For most of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, he was known as Senator Kelly. He was the anti-mutant war-hawk who favored the policies of Cameron Hodge and ran for President on a platform that favored tougher policies on mutants. X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope told the story of that campaign, which also coincidentally mirrored the real world Presidential election. While one could argue that X-men Supreme had some much more volatile issues, it was certainly an election to remember. In the end, Robert Kelly won the election and now he goes by President Kelly. But while I spent the latter part of X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope giving some added depth to Robert Kelly's persona, I haven't really explored his history in the pages of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Well that changes with this latest entry into X-men Supreme Reflections! I know I've already done a bio for him, but this promises to explore what makes this man who he is. I've prepared an extended preview of what you can expect from the life of the President of the United States in the world of X-men Supreme.
Damn you, Magneto. Damn you for striking me where it hurts the most…my family. It wasn’t enough that you tried to wipe the entire human race out with your own brand of mass extinction. You had to make it personal. You had to make my son another pawn in your agenda. Now here I am worrying endlessly while my wife and daughter are downstairs managing the festivities. I should be with them, smiling for the cameras and being part of all sorts of pictures that will one day be part of history books. But I can’t. So much has changed and much more will have to change.
No matter how much I hate Magneto, what’s done is done. He wanted to give me a taste of empathy and he succeeded. My son is a mutant. He now embodies the very menace I’ve spent so many years fighting against. Because of this, I can’t think and reason as I once did. I can’t walk the same path anymore. Not without hurting my own family. The mutant issue is not so clear anymore and that could prove costly to all the promises I’ve made.
It’s always easier when the lines are clear and the choice is simple. Even if those lines are difficult to confront and those choices are hard to make, I prefer a world of clarity and not ambiguity. That’s how I’ve conducted myself all my life, even before my political career. I’ll take on the issues nobody wants to touch and I’ll confront them in a way that resonates rather than alienates. That’s what every great leader does and that’s what I hope to keep doing.
It’s sure to be a lot of work, but I’ve never shied away from work. I wasn’t born into a political class. I didn’t have a last name like Kennedy, Roosevelt, or Bush. My parents were both hard-working, blue-collar people. We weren’t poor, but the comfortable middle-class life we had was a result of hard work. My dad worked as a shipping manager and my mom was a skilled chef for this upscale restaurant in Albany. They both worked hard to get their share of the American dream and they certainly got it. They also made sure me and my siblings could appreciate it.
My parents made it so we always had to work for something we wanted. If we wanted a toy, a book, or some candy we had to earn it. Sometimes it was a small thing like helping with the groceries or doing the dishes. Other times it was more elaborate. When I wanted this fancy new watch, my dad made me get a paper route and if I stuck to it for more than three months he would get it for me. Except by then I managed to save enough money to get the watch myself and I found that a lot more satisfying.
I kept on working through school and college. I had the misfortune of going to a public school that had just come into a nasty gang problem. In the span of a few years the dropout rate and discipline issues soared. We even made the local news as being part of the most dramatic downturn in academic achievement in 40 years. I watched many of my peers get caught up with the wrong crowd, letting their grades slip and crossing all the wrong lines. I later learned that some of these gangs had mutants running the show, which was rare because mutants weren’t very well-known at the time. I’m not exactly sure what powers they had, but for many reasons that never sat well with me. If anything, it only motivated me to work harder.
Like my parents, the work paid off. I graduated near the top of my class with an advanced diploma. I also got accepted on a limited scholarship to Cornell University. I never slowed down. I kept plunging ahead, ready to make something of myself. In a ways I’m glad my scholarship was limited because it meant I had to work my way through college. I told my parents early on that I didn’t want them to give me financial support. They had the money, but I wanted to make my own way. They respected my decision. I’m pretty sure my dad almost cried tears of pride. Most kids that age will look for any loophole to get their parents to give them money. I had plenty in front of me, but that required me crossing certain lines that I refused to cross. I stuck to my guns. I worked hard and studied harder. It made me a better man.
While I was working, I got my first lesson in politics. It happened at this rough job I had in a hardware store off campus. I pulled double duty as a stock boy and an overall grunt who could do plenty of heavy lifting. It was a pretty rough job, but the worst part by far was the heat. The manager of the store for whatever reason refused to fix the air conditioning or set up fans. He was always busy scrutinizing other things…small things that didn’t affect us or the customers. By the end of one shift I would be sweating so much I looked like I just ran through a hurricane. My co-workers and I always complained about it, but we never to him. They were too scared. They didn’t want to rock the boat.
I was different. I wasn’t going to keep ignoring it. So at our next team meeting, we went through the same routine. The manager lectured and everybody gave their reports. But at the end when we were just about to break, I raised my hand and asked the manager one simple question.
“How come nobody wants to talk about the heat?”
I swear that manager looked at me like I had bats crawling out of my ear. I could see all my co-workers slowly backing away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. They just watched as the manager came up to me, looked me in the eye, and said something I’ll never forget.
“Kid…you’re new to this world called reality so let me give you a quick lesson they probably don’t teach at your fancy school. There’s a lot of complicated shit out there and only so many hours in the day. When you’re smart enough to sift through that shit or powerful enough to add a few more hours to the day, call me! Otherwise, don’t be a smartass and let me do my job!”
A lesser man would have cowered. This was someone who signed my checks and managed my role in this job. How could I oppose him? Well I didn’t flinch. I didn’t show any weakness. I just kept staring down my manager until he turned away and stormed back towards his office. My co-workers were too stunned to say anything. Some looked at me with admiration. Others looked at me as if I just shot my own hand off. I probably should have dropped it. Lord knows, most rational people would. But in this case, it pays to be a little brazen if not a little foolish.
While my manager was off managing, I took some time from my schedule to see what the fuss was about regarding the air conditioning. The system was in bad shape and it looked like it needed some serious repairs. Lucky for me, I worked in a hardware store. I had all the parts I needed. So over the course of the week, I fixed it. My dad was a real handyman so his teachings really paid off. Eventually, I got it working. I even took a few old fans that had been gathering dust in the storage room, fixed them as well, and set them up throughout the store in a ways to generate a cooling cross breeze.
All this came as a pleasant surprise to my co-workers. I remember them walking into work and seeing their faces literally freeze when they felt that the air wasn’t as stale as a swamp in the tropics. Even the customers took note and they actually thanked us for making the place a more bearable. It seemed like everybody had benefited. Then I heard that voice again.
“ROBBY!”
That’s what my manager called me. As soon as he came walking in that morning, he ran up to me and literally cornered me at the front end of the store. He spent the next twenty minutes chewing me out for going behind his back and fixing something that he couldn’t. He went off on all these rants about how the air conditioning was a complicated system that needed a certified technician and special parts to repair. He yelled at me even more for using parts within the store. For all he knew, I just pieced it together with duct tape and chewing gum. The man looked ready to have a heart attack. Finally, he got to the point where he asked me how we were going to deal with this now and in the future. I had two words for him that rendered everything he just said meaningless.
“I quit.”
I’ve never seen a man shut up so quickly before or ever since. The man’s eyes hung wide open for a full minute as I handed over my uniform and badge, gave him a smile, and walked out. The way I saw it, if he wasn’t going to address the heat then why follow his example? Every one of my co-workers looked at me like I was Spartacus. Two of the girls who worked there ended up asking me out. That alone was worth the next few months I spent falling into debt. But that was the moment I got a taste of dealing with authority and immediately I was hooked.
I also haven't negated the pics section of X-men Supreme. I work hard on the fanfiction, but I know words can only go so far. This time around I've provided updates to the sections for Mystique, Jean Grey, and Emma Frost. Please remember that I'm always willing to accept new submissions. Please contact me if you're interested.
I try not to get overly political with the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, but since the core concept of X-men frequently parallels the struggle for civil rights an minorities it is sometimes unavoidable. Rest assured, I will do everything within my creative power to not make it too convoluted. But the very world of X-men Supreme is as important as the characters themselves. It's a fragile balance, which is why I'm somewhat distressed at the lack of reviews and feedback I've been getting. Have I been getting too political? Am I not doing it right? If so, please tell me! I really do want to know because it is important that I do X-men Supreme right. Only a handful of pepole take the time to post feedback and while I'm deeply grateful to those people, I would like to see more. Please take the time to contact me with your feedback when you get a chance either by contacting me directly or posting your comments on each issue. I'm always willing to chat! Again, thank you very much to all those who support me. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!
Jack
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