As a strange sound spread through the palace, even the surrounding guards were drawn to it. Their eyes bulged behind their armored masks as they looked toward the image floating in midair, followed by sounds of sharp inhales and stifled laughter.
They were not the original Royal Guard, merely a patchwork of council minions. Naturally, their discipline could not compare to that of professionals.
The three people beside the throne bore the brunt of it, of course. The provocative footage left each of them wearing a different expression.
Scott looked at his younger brother, then at Deathbird. He opened his mouth, but had no idea what to say. His face flushed crimson, and he could only turn away as though nothing had happened and stride quickly toward the window.
Deathbird's face had gone dark. Staring at the video playing before them, she reached for the storage device in Vulcan's hand and growled under her breath.
"That isn't me! Darling, believe me!"
Whether Vulcan believed her was one matter. The look on his face was another. A distinct green glow seemed to cover it, flickering constantly with the light from the footage.
He gently pushed the woman sitting on his lap aside and asked softly, "I can believe you, but what is this?"
The man's trembling finger pointed repeatedly at the image in midair. At the same time, he removed the first storage device and inserted the second, then the third, but they all contained similar material.
Each time he switched one out, he asked again, his voice growing louder and louder.
His mouth said he could believe her, but his body language made it clear that was not what he truly thought.
It turned out that the video files delivered to them contained no news of Jean Grey at all.