."
"It's not the system that's the problem, per se," Jenny chimed in. "Just the abuses of it. Genosha can't survive without the use of mutant labour, but that doesn't mean the way they're being treated is right. It's one thing to limit the power of dangerous mutants, for everyone's safety, for example, but to take away their free will completely?" Jenny shivered. That could have been her, if she'd stayed. It could still be her, if she was forced to return to Genosha. If it came to that.
Jean-Phillipe had been on the way to the kitchen to find something to feed his metabolism, and then perhaps out to the porch for one of his (much more rare these days) cigarettes, but the snatches of conversation from the recreation room piqued his interest. And he had hoped to meet the visitors from Genosha, anyhow, this seemed as good a time as any. "Ah, bonjour, Sooraya," he greeted the one of the three others he already knew. "And you would be...Jenny and Phillip, oui? I am Jean-Phillipe," he introduced himself, offering his hand to Phillip first, then Jenny. "I hope I am not intruding, but I heard a bit of your conversation, and it intrigued me. Mutant rights is...something of a passion of mine."
"Pleased to meet you, Jean-Phillipe. Sooraya was just asking some questions about Genosha."
"Eh bien, I would also be interested in learning more about your homeland. Please, continue." Jean-Phillipe leaned against the side of a large armchair and looked on attentively.
"Nice to meet you, Jean-Phillipe." Jenny smiled as she shook his hand. "We were just explaining the place mutants have in Genoshan society, and the changes that have started to happen." She looked back over to Sooraya, still with a smile on her face. "It's definitely not slavery, or at least it wasn't. It seems to be heading in that direction, though, which is what the problem is."
Sooraya had been grateful for the short break when Jean-Phillipe had come in. It had been getting pretty heated for her and it had given her a moment to regain herself. “That definitely is a problem what you are describing, Jenny. And I hope your story gets out and the world will act… But there is still one thing I would like to know… What happens if you get drafted and you say no. What happens when you don’t wish to work for the government? That is what I don’t understand.”
She paused for a moment, deciding to be a little more open about her background. “I have been a slave because I was a mutant, Jenny… And I remember what it was like… not being able to say no… But what if you can’t say no to the government… That is why it worries me so much…”
"Hnh," Jean-Phillipe grunted. "It is my experience that government is created for the benefit of the governing, rather than the governed." It was perhaps a bit overly cynical, but he had seen too many minorities oppressed by a government that claimed to be doing the will of the people, and that was before one even opened a history book.
"It's a hard question. But then again, Genosha isn't America or Europe. Without our system, it wouldn't even be a country any more. Just three and a half million refugees fleeing poverty, trying to find a life somewhere else." Phillip said. "Based on my studies, most oppression here is based on racism or protecting the rich. Genosha's system is based on survival. That's why we left, because if the rumours are true, that's changing."
“I think I can see where you are coming from… but” Sooraya sighed, thinking for a moment. She wasn’t quite sure in what another way to say what she had been trying to explain. “I just think it’s a very gray area and that the line between being drafted and real slavery is extremely thin…”
"It is, and things definitely seem like they're moving towards it being outright slavery," Jenny replied. "But that's not how it should be. Mutants are vital to the survival of Genosha, but that doesn't mean the government or the people get to own us," she said passionately. "I want to serve my country, but I don't want to lose myself and my freedom to do it."
"Anyone who thinks that voluntarily giving up their freedom is an acceptable trade for accomplishing anything is very sadly deluded," Jean-Phillipe agreed.
For a school, the Americans certainly lived well, Phillip thought for at least the twentieth time since they arrived. It had been several days, and Xavier had mentioned that he though Jenny’s results would be back from Muir tomorrow. Once she was confirmed as a mutant, their request for asylum was all but assured until a UN Commission could study the situation in Genosha. The embassy had been strongly denying their claims, chalking it up to a hysterical girl on finding out her condition and a privileged boy in love and misusing his name to help his girlfriend. He had to admit, they made a lot of sense, especially when the tone wasn’t anger in the denials but sadness and disappointment. They oozed sincerity, to the point that a few doubts had even crept into his mind.
They were sitting in the rec room, Jenny idly flicking through the unfiltered channels, trying to shake off some of their anxiety over what tomorrow might bring.
Sooraya first didn’t notice their presence when she entered, lost as she was in the topmost sheet of the sheaf of papers she was carrying. She had to look up though to navigate to a seat and that was when she spotted the two teens suddenly appearing on the couch.
She started a little and frowned, not able to place their faces immediately. Things quickly cleared up through when she realized it had to be their two Genoshian guests. Sooraya smiled to herself and set down her papers and bag as she made her way over to them. As she came closer she could see how young and uneasy they were and her face softened even more. “Hi, I am Sooraya Qadir.” She introduced herself. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”
"Hi, not at all!" Jenny straightened in her seat, her channel surfing halted by the appearance of someone she hadn't met. She still sometimes couldn't believe just how many mutants lived here at the mansion.
"Nice to meet you, Sooraya." She glanced at the television quickly. "Did you want to use the TV? We weren't watching anything in particular."
“Oh no… I was just looking for a quiet place to look trough some paperwork.” Sooraya explained with a gesture to her things. “You are from Genosha, right?”
"Yes! I'm Jenny, this is Phillip." She glanced at her boyfriend with a smile, before returning her attention to Sooraya. "What sort of paperwork?"
"Jenny. We don't need to know that. It might be private." Phillip said. "We've been given so much information that it's kind of become second nature to ask about everything right now, Sooraya."
“I don’t mind. It are some documents I am translating and then summarizing for my work at Elpis.” Sooraya explained simply. “But if I may ask, how are you doing? It must be quite… different here at the school from what you are used to?”
Jenny just grinned at Phillip, not taking the rebuke to heart. People had been pretty good with answering her questions, and it looked like Sooraya wasn't any different.
"It is a lot different here, definitely. I still can't believe how big this place is, it's amazing. And all of the different things that you do here." Red X, HeliX, Elpis, the student training program... all of it designed for mutants to be able to help people. This was the way things should be, Jenny thought.
"Do you enjoy working for Elpis? I have heard a lot about it since I came here, it sounds like a really amazing organization."
Sooraya looked around her for a moment and quickly pulled over a chair before replying: “I enjoy working for Elpis very much. They do a lot of good work helping people in the Third World countries. And the work, it’s very challenging and varied… And we have a lot of chances to do good things with our powers here at the school. I have worked with Red X also a few times.”
She paused for a moment, trying to formulate the best way to ask. “Is there any way in Genosha for mutants to help others like that? I did a little reading, but I found it very difficult to get a clear picture of… well everything…”
Phillip shock his head. "In Genosha, mutants work for the government. About forty-five years ago, the British shut down the naval station at Hammer Bay, which pretty much destroyed our economy. See, Genosha actually sits on top of some of the richest oil and gas deposits outside of the Middle East. The problem is that they're down so deep and the currents are so dangerous that there was no way to extract them. Eight mutants volunteered to work with the government to establish some wells, using their powers to do what technology couldn't. Their success saved Genosha."
He leaned back, obviously having learned this history over and over as a child. "Since then, Genoshan mutants are drafted in government service when they manifest. They're responsible for a lot of our prosperity, and they get paid well. The problem is that over the last few years... I don't know. The mood has changed. Some people talk about mutants like they're a resource, and not Genoshan citizens. That's why Jenny and I fled when she tested positive as a mutant. She's willing to work for Genosha, but not as a slave."
"As a slave?” Sooraya’s eyes widened slightly and she shook her head sadly. “I wonder why so many people feel the need to enslave us.” She said softly. “I have seen it too much also with my work for Elpis… But still… getting drafted when you are just a child or a teen? That doesn’t give you much of a choice… What if you don’t wish to work for the government? What if you want to do something else, like becoming a teacher or even traveling around the world for a bit… Isn’t that a form of slavery also?”
"Well that's exactly it," Jenny chimed in. "The original eight mutants were volunteers. And no one is drafted until after their powers have properly manifested." Which was why Jenny hadn't been drafted as yet. They'd been watching her, but her powers hadn't fully manifested. "But as Phillip said, things have changed. I want to serve my country, to do what I can with my powers to help Genosha. Mutants have an important role to play in the prosperity of our country. But…" She frowned. "Not as slaves. Not as disposable commodities." Which is what the rumours she'd heard had started to suggest.
Sooraya frowned. Being drafted still didn’t seem to imply to much of a choice to her. Still, she didn’t know if she should continue with what was probably a pretty sensitive topic. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand, but I really would like to learn more…”
She paused for a moment, formulating her thoughts. “I understand the first eight were volunteers… and that you would like to volunteer… I can understand wanting to help your people… But what happens if you don’t wish to volunteer for the government? Being drafted does imply that have to, if you want to or not… And I know someone who manifested when she was seven years old… How can a child make a choice like that?”
"Children aren't pressed into work. You actually still have to finish high school, and there's university available." Phillip sighed. "I guess it's a little like Israel in a way. Everyone has to serve in the military for a time because there just aren't enough people to be able to depend on an all-volunteer army. Genosha's a little like that, only economically. It's a lovely place, but there's not enough land to support ourselves on agriculture or our natural resources, we're no longer on the major trade routes, and our technology base is still developing. The resources that we do have can't be tapped effectively without mutant workers. And those resources are what's supported all the other areas that Genosha is trying to build up so we are more than just an energy and ore exporter." It was like one of his father's lectures.
"Our system is different from, say, America's. But our challenges are different too. The reason that we're here is because people are distorting the system. Treat the mutants less like citizens and more like slaves, and you can do things faster and cheaper; make more money. Take away their voice and distract everyone else from what's happening, and you get to do it unopposed. We can't just let that happen."
"It's not the system that's the problem, per se," Jenny chimed in. "Just the abuses of it. Genosha can't survive without the use of mutant labour, but that doesn't mean the way they're being treated is right. It's one thing to limit the power of dangerous mutants, for everyone's safety, for example, but to take away their free will completely?" Jenny shivered. That could have been her, if she'd stayed. It could still be her, if she was forced to return to Genosha. If it came to that.
Jean-Phillipe had been on the way to the kitchen to find something to feed his metabolism, and then perhaps out to the porch for one of his (much more rare these days) cigarettes, but the snatches of conversation from the recreation room piqued his interest. And he had hoped to meet the visitors from Genosha, anyhow, this seemed as good a time as any. "Ah, bonjour, Sooraya," he greeted the one of the three others he already knew. "And you would be...Jenny and Phillip, oui? I am Jean-Phillipe," he introduced himself, offering his hand to Phillip first, then Jenny. "I hope I am not intruding, but I heard a bit of your conversation, and it intrigued me. Mutant rights is...something of a passion of mine."
"Pleased to meet you, Jean-Phillipe. Sooraya was just asking some questions about Genosha."
"Eh bien, I would also be interested in learning more about your homeland. Please, continue." Jean-Phillipe leaned against the side of a large armchair and looked on attentively.
"Nice to meet you, Jean-Phillipe." Jenny smiled as she shook his hand. "We were just explaining the place mutants have in Genoshan society, and the changes that have started to happen." She looked back over to Sooraya, still with a smile on her face. "It's definitely not slavery, or at least it wasn't. It seems to be heading in that direction, though, which is what the problem is."
Sooraya had been grateful for the short break when Jean-Phillipe had come in. It had been getting pretty heated for her and it had given her a moment to regain herself. “That definitely is a problem what you are describing, Jenny. And I hope your story gets out and the world will act… But there is still one thing I would like to know… What happens if you get drafted and you say no. What happens when you don’t wish to work for the government? That is what I don’t understand.”
She paused for a moment, deciding to be a little more open about her background. “I have been a slave because I was a mutant, Jenny… And I remember what it was like… not being able to say no… But what if you can’t say no to the government… That is why it worries me so much…”
"Hnh," Jean-Phillipe grunted. "It is my experience that government is created for the benefit of the governing, rather than the governed." It was perhaps a bit overly cynical, but he had seen too many minorities oppressed by a government that claimed to be doing the will of the people, and that was before one even opened a history book.
"It's a hard question. But then again, Genosha isn't America or Europe. Without our system, it wouldn't even be a country any more. Just three and a half million refugees fleeing poverty, trying to find a life somewhere else." Phillip said. "Based on my studies, most oppression here is based on racism or protecting the rich. Genosha's system is based on survival. That's why we left, because if the rumours are true, that's changing."
“I think I can see where you are coming from… but” Sooraya sighed, thinking for a moment. She wasn’t quite sure in what another way to say what she had been trying to explain. “I just think it’s a very gray area and that the line between being drafted and real slavery is extremely thin…”
"It is, and things definitely seem like they're moving towards it being outright slavery," Jenny replied. "But that's not how it should be. Mutants are vital to the survival of Genosha, but that doesn't mean the government or the people get to own us," she said passionately. "I want to serve my country, but I don't want to lose myself and my freedom to do it."
"Anyone who thinks that voluntarily giving up their freedom is an acceptable trade for accomplishing anything is very sadly deluded," Jean-Phillipe agreed.
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