11752/Peacekeepers: Lay of the Land

Peacekeepers: Lay of the Land
Date of Scene:	09 July 2020
Location:	Somewhere in the mountains, northeast New York
Synopsis:	Lex talks to Victor about nipping the Peacekeeper problem in the bud.
Cast of Characters:	Lex Luthor, Doctor Doom
Tinyplot:	Peacekeepers

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Lex Luthor has posed:
It's been a while since Lex and Victor have had a chat. Most of the Councilors have their own respective problems and responsibilities, after all. Most of the time, there is a mutual respect for each Councilor to handle their own affairs, within the confines of the Charter of the Light that 'binds' them. So far, there have been few conflicts, and matters in the organization have proceeded without too much friction.

Now... Lex has made a personal request to Victor, requesting his presence somewhere in the US to discuss what he calls 'a problem that needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets worse'.

The location is one of the higher peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Lex has something he wants to show Victor, and seems to think the Latverian Monarch will agree that it is a problem that he will want to assist with.

Just at the peak of the mountain, a green and purple powered armor suit remains motionless, as the man inside monitors something off in the distance with the sensors.

Lex awaits.

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doom has any number of ways to arrive at the mountain peak, but he chooses the most expedient, not wanting to waste time dealing with US authorities or travel delays. He begins by casting a magical circle on the floor of his castle's laboratory and stepping into it, sealing the spell with his magical energy. A moment later, among the rocks at the mountain's peak, Victor appears.

Luthor's armor is quickly spotted and identified, Doom's own metal shell enables him to easily fly towards his ally. From inside the suit of mystical Tibetan made armor, the king of Latveria's voice booms out, "Luthor. You've identified a situation that needs to be addressed?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
A synthetic voice modulator replies without looking back towards Victor. It isn't Lex's voice, but Victor doesn't need to hear his voice to know who is inside; he's one of the few privileged enough to know that Lex would never allow anyone but him to wear that suit without a very good reason. "Yes." He states simply.

Then, one armored gauntlet comes up and points directly ahead, and just a bit downwards. "Tune your sensors for underground bunkers, and focus 2.04 miles in that direction. It will be very obvious what you're looking for."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Doing as Lex instructs, Doom turns his electronic systems on to search the specified area. He also reaches out with his other senses, those honed by years practicing the mystic arts. Standing still, one suit of armor next to the other, the sorcerer-scientist focuses intently.

There's not a lot of need for the men to waste words between one another. They're both experts in their fields, geniuses and incredibly important individuals. If Luthor says this is important he's not about to waste the Latverian's time.

Lex Luthor has posed:
Initially, Victor can see what looks to be a tunnel entry. It looks abandoned from first glance... but once the underground sensory begins, it becomes clear that the tunnel is just the cover for a huge underground complex.

Under the mountain is a massive bunker, from the massive infrared signature underneath that entry. It's clear that whatever it is, it's a huge undertaking.

The mystical check, however... reveals just HOW massive the complex is. Victor can easily see an underground factory, along with about two hundred signatures. Most of them are robotics, but he can sense at least twenty cyborgs as well.

"The complex is a factory fortress, designed to be hidden underground, but with some defenses. The cyborgs inside are my Peacekeeper models. Cyborgs built from terminal patients who signed their bodies away in exchange for being given a second chance at life as weapons for LexCorp. The first one I signed on, Henry Carver, managed to subvert the program and take control during a test." The armored helmet glances towards Victor. "I don't know what his endgame is for sure, but he was making moves in the Metropolis underground before I dealt with that. By all indicators, he was planning to reverse engineer the technology for his own use, but he doesn't have the technical expertise to even begin to make any sense of it."

He points towards the complex, "So he's using what he COULD learn to produce his own robots, at great expense. I don't know what his plans are, but I do know he has no interest in cooperation, given he attacked a LexTech facility recently trying to steal my blueprints."

Doctor Doom has posed:
"Quite a number of signs of activity in there," Doom states. "You feel as though Carver is going to be a threat to our plans?"

The sorcerer continues using his mystical senses for a bit longer before bringing his attention further back to his present location. His mask turns to face Luthor's. "What is your plan for addressing this situation?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"I know that if left to his own, he will run and go somewhere else, and he has no interest in working with others. If he did, he would have approached me during the project. He knows what he's doing, and knows that he's making a dangerous gamble." Lex informs Victor, turning fully to the other armored man, "He is a threat to the stable world we are trying to create, with those weapons he is producing. Our interests are best served by stripping him of those weapons and dealing with Carver; either by controlling him, or by terminating him."

He looks back to the general direction of the complex, "There are only two options, infiltrate the complex and hope to find the hub of control, or destroy the weapons wholesale and strip him of control forcibly." There is a moment of silence, "The former is not a guarantee. The latter has a better chance of success, and I request your help to do it. I am planning on giving this information to the League, Avengers, and Legion as well."

Doctor Doom has posed:
Victor is silent for some time as he considers the words of his ally. Eventually his hooded head nods, "I find myself in agreement with your assessment. I will assist you when the time comes." He takes a step forward, then scans his surroundings, "The decision to alert those organizations is wise. I worry that they'll disagree with the destruction of the cyborgs, however. Is it possible to reprogram them once they're subdued?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"By all accounts, they are being controlled via remote transmission, or by firmware hijack. Only the technical staff of the project could have helped him do that, and I've already found the traitor who did it. I know exactly how to severe the connection and bring them back to LexCorp."

Lex nods to Victor, "all I need now is the resources for the assault."

Doctor Doom has posed:
"Very well," Doom says with a nod. "I will lend my aid to this endeavor. The amount of force I bring to bear may be limited by treaties with the United States, however, as I do not wish them to think that I am invading." Yet. "I can summon more forces once we're engaged, however, if that proves necessary." Looking at Lex again he asks, "When will we be assaulting the fortifications?"

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Once I hear word from The Alien and others." Lex informs Victor. "With it along, I have no doubt things will go much more smoothly. Meanwhile, I'll keep in touch." Lex starts to walk to the edge of the peak, "This is a fairly remote place. As long as you keep the force you bring to bear covert and clean up after yourself, I have no doubt the 'heroes' will not be interested in pursuing the matter." He stops at the edge, "It's in their best interests to deal with this quickly as well, after all."

With that, makes to jump... and the thrusters in his suit activate as Lex heads back down the mountain, flying smoothly. He's not going skyward; Victor will be easy to figure out easily Lex is doing everything he can to avoid detection.