12260/Wind Dancing For Dum-E's

Wind Dancing For Dum-E's
Date of Scene:	28 September 2020
Location:	Quinjet Interior. Quinjet Exterior. Bermuda Triangle.
Synopsis:	Action! Science! Mystery?
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Storm, Cyclops

---

Iron Man has posed:
"See? This was a much better idea. Leave the flying to the professionals, I always say."

Sitting in the back row of the Avengers' Quinjet in a luxurious leather chair, everyone's favorite self-made man is currently fully reclined, with his feet up on the very cushy footrest.

Shoes off.

Socks too.

He idly swishes the ice cubes around in the crystal rocks glass, frowning enough to make his mustache crinkle. But before he has time to take one of the cucumber slices off of his eyes, the glass is already being refilled.

"Thank you so much, Janine. You're a lifesaver."

Still laid back in his chair, Tony brings the scotch to his lips and lets out a contented sigh. It must be nice to be Tony.

'Janine', which may or may not be her actual name, heads back even further into the Quinjet, carrying the drink tray back to a safe location. She's under strict orders to only serve Tony a maximum of three drinks, or she's fired. Looking at the Iron Man suit that's currently lurking in Standby Mode next to the jet's restroom, she seems a bit puzzled by the small robot that's standing next to the suit, plugged into it, and otherwise doing nothing.

Oh well. Janine doesn't need to know what that's all about. And we'll get around to finding out later.

"Plus, this really gives us time to get to know each other Miss... Storm. Let me know if you need more cucumber slices. Maybe a neck pillow? Champagne? I'll have Janine get it right away."

The Quinjet moves ever forward on its trajectory, already crossing over the Pacific Ocean. Some strange storm clouds seem to be brewing outside the plane, but nothing has caused any turbulence so far.

"Nice flying up there, Cyclops. Smooth as butter. Oh! Did you find the seat warmer?"

Storm has posed:
She would have to send Jean an apology basket after she killed Scott for his asking her to stay in the back and keep an eye on Tony Stark. Something tasteful that relayed her sorrow and a softly spoken promise that it had been quick and painless.

She was in full uniform, the headdress served to keep her hair from her face in high winds and the rest was simply suited to her tastes. She knew that of the team her uniform was one of the more unique among them. "You may call me Storm or Miss Munroe." Her voice was a rich timbre that had lacings of steel in it. Hers was not a secret identity.

"I assure you, I am well." If a bit tasked at handling a man with a personality as big as his. Honestly, the man had confidence that could rival even Logan's, but at least Logan was tactiturn. Instead, Tony Stark would see her eyes bleed of the soft blue into a glowing, harsh white. "Scott, I will try to clear the storm, but I can already feel that it's intensity will not be easily moved. I will contain the plane so that we are not troubled." And suddenly even the butter become all the more smooth as Storm pocketed the quinjet into an ideal bubble of calm weather.

Cyclops has posed:
"You can call me Scott, Mister Stark. You don't need to use my codename on the jet. Only in the field during a combat situation if necessary." Scott says in a plain tone as he lets out a slow breath. While this request may have came out of no where, he would not pass up the chance to get closer to one of the leaders of the Avengers. One of the reasons why he brought Storm along was because of her leadership, experience, and the fact as an Omega level mutant, he would not have to worry about 'resolving an issue' if it came down to it.

Lightning can cure most troubles instantly as we all know.

As he taps a few controls on the dash board, he shifts the Avenger's quinjet to accomodate the weather, trying to rise above it so to speak. "Do whatever you need to do, Ro." He calls back to his best friend over his shoulder before he stares back out the cockpit. He's in his own uniform of blue and gold with a black leather jacket over his person, as well as his trademarked visor that wraps about his head.

"I am still .. confused as to what the mission is. Can you recap us one more time?"

Iron Man has posed:
"What?"

Tony looks a bit confused, craning his neck as if he's trying to hear something. One of the cucumber slices falls to the floor before Janine is able to run up and catch it. She's definitely fired.

"Hang on..." Reaching into his ear, he pulls out the earbud that was previously simulating the sound of the ocean for him. A must for the discerning light sleeper.

"The mission? Didn't Janine already cover that in the in-flight brief? Man, they really don't make junior executives like they used to. Back in my day..."

Tony's seat begins to raise up to its unreclined position, and he sets the glass down on the hovering tray table before him.

Legitimately hovering.

"Anyway, as I'm sure you both know, Stark Global is the premiere provider of communications satellites for the discerning mobile device user's bandwidth needs. Which is why your Stark Phone works just as well in the Alps as it does in Alabama."

He pauses for effect, before slowly standing up and walking toward the front of the Quinjet.

"EXCEPT! For right HERE!" He points out of the nearest window, at the strange clouds gathering around the jet. They really DO look kind of ominous.

"So we need to find out what it is that keeps futzing with my satellites, before some other asshole beats me to complete global coverage."

"Who else could be trusted with that kind of power?"

Storm has posed:
Storm simply closed her eyes as the man explained that they were out here for cell phone coverage. A ghost of a smile danced at the corner of her lips as she could almost imagine Scott's blood pressure ticking higher. "Scott, what are our coordinates?"

Rising to her feet and following behind Tony before she slid past him and put herself in the co-pilot's seat. Bringing up the navigational readouts and reading them with still blazing eyes. "The Bermuda Triangle. It is notorious for causing issues with electrical equipment as well as communications."

Considering for a moment before she turned to Scott. "I can try to contain the storm to give us a better visual, but I will need to be outside the jet in order to do so." It felt like a lingering beast beneath the waves. Storms in this area were notoriously powerful and any provocation could have it developing into a hurricane.

Cyclops has posed:
There is a low sigh. "Why do we need cell service at the Bermuda Triangle when there aren't any cell phones nearby?" Scott reaches up and rubs the back of his neck with his fingers, giving his hair a good scrubbing for a moment before he looks over towards the Avenger.

"This is over the middle of the ocean in an area that has .. no population. Now while the fact you don't get service over here is interesting and an oddity, I don't know if this requires both Avengers and X-Men resources." He gives a lick of his lips and glances over to Ororo, raising his brows.

"You sure about this?" He asks her. "Does this plane have a scanner or something that can analyze the storm to see why it is causing this interference? I don't want to send her out there unnecessarily without intelligence."

Iron Man has posed:
"Alright, alright... I can see you guys don't really have much interest in business. But just think about the SCIENCE!"

Tony actually looks excited, padding around the Quinjet with no socks on, despite wearing a suit that probably cost half as much as the Quinjet.

"There's something out here that nobody else has figured out yet, and WE'RE about to. Like Ben Franklin with his kite!"

He's a bit vague on important specifics, like who gets to be Ben Franklin and who has to be the kite.

"It'll be a piece of cake though. I'll be watching your back the whole time, Miss Munroe. I can guarantee that. Because it looks like my suit's new AI has finished downloading, so I'll be good to go!"

For those who haven't been keeping close tabs on Tony's Personal Misadventures, this is actually kind of a big deal. With the destruction of J.A.R.V.I.S. he has been unable to effectively operate his more complex modern suits, but where did he find a new AI so quickly?

Over at the Iron Man Suit, the robot that was plugged in unplugs itself, and it's single arm/camera apparatus swings awkwardly to face the cabin.

"Mwoop?" It's a confused, questioning tone, perfectly appropriate for a droid named 'Dum-E.'

Suddenly, Tony seems to think this might not be that great an idea, but he keeps smiling anyway.

"So! Let me get suited up, and we'll hop on out, see what we can see, huh?"

Storm has posed:
Nodding her head once to Scott, she would do what was needed. Certainly this mission didn't feel critical, but it was asked of them and she would regard that with the same sense of responsibility that she did any mission. She stood and turned in the cockpit before gesturing to the seat she'd just freed up. "Mr. Stark."

Once he was sat down, she walked past them into the belly of the ship and looked to 'Janine'. "Please, take a seat and secure yourself." Waiting until the woman did just that. "Mr. Stark, while I have every confidence in your abilities I would ask that you stay within the confines of the jet until I signal that it is safe."

He called for them and they would do this their way. "Close off the cockpit and the hold." Every aircraft bucked when a section was depressurized how they were about to do so, she said nothing because Scott was a master pilot and didn't need reminding. Striding with every confidence born of a woman who could be considered a threat to the very world if she had any sort of inclination to be a threat to it. Reaching up to activate the comm unit in her headdress. "Checking comms. I'm ready once you've established a clear opening."

Cyclops has posed:
There is a low sigh from Scott as he quietly thanks the stars that he only has to deal with Logan and his moods, rather than Tony's. How does Captain America get through his day with this? As he steadies the 'boat' in the sky, he gives a nod of his head back towards Ororo.

"Aye, aye, Captain." He says in a flat tone of his voice, glancing over his shoulder towards her. "Be safe. I do not wish to anger Jean with bad news."

He does not want to see a Firebird's screaming fury raining down from the heavens if her best friend was harmed to save 'cell service.'

Iron Man has posed:
As he makes his own way back toward the restroom, Tony snatches his rocks glass off of the hovertray and polishes off the rest of what is undoubtedly a very fine scotch. For the discerning daydrinker's inebriation needs.

He hands off the empty glass to Janine. Just because she's strapped in doesn't mean she's off the clock. As soon as he's past her she eats one of the ice cubes out of the glass. Weird girl, that Janine.

"Alright... let's see if I remember how to do this..."

Tony stands in front of the Iron Man armor, with his back turned to it. Holding his arms out to the sides, with his legs slightly splayed, he looks a bit like a mustachioed Vitruvian Man.

And he holds that pose.

And holds it.

"Uh... Dum-E? This is your cue..."

With an apologetic "Mwoop!", the suit opens itself up, and then begins wrapping itself around Tony as if it were some sort of brightly-colored Icebucket Challenge. Within a few seconds, he's all armored up, and the faceplate slams down over his face with a very satisfying 'CLUUUNG'

"Hello? Are you guys reading me? Probably should have checked comms earlier, I'll own that one, that's my fault. But I'm ready to follow you into the eye of the storm, Storm. You know, whenever you give the all clear."

Storm has posed:
For the first time since they stepped onto the jet and she met the illustrious Tony Stark, Tony heard Ororo laugh. Though it was a soft thing, it was certainly genuine. "I am always safe, Scott." Which was an absolute lie, but she would be safe in any storm. Watching Tony as he becomes Iron Man and gives him a smile and a slight shake of her head. Latching the hold doors shut as she walked to the back of the hold where the plane could be opened and pressed the button that opened the doors.

The sudden rush of wind swirled around her and Storm simply stepped off into the cloudscape. This was an angry storm that suddenly surrounded her. Scott would be able to feel the moment that she releases the hold of pressure around the Quinjet as she focuses on the storm around her. Angry and almost confused. The location was an apex of wind currents and tides, both of which could have impact on the weather.

Her head turned as she could see the jet in the glimpses of black clouds. She began unweaving some of the energy, causing the clouds to lose a touch of the ominous coloring. "You are clear, Mr. Stark. Be mindful that we are in two different head winds, please. It is difficult to navigate."

Iron Man has posed:
Whichever version of the suit that Iron Man is currently rocking, it's certainly an improvement over the version he was wearing the past few weeks. That one was called the 'Mark Boxer Shorts and Depression', most likely.

Tony watches appreciatively as she steps out into the great wide open, under the skies of... whatever color 'angry weather' is. Art was the only class that Tony got a D in. Well, art and all the classes that he didn't show up for.

"Much obliged, Ms. Munroe. You did say 'Ms.', right? Not that it matters, I just wanted to make sure there's not a Mr. Munroe before I show off the capabilities of my multi-billion dollar suit of armor."

He's outside of the jet shortly after, flying reasonably smoothly despite the choppy weather conditions. Never cheap out on the gyro-stabilizers.

"It tends to provoke strong feelings of inadequ-aaaah! Dammit Dum-E! You're supposed to ADJUST FOR THAT!"

Iron Man manages to pull himself out of a very nasty tailspin, which really undersold the magnificence of his multi-billion dollar suit of armor.

The weather doesn't seem impressed by America's Sweetheart, unfortunately.

Storm has posed:
Storm could not help the chuckle as Tony made certain she was apparently single before stepping off the plane in a suit of armor. A very fancy suit of armor, yes, but still a suit of armor. Watching him recover from a tail spin as she seemed to simply be suspended in the air. Her hair and cape snapped out behind her and while it was difficult to get a sense of where she was looking when there was only white to her eyes? There was weight to that gaze.

"There is not." In answer to his question as she lifted her arms outward and let her head tip back and she pulled the storm inward. Certainly it was simply a matter of diffusing the intertwined layers of energy that were looping feed into a storm. Pressure, eddies, overcharged ions that would release in claps of lightning. Yet, for her it was simply a matter of soothing the skies. Her hands moving with a slow grace and it was almost like she were touching along the back of an angry cat and calming it. The sun's rays breaking through as she dissipated the clouds and calmed the winds. "There are competing headwinds that meet here. It supercharges the air." Holding out her hand and pops of electricity danced along her fingers like a Tesla Coil in miniature.

Iron Man has posed:
It takes Iron Man more effort than normal to level out. But that's mostly because his co-pilot is a moron. To be fair to Dum-E though, he was programmed by Tony Stark for menial chores, so the blame all comes back to Tony in a circular fashion.

Still, though he looks a bit more wobbly than usual, he's able to hold his position relative to Storm, and even get in a few readings of his own. The suit's sensors give him a giant infodump, which he's able to keep up with fairly well, but it'd be a lot easier if he had J.A.R.V.I.S. here to highlight the important stuff for him and also give him sound advice that he'd refuse to take.

"Good stuff. Really interesting. Lots of... atmospheric things. But uh... any idea how we fix it real quick? Figured you'd just sort of disperse it real fast, and then you and I would go back inside and have dinner."

Just fix the Bermuda Triangle real quick. No big deal.

"Scott won't mind flying back."

Storm has posed:
"Fix it? Mr. Stark...I do not think you comprehend. Headwinds cannot be fixed. They simply are, it would be like changing the polarity of the earth. The effects would throw the weather of the world into a turmoil that it would not recover from. If I changed the fixation of the headwinds, I would turn the United States into the Sahara and freeze all of Africa."

This said as she held out a hand and Snapped a bubble around him and his suit. Inside was no wind and nominal pressure. "When we leave, it is likely that another storm will simply build in our wake. This is the nature of things." She didn't say she /couldn't/ 'fix' it, as he put it. Just that the consequences would be beyond dire. Which may also clue Tony in on how frightening a threat one woman could be.

"A flattering invitation, Mr. Stark. However, I do not agree to dinner dates upon first meeting someone. Even if they have a very fancy suit that provoked strong feelings of inadequecy in other men." Said with a wry smile on her lips.

Cyclops has posed:
"I can hear you two on the radio you know." Scott says with a noise of frustration in his voice.

"And if we're ready to go, then get back on board so that we can get on with it. We're busy people." Obviously, they run a school in which any of their students can blow up a building with just a thought.

"We have classes in the morning." He taps a few more buttons on the dashboard to set the coordinates back up. "Ro, if you need me to blast him, let me know. I haven't had a chance to play the role of a big brother in quite some time."

Iron Man has posed:
With no expression cues, and no real body language to read, it can be pretty difficult to tell what Iron Man may be thinking at any given moment. But it looks almost as if his shoulders slump a bit. Sure, it could just be a fluke of Dum-E's attempts to co-pilot. And maybe for the sake of argument, we'll just say it is.

Operating his suit scanners, Tony gets plenty of interesting data that he can go over later, though who knows what he'll be able to do with the data he gets from a pressure-free zone. She's certainly making it sound like artificial weather powers aren't a very lucrative line of research.

Something seems to dawn on him, and he answers her in his slightly electronically-modulated voice.

"Oh... you're one of those environmentalists."

Now it all makes sense.

"That's great! I care a lot about the environment too. Can't save the planet if you don't also save the climate, I always say." He's already flying back on an intercept course for the Quinjet, though even with her assistance it'll probably be an awkward docking procedure. Like the other one he just attempted, probably.

"Scott, good buddy, if you could hold 'er steady it'd be much appreciated. Maybe YOU would like to hear all about the good work that Stark is doing to combat climate change. Over... dinner? Just the three of us? Janine won't mind flying back."

Storm has posed:
Ro actually laughs at Scott's offer to blast Tony out of the sky. "As tempting as that is, Scott, I have enough paperwork at home to deal with. We're coming in." Storm nearly twirls through the air with an ease that even his original suit would have been hard pressed to emmulate. Landing smoothly on her feet and watching him 'dock', she closes up the hatch.

A quick sweep of wind sets her hair to rights as she heads up to the cock pit. "Mr. Stark, you would not want to irritate Jean by asking her man out on a date. Trust me." Smiling as she took up the co-pilot seat and while it wasn't needed, Ro made a hell of a co-pilot. "Maybe we can set him up with Logan?"