Anchor: "Authorities in Philadelphia issued a statement an hour ago, advising that what people are calling the Ten-Minute Terror resulted in one major injury and twelve minor, all sustained during the scramble as people rushed to flee following the broadcast. The statement identifies the man in the broadcast as Lorentz, a known mutant terrorist affiliated with Susanna Kunstler's Mutant Revolutionary Army, and believed to be responsible for minor attacks in Paris and Toronto. Lorentz is now in custody, along with four alleged accomplices."

Narrator: Four faces appear on screen, each of them familiar: Shade, Daedalus, Wraith, and Legionary.

Anchor: "Police indicate that at this time, they do not believe any participants remain at large, but the investigation is ongoing."

Anchor: "Although some, including talk radio host _____, have alleged that the incident was an elaborate hoax, at a press conference earlier today the Mayor of Philadelphia confirmed that the threat was very real."

Narrator: The broadcast cuts to a man identified in the chyron as Mayor William Beste, speaking at a podium in front of an audience of reporters. You can hear the click of camera shutters going off throughout.

William Beste: "The terrorists *were* in possession of a device of unknown origin. We're still investigating exactly how it works, but our initial assessment is that if given sufficient power, it could have blown away most of the city. We were extremely lucky that nobody was killed, and I would personally thank our boys in blue and first responders for the excellent work they did to keep the people of Philadelphia safe."

Anchor: "Despite Mayor Beste's words, it appears that Philadelphia police may in fact have had little to do with preventing the attack. Reporters for Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU captured this footage of what appears to be Lorentz in combat with a group of unidentified individuals mere minutes after his broadcast."

Narrator: Cut once again, this time to footage from above the construction site, as Lorentz fends off a wave of fire and relatiates with a burst of blue energy, illuminated by a spotlight. The shots are taken from a distance, in poor lighting, but one by one, each of the X-Men throw themselves at Lorentz, and he repels them in turn.

Anchor: "Police declined to comment on the footage, and public superhero groups, including ______ have denied involvement. Whoever these mystery heroes are, it seems likely that they saved tens - possibly hundreds - of thousands of lives."

Narrator: At the end of that sentence, his voice breaks a little, and he pauses to collect himself, but still looks a bit emotional when he resumes.

Anchor: "My apologies, viewers, it's just that...my sister lives in downtown Philadelphia with her family. If not for the actions of these five people, she would likely be dead right now."

Anchor: "Whoever these unknown heroes are, if you happen to be watching this broadcast: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much."


/desc ELSEWHERE

Anchor: *"-from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much."*

Narrator: A woman presses a button on the remote control, and the television switches off. She sits with her feet up on a desk, staring up at the blank screen for a moment.

Unknown Woman: "Did it work?"

Small Robot: "RESULTS-INCONCLUSIVE. SCAN-IN-PROGRESS."

Unknown Woman: "Then hurry it up, you rusted pile of bolts. I don't have all day."

Narrator: The small robot works, lights whirring around its ovoid body. The womantaps her fingers on the chair's arm impatiently, and then reaches into her jacket's inside pocket - gingerly, taking care not to exert too much force with her robotic arm - and removes an old Polaroid photo. She holds it up and looks at it wistfully, as she's done a hundred times before.

Small Robot: "SCAN-COMPLETE. 0.00005-PERCENT-EVENT-DEVIATION-DETECTED-OVER-TEN-YEAR-TIMELINE-PROJECTION. 0.0001-PERCENT-MARGIN-OF-ERROR."

Small Robot: "TEMPORAL-INCURSION-FAILED."

Narrator: The woman sits in silence for a moment, one hand balling into a fist, the other gripping the photo so tightly it begins to crease.

Narrator: Then she stands up, throws the photo to the ground, and with a scream of frustration, slams her bionic arm into the desk's surface, splitting it in two.

Unknown Woman: "*Mierda!* Dammit! How many times am I going to have to do this before it takes?"

Narrator: She works out her frustration but kicking the remains of the desk, swearing angrily in English and Spanish alike as she does. The robot swoops down, waiting patiently until she'd calmed herself, hovering directly over the photo.

Small Robot: "WHY-DON'T-YOU-TALK-TO-THEM"

Small Robot: "THEY-WOULD-HELP-IF-YOU-EXPLAINED"

Narrator: The woman gives the desk's remains one last kick, and then bends down to pick up the polaroid. It's old, dog-eared, and crumpled. It was ripped in half at some point, and the two halves are held together with scotch tape.

Narrator: She scans the picture again, as she's done so many times in the past. The setting: the entrance hall of the DeGaulle School for Gifted Youngsters. Standing together at the center are DeGaulle himself, and around him are the young X-Men.

Narrator: Coira. George. Kayleigh. Saki. And...

Narrator: Herself.

(Show the image now)

Maria Carlotta Varges: "No. They can't ever know about this."

Maria Carlotta Varges: "Let them enjoy their present. The future is *my* responsibility."